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DIXON – Matthew Haarmann is joining Sauk Valley Dental.
He relocated from Effingham and will join James Grunauer at his practice at 654 Reynoldswood Road, Dixon.
Haarmann, a graduate of St. Louis University and Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine, is accepting new patients and will provide all phases of general dentistry, including restoration, treatments and pediatric dentistry.
His office hours range from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Also, he will be open for two Saturdays each month.
Email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 815-288-4028 or 815-622-4028 for more information on his practice.
Sterling pub hits milestone
STERLING – The Palms Tavern, 1209 E. Fourth St., is marking its 30th anniversary. Manager Paula Schueler invites the public to stop in and celebrate with them. The Palms can be reached at 815-625-0912.
Transportation upgrade for Rochelle
ROCHELLE – Rochelle Municipal Airport broke ground Oct. 17 on a runway extension that will improve safety, and the region hopes, open some new economic development doors. The longer landing strip can possibly entice larger turbine and jet aircraft to use the airport. It will allow more planes to fly directly into the airport rather than having to stop at neighboring airports, a lure for businesses to locate near the city.
Tis the season for promotions
ROCK FALLS – The Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce is getting into the holiday spirit a little early as it gets ready for the 31st Hometown Holidays celebration. This time-honored tradition continues Nov. 21-24. The chamber encourages local businesses and nonprofit organizations to participate. Booth spaces, parade entries, and several other activities are available for promotional purposes.
Registration for activities can be done through Nov. 5. For more information about the event, including schedules and registration forms, visit www.rockfallschamber.com or call 815-625-4500.


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Colonel Mark Blaze - Heroic Astronaut From EarthReal Name: Mark BlazeColonel Mark Blaze is a heroic Astronaut from Earth, in the NASA Space Program. Being one of the two astronauts from Earth, Mark Blaze travels alongside Major Andrea in their space shuttle. They accidentally travel through a vortex that leads them into Eternia's Galaxy, where they decide to land on the planet of Eternia, after detecting life. Mark is an extremely brave pilot, who forces Andrea to eject in case the ship is destroyed during the crash landing. He crashes near Snake Mountain, where he is captured by Skeletor. After saving Mark, He-Man travels with them into space, where he helps them destroy a meteorite, that was on a collision course with Earth.
Cartoon Appearances:

subset: commoncrawl


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A smug sense of superiority requires constant maintenance.
Thus, slashdot.
Mac or PC users?
I assume Linux users will sleep in a dumpster. After all, it's FOSS
Free Open Sleeping Space!
I hope everyone has their sense of humour switched on today
I assume Linux users will sleep in a dumpster. After all, it's FOSS
Free Open Sleeping Space!
Don't be silly, Dumpsters are proprietary. They have connectors to fit only certain types of garbage trucks for emptying.
Now cardboard boxes, THOSE are universal.
A dumpster? Man, I wish! Dumpster-brand trash bins are top-of-the-line. This is just a Trash-Co waste disposal unit.
But what version is it??
Don't you know the incompatibilities with version 13?
And the awesome features coming out in version 15??
A friend's couch or spare bedroom
But the friend will get free and awesome technical during his stay for *Anything*.
This makes sense.
Indeed. Most travel sites, and general shopping sites, initially organise things by what they call "Relevance", and in many cases this is a totally ambiguous term! Relevance for them can surely mean which supplier paid them the most for advertising. Organising results based on someone's hardware, if a correlation can be shown between the hardware and end choices for accommodation in this case, actually seems pretty sensible and less sinister than what I'd usually expect.
Looking forward to reading all the paranoid and rage filled comments though...
As the first poster said, "well duh". Apple owners pay more for their gear, they want superior gear, and it stands to reason that someone who wants a top of the line computer (whether "top of the line" is real or percieved, many people always think the more expensive item must be better, even though Alieve and the generic naproxin sodium are identical but the prices are way apart) is going to want a top of the line room.
I don't see this as ripping off Apple users, I see it as catering to them.
Apparently Orbitz is helping to contribute to the bloated self-esteem and sense of self-worth that Mac users crave. They should be applauded for reinforcing the RDF in the name of Saint Jobs.
Not bloated. I'm just better than other people, not because I have a Mac, but I have a Mac because I am better and therefore earn more money than your average person and thus I can afford a Mac. I like a good hotel too, so well done Orbitz.
I can afford a Mac, as well. My wife prefers them, so that's what I buy for her. Me? $400 PC that runs circles around all but the highest top-end Macs. Oh, and runs OSX just fine, either natively (tried it to see if it would work) or in a VM.
It's worth noting that I can afford a nicer hotel than you, what with the $800 I saved vs buyingtwo $1200 MacBook Pros.
> This is why, although I am a Mac user, my Firefox agent string says 'Windows XP'
Why would you do that, if you're a Mac user, don't you prefer to select the pricier hotels rather than seeing those common hostels for WinXP users?
...will see offers for "escort services"
Users browsing with IE will be offered a helmet and padded walls.
Users logged into Facebook will be given the option to reduce their costs by selling video from hidden cameras inside the hotel room.
I believe that most Google staff are Linux users and they are rather well paid. So you might be right. I imagine the average hobbyist Linux user would be a hard sell for escort services. "You charge what?? I could get a new computer for that and I wouldn't need to shower after I'd paid for it."
I'd imagine that the number of people who use Linux primarily because of cost reasons is pretty low... Because you get a Windows license with every computer that you don't build yourself, most techies will probably even have a few unused licenses from old machines.
Yeah, and breakfast included? Are you nuts? I eat breakfast off my feet during my morning lecture!
Users logged into Facebook will be given the option to reduce their costs by selling video from hidden cameras inside the hotel room.
You can remove it from your timeline.
But everyone can still see it in Facebook.com/baloroth/video
So sex is the only thing Linux users are known to pay for?
User logged into facebook, will have their videos sold by default, unless then hit the do not video tape button convinetly located in the corner of the ceiling closet. No additional fee will be charged for the convinince of having your tape sold.
To be honest I'm surprised we don't see this kind of thing more often. Not just on travel sites, but on any kind of site that doesn't have strict MSRP pricing such as Amazon. Certain platforms absolutely attract certain demographics, and unlike tracking/profiling you don't have to spend time building as profile as all of this data is conveniently offered up by the browser with page requests.
To be honest I'm surprised we don't see this kind of thing more often. Not just on travel sites, but on any kind of site that doesn't have strict MSRP pricing such as Amazon.
Except Amazon doesn't have strict MSRP pricing - they've been using variable pricing for years.
Study shows people driving luxury cars tended to park them outside nicer restaurants
If you can call straddling 3 spaces at the perimeter parking.
All those interior designers have to get paid, and show off each other's work!
1) MAC User may be more affluent. It's not always the case, but most of the time there's probably a lot of credit card debt associated with the individual as well.
2) Most of them are clueless about technology and just want to leave it to someone else. The mentality "it just works" comes to mind but these folks don't shop around. They see their friends with Apple stuff, they buy Apple stuff.
3) Like rounded corners a lot and need to have the latest fashion. Fondleslabs and Mac Books along with Iphones and
Superiority? It's an observation just like what the article is about. Orbitz observed the buying habits and determined to give the customer what they wanted. That's pure capitalism right there.
Everybody's buying habits put them into a box. That box is created by the immense amount of Data Mining that goes on for everything you buy or use. Don't believe me, talk to your credit card companies. That data is sold by the truck load to marketing departments and PR organizations and Political Committees ever
Let's be honest, does Apple make a better product? No [...]
Hold on there. What metric are you using? Does it cover all possible use cases or just your own personal (that is, subjective) one?
Personal experience and not only subjective but by observation. I have 3 Sons, All Teenagers and a Wife who likes there IPODs and their IPhones. I've had to replace units sometimes at less than half of their expected product lives, for example: IPOD Nano, received as XMAS Gift in 2011, replaced both by Mid 2012 one with the power switch problem and the other went dead. Had to take them to the Apple Store and wait two days to get replacements.
Oldest Son: IPhone 3G, died after 6 mos.
Me: Xoom Tablet, ASUS T
Let's be honest, does Apple make a better product? No
I'll correct that: In your totally unqualified opinion, does Apple make a better product? No.
Take the new Retina MacBook Pro as an example: It is expensive. Compared to an Alienware laptop with the same processor / SSD, but a bigger display with a lot fewer pixels, with weight and battery life that Dell doesn't dare to tell you, or compared to a nice Sony laptop with the same processor / SSD and a screen with much less good resolution, the Retina MBP is cheaper.
I've had Sony, Toshiba, ASUS and others. All of them have excellent quality and they stand up to a lot of abuse.
I have an Alienware and I'm not looking for portable computing, that's what tablets are for. My Alienware M17X is a portable desktop and yes, it travels quite a bit. Aluminum Case and it definitely is as heavy as a bowling ball. I would love to see better resolution in Laptops since every manufacturer wants to go to 16:9 Aspect Ratio displays and not the 4:3, i.e., the WUXGA which I have now.
Really, is anyone seriously surprised by this? People who value convenience and having someone provide a service for them instead of doing something themselves might hold those same values for other things like paying for hotels. In other words people who are willing to pay 30% more for hardware might be willing to pay 30% more for other things too!!!
Marketers have figured this out. Next big surprise, organic shopping markets are full of Lexus and Mercedes cars? I think this really advanced concept might have been taught in the second week of marketing 101, maybe?
The 30% represents the service. In this case the service is the Operating System. I think in effect we are saying the same thing. Since much of the hardware is commodity hardware, you could look at the cost differential as the cost of the Mac OS.
Thatâ(TM)s entirely reasonable and the future of Web 2.0.
Web 1.0 is you watching the web.
Web 2.0 is the web watching you watch the web.
Itâ(TM)s not all bad. It can work for you. All it takes is a little bit of integrity on the part of the web devs. Bad people will watch you to exploit you. Good people will watch you to help you.
You can never remove the human element.
As to whether people are directed at pricier hotels⦠is that all? Are they they same only more expensive? Are they the sam
How do you know if the WSJ article isn't paywalled just for Mac users? Works ok for me.
And no matter what service you use, why would you not view by price unless you're looking for something so specific that price won't really be an option?
They showed me Motel 6 listings.
This is great advertising for orbitz btw, all the Mac sites are spunking up over this news.
Where it is a duty to worship the sun it is pretty sure to be a crime to examine the laws of heat. -- Christopher Morley


