Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World!

And we're right back in the thick of it folks. On the latest edition of the Greatest Android Podcast in the World, we talk the new LG Spectrum and Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX for Verizon, our thoughts on the new Google privacy policy, plus what an open-sourced webOS means for Android.

The Android Central Podcast is your weekly peek into the world of Android, where we break down the news that really matters, and explain what's just a bunch of hype. Plus, we answer your e-mails and voicemails. You don't want to miss it. Check out the Android Central Podcast.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/GO3-ThmXxo4/story01.htm

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2 shot dead in Senegal election protest

FILE - This Tuesday June 27, 2006 file photo shows Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, as he waves to photographers during a farewell ceremony in Tehran. Senegal's highest court ruled just after midnight on Monday that the West African country's aging leader was eligible to run for a third term in next month's election, rejecting the appeals filed by the opposition and eliminating the last legal avenue for challenging President Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian, File)

FILE - This Tuesday June 27, 2006 file photo shows Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, as he waves to photographers during a farewell ceremony in Tehran. Senegal's highest court ruled just after midnight on Monday that the West African country's aging leader was eligible to run for a third term in next month's election, rejecting the appeals filed by the opposition and eliminating the last legal avenue for challenging President Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian, File)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) ? Paramilitary police in northern Senegal opened fire Monday on men and women protesting the president's plan to run for a third term, killing a woman in her 60s and a high school student, a witness and a rights group said.

The violence is uncharacteristic for Senegal, a normally peaceful nation on Africa's western coast, and suggests its political conflict is escalating. Protests spread from the capital to the interior last Friday after the constitutional court validated President Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy in next month's election.

The legality of the 85-year-old Wade's quest for a third term is disputed. The constitution was revised in 2001 to impose a two-term limit. Wade, who came to power in 2000, argues that he is exempt because he was elected before the new law was drafted.

Early on Monday, the five-judge panel rejected the appeals lodged by the opposition over the weekend. Later in the day, demonstrators gathered in the center of Podor, some 300 miles (480 kilometers) north of the capital of this nation of 12 million, to protest the court's siding with Wade.

Amadou Diagne Niang, a resident of Podor who is the local correspondent for Le Soleil, the state-owned newspaper, said the paramilitary police, known as the gendarmes, ran out of tear gas. When the protesters refused to disperse, they opened fire with live bullets. The woman and young man were killed in front of him, Niang said by telephone from Podor

Amnesty International confirmed the killings, and its West Africa researcher, Salvatore Sagues, said it "marks a dramatic escalation in the violence that has plagued Senegal in the run up to its elections."

"As further protests are planned for tomorrow, we call on the authorities to refrain from using live bullets against peaceful protesters," Sagues said.

Cmdr. Papa Ibrahima Diop, a spokesman for the National Gendarmerie, also said he had been informed that two people were killed in Podor, but that he could not disclose details because an investigation is ongoing.

In the court's ruling, the judges said Wade's first term under the new constitution should be considered as being the one that started when he was first re-elected in 2007. Therefore, his second term would be the one that he would serve if he is re-elected in Feb. 26 election.

"It was never our intention in any way to violate the constitution of our country," Wade's spokesman Cheikh Serigne Ndiaye told reporters on Monday. "The (constitutional) council agreed with our reasoning."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday that the United States respects the decision of the court. But she added that it was not in Senegal's best interest for the elderly Wade to seek another term.

"Our message to him remains the same: That the statesmanly-like thing to do would be to cede to the next generation. And we think that would be better," she told reporters in Washington.

___

Associated Press writers Sadibou Marone in Dakar, Senegal, and Bradley Klapper in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-30-AF-Senegal-Election/id-aeb0c552eaf544b59bdcc54f9c98e71b

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Animals Get the Upper Paw, or Hoof, or Claw (preview)

Antigravity | More Science See Inside

Every so often a critter takes a shot at making headlines

By Steve Mirsky ?| January 29, 2012

Image: Matt Collins

In journalism, there?s what you call your dog-bites-man situation. Which is anything too common and expected to be a good story (unless the dog is one of those Resident Evil hellhounds, or the man is Cesar Millan). An example of a dog-bites-man science story is yet another confirmation of Einstein and relativity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Steve Mirsky has been writing the Anti Gravity column since atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were about 358 parts per million. He also hosts the Scientific American podcast Science Talk.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=bed4ce099317e94960f277119b6827ca

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Why exotic animal trade grows in Asia

Rising wealth?lifts demand for exotic pets and delicacies in Asia. Meahwhile, enforcers are stretched thin.

On a traffic-snarled Jakarta roadside, a market trader thrusts out a forearm with a terrified looking primate clasping tightly to his skin.

Skip to next paragraph

"You can have it for 300,000 rupiah [$30]," he says of the slow loris, a protected species whose sluggish movement makes it easy prey for poachers. The destruction of its habitat and its low reproduction rate are why the loris is classified as facing extinction under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which bans their trade.

But here at the Jatinegara market, there is no attempt to conceal the sale of loris or many other endangered species. Orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and Javan eagles are just a few of the threatened species in Indonesia's animal markets.

It is a scenario that has been playing out across Southeast Asia for centuries, but with increased speed in the past decade, as a burgeoning class of wealthy Asians who cherish rare creatures as exotic pets, delicacies, or for supposed medicinal qualities fuel a booming and illegal trade.

The plunder ? a small piece of the greater challenge of environmental conservation in Indonesia ? is happening in conjunction with habitat depletion, and conservationists fear some species will soon disappear while new ones tumble onto the endangered list.

"Rare animals have become status symbols. They are trophies for people to demonstrate their wealth and the collateral damage of Asia's economic rise," says James Compton, senior director for Asia-Pacific at Traffic, a conservation group that monitors wildlife trade.

