Author: Serkadis

To put this into perspective, the S&P 500's total adjusted market cap is just $13.5 trillion according to the latest data sheet from Standard & Poor's. That means China's forex reserves could buy 18% of the S&P500.

Furthermore, if they were to keep growing at the current rate (even though they probably won't), within five years they could theoretically buy half of the S&P500. Now that could be some seriously massive fund flow, even if it isn't likely to happen or even possible.

The funny thing though is that if somehow it did happen, and wasn't blocked, such a major purchase would essentially be the union of the American economy with China's. Imagine that. It would probably make war an even dumber notion between the two nations even if it lead to some massive political clashes.

Note that it wouldn't be a 'takeover of America' either. The oft-ignored statistic is that American households have over $50 trillion of private net wealth alone, far more than the U.S. government has debt and far more than China has reserves. So it's not like Americans wouldn't be able to still own the majority of their country either.

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See Also:

• The Economist: Just Because China Is Kicking Your Ass Doesn't Mean It Must Be A Bubble
• Why Google Wasn't Winning in China Anyway
• Morgan Stanley: China's Central Bank Has Tightened And Now Everyone Will Follow

There is no doubt that Americans are getting ready for electric-vehicles. According to a study released by consulting firm McKinsey & Co., electric-vehicles could account for up to 16 percent of new vehicle sales in New York City by 2015 – a figure that shows that major cities will be the first to get electric-car charging hubs.

If McKinsey’s estimates hold true, New York could see a total of 70,000 electric-vehicles over the next five years.

“Understanding the consumer perspective — both the early adopters and the rest of the market — is critical to achieving the electric-car breakthrough,” said Stefan Knupfer, the boss of McKinsey’s automotive and assembly practice in the Americas. “That’s why we carried out extensive market research in three megacities around the globe.”

Paris is expected to see electric-vehicles representing 9 percent of new-car sales by 2015, while Shanghai should see 5 percent.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

WGN Radio/Chicago Cubs play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes has been named the 2009 Illinois Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

This is Hughes’ eighth Sportscaster of the Year honor and his fifth in Illinois, having previously won the award in 1996, 1999, 2006, and 2007. Hughes was honored as Wisconsin’s Sportscaster of the Year in 1990, 1991 and 1992.

“Pat Hughes has a tremendous connection with Cubs fans through WGN’s powerhouse signal,” said Tom Langmyer, Vice President/General Manager of WGN Radio.

“He is a pure play-by-play artist who also brings out the magic in his partner, Ron Santo.”

The 2010 season will be Hughes’ 15^th season with WGN Radio and the Cubs and his 28^th season of broadcasting in Major League Baseball.

The award will be presented during the first week of May in Salisbury, North Carolina.

About Chicago’s WGN Radio 720

Chicago’s WGN Radio 720, the 2009 IBA Large Market Station of the Year, is dedicated to being the #1 source of Chicagoland entertainment, news, sports, and information.

WGN Radio is the official broadcaster of the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Blackhawks, and Northwestern University and celebrates over 85 years of broadcasting in Chicago.

For more information or to listen online visit wgnradio.com.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon will rise on DVD on March 20, 2010. On Friday, Summit Entertainment announced the date when TwiHards will be able to sink their teeth into the second DVD in The Twilight Saga.

The DVD will feature bonus material, including commentary with director Chris Weitz and editor Peter Lambert, a six-part behind-the-scenes documentary, and band rehearsal footage and music videos Muse, Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina, and Mute Math, the production company said in a statement.

The DVD will retail for $32.99 and the Blu-Ray for $34.99. Both go on pre-sale Jan. 26.

Eclipse, the third film in Twilight film series, opens in theaters on June 30.

During CES 2010, we were able to catch up with Ryan Biden of BlackBerry, and he was able to give us a live unboxing of the new BlackBerry Presenter device. For those unfamiliar, the BlackBerry Presenter hooks up to a monitor, projector, or display, and allows you to wirelessly give a PowerPoint presentation using a file stored directly on your BlackBerry, with no need for a PC. It’s a great idea, and you can check out the device in this episode. We will also have a demo of the device in our next episode of Bleeding Edge TV.

