Author: Serkadis

There must have been a very good reason for that Chrysler badged Lancia Delta at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show right? According to Fiat / Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, the reason is that Chrysler and Lancia are likely to merge by the end of this year.

“We could see the two converge as early as the end of the year.” He said that the move would make sense because each brand had gaps in the range that could be filled by the other.

“In Europe, Lancia is an undersized, underdeveloped brand, with nothing bigger than the Delta. Chrysler, which has a true global reach, has nothing smaller. Put them together and you have a full line-up,” he said.

However, Marchionne said that he has no plans to sell any Lancias in the U.S. since there will be “no structural conflict.”

2010 Detroit: 2009 Lancia Delta based Chrysler:

All Photos Copyright © 2009 Omar Rana – egmCarTech.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoCar

Amy Winehouse has plead guilty to assaulting a theater manager during a Christmas pageant outside London last month.

The 26-year-old five-time Grammy winner entered a guilty plea to common assault and disorderly conduct charges in Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Amy admits she hit 27-year-old theater manager Richard Pound and kneed him in the groin after he chided her for disrupting a performance of Cinderella at the Milton Keynes Theatre in Central England on Dec. 19. The “Back to Black” hitmaker was arrested four days later.

Amy has been given a sentence of two years probation and issued a $500 fine for the attack.

If getting in shape is one of your new year’s resolutions, you owe it to yourself to check out the P90X workout program. This is the real deal – it will whip your butt into the best shape of your life in 90 days.

There are lots of scams on the Internet promising rock-hard abs by just popping a pill. P90X is different. It will get you toned and build your muscle, but you’re going to have to work at it. But, oh man – the results!

The P90X Exercise Program

The key to the program is what is known as “muscle confusion.” If you’ve been going to the gym for awhile, you probably have noticed that your fitness level has plateaued. That’s because chances are you’re doing the same workout over and over again and your body has gotten used to it.

P90X – which stands for Power 90 Extreme – has 12 kick-ass workouts that accelerate the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus, and you never get bored. Through a combination of cardio, strength training, and stretching exercises, the program achieves full-body fitness.

The routines were developed by personal trainer Tony Horton and I have to say that while the workouts are killer, they are also a lot of fun. Horton has a great combination of attitude and encouragement to keep you going.

The workouts range from chest and back to something called ab ripper X. My favorite workout is plyometrics, an explosive jumping cardio routine that dramatically improves athletic performance.

Don’t kid yourself, though. P90X is not going to be easy. It’s going to take an hour a day for 90 days to get full results.

P90X Nutrition Plan

There’s a three-phase nutritional program to help you lose fat while keeping your energy up. To get results from this system you’re going to need to watch your eating. No workout in the world is going to get you ripped abs if you shovel in fatty foods all day.

The program also includes a special calendar and online support tools to keep you motivated. Most people I’ve talked to have started to see results so quickly that it’s easy for them to stay motivated throughout the entire 90 days.

P90X Results

P90X is a true Internet phenomenon with fan pages and support groups sprouting up all over the place. It’s a testament to the effectiveness of the P90X program that people from all walks of life and all fitness levels are singing its praises.

There are literally hundreds of “before” and “after” photos on the web of everyday people who have gone through the program.

There are also lots of athletes like Matt Diaz of the Atlanta Braves and celebs like Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore who have unofficially endorsed the P90X program in various interviews when asked what type of training they used to get in shape. There are also reports of police and fire departments around the country using the program to get their officers in tip-top shape.

If you’re only trying to lose weight then P90X might not be the best solution for you. Many participants have reported that they don’t lose weight because they are replacing fat with muscle. While they look a lot better, they don’t necessarily weigh any less.

I would also say that if you just want to get huge muscles, P90X is not the best program for you. The variety of workouts are going to get you more definition and are going to dramatically improve your overall level of fitness, but they are not designed to just add bulk.

On the other hand, if you’re in decent shape and want to get ripped, or if you haven’t been to the gym in years and want to get into great shape, the P90X program can do wonders.

What’s the Cost?

