Time: 25:30 | 04/27/2010 | Download MP3
Responding to negative feedback
Jason and David respond to online criticism of 37signals. Topics covered include picking a firm from Sortfolio to redesign Signal vs. Noise and whether or not VCs are evil.
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by Agence France-Presse
BYD’s all-electric e6 Photo courtesy of anthonares via FlickrBEIJING – Dozens of carmakers are showing off “green” vehicles at the Beijing Auto Show as they position themselves for a hoped-for alternative-energy boom in the world’s biggest auto market.
SAIC Motor Corporation, China’s biggest car maker in terms of sales, unveiled its E1 electric car at the week-long show, where nearly 1,000 vehicles are on display—mostly gas-guzzlers, but also 95 hybrid and electric models.
U.S. auto giant General Motors and China’s BYD were also wooing customers with their “green” models in a market that raced past the United States last year to take pole position.
GM rolled out its Volt electric car, which is expected to be on the road in 2011, while BYD, part-owned by U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffett, launched its five-seat, all-electric e6.
Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. announced at the show it would invest about $542 million dollars in developing alternative-energy cars, in a sign of the growing importance of that segment of the market.
“I think there is a tremendous amount of opportunity here,” said Paige Mantel of Better Place, a U.S. maker of electric-vehicle systems such as battery chargers.
But analysts warned that the road to a viable green vehicle market in China remains a long one that requires government subsidies to smooth the way.
“The government needs to play a big role to get critical mass,” said Raymond Tsang, a Shanghai-based partner at consulting firm Bain & Company. “What is lacking is more systematic, consistent subsidies.”
Alarmed by worsening pollution and a soaring reliance on oil, China is pushing green energy technologies, saying it wants sales of such vehicles to account for 10 to 15 percent of total sales by 2020. But progress has been slow.
The government had been expected in January to announce subsidies for alternative-energy vehicles that would make them more affordable for price-sensitive Chinese consumers. However, Beijing reportedly delayed the announcement to seek further input from automakers.
In the meantime, high price tags, limited driving ranges, and lack of battery-recharging stations were putting the brakes on sales, said Finbarr O’Neill, global president of consulting firm JD Power and Associates. Less than 4,000 hybrids were sold in China last year while electric car sales were “negligible,” he said.
That compares with total China vehicle sales of 13.64 million in 2009—vaulting it past the United States—as increasingly well-off consumers snapped up fuel-guzzling models, helped by government sales incentives.
Green-energy vehicles remained considerably more expensive than standard internal combustion engine versions, with a rechargeable battery adding $10,000 to $15,000 to the price tag, said O’Neill. “I don’t see a sizable part of the buying public that will pay a premium just to have an ecologically positive car,” he said. “Without subsidies, it is going to be very difficult for companies like BYD to reach critical mass.”
BYD reportedly delivered just 48 F3DM plug-in hybrid sedans in 2009 at $22,000 each. It sold 290,000 of the fuel-powered version at $8,700 apiece.
China’s government and automakers have invested less than $1.5 billion in developing “green” vehicles since 2006, including $161 million from Beijing, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in January.
Despite the sluggish start, there is optimism among industry players such as Better Place. The company last weekend signed a preliminary agreement with Chinese independent car maker Chery to develop electric vehicle prototypes for government pilot programs.
“It is the largest car market in the world and it is a country that is looking for alternatives to oil,” Mantel said.
The Beijing Auto Show, which opened to the public on Tuesday, runs through May 2.
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Jawbone headsets have been regarded as the gold standard in both audio quality and design for years, a tradition that the Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset continues with aplomb. Going back to the original wired Jawbone headset from 2004, Aliph’s headsets have always been at the forefront of aesthetics and noise cancellation. The new Icon series of headsets does not disappoint, picking up a more compact design while still packing in even better noise cancellation technology. Even better, the Icon recently snagged a firmware update that adds in A2DP for Bluetooth music listening. As always, the newest Jawbone is easily one of the best headsets available on the market.
With the Gulf of Mexico oil spill spreading and the operations to contain it taking too much time, Rear Adm. Mary Landry says the Coast Guard is considering another option to keep the spill from reaching nearby American shorelines: setting the oil on fire.
Yes, you read that right. The idea of a controlled burn surfaced as a possible way to remove thick pockets of crude rife with baseball-sized tar balls from within the massive slick. That tarry crude poses the biggest threat to sensitive coastal areas. Landry said burning could begin as early as today [Houston Chronicle]. BP, the company that leased the now-sunken oil rig, is trying to slow the leak via the work of submersible robots, but so far they’ve had no success. And so 42,000 gallons of oil continue to leak into the gulf every day. To keep the spill from becoming one of the worst in American history, the Coast Guard is considering all its options.
