Author: Serkadis

The simple if unsatisfying answer to the question of when to buy a new Mac is when you need one.

There’s nothing a Mac bought a year ago can’t do today, and nothing a Mac bought today won’t be able to do a year from now, just not as well.

That’s the problem for those seeking to maximize the value of their next purchase. If one believes the hype from none other than Steve Jobs himself, Macs are going to “take Apple to the next level” in 2010, and who doesn’t want to level up with Steve?

But even without the hype, there are three–well, really, two good reasons and one forlorn hope–to wait a while before purchasing your next Mac.

While Steve Jobs just pronounced Apple a “mobility” company at the iPad event, it’s actually been one for awhile. More than two out of three Macs sold are laptops, and if you are in that majority you should definitely wait for Arrandale.

That’s the mobile CPU from Intel launched at CES under the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 variants. Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies for improved parallelization and increased speed on demand have resulted in double-digit performance increases without a decrease in battery life.

Regarding performance, the desktop Core i5 and Core i7 can already be found in the high-end iMac, which admittedly are quad-core versus dual-core for the mobile versions. Nonetheless, Macworld found the that the “2.66GHz Core i5 iMac is the fastest standard configuration Mac we’ve ever tested,” and can be as fast as Xeon-based Mac Pros.

This is the kind of upgrade worth waiting for, and the wait shouldn’t be long. The MacBook Pros and the MacBook Air were last updated in June, meaning they are due for an update even without significant new technology. Keep in mind the MacBook, last updated in October, may continue to use a Core 2 Duo for market segmentation purposes. Since the iPad is set for launch in late March, and companies like HP are already selling Arrandale laptops, expect an update within weeks, possibly even sooner.

There’s something else HP is selling, the Envy 15 laptop with USB 3, and that’s the second reason not to buy a Mac right now. USB 3 has transfer rates of up to 4.8Gbps, though real world rates won’t be nearly that high, but then USB 2 doesn’t reach its theoretical maximum of 480Mbps, either.

We can expect that USB 3 will be multiple times as fast as USB 2, which is the kind of benefit instantly recognizable to anyone downloading images from a camera or backing up to a USB drive. While there are very few USB 3 devices available today, that will change quickly this year.

As to when to expect USB 3 Macs, a recent rumor in DigiTimes suggested Genesys Logic is sampling device controllers for Apple now, a claim which the company denied. Whether there’s truth in the rumor or the denial, Apple is undoubtedly working on USB 3 for Macs. The new bus could conceivably be part of the next round of updates in the spring, but if not then expect USB 3 Macs in the fall.

Something not to expect this spring, and that is suspect this year, would be Macs with Blu-ray. Just last month, it was attributed to Steve Jobs that Blu-ray is still a “mess,” and that Apple is waiting until Blu-ray sales “take off.”

According to market researcher In-Stat, that could be about 2013, if by “take off” one means exceeding sales of DVD players. Unfortunately, the predicted adoption rate for Blu-ray in PCs is even worse. Metrics firm iSuppli projects that by 2013 only 16 percent of PCs will come with Blu-ray drives.

If, like me, you are waiting for a Mac mini with Blu-ray, you probably won’t be buying this year. However, for those who plan on keeping their next Mac for one to three years, a Mac mini with Core i5 and USB 3 can likely be had this year.

The same can be said for every other Mac, too. While 2010 may or may not take Macs to the “next level,” both Intel’s new Core processors and USB 3 are significant upgrades. That’s why if you need a Mac today, buy one, but if not, tomorrow is definitely worth the wait.

Last week we heard some pretty wild rumors about General Motors’ rear-wheel-drive plans including a rumor that said GM would drop the new and popular Cadillac CTS Coupe and Sport Wagon. The rumor also suggested that GM’s Alpha platform will replace the Sigma platform currently under the Cadillac CTS sedan in 2012. The Alpha platform will also underpin the upcoming Cadillac ATS, the brand’s upcoming 3-Series competitor.

