Blog

2011 New BMW Z4 sDrive35is

BMW has taken the wraps off the new Z4 sDrive35is with M Sports Package. Engine power and torque were increased and looks made even sportier.

2011 Fisker Karma

The U.S. Department of Energy yesterday announced the closing of a $528.7 million loan to Fisker Automotive for the development of tow plug-in hybrid electric-vehicles. The loan will give Fisker the resources to produce the Karma plug-in hybrid sedan and a line of family oriented models being developed under the company’s Project NINA program.

“The story of Fisker is a story of ingenuity of an American company, a commitment to innovation by the U.S. government and the perseverance of the American auto industry,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “The Boxwood Plant is opening again, employing workers in Delaware, and is serving as a roadmap for all we can accomplish if everyone works together. Thanks to real dedication by this Administration, loans from the Department of Energy, the creativity of U.S. companies and the tenacity of great state partners like Delaware – we’re on our way to helping America’s auto industry reclaim its top position in the global market.”

Fisker said that it expects to build the Karma and Project NINA lines at a recently closed General Motors facility in Wilmington, Delaware. Fisker anticipates that it will employ 2,000 assembly workers.

The Fisker Karma is scheduled to appear in showrooms in late 2010. The Project NINA line is expected to begin rolling off the assembly line in late 2012.

Click here for more news on the Fisker Karma.

Refresher: Power comes from Fisker’s Q-DRIVE system, which is made up of two 201-hp electric motors that are powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. That allows the 2010 Karma to travel up to 50 miles without the use of any gasoline. A generator attached to a 260-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec direct injection gasoline engine by General Motors provides an extended range of up to 300 miles. 0 to 60 mph comes in 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph.

2011 Fisker Karma:

– By: Omar Rana

2011 Audi A1 Car Preview

2010 New Audi A7

The Audi Present A7 in 2010 , the new design , fast car and also beautiful , just Audi can make you happy .

BMW 5 series 2010 brake energy regeneration

The new BMW 5 Series has just been revealed and automobile publications around the world are starting to create comparisons between the F10 5 Series and its competitors.

Car market reviewers places the 2011 BMW 5 Series against the Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class, Lexus GS460, Infiniti G37, Volvo S80 and Jaguar XF.

2010 Mercedes E-Class Convertible Driving Footage

The highly appealing and emotionally charged Cabriolet is the latest addition to the successful Mercedes-Benz E-Class line-up.

The open-top two-door model, which goes on sale on 11 January 2010, features a classic fabric soft top, making for a stylistically pure cabriolet feeling.

Viewed from the side, the new model is an intriguing proposition – with its clear proportions and a flawless cabriolet silhouette.

Audi A1 Street Art Advertising

A new name, a new segment, a new car. Is there a more fascinating challenge for a car designer?

Bold and surprising design was what the Audi team was aiming for in 2007 when it designed the A1 project quattro for the Tokyo Motor Show and again in 2008 for the A1 Sportback concept for the Paris Auto Show.

Both studies are emotion-packed visions for a new, young target group and the particular requirements of city driving, and have been systematically refined ever since.

The future is almost here: The countdown to the A1 is on Audi A1 Concept

RSVP required– go here to rsvp.

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) threatened to abandon his effort to push a climate and energy bill Saturday, saying he will only continue if Democratic leaders promise to relinquish plans to bring up immigration legislation first.

Graham’s departure, if he follows through on his ultimatum, would likely doom any chance of passing a climate bill this year. He is the sole Republican working with Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) on a compromise proposal which they had planned to unveil Monday.

This WashPost story is a big deal.  If the White House loses Graham that would certainly kill any chances of a climate bill this year.

And yes, I’m now putting this on the White House — from the campaign through Copenhagen until now, comprehensive climate and clean energy jobs legislation was always said to be one of the president’s top three priorities, along with the economy and health care.

Indeed, Obama made clear time and time again that comprehensive climate and energy legislation was key to sustainable economic growth and job creation:

Obama at MIT: “From China to India, from Japan to Germany, nations everywhere are racing to develop new ways to producing and use energy. The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy. I am convinced of that. And I want America to be that nation…. There are going to be those who make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change, claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary.”

It takes five weeks for the EPA to do the analysis on the bill when it is turned over to them, which is just about the time it will probably take to get the financial services bill passed.

There’s plenty of time to do immigration after energy and climate, especially since the conventional wisdom is that the immigration bill has a far, far less plausible chance of becoming law.

Kerry and Lieberman will roll out their climate and energy plan Monday despite Graham’s decision to step aside, aides said.

