President stresses importance of creating jobs within America.
United States President Barack Obama has commended both Apple and Intel for creating jobs within the country.
One of Obama's policy points during his State of the Union speech stressed that U.S. companies need to create jobs in America. "Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing. After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three," Obama said.
"Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again."
Sitting in the audience next to with Michelle Obama was Apple CEO Tim Cook. He had confirmed in December 2012 that Apple will move some Mac production to the U.S, with the firm subsequently spending $100 million to do so.?Apple is reportedly creating a refreshed lineup of its Mac Pro this year. It'll stop selling its Mac Pros in Europe as of March 1, as the old model?doesn't?meet new regulatory standards in that region.
Chip manufacturer Intel has also increased its efforts pertaining to U.S. production over the past year through building a manufacturing plant in Arizona. The building is expected to produce the firm's next generation of processors built on its 14-nanometer technology, with Intel stating that over $5 billion will be invested into the facility itself. Obama had visited the plant during January 2013.
"It's not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth," Obama added during his State of the Union speech.
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irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Thursday, February 14, 2013, 12:44
CIARA O'BRIEN and MARY MINIHAN
Online marketplace Ebay is to create 450 jobs in Ireland, it announced today.
The jobs will be located at an operations centre in Dundalk, Co Louth, and will bring the total number employed by Ebay and its payments division Paypal in Ireland to 2,300.
The expansion is being supported by IDA Ireland.
The new positions will support Ebay's growing European customer base for Ebay Marketplaces and PayPal.
The announcement was made this morning by Taoiseach Enda Kenny who described it as "exceptional news" for the area.
"The fact that global technology leaders like eBay and PayPal are expanding their operations here shows that we have the local talent pool, infrastructure and business environment to attract high quality investments," he said.
"Last week's agreement on bank debt will lead to further investment as confidence in the Irish economy continues to grow which is good for jobs and recovery."
Mr Kenny said Ireland had worked hard to attract ?high-calibre? companies like eBay to the country and the reaction since the promissory note deal was struck last week had been ?quite extraordinary?.
The workers who will take up new positions for eBay will carry with them the responsibility of continuing to brand Ireland as an attractive location for investment, Mr Kenny added.
Speaking directly to eBay?s senior director of customer experience in Europe Gary Hagel, Mr Kenny said: ?You?ve got an open door to Government.?
Mr Hagel described eBay as the world?s leading e-commerce company and said hiring would start immediately, with people taking up positions as early as May of this year.
He said the company remained committed to its current facility in Blanchardstown, Dublin, ?and the people who work there who do an outstanding job?.
Asked why the company was investing in Ireland, Mr Hagel said eBay had had ?10 fabulous years? here with ?tremendous? support from the IDA. ?Fundamentally it?s the people?they?re very talented, very skilled, very passionate.?
Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said Ireland was making the transition towards a new economy based on new sectors that would ?endure for 10, 15, 20 years ahead?.
Labour TD for Louth-East Meath Gerald Nash welcomed the announcement, which comes a year after Paypal said it would create 1,000 jobs in Dundalk.
"This is another major confidence boost for the county," he said, describing it as "a massive expression of confidence in the workforce and the area in terms of its business friendly and enterprising environment".
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Arkansas senior defensive end Austin Flynn was arrested early Wednesday and charged with driving while intoxicated, careless driving and no proof of insurance, according to the Washington County Detention Center website.
Flynn, 22, was pulled over shortly after 1 a.m. by Fayetteville police near Huntsville and Happy Hollow roads after he was observed driving 40 mph in a 25 mph zone, according to reports. Police said Flynn?s blood alcohol content was .14, nearly twice the .08 legal limit. He was released from the Washington County Detention Center at 9:15 a.m. after posting a $1,075 bond.
Flynn is the ninth Arkansas football player arrested since last March, but is the first since the December hiring of new head football coach Bret Bielema.
?I am aware of the situation involving Austin Flynn, and I am disappointed in his actions,? Bielema said in a statement. ?I will review the matter and it will be handled swiftly and decisively.
?Our student-athletes will understand there will be discipline in our program and will learn the responsibility they have in representing Arkansas in the right way. We will hold our student-athletes accountable for their actions at all times and character and integrity will always be a priority. Within our program, we will learn just as many life lessons through our failures as we will through our future success.?
Feb. 12, 2013 ? An innovative technique which pinpoints protein locations and helps researchers unravel the protein's functions has been developed by the researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), researchers who recently moved from MIT to the Ulsan National Institute of Science (UNIST) explain.
Scientist from MIT have now developed a technique that can tag all of the proteins in a particular region of a cell, allowing them to more accurately map those proteins.
"There was no previous high-quality map of the matrix subdomain of mitochondria, and now we have one" said Alice Ting, the Ellen Swallow Richards Associate Professor of Chemistry at MIT. "We're still really far from that goal, but the overarching motivation is to get closer to that goal."
This innovative technique combines the strengths of two existing techniques -- microscopic imaging and mass spectrometry -- to map proteins in a specific cell location and generate a comprehensive list of all the proteins in that area.
In a paper appearing in the Jan. 31 online edition of Science, Rhee and colleagues used the new technique to identify nearly 500 proteins located in the mitochondrial matrix -- the innermost compartment found in mitochondria, which can be thought of as the power houses of the cell where energy is generated. Previous attempts to map the entire set of proteins in the matrix (proteome) yielded a list of only 37 proteins.
Protein labeling
To demonstrate the technique's power, the researchers created a comprehensive list of the proteins found in the mitochondrial matrix. Most of a cell's energy generation takes place in mitochondria, as well as many biosynthetic processes.
Using the new method, the team increased the number of proteins known to be located in the mitochondrial matrix. "There was no previous high-quality map of the matrix subdomain of mitochondria, and now we have one," says Ting, adding that this new wealth of information should help biologists to learn more about the functions of many of those proteins.
Already, the team has found that an enzyme called ppox -- involved in synthesizing heme, the iron-porphyrin complex found in hemoglobin -- is not located where biologists had thought it was. As heme precursors move through the biosynthetic pathway, they are shuttled to different parts of the cell. Finding that ppox is in the matrix means that there must be unknown transporter proteins bringing heme precursors into the matrix, Ting says.
The researchers are now investigating proteins found in another compartment of the mitochondria, the intermembrane space. They are also modifying the chemistry of the labeling system so they can use it for other tasks such as mapping the topology of membrane proteins and detecting specific protein-protein interactions.
