Author: Serkadis

Again and again, human beings have shown off their willingness to pierce, poke and alter every facet of their bodies. Currently, tattoos and certain piercings are seen as utterly socially acceptable, and no-one blinks twice if your barista has 8 earrings and full sleeve tattoos. But some people take it to the next level, with bodymods that stretch belief and might fire up your gag reflex. Here are 13 of the craziest body mods (which don’t involve genitalia, because that would just be too easy).

13. Black Light Tattoo

So what do you do if you want a tattoo but you don’t want it to be highly visible? If you’re a normal person, you get it put somewhere discreet, and it’s not an issue. If you’re someone who tends to hang around places where the music repetitively goes oons-oons-oons, and look fondly back on the 90s, then you get a black light tattoo. Much as the name suggests, black light tattoos only show up under black light, meaning they look like a very faint scar most of the time. However, once you get into the club with the rest of your raver friends, the ink glows. It’s a cool effect, but I wonder if the glow degrades over time.

12. Corset Piercing

This bodymod is high on the list because, well, because it’s actually kinda hot. Two rows of piercings run down the back, and then a piece of ribbon is threaded through them. This duplicates the look of the ties on a corset, which has definite aesthetic appeal. Which is doubtless boosted by its usual appearance on the backs of young, attractive women. The downside? Whenever I see one, I just get a horrible mental image of someone ripping the whole thing out.

11. Implanted Magnets

Another one that’s kinda cool. Implanting magnets under your skin, which not only lets you pick up metal objects, but gives you a minor 6th sense. Reportedly, once you’ve implanted the small and powerful objects, you can detect live wires, feel your hard drive spin up, or sense security systems. The magnets are implanted into your fingertip, and when you cross a magnetic field they oscillate slightly, creating a buzzing sensation. As far as bodymods go, it’s a fair bit more practical than most. The downside? The silicon sleeve used to separate your body from the magnet has a tendency to rupture, which leads to the magnet breaking down.

10. The Giant Labret

The labret is a fairly common piercing, one which is beneath your lower lip, and is often seen as a stud or spike. It’s remarkably common, and you probably know someone who has one. So what happens when someone does to the labret piercing as they do to their ears, and start to stretch the hole. And, after it gets big enough, they stick a clear plastic plug in it. You get an unparalleled look at the persons gumline, and I’m sure more than just a couple of really, really odd glances. Looking at that, and seeing how much it alters the shape of the lower lip, you have to wonder if it makes eating difficult.

9. Microdermal Implants

So you want a piece of metal sticking straight out of your body? But you don’t want to shove a piece of metal deep into your muscle structure? Well, lucky for you, there’s a middle-ground. A microdermal implant sticks a small L-shaped bracket into your skin, which leaves just a tiny stud of metal protruding. With this hook, you can stick on all types of studs, jewels, and various spikey shaped things. As far as implants go, it’s relatively non-invasive, and won’t go too deep. You’re still sticking hooks under your skin though.

8. Ear Spiking

There are only two types of people who would get their ears modified to look like this: hardcore fantasy fans, or hardcore Star Trek fans. Neither of whom are usually the primary demographic for extensive body modification, especially ones that involve removing large chunks of flesh. But I’m not one to judge. So if you’re of the type where you think your life would be immeasurably improved by having ears that come to a sharp point, then maybe this is for you. So how is this achieved? Well, you take your ear, carve a wedge of flesh and cartilage out of it and then strap it back together. You keep it bandaged that way for some time, until it heals enough that it won’t rip itself to shreds as soon it becomes unstrapped. Then you have a spiky set of ears!

7. Scarification

Scarification scares me more than almost anything else, but mostly because I find the results oddly attractive. What happens with this procedure, is that you peel off large sections of someone skin in a specific pattern, revealing the tissue beneath. Once this area heals, it will cover with scar tissue, which will be a different color and texture from the surrounding skin. As crazy and gruesome as this is, some people take it a step further, and deliberately aggravate the wound, preventing it from healing normally. This causes greater swelling in the scar tissue, and creates more defined results. The whole process is extremely bloody, and looks more painful than I care to fathom. But I kinda think it looks hot.

6. Saline Inflation

So you want giant lumpy bits added to your body, but don’t want them to be permanent? You still want to look like you got stung by some sort of mutant bee, and have swelling that would make any sane doctor run in terror? Well, how about injecting large amounts of saline solution into your face, and then making divots with your thumb on it? All the cool Japanese are doing it! Now, I would like to digress here for a second, and mention that there’s an entire group of people who like doing this exact same thing, but to their testicles. Seeing as we’re trying to keep this list at least vaguely PG-13, we won’t show any of the images, but it’s pretty horrific. At least saline inflations disappear after a while…

5. Subdermal Implants

But subdermal implants are here to stay! A subdermal implant involves inserting a large object under the skin, and then leaving it to heal. The shape of implant then shows through the skin, creating a raised and slightly terrifying resulting effect. It’s not often in life you’ll run into someone with devil horns or detailed beaded patterns protruding under their skin, and it’s certainly a dramatic look. Subdermal implants are still rare enough that you’ll probably face a fair amount of social ostracization because of it, but hey, what price is art?

4. Suspension

Suspension isn’t so much a single modification, as a religious experience associated with the bodymod world. People who are into suspension literally hang themselves off hooks, usually through the skin of their back. The hooks are inserted just prior to the act itself, meaning the piercings are always fresh, and the person is hoisted up. The hooks must be carefully placed, taking into account the weight of the subject, and their skin’s strength, because if there aren’t a sufficient number of the piercings, then the skin won’t take the weight, and will rip out.

Suspension is never undertaken with anesthesia, as the practitioners feel this would diminish the importance of the act. It’s an intensely spiritual performance for most people, who see it as a form of meditation. Me, I’m just terrified of the whole concept!

