Friday, November 30, 2012

Chinese UFO reports linked to rocket

Li Peng via NASASpaceflight.com

Waves of light emanate from an object sighted by amateur astronomer Li Feng over China's Sichuan province.

By Alan Boyle

Chinese skywatchers marveled this month over mysterious rays of light in the night sky, and now sharp-eyed analysts are saying those UFO sightings were sparked by a European Ariane 5 rocket that launched two telecommunication satellites from French Guiana.

Amateur astronomers in China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces reported seeing the weird phenomenon on Nov. 11. They watched as a luminous object moved through the heavens, shimmering with rays or rings of light. The reports made a splash on Chinese news websites such as Sina.com, as well as the Astronomy.com.cn discussion forum.

"It is certainly a UFO," one forum poster wrote in Chinese. Another wrote that the UFO was a "blessing from another planet." (I couldn't determine how that comment was meant, because my machine-translation software doesn't have a sarcasm filter.)

For a while, Chinese experts speculated that the object might have been a comet?? but skywatchers soon figured out that the sightings occurred less than an hour after Arianespace sent the Eutelsat 21B and Star One C3 satellites into orbit (from the European Space Agency's South American spaceport, where it was still Nov. 10).

"The detailed analysis of the height of the UFO and the timing of observation leads me to conclude that this was the ESC-A upper stage, 30 minutes after all the fuel leaked out via passification," a Hong Kong observer known as Galactic Penguin SST reported last week on the NASASpaceflight.com forum.

Today, Want China Times said that the Beijing UFO Research Society has reached a similar conclusion.

"The 'rays' were most likely the rocket jettisoning boosters or other parts and entering low Earth orbit after being launched 30 minutes previously," the Taiwan-based online publication reported. It's also possible that the swirls of light came from fuel or vapor emanating from the upper stage. Such?explanations are consistent with a host of other rocket-related UFO sightings over the years, including Russian rocket stages that have been spotted over the Middle East and Scandinavia.

Just for fun, here are a few more such cases from the UFO files:


Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the?Cosmic Log?community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space,?sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/29/15548707-chinese-ufo-linked-to-rocket?lite

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Cracks surface in Republican unity on tax rates

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican unity against raising tax rates for the wealthy began to show cracks on Wednesday after a conservative congressman said he would back an agreement with President Barack Obama to raise rates on the rich but extend tax cuts for income below $250,000.

With Congress scrambling to avert a series of tax increases and spending cuts due to kick in at the end of the year - known as the "fiscal cliff" - Congressman Tom Cole said Republicans should approve a deal ensuring 98 percent of Americans do not suffer a tax increase that endangers the economic recovery.

With the lower tax rates enacted a decade ago under Republican President George W. Bush due to expire on December 31, Obama and his Democrats have pushed to extend the lower rates for most Americans while letting rates rise for wealthier taxpayers.

Republicans have been adamant about extending the lower tax rates for all taxpayers, including households earning more than $250,000 a year, and finding savings through the elimination of tax loopholes and cuts in the costly Medicare and Medicaid healthcare plans.

"If we have an opportunity to, right now, secure the Bush tax cuts for 98 percent of the American people ... and then continue to fight on these other issues, I think we should do that," Cole, a conservative Republican from Oklahoma, told Reuters in an interview.

"Why make the American people wait through 30 days of this, wondering - 98 percent of them - if their taxes are going to go up," Cole said.

It is unclear whether the comments from Cole, a senior Republican who has been loyal to the party's congressional leadership, will lead to an eventual bipartisan compromise in the high-stakes negotiations.

Also, the Bush tax cuts are just one part of a larger deficit reduction plan lawmakers are trying to hammer out.

Cole said Republican leaders had sought opinions on his plan from key House of Representatives members in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. He described the reaction as "mixed."

Republican congressional leaders stayed firm for now in their public opposition to any tax rate increases as part of a fiscal cliff agreement.

