My friend Heidi recently gave me one of these sweet little kitty key rings from German contemporary gadget design company, Troika. It has a sleek modern form, with an aluminum body and a durable wire loop to hold your keys. The perfect little gift for any moderncat lover.
Available for $19 US from Amazon in black
Thanks, Heidi!
We keep hearing about more and more revelations of unlawful spying on Americans, often with the President’s explicit approval. It’s really quite impressive (if not surprising) how often the regular oversight process for surveillance appears to be ignored or abused. The latest, brought to us, once again, by the tireless efforts of the EFF, is to reveal hundreds of reports from the Defense Department concerning surveillance efforts that the Inspector General has “reason to believe are unlawful.”
What’s really amazing here is that the US does have clear processes for surveillance and wiretapping efforts. But it seems like these processes are regularly ignored. So it makes you ask why? The most likely reason is that those involved know that these attempts wouldn’t be approved. For a country that supposedly believes in due process and civil rights, it seems like we have a long, long way to go.
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After a little teaser and some leaked images, the 2011 Lexus CT 200h has finally made its official debut. Lexus said that production will start in late 2010 and is set for sale worldwide, meaning previous report of the model not coming to the stateside may not be true.
The five-door compact CT 200h’s Lexus Hybrid System consists of a 1.8L VVT-i gasoline engine mated to a powerful electric-motor fueled by nickel-metal hydride batteries. Drivers also have the choice selecting between four drive modes including, EV, ECO, Normal and Sport mode.
Click here to get prices on the 2010 Lexus HS 250h.
Unlike a mild-hybrid system, the CT 200h has an EV (electric-vehicle) mode that allows it to run on only on its electric-motor for up to 1.2 miles at speeds of up to 28 mph.
Hit the jump for the press release and the high-res image gallery.
Press Release:
INTRODUCING THE LEXUS CT 200h
* Lexus’s first premium compact model
* Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain with 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine and powerful but compact electric motor
* Full hybrid system with selectable EV mode for emissions-free electric running
* Further selectable ECO, NORMAL and SPORT driving modes
* ECVT intelligent electronic continuously variable transmission
* Expected to deliver class-leading CO2 emissions
* Significantly lower NOx emissions than equivalent diesel engines and almost no particulates
* Long, 2,600mm wheelbase ensures excellent accommodation for everyone on board
* Debut at Geneva motor show prior to worldwide sales launch in late 2010
The new Lexus CT 200h is the first full hybrid vehicle to be launched in the premium compact segment. Entering production in late 2010 and set for sale worldwide, the full hybrid model will provide a new gateway to the Lexus range and attract new, younger customers to the brand.
The CT 200h was designed and developed with the European market in mind. Lexus’s first five-door compact car, its size, packaging, full hybrid technology and low emissions fully address the requirements of discerning, environment-conscious customers in a key market sector. At the same time, it does not compromise the quality, refinement and driving pleasure that are the hallmarks of every Lexus.
Exterior and interior design
The production-ready CT 200h retains strong visual links to the LF-Ch concept Lexus unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. Its styling marks a powerful evolution of Lexus’s L-finesse design philosophy with a distinctive, sharp-edged look that sets it apart from its premium compact rivals.
The exterior is styled for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and minimum wind noise. The strong front grille, directly referencing the LF-Ch concept sits over a full-width bumper and air dam. The headlamp units, positioned higher than the grille (a signature feature of L-finesse design), incorporate LED daytime running lights.
In profile, the steeply raked windscreen, long, flowing roofline and Lexus slingshot window graphic combine to create an elegant and distinctive silhouette. The front and rear corners have been pulled in tight and the wings are styled to improve airflow down the sides of the vehicle.
At the rear, the trailing edge of the roof overhangs a wide, wraparound rear window to create a seamless, integrated spoiler. A pronounced step in the tailgate section flows from the shoulders of the rear wheelarches and is anchored by a tail lamp design that displays the L-shaped motif that Lexus first introduced on the current LS model.
The interior combines superior ergonomics with extensive use of metallic finishes and dark, soft-touch surfaces.
Lexus has retained the asymmetrical dashboard design seen in the LF-Ch show car. Based on the Future Lexus Interior concept, the dashboard is split into an upper Display Zone, with an eight-inch LCD multi-display screen; and a lower Operation Zone, with the shift lever and other controls such as Lexus’s Remote Touch multi-function controller.
In keeping with the car’s performance, the driving position is set low, with a highly supportive driver’s seat. The instrument binnacle houses large, twin dials; in SPORT mode, the hybrid indicator in the binnacle functions as a tachometer and the ambient lighting turns from blue to red. The two-mode switch ring and a spotlight in the centre cluster also light up in red, changing the whole atmosphere of the cabin.
