Author: Serkadis

EJI is seeking to overturn the conviction and sentence of life imprisonment without parole imposed on 13-year-old Demarious Banyard through an appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court. EJI argues that Demarious’s trial was infected by racial bias and illegal jury instructions that required him to prove his innocence, and that his mandatory sentence to die in prison is unconstitutional.

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Earlier we mentioned the possibility that the combination of higher capacity utilization and still-high unemployment would put Ben Bernanke into an uncomfortable position of having, possibly to raise rates before he was ready.

But it’s become evident that the real problem is the way the lack of employment has pushed folks in the US to push Obama towards a currency confrontation with China.

Schumer and Krugman are both pushing hard for one, and more are on the way.

Geithner and Obama don’t want to have to do this, and know that the result of such unilateralism will be damaging.

But, if pressured hard from the left, Obama will be left with little choice but to offend his counterparts in Beijing.

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 Chinese Central Banker That Loves To Scare America Tells Obama Not To Expect A Yuan Hike To Save Him

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Recalls, Hatchback, Toyota

Toyota walked a fine line this afternoon when it revealed that its own two-day investigation of last week’s runaway Prius near San Diego, CA had reached the same conclusion as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s investigation. That is, the brakes on Jim Sikes’ 2008 Toyota Prius should have been able to stop the car. Toyota did not, however, go so far as to call Sikes a liar.

The investigation determined that the front brake pads were worn so far down from overheating that the rotors were scraping the pads’ metal backings. According to investigators, this could have only happened if the brake pedal were applied lightly (less than 50% or so) for an extended period of time, not pressed firmly to the floor as Sikes claimed he was doing. Only by “dragging” the brakes lightly could they become so overheated and worn, as firmly pressing the brake pedal while the car is accelerating would engage the brake override system that cuts engine power.

Though asked repeatedly if they had concluded that Sykes was lying, representatives for Toyota insisted that was not their judgment to make and they could only say that the investigation’s findings were not consistent with the scenario that Sikes describes.

Follow the jump for Toyota’s official statement in which it details all eight points of its findings.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota agrees with NHTSA investigation of runaway Prius, but not calling Sikes a liar

Toyota agrees with NHTSA investigation of runaway Prius, but not calling Sikes a liar originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Europe has revealed several new smart clock radios with an iPod/iPhone charging/playback dock that will be available this Spring. The new ICF-DS11iP and ICF-C05iP are another evolution of Sony’s commitment to bringing quality, inexpensive solutions that enhance your first moments of the day. I have always thought that Sony made great devices in this category for a long time – I think that most of the modern world has seen a Sony alarm clock (or Dream Machine) somewhere. Here’s some more information:

The ICF-C05iP is extremely lightweight, simple, and reminds me of something I would see in a hotel room or office. I believe the price for this dock will be fairly low which could be great for those out there not wanting to pony up a bunch for this type of device. Aside from its iPod/iPhone dock with charging functionalities, the ICF-C05iP has an alarm like the DS11iP, FM tuner with 20 presets, brightness control and sleep timer.

The ICF-DS11iP is a great addition to their similarly styled docks I’ve seen before, and I think its smarter this generation with the enhanced green LCD display. It looks great, and works really anywhere in the house. Dual alarm function works for many people that is flexible by having the option to play music and videos from the iPod or iPhone, AM/FM radio, or buzzer. It would have been nice to add some nature sounds, though. The quality of the speakers are about as what you would imagine from a device like this, but can definitely get loud if necessary with a larger speaker cone and 3.5W + 3.5W power as well as MEGA BASS to color the sound. A remote is included and sleep timer is also an option that will turn your music off and allow you a silent sleep.

As part of the Volkswagen Group’s strategy to dominate the alternative-powertrain market, the Audi lineup will see a rapid expansion of plug-in hybrid and electrich cars over the coming years. The plug-in and electric offerings planned by Audi will not be of the prototypical environmentally-friendly eye-sore type; the hybrid A8 sedan introduced at Geneva is to be joined by a hybrid A6 sedan by the end of 2012. Audi also announced a soon-to-be-launched Q5 hybrid crossover at Geneva, and some anticipate hybrid technology to expand to all parts of the Audi family by the end of the decade.

