Research discovery could revolutionize semiconductor manufacture

Public release date: 28-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lars Samuelson
Lars.Samuelson@ftf.lth.se
46-703-177-679
Lund University

A completely new method of manufacturing the smallest structures in electronics could make their manufacture thousands of times quicker, allowing for cheaper semiconductors. The findings have been published in the latest issue of Nature.

Instead of starting from a silicon wafer or other substrate, as is usual today, researchers have made it possible for the structures to grow from freely suspended nanoparticles of gold in a flowing gas.

Behind the discovery is Lars Samuelson, Professor of Semiconductor Physics at Lund University, Sweden, and head of the University's Nanometre Structure Consortium. He believes the technology will be ready for commercialisation in two to four years' time. A prototype for solar cells is expected to be completed in two years.

"When I first suggested the idea of getting rid of the substrate, people around me said 'you're out of your mind, Lars; that would never work'. When we tested the principle in one of our converted ovens at 400C, the results were better than we could have dreamt of", he says.

"The basic idea was to let nanoparticles of gold serve as a substrate from which the semiconductors grow. This means that the accepted concepts really were turned upside down!"

Since then, the technology has been refined, patents have been obtained and further studies have been conducted. In the article in Nature, the researchers show how the growth can be controlled using temperature, time and the size of the gold nanoparticles.

Recently, they have also built a prototype machine with a specially built oven. Using a series of ovens, the researchers expect to be able to 'bake' the nanowires, as the structures are called, and thereby develop multiple variants, such as p-n diodes.

A further advantage of the technology is avoiding the cost of expensive semiconductor wafers.

"In addition, the process is not only extremely quick, it is also continuous. Traditional manufacture of substrates is batch-based and is therefore much more time-consuming", adds Lars Samuelson.

At the moment, the researchers are working to develop a good method to capture the nanowires and make them self-assemble in an ordered manner on a specific surface. This could be glass, steel or another material suited to the purpose.

The reason why no one has tested this method before, in the view of Professor Samuelson, is that today's method is so basic and obvious. Such things tend to be difficult to question.

However, the Lund researchers have a head start thanks to their parallel research based on an innovative method in the manufacture of nanowires on semiconductor wafers, known as epitaxy consequently, the researchers have chosen to call the new method aerotaxy. Instead of sculpting structures out of silicon or another semiconductor material, the structures are instead allowed to develop, atomic layer by atomic layer, through controlled self-organisation.

The structures are referred to as nanowires or nanorods. The breakthrough for these semiconductor structures came in 2002 and research on them is primarily carried out at Lund, Berkeley and Harvard universities. The Lund researchers specialise in developing the physical and electrical properties of the wires, which helps create better and more energy-saving solar cells, LEDs, batteries and other electrical equipment that is now an integrated part of our lives.

###

The article 'Continuous gas-phase synthesis of nanowires with tuneable properties' can be found by entering "I 10.1038/nature11652" here: http://dx.doi.org/.

Besides Lars Samuelson, the other authors of the article are: Magnus Heurlin, Martin Magnusson, David Lindgren, Martin Ek, Reine Wallenberg and Knut Deppert, all employed at Lund University, except for Martin Magnusson, who works at start-up company Sol Voltaics AB.

The research has been funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and Vinnova.

For an animation of the production process, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhdr8z8d-Lo.

For more information, contact Lars Samuelson, +46 46 222 76 79, +46 703 17 76 79, Lars.Samuelson@ftf.lth.se. Contact details for the other authors can be found by searching on www.lunduniversity.lu.se.

Lund University Nanometre Structure Consortium, nmC@LU: www.nano.lth.se.

High-resolution photographs of Lars Samuelson are available in the Lund University image bank: https://bildweb.srv.lu.se/login/. Log in with username 'press' and password 'press', then enter the name into the search field.

About semiconductors:

Semiconductors are materials that neither conduct electricity as well as metals, nor stop a current as effectively as insulators silicon and germanium are two examples. These properties may not sound attractive, but in actual fact they are excellent. The reason is that we can influence the conductive capacity of the materials, for example by introducing impurity atoms, known as doping. Materials with different types of doping can be combined to manufacture products such as transistors, solar cells or LEDs.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 28-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lars Samuelson
Lars.Samuelson@ftf.lth.se
46-703-177-679
Lund University

A completely new method of manufacturing the smallest structures in electronics could make their manufacture thousands of times quicker, allowing for cheaper semiconductors. The findings have been published in the latest issue of Nature.

Instead of starting from a silicon wafer or other substrate, as is usual today, researchers have made it possible for the structures to grow from freely suspended nanoparticles of gold in a flowing gas.

Behind the discovery is Lars Samuelson, Professor of Semiconductor Physics at Lund University, Sweden, and head of the University's Nanometre Structure Consortium. He believes the technology will be ready for commercialisation in two to four years' time. A prototype for solar cells is expected to be completed in two years.

"When I first suggested the idea of getting rid of the substrate, people around me said 'you're out of your mind, Lars; that would never work'. When we tested the principle in one of our converted ovens at 400C, the results were better than we could have dreamt of", he says.

"The basic idea was to let nanoparticles of gold serve as a substrate from which the semiconductors grow. This means that the accepted concepts really were turned upside down!"

Since then, the technology has been refined, patents have been obtained and further studies have been conducted. In the article in Nature, the researchers show how the growth can be controlled using temperature, time and the size of the gold nanoparticles.

Recently, they have also built a prototype machine with a specially built oven. Using a series of ovens, the researchers expect to be able to 'bake' the nanowires, as the structures are called, and thereby develop multiple variants, such as p-n diodes.

A further advantage of the technology is avoiding the cost of expensive semiconductor wafers.

"In addition, the process is not only extremely quick, it is also continuous. Traditional manufacture of substrates is batch-based and is therefore much more time-consuming", adds Lars Samuelson.

At the moment, the researchers are working to develop a good method to capture the nanowires and make them self-assemble in an ordered manner on a specific surface. This could be glass, steel or another material suited to the purpose.

The reason why no one has tested this method before, in the view of Professor Samuelson, is that today's method is so basic and obvious. Such things tend to be difficult to question.

However, the Lund researchers have a head start thanks to their parallel research based on an innovative method in the manufacture of nanowires on semiconductor wafers, known as epitaxy consequently, the researchers have chosen to call the new method aerotaxy. Instead of sculpting structures out of silicon or another semiconductor material, the structures are instead allowed to develop, atomic layer by atomic layer, through controlled self-organisation.

The structures are referred to as nanowires or nanorods. The breakthrough for these semiconductor structures came in 2002 and research on them is primarily carried out at Lund, Berkeley and Harvard universities. The Lund researchers specialise in developing the physical and electrical properties of the wires, which helps create better and more energy-saving solar cells, LEDs, batteries and other electrical equipment that is now an integrated part of our lives.