In spite of its compact, efficient design, the CT 200h offers a roomy interior. The 2,600mm wheelbase allows for front and rear passenger accommodation that is among the most spacious in the segment. Luggage capacity is 345 litres, increasing to 700 litres with the rear seats lowered.
Lexus Hybrid Drive
The Lexus Hybrid Drive system in the CT 200h combines a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine with a powerful electric motor. Drivers have the choice of four selectable drive modes: ECO and NORMAL place the emphasis on efficiency and comfort, while SPORT focuses on dynamic performance.
Unlike mild hybrid systems used by other manufacturers, the CT 200h also has an EV (electric vehicle) mode that allows for ultra-quiet running on the electric motor alone, resulting in zero fuel consumption and CO2, NOx and particulate emissions. The car is capable of running in EV mode for up to 1.2 miles at speeds up to 28mph.
Chassis and suspension
The CT 200h is built on a new platform with a dedicated double wishbone and trailing arm rear suspension system. It has been developed specifically to combine the ride comfort expected of a Lexus with superior driving involvement and handling agility.
Several elements in the MacPherson strut design have been exclusively developed for the mode, including the coil springs and shock absorbers, and a new front anti-roll bar has been designed to deliver improved roll rigidity.
The double wishbone rear suspension is exclusive to the CT 200h and incorporates a lightweight trailing arm. The springs and shocks are positioned separately to minimise intrusion into the loadspace floor.
Lexus CT 200h outline technical specifications
| LEXUS HYBRID DRIVE | |
| ENGINE | |
| Number of cylinders | 4, in-line |
| Displacement (cc) | 1,800 |
| MOTOR GENERATOR | |
| Motor type | Permanent magnet synchronous motor |
| HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY | |
| Battery type | Nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) |
| TRANSMISSION | |
| Type | Front-wheel drive |
| Gearbox type | Electrically controlled continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) |
| SUSPENSION | |
| Front | MacPherson strut with anti-roll bar, coil springs and shock absorbers |
| Rear | Double wishbone with coil springs and shock absorbers |
| STEERING | |
| Type | Electric power-assisted rack and pinion |
| EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS | |
| Overall length (mm) | 4,320 |
| Overall width (mm) | 1,765 |
| Overall height (mm) | 1,430 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2,600 |
| Front track (mm) | 1,525 |
| Rear track (mm) | 1,525 |
| Front overhang (mm) | 915 |
| Rear overhang (mm) | 805 |
| WHEELS | |
| Type/size | Alloy, 17in |
| LUGGAGE CAPACITY | |
| Rear seat up (l, VDA) | 345 |
| Rear seat down (l, VDA) | 700 |
– By: Omar Rana
At today’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Ron Paul asked Hillary Clinton how she can justify spending $1 billion to build a “fortress” in London while Americans are hurting economically.
Location: House Foreign Affairs Committee
Date: 02/25/2010
Transcript coming soon
Related posts:
Gemeindebezirk Innere Stadt, Austria | Outsider Architecture
After a dispute with the government over construction of his spherical house in central Vienna, the Austrian artist Edwin Lipburger declared his property an independent nation in 1984 and renamed it the Republic of Kugelmugel. Lipburger was sentenced to jail for his refusal to pay taxes and his insistence on printing his own stamps. However, a pardon from the Austrian president saved him from serving time.
Kugelmugel (roughly “Spherical Hill”) was eventually moved to Prater park, an amusement park in Vienna where it has become a tourist attraction. Outside the house Edwin has posted a long “Scheisse list.” The list includes the mayor Dr. Helmut Zilk, who forged a demolition permit for Kugelmugel. Though the Republic of Kugelmugel is enclosed in barbed wire, it is still possible to get a glimpse of the micro-nation from the surrounding Austrian park land.
Kazakhstan, Asia | Watery Wonders
A man made environmental disaster has left a once-great sea dry, the land polluted, and the locals inundated with disease.
The destruction of the Aral Sea is a strange legacy of the US Civil War, when the US cut off cotton exports to the outside world. In Russia, the decision was made to irrigate land in the recently assimilated central Asian countries and develop their own cotton industry. At the time, the Aral Sea was the world’s fourth largest inland sea.
By 1937, the area had successfully become a major exporter of cotton with little impact on the natural environment. But starting in the 1950s, aggressive Soviet irrigation projects stemming from the Aral Sea started to have an adverse impact. Between 1960 and 1980, the water level dropped by 20 meters, exposing sea beds, and increasing the salinity levels of the lake until the fish population died off.
