Poisonous morning hygiene

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
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Contact: Axel Burchardt
presse@uni-jena.de
49-364-193-1031
Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena

Chemists of the University Jena reveal how algae delete unwanted 'competitors'

This release is also available in Chinese on EurekAlert! Chinese.

(Jena) Every morning when the sun comes up, the ocean ground is radically cleaned. As soon as the first rays of sunlight find their way into the water, the microalgae "Nitzschia cf pellucida" start their deadly 'morning hygiene'. The algae, the size of only some few micrometers, wrap themselves and their surroundings in a highly toxic poison: cyanogen bromide, a chemical relative of hydrocyanic acid, although much more toxic.

Like a 'molecular toothbrush', which removes other micro-organisms thoroughly, every morning this chemical mace 'disinfects' the ground on which these diatoms grow. "Thus they can ideally grow and keep direct competitors for light and free space in check," Professor Dr. Georg Pohnert of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states. The director of the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry revealed together with his team and colleagues of the University Ghent (Belgium) the chemical devastating blow of the diatoms. Their findings were published in the new edition of the well known science magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cyanogen bromide is a highly poisonous metabolic toxin and is amongst other things being used for the lixiviating of gold ores. During the First World War it was also used as a chemical weapon. "Until now it wasn't even known that this poison occurs in the living nature at all," says Professor Pohnert. For "Nitzschia cf pellucida" the production of cyanogen bromide seems to be easy though. As soon as the first rays of sunlight find their way into the water, the cellular 'devil's workshop' starts to work. "From two up to four hours after day break the concentration of the released cyanogen bromide is at its highest, later on it decreases," Professor Pohnert explains one of the results of his new study.

The scientists can still only speculate about the fact that the poison doesn't harm the diatoms themselves. One thing is for sure: While the 'competing' algae give up after two hours at most, subsequent to being attacked by cyanogen bromide the poison at the same time doesn't harm Nitzschia cf pellucida. To find the reasons for this is one of the next research objectives of the Jena scientists and their Belgian partners.

But according to chemist Pohnert this would be pure basic research. Cyanogen bromide is completely inapplicable to practical use for instance as a means against unwanted algae growth. Because it is certain that in this case it is not only the algae that would be damaged.

###

Original-Publication:

Vanelslander B et al.: Daily bursts of biogenic cyanogen bromide (BrCN) control biofilm formation around a marine benthic diatom. PNAS 2012

Contact:

Professor Dr. Georg Pohnert
Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry of Friedrich Schiller
University Jena
Lessingstr. 8
D-07743 Jena
Phone: 49-3641-948170
Email: Georg.Pohnert[at]uni-jena.de

---

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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
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Axel Burchardt
presse@uni-jena.de
49-364-193-1031
Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena

Chemists of the University Jena reveal how algae delete unwanted 'competitors'

This release is also available in Chinese on EurekAlert! Chinese.

(Jena) Every morning when the sun comes up, the ocean ground is radically cleaned. As soon as the first rays of sunlight find their way into the water, the microalgae "Nitzschia cf pellucida" start their deadly 'morning hygiene'. The algae, the size of only some few micrometers, wrap themselves and their surroundings in a highly toxic poison: cyanogen bromide, a chemical relative of hydrocyanic acid, although much more toxic.

Like a 'molecular toothbrush', which removes other micro-organisms thoroughly, every morning this chemical mace 'disinfects' the ground on which these diatoms grow. "Thus they can ideally grow and keep direct competitors for light and free space in check," Professor Dr. Georg Pohnert of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states. The director of the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry revealed together with his team and colleagues of the University Ghent (Belgium) the chemical devastating blow of the diatoms. Their findings were published in the new edition of the well known science magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cyanogen bromide is a highly poisonous metabolic toxin and is amongst other things being used for the lixiviating of gold ores. During the First World War it was also used as a chemical weapon. "Until now it wasn't even known that this poison occurs in the living nature at all," says Professor Pohnert. For "Nitzschia cf pellucida" the production of cyanogen bromide seems to be easy though. As soon as the first rays of sunlight find their way into the water, the cellular 'devil's workshop' starts to work. "From two up to four hours after day break the concentration of the released cyanogen bromide is at its highest, later on it decreases," Professor Pohnert explains one of the results of his new study.

The scientists can still only speculate about the fact that the poison doesn't harm the diatoms themselves. One thing is for sure: While the 'competing' algae give up after two hours at most, subsequent to being attacked by cyanogen bromide the poison at the same time doesn't harm Nitzschia cf pellucida. To find the reasons for this is one of the next research objectives of the Jena scientists and their Belgian partners.

But according to chemist Pohnert this would be pure basic research. Cyanogen bromide is completely inapplicable to practical use for instance as a means against unwanted algae growth. Because it is certain that in this case it is not only the algae that would be damaged.

###

Original-Publication:

Vanelslander B et al.: Daily bursts of biogenic cyanogen bromide (BrCN) control biofilm formation around a marine benthic diatom. PNAS 2012

Contact:

Professor Dr. Georg Pohnert
Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry of Friedrich Schiller
University Jena
Lessingstr. 8
D-07743 Jena
Phone: 49-3641-948170
Email: Georg.Pohnert[at]uni-jena.de

---

[ | 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/fj-pmh013012.php

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World lacks enough food, fuel as population soars: U.N. (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? The world is running out of time to make sure there is enough food, water and energy to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population and to avoid sending up to 3 billion people into poverty, a U.N. report warned on Monday.

As the world's population looks set to grow to nearly 9 billion by 2040 from 7 billion now, and the number of middle-class consumers increases by 3 billion over the next 20 years, the demand for resources will rise exponentially.

Even by 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to U.N. estimates, at a time when a changing environment is creating new limits to supply.

And if the world fails to tackle these problems, it risks condemning up to 3 billion people into poverty, the report said.

Efforts towards sustainable development are neither fast enough nor deep enough, as well as suffering from a lack of political will, the United Nations' high-level panel on global sustainability said.

"The current global development model is unsustainable. To achieve sustainability, a transformation of the global economy is required," the report said.

"Tinkering on the margins will not do the job. The current global economic crisis ... offers an opportunity for significant reforms."

Although the number of people living in absolute poverty has been reduced to 27 percent of world population from 46 percent in 1990 and the global economy has grown 75 percent since 1992, improved lifestyles and changing consumer habits have put natural resources under increasing strain.

There are 20 million more undernourished people now than in 2000; 5.2 million hectares of forest are lost per year - an area the size of Costa Rica; 85 percent of all fish stocks are over-exploited or depleted; and carbon dioxide emissions have risen 38 percent between 1990 and 2009, which heightens the risk of sea level rise and more extreme weather.

