Seals take scientists to Antarctic's ocean floor

By Pauline Askin

SYDNEY | Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:54pm EST

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Elephant seals wearing head sensors and swimming deep beneath Antarctic ice have helped scientists better understand how the ocean's coldest, deepest waters are formed, providing vital clues to understanding its role in the world's climate.

The tagged seals, along with sophisticated satellite data and moorings in ocean canyons, all played a role in providing data from the extreme Antarctic environment, where observations are very rare and ships could not go, said researchers at the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystem CRC in Tasmania.

Scientists have long known of the existence of "Antarctic bottom water," a dense, deep layer of water near the ocean floor that has a significant impact on the movement of the world's oceans.

Three areas where this water is formed were known of, and the existence of a fourth suspected for decades, but the area was far too inaccessible, until now, thanks to the seals.

"The seals went to an area of the coastline that no ship was ever going to get to," said Guy Williams, ACE CRC Sea Ice specialist and co-author of the study.

"This is a particular form of Antarctic water called Antarctic bottom water production, one of the engines that drives ocean circulation," he told Reuters. "What we've done is found another piston in that engine."

Southern Ocean Elephant seals are the largest of all seals, with males growing up to six meters (20 feet) long and weighing up to 4,000 kilograms (8,800 lbs).

Twenty of the seals were deployed from Davis Station in east Antarctica in 2011 with a sensor, weighing about 100 to 200 grams, on their head. Each of the sensors had a small satellite relay which transmitted data on a daily basis during the five to 10 minute intervals when the seals surfaced.

"We get four dives worth of data a day but they're actually doing up to 60 dives," he said.

"The elephant seals ... went to the very source and found this very cold, very saline dense water in the middle of winter beneath a polynya, which is what we call an ice factory around the coast of Antarctica," Williams added.

Previous studies have shown that there are 50-year-long trends in the properties of the Antarctic bottom water, and Williams said the latest study will help better assess those changes, perhaps providing clues for climate change modeling.

"Several of the seals foraged on the continental slope as far down as 1,800 meters (1.1 miles), punching through into a layer of this dense water cascading down the abyss," he said in a statement. "They gave us very rare and valuable wintertime measurements of this process."

(Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Elaine Lies and Michael Perry)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/7PoVWXaCnQ0/us-australia-antarctic-seals-idUSBRE91P03020130226

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Eager Israelis send invites to Obama ahead of tour

In this photo taken on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, a general view of the Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim is seen on the outskirts of Jerusalem. President Barack Obama is coming to town, and it seems like everyone in Israel wants to be a part of the historic visit. One invitation has come from Benny Kashriel, the mayor of the West Bank Jewish settlement Maaleh Adumim. Kashriel wants to host Obama in a contested area known as E-1, where Israel envisages construction of more than 3,000 apartments. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In this photo taken on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, a general view of the Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim is seen on the outskirts of Jerusalem. President Barack Obama is coming to town, and it seems like everyone in Israel wants to be a part of the historic visit. One invitation has come from Benny Kashriel, the mayor of the West Bank Jewish settlement Maaleh Adumim. Kashriel wants to host Obama in a contested area known as E-1, where Israel envisages construction of more than 3,000 apartments. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? President Barack Obama is coming to town, and it seems like everyone in Israel wants to be a part of the historic visit.

From West Bank settlers to peace activists, universities to municipalities, Israelis of all stripes are sending out invites to lure Obama their way in bids to bend his ear on the issues that could decide the fate of the region.

Obama's visit, his first to Israel as president, comes during rising tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, years of deadlocked peace efforts and a tense relationship between the president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Just beneath the surface is the feeling of many Israelis that up to now, Obama's administration has been unsympathetic to Israel, frequently criticizing its policies toward the Palestinians. The U.S. considers its policies balanced, noting that it has opposed resolutions critical of Israel at the U.N.

Despite the differences, the U.S. remains Israel's main world ally.

While Obama's schedule has not been made public, officials and ordinary Israelis alike appear eager to exploit the upcoming tour, also expected to take him to the West Bank and Jordan next month. The Israeli government has released a logo and slogan for the trip, naming it "Unshakable Alliance," and is scouting places for Obama to visit.

Mixed feelings are coloring the invitations.

One has come from Benny Kashriel, mayor of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim, near Jerusalem. Kashriel wants to host Obama in a contested area known as E-1, where Israel envisages construction of more than 3,000 apartments.

Building in the area is contentious because the Palestinians say it would hinder movement between east Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital, and the West Bank. Kashriel said he would take Obama to a hilltop overlooking the area and rebut the Palestinian argument.

"I have no doubt I will convince him to see the truth," said Kashriel, who delivered an invitation through the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Israel revived the E-1 plans late last year in response to the Palestinians' successful bid for U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. The announced plans, on the back burner for years, drew unusually sharp criticism from some of Israel's staunchest allies ? including the U.S.

The issue of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank in general has drawn much criticism from the U.S. and stands at the heart of a four-year impasse in Mideast peace efforts. The Palestinians have refused to negotiate while Israel continues to build in settlements on the lands they seek for their state. Netanyahu says talks should resume without any preconditions.

