Author: Serkadis

If you’re wondering what a state-of-the-art car will look like in thirty years, the Mercedes C.S.V. concept car might be it. The C.S.V. stands for Cyborg Sensation Vehicle. What does that mean? The car responds to your thoughts. Like we said, it’s just a concept at this point.

As a driver you wouldn’t need analog controls since the car would drive just by your thinking. Conceived by designer Derek Chik Kin Ng, the C.S.V. would read your thought patterns as soon as you sat down in the vehicle.

This may or may not ever come to pass. We’ll have to see in thirty years.

[via Yanko Design]

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1. The World’s Greatest Street Legal Performance Car?
2. The 5 Coolest Concept Cars from the L.A. Auto Show
3. The Flying Car is Almost Here

Do Democrats have the votes to ram Obamacare through the Congress?

Yes.

That’s at least according to Nancy Pelosi, who was asked the question this weekend on ABC’s The Week.

But, she added, according to WSJ, that Democrats “know that this will take courage… Why are we here? We’re not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress. We’re here to do the job for the American people.”

In other words, get ready for a lot more Scott Browns.

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See Also:

• If Harry Reid Uses Reconciliation To Pass Healthcare Reform, He’s Going To War With 73 Percent Of America
• REVENGE: Obama Is Back And Killing The GOP On Healthcare
• Obamacare 2.0: More Of The Same, Just More Expensive

About a month ago, PayPal made the rather startling announcement that it had stopped all transactions in India. Small businesses and websites in the country weren’t happy and the users weren’t happy but, while some were quick to judge PayPal, it wasn’t really its fault, as it had to do with the country’s relatively recent laws concerning money launderin… (read more)

Heads up: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) CEO Warren Buffett is on CNBC right now talking to Becky Quick. We’ll update when he makes notable comments, as well as break out key points into separate posts.

The interview will key off a lot of the points he made in his annual letter. You can see some its greatest hits here.

Some key points as they come in

• The consumer businesses are still the weakest lines.
• Keynesianism is a big experiment, and we don’t know if it’s going to work.
• It’s household formation that will work through the big housing overhang.
• Says he was “premature” on some crisis-time purchases. Wishes he’d bought a year ago, rather than 18 months ago.
• Big point regarding succession: When he retires, the investment part of the business will get farmed out to 3 or 4 managers who will report to a CEO.
• On the Coke (KO) bottling acquisition, he seems pretty neutral. Says the company needed “rationalization” of its relationship with bottlers.
• Why Berkshire will thrive post-Buffett: culture.
• NetJets working very well right now. What David (Sokol) has done has been miraculous.
• No chance NetJets will get sold.
• Singing high praise for Ajit Jain, the company’s star insurer. Sounds definitely like a CEO candidate.
  

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See Also:

• Warren Buffett’s Annual Letter: Here Are The Greatest Hits
• Buffett: The Homebuilding Industry Has Just One More Year Of Pain
• Warren Buffett’s Annual Letter

We can all give back to the world in our own way. For semi-hot, kinda kooky silver medalist Hannah Teter, it’s panties. Teter started “Sweet Cheeks” panties to raise money for charity, with most of the money going to Haiti. Best part of the video is hockey legend Wayne Gretzy holding up the underwear, looking quite embarrassed.

Related posts:

1. Oxford Coeds Strip for Charity Calendar
2. Bad Paintings of Barack Obama
3. The Man Who Sells Weed on Twitter

	Pike Research predicts 2.8 million fuel cell vehicles sold by 2020 Who’s buying?		eBay find of the day: 2001 Chrysler Sebring EV conversion Caveat emptor.
	Volkswagen Touareg hybrid costs almost €23K more than diesel in Germany That’s a lot of diesel fuel.	Other news: Autocar tries to lay out Toyota’s future Prius hybrid path, new models coming spring of 2011? VW asks us to “Think Blue” now that we’re done with “Think Small” Senate passes HIRE Act, which could bode well for cleaner transportation bills down the road

AutoblogGreen for 03.01.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During her first two years as a contestant in the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen competition Kerry Ann Brennan was so nervous she couldn’t even smile.

But six years later, the 24-year-old Orland Park resident who was chosen as the 2010 parade queen can’t help but smile.

