Author: Serkadis

Despite the best efforts by certain participants in ACTA negotiations to keep everything a secret, that’s not really working. We’ve already seen leaks of the documents in progress, but now comes a leak of a document highlighting the actual wordsmithing of some sections, including the specific positions taken by different countries. You can download the pdf directly or see the embedded version here (most of the document should be read in landscape mode, and I don’t see any easy way to make that possible in Scribd, so downloading may be preferred):

A lot of what is happening in the document is inside baseball negotiations, but it does highlight which countries are questioning which elements of ACTA. It’s interesting (and a bit troubling) that some countries (including the US) seem to want to make sure that certain parts of ACTA don’t just cover copyright/trademark but all “intellectual property” (meaning patents as well — something that had been rumored, but not confirmed). Not surprisingly, the US is using ACTA not as just a counterfeiting enforcement tool, but to wedge in a variety of intellectual property issues into other countries. As you dig into the document, though, you see how much little changes to the wording can impact huge differences. For example, in discussing damages, the US keeps wanting to insert the word “shall” while the EU, Canada and New Zealand want “may” with regards to whether or not there should be statutory damages on infringement, or if it can be limited to actual damages. Basically, it looks like the US is looking to force other countries to set up an equivalent of (much higher than actual) statutory damages, rather than having courts ask rights holders to show actual damages.

Michael Geist has a list of some other interesting tidbits, and Jamie Love has worries about how the damages section 2.2 is much stricter than existing laws, and seems to conflict with existing US laws (but ACTA can’t change US law, right? Right?). Love also notes the oddity of the EU crossing out language (inserted by the US, mind you) that would protect “fair use, fair, dealing, or their equivalents.”

All in all, documents like these show why these discussions need to be public. Very very minor word choices can have a major impact. And hiding all of that behind closed doors is a huge problem.

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New Proposed Bill For Fannie And Freddie Only A Start – by Daniel Indiviglio – … Garrett appeared on CNBC this morning to explain his bill, called the Accurate Accounting for Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Act (clip at end of the post). The idea is simply to have the cost of the GSEs included as a part of the President’s budget. Then, they’ll be impossible to ignore. … And since the U.S. now fully owns and explicitly guarantees these companies, I don’t see how you could dispute the sense in doing exactly what this bill would dictate. The GSEs impose a very real cost on taxpayers. Of course, this would also require Congress to raise the U.S. debt ceiling by a whopping $1.6 trillion. … – The Atlantic 

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Guest Post: The Helicopter Departs – Submitted by TimmyM – … There exist many harmful side effects of an emergency rate policy.  … The populist movement can be viewed as providing the Fed political cover for the removal of emergency measures. … The political cover of the populist movement as well as the Fed’s need to retain their regulatory authority has aligned these various interests for us to now expect the appearance of a more hawkish institution. The implications of this will be seen in the probability of a flatter curve and the risk of deflation. … – Zero Hedge

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How Obama Screwed Volcker – by Charlie Gasparino -  The president needed the gravitas of the former Fed chairman to sell his bank reform to Wall Street. But when the big banks didn’t buy it, Obama sold him out. – The Daily Beast 

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Freddie Mac losses ease but warns on future – Freddie Mac posted a smaller loss last year than in 2008 and said for the third consecutive quarter that it won’t need to ask the government for additional bailout funds. But the company says conditions could worsen as foreclosures pick up later this year.  The mortgage company posted a net loss of $6.5bn in the fourth quarter of 2009 and $21.6bn for the full … – PropertyWeek.com  

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Sovereign Debt to Collapse En Masse as Recession Deepens – Paco Ahlgren – Here’s one Ivy League professor who’s not adhering to the typical academic/governmental propaganda. So what happens when most of the major world governments simply refuse to pay their debts? Answer: absolute chaos.  Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) — Ballooning debt is likely to force several countries to default and the U.S. to cut spending, according to Harvard University Professor Kenneth Rogoff, who in 2008 predicted the failure of big American banks. … – The Bottom Violation

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Fed chief: We’re looking into firms betting on Greek default – By Jeannine Aversa, Economics Writer – USA Today

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 3.1.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At a Society of Automotive Analysts in July, GM’s Vice Chairman Bob Lutz confirmed that the Cadillac Converj will enter production and would appear sometime after 2012.

