GREENWOOD — Harris Bank has filed a mortgage foreclosure on Galt Airport in McHenry County Circuit Court.
The regional airport opened in 1950 in Greenwood, and added a 3,000-foot asphalt runway in the mid-1960s. In recent years, the airport also has served as a host for summer concert events.
The filing listed three defendants – Ivan Djurin, a partner with Lake Forest real-estate investment company North Street Partners and president of Djurin Aviation Inc.; 5112 Greenwood LLC; and Galt Airport LLC. A conference scheduling hearing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. June 1.
Djurin and Michael Stanard bought the airport in 1998 from original owner Arthur Galt Jr. Stanard, who owns the marketing firm Studio@OneZeroCharlie, said he sold his interest in the airport to Djurin more than a year ago.
“We had a plan when we bought the airport 11 years ago that when I would retire, I would pass the torch to Ivan and sell my interest to him,” said Stanard, 64. “This thing with Ivan is unrelated to me.”
Taxes for the five parcels connected with Galt Airport were sold at a tax sale Dec. 2. Four of the five parcels were bought by Vista Securities of Decatur, while the other was sold to Interstate Funding of Evanston. In all, the taxes totaled $22,796.
Although Stanard has not owned the airport since selling his stake, he has produced the summer concerts conducted at Galt, including the Woodstock tribute event last year. He said that despite the success of the Woodstock event – it was the first of the concerts to make money, he said – the decision already had been made not to put together any more.
“We decided we would stop after that,” he said. “The stars came together for it. But it’s extremely difficult to put together. It took eight months of my life just for that [Woodstock tribute] show.”
Gamers in Europe may be getting BlazBlue way later than North America, but at least publisher Zen United is also giving them a limited edition similar to the one the US got. Details past the jump.
If there’s anywhere in the world where they know how to gild a lily, it’s the Persian Gulf. The oil-rich emirates there seem to have an endless appetite for items of, shall we say… questionable taste. And Rolls-Royce seems to have no qualms about milking the region’s appetite for all it’s worth.
Along with the gold-dipped Drophead Coupe and the series of special editions exclusively for the Gulf, Rolls-Royce has crafted another special Phantom for the land where oil flows like water. Called the Yas Eagle, this special was actually released a few months ago to coincide with the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but details have only made their way onto the Intertubes now.
The package can be ordered on any of the three bodystyles in the Phantom range: sedan, coupe and DHC convertible. It consists of a two-tone white and cobalt blue paint scheme (think the original Viper GTS coupe, sans attitude), an interior done up in blue and red leather (with matching top for the Drophead Coupe), special blue-stained ash veneers, white instrument dials, blue carpets, a checkerboard stripe running down the waistline and across the fascia, an illuminated hood ornament and oh, so much more. Have a look for yourself in the gallery below.
CHICAGO (CBS) — Some graffiti vandals have turned the wall of a coach-house into a canvas for their words and pictures.
The vandals left their graffiti on a 50-foot wall on a coach house near Clark Street and Chicago Avenue in the swanky Gold Coast early Monday.
The coach house in the 900 block of North Clark Street and its adjacent home have been under a multi-million dollar renovation for the past two years.
But at some point early Monday morning, vandals tore down a protective tarp and began spray-painting the brick wall, the Chicago Tribune reported. The vandals wrote what appears to read, “Mole Nine” in black and white bubble letters with what appears to be a dead body representing the “I” in nine, and two other monikers in smaller text – “hard 2 overcome” and “how 2 operate.”
The vandals even spray-painted the port-a-potty on the site.
The brick work will have to be sandblasted to restore its original color.
The house was built in the early 20th century as a ComEd substation, but two stories were later added to make it into a house, the Tribune reported. The coach house was built with the additions.
The homeowners say they will put in motion detectors and lights when the work is finished.
The massive ranks of those who live to entertain, are sometimes thinned by the Darwinian forces of dramatic irony. Wether on stage, on screen, or on a high-wire, the cold, bony finger of Death himself has pointed at many a star. Heart attacks seem to be a prime culprit, obviously some entertainers enjoy culinary pleasures a bit to much. For others, it’s suicide, injury, and — on more than occasion — rampant stupidity. From the hilarious to the macabre, here are 16 entertainers who died doing what they do best: attempting to entertain a bored and jaded audience.
16. Alexander Woollcott, 1943
Alexander Woollcott was a prominent critic, writer and wit in the 20s and 30s who was discussing Hitler on a radio show in 1943. Woollcott was known for being opinionated and loud, so when he stopped chiming in part way through the show, most listeners just thought he was being uncharacteristically withdrawn. What the didn’t realize is that he suffered a heart attack during the discussion, and that the panel continued without him, barely missing a beat.
15. Gareth Jones, 1958
In 1958 Gareth Jones was performing in a live science fiction play telecast for the UK’s Armchair theater, where he played a character who died of a heart attack. Between two scenes, Jones did exactly that. Full credit to his fellow actors and the director, who improvised around his absense in the live broadcast.
(Shown: a stock image of a heart attack. You try finding an image of an obscure British radio actor from the 50s with a very common name!)
14. Karl Wallenda, 1978
Karl Wallenda was the founder of the Flying Wallendas, internationally renowned daredevils and tightrope walkers, who performed their death-defying tricks without a net. Can you guess where this is going? At the ripe old age of 73, he attempted to cross between two 10-story towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At the height of 121 feet, he was hit by wind gusts more than 30 miles per hour, which sent him falling to his death—an act caught on camera by a local news team. Showing that ignoring Darwin is genetic, his Grandson returned to complete the trick the next year.
