The University of Florida—funded by DARPA—has found a film-thin material that will add inexpensive, lightweight night vision to everything, from gadgets to cameras to car windshields. The key was in the same technology that powers OLED displays. More »
WASHINGTON–White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel–whose ambition is to one day be Chicago mayor–will be in Chicago Tuesday to appear on a panel for the Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum, named for the late Chicago mayor who is the father of the current Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley.
Setting the record straight: Emanuel’s Chicago homecoming–taking place a week after his first public admission of interest in a mayoral bid–is a coincidence. Emanuel was booked for the panel months ago, I’m told by his spokesman–long before Emanuel said, on the record last week to Charlie Rose that one day he wanted to run City Hall.
Others at the forum:
Motorola co-CEO and CEO of Motorola Solutions Greg Brown
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. President and Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees Christopher Kennedy
Amman Mayor Omar Maani
Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
Washington Post Writer’s Group Columnist Neal Peirce
The Boeing Company Vice President of Global Corporate Citizenship Anne Eleanor Roosevelt
World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Katherine Sierra
Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas
PBS NewsHour Senior Correspondent Judy Woodruff
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or two, you probably already know what a DVR can do. And you very likely have seen and possibly even used a TiVo – a powerful and easy-to-use DVR. But have you ever considered making your own DVR – one that runs from your home computer? Many who read GeekTonic have done just that.
But countless others have either considered it too much work, too difficult, too expensive, too geeky or some other excuse. If you’re one of those who hasn’t tried transforming their computer into a DVR or one who has tried unsuccessfully, this primer is for you. And if you are already the proud owner of your very own HTPC, you’ll still learn from this series. This is the first of a article series with the goal of helping you understand the pros and cons of Home Theater PCs (HTPCs), how to build an HTPC, which software and hardware to use in your HTPC and the amazing things you can do with your HTPC.
A Home Theater PC or HTPC for short is a “appliance” that takes a computer, adds software all with video & music playback and usually video recording capabilities to make a device many call a “Media Center.” Think of it as a home theater super-set-to-box that combines everything media-related into your computer to power your TV and audio system. The HTPC can be controlled with a keyboard and/or mouse, but typically a remote control is added to give the user that “10-foot user interface” so you can control everything on your TV and audio system from the comfort of your couch. In it’s full-implementation, the HTPC acts as the DVR, DVD player, Blu-Ray player, Movie-on-demand, Online Video display, music jukebox, TV Guide, internet radio player, and home automation controller all in one device.
In more complex setups, one HTPC “server” can power multiple TVs throughout a home all with once point of recording & storage, but controlled from the remote control at each TV set.
I remember when I first began piecing together my first HTPC. My family and friends didn’t understand why. Those who haven’t witnessed a well implemented HTPC setup often ask these questions: Why would anyone put a computer in the living room? Why would you go to so much trouble to set that techno-monstrosity up and maintain it? Why do you need a computer to do what your $10 per month cable company DVR box can do?
I asked HTPC users this same question on twitter and one of the best answers was this from Jason:
I use an HTPC “to get what I want, where I want, when I want it. Lower recurring costs, media aggregator, commercial skip, whole home dvr”
The answers to those questions depend on the person asking of course. But here are a few of the many reasons you might consider an HTPC for your setup:
There are countless other reasons to build and use a home theater PC. Let me know in the comments if I missed any big ones.
Now that we’ve covered some of the reasons you might want to implement a HTPC for your home media setup, it’s a good time to discuss the other side of the coin. There are many challenges to building, setting up and maintaining your own HTPC including:
There are definitely more challenges – let me know if I missed any of the big ones.
You now know the main pros and cons of HTPCs. If you’re still curious and think you might want to get started with HTPCs stay tuned. Here’s a taste of what will be covered in the next few HTPC Basics articles on GeekTonic:
My goal here is to provide the framework to help those who decide they wish to power their media throughout the home with the HTPC. After completing this series, you should have the basics to set up and run your own HTPC and how to make it work perfectly for you.
Stay tuned to GeekTonic. This series will walk you through everything you need to consider and do to make the perfect HTPC for your home.
