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Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Huge pythons annihilating Everglades wildlife, report scientists (+video)
Pythons that have entered the Everglades after escaping or being released by pet owners are destroying the parks native mammal populations, a new report has found. ?
Sixteen-foot-long pythons aren't just frightening movie concepts, they are a real-life threat in the Everglades where they are annihilating the park's mammal populations to unrecoverable numbers, researchers now say.
Skip to next paragraphThe pythons entered the park from?households that kept the snakes as pets, and may also have been set loose by hurricanes in the '90s, researchers say. Rangers started noticing the python's presence in 2000, when two snakes were removed from national lands. The?number of pythons has skyrocketed, with more than 300 pythons being removed from the Everglades every year since 2007. Researchers don't know their true numbers but estimate at least tens of thousands of the giant snakes inhabit the National Everglades Park.
"They turn up all over the U.S., but now they are established and reproducing and apparently doing very well in South Florida," said study researcher Michael Dorcas, of Davidson College in North Carolina. "It's 11 years later, and we are already recording a?hugely devastating impact." Dorcas is co-author of the book "Invasive Pythons in the United States" (The University of Georgia Press, 2011).
Snake effects
The researchers studied records of mammal deaths on roads from 1993 to 1999, before the pythons were commonly found in the Everglades. In addition, over 51 nights in 1996 and 1997, they drove along National Park roads and tallied live and dead mammals along the road. [See photos of the invading pythons]
They compared these results with animal numbers tallied from 2003 through 2011, the time after which pythons became common. These numbers were also gleaned from more than 35,000 miles of road surveys.
In areas where pythons had been present the longest, between 2003 and 2011, populations of raccoons dropped 99.3 percent, opossums 98.9 percent and bobcats 87.5 percent. Marsh and cottontail rabbits, as well as foxes, though common before the pythons were seen in the area, were not seen at all in these surveys.
In areas where pythons had recently taken root, the mammal decreases were smaller; in areas where pythons hadn't been spotted mammal numbers were similar to those in the Everglades' pre-python years.
Future of the Everglades
Carla Dove, a researcher at the Smithsonian Institution who wasn't involved in the study, said the results of this survey were "much worse than expected" and noted that the?pythons don't just eat mammals?? they can also eat birds and other reptiles (even huge alligators). Her own soon-to-be published research indicates that birds, and their eggs, are also being preyed upon by the python populations in the Everglades. [Image Gallery: Invasive Species]
While Dorcas' survey focused on common mammals, "it raises lots of disconcerting questions about [other] species that are rare and endangered," Dorcas said. "We don't yet know about those species and if similar impacts are occurring in those species as well, but it certainly warrants further investigation."
To try to?limit the spread of invasive pythons, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently (finalized Jan. 17) banned the import and transport between states of the Burmese python and three other large snakes into the U.S. as pets. These regulations may be too late to save the wildlife in the Everglades, Dorcas said.
"What was most striking to me was the magnitude of the observed changes in mammal numbers," Gordon Rodda, of the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, told LiveScience in an email. "These are not incremental changes but nearly complete removal of some very key components of the Everglades ecosystem," said Rodda, who was not involved in the current study.
Snakes are hard to hunt, especially in wild areas like the Everglades, because they are extremely secretive. "It makes it really difficult to suppress their populations under most circumstances," Dorcas said.
The study was published today (Jan. 30) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @microbelover. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter?@livescience?and on?Facebook.
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Monday, 30 January 2012
T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything
When the Fully Monty launches on February 1st, it'll be accompanied by a new Android and iOS app that adds one-click connectivity to those WiFi networks. The deal isn't available SIM-only, although T-Mobile UK's Head of Propositions, Ben Fritsch, told us that the new deal is pitched at users looking to take the smartphone plunge. Its existing collection of tariffs will also see a similar refresh -- but there's no details on those just yet. American readers can gaze with envy at the full release below.
T-Mobile UK launches 'truly unlimited' Full Monty contract, wants to give you everything originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sunday, 29 January 2012
Despair, crackdowns breed more violence in Tibet (AP)
BEIJING ? A young man posts his photo with a leaflet demanding freedom for Tibet and telling Chinese police, come and get me. Protesters rise up to defend him, and demonstrations break out in two other Tibetan areas of western China to support the same cause.
Each time, police respond with bullets.
The three clashes, all in the past week, killed several Tibetans and injured dozens. They mark an escalation of a protest movement that for months expressed itself mainly through scattered individual self-immolations.
It's the result of growing desperation among Tibetans and a harsh crackdown by security forces that scholars and pro-Tibet activists contend only breeds more rage and despair.
That leaves authorities with the stark choice of either cracking down even harder or meeting Tibetan demands for greater freedom and a return of their Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama ? something Beijing has shown zero willingness to do.
"By not responding constructively when it was faced with peaceful one-person protests, the (Communist) party has created the conditions for violent, large-scale protests," said Robbie Barnett, head of modern Tibetan studies at New York's Columbia University.
This is the region's most violent period since 2008, when deadly rioting in Tibet's capital Lhasa spread to Tibetan areas in adjoining provinces. China responded by flooding the area with troops and closing Tibetan regions entirely to foreigners for about a year. Special permission is still required for non-Chinese visitors to Tibet, and the Himalayan region remains closed off entirely for the weeks surrounding the March 14 anniversary of the riots that left 22 people dead.
Video smuggled out by activists shows paramilitary troops equipped with assault rifles and armored cars making pre-dawn arrests. Huge convoys of heavily armored troops are seen driving along mountain roads and monks accused of sedition being frog-marched to waiting trucks.
For the past year, self-immolations have become a striking form of protest in the region. At least 16 monks, nuns and former clergy set themselves on fire after chanting for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
China, fiercely critical of the Dalai Lama, says Tibet has been under its rule for centuries, but many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for most of that time.
