Patient Access Solutions Acquires Stake in Oil Remediation Company

Deal With Global Environmental Remediation Solutions Extends PAS’ Reach Into Marine Industry While Offering Innovative Solution to Gulf’s Oil Spill Cleanup

PR Newswire — September 14, 2010

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Patient Access Solutions, Inc. (Pink Sheets: PASO), a leading provider of digital pen and paper technologies for the healthcare industry, announced today that its DPAS Division has acquired a 25 percent ownership in Global Environmental Remediation Solutions, LLC, a Florida-based company specializing in oil spill cleanup technologies. The combination of technologies and intellectual property positions DPAS to access an industry that achieved over $15 billion in revenue and had 23 percent growth worldwide during 2009.

Global Environmental has developed a unique multi-dimensional oil remediation technique for the hundreds of miles of low-lying marshlands on the Gulf coast that have been devastated by the spill. Its proprietary boat design effectively goes into the shallow waters, where the current oil cleanup boats cannot get to, and uses its own oil skimming solution and transfer system to combat the various types of oil that are being found in the area. Global Environmental’s system uses positive displacement to clean the thick crude oil, an inductor venturi collection for the tar balls as well as centrifuge separation for the less concentrated oily water. The key to the unique design is this multi-collection process and shallow water capability that leaves the least amount of impact on the already fragile ecosystem in the marshlands. The vessel can work in waters from as little as 12 inches, and Global Environmental is currently working on a deep water reclamation system for cleanup at depths up to 1,000 feet.

“We’re finding that there is no one type of oil spill we’re running across in the Gulf, and therefore there is no one fix to collect and clean it,” said James Doll, president of Global Environmental Remediation Solutions. “You have to be able to multi-task when you’re out there, change up the collection process on the fly to handle whatever it is you come across, and our new technology handles that the best we’ve seen so far.”

DPAS is simultaneously developing a marine application for its digital pen and paper technology, based on Anoto technology, so boat operators, marine biologists and more can collect information on waterproof paper, such as amounts of oil being collected and separated, environmental observations, etc. When the pen is placed in its docking station, the written information is uploaded electronically to the agency’s computer system and instantly the hand written information becomes usable data for tracking and accountability.

“We are very excited about the acquisition of Global Environmental Remediation Solutions because it provides a natural pathway for the use of our digital pen and paper solutions into the marine industry,” said Bruce Weitzberg, president and CEO of Patient Access Solutions. “It’s often not possible, nor most efficient or smart to be using a laptop or PDA in marine environments. Our digital pen and now waterproof paper (manufactured by Rite in the Rain) make it fast and easy to document progress and keep accurate records.”

The fragile, shallow-watered marshlands of the Gulf Coast are at the epicenter of the oil spill, and if unchecked, that destruction threatens to undermine the world’s seventh-largest estuary. They serve as wildlife breeding grounds and offer shelter and feeding for 5 million migratory birds a year, according to state data. The wetlands also absorb and filter out pollutants and help slow storm surges, which is vital to the area.

“The collapse of coastal marshes is an international economic and ecological calamity, and we are committed to aiding in the remediation and cleanup process with DPAS’ help,” added Doll. “If these marshes are destroyed by oil, it could mean huge losses for the area’s seafood industry and a reduction in the area’s already fragile barrier against a hurricane storm surge.”

DPAS has outlined a number of additional potential maritime opportunities for its digital pen and waterproof paper solution, including marine biology and environmental industries where researchers and practitioners spend time in wet areas often under inclement weather conditions to make observations and record data; fishing industries; flood zones; and more. “We think this partnership between DPAS and Global Environmental will open up some very exciting revenue opportunities for Patient Access Solutions and expand our reach beyond healthcare, finance and hospitality into some other very lucrative industries. In addition, the Gulf of Mexico is not the only geographic location threatened by potential oil spills, so we intend to be well positioned to handle such situations throughout the world,” added Weitzberg.

About Patient Access Solutions, Inc.

Patient Access Solutions, Inc. (PAS) is a Healthcare Solutions Company which has created a formidable array of technology, resources and allies to enable it to become an agent of radical change in what has traditionally been a slowly evolving healthcare information technology environment. The Company’s products are designed to allow health care providers an easy migration to the EMR environment. Among these products are D-PAS, which is a state-of-the-art digital pen and paper technology based on Anoto technology and created by the Swedish IT company Catrel AB, used to capture hand written information into digital forms and EMR systems and PAS Data Center, which is a terminal solution that allows health care providers to quickly and easily determined benefit eligibility. More information on Patient Access Solutions, Inc. and its products can be viewed at www.pashealth.com.

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the companies, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among other things, the following: general economic and business conditions; competition; unexpected changes in technologies and technological advances; ability to commercialize and manufacture products; results of experimental studies; research and development activities; changes in, or failure to comply with, governmental regulations; and the ability to obtain adequate financing in the future. This information is qualified in its entirety by cautionary statements and risk factors disclosure contained in certain of Patient Access Solutions Inc. Securities and Exchange Commission filings available athttp://www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Patient Access Solutions, Inc.

Subject Codes: PC/t.100914091516066, PT/lang.en, PC/ticker, IN/OTC, IN/HEA, IN/ENV, IN/MAR, IN/CPR, IN/STW, SU/TNM, RE/New_York, RE/Florida, PC/priority.r, PC/category.f, PC/class.1240, PC/WAVO_….c., PC/APT_….c, PC/trade_c, PC/wavo5_c, PC/class.1253, PC/WAVO_….p., PC/APT_….p, PC/trade_p, PC/wavo5_p, PC/class.1245, PC/WAVO_….h., PC/APT_….h, PC/trade_h, PC/wavo5_h, PC/class.1278, PC/class.1187, PC/WAVO_.y…., PC/APT_.y…, PC/city_y, PC/wavo2_y, PC/DataFeat_natl3, PC/port_32, PC/Billing_FC1, PC/Billing_IRW, PC/Billing_NYM, PC/Billing_RWB, PC/Billing_TNW, PC/1stAcc_964722, PC/bureau_NY, PC/port_01, PC/port_96, PC/port_31, PC/port_33, PC/port_19, PC/port_91, PC/contact, PC/website, PC/id_NY64368

Company Codes: PASO.PK, OTC-PINK:PASO, PASO.PK

SkiStar Swedish Open

Place: Bastad, Sweden
Dates: July 12-18, 2010
Draw Size: S-28 D-16
Purse:  € 398,250
Tier: ATP World Tour 250
Surface: Red clay / Outdoors

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

ORDER OF PLAY

CENTRE COURT
[6] Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) vs. Pablo Cuevas (URU)
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) vs. [WC] Christian Lindell (SWE)
[5] Tommy Robredo (ESP) vs. Michal Przysiezny (POL)
[Q] Jerzy Jankowicz (POL) vs. [Q] Ervin Eleskovic (SWE)

COURT 1
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) vs. Maximo Gonzalez (ARG)
Andreas Seppi (ITA) vs. Marcel Granollers (ESP)
[3] L Friedl (CZE) / F Polasek (SVK) vs. M Gonzalez / S Prieto (ARG)
[2] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) vs. P Luczak (AUS) / A Siljestrom (SWE)

COURT 2
Stéphane Robert (FRA) vs. [Q] Jonathan Dasnieres de Veigy (FRA)
[7] Denis Istomin (UZB) vs. [Q] Franco Skrugor (CRO)
S Robert / F Serra (FRA) vs. F Fognini (ITA) / P Riba (ESP)

                                 **********************

Mercedes Cup

Place: Stuttgart, Germany
Dates: July 12-18, 2010
Draw Size: S-28 D-16
Purse:  € 398,250
Tier: ATP World Tour 250
Surface: Red clay / Outdoors

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

It's all random, but it sure seems like it's country vs. country day Tuesday in Stuttgart (weather permitting)

ORDER OF PLAY

CENTER COURT
[WC] Bjorn Phau (GER) vs. [Q] Victor Crivoi (ROU)
Simon Greul (GER) vs. Michael Berrer (GER)
[6] Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs. Florian Mayer (GER)
[5] Albert Montanes (ESP) vs. Philipp Petzschner (GER)
[7] Gilles Simon (FRA) vs. [WC] Dustin Brown (JAM)

ENBW COURT
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) vs. [Q] Ivan Navarro (ESP)
Jérémy Chardy (FRA) vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP)
Horacio Zeballos (ARG) vs. Andreas Beck (GER)
[2] J Brunstrom (SWE) / M Mertinak (SVK) vs. M Chiudinelli (SUI) / S Stakhovsky (UKR)

GRANDSTAND
Eduardo Schwank (ARG) vs. Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG)
[Q] Pablo Andujar (ESP) vs. [Q] Bastian Knittel (GER)

TBA:
[1] M Kohlmann (GER) / J Melzer (AUT) vs. F Mayer (GER) / R Wassen (NED)

Introduction to Finland

Finland is a highly developed nation with a tiny population and some of the most pristine landscape in Europe. Some of the best things to do here are hike through the national parks, jump into a spa or sauna or watch the northern lights dance in Lapland. The capital, Helsinki, is one of the safest and most convenient cities in the world and the small towns and cities outside of Helsinki are comfortable and rich in history. Finland was long a country of hunters and trappers and actually just recently became a fully-fledged nation — compared with other European nations — so if you go here, the natural beauty will probably be the biggest draw.

Visas & Passports

Passports are required to enter and leave Finland. Visas are not required for US citizens for visits of less than 90 days. For longer visits, contact the nearest Finnish embassy.

Obtaining a US passport
The US Government Website is where to start.

Visa information
The Finnish Embassy in Washington has links and contacts to Consulates near you.
Finland currently promotes theSchengen Visa on their Embassy website, this visa allows you to travel through 25 different European countries.

American Offices
Provides consular assistance to U.S. citizens
The American Embassy in Finland
Itäinen Puistotie 14 B
00140 Helsinki
Finland

Finland Tourist Information

Culture and History
This far northern region of the world has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. After the last Ice Age ended and the glaciers receded, hunters and gatherers roamed the forests, bay and mountains of present-day Finland fishing its plentiful waters and hunting the bountiful game. These hunters settles here and carried on with their lives for the next 5000 years until the Bronze and Iron Ages ushered in contact with neighboring Scandinavian and Baltic cultures. There was an inevitable mixing of the peoples, but no one is sure when the Finns began speaking Finnish or how. The language is relayed to Ugric (Hungarian) and as such has Central Asian roots, but since the region was largely inhabited by trappers, hunters and fishermen, it is unclear what the course of history was. In the 13th century, Swedish kings entered the region and established their control. For the next 600 years, Finland became a battleground between the Russian and Swedish Empires and when they were not at war, they occupied Finland, incorporating the land and its people into the empire.

During these years, Finnish was the language of the “lower class” and only in the 17th century did the first Finnish language literature appear. After the Russians occupied and held Finland into the 19th century, a national movement arose along with a greater appreciation of the local language: Finnish was granted equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.
When the Russian Tsars ceased to exist after the October Revolution in 1917, Finland found itself “independent” for the first time in 1000 years. At the time, the country was divided between the Right Wing (Whites), supported by Imperial Germany and the Social Democrat (Reds), supported by The Bolshevist Russia i.e. the future Soviet Union. A civil war tore the country apart and left deep scars in the psyche of the people that last to this day. The Whites emerged victorious and imprisoned, disenfranchised and executed their former enemies.

An independent Finland formed a republic and began land and economic reforms that lasted into the 1930s and the beginning of WWII. The Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland was the first major test of the new nation and after dealing the Soviets several crushing defeats, the Finns were recognized by the international community for their tenacity, bravery and determination and the Finns themselves gained a stronger sense of self. Unfortunately, the international community was all talk and no action, so Finland has to cede large  parts of land to the USSR after the war. During the Cold War, Finnish politicians kept a cozy relationship up with the USSR, even though Finland as not a member of the Warsaw Pact and had a market-based economy. After the USSR collapsed in 1989-90, Finland searched for trading partners to make up for the loss of revenue and entered a depression that lasted much of the 1990s. Today Finland is a quiet little country with a sound economy, well-cared for environment and an aging population that tries to keep to itself.

Currency in Finland
Finland uses the Euro

Driving in Finland
There are no big issues for Americans who want to drive in Finland. The roads are in good condition and Finland recognizes national driver’s licenses accompanied by a Finnish translation. The biggest worry you might have is driving in winter, when the roads become icy and visibility drops.  AlltravelFinland has a helpful breakdown of things you need to know before you drive here. 

