Gene Simmons casts his vote on GOP candidates

By Randee Dawn

KISS founder, reality show star and newlywed Gene Simmons isn't shy about sharing his political views: Over the years, he's supported former President George W. Bush's foreign policy, stated that current President Barack Obama has no idea what he's doing, and more recently declared that Texas Governor Rick Perry would be the next U.S. President.

OK, so even if they're not predictive, Simmons definitely has opinions. And in this recent interview with ComicBookMovie.com reporters Jim Littler and Nate Best, he lets it all hang out about who he thinks has the best shot in the upcoming election. Hint: Mitt Romney!

(Warning: The video below has uncensored language that may not suitable for all environments.)

"He's run successful companies, he knows how to make money and knows how to be taxed at 15% instead of 48% if he lived in Beverly Hills the way I get taxed," said Simmons.

But Newt Gingrich? Forget it. He's got experience, but he's also got his ex-mistress as his wife. Not that it bothers Simmons.

"I don't really give a s---," he said. "I just want to know if you can do the job. I don't care what you do with your schmeckel, or who's in bed with you. I don't care if you like farm animals. Who can do the job?"

Sounds like Simmons has an open mind about a variety of subjects.

Related content:

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Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10279036-gene-simmons-offers-up-liberal-views-of-conservative-candidates

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Manchester's Happy Mondays reunite for tour in May (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? British band Happy Mondays will re-form for a month-long tour in May, singer Rowetta Satchell has confirmed, following in the footsteps of fellow Manchester rockers The Stone Roses who reunited in October.

Happy Mondays, closely associated with the rave culture of the time, rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s when they produced hits like "Step On" and "Kinky Afro."

The group broke up nearly 20 years ago and has been back in variations incarnations since then. But the 2012 reunion has been billed as the first time the main lineup will share the stage since 1992.

"We want to put on a really good show," backing vocalist Satchell told BBC Radio Manchester over the weekend.

All seven members of the early 1990s lineup met last week to "see if they could sit in a room together," she said, a reference to the band's acrimonious past.

"We decided it would only be special and work if it was the total, original lineup. We're all really excited. They are my family, these boys; I've really missed them ... and I'm sure they've missed each other."

The seven-member version of Happy Mondays comprises frontman Shaun Ryder and bassist brother Paul, drummer Gary Whelan, dancer Mark "Bez" Berry, guitarist Mark Day, keyboard player Paul Davis and Satchell.

Bands reforming after long periods apart has become a common refrain in the music industry in recent years, with the bigger acts able to fill large venues and command huge fees both from ticket sales and recording new material.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/music_nm/us_happymondays_reunion

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Incomes up strong 0.5 pct., consumer spending flat (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Americans' income rose in December by the most in nine months, a hopeful sign for the economy after a year of weak wage gains. But consumers didn't spend any more than they had in November.

Americans ended up saving all their additional income.

Economists noted that income rose last month largely because of strong hiring. The economy added 200,000 jobs in December. More jobs mean more income available to spend.

The best hope for the economy is further job gains. On Friday, the government is expected to report another solid month of hiring for January.

Income rose 0.5 percent from November to December, the Commerce Department said Monday. It was the sharpest increase since a similar gain in March.

The flat spending in December followed scant gains of 0.1 percent in both October and November.

For all of 2011, income barely rose. And consumers tapped their savings to spend more.

But in December, Americans boosted their savings. If they continue to save any additional income rather than spend it, the economy could slow. And that could force employers to pull back on hiring.

Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity.

Many economists are holding out hope, though, that continued job gains will mean more spending across the economy.

"The pace of job growth in recent months, while still not satisfactory compared to most past cycles, at least seems sufficient to generate enough income growth to keep consumer spending moving ahead at a modest pace," said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR, Inc.

After-tax income adjusted for inflation rose 0.3 percent in December. For the year, inflation-adjusted income rose 0.9 percent. That was just half the rise in 2010.

Inflation-adjusted consumer spending rose just 2.2 percent last year. It was slightly better than the increase in 2010.

The government said Friday that the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.7 percent last year ? roughly half the growth of 2010. It was the weakest showing since the economy contracted in 2009.

Unemployment stands at 8.5 percent ? its lowest level in nearly three years after a sixth straight month of solid hiring.

For the final three months of 2011, Americans spent more on vehicles, and companies restocked their supplies at a robust pace.

Still, overall growth last quarter ? and for all of last year ? was slowed by the sharpest cuts in annual government spending in four decades. And many people are reluctant to spend more or buy homes. Many employers remain hesitant to hire, even though job growth has strengthened.

The outlook for 2012 is slightly better. The Federal Reserve has estimated economic growth of roughly 2.5 percent for the year, despite abundant risk factors: federal spending cuts, weak pay increases, cautious consumers and the risk of a European recession.

In December, spending on both durable and nondurable goods fell. Spending on services, a category that accounts for two-thirds of consumer spending, rose 0.2 percent.

The savings rate increased to 4 percent of after-tax incomes in December, up from 3.5 percent in November.

For the year, the savings rate dipped to 4.4 percent from 5.3 percent in 2010. The savings rate had fallen to 1.5 percent in 2005, reflecting a housing boom that made people feel like spending more and saving less.

The December report showed that prices tied to consumer spending edged up 0.1 percent in December and were up 2.4 percent compared to a year ago. This is the preferred inflation measure for the Federal Reserve.

The Fed last week established an annual inflation target of 2 percent.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_bi_ge/us_consumer_spending

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Deathmatch On Mars: an Interview With Warren Ellis

pigrabbitbear writes "Iconic comic book writer (Transmetropolitan, Planetary, Red), cult novelist (Crooked Little Vein), futurist intellectual, and beloved Internet curmudgeon, Warren Ellis, known for his impassioned arguments for space travel, talks to Motherboard about Newt Gingrich's presidential plans for lunar colonies and conquering Mars." Warren Ellis does not mince words.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/7MHhdZJvtTo/deathmatch-on-mars-an-interview-with-warren-ellis

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Thousands rally for Putin in Russian industrial belt (Reuters)

YEKATERINBURG, Russia (Reuters) ? Thousands of supporters of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rallied on Saturday to back his bid to return to the Kremlin, a week before what are likely to be far larger opposition protests to demand greater political choice.

Police said around 10,000 people gathered in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, with many brought on buses and trains from outlying towns in the Urals industrial belt to back Putin before the March 4 presidential vote.