"We will see some local populations of endemic species disappear very quickly. Look at what happened to the tiger population over the past 100 years," he says.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network predicts that between 13 and 42 percent of the region's animal and plant species will be wiped out this century, mostly due to logging and loss of habitat.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organi?za?tion estimates that Indonesia loses 6.2 million acres of forest ? equivalent to the size of Vermont ? every year. By 2008, Indonesia had lost 72 percent of its ancient forests, and what remains is threatened by commercial logging, forest fires, and clearing for palm oil plantations, according to Green?peace.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/R1JCakEFUpA/Why-exotic-animal-trade-grows-in-Asia

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NBC objects to Mitt Romney?s ?history lesson? ad (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/192711015?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Google doodle notes 'world's largest snowflake'

Google

By Suzanne Choney

Google doodles often honor people, like Freddie Mercury or Mark Twain, but Saturday's doodle pays homage to the "world's largest snowflake."

The snowflake was seen on Jan. 28, 1887 at Fort Keogh, Montana; at least that's the word from the Guiness World Records, which says a rancher saw the snowflakes coming down, calling them "larger than milk pans," and measuring one of them at 15 inches.

However, noted the New York Times in 2007, "no corroborating evidence supports the claim."

Still, it makes for a fun, animated doodle on Google's home search page. When you go to the page, you'll see a lone cow grazing in a snow-covered field get slightly perturbed when the snowflake drops down (doubling as the second "o" in the name "Google") but then continue foraging.

Also worth noting on Google's search page is this statement, beneath the search box: "We're changing our privacy policy and terms. Not the usual yada yada," with a link to learn more.

Google

The tech giant announced earlier this week it is consolidating more than 60 separate privacy policies for its online products, which is drawing fire from some who are troubled that with the new policy there's no opt-out choice for users. Eight U.S. lawmakers have sent a letter to Google expressing concerns about the policy, due to take effect around March 1.

Google, which also sent an email this week to users of its services about the change, is obviously trying to spread the word about? it. And a big snowflake is one way to help draw attention to the issue ? even if some may think that approach is all wet.

Related stories:

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/28/10259640-google-doodle-celebrates-worlds-largest-snowflake

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Magnetic Soap May Help Clean Up Spilled Oil

BP released millions of gallons of dispersants to break up oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But what if dispersants could be sucked up again after doing their job? Chemist Julian Eastoe talks about an iron-containing soap he's created that can be recaptured using a magnet.

Copyright ? 2012 National Public Radio?. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. After the Deepwater Horizon spill, BP poured nearly two million gallons of dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico. The goal, of course, is breaking up oil slicks, making them dissolve into ocean waters, sort of like how you squirt dish soap on a greasy frying pan to get the oil to wash away with the water.

The problem is, after you dump all that soap into the Gulf, the soap stays there. My next guest has developed something that could be the solution: the soap that has iron in it so that you can suck up the soap with a magnet.

How do they do it? Could we really use something like this next time there's a big oil spill? Julian Eastoe is a professor in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol in the U.K. Welcome to SCIENCE FRIDAY.

JULIAN EASTOE: Hello, Ira, from the United Kingdom.

FLATOW: Thanks for joining - how did you get this idea? It sounds so simple yet so easy.

EASTOE: Well, to explain that, I'd like to propose an interactive experiment for you and your listeners. Would that be OK?

FLATOW: Absolutely.

EASTOE: Well, the experiment works best if you're in the kitchen. So go over to the fridge and take one of those picture fridge magnets, you know, with Niagara Falls, Las Vegas or Disneyland on it.

FLATOW: Right.

EASTOE: And now go over to the kitchen sink with the magnet. Next put the magnet against the bottle of dish soap. Right. What happens?

FLATOW: Nothing.

EASTOE: Absolutely nothing.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

EASTOE: That's because normal soap is not magnetic. Just as you said, you can't control where it goes. Gravity does that, just sucks it down the drain. Now, Ira, we've been making soaps and surfactants with unusual properties for some years. Have you ever thought of a soap you could turn on with the flick of a switch, a light-sensitive surfactant? We made one of those about five years ago.

And next we thought why not try magnets. Would it be possible to make surfactants or soaps that respond to magnets? Well, if that's true, then you stand a chance to control where the soap does and where it doesn't go. Our motivation for this was just good old-fashioned scientific inquisitiveness.

FLATOW: So you created this soap that is magnetic so that the soap dissolves the grease, keeps the grease with it, and then you can just magnetize it away with a magnet?

EASTOE: Yeah, it sounds incredible, but it's true. I mean, I was witnessing the experiments in my laboratory at the University of Bristol this afternoon with graduate students. We were making emulsions with lube oil, our magnetic soap, and we were moving them around using magnets. The emulsions can be collected up. It's amazing.

FLATOW: Now, I've - I've got an experiment for you now. Tell me if this is possible. Let's say that you can put your - you can disperse your magnetic soap into a harbor. Can you magnetize the hulls of ships so that they sort of scoot around the harbor soaking up all the grease collecting on their hulls, and then you just clean them off when they get back to the harbor?

EASTOE: Well, Ira, I hadn't thought about that. It sounds feasible to me, but I think we would have to do some tests in the laboratory. I'm not sure about if you can maintain magnetism in the hull of a ship.

FLATOW: A-ha, but you think you can do this with an oil spill by collecting up all the grease later on?

EASTOE: Well, in principle that's right. That's what we demonstrated in the laboratory. The - we started with chemicals that are relatives of common or garden(ph) soaps. We kept the organic part of the molecule, the one which dissolves oily substances, but we chemically modified the ionic part, which makes the compound water soluble.

And it's quite simple, really. We replace the normal ions with magnetic ions. Those ions contain the element iron.

FLATOW: And voila, because the soap molecule, as you say, is fascinating to begin with. One end likes to stick in the grease, one end likes to stick in the water, and that's why it works so well. And you basically took the water end and put a piece of iron in there.

EASTOE: Yeah, we've done this with iron. That's in the paper, which has been published recently, but we've even used other magnetic units. I can't disclose them right now because they're under a secrecy agreement, but we are now starting to optimize the chemistry, and that is now really exciting.

I think what this research shows is the first stage in any scientific breakthrough, the essential proof of principle, and once the proof of principle has been established and has been communicated to the scientific community, that's when it gets really interesting.

FLATOW: Yeah.

EASTOE: That's when the collective consciousness, those thousands and thousands of scientific minds get to work coming up with ideas that you would never have thought of.

