2004 Honda Civic HYBRID sedan. HOV CARPOOL STICKERS.
Automatic Transmission.
The 1.3-liter gasoline-electric powertrain found in the Civic Hybrid boasts the best fuel economy figures of the Civic range upto 48 highway.Selling 2004 Honda Civic Hybrids have HOV Decals:
Clean Title
115k miles (being used daily) – White Exterior Color

The Honda Civic Hybrid comes equipped with power windows, power mirrors, CD Player, A/C, antilock brakes front-seat side and front airbags,Remote security system,Spoiler alloy rims.

Call before it’s gone:
415-240-2884

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1483048363.html

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid HOV Carpool Stickers Drive Solo upto 48mpg

Smogged Report in hand. Clean title

Automatic Transmission.
The 1.3-liter gasoline-electric powertrain found in the Civic Hybrid boasts the best fuel economy figures of the Civic range upto 48 highway.

Honda Civic Hybrids – have HOV Decals:
130k miles (being used daily) – Metallic Baby Blue Exterior Color

The Honda Civic Hybrid comes equipped with power windows, power mirrors, CD Player, A/C, antilock brakes front-seat side and front airbags.

Call before it’s gone:
415-240-2884

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1485288470.html

XXIO Prime

http://www.4restgolf.com/content/xxio-prime

XXIO Prime

By http://www/4restgolf.com

XXIO Impact Power Body

http://www.4restgolf.com/content/xxio-impact-power-body

XXIO Impact Power Body

By http://www.4restgolf.com

Honma Beres MG713

Driver Honma

http://www.4restgolf.com/content/honma-beres-mg712-0

http://www.4restgolf.com/content/honma-beres-mg713-1

Honma Beres MG713

Honma Beres MG712

Honma Beres MG712

By http://www.4restgolf.com

My imagination is set on a voyage to the past.

 I can see the Athenian thinkers and artists mingling with their Indian counterparts, following the occupation of the Punjab by Alexander the Great. It was a rare coming together of the East and the West, on equal terms, because the Greek conqueror was a visionary, who appreciated nobility, without stamping any one as an enemy.

The following centuries saw an awakening, nowhere else witnessed in the history of the world. The two races produced a hybrid, as marriage between them was encouraged by the Emperor. The plains watered by the R. Sindhu (Indus) and its five tributaries, gained the name panch ab or PUNJAB which produces the food grains, enough to feed the whole of north India!

 What a pity, it is unlawfully divided along communal lines, by short sighted politicians.

I’m a car nut, so when I lived in Chicago, going to the Chicago Auto Show was pretty much an annual pilgrimage for me.  Now that I’m in Arizona, the idea of going back to Chicago in the dead of winter just to see the new models and concept cars; well, I think I’ll hold off- at least this year.

But I’d still like to be able to drool over the new models and concept cars, so I was happy to learn about the Arizona International Auto Show, going on today through Sunday at the Phoenix Convention Center.

According to The Arizona Republic, the manufacturers scheduled to show off their new must-have new rides include Chevy and their new Camaro, the 2010 Ford Taurus and 2011 Super Duty, Lexus’ hybrid HS250h, and Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe. And Lexus won’t be the only manufacturer there with new ‘green’ offerings- Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Ford, and GM nameplates Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac will be among those showcasing new fuel-sipping hardware.

In addition, there will be some drool-worthy dream (for all but the most well-heeled attendees) cars on display- Rolls-Royce, Bentley’s new Azure, Aston Martin (for those of you who, like me, dream of one day rolling like James Bond), Maserati, and Ferrari.  Lamborghini will have a Gallardo Spyder on display… and Porsche will have its all-new (and first-ever) four-door Porsche Panamera there for potential owners to check out.  These ne plus ultra iterations of the automobile (and in all likelihood, most destined to be garage queens) are all on display courtesy of their respective local dealerships: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Scottsdale, Bentley Scottsdale, Aston Martin Scottsdale, Scottsdale Ferrari-Maserati, and Lamborghini North Scottsdale.

The show will be open Friday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and on Sunday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Admission is $9.00 for adults (well, anybody 13 and over); seniors, military, students, and children (7-12) are $5.00, and anybody under 6 gets in free. Sunday is even ‘Family Day’, so kids under 12 get in free with a paying adult!

I don’t know what day I’ll be going, but I will be there, camera in hand, so be sure to check back for my photos from the event.  If you go, please share your 2009 Arizona International Auto Show photos by posting them (or links to them) in the comments!

Thanks!

Dan, a.k.a. @PHXPhoto

With the much anticipated launch next year of quite possibly the two most important cars of our time, is it a wonder that people are confused with all the marketing hype and noise out there.  We’ve got color naming contests,  22 city road shows, gauntlet face slapping T.V. commercials, blog sites with daily content and even show and tell with middle school kids.  Is it really that hard to believe that people might be getting confused about which car does what, who has the best MPG, EV vs. Hybrid and why choose one over the other?

Talk about building up the hype, GM has announced the three finalist for their color naming contest.  “EV-ergreen”, “Veridian joule” and “EnviroMint”.  All fun and quirky names that conjure up thoughts of eco-warrior meets metrosexual chic.  Couple this with the constant “May the Best Car Win” TV ads and one might think that the Volt would be the hands down favorite in terms of mindshare.  But don’t count out that little company from Japan.  They have a few tricks up their sleeve too!!!

Nissan is on a “pilgrimage to mecha-annical” glory.  They have reached out to all the stakeholders and media alike and asked them to attend 1 of 22 different roadshows.  At the event, we get a chance to feast our excited eyes  on the Leaf, network with other EV enthusiasts and take turns driving a prototype around a little track at low speed.  A few of the people who have taken this opportunity to test drive the Leaf-like car use words like “seamless power delivery”, “smooth” and my favorite ” noticeably quite”.  All very positive endorsements.

The next and probably most aggressive attempt at winning the hearts of families is now being launched by GM.  Get ready for the biggest “show and tell” school event ever.  GM is inviting 800 middle school kids in LA. plus any other kid who wants to attend online to participate in a huge school yard education session.  Though the kids are probably not the ones who will buy the car next year, they will be the future purchasers of both Hybrids and EV’s and it makes sense to reach out to them now.

So who is the ultimate winner of the hype?  Hopefully it will be all of us in the end.

