Category: News

Yahoo hasn’t been very active on the acquisition front lately, with a few notable exceptions. In fact, it’s been much more likely to shut down or outsource a service than buy a new one. Yet, one opportunity seemed of particular interest to Yahoo, location-based services. It reportedly tried to buy the hottest location service… (read more)

Less than a month after the Pentagon leadership warned it would unwise to abandon the military’s ban on open gay service this year, a fast-moving legislative effort this week has opponents of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” feeling like the law might finally be on the scrapheap.

Activists opposed to the law met Monday morning with White House officials ahead of a dual-tracked strategy in Congress to insert a formal repeal of the 17-year old law in next year’s defense funding bill. On Wednesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee will mark up the 2011 Defense Authorization, and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) plans to introduce an amendment repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He’ll be followed by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), an Iraq war veteran, who said Monday he would introduce a complementary amendment into the House’s version of the bill when it receives a full floor debate later this week. If passed, it would allow the Pentagon a few months’ worth of a grace period so an internal review due in December can guide how the implement overturning the ban.

By Monday evening, activists were announcing what the Human Rights Campaign’s president, Joe Solomonese, said in an official statement was the “brink of historic” action to get rid of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” While legislative language was not available by press time, several prominent activists cheered the White House for clearing the way for what Aubrey Sarvis, an Army veteran and one of the activists who took part in the White House meeting, called “a dramatic breakthrough in dismantling ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”

Peter Orszag, the White House budget director, wrote to Murphy late Monday to say the administration “supports the proposed amendment” on repeal, given that it recognizes the “critical need” for uniformed input to guide how repeal will work in practice. Orszag’s letter did not argue any need for repeal, and reiterated that the administration’s first choice would have delayed getting rid of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” until at least 2011.

The contours of a potential deal paving the way for a legislative repeal this week were first floated by retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili in the Washington Post on Saturday. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who expressed his opposition to the law in February, dismayed activists by urging congressional leaders in April to delay any legislative remedies for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” until a Pentagon working group surveying military attitudes about how to implement any repeal delivers its final report in December.

Shalikashvili, himself a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the dawn of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” proposed cutting the legislative and bureaucratic Gordian Knot. “Congress could repeal the federal statute and return authority to the military to set rules about gay troops, just as the armed services had before ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ became law in 1993,” he wrote. “Indeed, acting now to remove the constraints imposed by that law is the most faithful response that Congress can offer to the working group’s efforts to engage service members and their families.”

That appeared to offer all sides a way out of the impasse. President Obama will get to keep the promise he made to the LGBT community in his State of the Union address for a 2010 repeal, and the Pentagon will ensure that the recommendations of the working group, led by Army Gen. Carter Ham and top Pentagon lawyer Jeh Johnson, form the basis of a post-”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” future. Michael Cole, a spokesman for the anti-”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Human Rights Campaign, portrayed a legislative repeal this week as a necessary prerequisite to implementing the working group’s findings. “If the law is not repealed this year, when the implementation study comes down, [the Pentagon will] not able to carry it out,” Cole said.

In their April letter to Congress, Gates and Mullen warned that a legislative fix ahead of Johnson and Ham’s working group report would “send a very damaging message to our men and women in uniform that in essence their views, concerns and perspectives do not matter.” But chief Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell sounded more open to congressional action on Monday, however reluctantly. “Given that Congress insists on addressing this issue this week, we are trying to gain a better understanding of the legislative proposals they will be considering,” Morrell said in an e-mail.

Activists are seeking to ensure they don’t waste their congressional opportunity. The Human Rights Campaign is spending millions this week to pressure six senators on the Armed Services Committee who haven’t taken a firm position on repeal but the group believes are persuadable: Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), Jim Webb (D-Va.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.). Field staff in the states of all six senators are calling the legislators’ district offices, mailing thousands of postcards and scheduling rallies with anti-”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” servicemembers and veterans demanding an end to the law.

