IBM ties up with Innovation Auto Risk

IT service provider, today announced that it has signed a year information technology outsourcing agreement with Innovation Auto Risk, a provider in claims management services to insurers and fleet management companies.Innovation Auto Risk was seeking an IT solution provider that could supply and manage its IT infrastructure in a resilient yet cost-effective fashion. The deal focuses to support its growth and expansion plans, said a press releaseAs part of the agreement, IBM would deploy server, storage, networking and security IT infrastructure to be hosted at a data center in Delhi. It would provide on-site infrastructure monitoring services from an on-site command center. In addition, IBM would also provide managed services and ongoing project management for infrastructure procurement, commissioning and configuration, as well as hardware refreshes after five years.Innovation Auto Risk, headquartered in Delhi, has claims servicing operations across India. It is a joint venture between Auto Risk Management Services Pvt. Ltd., a provider in pre-risk inspection services and other related insurance services, and Innovation Group plc., a provider of enterprise software, business process outsourcing and repair and service network management solutions to the global Property and Casualty industry.put together a customized end-to-end managed services package and introduced Innovation Auto Risk to an operating-expense driven model, rather than capital-expense driven model. This allowed the company to pay IBM as-it-grows its business operations thus removing the need for large capital influx to sustain its growth and expansion. This agreement aims to reduce Innovation Auto Risk's capital expenditure on IT by per cent, said the release.country manager - ibm.com, IBM India/South Asia remarked that Innovation Auto Risk needed to build a robust infrastructure to address the growing claims processing requirements of their customers and they were able to provide this using a unique model that helped them grow without the headaches of managing their back-end and the need for huge capital requirements. We are delighted with our agreement with IBM and believe its technology expertise and focus on delivering cost-efficient solutions will help us achieve our growth strategy and higher levels of customer satisfaction," said Manu Mehta, director, Innovation Auto Risk To effectuate this transaction, substantial taxpayer dollars were utilized. The commitment made was for a total of billion in debtor-in-possession and exit financing. Because of the accelerated time frame of the bankruptcy, the proportion of the funding through debtor-in-possession funding was smaller and the exit financing was larger than initially expected. Ultimately, billion of funding was provided in debtor-in-possession loans and billion was provided in exit financing. Added to the exit financing was a million commitment related to a loss sharing agreement with that is not expected to be utilized. Also, the governments of Canada and Ontario funded more than billion in debtor-in-possession and exit financing.

The Company's successful emergence, in conjunction with financial support from the U.S. and Canada, has put New Chrysler on a solid footing to succeed and generate jobs well into the 21st century.Because of the credit crisis and the rapid decline in auto sales, many of the nation's auto parts suppliers have struggled to access credit and have faced uncertainty about the prospects for their businesses. Suppliers that ship parts to auto companies generally receive payment approximately days after shipment. In a normal credit environment, suppliers can either sell or borrow against those commitments--so-called "receivables"--in the interim period to pay their workers and fund their ongoing operations. However, due to the uncertainty about the ability of the auto companies to honor their obligations, banks had been unwilling and are still somewhat reluctant to extend credit against these receivables.he Auto Task Force implemented a Warranty Program to give confidence to GM's and Chrysler's customers during a period of substantial uncertainty regarding the outlook for the companies. With the successful emergence of the new companies, consumers can now feel assured that the companies have the financial wherewithal to meet their warranty commitments on a continuing basis. As such, the Auto Task Force determined that it was appropriate to end the Warranty Program. I am happy to report that million invested in the program has been returned to United States Government along with interest payments on the program from New Chrysler. This achievement represented a prudent the President appointed an Auto Task Force to oversee his Administration's efforts regarding the industry. The Task Force is co-chaired by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers, includes representatives from across the executive branch and is staffed by a joint Treasury-NEC team, of which I am now the senior member. This team reports to the Task Force and its co-chairs, who report up to the President.From the beginning of this process, the President gave the Auto Task Force two clear directions regarding its approach to the auto restructurings. The first was to behave in a commercial manner by ensuring that all stakeholders were