Author: Serkadis

Gold has been rallying for awhile — nearing all time highs in the dollar, even while breaking all-time highs in the euro — but the metal’s action hasn’t been all that noteworthy.

That changed today for, as David Goldman at Asia Times notes, it stopped trying like a regular commodity and actually bucked them.

One session doesn’t make a trend, to be sure, but if the central banks are flooding the world with currency to support a massive bubble in government debt, the possibility of a portfolio shift out of currencies into gold has to be considered. And if this happens, gold (as I’ve said any number of times) has no natural ceiling. What will China do? The Chinese got burned on subprime and again on PIIGS debt. They stopped accumulating US Treasuries months ago, and have no reason to buy Bunds given the misery of the prospects for the Euro.

As you can see in this chart, via Kitco, the metal basically rocketed out of the gate, making a big power-move all day.

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2011 Mazda2

Mazda announced today that it is counting heavily on U.S. growth to kick off an ambitious 5-year business plan to boost sales by 43 percent to 1.7 million vehicles worldwide. The strategy was unveiled by President Takashi Yamanouchi today and calls for nearly doubling U.S. sales to 400,000 units in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016.

Yamanouchi said that he will try to win additional sales by breaking into new segments with models like the Madzda2, which will debut this summer. He said that Mazda also plans to strengthen its U.S. dealer base by picking strategic regions and concentrating resources there.

The Japanese brand sold 210,000 vehicles in the U.S. in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2010 and aims to boost volume by 19 percent to 250,000 units in the current fiscal year.

Yamanouchi said that the goal to 400,000 units by 2016 will be achieved by existing production capacity.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

Student Turning 90

Jim Olster will spend the morning of his 90^th birthday like he spends every other Wednesday. He’ll pull on his workout pants and a T-shirt, grab his cane and head to his Harper College fitness class. The longtime Arlington Heights resident is in his 13^th year with Harper’s Healthy Living Exercise Program, a course offered through the College’s Continuing Education Department and designed to build up and maintain core muscles and keep members – who range in age from 40-somethings to Olster’s 89 – physically fit. The three-times-a-week class has Olster doing regular stretches, maneuvers and cardio workouts, and he scoffs at the idea that age is a reason to stop moving. “Being older is not a good excuse,” he says. “Sure, it’d be easy to stay home, but my family believes this is good for me, and so do I. I enjoy it.” His 8 a.m. Harper class will ring in Olster’s ninth decade with cake, coffee and a congratulatory birthday visit from College President Dr. Ken Ender on Wednesday, April 28 – but the students will be put through their fitness paces first. “I said, ‘You’re here to work out,’” Instructor Vickie Scott says, “So we have to get a little class in.” Impressed by Olster’s milestone birthday, she scanned the roster and discovered that 16 of the roughly 50 students in Harper’s Healthy Living Exercise Program are 80 or older. Olster is the eldest – “I could call everyone ‘Junior,’” he jokes – and says he’s also among the students who’ve stuck with it the longest. “He’s very young at heart,” Scott says. “He and the others are making a decision to stay healthy and stay active, and they do it on a regular basis. They’re my inspiration.” The class includes warm-ups that incorporate hand weights, stretches and leg work; students also use Harper’s Fitness Center for cardio workouts. Olster, who favors the stationary bike, walks with a cane but doesn’t exercise with it. In lieu of the class’ traditional floor exercises, he sits in a special folding chair – a classmate had it embroidered with his name – for stretches and weights. A retired production executive for Time Inc. magazine publishing company, Olster has seven children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Harper’s Healthy Living Exercise Program meets three times a week, with 6:45 a.m., 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. options. The class stresses movement and fitness, so that participants can, as they progress through life, continue to do the things they’ve always done. “Being active is good for your cognition, your memory, and everything,” Scott says. For more, call 847.925.6300 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/ce.

Media Note: Olster’s classmates and instructor will celebrate his 90^th birthday around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 28, in Harper’s Building M. For a specific location or interview requests, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Fulbright Award

Harper College International Student Coordinator Jill Izumikawa will spend two weeks in Korea this summer – representing Harper and the United States higher education system as the recipient of a Fulbright grant for International Education Administrators. Izumikawa, one of only four recipients nationally, will visit colleges and meet with Korean university officials and government organizations in the capital city of Seoul and in outlying cities. She says the trip is a perfect opportunity to tout Harper as the College embarks on a new era under the leadership of a new President, and looks forward to gaining a new perspective on the country that many Harper students call home. Nearly 40 of the international students enrolled at Harper for the fall semester were from Korea. “I get to know all our students as individuals, but I yearn to know their culture on a deeper level,” she says. “This experience will be the final link I need. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to forge powerful relationships and see Korea’s higher education system firsthand. That in turn can be a catalyst for discussion, understanding and perhaps even campus programming and curriculum on Harper’s campus.” The daughter of a military family, Izumikawa grew up in England and, as a college student, studied in Mexico, sealing her love for international education. She worked for 15 years at the University of West Florida – managing the growing international student population, launching an annual “Celebration of Cultures” and helping establish the college’s English as a Second Language center. Her Fulbright application included a five-page personal statement, a two-page statement from Harper and three recommendations. Those materials were reviewed by the Council on International and Exchange Scholars in Washington, D.C., the Fulbright Korean-American Educational Foundation in Korea and, finally, the 12-member Presidentially appointed J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board. “It was such a good opportunity, and I never even imagined it would truly be mine,” Izumikawa says. She’ll leave for Korea on June 12. Harper has had a steady number of international students from Korea – a reflection of the northwest suburbs’ demographics. Most of the College’s international students live with family in the district while studying at Harper.

Media Note: For interviews with or pictures of Jill Izumikawa, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. Photos of her trip, and a video interview regarding her experience, will be available to reporters upon her return.

Harper Fashion

Dozens of garments – including funky wearable art pieces that take fashion to the extreme – will hit the runway at Harper College’s 2010 Fashion Show, a showcase of looks by award-winning Harper fashion design students. This year’s edition of the annual professional-caliber show is themed “Refined Chaos,” and highlights the fabric manipulations, like draping and gathering, that make garments stand out on the runway. Showtimes are 1:15 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday, May 7 in the Wojcik Conference Center on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. Tickets are $20 for general admission. VIP passes are $40. They are available for the 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. shows and include special seating and a 7 p.m. reception featuring hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, a gift bag and a cash bar. Proceeds from this year’s show will benefit a new fashion student scholarship in honor of Neil Tufano, a longtime fixture in Harper’s fashion department who played an integral role in the annual show. He died last year after a battle with cancer. Donations to the Tufano scholarship fund also are welcome at the show.

