Author: Serkadis

Like waistcoated art patrons peering through their pince-nez during an auction of Dutch Masters at Christie’s, multimillionaires . . . and billionaires . . . who reside in the rarified ether of New York City are tentatively raising their bidding paddles in an attempt to snap up the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Kirsten Gillibrand who, it would seem, isn’t catering to Wall Street slavishly enough for the fat cats’ liking:

Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the real estate tycoon and publisher of The Daily News, is considering a bid for the Senate seat now held by Kirsten E. Gillibrand, according to two people told of the discussions.

Perhaps Morty, like a shark, caught a whiff of the miasmic smell of epic FAIL that has been wafting from the Ford non-campaign:

Harold Ford of Tennessee, Merrill Lynch, the DLC, NBC and the Park Avenue Regency has been campaigning against the excellent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for six weeks now, and he remains a pathetic loser in the Siena poll. According to the new poll, Gillibrand leads Ford by 42-16, slightly better than the 41-17 margin in last month’s poll.

I can only imagine what a blunderbuss of pompous entitlement a Zuckerman campaign would be, since Morty has been, in the past, so fond of bulldozers:

Zuckerman owns a 5-acre oceanfront estate in East Hampton. But he obviously thinks he may own the beach, too. On Tuesday last week – at 4 a.m., no less – a village police officer spotted a bulldozer barreling down the beach, moving the dunes to protect Zuckerman’s Hamptons investment. Needless to say, the nocturnal development was illegal. Zuckerman had contracted to have some landscaping done.

By the way, a wide-eyed and innocent Zuckerman claimed he had never instructed anyone to remove those pesky dunes. Perhaps he was just engaged in Palestinian home bulldozing role play.

So when can we look forward to Mort Zuckerman’s upstate listening tour? Can we expect to see him wading through dairy pastures, cow dung stuck to the soles of his $1500 A. Testoni oxfords, as he shakes hands with struggling farmers? Will Zuckerman forego the Memorial Day soirees on Georgica Pond for the annual Adirondack Polka Festival in Old Forge, NY?

Or will he just disconnect the phone and jet off to Aspen again? That should play well in Endicott.

And what does Harold Ford make of this latest big money threat to his inchoate Senate conquest? Perhaps we should check his Twitterfeed, the one that his own non-campaign staff was unaware he had started:

When City Hall asked Harold Ford Jr. spokeswoman Tammy Sun yesterday if the pseudo-candidate was behind the HFord2 Twitter account, Sun replied, “We are not involved at all with that. Don’t know who is doing it. Could just be a fan.”

And this is from Ford’s spokesperson? Oy.

It certainly is turning into quite the field of Olympic-grade twits trying to buy Gillibrand’s seat this fall. I wonder who the next Lord of New York to jump into the bidding will be.

 

Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, canceled her appearance at a Lincoln Day Republican dinner in Schaumburg Monday night to visit her father in the hospital, event co-organizer Mary Alice Benoit said late Monday afternoon.

The dinner at the Schaumburg Marriott was organized as a fundraiser for the Republican committees of Barrington, Elk Grove, Hanover, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wheeling townships.

Schaumburg Township Republican Committeeman Mike Adelizzi said earlier that the dinner’s organizing committee looks for a prominent keynote speaker every year for the annual event.

Liz Cheney’s scheduled appearance had been arranged with the help of former Schaumburg Township Trustee Joe Folisi, who has known former President George W. Bush’s senior adviser Karl Rove since they were both involved with College Republicans decades ago.

Monday’s dinner ws expected to go forward with other scheduled speakers, but not the keynote speaker.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

It’s been officially confirmed. God of War III will not be having a HD install, despite the dual-layer Blu-ray feature.Thanks to Sony’s Christoper Ericson’s announcement, we can all heave a sigh of relief.
 
 
 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which represents a variety of big tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, eBay, Oracle and others, has come on strong lately as a defender against the ridiculous and unnecessary expansion of overly aggressive copyright law. This is good news — seeing as some of the companies it represents haven’t always seemed so enlightened on the subject. I was lucky to meet with some CCIA folks about a month ago, and they definitely seemed to recognize that a more draconian copyright policy actually does much more harm than good to the companies whose interests they represent. You may recall that it was the CCIA, a few months back, that put out the marvelous report that used the same exact methodology that the big pro-copyright lobbyists have used to claim the “size” of the economic impact on copyright, to point out that the economic impact of fair use trumps that by a wide margin.

So it’s great — if not surprising — to see that the CCIA’s filing to the USTR for the Special 301 report (pdf) actually matches much of my own filing, though from a more legalistic perspective (and focuses on Canada). The key points are the same, however: the Constitutional basis for copyright has never been that “more is better,” but that we should be seeking the most effective ways to “promote the progress.” Second, it notes that countries should be free to make their own policy decisions on copyright law, rather than being pressured into them by the US. It further notes that the USTR Special 301 process shouldn’t be focused on legislative and policy issues, but merely enforcement of the law. Unfortunately, it’s gotten far away from that.

There were a ton of great filings to the USTR that I’ve seen already, and hopefully the USTR really does pay attention to those beyond the usual crew of entertainment industry and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists, to recognize that this issue is a lot more complex than it has, at times, been treated in the past. Still, it’s great to see a group like CCIA add its important voice to the discussion, too.

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After Japan’s weak open, Shanghai is looking to go one further, falling 1.8% and kissing the 3,000 level adieu.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Is The Much-Hated Yen About To Break Back Towards Multi-Decade Highs?
• Japan Dives Lower After Wall Street’s Late-Day Selloff
• Warning To Wall Street: See How An Uber-Steep Yield Curve Created A Death Trap For Greek Banks

Fans of Gearbox open world sci-fi shooter should be pleased to know that the third downloadable pack of Borderlands will be upped soon for Xbox 360 gamers, with the PS3 and PC version coming this Thursday, February

Cause of death for a man found facedown on a South Peoria street early Sunday might not be known for at least another week.

