BERLIN (Reuters) ? A steady slide in beer consumption in Germany was stopped cold last year thanks to warmer weather, the federal statistics office said on Monday.
German brewers sold 98.2 million hectoliters of beer last year, down by just 0.1 percent in 2011 after dropping by an average of two percent every year since 2006. Beer consumption in Germany had fallen in all but two of the last 10 years.
Despite Germany's reputation as a nation of beer lovers, young people are turning away from the national beverage in favour of other non-alcoholic beverages, brewers say.
The warmer weather last year as well as the World Cup soccer tournament in 2006 helped to put a floor beneath what is still the country's most famous beverage. Germans still drink more than 100 liters of beer per capita each year.
"Beer sales depend on the weather. In the first half of 2011 -- in April and May -- we had a lot of warm weather, and the figures were up by 1.0 percent," Juergen Hammer, an official at the Federal Statistics Agency, told Reuters.
"This is why this year's results aren't so bad. So I guess the old adage is true that when it's warm people drink beer."
Consumption of German beer, which has been subject to a purity law since 1516, has been in slow decline for decades.
The World Cup football tournament helped German beer consumption rise by 1.4 percent in 2006, the strongest increase in 12 years, the federal statistics office said on Monday.
(Reporting by Alice Baghdjian, editing by Paul Casciato)
Authors of new book reveal the artist behind architect Le CorbusierPublic release date: 31-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Michael Mitchell michael.mitchell@epfl.ch 41-798-103-107 Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne
'Le Corbusier: Beton Brut and Ineffable Space, 1940 - 1960'
"I received your handwritten letter from the 28th of September 1962 with eight color photographs, five of which are of the High Court with its new colors. I am extremely bothered and saddened to see such colors. I never gave the order for such colors"
So begins a letter from architect Charles-douard Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier) to his cousin Pierre Jeanneret about the Chandigarh, India, worksite. It is just one of many such letters and other unpublished documents that Anna Rosellini and Roberto Gargiaini uncovered in the archives of the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris. All together, these bring new light to the architectural oeuvre of the 20th century's most famous architect.
The results of this research are richly illustrated with 1,350 full color photographs, plans, and sketches in the newly published book "Le Corbusier: Bton Brut and Ineffable Space, 1940 - 1960" (EPFL Press; September 2011; Integra cover; 600 pp), by Roberto Gargiani, a renowned architectural historian, with Le Corbusier scholar Anna Rosellini.
The exhaustive research carried out by the authors provides valuable new insight into the aesthetic principles of Le Corbusier during the post World-War-II period. They explain his manner of defining the final artistic quality of the work directly at the construction site as if he were dealing with a sculpture or tableau, for example. Bton brut, a term invented by Le Corbusier at the beginning of the 1950s to describe his use of exposed concrete, is analyzed from all angles for the first time: fabrication, final formation and texture, and surface treatment.
The text also delves into the project management and construction of several Le Corbusier buildings constructed between 1940 and 1965. Sites explored in detail include the Unit d'Habitation (Housing Unit) at Marseille, the city of Chandigarh, the Tokyo museum, the Carpenter Center in Cambridge, and the Unit d'Habitation in Berlin.
Gargiani and Rosellini describe the convergence of artistic expression into what Le Corbusier defines as the espace indicible (ineffable space), including both the role of tapestries and paint to qualify these spaces and the use of photography to study the unexpressed potential of his architecture and paintings.
The book examines questions of optics, artistic vision, and the psychophysiology of perception in parallel with technical questions about the materials used in Le Corbusier's various works. This approach reveals the existence of a series of previously ignored theoretical questions about the artistic process shown here to be indispensable for the complete understanding of the work of Le Corbusier after World War II.
This examination of Le Corbusier's last and fundamental works decodes both the architect's vision and his quest for architectural and artistic solutionssolutions that are still defining the course of modern architecture today.
(2) Photograph of Le Corbusier with a casting of his foot, by Balkrishna V. Doshi on 9 June 1961. FLC / 2012, ProLitteris, Zurich.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Roberto Gargiani is a professor of the history of architecture and construction at the Ecole polytechnique fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the author of 11 other books, on subjects including Auguste Perret, Archizoom, Rem Koolhaas/OMA, and Superstudio. Anna Rosellini, a postdoctoral fellow at EPFL, is a specialist on Le Corbusier.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: "Le Corbusier: Bton Brut and Ineffable Space, 1940 - 1960"
Subtitle: Surface Materials and Psychophysiology of Vision
Authors: Roberto Gargiani and Anna Rosellini
Publication date: September 2011
Imprint: EPFL Press (ISBN 978-2-940222-50-6)
Distribution: Routledge (ISBN 978-0-415-68171-1)
Format: Integra cover / 80.00 / 600 pages
ABOUT EPFL
The Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Western Switzerland along the shore of Lake Geneva has more than 7,500 students today in seven academic schools including Life Science, Architecture, and Computer Sciences. In the last decade, the university has doubled its student body and climbed to number two in Europe and is the leader in approved European Union grants, a benchmark in scientific excellence. EPFL is home to more than 90 start-ups and numerous corporate partners such as Cisco, Nestl, PSA and Logitech on campus.
ABOUT EPFL PRESS
The EPFL Press is the English-language imprint of the Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes (PPUR), a Swiss academic publishing company based at the Ecole polytechnique fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL). The EPFL Press is distributed by Routledge of the Taylor & Francis Group.