3. Split Tongue

You know how snakes have split tongues. Do you want one? Do you yearn with the desire to separately control the left and right halves of your tongue? To slither them around various objects, and creep people out? To give the heebie-jeebies to the general populace? All you have to do is split your tongue down the middle—known as bifurcation—and then stitch it up again to let it heal. In doing so, you’ll get the tool you’ve always wanted to strike fear into the hearts of children.

2. Burning

So, remember when I talked about how scarification could have visually impressive results? Well, what happens when you take that process, remove any chance of it looking good, and add an even stronger undercurrent of self harm? Welcome to the world of self-inflicted burn wounds. The image above was done by cigarette. Slowly. And repeatedly. Over the course of a long, long time. That’s right, it says “love hurts”. And it’s almost entirely illegible. That’s just screwed up.

1. Eye Tattoos

AAAHH! AAAAH! AAAAAAAH! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT! Holy crap, that’s just screwed up! That’s right, these folks are getting tattoo ink injected into their eyeballs, effectively dying it blue. There is only one situation where I want to see someone with all-blue eyes, and that’s if they’re Fremen. Apparently getting the ink shoved into your eyeball is relatively painless, but I don’t care. That’s just weird, creepy, nasty and all around unpleasant. Some people can’t stand the idea of having anything near their eyes. Think about them, not look at that needle. Hell, I went through LASIK surgery, I’ve had weird things done to my orbs. But this? This is just gross.

Filed under: Hybrid, Technology, Cadillac, GM

General Motors’ two-mode hybrid system hasn’t exactly been a commercial success. GM has had a hard time finding customers willing to part ways with $10,000 or more for a fully capable SUV with sedan-like city fuel economy, but that reportedly isn’t stopping the Detroit, MI-based automaker from improving its hybrid formula for its next generation of vehicles. GM is said to be working on a new electric motor that will reportedly shrink in size by 25 percent while increasing power by 20 percent. These smaller, more powerful motors will reportedly help The General put its hybrid tech in even smaller vehicles.

Automotive News reports that Tom Stephens, GM’s vice chairman of global product operations, told reporters that the company’s next two-mode setup will be lighter and more affordable when it hits the streets in 2013. The system will reportedly still be available for SUVs and trucks, but Stephens says the system will also be available in rear-drive cars. Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics reportedly told AN that the easy money is on Cadillac getting the upgraded Two-Mode tech, with the next generation CTS and the ATS as the best bets to include the hybrid powertrain.

Given the fact that Cadillacs command a higher price tag, we’re thinking that the Wreath and Crest is a good place to start if the automaker ever wants to make a profit off of a full hybrid vehicle. And with the STS likely to go away before 2013, we’re thinking the CTS and ATS could be the only rear-drive Caddy sedans by the time 2013 rolls around. It can’t hurt that the ATS and the next CTS will share the same platform either, making it easier/cheaper to add Two-Mode tech to both vehicles.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

GM to engineer RWD hybrid powertrain for future Cadillacs? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Chrysler and Fiat showed a Lancia Delta rebadged as a Chrysler. Next month at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the two will be furthering hints of future integration between the brands as Chrysler and Lancia will share a stand and host a joint press conference.

According to Automotive News, the two brands have no new models to debut at Geneva and Lancia is still considering whether to show the Chrysler-badged Delta that was shown in Detroit.

Insiders say that Chrysler and Lancia brands will share product portfolio in Europe by the end of 2010. Exact details will be announced by the end of the year.

Speculators say that Lancias will only be sold in Italy, while the rest of Europe will get Chrysler models that will be rebadged as Lancias. Fiat is also considering integrating Chrysler with the premium Lancia brand to expand product offerings without a huge investment.

Last year, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne, outlined a product plan that included four Chrysler models imported from North America and rebadged as Lancias for launch in Italy by 2011. The four products include the Chrysler 300C sedan, Town & Country minivan and the Sebring sedan and convertible.

2010 Detroit: 2009 Lancia Delta based Chrysler:

All Photos Copyright © 2009 Omar Rana – egmCarTech.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

By Stephen Leahy* VICTORIA, Seychelles, Feb 8 (IPS) In the Seychelles' only cannery, the din of thousands of empty tuna cans rattling on narrow metal troughs is incredible as they bustle along, soon to be filled with Skipjack tuna that only days ago were swimming freely in the inky blue Indian Ocean.

At one end of the Indian Ocean Tuna Limited processing plant – the world's second largest – cranes offload nets full of frozen tuna from huge international fishing boats called purse seiners while at the other end of the plant, 5,000 cans of tuna roll off the line every minute.

That's a lot of tuna – roughly 400 metric tonnes a day. Can the Indian Ocean tuna bounty, which amounts to more than 20 percent of the world's tuna, be sustained?

That was the key question at the first-ever Seychelles Tuna Conference that ended last weekend. It brought together nearly 200 scientists, fishers, environmentalists and policy makers here in Victoria, Africa's smallest capital city, located 1,800 km east of Somalia and practically in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

"The boats are much more efficient today and the tuna stocks are declining and there is much less tuna than before, " said Alain Fonteneau, a scientist with the Institut de Recherches pour le Développement in Montpellier, France, who opened the conference.

The major question here, Fonteneau says, is will Indian Ocean tuna stocks be overfished as they are in most of the world?

The Indian Ocean has a regional tuna fisheries management organisation (RFMO) to prevent overfishing and to sustainably manage the tuna stocks. In an RFMO, representatives from governments in the region and those involved in the fisheries make decisions about how much tuna can be caught based on the advice of their scientific advisory panels.

At least, that's how it is supposed to work. Environmentalists complain that within the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and the four RFMOs in the other major tuna regions of the world, science is largely ignored while greed, politics and short-term thinking prevails.

"You'd think with all the investment in these RFMOs around the world to take care of these tunas on the high seas, we'd have healthy tuna stocks," said William Fox, vice president and managing director for fisheries at the World Wildlife Fund-U.S.

Fox went down the list. Bluefin tuna – much prized by sushi lovers – are in such bad shape they are expected to be declared an endangered species at the annual Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) meeting in March.