The lead scientists of this research are Hyun-Woo Rhee (former MIT postdoc, currently Assistant Professor, School of Nano-Bioscience and Chemical Engineering, UNIST) and Peng Zou, who received a PhD from MIT in 2012.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by UNIST(Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology).
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Journal Reference:
H.-W. Rhee, P. Zou, N. D. Udeshi, J. D. Martell, V. K. Mootha, S. A. Carr, A. Y. Ting. Proteomic Mapping of Mitochondria in Living Cells via Spatially Restricted Enzymatic Tagging. Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1126/science.1230593
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
In this photo made Friday Feb. 8, 2013, French soldiers walk on the tarmac of the airport in the remote desert city of Tesalit, northern Mali. President of the government body representing the area of Tessalit, Aicha Belco Maiga confirmed by telephone on Friday from her home in Bamako that her town had been retaken by French forces. (AP Photo)
In this photo made Friday Feb. 8, 2013, French soldiers walk on the tarmac of the airport in the remote desert city of Tesalit, northern Mali. President of the government body representing the area of Tessalit, Aicha Belco Maiga confirmed by telephone on Friday from her home in Bamako that her town had been retaken by French forces. (AP Photo)
In this photo made Friday Feb. 8, 2013, A French helicopter flies towards the remote desert city of Tesalit, northern Mali. President of the government body representing the area of Tessalit, Aicha Belco Maiga confirmed by telephone on Friday from her home in Bamako that her town had been retaken by French forces. (AP Photo)
In this photo made Friday Feb. 6, 2013, French soldiers walk on the tarmac of the airport in the remote desert city of Tesalit, northern Mali. President of the government body representing the area of Tessalit, Aicha Belco Maiga, confirmed by telephone from her home in Bamako that her town had been retaken by French forces. (AP Photo)
GAO, Mali (AP) ? Two men with explosives were arrested trying to enter the city of Gao on Saturday, the Malian military said, a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up in an attack that has fueled fears of a militant insurgency in northern Mali.
The two suspected jihadists were in Malian military custody after being arrested at 7 a.m. on a road that leads into northern Mali's largest city, said military spokesman Modibo Traore.
"The men were stopped at a checkpoint on the road from Bourem," Traore said of a village that is northwest of Gao.
While Friday's attack killed only the bomber, it has raised concerns about the future strategy of the militants, who initially appeared to put up little resistance to the French and Malian military advance.
Malian defense minister Yamoussa Camara told The Associated Press Saturday that the military was continuing to hunt extremists from their hiding places.
"We call on the population of Gao to not give in to panic and above all to cooperate with defense and security forces to drive out the terrorists who are trying to inflitrate among civilians," said Camara when reached by phone in Bamako.
The young man who blew himself up on Friday had been living at a house in Gao that was known jihadist hideout. A guard at the home said that it had been visited three months ago by the one-eyed terror leader Moktar Belmoktar, who claimed responsibility for the attack in Algeria on the BP-operated natural gas plant in which more than 37 people died.
Other jihadist leaders from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa ? known as MUJAO ? also had stayed in the luxurious two-story home with a verdant courtyard, which the militants took over when they captured Gao last year, the guard said.
Fears of suicide bombing attacks have been high since the discovery of industrial-strength explosives in Gao earlier this week.
The radical fighters seized control of northern Mali in April 2012 after a military coup in the distant capital of Bamako.
France intervened in its former colony on Jan. 11 after the Islamic militants began pushing south, raising alarm that they were inching closer toward the capital.
Residents said Friday that the French forces had retaken the far northern town of Tessalit along the border with Algeria.
France has said that it wants to hand over responsibility to the Malian military and other African nations who have contributed troops.
It also has raised with the United Nations Security Council the possibility of establishing a U.N. peacekeeping operation in Mali.
Mali's military, though, has shown growing signs of strain. On Friday, soldiers from a unit allied with the leader of last year's military coup stormed the camp of the presidential guard.
Two people were killed and 13 others were wounded, according to a statement from the Malian government.
Malian President Dioncounda Traore called the violence a major disappointment to the Malian people "at a time when the main concern of each and every Malian should be the operations we are in the middle of carrying out in the north."
The red beret-wearing former presidential guard, based at the Djicoroni camp in Bamako, was disarmed months ago by the green beret-wearing officers loyal to Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, the leader of the coup in March last year. Their camp has been attacked on several occasions by the green berets, who seized the presidential guards' weapons.
When the green berets arrived at the military camp Friday they were confronted by women and children, and fired tear gas and volleys into the air, according to Batoma Dicko, a woman who lives in the camp. The camp includes housing for military families. The attackers succeeded in entering the camp, carried out a search and set fire to the infirmaries, she said.
The Red Berets were the elite presidential guard who protected former President Amadou Toumani Toure, who was toppled in the coup by junior officers.
__
Ahmed contributed to this report from Timbuktu, Mali.
BERLIN (AP) ? Germany's education minister resigned Saturday after a university decided to withdraw her doctorate, finding that she plagiarized parts of her thesis ? an embarrassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel's government as it prepares for elections later this year.
Merkel said she had accepted "only with a very heavy heart" the resignation of Annette Schavan, who has been her education and research minister since 2005 and was considered close to the chancellor.
Schavan's resignation comes only two years after then-Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg lost his doctorate and quit when it emerged that he copied large parts of his doctoral thesis. Schavan said at the time she was "ashamed" of that affair.
On Tuesday, an academic panel at Duesseldorf's Heinrich Heine University voted to revoke Schavan's doctorate following a review of her 1980 thesis, which dealt with the formation of conscience. The review was undertaken after an anonymous blogger last year raised allegations of plagiarism, which the minister denies.
"I will not accept this decision and will file suit against it ? I neither copied nor deceived in my dissertation," she told reporters, speaking alongside Merkel at a brief news conference. "The accusations, as I have said over the past weeks and months, hurt me deeply."
Schavan made clear that she was going to prevent the issue turning into a festering problem for her party, and the government, as Germany gears up for parliamentary elections on Sept. 22 in which the conservative Merkel will seek a third term.
Schavan, 57, a member of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, announced her decision after returning from an official trip to South Africa during which, she said, she thought "thoroughly about the political consequences."
"If a research minister files a suit against a university, that of course places strain on my office, the ministry, the government and the CDU as well," she said. "And that is exactly what I want to avoid."
Merkel offered lengthy praise of Schavan's "exceptional" performance as a minister, adding that "at this time, she is putting her own personal well-being behind the common good."