According to a report by Bloomberg today, GM has now stopped work on the Cadillac Converj, an electric-drive Caddy coupe similar to the Chevrolet Volt. Two executives familiar with the move said that GM decided to kill the production Converj to focus on cheaper plug-in hybrids for its luxury brand.

The executives said that GM came to the conclusion that the Converj couldn’t have enough amenities and electric-range to be compelling to buyers and produce a profit for the automaker.

We’re not sure exactly what other “plug-in hybrids for its luxury brand means” but we’re pretty sure we’ll hear something official from Lutz in the coming days.

Click here for more news on the Cadillac Converj.

Cadillac Converj Concept:

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Bloomberg

Police and volunteers in San Diego County, Calif., have widened their search for a missing 17-year-old woman who grew up in Naperville.

Meanwhile, childhood pals of Chelsea King have gathered daily to pray for her and to share stories of their friend who went missing Thursday while jogging.

Roughly 1,400 volunteer searchers and more than 100 law enforcement officers failed to find Chelsea on Sunday. But San Diego County Sheriff William Gore said authorities found physical evidence that led to the arrest of 30-year-old John Albert Gardner of Lake Elsinore, Calif., in connection with her disappearance.

Chelsea disappeared Thursday after going for a run near Lake Hodges at Rancho Bernardo Community Park in San Diego, a popular regional park full of running trails. Her car, with her cell phone and iPod inside, were found later that night.

News that Gardner, a registered sex offender, was arrested in connection with Chelsea’s disappearance, and the location of her car has done little to lift her friends’ spirits.

“Chelsea has been a sister to me ever since we met on the first day of kindergarten (at May Watts Elementary School) and became attached at the hip,” said Waubonsie Valley High School senior Jen Nowell. “My family and our friends have been living our worst nightmares since we got the news Friday that she was missing.”

Several of Chelsea’s friends gathered at Nowell’s home Monday afternoon to make posters about Chelsea they hope to hang around Naperville, Aurora and Waubonsie Valley in the coming days.

“Everyone may not know her, especially at Waubonsie, but we want them to know about her,” Nowell said.

They also intend to make T-shirts with her likeness and motivational bracelets that they will send to Chelsea’s family in California.

The family moved from Naperville in January 2007 during Chelsea’s freshman year at Waubonsie. The friends said the move was so unpopular with the group that they spent all their money on Super Glue and literally tried to glue Chelsea to her front porch.

“We didn’t want her to go so we covered her good and made she stick. Her dad had to pry her off and it ripped her jeans,” said Claire Bindler, also a senior at Waubonsie. “Those are the types of stories we’re sharing and laughing about to keep our spirits up.”

Gore said investigators also were holding out hope Chelsea will be found.

Gardner was taken into custody at a restaurant in Escondido shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday and was questioned Sunday night.

“This investigation is ongoing and specific criminal charges are still being determined,” Gore said at a news conference.

Investigators also suspect Gardner could be tied to a Dec. 27 assault on a female jogger from Colorado Springs, Gore said.

Gardner’s Riverside County residence was searched Sunday, Gore said.

He was required to register as a sex offender because of a conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, the Megan’s Law Web site said.

Chelsea’s parents continued to plea for her return and said the arrest offered them no relief.

“Nothing will change for us until our beautiful daughter, Chelsea King, comes home,” Brent and Kelly King said in a statement released through a family spokeswoman Sunday night. “We will continue searching for her, and we ask that all of you do the same until she’s back with us.”

Nowell said she believes Chelsea will survive whatever she is going through.

“Chelsea is the most driven person I’ve ever found in my entire life,” Nowell said. “She is very intelligent and I honestly think she can get out of this situation, whatever it is.”

The search for the straight-A senior at Poway High School also took to the Internet, where a Facebook page generated more than 53,000 fans. A Web site was created at findchelsea.com.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

The arrest of Fox Lake business owner Mario Casciaro on five counts of murder was bittersweet for Johnsburg Police Chief Kenneth Rydberg.

