Category: News

Hint: Its tannin content can poison horses, and the flower-like things are actually hairy appendages.

Smog across Los Angeles (Photo: NASA)

From Green Right Now Reports

The American Lung Association State of the Air 2010 report released today ranks the metropolitan areas by the levels of ozone and particle pollution during 2006, 2007 and 2008. For particle pollution, the ALA ranks separately the areas with high year-round (annual average) levels and high short-term levels (24-hour) found in monitoring sites across the United States. Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is used to compile the rankings.

The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area was the most polluted based on year-round particle pollution. The Los Angeles metro area had the most ozone pollution and Bakersfield, Calif., was worst for short-term particle pollution.

Top 25 Most Polluted Cities By Year-Round Particle Pollution:

1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
2. Bakersfield, CA
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
3. Visalia-Porterville, CA
5. Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
6. Fresno-Madera, CA
7. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
8. Hanford-Corcoran, CA
9. Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN
9. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL
11. Charleston, WV
11. Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI
11. Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
14. Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN
14. Modesto, CA
16. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL
16. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX
16. Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
19. Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH
19. Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA
21. Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
21. Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN
23. Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
24. Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN
25. Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH
25. York-Hanover-Gettysburg, PA

Top 25 Most Polluted Cities By Ozone:

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
2. Bakersfield, CA
3. Visalia-Porterville, CA
4. Fresno-Madera, CA
5. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV
6. Hanford-Corcoran, CA
7. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX
8. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
9. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
10. Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC
11. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
12. Merced, CA
13. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
14. Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN
15. El Centro, CA
16. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA
16. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV
18. Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN
19. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL
19. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
21. Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV
22. Modesto, CA
22. Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD
24. Chico, CA
25. Baton Rouge-Pierre Part, LA

Top 25 Most Polluted Cities By Short-Term Particle Pollution:

1. Bakersfield, CA
2. Fresno-Madera, CA
3. Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
5. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
6. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV
7. Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT
8. Visalia-Porterville, CA
9. Modesto, CA
10. Hanford-Corcoran, CA
11. Merced, CA
12. Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD
13. Provo-Orem, UT
14. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
15. Stockton, CA
16. Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI
17. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
18. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV
18. New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA
18. Logan, UT-ID
21. Eugene-Springfield, OR
22. Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon, PA
23. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
23. Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN
23. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

For details on each city’s ranking, see the full report.

Each year, millions of Americans fill out NCAA tournament brackets and billions of dollars are wagered on the event. Media companies dedicate countless hours to coverage, focusing primarily on prediction. No one seems to have precise statistics on the total time and money invested in NCAA pools, because the whole enterprise is so incredibly vast.

Yahoo! hosts a free bracket game, Tourney Pick’Em, that attracts tens of thousands of users. The winner collects a $10,000 prize. That’s your 2010 champ pictured over on the right, enjoying a carrot. Her name is Buttons. And no, this is not a joke, as far as I know.

You, me, everyone you know and every national college basketball expert — Vitale, Bilas, Pomeroy, Kellogg, et al — were all schooled by Buttons the guinea pig this year. This story would be kinda cute, if it weren’t also a total indictment of mainstream sports analysis.

Technically, of course, Tourney Pick’Em was won by a human. His name is Jake Johnson, and he’s an MBA student at the University of Tennessee. He’ll get the $10K. He and his girlfriend share custody of Buttons and a second guinea pig, Brain. Johnson claims to have deferred to Buttons on nearly all of his NCAA picks.

We caught up with him to get the details on his methodology, and the story sounds legit.

"My family does a bracket pool every March," he told us, "where inevitably my sister — who maybe watches five minutes of sports per year — beats me, despite my living and breathing sports. Of course given the competitive nature of our sibling-ship, I never hear the end of it. To prove to my sister that it takes absolutely no knowledge of college basketball to do well, I decided to use the guinea pig to fill out a bracket.

"I read [Buttons] the names of the teams, and waited for her to choose a team by purring. We repeated this process for 58 of the 63 games, excluding the first round games for the No. 1 seeds and eliminating Ohio University in the
first round — I have a strong personal grudge against the Bobcats."

