Amidst a “once in a century” financial crisis affecting New Yorkers as much as anyone else, it would seem reassuring to keep Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the job.
Yet, New Yorkers hate third terms and have defeated third-term measures twice in the past 10 years. Michael Bloomberg himself railed against it, calling it “disgusting”, yet economic uncertainty and his remarkable performance and sustained popularity in the Big Apple has..
The Honda Insight, which is due to dealers in Spring of 2009, is going to make getting 60 MPG accessible to everyone. At $18,000 MSRP, it is a full $4,000 less than the Toyota Prius. The Prius, the poster-child for energy-sipping transporation, is expected to start at $22,000 and float up to $24,270 for the touring edition.
The Honda Insight, which is the re-incarnation of the original Honda Insight, looks alot like the Toyota Prius, but its front grill also borrows heavily from Honda’s hydrogen experiment, the Clarity. The hatchback may be practical but slightly frumpy, but at 60 MPG-city and $18,000, we’re not complaining. Thanks, Honda!
Chinese Taikonauts to Attempt Nation’s First Ever Spacewalk.
China launched its Shenzhou VII spacecraft Thursday evening, carrying three taikonauts into the nation’s third manned space mission in five years, according to state television.
The mission will represent China’s first attempt at a space walk, following the United States and Russia – the only two other nations to have done so. India and Japan are also developing space programs, but China’s achievement would mark another milestone for the remarkable growth in their technological prowess.
Much of this growth may have been achieved on the backs of extensive spying of American technology. Just yesterday, the FBI arrested Shu Quan-Sheng, 68, a Chinese-born physicist in Newport News, Virginia and charged with with space-related spying for the Chinese government since 2003. Shu, according to FBI officials, was involved with “systematic effort to upgrade their space exploration and satellite technology capabilities by providing technical expertise and foreign technology acquisition,”
The spacecraft is expected to launch into “low orbit” of about 210 miles above Earth.
photo: The Shenzhou 7 takes off from Gansu province, China on Thursday. (Li Gang/Xinhua via AP)
[flashvideo filename=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfFMLrBM64Y width=300 /]
John McCain boldly announced that he was “suspending” his campaign in order to deal with the crisis in Washington. He also called for suspending the debate scheduled for this Friday between the two candidates.
Obama responded that a debate and a discussion on the financial crisis is precisely what the country needs.
For the record, no Presidential debate has been postponed since the debates as we know it began in 1976. This is an extraordinary action with an unusually weak rationale. With his call, Mr. McCain seems to suggest that he can not both campaign and handle the crisis at the same time.
Besides, how does one pause a campaign with just over a month left before election day? There are thousands of campaign staffers, independent political organizations, media buys in contract, and a firm election date that won’t likely be moved. For those very practical reasons, we can only conclude that there is no such thing as a paused campaign – there is only a withdrawal and multi-tasking.
Perhaps McCain needs to consider the first if he can’t handle the second. The American people want to hear from our leaders and this Friday provides an objective platform for the two candidates to precisely address the financial crisis Senator McCain hopes to solve. The Presidency is the toughest job in the world, and if John McCain can’t provide critical leadership as Senator, and campaign at the same time, perhaps we ought to look to someone who can.
photo: Mandel Ngan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
John McCain boldly announced that he was “suspending” his campaign in order to deal with the crisis in Washington. He also called for suspending the debate scheduled for this Friday between the two candidates.
Obama responded that a debate and a discussion on the financial crisis is precisely what the country needs.
For the record, no Presidential debate has been postponed since the debates as we know it began in 1976. This is an extraordinary action with an unusually weak rationale. With his call, Mr. McCain seems to suggest that he can not both campaign and handle the crisis at the same time.
Besides, how does one pause a campaign with just over a month left before election day? There are thousands of campaign staffers, independent political organizations, media buys in contract, and a firm election date that won’t likely be moved. For those very practical reasons, we can only conclude that there is no such thing as a paused campaign – there is only a withdrawal and multi-tasking.
Perhaps McCain needs to consider the first if he can’t handle the second. The American people want to hear from our leaders and this Friday provides an objective platform for the two candidates to precisely address the financial crisis Senator McCain hopes to solve. The Presidency is the toughest job in the world, and if John McCain can’t provide critical leadership as Senator, and campaign at the same time, perhaps we ought to look to someone who can.
photo: Mandel Ngan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Its hard to get excited about desktop computers – especially the PC variety. The HP TouchSmart 2 changes all of that. The innovative HP TouchSmart broke the mold by making its entire 25.5″ screen touchable, just like an iPhone, Android G1 or upcoming Blackberry Storm smartphones.
With a reasonable price of $1,250, the HP TouchSmart II not only shows off a very fun new technology, but also looks great in the living room. We also think once you try this technology, you’ll never go back. Can you imagine playing online poker any other way?
Electric bikes are starting to take off. Sales are steadily climbing and the battery technology is moving into Lithium Ion – the same battery technology sexy electric sports cars such as the Fisker Karmen uses. They are also starting to shake off their geeky image – going in some cases, decidely retro.
Consider as an example of both fashion chic and modern sophisication, the Bridgestone Assista Stila L, which the Japanese Times labeled “tres chic”. The Assista can go 40 miles on a charge and feature nifty tail lights that run on solar power which automatically kicks in when the sun goes down. The Assista is expected to cost less than $1,000.
Another bike, the similarly lithium-ion powered Panasonic Lithium ViVi RX-10S, matches the Assista with lithium ion technology and solar-powered lights and raises with regenerative braking. Regenerative braking converts your braking momentum into increased battery juice. Sweet, and Panasonic claims the range can extend to a ridiculous 112 miles. The Panasonic is slated for release this Fall for $1,400.
Angkor Wat has become as famous to tourists as it is to Cambodians, who can always be counted on to have an image of the revered temple complex somewhere near them. Yet Cambodia is more than just Angkor Wat, especially if you’re interested in the modern side of this fast booming Southeast Asian Kingdom.
photo: Miss South Korea, 2006, Honey Lee at Angkor Wat. Credit: TANG CHHIN SOTHY/AFP/Getty Images
After finding out that the T-Mobile Android G1 is missing Flash for the camera, a 3.5″ headphone jack and stereo Bluetooth, we’ve lost our excitement a bit.The same goes with the new Blackberry Storm worldphone.
This iPhone-style bad boy has alot of potential. It shoots 3.2 megapixel pics and VGA quality video. Tres handy my friends. It’s also quite slick and we know Verizion (its carrier) will give you the best sound quality around. The only (and yet major) downer is lack of camera flash. Let’s face it, that means not shooting pics at night – no fun.