Electricity in Finland
Americans will need to have a converter for their appliances here — Finland uses the Europlug Type C (two round plugs) and operates on 220-230v

Emergency Numbers in Finland
Like the other 27 countries of the EU, Finland uses 112 for their emergency calls — here is a link to more information about emergencies in Finland, how to make the call and what to expect.

Etiquette in Finland
Finns are generally conservative, self-sufficient and egalitarian. Women are equals in language, custom and practice and it is appropriate to greet the wife first when meeting a married couple. If a Finn invites you for a dip in the sauna, accept. Always. Other small tips such as avoiding body contact with new accquaintences, keeping your word and avoiding ostentatious behavior can be read here at Kwintessential or here at Ediplomat.

Public Hours in Finland
Longer business hours apply in Finland for most shops — 8am – 8:30pm during the week, depending on the shop. Shops are usually open on Saturday from 9am to 3pm or as late as 6pm. For more information check out Finland-Travel.

Safety
Helsinki was once rated the World’s Second Safest City. Outside of Helsinki the crime rate drops considerably — although the capital will have a few shady nightlife areas, Finland is for the most part a very safe place to travel. Nevertheless, practice common sense concerning money, drinking and important documents.

Time Zone
The time zone in Finland is GMT + 2:00, you can find more information here at Greenwichmeantime.com

Tipping in Finland
Tipping neither expected nor encouraged. The price given is usually fair and appropriate and giving any more than that is unnecessary. We would recommend giving tips only in exceptional cases.

Weather in Finland
Finland is between the coastal climate zone that includes the rest of Scandinavia and the Asian continental climate zone which includes Russia. This makes weather patterns in the country subject to quick and extreme changes, especially in winter. Generally, winters are cold and wet while summers are hot and slightly rainy. There can be serious extremes in summer or winter so be sure to check up on Wunderground.com or Finland’s own Climate site for specific information.

Getting Around Finland

Air Transportation
There are direct flights to Helsinki from New York and San Francisco, contact Finnair for more information. From within Europe, direct flights can be spendy, but there are budget carriers such as RyanAir that might offer good deals. Most other airlines in Europe have flights to Helsinki, here is a list — you can check your local or favorite airline for deals.

Boats and Ferries
The best way to get to Finland is via Ferry from one of the Scandanavian countries, Germany and Estonia. The ferry ships are outfitted for fun and comfort and the scenery is great. There are several sites that offer ferry information and ticketing, including Karavaanarit, Finnguide and Directferries.

Rail
Land routes to Finland are long and expensive and involve ferry rides anyway, so why not just take the ferry? There are overland border crossing between Sweden and Finland and it is possible to book a bus ticket to Finland from Continental Europe, but it really makes no sense. If you are determined to do so, Eurolines is your best bet. If you are in Norway, Lapin-Linjat has all of the connections. Within Finland, there are good bus connections between Helsinki and other major and minor towns and cities, the best place to book those tickets is Matkahuolto.

Car Rental
It might be a good idea to rent a car in Finland for your trip. All major rental companies are available in Helsinki and you can book before hand through their websites or through a host of local agencies.

Health

Personal Medications
No permit is required to carry medication in your luggage for personal use. However, you should pack your medication in its original containers and/or have your doctor’s prescription with you. Customs officials will have to be satisfied that you are not importing more than would be necessary for your personal use, taking into account the drug type and length of stay (for no more than three months). Finnish clinics and hospitals are generally considered to be excellent — they are available for 24 hour emergencies and most hospitals will have English-speaking staff. The US Dept. of State has more information as well as links.

Lodging in Finland

Visit Finland has complete information for accommodations as well as trip planning, major sights and more. The tourism industry in Finland is highly developed, it is possible to stay in rural B&Bs, high end hotels, resorts or backpacking hostels.

Main Sights of Finland

Lemmenjoki National Park — gold panning center of Finland and a wilderness for trekkers
Oulanka National Park — treks through forests and gorges with waterfalls and rivers on all sides
Old capital of Turku — historic first university and church
Mikkeli — WWII military center of operations, freshwater fishing heaven and provincial town on the beautiful Lake Saimaa
Helsinki — capital and center of modern Finnish life
Lapland — removed from the rest of the world and lit up by the aurora borealis for six months out of the year

Public Holidays in Finland

Finland keeps many of the traditional religious holidays and not much more. Midsummer’s Eve is a big holiday in Finland.

1 January     New Year’s Day          
6 January     Epiphany         
Good Friday     Friday before Easter Sunday
Easter Monday     The day after Easter Sunday
1 May     May Day     
Ascension Day      39 days after Easter Sunday
Pentecost     49 days after Easter Sunday
Midsummer Eve    Friday between 19 June and 25 June     
Midsummer Day    Saturday between 20 June and 26 June          
All Saints’ Day    Saturday between 31 October and 6 November          
6 December     Independence Day     
24 December     Christmas Eve     
25 December     Christmas Day         
26 December     St Stephen’s Day

Telephones in Finland

Mobile phones are very common in Finland and it is a good idea to buy a second-hand phone at a mobile phone shop or R-kiosk upon arrival along with a SIM card — this will be the cheapest and most convenient option if you are calling people within Finland. Expat-Finland has more information

Useful Country Codes:
USA and Canada 1
UK 44

Returning to the US

Finland’s Customs, VAT refund and Duty Free Regulations adhere to EU-wide standards for Americans leaving the EU. You can find more specific information here by reading the Finnish Customs publications. VAT is 22% for most goods and services.

The reigning WPS champions took the field yesterday and Tasha Kai wasted no time in beginning the defense of their title.  Kai’s goal early in the game held up through a late flurry of chances by Chicago to give Sky Blue FC a win on opening day.

Neither club was able to muster a dangerous chance before Kai’s goal in just the sixth minute of play.  The ball pinged around in the midfield before Carli Lloyd was able to toe poke the ball through to Heather O’Reilly.  O’Reilly slotted a ball through Chicago center backs Kate Markgraf and Ifema Dieke to Kai.  Kai took a touch before slotting a right footed shot to the far post to put the home side up 1-0.

Chicago’s best scoring opportunity came in the 40th minute when former Sky Blue FC midfielder Julianne Sitch brought down a Brittany Klein cross but her volley was deflected just wide by Keeley Downing.  The ensuing corner kick caused a little bit of chaos as the ball pinged around in the Sky Blue area before being cleared out to O’Reilly.

The two teams would go into the locker room with Sky Blue FC holding onto their 1-0 lead.

Chicago continued to press coming out of the locker room, when an Ella Masar back heel found Katie Chapman but the Sky Blue backline was able to poke the ball away before she got a shot off.

Sky Blue almost added to their lead in the 64th minute as a Heather O’Reilly cross connected with Kai but the Chicago defense was able to do enough to allow Loyden to collect the ball.

The hosts had several opportunities late in the game to add an insurance goal with a Jessica Landstrom  shot going straight at Loyden in the 75th minute and a Heather O’Reilly cross just barely being punched away from the Swedish forward in the 89th minute.

They were able to weather the storm as Chicago had several chances to tie the game in the latter stages.  The win puts Sky Blue into a three way tie for first place with St. Louis and Boston.  They will take on Marta and the rest of the FC Gold Pride this Saturday April 17 at Castro Valley Athletic Stadium at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT.

SCORING SUMMARY:

NJ: Tasha Kai 1 (Heather O'Reilly) 7'

Sky Blue FC — Karen Bardsley, Keeley Dowling (Danielle Johnson, 88'), Daphne Koster, Brittany Taylor, Meghan Schnur, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Yael Averbuch (Rosana, 66'), Kacey White, Laura Kalmari, Tasha Kai (Jessica Landstrom, 73')

Substitutes Not Used: Kiersten Dallstream, Katie Schoepfer, Meagan Snell, Ashley Thompson

Chicago Red Stars — Jillian Loyden, Marian Dalmy, Kate Markgraf, Ifeoma Dieke, Whitney Engen (Jessica McDonald, 87'), Kosovare Asllani, Katie Chapman, Brittany Klein, Julianne Sitch (Karen Carney, 66'), Ella Masar (Casey Nogueira, 78'), Cristiane

Substitutes Not Used: Natalie Spilger, Kelsey Davis

TEAM STATS:

Photo Courtsey of www.womensprosoccer.com/ny and stats courtsey of www.womensprosoccer.com

Peer review has been put under strain by conflicts of interest that would not be allowed in most professions

In a unique experiment, The Guardian has published online the full manuscript of its major investigation into the climate science emails stolen from the University of East Anglia, which revealed apparent attempts to cover up flawed data; moves to prevent access to climate data; and to keep research from climate sceptics out of the scientific literature.

As well as including new information about the emails, we will allow web users to annotate the manuscript to help us in our aim of creating the definitive account of the controversy. This is an attempt at a collaborative route to getting at the truth.

We hope to approach that complete account by harnessing the expertise of people with a special knowledge of, or information about, the emails. We would like the protagonists on all sides of the debate to be involved, as well as people with expertise about the events and the science being described or more generally about the ethics of science. The only conditions are the comments abide by our community guidelines and add to the total knowledge or understanding of the events.

The annotations - and the real name of the commenter - will be added to the manuscript, initially in private. The most insightful comments will then be added to a public version of the manuscript. We hope the process will be a form of peer review. If you have a contribution to make, please email climate.emails@guardian.co.uk.

The anonymous commenting facility under each article will also be switched on so that anyone can contribute to the debate.

Scientists sometimes like to portray what they do as divorced from the everyday jealousies, rivalries and tribalism of human relationships. What makes science special is that data and results that can be replicated are what matters and the scientific truth will out in the end.

But a close reading of the emails hacked from the University of East Anglia in November exposes the real process of everyday science in lurid detail.

Many of the emails reveal strenuous efforts by the mainstream climate scientists to do what outside observers would regard as censoring their critics. And the correspondence raises awkward questions about the effectiveness of peer-review - the supposed gold standard of scientific merit - and the operation of the UN's top climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The scientists involved disagree. They say they were engaged not in suppressing dissent but in upholding scientific standards by keeping bad science out of peer-reviewed journals. Either way, when passing judgment on papers that directly attack their own work, they were mired in conflicts of interest that would not be allowed in most professions.

The cornerstone of maintaining the quality of scientific papers is the peer review system. Under this, papers submitted to scientific journals are reviewed anonymously by experts in the field. Conducting reviews is seen as part of the job for academics, who are generally not paid for the work.

The papers are normally sent back to the authors for improvement and only published when the reviewers give their approval. But the system relies on trust, especially if editors send papers to reviewers whose own work in being criticised in the paper. It also relies on anonymity, so reviewers can give candid opinions.

Cracks in the system have been obvious for years. Yesterday it emerged that 14 leading researchers in a different field - stem cell research - have written an open letter to journal editors to highlight their dissatisfaction with the process. They allege that a small scientific clique is using peer review to block papers from other researchers. Many will see a similar pattern in the emails from UEA's Climatic Research Unit, which brutally expose what happens behind the scenes of peer review and how a chance meeting at a barbeque years earlier had led to one journal editor being suspected of being in the "greenhouse sceptics camp".

The head of the CRU, Professor Phil Jones, as a top expert in his field, was regularly asked to review papers and he sometimes wrote critical reviews that might have had the effect of blackballed papers criticising his work. Here is how it worked in one case.

A key component in the story of 20th century warming is data from sparse weather stations in Siberia. This huge area appears to have seen exceptional warming of up to 2C in the past century. But in such a remote region, actual data is sparse. So how reliable is that data, and do scientists interpret it correctly?

In March 2004, Jones wrote to Professor Michael Mann, a leading climate scienitst at Pennsylvania State University saying that he had "recently rejected two papers [one for the Journal of Geophysical Research and one for Geophysical Research Letters] from people saying CRU has it wrong over Siberia. Went to town in both reviews, hopefully successfully. If either appears I will be very surprised." He did not specify which papers he had reviewed, nor what his grounds for rejecting them were. But the Guardian has established that one was probably from Lars Kamel a Swedish astrophysicist formerly of the University of Uppsala. It is the only paper published on the topic in the journal — or indeed anywhere else — that year.

Kamel analysed the temperature records from weather stations in part of southern Siberia, around Lake Baikal. He claimed to find much less warming than Jones, despite analysing much the same data. Kamel told the Guardian: "Siberia is a test case, because it is supposed to be the land area with most warming in the 20th century." The finding sounded important, but his paper was rejected by Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) that year.

