Republican Sen. McConnell rules out more taxes in U.S. fiscal fight

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday ruled out raising tax revenues on top of the tax hike on the wealthy in the "fiscal cliff" deal, and said the full focus must now be on spending cuts to curb U.S. deficits.

But Democrats said they would push for a "balanced" approach of more tax revenue from the rich as well as spending reductions as Congress headed toward another fiscal battle in March over raising the federal debt ceiling.

"The tax issue is finished, over, completed," McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos."

"That's behind us. Now the question is what are we going to do about the biggest problem confronting our country and our future, and that's our spending addiction."

McConnell used the Sunday morning news shows to lay out his position in the upcoming fight over raising the U.S. debt ceiling and funding the government that is expected to come to a head in March, just three months after the struggle to avert the January 1 fiscal cliff of severe tax hikes and spending cuts that economists said could have brought a recession.

Republicans want big spending cuts in programs including Medicare healthcare for the elderly and the Social Security pension program as a condition for raising the U.S. borrowing limit.

President Barack Obama has said he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling, arguing that Congress must pay the bills for spending it has already approved.

McConnell said the White House should start working with Congress immediately to find savings, before the March deadline to raise the borrowing limit brings another fiscal crisis.

"We could do things very quickly, these are not new issues," he said on ABC.

Asked whether Republicans would threaten a U.S. default in their press for spending cuts, McConnell said, "It's not even necessary to get to that point. Why aren't we trying to settle the problem? Why aren't we trying to do something about reducing spending?"

On CBS's "Face the Nation," he said, "We now have a debt of $16.4 trillion. That's as big as our economy. That alone makes us look a lot like Greece."

'LINE IN THE SAND'

Democrats said they will continue to push for more revenue as well as spending cuts to curb deficits, issues they said should be dealt with separately from the debt ceiling.

"Well, if Mitch McConnell is going to draw the line in the sand, it's going to be a recipe for more gridlock," Representative Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said on "Fox News Sunday."

"As we go forward, we need to adopt the same framework as the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission, meaning, a combination of cuts and revenue," Van Hollen said, referring to the commission that presented a sweeping plan to cut deficits.

"We're talking about looking at the tax code, putting everything on the table from the standpoint of closing loopholes, and we know that we can do that. Special subsidies for big oil, for example, $38 billion right there," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Pelosi, of California, said any savings found in Medicare and Social Security should be plowed back into the programs.

In what could be a replay of last year's standoff over the debt ceiling, House Republicans will put forward a plan "that says: OK, Mr. President, if you want to increase the borrowing authority of this country, here is a menu of options where you can reduce spending of equal or greater amount," said Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan.

"Mitch McConnell is exactly right," Jordan said on Fox News. "They just got revenue. We've got to cut spending. We've got $16 trillion debt. The credit card is maxed out."

Senator Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, said Obama will discuss curbing the debt in his State of the Union address this month, "but it has to be done in a balanced way."

On CNN's "State of the Union," Durbin, of Illinois, said more money should be wrung from taxes, citing various deductions, special treatments and loopholes. "We can do that and use the money to reduce the deficit."

In his several television appearances, McConnell also defended the deal he helped to broker with Vice President Joe Biden to avoid the fiscal cliff.

Most of his fellow Republicans in the House opposed the deal for being focused almost entirely on raising revenue through a tax increase on families making more than $450,000 a year, while postponing significant spending cuts.

"What we did was prevent tax increases on 99 percent of the American public. Nobody in the Senate, not the 90 percent of Senate Republicans who voted for this, voted to raise anybody's taxes," McConnell said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The deal extended lower tax rates for most taxpayers set during the George W. Bush administration that were set to expire on January 1, but let rates rise on the top incomes.

(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republican-senator-mcconnell-rules-more-taxes-fiscal-fight-141844038--business.html

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Kate Middleton Donates Baby Hamper to Charity After Pregnancy ...

Kate Middleton hasn't had an easy pregnancy, but she knows other parents have it far worse. And as a mother-to-be herself, she wants to help.

After announcing on Dec. 3 that she and husband Prince William, both 30, were expecting their first child, the Duchess quietly reached out to East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), a charity that offers assistance for the loved ones of young people with serious, life-threatening diseases. (Her Royal Highness became a patron of the organization in January 2011.)

PHOTOS: Royal pregnancies

Despite being hospitalized at the time with hyperemesis gravidarum -- a rare condition that can cause severe morning sickness, weight loss, dehydration, and fainting -- Middleton managed to donate a baby hamper for EACH's annual charity auction. According to the foundation's website, EACH needs to raise more than 5.75 million pounds in public donations to deliver its services.

"EACH is invaluable to hundreds of families. In the past year there has been an unprecedented amount of care and support delivered to children and young people with life-threatening illnesses, and their families," the mom-to-be says in a statement on the auction's page online.

