Florida highway pileup kills at least 10 people

Firemen hose down a commercial carrier truck on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., after it was involved in a multi-vehicle wreck which killed at least 9 people in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Firemen hose down a commercial carrier truck on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., after it was involved in a multi-vehicle wreck which killed at least 9 people in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Firemen spray foam on a truck that was part of a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Wrecked vehicles sit along the road at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Firemen watch as cleanup crews work on vehicles that were involved in a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

A small passenger vehicle sits lodged beneath a semitrailer after a multi-vehicle accident that killed at least nine people, on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup on the highway, which had been closed for a time because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire. At least five cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flame. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? A long line of cars and trucks collided one after another early Sunday on a dark Florida highway so shrouded in haze and smoke that drivers were instantly blinded. At least 10 people were killed.

When rescuers first arrived, they could only listen for screams and moans because the poor visibility made it difficult to find victims in wreckage that was strewn for nearly a mile, police said.

Authorities were still trying to determine what caused the pileup south of Gainesville on Interstate 75, which had been closed for a time before the accidents because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire that may have been intentionally set. At least a dozen cars and six tractor-trailers were involved, and some burst into flames.

Steven R. Camps of Gainesville said he and some friends were driving home several hours before dawn when they were drawn into the pileup.

"You could hear cars hitting each other. People were crying. People were screaming. It was crazy," he said. "If I could give you an idea of what it looked like, I would say it looked like the end of the world."

Photographs of the scene taken hours later revealed an aftermath that resembled a Hollywood disaster movie. Twisted, burned-out vehicles were scattered across the pavement, with smoke still rising from the wreckage.

Cars appeared to have smashed into the big rigs and, in one case, a motor home. Some cars were crushed beneath the heavier trucks.

Reporters who were allowed to view the site saw bodies still inside a burned-out Grand Prix. One tractor-trailer was burned down to its skeleton, charred pages of books and magazines in its cargo area. And the tires of every vehicle had burned away, leaving only steel belts.

Before Camps hit the fog bank, a friend who was driving ahead of him in a separate vehicle called to warn of the road conditions. The friend said he had just seen an accident and warned Camps to be careful as he approached the Paynes Prairie area just south of Gainesville.

A short time later, Camps said, traffic stopped along the northbound lanes.

"You couldn't see anything. People were pulling off the road," he said.

Camps said he began talking about the road conditions to a man in the car stopped next to them when another vehicle hit the man's car.

The man's vehicle was crushed under a semi-truck stopped in front of them. Camps said his car was hit twice, but he and another friend were able to jump out. They took cover in the grass on the shoulder of the road.

All around them, cars and trucks were on fire, and they could hear explosions as the vehicles burned.

"It was happening on both sides of the road, so there was nowhere to go. It blew my mind," he said, explaining that the scene "looked like someone was picking up cars and throwing them."

Authorities had not released the names of victims Sunday evening, but said one passenger car had four fatalities and a "tour bus-like" vehicle also was involved in the pileup.

At least 18 people were taken to a hospital.

All six lanes of the interstate ? which runs virtually the entire length of Florida ? were closed most of Sunday afternoon as investigators surveyed the site and firefighters put out the last of the flames.

The northbound lanes of I-75 were reopened around 5:30 p.m. EST, but the southbound lanes remained closed.

"Our standard operating procedure is to get the road open as quickly as possible but let's not forget we have 10 people who are not with us today," said Lt. Patrick Riordan, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesman. "So we are going to take our time assessing the situation."

It was not clear when the highway would fully reopen because part of the road melted, police said.

At some point before the pileup, police briefly closed the highway because of the fog and smoke. The road was reopened when visibility improved.

Riordan said he was not sure how much time passed between the reopening of the highway and the first crash.

Traffic was being diverted much of Sunday onto U.S. 301 and State Road 27, Riordan said.

A spokeswoman for the Florida Forest Service, Ludie Bond, said the fire began Saturday, and investigators were trying to determine whether the blaze had been intentionally set. She said there were no controlled burns in the area and no lightning.

Bond also said the fire had burned 62 acres and was contained but still burning Sunday. A similar fire nearby has been burning since mid-November because the dried vegetation is so thick and deep. No homes are threatened.

Four years ago, heavy fog and smoke were blamed for another serious crash.

In January 2008, four people were killed and 38 injured in a series of similar crashes on Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa, about 125 miles south of Sunday's crash. More than 70 vehicles were involved in those crashes, including one pileup that involved 40 vehicles.

___

Associated Press Writer Freida Frisaro in Miami contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-29-US-Deadly-Interstate-Crash/id-b5169d9310534455a2127879875d5037

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Scientists reveal how cholera bacterium gains a foothold in the gut

Saturday, January 28, 2012

A team of biologists at the University of York has made an important advance in our understanding of the way cholera attacks the body. The discovery could help scientists target treatments for the globally significant intestinal disease which kills more than 100,000 people every year.

The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is able to colonise the intestine usually after consumption of contaminated water or food. Once infection is established, the bacterium secretes a toxin that causes watery diarrhoea and ultimately death if not treated rapidly. Colonisation of the intestine is difficult for incoming bacteria as they have to be highly competitive to gain a foothold among the trillions of other bacteria already in situ.

Scientists at York, led by Dr. Gavin Thomas in the University's Department of Biology, have investigated one of the important routes that V. cholerae uses to gain this foothold. To be able to grow in the intestine the bacterium harvests and then eats a sugar, called sialic acid, that is present on the surface of our gut cells.

Collaborators of the York group at the University of Delaware, USA, led by Professor Fidelma Boyd, had shown previously that eating sialic acid was important for the survival of V. cholerae in animal models, but the mechanism by which the bacteria recognise and take up the sialic was unknown.

The York research, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), demonstrates that the pathogen uses a particular kind of transporter called a TRAP transporter to recognise sialic acid and take it up into the cell. The transporter has particular properties that are suited to scavenging the small amount of available sialic acid. The research also provided some important basic information about how TRAP transporters work in general.

