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Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hatchback, Scion

Just yesterday we shared with you some pics of and specs on the latest Scion Release Series, the xB 7.0. It’s a tradition of sorts for Scion to come out with a new Release at the LA Auto Show. For this go-around, Scion seems to have been indulging in some fermented grapes, as the bloody thing is painted Murasaki! That would be purple for those of us not fluent in Japanese. Well, we have just one thing to say now that we’ve seen it in person, we’re glad it’s going to be limited to just 2,000 units.

It’s not so much the underlying xB, or the DAMD body kit, or the custom stitching on the interior. It’s not the TRD springs for sure, and the new exhaust tips aren’t that bad. It’s just that when the whole thing is swathed in purple, we can’t get past the color. In any case, you can check out the high-res gallery below and the press release after the jump and judge the 7.0 for yourself.

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Fillipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading LA 2009: Scion xB Release Series 7.0 limited to 2,000 copies

LA 2009: Scion xB Release Series 7.0 limited to 2,000 copies originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Pennsylvania publicly-traded company has become the latest corporate entity to use the legal system in an attempt to out an anonymous online critic, and EFF is defending the critic with the help of the First Amendment as well as an important new California statute. USA Technologies, based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, recently filed a federal lawsuit against two Yahoo! message board posters who roundly criticized what they claim is the consistently poor performance of USA Technologies’ management. The criticism highlighted plummeting stock prices of the company as well as the high compensation rates for management of the company that has been consistently unprofitable.

In its complaint filed in August in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, USA Technologies curiously alleges without any evidence that the anonymous online statements must have somehow been part of a “scheme” on behalf of the anonymous posters to “enrich themselves through undisclosed manipulative trading tactics” in violation of the Securities Exchange Act. The company also alleges that pointed though legal criticism of the company and its management is defamatory. Following the filing of the lawsuit, USA Technologies issued a subpoena to Yahoo! demanding that the identity of its critics be disclosed.

Using the court’s subpoena power to unmask anonymous Internet critics is unfortunately an all-too-common occurrence. Subpoenas are cheap to issue, and targeted speakers are usually scared into silence or simply don’t have the legal resources to fight. Even when the target stands up for his or her First Amendment rights and tries to fight the subpoena in court, the issuing party — seeing that the fishing expedition will be more trouble than it is worth — usually drops the matter altogether. In recent years, EFF has successfully defended several anonymous online speakers against these kinds of baseless threats. In the few instances in which such litigants have persisted to a court decision, the public reaction has been none too kind.

Fortunately, two things stand in the speakers’ favor in the immediate case. First, as EFF explained in its recent motion to quash, the First Amendment protects the right of Internet users to speak anonymously. While a company may not appreciate the glare of a critical spotlight, that fact does not give it the right to try to intimidate critics with the use of invasive discovery. Second, a newly-amended statute — California code of civil procedure § 1987.2 (passage of which EFF strongly supported) — awards mandatory attorney’s fees to an anonymous speaker if a court grants his or her motion to quash an identity subpoena issued in support of an out-of-state suit and “if the underlying action arises from the moving party’s exercise of free speech rights on the Internet and the respondent has failed to make a prima facie showing of a cause of action.” Translation: out-of-state litigants who try to use the California legal system to unmask anonymous speakers citing dubious legal theories may have to pay their target’s attorney’s fees for their trouble.

Like so many soft-skinned targets of First Amendment-protected speech before it, USA Technologies has turned to litigation in an attempt to intimidate its critics instead of developing a thicker skin or even taking the criticism to heart. USA Technologies will soon have an opportunity to explain to the court (an opposition to the motion to quash is due December 4, 2009) and its stockholders (a shareholder meeting is scheduled for December 15, 2009) why this failed tactic is worth the time and money, let alone the infringement on First Amendment rights.

Case materials for USA Technologies v. Doe can be found at EFF’s case page here.

Dimes for global health: All we need is a vision

Editor, The Times:

I agree completely with Dr. Steve Gloyd and U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott when they state in their guest commentary “Pledge a dime for global health” [Opinion, Dec. 1] that we should be inspired by the efforts of international AIDS activists who refused to accept that treatment for all was unaffordable.