I think they should wait a day or two until this is sorted out before publicly going forward with their bill.  It makes little sense to announce this without Graham.

In a letter to leaders of the effort to enact climate and energy legislation, Graham wrote, “I want to bring to your attention what appears to be a decision by the Obama Administration and Senate Democratic leadership to move immigration instead of energy. Unless their plan substantially changes this weekend, I will be unable to move forward on energy independence legislation at this time. I will not allow our hard work to be rolled out in a manner that has no chance of success.”

He added, “Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) declined to assure Graham on Saturday that he would put immigration behind energy in the legislative lineup, saying he “will not allow” Graham “to play one issue off of another, and neither will the American people.”

“As I have said, I am committed to trying to enact comprehensive clean energy legislation this session of Congress. Doing so will require strong bipartisan support and energy could be next if it’s ready,” Reid said in a statement. “I have also said we will try to pass comprehensive immigration reform. This too will require bipartisan support and significant committee work that has not yet begun.”

The White House also declined to indicate whether it would address Graham’s concerns, issuing a statement by climate and energy czar Carol Browner saying, “We believe the only way to make progress on these priorities is to continue working as we have thus far in a bipartisan manner to build more support for both comprehensive energy independence and immigration reform legislation.”

Browner praised the three senators for their work on a compromise, adding, “We’re determined to see it happen this year, and we encourage the senators to continue their important work on behalf of the country and not walk away from the progress that’s already been made.”

Graham told reporters Thursday he was outraged at the idea that Reid had raised the idea of bringing up immigration before an energy bill, especially since he and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) had spent weeks working on a bipartisan immigration measure and had not been alerted to the change in plans.

“Am I supposed to write every bill for the whole country?” Graham asked. “This comes out of left field.”

Graham made a similar threat during the health-care debate, but he did not abandon the climate negotiating process. This new ultimatum poses a more serious danger to the bill’s sponsors, however, because there is less time left before the fall election.

At least we will get to see people’s real priorities as this plays out.  Here’s the full letter:

April 24, 2010

Dear XXX,

I want to bring to your attention what appears to be a decision by the Obama Administration and Senate Democratic leadership to move immigration instead of energy. Unless their plan substantially changes this weekend, I will be unable to move forward on energy independence legislation at this time. I will not allow our hard work to be rolled out in a manner that has no chance of success.

Recent press reports indicating that immigration — not energy — is their priority have not been repudiated. This has destroyed my confidence that there will be a serious commitment and focus to move energy legislation this year. All of the key players, particularly the Senate leadership, have to want this debate as much as we do. This is clearly not the case.

I am very disappointed with this turn of events and believe their decision flies in the face of commitments made weeks ago to Senators Kerry, Lieberman and me. I deeply regret that election year politics will impede, if not derail, our efforts to make our nation energy independent.

I truly appreciate Senators Kerry, Lieberman, and their staff for the long hours of work. They have been tremendous partners who have negotiated in good faith and stood ready to make the tough choices necessary to bring forward a comprehensive energy bill.

I continue to believe our nation’s reliance on ever-increasing amounts of foreign oil poses a direct threat to our national security and economic well-being. I know we can create thousands of jobs by pushing for a renaissance in nuclear power, expanded offshore drilling, and unleashing America’s innovative spirit. One only needs to look to China and Europe, where 21st Century clean energy jobs are currently being created while we fail to act.

Like you, I share the belief that becoming energy independent and better stewards of our environment are complementary — not competing — standards. I was greatly looking forward to the opportunity to address these issues on the floor of the U.S. Senate as we pushed energy independence legislation forward into law. But it appears President Obama and the Senate Democratic leadership have other more partisan, political objectives in mind.

Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy. I know from my own personal experience the tremendous amounts of time, energy, and effort that must be devoted to this issue to make even limited progress.

In 2007, we spent hundreds of hours over many months with President Bush’s Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and nearly every member of the U.S. Senate searching for a way to address our nation’s immigration problems. Unlike this current “effort,” it was a good-faith attempt to address a very difficult national issue.

Some of the major provisions we embraced in 2007 — such as creation of a Virtual Fence using cameras, motion detectors and other technological devices to protect our borders — have been scrapped for the time. Other issues we found agreement on at the time, such as a temporary guest worker program, have unraveled over the past three years.

Expecting these major issues to be addressed in three weeks — which appears to be their current plan based upon media reports — is ridiculous. It also demonstrates the raw political calculations at work here.

Let’s be clear, a phony, political effort on immigration today accomplishes nothing but making it exponentially more difficult to address in a serious, comprehensive manner in the future.

