Continue reading Nikon adds Coolpix S9300, S6300, S4300 and S3300 to point-and-shoot lineup
Nikon adds Coolpix S9300, S6300, S4300 and S3300 to point-and-shoot lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
Share ] Contact: Megan Sever
msever@earthmagazine.org
American Geological Institute
Alexandria, VA Humans produce over 260 million tons of plastic each year. Almost a third of that plastic goes into disposable, one-time-use items, and only about 1% of it is recycled globally. Where does the rest of the plastic go? How does it interact with our environment? And how will it impact us in the future? In this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, follow the fate of many plastics as they make their way from our homes to our planet's oceans.
While no one knows exactly how much plastic is in the ocean, studies over the past few decades have suggested that millions of square kilometers of ocean surface may be covered with floating garbage "patches." Today, at least five such patches are known to exist. The largest, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floats miles off the coast of Hawaii and is estimated to be roughly the size of Texas. Where did this refuse come from? How is it affecting our oceans? And will we ever be able to remove the trash? Find out at http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/tracking-plastic-oceans.
Plastics not your bag? Read this story and more in this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, available online now at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Also in this month's issue, revisit water on mars as scientists search for clues to see if Mars could support life; learn how radiation is affecting residents in Fukushima, Japan; and, travel to Virunga National Park in the Congo to hike Mount Nyiragongo.
###
Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of 50 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.
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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: 30-Jan-2012 Share ] Contact: Megan Sever
msever@earthmagazine.org
American Geological Institute
Alexandria, VA Humans produce over 260 million tons of plastic each year. Almost a third of that plastic goes into disposable, one-time-use items, and only about 1% of it is recycled globally. Where does the rest of the plastic go? How does it interact with our environment? And how will it impact us in the future? In this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, follow the fate of many plastics as they make their way from our homes to our planet's oceans.
While no one knows exactly how much plastic is in the ocean, studies over the past few decades have suggested that millions of square kilometers of ocean surface may be covered with floating garbage "patches." Today, at least five such patches are known to exist. The largest, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floats miles off the coast of Hawaii and is estimated to be roughly the size of Texas. Where did this refuse come from? How is it affecting our oceans? And will we ever be able to remove the trash? Find out at http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/tracking-plastic-oceans.
Plastics not your bag? Read this story and more in this month's issue of EARTH Magazine, available online now at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Also in this month's issue, revisit water on mars as scientists search for clues to see if Mars could support life; learn how radiation is affecting residents in Fukushima, Japan; and, travel to Virunga National Park in the Congo to hike Mount Nyiragongo.
###
Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of 50 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.
[ | 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/agi-etp013012.php
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ATHENS, Greece ? A disorderly and potentially devastating Greek debt default is looking much less likely.
Greece and investors who own its bonds have reached a tentative deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion bailout.
Negotiators for the investors announced the agreement Saturday and said it could become final next week. If the agreement works as planned, it will help Greece remain solvent and help Europe avoid a blow to its already weak financial system, even though banks and other bond investors will have to accept multibillion-dollar losses.
Still, it doesn't resolve the weakening economic conditions in Greece and other European nations as they rein in spending to get their debts under control.
Under the agreement, investors holding euro206 billion in Greek bonds would exchange them for new bonds worth 60 percent less.
The new bonds' face value is half of the existing bonds. They would have a longer maturity and pay an average interest rate of slightly less than 4 percent. The existing bonds pay an average interest rate of 5 percent, according to the think tank Re-Define.
The deal would reduce Greece's annual interest expense on the bonds from about euro10 billion to about euro4 billion. And when the bonds mature, instead of paying bondholders euro206 billion, Greece will have to pay only euro103 billion.
Without the deal, which would reduce Greece's debt load by at least euro120 billion, the bonds held by banks, insurance companies and hedge funds would likely become worthless. Many of these investors also hold debt from other countries that use the euro, which could also lose value in the event of a full-fledged Greek default. This is the scenario analysts fear most and why they hope investors will voluntarily accept a partial loss on their Greek bonds.