After a five hour bumpy flight I landed at Dulles International Airport just west of Washington DC.  The wheels of my United flight hit ground about 11:45pm and by the time I rode the 1960’s vintage shuttle bus  to the terminal, got my bags, and arrived at my Hertz rental car it was well after midnight.  To put it mildly I was tired, grumpy, and feeling more or less asocial.  So, I loaded my bags into what appeared to be a perfectly nice Nissan Altima, wedged myself into the driver’s compartment, inserted the key, pushed the start button, and waited for something to happen.  The car’s dashboard lights flicked off and on a couple of times apparently attempting to communicate something to me in Morse Code.  So I tried again.  I ejected the key, reinserted it, and pressed the start button again – only a bit more decisively this time. Once again, as if on cue, the car’s dash lights flickered at me for a moment and came to rest in the lit position.  ”OK, what in the heck am I doing wrong here,” I thought to myself.  ”I am tired, and must just be missing some basic step.” So I checked the door to make sure it was shut, made sure the parking brake was disengaged, and double checked that the car was in park.  I went through my mental checklist with the precision of an airline pilot and everything looked right.  So I drew in a deep breath and pressed the start button a third time.  The car answered me with the same, now profane, dashboard blinks and then went silent.  ”That’s it!” I yelled at the steering wheel. “I am a Hertz Five Star Gold member for crying out loud! You think they could give me a car that would start!”  I threw open the driver’s door just hard enough that it bounced back and smacked me in the head as I was leaning to get out. This succeeded in sending my frustration into apoplectic frenzy.  I popped the trunk, grabbed my bags, and drug all of my worldly possessions to the Hertz customer service counter.  I must have looked the way I felt because, when I stormed into the office,  the young counter clerk stared at me as if he had just seen Arnold Schwarzenegger with his titanium skull exposed holding a 40 watt plasma rifle.

“Can I help you sir?” he asked timidly.  ”Yes you can,” I exclaimed making no effort whatsoever to hide my seething frustration.  ”I just got off a 5 hour flight and want nothing more than to get to my hotel and go to sleep, but the crappy car you guys have rented me seems content with staying right where it is!” I blurted out.  The clerk looked at me somewhat bewildered and asked, “you mean it won’t start?”  I shook my head east to west not wanting to have to explain the entire ordeal. “Well I am very sorry for your trouble sir,” he politely continued. “Let me walk out to the car with you and, if we cannot get it started, I will get you a different car.  I grumbled something that I did not even fully understand and followed the young kid back out to my car.   He took my keys, hopped into the driver’s seat pushed the start button and watched as the dash lights flicked on and off.  ”There you go sir,” he said with a confident smile, “she seems to be OK now.”   I was perplexed. “What do you mean she’s OK , the engine didn’t start,” I pointed out – just in case he had not noticed.  He gave me an embarrassed look and after a polite smile said,”sir this is a hybrid.”  I paused to let his words sink into my now completely atrophied mind.  ”A what?” I pressed. “A hybrid sir, it is part of the new  Hertz ‘Green Line’ of rentals,” he proudly explained.  ”Hertz is doing its part to combat climate change,” he gushed failing to contain his enthusiasm, “they are pretty cool cars.”

As I stood there growing my new donkey ears, I felt desperate.  I had to lash out in some final attempt save any vestige of my dignity.  ”I ordered a car, not a golf cart,” I jabbed.  ”Sir this is a great car,” he reiterated now showing a bit of frustration himself. “It is also the only mid-size I have left on the lot. If you want to switch cars you will either have to pay to upgrade or take an economy car.”  He had me and I knew it.  Score at the end of round two: 20 year old rental clerk 2 – 47 year old crabby renter 0.  ”Never mind,” I conceded,  ”I will just take it.”  The clerk smiled, tossed me the key, did a something of a victory lap around my newly adopted golf cart, and disappeared back into his office.  I was alone once again, just me and the car.  I cannot say for sure, but I think it was smiling.

If, like me, you are a child of the internal combustion age and have never driven a hybrid, the experience will trouble you from the start.  My personal vehicle is a Ford F-250 long bed crew cab pick up truck with a 5.0 liter turbo charged diesel engine.  When it starts, live squirrels get sucked into the air intake. I sit 3.5 feet off the ground in a fire breathing Detroit-made dragon and can feel gravity warp as I press the gas pedal.   It is a 350hp testosterone pump and I love it.  God help me – I love it so.   The hybrid experience on the other hand, is something completely different. When you push the start button you are greeted with nothing but a blinking dashboard and soft contemporary jazz on the radio. You know, the kind of jazz that makes you want to go out and buy a fern.  Your expectations of any type of mechanical affirmation are dashed and you are left feeling…well…green!

As the week progressed, I discovered many other hybridisms.  For instance, when you turn it on you have no way of really knowing it is on until you depress the gas pedal (if you can call it that).  The car rolls forward silently on battery and you feel as if you are having an out-of-auto experience.  How can a car move with no engine noise or rumble?  It is just plain wrong. Then as soon as you get comfortable with the silence, poof, an engine appears from nowhere and starts humming  in accordance with some complex software algorithm.  It gives you a few reassuring minutes of sound, and then without warning turns itself back off.  For those of us who grew up driving cars like the AMC Javelin, when the engine stops by itself,  it is time to pull over and flip the hood up. It truly makes one’s heart jump until you remember that you are  driving something that is half car and  half cart.   Another awkward hybrid moment occurs when you stop at a traffic signal on a busy 6 lane city interchange and the engine turns off.  Crazy thoughts race through your head.   Did it turn off on purpose, or did it break down?  When I press the gas pedal will it roll forward or will the hood fly open and one of those springy snakes leap out?  Then, just to add insult to injury, as you are sitting at the intersection fully immersed in your existential crisis, some dude in a Ford F-250 diesel pulls up next to you and guns it.  ”What a jerk ,” you think for a moment as you look at your reflection in his shiny chrome hubcap.  Then you realize that the face looking back at you is no longer yours but that of  Stuart Smalley mouthing the words, “I am important” and “green is good.”  For those of us who like a little metal under the hood, it is a holistically horrible experience.  The only fun hybrid moment I had was when I realized that, in battery mode,  I could sneak up behind people walking in parking lots and follow about 12 inches behind them without giving myself away…until I blew the horn.  I have a court date scheduled for February.

Long story short, I kept my little hybrid for a week and, despite the overwhelming urge to buy a cat and go to an Indigo Girls concert, I got through it relatively unscathed.  The fact is, my little car got me from A to B just fine, and really did consume fuel from an eyedropper.  Still, it was a troubling experience for reasons more philosophical than practical.  In the days since my hybrid excursion, I have thought a lot about this little car and what it represents.  To understand my thoughts better I went to the dictionary. The first definition of “hybrid” on Dictionary.com is, “…the offspring of two animals or plants of different breeds, varieties, species, or genera, esp. as produced through human manipulation for specific genetic characteristics.”  This definition seems a bit inapplicable and gives me a disturbing visual of the Nissan production process. The fourth definition however, is much more germane:

“…anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements of different or incongruous kinds: a hybrid of the academic and business worlds.”

