Alcatel One Touch Idol (Unlocked)

You might have seen the Alcatel One Touch Idol in Iron Man 3. I haven't seen it yet, but with its sleek, thin design, I can see how the Idol looks like a natural pairing for Tony Stark's rich-boy bravado. But I can't imagine that Iron Man himself would ever use a device that's so behind the times. The Idol has no LTE, for instance. There's no HSPA+ either, which means you're stuck in the Internet slow lane. Performance is less than stellar across the board, voice dialing doesn't work, and the camera takes photos that border on impressionistic. The attractive design and $299.99 price tag may make the Idol seem tempting, but you don't need to spend more money to score a much better phone.

Design and Call Quality
Aside from the price, the best thing the Idol has going for it is its design. The phone measures 5.24 by 2.66 by 0.31 inches (HWD), which feels like the perfect size for a big-screen phone you can still comfortably hold in one hand. It is extremely thin, and at just 3.88 ounces, Alcatel claims this is the lightest phone available for its size.

The phone has a unibody construction, made entirely of high-quality plastic designed to look like brushed aluminum, with a buttonless, all-glass front panel. I reviewed the silver model, but the phone comes in a number of much louder colors like green, red, and turquoise. There's a volume rocker and SIM cards slot on the right, a headphone jack and Power button on the top, and a microSD card slot on the left. The back of the phone is completely sealed, so there's no access to the 1,800mAh battery. I prefer a removable back, so you can carry a spare battery if necessary, and the Idol was only good for 6 hours and 31 minutes of talk time on AT&T's network.

The Idol's 4.7-inch IPS LCD is a mixed bag. It gets very bright, but the 960-by-540-pixel resolution makes it considerably less sharp than many of the 720 and 1080p screens we've been seeing lately, on phones like the Oppo Find 5?and Sony Xperia ZL. Alcatel claims there's a special coating on the display that repels fingerprint oil, but it didn't seem to look noticeably different than any number of new phones we've tested.

The Idol is unlocked, so you can use it on either AT&T or T-Mobile's network, or with smaller GSM-based carriers like Simple Mobile (which uses T-Mobile's network). But no matter which carrier you choose, the Idol is running at painfully crippled network speeds. There's no LTE support, or even HSPA+. The phone maxes out at HSPA 7.2, which places you firmly in 3G territory. I tested the phone on AT&T's network and got fine reception, but the phone struggled to reach download speeds of 1Mbps. Uploads were even worse. That means unless you're connected to Wi-Fi (the phone supports 802.11 b/g/n), using the Idol can feel frustratingly slow.

At least call quality is good. Voices sound extremely crisp and clear in the phone's earpiece. Calls made with the phone sound round and full, though aggressive noise cancellation can make voices sound slightly muted. The speakerphone is not loud enough to hear outdoors. I paired the phone with a Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset. Calls sounded fine, but I was unable to use voice dialing. I tried again without the headset, but the voice dialing app doesn't seem to work at all.

Performance, Android, and Apps
We're seeing more and more quad-core phones every day, but so far there's nothing wrong with a phone still powered by a good dual-core processor. Unfortunately, this one isn't. The Idol uses a dual-core 1GHz MediaTek MT6577 chip, which turned in some pretty low benchmark scores. It's fast enough that navigating your way around the phone feels fine, but opening apps can take a while, and 3D gaming performance is poor. You'll still be able to run most of the 800,000+ apps in the Google Play store, but they may not run optimally.

(Next page: Camera, Multimedia, and Conclusions)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/VO9EmywthdI/0,2817,2418898,00.asp

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Syrian hackers compromise FT blogs, Twitter feeds

LONDON (AP) ? A clutch of blogs and Twitter accounts maintained by the Financial Times were hacked Friday, the latest in a series of cyberattacks claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army, a pro-government group which often attacks media organizations it sees as sympathetic to the country's rebels.

A few of the FT's dozens of Twitter feeds and blogs broadcast messages in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad and attacking Syria's opposition. One described the Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra as terrorists and linked to a graphic video of a hooded man shooting kneeling prisoners in the back of the head.

"Syrian Electronic Army Was Here," the group crowed on one of the FT's Twitter feeds.

One of the hackers said his group was behind the attack but declined to answer further questions. The group has apparently spent much of the past 24 hours trying to break into the FT's system.

One internal company memo distributed Thursday and seen by The Associated Press warned FT employees not to click on suspicious emails, while a second earlier Friday warned the FT was "facing a phishing attack."