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.
Authors of new book reveal the artist behind architect Le CorbusierPublic release date: 31-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Michael Mitchell michael.mitchell@epfl.ch 41-798-103-107 Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne
'Le Corbusier: Beton Brut and Ineffable Space, 1940 - 1960'
"I received your handwritten letter from the 28th of September 1962 with eight color photographs, five of which are of the High Court with its new colors. I am extremely bothered and saddened to see such colors. I never gave the order for such colors"
So begins a letter from architect Charles-douard Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier) to his cousin Pierre Jeanneret about the Chandigarh, India, worksite. It is just one of many such letters and other unpublished documents that Anna Rosellini and Roberto Gargiaini uncovered in the archives of the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris. All together, these bring new light to the architectural oeuvre of the 20th century's most famous architect.
The results of this research are richly illustrated with 1,350 full color photographs, plans, and sketches in the newly published book "Le Corbusier: Bton Brut and Ineffable Space, 1940 - 1960" (EPFL Press; September 2011; Integra cover; 600 pp), by Roberto Gargiani, a renowned architectural historian, with Le Corbusier scholar Anna Rosellini.
The exhaustive research carried out by the authors provides valuable new insight into the aesthetic principles of Le Corbusier during the post World-War-II period. They explain his manner of defining the final artistic quality of the work directly at the construction site as if he were dealing with a sculpture or tableau, for example. Bton brut, a term invented by Le Corbusier at the beginning of the 1950s to describe his use of exposed concrete, is analyzed from all angles for the first time: fabrication, final formation and texture, and surface treatment.
The text also delves into the project management and construction of several Le Corbusier buildings constructed between 1940 and 1965. Sites explored in detail include the Unit d'Habitation (Housing Unit) at Marseille, the city of Chandigarh, the Tokyo museum, the Carpenter Center in Cambridge, and the Unit d'Habitation in Berlin.
Gargiani and Rosellini describe the convergence of artistic expression into what Le Corbusier defines as the espace indicible (ineffable space), including both the role of tapestries and paint to qualify these spaces and the use of photography to study the unexpressed potential of his architecture and paintings.
The book examines questions of optics, artistic vision, and the psychophysiology of perception in parallel with technical questions about the materials used in Le Corbusier's various works. This approach reveals the existence of a series of previously ignored theoretical questions about the artistic process shown here to be indispensable for the complete understanding of the work of Le Corbusier after World War II.
This examination of Le Corbusier's last and fundamental works decodes both the architect's vision and his quest for architectural and artistic solutionssolutions that are still defining the course of modern architecture today.
(2) Photograph of Le Corbusier with a casting of his foot, by Balkrishna V. Doshi on 9 June 1961. FLC / 2012, ProLitteris, Zurich.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Roberto Gargiani is a professor of the history of architecture and construction at the Ecole polytechnique fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the author of 11 other books, on subjects including Auguste Perret, Archizoom, Rem Koolhaas/OMA, and Superstudio. Anna Rosellini, a postdoctoral fellow at EPFL, is a specialist on Le Corbusier.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: "Le Corbusier: Bton Brut and Ineffable Space, 1940 - 1960"
Subtitle: Surface Materials and Psychophysiology of Vision
Authors: Roberto Gargiani and Anna Rosellini
Publication date: September 2011
Imprint: EPFL Press (ISBN 978-2-940222-50-6)
Distribution: Routledge (ISBN 978-0-415-68171-1)
Format: Integra cover / 80.00 / 600 pages
ABOUT EPFL
The Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Western Switzerland along the shore of Lake Geneva has more than 7,500 students today in seven academic schools including Life Science, Architecture, and Computer Sciences. In the last decade, the university has doubled its student body and climbed to number two in Europe and is the leader in approved European Union grants, a benchmark in scientific excellence. EPFL is home to more than 90 start-ups and numerous corporate partners such as Cisco, Nestl, PSA and Logitech on campus.
ABOUT EPFL PRESS
The EPFL Press is the English-language imprint of the Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes (PPUR), a Swiss academic publishing company based at the Ecole polytechnique fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL). The EPFL Press is distributed by Routledge of the Taylor & Francis Group.
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.
U.S. stocks slid at Monday?s open as concerns grew about the state of Europe's finances as Greece and Germany sparred over budget measures for Athens.
The Dow Jones industrial average was lately down over 100 points.
Bank stocks led the way lower after a report that Germany was pushing for Greece to give up control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second bailout package.
The issues in Greece added to uncertainty ahead of a Monday summit where European Union leaders will sign off on a permanent rescue fund for the euro zone. The leaders are expected to agree on a balanced budget rule in national legislation.
"Resolution for Greece is now up in the air, and that's causing some concern. We could give up the gains we've seen so far this month if there ends up being no progress," said Alan Lancz, president of investment advisory firm Alan B. Lancz & Associates Inc. in Toledo, Ohio.
While sentiment has improved over the euro zone lately, with the S&P 500 up 4.7 percent this month, many investors still view the region with caution as setbacks in solving its sovereign debt issues could hamper international economic growth and erode domestic bank profits.
U.S.-listed shares of Barclays Plc fell 4.6 percent to $13.44, and Deutsche Bank sank 5.6 percent to $41.94. European shares were down 1 percent while an index of European banks lost 3.3 percent.