13. Les Harvey, 1972
Harvey was the lead guitarist of Glasgow rock/blues band “Stone The Crows”, and Les was even talented enough to tour with Led Zeppelin in 1969. However, his promising career was brought to an end, when at a “Stone The Crows” gig in 1972, he grabbed an ungrounded microphone with wet hands, fatally electrocuting himself. I guess he should have stayed acoustic.
12. Tiny Tim, 1996
Herbert Khaury, better known as Tiny Tim, was a novelty musician, who played the ukulele before it was cool—which means he officially out hipsters the hipsters. Best known for his falsetto version of “Tiptoe Through The Tulips”, he did have a normal singing voice, and used it most of the time. At the ripe old age of 64, he suffered a heart attack at a ukulele festival in Massachusetts. However, he didn’t let that stop him playing, and he was performing at a charity concert in Minneapolis later that year, when he was hit by another heart attack while singing his signature tune, which finally did him in.
11. Dick Shawn, 1986
Dick Shawn (apart from having a pornstar name and awesome hair) was a prominent comedian, who showed up in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and the original film version of The Producers. While performing at UC San Diego’s Mandeville Hall, he started a bit mocking politicians, and used the line “If elected, I will not lay down on the job”. Later, when he collapsed from a heart attack, everyone assumed it was part of the act. After five minutes of heckling, someone actually checked on Shawn and CPR was administered. They tried to clear the audience, but everyone was convinced it was just part of the show, until the paramedics arrived.
10. “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, 2004
Dimebag Darrell was the legendary guitarist of Pantera and then Damageplan, who died under the fire of a gunman at a metal concert in Al Rosa Villa in Columbus, OH. The shooter was Nathan Gale, who shot Darrell in the head, killing him instantly, then fired an additional four times on the body, before opening fire on the crowd. Without saying a single word, Gale fired off a total of 15 shots, including taking time to reload. The bands head of security and an employee of the venue were both killed trying to take down the shooter, and Damageplan’s drummer was injured in the same act. An audience member was killed attempting CPR on the wounded, and the tour manager was also wounded. Gale was eventually brought down by a police officer, via a shotgun blast to the head. He was found to have 35 rounds of ammo remaining.
9. Frank Levick, 1908
I’ve deliberately avoided sports players in this list, but the case of Frank Levick deserves mention, because it’s utterly horrifying. In a football (UK) game in 1908, he blocked a shot, which hit him in the groin, forcing his testicles to become lodged in his abdomen. This caused internal bleeding of the bowel and led to cardiac arrest. That’s right, he got hit in the nuts so damned hard, he had a heart attack. Holy crap. Seeing as this took place in 1908, we couldn’t find a picture of the man, so here’s just a shot of a soccer player getting hit in the crotch.
8. Renato Di Paolo, 2000
Di Paolo was a stage actor who was playing Judas in a production of the Passion outside Rome, just before Easter. During the scene where Judas is hanged, something went wrong, and he actually was. I wonder if his body then burst open into the field, shooting his internal organs all over the place. That was a biblical reference I dropped on you all. Check it.
7. Brandon Lee, 1993
I’m sure everyone know the story of the death of Brandon Lee during the filming of The Crow. A prop gun misfired, sending the blank cartridge into Lee and immediately killing him. Thus was the end of Bruce Lee’s son, who apparently had a promising action career ahead of him. It did, however, make the Crow a runaway success, and inspired thousands of goth kiddies to wrap themselves in electrical tape, and paint their faces white. Did anyone else ever see Brandon in Showdown in Little Tokyo with Dolph Lundgren. Given how much that movie sucked, I’m really surprised Lee ever got another acting gig, but I suppose the Lee family name carried some weight.
6. Tommy Cooper, 1984
Tommy Cooper was a famous British comedian/magician, who deliberately flubbed most of his tricks to get a laugh. He did huge amounts of prop comedy and slapstick in between excellent sleight of hand. He was also apparently a miser and a bastard offstage, but lets not dwell on that. Since so much of his success and humor revolved around him screwing up his tricks, when he collapsed on stage, everyone assumed it was part of the act. No surprises for guessing what actually occurred. Attempts were made to revive him backstage, but they failed, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
5. Jerome Rodale, 1971
You know how this list has been chock full of dramatic irony so far? How’s this suit you: Jerome Rodale was a longevity expert, who popularized the concept of ogranic foods. He was quoted as saying, “I’m going to live to be 100, unless I’m run over by a sugar-crazed taxi driver,” and “I’m in such good health that I fell down a long flight of stairs yesterday and I laughed all the way.” During a radio interview with Dick Cavett he was hit by a heart attack, and died. His age? 72. So much for living till 100, huh?
4. Leonard Warren, 1960
Look at the grin on this guy! Just look at it! That is a happy Opera singer. Maybe he just saw the diva’s cleavage. Or someone just offered to cook him dinner. So what brought about the end of our ludicrously joyful friend? Like most people on this list, it was a heart attack that did him in. He was singing La Forza del Destino, and was about to start Don Carlo’s act III aria, which begins Morir, tremenda cosa (“to die, a momentous thing”) when he fell face forward into the stage. Who said Opera was boring?
3. Johnny Ace, 1954
Johnny Ace was a rhythm and blues star in the 50s, and his very first recording spent 9 weeks at the top of the charts. At the tender age of 25 he was touring around the country. During a break in his performance in Houston on Christmas of 1954, he got himself resoundingly drunk, and decided to play Russian roulette. Three guesses as to what happened, and the first two don’t count.
