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Archive for November, 2011
21
Nov
Ex-Olympus VP questioned by Japanese prosecutors: media (Reuters)
TOKYO (Reuters) ? Hisashi Mori, an ex-vice president of Japan’s disgraced Olympus, has been questioned by Japanese prosecutors on a voluntarily basis as part of an investigation of an accounting scandal at the 92-year-old firm, media said Saturday.
Japanese authorities are investigating Olympus after the maker of cameras and endoscopes admitted it hid investment losses for decades using funds from acquisition deals.
Prosecutors will also question former Olympus president Tsuyoshi Kikukawa and internal auditor Hideo Yamada, both of whom are believed to be involved in hiding the losses through improper accounting, on a voluntarily basis, the media said.
Olympus President Shuichi Takayama has blamed Kikukawa, who quit on October 26, Mori and Yamada for the cover-up, and said he would consider criminal complaints against them. Mori has been fired and Yamada has offered to resign.
The scandal at the once-proud firm has rekindled concerns about lax corporate governance in Japan.
It has also revived worries about links between companies and organized crime, as investigators are probing possible involvement by “yakuza” gangsters in the complex scheme used to hide the investment losses.
A unit from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s organized crime division has joined the investigation, a source familiar with the matter said Friday. But the source added that it was premature to say whether gangsters were involved.
Links between companies, “yakuza” gangsters and politicians have a long tradition in Japan. Authorities have been trying to crack down for decades, most recently with laws targeting not only crime syndicates but firms that do business with them.
Olympus has admitted to improperly accounting for only part of $1.3 billion in payments linked to acquisitions going back to 2006 , although an independent panel commissioned by the firm to investigate the matter is still trying to get to the bottom of the issue.
A large share of these payments went to obscure Cayman Islands firms, making it difficult to trace the money.
Olympus has said Mori told the company none of the funds involved in the cover-up scheme had gone to “anti-social forces” — a Japanese euphemism for gangsters — but the firm was waiting for the independent panel’s report, due early next month.
Olympus has lost more than 70 percent of its market value since the scandal broke last month, with major shareholders Nippon Life and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) sharply reducing their shareholdings in the company.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange has put Olympus shares on a watch list, a possible prelude to delisting.
Delisting would effectively cut Olympus off from equity capital markets, constraining its funding and making it harder for its lenders to keep supporting the firm in its battle to avoid having to sell off its core businesses. It could also damage Japan’s reputation among global investors.
Proof that organized crime was involved could force the Tokyo exchange to delist Olympus shares, and would make it hard, if not impossible, for banks to make fresh loans to the firm.
(Reporting by Junko Fujita and Linda Sieg Editing by Ed Lane)
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21
Nov
Scientists Claim Neutrinos Are Faster Than Light
Scientists at the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics are now touting a successful second experiment that may challenge Albert Einstein’s long-held theory of relativity. The results show that neutrinos could travel faster than the speed of light. Guy Raz talks to Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, about the findings.
Copyright ? 2011 National Public Radio?. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
GUY RAZ, HOST:
Albert Einstein better be watching his back. Physicists have added fuel to a fire that could destroy one of Einstein’s fundamental notions: Nothing travels faster than the speed of light.
Well, back in September, a team of scientists first claimed that a sub-atomic particle called the neutrino could travel faster than the speed of light. Needless to say, there were skeptics. Now, physicists have done it again with a fine-tuned experiment that matches the previous results.
To explain just how earth-shaking this could be, we’re joined by Brian Greene. He’s professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, and author most recently, of “The Hidden Reality.”
Brian Greene, welcome.
BRIAN GREENE: Thank you.
RAZ: Okay, so the idea of that nothing travels faster than the speed of light, that obviously is part of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, this is a foundation of physics. These new experiments have truly rocked the scientific community. Explain why.
GREENE: Well, no one anticipated that a particle could go faster than the speed of light. And, frankly, I should say at the outset, most physicists don’t believe that any particle does go faster than the speed of light.
RAZ: Still – they still don’t believe it.
GREENE: No, I mean these are very difficult experiments when you’re trying to calculate the precise speed of this little ghostly particle called the neutrino. And many of us think that it will take an independent
RAZ: Still? They still don’t believe it?
GREENE: …than a gigabyte. No. I mean, these are very difficult experiments when you’re trying to calculate the precise speed of this little ghostly particle called a neutrino. And many of us think that it will take an independent experiment, doing it a different way, getting the same answer before we believe it.