Basically, the way I read it, a hybrid is what you get when you cross something natural with something – else.  It makes a good car for a golf cart, and a pretty good golf cart for a car. It is, as the definition says,  incongruous. My F-250 may drink more gas going down my driveway than 12 Smart Cars in two months, but it is as natural to the American lifestyle as Bay Watch reruns on TV Land.  America is a wide-open land where freedom and self-determination rule, and one can drive their land yacht from one endless horizon to another and know that they will fit in and be accepted (except for maybe in Marin County California).  Waste and noise aside, my truck is a piece of Americana at its finest, something that sets us apart from self-righteous Vespa driving Europeans.   Yet like so many other pieces of Americana, the Detroit-made internal combustion engine is going the way of the western.  In fact it seems that we are loosing our cultural identity more quickly than ever.  Just look at the list –  freedom of speech (fairness doctrine), freedom of choice (public health care),  french fries (trans-fat warnings). It is all being changed right before our eyes. Your kid cannot even ride his bicycle on the sidewalk in some states without 10 pounds of protective gear.

Obama has also made it clear through his policy and speeches abroad that he intends to make us less American and more European.  We can no longer take pride in being loud mouthed, over opinionated, big car driving, jean wearing, damn the torpedoes full speed ahead Americans.  For some reason unknown to me, the popular sentiment is that we now have to be something else….something incongruous.  We are becoming a “hybrid nation.”  In hindsight,  my hybrid experience was not troubling because of the car, but rather because it was an omen of things to come, or should I say things to go.  ”But aren’t you being a bit Glenn Beck-ish?” you ask.   “It is just a little car.”  Maybe so, but history shows us time and again, change can come in ways you least expect it…

“The Sioux warrior sat astride his Appaloosa stallion on the windswept hill, proud and confident.  Off in the distance he saw a curious thing.  It looked like a wooden box on wheels with a giant white hat.  It was  far away, but he could hear it as it rumbled over rocks and rivulets.  Was it alive?  He did not think so, because it appeared to be drawn by many long-eared horses.  He had never seen anything like it in his life, but was not too concerned. How could such a small awkward looking thing ever threaten the great Sioux Nation…” Anonymous

By the way, next time I am specifying a Lincoln Town Car.

WordPress.com PoliticalBlogger Alliance

For centuries wolves have been hunted, persecuted, and reviled by many as monsters. They have been hunted to near extinction in several countries, including the mainland United States. On the other extreme, people have often taken wolves or wolf hybrids and tried to domesticate them, only to realize they can’t really care for a large pet. Somebody needed to step up and help educate the public about the true nature of the wolf, and provide a home for those cast-off hybrids that are neither wolf nor dog. That somebody was Mission: Wolf of Westcliffe, Colo.

Last summer I worked with Gabrielle Faust to raise money for Mission: Wolf and The Bat Sanctuary of Austin, Texas, at a joint book signing. It was a success, but I want to do more, and I’m hoping you’ll want to help … and possibly win a nice prize. So, my annual Give the Gift of Lycanthropy campaign this year is designed to help the good folks of Mission: Wolf provide care for the animals they’ve taken in.

Here’s how it works. On the left side of my Web site there is a donation button. By clicking it, you can donate money to Mission: Wolf through me. When the contest closes, I’ll send Mission: Wolf a check for everything donated. I’m not keeping any of the money for processing, to pay for the prizes, or anything like that. Every penny will be sent to Mission: Wolf.

Prizes? Yup. The person who donates the most money at www.stevenewedel.com between now and Christmas (Dec. 25, 2009) will receive one of my “PC” numbered copies of Little Graveyard on the Prairie. This is a small collector’s edition book that retails for $50 and was limited to a print run of 100 hardback copies. Here’s a link to Horror-Mall’s listing for the book. Now, because it is a rather expensive prize, the minimum donation to be qualified to win it is $10. You can donate as many times as you want. Your cumulative amount as of Dec. 25, 2009, will determine your eligibility for this grand prize. Remember, the money goes to Mission: Wolf.

If that’s too steep for you, don’t worry. You still have a couple of chances to win a free book. Everyone who donates any amount at all at www.stevenewedel.com will have his name put into a drawing to win his choice of one of my Scrybe Press titles.

But wait! There’s more. Everyone who reposts this message and sends comments/replies here with the working link (or includes me in the Facebook note) will also be entered into a drawing for a free Scrybe Press title from me.

That’s THREE chances to win. Plus, everyone wins that warm, furry feeling you get from helping some majestic animals and the wonderful people who take care of them. You can’t beat that with a dead vampire! Go to www.stevenewedel.com and click the Donate Now button in the upper left corner to help Mission: Wolf.

I hope you have a great holiday season, and thanks for your support!

For centuries wolves have been hunted, persecuted, and reviled by many as monsters. They have been hunted to near extinction in several countries, including the mainland United States. On the other extreme, people have often taken wolves or wolf hybrids and tried to domesticate them, only to realize they can’t really care for a large pet. Somebody needed to step up and help educate the public about the true nature of the wolf, and provide a home for those cast-off hybrids that are neither wolf nor dog. That somebody was Mission: Wolf of Westcliffe, Colo.

Last summer I worked with Gabrielle Faust to raise money for Mission: Wolf and The Bat Sanctuary of Austin, Texas, at a joint book signing. It was a success, but I want to do more, and I’m hoping you’ll want to help … and possibly win a nice prize. So, my annual Give the Gift of Lycanthropy campaign this year is designed to help the good folks of Mission: Wolf provide care for the animals they’ve taken in.

Here’s how it works. On the left side of my Web site there is a donation button. By clicking it, you can donate money to Mission: Wolf through me. When the contest closes, I’ll send Mission: Wolf a check for everything donated. I’m not keeping any of the money for processing, to pay for the prizes, or anything like that. Every penny will be sent to Mission: Wolf.

Prizes? Yup. The person who donates the most money at www.stevenewedel.com between now and Christmas (Dec. 25, 2009) will receive one of my “PC” numbered copies of Little Graveyard on the Prairie. This is a small collector’s edition book that retails for $50 and was limited to a print run of 100 hardback copies. Here’s a link to Horror-Mall’s listing for the book. Now, because it is a rather expensive prize, the minimum donation to be qualified to win it is $10. You can donate as many times as you want. Your cumulative amount as of Dec. 25, 2009, will determine your eligibility for this grand prize. Remember, the money goes to Mission: Wolf.

If that’s too steep for you, don’t worry. You still have a couple of chances to win a free book. Everyone who donates any amount at all at www.stevenewedel.com will have his name put into a drawing to win his choice of one of my Scrybe Press titles.

But wait! There’s more. Everyone who reposts this message and sends comments/replies here with the working link (or includes me in the Facebook note) will also be entered into a drawing for a free Scrybe Press title from me.