Media Note: Photos of some of this year’s most unique fashions can be viewed and downloaded via Harper’s Flickr feed: http://bit.ly/bipf7S. Contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected], for more or for interviews with student designers.

Redefined Chaos Photo Opportunities:

Show Set-Up, Noon to 10 p.m. Thursday, May 6. Harper students and professional lighting/sound crews will turn the Wojcik Conference Center into a fashion house.

Dress Rehearsal, 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, May 6.

Behind the Scenes, Noon to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 7. A backstage look at working the runway: is it like it appears on television? Female photographers/reporters only.

Refined Chaos, afternoon show, 1:15 p.m. Friday, May 7.

Refined Chaos, early evening show, 6 p.m. Friday, May 7.

VIP Reception, 7 p.m. Friday, May 7.

Refined Chaos, evening show, 8 p.m. Friday, May 7.

Zumba for All

Harper College will offer a free, open-to-the-community Zumba course at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 4 in the Building M Gymnasium on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. The class, offered through the College’s “Wellness Lives Here” yearlong wellness program, is part of a continued effort to promote a healthier campus and community. Zumba is a dance fitness program that fuses Latin and other international music with easy-to-follow moves for an energetic alternative to the usual cardio workout. The routine incorporates cardio moves and muscle toning and strengthening. Created in the 1990s, the classes – recognized by leading fitness educators but intended to make exercise fun – now are offered throughout the world, and the popularity is continuing to grow. Harper’s hour-long edition is the latest in its line of wellness programs, all of which are open to the community and free. Participants are encouraged to register to participate in Zumba. To reserve a spot, email [email protected].

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Harper Hospital

Upstairs in Harper College’s Avanté Center, a series of rooms has been transformed into a hospital wing – complete with stocked patient rooms, a nurse’s station, a call light system, a birthing room and nursery, and a supply room where students can pull their own meds for ailing patients. It’s real-life experience with a college-campus twist: the patients are talking mannequins that can be posed and programmed to simulate a variety of ailments, and students’ medical techniques can be watched by professors and videotaped through one-way mirrors for critique later. The new simulation hospital – one of the first of its kind in the state – offers hands-on, team practice for students in Harper’s healthcare programs by mirroring the workings of a real healthcare facility. Nursing students will be able to consult with cardiac technology students regarding particular patients, refer a “patient” to ultrasound students or work with peers in the dietary technician program. “Students are going to walk into a space that looks exactly like a hospital, and they’ll do things exactly as they would have to do in a real hospital, because we want them to make real decisions and we want them to have to solve real problems,” Simulation Coordinator Barbara Gawron says. “We’ve recreated a healthcare reality in a controlled, safe environment. They can practice and they can make mistakes, and they can learn in an atmosphere that teaches them so much more than traditional formats.” Harper’s simulation hospital will be formally unveiled at an event on Wednesday, May 5; the public will be able to tour it at a fall open house. The revamped area will include a computerized system for charting medical records, iPod Touches that will be used as clinical reference tools, and a computerized medical administration system. The area also will allow faculty to set up simulations that mimic national and world healthcare issues; the simulation hospital could, for instance, become a mock triage wing for H1N1 cases. Harper nursing students already have been using mannequins and other simulation technology, but Gawron says the fully-stocked simulation hospital will step the experience up a notch. Students will be exposed immediately to a hospital format and be able to practice the skills they’re learning day to day in an environment that replicates reality.

Media note: Students will use the virtual hospital for a simulation exercise from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, May 6. Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend. Healthcare students and faculty also are available for interviews. For details of the simulation, or to book an interview, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Unemployed Volunteer Program

Good things happen when people volunteer. They gain confidence. They gain skills. They feel needed, and they realize their potential for doing good work. All of that can spill over into job interviews, giving volunteers a clear job-hunting advantage in a competitive market. That’s the reasoning behind Catch 22, a new Harper College program that places unemployed Northwest suburban residents in volunteer positions – allowing them to build their resume, boost their confidence and get a foot in the door of a potentially new career. “When you’re unemployed, a lot of people don’t want to hire you,” says Nancy Wajler, Adult Learning Special Assistant. “This new program is helping those who are out of work gain valuable experience, explore new passions and strengths, and show potential employers they can be valuable in the workplace. It can really increase their marketability.” The program kicks off this month on a pilot basis, with volunteers working in various departments on Harper’s campus. “Harper is a city within a city, with numerous opportunities for volunteers to expand their skills in various areas,” Wajler says. The goal is to eventually take the program on the road, placing volunteers in businesses across the suburbs. The potential volunteer pool already comprises about 400 local residents with a variety of skills and employment histories. All are members of Harper’s Career Stimulus program, launched last year to provide post-layoff help to local workers. The process used to link Catch 22 volunteers with internships will mirror the process of hiring a full-time employee. Applicants will meet with a Harper career coach to review their resume, undergo a background check, and be interviewed by their potential supervisor before a decision is made. Volunteers will work for 30- or 60-day periods, or be assigned to complete a specific project. “It’s really a great situation for everyone involved,” Wajler says. “This will provide invaluable experience for the volunteer, but it also will provide supervisors with additional help, at no extra cost.” Catch 22 participants must be Career Stimulus members – annual memberships can be purchased for $85 – and have completed Harper’s NetWorthing seminars on making networking worthwhile. The next Career Stimulus meeting is from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Friday, April 30 at the Wojcik Conference Center on Harper’s main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road. Each monthly meeting includes networking opportunities and breakout sessions on things like acing interviews and building resumes. For more on Catch 22, contact Mahreen Mehdi at 847.925.6000, ext. 2388, or [email protected]. For more on Career Stimulus, visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Media Note: Catch 22 participants are available for interviews about the program. To arrange interviews with them or with Harper officials regarding the Catch 22 program, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Career Programs, Up Close