treated fairly and received neither more nor less than they would have simply because the government was involved. The second was to refrain from intervening in the day-to-day management of these companies.As with the funds provided to the auto industry by the prior administration, the funding provided by the Obama Administration was allocated from the TARP as authorized under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of The terms of the debtor-in-possession were consistent with EESA requirements and protected the American taxpayer.Because the investments made by both the prior and current Administrations to support the auto companies have come from the , the Task Force and its staff's activities have been subject to the full range of disclosure and reporting requirements under the EESA statute. In addition to reporting to this committee, this includes and multiple House and Senate committees. Most recently, published a report in June of this Judiciary committee as well as held dozens of meetings with Members of Congress and their staff and almost constant telephonic communication. The Auto Task Force will continue to be as responsive as possible to the requests of these entities to ensure thorough transparency and accountability for our actions.In addition, the Task Force has conducted broad outreach over the past several months to affected stakeholders, industry experts and other constituencies that have requested such meetings From the beginning of this process, the President clearly directed the Auto Task Force to refrain from intervening in the day-to-day management of GM and Chrysler. Our role has been to act as a potential investor of taxpayer resources, and as such we have not become involved in specific business decisions like where to open a new plant or which dealers to close. This is the job of management and while we have been engaged in dialogue and discussion about their approach, we have not substituted our judgment about specific decisions for theirs. Our goal is to promote strong and viable companies, which can be profitable and contribute to economic growth and jobs without Government support as quickly as possible. Using GM or Chrysler as an instrument of broader government policy is inconsistent with these goals Given the emergence of the New GM and the New Chrysler, the involvement of the Auto Task Force with the companies will now change. The companies are being run as commercial enterprises by their management teams, and they will report to new, independent Boards of Directors. The task force was involved in recruiting many of these directors, and I am proud to report that both Boards are filled by men and women of extraordinary distinction, independence and commitment to the obligations that they have accepted. In acting as a lender and investor in New Chrysler and New GM, the Auto Task Force will closely monitor the loans and investments made in both companies going forward.As the President has made clear, The Obama Administration is a reluctant shareholder in New General Motors as well as New Chrysler. We inherited a situation in which GM needed substantial capital. At the same time, GM had been hobbled for years by an unsustainable debt burden. In this context, piling on irresponsible amounts of new debt on top of the new GM would have simply repeated the mistakes of the past. Likewise, giving away the equity stake to which taxpayers were rightly entitled would have been irresponsible. Therefore, the Administration made the decision to take the equity that taxpayers are entitled to, alongside a firm conviction to manage that investment commercially and exit our position as quickly as is practicable. The Administration has articulated a set of four principles that will govern its approach to managing ownership interests in financial and automotive companies that will apply directly to the government's approach to New Chrysler and New GM:The express purposes of are, among other things, to "restore liquidity and stability to the financial system of the United States," and to ensure that expenditure of taxpayer funds "protects home values, college funds, retirement accounts, and life savings," "preserves homeownership and promotes jobs and economic growth," and "maximizes overall returns to the taxpayers of the United States.Consistent with these purposes, and pursuant to section of the Secretary of the Treasury has promulgated guidelines for allocating resources under TARP to "prevent a significant disruption of the American automotive industry that poses a systemic risk the Secretary of the Treasury issued a written determination, in consultation with the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, that certain holding companies engaged in the manufacturing of automotive vehicles are eligible for funding under the Significant Failing Institutions Program. See Determination of the Secretary of the Treasury, By letters dated December to "the appropriate committees of Congress" the Senate Committees on Finance; the Budget; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and Appropriations; and the House then Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr. delivered a written notification of that determination pursuant to section of True and correct copies of the Secretary's determination and letters to Congress are attached as Exhibit A.