That’s THREE chances to win. Plus, everyone wins that warm, furry feeling you get from helping some majestic animals and the wonderful people who take care of them. You can’t beat that with a dead vampire! Go to www.stevenewedel.com and click the Donate Now button in the upper left corner to help Mission: Wolf.

I hope you have a great holiday season, and thanks for your support!

via Detroit News:

Washington –Honda Motor Co. has the most fuel efficient fleet in the United States, followed closely by Hyundai Motor Co., the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday in releasing preliminary figures for 2009.

All vehicles sold in the 2009 model year are expected to average 21.1 miles per gallon in “real world” driving, which is one-tenth of a mile better than in the 2008 model year.

Final 2009 figures will be released next year in October or November. The preliminary numbers are based on sales data and confidential product reports and sales estimates from the companies and usually don’t vary much from the final tallies, which are based on actual sales.

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The EPA also released final numbers for the 2008 model year, reporting the nation’s fleet improved 0.4 miles per gallon from 20.6 mpg in 2007 to 21.0 mpg.

At Gearslutz forums about TC Electronic M30 plugin, we can find interesting (and complex) details about reverberation effects. To sum up, convolution-based reverbs are well suited for reproducing early reflections, however they do not achieve convincing feeling for later periods (lack of modulation – not random because “recorded” reverb). Algorithms-based reverbs provide more various and musical trails (on a perceptive side – not on the realism one). Then it is close to difference between synthesis (dynamic, living) and samples (accurate but less musical). Most evolved reverbs (as Lexicon ones) use both solutions.

We can bypass a convolution reverb at around 200 ms and merge it with a conventional one (with an initial delay of the same duration). As the convolution part is now shorter, it requires far more less resources (depends from the duration), while the algorithm-based part uses constant resources (whatever the duration).

We can find many recent algorithm-based software reverbs, as Eos from Audio Damage (49$). It provides 3 algorithms (Plate 1 – mono in, stereo out -, Plate 2 – true stereo -, and Superhall – true stereo), and also work on G4 due to low resources requirement ! Audio examples are provided.

The incredibly long modulated hall sounds of Eno-style ambience are where Eos thrives, something that is made of unobtanium with convolution ‘verbs. Quite simply, an impulse response can not do what Eos does.

Nike Air Max 90 Huarache Low

Inspired by the DQM ” Bacon”  Air Max 90, the hybrid resembles a classic colourway in a new, innovatied sneaker. Comfortable and Fashionable is  a great mix for a reasonable price. Using premium leathers and installing a flywire heel counter,  it is a great ode to the original. If you have any worries about wearing a sneaker like this in Winter, don’t fret. Nike encased Thinsulate™ insulation to keep your feet warm and ready to tackle the weathers that may occur.

*PHONE ORDERS WELCOMED 516 – 627- 3648*

MORE PICS AFTER THE LINK!

For many families, purchasing a home is impossible without first obtaining a proper mortgage loan, and since it is the most important money commitment, you should try to find the loan that’s good for your situation. An effective way to start is to prepare yourself. Understanding the different types of loans on the market, and the pros and cons of each one is necessary. Make sure you think about how many years you intend to live in your new home, your risk tolerance, and if you expect your salary will increase, drop or stay the same. There are more than a few selections – totally different terms, rates, fees… Here they are:

Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM)

With an ARM, the interest rate varies periodically, generally in relation to an index (for instance, the rates that set by Federal Reserve), and monthly payments might go up or down accordingly. Changing periods generally happen at intervals of one, three or five years. On an yearly adjustment, you usually begin with a rate that is two to three percentage points below the price of fixed rate loan.

The following factors can assist you to decide if choosing ARM is good for you

1. You expect to pay-off the loan of your new house at intervals four to five years.
2. You are projecting to be in your home for less than a few years.
3. You need to bring down your payments in the first year.
4. You have enough of confidence that your salary would grow soon.
5. The most crucial factor is that you can handle payments when the rates go up.

Fixed-Rate Mortgages

Go with a fixed rate mortgage, and you’re safe. The interest rate and monthly payments remain the same for the lifetime of your loan. If rates go up, you have gotten a good deal. How about if they go down? You may refinance at a lower rate.

Consider a fixed rate loan if:

1. You plan to live in your new house for many, many years.
2. You can’t foresee your future salary.
3. You think the mortgage rates will increase shortly.
4. You do not feel safe for taking a chance on an Adjustable Rate mortgage.

Hybrid Mortgages

These are great loans for folks who are stretching their incomes to buy a home. With these mortgages, you have a fixed rate for a specific number of years (typically 3,5,7 or 10), then the loan will switch over to adjustable rate.

Consider a Hybrid Mortgages if:

1. You are intending to be in your home for just a brief time. The advantage is you will have a fixed rate at a lower monthly payments than the real fixed-rate loan.
2. You believe the present rates are too high, but you don’t want to miss an opportunity to have the house you like.
3. You think that your salary will rise in the near future, so when your rate is changing to ARM does not affect you too much.

Besides Fixed, Adjustable and Hybrid, there are several other types of mortgages (Two-Step , Balloon…) on the market today. It might not be straightforward to select the most effective one for your situation. However, by answering the following questions, you may get a feel for the simplest loan for your financial situation.

1. How many years do you intend to stay in your new home.
2. What do you feel interest rates will do in the future?
3. Do you think to have a big raise coming soon?
4. What is your risk tolerance level?

Finding the best mortgage is all about saving money. You took your time to settle on the right house, shouldn’t you also cautiously evaluate the financing for that home?

You also need to know about Loan Amortization Schedule.

Après un premier film dont nous ne dirons jamais assez de bien (Maléfique), Eric Valette semblait s’être perdu au cœur du système, rattrapé par l’envie, légitime, de percer dans le genre de l’autre côté de l’Atlantique, mais contraint d’abandonner aux mains des producteurs du remake de La Mort en ligne, ses velléités de réalisateur à personnalité prometteuse, offensive. Une mauvaise expérience suivie par la formalisation d’une série B (Hybrid) sous petite influence Cameron / Carpenter – si l’on se réfère en tout cas à sa bande-annonce aux tonalités volontairement eighties et marquée par l’empreinte fantastique de ces deux grands (une voiture « possédée » par le diable s’en prend aux résidents de nuit du garage d’un poste de police). En attendant la sortie de cet opus a priori un peu fauché mais sans doute très roboratif, le spectateur se réjouira du retour aux affaires du toulousain en Hexagone. Désireux de renouer avec une tendance disparue du cinéma français (le thriller politique engagé façon Le juge Fayard d’Yves Boisset ; 1977, tout de même !) tout en intégrant les archétypes jouissifs du polar américain, Eric Valette signe avec Une Affaire d’État le meilleur film de sa carrière mais aussi de l’année voire de la décennie dans nos frontières sclérosées par une cinématographie de fiction nombriliste et peu concernée par l’état du monde. Si l’on vous dit qu’en plus il est adapté du roman (Nos Fantastiques années fric) écrit par une auteure (Dominique Manotti) revendiquant clairement une construction à la James Ellroy et bien connue pour son traitement sans concession de la corruption de certains milieux d’affaires et politiques ; que Valette lui-même réinjecte cette appréhension mouvementée, composée d’une infinité de nuances dans la noirceur, d’un univers violent, décadent et fortement dénonciateur ; qu’il n’a pas été produit par les chaînes hertziennes nationales (le fléau de notre production cinématographique : quand le petit écran formate et décide du grand, voyez ce que ça donne toute l’année), il ne vous reste en principe aucune excuse pour ne pas courir le voir dès sa sortie.

