President Barack Obama's top political aide Wednesday defended the tax plan the president hammered out with Republican leaders, even as Democrats threaten to rebel over it.

David Axelrod insisted the most important thing was that Obama had been able to secure a two-year extension in current income tax rates for "the middle class."

Democrats are angry that the extension also applies to high earners, as Republicans had demanded, and that Obama agreed to a Republican proposal on the estate tax

Obama is doing the right thing here with this compromise. Democrats criticize him for making so many compromises but if he didn't compromise things would never move along in politics. I think its great that he is trying to make Democrats and Republicans work together and actually make a difference in this country.

A political summit between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders Tuesday yielded further talks on how to extend Bush-era tax breaks scheduled to expire at the end of the year, as well as an acknowledgment from Obama that he needs to reach out more to Republicans.

The meeting, dubbed by some the "Slurpee summit" for a campaign dig by Obama at congressional Republicans, involved the president and leaders of both parties from the House and Senate. It came in the aftermath of the November midterm election in which Republicans took control of the House and gained six seats in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Its good to see Obama trying to break down barriers between Democrats and Republicans. In order to have a successful government one cant just have one extreme government view on how to do things because both sides have some good ideas politically speaking. But Obama shouldn't compromise or fold with these pressures because some might take his willingness to work with he opposing side as weakness but it should be viewed as a strength to work with ones opposition and work towards a common goal to make this country great like it was

As Obama prepares to work with the new Republican majority in the U.S. House this January, a new CNN Poll of Polls indicates that the public is split over his handling of duties in the White House. Overall, 47 percent of Americans approve of how Obama is handling his job and 48 percent disapprove, according to the Poll of Polls which was compiled and released on Friday.

Politics as usual. Everything and everyone is always split on issues in America and how are president is doing. Dont get me wrong here i mean its great to have an opinion on what goes on this country but it seems to they way the things are run and the way of thinking by most people is flawed. Nothing every gets done in this country these days. When ever something is done people either criticize it or go with with based on the things they are told by the media. This particular story has to with political parties because this is a perfect example of two major parties fighting each other. And yes i am speculating that majority of the people who took this poll were either a Democrat or a Republican. But this is how the country is run a power struggle between to factions to get what they want done...im not sure if its funny or ironic that the opposite usually happens.

Californian voters make two verdicts on marijuana taxations on the U.S. Election Day. When they defeated a statewide measure for taxing marijuana’s recreational usage, the same voters allowed taxation of marijuana for medical uses in local bodies.

It seems that voters have intelligibly applied their right in the case of marijuana in California. Proposition 19, the ballot measure to legalize or tax recreational and personal usage of marijuana was rejected by voters for 56 percent over 44 percent in the elections.

In the same time, people in local levels, voted and succeeded proposals to tax medical marijuana. Thus nine California cities got their marijuana measures legalized in this election. It was previously analyzed that Prop 19 was failed in the state due to lesser participation of young people in elections. Actually youngsters between 21 and 29 are the actual demanders of such a measure.

The 2010 elections have been a bitter sweet thing for me. I am quite happy that Jerry brown won govenor but either way he is was the lesser evil. I could care less about any of the props besides 19 because it would of changed California for the better, granted it was poorly written. It also makes me disappointed that many young voters didn't vote.

​Prop. 19, the November ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana possession and use in California, was winning among likely voters according to a new ABC7/Survey USA poll. If the election were held now the proposition would win 47 to 43 percent. That's the good news for pot supporters. The bad news, according to the poll: The number of people committed to voting for the law has decreased by four percentage points.

Of course, Survey USA's automated "robo-call" polls often differ from others, and surveys on this issue seem to be all over the map anyway.

According to the ABC7/Survey USA poll, women, older Californians, minorities and Central Valley residents have given momentum to the initiative's decreasing support.

"It's the folks who are most concerned with what legalizing the recreational use of marijuana will do to children, to schools, to ethnic communities, to public safety," Roger Salazar, the No on Prop. 19 campaign's spokesman, told ABC7.

The initiative would allow Californian's to possess up to one ounce of cannabis while allowing cities and municipalities to allow, outlaw or regulate its sale in retail establishments.

Dan Newman, Yes on Prop. 19 campaign spokesman, tells the station, "We're seeing that Californians are ready to embrace some modest, common-sense reforms to our failed marijuana laws."'

I think that this proposition can do nothing but good for California. This Proposition would bring california out of the recession in a heartbeat. It has been shown that if tax marijuana it can generate more than a billion dollars. Plus if marijuana is legal the production of hemp will go up and hemp is the durable material on this planet. The people of California would be extremely ignorant not to legalize it and just blindly believe the governments lies about this plant. When you look at the history of why it was illegalized it was not because it was harmful but because William R. Hearst was threatened by hemp being that he was one of the biggest manufacturer of paper so he cnstructed lies saying that mexicans and blacks were smoking it and rapeing people so congress mad it illegal without thinking twice. In short if California legalizes it we will be a prosperous and happy state.

Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for using nonviolence to demand fundamental human rights in his homeland. The award ignited a furious response from China, which accused the Norwegian Nobel Committee of violating its own principles by honoring "a criminal."

I think this fits in perfectly of what we have been talking about in class and the six principles of government and how some governments deny there people basic human rights. In china all the information on Liu is being censored so he cannot help enforce change or be a hero to the chinese people. Its a shame that chinas government has such huge censorship on all media but at least there are still people in china willing to fight for their rights.

2010 is the year of GOP women candidates

The article remarks on the rise of women candidates and why. Some seem to think that because of Sarah Palin ran for a Vice President back in 2008. Palin also appeals to a certain group for women -- pro-life, evangelicals, mothers and fiscal conservatives -- who have wanted to be a part of the system for a long time says republic strategist Leslie Sanchez.

I agree that Sarah Palin has in a way been a trail blazer for woman in politics. Although i do not agree with her policies nor the GOP in general. She has made it possible for woman on both sides of the political spectrum to say "hey if she can do it i can do it " or maybe " i want to be the next Sarah Palin". So is Sarah Palin just a dim witted politician or a Trail Blazer for woman's involvement in politics? How about both?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/21/women.candidates/index.html

The Halo Reach multiplayer is amazing. The engine is completey revamped, the graphics are clear and crisp, the weapons are better and new. The different classes are amazing. Overall this game is going to be amazing.

It's the 12-seat restaurant of the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa, which is located five meters under water. It has been temporally turned to a suite to celebrate its 5-year anniversary.

Halo Reach is Bungie's last hurrah in the Halo universe, and they aren't saying goodbye without a lovely Limited Edition and one final, ultra-expensive Legendary Edition.

First we have the Halo Reach Limited Edition, priced at $79.99. $20 over the standard price scores fans a recovered ONI "black box" holding the game disc, an exclusive set of Elite armor for multiplayer, and an artifact bag containing Dr. Halsey's personal journal and various documents and effects that explore the history of the Halo universe.

With a price of $149.99, the Halo Reach Legendary Edition is one of the pricier collector's editions we've seen, but it certainly isn't without reason. There's not mini-plastic cat helmet inside this box. Instead, Bungie commissioned McFarlane Toys to create a 10 inch tall, 10 pound diorama statue featuring the members of Noble Team, the stars of the game.

As if that weren't enough, the Legendary Edition also comes with a flaming Spartan helmet for multiplayer, as well as all of the contents of the Limited Edition, all packed inside a striking UNSC-themed custom box.

If that's not a fine sendoff for Bungie's final game in the Halo series, I don't know what is. I plan on preordering the standard edition, and then begging my GameStop manager to put aside one of the Legendary Editions for me at the last minute, when my resolve falters.

Some wildlife photographers spend months immersed in muck to capture the perfect shot. The Burrard-Lucas brothers decided to let an RC car do the dirty work. Their BeetleCam came face-

to-face with lions, elephants, and buffalo and captured these stunning shots:

Some serious leakage from apple.You are looking at Apple's next iPhone. It was found lost in a bar in Redwood City,(which is 19 minutes away from silicon valley) camouflaged to look like an iPhone 3GS.

The Moonwatch, a new (not for sale) project by The Emotion Lab, can show you the time by hour or by phase of the moon.

Tired of old scratch CDs just not working anymore well i found an article online about a theory of how to fix them, i have yet to try this out so don't yell at me when your CDs are all greasy.

An inexpensive method for breathing new life into those old, scratched CDs you're still clinging to. Their solution: a dab of Vaseline or any type of petroleum jelly.

A soft cloth or disc cleaner, petroleum jelly, and some ancient scratched CDs are all that is required for this project. Using the disc cleaner/cloth, apply the jelly to the CD. After applying it in a thorough manner, the excess grease needs to be removed. Take a cotton ball, swab it with some rubbing alcohol and start cleaning it off. The idea is that the petroleum jelly will fill in the scratches on the CD, making it—hopefully—readable.

In 2008, the Hollywood film version of third-person shoot Gears of War had a director and a 2010 release. It's 2010, and the movie hasn't even started filming yet. And it might no longer have a director.

Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman was attached to the project, but the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the direct is apparently moving on to Nocturne, an apocalyptic thriller.

In the Spirit of easter some one made some left for dead themed easter eggs

You've seen Steve dance before. Today, if you are using Windows, sending emails from your Hotmail account, or even editing Excel spreadsheets, I insist you do a little monkeyboy dance in your seat. For Ballmer—the ever-entertaining CEO.