Rydberg, who has worked the case for seven years, is happy that charges have finally been brought. But he said he wished the mother of 17-year-old Brian Carrick could know murder charges were filed against Casciaro before her own death from leukemia in November.

“I’m sad that she passed away before the charges were filed,” Rydberg said. “She had a right to know what happened to her son before she died.”

Casciaro, of the 2700 block of North Patricia Lane in McHenry, is in custody at the McHenry County jail in lieu of $5 million bond. He was arrested Friday after being indicted by a grand jury on five counts of murder and one count of concealment of a homicide death for the 2002 slaying of Carrick, a Johnsburg resident.

Carrick vanished Dec. 20, 2002, from Val’s Foods, the Johnsburg grocery store where he worked. Casciaro is the son of Val’s owner Jerry Casciaro and worked as Carrick’s supervisor at the time.

The indictment alleges Casciaro, or someone acting on his behalf, struck Carrick in the head during an act of intimidation and unlawful restraint, causing his death. Casciaro then concealed the slaying, officials allege.

His attorney, William Gibbs, declined to comment on the charges Monday, but indicated Casciaro would be pleading not guilty. They are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning on a defense motion to reduce his $5 million bond, labeled in court documents as “excessive” by Gibbs.

Casciaro owns Val’s Foods in Lakeland Plaza at Grand Avenue and Rollins Road in Fox Lake. The store was opened by his family in 2005, Fox Lake officials said.

Multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the case have said Shane Lamb, a longtime suspect in the disappearance, has agreed to testify in exchange for immunity from prosecution for his own role in the murder.

McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi and his criminal division chief, Philip Hiscock, have not confirmed any deal.

Casciaro previously faced perjury charges alleging he lied to a grand jury investigating what happened to Carrick, but was acquitted after a trial last year.

During the trial, a former friend of Casciaro testified about a conversation he had with the McHenry man about Carrick’s disappearance.

“I asked him ‘Is it true that you told (Lamb) to kill Brian,” the former friend, Alan Lippert, testified. “He said it wasn’t even like that. He said that Brian owed him money and he told (Lamb) to scare him and that something happened, it got out of hand and there was an accident.”

Rydberg said the case is the longest his department has ever investigated.

“It feels good to have made progress that have led to charges and an arrest, but we will not be satisfied until the entire case is completed,” he said.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Defense attorneys for Circuit Judge David Hall on Monday launched their attack on blood alcohol evidence that prosecutors say show Hall was drunk was he was arrested for DUI in 2008.

Douglas Zeit and Jason Mercure claim the blood taken from Hall at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville after his arrest was so improperly handled it should be barred from use in the trial scheduled to begin next week.

Vernon Hills police arrested Hall for DUI and resisting arrest in the early morning hours of April 26, 2008 and pepper-sprayed him when they say Hall refused to get out of his car.

Hall, 57, of Waukegan, was taken to Condell after being sprayed, and a doctor there ordered blood drawn for testing after the doctor discovered Hall had an irregular heart beat.

Zeit and Mercure told Circuit Judge F. Keith Brown, a Kane County judge assigned to hear the case, they believed all information about their client’s care at Condell should be barred from evidence under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

But Brown agreed with Assistant Attorney General William Elward, who argued blood test results in cases involving DUI charges are specifically exempted from coverage by HIPAA.

Condell employees were called to the stand to testify the blood was drawn from Hall in the emergency room, then sent to the laboratory for testing via a pneumatic tube system that runs through the hospital.

Lab technician Abdullah Lekuti said his records show he received three vials of blood from Hall and the vials had color-coded stoppers to indicate the type of testing to be done on blood in each vial.

The vials in evidence have one yellow, one pink and one purple stopper, although Lekuti said the pink stopper should not have been used on a vial of blood drawn in the emergency room.

Nurse Juliana Gonzalez said she put blood drawn from Hall in four vials, none of which had a pink stopper, and marked all four vials with pre-printed labels showing Hall’s name and date of birth.

