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We put this Super Duty to work—which is exactly where it belongs.

In all the excitement about Ford’s new Power Stroke turbo-diesel V-8—and excitement is not too strong a word—its gasoline-burning stablemate has received a bit less fanfare, even though it’s equally new and equally welcome in the company’s big-job pickup range. Now, after being thoroughly impressed by the performance and thrift of the Power Stroke during a product preview in Arizona, we spent some quality time here in the Midwest with the new 6.2-liter V-8 in an F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab 4×4. And by “quality time,” we mean to say we put the thing to work.

Keep Reading: 2011 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat 6.2 – Short Take Road Test

Related posts:

1. 2011 Ford F-250 / F-350 / F-450 Super Duty – First Drive Review
2. 2011 Ford Super Duty DeWalt Contractor Concept – Auto Shows
3. 2011 Ford F-series Super Duty – Car News

BREAKING: BP gets government go-ahead to proceed with Operation Top Kill.

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Dramatic, Forceful and Luxurious
Arv Voss, Canadian Auto Press

Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury division, first revealed its all-new QX full-size SUV at New York’s prestigious 2010 International Auto Show. It represents the second-generation for the QX, which was designed to provide what Infiniti refers to as “a genuine five-star travel experience.”

2011 Infiniti QX

This latest iteration QX delivers 25 percent more horsepower, while at the same time improving the fuel economy by more than 10 percent – and it does so, amazingly, with no price increase over the 2010 QX models.

The new QX displays a dramatic and dynamic presence, with styling cues that relate strongly to, and identify with the rest of the Infiniti vehicle lineup’s DNA. To be sure, it is no longer simply a dressed up Nissan Armada, but rather a sophisticated and superbly luxurious full-size SUV that delivers state-of-the-art technologies and features, ensuring the ultimate in heightened levels of luxury travel. It offers more than Business Class accommodations, it is truly First Class, fully capable of transporting up to eight passengers and their gear in comfort. The QX is the way that Infiniti defines “immersive luxury,” with standards that provoke elevated emotion.

The bold presence of the QX begins up front with its prominent double-arch grille, flanked by low positioned, swept-back headlamps and a domed, wave-like hood. The profile is unique, with the blacked out B and C pillars combining with the reverse “kink” bright window surround emphasizing the generous greenhouse area. The rear view finishes with Infiniti’s dynamic back glass, LED taillights, double-arch license plate housing and concealed tow hitch. Decorative side vents appear between the hood line and fender arch, just ahead of the front door’s leading edge. The driver’s side vent is functional, providing engine air intake. Other functional design elements include the front and rear spoilers that enable zero lift, aiding in improved handling stability and the specially shaped exterior mirrors that reduce wind noise. The built-in running boards and low roof rails, along with the standard 20-inch wheels and tires or optional 22-inch rolling stock that substantially fills the wheel wells all add to the athleticism of the QX.

The inspired performance of the 2011 Infiniti QX is provided courtesy of a new 5.6-litre, DOHC, 32-valve V8 engine with direct injection technology that is shared with the new Infiniti M series, but tuned specifically for the QX. As already stated, the new engine produces 25 percent more power (up 80-horsepower) for 400 horsepower at 5,800 rpm, along with 413 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm (up 20 pound-feet). Despite the increase in horsepower and torque, fuel economy is 14 percent better, with city driving yielding the EPA equivalent of 16.8 L/100km, while highway travel registers 11.7 L/100km.

The new engine couples to a new 7-speed automatic transmission with driver Adaptive Shift Control, manual shift mode and Downshift Rev matching. The 4WD system is Infiniti’s All-Mode 4WD, which in its automatic mode is rear-drive biased and continually adjusts power between front and rear wheels, delivering up to 100 percent in the rear and a maximum of 50 percent motive force up front. Position “4 High” locks the center differential at 50:50 and is operational up to 60 mph; while “4 Low” locks the center diff in low range.