An autopsy conducted Monday on Kelvin Mosley, 44, of 1617 S. Stanley St. did not show any signs of trauma or determine a cause of death, Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll said.

“We believe cause of death may be revealed in toxicology testing,” Ingersoll said of results expected back in one to two weeks.

Ingersoll said additional testing also will be done to determine if any underlying illness could have contributed to Mosley’s death.

Mosley was found lying in the middle of the street within view of his house by a group of four teenage boys about 1:45 a.m. Sunday. Mosley had no pulse, and he was pronounced dead at the scene about 45 minutes later, Ingersoll said.

Ingersoll said Mosley was fully clothed, but was missing his shoes, wallet and cell phone. The only belongings on Mosley’s person were a key and an earring.

Jessie Copeland, who told authorities she was Mosley’s fiancee, said he had been drinking alcohol at LA Connection, 1219 S. Western Ave., where she had dropped him off late Saturday night. Copeland said Mosley apparently later left the bar and went to a friend’s house. From there, she believes he later decided to walk home.

Copeland’s cell phone showed Mosley had attempted to call her about 10 minutes before the 911 call was placed by the boys who found him in the street.

After being interviewed by police, the teens- ages 14, 15, 15 and 17 – admitted taking some of Mosley’s belongings after finding him, police said. According to police, they hid Mosley’s wallet on a nearby porch and planned to go back for it later.

Police recovered the wallet and cash from the porch. It was not known what happened to the shoes and phone. The youths were not charged for taking the items, police said.

Ryan Ori can be reached at 686-3264 or [email protected].

Read the original article from Journal Star.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

An interim deputy superintendent at San Diego Unified Schools in California will take the helm at Peoria School District 150 later this year.

The School Board approved by a 6-0 vote a three-year contract with Grenita Lathan beginning in June. Board member Rachael Parker was absent from the meeting.

For District 150, Lathan’s contract also is the first in which its superintendent can receive a performance bonus.

The School Board has until October 1 to negotiate with Lathan on the criteria of student performance and academic improvement goals that will be used for her evaluation, which will be reviewed by May 1. Under the contract, Lathan can receive a maximum performance bonus each year of $10,000.

Her base salary will be $198,000.

According to the contract, the district also will pay Lathan’s share of her retirement pension to the state, including premiums for health, dental and optical insurance as well as $7,403 payment annually to a tax deferred annuity — all considered standard forms of compensation for superintendents.

The district will provide Lathan with a “job coach” during the first year. In subsequent years, the cost of the job coach, if not continued, may be paid to Lathan as part of her performance bonus.
For more complete details, please see Tuesday’s Journal Star or check pjstar.com later.
 

District 150 superintendent contract

Read the original article from Journal Star.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

luscious [hint.fm] is an attempt to distill the visions of fashion designers and photographers, those who compose rousing images of light and color that fill the pages of glossy magazines, into poetic abstract compositions.

To create the images in luscious, information designers Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viégas began with a series of magazine advertisements for luxury brands. They then used a custom algorithm designed to extract “peak” colors from these picture. A random arrangement of concentric circles fills the plane, representing the essential colors of each region. The resulting image hides context and representation and lets the viewer concentrate on pure color.

More information is also available on their project page.

Everyone Ever in the World [theluxuryofprotest.com] is a poster depicting the number of people to have lived versus been killed in wars, massacres and genocide during the recorded history of humankind. The resulting visualization, printed in transparent ink, uses existing paper area and paper loss (die cut circle) to represent the concepts of life and death respectively. The sequence of dots to the top left of the graph shows the dramatic increase in the number of conflicts over the past 5 millennia (left to right : 3000 BCE to 2000 CE) with the most recent 1000 years being the most violent. The large dot below the graph represents the 1000 years to come : a predicted startling increase in human conflict.

The total number of people to have lived was estimated through exponential regression calculations based on historical census data and known biological birth rates. This results in approximately 77.6 billion human beings to have ever lived during the recorded history of humankind. The total people killed in conflicts was collated from a number of historical source books and was summed for all conflicts – approximately 969 million people killed, or ~1.25% of all the people to have ever lived. The timescale encompasses 3200 BCE to 2009 CE – a period of over 5 millennia, and 1100+ conflicts of recorded human history.

The poster is for sale at Counter Objects.

Speaking of Japan, we can’t help but wonder whether we’re about to see another big jump in the yen, given that it appears to be hitting the bottom part of a cycle where it’s consistently found support.

As the anti-yen trade is becoming one of the hottest bets around (see: Kyle Bass) there’s a whole lot more pain in store if indeed the currency does jut upwards.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Japan Dives Lower After Wall Street’s Late-Day Selloff
• Kyle Bass Is So Bearish On Japan, He Financed His Home In Yen
• Credit Suisse: Sovereign Default Risks Aligning To Crush The Japanese Yen

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Videos, Toyota

Earlier today, ABC News released a report asserting that the cause of Toyota’s unintended accelerations issues might not be a faulty accelerator mechanism, but an electronic flaw in the automaker’s engine control unit – something that’s been suspected, although never confirmed, for some time.

David Gilbert, an automotive technology professor at Southern Illinois University and ABC‘s primary source for the report, claims to be able to duplicate the effect by short-circuiting one of the controls, which could be caused by moisture, wear or a combination of factors in Toyota vehicles.

Although the report goes into specifics, seeing is believing, and ABC News has done just that, putting Brian Ross behind the wheel as Gilbert trips the switch. The results are rather shocking – particularly since the ECU doesn’t record a fault. You can see it for yourself after the jump.

UPDATE: In response to the allegation that an electronic fault is the cause of the unintended acceleration issue, Toyota has released a statement saying that Gilbert talked with the automaker on the Feb. 16 after wiring a Toyota Tundra in a similar manner and causing the acceleration. Make the jump for the release and draw your own conclusions.

Tired of Toyota recall news? Try out the recall-free version of Autoblog.