During the operation, the Coast Guard would use its boats and booms to get the oil into a U-shape, then ignite it. Response teams attempted this in Newfoundland in 1993, and found that they could get more than half of the oil collected—but not without the trade-off of separate environmental damage. The heat generated by the burning oil—a temperature of 1,800°F (982°C) was measured at the top of the boom at the Newfoundland burn—will cause the smoke to rise several hundred to several thousand feet and at the same time be carried away by the prevailing winds [National Geographic]. The plume created should be similar to that of a large forest fire.
The oil slick started about 50 miles off the Gulf Coast when the oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and then sank. Since then oil has spread outward in a hurry, and is now within 20 miles of the coast. While a controlled burn would give off plenty of nasty smoke, Landry says, the impact on Louisiana’s coastline, which contains some 40% of the nation’s wetlands and spawning grounds for countless fish and birds, had to be considered [BBC News]. Out at sea, the fumes from the fire could prove toxic to birds and other wildlife, but they have a better chance to escape that than if they find themselves stuck in the path of the water-borne oil.
Meanwhile, BP will keep pressing its options to slow the spread. The underwater robots are trying to reach valves that control pressure in the well, and should they ultimately fail in that operation, the oil company is preparing to drill a secondary well to relieve some of the pressure. But that could take two to three months.
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80beats: 21 Years After Spill, Exxon Valdez Oil Is *Still* Stuck in Alaska’s Beaches
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Image: NASA—the slick approaching Louisiana
It’s no secret that MLB.com, the online wing of Major League Baseball, is a bit of a control freak at times. It fought a long battle claiming to own the “facts” of a baseball game — which it eventually lost. It’s falsely taken down videos that were clearly fair use. Worst of all, it issued rules on how independent reporters could report on games. We’re still amazed that any self-respecting newspaper would agree to such rules — though, to be fair, it appears that MLB has not chosen to enforce many of those rules.
Of course, in this day and age, with social media making it easier and easier for anyone to communicate with anyone else, trying to overly aggressively control messages has proven to be a bit more difficult — and, for the most part, that’s probably a good thing. Last year, we had a story about baseball beat reporters using social media to build up a strong community, and build a really strong relationship with fans. Part of the reason why this worked was because those reporters talked about more than just baseball. Some of my favorite baseball reporters also talk about things like music, movies and TV shows, which makes them a lot more interesting and human. It’s part of building a connection with a community, which is a necessity these days.
So it’s disappointing to see that Major League Baseball appears to have gone way overboard in its new Twitter guidelines for MLB.com reporters (sent in by many, but first by Scott Crawford). Now, we’ve already seen other sports leagues, like the NBA and the NFL issue Twitter guidelines for players and officials. While those sometimes seem to go way overboard (such as fining a player for Tweeting a happy message after winning), you can understand the basic premise behind the plan. Of course, some players obviously have decided not to pay much attention to the official policies.
In this case, Major League Baseball apparently also sent out some “guidelines,” to both players and MLB.com reporters. Many are guessing that this is in response to a former major league player, Mike Bacsik, who got fired from his radio job after Tweeting a racist remark. It might also be in response to Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and his Twitter account, which has been known to make news as well. Apparently, the guidelines for players are more or less common sense. However, it’s a bit trickier with MLB.com writers.
What makes it tricky is that MLB.com has a pretty large staff of reporters itself. And while there were concerns early on that they wouldn’t be independent enough, their coverage has actually been quite good and in many cases the equivalent of newspaper beat reporters. And many have built up followings on their own. For example, I’ve followed MLB.com reporter Bryan Hoch on Twitter for a while. Part of the reason I follow him was due to some very amusing discussions last year about his movie-watching habits (or lack thereof — he hasn’t seen many “classics”).
But, apparently, that sort of thing won’t be allowed any more. Supposedly, the word from on high from Major League Baseball is that all MLB.com reporters may only use Twitter to talk about baseball. All other topics are strictly forbidden. This seems likely to do a lot more harm than good. It takes away many of the reasons why people like following certain reporters, and takes away the connections they build up with fans. It’s a symptom of an old way of thinking: once someone (anyone) does something “bad” with a tool, ban all other uses, even if there are many good things. It’s an idea that is doomed to fail.
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SonyStyle Japan is teasing with a new ultra mobile VAIO and their VAIO website is also showing a new campaign called We are Coming-Out Generation mentioning the same ultra mobile term. Their current ultra mobile option that is still being sold is a VAIO P notebook and according to Engadget tipster we may very well see an updated VAIO P colored in Orange. I remember SonyStyle Japan once ran a promo called “Feel Orange” and released a VAIO E series in that color. Follow us and we’ll let you know what this new Ultra Mobile VAIO is all about with all those coming-out kids featured.