This morning we have some additional details on the upcoming ATS and this time it’s from GM’s vice chairman of global product operations, Tom Stephens. Stephens says that GM’s two-mode hybrid powertrain, which is currently used only in trucks, will migrate to rear-wheel-drive cars in the next-generation.

He says that he expects GM’s next-generation two-mode hybrid system to be offered on the Cadillac ATS.  The next-generation CTS will also offer the next-generation hybrid system.

GM said last month that it is working on an electric-motor that is 25 percent smaller and 20 percent more powerful than the current one currently used in its two-mode hybrid trucks.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

AOL has been an independent company for a couple of months now and, much like Yahoo, has been looking to shed some unnecessary weight. Among the products put up for sale is one of the two IM services the company runs, namely ICQ. Certainly not as popular as AIM in the US, it has a sizeable following in other parts of the world leading to interest from several groups outside of the US. All Things Digital’s Boom Town reports that the bid is now down to four “serious” contenders offering a price… (read more)

Gluskin-Sheff’s David Rosenberg sees some element of karmic beauty in the sovereign debt crisis, and how it might affect banks.

———

First the governments bail out the banks who were (are) basically insolvent.  
Then these governments, especially in Europe, see their balance sheets explode
and face escalating concerns over sovereign default.  The IMF now predicts that
the government debt-to-GDP ratio in the G20 nations will explode to 118% by
2014 from pre-crisis levels of around 80%.  

Now, the ball is put back onto the banks because many have exposure to the
areas of Europe that are facing substantial fiscal problems right now.  According
to the Wall Street Journal, U.K. banks have $193 billion of exposure to Ireland. 
German banks have the same amount of exposure and an additional $240
billion to Spain.  Many international bond mutual funds also have sizeable
exposure to sovereign debt of Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain as well. 
Contagion risks are back.  Stay defensive and expect to see heightened volatility.  
In a nutshell, toxic assets have basically been swept under the rug in the hopes
that we will outgrow the problem.  Leverage ratios across every level of society
are still reaching unprecedented levels as the public sector sacrifices the
sanctity of its balance sheet in its quest to stabilize the dubious financial
position of the household and banking sectors in many parts of the world. 

Whatever bad assets have been resolved have almost entirely been placed on the
books of governments and central banks, which now have their own particular set
of risks, as we have witnessed very recently in places like Dubai, Mexico, and
Greece, not to mention at the state and local government level in the United
States.  We simply have not seen a reduction in the percentage of properties with
mortgages that are “under water”, hence the FDIC has identified 7% of banking
sector assets ($850 billion) that are in “trouble”, so how can it possibly be that the
financial system is anywhere close to some stable equilibrium?  
When accurately measured, including the shadow inventory from bank
foreclosures, there is still nearly two year’s worth of unsold housing inventory in
the United States, and commercial vacancy rates are poised to reach
unprecedented highs, and this excess supply is bound to unleash another round
of price deflation and debt defaults this year.  The balance sheets of
governments are rapidly in decline across a broad continuum, and it is
particularly questionable as to whether Europe is in sound enough financial
shape to weather another banking-related storm. 

The global economy is set to cool off.  Not only is China and India warding off
inflation with credit tightening measures but most of the fiscal and monetary
stimulus thrust in the U.S.A. and Canada is behind us as well.  And, the fiscal
tourniquet is about to be applied in many parts of Europe, especially the PIIGS
(referring to Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain — these countries account
for a nontrivial 37% of Eurozone GDP).  Greece’s GDP has already contracted by
3.0% YoY, as of Q4, and is expected to contract 1.1% in 2010 and 0.3% in 2011
as a 13% deficit-to-GDP ratio is sliced from 13% to 3% (assuming this fiscal goal
can be achieved politically).  Portugal has a 9.2% deficit-to-GDP ratio that is in
need of repair and Spain has a deficit ratio that is even worse, at 11.4% of GDP.