The panel, which made 56 recommendations for sustainable development to be included in economic policy as quickly as possible, said a "new political economy" was needed.

"Let's use the upcoming Rio+20 summit to kick off this global transition towards a sustainable growth model for the 21st century that the world so badly needs," EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said in response to the report, referring to a U.N. sustainable development summit this June in Brazil.

ACTION

Among the panel's recommendations, it urged governments to agree on a set of sustainable development goals which would complement the eight Millennium Development Goals to 2015 and create a framework for action after 2015.

They should work with international organizations to create an "evergreen revolution," which would at least double productivity while reducing resource use and avoiding further biodiversity losses, the report said.

Water and marine ecosystems should be managed more efficiently and there should be universal access to affordable sustainable energy by 2030.

To make the economy more sustainable, carbon and natural resource pricing should be established through taxation, regulation or emissions trading schemes by 2020 and fossil fuel subsidies should also be phased out by that time.

National fiscal and credit systems should be reformed to provide long-term incentives for sustainable practices as well as disincentives for unsustainable ones.

Sovereign wealth and public pension funds, as well as development banks and export credit agencies should apply sustainable development criteria to their investment decisions, and governments or stock market watchdogs should revise regulations to encourage their use.

Governments and scientists should also strengthen the relationship between policy and science by regularly examining the science behind environmental thresholds or "tipping points" and the United Nations should consider naming a chief scientific adviser or board to advise the organization, the report said.

The report is available at http://www.un.org/gsp/

(Reporting by Nina Chestney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_un_development

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Despite Carmelo Anthony Trade, NBA's Knicks Keep Losing (Time.com)

For essentially the entire 21st century, a strange, sad problem has bedeviled the NBA: the franchise in its biggest, highest-profile market has been consistently awful. For nine straight seasons, from 2001?02 to 2009?10, the New York Knicks failed to finish above .500. No other NBA team matched that level of futility.

How did this happen? After all, self-centered New Yorkers like to claim, what star free agent wouldn't want to play with the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, the overrated, outdated building dubbed the World's Most Famous Arena? Yet the Knicks, thanks mostly to the mismanagement of former general manager Isiah Thomas, could not afford to sign the best free agents since they wasted so much money and salary-cap space on long-term contracts for ineffective players like Jerome James and Eddy Curry. And when the Knicks shed enough bad contracts to try to sign LeBron James as a free agent in 2010, James spurned the streets of New York for the beaches of Miami. (See more of Sean Gregory's fearless sports predictions.)

All that was supposed to change on Feb. 21, 2011, when the Knicks completed a trade for four-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, one of the most prodigious scorers in the league, point guard Chauncey Billups and some spare parts. New York sent Danilo Gallinari, a promising young player from Italy, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler and the team's first-round pick in 2014 to the Denver Nuggets. At the time, the Knicks were 28-26 and Denver was 32-25.

But since that trade, the Knicks have a 21-25 regular-season record, while Denver, thanks in large part to the play of Gallinari, has gone 31-12. This year the Nuggets are 13-5, in second place in the Northwest division. The Knicks finished last season 42-40, and the Boston Celtics swept them in the first round of the playoffs. But 2011?12 has been a disaster for New York, which faces James and the Miami Heat, who are 13-5, on Friday night, Jan. 27. The Knicks are just 7-11 on the year and have lost seven of their past eight games.

So what went wrong this time? You can directly trace New York's current problems back to James' decision. After the Knicks lost out on the high-stakes courtship, they signed Amar'e Stoudemire, an explosive offense player with a history of aching knees, to a five-year, $100 million contract in 2010. But to team owner Jim Dolan, a pariah in the eyes of Knicks fans, that consolation prize was not enough. Still stinging over LeBron's rejection, Dolan craved a marquee player to pack in the fans at MSG. Former Knicks president and general manager Donnie Walsh reportedly did not want to make the Anthony trade, preferring to develop his younger talent. But Dolan insisted that Walsh pull the trigger. (See more on LeBron James.)

And there, in a nutshell, you have the Knicks' problem: one of the smartest guys in pro basketball over the past few decades was overruled by a clueless team owner. Stoudemire had been outstanding on his own, but Walsh realized what Dolan chose to ignore ? that he and Anthony are scoring forwards with redundant, rather than complementary, roles. Sure, James and Dwyane Wade are both guards who like to slash and score. But they mesh because James is one of the best passers in the league. Anthony is a gunner, and he hasn't been a good one this year: he's shooting a career-low 39.4% from the field.

Under coach Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks have never been a stellar defensive team. (The high-octane Phoenix Suns teams D'Antoni coached from 2003 to 2008 also neglected to guard.) To strengthen their defensive muscle, the Knicks traded for Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler, whose grunt work under the boards helped the Mavs take the 2011 title, after the lockout ended in December. The Knicks gave Chandler a four-year, $56 million contract; in order to clear salary-cap space for him, however, the Knicks waived their point guard, Billups, under the one-time amnesty clause included in the new collective-bargaining agreement. Billups' $14.2 million salary for this season no longer counts under the cap, though the Knicks are paying $12.2 million to Billups while his new team, the Los Angeles Clippers, picks up the rest.

So the Knicks are paying $12.2 million to the point guard they so desperately need. Go ahead, pull your hair out, Knicks fans. Without Billups, the team is asking Toney Douglas, who ideally is a shooter from off the bench, to play point guard. With Carmelo and Anthony in the lineup, Landry Fields, ideally a small forward, was shifted to shooting guard ? where he is shooting a horrible 21% from three-point range. So for a starting lineup, the Knicks have two guys playing out of position and two All-Stars who have trouble playing with each other.

And it gets worse. When Anthony joined the team, most observers figured offense would be easy and defense the main challenge. Yet in order to compensate for their point-guard deficiencies, the Knicks have asked Anthony to initiate the offense. When he has the ball in his hands, defenses can focus on him. He's better off coming off screens, catching the ball and either quickly shooting or exploding to the basket. "The bottom line is that Carmelo has to think on the floor," says former Knicks point guard Greg Anthony, an NBA TV analyst. "And athletes are at their best when they are comfortable and playing off instinct. If Chauncey was still there, everyone could go back to their natural positions. When you're asking guys to do things that they don't do well, that's a recipe for disaster." (See more on the NBA.)

The Knicks signed Baron Davis to help at point guard, but he is recovering from a back injury. Even if he comes back healthy, Davis is not known as a pure passer who keeps an offense in rhythm. New York also signed Mike Bibby as a backup point guard. But at this point in the aging Bibby's career, he might not be the best player in your weekend-warrior pickup game.