Today, the sea is nearly dry and has separated into two much smaller seas. Fishing boats sit aground, rusting in a vast contaminated desert wasteland.
To make what is an already horrific situation worse, on the island of Vozrozhdeniye, in the center of the former Aral Sea are the remains of the Soviet Union’s extensive bio-warfare experimentation. Experiments with anthrax, plague and smallpox were conducted here in open air tests in the 1950s. The base was hastily abandoned in the 1990s following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the canisters of disease agents buried, and the land coated with bleach. In the years since the abandonment, the island has slowly become part of the mainland.
A US anti-terrorist team visited the remains of the island in 2001, in theory to clean up any remaining bio-warfare agents, but a visit by author Nick Middleton in 2005 showed signs that there is still plenty to be worried about. He found the island crawling with local looters, disturbing old buildings, and wearing no protection. Test tubes and feeding troughs for test animals were still in place. Although some diseases like smallpox can be virtually eliminated by exposure to UV over time, the same can not be said for Anthrax which has a very long and stubborn lifespan, and once inhaled, has a mortality rate of 90%.
The local population suffers from abnormally high cancer rates, tuberculosis, and anemia, made worse by the poverty caused from the death of the formerly lucrative local fishing industry. The causes for the diseases are being traced back to the pesticides used on the cotton crops to the south.
In 2000, UNESCO developed a rescue plan for the area which attempts to reclaim water for the sea by 2025, but it is regarded as unrealistic by many. The people with most ability to directly impact this is the government of Uzbekistan, where the cotton fields are, but they are reluctant to make any changes as their country’s delicate economy hinges on the success of the cotton crop. The World Bank funded a small dam that has protected and even raised water levels in the northern portion of the sea, but most agree that the rest could disappear completely within 15 years.
The remains of the sea are remote, reachable after a day’s drive through the desert.
We like boxarts. And we like them all the more if it’s for a majorly anticipated game. Say, like Lost Planet 2. Capcom’s finally released the official boxart for the Japanese version of the game, and whoa, it
Nominee Dawn Johnsen
Today, consideration of the Dawn Johnsen nomination to lead the critical Office of Legal Counsel at the DOJ was delayed and put off, yet again, for the fourth time. From Main Justice:
The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday postponed for the fourth time a vote on on the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to head the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel because of the White House health care summit with members of Congress this morning.
Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said the health care summit, which several members of the panel attended, was an “extraordinary circumstance.” Traditionally, panel members can only ask to hold over a nominee once.
Any excuse is a good excuse. Note, however, that the Senate Judiciary Committee was able to find time today, in spite of the healthcare summit, to pass a witness protection bill the DOJ sought. Oh, and the SJC also found time to approve the nominations of two US Attorney candidates, both of whom were just nominated by President Obama two months ago on December 24th. But they just couldn’t find time for Dawn Johnsen, who was tapped by Obama to lead the OLC over a year ago, before Obama was even inaugurated.
It is interesting that the two US Attorney nominees moved out of Committee today were nominated on December 24, 2009 as that was the very same day the first nomination of Dawn Johnsen to lead the OLC was killed by the obstreperous neglect of the Obama Administration.
In fairness to the SJC, they have arguably had excuses for the four, count em four, instances in which they have set over consideration of Obama’s renomination of Johnsen this year. Further, Chairman Pat Leahy, as well as SJC members Sheldon Whitehouse and Arlen Specter, have all been forthright in their desire to get Johnsen confirmed.
But the Senate, whether the Judiciary Committee or having 60 votes to obtain cloture on the floor, has never really been the hold up on confirmation of Dawn Johnsen; the failure has been an utter lack of desire by the Obama White House to confirm their own nominee. I have previously established that the Obama White House had the sixty (60) votes necessary to confirm Dawn Johnsen as of the split second Senator Al Franken was sworn in and seated on July 7, 2009.
If there were any questions about Arlen Specter being the 60th vote for Johnsen’s confirmation for the entire second half of Obama’s first year in office, they were answered completely by Senator Specter two days ago. If you want extra gravy on the proof, add in the fact that the two Senators from Maine, Snowe and Collins, have never indicated they would block a vote on Johnsen and have allowed up or down votes in such situations before, and Ben Nelson has never even been asked by the White House to support her.
