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December 12, 2011
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Headlines September 30, 2010 Full Show | First Story >
Pakistan Blocks Afghan War Supply Route after NATO Strike
Pakistan has blocked a key supply route for the US-led NATO force in Afghanistan after a cross-border helicopter attack mistakenly killed three Pakistani troops. The move comes one day after news emerged Pakistan had threatened to stop protecting NATO supply routes to Afghanistan after a series of attacks killed over seventy people. Around 100 NATO vehicles have already been held up today at Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Eighty percent of NATO's non-lethal supplies in Afghanistan are delivered through Pakistan.
UN Human Rights Council Backs Gaza Probe
The UN Human Rights Council has voted to endorse the findings of a probe backing the prosecution of Israeli officials for the May 31st attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters. A three-member panel of international jurists accused Israeli forces of "willful killing" and torture in the raid on the Mavi Marmara. Nine activists were killed in the attack, including a US citizen. The vote to endorse the report was 30 to one, with the US the lone country in opposition. US Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe said the report undermines "the cause of peace."
Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe: "This incident underscores the need to move ahead quickly with negotiations that can lead to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace. Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been resumed, and all parties should help create an environment conducive to progress in these talks. We should all be working to advance the cause of peace. The United States was opposed to Resolution 14.1, and we oppose the current resolution's recommendation that the General Assembly consider the fact-finding mission report. For these reasons, we call for a vote and will vote against this resolution."
Federal Judge Rejects Gitmo Deaths Suit
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing the Pentagon of falsely claiming three Guantánamo Bay prisoners committed suicide in 2006 when they may in fact have been tortured to death. An investigation by Harper's Magazine earlier this year found evidence the prisoners were suffocated and tortured during questioning at a secret Guantánamo facility known as "Camp No." On Wednesday, US District Judge Ellen Huvelle rejected a request from two of the prisoners' families to reopen the case based on new testimony from military officials. Huvelle cited a federal appeals court ruling barring court judgments on matters related to conditions at the Guantánamo prison.
Gitmo Prisoner Appeals Standards on Court Challenges
A Guantánamo Bay prisoner meanwhile has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court challenging federal court standards for determining whether prisoners can fight their detentions in court. Lawyers for Fawzi al-Odah say federal courts have made it too easy for the government to jail prisoners indefinitely and too difficult for prisoners to challenge evidence against them. A Kuwaiti national, al-Odah has been jailed at Guantánamo for nine years.
Thousands Protest Austerity Measures in Europe
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Europe on Wednesday to protest a wave of austerity measures imposed in the name of cutting deficits. Labor groups say over 100,000 people marched on the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels.
House Backs Tariffs on China
On Capitol Hill, the House has voted to penalize China for controlling the value of its currency. The bill would allow new tariffs on Chinese goods in response to China's alleged manipulation of the yuan to boost its exports. Democratic Congress member Timothy Ryan said the legislation would help protect US jobs.
Timothy Ryan: "This is about taking our country back. You wonder why people are anxious out there? They've been working longer, working more, getting paid less. I'd be anxious too. I'd be upset. That's what we're feeling in the country. And I think this bill is an opportunity for us to reinvest back in the United States, put people back to work, and have good, middle class jobs here in the United States."
China has accused the US of protectionism and says the measure could damage economic ties.
Lawmakers Authorize $7.4B for 9/11 Responders
In other news from Washington, the House has also voted to approve a measure that would provide up to $7.4 billion to workers sickened during the cleanup at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacks. A similar measure is pending in the Senate.
Dems Abandon Net Neutrality Bill
House Democrats, meanwhile, have abandoned an effort to regulate how telecom companies control the flow of traffic on the internet. On Wednesday, House Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman said he is dropping a "net neutrality" bill after failing to attract Republican support. The measure was intended to ensure cable and phone companies grant web users equal access to all websites. In a statement, Waxman urged the Federal Communications Commission to impose its own net neutrality rules. But the FCC's regulatory authority is in question following an appeals court ruling earlier this year that said the FCC can't prevent internet service providers from blocking and controlling internet traffic.
US Imposes Sanctions on 8 Iranian Officials
The Obama administration has unveiled a new round of sanctions targeting eight Iranian officials accused of human rights abuses in the crackdown on protests following Iran's disputed elections in June 2009. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the sanctions in Washington.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 permits us to impose financial sanctions and deny US visas to specific Iranian officials where there is credible evidence against them. In doing so today, we declare our solidarity with their victims and with all Iranians who wish for a government that respects their human rights and their dignity and their freedom."
JPMorgan Chase Suspends Foreclosures
The banking giant JPMorgan Chase has suspended some 56,000 foreclosures after admitting some may have been authorized without proper review. A Chase employee testified earlier this year that she and her staffers had approved around 18,000 foreclosure affidavits and other documents without proper vetting on a monthly basis.
Anti-Gay Bullying Leads to 4 Suicides Nationwide
At least four youths have taken their lives nationwide this month following incidents of anti-gay bullying and harassment. A New Jersey college student jumped to his death from a bridge last week after two classmates broadcast a videotape of him having sex with another man in his dorm room. The students had recorded Tyler Clementi's sexual encounter without his knowledge. The eighteen-year-old Clementi had just started his freshman year at Rutgers University. In California, thirteen-year-old Sean Walsh died on Tuesday, nine days after a suicide attempt left him on life support. In Texas, thirteen-year-old Asher Brown died last week following months of alleged bullying. Brown's family says he revealed he was gay shortly before taking his own life. And in Indiana, fifteen-year-old Billy Lucas hung himself earlier this month after also being bullied by classmates.
2010 Right Livelihood Award Winners Announced
And the 2010 Right Livelihood Awards have been announced with four recipients. The Nigerian environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey of Friends of the Earth International has been honored for opposing "the practices of multinational corporations in his country and the environmental devastation they leave behind" and "for his inspired work to strengthen the environmental movement in Nigeria and globally." Catholic Bishop Erwin Kraeutler was cited for a "lifetime of work for the human and environmental rights of indigenous peoples" in Brazil. Kraeutler helped win protections for indigenous rights in Brazil's constitution and has been a leading opponent of the Belo Monte Dam. Shrikrishna Upadhyay of Nepal was chosen "for demonstrating…the power of community mobilisation to address the multiple causes of poverty even when threatened by political violence and instability." Upadhyay is the founder of a group that's helped finance hundreds of water systems, rural roads and schools in Nepal, as well as hand out loans. And the Israeli group Physicians for Human Rights has been awarded "for their indomitable spirit in working for the right to health for all people in Israel and Palestine." The Right Livelihood Awards are awarded annually and are widely known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize."
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Immigration Executive Order Won't Cover Parents of Undocumented Youth, Health Benefits
DHS to Close Troubled Artesia Detention Center in New Mexico
FARC Rebels Agree to Free Colombian General Days After Capture
Israel Resumes Destroying Palestinian Homes; Thousands Attend Funeral for Jerusalem Victims
Israel Approves 78 New Illegal Settlement Homes in East Jerusalem
Civilians Reportedly Wounded in New U.S. Airstrikes on Syrian Border
Report: Assad Regime Escalates Strikes Following Launch of U.S.-led Bombing
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NBC, Netflix Shelve Bill Cosby Projects as Rape Claims Resurface
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to
democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions,
contact us.
By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
It was a dramatic scene in the Senate this week. As Sen. Elizabeth Warren, presiding, announced the defeat of the Keystone XL pipeline, a Crow Creek Sioux man from South Dakota sang out in the Senate gallery. A massive people's climate movement against extracting some of the dirtiest oil on the planet had prevailed ... at least for now.
Show for Nov 21, 2014
Obama Unveils Executive Order Protecting Millions from Deportation
Obama Action Excludes Parents of Undocumented Children, Ends Secure Communities
Tens of Thousands Protest Student Disappearances in Mexico
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U.S. Grants Temporary Status to Travelers from Ebola-Stricken Nations
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Swedish Court Rejects Assange Appeal, but Prods Prosecutor to Resolve Standoff
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Matt Taibbi and Bank Whistleblower on How JPMorgan Chase Helped Wreck the Economy, Avoid ProsecutionNov 07, 2014

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Russia and the Ukraine to put AN124 back into production
Representatives from both Russia and the Ukraine met recently to discuss and agree on a business-plan regarding the modernization of the AN124-100 fleet and putting the AN124 back into production. The meeting, which took place on March 25, 2005 at the Federal Agency of production, energy and industry, resulted in a signed business-plan.The contract concentrates on a five year modernization plan to bring the existing fleet of AN124-100 Ruslan aircraft up to their full 150 ton capacity and fulfilling all the IKAO requirements. Also discussed was the intention to put the AN124 back into production with the initial production of 15 aircraft.