As if Knicks fans haven't suffered enough, Anthony's former team, Denver, marched into the Garden on Jan. 21 and defeated the Knicks in double overtime, 119-114. Stoudemire did not attempt a shot in the fourth quarter or the first overtime. Anthony took 30 shots, hitting 10 of them; he started the game 3 for 17. Gallinari, the former Knick, had a career-high 37 points; on Jan. 25, the Nuggets signed him to a four-year, $42 million contract extension.

The NBA labor fight was framed as a big-market-vs.-small-market battle. The system needed repairing, the owners said, to give the little guys a chance to make money and compete. But the Anthony debacle shows that not all big-market teams are created equal. LIST: Top 10 Sports Superstitions.)

Take the Heat and the Knicks. Miami cleared the cap room to catch the big free-agent prize and got him. The Knicks missed out, but instead of staying patient and developing homegrown talent, they made moves to scramble for the second-tier stars. To date, these decisions haven't produced the expected victories. Instead, they've just produced more suffering. And the NBA, which thirsts for a marquee team in its marquee market, and New York fans have seen enough of that.

Sean Gregory is a staff writer at TIME. Keeping Score, his sports column for TIME.com, usually appears Friday. Follow him on Twitter at @seanmgregory. You can also continue the discussion on TIME's Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.

See Gregory's fearless sports predictions for 2012.

See pictures of Magic Johnson.

'); } } // REQUIRED VALUES google_ad_client = 'ca-timeinc-time-bah'; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '3'; // OPTIONAL, USED google_ad_type = 'text'; // type of ads to display google_ad_channel = 'article'; google_safe = 'high'; // -->

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/time_rss/rss_time_us/httpwwwtimecomtimenationarticle08599210553800htmlxidrssnationyahoo/44351625/SIG=12ltsd0cb/*http%3A//www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2105538,00.html?xid=rss-nation-yahoo

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Shopkick: We Helped Drive More Than $110M In 2011 Revenue For Brands And Brick And Mortar Retailers

After recently announcing the milestone of 3 million active users, geo-coupon system a Shopkick is revealing that its mobile app helped drive more than $110 million in-store revenue for partner retailers and brands in 2011 in its first full year operating the app. Shopkick, which is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Greylock, SV Angel and others, provides an in-store, location-based mobile shopping platform, Instead of checking in, as you would with a geo app like Foursquare, Shopkick automatically recognizes when someone with the free Android or iPhone app on their phone walks into a store. Once a Shopkick Signal is detected, the app delivers reward points called ?kicks? to the user for walking into a retail store, trying on clothes, scanning a barcode and other actions.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IO0DzBIpiE0/

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Experts want suicide risk warning on ADHD drug (Reuters)

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland (Reuters) ? Children who take a common drug for attention deficit disorder should be warned about the risk of suicidal thoughts, U.S. pediatric health advisers said on Monday.

Several members of an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration asked the agency to change the label for Focalin, an attention deficit medicine made by Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG, to reflect this risk. The drug is approved for children aged 6 or older.

The FDA often follows the advice of its committees, although it is not required to.

The FDA said it received eight reports of suicidal thoughts for children or adolescents who took the drug over the past six years, and four of the cases appeared to be linked to the medicine. The link for the remaining cases was less clear.

"The suicidal ideation seems to be pretty serious," said Dr. Sheldon Kaplan, panel member and chief of infectious diseases at Texas Children's Hospital.

But the FDA said the risk of suicidal thoughts did not appear in clinical trials for Focalin, and the later reports were a tiny number compared to how many children used the drug.

"I'm somewhat puzzled by the focus of suicidal ideation," said Tom Laughren, head of the FDA's psychiatric products division, in response to the panel's recommendation.

"These drugs are very widely used. And what you're seeing here are a handful of reports that are difficult to interpret with regard to causality," he said.

The number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has skyrocketed in recent years, with the condition now affecting 3 to 5 percent of kids globally.

Children with ADHD are excessively restless, impulsive and easily distracted, and often have trouble at home and in school. There is no cure, but the symptoms can be kept in check by a combination of behavioral therapy and medication.

In the United States, some 2.7 million people have prescriptions for ADHD drugs including Novartis' Ritalin, Johnson & Johnson's Concerta, Shire's Adderall and Vyvanse and Eli Lilly's Strattera.

Some patient advocates say doctors and parents may be too quick to diagnose kids with the condition, and the drugs may cause side effects that can damage children's health.

The FDA said about 1.8 million children received prescriptions for Focalin or its generic versions from May 2005 to July 2011.

The label for Focalin already warns patients that they may have new psychotic or manic symptoms after taking the drug, but does not mention suicidal thoughts.

Out of other ADHD drugs, only Strattera's label mentions thoughts of suicide as a side effect, as part of a restrictive "black box" warning.

The FDA monitors reports of side effects from medicines after they've been approved in order to discover potential safety problems. For drugs that are used by children, the agency must hold regular advisory meetings to review their safety.

The advisory committee and FDA reviewers also recommended a change to Focalin's label to reflect the risk of anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction, and angioedema, a type of swelling beneath the skin.

Novartis said it is will make any necessary changes to Focalin's label after discussing them with the FDA.

"Novartis is committed to patient safety and will continue to work closely with the FDA as the agency completes its review," said Brandi Robinson, spokeswoman for the company.

(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Richard Chang)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/hl_nm/us_fda_adhd

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Therapy pets popular at Ark. health-care center | The Associated ...

Face grinning, tail wagging and a taut leash behind her, Misty, a mixed-breed dog, led her owner, Vi Herring, down the hallway at a local retirement home amid calls seeking her attention.

"Dragged her owner" probably would be more accurate.

She's just so excited to see everyone," Herring, 68, said from over her shoulder.

Herring and Misty, who serves as a therapy dog, frequent Crawford Healthcare & Rehabilitation, 2010 Main St. in Van Buren, and visit with the elderly residents to break the monotony of their day. Even though Misty pulled Herring most of the time ? Herring was out of breath after a few laps around the retirement home ? the animal was only a command away from stopping and waiting for the Rudy resident.

The most striking thing about Misty is how polite she was. If a resident didn't want her near, then she would just move to the next person. The majority of the residents couldn't wait to pet her, and she would oblige by patiently sitting, looking at them with ice-blue eyes and putting her head within reach.

Opal Groman, a 76-year-old resident who has lived at the home for four years, said she grew up in the country, so dogs were a necessary part of her life.

"Dogs bring back all kinds of memories," she said while waiting for a game of bingo to begin.