2. Joseph W. Burrus, 1990
Burrus was an American escape artist based in San Francisco, who died attempting to escape being buried alive. The plan was to put him in a plastic coffin, which would be interred beneath seven tons of earth and concrete. He had attempted the trick before, but only with the soil, not the additional concrete. While attempting the trick he was placed in the coffin, lowered, and the dirt was piled on top of him. When the concrete was added, it became apparent that he’d failed to take into account the extra weight of the substance, and the coffin collapsed on top of him. By the time safety crews got to him, he was well and truly dead. Gah! Being buried alive is one of my all time most terrifying nightmares, and this doesn’t help matters.
1. Christine Chubbuck, 1974
Chubbuck was a news anchor with WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida—a channel renowned for its blood and guts approach to news. You know what they say, “if it bleeds, it leads”. Chubbuck suffered from depression, hated the sensationalistic nature of the channel she worked for, and was paid only a pittance for her work. In a piece she was working on about suicide, she talked to the sheriff’s department about ways people killed themselves. The officer told her one of the most efficient ways was to use a .38 caliber revolver with wadcutter target bullets, and to shoot yourself in the back of the head.
On the day of July 15, 1974, she went to anchor her morning news spot. In a bag she had a script for her upcoming attempt to kill herself, down to the details of when she would be pronounced dead, and of what her coworkers should say that evening. After reading the morning’s news, a film reel was meant to show, but jammed instead. Christine announced, “in keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, you are going to see another first: attempted suicide.” She pulled a magnum out of her notes, put it behind her ear, and pulled the trigger. Just as she had scripted, she was declared dead 14 hours later at hospital.
Paul Foster, Developer Evangelist – Windows Phone 7 Series for Microsoft UK has spoken to Windows Phone Expert about the new Windows Phone 7 series OS.
To start with, he confirmed that Windows Mobile Device Centre will be dead as a doornail, killed by Zune PC software for media transfer.
Windows Phone 7 Series will be using the Zune PC software. It was designed to be a best in class media experience and offer users the ability to easily synchronize music, videos and photos.
This change is probably long overdue, and we understand from other presentations most interaction with the device (synching and management) will happen over the air wirelessly, with the Zune software only handling media management. The Zune software will also be able to sync over WIFI, meaning OEM’s can finally make that super sliver device with no ports at all that syncs wirelessly
Next, asking about customizability of the OS, for both users and OEM’s Paul answered:
We redesigned the Windows Phone 7 Series from the ground up recognizing that phones are personal; not one-size-fits-all: The iPhone, with its single form factor and locked-down user interface, can’t be right for everyone. Phones are very personal and we believe people want to choose from a variety of phone designs (touch, keyboard, combination touch/keyboard, different screen sizes, etc…) and to be able to customize a phone to make it their own. Windows phones meet these needs because we don’t follow a one-size-fits-all model.
We have dramatically changed our approach to the user experience with Windows Phone 7 Series and are taking accountability for the entire experience. That means you will not see layers built on top of the UI by OEMs or MOs which have historically led to confusion and performance issues. OEMs or MOs can customize the experience to bring their world class brands and services to the forefront. Additionally, they can innovate in the HW design and we feel confident that our OEM partners will take advantage of this.
So basically the same situation as in the PC market. While this works for Microsoft I am not so sure OEM’s will appreciate it.
Lastly and most importantly, he asked about the reception they expect in business from their entertainment-focussed OS. The response:
We’ve spoken to many enterprise customers. The most important need we’ve heard from IT professionals and business decision makers is to deliver a phone that is compelling for end users. End users’ expectations have changed and grown to embrace mobile devices as more than just productivity tools. They expect Smartphones to connect them to their friends, the services they use every day and a world of entertainment – all in a simple, intuitive way. Windows Phone 7 Series has a smart design which makes it feel as if your phone understands what you care most about, so you never miss a moment that matters. We’ve also designed Windows Phone 7 Series to bring information together in end-to-end experiences so customers don’t have to.
Mobile productivity, defined as access to e-mail, calendar, contacts and work documents, is the most frequent work usage scenario for Smartphones. Windows Phone has a strong heritage in exceeding customer expectations for mobile productivity and the 7 Series will continue to deliver the most seamless Exchange e-mail, calendar and contacts experience for end users. The 7 Series enables full access to documents on SharePoint sites and rich support for viewing and editing Office documents, including optimized mobile navigation and commenting in Word documents. No competing Smartphone on the market today offers these capabilities.
Combined with IT capabilities that businesses require and a choice of form factors from a range of device manufacturers, Windows Phone 7 Series delivers Smartphones that end users want with capabilities that organizations need.
Unfortunately the answer leaves out important 3rd party productivity tools. Not everyone lives in Office and Excel, and custom 3rd party software is often a major feature of enterprise productivity.
Interestingly the interview turned up a particular focus on Android by Microsoft, presumably because they are direct competitors for OEMS.