“I’m honestly honored to be chosen,” Brennan said. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

Brennan’s court includes fellow Orland Park resident Erin Mulcahy and Meghan Hayes, of Chicago’s Scottsdale neighborhood, as well as other attendants from Chicago’s North Side and far western suburbs.

Brennan, who has served as a member of the queen’s court for the past three years, said she had always been interested in the contest.

The parade is another way for her and her family to celebrate their Irish heritage, she said.

“Obviously, I’m 100 percent American, but all of my roots stem from Ireland,” she said.

She considers her selection as queen a tribute to her Irish ancestors, especially her great-grandmother Beatrice McLaughlin Judge, whom she got to know.

“She was the epitome of hard work,” Brennan said of McLaughlin Judge, who emigrated from County Mayo, Ireland.

McLaughlin Judge instilled in her children the importance of education in one’s success. Brennan, who is pursuing her masters of science in nursing degree, said her family has passed the “Irish love of education” on to her.

Brennan works as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, which she described as her dream job.

Brennan will be followed in the parade on March 13 by her court.

Mulcahy, 19, of Orland Park said she is very happy to be in this year’s parade.

“It means a lot to me,” said Mulcahy, who is majoring in special education at Moraine Valley Community College.

Both sets of great-grandparents are from Ireland.

She looks forward to the opportunity to talk about her Irish heritage at different events, she said.

Hayes, 25, who was also a member of the court last year, rounds out the representatives from the Southland.

She is in her fourth and final year of the doctor of pharmacy program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Hayes said she grew up watching the queen and her court.

“It’s really fun,” Hayes said. “I’m from an Irish family. My family really encouraged me to get involved.”

Brennan said she and the court members are ready to have a good time.

“They’re a great group of girls,” she said.

Read the original article from SouthTown Star.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Hundreds of people in Oak Lawn have received CPR training, courtesy of an intense five-week training series.

Learning the lifesaving skills were a mix of 700 local students, teachers, village employees and coaches.

The training was part of the “Oak Lawn Heart Rescue” program, which took shape earlier this year thanks to a grant from the Medtronic Foundation, the charity arm of the Medtronic medical technology company, along with volunteer help from several other companies and local agencies.

It’s the second time Oak Lawn has facilitated the program.

Last year, the program graduated about 1,100 students.

“This didn’t cost taxpayers a dime,” said Lt. Art Clark, the village’s emergency management coordinator. “It’s really hard to come by foundation money, so it’s very gracious for (Medtronic) to fund us a second time.”

Read the original article from SouthTown Star.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

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

Of all the big banks no one has nailed the reflation and recovery trade as well as JP Morgan.  Of course, as we noted last week, they are one of several large banks that have been driving equity prices over the last year so ignore them at your own peril.

JP Morgan is shifting back to a fully bullish posture here. Three weeks ago they shifted to a more cautious position (see here), but have removed the hedges as equity fund flows begin to support the market and fears of fiscal tightening, regulation, and sovereign debt appear overblown.

Based on this change in outlook they are moving back into the recovery trade.  They are now net long equities, credit, commodities with a long dollar hedge and a short bond position:

• Fixed income: Take profit on the short position in US 2s, but add a short in 10-year UK.

• Equities: Current regulatory proposals would hurt bank profitability, offsetting the positive impact from reduced credit losses. UK banks will be the most impacted, followed by the Europeans and then the US banks.

• Credit: Close tactical short and resume overweight in US HG bonds.

• FX: We add USD/EUR to our basket of dollar longs.

• Commodities: Stay long on strong manufacturing growth.

Source: JP Morgan

Read more market commentary at The Pragmatic Capitalist >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Is March 9 The Day Greece Gets Its Bailout From Tim Geithner?
• Markets Start The Month With A Bang, As Asia, Europe, Gold, Resources Have Big Night
• European Finance Minister Refuses To Admit He Needs IMF Help For Greece

When it comes to Twitter, all it takes is a tweet to send everyone wild with speculation and ‘analyses.’ The latest example is a tweet from Twitter engineer Alex Payne, which would indicate that Twitter.com might be getting some features that would make it more competitive with third-party Twitter clients. The tweet holds some meaning to it and it may … (read more)

HTC HD2 owners hoping for some good news regarding a Windows Phone 7 series upgrade for the HTC HD2 can it seems now officially lower their expectations to zero.