Bigeye, yellowfin and albacore are overfished in most fisheries, Fox said. Only the fecund and fast-growing skipjack tuna is doing okay and makes up the majority of canned tuna.

"Governments are failing based on the current status of stocks…The tuna industry needs to ensure its survival by taking the lead and be the force behind sustainability," Fox concluded.

And so one year ago, eight of the biggest tuna buyers and the WWF formed a powerful alliance, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).

Participating companies refused to purchase bigeye tuna from the Eastern Pacific fishery because the RFMO there had continually refused to follow the conservation advice of its scientific advisory panel, Susan Jackson, ISSF's president, told participants.

The threatened boycott worked, and conservation plans were put in place in the eastern Pacific. Now it's the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission's (IOTC) turn.

"Consider the lost livelihoods and broken economy with the northern cod collapse and the debacle with bluefin. The Indian Ocean could learn what's gone wrong without the pain of learning the hard way," said Jackson, a former vice president of Del Monte Foods.

"The eyes of the world are on you (IOTC)," she said in direct reference to an upcoming meeting this March where important but long-ignored conservation decisions need to be made.

Various participants at the Seychelles meeting told IPS that the IOTC, comprising 28 member states including the local African countries, the European Union, France, Spain, Iran, Sri Lanka and others, was effectively dysfunctional.

"Iran hasn't reported the catch of one single yellowfin, ever," said one. To properly manage stocks, members are obliged to report how many fish and what species the boats they have licensed are catching.

"We're encouraging the member countries to agree with the recommendations of their own science panel," Jackson told IPS when asked if the ISSF threat of boycotting IOTC tuna was in fact blackmail.

"Our participating companies believe that RFMOs need to act on the conservation measures recommended by the scientists," she said. "Our advocacy role is backed up by science, including the best scientists in the world [who] say this absolutely needs to be done."

Seychelles Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Transport Joel Morgan said he supported the ISSF actions. "Tuna are not just an important resource for the Indian Ocean, but for the planet in general," Morgan told IPS at the close of the conference.

With climate change reducing agricultural productivity mainly due to decline in water resources, fisheries will become more important. If sustainability of fisheries isn't addressed, humanity will face a disastrous situation, Morgan said.

"The world may become more dependent on fish in future and this is why science and sustainable management of fisheries is a critical issue," he said.

*Stephen Leahy's attendance at the conference was made possible by travel funding from ISSF.

As highlighted by Felix Salmon and our colleague Joe Weisenthal, Citi is close to producing a new kind of derivative that would allow companies to hedge against financial crisis -- essentially receiving a massive payout from their derivatives counterparty in the event of a crisis.

Particularly they'd allow companies to hedge against sharply rising funding costs, as happened during the credit crunch.

Felix Salmon @ Reuters:  I’d forgive you if your eyes started rolling after just the first four words: the phrase “credit specialists at Citi” is not exactly the kind of thing which instills enormous confidence in analysts and investors these days.

...

It’s crucial, in financial markets, that investors walk into risky asset classes with their eyes open, rather than kidding themselves that they can simply hedge those risks away by buying a fancy financial product from Citigroup. But the only people who can stop this from happening are the technocrats at the systemic-risk regulator we desperately need to step in and get sensible about these things.

It's easy to sink into knee-jerk cynicism towards any new financial product these days, but it isn't very productive.

The concept of creating insurance against risk is sound. Huge risks exist without insurance, insurance just attempts to match people with opposite risk exposures, thus hedging away some of the world's risk.

In fact companies already hedge against moderate changes in funding costs every day using interest rate swaps, which are one of the most common and well established derivatives out there. Swaps can frequently be hedged between different companies who have opposite risk exposures, thus eliminating risk for both. Vast amounts of derivatives transactions happen daily allowing companies to hedge themselves from the vagaries of markets and focus on their core operations.

Risk.net: However, there is concern from academic circles that the counterparty risks involved in such a product could create moral hazard. Chris Rogers, chair of statistical science at Cambridge University, said the only participants able to sell CLX-based products would probably be those who are too big to fail.

Thus there are concerns for these new Citi derivatives similar to those for credit default swaps that insure against bond defaults.

Yet we'd point out that credit default swaps are inherently risk-reducing products. They just got a bad wrap due to some stupid exposure accumulated pre-crisis by AIG. Even if credit default swaps didn't exist, bond defaults would still happen during a crisis, causing hideous losses to certain investors. CDSs are badly needed, and this will be shown over time  as demand for the insurance protection they provide explodes over the next decade.

To address the concern above, given that we unfortunately now live in the age of too big to fail, perhaps the sale of 'financial crisis swaps' would need to be regulated in order to make sure the government doesn't have to step in and cover their losses one day, just as is happening right now with CDSs.

But let's not fear innovation just for the sake of being cynical, especially when it comes to hedging risk. It's too easy to forget all the financial advances we benefit from.

RIsk.net: "The great thing about the index is that it hedges your funding costs while being very simple to trade. I believe it will reduce the systemic risk in the industry, akin to how the advent of swaps means people don't worry about interest-rate exposures any more – they just pay a fee to hedge it,"

 The old 'uh oh, financial innovation, here we ago again line' is pretty tired and backwards looking.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• SCARY DEJA-VU OF THE DAY: Citi Plans New Derivative That Pays Off In The Very Unlikely Event Of A Financial Crisis
• Citi: Oil And Gold Bullish Speculation Surges, Now At The Highest Level In A Decade
• Citi Loses Two Bankers To Hedge Funds Over Prop Trading Concerns

Spyker Cars NV announced today that it has entered into a $25 million convertible loan agreement with an investment company owned by Heerema Holding Company Inc.

“The USD 25 million loan has a 2 year term, an interest of Euribor + 10% and is convertible into shares at EUR 4 each,” Spyker said in a statement. “This loan secures the funding necessary to close the Saab transaction as the first $25 million has already been paid to GM on January 26, 2010. The convertible loan is conditional on Saab receiving the EIB loan.”