Why is it then that those of us who use the same argument here at home, and continue to advocate for universal, not-for-profit single-payer health care, have never really been taken seriously by our elected representatives? The same elected representatives who purport to be trying to reform our fatally dysfunctional health-care system.

To quote Gloyd and McDermott again, “The challenge is not in whether the funds exist, but whether we have the vision and the will to mobilize them.”

— Kenneth Fabert, Bainbridge Island

Only the wealthy will be truly healthy

It is clear from the credible and convincing research cited in “Health-care moneymakers” [News, Nov. 25] that Americans prefer wealth to health. We would rather have super insurance companies, profitable big pharmaceutical companies, and lucrative biotech firms than healthy people.

As the Senate falters toward much-needed reform in a badly broken American health-care system, it is clear that the only the wealthy will really be healthy.

— Theresa Earenfight, Seattle

Christian Scientists weigh in, lobby for spiritual care

As one of the Christian Scientists mentioned by the title in “Christian Scientists lobby to add prayer to health bill,” [News, Nov. 26], I’d like to add my perspective.

I have attended a number of local health-care-reform forums over the past two years. Patient choice has always been considered a major priority. People should be able to choose the type of health care and the provider they feel is best for themselves and their families.

If Americans are to be free to make this choice, and thousands currently choose spiritual care, this amendment must be included.

Some have questioned the constitutionality of the amendment. This is about private insurance companies reimbursing patients for private health-care costs. Michael McConnell, who heads the Stanford University Constitutional Law Center, concurs that the amendment is consistent with constitutional standards.

The Times article noted, “the clash over spiritual care has become essentially a referendum about whether the government recognizes prayer as a legitimate and viable health-care option.”

To those who have just been told that there is nothing more that can be done for their loved one or themselves, having another proven health-care option can be indispensable.

— William E. Scott, Kenmore

Filed under: SUV, Europe, Crossover, Infiniti, Misc. Auto Shows, Luxury

Kudos to Infiniti. With seemingly every special edition model being blinged-up and chrome frosted inside and out, you’d figure something called the Millionaire Edition would be the most ostentatious thing on four wheels. But Nissan’s luxury division has taken an entirely more understated approach with the 2010 Infiniti FX Millionaire Edition.

Instead of chrome or gold plating, the FX Millionaire gets dark graphite trim on the exterior, including the grille, air dam, 21-inch wheels and roof rails – as well as the window surrounds, from the look of it – complementing the Obsidian Black or White Moonlight paint schemes. Inside, it’s all Alcantara micro-suede with brown stitching offset by carbon fiber, plus all the advanced features from the catalog, including sat-nav, Infiniti’s excellent Around View Monitor system and Bose audio.

The package is available on either the FX37 or FX50, but only in Europe, with no more than 100 examples to be built. Equipped with the 390-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8, the FX50 Millionaire Edition sells in the price-inflated UK market for a princely €95,450 – about $144k in ‘merican greenbacks, or more than twice the base price for us non-millionaires. On second thought, maybe we’ll save those kudos for another time. The FX Millionaire Edition is being unveiled next week, appropriately enough, at Amsterdam’s Millionaire Fair.

[Source: AutoWeek.nl]

Infiniti prepares special FX Millionaire Edition exclusively for Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best health care in the world? Really?

In his Nov. 28 column [“Kill the current messy bills and do health care right,” Opinion], Charles Krauthammer said the United States has the best health care in the world. What on Earth can his criteria be?

Nicholas Kristof quoted World Health Organization statistics in his Nov. 6 column [“World’s best health-care system? Not even close,” Opinion] showing the U.S. ranks 31st in life expectancy in the world, 37th in infant mortality and 34th in maternal mortality. He writes, “A child in the United States is two-and-a-half times as likely to die by age 5 as in Singapore or Sweden, and an American woman is 11 times as likely to die in childbirth as a woman in Ireland.”

