SPRINGFIELD — Hoffman Estates Democrat Tammy Duckworth has declined the governor’s invitation to run as his lieutenant governor nominee in the upcoming elections.
Gov. Pat Quinn told reporters Tuesday that Duckworth had informed him she would stay on as an assistant secretary at the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department in Washington. Quinn said Duckworth felt obligated to continue with the mission given to her by President Obama.
Quinn, a strong advocate on veterans issues, said when Duckworth left her post as the state’s director of veterans affairs for the federal job, she told him if something like the lieutenant governor position ever came open to think of her.
In the aftermath of lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen abandoning his bid for office amid scandal, Quinn said he quickly thought of Duckworth to fill the vacant ballot spot along side his name in November. He said he’d talked to her in recent days and she “agonized” over the decision, but opted out of the state campaign.
“I think the world of Tammy Duckworth,” he told reporters.
Duckworth lost both her legs and partial use of one arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack while serving in Iraq in 2004. She ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2006 but lost.
Illinois Democratic Party leaders are weighing their options on a replacement for Cohen, who bowed out after allegations of domestic abuse and illegal drug use emerged from divorce files.
After seeing the Chevrolet Aveo RS Concept at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, we pretty excited to see the new GM compact enter production next year. Here are the first official photos of the production 2012 Aveo sedan leaked during a presentation earlier this morning.
Like the concept, we expect the 1.4L I-4-cylinder Ecotec turbocharged making 138-hp to enter production in the top-of-the-line trim. A naturally aspirated 1.4L 4-cylinder version is also expected.
Published Feb. 21, 2010 By the Tri-City Herald staff
In recognition of Eating Disorders Awareness Week this week, the Columbia Basin College counseling department is sponsoring an awareness event from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday in room TD 435.
The session will provide resources, education and support to those affected by eating disorders.
The documentary film America the Beautiful will be shown. It examines America’s fixation with outward appearance and the unrealistic standards of beauty.
Materials on eating disorders will be available in the HUB from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information, call Carrie DeLeon in the CBC Counseling department at 542-5508.
Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.
Lots of folks have been submitting the story of how iPhone developers are reasonably pissed off about Apple’s new edict barring “adult-themed applications” in the iPhone app store, though it has continued to allow big brand name adult apps, such as those from Playboy. But what has it banned? Well, don’t try selling bathing suits to women. Apparently, that’s considered an adult app.
While this is certainly Apple’s right to do, this is one of the reasons why, in the long run, Apple’s rather arbitrary app store policies are going to backfire. Developers are increasingly getting pissed off, or worried that Apple might suddenly pull the rug out from under them, with little explanation and barely any recourse. That’s not an environment that appeals to developers in the long run. Yes, given the size of the iPhone (and soon iPad) market, plenty of development will continue. But in the long run, some of the more innovative and valuable apps will appear on other, more open platforms first, and make those platforms more appealing.
from email, updated 24 February 2010: “A five year plan on deviant behaviour, creating a European space of freedom, anti-capitalism and rebellion. The European wide network “Out Of Control” was created in 2009 with the purpose of a cross-border collaboration of activists against a European security architecture…” more
Honda Fit and Toyota Prius named Consumer Reports Best Values for 2010
Consumer Reports is set to ship its annual automotive issue out to subscribers, but before the dyed and bound dead trees make their way to subscribers, CR shot off a few press releases to let us know what to expect. While we already covered the six new members of their Top Picks charts this morning, we found their New-Car Best and Worst Values List equally newsworthy.
“To determine which cars are the best values, Consumer Reports looked at a combination of performance, utility, and reliability for the money, considering total owner costs over the first five-years. The better a car performs in Consumer Reports’ road tests and reliability Ratings and the less it costs to own, the greater its value.”
Consumer Reports says the Honda Fit and the Toyota Prius bested 280 other cars in eight different categories to grab their top spots. Each recorded a score of 2.08 on their tally sheets, representing values that are more than twice as good as the overall average for the group. It could be argued that the recalls affecting the vehicles might have come too late in the game and/or may have not impacted their rankings significantly enough to erase the inherent value of each vehicle. And lest we forget, CR isn’t alone in recognizing the Prius, with MotorWeek and Intellichoice both naming the Japanese hybrid to their awards this year.