###

The article 'Continuous gas-phase synthesis of nanowires with tuneable properties' can be found by entering "I 10.1038/nature11652" here: http://dx.doi.org/.

Besides Lars Samuelson, the other authors of the article are: Magnus Heurlin, Martin Magnusson, David Lindgren, Martin Ek, Reine Wallenberg and Knut Deppert, all employed at Lund University, except for Martin Magnusson, who works at start-up company Sol Voltaics AB.

The research has been funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and Vinnova.

For an animation of the production process, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhdr8z8d-Lo.

For more information, contact Lars Samuelson, +46 46 222 76 79, +46 703 17 76 79, Lars.Samuelson@ftf.lth.se. Contact details for the other authors can be found by searching on www.lunduniversity.lu.se.

Lund University Nanometre Structure Consortium, nmC@LU: www.nano.lth.se.

High-resolution photographs of Lars Samuelson are available in the Lund University image bank: https://bildweb.srv.lu.se/login/. Log in with username 'press' and password 'press', then enter the name into the search field.

About semiconductors:

Semiconductors are materials that neither conduct electricity as well as metals, nor stop a current as effectively as insulators silicon and germanium are two examples. These properties may not sound attractive, but in actual fact they are excellent. The reason is that we can influence the conductive capacity of the materials, for example by introducing impurity atoms, known as doping. Materials with different types of doping can be combined to manufacture products such as transistors, solar cells or LEDs.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/lu-rdc112812.php

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Trading for Armageddon | Aquire Advisors

Why ?troubled? markets shouldn?t affect your investment strategy.

by Reese Harper, President, CFP^?
November 21, 2012

Many of our clients have asked how the ?fiscal cliff? and presidential elections will impact their portfolios. Let?s start by defining the ?cliff? and then we?ll review a few big mistakes investors make during volatile markets. In short, the ?cliff? refers to a combination of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board government spending cuts scheduled to become effective Dec. 31, 2012. Many people fear these taxes and cuts will push our fragile economy over the ?cliff?. As you review the alarming headlines, please remember journalists can be heavy on emotion and light on facts. While the problems we face are very real, the media doesn?t always offer objective, tempered viewpoints when competing for your attention. Post election, I?m personally optimistic that a compromise will be reached and that Congress will rise to the occasion and take positive steps towards putting our fiscal house in order. But when planning for retirement, we must take a broader view than what may or may not occur over the next 40+ days.

1. You?re playing the long game.

We invest our savings in companies and governments around the globe. We diversify into many different countries and industries; as the global market changes, we adjust our investments to reflect the changes the world is experiencing. This allows us to reduce risk, harvest returns, and stay current with rapidly advancing economies. Nothing has occurred that changes our investment philosophy. By holding a substantial emergency fund, saving plenty of money, and measuring our time horizon, we are able to be patient, capturing returns from the equity (stock) market at precisely the time when other investors are moving to cash, and paying a premium for safety.? Successful investors don?t react to bad news, they execute a strategy, and follow through during difficult times.

2. Information is reflected in prices.

Making changes to your portfolio after receiving publicly available information has not proven to be a successful investment strategy. Widely accessible information is quickly priced into the value of our portfolios. The pending fiscal cliff and debt crisis has been rumbling down the track for years. Since this information is widely known, we can conclude that these concerns?a dysfunctional congress, and looming fiscal cliff?are already priced into our current portfolios.

3. Treat your retirement plan like your mortgage.

We pay off our homes using a formal plan, but we typically plan for retirement with informal parameters. When paying off our home we use a precise schedule and allocate exact dollars for principle, interest, property taxes, and insurance. When planning for retirement investors should establish a monthly plan as regimented as their mortgage. Don?t miss any retirement ?payments? or you will incur penalties and increased interest, delaying your financial independence.

4. Sharp market changes are?impossible to predict.

Trying to predict when to enter and exit the market is extremely difficult. Today investors worry about the potential downside of owning equities, the risk of loss. But what of tomorrow?s fear? What about inflation, rising interest rates, and increasing health care expenses? Remember, the lower prices travel, the greater the increase in expected returns. The downward journey is not very fun, but when negative returns appear it is doubly important to remain invested since the inflection point cannot be identified in advance. In March, 2009, it was nearly inconceivable that equity prices were on the verge of one of the strongest advances in history, yet it happened. Many investors made the tactical decision to avoid losses by exiting the market, yet they missed one of the quickest and sharpest rebounds ever experienced in stocks.? Investors who purchased stocks during this period cashed in on the best Black Friday sale in decades. That particular advance, and the subsequent years? advances, carried most portfolios to levels greater than before the meltdown began. Through prudent financial planning, our clients continued to build up emergency reserves, and purchase stocks at historically low levels.

5. Timing the market is highly speculative.?

Deciding when to leave the market is hard, but it?s doubly hard to decide when to get back in. While it may seem obvious that equity prices are destined to decline over the near term, it is impossible to know the extent and duration of that decline or whether it will even occur the way it has been portrayed by the financial press. Anxious investors who wish to avoid losses are simply trading one set of anxieties for another. Experience suggests that investors who exit in similar situations rarely, if ever, re-enter the equity markets. Those who do gather the courage to ?get back in? will be faced with the new fear that every succeeding sell-off, no matter how short, might be the beginning of another significant downturn. This cycle of entering and exiting the market is one of the reasons why the average investor?s return is so poor during a lifetime. Owning equities carries the risk of loss, which is why knowing the appropriate volatility for your portfolio is so important. Risk is equal to reward.

6. Inflation.?

A well-designed financial plan will allow the interest and income from investments to support living expenses of the retiree. The goal of every investor is to outlive their retirement assets. We have often pointed out, one of the most effective means to accomplish this goal is to maintain at least some exposure to stocks. While returns on high-quality, fixed-income instruments and cash are usually stable, they are currently at real levels (adjusted for inflation) of less than zero. It is important to remember that inflation ticks away each and every day, increasing the cost of everything we need to live. Avoiding the ?risk? of equities is also avoiding the reward and this is a recipe for problems. Fixed retirement income + rising costs = not enough income. More clearly stated, a failed retirement plan.

7 Stay the course.?

Staying the course in a decreasing market is hard, especially if you?re convinced you ?see it coming?. We have already endured what may be the most difficult period for equity markets in many of our lives (2008-2009). A functioning, global market doesn?t ever fall to zero. At some point prices are low enough to spur demand. As prices decline, expected returns increase. Selling out or significantly reducing equity exposure during this time is not a viable investment strategy and this presents the distinct possibility of being left behind when the recovery occurs.

Investors? portfolios should be constructed to balance the need for return with the ability to handle volatility. We work with our clients to build a strong, multi-year emergency fund which allows them to maintain exposure to stocks during the more volatile times.

