Liberty Mines reports financial results for second quarter 2012

TSX: LBE

TORONTO , Aug. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Liberty Mines Inc. (LBE.TO) ("Liberty" or the "Company") today reported its financial results for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2012 . All amounts are in Canadian currency.

"Our second quarter performance was effectively marked by the re-start of operations and the ramp-up of production," said Chris Stewart , President and CEO of Liberty Mines. "While Q2 results included our highest production of concentrate and our highest revenue total in nearly two years, our progress was impeded by the nickel price declining by more than 25 percent in the past six months and generally unfavorable market conditions.In response to the current market environment, we are undertaking a full review of our strategy and operational activities to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. To maximize the value of our ore for when nickel prices recover, we are temporarily suspending production immediately."

Adverse market conditions, including the declining price of nickel, has resulted in JIIL deciding to re-evaluate the terms of the restructuring and the parties were unable to resolve the outstanding issues prior to the completion of the Company's financial statements for the six monthsending June 30 , 2012. As a result, approximately $52.6 million in debt that comes due on December 31 , 2012and a further $10 million advanced in 2012 pursuant to promissory notes will continue to be treated as a short term liabilities.The remaining $25.5 million that was to be included in the restructuring continues to have a due date of June 30 , 2014. The Company will keepshareholders advised on developments with respect to this matter.

Q2 2012 Financial and Operational Highlights

Selected Q2 financial highlights

Review of Q2 Financial Performance Revenue for Q2 2012 was $5.4 million , up from negative $117,000 for the corresponding period of 2011. The growth was due to a re-start of mining and milling operations effective March 31 , 2012. In Q2 2011, Liberty had suspended mining and milling operations and its revenue total included an adjustment from previous periods. For the six-month period of 2012, Liberty generated revenue of $5.4 million , up 170% from $2.0 million for 2011. In Q2 2012, the average price of nickel was $7.78 per pound.

Liberty generates revenue through the sale of nickel concentrate and related by-products produced from its mining and milling operations in Timmins, Ontario. Liberty has a 100 percent off-take agreement with Xstrata.

Operating expenses for Q2 2012 were $7.4 million , up from $1.4 million last year. The increase in operating expenses is primarily due to the re-start and subsequent ramp-up of production activities throughout Q2 2012. In Q2 2011, Liberty's production activities had been suspended and the Company was chiefly in a maintenance and care-take mode. For the six-month period 2012, operating expenses were $10.7 million , up from $4.8 million .

Net loss for Q2 2012 was $10.3 million or $0.05 per share (basic and fully diluted). The loss included amortization/depletion expenses of $3.2 million , interest on long-term debt of $2.5 million and dividends on preferred shares of $0.3 million . Liberty recorded a net loss of $4.5 million or $0.03 per share for the same period in 2011 when its operations were suspended. For the six month period of 2012, Liberty recorded a net loss of $18.3 million or $0.09 per share. This compares to a net loss of $9.7 million or $0.06 per share for the six-month period of 2011.

Read this article:

Liberty Mines reports financial results for second quarter 2012

Libertarian Party signature checks to take at least two weeks

Ballot access signatures submitted by the Libertarian Party of Connecticut will take at least two to three weeks to verify, Av Harris, spokesman for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, said Tuesday.

Signatures covering Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and U.S. Senate candidate Paul Passarelli totaled 12,686 with 7,500 required to get both men on the ballot, according to party Chairman Dan Reale, who lives in Plainfield.

Reale is also running for Congress in Eastern Connecticuts 2nd District and his petition signatures totaled 4,303 with 2,404 required, he said. Reale said he plans to announce his campaign staff soon and has set a fundraising goal of between $500,000 and $1 million, adding that the party has hired fundraisers.

Marc Guttman, who is running for State Senate in 22nd District, which includes East Lyme and Waterford, will automatically be on the ballot because the party has received enough votes since 2008 to maintain its listing, Reale said in a Saturday email.

See more here:

Libertarian Party signature checks to take at least two weeks

Libertarian presidential candidate optimistic about uphill fight

ODESSA -- In an attempt to gain more supporters and increase polling numbers ahead of the presidential debates, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson began a weeklong tour of Texas on Tuesday.

