Record-breaking quarter for Eastleigh, says Duport

New company formations reached a record level during the third quarter of the year in Eastleigh, according to figures in the latest Duport Business Confidence Report.

UK (PRWEB UK) 22 December 2012
Eastleigh: The July - September period saw a record number of company formations in Eastleigh, with more new companies registered than any other third quarter on record for the town.
There were a total of 171 company formations during this period. Not only is this a record-breaking number, it also represents a 10% rise on the previous year’s figure.
Net company growth also rose during the third quarter of the year, from 39 in Q3 2011 to 64 in Q3 this year.
These positive statistics suggest a return to prosperity after the economic downturn. Eastleigh has always had a strong economy, thanks to the presence of major employers such as Fortis Insurance, B&Q and GE Aerospace. It is also home to Southampton International Airport and benefits from other major transport links, including the M27, M3, Port of Southampton and a rail link direct to London Waterloo.
Managing Director of Duport.co.uk, Peter Valaitis said:
“Eastleigh has many unique assets that have helped it recover from the effects of the recession more quickly than other areas.”
“The strong jobs market and excellent transport links will help pull in more and more businesses, which will, in turn, help protect the area from future economic shocks.”
The Duport Business Confidence Report for Eastleigh provides fascinating data on a range of economic indicators, helping to give an overview of the business landscape. More information can be found at http://www.duport.co.uk/eastleigh.
Duport Business Confidence Reports are generated and released by Duport Associates Ltd. The data contained in these reports is assimilated and analysed by Duport using public record data from sources including Companies House, Office for National Statistics and Ordnance Survey. Duport Associates Ltd is a leading UK company formation agent, established in 1997 and registering around 10,000 new companies each year through its Companies House approved software.

Read More..

Matt Szymanowski and Team Launch Indiegogo.com Fundraising Effort for Sundance Lab Finalist Feature Film "The Purple Onion"

San Francisco Filmmaker Matt Szymanowski is announcing his Indiegogo.com fundraising effort for the original San Francisco Film Society sponsored film "The Purple Onion," which tells the tragicomic story of the most unfortunate amateur comedian you have never heard of, who gets a surprise visit when his immigrant mother suddenly moves in after a foreclosure. This unique micro-budget film needs your support in preparing for initial production funds.

San Francisco, CA, December 20, 2012 (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
San Francisco Film Director Matt Szymanowski and his award winning team are reaching out to art and film supporters to participate in an Indiegogo.com fundraising campaign for the upcoming feature film "The Purple Onion." The campaign has already seen great success in its first month by raising nearly 50% of its $30,000 goal by January 06, 2013.
With recognition from the prestigious Sundance Screenwriting Lab and development support from the San Francisco Film Society, filmmaker Matt Szymanowski’s The Purple Onion is bound for wide recognition and critical praise. Set in San Francisco and named after the recently closed historic comedy club, this tragicomic story was first drafted while at the MacDowell Artist’s Colony shortly after participation at the Berlinale Talent Campus.
With the Bay Area comedy scene as its backdrop, The Purple Onion follows hapless, amateur comedian Johnny Lee at his dead-end job as a restaurant dishwasher as he attempts to move up to serving. Clashing to no end with his now live-in, estranged mother, who suddenly moves in after losing her house to foreclosure, and at his wits end, the comedian is prepared to leave everything behind. When his mother finds solace in a lonely and oddball neighbor, the comedian realizes he’s pushed away the one person who cares the most; the sad clown must reevaluate his priorities and stand-up for what really matters before he loses everything.
The cast stars Edwin Li (Sketchfest, Las Vegas Comedy Festival) and Golden Rooster Award nominee Kechun Li (Who’s the Third Party, Dam Street), with executive producing by Andrew Trapani (The Haunting in Connecticut) written and directed by Matt Szymanowski (History of Solitude, Slovakia) with cinematography by Bartosz Nalazek (War Horse, Lincoln) and musical score by Los Angeles Balkan gypsy band, The Petrojvic Blasting Company.
Executive Producer Andrew Trapani:

Andrew Trapani, of Nine/8 Entertainment, is an entertainment producer who has worked on numerous high profile video game, television and film projects including The Haunting in Connecticut, Tamara and the forthcoming Wallace.
Writer/Producer/Director Matt Szymanowski:

Matt Szymanowski is an acclaimed filmmaker whose work in film, television and video production includes producing content for CBS’ award-winning CHOW.com, media agency MKSHFT’s clients Toyota, Gizmodo and HTC, the documentary Nine Days That Changed the World and music videos for The Holdup, Jhameel and Overhood. His short film, History of Solitude, made while at the National Polish Film School in Lodz, Poland, played at international festivals in Poland, France, Albania and at the San Francisco International, in addition to winning the Jury Award in Paris at The European Independent Film Festival in 2009.