The agreement taking shape is a key step before Greece can get a second, euro130 billion bailout from its European Union partners and the International Monetary Fund. Besides restructuring its debt with private investors, Greece must also take other steps before getting aid. It must cut its deficit and boost the competitiveness of its economy through layoffs of government employees and the sale of several state companies, among other moves.
Greece faces a euro14.5 billion bond repayment on March 20, which it cannot afford without additional help.
The country got its first bailout in May 2010 when the EU and the IMF signed off on a euro110 billion aid package, most of which has already been disbursed.
Private investors hold roughly two-thirds of Greece's debt, which has reached an unsustainable level ? nearly 160 percent of the country's annual economic output. By restructuring the debt held by private investors, Greece and its EU partners are hoping to bring that ratio closer to 120 percent by the end of this decade. Without a deal, analysts forecast that ratio ballooning to 200 percent by the end of this year as the Greek economy falters.
Meanwhile, Greece's public creditors ? the IMF, the EU and the European Central Bank ? are baffled by the government's repeated failure to meet deficit targets. They want more government wage cuts. That is meeting resistance by Greek politicians afraid of losing an election tentatively scheduled for the spring. But those same politicians also worry that the nation will be denied a second bailout if doesn't reduce its deficit.
Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Saturday night asked those who oppose structural changes to reconsider their stance.
"The coming days will be decisive for the next decade ... We must answer to tough dilemmas and we must do so with foresight and a sense of responsibility and not hide behind each other," he told reporters after meeting with the public creditors.
In return for the first bailout, Greece's public creditors have unprecedented powers over Greek spending. However, Greece's problems will not be fixed simply by cutting government spending. In order to bring its debts to a more manageable level, the country must also find ways boost economic output, which would enable it to collect more taxes.
If no debt-exchange deal is reached with private creditors and Greece is forced to default, it would very likely spook Europe's ? and possibly the world's ? financial markets. It could even lead Greece to withdraw from the euro.
Sarah Ketterer, co-manager of Causeway International Value Fund, a $1.4 billion mutual fund that invests in European stocks, said the region's markets have rebounded this month largely on expectations that negotiators would reach a deal along the lines of the one being finalized now.
Any last-minute breakdown in the talks could trigger a sharp decline in European markets, she said. But a rally is unlikely if negotiations succeed.
"The equity markets have ... largely already discounted this, and you can see that in the confidence that has returned in European equities since the end of December, and especially for financial stocks," Ketterer said.
She said there "really was no other option" than reaching a deal for bondholders to take a haircut of 50 percent or more.
Ketterer said a Greek deal could help restore bond market confidence. That would help Italy manage its own debt crisis ? one that Ketterer views as more critical than Greece's because of Italy's greater size.
The investors who own Greek bonds are being represented by Charles Dallara, managing director of the Washington-based Institute of International Finance, and Jean Lemierre, senior adviser to the chairman of the French bank BNP Paribas.
___
AP personal finance writer Mark Jewell in Boston, Elena Becatoros in Athens and Gabriele Steinhauser in Brussels contributed to this report.
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Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
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It may not be a cape of magical, silvery material, but it's still an invisibility cloak. A tube made of an insulating material striped with long, thin strips of copper makes objects within it invisible to microwaves. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin reported their cloaking chamber Jan. 25 in the New Journal of Physics.
Skip to next paragraphDifferent lab groups have been trying to cloak objects from light waves and microwaves for years. Previous efforts rendered objects invisible?along a plane, in two dimensions, by bending microwaves around the objects. Last year researchers?demonstrated an invisibility cloak?that worked in three dimensions, concealing a bump on a reflective surface.
This newest cloak makes three-dimensional objects invisible without using reflective surfaces or specialized microwave chambers. "We don't need mirrors, we don't need waveguides, we just built a cloak with a cover around an object," said Andrea Al?, an engineer at Texas-Austin who led the research.
The cloak makes objects invisible to microwaves from all angles, Al? and his colleagues found. They aimed microwaves at an 18-centimeter-long cylinder, fitted inside the invisibility chamber, from different angles. They found reduced microwave reflection from the cylinder no matter where they observed it.