Start early, save as much as you can, and don?t get distracted by the noise along the way.

Copyright ? 2012 by Aquire Advisors.

This article is part of an ongoing initiative to educate our clients and to help them meet their investing goals.

Source: http://aquireadvisors.com/trading-for-armageddon/

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Rihanna and Chris Brown, Reunited? A Look inside Domestic ...

By Dywane D. Birch
Author of Silent Cry
Ahhh, young love?unfaltering, unadulterated bliss. That breath-taking, knee-buckling, I-can?t-wait-to-get-home-and-talk-to-you-all-night-because-you-are-my-everything kind of feeling you get every time that special someone comes to mind. From the never-ending butterflies you get every time you?re together to the text messages and tweets and smiley faces and LOLs; from those I-want-to-tattoo-your-name-across-my-heart-because-you-are-the-only-one-for-me moments to the late night into the wee hours of the morning phone calls, whispering?and most times breathing?sweet nothings into each other?s ear. The promises made to always be true to each other, the special pact made to never, ever, let anyone (or anything) ever come between you.

What happens when love turns on you? When it bites you and spits on you and punches you and blackens your eyes? What happens when you find yourself lying to everyone?including yourself, about what it (love) has done to you? When you start to blame yourself and make excuses for its abuse? What happens when, bit-by-bit, you start to lose pieces of who you are, and no longer recognize who you?ve become? What happens when love suffocates you with its jealousy and its controlling, possessive ways? When love has taken your heart and disrespects you, belittles you, and keeps you doubting yourself? What happens when love threatens to break up with you when you don?t do what it wants or says? What happens when you become a statistic?

Love holds you hostage. It keeps you afraid to tell anyone what is happening to you. It keeps you believing in its lies and broken promises, keeps you trapped in a vicious cycle. The silence, the loss of your voice, becomes your love?s best friend. Its image is everything. To be looked upon as anything other than the cool, well-liked, nice guy who everyone thinks is the greatest thing that has ever happened to you is not what your love wants to see happen. So it manipulates you?with tears, apologies, promises, and special trinkets. It tells you how much you mean to it, how much it needs you. It makes you believe you are the cause of its abuse. And then, just like that, it plants the seeds of self-doubt and guilt. And before long you are right back under its spell, frantically wanting to believe in the illusion. That its love for you has somehow gotten better, stronger. That love will never hurt you again. And, for a while, maybe it does get better. Maybe it (love) never slaps you, or punches you, or threatens you, again. Maybe.

Chris Brown and Rihanna: Unapologetic and Raising Eyebrows
And as many point fingers, waiting with baited breath, the spotlight is on our most public example of this vicious cycle: Chris Brown and Rihanna. The world is watching. And the irony of it all is that it heated up during October, which was Domestic Violence Month. Chris Brown and Rihanna (their relationship and their choices) are once again under the microscope; every move they make is being dissected. Every word spoken is pulled apart. And we, once again, are confronted with the ugly past, the horrible truth, that he beat her. And, whether we want to be or not, we are haunted by the images of what his fists did to her face.

Consequently, amid rumors and speculation that are spreading like a slow-burning fire, there are questions, doubts, and fears that are swirling through the minds of millions watching the public spectacle between the couple unfold. Are they rekindling a ?love affair? that turned ugly and violent in 2009? Was it (the assault) an isolated incident or a pattern of behavior? What will be different between the two of them this time around? Will it only be a matter of time before he beats her again? Is she stupid/crazy for allowing him back in her life? What message(s) is she giving to young impressionable girls who look up to her? And, of course, there is the million-dollar question everyone wants to know: Has Chris Brown really changed?

Belief systems about relationships and love can change. They are both older?he is 23 and she is 24. Hopefully, they are now much wiser than they were three and a half years ago. Still, nothing changes if nothing changes. And, no matter how much he professes to still care about Rihanna?regardless of how apologetic he might be for what he?d done?only time will tell as to whether or not he has truly changed. At 19, he seemed to, for the most part, blame his behavior on his youth, stating that they were young and that no one had taught either of them how to love one another or how to control their emotions or anger. That may be his truth. And it might even be hers.

The hope is that whatever tools Chris Brown might have learned while he engaged in the domestic violence counseling that was part of his sentencing he?s internalized. And that he?s able to manage his emotions and his behaviors in a way that is not destructive to himself or dangerous to Rihanna or any other young woman.

However, anyone can stop behaviors, but that doesn?t mean they?ve actually internalized change. So, in the meantime, many of us will wait?with side-eyed glares, while shaking our heads, hoping that there is no next time. That Chris Brown is genuinely remorseful for what he did and has seen the error of his ways. That he will never, ever, lay a hand on another woman. Hopefully, for her sake, and his, he has truly changed.

Still, in a climate where silence is an abuser?s best friend and domestic violence continues to climb to epidemic proportions, there are a countless number of women who have lost their voices?and their lives?to love; women from all walks of life, who aren?t?nor will they ever be?under a spotlight like Rihanna, with blackened eyes, swollen faces, and broken spirits who live in fear, walking on eggshells, desperately wanting to believe that love is what love does. That love will always love them back; even when it (love) beats them and stalks them and, in most tragic instances, kills them?and leaves their children motherless. And, despite this knowing, many more will still hold on. They will forgive their abusers over and over and take him back. They will gamble with their hearts, clinging onto toxic relationships, and risk losing their dignity, their spirits, many times their children, and their lives?all in the name of love.

Then what? Whatever becomes of their children, the ones who suffer in silence? The ones who witness the abuse first-and-secondhand? Do their precious little daughters eventually become women who accept abuse as a part of relationships and love? Do their sons evolve into men who become abusers themselves? Does he become another Chris Brown? Does she become another Rihanna?

Patterns of Abuse: From Parent to Child to Parent
Brown himself knows all too well the effects of living in a home where domestic violence exists. In 2007, he shared in an interview what his experience was like growing up in a violent home with an abusive stepfather. How he was terrified. How he hated him. How he didn?t want to put a woman through the same thing his stepfather put his mother through. Yet, whether it was an isolated incident or not?despite whatever tears he shed as a child, despite whatever painful memories he has of his mother?s abuse, he still beat Rihanna.

And the tragic reality is that statistics indicate boys who witness family violence are more likely to abuse their partners as adults. And girls who witness their mothers being abused have a higher rate of being abused themselves as adults. So who really benefits by staying in unhealthy, violent/abusive relationships? Surely not the children.

