Author: Serkadis

Already making 525-hp from its 5.2L FSI direct-injected V10 engine, the Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI is already a very powerful convertible. However, if you work at tuner ABT Sportsline that is not the case.

The ABT engineers messed around with the 5.2L V10 engine to pump out a total of 600-hp, allowing the R8 Spyder to go from 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds (standard model does it in 4.1 seconds) with a top speed of 198 mph (standard model comes in at 194 mph).

Click here to get prices on the 2010 Audi R8.

Of course ABT Sportsline didn’t stop there. To give the “roadster” a more aggressive appeal, the designers added a new front grille, front apron, side sills, rear apron and a new rear spoiler. Those who wish to customize their Audi R8 Spyder also have the choice of picking from a range of dual-color ABT alloy wheels.

ABT Sportsline Audi R8 Spyder:

2010 Audi R8 Spyder:

– By: Kap Shah

The United Auto Workers urged Congress yesterday to reject plans to bar the Obama administration from setting the first-ever limits on tailpipe emissions. In May 2009, the White House, automakers and 13 states led by California reached a deal to impose fuel-efficiency standard and tailpipe emissions limits for the 2012-2016 model year vehicles. The final regulations must be in place by April 1 to take effect beginning with 2012 model year.

Alan Reuther, the union’s legislative director, stated in a letter Monday that efforts by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ala., and others to bar the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from declaring greenhouse gases a danger to public health were “misguided.”

“The UAW also is deeply concerned that overturning EPA’s endangerment finding would unravel the historic agreement on one national standard for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for light-duty vehicles that was negotiated by the Obama administration last year,” Reuther wrote.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to set a fleetwide standard of 34.1 mpg by 2016 model year vehicles. The move will boost fuel-efficiency by almost 40 percent over 2007 levels.

Source: Detroit News

Whoops.

Shanghai Daily:

CHINESE urban residents prefer to tighten their belts as inflation expectations pinched consumers, a central bank survey said today.

More than half of respondents said current prices were “too high to afford”, a record high since the central bank first conducted the national survey in 1999 in 50 major cities, the People’s Bank of China said on its Website today.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• China: If America Wants A Scapegoat For Its Problems, Don’t Blame The Yuan, Blame Globalization
• HYPE ALERT: China’s Largest Insurance Company Jumps Into Real Estate
• The Standoff With China Is The Real Problem Being Created By The Jobless Recovery

The online music is as dynamic as ever and the number of interesting services is increasing, even as some music services close down or are acquired. One of the most interesting and perhaps the most surprising online music service to launch in the US lately has been MOG, a subscription-based service that has been very well received … (read more)

– Nu suport sa mi se spuna ce sa fac !
Sub nici o forma, din niciun motiv. Ceva din interiorul meu face foarte urat, cand altcineva face pe “inteligentul” si se trezeste sa-mi spuna ce sa fac. Sfaturi accept, ordine nu !

– Nu suport “baietii draguti” !
Adica acei tipi care fac absolut orice pentru o femeie (cu scopul de a face ceva cu ea/de a fi cu ea desigur). O plimba cu masina, ii rezolva temele, ii cauta proiecte, ii face proiecte, ii cumpara cadouri asa din senin, ii face zeci de mii de complimente, nu s-ar certa cu ea nici daca viata lui ar depinde de asta, daca ea l-ar suna la 12 noaptea si i-ar spune ca vrea un suc “Gigel” s-ar duce sa il cumpere !
Mor cand vad asa ceva !!! Genul de barbati fara cojones ! Trist ! Si mai trist este faptul ca ele doar se joaca/profita de “bunatatea”/PROSTIA acestor “masculi feroce” !
Un exemplu caracterizant gasiti AICI !

– Nu suport “barbatii sub papuc”!
Mai pe scurt,genul ala de barbati, carora cumva le este frica sa nu fie parasiti. Au impresia ca nu pot gasi pe altcineva !