The third-party candidate gave a 20-minute stump speech before answering questions from a couple dozen West Texans at Dee's Bistro & Grill. After stating his credentials as a former small business owner and two-term governor of New Mexico, Johnson spent the majority of his time defining his nuanced view of issues that face America.

"I'm socially accepting and fiscally responsible," Johnson said. "I believe the majority of Americans fall into this category."

The Libertarian told supporters the biggest problem facing his campaign is a lack of exposure. He admitted that if he were to have any chance in the general election, he would need to be on the podium with President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney during the debates. But therein lies the problem, he said. To be invited to the national debates, which are viewed by millions, Johnson would need to poll at least 15 percent nationally. As it stands now, only three of the 18 major polling institutes have him on the questionnaire, and he is only polling about 1 to 2 percent nationally.

"We should readdress how the (election, polling and debate) system works, but the Commission on Presidential Debates is run exclusively by Democrats and Republicans and they have no interest in reworking presidential debates," Johnson said.

Johnson said that not only was he the only third-party candidate on the ballot in all 50 states, but that he was the only candidate who cared about civil liberty issues and a sound fiscal policy. Johnson rattled off a list of his Libertarian credentials to an enthusiastic crowd: Support for a balanced budget, equality for all Americans to marry, abolishment of federal income taxes, support for bringing the troops home from Afghanistan, the willingness to call the drug war a failure and to refuse to bomb Iran.

"I've always supported issues first and politics last," Johnson said about his willingness to tackle contentious issues such as entitlement reform and immigration.

Several in the crowd asked Johnson's opinion an array of subjects, and the former governor provided detailed, nuanced explanations instead of the typical 30-second sound bite. During most explanations, like immigration, he said there wasn't a simple answer or a one solution fix. He said the country needed to readdress its worker visa program, end the war on drugs to take away the black market profitability, offer a path to existing illegal immigrants in America, abolish racial and ethnic immigration quotas, end federal income taxes and allow the markets to decided how many jobs low-skilled immigrants could perform in America.

He described the Federal Reserve as a group of "crony capitalists" and called the bailout scheme an "inside job" that was tantamount to grand theft from taxpayers.

Charlotte Dameron brought her 10-year-old son, Michael, to teach him about the importance of integrity and leadership when considering political candidates.

See the original post here:

Libertarian presidential candidate optimistic about uphill fight

Health Care DataWorks Unveils New Version of KnowledgeEdgeâ„¢ With Advanced Portal and Value-based Purchasing Application

Leading healthcare analytics and business intelligence solutions provider offers a new version of KnowledgeEdge that delivers enhanced capabilities, while the Value-based Purchasing application will enable hospitals and health systems to identify opportunities to secure more Medicare reimbursements.Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) August 14, 2012 Health Care DataWorks, Inc. ...

Link:

Health Care DataWorks Unveils New Version of KnowledgeEdgeâ„¢ With Advanced Portal and Value-based Purchasing Application

Wall signers welcome new Windham Hospital health center

Standing in what will one day be Windham Hospitals new cancer care center, Steve Larcen predicted that the future of health care is being built on the hospitals campus.

Larcen, CEO and president of the hospital, and about 50 people celebrated a milestone in the construction of the hospitals new Windham Hospital Family Health Center by signing walls that will become part of the facade of the building. The hospital strives to excel in patient care and to be seen as a trusted source of delivering personalized coordinated care, Larcen said.

This facility will help us on every one of those points, Larcen said. That is a big predictor of the future success of Windham Hospital.

Construction of the 30,000-square-foot facility is slated for completion in the spring. The $10.3 million facility, funded in part by $8.3 million in state bond money, will house dozens of primary care physicians, medical oncologists, physical therapists and rehabilitators, laboratory workers, orthopedic surgeons and general surgeons.

Elliot Joseph, CEO and president of Hartford HealthCare, which owns Windham Hospital, said the building would not have been possible without state money. He said about 60 percent of the hospitals patients are on Medicare. The hospital is reimbursed for 87 cents of every dollar of care it delivers to those patients, he said. Another 12-13 percent are on Medicaid, and the hospital is reimbursed 67 cents for every dollar of care it delivers to Medicaid patients, Joseph said.