"I told Tom earlier ... that I disagreed with him," House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told reporters.

"You're not going to grow the economy if you raise taxes on the top two rates," Boehner said, adding Republicans would be willing to talk with Democrats about other kinds of revenue increases along with spending cuts.

Boehner and the White House have an end-of-year deadline to avoid triggering about $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts in January that could throw the economy back into a recession.

Boehner voiced optimism about striking a deal "sooner rather than later," while Obama said he hoped to strike a deal with Congress before Christmas. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will go to Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet on the issue with House and Senate leaders from both parties.

With a month left before the deadline, markets are worried about predictions that falling off the "fiscal cliff" could trigger another recession. Analysts said a failure to compromise by mid-December could trigger a selloff.

The S&P 500 rebounded from a 1 percent decline, gaining more than 20 points from its low after Boehner's comments, to close near the day's highs.

'POLITICAL WINDS'

Cole's stance reverberated through the Capitol, where Democrats have stood firm in their push to raise the top two rates paid by the wealthy in an effort to shrink budget deficits that have topped $1 trillion in each of the last four years.

Cole, said one senior House Republican aide, "is a pragmatist at his core. He knows which way the political winds are blowing" in his congressional district and in the country.

The aide added that while some in the House Republican leadership "are probably cursing his name, when all is said and done, he just may be shining a light" on what is to come in the high-stakes negotiations.

A senior Senate Democratic aide said Cole's pronouncement "seems like Act Two of Boehner trying to explain reality to the Tea Party."

That refers to the large number of House Republicans elected in 2010 with the support of small-government tea party activists who vehemently oppose any tax increases. Boehner will have to sell many of them on any final agreement with Obama.

Cole, the former head of the House Republican campaign committee, is one of the party's most practical members and a loyal supporter of Boehner.

His proposal could give Republicans political protection by guaranteeing most Americans lower tax rates without forcing lawmakers to cast a vote for higher rates for the wealthy. Those higher rates would kick in automatically if Congress does nothing.

Representative Xavier Becerra, a member of House Democratic leadership, said Cole's remarks showed that "a few Republicans are beginning to break from the rigid theocracy of their party."

But even with Cole's remarks, there was still skepticism among some Republican House aides that any tax increase could clear the House and pass roadblocks in the Senate.

TAX TALKS

Several glimmers of hope for a compromise have surfaced since Obama won a second term in the November 6 election, with some Republicans showing a willingness to consider revenue increases, and some Democrats easing their opposition to new savings in the costly government-run Medicare and Medicaid healthcare programs.

Obama has launched a campaign-style public relations push for his effort to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, and met with executives from large companies late on Wednesday.

Many Democrats and Republicans have speculated on the possibility of a compromise that would raise income taxes on the rich, but not to the level Obama wants.

While Obama has called for letting the rates rise for those families with net incomes above $250,000, some Republican aides have said a final compromise could provide a threshold of $500,000 or $1 million, instead of $250,000.

Alternatively, negotiators could look at raising the current 35 percent top rate to a higher rate but not as high as the 39.6 percent Obama wants. Obama said earlier this month that he was "open to new ideas" on the rates.

Obama's proposal would raise about $80 billion in new revenues a year, which would go a long way toward replacing the $109 billion in harsh, across-the-board domestic spending cuts that are set to begin in 2013 unless Congress acts.

Erskine Bowles, who co-chaired the White House's 2010 deficit-reduction panel and is now working with chief executives and others to try to broker a deal, met with Republican leaders at the Capitol and said afterward that progress was being made.

"I think we will see give in all areas, if we're going to get a deal done. If not, we're going to go over this cliff and I think everybody realizes that would be disaster," he told reporters.

"Look, I'm not more optimistic or less optimistic. I'm hopeful, but I wouldn't put me anywhere near the optimistic category," he said. "We've got a long way to go and very few days to get it done."

(Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos, Alina Selyukh; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-promotes-tax-agenda-u-congress-stand-off-020557101--business.html

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

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Updated?11/27/2012 09:16 PM

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Sony Xperia Tablet S sneaks onto shelves, finally

Sony Xperia Tablet S sneaks onto shelves, finally

The Sony Xperia Tablet S has quietly gone on sale without any of the fanfare, or even a press release, usually associated with a product becoming available.

After swiftly being pulled from shelves at the start of October due to water damage issues, Sony has kept to its promise to re-release the Xperia Tablet S before the end of November ? just.

The tablet was launched at IFA 2012 back at the beginning of September, and the update to the original Sony Tablet S does have some promise, as we found in our hands on Sony Xperia Tablet S review.

Just in time for Christmas

Keeping the unique folded-back-book design of its predecessor, the Xperia Tablet S offers up a slimmer, lighter frame which is easier on the hand, a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, the choice of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, all of which run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

There are also Wi-Fi and 3G variants of the tablet available, and currently via the Sony website you can pick up the 16GB model of each, with the Wi-Fi only tablet setting you back ?329 and the 3G capable slate coming in at ?429.

The 32GB Wi-Fi and 64GB Wi-Fi models are currently displaying as out of stock, but are priced at ?379 and ?449 respectively.

However, during its time out of the customer?s sight the Xperia Tablet S has seen some rather tough competition crop up in time for Christmas, with the iPad Mini, Amazon Kindle Fire HD, Nook HD, Google Nexus 10 and larger-capacity and cellular Google Nexus 7 all vying for attention.


Techradar ? All the latest technology news

Tags: finally, Onto, shelves, sneaks, Sony, Tablet, Xperia

Source: http://www.gadgetstech.co.uk/sony-xperia-tablet-s-sneaks-onto-shelves-finally/

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Peanut butter plant closure angers New Mexico town

PORTALES, N.M. (AP) ? Farmers in a revered peanut-growing region along the New Mexico-Texas border should be celebrating one of the best harvests in recent memory.

Instead, millions of pounds of their prized sweet Valencia peanuts sit in barns at a peanut butter plant shuttered for two months amid a salmonella outbreak that sickened 41 people in 20 states.

Farmers are worried about getting paid for their peanuts, plant workers are nervous about their future and residents wonder what toll an increasingly contentious showdown between the nation's largest organic peanut butter plant and federal regulators could ultimately have on the region's economy.

The tension boiled over when the Food and Drug Administration on Monday said it was suspending Sunland Inc.'s registration to operate because of repeated safety violations, meaning the plant will remain indefinitely shut down as the company appeals the decision. The company had planned to reopen some its operations this week after voluntarily recalling hundreds of products and closing its processing and peanut butter plants in late September and early October.

Many in this flat, dusty and solidly Republican farm town of about 20,000 denounce the FDA's tactics as unfair and unnecessarily heavy-handed ? and become defensive about the shutdown of the largest private employer in town.

"We had the best crop in years, and then these (expletives) came in and started this," said resident and local telecomm worker Boyd Evans.

For the first time ever, the FDA is using authority granted under a 2011 food safety law signed by President Barack Obama that allows the agency to shut food operations without a court hearing.

The FDA said inspectors found samples of salmonella in 28 different locations in the plant, in 13 nut butter samples and in one sample of raw peanuts. Inspectors found improper handling of the products, unclean equipment and uncovered trailers of peanuts outside the facility that were exposed to rain and birds. Inspectors also said employees did not have access to hand-washing sinks, and dirty hands had direct contact with ready-to-package peanuts.

The FDA has inspected the plant at least four times over the past five years, each time finding violations. Michael Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods, said the agency's inspections after the outbreak found even worse problems than what had been seen there before.

The salmonella outbreak was traced to Trader Joe's peanut butter produced at the plant. Sunland produces products for a number of national grocery and retail chains, and New Mexico Peanut Growers Association President Wayne Baker says the industry generates about $60 million in the region each year.