Kamel was leaving academic science and never tried to publish it elsewhere. But the draft seen by the Guardian asserts that the difference between his findings on Siberia temperatures and that of Jones is "probably because the CRU compilation contains too little correction for urban warming." He does not, however, justify that conclusion with any detailed analysis.Kamel says he no longer has a copy of the anonymous referee judgments on the paper, so we don't know why it was rejected. The paper could be criticised for being slight and for not revealing details about its methods of analysis. A reviewer such as Jones would certainly have been aware of Kamel's views about mainstream climate research, which he had called "pseudo-science". He would also have known that its publication in a journal like GRL would have attracted the attention of professional climate sceptics. Nonetheless, the paper raised important questions about the quality of CRU's Siberian data, and was a rare example of someone trying to replicate the Jones's analysis On those grounds alone, some would have recommended its publication.

Kamel's paper admits the discrepancy "does not necessarily mean the CRU surface record for the entire globe is in error." But it argues that the result suggests it "should be checked in more regions and even globally." Phil Jones was not able to comment on the incident.

Critics of Jones such as the prominent scpetical Stephen McIntyre, who runs the Climate Audit blog have long accused him of preventing critical research from having an airing. McIntyre wrote on his web site in December: "CRU's policies of obstructing critical articles in the peer-reviewed literature and withholding data from critics have unfortunately placed issues into play that might otherwise have been settled long ago." He also says obstructing publication undermine claims that all is well in scientific peer review.

Dr Myles Allen a climate modeller at the University of Oxford and Prof Hans von Storch, a climate scientist at the Institute for Coastal Research, in Geesthacht, Germany signed a joint column in Nature when the email hacking story broke, in which they said that "no grounds have arisen to doubt the validity of the thermometer-based temperature record since it began in about 1850." But that argument is harder to make if such evidence, flawed though it might be, is actively being kept out of the journals.

In another email exchange CRU scientist Dr Keith Briffa initiates what looks like an attempt to have a paper rejected. In June 2003, as an editor of an unnamed journal, Briffa emailed fellow tree-ring researcher Edward Cook, a researcher at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, saying "Confidentially I now need a hard and if required extensive case for rejecting [an unnamed paper] – to support Dave Stahle's and really as soon as you can. Please." Stahle is a tree-ring professor from the University of Arkansas. This request appears to subvert the convention that reviewers should be both independent and anonymous.

Cook replied later that day: "OK, today. Promise. Now, something to ask from you." The favour was to provide some data to help Cook review a paper that attacked his own tree-ring work. "If published as is, this paper could really do some damage," he said. "It won't be easy to dismiss out of hand as the math appears to be correct theoretically, but it suffers from the classic problem of pointing out theoretical deficiencies, without showing that their improved [inverse regression] method is actually better in a practical sense."

Briffa was unable to comment. Cook told the Guardian: "These emails are from a long time ago and the details are not terribly fresh in my mind."

Jones did not restrict his harsh criticism of papers he saw as flawed to pre-publication reviews. He and Mann also had a reputation for harsh criticism of journals that published papers they disagreed with.

In March 2003, Mann discussed encouraging colleagues to "no longer submit [papers] to, or cite papers in" Climate Research. He was angry about that journal's publication of a series of sceptical papers "that couldn't get published in a reputable journal", according to Mann. His anger at the journal had evidently been building for some time, but was focussed in 2003 on a paper published in January that year and written by Harvard astrophysicists Willie Soon and Sally Balunias. The pair claimed that Mann's famous hockey stick graph of global temperatures over the last thousand years was wrong. After analysing 240 studies of past temperatures from tree rings and other sources, they said "the 20th century is neither the warmest century over the last 1000 years, nor is it the most extreme". It could have been warmer a thousand years before, they suggested.

Harvard press-released the paper under the headline "20th century climate not so hot", which would have pleased lobbyists against the climate change consensus from the American Petroleum Institute and George C Marshall Institute, both of which had helped pay for the research.

Mann told me at the time the paper was "absurd, almost laughable". He said Soon and Balunias made no attempt in the paper to show whether the warmth they found at different places and times round the world in past eras were contemporaneous in the way current global warming is. If they were just one-off scattered warm events they did not demonstrate any kind of warm era at all. Soon did not respond to Guardian Requests to discuss the paper.

The emails show Mann debating with others what he should do. In March 2003, he told Jones: "I believed our only choice was to ignore this paper. They've already achieved what they wanted - the claim of a peer-reviewed paper. There is nothing we can do about that now, but the last thing we want to do is bring attention to this paper."

But Jones told Mann: "I think the skeptics will use this paper to their own ends and it will set [the field of paleoclimate research] back a number of years if it goes unchallenged." He was right. The Soon and Balunias paper was later read into the Senate record and taken up by the Bush administration, which attempted to get it cited in a report from the Environmental Protection Agency against the wishes of the report's authors.

Persuaded that the paper could not be ignored, Mann assembled a group of colleagues to review it. The group included regular CRU emailers Jones, Dr Keith Briffa, Dr Tom Wigley and Dr Kevin Trenberth. They sent their findings to the journal's editorial board, arguing that Soon's study was little more than anecdote. It had cherry-picked data showing warm periods in different places over several centuries and had provided no evidence that they demonstrated any overall warming of the kind seen in the 20th century.

The emails reveal that when the journal failed to disown the paper, the scientists figured a "coup" had taken place, and that one editor in particular, a New Zealander called Chris de Freitas, was fast-tracking sceptical papers onto its pages. Mann saw an irony in what had happened. "This was the danger of always criticising the sceptics for not publishing in the peer-reviewed literature. Obviously, they found a solution to that -- take over a journal!"

But Mann had a solution. "I think we have to stop considering Climate Research as a legitimate peer-reviewed journal. Perhaps we should encourage our colleagues... to no longer submit to, or cite papers in, this journal. We would also need to consider what we tell or request of our more reasonable colleagues who currently sit on the editorial board."

Was this improper pressure? Bloggers responding to the leaking of these emails believe so. Mann denies wanting to "stifle legitimate sceptical views". He maintains that he merely wanted to uphold scientific standards. "Please understand the context of this," he told The Guardian after the scandal broke. "This was in response to a very specific, particularly egregious incident in which one editor of the journal was letting in a paper that clearly did not meet the standards of quality for the journal."

De Freitas defends his actions during the incident. "I was never ever found to have done anything wrong, even in rumpus over the Soon and Balunias paper. All accusations against me were fully investigated and my performance as editor of this journal was shown to be flawless."

But many on the ten-man editorial board agreed with Mann. They concluded that their colleague de Freitas had ignored the anonymous advice of four reviewers to reject the paper. There was a revolt. Their chief editor von Storch wrote an editorial saying the Soon paper shouldn't have appeared because of "severe methodological flaws". After their publisher Otto Kinne refused to publish the editorial, von Storch and four other board members resigned in protest. Subsequently Kinne himself admitted that publication had been an error and promised to strengthen the peer-review process. Mann had won his argument.

Sceptical climatologist and Cato Institute fellow Pat Michaels alleged in the Wall Street Journal in December last year that the resignations by von Storch and his colleagues were a counter-coup initiated by Mann and Jones. This is vehemently denied by von Storch. While one of the editors who resigned was a colleague of Jones at CRU, von Storch had a track record of independence. If anything, he was regarded as a moderate sceptic. Certainly, he had annoyed both mainstream climate scientists and sceptics.

Also writing in the Wall Street Journal in December, he said: "I am in the pocket of neither Exxon nor Greenpeace, and for this I come under fire from both sides – the sceptics and alarmists – who have fiercely opposing views but are otherwise siblings in their methods and contempt.... I left the post [as chief editor of Climate Research] with no outside pressure, because of insufficient quality control on a bad paper – a sceptic's paper, at that."

The bad blood over this paper lingered. A year later in July 2004, Jones wrote an email to Mann about two papers recently published in Climate Research - the Soon and Balunias paper and another he identified as by "MM". This was almost certainly a paper from Canadian economist Ross McKitrick and Michaels that returned to an old sceptics' theme. It claimed to find urbanisation dominating global warming trends on land. Jones called it "garbage". More damagingly, he added in an email to Mann with the subject line "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL".

"I can't see either of these papers being in the next IPCC report. Kevin [TRENBERTH] and I will keep them out somehow - even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!"

This has, rightly, become one of the most famous of the emails. And for once, it means what it seems to mean. Jones and Trenberth, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, had recently become joint lead authors for a key chapter in the next IPCC assessment report, called AR4. They had considerable power over what went into those chapters, and to have ruled them out in such a manner would have been a clear abuse of the IPCC process.

Today, neither man attempts to deny that Jones's promise to keep the papers out was a serious error of judgment. Trenberth told the Guardian: "I had no role in this whatsoever. I did not make and was not complicit in that statement of Phil's. I am a veteran of three other IPCC assessments. I am well aware that we do not keep any papers out, and none were kept out. We assessed everything [though] we cannot possibly refer to all literature... Both of the papers referred to were in fact cited and discussed in the IPCC."

In an additional statement agreed with Jones, he said: "AR4 was the first time Jones was on the writing team of an IPCC assessment. The comment was naive and sent before he understood the process." Some will not be content with that. The AR4 was indeed the first in which Jones had been a lead author, responsible for the content of a whole chapter. But Jones had been a contributing author to IPCC assessment reports for more than a decade and should have been aware of the rules.

Climate Research is a fairly minor journal. Not so Geophysical Research Letters, published by the august American Geophysical Union (AGU). But when it began publishing what Mann, Wigley, Jones and others regarded as poor-quality sceptical papers, they again responded angrily. GRL provided a home for one of a series of papers by McIntyre and McKitrick challenging the statistical methods used in the hockey stick analysis. When Mann's complaints to the journal were rebuffed, he wrote to colleagues in January 2005: "Apparently the contrarians now have an 'in' with GRL."

Mann had checked out the editor responsible for overseeing the papers , a Yale chemical engineer called James Saiers, and noted his "prior connection" with the same department at the University of Virginia, where sceptic Pat Michaels worked. He added, "we now know" how various other sceptically tinged papers had got into GRL. Wigley appeared to agree. "This is truly awful," he said, adding that if Mann could find "If you think that Saiers is in the greenhouse skeptics camp, then, if we can find documentary evidence of this, we could go through official AGU channels to get him ousted."

A year after the row erupted, in 2006, Saiers gave up the GRL post. Sceptics have claimed that this was due to pressure from Wigley, Mann and others. Saiers says his three-year term was up. "My departure had nothing to do with attempts by Wigley or anyone else to have me sacked," he told the Guardian. "Nor was I censured, as I have seen suggested on a blog posting written by McKitrick."

As for Mann's allegation, Saiers does not remember ever talking to Michaels "though I did attend a barbecue at his home back in the early 1990s. Wigley and Mann were too keen to conclude that I was in league with the climate-change sceptics. This kerfuffle could have been avoided if the parties involved would have done more to control their imaginations."

UK gas traders not worried by cold weather forecasts

Freezing temperatures in the UK this week are expected to tighten the gas supply-demand balance but gas prices will be capped by partially replenished mid-range storage and demand ceilings of around 420 million cubic meters/day, UK gas trading sources said Monday.

The Rough storage facility is down to 40% of capacity, and short-term storage capacity is also below 50%. The comparative levels held in storage now are far below levels seen even four weeks ago following prolonged heavy draws as the country dealt with the last spell of severe winter weather.

So far the gas market has absorbed the impact of the relatively cold winter without any significant impact on the curve, with summer 10 gas trading roughly stable at 33 pence/therm and winter 10 gas at 45.5 p/therm.

UK prompt power edges up on cold-induced hike in gas prices

UK power for delivery on the next working day inched higher Monday on a cold-weather induced increase in the price for natural gas, the fuel for over two-fifths of the country's power generation, although gains were limited on expectations that healthy margins could soak up any demand increase, traders said.

Working day-ahead baseload power rose 15 pence to GBP36.40/MWh ($56.67/MWh, Eur41.52/MWh) by 12:00 GMT, while day-ahead peak was flat around GBP40.25/MWh. . .

"There's so much plant out there right now that you could double demand and power would still trade off fuels," one trader said.

"We really need to see a chunk of cheap plant to come offline to see some action," the trader added.

