Author: Serkadis

Thermal imagers from Testo now offer an NETD <50 mK and image overlay TwinPix on a PC. With their new thermal imagers, the measurement technology specialist Testo AG now offer the best thermal sensitivity in the detector class 160 x 120 pixels. With an NETD < 50 mK in testo 881 and an NETD < 80 mK in testo 875, the thermal imagers from Testo provide highest image quality. The testo 881 is at present the thermal imager with the highest thermal sensitivity in its price segment. Image Overlay TwinPix With TwinPix, the PC software IRSoft from Testo offers an additional analysis function for image processing. The thermal imagers with integrated digital camera store an infrared and a real image simultaneously. With the professional image overlay TwinPix, these two images can be superimposed over each other in the PC software. The information from the thermal image and the real image are then displayed together in one image. By setting marking points which correspond in the infrared and the real image, the images are overlaid exactly. With TwinPix, even scenes with measurement objects at different distances can be blended without a problem, and shown simultaneously in one image. Using the image overlay, the user can orient himself better in the image, and localize damage more exactly in comprehensive analysis. This analysis function also offers advantages for better comprehension by the customers of thermography analysis. With TwinPix, a building thermographer, energy consultant or maintenance technician can now support his customer's understanding by showing him weak spots in buildings clearly in the real image.

These series magnets are customer designed magnets. they are used in spearkers. because of the strong magnetsim, the NdFeB magnets are widely used in speaker.

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Equipped with two motors on “Z” axis, it is the ideal machining centre for high-speed dry machining and milling of non ferrous materials large-size scale models.

Linear axis:
Strokes: X= 2600-4000-6000 mm Y= from 2000 to 20000 mm
Z= from 1300 to 3000 mm

Maximum speeds: 70 m/min (X-Y), 50 m/min (Z)
Maximum acceleration: up to 4 m/sec² Positioning accuracy: +/- 0,05 mm/m Repeatability: 0,03 mm

Electrospindle: power 12-18-22 kW max. speed 22.000 rpm
Tool magazine with 8-16-24 stations: HSK63 F tool holders
CNC control SIEMENS 840D Power Line or SELCA 4045PDH or HEIDENHAIN iTCN30. Peripheral protection

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Roewe, MISC

As recently as five years ago, iconic British marque MG was in the midst of developing three – count ’em, three – new sportscars, according to various reports. Unfortunately, as MG Rover ran out of capital and was sold off to Chinese investors, the plans never saw the light of day. But that won’t stop us from wondering what could have been.

The plan – known internally as Project X120 – included a replacement for the aging TF model, a successor to the diminutive Midget, and an up-market sportscar to take on the likes of the Porsche Cayman. The project, however, reportedly got itself into trouble when engineers realized that their plans revolved around using the TF’s chassis, among whose shortcomings included a cramped cockpit with an awkward driving position. The injection of an extra £2 million to the £50 million overall budget could have afforded the program a new all-aluminum tub, but they just didn’t have the cash.

The real kicker, from an American perspective at least, was that the business case for developing the new line of MGs necessitated the return to the North American market to pursue new potential buyers. And that’s where we begin to weep and lament the MGs that could have been.

[Source: Auto Express and Austin Rover Online]

Aborted plans for trio of new MG sportscar unearthed in new report originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Position Description
The Apollo Alliance is seeking a smart, organized, energetic person with strong research, writing and internet skills to assist our communications department. This internship offers an excellent opportunity for a talented student or professional committed to clean energy and social equity issues to gain experience working in a high caliber, fast paced, results-oriented non-profit policy organization.

The Communications Intern will work closely with Apollo’s communications team to provide support for the advancement of Apollo’s national, state and local program priorities. Internship responsibilities will include the following:

Internship Job Responsibilities
• Writing blog posts, letters to the editor and articles about clean energy success stories
• Updating Apollo’s website, including the Green Room and What’s New sections
• Increasing Apollo’s visibility by using social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter
• Updating Apollo’s database of the organization’s media coverage
• Other responsibilities depending on our current campaigns

This position will be unpaid, part-time (24 hours/week), and temporary beginning in early June and ending in August 2010 (dates flexible). The internship will be based at our national office in San Francisco.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Persuasive, organized, creative thinker
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines
• Ability to be flexible, positive, take initiative, and demonstrate good judgment
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and follow-through on tasks and projects

Education and Experience
• Some college education is strongly preferred
• Some journalism or communications experience preferred
• Desktop publishing and some HTML knowledge would be helpful but HTML experience is not required
• Experience with/interest in social media
• Experience with non-profit organizations is highly desirable, though not required
• A strong commitment to Apollo’s clean energy, good jobs mission.

Physical Demands
(These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the described essential functions of the job.)
• Working 7-8 hours seated at a desk and using a computer
• Occasionally lifting 10-20 lb boxes or equipment
• Taking public transportation

Work Environment
(While performing the responsibilities of the job, these work environment characteristics are representative of the environment the employee will encounter. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.)
• Second floor office in building with elevator

Application Instructions
Please submit a resume, cover letter and writing sample. In your cover letter, describe your interest in supporting Apollo’s mission and why you are qualified for this internship. Only complete applications will be considered.