RAZ: So you’re one of those skeptics?
GREENE: Hugely so.
RAZ: All right.
GREENE: And I think, if you were to do a survey of most physicists, we’d all pretty much say the same thing. An extraordinary result like this, in the words of Carl Sagan, requires extraordinary evidence and we don’t have that extraordinary evidence yet.
RAZ: Okay. Can you explain, first of all, what neutrinos actually are?
GREENE: They’re little, tiny particles of matter that are the most standoffish, if you will, of the particles that we know of. They can pass through trillions of miles of lead without being deflected, just pass right through. So they’re ghostly particles that we require in order to make sense of data from particle accelerators around the world, to make sense of observations of astrophysical phenomenon.
So we know that the neutrinos are certainly real, but their speed is what is at question here.
RAZ: So these physicists at CERN, this lab in Switzerland – can you explain how they came to this conclusion that they have managed to send particles traveling faster than the speed of light?
GREENE: In principle, it’s quite straightforward. They take these particles and they fire them from Switzerland to another receptor at another laboratory in Gran Sasso in Italy. And what they do is they calculate how long it took the neutrinos to get there and they calculate how long the journey is and that’s all you need to figure out speed.
RAZ: So why all the skepticism if they’ve basically shown that it’s faster?
GREENE: Well, it’s very hard to precisely measure the distance between two places. These particles are passing through the earth’s crust, so it isn’t as though you can just lay out a tape measurer…
RAZ: Right.
GREENE: …from one location to the other. Moreover, you have to make sure that the clocks at the two positions where the particles begin and end, they must be synchronized to fantastic precision. You know, if someone runs a marathon and you’re going to time how long it takes them, the clock at the finish line better be in synch with the clock at the starting line. And it’s very hard to get clocks into sync.
RAZ: If this is actually true, I mean, this could change the way you all and then, of course, we all, think about time and space, right?
GREENE: Yes and no. So let me just point out that the idea that this would somehow throw Einstein out the window…
RAZ: Right.
GREENE: That’s just not true.
RAZ: Okay.
GREENE: E equals MC squared will still be with us. All of the wonderful features of relativity will still be with us. We’ll just have a more refined version of relativity to accommodate these results if they are true.
RAZ: ‘Cause you actually really want to believe this. You’re not being a skeptic just to be difficult.
GREENE: Well, we live for things which change our understanding of reality. And that’s what being a physicist is all about, so we want this to be true, but we don’t think it is. We’re waiting for the proof.
RAZ: That’s Brian Greene. He’s a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, talking about experiments with neutrinos that may or may not prove they can travel faster than the speed of light. Brian Greene, thanks.
GREENE: My pleasure.
Copyright ? 2011 National Public Radio?. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR’s prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/11/18/142518953/scientists-claim-neutrinos-are-faster-than-light?ft=1&f=1007
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20
Nov
Fifth Third Bank Gives Michigan Pure Business Connect $2.5 Billion …
Fifth Third Bank has pledged to make $5 billion in loans available in Michigan in 2012.
That includes $2.5 billion for the Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC), a collaboration between state government and Michigan businesses that encourages cooperation in commerce and new approaches to trading goods and raising capital.
The new influx of capital, more than doubles the $3 billion already available through the PMBC, according to a press release from the State of Michigan.
“The recovery of Michigan is vital to our growth,” said Fifth Third’s Senior Vice President and Marketing Director Jack Riley in Crain’s Detroit Business.
David Girodat is the president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank of Eastern Michigan, headquartered in Southfield. He said the bank will be looking “across the board” in terms of size and type of businesses receiving loans, according to Crain’s.
The rest of money will go toward consumer loans. Girodat told Crain’s report that 60 percent of those loans will be mortgages, including new home purchases and refinancing, and 40 percent will be auto, credit card and home equity lending.
“Fifth Third’s participation in Pure Michigan Business Connect represents a huge commitment to Michigan’s businesses,” Gov. Rick Snyder said in a release. “It significantly adds to the economic gardening toolkit we are developing to grow our state’s economy.”
At a Friday conference in Novi, Snyder used news of the bank’s commitment as opportunity to repeat his view that government should create an environment friendly to businesses and then stay out of their way, Crain’s reports.