Read More..

Grief Expert Says "We Don't Die" and Offers Free Aid to Mourners

Sandra Champlain, author 'How to Survive Grief' courageously tells her story learning that life after death is real. Now author of 'We Don't Die - A Skeptic's Discovery of Life After Death,' she gives free information on grief and the first chapter of her book to help comfort others.

Byfield, Massachusetts (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
Author Sandra Champlain has long held a secret and feels it is now the right time to share it with people. She said, “I have found the truth about life after death, but more importantly, I can help people heal from the pain caused by grief.”
Sandra suffered a terrible fear of dying in 1996, one that set in motion a fifteen-year journey of discovery. She studied with doctors, scientists, a physicist, mediums, and a ‘spirit artist.’ She felt all of these people had credible evidence that our souls survive physical death. "I even took a course in mediumship," Champlain stated. "I somehow could accurately describe deceased people. Imagine my surprise when I would see a picture of someone’s loved one and it was the same person I just saw in my mind!"
Fear kept her from sharing this important discovery with people. She resumed her dual career as owner of a small business in Connecticut and traveling as a chef with race car teams. "This may sound silly, but although I was no longer afraid of death, I was afraid of what people would think of me if they heard my story,” Sandra explained. “I used to make fun of people who believed in that stuff. How could I tell anyone that I believe in it now?”
In 2010, everything changed. Sandra's father got diagnosed with cancer and five months later he died. She then shared, "I felt the most devastating pain when Dad died. I was scared, alone, angry, sad, guilty and my body was so sore from crying. My memory was awful, I couldn't concentrate, fights were at an all-time high with my siblings, although we had rarely fought before he became ill. I have never been one to contemplate suicide, but my life was so dark, I could see how some people experiencing that amount of pain would believe suicide to be a good option."
Sandra, normally a happy, upbeat, positive person knew something was wrong. She began an investigation into the world of ‘grief.’ Sandra found that there are over a million suicides a year due to grief and depression, almost fifty percent of siblings stop talking after a parent dies, and over eighty percent of marriages end in divorce after a child dies. Armed with this important information, Sandra Champlain created a free, sixty-minute audio to help others, called it 'How to Survive Grief,' and posted it on http://www.survivegrief.com.
“Grief is not taught to us in school and people don’t understand how the brain functions during the grieving process. When we love someone it is almost as if we are addicted to them, as neurotransmitters in our brains form bonds with them. When they die, that bond is broken and grief is similar to being in withdrawal from an addictive drug.”
Sandra continued, “Within a year of sharing my grief audio, three thousand people in fifteen countries had heard it. The emails I received were amazing. Then, I received my first message from a man who chose not to commit suicide after listening to it. He wrote that when he listened to my audio, he knew that there was nothing wrong with him. He realized that the emotions and thoughts he was experiencing were normal symptoms of grief. When I found out doctors and suicide prevention agencies were recommending people to my website, I knew it was time to write a book,” said Champlain.
“Information about grief is something every human being should know,” shared Sandra. “It dawned on me that a book about grief would probably not be a bestseller. However books about life after death often are.”
Best-selling author, Bernie Siegel, M.D. wrote the foreword and Morgan James Publishing quickly supported Sandra with her mission, expressing that this book will help heal millions of lives. Just nine months after she signed the contract with them, and during the same week as the Newtown shooting, her book ‘We Don’t Die - A Skeptic’s Discovery of Life After Death’ became available at online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Sandra Champlain has sent many cases of her ‘How to Survive Grief’ CDs to the Newtown community hoping they will find their way into the right hands. She requests that anyone who feels the pain from this tragedy, or has had any other personal loss, please take advantage of the free audio download and read the first chapter of ‘We Don’t Die.’ She then confidently declared, “The audio and the pages from my book will make a profound difference in people’s lives, I can promise that.”

Read More..