The issue surrounding the production of AN 124 aircraft is to be added to the agenda for the Interstate Council led by both the Russian and Ukrainian Presidents. This is essential for ensuring suitable financing of the project. Volga-Dnepr Group, the largest operator of AN124-100 aircraft, together with Antonov Design Bureau and other interested parties from Russia and the Ukraine are preparing to restore production of the Ruslan at the Aviastar factory in Ulianovsk.
Expert assessment of the outsize cargo market predicts that the market will continue to grow at a rate of 15-20% a year resulting in greater demand and 150 ton capacity not to mention more aircraft.
Present at the meeting was the Director of Volga-Dnepr Group Alexey Isaikin, who underlined the importance of concentrating on the efforts at Government level with specific reference to investment and managing the system of orders for new AN124 aircraft.
Petr Balabuev, General Constructor at Antonov Design Bureau commented; "The Antonov Design Bureau supports the need to consolidate our efforts restore the production of AN124 aircraft."
Participants at the Federal Agency meeting were: Alexander Zelin, Deputy Chief Commander of the Military Defense Forces, representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Industry and the Ministry of Transport, Victor Mikhailov, General Director of Aviastar, Alexey Isaikin, president of Volga-Dnepr Group, Boris Nagatinsky, Deputy General Director of Polet Airlines. The Ukraine was presented by Valery Ivashenko, Chief of the Department of Defense and Industry, Petr Balabuev, General Constructor at Antonov Design Bureau, Gennady Sofrin, Deputy General Director of Motor-Seach, Pavel Soloviev, General Constructor of Progress Design Bureau, Alexandr Baranov, Executive Director of Kiev Aviation Plant Aviant.
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Top 20 recruit Devin Robinson commits to play for Florida
Oct 30, 2013, 3:44 PM EST
Florida landed their third recruit in the Class of 2014 on Wednesday afternoon, as 6-foot-8 forward Devin Robinson committed to play for Billy Donovan and the Gators.
Robinson is ranked as the No. 20 recruit in the class, according to Rivals. A late-bloomer thanks to a growth spurt as a junior in high school, Robinson is a versatile offensive player with three-point range and the ability to handle and pass the ball. He's long, lean and athletic, which allows him to be a playmaker of the defensive end of the floor, but he could stand to add a few pounds to his rail-thin frame.
The spring live period is when Robinson's recruitment really took off thanks to an impressive performance at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest. At that point, he was a kid that was being heavily pursued by VCU with mostly mid-majors, and a couple of high-major programs, tracking him. He didn't find his way into the Rivals top 100 until the summer. Robinson also spent some time this offseason traveling to Treviso, Italy, to play in the Adidas Eurocamp.
Robinson is a product of Christchurch HS in Christchurch, VA, and played his AAU ball for the Squires Richmond. He'll join point guard Chris Chiozza and off-guard Brandone Francis in Florida's Class of 2014.
Top Posts
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- If No. 12 Villanova doesn't have a star on their roster, no one told JayVaughn Pinkston 0
- JayVaughn Pinkston's block gives No. 12 Villanova a win over No. 19 Michigan (VIDEO) 2
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- College Basketball Talk's latest top 25: Kentucky reigns, but how far will Kansas, Florida slide? (5)
- Penn State unveils new uniforms for next two games (5)


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With old age comes wisdom, but also some special dental problems. If you're the primary caregiver for an aging parent or loved one, you may stumble upon a few dental care concerns. It can be challenging to know exactly what dental problems to be on the lookout for, so Shadow Valley Dental Group has put together a quick guide for you. This blog will help you know what signs to watch for and how to provide dental care for seniors at home.
Regularly Monitor Dental Health
As people age, their bodies don't function as well as they used to, and the same goes for the teeth. It's critical for seniors to regularly see their dentist so that he or she can monitor overall dental health. Some of the most common dental problems among seniors include gum disease, tooth decay and loss, and dry mouth. In the meantime, you can help your parents maintain proper dental hygiene. If they have lost some dexterity due to arthritis, it may be beneficial to help them pick out an electric toothbrush and alternative flossing method, such as a Waterpik.
Treat Common Problems At-Home
Of the common dental problems among older adults, there are several that can be treated at-home. Here are a few tips on providing dental care for seniors at home.
- Dry mouth – Many older adults have decreased saliva production, which can lead to tooth decay and discomfort. Help your parent treat their dry mouth at home by ensuring frequent water consumption and encouraging him or her to avoid salty, dry foods and alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. Sucking on sugar-free candies can help increase saliva production as well as special mouth rinses developed specifically to treat dry mouth.
- Sleep Apnea – Approximately 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, and a majority of these people are older adults. If your parent suffers from snoring, or often wakes up in the night trying to catch their breath, there's a good chance they may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be very harmful to the body and the teeth, but can be easily treated at home with a CPAP machine or oral appliance.
- Tooth Loss – Many people experience tooth loss as a natural part of aging. If your parent experiences tooth loss, set up an appointment with the dentist to get him or her fitted for dentures. Dentures are easy fix for missing teeth and are simple to maintain at home. You could also consider getting dental implants to help support the dentures or individual crowns.
About Shadow Valley Dental Group
The experts at Shadow Valley Dental Group provide a wide range of dental services including cleanings, fillings, root canals, cosmetic procedures, gum disease treatment, and more. At Shadow Valley Dental Group you can expect to receive personalized, comprehensive care. If you'd like to learn more about how you can provide at-home dental care for seniors, or if you would like to set up an appointment for your aging parent, contact Shadow Valley today!
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Images & Image Making Collection
Image: Poster - 'Double Your Week-End Fun, Go with a Kodak', 1930s
Source: Museum Victoria
Encompassing more than 300,000 images relating to all aspects of Victoria's history, and more than 1,000 artefacts relating to photography and image production generally, this is the largest collection within the History and Technology Collection.
The collection focuses on heritage images relating to the history of Victoria, and the history of image making in Victoria, from European settlement onwards. Images within the collection reflect all curatorial areas including engineering, transport, sustainability, information and communication, domestic and community life, immigration, working lives, public and institutional life, design, cultural diversity, clothing and textiles, medicine in society, and sciences.
Significant collections and items
- Kodak Australasia Heritage Collection & Baker and Rouse Collection: 1,000s of photographs, advertising material, photographic products and factory floor artefacts.
- McKay Archive: 25,000 images, 600 negatives and 19 films.
- Melbourne Observatory: astronomical and operations photographs.
- Biggest Family Album in Australia & Melbourne's Biggest Family Album: about 10,000 images of everyday life.
- International Harvester: more than 900 glass negatives, around 60,000 film negatives and prints, over 200 albums and about 40 scrapbooks relating to the manufacture and sales of agricultural equipment, motor trucks and construction equipment.
- Vickers Ruwolt: over 1,000 glass plate negatives documenting one of Australia's major heavy engineering firms, 1920s-1960s.
- A.J. Campbell: more than 2500 photographs and negatives by the noted Australian ornithologist and field naturalist.
- Laurie Richards: 85,000 negatives documenting corporate and retail life, 1950s-1970s.
- State Electricity Commission of Victoria: over 3500 negatives and 1,000 photographs documenting the power industry, 1870s-1980s.
- Jim Payens Aerial Photography: several thousand negatives and one of the aerial cameras used by Jim Payens to take them. They document Victoria's development from the air, with a focus on industry, during the 1950s to the early 1970s.
- Science Museum of Victoria: over 10,000 negatives depicting collection objects, events, exhibitions, visitors and staff.
- Spotswood Pumping Station: 300 photographs.
- Francis: internationally significant pre-cinema and cinema images and technologies, from the 18th and 19th centuries.
- William S Anderson: over 1,000 images of Lorne and Great Ocean Road, and his camera, 1898-1940.
- Kodak No. 1 camera (1888) and artefacts reflecting the evolution of Kodak camera innovation.
- Sutton panoramic camera and wet plate curved glass negatives taken with it in the mid 19th century by Richard Daintree, a pioneer of Australian fieldwork photography.