Hill Start Assist prevents roll back on an incline for up to 2.5 seconds, while Snow Mode modulates the throttle for smooth starts under slippery conditions, Tow Mode automatically tailors gear changes to maximize engine torque when towing. A Tire Pressure inflation indicator activates the horn and flashes hazard signals when correct tire inflation has been reached. The available Hydraulic Body Motion Control System further reduces body lean during turning or cornering, and helps to minimize vehicle bouncing on rough road surfaces.

More inspired technology includes the Around View Monitor with a 360-degree view around the QX, making parking and towing exercises easier; Lane Departure Warning and Lane Departure Prevention systems; Intelligent Brake Assist with Forward Collision Warning; Intelligent Cruise Control with added Full-Speed Range; Distance Control Assist; and Blind Spot Warning System.

Infiniti’s Hard Drive Navigation System includes an 8-inch colour touch-screen display, XM NavTraffic and NavWeather, Zagat Survey restaurant guide.

Available options include a Theater Package with dual 7-inch colour monitors mounted in the first row seat backs with wireless headphones and 120V power outlet; a Split Bench Seat Package for the second row with 60/40 split folding; a Deluxe Touring Package with 22-inch, 9-spoke forged aluminum-alloy wheels; Hydraulic Body Motion Control System; Semi-aniline leather seats; climate-controlled front seats and heated second row outboard seats; heated second row seats; Advanced Climate Control System and 4WD headlight washers; Technology Package with Intelligent Cruise Control; Lane Departure Warning and Prevention; Distance Control Assist; Intelligent Brake Assist; Blind Spot Warning; Front Pre-Crash seatbelts and Adaptive Front Lighting System.

My test 2011 Infiniti QX was a 2WD model, and was loaded with virtually all of the available options. My pre-production tester sported an exterior finished in Platinum Graphite metallic with the interior executed in Wheat leather featuring polished wood trim accents on the steering wheel, centre console and doors.

The 2011 Infiniti QX possesses a distinctively elegant look – especially for a vehicle of its mass. The lines are fluid and flow smoothly. Yes, it’s big and yes, it’s an SUV, which are disdained by many, but it serves a definitive purpose – to transport as many as eight occupants from point “A” to point “B” in sumptuous luxury and security.

The interior is not unlike that of an executive jet. The acceleration isn’t as rapid as a personal jet, but it certainly more than fills the bill, with sedan-like handling and stability. The QX stays flat under spirited maneuvering conditions on challenging roadways. The Premium Bose Sound System fills the cabin with superlative audio for those who are not appreciative of the pleasurable mechanical sounds served up by the vehicle itself.

The list of standard features and equipment seems never ending, and when one throws in the full complement of available bells and whistles, the content of this second generation QX borders on unbelievable. At the rate that Infiniti is progressing, it may not be long before the art of driving could all but disappear. On the plus side, much of the QX’s technology may be switched off to enhance and restore the sheer pleasure of driving.

In the final analysis, even for those who are not fans of full size SUVs, the QX makes a sound case for the existence of such a vehicle and for those who wish to travel in opulence.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Russia and the United States to accept a nuclear fuel swap deal. Mr. Ahmadinejad stated that the swap would be a “historic opportunity” for President Barack Obama. He said that President Barack Obama “should bear in mind that if he does not use this opportunity, Iranians unlikely to give him a new chance. There are people in the world and in America who insist on pitting Mr. Obama against Iranians and push him to the point of no return and force him to do something which will forever block the path of friendship with Iranians.” Iran is already under three sets of UN sanctions for its refusal to stop the uranium enrichment process, where other countries see the program as a way to cover a drive for nuclear weapon. Iran denies any of the allegations and insists that the program is only for power generation and medical purposes. Ahmadinejad had gone out at Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Moscow’s position on the nuclear issue. He had accused their long time trade partner of “siding with those who have not been our enemy for 30 years.” He added, “We hope Russian officials will pay attention, make amends and not let Iranians put them in the line of their historic enemies.”

