Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193851008?client_source=feed&format=rss
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Gingrich: Romney 'carpet bombing' rival with ads
RETRANSMISSION FOR IMPROVED TONING - Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures during the Orange County Lincoln Day Dinner at Rosen Shingle Creek, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
RETRANSMISSION FOR IMPROVED TONING - Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures during the Orange County Lincoln Day Dinner at Rosen Shingle Creek, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during the Orange County Lincoln Day Dinner at Rosen Shingle Creek, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Newt Gingrich says Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney "has a basic policy of carpet bombing his opponent" and that the "old establishment" in the party is trying to block Gingrich's path to nomination.
Gingrich tells "Fox News Sunday" that Romney has done little to bolster his own campaign and instead has focused on attacking his competitors. The former House speaker says conservatives should rally behind one candidate and punish Romney's negativity.
Gingrich and Romney are in a fierce contest in Florida, which has its primary on Tuesday.
Gingrich is campaigning as the most viable conservative and casts Romney as a "Massachusetts moderate."
Gingrich is being far outspent, including one ad that highlights his resignation from Congress amid ethics allegations. Gingrich says Romney is "running an ad that is factually false."
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Manning, Irsay insist they are on same page (AP)
INDIANAPOLIS ? Peyton Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay insist they are just fine after a week filled with complaints and comments suggesting a rift had developed following one of the most miserable seasons in team history.
"We would like to dispel any misperception that there might be any hard feelings between us," the two said Friday in a statement issued by the team. "Since 1998, we have enjoyed a great relationship, based upon mutual respect and trust. We have always been able to talk and address matters we've faced over the years, not just as owner and player, but as friends.
"We had a long talk today and we want to assure Colts fans everywhere that we are both committed to maintaining our close relationship and to working together through any challenges the future may bring."
That would be welcome news to Colts fans, who first watched Manning publicly complain about the down-in-the-mouth atmosphere at team headquarters and then two days later saw Irsay call out his franchise quarterback at a news conference intended to focus on the new head coach.
It's been a dizzying week.
On Tuesday, Manning told The Indianapolis Star that his only real conversation so far with the new general manager Ryan Grigson had come in passing and the flurry of firings had those around the team complex walking on "eggshells."
Irsay didn't like that Manning went public with his frustrations and he said so Thursday, calling Manning a "politician."
"I don't think it's in the best interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light, I really don't," Irsay told reporters following Chuck Pagano's introduction as coach. "The horseshoe always comes first, and I think one thing he's always known, because he's been around it so long, is that, you know, you keep it in the family. If you've got a problem you talk to each other, it's not about campaigning or anything like that."
Apparently, Manning got the message.
Just a few hours later, Manning told the newspaper that he didn't intend to create a public spat. Instead, Manning said he was speaking from the heart after watching so many of his friends lose their jobs.
"At this point, Mr. Irsay and I owe it to each other and to the fans of the organization to handle this appropriately and professionally, and I think we will. I've already reached out to Mr. Irsay," Manning said. "I wasn't trying to paint the Colts in a bad light, but it's tough when so many people you've known for so long are suddenly leaving. I feel very close to a lot of these guys and we've done great things together. It's hard to watch an old friend clean out his office. That's all I was trying to say."
And Irsay tweeted after that: "Peyton and I love each other,that goes without saying..I humbly serve n protect the Horseshoe..it is bigger than any individual,including me."
Whether the two have mended their misunderstanding, there are still huge questions pending. Irsay must decide by March 8 whether to pay Manning a $28 million bonus. Manning missed the entire 2011 season after having his third neck surgery in September.
Irsay just this month has fired vice chairman Bill Polian, general manager Chris Polian, coach Jim Caldwell and most of the staff. Pagano, the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator this past season, is just getting started, as is Grigson.
Indy's poor season has given it the No. 1 overall pick, which Irsay has said they will use for their quarterback of the future, presumably Stanford's Andrew Luck. If so, Irsay must decide if he wants to pay a No. 1 quarterback and Manning, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract in July and will be 36 in late March.
Irsay has said his choice will come down to Manning's health, not money.
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Magnitude 5.5 quake shakes Japan (AP)
TOKYO ? A magnitude-5.5 earthquake rattled Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan on Saturday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, and no tsunami warning was issued.
The temblor was some 20 kilometers (12 1/2 miles) deep and hit at 7:43 a.m. local time (2243 GMT Friday), the Japanese earthquake-reporting agency said.
Last year, a magnitude-9 quake on March 11 and subsequent tsunami about 140 miles (230 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing.
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Some Wash. wheat farmers back labels for GM foods (AP)
YAKIMA, Wash. ? Some Washington state wheat farmers have thrown their support behind legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified foods, giving food safety advocates fresh hope that lawmakers also will get behind the bill.
They haven't been receptive to the idea in the past, and lawmakers at the national level and in more than a dozen states have rejected similar proposals in the past year.
But in an unusual pairing, a handful of Washington wheat farmers have joined so-called "foodies" to back the latest bill, fearing exports will be hurt if and when genetically modified wheat gains federal approval. The U.S. exports half of its wheat, and in Washington, the only bigger export is Boeing Co.'s airplanes.