Obama has rejected settlements as illegitimate but has done little to force Israel to halt construction.

Appealing to Obama to restart the peace talks, Israelis on the dovish end of the political spectrum have put out a plea on Facebook for Obama to deliver a grand "Speech for Peace" in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, where then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who signed the first interim accords with the Palestinians, was assassinated by an ultranationalist Israeli opposed to his peace moves.

Yaniv Shacham, a manager of the page, which has attracted more than 21,000 "likes," said Obama's ability to reach out to the people, both in his public appearances in the U.S. and on visits abroad, could resonate with Israelis.

"If he knew that he could fill the square with hundreds of thousands of Israelis ... he would see there are many Israelis who support the ideas and ideals he represents and certainly the renewal of peace talks," Shacham said.

Academic institutions have been vying to host the prestigious guest. One is Bar-Ilan University, the site of a landmark 2009 speech by Netanyahu in which he declared his support for a two-state solution with the Palestinians. That speech ended years of Netanyahu's opposition to Palestinian independence, but his policy offers less than earlier Israeli proposals that did not result in a peace accord.

The mayor of Haifa, a mixed Israeli-Arab port city in northern Israel, has invited Obama to see "the only city in the world where Jews and Arabs have had peaceful relations for more than 100 years," setting an example for Israelis and Palestinians.

At least 20 Facebook groups ? each called "Obama come to..." ? have sprouted up, inviting Obama to different locations. Some are cheekier than others, like a sports stadium that hosts a team known for its anti-Arab fans, or a Palestinian town in the West Bank that holds weekly protests against Israel's separation barrier.

Neither the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv nor the White House responded to questions about Obama's schedule and whether he might accept any of the invitations pouring in.

One likely venue could be the Knesset, Israel's parliament, where high-profile visitors including Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Anwar Sadat, the late Egyptian leader who reached a historic peace accord with the Jewish state, all delivered addresses. Israeli media have said officials are undecided because of the possibility of hard-line lawmakers heckling the president, but the acting speaker has asked that Netanyahu invite Obama anyway.

The visit appears to be generating less excitement in the West Bank. Palestinians believe peace efforts are doomed unless the U.S., as Israel's closest ally, pressures Israel to make concessions. The White House has said Obama is not planning any major peace initiative on this trip. The Palestinian Authority refused to comment on the trip on Monday.

Eytan Gilboa, an expert on Israel-U.S. relations at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, said Obama is unlikely to accept the invitation of the settlement mayor. A speech aimed at the Israeli public is more likely, but it probably won't happen in the open-air Rabin Square because of security concerns, he said.

"Everything has its connotations and constellations and contexts, so the choice of locations is made very cautiously," said Gilboa, noting that every place Obama visits will be watched carefully and interpreted endlessly. "The purpose of the places he visits will be to leave with an improved image."

___

Follow Tia Goldenberg on www.twitter.com/tgoldenberg

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-25-Israel-Obama%20Invites/id-d30abcdd21214228b2c277389beb31f1

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Obama to meet Republicans McCain, Graham on immigration reform

It began as a seemingly awkward Jack Nicholson introduction of the very long list on nominees, but the Best Picture denouement?at a very long Oscars ceremony on Sunday turned into a surprise appearance by Michelle Obama, via satellite from the Governors' Ball in Washington, D.C.?where earlier she had sat next to Chris Christie?to introduce and announce the winner,?Argo.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meet-republicans-mccain-graham-immigration-reform-231855905.html

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Qualcomm announces Gobi chipset with LTE Advanced and Carrier Aggregation

Qualcomm, well known for both its radio chipsets and processors, is announcing today that its latest Gobi chipsets -- the MDM9225 and MDM9625 -- are capable of LTE Advanced and Carrier Aggregation for higher data speeds. Carrier Aggregation (which isn't what you'd think) is a technology that allows the LTE radio in a device to pull down data across multiple bands of spectrum. This means that a device could simultaneously receive data over two (or more) different frequencies, combining it to give data speeds similar to what it would be over a larger chunk of a single frequency. For example, if a carrier has deployed 10MHz of spectrum in one frequency and 10MHz in another, the chip could combine those two and give users the same experience as if the carrier had deployed 20MHz of continuous spectrum in one band.

This is some nerdy radio stuff, but the end result is very important. There's a lot of spectrum out there, but it's not always allocated to each operator in the most efficient way. As networks transition between older 3G technologies and LTE, the spectrum may not be allocated in complete 20MHz blocks for use by a single network. These new Qualcomm chips let devices connect to these disjointed bands simultaneously.