This is the best health care in the world? What is Krauthammer smoking?

The World Health Organization, and others such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute, are likely to have researched their reports and not shot from the hip or the lip.

They undoubtedly are not influenced by the insurance industry, which is the big winner in our unnecessarily expensive and mediocre health-care system. Let’s get the facts right and bring about improvement.

— Robert L. Wiley, Mercer Island

Buying health insurance across state lines

As his second pillar of health-care reform, Charles Krauthammer advocates abolishing the prohibition against buying health insurance across state lines.

I have had the same health-insurance policy for about 20 years. During that time, I moved from California to Washington. The company is in Texas.

There is no prohibition against buying health insurance across state lines; Krauthammer is wrong.

There are, however, states that set a minimum standard for policies within their state and insurance companies that do not wish to meet those standards. It is those individual state standards that Republicans wish to abolish.

They cannot be honest about it because they are supposed to be the party of states’ rights. In fact, they are the party of corporate interests.

— Stephen Hunter, Vashon

Wishing for oranges in Wisconsin

Charles Krauthammer listed three good points to include in health-care reform in his column, but missed the most important: We must reconnect the recipient of a medical service (patient), the provider of the service (doctor), and the payer for the service (insurance).

As long as neither the patient nor physician have skin in the game, and a third party pays the bill, health care will remain expensive.

To use Krauthammer’s “oranges in Wisconsin” analogy, let’s assume you have food insurance.

If you go to a Wisconsin grocer in the winter, and see no oranges but want some, you just ask the grocer to order a case from Florida. “No problem,” says the grocer, and puts in the order. Because you have food insurance, you won’t have to pay, and the grocer cares nothing about the cost. Insurance will pay, what a deal.

But if you knew that the oranges would cost $200, had to pay a portion of that yourself, and your purchase would drive up the cost of food insurance, you might choose to take vitamin C instead.

Until we fix this part of the system, it will remain broken.

— Charles A. Pilcher, Kirkland

Ignoring facts, relying on anecdotes

I found John Olsen’s guest commentary “Don’t pull the plug on American medicine” [Opinion, Nov. 25] insulting to the intelligence of The Seattle Times readership.

Olsen spends the first paragraph’s telling his readers to ignore statistics, because those are somehow inaccurate, then tells us a feel-good fable about dedicated doctors driving through the night in horse-drawn carriages to make house calls.

How many house calls Olsen has made in his career, he doesn’t share with us. No doubt that would be another misleading statistic.

By telling his readers to ignore statistics, otherwise known as facts, and then giving us some heartwarming cheerleading about America’s greatness that has no bearing on anything, Olsen shows he has mastered the GOP strategy of ignoring facts and relying on anecdotes.

In short, he gave no substantive arguments at all. In fact, his opening paragraphs specifically argued against substance, then we get fables and jingoistic cheerleading.

— Brad Lowe, Edmonds

Relies on a Mark Twain quote, foreign aid

While I applaud John Olsen for pointing out the virtues of American medicine, his opinion lacks scientific support.

The doctor provides no data to confirm that any of the factors (poor data collection, genetics, etc.) mentioned would change study conclusions as to the ranking of our medical outcomes.

Instead, he relies on a Mark Twain quote to infer the statistics lie. He tells us not to believe the data, but to put our faith in his observations that all is right in the medical community, as supported by a statistic claiming a medical error rate of only 1 in 100,000.

Strange, since he just told us that we need to beware of those darn lying statistics. Sorry doctor, but science is driven by data, not opinion, and the data have spoken.

Finally, I would like to point out the first dialysis machine was developed by Dr. Willem Kolf from the Netherlands, the Human Genome Project was coordinated by the United States, but involved researchers from all over the world, and that catheter-based cardiac intervention owes much of its development to one Dr. Andreas Gruentzig of Germany.

— Kevin Malone, Port Orchard

American medicine is excellent

How refreshing to hear some moderate opinions from Dr. John Olsen. We need to moderate the rush to judgment from people who don’t really think through the problems found in the American medical system and complain that it’s better overseas.

