Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

WASHINGTON As if there wasnt already enough to fight about in Congress, the departure of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is setting up a big nomination fight in the Senate. Whoever is named to replace Hagel will have to make it through a Republican-controlled Senate, where leaders have pushed for a more aggressive fight against the Islamic Stategroup.

The situation in Washington is becoming so toxic that virtually anything requiring congressional approval in the next two years will be a wearying process. The fight to get a new defense secretary approved could take months.

President Barack Obama is "going to have a hard time getting any nominee through," Rep. Buck McKeon, the outgoing chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN.

And while the House wont have any say in the process -- only the Senate weighs in on nominations -- the anger from conservatives in the chamber who dont want to cooperate with the president is sure to be felt across the capitol. McKeon cited the failing relationship between the president and the White House, saying since the midterm election when the GOP won control of Congress, Obama has made no effort to improve the relationship. Instead, hes only made it worse -- as with the executive orders on immigration announced last week.

Sen. John McCain, who is expected to be the chairman of the Armed Services Committee when Republicans take over in January, said in a radio interview Monday morning confirming a replacement for Hagel will be the top priority for the new Congress. That is the earliest a nomination process could begin since Congress has only 10 working days left in December.

McCain, a military hawk, will be the key figure in moving the nomination. As the head of the committee that will hold nomination hearings, he will set the times for all hearings, dictate the rules of debate and control when the nominee could move to a full Senate vote. But a vote likely wouldnt come until McCain has had a chance, along with the other members of the Armed Services Committee, to grill the nominee on what happens next with ISIS and in Syria.

There is a lot of speculation the departure of Hagel will come with a shifting strategy in Syria. Republicans have called for combat troops to be sent, instead of the current situation involving U.S. airstrikes, plus troops training Syrian and Iraqi fighters.

"It is imperative that the next secretary of defense possess a sharp grasp of strategy, a demonstrated ability to think creatively and the willingness and ability to work with Congress," Senate Majority Leader-elect Mitch McConnell said.

Obama will need at least four Republicans to approve whomever he nominates -- maybe 14 if Republicans change the rules back. Frustrated by the number of nominees blocked in the last Congress, Sen. Harry Reid changed the needed votes from 60 to 50. Republicans, when they take control, will have to decide how many votes will be needed going forward.

Hagel is currently the only Republican in Obama's cabinet. But Senate Republicans weren't very keen on him from the beginning and enthusiasm hasn't grown.

Read more:
Hagel Replacement: Senate Fight Likely Over Obama Nominee For Defense

Australian cricketer George Bailey with Sport and Recreation minister Terry Waldron at the new Perth Stadium site. Picture: Dione Davidson/The West Australian

Sports Minister Terry Waldron is expected to announce today that he will retire and move to the backbench.

Mr Waldron, also the Racing and Gaming Minister, is holding a press conference this morning.

The 63-year-old is expected to move to the backbench but remain the member for Wagin.

Mr Waldron was elected to that role in 2001, the same year he was appointed deputy leader of the WA National Party.

Premier Colin Barnett recently told frontbenchers that they would have to take a back seat up to a year prior to the 2017 state election if they don't plan to run.

Deputy Premier and Health Minister Kim Hames has already announced he will retire from politics at the next election.

While there's speculation Police Minister Liza Harvey will become second-in-charge, Mr Barnett said on the weekend that Cabinet would discuss who would take on the position, and that he didn't have a preference for Dr Hames' replacement.

Mr Barnett plans to contest the 2017 election.

New

See the article here:
Waldron expected to retire from WA Cabinet

Australian cricketer George Bailey with Sport and Recreation minister Terry Waldron at the new Perth Stadium site. Picture: Dione Davidson/The West Australian

Sports Minister Terry Waldron is expected to announce today that he will retire and move to the backbench.

Mr Waldron, also the Racing and Gaming Minister, is holding a press conference this morning.

The 63-year-old is expected to move to the backbench but remain the member for Wagin.

Mr Waldron was elected to that role in 2001, the same year he was appointed deputy leader of the WA National Party.

Premier Colin Barnett recently told frontbenchers that they would have to take a back seat up to a year prior to the 2017 state election if they don't plan to run.

Deputy Premier and Health Minister Kim Hames has already announced he will retire from politics at the next election.

While there's speculation Police Minister Liza Harvey will become second-in-charge, Mr Barnett said on the weekend that Cabinet would discuss who would take on the position, and that he didn't have a preference for Dr Hames' replacement.

Mr Barnett plans to contest the 2017 election.