The bottom line is that even if the fiscally-challenged countries of Europe do not
end up defaulting, or leaving the Union, the reality is that they will have to take
draconian measures to meet their financial obligations.  Devaluation was the
answer in the past in Greece but it cannot rely on that quick fix this time around
without leaving EMU and if it did, then that could make it even harder to service
its Euro-denominated debts — at least not without a restructuring.  And, if
Greece did attempt at a debt restructuring, rest assured that Italy, Spain,
Portugal and Ireland would be next — we are talking about a combined $2 trillion
of potential sovereign debt restructuring that would more than triple the $600
billion direct cost of the Lehman bankruptcy.  

This poses a hurdle over global growth prospects at a time when Asia will feel
the pinch from the credit-tightening moves in China and India.  And heightened
risk premia will also exert a dampening global dynamic of their own in terms of
economic decision-making by businesses and households alike.  The intense
sovereign risk concerns are not limited to Europe either.  In the U.S.A. we saw
CDS spreads widen out to their highest levels since the equity markets were
coming off their lows last April.  According to the FT, the Markit iTrax SivX index
of CDS on 15 western European sovereign credits rose above 100bps on Friday
for the first time ever. 

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Europe’s Sovereign Disaster Makes U.S. Bonds Look Awesome
• Bill Gross: The Sovereign Debt Crisis Is "Subprime" All Over Again
• EVERYONE’S FREAKING OUT ABOUT SOVEREIGN DEBT

A sharp-eyed MacRumors forum member spotted what is either a hoax or the highly inappropriate use of a next-generation MacBook Pro this weekend.

Processor and memory benchmarks for a computer identified as “MacBookPro6,1″ were posted at Geekbench, but that model identifier does not currently exist in the MacBook Pro lineup, nor does a MacBook Pro sporting Intel’s brand new Core i7 CPU. While Apple’s secretive nature and tight security would suggest these benchmarks are a fabrication, the benchmarks could also be the latest circumstantial evidence supporting an imminent MacBook Pro update.

Intel introduced the new Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs for laptops at CES on Jan. 7, which was followed by announcements of new laptops from companies like Dell and HP. A few days later a leaked memo of an internal incentive program aimed at Intel employees was revealed, one that offered a Core i5 MacBook Pro as a prize. While Intel admitted the incentive program was real, the company asserted the reference to the Core i5 was a typo.

That bring us to the Geekbench results, which appear to be typo-free. The specs for the Core i7 are correct, and the results are in keeping with expected performance gains, about 20 percent, over Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros at the same clock speed. While the most current shipping version of 10.6.2 is build 10C540, 10C3067 conforms to a non-shipping build. The new model identifier has also been noted in recent builds of 10.6.2 as well.

It’s unfortunate that Geekbench doesn’t report GPUs. While the integrated GPU for the Core i5 and i7 is significantly faster than that of the Core 2 Duo, significantly faster junk is sill junk. Specs including a 9800 series GPU from Nvidia would make a good hoax into a great one.

However, true benchmarks or hoax, the launch of the new Core family of CPUs from Intel a month ago and counting is the real pressure on Apple to update the MacBook Pro lineup, that and the launch of the iPad in March. For the MacBook Pros, the update window is closing, and that means the odds of the familiar yellow sticky note at the Apple Store are increasing every day. If you are considering buying a new MacBook Pro, seriously consider waiting just a little longer.

Two teenage boys and a third accomplice have been taken into custody after a man was fatally stabbed Thursday in the South Shore neighborhood.

The teen, 16, was arrested at 4:14 p.m. at 2024 E. 71st St., according to a police report.

The boy suffered a laceration to the left buttock and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn after the incident, the report said.

A second suspect, 15, also remains in custody and police said they picked up the third suspect at about 1:30 p.m. Friday morning. None of the three have been charged, police said.

Police responded at 4 p.m. to the 7100 block of South Jeffery Boulevard where a male suspect had allegedly stabbed a man and the suspect was also cut, according to police News Affairs Officer Ronald Gaines.

The suspects and the victim were in an argument over money, police said.

Andreaus Clark, 24, of 7925 S. Oglesby Ave., was pronounced dead at 4:22 p.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Clark was stabbed at the Jeffery Boulevard address, according to the medical examiner’s office. The captain said after Clark was stabbed he stumbled inside a nearby currency exchange where he collapsed.