Michale Dick, board member for technical development, has said that Audi aims to increase efficiency on its combustion engines by 30% by 2020, at which time he also would like to see 5 percent of Audi’s lineup electrified.

“In the future, our customers will be able to choose from an increasingly broad range of driveline technologies,” Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said in Geneva.

Stadler also mentioned that we should expect to see use of the ‘e-tron’ name, as that will be the branding badge applied to Audi’s electric technology, just as Quattro has been applied to their all-wheel drive system.

Audi A8 Hybrid Concept:

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

Kelley Blue Book announced today that its latest Market Intelligence data shows that brand loyalty for Hyundai has surpassed that of Honda and Toyota, making Hyundai’s brand loyalty No.1 among car shoppers.

“When comparing February 2010 data to Q4 2009, Korean import automaker Hyundai has seen the greatest recent increase in loyalty, with Hyundai owners looking at new models within the brand increasing by 10.4 percentage points to 56.3 percent,” kbb.com said in a statement. “This surge leads Hyundai to the top spot in brand loyalty on kbb.com for the first time in recent history, up from third place in Q4 2009.”

In the same timeframe, kbb.com says that Toyota fell from No.1 to third place while Honda continued its steady hold at second place.

“Hyundai is clearly benefiting from ‘a perfect storm’ – a result of introducing passionate new products like the 2011 Sonata and 2010 Tucson, while Honda’s mainstream vehicles like the CR-V and Accord are a bit stale in the marketplace and Toyota is experiencing a huge consumer perception crisis,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “To sustain this momentum, Hyundai should continue to promote its attractive new-vehicle lineup, solid warranty offer and strong price-points to new-car shoppers. Hyundai’s main challenge in the near future will likely come from domestic automakers like Ford and GM as they gear up for battle over buyers starting to look for a change from ‘Camry-land.’”

Also, according to Kelley Blue Book Values data, throughout the month of February 2010 Hyundai outperformed the overall car segment average by a healthy margin.

– By: Kap Shah

Lady Gaga has praised Beyonce for her ‘courageous’ decision to appear in the video for new single ‘Telephone’. The pair star together in the controversial promo, which was released on Friday and has now been viewed more than 15 million times online. The clip, which features sex and violence and is over ten minutes long, sees an extensive guest turn from the former Destiny’s Child singer.

Speaking in an interview on US radio, Gaga paid tribute to her fellow pop icon, after revealing that her initial reaction to the proposal was: ‘What’s in your head, girl!?’ ”

‘She was very courageous in this video,’ she told Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS radio programme. Can you imagine me saying to her, ‘OK, now Beyoncé, you have to call me a very bad girl and feed me a honey bun’? ‘She trusted me because she liked my work and because she knew I loved her. It ended up being a masterpiece,’ said Gaga.

‘Telephone’ went up almost 20 places on the UK singles chart this weekend to number 12.

Spain continues to be one of the few countries out there that seems to not have its judges lose their critical thinking abilities the second anyone mentions the word “piracy.” We’ve pointed out a few times in the past that Spanish courts have ruled that file sharing is legal and it looks like they’ve done so again. Infophage was the first of a few to send in an article about the latest ruling, which again found that just linking to infringing material is not copyright infringement. The judge apparently went further, though, also noting that using P2P file sharing systems does not appear to violate copyright law in Spain, as long as the user isn’t doing so for monetary profit.

Of course, this isn’t over by a long shot. Late last year, entertainment industry lobbyists got Spanish politicians to propose new copyright laws that would (of course) ratchet up copyright to make it more like it is in other countries (i.e., more draconian). And, as we recently noted, a bunch of Spanish record labels have sued the gov’t for not doing enough to stop file sharing. But, hopefully, this country that has explicitly rejected three strikes laws will stick to its guns and recognize that perhaps the court rulings make sense — and that the first response to an industry unwilling to adapt to a technologically-changed market isn’t to change the laws, but to ask those companies to start adapting.

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Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Hummer, Military, Off-Road

You’ve heard of art imitating life? Well how about life imitating war? That’s another story entirely, but not so far fetched when it comes to the Hummer. The sport-‘ute that met the public eye during Operation Desert Storm has all but completely gone through its entire life cycle in the intervening years: first as a military-only vehicle, the original model became available to the public, then GM bought the rights and started churning out pickup-based H2s and H3s, the U.S. armed forces went back Iraq, the original H1 was discontinued and now GM is preparing to wind down the brand entirely. But not before one last pistol-shootin’ hoorah, courtesy of the one dealership that arguably sees the truck for what it is more than any other: Lynch Hummer.