Cole said he anticipated close votes in both the Senate committee and the House floor. But he vowed Human Rights Campaign would “keep up the pressure and remind wavering members that 75 percent of the American people support repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and this is an issue to strengthen our military and respect LGBT troops at the same time.”

Runway Fashion Show and Top Execs Highlight Opening Ceremonies
Canadian Auto Press

Lamborghini is taking its brand to the people, but in an unorthodox way for an automaker. Rather than selling its cars in its new Richmond, British Columbia location, a job already handled quite effectively by Vancouver’s Lamborghini dealership, the new boutique will sell clothing and other Lamborghini branded merchandise.

Dubbed Collezione Automobili Lamborghini (Lamborghini Automobile Collection or a more appropriate albeit likely not accurate translation, 兰博基尼汽车收藏), the Automobili Lamborghini Boutique is in the suburb of Richmond in the high-end Aberdeen Centre, the “… first truly Asian shopping experience in the Lower Mainland,” according to the retail centre’s website. The only other two Lamborghini boutiques are at the Westfield Topanga shopping centre outside of Los Angeles and in Beijing, China.

The new Collezione fashion line will consist of “men’s, women’s and junior’s collections for all four seasons,” stated a press release. The collections will include “beautifully styled Italian leather accessories including hats, shoes, briefcases, and more; as well as Lamborghini crested t- shirts, sweatshirts and accessories.”

Lamborghini states that the collection is not just for Lamborghini owners, but also for all luxury consumers who “values quality, style and elegance.”

And how important is the opening of a fashion boutique to Lamborghini? At the opening, Saturday, May 08, Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. was on hand to address customers, VIPs and Lamborghini executives.

“The philosophy behind the Collezione Automobili Lamborghini fashion line is synonymous with the traits of each Lamborghini vehicle: Extreme, Uncompromising and unmistakably Italian,” said Winkelmann. “Vancouver’s strong luxury market makes it a proper fit for expanding our line of fashion boutiques while remaining authentic to our brand DNA.”

Also addressing the crowd was Asgar Virji of Weissach Performance, which owns and operates the new boutique as well as Lamborghini Vancouver, located between the city’s upscale Kitsilano area and fashionable Granville Island shopping and arts community.

“The Automobili Lamborghini Boutique provides an outlet to introduce the brand to a wider audience of super sports car enthusiasts in Vancouver,” commented Virji. “Lamborghini owners and enthusiasts can access clothing and accessories that epitomize the Lamborghini lifestyle and allow them to express their passion for the brand and its heritage.”

Those on hand enjoyed a cocktail party and Collezione runway fashion show, featuring items from the Spring/Summer 2010 line.

Collezione Automobili Lamborghini is not only available at the Aberdeen Centre location, but also at authorized Lamborghini dealers and online at http://store.lamborghini.com.

CHICAGO — Gary Kopycinski teaches religion and ethics in a suburban Chicago Catholic high school, but his effort to practice what he preaches made him the perfect target for a debt settlement company. 

Three years ago, Kopycinski was told by several advisers that he should file for bankruptcy. His finances were a wreck. He held $35,000 in credit card debt and was on the hook for a car loan that he'd co-signed for a family member. On his salary as Catholic high school teacher, it seemed there was no other way but to wave a white flag. But Kopycinski believed that bankruptcy "was a cop-out," so he went searching for an alternative. When he heard an advertisement for Debt Settlement USA, he thought he'd found it. Instead, he had hooked his fortunes to an industry that the attorney general of Illinois, Lisa Madigan, calls "a scam." 

The advertisements are hard to resist, with come-ons like these: "Debts settled for pennies on the dollar," "An open phone line has been established for consumers who need relief," and even, "Don't declare bankruptcy, that should be your last option."

Kopycinski, who  was already treading water in 2007 when the car loan payments landed on him, fell for the pitch.

"I was at the point where I was using Peter to pay Paul,” he said. "Then I just wasn't able to keep up with the payments and I was falling behind. Finally, I was at the point where I was so far behind I didn't know what I was going to do."