Alfaro said the offender was taken to University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital where he was treated and released into police custody.

No charges had been filed as of early Friday for the teen, who is a South Shore High School student, according to the police report.

The captain said the “long bladed” knife used was recovered and a motive had not been determined early Friday.

Calumet Area detectives are investigating.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

SPRINGFIELD — Authorities in Springfield have charged two cousins with the slaying of 24-year-old William Suggs, who was found shot to death inside his car Dec. 10.

Prosecutors say 21-year-old Jonathon Phillips and 19-year-old Antonio Phillips, both of Springfield, were both charged Thursday with first-degree murder and armed robbery.

Both were already were in the Sangamon County Jail on other charges – Antonio Phillips as a suspect in two armed robberies, and Jonathon Phillips on a charge of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

Bond has been set at $2 million for each of the cousins.

The Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s office did not know if either man had an attorney.

Read the original article from Herald & Review.

Filed under: Europe, Saab, Earnings/Financials, Spyker

What is thought to be one of the last remaining hurdles for the acquisition of Saab Automobile by Spyker Cars from General Motors has reportedly been cleared – the Swedish government’s endorsement of a pivotal European Investment Bank loan has been okayed by the European Union. Bloomberg indicates that the 400 million-euro ($546 million) loan has gained approval because the loan guarantors have found the necessary collateral and “adequate remuneration.” It is understood that the loan is conditional based upon Saab using the capital to develop and produce cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The EIB itself must still approve the loan in order for the transaction to go through, but the endorsement by the EU is expected to make it easier for the Luxemburg-based institution to make that move.

[Sources: Bloomberg, Autocar | Image: Joe Raedle/Getty]

[Source:

Breaking: Swedish loan guarantee for Saab reportedly wins EU approval originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The defense for a Lake in the Hills man accused of illegally obtaining a deadly fish toxin in a scheme to kill his wife filed a flurry of motions this week asking a federal judge to either dismiss most of the charges or bar key evidence from a potential trial.

Among them is one claiming suspect Edward F. Bachner handled and stored the poison Tetrodotoxin so improperly that it would have been useless as a weapon, even if he intended to harm someone.

Bachner, 36, faces a 16-count indictment that alleges he obtained substantial amounts of Tetrodotoxin – a poison obtained from the puffer fish – as part of a plot to kill his wife and collect more than $20 million in life insurance.

Bachner, 36, has formally denied the indictment, which also includes accusations of tax fraud, wire fraud and solicitation of murder. He could face life in prison if convicted on all charges.

The Lake in the Hills man appeared in U.S. District Court in Rockford on Friday, but the case was set over to April 16 to give attorneys more time to prepare and respond to the pretrial motions.

In a motion to dismiss 13 of the indictment’s 16 counts, defense lawyer James Marcus argues that the poison, also known as TTX, is difficult to weaponize and Bachner was storing it in a manner that would have made it nonlethal.

A second motion to dismiss asks the court to toss out allegations Bachner fraudulently obtained millions of dollars of life insurance for his wife. The motion argues that because no life insurance was ever paid out, there was no fraud.

The defense is also asking a judge to bar several items of evidence obtained before and during an FBI raid of Bachner’s home after his arrest June 30, 2008. The motions argue that agents searched Bachner’s mail without a warrant and exceeded the bounds of the warrant for his home in the 5700 block of McKenzie Drive by confiscating more than just TTX found inside.

The FBI arrested Bachner when he picked up a shipment of the toxin he had obtained by posing as a doctor performing medical research, authorities said.

A subsequent search of his home, authorities said, discovered 45 full or partially full vials of the poison along with evidence he had obtained at least 19 more vials that were missing.

Agents also found a handgun, more than 50 knives, five garrotes, a phony CIA badge, a precursor to the poison Ricin and books on how to poison people, make gun silencers and hand-to-hand combat, an assistant U.S. Attorney said.