Please submit your application materials as attachments by email to Sam Haswell at [email protected] and include “Summer 2010 Communications Internship” in the email subject line. No phone calls please.

Application deadline: April 15, 2010.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Apollo Alliance is a project of the Tides Center, a 501 (c)(3) organization. Tides is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions.

Applicants with Disabilities
Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process.  Please advise us in writing of special needs at the time of application.

Background on the Apollo Alliance
The Apollo Alliance is catalyzing a new, green industrial revolution in the way our country generates and uses energy. Harkening back to President Kennedy’s visionary call to land the first man on the Moon within the decade, the Apollo Alliance speaks directly to the core values we share as Americans: our can-do spirit, our inherent optimism, and our unrivaled patriotism. We did it before, we can do it again. This is America, the richest, most technologically advanced and industrious country in the world. If anyone can do it, we can. And we will.

The Apollo Alliance works at the local, state and national levels to transform our nation’s approach to energy and, in so doing, make America stronger and more secure: strategically, economically and environmentally. Working with allies in the labor movement, the clean energy business sector, urban America and the environmental community, Apollo builds the political support for energy investments that will provide a quadruple return to American taxpayers by: 1) reducing our dependence on foreign oil; 2) cutting carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate; 3) restoring America to its rightful place as the world’s leading innovator and developer of clean energy products and services; and 4) creating a new generation of well-paid, green-collar jobs for people across America. For more information, go to: www.apolloalliance.org.

By Charles Mpaka BLANTYRE, Mar 18 (IPS) The thickest book on secondary school teacher Hellen Ndalama’s desk is her indigenous language dictionary. It is also her most-used book.

The front cover is partly ripped and the upper end of the spine is secured with adhesive tape.

With 35,000 entries, the new book which translates Chichewa to English (CE) and English to Chichewa (EC) is the first comprehensive dictionary of its kind in Malawi. It is new on the shelves of Malawi’s book stores and was published last year.

The 730-paged dictionary is a personal copy but it is not for Ndalama’s use alone. If it is not with her, she said, it is being exchanged among the teachers at her school and even among the learners in her class.

"It is the most used book that I have on this desk. It is the only copy that we have at the school at the moment while we wait for the school to purchase its own. It is also richer in content than the previous dictionaries," Ndalama told IPS.

English is widely spoken in Malawi owing to the country’s British colonial past, and it is the language of official communication. But Chichewa is spoken by all ethnic groups in the country. Government declared Chichewa (also known as Chinyanja) a national language in 1968.

According to Dr Steven Paas, a Dutch researcher who compiled and edited the dictionary, Chichewa is an important daily communication tool for more than 15 million people in Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The new CE-EC dictionary traces its origin to 1997 when it began as a small personal note of vocabulary to assist Paas, an expatriate Theology lecturer, in learning the country’s most used language, Chichewa.

New to Malawi where he was seconded to the Church of Central African Presbyterian, Paas experienced what he calls "a crisis of communication" between himself and Malawians because of the absence of a dictionary.

All that was available at that time were a limited number of student guides that did not have a wide variety of words. Also, there were errors in the interpretation of some words and expressions. This hindered his efforts to learn the language of his host country, Paas says.

But it is not just foreigners who are affected. Paas says the lack of ability to easily translate words and meanings from Chichewa to English and from English to Chichewa also affects all situations of learning and communication. It affects the poor, the illiterate, orphans and the sick, because it bars their social mobility and emancipation.

But now you can flip through the dictionary and learn that the Chichewa word for notebook is kabuku kolembera; that madona ndi mabwana means ‘ladies and gentleman’ and monga mwa chikhalidwe chathu means ‘according to our tradition’.

Paas believes that for one to really understand the important things in life, it should be translated into a tongue that is familiar to one’s own culture and psychology.

"It (Chichewa) does for the nucleus of society what English cannot do, (that is), it bridges the gap of basic communication, combating illiteracy, promoting cultural self-confidence, igniting economical activity, and especially expanding knowledge," Paas says.

To educate himself in the language of his host country, Paas started to collect Chichewa words and he would circulate the list to his learners and colleagues. In turn the students and colleagues assisted with expanding and refining the list with their own additions and recommendations.

The list was finally compiled into a dictionary that has six editions.

Ndalama has used these previous editions in her English language lessons. She says they were useful books, especially because Malawi did not have other Chichewa-English reference books with substantial content and word diversity.

Paas’ efforts on Chichewa-English lexicography succeed other attempts that started in the 19th century when the first missionaries in Malawi collected Chichewa words to assist them in teaching Malawians their faith.

However, the collections were no more than a list of basic words and therefore limited in its usefulness.

A more comprehensive book was published in 2000 when the Centre for Language Studies at the University of Malawi produced a 366-paged Chichewa-only dictionary. Nevertheless, because of its monolingual nature, this dictionary fell short of expectations.

This is why Paas’ dictionary is enjoying such acclaim.

Ndalama, who has taught English for 12 years, has been using Paas’ CE and EC dictionaries to explain to her learners the meanings and definitions of some words encountered during her lessons.