Iran had submitted a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with a plan to send 1200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium to Turkey so that it would be made into a higher –grade fuel and will be used for medical research reactor in Tehran. The IAEA has not yet commented on the deal; however specialists said that the accord has a key technical flaw as it fails to allocate enough time to make the fuel. Iran awaits a 20 percent enriched uranium reactor fuel within a year of depositing its low-enriched uranium in Turkey.

Related posts:

1. Iran Still Awaits Sanctions after agreeing to the Nuclear Fuel Deal
2. Iran Nuclear Deal Is Given 24 Hours
3. Russians Say The Nuclear Reactor They Are Building In Iran Is Nearly Ready

Atlanta of late is awash in a whole lot of hotel restaurants that don’t want to be thought of as hotel restaurants. They want to be restaurant restaurants.

Brand name concepts (BLT Steak, Craft) and separate street entrances with distinctive architecture  (Pacci, Market) try to indicate that these restaurants exist for Atlantans as well as hotel guests.

The St. Regis in Buckhead draws a good happy hour crowd to its bar — particularly on warm days when the crowd can spill onto the patio. But its grand dining room, Paces 88, hasn’t struck too resonant a chord yet. Recently the restaurant unveiled a more casual menu, with more plates to share, sandwiches and other friendly, accessible items.

I stopped by for lunch with a couple of friends the other day to check it out. We were the only people in the restaurant. The service staff actually outnumbered us, but they didn’t hover at all. In fact, the service was really excellent.

Here’s what we got:

My friend ordered these mussels in …

Penn State’s Solar Decathlon home, Natural Fusion, will become adopted by Bayer Material Science as its demonstration center for sustainable technologies.  …

…   “In its new capacity, this solar-powered, zero-emission building will serve as an energy modeling site, educational center and showcase for Bayer MaterialScience‘s EcoCommercial Building materials solutions.”   …

Via Penn State: Solar-powered home (Link).

Sergei Supinsky/Getty

People attending the unveiling of a new Joseph Stalin monument, Zaporizhia, Ukraine, May 5, 2010

Three and a half months after a Ukrainian court convicted Stalin of genocide against the Ukrainian nation during the famine of 1932–1933, a new monument in honor of the Soviet dictator has been erected in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia. Separating the two events was this year’s Ukrainian presidential election, in which Viktor Yushchenko, who had pursued a radically anti-Stalinist memory policy, was defeated and replaced by Viktor Yanukovych, who promised to avoid extremes and unite the nation. Though Yanukovych would prefer to steer clear of such ostentatious nostalgia for Stalin, he is responsible for a remarkable change in mood.

In his final months in office, Yuschchenko favored an ill-considered “trial” against Stalin and other long-dead defendants as a way to define the history of Ukraine’s past within the Soviet Union; Yanukovych, by contrast, has overseen the formation of a new coalition government that includes the Communist Party of Ukraine. Rather than simply letting his predecessor’s strident anti-communism fade into the past, the new president has pronounced on Ukrainian history in a contrary spirit. Thus, Yanokovych told the Council of Europe in late April that the deliberate starvation of the three million inhabitants of Soviet Ukraine by the Stalinist regime was not genocide, but rather a “common tragedy for all people who lived in the former Soviet Union.” His bland formulation blurs important truths.

While it is true that Stalin’s policy of collectivization—the state seizure of farmland and the coercive employment of peasants—brought enormous suffering throughout the USSR in the early 1930s, it is also true that Stalin made deliberate decisions about grain requisitions and livestock seizures that brought death to three million people in Ukraine who did not have to die. Some of the very worst of the killing took place in southeastern Ukraine, where Stalin is now being celebrated and where Yanukovych has his political base. The famine destroyed that region’s rural society by killing many, cowing more, and permitting the immigration of people from beyond Ukraine—chiefly Russians, some of whom inherited the homes of the starved. The cult of Stalin is thus no empty symbol in Ukraine; it is a mark of active identification with a person who owed his mastery of Ukraine to a campaign of death.

