The end of ironing?

It’s a question that perplexes even the most tireless domestic goddess: Will I ever reach the bottom of the ironing pile?

If the claims of a British company are to be believed, however, it’s a question that won’t be asked for much longer. For the firm has invented a device – called the SteamRail – that apparently banishes the need to iron at all, wiping out the wrinkles and creases on up to 35 garments in just nine minutes. The system effectively pumps steam into a cabinet, where the heat and moisture leaves clothes smooth, smart and ready to wear. And the makers, Displaysense, say that because the SteamRail folds flat it can easily be stored under a bed. Despite the wealth of labour-saving inventions that grace our homes, ironing has remained relatively untouched by technology.

 It is an oversight keenly felt by generations raised with washing machines and tumble dryers, which have long replaced the tub, washboard and wringer.

courtesy by Daily Mail

Russian anti-terror troops reportedly enter Syria

Reports of Russian anti-terror troops on the ground in Syria is raising new concerns about whether Russia’s policies are indirectly, or even directly, enabling the brutal crackdown on Syrian protesters.
Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged Monday that the navy’s Iman oil tanker arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus 10 days ago on a mission to assist Russian navy ships on anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and “for demonstrating the Russian presence in the turbulent region and possible evacuation of Russian citizens,” the Black Sea Fleet told Interfax news agency.
A ministry spokesman would not say how many troops are on board, but Russian news reports suggest a more active military presence in Syria.
Russia is a strong ally to Syrian President Bashar Assad and has angered fellow members of the United Nations Security Council by blocking repeated attempts to put an end to violence in Syria.
A Security Council source told ABC News that the arrival of members of Russia’s military in Syria was a “bomb” of a development, sure to have serious repercussions.
Interfax reported the tanker arrived in Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea with an anti-terror squad from the Russian Marines.
ABC News reported that RIA Novosti, a news outlet tied to the Kremlin, announced the arrival only on its Arabic-language website.
Russian embassy officials have declined to comment, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week told a meeting of the Russian State Duma that there were no plans for sending combat troops to Syria, according to RIA Novosti.
“As for the question whether I consider it necessary to confront the United States in Syria … to take part in military actions, no. I believe this would be against Russia’s national interests,” Lavrov said.
Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Russian parliament’s upper house, said last week that a government delegation would visit Syria this week for discussions with representatives from Assad’s cabinet and opposition groups, according to RIA Novosti.
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov denied reports that special forces were inside Syria, although he said there are military and technical advisers in the Syria.
The port of Tartus is now the only naval base Russia has outside the former Soviet Union. A Russian navy squadron made a call there in January in what was seen by many as a show of Moscow’s support for Assad.

Health care anniversary

It’s one big deal of an anniversary, but apparently President Obama will not be celebrating.
Friday marks the second anniversary of Obama signing his health care reform bill into law, which Vice President Joe Biden was famously caught calling a “big (bleeping) deal” at the ceremonial event that day.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday it’s unclear what will be on the president’s schedule this Friday, but he’s looking beyond past battles.
“He is focused on a forward agenda right now, and working with Congress and doing the things he can through executive action to grow the economy and create jobs,” Carney said.
Republican leaders, who accused the president in 2009 and 2010 of focusing too much on health care and not enough on jobs, now say the White House is pivoting away from the health care law because of uncertainty over whether or not its individual mandate is constitutional. Oral arguments in the Supreme Court case begin next week.
“I think we’ll win in the end,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a fierce critic of the new law, told Fox News. “Now the question is how long is it until the end. There’s no question that the president’s plan will not work.”
The public seems to agree by a wide margin, with a recent Fox News poll finding that 59 percent of respondents felt the Supreme Court should repeal either the entire bill or parts of it. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll is even worse for the president, with a total of 67 percent saying the mandate or the whole law should be thrown out.
That seems to run counter to what White House aides have been saying for two years, which is that they believe the more the public learns about the law the more they will like it.
Asked about the poll numbers, Carney insisted that the poor numbers are due to Republican attacks, a sign the White House believes the problem is the message not the substance of the law.
“The polling data suggests in part the hundreds of millions of dollars that was spent attacking it,” Carney told reporters. “And what we’re focused on is implementing it so that Americans — more and more Americans see the benefits that it brings.”
While the president may not speak out on the anniversary, he does mention health care reform as an asset out on the campaign trail, including at a fundraiser Friday where he also suggested the popular parts of the law will win out as the American people see the benefits.
“You want to call it ObamaCare, that’s okay because I do care,” Obama said to applause from Democratic campaign donors. “That’s why we passed it. That is why we passed it — because I care about folks who were going bankrupt because they were getting sick. And I care about children who have pre-existing conditions and their families couldn’t get them any kind of insurance.”
Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney continues to vow that if elected, he will repeal the Affordable Care Act on the first day of his presidency. “This President believes that federal bureaucrats can do a better job than you can deciding what should be in your insurance policy, and ultimately what kind of care you should receive,” Romney said Sunday.
Given Romney’s own experience in Massachusetts, however, some Republicans believe he may be a flawed messenger to take on the president on the issue of health care.
Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican attorney general of Virginia who brought one of the first lawsuits against the president’s health care law, told C-SPAN on Sunday that nominating the author of “RomneyCare” will backfire.
“I mean you are effectively giving that issue up if you select Romney as the nominee,” said Cuccinelli, who has not endorsed anyone in the GOP battle. “And we may be doing that, we end up doing that.”

