US Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court

Saturday, April 9, 2022

On Thursday, the United States Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, becoming the first African American woman to sit on the Court.

The vote was 53 in favor of Jackson and 47 opposed, largely split along party lines between Democrats and Republicans, respectively. Susan Collins (Maine), Mitt Romney (Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) broke ranks with their fellow Republicans to cast votes for Jackson. Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the vote. Had there been a deadlock, she would have cast a tiebreaking vote.

Jackson and President Joe Biden watched the proceedings from the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Biden nominated Jackson on February 25 to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. In 2020, Biden promised while running for President to nominate a African American woman to the Supreme Court, the country’s highest. Presidential nominations are required to be confirmed by the Senate.

On March 21, Jackson was introduced to the Senate by Thomas B. Griffith, a former judge on the Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C. During her opening remarks, Jackson said: “My parents taught me that unlike the many barriers that they had to face growing up, my path was clearer, so that if I worked hard and believed in myself, in [the US] I could do anything or be anything I wanted to be.”

She closed with: “Members of this committee, if I am confirmed, I commit to you that I will work productively to support and defend the Constitution and this grand experiment of American democracy that has endured over these past 246 years. During this hearing I hope that you will see how much I love our country and the Constitution and the rights that make us free.”

On the second day of confirmation hearings, Senator Josh Hawley (Republican; Missouri) challenged Jackson on child pornography cases over which she had presided. He questioned a three-month prison sentence handed out by Jackson in United States v. Hawkins where the prosecution had sought two years imprisonment. Federal Sentencing Guidelines recommended eight years in the case, based on the number of images. Jackson responded that she disagrees with the current guidelines, arguing they fail to differentiate defendants, and are contentious by the Sentencing Commission.

Jackson explained: “Congress has given the judges not only the discretion to make the decision but required judges to do so on an individualized basis taking into account not only the guidelines but also various factors including the age of the defendant, the circumstances of the defendant.” The defendant in the case was eighteen years old.

On the third day of the hearings, Jackson was pressed on how to apply Constitutional provisions written over two hundred years ago, to current issues. Jackson responded: “It’s a process of understanding what the core foundational principles are in the Constitution, as captured by the text, as originally intended, and then applying those principles to modern day.”

Senators Lindsey Graham (Republican; South Carolina) and Ted Cruz (Republican; Texas) continued a line of questioning from Tuesday on light sentences which led head of the Judiciary Committee Senator Dick Durbin (Democrat; Illinois) to intervene numerous times on Jackson’s behalf. While Durbin said Jackson was being interrupted, he was accused of filibustering in the nominee’s favor.

On the fourth and final day of the hearing on March 24, Durbin announced the Judiciary Committee would meet on March 28, potentially setting up a vote on Jackson for April 4. That day, Jackson herself was not present on March 24 as the Senate heard testimony from other parties, such as Wade Henderson, president of nonprofit group the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Henderson said of Jackson: “Her background is absolutely extraordinary and her demonstration and mastery of the law is second to none.”

Senator Marsha Blackburn (Republican; Tennessee) requested access to confidential pre-sentencing reports in Jackson’s past child pornography cases. Reports of this nature are confidential to protect the victims. Durbin refused, saying: “I would not want that on my conscience, that we did this for some political exercise here, which I think is totally unnecessary, and someone was harmed as a result of it. I’m going to resist it every step of the way.”

On April 4, the Judiciary Committee voted 11-11 on Jackson, a deadlock broken by a vote called by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) which sent it to the Senate floor.

Prior to her nomination, Jackson served as a clerk for Breyer, a federal public defender, a federal district court judge and a member of the sentencing commission, as well as an attorney in private practice.

The Supreme Court has eight associate justices and one chief justice.

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The Way You Choose Bookmakers Main Principles

So, you’ve decided to earn your living by making bets on arbitrage betting. How degree of you success will depend on many factors and the main is the bookmaker you have chosen. This is the first and the most important step for every bettor.

There are a lot of bookmakers in the Internet that propose their services and at first thought there is no difference between them. So, what bookmaker to choose? Bearing in mind the experience of career bettors, we have gathered the most important factors which you need to pay attention on.