Against this background, the new Stalin monument in Zaporizhia has disturbing implications. Yanukovych himself would have preferred the city to have held a local referendum before erecting the monument, as has been the custom with public monuments in other Ukrainian cities. But the district committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine in Zaporizhia proudly declared on its Web site that the action was entirely legal. However that may be, the monument stands.

Communism is remembered for its killing, but communists ruled and repressed by subtler methods most of the time. In Yanukovych’s Ukraine, other signs of the Stalinist past, less prominent but perhaps more frightening, are beginning to resurface. As students organize protests of Yanukovych’s policies in western and central Ukraine, the Ukrainian secret service has returned to the discredited approaches of its institutional predecessor, the Ukrainian branch of the old Soviet KGB. Its officers now approach the rectors of universities and ask them sign statements that amount to promises of loyalty.

The premise is subtle but effective: the rectors take cognizance of the fact that students might be arrested and imprisoned. Then, when students are arrested and imprisoned, the secret service shows the students the letter, thus breaking their trust in the university system. The secret service keeps the letter, which also serves as an instrument of blackmail for university officials who later might think of refusing their cooperation. What seems at first like an anodyne acceptance of police authority quickly becomes a tool to force cooperation. These statements were the institutional basis for the effective collaboration of millions of people with the old communist regime. They had disappeared from independent Ukraine; now they return.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian secret services seem to have accepted a rather surprising concession: their colleagues in Russia’s FSB now have the open right, confirmed be an agreement between the two agencies on May 19, to act on Ukrainian sovereign territory. Late last year Ukraine was expelling Russian secret service officers; now it is inviting them back. In the Russian and the Ukrainian press, analysts speculate that the Russian officers will recruit from retired staffers and sailors of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The change coincides with debates in the Russian parliament about the “strategic” use of ethnic Russians beyond Russia’s borders. The Crimean Peninsula, where the Russian fleet docks, is the only part of Ukraine with an ethnic Russian majority.

According to the treaty signed in April between Ukraine and the Russia, the Russian naval force will have the right to base at the Ukrainian port at Sevastopol until 2047. This makes NATO and EU membership very unlikely for Ukraine for the foreseeable future. Thus Yanukovych takes a political argument away from his political opponents, who say that they are the ones who can lead Ukraine into western institutions. If Russian military forces are to be stationed in Ukraine for the political lifetime of anyone now active in politics, which is what the thirty-year extension amounts to (Russian already had basing rights until 2017), it is hard to see how the conversation about joining NATO and the EU will even be possible in Kiev.

All of this represents a step backward for Ukraine, but the biggest loser—ironically—is probably Russia. Moscow will pay for basing rights in Crimea by subsidizing natural gas in Ukraine, a gain for the Ukrainian but a loss for the Russian budget. Moscow gets little of significance in return but the certainty of decades of headaches. The Black Sea Fleet is an important political presence in southern Ukraine, and that is precisely the problem for Russia. The very last thing Russia needs is to be drawn into imperial competition for Ukraine. Russian statebuilding (whether democratic or not) depends precisely on the ability of Russian politicians to attend to the obvious problems within their own country, rather than creating permanent distractions for themselves and their successors abroad.

Russian civil society is also threatened by endorsement of Stalin from beyond Russia’s borders. The plane crash that killed Poland’s president and ninety-five other Poles in April provoked a Russian conversation not only about the shootings of Poles at Katyn, which Polish dignitaries were coming to commemorate, but about Stalinist killing in general. Both Putin and Medvedev have encouraged not only political commemoration of the tragedy of Katyn, but also these broader discussions. At just such a moment, it is to be rued that viewers of Russian television watch a monument to Stalin erected in Ukraine, a land that suffered under Stalin even more than Russia itself.

Pelo que parece a Volkswagen se esqueceu do Brasil na hora de entregar novas unidades da Parati no mercado. Segundo uma matéria do Jornal do Carro, foram pesquisadas 20 concessionárias da VW no estado de São Paulo e a Parati só foi encontrada em duas lojas, e não entregam novas unidades da Parati há muitos meses.

