Category: News

We can find a better way

Arizona’s conservative leaders right now are, in effect, swinging their clubs like neolithic cavemen at anything that moves, even though they might knock the brains out of the members of their own community. [“Arizona’s unhelpful law invites racial profiling,” editorial, Opinion, April 27].

I am referring, of course, to the recent passage of SB-1070. This law compels any Arizona police officer to arrest anyone who looks “illegal.” The law also makes a provision to allow anyone —a flag-waving super patriot for sure —to sue a police department that does not try to apprehend the illegal border crossers. I think they will have to stop 50 in order to catch five real “culprits.”

But of course, Arizona’s leaders do not mind inconveniencing Arizona’s Mexican-American population. In their minds it will be all right to stop people, scrutinize them and then let them go. The right to be free of police abuse is no bother to these leaders.

That sure beats trying to find out what propels human beings —mostly Mexicans —to cross the U.S.-Mexican border without proper documentation. It sure makes it convenient to allege that most, if not all illegal crossers are drug traffickers. That most undocumented crossers are simply looking for work — the work that you and I do not want — is not important.

Couldn’t we do better than the neolithic club-swinging, racial profiling and stopping and interrogating brown-skinned people? Couldn’t we find a better way?

— Carlos Gil, UW professor emeritus, Seattle

Arizona governor wants to suppress Hispanic vote

There are other motives besides illegal border crossings in Arizona’s “desperate move.” In what had been a reliable Republican state, Democrat Janet Napolitano was twice elected governor in 2002 and 2006. The expanding Hispanic community in Arizona votes for Democrats.

When Napolitano was appointed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer advanced to the governor’s office. Her fear of losing an upcoming election is probably greater than her concerns about illegal immigrants.

In 2004, as secretary of state, Brewer blocked more than 100,000 voters, mostly Hispanic, from registering. Registering to vote if you are not a citizen is a crime, but no one has been prosecuted.

Federal prosecutor David Iglesias was sent by then-President George Bush and “brain” Karl Rove to investigate the illegal voters, but was unable to find one valid voter-fraud case. As a result, he was fired by the Bush administration. Seattle attorney John McKay suffered a similar fate when he failed to find fraud in the governor’s race between GOP Dino Rossi and Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Perhaps Brewer’s “goal is control of our borders …,” but history and evidence indicate that Hispanic-voter suppression is her primary objective.

— Bill Taylor, Renton

Filed under: Aftermarket, Budget, Sedan, Government/Legal, Honda

There’s a reason car thieves prefer run of the mill vehicles like the Honda Accord over flashier metal. With thousands of the things running the roads of every city in America, it’s nearly impossible for law enforcement to track down one car out of the masses. And that’s nearly exactly what the NYPD told Amanda Pogany three years ago when her 1996 Accord was stolen. Then something unexpected happened. During a recent raid on a chop shop, the police turned up Pogany’s car, though it had changed somewhat from the last time she saw it.

The individual who bought the stolen Honda from the thieves had completely worked it over. Not only did Pogany find a new engine under the hood and new wheels on each corner, the car had been converted from an automatic to a manual transmission. Police estimate the car is now worth quite a bit more than when it vanished back in 2007.

Sadly, the Accord’s rightful owner hasn’t taken it for a spin just yet. Ironically, Pogany doesn’t know how to drive stick, and she’s currently fighting through the mountains of red tape involved with getting a new VIN and re-titling the car. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: New York Daily News]

Teacher’s stolen Honda Accord returned with new engine, upgrades originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lack of oversight for service providers cause for concern

Editor, The Times:

Congressman Jay Inslee’s guest column to The Seattle Times, “Protect consumers by ensuring Internet freedom” [Opinion, April 24] exposes the challenges of no independent oversight of the Internet providers.

Along with these dangers is that Comcast is hoping to absorb NBC Universal, which would make it a gigantic media monster.