In a change from the individual protests, several thousand Tibetans marched to government offices Monday in Ganzi prefecture in Sichuan province. Police opened fire into the crowd, killing up to three people, witnesses and activist groups said.
On Tuesday, security forces opened fire on a crowd of protesters in another area of Ganzi, killing two Tibetans and wounding several more, according to the group Free Tibet.
On Thursday in southwestern Sichuan province's Aba prefecture, a youth named Tarpa posted a leaflet saying that self-immolations wouldn't stop until Tibet is free, the London-based International Campaign for Tibet said. He wrote his name on the leaflet and included a photo of himself, saying that Chinese authorities could come and arrest him if they wished, group spokeswoman Kate Saunders said in an email.
Security forces did so about two hours later. Area residents blocked their way, shouting slogans and warning of bigger protests if Tarpa wasn't released, Saunders said. Police then fired into the crowd, killing a a 20-year-old friend of Tarpa's, a student named Urgen, and wounding several others.
The incident, as with most reported clashes in Tibetan areas, could not be independently verified and exact numbers of casualties were unclear because of the heavy security presence and lack of access. The topic is so sensitive that even government-backed scholars claim ignorance of it and refuse to comment.
The government, however, acknowledged Tuesday's unrest, saying that a "mob" charged a police station and injured 14 officers, forcing police to open fire on them. The official Xinhua News Agency said police killed one rioter and injured another.
"The Chinese government will, as always, fight all crimes and be resolute in maintaining social order," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in comments on the incident.
The harsh response points to a deep anxiety about the self-immolations, said Youdon Aukatsang, a New Delhi-based member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.
"They're worried that there is an underground movement in Tibet that is coming to the surface," she said.
Tibetan desperation has been fed both by the harsh crackdown ? security agents reportedly outnumber monks in some monasteries ? along with a deep fear that the Dalai Lama, probably the most potent symbol of Tibet's separate identity, will never return.
The 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate handed his political powers to an elected assembly last year. That was intended to ensure the Tibetan cause would live on after him, but was met with considerable anxiety among many Tibetans who saw it as a sign he was giving up his role as leader of their struggle.
Dibyesh Anand, a Tibet expert at London's University of Westminster, said resistance to Chinese rule is likely to grow more fierce.
"Protests will get more radicalized since the Tibetans in the region see no concession, no offer of compromise, no flexibility coming from the government," he said.
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Egyptians vote in Upper House elections on Sunday (Reuters)
CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egyptians vote Sunday in the first stage of elections for the upper house of parliament, with Islamists seeking to repeat the success they enjoyed in elections for the lower house.
Voting for the Shura council will be held over two stages ending in the middle of February and follow a lower house election that was Egypt's most democratic since military officers overthrew the king in 1952.
The series of elections for both houses of parliament are the first since Hosni Mubarak was toppled from the presidency on February 11 last year by a popular uprising.
The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group banned during his rule, won 47 percent of the seats in the lower house, more than any other party.
"The Shura council elections are as important as the People's Assembly (lower house) elections," said Hussein Ibrahim, a member of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and head of its parliamentary bloc.
"Members of both chambers will choose the committee that will draft the constitution, the milestone of Egypt's democratic transition," he said.
Under an interim constitution, parliament is responsible for picking the 100-strong assembly that will write a new constitution to replace the one that helped keep Mubarak in power for three decades.
Elections for the Shura Council have traditionally been less intense than lower house due to the breadth of constituencies that makes it harder for voters to know their candidates.
The Shura chamber's powers are limited and it cannot block legislation in the lower house. However, its members must be consulted before lower house MPs pass any bill.
Ninety of the Shura council's 270 seats will be decided in the first round of voting to be held Sunday and Monday, with run-offs on February 7. Another 90 will be determined by voting on February 14 and 15, with run-offs on February 22.
The remaining 90 will be appointed by Egypt's next president, expected to be elected in June according a transition timetable drawn up by the military council to whom Mubarak handed power nearly a year ago.
"The elected part of the Shura council will convene without the appointed seats until presidential elections are held and the new president appoints the other 90 members," an official from the body overseeing the election told Reuters.
(Editing by Tom Perry and David Stamp)
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Saturday, 28 January 2012
Obama to senators: Change the way you do business
President Barack Obama waves as he walks off of Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama waves as he walks off of Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama greets supporters after his speech at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is pressing his case for changes in how the Senate does business, hoping to ease the partisan gridlock, and he wants to bar lawmakers from profiting from their service.
In his radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama said many people he met during his five-state tour after his State of the Union address were optimistic but remained unsure "that the right thing will get done in Washington this year, or next year, or the year after that."
"And frankly, when you look at some of the things that go on in this town, who could blame them for being a little cynical?" Obama said.
The president reiterated his calls for government reform made in Tuesday's address, saying he wants the Senate to pass a rule that requires a yes-or-no vote for judicial and public service nominations after 90 days. Many of the nominees, he said, carry bipartisan support but get held up in Congress for political reasons.
Obama noted that "a senator from Utah" said he would hold up nominations because he opposed the recess appointment of the head of the new consumer protection agency and three members of the National Labor Relations Board. Obama put the officials in their post during the Senate's holiday break; many Republicans have called that move unconstitutional. Obama said the American people deserve "better than gridlock and games."
"One senator gumming up the works for the whole country is certainly not what our founding fathers envisioned," the president said.
While Obama did not name the lawmaker, Utah GOP. Sen Mike Lee said Thursday that because of the president's "blatant and egregious disregard both for proper constitutional procedures and the Senate's unquestioned role in such appointments, I find myself duty-bound to resist the consideration and approval of additional nominations until the president takes steps to remedy the situation."