Schavan will be replaced by Johanna Wanka, 61, the outgoing regional education minister in the state of Lower Saxony, Merkel said. That state's conservative-led government narrowly lost a regional election to the center-left opposition last month.
Doctorates are highly prized in Germany, where it is not unusual for people to insist on being referred to by their full academic title. Reflecting that tradition, Merkel ? herself a doctor, as are several of her senior ministers ? referred to Schavan's successor by her full academic title, "Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka."
Despite the coalition government's setback in Lower Saxony, in northwestern Germany, polls show that Merkel remains popular with voters; her challenger from the center-left Social Democrats, Peer Steinbrueck, has struggled so far to gain traction.
Most recent polls show a majority neither for Merkel's current center-right coalition with the struggling pro-market Free Democrats nor for a rival combination of the Social Democrats and Greens.
They show Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats as the strongest single party. That suggests the chancellor may be able to carry on with a new coalition partner.
It's also unclear that the Schavan affair will provide much political ammunition for the opposition.
The usually low-profile minister's troubles over her 3-decade-old thesis have drawn a much more measured response from opponents than in the case of Guttenberg, a rising conservative star at the time he quit.
"It is tragic for Annette Schavan's political career to end this way, but the resignation is an act of political consistency," Social Democratic parliamentary chief whip Thomas Oppermann said.
"This year could not have started worse for Mrs. Merkel," he said.
The German Association of University Professors and Lecturers welcomed Schavan's decision to go.
Its chairman, Bernhard Kempen, said the resignation was "necessary and logical" since Schavan, although she is entitled to appeal, was damaged as a minister by the decision to revoke her doctorate.
Peer review matters to the publicPublic release date: 8-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julia Wilson jwilson@senseaboutscience.org 44-207-490-9590 Elsevier
A new guide to peer review is launched today to help the public make sense of research claims
People are bombarded with claims in newspapers and on the internet that are based on scientific studies. When faced with a headline that suggests an Alzheimer's drug increases the risk of heart attack or that watching TV is bad for children's mental health, or that pesticides are causing a decline in bee populations, people have to work out what to believe. Which claims should be taken seriously? Which are 'scares'?
I Don't Know What to Believe: Making Sense of Science Stories... explains the peer review process the system researchers use to assess the validity, significance and originality of papers. It captures experiences and insights from editors and scientists and encourages people to ask "Is it peer reviewed?" when reading science stories.
A similar publication launched in the UK is now used by health workers, librarians, public-health officials, policy-makers, technology companies, safety bodies, popular writers, educators, parenting groups and local government. These are the people who are speaking directly with the public everyday and answering their questions.
Understanding peer review and asking about the status of claims is important to society because it helps people make decisions.
Download the guide: http://www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/116/Embargoed_until_00.01Feb8th2013_IDKWTB_web.pdf
Comments:
Tracey Brown, Managing Director of Sense About Science: "We have to establish an understanding that the status of research findings is as important as the findings themselves. This understanding has the capacity to improve the decisions we make across all of society."
Dr Peter R. Jutro, Deputy Director for Science and Policy, National Homeland Security Research Center, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: "Sound science is essential to the formulation of sound public policy; a robust peer review process is what helps ensure the quality of science the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses for decision making. Efforts that help the public recognize the role of peer review and insist on its use inevitably benefit public health and the environment."
Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief and Senior VP, Scientific American: "Science is the engine of human innovation and our advances rely on trustworthy evidence. Peer review is vital to knowing what to trust."
Bob Meyers, President & COO, National Press Foundation: "Evidence-based journalism needs evidence-based science"
Dr Virginia Barbour, Medicine Editorial Director, Public Library of Science and Chair, Committee on Publication Ethics: "Peer review is an important part of the scientific process, and one indicator that can help readers distinguish in the mass of science they hear reported every day between what they can have confidence in and what they should treat with more caution. Furthermore, understanding how peer review works gives an insight into how science itself is done: I Don't Know What to Believe bridges a crucial gap in understanding between scientists and the public."
Dr Eugenie C. Scott, Executive Director, National Center for Science Education (NCSE): "Kids! Parents! Teachers! The secret of science can be yours! By reading Sense about Science's invaluable guide "I Don't Know What to Believe," you'll learn what peer review is, why scientists use it, and how it makes science such a powerful tool! A must for anyone whose life is touched by scienceoh, wait. That's everyone."
David Ruth, Senior Vice President of Global Communications, Elsevier: "Working closely with the patient groups, policymakers, scientists and publishers, Sense About Science has created a guide to peer review that is going to be very useful for anyone, expert or not, trying to evaluate scientific research."
Susan King, Senior Vice President, Journals Publishing Group, ACS Publications and Chair of the Association of American Publishers' Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division Executive Committee: "In a world where unfiltered news and information are everywhere, people are seeking a roadmap to distinguish what is sound, fact-based content. This guide offers tools to help serve that need. What separates true scientific research from speculation, opinion and hype is peer review, which requires investment by publishers and involvement by the scientific community. The guide offers a fundamental understanding of this intensive process and its critical role in advancing knowledge in our society."
Dr Philip Campbell, Editor-in-Chief, Nature: "Authors of Nature papers frequently comment that assessment by their peers has strengthened their publications, and I can testify to that too. This guide is invaluable in explaining how peer review contributes to the health of science."
Patrick Kelly, VP and Director Journal Publishing, Life Sciences, John Wiley & Sons: "We believe that peer review is one of the bedrocks of scientific publishing. It is extremely important to have impartial, independent reviewers establish the credibility and originality of research. "Wiley has always taken seriously its investment in and management of an extensive peer review infrastructure."
Deborah Kahn, Publishing Director, BioMed Central: "The ultimate purpose of all scientific endeavour should be for the public good, but how can the public trust the results of scientific research? Peer review plays a crucial role in informing public judgement through improving the quality and reliability of scientific output. The process of review and feedback is key in determining if science is robust and conducted in an appropriate manner. BioMed Central warmly welcomes the launch of the US version of the public guide to peer review"I Don't Know What to Believe" as an important step towards helping the public make sense of science."
Leila Mills, Publishing Manager for Journal Development Team at Taylor & Francis "As the wealth of accessible scientific content continues to grow, peer review is more relevant than ever as the system for evaluating the quality and validity of scholarly research. By providing key information about the process of peer review and the important role it plays, Sense About Science's initiative will help enable the public to identify content they can trust, instilling confidence in science communication".
###
For further information contact Julia Wilson jwilson@senseaboutscience.org in the UK on +44 20 7490 9590.
In the US: Leonor Sierra lsierra@senseaboutscience.org.