Standard & Poor's late Friday issued negative ratings on three brokerage firms, including Jefferies Group Inc, citing the impact of a prolonged crisis in Europe.
Issues in Europe have taken a backseat to the focus on corporate earnings in recent weeks. By the end of last week, a majority of companies have topped analyst consensus expectations, though by a lower rate than previous quarters.
Gannett Co reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings that beat expectations. McKesson Corp is scheduled to report later Monday, with Amazon.com Inc Exxon Mobil Corp and Pfizer Inc on tap for later this week.
Shares of Pep Boys Manny, Moe and Jack soared 25 percent to $15.10 in premarket trading after the company agreed to be bought by Gores Group for $791 million.
Swiss engineering group ABB agreed to buy U.S. electrical components maker Thomas & Betts Corp for $3.9 billion in cash, sending shares of the company up 22 percent to $70.90 in premarket trading.
Bank of America Corp is shaking up the leadership of its investment bank as it looks to find its footing in a difficult market environment. The stock fell 2.2 percent in premarket trading.
U.S. consumer spending was flat in December as households took advantage of the largest rise in income in nine months to boost their savings, setting the tone for a slowdown in demand early in 2012.
U.S. stocks ended little changed on Friday as investors saw dips in the market as an opportunity to buy into what has been a strong first month of 2012.
Last week, the developers at NimbleBit (makers of iOS Game of the Year, Tiny Tower) accused Zynga of copying them with its new game, Dream Heights. Now, it's happening again. This time, the accusation comes from Buffalo Studios, which says that the gaming giant copied its flagship title Bingo Blitz with its launch of Zynga Bingo.
Jeremy Abbott salutes the crowd after his routine in the men's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Jeremy Abbott salutes the crowd after his routine in the men's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Jeremy Abbott laughs while holding up his first place medal after winning the men's free skate event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Jeremy Abbott competes in the men's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Jeremy Abbott competes in the men's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Jeremy Abbott competes in the men's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) ? Rust will no longer be Johnny Weir and Olympic champion Evan Lysacek's only worry if they come back.
Jeremy Abbott proved he's capable of contending with the best in the world ? past and present ? in winning his third title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Sunday. Needing only to stay on his feet to claim the title, he put on a sublime display of quiet elegance and superior skill that was simply bewitching.
"I skate to give a performance like that and so I felt really good," Abbott said. "I was really nervous when I started, I was shaking a little bit. But from the second I set for the quad I was like, 'I'm going to do this.' I just really took it into my hands and made sure that I did what I needed to do."
His final score of 273.58 was the highest ever at the U.S. championships, and puts him within striking distance of world champion Patrick Chan. It was about 12 points better than 2006 Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko scored in winning his seventh European title Saturday.
Adam Rippon, a two-time junior world champion, was second. Ross Miner finished third for a second straight year.
Earlier Sunday, Caydee Denney and John Coughlin won their first pairs title together after winning the previous two years with other partners.
The U.S. men have been in a bit of a funk without Lysacek and Weir the past two years. No one's come close to winning a medal at the world championships, and the Americans did so poorly last year they actually lost the third spot they've had since 2002.
Abbott is one of the most technically sound skaters in the world, with beautiful edges that carve the ice like a master craftsman and perfect body control. He's also one of the few skaters who has managed to maintain the balance between the performance quality that makes figure skating so entertaining and the tough physical tricks the system now demands. But he's never been commanded the international respect Lysacek and Weir did, flopping at the 2009 world championships and again at the Vancouver Olympics.
Even last year, when the U.S. title was there for his taking with Lysacek and Weir gone, Abbott struggled so mightily he failed to even make the world team.
But Abbott is a different man now, and the rest of the world ? Lysacek and Weir included ? would do well to take notice.
"When I was competing with (Lysacek and Weir), both had these larger-than-life personalities and took all the attention," Abbott said. "I really feel I've come into my own. I feel like, with them coming back, it would be just like any other competition. Personally I wouldn't feel any different with them than without them."
Abbott landed the only quadruple jump of the day, and his spins were so tight and perfectly centered that coaches will no doubt be asking for a DVD of them. But it was his presence that was truly spectacular. He picked the music for his free skate, a Muse song that he found on his iPod. He played a part in the choreography, too, resulting in perfect harmony between skater and song. It was as if he let the music wash over him and tell his skates what to do. The audience was so spellbound you could hear his blades carving the ice, and it wasn't until the final notes of his music faded that fans erupted in applause.
Abbott, meanwhile, was so caught up in his own moment that he stood at center ice for a good 10 seconds, not moving a muscle.
"I really at that moment was just feeling the energy of the audience. It was a cool moment to see," Abbott said. "I've won this twice before but both times it was a little surreal and I didn't get the opportunity to take it all in. This time I was lucid and calm. I got to take in the moment and the energy.
"No tears were shed," he cracked. "I was just really enjoying the moment."
The only damper on his day was news that his stepfather, Allen Scott, had blacked out during his performance. The 64-year-old Scott was taken to a hospital, and Abbott said he was able to talk with him.
"His heart rate is down. His blood pressure is really high, but he's coherent," Abbott said. "He's OK and my whole family is with him."
If Abbott comes remotely close to this performance at the world championships in March, it will go a long way toward regaining that third spot. Abbott and Rippon will need to finish with a combined placement of 13 or better.