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LAFAYETTE HILL— Spring Mill Presbyterian Village, a senior living community located at 2002 Joshua Road in Lafayette Hill, celebrated the conclusion of the second of a three-phase renovation plan on March 20th by dedicating its upgraded second floor Hillside and Courtside living areas.
Offering residential living, personal care and memory support programs for up to 98 active older adults, Spring Mill Presbyterian Village is a community of Presby's Inspired Life, a leading Delaware Valley provider of continuing care and affordable housing for seniors, headquartered in Lafayette Hill.
Residents, their families, staff and corporate vendors gathered to celebrate the renovation milestone on March 20th. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Hallmarks of the project's second phase include: new carpeting and wall treatments, artwork, new furniture, crown molding and environmentally-friendly lighting.
The first phase of the renovation project began in 2012 upon the completion of the first floor of the community's Hillside wing. The project's third and final phase, which will include the renovation of Spring Mill's comprehensive memory support unit, will commence in 2014. Horst Construction is the project's general contractor, with Creative Spaces providing interior design services and Fast Signs providing signage.
"These renovations ensure that Spring Mill Presbyterian Village will be better positioned to remain the senior living community of choice in the area well into the future," said Presby's Inspired Life President & CEO Judee M. Bavaria. "Our ultimate goal is to offer a community that facilitates comfort and peace of mind while adding to residents' overall sense of well-being."
Founded in 1955, Presby's Inspired Life is a faith-based ministry that provides continuing care and affordable housing to more than 3,000 seniors in 30 communities located throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. The mission-driven organization is unique in that it is committed to serving the continuing needs of a diverse population of seniors of all economic backgrounds so that they may live life in all its fullness.


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The lack of English projects is due to the push to complete the Freedman Letters. I called one of the managers of the Indexing at the church offices on 11 June and complained. He said there were a lot of 1870 US Federal Census records left to do and some should be posted by Thursday, 12 June. I have been told to notify him if they don't appear and he will fix it. Count on it! It isn't a matter of supply—we have the whole vault to index. They were trying to "encourage" everyone into doing Freedmen. Guess it worked, but it's time to give us more English projects.I was sure that the Freedmen Letters were already indexed by now. How many English language projects would there be available on FamilySearch Indexing today? Here's what I found:
- Connecticut - 1870 US Federal Census
- Georgia - 1870 US Federal Census
- Illinois-Cook - Birth Certificates 1888-1915
- Louisiana - 1870 US Federal Census
- Louisiana 1850-1954 Death Certificates
- Missouri - 1850 US Federal Census
- Ohio - 1870 US Federal Census
- Trento Italy Baptism Records 1784-1924
What did I pick? I was kind of at a loss here. First there was no New York records. Ok, first I'm crying about English language records and next it's about not having New York records. I know I can't have everything but I'm just letting FamilySearch here know that there is a high demand for New York records ;)
I was next kind of torn between the Illinois birth certificates and the Louisiana death certificates. I was really touched this week by all the stories I have read on various message board regarding the release of the Texas Death Certificates on FamilySearch Record Search. I just want the same experience with some New York Death Certificates, which are NOT listed in the FHL Catalog by the way. I would expect that might be one reason they are not being indexed. Anyways, I was touched by people stories and wanted to help make these types of vital records available to others.
Before I forget has anyone else noticed that if you go on FamilySearch.org there is now a little orange box on the right hand side.
I tried to visit it at my FHC on Friday but it needed a application that wasn't on their computer and I couldn't download it without admin rights. At home I was able to see that the GO button takes you to FamilySearch Record Search - Pilot Site. It's nice to know they are starting to link this into the old FamilySearch site so people can find things. Well you physically need to search in two different places but at least you can find the link. I am sure there are plenty of people that don't read mailing lists and aren't aware of what FamilySearch has been up to lately.
I picked once again the Louisiana 1850-1954 Death Certificates. I guess I have claimed that project as mine own now. It's to bad it took over 20 minutes to download and then was painfully slow. The rest of my computer is working at a good speed. I just don't know that the deal is. I decided to try indexing while off line and the first couple of records where still slow, then all of a sudden it was back to normal speed again. Since it took so long I didn't want to risk doing another batch so close to bed time. I indexed 20 records and now have indexed 7693 records to date.
We did have a message from Headquarters this week.
From: HeadquartersAs one last thought this week I wanted to put out a request that you spread the word about FamilySearch Indexing and it's by product Record Search. I was sort of nervous when I read the Ancestry Insider's article Ancestry Indexing Project Beta. It's great that Ancestry will make the indexes that are created by volunteers available for free to everyone. I just hate to have FamilySearch Indexing volunteers leave and go index for the competition. We need every hand that can type.
Subject: Semimonthly Message
Date: 16 Jun 2008
In order to create consistency and to help with arbitration, please follow these guidelines for indexing punctuation:
- Do not type periods, commas, or semicolons after initials or abbreviations for either names or event places.
- Use the following punctuation when it is normally part of a name, place, or phase*Hyphen. For example, in names such as Wilson-Gaston, or in a relationship such as daughter-in-law.Birthplace Fields in the 1870 US Federal Census
*Apostrophe. For example, in a name such as O'Farrell.
Because the index should accurately reflect the record, please do not type United States in the Place of Birth: Country field unless it is actually written on the document. Do not assume countries based on cities or states.
Multiple-Image Batches
Press the down arrow to go to the next image in the batch. If there are multiple records per image, you will have to press the down arrow a few times to get to the next image.
"Would you like to choose what project you work on each time you index?"
Press the Download From... button at the top of the application's start page, choose the project you would like to work on, and click OK.
See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!


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SENECA — In a short procession of cars, fire trucks and police vehicles Saturday, Hull Technician Petty Officer First Class Michael Modesitt was welcomed back to his hometown of Seneca.
It was a gray morning Saturday, part of a cool, rain-dotted Memorial Day weekend.
American flags hung outside the storefronts in downtown Seneca, and a few residents came out of the businesses — and in a couple cases pulled chairs to the curb — to watch as Modesitt, the USS Fort McHenry LSD-43 Sailor of the Year, drove by.
Jennie Severson, owner of The Barge Inn on Main Street, and her kids were among those who turned out.
They stood in front of their restaurant holding signs that read: "Welcome Home, Michael!"
"It's important to support those in the military," Severson said. "It's something we love doing."
Modesitt, who enlisted in the Navy in 2001, reported to Fort McHenry — a landing ship — in 2010.
As Hull Technician Petty Officer First Class, Modesitt is responsible for the upkeep of numerous aspects of the ship and is in charge of 88 engineering department personnel.
He is also a command financial specialist who mentors and counsels junior sailors.
The Sailor of the Year program was created in 1972 to recognize members of the Navy who best demonstrated the spirit and dedication of the Navy.
As of Tuesday, Modesitt had returned to duty.


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I established a new account (mdonehoo) a few days ago, but I cannot log in. I get an error message that the account is either inactive or has been banned. I have seen some references to this on the forums, but they have all been many months ago, and I did not find a definitive solution in the discussions.
When I first established the account, I received the email with the activation link, and I clicked it and selected a password. The webpage said I was activated. I then downloaded and ran the installer (Windows 10), apparently successfully. When I tried to log in, I got the message I mentioned above.
I tried changing the password. The website again said I was now activated, but I got the same message.
I uninstalled TOC-MOUL and reinstalled it, but that did not help.
I established a different account (mikedonehoo) with a different email address, but that did not help.
I have a Mac with a working Wine port of MOULa (emulating Windows 7), so I tried installing TOC-MOUL in that. I got the same error message for both accounts.
I have tried everything I can think of, to no avail. The problem seems to be on the server. Can you think of anything I have forgotten?