Phone calls from creditors were coming fast and furious, and as time passed, they got "nastier and nastier."

"Then I got really worried,” he said. “I was getting to a place I didn't want to be.”

A friend and a financial counselor both advised him to file bankruptcy, but he wanted another option.

"In my mind I understood that bankruptcy was a cop-out and that it meant you weren't fulfilling your responsibilities," he said.

Instead, he took up Debt Settlement USA on its offer. Agents told him they had special relationships with the credit card firms, and had great success at trimming up to 50 percent off customers’  bills. For 14 percent of his total debt, the firm said it would negotiate with creditors on his behalf. And agents told him he wouldn't have to deal with nasty phone calls or legal threats any more.

"Just tell them you are in debt settlement," he was told by one operator.

Instead of continuing to make his payments, Kopycinski said Debt Settlement USA employees told him to set aside $650 each month to build an account that would be used for settlement offers later. But as is typical of debt settlement firms, Debt Settlement USA made sure its bill was paid first. So it collected $442 of each monthly payment toward its total $4,552 fee.  After eight crushing payments, Kopycinski had only built $1,800 toward his debt, but Debt Settlement USA had been credited with $3,566.

Patricia Dose, Debt Settlement USA’s general counsel, said her firm never tells consumers not to pay their bills, adding that by the time consumers come to them they’ve already stopped paying in most cases. She said she could not comment on Kopycinski’s specific situation, citing privacy concerns, but that the firm charges up-front fees that are similar to fees charged by bankruptcy attorneys.

“It’s all disclosed in the contract," she said. "… We’re very up front with our consumers. Everybody wants to be paid for their services.”

Kopycinski tells a different account. He says he started faithfully paying into his settlement savings account, but the phone calls never stopped. Some creditors even tried to talk sense into him.

"I remember one guy from a bank just started screaming at me, yelling, 'This is what's going to happen! This is what’s going to happen!” he said. “When I tried to explain what I was doing, he just yelled louder."

Attorney General Lisa Madigan

When he told his Debt Settlement USA counselor about the exchange, he remembers the operator acting surprised.

"He said, 'Wow, I know him. I deal with him all the time. He must really not like you for some reason,” Kopycinski said.

Then, he was sued by Chase, which was now seeking $17,000 from him.  A notice of the lawsuit was left on his back porch.

Afraid, he called his counselor at Debt Settlement USA, who transferred him to the company's legal department. There, an operator directed him to a website with free legal forms and helped him fill out a motion to dismiss the case for improper service. Kopycinski had to figure out for himself where in downtown Chicago to file the paperwork.  

Dose, however, said her firm might provide some “general information” but it does not offer legal advice. 

In the end, the motion was filed incorrectly and Kopycinski received notice that a default judgment had been entered against him.

With his debt ballooning, his debt settlement strategy blowing up in his face and the legal walls closing in, Kopycinski knew he had run out of options. He went to a legal aid agency and filed for bankruptcy.  But he'd learned more about the process since then, so he filed Chapter 13 — which means that while debtors can no longer harass him, he will be repaying  all his debt — in his case, within five years. Today, he is making $1,190 payments every month, via cashier's check.

"It was very humbling, humiliating, but I did it," he said. "At least I am protected now."

Madigan, the Illinois attorney general whose office has filed seven lawsuits against debt settlement firms, is investigating Kopycinski ‘s complaint.

She said the worst part of his story is that his good nature and sense of responsibility were used against him.

"It just breaks my heart,” she said. “… To me the crime of all of this is you've got good people who, when economy was different, got in over their heads.”

Addressing Kopycinski, she added, "Now, you're trying to do the right thing to pay off your debt, but instead you get completely scammed. You're in a much worse financial circumstance, your credit is destroyed. It makes your life impossible."