"We grow up speaking Chichewa and when we meet an English word, it is sometimes difficult to have a clear explanation for it. So, I often consulted the EC dictionary where I could have the English word with its Chichewa meaning. Then I would construct a meaningful English interpretation out of that," she said.

However, Ndalama discovered later that the books had errors in translations and did not contain some words.

She recalled how one day, while going through a comprehension passage in Form 1, a learner asked her the meaning of the word "allergy" which was in the passage.

"I was taken by surprise. I had an idea of what it was but I could not give a precise and clear definition that my students could grasp easily," she said.

She picked up her EC dictionary but when she consulted it, she realised the book did not have the word. She had to use her Oxford Advanced English Dictionary to explain the word. She is convinced she would have explained it better if the word was available in her EC dictionary.

Andrew Goodson, a Classics teacher at the Kamuzu Academy, says that the previous CE-EC dictionaries had "thousands of errors".

In his letter dated March 2008 to Paas, Goodison said the dictionaries contained words that were non-existent such as "snoringly". They had problematic translations and errors in English idioms and in spellings such as "crasp" instead of "clasp".

They also omitted useful words such as "probably", "definitely", "should", "nor", and "some".

In compiling the new CE-EC dictionary, Paas led a team which assisted by adding to the contents and making corrections.

Apart from being sold at bookshops, the book is available at non-governmental institutions and from individuals. Money from the sales will fund the next print but direct sponsoring is still the main source of financing for the dictionary project, Paas says.

In the preface of the dictionary, Professor Pascal Kishindo, director of the Centre for Language Studies, says the new dictionary has proceeded from a well-managed interaction between tradition and innovation to a diverse dictionary of words.

Kishindo notes that although the book has decreased margins and font size to accommodate a combination of the previous CE and EC editions, the compression has not compromised the quality of the dictionary.

"The user who wishes to communicate and express himself or herself in English will find clear and detailed treatment of all the basic words with numerous indicators pointing to the appropriate translations, and assisting him/her to use the language correctly," says Kishindo, who is also a Linguistics lecturer at the University of Malawi.

Peg Williams is a Canadian volunteer working with a local youth organisation based in the rural town centre of Luchenza in southern Malawi.

Her work includes educating young people on HIV/AIDS. She told IPS that when she came to Malawi in January, the first thing she bought was the dictionary to help her learn the local language.

"I am also trying to learn more with the help of Malawians that I am working with. I need to learn the language because I think my work will have an impact if I communicate with young people in the language that they are used to and which they can easily understand," she said.

With the help of the dictionary, she has learnt to use the Chichewa versions for "sex", "sexually transmitted diseases", "paedophilia", "orgasm", "penis", "counselling" and other related words and expressions useful in her work.

A senior education methods advisor in the ministry of education says the book will help with the implementation of the new primary school curriculum in Malawi.

A review of the curriculum in 2003 noted that learners in junior primary school had problems grasping concepts in English. This was because students are initially taught in Chichewa, but as they move to senior primary school learners are taught in English.

The reviewers recommended the CE-EC dictionary as one way of addressing the problem. The education ministry hopes that the new dictionary will aid learners with their studies.

Speaking to IPS, the Netherlands-based Paas says the dictionary is a tool not only for students and teachers but also for Africans, expatriates, foreign workers, tourists and those dealing with English and Chichewa at a scientific, scholarly and religious level.

Paas says his deepest motivation for the project is a spiritual one. Paas says he is convinced that the human heart needs its mother tongue to be really touched by religion.

Ndalama thinks the new dictionary has the capacity to reduce the language barrier between users of Chichewa and English.

But her criticism of the dictionary is that it lacks the phonetic pronunciations for the words.

"I have noticed that the words in the new dictionary do not have their phonetic descriptions. In my view, being able to pronounce the words helps in learning the language," she said.

Paas is working on the second edition to be printed next year.

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Military

We recently received the email below from a friend and felt like we had to share. We really think you’ll like this one.

How many times have you wondered how strong those cement barriers are, that you see in front of military base entrances? (Are all barriers created equal?)

This was sent by someone who works for the Army Corp of Engineers:

From time to time someone asks me what the concrete barriers are in front of controlled and secure buildings. When I tell them that the barriers will stop traffic, even trucks, from approaching the secured building I usually get a look of disbelief.

Truck = 65,000 lbs. ~ Speed = 50 mph

Follow the jump to see what happens when an unstoppable force encounters an immovable object.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Mr. Unstoppable Force, this is Mr. Immovable Object

Video: Mr. Unstoppable Force, this is Mr. Immovable Object originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In 2009, Alabama increased its prison population to over 31,000 people. That same period saw the state prison population nationwide decline for the first time in nearly 28 years as states implemented new technology and parole reforms to reduce reliance on incarceration in the face of crippling costs.

read more

The concept of ‘bigger is better’ is starting to go by the wayside, especially when it comes to the auto industry. With the price of fuel the way it is, and especially since the surge we saw back in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, people are reluctant to get behind the wheels of gas guzzlers. As such, the installation rates for V8 and V8 engines is continuously falling; 57.1% of cars in ‘09 were outfitted with the engines, while 63.9% were in 2008. This continues a trend of decline since 2004 when V6’s and V8’s accounted for 76.2% of engine installations.

