Cliff Is Averted! : Steve Sipress | Small-Business Marketing & Growth ...

cliff

No ? I don?t mean the ?Fiscal Cliff? that the politicians and media created and built into The Top Story On Every American?s Mind last month.

I mean the cliff that failing companies fall off when they move from Stage 3 to Stage 4 of Failure, as explained by Jim Collins in his book, ?How The Mighty Fall.?

I?m talking here about one company in particular: GKIC (formerly ?Glazer-Kennedy Insider?s Circle?).

Yes, that?s the local Chicago corporation whose troubles we?ve been following here over the past couple of months. It?s been a lively discussion, with some thoughtful and constructive comments (mixed in with a lot of bitter and angry ones).

(Catch up on previous posts by clicking on them in the ?Recent Posts? list to the bottom right.)

So?

What am I talking about when I say that ?the cliff has been averted??

As you know if you?ve been following this blog for the past couple of months, or if you?ve read Jim Collins? book, or by checking out the chart below?

The Five Stages Of Decline

When a failing company continues to deny its own risk and peril long enough, it ?falls off a cliff? from Stage 3 to Stage 4, and starts grasping for salvation, taking desperate measures to try to rebound and recover.

Well, here?s the good news for GKIC?

Through months full of multiple problems and decline, culminating in the departure of their CEO and the hiring of a new President, GKIC leadership had stubbornly refused to admit anything was wrong ? and one executive even showed either utter blindness (or amazing denial) of the disaster by stating ?it?s business as usual.?

But that appears to have changed.

Last Friday, I received this communication from that same GKIC executive:

?There is a big mental push on the GKIC ?inside? to get back to the Glory Days. That is straight from Dan (he was in the office meeting all day yesterday) and the whole team is ALL IN.?

Did you catch that? Because it was fairly subtle.

For the first time ever that I?ve heard or seen, a GKIC executive has acknowledged that the company needs to ?get back? to a better time in the past.

HALLELUJAH!

Having Dan Kennedy himself, the world?s #1 small business marketing and growth expert, fly in to spend an entire day meeting with the employees and Board members, and admitting that ?the whole team? needs to ?push? to stop the decline and return to better days, is a sure enough sign for me that GKIC is no longer in ?Denial of Risk and Peril.?

And that means that the company has applied the brakes to its fall, perhaps only moments before it would have tumbled over the Stage 3 cliff and practically straight down into Stage 4.

In fact, such humility is a sure-fire sign that the company has shed its hubris ? which was the first Stage Of Decline.

This is GREAT NEWS for all long-suffering members, employees, affiliates, strategic partners and fans of Dan Kennedy and GKIC!

Sure, they have yet to admit it publicly ? or even just to their members ? but I?ll take anything I can get at this point and conclude that all of GKIC is committed to end its stumbling and bumbling and determined to climb back up to the lofty perch it once occupied in the small business marketing world back in ?the Glory Days.?

After all, when this same GKIC executive angrily asked me ?What would YOU do if YOU ran GKIC?? a few weeks ago (he left off the ?Mr. Bigshot? at the end ? but that was clearly in his tone), that was my exact response:

I told him I would beg Dan Kennedy for his help, pay any amount Dan asked for his consulting and then LISTEN TO and FOLLOW every single word he said.

(I even suggested that the ?pay? part might not be required of GKIC, seeing as how Dan is ?on the payroll? as the remaining co-founder of the company.)

Of course, I don?t know what request, pleading or financial arrangement brought Dan to GKIC?s Chicago headquarters last week.

But if the powers-that-be stop ignoring everything Dan?s ever taught about how to properly run a business, and start following every letter of his advice, I believe the company will reverse its decline and move back towards regaining the respect, admiration and position in the marketing community that it once held (back in ?the Glory Days?).

Will it ever get back to the undisputed leadership position in the marketing community that it once held?

Maybe, and maybe not. That is certainly a VERY tall order.

But this is just as certainly a start in the right direction.

And the first step in the reversal of the oh-so-incredibly-wrong direction in which the company had been headed.

And to that, I?ll say it again:

HALLELUJAH!

What are your thoughts?

I?d love to read your comment below.

Source: http://stevesipress.com/cliff-is-averted/

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Syrian army on offensive in Aleppo after university blast

BEIRUT | Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:12am EST

BEIRUT

(Reuters) - Syrian armed forces launched a renewed offensive in the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, state media said, a day after 87 people were killed in explosions at the city's university.