The fact is, children do not have to be abused themselves to be impacted by violence in the home. Such is the case in my new novel, Silent Cry. It?s the story of 14-year-old K?wan Taylor, who suffered through his father?s sporadic outbursts and berating tirades against his mother. Feeling helpless and hopeless, K?wan spent most of his young life burdened with the pressure of believing he had to protect his mother from his father?s abuse, but not knowing how. It is in his silence that he shares insights and relives painful memories of growing up in a home of violence, revealing his anger toward his father that spiraled into a deep hatred that consumed most of his thoughts, and eventually turned tragic.

Although a fictional account of the devastating effects of secondhand abuse, Silent Cry explores how children, particularly boys, are shaped by domestic violence. How it affects their belief systems about women and relationships. How the fear of becoming an abuser themselves is real. Sadly, many?if they do not receive the proper counseling and intervention with trained professionals who understand the dynamics of domestic violence?probably will. And, someone, somewhere, will be beaten about the face and body. Someone?s screams will go unheard. Someone?s tears will fall unchecked. Their bruises will go unnoticed. Their home will become a battlefield. And without remorse, without regard?another life will be taken.

And no matter how many times we try to forget it exists, or make excuses for it, or try to justify it, the painful reality is, there are many K?wans and Chris Browns in the world who have been shaped and molded by violence, who have lived in fear?witnessing men abuse their mothers, who will become men themselves. And the daunting question will always be: Will they, too, become abusers?

With all that is in me, I hope and pray not. Because, fact of the matter is, they do not ever have to be. There is no reason for disrespect. Violence is a choice. It does not happen by chance. It is learned behavior that can be unlearned. It begins with a thought. It is reinforced by a belief. And it continues as a cycle. And if we are to ever stop this destructive, never-ending spin, we must confront belief systems that support male dominance as the norm in relationships with women. We must challenge behaviors that reinforce stereotypes that encourage boys/young men to act aggressively or to use violence as a way to solve problems. We must teach children at an early age non-violent ways in resolving conflicts.

There is no quick fix. Still, adults must learn to take responsibility for their choices in their relationships; to own their behaviors and seek the proper help in addressing unhealthy, destructive ways of being. And, in doing so?hopefully, the K?wans and Chris Browns of the world will know (and understand) that they are never, ever, responsible for what they?ve experienced as children, but they will always be responsible for what they say and do as adults.

Dywane D. Birch is the author of Silent Cry, Beneath the Bruises, From My Soul to Yours, and Shattered Souls. A certified forensic counselor, he works with male offenders of domestic violence. You can contact him via email or visit his website.

Get relationship tips. Find help with your love life. Have a happy marriage. Sign up for our newsletter!

Source: http://www.tipsonlifeandlove.com/love-and-relationships/rihanna-and-chris-brown-reunited-a-look-inside-domestic-violence

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Kevin McHale's daughter dies at 22

HOUSTON (AP) ? The daughter of Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale has died at 22.

The death of Alexandra "Sasha" McHale was announced by the team Sunday. No other details were released.

Kevin McHale has been on leave since Nov. 10 to deal with what the team called a personal family matter.

Team owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement that he extends his "deepest condolences" over the loss of the McHales' "beautiful daughter." He called Kevin and wife Lynn "loving and dedicated parents who will need our continued support throughout this very difficult time." He said the "entire organization is mourning."

Kelvin Sampson has been the interim coach. There is no timetable for Kevin McHale's return.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-25-BKN-Rockets-McHale's-Daughter/id-3d7413226adf4e3f9431e20dbdf1128f

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Doha set to host UN climate talks

25 November 2012 Last updated at 23:22 ET

Some 17,000 participants are due to attend the latest round of UN climate talks later in Qatar's capital, Doha.

Over the next two weeks they will be negotiating a new global deal on climate, but there are ongoing tensions between rich and poor countries.

The choice of venue has surprised many, as oil-rich Qatar has some of the highest per capita emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the world.

A central divisive issue relates to the problem of "hot air" carbon permits.

The derisory term refers to attempts by some wealthy countries to carry over unused carbon permits so they can be offset against future cuts.

Developing nations say this is unfair and reduces the value of any commitment to reduce CO2.

Continue reading the main story

Fault lines

• Ambition: A growing sense among developing nations that richer countries are not aiming high enough in cutting carbon
• Money: Lack of clarity about where the money to help poorer nations to adapt will come from
• Disengagement: Major emitters including the United States, Canada, Russia and Japan say they will not take on new carbon targets under an extension of the Kyoto Protocol

Negotiators attending the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have been piecing together a new approach since the failure of talks in Copenhagen in 2009.

In Doha, though, some hard facts have to be faced, says the BBC's environment correspondent, Matt McGrath.

A financial fund to help poorer countries runs out at the end of this year, as does the first commitment period of Kyoto Protocol, that legally binds around 30 richer countries to cutting carbon emissions.

In Doha, developing nations want to see new money and a new commitment to cutting CO2 by the better-off.

Some participants are worried that, as a result of their dependence on fossil fuels for their revenues, the Qataris may not push the talks in the right direction, adds our correspondent.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20490829#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Top 25 Games to Play on Facebook

Do you like to play Games on Facebook? According to some survey 50% of Facebook users love to play games on this social networking giant. No doubt that Facebook is number one social networking which is famous all over the world. Its not only a better communication tool with your friends, family and loved one, but it?s also a great platform to have fun by playing online games or using other apps.

By wondering online gaming to be an amazing way to get entertained, Facebook created lots of spaces for developers to create their own gaming apps. So that users can play these creative and funny games on the site with their friend. Facebook users are very lucky in comparison to other social networking site users because till now there are lots of games available for users in each gaming genre.

And this post is dedicated to all those users most who are looking for interesting, exciting and top games available on Facebook till today. So lets we starts with

FarmVille is amazing games in which players cultivate their farms by plowing, planting and harvesting crops and trees. Not only this, players also care for their farm animals milking their cows, feeding them and more.

In Mafia Wars the gamers play as gangsters building their own mafia. The players fight other players online and complete tasks to gain rewards and strength in the game

In Bejeweled game, your main aim is to match and detonate as many gems as you can in 60 seconds

In this game you can play a live hand of Texas Hold?em against millions of real online players.

Uno is fast-paced online game based on the classic family card game you might love to play on Facebook.

Pet City is the most beautiful pets game on Facebook. In this game you can decorate with gorgeous furniture, dress your pet in high fashion clothing and more.

In this game create your very own Sim and live out their dreams with one of the most popular games on Facebook. Stir up trouble in Little haven with unique personality traits. You might also love to play related games like SimCity Social.

In the game you can rule the streets in Crime City, rise through the ranks of the mafia and take over the city in this next Gen. crime game. You can also build up your hood, do jobs, and fight other players. Discuss ideas, get help, and find new friends or rivals.

One of the best board game, no one want to miss playing this on Facebook. You might love to play WordsWithFriends

10. Backyard Monsters

An amazing strategy game in which you have to build a an empire, hatch powerful monsters and battle against friends and enemies in the most popular real-time strategy game on Facebook.