Objects reflect light and other electromagnetic waves when they're just sitting around. That's how your eyes can see them and how devices such as radar detectors can sense airplanes and ships. Al?'s cloak works by reflecting electromagnetic waves in a way that cancels out the waves that the object reflects. "It's kind of an interference between the two," he told InnovationNewsDaily. "The combination of the two becomes invisible."
The secret to the cloak's exactly canceling waves is a "metamaterial," a man-made material that doesn't appear in nature and that has,?as one paper put it, "exotic electromagnetic properties." Al? first?published his ideas?for how to make an invisibility cloak using this canceling metamaterial in 2005 and has been working on the idea ever since.
Of course, the cylinder he cloaked in this latest study is still visible to the naked eye, which detects light waves, not microwaves. He said his technique works best with objects of comparable size to the wavelengths they're trying to hide from. Thus cigar-size cylinders are well masked from microwaves, which can be several centimeters long, while microscopic objects are best masked from visible light waves. So Al?'s metamaterials can't be used to cover certain boy wizards or anybody else, he said. "You can't use this to cloak a human body or a large object to visible light." He's working on creating a material that will cloak a microscopic object from visible light, which would be useful for machines that take microscopic photos.
As for the cloak he's already made, Al? thinks it would work well for stealth operations. "But it's superior to stealth, because stealth cancels the reflection but not the shadow of an object," he said.
You can follow?InnovationNewsDaily?staff writer Francie Diep on Twitter @franciediep. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on?Facebook.
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Hawaii's proposed online tracking law comes under fire from ISPs, civil libertarians originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A common pesticide used by beekeepers to kill honeybee-infecting mites temporarily leaves the bees more susceptible to a debilitating virus, new research suggests.
From parasitic flies to numerous viruses, honeybee colonies across the globe have a lot of things threatening their survival, but perhaps no stressor is as disastrous as varroa destructor mites. The tiny vampiric arachnids latch onto bees of all stages of life and suck their "blood." Often in the process, the mites deliver to the bees deformed wing virus ? which causes wing disfigurements in developing pupae, resulting in flightless bees that die shortly after their emergence. Both these mites and the deformed wing virus have been implicated in colony collapse disorder, and together they can wipe out an entire honeybee colony within a few years if left untreated, scientists have found.
The most successful weapon against these mites (at least those that haven't developed a resistance) has been pesticides called acaricides. However, scientists know little about the chemicals' effects on honeybee viruses. To find out, Joachim de Miranda, a bee ecologist at the Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden, and his colleagues studied the effects of the common acaricide Apistanon levels of several viruses in honeybees.
To their surprise, they found that concentrations of deformed wing virus in treated bee colonies initially increased for a period, before ultimately dropping when more mites died (though the virus levels didn't fall below those seen in untreated colonies until the last week of the six-week treatment used in the study).
If future studies conclusively show that Apistan causes a spike in the virulence of deformed wing virus, the findings could have implications for beekeepers, the researchers say.
"Make sure that you know that you absolutely have to treat before treating with acaricides," de Miranda told LiveScience. "If you don't have a lot of mites, then this treatment will only cause you more damage."
Of mites and viruses
During the winter, honeybees do not hibernate, but instead cling tightly together on the combs in the hive to form insulating "clusters." While in the cluster, the bees still rear young and consume food, but all reproduction is stopped. Because the bees need a critical number of members to effectively block out the cold, the colony must be healthy before and during the chilly season.
"They have to be as healthy as possible going into the winter to survive and produce the next generation during the spring before dying off," de Miranda explained.
Previous studies showed that colonies that were effectively mite-free were still dying over winter, and bees that died had elevated levels of deformed wing virus, said Stephen Martin, a varroa mite expert at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, who was not involved in the current research. "What we suspect is that the virus has now changed ? it was initially reliant on varroa, but now virulent forms don't rely on that kind of transmission," Martin said, referring to the fact that over the winters, when the mites are dead, the virus can still be transmitted to other bees through their regurgitated food.
In light of this fact, beekeepers need to know how soon before winter they need to start treating their colonies for varroa mites, to ensure that the bees make it to spring.
A balance of evils
The researchers don't yet know what could have caused the initial spike they saw in deformed wing virus in the pesticide-treated bees, but suspect that Apistan could be working synergistically with the virus against the bees; alternatively, the chemical may be negatively affecting bee immunity, leaving them more vulnerable to the deformed wing virus.