CAD Lights Aquariums Announces New Mini Series

CAD Lights Aquariums has created smaller systems perfect for the casual hobbyist or consumer.

Port of Seattle (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
CAD Lights Aquariums proudly announces the launch of their new Starefire Mini Series. This new series of nano and pico aquariums are perfect hobbyists, casual consumers, or anyone who isn’t looking for a large reef system. The mini series are available in 4, 8, and 20-gallon tanks.
The new mini series by CAD Lights Aquariums are made with the finest materials, as all products from CAD Lights Aquariums are engineered and made in the United States. Despite their size, the mini displays are fun, beautiful, and simplistic. The filtration design is especially innovative considering the smaller size of the aquarium.
Though saltwater reef systems are by far the most popular ones in demand, CAD Lights Aquariums has listened to the requests of many consumers and has designed a mini display that is meant specifically for freshwater. The freshwater performance package from CAD Lights Aquariums combines both beauty and performance. The sleek design allows the reef system to enhance any room and the innovative technology keeps the system clean from nitrates, phosphates and slime algae that can visually ruin the display.
CAD Lights Aquariums boasts that their mini series displays are made from a high StarFire glass that is a seamless single panel with stunning clarity that allows the observer to clear see the contents inside. Whether the freshwater or saltwater system is ordered, CAD Lights Aquariums guarantees that the mini series are made from quality components that include a new LED Lighting system that exceeds competitors and is perfect for live plants in the tank.
When it comes to smaller displays, many people worry that the aquariums can become “top heavy” and tip over. However, CAD Lights Aquariums has designed their mini series so that the center of gravity has been widened and the mini displays are sturdy. In fact, the entire mini series has furniture options available either for display or for sturdiness. CAD Lights Aquariums is based in Ontario, CA, where they continue to improve their existing products and lead the reef system industry by raising the accepted standard.

Read More..

Progressive Dental Marketing Expansion Continues as Florida Office Moves to Accomodate New Team Members

Progressive Dental Marketing is expanding their team and just moved into a new office this week. Previously located in Palm Harbor, FL, they have outgrown their current location. The new office is located in the neighboring town of Dunedin, FL.

Dunedin, FL (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
This week Progressive Dental Marketing expanded their Florida team, moving from Palm Harbor to the neighboring town of Dunedin. Having outgrown their previous location, they have moved to a larger office.
Along with the new office, PDM is proud to invite new faces to the team, improving their marketing services for dentists and periodontists nationwide. With the new office, PDM will have the ability to provide faster and more efficient services to their cross-country clients.
Currently marketing for dental professionals in 23 out of the 50 states, Washington, D.C. and British Columbia, PDM plans to continue expansion well into 2013. There are presently approximately 1,500 laser gum surgery specialists in the United States, which has been the focus of PDM so far. Although they are open to marketing for dental professionals who do not perform laser gum surgery, they do plan on keeping their market within the dental field.
With a new office and new employees bringing fresh ideas to PDM’s marketing platform, they have high hopes for rapid improvement and growth in 2013. Marketing is limited in each region, so call today to find out if you are a dentist or periodontist that qualifies!
Progressive Dental Marketing has practiced several marketing strategies to bring dental professionals online visibility. Bart Knellinger, the founder of Progressive Dental Marketing, was born and raised in Palm Harbor, FL, and grew up in his father’s dental office. Combining his personal experiences with his widespread involvement in sales, he brings extensive clinical information to his marketing firm. Based out of Dunedin, FL, Progressive Dental Marketing offers periodontal and dental offices successful promotion approaches in radio, TV, direct mail, billboard and internet marketing. Focusing on dental professionals across the country, Progressive Dental Marketing aims to increase their visibility regardless of location or demographic. To learn more about Progressive Dental Marketing, visit their website, http://www.progressivedentalmarketing.com and call (888)-600-4996.

Read More..

