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R99 wrote:R99 wrote:
but Animals dont kill a deer unless its hungry. but wen it comes to human, it kills not just for survive, it also for fun, greed etc etc..
that sentence explain everything. this is why humans cannot be compared to animals. did u just ignored that statement deschainXIX. whats ur thought. if humans r that intelligent y cant they follow this simple rule. DO NOT KILL IF ITS NOT NECESSARY.
I ignored that statement because I really didn't think I needed to respond to that. Sorry.
The statement that an animal kills only when it is hungry only supports my previous idea which is that all organisms are totally mechanistic and materialistic in nature. Thus, they have no soul. They simply go around doing whatever is necessary to keep them alive. This is nature, do you understand? Things happen, and it's brutal and uncaring and cold.
(I'm simply restating the ideas I mentioned in my first post. Perhaps you should reread it?)
Now, let us analyze the reasons humans kill, since your argument is that humans kill for different reasons than animals. We are beings of a higher intelligence. It's because we are slightly more neurologically complex that you are unable to comprehend the reasons humans kill. Those reasons are no different than animals.
We slaughter millions of animals a day for food and survival. But the only reasons people don't eat members of their own species, as some animals do, is because humans are more intelligent than animals and humans have developed a civilized society. (Again, safety in numbers.) Establishing a society of such intricacy and complication is a sign of greater intelligence (still restating things I've already said).
Now, you say we kill for fun. That is correct. Our entertainment (movies, books, television shows) is absolutely brimming with delicious violence. We love it. And not to mention hunting. Every year people go into the woods armed only with a rifle and kill anything they encounter.
Do you not see the underlying, psychologically-revealing truth hidden in this behavior? I don't blame you; most people won't even acknowledge that they love violence. The reason we love all of these things, the reasons serial killers exist, is because we were once at a less-evolved state, in which we were not intelligent enough to form societies of safety. We had to resort to hunting in the wild and killing things to eat. And we still have that impulse, that instinct inside of us (especially males, since males were always the members of the tribes to be sent out to hunt and attack other tribes). Again, we are simply more evolved and more intelligent. More complicated.
Then you say we kill for greed. This one is so simple. Killing someone for greed is still a calculated survival strategy. Greed is simply a desire for money. Money = survival. That's no "better" than a lion killing a gazelle for meat.
We also have a big moral dilemma here, with your statement. You're saying that humans are basically crazy because they kill for stupid reasons. Thus you're saying that killing for practical reasons is somehow morally more acceptable than killing because of psychopathy.
All of the above things aside, your entire "argument" here can be refuted by saying simply this: Being a killer does not make you unintelligent. It seems like your idea of an intelligent organism is one that does no harm to another organism unless it is necessary. And that's simply incorrect.
R99 wrote:We're talking about intelligence, right? Here's an experiment I'd like you to conduct: Google search these three words--"weather forecast tomorrow."
its comes from a fancy machine not from bio chemical brain. and that was the point.
Oh wait ... you're serious.
I really need to walk you through this, huh? *sigh* That's disappointing...
You see, there is no magical "bio chemical" in an animal's brain that makes it constantly aware of weather patterns. Not at all. Over years of natural selection, behavioral imprinting, classical conditioning, and habituation the animal has learned to detect subtle shifts in air temperatures and thus knows it is time to hibernate/migrate.
Neither do humans have a magical "bio chemical" that informs them of the weather. Contrarily, they have learned to record and observe the movements of the clouds, studying precipitation and what exactly happens in our planet's atmosphere, discovering air molecules and the way they interact with one another and move according to atmospheric pressure differentiation. And over time, they have learned to build machines. Computing, calculating machines that have been programmed to forecast the weather.
R99 wrote:so animals and plants have their own level of intelligence. they know more about the environment. and we dont. and i didnt said their intelligence r equal to us.
Yes. You've learned that there are varying levels of intelligence. And humans are on higher, more complicated ones. And as for that second statement ... you realize that you just said a squirrel understands more about the various complexities of its forest environment than an ecologist does. Do I really need to refute that?
R99 wrote:i pointed these facts bcoz ur ego wants to believe humans r superior. and its not true,
Where did this even come from? You have literally missed almost everything I have said. Please, go back and read my initial post. I NEVER said that humans were superior. In fact, my argument was the complete opposite: that humans and animals are the SAME.
R99 wrote:u dont need to explain it again, i am just saying that sometimes in life we need to defend someone else more than ourself . and that time defines who u really are. even animals do that. and u r pointing things like animal instinct is bad thing. i think humans r brutal than animal. thats the whole point of my post. am just defending for animal world bcoz they dont have internet connection to post this
Addressing the statement that "humans are more brutal than animals," let me say this:
Humans and animals are equally brutal; it's just that humans bear more potency.
Here's another illustration: Two psychopaths are released from a state penitentiary. One of them is given a baseball bat. The other is given the key to a shed full of ballistic vests, automatic firearms, grenades, and a missile launcher.
These two men are equally insane, yet one is going to kill many more people than the other.


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NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police officer testified Wednesday that he's already been labeled a rat and expects more retaliation from colleagues for testifying at a civil trial that the department routinely enforces quotas on arrests and other enforcement action and punishes those who do not achieve the artificial goals.
Officer Pedro Serrano told a federal judge in Manhattan that his colleagues in the Bronx already dumped out his locker and stuck rodent stickers on the outside, implying he is a rat for testifying.
"I fear that they're going to try and set me up and get me fired," he said.
Serrano, 43, was speaking publicly for the first time at the trial, which is challenging how the New York Police Department makes some street stops. His testimony was given to show a culture within the nation's largest department that revolves more around numbers and less around actual policing.
Lawyers for the four men who sued say officers unfairly target minorities under the controversial tactic known as stop and frisk, sometimes because of pressure to make illegal quotas. Attorneys for the city say the department doesn't profile — officers go where the crime is, and the crime is overwhelmingly in minority neighborhoods. Police officials have said that they do not issue quotas but set some performance goals for officers.
Serrano, who wore a suit Wednesday but was in police uniform earlier in the week, said he has been protesting within the department for six years about quotas for arrests, summonses, and stop, question and frisk reports each officer should achieve per month.
"I've been verbally telling my supervisors this is wrong," he said. "They say, 'This is the way it is; it's been done this way forever.' You can't fight. It's a losing battle."
Serrano was the second whistleblower to testify Wednesday in the case. Officer Adhyl Polanco, whose story had already been made public in media reports, said police brass were not concerned with whether patrol officers were saving lives or helping people; they were focused on one thing: numbers.
Both officers said if they didn't get the 20 summonses, one arrest and five street stops per month while working patrol, they'd face poor evaluations, shift changes and no overtime. Serrano said the push to get arrests came right after the academy and continued. He said he's been punished for not having enough arrests.
"They tell you: 'I need a specific number,'" Serrano said of his superiors.
Four black men testified Monday and Tuesday about their experiences being stopped by police — they say because of their race.
There have been about 5 million stops made by police in the past decade, mostly of black and Hispanic men. Lawyers with the Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of the four plaintiffs, are seeking to reform the tactic, which gained traction in the past decade.
The mayor and police commissioner say stop and frisk is a life-saving, crime-stopping tool that has helped drive crime down to record lows. New York City saw the fewest number of murders in 2012 since comparable record keeping in the 1960s, and other major crimes are down to record lows, too. City officials say criminals are keeping their guns at home.
Officers have more than 23 million contacts with the public, make 4 million radio runs and issue more than 500,000 summonses every year. Comparatively, 600,000 stops annually are not unreasonable, city lawyers said.
U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin, who has said in earlier rulings that she is deeply concerned about the tactic, has the power to order reforms to how it is used, which could bring major changes to the force and other departments.
On Tuesday, the second day of the trial that is expected to last weeks, city lawmakers announced that they had reached an agreement to install an inspector general for the NYPD — an issue raised last year amid mass demonstrations against stop and frisk and a series of stories by The Associated Press that detailed police monitoring of Muslims. A vote was expected in the coming weeks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he would veto the proposal.
Bloomberg, city lawyers and police officials said the department has enough oversight, including an independent watchdog group, a 700-person Internal Affairs Bureau, a police corruption commission, prosecutors and judges.
It's not clear whether the proposal for an inspector general would affect what changes the judge may order.
Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

subset: commoncrawl


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Expedia-Verified Reviews
Don't miss out on a lower price on this hotel
Get an overview of this hotelDaytona Beach resort with Atlantic Ocean views
Popular property highlights
Direct beach access
Located in Daytona Beach, The Shores Resort & Spa is just steps from the white-sand beaches of the Atlantic Ocean; Daytona International Airport is 7 miles away.
Fun on the beach
Many amenities at The Shores Resort & Spa are beach-themed, including private cabana service, fire pits, and a tiki bar serving cocktails and snacks.
Ocean views
Equipped with modern amenities like DVD players and plasma-screen TVs, guestrooms also feature views of the Atlantic Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway.
Languages Spoken
- English
The Shores Resort & Spa
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Set on the Atlantic, The Shores Resort offers a full-service spa; an outdoor pool; and a 24-fitness center with cardio, strength training equipment; supervised childcare facilities; and beach views.
Meeting space at this Daytona Beach resort totals 16,000 square feet and includes ballrooms and conference rooms with high-speed Internet access (included in the resort fee). Wedding services are also offered. This property is smoke-free.