The state news agency SANA said the military had killed dozens of "terrorists" - a term Damascus uses for rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad - in the new fighting.

Reuters cannot independently verify reports due to media restrictions in Syria.

"The Armed Forces carried out several special operations against the mercenary terrorists in Aleppo and its countryside, inflicting heavy losses upon them in several areas," SANA said.

Aleppo is split roughly in half between government and rebel forces. SANA said dozens of "terrorists" were killed in the rebel strongholds of Sukari, Bab al-Hadeed and Bustan al-Qasr.

Government forces also killed militants in al-Laramon, a area of Aleppo from which Damascus says two rockets were fired into the University of Aleppo on Tuesday, it added.

If confirmed, the government's report of a rocket attack would suggest rebels in the area had been able to obtain and deploy more powerful weapons than previously used.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said 87 people were killed and dozens wounded in the explosions, but it could not identify the source of the blasts. It said the toll could rise to more than 100 as there were still body parts that were unaccounted for.

State television showed a body lying on the street and burning cars. An entire facade of a multi-story university building had crumbled and cars were overturned. An interior shot of a corridor showed that the ceiling had caved in.

Amateur video footage showed students carrying books out of the university after one of the explosions, walking quickly away from rising smoke. The camera then shakes to the sound of another explosion and people begin to run.

Syria has been plunged into bloodshed since a violent government crackdown in early 2011 on peaceful demonstrations for democratic reform which turned the unrest into an armed insurgency bent on overthrowing Assad.

Each side in the 22-month-old conflict blamed the other for Tuesday's blasts at the university, located in a government-held area of Syria's most populous city.

Some activists in Aleppo said a government air strike caused the explosions, while state television accused terrorists of firing two rockets at the university. A rebel fighter said the blasts appeared to have been caused by surface-to-surface missiles.

The nearest rebel-controlled area, Bustan al-Qasr, is more than a mile away from the university.

The Observatory said rebel sources on the ground reported they were fighting with government forces in the early hours of Wednesday around Bustan al-Qasr, implying a renewed push by government forces to expel the insurgents.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Reuters/worldNews/~3/OXb0aS33pJE/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE90E0V820130116

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Movie theater opens for first time since Aurora massacre

Jan 17, 2013 12:47pm

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????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (Image Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)

Screens will flicker back to life tonight at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater for the first time since July 20, when a gunman opened fire during a midnight screening of ?The Dark Knight Rises?, killing 12 people and injuring another 58.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan and the Cinemark CEO Tim Warner are expected to speak at a ?special evening of remembrance? for the victims.? The theater is expected to open to the public temporarily, starting Friday and then permanently by Jan. 25.

The theater has undergone cosmetic changes to the interior and exterior, including new paint and a different marquee. Inside, individual theaters are now labeled with letters instead of numbers. Theater 9, where James Holmes allegedly carried out his attack, is now ?Auditorium H,? according to the Denver Post.? It has been renovated into what Cinemark calls an ?XD? or ?Extreme Digital? theater that will show movies on a large, IMAX-like screen.

Some family members and victims of the shooting are boycotting the reopening, saying they are outraged by the timing of Cinemark?s invitation to the event, which arrived a few days after Christmas. A group representing families and victims is also upset at their perceived treatment by Cinemark, which they say has refused to meet with them or offer condolences. Several lawsuits have been filed against Cinemark, claiming the theater lacked adequate security.

Holmes, 25, a former neuroscience student at the University of Colorado, is charged with 166 counts that? include murder and attempted murder. He is expected to enter a plea March 12.

His attorneys have said in court that they believe Holmes, 25, is mentally ill. While a student, Holmes was under the care of psychiatrist Lynne Fenton. The first lawsuit against Fenton was filed Wednesday by the widow of victim Jonathan Blunk. The suit claims that Fenton, who testified that she went to police in June with concerns about Holmes, was negligent for not putting him on a 72-hour mental health hold.

At a preliminary hearing last week, a flood of new details emerged about how Holmes allegedly planned the attack.

Prosecutors say photos recovered from Holmes? iPhone show he scouted the theater weeks in advance. FBI and ATF agents testified about Holmes? elaborate booby-trapped apartment and the weapons and ammunition he allegedly stockpiled. The lead detective in the case testified about Holmes? odd behavior after he was arrested.

That those and other details are now public has prompted the city of Aurora to ask the judge to lift his gag order that has prevented officials from speaking about the case.

The city filed a motion Wednesday arguing that the gag order should be lifted primarily because the city has been forced to decline requests from police and fire departments interested in learning how Aurora first responders handled the incident.