Cheap China are ends

‘Cheap China’ era ends as factory workers wise up

The Chinese factory floor ain’t what it used to be. Heavy industry machines now sit idle, where once hundreds of workers would have crammed into Dickensian sweat shops, slaving away for little pay.

China’s army of migrant workers are smarter than ever, demanding higher pay and better conditions, armed with tough government labor laws.

Ben Schwall has ridden the wave of China’s economic boom and now says the tide is turning.

“When I first came to China you had 200 people outside the factory gate trying to get in,” he says. “People would ask favors — ‘can you get my cousin a job?’ Now that’s gone and I’m asking — ‘do you have a cousin who can come help me?’”

Schwall is an old-style middle man. For two decades he’s matched product-hungry Western companies with Chinese manufacturers.

It worked for him, and it worked for the buyer and the supplier. But it also left him branded a traitor: an American helping China steal American jobs.

It’s a catch-cry that’s making a comeback in this U.S. election year. Already anti-Chinese television commercials are playing to blue-collar fears.

Schwall says it is nonsense.

“China’s not taking these jobs, the jobs have left… the question is where are they landing?” he says.

Yes, it is true those jobs landed in their millions in China, transforming mid-sized towns into booming cities.

China became the world’s factory, running up breakneck economic growth.

But Schwall says that was another era. “Cheap China” is finished. Increased costs, he says, are just part of the equation. The nature of work in China is changing; out with the old dirty factory jobs and in with cleaner high-tech industries.

Yang Chunhong is feeling the brunt of these changes. He was once a factory worker himself. Now he is the boss and simply can’t find enough staff.

The orders keep coming, he says, but who will fill them?

“The lack of workers will definitely have an impact on my business. We turned down many orders from our clients because we don’t have enough workers to make these products. It definitely has a huge impact,” he says.

While bosses may struggle, for now at least China’s army of migrant workers is reaping the rewards.

Hu Yalan, 23, came here to Guangdong in southern China from her home province two years ago.

Her first job paid her RMB1700 a month, about $300.

Now she wants double that and is scouring Guangdong’s busy job market to upgrade.

“I think it’s a matter of improving my ability,” she says. There are big factories offering “good salary” and “job training,” she says.

China is following a path chartered by the United States a generation ago. It is in transition. Old industries will fold as it enters a new era of higher paid, smarter work.

Ironically, President Obama is leading the call for manufacturing to return stateside. It is seen as an answer to America’s stubbornly high unemployment.

Old China hands like Ben Schwall say, forget about it.

“The reality is jobs like this are not coming back to the U.S. It may be unpleasant, you may say I’m un-American but it is just the reality of it,” he says.

But with an election looming, that’s not really a message U.S. politicians are keen to send to disenchanted voters.

In meetings in Washington with China’s presumptive President, Xi Jinping, President Obama has continued to raise his concerns about China’s economic policies, what he argues is an artificially low currency and unfair export advantage.

China’s real challenge is to bridge the gap between the old and new industries, between the low paid and better paid, more demanding workers. If it fails the task, China may soon have its own political slogan: “India is stealing Chinese jobs!”

Manchester clubs enjoy winning

Manchester clubs enjoy winning start to Europa League campaign

Rivals Manchester City and Manchester United prospered in the unfamiliar territory of the Europa League as both recorded away victories in the first leg of their last-32 ties.

English Premier League leaders Manchester City had to rely on an Alvaro Pereira own goal and a late strike from Argentina striker Sergio Aguero to seal a 2-1 win at Portuguese champions Porto.

