Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Toyota

For over a decade, Toyota had been frantically building up its North American infrastructure to build more and more cars and trucks. The plan was going smoothly until the new car market collapsed, leaving barren plants in its wake. But it appears as though Toyota is getting back on its feet. Automotive News now reports that the Japanese automaker is now running all of its North American plants on overtime to meet demand and replenish depleted vehicle reserves.

Among the Toyota plants cranking at full steam is the company’s Woodstock, Ontario plant that produces the RAV4. Compact crossovers are hot in the market right now and the Japanese automaker is reportedly looking to add a second shift to crank out more copies of its popular (not so) little CUV. Adding a second shift to the facility will result in 800 new hires at the plant; news that is sure to be well received in the region. The plan is to get the workers trained and have both shifts running at an annualized rate of 150,000 vehicles by April 1. Toyota has even increased Corolla production by adding Saturday shifts at its soon-to-close New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. facility in Fremont, California. In spite of the increased demand for its efficient compact, Toyota reportedly doesn’t plan to reverse its plan to close the factory by the end of March, and the move could be a case of Toyota stockpiling production as it adjusts to life without NUMMI.

[Source: Automotive News – subs req’d]

REPORT: Toyota running all North American plants on overtime to meet demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is disturbing.

EastSouthWestNorth has a transcript of a newscast:

Host: We just watched a video clip taken on a mobile phone on November 13 in the Jinniu district of Chengdu city where a demolition was taking place.  A spectator took the video and provided it to this program.  The woman standing on the rooftop chose to take a very extreme action in order to stop the demolition.  Today, the relevant department in Chengdu provided more concrete information to the media, including the fact that the woman died two days ago.

In this short video, we can hear from the noisy background that many people were still trying to dissuade her: “Don’t do this!  Come down!  We can talk about this calmly!”  Professor Wang, what are your feelings after watching this video?

Commentator Wang Xixin: A vibrant life was lost via such an extreme, tragic manner.  We remember her name — Tang Fuzhen.  No matter who was right or wrong, this is still a tragedy.  As people who are still alive, we must ask just why this tragedy occurred.  We can even ask just what factors are working behind this tragedy.  If we do not reflect on these types of tragedies, it may recur.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The US-China Trade War Is Here
• Chinese Industrial Production Tears Higher
• Does Decline In Chinese Fixed-Asset Investment Signal The End Of Government-led Boom?

By thinking outside the box, the Denmark-based company Santaris Pharma A/S has developed a drug targeting a specific molecule necessary for Hepatitis C replication. Although a very small trial, SPC3649 demonstrates a significant Hepatitis C viral load decline in primates.

New Hepatitis C Treatment Shows Promise

Drug prevented virus from replicating in the livers of primates

By Jennifer Thomas
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) — A new drug to treat hepatitis C has shown promise in a primate study.

The drug, called SPC3649, uses a new strategy to prevent the hepatitis C virus from replicating. Unlike other antivirals that target the virus itself, the new DNA-based drug targets a small RNA molecule in the liver that hepatitis C needs to replicate, the researchers explained.

By inhibiting the molecule, SPC3649 reduced hepatitis C virus levels in the liver and in the bloodstream in chimpanzees that received the highest dose by 350-fold.

Continue reading the entire article:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/12/03/new-hepatitis-c-treatment-shows-promise.html

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, Kia

In an interview with the blokes from Autocar, Kia head designer Peter Schreyer had plenty of interesting things to say about the possibility of a new rear-wheel drive sportscar from the Korean automaker based on the KEE concept from the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

If it ever sees the light of day, Schreyer sees the coupe as a possible competitor for the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the upcoming inexpensive sportscar from Toyota and Subaru. Not to mention a possible Nissan 240SX revival. Just don’t expect to see such a machine any time soon:

Assuming Kia’s European fortunes continue to improve at the rate they are now, we could be ready in, say, five years for a car like Kee… [I]t would be important for the Kee to be rear-wheel drive. And there is, of course, already a rear-driven platform within the Hyundai-Kia group that we could look to use, if our timing was good… Personally, I have to say that I’m very excited by the idea, and very enthusiastic to make it happen.

So, not only may the Genesis platform be expanded to include a top-level Kia sedan, it may spawn a small sporty machine as well. According to Schreyer, the production Kee wouldn’t need a ton of power; rather Kia would focus on making the car “compact, affordable and fun.” Sounds good to us – really, can we ever have too much of those three adjectives in the automotive world?