Dear Energy Professional, Dear Colleagues,
There were important issues related to thermal power plants, so on this Sunday morning, I would like to share with you here-in this blog page.
I worked all my professional life in thermal power plant construction, design, marketing, sales, project management, and in proper operation since my graduation as a mechanical engineer in year 1973.
Like myself and many other ME graduates in the energy sector, we received training in mechanical engineering for years, it should not be expected us to be against to thermal power plant operations for electricity generation and creation of more power for the society.
We construct power plants, make basic and detail designs, try to build properly, without damaging the nearby environment, operate smoothly and friendly with the environment. Our nation paid us to get trained for this purpose, allocated limited resources to educate us to work as engineers to contribute to our society, and we do our best for our nation to create more energy, more power, and better environmental conditions.
It is my sincere feeling that it is funny to be against thermal power plants, or meaningless, even it is an absurd situation. For those who do not understand the energy business, say hoteliers, environmentalists, or medical doctors, you still need electricity, since hoteliers will need for your hotel air conditioners, to run the filter circulation in your pool, if you are a doctor / or surgeon, you would need electricity for the operation table devices, for the lamps to illuminate, for the sterilization of the equipment, at least for the lamp, for heating, for your computer to work.
We must design better thermal power plants, with least harm to the environment, at the most appropriate place; make all the filters big enough to collect almost all outgoing dust and sulphur, NOx etc. in the works. Solar power plants do not operate at night, wind power plants do not operate if there is no wind. Solar and wind power plants do not work, without engaged in the equivalent capacity of thermal power plants which would be kept warm stand-by.
“The wind and the sun are enough for us” is a ridiculous expression, and it is pronounced by those who do not know the energy technology. Not only the solar and the wind, we need thermal, hydraulic, nuclear plants each with appropriate proportion, with the best available design, in environmentally least damaging, and with the local engineering staff to construct and operate.
A society can not develop without energy generation, without electricity production, and we can not raise the level of prosperity. It is necessary for our own household comfort and cultural activities, we can not watch opera, cinema, TV, nor access to PC without electricity, we can not drive on the freeway without traffic lights, we can not live in warm, properly illuminated and comfortable environment in our home at night.
Energy production is essential, it is mandatory to increase electricity generation for everyone. Everybody wants more electricity, but no one wants power plants in his/her backyard, even wind power plants since they create a lot of noise. How do we solve this dilemma?
It will be solved for sure. Investors will install the power plants in the proper place, with the best friendly design with the environment, give confidence to the nearby local people, with big filters to work properly, with appropriate deep sea discharge, and control air pollution, and they will not deceive people,
“I’ve written the EIA report, it is here in my office, if you wish to read and review, come over here” – is funny statement as advised by our local investors. You create an internet web page, you put your EIA reports there in pdf format, we all read, and write our objections if any.
From economically bankrupt country (Greece), a relatively small contracting firm (Metka) comes to Turkey, and investor RWE from Germany places the contract to construct a turn-key 770 MWe combined cycle power plant in Denizli province Honaz county Kaklık village, at an inappropriate location on the airport landing corridor.
Yet the same company gets another turn key contract in Samsun province Terme county Kozluk village, from an Austrian investor OMV to construct new 870 MWe capacity combined cycle power plan.
These are absurd cases. Risk assessment of the investors is not correct. It is not so easy to finalize these contracts without local reaction, without heavy headache, and loss.
Our companies have engineering capability to construct natural gas fired combined cycle power plants turnkey basis, complete with basic and detail engineering design, equipment sourcing, mechanical fabrication, site construction, start up, commissioning, and full operation. It is our natural right to defend our local employment rights at any legal platform, and protect our engineering jobs.
We have another absurd case in Amasra. There is only a simple, immature, somewhat funny EIA report. Some MPs say “Whatever’s necessary for Bartin will be done”. It is an incomprehensible expression for hiding behind. My former auto mechanic was saying the same when I asked more details of the car repair, and I quickly found another mechanic to explain me better.