"It's very important to our federation and other skaters," Rippon said. "But going into worlds, it won't be my focus. This competition was about getting all the monkeys off my back and being able to move forward from that. I know I'm capable of a lot more than I did today and hope that I can show that (at worlds)."
Rippon will need a bit more energy than he had Sunday, when he skated tentative and flat, as if he was trying to hold onto his spot on the podium rather than move up.
He's lucky he didn't get a ticket for loitering as he geared up for a triple axel-step-double toe combination, holding his edge on the entry for what seemed like forever and leaving no doubts about what was coming. Not only did he not do his planned quadruple salchow, he only did a double. A well-done double but a double nonetheless, with nowhere near the point value of a quad or even a triple.
What saved Rippon was his artistry. He has the extension of a ballet dancer, and he used every part of his body, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, to express his music.
"It wasn't completely perfect, but I'm very proud of what I did," Rippon said.
Armin Mahbanoozadeh, a distant third after the short program, needed a strong effort to have any chance of overtaking Rippon and making the world team. He went the opposite direction, instead, dropping off the podium after taking a big splat on his quadruple toe attempt and turning out on the landings of two other jumps.
Miner took advantage, moving up a spot with a strong program that had only one error, a fall on a triple axel.
Denney and Coughlin had won the last two U.S. titles, each with a different partner. They teamed up in May and, even in a sport where couples have all the stability of Jell-O, their matchup came just three weeks after Coughlin and Caitlin Yankowskas finished sixth at the world championships.
Clearly, though, Denney and Coughlin knew what they were doing. As good as each other was with someone else, they're that much better together. Their performance Sunday was one of the best of the entire week in any discipline, any event. The highlight was their carry lift. Coughlin carried Denney three-quarters of the way around the rink, and did it with such speed and strength she looked as light as a feather pillow. Midway through, she switched positions, turning in the opposite direction of the way he was skating.
You know how tough it is to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time? Try that, times 10.
"I've been dreaming all week about doing that carry after skating clean and that feeling from the audience," Coughlin said. "Oh, I had so much fun."
___
Follow Nancy Armour at http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour
Atlanta-based Duffey Communications seeking students for internships
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OAKLAND, California (Reuters) ? Riot police fought running skirmishes with anti-Wall Street protesters on Saturday, firing tear gas and bean bag projectiles and arresting more than 200 people in clashes that injured three officers and at least one demonstrator.
Three police officers and one protester were injured during the clashes, the city said, without detailing their conditions. Internet broadcasts by activists showed several demonstrators being treated by paramedics or loaded into ambulances.
The scuffles erupted in the afternoon as activists from the Occupy movement sought to take over a shuttered downtown convention center, sparking cat-and-mouse battles that lasted well into the night in a city that has seen tensions between police and protesters boil over repeatedly.
"Occupy Oakland has got to stop using Oakland as its playground," Mayor Jean Quan, who has come under criticism for the city's handling of the Occupy movement, said at a late evening press conference.
"Once again, a violent splinter group of the Occupy movement is engaging in violent actions against Oakland," she said, speaking as officers in riot gear were still lined up against demonstrators in downtown intersections.
City Council President Larry Reid said a group of protesters broke into City Hall, damaging exhibits and burning a U.S. flag.
Occupy Oakland organizers had earlier vowed to take over the apparently empty downtown convention center to establish a headquarters, hoping to revitalize a movement against economic inequality that lost momentum after police cleared protest camps from cities across the country late last year.
They also hoped to draw attention to homelessness in the attempted building takeover, seen as a challenge to authorities who have blocked similar efforts before.
A police spokesman said more than 200 people had been arrested during the day following altercations that began when activists tried to tear down a chain-link fence surrounding the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
"The 1 percent have all these empty buildings, and meanwhile there are all these homeless people," protester Omar Yassin said.
'IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES'
Police in riot gear moved in, firing smoke grenades, tear gas and bean-bag projectiles to drive the crowd back.
"Officers were pelted with bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices and burning flares," the Oakland Police Department said in a statement. "Oakland Police Department deployed smoke and tear gas."
Some activists, carrying shields made of plastic garbage cans and corrugated metal, tried to circumvent the police line, and surged toward police on another side of the building as more smoke canisters were fired.
"The city of Oakland welcomes peaceful forms of assembly and freedom of speech but acts of violence, property destruction and overnight lodging will not be tolerated," police said in a statement.
Hundreds of demonstrators regrouped and marched through downtown Oakland, where they were repeatedly confronted by police in riot gear. Police at several points fired flash-bang grenades into the crowd and swung batons at protesters.
A group of demonstrators ultimately made their way to City Hall, where they brought out a U.S. flag and set it on fire before scattering ahead of advancing officers.
Several hundred people remained in the streets well after dark, facing off against lines of riot police holding batons who demonstrators sometimes taunted as "pigs."
Protesters in Oakland loosely affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York last year have repeatedly clashed with police during a series of marches and demonstrations.
Elsewhere, the National Park Service said on Friday it would bar Occupy protesters in the nation's capital, one of the few big cities where Occupy encampments survive, from camping in two parks where they have been living since October.
That order, which takes effect on Monday, was seen as a blow to one of the highest-profile chapters of the movement.
(Writing by Dan Whitcomb and Mary Slosson; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Bill Trott)
ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2012) ? The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft traveling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet.
