MOSCOW ? Russia threatened on Wednesday to deploy missiles to target the U.S. missile shield in Europe if Washington fails to assuage Moscow's concerns about its plans, a harsh warning that reflected deep cracks in U.S.-Russian ties despite President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset" relations with the Kremlin.
President Dmitry Medvedev said he still hopes for a deal with the U.S. on missile defense, but he strongly accused Washington and its NATO allies of ignoring Russia's worries. He said Russia will have to take military countermeasures if the U.S. continues to build the shield without legal guarantees that it will not be aimed against Russia.
The U.S. has repeatedly assured Russia that its proposed missile defense system wouldn't be directed against Russia's nuclear forces, and it did that again Wednesday.
"I do think it's worth reiterating that the European missile defense system that we've been working very hard on with our allies and with Russia over the last few years is not aimed at Russia," said Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. "It is ... designed to help deter and defeat the ballistic missile threat to Europe and to our allies from Iran."
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the United States will continue to seek Moscow's cooperation, but it must realize "that the missile defense systems planned for deployment in Europe do not and cannot threaten Russia's strategic deterrent."
But Medvedev said Moscow will not be satisfied by simple declarations and wants a binding agreement. He said, "When we propose to put in on paper in the form of precise and clear legal obligations, we hear a strong refusal."
Medvedev warned that Russia will station missiles in its westernmost Kaliningrad region and other areas, if the U.S. continues its plans without offering firm and specific pledges that the shield isn't directed at its nuclear forces. He didn't say whether the missiles would carry conventional or nuclear warheads.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was "very disappointed" with Russia's threat to deploy missiles near alliance nations, adding that "would be reminiscent of the past and ... inconsistent with the strategic relations NATO and Russia have agreed they seek."
"Cooperation, not confrontation, is the way ahead," Rasmussen said in a statement.
The U.S. missile defense dispute has long tarnished ties between Moscow and Washington. The Obama administration has repeatedly said the shield is needed to fend off a potential threat from Iran, but Russia fears that it could erode the deterrent potential of its nuclear forces.
"If our partners tackle the issue of taking our legitimate security interests into account in an honest and responsible way, I'm sure we will be able to come to an agreement," Medvedev said. "But if they propose that we `cooperate,' or, to say it honestly, work against our own interests, we won't be able to reach common ground."
Moscow has agreed to consider a proposal NATO made last fall to cooperate on the missile shield, but the talks have been deadlocked over how the system should be operated. Russia has insisted that it should be run jointly, which NATO has rejected.
Medvedev also warned that Moscow may opt out of the New START arms control deal with the United States and halt other arms control talks, if the U.S. proceeds with the missile shield without meeting Russia's demand. The Americans had hoped that the START treaty would stimulate progress in further ambitious arms control efforts, but such talks have stalled because of tension over the missile plan.
While the New START doesn't prevent the U.S. from building new missile defense systems, Russia has said it could withdraw from the treaty if it feels threatened by such a system in future.
Medvedev reaffirmed that warning Wednesday, saying that Russia may opt out of the treaty because of an "inalienable link between strategic offensive and defensive weapons."
The New START has been a key achievement of Obama's policy of improving relations with Moscow, which had suffered badly under the George W. Bush administration.
"It's impossible to do a reset using old software, it's necessary to develop a new one," Medvedev's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said at a news conference.
The U.S. plan calls for placing land- and sea-based radars and interceptors in European locations, including Romania and Poland, over the next decade and upgrading them over time.
Medvedev said that Russia will carefully watch the development of the U.S. shield and take countermeasures if Washington continues to ignore Russia's concerns. He warned that Moscow would deploy short-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, a Baltic Sea region bordering Poland, and place weapons in other areas in Russia's west and south to target U.S. missile defense sites. Medvedev said Russia would put a new early warning radar in Kaliningrad.
He said that as part of its response Russia would also equip its intercontinental nuclear missiles with systems that would allow them to penetrate prospective missile defenses and would develop ways to knock down the missile shield's control and information facilities.
Igor Korotchenko, a Moscow-based military expert, was quoted by the state RIA Novosti news agency as saying that the latter would mean targeting missile defense radars and command structures with missiles and bombers. "That will make the entire system useless," he said.
Medvedev and other Russian leaders have made similar threats in the past, and the latest statement appears to be aimed at the domestic audience ahead of Dec. 4 parliamentary elections.
Medvedev, who is set to step down to allow Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to reclaim the presidency in March's election, leads the ruling United Russia party list in the parliamentary vote. A stern warning to the U.S. and NATO issued by Medvedev seems to be directed at rallying nationalist votes in the polls.
Rogozin, Russia's NATO envoy, said the Kremlin won't follow the example of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and take unwritten promises from the West.
"The current political leadership can't act like Gorbachev, and it wants written obligations secured by ratification documents," Rogozin said.
Medvedev's statement was intended to encourage the U.S. and NATO to take Russia seriously at the missile defense talks, Rogozin said. He added that the Russian negotiators were annoyed by the U.S. "openly lying" about its missile defense plans.