United, the current English champions, won 2-0 over Ajax in the Netherlands thanks to goals from England winger Ashley Young and Mexico striker Javier Hernandez.

Both sides were making their first appearance in Europe’s second tier competition after being knocked out of the European Champions League before the turn of the year.

United, two points behind City in the EPL, are now firmly in the driving seat ahead of next week’s second leg at Old Trafford.

Manager Alex Ferguson, who has led his side to two Champions League titles during his 25-year tenure at the club, told reporters: “I’m delighted with the scoreline.

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“It was a very ordinary performance by us. We didn’t reach any great heights in the game but we did improve in the second half and we deserved to win.

“It gives us a good opportunity. We’re not taking anything for granted but at home, at Old Trafford — we’ve now got a good opportunity to get through.”

Young, playing only his second game after a six-week injury layoff, grabbed the first when he collected Nani’s cross and cut inside his man to drill the ball into the net.

And late in the game, a United counter attack saw Hernandez swap passes with England striker Wayne Rooney, before finishing past Ajax goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer.

“We didn’t reach any great heights in the game but we did improve in the second half and we deserved to win”

Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager

In Portugal, City went behind in the 26th minute when Varela tapped home Hulk’s cross. But after the break Pereira turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Italian striker Mario Balotelli, before Aguero converted Yaya Toure’s cross late on.

Elsewhere, two goals from former Porto striker Falcao handed Spanish club Atletico Madrid a 3-1 win at Lazio, who are third in Italy’s Serie A.

Ex-World Cup ref known as ‘golden whistle’ jailed for match fixing

Atletico’s compatriots Athletic Bilbao didn’t fare so well on the road however, losing 2-1 to Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian capital — goals from Dennis Glushakov and Felipe Caicedo canceling out Iker Munain’s opener.

A late goal from Filipe Andre Santos rescued a 2-2 draw for Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon against Legia Warsaw in Poland. Jakub Wawrzyniak and Janusz Gol scored for Legia either side of Daniel Carrico’s strike.

Adam Maher’s goal gave Dutch side AZ Alkmaar a slender advantage to take to Belgium next week after defeating Anderlecht 1-0.

Ukrainian club FC Metalist Kharkiv all but sealed a place in the last 16 with a 4-0 win at SV Salzburg in Austria, Jonathan Cristaldo grabbing two goals.

A goal from Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar secured a 1-1 draw for German side Schalke against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic.

A stunning strike from Turkey international Mehmet Topal handed Spanish club Valencia a 1-0 win at English Premier League side Stoke.

Jan Schlaudraff’s penalty completed a comeback victory for Germany’s Hannover 96 over Club Brugge. Maxime Lestienne handed the Belgian side the lead before Artur Sobiech equalised.

Ola John’s 52nd-minute goal gave Dutch club FC Twente victory over Steaua Bucuresti in the Romanian capital, while Italy’s Udinese drew 0-0 with PAOK Salonika of Greece.

Polish side Wisla Krakow drew 1-1 with Standard Liege despite playing for 65 minutes with 10 men. Gohi Bi Zorro Cyriac put the Belgian visitors ahead before Tsvetan Genkov’s 87th-minute leveler.

German President Wulff quits in scandal

German President Christian Wulff has announced his resignation, after prosecutors called for his immunity to be lifted.

An ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Wulff is embroiled in a scandal over a home loan that he accepted when he was premier of Lower Saxony.

Mrs Merkel cancelled a visit to Italy on Friday to deal with the crisis, and said she regretted that he had quit.

German media say the crisis is unprecedented in post-war Germany.

Mrs Merkel had fought to get Mr Wulff, an ally in her centre-right Christian Democrat party (CDU), appointed as president. He had been in the job for less than two years.

She said she accepted his resignation “with respect but also with regret”.

“He dedicated himself to the interests of Germany,” she said in a brief statement at 10:30 GMT, shortly after his announcement on Friday.

She said he had “decided to make a step back and put the interests of the general public to the fore”.

Germany’s political parties will now seek to agree on a new candidate for president, she said.

In the interim, Horst Seehofer of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of the CDU, will be acting president.

The president’s role is largely ceremonial, to serve as a moral authority for the nation. Mr Wulff denies any wrongdoing.

The BBC’s Berlin correspondent Stephen Evans says the affair is just a headache for Mrs Merkel, whose approval rating is high among the German people.

However, she does not need any new headaches as Germany wrestles with the eurozone debt crisis, our correspondent adds.