PHOTOS: Kate's childhood album

"I have been fortunate enough to meet some of those who have been supported by EACH, and seen firsthand the positive impact this organization has on their lives," she continues. "For both families accessing care, and those who have been bereaved, EACH is a lifeline at an unimaginably difficult time."

The pregnant Duchess has her own lifelines in her husband and in the couple's families, who supported her through her recent illness and hospitalization.

PHOTOS: Will and Kate's first year of marriage

Since returning home in early December, the first-time mom-to-be has been taking it relatively easy. On Christmas day, she and William skipped Queen Elizabeth's annual gathering at Sandringham in favor of a more low-key celebration with Middleton's parents and siblings in Bucklebury. They later joined the royal family for the traditional Boxing Day festivities on Dec. 26.

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kate-middleton-donated-baby-hamper-to-charity-after-pregnancy-announcement-201351

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Nvidia Outs Next-Gen Tegra 4 Quad-Core A15 LTE-Enabled Mobile ...

Nvidia has outed its next-gen Tegra 4 mobile CPU at CES. As?expected, the chip packs 72 ?GPU cores, offering a 6x bump on the Tegra 3?s graphics processing performance ? to make the most of higher resolution displays ? along with the first quad-core ARM Cortex-A15, to boost web browsing speed by 2.6x and deliver improved app performance. Also on board: LTE support.

Nvidia is talking up the computation photography capabilities of the Tegra 4, with automatic support for HDR photos and video, and also its power efficiency ? claiming it consumes up to 45 per cent less power than the Tegra 3 in ?common use cases?, thanks to features such as a battery saver core for low power during standard use.?The Tegra 4 supports up to 14 hours of HD video playback on phones.

Also today at CES, Nvidia has launched an open gaming handheld ? dubbed ?Project Shield? ? powered by the new Tegra 4 chip. The handheld?can download Android games from Google Play and Nvidia?s TegraZone game store, and also wirelessly stream Windows PC STEAM games ? provided you have a?PC powered by Nvidia?GeForce GTX GPUs?elsewhere?in the home. The use-case here is presumably if you want to flop out on the sofa to play to play PC games, rather than sitting at your desk.

The handheld hardware includes?a 5-inch, 1280?720 HD retinal?multitouch display, hinged atop the?controller:

NVIDIA Introduces World?s Fastest Mobile Processor

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Tegra 4 Features 72 Custom GPU Cores, Quad-Core Cortex-A15 CPU for Superb Performance and Efficiency; LTE Enabled with Optional Chipset

LAS VEGAS?CES?Jan. 6, 2013?NVIDIA today introduced NVIDIA??Tegra? 4?, the world?s fastest mobile processor, with record-setting performance and battery life to flawlessly power smartphones and tablets, gaming devices, auto infotainment and navigation systems, and PCs.

Tegra 4 offers exceptional graphics processing, with lightning-fast web browsing, stunning visuals and new camera capabilities through computational photography.

Previously codenamed ?Wayne,? Tegra 4 features 72 custom NVIDIA?GeForce? GPU?cores ? or six times the GPU horsepower of Tegra 3 ? which deliver more realistic gaming experiences and higher resolution displays. It includes the first quad-core application of ARM?s most advanced CPU core, the?Cortex-A15, which delivers 2.6x faster web browsing and breakthrough performance for apps.

Tegra 4 also enables worldwide 4G LTE voice and data support through an optional chipset, the fifth-generation NVIDIA?Icera? i500 processor. More efficient and 40 percent the size of conventional modems, i500 delivers four times the processing capability of its predecessor.

?Tegra 4 provides enormous processing power and efficiency to power smartphones and tablets, gaming devices, auto systems and PCs,? said Phil Carmack, senior vice president of the Tegra business at NVIDIA.??Its new capabilities, particularly in the area of computational photography, will help improve a whole range of existing products and lead to the creation of exciting new ones.?

Computational Photography Capability

Among the Tegra 4 processor?s breakthroughs is its Computational Photography Architecture, which automatically delivers high dynamic range (HDR) photos and video by fusing together the processing power of the GPU, CPU and the camera?s image-signal processor.

Its HDR capability captures images, including those taken with a flash, the way they are seen by the human eye ? with detail in both bright and dark areas.

Unprecedented Power Efficiency

Designed for maximum energy efficiency, Tegra 4 includes a second-generation battery saver core for low power during standard use, and PRISM 2 Display technology to reduce backlight power while delivering superior visuals.

Tegra 4 consumes up to 45 percent less power than its predecessor, Tegra 3, in common use cases. And it enables up to 14 hours of HD video playback on phones.