Microsoft has confirmed, in an interview with APC Magazine, that the device does not meet their very strict criteria for the new OS.

Natasha Kwan, General Manager for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific region, told APC:

“Because we have very specific requirements for Windows Phone 7 Series the current phones we have right now will not be upgradable”; the HD2 “doesn’t qualify because it doesn’t have the three buttons”.

Tony Wilkinson, Business Operations Director for Microsoft Australia, hinted to APC that it may be due to more than that however. “There are some hardware components that the HD doesn’t have”.

Microsoft is hoping to keep Windows Mobile 6.5 in the market as a low cost and enterprise platform however, and hope recent enhancements to the OS will keep it competitive.

“We think there are people who will want 6.5, and the 6.x platform has a lot of enterprise and line of business apps” Kwan said. “A lot of 6.5 applications have been built very much from the old paradigm of the stylus. Those legacy apps will be a lot more compatible on 6.5.3 because we have magnifier technology which lets you use your finger for navigating, even though it has a much bigger surface area.”

Has Microsoft just scuppered future sales of the HTC HD2? Let us know below.

We’ve joked that if all else fails, then surely Tim Geithner will come to the rescue of Greece.

At least we thought we were joking.

On March 9, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou visits The White House for a meeting with Obama!

Ron Paul, you need to get on this!

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Merkel: There Is "No Possibility" Of Bailing Out Greece
• European Finance Minister Refuses To Admit He Needs IMF Help For Greece
• Careful Euro Bears, Greece Will Try To Dropkick You Next Week

A whoop went up in Nancy’s Pizza in Mokena around noon on Sunday as a volunteer cried, “Let’s make some money!”

The goal was to raise $5,000, and the funds are heading to Haiti as part of the “Mokena Helps Haiti” fundraiser.

Steve Hoblin, one of the fundraiser’s organizers, said he was deeply moved by the devastation he saw in the news after Haiti’s earthquake in January left more than a million people dead, injured or homeless.

“We felt like we wanted to do something to help,” he said.

So Hoblin and co-organizer Kim Gignac teamed up with their fellow parishioners at St. John’s United Church in Mokena, Jim and Mary Ellen Naumczik, to put on a daylong event Sunday to raise money for Haitian relief through the American Red Cross.

The Naumcziks, who own the Nancy’s Pizza locations in Mokena, New Lenox and Bourbonnais, already had raised a few hundred dollars for the cause through collection jars in their restaurants. But the silent auction prizes on display Sunday, including an autographed jersey from Blackhawks player Patrick Sharp and an autographed bat from White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, appeared poised to rake in much more.

“People were so generous with their donations,” Gignac said.

Around lunchtime on Sunday, the fundraiser also drew dozens of people ready to help out by paying for a buffet meal or two at Nancy’s.

“We want to support the cause right now by eating,” joked Jeff Lewandowski, who was there with his wife, Kathy, and daughter, Alana. “We’ll support it later today by helping out here.”

Meanwhile, 12-year-old Tom Hoblin and 14-year-old Kyle Jiminez did their part by manning a table filled with desserts for sale.

“I think it’s nice that we’re helping people in need,” Hoblin said.

“Maybe we could do something like this for the people in Chile’s earthquake, too,” Jiminez added.

Mayor Joe Werner also planned to pitch in later on Sunday, and called the fundraiser a way not only to support those hurting in Haiti but to draw the community together. Mokena residents pulled together in a similar way a few years ago to raise money and collect supplies for residents in the village’s sister city, Moss Point, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina devastated the town, Werner said.

“If you give $10 to the Red Cross, you might think a few minutes later, how much of a difference will that make?” he said. “But when you do it like this, as part of a community, I think it encourages people more.”

Read the original article from SouthTown Star.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Get your Irish on – it’s fest time in Manhattan.

The Irish American Society of County Will has teamed up with the Manhattan Park District to host the Manhattan Irish Fest Friday and Saturday.

The traditional weekend, which began in 1995, will once again include an entertainment tent with cultural music and dancing, a parade and children’s games.