With an eye on training students for the jobs of the future, Harper College in 2008 renovated space in its Avanté Center and created a Nanotechnology degree program – the first of its kind offered by an Illinois two-year college. This fall, Harper will launch an Alternative Energy Certificate, giving students in the Electronics Engineering Technology program an environmentally focused option that can lead to new careers in a go-green world. Faculty and students involved with both programs will showcase their facilities and their technology at an Open Labs night scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 13 in Rooms Y105 (Electronics Engineering Technology) and Y124 (Nanotechnology), Building Y in the Avanté Center. The event is open to the public, and will allow prospective students and others to talk with Harper’s nanotechnology and electronics engineering technology faculty and get an up-close look at the equipment – like a wind turbine used for the Alternative Energy Certificate program – that’s involved. Current electronics students also will be presenting their year-end mechatronics projects, and students in both programs will demo classroom technology. “These are two examples of career programs that are solidly future-focused,” says Sally Griffith, Assistant Vice President for Career Programs. “They stress the skills students will need in tomorrow’s world.” Illinois is one of the leading research and development areas in nanotechnology, and local companies already have approached Harper students looking for interns and employees. Jobs in green industries, like alternative energy, also are on the rise. As part of the Open Labs event, Harper’s growing Graphic Arts program also will be showcased. Classrooms, digital and traditional presses, and other technology will be on display. For more on Graphic Arts, Nanotechnology or Electronics Engineering Technology, visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Photo Opportunities

Event: Birthday Party for 90-Year-Old Fitness Student

Time: 8:30 on Wednesday, April 28

Location: Building M Gymnasium

Event: Free Community Zumba Class

Time: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 4

Location: Harper Gymnasium, Building M

Media Note: The class is open to all. To reserve a seat, email [email protected].

Event: Simulation Hospital Open House

Time: 3:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 5

Location: Avanté Center (Call to confirm specific rooms and best photo times)

Event: Traffic Stop Simulations for Law Enforcement students. Students will participate in stops simulating various incidents that police encounter, including an armed driver and a DUI.

Time: 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 5

Location: Parking Lot 7, adjacent to Building G.

Event: High School Graphic Arts Competition. A panel of professionals and Harper faculty will judge submissions from local high school students. Students will be able to tour Harper facilities.

Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 13

Location: Room Y128, Building Y, Avanté Center

Event: Open Labs event showcasing Nanotechnology, Electronics Engineering Technology and Graphic Arts facilities.

Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 13

Location: Avanté Center (Call to confirm specific rooms and best photo times)

2011 Audi R8 Spyder – Tony Stark

To celebrate the brand placement of the R8 Spyder in Iron Man 2, Audi is launching a social media competition called “The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge.” Starting tomorrow, consumers can submit two-minute videos that showcase their ideas of better living through the use of technology.

All participants are required to use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social media networks to rate, comment, and discuss their ideas.

Click here for prices on the 2010 Audi R8.

“Achieving progress through technology is the message behind Iron Man 2, and this idea is fundamental to Audi,” said Scott Keogh, Chief Marketing Officer, Audi of America. “The partnership in Iron Man 2 celebrates our shared focus on innovation, and this contest allows anyone with a great idea to not just express it, but potentially make a true difference within their industry.”

If your idea is chosen by Audi as the winner, you will receive $15,000 in funding to develop your concept, a four-day trip for two to California including airfare, hotel and meals, transportation in the 2011 Audi A8, tour of Audi’s Design Center in Santa Monica, a guided tour of ICON aircraft facilities and a day at Audi Sports Car Experience to drive the Audi R8 on a racetrack. You also get a spa treatments, tailored cocktail attire, and grooming like Stark style and your experience documented on audiusa.com.

Check out http:www.tonystarkinnovationchallenge.com. for more details.

Refresher: Power for the Audi R8 Sypder 5.2 FSI quattro comes from a 5.2L FSI direct-injected V10 making 525-hp and a maximum torque of 391 lb-ft. Mated a 6-speed manual (with an available 6-speed R tronic automatic), 0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 194 mph. Fuel-economy comes in at an estimated 16 mpg when mated to manual transmission and 17 mpg when mated to an automatic.

2010 Audi R8 Spyder:

Press Release:

Audi announces “The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge”

– Contest calls for ideas for “living better through technology”
– Winner receives $15,000 to help fund their idea and a tech-lovers’ adventure
– Social media program to support the Audi Iron Man 2 integration

HERNDON, Va., Apr 27, 2010 – In celebration of the April 26 world premiere of Iron Man 2 in Los Angeles, Audi of America, Inc. announced that it is launching a social media competition called “The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge” in support of its prominent presence in the film. Beginning April 28, consumers can submit two-minute videos that showcase their ideas for better living through the use of technology. They then must rally members of their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social media networks to rate, comment, and discuss their ideas. Full contest information is available at www.tonystarkinnovationchallenge.com.

“The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge” mirrors Tony Stark’s desire to take Stark Industries in a new direction, using his vast intellect and resources to eradicate problems through technology. Submissions will be judged by Audi on their ability to:

• Make the world a better place by solving a problem or improving an existing solution
• Articulate and demonstrate expertise of the “better living through technology” philosophy
• Have a scalability and adoptability to potentially change the way we live
• Showcase innovation, adventures, and intelligence worthy of Audi and Tony Stark
• Have cache in the social media channels by means of ratings and viral component

The winner will receive:
• $15,000 in funding to develop their concept
• Their experience documented and featured on www.audiusa.com
• A four-day trip for two to California including airfare, hotel and meals
• Transportation in the latest innovation from Audi, the 2011 A8
• Spa treatments, tailored cocktail attire, and grooming to perfect their Stark style
• A tour of Audi Design Center in Santa Monica
• A guided tour of the ICON aircraft facilities including air and water testing of their new A5 aircraft
• A day at the Audi Sports Car Experience to drive Tony Stark’s favorite car, the Audi R8 on a racetrack

Audi will also be lending its support to the film through activities including a month-long late night TV and national cable campaign and an online presence on Fandango.com and Movies.com. The brand is also unveilng an all-new Audi Iron Man ad that will run in cinemas in the month leading up to the film release. Additionally, Audi is sponsoring the re-launch of Marvel.com that will include a digital comic book featuring the R8 Spyder.

Tony Stark will be seen throughout Iron Man 2 in his Audi R8 Spyder, the new soft top convertible version of the R8 super car which was featured in the first Iron Man. In addition to the R8 Spyder, the A8 sedan will also be showcased in the film.

The video submission and public voting period starts April 28, 2010 and ends June 9, 2010. Approved submissions will be posted to the site within 48 hours. Users can rate one video per day, for the length of the contest participation period on a scale from one to five. Final ratings will be calculated toward the final score of each entry and used to determine the grand prize winner. Finalists will be selected shortly after the submissions end. Clearance, notifications and interviews will take place between June 10, 2010 and June 27, 2010, and the winner will be announced on June 28, 2010. Prizes will be redeemed in August 2010. Submissions are only accepted in English and from U.S. residents 18 and over.