The leader of the research in York, Dr. Gavin Thomas, said: "This work continues our discoveries of how bacteria that grow in our body exploit sialic acid for their survival and help us to take forward our efforts to design chemicals to inhibit these processes in different bacterial pathogens."

The research is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and was primarily the work of Dr Christopher Mulligan, a postdoctoral fellow in the Dr Thomas's laboratory.

###

University of York: http://www.york.ac.uk

Thanks to University of York for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117153/Scientists_reveal_how_cholera_bacterium_gains_a_foothold_in_the_gut

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Celebrity pot busts put tiny Texas county on map

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, actor Armie Hammer poses for photographers after the Young Hollywood Panel during AFI FEST 2011 in Los Angeles. The town of Sierra Blanca, Texas, which is losing more and more residents every year, is attracting nationwide attention as a magnet for pot-toting celebrities who have been arrested for possession at a Border Patrol checkpoint outside town. Hammer was arrested Nov. 20, 2011, at a border patrol checkpoint in West Texas after a drug sniffing dog discovered marijuana in his car. The 25-year-old, who starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in "J. Edgar," spent about a day in jail before paying a $1,000 bond. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2011 file photo, actor Armie Hammer poses for photographers after the Young Hollywood Panel during AFI FEST 2011 in Los Angeles. The town of Sierra Blanca, Texas, which is losing more and more residents every year, is attracting nationwide attention as a magnet for pot-toting celebrities who have been arrested for possession at a Border Patrol checkpoint outside town. Hammer was arrested Nov. 20, 2011, at a border patrol checkpoint in West Texas after a drug sniffing dog discovered marijuana in his car. The 25-year-old, who starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in "J. Edgar," spent about a day in jail before paying a $1,000 bond. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

SIERRA BLANCA, Texas (AP) ? Nestled among the few remaining businesses that dot a rundown highway in this dusty West Texas town stands what's become a surprise destination for marijuana-toting celebrities: the Hudspeth County Jail.

Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg and actor Armie Hammer have been among the thousands of people busted for possession at a Border Patrol checkpoint outside town in recent years, bringing a bit of notoriety to one of Texas' most sparsely populated counties.

"Once I was in Arizona, and when I said where I was from, they said, 'That's where Willie Nelson was busted,'" said Louise Barantley, manager at the Coyote Sunset souvenir shop in Sierra Blanca.

Hudspeth County cameos aren't only for outlaws: Action movie star Steven Seagal, who's already deputized in Louisiana and Arizona for his reality show "Steven Seagal Lawman" on A&E, has signed on to become a county officer.

Locals already have found ways to rub shoulders with their celebrity guests.

Deputies posed for pictures with Snoop Dogg after authorities said they found several joints on his bus earlier this month. When Nelson was busted here in 2010, the county's lead prosecutor suggested the singer settle his marijuana charges by performing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Nelson paid a fine instead, but not before county commissioner Wayne West played one of his own songs for the country music legend.

West acknowledged he's a big fan of Nelson and wanted to capitalize on a golden chance to perform for such a noted "captive audience."

"Willie loved the song, he is a real outgoing individual" he added.

The once-thriving town of Sierra Blanca began to shrink to its current 1,000-person population after the construction of nearby Interstate 10 ? a main artery linking cities from California to Florida ? offered an easy way to bypass the community.

Now the highway is sending thousands of drug bust cases Sierra Blanca's way, courtesy of a Border Patrol checkpoint just outside of town where drug-sniffing dogs inspect more than 17,000 trucks, travelers ? and tour buses ? daily for whiffs of contraband that may have made its way inland from the border.

Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West, younger brother of the musically inclined commissioner, said his office handled about 2,000 cases last year, most of them having to do with drugs seized at the checkpoint.

Border Patrol agents say people busted with small amounts of pot often say they have medical marijuana licenses from California, Arizona or New Mexico ? three states along I-10 that, unlike Texas, allow for medicinal pot prescriptions ? and claim to believe the licenses were valid nationwide.

Nelson's publicists declined to comment about the specifics of the singer's case. Representatives for Snoop Dogg, who will pay a fine and court costs after being cited for possession of marijuana paraphernalia, did not return several messages seeking comment.

County authorities have not yet decided whether to prosecute or issue a citation for Hammer, who starred in the 2010 film "The Social Network" and more recently played the FBI's number two man in "J. Edgar" He was arrested in November on his way to his wife's bakery in San Antonio after authorities said they found marijuana-laced brownies and cookies. His attorney Kent Schaffer has called the case a "total non-issue."

Local officials say they're not on a celebrity witch hunt, but some residents are enjoying the publicity from the high-profile arrests. They say the once forgotten town of Sierra Blanca should take pride in not pandering to famous people caught breaking the law.

"We get attention because something is being done right," resident Adolfo Gonzalez said while shopping at a local convenience store. "It'd be worse if we'd let them go because they are celebrities."

That's not expected to change when Seagal comes to town. Sheriff West insists the "Under Siege" star hasn't indicated any plans to film his show here ? but the sheriff isn't ruling it out.

"If he wants to, we can do it but that's not what he said this was about," West said.

West's spokesman, Rusty Flemming, said Seagal will patrol the area and train colleagues in martial arts and weapons techniques. The actor is expected to arrive in Hudspeth County within months, once he's done filming a new movie in Canada.

Seagal's management agency did not return calls and emails seeking comment about his plans in Texas.

Commissioner West, meanwhile, is keeping his musical skills sharp ? just in case another performer pays a surprise visit to the county jail. The lead guitarist and vocalist of a local band, West said he regrets not having a chance to sing for Snoop Dogg, but wasn't sure if the rapper would have enjoyed the performance anyway.

"Our stuff is laid back," he said. "Mas o menos (more or less) country."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-28-Celebrity%20Checkpoint/id-d235deb65c194acbbb9fa24a82322fd2

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Explaining Modern Finance And Economics Using Booze And Broke ...

Courtesy of reszatonline, who brings us the following allegory by way of Tim Coldwell, we are happy to distill (no pun intended) all of modern economics and finance in a narrative that is 500 words long, and involved booze and broke alcoholics: in other words everyone should be able to understand the underlying message. And while the immediate application of this allegory is to explain events in Europe, it succeeds in capturing all the moving pieces of modern finance.