FLATOW: Yeah, it's - so once you show that this can happen, people will say, you know, this is what I could do with it. Sort of like...

EASTOE: Now, it was suggested to me, Ira, by somebody from the British equivalent of the Audubon Society - that's the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the United Kingdom - that this could potentially help in the cleanup of those poor seabirds when they get contaminated by oil slicks.

FLATOW: They get washed down with this magnetic soap.

EASTOE: Yeah, he suggested that maybe with the extra pull from the magnet you would be able to clean off the poor birds more effectively than just using the traditional, you know, dispersants. So I sent a grad student down to the store to get some lube oil and a pillow. We've taken it apart and we're testing that idea right now with down from the pillows that we bought in the store.

FLATOW: I'm sure the grad students are doing it, right?

EASTOE: Sure.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: You know, once these things happen, you know, like you never know where they're going to end up. I mean, the laser beam was invented to cut steel and razor blades back in the early '60s, but look what it's used for now. You never know where your idea might wind up, where it will end.

EASTOE: No, that's the really exciting thing about being a scientist, is that you uncover facts and figures that you just do not know where that will lead for the human race. Think about the liquid crystals, which were developed in the U.K. in the 1970s.

When they developed liquid crystals, they had no idea that it would be an integral part of mobile phones and smartphones, for example, but they certainly don't work without liquid crystals to allow you to interface with the electronics through the screen. And this is the same it could be here with this application, the applications that could come from this magnetic soap.

FLATOW: Now, let me ask you the $64 question, as we say here in the States.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: And it is a $64 question, I guess. Is it cheap enough? You know, can you make...

EASTOE: Well, in fact, it's interesting that what we started with, a chemical, sort of just the brothers and sisters of those that you would find in household products, we tried to keep it simple here. And the cost of our magnetic soap is already reasonable. It's reasonable enough that it could actually be scaled up.

Think that the elements that are contained in this soap are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine and iron, all very, very common elements. And therefore the soap that we've made is cheap, commercially viable.

FLATOW: Well, I wish you the best of luck, and we'll watch to see where your soap shows up, so to speak.

EASTOE: OK, thank you very much.

FLATOW: Thanks for taking time to be with us today. Julian...

EASTOE: OK, it's been a great pleasure, Ira.

FLATOW: You're quite welcome. Julian Eastoe is a professor in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol in the U.K.

Copyright ? 2012 National Public Radio?. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/27/145990087/magnetic-soap-may-help-clean-up-spilled-oil?ft=1&f=1007

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AP source: Tiebreaker game would decide divisions (AP)

NEW YORK ? A person familiar with the talks says baseball players and owners have reached an understanding that ties for division titles will be broken on the field under the new playoff format.

Since 1995, head-to-head record has been used to determine first place if both teams are going to the postseason. But with the start of a one-game, winner-take-all wild-card round, both sides agreed the difference between first place and a wild-card berth is too important to decide with a formula and a tiebreaker game would be played.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a deal hadn't been finalized.

A little more than two months before opening day, the sides still don't know whether the expanded playoffs will start this year. Negotiators plan to talk again next week and decide by March 1 whether the 2012 playoffs will have eight or 10 teams.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_expanded_playoffs

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With new privacy controls onboard, Google+ opens up to teens

The world's teenage population can pontificate from a new digital platform, now that Google+ has decided to open its doors to high schoolers. Google+ VP Bradley Horowitz made the announcement yesterday, confirming that anyone old enough to own a Google account can now join the social network. In most countries, that applies to anyone older than 13 (previously, Google+ had been restricted to the 18-and-over crowd). This expansion also introduces a new set of privacy controls for younger users, who will be warned every time they try to publish a public post, and can only be contacted by those in their immediate circles. If a teen joins a Hangout, moreover, he or she will only be able to receive audio and video from those in his or her circles. Find more at the link below.

With new privacy controls onboard, Google+ opens up to teens originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Bradley Horowitz (Google+)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/27/with-new-privacy-controls-onboard-google-opens-up-to-teens/

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Molten lava cake for National Chocolate Cake Day

A flourless, molten chocolate cake will warm up National Chocolate Cake Day.

January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day in the United States. To be honest, I thought every day was chocolate cake day. This warm (and flourless) chocolate lava cake is delicious enough to declare a national celebration. But to help keep us all focused, there are several national food day lists floating around like this one to make sure all kinds of decadent delights get their day.

Skip to next paragraph Kendra Nordin

Kendra Nordin thinks cooking and sharing a meal is an act of creativity that everyone should do every single day. Light some candles, set fresh flowers on the table, and sit down to enjoy a meal with friends ? this stuff feeds the soul. She is also a staff editor for The Christian Science Monitor and produces Stir It Up!

Recent posts

I?m a little curious, though, how National Pie Day, National Peanut Butter Day, and National Chocolate Cake Day all fall in the same week. I have a sneaking suspicion that the final week of January is right about the time that most folks have felt pretty good about the three weeks of intense dieting and exercise they have done after the holidays. Admit it. Your thinking has probably come close to this at some point: ?I?ve been to the gym twice this week. Of course I deserve pie/peanut butter/chocolate cake!?

Molten lava cakes are the perfect little cakes to celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day. They require relatively little effort and bake in less than 15 minutes. Even if the cakes collapse into a quivering pool of warm chocolate, I promise you that your guests?will not complain. Cover them with enough ice cream and in one, two, three, swoops of their spoons the cake will be gone.

But if you do want to impress a loved one, you might want a practice run or two to figure out the best results with your oven. If you underbake it, you will end up with a puddle of chocolate (there are worse things). If you overbake, by even a minute, no molten center ? and you?ll end up with more of a brownie cake (again, not a travesty).

Now get celebrating. And keep this recipe handy for Valentine's Day.

Molten Lava Cake
Adapted from Bon App?tit
Serves 4

6-1/2 ounces bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, chopped (Note: good-quality chocolate chips are an easy shortcut)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar, separated
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter four 3/4 cup custard cups. Dust with flour, shaking out excess, and set aside.