Obama said he also wants Congress to pass legislation to ban insider trading by lawmakers and prohibit lawmakers from owning securities in companies that have business before their committees.
In addition, the president is seeking to prohibit people who "bundle" campaign contributions from other donors for members of Congress from lobbying Congress. Obama urged the public to contact their member of Congress and tell them "that it's time to end the gridlock and start tackling the issues that really matter."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., delivering the GOP address, said Obama's address to Congress lacked much discussion of the president's achievements "because there isn't much."
"This president didn't talk about his record for one simple reason," Rubio said. "He doesn't want you to know about it. But you do know about it, because you feel the failure of his leadership every single day of your life."
Rubio accused the president of driving up the national debt, failing to reduce high unemployment across the country and offering divisive economic policies.
The Florida senator said there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor but the best way to solve the problem is by embracing the American free enterprise system. Rubio said he hopes 2012 "will be the beginning of our work toward a new and prosperous American century."
___
Online:
Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov
GOP address: http://www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress
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Accused Pentagon shooter pleads guilty in Va. (AP)
ALEXANDRIA, Va. ? An ex-Marine from Virginia has pleaded guilty to charges that he fired shots at the Pentagon, the Marine Corps museum in Quantico and other military-related targets.
A plea-agreement hearing was held Thursday for 24-year-old Yonathan Melaku (meh-LAH-koo) of Alexandria. He agreed to a 25-year sentence in the case.
Prosecutors charged Melaku last year, saying they had evidence linking him to a series of overnight shootings in 2010 at a number of military buildings in northern Virginia. No one was injured.
Melaku was arrested in June when he was spotted after dark in Arlington National Cemetery with a backpack containing potential explosives material and notations referring to jihad and Osama bin Laden. He apparently intended to spray paint tombstones with Arabic graffiti.
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Friday, 27 January 2012
Gingrich allies ready "Blood Money" anti-Romney film (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The bitter media war between Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney intensified on Thursday when Gingrich's allies released a trailer for a documentary that paints the former Massachusetts governor as unreliable.
"Blood Money" is the second movie to attack Romney this year that is sponsored by Winning Our Future, a "Super PAC" funding group that backs Gingrich.
The minute-long trailer describes Romney as a "progressive" and a "questionable conservative" with a "questionable business background," and flashes up a magazine headline about Medicare fraud.
"This documentary will further expose Mitt Romney's past," Gregg Phillips, Winning Our Future's managing director, told Reuters.
A previous documentary called "King of Bain" from the same group attacked Romney as a greedy destroyer of jobs during his time as the head of Bain Capital, a private equity firm.
Winning Our Future came under heavy fire for that 27-minute documentary, which angered some senior Republican leaders who said it was bashing business.
Since then, the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future spent more than $10 million on advertising in Florida, which holds its primary on Tuesday. Of that amount, $9.7 million went toward attacking Gingrich, according to federal campaign finance disclosures.
Phillips said the "carpet-bombing" of anti-Gingrich messages in Florida funded by the rival group is what spurred the decision to run a new documentary.
"They did it to us in Iowa and they're doing it to us in Florida, and it's moving numbers," he said. "We have to respond."
Phillips said the group expects the video to go national and plans to buy air time for it. Romney and Gingrich are running about even in opinion polls in Florida.
Watch the trailer here: http://youtu.be/dRz7LrQfIK4
(Additional reporting by Alexander Cohen; Editing by Xavier Briand)
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Sharapova, Azarenka into Australian Open final
Maria Sharapova of Russia eyes on the ball for a return shot to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Maria Sharapova of Russia eyes on the ball for a return shot to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic reacts as she plays Maria Sharapova of Russia during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after losing a point to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus reacts after winning a point against Kim Clijsters of Belgium during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Kim Clijsters of Belgium hits a forehand return to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during their semifinal at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Maria Sharapova overcame Petra Kvitova to set up a women's final against Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open before the attention quickly shifted to a much anticipated semifinal showdown between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Sharapova broke Kvitova's serve in the last game to finish off a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 Thursday, and third-seeded Azarenka beat defending champion Kim Clijsters 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to set up a Saturday night final at Rod Laver Arena that also will decide the No. 1 ranking.
Sharapova lost to second-ranked Kvitova in the Wimbledon final last year, her first major final since returning from an injury layoff following a shoulder operation in 2008. She has won three majors, but none since the Australian four years ago.
"In the third set, I felt she always had the advantage because I was always down on my serve," said Sharapova, who served five double-faults in the third set and 10 in the match. "I just told myself 'You just gotta go for it, don't let her finish off the points like she likes to.'"
Azarenka won the first semifinal after twice recovering from periods when a resurgent Clijsters seemed to have the upper hand, to secure victory in only her second appearance in a major semifinal.
"I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 and everything is shaking, but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief. My God I cannot believe it's over. I just want to cry," Azarenka said as she choked back tears, then buried her face in a towel.
"It was just trying to stay in the moment. Kim really took over the second set and I felt there was nothing I could do. I just tried to regroup."
Clijsters is popular in Australia, where she's widely known as "Aussie Kim." She had most of the backing from the crowd on the national holiday in what is likely to be her last Australian Open.
Azarenka held her nerve despite the crowd and the fact she was up against a proven big-match player. Clijsters has won four majors and has defended a Grand Slam title ? winning the U.S. Open in 2009 and '10. To reach the semifinals, the Belgian saved four match points despite a sprained ankle to beat French Open champion Li Na in the fourth round and then beat top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.
"I guess before you all thought I was a mental case," Azarenka said in a courtside interview. "I was just young and emotional. I'm really glad the way I fight, that's the most thing I'm really proud of. I fight for every ball."