For copies, to add the web button to you site and further information contact Sense About Science: enquiries@senseaboutscience.org.
Notes for editors:
1. This guide is published by the non-profit Sense About Science and has been produced and distributed with sponsorship and help from: the American Chemical Society, American Institute of Physics, BioMed Central, Elsevier, International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers, National Press Foundation, Nature Publishing Group, Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers, Public Library of Science, Taylor & Francis Group, Wolters Kluwer and Wiley.
2. Sense About Science is an international non-profit organization that equips people to make sense of science and evidence on issues that matter to society. With a network of more than 5,000 scientists, the organization works with scientific bodies, research publishers, policymakers, the public and the media to lead public discussions about science and evidence. Through award-winning public campaigns, it shares the tools of scientific thinking and the peer-review process. Sense About Science's growing Voice of Young Science network engages hundreds of early career researchers in public debates about science.
3. Sense About Science's work on peer review to date: http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/peer-review.html
2004 Report of the Sense About Science working party on peer review, chaired by Professor Sir Brian Heap FRS, 'Peer Review and the Acceptance of New Scientific Ideas'.
2005 UK workshops with education bodies, patient groups and information providers to produce a user-friendly short guide to the peer review process, I Don't Know What to Believe.
2006 Commitments from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and the Government Office for Science to peer review in consultations and evidence in policymaking.
2008 Peer Review Education Resource is launched to illustrate the work of science publishers to 13-18 year olds through the science curriculum.
2009 Preliminary findings Peer Review Survey 2009, the largest global survey of authors and reviewers.
2010 International Peer Review Workshops, including AAAS, ESOF and US science festivals.
2011 Sense About Science give evidence on peer review to UK Parliament Science & Technology Committee.
2012 Sense About Science's Voice of Young Science network publication: Peer Review the Nuts and Bolts, by early career researchers for other early career researchers.
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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.
Peer review matters to the publicPublic release date: 8-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julia Wilson jwilson@senseaboutscience.org 44-207-490-9590 Elsevier
A new guide to peer review is launched today to help the public make sense of research claims
People are bombarded with claims in newspapers and on the internet that are based on scientific studies. When faced with a headline that suggests an Alzheimer's drug increases the risk of heart attack or that watching TV is bad for children's mental health, or that pesticides are causing a decline in bee populations, people have to work out what to believe. Which claims should be taken seriously? Which are 'scares'?
I Don't Know What to Believe: Making Sense of Science Stories... explains the peer review process the system researchers use to assess the validity, significance and originality of papers. It captures experiences and insights from editors and scientists and encourages people to ask "Is it peer reviewed?" when reading science stories.
A similar publication launched in the UK is now used by health workers, librarians, public-health officials, policy-makers, technology companies, safety bodies, popular writers, educators, parenting groups and local government. These are the people who are speaking directly with the public everyday and answering their questions.
Understanding peer review and asking about the status of claims is important to society because it helps people make decisions.
Download the guide: http://www.senseaboutscience.org/resources.php/116/Embargoed_until_00.01Feb8th2013_IDKWTB_web.pdf
Comments:
Tracey Brown, Managing Director of Sense About Science: "We have to establish an understanding that the status of research findings is as important as the findings themselves. This understanding has the capacity to improve the decisions we make across all of society."
Dr Peter R. Jutro, Deputy Director for Science and Policy, National Homeland Security Research Center, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: "Sound science is essential to the formulation of sound public policy; a robust peer review process is what helps ensure the quality of science the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses for decision making. Efforts that help the public recognize the role of peer review and insist on its use inevitably benefit public health and the environment."
Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief and Senior VP, Scientific American: "Science is the engine of human innovation and our advances rely on trustworthy evidence. Peer review is vital to knowing what to trust."
Bob Meyers, President & COO, National Press Foundation: "Evidence-based journalism needs evidence-based science"
Dr Virginia Barbour, Medicine Editorial Director, Public Library of Science and Chair, Committee on Publication Ethics: "Peer review is an important part of the scientific process, and one indicator that can help readers distinguish in the mass of science they hear reported every day between what they can have confidence in and what they should treat with more caution. Furthermore, understanding how peer review works gives an insight into how science itself is done: I Don't Know What to Believe bridges a crucial gap in understanding between scientists and the public."
Dr Eugenie C. Scott, Executive Director, National Center for Science Education (NCSE): "Kids! Parents! Teachers! The secret of science can be yours! By reading Sense about Science's invaluable guide "I Don't Know What to Believe," you'll learn what peer review is, why scientists use it, and how it makes science such a powerful tool! A must for anyone whose life is touched by scienceoh, wait. That's everyone."
David Ruth, Senior Vice President of Global Communications, Elsevier: "Working closely with the patient groups, policymakers, scientists and publishers, Sense About Science has created a guide to peer review that is going to be very useful for anyone, expert or not, trying to evaluate scientific research."
Susan King, Senior Vice President, Journals Publishing Group, ACS Publications and Chair of the Association of American Publishers' Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division Executive Committee: "In a world where unfiltered news and information are everywhere, people are seeking a roadmap to distinguish what is sound, fact-based content. This guide offers tools to help serve that need. What separates true scientific research from speculation, opinion and hype is peer review, which requires investment by publishers and involvement by the scientific community. The guide offers a fundamental understanding of this intensive process and its critical role in advancing knowledge in our society."
Dr Philip Campbell, Editor-in-Chief, Nature: "Authors of Nature papers frequently comment that assessment by their peers has strengthened their publications, and I can testify to that too. This guide is invaluable in explaining how peer review contributes to the health of science."
Patrick Kelly, VP and Director Journal Publishing, Life Sciences, John Wiley & Sons: "We believe that peer review is one of the bedrocks of scientific publishing. It is extremely important to have impartial, independent reviewers establish the credibility and originality of research. "Wiley has always taken seriously its investment in and management of an extensive peer review infrastructure."
Deborah Kahn, Publishing Director, BioMed Central: "The ultimate purpose of all scientific endeavour should be for the public good, but how can the public trust the results of scientific research? Peer review plays a crucial role in informing public judgement through improving the quality and reliability of scientific output. The process of review and feedback is key in determining if science is robust and conducted in an appropriate manner. BioMed Central warmly welcomes the launch of the US version of the public guide to peer review"I Don't Know What to Believe" as an important step towards helping the public make sense of science."
Leila Mills, Publishing Manager for Journal Development Team at Taylor & Francis "As the wealth of accessible scientific content continues to grow, peer review is more relevant than ever as the system for evaluating the quality and validity of scholarly research. By providing key information about the process of peer review and the important role it plays, Sense About Science's initiative will help enable the public to identify content they can trust, instilling confidence in science communication".
###
For further information contact Julia Wilson jwilson@senseaboutscience.org in the UK on +44 20 7490 9590.
In the US: Leonor Sierra lsierra@senseaboutscience.org.
For copies, to add the web button to you site and further information contact Sense About Science: enquiries@senseaboutscience.org.
Notes for editors:
1. This guide is published by the non-profit Sense About Science and has been produced and distributed with sponsorship and help from: the American Chemical Society, American Institute of Physics, BioMed Central, Elsevier, International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers, National Press Foundation, Nature Publishing Group, Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers, Public Library of Science, Taylor & Francis Group, Wolters Kluwer and Wiley.
2. Sense About Science is an international non-profit organization that equips people to make sense of science and evidence on issues that matter to society. With a network of more than 5,000 scientists, the organization works with scientific bodies, research publishers, policymakers, the public and the media to lead public discussions about science and evidence. Through award-winning public campaigns, it shares the tools of scientific thinking and the peer-review process. Sense About Science's growing Voice of Young Science network engages hundreds of early career researchers in public debates about science.
3. Sense About Science's work on peer review to date: http://www.senseaboutscience.org/pages/peer-review.html
2004 Report of the Sense About Science working party on peer review, chaired by Professor Sir Brian Heap FRS, 'Peer Review and the Acceptance of New Scientific Ideas'.
2005 UK workshops with education bodies, patient groups and information providers to produce a user-friendly short guide to the peer review process, I Don't Know What to Believe.
2006 Commitments from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and the Government Office for Science to peer review in consultations and evidence in policymaking.
2008 Peer Review Education Resource is launched to illustrate the work of science publishers to 13-18 year olds through the science curriculum.
2009 Preliminary findings Peer Review Survey 2009, the largest global survey of authors and reviewers.
2010 International Peer Review Workshops, including AAAS, ESOF and US science festivals.
2011 Sense About Science give evidence on peer review to UK Parliament Science & Technology Committee.
2012 Sense About Science's Voice of Young Science network publication: Peer Review the Nuts and Bolts, by early career researchers for other early career researchers.
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FILE - This Aug. 22, 2006 file photo shows a coal mine seen from the air in northeast Wyoming near Gillette, Wyo. A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 that federal review has so far found no evidence mining companies knowingly skirted royalty rules as they've increased coal exports to Asia. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
FILE - This Aug. 22, 2006 file photo shows a coal mine seen from the air in northeast Wyoming near Gillette, Wyo. A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 that federal review has so far found no evidence mining companies knowingly skirted royalty rules as they've increased coal exports to Asia. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) ? The U.S. Department of Interior is investigating whether mining companies are skirting royalty rules as they increase exports of coal to Asia, federal officials disclosed Friday.
No violations have yet been issued, but a newly released report to two U.S. senators says audits of overseas sales have just begun for years when coal export volumes from federal lands grew substantially.
The investigation is focused on companies' use of affiliates or brokers to sell coal from mines in the Western U.S. to customers in Asia. The parent company pays government royalties based on the mine price, then the affiliate ships the fuel overseas where it's sold for many times the original price.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he has asked the agency's Office of the Inspector General to look into whether such actions violated federal law.
He said one federal coal lessee is under investigation for possible criminal violations. Details weren't offered, and his office declined to say if that involved coal shipped overseas.
The administration was responding to concerns raised by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. They've warned that as coal exports grow, taxpayers could lose many millions of dollars annually if royalties are unfairly calculated.
Coal royalties nationwide totaled $876 million last year, from 460 million tons of coal mined from federal lands.
Salazar said a special task force of state and federal officials plans to review coal sales and contracts in Montana and Wyoming from 2009 and 2011, and later expand the inquiry to others states for sales dating to 2001.
Government agencies typically audit coal sales several years after they have taken place.
In a joint statement, Murkowski and Wyden said they were "pleased with the formation of a task force to ensure coal companies have paid their fair share when coal is mined on public lands and sold overseas."
Salazar said the issue underscores the need for reforms in how royalties are calculated, which was last updated in 1989, before the recent spike in coal exports. He said his agency is pursuing changes that would make the process more transparent.
Murkowski's office said she was open to changing royalty rules if needed but was waiting for the issue to further unfold.
"It doesn't appear there were any knowing or willful violations of the royalty law. That doesn't mean they might not find violations," spokesman Robert Dillon said.
Companies defend their use of affiliates for export sales, arguing that the higher price their fuel fetches in Asia reflects additional shipping costs. That should be counted as a different line of business than mining, they contend.
But the chief of the Montana Department of Revenue's business tax division, Lee Baerlocher, said the industry's practices have the attention of government auditors.
"It's an audit red flag, meaning we've got to look into it, but it doesn't necessarily mean that's not a fair price," Baerlocher said.
Half of royalties go to the federal government and half to the states. Strip mines that account for the bulk of coal from public lands have a 12 percent royalty rate.
U.S. coal exports hit record levels last year ? an estimated 124 million tons. That includes increasing quantities of steam coal used in power plants shipped to Asia by companies including Arch Coal Inc., Peabody Energy Corp., Cloud Peak Energy Inc., and Signal Peak Energy.
Asian markets have given the industry some sorely needed relief in the face of declining domestic demand.
Proposals to export even more coal, through new and expanded West Coast ports, faces concerted opposition from environmentalists and some public officials.
Most of the exported coal from the West comes from Montana, with coal also exported from mines in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. In 2011, the most recent year for which state-by-state figures were available, those states shipped about 22 million tons for export.
The special royalties task force, established in December, includes auditors from the federal government, Montana and Wyoming.
A spokesman for Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said no problems have yet been found.
Securities filings by Cloud Peak Energy show Asian exports accounted for 23 percent of the company's revenues but only 5 percent of its coal production through the third quarter of 2012.
In a letter to Salazar, Cloud Peak CEO Colin Marshall said the company considers transportation logistics work as "fundamentally different than our business of selling coal at the mine."
He said the company plans to list mining and logistics as separate businesses in its upcoming annual report.