That’s your winning formula in a nutshell: Carry the top seeds into Round 2, disrespect the Ohio Bobcats — who actually beat Georgetown in the first round — and wait for your rodent to purr.

I’m familiar with lots of ridiculous, arbitrary methods for making NCAA
predictions, but this approach seems new. I don’t think I was even aware that guinea pigs made noise.

Nonetheless, Buttons correctly predicted six of the Elite Eight, three of the Final Four, and she picked Duke over Butler in the title game. She didn’t miss a thing in the West Region. Here’s a link to the winning entry. Please take note of its name. 

"We laughed at Buttons’ decision to have Butler lose to Duke in the championship after beating Michigan State," said Jake. "Any knowledgeable human knows that two No. 5 seeds would never make it to the Final Four."

Well, obviously. In Johnson’s family pool, he again lost to his sister.

Buttons will enjoy a few small habitat upgrades following the win, but she’s already well cared for. Her day-to-day life isn’t so different from anyone else’s, really.

"She enjoys carrots, kale, hay, and just about anything else she can eat — including her own poop, which is apparently something all guinea pigs do. Considering her recent success, I am not in a position to judge. She spends most of her day laying in one of her castles or her tiki hut." 

OK, so there are certain differences — the castles, the kale — but at a fundamental level, we can all relate to Buttons.

Johnson tells us that some portion of the Pick’Em winnings will be donated to the Knoxville Guinea Pig Rescue, which seems appropriate. In case you’re wondering, he and his girlfriend have not officially put Buttons on the market, but…

"I don’t think the pig is for sale, but just tossing out a number — assuming $10,000 every March for the next 5 or 6 years, less cage-cleaning and carrot expenses — $45,000 doesn’t seem too unreasonable. More likely, I would sell her services on consignment, and collect a portion of the inevitable winnings."

He will not discuss a breeding fee. "It makes good business sense to keep the market cornered on guinea pigs with future-seeing capabilities." 

Can’t argue with that. Congrats to Team Buttons. Well-played, pig.

How is this possible? Looks like they’ve learned nothing from the recent Desire debacle where the phone keeps getting delayed due to them not having enough in stock. The Nexus One for Vodafone UK just got a release date of April 30th and it seems those devices are already gone.

If you like you can still place your preorder right from Vodafone’s site but you may be waiting awhile before you receive your phone. There isn’t even a mention of this delay on their site anywhere. You will receive an email that looks similar to this:

“Dear XXXXX

“Thank you for placing your order, reference number XXXXXX

“Unfortunately we have suffered a surprisingly high demand for the Nexus One From Google, which means that it is unexpectedly out of stock .

“Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. We hope to have further stock available within 7-10 working days and will contact you again once your order has been dispatched.

“If you have any further queries please contact us on 0844 854 0430 or email [email protected], quoting your order number as your reference. Thank you for ordering with Vodafone.

[via eurodroid]

Bild.de has broke the news of German police raids of Deutsche Bank and fifty other financial firms over tax-evasion charges.

The investigation involves 150 people suspected of evading VAT charges due in carbon trading schemes.

The taxes avoided add up to €1 billion, according to Bild.

Bild explains the tax scheme as this:

Dealers in different EU countries buy and sell permits which allow industrial enterprises to release a certain amount of greenhouse gases.

On the sale from dealer A to dealer B across a state border, no VAT is due. Upon the resale of the permits by dealer B to dealer C within the same country (i.e. Germany), VAT does become owed which dealer C can then claim back from the tax office.

Dealer B owes the authorities 19 per cent in VAT – it doesn’t pay, but pockets the 19 per cent and disappears off the market.

Join the conversation about this story »

Portuguese telephone service provider TMN has joined the list of companies making an effort to protect the environment. TMN has collaborated with sim card suppliers Incard and Toppan to make sim cards from recycled paper to be supplied with the new eco-friendly phone, Samsung Blue Earth. Although you might think that making a sim card out of paper won’t have a great effect on the environment, but when you consider the plastic card which it is punched out of and the huge numbers in which sim cards are manufactured, this scheme seems to work.