VIDEO: Watch Gary Kopycinski on MSNBC-TV

Had Kopycinski began paying his debts through Chapter 13 two years ago, instead of signing up with debt settlement, his monthly payments would today be considerably less. And he would be $3,500 richer. He advises anyone else in the same spot to avoid the promises of debt settlement.

"You're going to end up with some joker on the phone pulling your strings and telling you where to go and giving you incomplete, inaccurate advice. Everything they say isn't true," he said, holding back tears. "They do not have relationships with the credit card companies. … What was $35,000 in debt turned into maybe $60,000."

Madigan also recommends that consumers should steer clear of the debt settlement strategy.

"Consumers should never get involved with debt settlement companies," she said. "Hundreds of Illinois residents have come to our office who have fallen prey to what is essentially an outright scam.  You can do everything yourself.  You can figure out how much you make a month and reach out to creditors."

She said 40 percent of the people who sign up with debt settlement firms end up like Kopycinski, filing for bankruptcy anyway, and two-thirds drop out before even a single debt is settled.

"Folks are finding they are paying an enormous amount of money up front for fees and are getting virtually none of their debt settled," she said. "They are told to not contact creditors.  We see time and again people are told not continue to pay their bills. Well, the credit card companies don't take kindly to that. They sue people."

Dose, the debt settlement firm’s lawyer, objected to characterization of debt settlement as a scam, adding sarcastically, “Then it’s as much of a scam as consumer credit counseling is.” Counseling services are paid in part by banks, she noted, and consumers who enroll in them must pay 100 percent of their debt.  She could provide no statistics on how many consumers complete their debt settlement program with her firm, but said many consumers benefit even from partial completion because Debt Settlement USA is able to obtain settlements on some of their debts.

In Illinois, what happened to Kopycinski will soon be expressly illegal. The state Legislature passed a law earlier this month that will prohibit debt settlement companies from collecting large up-front fees. Aside from a small sign-up fee, the firms will only be able to collect a percentage of the debt after they have earned settlements with debtors.

The ads persist, however, as other states have yet to enact strict regulation of the practice.

Dose said the Illinois law targeting debt settlement firms will harm the state’s consumers.

“They probably won't have a lot of the options consumers in other states have,” she said.  “None of this is easy. … People who come to us understand that none of this is a cakewalk.”

She added said that debt settlement is a better choice than bankruptcy for some consumers because settlement firms take their payments in monthly installments, while many bankruptcy attorneys require full payment before they will begin.

“Debt settlement is just one option out of three that people have,” she said.

It’s hard to find anyone outside of the debt settlement industry who sees its benefits, however.  Consumers who have large debts should visit a nonprofit agency like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at http://www.nfcc.org/.  And no consumer should agree to pay an up-front fee of more than $100 for help with credit card debt.

 

Follow the Hidden Fee Tour of America by becoming a Red Tape Chronicles Facebook fan or follow me at http://twitter.com/RedTapeChron

Camp Rock stars Joe Jonas, 20, and Demi Lovato, 17, have called it quits with just weeks to go before they embark on a planned summer tour together. In a statement to PEOPLE Monday evening, Jonas said it was his decision to pull the plug on the romance, but added that the pair would focus on remaining friends and follow through with the concerts.

“Demi and I knew going into our romantic relationship that it may not be an easy one. I realise over the time we have shared together that I feel I care more about our friendship right now. It was my choice to break-up, but I love her as a friend. She’s been there for me when I needed her. I will continue to be her friend and be there for her,” says The Jonas Brothers singer – who has previously dated singer Taylor Swift and actress Camilla Belle.

Meanwhile, Lovato has spoken out over claims that Joe dumped her over the telephone — the same trick he used to ditch Taylor two years ago.

In a series of posts to her Twitter account late Monday, the Sonny With A Chance actress wrote: “There are so many crazy rumors flying around today. I’d like to clear a few things up. First, Joe and I did split but it wasn’t over the phone. Things didn’t work out but we’ll remain friends. Secondly, I am NOT dating anybody already. Nothing is more important to me than the relationship I have with my fans. Just thought you guys should know this.”