Roundtable discussion of the top oil stories of the week (Podcast)

Peter Zipf, Beth Evans and Jeff Mower discuss the three top oil news stories of the week, including earnings results and how this relates to market developments, the new renewable fuels standard and biofuels approach, and the fiscal 2011 US budget, which may include a repeal of tax breaks for the oil and gas industry.

At least 5 dead in Connecticut power plant blast

Fire officials said a natural gas leak caused the blast during testing at the Kleen Energy Systems LLC facility, which was 95 percent complete and due to come online this summer as the largest electricity generating plant in New England.

As many as 200 workers were at the site on any given day and the exact number of dead and injured would not be known until each contractor provided a list of employees, Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano told a press conference.

Credit Suisse survey finds bearish sentiment on US gas prices

Energy investors surveyed by Credit Suisse are bearish on US natural gas prices in 2010, but bullish on natural gas stocks, Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Wolf said Friday.

Financial and energy professionals believe gas prices will average between $5 and $5.50/MMBtu this year, slightly below pricing suggested by the NYMEX futures curve. Credit Suisse surveyed attendees at the bank's Energy Summit in Vail, Colorado earlier this week.

The reason for the gloominess? Liquified natural gas, respondents indicated.

Cape Wind fight goes on

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar journeyed out into Nantucket Sound on a Coast Guard vessel last week to signal the Obama administration's readiness to put some muscle behind wind energy. To do that, Salazar has to resolve a battle over building a wind farm on 25 square miles of open water that has driven a rift between environmentalists, infuriated local Native Americans and threatened one of the administration's cherished priorities.

Iran’s President Moves Ahead on Uranium Processing

Iran’s president ordered his atomic scientists on Sunday to begin enriching their stockpile of uranium in order to power a medical reactor, a move that accelerated Iran’s brinkmanship over its nuclear program by moving the country closer to producing weapons-grade fuel.

Earth, wind and wire: Going beyond solar panels

Not long ago, people who wanted to generate their own green energy at home had to content themselves with rooftop solar panels. But new technologies -- and hefty government subsidies -- are now allowing homeowners to tap the wind, the Earth and other renewable sources in their own backyards. Call it the green evolution.

The cost of heating and cooling with fossil fuels has nowhere to go but up, thanks to rising global demand and increased regulation of carbon emissions. Turning one's home into a clean mini-power plant is getting cheaper and easier all the time.

CTA's Doomsday service faces its first rush hour

Predictable as it was that the threat of previous CTA service cuts would not be carried out, it was even more obvious there was no stopping them this time.

The questions now are:

What will it take to forge successful negotiations between CTA management and the transit agency's labor unions (since neither the city of Chicago nor the state of Illinois is willing to put skin in the game)?

How long will it take? Is Henry Kissinger or Al Sharpton available to help move things along?

How soon could full service be restored?

Canal expansion may spur switch to shipping

Chinese toys and sneakers headed to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. on the U.S. East Coast may bypass Warren Buffett's $33.8 billion railway as the expansion of the Panama Canal slashes the cost of shipping them by sea. The deeper, wider canal will allow A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, China Ocean Shipping Group Co. and other lines to ship more cargo directly to New York and Boston instead of unloading it on the West Coast for trains and trucks to finish the journey east. That could save exporters 30 percent, the canal operator said.

Wind industry picks up, but jobs decline

America's wind energy industry enjoyed a banner year in 2009, thanks largely to tax credits and other incentives packed into the $787 billion economic stimulus bill. But even though a record 10,000 megawatts of new generating capacity was created, few jobs were created overall and wind power manufacturing employment fell — a setback for President Obama's pledge to create millions of new "green jobs." Obama has long pitched green jobs, especially in the energy, transportation and manufacturing fields, as a prescription for long-term, stable employment and a prosperous middle class.
But those jobs have been slow to materialize, especially skilled, good-paying blue-collar jobs such as assembling wind turbines, retrofitting homes to use less energy and working on solar panels in the desert.

Gas price slump stings BG

UK-based integrated gas giant BG Group saw profits from continuing operations slip 15% year on year to £592 million in the fourth quarter of 2009 amid a sharp decline in natural gas prices.

Blizzard bumps oil prices

Oil prices reversed some of last week's losses today and rose from a seven-week low to near $72 a barrel, spurred by bargain hunting and hopes that a blizzard in the US mid-Atlantic region would boost fuel demand.

Santos unveils reserves bonanza

Australian independent Santos said it had boosted total proved and probable reserve at the end of last year by 42%, or 427 million barrels of oil equivalent, year-on-year to a total 1.44 million boe.

The company said reserves were plumped by a 60% year-on-year increase in proved and probable coalbed methane reserves to 3748 petajoules (about 100 billion cubic metres), which included its first booked reserves after entering the Gunnedah basin in 2007.

EPA lowers cellulosic ethanol standard for 2010

The US Environmental Protection Agency published guidance for the second phase of the renewable fuels standard (RFS2) Feb. 3, directing refiners to ensure that the gasoline pool contains 8.25% ethanol. 

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) required sales of 12.95 billion gal of renewable fuel in 2010. EISA created a second, expanded version of the RFS, known as RFS2. 

The RFS2 rules from EPA originally were scheduled for release Jan. 1, 2009, but EPA delayed the release until this year. 

For the first time, EPA announced volume standards for specific categories of renewable fuels. The 2010 cellulosic ethanol standard is 6.5 million gal, down from the 100 million gal that Congress established in 2007.

Cellulosic shortfalls of two companies led to RFS target cut: EPA

Two companies expected to produce the bulk of the earlier estimate, Cello Energy and Range Fuels, "have delayed or reduced their production plans for 2010," according to the EPA documents.

Cello and Range could not be reached for comment on Friday. . .

Uncertainties about Cello surfaced during a trial last summer where evidence was submitted that showed production from Cello's biodiesel plant did not contain any bio-based carbon. The company claimed it could turn cellulosic material, used tires and plastics into fuel, according to court documents.

US renewable, efficiency standard could save $113 billion: UCS

A federal renewable energy standard of 25% by 2025 combined with an energy efficiency standard of 10% by 2020 could save US electricity consumers $113 billion by 2030, the Union of Concerned Scientists said Friday in a new analysis.

The two standards also would boost renewable energy generation by 23%, the group said.

While job numbers proliferate, is 196,000 a good one?

The consulting firm Navigant said Thursday that by its estimates there are 196,000 people in the US currently employed in the renewable electricity industry.

Job numbers are often carelessly tossed around. Nonetheless, Navigant said in its study that if there is a 12% national RES established for 2014, there could be 67,000 more jobs in the sector by then. A 20% RES target in 2020 would add 191,000 jobs, and a 25% RES target for 2025 would add 274,000 jobs.

For 2025, with a 25% national RES, Navigant broke down the new jobs this way: 116,000 in the wind industry, 60,000 in biomass-related jobs, 50,000 in the solar sector, 34,000 in the hydro sector and 15,000 in the waste-to-energy area.

IADC/SPE: Project is devising autopilot drilling standards

A Research Council of Norway joint industrial project, AutoConRig, aims to develop standard communications for the drilling process, build a framework for autonomous machine control, and create and maintain explicit specifications of shared concepts among drilling centers, reservoir and production centers, operations and maintenance centers, environment centers, and field operations. 

AutoConRig, started in 2008, is part of a larger project, Integrated Operations in the High North, that plans to develop an advanced infrastructural framework of integrated operations off Norway.

Intervention boosts Beatrice field oil flow

he Ensco 80 jack up has moved off the field, which is in the Inner Moray Firth area, after refurbishing and restarting three wells tied into the Beatrice Bravo platform. Ithaca, operator of Beatrice field under a lease from Talisman Energy Inc., had expected the production boost to be about 500 b/d. 

The company attributed about 1,000 b/d of the incremental production to the B11 well, in which intervention included perforation across a previously untapped section of the Middle Jurassic Beatrice reservoir to access an undrained part of the field.

French refining industry situation 'critical'

The French refining industry faces a “critical” situation as part of a European system in which “between 10 to 15% of the 114 refineries should be shut down to restore a demand-supply balance,” says the leader of a trade group. 

Jean-Louis Schilansky, president of Union Francaise des Industries Petrolieres (UFIP), gave that assessment at a press conference Feb. 4 in Paris. 

In an industry outlook, Schilansky noted that demand for oil products in France last year dropped by 2.8% in a change he called “structural.” 

Refinery runs for all of last year fell to 72 million tonnes from 84 million tonnes in 2008 as margins diminished.

Valero buys Wisconsin ethanol plant

Valero Renewable Fuels Co. LLC has completed the purchase of a 110 million gal/year ethanol plant near Jefferson, Wis., from privately held Renew Energy. 

The purchase price is $72 million. Renew Energy filed for bankruptcy early last year after 6 years of operation.

Gas pipeline blown up in Quetta

Unknown miscreants have blown up a gas pipeline with explosives located on western bypass here in Quetta on Sunday, Geo news reported. According to police sources, the gas pipeline was under construction when unidentified men blew it up with explosives, but however, the explosion did not result in suspension of gas supply to area.

Nigerian militants say disabled Shell oil pipeline

A Nigerian militant group said on Sunday it had attacked a Royal Dutch Shell oil pipeline in the Niger Delta but the Anglo-Dutch company said it had no reports of any such sabotage.
The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), a coalition of ex-militants and community leaders, said in a statement it had disabled a trunk line in the Obunoma area of Rivers state connecting several flow stations to the Bonny export terminal.

Production in Dubai’s new oil field to begin in a year

The Media Office of the Dubai Government said today that the commercial production of oil from the newly discovered ‘Al-Jalilah’ oilfield will start in an year.

Research and initial exploration in the new deposit off the coast of Dubai located east of the existing Rashid oil field predicted the possibility of full scale commercial production within an year, said a statement from the Media office. Once operational the Jalilah Oilfield will be the fifth producing fields in the emirate since the oil was discovered in the sixties of the last century.

Fuel Subsidy: Governors Threaten Legal Action

Some state governments are preparing a legal action against the Federal Government for fuel subsidy deductions from the Federation Account which they claim are illegal and unconstitutional.

The past administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo had initiated the Petroleum Support Fund bill in 2006 to legitimise the deductions to fund the huge subsidy bill, but it is yet to be passed by the National Assembly.
 Also, because of the deregulation programme of the government, the bill is not likely to be pursued any longer as government will no longer be involved in the pricing of petroleum products.

The 36 states of the federation, 774 local councils and the Federal Capital Territory contributed over N1.3 trillion to the subsidy fund between 2006 and last year, although only Lagos, Rivers and Abuja enjoyed the benefit of paying N65 per litre of petrol before the current fuel crisis crept in.

Addressing the food versus fuel debate in Ghana

The lines between energy and agriculture are becoming more blurred. As science advances, the use of biofuels in most parts of the world has continued to increase. One thing that has gradually come to stay and is in recently times attracting significant foreign investment in Ghana is energy crops. The last four years has seen Norwegian, Brazilian, Dutch, Swedish, German and British firms all competing for farmland to grow energy crops in different parts of the country.

The Iraqi oil conundrum

Speculation that Iraq's production could - in the not too distant future - exceed that of Saudi Arabia may still represent Washington's main strategy for postponing future severe global energy shortages.

Shareholder group calls on BP to rethink oil sands project

OIL giant BP is facing calls by a shareholder group to review its plans to invest in major oil sands projects in Canada. FairPensions, which lobbies for companies to adopt "responsible investment practices", has filed a resolution it hopes will be voted on at BP's general meeting in April.

The resolution calls for the risk and audit committees at Europe's second largest oil explorer to review factors such as future carbon prices, potential regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and possible risks to its reputation it might face from investing in oil sands projects.

China's economy set to grow 10%

AN OFFICIAL Chinese economic think tank has predicted the country's economy will grow by around 10 per cent this year. The Centre for Forecasting Science predicted that first quarter growth equivalent to 11 per cent in the first three months of the year would slow slightly during the rest of 2010.

Falklands oil prospects stir Anglo-Argentinian tensions

It does not look like much: a jumble of pipes, containers and drilling equipment sitting on a windswept jetty at Port Stanley. The hardware, however, signals an imminent search for oil and gas that could turn the Falkland Islanders into south Atlantic oil barons, a prospect that has already triggered a dispute between Britain and Argentina.

Branson warns that oil crunch is coming within five years

Sir Richard Branson and fellow leading businessmen will warn ministers this week that the world is running out of oil and faces an oil crunch within five years.

The founder of the Virgin group, whose rail, airline and travel companies are sensitive to energy prices, will say that the ­coming crisis could be even more serious than the credit crunch.