The 4-cylinder engine is starting to develop its own market presence as well, accounting for 61.9% of the car market in 2009, up from 51.7% in 2008. The once lowly engine also accounted for 14.8% of all light-truck installations.

Cylinders aside, the usage rate for those engines witht he least displacement fell, with usage of those engines under 2.0L fell from 8.2% in ‘08 to 7.1% in ‘09. The largest decline in 2009 goes tot hose engines with displacements of 3.0L to 3.9L, as they accounted for 33.0% of light-vehicle output in 2008 and only 29.0% in 2009. 4.0L-4.9L saw a 0.4% dip in usage and those occupying 5.0L or more in space declined 2.2% to account for 16.6% of engines in 2009.

Specialty engines such as Turbocharged gasoline and Turbodiesel have held steady or increased in usage, as have hybrids and flex-fuels.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: WardsAuto

We already wrote about the release this week of a highly misleading report about how many jobs “piracy” was going to “cost” Europe. However, a bunch of folks have been sending in the Reuters coverage of the announcement of the report, which included some fascinating comments from Agnete Haaland, the president of the International Actors’ Federation, who argues that there needs to be an even stronger word for infringement than “piracy,” claiming that the “pirate” connotation is too glamorous:

“We should change the word piracy,” she told reporters at the unveiling of the report on Wednesday.

“To me, piracy is something adventurous, it makes you think about Johnny Depp. We all want to be a bit like Johnny Depp. But we’re talking about a criminal act. We’re talking about making it impossible to make a living from what you do,” she said.

Ok. Pick your jaw up off the floor. First, this is stunning in that it’s been the entertainment industry itself that pushed and popularized the term “piracy” for copyright infringement. They did so very deliberately in an attempt to demonize the act of infringement, presenting it as something much worse. That some have since taken that term and embraced it hardly changes that initial fact. Second, she’s wrong about the fact that they’re “talking about a criminal act.” Yes, in some cases copyright infringement may be a criminal act, but in most cases the use of “piracy” these days refers to civil issues between two parties and not criminal acts at all.

Then again, given that this was a statement made in favor of a blatantly misleading report, perhaps it’s not surprising that the speakers were blatantly misleading as well.

In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions for Ms. Haaland on what we should call the act of copyright infringement?

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another arm reset chart – big mortgage-centric piece – Ordinary Outcomes of Extraordinary Recklessness – John P. Hussman, Ph.D. – …  the 2010 peak doesn’t really get going until July-Sep (with delinquencies likely to peak about 3 months later, and foreclosures about 3 months after that). A larger peak will occur the second half of 2011. I remain concerned that we could quickly accumulate hundreds of billions of dollars of loan resets in the coming months, and in that case, would expect to see about 40% of those go delinquent based on the sub-prime curve and the delinquency rate on earlier Alt-A loans.  … – Hussman Funds

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Michael Lewis’s ‘The Big Short’? Read the Harvard Thesis Instead! – By Peter Lattman – hattip Marty Rosenblatt – Deal Journal has yet to read “The Big Short,” Michael Lewis’s yarn on the financial crisis that hit stores today. We did, however, read his acknowledgments, where Lewis praises “A.K. Barnett-Hart, a Harvard undergraduate who had just written a thesis about the market for subprime mortgage-backed CDOs that remains more interesting than any single piece of Wall Street research on the subject.” – WSJ Blogs

and
link to A.K. Barnett-Hart’s 115 page thesis on subprime CDO’s
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Mortgage Debt as a Percentage of Consumer Credit. You Have Officially Entered Hell. – Paco Ahlgren – Call me mathematical, but what’s wrong with this picture? More importantly, what propaganda machine continues to succeed in preventing the breathing portion of humanity from recognizing that the government sponsored and encouraged lending in the home mortgage industry for decades, and this is what happened. – The Bottom Violation

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HUD assistant secretary says agency won’t raise FHA borrowing score – By Tom LaRocque – … Stevens, who last month addressed a group of Colorado mortgage brokers, said the agency faces ongoing pressure to raise the minimum FICO score for FHA borrowers from the present 580 to perhaps 620.  "That won’t happen," said Stevens, citing the agency’s intended role as a "counter-cyclical force" in the mortgage market. … – The Denver Post 

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top 5 – Who Are The Biggest Mortgage Lenders? – By Ilyce Glink – MortgageDaily.com just released its annual ranking of the biggest mortgage lenders in the U.S for 2009. The results are interesting. – Bnet CBS MoneyWatch

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   + 

GMAC’s mortgage arm will be tough to unload – Jettisoning its ResCap could add to debt, hurt auto lending – BY GREG GARDNER – … Taking ResCap into bankruptcy is an option, but GMAC CEO Michael Carpenter has rejected that for now. “There really is no way out,” said David Lykken, president of Mortgage Banking Solutions in Austin, Texas, and an adviser to mortgage lenders. “Another request for TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) money won’t play well in Peoria or Detroit. The American taxpayer has bailout fatigue.” … – DETROIT FREE PRESS

and
Break in Case of Bankruptcy: GMAC Splits Mortgage Account – by DIANA GOLOBAY – GMAC Mortgage (GMACM) is going forward with plans to separate its mortgage-collections master account, in hopes that it may resolve some of the issues surrounding the $6bn of residential mortgage-backed (RMBS) securities currently under review for possible downgrade – HousingWire