Elward and Assistant Attorney General Daniel Nikolic argue the number of vials and the apparent misuse of the pink stopper are irrelevant because only blood from the vial with the purple stopper was tested for alcohol content.

Prosecutors say testing, done May 15 at the Illinois State Police crime laboratory in Westchester, show Hall had a blood-alcohol content of .104 percent.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Filed under: Aftermarket, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Diesel, Luxury

Continue reading AC Schnitzer decks out the BMW 5 Series GT

AC Schnitzer decks out the BMW 5 Series GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen announced today that it will expand its hybrid and electric-vehicle offering by the end of year 2013. The initiative kicks off at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show with the debut of the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid.

The next hybrid form Volkswagen will come in August 2012 with a hybrid variant of the Jetta. That will be followed by the Passat Hybrid in August 2013 and the Golf Hybrid in October 2013.

Volkswagen will kick off its pure-electric initiative with 500 electric-drive Golf units in 2011. Market launch of pure electric-drive Volkswagens will start with the E-UP in 2013, followed by the E-Golf. At the end of 2013, Volkswagen will offer the E-Jetta. Volkswagen said it will eventually apply its ‘E-traction,’ ‘E-Mobility’ approach to other model series.

Hit the jump for the press release for more details.

Press Release:

Volkswagen Sets Roadmap for E-Mobility

-Prof. Winterkorn: In the future, the heart of the brand will also beat with electricity.

– Volkswagen is taking E-mobility to the next level: mass production in the Golf and UP.

– High-volume models will extend the hybrid product range

Wolfsburg / Geneva, 01 March 2010 – Volkswagen plans to expand its fleet of electric drive vehicles: The use of hybrid technology in production vehicles is already being demonstrated in the Touareg Hybrid at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. In 2011, a test fleet of 500 Golfs with electric drives will follow. Starting in 2013, the high-volume Golf and Jetta models of the Volkswagen brand are expected to dominate the hybrid and electric vehicle market.

Volkswagen plans to strategically bundle its competence in electric traction and extend it step-by-step. It has now established a clear launch schedule for its E-traction products. Prof. Dr. Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG explains: “Volkswagen will be taking E-mobility to mass production. In 2011, we are expanding our test fleet by adding 500 Golfs with electric drive. A hybrid version of the Jetta for the US market follows in 2012. Starting in 2013, the E-UP goes into production. The goal is to become the market leader in E-mobility by the year 2018. We want to attain an electric vehicle market share of three percent within our entire range of products.” He goes on to say: “We will take the hybrid out of its niche status with our high-volume models. In the future, the heart of the brand will also beat with electricity.”

Today, the electric car is already technically capable of short ranges of up to 150 kilometres. And so, the Group’s various brands will be conducting field studies in key strategic markets of Europe, North America and China in upcoming months. An important intermediate step here is Group-wide implementation of hybrid technology in production vehicles. In Geneva, Volkswagen is therefore showcasing its technological competence in hybrid development and is already introducing the new Touareg Hybrid.

“This technological competence will be advanced in Volkswagen’s modular strategy of flexibly integrating hybrid and E-drives over a wide variety of vehicle platforms in all of the Group brands”, says Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Group Chief Officer for Electric Traction. “We will continue to systematically exploit the potential of internal combustion engines with the goal of significantly reducing fuel consumption and emissions. So over the mid-term, vehicles with electric drives and those with internal combustion engines will co-exist.”

The market launch schedule for purely electric cars is as ambitious as it is systematic: The E-UP will kick off the programme in 2013; the E-Golf will then be introduced, just before another crucial event of the Volkswagen Group’s E-strategy follows at the end of the year with the launch of the E-Jetta. In subsequent years, a modular E-traction approach will systematically extend electrification to other model series.

Milestones of the planned VW Group’s hybrid offensive: the Jetta Hybrid will debut in August 2012, the Passat Hybrid in August 2013 and two months later the Golf Hybrid.

These measures will make Volkswagen the leader in CO2-neutral mobility.

– By: Omar Rana

Even though the new HD mini though is not available just yet, its lock screen has been ported. The porting job was established by one of XDA’s very own.

Mickyprima, from XDA has successfully extracted the standby screen, and it is now available for current HD2 owners to try in his ROM.

