Tesla Motors, Inc., closed Thursday on a $465 million low-cost Energy Department loan to build a SoCal factory to produce their $50,000 Model S electric sedan and another facility to produce powertrains in Palo Alto. The Palo Alto factory will assemble battery packs, electric motors, and related equipment for Tesla’s own vehicles and to sell to other car makers.
“This is an investment in our clean energy future that will create jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu, about the project that Tesla estimates will produce about 1,600 jobs.
With a range of up to 300 miles, the Model S uses no gasoline, and produces no tailpipe emissions. The production target for is 20,000 units by the end of 2013, with production starting in 2012. The original price is set for $62,500, but with the $7,500 federal tax credit, one can own one for a net cost of $50,000.
Company CEO Elon Musk said at the 2010 NAIAS that it will take approximately 24-30 months from groundbreaking until the first Model S rolls off the line.
The government is offering loans to multiple car companies across all different energy platforms; their aim is to promote a multi-pronged approach toward achieving fuel-efficiency. So far nearly $9 billion has been awarded under the program, and another $16 billion is available for award.
Ron Paul: I thank the speaker and I rise at this time to talk about a piece of legislation that I’ve recently introduced. That legislation is HR 4248, it’s called The Free Competition In Currency Act.
I believe that in the long-term this is a piece of legislation that will play an important role in the monetary reform that will be a necessity if we continue to do what we have been doing with our economy and our financial system.
We’re in the middle of a financial crisis today. Some people think we have turned the corner, but quite frankly I do not believe that has occurred. Recently, though, we have just had the opening bells of an inquiry into what the cause of the crisis has been. That’s the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, and this is a takeoff of the Pecora Commission that was established in the 1990s when the crash occurring then.
Of course, that commission met, they talked to people, they tried to figure what was the matter, and from my viewpoint, they came down with all the wrong conclusions. They said that the Federal Reserve was involved, but the Federal Reserve didn’t print enough money fast enough. They didn’t have a big enough bailout package, and they needed a lot more regulations.
So they did all those things for the first time in our history under the two administrations: the Hoover and the Roosevelt administration. And what happened was they prolonged the depression, they took a one year depression/recession and turned it into a 15 year depression.
So I believe what we’re going through right now is the same old song and dance. We’re doing the same thing again. We have this new enquiry, and the members of the commission are people who didn’t see it coming, didn’t explain it and didn’t anticipate it. And the people who are coming before the commission, as I can see so far, had no anticipation or were acting surprised that the crisis came, that there was a bubble. So I can hardly see any good results coming from this.
My position over the many years has been that the Federal Reserve is a dangerous organization because it creates the bubble. Our country would be better off without a strong central bank like the Federal Reserve. I argue from a moral, economic and a constitutional viewpoint that it has no right to exist and it’s very dangerous to us.
I am very pleased, though, that one piece of legislation I introduced, HR 1207 to audit the Federal Reserve, has met with a large amount of support. We have 316 co-sponsors of that bill. And I think that is a major step in the right direction: looking to the Federal Reserve for the cause of our problems. The easy money system, the easy credit system, the fixing of interest rates too low.
Now, the reason why I’m addressing this is I believe the correction has a long way to run and that eventually we’ll have to have monetary reform. Now, in spite of my position being that we don’t need the Federal Reserve, I’m not in favor of closing the Federal Reserve down in one day or two. But I do believe the monetary system will close down this government and the monetary system and the Federal Reserve and a lot of other things if we continue on our profligate ways of spending and borrowing and inflating the currency and regulating the currency and this will get much worse until we have a total collapse of the system.
So, what my bill does is it introduces competition; competition in currencies. The Federal Reserve System and the dollar standard are run by a cartel; a monopoly. They don’t allow competition because they know they can’t compete. Just as we have competition in the post office with FedEx and UPS, I think that the Federal Reserve deserves a little competition. The public school system has competition with private schools, it has competition with homeschooling. And there is no reason in the world why we can’t enforce the Constitution, legalize the Constitution, and say that we can have competition in currencies.
But there are three major things that we must do to do that, and the bill does this. We repeal legal tender laws and we remove the monopoly control of the Federal Reserve. We legalize private mints so that mints can mint coins, and they will be controlled by fraud laws and anti-counterfeit laws. Today, our government commits fraud and counterfeit by just printing money at will. If a private organization did that, they would be in prison for the fraud that they are causing.
But the other important reform that would have to occur for money to circulate and compete against the monopoly control of the Federal Reserve, would be to take taxes off money. And the Constitution said only gold and silver can be money and only that can be legal tender. So you can’t tax it and allow it to be competitive.
So, these three things could occur and if nobody wanted to use it, they wouldn’t have to and everybody could be happy with the Federal Reserve. But, if the conditions get so chaotic and the people are looking for an alternative, they can go over and start operating in another currency.
So this, to me, could provide a smooth transition, it would not be chaotic, it would be legalizing the Constitution, it would be good sound economics, and eventually, the most important thing it would do is it would restrain the spending of this Congress. Because as long as you have a Federal Reserve over there willing to print up the money, anytime we spend more money than we don’t have and we can’t borrow, then the Federal Reserve will accommodate us.
Therefore, I argue the case for competition in currencies and strictly limited government.