– By: Kap Shah

Article Tags: [email protected], Ronald D. Voisin

Image source

Did you ever wonder where those clockwork CO2 spikes come from? After all, they accompany every interglacial.

See: Physorg.com -Even soil feels the heat: Soils release more carbon dioxide as globe warms for a helpful hint – 99.5% comes from natural sources.

In the above referenced web-article, these scientists have bumped their estimated current microbial contribution to atmospheric CO2 from 85 to 98 petagrams. Our anthropogenic contribution is less than a tenth of that at ~6-7 petagrams. The total of all natural emissions is estimated at some 2,000 – 2,200 petagrams. Now in this article they seem to suggest that our 6-7 petagram (sub 0.5%) contribution has unfortunately and deleteriously triggered this microbial increase of 13 petagrams (from 85 to 98). In fact, most all studies regarding Soil Respiration engage the very same broken blame-game.

However, if we humans were never here at all, the consequently expanded microbial contribution can be roughly estimated to become 127 petagrams. Microbes would have geometrically filled our void for an increase of ~42 petagrams. And expanded proliferations of insects and mammalia would have contributed to a yet much larger delta. So what would these Theologians suggest this far greater contribution would have “unfortunately and deleteriously triggered?”

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Finviz’s map of the futures market is super helpful on a day like today.

We see three green spots on this map. What are they?

Yen, dollars, and gold. It doesn’t get more flight-to-safety than that.

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From Green Right Now Reports

Climate deniers will just have to grit their teeth over the latest report from the EPA showing that climate change is having a current, measurable effect on the Earth.

While this has been news for a while, the EPA’s Climate Change Indicators report, released Tuesday, gathers up the latest stats on heat waves, storms, sea level measurements and glacier melts.  All point to a planet under duress.

The Greenhouse Effect (Image: EPA)

The agency tracks 24 climate change indicators, and these show that “climate change is a very real problem with impacts already being seen,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

Some of the report’s findings:

• Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are increasing and rose by about 14 percent in the U.S. between 1990 and 2008.

• Average temperatures are rising, with seven of the top 10 warmest years on record in the continental United States occurring since 1990.

• Tropical cyclone intensity has increased in recent decades with six of the 10 most active hurricane seasons have occurred since the mid-1990s.

• Sea levels are rising, and have risen twice as fast as the long term trend since 1993 to 2008.

• Glaciers are melting and the volume of glaciers appears to be diminishing faster over the last decade. (This makes sense, given the warmer temperature trends and the actual disappearance of glaciers, such as two that have gone extinct in Glacier National Park. That national park could become a microcosm of the environmental downward spiral that can be initiated by such changes.).

• The frequency of heat waves has risen steadily since the 1960s.

Those who want to know more should check out the slide show detailing the highlights of the report, supported with graphs and photography. This non-geek, quickie review of climate change in action hits the salient points without getting into an IPCC-level discussion.

For instance, it notes that arctic sea ice is being lost because the oceans and surface air is warming. And as the oceans warm, the ice melt accelerates. The summer arctic melts become more severe, which contributes to rising oceans and a loss of the snow cap that helps reflect the sun’s rays. See the circular problem? This is one of the “feed backs” that scientists refer to when they discuss the tipping points and urgency of dealing with climate change now. The EPA slide show doesn’t get into all that, but does note that the “extent” or reach of sea ice was 24 percent below the average for the 1980s and 1990s. The picture really says it all:

The EPA’s slide show, aimed at a general audience, makes several other concepts understandable without the scientific jargon. It’s slide show on rising temperatures shows that the thermometer isn’t rising uniformly, but in a pattern designed by Mother Nature.

U.S. temperatures (Image: EPA)

But that doesn’t mean that climate change has been engineered by natural events. It’s clearly the result of human activities, which have pushed the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to heat-trapping levels never before experienced in human history. That’s covered in the slide show also.

Greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise. (Photo: EPA)

See more info from the EPA about climate change on the agency’s website.

The US Chamber of Commerce (which many people mistakenly think is a government organization — it’s not) has a long history of getting the facts wrong about intellectual property. The folks at the Chamber of Commerce have one basic mission, which is to protect the big businesses that fund it. And what better way to do that then to have the government help give them monopoly rights and then enforce those rights. The latest is that it has released a report which it falsely claims proves that stricter IP enforcement would boost the economy. But that’s not what the report actually says. The Chamber of Commerce hired NPD Group to write this report, and you can read the results yourself (pdf). It’s significantly weaker than even the most ridiculous studies we’ve seen in the past.

Basically, what the report does is talk about “IP-intensive industries,” noting that they have created a lot of jobs. Then it picks twelve random “non-IP-intensive industries” and notes that they spend less on R&D and have lost jobs. That’s it. But the conclusions it comes to are not supported by the facts. It takes several logical leaps as follows:

• Because an industry is considered “IP-intensive” it is only successful because of intellectual property laws. That’s simply not true. In fact, a study by CCIA showed that exceptions to intellectual property law contribute more to the economy in those industries than the IP law itself. The problem here is falsely assuming that any kind of “IP-intensive industry” is only possible or only successful because of intellectual property. And yet, the actual research suggests that the vast majority of that economic activity, while perhaps in “IP-intensive” industries has little, if anything, to do with intellectual property law or its enforcement.
• Second, it assumes, but does nothing to support, the idea that stronger enforcement increases output in “IP-intensive” industries. In fact, actual research has shown the opposite to be true — and that in cases where weaker enforcement occurs, output and economic activity increase.
• It assumes that because the industries it picked contributed more jobs to the economy, that’s because of intellectual property law. Yet, there’s little evidence to support this basic claim. In fact, history has shown that increasing IP strictness often decreases jobs by limiting competition.
• Finally, the report also assumes that IP-intensive industries are on the rise because of intellectual property law, not other massive shifts in the global market. Of course knowledge industries are growing in the US as agricultural and manufacturing jobs move elsewhere. But that’s not because of intellectual property law. It’s because of the natural progression of the economy. That the “non-IP intensive industries” it randomly chose to include (things like wood, textile, and paper) are on the decline is not due to intellectual property law at all. Claiming it does, as the report implies, is incredibly intellectually dishonest.

The report is a joke, based on a series of faulty assumptions. Tragically, the US Chamber of Commerce still gets attention, despite the fact that its claims pushing for stronger IP laws would do a lot more harm than good for most US business and innovation.