So, you’re wondering, how much is this thing going to cost me? The P90X program is not cheap, but it’s not super expensive either. The most recent price is three payments of $39.95, so all told you’ll be shelling out over a hundred bucks.

P90X does have a 90 day money-back guarantee and from everything I have heard and read about Beachbody, the company that created the program, they are serious about customer service and satisfaction.

If you haven’t been to the gym in the last week, you know how hard it can be to get your butt out the door. The beauty of a workout program like P90X is that you can get a world class workout from home without a bunch of bulky fitness equipment and expensive gym fees.

Give P90X a try and you’ll see why people are calling it the most extreme fitness program in the world.

Click to visit the P90X website now.

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Related posts:

1. The Four Worst Workout Blunders
2. Quick Home Fat Loss Blast Workout
3. Coffee Could Help Ease Muscle Pain from Workouts

PCC1000 is Kyland’s solution for IEEE1588 clock convertor. As a PTP (Precision Time Protocol) terminal in a precise synchronization network, it is calibrated by the standard timing system and assures the precise synchronization clock to all downlink IEDs and devices. It can support 1 100Base-FX or 1 100Base-TX input, 2 PPS outputs, and 1 IRIG-B outputs.Its fanless ribbed casing design and ability to handle a wide range of temperatures ensure high reliability in extreme industrial environments. Based on Kyvision3.0, CLI, WEB interface, it offers concentrative management.

Features
1. As the PTP (Precision Time Protocol) terminal in a precise synchronization network, it is calibrated by the standard timing system, and assures that all downlink IEDs and devices are synchronized with the main clock precisely.
2. Support 2 PPS(Pulse per Second) clock outputs, 1 IRIG-B clock output, and 1 100Base-TX or 1 100Base-FX clock input.
3. Support GPS time synchronization, support PPS clock and IRIG-B clock.
4. Support IEEE1588 v1/v2, BC(Boundary Clock), TC-E2E(E2E Transparent Clock), TC-P2P(P2P Transparent Clock).
5. Support hardware setting and getting timestamp in the physical layer.
6. Support G.8261 synchronous Ethernet.
7. Support CLI, TELNET, WEB, SNMP V1/V2 management functions.
8. Support network topology automatic generating, and centralized web management.
9. Device basic information and system running information query.
10. Necessary data port protection circuit meeting the requirements of industrial level 4.
11. EMI immunity exceeds industrial level 4 being adaptive to the harsh EMI environment.
12. Abundant power supply options, able to provide dual redundant power supply
13. Relay alarm output port with power loss alarming function
14. Uniform network management software of SICOM series: Kyvision3.0
15. Ribbed Alumnium heat disspension (patent), fanless design
16. Operating temperature: -40 to 85°C(-40 to 185°F)
17. DIN-rail or wall mounting
18. IP40 protection class

The production of static electricity in electronics manufacturing is inevitable. But electro-static discharge (ESD) can damage components, resulting in rework, repair and recall.

– Non toxic
– Complete range for all applications
– Ready to use dilutions as well as concentrates

– For use on all glass surfaces around the office and assembly areas including monitors, test equipment and anti-glare filters
– Non-smearing
– Non-flammable, alcohol free
– Safe to use on all coated glass
– Use with AAC100

RAVAS mobile weighing systems realize immediate cost savings, because weighing and transport take place at the same time. As a result cycle times are reduced, space is used more effectively, and the efficiency of internal logistic processes are raised.
RAVAS will demonstrate at the Food & Logistics show in Birmingham the revolutionary iForks, completely wireless scale forks that can be installed on any forklift truck in minutes: plug and weigh!
Besides the iForks RAVAS will show a RAVAS-1100 and a stainless steel pallet truck scale especially designed for use in (pre-) production processes.

UniMobile gives you several opportunities to collect and combine any information with weight information
Next to this RAVAS demonstrates his UniMobile software for Windows Mobile and CE combined with iForks. UniMobile is designed to run on handheld terminals and smartphones and communicates with the iForks indicator and any other devices wirelessly. It is a platform to collect the weight and combine it with for example barcode identification or digital images and store the gathered information on the terminal. It can run a program to instruct an operator to prepare batches according to recipe and store the data for direct use in production monitoring and quality control. A RAVAS mobile weighing system improves processes and the flow of materials and information.