Speaking about the incident would no longer jeopardize the investigation, the motion argued, ?because the evidence has already been revealed to millions of people worldwide.?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SHOWS: Good Morning America World News

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/aurora-theater-reopening-6-months-after-rampage/

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Live from the Engadget CES Stage: the Engadget Podcast with Jon Rettinger and Phil DeFranco

Yes, friends, it's the penultimate Engadget CES podcast! This time out, Tim and Brian will be be joined by TechnoBuffalo's Jon Rettinger and YouTube superstar Phil DeFranco to discuss all of Wednesday's goings-on and play with some of the best toys the show has to offer.

January 9, 2013 11:00 PM EST

Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!

Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: the Engadget Podcast with Jon Rettinger and Phil DeFranco

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/engadget-podcast/

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The Claws Are Out! Sharon Osbourne VS. Lady Gaga

The Claws Are Out! Sharon Osbourne VS. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga learns not to mess with Sharon OsbourneSharon Osbourne isn’t someone to mess with, especially when you are slamming one of her family members. Lady Gaga is on the receiving end of her wrath after posting an open letter on her LittleMonsters.com website about Kelly Osbourne being a “bully”. You can check out Lady Gaga’s letter to Kelly here. The Osbourne matriarch ...

The Claws Are Out! Sharon Osbourne VS. Lady Gaga Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/01/the-claws-are-out-sharon-osbourne-vs-lady-gaga/

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Sonoma Valley Sun | Can Med-Cal claim mom's property? ? Elder Law

Dear Len & Rosie: My wife and I and my recently deceased mother held title to a house in joint tenancy that all three of us bought together about seven years ago. My mother was on Medi-Cal for five years. Does Medi-Cal have a legal claim against this property? I was under the impression that joint tenancy property was immune from their claim but Medi-Cal?s claim form seems to indicate otherwise. ? Richard

Dear Richard: You and your wife will probably have to break out your checkbook. Joint tenancy property was once exempt from Medi-Cal estate claims, but that hasn?t been the law since 1993. Prior to that, state Medicaid agencies could assert estate recovery claim against estates probated in the courts. Any asset that avoided probate, such as a home held in joint tenancy or within a revocable trust, was once exempt from Medi-Cal estate recovery.

That changed 20 years ago, when Congress enacted the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or ?OBRA ?93?. This law made significant changes in the way Medi-Cal estate recovery claims work. Under the federal government?s definition of the ?expanded estate?, Medi-Cal is legally required to assert an estate claim against any assets owned by a Medi-Cal recipient upon his or her death. Since your mother owned one-third of your home when she died, that third is subject to Medi-Cal?s estate claim.

There are exceptions to Medi-Cal recovery claims. If your mother was survived by a spouse, the claim would be deferred until after her husband?s death. If she was survived by a blind, disabled, or minor child, Medi-Cal has no claim at all. There is also a means of asserting a hardship waiver, but these waivers are difficult to come by and are most frequently granted only when you can show that care you provided to your mother at home kept her out of a nursing home, saving the state money. Unfortunately for you, it?s more than likely that you and your wife will have to pay off Medi-Cal?s claim.

It is too late for you and your wife, but any living person who is a recipient of Medi-Cal benefits can act now to protect his or her home and other exempt assets from Medi-Cal estate claims. One way of doing so is simply to give the property away to the children. However, this is usually a bad idea because an outright gift would result in a loss of the step-up in cost basis that happens when property is inherited. When the children sell the home, they?ll have to pay a great deal of capital gains tax that they would avoid if they were to inherit the property instead of receiving it as a gift.

Fortunately, it?s possible for a Medi-Cal recipient to shelter his or her home while preserving the step-up in cost basis by transferring the home into an irrevocable trust. These trusts are very different from most irrevocable trusts found in estate planning, and should be prepared only by an attorney experienced in Medi-Cal planning. ? Len & Rosie

Len Tillem and Rosie McNichol are elder law attorneys. Contact them at 846 Broadway in Sonoma, at 996-4505, or Lentillem.com. Len also answers legal questions each weekday, 3 to 4 p.m., on Newstalk 910.

Source: http://elderlaw.sonomaportal.com/2013/01/10/can-med-cal-claim-mom%E2%80%99s-property/

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10 Things You Probably Do Not Know About Chinese Tea Peony ...

I am not lying when I say I drink Chinese tea almost every morning, when my love for Chinese tea rekindled after trips to Taiwan?s Alishan and China?s Shantou which is the land of origin of kungfu tea. Some may consider it an ?old man?s drink?, or that preparing gongfu tea is a set of tedious process.

