Filed under: SUV, Lexus, First Drive, Luxury, Off-Road

The 2002 Lexus GX 470 was little more than a Toyota 4Runner with a healthy dollop of Lexus luxury on top, but at the time, it didn’t have to be anything more than that. It seemed just about every automaker that had an SUV in the stable was introducing an uplevel version to capitalize on American consumers’ insatiable appetite for luxury sport-utes, so why not Toyota? Lexus had already adopted the full-size Land Cruiser, so it made sense to bring along the 4Runner for the slightly less well-heeled.

Although it didn’t set the charts on fire, the GX won over enough people that Lexus has continued churning it out virtually unchanged until now. In fact, the company easily moved every 2009 model it made. Still, even the best vehicles need to be updated from time to time, and with an all-new 2010 4Runner hitting dealers, it was time for this Lexus to undergo a similar overhaul. But the state of the economy, environment and the changing luxury SUV market itself meant that the Japanese automaker needed to rethink a few things for its sophomore endeavor. And it has.

We spent time on and off road in San Diego County during our stint with the new 2010 Lexus GX 460, and what we have learned was quite surprising. Despite the market’s shift toward crossovers, the GX is still body-on-frame and has a V8, full-time four-wheel drive and takes up just as much space as the previous generation model. It still looks like a truck, drives like a truck and handles like a truck. But is that such a bad thing? Is there still a place for this type of vehicle… or is it simply an anachronism from a once-thriving, but now rapidly vanishing market? Follow the jump to see what we discovered.

Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2010 Lexus GX 460 sticks to its trucky roots

First Drive: 2010 Lexus GX 460 sticks to its trucky roots originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On December 13, our National Guard celebrates 373 years of service…

Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal told Congress today that the Guard’s contribution
in Afghanistan has been “extraordinary.” …

Airmen and their families gathered at Hickam Air Force Base’s historic flag pole
Dec. 7, for the 68th remembrance ceremony to honor those men and women who lost
their lives in the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor…

After more than a year of preparation and mobilization training, KFOR 12
Multi-National Task Force-East is well into its peace support mission in Kosovo, and
about 100 Soldiers from a U.S. territory are keeping the peace on base here
too…

Some 225 participants, the bulk of them journalists from Mekong countries, are set to discuss, debate and take stock of their media environment against a backdrop of changing and often quite different news cultures at the Mekong Media Forum, which started in Chiang Mai, Thailand on 9 December. Follow the event through the daily IPS TerraViva Mekong Media Forum.

The four-day media conference brings together a mix of participants, from print, television journalists and photojournalists to civil society, academics and development workers, who will be discussing a menu of issues such as changes in the Mekong media scene, new trends, citizen journalism and new media, training, media challenges and reporting on water governance, children, as well as gender and sexuality.

Johanna Son, regional director of Inter Press Service (IPS) Asia-Pacific news agency, which is a co-organiser of the MMF along with the Probe Media Foundation Inc (PMFI), hopes that the Forum will capture the uniqueness of this region in ways different from other media conferences in the past. “There are a host of media conferences in Asia each year, but I haven’t heard of one focusing on the Mekong countries in all the years I’ve been working on Mekong issues,” she said. The Mekong countries are Burma, China (Yunnan and Guangxi provinces), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Forum, to be held at the Holiday Inn Chiang Mai, has plenary, parallel and satellite sessions, talk shows, exhibits of Mekong photos and cartoons/illustrations exhibits. ‘Cinema Mekong’, which features screenings of 12 Mekong documentaries, will be on from Dec. 10 to 11.

The Forum is being organised with major support by The Rockefeller Foundation. The Dutch MDG3 Fund contributes to the two gender sessions to be held at the MMF on Dec. 11, 2009 as part of the “Communicating for Change: Voice, Visibility and Impact for Gender Equality” project of the IPS international news network. The Forum will see the launch of the IPS Gender and Development Glossary, and a gender needs assessment of the media in the Mekong region.

The other supporters of the Forum are UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific, Nobel Women’s Initiative, MPOWER, UNESCO and Japan Foundation. Participant supporters are UNDP Laos, Konrad Adenauer Asian Centre for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University and World Bank Laos. Media partners are ‘The Irrawaddy’ and Lao National Television.

French politicians have been quite upset about Google’s book scanning project for years. Way back in 2005, government officials announced that Google’s book scanning project was a threat to French culture. Why? Because the fear was that Google would just scan English books, and ignore the French. So, the French government mobilized. Or, rather, spoke as if it was going to mobilize and tossed a pile of money at a bunch of organizations with no real mandate to do anything. As such, the project fell apart.