Developers are important to Microsoft and particularly to Windows Phone; we take responsibility for creating a stable platform: Platform fragmentation is a reality that all platform vendors face and it can create significant hurdles for the developer community. Microsoft recognizes this and is taking a proactive approach to address it. By maintaining a managed platform with a consistent set of API’s, plus a disciplined application certification process, Microsoft is able to ensure application compatibility across different Windows phone device IDs. Making sure that Windows Phone 7 Series is consumer-ready is also important: With a more complete consumer experience delivered with the launch of Windows phone – backed by our proven track record for delivering and supporting world-class consumer software and services like Windows Live, Xbox LIVE, Bing and Zune –Microsoft remains committed to providing a mobile platform that scales to deliver high-quality Smartphone experiences that delight millions of people around the globe. The value of the Windows phone platform extends beyond the basic OS components delivered with Android to include an integrated package of rich end-to-end mobile services and features (e.g., easy and intuitive synch of photos and music, seamless integration of Outlook email and calendar, My Phone online service to manage and back-up contacts, calendar, texts, photos and more). Partner profitability is also very important to us: With 30 years of experience building software development platforms that generate revenue for partners, including nearly a decade of working closely with partners to ship over 50M mobile devices worldwide, Microsoft has a proven track record for fostering a healthy, vibrant, and profitable global partner ecosystem.
We speak with Android developers and find that they are increasingly frustrated. While managing application and device compatibility across point releases is a challenge developers face on any platform, Android has made it extremely difficult and frustrating because 1) Android lacks an application certification process and 2) Android SDKs are not released in a timely fashion and they trail behind the rapid frequency of Android releases. These problems have led to applications that crash Android phones and situations in which developers don’t have the chance to proactively create fixes before a new SDK releases that breaks their applications. Additionally, Google is now competing directly with OEM partners and coming between carriers and their customers: With the launch of Nexus One – Google’s first proprietary phone – Google is competing directly with their OEM partners. They are also undermining the value of their carrier partners by coming between them and their customers by restricting distribution and creating customer dissatisfaction with their lack of customer service. (Note: Google’s Nexus One phone is only available directly from Google online and the only way to get support for the phone is to email Google and wait for a response within 48 hours).
Who knew Android developers were so unhappy?
What do our readers think? Are you satisfied by the answers? Let us know below, and read the full interview with many more questions here.
I was telling my high school kids that when I was a boy, we observed both Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays. They replied, “That’s because the Revolutionary War and Civil War were a lot closer to the time when you were a kid than they are now.” And the mortgage banking world mourns the unfortunate loss of Doug Fieger, who co-wrote and sang “My Sharona” with The Knack.
One of the repercussions of the Freddie & Fannie announcements last week was the observation that repurchase requests will increase. It is common knowledge that repurchase requests from the large investors negotiate based on individual loan merits, or at times satisfied with market-share agreements – not so with the agencies. The pressure for originators to repurchase loans will grow. The more loans that the agencies buy back, the more loans will get pushed back to the originator. Apparently there are between 4-5 million loans out there that could fall into this bucket. One growth area will be firms that assist mortgage originators in handling these buybacks, either from compliance or a legal perspective. One of the leaders in this arena is The Prieston Group. They can be found at http://www.priestongroup.com/app/public/. In building any kind of relationship with a firm such as The Prieston Group, it is best to begin early as they put their prospective clients through a rigorous, but worthwhile, testing process prior to signing an agreement.
Last week much of the mortgage industry was abuzz about the video describing the relationship between the FDIC and OneWest Bank, the old IndyMac Bank. Say what you want about whether or not you can stomach the style of the guys doing the video, the FDIC came down hard on them: in a tug-of-war, I wouldn’t want the FDIC pulling the rope from the other side of the mud pit.
“It is unfortunate but necessary to respond to blatantly false claims in a web video that is being circulated about the loss-sharing agreement between the FDIC and OneWest Bank…This video has no credibility…It’s too bad that the creators of this video opted to premise it on falsehoods.” The FDIC goes on to say that IndyMac was competitively bid and the acquisition by OneWest represented the least cost transaction. Besides the assets, OneWest also assumed the liabilities, and has assumed a first loss position on a portfolio of qualifying loans where they take the first 20% of losses before any loss share payments are made. This is a first loss position of over $2.5 billion. The FDIC has yet to make a single loss share payment to OneWest (it is unknown whether claims have been submitted and are being reviewed), and in its agreement with FDIC OneWest is required to adhere to a loan modification protocol for single family loans that meets the approval of the FDIC. If the FDIC determines that OneWest is in violation of this agreement, then the FDIC can repudiate the loss share claims on the covered loans.”
The latest fraud scheme comes from an indictment of a Chicago lawyer (Charles Murphy) who supposedly was involved in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme of buying dilapidated homes to flip for fraudulently inflated prices. They allegedly sold more than 50 homes between 2002 and 2004 and raked in more than $4.2 million in mortgage proceeds from more than $11 million in fraudulent loans. Several others involved have also been indicted or have already pled guilty.
Homeland Federal Mortgage, out of Oklahoma, was a mortgage broker until they recently shut down. Why is this worth mentioning? Interestingly, the owner is a Republican state senator who wrote, “Recent federal legislative initiatives that favor big banks have made it increasingly difficult for small family-owned businesses like ours to survive. Their actions have led to reductions in available funds to lend, approvable borrowers, and a significant increase in the time it takes to close a home loan. This combined with a weakening economy has forced us to close our company.” David Olson, with Access Research & Consulting Inc., estimates that the number of mortgage brokerage firms is down from a peak of 53,000 in 2004 to less than 15,000 now.