?Our role is not to create jobs, nor is it to pick winners and losers,” Snyder said. “It?s about Michigan?s comeback. The solution is right here with Michiganders themselves.?
The PMBC has had nearly 700 businesses sign onto its services since the program began in June.
Huntington Bank pledged $2 billion to the program earlier this year.
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/18/fifth-third-bank-gives-mi_n_1102161.html
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19
Nov
Heinz 2nd-quarter profit falls (AP)
PITTSBURGH ? H.J. Heinz Co., the world’s largest ketchup maker, said Friday its fiscal second-quarter net income fell almost 6 percent but adjusted results narrowly beat expectations as emerging markets remained strong and higher prices offset a volume decline.
Food makers have been raising prices to offset higher ingredient costs. Prices rose 4.4 percent during the quarter in total. But Heinz said it will offer lower priced products in the U.S. and Europe where the economy remains challenged.
New offerings in the U.S. will be priced at 99 cents to $1.99 and offer products in smaller sizes. For example, it plans to sell a 10-ounce Heinz Ketchup pouch for 99 cents and a 1-pound version of Ore-Ida French fries for $1.99.
Heinz has driven its growth for some time by focusing on emerging markets like India, China and Russia while consumers in developed markets have traded down to store brands as they cut spending.
“Overall, we saw a combination of continued strength in emerging markets, the U.K. and much of Europe, and mixed results in other developed markets, where consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in 30 years,” said CEO William R. Johnson.
Australia and U.S. Foodservices, which serves restaurants, were the weakest spots during the quarter, he added.
Best sellers during the quarter included Heinz brand products, Complan nutritional beverages in India, ABC soy and chili sauces in Indonesia and T.G.I. Friday’s frozen meals in the U.S. Total volume fell 2.9 percent during the quarter.
Net income for the three months ended Oct. 26 fell to $237 million, or 73 cents per share, from $251.4 million, or 78 cents per share last year.
Excluding one-time items related to productivity initiatives, its earnings totaled 81 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected 80 cents per share.
Revenue rose 8 percent to $2.83 billion from $2.61 billion, but that fell short of analyst expectations of $2.9 billion.
Global ketchup sales were strong, helped by higher prices up 9 percent during the quarter.
The Pittsburgh-based company reiterated its fiscal 2012 earnings guidance, excluding one-time items, of $3.24 to $3.32 per share. Analysts expect $3.34 per share.
Its shares slipped 32 cents to $52.50 in premarket trading.
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19
Nov
Bradley Cooper Named People?s Sexiest Man Alive 2011 (VIDEO)
Bradley Cooper Named People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2011 (VIDEO)
Actor Bradley Cooper says his mom will be “so happy” now that he’s been crowned People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2011. The modest actor [...]
Bradley Cooper Named People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2011 (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2011/11/17/bradley-cooper-named-peoples-sexiest-man-alive-2011-video/
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18
Nov
Bleak future for Bay area tidal marshes?
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 17-Nov-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ]
Contact: Melissa Pitkin
mpitkin@prbo.org
707-781-2555 x307
PRBO Conservation Science
Restoration reduces sea-level rise impacts over next 100 years
[San Francisco, CA] A new study, led by PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO), projects a bleak future for San Francisco Bay’s tidal marshes under high-end sea-level rise scenarios that are increasingly likely. PRBO and colleagues found that in the worst case scenario 93% of San Francisco Bay’s tidal marsh could be lost in the next 50-100 years [with 5.4 feet or 1.65 meters of sea-level rise, low sediment availability and no significant restoration].
PRBO’s study indicates, however, that not all marshes will be lost and that society’s actions today, including restoration currently underway, can keep more marshes intact as sea levels rise.
This first-of-its-kind study assesses how sea-level rise, suspended sediment availability, salinity and other factors might impact San Francisco Bay’s tidal marshes. The study was published this week in the high-impact journal PLoS ONE (http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027388 ). The study, which considered multiple scenarios to project possible future outcomes, was authored by researchers from PRBO as well as ESA PWA, University of San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State University.
Tidal marshes are vital to migratory birds, commercial fisheries, other wildlife and people. Marshes act like giant sponges, protecting highways, businesses, homes and other structures by reducing flood impacts in large storm events and as sea levels rise. Tidal marshes also filter out pollutants and sequester carbon.