The St. Louis-area franchise made headlines last year when they started filling their emptying showroom with gun racks, selling firearms to make up for dwindling sales in the gigantic SUVs. Now the dealership is connecting the dots with a one-of-a-kind promotion: Buy a Hummer, get a free shotgun.

The Browning Citori White Lightning is worth $2,000, and one will be given away with each purchase of a new Hummer. Fortunately, the same legal measures apply to the promotion as they would to anyone buying a new firearm, but if you’re looking for a one-stop shop to jump-start your own private militia, Lynch Hummer is clearly the place. Details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Lynch Hummer]

Continue reading Out With A Bang: Hummer dealer giving away free shotgun with every new vehicle purchase

Out With A Bang: Hummer dealer giving away free shotgun with every new vehicle purchase originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our friends at Fast Lane Daily today reached 800 episodes and are now just 200 away from hitting 1,000 (yeah, we’re just stating the obvious). Either way, congratulations to the whole Fast Lane Daily team and we wish you a lot of success in the future.

Derek D, you’ve grown up so much.

Click here to subscribe to Fast Lane Daily’s YouTube Channel.

Hit the jump for the 800th episode.

– By: Omar Rana

Article Tags: Opinion

Quality science, not alarmist hyperbole, must inform debate

SERIOUS climate change debate is not the place for alarmist hyperbole and sophistry. Australians need to come to grips with the issue through quality science and rational argument, which is why a new CSIRO/Bureau of Meteorology analysis is welcome. While more than 90 per cent certain that greenhouse emissions have caused most of the global warming observed since 1950, the report’s balanced approach enhances its credibility.

Temperatures in Australia, it notes, have increased by about 0.7C since the 1960s, with some areas experiencing warming of 1.5C to 2C. Sea levels are rising between 1.5cm and 3cm per decade in the south and east, and between 7cm and 9cm in the north, it says – a trend far short of the deluges predicted by some. Greenhouse gases are blamed for half the fall-off in winter rainfall in southwest Western Australia, while heavy increases in rainfall in northern and central Australia and decreases across the south and the east are also noted.

For years, The Australian has promoted intelligent discussion on climate, recently providing a platform to commentators as diverse as climate change father James Hansen and economist Bjorn Lomborg, who accepts the theory of climate change but argues that cutting carbon would be more costly than living with the problem.

Source: theaustralian.com.au

Read in full with comments »   

Article Tags: ClimateGate, James Inhofe

JimInhofePressOffice

See also: In Denial by Steven F. Hayward, The Weekly Standard

Source: youtube.com

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Published March 5, 2010
By Annagrisel Alvarez, tú Decides Correspondent

ESL – English as a Second Language program is available for everybody through Columbia Basin College (CBC) all over the Tri-Cities.  The Kennewick location has been offering its services for almost 15 years through many different public schools.  These programs are also offered in Benton City, Connell, among others.

“I have been doing this for 12 years already, and the program has been giving its services for almost 30 years.  We are providing services for the people who come to this country; and learning the language is the first step for them,” said Stojanka Gusic, adjunct instructor of ESL.

This program is in the Basic Skills department of CBC.  The courses are running morning, afternoon, and evenings three or four days a week, depending on the class.  Full quarters are available.  Usually there are three quarters of 11 weeks, and the summer quarter is shorter so it runs just eight weeks.

The main purpose of these programs is to help foreigners learn the language of the country they are living in.  Personal situations are different, but the main point is that communication is important and having an opportunity to continue education is vital.

The classes are available for people “any age between 18 to as old as they feel that they can learn and have fun,” Stojanka said smiling.  A full quarter is $25, the students sign a contract and they are obligated to go to all the classes or call if they are not able to go.  The waiting list is long.

Stojanka mentioned:  “I just love it!  This is a program that really helps the community.  That’s why we connected them in cooperation with schools because schools talk to the parents of the students and provide the classrooms.  So their cooperation in the schools of the Pasco and Kennewick area is really wonderful.”