One of the best live action shooter game on Facebook in which you have to teach lonely puppy how to throw a grenade.

Create and customize a clan of ninjas then ally or battle against all of your friends using tons of weapons and relics.

Explore the beautiful open worlds of Miscria in this epic RPG. Capture, train, and battle thousands of creatures in Miscrits!

It?s an amazing hidden object game in which you have to search hidden item at a particular place.?You can also use hints to search hidden item.

Play a two minute game against an opponent in this browser-based authentic Tetris game mode.

In Caf? World, you?re in charge of your very own restaurant. In this game you can choose from dozens of dishes to cook, then slice, chop, saute and bake your way to the top of the culinary world!

Each player owns an archipelago of five islands that functions similar to homesteads in FrontierVille, cities in CityVille, and farms in FarmVille

Amazing Social Drawing and Guessing Game in which guess the word you and your friends are drawing before time runs out!

Gather your friends, forge your alliances, and explore a fantastic universe for forgotten treasures and lost realms that never fail to surprise and awe even experienced adventurers!

A puzzle game features colorful biotechnology. Its highlights easy mouse controls, exploding combos and beautiful animations.

Play high-action version of Bingo for free, Also check out our Daily Tournament, Loter?a, and Slots too!

The Angry Birds are here in your Facebook profile. In games use power ups to supercharge your birds and pop pigs faster and better than ever before. Play to win and beat your friends? high

One of the best cricket game to play on Facebook. This game is getting good response from users all over the world? and gained a crowd of 1.1 million users and moving faster. In a game featuring single mode and multiplayer mode, now the choice is yours which mode you want to play.

FishVille is A fish aquarium & the tank SIM game where you raise cute baby fish, feed them as they grow, decorate your fish tanks & send gifts to friends.

25. Cityville

CityVille is the largest game on Facebook by monthly active users, according to AppData. In CityVille, our players build the city of their dreams. Players can build homes, businesses, famous landmarks and public buildings to grow their city.

So these are top 25 Facebook games which you might love play while login to your profile. Might be some people like this list of some might not because everyone has its own taste. So don?t forget to share your taste with our if your flavor mentioned in this list.

Source: http://nerdsmagazine.com/top-25-games-to-play-on-facebook/

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Financial infidelity - Winnipeg Free Press

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Despite a six-figure family income, these parents of two young children have virtually no savings. Larry has no work pension and Cheryl only recently enrolled in hers.

Cheryl and Larry are seeing red.

But they're not angry so much as they're frustrated, anxious and a little perplexed about how they could be racking up debt after all they've been through over the past few years.

Larry's, Cheryl's finances

INCOME:

Larry: $81,619 ($5,395 net a month)

Cheryl: $38,000 ($2,202 net a month)

MONTHLY EXPENSES: $3,936

DEBTS:

Car loan: $12,000 owing at zero interest

Mortgage: $50,000 owing; 5.15 per cent fixed rate

Larry credit cards: $6,600, 19.99 per cent

Cheryl credit card: $1,000; 19.99 per cent

ASSETS:

Home: $193,000

Cheryl Group RRSP: $3,468

RESP: $1,039

NET WORTH: $117,907

"We are both trying to re-establish our credit after finishing a consumer proposal in the last year," says Cheryl, 41.

"We owned a small business and incurred a lot of debt while running it."

The couple, who both work in sales, grossed almost $120,000 combined last year or about $7,757 in take home pay a month.

Despite the six-figure family income, the parents of two young children have virtually no savings. Larry has no work pension and Cheryl only recently enrolled in hers.

Yet they have racked up their credit cards to the tune of $6,600, and they've done so only in the last six months after individually applying for credit without telling each other.

Although they have little other debt -- they owe $50,000 on the house and have a car loan -- balancing their household budget is an elusive goal.

In the past, Cheryl has largely left managing the finances to Larry, but she now realizes she will have to play a bigger role.

"Larry doesn't know where his stuff is half the time and he's very laissez-faire about money," she says.

"Considering we just paid off the consumer proposal, really scrimping and saving in, we were hoping to get a little breathing room, but it seems our situation hasn't improved at all."

Debt counsellor Christi Posner says, on paper, this couple should be in good shape financially because their income far exceeds their expenses. Yet they are still struggling.

"What this tells me is that there is a deeper issue here," says Posner, with the non-profit agency Credit Counselling Society.

"Debt is merely the symptom of a larger underlying problem."

At the heart of their problem is poor communication. One hand doesn't know what the other is doing.

"The two of them have kept separate bank accounts, and secret credit cards have been applied for and used," she says. "Secrets about spending, saving and debt get in the way of open and honest communication and can be detrimental to personal relationships; this is called financial infidelity."

And it can be very destructive to a family's well being -- both financially and emotionally. Fortunately, Larry and Cheryl are not deeply in debt, and they have overcome a major financial setback -- the failure of a business.

Posner says the prescription to their problem is straightforward. They need to talk regularly about finances.

"They should start with something routine, such as how to better utilize Cheryl's free bank accounts to organize household bill payments, or how to set limits on spending," she says.

Of course, sitting down to discuss finances can be an uncomfortable experience at first because it can lead to conflict. But this is natural and even productive because they will learn where they both stand regarding saving, spending and their future.

It's all about values, Posner says.

"Simply put, values are about what's important to us," she says. "If Larry and Cheryl argue about money, the real issue they're arguing about may be much deeper and harder to see."

?

Values are built on past and present experiences and relate to our education, upbringing, culture, age, gender, work experience and even health.

"When it comes to our finances, we tend to spend money on things we value."

For example, someone who values security usually saves and avoids debt. But another person may value excitement and freedom, and spending money is a way to express that.

In a relationship, people with different values can still get along quite well, but they need to be open about their differences.

Once Larry and Cheryl are talking, they can begin focusing on the numbers, and a good place to start is their expenses. Posner says this is a red flag in their situation because they're obviously underestimating their costs.

"The list of expenses submitted by Larry and Cheryl total $3,936 a month," she says. "That means that there is over $3,600 that is unaccounted for every month."

Their budget, however, seems to be missing a number of important costs, such as gasoline, car repairs, clothing, entertainment, gifts and hair care.

"After adding in averages for those and other categories, I estimate their expenses are likely closer to $5,866, but that still leaves over $1,700 unaccounted for monthly."

For the next couple of months, they need to track their spending, aiming to reduce discretionary costs between five and 10 per cent.

Posner says one particular area where they likely can trim expenses is ATM withdrawals.

"Over a 30-day period, there were $1,600 in ATM withdrawals from Larry's account, which will be very hard to trace back," she says. "I recommend limiting any cash withdrawals unless they are living on an all cash system and tracking each penny."