O Pell P50 é considerado o menor carro do mundo a ser produzido em série. O micro-carro foi fabricado no ano de 1962 pela companhia Manx Peel Engineering Company, especializada na utilização de fibra de fibra e fabricante de carros, motos e barcos. Além do Pell P50, a companhia fabricou os modelos Manxcar, Trident, BMC BRP mini, Viking Sport e o P1000.
No total foram fabricados 50 unidades do micro-carro, sendo que atualmente existem apenas 20 em circulação. Medindo apenas 1,34 metros de comprimento e 0,99 centímetros de largura, e com um peso de 59 kg, o Pell P50 parece ter previsto o nosso atual trânsito caótico. Seu interior acomoda “apenas” um o motorista que não desfruta de muito espaço, mas isso é apenas um detalhe nesse carro.
Seu minusculo motor de 49cc com câmbio manual de três velocidades, permite ao micro-carro Pell P50 atingir a velocidade máxima de 61 km/h, também limitada devido ao tamanho e características do modelo. Contudo, todo o aperto e baixo desempenho é compensado pela sua altíssima média de consumo de 35,7 km/l.
Além de seu tamanho, a sua simplicidade também chama a atenção, caracterizada na sua carroceria de apenas um porta, um farol e um único limpador de para-brisas. Outra peculiaridade do Pell P50 é a sua marcha ré, ou a sua ausência, já que quando for preciso manobra-lo pra trás, o motorista deve descer do volante e manobra-lo na mão porém, essa tarefa é feita sem maiores dificuldades por qualquer um.
Todas as características técnicas e aplicações do modelo podem ser conferidas nessa ótima matéria do vídeo acima do programa Top Gear da BBC, contando com o lendário apresentador Jeremy onde, numa das hilárias cenas ele entra dentro do elevador do estúdio da BBC a bordo do micro-carro.
Fontes: Escolademecanica e Dementia
Mais em: PellMicrocars
The Department of Defense has just released the 2010 edition of the Manual for Military Commissions. It can be found here in pdf.
HT: Professor Bobby Chesney, who highlights provisions on hearsay and material support, excepted below:
SECTION VIII
HEARSAY
Rule 801. Definitions
The following definitions apply under this rule:
(a) Statement. A “statement” is (1) an oral or written assertion or (2) nonverbal conduct of a person,
if it is intended by the person as an assertion.
(b) Declarant. A “declarant” is a person who makes a statement.
(c) Hearsay. “Hearsay” is a statement, other than the one made by the declarant while testifying at
the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted.
(d) Statements which are not hearsay. A statement is not hearsay if:
(1) Prior statement by witness. The declarant testifies at the trial or hearing and is subject to
cross-examination concerning the statement, and the statement is (A) inconsistent with the
declarant’s testimony, and was given under oath subject to the penalty of perjury at a trial, hearing,
or other proceeding, or in a deposition, or (B) consistent with the declarant’s testimony and is
offered to rebut an express or implied charge against the declarant of recent fabrication or improper
influence or motive, or (C) one of identification of a person made after perceiving the person; or
(2) Admission by party-opponent. The statement is offered against a party and is (A) the
party’s own statement in either the party’s individual or representative capacity, or (B) a statement
of which the party has manifested the party’s adoption or belief in its truth, or (C) a statement by a
person authorized by the party to make a statement concerning the subject, or (D) a statement by
the party’s agent or servant concerning a matter within the scope of the agency or employment of
the agent or servant, made during the existence of the relationship, or (E) a statement by a coconspirator
of a party during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy. The contents of the
statement shall be considered but are not alone sufficient to establish the declarant’s authority under
paragraph (C), the agency or employment relationship and the scope thereof under paragraph (D),
or the existence of the conspiracy and the participation therein of the declarant and the party against
whom the statement is offered under paragraph (E).
Rule 802. Reserved.
Rule 803. Admissibility of hearsay
(a) Hearsay evidence may be admitted in trials by military commission if the evidence would be
admitted under the rules of evidence applicable in trial by general courts-martial, and the evidence
would otherwise be admissible under these Rules or this Manual.