————

Andrew Davidson Insights – Addressing the Agency Buyouts -  Dan Szakallas and Sanjeeban Chatterjee – RiskCenter.com

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FHA Commissioner Claims Home Price Increases – by Peter G. Miller – … Stevens had some surprising remarks regarding home values, numbers not seen previously. … – FHA Loan Pros.com 

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Housing Recovery is Spelled R-E-O – PAUL JACKSON – …  But in the end, the real key to resolving the problems that yet remain in housing is likely to come back to an old standby: REO property sales.  Yes, really. But to understand why, you’ve got to first really understand the scope of the mortgage default problem we’ve now got. … – HousingWire

————

Agency repurchase demands: U.S. Lenders May Lose $65 Billion on Bad Loans, Report Says – By Nikolaj Gammeltoft – Bloomberg BusinessWeek

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Losses on US RMBS Set to Rise as Support Programs Expire – Loss severities on distressed U.S. residential mortgage loans are likely to rise this year as several support programs expire. – Research Recap

If you thought going to the dealer and negotiating a finance or lease was a hassling task, wait until you hear what you’ll have to go through to purchase the 2012 Lexus LFA. As announced last month, the flagship of the F portfolio will start at a wallet draining $375,000 – and that price tag does not include options, delivery, processing and handling fee.

Customers will be able to choose from three different configurations included in the base MSRP including:

• Configuration 1 – Leather or Alcantara-trimmed seats.
• Configuration 2 – Leather or Alcantara-trimmed seats, Lexus Navigation System and Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system.
• Configuration 3 – Leather or Alcantara-trimmed seats, Lexus Navigation System, Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system, and Lexus Enform with Safety Connect.

Sounds simple enough right? Wrong. With only 500 units of the LFA being produced globally, only 150 will make it to the United States. Toyota says that customer response has exceeded the number of available cars and it is possible that not all customers who originally expressed interest will have an pleasure of owning Lexus’ first supercar.

If you’ve already shown interest in the new LFA, Lexus might (and we stress might) contact you sometime between March and June. Once you’ve been notified of your opportunity to order, you’ll have 10 days to submit a $10,000 deposit. Provided you pass the credit check at that time, you’ll then have to deposit another $50,000 before your LFA gets built, which will be sometime next year. Once your car is built and delivered to you, you’ll have to make lease payments, which according to Lexus comes out to $12,398.44 a month for 24 months. However, under the company’s 1PAY lease plan, you’ll have to make the full 24 month payment up front – meaning you’ll have to write Lexus a check for $297,562.56 before you can take your LFA out for a spin. After 24 months, provided you absolutely love your LFA, you can keep it for a final payment of $93,750.

Yes, it’s a lot of work and a lot of payments – or you can just wait for the McLaren MP4-12C.

Click here for more news on the Lexus LFA.

Click here to watch the Lexus LFA in action.

Refresher: Power for the Lexus LFA comes from a 4.8L V10 that makes 552-hp with a maximum torque of 354 lb-ft. Mated to a 6-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox, the LFA goes from 0-60 mph with a time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph.

2012 Lexus LFA:

– By: Omar Rana

Article Tags: Headline Story, Meetings, Piers Corbyn

Click source link to read FULL information for meeting

Source: Twitter Link via Piers Corbyn

Read in full with comments »   

Article Tags: Headline Story, You could not make it up

Generating the Future[PDF Download] A report on UK energy systems fit for 2050.

Fundamental restructuring of the UK’s entire energy system is unavoidable if it is to meet future energy demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, even assuming that energy demand in all sectors can be substantially reduced, according to a report published today by the Royal Academy of Engineering. If we are to achieve this, the scale of the undertaking will require the biggest peacetime programme of investment and social change the UK has ever seen, says the Academy.

Generating the Future: UK energy systems fit for 2050 considers four possible energy scenarios that could meet the 2050 emissions reduction target, each of which demonstrate that there is no single ‘silver bullet’ solution that will deliver the required 80 per cent emissions cut. Demand reductions through a combination of increased efficiencies and behavioural change will be essential. The scale of the engineering challenge is massive – the country will need to exploit its renewable energy resources to the maximum and supplement this with other low-carbon sources including nuclear power and coal- or gas-fired generation fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Source: raeng.org.uk

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The two-times Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso, driver of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, has bought himself the new Maserati GranCabrio (GranTurismo Convertible on the stateside) that he has selected.

“The Spanish driver has chosen for the GranCabrio elegant fixtures, preferring a darker shade for the exterior in combination with two-tone upholstery for the interior, Maserati said in a statement. “Grigio Granito is the color of the body, while the interior has a combination of Pearl Beige and Bordeaux leather, matching a soft top of the same shade.”

Click here to get prices on the 2010 Maserati GranTurismo.