Apparently, some kind of weather catastrophe is on its way to the NE. I was vaguely aware that we would be getting a winter storm of some kind. Several inches of snow, a foot perhaps. But now I'm scared into a frenzy. Good! That means the system works! More »
I loved your SAHM capsule - any chance of you doing something similar for the Road Warrior? I have worked with the concept but still am missing a few pieces that I can't for the life of me figure out what they are. I got a new job in November that will have me traveling quite a bit this spring. I will visit client sites, and will be away from home for up to three weeks at a time. I haven?t had to travel for work before more than a couple days or a conference and have no clue how to do this. My coworker is a man and he says he keeps his suitcase always packed and ready to go, how does a woman make three weeks of professional clothing fit in one carry on suitcase? HELP!
In my past career lives, I did travel for business. While I was never away for more than a week, I often saw the same clients multiple times in a month, and often only had a week between trips before I was again on the road. It may seem daunting to look professional and pack smart, but it is possible. These days professional attire is found with Lycra, spandex, and fabric blends that make it comfortable and travel-friendly. Matte jersey, stretch wool, ponte knit, crepe, and gabardine can be your friend when you are a road warrior. I made a sample capsule wardrobe based upon my experiences with business travel. Only the suit in this capsule is high-maintenance fabric; pack wrapped in dry cleaning bags to prevent wrinkles, hang up as soon as you arrive and it should be okay for the big presentation. The rest are work-appropriate separates that all have some sort of stretch to keep them looking great right off the plane or train or out of the suitcase. Over 30 outfits with only 14 garments (details): Lots of ponte separates. I?m a ponte addict, I can?t deny it. Heavyweight knit that works year-round, doesn?t wrinkle, and can be machine washed. Pretty spectacular. On top of that, it looks refined enough for the workplace. In this capsule I have black ponte pants, an ivory ponte blazer, black ponte dress, black ponte top, and gray ponte skirt. Since they are the same fabric, they mix and match with ease and the combinations looks more like ensembles. Ponte is also great when you have to fly or take the train and immediately head to a business meeting ? you won?t be full of wrinkles and will be comfortable sitting for long spans of time.
Strategic pops of color. While it seems smart to pack an entire suitcase of neutrals, that can look pretty boring pretty quickly. Choosing suit shells and soft jackets or cardigans in colors will stretch your neutral capsule further. Mix two for a bold look, or just have one piece to give a neutral you already wore a new life. The choice of color is dependant on your personal style and profession. For more conservative fields, consider softer or more traditional hues; if you?re in a creative field you can amp up the color and even add more to the capsule.
Stick to solids. While prints can break up a wardrobe monotony, they are also so incredibly memorable that you can?t easily wear the same print twice with a client. If you are in a more casual or creative field, you can consider a print like leopard for some accessories, but having solids for your Road Warrior wardrobe means you can likely wear the same garment twice in a week without a client being the wiser. Choose pieces that can dress up and down. While you may be meeting with clients and needing a professional wardrobe, not every moment of your day is suit-worthy. Maybe you?re meeting colleagues for happy hour, or your client is taking you to a baseball game. Be ready without having to stuff a suitcase with a casual wardrobe. A striped tee with a flattering neckline and fabric can be dressed up under a suit jacket, or paired with jeans and flats for a barbecue or sporting event. Pair the jeans with the cardigan for a casual meal, or with the ivory blazer (maybe tuck a band tee shirt or simple tank into your suitcase) or just a sweater shell with pashmina or statement necklace for drinks at a neighborhood bar.
As for dressing up, a ponte or crepe dress can work for the office or for a cocktail party. The black dress I featured could work with a blazer or cardigan by day and with red lips and mascara will make it perfect for an evening affair. Use the pashmina as an evening wrap.
Pack smart accessories. While I am all for having a large accessory collection for changing the look of wardrobe staples, when you?re a Road Warrior you need to keep your wardrobe to a minimum and keep it super easy. A statement necklace that isn?t too sparkly or too arts and crafty can jazz up a classic suit, or dress up a work dress to look cocktail appropriate. A pashmina can be your travel blanket on the plane, add interest to a simple dress or ensemble, be your evening wrap for a cocktail party, and ward off chill in overly air-conditioned office buildings. If you know you will be there longer, consider wearing tall boots on the trip for they will give a completely different look to skirts, dresses, jeans and narrow pants. Finally, choose a structured and polished bag to be your purse, your carryon bag, as well as your work tote. Find one that can hold both your laptop as well as a bottle of water and copy of InStyle for the flight.
Pack repair and care supplies. Stitch Witchery, a small sewing kit, bar of Ivory soap or a small bottle of laundry detergent, Shout Wipes or Tide-to-Go pen, safety pins, a black Sharpie(covers snags in tights and fabric, tears in leather, etc.), lint remover. When I used to travel on business, I had my toiletries kit already packed and ready to go with mini versions of all my beauty products, and I also had an emergency outfit kit in a small bag with these essentials. Both stayed in my suitcase when I was home, only removed to replace that which ran out. This way, I never forgot them and was already ready for any situation (or any stain). Most hotels have a shine cloth for shoes and an iron to get out wrinkles and fuse Stitch Witchery.
Work and family tax credits are needlessly complex for immigrant families whose children's legal status and residency determine their eligibility those credits, Maag writes.
By Elaine Maag,?Guest blogger / February 7, 2013
A jogger runs past the US Internal Revenue Service building on Constitution Avenue at the end of the day in Washington. The newly energized immigration debate may encourage lawmakers to finally separate work and child tax credits, Maag writes.
Ann Hermes/The Christian Science Monitor/File
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In the realm of needless complexity, the work and family tax credits for low-income households rank near the top. The problem is especially challenging for immigrant families whose children?s legal status and residency determine eligibility for these credits.
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A few weeks ago, the?National Taxpayer Advocate in her Annual Report to Congress?joined many others in calling for separating the work and family incentives in the tax code. This approach could make tax filing simpler and more efficient for low-income families.
Currently, the three largest child related provisions ? the dependent exemption, the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) ? have three sets of rules governing eligibility. These inconsistencies in the law create confusion and prevent people from claiming deductions or credits for which they are eligible. Here are a few examples of how the rules differ:?
EVERY day, doctors prescribe antibiotics based on an educated guess about which bugs are causing the symptoms they see before them. Sometimes they guess wrong and it can take days or even weeks for tests to identify the true culprits. In the meantime, people are taking ineffective drugs, contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
A solution could come in the shape of a machine capable of identifying all bacteria, viruses and fungi known to cause infectious disease in humans. Tests of the PLEX-ID universal biosensor suggest it is more accurate than the standard method, which involves growing the offending pathogen in a dish and then identifying it by its shape and characteristics.
