European economic slowdown a problem for Africa: WTO

ACCRA (Reuters) - The euro zone crisis will continue to hamper African countries' trade and economic growth because of the continent's dependence on exporting to European markets, the World Trade Organization chief said on Saturday.

"The European economic slowdown is a problem for Africa," WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told a news conference on the margins of an African Union conference for trade ministers in the Ghanaian capital.

Lamy said there could be a significant decline in the growth of African economies if the euro zone crisis continued to worsen.

"Africa is still dependent on trade with Europe, which is its first trade partner," Lamy said. "The order of magnitude in what you find in economic research is that -1 percent for Europe's growth equals -0.5 percent for Africa's growth."

Trade between the 27-nation European Union, the world's largest trading zone, and its former colonies stood at 278 billion euros in 2008, according to the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat. The euro zone comprises 17 EU member states.

African countries export commodities and other raw materials including timber, tobacco, cocoa, cut flowers and oil to Europe, as well as textiles, while importing finished products including machinery, chemicals and vehicles.

Lamy said African countries needed to focus on intraregional trade to mitigate the impacts of the crisis.

"I have no doubt that it will impact Africa's growth in years to come, which is one of the reasons why Africa has to try and become more dependent on other sources of trade than the EU market," Lamy said.

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/AFRICATopNews/~3/1c1k2V4ZkvY/idAFJOE7B203Z20111203

oklahoma state university osu football osu football christopher walken ok state ok state kurt budke

How to Stay Safe When Exercising Outdoors in Cold Weather [Exercise]

It's pretty cold outside, at least here in North America. That doesn't mean you have to skip your morning jog or get out in the sun for a little exercise though, it just means you have to take a few extra precautions to stay safe, warm, and comfortable while you exercise outdoors. Here's what you need to know.

Photo by Lukasz Hejnak.

Remember the Basics

• 
  
• Dress in layers. You should do this in the cold weather whether your'e working out or not, but it's essential if you're planning to exercise in the cold. You'll want to make sure you're warm when you walk outside and are first struck by how cold it is, but that you don't overheat when you start working out or get too cold when you start to sweat and that sweat evaporates. Wear light jackets you can tie around your waist when you get too warm, and thermal exercise clothes designed to wick away sweat and moisture from your skin and keep your temperature even.
• Protect Your extremities. You lose a lot of body heat through the top of your head, so it's obviously important to keep that covered if it's cold outside, but it's just as important to protect the extremities that don't get the same kind of blood flow that your head and torso get. Your ears, fingers and hands, feet and toes, they're all important to keep covered and protected. The Mayo Clinic even suggests buying running shoes that are half-size too big so you can pile on the thermal socks.
• Stay hydrated. It might be tempting to forgo the water bottle if you're headed out on a bike ride in December or going for a morning jog in 40-degree weather, but don't leave it behind. Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you won't sweat at all, and just because it's cold outside doesn't mean your body won't need more water to keep you going. Bring some with you, or make sure to take breaks to stay hydrated.
• Keep your phone on and on you. This is important in any weather, but when it's cold outside or you're planning to go running or biking far from home, it's less likely you'll encounter people who are also out for a run or jog. When it's cold, most people will try to stay indoors, which means if you take a tumble or get injured, it's even more important that you have the means to call for help without needing to flag someone down.

Photo by snarglebarf.

Know the Warning Signs of Hypothermia and Frostbite

Frostbite takes place when your body's tissue begins to freeze. The first warning signs that you may be frostbitten are tingling, stinging, and numbness in exposed areas of your skin, like your face and nose or your ears and fingers (if you didn't cover them like we suggested.) If you suspect that any part of your body has been frostbitten, it's important to get indoors and warm the area slowly as soon as possible to stop any additional tissue from freezing. The longer you stay in the cold, the more damage the frostbite does to your body, so it's important to warm up as soon as you notice the warning signs.

Hypothermia, on the other hand, is the overall cooling of the body's core temperature. Usually this takes place because you've been out in the cold too long, even if you're covered up, or because you're not properly dressed and your clothing is keeping moisture and sweat close to your core, lowering your overall body temperature. The first symptoms of hypothermia are uncontrollable shivering, confusion, slurred speech, loss of normal coordination and fine motor control, and perhaps worst of all, sudden fatigue. Most people exercising, even in the cold, don't get to the point where they start to feel the symptoms of hypothermia, but it's possible if you're working out in cold, rainy weather, improperly dressed, go too far from home, or are outside too long. If you notice the symptoms of hypothermia, get indoors somewhere warm and seek emergency medical attention immediately.