Both singers are due to start their joint tour in Dallas, Texas on July 27.

Just a little more perspective on the big selloff we’re seeing this morning.

We’re now decisively below where we bottomed on the day of the flash crash, as S&P futures are currently at 1043, down 23 points.

Based on this morning’s futures, the Dow just has another 200 points to fall to hit its low of 9625, a pretty remarkable thing considering how much of its fall was due to the wild trading in Proctor & Gamble.

Join the conversation about this story »

Lily Allen, consider yourself replaced. The British songbird — an outspoken advocate against almost everything has been dropped as the face of Chanel Handbags and replaced by French singer Vanessa Paradis, perhaps best known as Johnny Depp’s “baby mama.”

The “Not Fair” singer fronted an advertising campaign for the French fashion house’s Coco Cocoon bag last year, but her contract has since expired and won’t be renewed after Lils got on the bad side of former pal and Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld.

Sources claim Chanel’s designer Karl Lagerfeld severed ties with Lily because of her reputation as a party girl and her behavior at during a party at his Paris home last year. Spywitnesses say Lily got so intoxicated she had to be removed. The embarrassing incident left Karl none too pleased — prompting him to not only drop her from his ad campaign but he didn’t invite her to recent party at the Cannes Film Festival.

A tipster blabs to Britain’s Daily Mirror: “Karl had a show and a party, but Lily was not invited. It was Karl’s way of making it clear she is no longer a part of the Chanel family. He instructed his people not to invite her. He is very strict about who can represent the brand and there is a feeling that Lily is too much of a party girl.”

The XT2 provides an outstanding tablet experience. A high-performance system designed with intuitive input capabilities including a capacitive multi-touch screen and pen, once you experience multi-touch on the XT2, your keyboard and touchpad may get lonely.

The new Dell Latitude XT2 is shipped with an Intel Core2Duo ULV proccessor with Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista and with Intel’s Montevina chipset, it has a 12.1″ premium WXGA LED display and can be purchesed with a SATA 120GB hard drive or with a 128GB mobility SSD, has an onboard 4500MHD video accelerator and built in WLAN (broadband capable).

Related posts:

1. F.C.C. Releases Free Internet Speed Test Tool at www.broadband.gov
2. iPad Release went on Sale
3. FCC: National Broadband Plan, A Dream Come True For Rural Areas

The protocol behind uTorrent, uTP, has been made open source by BitTorrent Inc, for developers to create BitTorrent clients and programs using the format. [TorrentFreak] More »










BitTorrent – Filesharing – Open source – Clients – Pirate Bay

Iambic Pentameter is the rhythm and metre in which poets and playwrights wrote in Elizabethan England. It is a metre that Shakespeare uses.

Quite simply, it sounds like this:

dee DUM, dee DUM, dee DUM, dee DUM, dee DUM

It consists of a line of five iambic feet, ten syllables with five unstressed and five stressed syllables. It is the first and last sound we ever hear, it is the rhythm of the human heart beat. It is percussive and attractive to the ear and has an effect on the listener’s central nervous system.

An Example of Pentameter from Shakespeare:

but SOFT what LIGHT through YONder WINdow BREAKS

The Iambic Pentameter with the seemingly difficult and encoded language is one of the things that puts off school children. But it is simple to learn and easy to speak once it comes alive for you.

Shakspeare also writes in prose, usually when showing a character of lower status.

A 19-year old male worker reportedly fell from a building at Foxconn Technology Group, Shenzhen, China. It is the tenth death in the list this year.

Three days before the incident, a 21-year old employee in the logistics department jumped four storeys above ground. Two more workers attempted to jump from the buildings but survived, and another committed suicide in a smaller plant in the province of Hebei last January.