“The developments of the past few days and weeks have shown that (the German people’s) trust and thus my effectiveness have been seriously damaged,” Mr Wulff said in a brief statement.

For this reason it is no longer possible for me to exercise the office of president at home and abroad as required.” Controversial loan

The scandal surrounding Mr Wulff escalated in December.

At the centre of the row is the story – first published by the Bild newspaper – that Mr Wulff received a low interest 500,000 euro loan (£417,000; $649,000) from the wife of a wealthy businessman in October 2008.

Mr Wulff was later asked in Lower Saxony’s parliament if he had had business relations with the businessman, Egon Geerkens, and said he had not, making no mention of his dealings with Mr Geerkens’s wife.

The president was also heavily criticised for trying to force Bild not to break the story in the first place.

It has emerged that he left an angry message on Bild chief editor Kai Diekmann’s phone, saying the story must not be published.

Mr Wulff has since apologised to Mr Diekmann.

Prosecutors’ suspicions

On Thursday, prosecutors in Hanover, capital of Lower Saxony, said there were “enough actual indications” that the president had acted improperly.

“Therefore they have asked the president of the German Bundestag [the lower house] to lift the president’s immunity.”

The move is formally required to start proceedings against Mr Wulff, although this does not mean necessarily that he will be charged.

The Bundestag’s committee on parliamentary immunity is expected to consider the prosecutors’ request at a session starting on 27 February.

Rob Lowe says Peyton Manning will retire; father, agent say no

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Rob Lowe has been on a roll these past few years. Since his 1988 sex tape debacle, (“She was underage? Whaaaa?”) he has managed to regenerate his career time and time again. Starring in The West Wing. Yucking it up in Wayne's World and Tommy Boy.

Parks & Recreation's Rob Lowe has tweeted that Peyton Manning will retire from the NFL. While it will stink to see one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history hang it up, it's absurdly amazing to see Chris Traeger break the

Rob Lowe has been on a roll these past few years. Since his 1988 sex tape debacle, (“She was underage? Whaaaa?”) he has managed to regenerate his career time and time again. Starring in The West Wing. Yucking it up in Wayne's World and Tommy Boy.

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SOPA and PIPA Start Packing

Mashable was at the scene of NY Tech Meetup's SOPA and PIPA protest.

If you're just hearing about SOPA and PIPA, the complexity of these controversial bills can seem daunting. Here's your quick guide to the proposed pieces of legislation and a one-stop shop of resources that can help you learn

If you're just hearing about SOPA and PIPA, the complexity of these controversial bills can seem daunting. Here's your quick guide to the proposed pieces of legislation and a one-stop shop of resources that can help you learn

If you're just hearing about SOPA and PIPA, the complexity of these controversial bills can seem daunting. Here's your quick guide to the proposed pieces of legislation and a one-stop shop of resources that can help you learn

Turntable.fm got into the act today, showing its opposition to PIPA.

New Orleans Saints Roll Past New York Giants

Former New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper has decided to retire, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Sharper drew interest from teams this season, but ultimately decided he would be better off moving on with his career.

On the 2011 New Orleans Saints, virtually every position on the team has been set for the upcoming season, barring unforseen injuries. The offensive line, running back, quarterback, wide receiver and tight end depth charts are all but lined up,

Former Indianapolis Colts coach and NBC analyst Tony Dungy believes the New Orleans Saints' offense is even better than it was during their 2009 Super Bowl season because of the emergence of tailback Darren Sproles and tight end Jimmy Graham.

On the 2011 New Orleans Saints, virtually every position on the team has been set for the upcoming season, barring unforseen injuries. The offensive line, running back, quarterback, wide receiver and tight end depth charts are all but lined up,

QB Drew Brees tossed for 363 yards, four touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Saints to a dominating 49-24 win over the New York Giants Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Brees hit WR Lance Moore and TE Jimmy

New Orleans Saints Roll Past New York Giants

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) dives into the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in New Orleans, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Haber) Drew Brees and the New

How is it that the Giants are suddenly playing for their season, facing two seemingly unwinnable games and the possibility that they'll be 6-6 and riding a four-game losing streak when they travel to Dallas for a big NFC East showdown in two weeks?

Getting "inside information" we exchanged questions with Joe Tufaro, the editor of FanSided's New York Giants site gmenhq.com, to ask him some quest.

By Jared Smith – College Sports Writer The New York Giants lost while the Jets won in Week 12 of the NFL. How much did these results effect each franchises' standings in the Week 13 NFL Power Rankings? Find out. Nov 29, 2011 – The New York Jets earned

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