Once they get a handle on where the money is going, they can start focusing on the future. This involves building a budget they can live with that incorporates paying the bills, having a little fun, saving for the future and eliminating their debt.

They certainly earn enough money to address all goals, but their short-term focus should be eliminating the credit card debt. Allowing high interest debt to linger is an enormous waste of their money.

"By making minimum payments only, it will take Larry and Cheryl over 50 years to repay their credit card," Posner says.

And they have no reason to be making only the minimum payments. The couple should easily be able to come up with a plan to pay off the cards in six months -- paying about $635 in interest -- while still working toward their other financial goals.

And among those goals should be setting money aside for emergencies, which is just as important as saving for college and retirement.

"Larry's income fluctuates from month to month, so it is essential they put money aside when he earns extra income to help out when he earns less income," she says.

Once they're on track, building up a 'just-in-case' reserve to cover six months of expenses, then they can start thinking about saving more for the long-term.

And Larry and Cheryl have lots to think about. Their future is promising, Posner says.

They just need to talk regularly and honestly about their finances.

"It's all about working together as a team toward the same goal."

?

giganticsmile@gmail.com

Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/finance/financial-infidelity-180669861.html

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Communication is key to keeping a balance in romantic relationships

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Alex Sylvester has been with his boyfriend, Loren, for a year and seven months. When they first started dating, they struggled to find and maintain a balance between independence and dependence. Everyone requires different amounts of personal space, and understanding a partners personal needs is critical.

From getting comfortable with a higher education curriculum to making and breaking relationships on a consistent basis, life on a university campus is a learning experience by default. Students interact with other students both familiar and unfamiliar, relationships are made, and friendships either blossom or wither.

Moreover, intimate relationships are explored and pursued. Whats overlooked is the importance of these relationships to the college experience and the personal growth of each partner.

Let?s face it ? relationships are hard work. There is no doubt that they are an essential aspect of human life; however, they require more energy and communication than people are often willing to give. Relationships are especially susceptible to turmoil at the university age range.

When it comes to romantic relationships, it?s important that partners maintain an appropriate balance of dependence and independence.

?One of the biggest developmental issues among college-aged students is trying to create a sense of independence from their parents but also trying to find who you are in relation to other people,? said? Jonathan Davies, a psychologist and former counselor for the University of Oregon.

That sense of freedom carries over into every aspect of a students new life in college. Maintaining the appropriate balance between personal independence and interpersonal dependence is an important factor in this new lifestyle.

?I do not require as much (alone time) as Loren, but that?s something he?s taught me to appreciate, taking time to go be alone or be with other friends,? said Sylvester, the Gender and Sexual Diversity Advocate for the ASUO.

Over the course of his relationship, Sylvester realized that ?communication is the answer to most relationship problems.

?If you hang out too much together all the time you can get sick of each other, so we talk about it a lot more, and there is a lot more communication,? Sylvester said. ?We have to make sure that we are both getting our needs met, whether that is a need to be together or a need to be apart.?

In terms of intimate relationships, it?s important to be ?aware of your needs for connection and for your needs to be independent,? Davies said. ?It?s about understanding and accepting where someone is emotionally at a given time.?

An important part of a healthy relationship is moderating the balance of freedom that each partner needs. Recognizing that you have dual needs for both freedom and attachment is extremely pertinent for all age ranges, but especially for the university-aged demographic.

College is an important time for experimenting and seeking out the niche that students are best suited to associate with. Relationships, intimate or otherwise, are an essential factor in the academic success of students.

?Our academic learning is built on top of having our social and physical needs met,? Davies said. ?I think the need for social connection is as strong and as necessary as the need for air and water.?

?If you?re going to get serious with someone, I think it?s important to maintain your own life while still being connected with the other person?s life simultaneously,? Ali Noell said. ?I think my boyfriend and I do that really well.?

Noell?s boyfriend Brent graduated two years before Ali in 2009. Ali graduated this past spring with a degree in education.

?So all of his friends moved away (after Brent graduated), and we decided to live together,? Noell said. ?So that was a big commitment for both of us to make. It could have worked out poorly, but luckily we both still very much love each other.?

After Noell and her boyfriend had both graduated, they made the decision to stay in Eugene. Noell explained that becoming dependent on another person in terms of livelihood and romantic?necessity?is a difficult decision to make.

?I think it?s really important to be yourself,? Noell said. ?I have a lot of friends who think that they really like somebody, but they?re really trying to be somebody else for that person, and that?s not ever going to work out in the long run.?

Noell explained that it is critically important to have a partner that respects who you are and doesn?t expect you to be someone that you?re not. This comes back to maintaining your individuality as well as your independence.

The real issue is maintaining that personal liberty without losing sight of the intimate relationship that is so important to students. ?A healthy romantic relationship should have room for both (dependence and independence), and if it doesn?t then that?s something to think about,? Davies said.

He explains that there is a danger in either of the extremes: being too independent or being overly connected and dependent that one loses his or her individuality. The solution according to Davies: communication.

Dependency does not necessarily have to carry a negative connotation. As humans, we naturally seek out relationships with others. However, too much dependence can hinder the development of healthy relationships. It?s counterintuitive because if you love someone you want him or her all the time, but often times becoming too dependent on that person?s presence can begin to erode that person?s sense of freedom.

Davies spoke on the topic, saying that an overdependence on a partner can lead to an abusive relationship. This isn?t to say this is true of all cases; however, it is definitely a prevalent issue. Partners need a sense of independence or else that partner can lose touch with their support group and personal interests. According to Davies, this is a dangerous phenomenon. Again, he explains that communicating is the best solution to avoiding this kind of behavior.

It?s important to note that understanding one?s own emotional patterns is essential in understanding what one wants out of a relation?ship. ?People need to be aware of their emotional patterns and sometimes those patterns can be extremely healthy,? Davies said. ?But sometimes we?re also attracted to negative characteristics.?

However, it?s not always negative qualities in a partner that create hardships or conflicts within a relationship. The UO brings together students from all different geographical regions, both nationally and internationally. This brings on a new set of challenges for students and their romantic relationships. Oftentimes, relationships break apart geographically because the summer months separate some couples. Also, study abroad programs leave students with their intimate partner thousands of miles away in a foreign country with new friends, new experiences and minimal communication.

?Loren and I have spent two summers apart, and he tours the nation with a drum and bugle corps, so he can?t talk very much. I get to talk to him for five minutes a day during the summer for pretty much the entire two months,? Sylvester said. ?That is really hard, and we have a lot of systems in place to make sure that I don?t get controlling and angry and that he doesn?t feel like he?s constantly disappointing me because he?s unable to talk to me.?

?Both times were really hard. The first summer I was, I don?t like to use the word crazy, but I was crazy,? Sylvester said. ?This summer, the thing that really changed was that we talked about what was going to happen over the summer a lot in advance, and we had been dating longer, so I trusted him. I think that trust and communication was what was missing the first time.?