– Nu suport pitipoancele !!!
Adica acele prapadite, mancatoare de shaorma, ascultatoare de manele, care umbla cu toti umflatii de pe planeta, doar doar o sa le ia “bithu” o masinuta, o posetuta , ceva haine …
Aceste “personaje” sunt foarte usor de recunoscut : profil de haicinci cu poze “provocatoare” (in sutien in baie, langa soba, intinsa pe covor), se imbraca ca o “prostituata”, mai mult goala decat imbracata ,IQ-ul mai mic decat numarul de la pantof, manelista, repeta de foarte multe ori apelativul “fa” sau “tu fata” si n-ar putea sa duca o discutie inteligenta nici daca viata ei ar depinde de asta !
Singure calitati pe care “domnisoarele” le cauta la un barbat sunt : contul din banca, masina si absolut obligatoriu trebuie sa fiefan Salam!
O dedicatie din partea mea pentru ele : AICI!

– Nu suport “obsedatii sexuali”
Genul de barbati care ar f*te tot ce misca. Daca are sani si organ feminin sexual atunci e perfecta !

+ E proasta? Nicio problema !
+ E oarba ? Cu atat mai bine !
+ E schiopa ? El i-ar da o carja, ar pozitiona-o si …
+ Nu stie sa lege 3 cuvinte? Cui ii pasa? Doar are tot ce-i trebuie…
+ E nespalata ? Ii face o baie si o pofteste la baiatu’ …
+ Ea “Socializeaza” cu tot ce misca ? Perfect atunci. Are experienta!
+ Te vrea doar pentru bani ? Cui ii pasa ? Doar are tot ce-i trebuie…
+ Te face prost din 5 in 5 minute ? Nu-i nimic. Tace din gura. Poate, poate primeste ceva…
+ Te tine la degetul mic sau sub papuc ? Si ce daca ! El stie ce vrea ! Te vrea ! Pacat ca nu o sa primeasca nimic …
+ Sta cu tine de vreo 2 ani si n-ai primit nimic ? Cu siguranta e iubire ! Sau poate doar vrea sa o “cunoasca” mai bine dupa care bine PA!
+ EL : se baga in seama cu tot ce misca, are faze de genul “ce frumoasa esti,parca ai cazut din cer”, “am observat ca nu m-ai observat” (…patetism de genul !), poze de cocalar pe haicinci si mess, statusuri de agatat …

– Nu suport “cuceritorii/cuceritoarele” !
EL : Se lauda frecvent !
+ O vezi pe aia ? I-am tras-o ! (aha)
+ O vezi pe cealalta ? O sa i-o trag ! (mda…sunt sigur!)
+ O vezi pe aia de langa cealalta? Mama ce i-as trage-o ! (inevitabil…ce altceva ai putea sa faci ?…sa vorbesti cu ea? Doamne fereste!)
+ O sti pe aia ? Ies cu ea in seara asta ! Mama ce o sa i-o trag !
– In principiu nu ar putea sa i-o traga nici daca ar fi ultimul barbat de pe planeta ; conteaza totusi impresia artistica! Prietenii lui trebuie neaparat sa stie cat de mascul este el, chiar daca in principiu, toata lumea vede ca e patetic,disperat si incapabil de o relatie cat de cat serioasa.Logic! Cine sa-l bage in seama?
Ea: Bineinteles ca si ea se lauda !
+ Il sti pe ala ? Mi-ar trage-o! Dar eu sunt prea buna. Il tin pe fraier langa mine si cand ma satur de el il trimit la plimbare !
+ Il sti pe celalalt ? S-a bagat in seama cu mine ! Iti dai seama cat de buna sunt ?
(To be continued …)

Trimite si prietenilor:

Related posts:

1. Nu suport – partea a-II-a

There’s little doubt that Google is very interested in the mobile space and it said so several times before, but, if you need to hear it once again straight from one of the top people at Google, you can take Vic Gundotra’s, Google Engineering’s vice president, word for it. He states the obvious, namely that Google is now deeply invested in mobile… (read more)

