Author: Serkadis

YouTube has confirmed previous rumors that it inked a distribution deal with the Indian Premier League to stream its live cricket matches from the upcoming season starting March 12. It is the first live sports deal YouTube has landed, making a significant breakthrough. The deal covers every country in the world except for the US where internet ri… (read more)

American manufacturer GM released today pricing for the 2011 Buick Regal, which will initially be offered only in premium CXL trim. This versions starts at $26,995, including a $750 destination charge, while the model to be added later, the CXL turbo, will retail starting from $29,495, including a $750 destination charge.

"The Regal is the next chapter in Buick’s transformation and we’re excited to bring this Buick sport sedan to market, Craig Bierley, Buick Marketing Director said. The … (read more)

If you are excited about the 2011 Buick Regal, then we have something special for you. General Motors has just announced pricing details on the 2011 Regal, which will hit dealerships in the second quarter of 2010. At launch, the 2011 Buick Regal will only be available in the premium CXL trim, with prices starting at $26,995 including a $750 destination charge. The Regal CXL Turbo model will start at $29,495, also including the $750 destination charge.

Power for the base 2011 Regal CXL comes from a 2.4L Ecotec direct-injected 4-cylinder making 182-hp while the CXL Turbo is powered by a 2.0L Ecotec turbocharged 4-cylinder making 220-hp. Both models will be offered with an automatic 6-speed transmission with Driver Shift Control (DSC). The 2.0L Regal CXL Turbo will be available with a 6-speed manual transmission later this year.

In 2011, the entry-level Regal CX will join the lineup as a 2012 model year with a smaller price tag. There will be no CXS model offered in the Regal lineup like the LaCrosse, partly because the Regal GS will be the range-topper.

Click here for more news on the Buick Regal.

Hit the jump for the press release.

2011 Buick Regal:

Press Release:

Buick Announces Pricing For 2011 Regal

Detroit – Buick today announced pricing for the all-new 2011 Regal. Prices start at $26,995 for the premium CXL model, including a $750 destination charge.

Regal’s CXL turbo model will start at $29,495, including a $750 destination charge.

Regal will initially be offered in premium CXL trim only, with additional trim levels to be offered in the 2012 model year. The well-equipped Regal CXL includes the following as standard or available equipment:

* Standard 2.4L Ecotec direct injected engine rated at an estimated 182 horsepower (136 kW)
* Available 2.0L Ecotec turbocharged and direct injected engine rated at an estimated 220 horsepower (164 kW) – available late-summer 2010
* Both engines have six-speed automatic transmission standard with Driver Shift Control (DSC)
* Estimated 30 mpg on the highway with the 2.4L and 29 mpg highway with the 2.0L turbo engine
* MacPherson strut front suspension and four-link independent rear suspension
* Class-exclusive Interactive Drive Control System is available with the 2.0L turbo,

offering enhanced vehicle stability and greater driving safety, while also adapting the driving characteristics of the car to the driver’s preferences. The driver selects among three operating modes that adjust suspension, steering, throttle, transmission, and stability systems to personalize the driving experience

* Four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel anti-lock braking system, brake assist and electronic parking brake
* Standard StabiliTrak stability control system and full-function traction control
* Standard dual-stage frontal air bags, side-curtain air bags and pedal-release system; and available rear-seat thorax air bags
* Available navigation system, Harman Kardon sound system, and internal flash drive (1GB)
* Standard 18-inch aluminum wheels (19-inch aluminum wheels come with available Interactive Drive Control on the 2.0L turbo)
* Standard 12-way power, leather and heated driver seat; leather and heated passenger front seat; Bluetooth for phone capability; i-Pod auxiliary jack and USB port; XM Satellite Radio and OnStar

“The Regal is the next chapter in Buick’s transformation and we’re excited to bring this Buick sport sedan to market,” said Craig Bierley, Buick Marketing Director. “The dynamic driving experience and intuitive, personal technologies offer customers a premium sport sedan for great value.” 2011 Regal pricing compares to the 2010 LaCrosse as follows:

Regal production for sale in the U.S. and Canada begins late Q1 2010 in Russelsheim, Germany, with vehicles expected to start arriving at dealerships in Q2 2010. North American production will begin at the Oshawa Car Assembly plant beginning in Q1 2011 .