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You’ll recall that a few weeks ago, we interviewed the IMF on why it had blocked investor Eric Sprott’s attempt to buy gold from the fund. We then spoke with Eric Sprott and the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee, better known as GATA for their take on the matter.

Along the way, both GATA and Sprott suggested we ask the IMF some questions that the fund has avoided answering in the past. So we did. They were:

• What are the incentives for the IMF not to sell gold on the open market or to investors, be it institutional or retail?
• What are the designated depositories for gold?
• Did gold physically change hands with the banks you have sold to so far or was the transaction basically bookkeeping stuff (the IMF still holds the physical gold in this case)?
• Are there available records on the actual serial numbers of bullion? How is the gold at the IMF tracked and accounted for?
• When the IMF says it will “phase out” the sal of available gold, could you be more specific? What amount of gold in regard to what amount of time.
• Does IMF support a need for total transparency in the sale of gold despite the effects it could have on various markets?

The official response from Alistair Thomson, the IMF’s media guy, was:

“I looked through your message; we don’t have anything more for you on this.”

Interesting, considering the IMF refused to answer similar questions posed by GATA and Sprott. Some are perfectly reasonable questions too, like did gold physically change hands? What does the term “phase out” actually mean?

Certainly this unwillingness is only fodder for skeptical gold folks out there.

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DJIA: Down 213 points to 10,991.

NASDAQ: Down 51 points to 2471.

S&P 500: Down 28 points to 1183.

Commodities:
Oil: Down 2.5% or $2.09 to $82.11 a barrel.
Gold: Up 1.5% or $17.00 to $1171 an ounce.
Silver: Down 0.8% or $0.15 to $18.22 an ounce.

And the big shocker:

Goldman sachs was up!

Now here’s what you need to know as you leave work today:

• Today, Goldman Sachs spent hours testifying for a Senate subcommittee about its CDO deals. Read our live blog here.
• Standard & Poors downgraded the credit ratings of Greece, which triggered a sell off in US equity markets.
• Carl Levin was more than kind enough to remind us that ABACUS was a “shitty deal.”
• Oh, and Portugal and Spain also got downgraded by Standard & Poors, causing a massive flight from the Euro.
• Gold priced in Euros soars to nosebleed highs, courtesy of European’s sovereign debt crisis.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Europe, Hatchback, Audi, Luxury

Brace yourselves for another round of swoopy coupe time boys and girls. Er, let’s make that swoopy four-door coupe, which is, of course, a contradiction in terms, albeit an increasingly popular one. Of course no one wants to drive the Audi Oxymoron, which is why the brand with the four linked rings is calling their hyper-styled new offering the A7. And here’s some shots of it mushing around Germany’s famed Nürburgring.

Our impressions? It looks pretty good on the track of all tracks, with just a bit more body lean than you might expect. However, this is probably not the RS7 (or whatever they’re going to call the high performance variant). That said, why would the base model have a pop-up, downforce-generating rear spoiler? We love the fact that zee Germans seem to be creating new automotive niches out of thin air. Anyhow, the upcoming A7 seems to be carving out an entirely new space.

We know that the original push behind the A7 was to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the O.G. four-door coupe. But what’s with the Audi’s hatch? Yes, the roof seems to slope off at a precipitous angle, but there’s quite clearly a hatch – just like the Porsche Panamera. But unlike the biggest on-road Porker, the A7 rides not on a bespoke chassis but instead on a version of Audi’s modular aluminum chassis that currently underpins the new A8 and will support the upcoming A6.

Curiously, and perhaps wisely, Audi didn’t go down the BMW rabbit hole of creating a high-riding station wagon (like the 5 Series Gran Turismo), either. Best we can figure, the A7 will be just like a Jaguar XF – only with a fifth door. Why, then, would one be compelled to purchase the A7 over, say an A6 Avant? The A7 will probably be a bit larger than the A6 (perhaps just marginally bigger, but bigger nonetheless) and to some, size still matters. Besides, lots of folks simply don’t want a two-box wagon form, preferring the added flash of a more streamlined form. And if you’re Audi, you’ll probably get bigger margins out of something like this than an estate, too – especially when the A7 is rumored to be priced just under the A8.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Audi A7 slinks onto the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2020 Toyota Venz Concept by Lotus Engineering

Being associated with Toyota these days isn’t something to be very proud of; however, if you’re Toyota, than being associated Lotus Engineering probably works out in your benefit. The Lotus Engineering team conducted a study to develop a commercially viable weight reduction strategy for mainstream passenger cars.

The concept focuses around the current Toyota Venza crossover and reduces vehicle mass (excluding powertrain) by 38 percent.

Lotus said that the weight-reduction is possible with engineering techniques and technologies that can be made available by 2020. Lotus’ 2020 vehicle architecture uses a mix of stronger and lighter weight materials, a high degree of component integration and advanced joining and assembly methodologies.

“Based on U.S. Department of Energy estimates, a total vehicle mass reduction of 33% including powertrain, as demonstrated on the 2020 passenger car model, results in a 23% reduction in fuel consumption,” Lotus said in a statement. “This study highlights how automotive manufacturers can adopt the Lotus philosophy of performance through light weight.”

Hit the jump for the press release for more details.

2020 Toyota Venz Concept by Lotus Engineering:

Press Release:

-Study by Lotus Engineering concludes that a vehicle mass improvement of 38% versus a conventional mainstream vehicle can be achieved at only 3% cost.
– Efficient design and lightweight materials significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

Lotus Engineering has conducted a study to develop a commercially viable mass reduction strategy for mainstream passenger vehicles. This study, released by the International Council on Clean Transportation, focused on the use of lightweight materials and efficient design and demonstrated substantial mass savings. When compared with a benchmark Toyota Venza crossover utility vehicle, a 38% reduction in vehicle mass, excluding powertrain, can be achieved for only a 3% increase in component costs using engineering techniques and technologies viable for mainstream production programmes by 2020. The 2020 vehicle architecture utilises a mix of stronger and lighter weight materials, a high degree of component integration and advanced joining and assembly methodologies.

Based on U.S. Department of Energy estimates, a total vehicle mass reduction of 33% including powertrain, as demonstrated on the 2020 passenger car model, results in a 23% reduction in fuel consumption. This study highlights how automotive manufacturers can adopt the Lotus philosophy of performance through light weight.

Dr Robert Hentschel, Director of Lotus Engineering said: “Lighter vehicles are cleaner and more efficient. That philosophy has always been core to Lotus’ approach to vehicle engineering and is now more relevant than ever. Lightweight Architectures and Efficient Performance are just two of our core competencies and we are delighted to have completed this study with input from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide direction for future CO2 reductions. We believe that this approach will be commonplace in the industry for the future design of vehicles.”