On Sunday, a huge coronal mass ejection erupted from the surface of the sun, spewing a cloud of charged particles in our direction, causing a strong "S3" solar storm. A NASA Goddard Space Weather Lab animation of the CME illustrates how the disturbance impacts Earth, Mars and several spacecraft. Solar storms can affect Earth's aurorae, satellites, air travel and GPS systems; no harmful effects to the Mars Science Laboratory have been detected from this solar event.
???We only have a few hours of data downloaded from the RAD so far, but we clearly see the event, said RAD Principal Investigator Don Hassler, science program director in the Space Studies Department at Southwest Research Institute. The Mars Science Laboratory, launched Nov. 26, will land a sophisticated car-sized rover called Curiosity on the surface of the planet in August. Loaded with 10 instruments including RAD, Curiosity will traverse the landing site looking for the building blocks of life and characterizing factors that may influence life, such as the harsh radiation environment expected on Mars. "This SPE encounter is particularly exciting in light of the alignment between Earth, MSL and Mars right now and for the next few months. It will be very interesting to compare the RAD data, collected from inside the capsule, with the data from other spacecraft."
This event has also been seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites, the Advanced Composition Explorer, and the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft in Earth orbit as well as the Solar Heliospheric Observatory flying between Earth and the sun.
"RAD was designed to characterize radiation levels on the surface of Mars, but an important secondary objective is measuring the radiation during the almost nine-month journey through interplanetary space to prepare for future human exploration," said Hassler. "RAD is an important bridge between the science and exploration sides of NASA.
"Not only will this give us insight into the physics of these giant clouds, but like an astronaut, RAD is tucked inside the MSL 'spacecraft,'" Hassler continued. "Measurements from RAD will give us insight about the shielding provided by spacecraft for future manned missions in deep space."
RAD will collect data nearly continuously during cruise and will downlink data every 24 hours. Positioned in the front-left corner of the rover, the instrument is about the size of a coffee can and weighs about three pounds, but has capabilities of an Earth-bound instrument nearly 10 times its size. When MSL arrives at Mars, RAD will detect charged particles arriving from space and will measure neutrons and gamma rays coming from Mars' atmosphere above, or the surface material below, the rover.
SwRI, together with Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, built RAD with funding from the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and Germany's national aerospace research center, Deutsches Zentrum f?r Luft- und Raumfahrt.
The Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech. The mission's rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.
Movie/Measuring radiation on Mars: http://youtu.be/2x99mFg_Jyc
Movie/Measuring radiation en route to Mars: http://youtu.be/v5WSnxyjvJk
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CAMBRIDGE, Md. ? President Barack Obama rallied House Democrats for an election-year fight, urging them to work with Republicans if they show some willingness to put politics aside but telling the rank and file to call them out if they stand in the way.
Addressing Democrats on the final day of their three-day annual retreat, Obama outlined the political stakes over the next few months as congressional Democrats try to push his agenda in the face of Republican opposition, the GOP choses its nominee and signs of recovery in a fragile economy go a long way to determining his re-election chances and the party's fate.
Obama said Democrats should seize the opportunity "whenever there is a possibility that the other side is putting some politics aside for just a nanosecond in order to get something done for the American people, we've got to be right there ready to meet them," the president told the sometimes raucous crowd.
However, "where they obstruct, where they're unwilling to act, where they're more interested in party than they are in country, more interested in the next election than the next generation, then we've got to call them out on it," the president said. "We've got to push. We can't wait; we can't be held back."
Coming off a three-day tour to promote his State of the Union message, Obama promised a "robust debate about whose vision is more promising" when Republicans choose their nominee.
On a day when reports showed the economy picking up late in 2011 but still considered "fragile" by the White House, Obama told Democrats wondering about their re-election prospects: "It's going to be a tough election because a lot of people are still hurting out there and a lot of people have lost faith generally about the capacity of Washington to get anything done."
House Republicans, who held their retreat in Baltimore last week, have repeatedly said the election will be a referendum on Obama's policies, especially his handling of the economy.
The president acknowledged that Democrats have embraced parts of his agenda when it was politically difficult and in some cases costly. The party took a drubbing in the midterm elections, losing control of the House and seeing their ranks diminished in the Senate.
And despite some past clashes with House Democrats over his willingness to compromise with Republicans, Obama was warmly received and was introduced as "our champion" by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.
The president returned the warmth with a vote of confidence that Democrats would win back the House in November, making a nod to their leader as "soon-to-be once-again Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi."
"I believe in you guys. You guys have had my back through some very tough times," said the president, who received a small gift ? a DVD of House Democrats singing Rev. Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."
Last week, at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in New York, Obama stood on the stage and crooned a line from the Green classic.
Democrats were upbeat at their three-day session, energized by Obama's State of the Union address and its populist themes as well as recent polls showing more Americans say the country is on the right track and approve of Obama's handling of the economy. Divisions in the Republican ranks that were on full display last year in the fight over extending the payroll tax cut and the bitter battle between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for the GOP presidential nomination also lifted Democratic spirits.
But the relationship with the White House hasn't always been cordial. Vice President Joe Biden, who addressed the Democrats prior to Obama's speech, described some of the rough patches.