So, when the Obama White House has been able to confirm their own nominee all this time, and they refuse to even request a vote, you have to wonder why? You would think with all the recent commotion about the lack of ethics and shoddy work produced by the Office of Legal Counsel over the last eight years, and the inability of the DOJ to police the substandard work of their own attorneys, getting a strong, principled, experienced and competent leader like Dawn Johnsen confirmed would be a glaring priority for Barack Obama and his White House team, just like Obama swore was his desire when he first nominated her.
You would think confirming Dawn Johnsen would be a priority for the Obama White House, but clearly you would be wrong. What is even more startling is, given the heavy exposure of the problems in the OLC, and inability of OPR to regulate it, the last few days that no one in the press and media are asking the Obama White House why they have so hung their own nominee out to dry. I guess prattling on and on about the Kabuki theater of the health care summit and the status of Sally Quinn’s dysfunctional family is just more important to the papers of record these days.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Vancouver police say a body has been discovered and that it could be that of missing “Growing Pains” actor Andrew Koenig.
Police said in a release Thursday that they would release more details at a news conference later, and say Koenig’s family will be present.
Police have asked reporters to gather in downtown Vancouver, where the body was found at about noon Thursday.
Koenig, 41, was visiting friends in Vancouver when he went missing more than a week ago.
The Venice, California, native had a recurring role on the 1980s sitcom as Boner, a pal of star Kirk Cameron’s character, Mike.
Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
It seems to happen every year around this time. Senators on the Judiciary Committee announce that they’ve got a plan for patent reform. We’ve been hearing the same thing for about half a decade now, and while legislation gets introduced, it never actually goes anywhere. I’ll be curious to see what they’ve got this year, but since they claim they’ve come “close to a compromise,” my guess is that, like previous patent reform bills, there will be a lot of hype, and it probably won’t do all that much to get at the real problems with the patent system. It may fix some things around the edges, but like last year’s bill there will be a lot of bad things in the bill as well.
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It looks like the Kingdom of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not looking too kindly upon mature-themed video games. After banning Heavy Rain from their territory, we’ve just received word that two more games are following suit:
Head’s up, PlayStation fans! The US weekly PlayStation Store update is now up. This weeks lineup is headlined by the much awaited God of War III demo. It also includes the latest episode of The Tester, more
At this time of year, the bulk of the news coming out of Hollywood has to do with the Academy Awards – who is expected to win them, what food will be served, what goodie bags the stars will go home with, etc. But, lest we forget, films are still coming down the pipeline fast and furious. Let’s take a look at some of the flicks that will keep us occupied through spring. Movies are compiled by the Associated Press. Some films open in limited release. Release dates, provided by Internet Movie Database, are subject to change.
– Danielle Hatch/Journal Star
IRON MAN 2 (May 7): At the end of his first blockbuster about the guy in the gadget-laden metal suit, Robert Downey Jr.’s billionaire genius Tony Stark proclaims to the world, “I am Iron Man.”
So much for secret identities.
In the sequel, “we see what the ramifications of that announcement from the first film were,” said Jon Favreau, director of the “Iron Man” films. “He already had his hands full just being Tony Stark, but now he’s Iron Man, as well. What are the effects of that level of fame and expectation?”
This time, Tony faces bad guy Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who has his own arsenal of high-tech weapons.
Favreau likes having a hero and villain played by actors who have bounced back from tough personal times, Downey with substance abuse, Rourke with self-destructive anger issues.
“What attracted me to both of them must have had something, on some level, to do with how difficult their journeys had been,” Favreau said. “It somehow shines through the performances that they give. It’s hard to find somebody young that carries that experience in their face and their eyes.”
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (March 5): Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s take on the Lewis Carroll adventures of a girl who goes through the looking glass.
THE BOUNTY HUNTER (March 19): Jennifer Aniston is a bail-jumping reporter pursued by her bounty-hunter ex-hubby (Gerard Butler).
CLASH OF THE TITANS (April 2): Ancient Greek hero Perseus (Sam Worthington) takes on Hades, lord of the underworld. With Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes.
DATE NIGHT (April 9): A weekly night out turns into a wild ride for a suburban couple (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) whose romance has become routine.
DEATH AT A FUNERAL (April 16): Crazy things happen at a family patriarch’s funeral. With Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover.
FURRY VENGEANCE (April 2): Animals fight back against the housing developer (Brendan Fraser) whose project in the Oregon wilderness threatens their habitat.
GREEN ZONE (March 12): Matt Damon goes searching for weapons of mass destruction in a thriller set in Iraq as the war there heats up in 2003.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (March 26): The world of the Vikings gets a makeover in this animated story of a misfit teen and his dragon.
I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (April 30): A con man (Jim Carrey) finds his soul mate (Ewan McGregor) while doing prison time.