Une Affaire d’État ne ressemble à aucun autre film français récent et, bien qu’exploitant une caractérisation typiquement hardboiled, ne se complaît jamais dans l’imitation décadrée du film noir américain mâtiné de thriller paranoïaque et violent : il intègre ces genres tout en restant lui-même et vous vous surprendrez à trouver qu’à travers la vision particulière de Valette, Paris la nuit puisse paraître aussi vénéneuse, nébuleuse, comploteuse qu’une Washington en pleine malversation chez Pakula ou qu’une San Francisco criminelle chez Don Siegel.
Le film tisse une toile de corruption, de meurtres et de trahisons politiques autour de deux événements que des milliers de kilomètres séparent : l’explosion d’un avion transportant des armes de fabrication française au-dessus du Golfe de Guinée, et l’assassinat dans un parking parisien d’une escort girl / indic d’un photographe people en quête de révélations de secrets d’État. Autour de ces intrigues qui n’en formeront bientôt qu’une, gravitent l’inspectrice nerveuse Nora Chayd (Rachida Brakni, efficace et juste), le Monsieur Afrique officieux du gouvernement Victor Bornand (André Dussolier, terrifiant de réalisme étatique) et son homme de main Michel Fernandez (Thierry Frémont, magnétique, crépusculaire, glaçant), un ancien des services de renseignements.

En s’attelant à un sujet aux ramifications internationales, Eric Valette insuffle à son film la vision universelle du genre qu’il sert, vision qu’il manque à la majorité de nos productions même volontaristes. Le réalisateur rejette toute idée de film-débat à thèse et au rayonnement documentaire pour privilégier le divertissement solide où s’imbriquent realpolitik et ténébreuses actualités, scandales en général (mercenaires et sociétés écrans), dessous de la Françafrique en particulier : le sous-texte d’Une Affaire d’État convoque ainsi dans un climat très barbouzard les figures compromises de la société civile et affairiste française voire internationale. Derrière Bornand / Dussolier se profile l’image du tutélaire et grand ordonnateur Jacques Foccart (secrétaire d’Etat aux affaires africaines et malgaches du Général de Gaulle), référence à laquelle s’ajoutent les échos de l’Angolagate, des influences exercées par les services secrets et de contre-espionnage sur des marchands de mort comme Jacques Monsieur ou Pierre Falcone, des négociations / triturations mercantiles de sociétés comme la Sofremi (une entité dépendante du Ministère de l’Intérieur, d’ailleurs dirigé par Charles Pasqua au moment de l’affaire du trafic d’armes vers l’Angola) que n’hésitait pas à saisir la DST (devenue depuis la DCRI) ; sans oublier les réminiscences de la guerre civile du Congo Brazzaville en 1997, au cours de laquelle la compagnie Elf accepta de prêter de l’argent destiné à payer des armes (grâce à des contrats de préfinancement) au gouvernement de Pascal Lissouba dans sa lutte contre l’ancien Président Denis Sassou N’Guesso. Ce sont aussi des trafics d’influence plus étendus encore (drogue, réseaux de prostitution huppés, guerre des services de renseignements) que pointe en fligrane le film de Valette, suspendant toute démonstration géopolitique péremptoire pour conduire un récit flamboyant à l’équilibre parfait entre action et conversations secrètes.

Une Affaire d’État peut ainsi se prévaloir d’un formalisme sec et soigné, dénué d’ostentation et de surcharge : l’action domine le récit sans sacrifier au chaos des sens ni au brouillage visuel ; tout est frontal, donc d’autant plus brutal. Les personnages et situations s’avèrent bien trempés dans un univers ambigü aux éclairages marqués : entre l’inspectrice en quête de vérité (mention spéciale également à son chef interprété par l’excellent Gérald Laroche, dont Valette, Xavier Durringer et Olivier Marchal sont les seuls à avoir appréhendé tout le talent) et le corrompu Bornand s’étend ainsi toute une zone de gris, représentée par Fernandez, un anti-héros violent pris dans un engrenage de jeux de pouvoir, caractère tout droit sorti d’un roman d’Ellroy. À cet égard, Valette gère les incursions de ses protagonistes comme le Maître du polar US, déambulant entre les existences jusqu’à les faire se croiser (mise en scène que renforce ici l’utilisation de thèmes musicaux spécifiques à des personnages), s’affronter, s’équilibrer dans le bien et le mal, dans la pureté et la manipulation. Fernandez s’impose ici comme le point nodal de l’intrigue, le mal nécessaire d’un monde corrompu dont les héros ne sont plus les figures droites de l’âge d’or. À l’instar des mauvais garçons Kemper Boyd et Pete Bondurand dans American Tabloïd, Fernandez (incroyable Frémont, on le répète) attire à lui toute l’attention et l’empathie du spectateur, pourtant révulsé par la noirceur et l’incontrôlable violence de son personnage. C’est la force du film de Valette : nous faire basculer dans l’ère du soupçon, la véritable identité du thriller moderne, la raison d’être d’un cinéma tel que le conçoivent les meilleures productions du monde. Et la France fait partie du monde – ce que semblent avoir oublié les départements « cinéma » de nos chaînes de télévision, qui refusèrent de financer le film parce qu’il s’attardait trop sur Fernandez. À croire qu’il s’agit aussi, côté 7e Art, d’une affaire d’État…

Stéphane Ledien

> Sortie en salles le 25 novembre 2009

> Lire aussi notre article sur Maléfique dans VERSUS n° 4 et notre article sur les intrigues du complexe militaro-industriel dans VERSUS n° 17, actuellement en vente.

Bande-annonce de Une Affaire d’État

Trailer de Hybrid, sortie prévue au printemps en France

A hybrid electric car (HEC) is a car that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the car. A HEC combines an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors. HEC’s consume less gasoline than conventional (internal combustion) cars because the batteries in the HEC get charged when the car breaks. This electric energy is used to fuel the electric engines. 