The lock screen is not too different, but is significantly better than the original Windows 6.5 look. The new look brings a very nice slide down unlock method, and all with a Windows Phones 7 Series like look and design.

Give the ROM a go:XDA-developer
Via:Pocketnow

CHICAGO (CBS) – Friends and family are saying their goodbyes to a top trainer drowned by a killer whale at SeaWorld. A funeral mass for the Northwest Indiana native was held at St. Rita’s on the Southwest Side. CBS 2’s Susan Carlson reports.

Hundreds of people showed up for the wake Sunday, including one person who was arrested for trying to bring a video camera into the visitation.

Police say that person was not a member of the media. At the family’s request, the media is keeping a respectful distance as the funeral mass gets underway.

A steady stream of mourners started funneling into St Rita’s chapel an hour and a half before the funeral began for 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau.

Due to the wave of media attention, police remained on hand in case crowd control became an issue.

While the family kept quiet in their moment of grief, some of the mourners stopped to talk on their way into the service.

“It’s a very, very sad thing,” said family friend Michael VanWagner. “She’s gonna be missed by hundreds of people. It’s a horrible thing.”

“She was a great lady,” said family friend Casmier Bobak. “Looks like she knew what she was doing. It’s a very sad tragedy.”

Many of them take comfort in the fact that she was able to achieve her dream of training whales.

“She just loved it,” said VanWagner. “You could see it on her face every day. She loved what she did.”

“It’s pretty evident from everybody you talk to that she died doing exactly what she loved doing,” said Ald. Michael Zalewski. “I think it’s important that everyone comes out and remembers that. She was very happy in her profession.”

Brancheau was killed Wednesday when Tilikum the killer whale grabbed her by her ponytail and pulled her under water.

Friends from her hometown in Northwest Indiana were on hand Monday, along with friends from the city’s South Side.

Her nephew is currently a student at St. Rita High School.

“Her brother is very involved with the labor movement here in Chicago. He’s the president of Local 1092,” said Ald. Zalewski. “She has strong ties to the Chicagoland area.”

Brancheau reportedly had that long ponytail that the whale grabbed onto because she was growing out her hair to donate it to “Locks of Love” for cancer patients.

Even more evidence of her character, she was planning to leave for Haiti in a couple weeks with a charity group she was involved with to help victims of the recent earthquake.

After the funeral mass, burial will take place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

As if Toyota owners did not have enough to be concerned about, 933,800 Camry, Avalon, Rav4, and Lexus vehicles equipped with V6 engines have been targeted for repair by ToMoCo. The affected vehicles have a defect in the oil hose whereby the rubber portion thereof could potentially develop a hole and cause leakage to the point of engine failure.

Toyota had sent a letter out to dealers regarding the issue, stating that the company will be replacing the defective hoses. A spokesperson was very careful to make it known that the oil hose issue is not a safety one, and therefor a recall will not be issued.

The limited service campaign laid out for the dealers covers ’07-’10 Camrys, ’05-’09 Avalons, ’06-’09 Rav4s, ’07-’09 Lexus ES 350s and ’07-’09 Lexus RX 350s. The campaign, which will run until March 31, 2013, will allow owners to get their oil hosed replaced at Toyota dealerships at no cost.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: MSNBC

Apparently some fans of the video game series King’s Quest have been working for eight years on a fan-made sequel to the last such game. Back in 2005, Vivendi (then the rights holder) sent them a cease and desist, but eventually worked out a “non-commercial fan license” that allowed them to continue. Fast forward to today, and Activision now owns those rights and has decided that the fans’ efforts should all go to waste. The company has told the fan group to shut it all down:

After talks and negotiations in the last few months between ourselves and Activision, they have reached the decision that they are not interested in granting a non-commercial license to The Silver Lining, and have asked that we cease production and take down all related materials on our website.

This is “promoting the progress”? You have to hand it to Activision, though. Not only has it pissed off a large group of fans, it’s stomped out eight years of their hard work as well. I’m sure that will make those folks that much more excited about purchasing Activision games.