Again, I truly appreciate the tremendous amount of time you have committed to the effort to make our nation more energy independent. I look forward to continuing to work with you so that when the U.S. Senate finally decides to address this issue we will be prepared for battle and confident of a successful outcome in the effort to make our nation energy independent once and for all.

Lindsey O. Graham
United States Senator

Related Post:

• Stick a fork in the energy-only bill: Lindsey Graham (R-SC) slams push for a “half-assed energy bill”
• Tim Wirth: “The president should deliver a major speech on climate change to the American public, using all the props and charts he can muster to bring the message home. The public interest requires it.”

Audi A1 Concept

A concept that is pretty close to what we’ll see in the streets next year. Audi trying to compete with the Mini.

Audi A1 Concept

Audi A1 Sportback Concept
Luxury and efficiency – that defines the Audi A1 Sportback Concept.

Filed under: Sedan, China, BMW, Beijing Motor Show, Luxury

The Audi A8 L W12 isn’t the only long-wheelbase saloon to debut at this year’s Beijing Motor Show. BMW has a stretched version of the all-new 2011 5 Series that’ll be built and sold exclusively in China. The limo-like Fiver is a full 5.5 inches longer than the standard 5 Series sedan, all of which accounts for additional rear legroom. New rear seat amenities like an entertainment system, adjustable sunblinds and a folding table are on hand, as well.

Spec-wise, the long-wheelbase BMW 5 Series isn’t much different than the models sold in other markets. Three six-cylinder engines are available and eight-speed automatic transmissions are standard across the board. It may not be as over-the-top as Herr Audi, but we’d gladly go for a ride in the back of this upscale Bimmer any day.

Live photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Beijing 2010: 2011 BMW 535Li ready for chauffeur duty originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BMW Z4M car review by Top Gear

Richard Hammond takes on the scapel-sharp Porsche Boxster S with the mighty BMW Z4M around the Top Gear track.

Wisconsin has selected Lactococcus lactis as its official state microbe:

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:  SECTION 1. 1.10 (3) (t) of the statutes is created to read: 1.10 (3) (t) The bacterium Lactococcus lactis is the state microbe. SECTION 2. 1.10 (4) of the statutes is amended to read: 1.10 (4) The Wisconsin Blue Book shall include the information contained in this section concerning the state song, ballad, waltz, dance, beverage, tree, grain, flower, bird, fish, animal, domestic animal, wildlife animal, dog, insect, fossil, mineral, rock, soil, fruit, and tartan, and microbe.

Finally, note that Wisconsin has both a state mineral and a state rock.

In these tough economic times, you would think one or the other would be sufficient.

Get some microdot and enjoy …

Posted by John Byrne at 3:57 p.m.

Mayor Richard Daley today called for a vote by the full City Council on a contentious plan for a Wal-Mart on the Far South Side, regardless of whether the council’s Zoning Committee first approves the proposal.

"Vote it up or down, and then go back and tell the people ‘Hey, I got a job as alderman, but you don’t have one, ha ha ha,’" said Daley who supports the Wal-Mart as a rare opportunity to put hundreds of people to work in a down economy. "Laugh at the people: ‘I got a job, OK, you don’t have a job.’ "
 

Ald. Daniel Solis, 25th, the zoning committee chairman, said in the event the proposal for the residential and shopping development anchored by the giant retailer in the Pullman neighborhood does not get a majority of votes in his committee, he would consider sending it to the full council anyway.

 

"I would consult with Alderman Beale, depending on what the vote is," said Solis, who is trying to determine if the committee hearing will be held May 5 or May 7.

Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, has been pushing hard to get the Pullman project going in his ward, arguing his constituents need the jobs as well as the grocery store Wal-Mart would provide as an oasis in the Far South Side "food desert."

Labor unions and aldermanic allies oppose allowing big retailers such as Wal-Mart into the city without approval of a so-called living wage ordinance. The latest version introduced would require retailers who get city subsidies for their project to pay workers at least $11.03 an hour.

The years-long stalemate on the issue has left Chicago with only one Wal-Mart within the city limits.