[Source: Autocar]

REPORT: Kia considering production Kee to compete with Toyobaru coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Regardless of how legitimate the global push towards green may or may not be, there’s no escaping the impact the rapid shift in consumer demand has had on the automotive industry. Ward’s 2010 10 Best Engines list reads like an Al Gore-scripted porno and in the 16 years they’ve been objectively evaluating engines, this year marks the first time only one V8 unit (from Hyundai, ironically enough) has made the cut. The rest of the selections are smaller, more fuel-efficient units including the frustratingly underpowered 1.8L DOHC I-4 Hybrid from the Toyota Prius.

Fortunately, the rest of Ward’s choices aren’t nearly as boring and include the 3.5L Ecoboost turbocharged V6 from the comeback kid himself (herself?), the Taurus SHO, and the snarling 3.0L supercharged V6 from the Audi S4. The 2.4L DOHC I-4 from the Chevy Equinox also made the list, purportedly thanks to its “groundbreaking” performance and segment-leading efficiency, though it’s reasonable to suspect that pity might have played a small role too.

Hit the jump for the full list of Ward’s 2010 picks.

2010 Ward’s Best Engines
* 2.0L TFSI Turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Audi A4)
* 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6 (Audi S4)
* 3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel (BMW 335d)
* 2.5L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid)
* 3.5L EcoBoost Turbocharged DOHC V-6 (Ford Taurus SHO)
* 2.4L Ecotec DOHC I-4 (Chevrolet Equinox)
* 4.6L Tau DOHC V-8 (Hyundai Genesis)
* 2.5L Turbocharged DOHC H-4 (Subaru Legacy 2.5GT)
* 1.8L DOHC I-4 Hybrid (Toyota Prius)
* 2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel (Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI)

Source: Ward’s

November’s retail sales were nothing to jump up and down about.  But, importantly, they increased for the first time in a year.

In other words, despite 10% unemployment, the housing collapse, and a credit crunch, U.S. consumer spending continues to recover.

Asha Bangalore of Northern Trust walks through the data:

Retail sales moved up 1.3% in November after a 1.1% gain in October.  Excluding autos, retail
sales have risen 1.2% in November.  Excluding the autos, gasoline, and building materials, retail
rose 1.0% in November.  The important signal is that weakness in retail sales is behind us.  On a
month-to-month basis, retail sales excluding autos, gasoline, and building materials have moved
up four straight months! 
 

Equally, noteworthy is the fact that retail sales have risen from a year ago (+1.8%, see chart 2) after an extended period of declines.

The improving picture of retail sales translated to steady retail inventories.  Overall business
inventories increased 0.2% in October, the first monthly gain since September 2008.  The positive
contributions were from the factory and wholesale sectors.  The increase in inventories is a
positive signal about demand conditions and the optimism of business about the future path of the
economy.  The inventory-sales ratio slipped to 1.30 in October from 1.31 in the prior month.

In related news, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index advanced to 73.4 in the
early December survey from 67.4 in the prior month.  Both the Expectations and Current
Conditions indexes advanced in December.  The link between consumer outlook and spending is
tenuous when retail sales are considered on a month-to-month basis.  However, the
year-to-year change in inflation adjusted consumer spending is stronger.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Ben Bernanke Is Completely Blowing It On Jobs
• Remember How We Bailed Out The Banks So They Could Keep Lending?

When I was a little kid, every Christmas I would pick oranges from one of our trees and stud them all over with whole cloves. The resulting pomander ball was incredibly fragrant and it only took a couple to infuse almost the whole house with a very subtle smell of orange and cloves, a scent that I associate with the holidays as much as eggnog, hot cocoa, wood-burning fireplaces and peppermint candy canes.

This year, I took that orange and clove concept and put it in cookie form. The resulting cookies don’t last nearly as long as their pomander counterparts – which can last for months in a dry environment – but they just taste as much like Christmas as those clove-studded oranges smell like it.

The cookies are snowballs, shortbread-like round cookies that almost seem to melt in your mouth when you bite into them. The cookies are rolled in confectioners sugar to give them their snowball-like appearance, and to add some sweetness to them, since the cookie dough is only very lightly sweetened to begin with. The crumbly texture comes from ground almonds (almond flour or meal) and some cornstarch, as well as from the relatively high butter-to-flour ratio of these cookies. Orange zest and ground cloves give the cookies their distinctive warm, spicy flavor. These improve with age, so feel free to make them a couple of days ahead of time and store them in an airtight container.