From reszatonline

Helga is the proprietor of a bar.

She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar.

To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.

Helga keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers? loans).

Word gets around about Helga?s ?drink now, pay later? marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Helga?s bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in town.

By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Helga gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Helga?s gross sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Helga?s borrowing limit.

He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral!!!

At the bank?s corporate headquarters, expert traders figure a way to make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS.These ?securities? then are bundled and traded on international securities markets.

Naive investors don?t really understand that the securities being sold to them as ?AA? ?Secured Bonds? really are debts of unemployed alcoholics.

Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb!!!, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation?s leading brokerage houses.

One day, even though the bond prices still are climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Helga?s bar.

He so informs Helga.

Helga then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts.

Since Helga cannot fulfil her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy.

The bar closes and Helga?s 11 employees lose their jobs.

Overnight, DRINKBOND prices drop by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank?s liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.

The suppliers of Helga?s bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms? pension funds in the BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds.

Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers. Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multibillion dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from the government.

The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers who have never been in Helga?s bar.

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Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/explaining-modern-finance-and-economics-using-booze-and-broke-alcoholics

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Chael Sonnen: Great promoter or greatest promoter?

CHICAGO -- "Chael's nuts."

UFC president Dana White started off the press conference with the statement that everyone in MMA has thought, but not said. Sonnen, who walked out with a UFC championship belt and the words, "Undisputed, undefeated!" flowing from his mouth, showed again he is the best promoter in MMA.

White barely had to say anything to promote Saturday's bouts on Fox, because the Sonnen Show took center stage. His opponent on Saturday, Michael Bisping, tried to keep up with Sonnen, but his attempts were futile.

Sonnen explained where he picked up the belt ... kind of.

"Well, for those of you who can't see, this is the championship belt that I took from Anderson Silva. In this country, possession is nine tenths of the law. Finders keepers, losers weepers. If he wants it back, he knows where he can find it."

"I think you can get it on eBay for $29.99!" Bisping said.

Sonnen even broke into rhyme.

"You're looking at the reflection of perfection. You're looking at the man who gets all your attention. You're looking at the man with the biggest arm. At the man, with the greatest charm, the man in Chicago who will do harm to the guy three doors down."

White, standing between Sonnen and Bisping, couldn't help but smile as Sonnen spit out rhyme after rhyme. He was particularly happy as Sonnen added the time and station of the fights to each exclamation.

"Whatcha gonna do, when you know who? How ya gonna deal, with the man of steel? How ya gonna react to Sonnen's attack? Tune in on the 28th! 8 p.m. Eastern Time! You'll find out who the real champion is."

If Sonnen keeps the act up -- and there's no reason to believe he won't -- White won't have to work to promote a single Sonnen card. Why would he, when the "champ" does the work for him?

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chael-sonnen-great-promoter-greatest-promoter-233050678.html

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Newt Gingrich Proves His Priorities Are Mixed Up with Future Space Ambitions (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Space reports that Newt Gingrich intends to have a manned colony permanently on the moon by 2020 if he is elected president. Gingrich talked about his space plans to a crowd in Cocoa, Fla., and he also has ambitions to explore Mars. As an American citizen that is concerned with the future economic state, here is why Gingrich is out of touch with the American people regarding his space ambitions.

The fact that Gingrich wants to re-energize the United States to get back to space only proves he is not looking at the real concerns facing this country. At a time when the economic state of America is not very strong, Gingrich wants to spend millions of dollars exploring space, and permanently putting a colony on the moon. This does not even make sense considering the amount of money a permanent colony would require from the government and private business. As an American, I am glad that people are still ambitious to explore space, but now is not the time to do so. I feel that the money could be better spent on creating jobs, increasing technology, and securing our borders.

Gingrich wants to set up a fund that would give a $10 billion prize to the first company that could send an astronaut to Mars, which would essentially privatize space exploration. I feel that companies should be taking their time and resources to hire more employees, and not trying to build a shuttle to get to Mars. Gingrich said he would cut the budget of NASA so that it is more focused, but NASA should not be getting any money. Gingrich should be focusing on giving companies tax incentives to hire the most unemployed groups of Americans, such as veterans, teenagers, and felons. The space shuttle competition would be too much of a financial burden for most companies, and is not a huge priority when most companies struggle to just survive each month. I would be angry if a company was spending time and resources on this competition, and not spending resources hiring or training workers.

America is relying on Russia to continue the space program, which does not have to be a bad thing. I agree that exploring space is important for the advancement of science, but America does not have to be the country to do so. Gingrich should be telling the American people what he will be doing about the lack of jobs, how he will cut spending, and make America a leader in innovation again. Having private companies compete for money to get America back to the moon is just not logical. I feel that any competition Gingrich wants to have should be focused on things that would better the American economy, such as a competition for new technological innovations. I want to hear him talk about his ambitions for reducing the debt, getting people off of welfare and putting people back to work, not about his goals for space.

Myself, Personal Opinion

Denise Chow, Mike Wall, "Gingrich Space Plan Promises the Moon, Literally: Lunar Base by 2020", Space

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120126/us_ac/10889459_newt_gingrich_proves_his_priorities_are_mixed_up_with_future_space_ambitions

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Portugal and Greek concerns weigh on world stocks (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? World stocks fell from a 5-1/2 month high on Friday as gains spurred by the Federal Reserve's pledge of low interest rates gave way to concerns about Portugal, seen as the next domino in the euro zone crisis, and uncertainty over Greek debt talks.

Portuguese five- and 10-year government bond yields were set to remain under pressure after hitting euro-era highs on Thursday as fears grow that the country may follow Greece in requiring another bailout or seeking to restructure its debt.

Athens is locked in tough negotiations with its private creditors on a restructuring it needs quickly to avert a disorderly default when a major bond redemption falls due in March. Greece's bondholders are demanding the European Central Bank contribute to a deal to put the country's messy finances back on track.