Spyker said it will pay GM another $24 million on July 15, the final payment for Saab.

Earlier this morning, Saab won EU regulatory approval on Monday for a state guarantee of a 400 million euros ($546 million) European Investment Bank loan.

“We are delighted that Heerema has decided to become an investor in our company,” said Spyker CEO Victor Muller. “I had the privilege to work for Pieter Heerema from 1984 through 1991, initially as his counsel, later as Director of Corporate Affairs, and we have come to know each other very well as a result. It is the intention to nominate a representative of Heerema as a member of the Supervisory Board”.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Over the weekend, I finally got to watch the film Copyright Criminals (after having seen clips and a discussion about the film at the Fair Use Film Screening put on by Public Knowledge back in January). I have to admit, the film was pretty depressing. While it may seem like I pick on lawyers a fair amount, I actually tend to like most lawyers I meet — but I don’t know quite how they did it, but every lawyer who showed up in that film just seemed to ooze smarmy. They appeared to smirk through their interviews, as if they knew what they were saying was ridiculous, and the whole thing was all about getting as much money as possible, rather than having anything to do with fairness or creating art. Meanwhile, the actual content creators — they seemed pretty much defeated. They had worked on amazingly innovative and cool projects that had nothing to do with “copying”, and everything to do with creating beautiful new works of art that people loved. And they got sued and shut down over and over again. It’s a shame. But not just because of the art that wasn’t created, but the potential to connect culturally through it.

This is a point that often gets overlooked in these discussions — that art is about more than the creator. We’ve tangentially discussed this idea in the past, but Julian Sanchez put together a little video last week that does a nice job demonstrating this in about eight minutes:

What he points out is that for culture to matter, it goes beyond the artwork itself, to the people who experience the artwork and then share it with others — thereby connecting with each other and the artwork itself. And while people sit back and claim that remixing is “stealing” or “lazy” or “not art” at all, that’s totally missing the point. Art is not about just the creator. Without the shared experience, it’s a lot less valuable — and what we’ve done with copyright laws is make it that much more difficult to share that experience through our own eyes and our own cultural views. And if you don’t see the shame in that, then you’re missing a lot.

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There has been many Windows Mobile 7 rumours, but the one that made the LG Apollo appear pretty ridiculous was the 720P screen on the device, which frankly appeared impossible last month.

Fats forward 3 weeks however, and we have the Qisda QCM 330, a MID-type device with a 4 inch screen and an amazing 1280x 1024 screen.

The OS is unknown, but likely Android, but that wont stop LG from using a similar screen on their 3.8 inch monster.

Read more about the Qisda QCM-330 here, and the LG Apollo here.

Thanks Hugo for the tip.

CHICAGO — There’s been a stench coming from the second floor of City Hall — and it has nothing to do with the steady stream of Chicago aldermen convicted on corruption charges.

Waterless urinals installed to promote water conservation in the public men’s room outside the City Council chambers have turned into a stinky mess.

The odor got so bad that the “green” urinals are now being ripped out and replaced with the old-fashioned kind at a cost City Hall has refused to disclose.

The problem is that Chicago’s building code requires commercial buildings to use copper pipes in indoor plumbing.

But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers specifically states that drainpipes for waterless urinals “cannot be made of copper pipe, which corrodes.”

That’s what’s happened at City Hall, with the corrosion causing urine to build up in the wall behind the men’s room.

That’s the source of the stench wafting through the second floor, which includes the City Council chambers and aldermanic offices.

The men’s room is now closed while the marble wall is “removed” and new urinals are installed.

Environment Department spokesman Larry Merritt said copper pipe was used in the February 2006 installation of waterless urinals donated to the city “to take advantage of existing infrastruction and minimize the cost.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health authorized “this experimental installation with copper piping,” he said.

Merritt estimated that each green urinal saved the city 1.5 gallons of water “per-use” or 50,000 gallons a year. But he acknowledged that they “didn’t perform as expected” and are being removed.

“While we don’t know for certain, anecdotal evidence has pointed to the heavy traffic, combined with the disposal of additional liquids, such as juice, coffee, etc. being poured down the urinal drain that caused issues that were unforeseen,” Merritt said.

“When working with this emerging field, it is important to test out new technologies and rework their use with experience.”

Sources said the waterless urinals were the idea of Mayor Daley’s former chief environmental officer, Sadhu Johnston. Now assistant city manager of Vancouver, Johnston did not return calls.

In 2005, five waterless urinals also were installed in O’Hare Airport’s Terminal 2, only to be removed three months later.

“The pipes clogged with fluids,” Aviation Department spokesperson Karen Pride said.

“The cartridges placed in the urinals to abate odor failed prematurely as people poured coffee and chemicals in the urinals and destroyed the plastic.”

The cost of the failed O’Hare experiment was pegged at $20,000. Every time a cartridge is blown by dumping extraneous liquids, it cost the city $75, sources said.

Waterless urinals are also installed in the men’s room outside Mayor Daley’s office on the fifth floor of City Hall and at the Chicago Center for Technology.

There are no plans to remove those. They get less traffic and haven’t had problems, Merritt said.

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

Joining the 2011 Ford Mustang V6 and 2011 Mustang GT, which recently received power upgrades, Ford’s Special Vehicles Team (SVT) has taken the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500’s performance to the next level.

Powered by an all new 102 pounds lighter 5.4L supercharged V8, the 2011 Shelby GT500 produces 550-hp (an increase of 10-hp) with a maximum torque of 510 lb-ft. The new engine results in a better power-to-weight ratio, improved fuel-economy, acceleration, handling and steering precision. The addition of Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS), a new optional SVT Performance Package, enhanced convertible rigidity and a lowered ride height contribute to improved driving dynamics and handling. The optional SVT Performance package also adds a unique rear spoiler Gurney Flap and 19-inch aluminum wheels in the front and 20-inches in the back wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar G:2 tires. Also for 2011, the Shelby GT500 gets a new exhaust with a more aggressive sound than the 2010 model. The 2.75 inch exhaust also helped in delivering the additional 10-hp.