This sim card is currently only available for Samsung’s Blue Earth but there are plans to make it available for other phones too in the near future. Samsung’s Blue Earth, having the unique feature of a solar panel at the back in addition to standard features is available for about $318 in Portugal.
[slashgear]

Standard and Poor’s downgraded Greece’s debt yesterday. This reflected–and added to–perceptions that Europe’s debt difficulties are worsening. Portugal, Spain and Ireland are now in deeper trouble as a result.

First, one notes that the European Union has made an unbelievable hash of managing this crisis, making the problem worse as much as helping to solve it.

The latest proposal, a 45 billion euro package by Europe and the I.M.F., has done little to calm the markets, and Germany’s statement this week that it must first see more deficit reduction from Greece before fulfilling its pledge has only increased concerns that Europe is not united behind Greece.

Kenneth Rogoff, a former economist for the I.M.F. who has studied sovereign defaults, calls the latest assistance package puzzling. “They put their wad on the table, but they could have gone further,” he said of the international plan. “I never thought Europe could take the lead on this.”

No indeed. But the role of the ratings agencies also needs to be looked at. Given the decisive part they played in the subprime mortgage debacle, how have they managed to escape reprisals from politicians and regulators? Now they are at it again, propagating a follow-on crisis in Europe. The question is not so much whether their new lower ratings on the PIGS’ debts are justified, but whether, supposing they are, their earlier high ratings of the same debt conveyed useful information in the first place–or actually did the opposite, providing false assurance to the markets. No information is better than bad information. Creating a regulatory requirement for action based on this bad information, which is current policy, is doubly perverse.

Finally, after a decade of stonewalling from rich wine-sipping hypocrites, the offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound (Cape Wind) has been approved.

Now, the country can finally start developing a huge renewable resource.  And a few loaded beachfront homeowners will have to get used looking at tiny white windmills in the distance (the horror!)

Katharine Q Seelye, NYT:

After nine years of regulatory review, the federal government gave the green light Wednesday to the nation’s first offshore wind farm, a sprawling project off the coast of Cape Cod.

The approval of the 130-turbine farm gives a significant boost to the nascent offshore wind industry in the United States, which has lagged behind far Europe and China in harnessing the strong and steady power of ocean breezes to provide electricity to homes and businesses.

Keep reading at NYT >

See Also: Cape Wind: Wine-Sipping Hypocrites Love Renewable Energy–Except When It Wrecks Their View

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• CAPE WIND: Wine-Sipping Hypocrites Preach Gospel Of Renewable Energy…As Long As It Doesn’t Wreck The View

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has awarded Boston-based developer Cape Wind a crucial federal permit supporting the development of a landmark, 420 megawatts offshore wind farm off Cape Cod.

The federal permit in effect closes a nine-year  approval process for Cape Wind, which first announced the project in 2001 but quickly faced intense opposition from a diverse coalition comprised of local residents, Native American tribes and environmental groups, which did not oppose offshore wind development but the location of the Cape Wind project.

From the start Cape Wind had a staunch ally in Secretary Salazar, who early in his term heading the Interior Department, vowed to develop the country’s largely untapped offshore potential.

Indeed, Europe and in particular Denmark and the UK are years ahead of the U.S. in terms of developing and operating utility-scale offshore wind power plants. Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced an ambitious £75 billion ($119 billion) project to build thousands of offshore wind turbines as part of the country’s Round 3 of bids for leasing of portions of the British sea bed.

Cape Wind says it can generate power by 2012 and aims to eventually supply three-quarters of the power on Cape Cod, reports New England Cable News.

– More to follow

Image: iStockphoto

Before National Financial Literacy Month ends on Friday, it’s worth noting a few developments.