ZIRCAR Silica Blanket Type SB-2000 is a high temperature insulation blanket made of mechanically interlocked continuous filament amorphous silica fibers with useful properties to temperatures of 1100°C (2012°F).
SB-2000 is a strong needled blanket with very good handling properties. It is virtually shot free and has high resistance to attack by most chemicals. Exceptions include strong bases and hydrofluoric acid. This blanket exhibits thermal shock immunity, thermal conductivity and heat storage in the range of refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) blanket and is useful in many applications where RCF is not desired.

You can check out our web site (www.zrci.com) for more information on this material as well as many other products we offer.

For more information please contact ZIRCAR Refractory Composites, Inc., P.O. Box 489 Florida, NY 10921 via telephone (845) 651-2200, fax (845) 651-1515 or e-mail at [email protected].

Miniature spectroscopy pioneer Ocean Optics (www.OceanOptics.eu) has enhanced its line of Raman offerings with the addition of new options for handheld, laboratory and educational applications, with retail pricing on some Raman analyzer models reduced by up to 40%. Modular, turnkey and application-ready kits are among the options available for 532 nm and 785 nm Raman laser analysis of aqueous solutions, powders and surface media.

Modular options allow users to configure custom Raman systems, tailored to their application. The Ocean Optics high-sensitivity QE65000 Spectrometer is a good foundation, with additional options that include Bragg grating-stabilized 532 nm and 785 nm diode lasers, probes for solid or liquid samples and add-on software modules for sophisticated data analysis. Among the software options are a package for chemometric analysis of various substances, including complex mixtures; a tool for creating and managing spectral libraries; and a tool for supporting compliance with 21 CFR 11, a Food and Drug Administration guideline on electronic records and signatures.

For off-the-shelf solutions, Ocean Optics has expanded its range of fully integrated Raman systems. All system options include the spectrometer, a 532 nm or 785 nm laser, operating software and sampling accessories for probe- or cuvette-based analysis. The 532 nm laser version has spectral range of 200-3400 cm-1 (Stokes shift) and spectral resolution of ~10 cm-1. Several 785 nm laser options are available, including an economical system ideal for teaching labs and a pair of robust laboratory-grade systems with slightly narrower spectral ranges (150-1800 cm-1 and 150-3200 cm-1) and spectral resolution of ~6-10 cm-1. In addition, Ocean Optics offers the RSL-Plus, a budget-friendly handheld Raman system that includes an onboard mini-computer, fibre optic probe and sample compartment.

Ocean Optics also offers additional Raman accessories such as calibration standards, sample compartments and safety glasses. Application-ready combinations of Raman systems, software and accessories are available as off-the-shelf kits.

To learn more about Raman offerings from Ocean Optics, visit www.OceanOptics.eu or contact an Ocean Optics Applications Scientist.

Ocean Optics is a leading supplier of solutions for optical sensing – fundamental methods of measuring and interpreting the interaction of light with matter. With locations in the United States, Asia and Europe, the company has sold more than 130,000 spectrometers worldwide since 1989. Ocean Optics’ extensive line of complementary technologies includes chemical sensors, analytical instrumentation, optical fibres, thin films and optics. The company is part of the Halma group of safety and detection companies.

Porvair Filtration Group, a leading developer and manufacturer of novel, high performance sintered porous plastic materials and products for life science applications, has opened a new Class 100000 (ISO Class 8) clean room facility at its Wrexham, UK site.

The new clean room facility is part of ongoing investment to produce and package regulatory controlled materials and assembled products in a clean environment.

Porvair Filtration Group has over 25 years experience in providing innovative design, manufacture and assembly solutions that meet OEM customer requirements, as well as standards set by the regulatory authorities. Manufacturing of these specialist, high performance products is underpinned by an ISO 9001-2000 quality assurance program, cGMP practices and clean room environment to ensure products meet the stringent requirements of the Life Science industries.