Phishing describes the use of innocuous-looking emails or websites to trick users into giving up their passwords or other details. The Syrian Electronic Army has routinely used the tactic to take control of Twitter feeds of other media organizations.

Recent targets have included the BBC, al-Jazeera, E! Online, and satirical newspaper The Onion. Last month the group claimed responsibility for hacking The AP's Twitter feed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-05-17-Britain-FT-Hacking/id-aae4590fb8194a619a360bfc153ab09d

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How to get most out of your Creatine ? what form, dose and ...

Creatine is one of the few dietary supplements that have a very solid scientific support for its efficacy in increasing strength, explosive performance and muscle mass. So the question in not whether it is effective, but rather how to supplement it to reap maximal effectiveness?

There are several theories on how to take creatine; some say your should load and then lower the dose, while others say you can get good results by a low dosage regimen without loading. Yet others say you should cycle the creatine and take breaks from it in between cycles. And then we have the issue of dosages and how to ingest it. In addition there is a lot of confusion about the myriad for creatine forms that claim to be superior over the golden standard creatine monohydrate. Are the new fancy creatine-super-duper formulations really worth their price??Let?s review it all here and see what the research is saying.

Creatine forms

When creatine first came out on the market it was creatine monohydrate. This is also the form of creatine that has been used in all the scientific studies that showed its performance enhancing and muscle growth stimulating effects. Because creatine rapidly became so popular, manufacturers came up with different creatine variants and started to make specific claims that their creatine formula is superior. Not so! Don?t let yourself get fooled and ripped off! Stick to the golden standard creatine monohydrate.

For more info on different creatine forms and formulation, check out

Will Brink?s article ?The Creatine Grave Yard?

Creatine supplementation protocols

There are basically three creatine supplementation protocols. Here?s an overview of them with recommended effective dosages:

Loading followed by Maintenance protocol

Loading phase: ? ? ? ??Supplement with 0.3 g creatine/kg body weight/day (0.14 g/lb/body weight/day) for 5-6 days to maximize muscle creatine stores.

Maintenance phase: ?Supplement with 0.03 g creatine/kg body weight/day (0.014 g/lb/body weight/day) thereafter to maintain elevated muscle creatine stores.

Low-Dose protocol

Supplement with 3-5 g creatine per day for at least 8 weeks to increase muscle creatine stores.

Cycling protocol

Load/maintain for 12-16 weeks, and then take a break for 3-6 weeks. After the break, start another cycle with the loading phase followed by a maintenance phase followed by a break for a desired numbers of cycles.
Most studies that have shown performance enhancing effects used the creatine loading protocol. The purpose the creatine loading is to maximize creatine storage in the muscles. The magnitude of the increase in muscle creatine content is important because studies have reported that performance improvements are dependent on the increase in muscle creatine (1, 2). In a typical creatine loading phase, a dose of 20-30 g creatine (5-6 g taken four times per day) is taken during 5-6 days (3, 4).

To find out your optimal loading dose, multiply your body weight in pound (lb) with 0.14 (or multiply your body weight in kg with 0.3). Thus, for a male weighing 220 lb (100 kg) and a female weighing 140 lb (63 kg), the appropriate loading dose is 30-31 g (220?0.14 or 100?0.3) and 20 g (140?0.14 or 63?0.3), respectively.

Thereafter,a maintenance dose is taken with the purpose to maintain the elevated muscle creatine stores. A maintenance dose corresponding to 0.03 g/kg/body weight/day (0.014 g/lb/body weight) is enough to maintain elevated muscle creatine levels (4).

To find out your optimal maintenance dose, multiply your body weight in pound (lb) with 0.014 (or multiply your body weight in kg with 0.03). Thus, for a male weighing 220 lb (100 kg) and a female weighing 140 lb (63 kg), the appropriate maintenance dose is 3 g (220 x 0.014 or 100 x 0.03) and 2 g (140 x 0.014 or 63 x 0.03), respectively. Some people might prefer a slightly higher maintenance dose of 5 g per day. Cessation of creatine maintenance doses after loading causes muscle creatine stores to return to baseline within 4-6 weeks (4-8).