- Gernsheim Collection
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 61 - 70) 522 items
Invitation - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Farewell Afternoon Tea for Shane Allan, Coburg, 19 ...
An invitation to the farewell afternoon tea for Louis Shane Allan (commonly known as Shane) who worked at Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd from 1965 to 2002 in various roles. Mr Allan starte ...Images: 1
Letter - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Ed Woods to Kodak Employees, End of Year Update & Bonu ...
A printed letter from former Chairman & Managing Director of Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Mr Ed Woods, to all Kodak employees. This is the end of year letter sent as a thank-you with Chri ...Images: 1
Letter - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Ed Woods to Shane Allan, Congratulations for 25 Year S ...
A typed letter from Chairman & Managing Director of Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Ed Woods, to Shane Allan, dated December 13, 1990, congratulating Shane on his 25 years of service at Kod ...Images: 1
Letter - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Ed Woods to Shane Allan, Long Service Dinner Memento, ...
A letter from Mr Ed Woods, former Chairman & Managing Director of Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, to Mr Shane Allan, regarding an enclosed memento from Shane's Kodak Australasia long servic ...Images: 1
Letter - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, G.W Sutton to Shane Allan, High Standard Performance i ...
A printed letter from the former Australasian Business Manager of the Office Imaging Division at Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, G. W Sutton, to Mr Shane Allan, dated 8 Feb 1993. Sutton cong ...Images: 1
Memo - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Ed Woods to Kodak Australasia Employees, 27 Oct 1989
An internal, staff memo sent from Ed Woods, Chairman and Manager of Kodak Australasia to all Kodak employees. It describes the case being put forward by Kodak for the grant of a Governm ...Images: 1
Memo - 'Kodakgram', Ed Woods to Kodak Australasia Employees, Coburg, 31 Oct 1989
An internal, all staff memo, called a 'Kodakgram', dated 31 Oct 1989. It was sent from Ed Woods, Chairman and Manager of Kodak Australasia to all Kodak employees. It reports on the rece ...Images: 1
Booklet - Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, Kodak In Australia, 1980
Kodak in Australia history booklet produced by Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd in 1980. The booklet belonged to Louis Shane Allan (commonly known as Shane) who worked with Kodak Australasia ...Images: 1
Booklet - 'The Memory Jogger', Eastman Kodak Company, 1985
An instructional, reference booklet titled 'The Memory Jogger: A Pocket Guide for Continuous Improvement', produced by Eastman Kodak Company and distributed by Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd ...Images: 1
Business Card - L. Shane Allan, Customer Services Manager, Business Imaging Systems, Kodak ...
Shane Allan's Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd business card, which identifies him as the Customer Services Manager of Business Imaging Systems, based at Coburg, a position he took up circa 19 ...Images: 1


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Blog Archive
Rosetta imaged Philae during its descent -- and after its bounce
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/11/17 05:10 CST | 16 comments
This morning ESA released a set of images of the Philae lander taken by the Rosetta orbiter during -- and after -- the lander's first touchdown. The images contain evidence for the spot Philae first touched the comet, and a crucial photo of Philae's position several minutes into its first long bounce.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/11/13 01:26 CST | 9 comments
The Philae team scrambled all morning to comprehend the initially confusing status of the lander, and the picture is much clearer today. Speaking of which, there are lots more pictures!
Philae update: Photo documentation of Philae's separation!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/11/12 08:22 CST | 4 comments
Here it is. We knew hours ago that Philae separation happened, but there's nothing like seeing a photo, seeing Philae's mothership receding into the distance.
New orbital images of Curiosity landing site from Mars Express and HiRISE
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/05/23 06:30 CDT | 4 comments
Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are keeping their eyes in the sky on Curiosity. There's a nice newly public color image of all of Gale Crater from HiRISE, and two new HiRISE images within the Curiosity landing site.
Dust on, dust off: Before-and-after comparisons of rover decks on Mars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/05/19 04:16 CDT | 6 comments
Curiosity and Opportunity self-portraits show one rover accumulating dust, the other losing it. Check out these cool before-and-after comparisons.
Image processing trick: Removing interline transfer smear from Curiosity photos
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/05/01 03:27 CDT | 2 comments
Curiosity took a new self-portrait on sol 613. This post contains a tip for would-be Curiosity image processors on how to make their Curiosity mosaics better: removing the smearing effect of bright objects in MAHLI photos.
Rosetta update: Instrument commissioning going well; Philae cameras activated
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/04/22 12:46 CDT
Rosetta and Philae have very nearly completed a six-week phase of spacecraft and instrument checkouts to prepare the mission to do science. Recently, the lander used its cameras for the first time since hibernation, producing some new photos of Rosetta in space.
Look how clean Opportunity is now!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/04/09 10:28 CDT | 1 comments
While climbing Murray Ridge, Opportunity enjoyed a major cleaning event that has left the rover's solar panels more dust-free than they have been in years. The rover captured a pretty panorama of the newly clean deck with its Pancams, and James Sorenson processed the version shown here.
Great new image of Curiosity from HiRISE, just across Dingo Gap
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/04/03 06:26 CDT
A Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE image taken on February 10 shows Curiosity having just made deep, dark tracks across the Dingo Gap dune.
Checking in on Chang'e 3 and Yutu from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: Yep, still there!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/03/04 01:08 CST
Seeing hardware that was built by human hands sitting on the surface of another planet never, ever gets old. Today, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team released two new images of Chang'e 3 and Yutu on the Moon.
Sunset on Chang'e 3's third lunar day: Yutu not dead yet, but not moving either
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/02/24 12:38 CST | 4 comments
During the third lunar day of Change'3 surface operations the lander operated normally, performing ultraviolet astronomy and imaging Earth's plasmasphere. The rover's instruments were working, but the rover did not move.
Curiosity update: imaging the nonfunctioning REMS boom, closer to Dingo Gap
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/01/29 04:22 CST | 2 comments
At long last, on sol 526, Curiosity imaged the part of the weather instrument that was damaged during landing, but no obvious damage is visible, to me anyway. On sol 527 they drove even closer to Dingo Gap, with plans to drive onto the dune in the sol 528 drive.
LADEE spotted by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/01/29 03:11 CST
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has managed to snap a photo of the other current lunar orbiter, LADEE, at the Moon.
New version of panoramic view from Chang'e 3
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/01/21 05:02 CST
A higher-resolution version of the Chang'e 3 lander's panoramic view of the lunar surface has appeared on the Web, and artist Don Davis has cleaned it of artifacts to make a beautiful, seamless view. In other news, the mission has been reorganized to accommodate a possibly year-long adventure on the lunar surface.
Finally, some high-quality photos from Chang'e 3!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2014/01/10 11:37 CST | 7 comments
A pile of Chang'e 3 photos has been released to the Web, and they are much, much better than what I've seen before. They include, for the first time, photos of Earth from the lander.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spies Chang'e 3 and Yutu
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/12/30 04:36 CST | 4 comments
As promised, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's sharp eyes spotted the Chang'e 3 lander and Yutu rover on the lunar surface on December 25. The hardware shows up as a few bright pixels throwing long, dark shadows, clearly visible in a before-and-after comparison.
Chang'e 3 update with lots of pictures: Yutu begins lunar journey
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/12/23 02:54 CST | 9 comments
There was a lot of action on Chang'e 3 over the weekend! I have lots of pictures to share, including the highest-quality one I've seen of the rover on the surface, plus video of the rover making tracks on the Moon and a 3D view of the lander.
Amazing Chang'e 3 descent video
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/12/15 12:57 CST | 8 comments
Watch and enjoy this full video of Chang'e 3's descent onto the lunar surface.
Color photo of Yutu rover and Chang'e lander, and more on the Chang'e 3 landing site
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/12/15 09:59 CST | 9 comments
Fresh off of Chinese state television are lovely pictures taken by Chang'e 3 lander and rover of each other!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/12/14 03:28 CST | 9 comments
Here it is! Animated gifs, composed of screen grabs from Chinese state television, of the Yutu rover rolling on to the lunar surface. This was a replay, but it was no less thrilling for that; the actual rollout happened at 20:40 UT (12:40 PT). Six wheels on soil! Woohoo!
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U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell's re-election campaign was crowing about two bits of good news for her:
Federal Election Commission reports filed this week showed she raised more than $1 million fo the third quarter of this campaign year. And a new poll by Rasmussen Reports shows her with a 20-point lead over Republican challenger Mike Baumgartner.