KICK-ASS (April 16): A youth with no superpowers decides to don a costume to fight crime as a superhero. With Nicolas Cage.
KILLERS (June 4): An ex-assassin (Ashton Kutcher) and his wife (Katherine Heigl) go on the run after he’s targeted for a hit in this action comedy.
LETTERS TO JULIET (May 7): An old letter to the doomed heroine of “Romeo and Juliet” sparks romance for two women (Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave).
THE LOSERS (April 23): A Special Forces team seeks revenge after its members are betrayed and presumed dead on a mission. With Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
MACGRUBER (April 23): The “Saturday Night Live” bit about a hapless special-ops man (Will Forte) gets big-screen treatment. With Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig.
MARMADUKE (June 4): Owen Wilson provides the voice of the Great Dane in a family comedy based on the canine comic strip.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (April 30): Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley) is back to terrorize people in their dreams in an update of the 1980s slasher franchise.
REMEMBER ME (March 12): A newfound romance between two youths (“Twilight” star Robert Pattinson and “Lost” co-star Emilie de Ravin) is threatened as they both try to cope with family tragedies. With Pierce Brosnan.
REPO MEN (March 19): In a future where mechanical organs are repossessed for lack of payment, a former repo man (Jude Law) becomes the prey of his old partner (Forest Whitaker).
SEASON OF THE WITCH (March): A medieval knight (Nicolas Cage) is assigned to escort a peasant girl the church suspects of bringing on the Black Plague by witchcraft.
SEX AND THE CITY 2 (May 28): Sarah Jessica Parker and her Manhattan mates return for more fashionable urban romantic angst.
TYLER PERRY’S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO? (April 2): Filmmaker Perry co-stars with Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba and other cast mates for this relationship sequel.
Read the original article from Journal Star.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
With tempers flaring, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans clashed in an extraordinary live-on-TV summit Thursday over the right prescription for the nation’s broken health care system, talking of agreement but holding to long-entrenched positions that leave them far apart.
“We have a very difficult gap to bridge here,” said Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican. “We just can’t afford this. That’s the ultimate problem.”
With Cantor sitting in front of a giant stack of nearly 2,400 pages representing the Democrats’ Senate-passed bill, Obama said cost is a legitimate question, but he took Cantor and other Republicans to task for using political shorthand and props “that prevent us from having a conversation.”
And so it went, hour after hour at Blair House, just across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House — a marathon policy debate available from start to finish to a divided public.
The more than six-hour back-and-forth was essentially a condensed, one-day version of the entire past year of debate over the nation’s health care crisis, with all its heat, complexity and detail, and a crash course in the partisan divide, in which Democrats seek the kind of broad remake that has eluded leaders for half a century and Republicans favor much more modest changes. With Democrats in control of the White House and Congress, they were left with the critical decision about where to go next.
Obama and his Democratic allies argued at Thursday’s meeting that a broad overhaul is imperative for the nation’s future economic vitality. The president cast health care as “one of the biggest drags on our economy,” tying his top domestic priority to an issue that’s even more pressing to many Americans.
“This is the last chance, as far as I’m concerned,” Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.
Obama lamented partisan bickering that has resulted in a stalemate over legislation to extend coverage to more than 30 million people who are now uninsured. “Politics I think ended up trumping practical common sense,” he said.
And yet, even as he pleaded for cooperation — “actually a discussion, and not just us trading talking points” — he insisted on a number of Democratic points and acknowledged agreement may not be possible. “I don’t know that those gaps can be bridged,” Obama said.
With hardened positions well staked out before the meeting, the president and his Democratic allies prepared to move on alone — a gamble with political risks no matter how they do that.
One option — preferred by the White House and progressives in the Democratic caucus — is to try to pass a comprehensive plan without GOP support, by using controversial Senate budget reconciliation rules that would disallow filibusters. GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander asked Democrats to swear off a jam-it-through approach, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., defended it. Obama weighed in with gentle chiding, asking both sides to focus on substance and worry about process later — a plea he made repeatedly throughout the day with little success.
A USA Today/Gallup survey released Thursday found Americans tilt 49-42 against Democrats forging ahead by themselves without any GOP support. Opposition was even stronger to the idea of Senate Democrats using the special budget rules, with 52 percent opposed and 39 percent in favor.
A second alternative for Obama and his party is going smaller, with a modest bill that would merely smooth some of the rough edges from the current system. A month after the Massachusetts election that cost Democrats their Senate supermajority and threw the health legislation in doubt, the White House has developed its own slimmed-down health care proposal so the president will know what the impact would be if he chooses that route, according to a Democratic official familiar with the discussions. That official could not provide details, but Democrats have looked at approaches including expanding Medicaid and allowing children to stay on their parents’ health plans until around age 26.