It would have been impossible for a hospital to build this on its own, Joseph said. We, like all community hospitals, are vital and extremely fragile assets in the community.

State Sen. Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, said state funding for the project makes sense when you consider all the benefits. In the short term, it has meant more jobs, he said. About 100 people have been employed during the construction phase. In the long term, Williams said, the building will mean quality health care for the residents of northeastern Connecticut.

What this truly represents is nothing less than saving lives, William said.

Robert Bundy, medical director of Windham Hospital, said the new building helps the hospital attract and retain top medical professionals because it represents the trend of delivering quality outpatient care. Windham Hospital has long been an epicenter of community care, he said, pointing out the variety of medical office buildings on adjacent Quarry Street.

This hospital has been delivering unconditional care for decades, he said. The focus is on the patient and offering compassionate and humanistic care. This facility allows us to do that at a time when more and more health care is being delivered in the community and on an outpatient basis.

See original here:

Wall signers welcome new Windham Hospital health center

Health care lawsuit cost Florida taxpayers $70,000

By Tia Mitchell, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau Tia MitchellTampa Bay Times In Print: Wednesday, August 15, 2012

TALLAHASSEE Florida's largely unsuccessful challenge of the federal health care law cost state taxpayers $70,000, the state Attorney General's Office said this week.

The total cost of the lawsuit, including appeals, cost much more: $338,827. Those costs were shared among the 25 other states that joined Florida's legal challenge.

Attorney General Pam Bondi continues to herald the legal challenge as a partial victory for Florida even if most of the provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act were allowed to stand. Most often, she points to the court's decision that states can opt out of expanding Medicaid to cover more people without losing billions of dollars in existing Medicaid funding.

"For all of those who care about fiscal sanity and protecting the taxpayers of our states, the court's decision on the Medicaid issue was a big win," Bondi said during a speech at an event this month sponsored by conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity.

Florida's total bill, $69,827.21, includes travel and expenses under Attorney General Bill McCollum, who filed the lawsuit immediately after President Barack Obama signed the health care bill into law in March 2010.

In December 2010, Florida and several other states hired the Baker Hostetler law firm at a total cost of $57,000. Later, the coalition of states hired former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement to take the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals and later the Supreme Court for a fee of $250,000.

Under a cost-sharing agreement, the 26 states split the financial burden according to their level of involvement with the case. Nebraska and South Carolina had the second-highest shares, contributing $26,000 each.

Five states are listed as co-plaintiffs but did not lend any money to the cause: Washington, Indiana, Mississippi, Iowa and Kansas. Jenn Meale, a spokeswoman in the Attorney General's Office, said these states either couldn't afford it or were legally restricted from using money for such endeavors.

Tia Mitchell can be reached at tmitchell@tampabay.com or (850) 224-7263.

The rest is here:

Health care lawsuit cost Florida taxpayers $70,000

Ryan's health care plan coming under scrutiny

This section displays the last 50 news articles that were published.

Even before being tapped as Mitt Romney's VP pick, Congressman Paul Ryan was considered a rising star among Republicans for his budget plan, which was a stark contrast from what President Obama was proposing. Now, it's his health care plan that's getting a lot of attention. Grace Rauh takes a closer look at how Ryan's proposals compare to President Obama's.

To view our videos, you need to enable JavaScript. Learn how. install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now. Then come back here and refresh the page.

UNITED STATES More than any other election, this is a choice about two different visions for the country. For two different directions about where America should go, President Barack Obama said.

When it comes to health care, the differences between the Democratic and Republican candidates for president are stark.

Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, have pledged to undo the president's massive health care reform law. It is the single biggest legislative achievement of the president's first term.

In June, the Supreme Court upheld most of the law, including the individual mandate. It would require most Americans to obtain health insurance in two years or pay a fine. Insurers will be required to cover people with pre-existing conditions. And it allows young adults to remain on their parents' health plans until they are 26. The President also sought to expand Medicaid, the government health program for low-income Americans. But it was dealt a blow when the court ruled that states can opt out.