Is diesel dead?

Diesel. Nasty oily stuff or thrifty saviour? Until fairly recently, you might have said that UK buyers were coming around to the second view.

In Europe, diesel's share of the new passenger car market has grown from 25 per cent to more than 50 per cent during the past decade, but in Britain, from a lower base, growth has been even faster during the same period (from 15 per cent to 43 and a bit). In recent months, though, Britain's love affair with diesel has lost its ardour.

China approves Gansu coal mining plan

Ningzheng mining region is located in eastern Gansu, covering an area of 1,100 square kilometers. The mining region was designed to produce 20 million tons of coal annually after construction, which will become one of the largest energy bases in Northwest China.

$60b Aussie coal deal inked

Australian coal and iron ore company Resourcehouse said over the weekend it had signed a record $60 billion coal supply deal with Chinese power stations, a move analysts said underscored Chinese companies' growing demand for energy to fuel the country's economic development.

Resourcehouse will supply 30 million tons of coal annually over 20 years to China Power International Development Ltd, a unit of major power producer China Power Investment Corp (CPI), Clive Palmer, chairman of the Australian company, said on Saturday.

China's railways send 5m passengers by Feb 6

China's railway network has transported 5.03 million passengers as of February 6, the eighth day of the country's annual Spring Festival transport peak lasting from January 30 to March 10 this year, said the Ministry of Railways (MOR) Sunday. The figure was 105,000 more than that in the same time last year, up 2.1 percent year on year, according to the MOR.

Coal exporters face low prices costly transport

Coal exporters face a tough year without the cushion of forward selling at higher prices that helped get them through 2009, and with their familiar problem of high rail transport costs persisting. Exporters may have to cut production as they did in 2008-09 if prices slump and they cannot shift coal to Asia.

Russia, one of the world's top five coal exporters to Europe and Asia, will ship about 8 percent more thermal coal in 2010 than last year but will battle for more than a slim profit margin, analysts and exporters said.

The Role of Oil in the Iraq War

In truth, the oil production level in Iraq has deteriorated during that period compared to its levels under the former regime. Also, Iraq’s recent openness to the international oil companies in 2009 was not matched by a noticeable openness to American companies. It was the Asian state-owned companies (especially from Malaysia and China) that had the lion’s share, and only two American companies, ExxonMobil and Occidental Petroleum, were awarded contracts. More importantly, the American companies did not broadly participate in two other Iraqi tenders. Their refrainment from competing with other companies was thus notable and remarkable, especially Chevron which withdrew in the last minute.

Government's switched on energy move

ALL Australian homes will soon have to undergo a mandatory energy-efficiency assessment costing up to $1500 per property. The assessment has to be done before any property can be sold or rented under new laws to tackle carbon emissions.

Can Martin Scorsese pull off a horror movie? Is Glasgow the new Venice? And what's Ricky Gervais up to in Reading? Our critics pick next year's hottest tickets

Film

Cemetery Junction

Having conquered Hollywood, Ricky Gervais is coming home. With his long-time collaborator Stephen Merchant, he has set out to create a British film in the tradition of Billy Liar and the Likely Lads – and of course his own masterpiece The Office – about three blokes working for the Prudential insurance company in Gervais's hometown of Reading. Released on 7 April.

A Single Man

The smart money says Colin Firth will be bringing home a certain gold, bald-headed statuette for his performance as a bereaved gay man in Los Angeles. Based on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood, the movie – fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut – follows one day in the life of Firth's literature academic as he confronts his own mortality. Released on 12 February.

A Prophet

Tahar Rahim is Talik, a scared young Arab guy in jail who is made an offer he can't refuse by Corsican mobster César, played by Niels Arestrup: he must murder a supergrass, or be killed himself. A gripping prison movie from French director Jacques Audiard. Released on 22 January.

Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese's much-anticipated new movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio was originally slated to come for autumn; the delay was reportedly due to its promotional budget getting credit-crunched. Anyway, better late than never. It's a mystery thriller with a generous spoonful of horror – a new generic twist for this master director. Released on 12 March.

The Headless Woman

A wealthy woman accidentally hits something in her car. Was it a dog? A person? She slips into woozy confusion, and the movie mimics the woman's disorientation and denial as she attempts to carry on with her life. An arthouse cult classic from Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel. Released on 19 February.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Edgar Wright is the British director who struck gold with Shaun of the Dead. Now he tackles his first proper Hollywood project – a wacky comedy based on the Bryan Lee O'Malley comic-book series. Michael Cera plays bass guitarist Scott Pilgrim, who, having fallen in love with a woman, must now do battle with her seven former boyfriends. Released on 27 August.

Father of My Children

A discreetly directed and superbly acted drama based on the tragic life of the French film producer Humbert Balsan. Grégoire is a much-loved mover-and-shaker in world cinema whose finances are crumbling. The ensuing crisis is brilliantly portrayed. Released on 5 March.

Visual art

Glasgow international festival of contemporary art

A huge, budget-melting installation by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel in the vast Tramway; a major new film by Gerard Byrne; works by Fiona Tan, Douglas Gordon, Linder and many more spread around Scotland's liveliest city, in the UK's best annual visual arts festival. Forget Edinburgh, forget Liverpool: this is the one. Venues across Glasgow (0141-287 8994, glasgowinternational.org), 16 April-3 May.

The Real Van Gogh: the Artist and His Letters

Van Gogh was erudite, intelligent, a great artist and an inveterate writer of letters. But he also did that thing to his ear, drank too much absinthe and killed himself. This show looks at his art in the light of his letters, recently published in English in full. Royal Academy of Arts, London W1 (020-7300 8000), 23 January-18 April.

Chris Ofili

Manchester-born Chris Ofili has rolled joints from elephant dung, made paintings decorated with dung, and moved on to territory that brings together German expressionism, Trinidadian myth, lovers, prophets, gods and ghosts. Promises to be blasphemous and inspiring, elegiac and sexy. Tate Britain, London SW1 (020-7887 8888), 27 January-16 May.

Jenny Holzer

There's more to American artist Holzer's work than an endless tickertape of words spelled out  in LED lights. There are billboards, benches, condom wrappers and paintings. This is poetry with a plug, light shows with literature, an art of anger and beauty. Baltic, Gateshead (0191-478 1810), 5 March-16 May.

Sixth Berlin Biennial

The Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art is always fascinating, and sometimes great. In a city infested with artists and overshadowed by history, it attracts fewer wannabes, hangers-on, art-surfers and arrogant airheads than Venice. Berlin is serious, the food is a joke, the weather uncertain and the art at the time of writing a complete mystery. Go anyway. Venues across Berlin (00 49 [0] 302 434 5910, berlinbiennale.de), 11 June-8 August.

Gauguin

Paul Gauguin, stock-broker turned post-impressionist and symbolist painter and sculptor, mystified Van Gogh, with whom he shared a house for a while. What an odd couple. Gauguin died in French Polynesia in 1903 at the age of 54. His art, however, is a time bomb, still ticking in the 21st century; and this is the first major show in Britain for 50 years. Tate Modern, London SE1 (020-7887 8888), from 30 September.

Pop

Whitney Houston

Houston's misadventures during the last decade made the likelihood of her touring again seem nil. But here she is playing her first UK dates since 1998, rehabbed and in robust voice – although her ability to hit those power notes has diminished somewhat. Which may be a good thing. MEN Arena, Manchester (0844 847 8000), 8-9 April. Then touring.

Green Day

Here's a thing: an overtly political US band who are big enough to play stadiums. Mind you, if Green Day's views weren't complemented by radio-friendly rock, their two British summer dates would probably be somewhere cosier. Old Trafford (0871 2200 260), June 16; Wembley, London (020-7403 3331), June 19.

The xx

It's all about understatement and nuance with this indie band, earmarked just about everywhere as 2010's ones to watch. Don't expect fireworks or obvious "wow" moments on their first major headlining tour: they and their acclaimed self-titled album are very much insidious pleasures. Komedia, Brighton (0845 293 8480), 1 March. Then touring.

Lily Allen and Dizzee Rascal

Lily and Dizzee have more in common than you would think: they easily rank with 2009's most successful British musicians, and she's as influenced by Rascal's hip-hop milieu as he is by the pop world she inhabits. MEN Arena, Manchester (0844 847 8000), 5 March; 02 Arena, London (0844 856 0202), 7 March.

Glastonbury

The daddy of them all celebrates its 40th anniversary, and Glasto virgins U2 will be among those braving the mud to celebrate. Sold out, but returns go on sale in the new year. Worthy Farm, Somerset, 23-27 June.

Jazz and world music

Jerry Dammers Spatial AKA Orchestra

Specials and 2 Tone co-founder Dammers pays tribute to mystic free-jazz bandleader Sun Ra, who died in 1993, with a mix of jazz, funk, reggae, dub, hip-hop and rock. The all-star lineup includes Nathaniel Facey, Zoe Rahman and Jason Yarde. Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry (024-7652 4524), 4 March. Touring until 9 April.

Dan Berglund's Tonbrucket

Swedish pianist Esbjörn Svensson's death in 2008 wound up popular jazz trio EST, but bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus ­ Ostrom visit not only EST's music, but Pink Floyd, Arvo Pärt and more in their new quartet. Queen's Hall, Edinburgh (0131-668 2019), 13 March. Touring until 1 April.

Wynton Marsalis

The prolific Marsalis and his Lincoln Center Orchestra celebrate 80 years of big-band history in three major concerts, with jams all over London, including the Vortex. Barbican, London EC2 (0845 120 7550), 17 and 18 June; Hackney Empire, London E8 (020-8510 4500), 20 June.

African Soul Rebels

Mali's Oumou Sangaré, famed for her bravely outspoken views, is one of the stars of the sixth African Soul Rebels outing. She's joined by the rousing big band Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, and the veteran South African experimental political band, Kalahari Surfers. Poole Lighthouse (0844 406 8666), 18 February. Then touring.

Ali and Toumani

The most eagerly awaited African album of the year, this is the final recording by the great Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré, and the kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté – recorded a few months before Touré's death. Out 22 February.

Dance

Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch

After the shock of Bausch's death this summer, her company has announced plans to continue under the joint direction of Dominique Mercy and Robert Sturm. In April, they come to London with Kontakthof, Bausch's 1978 meditation on love and human foibles. It will be performed by two radically different, alternating casts – one made up of senior citizens, the other of teenagers. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 1-4 April.

Mark Morris Dance Group

Morris made L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, an ecstatic embrace of a dance, more than 20 years ago; it still ranks as one of the great experiences in the repertory. Handel's score will be played and sung by members of English National Opera. Coliseum, London WC2 (0871-911 0200), 14-17 April.

Hofesh Shechter

The rise and rise of Shechter continues with Political Mother, a large ensemble piece that plays with definitions of shock and normality, and comes with Shechter's own score. Dome, Brighton (01273 709709), 20 and 21 May; Sadler's Wells, London EC1 (0844 412 4300), 14-17 July.

Merce Cunningham Dance Company

A posthumous season for the late, great Merce includes the UK premiere of the work he choreographed just months before he died. Nearly Ninety belies its title with a score including music by Sonic Youth. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 26-30 October.

Theatre

Arthur and George

David Edgar adapts Julian Barnes's gripping novel about a Birmingham solicitor who, after being convicted of a grisly crime, recruits the help of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Fact merges with fiction in a story that deals with race, innocence, guilt and spiritualism - with echoes of Sherlock Holmes. Rachel Kavanaugh directs what promises to be that rare thing: a necessary adaptation. Birmingham Rep (0121-236 4455), 19 March-10 April.

Peter Pan

David Greig relocates JM Barrie's masterpiece to a gas-lit Victorian Edinburgh. Director John Tiffany (Black Watch, The Bacchae) and designer Laura Hopkins are at the helm, so this Pan shouldn't simply fly, but soar. Kings, Glasgow (0844 871 7648), 23 April–8 May. Then touring.

Hamlet

Once again, it looks like we're set for a major battle of the princes. John Simm has first crack at the title in a Paul Miller production in the refurbished Sheffield Crucible. Then Rory Kinnear takes on the moody Dane, with Clare Higgins as Gertrude, directed by Nicholas Hytner at the National. Some people, recalling the very recent David Tennant-Jude Law clash, resent this duplication. I say: "Bring it on." Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (0114-249 6000), from September; Olivier theatre, London SE1 (020-7452 3000), from October.