(more…)

The lentil (Lens ensculenta) is a legume that grows in pods containing one or two lentil seeds.

They are believed to have originated in central Asia.

Lentils have been eaten by humans since Neolithic times and were one of the first domesticated crops.

In the Middle East, lentil seeds have been found dating back more than 8000 years.

In the Old Testament, Esau gives up his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of lentil soup.

In Judaism, lentils are considered to be a food for mourners because of their round shape symbolizing the circle of life.

The Greek playwright Aristophanes called lentil soup the “sweetest of delicacies.”

Lentils have been found in Egyptian tombs dating as far back as 2400 BC.

In India, the lentil is known as dal or daal.

For many centuries, lentils were considered to be “the poor man’s meat.” In Catholic countries, those who couldn’t afford fish would eat lentils during Lent instead.

In the 18th century, King Louis XV’s wife, Marie Leszczynska, made lentils fashionable among royalty and they were nicknamed “the queen’s lentils.”

There are many different varieties and colors of lentils, including brown, yellow, black, orange, red and green.

Beluga lentils are black and one of the smallest varieties of lentils, having an appearance similar to caviar.

French green lentils are small, delicate, and flavorful and hold their shape after cooking better than many other types of lentil.

The most common lentils used in the United States are green and brown, since these varieties are best at retaining their shape after cooking.

The optical lens is named after the Latin word for lentil, lens.

Unlike most other beans, lentils don’t need to be soaked before cooking.

Lentils and rice is a popular staple dish in many countries, with many variations depending on the region.

In Egypt, one of the national dishes is kushari, a dish made of rice, brown lentils, chickpeas, pasta, garlic, salsa, and vinegar. In fact, many restaurants in Egypt serve nothing but kushari.

In the 1980s British sitcom “The Young Ones,” the character named Neil is a stereotypical hippie who is always eating lentils.

There has been a ton of publicity about the young woman who was jailed and facing felony charges, because she caught snippets of the film New Moon while filming parts of her sister’s birthday party. The outrage over this has been loud and widespread — causing backlash against the movie theater and the movie studio that put out the movie. Even the director of the movie was complaining about the arrest and prosecution. Realizing that this was a bad situation all around, it looks like prosecutors have come to their senses and dropped the charges against the young woman, though we still have the same ridiculous law in place that made this situation possible. Shouldn’t we also be looking to change that right about now?

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Filed under: SUV, Acura, Luxury

With several improvements for the 2010 model year set to differentiate it from last year’s model, Acura has announced pricing on its 7-passenger MDX sport-utility vehicle. The 2010 MDX receives new cosmetic enhancements inside and out, a new 6-speed automatic transmission, chassis improvements and even more standard equipment.

On the outside, the MDX sports new front and rear bodywork including a new front grille, revised taillights and new 18-inch wheels. The cabin is fitted with a new sport steering wheel, new gauges and upgraded trim including even more Milano premium leather. Mated to the standard 300-hp 3.7-liter V6 is a new six-speed automatic promising improved performance and better fuel economy (the 2010 EPA rating is 16/21, an improvement of 1 mpg in both city and highway).

Acura will offer five trim levels of the MDX, the least expensive of which will start at $42,230 (*plus $810 destination and handling) while the flagship MDX with Advance & Entertainment Packages is $53,755 (plus D&H). Note that the base price for a 2009 model was $40,990 minus the destination fee, which means that you’ll be paying an extra $1,240 or 3 percent for all those updates. For full pricing information, check out the press release after the jump.

[Source: Acura]

Continue reading Acura prices refreshed-for-2010 MDX from $42,230*

Acura prices refreshed-for-2010 MDX from $42,230* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bought for $14 million in 2000, put on the market several weeks ago for $27.5 million, and sold promptly for $24 million, this Palm Beach mansion was a great investment for Malcolm Glazer.

It’s about the only good thing to happen this season to the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-11 and possibly for sale) and Manchester United F.C. (second in the league but hugely in debt).

The $24 million sale is also uplifting for the Palm Beach market, which has suffered from foreclosures and falling prices in 2009. The sale is the region’s biggest of the year, according to Palm Beach Daily News.

