Such a drop would have exposed even middle class families to the estate tax.

FORBES: More Estate Tax Changes Could Follow Fiscal Cliff Deal

Going beyond the MIL-STD-810G certification with the ability to withstand a six-foot drop, and with a shock-mounted hard drive, magnesium alloy case and UL1604 Class I Division 2 certification, this mobile computer is optimized to operate in hazardous and mission-critical environments.

ENGADGET: Panasonic Toughbook 19 gets Core i5 grunt to match its grizzled visage

Economists have been warning for months that the shock of higher taxes across the board, including on the middle class, along with a sudden drop in government-related spending will push the economy into a slowdown, if not a recession.

FORBES: Serious Investors Will Ignore the Fiscal Cliff

Poverty rates have also dropped dramatically and 40 million people are said to have joined a burgeoning new middle class that is still flocking to shopping centres around the country, despite a moderate drop in consumption levels.

BBC: Brazil economy loses ground again

Due to a drop in demand caused by economic uncertainty, the report predicts economy class airfare in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa should increase by less than 5% in 2012.

BBC: Price predictions for 2012 travel

The graduating class of 2012 posted an average score of 496 in reading, a one-point drop from 2011 and a 34-point decline since 1972, the first year the College Board began tracking the scores of "college-bound" seniors.

WSJ: SAT Scores Fall as More Students Take Exam