Turning communications careers inside out: the generalist emerges ...

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Okay, you know who you are, Mr. or Ms. Internal or External Communications expert. You love what you do on one side of the internal vs. external communications fence. You view the ?other side? as boring, limited, and/or frightening.? You?re perfectly happy doing what you?re doing and want to keep doing just that for the foreseeable future. And that?s just fine by you.

What you may not see (yet) is that communication leaders increasingly want ? and need ? communications generalists. And that means they want professionals with increasingly deeper competencies on both sides of the house. ?It can really be frustrating,? a chief communications officer recently told me. ?In some cases, we have internal comms leaders who are afraid of PR. In others, we have media gurus who don?t think internal comms is ?sexy? enough to keep their interest.?

What both of those kinds of employees are missing is a clear and emerging trend toward the development of communications generalists. So, why the push on developing communications skills inside and out? CCOs pretty much across the board say three things:

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It helps the function: having communications professionals with increasingly deeper skill sets helps the function plan and execute faster and more effectively. As generalists understand how to plan for the range of stakeholders inside and out, they think in more integrated ? and effective ? ways. As demands on the function increase, one of the best ways to leverage existing headcount is to have those headcounts work smarter through mastering a range of communication disciplines.

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It helps identify better current and future leaders: as professionals develop skills for internal and external communications concurrently, it begins to sort out better current and future leaders, including future CCOs (their successors). Picking a senior leader for a global communications function who has tons of media and issues management experience ? but never touched internal communications ? is going to be a much harder sell. Conversely, an employee engagement specialist who has never done financial or media communications will be an equally tough argument to make.

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It helps retain talent: not surprisingly, the best and brightest want to be challenged, and that includes switching gears from external to internal communications or vice versa. They tend to see longer runways for their own growth and development, which helps retention.

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Perhaps most important in my recent conversations with CCOs is this: most say the train has left the station already and there?s no turning back.? New talent is evaluated, in part, with an eye toward their openness to learning across all communication disciplines. Advancement increasingly is reserved for those who demonstrate willingness to learn both internal and external communications disciplines, and who show how that knowledge drives results in their work. And when restructuring activities are afoot, the fewer roles available are going not to the specialists, but to the generalists.
So a parting word to the wise communication professional: If you?re already diving into both ends of the internal and external communications pool, you?re in good, deep waters that will give you many more options for growth in the years ahead. For the rest, open yourself to the world of the generalist. You?ll leave the relatively shallow waters you?re in, and have an infinitely greater vista ahead.

Posted in Destinations

Source: http://www.ournorthstar.com/2012/01/turning-communications-careers-inside-out-the-generalist-emerges/

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For Super Bowl, Volkswagen sees Star Wars again

The cantina in Volkswagen's Super Bowl ad was recreated from the original Star Wars set designs.

By Rob Neill

Volkswagen won the hearts of the viewing public during last year's Super Bowl with a Star Wars-themed ad. This year the automaker returns to the galaxy far, far away?? all the way to Tatooine.

(For those of you who don't know, that?s Luke Skywalker?s home planet from the first movie, which is now called Episode IV, since it turned out to be the first one after the trilogy that set up the original three. For those of you who don?t know who Luke Skywalker is, we can?t help you.)

The German automaker isn?t giving much of anything away about its spot, except for an online teaser to set the mood and a few still photos of the eventual spot that looks as if it was shot in the Mos Eisley cantina.

(For those of you who don?t know, Mos Eisley is where the bar (or cantina) where Obi-Wan and Luke hired Han Solo and Chewie. Again, if you don?t know who Chewie is, we?re somewhat surprised you?re still reading.)

The ad features the company?s iconic Beetle, and that somehow winds up in the cantina. The set was reproduced from the original set designs used in ?A New Hope.?

(For those of you who don?t know, that?s what the original Star Wars was retitled after the prequel trilogy was announced. And now we will stop with this tired joke.)

?The cantina was completely recreated. It had to be rebuilt,? said Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer of Volkswagen.

?It?s a nod to equity from the interest last year,? Mahoney said, referring to the ad titled ?The Force,? which showed a tyke in a Darth Vader outfit stalking around his suburban home attempting, unsuccessfully, to move objects with his mastery of Jedi powers.

After almost giving up, the kid tries his luck on his dad?s Jetta, which to his amazement starts. Cut to Dad, who is holding the key fob, having punched the remote control ?start? button.

The ad topped almost all critics? lists and virtually every user survey of favorite ads from last year's Super Bowl broadcast.

?The Force? was also unusual?in that Volkswagen debuted the ad online days before the game, as the carmaker will with the new spot. Most advertisers keep their ads secret until game time. This year Volkswagen also has released a ?teaser? commercial that has dogs barking out the Star Wars theme.

The practice (releasing ads early, not singing dogs) has become commonplace among advertisers this year.

?When you think about the costs associated with it, it can get pretty expensive if you put all your eggs in one basket,? Mahoney said, referring to the sky-high cost of Super Bowl ads, which can cost up to $4 million for 30 seconds of air time, not including production costs. The cantina spot will be 60 seconds.

In the world of macho car ads, Volkswagen seems as if it?s trying to set itself apart by not hitting viewers over the head with horsepower and 0-to-60 times.

Fanciful spots like cantina ?are about, 'Can I imagine VW being a brand for me?'? Mahoney said. Today's car buyer can find the ?nuts and bolts? of performance elsewhere, he said.

Mahoney was similarly secretive about the automaker?s relationship with Lucasfilms, which is highly protective of the Star Wars brand.

?It?s either worth it or it?s not,? Mahoney said. ?Our relationship has been very fair. It?s win-win in every way.?

What some other advertisers have planned:

• Honda has Matthew Broderick reprising his role as Ferris Bueller and recreating his day off.
• Dannon yogurt has sexytime with John Stamos.
• Pepsi brings back the Coke delivery guy who can?t drink enough of the competition. Bonus: Regis.
• The soft drink maker also has Elton John judging a singing contest in Shakespearean garb. X Factor winner Melanie Amaro will probably do well.
• H&M enlists soccer player David Beckham to sell clothes in his underwear.
• Chevrolet puts its compact Sonic though a series of extreme sports.
• Audi goes to a vampire party.

