German driver Sebastian Vettel admitted that the new point scoring system introduced by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) for the 2010 season of Formula One doesn’t seem too radical.
Ever since the ruling body decided to change the system, there have been pros and cons regarding the new format. Based on the MotoGP point-scoring system, the one to debut in F1 next year puts more emphasis on the win (and the podium finishers) than before. The winner will score 25 points… (read more)
Cleverly disguised under the phrase "to complete necessary non-production work," American manufacturer Chrysler announced the extension of the holiday break at several of its facilities, with plants beginning work only in the middle of January.
According to Chrysler, the shutdowns will be used to perform scheduled maintenance, install equipment and supplier re-sourcing related to the closure of the Twinsburg (Ohio) Stamping Plant as well as for the line of refreshed mod… (read more)
These days the world is looking at Copenhagen Summit, its agenda and how much carbon footprint it is generating. At the same time the most climate-friendly childcare center in Denmark is being established in Hørsholm. Hørsholm is situated in the north of Copenhagen. This childcare center will be opened in November 2010. The […]
Posted in: Economy, Environment, Industry
It may be an art installation, but this “digital” clock, operated for 24 hours straight by a group of staunch Dutchmen might fare better as a desktop widget. I suppose it’s meant to say something about the nature of time, and perhaps it does, but this is a gadget blog, not the MOMA coffee shop. Go, you. Talk about it there.
You can buy it in their shop, and the DVD includes a tool that synchronizes the movie with your computer’s clock. It’s like one of those little virtual dancing ladies, but slightly more practical.
[via Metafilter]
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Ford Racing unveiled today the next generation of racing Mustang in the form of the new BOSS 302R, a beast fitted with a new 5.0-liter V8 engine. Bud Moore Engineering prepared the race car in honor of the 40th anniversary of Parnelli Jones’ 1970 Trans-Am championship, with prices starting at MSRP $79,000 and with deliveries expected to begin in the third quarter of 2010.
Aside from the 5.0-liter four-valve engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission, each Mustang BOSS 302R … (read more)
By Steve Blank, Columnist, Entrepreneur Corner, Venturebeat
Last week, as a favor to a friend, I sat in on a board meeting of a fairly successful 3.5 year-old startup. Given all that could go wrong in this economy, they were doing well. Their business had just crossed cash flow breakeven, had grown past 50 employees, just raised a substantive follow-on round of financing and had recently hired a Chief Financial Officer.
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By Stan Schroeder, Features Editor, Mashable
It’s hard to argue that 2009 wasn’t the year of Twitter. Yes, the questions about monetization loomed over the young web company as soon as it started gaining popularity, and they’re still largely unanswered. But people loved this new way of communicating via 140 character messages that go out to everyone who wants to hear them.
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It was two years ago that I had a heart attack, an event that changed my life. Had it not been for the timely intervention of some friends and some amazing medical professionals including my cardiologist, J. Eduardo Rame (who has since moved to U. Penn) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Heart & Vascular Center, I wouldn’t be around today. Perhaps that’s why I deeply appreciate the value of their efforts.
UCSF, like many of our esteemed institutions, needs our support, and I was hoping that you would join me in helping raise funds for the hospital. My target is pretty modest: Help them raise $50,000 in 2010.
Make the check to: UCSF Foundation. In the notes area of the check, write “OM/Cardiovascular Research Initiative.”
Mail the check to: UCSF Foundation, UCSF Box 0248, San Francisco, CA 94143-0248. ATTN: Kevin McAteer, Director of Development
If you have time, please take a moment and learn more about heart and vascular diseases, how to prevent them, and how to figure out if you have a problem. Visit the UCSF web site.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user eupgachev
The Mercedes SLS AMG Desert Gold edition was presented at the Dubai motor show, and here is the video of the car, along with pics from the show. The SLS AMG gold tint version could possibly be included as a permanent colour for the Middle East market, with the option appearing as part of the AMG Performance Studio exclusive personalisation program.
The external Desert Gold look is contrasted with a black carbon fibre finish interior, while the engine remains unchanged. The Middle East is Mercedes’ fourth largest market, and so the Dubai motor show also featured a preview of the new Mercedes E-Class cabriolet. Check out the SLS AMG Desert Gold in the pics.
The fact that the automobile industry is seriously affected by the global recession is no secret to anybody, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that all car sales went down, as France is expected to announce its highest car sales since 2001.
According to French newspaper Les Echos, the increase is related to the fact that drivers took advantage of government scrapping and other incentive schemes before the end of 2009.
The newspaper also said it is expected that mor… (read more)
Although rumors were hinting that Saab might still live on – through an acquisition by Spyker – it seems the Swedish unit is getting close to the official closure, as the possibility to seal a deal is becoming a more unlikely scenario. A person close to the matter told Reuters that General Motors is keen on its plans to wind down Saab and the process will begin in early January as initially projected.
Still, the US-based manufacturer is negotiating with Spyker, who recently submit… (read more)
The 2010 season of Formula One could have brought us not one, but two Schumachers on the grid. Aside from the never-ending story of Michael Schumacher’s return, his brother now revealed that he could have came back in F1 if he really wanted. However, the offer that was made to him did not match his expectations.
Ralf had a concrete offer (to return to F1 in 2010) but it wasn’t the challenge he wanted, a friend of Ralf Schumacher was quoted as saying to the German newspaper Bild. <... (read more)
Article Tags: Alan Siddons, Leon Ashby
Food for thought about CO2 from Alan Siddons
Concentrated CO2 exposed to infrared will get somewhat warmer than everyday air. But this only proves that everyday air (99.96% of which is nitrogen, oxygen and argon) is more transparent to IR and less apt to be heated that way. Air molecules, CO2 included, initially acquire heat by contact with warmer surfaces. Via mutual collisions and convective transport, this heat gets spread around within an airmass.
To some slight degree, CO2 also has the option of acquiring heat by radiative transfer. But, rather ironically, it cannot radiatively transfer this heat to the nitrogen, oxygen and argon molecules which surround it because, as said, they are largely infrared-transparent. As a result, an excited CO2 molecule is obliged to share its heat just like the rest of them do, by bumping into other molecules. In short, there’s nothing special about CO2 in a real-world context. Outnumbered 2500 to 1, CO2’s energy is lost in a busy buzz of collisions, its radiative properties wasted.
Moreover, any heated gas radiates infrared — and in this case 99.96% of the gas consists of molecules other than CO2.
File attachment: Climate Sceptic News 27 th Dec.pdf
Indoor off-road driving test experience Camp Jeep will be offered to visitors attending the 2010 San Diego International Auto Show, scheduled to be held between December 30 – January 3, at the San Diego Convention Center. The 30,000-square foot exhibit will give auto show attendees a chance to experience the extreme on- and off-road capabilities of Jeep vehicles without leaving the show floor.
"We have created this unique auto show opportunity to provide our customers with a… (read more)
Winter greens, teeming with micronutrients, nourish my family during the darkest days of the season when the fields offer little else but stored apples and pumpkin. As days grow shorter, spinach, Swiss chard and other winter greens slowly replace the tender mesclun lettuces of spring and summer before the cycle begins anew. At the height of the winter season, when snow blankets our little ski town and gingerly encroaches on the farmland to the west, winter greens make their appearance on the supper table every evening.
While a winter filled with greens, greens and more greens may seem dull or very limited, winter greens are remarkably versatile. The peppery nuances of turnip greens provide a lovely pungency when compared to the subtle sweetness of fresh, baby spinach while more exotic Asian greens like tat soi and mizuna offer a charming alternative to classic and well-known greens such as Swiss chard and collards. Local, farm fresh winter greens are widely available and readily grown in a variety of climates – making them easily accessible from farm stands and farmers markets even on the coldest and darkest of days.
Winter greens are a rich source of micronutrients: particularly, the antioxidant beta carotene as well as vitamin K1, manganese, potassium, calcium and iron. Yet, it’s important to note that greens also contain the anitnutrient oxalic acid which binds of minerals present in the leafy vegetables, inhibiting their full absorption. Cooking greens lightly and choosing fresh, young leaves helps to mitigate oxalic acid content by about 15%; however, persons with healthy intestinal flora are able to effectively metabolize oxalates to a greater degree than those who suffer from gut dysbiosis – illustrating yet another critical role that beneficial bacteria play in human health. Indeed, both lactobacillus bacteria as well as oxalobacter formigenes play a role in the body’s ability to effectively process oxalates. Use of antibiotics, which kill beneficial bacteria as well as pathogens, may cause the loss of these critical bacteria.
Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable related to the common garden beet. It’s dark, broad leaves and often vibrantly colored stems, are rich in vitamins and minerals. A one-cup serving of cooked Swiss chard contains 10,717 IU vitamin A, mostly as beta carotene, 573 mcg vitamin K and 32 mg vitamin C as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Swiss chard, with its faintly beet-like flavor, is particularly well suited to citrus fruits. For a nourishing side dish, heat butter in a skillet until melted, fry shallots auntil well caramelized, add chard and cook until tender before deglazing the pan with orange or lemon juice. Choose Swiss chard with dark leaves, avoiding those with pallid or yellowing leaves, and with a crisp stem.(…)
Read the rest of Five Winter Greens You Don’t Want to Miss (473 words)
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In the beginning of December, we brought you the news that pit crew member Donald "D.J." Richardson of the Richard Childress Racing organization came down with the H1N1 virus. While at the time Richardson was recovering from complications, he did not manage to survive the virus and passed away on Christmas Day, at 37 years of age.
All of us at RCR are saddened by D.J.’s passing, Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing said according to Auto123. … (read more)
Article Tags: ClimateGate, Editorial
Associated Press coverage raises eyebrows
With trillions of dollars at stake in the battle over global warming, now would be the time for the press to closely scrutinize the claims of those who would reorganize the world’s economy from farm to factory and laboratory to living room. And the Climategate scandal – where leaked e-mails and dodgy computer programs from the University of East Anglia raise powerful new questions about the role of politics in climate science – would be the perfect opportunity to explore what is going on behind the scenes.