Managing the intimate ties with your romantic partner is difficult when you?re separated by thousands of miles. Davies said, ?There is no magic solution to that, but I think talking about one?s fears and what?s realistic to pledge is helpful and can provide some clarity.?

?There used to be a saying in the 60s that if you love something set it free. If it?s meant to be, it?ll always be there,? Davies said. ?It?s a paradox ? you have to do the opposite of what your emotions tell you. Instead of squeezing tighter, you just have to let go.?

As humans, we undergo a natural cycle of desires, fears, ambitions, successes and hardships. It?s important to find a balance and this holds true when it comes to romantic relationships. Oftentimes, the balance of independence and dependence on partners goes astray, but that balance can be restored with the combined efforts of both partners.

This is where the communication factor comes into play. If you understand your own emotional position, communicating that to the other partner in the relationship can create a healthy discussion about fears and desires.

Consequently, the relationship will thrive because both partners understand each other?s emotional states, therefore creating a respectful, balanced relationship. Communication is the key to maintaining that balance and helping both partners grow as a couple and as individuals.

Source: http://www.mugsmall.com/2012/11/24/communication-is-key-to-keeping-a-balance-in-romantic-relationships/

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LSU Football: Jarvis Landry, No. 8 Tigers Hold Off Arkansas 20-13

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ? Even record-setting performances by Tyler Wilson and Cobi Hamilton weren't enough for Arkansas to close out its disappointing season with a win.

The Razorbacks rallied in the second half on Friday, but their efforts fell short in a 20-13 loss to No. 8 LSU.

Wilson was 31 of 52 passing for the Razorbacks (4-8, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) whose fall from preseason top 10 is now complete. The senior set the school record for career passing yards in the loss, while Hamilton set the school record for receptions in a career with 175.

The records were a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for a Razorbacks team that struggled mightily following the April firing of former coach Bobby Petrino. Arkansas was 21-5 the last two seasons and entered the season with SEC and national championship expectations, but it was eliminated from the bowl picture following last week's loss at Mississippi State.

"We kind of stuck together (through) all the adversity," Hamilton said. "We're still brothers. We're still the same 2012 team that everybody had high expectations for. But we just stuck together."

Jarvis Landry, meanwhile, helped keep LSU's SEC championship hopes in reach with the win.

Now the receiver and the rest of the No. 8 Tigers (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) must sit back and wait while their next destination ? perhaps next weekend's SEC championship game ? is played out elsewhere.

Landry's spectacular, reaching, one-handed touchdown catch late in the first half helped LSU take the early lead on its way to holding off the reeling Razorbacks. It marked the sixth time in eight seasons that the Tigers have reached double-digit wins under coach Les Miles.

LSU must now hope for an Alabama loss to Auburn (not likely) and Texas A&M victory against Missouri (very possible) on Saturday in order to win the SEC West and earn a trip to Atlanta. Even without a division crown, the Tigers could still get an at-large bid to the BCS.

"We'll take the next day and a half or so and watch TV tomorrow and be excited about it, and move forward and see how things go," Miles said.

Zach Mettenberger passed for 217 yards and hooked up with Landry for the play of the day with 1:12 left in the first half to put LSU up 10-0. The Tigers were outgained 462-306 in total yardage, but they were able to hold off record-setting performances by Arkansas quarterback Wilson and Hamilton.

The Tigers took at 17-3 lead early in the third quarter after a 1-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Hill, who finished with 77 yards rushing on 18 carries. The touchdown followed an 86-yard kickoff return by Michael Ford to the Arkansas 9.

It also appeared to be the clincher for LSU, though the Razorbacks rallied behind the combination of Wilson and Hamilton.

Wilson passed former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet's mark of 7,493 yards passing in the second quarter, finishing with 359 yards in the game and 7,765 yards for his career, and his 28-yard touchdown pass to freshman Mekale McKay in the third quarter closed the LSU lead to 17-10.

After forcing a Tigers' punt, the Razorbacks used a key fourth-and-1 conversion to set up another scoring opportunity. Wilson found Jonathan Williams for a 37-yard completion on the fourth down at midfield, helping to set up a second-and-goal at the LSU 1.

Arkansas was unable, however, to find the end zone on its next two plays. Interim coach John L. Smith then elected to kick a 17-yard field goal, which backup kicker John Henson converted to close the Tigers' lead to 17-13.

The Razorbacks never did find the end zone again, bringing a likely end to the Arkansas career of Smith ? who was signed to a 10-month contract following Petrino's firing.

"That's the right call," Smith said of the field goal attempt. "I mean, you have to score twice to win it, don't you? At least, I think you had to score twice to win it unless my math was wrong. So do you take it there? You have to take the sure points and then come back you have to score again anyway. So that was the thought, and I think that's the right call."

The Razorbacks had one final chance in the closing seconds, but Wilson's second-down attempt from the LSU 18 was over the head of McKay as time expired.

LSU's final score came on a 27-yard field goal by Drew Alleman with 1:26 remaining, giving it a 20-13 lead. The score came after a key 47-yard third-down completion from Mettenberger to Odell Beckham, who finished with eight catches for 112 yards.

The Tigers led 10-0 at halftime in their first game in Fayetteville since 1992. They did so despite gaining the same 165 yards of total offense as the Razorbacks, whose season-long series of miscues continued in the half.

Arkansas, next to last in the SEC in red-zone offense, squandered three scoring opportunities in the half. Dennis Johnson fumbled near the LSU goal line on the game's opening drive, and kicker Zach Hocker misfired on a pair of field goal attempts before being benched in favor of Henson in the second half.

LSU's first touchdown came late in the first half when Mettenberger found Landry in the back of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. Landry had to reach back over his wrong shoulder to stretch out and snare the ball with his right hand, landing well in bounds.

"I felt that the throw kind of kept me in bounds," Landry said. "I felt that if he had led me any, there was a possibility I could have been out of bounds.

"It's just one of those throws where Zach trusted me, and I just went up and made it."

Hamilton finished with 10 catches for 98 yards in his final game at Arkansas, finishing his career with 175 catches. His record broke the former mark of 168 catches, set last year by Minnesota Vikings' rookie Jarius Wright.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/23/lsu-football-arkansas-jarvis-landry_n_2180358.html

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With Geithner's Replacement The Treasury May Get A Woman's Touch

WASHINGTON -- The best way to make sure that the next secretary of the Treasury is not overly beholden to Wall Street might be to hire a woman.

There are several female candidates in the running to take over the job expected to be vacated fairly soon by Tim Geithner. The selection of any one of them would break up one of the last remaining all-boys clubs in the top echelons of the federal government.