A marca está morrendo, e ainda assim a linha 2011 da Parati foi feita pela VW. Um dos motivos pela falta de interesse na Parati era o valor do seguro ser alto demais, cerca de R$ 8 mil para perfis conservadores, por ser considerado um carro de alto risco.

A Volkswagen não parece estar muito interessada em dar continuidade à Parati nos próximos anos. O SpaceFox também é um outro veículo que não existe muito nas lojas da cidade. Será que a Parati terá uma nova geração, mesmo com o desinteresse quase total do público?

Via | Blogauto

[JURIST] Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini [official profile] announced Tuesday that Italy will take two more detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility [JURIST news archive]. The announcement came during a meeting the US officials from the National Security Council, including National Security Adviser James Jones. Italy’s Interior Ministry [official website, in Italian] will review profiles of potential transferees before an agreement is made with US authorities on which detainees Italy will take. Italy hinted at the possibility that the selected detainees may be brought to Italy as cleared captives [Miami Herald report] rather than face trial or additional jail time. Last year, Italy accepted three Tunisian detainees [JURIST report] from Guantanamo to stand trial for terrorism charges.

The Obama administration continues its push to close the Guantanamo Bay facility, despite missing its self-imposed one-year deadline [JURIST report] in January. The administration has run into several hurdles in closing the prison, including opposition from members of Congress and the suspension of detainee transfers to Yemen [JURIST report]. Last week, the US House Armed Services Committee [official website] approved a bill [JURIST report] prohibiting the Obama administration from modifying or building a facility in the US to hold detainees currently held at Guantanamo. The bill requires [summary, PDF] that any plan to construct or modify US facilities to accommodate Guantanamo transfers be “accompanied by a thorough and comprehensive plan that outlines the merits, costs, and risks associated with utilizing such a facility.” As the Obama administration has not presented such a plan to Congress, the bill prohibits the use of any funds for the purpose of preparing a US facility for Guantanamo transfers. The number of detainees at Guantanamo has significantly been reduced as the administration continues to transfer detainees to a growing list of countries including Bulgaria, Spain, Maldives, Georgia, Albania, Latvia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Algeria, Somaliland, Palau, Belgium, Afghanistan, and Bermuda [JURIST reports].

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Ford, Racing

Here’s your chance to lay your hands on a piece of muscle car history. One of Dan Gurney’s 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 racecars is up for bid on eBay Motors with a chilly Buy it Now price of $1.1 million. The car campaigned in a number of race series, but the biggest feather in its cap is that it helped Ford secure the silver in the 1969 Trans-Am manufacturer championship. According to the listing, this particular example was the prototype for the rest of the Trans-Am Mustangs driven that year, and it was built for Caroll Shelby’s team by Kar Kraft.

Gurney whipped the car around the track at Kent and used it for practice at Sears Point, but Peter Revson piloted the Boss to its best finish of the ’69 season – fourth at Laguna Seca. After Shelby walked away from the Trans Am series, the Ford spent some time as a wind-tunnel test car and made its way around a variety of race circuits, nabbing an SCCA Championship along the way. In 2003, it was restored to its 1969 configuration in concourse condition, complete with a 527 horsepower 302 under the hood.

The auction includes a mountain of documentation, including signed letters of authenticity from Carroll Shelby himself, Kar Kraft engineering drawings and a stack of period photos of the car going fender to fender. Hit eBay Motors to check it out.

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Ex-Gurney 1969 Shelby Trans Am Mustang Boss 302 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The NYT’s Elisabeth Rosenthal had another front-page “teach the controversy” piece yesterday, “Climate Fears Turn to Doubts Among Britons.”  That has apparently become a specialty of the one-time paper of record (see NYT faces credibility siege over unbalanced climate coverage and The NYT once again equates non-scientists — Bastardi, Coleman, and Watts (!) — with climate scientists).