The full report on best and worst new-car values will show up March 2, but you can see the lists in the press release after the jump.
McLaren Automotive is putting the finishing touches on its brand new Mp4-12C and in an effort to make sure we don’t forget about the new supercar from McLaren, it released a new video today showing high-speed testing of the latest prototypes in Spain.
Featured in the short video are the XP8, XP10 and two XP Beta-phase prototypes wrapped in matt black vinyl.
The McLaren MP4-12C will be launched early next year.
Refresher: Power for the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C comes from a 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600-hp mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). 0 to 60 mph is expected to come in the low 3 second range with a top speed of more than 200 mph. Sales begin in early 2011.
2011 McLaren MP4-12C:
2011 McLaren MP4-12C:
Press Release:
THE XP-FILES: MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE REVEALS DETAILS OF ITS NEXT GENERATION OF PROTOTYPES
Development of the groundbreaking McLaren MP4-12C is entering its final phase. The bespoke high-performance sports car is due to launch in 2011, and right now the latest Experimental Prototype (XP) 12Cs are undergoing intensive appraisal at a number of test locations around the world.
One such site is Spain’s Applus IDIADA facility, the most comprehensive independent proving ground in Europe. McLaren Automotive recently obtained special permission to capture on camera the XP Beta cars in action at Applus IDIADA, and on public roads in the foothills near Tarragona. The result is the second in the ‘Inside McLaren Automotive’ series of short films. This gives viewers a unique insight into a performance car testing programme from the perspective of the development team responsible for the 12C.
Featured in the short film are XP8 and XP10, two XP Beta-phase prototypes. Wrapped almost entirely in matt black vinyl, XP Beta cars are clearly discernable from 2009’s XP cars, which were seen in the ‘Inside McLaren: Developing the MP4-12C” video sporting a black and white contrasting camouflage exterior.
The XP Beta test cars feature significant technological advancements that take the 12C nearer to production. A revised iteration of the M838T twin-turbo engine, transmission featuring new gear ratios, a more efficient cooling package, new suspension geometry and upgraded electrical architecture are the headline features of current prototypes, denoting key differences between XP and XP Beta cars.
Indicative performance figures generated by the XP Beta cars are expected to be announced in March, but feedback from February’s testing suggests that McLaren Automotive’s aspirations to out-perform its competitors appear well-founded.
A core team of 20-25 Vehicle Technicians travel with the XP Beta cars and are on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support a test programme that mirrors the intensity of developing a Formula 1 car. Meanwhile, a further 12 Vehicle Development Engineers are responsible for specific technologies and systems being appraised while out on test.
Mark Vinnels, McLaren Automotive Programme Director, is leading the engineering team and said: “There is an extensive list of subjective and objective targets set for our prototype vehicles. These XP Beta cars are already achieving outstanding results in many of the subjective areas, which includes ride quality, handling and many other aspects of dynamic performance.
“The benchmark competitor vehicles we have tested become nervous and twitchy at higher speed, but the 12C feels more stable than anything I have driven. Because the bump rejection is so good, the ride is smooth and the steering is solid.”
“Between now and production the vehicles and the team are working flat out. All this is geared towards not just achieving our unprecedented levels of performance but also guaranteeing the levels of quality, reliability and durability with which we expect to delight future McLaren customers.”
Downtown Naperville squatter Scott Huber soon may be evicted from yet another city sidewalk.
DuPage County Assistant State’s Attorney William Stogsdill is asking a judge to order Huber to stay at least 500 feet away from Benton House medical offices, 4 N. Washington St., where he was accused of trespassing earlier this month.
Stogsdill also is asking that Huber avoid contact with a doctor in the office who made the original complaint against him.
Stogsdill said in court documents that Huber has been glaring at the doctor as she goes in and out of the building.
“The nonverbal contact with (the doctor) has resulted (in) serious discomfort … much stress, trepidation and is harming her ability to treat her patients and practice neuropsychology,” he said in the filing.