Biotechnology giants Monsanto and Syngenta have announced plans to begin testing genetically modified wheat, though the product is likely a decade or more from being offered commercially.
Resistance from the European Union and Japan led Monsanto to abandon similar efforts in 2004. Pacific Rim countries haven't historically been friendly to genetically modified products, and they remain the biggest buyers of Washington wheat.
"If we do nothing, we will be destroyed," said Tom Stahl, a fourth-generation farmer in the small town of Waterville, Wash., about 100 miles east of Seattle. "We will lose our markets and that will be devastating for the eastern Washington economy."
Monsanto and Syngenta representatives didn't immediately return messages left after a Thursday hearing on the bill.
Dozens of people testified at a packed Senate committee hearing in Olympia, Wash., where the committee chairman raised concerns about passing a bill that may conflict with federal law.
About 50 countries require genetically modified foods to be labeled, but the U.S. isn't one of them. Only Alaska has enacted legislation at the state level, requiring the labeling of genetically engineered fish and shellfish products.
Supporters said that bill was needed to protect one of Alaska's most lucrative and important industries, though genetically engineered fish are not yet on the market.
The Washington bill would require genetically engineered foods or foods containing genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled with the ingredients listed effective July 1, 2014. The rule would apply to all foods sold in the state, although those in which GM ingredients make up less than half of 1 percent would be exempt.
The federal government's position is that approved genetically modified foods are not substantially different than conventional products. Critics say requiring GM foods to be labeled will increase packaging costs and state spending on enforcement.
More than 90 percent of corn and soybeans in this country are grown from genetically modified seed, said Karen Batra, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based Biotechnology Industry Association, a trade group that advocates for biotechnology members, including Monsanto and Syngenta.
"Ultimately, you're not providing any meaningful information to consumers, because you end up labeling the majority of products," she said by telephone. "Consumers already have a choice: If they don't want biotech foods, they can buy organic."
Batra declined to speculate on whether opponents would challenge the bill in court if it passed.
Wheat has lagged behind other crops in terms of innovation, and biotechnology offers tools to deal with problems like drought and increase sustainable production, said Jane DeMarchi, the National Association of Wheat Grower's director of government affairs for research and technology.
DeMarchi said in a telephone interview that her group has been talking to people who buy wheat, including those overseas, to determine what they want from U.S. farmers and educate them about genetically modified wheat.
She said she recognized the farmers' concerns but stressed that each one has a choice of what to grow and how to label it.
"We support voluntary labeling of food products, provided it's consistent with U.S. law and trade agreements and that it's truthful and not misleading," she said.
The problem with voluntary labeling is that it puts the burden on companies whose products aren't a problem, said Trudy Bialic, director of public affairs for PCC Natural Markets, the largest consumer owned and operated grocery retailer in the U.S. It supports the bill as a means of educating consumers, preserving the identity of non-GM foods and protecting export sales.
"In my view, a lot of federal law has started at the state level," Bialic said. "This has to start at a state level, because the federal government won't take it up."
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Boeing profit up, but guidance disappoints (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Plane-maker Boeing Co (BA.N) reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street forecasts on stronger commercial airplane deliveries, but its 2012 earnings forecast was lower than expected.
Shares of the world's largest aerospace and defense company slipped 87 cents to $74.49 in premarket trade on what some experts may consider a disappointing earnings outlook.
"I think the way it reads is guidance is down," said Alex Hamilton, managing director with EarlyBirdCapital. "I don't see anything else bad.
"The (earnings) beat seems to be strong performance, especially within commercial."
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Boeing on Wednesday reported a fourth-quarter net profit of $1.4 billion, or $1.84 per share, up from $1.2 billion, or $1.56 per share, a year earlier.
Excluding a favorable tax settlement of 52 cents per share, the company earned $1.31 per share, beating an average Wall Street forecast of $1.01, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The company, which competes with Airbus (EAD.PA) for orders, said revenue rose to $19.6 billion from $16.6 billion.
Revenue for its commercial planes division increased by 31 percent to $10.7 billion. Revenue for its defense, space and security business rose 4 percent to $8.5 billion.
Boeing delivered 477 planes last year. The company gets paid for airplanes at delivery.
Boeing said it expects to earn between $4.05 and $4.25 per share in 2012 on revenue of $78 billion to $80 billion. The forecast includes a higher pension expense amounting to 83 cents per share.
Analysts, on average, expect 2012 earnings of $4.96 per share. It was not immediately clear if the analysts' estimate was comparable to the Boeing forecast.
The company, which boasted an order backlog worth $356 billion, splits its operations almost equally between commercial airplanes and defense programs, which face government spending constraints.
"We enter 2012 with renewed momentum and proven business and product strategies," Chief Executive Jim McNerney said in a statement.
"Our priorities for the year are to continue with disciplined increases in production rates for our commercial airplane customers," he said.
The company lost the 2011 commercial airplane order race to Airbus.
Boeing has pledged to strike back in 2012 with sales of its revamped narrowbody, the 737 MAX. The plane features a new, fuel-efficient engine and is due to enter service in 2017.