Obama's pollster: Republicans have a tolerance problem

Much has been made of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s catastrophic performance last month among Latino voters – just 27 percent to President Obama’s 71 percent.
Now at 10 percent of the American electorate, Latinos are the nation’s fastest-growing minority. Suddenly, Republicans are suing for peace on comprehensive immigration reform, an issue they have long resisted out of fear it could lead to “amnesty” for those in the country illegally.
But to Joel Benenson, Mr. Obama’s campaign pollster, the GOP’s problem is bigger than Latinos and immigration.
“The Republican Party has a tolerance problem,” Mr. Benenson told reporters Wednesday at a session hosted by Third Way, a centrist Democratic group. “I think when you define people who look differently than you as illegal aliens, and use that term over and over again, and talk about self-deporting them, that’s a tolerance issue.”
RECOMMENDED: Election 2012: 12 reasons Obama won and Romney lost
The “looking different” issue, Benenson adds, also helps explain why Asian-Americans voted for Mr. Obama over Mr. Romney by an even wider margin than Latinos, 76 percent to 23 percent. He suggests that the Obama campaign’s message on investment – in education, in building a future through hard work –also won Asian-American votes.
But the tolerance issue, he says, goes beyond race and ethnicity – it goes to issues.
“When you call people who believe in global warming ‘job-killers,’ you have a tolerance problem,” Benenson says.
“When you want to deny gay people, who want to make a lifetime commitment to each other, just as their parents did, because they want to spend a life together, and you want to deny them that life aspiration, you have a tolerance problem,” he says.
In addition, Benenson frames Republican attacks on contraception and Planned Parenthood as intolerance toward women.
A piecemeal approach to fixing the party’s demographic challenges won’t work, he suggests.
"If they think they can solve all their problems by picking off any one of those groups and saying, ‘Oh, we’ll fix our problem here or there,’ this goes to whether you have core beliefs that are in line and in touch with the vast majority of Americans,” the pollster says.
For most of the campaign, Obama led Romney by 10 percentage points on the question of whether his views and policies were in line with mainstream Americans. Only in the period immediately after the first Obama-Romney debate did the Republican nominee come close to even on that question.
The Republicans have embarked on a period of soul-searching, including a party-led task force that is reviewing the results of the 2012 election and brainstorming a path forward on how to widen the party’s appeal. And there’s no time to lose. Public acceptance of gay marriage, for example, is growing rapidly, as older Americans who are most resistant to the idea die off and younger people, who are broadly accepting, reach voting age.
Look at voters under age 40, says Benenson. “How do you redefine yourself now with what is almost half the electorate? They’re hearing a very strident, intolerant point of view on specific issues.... I mean, they have become a party of orthodoxy.”
He also points out that Romney won the white evangelical vote by the same margin as President George W. Bush in 2004 – 57 percentage points. But he lost the remaining three-quarters of the electorate by 23 points, 60 percent to 37 percent. Mr. Bush lost those voters by 13 points.

Read More..