In internet environment, a local group created a new web page named BartınPlatformu.org as emerged to voice the local reaction. We would like to congratulate them. Investor does not have a web site, but people of Amasra BARTIN have. It is very nice web page currently in initial stages but later in the day, we are sure it would be better. There are certain things getting incorrect, so we have to fix them in advance not to leave them to next future generations to solve.
For Yalova 100 MWe imported coal firing thermal power plant investment, both the investor and the local people have web pages. Investors are to convince the local highly educated retiree population that they will construct the power plant with least harm to the nearby environment; they should restore confidence not to repeat the old ignorant rouge practice of the past, install big filters in the best and non-stop operation to run, with proper deep sea discharge, all with maximized local engineering.
We are the engineers of this country, we are the people of this country to serve our society to upgrade the well being of our nation, not to match with foreign companies, we do not finish our job and escape, and we are here to serve all our lives.
In Gerze county YAYKIL village for 1200 MWe capacity imported coal firing thermal power plant investment project, the investment advisor said, “We shall construct the best thermal power plant, if we do not- then, if the State will make the necessary controls and the plant will be closed,” This is an incorrect expression. This statement is the inauspicious expression of academic isolation in the ivory tower.
The Public authority can not close a power plant, even it is deemed necessary, due to ever growing energy demand in the local market. The Authority issues a small fine and that pollutant plant goes on running with huge pollution to nearby environment, as it is the case in Afsin-Elbistan-A plant, in TunçBilek Plant, in Yatağan Plant.
The environment is an important issue not to be left alone to the respective ministry only. We are all responsible. Local civil societies, local NGOs as well as Chambers of Engineers, are all responsible for proper design, proper site selection, proper construction and operation of the thermal power plant, in regulatory, supervisory and corrective actions.
Afsin Elbistan-A unit is operated almost without proper dust collectors for many years. It is beyond the limits of comprehension. In order to describe the existing situation, one can not find the words to say. MENR, EMRA, Ministry of Environment, SPO, the Treasury were unable to stop that men-made disaster for many years. The latest WB credit of 280 million Euros with extraordinary repayment conditions were returned to the creditor since the authority could not make the proper tendering to WB norms. In Afsin-Elbistan B power plant, the ash dam is still missing, the ashes are kept in next to the plant in open area, when the wind blew the whole mess is all around. This investment is not completed for many years, it is a great mistake. People lost their faith to thermal power plants as well as to public initiatives to similar investments.
Rehabilitation plans of the old aging plants are still pending. The “OEM expert company award procedure” is unfair and very expensive. It is award without competition. If there is no competition in public tendering then corruption is unavoidable. The foreign OEM companies repeat their old mistakes over and over. The most of the thermal power plant rehab programs are almost 10 years old, and not completed yet, and the plants are almost idle. This work should be finalized quickly and properly, or privatized and to be given to new private owners to handle the rehabilitation job soon.
To be against the thermal power plants is a sort of advising people “not to make babies” in order to avoid “child diseases”. It is similarly absurd to suggest both cases.
Economic development of the society is directly related with more generation of energy and electricity. So that is not only the work of engineers, and cultural and social well being of our nation is work and responsibility of all citizens.
With my deepest respect
Haluk Direskeneli
Not a good omen for the future of Google’s Nexus One smartphone or Google’s big idea to sell phones directly to consumers: the company is now suggesting that people waiting for the phone to come to the Verizon Wireless network purchase HTC’s Droid Incredible instead, which it describes as a “powerful new Android phone and a cousin of the Nexus One that is similarly feature-packed.”
Both companies are trying to downplay the implications, with Google (NSDQ: GOOG) telling Bloomberg it made the decision because of the “amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem” and Verizon saying, “If they want to do business with us or sell the device, we’re open to that.”
But, because Verizon’s network is so large, many commenters believe Google may be losing its best hope at cutting into the iPhone’s dominance. Already, sales of the phone—which is being sold directly to consumers by Google—had lagged those of the iPhone and Droid during their first months on the market.
Google’s decision to direct consumers to a phone sold directly from Verizon Wireless vs. buying one directly from them without a subsidy also puts into question whether Google can be successful at selling phones for full price without the carriers help. While so-called unlocked phones have fared better in Europe, the model has not taken off in the U.S., where carriers have largely trained consumers to believe phones can be cheap, or heavily discounted.