In a double boiler over simmering water, combine chocolate, butter, and salt and heat. Stir until chocolate and butter have melted and mixture is smooth. Remove upper pot from water and let cool 10 minutes.

Beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until thick and light, about 2 minutes. Fold in chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl beat egg whites and 1 tablespoon sugar using electric mixer with clean, dry beaters, until whites are stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter among prepared cups.

Place custard cups on a baking sheet. Bake until cakes are puffed but still soft in center, about 11 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack; cool cakes 1 minute.

Using a small knife, cut around sides of cakes to loosen. Place plates on top of cups. Using an oven mitt or tea towel (the cups will be hot) invert cakes onto plates; remove cups. Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Related posts:?Chocolate Fondue,?Fair Trade Brownies,?Taza Chocolate Tour

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of food bloggers. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by The Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own and they are responsible for the content of their blogs and their recipes. All readers are free to make ingredient substitutions to satisfy their dietary preferences, including not using wine (or substituting cooking wine) when a recipe calls for it. To contact us about a blogger, click here.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/tJgdPrAx6U4/Molten-lava-cake-for-National-Chocolate-Cake-Day

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Bugging equipment found in Mexico lawmaker offices (AP)

MEXICO CITY ? A Mexican legislator says a search of several lawmakers' offices turned up recording equipment, leading legislators to believe they have been spied on for years.

Congressman Armando Rios says security personnel found microphones and other devices that seemed to have been installed years ago.

Chamber of Deputies president Guadalupe Acosta says the offices belong to lawmakers from different political parties.

Acosta hasn't said who he thinks is behind the espionage.

The government of President Felipe Calderon has denied involvement.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_lawmakers_espionage

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House Panel Considers PIP Insurance Overhaul ? CBS Tampa

(Photo credit: CARMEN JASPERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) ? A House panel will consider overhauling Florida?s personal-injury insurance that is now overcome with fraud.

The Civil Justice Subcommittee is meeting on Wednesday to work on a bill (CS/HB 119) overhauling the state?s personal injury protection ? or PIP ? coverage.

The proposed law requires those hurt in a wreck to go to a hospital emergency room or hospital-owned walk-in clinic for PIP coverage to kick in.

PIP insurance pays up to $10,000 to cover medical bills and lost wages after an accident. It doesn?t matter who caused the wreck. All Florida drivers must carry such ?no-fault? insurance.

But fraudsters have turned Florida into the top state for staged accidents. PIP fraud is estimated to reach $1 billion this year.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Source: http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/01/25/house-panel-considers-pip-insurance-overhaul/

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Anomaly Warzone Earth HD finally brings "tower offense" to Android

 

Wildly popular "tower offense" game Anomaly Warzone Earth HD is now available for a cool $4 in the Android Market. A long-time iOS staple, the title picked up quite a bit of industry buzz, including a nomination for best Mobile Strategy Game from IGN and a Platinum Award from PocketGamer, among other accolades. Unlike other tower defense games, Anomaly Warzone Earth HD takes a different approach: you are on the offense rather than the defense, and it's up to you to break down what other similar titles would have you build-- tower defense. If you're the type to balk at a $4 pricetag, the immersive Story Campaign mode along with the top-notch graphics and sound will likely be enough of a justification. You'll need to be running at least Android 2.2 to play, and you'll likely be better off with a higher-spec'd phone that can handle the game's rather intensive graphics (the title can also be found on Xbox Live and PCs, an indication for just how rich the gameplay can get). As it just hit the Android Market yesterday we'll take a few more days to see what's what and get a proper review posted. Until then, you can hit the link below to grab a copy for yourself. 

Source: Anomalythegame.com

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/zlFelg6MCnw/story01.htm

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HP Blogs - Where Will Unified Communications Take Us in 2012 ...

December and January are typically the months that we consider resolutions and predictions for the coming year. Technology is no different with this month?s bloggers predicting everything from the future of cloud computing to what?s on the horizon for IT outsourcing. Unified Communications is also a hot topic for predictions. Everyone from Larry Hettick at Network World to Zeus Kerravala of No Jitter have blogged about numerous adoptions and predictions related to UC including:

• Increased use of HD video communications across all market segments. Eventually video will replace voice calls as a preferred real-time communications medium, but maybe not in 2012.
• More businesses will cut the cord to wired voice services, eventually mirroring the trend among consumers.
• The BYOD trend will continue as enterprise networks adapt, supporting mobile devices like smartphones & table computers that employees initially purchase as consumer electronics.
• Tablet computing becomes the next big thing in business.
• Campus LAN gets smart: With BYOD, the growth of smartphone/tablet usage among consumers and the unified communications market set to triple by 2015, the campus LAN will have to step up to the plate to meet demand -- 2012 will be the year the campus gets smart.
• Unified Communications goes even more mobile in 2012.

What predictions do you agree or disagree with? What predictions of your own would you add to the lists?

?

Last year, HP?s Danette Hardin discussed how Unified Communications can be the step change that allows organizations to seamlessly integrate with their technology, and how consumers are driving UCC trends in 2011. This is part of a larger activity by HP started earlier. I think this is all only the start of a much bigger move to a more communications enabled enterprise approach bringing together social, analytics, and the computational resources into a whole new level of business productivity. This is an area I plan to spend more thought on this year!

?

How about your org? Have you already adopted UCC or are you considering implementing it in 2012? What trends are shaping your decision?

Source: http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/The-Next-Big-Thing/Where-Will-Unified-Communications-Take-Us-in-2012/ba-p/105911

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List of 84th annual Academy Award nominations (AP)

Complete list of 84th Annual Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday:

1. Best Picture: "The Artist," "The Descendants," "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," "The Help," "Hugo," "Midnight in Paris," "Moneyball," "The Tree of Life," "War Horse."

2. Actor: Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"; George Clooney, "The Descendants"; Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"; Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"; Brad Pitt, "Moneyball."

3. Actress: Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"; Viola Davis, "The Help"; Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"; Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"; Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn."

4. Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"; Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"; Nick Nolte, "Warrior"; Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"; Max von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."

5. Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"; Jessica Chastain, "The Help"; Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"; Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"; Octavia Spencer, "The Help."

6. Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"; Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"; Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"; Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"; Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life."