“Tidal marshes are incredibly resilient to changes in sea level, depending on how fast seas rise and how much sediment is available. Unfortunately, marshes cannot keep up with the high-end sea-level rise predictions on their own. They will need our help.” said Diana Stralberg, the study lead author of PRBO and the University of Alberta.
Sediment is essential to the ability of marshes to grow as sea levels rise over time. With each tide, muddy waters are carried over the marsh surface and sediment is deposited. However, many acres of former baylands have limited or no tidal connection, cutting them off from this essential sediment supply. These degraded baylands, many of which have been used for agriculture or salt production, can be restored by re-connecting them to the tidal flow. Managers can help restore and preserve existing marsh by re-purposing non-polluted sediments from dredging projects.
“This study points to the need for improved bay-wide sediment management, including re-purposing dredge sediment to kick-start restoration or to feed existing marshes in San Francisco Bay,” said co-author Matt Brennan of ESA PWA.
Public agencies such as the California Coastal Conservancy and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are already working to enhance and protect marshes into the future.
“Efforts to reuse dredged sediment from ports, marinas, and shipping channels for wetland restoration are underway, but large amounts of dredged sediment continue to be disposed of in the ocean or bay – not the best use of what we now realize is a valuable resource,” explained Amy Hutzel, SF Bay Program Manager of the CA Coastal Conservancy.
When sea levels rose during pre-modern times, tidal marshes gradually migrated into adjacent uplands. Today levees, development, roads, parking lots and other barriers prevent that movement, threatening the future of tidal marsh habitat and dependent wildlife.
“Our results indicate that we must start thinking now about where tidal marshes could move up tothe future potential wetlands. If we can’t slow down sea-level rise, we will need to identify and protect areas where marshes can migrate to,” Ms. Stralberg said.
The research team posted interactive maps with various scenarios of sea level rise impacts on tidal marsh online at www.prbo.org/sfbayslr. They are also sharing the findings with natural resource managers, local governments and policy makers to guide decision making and on-the-ground action.
“It’s only under the high sea-level rise and low sediment scenarios that marsh losses are catastrophic. Hopefully people will wake up to the issues before sea-level rise starts to get really bad,” said John Callaway, one of the study’s authors from the University of San Francisco.
Scientists currently expect rates of sea-level rise to accelerate in the second half of this century. Therefore, the time to act is now.
“The real hope for San Francisco Bay’s tidal marshes, for the birds and fish that depend upon them, and for the many benefits tidal marshes provide to our communities, is working together now to restore existing priority marshes and create new ones where feasible. We also must find win-win approaches to redirecting development, away from areas where tidal marshes could be restored and away from where marshes could move to over time,” explained Ellie Cohen, PRBO’s President and CEO.
The PRBO collaborative study uses 5.4 feet of sea level rise as the high end scenarios based on current scientific literature.
“Some scientists are now considering as much as 16.4 feet (5 m) of sea level rise over the next 100 years due to accelerating rates of greenhouse gas pollution and new research about how ice sheet loss has occurred in the past. Sea level rise could increase much faster this century. From a development and societal perspective, making wise choices today will reduce future costs. Now is the time to incorporate nature-based solutions to these threats to society- for wildlife and for our communities,” said Ms. Cohen.
Maintaining healthy tidal marshes over the next century will require protecting the remaining undeveloped adjacent lands throughout the Bay region, especially in sediment-rich areas around Petaluma River, Napa River and South San Francisco Bay.
“Our work doesn’t end with this publication- it’s just beginning. Now we need to use our results and work with land managers and policy-makers so they can make the best decisions,” said co-author and PRBO biologist Julian Wood.
###
To view maps of where the marshes will be under various scenarios over the next 100 years, visit www.prbo.org/sfbayslr.