Herring, who has also been a missionary in China, said she never planned to use Misty as a therapy dog. Her husband, Tim, is in charge of maintenance at the home, and he told everyone about Misty "and her beautiful blue eyes," Herring said. Then Toni Holderfield, the home's executive director, invited Herring to show Misty at one of the home's dog shows.

That's when Misty, who weighs about 85 pounds, approached a man with Parkinson's disease and showed how gentle she could be.

"He was in a wheelchair bed that was real high, and Misty jumped up on his bed and just loved that little guy so much," Herring said. ". I want you to know she was so incredibly gentle; it was unbelievable."

Holderfield said Misty is just one of many animals that frequent the home. Dogs of all sizes, cats and even Holderfield's Quaker parrot visit with the residents. There is also a bird aviary in one section of the home.

"I'm all for pet therapy, any pet therapy," Holderfield said from her office.

She has witnessed how a dog can help a resident in a retirement home. Near the end of 2010, Holderfield said, a family friend had just rescued a litter of Labrador puppies, and she and her husband adopted the litter's runt. The puppy had to be bottle fed, and she knew she couldn't care for the puppy and do her job effectively, so she allowed a resident, whom she described as "very sad," to care for it.

"It got to the point where that was her dog, and she just let me take it home," Holderfield said.

As it grew, the dog took to a habit of laying across the woman's legs; a fact that made a state surveyor nervous. The surveyor tried to explain to the woman that it wasn't in her best interest to have the now-large Labrador laying on her.

"She said, 'That dog is my best interest, and you can leave,'" Holderfield said. "So the surveyor came out and said, 'She just threw me out!'"

For residents like Groman, visits from the animals are priceless.

"It lifts them up," she said. "If a person's down and they come in, then they are a different person when the dogs leave. You can see it. . It'll lift them up."

Dogs have a way of connecting with people on an emotional level, Groman said.

"It's a love that they have for people that they'll bring out in people," Groman said. "When you're around a person that likes you and loves you, you see it. Same way with a dog."

Herring agreed.

"You take a good loyal dog, and they'll die for you. And I know Misty would die for me if I were ever attacked or hurt," Herring said.

Herring acquired Misty about two years ago when a friend fell on hard times. Herring said her friend told her Misty is a half-and-half mix between a wolf and a malamute. However, Misty is most likely several generations removed from her wolf ancestors, if she has any wolf in her at all, said Nancy Brown, who has worked with wolfdogs for more than 20 years and is the founder of Full Moon Farm, a nonprofit rescue and sanctuary for wolfdogs and other animals in North Carolina.

Brown made that comment after seeing photos of Misty.

No matter the breed, Misty's effect on the residents can be judged by the smiling faces she invoked.

"If Misty and I can come up here and bring these people good memories and a little joy and a smile, that's the best thing we can do," Herring said.

___

Information from: Southwest Times Record, http://www.swtimes.com/

Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/news/health/2012/01/therapy-pets-popular-ark-health-care-center

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Sanctions to hit EU buyback firms: Iran oil chief (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? European companies owed oil by Iran could lose out if Tehran imposes a ban on crude exports to the European Union next week, the head of Iran's state oil company said on Saturday.

Iran's parliament is due to debate a bill on Sunday that would cut off oil supplies to the EU in a matter of days, in revenge for a decision last Monday by the 27 EU member states to stop importing crude from Iran as of July 1.

"Generally, the parties to incur damage from the EU's recent decision will be European companies with pending contracts with Iran," Ahmad Qalebani, head of the National Iranian Oil Co. told the ISNA news agency.

"The European companies will have to abide by the provisions of the buyback contracts," he said. "If they act otherwise, they will be the parties to incur the relevant losses and will subject the repatriation of their capital to problems."

By turning the sanctions back on the EU, Iranian lawmakers hope to deny Europe the six-month window it had planned to give those countries most dependent on Iranian oil - including some of the most economically fragile - time to adapt.

The EU banned imports of oil from Iran on Monday and imposed a number of other economic sanctions, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at deflecting Tehran's nuclear development programme.

Under buyback contracts, a common feature of the Iranian oil industry, investments in oil field projects are paid back in oil, often over many years.

Italy's Eni says it is owed $1.4-1.5 billion in oil for contracts in Iran dating from 2000 and 2001 and has been assured by EU policymakers its buyback contracts will not be part of the European embargo but the prospect of Iran acting first may put that into doubt.

The EU accounted for 25 percent of Iranian crude oil sales in the third quarter of 2011.

(Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by David Stamp)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/ts_nm/us_iran_oil_sanctions

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Turn a Canning Jar into a Travel Mug with Cuppow

Cuppow is a silicone drinking lid that converts any wide-mouthed canning jar into a travel mug.? Canning jars are sturdy, heat-resistant, easy to clean, and cheap, but their wide openings don’t make them a travel-friendly mug.? Simply replace the seal with the Cuppow, screw the ring back on, and you have a eco-friendly cup that [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/01/28/turn-a-canning-jar-into-a-travel-mug-with-cuppow/

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Gingrich ad labels Romney 'dishonest man'

WASHINGTON (AP) ? TITLE: "What Kind of Man?"

LENGTH: 1 minute

AIRING: On broadcast and cable stations in Florida.

KEY IMAGES: The ad begins with footage of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who ran against Romney in the 2008 GOP presidential contest, talking into the camera. "If a man's dishonest to get a job, he'll be dishonest on the job," Huckabee says.

Downbeat music starts playing. A narrator intones darkly as a blurry image of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney slowly comes into focus. "What kind of man would mislead, distort, and deceive just to win an election?" the male voice asks. "This man would. Mitt Romney."

As a series of photos of Romney from recent debates flash across the screen, a bright red "false" stamp flashes across a different picture of Romney, who appears pained.

"Romney said he has always voted Republican when he had the opportunity," the narrator says. "But in the 1992 Massachusetts primary, Romney had the chance to vote for George H.W. Bush or Pat Buchanan but he voted for a liberal Democrat instead."

The narrator continues: "Romney said his investments in Fannie and Freddie were in a blind trust. But as reported in the National Journal, Romney earned tens of thousands of dollars from investments NOT in a blind trust. Romney denied seeing a false ad his campaign used to attack Newt Gingrich. But Romney's own campaign paid for the ad ... Romney's own voice is on the ad approving the content.

"If we can't trust Romney in a debate, how can we trust him on anything?"

As the final line is read, a picture of Romney with his head bowed appears with text next to it that is superimposed over a shot of the White House. It reads, ".... and that's why he would lose to Barack Obama."

The ad signs off with "Paid for by Newt 2012."