We have learned from the bank failures that lack of oversight brings the temptation of larger-than-life business enterprises to cheat. We cannot trust Wall Street to play honestly anymore. Greed is the bottom line. Meanwhile, taxpayers bail out the bank failures while those responsible are given multimillion-dollar salaries.

How stupid could we be?

If Comcast goes bust —and it will without the Federal Communications Commission to rein it in, we will be on the hook again. Do not underestimate the cable providers’ lobbyists. Hopefully, Congress will fashion a law that allows the FCC to hold Comcast and other communication providers responsible and accountable.

— Bill Wippel, Normandy Park

Get the government out of here

The guest column by Congressman Jay Inslee editorial is so typical of our left-leaning, liberal-progressive leadership.

Why do our leaders’ mindsets always arrive at only one solution? More and bigger government control is always better, and in this case, Inslee wants the Federal Communications Commission to now control the Internet. Inslee obviously believes the poor and ineffectual consumer needs government to again step in and exercise even greater control over our daily lives.

To Congressman Inslee and all others like him: I say quite emphatically, no thank you. I prefer a limited and smaller federal government than the one we have. I prefer to make and be responsible for my decisions in the online marketplace. Since the advent of the Net, “we” —the consumer, businesses and agencies of the local, state and federal government —have enjoyed much success and benefit from the Net and we have done it without the FCC’s involvement.

I certainly see no need for the FCC to become involved now. I do not need government controls in order to make my own decisions of choice with respect to the Net. In a competitive capitalist marketplace, there will always be effective choices for the consumer to make; unless of course, the government interferes by allowing oligopolies to occur.

In the Puget Sound, there is no lack of choice for service providers.

I do not see the threat that Inslee is so concerned about. Inslee’s recommendation for the FCC to control the Net is purely another example of government overreach in the name of “we must save the people.” What I need saving from right now is not the Internet providers; it is our overstepping government. I, and many others like me, plan to do something about that in November.

— Gary Whitsell, Woodinville

below, Schakowsky release….

REP. SCHAKOWSKY MAKES OPENING REMARKS AT FIRST MEETING OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FISCAL COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC (April 27, 2010) – Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) released the following statement today. As prepared for delivery, Schakowsky made the following remarks at the inaugural meeting of President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Schakowsky is one of 18 members appointed to the bipartisan commission.

“I am honored to be a member of President Obama’s Fiscal Commission and thank Speaker Pelosi for this opportunity to participate.

“We are all here today charged with a critical mission: “Identifying policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run.”

“We gather here today, not as accountants, actuaries, bean counters looking through green eye shades at columns of numbers, but as policy-makers who care deeply about the lives of the American people of today and tomorrow who are impacted by the economic policies of our country. As the President said last week, “…some on Wall Street forgot that behind every dollar traded or leveraged there’s a family looking to buy a house, or pay for an education, open a business, save for retirement. What happens on Wall Street has real consequences across the country, across our economy.”

“The exact same can be said about the task in which we are engaged. Balancing the budget and reducing the debt are not ends in and of themselves. The welfare of the American people must be the goal of our fiscal policy. Everything we do here must be measured in terms of the impact on the well-being of our people, the opportunities we provide to our children and the values of our democratic society.

“Much will be said about what we can and cannot afford. These questions must be considered in the broadest possible context. For example, I believe that we can’t afford to skimp on educating our children, assuring access to quality, affordable health care and retirement security, achieving energy independence, investing in our infrastructure, supporting medical research, and creating more jobs. Bottom line, while we are committed to freeing our children and grandchildren from crippling debt, we must be just a committed to assuring that they are not ignorant, sick and unemployed.