"With all the focus on Greece, attention has also started to shift to Portugal, whose own bond yields are continuing to rise sharply, with 10-year yields pushing on towards 15 percent, as fears rise that it could well need a second bailout," said Michael Hewson, market analyst at CMC Markets in London.

The MSCI world equity index fell a quarter percent, after hitting its highest since August on Thursday after the Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates near zero for the next three years.

European stocks lost 0.4 percent while emerging stocks rose 0.3 percent.

U.S. crude oil fell 0.1 percent to $99.56 a barrel.

Bund futures rose 30 ticks.

The dollar rose slightly against a basket of major currencies. The euro fell 0.1 percent to $1.3091.

After weeks of wrangling over the coupon that Greece will pay on new bonds it will swap for existing debt, the focus has shifted to whether the ECB and other public creditors will follow private bondholders in swallowing losses.

Euro zone members may have to increase their financial support for Greece if Athens and the private sector do their part to address the country's debt crisis, Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker told a newspaper.

Italy, on the other hand, has enjoyed a recent rapid decline in yields, mostly driven by demand from domestic banks awash with three-year loans taken out from the European Central Bank. Italy will sell 8 billion euros of six-month bills and 3 billion euros of 11-month bills on Friday after a successful short-term bond auction on Thursday and before a key sale of longer-dated debt next week.

"Italy has seen some relief," Hewson said.

(Editing by Catherine Evans)

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

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Roche offers $5.7 billion to buy gene firm Illumina (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Roche Holding AG is offering $5.7 billion in cash to buy U.S. gene sequencing company Illumina Inc in an unfriendly takeover bid that marks a major play by the Swiss drugmaker into the gene technology field.

Gene sequencing is central to personalized medicine, which allows scientists to predict a patient's response to a particular drug, both during clinical practice and in drug trials.

Roche is already the world's largest maker of cancer drugs, where gene analysis is progressing fastest, as well as a major maker of diagnostic tests.

"This ... will help Roche sustain its leadership position in targeted therapies, which we consider as highly promising," said Bryan Garnier analysts in a research note.

But they added a deal would probably be neutral to earnings in the first year of ownership at the current offer price, which is 18 percent above Illumina's closing price on Tuesday and over 60 percent above the level before rumors of a bid started, and that Roche might have to raise its offer to secure a deal.

Roche Chief Executive Severin Schwan said the company had no intention of raising its offer for the San Diego-based group that was founded in 1998 and employs just over 2,000 people.

At 4:55 a.m. ET, Roche stock was down 2.2 percent at 161 Swiss francs, lagging a 1.3 percent drop in the European healthcare index as some investors fretted over the cost of a deal.

UNWILLING TO TALK

Basel-based Roche said it would offer to buy Illumina's shares for $44.50 each in cash. Roche currently owns a very small number of Illumina shares, finance chief Alan Hippe said.

It plans to commence a tender offer because Illumina was not willing to negotiate a transaction.

"Roche has made multiple efforts to engage with Illumina in order to reach a negotiated transaction, but Illumina has been unwilling to participate in substantive discussions," it said.

Oddo Securities analysts described the offer as "very generous," saying it equated to 22 times Illumina's forecast operating profit for 2011 at a time when diagnostics sector peers are trading at around 10 times forecast earnings.

However, Deutsche Bank analysts said Illumina's earnings were forecast to grow strongly in the coming years.

A deal, which would be Roche's largest since it bought the remaining stake in U.S. biotech group Genentech for nearly $47 billion, would be financed from available cash and borrowings under its credit facilities and would not require a financing condition, Roche said.

The company also said it would nominate a slate of independent candidates for election to Illumina's board.

"It is our strong preference to enter into a negotiated transaction with Illumina," Roche's Schwan said.

Illumina urged shareholders take no action pending a recommendation from the board.

In 2008, Roche, with Schwan as its diagnostics head, overcame resistance from testmaker Ventana Medical Systems to snap it up for $3.4 billion, a deal that was deemed as expensive at the time, but a good strategic fit.

SHARES WEAK

Capital Research Global Investors, Baillie Gifford & Co, Sands Capital Management, Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Jennison Associates are the five biggest shareholders of Illumina, who, according to Reuters data based on filings, own about 44 percent of its outstanding shares.

Companies such as Illumina, Affymetrix and Life Technologies get 20-40 percent of their revenue from U.S. government-backed research and may take a hit from any government funding cut.

Shares of Illumina, which receives a significant portion of its revenue from research institutes that depend on government funding, have halved over the past six months after the company warned it expects the uncertainty in research funding to continue through at least the fourth quarter.

In the longer term, however, many analysts believe gene sequencing technology has the potential to revolutionize some areas of medicine, especially as the cost of the technology tumbles.

Earlier this month Ion Torrent, a division of Life Technologies, said it would sell a tabletop machine that is able

to sequence a person's whole genome for just $1,000.

Mapping the complete genome sequence of people with cancer or autism, for instance, may elucidate a disease's underlying genetic causes as well as possible ways to treat it.

Fourth-quarter figures are due from Illumina on January 31 and from Roche on February 1.

Roche said it has hired Greenhill & Co and Citigroup as financial advisers. Goldman, Sachs & Co and Bank of America Merrill Lynch are acting for Illumina.

(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler, Deena Beasley and Katie Reid; Editing by Muralikum Anantharaman and Mark Potter)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_illumina_roche

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CAMH discovery identifies potential target for anti-craving medications

Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
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Contact: Michael Torres
media@camh.net
416-595-6015
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Toronto -- Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have identified a potential target for the development of anti-craving medications for people with addictions to stimulants such as methamphetamine.

The discovery centres on a brain receptor related to the chemical dopamine, which has a complex role in addictive behaviours.

Using brain scans and a novel chemical probe developed in CAMH's Research Imaging Centre, CAMH scientists found that the probe had high levels of binding to the dopamine D3 receptor in some people with methamphetamine addiction, compared with those who had no addiction. Higher levels of D3 were also linked to participants' reported motivation to take drugs.