The drama over the correct information, in the correct box, on the correct GFE form, continues. Wells Fargo Wholesale told clients “effective immediately with all applications received, Wells Fargo will review the 1003 for the broker’s signature/prepared date and require the GFE to be dated no more than three (3) business days after that date. Wells Fargo Wholesale will no longer use the borrower’s signature date on the 1003 to determine timeliness of the GFE.” And in KY, TN, and WI, to comply with new state requirements, “Wells Fargo will require the broker to sign the 1003″ – Wells Fargo will not accept a printed name. Wells also reiterated their stand that although the FHA no longer limits the origination fee to 1% of the mortgage amount for its standard programs, “At this time, Wells Fargo will continue to ensure that fees are reasonable and customary by maintaining the 1% cap on origination fees (the origination portion of Box 1 on the GFE).”
The 155 members of Lenders One have a new parent. Altisource Portfolio Solutions announced the acquisition of The Mortgage Partnership of America, L.L.C. (MPA), and MPA is the manager of the Lenders One Mortgage Cooperative. The CEO of Altisource said, “With the acquisition of MPA, we take a significant step in our evolution in becoming a full service provider in the mortgage services vertical.” I wish I could talk like that…
Due to the greater effect “declining markets” have had on housing, U.S. Bank Home Mortgage Wholesale Division adjusted its IO Jumbo Fixed Rate & ARM, products. After the 18th, DU Approved Eligible AUS is no longer allowed – LP only. Cash-out refinances are no longer allowed, and with minimum qualifying household income of $150,000 or minimum reserves totaling $500,000. These loans will have a maximum DTI of 45%, and USBHM raised their reserve requirements by three additional months. Get ‘em in, as re-locks and lock extensions will not be allowed.
You know it’s a Fannie/Freddie world when investors merely publish their overlays. The latest example of this is the Franklin American Mortgage Company product overlays. The ones listed here are by no means an all-inclusive list of overlays – go to their product guides, manuals, etc. for the complete picture. But to give you a flavor, for the Conventional Conforming Fixed Rate program, FAMC needs a minimum of 2 credit scores for all borrowers, investment property cash out refinance is not eligible for purchase, loans for investment condominiums are not eligible for purchase, and “Payoff HELOC 1st lien is considered a cash-out transaction in all cases.” For Conventional Fixed Rate High Balance loans, attached and detached (site) condominiums not allowed, owner occupied 1 unit only, and a maximum 45% DTI regardless of AUS approval. For DU Refi Plus loans, they’d better be clean: 0 x 30 lates in last 12 months mortgage history regardless of DU approval, and have a minimum FICO of 620 regardless of DU approval. FHA & VA fixed rate loans also have overlays.
Ah, back to something simple like the markets. Late last week traders reported a great deal of interest by investors and money managers moving “down in coupon”, thus selling their higher coupon holdings. Someone used the word “jittery”. “The stack remains fractured as buyers of higher coupons are hard to find: 6.5s are down 2 ticks and 4s are up 13 ticks with minimal change in the steepness of the swaps curve.” Fortunately current production of 6.5% Fannie/Freddie loans is nearly non-existent.
Last week we left off with Retail Sales and with the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey (which dropped slightly), along with China increasing their reserve requirement (which reduces the capital available for economic growth). This week, besides today seeming like a Monday, the most significant economic data are the PPI and CPI siblings: the monthly inflation reports. The Producer Price Index comes out Thursday, and the Consumer Price Index comes out Friday. Besides those, we have zip of importance today. Tomorrow we have Housing Starts and Building Permits, Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization, along with the FOMC Minutes from the January 27 Fed meeting. Throw in some Import Prices tomorrow, Leading Indicators, Jobless Claims, and the Philly Fed Thursday, and we have a pretty busy week. We start this Tuesday with the 10-yr at 3.72% and mortgage prices worse by .125.
An Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together again.
The boy asked, “What is this Father?”
The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, “Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don’t know what it is!”
While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, an overweight old lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a button.
The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small circular numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.
Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous 24-year-old blonde stepped out.
The father said quietly to his son…..”Go get your mother.”
With diesel-powered engines slowly but surely making their way onto the American market, the German automakers are taking the lead, introducing diesel-powered variants of their most popular gasoline-powered models. Increased fuel-economy, more torque, and a smaller price-premium over gasoline-powered cars than electric-hybrids, diesel power certainly offers a range of benefits. Current diesel prices however, are slightly higher than that of gasoline, which in turn, makes the American public a bit reluctant to fully embrace the technology.
Volkswagen however is one automaker that is not deterred; the German manufacturer currently sports in its lineup four TDI Clean Diesel models: the Jetta, Jetta SportWagon, Touareg, and Golf are available in the TDI variant. We recently had the chance to get behind the Golf TDI for a week-long test-drive and never even put gas… we mean diesel… in the car. Keep reading after the jump to find out what our overall opinion was of the 2010 Golf TDI.
‘Grown-up’ and ‘classy’ are the two best words we can think of that accurately describe the exterior of the new 2010 Volkswagen Golf. The new front-design features a wider stance, double-bar grille that flows seamlessly into the angled halogen headlamps (High Intensity Gas-Discharged Xenons are available as an option on the TDI variant), and a body-colored bumper that sits atop the redesigned lower fascia featuring a wide-mouthed cooling duct and Crystalline oval fog lamps. The rear of the car features a body-colored hatch-spoiler with integrated third brake-light, taillights redesigned to resemble the headlamps, a lower rear-bumper with integrated running lights, blacked out inserts and cutouts for a pair of exhaust tips.
The 2010 Golf measures 165.3” long, 70” high, 58.3” high and has a wheelbase of 101.5” – so it’s really not that different from its predecessor in terms of size.
Though the TDI comes standard with 17” wheels, the Golf lineup is available with 15”, 17”, and 18” wheels. Other exterior optional features include a front body-kit, sport roof-rack and cargo roof-rack – half of the extras that most of you will probably avoid and could live without.