We’re almost done test-driving the 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI for the week and today we’re giving you a look around the inside.
The inside of the 2010 Golf TDI screams quality and design throughout. In fact, we think the Golf has the best interior design and quality of all the vehicles in this segment. All Golf models start out with 8-way manually adjustable sports seats at the front, which include two-way adjustable lumbar support, and adjustable head restraints. The rear seats have 60/40 split folding capability for extra cargo space when needed. Both the front and rear seats come standard with Volkswagen’s “Me2″ cloth fabric, with heated seats available as an option.
Our test-model comes with a $1,750 touchscreen navigation, a $1,000 power sunroof, $199 for the Bluetooth connectivity and heated seats for $225. Buyers can also add a Dynaudio 300W amp and audio system for an extra $476.
As always, feel free to ask us questions about the 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI in the comments section after the jump. We’ll answer as many as we can.
…its still in the very early stage of realisation. However, I hope that I can still update on this page in the next five years 🙂 The other airports are Long Thanh Airport (HCMC) and Chu Lai Airport.
SPAIN’S GARUDA GROUP TO BUILD THREE AIRPORTS IN VIETNAM
Spanish airport builder Garuda Group is expected to pump US$15 billion into the construction of three world-class airports in Vietnam, following an agreement signed in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan 20.
The airports will be the International HCM City-Long Thanh Airport, costing $6 billion, the new Hanoi International Airport, $8 billion, and the Chu Lai International Airport in central Vietnam with an investment capital of more than $1 billion.
The investments will make Garuda the biggest foreign investor in the country so far.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to undertake the Long Thanh airport feasibility study was signed by the company and the municipal Peoples Committe yesterday.
Long Thanh airport will be about 43km from the hub of Ho Chi Minh City. It is expected to generate 5,500 permanent jobs for Vietnamese workers after construction. Garuda group is an airport/seaport builder, manager and consulting company.
Giuliano Koenigsberg, chairman of the Aviation South East Asia, a branch of the Garuda Group, said yesterday the company would carry out the feasibility study and map out a master plan for Long Thanh project jointly with Vietnams Southern Aviation Corporation.
Last month, the Garuda Group also reached an MoU with the Airport Design Construction Consultancy to set up a joint venture to build the new Hanoi International Airport, its biggest project in Vietnam.
"It will be the largest and the most modern airport in Asia," Koenigsberg said. "It will be designed by multi-national companies from Spain and Italy to reflect (Vietnamese) culture and aspirations."
The foreign partners include Spanish Galo Architects and Italian AIG. The airport would have two heliports, a hospital, school, apartments and hotels. After completion it is expected to generate 10,000 permanent jobs.
"The Government will grant Garuda management and operation rights for 30 years, to be extended by 10 years under certain circumstances, to cover the cost of project execution and to repay principle debts," Koenigsberg said.
Construction of the Hanoi airport was expected to be carried out in three stages, the first from next year run until 2015 at a cost of $4 billion, the second from 2015-18 would cost $1.5 billion and the last phase would cost $2.5 billion.
Phase one would accommodate 480 flights a day and 35 million passengers a year. Capacity would grow to about 850 flights daily and 62 million passengers annually by 2025 and to 1,096 flights daily and 80 million passengers annually by 2035.
"The new airport is due to replace the overloaded Noi Bai International Airport, which will likely be relegated to domestic flights only," Koenigsberg said. "Noi Bai has reached its capacity at over 15 million passengers annually."
Last month, Garuda Group also agreed with the Middle Airport Corporation to establish a joint venture to build Chu Lai International Airport in the central province of Quang Nam. It was expected that Chu Lai would be larger than neighbouring Da Nang Airport.
"Spanish enterprises are ready to come here and we see potential in trade and investment between Spain and Vietnam," he said.
Chu Lai had an annual capacity of 2.25 million passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo by 2015 and 4.1 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of cargo by 2025.
Koenigsberg said Chu Lai was chosen because it was an important gate to central Vietnam and was near Dung Quat and Chu Lai economic zones, Hoi An and the seaports of Ky Ha and Lien Chieu.
The group set up an office in Hanoi last year, providing consulting, investment and construction services for infrastructure projects, market surveys, trade and others. The office will promote co-operative projects between Spain and Vietnam. It also intends to set up an office in HCM City.
Is it a lemon? It’s not a question I like to have to ask about an Apple product, but it’s starting to look like Apple’s problem-plagued 27-inch iMac fits that description. And that’s not just a clever joke I’m making about the yellow screen complaint that seems to be popping up everywhere recently. Even beyond that cosmetic (though no less valid) complaint, the machines just aren’t living up to Apple’s reputation for quality.
Before the holidays, Apple put its foot down and delayed shipment on all new larger iMac orders until after Christmas. The ordering page for the 27-inch machine changed today to three weeks, extending delays further still. Maybe it’s just a backlog resulting from the initial delays, but reports of problems don’t seem to be slowing down, so that doesn’t seem likely.
Let’s review the storied past of the iMac that held so much promise when it was announced. Very shortly after that announcement, as soon as the first units started shipping, reports came in from users about problems with Flash performance, hard drive spindowns, bad Snow Leopard installs and permissions issues. So it tripped a bit out of the gate, but this is a distance race, not a sprint, right?