Reliability

The most crucial factor is the reliability of a bookmaker. You can find a vast majority of top-lists of the bookmakers in the Internet. Of course, they give some useful information and you can pay attention on the leaders of these lists, but don’t trust them without any additional consideration. Visit some thematic forums, read the opinion of professional bettors. Perhaps, you have some friends who have experience in online-betting. Ask them some questions about the bookmaker you are interested in.

Your task is to get sure that your bet will be accepted with exactly that coefficient you have calculated before. Some bookmakers think that it is normal to cheat the clients in this way. This also works with payments. If the bookmaker is biding the time and doesn’t want to make the payment you should cease your mutual collaboration. This is the evidence of a low quality of work with clients and you can even lose all your money.

Accessibility

We strongly recommend you to check carefully accessible information about the bookmaker you’ve got interested in. Where it is located, its legal address and contact details. Register information will explain a lot of nuances. For example, Bet365 is licensed and registered in Great Britain. Of course, the bookmaker with the registration in offshore won’t deserve bettors’ trust.

Customer support

As you continue your collaboration with the bookmaker, a lot of questions can appear. Either the question on money account or some services. So, make sure that the customer support is perfect. It doesn’t matter, who did you ask your question (via e-mail, phone call or website) the answer should be quick, brief and adequate.

Deposit/withdrawal methods

Solid bookmakers pay attention on the comfort of their clients and propose a wide variety of deposit and withdrawal methods. We can name electronic payment systems and bank agreements that allow the client to transfer the money directly on their personal account (and this proves the fact that the bookmaker is a reliable one as only very reliable companies can sign such agreements).

Action line

The higher the status of bookmaker is the wider is an action line. Besides the most advanced bookmakers constantly widen the list of sport events that take part in betting. The cooperation with such a bookmaker will be positive, profitable and easy.

Odds

In order to promote betting, bookmakers have to propose more profitable odds than their rivals do, ensuring them by low margin. If the margin that the bookmaker you’ve got interested in proposed is more than 7.5% it is profitless to bet with this bookmaker. The most accepted favorite among the bookmakers that propose the most profitable odds is Pinnacle

Bonuses

Good advantage for the bookmaker is the proposed bonuses. You can learn about them at the web-site of every bookmaker. For example, a lot of bookmakers propose nice welcome bonuses or prize drawing among the clients and so on. In general, you have to meet conditions in order to get them. Read attentively the rules and regulations and make sure you can meet with them.

So, how to start betting

So, you have studies carefully all the factors mentioned above and found a reliable bookmaker and, perhaps, you have found good arb and are ready to make your first bet. Let us study this process.

At first, you need to register. The opening of a bookmaker account doesn’t differ from registration on any other web-site. But, bearing in mind the fact, that the process of verification will take place be careful while filling in all the fields of the registration form.

Then let us look at financial side. So, open an account at any popular electronic payment system as not all bookmakers give an opportunity to refund the account directly from the card. The most popular payment system that is supported by the majority of bookmakers is Skrill (Moneybookers). More details about this system you can learn by reading the corresponding article.

Then the process of cash-in follows. Click the button Deposit of Cash-in at the Account Page and choose the payment system from the list of proposed variants. Type in the sum of deposit and click the button Confirm. You can use this money only at this bookmaker. Please, be very attentive while choosing the bookmaker. It has to meet all factors mentioned above, including your own demands. Be very responsible and you will gain only positive emotions and experience that won’t be spoiled by “surprises” from unfair bookmakers.

We propose you to study the reviews ofbest online bookmakers which you can find at appropriate section on our web-site.

China overtakes Germany as world’s biggest exporter

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter.

The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 total Chinese exports reached US$1.2 trillion, above Germany’s forecast $1.17 trillion.

Huang Guohua, a statistics official with the customs administration, said the December exports rebound was an important turning point for China’s export sector. He commented that the jump was an indication that exporters have emerged from their downslide.

“We can say that China’s export enterprises have completely emerged from their all-time low in exports,” he said.

However, although China overtook Germany in exports, China’s total foreign trade — both exports and imports — fell 13.9% last year.

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Is It Ok To Wear A Skimpy Sexy Mini Dress To An Evening Cocktail Party?

By Sarah H

Well, like with all outfits it depends entirely on what sort of evening cocktail party you are attending and where it will take place can be the deciding factor of what sort of dress is appropriate for an evening cocktail party. For instance if it is an after work cocktail party being held at a fancy restaurant then a skimpy sexy mini dress would not be the appropriate choice for this occasion. Also consider what is the purpose of the cocktail party, whether it is a function held to raise money for a charitable cause again wearing a skimpy sexy mini dress would not be appropriate.