The nation’s premier financial literacy organization, the JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which sponsored Financial Literacy Day on the Hill this week, still includes as a corporate partner the subprime lender CompuCredit. TWI last fall drew JumpStart’s attention to CompuCredit’s past problems, which include reaching a $114 million settlement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Trade Commission over charges that CompuCredit and two partner banks deceived hundreds of thousands of customers by failing to properly disclose upfront fees and credit limits on their cards, thereby sinking customers further in debt.

I checked with JumpStart Executive Director Laura Levine recently — and CompuCredit remains a partner, benefiting from the attention of National Financial Literacy Month. For now, JumpStart also continues to employ as a consultant retired Experian executive William Cheeks, who also consults for CompuCredit, Levine said.

Here’s Levine’s explanation: “Our governance committee has been working to develop partner criteria and some other policies, including conflict of interest. Our board was reluctant to take action on CompuCredit or any other partner without specific criteria to base it on. This was a discussion topic at our November board meeting and the board asked the committee to do some more work on it and bring it back. That’s really the progress update for now.”

Moving along… For those worried about subprime lenders from rent-to-own stores to payday lending operations sponsoring financial literacy efforts in communities — and gaining unearned respectability for their efforts — the good news is that the latest research shows those education efforts don’t really work, according to several consumer finance experts I talked to. So while it may be frustrating to see rent-to-own stores sponsoring computer labs in schools, the positive spin is that the tactics aren’t effective. Teaching financial literacy as part of the curriculum beginning in elementary school goes much further.

That’s important, because the current and most popular model for financial literacy efforts now remains corporate partners kicking in for financial literacy events, a reality that has led some critics to contend that financial literacy is tainted overall — and that it’s nearly impossible for a confused consumer to find unbiased, professional guidance. For Financial Literacy Day on Capitol Hill yesterday, just as an example, sponsors included Capital One, Experian and HSBC-North America.

All this matters because, as this CNBC segment points out, there’s still a belief out there among some that a lack of financial literacy, more so than predatory lending, fueled the housing crisis. Financial literacy — even when sponsored by a payday lender or a financial services firm that issues high-rate credit cards — becomes the answer, instead of regulation, in this view.

Just something to keep in mind as Congress continues fighting over financial regulatory reform and financial literacy month winds down.

The European Hydrogen Association, EHA, (www.h2euro.org) welcomes the Commission’s Communication on Clean and Energy Efficient Vehciles (COM 2010/186) as an important step forward in policy support for green car technologies. The video’s, shown during Commissioner Tajani’s press conference (April 28, 2010)  of hydrogen cars,  filling up at public hydrogen refuelling stations in Berlin and driving through the center of Brussels, demonstrate that the European hydrogen and fuel cell sector, has achieved major technological breakthroughs over the last years to introduce hydrogen as the other energy carrier, next to electricity, to accelerate EU’s decarbonisation objectives for transport. Many European companies, including SME’s, are market  leader in developing fuel cell and hydrogen applications and components as demonstrated at last week’s Hanover Fair,  where the EHA joined over 140 companies gathered in the 16^th H2 anf FC Group Exhibit .  
The EHA especially welcomes the Commission’s intention “to provide a leading role in working with Member States at national and regional level on the build-up of charging and refuelling infrastructure in the EU”.
As indicated in its position paper on this strategy (for download at www.h2euro.org ), the EHA is fully committed to contribute actively to the assessment to be made “whether synergies exist between capacity build up for electric and hydrogen vehicles and their connection to low-carbon electricity sources” as mentioned in the Action list of the Communciation. For more information on the strategy visit the Commission’s website.  The EHA press release on the strategy you find above.

Although for many of us starting a family simply happens (surprise!), others among us take an intentional approach. Maybe we delay having children for professional, financial or relationship reasons. Maybe we begin trying when we’re young. Regardless of timing, facing our fertility (so to speak) is an intensely personal and often emotional passage. It can inspire joy and wonder in our basic human capacities – our deep-seated physical impulse and emotional expansion toward parenthood. For some of us, however, the journey takes on anxiety and disappointment. Although varied and nuanced factors define our reproductive health (some not fully understood even today in the medical community), experts agree that lifestyle factors contribute to overall fertility.