An alternative supplementation protocol is to ingest 3-5 g creatine per day (with no loading phase) for at least 28-30 days (4, 9). Studies have shown that this method can increase muscle creatine levels as effectively as the creatine loading (4). However, this low-dose creatine supplementation will result in a more gradual and slower increase in muscle creatine levels compared to the more rapid loading protocol, and it will therefore take longer before any performance enhancement will be noticeable. Thus, the constant low-dose creatine supplementation protocol is only beneficial for people who cannot do the loading phase because of for example a busy working schedule. Also, while loading dosages of 20-30 g creatine per day are well tolerated in the majority of individuals, some can experience gastrointestinal upset (for example diarrhea) when large daily dosages of creatine are consumed(10-12). For those people, the constant low-dose creatine supplementation protocol is the way to go. Some discomfort can occur if creatine is incompletely dissolved before ingestion (12). Thus, make sure to dissolve the creatine powder properly, especially if you are taking larger doses.

Listen to Will Brink?s take on?loading versus not loading.

Finally, we have the cycling protocol of creatine supplementation (13-15). One argument behind creatine cycling is that it will keep the body?s ability to synthesize creatine, intact. However, while the body?s endogenous synthesis of creatine (which amounts to about 1 g per day (16, 17)) is decreased during creatine supplementation (8), cessation of creatine supplementation merely causes the creatine levels in the body to return to baseline (4, 5). If creatine supplementation were to permanently decrease the body?s capability to synthesize creatine, the creatine levels in the body would have dropped below baseline (pre-supplementation) levels, which would have caused an increased fatigue and loss of strength. This does not happen (5, 6, 8, 14, 18, 19). Thus, cycling of creatine supplementation has no scientific foundation and is completely unnecessary. It confers no advantage over loading + chronic maintenance. Continuous creatine supplementation without cycling actually might confer multiple health benefits (which I will cover in a separate article).

For more check out Will Brink?s great video on?creatine cycling.

The Importance of dissolving your creatine before ingestion

This is the most common mistake people who take creatine do; they put it in their?protein shakes and scoop it down. However, this?isn?t a very smart thing to do because creatine has to be dissolved in order for the body to absorb all of it. This will also prevent stomach upsets. And to dissolve creatine, it has to be put into warm (not boiling!) water and stirred. If you cannot get really warm water from the tap (or if you are drinking bottled water), heat up the glass in the micro and then dissolve the creatine in it. I?personally?dissolve my creatine like this before going to the gym (I add in beta-alanine as well) and drink it when I get back home from the gym. By then?it has cooled down to room temperature. I mix in 2 packets of?stevia for flavor, as I don?t like to drink plain lukewarm water. Of course, you can mix in some protein powder if you want (just don?t put it in the fridge, see below).

Will has done a great video on the?importance of dissolving creatine.

Usually, 5 g creatine should dissolve in about 2/3 glass of water. if you take more creatine, you have to add more water.

Note that you cannot put the glass with your dissolved creatine in the fridge, as it will cause the creatine to precipitate, which ruins the whole point of dissolving it in the first place. The reason for this is that,?stated in scientifically terms,?the solubility of a solute (creatine) is a function of the temperature of the solvent (water). Thus, dissolve your creatine AND drink it dissolved.

Bottom Line

When supplementing with creatine I therefore recommend the classic loading / chronic maintenance supplementation protocol. To get maximal effects ingest your creatine with high GI carbs and protein (13, 20). Also, take the majority of your creatine during the loading phase after your workouts, and during the chronic maintenance phase take the whole 3-5 g dose in the meal right after your workouts. The reason for this is that co-ingestion of creatine, protein and carbohydrates increases muscular retention of dietary creatine (13, 20). And when creatine is ingested after workouts the uptake of creatine into muscles is further increased, and results in even greater muscle thickness (3, 21-23). And remember to dissolve your creatine before you ingest it,?which will prevent stomach upset and help your body absorb more of it.

?

About Monica Mollica ? www.trainergize.com

?

Trainergize.com is an unbiased informational and motivational resource, presenting the latest health, performance and anti-aging?related research findings to the public, in an easy to understand way.

While still under development, trainergize.com is committed to providing credible, objective, and reliable health information on a wide range of topics that impact your health and wellness and that of your family. The information is derived from scientific research studies published in top tier medical journals and/or presented at professional medical meetings.

Trainergize.com was founded and is maintained by Monica Mollica, who has a Bachelor and Master degree in Nutrition from the University of Stockholm / Karolinska Institue, Sweden, and has studied at renowned Baylor University, TX. Today Monica works as diet/health counselor, medical writer, health journalist, and website developer. She is also a fitness model.