On the European market there are currently approximately 9 HEC’s on the market:

1. Toyota Prius
2. Honda Civic Hybrid
3. Honda Insight
4. Mercedes S400 Hybrid
5. Lexus RX450h
6. Lexus LS600h
7. Lexus GS450h
8. Citroën C4 Hybrid
9. Peugeot 308 Hybrid

By Brian Aydemir, Stephan A. Zdancewic and Stephanie Weirich, University of Pennsylvania Technical Report, available from the UPenn Tech Report website:

Binding is a fundamental part of language specification, yet it is both difficult and tedious to get right. In previous work, we argued that an approach based on locally nameless representation and a particular style for defining inductive relations can provide a portable, transparent, lightweight methodology to define the semantics of binding. Although the binding infrastructure required by this approach is straightforward to develop, it leads to duplicated effort and code as the number of binding forms in a language increases.

In this paper, we critically compare a spectrum of approaches that attempt to ameliorate this tedium by unifying the treatment of variables and binding. In particular, we compare our original methodology with two alternative ideas: First, we define variable binding in the object language via variable binding in a reusable library. Second, we present a novel approach that collapses the syntactic categories of the object language together, permitting variables to be shared between them.

Our main contribution is a careful characterization of the benefits and drawbacks of each approach. In particular, we use multiple solutions to the POPLMARK challenge in the Coq proof assistant to point out specic consequences with respect to the size of the binding infrastructure, transparency of the definitions, impact to the metatheory of the object language, and adequacy of the object language encoding.

Természetesen egy meg se jelent készüléket nem lehet összehasonlítani, legalábbis teljesítmény szempontjából. A fenti képen egymásra helyezve látható a Samsung NX10 és a Panasonic DMC-GF1 és az összehasonlítási alap a vakupapucs volt, így született meg a külső méret összehasonlítás.

]]> http://alltoyotareviews.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/2009-toyota-prius-1-5l-hybrid-review/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:00:13 +0000 svcd8166 http://alltoyotareviews.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/2009-toyota-prius-1-5l-hybrid-review/

New car!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZXiKETYEZU&hl=en

The next in my series of “Beginner’s Guides” for WAR:  Apothecary.

This Crafting Profession has been a favorite for a lot of people ever since its revamp which included the addition of Hybrid Potions at Rank 40.  Lately, with Butchering’s changes, it’s become more popular than ever.

Enjoy!

~Gaar

Quick Explanation of Crafting in WAR

WAR has a two-stage crafting system.  The first stage is handled through a “gathering” profession and the second stage is the actual “crafting” profession.

Here’s the rundown:

Apothecary - Crafting Profession – Makes potions with various temporary effects.

• Butchering - Gathering Profession – Harvests monsters for items to use in making potions.
• Cultivation - Gathering Profession – Grows plants and fungi to use in making potions.

Talisman Making – Crafting Profession – Makes talismans that can be added to worn items to boost stats.

• Magical Salvaging - Gathering Profession – Deconstructs items for the parts to use in making talismans.
• Scavenging - Gathering Profession – Harvests players/NPCs for items to use in making talismans.

At the time this guide was created, all Gathering professions were viable for use in each of their respective Crafting professions.  However, each Crafting profession has its own pros and cons, as does each gathering profession.  It is best to understand those pros/cons before selecting your professions, however you are able to change both your Crafting and Gathering profession at any time (however at the loss of all progress).

Crafting Storage

Most of the items you will use in your crafting will be tradeable, thus can be stored not just in your own inventory, but also your Personal Bank Vault and your Guild Bank Vault.  The exception to this rule currently are the Hybrid Seeds that are looted in Tier 4.

You have two options now for storing them in your personal inventory though.  Crafting items will automatically (upon purchase/loot) go to your Crafting Item Inventory.  This is the third tab of your Backpack as shown in the picture below.

This special inventory space starts with only one bag, but you gain more bags by leveling your crafting professions.  You gain a new bag for each 100 points you earn in each profession, giving you a total of five bags when you’re done.

If you run out of space here, items will start to automatically go into your regular inventory.  Items can be moved back and forth between the two types of personal storage areas by right-clicking on them.

Finally, no discussion of Crafting Storage would be complete without mentioning the Mail System.  :p

All tradeable items can be sent back and forth between alts (alternate characters on your account) and friends, then left in your mailbox unopened for a good deal of time.  Proper mailbox use can extend your personal storage space for tradeable items infinitely.

Selecting your Crafting and Gathering Professions

As a new player, your first exposure to Crafting trainers comes in Chapter 2 of the WAR Story.  (The PvE towns in WAR are designated as Chapters and the PvE road moves you through these Chapters in sequential order.)  If you are on a Trial Account, this is the only place you can learn these professions.

Those players with subscriptions to WAR can also train in their Capital City (Altdorf or the Inevitible City).

It costs no money to train or re-train a Crafting profession.  You can change your profession at any time, however you will lose all progress you have made in that profession.

The Apothecary, Cultivator and Hedge Wizard (Talisman Making) trainers also are Merchants selling items for their respective craft.

Once you’ve made your choice, it’s time to level your profession(s).  For the sake of this guide, let’s assume you’ve made Apothecary your Crafting profession.

Apothecary Overview

Apothecary is all about making potions, potions and more…dyes.  Go figure. 

Of the two full Crafting professions, Apothecary is the one with the most “wiggle room”.  In other words, there isn’t just one way to make things.  Yes, only certain ingredients make the potions you want.  However, the additives you use can vary from things that make  you more potions with each craft to things that make the duration on potions longer.  Because of this, you have the freedom to make potions that fit you and the way you play.  (Granted, some additives are almost required for certain potions to maximize their effects.)

As you can tell from my first sentence, Apothecary is the “bulk” crafting profession.  Not only do you need to make lots of potions just to use, but you need to go through lots of crafting sessions just to get the lucky rolls to get the good potions as well.  It’s not uncommon to sit down with a couple hundred ingredients and knock out a bunch of potions all at once just to get 30-40 of the ones you really want to use and toss the rest on the Auction House cheap or just Merchant them.

Once you get to end-game Apothecary, you’ll want to hunt down the rare ingredients for Liniments.  These Hybrid potions are must-haves for Potion Makers.  This can take quite a bit of effort, but is worth it in the end.

Compared to Talisman Making, there is a lot more work involved, however because of the usefulness of potions and their limited nature, it’s well worth the effort.

Must-Have Addons for Apothecary

There really is only one Addon you need to have for Apothecary:  Crafting Info Tooltip.

To be honest, it’s a must-have for all Crafting/Gathering professions.  It’s just that good.

Why?  Because it shows you the “hidden” crafting information for each item when you hover over them in your inventory.  This is invaluable information for all crafters, especially when you want to make very specific things and at maximum potency.  Understanding the information it provides is the key to being a great crafter.