But as the race continues, the iMac in question doesn’t seem to be improving its performance. The display seemed to be the primary cause of concern as time went on. People reported cracked displays on delivery, screen flicker that drove a whopping number of customers crazy, and visual noise and dead pixel issues. The latest and most talked about complaint is significant screen yellowing and gradient change from top to bottom of displays on the 27-inch model.
The screen isn’t the only problem, though. Out of the box, some users are reporting DOA machines that just would not boot, and more complaints than any other about processor performance. A friend of mine had to return theirs twice for the same issue, and still hasn’t received a problem-free unit. Apple has tried software fixes, too, but they haven’t worked for everything.
The question isn’t really whether or not the 27-inch iMac is a lemon, it’s how Apple let this happen to begin with. Cupertino is not known for a tendency to rush machines into production before they’re ready, but this has all the earmarks of that exact situation.
Perhaps Apple was distracted by the tablet it’s apparently been developing, and if so, I’m not optimistic about the future of the Mac line. With the iPhone and a brand new similar platform in the tablet, will QA suffer in other areas? Apple’s reputation depends on two things: innovation and reliability. I, for one, am not willing to sacrifice one for the other. Are you?
This is part two in a three part series on the “New Green Economy” conference held by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.. Part onecovers a speech by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
In a session today, “Growing the Green Economy or Greening the Grown Economy?,” Robert Costanza, Director, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Vermont, moderated a panel including Mindy Lubber, President, CERES, Van Jones, author of “The Green Collar Economy,” Tim Jackson, Economics Commissioner, UK Sustainable Development Commission, and David Orr, Professor of Environmental Studies, Oberlin College.
Robert Costanza, Director, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, framed the session by asking: ”Do we nudge or even shove the existing economy in a new green direction, or do we need to completely redesign it from the bottom-up?” To organize the discussion, Costanza asked four questions of the panelists: “Are current forms of economic growth sustainable? Is economic growth desirable? What does a sustainable economy look like? How can we make the transition to a sustainable economy?”
Are current forms of economic growth sustainable?
Tim Jackson, Economics Commissioner, UK Sustainable Development Commission: “No, we’ve already passed the threshhold.”
Mindy Lubber, President, CERES: “Worldwide population growth is expected to rise from 6.23 billion to 9 billion by 2050. We are running out of water. California industries lost $3 billion last year because of water shortages (in part, resulting from climate change). We are producing more and more, but can’t keep this up.”
David Orr, Professor of Environmental Science, Oberlin College: Orr pointed to Alan Greenspan’s recent comments that ”there were flaws in his economic model,” and added: “Current growth has really just pushed the bill onto future generations and other people around the world. We have not been growing honestly. However, even this flawed, dishonest growth wasn’t doing what it should have been doing.”
Van Jones, author of “The Green Collar Economy”: “We are running up against ecological limits. However, for billions around the world, we need to pull their consumption levels up to decent levels. This is the challenge.”
Is growth desirable?
Jackson: “Income growth in the poorest countries is desirable. Economic growth also contributes to economic stability, which is needed for social stability. So in some cases, economic growth is desirable and needed. What we really need, though, is an economy not reliant on growth for stability.”
Orr: “The primary areas of growth in the U.S. economy have been related to the military. We’ve grown more militaristic as a result. Also, growth has taken the form of sprawl — Detroit is the poster child for what happens after sprawl.”
Lubber: “For countries with power, a new economic system would be threatening. We are already in a deficit in terms of natural resources. We must therefore put prices on the true cost of using natural resources — we need a price on carbon.”
Jones: “Economic systems work if they solve people’s problems. Right now, we have a financial crisis, structural crisis (jobs are moving to Asia), and an environmental crisis all at once. Americans are still dissatisfied (and voted in a new Republican Senator in Massachusetts) because we can’t solve even one of these problems.
What does a sustainable economy look like?
Orr: “It won’t look like what we’ve done in the past. Bill McKibben is coming out with a new book in April called “Eaarth” because he says humans have actually changed the climate to such an extent that it’s literally a different planet. The U.S. is now a debtor nation $10 trillion in debt. We are in a radically changed world. On the positive side, we now have green buildings; solar-powered buildings are proven to be doable. There’s biomimicry, which can lead to innovations in products. We have theoretical basis for a green economy. We’ve had a revolution in design capabilities. There can be growth in more honest ways now.
Jackson: “We have to make ecological investments (low-carbon technologies, ecological assets) and support ecological enterprises instead of profit-making firms. Returns on investment need to be calculated in terms of social and ecological returns as well. Current social community organizations are really the blueprint for future market-oriented organizations.”
Lubber: “We need honest accounting. In the short-term, we need prices on natural resources. Capital markets are logical and have been responding to the fact that CO2 is free. Putting a price on carbon will help us build low-carbon innovations into products.”
How can we make the transition to a sustainable economy?
Orr: “We are in a new age of Enlightenment, but may not realize it. We recognize and are discussing on a global level the deep philosophical, political, ecological and economic problems facing humanity. That’s pretty exciting. However, sustainability also needs to work in the worst areas — in mountain top strip mines in the Appalachia region — for it really to work. Until then, sustainability will just remain an abstraction.”