Continue reading Video: Smoking Gun? ABC News expert recreates sudden acceleration without CPU error code *UPDATED w/Toyota response

Video: Smoking Gun? ABC News expert recreates sudden acceleration without CPU error code *UPDATED w/Toyota response originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following up on this morning’s post, new details are emerging about the school spying scandal in which a student was punished for apparently chowing down on Mike&Ike candy (which the school thought were drugs). In our comments, someone named Paul points us to a blog post from a security consultant, who digs much deeper into the story — focusing on one of the techies who worked at the school and apparently had a noticeable internet presence, having said a few things that could come back to haunt him. Note, that the school itself has said that only two techies on staff had the power to initiate the use of the remote spying tool.

Apparently, in various forums, blog posts and videos, one of the school’s techies talked about the technology they were using and how to set it up so that the user would not realize they were being spied on. He also discussed how to prevent a laptop using this software from being “jailbroken,” so users couldn’t discover that their computers were being used in this manner. Other forum posts from students at the school show that they were told they could not use other computers, could not disable the cameras and could not jailbreak their laptops on the risk of expulsion.

Furthermore, in looking at the software that was being used, the security consultant found serious security problems with it, in some ways similar to the famed Sony BMG rootkit:

With some of my colleagues, I began a reverse engineering effort against LANRev in order to determine the nature of the threat and possible countermeasures. Some of the things we found at first left us aghast as security pros: the spyware “client” (they call it an agent) binds to the server permanently without using authentication or key distribution. Find an unbound agent on your network with Bonjour, click on it, you own it. The server software, with an externally facing Internet port… runs as root. I’m not kidding. For those unfamiliar with the principle of least privilege- this is an indicator of a highly unskilled design. Unfortunately, when we got down to basic forensics, LANRev appears to cover its tracks well.

Things keep looking worse for the school, and school officials have done little to actually explain what happened, if the prevailing story is not actually the case.

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Published Feb. 21, 2010
By Dave Arnold CBC Associate Professor, Tri-City Herald

Was America founded as a Christian nation?

Like so many of our public debates, those who argue on opposite sides tend to speak past each other.  In fact, both sides are correct as long as we add some clarifications.

Was America founded as a Christian nation?  Answer:  No.  Was America founded as a nation of Christians?  Answer:  Yes.

When we speak of a “Christian nation,” we are not asking if most – in fact nearly all – of the citizens and founders of the nation were Christians.  Indeed they were.

We are asking if the framework of the nation was built on Christian principles.  Did our founding documents “establish” Christianity as a basis for government and for citizenship much in the same way that Israel is a Jewish republic or Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state?

The answer to this question is an unequivocal “no.”

Our nation did not emerge organically from a common faith or ethnicity, but rather from a set of documents – primarily the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation) our first constitution) and our current Constitution.

Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, believed in God, as did all the founding fathers, but Jefferson’s faith can only loosely, if at all, be described as “Christian.”  He glorified the teachings of Jesus (which he compiled into the “Jefferson Bible”), but he did not consider Jesus to be the son of God nor did he accept miracles or anything else in the Bible that conflicted with his belief in a rational universe.

The Articles of Confederation acknowledged the “Great Governor of the World,” but, leaving aside the proforma “Year of our Lord” date stamp at the very end of the document, the U.S. Constitution makes no reference at all to religion, a God or a Creator, except in the First Amendment clause prohibiting Congress from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

The religion that was thus encoded in the Constitution was not Christianity, but religious liberty.  In fact, the founders established the first modern nation that did not rest upon God or religion as the basis of state authority.

The founders vested the authority of the state in the hands of the people, whose citizenship had nothing to do with their religious convictions.  Their ideas about government came from John Locke, Scottish republican thinkers and classical political thought, not the Bible.

“In God we Trust” did not become our “national motto” until 1956, two years after “Under God” was added to our Pledge of Allegiance.

Does this mean the founders were irreligious?  Quite the opposite.  They simply believed, as James Madison said, that “Religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”

And they weren’t merely protecting the “purity” of religion from the corruption of politics.  In arguing against the establishment of religion in Virginia, Madison worried that “an established clergy” would aid “rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty.”

If our founding documents do not support the notion of a “Christian nation,” it also is not accurate to say that the founders were not deeply religious and mostly Christian.  Sure, there were a handful of deists, including Benjamin Franklin.

But even Franklin sought to “imitate Jesus and Socrates.”  If not a Christian nation at its founding, the U.S. was, in other words, a nation of Christians whose founders – with the support of certain newer denominations such as the Baptists – wished to see the free exercise of religion flourish outside the boundaries of state support or control.

And flourish it did.  With no particular denomination or doctrine given state privilege, the number of new denominations and congregations exploded in the early republic, leading Alexis de Toqueville to remark in the 1830s that, “There is no country in the whole world in which Christian religion contains a greater influence over the souls of man than in America.”

The same is true today if the U.S. is compared to other advanced industrial nations.  Religion and spirituality of all kinds have prospered in America precisely because our founders did not write them into the social contract.

Could the founders have foreseen that their ideas about religious freedom would be extended to protect even non-Christian religions?  Probably not.  But neither would they have foreseen that the phrase “all men are created equal” would be extended to include women, blacks and other nonwhite male property holders.

They lived in a different time, but their vision of religious freedom has been remarkably durable and incredibly effective in keeping our nation from devolving into the kind of sectarian conflict that we witness today in Iraq and other parts of the world.

David Arnold received his Ph.D. in U.S. history from UCLA and he now teaches at Columbia Basin College.

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

Published Feb. 6, 2010
By Tri-City Herald

The following students were listed on the fall quarter honor roll at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.

President’s List
Students who earn 12 credits in courses 100 or above within the quarter and achieve a quarterly GPA of 3.85-4.00 are named to the President’s Honor Roll.