The 2011 Shelby GT500 is also the first modern Shelby available without the gas guzzler tax. For 2011, the Shelby GT500 gets an EPA-projected fuel-economy of 23/15 mpg (city/highway), up from the 22/14 mpg for the 2010 model.

A new glass roof option is also available for the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500, giving customers a less expensive option than a convertible Shelby GT500.

Pricing details will be announced closer to launch date.

Click here to check your Auto Credit Score.

Hit the jump for the press release and the high-res image gallery.

2011 Ford Shelby GT500:

Press Release:

2011 FORD SHELBY GT500 GOES LIGHTWEIGHT WITH ALUMINUM ENGINE, OFFERS ULTIMATE IN HANDLING

• With 550 horsepower and 510 ft.-lb. of torque, Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) delivers the new Shelby GT500® with a 10 horsepower increase; an all-new 5.4-liter all-aluminum engine is 102 pounds lighter than the previous cast-iron engine and uses Ford-patented plasma-coating technology

• For 2011, Shelby GT500 offers EPA-projected improved fuel economy in city and highway from 2010, eliminating the gas guzzler tax

• The addition of Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS), a new optional SVT Performance Package, enhanced convertible rigidity and a lowered ride height contribute to improved driving dynamics and handling

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 8, 2010 – Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) engineers are taking high performance to a new level with the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500, resulting in a car that has an all-new aluminum-block engine, even better driving dynamics and handling, improved fuel economy and more horsepower than ever.

“The SVT team continues to push the performance standards of the Shelby to even higher levels and better refinement,” said Jost Capito, director of global performance vehicles and motorsports business development. “All the changes we made reflect a desire for even better handling and outstanding driving dynamics – from weight savings to improved balance.”

Weight savings, new technology headline all-new aluminum engine

The 2011 Shelby GT500 is powered by an all-new aluminum-block 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine, which produces 550 horsepower and 510 ft.-lb. of torque, a 10 horsepower increase versus the 2010 model. The engine also is 102 pounds lighter than its predecessor, delivering a better power-to-weight ratio, improved fuel economy, acceleration, handling and steering precision.

“Cutting weight to improve performance is a tradition among hot rodders,” said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby American. “It might not be as sexy as adding more horsepower or bigger brakes, but shaving pounds off of a car is the single smartest move you can make.”

The new engine uses state-of-the-art Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) liner coating, a process that applies a 150-micron composite coating that contains nanoparticles on the internal surfaces of engine cylinder bores, replacing cast-iron liners typically used in aluminum engine blocks. The Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation honored the inventors of the Ford-patented PTWA technology with the 2009 National Inventor of the Year Award.

This is the first Ford application of the technology, and it offers improved overall performance and durability, along with functional benefits of reduced friction between piston rings and cylinder bores, improved heat transfer due to increased surface contact area and a weight savings of 8.5 pounds compared to a typical steel-sleeved aluminum block. A mechanical roughening process provides higher material adhesion for the spray coating.

The PTWA process uses air and electricity to create a plasma jet of 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which melts a steel wire that is fed into a rotating spray gun. Using atomized air, the melted steel wire is blown into a specially machined surface of the aluminum-block engine cylinder bore. In the process of melting and applying the metal to the surface, the steel wire oxidizes, creating a composite coating consisting of both iron and iron oxide.

“Ford’s Global Research and Advanced Engineering looks to all industries for advanced technologies – and this comes from aerospace. It’s the same technology you would find on aircraft engines,” said Glenn Jorgensen, SVT powertrain team leader. “We’ve invented a coating as a replacement for cast iron that delivers improvements in power and performance and fuel economy.”

The new engine also has its roots in the iconic Ford GT. The new 5.4-liter engine is an evolution of the GT engine, with improved block structure through the use of a unique bulkhead chilled process and six-bolt billet main bearing caps. This new advanced engine will exceed Ford GT performance with its traditional supercharger technology.

“The Ford GT has solidified itself as one of the world’s most coveted supercars. To make improvements to the engine from this supercar and make it available in a Mustang is impressive,” said Kerry Baldori, SVT global performance vehicle chief functional engineer. “The aluminum-block engine is robust and strong enough to produce the performance numbers and durability our customers demand.”

Increased power and increased fuel economy

The 2011 Shelby GT500 combines power and fuel economy into one impressive package. This 2011 Shelby GT500 will be the first modern Shelby without the gas guzzler tax, thanks to the EPA-projected 23 mpg highway and 15 mpg city it will deliver. This is up from 22 mpg highway and 14 mpg city for the 2010 model.

The 5.4-liter V-8 achieves 80 percent of its torque between 1,750 and 6,250 rpm, giving the car a higher level of performance feel. A larger two-row intercooler for the supercharger system has 40 percent more cooling capacity, helping to make power more consistent in higher ambient conditions.

Fuel economy gains come from the new 102-pound-lighter aluminum-block engine, EPAS and detailed aerodynamic changes to the underside of the vehicle.

Dramatic performance upgrades

New for 2011 is an SVT Performance Package for enthusiasts who want even more performance out of their Shelby GT500 for racetrack-ready driving dynamics. Complete with all-new Goodyear Eagle® F1 SuperCar G: 2 tires that SVT engineers worked directly with Goodyear to develop, the car is ready to race. The tires offer superb dry traction and precise handling, complete with a race-inspired high-performance tread compound.

The optional package also offers unique styling, lighter wheels, a higher rear axle ratio and stiffer springs, and it is available on both the convertible and coupe. Data show the 2011 coupe with the SVT Performance Package is 3.0 seconds faster per lap than the 2010 Shelby GT500 on a 2.3-mile test track.

Carried over from 2010, the 2011 Shelby GT500 features AdvanceTrac®, Ford’s stability control system with several options for performance. Calibration of the system for the 2011 Shelby has been uniquely tailored to each vehicle configuration (base or optional) to optimize the performance.