Obama himself hinted at a Democrats-only strategy. When asked by reporters as he walked to the summit site if he had a Plan B, he responded: “I’ve always got plans.”
Many lawmakers and Obama stressed areas of agreement, including items such as allowing parents to keep young adult children on their health plans into their 20s, cutting fraud and waste and ensuring that sick people aren’t dropped by insurance companies. But such items occupy the edges of reform.
Indeed, any skepticism about reaching broad consensus was vindicated as soon as the first Republican spoke — in opposition to the mammoth bills that have passed the House and Senate. Alexander, of Tennessee, said Congress and the administration should start over and take small steps, including medical malpractice reform, high-risk insurance pools, a way to allow Americans to shop out of state for lower-cost plans and an expansion of health savings accounts.
“We believe we have a better idea,” Alexander said. “Our views represent the views of a great number of American people.”
Disagreements were not always expressed diplomatically.
Alexander challenged Obama’s claim that insurance premiums would fall under the Democratic legislation. “You’re wrong,” he said. Responded Obama: “I’m pretty certain I’m not wrong.”
As with much in the complicated health care debate, both sides had a point. The Congressional Budget Office says average premiums for people buying insurance individually would be 10 to 13 percent higher in 2016 under the Senate legislation, as Alexander said. But the policies would cover more medical services, and around half of people could get government subsidies to defray the extra costs.
Obama and his 2008 GOP opponent for the presidency, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, had a barbed exchange. McCain complained at length about what he said was a backdoor process to produce the original bills that resulted in favors for special interests and carve-outs for certain states.
“We’re not campaigning anymore. The election’s over,” responded a clearly irritated Obama.
“I’m reminded of that every day,” McCain shot back, adding that “the American people care about what we did and how we did it.”
Said Obama: “We can have a debate about process or we can have a debate about how we’re actually going to help the American people at this point. And I think that’s — the latter debate is the one that they care about a little bit more.”
Generally, polls show Americans want solutions to the problems of high medical costs, eroding access to coverage and uneven quality. But they are split over the Democrats’ sweeping legislation, with its $1 trillion, 10-year price tag and many complex provisions, including some that wouldn’t take effect for eight years.
The Democratic bills would require most Americans to get health insurance, while providing subsidies for many in the form of a new tax credit. The Democrats would set up a competitive insurance market for small businesses and people buying coverage on their own. Democrats also would make a host of other changes, which include addressing a coverage gap in the Medicare prescription benefit and setting up a new long-term-care insurance program. Their plan would be paid for through a mix of Medicare cuts and tax increases.
“Not only are lawmakers polarized, the parties’ constituencies are far apart,” said Robert Blendon, a Harvard University professor who follows public opinion trends on health care. “The president is going to use it as a launching pad for what will be the last effort to get a big bill passed. He will say that he tried to get a bipartisan compromise and it wasn’t possible.”
The Blair House setting wasn’t grand, or even particularly comfortable. About 40 senators, representatives and administration officials were crowded shoulder-to-shoulder around a hollow square table, perched for the six-hour marathon on wooden chairs with thin cushions. Coffee breaks were ruled out, so the only pause in the action came during lunch.
C-SPAN carried complete coverage, while news operations from cable networks to public broadcasting were making it the focus of their day.
Leaving the site during a lunch break, Obama was asked by waiting reporters if he thought the debate was engendering a lot of interest across the country.
“I don’t know if it’s interesting watching it on TV,” he responded.
___
Associated Press writers Erica Werner, Ben Feller and Natasha Metzler contributed to this story.
Read the original article from Journal Star.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet is an “excellent facility” that looks like it would meet the needs for a veterans facility in the south and southwest suburbs, a Department of Veterans Affairs official says.
An assessment team from the department visited Silver Cross on Tuesday to decide whether it would make a suitable veterans facility.
On Wednesday, VA Undersecretary Dr. Robert Petzel informed U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) of the results.
“Bringing a veterans health facility to Silver Cross would make quality health care more accessible in my district and the region, and our veterans deserve that,” Halvorson said. “The visit and the words of confidence from Undersecretary Petzel are encouraging steps forward toward expanded veterans’ health services.
The movement to transform Silver Cross Hospital into a VA started in 2008 after hospital officials announced plans to move to a new facility on U.S. 6 off Interstate 355 in New Lenox. The new facility is to open in 2012.