Cody Almquist, Elizabeth Anderson, Michelle Anderson, Shauna Anderson, Shawna Anderson, Miguel Angel, Elizabeth Arnold, Ryan Bales, Alina Baranovskaya, Stephanie Beckman, Erik Ben-zekry, Dan Berghofer, Fallon Berglin, Amy Bernard, Bethany Bjur, Stevi Blythe, Susan Brenchley, Shayn Brock, Charles Brunkhorst, Joseph Byrd, Jessica Carter, Oscar Castrellon, Jessica Castro, Joe Chapman, Alison Christ, Josef Christ, Jesse Clossey, Alexandra Colvin, Cristin Constantinescu, Jeanette Corriell, Jay Cruto, Jaleh Davari, Lindsey Day, Daniel Delamare, Ariel Deleon, Jose Diaz, Amber Dickerson, Karen Doiron, Deshaun Dowdy, Chelsie Elliott, Mary Ellwein, Katie Erickson, Lindsay Evans, Cynthia Fajmon, Lance Foglesong, Marcos Franco, Matthew Friehauf, Maxwell Garrett, Angie Garza, Ryan Garza,Jennifer Gintner, Hillary Gregg, Eliseo Gutierrez, Alyssa Hall, Brandon Ham, Derrick Haney, Erienne Harding, Reed Harston, William Hayes, Ambre Helland, Jessica Higley, Jacob Hoff, Danica Hope, Adam Houghton, Audrey Howlett, Travis Hughes, Summer Imran, Angela Ingalls, Christina Jackson, Andrew Jensen, Rhiannon Johanson, Charity Johnson, Clayton Johnson, Dawn Johnson, Jennifer Johnston, Julia Kasper, Lisa Kessler, Miamae Kiamco, Zea Kiamco, Jennifer Labeaf, Michael Laferriere, Ann Lam, Mary Lam, Cheyann Larsen, Justine Lobach, Robert Lopez, Carol Madron, Alejandro Magana, Nikhil Malhan, Kristin Mann, David Mantay, Shauna Maple, Lori Markle, Amanda Martinez, Brooke Martinez, Luke Mcalister, Paige Mcculley, Kelly Mcintosh, Matthew Mckinnon, Joanna Mcleod, Andres Mendoza, Jose Mendoza, Tamra Meyer, Angelique Miehm, Oleysya Mikheeva, Colter Morton, Karissa Mueller, Catrina Murphy, Julia Murphy, Rachel Neff, Tina Nguyen, Scott Niebuhr, Ashley Nogales, Justin Norris, Kimberly Oates, Leonie Oostrom, Raquel Patino, Elizabeth Pearson, Sarah Pedersen, Kathryn Pfaff, Robert Pfaff, Anthony Pheasant, Meghan Pickett, Thomas Powers, Linda Ramirez, Tracy Rasmussen, Sarah Rausch, Secret Reinhardt, Karianne Renicker, Miranda Rhoten, Cheyenne Rivera, Jeff Rivera, Kelly Roberts, Eduardo Rodriguez, Eustorgio Rodriguez, Rebecca Rogo, Mary Rose, Alexis Sanchez, Kaelynn Sant, Dmytro Serhiychuk, Jason Skouson, Skip Smith, Stacey Smith, Sierra Sonderman, Rebecca Sorensen, Nadia Soto, Jeremie Spencer, Dustin Stordahl, Carrie Surratt, Michael Sydor, Nicole Sydor, Nidia Tapia, Joy Thatcher, Christine Tixier, Daniel Tixier, Andrea Trumbach, Candice Tschauner, Eileen Urbina, Angela Velasquez, Anthony Vorpagel, Stacy Wachob, Mackenzie Waddell, Lauren Walker, Ho Wan, Lisa Ward, Rachelle Ward, Sam Ward, Michael Warren, Kristopher Welsch, Erica Wheeler, Brenda Wiesner, Riley Workman, Nicole Yanez, Michael Zhang.

Dean’s List
Students who earn 12 credits in courses 100 or above within the quarter and achieve a quarterly GPA of 3.50-3.84 are named to the dean’s honor roll.

