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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed that British car production increased by an annual 44% in April. In the year to date, car production is 64.9% higher when compared to the same period a year ago.

In a statement, SMMT CEO Paul Everitt said that the second quarter of 2010 is off to a “good start” as the April output is up across the car, commercial vehicle and engine sectors when compared to the same period last year. Everitt added that the home market posted an increase during the month, which indicates a growing economy and an improvement in consumer confidence.

[via autonews – sub. required]

Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots

by Julian Ku

During a conference earlier this week at Northwestern on Israel and International law, NYU law professor Samuel Estreicher presented an interesting proposal to shift the focus of the law of armed conflict toward the duties of defenders.  Arguing that most of the law (or at least law interpretation) seems focused on attackers, the duties of defenders are largely free of regulation. Hence, Israel Defense Forces are swamped with duties with little or no attention to the duties held by Hamas defenders in Gaza.  As Estreicher argues, ignoring defender duties may undermine one of the goals of the the law of armed conflict: the reduction or minimization of civilian casualties.  Here is the essence of his argument:  The following is the essence of his proposal to draw out such defender duties from existing law of armed conflict sources.

1. The Prohibition of Civilian Shields

• Geneva IV Art. 28: “The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.”9

• AP Article 51(7): “The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not direct the movement of the civilian population or individual civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield military operations.”

2. The Prohibition of Perfidy

• AP Article 37(1): “It is prohibited to kill, injure or capture an adversary by resort to perfidy. Acts inviting the confidence of an adversary to lead him to believe that he is entitled to, or is obliged to accord, protection under the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, with the intent to betray that confidence, shall constitute perfidy. The following acts are examples of perfidy: …(c) the feigning of civilian, non-combatant status ….”

3. The Duty to Protect the Civilian Population Against Dangers from Military Operations

• AP Article 51(1): “The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against dangers arising from military operations.”

• AP Article 57(1): “In the conduct of military operations, constant care shall be taken to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects.”

• AP Article 57(4): “In the conduct of military operations at sea or in the air, each Party to the conflict shall in conformity with its rights and duties under the rules of international law applicable to armed conflict, take all reasonable precautions to avoid losses of civilian lives and damage to civilian objects.”

4. The Duty to Remove Civilians from and Not Locate Military Objectives in the Vicinity of Military Objectives

• AP Article 58: “The parties to the conflict shall, to the maximum extent feasible: (a) without prejudice to Article 49 of the Fourth Convention, endeavour to remove the civilian population, individual civilians and civilian objects under their control from the vicinity of military objectives; (b) avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas; (c) take the other necessary precautions to protect the civilian population, individual citizens and civilian objects under their control against the dangers resulting from military operations.”

5. The Duty to Avoid Methods or Means of Warfare that Cause Unnecessary Injury or Suffering

• AP Article 35:

1. In any armed conflict, the right of the Parties to the conflict to choose methods or means of warfare is not unlimited. 2. It is prohibited to employ … methods of warfare of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.

Old Navy Flip Flop Sale 2010 has come! Don’t miss May 22 as Old Navy Flip Flop sale 2010 will be on its way for everyone to enjoy shopping and purchasing of Old Navy Flip Flops for a very low price.

Starting May 22, you may save 15% + FREE SHIPPING when you spend $75 or more at Oldnavy.com. For more details of sales and promo on Old Navy Flip Flop Sale 2010, see details below:

Promo: 2 DAYS ONLY! SAVE 15% + FREE SHIPPING when you spend $75 or more on any Old Navy purchase. Enter promo code ONCAMP15 at checkout. Starts May 22 and ends May 23. Restrictions: Offer valid on Old Navy merchandise through 5/23/10 at 11:59 pm ET in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) at Old Navy online. Not valid at Old Navy stores. Qualifying amount applies to merchandise only, not value of gift cards purchased, packaging, applicable taxes or shipping & handling charges. Offer valid only on standard shipping to your order’s first “ship to” address anywhere in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). If you choose express or next day shipping options, additional charges will apply. Offer limited to one-time use only. No adjustments on previous purchases. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts including Gap Inc. employee discount.

Hurry! Don’t miss this rare promo… shop and enjoy the Old Navy Flip Flop Sale 2010!