I asked Dr. Robert J. Brulle of Drexel University, whom the NYT itself quoted last year as “an expert on environmental communications,” for his comments.  Here they are:

It is well known in both sociology and communications that public opinion is largely shaped by media coverage.  So the shift in public opinion about climate change is linked to the nature of mainstream media coverage of the so-called “climategate scandal.”

Several media researchers have documented the persistent bias in main stream media.

(See the links to the AAAS presentations of Max Boykoff and William Freudenberg).

• Boykoff on “Exaggerating Denialism: Media Representations of Outlier Views on Climate Change”:  Freudenburg: “Reporters need to learn that, if they wish to discuss ‘both sides’ of the climate issue, the scientifically legitimate “other side” is that, if anything, global climate disruption is likely to be significantly worse than has been suggested in scientific consensus estimates to date.”
• AAAS:  Understanding Climate-Change Skepticism: Its Sources and Strategies
• Professor bothered by “stunning lack” of balance in U.S. media reports on climate science
• Translating science

Other links from FAIR;

• Media regress to the bad old days of false balance
• NYT Cools on Global Warming Realities
• Media amplify climate change skeptics

Yet none of these independent analyses are noted in the article by Ms. Rosenthal.  Acknowledging the media’s role in facilitating the public relations aims of the climate denialists strikes too close to home for the NY Times to cover.  The aim of the climate denialists public relations campaign is to spread confusion and doubt about climate change.  They have been very successful, aided by, what Dr. Boykoff noted as the exaggeration of outliers and a false sense of balance:

“Such claims are amplified when traditional news media position noncredible contrarian sources against those with scientific data, in a failed effort to represent opposing sides.”

The article by Ms. Rosenthal ends with the observation that “The public is left to struggle with the salvos between the two sides.”  Why is this the case?  Because the media has abdicated its duty to inform the public under a misguided notion of providing “balance” between science and nonsense.

The NY Times doesn’t need to go to European conferences to find out why public opinion on climate change has shifted.  They can save the carbon emissions of the trip.  Just look in the mirror.

I would add that the British media is arguably now worse than the American media on this issue:

• RoseGate becomes DailyMailGate: Error-riddled articles and false statements destroy Daily Mail’s credibility
• BBC asks CRU’s Phil Jones the climate version of “When did you stop beating your wife.”
• Exclusive: Forest scientist fights back against ‘distorted’ UK article on Amazon and IPCC
• DelingpoleGate: Monbiot slams anti-science columnist for leading “Telegraph into vicious climate over email”

Rosenthal herself notes in the article:

In March, Simon L. Lewis, an expert on rain forests at the University of Leeds in Britain, filed a 30-page complaint with the nation’s Press Complaints Commission against The Times of London, accusing it of publishing “inaccurate, misleading or distorted information” about climate change, his own research and remarks he had made to a reporter.

“I was most annoyed that there seemed to be a pattern of pushing the idea that there were a number of serious mistakes in the I.P.C.C. report, when most were fairly innocuous, or not mistakes at all,” said Dr. Lewis, referring to the report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

On top of that, the “British winter was the coldest for 31 years.“  We have had enough warming now that people are surprised by coolish winters, so it’s no surprise that over a short period of time, it will impact public opinion, even when that winter isn’t actually close to record breaking.  Stanford communications expert Jon Krosnick notes that “One factor that can influence opinion is the perception of local changes in the weather” (see “One more reason that recent U.S. polling on global warming is down slightly“).

As long as the NYT diverts so much of its scarce front-page coverage on climate to articles like this one, the prospects remain poor that the public will become informed on the actual state of the science.

Related Post:

• Science Times stunner: “… a majority of the section’s editorial staff doubts that human-induced global warming represents a serious threat to humanity.”
• And the 2009 “Citizen Kane” award for non-excellence in climate journalism goes to …
• Signs of global warming are everywhere, but if the New York Times can’t tell the story (twice!), how will the public hear it?
• MacCracken: The New York Times quote did not represent my views, and it did not even represent the reporter’s attempt to portray my comments
• The New York Times sells its integrity to ExxonMobil with front-page ad that falsely asserts “Today’s car has 95% fewer emissions than a car from 1970″
• Anti-science idealogues spin the NY Times public editor, Clark Hoyt, on “Climategate”

That’s the headline of my new piece in Salon (click here).