It could also break the financial services industry's extraordinary hold on fiscal policy.

Among the leading women candidates: Christina Romer, who served as chairwoman of Council of Economic Advisers during the first two years of the Obama administration; Laura D'Andrea Tyson, a top economic adviser in the Clinton administration; and Janet Yellen, the vice chairwoman of the Federal Reserve Board.

Probably not by coincidence, these women share a more skeptical attitude toward Wall Street than many of the men being considered for the job -- not to mention the current occupant.

"Traditionally, finance has been a boys club and traditionally, Treasury secretaries have come out of the financial sector," said Linda Bilmes, who teaches public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. "What we've had in Treasury for the large part is people who have been molded by Wall Street, and whose thinking is etched into certain Wall Street type patterns."

But with Wall Street's excesses having "brought the country to the brink of another depression," she said, it's time for a Treasury secretary who has more independence. "I don't think the point is having a woman just for the sake of having a woman," she said. "I think that the more important priority is to have a Treasury secretary who is a broad thinker, who is not completely tied to the Wall Street financial sector."

Very few women have gotten anywhere close to positions of leadership in the largest U.S. bank and securities firms. When it comes to Wall Street, "women are by nature outsiders," said Mark Thoma, a University of Oregon economist and blogger. "Not by their nature," he noted -- but because of how Wall Street currently works.

Thoma recently urged President Barack Obama to pick former FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair for Treasury and Yellen for chairwoman of the Federal Reserve. "The question is," he wrote, "will President Obama be the first to recognize that males are not the only ones qualified to run our two most important financial agencies?"

Thoma said in an interview: "They bring a different point of view than the typical Wall Street perspective, without sacrificing any intellectual capacity."

Barbara Bergmann, who formerly taught economics at American University and the University of Maryland, said that women are "more conscious of the needs of people who are going to be hurt by not having the right policies in place.

"It might take testosterone to make these very chancy bets that may or may not pay off, but what you need in the Cabinet are people who will be for sensible policy," she said.

Bergmann is hoping Obama chooses Tyson, Romer, or Carmen Reinhart, a Harvard professor who has studied financial crises. "I think the main thing is there are really excellent candidates; I can't think of any men as good as those three," Bergmann said.

In the current environment, Wall Street's clout is so great that it controls the political discourse in Washington. Why else, asked Stephanie Kelton, an economics professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City, would we be talking about deficit reduction rather than economic growth right now?

Her answer is that the contraction of Social Security would serve Wall Street's interests by driving more retirement money into private accounts, so for them it's the top priority.

One of the ways Wall Street so often prevails is because its leaders "act as if they're the smartest people in the room," Kelton noted. They say: "Trust us. We know what we're doing." Outsiders are more likely to question that kind of thinking, Kelton said.

"The revolving door between Wall Street and that Treasury secretary position is very important to break," she said.

The choices Obama makes when he puts together his second-term economic team will speak volumes about his agenda.

Despite the populist rhetoric of his 2008 campaign, for instance, Obama made the conscious choice to staff his first-term economic team with former Clinton appointees whose sympathies were with Wall Street. Predictably, those men didn't recognize how out of control the financial system had become -- both because they helped create it and because it had served them so well.

One exception was Romer, who struggled to be heard in meetings dominated by the men with Wall Street backgrounds. Romer, for instance, championed much greater stimulus spending to spur economic growth and reduce unemployment. But in one famous exchange, as recounted in the Washington Post, Geithner snapped at her that stimulus was like ?sugar,? that its effect was fleeting, and that the White House should focus on reining in the debt instead.

A QUICK LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROSPECTS

The leading male contenders for the job are said to include Jack Lew, the White House chief of staff who was part of Obama's ex-Clinton ex-Wall Street first-term economic team; deficit-hawk former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles; Larry Fink, the CEO of giant asset management firm BlackRock; and former Treasury official turned investment banker Roger Altman.

Among the women contenders:

• Romer, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, left the White House in late 2010. She recently urged that any budget bargain include job-creation measures and protect public investment in infrastructure, job training and basic scientific research.
• Yellen, appointed by Obama to be vice chairwoman of the Federal Reserve in 2010. A former economics professor, she also chaired the Council of Economic Advisers from 1997 to 1999 under Clinton. More recently, she has been known as a champion of transparency at the historically inscrutable Fed.
• Tyson, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and one of Clinton's top economic advisers -- she led both the Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council -- recently wrote that the negotiations to avert the so-called fiscal cliff "should focus on jobs." Purists note, however, that Tyson has also been a member of the board of directors of Morgan Stanley since 1997, and of AT&T since 1999.
• Bair, former head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, is the moderate Republican George W. Bush appointee who became a hero to the public-interest community by standing up to the bankers on such issues as loan modification and the need to rein in too-big-to-fail banks. In her recent book, she also criticized fellow regulators, including Geithner, as apologists for Wall Street.
• Reinhart co-authored a prescient book on the history of financial crises and is now considered one of the world?s top economic experts on the subject. She teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also considered more of a deficit hawk than most of the other women in possible contention for the job.
• Lael Brainard, currently Geithner's undersecretary for International Affairs, is one of seven women in senior posts at Treasury. She was also on the staff of the National Economic Council during the Clinton administration. Progressives note, however, that there have been few signs of daylight between her and her current boss.
• Sheryl Sandberg is the high-profile chief operating officer of Facebook, formerly of Google. She was also chief of staff to then-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers during the Clinton administration and served as an economist at the World Bank.

WOMEN REALLY ARE DIFFERENT

Ann Mari May, a University of Nebraska economist, recently co-directed a study comparing male and female economists. "We found that economists do have gender differences in their policy perspectives," she said. Specifically, female economists tend to favor a bigger role for government while male economists have greater faith in business and the marketplace.

She also cited anecdotal evidence that as women move into finance they can bring about different and better policy outcomes.

When it comes to picking a woman for Treasury, there is one obvious possible downside: The very conventional voices who want another "Wall Street Ace" to have the job will be disappointed.

"The risk in appointing a female Treasury secretary is if the market has discriminatory attitudes toward her, you have more risk in how the market might react," said Betsey Stevenson, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan

"Appointing someone for Treasury secretary, it's a tough thing. You need to make sure the person who's appointed is someone who markets trust, because one of the goals is market stability."

But at the same time, she said, "we want to make sure that Wall Street is not ruling itself."

Of course, the resistance to the idea could be the very reason to do it.

"There's a long-term benefit, which is the more you put women in positions of power, particularly in finance, the more that changes how people see women," Stevenson said. "It looks like people learn."

As a result, she said: "Putting a woman in as Treasury secretary could potentially have really profound impact on the entire industry."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/25/geithner-replacement-treasury_n_2170951.html

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African Leaders Meeting on DR Congo Rebel Crisis (Voice Of America)

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