Oregon governor says Nike plans expansion

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Nike wants to expand its Oregon operations and hire hundreds of workers but is asking the government to promise it won't change the state tax code.Gov. John Kitzhaber (KIHTS'-hah-bur) says he'll call the Legislature into session Friday to create a law to give Nike its wish.The company has not specified its expansion plans except to say it would create at least 500 jobs and $150...

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Report: Most Pakistani lawmakers do not file taxes

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The majority of Pakistani lawmakers do not file tax returns despite a legal requirement to do, a report said Wednesday, reinforcing concerns about the low level of tax revenue in the country.Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP rates in the world because payment is not well enforced, and major areas of the economy, such as the agriculture sector, are either taxed at very low...

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Pennies over patriotism: Look at tax-averse stars

PARIS (AP) — France's Socialist government is introducing a 75-percent income tax on those earning over €1 million ($1.3 million), forcing some of the country's rich and famous to set up residency in less fiscally-demanding countries.Here's a look at some big stars in France and elsewhere who have, over the years, put their pennies above their patriotism.DEPARTING DEPARDIEUThe French prime minister...

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Pennies over patriotism? Stars move to tax havens

PARIS (AP) — France's Socialist government is introducing a 75-percent income tax on those earning over €1 million ($1.3 million), leading some of the country's rich and famous to set up residency in less fiscally demanding countries.Here's a look at some big names in France and elsewhere whose changes of address over the years have meant lighter taxes.DEPARTING DEPARDIEUThe French prime minister...

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State tax revenues continue growing in third quarter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - State tax revenues have grown for more than two years, but they are still suffering the effects of the 2007-2009 recession, according to a report released by the Rockefeller Institute of Government on Thursday.Using preliminary data, the New York research group found that collection from major taxes increased in 47 states in the third quarter of 2012 from a year before, marking...

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6 predicted apocalypses that never happened

We have a long history of auguring our own demiseIt's the end of the world as we know it. Again. This time it's the Mayan Apocalypse, which could supposedly see the planet Nibiru emerge from its hiding place behind the sun to crash into Earth on Dec. 21. If you're feeling nervous, take a look back at six other doomsday predictions from years past, and take comfort in knowing that no such prediction...

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Welcome to Tough Love with Starshine Roshell

Coming soon to TheWeek.com: A weekly advice column. Send us your dilemmas!Give me your confused, your aggravated, your bewildered. Send me your perplexed, your rattled, your befuddled masses yearning to breathe free.Yes indeed — I'm the new advice columnist at TheWeek.com, and I'm here to steer you right on dating dilemmas, parenting pickles, workplace woes, and every juicy quandary in between. SEE...

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Did the human hand evolve for fighting?

Apes don't throw punches. And now scientists think our ability to form an effectively clenched fist is no accidentThe question: The human hand is quite unlike the appendages of our great ape cousins. Our palms are shorter, and our fingers are long and lithe. For years, evolutionary scientists believed humans developed this way because it helped our ancestors use tools better — gripping hammers and...

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6 movies for the end of the world

If December 21 doesn't usher in the apocalypse after all, face the final curtain vicariously by watching one of these recent Hollywood filmsIf you forgot to flip the page on your Mayan calendar this month, we have some bad news. The world is coming to an end on December 21 thanks to the preordained Mayan Apocalypse. At least, that's what dubious sources have spent the past few years alleging. But...

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WATCH: The hyperactive new trailer for The Great Gatsby

Baz Luhrman's glittery take on the Great American Novel is slated to hit theaters in May 2013The trailer: Director Baz Luhrmann's visually stunning adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was originally slated for a Christmas Day release, and, although the film has been bumped to May 2013, Warner Bros. has delivered a new trailer as a form of season's greetings. (Watch the new trailer...

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