"This is the first time, to our knowledge, that anyone has shown that D3 receptor levels are high in people with an active addiction to methamphetamine," says Dr. Isabelle Boileau, a scientist in the Research Imaging Centre, part of the new Campbell Family Research Institute at CAMH. Boileau led the study that appears in the January 25, 2012 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Using positron emission tomography (PET), Boileau's team looked at D3 levels in 16 people who were dependent on methamphetamine. Participants abstained from methamphetamine use for 14 days prior to brain scans. Their results were compared with scans from 16 participants with no addiction. On a separate day after scanning, participants were given a low dose of amphetamine, and they had to report how much they wanted to use drugs.

D3 receptors appear to have a role in craving, but it is not fully established how they are related to drug-related behaviours. The new chemical probe developed at CAMH, called 11C-(+)-PHNO, binds to dopamine D3 receptors. This probe allows researchers to study D3 in people for the first time, using PET scans, in order to answer questions about its role in stimulant addiction.

Understanding the role of brain receptors in addiction has enabled researchers to develop treatment medications, such as nicotine replacement therapy for smoking. So far, therapeutic strategies for stimulant addiction have focused on increasing activity with D2 receptors, where binding levels have been low.

"We can now suggest that any therapeutic approach aimed at increasing activity with D2 receptors should consider being selective at targeting D2, and not increasing D3 levels," says Boileau. "Our finding also supports the idea that D3 should be considered another target for anti-craving medications."

Boileau is also looking at the role of D3 in different types of addictions, including cocaine and gambling.

Building on CAMHs record of innovation and discovery, the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute will be accelerating discoveries in the areas of mood disorders, addictions, schizophrenia and cognitive impairment.

CAMHs Research Imaging Centre is the first of its kind in Canada where positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and imaging-genetics are dedicated to the study of mental illness and addictions.

This new discovery is an example of the innovative brain science at CAMH's new Research Imaging Centre, the first of its kind in Canada where positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and genetic imaging are dedicated to the study of mental illness and addictions.

###

For media interviews please contact Michael Torres, Media Relations, CAMH: 416-595-6015; media@camh.net

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.

---

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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
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Contact: Michael Torres
media@camh.net
416-595-6015
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Toronto -- Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have identified a potential target for the development of anti-craving medications for people with addictions to stimulants such as methamphetamine.

The discovery centres on a brain receptor related to the chemical dopamine, which has a complex role in addictive behaviours.

Using brain scans and a novel chemical probe developed in CAMH's Research Imaging Centre, CAMH scientists found that the probe had high levels of binding to the dopamine D3 receptor in some people with methamphetamine addiction, compared with those who had no addiction. Higher levels of D3 were also linked to participants' reported motivation to take drugs.

"This is the first time, to our knowledge, that anyone has shown that D3 receptor levels are high in people with an active addiction to methamphetamine," says Dr. Isabelle Boileau, a scientist in the Research Imaging Centre, part of the new Campbell Family Research Institute at CAMH. Boileau led the study that appears in the January 25, 2012 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Using positron emission tomography (PET), Boileau's team looked at D3 levels in 16 people who were dependent on methamphetamine. Participants abstained from methamphetamine use for 14 days prior to brain scans. Their results were compared with scans from 16 participants with no addiction. On a separate day after scanning, participants were given a low dose of amphetamine, and they had to report how much they wanted to use drugs.

D3 receptors appear to have a role in craving, but it is not fully established how they are related to drug-related behaviours. The new chemical probe developed at CAMH, called 11C-(+)-PHNO, binds to dopamine D3 receptors. This probe allows researchers to study D3 in people for the first time, using PET scans, in order to answer questions about its role in stimulant addiction.

Understanding the role of brain receptors in addiction has enabled researchers to develop treatment medications, such as nicotine replacement therapy for smoking. So far, therapeutic strategies for stimulant addiction have focused on increasing activity with D2 receptors, where binding levels have been low.

"We can now suggest that any therapeutic approach aimed at increasing activity with D2 receptors should consider being selective at targeting D2, and not increasing D3 levels," says Boileau. "Our finding also supports the idea that D3 should be considered another target for anti-craving medications."

Boileau is also looking at the role of D3 in different types of addictions, including cocaine and gambling.

Building on CAMHs record of innovation and discovery, the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute will be accelerating discoveries in the areas of mood disorders, addictions, schizophrenia and cognitive impairment.

CAMHs Research Imaging Centre is the first of its kind in Canada where positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and imaging-genetics are dedicated to the study of mental illness and addictions.

This new discovery is an example of the innovative brain science at CAMH's new Research Imaging Centre, the first of its kind in Canada where positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and genetic imaging are dedicated to the study of mental illness and addictions.

###

For media interviews please contact Michael Torres, Media Relations, CAMH: 416-595-6015; media@camh.net

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/cfaa-cdi012412.php

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Romney Lets Loose on 'Failed Leader' Gingrich (ABC News)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190165239?client_source=feed&format=rss

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How to Clean Your Gadgets (Without Breaking Them)

According to a study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 92 percent of tested cellphones were contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria, and one in six tested positive for E. coli, most likely originating from?yep, everybody does it?bathroom phone fiddling. But you don't need a microscope to know that gadgets are filth magnets. Dust and grease accumulate on screens with frightening speed. Hairs and crumbs find cracks, seams, and nooks with deadly accuracy. Once-gleaming surfaces fall victim to discolorations of mysterious provenance. Clean gadgets look nice, of course. Sterile gadgets could help you through cold season.

First things first: Barring a few specialty items, most of the things you need to clean your electronics are either already in your home or available at a hardware store. "Electronics cleaning cloths" and "electronics cleaner" solutions are rebranded, overpriced variations on conventional household products. Most of your gadget cleaning can be done with three tools: microfiber chamois or pure cotton cloths, distilled water, and isopropyl alcohol.