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Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: What's the physics behind a slap shot? Videos created by NBC, the NHL and the National Science Foundation explain the science of ice hockey.
Whatever the case, the study doesn't conclusively show that Apistan had an effect on virus levels, and the results could just be a statistical anomaly, Martin told LiveScience. The researchers are now looking to test how Apistan affects virus levels in the absence of varroa mites.
De Miranda doesn't think beekeepers should be alarmed, because the virus spike wasn't significant enough to cause major damage, though using pesticide to treat bees with just low levels of the mites may not be the best idea. Colonies highly infested with mites need to be treated, he said, adding that "you have to see it as sort of a balance of different evils."
At the very least, the study shows that beekeepers should probably treat their colonies for more than six weeks ahead of chilly weather, because there were still substantial levels of deformed wing virus at the end of the study treatment.
"Beekeepers need to be aware that viruses don?t sit still and things are continually changing," Martin said. Fifteen years ago acaricides that killed mites also reduced virus levels, but this is clearly not happening anymore, he said. "Things are not as straightforward as we once believed."
The study was published in the January issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46167215/ns/technology_and_science-science/
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Starbucks Corp. reported its biggest quarterly revenue gain since the recession began, but investors worried after the company issued a modest forecast for the year.
The Seattle-based coffee company reported on Thursday after the stock markets closed that fiscal first-quarter revenue grew 16 percent ? the largest quarterly gain since 2007. It attracted new customers by adding stores in China and Morocco, upgrading locations in the U.S. and rolling out single-serve coffee and other new items at grocery stores.
"Starbucks is firing on all cylinders and taking full advantage of the many global opportunities that lie ahead," CEO Howard Schultz said in a statement.
Profit rose 10 percent to $382.1 million, or 50 cents per share, for the quarter that ended Jan. 1. That's up from $346.6 million, or 45 cents per share, in the same quarter last year. Revenue increased to $3.44 billion with growth from all its business lines.
Results beat the 49 cents per share on revenue of $3.29 billion that analysts expected, according to FactSet.
Starbucks said revenue from its stores open at least a year ? an important measure because it strips away the impact of recently opened or closed stores ? increased 9 percent as more customers visited its cafes and spent more each trip. It was the company's most successful holiday season ever, with customers buying more peppermint mochas, gingerbread lattes and Starbucks gift cards.
Starbucks also benefited from the addition of 241 new stores during the quarter. It now operates 17,244 stores worldwide, with plans to open another 800 in the coming year.
Additionally, Starbucks delivered major gains in its consumer products business, which sells its new single-serve coffee products, Via instant coffee, Starbucks ice cream and other items for sale in grocery stores and other retailers. Revenue from this segment increased 72 percent and Starbucks expects the business to continue to grow.
The solid quarterly performance was followed by a full-year forecast that was slightly below Wall Street expectations as Starbucks acknowledged that it continues to struggle with higher costs for coffee beans, dairy products and other ingredients it needs.
Starbucks said these costs were $105 million higher for the quarter than this time last year, sending its operating margins down from 17 percent to 16.2 percent for the quarter. Starbucks said commodity costs will add up to $230 million in costs for the full fiscal year but it anticipates the pressure will lesson in the second-half of the year.
Starbucks nudged up the lower-end of its earnings guidance. It now expects to earn $1.78 to $1.82 per share for the full year, up from prior guidance of $1.75 to $1.82 for the year. But it falls just short of analyst expectations of $1.83 per share, according to FactSet.
Jack Russo, an analyst with Edward Jones, said the modest outlook and lower margins drove some investors away in after-hours trading. On the news, the company's shares fell 54 cents to $47.80 after the markets closed.
Starbucks remains a strong growth company, Russo said, but the stock is already rich. It has hovered near record highs this week. Its shares have traded between $30.75 and $48.39 in the past 52 weeks.
Associated PressHELSINKI ? Paavo Berglund, one of Finland's most prominent conductors, has died at age 82.
