US withdrawal from Europe-based missile shield will impact Israel?s defense

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Sunday, Feb. 10 echoed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?s rejection of direct talks with the US four days ago which he said were on the grounds that they ?would solve nothing? because, "You are holding a gun against Iran.?

Ahmadinejad added is own rider to this dismissal: ?God willing, soon Iran?s satellite will be located in orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers, next to others from four or five advanced powers and it will relay a message of peace and fidelity to the world,? he said.
The boast that Iran would soon be the world?s sixth space power came two weeks after Tehran claimed to have put a monkey in orbit around earth, although it did not?report bringing?back to earth either the space capsule or the monkey.
Indeed, US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, pouring a healthy dose of skepticism on the very existence of the project, commented: ?The Iranians said they sent a monkey, but the monkey they showed later seemed to have different facial features.?
Tehran is again caught wandering at ease through its favorite terrain between fact, hyperbole and fiction about its achievements, whether in space or its nuclear program. ?
In recent weeks, reelected Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed he wants a broad government coalition for the critical objective of preventing Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The question is how does he propose to achieve this when tough US and European sanctions have not just failed to stop Iran in its tracks but accelerated its nuclear progress. Iran is now estimated to be within four months of a nuclear bomb capacity from the moment a decision is taken to build one.
Those months are critical: On February 25 the five UN Security Council?s permanent members plus Germany sit down with Iran in Kazakhstan for a fresh round of negotiations. Former rounds in this format led nowhere and no breakthrough is expected this time either beyond, at best, a date for a continuation.
On March 20, President Barack Obama arrives in Israel for the first foreign trip of his second term. The purpose of his visit is plain, except to Netanyahu?s domestic rivals: Facing a 50 percent cutback in military spending, the Obama administration cannot credibly threaten to go to war against a recalcitrant Iran. But the US president may still wave the Israeli military option in Tehran?s face.

Not that the ayatollahs are likely to be impressed. Khamenei and Ahmadinejad have both dismissed talks with Washington "with a gun" at their head, meaning that they are not scared of the Israeli gun the Americans are putting to their heads.
In fact, the Islamic rulers of Tehran are reported by debkafile?s intelligence and Iranian sources to be fully confident that they are home and dry as a nuclear power after a secret US Pentagon research study was leaked that ?casts doubt on whether the multibillion-dollar missile defense system planned for Europe? (originally by the Bush administration) ?can ever protect the US from Iranian missiles as intended.?

Clearly the missile shield against Iran, which aroused ire in Moscow, looks like falling under the defense budget axe.
The missile shield in Europe was also designed to defend Israel and Turkey against Iranian ballistic missile attack. Leaving it unfinished because of ?flaws? exposes both those countries to such attack.
President Obama will not doubt tell Netanyahu that the system for intercepting medium-range Iranian missiles is to be scrapped. However, he will have to take into account that if the Iranians do finally manage to put a capsule in orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers, they will be able to?fire a ballistic missile at any point on earth as well, including the United States. Even if they did fail to put a primate in space, they will keep on trying and advancing until they get there.

Source: http://www.debka.com/article/22754/

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LG Nexus 4 Charging Orb Now Priced $59.99 at Google Play Store

February 12, 2013 John Reyvaldi Android News

Google Nexus 4 was introduced for the first time at I/O Conference on May last year. Back on that time, the handset was revealed alongside with an unique orb accessory that also able to work as wireless charger. Unfortunately, Google seems forget to tell us when such peripheral will become available for purchase in the market. This is quite sad since i believe that there are lot of Nexus 4 users out there that can take a really good advantage from this charging orb. But there is no need to worry no more guys. The situation is changing right now as Google start to sell the orb that we?ve been waiting for at Play Store!

As you can see above the orb is now priced at $59.99 only. Based on information posted at some tech junkies website, this accessory weighs at 130 grams only. It is also come in small dimension, so you won?t have to allocate to much space on your bag or table in order to keep it. There is no other information about this charger at the moment, unless the fact that you can use it to charge your Nexus 4 without any wire connection. Just hit Play Store official site and make your order right away.

Google is finally manage to bring Nexus 4 charging orb to the market, but what about the handset itself? I wonder if they already find a way to deal with the shortage problem. As you can see, Nexus 4 is still out of stock at Play Store right now.

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Source: http://www.sleetherz.com/2013/02/lg-nexus-4-charging-orb-now-priced-59-99-at-google-play-store/

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The Nuge attending State of the Union as a GOP guest

Last year, ?Cat Scratch Fever? rocker Ted Nugent made headlines when he branded President Barack Obama as ?evil? and ?America-hating,? and described him and Democrats as coyotes who should be shot. On Tuesday, Nugent will attend Obama?s State of the Union address as a guest of Republican Texas Rep. Steve Stockman.

Some lawmakers are inviting victims of gun violence, and Obama is expected to push Congress to support a package of measures crafted in the aftermath of the slaughter of schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn., in December.

?I am excited to have a patriot like Ted Nugent joining me in the House Chamber to hear from President Obama,? Stockman said in a statement. ?After the address I?m sure Ted will have plenty to say.?