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Sony has finally created a series of headsets that I believe are quite stylish, attractive, and could be a big hit in the USA. These will be great options for those of you out there that use VOIP, Skype, MSN, etc. I will admit that Sony’s offerings in the past have been rather lackluster and looked somewhat generic. There has been a need for a more simple headset out there that had some class – I feel like a lot of options from other manufacturers out there are a little too youthful in design, or simply unattractive. The new DR-350USB, DR-320DPV and DR-310DPV PC headsets shown throughout this post will arrive in March. However, the unfortunate thing is these will only be available in select markets for now, starting in the Asia Pacific region.

The DR-350USB (above) is Sony’s new high end USB PC headset available in Black, Gold, and Red. It has a 30mm driver unit in the headset, built-in microphone, and detachable “voice tube” (I think stalk would be more appropriate). One nice feature is microphone muting, which is great for gamers out there who don’t have such features in their current headsets. I can’t tell you how many times in MAG I have had to hear all the noises in someone’s life such as a baby screaming. Oy vey.

The DR-320DPV, sans USB, is supposedly aimed towards PC gamers and music lovers, and has basically the same features as the DR-350USB. However, this version only has a volume control and no mute function. Colors available include Gold, Blue, Red, and Black.

The DR-310DPV is quite chic and features soft colors such as Pink, White, Silver and Green. The microphone is within the headset and it has separate volume control and mute buttons.

John W. Keyes III’s tragic death last November sent shock waves through Elgin, even reaching the offices of local legislators.

Congressman Bill Foster announced Monday that Larkin High School will receive a $47,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which will provide academic tutoring and anger management counseling for students affected by the tragedy. The award will also allow the school to hire another social worker to assist with the increased need for grief and trauma counseling.

The money comes at a time when every penny counts for the Elgin school and the 41,000-student district. In order to reduce a $48.6 million deficit, the school board is set to approve hundreds of budget cuts and staff layoffs later this month.

Keyes, 17, a former Larkin High School student, died Nov. 8 after he was crushed by a car against an Elgin apartment building on the 200 block of Center Street. Timera D. Branch, 33, of Streamwood, faces first-degree murder charges. The killing happened, according to Keyes’ relatives, a day after Keyes punched Branch’s 16-year-old son in a feud over a girl.

After the death, Larkin High School has reported that grieving students are having trouble focusing on school work, and school counselors have reported an increase in the number of referrals.

“This grant will provide direct services to students at Larkin High School for the remainder of this school year,” District Safety Coordinator John Heiderscheidt said in a news release. “We recognize that what students experience in the community impacts their ability to learn at school. With these funds, we have the opportunity to reach out to students who have been exposed to a violent incident in school or in the community in order to get those students back on track toward graduation.”

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Residents living along the Chain O’ Lakes could be in line for low-interest loans to pay for shoreline restoration.

The money may be available this summer, says state Sen. Michael Bond. The announcement of Bond’s effort to secure $2 million in state funds for the project came at a news conference Monday morning at the Port of Blarney in Antioch.

The deal is far from done, but Bond expressed confidence it will happen.

“We are here to announce another success and team effort to improve the Fox Waterway system,” Bond said. “It’s an enormous ecosystem, that is essential to the local economy.”

The money will be used to replace vertical sea walls with rocks and organic material that experts say is best to fight against erosion.

If passed by the General Assembly, funds will be given to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, who would then pass them on to the Fox Waterway Agency. The agency will administer loans to 250 homeowners to make the needed improvements. The average loan would be $8,000 with a four- to six-year payback. The interest rates haven’t been determined, but Bond said they would be “low interest and hassle-free.”

Grass Lake resident Ken Thomas attended the announcement. He expressed both hope and skepticism.

“I’d like to really see the money, but where is it coming from?,” Thomas said. “At least somebody is trying to do something.”

Bond, a Grayslake Democrat representing Illinois’ 30th state Senate District, will face Republican Suzi Schmidt, currently the Lake County Board chairwoman, in the November election.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Toyota today unveiled its new 2011 Toyota Auris HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive) its first step in the deployment of HSD technology across its entire European lineup by the early 2020s.

