X-Ray Spex Live At CBGB 1978


In memory of Poly Styrene - a gift to you: 
X-Ray Spex live at CBGB, March 1978.

From heaven with love: Ze Records giving away Lizzy Mercier digital album

LIZZY MERCIER DESCLOUX : « FROM HEAVEN WITH LOVE » A 12 TRACKS FREE DIGITAL EDITION

AVAILABLE FROM MAY.1 TO MAY.7 FROM ZERecords.com

Lizzy Mercier Descloux passed away 7 years ago in April 2004. ZE records celebrates Lizzy by releasing « From Heaven With Love » a selection by her partner in crime Michel Esteban.

For Some, Daniels Presidential Bid Hinged On Signing Anti-Abortion Legislation

On almost any political news-related website you visit on the Internet today you will find a story speculating that Gov. Mitch Daniels intends to run for president because he indicated he would sign an anti-abortion bill that bars pregnant women from getting abortions more than 20 weeks into their pregnancy, and bars government funding for clinics that provide abortion services. Although Daniels said he supported the legislation from the beginning and has generally taken pro-life positions throughout his two terms as governor, the speculation abounded:

  • "Questions about Daniels’ position on the bill had risen to national prominence as politicos speculated whether signing the legislation into law would help or hurt a possible campaign for president, which he is considering. Some thought it could help him among conservatives, who were frustrated that he called for a political “truce” between Republicans and Democrats on social issues while elected officials were dealing with the nation’s economic woes." Lesley Stedman Weidenbener, Courier-Journal
  • "His decision to sign House Bill 1210 added fuel to speculation that he will seek the Republican nomination for president, particularly since it may silence criticism by social conservatives who had objected to Daniels' call for a "truce" on social issues." Mary Beth Schneider, Star
  • "Mitch Daniels, who's set to decide soon whether he's entering the race for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, said Friday he'll sign a bill that will end Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood for family services — an issue that has attracted national attention . . . A Democratic insider referred to Daniels's past call for a "truce" on social issues and snarked, "Truce broken it appears." Maggie Haberman, Politico
  • "Indiana’s bill comes as Mr. Daniels, a Republican in a state where Republicans last fall gained control of both chambers of the legislature, is expected to announce a decision soon about running for president in 2012 . . . The bill cutting off an expected $2 million in Medicaid financing to Planned Parenthood could have become law without the governor’s signature, and Mr. Daniels’s announcement was viewed by some as a sign that he may be leaning toward running and hoping to increase his appeal among social conservatives. Monica Davey, New York Times
  • "Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday he will sign restrictive abortion legislation, making Indiana the first state to cut off all government funding for Planned Parenthood and boosting Daniels’ credentials among social conservatives as he considers whether to run for president." Associated Press
Before you begin to think the passage of the legislation represents the death knell of Planned Parenthood in Indiana you should realize the organization can easily separate its abortion services from its other family planning services by setting up affiliate organizations, thus avoiding the loss of federal and state funding for its other services. At most, the legislation will slightly reduce the amount of public funds spent on abortion, and it could increase the cost of obtaining an abortion in the absence of any government funding. If the organization is successful in making up the difference through private donations, there will likely be no impact at all on the availability of abortions in Indiana.

Those who've followed Daniels this year would look at his aggressive education reform agenda as the best hint of his plans to run for president. That included:
  • Indiana's first school voucher program to allow students in failing public schools to attend other schools of their choice;
  • Expanding the number of charter schools;
  • Collective bargaining reform that limits contract negotiations to wages and benefits;
  • Providing funding for full-day kindergarten;
  • Revamping teacher pay so it is based more on merit and less on seniority; and
  • Measuring teacher and administrator performance based on student achievement.
You can bet if Gov. Daniels does decide to run for president, which I think he will, his education reform agenda will be near the top of the list of achievements he espouses in any presidential campaign.

UPDATE: The New York Times is featuring a Sunday story discussing Daniels' potential run. It includes this quote from him:

“I’m getting letters from all over the damn country, and some of them are pretty moving,” Mr. Daniels said in an interview last week at the Capitol in Indianapolis, where his friends believe he is inching closer to exploring a candidacy. He added, “It can’t help but affect you.”

His old friend Al Hubbard has this on what separates him from the other candidates:


“What sets Mitch apart from the other candidates who are currently running, he is very, very direct and very open about what needs to be done,” said Al Hubbard, a director of the National Economic Council. “I’m disappointed that the other candidates who are currently talking about running are reluctant to do that.”