Clijsters credited Azarenka with increasing maturity.
"The match was very close. There were a few deciding moments where I think I maybe had a little bit of an advantage, in the third set, especially that first game where I had break point," Clijsters said. "But she definitely played really well. So she deserved to win at the end."
Wozniacki will vacate top spot in next week's rankings after her quarterfinal loss, leaving either No. 3 Azarenka and No. 4 Sharapova to move to the top.
The top men's ranking won't be at issue Thursday night. Novak Djokovic ? who plays Andy Murray in another semifinal on Friday ? has that locked up regardless of the Australian Open results.
But the Nadal-Federer semifinal will mark the first time since the French Open in 2005 that the pair have met at the next-to-last stage of any Grand Slam. Federer and Nadal were Nos. 1 and 2 for most of five years from 2005 to 2010, meaning they were on opposite sides of the draw and could not meet until the final.
That changed at this tournament when No. 2 Nadal and No. 3 Federer both ended up in the bottom half of the draw. Five matches later, the players with 26 Grand Slam singles titles between them ? Federer 16, Nadal 10 ? will meet.
Nadal has won 17 of their 26 head-to-head matches overall, including a 7-2 lead in Grand Slam matches. Federer won the last meeting, a 60-minute 6-3, 6-0 victory at the season-ending championship in November.
"We have been on opposite sides of the draw many times," Federer said. "I guess it's a nice change-up. OK, it doesn't allow a rematch for the Australian Open final here, you know, but I think it's good for tennis that it changes up a bit."
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Thursday, 26 January 2012
E-filing taxes: IRS ready to receive your money
E-filing taxes begins in earnest as Internal Revenue Service begins accepting electronically filed returns. E-filing taxes is free to anyone, but those making $57,000 or less can get more free help.
Tax season is officially here, with the?Internal?Revenue?Service?now accepting electronically filed returns.
Skip to next paragraphThis is a good year for procrastinators. April 15 ? the traditional due date for returns ? falls on a Sunday and the following Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday celebrated in Washington. This pushes the deadline to April 17.
But this is also a leap year, so Feb. 29 gives us one more day to ponder our taxes.
Many filers could use the extra time. The IRS estimates the total number of hours it will take this year to file the popular 1040 ? from record keeping and planning to submitting the form ? is 22.
The IRS has also launched Free File on its website at irs.gov. Free File is a partnership between the agency and about 20 tax software companies to provide online filing at no cost. To use Free File, you can't make more than $57,000 a year.
For do-it-yourselfers of all income levels, the IRS offers Free File Fillable Forms. This is the electronic format of traditional paper forms that can be filed for free online, too.
If you're filing electronically on your own, make sure you print out the return and review it before hitting the send button, says Jackie Perlman, a principal tax analyst with the Tax Institute at H&R Block.
A software program will catch math errors or prompt you if you forget to sign the return, she says. But it can't tell whether you made the mistake of transposing numbers you enter yourself.
Of course, whether you file a paper or electronic return, taxes can be confusing. If you need help filling out a return, there's free assistance.
The IRS provides free tax preparation of simple returns for filers earning up to $50,000. Go to IRS.gov to find the time and locations.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program has IRS-trained volunteers who will do your taxes for free if you make less than $50,000 a year.
"We're talking fairly simple tax returns ... not rental property and buying and selling stocks," said Robin McKinney, director of the Maryland CASH Campaign, which is part of the program.
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program's trained volunteers provide free tax help to low- to moderate-income households, with a special focus on those age 50 and older. The income limits for eligibility differ from place to place.
Find information about times and locations of the VITA and the Tax-Aide programs at 800-492-0618.
The CASH Campaign's McKinney says that some commercial tax companies are offering free tax preparation this year. But she warns that these offers are promotions that often expire in early February or apply only to super-simple 1040EZ returns.
"That ends up being very few people (who qualify). Anyone who claims dependents, or gets the earned income tax credit or claims mortgage interest, can't use a 1040EZ," she said. "That's not always so clear in the advertising."
About 60 percent of taxpayers hire someone to do their taxes. After years of complaints about shoddy or shady work by some preparers, Uncle Sam is raising the bar.
The IRS now requires all paid preparers filing more than 10 returns to have a Preparer Tax Identification Number. It's also phasing in a testing requirement for certain preparers to make sure they are competent. Make sure your preparer has a PTIN and gives you a copy of your return that's signed by the preparer.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/WD9Y82hrTfs/E-filing-taxes-IRS-ready-to-receive-your-money
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Shop Android Deal of the Day: Case-Mate Tough Case for Motorola Droid RAZR
The Jan. 24 Shop Android Deal of the Day is the Case-Mate Tough Case for the Motorola Droid RAZR. Built to withstand sudden drops and accidental falls, the Tough Case has a snug, form-fitting silicone wrap provides shock resistance, while the hard shell protects against impact. The lightweight, slim case adds support and shields your Motorola Droid RAZR, keeping your emotional state intact, one drop at a time. It's available today only for just $18.95 -- that's 46 percent off! Get yours while supplies last!
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Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Trial over Globes broadcast rights opens in LA
FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2009 file photo, celebrities arrive at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. A trial is scheduled to begin in a Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday to determine whether the Globes' organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, or its longtime producers have rights to negotiate broadcast deals. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2009 file photo, celebrities arrive at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. A trial is scheduled to begin in a Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday to determine whether the Globes' organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, or its longtime producers have rights to negotiate broadcast deals. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The executive who negotiated a deal that brought the Golden Globe Awards to the NBC television network in the mid-1990s testified Tuesday that he didn't think it was necessary to tell its organizers they were signing away rights that could keep the show on the network indefinitely.