Photo by Mark.

Use Technology to Help You

If you exercise with headphones on or a smartphone, use previously mentioned apps like Endomondo or Runkeeper to help you time your workouts so you don't stay outside too long. Create a playlist that's just the right length of time, or use a helper app like Adidas miCoach for iOS and Android or Nike+ for iOS to help you keep track of how long you've been out, how far you've gone, and when you should wrap things up.

Stay Indoors

Making the "it's too cold for a run" call is a tricky one, and what's too cold for one person is downright balmy to someone else. There's no one universal temperature where everyone should just stay inside and avoid exercising outdoors, but most people agree that once it gets down to about freezing or just below, it's time to seriously consider taking your workout indoors.

At the same time, when you're looking at the temperature outside before you leave, don't use it as the only basis for your decision. Wind chill, wind speed, cloud cover, and rain can all make a 40 degree jog feel much much colder. Think of the entire forecast before you head out for a run or a bike ride. If you're not sure whether it's too cold, or you're waffling on the decision at all, consider hitting the gym or an indoor track instead, or just staying at home and doing some aerobics or circuit training in your living room or basement.

How do you prep for a cold-weather workout? When do you determine that it's too cold to go outside? Share your exercise tips in the comments below.

---

You can reach Alan Henry, the author of this post, at alan@lifehacker.com, or better yet, follow him on Twitter or Google+.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/o2NrtGyGz9g/how-to-stay-safe-when-exercising-outdoors-in-cold-weather

pie crust turkey recipes turkey recipes sweet potato pie sweet potato pie stuffing recipe happy thanksgiving

Senate defeats competing payroll tax cut bills (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Senate on Thursday defeated competing payroll tax cut extension plans by Democrats and Republicans, clearing the way for negotiations on compromise legislation that could boost the economy next year.

In late-night votes, the Senate, as expected, defeated a Democratic plan that would have extended and expanded the payroll tax cut that is scheduled to expire on December 31.

Republicans particularly objected to a new tax on the wealthy to cover the $110 billion in projected lost revenues from continuing the temporary tax cut.

Following the votes, President Barack Obama said in a statement, "It makes absolutely no sense to raise taxes on the middle class at a time when so many are still trying to get back on their feet." He urged Congress to come to a deal to extend the payroll tax cuts.

The White House, investment banks and some economists have warned in recent days that U.S. economic growth could suffer in 2012 if the tax cut for workers is allowed to expire.

After the Democratic legislation was defeated, the Senate promptly killed an alternative Republican plan. It too would have extended the tax cut for a year. But it did not embrace the Democrats' proposal to reduce the worker tax even further and to also cut an employer-paid payroll tax.

Republican ambivalence toward any extension of the payroll tax cut was evident in the Senate as a majority of the party's 47 senators voted against the Republican plan.

The tax revenues are used to fund the Social Security retirement program. But Obama and his fellow Democrats have pushed the tax cut as a way of putting more cash into workers' hands amid a sluggish economy.

The drive to extend the temporary payroll tax cut that workers have had since the beginning of this year got a boost on Thursday when the top Republican in Congress agreed that it would help the economy. In so doing, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner put himself at odds with some members of his party who are skeptical of its benefits.

FEELING THE HEAT?

Minutes after declaring "I'm not an economist. I don't know what kind of impact it's going to have," Boehner said renewal of the tax cut would be economically beneficial.

"I don't think there is any question that the payroll tax relief, in fact, helps the economy, in allowing more Americans ... to keep more of their money," Boehner said when pressed by reporters.

Boehner's comments, quickly welcomed by the White House, were in sharp contrast to what members of his party were saying just days ago.

Many Republican lawmakers are skeptical that extending the tax cut beyond this year will help job creation and say it will have only a temporary effect on the economy.

Until earlier this week, Republican leaders had been lukewarm to extending the payroll tax cut, but they have come under political pressure to do so in advance of the 2012 presidential and congressional elections.

"Republicans have finally felt the heat of doing something about the payroll tax cut," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Boehner said his party was sticking to its demand that the tax cut be paid for and not add to the country's $15 trillion debt.

While the Senate Democratic plan defeated on Thursday would have paid for the tax cut, Republicans objected, saying that doing so with a tax on income over $1 million annually would hurt business owners who generate jobs.

The defeated Senate Republican plan covered the cost of extending the tax cut largely by continuing a pay freeze for federal workers through 2015 and gradually reducing the federal workforce by 10 percent.

Without congressional action by December 31, the payroll tax that workers pay would revert to 6.2 percent, up from the current, 4.2 percent tax. On average, it would cost American families about $1,000 a year.