When the phone launched in January, Google said it would be available at first with a two-year contract from T-Mobile, with similar options from Verizon in the U.S. and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) in Europe to follow. The Vodafone option is still on, with Google saying that Vodafone will start distributing the phone this Friday. Sprint (NYSE: S) said last month that a version of the Nexus One would be available for its network “soon” as well.
Related
With a 57-41 vote, Senate Republicans blocked debate over the White House-supported financial reform bill. The Democrats needed a 60-vote “supermajority” to avoid a Republican filibuster threat. Democrats plan to reintroduce the bill as early as tomorrow.
Senate Democrats believe that anger over financial scandals can turn the tide in their favor, while Republicans see opportunities to force changes to the bill. As put by The New York Times:
Republicans said they were intent on winning substantive changes to the bill and accused the Democrats of rushing the most far-reaching overhaul of the financial regulatory system since the Great Depression. Both sides say they expect the overhaul eventually will be approved.
Democrats charged that Republicans were leaving the country at risk of another financial calamity and siding with wealthy corporate interests. The chief executive of one such firm, Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street powerhouse accused of fraud by federal regulators, is to testify Tuesday before a Senate committee.
Sensing political momentum at a time of deep public anger at Wall Street, Democratic leaders said they would keep the regulatory bill on the floor — and delay the rest of their busy legislative agenda — to ratchet up the pressure on the Republicans.
Republicans argued that the bill leaves open the possibility of new multi-billion-dollar bailouts, and overregulates the financial sector. “We shouldn’t put in place a regulatory regime that overly reacts and, as a result, significantly dampens our capacity to have the most vibrant capital and credit markets in the world,” said Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Democrats, however, warned that the nation remains vulnerable to another financial collapse. “We are as vulnerable as we are today in the waning days of April 2010 as we were in the fall of 2008,” said Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. “Nothing has changed, except, of course, jobs have been lost, homes have gone into foreclosure, retirement incomes have evaporated, housing values have declined.”
Republican Senators Block Finance Reform Bill [NYTimes.com]
MIAMI- Will he or won’t he? Politicos across Florida, and the country are eagerly awaiting for Republican Senatorial candidate Gov. Charlie Crist to decide whether he will stay in the GOP primary, or jump into the Florida Senate race as an independent. Today, during a ground-breaking for a new highway project, built partially with Federal stimulus money, Crist said that he has yet to “make up his mind” on the crucial decision that could change the dynamics of the hotly-contested 2010 seat.
” I haven’t made that decision yet ” Crist bluntly told reporters today in Miami, when asked if voters wanted him to run as an independent. “I’m not sure, and there is only one way to find out, and that’s if we decide to do it.”
Crist said he is continuing to listen to Florida voters, as Friday’s deadline to officially file as a Republican, or enter the race without a party affiliation, nears.
“That is the most important thing I have tried to do, is listen to them, and I continue to do so. It is too important of a decision and I want to be thoughtful and deliberate about it,” Crist added.
Crist trails front-runner Marco Rubio by roughly 20 points in recent polls among GOP voters, but in a 3-way race, with Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek, and Crist as an independent candidate, the general election numbers show a statistical dead-heat.
In an interview today with Fox News, Rubio said he was not spending much time thinking about Crist’s upcoming decision.
” I can only tell you that I am running for the U. S. Senate because I feel that the other candidates in this race either support or aren’t doing enough against many of the key elements of the Obama agenda,” Rubio told FOX as he walked through Miami’s Little Havana Neighborhood, shaking hands, and drinking coffee with the locals at Versailles restaurant.” No matter how he runs or what label he has, that’s not going to change.”
” I am not overly concerned about what the governor does, ” Meek, the likely Democratic nominee in the general election, said during an interview this afternoon.” The governor’s decision, I think, is his own personal decision …. it has very little do with how we operate our campaign.”
Crist will most likely be the last of the three to officially file. All three candidates declared their candidacies last year, but the 2010 Senate candidates can only formally qualify as candidates with their respective political party or designation during the last two weeks of April.