Interior:
The 2010 Golf’s interior screams of quality and design with a cabin that is better than previous generations by leaps and bounds. The front seats feature eight-way manual adjustability with two-way adjustable lumbar support, while the 60/40 split rear-seats provide for ample cargo room (I easily squeezed in a Fisher Price Ford F150 Pickup). All seating comes standardly upholstered with Volkswagen’s ‘Me2’ fabric and the optional ‘Cold Weather’ package upgrades the seats to heated ones.
The dash-design is very detail-oriented, featuring a standard brushed metallic trim insert (also featured on the interior door panels) that accents the redesigned instrument panel and center console. No detail is spared; even the tachometer and speedometer received chrome-trim. Sitting between the two gauges is a multi-function onboard computer display that provides the driver with key information relating to the selected gear, fuel-economy, odometer, and more (it is standard on the Golf TDI). Also the newly designed three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel comes standard on all TDI models.
While all Golf models come with an impressive list of features, the 2010 Golf TDI, with its starting MSRP of $22,354, offers phenomenal bang-for-the-buck and comes with a bunch of standard features including Bluetooth connectivity, metal-look interior trim, power locks, power steering, power windows and heated exterior mirrors, 6.5-inch Touchscreen Premium VIII sound system which features; an in-dash CD changer with iPod connectivity and a Highline instrument cluster with compass, six-month Sirius subscription and MDI, exterior temperature, and trip computer.
A touchscreen navigation system with 30GB hard-drive and SD memory card slot can be added to any model for an additional $1,750, and a Dynaudio 300W Amp sound system can be added for $476.
Overall, in our opinion, the 2010 Golf TDI certainly offers best-in-class interior quality and overall design; however, the comfort level could be improved upon.
Performance:
The 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI derives power from a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel engine that puts out 140-hp and a peak torque of 236 lb-ft. When mated to a 6-speed manual (a 6-speed automatic with DSG and Tiptronic is available as an option), 0-60 mph comes in 8.6 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph. Though that doesn’t sound fast, we did appreciate how eagerly the Golf TDI revved and zipped off the line, and how easy the manual we tested was to operate.
While we didn’t have any complaints with the overall drive of the Golf TDI, we would have liked to see the steering be a tad tighter. Also, while we were fans of the firm suspension, some might find it a bit uncomfortable on road trips or rough road conditions. In our opinion, the firm suspension provides the Golf TDI with the tightness it needs for great cornering and a fun fuel-efficient urban-driving experience.
The main attraction here though is obviously the fuel-economy; the 2010 Golf TDI gets an EPA estimated 30/41 mpg (city/highway), though we managed to maintain 32 mpg throughout our week-long test; impressive considering we never hesitated to stomp on that gas pedal and put the 140-hp to work. Of course if you opt for the 6-speed automatic with DSG/Tiptronic and drive normally, you should average some impressive figures.
Overall:
One thing we learned during our week with the Golf TDI is that fuel-efficiency does not necessarily come at the expense of fun and enthusiasm in driving. To the enthusiast looking for a fuel-efficient daily driver, diesels win hands down when compared to hybrids, especially when one considers the price differential that a hybrid comes with as compared to that of a diesel.
The starting MSRP for the 2-door Golf TDI is $22,354, and $22,959 for the 4-door variant. Totally optioned out (including the most mundane features that most won’t opt for), the same car would fetch a price-tag of almost $32,000. That being said, this car is a must-test for anyone in the market for a compact fuel-efficient vehicle – especially a hybrid.
Every Friday night, I get out from my Mom’s basement, um, my wife lets me get out for a night, err, I get together with my old High School gaming group for a fun night of D&D 4th Edition.
One of the things that was a bit of shocker in 4th edition is how much administration there was. Gone are the days of just whacking creatures and getting healed. Now I need to deal with healing surges, at-will powers, encounter powers, dailies, etc. It can get to be a bit much. To help with a lot of the back-end creation I subscribe to the excellent Wizards Insider (sadly, this is Windows-only). Among its core features is a very handy character builder that uses all of Wizard’s published source material — even if I don’t own that volume — and creates a very handy, easy to read character sheet.
However, by the end of a gaming session, that sheet of paper looks like the crib notes to a physics final exam. The hit points section is a blur of eraser marks. The encounter powers have been checked, unchecked, rechecked, and double-checked. I was originally hoping that viewing a PDF (and maybe even annotating it) on an iPad might be an ideal solution to outsource the administrative details, but then I stumbled upon i4e in the app store.
This handy program either lets you input your character by hand — not recommended since it stores none of the powers and items from the game, so you’ll be entering in a lot of stuff on a small keyboard — or you can simply import your character from the Character Builder. Naturally, this is the option I chose.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t 100 percent successful. Most of the abilities are missing some of the descriptive text and it wasn’t taking into account the bonus to hit from my +2 sword and the base damage to the full-blade. According to the developer’s web site, this is a limitation in what is stored in the file, so there’s not much that can be done about it. At this point, if I wanted to, I’d have to input a lot of this data by hand. For now, though, I’m simply shrugging and keeping a printout of my character in front of me. Also, to check something I created a weapon within i4e and it still didn’t use the proper values.
That may seem like a complete deal-breaker, but the areas I wanted it to shine — handling the administration — it does. For example, the below screenshot is what happens when I select the hit points field. From here, I can either take damage, get healed (and say if that heal uses a healing surge), or add temporary hit points. This is very handy if you completely suck at math like I do.