Bachner has been held in federal custody without bond ever since. Family members, including his wife, have steadfastly stood behind him since the arrest.

If the defense motions succeed, only charges alleging Bachner tried to hire someone to kill his wife in 2005 will be left standing.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Here’s another datapoint suggesting that January brought no relief on the mortgage backed security/delinquencies front.

This time, Fitch looks at prime Jumbo loans (AKA: The McMansion market):

—-

  Fitch  Ratings-NY-8  February  2010:  U.S.  prime jumbo loan performance
  continued  to  weaken  in  January as serious delinquencies rose for the
  32nd consecutive month, according to Fitch Ratings in the latest edition
  of Performance Metrics.

  ‘The   new  year  has  brought  no  relief  from  declining  jumbo  loan
  performance,’  said  Managing Director Vincent Barberio. ‘The trend line
  for  delinquencies  indicates the 10% level could be reached as early as
  next month.’

  Although  prime  jumbo  loan  delinquencies  began to rise in the second
  quarter  of  2007,  they  accelerated  in  2009 nearly tripling over the
  course  of  the  year.  Florida saw the biggest monthly jump of the five
  states with the highest volume of jumbo loans outstanding.

  Overall,  prime  jumbo  RMBS  60+  days  delinquencies  rose to 9.6% for
  January  (up  from  9.2%  for December 2009). While delinquency rates on
  earlier  vintages  (pre-2005) remain well below that of recent vintages,
  more  seasoned pools have experienced significant deterioration over the
  past  year  with  60+  days  delinquencies increasing from 1.8% to 4.3%.
  While  less  than  5% of prime jumbo senior RMBS classes issued prior to
  2005  have  been  downgraded to date, approximately 40% currently have a
  Negative  Rating  Outlook  as  a  result  of  the  weakening  collateral
  performance.

  The five states with the highest volume of prime jumbo loans outstanding
  (California,  New  York,  Florida,  Virginia,  and  New Jersey) comprise
  approximately  two-thirds of the loans in question. Prime jumbo RMBS 60+
  days delinquencies for these states at January 2010 compared to December
  2009,  and  their  approximate  share of the $381 billion market, are as
  follows:

  –California: 11.3%, up from 10.8% (44% share of the market);
  –New York: 6.1%, up from 5.8% (7% share);
  –Florida: 16.6%, up from 16% (6% share);
  –Virginia: 5.6%, up from 5.4% (5% share);
  –New Jersey: 7.4%, up from 7.1% (4% share).

  Prime  jumbo  borrowers that were current on their mortgage the previous
  month  but  missed  a  payment  the following month (the roll rate) fell
  slightly  to 1.2% for January from the seasonal high of 1.3% in December
  2009,  but  remained above the 1% monthly average for 2009. Of the three
  major  RMBS  sectors  (Prime, Alt-A, Subprime), Prime is the only sector
  currently experiencing roll-rates higher than one year ago.

  Fitch’s  RMBS  Performance  Metrics  combines loan level data from Fitch
  Ratings  and  LoanPerformance  to  include delinquency trends, roll rate
  movement  and  loss rates across vintage, sector, and mortgage type. The
  report  also  includes  data  on  mortgage  servicing  trends,  such  as
  modification activity and advancing percentages, as well as a summary of
  bond rating changes.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Just Look At Hotel CMBS Delinquencies Explode
• CMBS Delinquencies Spike Again Across Every Category
• Commercial Real Estate Delinquencies Are Up 5x Already And They Still Won’t Peak Until 2012

Are you right now having trouble selling your product, service talent? If so, maybe you’re looking for love in all the slightly-wrong places.

Yo! It doesn’t matter how good your beef tenderloin is. Don’t try to sell it to a vegan store.

In other words:

When looking for the right client, consumer, distribution market, promotional venue ….always narrow-focus to only those who “get” you. Take some time to brainstorm how your product, service, talent solves problems, needs and fears – then brainstorm up a list of who is reeling most with these problems, needs and fears!

In summary:

Stop looking for love in all the slightly wrong places. You’ll waste time and money and get your heart broken.