By partnering with the park district, fest chairman Brandon Lipke said they were able to draw more volunteers, “tighten up the reins regarding the fest and bring in different people.”

It takes more than 470 volunteers and more than 1,500 man hours, not including emergency and safety personnel, he said.

Lipke said they are aware the popular South Side Irish parade in Chicago’s Beverly community, has scaled back its event this year and Manhattan is prepared to deal with an influx of people.

“If it happens, we will welcome the patrons, but we will be prepared,” he said. “At this time, we are planning for an average Manhattan Irish Fest with secondary plans.”

The fest committee designed options with Manhattan police and fire departments to have emergency personnel available on fest grounds and throughout the village for “service and security,” Lipke said.

For the past few years, per village ordinance, alcohol is not allowed to be brought into or carried out of the park. Manhattan police will assist with checking identification of patrons, and the fire department will have a first responder on the grounds at all times.

Friday night and Saturday after 4 p.m., admission to the entertainment tent is limited to people age 21 and older.

Fest admission buttons can be purchased in advance online, www.manhattanirishfest.com, and at local schools and businesses for $7, or $10 during the fest. Buttons are required for all events. Children younger than 7 are admitted free of charge with a paying adult.

The entertainment tent in Central Park is open Friday from 5:30 to 11 p.m. and from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, featuring music by The Lonely Schizophrenic, Icewagon FLU, the Ploughboys, John Condron, Whiskey of the Damned, bagpipers and Irish dancers.

Saturday’s fest begins with a 9 a.m. Irish Mass at St. Joseph Church, followed by a parade at 11 a.m.

The family tent, at the park district recreation center, 397 S. State St., will feature a dance Friday night and children’s games and prizes on Saturday.

This year’s parade grand marshals are Noreen Bormet and Karleen Kendall, who with Girl Scout Troop 244 began the Manhattan food pantry in 1997 as a service project. Today, it serves more than 40 families. Bormet and Kendall continue to operate it with a host of volunteers.

Festgoers can park at the Metra commuter lot.

MANHATTAN IRISH FEST

Entertainment Tent Schedule

Friday

5:30 p.m. – Doors open

5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – The Lonely Schizophrenic

7:30 to 8 p.m. – Grand marshals, king, queen

8 to 10:30 p.m – Icewagon FLU

10:30 p.m. – Last pour

11 p.m. – Tent closes

Saturday

Noon – Tunes of Glory Bagpipers

12:15 p.m. – The Ploughboys

1 p.m. – Emerald Society Bagpipers

1:20 p.m. – Irish dancers

1:40 p.m. – The Ploughboys

2 p.m. – King and queen presentation

2:15 to 4 p.m. – John Condron

4:15 to 5:45 p.m. – The Lonely Schizophrenic

6 to 7:30 p.m. – Whiskey of the Damned

7:30 to 8 p.m. -Grand marshals presentation

8 to 10 p.m. – Icewagon FLU

9:30 p.m. – Last pour

10 p.m. – Tent closes

Family Tent Activities

Friday

6:30 p.m. – Doors open

7 to 10 p.m. – All ages dances with DJ Stormin’ Norman and live band, Street Worthy

Saturday

Noon – Irish Step Dancers, children’s games

12:30 p.m. – The Magic Dentist

6 p.m. – All ages dance with DJ and live band.

Other events

9 a.m. – Irish Mass at St. Joseph Church

11 a.m. – Parade in downtown

Read the original article from SouthTown Star.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

An argument between a 23-year-old Army veteran who recently had come back from Afghanistan and his wife turned tragic Saturday night when he fatally shot her in the head in their Oak Lawn home, authorities said.

Joseph Jesk, of the 4600 block of West 101st Street, was charged Sunday afternoon with one count of murder, Oak Lawn Police Div. Chief Mike Kaufmann said. A bond hearing for Jesk is set for 9:30 a.m. today.

An Oak Lawn police car is parked Sunday outside the home of Heather Jesk in the 4600 block of West 101st Street. Police found Jesk in the home dead Saturday from a gunshot wound to her head. Joseph Jesk, her husband, has been charged with one count of murder.

(Matt Marton/SouthtownStar)

Police responded to a call from the home at 10:47 p.m. Saturday and found Jesk’s 23-year-old wife, Heather, lying on the basement floor with a gunshot wound to the head, Kaufmann said.