The Super Bowl, featuring the New York Giants vs. New England Patriots in between the ads, is Sunday on NBC. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

Full coverage: Super Bowl XLVI

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Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10273608-volkswagen-has-its-head-in-the-star-wars-again-with-super-bowl-ad

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Officials investigating Illinois reactor shutdown

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 photo, steam escapes from Exelon Corp.'s nuclear plant in Byron, Ill. A nuclear reactor the plant shut down Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 after losing power, and steam was being vented to reduce pressure, according to officials from Exelon Nuclear and federal regulators. (AP Photo/Robert Ray, File)

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 photo, steam escapes from Exelon Corp.'s nuclear plant in Byron, Ill. A nuclear reactor the plant shut down Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 after losing power, and steam was being vented to reduce pressure, according to officials from Exelon Nuclear and federal regulators. (AP Photo/Robert Ray, File)

FILE - In this March 16, 2011 photo, steam escapes from Exelon Corp.'s nuclear plant in Byron, Ill. A nuclear reactor the plant shut down Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 after losing power, and steam was being vented to reduce pressure, according to officials from Exelon Nuclear and federal regulators. (AP Photo/Robert Ray, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Officials are investigating the events surrounding a power failure at a nuclear reactor in northern Illinois, where steam was vented to reduce pressure after it shut down.

After the shut down Monday morning at Exelon Nuclear's Byron Generating Station, operators began releasing steam to cool the reactor from the part of the plant where turbines are producing electricity, not from within the nuclear reactor itself, officials said. The steam contains low levels of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, but federal and plant officials insisted the levels were safe for workers and the public.

Diesel generators were supplying the reactor with electricity, though it hasn't been generating power during the investigation into what happened. One question is why smoke was seen from an onsite station transformer, though no evidence of a fire was found when the plant's fire brigade responded, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng said.

Exelon Nuclear officials believe a failed piece of equipment at a switchyard at the plant about 95 miles northwest of Chicago caused the shutdown, but they were still investigating an exact cause. The switchyard is similar to a large substation that delivers power to the plant from the electrical grid and from the plant to the electrical grid.

The commission declared the incident an "unusual event," the lowest of four levels of emergency. Commission officials also said the release of tritium was expected.

Mitlyng said officials can't yet calculate how much tritium was being released. They know the amounts were small because monitors around the plant didn't show increased levels of radiation, she said.

Tritium molecules are so microscopic that small amounts are able to pass from radioactive steam that originates in the reactor through tubing and into the water used to cool turbines and other equipment outside the reactor, Mitlyng said. The steam that was being released was coming from the turbine side.

Tritium is relatively short-lived and penetrates the body weakly through the air compared to other radioactive contaminants.

Releasing steam helps "take away some of that energy still being produced by nuclear reaction but that doesn't have anywhere to go now," Mitlyng said. Even though the turbine is not turning to produce electricity, she said, "you still need to cool the equipment."

Candace Humphrey, Ogle County's emergency management coordinator, said county officials were notified of the incident as soon as it happened and that public safety was never in danger.

"It was standard procedure that they would notify county officials," she said. "There is always concern. But, it never crossed my mind that there was any danger to the people of Ogle County."

Another reactor at the plant was operating normally.

In March 2008, federal officials said they were investigating a problem with electrical transformers at the plant after outside power to a unit was interrupted.

In an unrelated issue last April, the commission said it was conducting special inspections of backup water pumps at the Byron and Braidwood generating stations after the agency's inspectors raised concerns about whether the pumps would be able to cool the reactors if the normal system wasn't working. The plants' operator, Exelon Corp., initially said the pumps would work but later concluded they wouldn't.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-31-Nuclear%20Plant-Illinois/id-ace51a8cb2a44e009863cb290981c773

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Oil below $99 in Europe on Greece debt concerns

Oil fell to around $99 a barrel Monday amid continued concerns about the ability of Greece to bring its sovereign debt crisis under control.

By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for March delivery was down 57 cents at $98.99 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 14 cents to finish at $99.56 on Friday.

In London, Brent crude was down 6 cents to $111.40 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore, said crude prices were volatile after Germany's finance minister warned that Europe might not give Greece a fresh bailout unless it can overhaul its state and economy. Analysts fear that could re-ignite the region's debt crisis.

European leaders were to meet Monday in Brussels to discuss austerity measures and a tentative deal reached Saturday between Greece and its private investors to avert a disastrous Greek default on its debt.

"The situation in the eurozone continues to remain gloomy without any clarification about Greek issues," said a report from Sucden Financial in London.

Supply concerns also weighed on the market although Iran has postponed plans to immediately cut the flow of crude oil to Europe in retaliation for EU sanctions over its nuclear program.

"This reduces the danger of an immediate supply shortage in the oil market, which also puts prices under pressure," said analysts at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. "Given its dependency on oil revenues, it is in any case doubtful that Iran will take this step. A new buyer would have to be found who would pay the same prices for this oil."

Still, the chance that the oil flow from Iran could be stopped sooner than planned added to the uncertainty.

"A move by Iran to cut exports to EU member states before buyers have time to line up alternatives would be a blow to countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece, which account for the bulk of crude EU imports from Iran and are struggling with stumbling economies," said a note from JBC Energy in Vienna.

The head of Iran's national oil company warned Sunday that EU sanctions could push oil prices up to between $120 and $150 a barrel. The market is also awaiting a report from an International Atomic Energy Agency team that is currently touring Tehran, Shum said.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose 1.36 cents to $3.0729 per gallon while gasoline futures were down 2.96 cents at $2.8938 per gallon. Natural gas added 5.2 cents to $2.808 per 1,000 cubic feet.

___

Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-30-Oil-Prices/id-d3545942a1044786a995b76c736ace59

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Romney credits change in tactics for Florida surge (AP)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ? Looking for a convincing win, a confident Mitt Romney said Monday the Florida primary is breaking his way and urged voters to send Newt Gingrich "to the moon." Gingrich claimed he's gaining ground and will stay in the race until summer.

"You can sense that it's coming our way," Romney told reporters. The former Massachusetts governor was already looking ahead, making plans to stop in Minnesota on his way to Nevada on Wednesday, the day after Florida votes.

A day before the voting, Romney ridiculed Gingrich, his chief rival here: "Send him to the moon," Romney said at a rally early Monday, repeating an audience member's comment and using it to poke fun at Gingrich's claim to build a moon colony as president. Romney also scoffed at "the idea of the moon as the 51st state" as "not one that's come to my mind."

Gingrich countered that Romney is "pretending he's somebody he's not" and linked Romney to Obama, calling them the "twins of the establishment." Gingrich's allies, meanwhile, urged Rick Santorum to get out of the race to clear the way for conservatives to consolidate support behind the former House speaker.

In the final hours before Tuesday's critical primary, Romney sustained his barrage against Gingrich. He said he believes he bounced back from a tough South Carolina loss by aggressively answering Gingrich's attacks and hitting him for his ties to the government-backed, mortgage giant Freddie Mac.

Gingrich threatened a long slog. "I think he's going to find this a long campaign," Gingrich said.