Psychologically (and even physically), drinking Chinese tea makes me feel cleansed, rejuvenated and relaxed, as though all the greasiness from food is ?washed away?. While English tea houses are very popular locally, I think it is about time Chinese tea gets some attention and perhaps be more glorified.

While I am a tea drinker, there are many mistakes that I make in drinking tea. I met up with Derek from online tea shop Peony Tea S to find out about the finer arts of tea drinking.

Here are 10 Things You Probably Do Not Know About Chinese Tea

1. The 6 categories of teas are green tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, black tea and dark tea otherwise known as post-fermented teas.

2. If you see someone tapping on the table after drinking tea, there are actually thanking the tea master. The fingers tapping signify a bowing servant and a sign of respect.

3. Light-coloured teas go better with lighter-coloured food (chicken, fish, seafood), while darke- coloured teas go better with red meats and oiler food.

4. Black Tea is known as Red Tea in Chinese (think about your bubbletea red tea) because Westerners name teas after the color of the leaves while Chinese name it after the color of the brewed tea.

5. Oolong tea and Pu-er are the most popular teas in Singapore due to the predominant Hokkien community.

6. Tea that has been left overnight should not be drunk as bacteria will grow on it when left unattended.

7. Tea should not be drunk immediately before and after meal times (half an hour before and an hour after) because this will hinder with absorption of iron in the body.

8. Do not drink cold tea (I am so guilty of this) as cold tea is ?damp? and damages the stomach and digestive system. So how about bubble tea? At least the traditional Taiwanese style is not brewed hot and cooled with ice but rather ice-brewed.

9. Loose tea leaves are always better than tea bags because the quality of the tea is usually much better, tea leaves can unfurl to release more flavours, over-steeping of tea bags often lead to bitterness (?siap siap? taste).

10. Black tea generally survives better in tea bags than green tea since freshness and shelf life is less of an issue. Have black tea if you really need to drink from a tea bag.

Peony Ts Chinese New Year Giveaway
Online Teashop Peony Tea S will be giving 3 sets of Peony Tea S Starter Kits (worth $68 each) to 3 blessed Daniel?s Food Diary readers.

The Starter Kit includes a tea set and 2 ?servings? of a variety from each of the 6 major categories of tea. This way, you can also try everything and find your preferred types of tea.

All you need to do is to
Step 1: LIKES the FaceBook pages of Daniel?s Food Diary and and Peony Tea S
Step 2: SHARE this post on Facebook or RETWEET the post on twitter
Step 3: Leave a comment below to share your favourite Chinese tea type and why

Peony Tea S
Peony Tea S is an online tea shop that specializes in loose tea leaves and brewing utensils from China and Taiwan. They are not only selling tea wares ? they want to help you enjoy your tea to its fullest- whether it is maximizing the taste of your drink or minimizing the hassle. Plus, their tea comes in attractive modern packaging and makes a really suitable gift for the Chinese New Year and other festive seasons.
Website: www.peonyts.com

*The above entry is an advertorial.

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Source: http://danielfooddiary.com/2013/01/11/peonyts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=peonyts

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Jan. 17: Free Lunch & Learn ? ?Best Practices for Real Estate ...

By James ? January 7th, 2013

Best Practices for Real Estate Investment Financing

Co-Managers Rob Buchanan and David Owen will host a free Lunch & Learn event for real estate investors and passive income seekers on Thursday, Jan. 17 in the 11th Floor Conference Room of the?Frost Bank Tower from 11:30 a.m. ? 1:30 p.m. as part of the monthly series of free financial education seminars continually made possible by Pride of Austin Capital Partners, LLC and A List Partners, LLC.

If you?ve ever considered getting in on Austin?s booming real estate investment market, then you can?t afford to miss this month?s event, as?Robert Buchanan, President of Pride of Austin Homes will give this month?s keynote presentation which spotlights best practices for investment finance. Attendees will learn how savvy investors fund multiple,?simultaneous?real estate construction and rehab projects without risking their personal financial well-being.

The event will include a complimentary lunch catered by Austin?s own Alfred?s Catering.

Rob is a co-managing member of Pride of Austin Capital Partners, and he has served as President of Pride of Austin Homes since May of 2007. His day-to-day responsibilities include real estate development, supervising and coordinating with construction superintendents, marketing, investor relations and financing. He?has presented to international groups of real estate investment experts, including his talk on real estate construction financing at the 2012 Annual Conference of the American Association of Private Lenders in Las Vegas.

