Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer points at President Barack Obama after he arrived at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. Brewer greeted Obama and what she got was a book critique. Of her book. The two leaders engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One?s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time. Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book." Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir that describes her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona?s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes. Brewer also handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation for Obama to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer points at President Barack Obama after he arrived at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. Brewer greeted Obama and what she got was a book critique. Of her book. The two leaders engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One?s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time. Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book." Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir that describes her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona?s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes. Brewer also handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation for Obama to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama arrives at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

President Barack Obama talks with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer after arriving at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. Brewer greeted Obama and what she got was a book critique. Of her book. The two leaders engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One?s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time. Asked what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book." Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir that describes her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona?s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes. Brewer also handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation for Obama to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama arrives at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

President Barack Obama signs autographs after arriving at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

MESA, Ariz. (AP) ? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer came to greet President Barack Obama upon his arrival outside Phoenix Wednesday. What she got was a critique. Of her book.

The two leaders could be seen engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One's steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time.

Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book."

Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir of her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona's controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes.

Obama was objecting to Brewer's description of a meeting he and Brewer had at the White House, where she described Obama as lecturing her. In an interview in November Brewer described two tense meetings. The first took place before his commencement address at Arizona State University. "He did blow me off at ASU," she said in the television interview in November.

She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. "I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and this little kid knows what the problem is and I felt minimized to say the least."

On the tarmac Wednesday, Brewer handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border.

"I said to him, you know, I have always respected the office of the president and that the book is what the book is," she told reporters Wednesday. She said Obama complained that she described him as not treating her cordially.

"I said that I was sorry that he felt that way. Anyway, we're glad he's here, and we'll regroup."

A White House official said Brewer handed Obama a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The official said Obama told her he would be glad to meet with her again. The official said Obama did note that after their last meeting, which the official described as a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation between the president and the governor.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-25-Obama-Arizona%20Governor/id-25f082208b104d4ab4ce4b8f6ca9c59d

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Europe poses global recession threat: IMF (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Europe's debt crisis could tip the world economy into recession and a bigger firewall is urgently needed to keep the damage from spreading, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

The IMF chopped its estimate for 2012 global growth to 3.3 percent from 4 percent just three months ago and warned it could drop as low as 1.3 percent if Europe lets the crisis fester for much longer. For 2013, it predicted growth of 3.9 percent.

"The epicenter of the danger is Europe but the rest of the world is increasingly affected," IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard said at a news conference. "There is an even greater danger, namely that the European crisis intensifies, and in this case the world could be plunged into another recession."

"With the right set of measures, the worst can definitively be avoided and the recovery can be put back on track," he said. "These measures can be taken, need to be taken, and need to be taken urgently."

The IMF called for swift action from the 17-nation euro zone, which it said would likely see its economy contract this year by 0.5 percent.

"The most immediate policy challenge is to restore confidence and put an end to the crisis in the euro area by supporting growth while sustaining adjustment, containing deleveraging, and providing more liquidity and monetary accommodation," it said in its latest World Economic Outlook report.

Blanchard and other top IMF officials emphasized repeatedly that Europe needs to bolster its rescue funds to win market confidence and lower yields on sovereign bonds so that countries like Italy and Spain can borrow at affordable rates.

Talks between private bond holders and the Greek government have foundered, raising the risk Athens could face a messy default that would touch off a deeper crisis. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warned on Monday that a failure to erect a larger wall against financial contagion could lead to a "1930s moment."

Jose Vinals, director of the IMF's Monetary and Capital Markets Department, said it was important to both increase the size of the Europe's current 500 billion euro rescue fund and its flexibility.

In addition to helping countries it should be able to take direct stakes in troubled banks "to break the link between national sovereign risk and national banks," he said.

SUPPORT FOR GROWTH NEEDED

The IMF maintained its 1.8 percent growth forecast for the United States in 2012, but said a pick up in spending could be offset if the turmoil in Europe grew.