Finally, the place is in pristine condition. Glazer never actually lived there, and the new owner, real estate investor Jeffrey Green, probably won’t either.

Gaze at Glazer’s $24 Million Mansion>>>

Join the conversation about this story »

…My back of the envelope calculation says that we need to add around 18 million jobs over the next five years, or 300,000 jobs a month. This puts last week’s employment report, which showed job losses of “only” 11,000 in November, in perspective. It was basically a terrible report…

So if we’re going to have any real good news, someone has to take responsibility for creating a lot of additional jobs. And at this point, that someone almost has to be the Federal Reserve…

Read the whole thing at NYT >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• We’ve Still Got A LONG Way To Go On Jobs
• Here’s Why There Won’t Be A V-Shaped Recovery In Jobs
• Help! We Need You! Come Work At The Business Insider!

San Francisco, California | Strange Science

In 1906, a massive earthquake hit San Francisco, and the “ham and egg” fires – named such because they were started by a family cooking breakfast with an earthquake damaged chimney – that followed nearly destroyed the city, burning most of the financial district, downtown, civic center, and SOMA areas to the ground.

Over the course of the next 6 years San Francisco rose from the ashes, building new land out of the rubble – now known as the Marina or Cow Hollow – and were ready to face the world victorious in 1915. On February 20, hosted on grounds created from earthquake rubble, the Panama Pacific Expedition opened to celebrate not only the rise of the city but the completion of the Panama Canal.

Today, where ladies performed synchronized swimming, nestled next to the last remaining building of expedition, the magnificent Neo-Roman Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium allows its visitors to explore the physical sciences.

The Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum geared towards children, is home to hundreds of exhibits that help in the understanding of electricity, centrifugal motion, sound waves, optical illusion and superstitions among other things. There are a few “hidden” exhibits at the Exploratorium that are easy to miss, but very worth seeking out.

First among them is the Sound Column, easy to pass by as it is what looks like a maintenance door in one of the massive Neo-Roman columns that make up the remains of the Palace of Fine Arts. In fact, the column is hollow and contains a fantastic demonstration of how sound waves work. By hitting a xylophone in the column with a large mallet the different notes travel at different wavelengths illustrated on the wall. By just moving ones head up and down one can make the notes seem to go silent, at the smallest section of the wavelength, or resonate loudly as they do at the peak of the wavelength. If the door is locked, ask at the front desk and someone will let you in.

Another hidden delight is the Tactile Dome – not recommended for the claustrophobic or germophobic – is an experience in total darkness that challenges visitors to heighten their sense of touch to navigate through the winding paths on their hands and knees. The tactile dome must be reserved ahead of time, and is a three dollar additional cost to the museum.

On any given day the Exploratorium is overrun by kids on field trips or birthday parties. It can be hard to fully enjoy the exhibits while kids frantically careen from exhibit to exhibit, but once a month on the first Thursday the museum is open late for Exploratorium After Dark. The lights are turned down low, special exhibits, such as as chain saw ice sculpting or Dr Mega Volt, are brought in, and drinks are served. In this setting, the Exploratorium becomes a fantastic play land for adults, who still have enough wonder in them to delight in the wonderful exhibits of the Exploratorium.

With an incredibly strong magnetic field, the INOX SREX Permanent Magnetic Drum is the latest new product developed and launched by Eriez Magnetics Europe.

The new Drum was launched as an addition to the range of Eriez Permanent Magnetic Drum Separators. Understood to be the World’s strongest permanent Magnetic Drum, the INOX SREX utilizes specially designed rare earth high intensity permanent magnetic technology to recover fragmented stainless steel, small ferrous metals and weakly magnetic materials from non-magnetic materials.

Requiring minimum maintenance, the super strength INOX SREX is ideal for use prior to or post Eddy Current Separators and Metal Sorters. It is available either as an individual unit or part of a complete metal separation module, and is easily installed into new or existing plants. Its superior magnetic strength and robust design ensure high performance in the most arduous environments. The design originated in Japan resulting from a customer’s separation requirement. The rare earth magnets are made specially for Eriez to produce high magnetic fields.

With significantly enhanced separation capabilities compared to other equipment such as Magnetic Pulleys and standard Rare Earth Magnetic Drums, the INOX SREX brings lucrative benefits to recycling processors. Greater recovery of metallic waste results in reduced landfill charges and increased profit as the recovered metal can be sold on.