See ads and links for more updates and details!

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2. Theft at the home of Chi Chi Rodriguez in Puerto Rico
3. An earthquake shook Puerto Rico

The animated character Dora the Explorer is making headlines because of her mugshot that surfaced around the internet.

This picture of Nickelodeon character Dora the explorer is created by Debbie Groben for a contest in FreakingNews.com last year. On the picture, Dora the Explorer has a black eye, bruised lip and bloody nose. And there it says she committed the crime “Illegal Border Crossing Resisting Arrest.”

Dora’s mugshot is just one of the photos that can be connected to Arizona’s new controversial Immigration law. The picture may seem funny and harmless, but experts are seeing a different light. They say pictures like this reveal some Americans’ attitudes about race, immigrants and where some of immigration reform debate may be headed.

Erynn Masi de Casanova, a sociology professor at the University of Cincinnati said, “Dora is kind of like a blank screen onto which people can project their thoughts and feelings about Latinos. They feel like they can say negative things because she’s only a cartoon character.”

This is not the first time a children’s character has been dragged into a serious debate. Tinky Winky the Teletubby and Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie are also dragged into a gay issue.

Related posts:

1. Casey James Mugshot: Arrested for DWI
2. Bomb Threat: Originated from a Psychiatric Ward
3. Democratic Leader Makes Immigration Bill Bigger Priority

Via UFO Casebook News Feed

Via UFO Casebook News Feed

It’s Friday night and that means it’s party time in #whitenoise! More »










Parties – Politics – United States – Northern Ireland – Government

Prime Minister David Cameron defends Britain’s decision not to take part of the euro . Prime Minister David Cameron met French President Nicolas Sarkozy in his first trip as a prime minister. He stated, “We were right not to join the euro and… right to stay out of the euro. But let me be absolutely clear, it’s Britain’s interests that the eurozone is a success, that the euro is a successful currency, that the eurozone economies recover.” He stated that the UK will “work well” together with the other nations and will play their part by sticking to a stability pact. He added, that since UK is not a member of the eurozone, that it must not bear the costs of any bail-out. As Prime Minister Cameron restated his concerns about the euro though he will keep Britain away from it, President Sarkozy asserted that the single currency proved to be a success.

The EU and the International Monetary Fund agreed earlier this month to a package worth 750bn euros to try to prevent the Greek crisis from spreading to other weak eurozone economies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last Wednesday that the euro was “in danger”, France’s economy minister said otherwise. Mr. Cameron also stated that they acknowledge their commitment to work together in ensuring success in a crucial year for the military campaign in Afghanistan and that together they would make joint efforts to pressure Iran in giving up their nuclear ambitions through harder United Nations sanctions. “From all the things we have discussed tonight, I think we can have a partnership that has a real purpose, that is very focused, that is very practical, that actually leads to results in the things that we both care about,” said the British Prime Minister.

Related posts:

1. David Cameron’s visit to Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel
2. The French President threatened to pull France out of the EU
3. British Prime Minister David Cameron names Cabinet Ministers

The Transformers: War for Cybertron hype-train keeps chugging right along with another round of ViDoc from High Moon Studios to give us more details on the different multiplayer modes of the hotly anticipated robo shooter.
 

We’ve discussed in the past some of Amanda Palmer’s business model experiments, and she’s guest posted on this site herself about connecting with her fans. Last month she finally was “freed” from her major record label deal and celebrated that fact. Anyway, she’s in the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend performing both Saturday and Sunday… and then on Monday, she’ll be teaming up with Ok Go, the band that similarly just celebrated being “dropped” from their label, to do a combination webcast/art contest. As she prepares for all that (and is in the middle of a tour) she took some time to answer a few quick questions about the whole process of freeing oneself from a major record label deal…

You’ve been fighting your (old) label, Roadrunner for a while now, in response to your feeling that it didn’t do much (if anything) to support your last album. As of a few weeks ago, you’re now officially free from that label. What can you tell us about how those discussions went?