Valencias are a variety of peanuts that come almost exclusively from eastern New Mexico. Because of their sweet flavor, they are favored for organic and natural peanut butter products because they require few additives.

The peanut is celebrated every year at the town's annual Peanut Valley Festival, and most residents have stories related to peanuts, whether growing up on a peanut farm, helping to haul them to harvest or knowing peanut workers or farmers.

"Peanuts is, like, everything here," said local shopkeeper Brittany Mignard.

The plant's retail store remains open, although its shelves are bare of its own products. The few items remaining include peanut brittle made in Lubbock, Texas. The shelves are stocked with jelly, but no peanut butter.

Baker, who is also a Sunland board member, said the company had never been notified of any past violations. And the company has vehemently denied FDA allegations that it knowingly shipped any potentially tainted products.

Plant officials said they were blindsided by the FDA's suspension on Monday. Just hours before it was announced, the plant had announced plans to start shelling the bumper crop on Tuesday. Plant officials said they had notified the FDA last week of their plans to reopen the processing operations while waiting for approval to resume making peanut butter.

"The FDA is overreaching its power and putting out information that isn't true," Baker said. "We don't understand what is going on. We don't think we are guilty."

FDA officials wouldn't comment on his allegations, saying it was an ongoing investigation.

Food safety expert and Cornell University professor Bob Gravani said given the number of salmonella outbreaks in recent years, he believes the FDA is being heavily scrutinized about why they are not using their rules more frequently or more aggressively.

Putting aside the "he-said, she-said" between the FDA and the company, he said, "I would say suspension is warranted in this case."

This is not the first major outbreak since the FDA gained authority to pull a facility's registration in the 2011 food safety law. An outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe in 2011 is linked to at least 30 deaths and investigators found similar conditions at Jensen Farms in Colorado. Unlike Sunland, however, Jensen Farms did not attempt to restart operations after the recall and FDA investigation. The company later filed for bankruptcy.

Baker said officials have been trying for the past two months to cooperate with the FDA to get the plant reopened.

"That hasn't worked," he said. "But we are not going to give up. We are going to fight this. We have got no choice."

He said officials have begun calling the state's senators and congressman and talking with other agricultural groups about getting help in Washington with an appeal of the FDA action. No hearing has yet been scheduled.

Coburn said none of the plant's 150 workers has been laid off. Instead, they have been helping to clean and upgrade the plant.

Although peanuts can be stored for a while, Coburn and Baker acknowledged that time is of the essence for getting to work on what Coburn said were "many, many millions" of pounds harvested from this year's crop.

Farmers, Baker acknowledged, are worried about getting paid. But he said Sunland has committed to paying them for their crops.

Under a worst-case scenario, he said, Sunland could sell the peanuts to other producers.

___

Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jeri Clausing on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/jericlausing

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/peanut-butter-plant-closure-angers-mexico-town-211629739.html

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Retail Stores Open For Business Sunday Dec. 23 | Bernews.com

The Bermuda Chamber Commerce Retail Division has successfully lobbied Government for an extension to store hours on Sunday, December 23rd, giving residents one more full day to shop before for the holidays.

In making the announcement, Chamber Retail Chair Ms. Paula Clarke noted; ?The Chamber is delighted to confirm that following discussions with Minister Wayne Furbert, we have been granted an Exemption to the Public Holidays Act 1947, allowing any retailer, regardless of size, the opportunity to be open from 9am to 9pm, Sunday, December 23rd.?

In accordance with a Legal Notice dated 23rd day of November, 2012: Section 8 of the Public Holidays Act 1947 (which prohibits the opening of shops on public holidays subject to exceptions in the Act) shall not apply to a person who operates a shop having a total retail floor space area of 2,500 square feet or more, between the hours of 9:00am and 9:00pm on Sunday 23rd December 2012.