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Tom O'Connor, a 2009 Crystal Lake South graduate, is in his fifth and final year of working as a team manager for the Iowa men's basketball team. O'Connor, who played golf, basketball and baseball at South, has witnessed a turnaround with the Hawkeyes program, changing his perspective of the team he grew up cheering for and of college athletics in general.
You see how much time these guys put in. I don't know about the whole union thing and the whole thing about paying athletes. I don't know what to think about that. At the end of the day, these guys are taking the same amount of classes as normal students plus they're traveling, they're missing class. They're putting in almost full-time hours (between academics and basketball) along with anything they want to do on their own and the tutoring hours they go through. It's almost like a full-time job. But these guys are also choosing to do this and that's why it gets tough when you get into that whole thing at Northwestern. But after seeing it first hand, you do gain more of a respect and understanding for the kind of stuff these guys go through.
My first couple of years, I think we won 11 games each year and it's just tough. You really change your whole attitude. Back then, we were going into games in the Big Ten season and, when you're on the road, you don't really have any hope of winning a game when you're a manager. It's like, 'Let's just get in here and make sure we get our stuff done' and make sure coaches are happy. It's not going to be a fun trip home. You're almost kind of anticipating that kind of stuff. But as you start winning some more games, your attitude changes. When you're winning, everybody is happier and it makes the support staff's job a lot easier. We always get pizza after road games and, when you lose, the pizza is normally terrible. When you win, nobody cares.
As I've gone on, I've understood that I can't allow my emotions to get the best of me. There were times last year when it's a big game, I've gotten a little bit too much into the game. (Tuesday night's overtime loss to Michigan State) was probably the worst I've been all year because it was such a great atmosphere, So that's still going to happen a little bit. A couple of our younger (managers), I see them at the other end of the bench and they get into it and I tell them that they have to understand their role. But it definitely is hard when it's a sellout crowd, an ESPN game and two ranked teams because you want the team to win because you are a student and you are a fan. I think all of us managers have been Iowa fans our whole lives and we've always been fans first and so it's hard to keep your emotions in check. So you have to be careful because if you get a (technical foul) or something, that could end your career as a manager.
This job has been the big mark of my college life. I've still done fine in the classroom but, for me, it has just been such a big responsibility and such a big role that I take a lot of pride in. I can't really imagine being in college without it because it's just been a huge part of my life and something I'm really proud of. All the time I've put in, I can't imagine not doing it – that would be tough.
• I'm Just Saying is a regular Sunday feature. If there's someone you would like to see featured, write to me at firstname.lastname@example.com or send me a message on Twitter @NWH_JeffArnold.


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I'm looking for a tool that will let a small group of people annotate a shared HTML document and read each others' annotations. I plan to use it for managing reviews of documentation that I write.
I found an article that reviews several such tools. It discusses A.Notate, Blerp, Crocodoc, Diigo, and others.
As far as I can tell, all of these tools are web applications that store annotations, and often the document itself, on the provider's server. That's an automatic fail in my organization, which is highly security conscious.
I'm looking for a tool that we can obtain and run on our own servers -- preferably without a lot of up-front work and expense, since I will almost certainly have to run the tool as a small departmental project until I can prove its worth.
Any suggestions?
For adding annotation on HTML document, we need a web annotator, which means the web annotator allows us to add, read, modify and save annotation object on web broswer, of course, web page. Such annotating tool is programmed based on the asp.net and javascript controls usually.


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I know this post is NOT going to be very popular, but it's the truth.
Let's look at the big picture.
1) The Reds have four outfielders that are everyday players.
2) Of those four outfielder, Dunn will bring the most in any trade and the reds are desperate for some young talent.
3) Dunn will make close to $9 Million dollars next season, that money could go along way next year to fix some of the Reds many problems.
4) There are currently many Big Market teams still in the race, which I believe drive up the demand for Dunn, a nice bidding war may break out.
5) The longer we hold on to Dunn the Less value I believe he will have. Right nw a team would retain his rights for a couple of more years, and he is also at a reasonable salary, the higher that goes means fewer and fewer and teams will be able to swing a trade for him.
I would to love to hold on to Dunn, but I just don't see it happening, It's looking more and more lie he is going to jump ship the fiest chance he gets.
The time is now.


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Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ:REGI) today announced new biodiesel positions at four New York metropolitan terminal locations. Biodiesel distribution points in Whippany, New Jersey, and New York locations in New Hyde Park, Port Chester and near Brookhaven are slated to offer quick access for blending biodiesel to augment heating oil and diesel supplies. "Gaining access to the largest biodiesel terminal network in New York is part of Renewable Energy Group's strategy to expand into the Northeast market as a reliable biodiesel supplier," said Renewable Energy Group's (REG) President and CEO, Daniel J. Oh. "REG has biodiesel on-site in New Hyde Park today to allow area distributors and heating oil retailers to increase supply as the New York City biodiesel blend (B2) requirement goes back into effect December 1," added Gary Haer, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for REG. The requirement first went into effect October 1, but was waived as a result of tight fuel supply issues due to superstorm Sandy. Biodiesel is now available at the New Hyde Park facility and is being marketed by biodiesel veterans Michael Cooper and Danny Falcone, who recently joined Renewable Energy Group's team. The company markets REG-9000® branded biodiesel nationwide and directly from REG terminal locations in California, Iowa, Illinois Minnesota, New Mexico, Texas, Ohio and now New York and New Jersey. Renewable Energy Group's current operational production capacity is more than 225 million gallons annually. Renewable Energy Group® is a leading North American biodiesel producer with a nationwide distribution and logistics system. Utilizing an integrated value chain model, Renewable Energy Group is focused on converting natural fats, oils and greases into advanced biofuels. With more than 225 million gallons of owned/operated annual production capacity at biorefineries across the country, REG is a proven biodiesel partner in the distillate marketplace. For more than a decade, REG has been a reliable supplier of biodiesel which meets or exceeds ASTM quality specifications. We sell REG-9000® biodiesel to distributors so Americans can have cleaner burning fuels that help lessen our dependence on foreign oil. REG-9000® branded biodiesel is distributed in nearly every state in the U.S.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements about the timing for the start-up of service at our Whippany, New Jersey and New York biodiesel distribution points. Actual results may vary materially due to a number of factors including risks that are detailed from time to time in REG's SEC reports. REG is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information contained in our website is not incorporated by reference in, or made part of this press release.


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Thanks. Part of me keeps thinking I should explain to her why but then I think, well, its none of her business what my employment status is! This same client has picked apart our price catalogue (didn't like the layout), questioned how invoices are sent (not remotely part of my job) and other things that I feel are petty. I do pass her comments along to the people "in charge" of each of these things and tell her as much. I just wonder if she has too much time on her hands!
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Kristen Stewart: Friends Supported Her As Robert Pattinson Packed Up
A source very close to the situation tells HollywoodLife.com that Kristen is 'sick to her stomach' that Rob packed up some of his belongings on May 20 and left their house. But we've learned that her friends are helping her get through this devastating time.
Kristen Stewart is so heartbroken over her break up with Robert Pattinson and we totally understand. We told you that the 23-year-old is refusing to leave her house because she's so upset and now we've learned that several of her friends are stopping by to give her support.
How Kristen Stewart's Friends Are Supporting Her
We told you that Rob put a bunch of his things in garbage bags and threw them into the back of his red pickup truck. We thought he was moving out for good but it turns out he's still going to be living with K-Stew, just not every single day. They're actually going to be dating other people — so sad! But luckily Kristen has good friends around her to help her like Taylor Lautner and Scout Taylor Compton.
"She's depressed and rightly so," she said. "Her good friends have been hanging out with her at her house giving her support. She has quite a few close friends. Rob just kind of comes and goes as he pleases. Kristen is letting Rob spend as much time as he wants with the dogs–they are like their kids. And it's not like Rob is all cheery and happy. This is a tough time for both of them. But Kristen seems to be taking the split the hardest."
Robert & Kristen Dating Other People?
We told you that a friend of Kristen's told us that they're allowed to go on dates with other people!
"They are basically allowed to date other people and Kristen is super sad over the whole thing," the source said. "She has absolutely no desire to date anyone and the thought of Rob possibly seeing other people has made her sick to her stomach. She's depressed and rightly so. Her good friends have been hanging out with her at her house giving her support. This is a tough time for both of them. But Kristen seems to be taking the split the hardest."
HollywoodLifers, are you happy that Kristen has such great friends?
WATCH: Robert Pattinson Packs Up Moves Out Of Kristen Stewart's House
— Chloe Melas, reporting by Sandra Clark
More Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart Breakup News:
- Robert Pattinson: You Can't Live With Kristen Stewart After Break Up
- Kristen Stewart Hasn't Left 'House For Days' Since Breakup — Report
- Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart Still Living Together Despite Breakup


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It didn't take long once the city clerk's office opened Friday morning for candidates to begin dropping off their paperwork.
Jerry Nankervis, who is running for the open District 2 seat on the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly, said he was there within minutes of the candidate filing period's start at 8 a.m. Friday to put in his nominating petition. Loren Jones, one of two District 1 candidates, was right behind him.
By 9:25 a.m., City Clerk Laurie Sica and Deputy City Clerk Beth McEwen had checked their signatures against the voter rolls, verified at least 25 of them and called both men to give them the good news.
"You are officially a certified candidate," McEwen told Jones.
Gayle Trivette dropped off the nominating petition for Andrea Story, vice president of the Juneau School District's Board of Education, shortly after 10 a.m. Story will be out of town until after the filing period ends Aug. 13.
Speaking by phone Friday afternoon, Story said it feels good to know she is a certified candidate for what would be her fourth term on the school board.
"It'll be a good fall, and it'll be a good opportunity to talk about school issues," Story said.
After Story's signatures were dropped off, Sica and McEwen barely had to wait at all for the remaining race on the ballot to get an official candidate.
At 11 a.m. former Assembly member Merrill Sanford strolled into the clerk's office with his nominating petition and a copy of the Alaska Public Offices Commission's public official financial disclosure form, filled out by hand.
"About time you got here," said Mayor Bruce Botelho, emerging from his office to greet the man who hopes to succeed him. The two men shook hands as Sica looked over Sanford's forms.
"We're official, man," Sanford declared. "Here we are."
Sanford announced his intention to run for mayor in March after being termed out of the Assembly last October. He was elected in 2002, one year before Botelho became mayor.
Botelho is prohibited from running again after serving three consecutive terms. Thus far, Sanford is the only declared candidate in the race to succeed him.
Sanford said he is ready to return to the Assembly after almost a year away.
"There's always new issues that come up," Sanford said. "Once you solve, or at least vote, on one issue, and it gets put on the table and put out there, there's 10 more issues that come up and keep you busy and going … and trying to be a part of that, and bringing together a group of people to be able to come to some type of a consensus of some sort, is very important to me."
While Nankervis' name appears with those of Sanford, Story and Jones on the list of 2012 certified candidates on the CBJ's elections website, Nankervis has yet to file his APOC financial disclosure with the city. The website lists its status as "pending."
"I talked to Laurie (Sica) about that today, and they're actually not due until the end of the filing period," Nankervis said of the disclosure forms. "I don't know how involved it is, and I didn't even look at it yet. … So that's my next project."
By the close of business at City Hall Friday, four of the five contenders for office this year in Juneau listed on APOC's website had filed with the city.
Paul Nowlin, Jones' fellow candidate for the District 1 seat being vacated by Deputy Mayor David G. Stone this year, had planned on dropping off his nominating petition on Friday as well, but he said Friday afternoon that he would hold off until after the weekend.
"I'm going to do that Monday, because my father-in-law never got a chance to sign that and it's important to him," said Nowlin. He said he had already collected about 47 signatures.
• Contact reporter Mark D. Miller at 523-2279 or at email@example.com.