– By: Omar Rana

At the launch of the much-awaited and highly-ambitious MAG title from Zipper Interactive, 128 players gathered in London to simultaneously play the game with another set of 128 players in the US. The total: the promised 256

It is already a well-known fact that Spotify, one of the leading services in the field of music streaming, has been banned in the Oxford University. The British representatives explained their decision by stating that the streaming app was excessively used by students, thus taking up too much bandwidth that could not be otherwise accounted for. Needless … (read more)

Highly popular VoIP service Skype is said to be gaining even more traction among users worldwide. According to a recently published report from TeleGeography, a benchmark research service for the international long-distance telephony industry, Skype managed to account for no less than 12 percent of all international calls made during 2009.
<... (read more)

I recently turned 44.  As I was driving in to the office the other day, I was talking to my dad and we were reminiscing about something.  He’s one of my closest friends and I’ve learned such an amazing amount from him over my 44 years on this planet.  He’s been blogging for a while about Repairing the Healthcare System and periodically tosses in a personal blog post about one of his life experiences.

Suddenly, during the call, I suggested that we write letters to each other on our blogs.  We talk by phone a few times a week, email regularly, and video Skype at least once a week.  But I learn the most from him when we have our long annual father / son weekend, or when we end up on a 45 minute call (like we did today) talking about the Senate and healthcare.  And I thought about a picture that was recently sent to me of him when he was a little older than me (about 47 I think).  I’m the skinny kid on the left; my first business partner Dave Jilk is on the right.

I’ve got a long list of “Stanley-isms” that I’ve incorporated into my life.  They pop out randomly in various contexts, but always influence the things I do on a daily basis, how I act, and how I treat other people.  I still learn a lot whenever I ponder them and thought they’d be great fodder for this blog.

While I don’t have kids, I’m watching some of my close friends raise their children.  Most of the kids are between the age of 5 and 10; the parent / child relationships in my circle of friends are uniformly excellent.  At a pre-board meeting dinner tonight, we spent some time talking about kids, especially in the context of how the parents (every one of them very smart and accomplished) are thinking about the transition of their kids from pre-teen through teenage years.

I’m not going to experience this as a parent, but I certainly experienced this as a kid.  And when reflect on the influence my father had on me, how he interacted with me at that age, and the way it has shaped my character, I smile.  A very big smile.  So I thought I’d share some of that with you.

I don’t know how often I’ll write Letters to My Dad but I hope to be able to keep up with one of my favorite tweeters, ShitMyDadSays.  Oh – and my dad is still wearing that NY Yankees shirt and baseball cap to this day.

Again, no one is saying that there’s no place for music labels any more — in fact, we think there’s a huge place for them if they can help a band that doesn’t want to build a business by itself. However, for bands that are willing to go entirely without a label, it’s certainly possible to be a success (and, before someone misinterprets this, no one is saying success is guaranteed either). Tim Lash points us to a CNN interview with The Wiggles, the massively popular pop band for toddlers. The whole interview is interesting, but the most interesting part is the explanation of how the band went it alone. Two of the original members had been on a label-signed band before (The Cockroaches) and knew they didn’t want to go through it again — even though this was in the early 1990s, before the web and before all these alternatives had sprung up:

The model for nearly everything we do is self-financed. We own everything and create it ourselves.

We wanted to keep financial and creative control. The Cockroaches’ record label had taken some control over their work, and we wanted to avoid that type situation. With our background, we know what’s good for children and what’s best for The Wiggles. No one else had done what we were doing.