Elina Siltanen, the general manager of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra said Berglund died at home in Helsinki on Wednesday after a long illness. She could not give the cause of death.
Berglund, internationally known for numerous recordings of works of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, was principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1972-1979 and principal guest conductor with the Scottish National Orchestra in 1981-1985.
He was chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic and his engagements included major orchestras in Europe, including the Berlin Philharmonic.
He debuted in New York in 1978 and since the 1990s had been a regular visitor at the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra.
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WASHINGTON ? The U.S. economy grew at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the final three months of last year, the fastest growth in 2011.
Americans spent more on cars and trucks, and companies built up their stockpiles. But growth in the October-December quarter ? and all of last year ? was held back by the biggest annual government spending cuts in four decades.
The Commerce Department said Friday that the economy grew just 1.7 percent last year, roughly half of the growth in 2010 and the worst since the recession.
Most economists expect businesses to ease up on restocking in the first three months of the year. That should slow first-quarter growth. And consumers may cut back on spending if their wages continue to lag inflation.
In the final three months of last year, consumer spending grew at a 2 percent annual rate. That's up modestly from the third quarter.
Much of the growth was powered by a 14.8 percent surge in sales of autos and other long-lasting manufactured goods.
Incomes, which have been weak all year because of high unemployment, grew at a modest 0.8 percent rate. That followed two straight quarters of declining incomes.
Consumer spending is important because it makes up 70 percent of economic activity.
Spending by government at all levels fell at an annual rate of 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter and 2.1 percent for the year ? the biggest decline since 1971.
Sweeping federal defense cuts at the beginning and end of 2011 were a major factor.
Richard DeKaiser, a senior economist at Parthenon Group, expects just 2 percent annual growth in the January-March quarter. But Kaiser says that should be the weakest quarter. He expects the economy to gain strength in each quarter and grow 2.6 percent for the entire year.
Other data show the economy ended 2011 on a strong note. Companies invested more in equipment and machinery in December. The unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent last month ? the lowest level in nearly three years ? after the sixth straight month of solid hiring.
People are buying more cars, and consumer confidence is rising. Even the depressed housing market has shown enough improvement to make some economists predict a turnaround has begun.
Still, many economists worry that a recession in Europe could dampen demand for U.S. manufactured goods, which would slow growth. And without more jobs and better pay, consumer spending is likely to stagnate.
The Federal Reserve signaled this week that a full recovery could take at least three more years. In response, it said it would probably not increase its benchmark interest rate until late 2014 at the earliest ? a year and a half later than it had previously said.
The central bank also slightly reduced its outlook for growth this year, from as much as 2.9 percent forecast in November down to 2.7 percent. The Fed sees unemployment falling as low as 8.2 percent this year.
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PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea ? Rebel soldiers seized the military's headquarters Thursday and replaced Papua New Guinea's top defense official with their own leader, who gave Prime Minister Peter O'Neill a week to step aside for his ousted predecessor.
The self-proclaimed new leader of the country's defense forces, retired Col. Yaura Sasa, insisted he was not mounting a coup. But he warned that the military will take unspecified action unless O'Neill stands down and former prime minister Michael Somare, is reinstated, as the national Supreme Court ordered last month.
"Both Sir Michael Somare and O'Neill have seven days to implement the Supreme Court's orders to resolve the current political impasse or I will be forced to take actions to uphold the integrity of the Constitution," Sasa told reporters in Port Moresby.
The government called on Sasa and his supporters to surrender and said the mutiny did not have support from the broader military.
Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah told reporters that about 30 soldiers were involved in the mutiny and 15 of them have been arrested. Namah said Sasa could be charged with treason, which carries the death sentence.
The new crisis comes during a turbulent period for the South Pacific's most populous island nation, where both O'Neill and Somare claim to be the rightful prime minister.
Rebel soldiers overpowered guards at the Taurama Barracks in Port Moresby before dawn. They then moved to the military headquarters at Murray Barracks and placed the head of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force, Brigadier General Francis Agwi, under house arrest. There were no reports of bloodshed.
Sasa, who last served as Papua New Guinea's defense attache to Indonesia before retiring from the military, told reporters he had been legitimately appointed defense chief by Somare.