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What technology would you suggest to use to do this broadcasting? The contactless smart card chip in the passport won't do the job very effectively because:
Perhaps you could photocopy the information page and post flyers? Or just walk around holding your passport open so that any would-be passport cloner can see the MRZ data? If you *really* want to use the passport's contactless chip to distribute the data, I guess you could print your name, birthdate and passport number on a sign, hang it around your neck, and then stick your passport to it so it's held open. Given the name, birthdate and passport number, an attacker will be able to guess the MRZ fairly quickly. If you want to make them work for it a little, you could leave out the birthdate and passport number and let them guess those values. Be sure to give them your name, though, otherwise it'll take too long, because the chip just doesn't report the failed authentication attempts fast enough. There's also the small issue of the communication range of the contactless chip, but perhaps there's an area of the airport that is nicely EM-shielded so that the attacker's lab-grade transciever and signal processing equipment can talk to your passport at a reasonable range. Or perhaps you could just let the attacker give you a booster device that you could hold near your passport.
All in all, it seems like a rather ineffective way to broadcast your data. I'd go with the flyers.
Removing toungue from cheek, it's a pretty ineffective way for an attacker to try to get your data, too. There are many other approaches that are much, much easier.
Doesn't this strike anyone as ironic? The RFID is of no value for official use without first having to read something printed on the inside.
Great idea! Anything else I can do to slow down my passage through Immigration and Customs after a long flight? I'm always looking for ideas.
Hey, actually, it is a great idea. If you're the kind of person who likes to protect his rights and privacy, this is an excellent way to go. Not only do you get to destroy the RFID, but you can still use the passports that are being released from here on out and are the only way to get in or out of the country. This means that we have an option to keep passports as the
Yeah, because stopping you, scanning your passport, then letting you on through was SO much faster than stopping you, sliding your passport through a stripe reader, and letting you through.
Umm, you missed the point. The intent of the smart card chips isn't to speed up processing,it's to increase security without slowing processing down too much. However, once the smart chips are in place, the normal processing flow for a chip-bearing passport will involve reading the chip data. What happens when the chip fails to respond? Well, that will be an exceptional circumstance that will take the bearer of that passport out of the normal, expedited flow and into another process that scrutinizes t
I'm pretty sure that a common thief or pickpocket is not sophisticated enough to have a piece of equipment capable of detecting large amounts of currency, if that's even possible.
The goal of adding RFID to a passport was to add another layer of security to the passport. This may sound a little strange at first, but there is some logic to it. The RFID chip contains the same information as the printed passport, including a digitized version of the picture, AND a cryptographic hash. The desired outcome is that it is difficult to forge BOTH parts of the passport simultaneously. Ideally, the person would only be able to pass if both portions of their passport matched and the hash was valid. Although it may be a result, being able to just wave people on through after scanning the RFID portion of the passport was not a goal.
Practically, since passports are still valid without RFID, this measure is almost useless, and opens up tons of privacy problems as already stated. I don't think that ranged communication should have been a major feature of a passport, which makes me wonder why the government chose RFID over any other tagging technology, such as smartcards. Smartcards could perform the same or perhaps even better task as the RFID tags currently are, except they would be more secure simply by the virtue that they require physical contact with the reader.
Personally, I think the Feds ought to focus more on people skills (i.e., well-trained, well-paid security forces with an effective organization to back them) and less on failure-prone, unproven technology.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha... sorry... just had to laugh... you owe me a new keyboard...
"It" being sent back is not such a big problem. You being sent back along with it is maybe more unpleasant.
I wouldn't try this with a european passport when I travel the next time to the US - as I don't want to risk it being sent back on the next plane.
"It" being sent back is not such a big problem. You being sent back along with it is maybe more unpleasant.
Actually, I'd be more worried of being improsoned without trial or access to a lawyer for being a suspicious person, and never again seeing home.
How far will you go to protect or disable the RFID chip in your passport?
Wrap it in tinfoil
Do you think such a step is necessary?
For US passports: nope, it's already been done for you, courtesy of your government. Other non-foil-wrapped passports: Meh. But yeah, bett
Of course, if I was a criminal I'd just use this to make a list of people going on a nice long overseas flight... plenty of time to stop by their house and help myself to a few things.
Yeah? How would you get the MRZ data that's printed inside the passport? You know you need that to authenticate to the chip before it will give you any data, right? Also, you're going to have to convince the people to open their passports, otherwise the RF shielding in the passport cover will prevent you from talking to the chip. Maybe you can scan them when they show their passports at the checkin counter. Of course, you still need that pesky MRZ data -- maybe a camera with a long lens? Hey, when y
How far will you go to protect or disable the RFID chip in your passport? Do you think such a step is necessary? Does anyone have an argument in favor of the technology's implementation here?
Or how about in opposition of it? What do you think are the legal ramifications of such a move? Who is likely to be hurt by this scenario? Who am I? What am I doing posting on Slashdot? When is my question-mark key going to break under stress?
or so I've heard..
How long until they make hammer possession a felony?
Does anyone make a handheld RFID detector? Not something to read the tags, but just to note their presence, kinda like the rudimentary keychain WiFi detectors? I'd love to have something that I can use at home to find these little buggers as they start invading everything, so I can choose which to keep, which to somehow enclose (e.g., passport), and which to hammer into oblivion.
For my purposes, a simple meter showing strength of reflected RFID signal would probably suffice, so one can slowly pan over an area to watch for needle jumps. An audible signal (think Geiger counter or metal detector) could work too, though a headset jack would be nice in that case.
"Does anyone have an argument in favor of the technology's implementation here?"
Soundly thrash, arrest, incarcerate, try, convict and execute anyone with a malfunctioning passport tag. Problem solved.
Why bother hitting it with a hammer or microwaving it when simply wrapping it in aluminum foil will do?
I was just issued my new passport, and while it feels different than the old one, it doesn't have the new logo. As long as I don't lose my passport, I should be good and electronic free until 2016. Hopefully by then, they would have worked through any of those nasty security problems.
Since passports have such a long expiration date, most people won't have to worry about this for many years.
Passive tags (like the one in the passport) can only be read a few inches away and someone with even a basic knowledge of physics knows that the power requirement to maintain an adequate magnetic field increases exponentially with distance.
Good post. I just want to add that because the readers EM field powers the chip and the chip's transmitter that the effective power requirement increases with the *cube* of distance, rather than following the normal inverse-square law. That's not to say it's impossible to read chips from larger distances, but it's very tricky, and works best in an EM-shielded lab environment.
Passive RFID tags are not powered by magnetic, but by electromagnetic fields, more precisely essentially the same radio frequency they use to send back their data - they use the same antenna for sending and receiving.passive (powered by the magnetic field generated by an RFID reader).
Since we determined that radio is used to power the tags, everyone with a basic understanding of physics should know that the field strength diminishes with something like x^-3 and not y^-x, which would make it a cube law matter, and not exponential. Additionally, the same directional antenna that can be used to read the tag's signal can be used to direct the radiated RF energy to the tag.someone with even a basic knowledge of physics knows that the power requirement to maintain an adequate magnetic field increases exponentially with distance.
Sorry, but that's wrong again. RFID tags only send an answer when they are specifically addressed. The inventory control tags allow for a binay search to find all tags, e.g. you start by asking if any tag have addresses <2^31. If any answer, you check < 2^30 and between 2^31 and 2^30, etc. until you know the individual addresses of all tags in your range. Only after you have the right adress you will start actually reading their data, anything before that is just to detect their presence. Whether or not passport tags even give away their presence if one doesn't provide the (printed) secret key in the request, I do not know.one has to remember that tags operating on the same frequency will tend to interfere with each other, reducing the chance of getting a good read.
Evolution is a million line computer program falling into place by accident.