Tuesday’s update came during a House Veterans Affairs committee hearing to discuss the 2011 fiscal year budget.
Last month, Aunt Martha’s Youth Service Center announced its desire to build a community health facility on the Silver Cross campus. Those plans depend on the approval of $6 million in federal stimulus funds.
Halvorson also announced the possibility of turning the hospital into a mega-outpatient facility for veterans that could include employment assistance and other services that could help smooth returning soldiers’ transition back to home life.
Jim Canup, who spearheaded the movement to transform the facility into a VA hospital for the Will County Council of the American Legion, said the VA’s report was good news.
“This is good to know,” Canup said. “This has been a long journey. I knew Silver Cross would get a good evaluation because it is an excellent facility. My wife and I have gone there, and the care has been excellent.”
While Canup would prefer getting “the whole enchilada” when it comes to the VA hospital, he welcomes anything that could be done to improve the services for area veterans.
No final decisions have been made.
Read the original article from SouthTown Star.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Ford
Last year we reported that Oklahoma-based Classic Recreations had signed a licensing deal with Shelby to produce brand new versions of the 1967 Shelby GT500. At the time we only had a few renderings to show you, but the company has just released a slew of new photos showing off every detail of the just-finished prototype car.
Named the GT500CR, the old-but-new Shelby mixes both modern and classic components for the best of both worlds. Rack and pinion steering, a modern suspension, drilled and slotted Baer brakes and tight-fitting fiberglass body panels are all improvements over the original ’67 Shelbys, and the 427ci V8 putting out 545 horsepower ensures it will be quite a bit faster too.
The GT500CR also offers a deluxe 1967 interior with Carroll Shelby signature seats and gauges, 17-inch wheels and tires, nine-inch rear end and a Tremec transmission. Feeling brave? You can also opt for the Venom model that adds a supercharger system good for 780 horsepower. Get all the details in the high-res mega gallery below.
Gallery: Classic Recreations Shelby G.T.500CR
[Source: Classic Recreations]
Continue reading Classic Recreations Shelby GT500CR shows its face in Las Vegas
Classic Recreations Shelby GT500CR shows its face in Las Vegas originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A man filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Cook County sheriff and a deputy he claims falsely arrested him and left his young son in a vehicle on Interstate 57 near Oak Forest.
On Sept. 13, 2009, Cook County Sheriffs Deputy D. Woods stopped a vehicle driven by Daryl Morgan on Interstate 57 at 167th Street, according to a suit filed in U.S. District Court.
The suit claims Morgan was arrested and his young son was left at the scene of the arrest. The suit does not indicate the exact age of the son.
Morgan was released from the Cook County Jail more than two days after the arrest and criminal charges were dropped, according to the suit.
Morgan claims the deputy had no reason to arrest him, and there was not a warrant for his arrest. The four-count suit claims false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and indemnification and is seeking judgment against Woods and Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart.
Cook County Sheriffs office spokesman Steve Patterson said Morgan has never filed a complaint with the sheriffs office or any other authorities.
Patterson laughed at the idea of anyone leaving a child behind on an interstate highway, and he forwarded any other questions to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, who could not reached Thursday morning.
Police officers dont generally leave kids on the side of the road, Patterson said.
Read the original article from SouthTown Star.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
Edward Tenney is eligible under the law to receive a death sentence.
A DuPage County jury deliberated about 15 minutes Thursday before finding prosecutors proved one or more aggravating statutory eligibility factors exist.
The real fight, in which the defense team tries to save the triple killer’s life, lies ahead.
Tenney, 50, is serving two life prison terms for the 1993 fatal shootings of dairy heiress Mary Jill Oberweis and 75-year-old Virginia Johannessen, killed 10 months apart in separate robberies in Aurora Township.
Earlier this week, jurors convicted Tenney of a third murder – his first – for opening fire on 24-year-old Jerry Weber late on April 16, 1992, before robbing him of a wallet containing $6, as he tried to free his mired work van from a muddy Aurora field.
The defendant’s cousin, Donald Lippert, 34, serving an 80-year prison term for his role in all three slayings, testified Thursday he was Tenney’s teenage partner in crime. Lippert described how Tenney struck Johannessen in the head with a hammer after shooting the elderly widow during a home invasion.
“I looked at her and said I think she’s still alive,” Lippert said. “Ed came back over, pulled her head back, checked for a pulse … and whacked her in the head.”
The cousins were arrested in 1995 for the three murders after police linked them to two guns used in the shootings and robbery proceeds. Lippert confessed, while Tenney still maintains his innocence.