I have lived in 10 different nations throughout Europe and Latin America for a total of 32 years. I have seen firsthand what those medical systems deliver to their citizens, and I can tell you that it’s really quite poor.

In one European country we lived in, a child is not considered born until 48 hours after birth, and so those infants who die are not included in the statistics on infant mortality — erroneous skewing of vital statistics, just as Olsen pointed out.

I know of people overseas who wait more than six months for treatment because the medical system is so backed up. In one country, general practitioners have the equivalent of an undergraduate degree — four years at a university, residence and straight into practice.

I could go on and on, but Olsen is right: We should not pull the plug. American medicine is excellent.

Few people would argue that a hard look at expanding medical coverage may be necessary, but why rush in to alter things, until a real in-depth decision can provide a truly good solution.

— James L. Quinn, Medina

Quick sketch made at school…

Columnist complaints are inevitable consequences

If Froma Harrop really wants to be rational about the health-care debate [“Let’s have a rational debate about the cost of health care,” Opinion, syndicated column, Nov. 26], she should start by investigating the concept of comprehensive health insurance.

Paying for routine medical services by insurance is one of the main causes of the outrageously high prices of the American health-care industry. Among all the laws and regulations that have driven up health-care costs, legislation promoting employer-provided comprehensive health insurance and Medicare have been among the worst offenders.

The ills that Harrop complains about are an inevitable consequence of any comprehensive insurance system, and can only be rectified by either rationing or, in the case of a government-run system such as Medicare, increased taxes or deficit financing.

— Richard Opheim, Kenmore

With Christmas and other holidays coming up, creating memory projects could be a fun project for your youngsters.  There are several ways they could do this.

• Keep a journal and record the various holidays activities that are occurring in the family and at school.
• Take pictures of the various crafts and activities and put these in a slide show on the computer.  So many youngsters are learning how to make slide shows for school projects.  So this could carry over at home
• Print off pictures and put them in an actual scrapbook.
• Make holiday collages with pictures from magazines and write about the holidays on this.  These could be lone collages or be compiled into a scrapbook.
• Find old Christmas cards saved in the family.  Put these in a scrapbook and write something about the memories these evoke.  My grandmother saved hristmas cards for years.  I’m trying to jot down notes about any of the people I know who sent these to her.

What holiday memory projects does your family do?

Post from: Blisstree

Holiday Memory Project for Tots

Every year, it seems that more and more of our family members and friends are embracing non-material gifts that are both thoughtful and green. Among these are gifts for good causes – things like meals for the elderly, gardens for schoolchildren, and water purifiers for underdeveloped communities. Are you looking to do the same? Here are 10 ways to make a difference this holiday…

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Filed under: Car Buying, Europe, Earnings/Financials, Alfa Romeo

Take a look at the Fiat auto group. What division (barring Ferrari and Maserati) would you think holds the highest value for the company? If you thought Alfa Romeo, you’re on the same page as yours truly, but you’d be mistaken. Horribly mistaken, as it turns out: Alfa has lost Fiat hundreds of millions of euros every year. Its sales have declined sharply, and not just since the global economy collapsed: Alfa sold 203,000 units in the year 2000, but only 103,000 last year. That’s a heck of a drop-off.

In response, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has ordered a full re-evaluation of the marque, with two courses of action to potentially result. The first would see Alfa more closely integrating its future products with Chrysler platforms. The second would be to stop investing in the brand altogether, leaving the still-new MiTo and the brand-new Giulietta to carry its aging stablemates (including the 159, Brera, Spider and GT) for the foreseeable future.

Speaking with Automotive News Europe from Fiat’s headquarters in Turin, Marchionne reportedly said the new plan for Alfa will be revealed this coming February or March. Even if he chooses to keep Alfa alive with Auburn Hills synergy, though, Marchionne has nixed the notion of merging the brand with Dodge, noting that there’s a limit to how many times a brand can be reborn.

