The CBO has officially released its scoring of Obamacare, and the report contains tons of numbers (we’ll post it here momentarily) and contingencies and scenarios and stuff like that. But here’s the paragraph that matters.
The Democrats have won the budget war.
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Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Suzuki
When you think of the Nürburgring, and what cars come to mind? Porsche 911 GT3? BMW M5? Nissan GT-R? How about a Suzuki Swift?
Now the Swift – especially in Sport guise – is one of those hot little hatchbacks we wish was offered for sale in North America, and we may well get our wish with the next-gen model. But in the meantime, is it really worthy of a Nürburgring edition à la Lexus LFA? Well no, not really, but hold your horses there a minute, because the Suzuki Swift Sport “Rock am Ring” edition isn’t about speeding around the road course. It’s about the music, man.
Every summer – in case nearby residents weren’t annoyed enough by the noise – the Nürburgring plays host to the “Rock am Ring” (Rock at the ‘Ring) music festival, and Suzuki is one of the biggest sponsors. So to celebrate the arrival of this year’s rock-fest, Suzuki’s Deutsch subsidiary has released this special edition.
Instead of semi-slick tires and strut braces, the Rock am Ring edition Swift gets a Clarion infotainment system with a 6.9-inch color display, 30-gig hard drive, iPod connectivity and upgraded speakers. Oh, and the requisite special badging, of course. For our part, we’d blast some of our most spirited driving music, flog it around the track and make sure to add one of those Nordschleife stickers to the package.
[Source: Suzuki]
Suzuki Germany releases special Nürburgring edition Swift Sport – sort of originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
When most gamers think of top gaming systems, they automatically think of Alienware computers. Why? Because this innovative company has built a name for itself by providing the best gaming systems on the market. Their recent acquisition by Dell doesn’t seem to have slowed them down any.
A few days ago, we reviewed the Alienware M11x, which may well be the best (affordable) notebook gaming system around right now. That may not cover everyone, though, so we here at MMO Explorer had to look at other models to find the best Alienware computers.
Likely the best desktop gaming system in Alienware computers is the Aurora ALX. It’s the fastest computer on the market today and just released within the past month. The core of the ALX is an Intel i7 975 Extreme which propels the best Alienware system up to 3.6GHz. Dual graphics from ATI’s Crossfire and NVIDIA SLI both do incredible HD while the 8mb of cache and hyperthreading on the motherboard while a top liquid CPU cooling system keeps it all running at optimum.
Of course, no Alienware computers is complete without customizable LED lighting effects and killer style.
Looking at Alienware computers in laptop systems, the best Alienware computers are coming very quickly. The M11x is probably the best gaming value for performance and a new rendition of that system is coming in a couple of months. So while current notebooks in the Alienware computers line might be the best, they won’t be for long.
Also coming this year is the much-anticipated mega-box from Alienware called the Area-51. This gaming PC will hit streets very soon and has a massive 6-core processing unit from Gulftown. Two Radeon HD 5970 GPUs grace this one and a self-contained water cooler and built in battery backup to keep it going.
Great stuff going on at Alienware!
If that Lord of the Rings kiddie game starring Aragorn isn’t to your liking, you might want to check out this little title announced today by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
The problem with having a great batch like last week’s (qjnet/news/psn-eu-playstation-store-update-03/11.html) is that the next one will pale in comparison, even if there are some goodies in this one as well. Yes, even in the PlayStation Store,
Ok, we got through the financial crisis. We’re getting through the European crisis. Jobs are coming back. Shippers are bringing boats back onto line because they’re seeing increased trade.
Everything’s great.
BUT there’s one looming crisis, and that is the states.
According to The New York Times, Albany has just learned that state coffers are coming in $2 billion lighter than expected.
As such, in order to avoid default, the state will be delaying $500 million in income tax rebates. Governor Paterson says he “apologizes” for the inconvenience.
A question is: where are the ratings agencies pointing out the obvious, that New York State debt is hardly secure? Are they afraid of the cascade of sales from bullish muni fund managers forced to liquidate non-agency debt? Would they not be downgrading a company that suddently found itself $2 billion in the hole?
Please.
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Ashley Schumaker
Director of Communications
Higher Education Policy Commission
304-558-0699 – office
304-382-3071 – cell
Charleston, W.Va. – West Virginia Campus Compact, a statewide initiative sponsored by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and housed at West Virginia University, has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to create a civic engagement service learning model involving training and mini-grants to partnerships between member colleges and community organizations.
West Virginia Campus Compact, which is part of a national coalition of more than 1,100 colleges and universities representing approximately six million students, is comprised of 26 member institutions, including public and private and four-year and two-year colleges and universities. By encouraging civic engagement in higher education, the program provides opportunities for students to engage in service learning and community service.
“West Virginia Campus Compact is grateful and pleased to receive this award,” said Franchesca Nestor, the program’s director. “As a result of this funding, we will be able to create strong links between our campuses and communities, leading to the kind of long term and important partnerships that can make a difference for our students, our citizens, and our state. It is our hope that the model, which will be generated by this grant, can be implemented again and again between equal campus and community partners for years to come.”