Here’s how to get the show:
Subscribe: iTunes iPod / H.264 | iTunes MPEG-4 | RSS H.264 Feed | RSS MPEG-4 Feed

|Download| – iPod-formatted H.264
|Download| – Apple TV High Resolution
|Download| – MPEG-4

Tags:
blackberry,
blackberry presenter,
cell phones,
cellphones,
keynote,
powerpoint,
sidefeatured,
smartphones,
wireless,

Dave Weinberger has a thought-provoking post where he discusses why an “open” internet is so important, and suggests that we may be thinking about things incorrectly due to the term “open.”

The Net as a medium is not for anything in particular — not for making calls, sending videos, etc. It also works at every scale, from one to one to many to many. This makes it highly unusual as a medium. In fact, we generally don’t treat it as a medium but as a world, rich with connections, persistent, and social. Because everything we encounter in this world is something that we as humans made (albeit sometimes indirectly), it feels like it’s ours. Obviously it’s not ours in the property sense. Rather, it’s ours in the way that our government is ours and our culture is ours. There aren’t too many other things that are ours in that way.

If we allow others to make decisions about what the Net is for — preferring some content and services to others — the Net won’t feel like it’s ours, and we’ll lose some of the enthusiasm (= love) that drives our participation, innovation, and collaborative efforts.

So, if we’re going to talk about the value of the open Internet, we have to ask what the opposite of “open” is. No one is proposing a closed Internet. When it comes to the Internet, the opposite of “open” is “theirs.”

I’d certainly never thought about it that way, but it does make a point. I do think that many more people feel “at home” on the internet in a way that they never could or would in other platforms or media. And part of the fear that people have about losing an “open” internet is that it will decrease any incentive for participation. There is definitely a sense that part of the reason why some folks would like to pull back on openness is to turn the internet from a platform for users towards a more controlled broadcast sort of platform. That is, it won’t be about communication, but about content delivery — and when you do that, it loses a significant portion of its value. And I think that’s where the shift from “ours” to “theirs” comes from. Not everyone can put a show on TV, but anyone can put a video on YouTube or just create a website. The internet is about communication, and when you start mitigating who can communicate and how, you lose the value of community.

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Filed under: Performance, Japan, Videos, Toyota, Tokyo Auto Salon, Design/Style

Seems like Toyota is doing everything in its power to shake the fuddy-duddy, emotionless appliance image its built for itself over the last fifteen years or so. First came word that ToMoCo’s Mr. Toyoda stated the brand needed to get sportier. Next came the very welcome news that along with Subaru, Toyota would be introducing a lightweight, RWD sport coupe (now known to be the FT-86) that would cost about $20,000. Finally, there’s the LFA, the $500,000 Lexus, that if the reviews are to be believed, just might be worth every penny.

That’s all well and good, but what if you want a sporty Prius?

Meet the G Sports Series. To quote Toyota, the G Sports Series, “is designed for customers who strongly desire to own a unique vehicle, offering them a personalized interior and exterior design along with sports-driving performance.” Put another way, Toyota is bringing the aftermarket in-house.

With a total of five vehicles getting the G Sports Series treatment, Toyota is looking to offer customized sportiness to whomever wants it. Only two of the five cars however are U.S. market vehicles: the Prius and the FT-86. The Prius gets one hell of a body kit, including sleek rear-wheel skirts. While far from beautiful, we have to say that we like the G Series Prius much better than the regular one.

But, the real news is the G Sports Series FT-86. Because it’s the FT-86 is still officially a “concept” Toyota isn’t revealing any hard data beyond RWD, 2.0-liters and six-speed manual. Good enough for us. As far as the G Sports Series version goes, it’s a little busy and the rear wing is beyond unnecessary. Still, we’re quite excited.

Especially as the front of the FT-86 might just be revealing an intercooler. Which would mean a turbocharger. Or is that just a fancy radiator? Well, you know the Subaru version is going to have an intercooler… Just to add to the speculation, check out the drift-o-rific video after the jump.

[Source: Toyota | Live Images: LeBlogAuto]

Continue reading Toyota launching G Sports Series cars at Tokyo Auto Salon [w/video]

Toyota launching G Sports Series cars at Tokyo Auto Salon [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Lamborghini

Unfortunately, the Lamborghini Murciélago can’t last forever. Despite producing a number of special versions to keep it fresh, including the LP640, LP 650-4 Roadster and LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, Lamborghini will eventually replace its most super of supercars.