ANALYSIS: From disappointing losses in Iowa and New Hampshire to a soaring victory in South Carolina, the level of vitriol in Gingrich's attacks on Romney has waxed and waned. After scaling back his barbs in two debates, Gingrich has seen his numbers slip. Opinion polls show a close race in Florida, with a slight advantage for Romney. This ad dramatically escalates Gingrich's attacks on Romney.

It is by far Gingrich's sharpest, most personal attack on the former Massachusetts governor to date. "What Kind of Man?" also seems to signal that Gingrich will fight bitterly for the GOP nomination.

The ad curiously begins with Huckabee, currently a TV personality and popular conservative Republican figure. Gingrich may be hoping to remind viewers that, at least four years ago, Romney's fellow presidential aspirants could barely contain their anger at him. Huckabee hasn't endorsed in this year's contest.

The former Arkansas governor quickly disputed the use of his image in the ad. In an interview on Fox News Channel's "Your World," Huckabee said he was not referring to Romney specifically in the footage and did not approve of Gingrich's use of the footage in the ad. Huckabee said he would "love for him" to pull the ad because he hasn't endorsed anyone in the primary.

As a narrator takes over, the ad makes a series of claims that Romney could justifiably dispute.

It alleges that Romney voted for Democrats when he could have voted for Republicans. While this is technically true of the 1992 Massachusetts primary, Romney has said repeatedly that he was a registered independent so he could have more influence in a state where Democrats typically dominate. Romney has maintained that he has always voted for Republicans in general elections, and voted in the Democratic primary so he could vote for a weaker candidate and improve the GOP's chances.

As Gingrich's ad asserts, National Journal did report that Romney's investments in mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were not in a blind trust. And Romney's personal financial disclosure forms show he owned between $250,001 and $500,000 in the Federated Government Obligation Fund, which contained mutual-fund notes of politically sensitive Fannie and Freddie. An addendum to Romney' disclosure forms says certain assets, including the federated fund, were outside the scope of his blind trust. The investment was not on Romney's 2007 financial form, making it a relatively new one coming just as the housing and financial crises were hitting Americans full force.

Romney and his campaign have, nonetheless, denied that he had any knowledge of his large investment in the fund.

The final factual claim, that Romney says he had no knowledge of an ad from his campaign against Gingrich, is true. Also true is that Romney's voice can be heard at the end of the ad, approving its message. But there is no way to determine whether Romney saw the ad before his campaign put it on the air.

Beyond the ad's specific claims, Gingrich has chosen to take an unusually personal tone that effectively calls his opponent untrustworthy and a liar. That's a sign both of Gingrich's frustration and the high stakes. Both Gingrich and Romney believe a Florida victory could catapult them to the Republican nomination.

The ad is also a variation on a theme Gingrich has tried to push about Romney. Gingrich's campaign wants voters to see Romney as a flip-flopper and someone who will say anything to get elected. But this ad is stripped of even a patina of civility.

As Romney has done before him, Gingrich also raises the specter of a second term for President Barack Obama as the consequence of voting for his opponent. Both candidates seem to be talking past each other on the issue of electability. In Iowa and New Hampshire, Romney was viewed by voters as more electable. In South Carolina, where Gingrich jolted the race with a victory, he was viewed as the candidate with the best chance of beating Obama.

One thing both campaigns seem to agree on is Obama's effectiveness as a bogeyman in GOP primaries.

___

Follow Henry C. Jackson on Twitter: (at)hjacksonap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-27-Gingrich-AdWatch/id-94cfdde0c8204b79b1f17528e51469f9

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Obama 'putting colleges on notice' on high tuition

President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Michigan's Al Glick Field House, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Michigan's Al Glick Field House, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama greets supporters after his speech at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Michigan's Al Glick Field House, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Michigan's Al Glick Field House, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Michigan's Al Glick Field House, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) ? President Barack Obama fired a warning at the nation's colleges and universities on Friday, threatening to strip their federal aid if they "jack up tuition" every year and to give the money instead to schools showing restraint and value.

Obama can't proceed, though, without the OK from Congress, where the reaction of Republican lawmakers ranged from muted to skeptical. Higher education leaders worried about the details and the threat of government overreach, and one dismissed it as mere election-year "political theater."

Average tuition and fees at public colleges rose 8.3 percent this year and, with room and board, now exceed $17,000 a year, according to the College Board.

Obama delivered his proposal with campaign flair, mounting a mainstream appeal to young voters and struggling families. He said higher education has become an imperative for success in America, but the cost has grown unrealistic for too many families, and the debt burden unbearable.

"We are putting colleges on notice," Obama told an arena packed with cheering students at the University of Michigan.

"You can't assume that you'll just jack up tuition every single year. If you can't stop tuition from going up, then the funding you get from taxpayers each year will go down."

Obama is targeting only a small part of the financial aid picture ? the $3 billion known as campus-based aid that flows through college administrators to students. He is proposing to increase that amount to $10 billion and change how it is distributed to reward schools that hold down costs and ensure that more poor students complete their education.

The bulk of the more than $140 billion in federal grants and loans goes directly to students and would not be affected.

Rising tuition costs have been attributed to a variety of factors, among them a decline in state dollars and competition for the best facilities and professors. Washington's leverage to take on the rising cost of college is limited because American higher education is decentralized, with most student aid following the student. And that's not counting the legislative gridlock.

"If you were a betting person, you would not bet on it getting done, simply because the political atmosphere in Washington is so poisonous," said Terry Hartle, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, an organization that represents colleges in Washington.

Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said Obama put forward "interesting ideas that deserve a careful review." But Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who leads a House panel with jurisdiction over higher education, said Obama's plan should have tackled federal regulations that she said contribute to the problem.

The top Democrat on the House education committee, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said Congress has bipartisan concern about the rising costs of college and thinks the president's plan will open up a conversation about the problem. Some Republicans in the past, including Rep. Buck McKeon of California, have offered proposals similar to the president's.

Others were sharper in their critique.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., a former education secretary, questioned whether Obama can enforce any plan that shifts federal aid away from colleges and universities without hurting the students it is meant to help. "The federal government has no business doing this," he said.

Enacted or not, Obama's plan may have the kind of popular appeal he can use in the campaign.

In Ann Arbor, he soaked up the cheers of students as he outlined the agenda from his State of the Union speech, and gave a shout out to the popular quarterback of the school's football team. And Obama used the college-aid matter to put the onus for action on Republicans, again painting them as obstructionists and himself as the fighter for the middle class.

Mary Sue Coleman, president of University of Michigan, said schools should be challenged to find ways to restrain costs, but they can't continue to make up for state cuts. Money for state universities in Michigan dropped by 15 percent in this year's state budget, and many ? including the University of Michigan ? raised tuition to help make up for the lost support.