"That's why they're trying to carpet-bomb us here in Florida," said former Gingrich aide Rick Tyler, who runs the pro-Gingrich political action committee Winning Our Future. "They're trying to end this thing. But it's not going to end."

Tyler visited the first of three rallies Romney had planned Monday to rail against Romney and urge Santorum to leave the race.

"I'm here to get as many cameras and microphones so I can talk about Mitt Romney's incessant failure to tell the truth," Tyler said, echoing Gingrich's recent claims about Romney's character. Tyler called Romney "despicable" and "disgraceful."

He also called on Santorum to leave the race to clear the way for Gingrich. "I think it would give us Mitt Romney, and I think Rick would hurt himself" by staying in, Tyler said.

Speaking to reporters, Romney said Gingrich's threats indicated desperation. "That's usually the case when you think you're going to lose," he said. "Everybody has a right to stay in as long as they think" they should, Romney said.

Gingrich kept up his attacks, saying Monday that on the big, philosophical issues, Romney "is for all practical purposes a liberal. I am a conservative."

"It's closing here in Florida," Gingrich said, "and I think the next 24 hours in going to make a big difference."

Gingrich also defended his ties to President Ronald Reagan after Romney supporters questioned Reagan's rapport with the former speaker. "Mitt Romney may not know about the Reagan years because he was not there," Gingrich told supporters in Pensacola.

Polls showed Romney running ahead of Gingrich in the state. Romney earned positive reviews after two debates last week and has put the former House speaker on the defensive over his ethics and ties to Freddie Mac.

But instead of stepping back and refocusing on President Barack Obama ? as he did in Iowa when it became clear that Gingrich had lost ? Romney is ratcheting up his rhetoric and attacking until the very end. He hopes to close the Florida campaign strongly to push Gingrich as far back as possible.

Gingrich said Monday he was closing the gap with Romney in Florida. He said the Republican Party needed a "clear conservative" to run against Obama in the fall, and that there was very little difference between Obama and Romney when it came to their policies and politics, such as health care.

"Mitt Romney will have a very, very hard time trying to differentiate himself," Gingrich said.

In what has become a wildly unpredictable race, the momentum has swung back to Romney, who was staggered by Gingrich's victory in South Carolina on Jan. 21. Romney has begun advertising in Nevada ahead of caucuses there next Saturday, illustrating the challenge ahead for Gingrich.

An NBC News/Marist poll published Sunday showed Romney with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters, compared with 27 percent for Gingrich.

Santorum, trailing in Florida by a wide margin, skipped campaigning to be with his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, who was hospitalized. He planned to campaign Monday in Missouri and Minnesota.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has invested little in Florida, also looked to Nevada. The libertarian-leaning Paul is focusing more on gathering delegates in caucus states, where it's less expensive to campaign. But securing the nomination only through caucus states is a hard task.

__

Associated Press writer Shannon McCaffrey in Pensacola, Fla., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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IAEA team heads to Iran to seek nuclear answers (Reuters)

VIENNA (Reuters) ? Senior United Nations nuclear inspectors headed to Tehran on Saturday to press Iranian officials to address suspicions that the Islamic state is seeking atomic weapons.

The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency hopes Iran, which has indicated readiness to discuss the issue for the first time since 2008, will end years of stonewalling on intelligence pointing to an intention to develop nuclear arms technology.

"We are trying ... to resolve all the outstanding issues with Iran, in particular we hope that Iran will engage with us on our concerns regarding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program," IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts told reporters as he prepared to depart from Vienna airport.

But Western diplomats, who have often accused Iran of using such offers of dialogue as a stalling tactic while it presses ahead with its nuclear program, say they doubt Tehran will show the kind of concrete cooperation the IAEA wants.

They say Iran may offer limited concessions and transparency in an attempt to ease intensifying international pressure on the country, a major oil producer, but that this is unlikely to amount to the full cooperation that is required.

The outcome could determine whether Iran will face further international isolation, or whether there are prospects for resuming wider talks between Tehran and the major powers on the nuclear dispute that has sparked fears of war.

The United States and its allies suspect the program has military aims but Tehran says is for peaceful electricity generation.

"The chances of the IAEA's success may depend on how badly Iran wants to avoid harder sanctions," said nuclear expert Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Remarks by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top adviser on international affairs on Saturday suggested Iran was not in the mood for concessions.

"Iran's stance towards its nuclear issue has not changed in term of fundamentals and principles," Ali Akbar Velayati said, according to the ISNA news agency.

"One important principle is that Iran would not relinquish or withdraw from its peaceful nuclear activities."

The six-member IAEA team of senior officials and experts, headed by Nackaerts, was due to arrive in Tehran early on Sunday.

The three day visit comes at a time of soaring tension between Iran and the West. The IAEA issued a report in November with details of suspected research and development activities in Iran relevant to nuclear weapons.

The West has seized on the report to ratchet up sanctions aimed at Iran's lifeblood oil exports. Iran hit back on Friday warning it may halt oil exports to Europe next week.

"APPEARING TO COOPERATE"

The IAEA team is expected to seek explanations to the issues raised in the report, including information that Iran appears to have worked on a nuclear weapon design, and demand access to sites, officials and documents relevant to the agency's probe.

The IAEA says Iran, which has rejected the allegations as forged and baseless, has not engaged with the agency in a substantive way on these issues since August 2008 and that it keeps receiving intelligence data adding to its concerns.

"There were a huge number of questions raised by the November report. They will be seeking to answer those questions, and it's incumbent on Iran to be supportive," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said this week.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has called on Iran to show a "constructive spirit" in the meeting and Iran has said it is willing to discuss "any issues" of interest to the U.N. agency, including the military-linked concerns.

Iran's Press TV state television said on its website the IAEA visit was aimed at bolstering cooperation between the two sides "by resolving ambiguities," language Tehran has also used in the past.

The English-language station cited Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, as saying the main objective was to "thwart plots by enemies who are leveling unfounded allegations" against Iran and to prove its nuclear transparency.

Hibbs said Amano would want to see a "significant step" from Iran, for example by agreeing to more intrusive IAEA inspections or by explaining issues related to the weapons suspicions.

"I'm not very optimistic," Hibbs said. "Iran's track record is of appearing to cooperate whenever they are threatened by penalties."

(Additional reporting by Hashem Kalantari in Tehran; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/wl_nm/us_nuclear_iran_iaea

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FounderSoup: Stanford and Andreessen?s New Startup Generator

A single entrepreneur alone is vulnerable to shortsightedness, to fatigue. But with a team comes diverse perspective, encouragement, and the wherewithal to push through problems. That's why a group of Stanford computer science and business students started the Andreessen Horowitz-backed FounderSoup program. It's designed to give entrepreneurs with an idea or a fledgling company a chance to pitch -- not to raise funding, but to recruit co-founders. At its first full-scale event on Thursday night I saw an effective model for fostering startups, and several brilliant ideas in healthtech and energy (reviewed here) that could turn into successful companies.

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

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President Obama Speaks To Paul W. Smith On WJR News Radio In Detroit

President Obama is set to speak to a University of Michigan audience in Ann Arbor Friday, but first he had some words for a southeast Michigan radio audience.

In a pre-taped interview on Paul W. Smith's morning radio show on WJR News Radio, Obama reiterated many points from his State of the Union address, and honed in to praise American automakers' for their continuing recovery.

But first he previewed his upcoming speech at U of M. When Smith mentioned students had waited in the cold for hours to get tickets to the event, the president replied with a hearty "Go Blue!"

While that cheer may please many a Wolverine, it's the science, math and technology students that Obama lauded most.

"We've got to make sure that young people who aspire to be engineers, who aspire to be doctors, who aspire to be computer scientists -- and community colleges as well -- get training for the high-skill jobs," Obama said.

No direct love for humanities majors, but the president did elevate the issue of college affordability for all students.

"The key fact that I think a lot of families have learned is that college tuition has actually been going up faster than health care costs, faster than inflation and way faster than wages and income have gone up," he said.

Obama offered some oblique criticism of state education policies that have left local college and universities underfunded, leading to hikes in tuition costs.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder cut higher education funding in the state 15 percent last year, and Michigan colleges and universities have lost a combined 30 percent of their government funding in the last 10 years.

"States aren't supporting colleges and universities as much as they need to," Obama said, but he also laid some blame on the schools themselves. "Colleges and universities haven't been as creative as they could be to keep costs down," he said.

Smith shifted the conversation to talk about GM, Chrysler and Ford's return to profitability. Just before the president's appearance, Smith spoke with Ford CEO Alan Mullaly about news that the automaker made its largest yearly profit since 1999.

Talking car sales allowed Obama a chance to reiterate his role in the auto industry bailout.

"When we had to make the decision to help, we stood to lose a million jobs," Obama said. "Not only are the Big 3 automakers iconic and symbolize what built the American middle class, there are suppliers, there are businesses, there are restaurants -- you name it -- that would've been devastated by that loss."

The president touched on other themes from his State of the Union address, including a call to raise taxes for top earners, make smarter spending cuts, develop American oil and gas resources and encourage Washington politicians to cooperate more often.

"There's going to be a time and a place for campaigning and electioneering, but when you're in Washington try to do your job and focus on what matters to the American people, which is building business and putting people back to work, making sure this country's moving forward," Obama said.

Still, he admitted that a conciliatory stance might not be the best approach for Democrats.

"Sometimes I've got to blame my Democrats for reaching out too much to Republicans and being too patient with them," he said.

The conversation cut off a bit abruptly, and Smith had to explain that an error in the studio had lost the station some of the recording.

"When I finished the conversation I looked at the sheepish faces through the glass and they said 'It's all gone, all 17 and a half minutes of that conversation are gone,'" Smith explained.

WJR was lucky to get much of the recorded interview back, but losing the tape would not have been a total public information disaster. Obama, after all, will likely make many of the same remarks again in his speech to his University of Michigan audience Friday morning.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/president-obama-wjr-paul-smith-radio_n_1236117.html

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UN nuclear officials want Iranian cooperation (AP)

VIENNA ? The head of a U.N. nuclear team traveling to Iran say he hopes the country will work with his mission on probing Tehran's alleged attempts to develop an atomic arms program, adding such cooperation is long overdue.

Herman Nackaerts says "we hope that Iran will engage with us on all concerns regarding a possible military dimension of Iran's nuclear program."

He says his team is "looking forward to the start of a dialogue ? a dialogue that is overdue since very long."

Nackaerts spoke Saturday as his team arrived at Vienna's airport for a flight to Tehran.

Iran has for years dismissed suspicions that it worked in secret on components of a weapons program. Diplomats say it has signaled willingness to discuss all issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency team, but they are skeptical of a breakthrough.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_eu/iran_nuclear

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Five Keys to an amazing Chicago Automotive Locksmith

There can be a great deal of points that you just must search for in an automotive locksmith, but some points are even more fundamental than most people. Possessing a superior Chicago locksmith is certainly critical if you want to guarantee that your automobile is safe and web trotteurs sound, and you can get into it while you really need to. Right here are five points that you just must make certain about ahead of you signal the dotted line and keep a locksmith for his or her services.

Make certainly sure they may be on the market for you while you will need them. Countless locksmiths can be found 24 hrs each day, any day belonging to the week, but some are usually not. If your automotive locksmith is not willing to come back for you while you will need them, then you definately are while using mistaken an individual. Make sure the corporation is open and able to assist you out at any time, and anyplace.

An additional major is to assure they will in fact function on your vehicle. Countless automotive locksmiths are unable to function on selected forms of vehicles and keys. To illustrate, transponder keys are incredibly superior and function with coded keys. They send out radio transmission signals that may only function with their vehicle. In case the keys and codes really don?t match, then the automotive is going to be rendered totally worthless. Cutting and programming these keys will take specialized equipment and not almost every locksmith has that form of equipment. However most people have the equipment but have no clue how solo pari turf to in fact utilize it.

Examine some fees as well ahead of you choose your automotive locksmith. Not all of them charge the very same rates, and a few are inflated terribly. You shouldn?t really have to pay out excess to someone simply because they understand that you need them. Fork out a good cost, and question roughly about their popularity for being truthful. When they are not truthful, you?ll discover a lot of warning symptoms about this predicament.

Make sure your automotive locksmith might also function on your house requirements. Locksmiths almost always will function on various various kinds of keys, however you will plan to assure that you just don?t have to leap roughly. One particular locksmith has to be equipped to handle all your locksmith requirements. If they really don?t, then you definately paris turf really need to keep on on the lookout until eventually you discover one which does.

At long last, always make sure that your automotive locksmith handles a wide area that is definitely indicative of just where you travel. In case you are outside of their company area, then they are not going to be particularly useful for you. Also, inquire with them about what they are doing if you find yourself outside the area. Do they assist you out and link you with somebody else? This company is very useful if you ever travel enormous distances. You don?t want to get caught way from house with misplaced keys and no locksmith.

These five keys to locating a terrific automotive locksmith are by no means the only points it?s good to search for, nonetheless they are the most necessary. In case you cover these five points then most other points you would possibly really need to be bothered about are possible covered. Pay out a while on the lookout roughly and discover the locksmith that fits in your case.