Posh

Just in time for the general election, Laura Wade's new play deals with a group of Oxford hearties, all members of an elite student dining society. They hunt, booze, take illegal substances (possibly) and are, it seems, destined to rule over us. It's good to see Wade, who made a big impact with Breathing Corpses in 2005, resurrecting the class war in a topical Court production, directed by Lyndsey Turner. Royal Court, London SW1 (020-7565 5000), 9 April-22 May.

Oh! What a Lovely War

Joan Littlewood's timeless musical satire on the first world war gets its first major post-Iraq outing, with directors Erica Whyman and Sam Kenyon leading the troops over the top. Northern Stage, Newcastle (0191-230 5151), 6 March-27 March. Then touring.

The Persians

A Brecon military range becomes the setting for a site-responsive revival of Aeschylus's great play about war and defeat. Mike Pearson, who has been using found spaces with his legendary company Brith Gof long before it became fashionable, directs. Cilieni Village, Powys, Wales (01874 611622), 11-21 August.

Architecture

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford

Dynamic reconstruction of the famous 1930s theatre. New work includes a 1,030-seat modern take on a 17th-century courtyard stage, a revamped art deco foyer, a rooftop restaurant and a bridging tower linking old and new spaces. November.

Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany

Six rigorously geometrical new wings parade around four urban courtyards in this major extension by David Chipperfield of a fine museum devoted to 19th and 20th-century French and German art. The model of a modern building for a (hopefully) less wilfully ostentatious era. April.

Rolex Learning Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland

This exquisite Swiss building – a single, undulating floor boasting lake and mountain views – is a coming of age for Tokyo's Sanaa, designers of the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion. A science research centre that's as much landscape as architecture. February.

Television

Mad Men

The immaculately dressed alcoholic misogynists of the Sterling Cooper ad agency return to alternately horrify and entrance us. Nine months on, how is the company's merger with a London firm working out for boss Don, copywriter Peggy and co? And what state is Don's estranged wife Betty in? BBC4, from 27 January.

Glee

Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy's new musical comedy-drama about a high-school choir (the "glee club" of the title) is huge in the US. The club's show tunes and chart hits have sold millions, while viewers and critics have embraced the cast of engaging misfits (Murphy has a sharp eye for school dynamics, as fans of his shortlived cheerleader show Popular will recall). E4, from 11 January.

Money

This two-part slice of 1980s nostalgia, based on Martin Amis's novel, should offer a thought-provoking look at the era of flash cash and queasy living. Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shawn of the Dead) stars as anti-hero John Self in a cast that includes Mad Men's Pete (Vincent Kartheiser). BBC2, spring.

The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister

Maxine Peake (Shameless, Criminal Justice) plays a lesbian who keeps a coded journal of her love-life in a 19th-century Yorkshire village. Everything about this 90-minute drama screams "record", "hit" and "award-winning". BBC2, March/April.

Mistresses

Furtive hotel sex; frantic muffin-baking; guilty pinot grigio guzzling. This soapy drama about four Bristol thirtysomething women returns for a third series with some inspired new casting: Joanna Lumley joins as the bossy mother of muddle-headed doctor Katie, played by Sarah Parish. BBC1, late 2010.

Classical and opera

Mahler in Manchester

The most innovative celebration of Gustav Mahler's 150th birthday you'll hear all year: the Hallé and BBC Philharmonic's cycle of his symphonies, in which each symphony is paired with a new piece from an international line-up of composers, from Austrian surrealist Kurt Schwertsik to Parisian organist Olivier Latry. ­ Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (0161-907 9000), 16 January-5 June.

Placido sings Handel

Whoever thought you'd see this at Covent Garden? Placido Domingo takes the composer's greatest tenor role, Bajazet, in Tamerlano, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in the pit. Mouth-watering. Royal Opera House, London WC2 (020-7304 4000), 5-20 March.

Elegy for Young Lovers

English National Opera continues its part-time residency at the Young Vic with Hans Werner Henze's 1961 opera on crazed creative amorality in the Alps, with a libretto by WH Auden, and a production directed by Fiona Shaw. The only chance to see Henze, the greatest living opera composer, in the theatre in the UK this year. Young Vic, London SE1 (020-7922 2922), 24 April-8 May.

WNO's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

The operatic role of the year: Bryn Terfel sings Hans Sachs for the first time in Wagner's Meistersinger. It's a part he should play even more convincingly than the Wotan he sang in Covent Garden's Ring. This new staging by Richard Jones could be the one that cracks Wagner's complex comedy. Welsh National Opera, Cardiff (08700 40 2000), 19 June-10 July.

Total Immersion: Wolfgang Rihm

No composer alive has written as much music as Wolfgang Rihm; yet no major figure in new music is as shamingly unfamiliar to British audiences. With this two-day event, part of its Total Immersion series, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with the help of the London Sinfonietta and the Arditti Quartet, put that right. Barbican, London EC2 (020-7638 8891), 12-13 March.

Comedy

Dara O'Briain

From Three Men in a Boat to one man on a stage, TV favourite O'Briain takes to the nation's concert halls for a 64-date tour. A civilised and smart standup long before TV fame came calling, this is the Mock the Week anchorman's first tour in two years. Regent, Stoke (0844 871 7649), 1 March. Then touring.

Laura Solon

With her latest show, Rabbit Faced Story Soup, the winner of the last-ever Perrier award has turned her talent for creating comic characters into a comedy play about an ailing publishing house and its missing star novelist. Now she's taking it on a national tour. Junction, Cambridge (01223 511 511), 29 January. Then touring.

Pappy's Fun Club

The fast-rising young quartet take to the road with their Edinburgh 2009 hit show World Record Attempt: 200 Sketches in an Hour. It's less Fast Show, more nonsense cabaret, supplying music, anarchy and good cheer. Komedia, Brighton (0845 293 8480), 21 January. Then touring.

Chosen by Judith Mackrell, Michael Billington, Caroline Sullivan, Lyn Gardner, Jonathan Glancey, Peter Bradshaw, Adrian Searle, John Fordham, Robin Denselow, Brian Logan and Tim Lusher

Still in the eye of the media, Tiger Woods' sister-in-law Josefin Lonnborg was out for some last minute Christmas shopping in Stockholm, Sweden on Monday (December 21).

The twin sister of Elin Nordegren was looking cozy and warm in the cold Swedish weather while browsing the selections of interior design and Christmas decorations in the NK store.

Later on the same evening, the Swedish lawyer had dinner with mom, Barbo Holmberg, and family in Gavle.

Meanwhile, Elin will be joining her sister and the family in Sweden for Christmas in Sweden.

Gossip Center

Enjoy the pictures of Josefin Lonnborg out shopping in Sweden (December 21).

Section: Software + Apps, Miscellaneous, Third-Party, Widgets, iPod + iTunes, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone, iPhone SDK & Apps, Mac + Computers, Software

Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for December 16, 2009:

Macintosh

• Spiderweb Software has released Avernum 6 v1.0.1, a free update to their Indie Macintosh fantasy role-playing adventure. This upgrade fixes a handful of minor bugs and makes the game overall somewhat easier. Avernum 6 is a fantasy role-playing adventure set in Avernum, a nation of miners, adventurers, and misfits in an enormous series of tunnels far below the surface of the world. However, the combined blows of a devastating famine and an invasion of the savage, reptilian slithzerikai has at last threatened the survival of your homeland. Only you have the chance to lead your people to safety.
• app4mac has released the final version of Projector 2, a powerful project management application for Mac OS X. Projector provides all the tools you need for professional project management. It is designed to keep track of tasks and calculate a project’s cost. Whether your job calls for managing large construction projects, complex media activities or detailed time schedules, creating, tracking and managing your projects will be much easier.
• Widget Press, Inc. has introduced FormEntry 1.0 for Mac, their new form application development tool for Mac OS X. FormEntry features point and click development for iPhone and iPod touch applications. With zero programming required, creating form based applications for iPhone or iPod touch devices is now simple and straight forward. Drag and drop controls, add icons, update parameters and custom edit each post setting. And, build it all with a single mouse click.
• Maxprog has announced iCash 6, its personal finance and money manager for Mac OS X and Windows. iCash can serve several small accounting needs for either private users, clubs, associations, self-employed, or small business, making keeping track of incomes, expenses and Bank transactions a snap. Version 6 is available now in English, German, French, Swedish, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese on Maxprog website with a lot of new features and improvements.
• Goya has announced BaseElements 2.6, the latest update to the ultimate FileMaker Pro developer tool for analysing, documenting and completely cross-referencing every element in FileMaker Pro database systems. The integration of fmSearchResults adds a fast solution-wide search to BaseElements so that you can find any text used anywhere in your solution. Additionally, the new localisation functionality will extend its reach beyond the English speaking FileMaker world.
• Twelve South has introduced the SurfacePad, a super soft, ultra-thin layer of luxury leather that dresses up and protects the keyboard deck/wrist rest area of MacBook Pro from scratches, dirt and discoloration. SurfacePad is available now in Smooth and Pattern styles for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro. The retail price is $39.99 for both sizes, and the product is available immediately.
• Mythic Entertainment, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio, has sounded a rallying call for past players of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR) with their new Call to Arms Reenlistment Campaign. All past subscribers of WAR are invited to return to the game between December 16th-23rd to receive special in-game item rewards and ten (10) free days of game time to discover why WAR is now even better than ever!
• Tagtraum industries has announced beaTunes 2.1, an update to the popular iTunes library management and music analysis tool for Mac OS X and Windows. The new release features a 64Bit Mac version as well as increased speed, automatic lyrics import and improved duplicate detection. It can detect various types of metadata, such as beats-per-minute and musical key, as well as find and fix typos and inconsistencies such as misspelled artists and rarely used genres.