AutoMild.Com

AutoMild.Com


New BMW X3 Car Design

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 09:07 AM PDT

Car design concept of BMW X3 was unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. This new car features a dynamic design with wider dimension. The design of this BMW X3 was presented in more dynamic shape white sloped character line than its predecessor. The trademark profile of the 3rd windows also had been improved. Circular [...]

Elegance Design of Volvo V60

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 09:05 AM PDT

Combination between nice interior and a coupe like design creates this new Volvo V 60 Sports Wagon. The clean line design of exterior makes this new sport wagon looks quite elegance. The interior design is addressed for achieving safety features and coziness for the owner. The pedestrian detection system and full auto brake also completes [...]

Original Interior of Porsche Cayenne restyled

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 09:02 AM PDT

Porsche Cayenne exterior was designed with longer body than its predecessor; the result is more compact performance on this new Porsche Cayenne. The basic principle of this car design is based on "Porsche Intelligent Performance" that means the focus, full swing more power result with less fuel. The design of this second generation Porsche Cayenne [...]

Ryerson Continues Lies About Natural Born Citizenship Debate

It's no wonder reporters working for the Indianapolis Star can blatantly lie to their readers about what the debate over President Barack Obama's natural born citizenship fully encompasses. It seems the newspapers's executive editor can lie just as casually as his reporters on the issue. In the Sunday edition, Ryerson's Conversations column laments the fact that President Obama had to be compelled to produce a copy of his original birth certificate. As he describes the cause of the debate:

During the 2008 presidential campaign so-called "birthers" began circulating allegations that Obama wasn't legally entitled to be president because he wasn't born in the United States.
To be sure, there have always been some who have questioned Obama's place of birth, questions which persons could legitimately wonder about given how Obama himself put out a book, "Dreams From My Father," that contained more fiction than fact about his biographical narrative, and his stonewalling the past three years on efforts to get him to release his original birth certificate, which he admitted to possessing in his 1995 autobiography. Yet most of the lawsuits filed against Obama raised a legitimate legal issue: Can a person who is born a dual citizen as a result of the foreign citizenship status of one of his parents be considered a natural born citizen? Obama has always conceded he was a dual citizen at birth by virtue of his father's Kenyan citizenship, which made him a British citizen since Kenya was still a part of the dwindling British empire at the time of his birth. Obama's situation is further complicated by evidence that he later became an Indonesian citizen after he and his mother immigrated there and his Indonesian father adopted him and changed his name to "Barry Soetoro." His own half-sister, Maya, concedes her father, Lolo Soetoro, adopted him.

Ryerson, like virtually every other mainstream reporter in this country, continue to lie to the American public about this bona fide debate. Constitutional scholars disagree on the interpretation of the natural born citizen requirement found only once in the U.S. Constitution, but all constitutional scholars agree the issue has never been resolved by the federal courts. Contrary to what Ryerson may wish to believe, it is not a given that a person is a natural born citizen simply because of his or her birth in the U.S., even if deemed a citizen by virtue of the 14th Amendment. Mainstream media, including the Washington Post and New York Times, thought nothing of writing stories in 2008 questioning Sen. John McCain's eligibility because he was born in Panama while his father was stationed at a naval base there. McCain even produced his original birth certificate acknowledging his birth in a foreign land, further fueling the debate. A law professor in his home state published a law review article declaring he wasn't a natural born citizen. The issue concerned McCain enough that he asked his Senate colleagues to research the issue, which they did, and the Senate ultimately resolved the debate in his favor by a resolution adopted by the full body. The resolution declared McCain a natural born citizen, notably, because both of his parents were U.S. citizens.

As on any issue where persons have differing views from this President, anyone who raises the issue is automatically labeled a racist. Ryerson is no exception when it comes to playing the race card. "Yet the conspiracy theorists hung on, abetted by some individuals who never will accept a black president with a non-mainstream name, by some opposition politicians all too willing to let the issue simmer, and by attention-seekers using the Wild West platform of the Internet to feed those hungry for any information that would fuel their biases," Ryerson writes.

But for the "Wild West" Internet, as Ryerson dubs it, the American people would know nothing but a totally fabricated narrative fit for a "Tail Wagging The Dog" Hollywood-produced movie concerning this man. For an editor who has used his newspaper relentlessly to decry the sad state of our public education system, Ryerson does more to dumb down the people who read his newspaper than any failed public educator could accomplish with their best efforts. And he wonders why his readers are dropping their subscriptions to his newspaper in droves.

IMPD Officer Charged With Stealing From Hispanic Victims

Three years ago, a Westfield police officer was charged with bribery for shaking down Hispanic victims he suspected of being illegal aliens for money in consideration for not arresting them after making traffic stops. Now it appears a veteran IMPD officer went one step further and simply stole property outright from Hispanic victims he pulled over for traffic stops. The Star's Vic Ryckaert reports on the charges filed against Officer David Butler, a 23-year veteran of the department:

A veteran Indianapolis police officer was arrested Friday on accusations that he used his badge to stop Hispanic motorists and clean out their wallets.


Prosecutors charged officer David J. Butler, a 23-year veteran, with robbery and official misconduct, both felonies, after an internal investigation linked him to the robberies of two men on the Northwestside, authorities said. One of the traffic stops was captured by a gas station's surveillance cameras, they said.

Butler was booked in the Marion County Jail on Friday and held on $15,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear Monday in Marion Superior Court for an initial hearing.

Prosecutors say Butler, 52, stole cash from two men during traffic stops in September and January. Investigators think there might be more victims and have urged anyone with information to come forward.

Prosecutor Terry Curry credited the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for discovering Butler's alleged crimes and bringing the evidence to his office.

"Their investigation uncovered a repetitive pattern of behavior by officer Butler, a pattern of behavior which plainly violated the trust the public placed in him," Curry said in a statement.

Mayor Greg Ballard said Butler's arrest shows that officers who tarnish the badge will be held accountable. He stressed that the actions of a single officer "do not diminish the outstanding police work" of the entire department . . .
Ryckaert's story notes Butler's arrest is one of eight police officers with the department to face criminal charges in the last year alone. Butler admitted to taking money from the victims during the traffic stops after initially denying it to detectives according to the report.

On another note, state legislation that would have allowed state and local law enforcement officials to take a greater role in enforcing the nation's immigration laws was altered considerably before its final passage last night. The legislation authored by Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel) now focuses on businesses that "knowingly" employ illegal immigrant by denying them tax breaks. Provisions requiring police to question persons about their immigrant status during arrests by requesting proof of their status was removed from the legislation.

DTM: Audi sets pace again with 1-2-3 in second practice

DTM: Audi sets pace again with 1-2-3 in second practice

Link to ONEIGHTURBO

DTM: Audi sets pace again with 1-2-3 in second practice

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 03:33 AM PDT

Timo Scheider, DTM

Once again Audi showed strong performance in the second test from Hockenheim. Timo Scheider was the only one from the first three that made it to the top. This morning he set a 1:33.627 which was 2sec faster than yesterday.

Audi’s Tomczyk and Molina filled second and third place. Tomczyk reeled in a 1:33.813, 0.186 off of Scheider with Molina following up with a 1:33.922, 0.295 down.

Mike Rockenfeller was fifth fastest with a 1:34.036. He topped the charts yesterday during first practice. Mattias Ekstrom would finish ninth.

Audi also finished with six cars in the Top 10.

  • 1 – Timo Scheider – Audi – 1:33.627
  • 2 – Martin Tomczyk – Audi – 0.186
  • 3 – Miguel Molina – Audi – 0.295
  • 4 – Ralf Schumacher – Mercedes – 0.374
  • 5 – Mike Rockenfeller – Audi – 0.409
  • 6 – Gary Paffett – Mercedes – 0.551
  • 7 – Christian Vietoris – Mercedes – 0.561
  • 8 – Filipe Albuquerque – Audi – 0.609
  • 9 – Mattias Ekström – Audi – 0.676
  • 10 – Jamie Green – Mercedes – 0.839

Related posts:

  1. DTM: Mike Rockenfeller sets pace in the first test of 2011


Austria’s Federal Cross of Merit for Audi’s Timo Scheider

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 09:29 AM PDT

DTM ace Timo Scheider (Audi) will be rewarded for his commitment to charity: on Tuesdays at 12:30hrs, on the Gebhardsberg in Bregenz, the two-time DTM Champion will be awarded Austria’s Federal Cross of Merit by Dr. Herbert Sausgruber, ‘Landeshauptmann’ (Governor) of Austria’s Vorarlberg region.