Our spy photographers have caught up with Lamborghini engineers testing what could be the Murciélago’s replacement in Scandinavia. Rumored to revive the “Jota” nameplate, this new car appears to be similar in size to the Murciélago. We’re told to expect a new direct-inject V12 engine producing around 700 horsepower and a lighter overall weight thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber and aluminum. All-wheel-drive is a given, though this time around Lamborghini may use a new system developed in conjunction with Haldex. As for what it look like, expect inspiration to come from the Reventón, another Lambo based on the Murciélago.

Spy Shots: Lamborghini “Jota” Murciélago replacement caught in snow originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet

The ZR1 might be the fastest Chevrolet Corvette to ever come out of Bowling Green, Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon. That’s where Lingenfelter Performance Engineering of Decatur, Indiana comes in. They’ve built some of the fastest Corvettes in the world, plus some other pretty wild tuned Chevys. Their latest super-Vette is this Jetstream Blue Metallic ZR1 that Lingenfelter took out to the drag strip at Maryland International Raceway last month. The result? A best pass of 9.813 seconds at 145.74 mph.

As you can imagine, Lingenfelter made more than just a few minor modifications. The ZR1’s supercharger was upgraded with a cast aluminum air intake snout and an 11-rib, 2.6-inch pulley, an upgraded air filter, a four-inch diameter intake tube with mass air sensor, a ported throttle body, and a cast aluminum air inlet all help to stuff more air into the 6.2-liter V8. Other upgrades include a larger heat exchanger, larger intercooler reservoir system, and a set of sticky R345/35R18 Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials. The finished product puts out 739 horsepower and 740 pound-feet of torque measured at the rear wheels. Want to see it in action? Watch the video after the jump.

[Source: Lingenfelter]

Continue reading VIDEO: Lingenfelter Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 posts 9-second quarter-mile run

VIDEO: Lingenfelter Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 posts 9-second quarter-mile run originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In response to the earthquake in Haiti, U.S. Foodservice, the nation’s premier food distributor, has donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.

“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this disaster,” said Bob Aiken, chief executive officer, U.S. Foodservice.

“U.S. Foodservice and its employees have a long history of providing food and support to the victims of hurricanes and other natural disasters in the United States.

However, without a base of operations in the Caribbean, the company has decided to answer the Red Cross’s call for cash to fund these critical efforts.”

About U.S. Foodservice

U.S. Foodservice is one of the country’s premier foodservice distributors, offering more than 43,000 national, private label and signature brand items and an array of services to its more than 250,000 customers.

The company proudly employs 25,000 associates in more than 60 locations nationwide who are poised to serve customers beyond their expectations.

As an industry leader, with access to resources beyond the ordinary, U.S. Foodservice provides the finest quality food and related products to neighborhood restaurants, hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, hotels, government entities and other eating establishments.

To find out how U.S. Foodservice can be Your partner beyond the plate®, visit usfoodservice.com.

Madonna is the latest celebrity putting money behind the relief efforts in Haiti following the massive earthquake that rocked the island on Tuesday. The Queen of Pop has donated $250,000 to the Red Cross to help rebuild the devastated nation.

“My prayers are with the people of Haiti,” she says. “I can’t imagine the terrible pain and suffering they are experiencing. Sadly the depths of the tragedy are just becoming known and the need for our support grows more urgent with every passing moment. I have given a donation of $250,000 to assist Haiti’s earthquake victims through Partners in Health (www.pih.org), one of Haiti’s leading health care providers. I urge all of my friends and fans around the world to join me collectively to match my contribution or give in any way you can. We must act now. Thank you for your support.”

The pop star is no stranger to giving back. Madonna is head of the Raising Malawi Foundation, and often lends financial and other aid to that region of Africa.

YouTube may be on its way to becoming profitable, but it’s not quite there yet. One sure way to achieve that is by driving up revenue, which, this being Google, means advertising. A patent filling has popped up which may indicate one way Google plans to bring in more advertisers to the video site, by making it easier for small advertisers… (read more)

The U.S. State Department told reporters today that it will deliver a formal statement to the Chinese government in the next few days, denouncing a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” through which the Gmail accounts of Chinese political activists were tapped. Google has already threatened to pull out of China, which would mean closing its offices there and shutting down the google.cn website.