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(b) Hearsay evidence not otherwise admissible under the rules of evidence applicable in trial by
general courts-martial may be admitted in a trial by military commission only if—
(1) the proponent of the evidence makes known to the adverse party, sufficiently in advance
to provide the adverse party with a fair opportunity to meet the evidence, the proponent’s intention
to offer the evidence, and the particulars of the evidence (including information on the
circumstances under which the evidence was obtained); and
(2) the military judge, after taking into account all of the circumstances surrounding the
taking of the statement, including the degree to which the statement is corroborated, the indicia of
reliability within the statement itself, and whether the will of the declarant was overborne,
determines that—
(A) the statement is offered as evidence of a material fact;
(B) the statement is probative for which it is offered;
(C) direct testimony from the witness is not available as a practical matter, taking
into consideration the physical location of the witness, the unique circumstances of military and
intelligence operations during hostilities, and the adverse impacts on military or intelligence
operations that would likely result from the production of the witnesses; and
(D) the general purposes of the rules of evidence and the interests of justice will best
be served by admission of the statement into evidence.
(d) The disclosure of information under this section is subject to the requirements and limitations
applicable to the disclosure of classified information in Mil. Comm. R. Evid. 505 and 506 as
applicable.
Rule 804.
Reserved.
Rule 805. Hearsay within hearsay
Hearsay included within hearsay is not excluded under the hearsay rule if each part of the combined
statements would be admissible in a military commission convened under chapter 47A of Title 10.
Rule 806.
Reserved.
Rule 807. Attacking and supporting credibility of declarant
When a hearsay statement, or a statement defined in Mil. Comm. R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(C), (D), or (E),
has been admitted in evidence, the credibility of the declarant may be attacked, and if attacked may
III-55
be supported, by any evidence which would be admissible for those purposes if declarant had
testified as a witness. Evidence of a statement or conduct by the declarant at any time, inconsistent
with the declarant’s hearsay statement, is not subject to any requirement that the declarant may
have been afforded an opportunity to deny or explain. If the party against whom a hearsay
statement has been admitted calls the declarant as a witness, the party is entitled to examine the
declarant on the statement as if under cross-examination.
(25) PROVIDING MATERIAL SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM.
a. Text. “Any person subject to this chapter who provides material support or resources, knowing
or intending that they are to be used in preparation for, or in carrying out, an act of terrorism (as set
forth in paragraph (24) of this section), or who intentionally provides material support or resources
to an international terrorist organization engaged in hostilities against the United States, knowing
that such organization has engaged or engages in terrorism (as so set forth), shall be punished as a
military commission under this chapter may direct.”
b. Elements. The elements of this offense can be met either by meeting (i) all of the elements in A,
or (ii) all of the elements in B, or (iii) all of the elements in both A and B:
A. (1) The accused provided material support or resources to be used in preparation for, or
in carrying out, an act of terrorism (as set forth in paragraph (24));
(2) The accused knew or intended that the material support or resources were to be used for
those purposes; and
(3) The conduct took place in the context of and was associated with an hostilities.
B. (1) The accused provided material support or resources to an international terrorist
organization engaged in hostilities against the United States;
(2) The accused intended to provide such material support or resources to such an
international terrorist organization;
(3) The accused knew that such organization has engaged or engages in terrorism; and
(4) The conduct took place in the context of and was associated with hostilities.
c. Definition. “Material support or resources” means any property, tangible or intangible, or service,
including currency or monetary instruments or financial securities, financial services, lodging,
training, expert advice or assistance, safehouses, false documentation or identification,
communications equipment, facilities, weapons, lethal substances, explosives, personnel (one or
more individuals who may be or include oneself), and transportation, except medicine or religious
materials.
d. Maximum punishment. Confinement for life.
Two weeks ago, Microsoft killed Xbox Live support for the original Xbox, making it impossible to play old games like Halo 2 online. But 13 people are still playing by keeping their old consoles on and connected 24/7. More »
While Greece and Portugal may be dominating debt crisis headlines at the moment, Spain is the lingering country that could be “too big to bail.”
Spain’s economic problems are somewhat similar to Greece and Portugal, in that the country has had extremely low growth since the financial crisis erupted, do to a slowdown in its key industry, home-building. Unemployment has boomed as a result, and it now hovers around 20%.
But according to economist Luis Riestra, the country also has a much bigger banking crisis on its hands, with local banks, called cajas, needing a federal bailout that may cost 15% of GDP. Bigger Spanish banks also remain under pressure.
The country is going to the markets to sell its debt, with the risk of not meeting goals increasing as the rollover debt deadline of July looms.
The size of debt it needs: 66 billion euros ($89 billion) of rollover debt and an additional 110 billion euros ($149 billion) of new debt, according to Riestra.
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Image: Reuters
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Get your calendars ready for marking, people. Konami has announced the US release dates for the downloadable Rocket Knight.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Get ready for a new season of big hair and even bigger drama in the Garden State. The wealthiest ladies in Franklin Lakes, NJ — Caroline Manzo, Dina Manzo, Jacqueline Laurita, and Teresa Giudice — dropped by NBC’s TODAY Wednesday to dish the dirt on the forthcoming second season of Bravo’s ratings hit The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Noticably absent from the gabfest was former “prostitution whore” Daniella Staub — who has refused to join her castmates on their Season 2 promo tour.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey return to Bravo in a special season premiere event on Monday, May 3 @ 10 PM.
Missed Grant City, have you? Well, Namco Bandai has a little something to make you want to stay longer. The publisher has announced downloadable content for Dead to Rights: Retribution, adding extra gameplay modes and options to
Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.
Instant messaging. Tweets. Facebook. E-mail. Blogs. Voicemail.
Like a lot of people, I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed with the number of choices available these days for communicating.
And I’m sure I’m not alone with feeling that despite all the new technology and “social media” at our disposal, we sometimes need to step away from the keyboard, turn off our cell phones, and actually get together to see one another.
More face time, less Facebook.
That’s why I’m so excited to be deep into planning for the 2010 National Tribal Science Forum . The Forum is designed for Tribal scientists and environmental professionals to network, exchange ideas, and share data with EPA and other federal partners.
Some 400 participants from Tribal Nations and the EPA will get together to partner and share expertise and information about tribal environmental programs. I expect the gathering will spark lots of great discussions about issues of vital interest to Indian Country.
The theme of the Forum is “Mother Earth: Indigenous Knowledge to Promote Positive Change.” It is sponsored by EPA and will be hosted by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
This will be the second Tribal Science Forum sponsored by EPA. More than 300 participants attended the 2006 forum, representing 125 American Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages, intertribal consortia, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and federal, state, and local governments. Representative included the American Indian Higher Education Council, tribal leaders, students, elders, and environmental program directors.
This time around, I’m expecting somewhere around 400 participants to join me and my colleagues from the National-EPA Tribal Science Council. Like them, I’m looking forward to sharing ideas and advancing tribal science in person.
Interested in joining us? Visit the forum website
About the Author: Monica L. Rodia is the Executive Secretary for the Tribal Science Council in EPA’s Office of Science Policy.
Editor’s Note: The opinions and comments expressed in Greenversations, including those in Science Wednesday, are those of the author. They do not reflect Agency policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Juan Jose Quintero-Payan, AP Photo
From the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas
ALLEGED HEAD OF THE QUINTERO DRUG TRAFFICKING ENTERPRISE EXTRADITED TO U.S. FROM MEXICO
Eight-year battle by defendant to avoid extradition ends with one way trip to San Antonio
(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) – Juan Jose Quintero-Payan, 68, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, has been extradited to Texas to face charges of four felony violations of the drug and racketeering statutes, José Angel Moreno and John E. Murphy, United States Attorneys for the Southern and Western Districts of Texas, respectively, announced today along with Zoran Yankovich, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Following the return of a sealed superseding indictment by a San Antonio grand jury and the issuance of a provisional arrest warrant in 2002, Quintero was arrested in Mexico. Quintero fought against his extradition for eight years. On Friday, April 23, 2010, Quintero was extradited by Mexico and transported to San Antonio in the company of U.S. agents. The indictment was unsealed on Monday, April 26, 2010, following Quintero’s initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela A. Mathy in San Antonio. Quintero has been ordered to remain in federal custody without bond pending further criminal proceedings.
Moreno praised the dedication of the agents and prosecutors as well as the Office of International Affairs in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division who have worked throughout the years to bring Quintero to justice. “The successful extradition of Mr. Quintero-Payan shows that joint international efforts work and that the rule of lawlessness is ultimately subservient to the rule of law,” he said.
The indictment alleges Quintero was the leader of a criminal enterprise whose operations spanned from South America and Mexico to the United States and the Cayman Islands during the years of approximately 1978 to 2002, when the current superseding indictment was filed. The charged conduct includes the movement of numerous large loads of marijuana to the United States from Mexico, in amounts of up 15,000 pounds at a time, using tanker trucks. As per the charges, cocaine shipments as large as 700 kilograms were acquired from unnamed foreign sources via airplane for re-shipment to the United States.
The indictment details the movement of more than $20 million dollars in United States currency into banks in California and Texas and other deposits into banks in New York and the Cayman Islands. A network of real estate was allegedly acquired in Texas and California related to the drug enterprise’s operations to include ranches, airstrips and residences.
The charges are the result of a continuing cooperative effort between prosecutors in the Western District of Texas and Southern District of Texas in “Operation Cash Crop,” an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation involving the DEA, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Narcotics Service of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the then United States Customs Service, now Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security.
“Through close and sustained cooperation with our partners in Mexico, we are bringing alleged cartel leaders to justice – on both sides of the border,” Yankovich said. “Mexico’s continued cooperation in targeting significant drug traffickers is critical to our mutual efforts to protect the public from the negative impact of the drug trade.”