Former dick clark productions President Francis La Maina testified he informed the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association about the deal's "perpetuity clause" and he believed it was her responsibility to explain it to the full membership. The NBC deal was brought to the group in 1993, a decade after the ceremony had been bumped from network television because of scandal.
The clause allows the production company, which is no longer owned by entertainment pioneer Dick Clark, to work on the Globes as long as it airs on NBC.
La Maina was the first witness in a trial in federal court that will decide ownership of the broadcast rights to the Globes, a glitzy awards banquet that brings out Hollywood superstars and in some years serves as a predictor of Oscar contenders.
The production company, also known as dcp, used the language of the 1993 deal to support a $150 million contract extension signed in 2010 that keeps the Globes on NBC through 2018. It has noted that the association has known about the clause for years and even allowed the company to work on five shows without a formal extension, but waited until the new broadcast deal was struck to sue.
The HFPA contends the new agreement is invalid and it should be allowed to negotiate with other networks. Nearly 17 million people watched the most recent Globes, which aired Jan. 15.
"I don't think I misled the Hollywood Foreign Press," La Maina said, adding that he thought he was fulfilling his obligations by explaining the impact to the association's president. "My job is to deal with the top dog of Hollywood Foreign Press."
The trial is expected to last more than two weeks and could lead to the first restructuring of the HFPA's broadcast rights on its own terms in nearly 30 years. The group and dcp have worked together since 1983, but it wasn't until the 1993 deal with NBC was reached that both sides began to generate large sums for the Globes.
The association claims it would have never knowingly allowed the perpetuity clause and that it had assurances from dcp executives that they were not negotiating an extension with NBC in 2010. The group believes the perpetuity clause would mean it is likely to receive less money than the Globes are worth because dcp would have an incentive to keep the show on NBC.
The case will be decided by U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz, who said Monday that the 1993 agreement and other evidence present enough ambiguity to warrant a trial.
La Maina, who left dcp in 2007, is expected to be on the stand for several days. Other witnesses may include Dick Clark, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves and several current and former HFPA members.
___
Follow Anthony McCartney at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Gold Coins Investing and Selling Gold Bullion in Kenner | FINANCE ...
Gold investing will probably be the only real investing in a short while. Wait only a minute, you exclaim! What in the world are you referring to? How could gold investing be the only investing? That produces no sense at all! Well, the solution to that question might appear to be it doesn?t come from our planet, which is partly correct. The entire world to be sure it?s about to change and gold investing will get to be the only investing!
Before you do anything whatsoever else, actually need sure that you know what?s going on on the market. This won?t only affect silver. In addition, it applies to other things like internet marketing, off-line marketing, establishing our regular business, reselling anything, etc. Knowing what are you doing on the market, you?ll always stay on top of everything and you may never overpay to your product. For instance:
Gold isn?t only precious but also an infrequent resource. It?s been used as a possible investment in forms of jewelry, gold bars, gold biscuits, gold coins, gold idols of God and Goddess, gold accessories and it has proved itself to become defiant to global economic disaster. If the world markets crashed, gold was able to retain its value and so didn?t crash along with the markets. This is because of the stability that investors since centuries yearn to have it physically.
Gold plays an important role in keeping the economic circle of our own world alive. A lot of the developed and third world countries of the world have committed to gold in the form of shares. This helps different countries during economic downturns and serves as a source of financial security. Which means that gold investment is one of the best investment options nowadays.
Gold provides an investment option that?s totally ideal for individuals who wish to diversify. Should you hold several stocks and you want to diversify neglect the in order to minimize your risk, gold investment ought to be one of the considerations.
There are several here is how you can buy gold, invest in gold etc, however there could be very little guides on ways for you to purchase silver. Now you have to know that silver may be the other precious metal besides gold. If you discover the gold price soaring, likely the buying cost of silver investment will probably keep to the identical direction too.
This may be related to increasing interest in these metals and also the scarcity of supply attached with them. You can find sources around the globe for important metals and minerals however the danger of mining such deposits and the costs involved makes them higher priced and valuable. The costs cover manpower, equipments, storage, and conversion into materials which can be used.
Whenever we discuss investments, the initial few stuff that one thinks of are likely monetary currency, real estate properties, vehicles, insurance policies, stocks, bonds, and savings accounts. Although most of these have long lasting benefits, you can still find possible risks involved in the process. If you have anything which is often relied upon when investing on the future, the opportunity of gold or silver investment is something you should know more about.
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Source: http://finance-web-guide.com/?p=126920
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Monday, 23 January 2012
Physicists use ion beams to detect art forgery
Saturday, January 21, 2012
University of Notre Dame nuclear physicists Philippe Collon and Michael Wiescher are using accelerated ion beams to pinpoint the age and origin of material used in pottery, painting, metalwork and other art. The results of their tests can serve as powerful forensic tools to reveal counterfeit art work, without the destruction of any sample as required in some chemical analysis.
Their research is featured on the front cover of the current issue of Physics Today in an article titled, "Accelerated ion beams for art forensics." Wiescher and Collon say, "Art experts play an important role in identifying the style, history and context of a painting, but a solid scientific basis for the proper identification and classification of a piece of art must rely on information from other sources.
"A host of approaches with origins in biology, chemistry and physics have allowed scientists and art historians not only to look below a painting's or artifact's surface, but also to analyze in detail the pigments used, investigate painting techniques and modifications done by the artist or art restorers, find trace materials that reveal ages and provenances, and more," Wiescher and Collon continue.
The information that is revealed can shed light on trading patterns, economic conditions and other details of history. For example, the amount of silver in Roman coins can indicate the degree of inflation in the ancient economy.