[Source: Automotive News Europe – subs. req’d | Image: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty]

Ruh-Roh: Marchionne reportedly puts Alfa Romeo under review originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009Dec2: Rainfall in India between 2009Oct1 and 2009Dec2 (IMD, 2009).

Reference: India Meteorological Department. 2009 http://www.imd.gov.in/section/hydro/dynamic/seasonal-rainfall.htm

Image Description: see case description. Image Location: India Meteorological Department http://www.imd.gov.in/section/hydro/dynamic/seasonal-rainfall.htm Image Permission: This work is copyrighted and unlicensed. However, it is believed that the use of this work to illustrate the subject in question, Where no free equivalent is available or could be created that would adequately give the same information, on Interlinked Challenges, hosted on servers in the United States by Michigan State University, qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.

In a recent report, David Rosenberg put a price tag of $2600 on gold, citing central bank buying activity as the main driver. In an interview this evening on CNBC, he expanded on this view, urging investors to keep riding the big decade-long wave in precious metals.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Rosenberg: Gold Going To $2600 Thanks To China
• Rosenberg: Gold Will Take A Breather, Before Surging To $3,000
• David Rosenberg: Okay, Fine, The Jobs Numbers Are Getting Better

Famed author Arthur C. Clarke once explained that he never patented the the concept of geostationary communications satellites, which many say he invented, because a lawyer told him the concept was “too far-fetched to be taken seriously.” But what about things going in the other direction. If, in a book or a movie, you describe or display a technology that has already been patented, is it infringement? Most people would dismiss such a concept as flat-out ridiculous. But a company called Global Findability apparently disagrees. It has sued Summit Entertainment, the producers of the sci-fi film, Knowing, an apparently otherwise dreadful flick that includes — as a central plot point — an “encoded message [that] predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years.”

Yes, Global Findability is claiming that its patent on “Integrated information processing system for geospatial media” (Patent 7107286) was infringed by this fictional device. Eriq Gardner, at THREsq, sums it up nicely:

We’re familiar with patent troll lawsuits. We’re also aware that Hollywood is prone to allegations of idea theft. But what we seem to have here is a strange new genre-bending legal claim where one can infringe technology in fiction similar to the way one can defame a person in fiction.

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Filed under: LA Auto Show, Convertible, Hatchback, Volkswagen

Signifying the end of what has been a long run, Volkswagen has introduced “Final Edition” models of the New Beetle coupe and convertible. Each will be limited to a run of just 1,500 units. Under the hood is VW’s familiar 2.5-liter inline-fine (rated at 150 horsepower) sending power to the front wheels through a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission – nothing new there. However, the German automaker has fitted a full sport suspension and unique 17-inch alloy wheels to each of the New Beetles to add a touch more driving excitement.

Cosmetically, the Final Edition models feature Aquarius Blue paint. The hardtop version breaks up the color with a black roof and integrated fog lights, while the convertible model has a two-tone Aquarius Blue/Campanella White paint scheme and a white top. Special badging is found on the front quarter panel and on the steering wheel. The hatchback version hits showrooms with a base MSRP of $20,240 and the convertible starts at $27,170. Press release after the jump.

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Michael Harley / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading LA 2009: Volkswagen shows off “Final Edition” New Beetle models

LA 2009: Volkswagen shows off “Final Edition” New Beetle models originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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READ THIS – From The Man Behind The Paulson ABX Trade, Paolo Pellegrini, Comes The First Investor Letter And A 81% Return YTD – Submitted by Tyler Durden – Zero Hedge – has the report pay attn to pages 3 – 4 

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New Tax? – Taxing the Speculators – By PAUL KRUGMAN – Should we use taxes to deter financial speculation? Yes, say top British officials, who oversee the City of London, one of the world’s two great banking centers. Other European governments agree — and they’re right.  Unfortunately, United States officials — especially Timothy Geithner, the Treasury secretary — are dead set against the proposal. Let’s hope they reconsider: a financial transactions tax is an idea whose time has come. – NY Times Opinion