It also cut its projection for Japan to 1.7 percent from September's 2.3 percent and urged Tokyo to be more ambitious in reducing its debt and implementing a consumer tax.

Economic activity in advanced economies would expand by 1.5 percent on average in 2012 and 2013, too sluggish to make a major dent in high unemployment rates, the Fund said.

Emerging nations are also feeling the pinch.

The IMF projected growth in emerging economies to slow to 5.4 percent this year, down from 6.2 percent last year and well below the 6.1 percent forecast in September, and it called on them to focus policies on lifting growth.

It cut China's growth figure to 8.2 percent for 2012, down from 9.0 percent. Chinese growth should rebound to 8.8 percent in 2013, it added.

For fast-growing emerging Asia as a whole, the IMF reduced its growth outlook for 2012 to 7.3 percent from 8 percent.

Elsewhere, the IMF said growth in the Middle East and North Africa should accelerate, driven mainly by a recovery in Libya after a nine-month civil war ended with the capture and killing of leader Muammar Gaddafi in October.

Global oil prices are likely to ease slightly in 2012 despite slowing world growth, the IMF said, adding that its baseline oil price projection was broadly unchanged since September when it forecast $100 a barrel.

Non-oil commodity prices are set to fall by 14 percent this year, the IMF said, adding that risks to prices are to the downside for most commodities.

In Africa, the effects of the global slowdown is likely to be limited to South Africa, with the region as a whole expanding by around 5.5 percent this year, second fastest after Asia.

The largest impact of the slowdown would likely be felt in central and eastern Europe, which has strong trade links with the euro zone economies, the IMF said. It revised down its estimate for the region to 1.1 percent in 2012 from a previous forecast of 2.7 percent. Growth should edged up to 2.4 percent next year, the IMF added.

(Additional reporting by Glenn Somerville and Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Neil Stempleman, Tim Ahmann and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/bs_nm/us_imf

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Intel offering affordable overclocking insurance ? Computer Chips ...

For all that it has changed over the years, overclocking still has its risks. You are, by definition, pushing processors past their intended operating point and while that generally won?t do any harm there is always the chance something could go wrong. Some individual chips can go further than other ones that are the same model, but happen to have been produced at another time, in another facility, or with a different stepping, so even if you do your research and cool properly, things can happen. Intel understands this and has enthusiasts covered, that is if they want to pony up the cash and pay for insurance.

Intel?s new pilot program for this is known as the Performance Tuning Protection Plan. Using this Intel-owning overlockers can pay between $20 and $35 to insure their enthusiast-level CPU ? from the Core i5 2500K on the low end and the Core i7 3960X on the high end. This covers X and K processors on LGA2011, Sandy Bridge (second generation Core architecture) or newer.

The chip?s standard three year warranty will still apply, but this plan will offer protection for times when the chip is running outside of normal circumstances. Basically, Intel?s normally warranty doesn?t cover your 5GHz LN2-cool weekend project rig, but the PTPP does.

Despite the availability of the PTPP Intel has not changed their official stance on overclocking. The company will offer no support or advise on pushing chips past their intended performance targets or recommended operating conditions.

The PTPP simply augments the buyer?s existing three-year warranty with extra protection. It?s a way for Intel to support enthusiasts while getting in on the lucrative extended warranty business, something every retailer understands quite well at this point (many savvy consumers avoid). Right now it?s just a six month pilot project, after which Intel will reevaluate the program, so we?ll see how it does. If you are doing any major overclocking you might want to considering signing up.

More at Intel

Source: http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/intel-offering-up-affordable-overclocking-insurance-20120119/

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Panetta: US 'fully prepared' for an Iran challenge (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The U.S. military is now "fully prepared" to deal with any Iranian effort to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Persian Gulf avenue for international oil shipments, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

At a Pentagon news conference, Panetta was asked whether, in light of Iran's threat to close the strait in retaliation for stronger international economic sanctions, Washington is adjusting U.S. forces in the region.