And labor activists are pointing fingers at the company linking the incidents with employees that work under strenuous conditions, with extended work hours, and stern management of the company. Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou has denied the allegations. “We are certainly not running a sweatshop. We are confident we’ll be able to stabilize the situation soon,” quotes the Associated Press.

According to Business Insider, two reporters of Southern Weekly were able to get inside the Shenzhen factory. “One thing they must take note is that please don’t treat the workers like dogs. If Foxconn does not solve the problem, there will be more suicides to happen. The workers definitely need beer, romance and slightly higher pays. To say it simple, just make them happy. Let’s hope we don’t see a 10th jump…,” concludes the report.

Related posts:

1. Major Accident for India in a Decade: Air India Plane Crash
2. Wachovia Online Banking Sytem NOT WORKING
3. Celebrate Workers Day- it’s May Day!

Next in Korean brinkmanship: a dispute over propaganda loudspeakers aimed at the DMZ.

Lee Myung-bak’s retaliation package includes a resumption of “psychological warfare”:

JoongAng Daily:

The propaganda messages – entitled “The Sound of Freedom” – will be played from dozens of loudspeakers to be set up near the military demarcation line, and work to install the speakers will begin this month.

South Korean military officials say the messages can be heard up to 24 kilometers (15 miles) into North Korea in the quiet of the night.

A North Korean military officer threatened to fire on any equipment used to deliver an anti-North Korean message, according to JoongAng Daily. To which South Korea Defense Minister Kim Tay-young said there would be “no other choice than to strike back immediately.”

Most Koreans do not want war. There are no jingoistic editorials today in Chosun Ilbo — a conservative newspaper that was outspoken during the Cheonan investigation.

Read more: What You Need To Know About The South Korean Economy

Join the conversation about this story »

Google’s ‘green’ arm has been particularly active lately and the company has been making several big moves in the energy sector. Now, through its philanthropic arm, Google.org, the company is announcing that it has partnered with the largest supplier of real-time energy use monitoring displays, Current Cost, to … (read more)

The pressure is clearly growing on Jean-Claude Trichet to go beyond the bond purchases he’s announced already.

He’s being forced by a horde of currency/bond/sovereign vigilantes to go into full-blown quantitative easing/debt monetization. His next job: Buy the debt of failing Spanish banks.

But he’s not the only one being pushed.

Check out what’s going on in Australia.

Remember, back last October it was the first country to raise rates, an aggressive (though impressive) case of getting ahead of the curve.

Well now look.

The Sydney Morning Herald:

Earlier this month the futures market had factored in another interest rate rise, maybe even two, before the end of the year. But a cut is now seen as more likely.

The market shows the expected average level for the cash rate, set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), heading down from its current 4.5 per cent to a low point of 4.35 per cent though October.

That implies a better-than-even chance of an interest rate cut to 4.25 per cent by that time.

In one of the most important bellwether economies, the market seems to be forecasting a double dip, or at least alluding to one.

Join the conversation about this story »

Ghost Whisperer has been given a new lifeline on ABC. The supernatural television drama — which stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a woman who can communicate with the dead — has been picked up by The Alphabet Network after it was axed from CBS fall lineup as part of a sweeping revamp by network chiefs, according to new reports.

Ghost Whisperer premiered in 2005 and has been a ratings winner in the usually ill-rated Friday night 8PM-9PM timeslot.

South Korea has ended trade links with North Korea, in response to the sinking of a South Korean ship allegedly by a North Korean torpedo.

According to the Chosun Ilbo, North Korea could lose 10% of its income immediately as a result, and then suffer further problems via unemployment further out. South Korea will barely feel the effects given that North Korean trade represents just 0.1% of its external trade.

Chosun Ilbo:

North Korea is expected to take a direct hit from reduced employment and purchasing power. The $31.75 million Seoul paid Pyongyang in processing trade last year is close to the wages paid to over 40,000 North Korean employees at the Kaesong industrial park. No government statistics are available on the number of North Korean workers engaged in the processing trade, but assuming they earn half or a third what workers are paid at Kaesong, there may be up to 120,000 of them.