"We won't allow them to treat us like fools," he said. "Nuclear deterrent forces aren't a joke."
____
Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow, Pauline Jelinek and Julie Pace in Washington and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels contributed to this report.
Audrina Patridge arrives at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Audrina Patridge arrives at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Lance Bass arrives at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Mario arrives at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Phoebe Price arrives at the 39th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? It's raining music artists ? and just raining ? outside the American Music Awards.
Taio Cruz, Joe Jonas, Jenny McCarthy and Smokey Robinson were among the celebrities who braved the tented red carpet outside the Nokia Theatre in unusually dreary Los Angeles for the 39th annual performance-packed show.
Alanis Morissette didn't let the drippy weather stop her from wearing a dreamy black chiffon dress and fishtail braid.
"It was planned way before," confessed the singer, who will introduce Mary J. Blige and her tribute to the late rapper Heavy D.
Adele is the leading nominee at this year's AMAs, but the British singer won't be attending Sunday's ceremony because she is recovering from recent throat surgery.
The 23-year-old singer is up for four awards: Female artist, adult contemporary artist, artist of the year and favorite album for "21," the country's best-selling album this year.
Other top nominees include Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and The Band Perry, who have three bids apiece. Fans chose the winners by voting online.
Nicki Minaj and David Guetta are set to open the show, which will air live on ABC.
While some of the best-selling cars in the U.S. also top the most frequently stolen list each year because of their sheer numbers, another look at the statistics reveals which cars by percentage sold are the most likely to by targeted by thieves.
According to data recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car most frequently stolen, based on the number of thefts per 1,000 vehicles sold during 2009, was the $92,000 Audi S8 sport/luxury sedan, with 8.81 thefts per 1,000 vehicles produced. That comes out to just two out of the 227 S8s that were sold in the U.S., so it?s hardly a widespread epidemic.
Still, NHTSA?s statistics prove the point that the flashiest cars on the road can also be the most popular ? for the wrong reasons.
Forbes.com slideshow: Cars with the highest theft rates
The Ford Shelby Mustang GT had the next highest theft rate for 2009, with 8.61 vehicles per 1,000 stolen. Also in the top five were the sportiest variant of BMW?s midsize sedan, the M5 (7.58/1,000), retro-flavored Dodge Charger full-size sedan (6.47/1,000) and the no longer produced Honda S2000 roadster (5.60/1,000).
The remainder of the top 10 list of cars with the highest theft rates for 2009 included the midsize Mitsubishi Galant sedan (5.11/1,000), the full-size Chrysler 300 sedan (4.57/1,000), the Infiniti M luxury sedan (4.32/1,000) the Cadillac STS luxury sedan (4.28/1,000) and the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class luxury sport coupe (3.91/1,000).
By brand, the most frequently stolen cars per 1,000 sold, were Chrysler products, with the Chrysler Sebring, Sebring Convertible and PT Cruiser, and the Dodge Avenger and Dodge Caliber making the top 20 in addition to the aforementioned 300 and Charger.
Forbes.com: Best-selling cars of 2011
General Motors came in second, with four vehicles among top 20, with the Pontiac G5 and G6 and Chevrolet Impala joining the STS.
While the Toyota Camry was the most purloined model overall in terms of sheer numbers, at 781 stolen in 2009, it ranked 50th as a percentage of sales at just 1.74 per 1,000 cars. The least-stolen model per capita in 2009 was the since-discontinued Mercury Mariner SUV, with a theft rate of 0.08 per 1,000 units, or a mere two vehicles out of 25,682 sold that year.
Fortunately, NHTSA reports that the number of auto thefts reported each year is on the decline. ?The agency believes that the theft rate reduction could be the result of several factors including the increased use of standard antitheft devices, vehicle parts marking, increased and improved prosecution efforts by law enforcement organizations and increased public awareness,? according to a NHTSA statement.
Forbes.com: Best used cars for the money
So what can you do to ensure that thieves won?t target your vehicular pride and joy? Start by correcting bad habits, such as leaving the keys in the ignition when the vehicle is unattended. Keep the windows and sunroof closed, and don?t hide a spare key where an astute crook might find it.
If you have a garage, park inside it, not merely out on the driveway, and make sure both entry doors are closed and locked at all times. If you park on the street, choose a spot close to other vehicles, turn your wheels toward the curb and engage the emergency brake to make it more difficult to be towed. Away from home, park in a well-lit or well-traveled area after dark, and avoid using long-term parking lots?take a taxi to the airport instead.
Experts also advise having your car or truck?s vehicle identification number (often called a ?VIN,? it?s found on the driver?s side of the dashboard at the bottom of the windshield, as well as on the model?s title) etched on the windshield and major components to make them more difficult for chop shops to sell as replacement parts.