I get emails from time to time on the fertility question, and I appreciate these readers’ stories and interest. The growing science of nutrigenomics, the study of how diet influences gene expression patterns, will undoubtedly offer more insights in the future. Research, however, offers plenty of suggestions already for enhancing reproductive results through dietary measures – a briefing of sorts on what to eat, what not to eat, what to consider supplementing, etc. For everyone who’s tried, is trying or interested in trying somewhere down the line, here’s a Primal primer for fertility nutrition.

For Both Men and Women…

Achieve a Normal Weight. Obesity is a known factor in infertility for both men and women. Obesity early in life presents the most reproductive risk.

Reduce Oxidative Stress. Oxidative stress from a whole host of factors, including oxidized fats, intense physical activity, alcohol, illness and regular metabolic functioning, negatively impact conception success and pregnancy outcomes. For men, oxidative stress has been shown to damage sperm DNA and lower sperm count and motility. For women, oxidative stress impacts conception ability by decreasing the permeability and function of the egg, impairing successful implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterine lining, and decreasing the viability of the embryo. (image)

Up your antioxidant and fish oil intake. We know antioxidants and anti-inflammatory fatty acids like omega-3 fight oxidative stress elsewhere in the body. The same goes for reproductive functioning. Research has shown time and again that antioxidants support fertility in both men and women. Vitamins C and E and cofactors like selenium, zinc and copper, appear to be especially key. There are probably many other antioxidants that can benefit as well. As for fish oil, sperm actually depend on a generous polyunsaturated fatty acid supply for well-functioning, fluid membranes that are required for fertilization.

For the Men…

As already suggested, the onus is on both halves of a hopeful couple. Here are a few key recommendations for men.

Avoid soy. I’ve never been a fan of soy, and prepping for pregnancy is a good time to reassess your intake. The issue with soy of course is the estrogenic effects, which animal and human studies have shown decrease sperm counts. The inevitable question is raised why Asian countries where soy is prevalent don’t suffer a fertility crisis. It’s a perfectly valid point – one which research hasn’t fully addressed. From my own perspective, I’d venture to guess that at least part of the discrepancy might be traced to the consumption of unprocessed, often fermented soy in Asian cuisine versus the heavily processed versions in Western menus.

Supplement strategically. Studies of male infertility have shown that zinc and vitamin C levels correlated with sperm count and quality. Additionally, L-carnitine and L-acetyl-carnitine have been useful supplements for enhancing sperm motility and quality.

For the Women…

Female infertility that can be traced to hormonal disruption, as in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or luteal phase deficiency, responds especially well to dietary intervention. A few years ago, a book called The Fertility Diet highlighted results obtained from studying 18,000+ women and the associations between their diets and respective fertility rates. Critics suggested that the study design was far from air tight and that the book’s findings were most useful for women with PCOS. The book, however, offered generally sensible recommendations for the most part. Somehow the findings related to carbs was re-spun to suggest “good carbs” as opposed to low carbs as the specific results suggested, but that’s of little surprise. Based on the bulk of research out there, here are a few recommendations for women.

Achieve Normal Insulin Levels. Excess insulin can impair ovarian function and increase hormone-binding globulin, which raises androgen levels and commonly decreases ovulation. Although getting insulin under control can help boost fertility, avoid chromium picolinate during the preconception period, since it has been linked to DNA mutation and sterility.

Supplement Strategically. Iron and zinc are particularly crucial for early cell division once the egg is fertilized. Folic acid both pre-conception and in early pregnancy cuts the risk of neural tube effects. Higher iron levels have been linked to higher fertility.

Eat Clean Protein. The Fertility Diet authors suggests that balancing plant and animal protein corresponded with fewer fertility difficulties; however, no attention was given to the possible impact of livestock hormones, antibiotics, etc. If there’s any time to go organic, preconception is the time.

Eat Plenty of Good Fats. Trans fats are paramount in fertility impairment. One study showed that a 2% increase in trans fat intake resulted in a 75% increase in fertility risk. Full fat dairy showed a positive effect, but go for clean organic sources.