Jackson: “We do need to get prices right — the accounting, and build social capital. Government can facilitate and lead the way.”
Lubber: “There was more than $140 billion spent last year on clean energy in the U.S.. This year, that number should go up to $190 billion, and needs to continue to increase.”
Jones: “Change is not a good thing to everyone. We also need to think about continuity. Some things in the new green economy are actually quite old — valuing skilled labor and enterprise (instead of welfare). The green economy should reinvent old, static sectors. The green economy needs to present a hopeful vision. The environmental movement needs to present a positive picture.”
2010 Volvo C70 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Do you know anyone who owns a Volvo C70? We don’t either. The hard top convertible hasn’t been a strong seller here in the U.S. since it was introduced in 2008, but Volvo is trying to do something about that for the 2011 model year. For starters, Volvo gave its lone convertible offering a nice refresh, with a new front end in the mold of the XC60 and S60 and new, higher-end taillamps. The even better news is that Volvo has improved the C70 while at the same time offering more bang for the buck.
The 2011 C70 will start at $39,950 ($40,800 with $850 destination charge). That’s a mere $50 cheaper than the 2010 model, but Volvo says it added $4,000 in standard features to sweeten the pot. Among the newly standard equipment is a five-speed automatic transmission, Sirius satellite radio and Sovereign Hide leather upholstery. Cranberry leather can replace the Sovereign Hide leather upholstery at no charge. Other changes include a new, wider instrument panel with gauges that are unique to the C70.
The 2011 C70 will retain its 2.5-liter turbo five cylinder engine with 227 horsepower. Hit the jump to read over the Volvo press release.
Rob Lowe is departing the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters at the end of the season, Deadline Hollywood confirmed Thursday. The buzz is Lowe — who plays Senator McCallister on the series felt he was being underutilized by series writers and asked to be released from his contract. The network obliged and the acting vet is expected to appear on the program one final time sometime this spring.
COLUMBUS—A federal grand jury here has indicted Dr. Charles C. Njoku, 60, of Powell, and Veronica Scott-Guiler, 41, of Orient, who supervised his Columbus office, charging them with billing government health care insurance programs for physician services, including office visits and tests, that were not provided as billed.
They are also charged with prescribing medicine without a legitimate medical purpose.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, Keith L. Bennett, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Division (FBI), and Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS), announced the indictment which was returned January 12 and unsealed today following the arrests of the defendants.
FBI and HHS agents along with agents from the Ohio Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud unit arrested the defendants this morning.
They appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Terence P. Kemp who ordered them released on their own recognizance. A date will be set for an arraignment.
Njoku had offices in Columbus and Akron and billed public health care programs under his own name and People’s Family Medical Center.
The indictment alleges that between 2005 and March, 2009, Njoku and Scott-Guiler billed the programs for office visits and tests that were not delivered as billed, including office visits billed to the program while Njoku was out of the country.
The indictment also alleges that Njoku gave Scott-Guiler pre-signed prescription pads and allowed her to write and issue prescriptions to patients for narcotics and other medications while he was out of the country.
And that Njoku allowed Scott-Guiler to see patients at his office then claiming that he had seen the patients when he submitted bills to the programs.
The indictment charges each of them with 14 counts of making false statements in connection with payment for health care services. Each count is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
The indictment also charges each defendant with one count of health care fraud, punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, and four counts of illegal distribution of controlled substances, punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The indictment also charges Njoku with one count of distributing a controlled substance without the appropriate form as required by law. That is punishable by a maximum sentence of four years imprisonment.
Stewart commended the investigation which was by the Health Care Fraud Task Force, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Malek, and Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Constance A. Nearhood with Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray’s Office, who are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. Defendants should be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Kevin Miller, 55, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty in United States District Court here today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of obstruction of an investigation for his role in a real estate investment fraud scheme between 2005 and 2008 that defrauded approximately 80 victims out of approximately $7.3 million.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Gerald A. O’Farrell, Assistant Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Keith Bennett, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Field Division (FBI), announced the plea entered yesterday before United States District Judge Herman Weber.
According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Miller was a salesperson for Capital Investments. Capital Investments, Greater Miami Debentures and Great Miami Real Estate were three entities that duped victims into investing with them, claiming the investments were secure and backed by equity in real estate properties in Butler County, Ohio and in Florida.
Many of the properties were not purchased or developed with investor monies and were owned by one of the conspirators, or the spouse or parent of a conspirator, and by November 2007 many of the properties lacked substantial equity, were in a state of disrepair, were in default, or were in some stage of foreclosure.
Miller sent a letter dated January 8, 2008 to one couple he had persuaded to invest with Capital Investments, representing that the investment was a “success” and continuing to be “an active player in the investment industry” providing “yields that are higher than those found elsewhere in the marketplace” when, in fact, by or before November 2007 all investors’ money was gone, with many of the properties which purported to back the victims’ investments in or approaching foreclosure.
In June, 2008, Miller tried to conceal his role in the investment scheme by falsely completing a questionnaire sent to victims by the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Securities which was investigating the sale of the unregistered securities.
Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and obstruction of an investigation are each punishable by up to 20′ years imprisonment.
Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by Postal Inspectors, FBI agents, and investigators with the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Securities who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Porter, who is prosecuting the case.