Barbara Johannessen-Bailey identified her slain mother’s jewelry and an alarm clock that authorities said were recovered in a St. Charles storage locker rented by Lippert’s father. Outside of court, she described how her mother was widowed in 1968 and alone raised two young daughters.
“She was incredible – absolutely incredible,” Johannessen-Bailey said. “She was tough, and resilient. I don’t know how she did it. I honestly don’t.”
After Jerry Weber was killed, his 21-year-old widow also was left alone to raise their two sons, then ages 3 weeks old and 2 years old. Sharon Weber said she supports the death penalty for her husband’s murder.
Prosecutors argued Tenney is eligible for the death penalty because he was at least 18, killed two or more people in separate crimes and that the murders were committed in the commission of another felony – armed robbery.
The sentencing hearing, before DuPage Circuit Judge Daniel Guerin, is expected to last one week.
Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
In Connecticut, How to Win Votes and Influence People – by PAUL JACKSON - Do you live in Connecticut? Has your home been foreclosed upon, but you want to stay there for a little while longer? For free? Then Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has the offer a lifetime for you: don’t answer the door when your lender comes knocking, and you’ll get at least 90 days free of charge. It’s a message that seems to go against the tide of both Congress and the Obama administration—which have repeatedly asked homeowners to work with their lenders in times of trouble … – HousingWire
Survey Finds Short Sales Outnumber REO in January Purchases – by DIANA GOLOBAY – HousingWire
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How Big Is the Threat from Option ARMs? – By BARBARA KIVIAT – … How worried should we be? Perhaps very, according to a chart from a recent report by Amherst Securities. … By the middle of next year, more then $10 billion worth of option ARMs will reset higher each month, according to data from mortgage tracker Loan Performance. … – Time.com
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US CMBS Delinquency Rate Not Likely to Peak Until 2011 – Despite an improving economy, Standard &Poor’s expects delinquencies on loans backing commercial mortgage-backed securities to keep rising until job numbers meaningfully improve and employers feel confident that a recovery is firmly underway. “In 2010, we expect higher vacancies and lower rents to continue to fuel delinquencies, especially for underperforming properties,” S&P says in its latest CMBS Quarterly Insights. – Has selected excerpts – Research Recap
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Mortgage Crunch Coming – John Lounsbury – … I’m talking about new mortgages. The graph below shows the problem, courtesy of David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff (Canada). The spread is now under 0.4% between the average 30-year mortgage rate and the 30-year Treasury bond. This is more than 1% less than the historical norm, which Rosenberg says is around 1.5%. That means that if the market returned to normal rates, a 30-year mortgage would come in around 6% … – Seeking Alpha
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Jumbo mortgage market is beginning to thaw – By E. Scott Reckard – … In addition to lower rates, down-payment requirements are being relaxed in some cases. For example, to write a jumbo loan in coastal areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage looks for a 20% down payment or that percentage of equity, down from 25% last year, said Brad Blackwell, a national mortgage sales manager at the lender. The reason: Wells believes high-end home prices are stabilizing in those coastal counties. But the bank still requires higher down payments in the Inland Empire and other battered housing markets such as Florida, Nevada and Arizona, where prices for jumbo-size homes don’t appear to be stabilizing, he said ... – LA Times
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Porsche
The 2010 Geneva Motor Show is just days away, and the list of vehicle debuts is seemingly never ending. Last week Techart announced that they would be bringing their modified 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo, and today the German tuner previewed two more new cars that will debut at the show.
The first is an all-new version of the GTStreet R model. Based on the 2010 911 Turbo, the GTStreet R is about serious performance. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six produces 660 horsepower and 635 pound-feet of torque, and Techart claims a 0-100 km/h time of 3.5 seconds as well as a top speed of 214 mph. Providing the looks to go with the power is an aggressive aerodynamic kit that includes an adjustable rear spoiler and carbon fiber rear diffuser and front splitter.
The second vehicle is the Concept One, a design study based around the Porsche Panamera. Unlike the GTStreet R, the Concept One is less about go (although it does have a 550 horsepower twin-turbo V8) and more about go. The exterior features a full body kit as well as 22-inch forged wheels. The inside is upholstered in a striking white and cocoa leather complimented by phosphor green stitching. Even Techart calls it “unusual personalization.” You can check out both cars in the high-res galleries below and get more info after the jump.
Gallery: 2010 Techart GTStreet R
Gallery: 2010 Techart Concept One
[Source: Techart]
Continue reading Geneva Preview: Techart GTStreet R and Concept One joining the party
Geneva Preview: Techart GTStreet R and Concept One joining the party originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