For more career tips check out BALLSY by clicking this line here, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW – and empower yourself with proven tips for EXTREME SUCCESS! (Pssssst — BALLSY has been praised by SETH GODIN and KEITH FERRAZZI!)

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Boeing [NYSE: BA] in late December successfully integrated the satellite bus and payload module for the fourth of six Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellites the company is building for the U.S. Air Force.

WGS-4’s broadband communications payload was mated with a high-power Boeing 702 platform at the company’s Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, the world’s largest satellite-manufacturing facility.

Over the next few months, the WGS team will conduct final integration activities followed by rigorous environmental testing, including vibration and thermal-vacuum tests.

“With the mating of these modules, all bus and payload equipment for WGS-4 has completed integration and testing,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.

“This milestone capped a great year for the WGS program, which included launching two satellites less than eight months apart. The WGS team continues to perform at the highest levels and maintain its strong momentum.”

WGS is the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest-capacity communications satellite system, providing fast, flexible, broadband communications for U.S. warfighters and their allies around the world.

WGS-4 is the first of three satellites to be built under the Block II contract. The Block II satellites include performance-boosting enhancements such as a radio frequency bypass designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring additional bandwidth.

WGS-4, -5 and -6 are scheduled to launch in 2011 or 2012.

WGS-1 and WGS-2, launched in October 2007 and April 2009, respectively, have been accepted into service and are meeting or exceeding all mission requirements.

WGS-3, launched in December, is undergoing on-orbit testing and is expected to go into service in April.

WGS satellites are built on the proven Boeing 702 platform, which uses a highly efficient xenon-ion propulsion capability.

The communications payload provides reconfigurable coverage areas and the ability to connect X-band and Ka-band users anywhere within the satellite’s field of view via an onboard digital channelizer — features that enhance security and mission flexibility, and are not available on any other communications satellite.

About Boeing Defense, Space & Security

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space and Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bob Pickard, 310-364-6125
Space & Intelligence Systems
[email protected]

Angie Yoshimura, 310-364-6708
Space & Intelligence Systems
[email protected]

The Prime Minister has pledged more choice, control and personalisation in health and social care.

Addressing an audience at health think-tank the King’s Fund this morning, Gordon Brown set out plans to expand the offer of care in the home and to provide dedicated one-to-one nursing for cancer patients.

The PM said the reforms would work towards creating an NHS which focuses more on prevention and early intervention.

“People want public services that are not take it or leave it, but personal to their needs; tailored to their aspirations and responsive to their choices and decisions about how they want to run their own lives.”

By accelerating reform, the PM aims to introduce new, legally enforcable NHS guarantees including:

• Cancer patients to see a specialist within two weeks of referral by a GP and cancer test results within one week
• All patients to be offered hospital treatment within no more than 18 weeks of seeing their GP
• All patients will be able to register with a GP open into evenings and weekends
• A regular healthcheck on the NHS for everyone over 40
• In the care system, all those with the highest needs being looked after in their own homes to receive free personal care

Earlier in the morning, the PM visited a community centre in the London borough of Newham, where he met elderly and disabled people receiving support to continue living independently.

The PM said a new national care service would aim to extend the offer of care in the home.

“Choice, control and personalisation is not just something for the young – the choices people make later in their lives might be different, but the right to a choice, to personalised care is just as important if not more so.”

 Read a full transcript of the speech here.

The National Weather Service is forecasting Chicago could get eight to 12 inches of snow from a winter storm expected to begin late Monday afternoon and continue through Tuesday night.

A winter storm watch remains in effect through late Tuesday night, predicting several inches of snow with heavy and drifting snow as well as sleet and ice accumulations, according to the National Weather Service.

But later Monday morning, there is a possibility the watch may be upgraded to a winter storm warning as 8 to 12 inches of snow are possible, according to Gino Izzi, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“The storm is going to be a little bit of an unusual snow storm because of the long duration that’s expected,” Izzi said.