That’s not happening. To judge by recent coverage from Associated Press, the Fourth Estate watchdog has acted like a third-rate pocket pet. Case in point is an 1,800-word AP missive that appeared in hundreds of publications, many carrying it on the front page of their Sunday, Dec. 13 issue with the headline, “Science not faked, but not pretty.” AP gave three scientists copies of the controversial e-mails and then asked them about their conclusions. The wire service portrayed the trio of scientists as dismissing or minimizing allegations of scientific fraud when, in fact, the scientists believe no such thing.
The first scientist quoted in the article, Mark Frankel, is director of scientific freedom, responsibility and law at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AP quotes him as concluding that there is, “no evidence of falsification or fabrication of data, although concerns could be raised about some instances of very ‘generous interpretations.’” While the article mentions that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and some Republican lawmakers are calling for independent investigations, AP doesn’t note the views of the scientists they interviewed.
Click source to read FULL Editorial from The Washington Post
Source: washingtontimes.com
Parece que el sonado accidente en moto de Pere Navarro al resbalar con una placa de hielo le ha dejado unas secuelas más psíquicas que físicas y le ha hecho pensar y admitir que el límite de velocidad de las carreteras españolas es demasiado bajo.
La Dirección General de Tráfico y el Ministerio del Interior han llevado una nueva Ley al Congreso que aumenta el límite en las carreteras de peaje de todo el territorio nacional, quedando establecido en 140 km/h. La idea es ampliar este límite al resto de carreteras públicas (de las que depende Fomento que en su día propuso esta medida) para igualarse con un país tan adelantado como es Alemania, donde no existe límite.
Según ha afirmado el máximo responsable de la DGT, en las carreteras españolas existe un déficit en cuestión de mantenimiento de las carreteras, admitiendo que el estado del firme en algunas es totalmente vergonzoso para tratarse de una carretera de la red principal y siendo el nuestro uno de los países más adelantados de Europa. Es por ello que sólo ha podido lanzarse a probar en las de peaje, donde el firme es envidiable y seguro.
Aun así, ha concluído con que a mediados de 2010 pretende establecer este nuevo límite en el 95% de las autopistas del país, y a finales del próximo año ver el sueño de muchos conductores cumplido con un límite adecuado a las características de los nuevos vehículos que se fabrica, aumentando este límite al 100% de las autopistas nacionales, sean o no de peaje.
Esta noticia no ha sido bien recibida por algunos sectores y asociaciones de conductores domingueros de nuestro país, puesto que han advertido que ahora serán más los conductores que les piten al ir conduciendo por el carril de la izquierda a paso tortuga y que el enfado de los más fitipaldis será mayor.
Sea como fuere, que el director de la DGT ha salido de su error de hace tantos años y sea o no tomado como regalo de Navidad, a más de uno le gustará la nueva noticia.
Article Tags: Lord Monckton
In December 2009, Scientific American, once a respected popular-science journal and now a pulp science-fiction picture comic, viciously attacked US Senator James Inhofe because he had proclaimed 2009 to be the Year of the Skeptic. By skepticism, he meant “standing up and exposing the science, the costs and the hysteria behind global warming alarmism”.
Venomously, Science Fiction American’s editorial comment continued: “Within the community of scientists and others concerned about anthropogenic climate change, those whom Inhofe calls skeptics are more commonly termed contrarians, naysayers and denialists.” Yah-Boo! This name-calling marks the depth of unscientific desperation to which the proponents of the “global warming” nonsense have now sunk.
Unscientific American pompously continued: “Not everyone who questions climate change science fits that description, of course—some people are genuinely unaware of the facts or honestly disagree about their interpretation. What distinguishes the true naysayers is an unwavering dedication to denying the need for action on the problem, often with weak and long-disproved arguments about supposed weaknesses in the science behind global warming.”
Source: sppiblog.org
If you’re pregnant, drinking several sugary soft drinks each week can increase the chance you’ll develop gestational diabetes, a condition that occurs when women who’ve never had diabetes develop high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
According to new research from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans, women who consumed at least five servings of non-diet cola per week faced a 22% greater risk of gestational diabetes when compared to women who consumed less than one serving a month.
The risk was still present after accounting for other diabetes risk factors, including BMI and exercise habits. However, researchers still aren’t sure if cola consumption before pregnancy affects the risk for developing gestational diabetes.
Researchers also found that pregnant women who had five or more sugar-sweetened beverages of any type a week were 23% more likely to develop gestational diabetes compared to women who consumed less than one serving a month.
The good news: Consuming diet cola didn’t increase risk of gestational diabetes. The research is published in the journal Diabetes Care.
According to the American Diabetes Association, gestational diabetes is usually diagnosed around 28 weeks or later. Each year, about 4% of all pregnant women (135,000 cases) in the US will have gestational diabetes. The condition usually goes away after pregnancy, but there’s a higher chance of gestational diabetes in future pregnancies. Women who’ve had diabetes during pregnancy are also at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes years later.
Treatment for diabetes during pregnancy includes special meal plans, scheduled physical activity and possibly daily blood glucose testing and insulin injections. Sticking with treatment helps the mother and baby’s health, and it also lowers the risk of a cesarean section birth.
(Image via stock.xchng)
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