7. Foreign Language Film: "Bullhead," Belgium; "Footnote," Israel; "In Darkness," Poland; "Monsieur Lazhar," Canada; "A Separation," Iran.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants"; John Logan, "Hugo"; George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, "The Ides of March"; Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, "Moneyball"; Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy."

9. Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"; Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, "Bridesmaids"; J.C. Chandor, "Margin Call"; Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"; Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation."

10. Animated Feature Film: "A Cat in Paris"; "Chico & Rita"; "Kung Fu Panda 2"; "Puss in Boots"; "Rango."

11. Art Direction: "The Artist," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," "Hugo," "Midnight in Paris," "War Horse."

12. Cinematography: "The Artist," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Hugo," "The Tree of Life," "War Horse."

13. Sound Mixing: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Hugo," "Moneyball," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," "War Horse."

14. Sound Editing: "Drive," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Hugo," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," "War Horse."

15. Original Score: "The Adventures of Tintin," John Williams; "The Artist," Ludovic Bource; "Hugo," Howard Shore; "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Alberto Iglesias; "War Horse," John Williams.

16. Original Song: "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets," Bret McKenzie; "Real in Rio" from "Rio," Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett.

17. Costume: "Anonymous," "The Artist," "Hugo," "Jane Eyre," "W.E."

18. Documentary Feature: "Hell and Back Again," "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front," "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory," "Pina," "Undefeated."

19. Documentary (short subject): "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement," "God Is the Bigger Elvis," "Incident in New Baghdad," "Saving Face," "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom."

20. Film Editing: "The Artist," "The Descendants," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Hugo," "Moneyball."

21. Makeup: "Albert Nobbs," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," "The Iron Lady."

22. Animated Short Film: "Dimanche/Sunday," "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," "La Luna," "A Morning Stroll," "Wild Life."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Pentecost," "Raju," "The Shore," "Time Freak," "Tuba Atlantic."

24. Visual Effects: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," "Hugo," "Real Steel," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

___

Online:

http://www.oscars.org/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_en_mo/us_oscar_nominations_list

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Bid for Iran nuclear talks confronts old snags (AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates ? The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.

Since then, the standoff has only become tenser. The European Union on Monday joined the U.S. with new sanctions targeting Iran's critical oil exports. Authorities in Tehran fired back with another threat to block tankers in the Persian Gulf ? even while offering to restart international talks after a one-year gap.

Yet one thing hasn't changed since the last round of meetings in January 2011. The chances of Iran agreeing to stop enriching uranium ? the core dispute between Tehran and its foes ? still appear slim.

Iran portrays its ability to make nuclear fuel as akin to a patriotic cause: showcasing the country's technological advances, elevating its international stature and proudly defying Western nuclear controls like other nations in the past ? including North Korea since the 1990s and China in the 1960s.

Iran strongly denies that it seeks nuclear weapons and says it only wants to enrich uranium to fuel reactors for energy and research. But Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has linked control of the entire nuclear cycle to part of Iran's "national identity."

"Iran's right for uranium enrichment is nonnegotiable," said conservative Iranian lawmaker Ali Aghazadeh. "There is no reason for Iran to compromise over its rights. But Iran is open to discussions over concerns about its nuclear program."

The bloc on the other side of the negotiating table ? the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany ? has not publicly spelled out any clear strategies if talks resume in Turkey as a proposed venue. It's highly unlikely, however, that they would back off the insistence that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, which Washington and others fear could lead to weapons-grade nuclear material.

The potential dead ends are clearly marked even before any agreement to reopen dialogue.

Iranian officials hammer the point that halting uranium enrichment is off the agenda. Some in the West, meanwhile, question whether Iran's outreach is simply another tactic to buy time for its nuclear program under pressure from cyberattacks and targeted killings that Tehran has blamed on Israel and its allies.

In Paris last week, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the European Union has made specific proposals for dialogue with Iran, but "unfortunately the country has not committed in a transparent and cooperative way in this process of talks."

On Monday in Brussels, the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Tehran to offer "some concrete issues to talk about."

"It is very important that it is not just about words; a meeting is not an excuse, a meeting is an opportunity and I hope that they will seize it," she said as the EU adopted its toughest measures yet on Iran with an oil embargo and freeze of the country's central bank assets.

Iranian lawmaker Aghazadeh snapped back: "The West is not seeking a genuine dialogue."

"It's unlikely that any new round of talks will bring any understanding," he added. "There is lack of trust on both sides. Iran won't retreat from its position."

The situation carries strong echoes the last talks in January 2011. When the main talks foundered, Brazil and Turkey tried their hand by reviving proposals to provide Iran with reactor fuel rods from 20 percent enriched uranium in exchange for suspending the enrichment work.

It fell apart when Iran pushed ahead with a pilot program to make its own 20 percent enriched uranium. That's still far below the level needed for a warhead, but it boosts Iran's stockpile of higher-grade nuclear material and was seen as a powerful snub to Western demands.

In a news conference on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, used the word "justice" to describe what Tehran hopes to achieve from any possible talks.

It covers a lot of ground in explaining Iran's views.

Tehran considers its nuclear program as fully within U.N. rules ? which permit enrichment with oversight ? although U.N. watchdogs and other question how much of Iran's work is secret. Tehran also seeks to shift the nuclear spotlight onto Israel, which is believed to have an atomic arsenal despite its policy of neither confirming nor denying its military capabilities.

But, above all, the Islamic Republic sees its nuclear advancement as an integral part of its self-declared goal of becoming the Muslim world's answer to Western military and technological dominance.

Iran has announced sweeping plans for upgrades to its armed forces, including new warships and surveillance drones similar to the unmanned CIA spy craft captured last month. Iran's state media has claimed aerospace engineers have launched objects into orbit and are working on sending an astronaut into space.

"The nuclear program is a huge part of what's shaping Iran's world view," said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iranian affairs expert at Syracuse University. "Khamenei sees it as part of his legacy. In a way, it's like the nationalization of the Suez Canal for Egypt. It's a defining issue and one of major national importance."

It also is one of the few patches of common ground in a country deeply divided since the clashes and crackdowns after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009. Even opposition groups that rail against the ruling theocracy often support the nuclear program as a point of pride.