Well, I made it clear to the label a good year and a half ago that i wanted out of the relationship – it was clear to me that things had fallen apart as soon as I went on tour with Who Killed Amanda Palmer, my solo record, and there wasn’t any promotion. They’re a hard bunch of people to figure out. I think the thing that bothers me most about their system was the difficulty of finding out the Real Truth about things. I’m a generally straight shooter, often to my own demise, and I find it incomprehensible when people play giant games and tell giant stories that are misleading just as a matter of day-to-day business. I just can’t function that way.

Of course decisions get made, things change in a moving marketplace – but the label would just keep me totally in the dark about decisions. It became intolerable to feel like there wasn’t even an inkling of a partnership. I’d finally been in the business long enough to realize that the people you work with are your Life. And life’s too short to not work with people you love. I don’t care if I never see a cent they owe me, it’s worth it to be free. Everything ahead of me will be so much more joyful, and every penny I earn will feel more joyful.

With both you and Ok Go recently celebrating getting out from under a major label contract, is this a beginning of a shift in how bands view label relationships? For years, the goal was always to get a major label contract and musicians would celebrate getting that deal. Now musicians are celebrating being “dropped” from major labels. Is this a turning point in how musicians interact with labels? Do you see yourself working with a label in the future? If so, how would you structure the relationship?

I have nothing against Labels at all. Labels are groups of people, trying to work. I like people, and I like work. But I think that the collapsed system has made it so hard for them to work well.

If I signed with another label, it would have to be a very personal partnership between me and a group of people that I really trusted to understand my bigger picture.

I would sit down with folks and seriously drill them on what they believed. I’ve made enough mistakes at this point, I’d proceed with extreme caution and not lock myself into a long-term deal.

Labels are REALLY useful. Any touring band who’s successful knows that you can’t tour and run an office at the same time. But I think the functionality is going to change…I think labels are going to basically dissolve into promotional companies, now that hard-copy music is going bye-bye.

You’ve also been pretty active in experimenting with all sorts of creative business models — and not being ashamed to ask for money. Is there anything in your experiences that you think are applicable to others, or are they more specific to your circumstances? Also, what did you do that didn’t work?

I think asking for money is generally considered shameful in the art and music world; it has been for ages. Art has this untouchable romanticism constructed around it; this cultural ideal about artists and how they shouldn’t touch money because it strips away the integrity of their art. But that’s obviously bullshit, especially if you look throughout history and see that artists have ALWAYS needed to fund themselves and their work creatively, sneakily, with gusto and with shamelessness. The only mistake I think I’ve made is not making the connection sooner. I think I was still living in the delusion back when we signed. Living inside this idea that we, as major-label-artists, would get to live on the Special Cloud of Art without Commerce. If I’d been thinking ahead, I would have been training and educating our audience form the very start to support us directly.

One of the complaints that people have leveled towards a model that involves using social media to talk with fans is that it takes away from their ability to make music. As someone who uses tools like Twitter, blogging and video streaming all the time, what are your thoughts on that?

If people are complaining that social networking is taking away their ability to make music, they’re mistaking “ability” with “priority” and they’re being pussies.

There’s no rule that says that if you join twitter you had to hang your guitar on the wall and let it collect dust – that’s just a fucking myth we tell ourselves to excuse ourselves from work when we find networking fancy and shiny and tempting. Networking and twitter and all the things that connect bands to their fans and to their fellow artists can be INSPIRING and DISTRACTING, depending how you use them. It’s just a tool, like the telephone. You choose when to pick it up. If you’re strong, you know how to prioritize your life. I’m not saying I’m GOOD at it, but I see where the lines are and I know when I’m falling into the over-communication ditch…then I scrape myself off, unplug, let my brain turn back into a creator’s brain, and strap myself there until I have something interesting to bring back to the mac.

What’s next for Amanda Palmer?

My new huge exciting project is an album of Radiohead ukulele covers (no, really) that I’m releasing on digital and vinyl only this july. It’s a really gorgeous record. Right after that comes out I’m starring in the musical “Cabaret” this fall at the American Repertory Theater, directed by my old high school mentor Steven Bogart, who was the same one that co-created the Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired musical I did last year. I miss and love the stage…rock world gets a little old sometimes. After that, I don’t know, I’ll probably open a juice bar and retire. But I’ll tweet about exciting juice combinations every morning.