Forbes.com: Best cars for the buck
Beyond the common-sense basics, use an antitheft device, which will often also warrant a discount on your car insurance. A steering-wheel lock like the popular ?Club? is simple, inexpensive and can be as effective as costlier alarm systems. A thief wants to get a vehicle as quickly as possible, and anything that might slow him or her down can be enough of a deterrent to instead choose another model on the block. Having a simple ignition ?kill switch? installed in a hidden location makes it more difficult for a crook to start a car or truck and drive it away.
Advanced vehicle recovery devices like LoJack and General Motors? OnStar system use technology similar to that employed in satellite navigation systems to help police departments locate cars and trucks if they are stolen. They can be pricey and require a monthly subscription, but if you own an expensive high-profile car, the cost is usually warranted.
Forbes.com: Most-stolen cars in the country??
Forbes.com: 2011?s most beautiful cars
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Abraxas
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Could I please reserve the red girl please?
i will make my character soon.
Eleera Cain
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Could I reserve the blue?
I'll make my character as soon as I'm able, if you say yes.
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I'd like to reserve second oldest Prince
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I would like to reserve yellow girl please ^.^
speckles32shido
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I am going to reserve the Pink girl again since I already created her profile from the other rpg. Let's try to get this rpg off the ground this time.
I am not weird, I am gifted.
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FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2011, file photo, Penn State assistant football coach Mike McQueary looks on during an NCAA college football game against Iowa in State College, Pa. Neither campus nor city police received reports from McQueary who testified to a grand jury that he saw a former defensive coordinator raping a boy in the team showers in 2002, the departments said Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2011, file photo, Penn State assistant football coach Mike McQueary looks on during an NCAA college football game against Iowa in State College, Pa. Neither campus nor city police received reports from McQueary who testified to a grand jury that he saw a former defensive coordinator raping a boy in the team showers in 2002, the departments said Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar, File)
In this undated photo released by Penn State University, Dr. David M. Joyner is shown. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, Penn State named Joyner, an orthopedic surgeon who got his bachelor's degree and medical degree from the university, as acting athletic director. (AP Photo/Penn State University)
FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2011 file photo, former Penn State football defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky sits in a car as he leaves the office of Centre County Magisterial District Judge Leslie A. Dutchcot in State College, Pa. Sandusky, who is charged with sexually abusing eight boys in a scandal that has rocked the university, said in an telephone interview with Bob Costas Monday night on NBC News' "Rock Center" that there was no abuse and that any activities in a campus shower with a boy were just horseplay, not molestation. (AP Photo/The Patriot-News, Andy Colwell, File)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Penn State police and their counterparts in State College said they had no record of a former graduate assistant reporting a sexual assault by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on a 10-year-old boy in a campus shower, a detail that runs counter to claims made in an email to former teammates.
The police response to Mike McQueary's claim that he reported the alleged assault came shortly after a lawyer said Wednesday that he had a client who would testify that he was sexually abused by Sandusky, who is accused of abusing eight boys, some on campus, over 15 years.
"I am appalled by the fact that Mr. Sandusky has elected to re-victimize these young men at a time when they should be healing," Harrisburg attorney Ben Andreozzi said in a statement released by his office. "He fully intends to testify that he was severely sexually assaulted by Mr. Sandusky."
The client is not the same boy McQueary told a grand jury he saw being sexually assaulted by Sandusky in a shower on university property in 2002.
McQueary, who is now an assistant coach but has been placed on administrative leave, wrote in the email given to The Associated Press that he had "discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police" about what he saw. In the email, McQueary did not specify whether he spoke to campus or State College police.
State College borough police Chief Tom King said McQueary didn't make a report to his department. Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz said campus police also didn't have any record of a report filed in 2002 by McQueary.
Mountz noted that the 23-page grand jury report was the state attorney general's summary of testimony, so it's unclear what McQueary's full testimony was. McQueary and a law firm representing him did not return phone calls Wednesday.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are starting to plan for a special commission that will examine the legal issues raised by the child sex-abuse scandal, which has raised questions both ethical and criminal about why allegations of abuse went unreported for so long.
The scandal has resulted in the ousting of school President Graham Spanier and longtime coach Joe Paterno, and has brought shame to one of college football's legendary programs. Athletic Director Tim Curley has been placed on administrative leave, and Vice President Gary Schultz, who was in charge of the university's police department, has stepped down.
Schultz and Curley are charged with lying to the grand jury and failure to report to police, and Sandusky is charged with child sex abuse. All maintain their innocence.
The commission being set up by Pennsylvania lawmakers will consider changes to state law in the wake of the scandal. The plan was described as being in the planning stage, including meetings of leaders and their aides.
Topics are likely to include mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, and the legal definition of child abuse, said Senate Democratic spokeswoman Lisa Scullin.
Sandusky's lawyer, Joe Amendola, appeared with him on NBC's "Rock Center" on Monday night and cast doubt on the evidence in the case.
"We anticipate we're going to have at least several of those kids come forward and say, 'This never happened. This is me. This is the allegation. It never occurred,'" Amendola said.
Sandusky, 67, appeared on the show by phone and said he had showered with boys but never molested them.