“I think that no matter the age, it’s very beneficial for parents or anyone that wants to learn, it is very valuable even for their own self-esteem.  Just being able to communicate and then find a job, grow up and want to be out of the fields, any job is honorable but there are better opportunities with a further education,” said Isabel Barrón, ESL instructor. 

There are other classes for people that weren’t educated in their country and need help with their learning and computer skills.  They also offer programs that prepare students for their careers and these classes are provided in six levels.  GED classes are also available.  A lot of changes can be done in the community, but it also takes a lot of courage and the desire to pursue something in your life.  You can take the risk and start from the beginning; it’s never too late to learn.

For more information please visit:  www.columbiabasin.edu

Published March 15, 2010
By the Tri-City Herald staff

PASCO — The panel walls and exhibit cases of the Columbia Basin College Gjerde Center are adorned with 616 pieces of student work for the 37th annual Regional High School Art Show.

The art show award ceremony, presented by Education Service District 123 and CBC, is at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Gjerde Center.

This year’s juried art show will present 31 judge’s choice and 31 honorable mention awards to students from 16 different high schools representing 10 school districts in the ESD 123 region.

The show is on display at CBC through Thursday. Judge’s choice winners approved for sale from ESD 123’s show will advance on to the state competition in Olympia in April.

For more information about the exhibit, contact exhibit coordinator Lori Ballard at 509-544-5740 or [email protected].

Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.

Published March 14, 2010
By the Tri-City Herald staff

An information night for prospective Running Start students and their families is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Byron Gjerde Center at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.

The college’s Running Start programs offers college-level classes for students in 11th and 12th grades. There’s no tuition charge.

For more information, call 509-542-4481.

Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.

A piece I wrote last week on the impact of iTunes web preview pages on App Store SEO brought up a little side conversation about how many people found it annoying that the links launch iTunes automatically. Sometimes you don’t even have any warning that the link is going to launch iTunes if you click on a shortened link. There are a few simple steps that you can take to stop this behavior and suppress iTunes in its eagerness to run and take you to the page for that app (or other iTunes content).

Below, I have outlined the steps for Safari, Firefox, and Chrome.

The Basic Concept

The iTunes preview pages run a JavaScript function that attempts to load iTunes by opening an ITMS file. This file will launch iTunes and direct the application to open the iTunes Store to the specified content. I did not want to recommend just disabling JavaScript because that would interfere with a lot of websites that rely on the interactivity that is possible with JavaScript. We will prevent iTunes from opening by changing the way that these browsers handle the ITMS file. This approach will allow you to manually launch iTunes when you desire. In the case of Chrome, we can selectively disable JavaScript for iTunes links.

Safari (see update below)

Safari uses the helper applications as defined in the “Get Info” dialog box for each file type. In Snow Leopard, Mac OS X relies solely on the file’s extension to determine the default application. This may behave differently in 10.5, which still respects the creator code attribute.

Create a simple text file on your desktop. The content of the file does not matter. Rename that file to “test.itms” and confirm that you do want to change the extension. Now select that file and pull up the “Get Info” dialog box (Command-I, right-click, or File » Get Info).

The “Open with:” section should show “iTunes.app (default)” at first. Click on the pull down menu there, select “Other” and then pick Safari. You will have to enable “All Applications” in the file selection dialog box. Clicking “Add” will return you to the “Get Info” window. Be sure to click “Change All…” to have that behavior work for any ITMS file, including ones you may download from iTunes web links in the future.

You must log out and back in for these changes to take effect. Restarting the computer would accomplish the same result.

You can still launch iTunes by clicking on the “View in iTunes” button on the preview page.

To reverse the setting, go back to the ITMS file (or create a new one) and change the “Open With” entry to iTunes.app and then click “Change All…” to make sure it will be used in all cases.

Firefox

Firefox uses a different method to define the helper app. Open a new browser window or tab and type “about:config” into the address bar. After dismissing the warning, you will be presented with a long list of options. Fortunately, we can use the search box at the top of this window to filter the results down to just the option we need. Type “itms” in the filter box and you will see an entry for “network.protocol-handler.warn-external.itms” as the only result (if you don’t get any results, keep reading for a solution). Double-click on the “false” entry below the “Value” column and change it to “true” and then close the window or tab. Restart Firefox to make sure the change is saved and used the next time you launch Firefox.