It may be little solace to condo owners in the Chicago area, but they should take heart: They’re not as bad off as single-family homeowners.
Condo values in Chicago are back to their early 2004 levels, despite the fact that prices fell 8.5 percent in the 12 months that ended in October.
During the same time period, single-family home prices fell 10.1 percent, according to data released Thursday by Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller, which publishes the widely watched monthly home price index.
That means single-family homes are selling for what they did in May 2003.
During October alone, condo prices in the eight-county Chicago area rose 0.2 percent, compared to a 1 percent drop for single-family homes.
Among the larger metropolitan areas, Chicago was the only market in which condos did not depreciate in value quicker that single-family homes.
“Chicago seems to be holding out,” Maureen Maitland at Standard & Poor’s said of the condo market. “I don’t know whether that’s going to hold up. This time a year ago, basically all of the condo markets were holding up better than single-family homes.”
The data is only a snapshot in time, and it’s still not a pretty picture.
“We’re definitely still in an annual decline,” Maitland said. “It’s just not as bad as it was this time last year.”
S&P/Case-Shiller releases its report on November home prices Tuesday.
It’s that time of the year when the IFPI comes out with its annual fear-mongering report, and this year’s has really gone overboard into the ridiculous. The basics are pretty much what you’d expect (“piracy bad! industry dying! governments must break everything to protect us!”). However, the details are just downright laughable. The entire report seems premised on the idea that direct music sales is the only thing that really matters (a blatant confusion about the difference between the recording industry (which the IFPI represents) and the music industry (which the IFPI pretends to represent). You can read the entire report below, but we’ll go through some of the lowlights:
In the intro, after bemoaning the losses in sales (but totally ignoring the massive increases in every other aspect of the music business), it claims that the tide is turning on the public’s perception of unauthorized access to content. Proof? Rupert Murdoch’s attack on Google and Microsoft’s ridiculous decision to kick people off Xbox live if they made use of a glitch.
You hear it around the world: this is no longer just a problem for music, it is a problem for the creative industries: affecting film, TV, books and games. In this arena, the music industry is the pathfinder of the creative industries, pioneering with new offerings for the consumer. In 2009, Rupert Murdoch said that the content kleptomaniacs should not triumph and Microsoft spoke out against piracy, ready to ban players from Xbox live if they had modified their consoles to play pirated discs — no three strikes procedure needed!
Of course, both are incredibly poor example choices. Murdoch wasn’t actually complaining about “thieves.” He was complaining about Google sending him traffic without paying. That’s hardly the sort of issue the recording industry faces. And Microsoft was banning people not just for modifying their legally purchased hardware, but for using glitches made by software programmers. Again, an exceptionally different situation. You would think that IFPI could come up with something more compelling.
Then, amusingly, the IFPI mentions the Lily Allen saga with an amazing rewrite of history:
It was, until recently, rare for artists to engage in a public debate about piracy or admit it damages them. In September 2009, the mood changed. Lily Allen spoke out about the impact of illegal file-sharing on young artists’ careers. When she was attacked by an abusive online mob, others came to her support.
First, that’s not even close to true. Artists have spoken out about those issues for years (Lars Ulrich, anyone?). And Allen wasn’t “attacked by an abusive online mob.” Lots of people who actually understand these issues pointed out that while she was complaining about file sharing, she and her label (EMI) were distributing dozens of songs on her website in a totally unauthorized manner.
Throughout the report, the IFPI makes the false claim that it’s representing “the music industry” and falsely describes “the music industry’s revenue” as being limited to sales of music. As an example:
In 2009, for the first time ever, more than a quarter of the recorded music industry’s global revenues (27%) came from digital channels — a market worth an estimated US$4.2 billion in trade value, up 12 per cent on 2008.
But, of course, that’s wrong. It is not the music industry’s revenue. It’s the recording industry. Similarly, the report only focuses on new ways to sell music when it discusses “new business models” and only briefly mentions efforts to connect with fans, suggesting (laughably) that Warner Music has been the leader here, rather than a distant follower. As such, it should be no surprise that the report continually ignores the fact that the music industry has actually been growing (and that’s based on a study from the music industry itself). This report is like the makers of horse carriages insisting that the transportation market is dying, because they’re selling fewer horse carraiges as automobile sales ramp up.
The report particularly singles out Spain — which is no surprise, given that the Spanish courts have recognized that personal copying isn’t a crime and taking away broadband access for copyright infringement makes no sense. The report moans and complains about how the Spanish music market is dying — but again, only focuses on albums sales (as an aside, amusingly enough, I purchased a bunch of albums from Spain this year).
From there, the report goes on and on at length about how file sharing is killing music (despite the evidence to the contrary) and how the only solution is for governments to force ISPs to play copyright cop. It conveniently brushes off all the evidence to the contrary, and ignores the statistics showing a massive increase in new music hitting the market.
The report also tries to rope in other industries to show the “harm” caused by unauthorized file sharing:
Case studies around blockbuster movies show how top films now suffer from the same digital piracy problems as popular albums. Pre-release copies of Wolverine were downloaded 100,000 times in 24 hours after a leak in April 2009. In 2008, seven million copies of Batman: Dark Knight were downloaded on BitTorrent. This has a ripple effect across the industry, on investment and jobs. In the US alone, the film and television industries are estimated to employ 2.5 million people, according to MPA.