Tegra 4 Key Features

• ??????????- GeForce GPU with 72 custom cores
• ??????????- Quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 CPU, plus a 2^nd?Generation Battery Saver Core
• ??????????- Computational Photography Architecture
• ??????????- LTE capability with optional Icera i500 chipset
• ??????????- 4K ultra-high-def video support

Useful Links
www.nvidia.com/tegra
www.tegrazone.com

NVIDIA Untethers Gaming with Project SHIELD

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Gaming Portable for Open Platforms Designed for Gamers
to Play When, Where, How They Want

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LAS VEGAS?CES?Jan. 6, 2013?NVIDIA today announced?Project SHIELD, a gaming portable for open platforms, designed for gamers who yearn to play when, where and how they want.

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Created with the philosophy that gaming should be open and flexible, Project SHIELD flawlessly plays both Android and PC titles. As a pure Android device, it gives access to any game on Google Play. And as a wireless receiver and controller, it can stream games from a PC powered by NVIDIA??GeForce? GTX GPUs, accessing titles on its STEAM game library from anywhere in the home.

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?Project SHIELD was created by NVIDIA engineers who love to game and imagined a new way to play,? said Jen-Hsun Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer at NVIDIA. ?We were inspired by a vision that the rise of mobile and cloud technologies will free us from our boxes, letting us game anywhere, on any screen. We imagined a device that would do for games what the iPod and Kindle have done for music and books, letting us play in a cool new way. We hope other gamers love SHIELD as much as we do.?

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Project SHIELD combines the advanced processing power of NVIDIA?Tegra? 4, breakthrough game-speed Wi-Fi technology and stunning HD video and audio built into a console-grade controller. It can be used to play on its own integrated screen or on a big screen, and on the couch or on the go.

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Tegra 4 at Its Heart

At the core of Project SHIELD is the world?s fastest mobile processor, the new NVIDIA Tegra 4, which delivers enormous power from its custom 72-core GeForce GPU and the first quad-core application of ARM?s most advanced CPU core, the Cortex-A15. These, combined with its battery-saver core and energy-saving PRISM 2 technology, deliver hours of gameplay on a single charge.

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Windows and Android Games

Windows and Android are the world?s most successful computing platforms, with massive ecosystems of system and software developers. While not specifically designed for gaming, both open platforms have drawn gamers by the millions. Project SHIELD is designed to allow them to enjoy Android and Windows games in a new, exciting way.

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Project SHIELD can instantly download Android games, including Android-optimized titles available on NVIDIA?s?TegraZone? game store, which has already delivered more than 6 million downloads to gamers. It can also be used as a wireless game receiver to a nearby PC equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 GPU or higher.

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Console-Grade Controller

Project SHIELD?s ergonomic controller was built for the?gamer who wants ultimate control and precision.

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Retinal Gaming Display

Brilliant gameplay and video are provided by Project SHIELD?s integrated 5-inch, 1280?720 HD retinal?multitouch display, with 294 dpi. Plus, Tegra 4 with Direct Touch technology gives it touch responsiveness that is a more consistent, accurate and smooth-flowing touch input experience than a standard touch device.

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Tuned Port, Bass Reflex Portable Speaker System

Deep, rich audio is critical for a great gaming experience. And Project SHIELD provides fidelity and dynamic range never before available on a portable device, through its custom, bass reflex, tuned port audio system ? with twice the low-frequency output of high-end laptops.

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Project SHIELD can also access Android apps such as Hulu, Netflix and Slacker Radio, so users can enjoy their movies and music anywhere without expensive, clumsy wired or wireless speakers.

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Support by Leading Industry Analyst

Patrick Moorhead, president and lead analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, said: ?The market has waited years for a breakthrough gaming device that offers the flexibility, quality and total enjoyment of Project SHIELD. Few companies other than NVIDIA have the vision, guts and deep gaming experience to have pulled this off.?

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Support by Leading Game Developers

Yves Guillemot, co-founder and chief executive officer of Ubisoft, said: ?Ubisoft is always excited about new hardware developments, and Project SHIELD promises to bring both mobile and PC gamers a great new gaming experience. Seeing the PC version of?Assassin?s Creed III?run on the device is a great example of this, and further strengthens Ubisoft?s long-standing relationship with NVIDIA.?

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Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games, said: ?With Project SHIELD, NVIDIA brings an uncompromising, high-performance console experience to mobile devices. Amazing games including?Real Boxing?and?Hawken, which utilize the latest Unreal Engine technology, look fantastic on Project SHIELD. This is just the beginning, and we?re truly excited to see what more Unreal Engine developers will do with so much horsepower in such a compact gaming device.?

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Bill Wagner, chief production officer at Meteor Entertainment, said: ?Coming from the openness of a PC platform, we love how accessible Project SHIELD is, and the flexibility it gives gamers everywhere. Project SHIELD gives us the cutting-edge ability to bring a huge free-to-play PC game like?Hawken?to the handheld gaming audience.?

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Support by Broader Industry

?Shadowgun?and?Dead Trigger?showed how Tegra can redefine mobile gaming on Android. Project SHIELD?s performance has allowed us to bring an even better experience with?Dead Trigger 2,debuting first on Tegra 4 devices. Our fans are going to love it.?