At cocktail parties most women dress to look elegant and those little black dresses that are so popular would be an ideal choice of dress for an occasion such as an evening cocktail party, it will give you the opportunity of wearing a mini dress but will also cut down on the skimpy sexy look and give you a more sophisticated appearance. Skimpy and classy simply do not go together and while you may look gorgeous in a skimpy little dress do you really want the looks, the whispers from the other women at the party, regardless of how jealous they may be in actuality over the fact that you can carry off the tiny little halter dress?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eVp59pUZZw[/youtube]

There is a time and place for every outfit and of course it really depends on the kind of cocktail party youre attending. If its at the home of one of your closest friends and you feel comfortable wearing that itsy bitsy dress then go ahead, but for the most part a skirt that falls below your behind is the better part of valor. You dont want to come off as sexy and brainless, you want to be taken seriously for all aspects of yourself, not just your beautiful body. This advice comes from the experience of dozens of women over the years who have found that they have to work harder to be taken seriously the shorter their skirts are.

So simply put, unless you are attending a party where you are well known among all the guests, it is a much better idea not to wear the skimpy dress, go with short but classy and you will find yourself the center of envious looks from the women and appreciative looks from the men without being thought of as a stripper or hooker who has stumbled into the party uninvited.

About the Author: Find more great tips and ideas on dresses at http://www.allaboutdresses.net a website offering tips, advice and resources on topics relating to stunning

little black dresses

, dresses by Jennifer Lopez, the sexy

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and even modern prom dresses.

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Sandra Fluke insists she will not be silenced

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

In an opinion piece published by CNN on Tuesday, Georgetown University law student and women’s rights advocate Sandra Fluke insisted she will not allow slurs from critics to silence her and other women from continuing to speak out on issues regarding women’s health and contraception.

Fluke has faced slurs and personal attacks after speaking before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee in the United States House of Representatives about women’s health and contraception. She was called a “slut” and a “prostitute” by talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh. In response to these attacks, Fluke has received public support from women, members of the media, and politicians including the President of the United States.

Attacking me and women who use contraception by calling us prostitutes and worse cannot silence us.

In her piece for CNN, Fluke took the opportunity to thank her supporters, writing, “By now, many have heard the stories I wanted to share thanks to the congressional leaders and members of the media who have supported me and millions of women in speaking out.” She characterized the “opponents of reproductive health access” who issued personal attacks against her as being motivated by an attempt to change the topic of conversation away from a dialogue about women’s health, and “to silence women’s voices regarding their own health care.”

Fluke wrote that the efforts by some to drown out women from speaking out about women’s health were unsuccessful. She came to this conclusion due to the multitude of positive comments and encouragement sent to her by both female and male individuals urging that contraception medication be considered a medical necessity.

Asserting that she would not remain silent on this issue of women’s health, Fluke wrote, “Attacking me and women who use contraception by calling us prostitutes and worse cannot silence us.”

She noted that a significant majority of women have utilized contraception medication, and commented that there exists a social disconnect between politicians attempting to make it more difficult for women to access this type of health care, and the views of society-at-large about the matter: “Restricting access to such a basic health care service, which 99% of sexually experienced American women have used and 62% of American women are using right now, is out of touch with public sentiment.”

Fluke concluded her piece by emphasizing that those in power should not govern based on ideology: “I am proud to stand with the millions of women and men who recognize that our government should legislate according to the reality of our lives — not for ideology.”

After being banned by Congressman Darrell Issa from speaking before a Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on February 16 which consisted mainly of male panelists, Fluke appeared before a meeting of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee convened by Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on February 23.

Fluke spoke to the committee about the need for contraception to be covered by health care plans offered by employers, as a matter integral to women’s health. She cited multiple cases where women take contraception medication as part of their health care for treatment of medical conditions unrelated to birth control, including two women who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, a woman who is afflicted with endometriosis and another who takes contraception in order to prevent seizures.

Time and time again, women have been silenced in this discussion, a discussion about our own very personal health care decisions.