Unfortunately, neither “case study” supports the claim by the IFPI of “harm”. Dark Knight was the highest earning movie of 2008 despite widespread file sharing, and a study comparing the box office results of Wolverine with other similar movies suggests that the pre-release downloads may have actually helped it at the box office. The only other “proof” is a quote from a filmmaker insisting that file sharing is taking away revenue. Bold claims in a year when Hollywood had its biggest box office take ever.
Of course, it goes on to say that Hollywood is losing jobs due to this, even though Hollywood’s own studies show that job growth is expected over the next decade, as alternative models come into play.
The section on kicking people offline after accusations (not convictions) of file sharing is particularly amusing. Of course, the IFPI tries to redefine it as “graduated response.” It cites numerous surveys that say people would stop file sharing under such a program, but reality seems to trump what people say they would do. And, nowhere has anyone explained why the threat of kicking people offline will actually cause anyone to buy. We already know it won’t — because today’s threat of millions of dollars in fines hasn’t slowed down file sharing in the slightest, despite being a much more significant punishment than losing your internet connection.
From there, it talks about the various successes the industry has had in ramming through legislation to kick people off the internet, ignoring the questions about the constitutionality of those programs in places like France where the law has been delayed over concerns it violates EU data privacy rules, or the massive protests against such backroom deals in places like New Zealand. Instead, the report falsely suggests there’s widespread support for these programs. The report also falsely claims that ISPs in the US have agreed to private deals to kick people offline. While there was a brief claim yesterday that Verizon had made such a deal, the company quickly denied that and admitted that it had not kicked anyone offline. Oh, and not surprisingly, the report fails to note that the French agency put in place to administer its law, Hadopi, was caught infringing on copyrights in its own logo — showing just how ridiculous a blanket policy is for dealing with these issues.
The report then has a whole section on the “success” story of South Korea, which is a joke. South Korea had a thriving music industry entirely without these kinds of laws, because smart music industry execs, like JY Park, have embraced new business models and basically admitted that selling CDs or downloads was a dead-end business. And while new laws in South Korea may have temporarily boosted music sales, the IFPI totally ignores the massive downsides to the laws that have resulted in various service providers blocking any music uploads or video uploads, seriously damaging the ability to create useful online services for users.
In the end, the report is really more of the same. It’s the buggy makers pretending they represent the transportation business and demanding laws that block the development of automobiles in order to keep selling more buggies. But, of course, progress can only be blocked for so long, and it’s about time that the IFPI entered the 21st century.
Ron Paul: We’ve been going in the wrong direction for a long time, not just with this administration. This administration has only had one year. The problems we have today are a consequence of bad policies for decades. It takes a long time to destroy a healthy, vibrant economy and it took these many decades to do it. And there are two parties that were responsible: The Republicans and the Democrats. It’s a much bigger issue than 1 year of politics.
[Obama] a good leader, but he’s going in the wrong directions. So I would say that I give him credit for being a good leader. But he just wants more government. He talked about change, and nothing has changed. Republicans, of course, when they are out of office, they want change too. And yet when we had our chance ten years ago to get in and make a difference, not much happened. So it’s a big problem changing the course of a nation. And I like the analogy that it’s hard to turn around an aircraft carrier. You don’t turn an aircraft carrier around on a dime.
Question: Would the United States be better off with Sen. John McCain as president?
Ron Paul: It would be neither. It wouldn’t be any better off and it wouldn’t be any worse off. It would have been the same policies. You know, Obama has followed McCain’s policy in the Middle East. He’s expanding the war, sending more troops to Afghanistan, bombing Pakistan, taking on Yemen and threatening Iran. And that’s exactly what McCain would have done, and that costs a lot of money.
Question: As a doctor, how do you feel about the health care legislation?
Ron Paul: It’s a disaster. But, fortunately, those of us who would like to go in a different direction are winning this argument and it’s the key issue of this year and next year (at the end of this year and this election). I think it’s going to bring about major changes in the Congress.
Economic concerns are the biggest issue and along with that, because it is an economic concern, is the worry about healthcare. They’re happy with what they have, they see healthcare changes being made in Washington as a threat to them. And others are concerned about the cost of it, and they see that’s related to the economy. So that’s a big issue as well.
This idea of trying to make you feel better by saying there is a jobless recovery – I mean, that is about the most fantastic oxymoron I’ve ever heard of. I mean, if you don’t have a job, how do you have a recovery? You don’t have a recovery until people get their jobs back.
Question: How has Congress changed since you first joined in the 1970s?
Ron Paul: No change at all. It’s the same old stuff. The change is occurring, though, but it’s changing in the country. The people are waking up, the tea party movement is significant. The college campuses are changing, the organizations that have been formed to try to change this country, so there are tremendous changes going on in the country. And I place a lot of hope in the next generation because they’re very interested in this subject. But, with Congress the same old stuff goes on and on.
Question: We had to ask… have you given any thought to 2012?
Ron Paul: I think about it all the time. I think about where I’m going on my vacation and when I’ll be seeing my kids and whether I’ll get my exercise in and things like that. No, I don’t think about the politics. I think about 2010 though. One year at a time.