The president is in now in genuine political trouble over the BP disaster, some of his own making, some not.

Here are my thoughts — as always, I’d love to hear yours:

The truth is that there’s not much more that President Obama can do to stop the eco-disaster now hitting the Gulf of Mexico. But his response to our fossil fuel-driven crises — so far — can still be deemed grossly inadequate.

That’s because the Gulf spill is actually one of two environmental catastrophes now unfolding, and Obama doesn’t seem to understand how they are related.

The milder but more imminent of the two is the BP disaster. It’s now clear that the Gulf Coast will be ravaged, that the impact will be felt for at least a generation, and that we will probably be testing seafood from the area for decades. If the Loop Current entrains a significant amount of the oil and dispersants to the Florida Keys, America’s great coral reef might suffer irreparable damage.

Most of the blame rests with BP — and with Big Oil’s powerful supporters in Congress, who have created the voluntary, “trust us” self-regulation we now have. Some of the blame also resides with the Minerals Management Service, which became absurdly cozy with the industry under the Cheney-Bush administration.

Because BP and Big Oil deluded themselves (and everyone else) into believing that such a disaster was unthinkable, nobody was prepared for it. The Rube Goldberg contraptions that BP is slapping together now is proof of this. If a single major oil company had thought that any of BP’s jury-rigged solutions made sense, they would have pre-built and prepositioned them a long time ago.

With its reckless cost- and corner-cutting and efforts to hide the magnitude of the gusher, BP has proven itself completely untrustworthy. As millions of gallons of oil and hundreds of thousand of gallons of dispersants cause their inevitable damage to sensitive coastal wetlands, fish, fowl and wildlife, frustration will boil over, a process that has already begun.

Back in April, we wrote about a towing company that got so upset about a Facebook page that it decided to sue the page’s creator for libel. As pointed out at the time, this only served to draw more attention to the claims made by the Facebook page — claiming that the towing company often towed legitimately parked cars. In fact, the controversy has brought out many more people who claim they had legitimately parked cars towed. An anonymous reader let us know that the Detroit Free Press has checked in on the towing company again, and it’s now lost half of its accounts due to this controversy. You might think, at this point, the company would wise up, admit that it was wrong, apologize to the guy it sued, and try to focus on building its reputation back up. But… no luck. The company sticks by its stance. The owner’s lawyer blames the lost business on the “hostility” the situation caused. Um. Or, perhaps it was towing legitimately parked cars, and then suing someone who complained about it. That might have something to do with the lost business too. Oh, and it’s probably worth mentioning that the company, T&J Towing, has an F-rating at the local Better Business Bureau, due to 20 complaints in the last three years… of which it responded to only three. Maybe, rather than suing critics, T&J should learn to respond to them.

And, of course, it appears the situation is getting even worse for the company. Because of all this attention, many others have been stepping up to complain about their own experiences with T&J, leading the lawyer representing the guy T&J sued to look about filing a class action lawsuit against the company. It seems like the company would have been better off apologizing and giving the original guy back his money. Or not towing his car in the first place.

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How does Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” measure up against timeless classics like “Respect” and “I Only Have Eyes For You?” Rolling Stone Magazine — an authority on all things music — is counting down the 500 Greatest Songs in History in a special collector’s issue, arriving on newsstands this Friday.

In the video below, Rolling Stone contributing editor Alan Light shares the magazine’s top five picks:

Robert Dotson, the CEO of T-Mobile USA, is stepping down a year from now after serving with the company for 15 years, the company announced today.

His resignation will not come as a surprise to some, as the fourth largest carrier has struggled to add subscribers in recent quarters and has failed to come up with a strong identity in the competitive wireless space. T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) has also had its own financial problems recently, making the U.S. unit’s results even more disappointing since it used to be the crown jewel of the German telecom giant.