Speaking before the United States Senate on February 17 along with fellow members Patty Murray, Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Boxer, and Charles Schumer, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire expressed her support for Fluke. Like Fluke, Senator Shaheen pointed out the need not to silence the voices of women in the public government debate about women’s health care: “Time and time again, women have been silenced in this discussion, a discussion about our own very personal health care decisions.” Senator Shaheen concluded her remarks with an explanation as to why she believes women should have significant representation in discussions about their health care: “Women deserve a voice in this debate because, after all, in the end this is about our health and it is about a health care decision that is between women, their families, their doctors, and their own faith.”

President Barack Obama called Fluke on March 2 to express his support for her courage to speak out on issues of women’s health. In his first press conference of 2012 on March 6, he discussed his reasons for deciding to call Fluke.

The President cited his personal thoughts about his own two daughters: “And the reason I called Ms. Fluke is because I thought about Malia and Sasha [Obama’s daughters], and one of the things I want them to do as they get older is to engage in issues they care about, even ones I may not agree with them on. I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way. And I don’t want them attacked or called horrible names because they’re being good citizens.”

President Obama went on to state that Fluke served as a positive role model for citizen participation in democracy and society: “And I wanted Sandra to know that I thought her parents should be proud of her, and that we want to send a message to all our young people that being part of a democracy involves argument and disagreements and debate, and we want you to be engaged, and there’s a way to do it that doesn’t involve you being demeaned and insulted, particularly when you’re a private citizen.”

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Bank of America leads Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaints about mortgages

Thursday, October 3, 2013

A review this week by Wikinews of US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaints about mortgages in the United States shows Bank of America leads all lending institutions in complaints.

Since mortgages complaints were recorded in December 2011, 77,622 total have been added to CFPB’s database. 29.2% of these complaints involved Bank of America, with the second most received by Wells Fargo, accounting for 15.5% of all complaints. JPMorgan Chase ranked third by volume of complaints with 9.8%. Ocwen was fourth with 8.7% and Citibank was fifth with 4.8%. Nationstar Mortgage; Green Tree Servicing, LLC; HSBC; PNC Bank; U.S. Bancorp; OneWest Bank; SunTrust Bank; Flagstar Bank; and Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. each had between 1.0 and 3.8% of total complaints. The remaining 14.4% of all complaints about consumer mortgages were divided between about 530 other lending institutions.

The Motley Fool reported last month that for the past fiscal quarter, the biggest US based mortgage lenders were from first to fifth Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Quicken Loans and U.S. Bancorp.

According to the US Federal Reserve, debt for family residences stands at US$10.706 trillion for the second quarter of 2013. As of the end of June of this year, Bank of America is the United States’s second largest commercial bank with US$1.343 trillion in domestic assets. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest commercial bank with US$1.251 trillion in domestic assets. JPMorgan Chase is the largest US commercial bank with US$1.329 trillion in domestic assets and US$1.947 trillion in total assets.

The mortgage complaints in the CFPB report include several subproducts. Conventional fixed mortgages account for 27.1% of all complaints. Conventional adjustable mortgages account for 10.0%. FHA mortgages account for 7.7% of all complaints. Home equity loans or lines of credit account for 3.8% of all complaints. VA mortgages are 1.4% of all complaints. Second mortgages and reverse mortgages each account for 0.6% of complaints. The remaining 48.7% of complaints are about other mortgages or other mortgage issues. A few years ago, FHA loans accounted for about 10% of all US mortgages while VA loans accounted for about 3%. Prime loans accounted for over 75% of the market and the rest were subprime mortgages.

California leads all states by volume of complaints with 14768. It is followed by Florida, New York, Georgia and Texas. When complaints are divided by a state’s total population, New Hampshire leads. The state is followed by Washington D.C., Maryland, Georgia and Florida. Complaints do not correlate with national rankings for August’s foreclosure rate by state where Nevada topped the list, followed by Florida, Ohio, Maryland and Delaware.

Two zip codes account for over 1,000 total complaints between them. 565 complaints originated in the 48382 zip code, which is in Commerce Township, Michigan, located in suburban Detroit. 553 complaints originated in the 33071 zip code, in Coral Springs, Florida. According to real estate website Zillow, there are currently 1,033 properties in foreclosure in Coral Springs while Commerce Township only has 131 properties currently in foreclosure. Four other zip codes have 100 plus complaints originating from them. 91730, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, had 158 complaints. 33409, in West Palm Beach, Florida, had 132. 92626, in Costa Mesa, California, had 125 complaints. 92660, in Newport Beach, California, had 122 complaints. Respectively, the towns had 534, 1,068, 153, and 134 properties currently in foreclosure. These numbers are higher than for the cities of a few sampled zip codes where there was only one complaint, such as Gold Hill, Oregon which has 4 properties in foreclosure, and Decatur, Illinois which has 6 properties in foreclosure.