He noted that several members in the room were mad at him in December 2010 after Obama negotiated an extension of President George W. Bush's tax cuts over the objections of some House Democrats. Last year, frustrated Democrats complained the Obama gave away too much in negotiating a spending bill and an agreement to raise the government's borrowing authority.
Biden said Pelosi told him at the last conference to "get tough. Enough is enough." He said the "message was heard. The message was heard. And I think we've delivered."
The vice president was more pointed in his political remarks than Obama and called out some Republicans by name. He said the American people will reject GOP unwillingness to compromise and its blatant determination to make Obama a one-term president.
Of the presidential candidates, Biden said Romney's criticism of the auto bailout and a host of positions stated by rival Newt Gingrich on government intervention will create a clear contrast for voters.
"These guys are helping us by saying what they believe," Biden said.
Insurance is an important part of financial security for all people. When medical problems occur, you need to make sure you have enough money to cover the health care you will need. You never know when you might have an accident or get sick with cancer. That is why you need to find a health insurance quote that is right for you. Easy To Insure ME
You have thousands of insurance companies to choose from, but you can begin by requesting quotes from a few of the more prestigious companies. As you evaluate the quotes you receive, you will start to figure out which company has the best options for you. Don?t rely on cost charts or estimates. Instead, request a personalized quote.
In order to acquire the quotes, there are several things you have to do. Almost every insurance company is going to ask you to fill out an extensive questionnaire. You will need to answer questions about your medical history and any previous procedures you have had done. You will need to give information on any alcohol or tobacco use as well.
On the questionnaire, you will be asked to give your medical history. This will undoubtedly be verified by the insurance company so be honest about all past surgeries and sicknesses. When you receive quotes back from the insurance companies, you can see which ones have clauses excluding pre-existing conditions. This might change your decision on who to purchase coverage from.
You will also need to find out the details of your coverage options. Policies will differ depending on whether you are taking out a company policy or a personal policy. Either way, you need to make sure that you will get coverage from local health care providers. Check with your current doctor and hospital to make sure that they would accept the prospective policy.
You should also ask the insurance company for any additional policy options that could be added. Some companies provide bundled insurance packages where you can purchase dental insurance, life insurance, and even vision insurance all at once.
DEARBORN, Michigan (AP) ? An accounting change boosted Ford's fourth-quarter net income, but without the gain the company fell short of Wall Street's expectations.
Weak sales in Europe and lower production in Thailand eroded Ford's profits.
Investors punished the stock in pre-market trading, where shares fell nearly 5 percent to $12.14.
Ford earned $13.6 billion in the fourth quarter, due to a decision to move deferred tax assets back onto its books. Without that change, the company's pretax operating profit totaled $1.1 billion, or 20 cents per share, missing analysts' forecasts of 25 cents.
The company lost money in Europe and Asia in the fourth quarter. But its North American operating profit rose 33 percent to $889 million.
"The quarter was really driven by North America," Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said.
Booth also said November flooding in Thailand, which affected its parts suppliers, had a greater impact than the company expected. Ford lost 34,000 units of production in Thailand and in South Africa, which relies on Thai-made parts. He said the company also saw higher costs for steel and other commodities. Ford spent $2.3 billion more on commodities in 2011 than the prior year, or $100 million more than it had forecast.
Europe's debt crisis weighed on car sales in that region.
For the full year, the U.S.-based company made $20.2 billion, or $4.94 per share. Without the accounting gain, it earned $8.76 billion, or $1.51 per share, its highest operating profit since 1999. Full year revenue rose 13 percent to $136.3 billion.
Analysts had forecast full-year earnings of $1.86 per share on revenue of $127.31 billion.
Based on its full-year North American results, Ford said it will make profit-sharing payments of around $6,200 each to its 41,600 U.S. hourly employees. Employees will get their checks in March.
Ford moved $15.7 billion worth of tax credits and other assets off its books starting in 2006 because it wasn't making money so it couldn't take advantage of them. The company moved most of them back onto its books in the fourth quarter because it anticipates using them now that it's profitable.
The change will affect Ford's tax rates going forward. Ford's tax rate was 9 percent in 2010 because of the assets that were being held in the valuation allowance account. Ford's new rate will be closer to 30 percent.
Booth said the change is a strong indication that the company expects to remain profitable. Another is Ford's decision last month to reinstate a 5-cent quarterly dividend starting in March.
But Booth said the international climate remains turbulent. Ford is trying to hold the line on incentive spending in Europe, but that could cost some sales. He doesn't expect Asia to be a solid contributor to profits for several more years, as the company tries to expand there. The South American market is also getting more competitive, he said, and Ford's products there are older than some new entries.
Ford is cutting European production in the first quarter by 36,000 vehicles because of weak sales. It's also making smaller production cuts in Asia and South America, but is increasing production in North America by 18,000 vehicles.
Need help figuring out what the best apps and tweaks are for your newly jailbroken iPhone? Cydia can be overwhelming if you're not sure where to start. Whether you're jailbreaking to theme or add more functionality, we'll have you on your way to becoming a jailbreak ninja in no time.
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?
Standing atop a huge mound of black, hydrocarbon sand, your sandboard tucked under your arm, you take in the view. Row after row of black dunes march into the distance as far as the eye can see, until everything disappears behind an orange curtain of smog.
This is no Earthly vista: you're on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. You strap your feet onto the board and slip off down the dune. Titan's low gravity means it takes a while to build up speed, but also keeps friction to a minimum, so it's a long glide down before you come to a halt.