Refresher: The 2010 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible is powered by a 4.7L V8 making 440-hp. Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the GranTurismo Convertible goes from 0 to 62 mph 5.4 seconds with a top speed 176 mph. Prices in the U.S. start at $135,800.

2010 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible:

– By: Omar Rana

Filed under: Spy Photos, Wagon, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Last week, the forthcoming revised Mercedes C-Class sedan was caught on a field trip, and this week it’s the C-Class wagon.

Naturally, the same changes spotted in that last round of photos – new hood, headlights and bumpers, a more upright grille, LED taillamps, and altered rear fascia – have taken the small step over to this car as well. The spy shooters at CarPix also suggest that noticeable interior changes might be on the way, since “test drivers are always very keen on covering the dash up.” We expect a few modest material changes and maybe some COMAND updates, but not a full-on interior redo. Either way, you can check out high-res exterior shots in the gallery of photos below.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Updated Mercedes-Benz C-Class wagon spotted touring about originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve spent the last few hours going through the motions for summary judgment from both Google and Viacom in the YouTube case. If you’d like to kill a few hours yourself:

• Viacom Summary Judgment Motion (pdf)
• Viacom Statement of Undisputed Facts (pdf)
• Google Summary Judgment Motion (pdf)

There are few surprises made in the basic arguments by both parties. Viacom claims that YouTube knew about infringing content and should have taken it down (and that Google knew about this and then continued with that policy). Google claims that it’s clearly protected by the DMCA’s safe harbors. There are some interesting things raised in the filings however:

• Viacom claims that YouTube employees uploaded infringing content themselves, and discussed this over email — though, the filings carefully provide only fragments of the emails, which could easily have been taken out of context. And, even on top of that nowhere does Viacom explain how YouTube employees could distinguish which content was actually infringing and which was put up for promotional purposes or what was fair use. This is a major weakness in Viacom’s motion.
• Viacom’s secondary arguments get weaker as you go down the list. It argues that because YouTube uses advertising to make money, that shows the company directly profits from infringement. That argument makes no sense — because it would effectively wipe out any safe harbors for any commercial operation, which clearly was not the intent of Congress. Based on this argument, any ISP that hosts content from a paying customer loses its safe harbors. That’s ridiculous on its face.
• Viacom argues that Google could have blocked uploads with fingerprinting technology it had licensed, but fails to note the massive weaknesses in those fingerprinting technologies (which we still see thanks to Google’s bad automated takedowns). It tries to bolster this argument by saying that Google refused to use the fingerprinting on Viacom content unless Viacom agreed to license its content to YouTube. Perhaps there’s more to it than this, but I think that’s also taking Google statements out of context. The way the fingerprinting works is that Google would need copies of the content to be able to recognize them — and the only way to do that is if Viacom licensed works to them.
• Then the arguments get really weak. Viacom says that Google isn’t just a secondary infringer, but a direct infringer, due to the terms of service that say you’re granting a license to YouTube, and because to work, YouTube converts uploaded video to Flash. This is a weird legal argument that has been rejected before.
• The crux of Viacom’s argument rests on trying to break the DMCA safe harbors because Google and YouTube execs knew that there was a lot of infringing content on the site. But Viacom’s argument breaks down entirely when you realize it doesn’t explain how Google could ever make the actual determination of which videos are infringing. Viacom tries to get around this with some legal tap dancing, basically saying that it doesn’t matter and Google just should have known what was infringing and what was not. But that makes no sense. Viacom is basically saying Google should have had a magic wand to figure out what’s infringing and make it disappear. That’s impossible. No law could possibly require Google to do the impossible. The fact that some of the videos Viacom sued over were uploaded by Viacom itself proves this point clearly.
• Viacom argues that because YouTube “licensed” its videos to Apple and Verizon Wireless phones, it shows that it’s more than just a passive service provider. Again, this seems like a weak overall argument, as what YouTube was doing was licensing access to the videos in a more convenient format, not claiming control over the videos themselves.
• Viacom’s lawyers also have a bit of fun at the fact that some old emails relevant to the case were deleted, even though it’s not that ridiculous that not everyone keeps all their emails. The motion also mocks Google and YouTube execs for developing “serial amnesia” when presented with “evidence.” But, again, Viacom was asking people to remember specific sentence fragments (potentially taken out of context) from years-old emails.
• The “big surprise” in the Google motion is that Viacom apparently tried to buy YouTube itself. While interesting as a historical nugget, I’m not really sure that really helps the case one way or the other. It doesn’t change how Viacom may have viewed YouTube as a platform. The attempted purchase may just have been a way to try to co-opt it into a limited platform, like what happened with Napster.
• Google argues that it has gone above and beyond the DMCA’s requirements in providing tools to help copyright holders. Viacom’s counter argument, of course, is that those changes are more recent.
• For every claim made by Viacom that Google/YouTube execs made damning statements, it looks like Viacom’s statements were even worse. For example:
  

  
  During these negotiations [to license content] Viacom deliberately allowed its content to remain on YouTube, in part because it thought that “having the content there was valuable in terms of helping the rating of our shows.”
  