“There also are many items and practices we can’t afford to continue that I intend to put on the table. We can’t afford to continue paying for armies of insurance company bureaucrats who do nothing but deny claims while CEOs take multimillion dollar salaries and bonuses. We can’t afford costly procurement and contracting policies that result in fraud and abuse. We can’t afford tax loopholes that incentivize moving American jobs overseas. We can’t afford to pay for outdated and ineffective cold war weapons systems. We can’t afford to deploy 200,000 American service men and women plus as many contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan indefinitely. We can’t afford to let Wall Street run amok. Frankly I’ve heard enough sanctimonious statements by the most entitled about entitlement programs, Wall Street bankers who pay themselves tens of millions in bonuses while lecturing retirees who bring home an average of $18,000 per year about tightening their belts.

“We must acknowledge that the current deficit is not solely the result of spending and tax policy. A substantial cause of the current deficit was the recklessness of big Wall Street banks that cost 8 million Americans their jobs and failure of regulatory policies that were needed to prevent our financial sector from spinning out of control. A recession like the current one is no time to make the same mistakes that led to a double-dip downturn in the 1930’s. A short-term reduction of the deficit is the worst thing we could do for the economy. We need government spending to create the jobs that drive continued economic growth.

“I am absolutely convinced that our mission is not impossible. We’ve done it before, just over a decade ago. We ushered in an era of fiscal responsibility during the Clinton Administration, creating over 20 million jobs, producing budget surpluses and rapidly declining debt, and we can do it again. We’ve already begun to see signs of progress. Americans should be confident that we have it within our power to fully restore the economy and the soundness of the federal budget while keeping our commitment to both our grandparents and our grandchildren.

“Americans should feel confident that this great country can continue the American tradition of each generation looking forward to an even better life than the one that came before it. It is up to us to show the way.”

— ## —

Matt Damon and his wife Luciana are expecting their fourth child later this year.

The Oscar winner, 39, and Luciana, 34, already have two girls Gia Zavala, 19 months, and Isabella, 3. Luciana has a daughter, Alexia, 11, from a previous marriage.

“Everyone is excited,” Damon’s rep says.

Respectful reminder for riders

The story of Velda Mapelli’s death by bike collision was saddening, especially because it did not have to happen. [“Woman, 83, was vital, an athlete,” NWFriday, April 23.]

I have seen the potential for this kind of accident many times as I have walked, biked and run on the Burke-Gilman Trail and around Green Lake.

I feel lucky I have not been hit when passed by bikers individually or in groups of two or more. If I am lucky, I would hear an “on your left” from a biker, alerting me of an intention to pass and giving me enough time to move. But I know at times that I am less than 6 inches away from collision with more than 180 pounds of biker and bike moving 25 miles an hour (or more) straight into me.

This is especially the case if I get distracted and move to my left without seeing or hearing who may be coming from behind. Distraction could easily happen with the noise from nearby traffic next to the trail, listening to my iPod, being in a runner’s reverie or being in a foggy exhaustion during a long-distance run.

There is also the silence of road bikes with small tires. They move relatively silently until they are upon me, suddenly zooming passed. Each time is a shocking and frustrating experience.

Not all bikers are in such a hurry. The most polite bikers are usually a husband and wife with kids in tow, who move relatively slowly past me, saying “on your left.” They give me time to adjust and I usually wave my hand and at times to say thanks.

I know bikers just want to enjoy themselves, get a good workout or get to where they need to as fast as they can. They do not mean any harm, but at times, I think some bikers are absolutely clueless to the potential for an accident or injuries, much less death.

Bikers need to be educated about the potential dangers and damages they could be liable for. Perhaps their bikes need to be licensed —so one can write down a number for a report —or there needs to be increased penalties or fines. Perhaps walkers and runners need to be reminded about their movements across a busy multiuse trail with bikers moving by swiftly.

In the end it gets down to walkers, runners and bikers being more thoughtful and courteous in sharing the road.

— Ron Greeley, Seattle

Surprised accidents hadn’t happened sooner

I would like to thank Janalee Roy [“Keep a watchful eye,” Northwest Voices, April 23] for writing in about the fatal accident which occurred on April 20 on the Cedar River Bike Trail. To be very honest, I am surprised that it hadn’t happened sooner.