As a young athlete, Monica realized the importance of nutrition for maximal performance at an early age, and went for a major in Nutrition at the University of Stockholm.?During her years at the University she was a regular contributor to the Swedish fitness and bodybuilding magazine BODY, and she has written a book (in Swedish) ?Functional Foods for Health and Energy Balance?, and authored several book chapters in Swedish publications.

After having earned her Bachelor and Master degree in Nutrition, she completed one semester at the PhD-program ?Exercise, Nutrition and Preventive Health? at Baylor University Texas, Department of Health Human Performance and Recreation.

Having lost her father in a lifestyle induced heart attack at an age of 49, she is specializing in cardiovascular health, and primary/primordial prevention. She is a strong advocate of early intervention in adolescence and young adulthood, and the importance of lifestyle habits for health promotion at all ages.

Today, Monica is sharing her solid academic knowledge, real-life experience and passion by offering diet/nutrition/exercise/health?consultation and coaching services, and working as a health journalist and medical writer on topics related to fitness, health promotion and anti-aging. She is currently in the process of writing a book ?Successful Aging ? it?s your choice?, and developing the related website?www.SuccessfulAging.me

?

References:

1. Greenhaff PL, Bodin K, Soderlund K, Hultman E 1994 Effect of oral creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle phosphocreatine resynthesis. The American journal of physiology 266:E725-730
2. Greenhaff PL, Casey A, Short AH, Harris R, Soderlund K, Hultman E 1993 Influence of oral creatine supplementation of muscle torque during repeated bouts of maximal voluntary exercise in man. Clin Sci (Lond) 84:565-571
3. Harris RC, Soderlund K, Hultman E 1992 Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clin Sci (Lond) 83:367-374
4. Hultman E, Soderlund K, Timmons JA, Cederblad G, Greenhaff PL 1996 Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol 81:232-237
5. Vandenberghe K, Goris M, Van Hecke P, Van Leemputte M, Vangerven L, Hespel P 1997 Long-term creatine intake is beneficial to muscle performance during resistance training. J Appl Physiol 83:2055-2063
6. Febbraio MA, Flanagan TR, Snow RJ, Zhao S, Carey MF 1995 Effect of creatine supplementation on intramuscular TCr, metabolism and performance during intermittent, supramaximal exercise in humans. Acta Physiol Scand 155:387-395
7. Lemon P, Boska M, Bredle D, et at 1995 Effect of oral creatine supplementation on energetics of during repeated maximal muscle contraction. Med Sci Sport Exer 27:S204
8. Williams MH, Kreider RB, Branch JD 1999 Creatine: The Power Supplement. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers
9. Burke DG, Silver S, Holt LE, Smith Palmer T, Culligan CJ, Chilibeck PD 2000 The effect of continuous low dose creatine supplementation on force, power, and total work. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 10:235-244
10. Juhn MS, Tarnopolsky M 1998 Potential side effects of oral creatine supplementation: a critical review. Clin J Sport Med 8:298-304
11. Juhn MS, O?Kane JW, Vinci DM 1999 Oral creatine supplementation in male collegiate athletes: a survey of dosing habits and side effects. J Am Diet Assoc 99:593-595
12. Poortmans JR, Francaux M 2000 Adverse effects of creatine supplementation: fact or fiction? Sports Med 30:155-170
13. Buford TW, Kreider RB, Stout JR, Greenwood M, Campbell B, Spano M, Ziegenfuss T, Lopez H, Landis J, Antonio J 2007 International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 4:6
14. Kreider RB, Leutholtz BC, Greenwood M 2004 Creatine. In: Wolinsky I, Driskel J eds. Nutritional Ergogenic Aids. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 81-104
15. Kreider RB 2007 Creatine. In: Driskell J ed. Sports Nutrition: Fats and Proteins. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 165-186
16. Walker JB 1979 Creatine: biosynthesis, regulation, and function. Adv Enzymol Relat Areas Mol Biol 50:177-242
17. Wyss M, Kaddurah-Daouk R 2000 Creatine and creatinine metabolism. Physiol Rev 80:1107-1213
18. Kreider RB, Greenwood M, Melton C, Rasmussen CJ, Cantler EC, Lancaster S, Milnor P, Almada AL 2002 Long-term creatine supplementation during training/competition does not increase perceptions of fatigue or adversely affect health status. Med Sci Sport Exer 34:S146
19. Candow DG, Chilibeck PD, Chad KE, Chrusch MJ, Davison KS, Burke DG 2004 Effect of ceasing creatine supplementation while maintaining resistance training in older men. J Aging Phys Act 12:219-231
20. Steenge GR, Simpson EJ, Greenhaff PL 2000 Protein- and carbohydrate-induced augmentation of whole body creatine retention in humans. J Appl Physiol 89:1165-1171
21. Preen D, Dawson B, Goodman C, Beilby J, Ching S 2003 Creatine supplementation: a comparison of loading and maintenance protocols on creatine uptake by human skeletal muscle. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 13:97-111
22. Robinson TM, Sewell DA, Hultman E, Greenhaff PL 1999 Role of submaximal exercise in promoting creatine and glycogen accumulation in human skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 87:598-604
23. Chilibeck PD, Stride D, Farthing JP, Burke DG 2004 Effect of creatine ingestion after exercise on muscle thickness in males and females. Med Sci Sports Exerc 36:1781-1788