"The issue is protecting national interests," said Iranian political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand.

Yet he believes that talks ? even if they at first appear ill-fated ? are the only option to avoid deeper tensions that could lead to a military conflict in the Gulf.

"Talks offer a window to get out of the current impasse," he said.

The question still circles back to whether it could bring some concessions from Iran on uranium enrichment.

Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born analyst based in Israel, described Khamenei as stuck between "Obama and a hard place."

Khamenei cannot easily roll back the Iranian nuclear program, but is hit with increasing blows from sanctions that have isolated and eroded Iran's economy.

"Should he ignore it, the Iranian economy, the health of which is crucial to the survival of the regime, could collapse," he wrote in a Sunday commentary.

Keeping the ruling system in place, however, could also drive Iran's nuclear advances closer toward weapons, others contend.

"They perceive the whole nuclear issue as an insurance policy of sorts," said the analyst Boroujerdi. "There are those who say, 'If we are a nuclear power then the West wouldn't dare touch us.' And this, in their mind, helps ensure the survival of the system."

___

Associated Press writer Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_enrichment_commitment

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'Lab lit' is a chance to show what we're really like

Sean O'Neill, contributor

Jenny Rohn is a cell biologist at University College London. She is the author of two "lab lit" novels inspired by her scientific experiences, and is founder of the Science is Vital organisation, which successfully campaigned against UK science funding cuts in 2010.

Are you a happy scientist?

Yes, very happy, because it's a wonderful life to live. There are great opportunities to travel the world and experience different laboratory cultures. There's a great buzz to it, particularly when you are young. The downside is that it's quite an insecure job - you never know where the next contract will come from. So it's a love/hate thing - love the job, hate the insecurity.

This job insecurity is something you are trying to change, as part of the Science is Vital movement...

Yes. Science is fuelled by young researchers. PhDs and postdocs do the vast majority of the actual "wet work" involved in science, yet there is only a tiny number of places for them at the top and very few middle positions. In other professions you have the top person, but then you have middle layers - it's like a pyramid. Science isn't like that. You have the lab head and then all these apprentices and trainees on short-term contracts. Science is Vital and other interested groups are involved in round-table discussions at the Royal Society to try to come up with a way to make science a more secure career.

Research isn't the only option for science graduates, though.

No, there are lots of great jobs out there that you can use your science degree or PhD for. You can take it to the private sector, make lots of money and do really interesting things.

?Which you did...

Yes, I had a great time working at a biotech start-up in the Netherlands before I came to University College London. At university we were always told: "Industry is the Dark Side! You can't go over there, you'll never come back." But that's not true at all. You can go over to the dark side and enjoy it, and you can come back.

You based your second book, The Honest Look, on your experiences in industry. What's so interesting about scientific life that you want to immortalise it through "lab lit"?

I think people have no idea what scientists do. They envision us as boffins in white coats, stroking fluffy white cats and laughing maniacally. They don't realise that it is a modern profession full of interesting, fun, creative, smart people, just like any other industry. "Lab lit" is a chance to show what it's like.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1c1671a6/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cbigwideworld0C20A120C0A10Clab0Elit0E0E0Ea0Echance0Eto0Eshow0Ewhat0Ewere0Ereally0Elike0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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The World And Its Happenings ? Really like Your own Pets whilst All ...

Pet health is essential to the world. The whole world suits their own domestic pets, some places greater than other individuals. Simply no typical person would like to see pets not stay the full, content existence.Petsafe Obviously, this particular living must be comfortable in addition to being comfy as you possibly can.

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As for getting on and also pet grooming, you can find one or both. Right now, you can board along with bridegroom and even groom then aboard, which means you puppy is lovely to the additional pets. You can find doctor offices which are more inticate than individual health spas. You can go swimming, sweat, work, jump perform after which have a connoisseur dinner and also rest in a very luxurious dog your bed or specifically ready couch or even chair.

As well as, today, there exists doggy daycare, much like get away for the children. These kinds of tiny doggies can play using their friends, fatigue by themselves out there then go home and become willing to sleep all of those other evening. Thus giving father and mother some slack.

Pet wellbeing is essential to any or all forms of domestic pets these days, not just pet dogs, pet cats, mounts along with wild birds. Nowadays, people love their own mice, lizards, iguanas, snakes, baseball bats, subjects and bots. Mom and dad ought to recommend their kids for being vets as the family pet health care company is thriving and there?s no end in view. Right now, you can even find medical health insurance offers to allow you to invest in your canine?s treatment.

Once your canine?s well being has stopped being good and also you be aware of finish could possibly be near, you can find plans to help you with memorials and also cremations to your much loved pets. A lot of us ought to provide them with the very best good-bye feasible; to thank these people like the good periods they have demonstrated us.

Yes, we are all extremely pleased for that advancements in family pet wellbeing.

Source: http://completecompostingstore.com/2012/01/23/really-like-your-own-pets-whilst-all-of-them-wholesome/

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James' passion, great range remembered

FILE - In this April 29, 2006 photo, Etta James performs during the 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. James, the feisty rhythm and blues singer whose raw, passionate vocals anchored many hits and made the yearning ballad "At Last" an enduring anthem for weddings, commercials and even President Barack Obama, died Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. She was 73. James had been suffering from dementia and kidney problems, and was battling leukemia. In December 2011, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)

FILE - In this April 29, 2006 photo, Etta James performs during the 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. James, the feisty rhythm and blues singer whose raw, passionate vocals anchored many hits and made the yearning ballad "At Last" an enduring anthem for weddings, commercials and even President Barack Obama, died Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. She was 73. James had been suffering from dementia and kidney problems, and was battling leukemia. In December 2011, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)

FILE - This Nov. 24, 2008 file photo Etta James arrives at the premiere of "Cadillac Records" in Los Angeles. James, the feisty rhythm and blues singer whose raw, passionate vocals anchored many hits and made the yearning ballad "At Last" an enduring anthem for weddings, commercials and even President Barack Obama, died Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. She was 73. James had been suffering from dementia and kidney problems, and was battling leukemia. In December 2011, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? On her last album "The Dreamer," released just three months before her death, Etta James sings a mix of covers, from the R&B classic "Misty Blue" to the Ray Charles song "In the Evening." But perhaps the most curious tune included on the disc may be the Guns N' Roses staple "Welcome to the Jungle."