Heather Jesk was pronounced dead at 6:10 a.m. Sunday at the Cook County medical examiner’s office, and an autopsy Sunday ruled her death a homicide, authorities said.

Immediately after the shooting, Joseph Jesk fled from the home, but he called police 15 minutes later to turn himself in, Kaufmann said.

Jesk was taken into custody near 95th Street and Cicero Avenue, and it appeared that he may have been heading to the Oak Lawn police station, Kaufmann said. Officers discovered a knife in Jesk’s pocket when they arrested him, he said.

The Jesks had been at a benefit for another family member earlier in the evening, and police believed Joseph Jesk had been drinking, Kaufmann said. Family members told police that Jesk and his wife had gotten into a fight after coming home and had gone downstairs to the basement when the shooting occurred, he said, and that Jesk had also fought with his father earlier in the evening.

Jesk was discharged from a tour in Afghanistan in mid-January, Kaufmann said, although he did not know the reason for the discharge.

Mayor Dave Heilmann said Sunday that family members told police that Jesk had not been “acting normally” since returning from Afghanistan, and that Jesk had been recounting a violent story about two children in Afghanistan around the time of the shooting.

“There’s no reason for other residents in the neighborhood to be concerned. It’s a very tragic domestic incident,” Heilmann said. “Nobody knows what a soldier goes through. … Our prayers are with the family.”

The Jesks had been living in the basement of Joseph Jesk’s parents’ home, but were planning to move out Sunday to a new place in Crestwood, Heilmann said.

Jesk’s parents were not home at the time of the shooting, Kaufmann said.

Police still were on the scene Sunday afternoon at the Jesk home, and several cars were parked in the driveway. Neighbors who asked not to be identified said that the family had lived on the street for decades and that Joseph Jesk had two siblings.

Read the original article from SouthTown Star.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

It wasn’t just copper that got off to a good start, post-Chilean earthquake.

Markets across the board are starting the month on a positive note. Gold, which had been looking like a sick dog, is starting to move again, and is back above $1120.

US futures are looking solidly higher:

And in general the Europe and Asia moved higher as well.

On the Greece front, the mixed messages remain loud and clear, as, contrary to the comments of Angela Merkel, reports continue to emanate of some kind of German-led bailout. So, we wait.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Merkel: There Is "No Possibility" Of Bailing Out Greece
• Gartman: China Is Definitely Ramping Up Its Gold Holdings To Catch Up With Other Countries
• Forget Chile, Here’s The Real Story Behind Copper

This is more or less stating the obvious to most folks around here, but UK consumer rights advocates, Consumer Focus, has put out a report pointing out that copyright law is obsolete and confusing to most consumers, leading many of them to infringe on copyrights frequently without even realizing it. This, the group notes, is a problem that should lead the government to fix copyright law by adapting it to the times. Of course, the UK seems to be going in the opposite direction these days with the Digital Economy Bill…. Still, it’s nice to see more consumer groups realizing how outdated copyright law is these days.

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Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the Eurozone’s finance ministers, is refusing to acknowledge any need for IMF help.

Europe can take care of the current crisis on its own:

EU Business:

“I think that a commitment by the IMF, beyond technical help, is not necessary,” Juncker told the German business daily Handelsblatt.

…

The IMF’s role in a possible Greek rescue divides politicians in Europe, with those opposed saying the 16-nation eurozone is capable of dealing with the situation.

Others say the fund has more experience helping countries get their finances in order and could impose more fiscal discipline than European authorities.

Let’s just hope that pride doesn’t get in the way of asking for help, if or when it is truly needed.

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See Also:

• Head Of IMF Calls On Member States To Give Him Global Oversight Of The Financial System
• Euro Bulls Suffer A Near Miss As IMF Suggests Europe Target Higher Inflation
• Gold Survives Body Blows From IMF And Bernanke And Is Now Above $1120

Pro-copyright lobbyists backed by old media-content companies, meaning mostly movie studios and record labels, are trying to change copyright law all over the world in order to prop up their obsolete business models. And just because they don’t get any luck on the web, they want to make sure the experience is just as miserable for the… (read more)