Source: http://www.brinkzone.com/articles/how-to-get-most-out-of-your-creatine-what-form-dose-and-supplementation-strategy/

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Easy Innovation for the Enterprise : Just Let ServiceNow Run Your IT ...

Bart Murphy, who serves as Vice President of Shared Services and CTO of CareWorks, sat down with Dave Vellante and Jeff Frick on theCube at ServiceNow Knowledge13 to speak about his service experience.

CareWorks is a family of six businesses. Murphy explains that five of them re centered on healthcare in different avenues, while one is technology consulting business that also services the other 5 businesses. The ServiceNow platform is currently being used on all six of these businesses as well.

?I had to look at a platform that could help me run the business of IT so that I could focus on the innovation of the enterprise.?

When he joined on as CTO, Murphy said that each business had different levels of interaction with IT and also had varying amounts of sophistication when it came to technology. He sought out ServiceNow to create a standardized way to interface with all the business. With the integration there have not only been improvements technology-wise, but improvements in business operations have also been impacted to save the company costs in other realms.

Watch the entire discussion below.

Anthony Coln is a Morehouse College grad with a degree in Mathematics. He covers the ServicesAngle and DevOps beats. If you have a news tip or story idea, please tweet us @SiliconAngle

Source: http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/05/16/easy-innovation-for-the-enterprise-just-let-servicenow-run-your-it-business/

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New secretary lays out agenda on Native Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) ? New Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is prepared to detail how she will move forward on issues affecting Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

Jewell is scheduled to testify Wednesday afternoon before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee chaired by Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Jewell's experience with Native American affairs is limited and she's not as well known among tribes as her predecessor, former Secretary Ken Salazar. But she has had a relationship with tribes in the committee chairwoman's home state.

Her appearance at the hearing comes as tribes have been watching for the effects of budget cuts on their programs, many that are very dependent on federal money. The Obama administration has won praise from tribes for work it has done on their behalf.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/secretary-lays-agenda-native-americans-170123739.html

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PaidContent Founder Rafat Ali Raises Another $1.1M For Skift, His Site For Travel News And Data

Skift, the travel industry-focused site that was launched in July 2012 by PaidContent founder Rafat Ali and Jason Clampet (who ran previously content and editorial partnerships at Frommers.com), is announcing today that it has raised $1.1 million in additional seed funding. The new funding was led by Lerer Ventures, with participation from various funds and angel investors (skip to the end of this post for the full list). It brings the total amount that Skift has raised to $1.5 million.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jr6A0Pggg-I/

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As North Korea heats up, South Korea and Japan should warm ties

Late in April, as the North Koreans appeared to be preparing to test new medium-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the top American military leader issued an almost plaintive plea to an audience of Japanese defense officials.

South Korea and Japan have very capable air-defense systems, Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said. Unfortunately, he lamented, ?as I stand here today, with the North Korean threat very real, those two pictures are not combined.?

OPINION: Talks with North Korea? Better to apply financial pressure (+ video)

For Americans, whose air defenses are closely tied to those of Japan and South Korea, the logic of cooperation between its two principal allies in Northeast Asia has long seemed clear. All three countries face a common threat from a North Korean regime armed with weapons that can reach the South and also US bases in Japan. US forces in Japan are the backbone of any response to war on the Korean Peninsula. Trilateral cooperation could also help balance the growing and assertive military presence of China in the region.