To complement contract manufacturing for the Life Science market, Porvair Filtration Group has developed a new highly purified porous polymeric material – BioVyon™. Chemically modified using novel technologies the resultant unique polymeric materials are being adopted by pharmaceutical, biotech, healthcare and analytical companies for filtration, separation, purification, diffusion and fluid transfer applications.

BioVyon™ standard materials are primarily polyethylene or polypropylene sintered porous plastic materials, made by proprietary cGMP processes with low extractable and particle shedding levels. Available in pore sizes from 5 to 100 micron (mean flow pore) the materials are available in sheet, roll, cut shapes or molded and, depending on the particular specification, these materials have regulatory approvals that meet FDA, WDA and USP requirements.

For further information on contract design, manufacture and assembly of regulatory compliant polymer products for filtration, separation, purification, diffusion and fluid transfer applications please contact Porvair Filtration Group on +44-1489-864330 / +1-804-550-1600 or email [email protected].

The new SERRATUB 3 and SERRATUB 3 Maxi Quick Lock Housing clamps are easy to use, powerful in performance, and enable a fast installation time. As a result they provide rapid, powerful and safe connections.

The new ‘deeper’ design of Quick Lock Housing for the fixing knobs, combined with the latest high tensile strength material used in the screw support, produce clamps that are both simple to use and powerful in performance. The completely smooth underside of the rolled band also eliminates hose damage and potential leak paths.

SERRATUB 3 and SERRATUB 3 Maxi are an improved version of SERRATUB 1 and SERRATUB 2. They exceed both break torque and clamping force, and allow maximum contact between clamp and hose. Additionally, they are Chromium VI free and have high corrosion resistance.

SERRATUB 3 enables a fast installation time and the solid band construction delivers a strong and consistence band sealing force. The SERRATUB 3 Maxi clamp is designed for use on larger diameter hoses. It features a wide clamping range that enables a large number of size applications to be covered by a small range of clamps. This benefit allows for a more economical stockholding when catering for lower volume, large hose applications.

SERRATUB 3 and SERRATUB 3 Maxi are manufactured according to European standards and are made according to DIN ISO 9000 and EN29000. They are both supplied in 9mm bandwidth.

For further product information, please visit our website at www.normagroup.com

NORMA Group is the global leading system manufacturer in the connecting technology domain, providing high value-engineered products and solutions for the industry, marine, aviation and commercial as well as passenger vehicles applications. NORMA Group develops, produces and delivers client specific solutions for the most diverse and complex demands of the industry under well known brand names ABA®, NORMA®, Breeze®, Serflex®, Serratub® , TERRY® and Torca®. NORMA Group’s global presence, decades of know-how and complete in house system solutions contribute to its customers’ success and satisfaction. That’s NORMA’s strength!

For further information, please contact the Global Marketing Manager,
Mr. Florent Pellissier, ([email protected])

Hydraulic Pile Hammers – HPH15000
The most recent development in the Dawson hammer range is the 15K. Unfortunately we have had to comply to the industry standard of using “Energy” for designation. 15K means 15,000kgm of energy. It has the momentum of another hammer of 60,000kgm. This hammer has a drop weight of 12 tonnes and an impact velocity of 5m/sec.

This hammer has been designed for all hammer applications. But it also has features which recognise two particular problems:-

Flushing, drilling.
Hammers of this size are most commonly used to drive steel pipe piles. When these piles are long and hard ground layers are encountered driving becomes difficult. Big hammers are then required and the wall thickness of the pile has to be increased in order to withstand the higher driving stresses. Cranes and associated plant all become larger and more costly. If it is possible to remove or disturb the soils on the inside of the pile, during pile driving, in order to reduce internal skin friction, much of this additional expense may be avoided. The 15K has been designed with a hole through the middle of the drop weight and anvil to facilitate flushing or drilling. This enables drilling and or flushing to run concurrently with impact driving but without the drill of flushing pipe being impacted.