"We are not making any special steps at this point in order to deal with the situation," Panetta replied. "Why? Because, frankly, we are fully prepared to deal with that situation now." He noted that routine planning continues as the U.S. and its allies consider a range of potential Iran-related problems.

The Navy this month added a second aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle East, portraying it as part of a normal rotation and not a deliberate buildup of force. The carriers are the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Abraham Lincoln, under the control of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.

The U.S. has kept a continuous naval presence in the Gulf region for decades, but international concerns about a potential confrontation have grown amid tensions over the advancement of Iran's nuclear program.

The U.S. also has military forces in nearby United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and other Gulf nations.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the country's most powerful military force, says Tehran's leadership has decided to order the closure of the Strait of Hormuz if Iran's oil exports are blocked as a result of sanctions. A senior Guard officer said earlier this month that the decision has been made by Iran's top authorities.

Iranian politicians have made the threat in the past, but this was the strongest statement yet that a closure of the strait is official policy.

In his remarks at the Pentagon, Panetta said he still holds out hope for a diplomatic solution with Iran.

"It takes two to be able to engage, and we've always expressed a willingness to try to do that," he said. "But we've always made clear that in terms of any threats to the region, in terms of some of the behavior that they've conducted in the region, that we'll also be prepared to respond militarily if we have to."

In what some view as a sign of concern about aggravating tensions with Iran, the U.S. and Israel have postponed what Panetta has called the largest-ever U.S.-Israeli air defense exercise. It was supposed to be conducted in April.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said on Monday the postponement was a "joint" decision with Washington. "The thinking was it was not the right timing now to conduct such an exercise," he said. He refused to elaborate.

Asked about this Wednesday, Panetta said Israel's defense minister, Ehud Barak, had approached him to suggest the delay "in order to be able to plan better." Panetta said the decision had nothing to do with Iran.

Israel's ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, issued a statement Tuesday saying the delay "stemmed solely from technical issues." He said the exercise, dubbed "Austere Challenge 2012", would be held in the second half of this year.

___

Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_bi_ge/us_us_iran_military

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Rock Hall of Fame opens archives to public (AP)

CLEVELAND ? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened its new library and archives to the public on Tuesday to give scholars and fans access to the stories behind the music through such "artifacts" as personal letters from Madonna and Aretha Franklin and 1981-82 video of the Rolling Stones tour.

The collection, catalogued over the last few years, includes more than 3,500 books, 1,400 audio recordings and 270 videos, and is housed in the new four-story, $12 million building.

Thousands more books and recordings and hundreds of videos will be added as previously stored items and new donations are catalogued, said Andy Leach, director of the library and archives.

"We hope to serve music scholars, teachers, students and the general public," Leach said. "We hope to see all of them here."

Tuesday's opening of the building on the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, not far from the Rock Hall, occurred without a lot of fanfare. The low-key opening allows the public to enjoy the library before a grand opening April 9. The college funded the building and the Rock Hall financed construction and furnishings of its interior.

The library also offers photos, albums and covers, oral histories and scrap books.

Leach said the Rock Hall has done a great job of telling the story of rock `n' roll. He said he sees the library as bringing the museum more recognition and showing "it to be a serious place of research."

The library collection also includes movie posters, photos and memorabilia related to Alan Freed, the DJ credited with coining the phrase rock `n' roll; a handwritten list by Elvis Presley of songs included in one of his concerts; and personal letters from Mick Jagger.

Visitors will not be allowed to check out items, but anyone can use the library reading room to browse through books, listen to audio recordings and watch videos. A smaller archives reading room allows supervised access to certain items.

Steve Waksman, an associate professor of music and American studies at Smith College in Massachusetts, did research at the library prior to its opening for his book on the history of American live music.