About RAVAS
RAVAS develops, manufactures and distributes mobile scales, integrated in hand pallet trucks, warehouse trucks and forklift trucks. These mobile scales help you to become more efficient in your internal logistics. It saves time and manpower, it raises efficiency and limits costs. More advantages of mobile weighing: it simplifies processes and procedures, it generates management information and it controls the quality of products and services.

The food and Logistics show will be held from 21st till 24th March 2010 at the NEC in Birmingham. You can find RAVAS on stand number YO21.

For further information, please visit our web site at www.ravas.co.uk.

Fabco-Air offers the next generation series of pneumatic crimping tools that will dramatically lower your total installed cost and increase the overall quality level of the installation. These pneumatic crimping tools are designed for joining PEX plumbing connections, splicing aircraft control cables and wire rope assemblies.

Available as hand-held or bench-mounted units, these automate the crimp installation process by crimping faster, neater and producing uniformly repeatable, reliable connections, time after time with less operator fatigue.

Custom jaws available as specials. Consult our engineering department today!

Bulletin FCT-JY07 can be downloaded at:
http://www.fabco-air.com/pdf/crimp-FCT-J407.pdf

Still don’t see what you want? No problem. Fabco-Air has a fully equipped machine shop and staff of engineers ready to help you build the special solution you need, so you can build the business you want.

Submit a Request for Quote today!

Ishida Europe has extended its range of solutions for the weighing and packing of fresh, sticky products with the introduction of a new range of ‘Screw Feed’ multihead weighers, which allows the fully automatic handling of these types of products for the first time.

The new multihead weighers are particularly ideal for meat, poultry, fish and seafood, which cannot be moved by feeder vibration, or where manual product feeding is not economically viable.

Because of the very sticky nature of these products, most current weighing systems are either manual or based on a linear design that relies on operators to direct and control the supply and flow of product. The Ishida Screw Feed design, by comparison, utilises the familiar circular multihead weigher layout but incorporates unique rotating corkscrews to replace the traditionally used radial feed troughs. The use of these screws provides a powerful, controlled and fully automatic product feed to the pool and weigh hoppers.

Ishida has developed two screw feeder models. The first features 3 litre, stepper motor driven anti-stick metal hoppers and is particularly suitable for larger target weights and larger piece size applications, including on-the-bone products. It has a top speed of 80wpm.

The second version incorporates 1.5 litre pneumatic driven plastic scraper hoppers with a maximum speed of 60 wpm.

Both models incorporate the unique calculation processing software of the Ishida R-Series multihead weighers. Ishida says they will easily double packing speeds for the stickiest products, while significantly reducing giveaway thanks to their outstanding accuracy

As a result, weighing speeds and accuracy show an improvement of approximately 20% compared with the best linear weighing systems, says the company.

A user-friendly Remote Control Unit (RCU) allows ease of set up and changeovers to minimise downtime, and provides detailed production information.

“The new Screw Feed multihead weigher range is another innovative approach to fresh food weighing,” explains Paul Griffin, Ishida Europe’s Marketing Director.

“In particular, the machines are ideal for the dedicated weighing of two or three products. It means we now offer the widest variety of weighing solutions for fresh products, enabling us to tailor our equipment to meet individual customer requirements.”

INTEGRA has announced the introduction of the Voyager ™ adjustable spacing pipettor

Available now with six, eight or twelve channels the new Voyager™ electronic pipettors feature a revolutionary mechanism that alters tip spacing at the press of a button. Voyager incorporates a small motor that moves the center-to-center tip spacing quickly and smoothly at any point in a protocol, all with one hand. Users can preset up to three distinct tip spacings to accommodate almost any labware vessels. Voyager Tip spacing is adjustable from 4.5mm to 19.5mm.