Somare's spokeswoman Betha Somare told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that his ousted cabinet had confirmed Sasa's appointment several days ago. Betha Somare, who is also Michael Somare's daughter, did not immediately reply to The Associated Press' request for comment on Thursday.
Namah said Somare had "no sanity" and was using "rogue soldiers to pursue his own greed and selfishness."
O'Neill had told Australia ? Papua New Guinea's former colonial master and main provider of foreign aid ? that "authorities were taking steps to manage the situation," Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
Somare was Papua New Guinea's first prime minister when it became independent in 1975, and was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Papua New Guinea's Parliament replaced him with O'Neill in August, while Somare was getting medical treatment outside the country.
Last month, the country's Supreme Court and Governor-General Michael Ogio backed Somare, who the court ruled was illegally removed. But Ogio changed his mind days later, saying bad legal advice had led him to incorrectly reinstate Somare.
Australia, which has the largest diplomatic mission of any country in Port Moresby, called for Agwi to be reinstated.
"We urge that the situation be resolved as soon as possible, and that the PNGDF chain of command is restored," the foreign affairs department said in a statement.
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CORRECTS LOCATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA, INSTEAD OF UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA - Republican presidential candidates former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney participate in the Republican presidential candidates debate at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
CORRECTS LOCATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA, INSTEAD OF UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA - Republican presidential candidates former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney participate in the Republican presidential candidates debate at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
CORRECTS LOCATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA, INSTEAD OF UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA - Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, stand during the National Anthem at the Republican presidential candidates debate at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney participates in the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich participates in the Republican presidential candidates debate in Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? Newt Gingrich cast Mitt Romney as the most anti-immigrant candidate of the four contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in campaign debate Thursday night in Hispanic-heavy Florida. "That's simply inexcusable," the former Massachusetts governor shot back, heatedly denying the accusation.
Romney quickly added that Gingrich's campaign had stopped running a radio ad that made the "anti-immigrant charge" after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio called on him to do so. Romney said to Gingrich concerning the ad, "I think you should apologize for it."
The exchange came near the beginning of the second debate in four days in advance of next Tuesday's Florida primary. Opinion polls make the race a close one, with two other contenders, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, trailing far behind.
But Santorum drew applause from the audience when he called on the two front-runners to stop attacking one another and "focus on the issues."
"Can we set aside that Newt was a member of Congress ... and that Mitt Romney is a wealthy guy?" he said in a tone of exasperation.
That seemed unlikely, given the stakes in the primary now five days distant.
Gingrich picked up on the theme quickly, calling on moderator Wolf Blitzer of CNN to let the four candidates discuss the issues.
The audience booed, as if in agreement with Gingrich, but Romney jumped in, saying, "Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't make accusations somewhere else that they weren't willing to defend here."
Moments earlier, Romney and Gingrich had exchanged jabs over investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two mortgage giants that played a role in the national foreclosure crisis that has hit Florida particularly hard.
Gingrich said Romney was making money from investments in funds that were "foreclosing on Floridians."
Romney quickly noted that Gingrich, too, was invested in mutual funds with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He then added that the former House speaker "was a spokesman" for the two. That was a reference to a contract that one of Gingrich's businesses had for consulting services. The firm was paid $300,000 in 2006.
There were some moments of levity, including when Paul, 76, was asked whether he would be willing to release his medical records.
He said he was, then challenged the other three men on the debate stage to a 25-mile bike race.
He got no takers.
Romney and Gingrich had clashed repeatedly in the first debate of the week, held Monday in Tampa.
Gingrich's unexpected victory in the South Carolina primary last weekend upended the race to pick a Republican opponent for Democratic President Barack Obama in the fall, and Romney can ill afford another setback.
In the days since his loss, he has tried to seize the initiative, playing the aggressor in the Tampa debate and assailing Gingrich in campaign speeches and a TV commercial.
An outside group formed to support Romney has spent more than his own campaign's millions on ads, some of them designed to stop Gingrich's campaign momentum before it is too late to deny him the nomination.
Gingrich's performance in a pair of South Carolina debates are generally believed to have helped him to his victory there, and Romney's aides have expressed concern that the debate audience might benefit the former House speaker.