SVT has worked very hard to make EPAS better than the outgoing hydraulic steering system. The addition of EPAS makes for a dramatic contribution to Shelby GT500 driving dynamics, with improved torque build-up and road feel that delivers quicker and more precise steering, increased effort on the racetrack or winding roads, and reduced effort in low-speed parking maneuvers.

Slotted brake dust shields were added to improve brake cooling and handling, and a new pedal box improves clutch and pedal efforts even more. A lowered ride height of 11 millimeters in front and 8 millimeters at the rear provides a sportier attitude and improved handling.

More engine sound, less road noise

For 2011, Shelby GT500 also benefits from NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) improvements. Overall road noise is reduced by 20 percent versus the 2010 Shelby. Actions undertaken to achieve this improvement include additional sound-deadening material on either side of the instrument panel, additional sound absorption behind interior trim panels, and a rear wheel arch liner to reduce noise on gravel or wet surfaces – all resulting in the driver hearing more exhaust and engine sound and less road and air noise.

The Shelby GT500 convertible model features enhanced structural rigidity, with lateral stiffness improved by 12 percent versus the 2010 model. The V-brace has been stiffened by adding gussets. The secondary crossmember also has been stiffened, while a front Z-brace has been added, connecting primary and secondary crossmembers. A-pillar stiffening foam has been added to increase rigidity.

The structural improvements to the convertible gave SVT the opportunity to be more sport-oriented in the chassis tuning, without trading comfort. Along with the chassis and structural improvements, the 2011 model also will get standard 19-inch aluminum wheels.

“One of the biggest changes for this Shelby is that the convertible acts and feels like a coupe,” said Jamal Hameedi, SVT chief nameplate engineer. “Before, they had a very different character, and the convertible is taking a big step in the sportiness and handling precision area, without degrading the ride.”

GT500 gets a new exhaust for 2011, roaring with an even more aggressive sound than the 2010 model. The 2.75-inch exhaust with all-new tuning helped to deliver the additional 10 horsepower.

Added convenience content

New for 2011 is an optional glass roof, providing customers with a less expensive option than a convertible and without compromising the coupe’s versatility, headroom or climate-controlled environment.

The specially formulated glass also protects interior fabric material from solar radiation deterioration and discoloration by reducing solar light transmittance. To help improve acoustics and interior quietness, the glass features a layer of vinyl that reduces noise, vibration and harshness.

Other new convenience technologies include:

• Standard HID (high-intensity discharge) headlamps
• MyKey™ programmable vehicle key
• Integrated spotter mirror
• Fold-down rear headrests
“Whether you’re looking to take the GT500 out on the streets or have some fun at the track,” Capito says, “this car will satisfy the most discriminating performance driving enthusiasts.”

– By: Omar Rana

After performing in Rio last night, Beyonce was spotted this morning on the balcony of the Fasano Hotel waving to the fans who were waiting outside to see a glimpse of Beyonce.

02.08 – Fasano Hotel in Rio [Updated]

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Ford

Ever since Ford introduced the modern Shelby GT500 four years ago, almost no one has complained about the prodigious power levels produced by its supercharged 5.4-liter V8. With as much as 540 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque in the 2010 model, there was no shortage of grunt. No, the issue was an excess of mass.

Before the contemporary GT500 was born, Ford had a blown aluminum block 5.4-liter V8 in the short lived GT supercar. However, when the engineers at Ford’s Special Vehicle Team developed the GT500, they opted to mount the GT’s cylinder heads on the cast iron block used in the big F-Series pickup trucks. After debuting a visual refresh for the Mustang a year ago, Ford has spent the last two months announcing fresh new powertrains for the base and GT models. That process has now come full circle with SVT rolling out a heart transplant for the Shelby GT500. The 2011 model finally has the aluminum powerplant we all wanted when it debuted, and the effect is absolutely en-lightening. Read on to find out more.

Live photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 finally gets aluminum engine, loses 120 pounds

2011 Ford Shelby GT500 finally gets aluminum engine, loses 120 pounds originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WAUKEGAN — A funeral in Texas and a memorial service at the Jack Benny Center have been arranged for actor Justin Mentell, a 2001 Waukegan High School graduate who died Monday in a Wisconsin car accident.

The 27-year-old “Boston Legal” co-star was found dead outside his 2005 Jeep early Monday after the vehicle apparently left the roadway and struck trees along state highway 39 in Iowa County, Wis.

According to a statement released this week by the Waukegan Park District, a graveside service will be held at Restland Memorial Cemetery in Dallas on Saturday.

Mentell was born in Austin and moved to Waukegan with his mother, Alicia, during his childhood.

Locally, a memorial service will be held on Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, 39 Jack Benny Drive.

In lieu of flowers, his family has requested that donations may be made in Mentell’s name to the Waukegan Park District’s cultural arts program.

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.

MIDDLETOWN, Connecticut — About five people remain unaccounted for after a deadly explosion at an under-construction power plant, and a section of the site was too unstable to search, a fire official said Monday.

Sunday morning’s blast at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Hartford, killed at least five people and injured a dozen or more others. It happened as workers were clearing gas lines of air.

Middletown Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano said officials have verified the whereabouts of 95 percent of the nearly 100 workers who were at the plant, citing conversations with contractors and labor union officials.

It was unclear whether the workers who remain unaccounted for are missing or haven’t been contacted yet by authorities.

Investigators returned to the scene Monday to try to begin determining the cause.

Santostefano said he didn’t know when rescue crews would be able to search the small section of the plant that is unstable.

Piles of rubble were 10 feet (3 meters) tall in some parts of the plant, and mounds of rubble and debris were everywhere, he said.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Monday morning that officials still haven’t received rosters of workers who were at the plant Sunday. “There are a number of contractors who do the work at the building,” Rell told WTNH-TV. ”

The explosion was so powerful it alarmed residents who heard the boom and felt tremors in their homes miles away.