Mckenzie Acker, Danielle Alexander, Roth Alexander, Bethany Allen, Alexis Almeida, Taylor Anderson, Darian Andrew, Anastasia Andrews, Nayeli Aranda, Robert Armstead, Ean Arnold, Jaryd Arnold, Jason Arnold, Hector Arredondo, Vickie Atkinson, Camber Ault, Dustin Ault, Derek Avery, Maria Ayala, Christopher Ayres, Angela Ball, Justin Barham, Brian Barrett, Jacob Bassett, Elizabeth Bayuk, Marianeth Becerril, Stephanie Bechen, James Beitz, Nicole Bennett, Markus Berghofer, Molly Beus, Vanessa Blaak, Justin Blanchard, Zachary Blotz, Stephan Boone, Briana Bouche, Samantha Boyd, Fred Bradley,Vanessa Bragg, Jordan Briggs, Kamara Brooks, Vanessa Burge, Kyle Cantrell, Jamie Carroll, Wade Carter, Bryson Casale, Shelby Case, Chelsea Chapman, Teri Chase, Rosa Chavez, Robert Christenson, Drew Church, Christopher Cisneros, Andrew Coates, Brittney Colgan-ball, Zachary Collin, Sarah Conley, Daniel Connolly, Krystin Cook, Julie Cooper, Shontee Cornejo, Sarah Corpron, Liset Corral, Laurie Cossey, Tara Crider, John Crigler, Elicia Criscola, Jeslaine Cruto, Erika Cruz, Jaime Cuevas, Yesenia Cuevas, Kelsey Cunningham, Kayla Curtis, George Daud, Ashley Davidson, Bethany Davis, Amanda Day, Emily Day, Danielle Dean, John Dean, Nancy Deatherage, Sara Deibler, Chanell Dejesus, Carmen Delosier, Robyn Demers, Ashley Denn, Eloise Devine, Richard Devine, Allison Dewald, Gilberto Diaz, Sheira Diaz, Travis Didier, Liliya Dillingham, Suzana Djuric, Lawrence Dowell, Shelly Dowen-Johnson, Matthew Draisey, Afton Dunham, Amy Durham, Tyler Durham, Felicia Eddy, Sharesse Edie, Travis Ehart, Daniel Elfers, Socrates Escalera, Beatriz Espinoza, Cassandra Evans, Nico Face, Erin Fardell, Jake Fife, Jayme Finch, Esther Flatau, Monica Flores, Irina Foley, Hayley Foraker, Shantell Forbes, Patrick Forgette, Jace Fox, Margaret Francik, Arich Fuher, Sadie Funk, Adriana Gaeta, Jasmine Gallardo, Jessica Gallegos, Kathryn Gamble, Whitney Garcia, Ryan Gardner, Karla Garten, Delia Garza, Ursela Gaskill, Dana Gassman, Jennifer George, Russell Gibson, Robney Gilbert, Mary Gilmore, Andrea Gizzarelli, Crystal Gjerdevig, Jill Glasford, Hannah Goetz, Brian Gomez, Francisco Gonzalez, Julissa Gonzalez, Tanna Gore, Daniel Gottschalk, Madison Gould, Kalei Grayson, Courtnee Grego, Raul Guerrero, Rudy Guidry, Adrian Guzman, Erin Gwinn, Lacey Halverson, Dakota Hamm, Othniella Harding, Jordan Harshfield, Crystal Hayes, Forrest Heller, Arlene Henriques, Tayler Herman, Daniel Hernandez, Maria Hernandez, Samuel Hewson, Zachary Hilliard, Kylee Hines, Melinda Hoksbergen, Dayl Holmes, Amity Holt, Heidi Hooper, Kelcee Hope, Robert Hornibrook, Rebecca Houck, Joshua Howell, Adam Huckleberry, Sharon Hughes, Kristin Ingalls, Larissa Iracheta, Olivia Jackson, Trenten Jackson, Amy Jensen, Kyle Johnson, Drew Jones, Jason Jones, Cheryl Jurgilewicz, Colby Kadinger, Jessica Kaiser, Adriana Katz, Jennifer Keene, Natosha Keogh, Jessica Kestler, Kristina King, Kody Kinziger, Cassandra Kisler, Kathryn Klopfenstein, Taylor Knipp, Jamie Koelzer, James Korolev, Sophol Lam, Stephen Lambert, Deborah Langston, Hailey Lanning, Margaret Laubach, Shawna Lauria, Harley Lawrence, John Lawton, Garrett Lefebre, Alejandra Leos, Ashley Leseberg, Coleen Lewis, David Lewis, Jessica Lewis, Cara Linde, Katherine Lindquist, Charles Linja, Adam Lloyd, Hannah Lockard, Dena Lodahl, Austin Lomax, Rebecca Long, Johnny Lord, Trevor Lott, Andrew Low, Katie Lowery, Levi Luca, Kayla Macfarlan, Mandy Machinal, Ann Marchand, Aaron Martin, April Martin, Saul Martinez, Michaela Marty, Kiya Masters, Jeffrey Matthews, John May, Jessica Mccoy, Ronica Mccoy, Christopher Mcelroy, Karlene Mcgregor, Manna Mcintosh, Michelle Mckee, Melanie Mckenna, Errika Mcpeak, Maida Mehmedovic, Leann Melvin, Bianca Mendoza, Blanca Mendoza, Rachael Michel, Kelsey Miller, Wendy Miller, Deborah Moles, Brittney Molina, Robert Montano, Jerry Moore, Tricia Moore, Jamie Morgan, Lee Moulton, Felicia Murray, Shyamal Nand, Joy Nauertz, Kevin Neill, Braden Nelson, Cherrie Nichols, Courtney Nichols, Larry Nichols, Wendy Nichols, Ii Nielsen, Nelson Noble, Wade Nolen, Bren Norman, Cyndi Nunez, Mark Nuzum, Aurora Oberg, Colton Obrien, Angelyca Ochoa, Leah Oeder, Jennifer Oliver, Chris Omolo, Kirby Orr, Mason Ortiz, Megan Osborne, Eldon Otta, Kurtis Paine, Sabdi Palma, Lindsay Palmer, Trampis Palmer, Devin Papp, Robert Parchen, Neil Parker, Daniel Parr, Glenn Patrick, Malia Pearson, Amy Pederson, Tyler Peterson, Huy Pham, Adam Phillips, Katelynn Pierce, Martha Pineda, Ryelee Plager, Nella Porter, Brooke Preston, Roman Pruneda, Ross Quesnell, Stacy Quick, Udiel Ramirez, Kayla Rasmussen, Bethany Rawls, John Reilly, Rachel Reinemann, Jasmine Reyes, Rolanda Reyna, Caleena Richards, Sheri Richards, Jessica Rinehart, Carl Rivera, Violeta Rivera, Jordan Roberts, Kyle Roberts, Michelle Roberts, Grant Robinson, Nicole Rodriguez, Adisa Salaka, Aydee Sanchez, Lisa Sanchez, Nicole Sand, David Sanders, Georgia Schafer, Kelsey Schalock, Mark Sebelien, Allan Serrano, Samuel Sheldon, Lina Shelestovskiy, Chanse Shepard, Toya Shepherd-stritter, Kathryn Short, Melissa Siebol, Robert Siegel, Eric Simiele, Emily Sinclair, Kinbri Sipes, Kerra Sivonen, Alexandra Smith, Michelle Smith, Terrance Smith, Tyler Smith, Jesus Solorio, Maritza Sosa, Allyssa Souza, Hannah Stanfield, Mandi Steinhoff, Brittney Stephens, Chelsea Stevenson, Tate Stock, Kathrine Stroh, Merilee Strong, Lacey Stroud, Hailee Stroup, Troy Suss, Caleb Suttle, Alexander Swensen, Kimberly Swenson, Glen Taft, Anthony Tappin, Andrey Tarasov, Traci Taylor, Amanda Tedeschi, Jeremy Tegrotenhuis, Jeremiah Thatcher, Austin Thomas, Christy Thompson, Emily Thompson, Alex Thomsen, Chase Tomjack, Danny Trapp, Jacqueline Travis, Laurie Trescott, Elvira Trevino, Nigel Tritt, Terryn Turner, Theodore Uecker, Zachary Underhill, Lucas Urlacher, Homar Ursua, Michelle Ursua, Joseph Vanburen, Jennifer Vandyken, Daisy Vargas, Holly Veach, Benjamin Vedder, Amalia Veliz, Courtney Verret, Thomas Verret, Joshua Vunkannon, Jonathan Walker, Kathryn Wall, Chris Walters, Jordan Warner, Jake Waters, Kendra Waters, Eric Watts, Sarah Weaver, Joshua Weston, Michelle Wheeler, James Whitney, Dave Whittam, Holli Wiberg, Patricia Williams, Amanda Wilson, Bryce Wilson, Paris Wilson, Jacqueli Winters, Aric Wokojance, Riley Woodford, Anna Workman, Anthony Wright, Jessica Wright, Lindsey Wright, Mykael Wylie, Lindsey Yearout, Guadalupe Zavala, Luis Zecena, Richard Ziegele, Jennifer Zilar.