The CFPB categorizes complaints into six categories: “Loan modification, collection,foreclosure” or problems when a person is unable to pay; “Loan servicing, payments, escrow account” or problems with making a payment; “Application, originator, mortgage broker”; “Credit decision / Underwriting”; “Settlement process and costs”, and “Other”. The CFPB says the complaint types indicate consumers “appear to be driven by a desire to seek agreement with their companies on foreclosure alternatives. The complaints indicate that consumer confusion persists around the process and requirements for obtaining loan modifications and refinancing, especially regarding document submission timeframes, payment trial periods, allocation of payments, treatment of income in eligibility calculations, and credit bureau reporting during the evaluation period.” Currently, 59.6% of all complaints against lenders deal with being unable to pay. 25.1% deal with problems in making a payment. 7.0% have to do with the application process.

Of the complaint-heavy zip codes, for 48382 in Commerce Township, Michigan, 98.9% of all complaints have to deal with being unable to pay. Accounting for 23.4% of all mortgage complaints in Commerce Township, 132 of the complaints for being unable to pay were made regarding Bank of America, accounting for 97.8% or all but 3 complaints against them from the zip. 121 of the Bank of America responses in Commerce Township were closed with explanation and 12 were closed with non-monetary relief. 33071 in Coral Springs is different, with 537 of the 553 complaints being categorized under other. Only 11 complaints relate to foreclosure and issues with being able to pay. 92626 in Costa Mesa, where 32% of the mortgage complaints were about Bank of America and 26.4% were about Wells Fargo, had 93.6% of its complaints dealing with being unable to pay. 5 total complaints dealt with payment issues and 3 dealt with applications.

Beyond regional variance in complaint types lodged, the top five mortgage lenders by volume of complaints all had being unable to pay as their top complaint category, ranging between 55.8% for Citibank and 69.4% for Bank of America. Problems with payment accounted for the second largest area of complaints, with Ocwen having the largest percentage of complaints at 31.9% and Bank of America having the smallest at 18.8%. Foreclosure was the top area of complaints for a number of other lending institutions including 1st Alliance Lending, OneWest Bank, Ally Bank, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Bank of the West, BMO Harris, BOK Financial Corp, Caliber Home Loans, Inc, Capital One, Deutsche Bank and EverBank.

Nationally, complaints reached a high of 5,840 for January 2013, 1,107 more than the next highest month of April 2013. The total emerging for September is the second lowest since records were first kept in December 2011. On a state by state level, this pattern largely repeats with a major exception for Florida which saw a peak of 849 complaints in June 2012. Then, as now, Florida was one of the top five states in the nation in its foreclosure rate. The national January spike came as the Qualified Mortgage standard required by the The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 came into play. It required mortgage lenders to take steps to insure borrowers could repay their mortgages.

Bank of America’s complaint volume follows the national trend, with a spike in January 2013 with 1,925 total complaints. Unlike nationally, the next month by volume of complaints was February of this year with 1,598 complaints. Prior to that, the highest month was May 2012 with 1,418 complaints. The lowest volume of complaints is September this year with 334.

Wells Fargo matched national trends for volume of complaints by month, with the exception of the current month being the lowest on record for number of complaints with 197 compared to the next lowest month, December 2011, when they had 221. JPMorgan’s complaint volume by month spiked in January and March of this year with 504 complaints. April of this year was the next highest month with 493 complaints, edging out May of last year with 488 complaints. September this year is on track to be the lowest month by complaint volume.

The federal government shutdown is unlikely to impact the current mortgage situation in the United States directly for most consumers, though mortgage processing by the Federal Housing Administration could be slower, resulting in fewer mortgages processed.