Huber, 59, denies he has been glaring at the doctor and said he typically keeps his head down and can’t see who goes in and out.
“There’s been no contact with her verbally since the first of February,” Huber said. “There’s been no eye contact with her whatsoever.”
He believes the doctor wants him to leave his perch on the northeast corner of Washington Street and Benton Avenue. He is now sitting there with a sign calling on passers-by to boycott the doctor.
Huber moved to the Washington Street corner in recent months after city councilmen passed an ordinance banning camping or storing personal property on the public way in downtown. He previously had spent more than eight years at a makeshift shelter on the sidewalk along Chicago Avenue.
Huber does not know where he’ll go next if a judge forces him to move again.
“This is a good alternate location,” he said. “There’s good exposure, plenty of people that come by.”
Huber maintains he is not homeless, but protesting injustices by city government.
On Feb. 1, Huber was in front of Benton House when a doctor there asked him to leave. Huber refused, saying he was on public property.
Police say he then followed the doctor into the building shouting her name and banging on the glass door.
Huber said he wanted to tell the woman why he was protesting and denies he shouted at her or banged on the door.
After further investigation, police arrested Huber on Feb. 11 on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. He was released within an hour after paying 10 percent of his $2,000 bond.
Huber is now scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning on the latest motions filed by Stogsdill.
Huber is also in the midst of a court hearing for violating the city’s ban on camping in the downtown area in November. He is fighting the new ordinance, saying it is unconstitutional. That case continues April 8.
An Elgin police sergeant has been suspended for one day without pay for releasing a cat into the cold on Dec. 8 after a couple tried to drop it off at the police station.
Sgt. John Demmin, a 26-year department veteran, will serve his suspension on March 8.
According to Demmin’s disciplinary report, obtained by the Daily Herald through a Freedom of Information Act request, Demmin repeatedly told a local couple that the police department does not accept stray cats.
The couple said that the cat – complete with a carrier, food and a note with its name and age – was dropped off at their Elgin apartment earlier that day and they had no choice except to bring it to the station because other shelters were full, their kids were allergic to it and their landlord prohibited cats.
Demmin, according to city documents, witness accounts and his own testimony, took the carrier outside the department lobby, opened it and the cat ran free.
An officer found the cat at 4 a.m. the next day near the station.
Demmin declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday but stated in internal reports he could have handled the situation better.
The suspension was the first in Demmin’s career in Elgin. He received verbal reprimands for “at-fault squad crashes” in 2005 and 2008, documents show.
Police Chief Lisa Womack, who found the carrier later that night outside the department steps, said she does not comment on specific employee disciplinary matters.
“We’ve certainly stressed to our employees to use reasonableness and common sense,” she said. “We’ll take every stop to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”
As for the cat, it was taken to the Golf Rose Animal Hospital in Schaumburg and eventually adopted.
Charles Bulson, a hospital administrator, said a female schoolteacher from the far west suburbs adopted the cat soon after news of the incident spread.
Lotus Evora “Naomi for Haiti” edition – Click above for high-res image gallery
You can mentioned Lotus in the same breath as Ferrari and Porsche, but in terms of price at least, the British sportscar-maker plays in a different league from its Italian and German counterparts. Although exotic in profile, Lotus doesn’t churn out the half-million-dollar super-rare flagship hypercars its contemporaries are known for. But for every rule, there’s an exception.
Last week we reported on the creation, in conjunction with supermodel Naomi Campbell, of eight special-edition Lotus Evoras to raise money for disaster relief in Haiti. Now the first examples have gone to auction, held during London Fashion Week, and are already fetching nearly $500,000 apiece.
At GBP 320,000 ($493k), the first example went to Campbell’s Russian oligarch boyfriend Vladimir Doronin, who was hellbent on securing the #1/8. The second example also sold for over 300k pounds sterling, and the third at an undisclosed price somewhere below the mark. Five examples remain, and are up for auction now at naomiforhaiti.com until February 28. Details in the press release after the jump.