Laboratories in Europe, including several in Italy and one in the basement of the Louvre in Paris, have accelerators dedicated to the forensic analysis of art, and archaeological artifacts. These accelerator-based techniques have allowed not only to analyze the works themselves, but also to determine origin, trade and migration routes as well as dietary information. As an example, the analysis of the ruby eyes in a Babylonian statue of the goddess Ishtar using the Louvre's accelerator showed that the rubies came from a mine in Vietnam, demonstrating that trade occurred between those far-apart regions some 4,000 years ago.
At Notre Dame, researchers are using proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) and Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy (AMS) to study artifacts brought by local archeologists, Native American cultures in the American Southwest and the Snite Museum of Art extensive collection of Mezzo-American figurines.
Wiescher, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Physics, and Collon, associate professor of physics, are using their findings to teach undergraduates. Wiescher initially developed the undergraduate physics class called Physical Methods in Art and Archaeology, and now Collon teaches the class which attracts students from nearly every major. The course covers topics such as X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption, proton-induced X-ray emission, neutron-induced activation analysis, radiocarbon dating, accelerator mass spectroscopy, luminescence dating, and methods of archeometry.
###
University of Notre Dame: http://www.nd.edu
Thanks to University of Notre Dame for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116915/Physicists_use_ion_beams_to_detect_art_forgery
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Newt Gingrich is angry (Politico)
ORANGEBURG, S.C. - - Newt Gingrich trundles into the meeting hall - - a former X-rated movie theater - - to rapturous applause.
He is not the best-looking guy in Republican race or the best-funded or the most ideologically pure. But he has found his shtick, and he is shticking to it.
Continue Reading
Newt hits Obama on pipeline
Newt Gingrich is the angriest man in America.
Mitt Romney will tell you that Barack Obama is a ?nice guy? but that he is ?in over his head.?
Newt Gingrich will tell you Barack Obama is ?the most radical and most incompetent president in our lifetime!?
Obama is more than incompetent, in fact. To Newt, he is a moron. ?It?s one thing to say the White House can?t play chess, it?s another to say it can?t play checkers,? Newt says and pauses like the professional he is for the laugh to build. ?But tic-tac-toe??
But Obama is more than stupid. He is dangerous. This is important to keep in mind.
The Gingrich campaign is based on the notion of perpetual struggle against perpetual peril.
?How many of you believe the left will fight us every step of the way even after we win?? Gingrich asks the crowd.
The next day, Gingrich will win the South Carolina primary. But he already knows that will happen. That is a given. Just like his nomination and election. But even that will not be enough to silence the ?secular socialists? who oppose him from the left.
The ?left? is a broad category to Gingrich. It includes liberals, socialists, anti-religious bigots, i.e. Democrats, most of the media, some misguided Republicans, and, well, anybody who opposes Newt Gingrich.
?We knew there?d be attacks, and the closer we were to winning the more ferocious the attacks would be,? Gingrich says.
John King of CNN, who asked Gingrich in a debate Thursday night whether he had ever asked his second wife for an ?open? marriage, is part of the ferocious attack machine that seeks to thwart Gingrich.
Gingrich has called this ?despicable? and now he calls it ?grotesque.?
?Is the American news media just totally out of touch with reality?? he asks reporters after the rally. ?You want to say: Get a life! There is a consistent pattern year after year that the American people are sick of the behavior of the news media. Sick!?
Anger, umbrage and bitterness are so much a part of Gingrich?s public persona that he likes to attack the very concept of happiness.
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Sunday, 22 January 2012
Lost decade of growth for the West (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Five years after the credit crisis began, Western economies are confronting the prospect of a lost decade of growth, and international diplomats are warning the damage could get even worse if Europe allows its sovereign debt crisis to fester much longer.
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is heading to Berlin on Monday to urge action after the IMF called for member countries to provide the fund with $500 billion for new loans to help out troubled countries.
G20 officials also say Europe must double the size of its rescue fund to $1 trillion as a crucial step to stabilize financial markets and prevent the euro-zone crisis from spreading. Europe finance ministers meet on their debt plan on Tuesday.
The World Bank already sees the damage taking hold as European banks pull back their lending to emerging economies. Last week it slashed its growth forecast more than one percentage point to 2.5 percent for 2012, a pace not seen since 2008 when the world was last in a global recession.
"The risk of a global freezing-up of the markets and as well as a global crisis similar to what happened in September 2008 are real," Justin Lin, the chief economist for the World Bank, said.
The IMF also is set to cut its growth forecasts this week.
Although the United States has shown encouraging signs in recent weeks, the economy remains far too feeble for any upturn to be either strong or sustained. Europe is no better off and already appears to have fallen back into a mild recession.
Goldman Sachs calculates that per capita GDP growth in the United States has shrunk by 0.7 percent each year between 2007 and 2011, compared with 2.0 percent growth in the decade prior to the recession. In the euro area, the decline has been similar, 0.6 percent drop against a 1.8 percent pre-recession rate.
The concern is that the destruction of skills and capital investment caused by recession and slow growth rates will lead to a structurally lower rate of growth and higher rate of unemployment for a protracted period. If left unchecked, it would make it even harder to handle huge government debt loads, making the growth outlook even less stable.
Jerome Levy Forecasting sees the United States trapped in a low growth cycle throughout the rest of this decade, at least until household debt levels are paid down, businesses have restructured to regain competitiveness and wage growth returned.
"We are not holding our breath for a rapid turnaround. In fact for this year, we are investing in scuba gear in case it worsens," said economist Robert King.
FED PREPARES
It is against this backdrop that the Federal Reserve is preparing to unveil an overhaul of its long-run goals and strategy for conducting monetary policy on Wednesday, a move that could lay the groundwork for further steps to support the U.S. economy if needed.