The study investigated scenarios for two distinct vehicle architectures appropriate for production in 2017 and 2020. The near-term scenario is based on applying industry leading mass reducing technologies, improved materials and component integration and would be assembled using existing facilities. The mass reduction for this nearer term vehicle, excluding powertrain, is 21% with an estimated cost saving of 2%.

A benchmark Toyota Venza was disassembled, analysed and weighed to develop a bill of materials and understand component masses. In developing the two low mass concepts, Lotus Engineering employed a total vehicle mass reduction strategy utilising efficient design, component integration, materials selection, manufacturing and assembly. All key interior and exterior dimensions and volumes were retained for both models and the vehicles were packaged to accommodate key safety and structural dimensional and quality targets. The new vehicles retain the vision, sight line, comfort and occupant package of the benchmarked Toyota Venza.

Darren Somerset, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus Engineering Incorporated, Lotus’ North American engineering division which led the study, said “A highly efficient total vehicle system level architecture was achieved by developing well integrated sub-systems and components, innovative use of materials and process and the application of advanced analytical techniques. Lotus Engineering is at the forefront of the automotive industry’s drive for the reduction in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions and this study showcases Lotus Engineering’s expertise and outlines a clear roadmap to cost effective mass efficient vehicle technologies.”

Mass and Cost Summary

Base Toyota Venza
excluding powertrain Lotus Engineering Design
System Weight
(kg) 2020 Venza 2017 Venza
% Mass Reduction % Cost Factor % Mass Reduction % Cost Factor
Body 383 42% 135% 15% 98%
Closures/Fenders 143 41% 76% 25% 102%
Bumpers 18.0 11% 103% 11% 103%
Thermal 9.25 0% 100% 0% 100%
Electrical 23.6 36% 96% 29% 95%
Interior 252 39% 96% 27% 97%
Lighting 9.90 0% 100% 0% 100%
Suspension/Chassis 379 43% 95% 26% 100%
Glazing 43.7 0% 100% 0% 100%
Misc. 30.1 24% 99% 24% 99%
Totals 1290 38% 103% 21% 98%

The full report, entitled ‘An Assessment of Mass Reduction Opportunities for a 2017 – 2020 Model Year Vehicle Program’ can be found at the following link:

http://www.theicct.org/documents/0000/1430/Mass_reduction_final_2010.pdf

ENDS

The 2020 Passenger Car Technical Detail

Body
The body includes the floor and underbody, dash panel assembly, front structure, body sides and roof assembly. The baseline Toyota Venza body-in-white contained over 400 parts and the revised 2020 model reduced that part count to 211. The body-in-white materials used in the baseline Venza were 100% steel, while the 2020 model used 37% aluminium, 30% magnesium, 21% composites and 7% high strength steel. This reduces the structure mass by 42% from 382 kg to 221 kg.

The low mass 2020 body-in-white would be constructed using a low energy joining process proven on high speed trains; this process is already used on some low volume automotive applications. This low energy, low heat friction stir welding process would be used in combination with adhesive bonding, a technique already proven on Lotus production sports cars. In this instance, the robotically controlled welding and adhesive bonding process would be combined with programmable robotic fixturing, a versatile process which can be used to construct small and large vehicles using the same equipment.

Closures/Fenders
The closures include all hinged exterior elements, for example, the front and rear doors and the rear liftgate. One alternative approach included fixing the primary boot section to improve the structure, reduce masses and limit exposure to high voltage systems. A lightweight access door was provided for checking and replacing fluids.

The closures on the baseline Toyota Venza were made up of 100% steel. The low mass Venza closures/fenders would be made up of 33% magnesium, 21% plastic, 18% steel, 6% aluminium with the other 22% consisting of multiple materials. The mass savings are 41%, a reduction from 143 kg to 84 kg.

Interior
The interior systems consist of the instrument panel, seats, soft and hard trim, carpeting, climate control hardware, audio, navigation and communication electronics, vehicle control elements and restraint systems. There is a high level of component integration and electronic interfaces replace mechanical controls on the low mass model. For the 2020 model the instrument panel is eliminated replaced by driver and passenger side modules containing all key functional and safety hardware. A low mass trim panel made from a high quality aerated plastic closes out the two modules. The air conditioning module is incorporated into the console eliminating the need for close out trim panels; heated and cooled cupholders are integrated into the HVA/C module. The audio/HVA/C/Navigation touch screen contains the shifter and parking brake functions and interfaces with small electric solenoids. This eliminates conventional steel parking brake and shifter controls and cables as well as freeing up interior space.

The front seats mount to the structural sill and tunnel structure eliminating conventional seat mounting brackets (10 kg) and the need to locally reinforce the floorpan. The composite front seat structure utilises proven foam technology; the seat mass is reduced by up to 50%. The rear seat support structure is moulded into the composite floorpan eliminating the need for a separate steel support structure. The front and rear seats use a knit to shape fabric that eliminates material scrap and offers customers the opportunity to order their favourite patterns for their new vehicle. Four removable carpet modules replace the traditional full floor carpeting; this reduces mass and allows cost effective upgrading of the carpet quality. The floorpan is grained in all visible areas. The 2017 production interior mass was reduced from 250 kg to 182 kg with projected cost savings of 3%. The 2020 production interior mass was 153 kg with projected cost savings of 4%.

Chassis/Suspension
The chassis and suspension system was composed of suspension support cradles, control links, springs, shock absorbers, bushings, stabilizer bars and links, steering knuckles, brakes, steering gearbox, bearings, hydraulic systems, wheels, tires, jack and steering column.

The chassis and suspension components were downsized based on the revised vehicle curb weight, maintaining the baseline carrying capacity and incorporating the mass of the hybrid drive system.

The total vehicle curb weight reduction for the 2020 vehicle was 38%, excluding the powertrain. Based on the gross vehicle weight, which includes retaining the baseline cargo capacity of 549 kg and utilising a hybrid powertrain, the chassis and the suspension components were reduced in mass by 43%, with projected cost savings of 5%.

Front and Rear Bumpers
The materials used on the front and rear bumpers were very similar to the existing model to maintain the current level of performance. One change was to replace the front steel beam with an aluminium beam which reduced mass by 11%. The use of a magnesium beam was analysed but at the current time exceeded the allowable price factor.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
The air conditioning system was integrated into a passenger compartment system and an engine compartment system. This section addressed the under hood components which included the compressor, condenser and related plumbing. The under hood components were investigated for technologies and mass.