The worst weather is forecast for late Tuesday when there is expected to be a period of six hours when Chicago will experience northeasterly winds, which are favorable to lake effect snow, Izzi said.

The expected heavy snow fall is based on models that show two storms above the northern plains which are about to merge and are “on the perfect track” to hit Chicago, according to Izzi.

Izzi said this storm is not connected to the recent blizzard that pummeled the northeast.

“Vicious” winds of up to 40 miles-per-hour Tuesday night into Wednesday morning could result in “blizzard-like conditions” for the Chicago area, Izzi said.

The heaviest snow fall is expected near Lake Michigan in Cook, Lake and DuPage counties in Illinois and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, according to Izzi.

Chicago’s western suburbs are forecast to receive “slightly less snow fall than the city,” anywhere from six to 10 inches, he said.

The National Weather Service is advising to allow for extra travel time and, if possible, to avoid travel all-together Monday night, Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

Highs of 29 degrees on Monday and 27 degrees on both Tuesday and Wednesday are forecast by the National Weather Service.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

Practitioners from seven California colleges and universities will participate in a nationwide institute to explore the future of higher education’s service-learning and civic and community engagement movement.

San Francisco, CA – Eight long-time civic and community engagement practitioners from California Campus Compact member colleges and universities are among a select group of service-learning and civic and community engagement leaders from colleges and universities throughout the nation who have been selected to participate in a one-of-a-kind advanced professional development program. The program is designed to explore cutting-edge issues in the field and support these leaders in influencing their campuses and contributing to advancing the service-learning and civic and community engagement movement on the local, state and national levels.

Diving Deep: Campus Compact’s Institute for Experienced Civic and Community Engagement Practitioners is aimed at experienced practitioners who are fulfilling the role of a service-learning director and/or are charged with institutionalizing service-learning and/or civic engagement within their campus and want to serve as active leaders within higher education and the larger service-learning and civic and community engagement movement. The institute will take place over three-and-a-half days in July 2010 and will include interactive workshops and presentations along with networking opportunities.

The eight participants from California, selected through a competitive application process, hail from public, private and faith-based colleges throughout the state. They are:

• Ann Bolick-Floss, Director, Career Center and Service-Learning Programs, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA

• Karin Cotterman, Associate Director, Engaged Scholarship, Haas Center for Public Service, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

• Christopher Nayve, Associate Director, Center for Community Service-Learning, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA

• Jennifer Pigza, Associate Director, Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action, Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA

• Julie Reed, Director, Service-Learning and Community Action, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

• Megan Voorhees, Director of Public Service/Assistant Dean of Students, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

• Marshall Welch, Director, Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action, Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA

• Merri Whitelock, Director, Community Engagement, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA

“California Campus Compact is pleased that these eight outstanding civic and community engagement practitioners—all from our member campus network—will be participating in Diving Deep,” said Elaine Ikeda, executive director of California Campus Compact.  “Through Diving Deep, they will have the opportunity to learn from their peers as part of a supportive, powerful learning community and expand their leadership capacity to sustain and grow service-learning and civic and community engagement in their institutions and in the field.”

More information about Diving Deep: Campus Compact’s Institute for Experienced Civic and Community Engagement Practitioners is available at http://www.compact.org/initiatives/professional-development-training/.

About California Campus Compact

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Republican candidate for the 8th Congressional District Joe Walsh said that he planned to continue his campaign the way he did in the primary –as the “Tea Party candidate.”

Walsh backed it up by speaking Friday at the Tea Party convention in Nashville.

“Everybody has been asking me, ‘Are you going to be the Tea Party candidate in the general [election]?’” he said before delivering his speech. “My answer is yes, because this is not about party.”

Walsh said he did not believe that the Tea Party movement was fringe, as some contend.

“I’m convinced that the Tea Party movement is most Republicans, most independents, and some Democrats who are scared to death about the growth of government,” Walsh said.

Walsh emerged from a crowded field of six candidates for his party’s nomination, earning more than 30 percent of the votes. He will face incumbent Melissa Bean, a Democrat, in November.