[JURIST] A Navy judge in Iraq acquitted US Navy SEAL Jonathan Keefe Friday of a charge of dereliction of duty in relation to the alleged assault of a high-profile Iraqi detainee implicated in the killing of four American contractors in Fallujah in 2004, citing insufficient evidence. Testimony at the hearing included that of recently acquitted fellow Navy SEAL Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas, which directly conflicted with testimony from Iraqi prisoner Ahmed Hashim Abed. Petty Officer 2nd Class Keefe and Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe had been charged with dereliction for allegedly failing to take action while Huertas beat Abed. McCabe is awaiting his military trial, scheduled for May 3 in Norfolk, Virginia.
A US military panel in Iraq on Thursday acquitted Huertas of any wrongdoing in connection with the alleged assault of Abed, an Iraqi detainee suspected of organizing an incident that resulted in the deaths of four military contractors in Fallujah. A US military judge ruled in January that Huertas’s court-martial would be held at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, so that Abed could testify against him. Detainee abuse has been a major issue during the Iraq war, and the case against the three Navy SEALS has been seen as an attempt to compensate for other abuses like those at Abu Ghraib.

I can empathize fully with Sandra Bullock’s pain right now—been there, fallen for him. Unfortunately, I found myself very much duped by a man who convincingly presented himself as loving, committed and loyal, only to later to discover that he was more than a two-timing cheater—he was a three-’n-four-’n-five-timing cheater.

I know just how difficult it can be to pick yourself up after a painful romantic fall. At first, you might find yourself preoccupied with a bubbling stew of emotions: depression, shame, hopelessness, outrage, despair, rage, resentment, negativity, doubt, insecurity, fear and an overall sense of emotional hypochondria. You may become convinced that the best way to protect your breaking heart is to put on the permanent brakes on your heart. But it’s very important not to allow yourself to wallow in these negative emotions for too long.

I believe you can never fail in life or love. You just produce results. It’s up to you how you interpret those results. There are no failed relationships, because every person in your life has a life lesson to teach.

Ironically, life’s worst of times (aka breakups) can be exactly what leads you to your best of times—pain is your evolutionary buddy. Pain prompts you to wake up from your auto-pilot slumbers—and CLUNK—finally be more alert to seeing who are the best people and which are the best circumstances to aim at for ultimate joy.

THE ABOVE IS CONTINUED ON OPRAH.COM – READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE NOW, BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

FOR MORE ABOUT PRINCE HARMINGS, CHECK OUT THE BOOK WHICH INSPIRED THIS OPRAH ARTICLE:PRINCE HARMING SYNDROME! JUST CLICK RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

del.icio.us · Slashdot · Digg · Facebook · Technorati · Google · StumbleUpon · Yahoo

Introduction:

Students in Kindergarten are just getting a sense of number and counting and are motivated to count everywhere they go. Virginia SOL K. 2 deals with multiple ways of thinking about and representing numbers. For this SOL, when given a set containing 15 or fewer concrete objects, students will tell how many are in a set by counting orally, write the numeral to tell how many are in a set, and select the corresponding numeral from a given set of numerals. Students will  develop number sense through verbalizing numbers in order and connecting them to counting experiences, kinesthetic experiences involving writing number names and numerals, and practice with conservation and one-on-one correspondence.  The following are a set of book and online resources to teach number sense in a Kindergarten or First Grade classroom:

 Literature Connections:

• Anno’s Counting book written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno

 Anno’s Counting Book introduces counting and number systems 0-12 by showing mathematical relationships in nature. Each page contains the written numeral, the number represented in unifix cubes, and the number represented pictorially in various ways. For example: Page “2″ includes the numeral, the number represented in unifix cubes, 2 children, 2 buildings, 2 cars, 2 dogs, and 2 trees.

• Count! written and illustrated by Denise Fleming

Count! by Denise Fleming depicts the lively antics of colorful animals as they present the numbers 1-10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. This book can be used as an interactive guide for students as they wiggle with 7 worms, stretch with 5 giraffes, and leap with 40 frogs.

• The Cheerio Counting Book by Will and Barbieri McGrath

The text and illustrations of the familiar “O” shaped cereal will help students count from 0 to 20 and add groups of 10. Students can read and count along with the story of follow along by manipulating their own set of Cheerios. Cheerios are represented in easy, countable groups up to 90 and includes text which stresses counting groups of 10 to determine higher number values. 

• Counting Crocodiles by Judy Sierra illustrated by Will Hillensbrand

Counting Crocodiles is a story based on an old African tale where a clever monkey uses her ability to count to outsmart hungry crocodiles and find her way off of a deserted island. This rhyming adventure follows the monkey and her friends as they count from 1-10 forwards and backwards in order to get to across the ocean and back with an armful of bananas.

• From One to One Hundred written and illustrated by Teri Sloat

Perfect for counting aloud as a group or for students working individually, no words are needed in this wonderful counting book by Teri Sloat. Join students from all over the world in counting 1-10 and by 10’s to 100. Each themed page includes a numeral, and various objects which can be counted in each picture. For example: page “6″ has the numeral represented in haystacks, 6 chicks, 6 eggs, 6 plants, 6 spiders, and 6 feed pails.