Go to Curse.com and do a search for this Addon and download it.  I prefer to manually install all my Addons.  It’s not difficult.  However, if you’d rather not, you can use the Curse Client instead.  (I’m not a fan as it’s always had issues on Patch Day when the new versions of addons come out and the old ones don’t always work.)

Note:  Some people like to use another Addon that is supposed to do a lot of the work for you when making Potions, however once you understand the math behind Apothecary, there really is no need for any additional Addon beyond Crafting Info Tooltip.

Leveling Apothecary

While I usually recommend just buying your ingredients to level the first 25 points in these professions, with Apothecary I don’t.  For one, it’s a lot more expensive to do than with the other professions.  The main reason though, is that you should be leveling either Butchering or Cultivation at the same time so you should have loads of free ingredients to use to level with.

What you do need to buy right away is at least one stack of 20 Apprentice’s Glass Vials.  Grab 40 if you can afford it.  You’ll need these while out running around so you can level your skill as you go instead of stocking up on ingredients and then doing it all at once which can just crowd your inventory at lower levels.

Just as with Talisman Making, the skill level of your Main Ingredient is what determines your ability to raise your skill with each craft.  (ie:  Once you hit skill 25, you need to use level 25 ingredients to continue leveling quickly.)

Once you have your Vials, open up the Abilities window and click on the General tab on the far right.  Drag the Apothecary icon to your toolbar.  Click the icon on your toolbar to open your Crafting Window.

Kinda empty, huh?  Open your Crafting Inventory and right-click on a Vial to load it into the window.

Now you’re ready to start.

The top-left slot is for your Main Ingredient.  You can simply right-click it in your Crafting Inventory to load it into the window.  The bottom three slots are for your additives.  These are primarily going to be taken up with Stabilizers in the beginning, however later you’ll also want to include things like Extenders and Duration modifiers.  More on those later.

Once you have added your Vial and your Main Ingredient, you will want to add a couple Stabilizers (these are prevalent in both Gathering professions or you can buy Water off the Merchant) until the Stability bar on the top right is all the way up in the green.  Once it is, hit the Brew! button.

You can continue leveling your skill in this manner by making “junk” potions until you hit 200 skill.  However, since you’re probably also leveling your character as well, you might as well learn to do it right and make things you’ll actually use in combat.  Use your “junk” ingredients to grind regular potions with and use your better ingredients (ie: additives) for the ones you want to use for yourself.  By leveling in this manner, you’ll always stay stocked with helpful potions, as any good Apothecary should!

Note:  If you have lots of higher-level ingredients, you can use the Apothecary skill potion (Alchemist Tonic) to boost your skill by 25 points for 30 minutes.  You can even make your own if you’re in a guild with access to the Guild Hall Merchant once you’re skill 50.  The item you use as the Main Ingredient is called Aggregate Compound and costs 1 gold.

Second Note:  You can also craft these items to help level with and sell the resulting Potion on the Auction House if there’s a market for that on your server.  There is also a level 100 ingredient called Revivification Compound that makes a Resuscitation Potion that is usually in fair demand, although the ingredient alone costs 15 gold.  I would save this for end-game crafting when you can make multiple for each ingredient due to the cost.

The Four Categories of Potions

While certain potions override others when you use them, there are four general categories of potions that can be used with each other since they don’t override the other or trigger a reuse timer.

• Insta-use Potions – Heals, Energy and Damage Absorb/Shield potions fall into this category.
• Stat Potions – Basic stats like Strength and Willpower, as well as the Hybrid Liniments, fall into this category.
• Defensive Potions – Things like Armor, Thorn and Resist potions fall into this category.
• Combat Potions – Molotov, Flame Breath and other combat potions all fall into this category.

Keeping this in mind, a skilled Apothecary can keep themselves and their friends outfitted with a full complement of potions to help them achieve victory in battle.  (For example, as a Tank in RvR at Rank 40, I like to use a Liniment and a Resist potion while also having both types of Heal potions ready and a Napalm potion for fun.)

Basic Potion-making Information

Once you have a bit of practice under your belt and are familiar with how Apothecary works in regards to making a stable potion, it’s time to try your hand at making potions you can actually use as opposed to just leveling.

With six different items that can be combined in various ways, this is where Apothecary becomes more complex than Talisman Making.

First off, when making potions for actual use, Vials matter.  Using the highest level Vial you’re qualified for is a must in these cases.  As they go up in level, they add both Stability and Power which are two very important factors in making good potions.

Second comes the Main Ingredient.  You will want to pay special attention to the level of the ingredient you’re using and the Power it is going to provide your potion, as well as its Stability rating.  The total Power of your potion is going to determine the Rank of player that can use it as well as how strong it will be.

Next come the four different types of additives for your potions:  Stabilizers, Extenders, Multipliers and Stimulants.

Stabilizers do just what they say, they stabilize your potion so it will be successful.  These are required in nearly all potions you will make, so get familiar with the different kinds available to you.  (Currently Cultivation provides the best Stabilizer in the game: Goldweed.  This Stabilizer not only acts as its namesake but also adds a Multiplier to the potion.)

Extenders increase the duration of the effect the potion will have.  Maximizing duration is great for things like basic stat potions, Heal over Time potions and others.  However, they are completely unnecessary on things like Direct Heal potions or Energy potions.

Multipliers do just what they say, they multiply the number of potions you get from each crafting attempt.  These are great for things like Direct Heal potions where you want to make lots of them all at once.  (Currently Butchering has the best Multiplier in the game.  It allows you to make six potions with each crafting attempt.)

Finally, Stimulants increase the chance of you making a better potion.  Every crafting attempt you make has a chance to “crit” and create something better than the basic potion.  Using these ups your chances of that happening.  (That being said, it’s rarely a viable additive in the long run.  Extenders are much more desirable for potions that you want to last and Multipliers end up providing you with more of the potions when they do “crit” so there really is no reason to use Stimulants often.)

Armed with this information, you should be able to experiment with various combinations and create some very useful potions for yourself and your friends.

For more in-depth information to assist you in crafting usable potions while leveling, check out this guide by Irinia.  While some of the information is outdated, a lot of the basic information about how Power, Stability and Multipliers work should still be accurate.

Making Dyes

You didn’t think all Apothecaries did was make Potions did you? 

Both Cultivation and Butchering provide Pigments that can be used to craft Dyes by an Apothecary.  Here’s how it works.

Once you have a Pigment from your Gathering profession, you’ll need to go buy both a “Wooden Mortar and Pestle” and an “Alum Root Extract” from the Merchant.  These are both required to make Dyes and do not come from anywhere but the Merchant.

Open your Crafting Window and right-click the Mortar and Pestle to load it in.  This creates a new Dye-making version of the Apothecary window.

Once loaded, right-click the Pigment you want to turn into a Dye, then right-click the Alum Root Extract.  Once you have all three ingredients in, hit Brew! to make your new Dye.