Guest use of tennis courts, bocce ball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes at Oceans Racquet and Recreation Center less than a half-mile away is included in the resort fee.
- Express check-in
- Bar/lounge
- Elevator/lift
- Full-service spa
- 24-hour front desk
- Poolside bar
- Business center
- Conference space
- Porter/bellhop
- Express check-out
- Meeting rooms 11
- Restaurant
- Coffee shop or café
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Free WiFi
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Valet parking (surcharge)
- Health club
- Outdoor pool
- Computer station
- Smoke-free property
- Supervised childcare/activities (surcharge)
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Conference space size (meters) - 1858
- Spa services on site
- Terrace
- Luggage storage
- Supervised childcare/activities
- ATM/banking
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Conference space size (feet) - 20000
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Spa tub
- 24-hour fitness facilities
- Total number of rooms - 212
- Number of floors - 10
- Wedding services
- Fireplace in lobby
- Free newspapers in lobby
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Languages Spoken
- English
- Spanish
Self parking (surcharge), Valet parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Bathrobes
- Refrigerator
- Free toiletries
- Shower/tub combination
- DVD player
- Plasma TV
- Coffee/tea maker
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Free weekday newspaper
- Designer toiletries
- Desk
- Free local calls
- Hair dryer
- Daily housekeeping
- Iron/ironing board
- Free WiFi
- Number of bathrooms -
- Premium bedding
- Premium TV channels
- Private bathroom
- Turndown service
- Room service (24 hours)
- Free cribs/infant beds
- In-room safe
- Digital TV service
- iPod docking station
- Pillowtop mattress
Where to Eat
Azure - Restaurant and bar. Ocean-inspired cuisine incorporating regional and local flavors. Beachfront dining available on an elevated terrace. Open daily for all meals.
Tiki Bar - Poolside drinks and food, with private cabana dining.
Room service - Available 24 hours daily.
Nearby Activities
An outdoor freeform splash pool and spa tub overlook the beach. There is also a fitness center with cardio and strength training equipment on site.
The famous Ladies Pro Golf Association championship golf courses—the Legends and the Champions—are within 12 miles of the resort. The Champions, designed by Rees Jones, was the first course ever designed specifically for women.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the hotel; fees may apply.
- Bicycle rentals nearby
- Golfing nearby
- Snorkeling nearby
- Parasailing nearby
- Surfing/boogie boarding nearby
- Sailing nearby
- Windsurfing nearby
- Scuba diving nearby
Spa Services
The Shores Resort & Spa's luxury, full service boutique-style spa is 2,500 square feet, offering 6 private treatment rooms. The spa features a vichey shower and claw foot two-person bathtubs. Treatments include massage, facials, body scrubs, mud wraps, manicures, and pedicures.
- Couples treatment rooms
- Manicures and pedicures
- Body wraps
- Body treatments
- Body scrubs
- Facial treatments
- Aromatherapy treatments
- Hot stone massage
- Deep tissue massage
- Swedish massage
- Spa tub in spa
- Sports massage
- Massages
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 4 PM
Check-in time ends at midnight
Minimum check-in age is 21
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! Children 16 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 75 per pet, per night, plus a deposit of USD 250.00 per stay
- Dogs and cats only
- 2 per room (up to 50 lb)
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
- Resort fee: USD 21.30 per accommodation, per night
- Fitness center access
- Sporting facilities or equipment
- Nearby fitness center access
- Business center/computer access
- Internet access
- Newspaper
- Phone calls
- In-room bottled water
Optional extras
- Breakfast fee: between USD 16 and USD 20 per person (approximately)
- Self parking fee: USD 17.00 per night
- Valet parking fee: USD 23.00 per night
- Pet deposit: USD 250.00 per stay
- Pet fee: USD 75 per pet, per night
Hotel Name
- The Shores Resort Spa
- Shores Daytona Beach Shores
- Shores Resort
- Shores Resort Daytona Beach Shores
We should mention
Children 16 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.


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|59k - font problems?
|Page 1 of 1
|pistonbrew [ Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:03 pm ]
|Post subject:
|59k - font problems?
just playing around with the 59k alpha on my laptop. i did a fresh installation, which went ok until the first reboot. when X starts, the fonts disappear (displayed as rectangles). no fonts in gnome either.
i dropped out of X and did an apt-get dist-upgrade, but still nothing. so i installed fluxbox, and that seems OK. i can use firefox, but the fonts are still stuffed in, say, synaptic.
i must be missing a package, but have no idea which one.. any tips?
|jebba [ Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:55 pm ]
|Post subject:
UH, not sure offhand... What kind of install did you do? A default one should have the fonts no prob.
If you can install likely font packages "one at a time" (apt-cache search font) and figure out which one is the culprit, it would be quite handy for me to know. :)
|pistonbrew [ Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:10 am ]
|Post subject:
hi jeff
i did a default install, but chose custom partitions (formatted / and /home). i didn't change any of the package options from the defaults.
i've installed 3 times from this CD - the first time the fonts were all there but i couldn't get the network up so i reinstalled. the last two times have had no fonts. so i guess i shouldn't rule out a bum disk - if i get nowhere by installing fonts as you suggest, i'll try downloading a fresh ISO.
|jebba [ Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:14 am ]
|Post subject:
Don't download a fresh ISO, that is unnecessary.
Just run `sha1sum BLAG-59999.foo.iso` and compare it with the SHA1SUM file. That will make sure the /download/ is OK.
Then just do the mediacheck verification as the first step in the install, and that'll tell you how your burn went. Sounds like it could have gotten scratched between the installs or something.
|pistonbrew [ Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:17 am ]
|Post subject:
hmm, my md5 doesn't match up.
[bob@summersHQ Downloads]$ sha1sum BLAG-59k-current.iso
58cf378cffce6f0ecad2c0bf5d3c779842616c62 BLAG-59k-current.iso
doesn't match any of the md5s at http://www.blagblagblag.org/60000/iso/SHA1SUM
i think i may be being a bit dense here. should I have downloaded BLAG-59999.12121.iso instead of *-current.iso?
|pistonbrew [ Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:17 pm ]
|Post subject:
just installing a few font packages listed by apt-cache search fonts - so far i have done
apt-get install xorg-x11-fonts*
apt-get install terminus*
no joy yet though. i assume the problem isn't going to be fixed by installing cyrillic fonts, etc..
when i start synaptic from a terminal, i get a few pages of these errors:
(synaptic:3058): Pango-CRITICAL **: _pango_cairo_font_map_get_renderer: assertion `PANGO_IS_CAIRO_FONT_MAP (fontmap)' failed
synaptic starts, but doesn't display any fonts. not much help from google - someone at http://linuxfr.org/forums/15/19225.html seems to have the same problem but my french is a bit rusty ; )
|jebba [ Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:34 pm ]
|Post subject:
BLAG-59k-current.iso <i>is</i> BLAG-59999.12121.iso So downloading -current is fine.
But it should appear in the most recent SHA1SUMS or you don't have a full download. The filesize is 726802432.
|pistonbrew [ Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:40 am ]
|Post subject:
thanks for your help jebba - we're up and running now. the download must've been suss, as i burned it to a couple more disks but it would not pass the media check during installation.
with a fresh .iso (and my last blank CD!), i have fonts! and working ipw2200 and cpufreq (the reasons i gave up on the fc6 alphas a while back).
fanx again
|Page 1 of 1
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UPDATE! Since originally publishing this article we've learned a lot about what Disney has planned for Star Wars: Episode 7. A full summary of all the latest Episode VII developments can be found in our what we know so far guide But below is a quick a break down of everything known about the plot of the next Star Wars movie so far....
Our original discussion of possibilities for Star Wars: Episode 7's plot follows...
That thud you heard this afternoon was the collective jaws of the Star Wars nation hitting the floor.
News broke that a seventh film in the thought-to-be-finished franchise was heading into production now that Lucasfilm had been sold to Walt Disney Pictures (in a deal that's rumored to be near $4 billion). And as details continued to emerge, fans learned that Episode VII, due in theaters by 2015, will be the first of three new Star Wars films produced by Kathleen Kennedy, with George Lucas hanging around as a creative consultant.
Holy cow.
I immediately jumped on a GChat with the biggest Star Wars geek I know: Adam Frazier of Geeks of Doom, who assured me that this is a great day for fans of the series. We immediately began discussing where the Star Wars storyline could and should go from here, as well as who should be shepherding the project as a director. Let's break this news in half and see what emerges:
Sean: So, Adam, this is a bit of a bombshell. Not only the selling of Lucasfilm, which is huge, but the announcement of a seventh Star Wars film. Because they are maintaining continuity by calling it Episode VII (from what we can tell so far), do you think that means they will try to keep characters that we've seen in the original trilogy? Or do you believe we will start over completely with new characters and new worlds?
Adam: Yeah, it's hard to say, especially with George Lucas staying on as "Creative Consultant" -- being as he's maintained for years that there is no 7, 8, 9 -- and yet you've got tons of books in the Extended Universe like The Thrawn Trilogy or the Dark Empire graphic novels that have been accepted by fans as kind of the unofficial episode 7, 8, 9.
I feel like they can't really recast the characters, so they either have to fast-forward in time to where Luke is essentially the new Obi-Wan, or go even further into the future with new characters.
Sean: That's interesting. I never really followed the storyline after the Original Trilogy. Did you?