Power for the 2011 Auris HSD comes from a 97-hp 1.8L 4-cylinder VVT-i gasoline engine mated to an electric-motor and a single E-CVT transmission controlled by a shift-by-wire technology through an electric shift lever. Working together the engine and the motor produce a total output of 134-hp. All that gives the Auris Hybrid the ability to return a combined fuel-economy of 62 mpg.

The Auris HSD also has the ability to operate in EV mode for a total of 1.3 miles at speeds of up to 31 mph.

UK sales are scheduled for July.

2011 Toyota Auris HSD:

Press Release:

TOYOTA BRINGS FULL HYBRID POWER TO THE C-SEGMENT
WITH NEW AURIS HSD

Production model unveiled at Geneva motor show

* Production-ready Auris HSD makes debut at Geneva motor show
* Built in Britain at TMUK Burnaston factory
* Latest-generation Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive to deliver class-leading CO2 emissions and combined cycle fuel economy
* Two versions to be offered in Europe – delivering 89g/km emissions and 74.3mpg combined cycle fuel economy and 93g/km emissions and 70.6mpg combined cycle fuel economy
* Unique proposition in the European C-segment
* UK sales launch scheduled for July

Exclusively designed for the European market, the Auris HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive) introduces full hybrid technology to a core model at the heart of Toyota’s model line-up. It marks the first step in the deployment of HSD technology across the company’s entire European model range by the early 2020s.

Built in Britain at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK’s Burnaston factory, it targets an important shift in customer perceptions of full hybrid drive technology.

The prospect of Britain – and Europe’s – first home-manufactured full hybrid model was welcomed by the UK Government. Business Minister Ian Lucas said: “I’m delighted that Toyota has chosen its UK plants to produce the first European Toyota hybrid car and I look forward to seeing it when I’m in Geneva for the Motor Show. Toyota’s commitment to reduce CO2 emissions gives fresh impetus to our vision for the UK to lead in the design, manufacture and use of low carbon cars.”

Going beyond the benefits of exceptional fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions that are inherent in Hybrid Synergy Drive, the new Auris HSD will deliver everyday usability, driving comfort and remarkable quietness for a smooth and sophisticated driving experience that is unlike anything else in the C-segment.

Auris HSD will be available in two levels: 89g/km and 92g/km, both offer the lowest CO2 emissions and strongest fuel economy in their class. HSD will thus play a significant role in further reducing Toyota’s European whole-fleet average CO2 emissions. These have already fallen by 14g/km between 2008 and 2009 to 132g/km, thanks to the introduction of Toyota Optimal Drive technology.

Exterior design
Auris HSD adopts the new exterior styling introduced across the Auris 2010 model range, including a completely redesigned front-end. It also displays a number of model-specific features which help improve the car’s aerodynamic efficiency and reference the presence of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain.

The opening in the upper front grille has been optimised to promote a smooth flow of air over the upper half of the body, and the lower grille has been made larger to reduce airflow resistance and improve engine cooling efficiency.

With a revised foglamp configuration, the flat, vertical surface of the corners of the front bumper corrects the airflow as it passes over the front wheels, helping minimise turbulence in the wheelarches.

Further improvement in aerodynamic efficiency is achieved by a ride height reduced by 5mm; purpose-designed alloy wheels with integrated aerodynamic caps; low rolling resistance tyres; and a large, roof-mounted rear spoiler. Working together to smooth and control the flow of air over the car, these HSD-specific design modifications reduce the coefficient of drag from Cd0.290 to 0.283, contributing to reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Interior design
The interior features a number of modifications, including a revised instrument binnacle in which the tachometer has been replaced by an Eco Drive Assist Monitor. The centre-dial information panel includes additional HSD-specific information such as Energy Flow and Eco Drive Result monitors.

A hybrid blue smart start button has been added to the side of the instrument cluster and the centre console incorporates switches for the Parking Control and EV, ECO and Power drive modes, and a shift-by-wire gear lever.

The illumination is changed to display greenish-white numbers on a hybrid blue background on the meter panel, audio and heating controls, and the Smart Start, Drive Mode and Parking Control switches.