??Marek Rabas, chief executive officer of MADFINGER Games

?

?Project SHIELD has changed how we?approach mobile game development. Tegra 4 helped us create?Bloodsword ??a new game debuting with the highest resolution?textures, graphics and shading we?ve ever seen on a?portable device.?

? Seunghee Do, co-founder at OneQ Soft

?

?We are very excited to be part of Project SHIELD, and are quite amazed by the gaming potential of this device. Project SHIELD is by far the fastest mobile device we?ve worked on and it lets us put console quality graphics on a handheld device.?

? Stine Waern, chief executive officer at Ravn Studio AS

?

?Thanks to Project SHIELD?s?performance, we?re able to use the same?quality textures and shaders?in?Rochard?as on the PC version. We?re super excited to bring?Rochard?to Project SHIELD, the first time it?s ever been playable on a mobile device.?

? Jan Achrenius, chief executive officer at Recoil Games

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?Put simply, Project SHIELD is an amazing leap forward,?enabling us to create console-quality visuals previously unthinkable on a mobile platform.?

? Arden Aspinall, chief executive officer and project lead at TickTock Games Ltd.

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More information is available at?shield.nvidia.com.

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About NVIDIA
NVIDIA?(NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to computer graphics when it invented the?GPU?in 1999. Today, its?processors?power a broad range of products from?smartphones?to?supercomputers. NVIDIA?s?mobile processors?are used in?cell phones,?tablets?and?auto infotainment systems.?PC gamers?rely on GPUs to enjoy spectacularly immersive worlds. Professionals use them to create?3D graphics?and visual effects in movies and to design everything from golf clubs to jumbo jets. And researchers utilize GPUs to advance the frontiers of science with?high performance computing.?The company has more than 5,000 patents issued, allowed or filed, including ones covering ideas essential to modern computing.?For more information, see?www.nvidia.com.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/07/nvidia-outs-next-gen-tegra-4-quad-core-a15-lte-enabled-mobile-chip-also-unboxes-project-shield-open-gaming-handheld-that-supports-android-pc-titles/

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sacrament condemn: Cell Phone Text Message Spying Software ...

Sending and receiving text messages is the MOST popular method cell phone owners communicate with each other. From a psychological stand point this is understandable because sending and receiving text messages is a very low commitment and low pressure method of communication compared to phone calls.

From the perspective of spying on a cell phone, or rather, the owner of a cell phone this means the ability to spy on the SMS of a mobile device is the most important and most revealing feature of mobile tracking software. The good news is literally every single mobile tracking software program allows you to monitor their phones text messages. This means you have a ton of options and you do not have to spend much money at all. In fact for as little as $49 you can have full access to the following information regarding their cell phones SMS communications:

1. See every single text they send and receive.
2. See the exact time every one is sent and received.
3. See if each messages is an incoming or outgoing.
4. See the phone numbers they are sent to and received from. This is extremely powerful because the phone numbers they are communicating with can be input into some sort of reverse phone lookup tool which will allow you to view detailed information about the other person such as their name and wehre they live.
5. See the exact contents of every single message exactly as they were sent and received.

Whether you are in a relationship concerned your love partner is cheating or you are a parent wanting to monitor all of the communications regarding your son or daughters phone this information you can monitor is invaluable. Keep in mind ALL mobile tracking programs allow you to track much more than text messages. You will also be able to freely monitor calls, emails sent and received, web sites visited by their mobile browser and even see their physical location at all times. The quality of these different monitoring features varies from spy app to spy app but the good news is the quality of the text messages spy feature is really great no matter which app you choose.

How Text Message Spying Works

Once the text monitoring app has been installed (either to their cell phone or to your computer) the app silently and invisibly monitors for texts sent and received. As soon as either happens the app will relay this information either to the phone spy members area OR directly in the software programs main window (in the case of remote phone spy). Even if they immediately delete every message as soon as they get it you will still be able to see it.

Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/mobile-cell-phone/cell-phone-text-message-spying-software

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Source: http://sacrament-condemn.blogspot.com/2013/01/cell-phone-text-message-spying-software.html

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Source: http://fylaryp.posterous.com/sacrament-condemn-cell-phone-text-message-spy

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'Downton Abbey': 5 story lines to get excited for

By Lisa Granshaw, TODAY contributor

Carnival Film & Television Limited 2012 for MASTERPIECE

The wait is almost over for U.S. viewers eager for the return of "Downton Abbey." While season three and the latest Christmas special have already aired for U.K. audiences, Americans last visited the lives of the show's upstairs and downstairs residents way back in February. With the new season set to return Sunday, we take a look at the most eagerly anticipated stories.

(Note: Potential spoilers ahead if you're not caught up!)