A compromise bill likely would incorporate some Republican ideas for offsetting the revenue losses. For their part, Democrats might seek to include an extension of unemployment benefits that will begin to expire early next year, as well as a temporary patch for an upcoming problem with Medicare doctor payments.

Any compromise that passes the Senate also would have to be approved by the House.

(Additional reporting by Donna Smith, Rachelle Younglai and Caren Bohan; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111202/ts_nm/us_usa_taxes_obama

stanford football lsu football schedule lsu football schedule terrapin terrapin manny pacquiao vs marquez manny pacquiao vs marquez

Concern grows for US man kidnapped in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD?? Concern was growing Friday for the safety of American development expert Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped from home in Pakistan in August.

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri said in an audio recording issued on Islamist websites late Thursday that his organization had captured "this man who has had an active part in American aid to Pakistan since the seventies."

However, sources told NBC News on Friday that there were strong indications that Weinstein, 70, had been passed to a dreaded faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

They said he was presently in the custody of militants led by Commander Tariq Afridi, operating in the gun-manufacturing, semi-autonomous tribal region of Darra Adamkhel.

It is the same militant group that kidnapped a Polish engineer, Piotr Stancza, from Attock area of Punjab province on Sept. 28, 2009. Stancza was later executed after their demands for money and a release of prisoners were not met by the government.

Some sources said that Weinstein was kidnapped by another group and later sold to Afridi, NBC News reported.

Ruthless
He is considered the most ruthless among his militant colleagues and is known for his harsh policies.

In the al-Qaida Internet statement, Zawahri said the group's demands for Weinstein's release included the release of all those held by the United States at the Guantanamo detention center and all others imprisoned for ties to al-Qaida or the Taliban. The statement was translated by the SITE group, which says it monitors the "jihadist threat."

He also demanded an end to air strikes by the United States and its allies against militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia and Gaza.

Zawahri specifically demanded the release of high-profile militants including Ramzi Yousef, imprisoned in the United States for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, serving a life sentence for plotting to attack the U.N. headquarters and other New York City landmarks.

"Your problem is not with us but with (President Barack) Obama. We have raised fair demands. ... So continue to pressure Obama, if you want your relative to be handed back," Zawahri said, addressing Weinstein's family, according to SITE.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Next 'Occupy' targets: foreclosed homes, vacant lots
   2. Top beefs against credit card issuers listed
   3. Woman's racist train rant draws death threats
   4. Job growth up, but not for quality jobs
   5. Sears reverses 'sneaky' up-sell policy
   6. Congressional insider trading ban gains momentum
   7. Voters remain cool toward Romney

The audio recording, which was issued on Islamist websites, also said that a senior al-Qaida leader based in Pakistan known as Attiyatullah had been killed in a U.S. air strike in August.

"Just as the Americans detain all whom they suspect of links to al-Qaida and the Taliban, even remotely, we detained this man who has had an active part in American aid to Pakistan since the seventies," Zawahiri added.

Video: Al-Qaida: We?ve kidnapped an American (on this page)

He said that Attiyatullah, a Libyan militant whose real name was Jamal Ibrahim Ashtiwi al-Misrati, escaped a first air strike but was killed along with his son Issam in a second bombing on August 23.

"He was martyred, may God have mercy on him ... by bombing by a crusader spy plane," Zawahri said.

'We remain concerned'
The U.S. State Department is aware of the statement and continues to work with Pakistani authorities leading the investigation, a spokeswoman said.

Weinstein had been working on a project in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas where Pakistani troops have been battling Islamist insurgents for years.

"We remain concerned for Mr. Weinstein's safety and well-being," said Joanne Moore, spokeswoman for the State Department.

Story: 'Enough is enough': Grieving Pakistan questions its role in US war on terror

The government had been in contact with Weinstein's family in the United States, she said.

"U.S. officials, including the FBI, are assisting in the Pakistani-led investigation," she said, declining to give additional information on the case due to privacy considerations.

"The United States condemns kidnappings of any kind and we call for the immediate release of the individual and the prosecution of those responsible," Moore said.

Zawahri succeeded Osama bin Laden after he was killed in an operation by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May after a decade-long worldwide hunt.

NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45521349/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

battlefield 3 review real housewives of new jersey coraline coraline wedding crashers jacqueline laurita mcfadden

Top Obama officials meet with South Florida Latinos (tbo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/169022544?client_source=feed&format=rss

roasted pumpkin seeds pumpkin seed recipe mark madoff disturbia ufc results nick diaz michael myers