Adam: I did. I'm actually staring at the Dark Empire and Thrawn Trilogy books as we speak (er...chat). In the Dark Empire storyline, Luke had a brief flirtation with the Dark Side and at one point followed in his father's footsteps as apprentice to the Emperor. (Yes, Emperor Palpatine -- a clone that absorbed the dead Palpatine's force ghost, or something.) Luke's turn was short-lived though. He taught Leia in the ways of the Force. She became a Jedi and had three children with Han: twins Jacen and Jaina; and Anakin Solo.
Luke had a child of his own with Mara Jade, Ben Skywalker -- and Chewbacca died, sacrificing his life for Han and his family. That's all I remember off the top of my head, but there's no shortage of source material for Disney to pull from if they choose to. Though I'm assuming we'll be seeing all new stories.
Also... does this mean Leia is now A DISNEY PRINCESS!?
Sean: At the very least, everything you're saying here gives me a lot of hope that there are well-established plots that future screenwriters and directors could follow if they chose to go in this direction. It doesn't sound like they're simply hoping to crank out a film that has the Star Wars name because they know that it's bankable. There are legitimate places that this story can go on screen without tarnishing the legacy of the Original Trilogy. But basically, I have to ask: As a massive Star Wars fan, are you excited about the potential of another movie?


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Luca Brasi
October 7, 2005 - February 27, 2012
I first saw Luca at the Wisconsin Humane Society on Wis Ave on 5/13/11. His name then was Otis and he reminded me of the guy in my favorite movie, the Godfather, who's name was Luca Brasi. That is how he got his name. Luca went blind (SARDS) very quickly. - The Wiliams Family


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Do you know where your customers and prospects spend time online?
Marketers have long relied on market research to determine where to spend their advertising dollars on television, radio and print advertisements.
In the last few years, research organizations have begun providing intelligence on how consumers behave on social networks.
The following article is based on new social media research studies.
These findings will help you better strategize your company's social efforts to match your customers' behaviors.
#1: Know Where Your Customers Spend Their Time
Three recent research studies show active Internet users spend anywhere from 16% to nearly 25% of their online time on social networks.


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Let's get one thing out of the way: We wanted the C7 Corvette Stingray to be here. We begged Chevrolet, but a last-minute delay in the start of production meant there was no car available in time for our test, and rescheduling 11 other cars and one of the world's most famous racetracks just wasn't possible. The Corvette will be invited again next year.
Right, then. Let's get down to business. After years of trying, we've finally fulfilled editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie's dream of getting 12 of the best-driving cars on sale in the U.S. together in one test. They come from all backgrounds, from the affordable Ford Focus ST to the stately Bentley Continental GT Speed to the absolutely wild SRT Viper. But how do we compare such diverse competitors?
I often tell anyone who'll listen that there are two kinds of car people: numbers people and experience people. For numbers people, data is everything, and a car that produces the highest or lowest numbers in the greatest number of categories is therefore the best. For experience people, it's all about how the car drives and how good it makes you feel behind the wheel. As they say, lap times only truly matter if they're putting food on your table.
Best Driver's Car is a bridge between these two factions. We subject every competitor to our regular battery of instrumented tests and an all-out hot lap at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca at the hands of one of the winningest drivers in America, Randy Pobst. We collect more data about how the cars behave than we do in any other comparison test, but the numbers inform our decision rather than dictate it. As MacKenzie is fond of saying, if numbers were all that mattered, we'd test an F1 car and be done with it.
Best Driver's Car is also about the experience. A truly great-driving car, we believe, must make its drivers feel confident in pushing their own and the car's limits. It must communicate with its drivers, clearly informing them about what the tires are doing, what the suspension is doing, what the brakes are doing, and how to respond to those inputs to get maximum performance in each and every corner. A great driver's car should make any driver, from the novice to the F1 pilot, better. To gauge this, we asked the California Highway Patrol to close a twisty section of rural highway to create a 4.3-mile hill climb and descent on which each judge drove every car. And, of course, we also lapped them at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to see how differently they perform in an ideal environment.
Finally, a Best Driver's Car contender must be all-new or significantly updated, and it must be on sale now in the U.S. or arriving soon. Naturally, last year's winner
was invited back to defend its crown.
12th Place: SRT Viper
Heavy Lies the Crown
You have two questions: Why didn't we test the Viper T/A, and why is the Laguna Seca lap record-holder in last place?
The first is easy to answer. We asked SRT for the Viper T/A, and the guys decided to send us the base SRT Viper with the Track Package instead. Why? We haven't gotten a straight answer from the SRT people, so we can't say.
The second question can be answered mostly with one word: quality. This Viper had a number of mechanical issues that sank it in voting. Key among these was a serious brake problem. During figure-eight testing, one of the motors that moves the adjustable pedals broke off under braking and jammed the brake pedal to the floor. Thankfully, the figure-eight course is a controlled environment, but had this happened during road testing or lapping at Laguna Seca, the results could've been bad. Couple that with the fact that two of the four bolts holding the driver's seat to the car were not even finger-tight, and we had a serious safety issue.
The Viper is like a supercar off its meds. — Scott Burgess
There were other problems, too. One of the hood vents flew off on the freeway and caromed off the windshield. There was a persistent rattle in the right side of the cabin that was never identified. The Performance Apps froze the infotainment system. The paint on the edges of the rocker panels was being burned by the exhaust. Finally, the Viper arrived mounted with standard Pirelli P Zeros on the front and P Zero Corsas on the rear.
Set aside these issues, and the story is marginally better: Judges had originally placed the Viper in eighth. Many complained about an uncomfortable driving position and narrow footwell with closely spaced pedals that were easy to misapply. The shifter drew ire for needing a very strong shove to get into the next ratio, and the word "earplugs" appeared in many judges' notes.
Far and away the Viper's biggest fault, though, was how it communicated with the driver. While the nose was always stapled to the pavement, the rear end liked to do all sorts of funny dances when you lifted off the throttle and went to the brakes. That's disconcerting in a 640-horsepower car, to say the least, but what makes it truly frustrating is the car is lying to you. The back end isn't going anywhere. It's glued down nearly as well as the nose is, but the car is telling you it's about to come loose and fling you off the road. You have to constantly remind yourself the car will stick, and ignore what every sense is telling you.
"That Viper generates a lot of g's," says Randy Pobst. "In every direction. It accelerates hard. It stops hard. It corners hard. And most of the things it does are quite sudden, and it is a full-attention car to drive. You have to be on the ball, on top of that car all the time."
At 1:36.43, this Viper was the slowest we've ever tested at Laguna Seca, partly because SRT sent a worn-out set of P Zero Corsas for lapping and partly because it rattled Randy by getting loose at the crest of Turn 1 at nearly 140 mph. "I broke a sweat driving fast in the car today," he said. Some people think it's manly to wrestle a car around a corner, but to quote editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie, "I've never met a race car driver who wanted to fight a car around the track."
11th Place: Ford Focus ST
Don't Stop Me Now
After reading about the Viper, this might feel like déjà vu. The other American car, the only other manual transmission, and a car on which Motor Trend has heaped praise in the past is sitting at the back of the pack. Again, it's a braking problem.
More specifically, a lack of braking. While the Focus ST performed fine in road driving, it was done in by the incredibly demanding nature of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The track demands big power and bigger brakes, and it's claimed more than a few brakes since we began doing this. Randy reported that the brakes were going out after a lap and a half, and by the time he parked the Focus after three laps, the brakes were completely gone. Not just boiled, but ruined. We wonder if Ford's brake-based torque-vectoring was the culprit. The ST returned to Los Angeles on a trailer and had to have its rotors, pads, and fluid replaced. We've cooked the brakes on everything from an Aventador to a 1M and a BRZ at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and all were able to be driven back to MT HQ. Thus, the Focus' standing dropped from ninth to eleventh. What good is a driver's car if it can't finish a track day?
It's up there with the Jag and GT-R for precision. — Ron Kiino
Actually, when you don't use the brakes, it's very good. The road test portion made use of a closed section of public highway, creating a 4.2-mile hill climb and descent on which the light, nimble, and comparatively slow ST needed little braking. Here, you could keep the throttle nailed in third or fourth gear for most of the run, up or down, and let engine braking do a fair amount of work when needed. Still, disparaging comments were lodged against the brakes, even on the street.
What wasn't disparaged was the handling. "There's an immediacy to every input and reaction," wrote Lago. "Never turns the fun dial down." Kong was more emphatic: "What the Focus ST does is recalibrate how we think about front-wheel-drive performance cars." Judges loved the way you could throw it into a corner and use the throttle to steer it, behavior generally the domain of rear-drive cars. When you turn in, the rear end lifts and rotates a few degrees, especially if you trail-brake it. The first time it happens, you wonder if it's going to come around on you, but it never does. Once you realize it isn't going anywhere, you want to do it in every single corner.
Good steering and compliant damping are dependable partners to the lively chassis. The former was quick and precise, reacting immediately to inputs. The latter allowed the ST to soak up big bumps and bad roads without upsetting the grip or handling. Not even a notoriously big, mid-corner bump on the hill descent could shake it. "The most benign handling of the bunch," said Loh. "You can drive it like a rally car, sawing the wheel back and forth in a corner to adjust your line."
At the track, though, some assets became liabilities. Randy thought the soft damping made the car imprecise, and he didn't care for the brakes from the start. It only got worse from there. "It was enjoyable while it was drifting, but once something changed when everything got good and heated up, it became just an understeerer and it lost that terrific entry rotation that it had originally," he said.