Meek filed by petition earlier this month, and Rubio will make his official filing announcement tomorrow in his West Miami neighborhood, surrounded by family members that will include his ailing father who is suffering from cancer.
Foi divulgado na semana passada o novo vídeo da BMW Gran Coupè, até então vista somente em fotos, com flagrantes de paparazzi.
Ainda não foram revelados muitos detalhes sobre o modelo, mas a BMW já confirmou que o modelo só começará a ser comercializado a partir de 2012.
O Gran Coupè foi inspirado nos Série 7 e 5 GT, tanto na sua plataforma quanto no seu motor. Pois mesmo não sabendo quantos cavalos exatamente o modelo vai render, a marca já disse que vai usar um motor de seis a oito cilindros, ligado a um cambio automático de oito velocidades.
Antes mesmo de ser lançado, o modelo já tem um rival anunciado, o Audi A7, que também não deixa a desejar quando o assunto é potencia e conforto.
A marca deverá dar mais informações sobre o modelo durante os próximos meses, além disso a BMW deverá trabalhar em versões hibridas/elétricas, mas isso só depois do seu lançamento oficial.
Fonte: Auto Car
Lesson 6: We’re The Same!
What do I Really Know About My Shapes?
Shapes, Shapes, Everywhere!
Folding Shapes: Are the Sides the Same?
“The Greedy Triangle”
Geometric Shapes using Kid Pix software
Shape Sheet
Shapes found in an African Village
Most lessons provide ideas for evaluating student understanding. Additionally, the link offers a collection of Inspirational Teacher Stories submitted by educators and information about the online teaching resource, The HotChalk Learning Environment.
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/elementary_school/math/index.shtml
The five websites included to encourage student exploration and learning are:
· Weekly Reader Connections: Grade One, provided by Houghton Mifflin Math:
The above link is age-level appropriate and allows for further exploration of geometry to occur. Specific to geometry, there are 3 online activities and the titles are Shape Pictures, All Colors, Shapes, and Sizes, and Pick the Flowers. The first activity expands students’ awareness of shapes found in art or in our everyday lives. The second relates to identifying how the lollipops are the same based on shape, size, and color. The last activity asks students to identify the pattern that comes next in a given sequence.
· Harcourt Math Glossary, Grade One:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/glossary/math_advantage/glossary1.html
This link provides age-appropriate definitions or illustrations of mathematical terms. It is easy for students to navigate through and explore different terms. ·
A Math Dictionary for Kids by Jenny Eather:
The above link is a comprehensive list of mathematical terms. The provided definitions are wordy but well-described and great for guiding class discussions. Additionally, pictures are provided to enhance definitions.
· Math Curriculum Guide for On-line Games:
The above link is age appropriate and provides a wide range of games for students that enhance knowledge and skills in math. Games focus directly on geometry for first grade are Four Piece Tangram, Shape Sorter (similar to Concentration), Shape Inlay, Flip It Frenzy, Evan Almighty Arketris (similar to Tetris), and Space Station.
· Shape Concentration by NCTM Illuminations:
Shape Concentration enhances students’ creations of mental images by using spatial memory and visualization. The game is designed for 1 or 2 players. Students can play with a transparent or solid blind.
· Geometric Solids by NCTM Illuminations:
This on-line tool allows students to manipulate various solid shapes by size, color, position, and transparency. Additionally, the number of faces, edges, and vertices is explored. Identifying plane shapes through solid shapes is further connected.
The AP reports:
The United States extradited Manuel Noriega, the former Panamanian dictator, to France on Monday, clearing the way for him to face money laundering charges.Mr. Noriega, who had been in a federal prison in Miami, was put on an Air France flight to Paris, according to a Department of Justice official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the case.
Yves Leberquier, one of Mr. Noriega’s lawyers, confirmed that he was headed to France.
“When he arrives he will be presented to the prosecutor and notified of the arrest warrant, and he will confirm his opposition” to the warrant, Mr. Leberquier said.
After that, a Paris judge will determine whether Mr. Noriega should stay in custody pending further legal action. Mr. Leberquier said Mr. Noriega’s lawyers would press for the hearing to be open “so that the defense can be totally transparent.”
Earlier Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signed a so-called surrender warrant for Mr. Noriega, after a federal judge in Miami lifted a stay last month blocking the extradition, said a State Department spokesman, Mark Toner.
“Now that all judicial challenges to Noriega’s extradition have been resolved, the secretary of state issued a surrender warrant for his extradition to France,” Mr. Toner said.
Mr. Noriega was ousted as Panama’s leader and put on trial after an invasion by American military forces in 1989 drove him from power. He was convicted of drug racketeering and related charges in 1992. His sentence ended in 2007, but France requested his extradition shortly before his drug trafficking sentence in the United States was completed.
The French contend that Mr. Noriega laundered about $3 million in illicit drug proceeds by purchasing luxury apartments in Paris. He was convicted in absentia, but France agreed to grant him a new trial if he was extradited.
Federal judges and the United States Supreme Court declined to block his extradition, turning down his contention that the Geneva Conventions treaties on prisoners of war required that he be returned to Panama.
Mr. Noriega, believed to be in his 70s, was Panama’s longtime intelligence chief before he seized power in 1982. He had been considered a valued C.I.A. asset for many years, but once in power he joined forces with drug traffickers and was implicated in the death of a political opponent.
The mass exodus of employees at the troubled Call of Duty studio continues as three more staffers have reportedly left the studio.
The discussion about graphic PSAs tends to get muddled with evaluations about whether or not the manner in which the idea is conveyed is appropriate or not, losing sight of the idea itself. So let’s not do that! More »
The title of this article is a tad melodramatic, claiming “Big Brother doctors say patients don’t need to see their imaging test results,” but the conclusion from a study of a small sample set of radiologists and referring physicians is that these medical professionals are against empowering their patients with their own information.
This isn’t too surprising knowing that the entire healthcare system is wrought with ill-conceived ideas against efficient and ready access to patient health records.
Physicians with a "Big Brother" mindset apparently think people having imaging tests are incapable of dealing with the outcomes without suffering from so much anxiety they must be protected from seeing the results.
It’s not clear exactly that this attitude is akin to an Orwellian state, rather than simply an elitist mindset. Many "experts" feel that people outside of their field have no business reviewing their work (look at the commenters on Techdirt who claim others should not comment on music/patents/laws/newspapers if they aren’t a musician/inventor/lawyer/journalist).
The attitude of these physicians is just one reason of a whole host as to why the healthcare system is one of the last industries holding out against the IT revolution. The argument that patients will freak out being exposed to the core information that leads to diagnoses is ridiculous. If someone is going to be overly anxious, it isn’t because they have information; they’ll be anxious because they have symptoms and a diagnosis, but little-to-no information. They’ll be anxious because the medical industry is unwilling to have a two-way conversation with the patient themselves.
There are many examples of this elitism when it comes to sourcing and analysis of information. Why is it that experts fail to recognize that more points of view have a greater opportunity for catching errors and bringing different perspectives to the forefront? In addition, bringing the patients into the conversation gets them involved in their own health stories, leading to many long term benefits and ultimately lower healthcare costs. But maybe this is another one of the reasons the healthcare industry is unwilling to change?
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Windows Mobile has had some pretty cool apps these past the years, and this is one of them. This application is 
something I found while looking for new apps. The app is called Shoot Me. It is something you do when your bored. It is simply a game that gives you a gun, machine gun, whip, boxing glove, hair clippers, and more.
What do you do with all these things? Well nothing really. You move your hands back and forward and your device vibrates while makes some noises that might entertain you.
Now you can play ShootMe! even if you don’t have a mobile phone with all the fancy hardware like a g-sensor or a VGA touchscreen.
The main changes are:
Touchscreen support
No g-sensor/accelerometer mobile phones supported
QVGA (240×320) touchscreen resolution support
The application is a freeware, and you get almost all the weapons except some that is were not listed.
The iPhone prototype story that has stolen the headlines for the past week-or-so still won’t stop.