That a 73-year-old icon of R&B would tackle the frenetic rock song ? albeit in a pace more fitting her blues roots ? might seem odd. But the song may be the best representation of James as both a singer and a person ? rambunctious in spirit, with the ability to sing whatever was thrown at her, whether it was jazz, blues, pining R&B or a song from one of the rowdiest bands in rock.

"She was able to dig so deep in kind of such a raw and unguarded place when she sang, and that's the power of gospel and blues and rhythm and blues. She brought that to all those beautiful standards and rocks songs that she did. All the number of vast albums she recorded, she covered such a wide variety of material that brought such unique phrasing and emotional depth," said Bonnie Raitt, a close friend, in an interview on Friday afternoon after James' death.

"I think that's what appealed to people, aside from the fact that her personality on and off the stage was so huge and irrepressible. She was ribald and raunchy and dignified, classy and strong and vulnerable all at the same time, which is what us as women really relate to."

James, whose signature song was the sweeping, jazz-tinged torch song "At Last," died in Riverside, Calif., from complications of leukemia. Her death came after she struggled with dementia and other health problems, health issues that kept her from performing for the last two or so years of her life.

It was a life full of struggles. Her mother was immersed in a criminal life and left her to be raised by friends, she never knew her true father (though she believed it was billiards great Minnesota Fats), and she had her own troubles, which included a decades-long addiction to drugs, turbulent relationships, brushes with the law, and other tribulations.

One might think all of those problems would have weighted down James' spirit, and her voice, layering it with sadness, or despair. While she certainly could channel depression, anger, and sorrow in song, her voice was defined by its fiery passion: Far from beaten down, James embodied the fight of a woman who managed to claw her way back from the brink, again and again.

It's an attitude that influenced her look as well. Despite the conservative era, she dyed her hair platinum blonde, sending out the signal that she was far from demure, and owning a brassy, sassy attitude. She relished her role as saucy singer, a persona that she celebrated in her private life as well.

"In terms of 1950s rhythm and blues stars, she had kind of a gutsy attitude and she went out there and did what she did, and she was kind of bold ... and it had a huge influence," said David Ritz, the co-author of her autobiography "Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story." ''I think her gutsiness and her lack of fear and just her courage (made her special). ... I believe that made her important and memorable."

Beyonce, who played James in the movie "Cadillac Records" about Chess Records, also spoke about her influence on other singers.

"I feel like Etta James, first of all, was the first black woman I saw with platinum, blonde hair. She wore her leopard and she wore her sexy silhouette and she didn't care. She was strong and confident and always Etta James," said Beyonce in a 2008 interview.

James could often be irascible. Ritz remembers when he was working with her on her autobiography, touring with her around the country, that one time he approached her with his tape recorder and she barked: "If see that tape recorder again I'm going to cram it up your (expletive)."

But at other times, she'd be effusive and warm and anxious to talk.

"Once she did talk, she was always candid and unguarded. She was a free spirit," Ritz said.

While Ritz put her in the category of other greats like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, she never enjoyed their mainstream success. Though "At Last" has become an enduring classic, there were times when James had to scrounge for work, and while she won Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she did not have the riches, the multitude of platinum records or the hits that some of her peers enjoyed.

"She at least enjoyed a great resurgence like John Lee Hooker did and B.B. King, (and) has had some great decades of appreciation from new generations around the world," said Raitt. "There's no one like her. No one will ever replace Etta."

And Ritz said the lack of commercial success does nothing to diminish her greatness, or her legacy.

"Marvin certain knew it and Ray knew it ... the people who know that she was in that category," he said. "Whatever the marketplace did or didn't do or whether her lack of career management didn't do, it has nothing to do with her talent."

And on Friday, the Queen of Soul was among those who paid tribute to James greatness, calling her "one of the great soul singers of our generation. An American original!

"I loved 'Pushover,' 'At Last' and almost any and everything she recorded! When Etta SUNG, you heard it!"

___

AP Entertainment Writer Chris Talbott and AP Writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report.

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-21-Etta%20James-Appreciation/id-9becef41427147c5a2a44176e5f9e835

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Saudi urges pressure on Syria, withdraws monitors (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) - ? Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it was withdrawing its observers from Syria after an Arab monitoring mission failed to end 10 months of bloodshed, and called on the international community to exert "all possible pressure" on Damascus.

Hundreds of Syrians have been killed since the observers began their work in late December and political opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are demanding the Arab League refer the crisis to the United Nations Security Council.

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby reported to Arab foreign ministers in Cairo Sunday that Syria had only partly met the terms of an Arab peace plan and that a monitoring mission to Syria be extended, expanded and get more technical support.

After a day of meetings over how to handle the Syrian crisis, the foreign ministers were expected to recommend that Syria create a unity government including opposition figures within two months to prepare for early parliamentary and presidential elections, a draft of the final statement showed.

It was not clear how the Arab League might enforce those recommendations given its failure to stop the violence, in which the United Nations says at least 5,000 people have killed.

The Saudi comments suggest the extension of a mission Syria's opposition has described as toothless, and the new political road map, will not be enough to satisfy everyone in the 22-member League, divided over whether to escalate pressure.

"My country will withdraw its monitors because the Syrian government did not execute any of the elements of the Arab resolution plan," Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal told the ministers. The statement was obtained by Reuters after he spoke.

"We are calling on the international community to bear its responsibility, and that includes our brothers in Islamic states and our friends in Russia, China, Europe and the United States," Prince Saud said, calling for "all possible pressure" to push Syria to adhere to the Arab peace plan.

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For graphic on Arab League http://link.reuters.com/pev65s

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ARABS DIVIDED

Qatar and Saudi Arabia, regional rivals of Syria and its ally Iran, are impatient for decisive action against Assad but military action against Assad would need unanimous backing and several states prefer a negotiated solution, League sources say.