While it sounds like, early on, the band handled the business on an ad hoc basis, they later got help from some business managers who have helped to guide the band’s strategies over the years.

Of course, as with all of these examples, someone will certainly pop up in the comments and complain that there’s nothing new or different about this story. And that’s true. But that’s the point. All of this could have been done years before, but it was much more difficult. What modern technology has done is made it much easier for musicians to control their own destiny, if they decide that’s what they want to do.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Buick

* Includes destination charge of $750.

** That’s for just the mid-level CXL trim, which is the only trim available at launch. The $26,995 starting price includes the base 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine producing 182 horsepower and a six-speed automatic. Opting for the more powerful turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder producing 220 hp raises the starting price to $29,495.

*** A less expensive CX trim will be offered as a 2012 model and carry a lower starting price than the CXL at launch. The Regal won’t have a top-level CXS trim like the LaCrosse, presumably because the high-performance GS model will be the best Regal you can buy.

Phew, now that we have those caveats out of the way, the 2011 Regal will go on sale here in the U.S. around the beginning of the second quarter (March-ish). The first batch of cars will be assembled in Russelsheim, Germany, while production of the Regal at General Motors’ Oshawa plant in Canada won’t commence until Q1 2011. We’re guessing this whole business of offering only the mid-level CX trim at launch has something to do with the Russelsheim plant being busy making Insignias for Europe. Americans will have to wait at least a year for GM to up its production capacity before being able to buy a less expensive Regal CX, let alone the more expensive GS.

[Source: Buick]

Continue reading 2011 Buick Regal will start at $26,995******

2011 Buick Regal will start at $26,995****** originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scottie Pippen addresses the Farris Center record crowd of 5,297 during the halftime ceremony to retire his No. 33 jersey.

The former Bull is joined on the court by the UCA president and athletic director, his former coaches and teammates.

Pippen was a two-time NAIA All-American at UCA (1986, 1987).

Get more on Pippen at ucasports.com.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

State and federal authorities have notified Chicago’s troubled Somerset Place nursing home that it will be shut down unless it quickly remedies serious safety breaches that put “the health and safety of … residents in immediate jeopardy.”

The actions follow recent Tribune reports on violence and abuse at the facility, as well as repeated citations from the state Department of Public Health and complaints from 48th Ward Ald. Mary Ann Smith and Uptown community groups.

After a 10-day investigation, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, warned the facility that it could face termination from the federal healthcare programs within 23 days unless the problems are corrected. Federal fines of $6,050 per day also are accruing against the facility.

Separately, the state public health department last week began the process of revoking the facility’s state nursing home license. Somerset, 5009 N. Sheridan Rd., has requested an administrative hearing to contest the revocation decision.

“This happens very infrequently. This is the most serious thing the state can do,” said public health department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold.

A Somerset representative issued a written statement saying the facility’s managers have “been working diligently with CMS inspectors [and] have initiated steps to rectify many of the issues they identified as concerns.”

The statement added that “the well-being of our residents, the community and our 250 employees is of paramount importance to us and we are committed to resolving these matters and moving forward.”

The Tribune articles described lawbreaking by Somerset residents and the murder of one, Maratta Walker, who had been prostituting herself and using crack cocaine while living there.

Specializing in mentally ill adults, Somerset had 66 felons among its roughly 400 residents in December and has been cited repeatedly for patient safety violations, state records show.

From April 2008 to July 2009, records show, Chicago police investigated 15 alleged assaults or batteries inside Somerset, as well as five reported cases of criminal sexual assault and another five reports of narcotics possession. Somerset in 2008 reported profits of roughly $2.3 million on revenues of $15.5 million, almost all of it from Medicaid.

Smith welcomed the strong government action. “I’m so happy on behalf of residents, their families and my community,” she said. Smith added that she hoped the building remain as a nursing home — but “run by responsible operators.”

–Gary Marx and David Jackson

Appellate court justices were skeptical today of arguments put forward by Drew Peterson’s attorneys in the legal case over weapons charges that were brought, and then dropped, against Peterson in 2008.