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A Volkswagen acaba de lançar a primeira imagem da nova geração do Passat, que já foi flagrado algumas vezes mas ainda não tinha sido revelado oficialmente.

A marca ainda não revelou nenhum detalhe do modelo, apenas a imagem que dá pra ver como será seu novo desenho, principalmente a dianteira que muda bastante.

Seu motor também não foi revelado. Mas segundo fontes, o modelo deverá ser apresentado para o mercado Europeu depois do meio do ano.

Fonte: German Car Blog

Jamais Cascio at Open the Future has a post (revived from 2006)on the ethics of futurism – OtF Core: Ethical Futurism.

Futurists — including scenario planners, trend-spotters, foresight specialists, paradigm engineers, and the myriad other labels we use — have something of an odd professional role. We are akin to reporters, but we’re reporters of events that have not yet happened — and may not happen. We are analysts, but analysts of possibilities, not histories. We’re science fiction storytellers, but the stories we tell are less for entertainment than for enlightenment. And, much to our surprise, we may be much more influential than we expect. …

As I see it, then, where business professionals are responsible to the client and their various stakeholders, foresight professionals are responsible to the future.

Here’s what I think that means:

It means that the first duty of an ethical futurist is to act in the interests of the stakeholders yet to come — those who would suffer harm in the future from choices made in the present. This harm could come (in my view) in the form of fewer options or possibilities for development, less ecological diversity and environmental stability, and greater risks to the health and well-being of people and other species on the planet. Futurists, as those people who have chosen to become navigators for society — responsible for watching the path ahead — have a particular responsibility for safeguard that path, and to ensure that the people making strategic choices about actions and policies have the opportunity to do so wisely.

From this, I would argue for the following set of ethical guidelines:

An ethical futurist has a responsibility not to let the desires of a client (or audience, or collaborator) for a particular outcome blind him or her to the consequences of that goal, and will always informs the client of both the risks and rewards.

An ethical futurist has the responsibility to understand, as fully as possible, the range of issues and systems connected to the question under consideration, to avoid missing critical potential consequences.

An ethical futurist has the responsibility to acknowledge and make her or his client (audience, collaborators) cognizant of the uncertainty of forecasts, and to explain why some outcomes and consequences are more or less likely than others.

An ethical futurist has the responsibility to offer unbiased analysis, based on an honest appraisal of sources, with as much transparency of process as possible.

An ethical futurist has the responsibility to recognize the difference between short-term results and long-term processes, and to always keep an eye on the more distant possibilities.

Futurists perform a quirky, but necessary, task in modern society: we function as the long-range scanners for a species evolved to pay close attention to short-range horizons. Some neurophysiologists argue that this comes from the simple act of throwing an object to hit a moving target. Chimpanzees and bonobos, even with DNA 98% identical to our own, are simply unable to do so, while most humans can (at least with a bit of experience). It turns out that the same cognitive structures that let us understand where a moving target will be may also help us recognize the broader relationship between action and result — or, more simply, how “if” becomes “then.”

I’m not sure how many futurists recognize the weight of responsibility that rests on their shoulders; this is an occupation in which attention-deficit disorder is something of a professional requirement. But when we do our jobs well, we can play a pretty damn important role in shaping the course of human history. It’s incumbent upon us, then, to do our jobs with a sense of purpose and ethics.

Audi set a record for the most number of cars sold in the first four months of the year. It sold 360,760 units and expects further growth for the second quarter.

At the company’s Annual General Meeting, Rupert Stadler, Audi chairman of the board, said that the company is progressing very well but that it will continue to “keep [its] foot on the accelerator.” Audi is relying on the release of its new-generation A8 to raise sales. It will also be offering the entry-level A1 model in the second half of the year, adding more momentum. Audi’s sales in the four months of the year translate into double-digit growth rates in all its sales regions. Audi was able to generate revenue of €8.2 billion, a 23% increase compared to the same period last year. With these results, Audi expects that the remaining months of the year will be successful as well. For this year, Audi is scheduled to launch 12 new models, including the A7, RS 5 and the Q5 hybrid.

Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots

At the 2010 Fleet World Honours, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class got the award for Best Luxury Car. This is actually the second straight award of this type that the luxury sedan has gotten.