After graduating from Auburn University with a BBA in Accounting and a minor in Finance, Rob moved to Princeton, NJ and began his career as an commercial real estate auditor for Arthur Anderson. Rob audited major companies in all sectors of business and oversaw a team of auditors as a Manager.
After several years in the accounting and finance industry Rob continued his formal education as a student in the MBA program at University of Texas Austin. While enrolled at UT Austin he completed an internship at Avera Development, a residential and commercial real estate development company in Austin.

Wealth Building With David Owen

David is co-manager of Pride of Austin Capital Partners and one of Austin?s leading real estate professionals. His longstanding history of providing the highest quality real estate representation possible includes more than 40 years of success in the real estate finance and investment industry.

David will teach attendees how real estate acquisition can help boost personal income and increase tax benefits.
David is the managing partner of A List Partners where he works daily to identify Texas real estate investment opportunities that can propel investors toward a speedy and comfortable retirement.

? Property Tax Lien Investments? | Home

Source: http://www.prideofaustin.com/jan-17-free-lunch-learn-best-practices-for-real-estate-investment-financing.php

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State of Palestine name change shows limitations

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2012 file photo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves to the crowd during celebrations for their successful bid to win U.N. statehood recognition. Palestinian officials said Monday Jan. 7, 2013, they will not rush to issue new passports and ID cards with the emblem "State of Palestine" to avoid confrontation with Israel. Last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decreed that in official documents "State of Palestine" must replace "Palestinian Authority," the name of his self-rule government. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2012 file photo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves to the crowd during celebrations for their successful bid to win U.N. statehood recognition. Palestinian officials said Monday Jan. 7, 2013, they will not rush to issue new passports and ID cards with the emblem "State of Palestine" to avoid confrontation with Israel. Last week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decreed that in official documents "State of Palestine" must replace "Palestinian Authority," the name of his self-rule government. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi, File)

(AP) ? With U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state in his pocket, President Mahmoud Abbas wants official documents to carry a new emblem: "State of Palestine."

But scrapping the old "Palestinian Authority" logo is as far as Abbas is willing to go in provoking Israel. He is not rushing to change passports and ID cards Palestinians need to pass through Israeli crossings.

The very modesty of Abbas' move to change official stationery underscores his limited options so long as Israel remains in charge of territories the world says should one day make up that state.

"At the end of the day, the Palestinian Authority won't cause trouble for its people," Nour Odeh, a spokeswoman for Abbas' self-rule government, said of the need for caution.

Abbas won overwhelming U.N. General Assembly recognition for a state of Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in late November, a rare diplomatic victory over a sidelined Israel. The U.N. nod was important to the Palestinians because it affirmed the borders of their future state in lands Israel captured in 1967.

Recognition, however, has not transformed the day-to-day lives of Palestinians, and some argue that it made things worse. In apparent retaliation for the U.N. bid, Israel in December withheld its monthly $100 million transfer of tax rebates it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, further deepening the Abbas government's financial crisis.

Since the U.N. recognition, Abbas has maneuvered between avoiding confrontation with Israel and finding small ways to change the situation on the ground.

Last week, his government press office urged journalists to refer to a state of Palestine, instead of the Palestinian Authority, the autonomy government set up two decades ago as part of interim peace deals with Israel.

Palestinian diplomatic missions around the world have been told to use the new names, including those in countries that did not vote "yes" at the General Assembly, said Omar Awadallah, a Palestinian Foreign Ministry official.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev dismissed the name change as pointless but declined comment on whether Israel would retaliate in any way. "Instead of looking for gimmicks, Palestinians should negotiate with Israel to bring about the end of the conflict," he said. "That will lead to a situation of two states for two peoples."

Israel objected to Abbas' U.N. bid, accusing him of trying to bypass negotiations with Israel on the terms of statehood. Such talks have been frozen for more than four years because Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagree on their parameters. Netanyahu says he is willing to cede land to a Palestinian state but will not withdraw to the 1967 lines or give up any part of east Jerusalem, the Palestinians' desired capital.

Abbas has said negotiations remain his preferred choice, and that U.N. recognition was meant to improve his leverage with a far more powerful Israel once talks resume.

Since the U.N. vote, Abbas has shied away from measures that could close the door to talks by upsetting Israel or the U.S., which also objected to his U.N. bid.