In price-competitive company, the ST is a great driver's car. In this company, though, it's not the best.
10th Place: BMW M6
Bigger Than Better
Unfortunately for the M6, there's no mechanical issue to blame for its standing. Save some significant brake fade on the track, the M6 functioned exactly as it was designed. Assuming, of course, that BMW intended to design a car that is too heavy, too complicated, and unable to put the power down.
Before we go any further, it must be said that the M6 has some very redeeming qualities. Every judge remarked about how much he enjoyed the big, broad powerband and raucous noise from the (officially, but likely underrated) 560-horsepower engine. Praise was likewise heaped on the transmission. "The dual-clutch is the best part of this car," Lago wrote. Shifts were imperceptibly quick and smooth with no interruption of power. "I really enjoyed the drivetrain," Randy said. "The transmission is fantastic."
It's not the most powerful engine here, but it feels like it. — Benson Kong
Like the rest of us, though, Randy had trouble finding other nice things to say about how the M6 drove. "Driving the car fast ends up being a lot of work," he reported. "It's kind of like a feeling of wrestling, and it's not a finely balanced car through the corners. You're using both hands and working it, and it's just not on the level of M cars that I'm used to seeing in terms of handling."
It was the same report from the road. Judges dinged the M6 for being too heavy and unsettled in corners. Moreover, the car felt numb and isolating, like there was always a barrier between you and the road. Loh described it thus: "The M6 tunes out nearly every chassis response, and then tries to dial it back in to your liking."
Ah, but there's a button for that, isn't there? Actually, there are about a hundred of them. The M6 offers a wide range of options for fine-tuning the car's various computers to dial in performance for any given situation. On its face, this seems like a good thing. In practice, you end up fiddling with settings forever. We calculated 125 possible combinations of throttle, suspension, transmission, and other settings. Somewhere around combination 26, you realize that none of them is really making the car much of a better driver's car, and you're just wasting time.
As an example, take Randy's experience on track. "I tried the car in Sport Mode once to see if it affected the handling, because it had so much oversteer on exit, but it also had a tendency to understeer a lot. Only tried a couple of corners in Sport because it understeered heavily. I put it back in Sport Plus, and all of a sudden it was oversteering." In the end, the M6 was slower around the track than the much less powerful 911.
An inability to use its massive power reserve would plague the M6 everywhere it went. It struggled in instrumented testing, especially on the figure eight. If you can get its nine-step launch control to work, at 4 seconds flat to 60 mph it's nearly as quick as a Corvette in a straight line. Anywhere else, though, the M6 is constantly spinning its tires in frustration. Several editors complained that the stability-control light was flashing constantly during road driving, fighting every single bump. "If you can't go WOT into fourth gear without ESC intervention, you either have too much power or your rear axle isn't setup properly," said Lago.
BMW's illustrious M division built its name on cars that were light, nimble, communicative, and begging to be driven as hard as possible. The M6 is the antithesis of that ethos.
9th: Bentley Continental GT Speed Le Mans Edition
Decadent Dance
Yes, that's right. We've put the Bentley ahead of the BMW in a driver's car contest. Despite all the comments about the BMW's weight, and the fact the Bentley weighs just shy of 1000 pounds more, the big Bentley was simply more engaging.
"The Bentley is bizarre, because it sort of works," wrote Lago. "Feels like I'm going 20-30 mph faster than I have any right to through corners. Strangely easy to point around and guide up the hill at terrific speed." This was a common refrain. Said Loh: "The W-12 means muscle in abundance, but it's also surprisingly surefooted, even graceful, with a lot of character — like Emmitt Smith on 'Dancing with the Stars.'"
It's like speed skating in a Michelin Man suit. — Ron Kiino
The Bentley charmed us in no small part by performing far better than anyone expected. Pushed through a corner, it wasn't the sloppy mess we thought it would be. It rolls a lot and the tires can only do so much to change the direction of that much mass, but body movement was well-controlled and bumps were handled with the distinct lack of drama you'd expect from a car with this much leather. The Bentley made everyone smile just for being so willing to play rough. As Lago put it, "I like this more than I should. There's something about giving a Bentley a good slap, and it saying, "Harder."
That's not to say it was without flaws, though. The behavior that garnered far and away the most ire from our judges was the throttle hang. Where you might expect a car to begin engine braking when you lift off the throttle, the Bentley doesn't. Rather, it stays at the last rpm for 1 to 2 seconds before beginning to decelerate, and even then without much engine braking. The judges found this extremely disconcerting, as it would cause us to be traveling faster than we'd anticipated entering the braking zone. Couple that with brakes that didn't engage in earnest until well into the pedal travel, and the 616-horsepower Bentley consistently felt as if it had no intention of stopping for anything short of Judgment Day.
Randy's take from the racetrack was equally mixed. "I think what we have here is a splendid road car that does not belong on a racetrack," he said. "On the racetrack, in the corners, the weight is very obvious. And there's a lot of body roll, even in the stiffest setting on the shocks. It's very much a comfort-oriented car with a tremendous amount of power and a tremendous amount of acceleration traction. The all-wheel drive works really well. I think the gearbox shifts very well for a regular-style automatic. The brakes are really quite powerful. The tires are not. There's not a lot of tire grip. There's a lot of roll, and it's just not a quick-responding car at all."
Despite a poor showing at the racetrack (only the 250-horsepower, FWD Focus was slower), the Bentley won us over with its incredible everyday performance. It seemed to shrink (slightly) when driven hard, provoking several editors to opine that it was more controlled and maneuverable than the BMW.
Randy summed up what we were all feeling succinctly: "I feel guilty. I think I'm going to burn in Bentley hell for driving the car the way I just did." Put in perspective, Lieberman wrote, "I noticed Randy had the biggest smile on his face after he climbed out of the Bentley." We all did.
8th Place: Aston Martin Vanquish
Resting on its Laurels
If the Bentley was best characterized by exceeding expectations, the Vanquish was the opposite. Put simply, the beautiful body and intoxicating engine note write checks the rest of the car can't cash.
To be fair to the Vanquish, though, it was one of the most-debated cars in this competition. Some judges, the author included, found the steering numb and artificially heavy. Others found it direct and responsive. Some said the ride was too stiff and jittery, while others called it composed and well-damped. Ranking it ahead of the Bentley involved quite a bit of disagreement.
My favorite of the big GTs, which is a surprise because I've been generally immune to the charms of the larger Astons. — Ed Loh
There were things we absolutely agreed on, though. For one, the transmission is well behind the times. The six-speed automatic is slow to shift and even slower to respond to inputs when left to its own devices. Using the paddle shifters solves the latter problem, though they're hindered by a lack of an indicated redline on the tachometer. The gear position indicator in the gauge cluster turns red when you're getting close, but by the time you see it, you're in the limiter.
Another point of harmonized ire was the brakes. The pedal travel is long and the feel uncertain. You're never sure if it's fading or if you just haven't gotten to the real engagement point yet. You must retrain yourself to go much harder on the brake pedal than you think to get the stopping power you expect. It was Randy's biggest complaint on the track. "Not only is it inaccurate when the braking actually starts and gets strong — it's pretty good once it finally starts to get with the program — but you can't tell when it's going to release either," he said.
There were other issues, too. Beautiful exhaust howl notwithstanding, the Vanquish simply didn't feel 565-horsepower-fast on the road or the track, where at 1:40.71 it was only a 0.1 second quicker than the Jaguar despite having a significantly better-rated weight-to-power ratio. On the road, it struggled for grip on rough pavement, inducing constant stability control warnings. It was better on the track, but there it liked to hang the tail out in second gear, which, while cool, isn't fast. When it wasn't sideways, the Vanquish was actually much more rewarding to drive on the smooth track with no bumps to upset it.
For Randy, though, it just wasn't up to snuff. "It was not a heavy-feeling car, even though I say it seems at times a little ponderous. That was more a steering response/brake response issue. It's very stable on the way in. Quite a bit of understeer through the middle, combined with some noticeable roll. It's a carving knife, not a scalpel. The car's behavior is reasonably good, but not the best."
Lieberman agreed. "The Vanquish is a great car. A GT for certain, and not a sports car, but a great Grand Tourer." Lago was less charitable. "This is a car I really want to like and one I find myself making a lot of excuses for, if only for how it looks and sounds. Both of those traits are great. But driving the Vanquish hard isn't. It's an OK GT car, but even then, there are better ones out there."
Add up the underwhelming performance and a rash of small mechanical issues, including a stereo that worked intermittently and a passenger window that refused to roll up for a few days, and all the good looks and glorious noises couldn't help the Vanquish climb any higher in the standings.
7th Place: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Model
Best Driver's Wagon
As you know, we're big fans of wagons here at Motor Trend. Not only can modern wagons perform just as well as their sedan counterparts, but they can do it while hauling as much as or more than many SUVs. You think that extra roof on the back of this E63 was a handicap? Check the stats: This 577-horsepower E63 Wagon is quicker to 60 mph and through the quarter mile than a C6 Corvette Z06, doing the former in just 3.4 seconds and finishing the later in 11.7 seconds. It mopped the floor with our old favorite, the CTS-V Wagon, in every category but braking, and did it while weighing 4700 pounds. Handicapable is more like it.
"This is probably the best station wagon ever made," said Jurnecka. "I like it even more than the CTS-V." Burgess agreed: "It may be the best-driving wagon ever to come to America."