Boeing won its first firm orders for the MAX in December as part of a $19 billion deal with Southwest Airlines (LUV.N). The company said it had more than 1,000 orders and commitments for the MAX at year-end. Boeing has said the figure could climb to 1,500 by the end of 2012.
The MAX competes with the Airbus A320neo, which also has a new engine. Airbus overtook Boeing in the global passenger jet market in 2003.
Boeing is working to boost production rates on its commercial airplane programs, including the 787 Dreamliner, its brand-new, long-delayed, carbon-composite aircraft. The plane saw its first delivery in September after three years of delays.
The company aims to produce 10 787s per month by the end of 2013. But many aviation industry experts believe that target is too ambitious.
(Reporting By Kyle Peterson; editing by John Wallace)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_boeing
Thursday, January 26, 2012
SKorea's economy slows amid waning overseas demand (AP)
SEOUL, South Korea ? South Korea's economy grew at its slowest pace in two years in the fourth quarter last year as manufacturing waned amid weak overseas demand, the country's central bank said Thursday.
Gross domestic product in the October-December period expanded 0.4 percent from the third quarter, the Bank of Korea said in a release. It was the slowest growth rate since the fourth quarter of 2009, when the economic growth slowed to 0.2 percent from the previous quarter.
On a year-on-year basis, the economy grew 3.4 percent for the whole and for the whole of 2011 it grew 3.6 percent.
Earlier this month, the central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.25 percent for a seventh consecutive month, citing a global slowdown and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe.
In the final quarter of last year, growth rates for consumer spending and capital and construction spending were weak and exports also decreased, the bank said.
Consumer spending dropped 0.4 percent because of weak expenditures on goods while investment in facilities fell 5.2 percent as investment on machinery and transport equipment decreased, the release said.
Construction investment decreased 0.3 percent while exports and imports fell 1.5 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively, it said.
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Miranda Kerr: Hottest Wonder Woman Ever?
NBC's highly-touted Wonder Woman remake never even got picked up last year.
Now we think we know why.
No offense to Adrianne Palicki, who we adore. But perhaps Miranda Kerr would have been a better choice to channel as the titular Woman of Wonder.
Case in point? The Aussie supermodel dons the comic character's famous shorts, bustier, bracelets and tiara in the latest issue of Grazia magazine (below):
As for why the magazine decided to do this? Who cares, really. But the creative director says: "We’re taking a big risk because Wonder Woman is a global icon and not just anyone could pull it off. But Miranda is an Australian icon herself."
"She’s the star who, time and time again, our readers say they most admire; a businesswoman, a wife, a mum. Year after year, she is our wonder woman."
Consider us convinced and in a state of wonderment over those legs.
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/miranda-kerr-hottest-wonder-woman-ever/
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iPhone Outsells All Verizon Android Phones Combined
That iPhone 4S really sucks, huh? Not only did Apple sell 37 million iPhones in the last three months, the “disappointing” iPhone also outsold Android at Verizon. To be clear, Verizon sold more iPhone 4S units that all Android handsets combined. The figures, revealed at Verizon’s own earnings report yesterday, show that the carrier shifted [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/Eef3Hsh9wnM/
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Video: Romney pays less than 14 percent in taxes
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney released his tax returns, revealing that nearly all of his income is from investments. NBC?s Andrea Mitchell reports.
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46122803/
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
AP IMPACT: Meth fills hospitals with burn patients
ST. LOUIS (AP) ? A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment ? a burden so costly that it's contributing to the closure of some burn units.
So-called shake-and-bake meth is produced by combining unstable ingredients in a 2-liter soda bottle. The slightest error can cause an explosion resulting in disfigurement, blindness, even death.
An Associated Press survey of key hospitals in the nation's most active meth states showed that up to a third of patients in some burn units were hurt while making meth, and most were uninsured. One study found that the average meth patient runs up medical bills of $130,000.
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Google's 4Q lobbying bill triples to $3.76 million (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO ? Google's U.S. lobbying bill more than tripled to $3.76 million in the fourth quarter as the Internet search leader fought proposed changes to online piracy laws and sought to influence a wide range of other issues that could affect its fortunes.
The amount that Google Inc. spent making its political points from October through December is by far the company's highest lobbying tab for any three-month period since Google's Washington office opened in 2005. The total compared with a lobbying budget of $1.24 million during the final three months of 2010 and $2.38 million in the third quarter of 2011.
For all of 2011, Google spent $9.7 million on political persuasion, nearly doubling from $5.2 million in 2010.
The company disclosed its fourth-quarter lobbying figures in documents filed late Friday with the U.S. House clerk's office.
Google's lobbying expenses have been rising steadily against a backdrop of intensified U.S. government scrutiny of the company's acquisitions and business practices. The focus has been prompted by complaints alleging that Google is abusing its dominance of the lucrative Internet search market to stifle competition and muscle its way into other markets.
As a foil, Google last summer hired a dozen lobbing firms to supplement the team that it already employed in its Washington office. The bills coming in from those firms contributed to the sharp rise in Google's fourth-quarter lobbying expenses, according to the company.