Motorola said Thursday it is launching an Android application store for mobile phone users in China, hoping that third-party applications will take off in the crucial Asian market as they have in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Schaumburg-based Motorola, which is making a huge bet on Google’s Android platform as it turns around its mobile devices business, already has encouraged growth in applications by hosting conferences in the U.S. and making resources available to software developers.
The concept of mobile phone applications is still in a very early stage in China, where Apple’s iPhone — which is largely credited with popularizing apps in other countries — has been officially available only since the end of October.
Android is also new; Motorola released its first two Android devices for China last month.
“Within the Chinese (Android) market specifically, there hasn’t been a mechanism for users to customize or personalize their devices by downloading applications,” said Christy Wyatt, Motorola’s corporate vice president for software and services in mobile devices.
She added that global developers also have been seeking a way to sell their applications in China.
The Chinese store is called SHOP4APPS, and its Chinese name translates to “Place for Apps Wisdom.” The store will be launched in time for Chinese New Year next month. Motorola said the store eventually will be available for licensing by other companies, including device manufacturers.
Motorola’s announcement comes amid a turbulent period for Google in China, as the search giant has threatened to pull out of the country over government restrictions on search-engine results.
News reports this week also said Google was delaying a planned launch of two Android phones, one manufactured by Motorola, because of uncertainty around the California-based company’s Chinese operations.
On the new Android device that Motorola launched with China Telecom, Google search is the only one that comes pre-loaded on the phone. The SHOP4APPS store will have search applications from a number of providers, including Chinese company Baidu, which is the leading search engine in the country.
“We have the ability to customize the search experience, depending on the operators’ preference,” Wyatt said, emphasizing that customers using SHOP4APPS will have choice when it comes to customizing their phones with applications.
Wyatt said Motorola’s investment in the Chinese Android market and burgeoning developer community is a long-term commitment that is expected to flourish despite the current noise. A Motorola-hosted developer summit held two weeks ago in Beijiing drew 800 local participants.
“To be fair, there’s been a lot of questions, but this is something we’ve been working on for a period of time,” Wyatt said.
Research firm Gartner Inc. said in a report released this week that it expects worldwide downloads from mobile application stores to hit 4.5 billion this year, up from 2.5 billion in 2009.
By 2013, that number will hit 21.6 billion, with free downloads representing for 87 percent of the total. Gartner said it expects games to be the most-downloaded kind of application.
A 53-year-old parolee has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and four counts of domestic aggravated battery in connection with a shooting last week in south suburban Merrionette Park.
Thomas W. Banks, of the 11800 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Merrionette Park, is in custody at the Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, police said. Further charges are pending, police said.
Banks was arrested Jan. 15 after a high-speed chase in northwest Indiana following a shooting that morning. Police received a call at 6:30 a.m. for a man with a gun in the 11800 block of South Kedzie, police said in a news release.
Officers found an adult man and an adult woman shot with non-life-threatening injuries, and another adult woman and a girl battered, police said.
Around 1 p.m. that afternoon, Banks was pulled over and taken into custody by Benton County, Ind., sheriff’s police after a high-speed chase, Sheriff Boston “Butch” Pritchett said.
The sheriff’s police received a call from Indiana State Police about the man, who authorities were tracking southbound by the ping of his cell phone, Pritchett said.
A sheriff’s deputy had pursued Banks about four miles into a neighboring county, when he threw a weapon out the window of the vehicle he was driving, Pritchett said.
The man pulled the vehicle over a short time later. Banks was extradited to Illinois on Saturday, authorities said.
Banks was wanted on a parole violation in Illinois and a warrant was issued for his arrest this week, Pritchett said.
His officers recovered the weapon, and Indiana State police impounded his vehicle, the sheriff said, adding that he is not pressing charges.
Decades-old video of the late Mayor Harold Washington calling Pat Quinn “a totally and completely undisciplined individual,” is at the center of Democratic challenger Dan Hynes’ latest attack ad aimed at the sitting governor.
The television spot released today is the most recent in a series of ads geared toward swaying black voters against Quinn, who faces Hynes, the state’s comptroller, in the Feb. 2 Democratic governor primary election.
The footage was filmed after Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor, fired Quinn as his revenue director.
Washington lambastes Quinn and said appointing him in the first place was a terrible misstep.
There will be another airline merger in the next two years, United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton predicted Thursday, noting that close airline partnerships on international routes could pave the way for further consolidation.
But Tilton, who has long advocated mergers, wouldn’t say directly if he expects Chicago-based United to be a party to any deal-making.
Analysts think that is likely. United’s efforts to closely link operations like ground handling and computer systems with Continental Airlines and the close venture the two are forming to share flying across the Atlantic and Pacific easily could lead to a full financial merging of the two companies.
Continental executives have indicated that while they would prefer to remain independent, they would be open to a deal if Delta Air Lines proves a formidable competitor after absorbing Northwest Airlines.
Delta would gain added muscle if it succeeds in wooing Japan Airlines from American Airlines, as observers and insiders expect. But American CEO Gerard Arpey vowed Wednesday to “vigorously” contest any effort by Delta and JAL to gain antitrust immunity in order to coordinate pricing and flight schedules.