All Voyager pipettors share the same easy-to-use Touch Wheel™ controller from the award winning Viaflo® pipettors, with intuitive programming and the industry’s first full-color display. Also, all Voyager pipettors are designed to utilize Viaflo Griptips. As a result, individuals can pipette without ever having a tip loosen and leak or fall off. A total of eight Voyager models are now available in volume ranges from 0.5ul to 1250ul. This unique product now allows users to easy work between 24, 48, 96, 384 cell culture and assay plates, tube racks, sample storage gel electrophoresis boxes and many additional labware formats.

INTEGRA is a leading provider of high-quality laboratory tools for liquid handling, media preparation, sterilization and cell cultivation. The entire organization is committed to creating innovative solutions which fulfil the needs of our customers in research, diagnostics and quality control within the life science markets and medical industry.

INTEGRA, comprising INTEGRA Biosciences AG and the Viaflo Corporation, maintains a worldwide network of over 90 independent highly trained distribution partners. INTEGRA Biosciences AG is headquartered in Zizers, Switzerland; Viaflo Corporation is located in Hudson, NH, USA.

For further information on the productivity gains achievable with Voyager please contact INTEGRA Biosciences AG on telephone +41-81-286-9530 or by email [email protected]. In the USA please contact Viaflo Corporation on telephone +1-603-578-5800 or by email [email protected].

Namiki Precision Jewel Co.Ltd. launches Outer diameter 4 mm miniature size brushless gearmotor, model:SBL04-08-series.

These motors are the micro size with the diameter outer diameter 4mm
with a wide variety of reduction ratios as planetary gear head.
1.SBL04-0829PG337 OD 4 x 17.4 mm,
+ Stall torque 10.6 mNm,
+ No load speed 80 rpm
+ DC 3V
2.SBL0404-0229PG79 OD 4 x 16.2mm,
+ Stall torque 2.92 mNm
+ No load speed 345 rpm
+ DC3V

3.SBL04-0829PG18 OD 4 x 15mm,
+ Stall torque 0.8 mNm
+ No load speed 1470 rpm
+ DC3V

4.SBL04-0829PG4.3 OD 4 x13.8mm
+ Stall torque 0.8 mNm
+ No load speed 6300 rpm
+ DC3V

This motor is suitable for the actuator of micro robot,analysis
equipment and electrical valve.

High-speed automatic rising barrier especially designed for access control in public and private parking lots as well as industrial sites. The G89E barrier has been developed to ensure an economical vehicle access control for lanes up to twelve (12) feet, while providing dependable efficient control and safe every day use.

Description:

1. Housing made of folded and welded 10-gauge steel sheet.
2. Lateral door for easy access to mechanism.
3. Wooden 1” x 4” pine arm painted with red reflective stripes.
4. Optioanl rectangular aluminum arm up to 12′.
5. Electromechanical assembly including:

– Available in 120 or 220V AC, 50 or 60 Hz. (220V AC, outside North America only).
– Lubricated speed reduction gearbox with worm screw.
– Primary transmission by pulleys and V-belt.
– Crankshaft-rod device ensuring smooth, progressive operation.
– Low voltage limit switches for maximum life and reliability.
– Auxiliary monitoring contacts supplied for detectors and gate arm position.
– Easily adjustable limit switches with mechanical and controller overrun protection.
– Barrier arm shaft mounted on two pillow blocks with welded arm support.
– Auxiliary vend outputs for door, gate operators.
– Built-in 500W Forced air heater.

6. Traditional solid state plugin or optional 10 IO PLC Controller (See G89PLC PDF Version)
7. Barrier anchoring by means of expanding bolts or threaded rods, thus allowing easy alignment with road-way (anchoring means available as option, to be defined depending on the type of ground). Fits over existing G89E bolt patterns.
8. Seam welded cabinet is constructed from 10 gauge galvanized steel with polyester powdered finish for superior corrosion resistance.
9. Dimensions: Approximately 42” Height x 15” Wide x 15” Deep

Technical Characteristics:

– Shaft output left or right, to be specified with order.
– Standard power supply 120V AC single phase ( ±8%).
– Frequency 50-60HZ.
– Reversing Motor 1/3 HP – 1625 RPM.
– Operating time 2 -4 seconds depending on arm length.
– Worm screw type life lubricated gearbox.
– Run timer, safety edge timer, auto close timer (jumper enabled).
– Operating Temp. –35° to +70° C.(-31° to 150°F)
– Net weight from 90 to 96 Kg (200-215Lbs), (arm included) depending on arm length.