A lengthy hearing in the Peterson murder case was put on hold Wednesday so two lawyers from his defense team could argue the case before the 3rd District appellate court in Ottawa, Ill. John Connor, a top prosecutor on the Peterson case, observed.

In 2008, Peterson was charged with possessing an illegally-modified assault rifle. When a Will county judge ordered the gun returned, state police revoked Peterson’s FOID card.

Judge Richard Schoenstedt then dismissed the case after prosecutors refused to comply with his order to turn over internal documents that Peterson’s attorneys sought to prove their client was the victim of “vindictive prosecution.”

Prosecutors appealed.

Gary Gnidovec, an attorney with the state appellate prosecutor’s office, told the justices that Schoenstedt was wrong to order discovery because Peterson’s attorneys failed to demonstrate that prosecutors had an “animus” against Peterson and that, without it, no charges would have been filed.

He said it would set a “very dangerous precedent” to allow defendants hoping to find some sign prosecutors have a vendetta against them to fish for such internal documents. Gnidovec also questioned whether the court had legal standing to rule on a separate appeal filed by Peterson’s attorneys.

Peterson attorney Andrew Abood argued that the circumstances of the case were too narrow to open a “Pandora’s box.” He said Peterson’s attorneys should have had the chance to present evidence that prosecutors had “selectively” charged their client.

Joel Brodsky argued that federal law shielded Peterson from even being charged with the weapons offense.

The appellate court typically doesn’t issue its ruling for several months after oral arguments.

–Steve Schmadeke

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

The authors evaluate promising process flowsheets for bioethanol production from different feedstocks along with current and promising technologies for bioethanol production. Case studies illustrate how process synthesis allows for the …

Harper’s men’s basketball team dropped a 66-58 contest to the visiting Stormers of Milwaukee Area Technical College. The loss drops the Hawks to 8-11 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

First half action was tight as Harper trailed by 27-25 at half time, but the Hawks would be plagued by poor free throw shooting (9 of 28 from the line) and the Stormers eventually pulled away at the 2:45 mark of the second half when they connected on a 3-pointer to extend their lead to 8 points.

For the Hawks, freshman guard Floyd Battle led the way with 19 points and freshman Avery Roche added 14 points.

The Hawks will look to rebound on Saturday, January 23rd, when they host Madison Area Technical College. The game starts at 3:00 PM.

The Lady Hawks moved their record to 12-7 overall, 3-2 in conference play, with a 50-45 win over the visiting Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Several times in the first half the Lady Hawks led by as many as 9 points, but Milwaukee managed to close the gap to 4 points going into half time with Harper leading 29-25.

In the second half Milwaukee got as close as 2 points, trailing 37-35 at the 11:18 mark, but guard Peggie Parhas would connect on a jumper for two points and guard Anna Kirchoff would hit a 3-point shot to put the Lady Hawks up, 47-35.

A persistent Milwaukee team would battle back, but the Lady Hawks held on for the victory.

Peggie Parhas led Harper with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Anna Kirchoff added 12 points and 6 rebounds.

“We won’t turn down a win, but we didn’t play our best in this game,” said Head Coach Mark Smith. “We were careless with the ball and not fluid on our offense, but we gutted out the win. We have good basketball players and we’ll keep working to work our way through those moments. I’m confident we’ll do what it takes.”

Next up, the Lady Hawks will host Madison Area Technical College on Saturday, January 23rd with tip off set for 1:00 PM.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Hoffman accused his rival Alexi Giannoulias of misleading parents on the safety of their investments in the Bright Start college savings program during a campaign forum tonight.

Giannoulias, in turn, said Hoffman is not the best Democrat to face presumed Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk in the general election because Hoffman agrees with Kirk on keeping President George Bush’s tax cuts in place for the wealthiest Americans.

Read more in Clout Street on chicagotribune.com.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.