  Google effectively makes the case that Viacom knew the benefits of having its clips on YouTube, tried to negotiate with YouTube for a deal, and when Google came into the picture, basically Viacom just saw it as an easy money grab and massively upped its demands before suing. Google argues that the mass takedown and subsequent lawsuit was really just a negotiating ploy by Viacom to get an upper hand in the negotiations to squeeze more money out of Google.

• Amusingly, Viacom notes repeatedly in its own filings that YouTube didn’t want to take down its videos because traffic to YouTube would suffer — but Google counters by pointing out that it did take down all of Viacom’s 100,000 takedown requests within hours and traffic to the site did not suffer and, despite Viacom’s expectations to the contrary, traffic to Viacom’s own sites did not soar. In other words, despite Viacom’s over-inflated sense of how important Viacom’s videos were to YouTube, the actual evidence suggests that Viacom was very, very wrong.
• Viacom tries to brush off the fact that it uploaded many videos itself, by saying (in a footnote) that most of those videos were clearly designated as being from Viacom. Google counters by pointing out that (a) this is not true and (b) Viacom repeatedly disguised who uploaded those videos on purpose — even quoting Paramount’s SVP of marketing saying that the clips “should definitely not be associated with the studio — should appear as if a fan created and posted it.” Among the users who uploaded Viacom clips on behalf of Viacom itself?
  

  
  MMysticalGirl8, Demansr, tesderiw, GossipGirl40, Snackboard and Keithhn
  

  On top of that, they registered with non Viacom email addresses, and even went to the local Kinkos to avoid uploading from Viacom directly. How Google was supposed to distinguish those clips from those uploaded by random users is not explained anywhere by Viacom, which is a hugely damning point against Viacom’s case.

• Further damning to Viacom’s case — the fact that Viacom regularly had to backdown on its takedown notices after it was realized that the takedowns were incorrect. This is a point that we’ve made before and is driven home repeatedly in Google’s filing. If Viacom itself can’t get it right — when it holds the copyrights and some of the videos were uploaded by itself — how the hell is Google supposed to know which videos are legit and which are not?
• Even more amusing is the part that details how Viacom had incredibly complex and detailed rules with BayTSP (who monitored YouTube and sent the takedowns) over what should be taken down and what should be left up. Apparently, those rules changed every few days and the folks at BayTSP compared them to Crime and Punishment. Again, if Viacom required such a complex list of rules for its own partner, how could it expect Google to know what to do without knowing any of that information?
• Google also points out that many of the clips in question have serious questions over whether or not they could be considered fair use — and those are questions for a court to determine. It is both unfair and outside the scope of the law to expect a third party like Google to be able to make that kind of decision on the fly.

In the end, it will surprise no one that I find Google’s arguments significantly more compelling than Viacom’s. The one point on which Viacom is strongest is the emails from the very early days of YouTube, where the founders and some employees admit that they know there’s a fair amount of infringement on the site, and they debate what to do about it, before taking a fairly liberal approach — though, never an approach that removes their safe harbors (Viacom disagrees on that point). In fact, the weaknesses of Viacom’s argument are driven home in that nowhere was it able to produce a single bit of evidence of YouTube founders/execs being aware of a specific infringing video. All of the quotes are about general infringement. The lack of a smoking gun email to the contrary really weakens Viacom’s case — and is a glaring absence in the motion.

What this comes down to in the end is a basic interpretation of what the DMCA really says and means with its safe harbor provisions. Viacom’s interpretation would effectively gut the entire purpose of the safe harbor provisions, disqualifying pretty much any commercial entity that allows user created content from gaining safe harbor protections. Such a reading makes no sense as it would make the DMCA safe harbors effectively meaningless.

Google’s motion, on the other hand, is quite compelling and highlights how even if execs are aware of general infringement across the site, it was impossible for them to distinguish what was authorized and what was not, as well as what was fair use and what was not. To require a third party like Google to make such determinations would effectively gut the ability of pretty much any user-generated content site to exist — which, again, would clearly go against Congress’ intentions.

Still, with these sorts of lawsuits, you really never know how things will play out — and judges often get blinded by “infringement bad, must punish!” type arguments. Hopefully, in this case, reason prevails.

Update: Eriq Gardner over at The Hollywood Reporter basically came to the opposite conclusion and found Viacom’s arguments persuasive. To him the discussions among YouTube founders is damning, though I still think there’s a massive difference between saying “yes, there are infringing videos on the site” and “we know which videos are infringing” is a large and important gap — and Viacom failed to close it.

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By Koffigan E. Adigbli DAKAR, Mar 18 (IPS) Despite the financial sector boom in Senegal, small and medium sized businesses (SMBs), which represent over 90 percent of the industrial fabric of the country, struggle to access funding for their development, their representatives claim.

Boosting SMBs in Senegal would require more than 600 billion CFA francs (about 1.2 billion dollars), Ibrahima Diouf, director of SMBs, said.

Diouf told IPS that the high rejection rate of SMB applications is due to the loan applicants' lack of familiarity with financial reporting. This weakness is compounded by the fact that the country’s banks lack staff that can analyse and understand SMB growth profiles.

