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GOP trying to use tax law to limit abortions

A House panel voted Thursday to limit tax breaks for insurance policies that cover abortions as House Republicans try to chip away at President Barack Obama's health overhaul.

The House Ways and Means Committee voted 22-14 on a party-line vote to pass the bill, which would prevent people from deducting the cost of an abortion from their taxable income. The bill also would prevent small businesses and taxpayers from using tax credits in the new health care law to provide or pay for insurance policies that cover the procedure.

If women pay for an abortion using tax-free income set aside in a health savings account, the money would have to be reported as taxable income. There would be exceptions for cases of rape or incest, or if a physician certified that a woman's life would be in danger if she didn't end the pregnancy.

All Republicans voted in favor of the bill and all Democrats voted against it. The bill now goes to the full House, where it is supported by GOP leaders. The bill, however, faces strong opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Current law bars federal money for abortion, with the same exceptions as those in the bill. The health overhaul creates state marketplaces for insurance known as exchanges, and allows participating plans to cover abortions, as long as they collect a separate premium from policyholders and that money is kept apart from federal subsidies.

The abortion language in the new law resulted from a compromise among Democrats that didn't leave everyone happy. Republicans were united in opposing the overhaul. Now, with their efforts to repeal it stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate, Republicans are attacking it piece by piece.

Supporters say the bill is necessary because current law doesn't go far enough in ensuring that no tax money is used to subsidize abortions. According to congressional estimates, the bill would raise only a negligible amount of tax revenue.

"The legislation is necessary because the Democrats' health care law included a massive expansion of the IRS' authority and concocted a host of ways to funnel taxpayer funds for various costs and procedures, including abortions," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., the Ways and Means Committee chairman.

Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, said, "What we are trying to do is codify longstanding policy that federal dollars should not be used for abortion."

Opponents say the bill would make it difficult, if not impossible, for many women to obtain medical insurance that covers abortions — even if they pay for it themselves. Worse, they say, it could put the IRS in the awkward position of determining whether women who get abortions were sexually assaulted, so the agency can decide whether the procedure is tax-deductible.

"We will intrude into your life in the most difficult of circumstances and send in IRS agents, the ultimate bean-counters, to determine whether your medical records, your criminal records, are sufficient," said Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.

By law, people can deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income, a threshold that increases to 10 percent in 2013. They can set side tax-free money in health savings accounts and spend it on approved medical expenses. The Internal Revenue Service lists the cost of an abortion as an approved medical expense.

The bill would not affect employer-provided health insurance. But Donna Crane, policy director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, said she is concerned the bill would cause insurers in the state marketplaces to drop abortion coverage, making it unavailable even for women who pay their own premiums.

Lone pine tree symbol of hope in Japan tsunami city

A lone pine tree stands on the shore of a tsunami-wrecked Japanese city, a symbol of hope and defiance for people who have lost everything.

The tree was one of 70,000 in a forest that had protected the city of Rikuzentakata from ocean winds for more than 300 years.

Large parts of the city now lie in ruins, with only the shells of a few concrete buildings left standing. Ten percent of the city's population is dead or missing.

The forest of black and red pine trees is also gone, scattered like matchsticks across this once-pretty resort by the enormous power of the March 11 tsunami -- except for this single tree, whose survival is counted as a "miracle" by those whose homes have now vanished.

"Since it was the only tree left intact, it will become a symbol of restoration," said 23-year-old Eri Kamaishi, as she stood in the shadow of the tree now known locally as the "pine of hope".

The tree is one of the few landmarks left to show where Rikuzentakata once stood, said Kamaishi.

"I can't even remember exactly what the city looked like because it has so completely gone," she said.

Resin oozes from a scar on the trunk of the tree, where the lower branches were ripped off by the power of the waves, but a thick spray of green pine needles at the top of the 10-metre (33-foot) tree shows it is very much still alive.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan chose Rikuzentakata as his first place to set foot in the tsunami-ravaged disaster zone on a visit Saturday.

"There used to be a great pine forest here," Kan said as he inspected the devastated bay area where the lone pine tree stands. "But they were uprooted. They have vanished."

Hiroko Kikuta, 62, said earlier that the golden sands of the city's beach were crowded in summer months with holidaymakers and locals.

"Now everything has gone except for the tree," she said. "The pine is tall and strong."

"I want to see the beautiful beach and great pine trees again like they used to be," said Kikuta, whose husband is still missing.

The history of the pine forest can be traced back to the 17th century, when a wealthy merchant began planting trees as a windbreaker to protect residents from storms.

The beach, which sits at the mouth of a bay, drew around 200,000 visitors a year and was listed in guide books as one of the 100 most scenic places in Japan.

"For us, the pine trees are very special" because of the protection they offered to local people, said Yasuo Murakami, 69.