Now, Gizmodo reports that as of Friday night, California police entered the home of Gizmodo Editor Jason Chen and seized four computers and two servers, despite the publication’s lawyer warning that a raid would be not be legal in light of both state and federal laws that prevent law officials from confiscating property of a journalist. But whether police officials feel comfortable examining the evidence is unclear, reports TechCrunch, which said the investigation is on hold while the district attorney evaluates whether the Shield Law protects Chen’s possessions.
To be sure, the case is unusual. Gizmodo paid $5,000 for what may have been a stolen next-generation iPhone. The story captivated paidContent’s State of the Gadget Media event last week. During the panel discussion, Gizmodo’s publisher and head of Gawker Media Nick Denton said he did not regret a thing, while an editor from CNET said if given the opportunity, he wouldn’t pay for the phone “to incentivize criminality.” MacRumors also said it wouldn’t pay for the story, but would have run a story.
With not much precedent for a case, many are wondering if this will be the first major test to see if bloggers have the same protections as traditional journalists. Gizmodo is definitely positioning the case that way. Its lawyer wrote in a letter to the police: “Jason is a journalist who works full time for our company…He works from home, which is his de facto newsroom, and all equipment used by him there is used for the purposes of his employment with us.” The strategy is wise, however, as techdirt points out, the Shield law protects journalists from revealing their sources—not from journalists committing crimes. This might come down to whether the iPhone, which was reportedly left in a bar, is considered stolen property or not.
Filed under: Spy Photos, Budget, Hatchback, Hyundai
It’s still cloaked in camo, but the 2012 Hyundai Veloster is beginning to shed its winter skin before its big reveal early next year. Not only has it gone green in the process, but details on its passenger side dual doors and interior are coming into focus.
As we’ve noted before, the Veloster (or possibly Tiburon) appears to share two different door designs – a traditional opening on the driver’s side and a smaller passenger door possibly accompanied by another rear access opening.
Just as interesting as the dual doors, blistered fenders and the sloping hatch is the interior shot our spies managed to snag, showing a modern, triangular center stack with a five-inch LCD display and engine start button mounted low on the central panel. The three-spoke, small-diameter wheel has a sporting flavor to it, as do the deeply recessed gauges, and when the Veloster finally hits dealers late next year, expect Hyundai’s recently announced 140 horsepower, 1.6-liter inline four to be underhood, with a turbocharged variant mated to a dual-clutch gearbox available a few months down the road.
Gallery: Hyundai Veloster – Spy Shots
Spy Shots: 2012 Hyundai Veloster sneaks out, shows off interior originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Courtesy of John Mauldin’s mid-week Outside The Box newsletter, Eric Sprott touches on one of the lesser-discussed aspect of the Greece crisis, namely its effects on the country’s banks.
What’s interesting is that in the standard formulation — the one that’s gained currency thanks to Ken Rogoff — it’s sovereign debt crises that follow banking crisis (which is what we’re experiencing right now).
Sprott brings it full circle.
Here’s part of it:
One aspect of the Greek situation that has been obscured by all the recent political wrangling is the crisis’ impact on the Greek banks. Although the banks were supposed to be rock solid after all the government-injected capital they received (not to mention zero-percent interest rates and generous lending terms from the European Central Bank), data shows that Greek bank deposits have fallen 8.4 billion euros, or 3.6 percent, in two months since December 2009. With no restraints on capital flows within the European Union, Greek savers are free to transfer their assets elsewhere. Given that bank deposit guarantees in Greece are the responsibility of the national government rather than the European Central Bank, we suspect Greek citizens are pulling money out of their banks because they question their government’s ability to honour its domestic deposit guarantees. We envision Greek depositors asking themselves how a government that can’t raise enough money to stay solvent can then turn around and guarantee their bank deposits? It’s a fair question to ask.