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation is an independent foundation established in 1944 by Michael and Sarah Benedum, natives respectively of Bridgeport and Blacksville, West Virginia. They named the Foundation in memory of their only child, Claude Worthington Benedum, who died in 1918 at age 20. Grants are made in the areas of education, economic development, civic engagement, health and human services, and community development to advance specific initiatives in West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. The grant will be administered by the West Virginia University Foundation.
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Our friend TheBack9 just put up a great post showcasing important dates that will relate to Greece’s debt repayments. It looks like things will really heat up in late April and early May as bond redemptions and payouts kick into high gear.
Here’s the breakdown:
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Filed under: Etc.
Jerome “Jerry” York, the former CFO of Chrysler and General Motors, died today at a hospital in Pontiac, Michigan after succumbing to a brain aneurysm he suffered late Tuesday evening.
York enjoyed stints at the Big Three during the 1960s and later helped Chrysler pull its way out of its financial crisis and government bailout in 1980. He also served on the board of IBM and Apple, and earlier this decade was instrumental in efforts to bring GM back from the brink, along with an attempted takeover bid of Chrysler with Kirk Kerkorian. Apple’s press release on York’s death is available after the jump, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Continue reading Jerry York, former exec of Chrysler and General Motors, dies at 71
Jerry York, former exec of Chrysler and General Motors, dies at 71 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nissan acaba de confirmar que su nuevo modelo eléctrico, el Nissan Leaf, será fabricado en la planta que la marca tiene en Sunderland (Reino Unido). La fabricación dará comienzo en el año 2013 y se estima que se fabricarán 50.000 unidades anuales apróximadamente.
La marca ha afirmado que ha llevado al producción a dicha planta para conservar el puesto de sus empleados. Por otra parte, el gobierno británico y el Banco Europeo se harán cargos de los costes que supone el adaptar la planta para fabricar un modelo eléctrico.
Por último, debemos mencionar que la empresa One North East desarrollará un total de 600 puntos de recarga y aparcamientos para vehículos eléctricos, algo muy importante.
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Due March 31, 2010
http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=52085
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) announces the availability of $750,000 in grant funds for three-year awards to
recruit, train, and support college students to assist state and local governments in the administration of elections by serving as
nonpartisan poll workers or assistants.
While the EU Parliament has decisively denounced ACTA — both in terms of the process and the substance of the (still secret) draft agreement, it appears that the EU negotiators are still pushing to include draconian provisions in ACTA. KEI has discovered that the EU is proposing to make inducement a criminal offense, rather than just a civil one:
KEI has learned that the European Union has proposed language in the ACTA negotiations to require criminal penalties for “inciting, aiding and abetting” certain offenses, including “at least in cases of willful trademark counterfeiting and copyright or related rights piracy on a commercial scale.”
Of course, definitions matter here. In this case, the question is what constitutes “rights piracy on a commercial scale.” Beyond the troubling notion that these negotiators are using such an inaccurate and imprecise word as “piracy” in such a big agreement, the commercial scale definition is quite broad:
“significant willful copyright or related rights infringements that have no direct or indirect motivation of financial gain”
Consider this the “let’s criminalize The Pirate Bay” clause. Of course, it could also be read as the “let’s criminalize the VCR clause” as well — which is why this is so troubling. It’s one thing to add civil penalties and liability to third parties through some sort of misguided secondary liability policy — but it’s really pushing to dangerous extremes to add criminal liability to that as well.
Now, let’s look at the potential unintended consequences of such language. It effectively could outlaw Google. Google, without a doubt, can be used to “aid” or “abet” “copyright… piracy on a commercial scale… that have no direct or indirect motivation of financial gain. Now, those in support of this bill will quickly insist that no one is going to use it to shut down Google. And they’re probably right, given Google’s brand recognition. But the fear is that they would almost certainly use this to shut down the next Google-like company before it had a chance to get very big. This is what happens when you have technologically, economically clueless bureaucrats trying to protect a dying industry. You get bad regulations that have massively dangerous unintended consequences.
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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet
When we first told you about the new limited edition Corvette Z06 Carbon that Chevrolet plans to offer this fall, we had two measly photos to offer up from General Motors. In the run-up to this weekend’s 12 Hours of Sebring, GM has shown the Z06 Carbon in public at the Corvette Corral, and now, more photos have now been released – including interior shots that you can find in our updated gallery.
Only 500 examples of the full-blown Carbon will be built, and they include numerous carbon fiber body parts and chassis components from the ZR1. Perhaps the best part of the new model is the inclusion of the carbon-ceramic brakes and the magnetic ride damping system from the supercharged car.
Of course, those that don’t manage to get one of these limited edition models can put together most of the car by opting for the carbon fiber and Z07 packages.
Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon
[Source: Chevrolet]
Pics Aplenty: 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon limited edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Deadline: LOI Due March 26, 2010, Application April 30, 2010
The Citizenship and Integration National Capacity Building Grant Program offered through the Office of Citizenship (OoC), within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will provide up to $2,500,000 in federal funding to eligible national, regional, or state-wide organizations with multiple sites to build capacity among their local affiliates/members to promote immigrant integration through direct citizenship services to legal permanent residents (LPRs). An anticipated five (5) competitively awarded grants of up to $500,000 each will fund national, regional, or state-wide organization program management activities, as well as organizational capacity building and technical assistance to local affiliates/members to build or strengthen local citizenship preparation programs.
Deadline: LOI Due March 26, 2010, Application April 30, 2010
The Citizenship and Integration Direct Services Grant Program offered through the Office of Citizenship (OoC), within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will provide federal funding to eligible organizations to promote the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Competitive grants fund of approximately $4,500,000 will support the expansion of citizenship services in communities nationwide.Grant activities shall focus on promoting the rights and responsibilities of citizenship through citizenship education and naturalization preparation programs for legal permanent residents (LPRs). Proposed activities must include a citizenship education component consisting of citizenship or civics-focused English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and citizenship instruction (U.S. history and government) to prepare LPRs for the civics, English reading, writing, and speaking components of the naturalization test. In addition to the mandatory citizenship education component, grant funds may be used to provide naturalization application preparation services, including legal services (within the scope of authorized practice of immigration law) and case management services to support the naturalization application and interview process. Grant funds may be used for outreach to inform LPRs of services offered through this grant-funded program and for staff professional development and volunteer training. Grants will be awarded to organizations proposing citizenship education services only, as well as to organizations proposing both citizenship education services and naturalization application preparation services.
Porsche sigue trabajando duramente en el desarrollo del nuevo Porsche 911 y prueba de ello es este vídeo espía que ha sido publicado hace cuestión de unos minutos. En el vídeo podemos ver a una unidad de pruebass realizando diferentes tests.
Además, como podemos ver, el modelo se encuentra en una fase muy elevada del desarrollo. Recordemos que será presentado de forma oficial en el próximo Salón de Frankfurt a inicios del año 2011.
A continuación os dejo con el vídeo en cuestión:
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This morning’s unemployment data is out and while claims are dropping, investors continue to worry about a possible uptick.
But good news is coming, says Hedgeye’s Joshua Steiner. The CFA predicts that we’ll see claims continue to drop in the coming weeks and months:
Hedgeye: It is worth noting that next week, barring a significant uptick in the printed number, the rolling average number should fall materially. If next week’s claims number is flat week over week the rolling average will fall by 10k – a large enough number to get people’s attention, though still not enough to get claims back inside our 3 standard deviation trajectory. As we’ve said over the last few weeks, we continue to expect to see a claims tailwind throughout the Spring months as census hiring picks up and weather-related effects dissipate.
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Windspire turbines. Image: Mariah Power
From Green Right Now Reports
Adobe Systems, Incorporated has completed installation of 20 Windspire wind turbines at its San Jose, Calif., headquarters.
“With the installation of the Windspires, we’re adding renewable energy to a long list of green measures Adobe has taken to lessen our environmental impact,” said Randall H. Knox, III, senior director, Global Workplace Solutions, Adobe. “We’ll continue to seek innovative green technology solutions to reduce our energy dependence and inspire others to go green.”
Urban Windspire installation. Image: Mariah Power
Each tower is 30 feet tall, 4 feet wide and weighs 650 pounds. The propeller-free, vertical-axis wind turbine is designed to harness wind power in urban, suburban and rural locations.
The new towers are located on Adobe’s sixth–floor patio, which doubles as a rooftop garden and recreational area above an office parking garage. Adobe’s three office towers create a wind tunnel effect from sustained winds off the Pacific Ocean.
Adobe’s green building efforts have earned the company the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest honors for green practices. Adobe is the first commercial office building to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED®-EB Platinum certification for its San Jose headquarters and is the world’s first commercial enterprise to achieve a total of four Platinum certifications under the LEED program.
Since 2001, Adobe estimates it has saved approximately $6.7 million as a result of its energy and sustainability efforts. Those initiatives include energy-efficient lighting, real-time water meters for landscaping and an intelligent control system to help monitor building efficiencies.
Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Aston Martin, First Drive, Luxury
The world’s best-looking four-door sedan beckoned us from Miami. Enticed, we boarded a jet and paid the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide a visit. Our task was to shuttle Aston Martin’s first four-sedan up the coast to Palm Beach – someone had to do it. Of course, we took the circuitous route and spent the day blissfully putting her through the paces as we leisurely motored our way north.
Why did the British automaker design a sedan – and what is hiding under its skin? What is it like to drive? How are those rear-seat accommodations? Most importantly, how does the Rapide measure up to the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte? The answers and more after the jump…
Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading First Drive: 2010 Aston Martin Rapide is always ready for its close-up
First Drive: 2010 Aston Martin Rapide is always ready for its close-up originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Michelle Bombshell McGee Pictured With A Friend
We looked at Michelle Bombshell McGee and her odd past (Amish, really?) and career earlier today, but we also wanted a place to collect photos, as people seem really interested in seeing what the woman looks like.
Lots of Michelle Bombshell McGee pictures after the jump:
