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Zipper Interactive is back from the holidays and as promised, today is the day that they’re launching the open beta for MAG. For those who didn’t get a chance to try out the last beta, or simply

Hasta el día de hoy, Volkswagen vendía sus diferentes vehículos en Japón a través de una distribuidora creada entre dicha marca y la nipona Toyota que recibió el nombre de DUO.

En el día de ayer, Volkswagen ha comunicado que apartir de ahora mismo comenzará a vender sus vehículos por cuenta propia. Lo que si mantendrá será sus 250 concesionarios. La ruptura de la alianza con la firma japonesa se debe a la compra por parte de Volkswagen del 20% de Suzuki, convirtiéndose en un claro rival de Toyota.

Este acuerdo fué firmado en el año 1991 y les ha permitido dominar el campo de los vehículos importados en el país del sol naciente. Dentro de un tiempo veremos si esta jugada la salido bien al Grupo Volkswagen AG.

Related posts:

1. Volkswagen-Porsche se convierte en el primer fabricante mundial
2. Toyota desarrollará un coche menos contaminante que el Prius
3. Toyota llama a 3,8 millones de coches a revisión

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Dodge, Design/Style

The Dodge Challenger arguably features the most retro design of Detroit’s three modern day muscle cars. Sure, the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro exhibit cues that evoke their forebears, but neither slavishly recreates a whole car from yesteryear like the Challenger does. For 2010, Mopar has announced a new Performance Appearance Package for the Challenger that adds a host of bits and bobbles to the muscle car’s otherwise attractively simple design.

The new Performance Appearance Package adds a body-color hood with a scoop (no word on whether it’s functional, but we sure hope it is considering its size), a body-color “Go-Wing” rear spoiler and strobe stripe performance graphics. A separate package for the interior gets you a Mopar-branded T-handle shifter, bright pedal kit (for automatic-equipped models only), bright door-sill guards, premium carpet floor mats and a vehicle cover. We noticed Mopar’s use of the adjective “bright” when describing metal parts of the Performance Appearance Package, and after examining the pics can only guess that this means a shiny, chrome-like material was used.

The price for the exterior package is $1,995 and the interior package will cost you $945 if you’re ordering an automatic Challenger and $780 for one with a manual. Keep in mind, none of these accessories will help your Challenger keep up with a Mustang or Camaro. That’s why it’s called the Performance Appearance Package: it gives your Challenger the appearance of performance without actually adding any.

[Source: Mopar]

Continue reading Mopar introduces Performance Appearance Package for Dodge Challenger

Mopar introduces Performance Appearance Package for Dodge Challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Many are looking forward to the launch of the Audi A1 scheduled for March at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. However, many are excited to see what the S version of the A1 will offer. According to a report by AutoCar, Audi is working on an S1 hatchback, which will take on the likes of Mini Cooper S and Alfa Romeo’s MiTo Colverleaf when it goes on sale in 2011.

The S1 will be based on the upcoming Volkswagen Polo GTI and will be powered by V-dub’s turbocharged 1.4L, direct-injection 4-cylinder engine making 180-hp and a peak torque of 184 lb-ft. However, the Audi S3 will do high-performance without all-wheel-drive, making it the first S badged model not to use the company’s quattro system.

Insiders say that the Audi S1 should make its debut at next year’s Paris Motor Show. Sales in Europe will start in early 2011.

2011 Audi A1 (Teasers):

– By: Kap Shah

Source: AutoCar

(This guest post originally appeared at NewDeal2.0)

When in doubt, create a commission. It’s always the best way to legitimize stupid ideas. In that regard, it is dispiriting to see 2010 usher in the same discredited dogma that has done so much to contribute to the economic misery of the past decade.

According to the Washington Post: “The limit on the government’s credit card to a record $12.4 trillion gave a significant boost to a proposal to appoint a special commission to make the tough decisions that will be required to dig the nation out of debt. ”

Sadly, (but predictably), President Obama has voiced support for such a plan, as have 35 Democratic and Republican senators, who have signed on to legislation that would create a bipartisan commission with broad power to force painful spending cuts and tax increases through Congress.

Please note the focus of the commission: Cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and other forms of “unsustainable entitlement spending and a massive accumulated public debt”, which are allegedly “threatening to undermine the nation’s economy and the U.S. credit rating abroad.”

Well, so much for an open-mindedness and fact finding! Even before its official inception, the proposed commission is starting with remarkably partisan assumptions about debt and entitlement programs. What is so inherently “unsustainable” about our current levels of government debt? In the early Victorian period, for example, the British government debt to GDP ratio was nearly 200 per cent and almost reached that level again in the early 1920s.  The historian Lord Macaulay noted that at every stage of debt increase, “it was seriously asserted by wise men that bankruptcy and ruin were at hand; yet still the debt kept on growing, and still bankruptcy and ruin were as remote as ever.”

The ideas which underlie this new commission also display fundamental ignorance about double-entry bookkeeping principles which have been in existence for over 7 centuries.

In truth, today’s deficit hawks are nothing more than zealots — poised again to preach their nonsensical theology that government deficits are dangerous and need to be cut, without honestly explaining the full consequences of their recommendations. If households attempt to net save by spending less than they are earning, and businesses attempt to net save (reinvesting less than their retained earnings), then private sector incomes and real output will decline absent an increase in government spending. The danger of premature fiscal tightening was illustrated in the US in 1936-37, when the ending of a war veterans’ bonus and the introduction of Social Security taxes helped push the US back into recession when recovery from the Great Depression was far from complete.

The deficit terrorists only begrudgingly note (if at all) that absent the absorbing role of budget deficits over the last couple of years, we would have had a full Great Depression experience. Government deficits, as Paul Krugman has noted on numerous occasions, saved the world from a much more calamitous experience, yet these deficits are still characterized as something like Norman Bates’s murderous “mother” in the attic of Bates Motel, ready to destroy our helpless population under the nefarious guise of “socialism” or worse. The phobias created by supposedly apolitical organizations such as Pete Peterson’s Concord Coalition or the tea party brigades intimidate policy makers into modifying their fiscal responses to the point where they are insufficient to fill the spending gap left by private sector withdrawal.

Budget deficits per se tell us nothing about the state of the economy; nor do they inherently indicate that any given level of government spending is unsustainable. Pro-active fiscal policy will allow the private sector to have healthier finances by providing spending stimulus over time to generate income growth (and private saving) when it is targeted toward creating full employment, not bank bailouts. Bad fiscal policy, by contrast, simply reflects a collapse in private spending and correspondingly lower tax revenues, and the concomitant failure of government s to act so as to prevent increased social welfare payments (such as unemployment insurance or food stamps) from coming into play as a result of this declining economic activity.

A truly non-partisan commission would seek to analyze budget deficits and government spending within that paradigm. But that’s not the objective here. It is particularly galling to see the main beneficiaries of last year’s bailouts being the main champions of “reforming” government entitlement spending, stopping the fiscal expansion in its tracks before it truly starts to reduce unemployment on Main Street.

As we come into a new decade, however, we should always remember that there is no reason to have any unemployment in excess of so-called “frictional unemployment” (people in the process of moving between jobs). When private sector demand fails, the correct role for the public sector should be to absorb all the workers into the public sector via a Job Guarantee program.

There is never a shortage of work — just a shortage of available employers. When the private sector is unwilling or unable to hire additional workers, the only sector that is left is the public sector. One doesn’t have to be a “socialist” to point out that despite the slight recent improvement in the jobs picture (meaning only that things have not got any worse), we need 12 million new jobs just to deal with workers who have lost their jobs since the crisis began, plus those who would have entered the labor force (such as graduating students) if conditions had been better. At least another 12 million more jobs would be needed on top of that to get to full employment-or, 24 million in total.

Instead of obsessing about budget deficits (which rise as a consequence of unemployment), we would be far better served by commissions (if these stupid things are needed at all) which deal with the rapid escalation of joblessness that occurs during recessions. Why not focus on a new, New Deal program with a permanent and universal job guarantee that will supply as many jobs as there are job seekers? We have an enormous number of unemployed people who are drawing significant social welfare payments. Why not use a lot of that same money and deploy them in productive labor?

It is a no-brainer and the only reason governments do not do this is because (as our friend Bill Mitchell notes), they are blinded by an ideology that says they “cannot afford it” and “it would be unproductive” and “private firms might find it hard employing people again” and all the rest of the wrongful and tedious arguments that get wheeled out by the deficit terrorists.

A lot of people in the private sector don’t want this scheme because they prefer the disciplining effect of high unemployment to sustain a low wage model for their workers. Of course, they would never put it so crassly, but employers benefit when working people fear unemployment. Since workers also can vote, however, those seeking to prevent the adoption of a full employment policy do so under the rubric of “non-partisan” commissions, which seek to perpetuate adverse conditions for labor under the guise of patriotic concerns about “unsustainable government spending”.

By the same token, the government itself won’t address the real issues. Why? Because it is bought by the very beneficiaries of the current system, and also because most politicians cling to outmoded economic theories that are predicated on 19th century gold standard concepts such as “affordability” or “fiscal sustainability”. These concepts have no applicability in a fiat currency system, where a government can always generate the spending power required to sustain full employment.

There is no financial constraint on the government introducing a Job Guarantee program to maintain “shovel ready” labor for the private sector. Only political will and good sense are constrained. We begin the year with hope that President Obama will redirect his considerable powers of oratory in order to help the electorate understand this. And with that thought, let’s ensure that 2010 becomes a much happier and more productive time for the vast majority of people — those who have not collected a massive bank bonus check courtesy of the American taxpayer.

Roosevelt Institute Braintruster Marshall Auerback is a market analyst and commentator.

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See Also:

• Obama’s Newfound Populism: All Hat No Cattle
• The Chinese Are Not Our Bankers, And Obama Doesn’t Need To Kowtow Towards Them
• Dear Lloyd Blankfein: Here’s The REAL Purpose Of The Banking System

Well we are in the full swing of winter here in CT. I look outside my window and know that in a few hours I will have to go out and shovel my driveway…again. Shoveling snow is an activity that needs to be done properly so as not to injure your back. Turns out it can also injure your heart: it can strain the heart, particularly since the cold weather narrows blood vessels.

We have all heard the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. According the American Heart Association they are:

• Chest Discomfort – Imagine an like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back.
• Pain and Discomfort in other parts of the parts of the body such as: arm pain (in one or both arms, back pain, neck pain jaw pain, or even stomach pain
• Shortness of Breath
  
• Breaking into a Cold Sweat
• Nausea
• Lightheadness

According to Dr. Holly Anderson, director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of New York-Presbyterian Hospital “Frigid air causes blood vessels to constrict as the body tries to prevent heat loss”.

This is a natural response that can also put people with heart conditions and those involved in strenuous exercise at greater risk of having a heart attack ,” Andersen said.

The narrowing raises blood pressure and can reduce oxygen flow to the heart. Combined with a strenuous activity, such as shoveling snow, this can strain the heart, triggering a heart attack in those at risk.

Though women may also experience pain, they are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting and back or jaw pain

Precautions should be taken if you have a weak or compromised heart. A heart attack can be easily mistaken for a pulled muscle. This is why it is important to be on the lookout for certain symptoms after you finish shoveling snow.

Dr. Anderson suggests that certain precautions be taken during the winter season to prevent a heart attack:

• As with any activity, don’t forget to stretch. Jumping out of bed without warming up to shovel snow is not a good idea. Limber up by stretching or walking before you start.
• Dress appropriately. Wear windproof and waterproof outer garments, place a scarf over your mouth and nose to warm up the air before you breathe it in and wear layers. Bundling up will help maintain your body heat. Ski socks are a good idea.
• To avoid overexertion, try the less strenuous technique of pushing the snow with the shovel rather than lifting it. Also, take frequent breaks — shovel for 15 minutes, then rest for 15.
• If you’re over 50, overweight, not active, are a smoker or have suffered a previous heart attack, consult a doctor before shoveling snow. Your risk is higher for a heart attack than the average joe. You may want to hire a local landscaping company to handle your driveway for the season.

Source: Heart attacks more common in winter; tips to lower your risk

Additional Reading Resources:

• The Winter Weather is Here. Are you Shoveling Snow properly?
• Recent Study Shows that Biofreeze Reduces Pain and Blood Flow & Increases Muscle Function
• My Trapezius Hurts, How Do I Find Relief?
• Sleep At Age 40 Is Important For Your Heart Health
• Losing the Back Pain from your Life

Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief.

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The Louisiana Community AIDS Partnership, in collaboration with the National AIDS Fund, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local funding partners announce the availability of up to $115,000 in grant funding to strengthen organizational or programmatic infrastructure and policy and advocacy as they relate to HIV/AIDS issues across Louisiana. Deadline for submission is January 11, 2010, 4 p.m. CST. Download the full application instructions.

Sure, Valentines Day is coming up next month, but it appears that Palm is pulling a play out of the Centro handbook: release a device in black, and then offer different colors shortly thereafter.  To that extent, an image from Sprint’s systems clearly show that pink is the next color in the Pixi line.  Will it be announced and shown off at CES?  No idea, but an appearance in the system is a strong indicator that it’s coming soon.

Though the pink color option shown in the picture above is from Sprint’s internal systems, there’s no word if Verizon will pick up the pink color in its rumored Palm Pixi Plus.  I’d like to hear from you – pink?  Black?  Blue?  Purple?  What’s your color of choice?

Via Engadget Mobile

When quarterback Tom Brady tore a knee ligament last year, the New England Patriots got a rude lesson in the limits of modern medicine: Repairing injured ligaments, tendons, and cartilage is difficult, much trickier than mending a broken bone. When tendons—essential connectors between muscle and bone—are severed, surgical attempts to anchor the tendon to bone often fail because the materials are so different. The problem is akin to joining a rope to a cement wall.

This series, despite being somewhat lengthy, is by no means a complete overview of the various methods, options and approaches to predicting component temperatures. Here is some stuff I didn’t cover…

(more…)

If you’re in Las Vegas this week, and you have Super Street Fighter IV skills, the Xbox community needs you! The Capcom team has thrown down a friendly challenge, but I need your help. While the Capcom folks be showing off some of the new characters in the SSFIV in Las Vegas this week, they’re also hosting Las Vegas Fight Club where we’ll put some of the best SSIV players in the ring against each other.  If you are in the Las Vegas area on Thursday night (January 7th) and you want to help Team Xbox 360 take on the Capcom Unity folks send me an email (major at Xbox com) with a quick explanation why we should pick you. You must be over 18 and ready to fight. Read Capcom’s blog entry for more details and maybe I’ll see you this week in Las Vegas.

Fresh off its merger with fellow app analytics provider Pinch Media, Flurry has struck an alliance with comScore (NSDQ: SCOR) on a joint mobile audience measurement service. The joint service, which will be sold through comScore and its affiliates, is meant to capitalize on the rapid pace of mobile ad growth expected in 2010. In large part, that growth is being driven by wider adoption of mobile apps across the iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

There was no equity arrangement as part of the deal between Flurry and comScore. Instead, comScore’s mobile panel data (which comScore acquired via its purchase of mobile-measurement firm M:Metrics) will be married to Flurry’s app usage stats.

Flurry claims a significant range of data collection abilities. With the Pinch Media combo that was announced two weeks ago, Flurry says it now covers 80 percent of all iPhone, iPod Touch and Android handsets. For comScore, the addition of Flurry’s analytics will help it compete with a growing list of challenges as its rivals tighten their focus on mobile audience measurement in response to demands from advertisers and publishers.

In particular, advertisers want greater details about users’ behavior when it comes to online in general, as well as blogs, facebook fan pages, twitter and iPhone and Android apps. A formal relationship with comScore also comes with some clear marketing advantages for Flurry. For one thing, Flurry believes the partnership will help it reach potential clients who may not be familiar with it. The company also says that availing itself of comScore’s deep audience intelligence will give it the kind of targeting ability, allowing it to position Flurry as having the kind of targeting power that DoubleClick has with its DART system on the PC web.

Related

• Flurry To Merge With Fellow Mobile Apps Analytics Provider Pinch Media

12 suspected rhino poachers and rhino horn buyers have been arrested in Kenya following the killing of a female Southern white rhino on a private ranch.

A manhunt in central Kenya has resulted in the arrest of 12 suspected rhino poachers and rhino horn buyers, after a 10-year old female Southern white rhino was shot at the Mugie rhino sanctuary on December 28, and her horns brutally hacked off.

The rhino’s horns were recovered in the arrest, along with $8,500 USD in cash.

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