High Risk Auto Insurance

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In attendance there are quite a lot of different insurance companies that are paying attention in obtaining your commerce. At the same time as tagging through all of these dissimilar companies can be mystifying and even a bit tremendous. The rivalry is fundamentally good for you for the reason that it helps to hold back along the prices. As a final point I choose to lattice up with this companionship this High Risk Auto Insurance.In this site you can make more proficient this progression and get hold of the extremely finest deals possible. They provide in their web site. By entering your zip code you can able to get auto insurance quotes on online. Here they not only provide auto insurance policies for high risk drivers in addition to this they save their money too. They furnish quotes on the source of cost, safety, poor records, fault, liability etc and vigorous a vehicle comes with its own set of farm duties. On combine with this enormous cover company it will make available you with the strategy you have to value and you can come up with the money by simply in online and have finest deals.IBM has signed a year information technology outsourcing agreement with Innovation Auto Risk, an established leader in the Indian market providing claims management services and other related solutions to insurers & fleet management companies. As part of the agreement, IBM will deploy server, storage, networking and security IT infrastructure to be hosted at a data center in Delhi. IBM will provide onsite infrastructure monitoring services from an onsite command centre In addition, IBM will provide managed services and ongoing project management for infrastructure procurement, commissioning and configuration, as well as hardware refreshes after five years.IBM put together a customized end-to-end managed services package and introduced Innovation Auto Risk to an operating-expense driven model, rather than capital-expense driven model. This allowed the company to pay IBM as-it-grows its business operations thus removing the need for large capital influx to sustain its growth and expansion. This agreement aims to reduce Innovation Auto Risk’s capital expenditure on IT by Innovation Auto Risk needed to build a robust infrastructure to address the growing claims processing requirements of their customers and we were able to provide this using a unique model that helped them grow without the headaches of managing their back-end and the need for huge capital requirements, said Jyothi Satyanathan, Country Manager, ibm.com, South Asia remarked,We are delighted with our agreement with IBM and believe its technology expertise and focus on delivering cost-efficient solutions will help us achieve our growth strategy and higher levels of customer satisfaction, said Manu Mehta, Director, Innovation Auto Risk. To jack the ride height up by the required seven inches, Wizard Performance whipped up a quartet of coilovers packing King Springs and Rancho adjustable dampers, with a beefed-up swaybar up front and a chromoly panhard bar in the rear to stop too much rear axle movement. The whole lot was covered in original Holden Hot House Green for a show finish, while the steering was converted to Toyota Hilux 5H set-up by close mate Brent Davies, to suit the new frame. Wheels of choice are 15x10-inch American Racing alloys running gigantic Super Swamper rubber that spans a truly insane ratio, but costs the two-door 110kW of grunt at the rear wheels over smaller 32-inch Swamper tyres, dropping power from Somewhat disturbingly, runs standard Patrol discs and drums braking set-up, though it doesn't see road use though engineering is currently being undertaken and there's no risk of it taking to a racing circuit so that eases some concerns. In order to justify an investment of additional taxpayer dollars, the President made two decisions. First, he gave both GM and Chrysler a limited window to work with their stakeholders to secure the sacrifices necessary to make them stronger, leaner, and more competitive. Second, he directed his Auto Task Force to take a commercial approach and refrain from intervening in the day-to-day decisions of these companies. He did this because the companies' long-term viability and ability to repay the taxpayer dollars they were receiving would be seriously undermined if the government became involved in day-to-day business decisions.In only a few months, both General Motors and Chrysler – working with their stakeholders and the President's Auto Task Force have achieved things that many thought impossible. The New Chrysler and the New GM have emerged as stronger global companies after proceeding through fair and open bankruptcy processes.This process required deep and painful sacrifices from all stakeholders – including workers, retirees, suppliers, dealers, creditors, and the countless communities that rely on a vibrant American auto industry. Anytime a company as large and interconnected as GM or Chrysler becomes insolvent, the collateral damage is enormous. However, the steps that the President took not only avoided a potentially catastrophic collapse and brought needed stability to the entire auto industry, but kept hundreds of thousands of Americans working and gave the New GM and New Chrysler have a chance to become viable, competitive American businesses with bright futures.

Auto far risk