For more information contact:
Julian Wood, PRBO Conservation Science: 707-781-2555 ext 313, jwood@prbo.org
Diana Stralberg, PRBO and University of Alberta, stralber@ualberta.ca
John Callaway, University of San Francisco, callaway@usfca.edu
Matt Brennan, ESA PWA Environmental Hydrology, MBrennan@esassoc.com
Steve Crooks, ESA PWA Environmental Hydrology, SCrooks@esassoc.com
Lisa Schile, University of California, Berkeley, lschile@berkeley.edu
Maggi Kelly, University of California, Berkeley, maggi@berkeley.edu
Tom Parker, San Francisco State University, parker@sfsu.edu
About PRBO Conservation Science (www.prbo.org):
PRBO Conservation Science studies birds and ecosystems to improve conservation outcomes in the face of accelerating habitat loss, climate change and changes in the ocean. Founded in 1965 as Point Reyes Bird Observatory, our 140 scientists work hand-in-hand with governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as private interests to ensure that every dollar invested in conservation yields the most for biodiversity and our communities.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 17-Nov-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ]
Contact: Melissa Pitkin
mpitkin@prbo.org
707-781-2555 x307
PRBO Conservation Science
Restoration reduces sea-level rise impacts over next 100 years
[San Francisco, CA] A new study, led by PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO), projects a bleak future for San Francisco Bay’s tidal marshes under high-end sea-level rise scenarios that are increasingly likely. PRBO and colleagues found that in the worst case scenario 93% of San Francisco Bay’s tidal marsh could be lost in the next 50-100 years [with 5.4 feet or 1.65 meters of sea-level rise, low sediment availability and no significant restoration].
PRBO’s study indicates, however, that not all marshes will be lost and that society’s actions today, including restoration currently underway, can keep more marshes intact as sea levels rise.
This first-of-its-kind study assesses how sea-level rise, suspended sediment availability, salinity and other factors might impact San Francisco Bay’s tidal marshes. The study was published this week in the high-impact journal PLoS ONE (http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027388 ). The study, which considered multiple scenarios to project possible future outcomes, was authored by researchers from PRBO as well as ESA PWA, University of San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State University.
Tidal marshes are vital to migratory birds, commercial fisheries, other wildlife and people. Marshes act like giant sponges, protecting highways, businesses, homes and other structures by reducing flood impacts in large storm events and as sea levels rise. Tidal marshes also filter out pollutants and sequester carbon.
“Tidal marshes are incredibly resilient to changes in sea level, depending on how fast seas rise and how much sediment is available. Unfortunately, marshes cannot keep up with the high-end sea-level rise predictions on their own. They will need our help.” said Diana Stralberg, the study lead author of PRBO and the University of Alberta.
Sediment is essential to the ability of marshes to grow as sea levels rise over time. With each tide, muddy waters are carried over the marsh surface and sediment is deposited. However, many acres of former baylands have limited or no tidal connection, cutting them off from this essential sediment supply. These degraded baylands, many of which have been used for agriculture or salt production, can be restored by re-connecting them to the tidal flow. Managers can help restore and preserve existing marsh by re-purposing non-polluted sediments from dredging projects.
“This study points to the need for improved bay-wide sediment management, including re-purposing dredge sediment to kick-start restoration or to feed existing marshes in San Francisco Bay,” said co-author Matt Brennan of ESA PWA.
Public agencies such as the California Coastal Conservancy and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are already working to enhance and protect marshes into the future.
“Efforts to reuse dredged sediment from ports, marinas, and shipping channels for wetland restoration are underway, but large amounts of dredged sediment continue to be disposed of in the ocean or bay – not the best use of what we now realize is a valuable resource,” explained Amy Hutzel, SF Bay Program Manager of the CA Coastal Conservancy.
When sea levels rose during pre-modern times, tidal marshes gradually migrated into adjacent uplands. Today levees, development, roads, parking lots and other barriers prevent that movement, threatening the future of tidal marsh habitat and dependent wildlife.
“Our results indicate that we must start thinking now about where tidal marshes could move up tothe future potential wetlands. If we can’t slow down sea-level rise, we will need to identify and protect areas where marshes can migrate to,” Ms. Stralberg said.
The research team posted interactive maps with various scenarios of sea level rise impacts on tidal marsh online at www.prbo.org/sfbayslr. They are also sharing the findings with natural resource managers, local governments and policy makers to guide decision making and on-the-ground action.
“It’s only under the high sea-level rise and low sediment scenarios that marsh losses are catastrophic. Hopefully people will wake up to the issues before sea-level rise starts to get really bad,” said John Callaway, one of the study’s authors from the University of San Francisco.
Scientists currently expect rates of sea-level rise to accelerate in the second half of this century. Therefore, the time to act is now.
“The real hope for San Francisco Bay’s tidal marshes, for the birds and fish that depend upon them, and for the many benefits tidal marshes provide to our communities, is working together now to restore existing priority marshes and create new ones where feasible. We also must find win-win approaches to redirecting development, away from areas where tidal marshes could be restored and away from where marshes could move to over time,” explained Ellie Cohen, PRBO’s President and CEO.