Having plenty to say is what got The Nuge in hot water in April 2012 at a National Rifle Association convention. His controversial comments even rated the outspoken gun-rights advocate a visit from the Secret Service.

At that gathering, Nugent had declared, ?If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year."

Nugent praised NRA members, but warned that if they did not "get everybody in your lives to clean house in this vile, evil, America-hating administration, I don't even know what you're made out of."

"We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November. Any questions?"

He added, "If the coyote's in your living room, pissing on your couch, it's not the coyote's fault. It's your fault for not shooting him." And he denounced the administration as "criminals" and said a Democratic victory in November would mean "we'll be a suburb of Indonesia next year"?an apparent reference to Obama's boyhood time there.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/ted-nugent-gop-lawmaker-state-union-guest-193701665--politics.html

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UK retailer Argos finally launches its e-commerce store in China ...

Argos, the British retailer known for its mammoth-sized product catalogue, has launched a new e-commerce site in China. It follows a joint venture between Argos? parent company, Home Retail Group, and Chinese manufacturing giant Haier setup in 2011.

The website has been a long time coming, and echoes the Western version in its appearance. It stocks a seemingly infinite number of goods, including electronics, makeup, toys and furniture, mimicking the ?anything and everything? model pioneered by Amazon.

As Tech In Asia reports though, Argos is entering China long after a number of well established rivals, such as Dangdang, 360Buy, Suning, Gome and Tmall, the latter of which raked in more than $150 billion in revenue last year alongside its sister site Taobao.

While Argos is a household brand in the UK, it holds little impact in other regions at the moment, which makes us wonder how they?ll be able to?attract customers already satisfied with rival services.

However, Argos should have the experience and infrastructure to avoid any of the problems associated with new or growing startups. The website has been built to replace Haier?s existing e-commerce store, called Gooday.cn ? which now redirects customers to Argos? new offering.

The joint venture established in 2011 means that Haier owns 51 percent of the new e-commerce site, with Argos holding on to the remaining 49 percent. At the time, the deal was signed following a near-total collapse in Argos? profits in the UK. Its first half operating margin had sunk to 0.2 percent, resulting in a 94 percent fall in operating profits. Last year, the company failed to make much headway either.

China appeared to be the answer. The giant laminated catalogue long associated with its UK business would be scrapped in favour of an almost total online offering. Haier?s existing network of small electrical stores, thought to be around 6,000 in total, would be used as a pick-up point for online orders, keeping property costs to a minimum.

That hasn?t lasted though. Tech In Asia says that Argos opened three physical stores in China focused on the Shanghai region, mimicking the look and feel of its UK stores. ?That means the stores are mainly filled with catalogs on desks, where buyers peruse the items to be fetched from the warehouse,? the website reports.

So for now, it doesn?t look like Argos is altering its business strategy. While its three stores in China are insignificant compares to the 700 plus found in the UK, its inability to lose the catalog suggests that it still as a long way to go before it can compete with the likes of Amazon.

The company has already expanded with websites in Spain and Ireland, and ?follows the British retailer Marks and Spencer, which also launched an e-commerce site in China last month.

Image Credit:?ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images

Source: http://thenextweb.com/asia/2013/02/11/uk-retailer-argos-finally-launches-its-e-commerce-store-in-china-following-haier-partnership-from-2011/

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RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/zFNViniP5-g/viewtopic.php

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LA fugitive manhunt brings heavier Grammy policing

Extra police officers patrol outside the entrance to the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. An increase in law enforcement was on hand due to the continued manhunt for accused killer and fired Los Angeles police officer, Christopher Dorner. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Extra police officers patrol outside the entrance to the 55th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. An increase in law enforcement was on hand due to the continued manhunt for accused killer and fired Los Angeles police officer, Christopher Dorner. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? There is a heavier-than-usual police presence at the Grammy Awards because of a dangerous former Los Angeles police officer believed to have killed three people in a region-wide rampage this week.

Police Cmdr. Andy Smith says the always heavily guarded Grammys will see even more officers at Staples Center Sunday as the hunt for 33-year-old fugitive Christopher Dorner continues.

The search is focused in mountains 80 miles away, but police say Dorner could be anywhere, and most of the targets he threatened in an online manifesto have ties to the LAPD, which typically has a visible presence at the Grammys.

Scores of officers are outside Staples, others are stationed on a hotel roof across the street and Grammy participants' credentials are being checked constantly.

Dorner's manifesto mentions many celebrities, but makes no threats to entertainers.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-10-Grammys-Security/id-0059f82132d14f60ab55d7bcbb18d950

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Northeast slowly recovering from blizzard

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) ? Travel eased and life slowly returned to normal for most New Englanders after a massive blizzard, but many remained without power in cold and darkened homes and a forecast of rain brought a new worry: Weight piling up dangerously on roofs already burdened by heavy snow.

The storm that slammed into the region with up to 3 feet of snow was blamed for at least 15 deaths in the Northeast and Canada, and brought some of the highest accumulations ever recorded. Still, coastal areas were largely spared catastrophic damage despite being lashed by strong waves and hurricane-force wind gusts at the height of the storm.