Sandboarding on Titan still, sadly, only happens in our imagination, but the moon's amazing dunes are real ? and lie in a trippy landscape worthy of a late Beatles song. They were discovered in 2006 in radar images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft (see photo) and could be key to unravelling the climatic history of this eerily Earth-like moon.
Though chilling at -179??C, Titan has rain and lakes ? albeit of liquid methane rather than water ? along with mountains and river channels.
"Methane raining out and flowing across the surface leads to landscapes that are so much like Earth," says Jani Radebaugh, a planetary scientist at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Plastic sand
Perhaps more like Earth than anywhere else in the solar system, in fact. Comparing and contrasting the two worlds could lead to a better understanding of climate and surface features on both, she says.
What makes the similarities so astonishing is the completely different materials of which Titan and Earth are made. Titan's crust and mountains are made of water ice. The sand grains comprising its dunes are thought to be hydrocarbons like benzene, which has been detected in the dunes by the Cassini spacecraft.
On Earth, hydrocarbons tend to exist as liquids or gases in oil deposits. On Titan, though, many are frozen solid. They are thought to form when ultraviolet light drives chemical reactions in Titan's atmosphere, and then to rain down onto the surface.
"The dunes may have a composition that's a little like plastic," says Radebaugh. To visualise standing on a dune on Titan, imagine "standing on huge volumes of plastic sand", she says.
Seasonal sculptures
Despite their unusual composition, Titan's dunes ? typically 100 metres tall, a kilometre wide, and up to hundreds of kilometres long ? are very similar in shape and size to long, skinny dunes in the Sahara desert called linear dunes.
As on Earth, Titan's dunes can tell us about climate. Last year, simulations of the dunes suggested the winds on Titan change seasonally, reversing direction and getting much faster twice a year. This solved a mystery of why Titan's dunes look as though they have been sculpted by winds blowing from west to east, even though the moon's winds were thought to blow in the opposite direction.
Now Alice Le Gall of the Space Atmospheres, Environments and Observations Laboratory (LATMOS-UVSQ) in Paris, France and colleagues have discovered more tantalising climate clues from measurements of the dunes.
They lie in a band 30 degrees both north and south of Titan's equator. Le Gall's team have shown that the dunes get smaller and more widely spaced towards the northern end of this range.
Egg-shaped orbit
The team conclude that this happens because the ground gets wetter with liquid methane towards the north, making the sand stick together and less prone to forming dunes.
This latitudinal variation in weather is likely to be due to Saturn's egg-shaped orbit, the team conclude, which produces more intense, drier summers in Titan's southern hemisphere compared with the north.
The discovery of dunes on Titan was a stroke of luck, says Radebaugh, who worked with Le Gall's team on the latest analysis. "We had no idea that these things would be there," she says. "We were surprised to find such a close analogue to Earth in something so far away."
And if there were only some way to hop over to Titan, she would love to try sandboarding there. "I think it would be possible and probably would be really fun," she says.
Read previous Astrophile columns: How to spot a dark-matter galaxy , Glimpse elusive matter in shattering star, Cool echoes from galaxy's biggest star, Stopped clocks deepen pulsar enigmas, Wounded galaxy is crux of cosmic whodunnit, Did comet killing spark Christmas light show?, Blinged-out stars were born rich, Supercritical water world does somersaults, Attack of the mystery green blobs, Undead stars rise again as supernovae, The sticky star cluster that's mostly black hole, The rebel star that broke the medieval sky, Star exploded? Just another day in Arp 220.
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The FCC boys were clutching at their multimeters in horror when they saw how much work they'd have to do when Sony's new Xperia S rolled into the bunker. Still, their loss is connectivity's gain, as the Ericsson-branded (for now, at least) phone packs quad-band GSM / EDGE, 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 UMTS and HSPA, RFID, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 802.11 WiFi b/g/n and GPS. ANT+ is also included, which is a healthy sign that support for the fitness tracker will carry on through Ericsson's departure.
In related news, thanks to a post on the company's Facebook wall we know that the unit will be clad in an "anti-stain shell," -- hinting at a similar nano-coating to what we've seen on the Droid Razr. We've also heard rumors of a fast-charging mode that'll provide an hour's usage with just ten minutes of cable-time. Either way, it won't be long until we find out what's true, since the unit's sashayed past the FCC then it's most certainly on for that promised Q1 launch.
LOS ANGELES, Jan 26 (TheWrap.com) ? "This Means War," Fox's comedy-action film starring Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hardy, will keep its R rating, the MPAA's appeals board ruled Thursday.
Fox had asked the Motion Picture Association of America's Classification and Rating Appeals Board to give McG's movie a less-restrictive rating.
After hearing statements from Ted Gagliano, president of feature post production for Twentieth Century Fox and from Joan Graves, who chairs the Classification and Rating Administration, the board upheld the R.
The board ruled that the movie has "some sexual content" -- enough to give it an R.
For an appeal to be successful, two-thirds of the board must vote that the rating is "clearly erroneous."
The board reviews between 800 and 900 movies each year. Usually, fewer than 12 are appealed.
Fox did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment.
"This Means War" is about two CIA operatives who become enemies when they find out they're both dating the same woman.