Will Lady Mary and Matthew finally tie the knot?
Last year's Christmas special ended with the moment fans had been waiting for: Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Matthew (Dan Stevens) officially getting together! After Mary ended her engagement to Richard, Matthew romantically proposed in the snow and she accepted. It took so long to reach this moment, however, that it almost feels too good to be true. And surely, the road to marriage will be filled with just as much drama as the road to their engagement.

Actor Hugh Bonneville -- who plays Mary's father,?Robert, Earl of Grantham --?did tease that a wedding is on the horizon during his TODAY appearance, so maybe things will go smoothly for the couple for a change.?

How will Matthew exit?
Now that Stevens' exit from the show has been confirmed, fans are no doubt wondering how the beloved character will leave the show. Most likely, viewers will have to wait until the special to learn how the character exits, but with things finally looking up for Mary and Matthew, the news is frustrating for fans.

If the pair marry and are finally happy together, how could he leave the woman he loves? Will viewers really have only one season with them as a happy couple? Or if their marriage is put off, will Matthew leave without fans ever getting the happy ending that they've been waiting for? While it's hard to believe that he would just walk away from his family, the more permanent type of exit he could receive is too upsetting to contemplate. Either way, it will be interesting to see how show creator Julian Fellowes works Stevens' exit into the story.

Free Bates!
When viewers last saw the valet Bates (Brendan Coyle), he was found guilty of wife Vera's murder. The only good news was that his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. While maid Anna (Joanne Froggatt) continues to profess Bates' innocence and fight for his freedom, it will most likely take a few dramatic episodes before our favorite downstairs couple is, hopefully, reunited. Considering the official Free Bates campaign became so popular between seasons two and three (there are plenty of?T-shirts), let's hope fans won't have too long a wait before his release.

Will the family accept Lady Sybil's marriage and welcome Branson fully to the clan?
During last season's Christmas special, viewers got big news from Jessica Brown Findlay's Lady Sybil: She's having a baby! While her marriage to family chauffeur Branson (Allen Leech) shocked most of the family at first, they all seemed to come around. Lord Grantham, however, was the most reluctant, and even though he gave the pair his blessing to wed, the fact that he didn't attend the event shows he still has not quite accepted the unconventional union. Could this be enough to keep him from inviting the pair back to Downton and getting to know his first grandchild? His wife, Cora, probably won't let that happen, but there will surely be a fight ahead for the young couple to make Lord Grantham understand that there are more important things in life than class distinctions.

The American arrives!
The addition of Shirley MacLaine to the series was exciting news. Who better to go head to head with Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess? Cora's mother, ?Martha Levinson, arrives from America, bringing with her a different set of cultural values that will clash with the Downton residents'. Exactly why she arrives and how long she stays remain to be seen, but whether it's a short or long visit, it will be fun to see her battle wits with Smith!

These may be the main story lines in season three, but there's so much more to look forward to as well! For instance: What will be Thomas and O'Brien's latest scheme? Will middle sister Edith finally find happiness and marry? Will cook's maid Daisy move on?

Tune in when "Downton Abbey" returns Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. on PBS.?

What are you looking forward to most in season three? Tell us on our Facebook page!

Related content:

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/01/04/16217581-downton-abbey-season-3-5-story-lines-to-get-excited-for?lite

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More take camping holidays - travel | Stuff.co.nz

KENT BLECHYNDEN/Fairfax NZ

CLOSE TO HOME: Campers at the Paekakariki Holiday Park. Conor Twyford and her twin sons, left to right, 7 year old Joseph Rockell and Patrick Rockell, 7, and Sacha Kilmister, 4, and Jacob Kilmister, 7.

The return of the "old-school" caravan is part of a surge in interest from New Zealanders, particularly young families, in camping in New Zealand.

Department of Conservation Wellington visitor centre manager Wendy Challis said while the cost was appealing - as low as $6 per night to stay in a DOC camp ground - the surge was also being pushed by people "getting back to nature".

The environmental benefits of camping were also appealing to people, she said. "It's a greater awareness and appetite of what we have at our own doorstep."

It was a secret long-known to overseas visitors, who had been camping in New Zealand in droves for years, as had retired New Zealanders.

"DOC campgrounds are a hot favourite," Ms Challis said.

For Stokes Valley couple Naomi and Josh Cooper, the decision to camp at the Paekakariki Holiday Park this summer was partly driven by money but also as "an experience" for their daughters, Heilee, 10, and Jorja, 9.

The Coopers had not been camping since their early 20s and wanted their daughters to experience the camaraderie they remembered of children at camping sites. "Also, with adult campers, the adults are really friendly people," Mrs Cooper said.

Paekakariki had the added bonus of welcoming their great dane-bull mastiff cross, Dodge.

Pukerua Bay woman Conor Twyford knows the benefits of camping well.

Camping in Paekakariki with her two twin sons, Joseph and Patrick Rockell, 7, only 10 minutes from home, she has the enjoyment of camping with the comforts of home. "My husband can go home and bring stuff we forgot. We love it. This is the fourth year we have done it."