Abbas has not taken practical steps toward seeking membership for Palestine in U.N. agencies, something made possible by the November vote, and his security forces continue to coordinate with Israeli troops in tracking Islamic militants in the West Bank.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed U.S. opposition to using the term "State of Palestine."

"You can't create a state by rhetoric and with labels and names," she told reporters. "You can only create a state, in this context, through bilateral negotiations." Nuland called Abbas' decision "provocative, without changing the condition for the Palestinian people."

She said the U.S. peace envoy for the Mideast, David Hale, was headed to the region and would meet the Palestinian leader on Tuesday.

Some countries, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras, have adopted the new name. Others, like Norway, Sweden and Spain, stick to the Palestinian Authority term even though they supported U.N. recognition.

Analysts said Abbas holds out hope that President Barack Obama will get more involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his second term and ? freed from the restraints of seeking re-election ? take a tougher stance toward Israel.

"He still hopes to resume peace talks in line with U.S. efforts," Palestinian analyst Hani al-Masri said of Abbas.

"Therefore, he is making these slight changes because people expect him to make changes after the U.N. recognition."

Still, the gap between the symbolic U.N. nod and the reality on the ground remains wide.

The Palestinian Authority administers some 38 percent of the West Bank, but Israel maintains overall control over the territory. Abbas has no say in east Jerusalem, annexed by Israel in 1967, or in Gaza, seized by his political rival, the Islamic militant group Hamas, in 2007.

The documents and stationery with the new emblem will be ready within two months, said Hassan Alawi, a deputy interior minister in the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli officials declined comment Monday on whether Israel would refuse to deal with documents bearing the "State of Palestine" logo. However, Alawi said his office was informed by Israeli officials after Abbas' decree that "they will not deal with any new form of passport or ID."

Saeb Erekat, a senior Abbas aide, said the new emblem will be used in correspondence with countries that have recognized a state of Palestine.

He suggested that there would be no change in passports or other documents Palestinians need for movement through Israeli crossings.

"As far as the Israelis are concerned, we are not going to overload the wagon of our people by putting state of Palestine on passports," he said. "They (Israelis) will not allow them to travel."

Palestinians must pass through Israeli-run crossings to leave the West Bank and also carry an ID card at all times or risk arrest if stopped at an Israeli military checkpoint inside the territory.

The name change has even less meaning for Palestinians in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Israel withdrew from the coastal strip in 2005 but continues to control access by air, sea and land, with the exception of one Gaza border crossing with Egypt.

"For me, it's just ink on paper," said Sharif Hamda, a 44-year-old pharmacist in Gaza City. "I wished they would save the money they will spend on this and use it for helping needy families."

___

Laub reported from Jericho, West Bank. Associated Press writers Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Gaza Strip and Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed reporting.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-07-Israel-Palestinians/id-8a5cc63a11214543a4ec9b0482ab0649

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Crews prep for recovery of grounded drilling rig

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the conical drilling unit Kulluk sits grounded 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012. The Kulluk grounded after many efforts by tug vessel crews and Coast Guard crews to move the vessel to safe harbor during a winter storm.Calls for federal scrutiny of Royal Dutch Shell PLC drilling operations in Arctic waters swelled Thursday with a request for a formal investigation by members of Congress. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Painter)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the conical drilling unit Kulluk sits grounded 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012. The Kulluk grounded after many efforts by tug vessel crews and Coast Guard crews to move the vessel to safe harbor during a winter storm.Calls for federal scrutiny of Royal Dutch Shell PLC drilling operations in Arctic waters swelled Thursday with a request for a formal investigation by members of Congress. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Painter)

In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the conical drilling unit Kulluk sits grounded near a beach 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012. The Kulluk grounded after many efforts by tug vessel crews and Coast Guard crews to move the vessel to safe harbor during a winter storm. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Painter)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) ? The assessment of a Shell drilling rig grounded off a remote Alaska island continued Friday, with officials putting more salvagers onboard.

Officials say in a release that critical response gear was put into place for the eventual recovery operation.

The Kulluk (CULL'-uck) ran aground Monday near Kodiak Island.

Power generators also were delivered. A majority of 14 support ships are expected to be in place this weekend.

Members of the command team also met with Alaska Native leaders in the nearby community of Old Harbor to hear their concerns over the grounding.

The Kulluk performed preliminary work on a well during the open water season in the Beaufort (BOH'-fort) Sea.

It was being towed to Seattle last week for upgrades when it became separated from tow lines during a storm.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-04-Shell-Arctic%20Drill%20Ship/id-c9745c76e0da48a8b91bc3258f3368a6

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