Rasmussen also has President Obama up by 11 points over Republican challenger Mitt Romney, and Washington's gubernatorial race in a virtual dead heat, with Democrat Jay Inslee at 46 percent and Republican Rob McKenna at 45 percent. (Editor's note: Earlier versions of this post had the numbers for the governor's race reversed.)
A spokeswoman for the Baumgartner campaign says they expect to have a figure for third quarter contributions by Friday.
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Here's Why Thai Cinemas Refuse To Screen The Hunger Games: Mockingjay
As of last night, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 is taking over movie theaters worldwide. The film earned $17 million dollars on its debut evening, which is down from the last chapter, Catching Fire, but still the biggest first night of the year so far. (To put it in perspective, the previous best for 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy, took in $11.2 million its first night.) There is one place where the film isn't taking over, however, Thailand, as some movie theaters are refusing to show it.
A while back, we wrote about how Thai protesters had adopted the three-fingered salute from The Hunger Games as a form of resistance against government oppression. And that still appears to be going on. According to The Hollywood Reporter, five students were arrested Wednesday for flashing that sign at Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, and in the wake of that, just hours afterwards in fact, Apex Group, a local theater chain, pulled the release.


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Hx2 Dance Crew by - 2 months ago
"This picture is before we performed at our high school's Homecoming Rally on September 19. We are a big hit at school and everyone loved our first performance of the year. They also loved the t-shi..." view full details
NCS Color Day by Color Day - 2 months ago
"This is a photograph of 7 girls whom dressed up for a homecoming dress up day which was color day and the color varied depending on the grade. These girls are freshmen at Northpoint Christian Schoo..." view full details
Homecoming Champions! by Homecoming Team! - 2 months ago
"the shirts were ordered rush delivery and there was initially a confusion with the order as the sizes and quantities were recorded wrongly. We all thought the shirts were never going to arrive but ..." view full details
Homecoming olympics team by saustin - 2 months ago
"My daughter's team for her high school's Homecoming olympics. Their team name was Kids Next Door so I designed a logo based on the old cartoon but made the outlines based on the kids on the team. I..." view full details
Sammy's School Spirit by Sammy's School Spirit - 11 months ago
"This photo was taken during our homecoming week on campus. Sammy, our office pup, wanted to show his school spirit wearing one of our new t-shirts from CustomInk. " view full details
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"This picture is of the Hyannis Volleyball team practicing before the Homecoming Volleyball game. Team members, coaches, parents, and grandparents ordered t-shirts to show support to the team and b..." view full details
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A suicide bomber killed eight people and wounded 25 more in an attack on an Interior Ministry convoy that was transporting a Qatari delegation. Shabaab claimed credit for the attack and another in the Daynille district in the capital.
Shabaab's emir called for more "martyrdom operations" against the Somali government. The United Nations established the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNAMIS). Security forces detained 70 suspected Shabaab fighters in Beledweyne.
General Abas, the Somali military commander in the south, said the security situation in Kismayo is deteriorating. A female suicide bomber was captured while attempting to attack a Kenyan base in Kismayo.
Shabaab claimed it killed five Kenyan soldiers in Jannaale and eight more in Kismayo. Somali troops killed five Shabaab fighters after taking control of El Garas. The Puntland government executed 13 Shabaab fighters in Bosasso.
Shabaab fighters paraded in the coastal town of Barawe, which is currently under the al Qaeda group's control. Last week, Shabaab assassinated Somalia's deputy chief prosecutor in Mogadishu.
Somali jihadi tweets picture of 'assassination attempt'
General Galal said that Somalia must adjust its strategy to combat Shabaab's increasing use of guerilla warfare. American jihadist Omar Hammami claimed he was wounded by a would-be Shabaab assassin.
Illegal fishing crackdown in Somalia, 78 Iranians detained
Shabaab and Kenyan troops clashed in Dhobley; Shabaab claimed that it killed 12 Kenyan soldiers in the ambush. Another journalist was gunned down in Mogadishu. Ethiopia said it is preparing to withdraw all of its troops from Somalia.
Six people were killed as Shabaab and government forces clashed in Hudur. The government arrested six Shabaab fighters in Hiran and accused the terror group of killing a journalist in Mogadishu.
Shabaab claimed to have beheaded 127 "spies" who work for the government over the past four months. Shabaab also claimed that Dahabshiil, a money transfer business, is paying a $500,000 tax every six months. Two Shabaab factions clashed in the town of Bardera.
Shabaab claimed it killed two Djiboutian soldiers in an attack in Beledweyne and four militia fighters in Mogadishu. Somali officials said that a Canadian was among several foreign fighters who attacked a courthouse in the capital on April 14.
A Shabaab assault team dressed in Somali police uniforms attacked a court in Mogadishu after detonating bombs outside of the complex. Shabaab killed 13 people in the attack. Later, Shabaab killed one person in a bombing outside of a security headquarters int he capital.
Shabaab claimed to have killed six Kenyan soldiers in Tabta and militia fighters in Jannaale. Somali elders in the south accused the Kenyans of interfering in their internal affairs.
Shabaab claimed it killed five Ugandan and seven Somali troops in separate attacks in Lower Shabelle. Shabaab also publicly executed a woman in Hiran for "spying." The government admitted its soldiers are involved in rapes of Somali women.
The Director of the Somali Islamic Scholars dodged an assassination attempt by a car bomb in Mogadishu. The state administration in Hiran said it would retake areas under Shabaab control.
The commander of AMISOM forces claimed that Shabaab has been "wiped out" along the highway that connects the capital of Mogadishu and Baidoa. Three people were wounded in a bombing in Afgoye.
The British Foreign Office issued an advisory warning that "terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks in Mogadishu." Suspected Shabaab militants detonated a bomb outside the headquarters of Somalia's biggest bank in Mogadishu on April 2, after warning the bank to cease operations in areas under the terror group's control.
The African Union killed a senior Shabaab commander who led forces in the Bay and Bakool region. African Union forces are replacing Ethiopian troops who have withdrawn from the Bay area.
Imprisoned, Tortured, Killed: Human Trafficking Thrives on Sinai Peninsula


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Everyone tells me usage-based insurance (UBI) – car insurance based on your driving behavior – is already a huge market, rapidly growing, taking the industry by storm… take your pick. I am not buying it, although I am using it.
I participate in State Farm's Drive Safe and Save Program in the U.S. The program requires the installation of an on-board diagnostic device in the OBDII port. (That's my driving assessment appended to this report with the savings displayed above – with the "potential" savings available if I could just drive a little better.)
The companies that make the devices, the companies that process the data, and the carriers that provide the service all tell me there is monster growth in UBI. I believe them. Because what they are seeing is massive growth on a tiny base. So the growth will look very big indeed for the next few years.
But my own experience with usage-based insurance is that it is a little like sub-prime auto lending, which sometimes uses electronic modules on cars to enforce payment plans on credit-challenged customers. (These programs are usually referred to as "buy-here-pay-here" and include vehicle immobilizer technology to corral deadbeats.) It is a niche market with a significant "ick" factor.
UBI is best suited to drivers who simply can't get a decent insurance rate without surrendering some privacy. In the UK, this is confined mainly though not exclusively to young drivers, for whom rates are exorbitant. UBI has also benefited in the UK from tagging along with anti-fraud devices and in Italy on anti-theft devices.
Every time I visit a client or speak at an industry event – including gatherings of State insurance commissioners - I ask the members of the audience if anyone is participating in a UBI offer. The answer is a universal "No!" So the industry that is promoting this technology is turning up its nose at the opportunity.
This needs to change if UBI is ever going to enter the mainstream. A friend of mine talks about "eating your own dog food" and that is precisely what needs to happen here. If UBI is to succeed, every broker and manager in the business needs to get a device on their vehicle right away.
Brokers need to understand:
1) How the devices are installed
2) What the data looks like
3) How the data does and does not change
4) How the data impacts the discounts
5) And what the discounts actually are
This is not happening in the industry today. My service is up for renewal with State Farm and my confused questions have gone unanswered at a variety of touch points. It is tempting, but not worth it to go into the details and, no, I did not record my conversation with the multiple agents with whom I spoke – tempting though it was.
The insurance industry wants everyone, as in EVERYONE, to be connected and tracked and evaluated. By tracking drivers insurers expect to be able to underwrite auto insurance more accurately.
Conventional wisdom in the industry is that adverse selection – ie. the rejection of customers for insurance coverage based on their electronically tracked driving behavior – will ultimately force all non-tracked customers into some sort of auto insurance purgatory. I say: "Nonsense."