In addition to scrapping the law, Ryan has also proposed deep reductions in Medicaid spending. Henry Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, says the cuts would have a severe impact.

And would eventually, virtually end the program as we currently know it, Aaron said.

Ryan and Obama's budget plans both call for more federal spending over the next decade. But Ryan would spend about $5 trillion less over the next decade than President Obama.

More here:

Ryan's health care plan coming under scrutiny

Health care tax credit available for business owners, but is it worth the headache?

Posted: 11:15 am Tue, August 14, 2012 By DanHeilman Tags: Andrew R. Biebl, CliftonLarsonAllen, Health Care, Internal Revenue Service, Lehrman Flom & Co., Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, Steve Warren, U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Image: Dreamstime

Buried deep in the health care reform law is a provision that seems set up to reward small businesses for providing health coverage for their employees. But does it really do that or much of anything?

The Internal Revenue Service has said that 15,400 small businesses are eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, which is aimed at making health insurance more affordable for their employees.

Congress created the tax credit (available on IRS Form 8941) in 2010 as part of the overhaul of the health care system, and it was intended to be an incentive for small businesses to offer health insurance.

But companies and their accountants have found that the process for filing a claim is top-heavy, and the potential credits start to vanish if businesses dont meet exacting standards.

Nobodys using it, and not because they dont know about it, said Andrew R. Biebl, a certified public accountant and partner with CliftonLarsonAllen in Minneapolis.

The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, whose constitutionality was upheld in June by the U.S. Supreme Court, provides a tax credit thats 35 percent of a businesss health premium as long as the business meets a three-part standard:

The instructions should be reviewed [by] anyone considering completing the form, said Steve Warren, CPA, and director of taxation with Lehrman, Flom & Co. in St. Louis Park. The calculation can be relatively time-consuming and complex.

Assuming your business meets the three criteria, you would look at all of your health premiums and compute 35 percent of that as your tax credit. If youre a nonprofit, its 25 percent of the premiums. Also, the law doesnt require a timely election, so business owners who have missed out to this point can file two amended returns to claim back credits.

See the article here:

Health care tax credit available for business owners, but is it worth the headache?

For Health Equity, Docs Prescribe Public Health Care

YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES--(Marketwire -08/14/12)- An equitable health care system is built on the foundation of a public, non-profit system, according to research by Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

Taking Action on Health Equity in Canada, a new policy document by Canadian Doctors for Medicare builds on the excellent CMA papers and focus on equity at General Council, but goes further to call for action needed by governments for an equitable health care system.

"We can't have an equitable health care system if it's based on Canadians' ability to pay instead of their health care needs - we must address the inequities created by for-profit delivery of health care, and lack of access to life-saving medications," said Dr. Vanessa Brcic, executive board member of Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

The policy paper outlines six essential areas where the CMA can play an essential role in advocating for conditions that would improve health equity in Canada:

"An equitable health care system is also a sustainable one," said Dr. Bob Woollard, board member of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. "Evidence shows that a public health care system costs less and produces better outcomes for patients - we need our leaders, both among physicians and politicians - to recognize that the right thing to do is the smart thing to do."

The full report can be found at http://www.canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca.

Originally posted here:

For Health Equity, Docs Prescribe Public Health Care

Cris Cyborg: 'Ronda Rousey Is Running to Not Fight Me'

Ronda Rousey may be the star of the show for women'sMMAat the moment, but don't forget about Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. The Brazilian is entering the home stretch of her suspension due to a failed drug test and is eagerly waiting to step back into the cage.

"Cyborg" spoke to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com onThe MMA Hourand expressed interest in fighting one woman in particular.

"I really wanna fight Ronda," she said."I really want to."

When asked why she seemed so focused on fighting Rousey, "Cyborg" elaborated that she wasn't happy with some of the comments made by Rousey following Santos' suspension.

"She says bad things about me. I never say bad things about my opponent," Santos said. "I want to do my best in the Octagon, and if she says she wants to fight me, she can come to my weight or at 140."

The leanest "Cyborg" has ever weighed in at is 140 pounds, which was for her United States debut in 2008. "Cyborg" admitted that a cut to 135 pounds would be too difficult but told Helwani that she is around 160 pounds right now and considers herself to be "very skinny."

