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The budget battles currently raging in Washington DC threaten to shut down R&D innovation in important fields like energy technology at a time when it is needed more then ever. The importance of sustained political commitment to the funding of R&D in developing the next generation of energy technologies cannot be overstated.

The outcome of political spending decisions made today will have substantial influence on America's energy future. Details of a budget compromise have yet to be released, but the proposals presented by the two parties offer stark differences in policy choice. The Obama vision would increase clean energy R&D outsourcing, while the House Republicans' budgets would propose significant cuts. Politics should not be allowed to hobble our commitment to energy innovation, or we may find ourselves decades from now lamenting the damage done by climate change and rising oil prices that could have been averted.

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Wood Empire flooring is a popular choice that can suit a range of interiors. Some useful tips can help you to select the right wood flooring option to complement your existing furniture, including tips from Empire Carpet Home Decorating Ideas.

If your home furnishings are of a formal or traditional style, you should choose a darker wood flooring which tends to complement these types of décor best. If your furniture is of a more casual, contemporary or rustic style, you'll want to go with a lighter color wood which will fit with these looks best.

Each kind of wood has certain unique characteristics, along with costs and benefits. For example, maple is an excellent choice to use in high traffic areas of your home, because it is one of the hardest types of wood flooring available. However, the downside to maple is that it can't be stained. Services such as Empire Carpet can help you find flooring that works best with your current home furniture.

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Nokia is tapping the IT outsourcing firm Accenture to streamline its operations, transferring thousands of its Symbian employees to that firm and laying off thousands more staff worldwide.

Nokia will transfer all of its Symbian software activities to Accenture along with 3,000 staff members from China, Finland, India, the UK and the US. 4,000 employees will be laid off by the end of 2012, with the bulk of cuts taking place in Denmark, Finland and the UK. According to Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, the company has developed a new clarity around their path which requires reductions in their workforce. This news comes on the heels of the company formalizing its tie-in with Microsoft, which involves the adoption of the Windows Phone platform and the phasing-out over the next two years of the classic Symbian OS, as well as the abandonment of Nokia's next high-end platform MeeGo.