Now you should get a dialog box asking you what you want to do about this content type when you go to page. Click “Cancel” to prevent iTunes from opening or click “OK” to launch iTunes into the iTunes Store. Do NOT check the “Remember my choice for itms links” box or iTunes will automatically launch in the future. Unfortunately, I did not see this dialog box come up consistently, but here is what it should look like.

What if I don’t have an an “itms” entry in about:config?

If you do not have an entry for “network.protocol-handler.warn-external.itms” in the “about:config” page, do not panic. You can add a new entry by right-clicking on the page and selecting “New: Boolean” from the pop-up menu.

Type “network.protocol-handler.warn-external.itms” into the preference name field and click “OK” to create the entry.

The next step is to make sure the boolean value itself is set to “true” so that Firefox will ask what you want to do with iTunes links.

Additional Measures

If iTunes still launches automatically, check the settings in the applications tab of the Firefox preferences window and search for “itunes” in the filter box. If any content types are set to open with iTunes, change those settings to “Always Ask” and this should stop iTunes from opening. To double-check, do another search on “itms” and make sure it is set to “Always Ask” here as well.

To reverse the setting, return to the “about:config” page and double-click on the “true” entry for “network.protocol-handler.warn-external.itms” to change it back to “false” and disable the dialog box asking you what to do.

Chrome

Chrome has not implemented the “about:config” settings in Chrome for Mac, but it does have a nifty feature to disable javascript on specific sites. Open Chrome’s preferences and click on the “Under the Hood” tab.

Click on “Content Settings…” and then select the “JavaScript” tab.

Click on “Exceptions” and then use the “+” button to add “itunes.apple.com” and make sure this site is set to block JavaScript. Now when you load an iTunes web link, the site will report that iTunes cannot be found because the JavaScript function that is looking for it has failed to run and return a result.

While this solution works to shut down iTunes, it also means that you cannot click on the “View on iTunes” button on the page to launch iTunes manually. If you really want to get to the iTunes Store, copy the URL from the address bar and open the same page in Safari, or simply launch iTunes manually and search in the store.

To reverse the setting, return to the list of exceptions and delete the entry for “itunes.apple.com” by clicking on the “–” button.

No More Autolaunching!

Automatically launching applications and slowing down my computer is almost as annoying as websites that start playing background music when you visit or DVD’s that play ads for soft drinks that cannot be stopped when all you want to do is watch a movie. Well, not nearly as bad as the stupid discs that will not let you skip to the movie, but still annoying. The steps above will help you take back control.

Safari Update

Many of you have reported that Safari/iTunes seem to reset our little fix, so here are some additional options for those experiencing this issue.

Safari relies on the Finder to define the default applications in the “Get Info” dialog box for each file type and the system to define the default helper application for URL schemes like “itms://” used by iTunes. With Chrome and Firefox, we can use settings within the app itself. With Safari, we have to modify the way the system deals with the files and URLs or add a plug-in to Safari itself.

Some may want to check out GlimmerBlocker which works by installing a proxy server on your local machine. All web requests from any application will be routed through this proxy. When the web page is returned to the requesting application, the page can be rewritten according to rules defined in the proxy.

Another approach is to change the system URL schemes for “itms://” to block Safari from launching iTunes even though the script still runs on the preview page. To do this, you will need to install RCDefaultApp and disable the “itms” URL type.

I did not want to modify the way the system deals with all HTTP requests or install a System PreferencePane. I chose to use GreaseKit, a Greasemonkey extension for Safari. After you install GreaseKit, you will need to install a script to block iTunes from launching on web preview pages. There is an existing script that will do this, but it includes some minor advertising for apptrackr.com. I wrote a simplified script that you can install to Stop iTunes from autolaunching that does not modify any other elements of the preview pages. This script will also work with Greasemonkey on Firefox.

At a press conference earlier today, Toyota outlined the preliminary findings of the technical field examination and testing that were performed on March 10 and 11 on the popular “runaway Prius” driven by James Sikes.