“Melissa Bean is on the wrong side of this issue, of increasing government,” Walsh said. “You can look at her recent record. She voted for the health care bill, she voted for the stimulus program.”

Bean’s spokesman, Jonathan Lipman, said Bean was unavailable for comment.

“The congresswoman understands that the families and businesses of the 8th District expect her to stay focused on addressing the economic insecurities and on promoting economic growth, and she remains committed to doing just that,” he said.

Although he said the Tea Party movement wasn’t just one party, Walsh said he clearly was a Republican.

“I’ve been a Republican my whole life,” he said. “Back in the day, it was the smaller government party, and I think that’s what people want right now. I want to get my party back to that.”

When the economy began falling apart, many people’s first reactions might have been to use government spending to help, Walsh said.

“I would have said, ‘no, we don’t need government stimulus programs,’” Walsh said. “We need jobs, and the way to get jobs is to lower taxes, especially on businesses. Businesses are not hiring, and the reason they’re not hiring is because they are so uncertain about what the government is going to do.”

Walsh is a Winnetka resident who grew up North Barrington. He lives outside the district but said he planned to move into it.

Green Party candidate Bill Scheurer, who unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat in the 2004 primary, will also be on the Nov. 2 ballot. Bean, who was re-elected in 2006 and 2008, did not face a primary challenger.

By SARAH SUTSCHEK, [email protected]

Read the original article from the Northwest Herald.

Google Street View can be seen as a great product which enables people to view the world in ways it simply hasn’t been possible before. Or it can be seen as a great Google conspiracy to, well, take over the world or whatever it is that evil corporate super-powers try to do these days, besides creating brain-eating zombie super mutan… (read more)

Three governors will meet with President Barack Obama’s chief science adviser Monday in Washington to discuss strategy for preventing Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.

Nancy Sutley, head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is scheduled to host Govs. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Pat Quinn of Illinois and Jim Doyle of Wisconsin.

The large, voracious carp have infested Chicago-area waterways, and their DNA was discovered in Lake Michigan last month.

Scientists say they could disrupt the Great Lakes food chain and devastate the $7 billion fishing industry.

Michigan wants to close shipping locks and gates between the waterways and the lake.

But the Obama administration agrees with Illinois that doing so would hurt the Chicago economy and there are better ways to stop the carp.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

This week’s releases are more varied than last time’s. A couple of AAA titles are coming out BioShock 2 and Dante’s Inferno, specifically along with Star Ocean: The Last Hope International for PS3. Wii gamers

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Government/Legal, Ferrari

Last summer, Maserati held a competition to identify the best garages in the world. There were two categories: Concept and Existing. While the concept winner was pretty spectacular, the existing garage was breathtaking. Remember the glass-walled garage in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? The one that Cameron launched his father’s vintage Ferrari California Spider through? That was a pretty amazing garage and similar to Holger Schubert’s Maserati competition winner. The difference is that Schubert took that concept one step further and simply built a 10-foot concrete bridge to his glass-walled living room.

The ultra-modern room won the Maserati contest, which was actually done in conjunction with Architectural Digest magazine. It’s decorated with “stylish furniture, a built-in bookcase and a flat-screen TV that slides on tracks past walls of glass that frame an ocean view.” Oh, there’s also that immaculate Ferrari 512 BBi sitting front-and-center.

The living room garage is part of a $1.5 million remodel that product designer Schubert has undertaken on his Brentwood home. Although initially granted permission by the city to build the bridge so he could better comply with off-street parking regulations, Los Angeles officials are now asking him to tear it down. Neighbors have apparently complained about the bridge and see it as a safety risk as well as a bad precedent for homes in the area. Schubert thinks they’re just pissed that his remodeling project is taking so long. It’s been about five years so far. We think they’re just jealous of the gorgeous grigio Boxer.

It’s not over for Schubert. There’s still a slim chance he might be able to save the award-winning garage by getting a zoning variance or winning a court reprieve. We wouldn’t hold our breath if we were him.

[Source: Los Angeles Times]

Report: Award-winning garage may lose its driveway originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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