According to a report from Auto Club South, retail gas prices are increasing around the country even though U.S. supplies have swelled for six weeks in a row.Pump prices rose the final three days last week, including a half cent Friday, to a new national average of a gallon, ending a day string of declines. The average price of gas in Murfreesboro Saturday was a little below that average at while Smyrna's average price was six cents cheaper at Tennessee's average rose to , up three cents from a week earlier.And while a gallon of gas is still cents cheaper than it was a month ago, and more than cheaper than it was a year ago when Tennessee's average was analysts say prices should be even lower due to flat demand. The fact that it isn't has a few locals upset.Daniel Taylor, of Murfreesboro, was filling up his tank at Dodge's Chicken on Broad Street around . Saturday.We get overcharged by the government, we get overcharged when we buy groceries, and we get overcharged by gas stations," he said. "What's new? Does anybody really think a company or our government is going to be honest when they know they can get away with fleecing us?"Austin James, of Smyrna, who was recently laid off from his job at a local restaurant, said he is limiting the number of trips he takes because "prices are still too outrageous."They make them go up real high and then they bring them back down to make them seem reasonable, but really they're still a heck of a lot higher than they used to be," he said. "I get all my errands done on the way to or on the way back from the unemployment office 'cause I can't afford to be running around out here wasting gas."According to experts on the subject, it's actually crowd behavior that is driving the price of gas up again.There's just a crowd behavior, and it's forcing prices above what it should be," said Fred Rozell, retail pricing director at Oil Price Information Service. "People are acting emotionally."Another problem leading to gas price increases is an increase in the price of crude on the stock market. Because the economy showed some signs of improvement, those prices shot up around cents to settle at a barrel Friday.Even though consumer demand remains flat, the stock market's climb and some positive economic indicators such as Thursday's announcement of three consecutive months with gains in home sales has apparently improved investors' appetite for risk, and that's a big part of the push now in commodities and specifically in crude oil," said Gregg Laskoski, managing director of public relations for Auto Club South.Unfortunately, analysts say it isn't clear when gas prices will fall again.There is a level of civil responsibility that is being ignored here. People are openly flaunting these laws and regulations despite agreeing to abide by them as a condition of their license. As a community/socieity we all agreed that drivers would be licensed and these are the conditions. We saw it is being in all our best interest. Then someone comes along and decides it is 'inconvenient' and exploits the system. They exploit goodwill. They exploit some of the legitimate cases of 'big brother' out there to suit their own personal agenda. It isn't violating your civil liberties to forbid you from texting while driving but it is sure as hell violating my right to be able to be confident all drivers are concentrating a fair assumption to make as it is a condition of driving when you are texting and swerve into me. Seriously, don't you think there is enough to do in a car already? Are you so arrogant that you honestly believe what you've said?Doing something other than driving while driving increases crash risk? Really? Who'd a thunk it. C'mon, people, this ain't rocket surgery. Every driving class, book, guide, what have you says that you shouldn't concentrate on anything but driving when behind the wheel. This should have been considered a study on the obvious, rather than a study on driving and using a phone.If you have to get a message to someone, just call and actually with them! At least talking on the phone is the lesser of two evils. It's not the technology or any particular distraction that is the problem. Many people who drive just do not take driving seriously. They put on make up, eat, use phones, etc. so I don't like when studies like this target one specific thing.I sometimes text while driving but make sure to do it when I'm not close to other vehicles or where I may have to stop quickly. I also make use of my peripheral vision and don't stay focused on my phone for more than a second or two at a time. And I have an almost perfect driving record speeding ticket and have avoided many accidents that others would have caused. Now, everyone's not like me. Everyone is different. But I don't think texting or talking on a phone is what makes someone a bad driver.. their ability to do that and still have an awareness of the road and their ability to judge whether they have a good awareness of the road are what matters We can try to outlaw cell phones, etc. while driving but when we can't even get people to go the speed limit I wonder how well any new law is going to work. What we really need is a driver rating system something simple so as not to distract us from driving of course so we can tag other drivers that are not paying attention, driving recklessly, etc. or even tag good drivers that avoid an accident, are courteous, or whatever. If people are constantly afraid of getting a bad rating and therefore raised insurance rates maybe then they'll drive better.Oh, and let me also say that I think more driver education would also be very helpful. I don't think a lot of people realize how dangerous driving is, how quickly something can go wrong if they're not paying attention, or even why you should always stop at a stop sign.you obviously think highly of yourself in spite of your dangerous bdriving habits. I assume you know that 95% of drivers consider themselves better than average, and some of the worst consider themselves the best, convinced that their superior skills make up for their more reckless habits. They are just kidding themselves, and it sounds very much like you fall straight into this category. If there was a driver rating system and you were seen texting, you would be marked down pretty quickly, as most people can see how stupid your behavior is. If you keep on with it, you'll pay for it in the end. Just because you haven't had a crash yet doesn't mean you will elude the laws of probability forever.You really hit a strong point. Whatever you do while driving that isn't driving can't take your focus. Once you get that priority hardwired into your brain, you're mostly safe.Whenever people in the car