Google is the target of plenty of privacy concerns, justified at times if only by the size of the company. And, while people may be overreacting at times, the company is trying to calm those concerns as much as possible, except when it’s telling people that privacy doesn’t really matter, an interesting point of view shared with Facebook. Mostly a token move, Go… (read more)

Just recently, we discussed whether or not ceasing Saturday delivery was a good idea or not for the USPS. John Potter, the US Postmaster General, recently said that the postal service’s business model is as outdated as the newspaper industry’s. Potter said:

“Twenty years ago we would laugh at the notion that a newspaper would ever embrace the idea that maybe the channel of the future is electronic and that you may have to change your business model,”

Sure, similarities between the industries definitely exist. Craigslist is a much cheaper and more efficient marketplace for local goods than the classifieds section in the newspaper ever was, and email is a much cheaper and more efficient means of communication than snail mail. That said, whereas for the newspaper industry, delivering a daily, physical newspaper to households may actually be an endangered business, the business itself of delivering physical items to households is still very much in demand. After all, with so much shopping happening online nowadays, someone still has to deliver the goods (until replicators, a la Star Trek, are perfected). In fact, for over a decade now, we’ve been talking about this opportunity to optimize the “last mile,” and as of yet, nobody has really even come close to solving this problem.

That said, the USPS is a government institution, and even though it does not take any tax funding to run, an attempt to attack this opportunity may best be mounted by the private sector (like UPS and FedEx), especially when you consider the USPS’s projected $238 billion shortfall for the upcoming decade. So, since it’s not a private business, the best solution for the USPS may be to simply accept its diminishing role in the daily lives of Americans, and focus on continuing to run as efficiently as possible for as long as it remains useful. That said, the other solution may be to remove the government-mandated monopoly and privatize the USPS, and then let that private entity decide whether or not to invest in the business. Either way, it seems silly to ask taxpayers to invest anything further in the USPS since so many alternatives exist already. We should definitely all be appreciative of the part that the Postal Service has played in the foundation of our country, but what else can be done?

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It’s not definitive and it’s coming from just one website analytics company, but Facebook is now the biggest site in the US. According to the latest numbers from Hitwise, Facebook squeezed past Google to become the most visited site in the US in the past week. It’s a very small gap between the two and other analytics companies aren’t seein… (read more)

Twitter has always been very open with its service and has allowed third-party developers to integrate it tightly with their apps or services. The microblogging platform is now looking to expand that by introducing the @anywhere platform, a tool to enable outside publishers to implement Twitter features on their sites using what amounts to small,… (read more)

Mickey Kaus, Slate’s primary “driveler” (and that’s saying something) is going to run against Barbara Boxer in the California Democratic Primary. All in the name of making the Democratic Party even more Republican!

But Kaus, thanks to important questions posed by Atrios, has some skeletons in his barn …

Mickey Kaus, in one or more of your guts, you know he’s a putz.

And speaking of putzes, who could have anticipated Fred Hiatt would concern troll on Bibi Netanyahu’s behalf?

A larger question concerns Mr. Obama’s quickness to bludgeon the Israeli government. He is not the first president to do so; in fact, he is not even the first to be hard on Mr. Netanyahu. But tough tactics don’t always work

Like bombing other third-world nations because your propaganda says you should, right Fred?

Honestly, “bludgeon” now equals demanding a country not to violate international law and follow the requests of every American President since Nixon. But bombing and occupying a country because of mythical weapons is a-okay.

 

Article Tags: Andrew Orlowski, CO2 Propaganda

You write the cheques, we’ll drown the puppies

The UK advertising industry has bravely decided it can continue to accept millions of pounds from the state to create alarming climate advertisements, despite inaccuracies and a storm of complaints from parents. The principled decision, from the admen’s self-regulatory body the ASA, follows 939 complaints about the UK energy ministry DECC’s “Drowning Dog” prime time TV and cinema ad (aka “Bedtime Story”) , which cost £6m, and four related posters.