Source: http://greatbayregionalpal.org/five-keys-to-an-amazing-chicago-automotive-locksmith/1449/

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State of the Union 'Getting Stronger,' According to Obama (ContributorNetwork)

Yahoo! News asked voters for their reaction to the State of the Union address on Monday night. Below is a perspective from one voter.

COMMENTARY | In 1972, I was thrilled to be among the first 18-year-olds eligible to vote under the brand new 26^th constitutional amendment. I have never missed an election.

I watched President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night with about 30 Obama campaign volunteers at a restaurant in a Pittsburgh suburb. While Obama declared the state of the union as "getting stronger," it struck me that these people, who all worked on his 2008 campaign, are just as strong in their beliefs, and principles, and commitment to public service today as we were then.

As expected, Obama touched on all of the major national policy areas. He talked about jobs, the economy, taxes, war, education, immigration, energy, the deficit, last summer's debt "crisis," and the infrastructure. He promised to work with anyone in Congress, to fight obstruction with action, and to oppose efforts to return to policies that created our financial crisis. He promised not to back down, not to walk away, not to give up. That line got a standing ovation in our group. It's about time. I've criticized Obama for appeasing the Republicans, and I hope he keeps that promise. He urged the Senate to relax or drop its rules permitting filibusters, which both parties use to obstruct progress in Congress. While he didn't use the phrase, the tone of his address was a rousing "Yes we can!"

When Obama suggested using the tax code to reward companies that create jobs for Americans and to raise taxes on those that ship jobs overseas, the television camera cut to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. He looked like a 3-year-old about to embark on a world-class temper tantrum. Watch out for a stunt from Cantor and Boehner this week.

The president proposed using half of the money saved from the wars to pay down the debt and the other half to repair and rebuild our infrastructure. Infrastructure spending is the single best action that government can take to create jobs and stimulate the economy. Unfortunately, most of the people who will benefit from those jobs won't understand how that works.

I was disappointed that Obama chose to omit a few issues. He didn't mention the vicious Republican attacks on our legal rights to join labor unions, on our voting rights, and on the social safety net that caught so many Americans who lost their jobs, homes, and health care to immoral corporatists who put profit above everything else.

Obama is hardly my idea of the perfect president. Will I vote for him again? You bet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120125/pl_ac/10882065_state_of_the_union_getting_stronger_according_to_obama

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Native dog breeds risk extinction

24 January 2012 Last updated at 20:33 ET By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website

Native dog breeds such as the English Setter are being pushed towards extinction by the growing popularity of more exotic dogs such as huskies and Chihuahuas, new figures suggest.

The setter, once a popular working dog, is one of the country's oldest breeds.

But statistics from the Kennel Club show a two thirds decline in puppy registrations over the last 10 years.

The Chihuahua, popularised by celebrity owners like Paris Hilton, saw a 25% increase in registrations last year.

Caroline Kisko, secretary of the Kennel Club said: "Celebrities, popular culture and fashion play a big part in today's society and unfortunately, dogs are not immune from our fickle tastes.

"The latest victim is the English Setter, a wonderful and loyal breed, while the number of Siberian Huskies has more than trebled in this country in the last 10 years."

Fran Grimsdell from Norfolk, who breeds English Setters, told BBC News: "The thing that saddens me is that we're getting people buying puppies, but they're nearly all people who have already owned English Setters.

"In the last two or three litters we've had - I've probably only sold one puppy out of about 15 to people who have never had the breed before.

"English Setters have got a fantastic nature... I would say that they are sensitive, terribly affectionate, loyal and wonderfully elegant in appearance. They are good with children. They can be a bit wilful... but I love that."

The English Setter joins 24 other dogs considered to be at risk of extinction on the club's list of Native Vulnerable Breeds.

The history of the English Setter stretches back hundreds of years to dogs used for hunting upland game birds. The medium-sized breed - with its characteristic flecked coat - is regarded as a good family pet, but also requires a large home and lots of exercise.

Breeds are added to the list when puppy registrations drop below 300 in a year. Last year, some 3,000 dogs were registered across the 25 vulnerable breeds. Chihuahuas, meanwhile, saw more than 6,000 registrations in 2011.

Genetic concerns

The most endandered breed of all is the Otterhound, a large rough-coated dog with a loud, baying call. There were just 38 Otterhound registrations last year (a decline of 33% on 2010).

Pam Marston-Pollock, chair of the UK Otterhound Club, said there were now just three breeders in the UK. An estimated 600 of the dogs remain worldwide, but only a fraction are suitable for breeding.

"As far as the show world is concerned, we don't have many younger people [involved with] the breed. The established breeders who have been around for 30 years are either dying off or aren't keeping as many hounds," Ms Marston-Pollock told BBC News.

"It's a sign of the times generally that keeping substantially sized hounds is quite expensive."

She added: "We're obviously conscious that we've got a narrow gene pool... we've had a meeting to discuss the possibility of bringing in an outcross with [another breed] to broaden our gene pool."

Such approaches have been successful in the case of Dalmatians, which can be prone to kidney or bladder stones. By outbreeding with a German Pointer, one Dalmatian breeder was able to remove the trait responsible for this health problem.

Breed needs

Other vulnerable native dogs include the Dandie Dinmont terrier (98 registrations, down 35% on 2010) and the Skye terrier (44 registrations in 2011, up 19% on the previous year). Greyfriars Bobby, a 19th Century Edinburgh dog famous for guarding the grave of its former owner, whose story was turned into a novel and two films, was a Skye Terrier.

Ms Kisko said the needs of exotic breeds were poorly understood by many owners. As a result, she said, the Kennel Club had seen an increase in the number of exotic dogs coming in to breed rescue societies when owners realise they are unable to give them the exercise, grooming or other care that they need.

One example is the Afghan Hound, which requires about two hours exercise per day and daily grooming. In 2009-2010, 43% of all Afghan Hounds registered with the Kennel Club ended up in breed rescue centres.

The Kennel Club has been compiling a list of vulnerable native dogs since 2003.

Harvey Locke, a former president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) told BBC News: "There are more than 200 pedigree dogs.

"We want to do everything we can to encourage responsible dog breeding. We are obviously against unscrupulous ones who breed [only] for profit. Everybody suffers there: the people who buy the puppies suffer and the dogs suffer.

He urged some breeders to move away from selecting for extreme features and called on prospective dog owners to seek advice from veterinary surgeons.

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16665702

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Greece clings to hope of debt deal despite setback (Reuters)

ZURICH/ATHENS (Reuters) ? Greece's private creditors pleaded Tuesday with European officials who rejected their bond swap offer to hammer together a deal before Athens tumbles into a chaotic default.