The initial indictment arising from “Operation Cash Crop” was first brought in 1985 in San Antonio, Texas. Those charges were superseded in March 1986 naming Quintero and 49 other defendants. Portions of those charges were tried in 1986 in San Antonio. Additional prosecutions have occurred in San Antonio and in Brownsville, Texas, as a result of this investigative effort. Quintero has been extradited to face prosecution on a 2002 superseding indictment.
While the charges carry a statutory penalty of up to life imprisonment, at the time the extradition request was made, Mexico conditioned extradition on assurances that a sentence of life imprisonment would not be imposed. A copy of the superseding indictment returned in 2002 is attached.
Assistant United States Attorney Charles Lewis of the Southern District of Texas will be prosecuting the Quintero case in the San Antonio Division of the Western District of Texas.
HT: Bobby Chesney
Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Celebrities
Despite getting nabbed for street racing, driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance, the grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France is reportedly off the hook and back on the race track. A Florida judge dismissed the charges against J.C. France after it became apparent that the Daytona Beach officer that arrested the heir to the racing throne was actually outside of his jurisdiction. As a result, France is off scot free.
Last year, France was caught allegedly street racing in a 2007 Lamborghini against his half-brother and roommate Russel Van Richmond. After the charges were filed, France was suspended from racing in the NASCAR-owned Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Daytona Prototype Series where he drives for the Brumos Porsche-Riley team.
For his transgressions, France has missed out on a grand total of four races. We can’t seem to tell whether this is a blatant example of the good ol’ boy system run amok or a painful reminder of just how inadequate the NASCAR drug testing system still is. Either way, we hope France takes some time to realize just how lucky he was to not have killed anyone last October or to have wound up behind bars with a lifetime ban from racing.
[Source: Courant | Image: TMZ]
Report: NASCAR founder’s grandson allowed to race after botched arrest for street racing, cocaine possession originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
AOL has seen better days and, as its efforts to turn around don’t seem to be paying off, it has one less headache to worry about. The company has announced that it has sold ICQ, one of its two IM services, to Russian Internet giant Digital Sky Technologies (DST). ICQ was bought for $187.5 million, a decent sum considering it hasn’t been doing … (read more)
Is there room for another mobile browser on smartphones? Actions speak louder than words, so Mozilla is answering that question by releasing its first iteration of the Firefox browser for Android handsets. Fennec, as the browser is known, is in a pre-alpha state, meaning it’s not ready for the general populace. That didn’t stop me from installing it on my Google Nexus One, however, and even in this early stage of the life cycle, Fennec is looking very nice.
Why an alternative browser, though, when the stock Google web browser is already quite good? In a word: Weave. Mozilla’s Weave project synchronizes browsing data between desktop and mobile — bookmarks, saved passwords, browsing history and even open tabs. Using Weave, for example, you could have several tabs open on your desktop in Firefox, walk away, open Firefox on a phone and see the same tabs appear. Google offers a similar feature with its Chrome browser, but Mozilla’s implementation is farther along in the handset space.
I haven’t taken Weave for a spin on Android since it’s highly experimental, but I did use the browser for a bit this morning. For those not familiar with Fennec on a smartphone, Mozilla leverages off-screen space to control bookmarks, open tabs and settings. You can slide the main browsing page left or right to see the controls, which provides access to advanced features on the small screen without cluttering up the browsing experience — a clever implementation that you can see in my screen captures below. There’s currently no support for multitouch zooming or Adobe Flash, however. Fennec on the Nokia N900 originally included support for a Flash plug-in, but Mozilla later pulled it, saying, “The performance of the plugin didn’t meet our standards.”
In this early stage, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone use Fennec as a full-time browser — nor does Mozilla. The code isn’t optimized and performance is sluggish. And this first version requires a phone with some higher-end horsepower — it only works on Android 2.0 devices and up, for example. But it does show promise and if Mozilla can gain traction on the phone with its browser, it could keep more people using Firefox on the desktop thanks to the Weave experience.
Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):
What Does the Future Hold For Browsers?
Rate of Temperature Change in the United States, 1901–2008. This figure shows how average air temperatures have changed in different parts of the United States since the early 20th century (since 1901 for the lower 48 states, 1905 for Hawaii, and 1918 for Alaska). Source: U.S. EPA, Climate Change Indicators in the United States [PDF], April 2010. |
Nick Sundt over at the WWF climate blog has put together a nice summary of the findings of the EPA’s new US Climate Change Indicators Report (with links to the key PDFs), which I repost below:
The evidence of climate change is growing all around us. In this posting, we provide a summary of the key findings of the new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Change Indicators in the U.S.