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Blair: G8 leaders announce $50 billion aid increase; talks on trade and climate change

Friday, July 8, 2005

British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced at a press conference today the results of the 31st G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

Blair, the seven other leaders of the G8 nations, and the leaders of Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania stood on the step of Gleneagles to address the press. The Prime Minster said “We speak today in the shadow of terrorism but it will not obscure what we came here to achieve.”

Among the decisions made was a commitment to another $48 billion (£28.8 billion) per year by 2010 in aid which Blair says can indeed, in time and if properly seen through, will make “very substantial progress” towards “making poverty history”. The deal was secured following a last-minute commitment by Japan.

Half of this aid will be sent to Africa. Some analysts have raised fears that African economies will not be able to absorb so much aid so quickly, and that the money could fuel corruption.

Only $20 billion of this deal is new money – the rest has already been pledged on previous occasions.

The US, Germany and Italy rejected a plan by Blair to double aid immediately by borrowing against future aid budgets.

“It isn’t the end of poverty in Africa, but it is the hope that it can be ended,” Blair said. “It isn’t all everyone wanted, but it is progress – real and achievable progress. It is the definitive expression of our collective will to act in the face of death and disease and conflict that is preventable”

There will also be further pushes towards ending the debt of the poorest nations, but only confirmed a earlier deal to cancel the debts of 18 countries.

Campaigners have welcomed the news, but have said that it does not go far enough, falling short of the hopes of the people who had embraced the Live 8 and Make Poverty History drives.

“Today the G8 have chosen not to do all that campaigners insist is necessary to free people trapped in the prison of poverty,” the Make Poverty History read this evening. “But more action is urgently needed if they are to play their role in bringing about real change for the world’s poorest people.”

The leaders also pledged to end farm subsidies – but did not say by when. However, they called for talks on trade liberalisation to reach a conclusion by the end of 2006.

The Prime Minister was cautious not to “over-sell” the decisions that had been made but he was resolute and confident in the possibilities for progress in the future.

Less progress was made in the realm of climate change with countries agreeing that climate change was a problem but without any concrete decisions. Talks will be held on the matter, particularly with China and India, beginning in November.

The G8 have also announced a $3 billion aid package for the Palestinian Authority.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Blair:_G8_leaders_announce_$50_billion_aid_increase;_talks_on_trade_and_climate_change&oldid=2462314”

What To Look For, Benefits &Amp; Drawbacks: Cd’s

By Lindel Garvint

Certificate of Deposits, better known as CDs or time deposits are becoming more and more popular in today’s economy. This type of account is an interest-bearing deposit that guarantees a specific rate of return. The interest that is attached to a CD far surpasses the interest that is attached to a more traditional savings account. The reason for this is simple, those who invest in CDs commit their money for a specific amount of time before they will withdraw it or they could incur sever early withdraw penalties. This type of account can range from 30 days to 5 years depending on the terms that are agreed upon.

Benefits of CDs

When it comes to purchasing CDs there are a many obvious benefits. The most noticeable benefit is the much higher interest rates than a regular checking or savings account. One of the greatest benefits to purchasing CDs over other forms of investments is that they are almost always insured. This insurance allows investors to recoup any losses if the bank should fail up to $250,000. The last benefit is that CDs are considered as low-risk. The way this is accomplished is because each person who purchases a CD will get a predetermined calculation on the worth of their investment, regardless of changing interest rates or if the bank fails.

Drawbacks

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tHovFcSO18[/youtube]

CDs are considered a sound investment, but they are not perfect, and do come with some drawbacks. This type of investment is not known to offer high returns, even though they are protected from the fluidity of rising and falling interest rates. This is why they are used as more of a short-term investment option. It is important to remember that with the low risk comes the low rate of return.

If the potential purchaser would like to have a higher rate of return, but still keep the risk to their investment as low as possible, he or she can opt for a long-term CD, which usually carries a higher rate. While the risk is low even with longer-term CDs the investor does run the risk of rising interest rates during their investment period, which can result in being stuck with a lower interest rate until the CD matures.

Remember that this type of investment does carry major withdrawal penalties. This can result in the purchaser not only losing the interest that has incurred but some of the principle as well.

What to Look For

Like any other investment it is always important to do research. It is important to compare the rates of CDs between financial institutions. This will ensure that the purchaser will get the highest rate of return on their investment. It is important for investors that do not have much money to invest or those who may need to be able to get to their money invest in short-term CDs in the beginning. This will help avoid any potential penalties.