Obama challenged states to be more responsible, too.

"He recognizes every part of it," Coleman said. "That's what was so powerful about the speech."

Kevin Carey, policy director at the independent Education Sector think tank, said higher education leaders will surely detest Obama's plan even if they do not say so directly.

"Instead, they'll work behind the scenes to kill it," Carey predicted.

University of Washington President Mike Young said Obama showed he did not understand how the budgets of public universities work. Young said the total cost to educate college students in Washington state, which is paid for by both tuition and state government dollars, has actually gone down because of efficiencies on campus. While universities are tightening costs, the state is cutting their subsidies and authorizing tuition increases to make up for the loss.

"They really should know better," Young said. "This really is political theater of the worst sort."

Obama also wants to create a "Race to the Top" competition in higher education similar to the one his administration used on lower grades. He wants to encourage states to make better use of higher education dollars in exchange for $1 billion in prize money. A second competition called "First in the World" would encourage innovation to boost productivity on campuses.

Obama is also pushing for the creation of more tools to help students determine which colleges and universities have the best value.

Michigan was Obama's last stop on a five-day trip to sell his State of the Union agenda in politically important states.

The White House has begun facing criticism from Republicans and daily questions from reporters about the blurring of Obama's governing and campaign-style events. Presidential spokesman Jay Carney said Obama went before Michigan students to promote a policy idea.

Said Carney: "We're not going to tell people not to applaud."

___

Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Julie Pace in Washington, David Runk in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Donna Gordon Blankinship in Seattle contributed to this story. Hefling contributed from Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-27-Obama/id-347bdccf1c714f99a661408b3f9b25c4

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EU, IMF press Greece on reforms before aid flows (Reuters)

ATHENS (Reuters) ? The European Union and IMF want Greece to push through more budget cuts and implement a series of long-agreed austerity reforms before they agree on a new bailout the country needs to avert bankruptcy, a report obtained by Reuters shows.

All eyes have been on Athens' tortuous debt swap talks with its private creditors over the past week, but Greece also needs to convince its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund to release a 130-billion euro package if it is to avoid a chaotic default.

Athens' partners have grown increasingly exasperated with its repeated fiscal slippages and delays on reforms and want to see progress before they wrap up Greece's second multi-billion euro bailout in three years.

The EU, IMF and ECB lenders - known as the troika - have drawn up a report this week which includes a list of measures they want to see enacted by Athens.

Top of the list is passing a supplementary budget with more cuts to reach fiscal targets in 2012. The troika suggests large spending cuts in defense and health spending as well as cutting redundant state entities. The document does not specify the amount of cuts needed.

The EU and IMF are also pressing Greece to adopt a much-delayed reform of supplementary pensions, ensure that a plan to replace only 1 out of 5 civil servants leaving the workforce is enacted and want Greece to finalize the opening up of its many closed professions such as lawyers and pharmacists, which they have been demanding for years, the document shows.

They also want the Bank of Greece to complete its assessment of Greek banks' capital shortfall and they expect the government to enact legslation to improve wage flexibility and further liberalize product and service markets, the document says.

The list of measures is not final and could change after discussions with the Greek authorities, the document says.

Government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis said the government would try to negotiate some of the points on the list but repeated that Athens needed the bailout loan to stay afloat.

Asked if Greece would default without the aid, he told Skai TV: "It's obvious, if we don't get the loan, how are we going to find the money?"

But he added: "This is not what we will finally pass, we should keep that in mind. It's a list by the troika that opens up all those issues ... Some of them are past obligations, some are up for negotiation."

Talks with EU, IMF and ECB inspectors on the new bailout program are expected to go well into next week, sources close to the talks say, with slow process so far on fleshing out reforms required by the lenders on areas such as cutting the public sector workforce and making wage rules in the public and private sector more flexible.

Looming elections are distracting senior Greek officials and politicians from enacting the unpopular austerity reforms.

Greece's co-ruling conservative New Democracy party wants snap elections as a new bailout deal is clinched and no later than April 8.

Greece and its private creditors made progress on Thursday in talks on restructuring its debt, both sides said, and they will continue negotiating on Friday with the aim of sealing an agreement within a few days. There was no set time yet for Friday's meetings.

(Reporting by Ingrid Melander, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_greece

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Pentagon: Army, Marines to shrink as budget slows

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta outlines the main areas of proposed spending cuts during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Jan., 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta outlines the main areas of proposed spending cuts during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Jan., 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta, left, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, right, outline the main areas of proposed spending cuts during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, Thursday, Jan., 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta outlines the main areas of proposed spending cuts during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Jan., 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Pentagon outlined a plan Thursday for slowing the growth of military spending, including cutting the size of the Army and Marine Corps, retiring older planes and trimming war costs. It drew quick criticism from Republicans, signaling the difficulty of scaling back defense budgets in an election year.

The changes Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described at a news conference are numerous but hardly dramatic. They aim to save money by delaying some big-ticket weapons like a next-generation nuclear-armed submarine, but the basic shape and structure of the military remains the same.

The Army would shrink from a peak of 570,000 to 490,000 within five years, and the Marines would drop by 20,000, to 182,000. Those are considerable declines, but both services will still be slightly larger than on 9/11, before they began a decade of war. Both will keep their footholds abroad, although the Army will decrease its presence in Europe and the Marines plan to increase theirs in Asia.

Panetta said the administration will ask Congress for $525 billion to run the Pentagon in 2013 ? $6 billion less than the current budget. War costs, which are not considered part of the base budget, would decline from $115 billion to $88 billion, reflecting the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

The base budget would then increase in each year of the Pentagon's five-year plan, reaching $567 billion in 2017. A year ago the Pentagon had projected 2017 spending to reach $622 billion. The Pentagon counts those reductions in projected future spending as "defense savings."

When Obama took office in January 2009 the Pentagon's base budget was $513 billion. In 2001 it was $297 billion.

Under a budget deficit-cutting deal Congress made last summer, the Pentagon is committed to reducing projected spending by $487 billion over the next 10 years. The plan Panetta presented Thursday covers the first five years of that span and would cut a cumulative total of $259 billion in planned spending.

"We believe this is a balanced and complete package," Panetta said.

In a bid to pre-empt election-year Republican criticism, Panetta said the plan begins to shift the Pentagon's focus from the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to future challenges in Asia, the Mideast and in cyberspace. More special operations forces like the Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden will be available around the world, he said, and the Pentagon will stress improvements in cyberdefenses.

Republicans were quick to pounce on the proposed Army and Marine Corps reductions.

"These cuts reflect President Obama's vision of an America that is weakened, not strengthened, by our men and women in uniform," said Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

McKeon voted for the bill last August that established the requirement for $487 billion in defense savings over five years.