Of course, the French politicians are still upset about the “threat” of Google and its book scanning, but whereas the original complaint was that French books would get ignored, it seems like the current complaint is that French books won’t be ignored. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the earliest supporters of kicking people off the internet under a “three strikes” regime — despite a history of copyright infringement himself — has spoken out about how France can’t let Google take away French heritage:

“We won’t let ourselves be stripped of our heritage to the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is.”

I have to admit that I’m really struggling here to understand how Google is “stripping” anyone’s “heritage” in making such works more easily accessible by everyone. In the meantime, as we noted a few months back, it appears that the French National Library agrees with us more than the government, since it signed up to have Google scan its books.

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Integrated circuits can be found pretty much everywhere – in electronic equipment such as computers, phones, traffic lights and in anything that uses electronic components even planes, trains and automobiles! These little chips are getting more and more powerful thanks to advancing technology. But at the same time the devices that they go into are getting smaller and smaller; thus, forcing engineers to try to fit in more powerful components into a smaller area. As a result, engineers need to come up with effective heat removal – effective both in terms of cost and the physical act of removing that pesky heat. CFD software and simulation are the fastest and most cost effective way of understanding how to solve these challenges.

If you are a thermal engineer and are grappling with these issues, I would like to invite you to attend an online web meeting titled: Accurate Component Junction and Case Temperature which will take place on December 16 at 4 PM Eastern US time. I know that some of you may be unable to attend this event (especially if you’re based in Asia or Europe) so if you are interested in the topic please register for the event. We will send you a link to the archived event after the meeting so you can watch it at your convenience. Anyway, this presentation will discuss why it is useful to characterize the thermal properties of a component and what modelling methods are available. The pros and cons of the different methods and in what situations they may be appropriate will also be covered. I think you’ll like this presentation. The presentation will be made by one of our most excellent engineers, Ms. Kelly Cordell-Morris. She’s has been with our division for about 5 years and has pretty much seen it all (insofar as thermal challenges and solving them is concerned). So she’s an especially good resource to pose your questions! Hope to see you there.

Until next time,
Nazita

MySpace may be late to the real-time party, but it’s going all out now that it arrived. At the Le Web conference in Paris, the ex-social network and future entertainment hub announced that it’s launching several new APIs for developers including the Real-Time Stream API which will enable third-party services to access the 46 million status updates MySpace claims flow through its pipes everyday.

Google just launched real-time search and the so called real-time web is going mainstream, so access to data as soon as it becomes available is increasingly important. Twitter just announced it will open up its doors to all developers wanting to get the latest tweets and MySpace is now doing the same. The social network has made big strides recently with a bunch of updates to its API and, in contrast to its former rival Facebook, it embraces open standards and has a very relaxed attitude with the access to its data.

The Real-Time Stream API adds a new level of responsiveness to MySpace’s platform by pushing the data to the third-party apps rather making it available through a poll method as it currently does. Developers will also have a great control over the data flow and will be able to use granular filters to adjust the amount and focus on just what they need.

“We already have early adopt… (read more)

Mexico has spent $1.172 billion to buy oil hedges for 2010, protecting itself in case prices collapse.

Bloomberg: Mexico purchased put options that give it the option, not the obligation, to sell its oil for $57 a barrel next year, the Finance Ministry said in an e-mail statement today.

…

Mexico lost out on 300 billion pesos ($23.3 billion) of oil revenue this year as production at state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos fell at the fastest rate since 1942 and crude prices fell about half since a record $147.27 a barrel in July 2008.

Continue reading here.

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See Also:

• 3 Reasons Mexico Should Stop Exporting Its Oil
• If We Can’t Get Oil from Mexico…

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Mercedes-Benz, Misc. Auto Shows, Design/Style

This past weekend was a busy one for us, and it was for some of our local Marines as well. Our efforts were for a worthy cause, however, as we were busy collecting toys for needy children so they might have something to unwrap during the holidays. We also happened to be surrounded by some of the nicest people and coolest cars ever made at The 6th Annual Schnuerer Toys for Tots drive in Huntington Beach.

The event was highlighted by the surprise appearance of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Even parked amidst two classic gullwing SLs and beside a new SL65 Black Series, the neo-gullwing drew the lion’s share of the attention from the crowd. The car sounded fantastic and we had to admit we’d be hard pressed to choose between it, the Black Series, the nearby CLK DTM cabrio, the SLR or SLR Roadster as our favorite modern Mercedes. The Audi R8 V10 that was parked around back would probably be in the mix as well for most fun to drive. Follow the jump to read how the day played out – and don’t forget to check out the huge gallery by clicking any image below.

Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Schnuerer Toys for Tots drive bigger than ever with a gullwing surprise

Schnuerer Toys for Tots drive bigger than ever with a gullwing surprise originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve been going on and on to my friends about my new favorite cookbook: In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen by Allison Hooper. It’s my favorite because it’s simple and the main ingredient is my ultimate weakness, cheese! However, the cheese used in all of the recipes is not your average cheese but the best of the best from the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company. It makes any dish one to remember so the recipes I’m sharing are perfect for holiday appetizers!

Appetizers are exciting for me because it’s usually when your family and friends first arrive and you’re gathered in the living room catching up. Appetizers and the holidays always bring back fond memories. Appetizers are also fun to make and are exciting for the taste buds.

Cheese Platters are great but spice things up with Chevre Balls and Bacon-Wrapped Bijou.

Chevre Balls

Ingredients:

8 ounces chevre, plain

spicy: 1/3 cup dried hot peppers (ancho chilies are the best)

sophisticated: 1/4 cup chopped fresh lavender and 1/8 cup coarse ground peppercorn

sweet: 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots and 1/3 cup candied or spiced pecans or walnuts

Directions:

Cut each chevre log into 12 pieces and roll into  a small ball (most esaily done when chevre is at room temperature). Roll ball in topping and place on a plate and serve. These can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Bring up to room temperature before serving.

Bacon-Wrapped Bijou

Ingredients:

5 Bijou (a french style cheese that is sweet yet sharp)

10 slices of high-quality bacon

Directions:

Wrap each Bijou with 2 slices of bacon, crosswise. Bake in the oven at 400 F. for 10 minutes, until bacon is cooked. Blot baked-oil bacon fat with paper towel, let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Raymond Ost

***

I don’t know about you but I’m mouth watering over these recipes. On that note I have one more delicious appetizer that would please everyone’s taste buds during the holidays.

Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip

Ingredients:

1 small onion, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

16 ounces frozen chopped spinach

8 ounces mascarpone

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the onion with olive oil until translucent.

Add frozen spinach and heat until spinach is hot but still green. Add mascarpone, salt, pepper, cayenne, Parmesan cheese and stir. Pour the mixture into a small casserole or baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with pita chips or sliced baguette.

***

Yum!!!!!! Happy Holidays Everyone!

Recipe Source and Image Credits: In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen by Allison Hooper

Post from: Blisstree

More Cheesey Holiday Appetizers

Here's a friendly reminder on investing: pay attention to the rest of the world.

Just yesterday, U.S. markets fell sharply when Moody's cut its ratings on a host of Dubai government-controlled companies and after Fitch downgraded its credit rating on Greece (pictured) to BBB- from A-, highlighting "the weak credibility of fiscal institutions and the policy framework in Greece," according to the Wall Street Journal.

That "weak credibility" is all over the world.

In no particular order, we round up the ten economic time bombs whose explosion -- some very possible in the next year -- could have serious consequences for global markets.

SEE INTERNATIONAL DISASTERS WAITING TO HAPPEN>>>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The 10 Countries Most Likely To Default
• The 10 Most Corrupt Countries
• China's 14 Dominoes Of Destruction

Q: I am required to bring a dish to my annual office Christmas party. Sounds simple enough, but one of my coworkers suffers from Celiac Disease. Although we’re not required to bring something wheat-free, I’d like to bring in a great holiday dish that everyone at the office can enjoy.

The dish does not have to be vegetarian or vegan, just no wheat.

Sent by Teddi

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Q: I have always been curious about sunchokes, but I have yet to try them. I picked up a bunch with the idea of trying to make them at home. However, I really don’t know what they taste like so I’m not sure what I should serve them with.

What protein pairs well with a sunchoke puree? Also, what is a good method for making a sunchoke puree?

Sent by David

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After months of saying that the game’s Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will be “pretty much the same” Square Enix has owned up to one difference that might sway hardcore technophiles who are still on the fence

The Resurrection Project in Chicago (TRP) is looking for a bilingual (English/Spanish) Financial Counselor to help implement our financial literacy and homeownership education initiative. The AmeriCorps Member will provide workshops and individual financial counseling to first-time homebuyers, homeowners at risk of foreclosure, and individuals seeking credit counseling.

If you are a dynamic, energetic person with strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to affordable homeownership and wealth creation, this is the job for you! As an AmeriCorps Member you will be a part of the Financial Services Division and work with other staff to further TRP’s mission through the promotion of financial literacy, sustainable homeownership, and wealth building.

This is a part-time position that requires some evening and weekend hours. The AmeriCorps Member will receive a monthly stipend and will be eligible to receive an education award upon successfully completing service.

If you enjoy working in a high-energy, fast-paced environment that will give you professional development and the opportunity to give back to your community, this is the position for you!