Mckenzie Acker, Danielle Alexander, Roth Alexander, Bethany Allen, Alexis Almeida, Taylor Anderson, Darian Andrew, Anastasia Andrews, Nayeli Aranda, Robert Armstead, Ean Arnold, Jaryd Arnold, Jason Arnold, Hector Arredondo, Vickie Atkinson, Camber Ault, Dustin Ault, Derek Avery, Maria Ayala, Christopher Ayres, Angela Ball, Justin Barham, Brian Barrett, Jacob Bassett, Elizabeth Bayuk, Marianeth Becerril, Stephanie Bechen, James Beitz, Nicole Bennett, Markus Berghofer, Molly Beus, Vanessa Blaak, Justin Blanchard, Zachary Blotz, Stephan Boone, Briana Bouche, Samantha Boyd, Fred Bradley,Vanessa Bragg, Jordan Briggs, Kamara Brooks, Vanessa Burge, Kyle Cantrell, Jamie Carroll, Wade Carter, Bryson Casale, Shelby Case, Chelsea Chapman, Teri Chase, Rosa Chavez, Robert Christenson, Drew Church, Christopher Cisneros, Andrew Coates, Brittney Colgan-ball, Zachary Collin, Sarah Conley, Daniel Connolly, Krystin Cook, Julie Cooper, Shontee Cornejo, Sarah Corpron, Liset Corral, Laurie Cossey, Tara Crider, John Crigler, Elicia Criscola, Jeslaine Cruto, Erika Cruz, Jaime Cuevas, Yesenia Cuevas, Kelsey Cunningham, Kayla Curtis, George Daud, Ashley Davidson, Bethany Davis, Amanda Day, Emily Day, Danielle Dean, John Dean, Nancy Deatherage, Sara Deibler, Chanell Dejesus, Carmen Delosier, Robyn Demers, Ashley Denn, Eloise Devine, Richard Devine, Allison Dewald, Gilberto Diaz, Sheira Diaz, Travis Didier, Liliya Dillingham, Suzana Djuric, Lawrence Dowell, Shelly Dowen-Johnson, Matthew Draisey, Afton Dunham, Amy Durham, Tyler Durham, Felicia Eddy, Sharesse Edie, Travis Ehart, Daniel Elfers, Socrates Escalera, Beatriz Espinoza, Cassandra Evans, Nico Face, Erin Fardell, Jake Fife, Jayme Finch, Esther Flatau, Monica Flores, Irina Foley, Hayley Foraker, Shantell Forbes, Patrick Forgette, Jace Fox, Margaret Francik, Arich Fuher, Sadie Funk, Adriana Gaeta, Jasmine Gallardo, Jessica Gallegos, Kathryn Gamble, Whitney Garcia, Ryan Gardner, Karla Garten, Delia Garza, Ursela Gaskill, Dana Gassman, Jennifer George, Russell Gibson, Robney Gilbert, Mary Gilmore, Andrea Gizzarelli, Crystal Gjerdevig, Jill Glasford, Hannah Goetz, Brian Gomez, Francisco Gonzalez, Julissa Gonzalez, Tanna Gore, Daniel Gottschalk, Madison Gould, Kalei Grayson, Courtnee Grego, Raul Guerrero, Rudy Guidry, Adrian Guzman, Erin Gwinn, Lacey Halverson, Dakota Hamm, Othniella Harding, Jordan Harshfield, Crystal Hayes, Forrest Heller, Arlene Henriques, Tayler Herman, Daniel Hernandez, Maria Hernandez, Samuel Hewson, Zachary Hilliard, Kylee Hines, Melinda Hoksbergen, Dayl Holmes, Amity Holt, Heidi Hooper, Kelcee Hope, Robert Hornibrook, Rebecca Houck, Joshua Howell, Adam Huckleberry, Sharon Hughes, Kristin Ingalls, Larissa Iracheta, Olivia Jackson, Trenten Jackson, Amy Jensen, Kyle Johnson, Drew Jones, Jason Jones, Cheryl Jurgilewicz, Colby Kadinger, Jessica Kaiser, Adriana Katz, Jennifer Keene, Natosha Keogh, Jessica Kestler, Kristina King, Kody Kinziger, Cassandra Kisler, Kathryn Klopfenstein, Taylor Knipp, Jamie Koelzer, James Korolev, Sophol Lam, Stephen Lambert, Deborah Langston, Hailey Lanning, Margaret Laubach, Shawna Lauria, Harley Lawrence, John Lawton, Garrett Lefebre, Alejandra Leos, Ashley Leseberg, Coleen Lewis, David Lewis, Jessica Lewis, Cara Linde, Katherine Lindquist, Charles Linja, Adam Lloyd, Hannah Lockard, Dena Lodahl, Austin Lomax, Rebecca Long, Johnny Lord, Trevor Lott, Andrew Low, Katie Lowery, Levi Luca, Kayla Macfarlan, Mandy Machinal, Ann Marchand, Aaron Martin, April Martin, Saul Martinez, Michaela Marty, Kiya Masters, Jeffrey Matthews, John May, Jessica Mccoy, Ronica Mccoy, Christopher Mcelroy, Karlene Mcgregor, Manna Mcintosh, Michelle Mckee, Melanie Mckenna, Errika Mcpeak, Maida Mehmedovic, Leann Melvin, Bianca Mendoza, Blanca Mendoza, Rachael Michel, Kelsey Miller, Wendy Miller, Deborah Moles, Brittney Molina, Robert Montano, Jerry Moore, Tricia Moore, Jamie Morgan, Lee Moulton, Felicia Murray, Shyamal Nand, Joy Nauertz, Kevin Neill, Braden Nelson, Cherrie Nichols, Courtney Nichols, Larry Nichols, Wendy Nichols, Ii Nielsen, Nelson Noble, Wade Nolen, Bren Norman, Cyndi Nunez, Mark Nuzum, Aurora Oberg, Colton Obrien, Angelyca Ochoa, Leah Oeder, Jennifer Oliver, Chris Omolo, Kirby Orr, Mason Ortiz, Megan Osborne, Eldon Otta, Kurtis Paine, Sabdi Palma, Lindsay Palmer, Trampis Palmer, Devin Papp, Robert Parchen, Neil Parker, Daniel Parr, Glenn Patrick, Malia Pearson, Amy Pederson, Tyler Peterson, Huy Pham, Adam Phillips, Katelynn Pierce, Martha Pineda, Ryelee Plager, Nella Porter, Brooke Preston, Roman Pruneda, Ross Quesnell, Stacy Quick, Udiel Ramirez, Kayla Rasmussen, Bethany Rawls, John Reilly, Rachel Reinemann, Jasmine Reyes, Rolanda Reyna, Caleena Richards, Sheri Richards, Jessica Rinehart, Carl Rivera, Violeta Rivera, Jordan Roberts, Kyle Roberts, Michelle Roberts, Grant Robinson, Nicole Rodriguez, Adisa Salaka, Aydee Sanchez, Lisa Sanchez, Nicole Sand, David Sanders, Georgia Schafer, Kelsey Schalock, Mark Sebelien, Allan Serrano, Samuel Sheldon, Lina Shelestovskiy, Chanse Shepard, Toya Shepherd-stritter, Kathryn Short, Melissa Siebol, Robert Siegel, Eric Simiele, Emily Sinclair, Kinbri Sipes, Kerra Sivonen, Alexandra Smith, Michelle Smith, Terrance Smith, Tyler Smith, Jesus Solorio, Maritza Sosa, Allyssa Souza, Hannah Stanfield, Mandi Steinhoff, Brittney Stephens, Chelsea Stevenson, Tate Stock, Kathrine Stroh, Merilee Strong, Lacey Stroud, Hailee Stroup, Troy Suss, Caleb Suttle, Alexander Swensen, Kimberly Swenson, Glen Taft, Anthony Tappin, Andrey Tarasov, Traci Taylor, Amanda Tedeschi, Jeremy Tegrotenhuis, Jeremiah Thatcher, Austin Thomas, Christy Thompson, Emily Thompson, Alex Thomsen, Chase Tomjack, Danny Trapp, Jacqueline Travis, Laurie Trescott, Elvira Trevino, Nigel Tritt, Terryn Turner, Theodore Uecker, Zachary Underhill, Lucas Urlacher, Homar Ursua, Michelle Ursua, Joseph Vanburen, Jennifer Vandyken, Daisy Vargas, Holly Veach, Benjamin Vedder, Amalia Veliz, Courtney Verret, Thomas Verret, Joshua Vunkannon, Jonathan Walker, Kathryn Wall, Chris Walters, Jordan Warner, Jake Waters, Kendra Waters, Eric Watts, Sarah Weaver, Joshua Weston, Michelle Wheeler, James Whitney, Dave Whittam, Holli Wiberg, Patricia Williams, Amanda Wilson, Bryce Wilson, Paris Wilson, Jacqueli Winters, Aric Wokojance, Riley Woodford, Anna Workman, Anthony Wright, Jessica Wright, Lindsey Wright, Mykael Wylie, Lindsey Yearout, Guadalupe Zavala, Luis Zecena, Richard Ziegele, Jennifer Zilar.