The CW to Send People to the Woods to Die

In the case of that celebrity high-diving show, the argument could be made that at least those people are celebrities, and thus in some sense must know what they're getting themselves into, because they have managers and agents and things advising them. Right? But now something really dangerous is happening. The CW is sending regular folks into a very likely deadly situation for the delight of home viewers, and that just seems cruel. In an attempt to capitalize on The Hunger Games, which is a nonfiction series about Darfur, The CW has ordered a reality show called The Hunt, on which "12 teams of two are provided no food, water or shelter but must compete in a game where they rely on their physicality, survival skills and hunting skills to endure their conditions, capture one another and ultimately win a cash prize." Oh, great. Running around the woods, crazed from starvation and dehydration, trying to "capture" each other for money. Terrific. I mean, I guess it accurately depicts the state of things in the nation today, so there's that, but yikes. This sounds destined to go horribly, horribly awry. That said, if you want to go die in the woods for The CW, give 'em a call. I'm sure they'd love to have you. [The Hollywood Reporter]
RELATED: The Cast of HBO's 'Game Change' So Far
All right, here's some civilized TV news to wash out the taste of all that tree bark and human blood. Margo Martindale, longtime actress turned Emmy-winning Justified superstar, has been cast in a long arc on FX's upcoming Cold War thriller The Americans. That's the one with Keri Russell and some dude pretending to be normal Joe and Jane Americano in New Jersey, when they're secretly super-embedded Soviet spies. The show looks promising, and now Margo Martindale is going to be on it, which makes it a near-about must watch. She'll be playing "a KGB illegal living in the U.S. who delivers assignments." Which is intriguing! She's good when she's got a little villainy to play. Well done, Americans! Which, sigh, is likely the last time we'll be saying that today. [Deadline]
RELATED: 'Girls' Gives Us a Tease
Speaking of terrible America, HBO is planning a sequel to its award-winning movie about the 2008 presidential campaign Game Change, presumably based on the 2012 election followup to the Game Change book that's currently being written. So it's not exactly a sequel, in that it won't include a lot of the same characters, but it's a continuation of the theme and style, I guess. Like, presumably Julianne Moore won't be back playing Sarah Palin, unless there's one weird single scene of Sarah Palin wandering around Wasilla while sad music plays, looking at things and half-smiling in the cold, thin sun. Actually, can there be that scene? I'll direct the second unit if you guys don't want to go out to Alaska. As for the actual main characters, who should play Mitt Romney? Richard Jenkins maybe? If they fancied him up a bit? Could work. And, oh boy... What about Ann?? That's going to be the exciting role. Let's Mary Kay Place. And Paul Ryan... What about Paul Ryan... Oh, duh. Jason Schwartzman. Done. It's practically a wrap. Cut, print. [Vulture]
RELATED: 'Game Change': The Birth of Sarah Palin
Normally we don't cover music in this here column, because what is music these days, really, but this feels like worth noting: Bruno Mars currently has the number-one single in America, that annoying "Locked Out of Heaven" ditty, which is his fourth number-one song. That gives him "the fastest collection of a male artist's first four No. 1s in exactly 48 years." Forty-eight years! Meaning, longer than Paul Ryan has been alive. Sure that's kind of a weird, busy statistic, like best opening for a non-holiday R-rated comedy in the end of March, but still. Bruno Mars, setting big records. I didn't know that many people even knew who Bruno Mars was! Apparently they do, though. Apparently you've all been listening to Bruno Mars while over here the old Annie Lennox CD plays again and again and no one says a thing. Thanks a lot, guys. Leaving a friend out in the cold like that. What else aren't you telling me? Is Jennifer Paige still making music? Well? Is she?? [Billboard]
RELATED: The First Picture of Ed Harris as John McCain
This is the time of year for lists — best things, worst things, great things, sad things — but only one list truly matters. We didn't even know it mattered until we saw it, but then, suddenly, there it was, a new knowledge, a new list at the top of the Best List list. It's "Best and Worst Nudity of 2012," and it must be savored and cherished. If only for the bizarre phrase "Worst Nudity." Yikes. How would you like to wind up in the "Worst Nudity" category? You basically got naked for nothing. And not only did your nakedness serve no purpose, it was some of the worst nakedness of the whole year. It took away from the world, your nakedness. You were really bad at being naked this year. Just really terrible. So you get Worst Nudity, while some others get Best. Your nudity was bad, theirs was good. That's just how the world worked this year. Awful nudity, you. You were really, really bad at being naked this year. [Entertainment Weekly]
RELATED: At Long Last, CW Shows Whenever You Want Them
CBS has released a new trailer for its midseason drama Golden Boy and it looks kinda good? The show is about a young New York cop who rises to the ranks of police commissioner remarkably quickly, possibly through dirty/morally questionable means. It looks to be set in the future with flashbacks to the past/our present, which is sometimes interesting. It stars this guy, which ain't a problem, and I dunno, for normally squishy CBS it looks like it could be a little sharp. We'll give it a look. Which, ha, is exactly the point of this tease, so well done, tease people. You've done your jobs admirably. You may go home now.

Read More..

Taxman to Middle Class: ‘Bend Over'