Now, the U.S. government has gotten involved. Reuters reports that an unnamed senior diplomat met with a Chinese diplomat on Thursday. In the next few days, the U.S. will deliver a démarche — a formal diplomatic communication from one country to another — expressing America’s disapproval of the break-ins.

A State Department spokesman said at a press conference this morning, “It will express our concern for this incident and request information from China as to an explanation of how it happened and what they plan to do about it.”

Separately, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told Bloomberg that exiting China is “not something we’re thinking about” at Microsoft.

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On today’s edition of the never-ending Apple rumor roundup, we take a quick detour into the murky realm of the United States patent database, topped off with a charming unsourced tip and some delightful analyst conjecture. Let’s blaze.

The rumor: A recent Apple patent application for a capacitive touchscreen-specific stylus may or may not mean The Tablet uses a stylus for input.
Our take: We’ve already promised to eat our hat if Apple puts a removable battery in the iPhone, so what’s next? A shoe? We will eat a shoe if Steve Jobs introduces a product that requires the use of a stylus. Besides, this product already exists: it’s called the Pogo Stylus, and it’s not exactly rocking minds (although we are intrigued by Inklet). Apple likes to file silly broad patent applications and see what it can get away with — it’s never been wise to read too much into them.

Our take: This would be like a dream come true for the consumer, and a crazy heroin nightmare for Apple to actually implement — can you imagine an iPod with a freaking CableCARD slot? Neither can we. Besides, it’s not like Apple to push content sales from anything other than the iTunes Store, and it’s especially not like Apple to extend functionality to older iPods when it can just release a newer one in a slightly different metallic finish. Next!

Continue reading Apple rumor roundup: iPhone patent 4.0 edition

Apple rumor roundup: iPhone patent 4.0 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silverstat7 Zigbee-packin’ thermostat to debut this fall for $600? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More live tracks will be coming to the Rock Band Music Store next week via a six-track pack featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. French band Phoenix will also be making their Rock Band debut alongside a

Gov. Pat Quinn today announced a $1.7 million state grant for the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network (ICCSN) to expand green educational and training offerings throughout Illinois’ community college network.

Part of the funding will be used to establish Green Jobs Centers at three Illinois campuses, including Southwestern Illinois College’s (SWIC) Belleville Campus.

“Investing in green job training will ensure Illinois’ long-term success in one of the country’s fastest-growing industries and will allow us to build upon our position as a leader in sustainability,” said Gov. Quinn.

“This grant furthers our commitment to building a cleaner, greener Illinois and training a workforce that’s prepared to meet the demands of a green 21st century.”

The ICCSN is a consortium of community colleges geared toward advancing career development in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The state is providing $1.7 million this fiscal year to the 48 Illinois community colleges to develop innovative programs that will stimulate the adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy practices in Illinois homes and businesses, and train people for energy efficiency and renewable energy jobs.

In addition to a Green Job Center at SWIC, the grant funds centers at the College of Lake County in Grayslake and Wilbur Wright College in Chicago.

The centers will partner with educational institutions, businesses, community-based organizations, and building and trades organizations to implement programs to prepare individuals for careers in the green industry. The job training component of the program will focus on energy efficiency and conservation for homes and small businesses.

Workers will be trained in weatherization, energy audits and other strategies that reduce energy consumption, utility bills and carbon emissions.

To date, over 18,000 Illinois residents have benefitted from programs being offered through the ICCSN. The initiative is administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Walmart is selling 12-month Xbox Live Gold cards for $30. The full retail price when purchased directly from Microsoft is $50.

If you’re still chugging along with the free Silver membership, here’s what upgrading to Gold gets you:

• Multiplayer games
• “TrueSkill matchmaking”
• Parties (not real-life parties)
• Gamer feedback (vote down jerky players)
• Netflix (you have to also have a Netflix membership)

Should the service be free? I vote for YES! But Microsoft will never listen to me. And $30 is better than $50, I guess.

Xbox Live 12-Month Gold Card [Walmart via dealnews]

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