"Taking us back to a pre-9/11 military force structure places our country in grave danger," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will hold hearings on the Pentagon budget plan.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Panetta plan "ignores the lessons of history." He said it provides for a military that is "too small to respond effectively to events that may unfold over the next few years."

The military's top general, however, defended the administration's approach. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he is convinced that the risks raised by cutting the size of the military are manageable. He said failing to make these changes would have meant even bigger risks.

"This budget is a first step ? it's a down payment ? as we transition from an emphasis on today's wars to preparing for future challenges," he said, adding, "This budget does not lead to a military in decline."

Among other details Panetta disclosed:

--The Air Force would retire some older planes including about two dozen C-5A cargo aircraft and 65 of its oldest C-130 cargo planes.

-- The Navy would keep a fleet of 11 aircraft carriers but retire seven cruisers earlier than planned. It also would delay purchase of some other ships, including a new Virginia-class submarine.

--Purchase of F-35 stealth fighter jets, to be fielded by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, would be slowed.

--Current plans for building a new generation of submarines that carry long-range nuclear missiles would be delayed by two years. The current fleet of nuclear-capable bombers and land-based nuclear missiles would be left unchanged.

--Military pay raises will remain on track until 2015, when the pace of increase will be slowed by an undetermined amount.

--Obama will ask Congress to approve a new round of domestic base closures, although the timing of this was left vague and there is little chance that lawmakers would agree to this in a presidential election year.

The defense spending plan is scheduled to be submitted to Congress as part of the administration's full 2013 budget on Feb. 13.

The defense budget is being reshaped in the midst of a presidential contest in which Obama seeks to portray himself as a forward-looking commander in chief focusing on new security threats. Republicans want to cast him as weak on defense.

Obama has highlighted his national security successes ? the killing of bin Laden, the death of other senior al-Qaida leaders and the demise of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi ? to counter Republican criticism. He also has emphasized the completion of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and the start of a drawdown in Afghanistan as turning points that offer new opportunities to scale back defense spending.

But several congressional Republicans see a political opening in challenging the reductions in projected military spending that the GOP and Obama agreed to last summer as part of a deal to raise the nation's borrowing authority. They've echoed Obama's potential presidential rivals Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, who plead for fiscal austerity but contend that sizable cuts would gut the military.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata, Lolita C. Baldor and Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.

___

Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-26-Defense%20Budget/id-03c43326cc5f4d7f9319ee2f16c81bd5

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UK network O2 apologizes for disclosing phone numbers to websites

Earlier today, we posted a report from TNW that showed UK carrier O2, had been transmitting phone numbers to every website visited via their 2G or 3G network.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/1Inn5eut02U/story01.htm

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Insight: Scottish separatists face tough independence battle (Reuters)

EDINBURGH, Scotland (Reuters) ? Holding court in Edinburgh castle surrounded by sabers and armor from centuries-old battles with the English, Scottish nationalist leader Alex Salmond sets out his plans to fight for freedom by the ballot box rather than the sword.

Peppering his arguments with references to Scotland's 18th century national poet Robert Burns, on whose birthday this week he

launched his referendum bid, Salmond portrayed the end of Scotland's 300-year union with a dominant England as inevitable, and the idea of a United Kingdom as anachronistic.

Having stolen a march on a complacent British political establishment last year by winning an overall majority in Scotland's devolved parliament, Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Salmond wants a referendum in 2014 that would allow a historic breakaway for the nation of 5.2 million.

The British government opposes the move and wants to force a swift vote before the canny Salmond can build momentum for change.

Salmond, a 57-year-old former oil industry economist, has a keen sense of history and symbolism.

He chose Edinburgh castle, a fortress that dominates the Scottish capital's skyline from its rocky perch on an extinct volcano, to sell his case to the international press.

"It was in this venue, Edinburgh castle, that the first ... old Scots parliament was held almost 900 years ago," Salmond said. The castle was also the site of numerous bloody battles between Scots and the English.

"It does stress the continuity of Scotland as a Scottish nation stretching back over 1,000 years of independence before the Acts of Union of 1707," he added, painting Scotland's place in the United Kingdom as a historic aberration.

Still, with support for outright independence running at 30 to 40 percent he has a tough battle ahead to convince skeptical Scots, of whom some have almost as many misgivings about Salmond as they do about independence.

The British government says only it has the right to give Salmond the power to hold a binding referendum, and then only with conditions, including on the questions asked. Government officials are due to meet Salmond to try to reach a compromise.

HIGH STAKES

At stake are British oil reserves in the North Sea to which Edinburgh is a gateway. Salmond claims Scotland is entitled to 90 percent of them.

Debates over how Britain would divide up its debt and its military and what it would do with its nuclear weapons, currently based in Scotland but which the SNP vows would have no place there after independence, are already bitter and fraught.

Britain also faces a loss of political and economic clout, while the loss of Scotland would redraw the political map, ironically to the advantage of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives, who are almost extinct north of the border but oppose independence.

Other European countries with separatist movements, such as Spain, are watching Scotland's progress closely.

For Salmond and the SNP, independence is about equality and fulfilling Scotland's potential. Scotland deserves to have equal status among world nations, and while doing well economically now, it would do much better alone, the SNP says.

A separate Scotland would have more power to improve its economy and would be able to better argue its case in the European Union. It would control where it sends soldiers to fight, say party officials who consider the Iraq war illegal.

"We will be able to make Scotland the country we all know it can be -- a wealthier, fairer nation," Salmond said on Wednesday.

He quoted Burns' famous poem on equality, "A Man's a Man for A' That", to mock members of the British parliament's upper house, the House of Lords, for, as he saw it, bossing Scotland about.

"The man of independent mind, he looks and laughs at a'that," he told Scotland's parliament on Wednesday.

UNIONIST & SEPARATIST ARGUMENTS

Salmond wants a ballot in late 2014, when he would be able to ride a wave of nationalist sentiment on the 700th anniversary of the historic Battle of Bannockburn, a victory over the English, and the more modern feel-good factor of hosting the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup sporting events.

The SNP leader has accused Cameron and other London-based parties of trying to "bully and intimidate" the Scots into an early vote, playing into a long-standing sense of Scottish irritation with their larger English neighbor.

"I'm leaning more towards independence mainly because of the actions of the Conservative government in Westminster," said Malcolm Jones, 47, an Edinburgh IT manager.

So far, unionist politicians appear uncoordinated and have done little to check Salmond's momentum. No unionist spokesperson has emerged among the Conservatives, Labour or Liberal Democrats, Britain's main political parties.