Putin enjoys strong support in many Russian regions, but faces criticism from the urban middle class, especially in Moscow and St Petersburg. Effectively excluded from mainstream politics, middle class Russians have taken to the Internet to call for sweeping electoral reform.

Tens of thousands people from different parties and others, unaffiliated to any political organization, are expected to take part in a protest march on Feb 4 to press "For fair elections" in Moscow, which was approved by the city's authorities.

Tens of thousands protested in Moscow and other cities in December calling for a December 4 parliamentary election to be re-run, alleging the ruling United Russia party's victory was achieved through widespread ballot fraud.

In Yekaterinburg, demonstrators held placards with slogans such as 'We are for a stable tomorrow', swayed to pop music and enjoyed free food and drink.

"Buses were laid on for us at the factory, we saw lists in advance of those who would go to the rally," said Andrei Mandure, a worker at a chemical plant in the town of Lesnoy, a closed facility during the Soviet era. Putin did not attend the rally.

Public-sector workers were also out in the city's railway station square. One, a 59-year-old kindergarten worker who gave her name as Yevgeniya, told Reuters her boss had instructed her to attend.

Putin, president from 2000-08, is aiming to secure a further six-year term in March. He holds a clear lead in opinion polls, with Communist Gennady Zyuganov running a distant second.

The exclusion of liberal Grigory Yavlinsky from the slate on a technicality has further angered the opposition, which says the Kremlin has allowed billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov to run to capture protest votes without posing a threat to Putin.

"There are no good candidates. Yavlinsky was banned ... (so) who else if not Putin?" said Sergei, a 46-year old from Kirovgrad, when asked who he would vote for in March.

(Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Ben Harding)

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

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Analysis: Romney is fiery, focused in Fla. Debate (AP)

ORLANDO, Fla. ? Mitt Romney, forced to prove his resilience after a stinging loss in South Carolina, is showing why the so-called Republican establishment thinks he has the best discipline, organization and campaign smarts to challenge President Barack Obama this fall.

The former Massachusetts governor turned in his best debate performance yet Thursday night, putting chief rival Newt Gingrich on the defensive from the opening minutes in Jacksonville, Fla., and never letting up for two hours. It was a striking change after two South Carolina debates in which Gingrich revived his own campaign with fiery populist and media-bashing zingers that made Romney appear pallid in comparison.

Romney hired a new debate coach after those events. He was considerably more aggressive in a debate Monday in Tampa.

Then on Thursday, he urged his supporters to pack the hall in Jacksonville for the debate aired by CNN. As soon as it started, he appeared more prepared, polished and focused than Gingrich, who curiously dropped the fire-breathing aggressiveness he had shown only hours earlier at a morning tea party rally.

In contrast to the rousing ovations that Gingrich, the former House speaker, had received in the two South Carolina debates, the Jacksonville audience seemed mostly on Romney's side.

"When I'm shot at, I'll return fire," Romney said moments after the debate ended. "I'm certainly no shrinking violet."

Many Republicans expect Tuesday's Florida primary to be close. And debate performances are only one part of the GOP presidential campaign. It also features millions of dollars in TV, radio and mail ads and heavy coverage of candidates' events by local news outlets.

This cycle's presidential debates, however, have drawn big audiences and played an unusually large role in shaping the campaign. Gingrich's feisty performances after his near-fatal finish in Iowa helped put him into strong contention with Romney.

Romney's performance Thursday will doubtlessly reassure many mainstream party members who see Gingrich as too mercurial and burdened by past political battles to make the strongest case against Obama.

"Romney took the right lesson from South Carolina: Keep your opponent down, don't let him back up," New Hampshire political scientist Dante Scala, who follows the contest closely, said on Twitter before the debate was half over.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas congressman Ron Paul also participated in the forum, although Paul is not actively campaigning in Florida. Santorum scored strong points by noting that both Gingrich and Romney have supported mandatory health insurance for individuals.

Santorum says that history weakens the two men's ability to challenge Obama on mandated health coverage. Santorum is struggling to compete in sprawling, expensive Florida, however, and he planned to return for a while to Pennsylvania on Friday.

Romney's performance in Jacksonville was by no means perfect. He said he didn't remember a Spanish-language radio ad that his campaign is airing against Gingrich. CNN's Wolf Blitzer assured him the ad was his, and Gingrich needled him about it.

Romney also spent long segments explaining that his millions of dollars in personal wealth are invested by a trustee who keeps the details private to avoid conflicts of interest. Such sound bites might hurt Romney in a general election, which draws independent and Democratic voters who are likely to be more skeptical of a millionaire's hired accountants and complex investing than are some Republican activists.

On balance, however, Gingrich's supporters are likely to look back on the CNN debate and wonder what happened to the fire that boiled inside their champion Thursday morning, when he accused Romney of lies and gross hypocrisy.

One moment was especially telling. Blitzer asked Gingrich to explain his criticism of Romney's investments in, among other places, Swiss banks and Cayman Island accounts. Those locations sometimes are used to avoid U.S. taxes.

Gingrich, who often delights conservative crowds by lecturing or berating reporters, said the question was inappropriate for a presidential debate. Blitzer pressed on, saying Gingrich had made serious allegations about the investments, which Romney defends as above-board.

In what seemed a peace offering, Gingrich turned to Romney and said, "You want to try again?"

Romney answered with a verbal smack. "Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't make accusations somewhere else that they weren't willing to defend here?" he said coldly.

The moment was reminiscent of Tim Pawlenty's refusal in an August debate to repeat a sharp criticism he had recently made of Romney. Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor, soon dropped out and endorsed Romney.

Romney seemed determined to attack Gingrich at the first opportunity, even at the risk of strained indignation. He pounced when Gingrich, pressed on whether Romney is "the most anti-immigrant candidate," said blandly, "I think, of the four of us, yes."

"That's simply inexcusable," Romney retorted.

Immigration is a sensitive issue among Florida's Hispanic voters. Gingrich recently dropped an ad that called Romney anti-immigrant, at the request of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whose parents are from Cuba.

Romney said Gingrich's comments were "the kind of over-the-top rhetoric that has characterized American politics too long." He said Gingrich should apologize.

Gingrich regained some of his populist groove late in the debate.

"One of the reasons I am running is, there has been an increasingly aggressive war against religion, and in particular against Christianity in this country, largely by a secular elite and the academic, news media and judicial areas," he said. "It's important to have some leadership that stands up and says, `Enough.'"