To apply, send your resume and cover letter to trpjobs {at} resurrectionproject(.)org or by fax to 312.942.1123.

The Resurrection Project’s mission is to build relationships and challenge people to act on their faith and values to create healthy communities through organizing, education, and community development.

Filed under: Chrysler, Fiat

Sergio Marchionne appears to be very well regarded within the auto industry and his work making Fiat a viable automaker has been pretty remarkable overall. Now Marchionne is charged with saving the beleaguered and product-starved Chrysler while also keeping momentum back home in Italy. That’s a big job that Marchionne won’t be able to do for long. The dualing CEO reportedly said in a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington that he will decide which company to run within the next 24 months. It appears Marchionne is no Carlos Ghosn, for better or for worse.

Marchionne also gave some pretty stark assessments of the Pentastar, as he reportedly told the audience that Chrysler walked away from bankruptcy a cleaner company but “but we ended up with the same stuff we had.” Ouch. Marchionne also reportedly used his time at the Peterson Institute to discuss what he calls the industry’s overcapacity problem. He said that while Chrysler has the post-bankruptcy ability to pick and choose when to grow, in Europe, overcapacity results in billions in lost revenue. Germany, for example, hasn’t shuttered a plant since before World War II.

So Marchionne is going to give up one of his CEO posts within the next two years. On one hand, it’s nice to see that the Fiat/Chrysler CEO is a realist who doesn’t want to stretch himself too thin, and at the same time we like the fact that he plans to stay at Chrysler at least until it begins to receive some new products via its partnership with Fiat. Do we think he’ll choose Chrysler over Fiat? The Fiat that resides in sunny Italy with brands like Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo? We wouldn’t, but hey, we’re not millionaire CEOs, either.

[Source: The Detroit Bureau | Image: AFP/Getty]

REPORT: Marchionne will choose to lead either Chrysler or Fiat within 24 months originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you hear the word dumpling, what does it make you think of? Asian pot stickers? How about tamales, ravioli or bread pudding? Well according to the authors of The Dumpling, those all fit into the same category, and they set out to show us how through a big batch of Hungarian bread dumplings.

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You may think that we’re still in a bull market, but as David Rosenberg argues, we’re only going sideways at best. And with very little buying power behind that move.

Perhaps we’ve started the long, sideways slog that analysts at Morgan Stanley and elsewhere have been warning of.

——

EQUITY RALLY SPUTTERING 

We long maintained that this 60%+ rally from the lows was a bear market rally,
and unlike secular bull markets, these are to be rented and not owned.  Japan
had about a half a dozen of these since its credit collapse began nearly two
decades ago.  The short-covering was massive and continuous since the
government stepped in to effectively draw a line in the sand for big banks,
coupled with hedge funds leveraging up again after getting their credit lines re-
established and mutual fund managers taking their cash ratios back down to
where they were in late 2007.  
This buying power seems to now be subsiding; at the same time, insiders have
been sellers, the general public have been sellers (the retail investor would
never have believed back in March that they would ever have this opportunity
to shed their portfolio at a 60% premium, at least this quickly — the rally from
the March lows must have felt like winning the lottery or like a religious
experience at the very least) and pension funds have been rebalancing
towards the fixed-income market of late.  It does beg the question, who is the
marginal buyer going to be going forward?  
Volume is already tapering off as we saw yesterday, an indication that institutional
investors now recognize a market that is fully priced or perhaps looking at
price/earnings, price/book or price/dividend ratios, more than fully priced.  Higher
volume losses like we saw yesterday and the large number of ‘distribution days’
accumulated over the past month is very worrisome from a technical perspective. 
And, any market that can rally more than 60% at the same time the economy
sheds three million jobs is a market that was fuelled by technicals, not
fundamentals — hence our need to focus at least as much on the former as the
latter.  And the technical picture right now ain’t lookin’ so pretty.         
Here is the big surprise.  However the numbers have been cloaked by massive
government stimulus that can change the data for some period of time, we will
wake up in 2010 and discover that the recession has not ended.  This would come
as a shock to every Wall Street economist who continues to view the economic
backdrop as a cyclical phenomenon as opposed to a secular credit contraction.    
Let’s look at the facts: 
• At 1,190, the S&P 500 is no higher today than it was on October 14.  That
was about two months ago.  
• The financials are down nearly 10% from the October highs. 
• Small caps peaked in mid-October. 
• Food/beverage/tobacco, utilities and health care equity groups have been
outperforming in the past month. 
• Three-month bill yield are 0.04%.  (This is not Japan? Really?) 

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Morgan Stanley: Here Comes A Brutal 2010
• If History Is Any Guide, We’re Headed Sideways For A Long Time
• Japan Unveils New $80 Billion Stimulus