The most creative discount offers today are still coming from non-tracked offers that do not require any expensive hardware, software or Web portals. And too many customers simply can't get past the "ick" factor inherent in tracking. It is a prospect killer – when it actually ought to be generating prospects.
What's missing is trust and transparency. According to the pictured evaluation of my own driving, if I were to attain an A+ rating in all six driving categories I could more than double my discount. The only problem is…I have no idea what I am doing wrong and no means to find out.
Until insurance companies can find a way to instill trust with greater transparency and convince the brokers and agents to participate in the programs, UBI will remain a niche market and an insurance industry pipe dream. The creepiness of placing a tracking device on your car is hard to overcome, but the opportunity to develop more accurate risk models and underwriting schemes ought to be motivation enough to fix this.
Here is my recipe for UBI success:
A) Pay the customer to install the device
B) Install the device for the customer
C) Provide an on/off switch (within set time parameters)
D) Provide specific driving instructions as to how to improve driver ratings (and discounts)
Until these requirements are met, the UBI market will remain simultaneously huge and invisible.
Ford's Mark Fields started 2014 with the announcement of aluminum-bodied F-150s and, following his appointment as CEO, has doubled down on the fuel efficiency message with the announcement of the hiring of Dr. Ken Washington, a top researcher out of Lockheed Martin's space program. Washington will head Ford's advanced research and engineering efforts bringing experience in "light-weighting, (powertrain) control, autonomy and energy storage" to Ford, as highlighted in a brief interview with Strategy Analytics earlier this week.
The move coincided with a shift of Kumar Gulhotra, current vice president of engineering for Ford and Lincoln, to global president of Ford's Lincoln luxury brand.
Washington was most recently vice president of the Space Technology Advanced Research & Development Laboratories, or STARLabs, at Lockheed Martin's Space Systems company. He is expected to accelerate innovation at Ford and will report to Raj Nair, group vice president, global product development. Washington's background spans nuclear engineering, information systems, supercomputing, information privacy and R&D regarding space-related technologies.
All indications suggest that the announcement revolves around Ford's ability to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards set by the U.S. government. Washington's boss, Nair, was quoted at the North American International Auto Show saying that Ford intends to double its global hybrid offerings by the end of the decade and expand auto start/stop to 70% of its cars.
Start/stop is already part of the plan for the 2015 F-150, shown earlier this week. While Ford did not release its MPG estimates for the new F-150s, it did show a 732-lb. weight reduction from the use of aluminum, a surprisingly high figure.
The F-150 has always dragged down Ford's corporate average fuel economy. However, in January it claimed that the improved fuel economy of the new model will mean that for the first time the truck will help raise Ford's overall fuel economy figure. Ford has also had to restate the MPG of its hybrid models, as consumers complained of not being able to attain the originally claimed fuel economy levels. So far, only the C-MAX, Focus and Fusion/MKZ have HEV/PHEV/EV versions.
It remains to be seen whether Lincoln will move toward a luxury HEV offering to take on Lexus or a more ambitious full EV to compete with Tesla. The shift of Gulhotra and the hiring of Washington suggest that Ford is focused on fuel economy, electrification and autonomous driving, precisely in that order – even as it prepares to embed modems in its non-electric vehicles.
"So I think we are making some really good progress on the autopilot side, and I am confident that in less than a year you will be able to go from highway on ramps to highway exits without touching any controls." - Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla Motors
Consumers are clearly ambivalent about self-driving cars and electric propulsion. Multiple consumer surveys show significant resistance to autonomous vehicles, and enthusiasm for electric vehicles, aside from Tesla's Model S, has been muted.
That's why we need Tesla and Google. Like Henry Ford, Elon Musk does not make decisions based on consumer surveys, and Google pursues its own ideas about transportation and location awareness beyond the tyranny of the focus group or the legal department.
If left to its own devices, the auto industry will study electrification and autonomy to death on the test track without ever bringing an autonomous vehicle (and only a few electric vehicles) to the highway. Nissan, General Motors, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are all pushing hard at the concept of electric vehicles, but the progress has been incremental to date.
Tesla, meanwhile, is making the big bets on "gigafactories" and fast charging stations and shared patents. It is worth noting that BMW is trying to be a fast follower on the electrification front offering to share its battery technology Tesla-like. And Nissan is trying to match Tesla with the breadth of its charging station installations.
On the autonomous vehicle front, auto supplier Continental has highlighted the fact that legal and regulatory frameworks including the Vienna Convention and UN-ECE regulations continue to block the path of autonomous vehicle adoption by placing legal barriers in the way of precursor technologies such as traffic jam assist and emergency steering assist.
As reported in ITS International: "Article 8 of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic specifies that the driver must maintain permanent control of the vehicle. This limitation was amended, however, in March 2014 in response to the increasing automation of vehicle systems. Automated systems are now permitted as long as they can be overridden or deactivated by the driver. This has established the legal foundation for partially automated driving since control of the vehicle may now essentially be assumed by systems as well." Aside from the fact that the Convention has not been ratified by all parties, the modification is absurd. In essence, it says automation is only allowed as long as it can be de-activated or overridden. This is entirely contrary to the mission of automated driving, which is to remove the 90% of accidents attributable to the driver, according to industry experts.
Further, this regulation focuses on so-called Level 3 automation (see definition below) under which the driver must always be prepared to take control. This is precisely the self-driving scenario that car makers are struggling with if not outright avoiding – and one that Google is embracing,
Also as reported by ITS International: "The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) offers regulation (UN-R 79:Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Vehicles with regard to Steering Equipment). According to this regulation, automated steering is currently only permitted up to a speed of as high as 10 km/h."
Once again, this regulatory authority is out of step with reality. Continental is correct. Both the Vienna Convention and UN-ECE regulations reflect a complete disregard for the facts on the ground.
In the highlighted quote at the beginning of this commentary Elon Musk, speaking at the latest Tesla shareholders meeting in response to a question says that Tesla believes drivers should be able to go from on-ramp to exit-ramp without touching the vehicle controls. Now, he did not say that Tesla will offer this capability, but what he did say was that this ought to be possible.
The most logical scenarios for automated driving will be parking, low-speed collision avoidance, and high speed highway driving. For its part Google is focusing on Level 3 autonomous driving scenarios which include all of the above and assume, at least for current Google cars, some driver participation.
As defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S., Level 3 Limited Self-driving Automation is defined as:
"Vehicles at this level of automation enable the driver to cede full control of all safety-critical functions under certain traffic or environmental conditions and in those conditions to rely heavily on the vehicle to monitor for changes in those conditions requiring transition back to driver control. The driver is expected to be available for occasional control, but with sufficiently comfortable transition time. The Google car is an example of limited self-driving automation."
Car makers and their suppliers are leery of this Level 3 driving proposition, but Google is plunging forward. We need a Google to explore this space, because no level of market research, focus groups or number crunching will overcome the internal legal and liability objections of a typical car maker to explore Level 3 with cars on the road.
We need Tesla to prove out the concept of an attractive EV capable of being brought to mass market price points. Tesla is still working on this. In the words of Musk:
"The ground strategy at Tesla has always been a three step process where step one was little volume, high price product with the Roadster then we've got mid volume mid to high price car with the Model S and then generation three being the high volume lower cost car. And with Gen 3 with our third car, we're expecting that to be about a $35,000 car with a range in excess of 200 miles.
"But I should say that 35,000 may sound a little affordable, but when you consider the savings from use of electricity versus gasoline in the U.S. that translates effectively to like a gasoline car of about maybe $28,000 or in Europe gasoline car of about $22,000 to $24,000. So actually the affordability of it should be quite high, I am very optimistic about that and we're going to try to make that third generation car happen as soon as we possibly can."
We need Google to prove out the Level 3 use case. Without the legal framework that Continental has requested, on behalf of the industry, getting Level 3 past the lawyers will be asking too much.
There is a spooky statistical confluence in the U.S. between highway fatalities and deaths resulting from gun violence (homicides and suicides, combined). Both figures hover around 30,000, or about 100/day.
And just as the world is treated to the U.S.'s perennial debate over the merits and nature of gun control, the auto industry is now grappling with the question of surrendering vehicle control to a computer. In fact, those socialist-leaning Europeans have even broached the subject of governmental remote control of cars (Telegraph report: http://tinyurl.com/pp4ol27) which actually aligns with Brazil's delayed anti-theft mandate for vehicle immobilization.