Athens' hopes for a swift deal with lenders were evaporating after euro zone ministers Monday rejected creditors' demand for a 4 percent coupon, or interest rate, on new, longer-dated bonds in exchange for existing debt.

The country is desperate for a deal to ensure funds from a 130 billion euro rescue plan drawn up by European partners and the International Monetary Fund arrive before 14.5 billion euros of bond redemptions fall due in March.

"It's important that all parties recognize how much we have at stake and work together and cooperate to find a solution," said Charles Dallara, who negotiates in the name of private bondholders through the International Institute of Finance.

He declined to comment on whether his group would back down on the demand for a 4 percent coupon billed as their "final offer" and said the position was already clear. Greece says it is not prepared to pay a coupon of more than 3.5 percent which would impose steeper losses on its private creditors.

Senior euro zone officials suggested they were preparing for another drawn-out battle despite the ticking clock. They want to make sure any debt swap deal does enough to bring Greece's mountainous debts back on track, to avoid the prospect of having to once again stump up funds for Athens.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble dismissed talk of the IIF's "final offer" with: "That happens in every bazaar."

"You do not need to be impressed by that," he said. "At least I do not."

Without a deal, Athens will be forced into a non-voluntary, hard default that could push other weak euro zone members closer to the edge, although experts are beginning to wonder whether the threat of contagion is as severe as it once was after the European Central Bank flooded the banking sector with nearly half a trillion euros of three-year money in December.

Standard & Poor's will likely downgrade Greece's ratings to "selective default" whether a debt restructuring is achieved with the voluntary buy-in of private creditors or not, but the ratings agency said the ripples might not spread.

"It's not a given that Greece's default would have a domino effect in the euro zone," John Chambers, chairman of S&P's sovereign rating committee, said.

The International Monetary Fund is more concerned, however.

It cut its outlook for global growth sharply Tuesday, said the euro zone debt crisis was escalating and dragging down the world economy and called for policies to restore confidence.

GREEK DEAL STILL ACHIEVABLE

EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn said the two sides remain close to an agreement on a Greek debt swap, which he hoped would come this month rather than next,

Caught in the middle between creditors and European partners stepping up a game of brinkmanship, Athens was left clinging on to hope a deal could still be struck in time. It said it had the euro zone's support to complete the talks in the "coming days."

"In reality, we are now entering the final stretch," Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said in a statement.

"I believe everyone has now realized that Greece must be supported in its effort, which is of vital importance not only for us but for the euro zone as a whole and the global economy."

Conservative leader Antonis Samaras, head of one of three parties backing Greece's technocrat prime minister, told Reuters he expected the talks to be wrapped up by March 5 at the latest and said the country must head to polls as soon as the EU/IMF bailout was finalized.

He set April 8 as the deadline for elections.

"PLAN A MODE"

With weeks of talks yielding little progress and growing concern that Greece's fast-deteriorating economic prospects mean it will need more aid from partners either way, European policymakers appeared to be more willing to consider the previously taboo option of a so-called "involuntary" debt swap.

Both sides have so far firmly stuck to plans for a "voluntary" swap that would avoid insurance against a Greek debt default from being paid out.

"There has been a slight change in mood, but no change in the policy lines pursued," a senior euro zone source told Reuters when asked about the mood among policymakers on Greece.

A second euro zone source confirmed the perception of a shift but said: "We are still in Plan A mode."

A source close to the talks said creditors would go toward an involuntary debt swap if there was no agreement by the end of the week, once again raising the odds of a messy default.

Dallara said he was confident of large-scale participation by bondholders in the swap if the two sides were able to strike a voluntary agreement.

The bond swap is meant to cut 100 billion euros from Greece's debt burden of over 350 billion, in a bid to ultimately slash its debt from around 160 percent of GDP to a more manageable 120 percent of GDP by 2020.

Under the agreement drawn up in October to rescue Greece for a second time, bondholders would take a 50 percent writedown on the notional value of their Greek holdings.

After weeks of haggling in Athens, the two sides were converging on an agreement that would see private creditors accepting a real loss of 65 to 70 percent and new bonds with 30-year maturity, sources close to the talks said last week.

Greece is stumbling through its worst post-World War Twoeconomic crisis, with unemployment at record highs and frequent protests against austerity measures demanded by its international lenders as a condition for bailout loans.

The country is now in its fifth year of recession and has struggled to push through reforms demanded by lenders.

In a sign that Athens' troubles will be far from over even if a debt swap deal was sealed quickly, Schaeuble warned that all Greek political parties must commit to reforms or risk putting the country's latest bailout plan at risk.

(Additional reporting by Sophie Sassard in London, Caroline Copley in Zurich, Jan Strupczewski in Brussels, writing by Deepa Babington. Editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/bs_nm/us_eurozone_ministers

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Tokyoflash Kisai Optical Illusion watch is more than meets the eye, smells like teen spirit

Back in the mid-90s, Magic Eye had a brief reign as the monger of stereogram cool -- you know, those hidden 3D images you could only see with crossed vision. While the flames of that mini-craze mercifully died out, it appears some diehard, grunge-era revivalist over at Tokyoflash is prepping a wrist piece comeback for the low-tech made notorious by Mallrats. Reincarnated as the Kisai Optical Illusion, this concept-to-design LCD watch incorporates high-resolution diagonal lines on its touch screen display that reveal the time to trained eyes. But if your peepers are out of practice, don't worry, there's also a handy shortcut button that ought to clarify things a bit. As with all of the outfit's pretty, but pointless chronological kit, this particular limited edition model will retail for $179 as part of a special two-day sale, after which it'll jump to $199. Like what you can't see? Then bust out the flannel, lace up those Docs and prepare your plastic for processing when this digital ticker hits virtual shelves.

Continue reading Tokyoflash Kisai Optical Illusion watch is more than meets the eye, smells like teen spirit

Tokyoflash Kisai Optical Illusion watch is more than meets the eye, smells like teen spirit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/tokyoflash-kisai-optical-illusion-watch-is-more-than-meets-the-e/

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Euro zone finance ministers to rule on Greek debt talks (Reuters)

BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) ? Euro zone finance ministers will decide on Monday what terms of a Greek debt restructuring they are ready to accept as part of a second bailout package for Athens after negotiators for private creditors said they could not improve their offer.

Resolving the issue of a Greek debt swap is key to putting Athens' debt on a sustainable path and avoiding a chaotic default that could threaten the whole currency bloc.

After several rounds of talks, Greece and its private creditors are converging on a deal in which private bondholders would take a real loss of 65 to 70 percent on their Greek bonds, officials close to the negotiations said.