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SIERRA NEVADA, Spain — Dominique Maltais of Canada wrapped up the World Cup snowboard cross title by winning the last event of the season, while Pierre Vaultier of France won the final men's race.
Maltais became the first woman to win four races in a single season since 2009. She finished with 5,600 points, ahead of France's Moenne Loccoz with 4,150.
"It's crazy. I can't believe it," Maltais said. "I'm happy to finish the season with a big win and the globe. I'm really stoked."
Alex Pullin of Australia had already clinched the men's title and opted to sit out the last race on Thursday.
Pullin ended the season with 4,550 points, in front of Markus Schairer of Austria with 3,500.
"I had so much success already and the globe locked away. I didn't really have that fire in the stomach anymore," Pullin said. "When I'm normally feeling like that it's normally a good idea to just take a back step. I'm very happy with my season."
Poor weather caused the final parallel giant slalom race of the season to be cancelled this week.


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Thanks to Tampa Bay's loss to Denver on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons have clinched the top spot in the NFC South.
Atlanta had defeated the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night to move to 11-1 on the season, five games ahead of the Buccaneers with only four to play in the regular season.
The Falcons have now won their division for the second time in the past three seasons and hold a 2 1/2-game lead over San Francisco for the best record in the NFC.


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New issues and old business that Sen. Ron Wyden called "long overdue" dominated a town hall meeting in Hood River on Monday.
Three Japanese-American World War II veterans from Hood River were honored for their service to their country in the gathering, attended by about 75 citizens from the Gorge and the Portland area.
Wyden thanked Shig Imai, Mark Namba and Taylor Tomita and presented them with American flags. Tom Sumoge of Hood River was unable to attend.
"Nothing can make me prouder than being able to stand with these men and express the appreciation of an entire nation," Wyden said.
(The Portland Democrat holds at least one town hall meeting annually in every county; he was in The Dalles earlier in the day, and toured Full Sail Brewery in Hood River Monday afternoon. Tuesday, he was guest speaker at The Gorge Angel Conference in The Dalles.)
Last year, Congress passed Public Law 111-254 granting the Congressional Gold Medal to the 100th Military Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and members of the Military Intelligence Service for their dedicated service in World War II.
For over an hour after the brief ceremony for the veterans, Wyden fielded questions from the community on issues including the federal budget, tax reform, immigration, and Department of Defense spending.
Wyden pledged to pursue legislation enforcing regulations against petroleum speculation, and called for expanded extraction of millable forest materials, calling Oregon "the Saudi Arabia of biomass."
On immigration, he said the federal government should beef up enforcement of existing laws, and he advocated amnesty for illegal aliens who pay a fine and can prove they have violated no laws.
Wyden said protecting the environment is a proven method of stimulating job growth, particularly in recreation-based areas such as the Gorge.
On the budget, he argued for reducing the deficit by growing the economy in addition to making cuts; Wyden said "everything is on the table," including defense spending, and agreed with one citizen's statement that the Department of Defense budget must legally be made to show the full cost of war.
But the first order of business was honoring the veterans of a past conflict.
Taylor Tomita served in the Italy with the 442nd, Mark Namba was in Military Intelligence in Japan and Korea from 1944-60, and Imai used his Japanese language in service with the 162nd Prisoner of War Processing Center in Honolulu in 1944-45.
Each was grateful, but modest, about the honor.
"It was a real honor. We appreciated that we received it," Namba said. He served in Military Intelligence with Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo, interviewing Japanese prisoners of war who had been in Russia.
"I'm honored to get it," said Tomita. Of the interment of Japanese-Americans, he said, "I didn't think it was right but it was something we had to go through."
"It's nice to be honored," said Imai, who was drafted on Jan. 4, 1942, before the federal government ordered Japanese-Americans interned. "We felt sad that things went the way they did, but it is a nice thing to be accepted."
"We can't escape the irony of what happened to the men and to many others in those early days of World War II," Wyden said. "At a time when they faced harsh discrimination, at a time when the United States government rounded up their families and sent them to concentration camps, these men fought bravely and valiantly for the United States."
"To put your life on the line for your country while your country is holding your friends and family captive is a remarkable example of dedication and patriotism," Wyden said.
He noted that the Congressional Gold Medal is "the highest civilian honor our nation can bestow.
"It is a fitting tribute to these outstanding men not just for their service during war time, but for their contributions to changing American culture and ending discrimination against Japanese-Americans."
Namba was accompanied by his wife, Lily. Also on hand were Setsy Larouche of the Oregon Nisei Veterans and her husband, Chip Larouche of the Japanese Americans Citizens League.
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text: Any Space Quest fans out there? A remake and a sequel would like to make your acquaintance. The remake is of Space Quest II and the sequel takes place after Space Quest VI. They were made by different teams but Indiegames.com just made me aware of them both, and the antagonist is the same chap in both. Reason enough to bundle them into one post, I reckon. There's no voice acting in Vohaul Strikes Back, the sequel, but the team are planning to add it at a later date. Both are free, which may convince me to take a crack at Space Quest II after all these years. Trailers follow.


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Dolores Wickline
Dolores Wickline, 84, of Big Spring died Wednesday, May 22, 2013, in a Lubbock hospital. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 24, 2013, at the Nalley-Pickle & Welch Rosewood Chapel with the Rev. Ken McIntosh officiating. Interment will follow at Trinity Memorial Park.The family received friends Thursday, May 23, 2013, at the funeral home.Dolores was born Dec. 30, 1928, in DeLeon, Texas, and married Phillip Wickline on Sept. 3, 1949, in DeLeon. He preceded her in death Aug. 7, 1975.Dolores came to Big Spring in 1960 and taught typing at Big Spring High School for 29 years, retiring in 1989. She was a member of the Retired Teachers Association and was an avid sports fan. She was a member of First Christian Church.Survivors include one son, Jeff Wickline and wife Janet of San Marcos; two daughters, Sherry Valencia and husband David of Odessa and Teresa Green and husband Steve of Levelland; six grandchildren, Justin Myers and wife Sara, Blake Myers and wife Cayle, Stacy Ebmeier and husband Steve, Michael Valencia, Kara Wickline and Stephanie Wickline; and seven great-grandchildren.Dolores was preceded in death by her parents, Jefferson Davis and Jimbelle (Watkins) Tate; and one brother.The family suggests memorials be made to Accolade Hospice, 5201 Indiana Ave. No. 200, Lubbock, Texas 79413; or to the charity of one's choice. Arrangements under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory of Big Spring. Online condolences can be made at: www.npwelch.comPaid obituary


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What a waste of limited bandwidth and battery life...
Or am I missing some very large good idea behind it?
Using the built-in WiFi capabilities of the mobile phone and publicly accessible and open WiFi access points to torrent in a way that doesn't point to their home internet connection so they aren't part of the next RIAA/MPAA fishing expedition?
Wouldn't it just point to their mobile phone instead, which is contracted to a real name and credit card / money?
Not directly. And in many cases, not at all.
A smartphone that has been connected to a WiFi network will default to sending ALL internet traffic over WiFi instead of the cellular network. So, it'll be just like your netbook.
So, if the RIAA/MPAA wanted to file a "John Doe" lawsuit based on torrent tracker records, they'd see that the public IP used on the connection was on the network owned by, s
Or government should be for generally. Ideally, government aggregates and applies the collective will and power of the people, for the good of the people, in those instances where individuals acting individually have little to no effect.
Not that the recent supreme court decision about binding arbitration runs counter to this principle.
Just hope that the few people in the FCC appointed by someone who was elected by 23% of the population knows what people want, knows what is good for people, and is willing to carry it out. I have a problem assuming any of those points are true which is why I'm not in favor of regulations like this unless they apply to monopolies/oligopolies which we shouldn't have in the first place (in most, if not all industries).
Yeah, fuck regulations and fuck elective democracy, let's just base everything on who's got the most firepower.
sounds like you want an iPhone. when an app calls for your location, you get a pop up window: [application] wants to use your current location. Don't Allow or OK
Good thing the *only* permission someone might be interested in denying is the location service, otherwise iOS might not be suitable for every person's needs.
That's exactly what I wouldn't want, and not what the OP asked for. He didn't ask to have to click "allow/deny" with every action an app took, he asked to be able to deny permissions at install time on an individual basis, instead of an "all or nothing" one.
Talk to the developers. It's a developer issue, not a platform issue. If you want a platform that locks down everything, I hear Apple has some sort of phone.
I don't know how the iPhone does it, bur on Android we REALLY need a way to disallow some permissions for each applications. I mean, you install a photo retouching app or music player and it asks for full internet access, full flash card access, GPS position, camera and whatnot. I want the RIGHT to tell the app: 'no, you can't access the net' and not in a way that the app can understand and refuse to work, more in a way 'there's currently no connection'. Come on, it's not that hard to understand and not that hard to do.
Go and write the software yourself if you're that fucking paranoid..
You do not have a RIGHT to expect someone else's software to do exactly what you want, how you want it.
Yes, the FTC regulating this is a good thing; no doubt many poster will blow this way out of proportion.
God helps them that themselves. -- Benjamin Franklin, "Poor Richard's Almanac"


text: "I am very pleased that Major League Baseball has cleared my name. With this process now complete, I have no lingering sense of animosity, as I quickly realized that the objective of this investigation was to clean up our game. This is an ideal that I share with both Major League Baseball and the MLBPA. I would also like to acknowledge the unwavering support of my teammates, the Lerner Family, Mike Rizzo, Davey Johnson, our coaching staff and Nationals fans everywhere."


text:
The Bulldogs got on the board first with a sweep of the doubles competition. In the No.1 doubles position, Levan Clark and Salif Kante went down 8-6 to Peters Vinogradous and Artemiy Nikitin. In the No.2 slot, Chidi Gabriel and Takura Happy went down swining in a 9-8(6) loss to Dmytro Kovalevych and Anton Protsenko. The bright spot for the Rattlers was the win by Fabrice Myrtil and Temuera Asafu-Adjaye, 8-6, over Tomas Bizon and Young Lee.
Down 1-0 after the doubles match, the Rattlers prepared for what was sure to be a tough singles match against several o fthe best players in the conference.
In the No.1 slot, Clark defeated Bizon (6-3,6-3) to get the Rattlers on the board. In the No.2 slot, Kante defeated (6-1,6-3) Kovalevych to sweep the top two spots. The No.3 match was defaulted when Takura Happy was unable to compete due to injury, giving SCSU the point. At the No.4 position, Gabriel defeated Vinogradous (3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)).
At that point in the match, the Rattlers were ahead 3-2, but defeats in the Nos. 5&6 slots, left the Rattlers with defeat once again at the hands of the Bulldogs. Asafu-Adjaye lost (0-6,6-2,6-1) and Myrtil lost (3-6,6-0,6-3) to Lee to close out the match.