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Are You Prepared for Another Lost Decade? – Author: Martin J. Pring, Joe D. Turner, and Thomas J. Kopas – … In April 2003, Pring Turner Capital Group published an article … This piece laid out our case that the year 2000 was a secular or “long-term” peak for the U.S. stock market. … Our goal with the forecast in this report is to help you prepare for the next ten years. … Our opinion … suggests that investors should anticipate another “Lost Decade”.  As we will explain in more detail later in this report, 2009 could mark only the mid-point in this secular bear market.  … Allowing for a best-case scenario of 4 business contractions, this also suggests that we are barely halfway through the current cycle. … – Riskcenter.com

 

Interactive Map: Food Stamp Usage Across the Country – The number of food stamp recipients has climbed by about 10 million over the past two years, resulting in a program that now feeds 1 in 8 Americans and nearly 1 in 4 children – NY Times

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In-Geithner-We-Trust Bond Market Gets Lowest Yield – By Susanne Walker – Less than a week after deflecting calls for his resignation, Timothy Geithner sold bonds on behalf of U.S. taxpayers at the lowest yields on record in a show of confidence in the Treasury Secretary’s policies. – Bloomberg   – neither ZIRP nor consequences of rolling short term debt if rates rise is mentioned (BC)

Drain test – Fed to Conduct ‘Small Scale’ Triparty Reverse Repos – By Daniel Kruger and Christopher Wellisz – The Federal Reserve said it will test one of the tools for an eventual withdrawal of the central bank’s unprecedented monetary stimulus while stressing that the trials themselves don’t represent any change in policy.  – Bloomberg

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The right reform for the Fed – By Ben Bernanke – … I am concerned, however, that a number of the legislative proposals being circulated would significantly reduce the capacity of the Federal Reserve to perform its core functions.  … Now more than ever, America needs a strong, nonpolitical and independent central bank with the tools to promote financial stability and to help steer our economy to recovery without inflation. … –  Washington Post

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What (If Anything) Can Be Done With The GSEs? – BY PHIL HALL – The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) sponsored a seminar on Nov. 12 in Washington, D.C., entitled “Is it Possible to Reprivatize the U.S. Financial System?” – has quotes from a number of notable people – MortgageOrb

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PPIP Fuels Demand for Private-Label MBS: Smith Breeden – By DIANA GOLOBAY – … Appetite for private-label brought prices for some prime and Alt-A RMBS mortgages as much as $10-20 since the March lows, while some tranches in the ABX index — representing a range of subprime securities — rose more than 25% since March. … But non-agency RMBS is seeing little new production and heavy borrower defaults, indicating “non-agency RMBS securities are going away” for now, Smith Breeden said. … – HousingWire

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Rogers: Obama Will Fire Geithner – By: Julie Crawshaw – Money News at NewsMax

By Jane Wardell, AP
Cleveland.com

Google Inc. is allowing publishers of paid content to limit the number of free news articles accessed by people using its Internet search engine, a concession to an increasingly disgruntled media industry.

There has been mounting criticism of Google’s practices from media publishers — most notably News Corp. chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch — that argue the company is profiting from online news pages.

In an official blog entry posted late Tuesday, Josh Cohen, Google’s senior business product manager, said the company had updated its so-called First Click Free program so publishers can limit users to viewing no more than five articles a day without registering or subscribing.

Previously, each click from a user of Google’s search engine would be treated as free.

“If you’re a Google user, this means that you may start to see a registration page after you’ve clicked through to more than five articles on the website of a publisher using First Click Free in a day … while allowing publishers to focus on potential subscribers who are accessing a lot of their content on a regular basis,” Cohen said in the post.

Murdoch on Tuesday told a Washington D.C. conference that media companies should charge for content and stop news aggregators like Google from “feeding off the hard-earned efforts and investments of others.” . . READ FULL STORY

PC Magazine has a little demo of LG eXpo’s pico projector, showing off a trailer of Transformers 2 on a 10 ft screen.

They report it looked pretty good, which is impressive for such a small device. Unfortunately they also reveal the smartphone will only be available to business customers, which is a pity given the entertainment potential of a pico-projector.

This post was submitted by user.