But, costing $90 just for three nights camping, the bargain aspect also played its part, she said.

"I haven't got a lot of leave this year, so we can do something quickly and feel like we have had a proper holiday."

Martinborough Top 10 Holiday Park owner Frank Cornelissen said while people were saving a bit of money by staying in campgrounds rather than resorts or hotels, they were not skimping on dining and drinking out.

"The whole family can go away for not a lot of money."

There was a "definite" increase in people choosing to camp in recent years, with a noticeable increase in the return of "old-school" caravans.

As well as the classic family camping holiday, he was seeing a lot of younger groups of friends.

Top 10 Holiday Parks chairman Gerald Nolan said campgrounds were generally full at this time of year, but there had been a surge in people tenting.

New Zealand Motor Caravan Association general manager Bruce Lochore said membership in the last year had risen by 13 per cent - largely driven by baby boomers retiring. Those who would have retired to a $450,000 bach were now spending $150,000 on a mobile home, which was not only cheaper, but gave them more freedom.

Retirees these days also seemed to have more energy to travel.

"They want to make the most of it."

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/8144884/More-take-camping-holidays

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Exclusive: Chief Judge James Smith and Vice-Chief James Moore ...

Patent Trial and Appeals Board: Chief Judge James Smith (left) and Vice-Chief Judge James Moore (right). November 28, 2012.

Happy New Year and welcome to 2013!

I want to start 2013 with a bang! Thus, I decided to make our first article of the year my interview with the top?two Administrative Patent Judges at the United States Patent and Trademark Office?? Chief Judge James Moore and Vice-Chief Judge James Smith.

On November 28, 2012, I interviewed Judges Smith and Moore on the Alexandria Campus of the USPTO in the Madison Building. We sat around a modest conference table in the office of Chief Judge Smith. We chatted for approximately 60 minutes?with the tape recorder app on my iPhone running. By the time the interview was transcribed, verified and fact-checked we were up against the holiday, so I decided to lead off 2013 with this inside look at the The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

The PTAB was newly created on September 16, 2012, to replace the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. The name has changed to take into account the new workload on so-called post-grant procedures ushered in by Phase II of the America Invents Act, which went into effect on September 16, 2012. The Board, however, is still the Board, and Smith and Moore have been at the helm in charge of unprecedented growth in the number of Judges. In part the growth of the Board has been to push the appeals backlog down, but perhaps primarily to be ready to handle the new responsibilities thrust on the Board by Congress under the AIA.

For those who are looking for insight into how the board operates this interview series is mandatory reading. As a patent attorney I know about the Board, and I suspect you do as well. But only very few cases are ever appealed, although that number is unfortunately growing for a variety of reasons, so how well can any of us really know the Board? Smith and Moore give us a rare glimpse into the Board and the day-to-day inner workings of the two top Administrators who themselves also work hard to seek opportunities to stay engaged and join panels whenever possible. In Part I we talk about their daily roles, USPTO leadership, the battle to get funded to expand the Board and much more.

Without further ado, here is Part I of my three-part interview with Chief Judge Smith and Vice-Chief Judge Moore.

QUINN: Thank you Your Honors for taking the time to sit down with me and chat.? I know you?ve got an awful lot going on your plate and I appreciate the opportunity to talk to you about the Board today.? Now one of the things and I know this wasn?t necessarily on the list of things that I have mentioned to either one of you that I?d like to talk about, but the news this week, I don?t know if we can not mention it, Director Kappos is stepping down so I thought that maybe we could start there and we can proceed and see where things lead; not to dwell on it but it came as a shock to me I?ll say.? I heard rumors, I didn?t really believe the rumors but I wonder from you all what this is going to mean for the Board.? And my guess is that maybe not quite as much as it might mean for certain other areas of the office because as administrative judges you have a certain autonomy that others within the office don?t enjoy.? So I?ll throw that out there, you can go where you like.

SMITH: Our decisions in cases are not determined by the Director. ?Our panels operate independently and should proceed to decide cases, under the law, the same way whether he is here or not.? So in that respect his departure should not create a noticeable impact.? That being said, his support of our work here at the Board has been tremendous and transformative.? At the end of the year we will have twice as many judges as we had at the end of 2011; that growth has allowed us to meet our enormous challenges. ?The number of cases being filed is an example of one of these challenges.? Also, another challenge is the huge amount of work that AIA brought, which included drafting rules, vetting rules, working with the Agency to set out the proposed rules, the public hearings, the road shows, the final rules, the hearings following the final rules. ?All of that is very labor intensive work and we would not have been able to rise to the challenge of that work without the funding and other support that the Director has provided.? So he?s certainly been key to our success so far.? Hopefully it will be manifestly clear to others, including whomever his successor would be, that those are important things to keep in place.

QUINN: Judge you want to?