Rousey initially began her career at 145 pounds but dropped a weight class to challenge bantamweight title holder Miesha Tate earlier this year. Although it would seem Rousey made the decision based on the fact she would get a title shot and it was virtually the only big fight in WMMA Strikeforce could make at the time, "Cyborg" has other thoughts.

"...she's running to 135. She's running to not fight me," Santos said. "And after, she speaks a lot of s*** about me. I want to fight her soon."

The war of words between the ladies began when Rousey stated she hadno respect for "Cyborg"after her failed drug test. The two engaged in minor bickering exchanges, with the highlight from Santos' side coming after she shared a picture of a beaten Gina Carano, apparently threatening to duplicate the feat against Rousey.

Santos is anticipating the time when the talking will be over between the two.

Here is the original post:

Cris Cyborg: 'Ronda Rousey Is Running to Not Fight Me'

XCOR Aerospace headed for Florida

XCOR Aerospace next week will announce plans to build rocket engines and potentially a suborbital spacecraft in Florida, likely at Kennedy Space Center.

The California company expects to create 152 jobs with this operations and manufacturing business, which it will announce at 10 a.m. on Aug. 23 at the Astronaut Encounter Theater at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

An invitation to the announcement says XCOR will establish its new business in Florida, and the only Florida site the company has seriously scouted was KSC.

Reached earlier today, an XCOR spokesman declined to comment beyond the invitation.

The company has been racking up cash and incentives in Florida over the past few years.

Space Florida, the states space economic development group, has committed to investing up to $3 million in XCOR. And in late July, Brevard County commissioners approved $182,400 in incentives to help the company open a facility at KSCs Shuttle Landing Facility. According to the company, the project would include hangar and flight operations, vehicle manufacturing, engine assembly and space tourism elements.

(KSC last week issued a request for commercial proposals to use the 15,000-foot runway at the Shuttle Landing Facility.)

The county incentives will act as a local match for nearly $1 million worth of state incentives for XCOR under the Florida Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Program.

A representative from XCOR, which was founded in 1999, told commissioners the company hopes to open its KSC center in October 2014. The 152 technical jobs, created over five years, would have an average wage of $60,833.

XCOR builds, tests, sells and operates reusable, rocket-powered space vehicles and rocket engines that can be used for suborbital, orbital and deep-space applications. It hopes to launch small satellites to low-earth orbit from Florida, as well as having a role in environmental and military-related missions. The company is designing a second stage engine for United Launch Alliance, which operates at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Visit link:

XCOR Aerospace headed for Florida

Receive our daily news briefing or weekly bulletin

Among the most stimulating series of events at this year's Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh will be the provocative 'Scottish Six' talks by broadcaster Lesley Riddoch and land reformer Andy Wightman.

"After much talk about the need to debate Scotlands future, and the prospect of a Scottish debate-free zone on the Fringe, Andy and myself have decided to join forces and stick our heids oer the parapet," says Lesley.

"So well have a show on at six oclock most weekday nights from August 14-17 and 20-24 as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace

"Its called The Scottish Six - debates you dont get on TV. But the BBC and Scottish media will figure only fleetingly in the first gig. Our much bigger concern is the way that inequality, entitlement and disempowerment disfigure Scotland and limit the ways most Scots can imagine the future.

"Each night, land campaigner Andy Wightman (Who Owns Scotland and The Poor Had no Lawyers) will kick off The Scottish Six with a characteristically hard-hitting look at how the nexus of money, politics and property has created an unequal society in which too many people are powerless to make a positive contribution."

14-17th and 20-24th August in the Hall at St John's Church (Venue 127, corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road, Edinburgh). Tickets on the door or via the Hub (http://t.co/4aF8TOM8). 6 (4).