Available Options:

– Wooden gate arm 4m (12′) or Aluminum arms4m (10-12ft). Articulating arms & Titan Flex arms.
– Push button controller, RF receiver, extrasensory or contact safety edge, internal access controller.
– Vehicle presence detector (three slots available).
– 10 IO controller.

Visitors to the Autosport International show at Birmingham’s NEC had the opportunity to get a taste of the Caterham Drive Experience. According to Caterham, there have been over 2,000 members of the public who took the indoor drift course with a professional driver at the helm of a Caterham Seven.

Caterham Drive Experience, which usually takes place at the UK’s top race circuits, like Silverstone and Brands Hatch, was made possible thanks to a partnership with Comma.

Throughout the four-d… (read more)

Things are looking up for DJ Pauly D. New York Post insiders claim that manager Larry Rudolph — best known for discovering pop star Britney Spears more than 10 years ago — has taken on the well-gelled mixmaster from MTV’s controversial reality smash Jersey Shore as a new client.

Speaking of Pauly D, the aspiring spinner and his Shore co-star, Jenni “J-Woww” Farley, hosted a party at McFadden Bar in Washington on Tuesday night.

"A commitment to human rights starts with universal standards and with holding everyone accountable to those standards, including ourselves… When injustice anywhere is ignored, justice everywhere is denied. Acknowledging and remedying mistakes does not make us weaker, it reaffirms the strengths of our principles and institutions."

Not Amnesty International’s words, but those of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month in an address on the Obama administration’s "Human Rights Agenda for the 21stCentury". – Accountability, she said, was elemental to the administration’s approach, and it was under this principle that President Barack Obama had ordered an end to CIA torture and closure of the Guantánamo detention facility.

While Secretary Clinton’s words are welcome, the fact is that a year into the new administration, almost 200 individuals remain detained without fair trial at the Guantánamo prison camp, and accountability and remedy for the human rights violations committed against these and other detainees in what the USA previously called the "war on terror" remain more myth than reality.

It is nearly eight years, for example, since Abu Zubaydah was arrested in Pakistan. He was hidden away in secret CIA custody for the first four and a half years, subjected to torture and enforced disappearance, crimes under international law for which no-one has been brought to justice. For the past three years he has been in Guantánamo, still held without charge or access to remedy. The Obama administration continues to resist disclosure of what happened to him and others held in secret CIA custody.

Information which the administration had wanted to keep classified emerged in federal court earlier this month in the case of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, namely that he had been subjected to "enhanced interrogation techniques" for 14 hours over five days at some point in secret CIA custody.

In its written briefing to the court, the Obama administration argued that its predecessor had "justifiably" treated Ghailani as an "intelligence asset" rather than a criminal defendant, despite a pre-existing indictment in US federal court against him at the time of his arrest in Pakistan in 2004.

It added that the Bush administration had made the "entirely reasonable" decision to continue to hold Ghailani without charge as an "enemy combatant". Ahmed Ghailani was held in secret CIA custody for two years, and in Guantánamo for nearly three more years, before being transferred to New York for trial in June 2009. No one has been brought to account for the human rights violations perpetrated against him.

The impunity goes well beyond abuses in the CIA programme. Shortly before President Obama took office, for example, the Bush administration’s Convening Authority for military commissions confirmed that Saudi Arabian national Mohamed al Qahtani had been tortured in military custody at Guantánamo. Despite this admission, a year later, with Mohamed al Qahtani still held without charge in Guantánamo, no criminal investigation is known to have been opened into the torture allegations.