Gumpert Apollo – Click above for high-res image gallery
Following in the tradition of the Apollo Sport and Speed, Gumpert is coming to the Geneva Motor Show with a upgraded variant of its supercar for the 2010 model year.
In addition to a new black and white paint scheme and the first availability of right-hand drive, the new Apollo is set to get a revised carbon fiber aerodynamics package and a bump in output to 750 horsepower. As the Speed variant produces over 800 ponies from its twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter Audi-sourced V8, we’re a little confused by the apparently drop in power, but when you’re already running to 60 mph in three seconds and topping out at 224 mph there’s only so much tweaking you can do. More details next week. Stay tuned…
OneWest bank profit: $1.6 billion – By E. Scott Reckard – As IndyMac, it sold last year for less than that. Investors win, but the FDIC could still lose nearly $11 billion on bad loans that the Pasadena institution made before its sale. … "This is one hell of a deal for those owners, but hardly a good deal for the banking industry, which pays the FDIC’s bills," said Bert Ely, a longtime consultant to banks. … - LA Times Business
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be afraid? – Citi Warns of Withdrawal Gate - Ira Stoll, editor – Seen on a recent Citibank statement: "Effective April 1, 2010, we reserve the right to require (7) days advance notice before permitting a withdrawal from all checking accounts. While we do not currently exercise this right and have not exercised it in the past, we are required by law to notify you of this change." – Future of Capitalism Blog
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read this – long and fascinating – Beal Bank owner – Dallas’ richest man – paved his own road to riches – By BRENDAN CASE – The Dallas Morning News
Over 1,000 people in Great Britain were questioned on their views on climate change as part of the Ipsos Mori poll.
Public conviction about the threat of climate change has declined sharply after months of questions over the science and growing disillusionment with government action, a leading British poll has found.
The proportion of adults who believe climate change is “definitely” a reality dropped by 30% over the last year, from 44% to 31%, in the latest survey by Ipsos Mori.
Overall around nine out of 10 people questioned still appear to accept some degree of global warming. But the steep drop in those without doubts will raise fears that it will be harder to persuade the public to support actions to curb the problem, particularly higher prices for energy and other goods.
The true level of doubt is also probably underestimated because the poll only questioned 16 to 64-year-olds. People over 65 are more likely to be sceptical, the researchers said.
As you can see, it’s the 55+ over set losing hope the fastest while youth are on the rebound. The problem is that the 55+ are the most likely to make big-ticket purchases that are crucial to a spending rebound.
And just to clarify, young folks are generally more optimistic than those older, but the divergence is a surprise (especially in light of high youth unemployment)
In the mountains of Nuevo Leon, the northeastern-most Mexican state, and only a 30 km drive from Monterrey, are the Grutas de García.
The caves were discovered in 1843 by Priest Juan Antonio Sobrevilla, who stumbled upon them while casually exploring the area. The mountain that contains the caves, El Fraile, or Friar, is named after its most recent discoverer.
Located in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, Cerro Del Fraile reaches about 750 meters over the ground around it and 1080 meters above sea level. Grutas de García stretches over 3.5 km inside of Cerro Del Fraile. Upon entering, there are two paths, one which is 2.5 km long with 16 separate chambers, while the other is 1 km long with 11 chambers.
Consisting primarily of limestone, the caves feature many stalactites and stalagmites. Many of the formations are named, ‘The Light Chamber’, because of the light filtering in through the rocks. ‘The Eighth Wonder,’ where a stalagmite and stalactite have grown together forming a column. One of the more intriguing formations is ‘El Mirador de la Mano’, a stalagmite growing upward like a giant shriveled hand.
The caves are accessible by a steep pathway or by cable car. The aerial tramway is a smooth, brief ride, considerably more comfortable than the previous method of transport. Before the sleek new aerial tramway was installed by a Swiss firm, there was a railcar that took passengers up the steep slope. Visitors had to exit the railcar while it was fixed at about a 45 degree angle, not an easy task for all.
DC Design “Black Ruby” Rolls-Royce coupe – Click above for image gallery
Funny thing about one-off creations. Sometimes you look at them and wonder why they only made just the one, and sometimes you thank your lucky stars they’re not roaming the streets in packs. Whatever side of the fence you come down on with the DC Design Rolls-Royce coupe, that one and only example is now up for grabs.