Google's emphasis on lobbying mirrors what Microsoft Corp. did during the late 1990s while the U.S. Justice Department pursued an antitrust case asserting the software marker had unfairly bundled its dominant Windows operating system with key personal-computer applications. Microsoft eventually thwarted the government's attempt to break up the company, but not before years of legal wrangling that included a high-profile trial.
With that case behind it, Microsoft now spends far less on lobbying than Google. In the fourth quarter, Google's lobbying expenses doubled Microsoft's $1.88 million bill. For all of 2011, Microsoft's lobbying tab totaled $7.3 million.
Google's fourth-quarter lobbying agenda included a proposed antipiracy law, which inspired an Internet protest last week. While some popular websites such as Wikipedia went dark for 24 hours, Google stamped out its colorful logo to signal its objection to proposed changes to online piracy laws. The company says the changes would result in censorship and discourage Internet innovation. More than 7 million people signed a protest petition posted by Google.
Movie and music studio backed the changes ? dubbed the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA ? as a more effective way to prevent rampant theft of their copyrighted material. Lawmakers postponed the legislation following the online protests.
Google's fourth-quarter lobbying push addressed online advertising, which accounts for most of the company's $38 billion in annual revenue.
Other topics covered by Google's lobbyists included: online security; personal privacy on the Internet; renewable energy; international tax reform; the treatment of corporate earnings outside the U.S.; the availability of wireless Internet access; free speech; and free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
Besides Congress, agencies that Google lobbied in the fourth quarter included: the Federal Trade Commission, the White House; the Federal Communications Commission, the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative.
The outside firms working for Google are: Akin, Gump; Bingham; Capitol Legislative Strategies; Chesapeake Group; Crossroads Strategies; Gephardt Group; Holland & Knight; Normandy Group; Prime Policy; The First Group; The Madison Group; and the Raben Group.
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Unprecedented, man-made trends in ocean's acidity
Monday, January 23, 2012
Nearly one-third of CO2 emissions due to human activities enters the world's oceans. By reacting with seawater, CO2 increases the water's acidity, which may significantly reduce the calcification rate of such marine organisms as corals and mollusks. The extent to which human activities have raised the surface level of acidity, however, has been difficult to detect on regional scales because it varies naturally from one season and one year to the next, and between regions, and direct observations go back only 30 years.
Combining computer modeling with observations, an international team of scientists concluded that anthropogenic CO2 emissions over the last 100 to 200 years have already raised ocean acidity far beyond the range of natural variations. The study is published in the January 22 online issue of Nature Climate Change.
The team of climate modelers, marine conservationists, ocean chemists, biologists and ecologists, led by Tobias Friedrich and Axel Timmermann at the International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, came to their conclusions by using Earth system models that simulate climate and ocean conditions 21,000 years back in time, to the Last Glacial Maximum, and forward in time to the end of the 21st century. They studied in their models changes in the saturation level of aragonite (a form of calcium carbonate) typically used to measure of ocean acidification. As acidity of seawater rises, the saturation level of aragonite drops. Their models captured well the current observed seasonal and annual variations in this quantity in several key coral reef regions.
Today's levels of aragonite saturation in these locations have already dropped five times below the pre-industrial range of natural variability. For example, if the yearly cycle in aragonite saturation varied between 4.7 and 4.8, it varies now between 4.2 and 4.3, which ? based on another recent study ? may translate into a decrease in overall calcification rates of corals and other aragonite shell-forming organisms by 15%. Given the continued human use of fossil fuels, the saturation levels will drop further, potentially reducing calcification rates of some marine organisms by more than 40% of their pre-industrial values within the next 90 years.
"Any significant drop below the minimum level of aragonite to which the organisms have been exposed to for thousands of years and have successfully adapted will very likely stress them and their associated ecosystems," says lead author Postdoctoral Fellow Tobias Friedrich.
"In some regions, the man-made rate of change in ocean acidity since the Industrial Revolution is hundred times greater than the natural rate of change between the Last Glacial Maximum and pre-industrial times," emphasizes Friedrich. "When Earth started to warm 17,000 years ago, terminating the last glacial period, atmospheric CO2 levels rose from 190 parts per million (ppm) to 280 ppm over 6,000 years. Marine ecosystems had ample time to adjust. Now, for a similar rise in CO2 concentration to the present level of 392 ppm, the adjustment time is reduced to only 100 ? 200 years."
On a global scale, coral reefs are currently found in places where open-ocean aragonite saturation reaches levels of 3.5 or higher. Such conditions exist today in about 50% of the ocean ? mostly in the tropics. By end of the 21st century this fraction is projected to be less than 5%. The Hawaiian Islands, which sit just on the northern edge of the tropics, will be one of the first to feel the impact.
The study suggests that some regions, such as the eastern tropical Pacific, will be less stressed than others because greater underlying natural variability of seawater acidity helps to buffer anthropogenic changes. The aragonite saturation in the Caribbean and the western Equatorial Pacific, both biodiversity hotspots, shows very little natural variability, making these regions particularly vulnerable to human-induced ocean acidification.