Earlier this month, a US federal judge found "credible" the allegations that Yemeni national Musa’ab al Madhwani had been subjected to acts amounting to torture and other ill-treatment in a secret US facility in Kabul before his transfer to Guantánamo where he remains detained without charge more than seven years later.

What accountability will there be for this abuse? None, it would seem, unless the current administration has a rethink about whether accountability and adherence to the USA’s international human rights obligations will truly be among its governing principles.

In litigation implicating the USA’s international obligations to ensure accountability and remedy for past human rights violations, the Obama administration has all too often adopted a stance that promotes impunity and blocks remedy. For example, in its first year it has:

• invoked the state secrets privilege to seek dismissal of a lawsuit brought by five detainees for the human rights violations, including crimes under international law, they say they were subjected to in the CIA "rendition" programme;
• opposed a lawsuit brought by four UK nationals for the torture and arbitrary detention to which they say they were subjected in Guantánamo, the administration arguing that it was "not clearly established" at the time of the men’s detention that they had the rights they said were violated and that the officials concerned were therefore "shielded" from civil liability. In December, the US Supreme Court sided with the administration and declined to take the case;
• intervened to petition a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against John Yoo, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the US Justice Department, for the role the lawsuit claims he played in unlawful detention conditions and interrogation techniques. The Obama administration argued that the context of "the detention and treatment of those determined to be enemies during an armed conflict… implicating matters of national security and war powers" counselled against the "judicial creation of a money-damage remedy";
• maintained the Bush administration’s denial of and opposition to access to lawyers and courts for those held at the US airbase in Bagram in Afghanistan, cementing the accountability gap for abuses committed there and the detainees’ lack of effective remedy for them;
• refused to release of photographs and other documentary material relating to detainee abuses.

When the USA assumed its seat on the UN Human Rights Council in 2009, the Obama administration said: "Make no mistake; the United States will not look the other way in the face of serious human rights abuses. The truth must be told, the facts brought to light and the consequences faced". A year on, the administration continues to look the other way when it comes to full disclosure of and remedy for human rights violations perpetrated by the USA in the name of "countering terrorism".

The change of tone the Obama administration has brought to the USA’s pronouncements on human rights is welcome. It must now match these words with concrete action, including on accountability, remedy, and ending the Guantánamo detentions in line with its international human rights obligations.

In light of Tom Purves’ retirement from the position of CEO for Goodwood based Rolls Royce, German carmaker BMW announced the appointment of Torsten Muller-Otvos as the subsidiary’s new leader.

Having been with the BMW Group for the last 20 years, Muller-Otvos held a number of management positions in the Sales and Marketing Division, including the one which put him in charge with re-launching the MINI brand.

In 2004, he took responsibility for central Group marketing and brand management … (read more)

Digg has been evolving fast in the past year and it’s not done yet. It has several new revenue streams which should keep it in the clear financially, at least for now, and it’s making some deep changes to the service in order to counter new threats like Twitter. One way is with the newish Digg API which significantly widened the options… (read more)

Not that this will make any difference to your morning or your life but Chrysler Group announced yesterday that Robert G. Liberatore has returned to the company as Advisor to the CEO, Sergio Marchionne.

“Liberatore will provide advice to the Company on external affairs issues,” Chrysler said in a statement.

Liberatore originally joined Chrysler Corp. in 1985 after working on Capitol Hill for 10 years, including four years as staff director for Senator Robert C. Byrd. He was elected an Officer of the Chrysler Corporation in 1993 when he held the position of Vice President – Washington Affairs. He retired as Group Vice President – Global External Affairs and Public Policy, DaimlerChrysler Corporation in 2007.

– By: Stephen Calogera

The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta is still an enigma for all of us and, although the company struggles to keep things secret, here’s a glimpse into how the future model will actually look like. The adjacent computer-generated images (CGIs) are based on the recently-revealed New Compact Coupe, a vehicle displayed at the 2010 North American International Auto Show and believed to hit the stores in the next years in case it really makes it to production.

As you can see for yourselves, the Jetta (in case… (read more)