China's fiscal deficit to fall in 2012: source (Reuters)

SHANGHAI (Reuters) ? China's central government will run a smaller fiscal deficit in 2012, according to a report by local media.

Fiscal outlays will increase 11 percent to 11.1 trillion yuan ($1.75 trillion) in 2012, against a revenue increase of 9 percent, according an unnamed finance ministry source cited by the Shanghai Securities Journal.

The figures, which emerged at the conclusion of the national Ministry of Finance Work Meeting on Monday, imply a 2012 fiscal deficit of 800 billion yuan, down 50 billion yuan from the expected 2011 deficit, the paper calculated.

A smaller deficit would disappoint those hoping for robust stimulus by the government to support growth. Industrial production slowed to its slowest pace in four years in November.

Concerns about slowing growth prompted policymakers to lower the required reserve ratio for banks on December 5, but analysts believe authorities have limited space for additional monetary stimulus, given the flood of bank lending that resulted from the previous round in 2008-10.

The relatively healthy state of China's public finances raised hopes that China would use fiscal spending to support the economy in 2012.

For 2011, China's full-year fiscal revenue is on pace to reach 10.2 trillion yuan, a 22 percent increase over 2010, the source said, while spending will reach 11 trillion yuan, an increase of 20 percent.

Of next year's 800 billion yuan deficit, the central government's share will be 550 billion yuan, a decrease of 150 billion yuan, while the local government share will be 250 billion yuan, an increase of 50 billion yuan.

Local government spending will be fueled by an increase in direct bond issuance by local governments, the source said. ($1 = 6.3364 yuan)

(Reporting by Gabriel Wildau; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/bs_nm/us_china_deficit

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Church seeks Rose's help in Adidas dispute

A Lake County pastor is imploring Bulls star Derrick Rose to help end Adidas? legal attack on his congregation over a trademark dispute involving the company?s popular adiZero line.

The trouble started last year after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the German sports apparel manufacturer?s trademark request for AdiZero --? the sub-brand which includes the highly publicized Rose 2 series of shoes ? because Zion-based Christian Faith Fellowship Church had already claimed it.

The church trademarked the phrase ?Add A Zero? in 2006 as part of a campaign to boost the congregation?s donations to church. If members gave $100 annually, Pastor E. James Logan was encouraging them to ?add a zero? to that amount and make it $1,000. The church uses its offerings to, among other things, run a food pantry and day-care center, according to its website.

After losing an appeal in November 2010, Adidas asked the Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the church?s trademark because it didn?t use the name enough. The request is currently pending.

Christian Faith Fellowship offers ?Add A Zero? T-shirts and hats in its gift shop, but it does not sell a large volume, said attorney Richard W. Young, who is representing the church in the trademark dispute. In some years, they may only sell two or three items with the slogan, he said.

Adidas ? which won a $300 million jury verdict against Payless Shoesource Inc. for trademark infringement in 2008 ? offered the church $5,000 to give up its trademark, Young said. The church rejected the offer.

In a letter to Rose dated Dec. 2, Pastor Logan urged the Bulls star to ask Adidas to abandon its efforts.

The adiZero line has released three pairs of shoes in Rose?s line since November. All three pay tribute to his South Side roots and Chicago upbringing.

?We are not an affluent congregation, but a working class church? in a working class community; and given the state of the economy we are working hard to keep our doors open,? Logan wrote to Rose, who just signed a 5-year, $94.8-million extension with the Bulls.

Adidas released a statement this afternoon saying the company does not comment on legal matters.

"At the same time, we're certainly open to working with church officials to find a way to resolve these issues," the statement read.

Rose's agent could not be reached for comment.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-church-asks-derrick-rose-to-intercede-in-trademark-dispute-20111222,0,6096595.story?track=rss

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?Vocal? app lets users control a Mac with an iPhone 4S (Appolicious)

Software that can take dictation from your voice isn?t exactly new, but with the popularity of Apple?s voice-controlled personal assistant software Siri in its iPhone 4S, the idea of using your voice to control your devices has become cool again.

And the voice-control technology in the iPhone 4S is actually pretty impressive. It?s that technology that?s leveraged by a new app called Vocal. It uses the iPhone 4S and your voice to enact commands or take dictation on your Mac ? in a way, bringing Siri-like capabilities to other computers. The app?s primary function is to let you speak to your iPhone and then sends the transcript of your dictation to your computer using a local Wi-Fi connection, but it has other uses as well.

As Macworld explains, Vocal uses a companion program you?ll need to download and run on your Mac to work. Once you?ve got that, firing up Vocal on your iPhone should allow the two devices to connect to one another, and you?re off.

Vocal uses the same dictation capabilities that your iPhone 4S has built in system-wide, but it operates a little differently than Siri, which is designed to cut out if you pause for too long while dictating an email or text message. Unlike Siri, you can?t activate Vocal with your voice, you have to hit a button to start and stop dictation or issuing commands. But once you hit the ?Done? button, your command or text is transferred automatically.

And the voice control elements of Vocal are pretty deep. The app can let you speak to control iTunes, dictate tweets on social networking site Twitter, or send emails, among other things like searching the Internet, starting a print job or using Mac apps like Dictionary. These are things Siri can do on your iPhone 4S, but if you want to use your Mac?s capabilities for those services, Vocal is the bridge you need.

Siri and the iPhone 4S aren?t without their issues, even if the voice recognition software is impressive. That?s why Siri is still a ?beta? release. Apple is working out the kinks with the software to make it better. So don?t expect Vocal to work flawlessly; voice recognition software has come a long way, after all, but it still has a long way to go. But Vocal does take one of the coolest features about Apple?s latest smartphone and give you the power to use it with your computer. That?s certainly cool, and it?ll only run you $2.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10564_vocal_app_lets_users_control_a_mac_with_an_iphone_4s/43982745/SIG=135qj3fkd/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/10564-vocal-app-lets-users-control-a-mac-with-an-iphone-4s

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Son of gay parents, Obama comedy speech, Perry campaign ad top YouTube 2011 political videos (Star Tribune)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/176889547?client_source=feed&format=rss

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