The PRBO collaborative study uses 5.4 feet of sea level rise as the high end scenarios based on current scientific literature.
“Some scientists are now considering as much as 16.4 feet (5 m) of sea level rise over the next 100 years due to accelerating rates of greenhouse gas pollution and new research about how ice sheet loss has occurred in the past. Sea level rise could increase much faster this century. From a development and societal perspective, making wise choices today will reduce future costs. Now is the time to incorporate nature-based solutions to these threats to society- for wildlife and for our communities,” said Ms. Cohen.
Maintaining healthy tidal marshes over the next century will require protecting the remaining undeveloped adjacent lands throughout the Bay region, especially in sediment-rich areas around Petaluma River, Napa River and South San Francisco Bay.
“Our work doesn’t end with this publication- it’s just beginning. Now we need to use our results and work with land managers and policy-makers so they can make the best decisions,” said co-author and PRBO biologist Julian Wood.
###
To view maps of where the marshes will be under various scenarios over the next 100 years, visit www.prbo.org/sfbayslr.
For more information contact:
Julian Wood, PRBO Conservation Science: 707-781-2555 ext 313, jwood@prbo.org
Diana Stralberg, PRBO and University of Alberta, stralber@ualberta.ca
John Callaway, University of San Francisco, callaway@usfca.edu
Matt Brennan, ESA PWA Environmental Hydrology, MBrennan@esassoc.com
Steve Crooks, ESA PWA Environmental Hydrology, SCrooks@esassoc.com
Lisa Schile, University of California, Berkeley, lschile@berkeley.edu
Maggi Kelly, University of California, Berkeley, maggi@berkeley.edu
Tom Parker, San Francisco State University, parker@sfsu.edu
About PRBO Conservation Science (www.prbo.org):
PRBO Conservation Science studies birds and ecosystems to improve conservation outcomes in the face of accelerating habitat loss, climate change and changes in the ocean. Founded in 1965 as Point Reyes Bird Observatory, our 140 scientists work hand-in-hand with governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as private interests to ensure that every dollar invested in conservation yields the most for biodiversity and our communities.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/pcs-bff111711.php
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17
Nov
How Russia’s Martian moon probe got stuck orbiting Earth
Launched Tuesday, Russia’s Phobos-Grunt spacecraft was meant to explore the Martian moon Phobos. But, in what could mark the fourth Mars probe failure in a row, Phobos-Grunt now threatens to become another piece of space junk uselessly orbiting Earth.?
A robotic Russian spacecraft that launched on a mission to the Mars moon Phobos Tuesday (Nov. 
is apparently stuck in Earth orbit, but hope for the probe is not lost yet, according to news reports.
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The?Phobos-Grunt spacecraft launched?at 3:16 p.m. EST (2016 GMT) Tuesday and was supposed to be on its way to Phobos by now. The probe separated from its Zenit rocket properly, but its own thrusters then failed to fire in order to send the spacecraft streaking toward Mars, Russian officials said.
“It has been a tough night for us because we could not detect the spacecraft [after the separation],” Russian space agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said, Russian news agency?RIA Novosti reported. “Now we know its coordinates and we found out that the [probe's] engine failed to start.”
Popovkin added that engineers aren’t yet sure why Phobos-Grunt’s engine didn’t ignite, according to RIA Novosti. It’s possible the onboard computers didn’t send the proper command, he said.
Whatever the cause, the malfunction dealt a serious blow to the?$163 million Phobos-Grunt mission, which aims to grab bits of Phobos’ surface and send them back to Earth by 2014. But there may still be hope for the spacecraft, Russia’s first attempt at an interplanetary mission since 1996.
“We will attempt to reboot the program,” RIA Novosti reported Popovkin as saying. “The spacecraft is currently on a support orbit, the fuel tanks have not been jettisoned, and the fuel has not been spent.”
Engineers have about three days to figure out and fix the problem, Popovkin added. After that time, Phobos-Grunt’s batteries will run out, and the spacecraft will likely turn into just another piece of space debris. [Photos: Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mission to Mars Moon]
Phobos-Grunt is also carrying China’s first Mars probe, a small spacecraft called Yinghuo 1, that is supposed to separate from Phobos-Grunt and enter orbit around Mars.