talk to me or I'm on the phone, I sometimes "space out" because something on the road took priority. My brain just shuts down at listening to words, while I focus on the road. It takes me a full minute to dial a call if I have to dial manually, because I only glance at the phone while looking at the road.The study seems to suggest that any differences between their real-world results and those of simulator tests is due to faults in the simulator testing scenarios. I've seen enough with my own eyes to know that people talking on the cell phone do not have their brain properly engaged with driving. Failing to use turn signals in critical situations, stopping for a light that just changed to green, staying stopped at a light that's changed to green, meandering back and forth across lanes, almost hitting a vehicle stopping in front of them, driving excessively slowly, etc. are all things I see routinely from people talking on their phones. Yet, the study concentrates on eye movement as if having the eyes in front is all it takes to avoid an accident. If this were the case, then drunk driving wouldn't be such a big problem, would it?I am in the process of becoming a Officer. During my ride along, we pulled over people who were using their cell phones within a 15 minute window. The CHP officer pulled one person over at an intersection for talking on their cell phone. After writing a ticket and pulling out, another driver drives right in front of us and was using his cell phone. After giving that guy a ticket, we pulled out again, and another driver drives right by using their cell phone! My ride along officer said, "You see, you don't have to go look for these people, because they'll drive right next to you and use their cell phones." People in California do not appear to care for the law that was passed regarding "hands free" devices.I'm sick of hearing about cell phones, texting and driving. No one wants to blame the driver. A bad driver using a cell phone, texting, putting on makeup, looking at the passenger to talk, and so on is a bad driver while NOT doing any of the preceding. What they are doing does not matter because they are bad drivers not matter what they are doing. whether they are texting or The problem is the bad driver. Do you want to stop many "accidents" by texting and non-texting drivers? Have the police fairly ENFORCE the current laws. Give idiots big fat tickets for weaving in an out of traffic, tailgateing, speeding and of course any other reckless driving style. They will be to worried about the cops to text.That's part of the problem - the penalties are a joke. $100 for yakking/texting which in turn makes the driver a dangerous one. How about up the penalty *big-time* and/or add point penalties - that come off for taking driving school, or simply prosecute in charge as public endangerment. I believe that has a pretty stiff penalty in itself.I'm sick of hearing about cell phones, texting and driving. No one wants to blame the driver. A bad driver using a cell phone, texting, putting on makeup, looking at the passenger to talk, and so on is a bad driver while NOT doing any of the preceding. What they are doing does not matter because they are bad drivers not matter what they are doing. These idiots are the one speeding and weaving in and out fo traffic whether they are texting or not. The problem is the bad driver. Do you want to stop many "accidents" by texting and non-texting drivers? Have the police fairly ENFORCE the current laws. Give idiots big fat tickets for weaving in an out of traffic, tailgateing, speeding and of course any other reckless driving style. They will be to worried about the cops to textWhat do you mean no one wants to blame the driver? I thought we WERE blaming the driver for engaging in these behaviors while operating a vehicle!

Texting Increases Auto Accident Risk

Sending or receiving text messages while driving is more dangerous than originally believedAs more states consider outright bans of talking on cell phones or texting while driving, a new study indicates sending and receiving text messages while driving dramatically increases the likelihood of an accident.You should never do this," Virginia Institute Director Tom Dingus said. "It should be illegal."The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute studied truck drivers for 18 months, recording driving habits of long-haul truck drivers. The long-term study discovered the habits of truck drivers is very similar to regular everyday drivers, Specifically, the study looked into the amount of time drivers spend reading or writing text messages auto risk immediately prior to an accident, participants spent almost five seconds looking at their cell phone. The results of the study showed that drivers who texted were times more likely to get into an accident than drivers who didn’t text.The study will eventually be published, but is now undergoing peer review.People driving a regular car are times as likely to get into a motor accident while using their phone and driving. Other studies indicate the use of Bluetooth headsets allowing for "hands-free" driving doesn't reduce the risk of accidents, with research indicating it's the distraction of having a conversation on the phone, not holding it, that is dangerous.Fourteen states across the United States have banned texting while driving, with a dozen or so other states looking into similar laws. Texting is still such a new phenomenon that lawmakers are now just beginning to catch up to the technology. A soon be published survey from the Foundation for Traffic Safety indicates percent of drivers believe texting is unacceptable, though percent admit to texting while driving.However, there are some states that require additional information research to be done before banning texting, while lawmakers in other states have rejected creating such legislation. Any lawmakers looking for more information likely won't have to wait long, as there are a handful of universities and research groups working on additional studies related to texting and driving.