The Greek bank stocks have been thoroughly punished throughout the crisis. Chart A plots an index consisting of the four largest Greek bank stocks and shows an average decline of 47% since November 2009. The deposit withdrawals from these banks have been so damaging to their respective balance sheets (remember bank leverage?) that the Greek banks have asked to borrow 17 billion euros left over from a 28 billion euro support program launched in 2008.3 You see the connection here? Greece experienced a financial crisis, followed by a sovereign crisis, followed by another financial crisis. There is no doubt that the Greek crisis has helped drive the gold spot price to its recent all time high in euros. Gold is a prudent asset to own in times of crisis, and it’s possible that a portion of the Greek deposit withdrawals were reinvested into the precious metal. The fact remains, however, that if the Greek government cannot stem the outflows of deposits soon, the EU will have no other choice but to undertake a real sovereign bailout with all its bells, whistles and arduous protocols.
Once again, the question is: Is Greece Europe’s Bear Stearns:
It’s a vicious spiral from financial crisis to sovereign debt crisis to banking crisis, and there is no reason it can’t spread to other European countries suffering from similar fiscal imbalances. With Spain and Portugal next in line with their own sovereign debt issues, we can expect depositors in these countries to make similar runs to the bank for their cash. “Guaranteed by Government” is truly beginning to lose its potency in this environment. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) seems to be preparing for such a scenario with its recent announcement of a tenfold increase in its emergency lending facility. The IMF’s New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) facility is designed to prevent the “impairment of the international monetary system or to deal with an exceptional situation that poses a threat to the stability of that system.” The NAB facility has grown from US$50 billion to US$550 billion with the mere stroke of a pen. Does the IMF know something that the market doesn’t?
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Hertz Global Holdings Inc., the car-company formerly held by Ford, has agreed to buy Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. for about $1.2 billion in cash and stock. The offer is worth $41 a share, a 5.5% premium from April 23.
The Park Ridge, N.J. company adds the names Dollar and Thrifty to its family, which already includes Hertz and Advantage. The move is part of a plan to help the company better compete in the rebounding travel market, spurred by the rebounding economy.
Hertz, which has raised its full-year earnings forecast for this year, will be expanding its global network to 9,800 outlets to increase international sales. In addition to an expansive network of outlets, the company will also be able to work with four-brands on the market, while streamlining back-office operations and practice the sharing of fleets between brands.
Dollar shareholders will receive $32.80 per share plus 0.6366 shares of Hertz for each share they hold. hertz expects to to report a pretax income this year of $290 million to $305 million with sales as high as $7.7 billion.
– By Stephen Calogera
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
27 April 2010
The Parliamentary Leader of Family First NSW, Rev the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes AC MLC, has announced that the State Council of Family First NSW conducted an executive search and then elected one of Australia’s leading Christian businessmen as the NSW Chairman of Family First.
“I believe Parliamentary leaders of political parties should never also hold the position of Executive Chair in key boards,” said Dr Moyes. “That always leads to a concentration of power and dictatorship amongst those who hold key leadership positions. Political parties should always be led by elected lay leaders, and politicians should see their role as being servants of the party.”
Consequently, Family First NSW conducted an executive search, and then conducted an election that resulted in former Commonwealth Bank Executive, and Chair of many Bank subsidiary Boards, Mr. Neville Cox, being elected.
“Neville has had many years experience as a senior executive in the banking and finance industry. He is currently a director of several companies in the banking, superannuation and technology industries as well as not-for-profit and church related organisations.”
“One of Neville’s several involvements is Regional Director for Australasia for Focus on the Family. There is good symmetry between the political party and Focus on the Family because both hold to identical values placing the paramount interest of Australian families”, commented Dr Moyes.
In addition to his directorships, he is passionate about developing leaders and mentors senior business executives and leaders in Christian ministry. As a committed Christian, Neville is involved in many local congregational activities with his schoolteacher wife, Marilyn. He also heads the committee behind the forthcoming Sydney Prayer Breakfast.
Dr Moyes concluded, “The sad history of many micro-political parties with only one parliamentary representative is that the parliamentarian is not accountable to a strong external figure and Board. This leads to a loss of transparency and accountability in the ongoing operation and viability of political parties”.
With members in both Federal and state parliaments, Family First is a macro-party, the fifth largest in the nation. It has a good chance in winning two Senate seats in the Federal election. Its formal recognition as a political party in NSW by the Australian Electoral Commission opens the way for it to be a force in the next State Election as well. END.