It remains unclear how many accusers have surfaced more than a week after state police and the attorney general's office said at a news conference they were seeking additional potential victims and witnesses.
Andreozzi said he has his "finger on the pulse" of the case and knows of no accusers changing their stories or refusing to testify.
"To the contrary, others are actually coming forward, and I will have more information for you later this week," Andreozzi said.
State police spokeswoman Maria Finn said investigators have told her that published accounts reporting how many people have come forward are inaccurate and they are not disclosing their internal figures.
Some plaintiffs' lawyers are starting to advertise on their websites for potential Sandusky victims, vowing to get justice. Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul, Minn., attorney, has long represented clergy abuse victims and told The Associated Press that he has been retained by several people he described as Sandusky victims.
"There's a great deal of fury and confusion," particularly because Sandusky is free on bail, Anderson said. "Getting (them) help and cooperating with law enforcement is our first priority."
The "time for reckoning," in the form of civil lawsuits, will come later, Anderson said.
Anderson declined to say whether his clients are among the eight boys who were labeled as victims in the grand jury report.
A new judge has been assigned to handle the charges against Sandusky. The change removed a State College judge with ties to a charity founded by Sandusky for at-risk children, The Second Mile.
Sandusky is due in court on Dec. 7, and a Westmoreland County senior district judge will preside over his preliminary hearing. Robert E. Scott is taking over the hearing from Centre County District Judge Leslie Dutchcot.
Dutchcot has donated money to The Second Mile, where authorities say Sandusky met his victims. The office said Scott has no known ties to Penn State or The Second Mile.
In State College, Penn State announced that David M. Joyner, a physician and member of its board of trustees who played football and wrestled for the school, will serve as acting athletic director, replacing Curley on an interim basis.
New details have also emerged about how the case ended up in the hands of the state attorney general's office. Former Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said that his wife's brother was Sandusky's adopted son.
"I reviewed it, and I made the decision it needed to be investigated further," Madeira said. "But the apparent conflict of interest created an impediment for me to make those kinds of decisions."
___
Scolforo reported from Harrisburg and Dale from Philadelphia. Associated Press writer Kathy Matheson reported from Philadelphia.
TOKYO (Reuters) ? Asian shares and the euro fell on Wednesday as signs that rising borrowing costs were affecting AAA-rated France stirred fears that even core euro zone members may not escape contagion from the region's debt crisis.
The political outlook remained unclear in struggling Italy and Greece as they attempt to push through severe austerity measures needed to get bail-out funds and win market confidence. Prime Minister designate Mario Monti was expected to unveil Italy's new government on Wednesday.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 2.1 percent, while Japan's Nikkei stock average (.N225) slipped 0.9 percent on Wednesday. (.T)
The euro hit a five-week low against both the dollar and the yen, as euro zone jitters spurred risk aversion, and stood down 0.7 percent at $1.3437. Gold fell 1 percent to $1,763.39 an ounce as some sought to cover losses in riskier assets.
"Markets are clearly expecting a circuit breaker to alleviate pressure on periphery bond yields," said David Scutt, a trader at Arab Bank Australia in Sydney. "If no announcement is forthcoming in the days ahead, one suspects that situation could unravel fairly quickly."
European stocks were set to fall, with spreadbetters seeing London's FTSE 100 (.FTSE) opening down 0.6 percent, Frankfurt's DAX (.GDAXI) down 0.9 percent, and Paris' CAC-40 (.FCHI) 0.6 percent lower. (.EU) (.L)
Italian 10-year bond yields on Tuesday climbed back above 7 percent, a level of funding costs seen as unsustainable for the debt-ridden country, while Spanish 10-year bond yields rose to 6.3 percent.
The trend spread to France, where the premium over comparable German Bunds hit euro-era highs above 190 basis points. French banks are among the most exposed to Italy's 1.8 trillion euro ($2.4 trillion) public debt, holding $416 billion as of end-June, Bank for International Settlements data showed. Italian debts' premium over Bunds rose above 500 basis points.
Italy's five-year credit default swaps (CDS) -- a form of insurance against default -- scaled a new high of 600 basis points, with Italian banks and corporates the worst performers in the Markit iTraxx Europe CDS index on Tuesday.
Bearish sentiment spilled over to Asian credit markets, with risk aversion pushing the spreads on the iTraxx Asia ex-Japan investment grade index wider by 6 basis points.
ECB ROLE EYED
The uncertainty over fiscal reforms in highly indebted euro zone countries has sparked heavy selling of bonds issued by these countries, prompting financial institutions to slash their bond holdings for fear of posting huge losses as prices plunged.
Pressures for banks to beef up their capital base have only exacerbated the situation as banks' accelerated deleveraging has further eroded their appetite for government debt.
Borrowing difficulties have fueled concerns about fund raising in general, increasing strains in money markets.
Euro/dollar three-month cross currency basis swaps widened to -128.0 basis points at one point on Tuesday, the most since late 2008.