President Barack Obama in 2008, and again during the 2012 election, promised absolutely, positively no tax hikes on the middle class. The rich, however, must pay more: "It's not me being stubborn, it's not me being partisan — it's just a matter of math."
How does Obama intend to pay for our cradle-to-grave welfare state? Why, by charging the dastardly "millionaires and billionaires" who "can afford to pay a little bit more." No more extending the Bush-era tax rates for the rich. To do so, Obama tells us, would "cost" $700 billion — over 10 years. So this "break" for the rich "costs" $70 billion a year — or a mere 6 percent of the trillion dollar annual deficits that Obama has rung up since he became president.
This leaves us short about $930 billion per year — just for the annual deficit, never mind paring down the ever-growing national debt. From where is the shortfall to be made up?
Lots of deluded Obama voters no doubt truly believe "the mess we're in" is due to "two unpaid for wars and irresponsible tax cuts for the rich." End the wars and slap the rich with Clinton-era tax rates, and voila, watch the deficit and debt go poof! But with Obama safely re-elected, some Democrats now speak the truth: The middle class, contrary to Obama's promise, will see substantial tax increases in order to pay for the welfare state the voters once again signed on to by re-electing Obama.
Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, appearing on MSNBC, said: "The only problem is — and this is, a little, initially going to seem like heresy from a progressive — the truth is everybody needs to pay more taxes, not just the rich. That's a good start. But we're not going to get out of this deficit problem unless we raise taxes across the board — to go back to what Bill Clinton had and his taxes. And if we don't do that, the problem is the pressure is going to be on spending even more."
Obama, however, still insists that any budget deal include tax rate hikes on the top 2 percent — a violation of the anti-tax-increase pledge most Capital Hill Republicans signed. He's winning the argument. Several Republicans now repudiate the pledge.
The "controversial" pledge states that the signer promises to his/her constituents and the American people to: "ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."
But with post-election polls showing that Americans support raising taxes on the rich, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, now places "revenue on the table" — meaning the GOP accepts the election returns as a referendum for a "balanced approach" to dealing with our deficits and debt. By "revenue," Boehner means closing "loopholes" and "capping deductions" used by "the rich" to pay less in taxes. And more recently, fiscal conservative Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., now says he would accept a hike in tax rates, provided the Democrats present a plan to reform entitlements.
Polls show that if Congress and the President fail to come to a deal to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff," Republicans will be blamed. And as the Democrats pin blame, expect their friends in the media to assist with joy and enthusiasm.
The Media Research Center tells us that ABC, NBC and CBS have a distorted view of the term "balance." After the election, those networks spent way more time on the issue of tax hikes than on the issue of spending cuts. ABC, says MRC, was the worst: "In the three weeks following President Obama's re-election, 'World News' devoted more than 10 minutes, 18 seconds to talk of tax hikes and just 35 seconds to spending cuts (a 17-to-1 margin)." So much for the balanced approach.
But the problem remains how to get rich people to pay for all the things voters want: insurance companies that are forbidden from turning away people with pre-existing illnesses; federal disaster relief; the placing of millions of uninsured on Medicaid; "world-class education"; "investments" in "green jobs of the future"; regulations to combat "climate change"; extending unemployment benefits again; etc.
In 1900, government spending at all three levels — local, state and federal — amounted to about 10 percent of national income. Government spending today amounts to 40 percent — or 50 percent, if one places a dollar value on the unfunded mandates imposed on states and businesses by Washington. The voters re-elected a President who increased the national debt faster and by a greater amount than any previous administration. And there are simply not enough rich folks to pay for it.
Obama, on Nov. 6, won the political argument to continue to expand government. But the election did nothing to change "the math." Memo to the middle class: Get ready, you're next.

Read More..

Kerry Nomination Could Create Musical Chairs in the Senate

News that Amb. Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration for Secretary of State may have brightened the days of both senators from Massachusetts.
Prior to Rice's withdrawal, she was considered one of the top two contenders for the job- the other is Sen. John Kerry, and with Rice out of the running, Kerry is "all but certain" to get the nomination, according to ABC's Jake Tapper. That means a vacant seat and a special election, which could benefit out-going Sen. Scott Brown, who lost his bid for reelection to Elizabeth Warren in November.
Brown is widely expected to seek out his old job and he would be viewed as a strong contender, particularly in a special election to fill Kerry's vacancy. Republicans have a tendency to perform better in special elections, which draw many fewer voters.
But it would be at least six months - assuming that Kerry is indeed nominated as Secretary of State and assuming that Brown wins a special election - before he could re-join the Senate.
Massachusetts law dictates that a special election cannot take place sooner than 145 days from the time an out-going Congress member's resignation is effective, meaning that at least 145 days must pass between the date that member actually leaves their job and the date that the special occurs. At this juncture in time, even if Kerry is nominated tomorrow and has an incredibly quick confirmation at the beginning of the next Congress, the earliest conceivable date to reach this mark is in June, 2013.
INFOGRAPHIC: 2013 Cabinet Outlook
The special cannot occur more than 160 days from the time that the resignation is effective.
Brown's victory in a special election would not be a sure thing. Although he leaves office with high approval ratings- exit polls from the 2012 election showed him with a favor-ability rating of 60 percent- but Massachusetts is a solidly Democratic state, and there are many Democrats in elected office in the state who could challenge Brown.
In an odd twist of political gamesmanship, the law requiring a special election instead of an appointment from the Governor in the event of a vacant seat was passed by Democrats passed in Massachusetts in 2004 in case Kerry resigned if he won the presidency. He did not. But Democrats at the time were trying to take the appointment power away from the sitting Republican governor- Mitt Romney.