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Lakers shoot the lights out in rout of KnicksMar 26, 2014 - 6:01 AM Los Angeles Lakers shot the lights out and pummeled New York, 127-96, at Staples Center.
Xavier Henry scored a team-high 22 points, while fellow reserves Nick Young and Kent Bazemore chipped in with 20 and 18 points, respectively, in the rout.
The Lakers, playing without leading scorer Pau Gasol, led by eight at halftime and exploded for an astounding 51 points in the third frame -- the most in any quarter of the Lakers' storied franchise and the most given up by the Knicks.
"We haven't given up 51 points (in a quarter) since I've been here," New York head coach Mike Woodson said. "That's unacceptable. We can't let games slip away."
Los Angeles made 57.8 percent of its shots and were one 3-pointer shy of matching a franchise record with an 18-of-28 long range shooting display.
Carmelo Anthony led New York with 29 points and nine rebounds, but it was not nearly enough for a team that now sits three games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks had their eight-game winning streak snapped Sunday when they blew a 17-point lead against the Cavaliers, and they opened their pivotal five-game road trip with an embarrassing setback as Phil Jackson, their new president of basketball operations, watched from the luxury box.
The Lakers' starters came out cold, shooting 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from the floor in the first quarter, and the poor showing allowed the Knicks to jump out to a 22-14 lead despite Anthony starting out 0-for-6 from the field.
Henry came off the bench and sparked the turnaround with eight points during a 15-2 run to open the second quarter.
The Lakers connected on all but five of the 20 shots they put up in the frame, including a 6-for-7 showing from behind the arc, and took a 50-42 advantage into the intermission.
Somehow, the hosts looked even better in a historic third.
Nine different Lakers scored during the 51-point bonanza, which again saw them make six 3-pointers and shoot an eye-popping 19-of-26 (73.1 percent) from the field.
"We had a good rhythm and turned up the intensity," Young said of the Lakers' third-quarter outburst. "We all had the hot hand."
Jodie Meeks drained two from behind the arc during a 19-3 five-minute stretch early in the stanza, as Ryan Kelly capped the flurry with another deep make that extended Los Angeles' cushion to 74-49.
Young missed from the perimeter in the closing seconds, yet the Lakers still held a insurmountable 101-73 lead entering the fourth.
Game Notes
Los Angeles' bench outscored New York's 82-21 ... The Knicks have dropped seven consecutive road games against the Lakers, their last win coming on Feb. 13, 2007 ... Young made five 3-pointers and recorded his league-leading sixth four-point play of the season ... The Lakers recorded back-to-back wins for just the fourth time since Jan. 1 ... Gasol sat out due to an illness.
Mar 26 1:16 AM
End of 3rd
Mar 26 12:37 AM
Mar 25 11:48 PM
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Knicks 28, Lakers 39 2nd - 5:08Mar 25 11:35 PM
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Knicks 28, Lakers 36 2nd - 5:17Mar 25 11:35 PM
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Knicks 26, Lakers 32 2nd - 7:48Mar 25 11:26 PM
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Knicks 24, Lakers 23 2nd - 10:08Mar 25 11:19 PM
End of 1st
Mar 25 11:13 PM
1st Quarter - 11:40
Mar 25 10:52 PM
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Knicks vs. LakersAug 7 8:47 AM
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text:
Tahiti, ranked 138th in the world, managed a shock when they won the OFC Nations Cup to qualify for this summer's Confederations Cup in Brazil.
This meant that for the first time ever the nation representing Oceania wasn't Australia (who are now part of AFC) or New Zealand.
Inevitably the next three games will prove too much for the minnows, who only have a population of approximately 179,000.
This means the Maracana from the 1970s would have been able to hold the whole population, but for now they can enjoy the experience of being in a major tournament because when will we ever see Tahiti in a major tournament again?
Maybe never again in our lifetime so let's enjoy this piece of history.
Jonathan Tehau created history by becoming the first man to score at a major tournament for Tahiti, who achieved a dream on Monday night against Nigeria.
The 6-1 defeat will be considered a respectable result by the Tahitians and they will now face a team 137 places above them in Spain, creating arguably the biggest mis-match in world football.
However Tahiti is what everyone is talking about. With the excitement of the Premier League resting, meant the nation was gripped and fell in love with the great underdog.
Tahiti was the top trend on Twitter during the night and the Tahiti FA Twitter page began the night with 400 followers before rising to 8,300 followers.
The downside, however, is the fact that maybe having such an outsider means the tournament becomes de-valued and the sense of anything can happen goes when you know before a ball is kicked that Tahiti will lose.
TV broadcasters are trying to promote the tournament as a major competition for the nation to enjoy while they wait for the return of the Premier League - and with games like this they may lose respect for the tournament.
However we must spare a thought for Spain, who have the strange task of playing a game they shouldn't have to as they will win. This could also embarrass Tahiti with score-lines of 15-0 being predicted.
It's similar to the England v San Marino fixture where the 5-0 victory was considered failure and we couldn't shout about an 8-0 victory.
We all hope they can double their goal-tally against Spain, but for now we will raise a glass to Tahiti and wish them all the best in Oceanic football.
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Apparently Diablo 3 director Jay Wilson didn't like how Ground Stomp was working on his Barbarian at higher levels, so the upcoming 1.0.5 patch will buff the way CC is handled in the game. But why wait until now to fix it? Blizzard said the issue wasn't deemed as important to address as the Paragon system and legendary items upgrade in the previous patch.
According to a developer post by senior technical game designer Wyatt Chang, the new system will be based on the number of seconds an elite monster was cc'd for and translated into a CC resistance, with a cap based on the difficulty mode the player was in. So a monster hit by a wizard's frost nova an immobilized for three seconds would then have a 30 percent resistance. In co-op, a witch doctor could add a Horrify for four seconds, but it would only last for 2.8 seconds because of the resistance. The Elite's resistance would then rise to 58 percent resistance. That resistance will drop by by 10 percent for every second the monster is not cc'd.
Resistances are capped at 35 percent in Normal, 50 percent in Nightmare, and 65 percent in Hell and Inferno. While it all sounds rather technical, the post goes into extensive detail on the applications and how they new crowd control formula will be applied in various scenarios.