"Our results suggest that severe reductions are likely to occur in coral reef diversity, structural complexity and resilience by the middle of this century," says co-author Professor Axel Timmermann."
###
University of Hawaii ? SOEST:
Thanks to University of Hawaii ? SOEST for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116927/Unprecedented__man_made_trends_in_ocean_s_acidity
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Monday, January 23, 2012
NYC wants judge in fire dept case removed (AP)
NEW YORK ? A judge overseeing a discrimination case against the fire department abandoned his neutral role, was influenced by press accounts of the proceedings and ignored key evidence, city attorneys charged in court papers.
In a brief filed in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, city attorneys argued that U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn should be removed, his decision reversed and the case given to another judge for trial.
Garaufis appointed an independent monitor last October to oversee the Fire Department of New York's effort to improve diversity in its recruiting after finding that the city had failed to ensure that enough blacks and minorities were being hired.
At the time, he called the FDNY "a stubborn bastion of white male privilege."
Of the 11,200 uniformed firefighters in the city, 9 percent are black or Hispanic. More than half the residents in the city of 8 million identify with a racial minority group.
In the court papers filed Wednesday, city attorneys said Garaufis "lost any semblance of neutrality" while overseeing the case.
They accused the District Court of taking on "the roles of witness and advocate" on behalf of the Vulcan Society fraternal order of black firefighters. The group alleged in the case brought by the federal government that exams used by the FDNY to recruit new members were discriminatory, according to the papers.
City attorneys also said the judge made numerous legal errors and that evidence was analyzed in a "one-sided manner," which "calls the District Court's impartiality into serious question."
They said the judge also appeared to be preoccupied with news stories about the case, "especially those he perceived as critical of him." That, they said, "reinforces the many other indications that the city was deprived of a fair and neutral fact-finder."
Garaufis appointed a former federal prosecutor, Mark S. Cohen, to watch over the recruitment, testing and hiring of new firefighters. He ruled that an independent monitor would oversee the effort to make the fire department more diverse for a period of at least 10 years.
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Radioactive material said stolen from Egyptian plant (Reuters)
CAIRO (Reuters) ? Radioactive material has been stolen from a nuclear power station on Egypt's Mediterranean coast that was the scene of violent protests last week, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported on Thursday.
A safe containing radioactive material at the Dabaa nuclear power plant, which is still under construction, was seized while another also containing radioactive material was broken open and part of its contents taken, the newspaper said.
In Vienna, an official of the U.N. nuclear agency described the items missing as "low-level radioactive sources" which had been taken from a laboratory at the construction site. He could not give any details on the nature of the stolen items.
"We are in touch with the Egyptian authorities," the official from the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Al-Ahram said the government has alerted security authorities and asked that specialized teams help in the search for the stolen material.
More than a dozen people were wounded last week when military police tried to disperse hundreds of Egyptian protesters demanding the relocation of the Dabaa plant.
Plant staff have refused to go to the site because of the deterioration in the security situation there, al-Ahram said.
About 500 Egyptians rallied in front of the plant last week to demand that the project be terminated, with some saying they had lost their land on the site.
Soldiers and the demonstrators threw stones at each other and exchanged gunfire after the protesters demolished a wall surrounding the site, a security source and witnesses said.
(Reporting by Patrick Werr; additional reporting by Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; editing by David Stamp)
Apple reportedly believes Chinese factories faster, more flexible than U.S. counterparts
According to The New York Times, not the cost of labor, not the cost of components, but rather the speed and flexibility with which Chinese factories can respond to manufacturing demands is reportedly the reason Apple prefers them over their U.S. counterparts.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/PHJhpr3w8V4/story01.htm
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Leaked Sony 2012 smartphone roadmap reveals potentially birdy, minty flagships
Grab a bowl of salt and start pinching, folks. A sales report for Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications India is floating around the internet that's purportedly packing a list of 2012's planned handsets along with suggested pricing. The 11-strong list is in Rupees, and whilst we've reproduced it in full above, it's worth bearing in mind that cellphones in the "developing world" (no offense intended) are often more expensive than the equivalent handset in the US (the 16GB iPhone 4S, for example costs $650 in the US but $882 in India). The "Pepper" codename seems to tie in with what we've been expecting, but the Nypon blurrycam images we've seen don't follow the company's 2012 design language -- so we doubt they're real. That said, it's clear that a pair of flagships will arrive in the second half of the year: the code-names don't shed too much light, since Hayabusa means "Peregrine Falcon" and Mint -- well, we can hardly expect Sony to produce a phone with a built-in breath freshener, can we?
Leaked Sony 2012 smartphone roadmap reveals potentially birdy, minty flagships originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Head found by hikers' dogs in Hollywood Hills
LOS ANGELES?? Two women walking dogs in the Hollywood Hills found a human head in a plastic bag, Los Angeles police said.
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The women made the discovery on a popular trail below the Hollywood sign Tuesday afternoon, police said.
"Two of the dogs began to play with the bag and what appeared to be an object. While the dogs were playing with it, at some point the object came out of the bag and they discovered that it was a head ? a severed head," Sgt. Mitzi Fierro told KCAL-TV.
The bag was visible from the trail, she said.