These new MDM9x25 chips are manufactured using a 28nm (nanometer) process, and offer LTE Advanced with downlink speeds up to 150mbps on top of extensive 2G and 3G (including DC-HSPA+) support all in one chip. The process has already been shown off inside of a Sierra Wireless mobile hotspot, and Qualcomm says that OEM partners began sampling the chips in November of last year to make it into consumer products in late 2013.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/ihQa2SHRIYo/story01.htm

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Japan likely to nominate ADB's Kuroda as Bank of Japan head: sources

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government is likely to nominate Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda, an advocate of aggressive monetary easing, as its next central bank governor, sources told Reuters on Monday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also seen filling one of two deputy governor posts with Kikuo Iwata, an academic critical of Bank of Japan policy and an advocate of unorthodox monetary easing steps, the Nikkei newspaper reported.

The yen fell to a 33-month low and yields on five-year government bonds hit a record low as markets moved to factor in a more aggressive monetary policy, a key plank in the prime minister's economic vision, dubbed by media as Abenomics.

"Kuroda is a fan of a weaker yen and of deflation bashing," said Kit Juckes, a strategist at Societe Generale in London.

Abe won a resounding election victory in December promising to finally rid Japan of nearly 20 years of deflation. He has said wants to BOJ governor keener to experiment with radical steps to revive the economy.

Kuroda has long criticized the BOJ as too slow in expanding stimulus, so he would be expected to push the central bank into more radical efforts to achieve a 2 percent inflation target set in January.

"Kuroda's nomination won't change the course that has been dictated by Abe in recent months - that is aggressive monetary policy, but perhaps thanks to the inclusion of Iwata the market will expect more eye-catching bold easing measures," said Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan Securities in Tokyo.

The government will submit this week its nominations for the governor and two deputy governor posts. The names must be approved by both houses of parliament, which means Abe will need opposition support because he lacks a majority in the upper house. The incumbents leave March 19.

In a further sign of support for Kuroda, Japan's Jiji news agency quoted an unidentified executive member of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), saying he met its criteria for a BOJ chief so he would be hard to oppose.

If approved, the nominations will increase the chance that the BOJ will ease monetary policy again on April 3-4, the first rate review under the new leadership, say sources familiar with the central bank's thinking. The BOJ might adopt measures that go beyond its existing asset-buying program, they said.

"Monetary easing is pretty much a given. The question is what specifically the BOJ will do," said one source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Kuroda, 68, has been considered a strong candidate to replace current BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa because of his extensive experience in international policy and his calls for more aggressive monetary easing that matched the views of Abe.

As Japan's top financial diplomat from 1999 to 2003, he aggressively intervened in the exchange-rate market to weaken the yen to support the country's export-reliant economy, a sign he will be keen to keep any sharp yen rises in check.

The other deputy governor post will probably be filled by a central banker, most likely BOJ Executive Director Hiroshi Nakaso, who now oversees the central bank's international operations, the Nikkei said without citing sources.

YEN SLIDE

The yen has weakened nearly 20 percent against the dollar since November, when Abe began calling for bolder monetary easing. On Monday, it fell 1.4 percent to 94.67 per dollar and Japan's five-year government bond yield hit a record low.

The cheaper yen has helped improve profits at Japanese exporters, notably carmakers like Mazda Motor Corp, which raised its operating profit outlook for the year ending in March by 80 percent.

But it has also sparked international concern the fall could prompt competitive currency devaluations as many countries are struggling for growth and to reduce debt following the global financial crisis.

Shirakawa's last rate review will be on March 6-7. The BOJ meets twice in April, once on April 3-4 and then on April 26.

Kuroda has called for the BOJ to achieve its 2 percent inflation target in two years by pumping money into the economy through unorthodox steps, such as expanding government bond purchases and buying shares.

He has ruled out foreign bond buying as a policy option, which suggests that any new measures the BOJ might take under Kuroda will likely include buying longer-dated Japanese government bonds or more purchases of private debt.

Abe has stressed the need for the new governor to have international contacts, suggesting he prefers someone with experience in financial diplomacy, like Kuroda who, as president of the 67-member ADB rubs shoulders with policymakers around the world.

Still, if Kuroda were chosen as next BOJ governor, he would be cutting short his term as head of the ADB, which could weaken Japan's standing as the country that traditionally provides the head of an organization established in 1966.

The premier has the power to choose the government's nominee for BOJ governor, although he usually respects the views of the finance minister and the ministry's bureaucrats because they work closely with the central bank on economic policy.

The finance ministry, which wields a great deal of influence over monetary policy, lobbied for former financial bureaucrat Toshiro Muto, but was likely turned down by Abe and his aides who saw him as lacking international contacts and less willing to experiment with untried monetary easing steps.

(Additional reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Dean Yates and Neil Fullick)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japan-likely-nominate-adbs-kuroda-bank-japan-head-020805489--business.html

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Huawei Tries To Power Up Its Global Profile With The 1.5GHz Quad-Core Ascend P2

Chinese mobile maker Huawei has confirmed a new addition to its Android family: the Ascend P2. The P2 is the sequel to last year's relatively mid-range P1 but puts more power under the hood -- with a quad-core 1.5GHz chip -- and pairs that power with a more modestly sized screen (4.7 inches) than the?pair of phablets Huawei unboxed at CES.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CCXvDJRJ3sU/

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Placing blame for the adverse consequences of sequestration where it belongs ? a modest proposal (Powerlineblog)

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