It all reminds me of the late Charlton Heston (pictured, from "Omega Man"), five-term president of the National Rifle Association (1998-2003), who made famous the bumper sticker slogan "from my cold dead hands" as in "I'll give you my gun when you pry (or take) it from my cold, dead hands."
It appears that cars are second only to guns as a symbol of freedom and control - at least in the U.S. When surveyed by Strategy Analytics, only a minority of respondents express interest in owning or paying for self-driving cars. In fact, the paying for part will probably be the greatest obstacle as the price tag for autonomous driving is likely to remain in the thousands of dollars for the foreseeable future.
Pair the high cost with the inclination of consumers to preserve their access to freedom and control and you have two solid nearly impenetrable barriers to autonomous vehicle adoption. The U.S. consumer is essentially saying a la Charlton Heston – "you'll get the steering wheel when you pry it from my cold dead hands."
And now Google wants to take away the steering wheel and the brake pedals (New York Times report: http://tinyurl.com/o89oj7f).
So whether it's the government (and not just the U.S. government) or Google, more and more organizations are interested in wresting control of the car away from the driver. This is aside from the plans being laid for "intelligent" highways that will take control of cars and the wave of interest growing in pay-per-use vehicle taxation.
But drivers can be expected to fight for their rights.
Call it an aphrodisiac. Call it a hallucinogen. Whatever you call it, the driving experience is intoxicating and drivers can be expected to fight to preserve their freedom from control. (Just imagine Germany surrendering its Autobahn network, nein!) Getting drivers to change their behavior and attitudes will require some sophisticated combination of coercion and temptation – even after the technology becomes sufficiently inexpensive. One thing is clear, we won't surrender meekly.
The time has finally arrived to privatize the safety testing activities of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and to shift the funding model of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety away from the insurance industry. Here's why.
Thatcham Research in the UK and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are nearly identical organizations founded with nearly identical missions:
"The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses — deaths, injuries and property damage — from crashes on the nation's roads." - IIHS Website
"Thatcham Research is the motor insurers' automotive research centre. Established by the motor insurance industry in 1969, the centre's main aim is to contain or reduce the cost of motor insurance claims whilst maintaining safety standards." - Thatcham Website
Both organizations help to set safety standards and can ostensibly be held accountable to one degree or another for the rate of highway fatalities in the respective countries. This is a vast oversimplification, but it is intended to call attention to the fact that in the U.S. we are slaughtering approximately 100 people a day on our highways while in the U.K., as of 2010 and according to World Health Organization estimates, about 7 people are dying per day.
To be sure, every fatality is a tragedy and the United Nations is in the midst of its "Decade of Action for Road Safety" while Sweden has adopted "Vision Zero." Even the newly-elected Mayor of New York has set a goal of zero pedestrian fatalities for the city.
But the shocking truth is that the U.S. is failing badly in preventing highway fatalities. The U.S. has long been a "leader" in killing people with cars, only recently surpassed by Brazil (as a result of a booming auto market and lax safety standards). The difference between the U.S. and the U.K. is just as stark as the difference between the U.S. and Brazil, where the fatality rate is 22 deaths per 100,000 population annually as of 2010.
Of course, the difference between the U.S. and Brazil is more obvious from the standpoint of the quality of the cars and the roads. But an even bigger difference is that the U.S. has a significant safety testing and certification infrastructure that Brazil lacks.
But the safety testing infrastructure in the U.S. is failing. While Thatcham in the U.K. is a powerful advocate for vehicle safety systems – currently pushing for a government subsidy to support the purchase of new cars equipped with automatic emergency braking technology – IIHS offers nothing more than brochures and Website resources. And IIHS executives insist they have nothing to do with lobbying legislators.
The difference between Thatcham and IIHS is that Thatcham goes so far as to quantify the societal benefits of safety system adoption based on its own testing. In fact, Thatcham has taken up the banner of vehicle safety and carried it to international forums to promote its cause of collision avoidance globally.
Says Thatcham on its Website: "Around 23 per cent of new cars on sale today have AEB available as optional or standard fit. Insurers recognise the benefits, with AEB-fitted cars given a rating of as much as five groups lower than their counterparts, and potentially saving up to 10 per cent on insurance premiums."
Thatcham goes further, stating on its Website:
So Thatcham tells the safety story in terms of both societal and consumer financial benefits. IIHS steers clear of suggesting or promoting insurance discounts for safety systems. In fact, more often than not, IIHS either avoids the insurance premium savings conversation entirely or seems to go out of its way to avoid endorsing new technologies as potential life savers – based on the ambiguous findings of its own safety tests – ie. the test outcomes were unclear therefore we cannot endorse technology X.
A typical example comes from IIHS's testing of Volvo safety systems: "This initial analysis of the effect on insurance claims of 4 crash avoidance features, 2 of which are combinations of multiple features, suggests that they are helping drivers avoid some crashes reported to insurers. However, except in the case of Volvo's steering-responsive headlights, the estimated benefits are not statistically significant. Volvo's Active Bending Lights reduce PDL claim frequency as well as BI claim frequency, but there was not a corresponding reduction in collision claim frequency."
In other words, you, Mr. Consumer, may as well not bother with these safety systems because they won't save you a nickel on your premium.
It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that better discounts for safety systems can be found in Europe than in the U.S. And it should also come as no surprise that annual highway fatality rates are almost universally and substantially lower in Europe, with a few exceptions.
Some insurers in the U.S. will offer discounts for some safety systems. But the dominant rating scheme in the U.S. is to focus almost exclusively on the driver and such rating factors as driving history and education, including driver education.
It is true that the roads and the cars and the rules are different in Europe, but the vastly lower fatality rates are hard to ignore. As with so many areas where the U.S. lags – education, healthcare, etc. – we spend more on road safety and get less benefit.
There are two problems with the automotive safety testing regime in the U.S. The pre-eminent safety authority for setting standards and issuing mandates is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA is led by political appointees hamstrung by limited funding options and staffed with engineers buffeted by changing regulatory priorities.
Currently NHTSA is more than five years into a shift in its mission from surviving accidents to preventing them altogether. This shift in focus ought to have produced a complete revamp and re-staffing of the organization to address the modified technical demands of the new mission. Needless to say, the limitations of NHTSA being a government agency prevented any such sea change.
IIHS, too, is hamstrung by its funding model and its own perception of its role. The institute is a non-profit funded by the insurance industry. This puts IIHS in the awkward position of conducting safety research and assigning safety scores for the automotive industry, while its fundamental objective is seeing to the priorities and concerns of the insurance industry – which may conflict with the concerns of both car makers and consumers.
(It is worth noting that apart from IIHS's research activities, individual insurers in the U.S. do conduct outreach directly with car makers to advise on the construction of cars to enhance safety and reduce the costs of repairs. These activities, which directly relate to Thatcham's vehicle repair research and protocol development efforts in the U.K., are worthy and ought to continue.)
The government and the insurance industry need to be removed from the safety testing and standards setting activity, which ought to be funded by the industry. Government oversight may be an appropriate role, but not direct government management. The recent spate of recalls including the very public Toyota and GM recall controversies have demonstrated clearly that NHTSA lacks the necessary expertise or the funding necessary to acquire it.
With 100 Americans dying on the highways every day it is clear that we, as a country, can no longer depend on the government or the insurance industry to solve this problem. Vehicle safety should be put into the hands of independent commercial interests charged and evaluated on the basis of protecting consumers and saving lives. We are fighting a war and the body count is rising.
I take the title of my blog from the Philip K. Dick science fiction novel upon which the movie "Blade Runner" was based. One element of the movie is bounty hunter Rick Deckard's (Harrison Ford) effort to retire six escaped Nexus-6 brain model androids. In the process he explores what it is to be human and the lack of empathy of the androids.
Google, too, lacks empathy in its single-minded advance on multiple operating environments - mobile, wearable, automotive - with little regard for the application requirements of each space. Google announced Android Auto at Google-I/O last week and later revealed further details.
The latest report from Ars Technica is that Google wants to control elements of the Android Auto UI. In the words of Engadget.com: "Google tells Ars Technica that it will maintain sole (official) control over the interface for all three new platforms, rather than give that power to manufacturers. While companies will be allowed branding and extra services, they won't get to modify the core experience. You won't see a Gear Live sequel with the Gear 2's front end, for example, or find your way around town with a Honda-exclusive take on Android Auto."