The campaign question for Gingrich is: Did he do enough in his two debate opportunities in Florida to maintain his eye-popping momentum from South Carolina?

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Charles Babington covers politics for The Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_an/us_gop_campaign_analysis

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Natural Products for Stressed Out Pets | Care2 Healthy Living

We live in a world of sensory overload. Human made sounds are constantly buzzing, beeping, dinging, and ringing. Each sound represents something that is calling our attention. And if we treat ourselves well, we have mechanisms for providing our bodies and souls with de-stressing techniques such as yoga, meditation, drinking green tea, etc. But, how about our pets? They don?t know what a text message sound or the buzz of the laundry machine finishing it?s cycle means. If they are lucky, they get a lot of exercise, but what about environmental enrichment that helps calm them?

We put domesticated dogs and cats in our human world and basically say, ?Please adjust?. I feel it?s our responsibility as loving pet owners to provide them with natural remedies to relieve the stressful human world they live in with us. Recently on Good Morning America, Dr. Marty Becker, known as America?s Veterinarian, recommended four products that help de-stress pets. Each is a natural product that appeals to a different sense. Since dogs and cats rely so heavily on their senses, it?s no surprise that these products help to calm them while engaging their auditory, tactile, olfactory, or visual capabilities.

Here are Dr. Becker?s recommendations of stress relieving calming pet products:

1. Scent: Feliway Electric Diffuser (for cats) and Adaptil (for dogs)

The scent hormone in the diffuser duplicates the smell of a cat?s natural scent glands and permeates throughout the environment. The diffuser helps to restore a feeling of calm in cats. Adaptil contains DAP^? (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) and is recommended for preventing and reducing stress-related behavior in puppies and adult dogs. Dr. Becker sprays this on his hands to help calm his patients.

2. Sound: Through a Dog?s Ear

This specially designed and simplified classical music is clinically demonstrated to calm the canine nervous system. Anxiety issues were greatly reduced with 85% of dogs when tested in their home environments, and over 70% of dogs in shelters calmed to the soothing sounds of Through a Dog?s Ear. As a side benefit, the music also calms the human nervous system. Listen to sound samples and watch the video (on the next page) to see how the shelter dogs at the Humane Society of New York chill very quickly when Calm your Canine Companion is played for them.

3. Sight: Gentle-Leader Calming Cap

The Calming Cap reduces the visual stimulus that makes a dog agitated by filtering his vision. Like horses, sometimes reducing some of their visual stimulus helps to calm them. While the gentle fitting cap covers their eyes, it is sheer so they still have some visibility.

4. Tactile: Thundershirt

This pressure wrap uses gentle, constant pressure to calm dogs, effectively aiding anxiety, fearfulness, barking and more. Using pressure to relieve anxiety has been a common practice for years. Originally developed to help dogs with thunder-phobia, it has also helped with many other anxiety issues.

Next: Watch Dr. Becker on Good Morning America discuss his recommendations.

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/natural-products-for-stressed-out-pets.html

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Obama vs. Brewer and the Tiff on the Tarmac (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | President Barack Obama once again proves that he is the thinnest-skinned commander-in-chief in United States history.

The tiff on the tarmac between Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and Obama captured national attention within minutes of the encounter. The president should have thought about his inability to handle even the slightest criticism before entering politics.

Gov. Brewer was surprised that Obama wanted to hop off the plane and launch into a mini-tirade about a rather mild comment made in her book, according to the Washington Post. There is probably little that the reasonable conservative and the far-left president have in common, but the juvenile hostility exhibited by the president is beneath his office. The photograph of Brewer with a finger pointed in the direction of the president garnered immense interest minutes after it was posted online. On Wednesday night, Brewer told Fox News journalist Greta Van Sustern that she frequently speaks with her hands and did not intentionally finger point at the president. In her book Brewer recalled a meeting where she felt President Obama patronized her and her views on immigration. The hyper-sensitive president apparently felt so disparaged by the mild remark that he could wait not longer to confront his accuser.

The president has as history of behaving like a petulant child when arriving in Republican territory. Within minutes of stepping out of Air Force One in Louisiana, Obama chastised Gov. Bobby Jindal for uttering an unflattering comment, according to The Weekly Standard. Jindal made the reasonable assumption that the president would want to discuss the oil spill disaster but was shocked to be rebuked for asking Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to allow food stamps for workers displaced because of the environmental disaster. Jindal maintains that Obama warned him to be careful with his comments because "this thing is going to get bad for everyone."

A career politician like Barack Obama cannot fathom the genuine concern public servants feel when faced with distraught citizens. Brewer wants to protect the citizens of Arizona from border crime and fiscal failure due to an overload on public services by illegal immigrants. Jindal was trying to help citizens who were still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, deal with the economic impact of the BP oil spill. The president's character will continue to be cast in a negative light until he learns how to use good manners with those who do not worship at his knee.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120126/pl_ac/10888883_obama_vs_brewer_and_the_tiff_on_the_tarmac

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Obama's State of the Union Just Another Speech (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Barack Obama's State of the Union speech was a flashback to 2008 when he roamed the country preaching "hope and change." It was a campaign speech. It was an answer to every ad he's seen on TV so far this campaign season. It was full of subtle jabs and bites at his adversaries surrounded by support and hope for our troops. After all, who's going to say a negative word about our armed forces?

President Obama stated in the opening moments of his speech that "for the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda's top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home." The idea Obama wanted to convey was one of teamwork and togetherness because his very next line was, "Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example."

Yes. Imagine what we could do, but also imagine the rigorous training regiments of our military. The men and women in the U.S. military are told what to wear, when to eat, when to wake, when to sleep, and how to perform their jobs down to the absolute minutest of details. Everything is black and white. Most Americans would revolt. The statement reminded me of the Apple workers in China. A last minute revamp of iPhone screens prompted an Apple factory in China to immediately go back to work. The screens arrived at the factory around midnight. "A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company's dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day," writes Thomas Friedman in The New York Times.

For an American to do the same thing, we would have to be under attack. There would have to be a greater cause associated with the work, but then maybe there is a greater cause associated with the work. The U.S.A is no longer No. 1. The middle class is dying. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Goods made in the U.S.A are not on our store shelves so consumers can't automatically support their country by going to the store. Consumers have to vigilantly look for products made in the U.S.A. That's un-American.