My husband and I own a condo right across the street from the trail and I have walked it going on my sixth year almost every day with my dog or with a friend who walks the trail twice a day. The bicyclists who frequent that path have absolutely no regard for the walkers. If you are walking and they are in front of you, it is typically OK. But if they come up from behind, watch out.

They would get as close as they could to you and then at the last minute, they cut around you. Never a “on your left, biker coming” — not a word. Then they have the nerve to shake their heads at you for being on their side, which is untrue.

It is very dangerous and I wish the police would just come once and observe their behavior. We all need to respect each other on the path; I just do not think the bikers do. The question is not if an accident like this will happen again, it is when.

— Cindy Kraayeveld, Renton

The PS3 already has a foothold in motion gaming there’s the PlayStation Eye, and let’s not forget that the PS3 controllers already come with some form of motion control. Sony is stepping it up further with

Join us October 15 & 16, 2010 for the 25th Annual IEA-ESP Conference at the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Brook, IL.  Download the brochure below.

Friday Evening:

• Registration will be held from 3:00-7:00 p.m. with a Dinner Buffet available from 5:15-7:45 p.m.
• The sessions will end on Friday evening at 9:00 p.m. In addition, the IEA will be providing a D.J. from
• 9:00-Midnight for those of you who want to kick up your heels.

Saturday:

• Registration will be available starting at 7:00 a.m.
• There will be a FULL BREAKFAST BUFFET from 6:30-7:45 a.m.
• The Program this year will be during breakfast and sessions will start at 9:10 a.m.
• There will be NO LUNCH PROGRAM. The Conference will end at 3:20 P.M.

Registration Fee:

There will be a registration fee of $50 per local registering. You may send as many members as you wish for this $50 fee.

Brochure:

ESP Fall 2010 Conference Brochure

For the first time since December 2006, both the Case-Shiller 10-city housing index, and the 20-city housing index, show year-over year growth.  That’s good news . . . but don’t pull out the Veuve Cliquot just yet.  There’s a lot of variation in those numbers.  More than half the cities in the 20-city index still show year-over-year declines; it’s just that a bunch of the other cities showed big bounces, particularly in California. 

Of course, California was one of the bubbliest states, so that’s great news . . . but Las Vegas was still free-fallin’ for most of 2009.  Overall, aside from the “dead cat bounce” in California, and my own city with its government expansion in full flower, the downside news is worse than the upside.

And there’s still the big open question of what happens as the government withdraws its support from the housing market.  The expiration of the tax cut has triggered something of a frenzy in DC–we made an offer on a house at above the ask, only to be beaten by a still-higher all-cash offer.  When that abates, along with the seasonal spring boost, the cities that have improved may look more sluggish, and the cities that were still falling may find it harder to turn things around. 

A little further down the road, eventually the government is going to have to stop using the FHA as the backstop for bad idea house purchases.  We easily qualified for a conservative conventional mortgage, but there’s a lot of ultra-low downpayment stuff still out there, and I was shocked at the amount that my allegedly stodgy credit union was allegedly willing to lend me–extremely unhealthy multiples of my income, even with a good downpayment.  The fear is that the housing market can’t recover without the government continuing to heavily subsidize a whole lot of low-downpayment loans; there’s too little home equity out there, and even less in the way of savings.

So take all these figures with a grain of salt.  But even well-salted, it’s better than a continued decline.

The  plutonium-grade 5-series, the M5, goes on sale next spring. Unlike the current car, the fifth-generation M5 will have a downsized, turbocharged V-8 that is shared with the X5 M and X6 M. But the move from a 5.0-liter V-10 to a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V-8 results in a power increase from 500 horsepower to more than 555 (some sources place the number closer to 600). Torque will jump from today’s 383 pound-feet to a more shovetastic 500.

Keep Reading: 2011 BMW M5 – Feature

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Square Enix has a lot to be happy about. Their Cavia-developed action-RPG, Nier, has been selling like hotcakes in Japan, especially the PS3-exclusive version.