The blast left huge pieces of metal that once encased the plant peeling off its sides.

A large swath of the structure was blackened and surrounded by debris, but the building, its roof and its two smokestacks were still standing at the site on a wooded and hilly parcel of land.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, a federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents, was mobilizing a team of workers from Colorado and hoped to have them on the scene by midday Monday, spokesman Daniel Horowitz said.

The nearly completed 620-megawatt plant is being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas, which accounts for about a fifth of the United States’ electricity.

Workers for the construction company, O&G Industries, were purging a gas line, clearing it of air, when the explosion occurred Sunday morning, Santostefano said.

Kleen Energy Systems LLC began construction on the plant in February 2008. It had signed a deal with Connecticut Light and Power for the electricity produced by the plant, and would be one of the biggest built in New England in the last few years.

The company is run by former City Councilman William Corvo. A message left at Corvo’s home was not returned. Calls to Gordon Holk, general manager of Power Plant Management Services, which has a contract to manage the plant, also weren’t returned.

Energy Investors Funds, a private equity fund that indirectly owns a majority share in the power plant, said it was cooperating with authorities.

Safety board investigators have done extensive work on the issue of gas line purging since an explosion last year at a Slim Jim factory in North Carolina killed four people.

They’ve identified other explosions caused by workers who were unsafely venting gas lines inside buildings.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

A maker of Blackberry phones – Research in Motion – is a bright spot in the business climate of Rolling Meadows.

Patrick Marry, vice president of product development for RIM, joined Mayor Ken Nelson and his annual economic development update before the Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce Friday.

Good news from Nelson included the fact that Northwest Community Hospital will use the vacant Sears Hardware store on Kirchoff Road near the Jewel, and that the grocery store will have a facelift.

Nelson added that developers are interested in a mixed use development of the Dominick’s site on the south side of Kirchoff as soon as the housing market improves.

The River Walk development west of there was to have a fourth building for seniors, said Nelson. Instead, $20,000 in city funds per apartment is available for senior citizens to buy condominiums in the existing buildings.

Nelson described road improvements, including $4 million of federal stimulus funds to resurface and repave frontage roads along Route 53 from Kirchoff to Algonquin.

Businesses are moving into Rolling Meadows, said Nelson. Valerie Dehner, city community development director, gave examples, but said they are more office and industrial rather than showy retail.

The Unilever building on Golf Road has been sold to speculators who will fix it up for sale or for tenants, she said.

Meanwhile, the Rolling Meadows division of RIM houses design and development people – under security Marry described as “paranoid” – as well as patent attorneys in what was once the Gould complex at 2550 W. Golf Road.

The company’s growth has been impressive. It had 33 employees here in 2008 and now has just under 250. It has room on five floors for 500 people, and is still doing at least some hiring, Marry said.

The company is based in Ontario, Can. and in 2009 was named Fortune Magazine’s fastest growing company in the world.

Proximity to O’Hare drew the company to Rolling Meadows, he said.

Blackberry, which started as a business phone, wants to expand into the consumer market as well as China and India, he said.

He predicts that cell phones will develop game controls, security access to buildings and garage door openers.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

from london noborders, 7 February 2010: “Under instruction from the town authorities, the elite French CRS riot police today forcibly evicted the new Calais migrant centre – called Kronstadt Hangar – by smashing down the front doors, less than 24 hours after migrants and No Borders activists pushed through police lines to occupy the building, which has been legally rented by No Borders and SoS Soutien aux Sans Papiers…” more

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit Monday on what’s likely the last nighttime launch for the shuttle program, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station.

The space shuttle took flight before dawn, igniting the sky with a brilliant flash seen for miles around.

The weather finally cooperated: Thick, low clouds that had delayed a first launch attempt Sunday returned, but then cleared away just in time.

“Looks like the weather came together tonight,” launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts right before liftoff. “It’s time to go fly.”

“We’ll see you in a couple weeks,” replied commander George Zamka. He repeated: “It’s time to go fly.”

There are just four more missions scheduled this year before the shuttles are retired.

“For the last night launch, it treated us well,” Leinbach said.

Endeavour’s destination — the space station, home to five men — was soaring over Romania at the time of liftoff. The shuttle is set to arrive at the station early Wednesday.

Zamka and his crew will deliver and install Tranquility, a new room that will eventually house life-support equipment, exercise machines and a toilet, as well as a seven-windowed dome. The lookout has the biggest window ever sent into space, a circle 31 inches across.

It will be the last major construction job at the space station. No more big pieces like that are left to fly.

Both the new room and dome — together exceeding $400 million — were supplied by the European Space Agency.

NASA began fueling Endeavour on Sunday night just as the Super Bowl was kicking off to the south in Miami. The shuttle crew did not watch the game — neither did the launch team — but it was beamed up to the space station in case anyone there wanted to watch it.

Endeavour’s launch also was broadcast to the space station residents, who got to watch it live.

Launch manager Mike Moses said he got “evil glares” in the control center for making his team report to work on Super Bowl night. He noted that the shuttle’s fuel tank was made in New Orleans. “They were at least happy with the results of the game,” he said with a smile.

The coin used in the opening toss flew to the space station in November, aboard Atlantis.

Monday morning’s countdown ended up being uneventful, except for a last-minute run to the launch pad.

Astronaut Stephen Robinson forgot the binder holding all his flight data files, and the emergency red team had to rush it out to him, just before he climbed aboard.

The launch team couldn’t resist some gentle teasing.

A quick look at the launch video showed a couple pieces of foam insulation breaking off Endeavour’s external fuel tank, but none appeared to strike the shuttle, officials said.

The 13-day mission comes at an agonizing time for NASA. Exactly one week ago, the space agency finally got its marching orders from President Barack Obama: Ditch the back-to-the-moon Constellation program and its Ares rockets, and pack on the research for an as-yet-unspecified rocket and destination.

NASA’s boss, ex-astronaut Charles Bolden, favors Mars. But he, too, is waiting to hear how everything will play out.