I’m also impressed with how it handles powers. In 4th Edition, there are three types of powers you have: at-will powers than can be used at any time; powers that can be used only once per encounter; and powers that can be used only one a day. In i4e, I can click a power, tap the “use power” button and that power will appear gray in the powers list. When we’re done with an encounter and take what’s called a “short rest” (which resets the encounter powers) I can press the “short rest” button and, you guessed it, it resets all my used encounter powers. Naturally, there’s an “extended rest” button that’ll reset my all used powers.
After a full night’s game session, I asked myself: can I run a nightly gaming session using only i4e and an imported Character Builder file? Right now, with not having all the powers descriptions there, that answer is no (the character builder file gets updated too much for me to keep re-entering all the missing data). But, it’s not by missing the mark by much. I make PDFs of my character each update to send to the other players. Using Dropbox and the new Quickoffice Connect, or the Dropbox App, I can store the PDFs on the iPhone without needing to sync to iTunes. Sure, it’s not ideal with the small screen, and I’ll at least need a PDF of my main sheet, but once I get an iPad, I predict a paperless D&D night is in my future.
2011 Lotus Elise – Click above for high-res image gallery
For the first time in over seven years, the venerable LotusElise benefits from a substantial facelift. And if you’re noticing a few cues cribbed from the Evora, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.
However, the new front fascia isn’t just there to lend some familial ties to its 2+2 sibling – since this is Lotus, it’s all about efficiency. Thanks to the smoother, lower nose, restyled headlamps (now with daytime running lights), larger grille and side ducting, new engine cover and reworked rump, the 2011 Elise’s coefficient of drag has been reduced by four percent.
The 1.8-liter remains amidships, putting out 192 hp in naturally aspirated guise and 217 hp when equipped with a supercharger, and for the first time Lotus will be offering a new Toyota-sourced 1.6-liter engine – which will not be available in North America – with 134 hp (at 6,800 rpm) and 118 pound-feet of torque (at 4,400 rpm), which should result in a 0-60 time of around six seconds. A six-speed manual remains standard on all models, and two new lightweight forged wheels are available as an option, along with cruise control.
Expect the 2011 Lotus Elise to arrive in dealers across the pond this April , with sales in the U.S. beginning later this year.
UPDATE: We’ve received word that the 1.6-liter will not be available in the U.S. or Canada. Both the UK-spec and U.S.-spec press release after available after the jump.
The BMCC women’s soccer team finished its 2009 season with a 12-4 record. But by far more meaningful measures, the team had a championship season.
For the first time in its history, the team received the Sportsmanship Award from the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Associations (NYMISOA). “Although we won only one game, we never lost by more than a single goal—and that was often with fewer players on the field than our opponents,” says goalie Jodi Dacosta, a video arts technology major in her final semester at BMCC.
While a soccer team normally fields 11 players, the BMCC squad shrank steadily over the course of the season for various reasons. “As a result, we often had only 10 players on the field and no reserves,” Dacosta adds. “That put us at a disadvantage, but we never gave up.”
“Soccer is my life”
Like most of her teammates, the Jamaican-born Dacosta is, by her own account, a soccer fanatic. “I played in high school and, to be honest, I wouldn’t have gone to a college where I didn’t have the opportunity to play,” she says. “When I’m on the field, I forget whatever worries I have and just focus on the game. Soccer is my life.”
Soccer has also had a positive impact on her academic performance. “Our coach, Kenichi (Keni) Yatsuhashi, has told us that in order to stay on the team, we have to maintain good grades,” Dacosta says. “He encourages us to use tutoring and other resources and emphasizes that academic performance comes first.”
Speaking the language of soccer
Teammate Oumou Toure agrees. “Coach Keni is always reminding us that soccer alone won’t get us into the school of our choice. We also need a good GPA.” According to Toure, a fourth-semester liberal arts major who plays offensive midfield, what set the team apart last season was “that we always played with heart and passion—and that we were so connected, both on and off the field.”
Born and raised in the West African nation of Mali, Toure recalls the challenges she faced when she first arrived in New York, unable to make herself clearly understood in English.
“Soccer became my way of communicating,” she says. “I’d play in games with Spanish-speaking kids and it didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand what each other was saying. When you’re on the field, you don’t need words to communicate.” After graduating, Toure hopes to go on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in international relations and play Division 1 soccer.
“I’m all about soccer,” she says. “When I’m not playing, I’m dreaming about it.”
Both Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo president Satoru Iwata have confirmed that new hardware is being developed. They never specifically mentioned a new DS, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from turning. The latest rumor has it
Here’s a fascinating little table found in a recent presentation from Korean steelmaker Posco.
Two things really stand out. One is that compared to 2009, the US is experiencing the fastest growth in the world (though total demand is expected to be less than what it was during construction-crazy 2008).
But here’s what really stands out. Chinese steel demand in 2009 was more than twice US, EU, Japan, and India combined, and in 2010 it’s almost twice as much.
In other words, China is not just a major player in the steel market. It IS the steel market, and you can’t not focus on China if you’re interested in global markets.
Governors State University is getting $4.9 million in federal stimulus money to train unemployed and under-employed Southlanders for jobs in health care.
The University Park-based school said it will coordinate with organizations including the Southland Health Care Forum, SouthStar Services and the South Metro Higher Education Consortium.
The money will pay for training and placement of jobless residents and low-wage workers, according to the U.S. Labor Department, which awarded the grant.
“This project will help fight the recession by creating jobs in the critical area of health care,” GSU president Elaine Maimon said in a statement.