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No, they can't. CA Regulations don't allow electric alternatives to be n% more than gas.
They seem to be sticking their heads in the sand and hoping that EVs go away. Rather than seeing how Tesla is doing and worrying about the affordable model coming in a year or two they just churn out a lazy compliance car by shoving batteries in an ICE car, shove their fingers in their ears and hope no-one buys them.
Fiat Chrysler is a dinosaur, and is going to be killed off by evolution unless it makes a real effort.
Probably not, they have to meet CAFE standards. For every car they sell that gets less than the mandated average, they have to sell one that gets more. The mandated average is just that, it has to be the average fuel economy of all the cars the manufacturer sells on a yearly basis.
Sounds like the CEO is basically saying that they have to sell it in order to meet CAFE standards, and due to caps put on the electric cars, they can't charge what the car actually costs to build and markup. So he intends to se
But it is already expensive enough that it doesn't make a lot of sense to buy if you want to buy one to save money on gas. The price difference is $15350. If we assume $4/gal for gas, then that's 3837.5 gallons. Fiat 500 gas version gets 31mpg city, 40mpg highway. If we average that, then we get 136,231.25 miles before the price difference pays for itself. And that's assuming we paid cash for the car. If you finance it, then add interest on top of that.
Now, if you want to get the electric version because it's cool and/or you want to support the technology, cool, but realize it's not really saving you money on gas.
But really, if they have to make at least X cars, and they're not making one more, why is he telling people not buy them? They're still making the exact same number. If some people listen to him and don't buy them, doesn't that just mean they'll sit on the lot longer and sold for even less? If it does help them somehow, could they make the electric version is really horrible colors?
But really, if they have to make at least X cars, and they're not making one more, why is he telling people not buy them? They're still making the exact same number. If some people listen to him and don't buy them, doesn't that just mean they'll sit on the lot longer and sold for even less?
Presumably as a PR stunt to bring attention to the regulatory issue.
136k isn't an unreasonable mileage for a car. Actually, it's on the low end for a good car. My last car broke 240k - all on the original engine block - before it incurred damage that was uneconomical to repair, and that was due to driver error, not breakdown.
Currently in CA (the only state in which they're sold, until they start in Oregon later this year), there is a $2,500 rebate from the state in addition to a $7,500 tax credit from the Federal government.
The price difference is $15350
You forget the government incentives. $2,500 from the State of California; $7,500 from the federal government and $2,000 from FIAT themselves.
The effective difference is is then $3,350.
I actually did my homework, and the result was that for my old car (Audi A4, 25 mpg avg.) at 4.29-4.49 per gallon (Premium Fuel) the savings with the FIAT 500e for my daily commute were such that with the incentives, the rest of the car cost amortizes in about 5 years.
Plus the car is fun to drive.
Damned government hand is in my pocket - again!
And I don't want my tax money paying to support state-subsidised religious schools* or some empire-building military operation in Afganistan. If you do not wish to be part of the country, then by all means leave and apply for citizenship elsewhere. Or stay, an put your vote to use.
*I'm in the UK. The government is very keen on public-private partnerships in education.
I suspect "have to make X cars" means "have to make X cars available to purchase" as opposed to "have to build X cars and have them sit in a car park somewhere until some bugger buys them".
If they build them to order (not unusual in the motor trade), then Fiat haven't actually lost the money until the order is processed.
No, they can't. CA Regulations don't allow electric alternatives to be n% more than gas.
Citation needed. I looked through the regulation and I see no mention of requiring a certain price for ZEV's.
What it does require is that a certain % of the sales be of ZEV's. If they are change too much, they won't sell enough. This leads to two solutions:
1) Spend little on R&D for an electric vehicle. Sell it just cheap enough (at a loss if you have to) to meet the minimum requirement. Whine about it.
2) Put some effort and investment in developing an electric car that people will actually want with a manufacturing cost that leads to a price people are willing to pay. Refine the design over time so that it becomes that profit center that saves your bacon when the bottom inevitably drops out of the IC car market as the cost of gas heads toward the stratosphere.
Not exactly, From Governor Brown's Executive order:
"By 2020 the costs of zero-emission vehicles will be competitive with conventional combustion vehicles"
How are they going to do that without cost controls? There is no way it will be that much cheaper to build ZEVs by 2020 that they are cost competitive with gas cars.
I guess they could tax gas so it is $15 an hour, then it would be competitive over a 100K lifecycle.
You've got it backwards. The zero-emission cars are the tax. They're how CA is "taxing" the car manufacturers for the emissions their vehicles cause, while simultaneously reducing those emissions.
It makes more sense the way it's set up. Without the requirements, manufacturers won't develop the technology. Once the technology is better developed and more mature, and in higher volumes, the costs will drop. If you make it a government tax and then government gives grants to the auto manufacturers to develop the technology, they'll have no incentive to do it with the intention of making it viable. This forces the auto manufacturers to work on manufacturing methods that are viable. That said, I'm al
They should have demanded that 10% of cars sold are flying invisible unicorns, because it was just as likely to be successful.
another way is to say that automakers are shifting their costs. Dirty air and smog lead to lung disease and cancer, ergo higher medical costs. The health problems also lower worker productivity. Why should I have to pay for the damage done by cheap cars? -- Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-... [mozilla.org]
Browser plug-in software makes people spend more time at their computers becoming sedentary and isolated, leading to health problems , ergo higher medical costs. The health problems also lower worker productivity. Why should I have to pay for the damage done by browser plug-ins?
It would be much more honest to tax them directly instead of letting the auto industry act as an intermediary.
The reason they don't do that is to leave as much of the implementation as possible in the hands of the free market, while still achieving the electric vehicle roll-out goals. It's pretty much the same thing as CAFE regulations, which mandate the fleet fuel efficiency, but let the car companies decide how to adjust models and prices to achieve the overall average.
It is an approach that is strongly advocated by free-market-oriented (ie: right wing) policy analysts. The sound-bites against it you hear from the right are not genuine objection to the practice as opposed to other means of achieving the same roll-out goals, they are API calls; programming you to go onto social network sites and bitch about guv'mint regyuh-lashun.
Interesting marketing technique.
No you don't - look at his numbers:
The gas-powered Fiat 500 has a base price of $17,300
Let's give them a meager 5% profit on that and call it $16,435 cost. It could easily be less.
The electric Fiat 500e runs $32,650
every time I sell one it costs me $14,000
OK, so his cost basis for the electric model is $46,650. The cost difference between the gas and electric is thus $30,215.
So if something goes wrong with the electrical system when you're out of warranty, your bill could be up to $30,215. And that's if
If they don't sell zero-emission vehicles, they have to buy zero-emission credits to make up the difference. Fiat has clearly decided that it's cheaper to sell electric cars at a loss (since if they raised the price they couldn't hit the required sales percentage) than to buy the credits.
How much did it cost to setup their infrastructure to produce these cars? It seems like it would be a loss if they don't sell any at all. Why wouldn't they raise the price?
The electric Fiat shares probably 90% of its parts and most of an assembly line with the gas-powered Fiat 500; it's the remaining 10% (particularly the batteries) that make the 500e so expensive to produce. California clean-air laws require Fiat to sell a certain number of electric cars if they want to do business in California and restr
So, we are to believe that the electric variant costs $46,650. I can only believe that must include a huge amount for the sunk costs - designing the electric car, rather than each electric car being $30k more expensive than the gas equivalent.
I can only believe that must include a huge amount for the sunk costs - designing the electric car, rather than each electric car being $30k more expensive than the gas equivalent.
Well, duh. Do you really think the cost of the gasoline car doesn't include the cost of designing it?
So, we are to believe that the electric variant costs $46,650. I can only believe that must include a huge amount for the sunk costs - designing the electric car, rather than each electric car being $30k more expensive than the gas equivalent.
(Disclosure - I am a cost accountant)
Wouldn't be surprising actually. The powertrain is completely different than the gas powered car and there are non-trivial engineering, tooling, and other fixed production costs that have to be amortized across lots of units if you are going to sell at a relatively low price. Plus I imagine the powertrain is not produced in big enough volumes to realize real economies of scale so the unit costs I would expect to be fairly high. Given the state of the art in electric vehicles I really don't see an electric vehicle being significantly profitable at less than $50,000 right now. There simply aren't enough of them out there to drive the unit costs down. I expect that number to fall over time but it will require investment by companies and maybe some government subsidies here and there.
On the other hand, enough with the whining and make a car that is worth what it costs to manufacture. Tesla makes a genuinely good car and sells it for a price that should bring a profit (eventually). The Fiat 500e is rather pathetic by comparison. It's a little runabout with a short range rather than a serious attempt to build an electric car. Regulations are not to blame for their inability to make a profit with an electric car. Their lack of engineering prowess and lack of commitment to the technology is why they are where they are.
It may not have a huge range (I get ~ 100 miles on full charge), but it is absolutely a serious attempt at an electric car. It appears to be well-engineered, and not an afterthought of tacked-on parts. It is based on the same chassis as the gas-powered Fiat. Doubtless it could be even more efficient if they were to optimize it more for the drivetrain it has.
I think the engineers did a commendable job of creating a practical electric car within their budget / time / materials constraints. Pathetic it absolutely is not. In my opinion, until Tesla takes on this market segment, there is nothing that will touch it.
I do find it curious that Marchionne is publicly trying to dissuade people from purchasing it. A weird reverse-psychology attempt?
On the other hand, enough with the whining and make a car that is worth what it costs to manufacture. Tesla makes a genuinely good car and sells it for a price that should bring a profit (eventually). The Fiat 500e is rather pathetic by comparison. It's a little runabout with a short range rather than a serious attempt to build an electric car. Regulations are not to blame for their inability to make a profit with an electric car. Their lack of engineering prowess and lack of commitment to the technology is why they are where they are.
I cannot bear this attitude. I hear it in the bay area all the time, and it makes my blood boil. I'll spell it out: the Fiat 500e is $36k. The Model S starts at $70k. The Model S is twice as expensive as the 500e! Do I really need to explain to you why the $70k car is nicer than the $36k car?? OF COURSE the Model S is fancier and has better range and better performance. Duh. There's too much Tesla fanboyism around here.
I see no problem making EVs for well under 50K and making a profit on them.
If Tesla can sell their cars with an 85KWh battery that gets 265 miles for $73,570 and average over 25% margins then there is no reason why a car that is quite a bit smaller with significantly less range shouldn't be able to be made for under $40K and be profitable. It all comes down to how much is invested in the technology. Tesla spent years perfecting their technology. They spent a lot of R&D optimizing their batteries, both f