The device, developed by US pharmaceutical company Abbott, combines and adapts two existing techniques. Microbe samples from fluids such as saliva and blood are processed to isolate the genetic material. Regions of this DNA are selected according to their likely origin and copied, using a common process called a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These DNA fragments are then effectively weighed by passing them through a sophisticated mass spectrometry device.
From this, the composition of base pairs A, G, C and T - the chemical building blocks of DNA - can be calculated. Cross-checking base pair compositions for multiple DNA regions against a database of genetic "fingerprints" of known microbes reveals the bug's identity. A repeatedly blank result suggests the microbe is new, and one whose profile matches some DNA regions but not all implies that a known microbe has mutated.
PLEX-ID has been used for research purposes for several years, with early work focused on identifying potential biological warfare agents. In 2003, an earlier model correctly identified a new kind of coronavirus as the cause of SARS, and six years later, it was used to identify the first two cases of H1N1 swine flu in the US.
The existing version identifies microbes in 8 hours. If the smaller version currently in development can do so within 5 hours as planned, it could allow doctors to wait for an accurate diagnosis before prescribing treatment.
In most cases, taking ineffective antibiotics while waiting for a definitive diagnosis doesn't harm people, because their immune systems tackle the bugs anyway. It can, however, be fatal for those with impaired immunity, says Mark Wilcox at the University of Leeds in the UK, a member of one of several independent groups evaluating the device for clinical use.
Wilcox presented preliminary findings from his group's analysis at a Society for Applied Microbiology meeting in London last month. They found that PLEX-ID outperformed a culture-based approach in identifying the bacterial and fungal pathogens in 250 human tissue and fluid samples. Other tests suggested that the device is also more sensitive than sequencing small regions of the genome to identify the microbe.
"Currently we can only look for the known knowns," says Andrew Sails of the Health Protection Agency public health lab in Newcastle, UK. "The advantage with this kind of technology is that it can look for the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns."
Sails cautioned that the time taken for PLEX-ID to generate results might be longer than claimed because of the practicalities of transporting samples to labs and processing them in large numbers.
In the print version of this article, the second paragraph included the phrasing, "Tests of the PLEX-ID universal biosensor suggest it is even more accurate than the standard method?". This has been edited here.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Caught something nasty? Find out double quick"
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NEW YORK (AP) ? The stock market jumped Tuesday following a surge in U.S. home prices and signs of strength in Europe's economy. Strong earnings reports also helped power the gains.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 107 points to 13,986 as of 11:49 a.m. EST. The Standard & Poor's 500 gained 13 to 1,509. The Nasdaq composite was up 29 to 3,160.
The rise follows two days of whiplash. On Friday, the Dow gained 149 points, rising above 14,000 for the first time since 2007. On Monday, it fell 129 points, its worst sell-off of the year so far.
Tuesday's advance was driven by new data showing that U.S. home prices rose in December at the fastest pace in more than six years. CoreLogic, a real estate data provider, reported that home prices rose 8.3 percent. In Europe, a measure of manufacturing and service businesses rose to a 10-month high January.
Estee Lauder rose $3.29 to $64.33 after reporting earnings that beat analysts' expectations. Profits surged 13 percent at the beauty products company as sales in the U.S. and emerging markets rose. Archer Daniel Midland, a company that makes food ingredients and animal feed, gained $1.07 to $29.51 after its earnings jumped in the last quarter following a restructuring.
Stocks got the year off to a strong start. The Dow advanced 5.8 percent in January, its best start to the year since 1994, according to data compiled to S&P Dow Jones indices. The S&P 500 rose 5 percent.
Lance Roberts, chief economist at Streettalk Advisors in Houston, Texas, said that's related more to the Federal Reserve's commitment to keep money cheap than to companies' performance. If earnings are beating estimates, he said, it's largely because expectations were so low.
"If you lower the hurdles enough, companies can get over them," Roberts said.
The fact that small, individual investors are starting to return to stocks, as they have in recent weeks, is another sign that the market is due for a correction, Roberts and other analysts have said.
McGraw-Hill Cos., parent of the Standard & Poor's ratings agency, fell $3.30 to $46.93, after the federal government sued S&P. The government said that S&P knowingly misled investors about the quality of the mortgage-backed securities it was rating in the run up to the financial crisis that caused the Great Recession.
Today's decline follows a 14 percent drop for the stock on Monday, after reports about the lawsuit first leaked.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to its price, climbed six basis points to 2.02 percent.
Other stocks making big moves;
? Cereal maker Kellogg jumped $1.10 to $59.21, after reporting fourth-quarter results. It reported a fourth-quarter loss on a pension-related charge, but its underlying earnings rose, helped partly by its recent purchase of Pringles chips.
? Dell, the struggling computer giant, rose 12 cents to $13.39 after the company announced a $24.4 billion buyout deal led by founder Michael Dell that will take the company private at $13.65 a share.
? Yum Brands, parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, fell $1.78 to $62.16 after the company warned late Monday that 2013 profits could decline as it continues to reel from a controversy over its chicken suppliers in China.
May 1, 2011:
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Seated, from left, are: Brigadier General Marshall B. "Brad" Webb, Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command; Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Head Pat
May 8, 2009:
President Barack Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office May 8, 2009. The youngster wanted to see if the President's haircut felt like his own. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Fist-Bump
Dec. 3, 2009:
President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth, Dec. 3, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Mohawk Baby
July 4, 2012:
President Barack Obama holds a baby while greeting guests during an Independence Day celebration on the South Lawn of the White House, July 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The President
July 26, 2012:
President Barack Obama holds a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, July 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Oval Office Chase
July 9, 2012:
President Barack Obama runs around his desk in the Oval Office with Sarah Froman, daughter of Nancy Goodman and Mike Froman, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, July 9, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
First Couple
June 13, 2012:
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wave goodbye to President Shimon Peres of Israel on the North Portico of the White House following the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony and dinner in his honor, June 13, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Holocaust Museum
April 23, 2012:
President Barack Obama tours the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., with Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor, and Sara Bloomfield, museum director, April 23, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Golden Girl
June 11, 2012:
President Barack Obama talks with Betty White in the Oval Office, June 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Venus In Transit
April 24, 2012:
President Barack Obama stops to view the moon and Venus before boarding Marine One in Boulder, Colo., April 24, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
'Sweet Home Chicago'
Feb. 21, 2012:
President Obama joins in singing "Sweet Home Chicago" during the "In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues" concert in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2012. Participants include, from left: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks, B.B. King, and Gary Clark, Jr. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The Redeemer
March 20, 2011:
"The Obama family was scheduled to tour the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio before dinner one night. But when heavy fog rolled in, they canceled the visit. After dinner, the fog had dissipated somewhat so they decided to make the drive up the mountain. It was quite clear when they arrived and then the fog started to roll back in. I managed to capture this silhouette as they viewed the statute one last time just before departure."