View post:
Waldron tipped to retire from Cabinet

Outgoing US defence secretary Chuck Hagel: reported to have resigned under pressure from a White House eager to project more assertive responses. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Chuck Hagel, president Barack Obamas defence secretary, has stood down after less than two years in the job in a sign of increased unease at the White House on tackling growing international crises.

Mr Hagel was reported to have resigned under pressure from an administration eager to project more assertive responses. He is the first member of Mr Obamas cabinet team to stand aside since the heavy midterm election losses for the Democratic Party.

Announcing his resignation, Mr Obama described Mr Hagel, the only Republican in his cabinet, as an exemplary defence secretary who had overseen major changes in the American defence forces.

The display of mutual praise from Mr Obama and Mr Hagel at the public announcement of his unexpected resignation stands in contrast to the behind-the-scenes tensions and the presidents public differences with a defence secretary who was often criticised for being too indecisive.

The laid-back former Republican senator from Nebraska was seen as being ill-equipped to tackle the militant Muslim group Islamic State, given his opposition to the Iraq war and his stewardship of the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan and the sharp reduction in defence spending.

Mr Obama and Mr Hagel appeared divided on the threat posed by IS. Months after the president dismissed the radical fighters as jayvees or junior varsity players against US professionals, the defence secretary said that IS had grown into something more than just a terrorist group.

White House officials were said to have been angered by a recent letter that Mr Hagel sent national security adviser Susan Rice, in which he said that Mr Obama needed to articulate a clearer view on the administrations approach to dealing with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

While Mr Obama ruled out sending ground combat troops to fight IS in his September 2014 strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy the group, Mr Hagel said this month that combat troop deployments may have to be considered if recommended by US military chiefs.

Mr Hagel struggled to secure support in Congress for Mr Obamas policies, and the president was hurt by the message in the November 4th elections that he was failing to cope with immigrants at the Mexican border, the spread of Ebola and IS, and tensions with Russia.

Read the rest here:
Obamas defence secretary pushed out

Metal Roofing Mount Vernon VA
This video is for Metal Roofing Mount Vernon VA, by Alpha Rain Phone 540-222-1642. I will be adding more text as to what this video pertains soon, Please che...

By: Alpha Rain Metal Roofing

Continue reading here:
Metal Roofing Mount Vernon VA - Video

Flat Roof Repairs Central AB|(780) 800-7295|Liquid Rubber Flat Roofing Downtown Edmonton
http://edmontonflatroofer.com/ (780) 800-7295 Edmonton Flat Roofer - Give us a call to find out the cost for flat roof replacement. Residential or smaller Commercial or Industrial, we...

By: Edmonton Flat Roofer

More:
Flat Roof Repairs Central AB|(780) 800-7295|Liquid Rubber Flat Roofing Downtown Edmonton - Video

West Allotment Celtic 1 Jarrow Roofing 3 - 22/11/2014
Highlights from the Ebac Northern League Division One fixture between West Allotment Celtic and Jarrow Roofing Created with MAGIX Video deluxe 2014 Plus.

By: TheRoofingTV

View post:
West Allotment Celtic 1 Jarrow Roofing 3 - 22/11/2014 - Video

Roofing Services - J.W.L. Roofing Services
If you have a roof problem you want it fixing quickly, and the premier roofing company in Aberdeen is J.W.L. Roofing Services. We provide free quotations for a wide range of roofing services...

By: Yell

Read more here:
Roofing Services - J.W.L. Roofing Services - Video

November 24, 2014 - Midwest League (MWL) Dayton Dragons DAYTON, OH -Former Dayton Dragons Amir Garrett and Kyle Waldrop have been added to the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster.

The additions of Garrett, a left-handed pitcher, and Waldrop, an outfielder, bring the total of former Dragons on the Reds 40-man roster to 21 players. The most recent Dragons on the Reds roster are Garrett and left-handed pitcher Ismael Guillon, who both played for the Dragons during the 2014 season. First baseman Joey Votto, a member of the 2003 and '04 Dragons, represents the earliest appearance with the Dragons among current Reds players.

In addition to Garrett, Waldrop, Guillon, and Votto, other former Dragons currently on the Reds 40-man roster include infielders Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, and Donald Lutz; outfielders Jay Bruce, Juan Duran, Chris Heisey, Billy Hamilton, and Yorman Rodriguez; catchers Tucker Barnhart and Devin Mesoraco; and pitchers Homer Bailey, Carlos Contreras, Daniel Corcino, Johnny Cueto, Logan Ondrusek, Curtis Partch, and Pedro Villarreal. Two other current Reds, second baseman Brandon Phillips and pitcher Aroldis Chapman, have played briefly for the Dragons on injury rehabilitation assignments.