The issue was clearly on Romney's mind as he campaigned at a factory several hours before the debate began.
"There may be some give and take. That's always entertaining," he said. "If you all could get in there we'd love to see you all there cheering."
A voice from the audience responded that there were no more tickets, and Romney replied: 'No tickets? Just storm in."
Gingrich seemed far less confident as he campaigned his way into the debate.
He unleashed an attack reminiscent of his rhetoric a month ago when he was being outspent heavily on television and falling sharply in the polls just before the Iowa caucuses.
He accused Romney and Restore Our Future, the independent group, of dishonest ads, and said, "This is the desperate last stand of the old order. This is the kind of gall they have, to think we're so stupid and we're so timid."
He later told reporters he decided to sharpen his criticisms after Romney released his tax returns. "Here's a guy who owns Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae stock," Gingrich said. "He owns a Goldman Sachs subsidiary, which is foreclosing on Floridians. And on that front he decides to lie about my career? There's something about the hypocrisy that should make every American angry."
Romney released his income tax returns for 2010 and an estimate for 2011 after declining to do so in South Carolina.
Gingrich, also under pressure, disclosed the consulting contract one of his firms had with Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage giant that played a role in the foreclosure crisis that hit Florida especially hard. It showed payments of $300,000 in 2006 for unspecified consulting services.
Romney has pummeled Gingrich in the days since, calling him an influence peddler and a lobbyist who was taking money from the very organization that was harming Floridians.
___
Associated Press writers Brian Bakst and Kasie Hunt contributed to this story.
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ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed a comprehensive study of an unexplained skin condition commonly referred to as Morgellons and found no infectious agent and no evidence to suggest an environmental link.
The full results are reported in the Jan. 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.
In this study, investigators took an in-depth look at a skin condition characterized by unexplained lesions that contain fibers, threads, or other foreign material, accompanied by sensations of crawling, biting, or stinging. The condition is not currently recognized as a distinct clinical disorder with established diagnostic criteria. However, increasing inquiries to the CDC in 2006-2009 regarding the condition prompted the study in Northern California, where many of the persons who reported these symptoms lived.
The researchers found and enrolled 109 persons with symptoms of this condition by searching through the electronic medical record database of a large HMO. They conducted extensive testing to rule out infectious causes, and found no indication that the condition was attributed an infection. The researchers also determined that the fibers associated with the lesions were apparently fragments of cloth or other debris. The investigators showed that the condition is uncommon, estimating that it results in fewer than four out of 100,000 people seeking medical attention. About half of the study participants had evidence of other medical, most commonly psychiatric, illnesses.
The CDC suggests that people suffering with symptoms similar to those reported in the study should see their health care provider for a complete physical to ensure proper diagnosis of all illnesses, including psychiatric, and follow the recommended treatments.
"We found no evidence that this condition is contagious, or that suggests the need for additional testing for an infectious disease as a potential cause," says Dr. Mark Eberhard, Director of CDC's Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria and a lead study investigator. "This alleviates concerns about the condition being contagious between family members and others."
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KABUL, Afghanistan?? A cache of ancient Jewish scrolls from northern Afghanistan that has only recently come to light is creating a storm among scholars who say the landmark find could reveal an undiscovered side of medieval Jewry.
The 150 or so documents, dated from the 11th century, were found in Afghanistan's Samangan province and most likely smuggled out ? a sorry but common fate for the impoverished and war-torn country's antiquities.
Israeli emeritus professor Shaul Shaked, who has examined some of the poems, commercial records and judicial agreements that make up the treasure, said while the existence of ancient Afghan Jewry is known, their culture was still a mystery.
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"Here, for the first time, we see evidence and we can actually study the writings of this Jewish community. It's very exciting," Shaked told Reuters by telephone from Israel, where he teaches at the Comparative Religion and Iranian Studies department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The hoard is currently being kept by private antique dealers in London, who have been producing a trickle of new documents over the past two years, which is when Shaked believes they were found and pirated out of Afghanistan in a clandestine operation.