The space station came out a winner in the Obama plan. The president’s budget would keep the outpost flying until at least 2020, a major extension.

The spectacle of the night launch illuminating the sky attracted a crowd, including some members of Congress, federal big shots and European space leaders.

Endeavour shot through some thin clouds on its way into orbit, and its bright flame was visible from the launch site for seven minutes. By then, the shuttle already was up near Cape Hatteras, N.C., said Leinbach.

“We’re going to cherish this,” he said at the traditional post-launch news conference.

Within 15 minutes of taking off, the astronauts were enjoying “a beautiful sunrise” from orbit, with the moon as a backdrop. “Wish you could be here,” Zamka called down.

The four remaining shuttle flights to the station — in March, May, July and September — have daytime departures, at least for now. A significant delay could bump any of the launches into darkness. NASA has Obama’s permission to bump a mission or two into 2011 if safety needs arise.

Given all the changes coming, the mood around the launching site was bittersweet.

The manager in charge of preparing Endeavour for launch, Dana Hutcherson, said everyone was excited to be part of the first launch of the new year.

“But let’s face it, our KSC (Kennedy) team is going to have a challenging year ahead of us as the space shuttle is ending,” she said. “It’s not going to be easy for us.”

Three spacewalks are planned during Endeavour’s flight to hook up the new station compartments, beginning Thursday. The shuttle crew — five men and one woman, all Americans — will team up with the station residents to get the job done. Aboard the station are two Americans, two Russians and one Japanese.

Bolden sees that same blend of nations in NASA’s future exploration efforts, whatever they are.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Last week we got a pair of jobs reports that left a lot of people scratching their heads. Payrolls fell by 20,000 jobs while unemployment declined. How can we lose jobs while unemployment declines.

The first answer that many commentators give to that conundrum is that this must represent a decline in people being counted as actual job-seekers. They’ve just dropped out of the job market, so they no longer show up as unemployed.

But that answer doesn’t account for January’s numbers. The labor force actually grew by 11,000 people in January. That means that more people were seeking jobs than before. The old bearish-skeptic answer won’t work in today’s economy. Americans are returning to the job market, instead of fleeing in despair.

The biggest positive in the numbers is that the liquidation of construction jobs has kept up. During the bubble, far too much human capital was malinvested in the housing market. People developed relationships, skill sets, and years of experience performing in the unproductive housing sector jobs. As these jobs are lost, human capital is freed from the housing trap creating more potential for growth as labor resources are re-allocated.

And they are being re-allocated. Instead of merely being allowed to sit idle, the loss of 75,000 jobs in construction was largely offset by a surge in private sector, non-construction jobs of 63,000. The correction from bubble malinvestment of human capital is well underway.

The increase in manufacturing hours worked also implies that the liquidation of malinvestments and reallocation to activities now viewed as productive has begun.

There are, of course, new hazards. Government support for various areas of the economy—from homes, to finance, to automobiles, to stimulus funded private projects—may be resulting in a new round of malinvestment. Financial capital and human labor may be being drawn into new bubbles, not yet visible. Unfortunately, the signals for a recovering economy may just as well be the signals for a bubbling economy.

You will likely hear a lot about this in the next few months. Especially if unemployment ticks back up, which it may well do in the next few months. Bearish prognosticators will say that the January numbers were a “head fake” and predict the economy will quickly slip back to a recession.

But higher unemployment numbers will not necessarily indicate an economy retreating into recession. They may well be due to the accelerating rate of more hopeful workers returning to the jobs market.

Instead of looking at the aggregate unemployment or jobs creation numbers, we’ll need to pay attention to which areas jobs are being created and where they are being destroyed. If construction booms again—watch out, that’s probably a bubble. If other areas are growing, we need to see whether these reflect economic sectors with long-lags between initial investment and delivery of goods to consumers—these are also bubble indicators.

Healthy jobs growth will be a mix of some long term projects and a lot of emphasis on consumer facing jobs. Retail, for instance, added 42,000 jobs in January. This most likely reflects the ground level view of store managers with best access to consumer spending habits.

Another great indicator will be apartment rents. These have been in rapid decline, and may well decline further. But apartment rents are driven by household formation—the sign that workers believe their income and employment have become steady enough to move out of their parents homes or decouple from roommates. Watch this to grow if good jobs are being created.

In short, the thing to watch for is not just whether we have overcome the “jobless recovery” phase of the economy. It’s whether we are adding jobs in healthy—non-bubble—sectors. And January’s jobs reports at least points to reasons for hope.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• TrimTabs: Here’s Why The Real Jobs Loss Number Was 5x Worse Than What The BLS Reported
• CHART OF THE DAY: It’s Official: Obama Is Creaming Bush When It Comes To Jobs
• Unemployment: 9.7%

Filed under: Sedan, Hyundai

Hyundai won’t be giving the American automotive media its first crack at driving their new 2011 Sonata until next week. However, new Sonatas have apparently already started rolling off the trucks into Hyundai dealers across the country. Unlike the rest of the media horde (Autoblog included), when the folks at Consumer Reports want to test a new vehicle, they actually go out and buy one.

Such was the case last week when they purchased one of the first examples of Hyundai’s stylish new mid-sizer. CR tested a base GLS model Sonata and felt that while it does handle better than the 2009 equivalent, it still isn’t quite up to the standard of the sportiest examples in the segment including the Ford Fusion and Mazda6. There is, however, a more aggressive SE model which CR hasn’t tried out yet, so this might not be a truly apples-to-apples comparison.

CR’s testers did feel the interior was an improvement over the outgoing model with higher quality materials and a particularly roomy rear seat. We’ll have our own first hand impressions by the end of next week.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Consumer Reports gets first drive impressions of 2011 Hyundai Sonata originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another week, another set of winners. We may not have been able to successfully deter the downvoter rampage this week, but it won’t keep us from handing out the goods to the best entries of QuickJump QuickLines