Unfortunately, all Obama gave us was a speech. He outlined no plan, and a lot of his statements were questionable at best. It was more wishes and dreams for a better U.S.A. surrounded by a call to support our troops and a decree to lower taxes for businesses that bring jobs back. While I liked the words, I know Obama cannot deliver on those promises.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120125/pl_ac/10882791_obamas_state_of_the_union_just_another_speech

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Elsevier's Maturitas publishes position statement on the role of vitamin D in postmenopausal women

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Greyling Peoples
g.peoples@elsevier.com
31-204-853-323
Elsevier

Amsterdam, January 25, 2012 Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the publication of a position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) in journal Maturitas on the role of vitamin D in postmenopausal women with summary recommendations.

Vitamin D deficiency is common and may affect up to 70% of Europeans. It is classified as a public health issue as it can contribute to many diseases, especially osteoporosis. EMAS has risen to the challenge of increasing awareness of vitamin D deficiency to women and health professionals. The position statement describes the implications of vitamin D deficiency and provides clear recommendations on why and how adequate levels should be maintained.

Osteoporosis is a common condition in postmenopausal women leading to bone fractures. However, there is now evidence that vitamin D deficiency is also associated with other medical conditions important in older women. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, infections and neurodegenerative disease. The major natural source of vitamin D is cutaneous synthesis through exposure to sunlight with a small amounts also coming from the diet in animal-based foods such as fatty fish, eggs and milk. Levels of vitamin D are lower in those with poor sun exposure and in the winter. Obesity, malabsorption syndromes and certain medications (e.g. anticonvulsants, antiretrovirals) can also lower vitamin D levels. Regular sunlight exposure (without sunscreens) for 15 minutes, 3-4 times a week, in the middle of the day in summer can generate healthy levels. Supplements of vitamin D are recommended for those women who cannot obtain the required quantity through sun exposure and diet. The recommended daily allowance is 600 IU/day increasing to 800IU/day for those aged 71 years and older.

These and other recommendations presented in the EMAS position statement are published in article: "Vitamin D and postmenopausal health" by Faustino R. Prez-Lpez, Marc Brincat, C. Tamer Erel, Florence Tremollieres, Marco Gambacciani, Irene Lambinoudaki, Mette H. Moeng, Karin Schenck-Gustafsson, Svetlana Vujovic, Serge Rozenberg, Margaret Ree (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.11.002). The article appears in Maturitas Volume 71, Issue 1 (January 2012) published by Elsevier.

###

About European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS)

The European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) is an international society that promotes the study and dissemination of research into all aspects of midlife health and beyond in both men and women. Through its activities, EMAS aims to guarantee and provide the same standard of education and information throughout Europe on postreproductive health in both genders. The statutes of EMAS have been submitted to and accepted by the Swiss Authorities and the Society is now acknowledged by the Swiss Government and the International Menopause Society as the official Regional European Menopause Society. EMAS also belongs to the Council of affiliated Menopause Societies (CAMS) of the International Menopause Society (IMS). For more information go to: http://www.emas-online.org/Pages/home.aspx

About Maturitas

Maturitas is an international multidisciplinary peer reviewed scientific journal of midlife health and beyond, publishing original research, reviews, consensus statements and guidelines. The scope encompasses all aspects of postreproductive health in both genders ranging from basic science to health and social care.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact
Greyling Peoples
Elsevier
+31 20 485 3323
g.peoples@elsevier.com

---

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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: 25-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Greyling Peoples
g.peoples@elsevier.com
31-204-853-323
Elsevier

Amsterdam, January 25, 2012 Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the publication of a position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) in journal Maturitas on the role of vitamin D in postmenopausal women with summary recommendations.

Vitamin D deficiency is common and may affect up to 70% of Europeans. It is classified as a public health issue as it can contribute to many diseases, especially osteoporosis. EMAS has risen to the challenge of increasing awareness of vitamin D deficiency to women and health professionals. The position statement describes the implications of vitamin D deficiency and provides clear recommendations on why and how adequate levels should be maintained.

Osteoporosis is a common condition in postmenopausal women leading to bone fractures. However, there is now evidence that vitamin D deficiency is also associated with other medical conditions important in older women. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, infections and neurodegenerative disease. The major natural source of vitamin D is cutaneous synthesis through exposure to sunlight with a small amounts also coming from the diet in animal-based foods such as fatty fish, eggs and milk. Levels of vitamin D are lower in those with poor sun exposure and in the winter. Obesity, malabsorption syndromes and certain medications (e.g. anticonvulsants, antiretrovirals) can also lower vitamin D levels. Regular sunlight exposure (without sunscreens) for 15 minutes, 3-4 times a week, in the middle of the day in summer can generate healthy levels. Supplements of vitamin D are recommended for those women who cannot obtain the required quantity through sun exposure and diet. The recommended daily allowance is 600 IU/day increasing to 800IU/day for those aged 71 years and older.

These and other recommendations presented in the EMAS position statement are published in article: "Vitamin D and postmenopausal health" by Faustino R. Prez-Lpez, Marc Brincat, C. Tamer Erel, Florence Tremollieres, Marco Gambacciani, Irene Lambinoudaki, Mette H. Moeng, Karin Schenck-Gustafsson, Svetlana Vujovic, Serge Rozenberg, Margaret Ree (doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.11.002). The article appears in Maturitas Volume 71, Issue 1 (January 2012) published by Elsevier.

###

About European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS)

The European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) is an international society that promotes the study and dissemination of research into all aspects of midlife health and beyond in both men and women. Through its activities, EMAS aims to guarantee and provide the same standard of education and information throughout Europe on postreproductive health in both genders. The statutes of EMAS have been submitted to and accepted by the Swiss Authorities and the Society is now acknowledged by the Swiss Government and the International Menopause Society as the official Regional European Menopause Society. EMAS also belongs to the Council of affiliated Menopause Societies (CAMS) of the International Menopause Society (IMS). For more information go to: http://www.emas-online.org/Pages/home.aspx

About Maturitas

Maturitas is an international multidisciplinary peer reviewed scientific journal of midlife health and beyond, publishing original research, reviews, consensus statements and guidelines. The scope encompasses all aspects of postreproductive health in both genders ranging from basic science to health and social care.

About Elsevier

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/e-emp012512.php

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Blogging While Female, and Why We Need a Posse

Twin City Derby Girls, lining up at the start of a jam to support their jammer. My other posse. Photo courtesy of Alex Wild.