It's not really the engineering so much as the lack of commitment. Building a small number of these on a one off process makes the prices silly. If they built the real full production assembly line and put the engineering into the cost reductions they'd have a far cheaper car where the costs would go down year over year as the supply and manufacturing scale play into price reductions.
Honestly the battery IS expensive but it's not that much more expensive than all the junk you are losing and many buyers fail to take into account all the positives such as the fact that you will never change the oil or have to flush a cooling system again. There are a dozen different systems in an ICE car that are no longer needed in an electric car. Combine this with the fact that battery advances have spend up dramatically over the last decade and any manufacturer that isn't prepared for the electric car is going to get their lunch eaten and FIAT has just proved they are in the latter category.
Just FYI Tesla is making money on every car sold, pretty decent money too. The problem they face is that selling only 20k cars a year they can't keep an entire production line busy, let alone an entire plant (they are renting a line in a Toyota factory part time). The average car plant runs 24/7 with three shifts and can push upwards of several hundred thousand vehicles a year. Once you get to that volume your factory costs are spread so thin and design costs spread out that you're pushing the manufacturing cost right down to the price of parts (which are also driven down by the volume).
I personally have no doubt in my mind that once Tesla gets Panasonic's battery factory built and they can fully take over the soon to be abandoned Toyota production facilities in California that they'll be able to push enough volume to cut the Model-S price in half. I'd pay $40k for a Model S so fast I'd be a blur running by and I suspect I wouldn't be alone jumping in line, after all the equivalent of a gallon of gas in an electric car is about 5 cents and I'd be fully willing to keep a gas car on standby (or even rent) if I needed more than 300 miles and didn't think the Model S could get me there.
It's actually kind of surprising how short sighted these other manufacturers are because of their ties to fossil fuels. Tesla should be giving these CEO's nightmares. I suspect they think they can shift production (or possibly get Musk to sell them the parts) if Musk is successful but I think they will find they are so far behind in the technology and Tesla has secured exclusive access to key resources that they'll get their lunch eaten and it's possible some of the big boys will end up going bankrupt.
...why Chrysler is doomed.
And as for Fiat - you're doomed as well, because clearly you were stupid enough to buy Chrysler after they already failed miserably in a disastrous merger a few years earlier.
California doesn't regulate the prices of electric vehicles: they require that either 1% of vehicle sales be zero-emission, or that the car manufacturer buy zero-emission credits.
Nobody is forcing Fiat to build an electric car, and nobody is forcing them to sell that car at a loss. They have decided to sell an electric car at a loss because they believe the loss incurred will be smaller than the cost of the zero-emission credits, and they're selling it at a loss because they don't believe consumers would buy the car unless it's sold below cost.
And that, my friends, is why CAFE[1] standards are a stupid way of reducing emissions.
Just figure out what the social cost of the emissions is, charge that much through a tax, and let everyone decide on their own whether that trip, or that vehicle, is still worth it.
Not equitable enough? Rebate everyone an equal share of the money raised this way, which protects from consumption losses at low income levels while preserving the incentive to cut back.
Going to complain about "lol wuts the point of collecting i
Agree completely, wish I had mod points.
And that, my friends, is why CAFE[1] standards are a stupid way of reducing emissions.
Except this isn't about CAFE at all, but a specific ZEV mandate in CARB standards for the 6 largest automakers.
These rules gave us the GM EV1, Nissan Leaf, the Toyota Prius, the Chevy Volt, and more. I'd say those vehicles are indications that the regulations are highly effective. You're free to disagree (once you get onto the correct subject), but I think the above list stands on its own.
While there are a number of other "compliance cars" that aren't as noteworthy, they're still helping support ZEV R&D, and amortization of the costs.
A web search for "compliance car" turns up numerous insightful write-ups:
http://www.greencarreports.com... [greencarreports.com]
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-... [autoguide.com]
http://www.usatoday.com/story/... [usatoday.com]
It's a fantastic car. I've had mine for about nine months and after having owned an number of rather expensive (and inexpensive) cars, this is probably my favorite.
I've never driven a gas-powered Fiat 500, but I imagine the build quality is similar. It's surprisingly comfortable and well built for a car in its price range. I'm pretty particular about the noise levels in my cars and the electric model is reported to have more sound dampening than the standard model; external noise is probably more obvious when there's no engine to mask it. Quiet, fantastic acceleration, and virtually no maintenance. There's a lot to like about this car.
I hope they continue selling them. I've leased mine since the technology changes quickly enough that I expect better range / faster charging, or both within 3-4 years (plus competition from Tesla in that market segment), but if there were no other option I would definitely purchase mine at the end of the lease.
This is my first electric car, but I can say unequivocally that I will never purchase another gas-powered car (unless it's an exotic / sports car). It really is that much of an improvement over internal combustion.*
*For me. Obviously electric cars are not for _everyone_(yet). If you need to haul bales of hay up a mountainside four times a week, buy a truck.
After having bought a Tesla Model S I find it difficult to go back to an internal combustion engine. The responsiveness and smoothness are unparalleled with throw you back in the seat instant acceleration.
As I wrote in another comment in this thread, I actually did the math, and based on my driving needs cost-wise the 500e is a net savings (including cost of the car) for me (compared to the car I was driving when I decided on the 500e) over five years.
Plus, it is fun to drive. This is subjective, of course.
It's clearly not for everyone and every situation, and even though Fiat offers free rentals at major agencies for those longer trips, I am glad that we have a second (ICE) car in the family.
The issue is that in California they have to sell a certain portion of their fleet with zero and low emissions. He is saying that in order to convince people to buy the zero or low emission vehicles in adequate proportion, they have had to subsidize the price by $14,000. He does not expect that they will "sell too many" â" they picked this price because it's the number they expect will sell exactly the right amount.
I think some of the other posters are probably correct in that a nontrivial portion of that 'subsidy' is accounting for R&D costs. I think every major manufacturer either has or is considering electric cars, so it makes sense to start building them to work out engineering issues. Perhaps it is helpful from an accounting standpoint to attribute this to the requirement to sell these in California. I think even if they weren't, there would be similar development expenses for the inevitable introduction
Sadly, environmental issues, and limited resources, isn't something that the free market will handle when left to its own devices. I have no sympathy for automakers that need to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
Now I want to buy an electric Fiat out of spite!
The Fiat 500 has also a very very efficient Diesel mult-jet version, which can do 76 MPG (in UK gallons or 63 MPG US gallons). Unfortunately you can't buy that in the US.
The Fiat 500 has also a very very efficient Diesel mult-jet version, which can do 76 MPG (in UK gallons or 63 MPG US gallons). Unfortunately you can't buy that in the US.
Since the gasoline Fiat 500 can get 40 US MPG Hwy under stricter standards, and since diesel has a 12% higher energy density per volume and costs more (here), that's really not a terribly impressive number...
I just dropped my daughter off at the gym. In a 15 minute round-trip drive, I counted 5 Leafs. Nissan isn't trying to stop people from buying their car. Neither is Tesla.
I have a Fiat 500, the non-electric one. For $17,000, it's a good car. But it's clearly a sub-$20K car - and unless they completely redesign major sections of it that are completely unrelated to the propulsion, they aren't going to be getting it to a be worth $30K even with the value of an electric engine.
Just for one example of what isn't good, the sound system supposedly supports USB. It does, technically, but it does so in the least competent way possible. You would expect it would support folders - like it does for data CDs. It does not. You would expect it to play songs in filename order. It does not. It plays every song on there, in the order of file creation. I noticed in the manual that the entertainment system runs on Windows Phone 7 - I have a very difficult time believing that Windows, in any version, has such broken support for FAT32.
Another example? The seat belt warning alarm activates even if the car is in park, within a second of turning on the car. I've had to get into the habit of buckling up before even turning the key.
The Fiat 500 is a cheap car. I'd say an electric version is worth about $25K (I couldn't actually use one myself - I use street parking, so I literally have nowhere to charge it up).
Tesla got one thing right - because electric cars, for the foreseeable future, are going to add $20K-$30K to the cost of the car, you're better off doing so in high-end cars where that's an extra 10-20%, not double the cost.
I have the 500e. I love it, although I'm inclined to agree about it not being competitive in the 30K+ range. It has a lot to gain from the lease / state / federal subsidies currently in effect. I can't really think of anything that annoys me in this car after nine months. I'll probably get another one in 2 or 3 years. (Or a Tesla if there is one in the $30-40K range or if I decide I want a larger car.)
This is the same mindset automakers had back in 1994, when the California (CARB) emissions standards were going to (eventually) require a tiny percentage of all cars sold had to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).
Ford's Th!nk and Chrysler's EPIC were piles of crap ("compliance cars") produced just to minimally meet the regulations. GM thought they could one-up them, and produce an actually NICE ZEV that people would WANT, which would then allow them to sell MORE conventional vehicles, which is where the infamous EV1 came from. Toyota had a similar mindset as GM, but couldn't compete on ZEVs, and invented their Prius as an alternative to meet the standards.
The successful court challenges to the CARB rules set back ZEVs by two decades, and we're repeating history again, today. GM makes a nice ZEV (with some inspiration from Tesla and Toyota this time), while Ford and Chrysler sell crap ZEVs they have to give away, and Toyota doubles-down on their Prius with longer range and plug-in capabilities.
Nissan is the only surprise, being quite competitive this time around, while their previous Altra attempt, despite pioneering lithium-ion battery EVs, wasn't noteworthy at the time.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_ve... [ucsusa.org]
with a moron like that in charge.
enough said.
Car makers cried and pitched an absolute shit-fit about seat belts, air bags, and fuel efficiency standards.
In theory, the free market should produce incentives for solving for safety and efficiency. In reality, it just optimizes the local maxima, since no one wants to be the first to "blink" by making these new technologies standard (thus greatly lowering the cost), ensuring they stay high-priced luxuries.
If we leave it to the free market, we'll be stuck on gasoline engines for another century at least, with all the negative impacts that will have on our economy as the increasing cost of oil and various shocks hit. That's not even dealing with the environmental or global climate change issues.
Government regulations can jump-start the industry and so far it appears to be working for electric vehicles. We are still in the early-adopter stages; they'll get better and cheaper as long as we keep at it.
Fun fact: government almost always leads the way into uncharted territory. It wasn't private industry that built trans-continental railroads (which makes Atlas Shrugged hilarious). It was the US government. The government gave the rights of way, passed a series of massive funding bills to give the railroads free money and tax breaks, sent in the army to protect the rails from Native Americans, robbers, etc. Without federal government involvement, the US rail network would not exist in the form it does today.
For that matter, neither would the interstate highway system.
Nor would computing: it was massive US federal government spending that paid Grace Hopper to invent the first compiler! And it was government spending that created the Internet, both TCP/IP via ARPA and the WWW via CERN.
The rich get rich, and the poor get poorer. The haves get more, the have-nots die.