A photograph showing a group of men with guns posing with a bullet-ridden image of Barack Obama's face is to be investigated by the Secret Service, a spokesman confirmed to NBC News.
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The New York Times reported that the picture showed seven young men, four with weapons, one of whom was holding a T-shirt with the president's face on it, above the word "HOPE." The T-shirt was covered in holes and gashes.
The Times said the photograph was posted on the Facebook page of a Peoria, Ariz. police officer, Sgt. Pat Shearer, on Jan. 20.
"We are aware of it. Anytime information is brought to our attention that a group or individual expresses an unusual interest in one of our protectees, we conduct the appropriate follow-up," Secret Service spokesman Max Milien told NBC News.
"We respect the right of free speech and expression but we certainly have the right and obligation to speak to individuals to determine what their intent is," he added. "We treat anything (any potential threat) seriously. We can't dismiss anything."
Jay A. Davies, a police spokesman, told the Times in an email that "an administrative investigation into any possible policy violations on the part of our employee" was being carried out.
The paper added that the photograph also appeared on the Facebook page of someone in the picture, who was identified as a Peoria high school student.
Assassination charges
On Tuesday, an Idaho man accused of firing shots at the White House pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to assassinate President Barack Obama.
A lawyer for Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez entered the plea on his client's behalf during a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Story: Man pleads not guilty to trying to kill Obama
Ortega did not say anything during the proceedings and will remain held without bond. He has another court date next month.
Gunman who shot at federal buildings pleads guilty
Prosecutors say Ortega used an assault rifle with an attached scope to fire a series of shots at the White House from long range on the night of Nov. 11. Obama and his wife, Michelle, were out of town at the time.
In the months before the shooting, investigators say, he had had become obsessed with Obama, referred to him as the anti-Christ and told at least one person that he planned to "take care of" the president.
Obama turns attention to energy in key states
Ortega, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was indicted last week on 17 counts including trying to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting officers or employees of the United States with a deadly weapon.
Those charges refer to three Secret Service employees who authorities say were on the grounds of the White House at the time of the shooting.
The hearing took place in the same week that a lawyer for John Hinckley, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, is making his case for extended time away from the psychiatric hospital where Hinckley has been confined.
NBC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama threw red meat to his political base on Tuesday with a promise to do the nearly impossible: solve the problem of widening U.S. income inequality.
Faced with the very real possibility of losing the White House in November, Obama used his State of the Union address to demand a tax increase for millionaires and launch an aggressive campaign arc built upon economic fairness.
"No debate is more important," Obama said early in his hour-long speech before a joint session of Congress.
"We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules."
In recent months, Obama had made clear he would mine the vein of resentment in America over the growing income gap, the source of inspiration for last year's Occupy Wall Street movement that highlighted the concentration of wealth among 1 percent of the population.
But by choosing to make it the cornerstone of his annual speech to the nation, he cemented the theme of working for the 99 percent as his campaign battlecry for the next 10 months.
He could not have chosen a better day to contrast his populist ideas with his possible Republican challenger.
Mitt Romney, one of the wealthiest presidential candidates in history, released tax returns on Tuesday that showed he and his wife paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent in 2010 and expect to pay a 15.4 percent effective tax rate for 2011.
Obama proposed a minimum tax rate of 30 percent for people who make $1 million or more a year, a clear shot at his would-be rival, even though he was unnamed in the speech.
"I think it's one of the best cards he can play, especially given that Mitt Romney released his tax returns today," said
Henry Brady, dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.
"People are worried about fairness in the tax code. So it seems to me that this is something where he has the rhetorical advantage."
Senior administration officials said the 30 percent figure was established long before Romney's tax rate was made public.
One noted, however, that not all wealthy people kept their money in accounts on the Cayman Islands, a dig at the former Massachusetts governor, whose advisers said his holdings included amounts in funds based in the Cayman Islands and other overseas entities.
POPULIST STRATEGY
Obama's tax reform proposal, made on one of the biggest campaign stages of the year, is the latest in a series of moves the president has made to appeal to the middle class and to present a populist message.
The president's fall deficit reduction proposals and recent appointment of a director to lead the consumer financial protection agency that is unpopular with Republicans have raised the temperature and highlighted the contrasts between him and the opposition party.
Nevertheless, the president knows he has almost no chance of getting his millionaire tax proposal through a divided Congress.
But the issue gives him a strong talking point to energize his political base, much of which has been disenchanted with his record.
"It's a great issue for President Obama. It's something that his base has been waiting for," said Democratic strategist Bud Jackson. "He has started to move to a more combative approach in terms of contrasting himself with Republicans ... and I also think that dovetails nicely with Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich or whoever the nominee will be."
The president will take the message on a five-state, three-day trip beginning on Wednesday.
The state choices are not coincidental. He is going to Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Michigan - all battlegrounds that could help decide the general election.
Officials said he would release more details about his business, energy, and college affordability proposals during the trip.
Supporters are eager to have more details - and more red meat.
"I did particularly like that he described income inequality and the support of the middle class as the defining issues of our time," said James Catalano, 51, of Tampa, Florida, who attended a party with other Democrats to watch the speech.
"I thought it was really moderate and reasonable, which was a little frustrating."
(Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Mary Milliken and Eric Beech)
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Last week, the developers at NimbleBit (makers of iOS Game of the Year, Tiny Tower) 
CHICAGO -- "Chael's nuts."