The women in scienceblogging session at Science Online this year was very different from last year. More people were venting, and what they were venting was scary: stalkers, rape jokes, physical threats. It has not been a good year to be blogging while female: Elevatorgate was one of the more frightening events I?ve ever observed, because it exposed a level of hatred, of vicious, violent sexism that before that point I would have said was only believed by the tiniest fraction of men. Elevatorgate ramped up the defensiveness and sharpened the fears of women who speak their mind in the skeptical and science blogospheres.

Even when the threats aren?t physical, the antagonism towards women has been nasty. I have been called a sexist, someone who plays victim, told I should be fired, and worse, personal things that I will not relay here. I have had my writing challenged by brash claims regarding my character or intent without any attempt to build a case with evidence.

And even though I can look at the evidence and my writing, at what I do and what I stand for, and know these claims are ridiculous, each one of these attacks shatters me.

Back at my old blog, these attacks would have had little effect on me. At my old blog my posse would have crowded them out, shrugged their way past them until the attackers were shouting uselessly at the periphery. My old blog was a warm, inviting space where I could take risks because people were willing to take them with me.

I could blame the loss of my posse on the commenting system or the more heavily-male readership here at Scientific American and throw up my hands. But I also know I have not been modeling the appropriate behavior to encourage you to get comfortable in my new place. I have left almost all attack comments up rather than delete them because I worried that getting rid of them would open me up to more attacks, or make it look as though I was silencing my opposition. And so I left them, and waited, hoping someone would come and back me up. Sometimes someone would.

Supporting a female blogger under attack in a comment thread is a very risky endeavor. If you are a male ally, you may be afraid of making things worse. If you are a woman, you may be afraid of drawing some of the attack on to you. The attack may also just feel like it?s not your business. It takes a very brave person who doesn?t mind sticking their nose in to put together a reasoned response and handle the blowback.

By letting the oppressive and rude behavior in my comment threads get out of control, I have put my posse in an impossible position. I have silenced potential commenters, and lost the most valuable part of my blogging.

* * *

Science Online was fun, just like last year. But I also felt raw, and exposed, and put on a pedestal. I can?t tell you how much it meant to me that so many of you admire my writing and perspective, that you told me you have started to write, or stood up to an adversary, or followed your dream in part due to me. But I do not write well on this pedestal. It wobbles with my every move and there are spikes lining the fall below.

Blogging is a selfish endeavor, a desire to be heard. Blogging is insisting you have something to say. Blogging is saying come here, come here and respond and tell me that at least some of what I am saying means something to you.

And so I am going to be selfish right now. I am asking you to register on this network. You can register as a pseudonym or Anon371 or under your name and only I see your email address. But I want you to register so that you are more likely to comment and participate in this community, because that?s the only way I can get back down.

* * *

In order for you to have the support you need to come back and rebuild our posse, I am enacting a new comment policy here at Context and Variation. The policy is as follows:

1. Be decent. Decent people don?t attack character and they appreciate genuine attempts to engage, push boundaries or be allies. They avoid rather than embrace belligerence.
2. Be responsible. Be intolerant of wrongdoing and oppression. Model the kind of behavior that enriches this community.
3. Provide evidence. Show, don?t tell. Comments that only tell me you hate my conclusions get deleted. Comments that explain what you disagree with and why it is incorrect get to stay.

The science blogging community ? and you don?t need to be a blogger to be in this community ? is one that has been held together by the decency and strength of Bora Zivkovic. This community operates more like a meritocracy and democracy than many other areas of science because that is what Bora has modeled and what he has demanded of us. But this community grows larger, and one man cannot be expected to hold together the hundreds of thousands of us who engage with science and science writing every day. With scientific literacy more important to economic and political success than ever, yet fewer newspapers with science sections, readers are coming to us. And it?s on all of us to honor the model produced by Bora, Anton Zuiker, Karyn Traphagen and so many others by being responsible and supporting each other.

We all have different ways of supporting community, and different ideas of civility. I?ve only articulated what I expect on my blog. Clearer articulation and enforcement of these policies in our own spaces will create the spaces we need to maximize our impact and honor our communities.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b3c53d0ea7c2b1e242722009ade49a20

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Libyan government concedes to restive town's demands (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Libya recognized a tribal-based local government in the former Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid on Wednesday, illustrating the power of tribal leaders over the fragile interim government.

Fighters from the Warfallah tribe -- the dominant tribe in Bani Walid and the most populous in Libya -- drove out a pro-government militia from the town this week.

Salah al-Maayuf, a member of the Warfallah Elders Council in Bani Walid, said his tribal body appointed a new local council on Tuesday and that Defense Minister Osama al-Juwali recognized the body during all-day talks on Wednesday.

"The Defense minister told us that if we, as a tribe, believe that the new local council in Bani Walid will work, then we have convinced him that it can," Maayuf told Reuters from Bani Walid, a bastion of support for former leader Muammar Gaddafi during last year's rebellion.

"We told him that we want to keep the whole country peaceful

and that national unity was a priority," Maayuf added.

An official at the Defense ministry confirmed that Juwali had accepted the new council, but did not give further details.

NTC RETREATS

Juwali is a member of the provisional government installed in November by the National Transitional Council (NTC), the self-appointed body which won Western backing in the uprising that ousted Gaddafi in August.

On Monday, armed residents attacked the barracks of the NTC force in the town, killing four fighters by the account of the government militia, and forcing the unit to retreat to beyond the desert city's limits. Eight of the town's residents were also killed, doctors at the hospital said.

Echoing complaints by residents that the NTC fighters had been harassing people, making arrests and abusing prisoners, the town's elders said on Tuesday they did not want any interference from the Tripoli authorities and dismissed the local NTC council.

The unrest will heighten doubts about the NTC's ability to bring order and establish control over armed groups - goals crucial to rebuilding oil exports and securing Libya's vast desert borders in a region where al Qaeda is active.

Bani Walid, in Libya's Western Mountains 150 km (90 miles) south of Tripoli, was one of the last towns to surrender to the anti-Gaddafi rebellion last year. But residents reject accusations from NTC fighters that they remain loyal to Gaddafi.

After Gaddafi was captured and killed in October, one of his sons, the now captive Saif al-Islam, staged his last stand in Bani Walid before fleeing into the Sahara.

Reuters reporters who toured Bani Walid on Tuesday saw no signs of the Gaddafi-era green flags which NTC supporters said had been hoisted over the town following the retreat of the pro-government militia.

Some pro-Gaddafi graffiti remains in the town, but the most common banners flying were the red, green and black tricolor of the NTC.