"This indicates funding issues, the market getting very nervous," said a trader for a European bank in Singapore.
With an absence of government debt buyers threatening to squeeze liquidity, "the ECB has no choice but to provide whatever liquidity the system needs and remain a very active part of the European financial market", said Adrian Foster, head of financial markets research for Asia-Pacific at Rabobank International in Hong Kong.
Many analysts say the ECB could stem this negative spiral by buying large amounts of bonds, under similar quantitative easing measures implemented by the U.S. and British central banks.
But Germany is resolutely opposed to such moves and the ECB has repeatedly rebuffed calls to become the lender of the last resort, saying it is up to individual governments to put their fiscal houses in order.
As policymakers stand at odds in determining details of the roadmap to resolve the debt crisis, EU governments have until a summit on December 9 to offer a bolder and more convincing strategy, including visible financial backing.
The sovereign debt problems have slashed euro zone growth to a mere 0.2 percent in the third quarter, raising the risk of a recession.
The United States, however, where economists expect gross domestic product growth of 1.8 percent this year, has seen recent data suggesting its economy was likely to stay clear of a recession, with October retail sales beating forecasts.
"In the current environment, a 1-1/2 to 2 percent growth would be seen as a positive support for the market," Rabobank's Foster said. ($1 = 0.739 Euros)
(Additional reporting by Ian Chua in Sydney and Masayuki Kitano in Singapore; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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Single molecule ties itself into famous knot
The tiniest pentafoil knot ever tied could lead to materials with exotic properties
Three elements approved as newest still await names
Darmstadtium, roentgenium and copernicium are now officially named, but official bodies are yet to suggest names for two more additions to the periodic table
Ready for your Mars close up? The probes that took us
A photo gallery of the technological pioneers that gave us a glimpse of our neighbouring planets. Images from Philippe S?gu?la's Space Probes
So you want to design your baby?
Bart Fauser and Paul Devroey provide an authoritative tour of the intricacies, pitfalls and ethical labyrinths of assisted conception in Baby-Making
Cat's eye irises don't need brain to adapt to the dark
The muscles controlling the slit-like pupil of a cat's eye do not need nerve signals to move - a light-sensitive pigment in the iris can do the job instead
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The ultimate timekeeper - the atomic clock - has a rival, thanks to a new method for making clocks based on manipulating the atomic nucleus
Spiny ferrofluid performs magnetic ballet
Watch this magnetised liquid dance powered by force fields controlled by a computer programme
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The world could be on the brink of a trade war over European Union efforts to impose carbon charges on the emissions of all planes landing or taking off within the EU
Mental problems gave early humans an edge
Did an autistic inventor start a Stone Age technological revolution? Were the first spiritual leaders bipolar? A daring new theory makes the case
A PhD and an MBA together - crazy idea?
Vicky Young knows she is in for a challenge but as she tells New Scientist she hopes the rewards will make the hard work worthwhile
Military robots can leave operators at home
Ground robots could soon be carrying out dangerous missions abroad while their operators control them from the US
MOSCOW (Reuters) ? Major emerging economies are ready to provide financial help to the euro zone via the International Monetary Fund but in return want commitments to reform the IMF to be implemented, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.
The so-called BRICS nations "are ready to take part in joint efforts, including the provision of credits, under those rules and channels that exist in the International Monetary Fund," Lavrov told a news briefing in Moscow.
Lavrov spoke before IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde was due to meet President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow for talks expected to focus on how cash-rich emerging economies can support Europe's struggle to contain its sovereign debt crisis.
His comments reinforced the joint position toward managing the euro-zone sovereign debt crisis taken by the BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- at last week's Group of 20 summit in Cannes, France.
They also reflected the aversion of Russia, holder of the world's third-largest foreign exchange reserves, to directly supporting the euro zone's common bailout fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).
"It will hardly be possible by simply handing out money to resolve problems that are systemic in character and which affect the financial stability and integrity not only of the euro zone but of the global financial system," Lavrov said.
"Recent events show that the consequences of the 2008 crisis have not passed and that the work started by the G20 right after the crisis has not been finished.
"This work needs to be completed -- above all concerning the full implementation of agreements that were reached earlier on the deep reform of the International Monetary Fund and the international financial system as a whole."
(Reporting by Thomas Grove, Writing by Douglas Busvine, Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles free safety Kurt Coleman (42) in the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles free safety Kurt Coleman (42) in the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Jay Cutler threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Matt Spaeth and the Chicago Bears took a 7-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles after one quarter on Monday night.
The Bears took the opening kickoff and drove 79 yards on 12 plays, capped by Cutler's TD toss to Spaeth.
Matt Forte had 52 yards rushing on the drive, and the Bears got 60 of the 79 yards on the ground. Cutler completed two passes, including a 14-yard toss to Earl Bennett on third-and-7.
After struggling badly against the run the first five weeks, the Eagles improved in the last two games. They allowed just 127 yards rushing combined in wins against Washington and Dallas.