He said he hoped the tree would encourage survivors and heal the broken hearts of those who have lost their loved ones. Murakami's wife and sister were found dead and his six-year-old grandchild is still missing.

Rikuzentakata, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Tokyo, is staggering under the weight of the destruction wreaked by the tsunami.

Around 1,000 people are known to have died, with 1,300 still missing. Many thousands are living in evacuation centres. Heaps of debris across a vast area of the city remain almost untouched.

Nationwide, the death toll from the 9.0 magnitude quake and the tsunami that followed it has exceeded 11,000, with more than 16,000 people unaccounted for.

Tomohiro Owada, a spokesman for the city hall, said he had watched as the tsunami crushed the pine forest.

"But this tree has survived. It's a miracle," Owada said. "Once we finish rescue operations and have established proper support for victims, we will look at how we can preserve it as a symbol of our reconstruction."

Data breach hits JPMorgan, Kroger customers

Personal information about some JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Kroger Co (KR.N) customers was exposed as part of a data breach at a large online marketing vendor.

The data breach included some email addresses of JPMorgan Chase customers and names and email addresses of Kroger customers, the companies said in separate statements on Friday.

Epsilon, a unit of Alliance Data Systems Corp (ADS.N), said on Friday that a person outside the company hacked into some of its clients' customer files.

The vendor sends over 40 billion email ads and offers annually, usually to people who register for a company's website and or give their email addresses while shopping. Some of Epsilon's other clients include Verizon (VZ.N), Blackstone Group LP's (BX.N) Hilton Hotels, Kraft (KFT.N), and AstraZeneca (AZN.L).

Kroger, the biggest U.S. supermarket operator, said it told customers on Friday that the database storing their names and email addresses had been breached. No other personal information was exposed in the breach, Kroger said.

JPMorgan Chase, the second-largest U.S. bank, said some of its customers' e-mail addresses were part of the data breach.

Epsilon told the bank that the accessed files did not include any customers' financial information, but JPMorgan Chase is "actively investigating to confirm this," the bank said in a statement.

The vendor said separately that "a full investigation is under way." The data breach exposed only customer names and e-mail addresses, and Epsilon said that "no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk."

Spokeswoman Jessica Simon declined to identify which other Epsilon clients were affected by the data breach. The vendor is "cooperating with a number of authorities now, so I don't know how long it (the investigation) will take," she said.

(Reporting by Brenton Cordeiro in Bangalore and Maria Aspan in New York; Editing by Joyjeet Das; Editing by Gary Hill and Richard Chang)

Bay Area Home Design and Décor Website artSparx.com Initiates Mentoring Program

We are excited to introduce this new channel at artSparx.com," Freccia explains. "For years we have offered advice and how-to information to thousands of visitors. Now we move it to another level, bringing professional experience and guidance to our customers in a tough economy—when many of them need it most. It's another way for them to connect at artSparx and get real value as a creative professional or craft enthusiast.”

The program will make it even easier for artSparx customers to connect with design professionals. Users will appreciate new, easy to use features, the ability to post and add relevant comments in an open forum, ongoing dialogues with professional designers, and blog posts relating to the history of art and design, as well as current trends and designer tips.

"Whether you are looking for sound advice, career path guidance or just real stories from creative individuals looking to share their knowledge, you’ll find it at the expanded artSparx community."

The program will also include regular features presented by interior designers ready to offer customers tips, tricks, and advice about design trends.

Ultimately, the program, which will expand upon artSparx.com's existing social media platform, will change the way artSparx visitors interact with each other. Freccia expects the new platform to benefit artists and craft enthusiasts alike, and he hopes the program will encourage a greater spirit of cooperation and mutual support within the design community.

For more information about the mentoring program or any of artSparx.com’s products or services, call them at (415) 675-1174 or view them on the web at .

About artSparx.comartSparx.com is an eCommerce home improvement and lifestyle network of websites that specialize in , , , and products and services for the design, home craft and construction community. artSparx.com serves the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

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UAE fighter jets arrive in Italy for Libya operations

Six F-16 fighter jets from the United Arab Emirates, a key US ally, landed at an Italian base on Sunday ahead of their deployment to help enforce the no-fly zone over Libya.

The six planes could be seen landing at the Decimomannu base on the island of Sardinia after a logistics plane also arrived at the base.

The UAE said Thursday it had committed six F-16 and six Mirage fighters.

"The UAE air force has committed six F-16 and six Mirage aircraft to participate in the patrols that will enforce the no-fly zone now established over Libya," Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said then.

A former UAE air force commander said last week that his country had delayed its military deployment because of disagreements with the West over the unrest in Bahrain, where there is a Shiite-led revolt against the Sunni royal family.

Two Mirage fighter planes carried out Qatar's first mission over Libya accompanied by two French jets, the French military said Friday.