But some details of the debt restructuring, which will involve swapping existing Greek bonds for new, longer-term bonds to bring Greek debt down to a more sustainable 120 percent of GDP in 2020 from 160 percent now, are unresolved.

"What I am confident of is that our offer, that was delivered to the prime minister, is the maximum offer consistent with a voluntary PSI deal," Institute of International Finance chief Charles Dallara, who is negotiating on behalf of banks and insurers holding Greek debt, told Antenna TV on Sunday.

"We are at a crossroads and I remain quite hopeful," said Dallara, who left Athens on Saturday without a deal in place.

Once the guidance from the finance ministers, known as the Eurogroup, is clear, talks on the restructuring could be finalized later in the week.

"It is a very delicate moment," Greek government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis told Greek state radio.

"The only thing that I can say as a government spokesman is that tonight, there is a very important meeting at the Eurogroup and we hope that serious steps will be made towards a deal."

Talks on the extent of Private Sector Involvement (PSI) in the Greek debt restructuring are a vital part of a second financing plan for Athens that would keep it funded until 2014.

"We will listen to the report on the negotiations, see how far they have gotten and have the ministers say what is acceptable and what is not in terms of outcome of the negotiations," one Eurogroup official said.

Without the second bailout from the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund, Greece will not be able to pay back 14.5 billion euros in maturing bonds in March, triggering a messy default that would hurt the whole euro zone economy.

"We are working for a deal in time for the January 30 summit of EU leaders. The restructuring offer needs to be made in the course of February," the official said.

"Obviously there is a clear link between the PSI and the next program and what we will be focusing on in the Eurogroup is making the next program operational."

STICKING POINT

There are doubts that even with a new bailout Greece's mountainous debt can be reduced to a still-painful 120 percent of GDP by 2020.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Sunday the crucial factor was that Athens should have a level of debt that was sustainable by then. "This goal must be achieved," he told German public broadcaster ARD.

Euro zone leaders agreed in October that the second bailout would total 130 billion euros, if private bondholders forgave half of what Greece owes them in nominal terms.

But Greek economic prospects have deteriorated since then, which means either euro zone governments or investors will have to contribute more than thought. [ID:nL1E8CBE7W]

The main sticking point is coupon, or interest rate, the new Greek bonds would carry. Officials said the new bonds are likely to be 30 years in maturity and carry a progressively higher coupon, which would average out at around 4 percent.

"The euro zone ministers will examine the proposal and say whether we have a deal. If they say we don't, we're back to the negotiating table," a banking source close to the talks said.

Progress will be presented to euro zone ministers by Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

"We then expect a discussion about the coupon," a senior Greek banker close to the negotiations told Reuters.

"I believe that the private sector can accept a lower coupon than the 4 percent average, but the question then is: will the PSI still be on a voluntary basis?" he said.

The voluntary character of the debt restructuring is important to avoid triggering the pay-out of insurance against a Greek default.

While the sums of such insurance appear relatively small, euro zone officials said, such a "credit event" could trigger a chain reaction of events that would entail rapid and large scale contagion in euro zone debt markets, and is thus best avoided.

NEW RESCUE FUND

After dealing with Greece, euro zone ministers will choose a replacement for European Central Bank Board member Jose Manuel Gonzales Paramo, whose term ends in May.

The 17 ministers of the euro zone will then be joined by 10 ministers from the other European Union countries to finalize a treaty setting up the euro zone's permanent bailout fund - the 500 billion euro European Stability Mechanism (ESM). Its predecessor, the EFSF, is widely viewed as insufficient.

The ESM is another crucial element in the bloc's efforts to end the sovereign debt crisis that threatens to engulf Spain and Italy after claiming Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The fund should boost market confidence in euro zone defenses should Spain or Italy need emergency financing. Separately, the IMF has launched a proposal to boost its war chest by $600 billion.

IMF head Christine Lagarde is to discuss this during a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday. She will make a speech on Monday in which she is expected to urge euro zone leaders to act quickly while acknowledging it is not merely Europe's problem because "innocent bystanders" will also be hit by a worsening debt crisis.

The 27 EU finance ministers will also prepare the final draft of another treaty to sharply tighten fiscal discipline in the euro zone, called the fiscal compact, that is designed to ensure another sovereign debt crisis cannot happen in future.

EU leaders are to sign off on both treaties on January 30, allowing the ESM to become operational in July.

To prepare for the January 30 summit, Merkel will meet European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy on Monday evening.

(Additional reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Ingrid Melander in Athens; Reporting By Jan Strupczewski, editing by Mike Peacock)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/bs_nm/us_eurozone_ministers

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Wall Street's return on equity problem

The conditions of the early 2000s made big banks great profit machines. Now they aren't looking so good.

The Emperor never had any clothes to begin with - just a good spot in an up-cycle with cheap cost-of-capital and an endless capacity to leverage it. Toss in a hint of government influence and a dash of deregulation and you get an amazing profit machine, until it's all taken too far.

Skip to next paragraph Joshua M. Brown

Joshua has been managing money for high net worth clients, charitable foundations, corporations and retirement plans for more than a decade.

Recent posts

But now we see how these banks look in a recovery without the extraordinary tailwind of the mid-aughts.? And it ain't nothing spectacular.

Now bonuses are being chopped by up 60% and even the junior levels at the big investment banks are seeing position cuts.? Because there was never any alchemy or magic at work to begin with and the new rules and realities lay this truth bare for all to see.

The banks have a certain amount of equity, the capital they can use to generate profits.? But there is now less that they can do with that equity and this fantastic explanation from DealBook shows how that affects these companies:

On Wall Street, much depends on a financial performance metric, return on equity, which effectively measures the profits a bank was able to generate on its capital. If a bank made $1 billion in profits on $10 billion of equity, its return on equity would be 10 percent.

In the middle of last year, Goldman Sachs?s target for return on equity was 20 percent, though the firm has since retreated from setting a target, citing the uncertainty in its business. Its actual return last year was only 3.7 percent, compared with 33 percent in 2006. Morgan Stanley managed 4 percent in 2011, compared with 23.5 percent in 2006.

Analysts estimate that Goldman effectively pays 10 to 15 percent for its capital. As a result, in 2011, the firm did not even cover the cost of its capital.

When I go on TV and explain to people that this incontrovertible fact keeps me out of the i-bank stocks, I get a lot of pushback still.? If you want the other side of my trade, then you have to believe that the rules are going to loosen up fairly soon so The Street can once again activate the dancefloor.

I doubt this will be the case.? If the economy improves these banks will do okay, but think about all the areas that will do so much better.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here.To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on www.thereformedbroker.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/5KAYaxc72Cc/Wall-Street-s-return-on-equity-problem

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Sony Xperia Ion pricing revealed?