Michael Vick, seeking his first win as a starter in four tries against the Bears, drove the Eagles to the Bears 40 on their only possession of the quarter. The drive stalled when Brian Urlacher tipped Vick's third-down pass and the ball fell incomplete.
The Eagles are trying to even their record with their third straight win after an awful 1-4 start threatened to ruin a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations.
Coming off a bye, the Bears (4-3) are seeking their third straight win.
The teams are meeting for the fifth straight year. Chicago has won three of the last four games against Philadelphia, including a 31-26 victory at Soldier Field last November.
Beloved former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan will be honored at halftime. Ryan, who is battling cancer, was Chicago's defensive coordinator during their Super Bowl championship season in 1985. He came to Philadelphia the next season and led the Eagles to the playoffs in 1988-90.
Contact: Angela Stark astark@osa.org 202-416-1443 Optical Society of America
Research highlights energy efficient solutions for display and lighting applications
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7The search for innovative, cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions for display and lighting applications are the focus of ongoing intense worldwide photonics research and development activities. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)lightweight, potentially flexible, cheap-to-fabricate and highly energy-efficient lighting and display devicesoffer one solution in alternative energy lighting and display applications. To highlight breakthroughs in this area, the Optical Society (OSA (http://www.osa.org)) today published a special Focus Issue on OLEDs (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/issue.cfm?volume=19&issue=106) in Energy Express (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ee), a bi-monthly supplement to its open access journal Optics Express (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/home.cfm). The issue is organized and edited by Guest Editors Emil J.W. List of the NanoTecCenter Weiz GmbH and Graz University of Technology in Austria, and Norbert Koch of the Institute of Physics, Humbolt University in Germany.
"OLEDs are amongst the most promising candidates for alternative display and lighting solutions," said List. "The exciting findings presented in this focus issue will ultimately translate into real-world applications, providing consumers with cost-effective technology while reducing electricity consumption."
More than 20 percent of the world's total electricity consumption is used for lighting applications. That number increases to an estimated 25 percent when including display and TV applications. OLEDs, along with inorganic solid-state lighting technologies, are considered to be on the forefront of 21st century display and lighting technologies. The widespread use of this technology could save hundreds of gigawatt hours (GWh) of power or millions of tons of coal per year.
"OLEDs can be found in a variety of everyday products such as television screens, computer monitors and smartphones," said Koch. "As use of these products becomes more widespread, the need for research and development also grows. The latest advances reflected in this focus issue are truly exceptional and will prove to be invaluable to advancements in lighting and display technology."
Key Findings and Select Papers
The following papers are some of the highlights of the Energy Express Focus Issue on OLEDs. All are included in Volume 19, issue S6 and can be accessed online at http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ee.
The outcoupling of light from an OLED may be tackled by different means, including optical feedback structures in the active layer, by high index-media in top-emitting OLED, by lens or microlens-like arrays, or by using microcavity effects in the active device. As reviewed and discussed by Simone Hofmann, Karl Leo and their colleagues from the Institute for Applied for Photophysics, TU Dresden in Germany, in particular top-emitting OLEDs seem to be beneficial for lighting and display applications. Here, non-transparent substrates are used. The authors review and discuss different optical effects of the microcavity structure and identify important loss mechanisms due to waveguiding and surface plasmons, and show that further improvement in light extraction is required to reach the targeted high outcoupling efficiencies.
A very practical approach to improve the outcoupling efficiency in OLEDs up to 60 percent is demonstrated by Ruth Shinar and Joseph Shinar from the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University, and coworkers, using index-matching microporous phase-separated films of polymer blends acting as random microlens-like arrays. They demonstrate that the use of such blended thin films provides an economical method independent of the OLED fabrication technique, for improving outcoupling.
Paper: "Microporous phase-separated films of polymer blends for enhanced outcoupling of light from OLEDs (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-19-106-A1272)," Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue S6, pp. A1272-A1280 (2011).
To overcome the losses at the organic layer/cathode interface and to optimize the optical path in the devices, Lian Duan, Yong Qiu and their colleagues from the Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, and the R&D Center, Visionox Tech. Ltd, Beijing, introduce an approach by using a novel, rather thick, n-doped layer. Using a combination of a low-temperature-evaporable n-dopant KBH4 and a high charge carrier mobility electron transport material they show excellent performance of their devices due to reduced losses at the organic layer/cathode interface.
Paper: "Improving the performance of OLEDs by using a low-temperature-evaporable n-dopant and a high-mobility electron transport host (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-19-106-A1265)," Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue S6, pp. A1265-A1271 (2011).
###
About Energy Express
As a special bi-monthly supplement to Optics Express, Energy Express is dedicated to rapidly communicating new developments in optics for sustainable energy. Energy Express will have original research side-by-side with review articles written by the world's leading experts in the science and engineering of light and its impact on sustainable energy development, the environment, and green technologies. For more information, see: http://www.OpticsInfoBase.org/EE.