United and Continental, meanwhile, have a jump on their competition. They already have asked federal regulators for antitrust immunity for a joint venture they intend to form with Japan’s All Nippon Airways.
Tilton acknowledged he was glad not to be part of the JAL drama and relished the prospect of seeing United’s two largest competitors distracted by a protracted battle for the ailing Japanese flag-carrier.
“I’m delighted to be on the sidelines,” said Tilton, speaking at a luncheon of the Wings Club, whose members are rooted in the airline industry.
A 15-year old Dolton teenager was fatally shot as he stood outside with a group of people on Tuesday night, authorities said today.
But Dolton police are still investigating what led to the boy’s killing and they are currently interviewing several people who witnessed the incident, said Police Chief Robert Fox.
Steven Alexander, of the 13800 block of South Forest Street, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The teenager sustained gunshot wounds to the head and chest, a spokesman said.
The shooting occurred around 8:10 p.m. Tuesday in the 14300 block of Irving Avenue, said Dolton Police Cmdr. David Spigolon. Police were called to the scene because residents heard gunfire, he said.
When officers arrived, they found Alexander lying face-down between the sidewalk and the curb, close to a driveway. The boy sustained multiple gunshot wounds, but paramedics were able to maintain his pulse, Spigolon said.
Alexander was taken to the hospital and died the following day, Spigolon said.
The shooting is being investigated by Dolton police and the South Suburban Major Crimes Taskforce.
San Diego-based Elevation Pharmaceuticals, a biotech startup developing aerosol-based treatments for respiratory diseases, said today it has raised a tranched $30 million in Series A venture funding. It’s a sizable round for the local life sciences community, but other recent fundings have come close. Last month, VentiRx raised $25 million, Pfenex got $24 million, and Zogenix got $20 million.
Elevation was co-founded in 2008 by Cam Garner, a San Diego serial entrepreneur who serves as Elevation board chairman; CEO Bill Gerhart, the former chief executive of Mpex Pharmaceuticals; and Ahmet Tutuncu, a former vice president of medical affairs at Verus Pharmaceuticals. Garner was previously a founder at San Diego specialty pharmaceutical companies Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Zogenix, Evoke Pharma, Meritage Pharma, DJ Pharma, and Xcel Pharmaceuticals. He was also the chairman and CEO of San Diego’s Dura Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Elan in late 2000.
The capital will carry development of Elevation’s first candidate through mid-stage clinical trials and enable the biotech to begin development of a pipeline of product candidates targeted at underserved patient subpopulations with respiratory disease, Gerhart said in a statement.
Elevation’s lead drug candidate, EP-101, is a long-acting molecule that opens constricted bronchial tubes in the lungs. It is intended for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive disease chiefly caused by smoking. Despite anti-smoking campaigns, COPD is the fastest growing major disease in the U.S. and around the world. It is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.
The company has partnered with PARI Pharma, a device maker based near Munich, Germany, that specializes in aerosol delivery devices and drug products. Elevation and PARI are working to deliver Elevation’s EP-101 using PARI’s eFlow technology, a handheld nebulizer that turns a liquid into a fine mist. In its statement, Elevation says the combination is expected to significantly reduce the treatment burden and improve clinical outcomes for COPD patients requiring nebulizer therapy.
Elevation’s venture investors include Canaan Partners, TPG Growth, Care Capital, and Mesa Verde Venture Partners. Elevation says it has added Canaan general partner Brent Ahrens, TPG Biotech managing director Heather Preston, and Care Capital’s Jan Leschly to its board of directors.
Things just keep getting more and more bleak for little Mischa Barton.
Less than 24 hours after she was forced to deny claims that she has displayed chat-worthy “unprofessionalism” on the set of Law & Order: SVU, the troubled 23-year-old actress has been smacked with a suit from her landlord.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday, M.R.A. Realties Inc. alleges the celeb owes approximately three months back rent on an apartment she is leasing in New York City’s trendy Tribeca neighborhood. Mischa rented out the $7,000-a-month pad in the Big Apple on a one-year lease in September. She had planned to stay in the city while filming her now-defunct CW series The Beautiful Life, but has had trouble paying her rent since the show was was axed by the network last fall.
The realty is seeking the outstanding rent as well as legal fees.
Is it a lemon? It’s not a question I like to have to ask about an Apple product, but it’s starting to look like Apple’s problem-plagued 27-inch iMac fits that description. And that’s not just a clever joke I’m making about the yellow screen complaint that seems to be popping up everywhere recently. Even beyond that cosmetic (though no less valid) complaint, the machines just aren’t living up to Apple’s reputation for quality.
It may be little solace to condo owners in the Chicago area, but they should take heart: They’re not as bad off as single-family homeowners.
Motorola said Thursday it is launching an Android application store for mobile phone users in China, hoping that third-party applications will take off in the crucial Asian market as they have in the U.S. and elsewhere.
A 53-year-old parolee has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and four counts of domestic aggravated battery in connection with a shooting last week in south suburban Merrionette Park.
Decades-old video of the late Mayor Harold Washington calling Pat Quinn “a totally and completely undisciplined individual,” is at the center of Democratic challenger Dan Hynes’ latest attack ad aimed at the sitting governor.