Critics aren’t happy, and point out that the chair of the ASA, Lord Chris Smith of Finsbury, also chairs the Environment Agency, and is currently working closely with DECC.

The ASA dismissed complaints against the TV ad, although it upheld complaints against two of the related poster advertisements, and has requested they not be run again. On the charge that the campaign was political, ASA deferred to OFCOM, which is continuing to investigate the advertisements, and has not yet made a decision.

The TV and cinema ad predicted “awful heat waves” and “terrible storms and floods” for the future, claiming that life would be “very different in 26 years” if people failed to make decisions such as living in colder houses, or using less transportation. The ASA examined ‘Drowning Dog’ on the grounds it was misleading, was not based on objective evidence, and caused unnecessary personal distress.

Click source to read FULL report by Andrew Orlowski

Source: theregister.co.uk

Read in full with comments »   

(This guest post previously appeared at the author’s blog)

Finding yield in a zero interest rate world isn’t easy.  Finding growth and income can be even more difficult.  In their 2010 outlook Goldman Sachs said the bull market was likely to continue and that high growth dividend stocks would play an important role in their portfolios.  Goldman recently updated their high dividend growth model using the following criteria:

We recommend buying a group of names with above-average yields that have shown an ability to grow dividends, and that possess a balance sheet that allows for sustainable payouts. Following a period of economic and financial duress we argue for added focus and value on companies that grew their dividend in 2009 and have plans to do the same in 2010. We screened our coverage with the following criteria to drive our core list of names that benefit from yield plus dividend growth:

1) High dividend yield. We first screen our coverage universe for companies yielding greater than 2.5% on analyst projections for 2010 dividends.
2) Consistent payout. We remove companies that cut dividends in 2009.
3) Prospective dividend growth. We then further screen for names our analysts expect will grow their dividends in 2010.
4) FCF yield. Cash flow is necessary to maintain sustainable dividend growth; we exclude companies with FCF yields below 5%.
5) Balance sheet strength. Weak balance sheets limit both the capacity and propensity to pay and raise dividends; we remove companies with net debt/equity greater than 100%.
6) Buy rating.

Based on this criteria they came up with the following 10 names:

• AT&T (T)

• Verizon (V)

• McDonalds (MCD)

• Abbot Labs (ABT)

• Home Depot (HD)

• Molex (MOLX)

• Time Warner (TWX)

• Analog Devices (ADI)

• Illinois Toolworks (ITW)

• 3M Corp. (MMM)

Source: GS

Read more market commentary at The Pragmatic Capitalist >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Yield Greed Virulent As Junk Bond Fund Flows Hit Record Levels
• Texas Pension Forced To Invest In Chicago Parking Meters, As Shortage Of Good Assets Makes It Impossible To Get Yield
• 15 Companies With Truly Amazing Dividend Histories

Despite Paul Krugman’s growing posse of Beijing antagonists, calling on China to revalue its currency (upward) there are still a few lone holdouts willing to point out the absurdity of Washington playing hardball over the yuan.

(As an aside, Paul Krugman himself responded to the beating he took by the Economist in a new blog entry, though by responded we don’t mean refuted, as you’ll see)

On Kudlow last night, First Things editor, and Asia Times contributor David P. Goldman argued against excitable China-baiter Peter Navarro, forcefully supporting the idea that if you want the Chinese people to spend more (thus reducing global imbalances) the last thing you want to do is inject brand new instability into the banking system by making an ill-timed move at the behest of Washington DC. Great stuff!

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Paul Krugman Savaged For His ‘Get Tough On China’ Approach
• Krugman: It’s America That Has China Over A Barrel, Let’s Take Advantage Of it
• The Standoff With China Is The Real Problem Being Created By The Jobless Recovery