Cleaning any screen should start with a light, dry wipe down with a microfiber cloth. (It's best to avoid paper towels, which are more abrasive and prone to dragging particulate dirt across the screen, scratching its coating.) Once the screen is dusted, soak a fresh chamois in distilled water?hard tap water will leave streaks?squeeze it out, and run it across the screen from one side to the other. At the end of every second or third stroke, refold the cloth so that a clean portion is touching the screen. A cloth tainted with abrasive debris will do more harm than good. Wipe any beaded water dry with a fresh cloth. For stubborn finger smudges or layers of tar deposited by smoke, a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water will cut through almost anything without being so corrosive as to damage the screen. One caveat: Some portable gadgets, such as the iPhone and iPad, have special self-cleaning, or oleophobic, screen coatings that can be damaged by alcohol. With those devices, stick to water. In all cases, keep clear of the very edges of the screens, which are dangerous entry points for moisture. Instead, use a dry cotton swab to remove dirt from recessed edges.

This 50/50 alcohol mix is a do-it-all cleaning fluid: Wipe it over keyboards, mice, remotes, and other plastic and metal surfaces to quickly kill bacteria and cut dirt and grease buildup. To clear hard-to-reach dust and debris?take a good, hard look between your keyboard's keys?get a can of compressed air, which will blast free all but the most stubborn particles. You can buy it at any office retailer for about $10. But keep the can upright?using compressed air upside down will spray your gadgets with a mist of difluoroethane, a liquid fluorocarbon.

One device that deserves specialty equipment is your camera. Cleaning a lens with a contaminated cloth or a shirtsleeve can degrade delicate lens coatings, so invest in Lenspen ($15), which has a concave chamois tip treated with lens polish, or a similar product. These lens cleaners also come with retractable antistatic brushes for cleaning dust from image sensors; they just so happen to be great tools for clearing ventilation grilles in laptops, desktop computers, and game consoles.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/tips/how-to-clean-your-gadgets-without-breaking-them?src=rss

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Summary Box: Lagarde urges Europe to boost growth (AP)

EASE UP ON AUSTERITY: The head of the International Monetary Fund said that some of the stronger eurozone countries could deal with their debts in a less aggressive way to shore up economic growth.

FIREPOWER: Christine Lagarde, also a former French finance minister, added that the European bailout fund should be increased.

CONTEXT: Germany, Europe's biggest economy, has paid for a large chunk of Europe's bailouts. It has put austerity at the heart of the eurozone rescue effort and is reluctant to put more money into rescue funds.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_germany_imf_summary_box

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Oprah Winfrey charms "chaotic" India at book event (Reuters)

JAIPUR, India (Reuters) ? Amid raucous cheers from thousands of admirers, television superstar Oprah Winfrey praised the contrast of calm and chaos in India at the region's largest literature festival fast becoming a global cultural gala.

Considered one of the world's most influential women, Winfrey lived up to her billing as the headline draw at an event boasting literary giants such as Tom Stoppard, Michael Ondaatje and Richard Dawkins, charming the crowds on Sunday morning.

"I came here with an open mind, and it has been expanded... It's the greatest life experience I have ever had," Winfrey said at the annual Jaipur Literature Festival in India's north-western state of Rajasthan.

"You feel like you're in the centre of something bigger and greater than yourself."

Hundreds of eager visitors jostled against barricades at the back of the main stage area as Winfrey began speaking. Security guards struggled to shut the main entrance gates as angry admirers tried to push their way inside.

"It's like being in a video game. I don't know which way to look," Winfrey told crowds on her arrival in Mumbai. "It's a bit chaotic, but there's an underlying calm, a flow, that you all seem to understand. India is a paradox."

The 57-year-old has caused a media storm in India, with news channels and front pages filled with stories of her touring the city of Mumbai with the Bachchans, Bollywood's first family. On Sunday she drew huge cheers as she appeared on stage in a traditional Indian churidar kameez smock.

"I will take with me a sense of calmness, and a genuine respect... people don't talk religion here, they live it," Winfrey said.

Her appearance on Sunday was seen as a welcome distraction from the Salman Rushdie furor that has overshadowed the five-day festival, after the author cancelled his planned visit due to reported assassination threats against him.

The talk-show host and interviewer's "Book Club" turned little-known authors into global stars, with 59 of the club's 70 selected books making the USA TODAY Top 10 best-sellers list.

Winfrey told the festival that in 2008, after witnessing the completion of her mission to get then-Senator Barack Obama to the White House, she stuck a picture of a woman riding a camel on her pinboard, that said "Come to India."

"It was important for me to go to slums but not show the worst of the worst, but show that people can live in poverty and still have hope and meaning in their lives," said Winfrey, who also called for Indians to work to eradicate discrimination against widows in society.

(Editing by Ron Popeski)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/stage_nm/us_india_festival_oprah

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Alesis brings a pair of new musician-friendly iPad docks to NAMM

If there's been one must have accessory at NAMM this year it's been the iPad. That's right, no mixer, instrument or microphone is stealing the show, it's Apple's 9.7-inch slab of touchability that everyone is after. Alesis is just one of many companies creating compelling musical offerings around the iOS tablet with its latest products, the AmpDock and DM Dock. The DM Dock turns your iPad into the thumping, bumping and crashing heart of an electronic drum system. You can tap out rhythms and build drum sets with the touchscreen, but it's when you start plugging triggers into the 13 1/4-inch inputs that it really comes to life. The AmpDock, as you may have guessed, turns that A5 processor's attention towards your axe. There's a standard 1/4-inch jack as well as a combo XLR / 1/4-inch plug for connecting a second guitar or a mic. The AmpDock also has a separate pedalboard that allows you to control some program parameters while keeping the tablet safe from stray stomps. Check out the gallery below, as well as the video after the break.

Gallery: Alesis AmpDock and DM Dock

Continue reading Alesis brings a pair of new musician-friendly iPad docks to NAMM

Alesis brings a pair of new musician-friendly iPad docks to NAMM originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

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Sundance opens with eye on broken American dreams (Reuters)

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) ? The Sundance Film Festival opened on Thursday night with four features, including a documentary highlighting America's housing crisis, the fractured American dream and values humbled by today's lackluster economy.

The documentary, "The Queen of Versailles," follows self-made former billionaire and timeshare mogul David Siegel and his wife Jackie, who at first glance may not seem in touch with many Americans who have struggled in the current, downbeat economy.

The film, which debuted Thursday night to a packed house and solid applause, opens with the couple constructing their dream house: A sprawling 90,000 square foot mansion named "Versailles" inspired by the French palace.

But the story eventually comes to resemble many of the lessons learned by those who have lost their homes, jobs and experienced the effects of the economic crisis.

"The American dream has always been this idea of home ownership," director Laura Greenfield told Reuters, but the film shows the Siegels dealing with the slumping economy, like many in the United States, and "how they downsize and cope with the situation," eventually rediscovering what is important to them.

"They do take on this everyman quality that ends up putting them nearer to us in terms of the overreaching of America and downsizing and getting back to core values," said Greenfield.

"Versailles" is one of several high-profile films here that show Americans tackling problems associated with the weak economy, greed and dreams reevaluated.

"It's no secret that times are dark and grim," Robert Redford, whose Sundance Institute for independent filmmaking backs the festival, the largest gathering for U.S. independent filmmakers, told reporters on Thursday.

Even though Americans were experiencing some hopelessness, including a Washington in "paralysis," Redford said Sundance audiences could be upbeat because while some films "might be reflective of these hard times...there is not paralysis here."

10 DAYS; 100+ FILMS

Overall, there are more than 100 fiction and documentary films showing at the festival that runs for the 10 days in the ski resort town of Park City, Utah, east of Salt Lake City.

Other opening night screenings include two fictional tales, "Hello I Must Be Going" starring Melanie Lynskey as a demoralized, divorced 35-year-old who moves back in with her parents and "Wish You Were Here," an Australian film starring Joel Edgerton as a man clinging to a shattered family.

"Searching For Sugar Man," competing in the world documentary section, completes the opening night lineup. It is one of many films here centered on musicians and shows two fans looking into the mystery of how a would-be 1970s rock icon declined into obscurity.

Festival director John Cooper said the opening night films reflect the choice of more experienced storytelling at a festival that prides itself on being a launch pad for careers and for premiering low-budget hits like "Little Miss Sunshine" and documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

"We like a filmmaker who knows the ropes -- something that will play well," he said.

Of all the opening films, Greenfield's "Versailles" was the most hyped. Adding to the buzz, David Siegel sued the filmmakers and Sundance for defamation over promotional materials for the film, but Greenfield said she could not comment on the lawsuit.

Coming into the festival, other films on which audiences and buyers are focused include Spike Lee's "Red Hook Summer," "Red Lights" with Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro and Stephen Frears' "Lay The Favorite" starring Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

"Bachelorette," with Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher tells of a group of young, single women casting aside bitterness at a hedonistic bachelorette party. Numerous other stars are expected to appear including Kate Bosworth, Chris Rock, Julie Delpy and Paul Simon as the tiny, snowy town transforms into promotional suites and film parties.

Redford talked of the "two sides" of Sundance with marketers having descended upon its success years ago and at times misplaced hype, but said it was still a place for indie filmmakers to find their feet.

Sundance is offering filmmakers a new service this year advising on the latest methods of Internet distribution and Redford heralded more freedom and control for filmmakers by releasing films and reaching audiences via the Web.

"It's pretty obvious we are in a period of tremendous change," he told the opening film audience. "We embrace it."

(Reporting By Christine Kearney; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120120/en_nm/us_sundance_opening

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Roy Speckhardt: Let's Stop Voting in Churches

Think about the last time you voted. Was it in a school? A government building? What about a church? It's only intuitive that where you vote, and what's visible in the polling location, impacts how you vote. That's why there is a political line 75 to 100 feet or more from the polling place over which ads for various campaigns and parties must not cross. It would be an unfair advantage, and possibly even intimidating, for campaigns to advertise any closer. It's no different with religious messages, many of which have real political consequences. So it's time to stop voting in churches, which are hardly neutral grounds for the issues of the day.

A Baylor University study just published in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion found that having a church in clear sight can influence people's answers to questions. Co-author Wade Rowatt pointed out that the "important finding here is that people near a religious building reported slightly but significantly more conservative social and political attitudes than similar people near a government building." The Baylor study confirms an earlier Stanford University study that shows the same effect when looking specifically at how people's voting place influences their vote. Stanford researcher Jonah Berger said, "Voting in a church could activate norms of following church doctrine. Such effects may even occur outside an individual's awareness." A follow-up study in the laboratory asked participants to vote on several issues after being shown images of specific voting places. This showed that participants were less likely to support a stem-cell initiative if they were shown church images than if they were shown school images or a generic photo of a building.

Psychologically, this phenomenon is known as "priming," where what you are initially exposed to goes on to impact your responses or decisions afterward. It's a well-researched effect and explains what is happening in the polling places. So the studies covering this issue are sound and their conclusions make sense: where you vote matters.

Since polling place influences the vote, governments and election boards should do all they can to find neutral voting locations. And it would seem very unlikely that churches would be chosen if neutrality were the aim. Why not use schools, courthouses, firehouses and the like instead? It's been argued that some places exist where the church is the most convenient, and that may be true in certain exceptional rural areas, but that's no justification for the many thousands of churches used in some thirty percent of polling places today.

When connecting with American Humanist Association members, examples of clear-cut cases of abuse abounds. An Illinois member voted in a church that displayed a four-foot wooden crucifix right above the election judges. Another member in California was confronted with a large marble plaque dedicated to the "unborn children" who are "killed" by abortion and containing a quote from the Bible justifying the notion that the soul is alive in the womb. And a New York member voted in a room featuring large religious slogans on the wall behind the voting machines. Sure there are some churches that utilize gymnasiums carefully cleaned of religious paraphernalia, but even those places have the power to inappropriately influence the vote. Let's move the vote exclusively to public buildings.

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Follow Roy Speckhardt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/americnhumanist

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roy-speckhardt/voting-locations_b_1219734.html

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Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near

Sony Ericsson's tearful breakup continues with more woe as as the venture had to eat a pre-tax loss of €247 million (roughly $317 million). Bosses cited "unfavorable macro-economic conditions" and the Thai flooding as the reasons for the loss. Ericsson probably won't mind having such an unfavorable penultimate quarter with the company, given that it's set to receive €1.05 billion (around $1.9 billion) when Sony buys out its share of the joint telecoms business within the next month.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near

Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Satellite Spots Costa Concordia Shipwreck From Space (SPACE.com)

An Earth-watching satellite has snapped a stark view of the Costa Concordia shipwreck from space, showing the huge ocean liner on its side just days after it tragically ran aground off Italy's Tuscany coast.

The new satellite photo was taken Tuesday (Jan. 17) by an Earth-observation satellite operated by DigitalGlobe, a Colorado-based company that uses a constellation of spacecraft to take high-resolution images of Earth.

In the satellite view of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, the luxury cruise ship is visible through a scattered cloud layer, as it lies half-submerged off the coast of Giglio, Italy. The ocean liner hit a reef on Jan. 13 and tipped over.

The Costa Concordia was carrying about 3,200 passengers and a crew of 1,000 when it ran aground, according to news reports. The accident killed 11 people, with more than two dozen others still missing, the ABC News reported today (Jan. 18). Rescue efforts were suspended today due to rough seas that apparently shifted the huge ship.

DigitalGlobe operates a constellation of three satellites ? the Quickbird, Worldview-1 and Worldview-2 spacecraft, each equipped with cameras to provide high-resolution imagery of Earth for commercial uses. The company also uses aircraft to collect Earth images from lower altitudes.

This is not the first time satellites have snapped images of Earth to chronicle major news events. A swarm of Earth-monitoring satellites regularly snap images of the Earth for commercial customers and military uses. They have been used to track natural disasters, such as the devastation from the March 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, as well as aid recovery efforts.

In January of 2011, a DigitalGlobe satellite snapped a view of the compound of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which U.S. soldiers later raided in a May 1 attack that killed the terrorist leader.

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120118/sc_space/satellitespotscostaconcordiashipwreckfromspace

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Analysis: BlackBerry licensing seen RIM's likeliest scenario (Reuters)

TORONTO (Reuters) ? Research In Motion may still see software licensing as an important part of its turnaround plan, even though Samsung has denied that it might pay to use the BlackBerry maker's technology or even buy the company.

RIM has likely held talks with several handset makers about using its new QNX platform, said a prominent RIM shareholder, who said he was briefed by the company. The operating system, already used in the PlayBook tablet, will power RIM's next-generation smartphones due out later this year.

The shareholder, who declined to be identified because he was unauthorized to speak on the record, said he also believes Samsung is interested in a licensing deal despite its statements to the contrary.

"I'm secure they're talking about licensing stuff," the shareholder said, referring to the South Korean smartphone maker. "I don't know if they're looking to buy the company and I don't care."

RIM's existing product lineup has struggled to compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad and the slew of large-screen and powerful devices from Samsung and other manufacturers using Google's Android operating system.

It also faces a resurgent Microsoft, which has built mobile software that powers Nokia's newest devices, among others.

The Canadian smartphone company has hemorrhaged U.S. market share after a year marked by product delays and a botched launch of its PlayBook tablet. That has led to a 75 percent drop in market valuation and incessant talk about a sale of the company.

RIM's shares have jumped nearly 40 percent since a Reuters report in December cited sources saying RIM had rebuffed takeover overtures from Amazon.com and others because it prefers to fix its problems on its own.

Two of those sources said at the time that RIM could strike technology licensing deals to boost revenue.

During RIM's earnings conference call five days earlier, founder and co-chief executive Mike Lazaridis and his salesman cohort Jim Balsillie promised that RIM would look at all strategic alternatives as it seeks a turnaround.

"We are leaving no stone unturned," Balsillie said. "We ask for your patience and confidence," Lazaridis added.

The prospect of RIM shopping its QNX-based BlackBerry 10 software to rivals or even opening up its unique network for their use has excited some investors and analysts more than the less likely scenario of an outright sale.

"If Samsung or any other Android partner were to integrate RIM's enterprise services like Blackberry Messenger into their offering, they would achieve instant differentiation in the increasingly monochrome Android space," Frost and Sullivan analyst Craig Cartier said.

BREATHING ROOM

Such a deal would presumably give RIM's stock a lift and ease some of the intense pressure on the company's co-chiefs for drastic change.

"The ideal scenario for them would be to find something which unlocked additional value which could appease shareholders while they continue to run the business themselves," Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell said in an interview.

Still, he expressed doubt that rival handset makers would rush to snap up a licensing agreement with RIM given most are well served by Android, Microsoft has created a viable alternative, and RIM has failed to deliver in the past.

"Ultimately it's not proven in the market and they've got a pretty patchy track record in terms of actually delivering these things on time and then being as good as they say they're going to be," he said.

The Playbook, RIM's first experiment with the QNX software, was panned when launched last spring because important features were missing from the tablet. Since then sales have been poor. RIM recently delayed its first QNX-equiped BlackBerry phones until late 2012.

Even so, Taiwan's HTC and others might consider licensing QNX because of the cost associated with using Google's free software, after Microsoft unleashed a storm of litigation and eked out royalty agreements on many of those using Android.

As Scotia Capital's Gus Papageorgiou points out, RIM could offer QNX at a lower price or even for free and then charge via network operators once these new customers sign up for the popular BlackBerry Messaging service or RIM's famous enterprise-grade security and compression.

But that plan would have its drawbacks.

"If RIM were to license out QNX and allow all devices to tap into BlackBerry services, it could drastically impede the competitive advantage of its existing devices," Papageorgiou said, suggesting it may then have to offload the handset unit.

As always, much depends on how the two men most responsible for both the roaring success of the Blackberry and its more recent stumbles envision RIM's future.

Lazaridis and Balsillie, who own each 5 percent of the company, have taken on a more humble tone in recent quarters but have shown no outward signs that they're ready to quit.

Yet if tech precedent plays out, time may be in short supply for any seismic shift at RIM.

"As you've seen with the likes of Nokia and Palm, when things go wrong they can unwind very quickly," Atlantic's Cordwell said.

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/bs_nm/us_rim

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