GOVERNMENT FORCES SURROUND THE TOWN

Bani Walid is not alone. Towns and cities across Libya are being run with little reference to central authority. In a number of areas tensions have emerged between groups which were nominally allies in the revolt.

Abdul Azziz al-Jmaili, a resident of Bani Walid, said government forces were around the town to prevent escalating fighting.

Speaking to Reuters by telephone, Jmaili said a "peacekeeping force" comprised of units of former rebel fighters loyal to the NTC and drawn from other towns in the region had set up checkpoints in the outskirts of Bani Walid.

(Additional reporting by Taha Zargoun and Oliver Holmes; Writing by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Rosalind Russell)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/wl_nm/us_libya_talks

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Augmented reality makes Thundercats packaging way cooler than the toys themselves

What happens when the toy packaging becomes more exciting than the toy itself? It's an interesting experiment that's now seeing the light of day courtesy of Bandai's new Thundercats and Ben 10 toys, which come to life through a smartphone screen via augmented reality. The company promises that the packages help kids "examine every part of the toy before purchase." That's important. And hey, so's setting them up for a lifetime of disappointment. Video and PR after the break.

Continue reading Augmented reality makes Thundercats packaging way cooler than the toys themselves

Augmented reality makes Thundercats packaging way cooler than the toys themselves originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/uLLOvasGBCc/

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The nation's weather (AP)

Wet and snowy weather will persist in the West as snow returns Sunday to the Northern Plains and upper Midwest. A strong low pressure system spinning over the Pacific will push another cold front onshore throughout the day. This system will bring rain showers to the Pacific Northwest and northern California, with heavy snow showers expected in the mountains. The Cascades may see 3 to 7 inches of new snow, and the Sierra Nevadas another 7 to 9 inches of snow.

Strong winds will develop ahead of this front, with gusts from 35 to 45 mph, up to 75 mph at the highest mountain peaks. High wind and winter weather advisories remain in effect in these areas.

Elsewhere, a low pressure system over the central and northern Rockies will advance eastward into the Plains, producing 1 to 3 inches of snow across the Dakotas and upper Midwest. Late Sunday, a cold front will develop south of this system, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms to the Mississippi River Valley. There is a slight chance storms will turn severe in the Tennessee Valley and mid-Mississippi River valley. The back side of this system will spread lingering snow showers over the Rockies.

The East Coast will see a break in wet weather as a low pressure system and associated frontal boundary moves offshore into the Atlantic. High pressure will build over the Northeast and extend down the East Coast, allowing for a dry and mild day before another system quickly approaches from the central U.S.

Temperatures in the lower 48 states ranged Saturday from a morning low of -25 degrees at Land O' Lakes, Wis., to a high of 91 degrees at Bonifay, Fla.

___

Online:

Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com

National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov

Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_us/us_weatherpage_weather

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NASA Also Has a SWAT Team . . . (Theagitator)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190454460?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Elusive Z- DNA found on nucleosomes

Friday, January 20, 2012

New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Cell & Bioscience is the first to show that left-handed Z-DNA, normally only found at sites where DNA is being copied, can also form on nucleosomes.

The structure of DNA which provides the blueprint for life has famously been described as a double helix. To save space inside the nucleus, DNA is tightly wound around proteins to form nucleosomes which are then further wound and compacted into chromatin, which is further compacted into chromosomes.

But this familiar image of a right handed coil (also called B-DNA) is not the only form of DNA. At sites where DNA is being copied into RNA (the messenger which is used as the instruction to make proteins) the DNA needs to unwind, and, in a process of negative supercoiling, can form a left-handed variety of the DNA double helix (Z-DNA).

It was originally thought that Z-DNA could only be formed in the presence of active RNA polymerase (the enzyme which assembles RNA). However more recently it has been discovered that SWI/SNF, a protein involved in remodeling nucleosomes and allowing RNA polymerase access to DNA, can convert certain sequences of B to Z-DNA.

The team of researchers led by Dr Keji Zhao discovered that they could convert B-DNA to Z-DNA on nucleosomes by the addition of SWI/SNF and ATP (the cell's energy source) and that the Z-nucleosome formed was a novel structure.

Dr Zhao, from the NIH, explained, "The fact that we have found Z-DNA on nucleosomes is a new step in understanding the roles of chromosome remodeling and Z-DNA in regulating gene expression. While the Z-nucleosome is likely to be a transient structure it nevertheless provides a window of opportunity for the placement of DNA binding proteins which may recruit, regulate, or block the transcription machinery and hence protein expression."

###

BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com

Thanks to BioMed Central for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116908/Elusive_Z__DNA_found_on_nucleosomes

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SC verdict: Romney, Gingrich face off in primary

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at Tommy's Country Ham House, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Greenville, S.C., on South Carolina's Republican primary election day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at Tommy's Country Ham House, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Greenville, S.C., on South Carolina's Republican primary election day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich takes part in a TV interview during a campaign event at the Grapevine Restaurant in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, the unpredictable voting day of the South Carolina presidential primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at The Citadel Patriots Dinner in Charleston, S.C., Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks during a campaign stop at Tommy's Country Ham House, where former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also scheduled an appearance on South Carolina's Republican primary election day in Greenville, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate former, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, seen with his wife Callista at center, campaigns at a Chick-Fil-A in Anderson, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, on South Carolina's Republican primary election day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich collided Saturday in the South Carolina primary, the first Southern testing ground in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and historically a harbinger of the final outcome.

Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul rounded out the field in a campaign defined by its unpredictability.

There were 25 Republican National Convention delegates at stake, but political momentum was the real prize with the race to pick an opponent to President Barack Obama still in its early stages.

In all, more than $12 million was spent on television ads by the candidates and their allies in South Carolina, much of it on attacks designed to degrade the support of rivals.

Already, Romney and a group that supports him were on the air in next-up Florida with a significant ad campaign, more than $7 million combined to date. The state's primary is Jan. 31.

Interviews with voters as they left polling places showed nearly half saying their top priority was finding a candidate who could defeat President Barack Obama in the fall, followed by wishes for experience, strong moral character and true conservatism.

In a state with 9.9 percent unemployment, concern about the economy was high, and almost one-third of those voting reported a family member had lost a job in the past three years.

The exit poll was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters left polls at 35 randomly selected sites. The survey involved interviews with 1,577 voters and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, swept into South Carolina 11 days ago as the favorite after being pronounced the winner of the lead-off Iowa caucuses, then cruising to victory in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.