Hundreds of people, their homes without heat or electricity, were forced to take refuge in emergency shelters set up in schools or other places.

"For all the complaining everyone does, people really came through," said Rich Dinsmore, 65, of Newport, R.I., who was staying at a Red Cross shelter set up in a middle school in Middletown after the power went out in his home on Friday.

Dinsmore, who has emphysema, was first brought by ambulance to a hospital after the medical equipment he relies on failed when the power went out and he had difficulty breathing.

"The police, the fire department, the state, the Red Cross, the volunteers, it really worked well," said the retired radio broadcaster and Army veteran.

Utility crews, some brought in from as far away as Georgia, Oklahoma and Quebec, raced to restore power to more than 220,000 customers ? down from 650,000 in eight states at the height of the storm. In hardest-hit Massachusetts, where some 180,000 customers remained without power on Sunday, officials said some of the outages might linger until Tuesday.

Driving bans were lifted and flights resumed at major airports in the region that had closed during the storm, though many flights were still canceled Sunday.

The Boston-area public transportation system, which shut down on Friday afternoon, partially resumed subway service and some bus routes on Sunday. Beverly Scott, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said full service was expected on Monday ? albeit with delays.

"Give yourself more time and expect that it is going to take us more time," Scott advised riders.

Boston public schools were among many in the region that had already decided to cancel classes on Monday.

Boston recorded 24.9 inches of snow, making it the fifth-largest storm in the city since records were kept. The city was appealing to the state and private contractors for more front-end loaders and other heavy equipment to clear snow piles that were clogging residential streets.

On eastern Long Island, which was slammed with as much as 30 inches of snow, hundreds of snowplows and other heavy equipment were sent in Sunday to clear ice- and drift-covered highways where hundreds of people and cars were abandoned during the height of the storm.

More than a third of all the state's snow-removal equipment was sent to the area, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, including more than 400 plow trucks and more than 100 snow blowers, loaders and backhoes.

Highway crews spent Sunday digging out a snow-covered 27-mile stretch of the Long Island Expressway that was closed in both directions on eastern Long Island. The work was still going on late Sunday and it was unclear when it would reopen.

The National Weather Service was forecasting rain and warmer temperatures in the region on Monday ? which could begin melting some snow but also add considerable weight to snow already piled on roofs, posing the danger of collapse. Of greatest concern were flat or gently-sloped roofs and officials said people should try to clear them ? but only if they could do so safely.

"We don't recommend that people, unless they're young and experienced, go up on roofs," said Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

In Middlefield, Conn., two cows were killed when the roof of a barn gave way under the weight of heavy snow ? one of two such incidents in the state that prompted agriculture officials to issue an advisory to farmers.

Officials also continued to warn of carbon monoxide dangers in the wake of the storm.

In Boston, two people died Saturday after being overcome by carbon monoxide while sitting in running cars, including a teenager who went into the family car to stay warm while his father shoveled snow. The boy's name was not made public. In a third incident, two children were hospitalized but expected to recover. In Webster, a 60-year-old off-duty member of the Worcester Fire Department died Saturday after suffering a heart attack while clearing snow at his home.

A fire department spokesman said in each case, the tailpipes of the cars were clogged by snow.

Authorities also reminded homeowners to clear snow from heating vents to prevent carbon monoxide from seeping back into houses.

In Maine, the Penobscot County Sheriff's office said it recovered the body of a 75-year-old man who died after the pickup he was driving struck a tree and plunged into the Penobscot River during the storm. Investigators said Gerald Crommett apparently became disoriented while driving in the blinding snow.

Christopher Mahood, 23, of Germantown, N.Y., died after his tractor went off his driveway while he was plowing snow Friday night and rolled down a 15-foot embankment.

In Massachusetts, eight teams were formed to assess damage from flooding along the state's coastline, with the hardest hit-areas including historic Plymouth and portions of Cape Cod.

"Considering the severity of the storm, the amount of snow and the wind, we've come through this pretty well," Gov. Deval Patrick told CBS's Face The Nation after meeting with local officials in Plymouth.

The U.S. Postal Service said that mail delivery that was suspended in the six New England states, as well as parts of New York and New Jersey, because of the snowstorm would resume Monday, where it is safe to do so.

Utility companies also reported steady progress in restoring power to customers.

In Massachusetts, some 180,000 customers remained without power on Sunday ? down from 400,000 at the height of the blizzard, the vast majority in the southeastern part of the state. Rhode Island reported about 34,000 outages Sunday, down from 185,000. Connecticut still had about 4,700 without power, while in New York, about 500 remained without power.

Newport resident Christine Carreiro, who spent time at a shelter with her 2-year-old son, who suffers from asthma and needs treatment from an electrically powered nebulizer, said she was thankful for the effort by line workers.

"Whoever was fixing the power lines left their families to help us," she said. "I'm very grateful.

__

Salsberg reported from Wayland, Mass. Associated Press writers Stephen Singer in Manchester, Conn., and David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

___

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/northeast-slowly-recovering-blizzard-224651318--finance.html

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