Players on the 40-man roster are protected by the organization from being selected in the Rule V Draft in December. Players with at least four years of professional experience (or at least five years of experience for players who signed their first contract before their 19th birthday) are eligible for the Rule V Draft and must be placed on the 40-man roster to be protected. Players must also be on the 40-man roster to be promoted to the Major Leagues during the season.

Garrett, 22, spent the entire 2014 season with the Dragons and made dramatic improvements over the course of the season. He finished the year with a record of 7-8 with a 3.65 earned run average in 27 starts. Garrett was the only Midwest League pitcher to fire two complete game shutouts in 2014. He ranked fifth in the league in strikeouts per nine innings, notching 127 strikeouts in 133.1 innings. Garrett's best game with the Dragons came August 13 against Lake County when he tossed seven shutout innings and struck out 12 while allowing just three hits and one walk. Starting May 30 and continuing through the rest of the season, Garrett was 7-4 with a 2.67 ERA, limiting opposing batters to a .188 average during that three-month stretch.

Waldrop spent the entire 2012 season with the Dragons as a 20-year-old, batting .284 with eight home runs and 50 RBI in 117 games. Waldrop enjoyed a huge 2014 season, splitting the year equally between Advanced-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola. He led the Reds organization in batting average at .338 while connecting on 14 home runs and driving in 67 runs. Following the season, Waldrop was invited to play in the prospect-filled Arizona Fall League and turned in a strong performance, batting .300 in 19 games with two home runs, 14 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .463.

Outside the Reds organization, 2011 Dragons second baseman Ronald Torreyes was added to the Houston Astros 40-man roster. Torreyes, the smallest player in Dragons history at 5'7", 140 lbs., hit .356 for the 2011 Dragons, helping the team to the best record in franchise history at 83-57. This season, Torreyes played for the Astros Triple-A club, Oklahoma City. He batted .298 as a utility man at second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and center field.

The Dragons open the 2015 season on April 9 at West Michigan. The home opener is Sunday, April 12 vs. South Bend. For information on Dragons season tickets, group outings, orre luxury suites, call (937) 228-2287 or go to daytondragons.com.

Discuss this story on the Midwest League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

See the original post here:
Former Dragons Garrett, Waldrop Added to Reds 40-Man Roster

Dear spouses, children and parents of hedge-fund managers: forgive your loved one if the gifts arent so generous this holiday season.

Managers are still pocketing their usual fee of 2 percent of investors assets for simply showing up, but the 20 percent of profits are proving harder to come by. As Goldman Sachs Group Inc. pointed out in a Nov. 20 report, the average fund has lost 1 percent so far this year even as the Standard & Poors 500 Index returned more than 13 percent including dividends.

Look, no one is saying its going to be only socks and long johns for Christmas and Hanukkah this year. Just maybe that you shouldnt count on that $35,000 cocktail shaking contraption or the $300,000 toy race-car set from Neiman Marcus.

Hedge funds long exposure to equities rose to a record high of 54 percent at the start of the fourth quarter, the report shows. Yet the stocks they focused on are proving problematic: They continued to favor companies that rely on discretionary consumer spending with a net 21 percent weighting, almost 8 percentage points more than their allotment in the Russell 3000 Index. (RAY) The group is up 5 percent in 2014, the second-worst performing industry among nine in the index.

Energy companies, the worst performing group so far this year with a 1.7 percent drop, are the second biggest hedge-fund weighting at 14 percent, more than 5 percentage points above their Russell 3000 weighting. Of the industries they are underweight, technology, utilities and consumer staples are all beating the market this year.

Their big love of small companies is also taking a toll: The report said the typical fund has 35 percent of its assets in stocks from the Russell 2000 Index (RTY), which is only up 1.3 percent this year.

Still, its not all bad news. The shares that funds loaded up on last quarter are up a median 16 percent so far in the fourth quarter, according to the additions to Goldmans Very Important Position list of popular long positions. They include Yahoo! Inc., United Continental Holdings Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Mylan Inc. and Visa Inc. Among those dropped from the list were Amazon.com Inc., CBS Corp. and Walgreen Co.

The Goldman Sachs report was based on 782 hedge funds with $2 trillion of gross equity positions. Look, 2 percent of $2 trillion is still $40 billion. So if you do get nothing but socks this year, maybe theyll at least be an $85 three-pack of Robert Grahams argyles. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, thats a bargain at less than $14.17 per sock.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael P. Regan in New York at mregan12@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeff Sutherland at jsutherlan13@bloomberg.net

The rest is here:
Goldman Analysis Shows Hedge Funds Long and Not So Strong