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Water Fight
June 11, 2011:
"The top photograph shows the President having a water gun fight with his daughter Sasha on her birthday weekend at Camp David. Unbeknownst to me, David Lienemann captured a similar photo of the Vice President on the very same day."
(Official White House Photos by Pete Souza and David Lienemann)
Christmas Card
Dec. 11, 2011:
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia, left, and Sasha, right, sit for a family portrait in the Oval Office, Dec. 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
MLK Memorial
Oct. 14, 2011:
President Barack Obama tours the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Balloon Man
Oct. 11, 2011:
"This photograph by Chuck Kennedy has to catch your eye. It shows Guinness Book of World Records holder John Cassidy performing a balloon act for First Lady Michelle Obama in the Diplomatic Reception Room following a Let's Move event."
(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Mandela
June 21, 2011:
First Lady Michelle Obama meets with former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa at Mandela's home in Houghton, South Africa, June 21, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)
Joplin, Mo.
May 29, 2011:
President Barack Obama greets Hugh Hills, 85, in front of his home in Joplin, Mo., May 29, 2011. Hills hid in a closet during the tornado, which destroyed the second floor and half the first floor of his house. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Daycare
June 9, 2011:
President Barack Obama greets children at a day care facility adjacent to daughter Sasha's school in Bethesda, Md., following her 4th grade closing ceremony, June 9, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Tucson Shooting
Jan. 10, 2011:
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk towards the White House after observing a moment of silence for the victims of the Arizona shooting, on the South Lawn, Jan. 10, 2011. White House staff joined the President and First Lady for the moment of silence.(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
What's Up?
March 7, 2011:
President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia, and members of the Australian and American delegations look up at the presidential seal in the Oval Office ceiling following their bilateral meeting, March 7, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Inclement Weather
May 31, 2010:
"The skies opened up on Memorial Day outside of Chicago. When the lightning began, the Secret Service told the President that it was too dangerous to proceed. He took the stage by himself and informed the audience that his speech was canceled and that for everyone's safety, they should return to their busses. Later, he boarded a few of the busses to thank them for attending and apologized for not being able to speak." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Power Walk
July 20, 2010:
President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron walk across the South Lawn of the White House, July 20, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Oil Spill
May 28, 2010:
President Barack Obama and Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolf, left, inspect a tar ball as they look at the effect the BP oil spill is having on Fourchon Beach in Port Fourchon, La., May 28, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Finally
March 21, 2010:
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior staff, react in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, as the House passes the health care reform bill, March 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
First Pitch
March 31, 2010:
President Barack Obama practices his pitching form with personal aide Reggie Love and Jake Levine in the Rose Garden of the White House, March 31, 2010. The President threw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day of the baseball season prior to the game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies.
3D
Feb. 1, 2009:
"During a Super Bowl watching party in the White House theatre, the President and First Lady join their guests in watching one of the TV commercials in 3D." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Bo
March 15, 2009:
"The Obama family was introduced to a prospective family dog at a secret greet on a Sunday. After spending about an hour with him, the family decided he was the one. Here, the dog ran alongside the President in an East Wing hallway. The dog returned to his trainer while the Obama's embarked on their first international trip. I had to keep these photos secret until a few weeks later, when the dog was brought 'home' to the White House and introduced to the world as Bo." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Moment Of Reflection
Jan. 20, 2009:
"President-elect Barack Obama was about to walk out to take the oath of office. Backstage at the U.S. Capitol, he took one last look at his appearance in the mirror." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Snowball Fight
Dec. 19, 2009:
"Snowball in hand, the President chases Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel on the White House colonnade. To escape, Rahm ran through the Rose Garden, which unfortunately for him, was knee-deep in snow." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Nobel
Dec. 10, 2009:
President Barack Obama looks at the Nobel Peace Prize medal for the first time at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Presidential Trio
Jan. 16, 2010:
"President Obama had called on the two former Presidents to help with the situation in Haiti. During their public remarks in the Rose Garden, President Clinton had said about President Bush, 'I've already figured out how I can get him to do some things that he didn't sign on for.' Later, back in the Oval, President Bush is jokingly asking President Clinton what were those things he had in mind." (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Wounded Warriors
Oct. 8, 2009:
President Barack Obama watches as members of the National Naval Medical Center's Marine Wounded Warrior basketball team play on the White House basketball court, Oct. 8, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Shoot The J
Oct. 8, 2009:
President Barack Obama takes a shot during a game with Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress on the White House basketball court, Oct. 8, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Grand Canyon
Aug. 16, 2009:
President Barack Obama looks at the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Aug. 16, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Ted Kennedy
April 21, 2009:
President Barack Obama and Sen. Ted Kennedy walk down the South Lawn sidewalk at the White House April 21, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The Pope
July 10, 2009:
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on July 10, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Punch
July 13, 2009:
President Barack Obama feigns a punch while talking about health care reform with Nancy-Ann DeParle, Peter Orszag, Phil Schiliro and Larry Summers in the Outer Oval Office, July 13, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Teasing
June 26, 2009:
President Barack Obama jokingly reacts to news that staffer Nora Becker will be leaving to pursue a joint MD and PhD in healthcare economics, during the White House staff picnic on the South Lawn, June 26, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Nancy Reagan
June 2, 2009:
President Barack Obama and former First Lady Nancy Reagan walk side-by-side through Center Hall in the White House, June 2, 2009. To the left of Mrs. Reagan hangs her official White House portrait as First Lady. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Cairo Visit
June 4, 2009:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recounts a story to President Barack Obama, Senior Advisors David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, outside the Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The Sphinx
June 4, 2009:
President Barack Obama tours the Egypt's Great Sphinx of Giza (left) and the Pyramid of Khafre, June 4, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Behind The Camera
Feb. 18, 2009:
President Barack Obama takes aim with a photographer's camera backstage prior to remarks about providing mortgage payment relief for responsible homeowners at Dobson High School, Mesa, Ariz., Feb. 18, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
First Day
Jan. 21, 2009:
President Barack Obama walks into the Oval Office for his first full day in office, Jan. 21, 2009. His Personal Aide Reggie Love stands nearby. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
United States President Barack Obama has commended both Apple and Intel for creating jobs within the country.
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Public release date: 8-Feb-2013
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