While none have so far followed suit, a diplomatic source said the remaining Gulf states backed the Saudi position while Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Tunisia criticized its move.

The Security Council is also split on how to address the crisis, with Western powers demanding tougher sanctions and a weapons embargo, and Assad's ally Russia preferring to leave the Arabs to negotiate a peaceful outcome.

Suggestions to send in U.N. experts to support the Arab observers made little headway at the last meeting earlier this month and Damascus has said it would accept an extension of the observer mission but not an expansion in its scope.

Others worry that weakening Assad could tip Syria, with its potent mix of religious and ethnic allegiances, into a deeper conflict that would destabilize the entire region. Some may fear the threat from their own populations if he were toppled.

Qatar, which has led calls for escalation, said it was time to rethink the mission and consider sending Arab peacekeepers.

"The reality says that the bloodshed has not stopped and the killing machine is still working and violence is spread everywhere," Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told the ministers. His comments later appeared in a statement.

"What is needed now is a full review of the work of this mission."

The lack of a unified Arab response has frustrated Syria's opposition which has demanded that Arab countries clearly state Assad's failure to adhere to its peace plan, withdraw monitors and hand the file to the UN Security Council.

Syrian opposition leaders urged other Arab states to follow Saudi Arabia's lead.

"We welcome the Saudi stance and I know that the Saudis are also pro sending the Syria file to the United Nations," said Abdel Baset Seda, an official in the main opposition Syrian National Council.

FUNERAL PROCESSION

Two Syrian army officers, an infantryman, a rebel and two civilians died in clashes Sunday in Talfita, a village near Damascus, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syria says 2,000 security personnel have been killed in the revolt.

Intermittent fighting continued in the town of Douma, nine miles northwest of the capital, which had been encircled by the military, said the UK-based rights group.

An opposition activist and a rebel fighter in Douma told Reuters by telephone the fighting had eased and the rebels held about two thirds of its main streets.

Masked fighters had set up checkpoints and a funeral procession for five civilians killed Saturday was passing through the town, they said. Angry cries could be heard in the background as they spoke.

The rebel fighter said there were several casualties on Sunday but no confirmed deaths.

Syrian forces opened fire on a car near the mountainous north Lebanese border town of Wadi Khaled, leading to an exchange of fire between the passengers and the Syrians, a Lebanese security source said. Residents later said they found a Syrian man wounded by landmines placed on border.

Syria, keen to avoid tougher foreign action, has tried to show it is complying with the Arab peace plan, which demanded a halt to killings, a military pullout from the streets, the release of detainees, access for the monitors and the media, and a political dialogue with opposition groups.

This month the Syrian authorities have freed hundreds of detainees, announced an amnesty, struck a cease-fire deal with armed rebels in one town, allowed the Arab observers into some troublespots and admitted some foreign journalists.

Assad also promised political reforms, while vowing iron-fisted treatment of the "terrorists" trying to topple him.

(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Beirut and Lin Noueihed in Cairo; Writing by Tom Pfeiffer and Lin Noueihed; Editing by Maria Golovnina)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/wl_nm/us_syria

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UK nuclear subsidies 'unlawful'

20 January 2012 Last updated at 08:25 ET By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

Green energy campaigners are attempting to block new nuclear power stations in the UK by complaining to the European Commission that government plans contravene EU competition regulations.

They say financial rules for nuclear operators include subsidies that have not been approved by the commission.

These include capping of liability for accidents, which they say at least halves the cost of nuclear electricity.

The government says it is confident that policies do not provide subsidies.

The complaint, by the Energy Fair group, also says that the UK's carbon floor price and feed-in tarriffs amount to state aid for the nuclear industry.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

It's clear that this is a subsidy by another name?

End Quote Caroline Lucas MP Energy Fair

State coffers would also have to meet cost overruns on nuclear waste disposal, they argue.

Dorte Fouquet of the German legal firm BBH, who drew up the complaint, said that EU energy policy was based on having an open market with a level playing field.

"The commission has repeatedly underlined that distortion of the market is to a large extent caused by subsidies to the incumbents in the energy sector," she said.

"This complaint aims to shed some light on the recent shift in the energy policy of the United Kingdom where strong signals point to yet another set of subsidies to the nuclear power plant operators."

Last year, a committee of UK MPs also said that the government was subsidising nuclear power, despite promises that it would not.

It sees the construction of about eight new reactors within a decade as essential for meeting climate change and energy security goals.

Underwritten

Although most of the complaint concerns the UK, some of its ingredients would apply to other EU nations as well, especially the capping of nuclear liability.

Estimates prepared for Energy Fair suggest that if operators had to buy insurance at the market rate, that would add at least 14 euro cents (12p) to the price of one kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity - and potentially 20 times that figure.

With electricity in the UK retailing around 12p/kWh, that would mean at least a doubling of the price.

Campaigners have repeatedly said down the years that all nuclear programmes are in fact underwritten by the state whether they are government-owned or private, because the clean-up costs from major accidents are enormous and the companies involved are considered "too big to fail".

Current UK proposals call for the operator to be liable for the first ?1bn of cost from any accident.

This is about a seven-fold increase on previous levels, but still a long way below the costs of a disaster such as the one that befell the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan last year.

That has left the plant's owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), facing a bill of multiple billions of dollars and reliant on state support - and perhaps eventual state ownership - to survive.

From a uniquely UK perspective, Fair Energy is focussing on elements of the Electricity Market Reform package that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) released last year.

"The introduction of a carbon price floor is likely to result in huge windfall handouts of around ?50m a year to existing nuclear generators," said Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the UK Green Party.

"Despite persistent denials by ministers, it's clear that this is a subsidy by another name, which makes a mockery of the Coalition pledge not to gift public money to this already established industry."

A Decc spokesman said the government's policy of no subsidies for nuclear, established in 2010, still stood.

"We are confident that our proposals to reform the electricity market to incentivise all low carbon generation are entirely consistent with that policy of no subsidy," he said.

The European Commission could take up to 18 months to consider the complaint. A finding in Fair Energy's favour could potentially derail the UK's nuclear expansion plans - and those of other countries.

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16646405

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