Full story: http://tinyurl.com/mywoed8
There are those who question whether Android should be considered an operating system - some call it nothing more than Linux with a Dalvik virtual machine running Java apps - but now it looks as if Google wants Android to be an app. Only an app supplier would concern itself with UI issues.
The last time an OS supplier tried to manhandle the UI part of the stack it contributed to creating a mass market for desktop computers. Of course, this applies to both Apple and the Mac and Microsoft and the PC.
(It is worth noting that Microsoft was never successful in getting multiple car companies to adopt a single UI. But Microsoft and Nuance - with Ford SYNC - did help Ford create a consistent, brand-defining UI experience across multiple car models.)
Cars are different. No two car makers have ever taken identical paths to implementing in-vehicle platforms for content acquisition and consumption. The UI in every car is unique. It is one of the defining and maddening aspects of the automotive industry.
Since Google lacks empathy it is unable to grasp this fundamental element of the automotive industry. In cars, screens are all different sizes - if they are there at all - and interfaces include voice, touch, hardware controllers, and steering wheel buttons and switches. In-vehicle interfaces are inextricably tied to branding. One need look no further than the hardware controllers of Audi, BMW, Lexus, Honda, Infiniti, Mazda and Mercedes.
Even Pandora, which is one of the most rigidly prescriptive automotive app developers, allows its app to be rendered differently across multiple car makers. When iBiquity entered the market with HD Radio, it stayed out of the UI debate - though later offering suggested implementations.
Perhaps the only company that has thus far gotten away with any sort of UI requirement is Sirius XM, which is rendered in nearly identical fashion in most cars - though making allowances for different UI strategies from car maker to car maker.
Google's dream of delivering a consistent experience across multiple car makers is just another indication of how out of touch the company really is. Rather than offering support for the UI development effort that will be required to implement Android Auto or providing suggested UI best practices, the company appears determined to shove some sort of one-size-fits-all solution on the industry.
Like its power consumption shortcomings and slow boot time, the UI requirements are a meaningless distraction. There is no question that Google Automotive link will be different from car to car - just as CarPlay and Pandora are different in each car.
The real point of failure, though, the difference between Google and Apple is that Google won't invest in the army of evangelists necessary to indoctrinate consumers in car company booths at trade shows or even in dealerships. Only Apple understands the importance of direct customer engagement and has demonstrated the willingness to commit the resources to directly engage consumers. Just another case of Google being asleep at the wheel. Dream on, Google. Dream on.
Jointly sponsored by Chinese Satellite Navigation Office (CSNO), Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Russian Federal Space Agency and GLONASS Union, China-Russia Satellite Navigation Cooperation Roundtable was held in Harbin on June 30, 2014.
Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Wang Yang, Deputy Prime Minister of China delivered the speech. In Dmitry Rogozin's speech, LBS, insurance and ERA-GLONASS (Russian eCall based on GLONASS system) were emphasized as the important elements of a car, Rogozin also expressed the cooperation willingness between GLONASS and Beidou in joint manufacturing and GNSS products development and market promotion. Then Wang yang expressed the support attitude, emphasized on the identification of the direction of cooperation and prioritizing the cooperation projects.
Afterwards, the two Deputy Prime Ministers witnessed the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony for Satellite navigation cooperation between CSNO and GLONASS Union.
It is believed that building Beidou or GLONASS Monitoring stations in Russia or in China, researching and developing navigation equipment and manufacturing navigation devices are listed in the MoU.
By Strategy Analytics' observation, three Beidou monitoring stations will be built in west, middle and east of Russia, accordingly, three GLONASS monitoring stations will be built in Changchun, Urumqi and another place in 2014.
As of Q1, 2014, Beidou/GPS dual mode navigation modules reached 2 million+ sales volume. In particular in vehicle aspect, 300k+ transport vehicles have installed aftermarket Beidou compatible devices, 200k+ Beidou compatible devices have been adopted in OEM and aftermarket sectors in private vehicles.
Prior to the Roundtable, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced in June 1 that Russia has started to block the military functions of U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) base stations on its territory and might start dismantling them from September 1 as a response to Washington's anti-Russia sanctions and its refusal to plant GLONASS ground base stations on the U.S. territory (Refer to: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-06/01/c_133377248.htm ). According to Strategy Analytics' understanding, Totally 11 GPS base stations have been terminated and might be dismantled in three months.
Among actor Michael McDonald's more unusual credits is the role of "Stuart" on the television program Mad TV. Stuart is a precocious child of indeterminate physical or mental age who insists on getting the attention of family members and friends by performing meaningless tricks. (An example - apologies in advance for anyone who is easily offended - warning, adult male sort of dancing in underwear: http://tinyurl.com/k7z3for)
In the automotive industry we are currently afflicted with tech giants Apple and Google more or less engaged in similar behavior attempting to extend their mobile franchises into the dashboard - because they can. In other words, neither Apple nor Google is doing anything especially remarkable or groundbreaking and, therefore, fall in the category of: "Look what I can do!" (This is the statement "Stuart" makes as he dances pointlessly.)
Google launched Google Automotive Link today, following Apple's CarPlay launch by a few months. Google asserts that cars using its new solution will be hitting the road before the end of the year. The company also noted the participation and support of 40 car makers and suppliers representing 25 brands. That should also sound familiar (see CarPlay launch).
GAL is nearly identical in appearance and performance to Apple's CarPlay. Of course no one dares to question Apple's, Google's automotive cred because, after all, we're talking about Google and Apple. No one wants to be caught out on the wrong side of either of these two heavyweights.
So, allow me.
What Google did not want to talk about today were Android's challenges regarding boot time and power consumption, two significant deficits of great concern to auto makers once Google decides to bring Android into the dashboard and not merely enable smartphone integration. (At least Apple has steered clear of any intention to embed its software in cars.) Google also did not want to talk about National Highway Traffic Safety Administration user interface guidelines or any other globally relevant automotive UI limitations.
Also missing was a description of Google's API strategy and Google also glossed over the fact that the voice recognition solution on offer is hosted and therefore dependent on a wireless connection. In fact, this same limitation is shared by CarPlay. (Again, at least Apple has shown some awareness of this shortcoming with the recent acquisition of Novauris which may enable on-handset recognition in the car.)
So, what Google and Apple have demonstrated is that they can do exactly what Abalta, and Airbiquity, and Luxoft, and Harman, and OpenCar, and UIE, and Nuance, and Bosch, and RealVNC have already done - integrate smartphones in cars. Maybe this is just some bizarre form of Silicon Valley attention-getting deficit disorder.
The automotive industry cannot afford to ignore Google and Apple. They both have important technological contributions to make. But sometimes they are just dancing in their underwear.
A slightly more serious discussion of the marketing issues at stake is available here: tinyurl.com/mqr8b2z - Google: An Offer the Auto Industry Can't Refuse
Okay, I'll admit it. I was one of many that praised Waze for its clever use of crowd sourced traffic information to create an application that attracted millions of users and a billion dollars, from Google. I have saluted Waze as a disrupter of the traffic information industry. And I have recognized its contribution to moving traffic technology forward by calling attention to the transformational role that mobile apps can play in the traffic industry.
Well, after a Friday ride along with WTOP's traffic and weather director Jim Battagliese I can honestly say Google overpaid for Waze. And it is no surprise that Waze is now knocking on the doors of radio and television broadcasters and state DOTs looking for incident data. Waze has discovered what competitors such as INRIX, HERE and TomTom already knew - you need detailed, accurate and reliable incident data to create a viable traffic business.
I did not set out on the ride along to conduct a scientific analysis of Waze's traffic reporting and I have a large number of industry associates and friends who regularly advise me of the usefulness of Waze for avoiding speed traps and red-light cameras - along with the accuracy of the application's traffic flow and incident reports. But time and again during a 3+ hour afternoon drive in Washington, DC, Waze regularly failed to identify local traffic conditions accurately.
Waze was not alone in this failure. TomTom, too, repeatedly failed to reproduce real-time traffic conditions and fell victim to the classic rendering of traffic information on mobile devices that appears to be nothing better than guesswork, as opposed to a refined and scientific rendering of traffic reality.