The Fed on Wednesday will begin publishing the interest rate forecasts from its individual members. While seemingly a technical step, it can help shape investor expectations on the outlook and possibly will be used to signal an even longer time period that the Federal Open Market Committee plans on keeping interest rates at extremely low levels.
"The immediate benefit is that it will allow the FOMC to replace the implicit commitment of keeping rates near zero until mid-2013 with more flexible guidance," said Troy Davig, economist at Barclays Capital.
The Fed also may spell out for the first time a specific inflation target and an employment goal. An inflation target would reassure investors the Fed remains firmly committed to keeping inflation under control, even if it does decide to inject more money into the economy to stimulate growth through asset purchases. It already has bought $2.3 trillion in bonds, making its balance sheet so large that critics say it is sowing the seeds of runaway inflation.
Any further Fed action, however, is probably months away. Fourth quarter GDP data for the United States due out on Friday is expected to show the fastest growth in 18 months, at 3.1 percent up from 1.8 percent in the prior quarter. But analysts doubt that the quickened pace can last.
The bulk of the Q4 gain is expected to come from a rebuilding of inventories and unless final demand for goods and services also has accelerated notably - unlikely when wage growth is flat to declining, consumer debt levels high and export demand weakened - the improvement will prove short lived.
In Europe, the picture looks much worse.
The United Kingdom may be sliding into recession. It releases its Q4 GDP data on Thursday, and it is expected to show the economy shrank by 0.1 percent after growing 0.6 percent in Q3. The Royal Bank of Canada expects the Bank of England to expand its asset purchases by 50 billion pounds sterling in February to give the economy further help.
In the euro zone, the flash reading on Markit PMI indices on Wednesday will gave a sense of the severity of its recession. The manufacturing index is forecast to contract for the sixth month in a row though at a slower pace of 47.3 in January, compared with 46.9 in December. The services index also is seen remaining just below the 50 mark, which separates growth from shrinkage, little changed from the prior month.
When world leaders and corporate leaders gather in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum on Wednesday through Sunday, they will face the most challenging economic conditions the world has seen since the 2008/2009 recession.
(Reporting By Stella Dawson)
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Stress blamed for student tics at New York school (Reuters)
BUFFALO (Reuters) ? State health officials have determined stress likely caused a dozen female high school students to suddenly experience tics and other neurological symptoms associated with Tourette Syndrome, they said on Friday.
The Le Roy Central School District, about 50 miles east of Buffalo, scrambled to conduct environmental testing for air quality and mold after 12 students developed tics and impulsive verbal behavior over the course of the last three months.
But state health investigators ruled out environmental factors, latent side-effects from drugs or vaccines like Guardasil, trauma or genetic factors.
The girls were all treated by doctors and most are improving, school officials said.
"Stress is often attributed to these kind of symptoms," Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesman with the New York State Department of Health, said on Friday, echoing the opinion of neurologists who have treated the girls.
"The Le Roy school is safe," Hammond said. "The environment or an infection is not the cause of the students' tics. There are many causes of tics-like symptoms."
Dr. David Lichter, clinical professor of neurology at the University at Buffalo, said he evaluated one of the girls who exhibited involuntary movements as well as periods of unresponsiveness.
Lichter said a phenomenon called "mass psychogenic illness," once called mass hysteria, is likely the cause.
He said high levels of stress may increase the chances.
"Subjects turn subconscious psychological stresses into physical symptoms, and they do it without being conscious of it," he said.
"I don't think the girls in this particular school are more stressed. The thing about this outbreak - and it has been documented around the world - is there may be one or two who manifest a true organic disorder, and then modeling behavior takes place," Lichter said.
The health department continues to monitor each case. No new cases have been reported.
(Editing By Barbara Goldberg and Paul Thomasch)
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Saturday, 21 January 2012
Remorseful man admits he caused big Reno blaze
The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., are seen on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, after a wind-driven brush fire raced through the area Thursday. The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., are seen on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, after a wind-driven brush fire raced through the area Thursday. The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., are seen on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, after a wind-driven brush fire raced through the area. The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
Firefighters battle a wind-driven brush fire burning through Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez says crews were able to stop the wall of flames before it reached Galena High School. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
Firefighters wait for water before attacking an outbuilding adjacent to a home Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 in Pleasant Valley, Nev. Winds gusting up to 82 mph pushed a fast-moving brush fire south of Reno out of control on Thursday as it burned several homes, threatened dozens more and forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate their neighborhoods. (AP Photo/The Reno Gazette-Journal, Tim Dunn) NEVADA APPEAL OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES
The ruins of a home in Pleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev. smolders as firefighters battle a wind-driven brush fire on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Winds gusting up to 82 mph pushed a fast-moving brush fire south of Reno out of control on Thursday as it burned several homes, threatened dozens more and forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate their neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
RENO, Nev. (AP) ? An "extremely remorseful" elderly man admitted Friday that he accidentally started a brush fire that destroyed 29 homes near Reno when he improperly discarded fireplace ashes at his home south of town, authorities said.
"He came forward on his own accord," Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said about the man. The resulting blaze, fueled by 82 mph wind gusts, burned nearly 3,200 acres and forced the evacuation of up to 10,000 people Thursday.
"He has given statements to our investigators as well as law enforcement officers. He is extremely remorseful," the chief said.
Investigators already had tracked the origin of the fire to a location in East Lake on the north end of the Washoe Valley, where the man lives about 20 miles south of downtown Reno.
Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley said a formal case file will be forwarded to the district attorney next week for consideration of charges.
"The DA will have to give this case a lot of deliberation," Haley said.
"The fact he came forward and admitted it plays a role. But so does the massive damage and loss of life," he said. "It's a balancing act."
In addition to the potential for facing jail time on arson charges, the man could also be ordered to pay the cost of fighting the fire, which already totals $690,000.