North Koreans employed in the seafood trade with the South will also lose their jobs. “Huge unemployment will deal a serious blow to the already impoverished North Korean economy,” said Lee Jo-won, a professor at Chungang University.

The state-run Korea Development Institute in a report Monday said a halt in inter-Korean trade will reduce the North’s purchasing power and deal its economy a direct blow. Pyongyang has managed its economy by purchasing necessary goods from China with the dollars it earned from inter-Korean economic cooperation. When that stops, it will have difficulty in securing money to buy goods from China. The North will attempt to diversify its export markets, but that will not be easy. It may try to divert goods it exported to the South to China, but most of them only fetch a high price in South Korea or are identical with Chinese export products.

Will trade restrictions just result in a more belligerent North Korea? Hopefully sanctions will collapse the regime without leading to violent death throes.

Join the conversation about this story »

Article Tags: Roy Spencer

The strongest piece of evidence the IPCC has for connecting anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to global warming (er, I mean climate change) is the computerized climate model. Over 20 climate models tracked by the IPCC now predict anywhere from moderate to dramatic levels of warming for our future in response to increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. In many peoples’ minds this constitutes some sort of “proof” that global warming is manmade.

Yet, if we stick to science rather than hyperbole, we might remember that science cannot “prove” a hypothesis….but sometimes it can disprove one. The advancement of scientific knowledge comes through new hypotheses for how things work which replace old hypotheses that are either not as good at explaining nature, or which are simply proved to be wrong.

Each climate model represents a hypothesis for how the climate system works. I must disagree with my good friend Dick Lindzen’s recent point he made during his keynote speech at the 4th ICCC meeting in Chicago, in which he asserted that the IPCC’s global warming hypothesis is not even plausible. I think it is plausible.

And from months of comparing climate model output to satellite observations of the Earth’s radiative budget, I am increasingly convinced that climate models can not be disproved. Sure, there are many details of today’s climate system they get wrong, but that does not disprove their projections of long-term global warming.

Source: drroyspencer.com

Read in full with comments »   

Supercars are usually associated with screaming engines that drink gas like there is no tomorrow. However, there is no dearth of customers who love to possess these beasts, as they are good at turning some heads on the streets. The recent demand to curb emissions and run vehicles on alternative fuels has made some automakers and designers think about next-generation supercars, which are silent, clean and run without gas. Here is a list 15 such concept vehicles that can change the face of supercars forever:

• Koenigsegg Quant:

The Quant is an all-electric supercar that is powered by renewable solar energy. Fitted with a 512 hp electric engine, the car propels to 62mph in just over 5 seconds with a top speed of a bone-shattering 171 mph. The car carries a thin layer of solar panels all over its body, which generate electricity to juice up the battery pack the car is equipped with. The technology has been developed by Koenigsegg along with NLV Solar AG.

• Steenstra GCM Styletto:

Conceived by California-based Steenstra GCM, the Styletto is a zero-emission electric supercar that is designed to hit speeds in excess of 200mph. The all-electric supercar will be built in California and will offer comfort, gullwing doors and slippery aerodynamics to get the most from the car’s zero-emission power house.

• Maserati Tramontane:

The Maserati Tramontane is an all-electric supercar that has been designed to provide luxury in a sustainable package. The vehicle has been designed by Ondrej Jirec as an electric powered cruiser suited for scenic, winding roads. The aerodynamic shape of the vehicle is complemented by the number of components and body panels which flow from the interior to the exterior.

• Citroen Eco-Luxury Sedan:

Designed by Ankit Prashar, the Citroen Eco-Luxury Sedan will definitely lure people with deep pockets. The supercar utilizes lightweight materials, and the propulsion system of the car includes a hydrogen fuel cell element that charges the vehicle’s onboard battery pack. The zero-emission vehicle also makes use of photovoltaic panels integrated into the bodywork to charge the batteries on the move.