"A small company that's launching doesn't have the same needs as one that is restructuring. But also, applications aren't assembled in a way that reassures creditors," he added. This is due to the lack of financial information and reliable financial statements from the applicants. But also, applications fail to provide the guarantees required by creditors, Diouf said.

Despite the diversification of supply and the presence of new players in the banking and finance fields, there are not enough personnel who know the SMB profile, says Diouf.

According to a survey funded by German aid, involving over 703 companies in Dakar between November 2008 and January 2009 and published in February 2010, the informal sector is virtually absent from the SMB sector. This means that the informal sector is not taken into account by banks financing SMBs.

The report also highlights the fact that sectors such as fisheries, agriculture and textiles, which are dominant, lack a sound development strategy.

"There are discrepancies between the economic structure and the SMB framework. Due to difficult market conditions and sluggish business, financial institutions invest only five percent of their funds in SMBs," Vincent Akué, team leader of economic consultants in Dakar, explained to IPS. "For loans, the collateral accepted by the institutions is structured for SMBs, 35 percent consist of personal guarantees, while for informal sector enterprises, 39 percent of loans use mortgages as guarantees."

According to Akué, because of the limited access to bank credit, businesses entrepreneurs are often forced to seek loans from their circle of friends and family. He added that some microfinance institutions use methods he deems nearly abusive to put maximum pressure on borrowers and to recover distressed debt very quickly.

"About 60 percent of businesses surveyed want to expand. The investments planned for this purpose are mainly land and buildings, capital expenditures and purchase of raw materials. Thus, lack of funding for investment and increasing inventory is a major bottleneck," he told IPS. "When formal structures commit funding, in 65 percent of the cases it is for businesses that are in a consolidation phase," he adds.

According Ndeye Lo, a promoter of products made from local cereals, the conditions have not yet come together for increased financing of SMBs. "If SMBs have difficulties getting loans its due firstly to a lack of training, secondly to microfinance entrepreneurs' unawareness of bank financing. The training is didactic because it gives entrepreneurs better tools and better business management skills," she told IPS.

Aminata Ndione, member of the Syndicat des femmes pour la transformation des poissons (Women's Fish Processing Union), told IPS that the lack of credit dramatically slows her business. "When we apply for funding, they do not even consider us. This year we put together another very good file, but it was dismissed simply because they do not trust us. But in the media banks are constantly advertising credit for SMBs," she said.

Ndione believes that in Senegal, only the rich get loans. "You know, in the fish business, if I told you that we make millions of CFA francs every month, you wouldn't believe me. Dried fish is sent to Togo, Benin and Mali. But we want funding to upgrade the furnace so that smoking and drying fish is faster and less exhausting, but it is not easy," she lamented.

Fatou Sankaré, treasurer of the Association des femmes pour la transformation des céréales (Women's Cereal Processing Association), also faces financing difficulties that slows the growth of her business.

"With corn, we made a kind of paste to sell, we make sorrel (hibiscus) and ginger juice. We still do all of this by hand, yet there are machines to do it, and we ask for loans, but it is useless," she told IPS. "What we found is that sometimes the interest rate was too high, other times the repayment schedule is too short compared to our forecasts."

Sankaré acknowledges that illiteracy is a major obstacle to business growth. "You know, amongst all the women you see here, almost none have a solid understanding of financial matters, and it causes problems for us. I wish the government would organise training sessions for us women entrepreneurs. This would help us manage our businesses better," she says.

The arguments for suspcting the Federal Reserve might hike the rate at the discount window seemed pretty strong. But it didn’t happen.

When the Fed hiked rates exactly one month ago, it posted the news at precisely 4:30 on the Thursday followinbg the FOMC meeting. That was two minutes ago and nothing has been posted.

It’s safe to say that this just is not going to happen this month.

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See Also:

• Whatever The Fed Does, It’s Clear: The Dollar Rules, And The Euro Is A Dog
• RUMOR: The Fed Rate Hike Is Coming At 12:30 (But Here’s Why It Seems Unlikely)
• The Dollar Just Spiked Like Crazy On Rumors Of A Coming Fed Discount Rate Hike

It’s just after 4:00 Washington DC time, and though the city is usually the center of the world, right now it’s REALLY the center of the world.

Here’s the latest from the inside:

Herszenhorn, who is the official organ for Pelosi and Reid, seems to be pretty smug about the
whole thing. The truth is, the measures being employed to pass it are widely perceived to be dirty, and there are still 30 Dems out there who are not happy with that and other aspects of the bill. Lots of whipping going on in that camp, buddy in an undecided Reps office has said the phones have been staying blown up.

Herszenhorn? That would be David Herzenhorn of the New York Times who — oh, look at that! — just reported 27 mintes ago that another undecided Democrats is voting “YES.”

It’s happening baby, welcome to Canada!

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See Also:

• Set The Clock: The Text Of The Healthcare Bill Is Now Up, And There’s 72 Hours To Vote On It
• White House Blasts Out Desperate Plea For Liberal Groups To ‘Pack The Crowd’ At Healthcare Rally
• The 20 Undecided Democrats Just Loaded With Health Insurance Industry Money