The product of Indian coachbuilder Dilip Chhabria – also responsible for the Porsche Cayenne coupe and the $220k Tata Nano – “The Black Ruby” combines the grille of a Rolls-Royce with the shape of a Nissan Z, packing exotic-style scissor doors and the spirit of the Maybach Exelero. It was reportedly built for an Indian maharaja, and has been spotted as far away as London.
It’s now available for purchase for the low-low price of £750,000, or about $1.2 million. Check it out in the gallery below for a closer look… if you dare.
MagicJack, a VoIP-dongle solution that I’ve used in the past, has a reputation as a product that actually works pretty well, but the company behind it has some serious problems. It’s marketed aggressively on cable TV, has put misleading claims on its website, hides important things in the fine print and is not particularly good with customer service. Also, the software, once installed, is quite difficult to ever remove. In 2008, BoingBoing wrote a post detailing the shadier practices of MagicJack. Rather than doing the smart thing and improving those practices, MagicJack decided to sue BoingBoing. That was a mistake. It was a clear SLAPP case, and after MagicJack effectively had to admit that nothing in BoingBoing’s post was actually wrong, the judge dismissed the case and ordered MagicJack to pay BoingBoing $50,000 in legal fees.
Thankfully, BoingBoing was helped by the fact that California has a strong Anti-SLAPP law — something that the rest of the country could use. What’s more telling (and interesting) than the dismissal, however, is that MagicJack had originally agreed to settle the lawsuit, and pay BoingBoing’s legal costs (after the company’s CEO realized that the case was a lost cause and — he claimed — his own lawyers had failed to properly notify him of California law), but backed out when BoingBoing wouldn’t agree to keep the lawsuit and settlement confidential.
Again, that suggests a company that knows what it’s doing is shady, at best, but rather than having any interest in improving the way it goes about its business, wants to keep things hidden.
I have to admit, I really don’t understand why MagicJack feels the need to work this way. It’s a decent product that should be able to sell on its own merits, explaining openly what it does, rather than hiding stuff in the fine print and falsely claiming how many people are signing up to use the device. Imagine if, instead of suing and losing and getting all of this negative publicity, the company had just cleaned up its act, been open about things, apologized for its earlier mistakes and focused on building a better business?
Many people are disappointed by Obama’s “change”, but the GOP has not changed its opinions on Keynesian economics, wasteful foreign aid and aggressive warfare either. That’s why a Republican victory in the 2010 midterm elections would not automatically change the direction of the country, warned Ron Paul in today’s appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. The best hope for real change is an ideological grassroots revolution that will transform public opinion and eventually influence Congress and the President to follow the Constitution, stop the wars, end the Fed, cut spending, and allow the free market to regulate the economy.
From December to February, hedge fund managers’ sentiment towards the government’s raising interest rates shifted dramatically: now most think rates will stay low through 2011.
Just two months ago, only 23% of the surveyed managers thought the fed would wait past 2011 to hike interest rates.
BofA Merrill Lynch surveyed a bunch of hedge fund managers and until this month, the majority of managers responded saying they thought that rates would be raised by Q3 2009.
But this month most said they thought interest rates would stay low until at least 2011.
SPRINGFIELD — Even with severe state budget problems it appears it will again be difficult to eliminate the controversial General Assembly scholarships this year.
A special, three-member Senate subcommittee heard two nearly identical bills Tuesday morning that would eliminate the program that, according to Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign, costs Illinois public universities $13.5 million a year in lost tuition and fee payments.
One of the bills to end the century-old program was sponsored by Frerichs, the other came from Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont.
Both would eventually do away with the program that allows each lawmaker to award up to eight one-year scholarships to any public college or university in the state.
Representatives of both the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Student Assistant Commission appeared at the hearing in support of the bills. No University of Illinois representatives were present.
Although no votes were taken on the bills, subcommittee chair Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, made it clear she opposed them. Even if the bills were to get out of committee, Lightford predicted an unfriendly reception in the full Senate.