As General Dempsey knows all too well, strategic and military cooperation between the two neighbors is almost nonexistent, and what little there is usually takes place out of public sight. Only days before this speech, the South Korean foreign minister canceled a visit to Japan aimed at discussing joint measures to deal with North Korea. Last year, the South Korean government pulled back from an agreement with Japan to exchange military intelligence literally hours before the signing ceremony.

These tensions have their roots in a troubled history between the two countries ? a history of Japanese annexation of the Korean Peninsula, of brutal colonial rule, and forced labor. This past includes the coercive recruitment, by some estimates, of more than 140,000 Korean ?comfort women,? or virtual sex slaves, to work in brothels organized by Japan?s Imperial Army during World War II.

While all that came to an end with the defeat of the Japanese Empire in 1945, Koreans remain wounded by the periodic refusal of Japanese leaders to acknowledge that past and Japan?s responsibility. The problems over the past are also embedded in a minor territorial dispute over a small group of rocky islets, under South Korean control but claimed by Japan, which Koreans view as a symbol of liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

For Koreans, these issues are a matter of identity, and their leaders have learned never to ignore this popular feeling. Japanese complain that Koreans are too ?emotional,? and that their leaders use the past for political ends. But Japanese politicians are not above playing to a sense of lost pride at home, fed by the rise of China.

This clash of historical perception has intensified with the return to power of the Japanese conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government last December under the leadership of Shinzo Abe. The prime minister was well known for his unrepentant view of wartime history, having run for office on the stated desire to reverse past conciliatory statements on the war, such as the official responsibility for recruiting the ?comfort women.?

OPINION: To break the cycle of North Korea threats, US must put Kim on his heels (+ video)

As prime minister, Mr. Abe has tried to reassure observers of his desire to improve relations with his neighbors. But his inner nationalism has resurfaced. Abe told the parliament last month that Japan?s actions in Asia could not be characterized as ?aggression? or ?invasion,? repudiating the language of a war apology issued in 1995.

When Abe?s deputy premier and 169 members of the parliament visited the Yasukuni shrine to Japan?s war dead, where the men convicted by the Allies of war crimes are also honored, the Korean foreign minister responded by canceling his visit. Japan?s foreign minister has since said that the government stands by its apologies, but officials continue to avoid acknowledging Japan?s ?aggression.?

President Obama got a personal taste of this legacy when he raised the need for trilateral cooperation in an Oval Office meeting May 7 with South Korea?s new president, Park Geun-hye. According to Korean officials, Ms. Park told her host that cooperation must rest upon the foundation of a Japan willing to face its wartime crimes and honor Japan?s previous clear statements of remorse. She pointed with concern to the LDP?s desire to rewrite the Constitution, removing the American-authored prohibition against the conduct of war except in self-defense.

?Differences stemming from history are widening,? Park told a joint session of Congress with unusual bluntness. Park reinforces how seriously she takes this question of the past in small but significant ways. For instance, she has pointedly focused her attentions in the region on improving ties with China, which she is planning to visit soon, well ahead of any trip to Japan.

The impact of this war of memories on public opinion is corrosive. In a joint poll of Koreans and Japanese in March and April, some 76 percent of Koreans had an unfavorable image of Japan, citing history and territory issues. Japanese with a favorable view of Korea declined from 50 percent a decade ago to 37.3 percent. Some 44 percent of Koreans see Japan as a military threat, almost as many as view China as a threat.

The failure of Korea and Japan to deal with their past imperils not only their own security but America?s. The burden of responsibility to promote cooperation lies with Japan, though South Korea also must be prepared to respond positively to real gestures of apology and responsibility.

Unfortunately the Abe government is mobilized not by the concerns of Koreans but only by the fear that Americans are paying attention to these concerns. While the United States is not without guilt when it comes to avoiding sensitive wartime issues, Washington must make it clear that it will not tolerate a retreat from the judgment of history, forged by the lives of Americans and their Allies, that the war in Asia was a consequence of Japan?s aggression.

OPINION: Obama must throw North Korea a curve ball ? a helping US hand

America?s alliances in East Asia rest on that foundation, and its presence in the region requires that all of its allies work well with each other to keep regional peace.

Daniel Sneider is the associate director for research of Stanford University?s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, where he codirects a project on wartime historical memory. A former foreign correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, he reported on Asia for 30 years.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-heats-south-korea-japan-warm-ties-131602313.html

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