But in the sometimes-surreal week that followed, he was stripped of his Iowa triumph ? GOP officials there now say Santorum narrowly won ? while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman dropped out and endorsed Romney and Texas Rep. Rick Perry quit and backed Gingrich.

Romney responded awkwardly to questions about releasing his income tax returns, and about his investments in the Cayman Islands. Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, benefited from two well-received debate performances while grappling with allegations by an ex-wife that he had once asked her for an open marriage so he could keep his mistress.

By primary eve, Romney was speculating openly about a lengthy battle for the nomination rather than the quick knockout that had seemed within his grasp only days earlier.

One piece of primary day theater failed to materialize when the two men avoided crossing paths at Tommy's Ham House in Greenville, packed with partisans holding signs that read either "Romney" or "Newt 2012."

Romney rolled in earlier than expected, and had left by the time Gingrich arrived.

Santorum got a lift hours before the polls closed when the Iowa Republican Party declared him the winner of the caucuses on Jan. 3. Romney was pronounced the victor by eight votes initially, but on Thursday, party officials said a recount showed Santorum ahead by 34. Even so, they declared the outcome a tie.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, pinned his South Carolina hopes on a heavy turnout in parts of the state with large concentrations of social conservatives, the voters who carried him to his surprisingly strong showing in Iowa.

Paul had a modest campaign presence here after finishing third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire. His call to withdraw U.S. troops from around the world was a tough sell in a state dotted with military installations and home to many veterans.

As the first Southern primary, South Carolina has been a proving ground for Republican presidential hopefuls in recent years.

Since Ronald Reagan in 1980, every Republican contender who won the primary has gone on to capture the party's nomination.

Romney's stumbles began even before his New Hampshire primary victory, when he told one audience that he had worried earlier in his career about the possibility of being laid off.

He gave a somewhat rambling, noncommittal response in a debate in Myrtle Beach last Monday when asked if he would release his tax returns before the primary. The following day, he told reporters that because most of his earnings come from investments, he paid about 15 percent of his income in taxes, roughly half the rate paid by millions of middle-class wage-earners. A day later, aides confirmed that some of his millions are invested in the Cayman Islands, although they said he did not use the offshore accounts as a tax haven.

Asked again at a debate in North Charleston on Thursday about releasing his taxes, his answer was anything but succinct and the audience appeared to boo.

Gingrich benefited from a shift in strategy that recalled his approach when he briefly soared to the top of the polls in Iowa. At mid-week he began airing a television commercial that dropped all references to Romney and his other rivals, and contended that he was the only Republican who could defeat Obama.

It featured several seconds from the first debate in which the audience cheered as he accused Obama of having put more Americans on food stamps than any other president.

Nor did Gingrich flinch when ex-wife Marianne said in an interview on ABC that he had been unfaithful for years before their divorce in 1999, and asked him for an open marriage.

Asked about the accusation in the opening moments of the second debate of the week, he unleashed an attack on ABC and debate host CNN and accused the "liberal news media" of trying to help Obama by attacking Republicans. His ex-wife's account, he said, was untrue.

___

Associated Press writers Shannon McCaffrey, Kasie Hunt and Beth Fouhy contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-21-GOP%20Campaign/id-8382b698a8504d228e6059c21ef9b6fa

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EU Internet czar comes out against SOPA (AP)

BRUSSELS ? The European Union's Internet czar has added her voice to resistance of the Stop Online Piracy Act, in an unusually open comment on U.S. legislation.

Neelie Kroes, the EU's Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, tweeted Friday "Glad tide is turning on SOPA: don't need bad legislation when should be safeguarding benefits of open net."

The piece of legislation, currently in the House of Representatives, would allow the U.S. Justice Department to target legitimate sites where users share pirated content.

Outrage over SOPA earlier this week triggered a one-day blackout by Wikipedia's English-language service and sparked to growing scrutiny of the bill.

The EU is also struggling with its attempts to tackle online piracy ? but without restricting Internet freedom.

Kroes favors a less invasive approach, tweeting "Speeding is illegal too: but you don't put speed bumps on the motorway."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_eu_sopa

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Chris Brown Denies Rihanna Hookup Rumors

If we made a list of Celebrity Couples We Never Want to See Get Back Together, Rihanna and Chris Brown would be at the very top. Not that it should even be an issue; after all, why would the Sexeist Woman Alive want to reunite with the guy who physically assaulted her when they were minutes away from the 2009 Grammys? Surely she can find a better man, right?

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/chris-brown-denies-rihanna-hookup-rumors-just-friends/1-a-420504?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Achris-brown-denies-rihanna-hookup-rumors-just-friends-420504

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Madagascar's exiled president vows return Saturday

Exiled president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, speaks during a news conference in Johannesburg, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Ravalomanana, exiled in South Africa since a 2009 coup, said Friday he will return to his Indian Ocean homeland on Saturday even though he faces arrest there. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Exiled president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, speaks during a news conference in Johannesburg, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Ravalomanana, exiled in South Africa since a 2009 coup, said Friday he will return to his Indian Ocean homeland on Saturday even though he faces arrest there. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Exiled president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, smiles during a news conference in Johannesburg, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Ravalomanana, exiled in South Africa since a 2009 coup, said Friday he will return to his Indian Ocean homeland on Saturday even though he faces arrest there. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Exiled president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, shows his air tickets at a news conference in Johannesburg, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. Ravalomanana, exiled in South Africa since a 2009 coup, said Friday he will return to his Indian Ocean homeland on Saturday even though he faces arrest there. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The president of Madagascar, exiled in South Africa since a 2009 coup, said Friday he will return to his Indian Ocean homeland on Saturday even though he faces arrest there.

Following the coup, Marc Ravalomanana was convicted in absentia of conspiracy to commit murder in a case related to the turmoil during his overthrow. The court was appointed by Andry Rajoelina, who took power with the military's backing in 2009. Ravalomanana called the tribunal illegitimate.

"Any attempt to arrest me will be unlawful," Ravalomanana told reporters Friday. "I have not committed any of the crimes of which I am accused by the illegal regime."

Harry Laurent Rahajason, the government spokesman in Madagascar, said Ravalomanana "will be arrested" if he returns.

Attempts to find a political solution in Madagascar have been troubled. A new prime minister and unity Cabinet that took office last year were greeted with protests by some opposition figures and skepticism from the international community. Rajoelina appears firmly in control.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-20-AF-Madagascar/id-f2806d1c4f344759bba2f8c2d836ae7c

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Report: Undercover police had kids with activists (AP)

LONDON ? Britain's Guardian newspaper said Friday that two undercover police officers have fathered children with the activists they were spying on.