It doesn't ride like a hard sports car, and then you get into the turns. For its size, it breezes through them with alarming ease. — Benson Kong
The E63's trick was driving much lighter than its curb weight implies. It's stupendously quick in a straight line and buttery smooth in corners. The weight, when you notice it, comes across more as solidity and a planted feeling than being bloated and heavy. Not many cars with this kind of power can make a driver absolutely confident in keeping his foot flat on the floor while cresting the Turn 1 hill at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but I did it with a smile in this wagon. Then I gave it a flick exiting Turn 2 and hung the tail out. "Extra points for the crew that did the 4Matic integration, because you can get a good amount of rotation on power," said Kong. "On an AWD station wagon!"
Where the E63 faltered was at the edge. Driven all the way to the limit, it begins to fall down. "Steering is best with slow inputs," said Lago. "Quick transitions feel weird, vague." Martinez was more critical: "Not the Best Driver's Car due to its numb steering, heavy build, and understeer." Loh summed it up best, noting it was "an absolute riot in a straight line, but corners, especially ones that stack up, are another story. Understeer is nicely masked in some early corners, but going AWD means you lose a lot of the on-demand rotation the RWD E63 had. In its place, well, it's not quite as fast cornering, but not all understeer either — it's a computer-governed, torque vector-like netherworld that purists will find unpalatable."
Randy's on-track assessment mirrored Loh's insights. "Best wagon ever. Love it. Really powerful. Handles well. But honestly, it understeers too much. It's just when the fun starts to happen, which makes me suspect maybe the stability control nannies are not completely off. Because it understeers a lot if I push it. You know, it needs to be driven with a light hand, and it gets this beautiful rotation and if I try for anything more, powerful understeer."
That's not to say he didn't have any fun. "It needs to be driven like a rally car. What I like best about the car was tossing it in and getting the tail coming out, and then going to the power, and just smoothly drive off the corner, putting all that torque down. It's not obviously an all-wheel-drive car. I did not notice the AWD."
Too much understeer and a slow, pokey transmission were all it took to keep the superwagon from climbing any higher. It can take solace in knowing that the cars that placed ahead of it are truly world-class sports cars.
6th Place: Nissan GT-R Track Edition
Too Fast for Its Own Good
How the mighty have fallen. The GT-R has been a serious Best Driver's Car contender for years and nearly walked away with the title more than once. Not this time around. This time, it failed to live up to expectations in a big way.
Just take a look at the lap time. This, the Track Edition, was at 1:36.63 the second-slowest GT-R around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca of the four we've tested here. Both last year's Black Edition and the prior year's standard GT-R were quicker.
Next, listen to what Randy had to say about it: "I was surprised at the amount of understeer. This car is understeering a lot here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, for whatever reason, and that actually slowed the car down — middle of the corner, and not on power. It's actually a little better when you're on the power. It was late in the entry phase. You got out of the corner before releasing the brake, it starts to understeer and you're looking for the apex, and it just won't come to it. The front just wasn't responding. Never any power rotation and just a surprising amount of mid-corner understeer.
It's not the most refined, well-appointed, stylish, or comfortable, but it's just so fun and fast. I need more GT-R in my life. — Nate Martinez
There was another problem, too. Once the engine got hot, the computer started pulling boost. All the dozens of customizable gauges would read normal (temperature included), except the boost gauge. Suddenly, it would be peaking at 10 psi rather than 15, and it would peak as low as 7 psi as it got hotter. Let it cool down, and everything would be fine again. Nissan says the car will pull boost if you put low-octane fuel in it, but after it happened to us several times on several successive tanks of premium, we started to wonder. The GT-R's power has increased every year without any major mechanical change, and we can't help but wonder if Nissan has tuned it to the ragged edge, to the point where any inconsistency in our California-grade 91 Octane is enough to trip the computer's engine preservation triggers.
Losing boost might as well be like taking away the tires. It completely changes the GT-R's capability. That stunning surge of power that rockets you out of a corner is a big part of what makes the GT-R so special. Without it, it just feels like a fast car.
The only other consistent criticism from our judges was over the ride. Many remarked that the GT-R was jittery and bouncy on the public road, eroding confidence. Like the Viper, it would grip despite the jostling, but you had to grit your teeth and push through it to get real speed.
And speed it had. "The GT-R always has more," waxed Burgess. "It never mattered what you were asking from it, the GT-R just had more. Its engine could always go faster, just push that fantastic, linear accelerator, and it would give you more. The extremely stiff suspension can always handle more. The steering is taut and returns nicely to center, but it will do more."
"Absolutely no drama, just pure confidence," wrote Loh. "You are 100 percent stuck to the road from corner to corner, entry to exit."
Lago took it home. "Getting into the torque and surging through a corner is like few (if any other) driving experiences I've known. I wish there were more finesse though, more sense of balance and precision. As is, the GT-R was always in "it's clobberin' time!" mode, and while that can be fun, it's more of a flash in the pan than something for the long term."
5th Place: Porsche Cayman S
The Conundrum
It's a well-worn gripe in automotive circles: The Cayman needs more power. It's a fine day when you can say "only" 325 horsepower isn't enough, but that's where the world has taken us. Being the second-least powerful car here isn't what really sank this former Best Driver's Car champ, though it did come up. What really did the Cayman in was, as the Germans would put it, a lack of emotionalism.
In updating the Cayman for 2014, Porsche seems to have lost a bit of its personality. Said Lieberman: "Needs a bit more character. There's almost something clinical, perhaps sterile, in the way it drives. It's not engaging enough; it's not flawed enough. It's too well-thought-out. I'd like a sharper edge."
No fear. No lift. No hesitation. Just enjoyment. Everything about this car is balanced perfectly. — Carlos Lago
Jurnecka agreed. "I can't help but feel let down by the Cayman. I was expecting greatness, but I came away feeling flat. It's a tremendously capable car, perfect in so many ways, but it just doesn't grab me the way the old one did."
Then again, those same editors also had glowing praise for the Cayman. Lieberman: "Great handler. Excellent brakes. Very well behaved. Good damping. Doesn't squirm around. Allows mortals to go flat every once in a while." Said Jurnecka, "If I had to choose a car to run an unfamiliar road with at speed, it would be the Cayman S. I'd also pick it for a 24-hour endurance race just because it's so easy to drive quickly."
Randy, for his part, was far less conflicted. "You know, this version of the Cayman is a little looser on entry than the last version, and I actually like it. It is a rotator. You get into the corner with the Porsche, ease off the brake, and the tail moves out just a little bit, rotating the car and pointing the nose at the apex. Extremely enjoyable experience driving the Cayman S. That car might be the definition of good handling. I feel like I can do almost exactly what I want. The Cayman is an excellent car at the limit. It can be driven there and live there happily." Happily enough to post a 0.4-second-quicker lap time, at 1:41.26, than the last-gen's hardcore Cayman R.
He did have one complaint, though. "The Cayman is sensitive to being on-power causing some understeer. You can't go to too much power too soon. Under power, the front gets a little light, but I think it's a little more than I remember in the last generation. With a lot of power in the right corner, you can actually free the car up and get less understeer because of slight wheelspin or wheel slide and a bit of rotation."
Such was the conundrum of the Cayman. It was nearly perfect and seemed to do everything right, but still fell just short. It wasn't for lack of trying. Most of what the Cayman did thrilled us, but we couldn't help wanting for just a little more. Not because we were feeling greedy, but because the car was so good, it could handle more. It's like that star player who has the talent to embarrass everyone else on the field, but always seems to be stuck in a rut where he's trying hard and performing well, but the trophy-winning moves just aren't coming out. You know the Cayman can do just a little better and be truly brilliant, but for some reason, it's just not quite there.
4th Place: Jaguar F-Type V-8 S
The Spoiler
As it was with the Vanquish and GT Speed, we saw the F-Type exceed expectations where the Cayman failed to meet them. This time, though, the overachiever was also the spoiler, and the judges' reactions couldn't be more different.
Burgess: "It performed beyond all my expectations. Jaguars are usually straight-line fast but too heavy in the corners. But this Jag is different. It buckles down in the corners, and that engine can push it out of anything." Lago: "The words 'capable, solid, and tight' come to mind. It's kind of like a powerlifting Miata, with way more muscle than the Cayman/Boxster." Jurnecka: "What a fun little car! It's not as serious as a Boxster/Cayman S, and I like that." Kong: "The pleasant surprise of the group. The F-Type is a lively plaything that plays a little fast and loose." Lieberman: "F-Yeah!"
Where the Cayman simply got down to business and went around the corners, the Jag made it an occasion. It was sharp and nimble, quick to turn in on the road. The suspension was compliant, dealing with the bumps without being harsh or jittery but still handling like a sports car. The two-ton curb weight be damned, this car drives much lighter than the numbers suggest. Jurnecka again: "I'm told this car weighs well over 3900 pounds, but it doesn't feel like it from behind the wheel. Light steering probably helps, but the car also has a nimble quality to it that really belies its true weight."
The F-Type is exactly what I'm looking for in a sports car. Sure, it's not perfect, nor as precise as the Cayman. But I love its flaws. — Jonny Lieberman
Randy's track take differed slightly, though was no less enthusiastic. "It's actually the most fun I've had in a loose car in a while. It's definitely a power-oversteer car, and it needs to be driven really smoothly with a gentle throttle foot. You don't want to muscle this car around. It doesn't respond well to that at all. You release the brake and just give it a little steering input, and then go to the throttle, and the throttle balances it. If you're not in the throttle yet, it can generate a pretty big push, and if you generate that big push and then to go to power, then it really wants to come around."