Note:  Cultivation’s Pigments are tied to the level of the seeds as well as specific seeds once you’re using skill 200 seeds.  Butchering currently just drops the various Pigments at random, regardless of your skill level.

Advanced Apothecary

Once you’ve leveled your Apothecary skill to 200, you’re ready to learn more!

The best thing to do is to go to the following web sites and read up on the information they have to offer.  They are also places you can ask for more information on things that you aren’t sure about.

Also, don’t forget to use your in-game Advice channel as well!

Official Forums for Apothecary

Warhammer Alliance Forums for Apothecary

http://kl.am/54Jz

For years California has courted a reputation as an eco-friendly, green-minded leader, but the state now finds its most basic program of recycling beverage bottles and cans mired in debt and litigation.

Dozens of supermarket recycling sites have shut down recently as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators spar over how to close a massive gap in the program’s budget.   California’s 23-year-old recycling program, managed by the Department of Conservation through fees charged to beverage buyers, has been hurt this year by recession, rising redemption rates and raids of its coffers to help ease the state’s budget woes.

Schwarzenegger and the Democratic-controlled Legislature concede that the program, which collected more than 16 billion beverage containers last year, is in fiscal distress – but each has rejected the other’s solution.  “This is an important program for California and we are currently looking at ways to improve funding in this down economy,” said Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Rachel Arrezola.

Mark Murray of Californians Against Waste, a nonprofit advocacy group, said consumers are going to find it increasingly difficult to recycle their beverage containers.  “The net result is likely to be a drop in the recycling rate,” he said.  Shoppers remain entitled to their nickel or dime deposits for returning glass, plastic or aluminum beverage containers, but many consumers could be forced to drive farther, wait longer or comply with shorter center operating hours.

The number of supermarket parking-lot recyclers has grown gradually in recent years to about 2,100. But two of the largest operators, Tomra Pacific and NexCycle, announced the shutdown of about 90 centers recently, laying off more than 100 workers.  Tomra, which projects losses of $9 million this year, has joined with two other firms to sue the state, seeking to “stop the dismantling” of the program. Exacerbating problems, the scrap value of aluminum cans has plummeted in the past year, and the market for other containers has struggled.

“If consumers can no longer find convenient outlets for recycling used bottles and cans, they are more likely to go back to their old ways of discarding them in landfills – or worse, on streets, beaches and other property,” the lawsuit said.  “This will essentially end the Recycling Program as we have known it,” the suit said.

By law, supermarkets not served by parking-lot recyclers are supposed to either pay the state $100 a day – only one store is doing so – or redeem the containers themselves, but many do not.  In a telephone check of 15 such supermarkets Friday, only six accept empty cans and bottles. 

Many supermarkets are not prepared to pick up the slack from closures of parking-lot recyclers because of the time it would take to count bags of containers and the health and safety implications of doing so where food is sold, said Dave Heylen of the California Grocers Association.

“It’s something that would be quite a hardship,” he said.

Department of Conservation officials declined to discuss Tomra’s lawsuit or allegations of harm. But state officials clearly are not trying to kill the program because both Schwarzenegger and the Democratic-controlled Legislature have tried to intervene, thus far unsuccessfully.

In May, state finance officials projected a $162 million deficit for the program by July 2010, which sparked across-the-board cuts that affected subsidies paid to collection centers but not to consumers who redeem beverages.

Schwarzenegger’s relief proposal focused on targeted cuts and on compressing subsidiary efforts, such as for public education and recycling incentives, into a new program of competitive grants.

The Legislature rejected Schwarzenegger’s plan during budget talks and crafted its own proposal, Senate Bill 402, which would have relied on expansion rather than contraction to bolster the program.

In vetoing SB 402, Schwarzenegger said that consumers would have been hurt by provisions to double the fee on 20-ounce sodas, from 5 to 10 cents, and to expand the kinds of beverages and types of containers accepted.

“I recognize that without this bill there is an immediate hardship,” his veto message said, but “the lasting effects of this bill are far worse.”

As a stopgap, Schwarzenegger said he would order emergency regulations to require beverage distributors to submit payments to the state every two months, not three, which is expected to generate a one-time infusion of about $100 million.

California’s recycling program partly has been a victim of its own success, because each redeemed container takes a nickel or dime from funds for subsidies, outreach or operational funds.

Redemption rates have risen from 67 percent in 2007 to 74 percent in 2008, and to 85 percent for the first six months of 2009.

Meanwhile, beverage sales from January to June were 325 million containers less – about 3 percent – than for the same time span in 2008.

Bottom line? Projected revenue has dropped by about $74 million the past year, from $1.15 billion to a projected $1.086 billion.

But Chuck Riegle of Tomra said the most painful blow was self-inflicted by the state: Politicians have raided recycling coffers, through loans, to help balance the state budget.

Tomra’s suit seeks to force repayment of about $415 million that otherwise would have been used for recycling.

Four times this decade, the state has borrowed beverage funds, most recently during the current fiscal year when more than $99 million was diverted to the state’s general fund.

The deadline for paying back $286 million borrowed in 2002 and 2003 initially was June 2009, but it was extended three years ago to 2013. Only $30 million has been repaid, records show.

In borrowing fee revenue, the state requires that no harm be done to the affected program, yet more than half of this year’s projected $162 million deficit consisted of the $99 million loan to bolster the state’s general fund.

Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said the multiple raids on recycling funds, the lack of timely repayment and the harm caused to collection centers raise questions about whether fees were spent illegally.

“It changes what otherwise might be characterized as a legitimate fee into a tax of questionable legality,” Coupal said.

State finance spokesman H.D. Palmer disagreed, saying that the program was projected to have an $81 million balance when legislation was signed in February to borrow for the next fiscal year. Changing market conditions made the deficit evident months later, in a May budget revision, Palmer said.

“This is just one example of the dramatic fluctuations we’ve seen in the state’s fiscal picture as a result of the recession,” he said.

Schwarzenegger’s veto message for SB 402 said he supports repaying past loans and banning any future loans from recycling coffers to the state’s general fund.

Sources: Fresno Bee and WIH Resource Group

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Rolls Royce could have an electric version of its Phantom super-luxury car on the road by the end of 2010 stated an inside company source to Autocar.

In a way, it doesn’t really matter to the global market if only a few number of these cars are produced. It’s not going to make a difference for the environment seeing as climate change is billions of tons of carbon!

But if you look at it in another way, it’s a good thing. It makes electric cars even more aspirational.  Rolls Royce definitely appeals to a different social group. Even though most people will never be able to afford a Rolls Royce “Phantom”, they are paying attention to the technology. Before people are going to buy a certain product they like to be confident in it’s ability to function. Hybrid cars went through that process. At first, most people were totally puzzled, but now they’re totally normal.