Web Connections:

• Interactive Teaching Model

This interactive teaching model provided by Houghton Mifflin Math for Kids involves an interactive tutorial about counting, representing, and recognizing numbers 0-31. In this teaching model, students will listen to prompts in order to learn about concepts and to practice using ten-frames, one-to-one correspondence, and manipulatives such as unifix cubes to represent numbers from 0-31.

• Bob the Builder Counting Game

This counting game with one of children’s most beloved characters involves students counting a set of items (numbers 1-10) and selecting the corresponding numeral from a set of answers.  Students will get practice in conservation, representing numbers and numerals, and estimating while having fun and helping Bob the Builder and his friend Sprout fix things around the town.

• Ant Parade Interactive Counting Game

  This counting game provided by AOL kids, allows students to use numeral and vocal cues to count out the correct number of ants and place them in order on a leaf for counting. Students will love using the whistle to call the ants to order and place them on a line in time for inspection.

• ABC Count-us-in Number Sense Games and Activities

This amazing site provided by ABC, links to 15 different interactive games and activities that teach students about counting and number sense. Game 1 involves separating sheep into two equal groups in two separate pens allowing students to practice counting up and down from numbers greater than 10.  Game 3 involves counting items in a picture and writing the corresponding numeral.  Game 5 involves placing a certain number of objects under the corresponding numeral. Game 6 involves matching a numeral to the written number. Game 7 involves using a 10 frame to count to values greater than 5. Game 11 involves counting one more or one less than a number without starting from 0. Other games include number sense activities involving ordinal and cardinal position, classifying sets, and sorting.

• An interactive guide to writing numbers and numerals

This interactive guide provided by Bornthinker allows students to see and follow along as the guide shows how to write numbers and numerals from 0-15. This website is a great resource for kids struggling in writing numbers and numerals correctly and to help students refine their fine motor skills through kinesthetic experiences.

 Additional Resources:

• Free Printable Number Sense Worksheets

This website provided by mathdrills.com is a great resource for teachers and includes free printable number sense worksheets in pdf form. Worksheets include blank and “counting by..” hundreds charts, number lines to values up to 125 by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, and 20’s, and place value charts for ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.

• Free Printable Counting Flashcards

This website provided by Apples4theteacher.com includes counting flashcard printables for numbers 1-15 including pictures for counting and numeral representation in color and black-and-white flashcards.

• Counting Lesson Plans

This website provided by A to Z teacher stuff includes fun and interesting counting lesson plans and activities for Kindergarten students including directions to make counting books, cheerio counting necklaces, M&M counting activities, and number songs and displays.

• Number Chants and Counting Songs

This website provided by songsforteaching includes links to many songs that will help teachers in teaching early number concepts and skip-counting. Song topics include- counting to 100, skip-counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s, concepts of greater than and less than, principles of basic addition and subtraction, and counting up and counting back. Each song includes lyrics and a clip of each song being sung.

• What Makes a Good Counting Book? Podcast

This 16 minute podcast includes basic principles which make up a good counting book and good counting book titles and suggestions.

Love Football Love KAKA is unique and definitely original. I’m not a true soccer fan, but I absolutely am intrigued with this theme. It’s detailed, intricate, and very sporty. If you’re a soccer fan, you really need this theme. I’ll show you why…

When Owen told me about their new theme from BlackBerry App World that’s free, I thought “Oh, soccer” and even “Who’s Kaka?” But after I downloaded it, I fell in love with the theme. It’s so detailed you almost feel like you’re on the soccer field yourself. First, let’s see what the description and features are:

Go Grab Love Football Love KAKA free premium theme by MMMOOO from BlackBerry App Store here

You’re reading a story which originated at BlackBerrySync.com, Where you find BlackBerry News You Can Sync With…

This story is sponsored by the new BlackBerry Sync Mobile App Store. Grab your free copy today at www.GetAppStore.com from your BlackBerry.

For All You Soccer Fans: Love Football Love KAKA Premium Free Theme By MMMOOO,

Related posts:

1. Fantasy Football ‘09 Fans Rejoice! Yahoo’s App Puts the Team On Your BlackBerry Free! We have great news for those of you who…
2. The Dark Rose Premium Theme By MMMOOO For BlackBerry MMMOOO has some interesting apps and themes, and their…
3. Review: Rainbow Face, New Premium Theme From MMMOOO I had the honor of trying a new theme…