The study showed a relatively small mass difference for the underhood air conditioning components based on both vehicle mass and interior volume. Because of the highly evolved nature of these components, the requirements for equivalent air conditioning performance and the lack of a clear consensus for a future automotive refrigerant, the mass and cost of the Toyota Venza compressor, condenser and associated plumbing were left unchanged for both the 2017 and 2020 models.

Glazing
The glazing of the baseline vehicle was classified into two groups: fixed and moving. The fixed glass is bonded into position using industry standard adhesives and was classified into two sub groups: wiped and non wiped.

Factors involved in making decisions about glazing materials include the level of abrasion it is likely to see during the vehicle life, the legislative requirements for light transmissibility, the legislative requirements for passenger retention and the contribution it will make to interior noise abatement.

The specific gravity of glass is 2.6 and the thickness of a windshield is usually between 4.5 mm and 5 mm, therefore the mass per square metre of 5 mm glass is approximately 13 kgs. The high mass of glass provides a strong incentive to reduce the glazed area of the body, reduce the thickness of the glass and find a suitable substitute that is lighter. Fixed glass on the side of the vehicle offers the best opportunity for mass reduction.

The mass of the baseline glazing was retained for both the 2017 and 2020 models; this was a conservative approach. It is possible that coated polycarbonate materials may become mainstream in the 2017 – 2020 timeframe for fixed applications.

Electrical/Lighting
The estimated mass savings for using thinwall cladding and copper clad aluminium wiring, as used on the 2017 model was 36% versus the baseline model. The lighting technologies section reviewed included diodes, xenon and halogen. The study also reviewed a variety of wireless technologies under development for non-transportation applications that could be used in this time period pending successful development for mobile applications.

– By: Omar Rana

Inspired by the breath of Zeus himself, we’ve made a widget. It’s for telling you which one of your profile pictures makes you look your best. You upload a few photos to the thing, and, voilà, you get a detailed report about your pictures: who liked them, which one got the most votes, and so […]

Hold on folks. This is getting really ugly.

Hurry up bell, ring!

Oh, and the euro is just totally vomiting.

From FinViz:

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Typically the closing of normal business hours in Europe is kind of bullish for the currency and for US stocks, as all the fears over Greece and the PIIGS are put to rest for the night.

But not tonight.

The euro, as you can see, is making brand new lows. Meanwhile the Dow — which had bounced off its lows — is down over 160.

From Finviz.com:

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We’ve got some bad news, guys. It seems the BioShock 2 DLC won’t be coming this week after all.

In the last decade, the shambling hordes of the undead have graduated from schlock pulp material to the new wunderkind of horror and speculative writers around the world. Be they Haitin voodoo slaves; Romero shamblers; biological virii; otherworldly invaders or mystical monsters, the dead have risen and you don’t want to get in their way!

13. Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Anita Blake books cross the whole gamut of supernatural — werewolves, vampires and zombies included. The titular character has the ability to talk to the dead — a skill usually called upon during litigation. A vampire hunter by trade (hence the name), Anita Blake raises the dead during the day, and slays the bloodsuckers at night. The series are incredibly popular, and a staple of the urban fantasy genre. Plus, we have to give Hamilton major credit for essentially turning her series into porn. The later novels are filled with BDSM, multiple partners, and all the other wonderful perversions we love vampire romances for. Anita wears pants less often than Lady Gaga, and will shag anything on two legs. See Stephenie Meyer — vampires are about sex!

12. Necroscope by Brian Lumley

Necroscope is like the hyper-masculine version of the Anita Blake novels. Starring a vampire hunter with the ability to talk to the dead, who helps out a government agency, and grows gradually more and more crazy powerful with each novel. Where the Blake stories soon become saturated in sex, Necroscope is instead intensely violent and horrific — centered around the threat of the Wamphyri. Of course, the main character’s greatest gift is his ability to talk to the dead, absorb their skills, and animate them to help him in times of need. I’ve got to say, when fighting against a mammoth tide of evil, I could think of worse allies than zombies.

11. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

How do you take a classic Regency romance, and make it interesting for those who don’t care about the romantic tribulations of wealthy brits? Throw in a few zombies, of course! This mash-up takes Jane Austen’s most famous novel and gives it a major geek upgrade. England has been troubled by the undead for some time in the novel, a dangerous annoyance, but not one sufficient enough to disrupt high society. The Bennet sisters have been trained from their youth as deadly martial artists, and the story covers their war against the undead, their attempts at love, and of course Elizabeth Bennet’s rocky romance with monster hunter Fitzwilliam Darcy.

10. Blood Crazy by Simon Clark

Blood Crazy is a pseudo-zombie story, much the way 28 Days Later is. The ravenous horde aren’t actually the undead, but their actions are close enough for them to make the genre jump. In this incredibly violent and dark story, on Saturday night every adult in the world starts trying to kill anyone under the age of 19. Parents turn on their children, ruthlessly slaughtering them, and the young have to try and band together against their loving elders. Critically panned but popular regardless, Blood Crazy in an intense, blood-pounding page turner, that will have you up all night reading.

9. I, Zombie by Al Ewing

I, Zombie — as you probably guessed from the title — sticks you in the head of one of the undead. As much a noir detective story as a zombie thriller, I, Zombie is about a ten years dead private dick, solving mysteries and busting heads for a price. The real question on his mind, and on the readers, is the one he can never solve: who killed him in the first place. Ewing is a relatively new author, who has cut his teeth writing for 2000 A.D., the weekly comic magazine that spawned Judge Dredd. For some reason, Brits seem to have a special affinity for zombies, and they make up a significant portion of this list.

8. Dead in the West by Joe Lansdale

The very definition of pulp — less than two hundred pages long, on shoddy stock, weird cover art, and stereotypical characters, Dead in the West shouldn’t be as good as it is. Yet somehow, taking the essence of two genres — in this case western and zombies — makes it greater than the sum of its parts. Two great tastes, etc., etc. Peanut butter, chocolate, you know how it goes. There are all the stock characters of the western: the disillusioned preacher, town doctor and his beautiful daughter, and angry town, and an Indian who cursed the whole place. Now besieged by the walking dead, the wandering preacher must use his mad gun skills to take on zombies, demons, and whatever else comes his way. Sometimes brevity is a good thing.