iPhone/iPod

• EyeTV 3 users can now stream live television over a 3G connection to an iPhone. With Elgato’s new EyeTV Live3G web app, you can watch live TV and EyeTV recordings anywhere. The web app connects your iPhone to your Mac at home. It uses state-of-the-art HTTP Live Streaming technology to deliver high quality video streams without sacrificing battery life. The Live3G web app is available immediately and is part of EyeTV 3.3, a free update for EyeTV 3 users. The web app complements Elgato’s recently introduced EyeTV app for the iPhone, which delivers live TV to an iPhone over a Wi-Fi connection.
• Strimko is a logical puzzle game based on the popular web-based puzzles of the same name. Constructed on a similar concept to the popular Sudoku, but with its own unique logic, it will provide a continuing challenge to puzzlers who are looking for a new type of puzzle. Strimko puzzles are compact which means that they are ideally suited to the the iPhone. All puzzles are hand-crafted by experienced puzzle designers to provide an ongoing challenge and attractive puzzle designs that will challenge experienced puzzlers, yet be accessible to casual players.
• Big in Japan has announced that ShopSavvy 1.1 for iPhone is now available for free download at Apple’s iTunes Store. The new and improved version of ShopSavvy features a number of enhancements based on feedback from iPhone users. ShopSavvy enables users to comparison shop on the go for more than 20 million products at more than 20,000 retailers worldwide, simply by scanning the product’s barcode using the phone’s built-in camera.
• Korotoff Republic has introduced Your name in Japanese 1.0, its completely new language translator for iPhone and iPod touch. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone’s unique capabilities and touch interface, “Your name in Japanese” is a transliteration table which maps English letters into Japanese sounds in a unique and systematic way. The application is useful for study purposes, such as the persons origins, as well as choosing a name or a nick suitable for them.
• Zicron Software Limited has introduced Gift Box 1.0, their new shopping and gift organizer for iPhone and iPod Touch. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique capabilities and touch interface, Gift Box serves uniquely as a gift notebook, allowing shoppers to take a photo of any item, keep track of how much it cost, and what store it was in. Collect gift ideas all year round, keep a personal wish list, email gift ideas to friends and family, and more.
• Obvious Matter has announced DiskLibrary 1.9.6, their easy-to-use disk cataloging solution for Mac OS X. DiskLibrary is indispensable if you have a lot of media to keep track of. DiskLibrary catalogs not just your complete file structure, it also creates thumbnails, and stores metadata, for most popular media formats. DiskLibrary is capable of importing export formats from CDFinder, FileFinder, WhereIsIt, DiskCatalogMaker X and DiskTracker. Version 1.9.6 offers many performance improvements.
• PressOK Entertainment has launched updates for both the Free and Full versions of Finger Physics, an insanely addictive puzzle game that pits your fingers against the, (supposedly) infinite power of the laws of physics. The new update, now available for download, adds 9 new levels to the Free version, and 27 new levels to the Full version of Finger Physics.
• Herp Games has announced that Defend Your Phone 1.1 is now available for download at Apple’s iTunes App Store. This major update introduces a tutorial and help system. The game combines two very popular game genres: The strategy and weapon upgrading from popular tower defense games and the finger flicking action from defend your castle games. The player has to defend his phone against waves of enemies that try to push it off the screen.
• Speed Forge Extreme, the high-speed 3D combat racing game for iPhone and iPod touch developed by RatSquare has hit the app store. Speed Forge Extreme combines high-speed combat and explosive on the iPhone and iPod touch. Race and Battle modes showcase devastating impacts, powerful weaponry and stunning 3D environments as players race hovercrafts over the Martian planet surface.
• Mission: Deep Sea, an underwater action-adventure game is now available. The year is 2016, and gamers play the role of a soldier who has a synaptic link to a loggerhead sea turtle. Innovative use of the touch screen allows players to use their fingers to move the turtle’s flippers in multiple directions as it navigates through stunning underwater environments.
• MyWeather, LLC, an industry-leading developer of digital weather and traffic content, is pleased to announce the release of Huafeng Weather for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. Huafeng is the only officially authorized weather services provider in China. Huafeng Weather has recently gained special notoriety for its inclusion in Apple’s TV commercial campaign There’s An App for That, now airing in Beijing, Shanghai and other select cities in China.
• CAZE has released animal print cases, new Swarovski crystal cases for iPhone 3G/3GS. Animal prints are hot this fall and winter, Zebra and Leopard print are classy and sassy without being trashy. CAZE believed this trend will remain strong in 2010 so they decided to embellish its Zero 5, the World’s Thinnest iPhone case, with Swarovski crystal in two most frequently used animal prints: Zebra and Leopard.
• Visit Paris, created by Geodio, allows you to discover the history of the France‘s capital city through 50 creative videos and a GPS system. Relive in pictures the building of Notre Dame cathedral, or the last days of doomed Queen Marie Antoinette. Meet Eiffel before his Tower, learn what’s under Sacré Coeur church, see where the Statue of Liberty was born, and the unknown Louvre…
• ColcaSac brings new-look Kindle cases and iPhone/iPod cases just in time for the holidays. Each ColcaSac sleeve is unique and a breath of fresh air from the carbon copy neoprene competition. Each design adds an original flavor unseen in Kindle, iPhone/iPod and MacBook sleeves today including the natural appeal of the original sleeve made from all-natural environmentally friendly fabrics. Review samples available.
• Disney Interactive Studios has announced the latest (and loudest) addition to its slate of Apps, The Muppets Animal Drummer [iTunes App Store link]. Available now on the App Store for $1.99 The Muppets Animal Drummer puts iPhone and iPod touch users in the drummer’s seat for a game that will test the skills of every wannabe rock drummer out there. Watch and listen to Animal play, then match Animal’s beat and timing to score points and unlock new songs.
• Tunewear has announced it is now shipping the GameHandle compatible with iPhone 3GS/3G and iPod touch 2G. GameHandle gives you a better grip on iPhone or iPod touch when playing action and racing games. Take your mind off the grip and put it into the game.
• GameFly would like to remind of their free iPhone app: GameCenter, the complete one stop destination for video game information, offering users access to information on more than 5,000 video games across all major platforms. The app offers up-to-the minute news, videos, screenshots, release dates, user reviews, gameplay controls, cheats, codes and more.
• Penpower Inc’s WorldCard Mobile App for the iPhone 3GS allows business users to take photos of business cards and have them inserted directly into the user’s contact book. The application recognizes cards in seven different languages making it the ideal iPhone app for the business user. WorldCard Mobile uses Penpower’s proven OCR technology to provide superior recognition quality, allowing for text detection from many cards other readers cannot access at much faster speeds.
• Marware is pleased to announce the ClearShell for the iPod nano 5G is now shipping. The ClearShell is made of clear and durable polycarbonate with a smooth finish. The ClearShell allows for easy access to the headphone jack, hold switch and dock connector, and the design makes inserting or removing your iPod nano a snap. Clear protection and a slim design let you show off your nano’s true colors. The ClearShell comes with Marware’s Lifetime Warranty.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Too Much or Too Little Water in the Himalayas

Adapting to increased risk of severe floods and droughts among new climatic realities for people in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas

Copenhagen, Nairobi, Kathmandu, 11 December 2009 – Hundreds of millions of people in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region and in the river basins downstream are being forced to adapt to a new reality: climate change.

Climate change is increasing uncertainty and the risk for extreme droughts interspersed with extreme floods that are challenging food security, housing, infrastructure, business and even survival.

Even hardy mountain populations, adapted for centuries to survival in extreme environments, are undergoing events so unprecedented that their traditional coping strategies are being overwhelmed by the events unfolding.

These are some of the main findings of a new study released today at the UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO).

The findings are based on five field teams in China, India, Pakistan and Nepal who took part in this unique collaborative pilot study to look at the realities facing mountain populations and hundreds of millions people downstream.

The acute experiences of people in this region are living proof of the pressures some societies are already enduring  as a result of the onset of climate change—adaptation here is not just a necessity but a question of local communities’ very survival,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director.

In Nepal, a country normally known as a country of water abundance, extreme droughts in some cases lasting years have impacted large parts of the country. People who can afford machinery respond by digging trenches in the dry river beds. Now the trenches and tube wells have to be guarded to protect them against those who cannot afford to get water this way, leading to increased inequality and conflicts in the society.

In Assam and Bihar in India, embankments built to contain the Koshi River have led to waterlogging, and even worse, cause catastrophic floods when they suddenly burst as a result of improper construction and inadequate maintenance. People who have settled closest to the embankments are the most vulnerable and take the heaviest toll.

“Policies that determine people’s access to resources when facing water stress and floods are currently weak throughout the region, thus people rely on their own innovations,” said Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD. “Governments have to find ways to support improved livelihood strategies, and increase people’s influence in the governance of infrastructure, such as embankments,” he added.

For the impoverished, everyday activities are focused on immediate survival, thus rendering the hope of developing long-term resilience and economic development even more remote, says the report.

In some places, necessity has forced local farmers to sell off livestock and land during droughts to pay short-term debts, to cope with elevated food prices, or to rebuild destroyed housing– resulting among others from extreme climate events and inadequate policies elsewhere in the world.

Traditional institutions, like the Gram in Chitral, Pakistan, help people to manage scarce water resources in an equitable way. In Pakistan, a near doubling of the population in just 40 years will also challenge the food production, which is mainly based on irrigation from rivers fed by meltwater from snow and glaciers in the mountains.

Social networks and cultures are an asset in dealing with the extremes, such as the designation of women as water guards in Yunnan province in China, to manage water conflicts.

Networks can also ensure that migrants find help, as in Chitral, Pakistan, where kinship and traditional hospitality help fellow villagers re-settle after catastrophes. But in some cases traditions can also challenge the need for new ways to adapt.

In Assam, India, non-Mishing people are unwilling to use the flood-tolerant housing techniques developed by the Mishing because they do not wish to be associated with another caste.

Traditionally, many of the government policies in the countries of the region have been sectoral in nature, such as the investments in irrigation infrastructure in Yunnan. These investments, focused on increasing cash crop production at the national level, have largely improved and strengthened lowland communities’ coping capacity and productivity – but they have not helped the up-land communities in dealing with water stress, as this was not their focus.

Similarly, road development in Nepal has increased market access and thereby supported new livelihoods, but has destroyed many traditional streams and wells, reducing local ability to cope with drought. Restoration programmes following droughts have frequently simply reconstructed buildings in high-risk flood zones, even new schools have been constructed in high-risk flash-flood locations.

A chief finding of the report is the need for governments to prioritise the development and improvement of national and regional policies to provide better support for local adaptation against a more extreme climate, helping to shift planning from acute survival towards long-term resilience. Many of the countries in the region, such as India, have assigned special institutions nationally to address disaster management.

“The report is ground-breaking in that it brings together best-practices aimed at increasing adaptation and resilience from across borders in Pakistan, India, Nepal and China,” Mr. Steiner said. “If the world is to deal decisively with climate change, we must also address the need for programmes targeted towards adaptation strategies to build long-term resilience. Local people already have to make choices daily, and governments with adequate international assistance must step up their efforts to support them in coping,” he added.

The report comes as the result of a two-year pilot assessment in the region, coordinated by ICIMOD, with partners from a range of institutions in China, India, Pakistan and Nepal, supported by expertise from UNEP’s polar and cryosphere centre in Norway, GRID-Arendal, and the Norwegian Center for International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO).

The study was performed through field teams who successfully conducted field investigations under challenging conditions in Chitral, Northern Pakistan, the hills of Koshi Basin, Nepal, Koshi Basin flood plains in Bihar, India, Brahmaputra flood plains in Assam, India, and in hill areas in Mekong and Salween river basins in Yunnan, China. The study was financed by the Norwegian and Swedish Governments.

Key Findings from the Report and Statistics on the Hindu-Kush Himalayan region:

• Extreme climate events are destroying crops, depleting water resources, causing losses in livestock, cropland, and agricultural productivity, and destroying the meagre infrastructure present, thus reducing market access and access to public services.
• Rainwater harvesting and revival of traditional and new water storage systems are crucial for water storage but must be adapted to the more extreme water events.
•  Improved government policies must be developed to support and facilitate local adaptation strategies and to increase long-term resilience, not just disaster management.
• Increased efficiency of irrigation and water use is urgently needed– a new Blue Revolution in Asia could increase water availability for crop production.
• Livelihood diversification increases resilience to extreme events as much as income level and should be supported through investments.
• Government policies must support and strengthen social capital and networks.

Some regional statistics:

• The warming in the Himalayas appears to be much faster than the global average, for example, 0.6 degrees Centigrade per decade in Nepal compared with the global average of 0.74 degrees Centigrade over the last 100 years. The rate of change is higher at higher altitudes.
• Glaciers are generally receding in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas, some 40-80% have been projected to be lost by the end of the century, with the exception of the Karakoram, where the glaciers have been more stable.
• The proportion of glacial melt in rivers varies from 2-50%, with mountain snow and ice being critical for much larger shares of the flow in some rivers.
• Irrigation water from rivers sustains nearly 55% of Asia’s cereal production and around 25% of the world cereal production, feeding over 2.5 billion people in Asia. Another UN report, “The Environmental Food Crisis”, warned that the melting glaciers and snow could jeopardize world food security and drive prices to unprecedented levels.
• The most serious short-term changes are probably related to the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events, such as high intense rainfall leading to flash floods, landslides, and debris flows, as well as extreme drought.
• The hydrological role of snow and ice from the mountains is particularly high for the Tarim, Syr Darya, Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Huang He (Yellow) rivers.
• Over 1.3 billion people live directly in watersheds critically dependent upon glacier melt, snowmelt and water from the Hindu Kush-Himalayas.
• An estimated 516 million people in China, 526 million people in India and Bangladesh, 178 million people in Pakistan and northern India, and 49 million people in Central Asia, including Xinjiang in China, are thought to be at risk from water shortages.
• Floods impact several million people every year in the region, and lead to thousands of casualties.
• The risk of glacial lake outburst floods (‘GLOFS’), the sudden bursting of natural dammed melt lakes at the mouth of glaciers, is increasing as glaciers continue to retreat; with a potential to destroy lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure up to 100 kilometers downstream.

Notes to Editors:

The report ‘Local Responses to Too Much and Too Little Water in the Greater Himalayan region’ can be accessed at www.unep.org , www.grida.no , or www.books.icimod.org, including low resolution graphics for free use in publications.

The report will be released at 13.30, 11 December, at the IIED Development and Climate days during COP15.

For more information, please contact

Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of Media, Mobile +41 795 965 737 Email: nick.nuttall@unep.org

Nira Gurung, Media officer ICIMOD, Tel: +977 1 5003222, Email: ngurung@icimod.org

Jackson radio show host, Jessika Baier, killed in early morning crash on I-94

Jessika Baier, 21, was heading west about 3:15 a.m. near Pierce Road in Washtenaw County’s Sylvan Township when her vehicle left the road, according to a Michigan State Police news release.

The vehicle traveled into the median and struck an embankment, which caused the vehicle to go airborne and overturn, according to the release, sent by a trooper at the Ypsilanti post.
Baier died at the scene, said state police Sgt. Tony Cuevas.