For more information on the report, see our posting, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Issues Compendium of “Climate Change Indicators” for the U.S. (27 May 2010). A PDF version of the Summary of Key Findings is available online. With the exception of bracketed text, the following is excerpted directly from the report.
Greenhouse Gases
[Details on these indicators are available here: Greenhouse Gases (PDF) (12 pp, 4.7MB)]
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. In the United States, greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities increased by 14 percent from 1990 to 2008. Carbon dioxide accounts for most of the nation’s emissions and most of this increase. Electricity generation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, followed by transportation. Emissions per person have remained about the same since 1990.
Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Worldwide, emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities increased by 26 percent from 1990 to 2005. Emissions of carbon dioxide, which account for nearly three-fourths of the total, increased by 31 percent over this period. Like in the United States, the majority of the world’s emissions are associated with energy use.
Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases. Concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have risen substantially since the beginning of the industrial era. Almost all of this increase is attributable to human activities. Historical measurements show that the current levels of many greenhouse gases are higher than any seen in thousands of years, even after accounting for natural fluctuations.
Climate Forcing. Climate or “radiative” forcing is a way to measure how substances such as greenhouse gases affect the amount of energy that is absorbed by the atmosphere. An increase in radiative forcing leads to warming while a decrease in forcing produces cooling. From 1990 to 2008, the radiative forcing of all the greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere increased by about 26 percent. The rise in carbon dioxide concentrations accounts for approximately 80 percent of this increase.
Weather and Climate
[Details on these indicators are available here: Weather and Climate (PDF) (14 pp, 3.3MB)]
U.S. and Global Temperature. Average temperatures have risen across the lower 48 states since 1901, with an increased rate of warming over the past 30 years. Seven of the top 10 warmest years on record for the lower 48 states have occurred since 1990, and the last 10 five-year periods have been the warmest five-year periods on record. Average global temperatures show a similar trend, and 2000–2009 was the warmest decade on record worldwide. Within the United States, parts of the North, the West, and Alaska have seen temperatures increase the most.
Heat Waves. The frequency of heat waves in the United States decreased in the 1960s and 1970s, but has risen steadily since then. The percentage of the United States experiencing heat waves has also increased. The most severe heat waves in U.S. history remain those that occurred during the “Dust Bowl” in the 1930s, although average temperatures have increased since then.
Drought. Over the period from 2001 through 2009, roughly 30 to 60 percent of the U.S. land area experienced drought conditions at any given time. However, the data for this indicator have not been collected for long enough to determine whether droughts are increasing or decreasing over time.
U.S. and Global Precipitation. Average precipitation has increased in the United States and worldwide. Since 1901, precipitation has increased at an average rate of more than 6 percent per century in the lower 48 states and nearly 2 percent per century worldwide. However, shifting weather patterns have caused certain areas, such as Hawaii and parts of the Southwest, to experience less precipitation than they used to.
Heavy Precipitation. In recent years, a higher percentage of precipitation in the United States has come in the form of intense single-day events. Eight of the top 10 years for extreme one-day precipitation events have occurred since 1990. The occurrence of abnormally high annual precipitation totals has also increased.
Tropical Cyclone Intensity. The intensity of tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico did not exhibit a strong long-term trend for much of the 20th century, but has risen noticeably over the past 20 years. Six of the 10 most active hurricane seasons have occurred since the mid-1990s. This increase is closely related to variations in sea surface temperature in the tropical Atlantic.
Oceans
[Details on these indicators are available here: Oceans (PDF) (10 pp, 3.1MB)]
Ocean Heat. Several studies have shown that the amount of heat stored in the ocean has increased substantially since the 1950s. Ocean heat content not only determines sea surface temperature, but it also affects sea level and currents. Sea Surface Temperature. The surface temperature of the world’s oceans increased over the 20th century. Even with some year-to-year variation, the overall increase is statistically significant, and sea surface temperatures have been higher during the past three decades than at any other time since large-scale measurement began in the late 1800s.
Sea Surface Temperature. The surface temperature of the world’s oceans increased over the 20th century. Even with some year-to-year variation, the overall increase is statistically significant, and sea surface temperatures have been higher during the past three decades than at any other time since large-scale measurement began in the late 1800s.
Sea Level. When averaged over all the world’s oceans, sea level has increased at a rate of roughly six-tenths of an inch per decade since 1870. The rate of increase has accelerated in recent years to more than an inch per decade. Changes in sea level relative to the height of the land vary widely because the land itself moves. Along the U.S. coastline, sea level has risen the most relative to the land along the Mid-Atlantic coast and parts of the Gulf Coast. Sea level has decreased relative to the land in parts of Alaska and the Northwest.