Go Low/No Alcohol and Caffeine. Both alcohol and caffeine have been shown to decrease fertility in women.

This has been sort of a brief, straight-to-the-point, text book overview of nutrition and fertility. Now it’s your turn. I know that many Mark’s Daily Apple readers have stories about going Primal and getting pregnant. Do you have recommendations and experiences for enhancing fertility? Share your thoughts and anecdotes in the comment board. Grok on!

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Related posts:

1. Weighing the Evidence: Science and Anecdote in Nutrition Studies
2. The Question of Seasonality in Human Health and Nutrition
3. Get a Life: Second Life Game to Teach Nutrition Habits

NASA has put together a pretty cool video to celebrate Hubble Space Telescope’s 20 years in space.

If that narrator’s voice sounds familiar, that’s because it’s Brent Spiner, the actor who played Data on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Apparently, Hubble is fully functional and programmed for multiple techniques.

As you know, I’m live on location at WES 2010 in Orlando, Florida, where the BlackBerry Pearl 3G was announced earlier this week.  With a trackpad, revised keyboard, 802.11n support, OS 5.0, and (of course) 3G connectivity.  It’s a nice little device, and if US carriers follow Telus’ lead (of pricing it below $50), I think it will be quite the success.

Want an up close and personal look at the new device?  Check out the gallery below, and stay tuned for more WES 2010 coverage!

Daigo “The Beast” Umehara, currently reigning as the world Street Fighter IV champ and possibly the best Ryu user who ever played Street Fighter, has now teamed up with the company that provides pros and avid players

Gorilla Coffee, closed for 16 days after its entire staff quit simultaneously, has reopened, to decidedly decaf customer response.

There were just three patrons when I visited this morning at 8:35, a time when it wouldn’t be uncommon for the line to be out the door. An all-new staff worked behind the counter. I don’t know if I was just looking for faults but my large coffee, which normally makes me feel like I could rip apart the fabric of reality with my bare hands, only rated a “market perform.” We may never know what horrible injustices the old barristas suffered at the hands of their fascist bean barons, but maybe it takes a little mean to make a mean cup of coffee.

PREVIOUSLY: Entire Coffee Shop Staff Quits Simultaneously
RELATED: GORILLA RETURNS; PARK SLOPE GETS CAFFEINATED [The Brooklyn Ink]

Filed under: SUV, Japan, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Toyota made big headlines recently because of sliding floor mats and then sticky gas pedals – both resulting in unintended acceleration. Well, let’s call today’s recall announcement unintended deceleration. According to The Detroit News, Toyota is preparing to recall 50,000 of its full-size model year 2003 Sequoias.

According to the daily, there have been 160 reports of “inappropriate activation of the electronic stability control or the traction control system.” Which is a fancy way of saying the vehicles suddenly seem to slow down on their own. Here’s what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is saying:

“During the activation of either system, the driver loses throttle control and one of more brakes may apply, causing the vehicle to slow suddenly. During these activation events, the brake lights are not illuminated to signal to following traffic that the vehicle is slowing.”

For its part, Toyota admits that:

“…the VSC system could, in limited situations, activate at low speed (approximately 9 mph) for a few seconds after acceleration from a stopped position and, as a result, the vehicle may not accelerate as quickly as the driver expects. There have been no reported injuries or accidents as a result of this condition.”

Obviously, if your vehicle suddenly slows unexpectedly while under acceleration without warning (and without brake lights!), that’s an issue. For its part, Toyota initially admitted it was a problem with the traction control system (not the stability control), but for some reason it didn’t feel a recall was necessary. However, that was sixteen months ago, before the Japanese giant’s woes began in earnest. Today, they’re going to fix the issue. Toyota would do well to remember their Nixon: it’s not the crime, it’s the cover up. Official press release available after the jump.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Continue reading BREAKING: 2003 Toyota Sequoia to be recalled over traction control

BREAKING: 2003 Toyota Sequoia to be recalled over traction control originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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