Adrian Freeman, regional corporate sales manager for Mercedes-Benz UK, received the award in a ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, last May 18. Steve Moody, editor of Fleet World, said all new cars that attempt to enter the luxury segment have one model to beat: the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Moody said that its upcoming efficient engines have made the line-up even more impressive than before. The Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI BlueEfficiency has an average fuel consumption rating of 37.2 mpg and CO2 emissions of 199 g/km. This engine meets Euro 6 standards, which actually will start taking effect in the UK in 2014 at the earliest.

Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots

I can’t resist whispered sonnets or hastily scribbled limericks, but how many guys actually memorize poems nowadays? At least there are apps like this one to help them fake the knowledge and romance with a quick flick of the wrist. More »










iPhone – Handhelds – Smartphones – Limerick – Recreation

El microcoche urbano de Mercedes-Benz le robó bastante protagonismo a su matriz en el primer día del Salón de Madrid por la importancia de su rueda de prensa. Y es que si el presidente y consejero delegado de Mercedes-Benz España, José Luis López-Schümmer, y la presidenta de ACCIONA Energía, Carmen Becerril, firman juntos un documento, se trata de un acontecimiento que hay seguir con atención.

Ambas partes suscribieron ayer un acuerdo de colaboración para comenzar una experiencia piloto de movilidad eléctrica en la capital española que durará cuatro años. Mientras que Mercedes-Benz entregará 42 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive en régimen de renting a diez empresas participantes en la iniciativa, ACCIONA construirá 121 puntos de recarga necesarios para el uso de los vehículos tanto en las sedes de dichas organizaciones como en los domicilios de los conductores o determinadas áreas públicas.

Carmen Becerril añadió que estos puntos contarán con tecnología inteligente y su electricidad se generará utilizando energías renovables como ha acreditado la Comisión Nacional de Energía, de forma que todo el proceso de carga es 100% ecológico. También comentó que ofrecerán algunos servicios adicionales como la programación previa de la recarga o la supervisión de la misma usando el móvil.

El proceso de selección de las empresas que formarán parte de la experiencia y la localización de los puntos de recarga empezará muy pronto. Durante las pruebas, Mercedes-Benz y ACCIONA elaborarán estudios para comprobar la integración de los Smart Fortwo Electric Drive en su uso diario y la opinión de las personas que los conduzcan. Si resulta un éxito, Mercedes-Benz tiene previsto añadir 35 unidades de una variante eléctrica del Clase A a la experiencia.

¿Y qué es lo que se encontrarán los conductores del Fortwo Electric Drive? Pues algo muy parecido a lo que se podrá comprar en los concesionarios Smart a partir del año 2012. Su motor eléctrico de 30 kW (un poco más de 40 CV) le permite llegar hasta 100 km/h y acelerar de 0 a 60 en 6′5 segundos.

Sin embargo, la novedad más importante con respecto a anteriores conceptos del Smart eléctrico son sus baterías, que en el Electric Drive de producción son de ion-litio. Su capacidad es de 16′5 kWh y otorgan una autonomía de 135 kilómetros, de sobra para recorridos urbanos. Además, se pueden recargar con enchufe en cualquier toma de 220 voltios y 16 amperios.

El Smart Fortwo Electric Drive puede presumir de ser el primer vehículo totalmente eléctrico producido en masa y, como se ha venido afirmando desde que fue anunciado, probablemente es lo que le faltaba a este microcoche para convertirse en el urbano perfecto. Os dejamos con las fotos:

Salón del Automóvil Ecológico de Madrid 2010: Smart

Fotos | HighMotor

Pois é, com o lançamento do novo Uno, com novo design e motor, todos deixaram o Fiat Palio um pouco de lado.

Mas quem achou que a Fiat também iria deixar o modelo de lado, se enganou. A marca acaba de anunciar que o modelo receberá novas modificações restritas a sua dianteira.

No seu interior ainda não foi nada revelado se recebera alguma alteração, mas no motor já está quase confirmado que não vai mudar nada.

Fonte: Autos Segredos

The first details of Killzone 3 has emerged online and by the look of things, it’s going to be in full 3D. More details after the jump.