The Los Angeles Times cited sources as saying it appeared to be from a man in his 40s with "salt-and-pepper" hair.
Not there long
Police believe the severed head had not been at the site for a long time, based in part on the fact that there were no animal bites on it.
"There's not a lot of signs of decomposition yet," Fierro said.
The women who discovered the bag work as dog walkers and had about nine dogs with them at the time, Officer Karen Rayner said.
Investigators hope to come up with a sketch of the victim in order to identify who he is, Fierro said. Coroner's investigators also will attempt to identify the victim through dental records.
Police used cadaver dogs to assist in the search for further human remains until dusk, when they called off the investigation until daylight returns.
The crime scene was being guarded by police. NBC Los Angeles reported that detectives returned to the site Wednesday morning. The investigation is being handled by LAPD?s Robbery-Homicide Division.
The stretch of road where the head was found is a hiking trail popular with local residents, especially dog walkers.
The trail also passes by the "Batcave," which was used in the original Batman and Robin series.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46036506/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
iPad Live 88: The last iPad Live ever!
Our podcast feed: Audio | Video Download directly: Audio | Video Subscribe via iTunes: Audio | Video Georgia, Rene, and Seth talk iMore (that’s our new name!) at CES 2012,
| |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/aHEFBbKQgk4/story01.htm
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
2 Americans honored for catching terrorist suspect (AP)
BERLIN ? Germany's government presented the nation's highest civilian award Monday to two Americans who helped apprehend an Islamic extremist after he attacked a U.S. Air Force bus last year and killed two airmen.
Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich awarded the Federal Cross of Merit to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Trevor Brewer and civilian airport employee Lamar Conner, both of whom chased the suspect until police could apprehend him, saying their deeds "were an example for all of us."
Arid Uka, a 21-year-old Kosovo Albanian, is currently on trial for the March 2 slayings and has admitted to the charges. He faces up to life in prison, and a verdict and sentence are expected Thursday.
It was the first Islamic extremist act carried out on German soil, and Friedrich said Brewer and Conner set an admirable precedent.
"It was an important signal that in the first Islamic extremist act in Germany the suspect was stopped in the course of committing his crime by courageous people and arrested," Friedrich said at a small ceremony in the Interior Ministry attended by U.S. Ambassador Philip Murphy.
Uka gave a teary confession as his Frankfurt state court trial opened in August, saying that the night before the attack he had seen a video on Facebook that purported to show American soldiers raping a teenage Muslim girl. It turned out to be a scene from the 2007 Brian De Palma anti-war film "Redacted," taken out of context.
Uka told the court the video prompted him to do anything possible to prevent American soldiers from going to Afghanistan. Under German law, the court is still required to hear all evidence in the case, even though Uka has confessed.
The defendant had already killed two U.S. airmen when he turned his pistol on Brewer, a 23-year-old from Gray, Tennessee, who was on the bus waiting with others to be taken to nearby Ramstein Air Base to fly to Afghanistan.
Brewer has said Uka pointed the pistol at his head, said "Allahu Akbar" ? Arabic for "God is great" ? and pulled the trigger.
But the gun jammed due to a defective cartridge and Uka fled ? and Brewer chased out of the bus after him.
"I was definitely fearful, but I knew if I didn't take action the attack could have continued and someone else could have gotten hurt," Brewer told The Associated Press.
He said he was accepting his award on behalf of Senior Airman Nicholas J. Alden, 25, from South Carolina, and Airman 1st Class Zachary R. Cuddeback, 21, from Virginia ? the two airmen killed in the attack. Two others were seriously injured.
When Brewer emerged from the bus after Uka, Conner had already begun his own pursuit.
The 53-year-old former U.S. Army sergeant, who stayed in Germany after retirement and now works at the airport as a ticket agent, was outside on a break when he heard the shots, then saw Uka emerge from the bus with pistol in hand.
"I just fell in behind him, and followed him while warning passers-by away," said the Altha, Florida native.
At one point when he was about five yards (meters) behind Uka, the suspect turned to confront him but then saw police also giving chase and started running again, Conner said.
Conner said he had just been acting on instinct.
"I'm ex-military and you just react; you don't have time to think," he said.
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Lana Del Rey's 'SNL' Performance Has Critics Howling
Del Rey turned in a pair of shaky songs on 'Saturday Night Live,' much to the delight of her detractors.
By James Montgomery
Lana Del Rey performs "Video Games" on "SNL" on Saturday
Photo: NBC
Last week, Lana Del Rey fired back at critics who said she wasn't ready for her "Saturday Night Live" gig, telling MTV News, "I'm a good musician ... I have been singing for a long time, and I think that ['SNL' creator] Lorne [Michaels] knows that ... it's not a fluke decision."
Of course, following the show — and a pair of vocally shaky performances in which Del Rey seemed nervous and detached — those same critics fired back en masse, first taking to Twitter to rip her as nothing more than hype. Actress and musician Juliette Lewis was particularly harsh, writing (in a since-deleted tweet), "Wow, watching this 'singer' on SNL is like watching a 12-year-old in their bedroom when they're pretending to sing and perform #signofourtimes."