MOORE: As a practical matter, both the Director and the Deputy Director have evidenced extreme personal interest in Board operations. We enjoy interacting with them, on an almost daily basis, on issues that are of concern to the USPTO and the Board.? Even more of a show of their interest in the Board is that they each choose to sit on panels and render decisions.? The Director and Deputy are both statutory Board members, and we have thoroughly enjoyed that interaction.? We especially have enjoyed our ongoing working with the Deputy Director (who has done a few more cases because she sits on a number of the routine cases with us).? And we will miss the loss of one of our Board members.

QUINN: Yeah I don?t know that a lot of folks remember that they are?the director and deputy director are statutory members of the Board and it does seem, and correct me if I?m wrong, that both Director Kappos and Director Ray have taken a greater role in Board operations than some of their predecessors; by that I mean sitting on more cases.? Is that true or is that just maybe my perception?

MOORE: It is certainly true for the combined Kappos-Rea team.? They have sat on a larger number of cases than most previous director teams.

QUINN: And how does that go?? Is that something that you all ask them to do or is it something that collectively the office decides that well this is an important case.? We want to have the director and deputy director involved.? Because I know maybe in part 2 of the question is sometimes I know you have expanded panels so what goes into that type of decision?

SMITH: Well, I think the most fundamental feature of their participation simply has to do with their interest in staying in tune with the Board and its operations and carrying out the statutory duty often enough to be regularly aware of what happens at the Board.? So I would say it?s not even triggered by some special case with an expanded panel, but just by the normal day-to-day interest in that part of the duties.

QUINN: So is that something they would tell one or both of you hey I?m available for assignment please assign me, put me in the pool for a couple of assignments?

MOORE: That has happened on multiple occasions.

QUINN: Okay so they?re not cherry-picking cases?

MOORE: No they?re not cherry-picking any particular cases and indeed a lot of these are routine normal cases; no signals are being sent.? They are participating in the statutory functions of the Board.

QUINN: I think that that?s great.? It seems as if the Patent Office is operating at a different level at least from the outside over the last several years.? And I know in your space in the Board with having doubling the Board size and taking on all these new responsibilities, which I?d like to get you to talk about where we stand with that and how things are going.? But before we go down that path and get too much into the nitty gritty I?d like to circle back a little and talk about the resources toward the Board because I know because I follow it so much, just how involved Director Kappos has been in getting the funding that?s really necessary.? And we all know I think in the industry just how much of a challenge getting funding from Congress has been over the years and the last several years it seems the office has been pretty well funded.? And I can?t remember ever seeing the office, the Board; expand this way to handle the influx of cases.? How are your resources?? What additional resources might you be looking for or needing or wanting?? And how does that process look?

SMITH: Well the good thing about our situation viewed in the grand scheme, is that at 200 judges or 225 or 250, whatever number we achieve through 2013, that total number is still a mere fraction in comparison with the number of Examiners at the Agency ? 250 judges versus 8,000 Examiners. ?Which means our growth from 100 to 250 or so does not consume nearly as many resources in the overall Agency budget, as for example if we went from 7,000 Examiners to 14,000 Examiners.? It is easier just in terms of dollars and cents to create a substantial difference in Board operations with far less money than achieving a difference of that magnitude in other areas of the Agency with the same cost to benefit ratio.? The important thing is recognizing the need ? which the Director and the Deputy Director clearly did, have done, are doing ? and recognizing how it is important to meet those needs before crises happen.? For example, we had the coming together not only of the increase in the backlog but also the run up to the new AIA jurisdiction.? To meet those challenges, we really could not wait until all of those things culminated because then we would have been behind the ball.? One has to move ahead to staff up in advance of those responsibilities.

QUINN: Do you have anything you want to say there because I think you?ve taken the lead in sort of in going and hiring these new judges right has that been?or am I mistaken?

MOORE: This has been such an incredible team effort.? We have traveled the country several times as part of the roadshows initially for the America Invents Act.? We also had another object ? to get the word out that we need good? judges, those we can recommend to be appointed by the Secretary of Commerce to the Board. The Chief, myself, and a number of our lead judges here at the Board have invested untold hours in reviewing literally thousands of resumes, doing hundreds of interviews, ?and being permitted to invite several score of judges to join the Board.? We have been diligently working to bring them on, find start dates, and train them in the operational aspects of how decisions work their way through our electronic systems here.? That has been a team effort involving our administrators, our judges, our entire staff at the Board and I can?t take credit for it.

QUINN: Oh no I didn?t mean to say that and maybe it?s just?I?ve seen you at a number of these events and swearing-in ceremonies and you collectively have managed to find a tremendous number of highly qualified folks.? How is it that you?ve been able to persuade them to join the Board?? Because I mean let?s face it?it is the government, there is a cap on the salary, if there?s bonus at the end of the year it probably pales in comparison to the bonuses that the private sector could offer.? What has been the primary selling point?