7. Empire: A Zombie Novel by David Dunwoody

After 100 years of zombies, Earth’s governments are in tatters. Only a few heavily defended cities remain, and the rest are badlands, where all must fend for themselves. With all these dead stumbling about, who do you think would be the least happy at the situation? It turns out Death himself, the Grim Reaper. Furious at these souls who have avoided his grasp by becoming shambling corpses, he descends onto Earth to discover their origin, and take as many of them to the afterlife as possible. Allying himself with survivors, the incarnation of Death must face off those who should be under his rightful domain.

6. Cell by Stephen King

Another almost-but-not-quote zombie story, that’s close enough for our definitions. This novel by Stephen King was excellently written, even if the basis for the plot is ludicrous in the extreme. A computer virus infects cellphone wielders the world over, turning them into a murderous hive mind, intent on destroying society. You have to give King points for making such a preposterous and technophobic plot into something worth reading. Then again, this is the same guy who wrote a story about a possessed car. While the phoners in this story are not technically undead, there’s not much difference between people infected with the Rage virus from 28 Days Later, and those hit by a cellphone virus — except the latter is far less plausible.

5. Day by Day Armageddon by JL Bourne

Bare-bones in the extreme, Day by Day Armageddon is a journal of the apocalypse. Just about zero characterization or growth, instead it’s just the day-to-day writings of the mundanity and terror of a zombie world. Sparse, violent, and logical, Day by Day Armageddon was a major hit with readers. The novel is written with a military bent, stuffed with with acronyms and army talk. It’s also a handy guide for how to protect yourself, and what you might need when Z day comes. The novel also has its fair share of critics: spelling and grammar are a major issue, and the novel is very right wing. As in “the Liberals are trying to take all of our guns, and we just managed to get them in time for the Apocalypse” style right wing. Ignore the politics, enjoy the headshots.

4. Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman

I went back and forth about including a comic on this list, but in the end, Walking Dead is far, far too good to be left by the wayside. An ongoing black-and-white comic published by Image, the Walking Dead centers on a small town cop in a world of traditional Romero zombies. Slow, relentless and hungry for you. In an interesting twist, the zombie infection isn’t transmitted via biting. All humans have it, and if they die with their brain intact, they’ll rise as the undead. Getting a bite just means infection and death, unless treated promptly. Walking Dead excels in every facet of the zombie story. It’s tightly plotted, with intense action and every rising pressure. It also excels in one field other zombie stories often fail — Kirkman actually knows how to write characterization! Shocking, I know!

3. The Rising by Brian Keene

Rather than the mindless zombies of most of these entries, the creatures in The Rising are thinking, reasoning, and pure evil. They set traps, use weapons, taunt the living and drive cars. The zombie plague was unleashed on the earth when scientists at a particle accelerator accidentally let a demonic alien force into our world. These demons took over the dead, using their memories and skills to try and kill all those remaining. A man West Virginia is taunted by the corpse of his second wife and their unborn child, as he attempts to make his way to New Jersey to rescue his surviving son. While it’s a questionable addition to the zombie genre to blame everything on dimension hopping demons, it’s not really any weirder than the mysticism steeped origins of the field. The strength of the story comes at least partly from having an enemy that is so malevolently intelligent, but also able to be slaughtered in such joyful numbers.

2. Autumn by David Moody

Originally released free online, Autumn (and now its sequels) proved to be mammothly successful, and soon spun into book and movie deals. Now spanning five books, the first of which can still be downloaded for free, Autumn humanizes the zombie apocalypse in a manner few other books do. Instead of gore and violence, Moody tells the story of the people who survived. It’s a deep, intriguing look at the psychological terror of the worst situation imaginable — almost everyone on the planet dying, and then coming back again. There are no flying guts and decapitations, hell the Z word isn’t even used, instead it’s claustrophobia, terror, and the dawning realization that humanity is completely and utterly boned. It’s a much slower, more deliberate story than the often breakneck pace of many other entrants on the list, taking more time to focus on the horror of the situation rather than gung-ho action and splatterfests.

1.World War Z by Max Brooks

Are you really surprised? WWZ is possibly the greatest zombie novel ever created, accurately portraying the immense damage a tide of the living dead would cause. Set after the end of a zombie war, it’s a collection of tales from survivors, under the guise of a report to the UN. It deals with people attempting to understand the causes of the attacks, struggling to leave their homes, the military attempting to deal with an enemy unlike anything ever seen before. Half the book is a broad historical discussion of the events, but scattered throughout are interviews and stories from individuals that bring home just how terrifying a zombie war would be. The eventual choices that had to be made are harrowing, but at the same time logical. It’s a terrifying, touching, and balanced look at a world at war with the undead. Remember Yonkers.

NEWS RELEASE
April 26, 2010                                                          Contact: Erica Jesberger, 544-4916

Columbia Basin College is celebrating Earth Day and Arbor Day this Thursday, April 29 with events on the Pasco campus at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

A solar-powered concert featuring musician Jonathan Kingham will be in the HUB from 11 a.m. to noon followed by a tree planting ceremony at 1 p.m. east of the W building along 20th Avenue. The solar power is courtesy of Franklin PUD. Students and staff in attendance at the tree planting will be taught the proper way to plant a tree and tree seedlings will be given to those wanting to plant at their own homes.

At the tree planting ceremony, the Department of Natural Resources and the Washington State Urban and Community Forestry Council will present a flag and plaque to CBC staff and students in recognition of being a Tree Campus USA school. The Arbor Day Foundation named CBC a 2009 Tree Campus USA College last August. CBC is the first and only community college in the state of Washington to be named a Tree Campus USA school.

NEWS RELEASE
April 26, 2010                                                             Contact: Frank Murray, 542-4835

FreeForm, Columbia Basin College’s jazz choir, dominated the competition at the Reno Jazz Festival over the weekend in Reno, Nevada.

Directed by Dave Cazier, FreeForm was named the Outstanding College Choir among all two- and four-year colleges and universities. Winning the title was a daunting task since FreeForm was the first college to perform in the two-day event. Out of a possible 1,000 points per scoring judge, FreeForm earned 900, 925, and 933.

Not only did FreeForm earn the first place award, but all of its soloists received awards for outstanding musicianship. FreeForm was the only vocal group in any classification to receive awards for all soloists, as well as the largest number of awards to any one vocal group.

CBC’s soloist winners included:
Manuel Avila, piano
Michael Douglas, guitar/vocal
Omar Farias, drums
Luke Noll, percussion
Josh Osborn, vocal
Tracy Rasmussen, vocal
Brian Williams, bass

For further information, contact Bill McKay, dean for arts and humanities, 542-5531.