If you’re unfamiliar with James Sikes and his runaway Prius here is a short briefing:

On March 8, Sikes made a call to 911 claiming that his accelerator pedal was stuck and his Prius hit a top speed of 94 mph. Sikes was instructed repeatedly to shift into neutral or turn off the power of his Prius. After Sikes said he couldn’t do either a California Highway Patrol officer intercepted the vehicle and instructed the driver to press firmly on the brakes, apply the emergency brake and turn off the car, at which point Sikes’ Prius came to a safe stop.

Toyota said today that there are “strong indications” that Sikes’ account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of their analysis. Engineers from Toyota studied data, performed static and dynamic testing and inspected all the components. They also retraced the route taking by Sikes during his 911 call.

You can read more about Toyota’s findings after the jump but overall, Toyota said that Sikes’ Prius is perfectly normal and that they will further examine Sikes claims. Toyota said that NHTSA is also investigating on their own and were also present during Toyota’s examination.

Click through for the press release.

Press Release:

Toyota Offers Preliminary Findings From Technical Field Examination of Alleged ‘Runaway Prius’ in San Diego

• Toyota Engineers Conclude Two Days of Investigation

• Driver’s Account Of Event Inconsistent With Initial Findings

SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 15, 2010—At a press conference today, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. offered key preliminary findings of technical field examination and testing that were performed on March 10 and 11 regarding an alleged “runaway Prius” event dramatically covered by national news media.

Toyota engineers completed an investigation of the 2008 Prius driven by Mr. James Sikes that was the subject of a 911 emergency call on Monday, March 8. The driver reported that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, the accelerator pedal was stuck, and that the vehicle was out of control and could not be stopped. The emergency operator repeatedly instructed the driver to shift the car into neutral and turn off the power button.

A California Highway Patrol officer intercepted the vehicle and instructed the driver to press firmly on the brakes, apply the emergency brake and turn off the car, at which time the Prius came to a safe stop.

While a final report is not yet complete, there are strong indications that the driver’s account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis.

Toyota engineers employed data download/analysis, static and dynamic testing as well as thorough inspections of all relative components. In addition, they retraced the reported driving route taking into account driving time and accounts from the 911 recording.

The investigation revealed the following initial findings:

• The accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working normally with no mechanical binding or friction. It should be noted that the Prius is not subject to a recall for sticking accelerator pedals and the Prius component is made by a different supplier than the one recalled.

• The front brakes showed severe wear and damage from overheating. The rear brakes and parking brake were in good condition and functional.

• A Toyota carpeted floor mat of the correct type for the vehicle was installed but not secured to the retention hooks. It was not found to be interfering or even touching the accelerator pedal.

• The pushbutton power switch worked normally and shut the vehicle off when depressed for 3 seconds as the 911 operator advised Mr. Sikes to do.

• The shift lever also worked normally and neutral could be selected. The neutral position is clearly marked and can be easily engaged by moving the lever left to the “N” marking.

• There were no diagnostic trouble codes found in the power management computer, nor was the dashboard malfunction indicator light activated. The hybrid self-diagnostic system did show evidence of numerous, rapidly repeated on-and- off applications of both the accelerator and the brake pedals.

• After examination of individual components, the front brakes were replaced and the vehicle was test driven, during which the vehicle was observed to be functioning normally.

• During testing, the brakes were purposely abused by continuous light application in order to overheat them. The vehicle could be safely stopped by means of the brake pedal, even when overheated.

The Prius braking system uses both conventional hydraulic friction brakes and a regenerative braking system which switches the electric drive motors into brakes to generate electricity.

The system features a sophisticated self- protection function which cuts engine power if moderate brake pedal pressure is applied and the accelerator pedal is depressed more than approximately 50 percent, in effect providing a form of “brake override.”

This function, which is intended to protect the system from overload and possible damage, was found to be functioning normally during the preliminary field examination.

Toyota engineers believe that it would be extremely difficult for the Prius to be driven at a continuous high speed with more than light brake-pedal pressure, and that the assertion that the vehicle could not be stopped with the brakes is fundamentally inconsistent with basic vehicle design and the investigation observations.

These findings suggest that there should be further examination of Mr. Sikes account of the events of March 8.

NHTSA investigators were present during Toyota’s examination, and are conducting their own investigation of the vehicle and its performance. Toyota’s examination was also observed by a congressional staff member.

– By: Omar Rana

SCOREBOARD:

Dow: Up 17 points to 10,642.