The SNP has portrayed their attempts to highlight the risks and disadvantages of Scottish independence as scaremongering and proof England thinks Scots are "too poor, too stupid, too peripheral" to stand alone, the SNP's campaign manager said.

Unionist politicians are now trying a different tack.

"What we have to do is make a positive case for Britain. I'm very clear that Scotland is better off in one of the most enduring and successful unions across the world," Scottish Conservative party leader Ruth Davidson told Reuters.

"We have to show that we walk taller, shout louder, stand firmer for being part of the United Kingdom .... most of Scotland agrees with me," she added, before going on to list Anglo-Scots military, scientific and cultural achievements.

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont wants to ensure Salmond, who led the SNP to a landslide election victory last May, does not assume the mantle of spokesman for Scotland.

"This is not a country oppressed by the English, seeking liberation, with Alex Salmond the man to do it," she said, speaking at the Scottish parliament at Holyrood, which faces Holyrood Palace, the British Queen's residence in Scotland.

The crowns of Scotland and England were unified in 1603 by a Scottish king, James VI, upon his accession to England's throne. The two countries' parliaments were unified about a century later by the Acts of Union in 1707.

SALMOND & BRAVEHEART

Some consider Salmond one of Britain's most talented politicians and Scotland's best advocate.

Others brand him a slippery demagogue set on exploiting old grievances between Scotland and England.

Even in Salmond's home town of Linlithgow in central Scotland, supporters of Salmond's cause are hard to find.

"I don't want independence. I don't like the SNP and I don't like Salmond. He's arrogant and smug," said retiree Fred Orr, 77, the first person interviewed by this reporter in Linlithgow, but voicing what were to become familiar misgivings.

"They say they got in with a big majority, but a big majority never voted. They're a flash in the pan," he added, speaking on a chilly day round the corner from ornate Linlithgow palace, birthplace of 16th century ruler Mary Queen of Scots.

Many Scots struggle to see how they are at a disadvantage within the United Kingdom.

Britain's previous Prime Minister Gordon Brown is Scottish, as is former finance minister Alistair Darling, while Brown's predecessor Tony Blair was born in Scotland and educated there. Current leader Cameron also has Scottish ancestry.

Scots, who represent about eight percent of Britain's population of 62 million, currently hold several key posts in the UK government and at many other British institutions, while the BBC has a dedicated Scottish Gaelic channel, BBC Alba, for the small minority of Scots who speak the language.

"Why should we be independent, apart from the Braveheart reason?," said Glasgow student Mungo Hay, 20, referring to a 1995 film about a 13th century warrior who fought for Scottish independence, stirring renewed interest in Scotland's history.

Some Scots feel they are getting a good deal out of a devolution arrangement that set up a Scottish parliament in 1999.

Scotland has its own legal system, and the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh has the power to legislate on a range of issues, including health, education and law and order.

In some areas, Scots fare better than other Britons, such as free university tuition for Scots at Scottish universities. Medical prescriptions are also free in Scotland, unlike England.

Salmond plans to continue to use Britain's sterling currency, but expects Scotland to control all decisions about debt and spending, raising the specter of a mismatch between fiscal and currency union that has contributed to the eurozone crisis.

Salmond also expects the Bank of England to remain Scotland's lender of last resort, bailing out Scottish banks if they hit trouble.

The problem for the SNP is that the British government, also citing experts, disputes almost every one of Salmond's claims, and much of the public is not convinced either.

"We find ourselves in a position where we have to balance up assertions from one group of politicians against those of another group of politicians," said Owen Kelly head of Scottish Financial Enterprise financial services industry body.

WHAT WOULD BURNS DO?

The SNP's push for independence has stirred misgivings among some who view the party as monopolizing Scottish identity.

Howie Nicholsby, an Edinburgh kiltmaker who has dressed stars including Robbie Williams and Lenny Kravitz, worries that the SNP's brand of nationalism may turn Scotland's welcoming, international outlook into a jingoistic, inward-looking one.

"There's plenty of room in the union to be a Scottish Brit. Or a British Scot. However you want it," he told Reuters at his 21st Century Kilts shop in central Edinburgh, speaking in front of a photo of his designs by fashion photographer Mario Testino.

Others, seeing the SNP plans to hold the referendum in the anniversary year of the Battle of Bannockburn, fear the SNP may be exploiting historical grievances with the English.

"I'm a bit worried by a split with England becoming inflammatory. I wouldn't like to see us becoming a nation of English haters," said Dumfries newsagent Steven Moodycliffe, 48.

Asked by Reuters whether Burns would have supported Scottish independence, Salmond said he thought the poet would have liked the idea of the referendum plan being launched on his birthday.

At the house in Dumfries in which Burns died and where he wrote some of his most memorable poetry, the museum attendant was not sure what Burns would have thought about independence.

"He was certainly a nationalist, but whether he wanted to be completely free I don't know," said Donald MacLachlan, who has worked at Dumfries museums for 25 years. "It all depends on the circumstances. Maybe Scotland couldn't have gone it alone in those days? Perhaps these days we can't either?"

When pressed, MacLachlan said that Burns probably would have backed the SNP's cause, unlike himself.

"The idea of independence is nice, but I don't think it's a good idea to split one big country into lots of smaller ones. From a nationalistic point of view it's good, but we all need a little help," he said.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas.)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wl_nm/us_britain_scotland_independence

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Galaxy Nexus case review: Qmadix Snap-On Cover with Holster

You don't always want to have to choose between an easy snap-on cover and all-over protection for your phone. Sometimes it's more convenient to have the option to switch things up as and when you need, and that's one of the main strengths of Qmadix's snap-on cover with holster for the Galaxy Nexus.

 

 

Firstly, you've got a basic snap-on cover that's finished in soft-touch plastic, with a grooved pattern on the back for easy gripping. This can then slide into the holster component, which is equipped with a rotatable clip for attaching the entire package to clothes, pockets or bags. The inside of the holster faces the screen, and is so it's lined with a soft material to avoid scratches. And the cover, holster and phone all lock together securely, meaning you shouldn't need to worry about working its way free or falling out of the case while you're out and about.

 

The case's best feature by far is its ability to clip onto clothing, and offer multiple levels of protection based on what you're doing. If your phone is in your pocket, simply use the snap-on cover alone. If you need to clip it onto a belt or throw it in a bag without risking screen damage, just attach the holster and you're good to go.

The Qmadix Snap-on Cover with Holster is designed for both the international GSM Galaxy Nexus, as well as the Verizon LTE version, so whichever model you have, the case will fit snugly.

We've got more pictures for you after the jump.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/qs3Kmtm9M3o/story01.htm

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