* The Scottish Six: http://www.scottishsix.com/

Ekklesia is a sponsor and media partner of the Festival

* Follow regular updates from the Festival on Spirituality and Peace News: http://festivalofspirituality.blogspot.co.uk/

* Follow the Festival of Spirituality and Peace on Ekklesia: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/festivalofspirituality

See the article here:

Receive our daily news briefing or weekly bulletin

Beliefnet Appoints Tara MacLaren As New Director of Sales

Beliefnet, the comprehensive multi-faith online resource for inspiration and spirituality, has hired Tara MacLaren as Director of Sales. MacLaren will be responsible for new business acquisitions and advertisement sales.Norfolk, VA (PRWEB) August 14, 2012 Beliefnet, the comprehensive multi-faith online resource for inspiration and spirituality, has hired Tara MacLaren as Director of Sales ...

Originally posted here:

Beliefnet Appoints Tara MacLaren As New Director of Sales

Test Stands Make Way for Reusable Robotic Lander

Marshall Center engineers Logan Kennedy, right, and Adam Lacock check out the lander prototype, dubbed the "Mighty Eagle." (NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton)

The landscape around two historic test stands at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has changed and now features a free-flying robotic lander that will demonstrate automated rendezvous and capture technology.

This guidance, navigation and control software could aid in the capture of orbiting space debris, in-space docking with a fuel depot, docking of a robotic lander with an orbiting command module and the rendezvous of multiple unmanned stages for deep space human exploration of the solar system.

Enlarge

The "Mighty Eagle" robotic prototype lander is now being tested near Marshall's historic Saturn-IC Static and F-1 test stands. (NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton)

The test series begins with strap down tests to check out the lander's control systems, continuing with higher altitude flights and moving into hover and translation flights, ascending to a maximum height of 180 feet.

This smart, versatile, robotic lander was developed by the Marshall Center and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., for NASA's Planetary Sciences Division, Headquarters Science Mission Directorate. Key partners in this project include the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation, which includes the Science Applications International Corporation, Dynetics Corp. and Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., all of Huntsville.

Provided by NASA

The rest is here:

Test Stands Make Way for Reusable Robotic Lander

Obama Calls to Congratulate NASA's Mars Curiosity Team

In a congratulatory phone call today to the NASA team behind Mars rover Curiosity, President Barack Obama pledged a strong focus on technology and science, as well as revealing his next possible hairdo.

Speaking to mission operation personnel who were in a control room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., Obama applauded their effort.

"We know you're all hard at work," the president said. "I just wanted to call and say congratulations to the entire team [] and all of JPL," he said, citing specific members of the crew and their position within the mission.

Obama said that he and his administration couldn't be more excited about what NASA has been doing, calling it "mind-boggling" what the agency has been able to accomplish.

Noting the focus his administration has put on improving science, technology, engineering, and math, the president called the Mars rover "incredibly impressive," telling the crowd that, "through your dedicated efforts, Curiosity stuck the landing and captured the attention and imagination of millions of people [] all around the world."

Those people include kids across the country, who may have been inspired by the Red Planet landing and are running to their parents with dreams of being an astronaut, maybe even the first person to walk on Mars, Obama said.

"That kind of inspiration is the by-product of the sort of work you have done," he said.

The Obama administration has its critics inside NASA, however, who were disappointed by budget cuts that tabled some of the space agency's efforts. Last year, NASA retired its space shuttle program to focus on deep-space exploration. NASA astronauts have since been hitching rides on Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station while NASA transitions to trips manned by commercial entities, like SpaceX.

Still, Obama praised the NASA team for being a shining example of what makes the human species so great: curiosity (no pun intended). The yearning to discovery, to know more, and to push the boundaries of knowledge, he said, are commendable traits.

In a nod toward viral sensation Bobak "Mohawk Guy" Ferdowski, Obama joked that he's thought about growing a Mohawk himself, "but my team keeps on discouraging me." He earned big laughs in the crowded room, but remained serious about the team's work.

Read the original here:

Obama Calls to Congratulate NASA's Mars Curiosity Team

Obama lauds NASA for Mars landing, pledges continued investment

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated NASA scientists on Monday for landing a rover on Mars, promising to keep up key space investments and jokingly asking if they could keep him posted on any contact with Martians. In a phone call from Air Force One to the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, Obama lauded their "incredible success" of ...

View original post here:

Obama lauds NASA for Mars landing, pledges continued investment