It is important for those who own CDs to research ways to relock their investment at higher interest rates, if they increase before the CD matures. This can be a major advantage for the investor and researching this possibility thoroughly before purchasing their CD, can ensure they get the highest rate of return possible. While he or she may not be able to enjoy the exact same increase as a new purchase, they will be able to increase their rate. It is very important for every CD owner to be aware of this option and to take advantage of it if the need arises.

About the Author: This article was penned by Lindel Garvint, a senior copywriter for Ratelines.com where you can find excellent information on

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U.S. House rejects Senate version of payroll tax cut

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives voted to effectively reject the Senate version of a bill, passed with bipartisan support, to extend a payroll tax cut two months past its year-end expiration date. The House voted instead to create a conference committee to settle differences between members of both bodies.

Although the tax cut extension itself has support among Republicans and Democrats, lawmakers disagree on how Congress should go about compensating for the cost of extending the cut and the policy changes it would entail.

During an appearance yesterday, President Obama condemned opposition to the Senate-passed version of the bill, accusing Republicans in the House of trying to negotiate on matters unrelated to the bill. Republicans, in response, say there is still time to negotiate the bill, insisting that lawmakers ought to concentrate on a year-long plan rather than a two-month extension. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, however, says he will not agree to negotiate the tax cut extension until the Senate-approved bill is passed by the House.

If the tax cut is not extended and instead expires on December 31, approximately 160 million Americans will be affected by the tax increase; President Obama insists the only way to prevent the tax hike beginning January 1 is for the House to pass the Senate bill. In response, House Speaker and Republican John Boehner wants Obama to “call on the Senate to return” to negotiate. The Senate, shortly after passing the bill, adjourned for the Holiday break.

Also included in the bill is a provision that would require President Obama to make a decision regarding the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a pipeline that would transport oil from Canada to Texas.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi blamed the congressional year-end impasse on “Tea Party Republicans.” In a letter to President Obama, Speaker Boehner requested he galvanize the Senate to negotiate on the bill’s provisions, writing “The differences between the two different bills can be quickly reconciled to provide the American people the certainty of a full-year bill. There are still 11 days before the end of the year, and with so many Americans struggling, there is no reason they should be wasted. You have said many times that Congress must do its work before taking vacation”.

 This story has updates See U.S. Congress reaches deal on payroll tax cut extension, December 23, 2011 
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Wikinews Shorts: May 5, 2012

A compilation of brief news reports for Saturday, May 5, 2012.

 Contribute to Wikinews by expanding these briefs or add a new one.

A cattle market in the Nigerian city of Potiskum was attacked by gunmen Wednesday evening, according to an unnamed government official. The official said the attack occurred after would-be robber was subdued by market traders who then set him on fire.

Allies of the burned man retaliated by throwing grenades and shooting randomly into the crowd, the official said. The exact death toll is uncertain but is reported by various groups as being between 30 and 60. The anonymous official — who said he was not authorized to speak with journalists — said the gunmen used a strategy that mirrored those of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

Sources

  • “Official: Dozens killed, injured in Nigeria cattle market attack” — CNN, May 3, 2012
  • Adamu Adamu. “Gunmen kill 34 at northeast Nigeria cattle market” — AP, May 3, 2012

One of the most recognized paintings in the world, The Scream, sold for US$120 million at auction at Sotheby’s in New York City on Wednesday, making it the most expensive piece of art in the world.

The iconic painting was projected by experts to sell at auction for US$80 million, but an unknown buyer purchased the painting at US$119,922,500. Before the auction, Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust was the most expensive artwork sold after it went for US$106.5 million two years ago at auction.

Sources

  • Adam Reiss and Richard Roth. “‘The Scream’ sold for nearly $120 million” — CNN, May 3, 2012
  • Chris Michaud. “The Scream sale led to record $330 million auction at Sotheby’s” — Christian Science Monitor, May 3, 2012

The Saturn V on display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center was damaged by gunfire on Thursday. Nobody was injured. The shooter was suspected to be driving on Interstate 565.

Sources

  • Pearlman, Robert Z.. “Gunshots Damage Historic Saturn V Moon Rocket” — Space.com, May 4, 2012
  • Clines, Keith. “Shooting of Saturn V rocket in Davidson Center could be a federal offense” — The Huntsville Times, May 3, 2012

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