"It was very useful, with material that I haven't found anywhere else," Waksman said Tuesday. "They had a lot of material regarding the stage sets of music performers from the `60s and the `70s, such as David Bowie and the Rolling Stones."

Elizabeth Papp Taylor, 53, of Shaker Heights, was at the library opening day.

"I'm looking forward to coming back for a look at the archives, but my first visit was exciting," she said in a phone interview. "It's very impressive."

___(equals)

Online:

http://library.rockhall.com/

___

Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_en_ot/us_rock_archives

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Asian stocks sink after Europe credit downgrades (AP)

BANGKOK ? Asian stocks sank Monday after a ratings downgrade rattled Europe and crucial talks aimed at nudging Greece toward solvency were mired in disagreement.

Benchmark oil prices were slightly higher near $99 per barrel and the dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index slid 1.5 percent to 8,372.67 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1 percent at 19,021.85. South Korea's Kospi index dropped 1.1 percent to 1,855.95.

Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and mainland China also fell.

Standard & Poor's decision Friday to strip France of its top-notch credit rating and to downgrade eight other nations that use the euro battered investment sentiment, raising fears that a solution to the continent's sovereign debt crisis may be far off.

Negotiations between the Greek government and its private creditors on a bond swap nearly collapsed Friday. The deal would reduce Greece's debt by euro100 billion ($127.8 billion) by swapping private creditors' bonds with new ones of a lower value.

Without the swap, debt-crippled Greece is unlikely to secure a second financial bailout ? which could hurtle the country into bankruptcy and send economic shock waves around the world. Greece's first bailout came in 2010.

"There is growing risk of a disorderly default by Greece, with talks reportedly breaking down after private sector creditors could not agree on the coupon level of fresh bonds," said Stan Shamu of IG Markets in Melbourne, Australia.

"With a euro14.4 billion bond repayment due in March, and without restructuring in place, the entire sum would fall, making it increasingly likely that Greece will default," Shamu wrote in a email.

Improving monthly machine orders in Japan did little to stem worries. Core private sector machinery orders, excluding shipbuilding and electricity, rose 14.8 percent in November. That was the fastest growth since January 2008, the government said.

Some analysts said they believed that dealers had largely factored in the risk of a Greek default in their trades and were more concerned about what simmering tensions in the Middle East and Nigeria might do to oil prices.

The U.S. is trying to rally global support for sanctions against Iran for its alleged efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil exporter, has vowed to retaliate by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, the passage for one-sixth of the world's oil.

That could send prices skyrocketing and feed inflation in the U.S. and potentially hinder its fragile recovery from the Great Recession.

Meanwhile, a threatened strike by oil workers in Nigeria, a top oil supplier to the U.S., has further complicated the picture. The threat is in response to the government's decision to end fuel subsidies, which more than doubled the price of gasoline in a country where most people live on less than $2 a day.

"Inflation is just around the corner," said Tom Kaan of Louis Capital Markets in Hong Kong. "That to me is a bigger concern than Europe. Europe isn't going to be resolved in a year's time or three year's time. I think Greece will go into default and then you will have a two-tiered Europe."

Financial-related shares headed lower amid worries that the eurozone debt crisis could put pressure on bank lending. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. fell 2.4 percent and Hong Kong-listed Agricultural Bank of China lost 1.4 percent.

In Australia, Platinum Asset Management fell 2.6 percent after the fund last week forecast a drop in profit. But Leighton Holdings jumped 4.4 percent after the construction giant upgraded its underlying profit forecast.

Japanese exporters continued to suffer on the back of a strong yen, which reduces the value of profits earned overseas. Sharp Corp. dropped 3.2 percent, and Sony Corp. fell 2.3 percent. Mazda Motors Corp. was down 3.1 percent.

In energy trading, benchmark oil rose 17 cents to $98.87 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 40 cents to close at $98.70 per barrel in New York on Friday.

The euro fell to $1.2643 from $1.2670 late Friday in New York. The dollar fell to 76.83 yen from 76.96 yen.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

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