Key details were hazy but the revelations are the latest in a series of reports which has cast doubt on whether undercover police in the U.K. go too far in seeking to infiltrate environmental, animal rights and extremist groups.

British authorities are already preparing a report into the use of undercover officers after one of them caused a trial to collapse when his cover was blown.

The Guardian said that two other police operatives had children while on the job, although the timing of the officers' alleged relationships is unclear.The paper said one of them fathered a child in the 1980s and that another one did so "some years ago." The paper said it was withholding the women and children's names for reasons of privacy.

The newspaper cited one of the now-former police operatives and an unnamed second person as the source for its reporting. An email seeking comment from the ex-officer named in the article was not immediately returned late Friday.

A spokeswoman for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the police body which is looking into the use of undercover officers, said she was checking to see whether the group could comment on report, which is due out in the Guardian's Saturday edition but was available online late Friday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_undercover_fathers

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Battle for control of Asia's seas goes underwater (AP)

YOKOSUKA, Japan ? It's getting a bit more crowded under the sea in Asia, where Andrew Peterson commands one of the world's mightiest weapons: a $2 billion nuclear submarine with unrivaled stealth and missiles that can devastate targets hundreds of miles (kilometers) away.

Super high-tech submarines like Cmdr. Peterson's USS Oklahoma City have long been the envy of navies all over the globe ? and a key component of U.S. military strategy.

"We really have no peer," Peterson told The Associated Press during a recent port call in Japan.

But America's submarine dominance in the Pacific is facing its biggest challenge since the Cold War. Nearly every Asian country with a coastline is fortifying its submarine fleet amid territorial disputes stirred up by an increasingly assertive China and the promise of bountiful natural resources.

Submarines are difficult to find and hard to destroy. Even fairly crude submarine forces can attack surface ships or other targets with a great deal of stealth, making them perfect for countries with limited resources. The threat of such an attack is a powerful deterrent in Asia, where coastal defenses are vital.

"This is shaping up as an intense arms race," said Lyle Goldstein, an associate professor at the China Maritime Studies Institute of the U.S. Naval War College. "This arms race is not simply China versus the rest ? though that explains much of it ? because there are other rivalries here as well."

China is pouring money into enlarging and modernizing its fleet, and India is planning to get a nuclear-powered attack submarine ? the INS Chakra ? on a 10-year lease from Russia as early as this month.

Australia is debating its most-expensive defense project ever ? a submarine upgrade that could cost more than 36 billion dollars.

Japan is adding another eight to its 16-boat fleet. South Korea is selling them to Indonesia. Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and even Bangladesh either now have or are planning to acquire subs.

North Korea, which has a large fleet of mini-subs, allegedly put them to deadly use in 2010 ? killing 46 South Korean sailors in the worst clash since their war ended in 1953.

The trend has a momentum of its own ? once one country gets submarines, its neighbors are under pressure to follow suit, lest they give up a strategic advantage. But the rush to build up submarine forces also underscores a growing awareness of the region's potential riches.

Roughly half of the goods transported between continents by ship go through the South China Sea, accounting for $1.2 trillion in U.S. trade annually. The area has vast, largely untapped natural resources ? including oil reserves of seven billion barrels and an estimated 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

"The geostrategic significance of the South China Sea is difficult to overstate," said a report this month by the Center for a New American Security, a private think tank based in Washington DC. "To the extent that the world economy has a geographical center, it is in the South China Sea."

With the decline of Russia, the U.S. remains the top nation with a significant capability to operate submarines in the open seas ? a crucial advantage if Washington wants to maintain its role in keeping key sea lanes and chokepoints like the Malacca Strait, which connects the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, free for commercial trade.

The U.S. Navy's blue water superiority is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Peterson, the Oklahoma City skipper, said the Navy's workhorse Los Angeles-class subs remain a cut above the rest. "The beauty is that they are still the state of the art."

But, closer to shore, China is challenging the status quo.

"China has put a major emphasis on submarines, with the result that the PLA Navy submarine force is now, along with the Chinese missile forces, one of the sharpest arrows in China's quiver of military capabilities," Goldstein said.

China now has more than 60 subs in its navy, including nine that are nuclear-powered, according to the Pentagon's annual overview last year.

Its mainstay boats are diesel-powered Song-class vessels, but it also is developing more advanced nuclear-powered attack and ballistic submarines, including the Jin class that would carry missiles with a range of 4,600 miles (7,400 kilometers). Nuclear-powered subs can operate longer submerged than their diesel counterparts.

China has a long way to go to match the U.S. Navy ? the advanced Jin subs, for example, would have to be well into the Japan Sea for the continental United States to be within their range ? and Goldstein said that Beijing's threat has been overblown.

To keep its edge, however, the United States now has more submarines in the Pacific than in the Atlantic. With the military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan wrapping up, the Obama administration has also announced a "pivot to the Pacific" strategy that will likely further boost U.S. naval resources in the region.

Even so, China is just one player in an increasingly complicated game.

"Everybody's buying subs, but not for the same reasons," said Owen Cote, associate director of MIT's Security Studies Program.

The Pacific is dotted by scores of disputed islands, and who controls what part of the seas is a potentially explosive question. Japan has rival claims with China, South Korea and Russia. A half dozen countries claim rights to the remote Spratly Islands.

"Vietnam and the other states abutting the South China Sea want to have the option to contest a Chinese decision to resolve the various boundary issues that divide them by force," Cote said. "The Chinese have an interest in using submarines in preventing U.S. surface ships from intervening on behalf of one of these neighbors in such a conflict."

As regional navies get stronger, so does the potential for armed clashes.

"It poses the prospect of changing the balance of power across the Asia-Pacific ? in fact it already has," said Hugh White, Australian National University's professor of strategic and defense studies. "This is a very maritime part of the world. Anyone with a submarine has a clear capability of disrupting commercial shipping."

White said the development of submarine forces by multiple Asian nations is already inhibiting the ability of China and the United States to project their naval power, and posing new issues for smaller navies caught in the middle.

"There are questions about whether the U.S. will continue to assume its security role," he said. "This is a big debate in Australia right now. Do we aim to be able to act independently of the U.S.? To what extent do we want to be able to operate against a major player like China, or more locally against Indonesia?"

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_as/as_asia_s_submarine_race

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