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

Published Feb. 20, 2010
By the herald staff, Tri-City Herald

PASCO — Columbia Basin College hired Dan Headley as its new women’s volleyball coach, filling the spot left by John Patrick’s surprise resignation last season.

Headley, a former CBC assistant in 1996, has also served as an assistant at several Mid-Columbia high schools, including Connell, Kennewick, Prosser and Southridge.

As a collegiate player at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Headley was named team captain for two seasons.

Later, he transferred to William Woods University to help the Owls win the NAIA national championship in 2002.

After college, Headley founded, directed and coached the StrikeForce Volleyball Club in Kennewick.

Patrick accumulated a 747-360 record in 22 seasons at CBC and reached the NWAACC tournament in all but four seasons.

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

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hatchback, Hyundai

Earlier this year we learned that the Veloster was given the green-light by Hyundai’s top brass and with an on-sale date sometime in 2011 as a 2012 model, work on Hyundai‘s new hatch is well underway.

Caught weathering the wintery climes, the camo-clad Veloster – or maybe more accurately, the next Tiburon – doesn’t divulge much about the exterior styling, but compared to the concept, the grille has grown and the roofline’s rake suggests that the hatch might be slightly small, or could possibly utilize a dual panel, clamshell-like opening.

Although a front-wheel drive configuration is assured, there’s still plenty of speculation about how Hyundai plans to motivate the hatch. The smart money is on a detuned version of the automaker’s new Theta II GDI (Gas Direct Injection) four-cylinder, which puts out 200 horsepower when fitted with the new Sonata. The Genesis Coupe‘s turbocharged four-pot could make an appearance and there’s also talk of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder putting out around 140 hp in standard trim or turbocharged to bring output up to between 175 and 190 hp. Judging by the recent spate of spy shots, it’s safe to assume that the Veloster/Tiburon is set to debut early next year before it goes on sale in the summer of 2011.