Read More..

Obama Ready for 'Meaningful Action' on Gun Control

Following the deadly school shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school, President Obama may now be poised to push for new gun control measures after keeping relatively quiet about the issue during his first term.
In an emotional statement from the White House on Friday, Obama said the violent massacre -- the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history -- instilled "overwhelming grief" and heartache, and that the country has "endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years."
"We have been through this too many times, whether it's an elementary school in Newtown or a shopping mall in Oregon or a temple in Wisconsin or a movie theater in Aurora or a street corner in Chicago," he said of the other mass shootings in the past year alone.
"These neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children," Obama said. "We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."
The statement is a subtle but marked shift for Obama, who has not made gun control a priority during his presidency in spite of at least five major mass shootings that have occurred on his watch -- Binghamton, N.Y. (2009); Fort Hood, Texas (2009); Tucson, Ariz. (2011); Aurora, Colo. (2012); and Oak Creek, Wisc. (2012).
The White House has said that Obama cannot act alone and that there is little appetite in Congress to enact new gun laws. Obama had also been seen as loathe to revive a public gun debate ahead of the 2012 election campaign.
But with the latest tragedy, the tide may be turning.
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, public figures and activists wasted little time Friday amping up pressure on the administration, including a hastily organized protest outside the White House gates.
"The country needs [Obama] to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement after the Newtown attack.
"Calling for 'meaningful action' is not enough. We need immediate action," he said. "We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress."
Former Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in Tucson last year, called on lawmakers and the president to "stand up and do what is right."
"This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence," he said in a statement on Facebook. "This can no longer wait."
Obama signaled in October during the second presidential debate that he is ready to take new action on gun control, including reintroduction of an assault weapons ban.
A 10-year federal ban on the sale of some semi-automatic weapons -- dubbed "assault" weapons -- expired in 2004 and has not been renewed despite several attempts. Obama in 2008 said he would push for renewal in his first term, but that effort never materialized.
"Weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets," Obama said in Hempstead, N.Y., on Oct. 16. "So what I'm trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced, but part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence."
The president has not mentioned gun control in any of his State of the Union addresses, including the 2011 address just days after the Tucson shooting. Meanwhile, his administration has expanded gun rights in some areas, allowing possession in national parks and on Amtrak. He has also backed off a 2008 campaign pledge to push for permanent reinstatement of the expired assault weapons ban.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit advcoacy group, in 2010 awarded Obama an "F" on gun control, citing "extraordinary silence and passivity."
In his few public statements on guns, Obama has sought to balance support for Second Amendment rights while emphasizing enforcement of existing laws and a national background check system rather than new controls.
"I, like most Americans, believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to bear arms. And we recognize the traditions of gun ownership that passed on from generation to generation," Obama told the National Urban League in July.
"But I believe the majority of gun owners would agree that we should do everything possible to prevent criminals and fugitives from purchasing weapons; that we should check someone's criminal record before they can check out a gun seller; that a mentally unbalanced individual should not be able to get his hands on a gun so easily," he said.
He made no mention of new legislation or initiatives to boost enforcement of existing laws, saying only that communities and government officials needed to "convene conversations" and build consensus.
"Steps to reduce violence have been met with opposition in Congress. This has been true for some time -- particularly when it touches on the issues of guns," he said.
President Obama has been widely praised for his empathetic response in the immediate aftermath of the shootings that have occurred on his watch, assuming the role of "consoler-in-chief," as have his predecessors.
But gun control advocates have been frustrated with his continued reluctance to publicly advocate for any legislative measures, including a ban on assault weapons or high-capacity ammunition magazines, to help prevent future tragedies.
"How many more Columbines and Newtowns must we live through?" said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., a leading gun control advocate in Congress. "I am challenging President Obama, the Congress, and the American public to act on our outrage and, finally, do something about this."
The Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting in July 2012 was the largest mass shooting in U.S. history with 71 people hit by bullets; 12 were killed. The Newtown, Conn., shooting today is the second deadliest in U.S. history, with more than 28 dead.
A shooting at Virginia Tech in April 2007 was the deadliest shooting in U.S. history with 33 shot and killed, including the shooter.

Read More..