A choice of upholsteries specific to the model will also be available: a blue-flecked fabric or Alcantara panels with leather surrounds.

Hybrid Synergy Drive
Auris HSD is a full hybrid capable of operating in petrol and electric modes alone, or a combination of both. Its Hybrid Synergy Drive system delivers the energy-saving qualities of a series hybrid, combined with the performance benefits of a parallel hybrid.

The technology delivers impressive, seamless acceleration and remarkably quiet running, with class-leading fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from 74.3mpg and 89g/km.

Toyota’s latest generation Hybrid Synergy Driver uses a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine, a powerful electro motor, generator, high performance battery and a power control unit. A power split device with a planetary gear system combines and reallocated power from the engine, electric motor and generator according to the car’s operational requirements.

The key to the successful installation of the system in Auris’s front-engine platform is the fact the electric motor, generator and power split device are housed in a single transmission casing that is the size of a conventional gearbox. The seamless E-CVT electric continuously variable transmission is controlled by shift-by-wire technology via an electric shift lever.

The lightweight and compact four-cylinder, 1,798cc Atkinson Cycle VVT-i engine develops 97bhp at 5,200rpm and 142Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The high performance permanent magnet synchronous 60kW electric motor generates a maximum 207Nm between zero and 13,000rpm.

Powered by the hybrid battery, the electric motor works in tandem with the petrol engine to boost acceleration in normal driving. When the car is operating in EV (electric vehicle) mode, it alone powers the driven wheels.
During deceleration and under braking, the electric motor acts as a high-output generator to effect regenerative braking, recovering kinetic energy that would normally be wasted as heat for storage as electrical energy in the battery.

In combination, the petrol engine and electric motor generated a maximum system power output of 134bhp, giving performance to match a conventional 2.0-litre petrol or diesel hatchback. Conversely, Auris HSD lower CO2 emissions and significantly lower NOx emissions than diesel-powered cars of comparable performance.

Furthermore, when operating in its switchable EV mode, it cuts CO2 and NOx emissions to zero, driving for up to 1.3 miles (2km) at speeds up to 31mph (50kph), depending on the level of battery charge and driving conditions.

Auris HSD eco driving experience
Auris HSD has four driving modes, including three that can be selected ”on-demand” by the driver to maximise the HSD powertrain’s capabilities and provide comprehensive eco driving support for those who want to adopt a more environmentally efficient style of driving.

EV mode allows for ultra-quiet running on electric motor power lone, giving zero fuel consumption and emissions. ECO mode maximises efficiency and fuel economy, and Power mode boosts system performance. In addition, an Eco Drive Monitor helps driver’s maximise the HSD system’s efficiency.

The driver can monitor the flow of energy around the HSD system in each mode, via the multi-information display in the instrument panel, which helps promote an easy, fuel-efficient driving technique. There is also a clear and simple power consumption gauge that shows how much power is being used or generated at any given time.

Taking advantage of the inherent quietness of Hybrid Synergy Drive, Toyota has paid special attention to NVH reduction measures to create a calm and quiet cabin environment at all speeds. Road and engine noise have been rigorously suppressed with extensive use of sound-proofing materials. Full-thickness glazing and a multi-layer acoustic windscreen further reduce noise for quieter performance at cruising speeds.

Auris HSD in the UK
Auris HSD is scheduled to go on sale in the UK in July. Further details of performance, technical specifications, model grades and equipment features will be announced nearer the launch date.

– By: Kap Shah

Published Feb. 26, 2010
By Anusha Roy, KVEW TV
 
250 sixth graders from Park Middle School got a peak into what their future could be today when they toured Columbia Basin College.

The whole point of today’s visit was to show students that college is an option.

The school assistant principal says a lot of the children come from low-income families and college may not be discussed frequently.

CBC officials say they have increased early outreach efforts over the last two years.

Published Feb 26, 2010
By KNDU TV

PASCO, Wash–  250 sixth graders from Park Middle School spent the day as college students.

Columbia Basin College invited the students to attend classes going over the importance of studying up for college.  For most of these kids, it was their first trip to a college campus.

A number of students told us the experience today will help inspire them to get good grades so they can one day go to college.