Paul Fears, Managing Director at Eriez Europe commented: “We [Eriez] continue to invest and develop new separation systems to meet the ever changing requirements of our customers. The INOX SREX is incredibly strong and offers our customers a very robust and low maintenance system that can separate very weakly magnetic materials. As the requirements of our customers change, so we [Eriez] are working with them and provide new and improved separation solutions.”

Eriez is recognized as the world leader in advanced technology for magnetic, vibratory and inspection applications, having developed many systems for the Recycling Industry including Eddy Current Separators, a specialist range of Metal Detectors and Suspended Overband Magnets. Eriez manufactures and markets these products through eleven international facilities located on six continents.

Further details of the new INOX SREX Drum can be found on the Eriez Europe website, en-gb.eriez.com or alternatively email [email protected].

Filed under: Truck, Videos, Chrysler, Dodge

The 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon is one very capable full-size pickup truck. Its 383-horsepower HEMI V8 engine is but a small part of a rock-traversing equation that includes a solid front axle, electronic sway bar disconnect and a pair of limited-slip differentials. And while the Power Wagon has its way with the desert rocks, it can also tow over 10,000 pounds and tote nearly 2,000 more in the bed.

The Power Wagon appears to be the heavy duty, no-nonsense off-roader that Ram fans have come to expect since the variant first came online in 2005. Our friend Mike Levine over at Pickuptrucks.com took Dodge’s freshly updated gravel king out for some fun at the Johnson Valley off-highway vehicle park in Southern California, and he brought cameras to properly document their adventure. Hit the jump to watch as the Power Wagon goes all Kama Sutra with a raft of contorted poses in the name of articulation and traction.

[Source: Pickuptrucks]

Continue reading VIDEO: 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon gets dirty with PickupTrucks.com

VIDEO: 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon gets dirty with PickupTrucks.com originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When I was in college, I had basically one financial responsibility, make enough money for beer pizza. I was lucky enough to earn a significant scholarship and my parents used the money they had saved for tuition towards my room and board. I know not many students have it as well as I did. Much of them, like my wife, had to foot those bills on her own.

However, I’d rather not talk about myself or my wife today. I’d rather talk about my friend who ranked up a five-figure debt in college because she didn’t like the food at cafeteria and the Wing’s Express delivery man took a credit card. Her rationale was that when she got a job after school, money would be plentiful and she could pay it off. It took her a lot longer than she thought to pay that debt, but she’s learned the financial habits and is doing well enough today.

She may be doing better today though if Citi had the promotions then that they do now. From now until January 15th, 2010, The Citi® mtvU™ Platinum Select® Visa® Card for College Students and the Citi® Forward Card for College Students will give students 3,600 points for staying under their credit limit and being on time with their payment. It’s only valid if they are new cardmembers signing up through those links.

That may be a little disappointing to current card members, but I suppose that Citi has to recruit new student somehow.

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Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Specialty

We all remember the hoopla a few years ago when kajillionaire James Glickenhaus revealed he had been working with Ferrari on an updated version of the famous P3/4 race car from the sixties. What resulted was the Ferrari P4/5 one-off. Glickenhaus was $4 million lighter, but that seems like money well spent judging by all the attention he received, not to mention the fact he owns a 1-of-1 Ferrari.

That whole endeavor was part of the Ferrari Special Projects program (turns out that the P4/5 preceded the Ferrari Special Projects program, the first vehicle of which was the SP1), which is fancy Italian talk for “We will build anything you want for the right price.” Another kajillionaire was apparently waiting in line behind Glickenhaus, and after 14 months of development, his car is ready too. Called the P540 Superfast Aperta, this entirely unique Ferrari was commissioned and partly developed by Edward Walson, whose claim to fame is that his dad invented cable TV. The new money mogul had reportedly always dreamed of designing cars, and approached Ferrari in 2008 to develop a car based on the gold Ferrari in the 1968 short film Toby Dammit.

If you can’t tell, the donor car is a Ferrari 599 and much of the development work went into strengthening the car after the roof was removed. It’s pretty, it’s road legal and it’s the only in existence. Follow the jump for the official word from Ferrari.

Continue reading Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta revealed, second from Special Projects program

Ferrari P540 Superfast Aperta revealed, second from Special Projects program originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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