About Optics Express
Optics Express reports on new developments in all fields of optical science and technology every two weeks. The journal provides rapid publication of original, peer-reviewed papers. It is published by the Optical Society and edited by C. Martijn de Sterke of the University of Sydney. Optics Express is an open-access journal and is available at no cost to readers online at http://www.OpticsInfoBase.org/OE.
About OSA
Uniting more than 130,000 professionals from 175 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.
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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.
Contact: Angela Stark astark@osa.org 202-416-1443 Optical Society of America
Research highlights energy efficient solutions for display and lighting applications
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7The search for innovative, cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions for display and lighting applications are the focus of ongoing intense worldwide photonics research and development activities. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)lightweight, potentially flexible, cheap-to-fabricate and highly energy-efficient lighting and display devicesoffer one solution in alternative energy lighting and display applications. To highlight breakthroughs in this area, the Optical Society (OSA (http://www.osa.org)) today published a special Focus Issue on OLEDs (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/issue.cfm?volume=19&issue=106) in Energy Express (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ee), a bi-monthly supplement to its open access journal Optics Express (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/home.cfm). The issue is organized and edited by Guest Editors Emil J.W. List of the NanoTecCenter Weiz GmbH and Graz University of Technology in Austria, and Norbert Koch of the Institute of Physics, Humbolt University in Germany.
"OLEDs are amongst the most promising candidates for alternative display and lighting solutions," said List. "The exciting findings presented in this focus issue will ultimately translate into real-world applications, providing consumers with cost-effective technology while reducing electricity consumption."
More than 20 percent of the world's total electricity consumption is used for lighting applications. That number increases to an estimated 25 percent when including display and TV applications. OLEDs, along with inorganic solid-state lighting technologies, are considered to be on the forefront of 21st century display and lighting technologies. The widespread use of this technology could save hundreds of gigawatt hours (GWh) of power or millions of tons of coal per year.
"OLEDs can be found in a variety of everyday products such as television screens, computer monitors and smartphones," said Koch. "As use of these products becomes more widespread, the need for research and development also grows. The latest advances reflected in this focus issue are truly exceptional and will prove to be invaluable to advancements in lighting and display technology."
Key Findings and Select Papers
The following papers are some of the highlights of the Energy Express Focus Issue on OLEDs. All are included in Volume 19, issue S6 and can be accessed online at http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ee.
The outcoupling of light from an OLED may be tackled by different means, including optical feedback structures in the active layer, by high index-media in top-emitting OLED, by lens or microlens-like arrays, or by using microcavity effects in the active device. As reviewed and discussed by Simone Hofmann, Karl Leo and their colleagues from the Institute for Applied for Photophysics, TU Dresden in Germany, in particular top-emitting OLEDs seem to be beneficial for lighting and display applications. Here, non-transparent substrates are used. The authors review and discuss different optical effects of the microcavity structure and identify important loss mechanisms due to waveguiding and surface plasmons, and show that further improvement in light extraction is required to reach the targeted high outcoupling efficiencies.
A very practical approach to improve the outcoupling efficiency in OLEDs up to 60 percent is demonstrated by Ruth Shinar and Joseph Shinar from the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University, and coworkers, using index-matching microporous phase-separated films of polymer blends acting as random microlens-like arrays. They demonstrate that the use of such blended thin films provides an economical method independent of the OLED fabrication technique, for improving outcoupling.
Paper: "Microporous phase-separated films of polymer blends for enhanced outcoupling of light from OLEDs (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-19-106-A1272)," Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue S6, pp. A1272-A1280 (2011).
To overcome the losses at the organic layer/cathode interface and to optimize the optical path in the devices, Lian Duan, Yong Qiu and their colleagues from the Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, and the R&D Center, Visionox Tech. Ltd, Beijing, introduce an approach by using a novel, rather thick, n-doped layer. Using a combination of a low-temperature-evaporable n-dopant KBH4 and a high charge carrier mobility electron transport material they show excellent performance of their devices due to reduced losses at the organic layer/cathode interface.
Paper: "Improving the performance of OLEDs by using a low-temperature-evaporable n-dopant and a high-mobility electron transport host (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-19-106-A1265)," Optics Express, Vol. 19, Issue S6, pp. A1265-A1271 (2011).
###
About Energy Express
As a special bi-monthly supplement to Optics Express, Energy Express is dedicated to rapidly communicating new developments in optics for sustainable energy. Energy Express will have original research side-by-side with review articles written by the world's leading experts in the science and engineering of light and its impact on sustainable energy development, the environment, and green technologies. For more information, see: http://www.OpticsInfoBase.org/EE.
About Optics Express
Optics Express reports on new developments in all fields of optical science and technology every two weeks. The journal provides rapid publication of original, peer-reviewed papers. It is published by the Optical Society and edited by C. Martijn de Sterke of the University of Sydney. Optics Express is an open-access journal and is available at no cost to readers online at http://www.OpticsInfoBase.org/OE.