It is likely they belonged to Jewish merchants on the Silk Road running across Central Asia, said T. Michael Law, a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at Oxford University's Center for Hebrew and Jewish Studies.
"They might have been left there by merchants traveling along the way, but they could also come from another nearby area and deposited for a reason we do not yet understand," Law said.
"Sold elsewhere for 10 times more"
Cultural authorities in Kabul had mixed reactions to the find, which scholars say is without a doubt from Afghanistan, arguing that the Judeo-Persian language used on the scrolls is similar to other Afghan Jewish manuscripts.
National Archives director Sakhi Muneer outright denied the find was Afghan, arguing that he would have seen it, but an adviser in the Culture Ministry said it "cannot be confirmed but it is entirely possible."
"A lot of old documents and sculptures are not brought to us but are sold elsewhere for 10 times the price," said adviser Jalal Norani, explaining that excavators and ordinary people who stumble across finds sell them to middlemen who then auction them off in Iran, Pakistan and Europe.
"Unfortunately, we cannot stop this," Norani said. The Culture Ministry, he said, pays on average $1,500 for a recovered antique item. The Hebrew University's Shaked estimated the Jewish documents' worth at several million dollars.
Thirty years of war and conflict have severely hindered both the collecting and preserving of Afghanistan's antiquities, and the Culture Ministry said endemic corruption and poverty meant many new discoveries do not even reach them.
Interpol and U.S. officials have also traced looted Afghan antiquities to funding insurgent activities.
In today's climate of uncertainty, the National Archives in Kabul keeps the bulk of its enormous collection of documents ? some dating to the fifth century ? under lock and key to prevent stealing.
Instead reproductions of gold-framed Pashto poems and early Korans scribed on deer skin, or vellum, are displayed for the public under the ornate ceilings of the Archives, which were the 19th century offices of Afghan King Habibullah Khan.
"I am sure Afghanistan, like any country, would like to control their antiquities. ... But on the other hand, with this kind of interest and importance, as a scholar I can't say that I would avoid studying them," said Shaked of the Jewish find.
(Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni)
Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46102501/ns/technology_and_science-science/
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Automotive Automotive digital components is a part of everyday life
A number of days back I examine some content articles about automotive gps by accident from across the world. Some customers really like it but some loathe it. The actual fact is the automotive gps is definitely a piece of our everyday life. Despite you like it or loathe it, you just cannot dwell devoid of it. Much more and more nations are popularized automotive gps navigation product. And I think India will become one in all them shortly.
During the past ten ages, it will be explained Indians would not ever use an auto gps product given that they suppose all folks that can manage a navigation product might have a driver, as well as the driver needs to know the way in which. Apart from, how does the automotive gps navigation product job if there are actually no maps and road identify in India?
And I do imagine the automotive gps product will go to India, just the issue of time. As soon as you get misplaced and need to request for instructions over the road, however you would obtain the mistaken direction typically. Indians never wish to say I do not know, but present you with some answer not for guaranteed. However, when you go out with the loved ones or pals, they?re able to not truly feel comfy when you end and request strangers for direction many of the time, telling them that you?re misplaced.
Do you think that they would wish to sit with you and generate the automotive go close to and close to? If there are actually no road names and maps, the method of generating map is exceptional with a POI tactic. And it will be alot more handy in these types of situation. The good news is usually that alot more and more men and women agree that the automotive gps navigation is necessary.
Despite you imagine or not, automotive gps navigation product has blog introduced a storm every last place.
It would provide the storm to India far too from the same stride. Primary the gps navigation product was added over the mobile phone. And after that you would see it from the retail shops. And now the automotive businesses start off to be part of from the bandwagon. That?s over countless men and women will advantage from this. In the event you or your loved ones or your pals have got a automotive, set up an auto dvd gps player in your automotive.
You certainly will not ever get misplaced. Apart from, the multifunctional automotive gps player has alot more benefits. You can find dvd player, radio, High definition touchscreen, help steering wheel marieluce manage, help ipod, etc. Will need more details, you would go to autodvdgps, the most impressive automotive dvd gps navigations product on the net store.
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Source: http://coolduckscreenprinting.com/car-automotive-electronic-accessories-is-now-part-of-daily-life/
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