The importance of "getting it right" was brought home to me as Jim happened upon two traffic incidents and got actively involved in assisting the drivers. The steps included:
Traffic apps routinely identify incidents late, fail to deliver timely updates of the processing of the scene while it is in progress, and then fail to accurately identify the point at which traffic has returned to free flow and the incident is clear. It was truly amazing to observe the reporting of the incidents in the TomTom and Waze apps as the scenes were being processed. It was clear from the timing that both apps were dependent on the reports coming from WTOP.
I learned a lot from the ride along:
There is a reason WTOP pays as much attention as it does to traffic information - it is the single biggest draw for the radio station, followed closely by weather. In fact, the importance of traffic and weather colors the choice of news stories reported on WTOP, which frequently features traffic and transportation related stories.
WTOP already benefits from the traffic-reporting (ie. crowd-sourcing) support of its listeners, but is now putting together a program to reward and recognize traffic reporters - details to come. The station is also looking into creating a mobile app of its own.
Waze is not getting the traffic right in the DC area - or at least it was not on the day of my drive - in spite of claiming to have more than 11,000 "Wazers" in the area using and sharing data with the app. It is clearly not a numbers game. WTOP has listeners calling in traffic reports regularly during rush hour - too many to answer them all. What's missing is the wisdom to turn the inputs of the crowd into accurate, actionable information.
The idea of crowd-sourced traffic information has always been a part of broadcast radio traffic reporting - going all the way back to Shadow Traffic's days in the New York City market when spotters were spying on traffic patterns using binoculars from the World Trade Center. Even today, municipalities such as Sao Paulo have traffic spotters on street corners and on tall buildings trying to understand real-time traffic conditions.
The message is clear - all traffic is local and all traffic requires observation. But crowd-sourced information is worthless without the interpretive genius of what Jim Battagliese calls a "traffic geek."
One thing an app (like a local version of Waze) will enable is a more personalized traffic reporting experience. Waze provides a personalized experience but without local expertise. With Waze there is breadth with no interpretive depth.
Traffic information broadcasters have depth but will always struggle to simultaneously satisfy all of their listeners 90% of whom don't care about 90% of the traffic information they are getting. WTOP is unique in that it provides two minutes of information in each of its "on-the-8's" broadcasts - significantly more than most in the industry.
Crowd-sourced information in the hands of a traffic geek is priceless and powerful. One of WTOP's chief rivals, WAMU, produces its traffic reports remotely, but the reports are voiced by uber traffic geek Jerry Edwards. Jerry may be working from Florida, but the camera feeds, incident reports and flow data paint a very different picture for him than they would to an unpracticed eye.
Waze has the right idea in crowd-sourcing its traffic data - and the app is invaluable to millions of users and fans - but it cannot replace the insight of a local traffic geek. Waze wants to tap into the radio industry's traffic geeks and has spoken with WTOP after first tying up with the local Fox television franchise two years ago. Waze knows the power of broadcast to extend the reach of its brand after its roaring success combating Carmaggedon in Los Angeles three years ago.
But television doesn't do much for Waze beyond promoting its brand and networks have plenty of alternatives to Waze including Clear Channel Total Traffic and Weather's SigAlert, Radiate, newcomer GeoTraffic and INRIX. For radio traffic broadcasters the Waze conversation is a non-starter.
WTOP hopes to leverage the wisdom of the crowd and the sophistication of the traffic geek into its own app later this year. There is no question that traffic information broadcasters around the world are looking at launching their own apps. While these broadcasters will not want to distract listeners from the over the air signal - they will want to protect their local traffic franchise. Broadcasters know that traffic information sells - just ask Waze.
At an International Motor Press Association luncheon in New York City today GlobalAutomakers President and CEO John Bozzella noted that questions were being raised as to how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) might raise the additional $18M budgeted for FY2015 vehicle safety research. Bozzella said that options on the table included a per-vehicle tax or fee to be paid by consumers or a similar tax or fee to be paid by car makers. When asked, by this analyst, Bozzella said that he was not aware of any discussion of privatizing NHTSA or any of its functions.
I had asked the question because I believe it is time to consider the privatization option.
NHTSA's FY 2015 budget request totals $851M and includes $152M for vehicle safety research (an $18M increase), $122M for behavioral safety and $577M for state grants and high visibility enforcement support. In light of the rash of recalls blanketing the auto industry, there will be calls for additional funding for safety research. Given the embarrassing revelations implicating NHTSA's inadequate review, research and enforcement of its own safety standards vis-a-vis General Motors in the recent and still unfolding ignition switch recall, now looks like a good time to remove the government from the business of setting and enforcing safety standards.
Further oversight, research and testimony will be required before NHTSA is fully and formally exonerated of any wrong-doing as part of the ignition switch recall, but the fact that the agency is implicated at all in failing to identify the problem and initiate action suggests it is time for a change. It also recalls the agency's admission of its inability to diagnose the Toyota sudden acceleration case of two years ago.
All indications are that the functional demands of safety research have transcended the agency's ability to keep up and adequately protect the public. It is time for the government to recognize this fact and rather than throwing good money after bad - shift the safety research functions of the agency to the private sector where the expertise already resides.
This is a particularly important step to take as the automotive safety segment shifts to active from passive safety - requiring an entirely new analytical skill set for divining whether new technologies have prevented accidents - ie. proving a negative. New skills require new strategies for studying and promoting the adoption of life-saving technologies. NHTSA is not ever likely to have sufficient resources to keep pace with automotive industry innovation.
Of course, this is a radical concept - so I throw it open to you, the reader. Is there any good reason for NHTSA to retain its safety investigative, standards-setting and enforcement responsibilities? What do you think?
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SPOTLIGHT & UNBOXING of "Circuit Scribe"
CT Hackerspace & Makerspace
Wednesday Night is CT Hackerspace's weekly open night where the public is invited visit and work on thier own projects. In addition, Occasionally we have an additional special we call Spotlight where we share something extra.
This week's Spotlight is featuring the new Kickstarter Project "Circuit Scribe". Circuit Scribe is a rollerball pen that writes with conductive silver ink. It makes creating circuits as easy as doodling. One of our members, Bill, was a Kickstarter Backer and will share the unboxing at the space with all those interested.
Wednesday, October 8 at 7:00 PM
Attending: 1
Details: http://www.meetup.com/CT-Hackerspace/events/211168492/
CT Hackerspace Community to be at NYC Maker Faire
CT Hackerspace & Makerspace
CT Hackerspace and at least 7 other spaces based in Connecticut will be working together at the NYC Maker Faire.
In cooperation together to help promote the Maker Movement growing in Connecticut, spaces statewide will be working together to represent and promote all the opportunities to get involved in the growing Maker / Hacker culture. All organizations will be represented at one booth in the "hackerspace" area at the Maker Faire. CT Hackerspace is looking for help to help volunteer at the booth between Friday, September 19, 2014 through Sunday, September 21, 2014. If you are interested in assisting, contact Bill Saturno who will connect you to the discussion thread and the online signup sheet. With so many groups participating, we are hoping to keep volunteer shifts short so you have time to enjoy the show. Your input and ideas are also welcome. We are currently trying to attempt on getting discount or free tickets to all of those who volunteer.
We look forward to seeing you there!
CT HackerspaceQueens, NY - USA
Friday, September 19 at 12:00 AM
Attending: 1
Details: http://www.meetup.com/CT-Hackerspace/events/206899712/
Carpool Together to Engadget Expand Expo in New York City.
CT Hackerspace & Makerspace
CTH is looking to possibly put a Carpool Together to Engadget Expand Expo in New York City. Expand is designed from the ground up for technology fans. The consumer event gives tech enthusiasts the unique opportunity to hear from favorite technology and science luminaries on stage, talk directly with Engadget editors, and get their hands on some of the latest and greatest new devices at the show floor exhibition. Expand NY is held annually in the North Hall of Javits Center, Manhattan's premier venue for large-scale events.
The Expand stage offers live panel and one-on-one sessions with some of consumer electronics' greatest visionaries, putting attendees face to face with the people behind the most interesting and innovative devices on the market today. Panelists including CEOs, scientists, futurists, and roboticists from companies like Google, Microsoft, Toyota, NASA, OUYA, and 3D Robotics who took the Expand San Francisco stage in March 2013. And cutting-edge companies like Ekso Bionics and da Vinci stole the spotlight on the show floor with the truly awe-inspiring robot exoskeleton and surgical robot, respectively.Watertown, CT 06795 - USA
Saturday, November 8 at 8:00 AM
Attending: 1
Details: http://www.meetup.com/CT-Hackerspace/events/206176892/


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