Every once in a while, the two or three USB ports your laptop affords you just aren't enough. The Infinite USB concept makes do with what you have by cozily stacking your USB devices right on top of one another.

really, this could totally happen! And soon, as McDonald's Japan is currently developing a $2.2 millionDS "game" called eSmart that is designed to "cut training time by half." How? Unclear. Perhaps there's a frialator atachment we're not seeing yet.

Researchers have discovered that increasing production of a protein called RGS-14 could significantly boost visual memory. They are currently investigating the exact effects on humans, but all I can think is: Photographic memory in pill form. And that picture is pretty cool too

ThinkGeek's 16-port USB hub is definitely one of the classiest I've seen. At $160 though, you'd be paying a tenner a port. Are those extra USB slippers really worth it?

For starters, you'll need to remove the bike's wheels, seat, pedals and handlebar, so it all fits into the bike pack. It's made from flexible nylon and polyester, with a Cordura nylon crank and chain-stay cover. Then comes the novel part, and the reason Biknd named the case the Helium.

Connect a foot pump, and pumping it a few hundred times will inject enough air into it that it'll inflate the bag—protecting the bike from bumps in the luggage hold of a plane. Wheels make it easy to drive through airports, bearing in mind the deflated case alone weighs 9.5kgs. it runs about 600 dollars

This daily calendar mixes analog, digital, nature, and poetry all in one: Every autumn day, each of its pages will fall off automatically, torn by a clever mechanism at its top. As this video shows, it works great

What started as a routine traffic stop ended with a Colorado teen doing hard time. The offense? Not returning a "House of Flying Daggers" DVD to his local library. Come on, Colorado. You're better than that.

Apparently young Aaron Henson, an impressionable lad all of 19 years old, fell in with the wrong DVD-borrowing crowd sometime last year. Henson packed up the flick for a move, forgot that he had it, and ended up with a warrant for his arrest

Why all the fuss? Because apparently the municipality of Littleton, CO values the DVD of a 2004 release at $31.45, and any "theft" over $30 gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Looks like the public libraries are Finally manning up

Plastic Beach is the third studio album by the virtual band Gorillaz, due to be released tomorrow March 9. The album features guest performances by Snoop Dogg, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kano, Bashy, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, sinfonia ViVA and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. Definitely a great album

Cool Leaf is an input system that's perfectly flat, and wonderfully mirrored. A Japanese company called Minebea pioneered it, and they're demonstrating it with a keyboard, calculator, and remote control that are complete key top-free.

The immediately apparent benefit—other than the crazy-futuristic look— is that the devices would be easy to clean: no keys for dust or crumbs to get stuck behind or under. The reflective surface also looks great, although I'd be worried about smudging.

Sports Illustrated photographer David Klutho is wielding two Nikon D700s bolted together like a double-neck guitar at the Olympics, except his rig is designed to take 3D photos, not bust out sweet guitar solos

Japanese fashion designer Kosuke e used anything from iPods to LAN cables, power boards and fabrics to create sculptures for his 'MODE less CODE' exhibition at the Nanzuka gallery in Shirokane, Tokyo

Since it was shown on Sunday, an episode of the Fox animated comedy “Family Guy” has drawn the repeated condemnation of Sarah Palin, the former Republican governor of Alaska and 2008 vice-presidential nominee.

In the episode, the teenage character Chris dates a girl named Ellen, who has Down syndrome, and who tells him over dinner that her mother is “the former governor of Alaska.” Ms. Palin, whose son Trig also has Down syndrome, has said that the “Family Guy” show “really isn’t funny” and was the work of “cruel, cold-hearted people.” Ms. Palin’s daughter Bristol has written that the “Family Guy” writers were “mocking my brother and my family,” and called them “heartless jerks.”

One person who supports the “Family Guy” staff is Andrea Fay Friedman, the 39-year-old actor and public speaker who played Ellen in that episode. Like the character, Ms. Friedman also has Down syndrome.

In an e-mail message sent on Thursday to The New York Times, Ms. Friedman wrote:

I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line “I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska” was very funny. I think the word is “sarcasm.”

In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life.

Ms. Friedman also spoke by phone with ArtsBeat about her “Family Guy” episode and the controversy that followed. These are excerpts from that conversation.

Rubbish powered the DeLorean's Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor power source in Back To The Future, so it makes sense that now we're in the future we can makeethanol fuel from fruit peel.

It's the work of professor Henry Daniell at the University of Central Florida, who can also turn newspaper into fuel fit for running a car with—using more than 10 enzymes from plants to break the rubbish into sugar that is then fermented into the ethanol fuel, producing less greenhouse gas emissions than electricity or gasoline. Plus, it decreases the pressure put on landfills—and might help stave off the "iPad effect" and keep newspapers in print for a while longer. Zing!!!!