No matter if ‘Race-4-Kids’, ‘Wings for Life’ or ‘Stunde des Herzens’ – Timo Scheider has been involved in numerous charity projects for many years. Therefore, he now is awarded the Federal Cross of Merit of his adopter country, Austria. “Being awarded this accolade represents a true honour for me,” says the Audi works driver. “But an accolade wouldn’t have been necessary as I will keep on supporting charity campaigns anyway.”

Flying visit at Audi

On his way to Hockenheim, Scheider and three fellow Audi drivers stopped at Neckarsulm on Thursday to meet the Audi employees working there. From 11:15 to 12:00hrs, Timo Scheider, Mike Rockenfeller, Edoardo Mortara and Oliver Jarvis had a good time with the staff in the plant’s restaurant.

- DTM

Related posts:

  1. DTM: Timo Scheider on pole, Rockenfeller 2nd and Ekstrom 15th?


DTM: Mike Rockenfeller sets pace in the first test of 2011

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 08:49 AM PDT

DTM Hockenheim 2011

Gallery after the jump!

The DTM is back for 2011. It has been a long winter for us waiting for the return of DTM. To some, it is not the best series going but to us, we love it. With the return of BMW in 2012 maybe we will see a bit more door to door banging and curb hopping action. Until then heres to 2011!

This morning Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller topped the charts with a 1:35.085. The next 8 drivers would also stay in the 1:35 bracket. That’s going to provide for some great action.

2-time Champion, Timo Scheider pulled up in 2nd with a 1:35.529

Red Bull’s Mattis Ekstrom was third with a 1:35.697

Audi DTM newcomer, Edoardo Mortara, was 4th with a 1:35.732 in the 2008 spec A4.

Audi had 6 cars in the Top 10.

  • 1 – Mike Rockenfeller – Audi – 1:35.085
  • 2 – Timo Scheider – Audi – 0.444
  • 3 – Mattias Ekström – Audi – 0.612
  • 4 – Christian Vietoris – Mercedes – 0.617
  • 5 – Edoardo Mortara – Audi – 0.647
  • 6 – Ralf Schumacher – Mercedes – 0.676
  • 7 – Bruno Spengler – Mercedes – 0.719
  • 8 – Gary Paffett – Mercedes – 0.746
  • 9 – Miguel Molina – Audi – 0.841
  • 10 – Filipe Albuquerque – Audi – 0.915

Related posts:

  1. Audi reveals 2011 DTM livery schemes


Green group appeals Audi’s Hungary expansion

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 07:32 AM PDT

A Hungarian environmental group has appealed against the land use permit issued for German car maker Audi’s 900 million euro ($1.34 billion) expansion of its plant in Hungary, news agency MTI reported on Thursday.

Audi, a unit of Volkswagen AG, plans to lift production to 125,000 vehicles a year once its expanded plant in Gyor, in western Hungary, begins full production from 2013, creating 1,800 new jobs and giving a major boost to Hungary’s export-driven economy.

The land use permit is a precondition for Audi to get full planning permission for the expanded plant, MTI said.

It said the green group that filed the appeal was concerned that wildlife in the affected area — which also includes part of a nature reserve — can be successfully migrated elsewhere.

The group also says the ruling that approved the land use for the site contained procedural errors.

A Hungarian spokeswoman for Audi was not immediately available for comment. The National Environmental Protection Authority could not immediately comment.

In January, the European Commission approved the extension of the plant on the grounds of paramount public interest.

The government has approved 11.2 billion forints ($62.88 million) in direct subsidies for the expansion.

- Reuters

Related posts:

  1. Audi Group: record first-half operating profit of over EUR 1.3 billion


Fourtitude drives the 2011 Audi TTS Weight-Optimized Prototype

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 07:25 AM PDT

Oneighturbo fourtitude TTS prototype

The crew of at Fourtitude have a new feature on this light-weight TTS prototype. While out at Neckarsulm, they tested an A5 aptly named The Beast. Also on hand was this TTS. Roughly 200lbs was shed using carbon fiber reinforced plastics.

A big area that we like to focus on is wheels/tires. Choosing a lighter wheel/tire package can save you large amounts overall but the rotating weight savings is enormous. Audi was able to save 39.7lbs per corner by wheels alone.

Head over to Fortitude to read more and check out the gallery.

Related posts:

  1. Fourtitude spots Imola yellow Audi R8, we spot our own with a wicked stance