Randy's trick — braking, turning in, then immediately going back to a little bit of power — was the ticket to big thrills on both the track and the road. It takes very careful control of your right foot to keep from creating a big drift (which it will do all day long), but do it right and you can exit every single corner with just a little rotation, driving right on the edge of the rear tires and feeling like an absolute hero.
Then there's the noise it makes. Open up the pipes via the console button, and it unleashes an absolutely wicked howl. Lift, and you're treated to an ensemble of cracks, snaps, and snarls that Lago likened to small-arms fire. The icing on the cake was listening to that music while hitting 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds and running a 12.1-second quarter mile, all with just 488 horsepower.
Aside from the careful balance needed to corner on the limit, the Jag's only other serious flaw was an occasional refusal to upshift when commanded by the paddle, something we all found odd, as we're used to rejected downshifts.
In the end, we wondered if the less powerful, less oversteery F-Type V-6 S might've been the better choice for this competition, but then, would it have been enough better to eclipse any of the top three? Read on.
3rd Place: Audi R8 V10+
The Car That Would Be King
As with the Cayman, we see here another former champion that couldn't quite recapture the throne. Where the Cayman in this year's competition has become cold and calculating, the R8 just went back to being awesome. In any other crowd, this car is a winner, but in this group, it has to settle for a podium finish.
Three issues dogged the R8 and held it down. The first, mirroring its mid-engine Porsche cousin, was a persistent plea for more torque. As much as judges loved running well into the R8's 8700-rpm redline, they longed for more than just 398 lb-ft on the hill climb. The complaint showed up in most judges' notes, often with the explanation that the chassis can clearly handle it. Case in point, Loh noted, "Chassis is so well-balanced I found myself wanting more torque on the uphill; it could definitely handle more."
This car made me feel like my road loops were being timed. — Rory Jurnecka
The second issue was the steering, which while incredibly quick was also rather numb. While it received grumbles from several judges, they were also willing to cut the R8 some slack because the near-perfect seating position, commanding view of the road, and instant steering response made it feel as though the car was pivoting around the driver's seat. The way the car changed direction was so near telepathic that many were having too much fun to fuss about the steering feel. Said Kiino, "Steering is a bit numb, but I certainly don't hate it. Doesn't impede your speed, let's just put it that way."
The R8's final issue showed itself at the track, where Randy was able to push it far harder than could any of us mere mortals. As was the case with the R8 GT a few years back, the new R8 requires oddly high tire pressures that seemed to lead to trouble with grip at the limit. Randy: "I was leaving skid marks, which is unusual for ABS, and so I had to get used to that immediately. The tires were sliding around so much. For some reason, the tire grip just was not there. It felt very squirmy, and I don't understand that, and what it meant was I had to brake less hard." But "what I did was start braking earlier, releasing the brake sooner, and the car did this marvelous rotation, just beautiful. It's very easy to get it to point down to the apex, and by the second lap, I was learning how to use this pointiness to get a nice drift on the way in until I get nice and aimed at the apex, and then I'd roll into the power." As such, its 1:38.7 lap time is just a few tenths quicker than the 911's.
Then there was the good stuff. Everyone raved about the new transmission, at least in Manual mode. "The transmission is the best here; I think the best I've ever driven," said Randy. "It shifts so quickly and so smoothly, manually, but the automatic mode is kind of dumb." Kiino concurred: "I'd grade it slightly above the 911's PDK." "It's the kind of gearbox that'll always make you want to shift even when it's uncalled for, just to feel the smoothness, hear the throttle blip, and get another dose of immediate shove," said Martinez. The suspension received nearly as much praise for being completely unfazed by bumps in the road.
"Control interaction, grip, and reaction, and acclimation to the car's behavior comes near-subconsciously," Kong summarized. Unfortunately for the R8, there were two cars here that were just a little better.
2nd Place: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
The Comeback Kid
According to my notes on the SLS, at full tilt, it "sounds like the engine is trying to leap through the dash and strangle you." Lieberman said it sounded like "two chainsaws fighting each other." Jurnecka said it was "the best exhaust note this side of a DTM car." Randy simply said it "makes me want to drive the car harder and harder and harder." Any of those descriptions is also an acceptable analogy for the SLS.
In much the same way the F-Type edged out the Cayman, the SLS slipped ahead of the R8 by the slimmest of margins, and it likewise owes its success to its intensely visceral driving experience. Many likened its hard-charging, hair-on-fire performance to the Viper's (which was slower across the board), but with an exponentially greater level of control and refinement. As Lago put it, "It still has the crazy, but it's actually a decent car to drive." Simply put, it was a race car for the street in the best possible way. The steering was lightning quick, the grip was off the charts, the power was mind-blowing, and the brakes were strong enough to make even Randy take notice. Other callouts from the judges included a dual-clutch transmission nearly as good as the Audi's and Porsches', minimal body movements, well-tuned damping, and a general feeling of the massive car shrinking around you, becoming smaller and lighter the harder you drove it.
The SLS Black Series should come with a reminder to breathe because it's so much fun. — Scott Burgess
What was most shocking, though, was just how much better the SLS Black Series drives, relative to the standard SLS we had a few years ago that finished eighth. Said Loh: "Easily the most improved here. I went on the launch back in 2009 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and found the SLS brutish to the point of undrivability. Some things, like the limited visibility were impossible to change, but managing the oversteer through torque reduction and massively improved tires has sent this driver's confidence through the roof. I now love this car. So much smoother, so much more refined, yet insanely fast and controllable. No fear charging up and down the hill. You can attack the corners so much confidence and control."
The transformation wasn't quite perfect, though, which is why it sits in second. Lago: "Still very much an SLS, and it still has the core attributes and faults of that car, only here they're happening at a much higher rate of speed. There's a slight nervousness to this tail. It's not snappy, but it can let go quickly." Randy got the same impression lapping the SLS. "This car is just set, but trying to go fast with it like that, it still has its movements. You know, you need to be really perfect with it. It doesn't do the driving for you. It hangs on real tight right to a certain edge and then poof! It lets go. Once in a while, not real often. It's not a predictable kind of slide. I think part of what we're dealing with here is we've got 622 horsepower on street tires that you can only be so predictable. I just don't think the grip is there to handle that kind of power under all loads."
The application of AMG's best tuning, aerodynamic aids, and tires that stick to the road better than gum to hair resulted in the best SLS ever, but they weren't quite enough to tame the car's inherent tendency to snap-oversteer at the limit, and that was just enough to keep it out of the winner's circle.
1st Place: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
The Once and Future King
It was inevitable. Sooner or later, there was going to be a repeat Best Driver's Car winner, and with three former champions all competing head to head, the odds were good this would be the year.
Of course, you shouldn't be surprised. Technically, the 911 was already a repeat winner, with the 911 GT3 having won our inaugural Best Handling Car competition, the precursor to Best Driver's Car. (This Carrera's 1:39.19 lap time was nearly half-a-second quicker around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca than that 2007 GT3's.) Then there's the fact that the 911 Carrera S won unanimously last year. This year, the 911 Carrera 4S faced stiffer competition, and both the SLS and R8 stole a few first place votes, but not a single judge ranked the 911 lower than second. While the Star fought with the Rings, the Crest walked away with the girl.
This may be the best sports car of our time. — Carlos Lago
I'll let the judges explain it.
Kong: "The 911 urges you to beat on it. You feel the urge to push the accelerator and brake pedals hard, pull the paddle shifters hard, and bend into that corner a little faster than the previous run."
Lieberman: "It's just an incredible machine to drive. I kept thinking to myself, 'This is the big boy Porsche.' If you need proof at just how outstandingly good the 911 is, this year's Carrera 4S gains weight compared to last year's 2WD model, yet lapped Laguna faster (1:39.19 versus 1:39.30)."
Martinez: "The harmony between chassis, suspension, engine, and dual-clutch transmission is uncanny."
Kiino: "When I said the Cayman S left me wanting more, I guess I was talking about the 911."
Lago: "The difference between writing in cursive and printing. Feels repeatable; lap after lap, I can improve and be consistent. Feels like a car I could learn for a long time, like the start of a great, long relationship."
Loh: "The most unstoppable, confidence-inspiring vehicle I've driven yet."
Burgess: "A couple of times, the person behind me was catching up to me. At first, I took this as a condemnation of my driving, but then I realized that everyone catching me was driving the 911. After that, I never got in line with the 911 behind me, and no one caught up."
Jurnecka: "This car is unflappable at any half-sane speed. There's just too much here to exploit fully on the road."
Randy: "I hate to use the word 'driver's' car, but that's what comes to my mind after having just driven it. The 911 is just so much better on the race rack than anything else we have here."
As for me? I'd bet real money my cornering speeds were higher than in any other car. It just kept telling me I could go faster, push harder, and it would take it.
Was there a downside? Leave it to Randy to find one, because we were stumped. "If I were going to race that car, I'd take a little bit of the oversteer out of it. I think it's still a smidge too much. I think that it is sporty and it is fun, but I think it would be faster with a little less oversteer."
The 911 won by being supremely confident at all times. Even with all the nannies off, you could wait until beyond the last second to torpedo the brakes, ride the smooth oversteer at turn-in, keep the nose dead on the apex through the middle, and go to wide-open throttle on the way out. In every single corner, every single time. Hail to the King.