Chamber Executive Director Mrs. Joanne MacPhee stated; ?This is the second time this year that The Chamber has successfully lobbied the Ministry of Business Development and Tourism for an exemption to the Act; the first being Good Friday, April 6th when it was hoped the exemption would stimulate much needed retail sales in St. George?s. Regrettably in that instance our hard work was for naught due to the fact that the Azamara Journey was unable to dock in the Old Town due to high winds.

?This time we are certain that come wind, rain or shine shoppers will be out en masse taking advantage of these convenient operating hours, as retailers continue to strive to create exciting shopping experiences for locals and visitors alike.?

Explaining further Mrs. MacPhee noted ?Once again, the Chamber?s considerable efforts will not only benefit our members, but the entire retail community. The Chamber remains steadfastly committed to stimulating economic growth in Bermuda across all sectors, and we are proud of the fact that we continue to be a positive catalyst for change. ?

Mrs. Clarke concluded by saying; ?Our retail members view this as another excellent opportunity to better serve our customers and we are delighted that the Ministry of Business Development and Tourism has acted so quickly, recognizing the need to provide business with the flexibility required to respond promptly to market changes.

?I am sure that stores will be fully stocked with a diverse range of competitively priced, quality items and sales staff will be eager to assist customers with last minute shopping choices.?

Read More About: Bermuda business, Christmas

Category: All, Business, News

Source: http://bernews.com/2012/11/retail-stores-open-for-business-sunday-dec-23/

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Samsung Galaxy Note II confirmed to reach Verizon stores tomorrow

Samsung Galaxy Note II confirmed to reach Verizon stores tomorrow

Despite the fact that Verizon's version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II -- complete with its ugly logo-laden home button -- is already starting to ship out to pre-orderers, the carrier and manufacturer continued to keep quiet about their official launch plans. We've finally received word from a Samsung spokesperson that the 5.5-inch smartphone-tablet hybrid is destined to make its way into Big Red stores beginning tomorrow for $300 with a two-year contract. If you've been exercising a heap of patience in waiting for this gigantophone, you'd best free up some time on your calendar first thing tomorrow. We have the official statement waiting for you after the break.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note II confirmed to reach Verizon stores tomorrow

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7azGGVF-OAg/

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Clayton Fiscus, Montana GOP Lawmaker, Wants Bill Requiring Teaching Of Intelligent Design

Montana state Rep. Clayton Fiscus (R) hasn't even been sworn into office yet, but he's already made clear that he'd like to work on a bill that would require the teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution when he officially goes to work at the state Capitol.

The National Center for Science Education reported this week that Fiscus had submitted a request for a draft of the legislation as one of his first orders of business.

The measure, which broadly plans to "require public schools to teach intelligent design along with evolution," will now be drafted and considered by the legislature when it goes into session next year.

As the NCSE points out, the issue of teaching intelligent design in public school has already been settled in Kitzmiller v. Dover, a 2005 federal case that found the theory to be a form of creationism. The teaching of such a religious-based theory in public schools would violate the separation of church and state.

Fiscus has also filed additional legislative requests, though the others concern more innocuous topics such as parks, highways and taxes.

And he isn't the only incoming lawmaker to float a controversial request shortly after securing election. Republican state Rep. Jerry O'Neil asked the Montana Office of Legislative Services earlier this month if he could be paid his monthly salary of $1,800 in gold coins due to his concerns about the strength of the dollar. The office didn't immediately respond to his request.

John Celock contributed reporting to this piece.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/clayton-fiscus-montana_n_2197827.html

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'Star Trek' Experts: Does 'Darkness' Synopsis Reveal The Villain?

Experts plunge 'Into Darkness' to figure out who the 'Star Trek' sequel villain really is.
By Josh Wigler


Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in "Star Trek"
Photo: Industrial Light and Magic/Paramount

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1698000/star-trek-sequel-villain.jhtml

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