While Dotson expects to stay on board until May 2010, Deutsche Telekom has already named his replacement. Philipp Humm, who is currently responsible for sales and service in Europe as chief regional officer, will become CEO in February.

Dotson joined what was then called Western Wireless in 1996 before it went public and became VoiceStream. Deutsche Telekom bought the company and renamed it T-Mobile USA. In the early days, it was a fast-paced start-up, and as VP of marketing, Dotson relied on his consumer marketing experience from companies like Pepsi to come up with popular ad campaigns focused around actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. Dotson was appointed CEO in March 2003.

Dotson said in a release: “It has long been my intent to step away from the business at this stage in my life in order to devote more time to family and to take on entirely new and unique challenges. That change can only be made possible if a suitable successor is in place. Over the next year, it will be my relentless focus and responsibility to work closely with Philipp to ensure marketplace success, and to enable a seamless leadership transition.”

In the past year, T-Mobile has lost other executives, including T-Mobile USA’s CMO Denny Marie, who stepped down in April. The company has also gone through a number of restructurings, which have led to the scaling back of some programs. Its primary focus is now on the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Android platform, and is relying on its own team of software engineers to differentiate the platform.

In a release, René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, said, “I sincerely regret Robert’s decision to leave, however I absolutely respect his decision, and am most grateful that he has offered to stay on for another year in order to work with Philipp to ensure continuity in running the business.”

Humm, 50, will join the team in July. Humm has since served as CEO of T-Mobile Deutschland from 2005 until 2008, and previously worked for a number of U.S.-based companies including McKinsey & Company, Procter & Gamble and Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN).

Showing impressive demand for electronic vehicles, Nissan has sold out its Leaf vehicles that will be produced this year. Just a little more than a month after the automaker started taking pre-orders, it reached the 13,000 reservation mark. That’s not a huge number, but it does indicate that consumers may warmly embrace electric cars.

Nissan’s all-electric Leaf could cost consumers as little as $25,280, after the federal government tax credit. Additional state tax credits might also apply for some buyers, further cutting its price. That makes the Leaf surprisingly affordable, given its technological prowess. Nissan began taking orders on April 20th, which required a $99 reservation fee. The company announced the sell-out yesterday. The vehicles will be available in December.

Thirteen thousand might not sound like a lot, but clearly there are some Americans eager to purchase a car with zero tailpipe emissions. Of course, the power plants that produce the electricity used to power the cars will likely produce emissions, but the vehicles require no gas. The flip side is that you can only drive 100 miles without recharging at home or a charging station equipped with an electric outlet designed for the vehicle. But that must not bother the consumers who rushed to be the first to own the car.

At this point, Nissan is taking orders for its 2011 production. The company hopes to have 500,000 of these vehicles on the road by 2013. So even if this initial burst of production wasn’t big enough to be sure that Americans will broadly demand all-electric cars, we’ll know the verdict before too long.

Electric car – Nissan – Nissan Motors – Nissan Leaf – United States

Here’s an idea I can get behind. Edible crayons! Luxirare created a box of eight colors (flavors?), using household ingredients such as nuts, sesame seeds and melted marshmallow for the white crayon. More »










Business – Crayon – Shopping – Home – Cooking

Not that we really needed it, but it appears that the new iPhone (HD?) is indeed coming to AT&T next month.  Boy Genius Report has stated that AT&T has confirmed to its employees that the new iPhone will indeed be available next month and not in July.  BGR went on to say that they’ve heard that the device will go on sale earlier in June rather than later, which is good news for everyone who can’t wait to upgrade to the iPhone and its new design.  There’s not much else to report here, so we’ll see you all at WWDC at 10:00 AM on Monday, June 7, where we’re sure that we “won’t be disappointed.”

Via Boy Genius Report

In this WBIR-TV story about failing banks in the financial crisis, UT Knoxville Assistant Professor Alvaro Taboada of the College of Business Administration explains why banks throughout the U.S. have failed.