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Most investors have heard of the "January Barometer," first five days of January rule, and "If Santa Should Fail to Call" type systems. Motivated to identify how all these systems lined up in terms of predictability, it would be prudent to turn the computer loose on all time periods of the year, ranging anywhere from one week to one quarter, in search of the time frame that had the highest correlation coefficient to the following year's market performance. While such a study reveals interesting findings, the best predictor of future performance appears to be based on the combined two-month period from Nov. 19 to Jan. 19. "Triggering a trade," (below) shows the one year (Jan 19 – Jan 18) S&P performance following the Nov. 19 to Jan. 19 period broken down into three criteria: Above 3%, 0-3% and negative; the three different categories of the 'Turn of Year' barometer.
There was only one losing year (1987) out of 30 after a 3% plus bullish Turn of Year setup. In defense of that case, the S&P actually was up 20% from Jan. 19 through mid-August before succumbing to the double digit interest rates that fall that led to Black Monday (Oct 19). Conversely, there have been eight occasions since 1950 when the post-Jan. 19 year finished with a double-digit loss, and six of those eight occurred after one of the negative Turn of Year periods. All three of the -20% post-Jan. 19 years followed a negative Turn of Year period. In 1982 the bearish Turn of Year signals were the opposite of 1987 for the bullish Turn of Year readings as the S&P sold off in predictable fashion through the first half of 1982 before setting a major bottom in August and turning around to give the system one of its few annual boo-boos.


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BENSALEM, Pa. (AP) — To make the high school cheerleading team 40 years ago, twins Deborah and Sandra Fanelli performed an acrobatic move called "the flying splits."
The memory recently drew a rueful laugh from the once-active sisters, who in recent years have had trouble simply walking.
Severe arthritis has nearly crippled Sandra, known as Sam, who uses a walker. Deb has relied on a cane.
But on Friday, the 56-year-old twins, who have lived their entire lives together, were wheeled into side-by-side operating rooms at Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem.
Deb received a right hip replacement and Sam had surgery on both hips as part of Operation Walk USA, a program that offers free knee and hip replacements to uninsured patients like the Fanellis.
"I'm just incredibly grateful and in awe of this procedure," Sam said, just hours after surgery as she took her first steps down a hospital corridor to visit her sister.
Doctors, hospitals and implant manufacturers donate time and equipment for the procedures. A hip replacement would normally cost about $16,000, plus hospitalization, according to Rothman officials.
The program started in the mid-1990s to serve patients in developing countries but has been offered in the U.S. for only the past two years. The Fanelli twins were among five patients at Rothman, and among 200 people nationwide, receiving free new joints on Friday.
The sisters had become increasingly debilitated with arthritis after dancing and singing professionally for 20 years, including eight years at a casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
They have been living in their childhood home in Clementon, N.J., with their spry and doting 81-year-old mother, Blanche, who has watched with alarm as her daughters' conditions have deteriorated.
"Because I'm not a young person," Blanche said in an interview Thursday. "And I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, who's going to take care of them?'"
Over the past few years, Sam has run a small gourmet cookie business out of the house and Deb has sold cosmetics. But their outings have been minimal, limited mainly to the grocery store and their parish church.
"It's hard to even get up some days," Deb said. "The hip pain and the limitations have robbed us of our freedom and robbed us of our, just, mental joy, to get up and live."
Sam's problems started about 10 years ago. One hip became so painful that their father paid for an experimental replacement procedure in 2003, but Sam saw little improvement. Deb's leg gave out a couple of years later and has gotten progressively worse. The twins have never had health insurance.
Then earlier this year, a friend told them about Operation Walk USA. The family was overcome with joy when they found out both sisters qualified for free surgery.
Dr. Bill Hozack, who gave Sam a new left hip and fixed the old replacement on her right hip, said the operations went well.
"Assuming everything heals properly, no complications — which is usually the case — they should be able to go out and do everything they want to do and not have any problems with the hips," Hozack said.
For now, the sisters must recover and begin re-learning to walk on their new joints. After a tearful reunion in Deb's hospital room Friday afternoon, they said they looked forward to this new phase in their lives.
"I'm flabbergasted. I'm overwhelmed," Deb said. "The worst is behind us. We're going to be great."
A day earlier, the twins had said one of their first goals is to participate this spring in a fundraising walk for ovarian cancer, in memory of a dear friend.
"The first year we went to participate, we had to sit on the sidelines and just kind of watch everybody," Deb said. "So this year, we want to get out there and walk."
"Definitely," added Sam. "I can't wait."
Follow Kathy Matheson at http://www.twitter.com/kmatheson


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- Derek Jeter
- Turn 2 Foundation
- Jeter's Leaders
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On July 28, 2008, the Western Michigan University's women's volleyball team joined the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders for their weekly meeting. In preparation for the upcoming 2008 Jeter's Leaders Youth Leadership Conference in Arlington, Texas, the Leaders had the special opportunity to present their workshop topics to the WMU Volleyball team. The Teens and Media workshop group presented first, and their presentation, which focused on music, internet and popular culture views of gender and youth, sparked a very lively discussion between the Leaders and the team.
After the remaining seven workshop groups from the Jeter's Leaders had a chance to present their workshops, the Bronco volleyball team took some time to share their experiences of playing in Brazil. Not only did the team members have an amazing time playing the sport they love, they were also able to experience the people and culture of Brazil. The team showed the Leaders pictures from their trip and told them stories of how they would trade clothing with the Brazilian teams. The Jeter's Leaders are planning to attend some of the WMU Women's Volleyball matches this fall.
On July 9, 2008, the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders invited a group of students from Iraq who were being hosted by Western Michigan University's Colleagues International program to join them at their weekly leadership meeting. The Iraqi students had flown over 15 hours from their native country to the United States.
The group also played a few icebreakers. The one game that everyone enjoyed the most was called "Two Truths and a Lie". Not only did the Leaders get to know some the students from Iraq better, they also had a chance to interact with the newly inducted 2008 Jeter's Leaders. All of the students felt that the time the two groups had to spend with each other went by very fast and many didn't want it to end. The Jeter's Leaders gained new friends during the short time the groups had together and they hope to keep in touch with all of the Iraqi students.
Here's what the Leaders had to say:
"The college tour was an amazing experience for me as a freshman in high school; I had a lot of fun visiting all of the colleges." -- Jeremiah
"I love the University of Florida. It's my favorite college ever." -- Zach
"Florida A&M University was good in my book, because I love Historically Black Colleges and Universities." -- Daviair
"All the colleges were fun to tour. I got some wonderful information from all of them." -- Rasheena
"My overall impression of the college tour was wonderful, and it was a great experience. I liked being on the road sightseeing." -- Erika
"My overall impression of the Florida college tour was great. I also loved the road trip to Florida." -- Maria
"I love the Southern Hospitality that they provided. I love learning about our own culture." -- Clifford
On February 28, 2008, the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders took part in a mentoring activity with the Turn 2 After School program, Three Rivers Area Mentoring -- Extra Inning at Derek's Dugout, also known as T.R.A.M. The children of T.R.A.M. were more-than-excited as the Leaders arrived!
"Mentoring with T.R.A.M. has shown me that those students are the next generation of young role models and they need the guidance to achieve their goals," said Daviair. "As role models we must show them the right path."
The next trip to T.R.A.M. was on March 27th, where the Jeter's Leaders took the time to elaborate on Derek's book, The Life You Imagine. In the book, Derek writes about his life lessons for achieving your dreams. "Being serious but still having fun" is one of the life lessons, and that is exactly what the Jeter's Leaders did when they visited the Three Rivers Area Mentoring Program.
After the games, the kids sat down to speak with the Leaders. "I was thinking maybe there is a soft spot in these kids! This experience was W-O-W: wonderful, outstanding and worthwhile," said Sa-Niqua. "I picked these three words because the kids were wonderful. It was very outstanding to see them have fun and it was worth it to spend time with these kids in the TRAM program!"
Kalamazoo's Empty Bowls Celebration
By Jamila, Jeter's Leaders Member since 2006
This marks the second year that the Kalamazoo community has sponsored the Empty Bowls Project. This event is put on to raise money for local food banks and to build awareness about people in the Kalamazoo community who do not have enough to eat. Community members volunteer to make pottery bowls for the project. Restaurants then donate soup and bread for a fundraising soup dinner, where people purchase one of the pottery bowls to take home.
At the actual Empty Bowls Project, the Jeter's Leaders helped by pouring water and serving bread and soup to those who attended the event. Afterwards, they were then able to pick out their own bowls, which were professionally made by community artists. The whole event was definitely a success and everyone had an amazing time!
On Saturday, January 19, 2008, the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders went to the winter recreation center, Echo Valley.
When the Leaders finally tired out and were freezing from the fun, they were able to go to the lodge and drink hot chocolate to rest and warm themselves up.
"It was awesome! It was even greater to be around each other and just chill and have lots of fun together, enjoying each other's company. I loved Echo Valley and would love to go back any time, with the right gloves and boots."
The Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders had an exciting, action packed week-end on December 14 and 15, 2007.
First, the Leaders helped plan and execute the Kalamazoo Turn 2 Holiday Express, a holiday party for over 300 children created by Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation to reward children involved in Turn 2's Signature Programs. The Leaders help set up a special holiday carnival night at the Douglass Community Association in Kalamazoo, MI on Friday, December 14. They greeted the children and escorted them down the red carpet to the entrance of the building. The leaders served as mentors and role models helping implement the carnival games, serving food to the participants and as elves, coordinating a surprise visit from Derek and Santa who gave special holiday gift bags to everyone.