More Spy Shots: 2012 Hyundai Veloster… or is that Tiburon? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010Feb22: Global atmospheric levels of methane (CH4) increased by about 7 parts per billion per year during 2007 and 2008, according to Professor Euan Nisbet, of Royal Holloway College of the University of London, and Dr Ed Dlugokencky of the Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, which is run by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Global atmospheric levels of the Methane (CH4) are currently at about 1,790 parts per billion. In 1984, Methane levels were at about 1,630 parts per billion. According to Michael McCarthy, the Environment Editor of The Independent: “Many climate scientists think that frozen Arctic tundra, like this at Sermermiut in Greenland, is a ticking time bomb in terms of global warming, because it holds vast amounts of methane, an immensely potent greenhouse gas. Over thousands of years the methane has accumulated under the ground at northern latitudes all around the world, and has effectively been taken out of circulation by the permafrost acting as an impermeable lid. But as the permafrost begins to melt in rising temperatures, the lid may open – with potentially catastrophic results” (The Independent).

Reference: The Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/methane-levels-may-see-runaway-rise-scientists-warn-1906484.html

Image Description: Arctic Tundra – Barrow, Alaska. Photo by  MarmotChaser, 2008July. Image Location: Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arctic_tundra_in_July.jpg Image Permission: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Mini announced today that it will use the 2010 Geneva Motor Show to launch its Mini Connected system, a new in-car entertainment system. The newly developed USB interface has unique functionality that allows integration of the Apple iPhone into the in-car audio and infotainment system. Mini says that all the functions integrated in the Mini, courtesy of the iPhone, are activated and controlled using the vehicle’s own operating system.

Mini Connected also integrates the Mission Control module, which helps drivers evaluate a range of vehicle, driving situation and vehicle environment-related signal.

The Mini Connected system will debut with the Mini Countryman as an optional feature.

Click here for more news on the Mini Countryman.

2011 Mini Countryman:

Press Release:

More driving enjoyment with new connectivity solution: MINI Connected.

New technology unique to MINI opens up a whole new dimension of in-car entertainment – system debut at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show.

• World-first in-car entertainment solution with innovative, unique-to-MINI technology for integration of the Apple iPhone.
• Safe, convenient, intuitive control of all functions via the MINI operating system.
• World debut of in-car web radio; unique possibilities for customisation and integration of additional functions.
• MINI Connected brings enhanced user functionality and customisation to the MINI-exclusive Mission Control function.

Munich. MINI has chosen the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show to launch an all-new, world-first in-car entertainment solution: MINI Connected. Through intelligent connectivity between the driver, his MINI and the outside world, MINI Connected offers new options for further enhancing the hallmark driving fun associated with the brand. Some of these new possibilities will be presented in Geneva. MINI Connected will be launched simultaneously with the MINI Countryman, as an optional specification.

With MINI Connected, MINI is the world’s first carmaker to offer a newly developed USB interface whose unique functionality allows maximum integration of the iPhone into the in-car audio and infotainment system. This MINI-exclusive technology provides the basis for new and unprecedented integration of smartphone functions, taking the in-car integration of modern smartphone telecommunications, entertainment and online functions to a whole new level.

All the functions integrated in the MINI courtesy of the Apple iPhone are activated and controlled using the vehicle’s own operating system. When the system is fitted in conjunction with the – likewise new – MINI Visual Boost radio, the full range of MINI Connected functions can be used. The radio’s high-resolution colour display, which is integrated in the Centre Speedo, and the centre console-mounted MINI joystick provide the ideal basis for convenient, simple and intuitive operation. Information and instructions follow the MINI’s particular display logic, while the familiar MINI operating structure allows drivers to select and activate any function with minimal distraction from the road and traffic. To customise the system, applications can be selected or deselected quickly and conveniently using the vehicle controls.

World-first: the MINI Connected web radio function.
The web radio function will be showcased in Geneva as a typical example of the extended possibilities opened up by MINI Connected. In a “hooked up” MINI – linked to the outside world via MINI Connected – the driver will be able to have his choice of radio station streamed to him anywhere in the world, provided the station is available in the extensive station database. The desired station is selected using the familiar controls on the MINI audio system, ensuring highly safe and convenient operation even while on the road. MINI is the world’s first carmaker to offer such a function as an option for production vehicles.

In addition, MINI Connected allows a variety of other services and functions to be integrated into the car as well. The innovative iPhone interface provides unique data exchange capabilities, allowing a huge range of infotainment, navigation and communication functions to be used on board the vehicle. MINI Connected also allows functions to be enhanced or personalised to the driver’s individual preferences.

The diversity and flexibility offered by MINI Connected across a host of different functions is new in the car industry. The unique, future-adaptable MINI Connected technology will guarantee customers instant access to future innovations in the fields of entertainment, communication, navigation and information.

Exclusive to MINI: Mission Control.
MINI Connected also incorporates the Mission Control module, which made its debut in the MINI 50 Camden anniversary model. Mission Control evaluates a vast range of vehicle, driving situation and vehicle environment-related signals and supplies the driver with relevant information and instructions in customary MINI style. Mission Control gives the driver an even stronger sense of interacting directly with the vehicle, reinforcing the whole concept of the MINI as a car with character and personality.

The vehicle-related signals are used to generate constantly changing, situation-dependent messages. The dialogue may take the form of safety and comfort-related advice – for example prompts to fasten a seatbelt or guidance on the air conditioning system – or may provide information relating to the current driving situation and operating status (for example outside temperatures or fuel tank level). The wide repertoire of messages, which marks a significant advance over previous systems, makes for a continually varied dialogue between the MINI and its driver, even in familiar and frequently recurring everyday driving situations. And thanks to MINI Connected, Mission Control now offers extensive functional enhancement and personalisation options including, for example, a choice of language versions and driving modes.

– By: Kap Shah

Tuesday is getting off on the same foot as Wall Street ended Monday — with selling.

Here’s the Nikkei, down 0.67% in early trading.

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