• Jaguar C-XC Concept:

The Jaguar C-XC concept has been designed by Philip Dean and will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The stylish 2+2 coupe will be made using sustainable materials including vegetable tan leather and recycled PET bottles. The hydrogen fuel cell drive train is mounted under the single-piece glass surface, which covers the entire length of the car, adding to its aerodynamic aesthetics. The wheels of the car are also covered to further increase its aerodynamic properties.

• Audi A0 QS Concept:

Designed by Alexander Tiganova, the zero-emission Audi A0 QS concept has been created to cater to the needs of athletes and those who’re looking for luxury in a green package. The small and dynamic sports car is equipped with electric motor and a hydrogen engine, which makes the vehicle a zero-emission hybrid.

• BMW Sequence GT:

The BMW Sequence GT by Seungmo Lim, a graduate student at Pforzheim University in Germany, is an all-electric concept supercar that takes only a minute to refuel. The Sequence GT includes next-gen safety systems to protect the occupants and the pedestrians. Moreover, air intakes on the outer side of the nose are used to cool the electric motors, allowing them to function and achieve maximum efficiency. The cabin has four separate seats and the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries are located under the trunk floor.

• BMW Lovos Concept:

Designed by Pforzheim University graduate Anne Forschner the BMW Lovos supercar mimics natural forms to harness renewable solar energy. Dubbed Lovos (Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity), the car is constructed from just one fully exchangeable part that recurs 260 times. Each of these pieces is covered in solar photovoltaic cells, which can be opened or closed just like fish scales.

• Lamborghini Countach EV:

The Lamborghini Countach EV is the brainchild of designer Flavio Adriani. The vehicle runs on an electric engine and includes photovoltaic modules toward the rear and two wind turbines under the hood that generate enough energy to refuel the battery packs. With an aerodynamic design and the use of lightweight materials, the vehicle will surely impress speed lovers who love to burn the streets without polluting them.

• Fleszar Supercar Concept:

Design firm ideationEDGE has come up with a supercar dubbed Fleszar which runs on a 100 percent electric engine and promises a luxury drive for stylish riders. Designed to attract both feminine and masculine customers, the supercar presents a unique mixture of delicate curves and bold lines, presenting a powerful but at the same time comfortable ride. The Fleszar supercar will simply be a style statement for the trendy commuters.

• Venturi Volage Concept:

The Venturi Volage supercar features eight in-wheel motors, as each wheel contains two electric motors out of which one is used for propulsion and the other takes care of the suspension. The innovative design gives the vehicle a lower center of gravity to better maneuverability and overall performance.

• Audi R8 e-Tron:

The Audi R8 e-Tron Concept is powered by four in-wheel electric motors that offer a combined output of 230KW and a maximum torque of 4500Nm. The car can hit a speed of 100kph in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 200kph. The e-Tron has an operating range of 248km on a fully recharged battery.

• Honda FC Sport:

The FC Sport by Honda is a three-seat hydrogen fuel cell sports car that is based on the V-Flow stack of the FCX Clarity concept. The car incorporates a high-power fuel cell stack, located between the rear seats, and a backup battery pack placed in the middle of the car.

• e-Wolf e2:

The e2 is designed by German company e-Wolf. The two seat electric supercar is scheduled to hit the market in 2011. The lightweight car will weigh just 900kgs and will be powered by four in-wheel electric motors, each generating 134hp. The supercar is expected to have an operating range of 187 miles.

• Aston Martin DBGT 2025:

The Aston Martin DBGT 2025 has been designed by Brendan Woolsey. The vehicle would be powered by a tank full of water that is split into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is used as fuel for the car, leading to zero emissions. If anything, the classic exhaust fitted on this future car will only give out water vapor and some heat. Going from 0 to 62 mph in 4.3 seconds, the car has two really strong assets – sports bodywork that is impeccable and the fuel plan which is both realistic and ideal. All this comes along with that very special Aston Martin badge, giving you the best driving experience.