Ocean Acidity. The ocean has become more acidic over the past 20 years, and studies suggest that the ocean is substantially more acidic now than it was a few centuries ago. Rising acidity is associated with increased levels of carbon dioxide dissolved in the water. Changes in acidity can affect sensitive organisms such as corals.
Snow and Ice
[Details on these indicators are available here: Snow and Ice (PDF) (12 pp, 3.6MB) ]
Arctic Sea Ice. Part of the Arctic Ocean stays frozen year-round. The area covered by ice is typically smallest in September, after the summer melting season. September 2007 had the least ice of any year on record, followed by 2008 and 2009. The extent of Arctic sea ice in 2009 was 24 percent below the 1979 to 2000 historical average.
Glaciers. Glaciers in the United States and around the world have generally shrunk since the 1960s, and the rate at which glaciers are melting appears to have accelerated over the last decade. Overall, glaciers worldwide have lost more than 2,000 cubic miles of water since 1960, which has contributed to the observed rise in sea level.
Lake Ice. Lakes in the northern United States generally appear to be freezing later and thawing earlier than they did in the 1800s and early 1900s. The length of time that lakes stay frozen has decreased at an average rate of one to two days per decade.
Snow Cover. The portion of North America covered by snow has generally decreased since 1972, although there has been much year-to-year variability. Snow covered an average of 3.18 million square miles of North America during the years 2000 to 2008, compared with 3.43 million square miles during the 1970s.
Snowpack. Between 1950 and 2000, the depth of snow on the ground in early spring decreased at most measurement sites in the western United States and Canada. Spring snowpack declined by more than 75 percent in some areas, but increased in a few others.
Society and Ecosystems
[Details on these indicators are available here: Society and Ecosystems (PDF) (12 pp, 3.4MB)]
Heat-Related Deaths. Over the past three decades, more than 6,000 deaths across the United States were caused by heat-related illness such as heat stroke. However, considerable year-to-year variability makes it difficult to determine long-term trends.
Length of Growing Season. The average length of the growing season in the lower 48 states has increased by about two weeks since the beginning of the 20th century. A particularly large and steady increase has occurred over the last 30 years. The observed changes reflect earlier spring warming as well as later arrival of fall frosts. The length of the growing season has increased more rapidly in the West than in the East.
Plant Hardiness Zones. Winter low temperatures are a major factor in determining which plants can survive in a particular area. Plant hardiness zones have shifted noticeably northward since 1990, reflecting higher winter temperatures in most parts of the country. Large portions of several states have warmed by at least one hardiness zone.
Leaf and Bloom Dates. Leaf growth and flower blooms are examples of natural events whose timing can be influenced by climate change. Observations of lilacs and honeysuckles in the lower 48 states suggest that leaf growth is now occurring a few days earlier than it did in the early 1900s. Lilacs and honeysuckles are also blooming slightly earlier than in the past, but it is difficult to determine whether this change is statistically meaningful.
Bird Wintering Ranges. Some birds shift their range or alter their migration habits to adapt to changes in temperature or other environmental conditions. Long-term studies have found that bird species in North America have shifted their wintering grounds northward by an average of 35 miles since 1966, with a few species shifting by several hundred miles. On average, bird species have also moved their wintering grounds farther from the coast, consistent with rising inland temperatures.
– Nick Sundt
Related Post:
[JURIST] Iraqi detainees were repeatedly tortured in a secret prison in Baghdad, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday. HRW says that detainees held at the Muthanna facility, run by Iraqi authorities, were hung upside-down, deprived of air, kicked, whipped, beaten, given electric shocks, and sodomized during torture sessions that detainees faced every three to four days. HRW interviewed 42 men who were among 300 transferred out after the Iraq Ministry of Human Rights gained access to the facility, which falls under the authority of the military office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The fact that many Sunnis were detained in the facility may reveal growing sectarian tensions within Iraq between the Maliki’s Shiite government and Sunni Muslims. Maliki denied the reports of a secret prison, claiming the facility was publicly known and that the reports of abuse are exaggerated.
Earlier this month, it was revealed in a Los Angeles Times report that hundreds of Sunni men were detained without warrant and subjected to torture in the Muthanna facility. More than 400 men were initially detained in October during sweeps of Nineveh province, an area in which al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) was active, and transferred to a Baghdad prison due to concerns over corruption in the provincial capitol of Mosul. Maliki created a special committee in June to investigate alleged abuse and torture in the country’s prisons. Comprised of eight members, the committee includes representatives from human rights and judicial government agencies and security ministries. The decision to create the panel came shortly after charges were brought against 43 Iraqi police officers for human rights abuses, warrantless arrests, and bribery allegations. The violations were discovered by an investigatory committee formed by Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani.