Cuevas said police do not know what caused her vehicle to leave the road. The road conditions were not bad and alcohol is not believed to be a factor.

Baier, who has won dozens of singing competitions over the last several years, was featured on American Idol earlier this year.

She competed against 300 contestants in Puerto Rico and was among the final 16 who performed in front of the show’s famed judges, including Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.

MLive

Adam Lambert Proves a Magnet for Controversy, if Not Viewers

Though an appearance by Adam Lambert on CBS’s “Early Show” — quickly orchestrated after ABC’s “Good Morning America” withdrew its invitation — generated no shortage of news media interest and polarized blog comments, it did not seem to have much impact on the ratings of either show.

According to ratings data provided by Nielsen, the Nov. 25 broadcast of “The Early Show,” on which Mr. Lambert was interviewed by Maggie Rodriguez and performed two of his songs (and got a shout-out from his mother) was watched by 2.61 million people, consistent with the show’s ratings earlier that week and the 2.63 million viewers it averaged after 7:25 a.m. in the four weeks prior.

NY Times

Adam Lambert Doesn’t Regret Raunch, Booked On Fox

Adam Lambert can’t say whether he will ever cause controversy again on national TV, but he has no regrets about his sexually explicit performance on last month’s American Music Awards.

Barbara Walters recently questioned the burgeoning pop star for her annual ABC special on the year’s 10 most fascinating people, and when she asked if he regretted the X-rated antics that got him in trouble, Lambert said, “No, no regrets.”

“To be honest with you, I just, adrenaline is a funny, funny thing,” Lambert told Walters. “And I got … I got really excited. You can’t plan everything — if I did a performance exactly how I rehearsed it, it would be so boring.”

Fancast.com

More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…

ABC rebounds from giving Adam Lambert the heave-ho

In the course of that interview, Babs suggested that the second Station of the Cross should be that Lambert perform on her talk show “The View” to demonstrate he can behave — except, of course, it’s taped. But “The View” will do a big number Thursday. Clever Babs.

Last week ABC dumped the “American Idol” runner-up from not one but two of its programs: “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and its “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” This was somewhat surprising since both air late at night, and the Federal Communications Commission pulls in its Decency fangs at 10 p.m.

Washington Post

Justin Bieber Covers Eminem, Twitpics With Jordin Sparks

Holiday radio festival season is in full effect, and not only does it give the opportunity for some of the most popular music artists to make the rounds during the holiday season, but it also gives them a chance to connect with each other. At the KDWB Jingle Ball in St. Paul, Minnesota, Justin Bieber and Jordin Sparks shared the bill and also spent some quality time backstage. They even snapped a picture together. “Look at our prom pic?” Bieber wrote to Sparks on his Twitter page. “Great show.”

MTV

Fallen American Idol Jessica Sierra Introduces Her New Baby!Fallen American Idol Jessica Sierra Introduces Her New Baby!

Fallen American Idol Jessica Sierra Introduces Her New Baby!

Radaronline

New CDs

ALLISON IRAHETA
“Just Like You”
(19 Recordings/Jive)

It arrived last week just after releases by Mr. Allen and Mr. Lambert, and Mr. Lambert’s controversial turn during the American Music Awards on ABC. Once again it seemed as if Ms. Iraheta was making the best out of a lesser spotlight. (Next week she’ll appear on that network’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in a slot originally intended for Mr. Lambert.) It’s no wonder that the best songs on “Just Like You” — including the title track and the lead single, “Friday I’ll Be Over U,” both by the Swedish hit maker Max Martin — deal with some aspect of being underestimated.

What remains to be seen, in light of Ms. Iraheta’s sturdily self-assured work here, is the standard by which she wants to be, you know, estimated. “Just Like You” is a workmanlike pop album with shrewdly punky touches, like a ready-made outfit from the mall chain Hot Topic. It flatters Ms. Iraheta as a singer but too often suggests other empowered female stars, like Pink (“Holiday”) or Brandi Carlile (“Don’t Waste the Pretty”) or Kelly Clarkson (“You Don’t Know Me”). And it’s dismaying how soon Katy Perry’s shtick has become a strategy. In the video for “Friday I’ll Be Over U,” Ms. Iraheta perches impishly on a giant pair of lips.

NY Times

David Archuleta talks about Baltimore show and his next album

David Archuleta has accomplished a lot in the year and a half since he finished second on season seven of American Idol.

He released a pop album last November that debuted at number two on the Billboard charts and quickly went gold.

He released a holiday album in October that debuted at number two on the Billboard holiday album chart, behind only Bob Dylan. It still ranks among the top 10 holiday releases.

York Dispatch

Rock in the New Year with ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’

Count down to the New Year with “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010,” featuring some of the top music acts of 2009.

Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas will return to host the Las Vegas-based party portions of the special, which will include performances by Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Keri Hilson, Colbie Caillat, Robin Thicke and Orianthi.

The bi-coastal celebration will include three and one-half hours of special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe, as well as the American tradition of Dick Clark counting down to midnight from Times Square in New York City.

ET Online

Carrie Underwood and her ‘All-Star Holiday Special’: What a nice seasonal surprise it was

Carrie Underwood has beaten the odds: at a time of the year when TV is clogged with Christmas specials, she managed to put one together that stood out. It had something for everyone — singing, sentiment, silliness, and sex. And she made its charms last for a full two hours.

At first, it was a little hard to see where the “holiday” in this An All-Star Holiday Special was going to apply. Underwood began by singing “Cowboy Casanova” attired in various tight black materials, with what looked like platform boots borrowed from KISS. Oh my, I thought, what a refreshing alternative to the seasonal red-and-green!

EW.com

PHOTO: See Carrie Underwood’s Bikini Body!

Carrie Underwood showed off her bikini body Monday during a vacation at the Cove Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

“Just thought I’d write and make you all jealous by telling you about the wonderful time I’m having in the Bahamas!” she wrote on her official fan club site this weekend. “It was a breezy 80 something outside and the sun was shining bright…I managed to get a nice little bronzy color today. I’m actually a wee bit burned, but it doesn’t hurt. I’ll have to break out the SPF tomorrow … This is the best vacation I have been on in a long time.”

US

American Idol Kevin Covais, Others to Sing in Nassau

The Nassau County Museum of Art presents its Celebrate the Season program on Friday, December 18 from 6 to 8 p.m., and Levittown resident Kevin Covais, famed for his American Idol performances, will be on hand to join a cast of singers and choral groups who will fill the air with music at the museum’s lawns right after the 6 p.m. holiday tree lighting.

About.com

‘Idol’ star Glocksen not idle

As “American Idol” prepares to kick off another season next month, Naperville residents may grow nostalgic for “their” idol — Gina Glocksen. Fortunately, within the next few months, anyone who misses hearing Glocksen sing will have plenty of opportunities to do so. She is releasing her first album in the coming weeks, touring in a holiday concert coming to the area and also performing in local venues with the Gina Glocksen Band.

Glocksen’s self-titled album, in which she co-wrote every song, has been in the works for two years as Glocksen tried to find the right people to work with. She has spent the past year going back and forth from Naperville to Nashville to record the album, at one point traveling almost every weekend. According to Glocksen, it will soon be available on iTunes as well as on her Web site www.rocktheglock.com.

Suburban Chicago News

Exclusive Photos: FROM THE ‘HOLIDAY OF HOPE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY’

THE SKINNY: The Hollywood/Highland Center recently held their annual Tree Lighting Ceremony HOLIDAY OF HOPE, which was a benefit for One Heartland.

Before the Tree Lighting ceremony there was a private VIP reception, with a silent auction, and featured intimate performances with Mitchel Musso (HANNAH MONTANA), Michael Johns and Kimberley Locke (AMERICAN IDOL). Also joining the stars for this event was Noah Munck, Ken Baumann, Ariana Grande, I’m OK You’re OK (who performed at the Tree Lighting Ceremony), Connor Gibbs, Jonathan Benett, Robbie Amell, Ryan Newman, Paige Hemmis, Eduardo Xol, Paul McGill, Markina Brown (Host of the Tree Lighting – she’s the weather girl on KTLA news), Brandon Tyler Russell, Joey Luthman, Jasmine Alveran, Olesya Rulin (HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL), Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (CAMP ROCK and FAME) and of course…SANTA!

If Magazine

One Hit Wonders

1. Daniel Powter
BAD DAY
Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” was used as the kiss-off song for the 5th season of “American Idol,” which gave the song enough juice to become the biggest single of 2006. The song went to No. 1 in April and stayed at the top for five weeks. But Powter’s good fortune didn’t last long; he hasn’t visited the Hot 100 since.

9. Bo Bice
INSIDE YOUR HEAVEN
Bo Bice won the hearts of “American Idol” viewers with “Inside Your Heaven,” which peaked at No. 2 in July 2005. After the cameras turned off, voters quickly tuned out. His next highest-charting single, “The Real Thing,” peaked at No. 56 in May 2006.

Billboard.com

FOX INVITES “AMERICAN IDOL” FANS TO SHARE THEIR VOICE AT WWW.FOX.COM/IDOLFANS

What is your all-time favorite IDOL moment? Who is your favorite IDOL? Who is your favorite judge? What has you most excited for the return of AMERICAN IDOL?

AMERICAN IDOL fans, now is your chance to sing the praises of IDOL by creating a video testimonial and uploading it to www.fox.com/idolfans. FOX is inviting IDOL fans 18 years of age and older to submit video testimonials sharing what they love about AMERICAN IDOL, to be evaluated for possible inclusion in an AMERICAN IDOL promotional campaign. For complete rules and submission guidelines, please visit www.fox.com/idolfans.

The Futon Critic

Video: Kara DioGuardi’s Vegas Birthday Extravaganza!

“American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi recently celebrated her upcoming birthday at LAVO at the Palazzo in Las Vegas! ET has the details.

Kara celebrated her big night at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Party with Jimmy Johnson and Tony Hawk.

Watch the video for more from Kara’s fun night, where she talks about Ellen DeGeneres joining “Idol” this season!

ETOnline

Paula Abdul: Simon Cowell is like a bully brother

Paula was ‘the heart of the show who nurtured and empathised. That was her role, and she was great at it,’ says Kara. So it’s no surprise that the former singer admits that she has struggled to come to terms with her decision to quit the show she adored.

‘I feel tremendously blessed to have made history with that show,’ she says. ‘I felt like I was a mama bear to cubs and I was there to protect them. I’ll miss that but I’ll be rooting on everyone.’

OK.co.uk

Simon Cowell’s first appearance on television

It’s 1990; the Berlin Wall has fallen, Mandela is free and Thatcher is hanging by a thread. The people of Britain ought by rights to be out in the streets, singing, hugging strangers and putting flowers in each other’s hair. Instead they are sat at home watching Sale of the Century, a gameshow offering inspiring prizes of useless, fell-off-the-back-of-a-truck tat at a reduced, cutting-me-own-throat price. The population are huddled round their televisions watching this glorified market stall of a programme, and little do they know they are about to witness the most significant and auspicious event that entire century could hope to offer. They are about to see Simon Cowell’s first television appearance.

Guardian.co.uk

Susan Boyle Gets Her Own TV Special

Top-selling recording artist Susan Boyle is the subject of an hour-long TV special, hosted by Piers Morgan.

Susan Boyle made history with the launch of her I Dreamed a Dream CD, which became the best-selling debut album by a woman. Now she will be featured in a one-hour TV Guide Network special, “I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story.”

“I’ve really enjoyed myself and I’m really enjoying making the show. I don’t want the dream to end — in fact, I want it to become a reality,” Susan says of the TV show.

ETOnline

HE’S BACK ON FACTOR WITH THESE THREE

His last X Factor appearance was a sweat-soaked shambles… with his bug-eyed dance routine even prompting whispers he was off his head on drugs.

But full credit to Robbie Williams – he’s going back on the show this weekend.

And he had better raise his game this time round because he is in mighty fine company.

Sir Paul McCartney, George Michael and Michael Buble have all agreed to appear as well.

Mirror.co.uk

‘Glee’ Star Caught Kissing Nikki Blonsky

Move over Zac Efron. ‘Glee’ actor Cory Monteith gave fans quite a surprise when he kissed ‘Hairspray’ actress Nikki Blonsky on the cheek at Marshalls & TJ Maxx’s ‘Carol-oke’ contest in Bryant Park. So what made him do it? “I put on antlers, and I go out of my mind,” Monteith jokes to PopEater about the friendly kiss.

Popeater