Yup, it's another crumb of information making its way from the decidedly leaky ship that is Sony Mobile Communications -- as with all these, let's keep our tinfoil helmets set to skeptical. This time it looks like we've got rumored pricing for the Xperia Ion handset we played with at CES. A pre-order page has appeared at Negri Electronics that offers the handset for $569.50 unlocked. That sum of money will get you the AT&T-LTE phone with 16GB storage, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 4.6-inch 720 x 1280 display and, erm, Gingerbread (we know ICS is coming to this device, but perhaps not in time for launch). Still, if you're prepared to take the leap, head on down to the source link to mark your place at the front of the post-Ericsson queue.

Sony Xperia Ion pricing revealed? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another Crash Landing? (talking-points-memo)

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

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Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt trade views on filmmaking (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? They're arguably Hollywood's highest-profile couple, so it's only natural that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would privately discuss the art and business of filmmaking. According to Pitt, they don't always agree.

Speaking with Reuters at Saturday's Producers Guild Awards in Beverly Hills, Pitt said that he and Jolie, who are each busy on both sides of the camera as well as raising six children together, will talk shop at the end of a long day.

"Usually we argue shop every now and then," Pitt said, noting that they tend to differ in their approach. "She's much more decisive, she's much more quick. I've got to see everything. I've got to shop the entire eBay to know exactly what I want and what I need."

When he's stumped, Pitt said, "I'll always go to her and talk it out."

Jolie, who received the guild's Stanley Kramer Award for her directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," said Pitt's role as a producer calls for different skills. He produced and starred in "Moneyball," one of the 10 films nominated for the Producers Guild's top prize.

"I had to direct, I think it's different. I think he'd execute properly if he was the director," Jolie said. "But I do like to think of myself as decisive, so I'll take that."

Regarding her first work in the director's chair, a love story set amid the harrowing destruction of the Bosnian War, Jolie said her intention "wasn't to make a political statement against anybody. It was simply to say, 'We must talk about what happened, we must try to learn from what happened, we must try to see humanity on all sides,' and if we can, then we can start to move forward."

On the other hand, Jolie admitted that she was "fascinated" by a political matter somewhat closer to home: the Republican presidential race.

"There's that part of us that's wanting to learn about what's going on, and wanting to see who could possibly be the next president, and taking that very seriously, which it is. And then there's that other part of it that is this strange television ... these characters that we're watching. So you try to kind of separate that," Jolie said, adding that "it goes into the bizarre sometimes."

(Reporting by Phil Furey, writing by Sheri Linden; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/people_nm/us_angelinajolie_bradpitt

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U.S. could hit debt ceiling again around election (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The latest $1.2 trillion increase in the U.S. debt limit may not last through November's election and could provide fresh ammunition for Republicans to attack President Barack Obama on what they see as a particularly vulnerable point - spending.

Based on current deficit rates and borrowing estimates, some analysts say the United States could reach the debt ceiling again before the November 6 vote. This would force the U.S. Treasury to turn once more to accounting maneuvers to avoid the unthinkable: asking Congress for another increase as the presidential election campaign reaches its crescendo.

But any moves by the Treasury would likely not stop the issue from becoming fodder for Republican attack ads.

Estimates on when the United States will reach its debt limit vary, but they leave little room for the Treasury to cope with an economic shock, such as a global slowdown triggered by a worsening of Europe's debt crisis, which could shrink U.S. revenues and boost spending on unemployment aid.

"If the debt ceiling were to breached before the election, it would be possibly nuclear," said Ethan Siegal, who advises institutional investors on Washington politics.

A full replay of last summer's debt limit battle, which brought the United States to the brink of default and prompted a U.S. credit rating downgrade from Standard & Poor's, would rattle markets and put Obama at the mercy of Republicans in the House of Representatives bent on slashing spending.

A central theme of the Republican election strategy to recapture the White House is to portray Obama as presiding over a spending binge that has seen U.S. deficits surge to record levels, although the White House counters that the outlays were necessary to prevent the 2007-2009 recession becoming another Great Depression.

In a largely symbolic protest, the Republican-controlled House voted on Wednesday to reject the latest $1.2 trillion increase.

"There is a chance that we will burn through the debt limit increase by the election," said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP LLC in Jersey City, New Jersey. "It is unlikely that we would burn through the total amount and all the normal accounting maneuvers."

$300 BILLION SHORT

The budget deal that lifted the debt limit last summer was originally meant to last through 2012 and take the issue off the table for the election. But Obama never got the total potential increase of $2.4 trillion because a congressional deficit-cutting "super committee" failed to agree on discretionary spending cuts.

This limited the increase to $2.1 trillion, moving the timetable for again reaching the debt limit forward by two to three months at current deficit rates.

So far in fiscal 2012, which started October 1, the federal deficit has averaged $107.25 billion per month, just under the monthly pace for all of last year. At this burn rate, nearly $1.1 trillion of the $1.2 trillion increase would be consumed through October, leaving a cushion of only about $100 billion heading into the election.

And on November 15, Treasury will need to refinance about $88 billion worth of maturing debt as well as make a hefty interest payment.

Goldman Sachs analyst Alec Philips estimates that Treasury will reach the new debt ceiling of $16.394 trillion around mid-November, forcing Treasury to take accounting measures to get through the post-election "lame duck" session of Congress.

However, he noted that the strength of government revenues are difficult to predict.

Another source of uncertainty is the prospect of further capital injections into government-controlled housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The regulator for Fannie and Freddie has estimated that they could need up to $52 billion more in net taxpayer funds through 2014.

Of course, government revenues also could surprise on the upside if the U.S. economic recovery and job growth gains momentum this year. New budget deficit estimates are due in the coming weeks from the White House, the Congressional Budget Office and the Treasury's stable of Wall Street bond dealers.

These estimates are currently in the $1 trillion to $1.3 trillion range for the fiscal year ending September 30.

White House officials acknowledge that the United States will be close to the ceiling again around the time of the election but said the Treasury's accounting maneuvers could keep the government liquid until after the vote, and Congress would have to raise the limit shortly thereafter.

For Obama, the question is to what extent a re-emergence of the debt limit issue will focus a spotlight at the 11th hour of the election campaign on spending and debt accumulation during his tenure.

"The debt ceiling itself is sort of symbolic of the government not being able to figure out how to cut back spending and if that debate were to rise up with an event bringing it to the forefront of headlines, it's a problem for him," said Siegal, who heads The Washington Exchange.

(Additional reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120120/pl_nm/us_usa_congress_debtlimit

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