What it is: Chevy’s restyled B-segment car, which will slot into the lineup between the upcoming Spark and Cruze. The concept shown in Detroit featured an aggressive fascia, 19-inch wheels and tires, various aerodynamic add-ons, and a modified interior that would likely be featured on an RS version of the Aveo, should Chevy build it.

Keep Reading: 2011 Chevrolet Aveo RS – Feature

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Great table here from the folks at Bespoke showing how various sectors of the market have fared since 2007.

What’s really impressive is the consumer discretionary — in third place, 12.5% below all time highs — but way better than what folks might have expected as recently as a few months ago, when talk of the “new frugality” was still all the rage.

See all the charts at Bespoke >

Join the conversation about this story »

BMW and Audi, the two German premium brands have their daggers drawn at each other and no one is in the mood to spare the other. The already popular ad campaign war between the two has now headed to Hong Kong where BMW is a tiny bit ahead after buying a huge ad space — where they display the new BMW 5-series — directly above the Audi showroom in Hong Kong.

And from what we can tell, this board effectively displaces the Audi dealership from viewing. Those following this battle closely will remember the two premium German brands competing with billboard adverts in the US, too, in California. Considering the ongoing battle, this sure is an impressive move by BMW while Audi needs to figure out the source that gave BMW the ad space. We wonder what will be their next step.

What it is: A droptop version of Chevy’s reborn pony car.

Keep Reading: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible – Feature

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The Chevrolet Volt: Around Town and Beyond

The First Pre-Production Chevrolet Volt Built at Detroit-Hamtramck Drives Off the Assembly Line

Pre-production Chevrolet Volts are being built at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to test the assembly process.

Watch as the very first Volt build at Detroit-Hamtramck rolls off the line, driven by plant manager Teri Quigley.

What it is: The inevitable roadster version of Ferrari’s mid-engine 458 Italia.

Keep Reading: 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia Spider – Feature

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The Commission’s Green Paper on the future development of the Trans-European Transport Network, published in February 2009, launched a review of the TEN-T policy.  Based on the work of six expert groups dealing with specific issues of TEN-T planning and implementation, the Commission elaborated a proposal for a new methodology for TEN-T planning. Working Group 3 on Intelligent Transport Systems and New Technologies suggested that alternative fuelling solutions (including related networks) by providing parallel options in order to maximise decarbonisation (CNG (compresse d natural gas), LNG (liquefied natural gas), LPG, hydrogen, fast charge, battery exchange stations etc.) should be included in TEN-T road projects as a condition for eligibility.
 The Commission Working Document “Consultation on the future trans-European transport network policy”, which includes as main elements a  planning methodology and some ideas on how to enhance the effectiveness of instruments for TEN-T implementation, invites stakeholders to express their views and constitutes the second important milestone of the TEN-T policy review process.  All Member States; regional and local authorities; infrastructure managing companies in the different transport sectors; transport service providers / operators in the different transport sectors; research institutes; financial institutions; non-governmental organisations; business associations; as well as citizens are welcome to contribute to this consultation. The consultation closes on September 15 for more information consult the TEN T website.

Audi Perfection – The unique Audi quality

Audi: For more than a century, perfection down to the last detail is a standard for us.

A handful of fun things that shouldn’t pass unremarked:

• Natalie Wolchover, an aspiring science writer, has started a fun blog called Facto Diem. For those of you who didn’t attend Catholic school, that’s Latin for “Fact of the Day.” (Or a close enough facsimile.) I didn’t even know there were that many facts in the world!
• In the more venerable sections of the blogosphere, Chad Orzel is running a poll concerning the most amazing application of lasers. Considering that “death ray” is not among the options, it’s a pretty good list.
• We should also link to Scientia Pro Publica #27, over at Melliferax. (Clearly Latin is the lingua franca of the science blogosphere.) Most of the posts involve living things in some way or another, but they should nevertheless be of interest to those of us with more inorganic inclinations.