NASDAQ: Down 5 points to 2362.

S&P 500: Up  half-a-point to 1150.

Commodities: Mixed. Oil took a hit of $1.38 to drop to $79.86 a barrel.

Gold is up $4.90 to $1106.60 an ounce whilst silver is up $0.05 to $17.10 an ounce.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Dow Closes Up More Than 80
• Stocks Struggle To Post Gains, Commodities Mixed
• Stocks Hold Their Gains, Retailers Rebound, And Oil Falls

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Videos, Audi

Nobody knows Audis like Mattias Ekström. The Swedish driver has been campaigning four-ringed racing machines in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series (DTM, Germany’s touring car championship) for the past nine years, and has taken the title twice. Who better, then, to put the latest performance Audi through its paces?

Having come up through the touring car ladder, Ekström may know tin-tops, but open cockpits are a novelty for him. The Audi R8 Spyder, with its 5.2-liter V10 engine running at full bore, sounds – and looks – like a good place to start. Follow the jump to see Ekström and the R8 do the sideways thing through an underground parking lot, complete with dub-tastic dialogue. Thanks for the tip, Braun!

Continue reading Video: DTM champion Mattias Ekström plays renegade valet in an Audi R8 Spyder

Video: DTM champion Mattias Ekström plays renegade valet in an Audi R8 Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The debate over the Digital Economy Bill in the UK (the attempt to ratchet up copyright law to repay favors to an entertainment industry that is slow to adapt) has taken an odd twist. Cory Doctorow over at Boing Boing has the details of a leaked memo from the BPI (pdf) to a bunch of recording industry execs and lobbyists, that details the state of the bill and the ongoing strategy for getting it approved. There are a few items worth noting:

1. The BPI seems to think that the UK intelligence community is now the biggest threat to stopping the bill. Seriously. Apparently, UK spies are afraid that passing this bill will drive a very large number of people to switch to using encrypted internet tools, making it that much more difficult to spy on them. This may be an accurate concern, but it’s surprising to hear that the intelligence community is now considered the biggest hurdle to getting the bill passed. Apparently, the BPI is fairly unconcerned with consumer rights groups. The BPI seems so paranoid about the intelligence community, that it actually suggests in the memo that the British spying agency MI5 may have paid for a recent survey released by the ISP Talk Talk, saying that 71% of those 18-34 years old would continue to file share, using “undetectable means.”

   The memo also mocks the fact that this particular bill now has the Open Rights Group on the same side of an issue as MI5 — when the two are normally somewhat diametrically opposed.

2. While the BPI sounds fairly confident that the bill will get through, it recognizes that it could get stalled if enough Members of Parliament start asking questions about the speed with which the bill is being pushed through:
   

   
   As for the House of Commons — which will be sent the Bill next week — there is a strange sense of detachment. MPs with whom we spoke back in Autum are already resigned to the fact that they will have minimum input into the provisions from this point on, given the lack of time for detailed scrutiny. One leading backbencher has told us that there is “little point in meeting, since the Bill will be determined at wash-up”. That said, John Whittingdale — an inveterate “timing sceptic” (i.e. he’s for the Bill but doesn’t think it will get through in time) has said this week that he still thinks it could be lost if enough MPs protest at not having the opportunity to scrutinise it. Whilst true in constitutional theory terms, the hard politics of the situation makes it seem unlikely. And inveterate opponents like Derek Wyatt and Tom Watson continue to blog and tweet with critical comments, but there is not the sense of a groundswell of massive opposition to the Bill.
   

   In other words: if you live in the UK, now is the time to start speaking up and contacting your elected officials, as well as letting others know that a bill to greatly take away your rights is about to be pushed through the House of Commons, unless you speak up now.

3. Finally, among the “upcoming” activities, the memo mentions that on Wednesday the 18th, there will be a release of a report from TERA on “The importance of saving jobs in the EU’s Creative Industries.” We see these types of reports all the time, and they’re usually poorly thought out and poorly argued, assuming, incorrectly, that a loss of jobs in one part of an industry might not be made up elsewhere, and rarely (if ever) paying attention to the fact that artificially propping up one part of the industry has massive negative consequences for other areas in the economy. So let’s see what this report says. But assuming you start seeing press reports about this later this week, make sure to read through them with a critical eye.

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