Actress Eliza Dushku also chimed in, tweeting, "Who is this wack-a-doodle chick performing on 'SNL'? Whaaa?"
Also jumping into the fray — albeit not intentionally — was "NBC Nightly News" anchor/ amateur music aficionado Brian Williams, who, in an email meant for Gawker Media founder Nick Denton (which was subsequently posted on Gawker.com), called Del Rey's performance "one of the worst outings in 'SNL' history," and chided Denton's websites for not slagging it appropriately.
(A spokesperson for NBC told Gawker that the email "was sent in confidence ... and absolutely never intended to be public.")
To be fair, Del Rey did have her defenders, most notably the host of her "SNL" show, Daniel Radcliffe. Speaking to the media at the annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations, the actor said that the attacks went far beyond mere criticism of Del Rey's singing and stage presence, and added that he felt the entire thing was blown out of proportion.
"It was unfortunate that people seemed to turn on her so quickly," Radcliffe said. "I also think people are making it about things other than the performance ... if you read what people are saying about her online, it's all about her past and her family and stuff that's nobody else's business. I don't think [the performance] warranted anywhere near that reaction."
Del Rey has yet to answer any of her "SNL" critics (unless this tweet counts), and a spokesperson for her label, Interscope, did not respond to MTV News' request for comment on the matter.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677389/lana-del-rey-snl.jhtml
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Plasmacytoid DCs: Tumor-killing immune cells
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 17-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
734-546-5242
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Some skin cancers, in particular basal cell carcinoma, can be successfully treated with a prescription cream containing the compound imiquimod. The antitumor effect of imiquimod is multifactorial. One of the more complex aspects of imiquimod's antitumor effects is its ability to modify the immune response. A team of researchers led by Maria Sibilia, at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, has now identified a new way in which imiquimod modifies the immune system to clear tumors in a mouse model of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Specifically, the team found that topical application of imiquimod leads to the recruitment of immune cells known as plasmacytoid DCs to the site of the tumor. Moreover, exposure to imiquimod at the site of the tumor then converts these cells into tumor-cell killers. Nina Bhardwaj and colleagues, at New York University, New York, discuss in an accompanying commentary the implications of these data for antitumor therapies designed to combat both skin cancers and other cancers.
###
TITLE: Imiquimod clears tumors in mice independent of adaptive immunity by converting pDCs into tumor-killing effector cells
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Maria Sibilia
Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Phone: 43.1.4277.65131; Fax: 43.1.4277.65193; E-mail: maria.sibilia@meduniwien.ac.at.
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61034?key=bce90e43bcd605799561
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells lead the charge against tumors
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Nina Bhardwaj
The New York University Langone Medical Center and the New York University Cancer Institute, New York, New York, USA.
Phone: 212.263.5814; Fax: 212.263.6729; E-mail: Nina.Bhardwaj@med.nyu.edu.
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61345?key=3f09068264890ed311f8
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 17-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
734-546-5242
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Some skin cancers, in particular basal cell carcinoma, can be successfully treated with a prescription cream containing the compound imiquimod. The antitumor effect of imiquimod is multifactorial. One of the more complex aspects of imiquimod's antitumor effects is its ability to modify the immune response. A team of researchers led by Maria Sibilia, at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, has now identified a new way in which imiquimod modifies the immune system to clear tumors in a mouse model of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Specifically, the team found that topical application of imiquimod leads to the recruitment of immune cells known as plasmacytoid DCs to the site of the tumor. Moreover, exposure to imiquimod at the site of the tumor then converts these cells into tumor-cell killers. Nina Bhardwaj and colleagues, at New York University, New York, discuss in an accompanying commentary the implications of these data for antitumor therapies designed to combat both skin cancers and other cancers.
###
TITLE: Imiquimod clears tumors in mice independent of adaptive immunity by converting pDCs into tumor-killing effector cells
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Maria Sibilia
Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Phone: 43.1.4277.65131; Fax: 43.1.4277.65193; E-mail: maria.sibilia@meduniwien.ac.at.
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61034?key=bce90e43bcd605799561
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells lead the charge against tumors
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Nina Bhardwaj
The New York University Langone Medical Center and the New York University Cancer Institute, New York, New York, USA.
Phone: 212.263.5814; Fax: 212.263.6729; E-mail: Nina.Bhardwaj@med.nyu.edu.
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61345?key=3f09068264890ed311f8
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/joci-pdt011112.php
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
'Artist,' 'Descendants' score top Globe wins (AP)
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. ? The black-and-white silent film "The Artist" led the Golden Globes with three wins Sunday at a show that spread Hollywood's love around among a broad range of films, including best drama recipient "The Descendants" and its star, George Clooney.
Wins for "The Artist" included best musical or comedy and best actor in a musical or comedy for Jean Dujardin. Along with best drama, "The Descendants" won the dramatic-actor Globe for Clooney.
The dual best-picture prizes at the Globes could set up a showdown between "The Artist" and "The Descendants" for the top honor at next month's Academy Awards.
Other acting winners were Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, and Octavia Spencer, while Martin Scorsese earned the directing honor.