On Saturday, December 15, 2007, the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders and their families attended a luncheon at the Radisson Hotel & Suites in Kalamazoo. The Jeter's Leaders program staff along with Derek Jeter and his family addressed and ate with the entire group to discuss the state of the program and future initiatives. Following lunch, the group was broken up, as parents and guardians stayed to have a discussion with the program staff along with Dr. and Mrs. Jeter, and the Leaders themselves had a private meeting with Derek to discuss the program and to hear first hand from Derek his goals and expectations for each of them. The event and meetings were a huge success with a lot of important questions asked and answered, as well as positive and enthusiastic discussion.
Town Hall Meeting and Healthy Relationships Workshop
"Town Hall Meeting" with Law Enforcement Officials
Youth violence and police/community relations have often been identified by the Jeter's Leaders as issues of concern to them as well as other teens. Upon the suggestion of the Leaders and with the help of the Kalamazoo City Manager's office, a "town hall meeting" with police officers and the Jeter's Leaders was held. Five police officers met with the Jeter's Leaders at the Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce. There was open and lively discussion about the work of the officers, their role as protectors in the community, how individuals can help them, opportunities to learn more about public safety and how to prepare for a career in law enforcement. It was an effective question and answer session for all parties involved. It was also a great way for the students to get to know the police officers as individuals.
Healthy Relationships Workshop
Recently, the Jeter's Leaders in West Michigan were fortunate to be able to hear a presentation on healthy relationships, dating and domestic violence. The Turn 2 Foundation arranged for staff members and experts from the Office of the Mayor of the New York City's Office to Combat Domestic Violence to travel to Kalamazoo to present the workshop. The students participated in an interactive workshop where they were asked to communicate and role play. This was an extraordinary program in which all of the Leaders came away with great information and new perspectives about healthy lifestyle choices, healthy relationships, role modeling, responsibility, communication and taking initiative. They were given crucial information on how to help a friend or loved one in a vulnerable situation.
On November 19, 2007, the Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders joined Chef Wayne Wells in the kitchen of the Radisson Hotel & Suites in Kalamazoo, Michigan to take part in a workshop on nutrition.
The Jeter's Leaders each made a dessert for another Jeter's Leader to eat after dinner. After creating desserts, Chef Wells gave the Jeter's Leaders a lesson in making a nutritious salad with the assistance of Daviair, a junior in the Jeter's Leaders program, which was served with a Chicken Alfredo dish and dinner rolls.
After this workshop, Jeter's Leaders expressed how much they enjoyed the Radisson with Chef Wells. The workshop reinforced part of the Jeter's Leaders' mission, to live a healthy lifestyle, and Chef Wells told the Jeter's Leaders what it takes to make it in the culinary industry. Chef Wells advised the Jeter's Leaders to continue to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities that are given. He expressed that a Chef can make a pretty good living and there is a need for young, talented chefs in the industry.
On October 27, 2007, Jeter's Leaders teamed up with Youth United Way to host a Haunted Halloween Trail. Our trail was part of a family event for the community hosted by the Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation Department.
The Jeter's Leaders had a blast doing various jobs throughout the evening. Some of these jobs include handing out candy, scaring the participants, and making decorations for our trail.
This project was a success and proved that the Jeter's Leaders can work with other organizations and accomplish our goal, which in this case was to make the night unforgettable for the kids.
Kalamazoo Jeter's Leaders Fall Retreat
September 2007
Katie, Jeters Leaders Member since 2007, reflects:
"When we first got there, we were in our little groups with the people we knew. By the end of the day everyone was interacting and making new friends. One good thing about this retreat was that not everyone goes to the same school and we had time to spend with each other.
As a part of the day, we did a ropes course. We all had to work together to make sure no one fell; it made us trust each other so much more. This is a very important thing. The new Jeter's Leaders were very involved on their first trip with the program and since I was one of them, I would say it was a very good experience. Most people just wanted to hang out once they got to know each other and felt comfortable. The retreat was well planned and should be a part of the program every year.
The Sherman Lake Retreat was a blast! The Jeter's Leaders got to know a lot more about each other. We really clicked and played some really fun strategy games. Jeter's Leaders also taught some games they had learned in other groups.
I personally really liked this retreat because it made me feel a lot more comfortable with the people in the program. If I could do this again, I would do it over and over because it was tons of fun! The Jeter's Leaders program is great and I'm happy to be a part of it because I get to do amazing events like the Sherman Lake Retreat."
Since its launch in 1996, the Turn 2 Foundation has awarded more than $23 million to create and support signature programs that motivate young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and "Turn 2" healthy lifestyles. Learn more »
Social Change Project
The Project is an event created to share one of the Foundation's principles with communities. Learn more »


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Bob Neiman
"Haystacks & Waves Cannon Beach"
Biography: Bob Neiman is currently based in Delray Beach Florida. He has exhibited in numerous solo and group juried shows across the U. S. since 1996. He won Nominee Awards in the 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, & 5th Annual Black & White Spider Awards. His photographic images were included in the 2008 SilverShotz Folio Edition. He was a Merit Award winner in the 2012, 2010, 2008 & 2006 Portfolio Contests in B&W Magazine and a winner in the B&W Magazine 2015 Single Image Contest. Bob has been pursuing his passion in photography since 1991. He is primarily self-taught.
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WASHINGTON — Metro is looking for singers, dancers, musicians and poets to entertain at summer performances outside train stations.
Metro's Art in Transit Program is holding auditions for the "MetroPerforms!" program on Thursday at its headquarters in Washington. The auditions are first-come, first served and will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Performers selected by Metro will get to demonstrate their talents at selected Metrorail station entrances this summer. Artists volunteer their time and may also be selected to perform at the Music on the Mall lunchtime performance series.
The performances will begin on June 9 and end Aug. 29. Performers must pass a background check.
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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In this video I interview Alex Wheeler, Director of Digital Strategy at Starbucks. Alex shares how Starbucks built a Facebook community of over 7 million fans by asking their community to help them build their official Facebook page.
Alex gives you some useful tips on engaging customers on social media. And you'll hear details of how Starbucks uses video marketing on different social media channels.You'll also find out what Alex refers to as their "scrappy" approach to social media.
Be sure to check out some more takeaways below.


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Positive Policy:
Is the National HIV/AIDS Strategy Good for Black Americans? Part 1: Reducing HIV Incidence
By Rod McCullom
August 31, 2010
This is the first in a four-part series examining the strategy's impact on Black communities. This article is cross-posted from the Aug. 31 edition of Black AIDS Weekly, the newsletter of the Black AIDS Institute.
When the Obama administration released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) in July, the activist group Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy described it as "one of the most anticipated moments" in the domestic fight against HIV/AIDS. The four-part plan refocuses resources on the domestic epidemic and prioritizes Black Americans, which means that Black people stand to gain a lot -- at least in theory. Read on to learn how Black folks may be affected by the first part of the plan: reducing new HIV infections.
The Black Community at the Forefront
Blacks represent only about 12 percent of the nation's population but almost half of the more than 56,000 new infections each year. The strategy will "concentrate HIV-prevention efforts at the highest-risk populations," which includes Black Americans, men who have sex with men (MSM) and injection drug users (IDUs). It will also focus attention on the South and Northeast, the areas of the country with the highest HIV rates, and where Blacks are disproportionately located.
"CDC will have better clarity of purpose toward reducing HIV infection within communities that are at the highest risk," says Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including more "interventions for the Black community." According to projections, by 2015 the strategy will reduce the annual number of HIV infections by 25 percent -- roughly half of which should theoretically occur among Blacks.
"It's a tall order," says W. Jeffrey Campbell, prevention-development director at the Houston-based St. Hope Foundation, "particularly with the numbers going up the last two years among younger Black MSM. But we need higher goals like that to reach." In 2006 Black gay and bisexual men accounted for one-fifth of new infections nationwide.
Yet some HIV/AIDS advocates have challenged the administration. New York City-based Housing Works calls the NHAS a step backward and asks, "Would President Obama suggest that we only clean up 25 percent of the Gulf oil spill?"
Implementing Interventions That Work
Evidence-based interventions will play an integral role in the plan to reduce new HIV infections. This is a departure from the Bush administration's approach of promoting abstinence, which has proved ineffective.
"It's a great starting point," says Dázon Dixon Diallo, the founder of Atlanta-based SisterLove, the first women's HIV/AIDS service organization in the Southeast. Dixon's organization has been lauded for its community-based risk-reduction strategy. "But I'm concerned it gives short shrift to women's health and reproductive-health issues. That could be very problematic, given the incidence of new cases among Black women."
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May 19, 2014 - 10 Reasons to Address HIV/AIDS in Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Communities
April 4, 2013 - Patient Navigators: Ending the Epidemic -- A Blog Entry by Paul A. Kawata
March 26, 2013 - This Is a Huge Week for LGBT Equality! A Blog Entry in Positive Policy
November 1, 2012 - Vote Tuesday! Make Sure the HIV/AIDS Community Is Heard! A Blog Entry by Paul Kawata
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I figured it out! This is the place to find out whats up at Inner City Games Designs, to ask rules questions, or to find out whats free. Don't spam though, or I WILL ban you.
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