HarperCollege’s wrestling team captured the Central District Championship on Sunday, February 15, 2010. Head Coach Dan Lorpieno’s squad was carried by 9 wrestlers (2 First Place finishers, 3 Second Place, 3 Third Place and 1 Forth Place) who will advance to the NJCAA National Championships.
“Our goal at the start of every season is to qualify for Nationals,” says Head Coach Loprieno, “and we’ve done that with this Central District Championship. We haven’t peaked yet, so I feel good going into the National Championships”
At 125 pounds, Eduardo Dominguez (Freshman – Mundelein H.S.) took 2nd place. According to Coach Loprieno, Dominguez “was a little sloppy in the finals, but he’s starting to come on and stands a good chance [at Nationals] if he makes no mistakes.”
Josh Kratovil (Lincoln Way Central H.S.) at 141 pounds took 3rd place. “Josh had a bad semi-final match,” said Loprieno, “but he still advances and he needs to work on his conditioning before Nationals.”
Sophomore Nate Stadeker (Rich East H.S.) finished 2nd at 149 pounds. “We have high expectations for Nate,” says Loprieno, “and he got a great win in the semi-finals when he scored a take down with only 5-seconds left in the match to get the win.”
Luke Roth captured 1st place at 157 pounds. “Luke has done everything that we’ve asked,” said Loprieno, “he’s worked hard to recover from an injury and he’s overcome hurdles on and off the mat.”
Mike Dace (Sophomore – Grant H.S.) took 2nd place at 165 pounds. “Mike lost a close final, 7-5,” said Loprieno. “After pinning most of his opponents, Mike was a little caught by surprise in the final; but he’ll learn from this experience.”
At 174 pounds Jordan Bakley (Sophomore – Huntley H.S.) qualified for Nationals with a 4th place finish. According to Loprieno, “Jordan had a rough tournament, but he still qualified [for Nationals]. He lost to a couple kids that he’s already beaten, but he’ll be fine.”
Another 1st place finish was earned by Mike Lukowski (Sophomore – Dundee Crown H.S.) at 197 pounds. “We’ve had high expectations for Mike,” said Loprieno, “and while Mike hasn’t lived up to those expectations, this 1st place finish shows what he has the potential to accomplish. He should be motivated for the Nationals.”
Arber Bebo (Freshman – Addison Trail H.S.) took third place at 184 pounds.
John Grubisich (Sophomore – Argo H.S.) captured 3rd place in the Heavy Weight classification. “John had some nerves in the opening match,” said Loprieno, “and if you asked him, he’d admit that he choked. But that first round loss woke John up and he came out with a vengeance, pinning his next 3 opponents in the first round!”
“While you never like to lose,” says Loprieno, “we’re pleased with winning the District Championship, but we can wrestle better than we did. As we prepare for the Nationals, we know that all these things can be corrected and we feel good heading into the National Championships.”
The NJCAA Wrestling National Championships will take place February 25-27, 2010 at EllsworthCommunity College in Iowa.
There’s an anti-intellectual thread running through these arguments. It’s a materialistic way of thinking, valuing only tangible artifacts and not ideas. It’s OK for a potter to sell pots, but a musician should not sell music. It’s OK for teachers to make money by the hour for teaching, but they should not make money from writing books. It’s OK for programmers to sell their time as consultants, and maybe even to sell their time as a programmers, but they should not sell the products of their labor. It’s OK to sell physical objects or to sell time, but not to sell intellectual property.
This is a huge strawman of an argument. It is not anti-intellectual at all, but actually involves understanding the economics, rather than wishing the world were a way it is not. No one is saying you shouldn’t sell “intellectual” output, but that it often will not be possible, economically, or that it doesn’t make the most sense to do so. And that is economics at work. With ideas and intellectual output, the content is abundant and infinitely available in a digital form. In economic terms, it is non-rivalrous and non-excludable, such that the supply curve drives the price to $0. It’s not being against intellectual output, it’s recognizing the reality that it does not make economic sense to try to sell it when the economic forces at play will increasingly push the price towards $0.
It’s certainly not about “valuing only tangible artifacts.” In fact it’s quite the reverse. Cook seems to be confusing price with value again, and missing the fact that we’re showing how you can use the value of those intangible ideas to increase the price of scarce goods (which do not need to be tangible at all — just scarce). It’s basic economics.
Honestly, when I saw the title of Cook’s post, I thought I was going to agree with it. It’s called “Make something and sell it.” This is, in fact, the very model we espouse here on a regular basis. But we point out that you can only sell what people are actually willing to buy, and that means understanding the economics at play, and selling what is scarce, while using what is infinite to make those scarce products even more valuable, thus driving up the price.
GREENWOOD — Harris Bank has filed a mortgage foreclosure on Galt Airport in McHenry County Circuit Court.
Paul Foster, Developer Evangelist – Windows Phone 7 Series for Microsoft UK has 
After a full night’s game session, I asked myself: can I run a nightly gaming session using only i4e and an imported Character Builder file? Right now, with not having all the powers descriptions there, that answer is no (the character builder file gets updated too much for me to keep re-entering all the missing data). But, it’s not by missing the mark by much. I make PDFs of my character each update to send to the other players. Using Dropbox and the new Quickoffice Connect, or the Dropbox App, I can store the PDFs on the iPhone without needing to sync to iTunes. Sure, it’s not ideal with the small screen, and I’ll at least need a PDF of my main sheet, but once I get an iPad, I predict a paperless D&D night is in my future.