"I gotta thank everybody in England that let me come and trample over their history," said Streep, earning her eighth Globe, this time as dramatic actress for playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Williams won for actress in a musical or comedy as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn," 52 years after Monroe's win for the same prize at the Globes for "Some Like It Hot."
The supporting-acting Globes went to Plummer as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in the father-son drama "Beginners" and Spencer as a brassy housekeeper joining other black maids to share stories about life with their white employers in the 1960s Deep South tale "The Help."
"With regard to domestics in this country, now and then, I think Dr. King said it best: `All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance.' And I thank you for recognizing that with our film," Spencer said.
Scorsese won for the Paris adventure "Hugo." It was the third directing Globe in the last 10 years for Scorsese, who previously won for "Gangs of New York" and "The Departed" and received the show's Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement two years ago.
He won over a field of contenders that included Michel Hazanavicius, who had been considered by many in Hollywood as a favorite for his black-and-white silent film "The Artist."
Williams offered thanks for giving her the same award Monroe once won and joked that her young daughter put up with bedtime stories for six months spoken in Monroe's voice.
"I consider myself a mother first and an actress second, so the person I most want to thank is my daughter, my little girl, whose bravery and exuberance is the example I take with me in my work and my life," Williams said.
Dujardin became the first star in a silent film to earn a major Hollywood prize since the early days of film. He won as a silent-era star whose career unravels amid the rise of talking pictures in the late 1920s.
It's a breakout role in Hollywood for Dujardin, a star back home in France but little known to U.S. audiences previously. His French credits include "The Artist" creator Hazanavicius' spy spoofs "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies" and "OSS 117: Lost in Rio."
While the musical or comedy categories at the Globes offer recognition for lighter films amid Hollywood's sober-minded awards season, the winners usually are not serious contenders for the Oscars. The last time the winner for best musical or comedy at the Globes went on to claim best-picture at the Oscars was nine years ago with "Chicago."
This time, though, "The Artist" and Dujardin have enough critical mass to compete at the Oscars with dramatic counterparts such as "The Descendants" and Clooney.
Both films have a good mix of laughs and tears. "The Artist" could be called a comedy with strong doses of melodrama, while "The Descendants" might be described as a drama tinged with gently comic moments.
Directed by Alexander Payne ("Sideways"), "The Descendants" provided a more down-to-earth role for Clooney, who's often known for slick, high-rolling characters such as those in his "Ocean's Eleven" heist capers and or the legal saga "Michael Clayton."
Adapted from Kaui Hart Hemmings' novel, "The Descendants" casts Clooney as Matt King, the scion of an aristocratic Hawaiian clan and a neglectful dad suddenly forced to hold together his two spirited daughters after his wife falls into a coma from a boating accident.
Along the way, Matt uncovers a staggering secret about his marriage and comes to reevaluate the principles under which he's lived his life.
Charming audiences since it premiered last May at the Cannes Film Festival, "The Artist" tells the story of George Valentin (Dujardin), a big-screen superstar known for adventurous comic capers alongside his adorable dog, who's always at his side on screen and in real life.
As talking pictures take over and the Depression hits, George loses everything ? his career, his marriage, his fortune and his home. Through it all, he has a guardian angel in Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo, a supporting-actress Globe nominee and Hazanavicius' real-life romantic partner). A rising talkies star, Peppy got her career going with help from George, and she now aims to repay the favor.
The only time silent films have won best-picture or acting Oscars was in the awards first year, for 1927-28, 16 years before the Golden Globes even started.
At that first Oscar ceremony, when the transition to the sound era was just under way, the silent winners included the war story "Wings" as outstanding picture and the marital betrayal tale "Sunrise" as most unique and artistic picture, the only time that category was used. Janet Gaynor won as best actress for "Sunrise" and two other silent films, while Emil Jannings was picked as best actor for the silent films "The Last Command" and "The Way of All Flesh."
Other than some short silent films and one silent foreign-language nominee in 1983, it's been all talkies among contenders for top honors during Hollywood's awards season in the 83 years since the first Oscars.
"The Artist," which led the Globes with six nominations, also won the musical-score prize for composer Ludovic Bource.
Among its losses was for screenplay, a prize that went to Woody Allen for his romantic fantasy "Midnight in Paris," the filmmaker's biggest hit in decades. Never a fan of movie awards, Allen was a no-show at the Globes.
Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" won for best animated film, while the Iranian tale "A Separation" was named the foreign-language winner.
Ricky Gervais, who has ruffled feathers at past shows with sharp wisecracks aimed at Hollywood's elite and the Globes show itself, returned as host for the third-straight year. He started with some slams at the Globes as Hollywood's second-biggest film ceremony, after the Oscars.
Gervais joked that the Globes "are just like the Oscars, but without all that esteem. The Globes are to the Oscars what Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton. A bit louder, a bit trashier, a bit drunker and more easily bought. Allegedly. Nothing's been proved."
He also needled early winners, saying the show was running long and stars needed to keep their speeches short.
"You don't need to thank everyone you've ever met or members of your family, who have done nothing," Gervais said. "Just the main two. Your agent and God."
___
Online:
http://www.goldenglobes.org
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