MOORE: Uniquely meaningful work.? It?s a job that when you?re in it, you love it.?? I have been in the position of Administrative Patent Judge for 11 years now, so I can speak with some experience to that.? The cases are interesting, and the work is fascinating, in part because you are sitting down with two colleagues who are incredibly intelligent.? As a panel,you are looking ?at issues of law and technology, you are privileged to debate them, you are authorized to come to a conclusion, and required to report that decision to the public in a skillful, professional way.? It?s the practice of law at its finest.? We really enjoy it.

SMITH: In addition to that, right now I think there is a unique appreciation on the part of very able lawyers in the patent community, that their work here at the Board can move the ball; that the reduction of the ex parte backlog from three years to one year, if we?re able to achieve that, radically changes and improves the patent system.? That?s highly motivating.? Similarly motivating is the impact the Board can have in the AIA area, a one year patentability trial at substantially less expense than the comparable proceeding in district court radically changes the whole patent landscape.? And to have a hand in these changes that are improving the patent system, our incumbent and new judges tell us, that is the reason for them to leave big bucks, big firms, big companies and come here. ?They?re genuinely excited about making a mark.? They can help shape patent history.

QUINN: Yeah and that?s what I hear probably as the primary?when I?m talking to the judges whether it be at the AIPLA meeting or when I come to the swearing-in ceremonies and I chat with them, that?s the one thing that overwhelmingly they point to is that this is an exciting time to be in the practice and what better way to contribute than to be on the frontlines.? So do?you all view the Patent Board sort of in the frontline in this?? I mean I think it?s sort of an obvious statement right?? You are the frontline, you?re going to be the ones that are handling the?initially the most cases that deal with these new issues that are being created.? And there really is an opportunity to be on the forefront by joining the Board now.

MOORE: It is definitely an exciting time to face some of these new issues.? We have a lot of new legal issues.? We have first impression issues, with various standards that need to be explored, various procedures which need to be clarified, and expectations which need to be set.? It?s a very unique time to be here at the birth of these proceedings, and have a chance to start them on their course and make adjustments as we learn about them and the things we?ve done right and (hopefully) rarely done wrong.

SMITH: Of course, we recognize that AIA has brought a lot of work to our colleagues outside of the Board at the Agency, and having to do with any number of things like first inventor-to-file practices.? The development of that whole regime is labor intensive and delicate work and makes those areas their own frontlines in the whole AIA war.

QUINN: And when that came out I thought to myself I don?t want to make it sound like I?m belittling what it is that the Examiners are doing, because ultimately they are the initial frontline and by frontline what I meant too was more in terms of what you were talking about Your Honor, being in the frontline of the judicial interpretation and these new questions of law.? And that leaves me to and maybe it?s just me and maybe?sometimes I have a hard time finding Board cases.? Maybe it?s not that I?maybe I?m not looking in the right place and I know that the whole IT system is constantly being updated and upgraded and so forth.? But it strikes me that this is going to be potentially a very unique opportunity for the Board to explore these issues in a much faster way than a district court could, in a much faster way than the Federal Circuit will be able to, and to create some meaningful body of law that the practitioners can use and start to rely on.? And then in turn the Examiners will use it and so forth; but then I ask myself how is anybody going to really know about this?? Have you crossed that bridge?? Have you thought about how do you make these decisions, these weighty decisions of first impression particularly more accessible?

SMITH: We are crossing that bridge now.? We have a group of judges working internally to find the appropriate decisions, have them brought forward and designated under one of the many categories we use to categorize noteworthy decisions.? Obviously, all of the public decisions are out there in general on our website under the EFOIA page; but there are 30,000 of them at any given time to wade through.? So we have categories such as informative or precedential, and we?re determining whether or not there should be even additional categories for procedural cases at this point and time.? We have a number of cases in the pipeline which are under active consideration.? Several of them relate to the AIA procedures.

QUINN: That?s a good segue.? Where do we stand at the moment in terms of the number of inter-parties that have been filed and the number of cover business methods that have been filed. I know post-grant review hasn?t started yet, but do you know where we are presently?

SMITH: Generally speaking we have about 80 AIA cases that have been filed.? The number changes of course day to day, and most of those are IPR.? Roughly, I think right now it?s about 60 IPRs and the remaining 20 are covered business method cases.? We had some additional filings just two days ago.

TO BE CONTINUED?

Part II picks up with a comparison between the operation of the PTAB and the Federal Circuit, and then goes on to discuss the working relationship between Chief and Vice-Chief.

Part III is where things will get quite interesting for many in the patent bar. We talk about how cases are assigned to various panels, and we spend time chatting about how and why a case might be a good candidate for an expanded board. We also discuss when PTAB jurisdiction attaches. A light-bulb went off for me during that discussion. ?

Source: http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2013/01/01/exclusive-chief-judge-james-smith-and-vice-chief-james-moore/id=32132/

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