About OSA
Uniting more than 130,000 professionals from 175 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Maybe you were swamped at the office this week and couldn't check your favorite Gawker Media sites. Or maybe you're about to go back to work and could use one last distraction. Whatever the case, we've got you covered. Here are some of the best videos we watched during the week that was. More »
WASHINGTON ? The same Republicans who insist that federal spending doesn't create jobs and should be cut in the face of staggering deficits are leading the charge against smaller military budgets because about a million defense jobs would be lost.
Pentagon accounts are coming down, and Republicans who repeatedly reject the idea that an infusion of federal dollars can produce new jobs now say the government should keep billions flowing to the makers of guns, tanks, aircraft and ships for the sake of sparing jobs in home districts and states. It's the newest of several arguments against reducing Pentagon budgets.
The contradiction undercuts the GOP's anti-government spending mantra that proved successful for the party in 2010 congressional races in which Republicans reclaimed the House ? a pitch sure to be repeated by candidates in 2012 contests.
Then and now, Republicans fill the campaign airwaves, news releases and stump speeches with the argument that Democratic spending ? and specifically President Barack Obama's $825 billion stimulus package in 2009 ? doesn't create jobs. Just this August, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said they were wrong, estimating that in the second quarter of this year alone, the spending package increased the number of people employed by between 1 million and 2.9 million.
Consider the latest argument from Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee as lawmakers stare down at least $450 billion in cuts from projected defense spending over the next 10 years.
Running for re-election, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., said in February 2010 that the stimulus package did not create new jobs. In a statement about the economy and jobs now on his website, McKeon says "congressional Democrats and the administration continue to insist that we can spend our way out of this recession and create jobs, but the numbers just don't add up."
But at a hearing last week, McKeon, now the committee chairman, argued against cuts to the military, saying, "We don't spend money on defense to create jobs. But defense cuts are certainly a path to job loss, especially among our high-skilled workforces. There is no private sector alternative to compensate for the government's investment."
He later added, "While cuts to the military might reduce federal spending, they harm national security and they definitely don't lead to job growth."
Asked about the competing statements, a spokesman for McKeon, Claude Chafin, said they were "not inconsistent" because the defense industry is a unique recipient of federal dollars.
The Pentagon is facing reductions of nearly half a trillion dollars, stemming in large part from the limits set in the debt accord reached this summer between Obama and congressional Republicans. Republicans and Democrats, as well as the Pentagon, fear that the special bipartisan panel looking to slash the deficit won't be able to come up with a plan in three weeks to cut at least $1.2 trillion in spending over 10 years. If they can't, automatic, across-the-board cuts of $1.2 trillion kick in, with half coming from defense.
McKeon's remarks came at a hearing in which the GOP-led panel had invited three economists to testify about the potentially dire consequences of defense cuts.
One of the witnesses, Stephen S. Fuller, a professor at George Mason University, had conducted an analysis of defense cuts and the economic impact for the defense industry. He told the Armed Services Committee that an estimated 1 million jobs would be lost if defense spending cuts totaled $1 trillion. Hardest hit would be California, with 125,800 jobs lost, and Virginia, with 122,800. The two states have a significant number of aerospace and defense workers.
That prompted Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., to echo McKeon in warning about potential job losses if the federal spigot of defense dollars is turned down.
"We need to put those costs on the table when we're saying, OK, over here you're going to save all this. We need to let all these states and people know we're not saving it; we're just passing it on to you, because basically you're going to lose a lot of jobs in making this decision," Forbes said at the hearing.
It was Forbes who wrote on Oct. 24: "The government has tried its hand at job creation by pouring money on the problem, picking winners and losers in the industry, and imposing stifling regulations. It has not worked."
Questioned about his comments, Forbes said in an interview that federal spending does create jobs, but his argument ? and that of other Republicans ? is "the federal government never creates jobs as efficiently as the private sector creates jobs."
The Defense Department's budget has nearly doubled to $700 billion in the 10 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Those numbers do not include the trillion-plus dollars spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, money that wasn't paid for with tax increases or offsetting spending cuts.
Robert Pollin, a professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst who has compared job creation from military spending to other sectors, said dollars for defense certainly would create jobs.
"It's no surprise to say, with $700 billion ... you better be creating a lot of jobs," Pollin said.
The issue, however, is how many jobs.
A study that Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier conducted in 2009 found that spending $1 billion on health care, education or clean energy, or cutting taxes, created more jobs across all pay ranges than spending the equivalent amount on the military. Investment in education generated about 29,100 jobs from $1 billion in spending compared with 19,600 jobs from health care, 17,100 from clean energy and 11,600 from the military, according to the analysis.
"Channeling funds into clean energy, health care and education in an effective way will therefore create significantly greater opportunities for decent employment throughout the U.S. economy than spending the same amount of funds with the military," the two wrote.
Pollin said Thursday that an updated study is forthcoming ? and the conclusions are the same.
Said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.: "Defense spending is a poor way to create jobs. You can create more jobs investing in other areas."
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Public release date: 7-Nov-2011
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