Washoe County Manager Katy Simon said she expects the final bill to run into the millions of dollars.
Gov. Sandoval toured the fire damaged area Friday, describing it as "horrendous, devastating."
"There is nothing left in some of those places except for the chimneys and fireplaces," he said.
The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by the wind, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno.
The strong, erratic winds caused major challenges for crews evacuating residents, Sierra Front spokesman Mark Regan said. "In a matter of seconds, the wind would shift," he said.
Haley confirmed that the body of June Hargis, 93, was found in the fire's aftermath, but her cause of death has not been established, so it's not known if it was fire related.
Jeannie Watts, the woman's 70-year-old daughter, told KRNV-TV that Hargis' grandson telephoned her to tell her to evacuate but she didn't get out in time.
A break in the weather and calmer winds allowed firefighters to get the upper hand on the blaze Friday.
Hernandez estimated it to be 65 percent contained Friday night. He said 300 firefighters would remain on the scene through the night checking for hot spots along with another 125 support people, including law enforcement officers and the Nevada National Guard.
About 2,000 people remained subject to evacuation, and about 100 households still were without power.
State transportation officials said they expected to reopen all of U.S. Highway 395 between Reno and Carson City by Saturday morning.
The next challenge may be the forecast for rain and snow in the mountains on Saturday, which could cause flooding in burned areas, he said.
Marred in Reno's driest winter in more than 120 years, residents had welcomed the forecast that a storm was due to blow across the Sierra Nevada this week.
Instead, thousands found themselves fleeing their homes Thursday afternoon.
Connie Cryer went to the fire response command post Friday with her 12-year-old granddaughter, Maddie Miramon, to find out if her house had survived the flames.
"We had to know so we could get some sleep," Cryer said, adding her house was spared but a neighbor's wasn't. She had seen wildfires before, but nothing on this scale.
"There was fire in front of me, fire beside me, fire behind me. It was everywhere," she said. "I don't know how more didn't burn up. It was terrible, all the wind and the smoke."
Fire officials said Thursday's fire was "almost a carbon copy" of a blaze that destroyed 30 homes in Reno during similar summer-like conditions in mid-November.
State Forester Pete Anderson said he has not seen such hazardous fire conditions in winter in his 43 years in Nevada. Reno had no precipitation in December. The last time that happened was 1883.
An inch of snow Monday ended the longest recorded dry spell in Reno history, a 56-day stretch that prompted Anderson to issue an unusual warning about wildfire threats.
"We're usually pretty much done with the fire season by the first of November, but this year it's been nonstop," Anderson said.
Kit Bailey, U.S. Forest Service fire chief at nearby Lake Tahoe, said conditions are so dry that even a forecast calling for rain and snow might not take the Reno-Tahoe area out of fire danger.
"The scary thing is a few days of drying after this storm cycle and we could be back into fire season again," he said.
___
Associated Press writers Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas and Sandra Chereb in Carson City, Nev., contributed to this report.
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Iranian lawmaker: Obama proposed talks; US denies (AP)
TEHRAN, Iran ? An Iranian lawmaker claimed Wednesday that President Barack Obama called for direct talks with Iran in a secret letter to the Islamic Republic's supreme leader that also warned Tehran against closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Obama administration officials denied there was such a letter.
Iran has threatened to close the waterway, the route for about one-sixth of the global oil flow, because of new U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program.
Conservative lawmaker Ali Motahari revealed the content of the letter days after the Obama administration said it was warning Iran through public and private channels against any action that threatens the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf.
"In the letter, Obama called for direct talks with Iran," the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted Motahari as saying Wednesday. "The letter also said that closing the Strait of Hormuz is (Washington's) red line."
"The first part of the letter contains threats and the second part contains an offer for dialogue," he added.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast confirmed that Tehran received the letter and was considering a possible response.
In Washington, an Obama administration official denied that Obama sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying communication of U.S. views were being delivered through other diplomatic messages. The official would give no further details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor pointed to earlier comments from the Obama administration that noted the U.S. had a number of ways to communicate its views to the Iranian government. He said the U.S. remained committed to engaging with Tehran and finding a diplomatic solution to its larger issues with Iran's nuclear program.
Spokesmen have been vague on what the United States would do about Iran's threat to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but military officials have been clear that the U.S. is readying for a possible naval clash.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the country's most powerful military force, says Tehran's leadership has decided to order the closure of the oil route if Iran's oil exports are blocked. A senior Guard officer said earlier this month that the decision has been made by Iran's top authorities.
Iranian politicians have made the threat in the past, but this was the strongest statement yet that a closure of the strait is official policy.
Iran's regular army recently held naval war games near the vital waterway that were described by hard-liners as part of preparations to close the strait if sanctions are imposed. The Guard is planning major naval military exercises next month in the same region.
The U.S. last month enacted new sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad over Tehran's nuclear program. The U.S. has delayed implementing the sanctions for at least six months, worried about sending the price of oil higher at a time when the global economy is struggling.
Closing the strait would have immense world economic impact. Iran is OPEC's second largest oil producer, and oil exports account for 80 percent of Iran's foreign currency income. To Tehran, an oil embargo would be tantamount to a declaration of war that could provoke the Iranian leadership to block the Hormuz strait.
At issue is Iran's nuclear program. The U.S., Israel and others charge that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. Their case was bolstered by a report from the International Atomic Energy late last year, citing evidence that Iran was employing methods and equipment used in making bombs.
Iran has consistently denied that, saying its nuclear program is peaceful, aimed at producing electric power and isotopes for cancer treatment.
___
Associated Press writer Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS Corrects spelling and restores first reference for Khamanei in paragraph 8.)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_re_us/iran_us
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