If Phobos-Grunt cannot be salvaged, it would mark the fourth straight Mars failure for Russia.
The nation’s Phobos 1 and Phobos 2 spacecraft, which launched in July 1988, suffered critical failures before their missions were complete. And the Mars 96 probe crashed into the Pacific Ocean shortly after liftoff in November 1996.
Russia is not alone in suffering setbacks with Mars missions. Historically, about half of all missions aimed at the Red Planet have failed, according to NASA records.
NASA also currently plans to launch a new U.S. mission to Mars this month. The $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission will send a car-size rover called Curiosity to explore the huge Gale crater on Mars.
Several spacecraft are actively studying Mars today. They include orbiting spacecraft operated by NASA and the European Space Agency, as well as NASA’s Opportunity rover on the planet’s surface.
You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter:?@michaeldwall. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcom?and on?Facebook.
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17
Nov
October consumer prices fall, giving Fed more room (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Consumer prices fell in October for the first time in four months, taking pressure off strapped households and giving the Federal Reserve more room to ease monetary policy if the economy falters.
For now, economic growth is gaining traction and a separate report on Wednesday showed industrial output rebounded strongly last month as factories ramped up production.
“The consistent theme in the recent flow of economic data has been one of accelerating momentum in economic activity,” said Millan Mulraine, a senior macro strategist at TD Securities in New York.
“Nevertheless, the concern for the recovery continues to be about what happens in Europe, as any escalation in the unfolding debt crisis could present a significant obstacle for the economic recovery.”
The Labor Department said consumer prices dropped 0.1 percent last month as Americans paid less for new cars and gasoline.
The data reinforces the view that inflation is poised to trend lower following a spike in oil prices earlier in the year. That is seen giving the Fed more room to act if the economy slows.
“The Fed remains intently focused on employment and growth — and not on inflation,” said Jacob Oubina, an economist at RBC Capital Markets in New York.
The drop in prices during October gave a boost to workers whose wages failed to keep up with inflation over the summer, which had led households to save less.
A separate report by the Labor Department showed weekly earnings rose 0.3 percent in October when accounting for inflation.
Stronger incomes could help consumer spending as the year closes, giving the economy a little more momentum as the country braces for a possible recession in Europe that would drag on growth.
Major U.S. stock indexes were lower on worries about Europe’s debt problems, while Treasuries prices rose. The dollar was higher against the euro.
HEADWINDS
A storm is gathering over the global economy as Europe struggles to contain a snowballing sovereign debt crisis. The U.S. economy has been gaining steam since the summer, but a blowup of Europe’s problems could drag the U.S. back into recession.
A separate report from the Fed showed industrial production rose 0.7 percent last month, beating economists’ expectations.
Home builders in the United States grew more optimistic this month but still thought sales conditions were poor, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market index released on Wednesday.
“The data is relatively upbeat in the U.S., which contrasts with the situation in Europe,” said Omer Esiner, a strategist at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.
President Barack Obama urged European leaders to act boldly to stem the crisis as bond market contagion spread throughout the region, while France and Germany clashed over the role of the euro zone’s central bank.
The Fed report also showed factory output accelerated in October, rising 0.5 percent on an increase in production of motor vehicles and parts. Even with U.S. factories operating closer to full capacity than at any time since July 2008, there was little sign of inflationary pressures in the factory data.
Also looming over the economic outlook, U.S. lawmakers are debating whether to let tax cuts and some unemployment benefits expire at the end of year, which would drag on growth.
Inflation is expected to fall sharply over the next year.
In the 12 months through October, consumer prices rose 3.5 percent after rising 3.9 percent in the full year through September.
Investors and economists expect that reading will fall to 1.3 percent by November of 2012, the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank said in a report.
For now though, a measure of prices closely watched by the Federal Reserve remains uncomfortably high.
Prices outside food and energy climbed 0.1 percent in October, pushing the so called core reading for 12-month inflation up to 2.1 percent. The Fed would like that reading to trend at 2 percent or just below.
Still, the headwinds to U.S. growth appear strong enough that the Fed could be forced to act before long.
“At this point it would probably take only a few missteps out of elected Washington or the capitals of Europe before Fed leadership sees the need for more aggressive action,” said Michael Feroli, an economist at J.P. Morgan.
(Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikani in Washington and Emily Flitter in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Neil Stempleman)
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