breaking news that texting while driving is a bad idea. But a study released Monday nightreveals just how dangerous it really can be.After examining the behavior of truck drivers covering morethan million miles of road, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute concluded thatpeople who send text messages while driving are times more likely to be in a crash or what they call a near-crash event than nondistracted drivers.To conduct the study, researchers mounted cameras inside drivers' vehicles. They studied where drivers' eyes were looking as they did various things, such as texting, dialing a cell phone, talking on a phone, and reaching for an object. Not surprisingly, the numbers showed that the tasks that took people's eyes off the road caused the greatest amount of danger.In crashes or near-crashes, texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of enough time, the report point out, to travel the length of a football field at mph.By contrast, talking on a cell phone, which allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road, represented an increased risk of only times that of a nondistracted driver.The study's authors called into question past research that indicated driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk. While those results may have been found in lab tests and driving simulations, they say, the same was not true in real-world situations. They also noted that, contrary to popular belief, talking on a cell phone with a wireless headset is not substantially safer than talking on a regular handset. This is because the most significant factor as far as safety is concerned is to keep one's eyes on the road, the report said.The institute says any task that takes a driver's eyes off the road should be avoided and suggests that all cell phone activity should be banned for newly licensed teenagers because they're more prone to using their phones.Come on you can't accept one study as absolute fact. You have to question their method. Were drivers using Of all the people in the crash how many were involved in a crash. That would be more of a true figure of the risk.Yeah you have to have all of the factors be the same in every test. For example, I sometimes text while driving and while some say how dangerous it is because im not watching the road. double checking on spelling. Is it AS safe as not texting? well no nothing beats but is this method im using going to increase my chance of accident Also.. it takes a teeny tiny bit of common sense to realized that if you are texting.. your reaction-time is going to pay at the very least even if you see the person in front of you slam on their brake you are not holding the steering wheel appropriately. If you have to swerve for some reason your probably going to end up in the middle of that bar personally don't care what method of texting someone . Texting while driving is one of the most moronic things can do while driving. Regardless of where you may fall on a graph, you are only fooling yourself if you think somehow you are less of a risk than anyone else. Those kind of statements are really just a way of justifying your texting behaviors. Safe texting?Not while driving and it doesn't take a "scientific" experiment to figure that out. People are just in too big of a hurry. My only question is, that if two separate cars are texting and they collide into each other, is it a "no fault" or a "double fault" accident?? Think about it for a minute before you think texting while driving is a smart thing to do.I've seriously thought about changing careers, just to become a traffic cop and ticket everyone of the ignorant, arrogant morons here in south silicon valley that I see blatantly ignoring the no texting/talking law. And the fine should be a simple or point in your license!And if you think that's harsh then try doing it in England No, you see, if you acknowledged texting while driving a tonne of steel/aluminium was dangerous regardless, that would be one thing. But the fact that you think using a different handset mitigates the risk will actually result in your behaviours being even more risky as you believe you're in less danger.The reality is, if you believe what you are doing is safe (or safer) you'll do it and thus endanger the rest of us.I've tried it a couple of times to see what it was like, and found it impossible. Instead, I stuck with simply waiting until I'm stopped at a stoplight. This isn't a problem if you're stuck in the middle of going-home traffic hour.Even if you do as older people do - keep your cell phone up in front of the windshield - you still lose eye contact with the road in front of you, and you completely ignore the rear and side mirrors for a prolonged period of time.Reply to this commentmessages, both while playing with a new phone . I have answered my phone twice seconds or less while driving expecting return emergent call, and have never placed a call while driving.Crackberries and other ball n'chain devices should have an auto-off function that cannot be disabled. Restuarants, theaters, libraries, churches, and vehicles should have a faraday cage built in. No one's life is worth your text message. Pray you never face the next of kin at a funeral, having to tell them you killed their loved one because you had to text while driving. They should make the criminal charge murder in the second degree. Or dramatically beef up the negligent homicide laws. This is another case of law and jurisprudence failing to catch up to technological innovation.Reply to this commentI normally don't like going overboard with certain laws but I have to agree. people, texting while driving is equivalent to drunk driving. There are plenty of studies on this and people really need to open there eyes because I am not the person you want to deal with if I or any of my loved ones are involved in a wreck with texting driver. Bank on it!!What's sad is that law & jurisprudence has to catch up with technology. It seems common sense is no longer taught to children by their parents Personally, I think driving test requirements ought to be far stricter than they are. A person should be required to prove they know all driving rules & regulations, and that they are safe on the road before getting an unrestricted license.A Faraday cage built into the car? Really? What about the passengers? They can safely text. I totally agree with banning "crackberries" in churches. There few things more dangerous than texting during Unfortunately the law has kept up with this - most statutes relating to roads have generalised sections relating to 'impairment of capacity' and 'reasonable attention' etc etc. They all have sections that and I"m paraphrasing as they all say it differently 'drive to an accident' - that doesn't mean impair your concentration to increase the risk of one. Texting while driving is the same stupidity as someone who gets in a car and drives despite being on medication that says 'do not operate heavy machinery' - and they go, but i was just driving to the shop - the answer: um, a car is a pretty damn heavy machine idiiot. The laws are there, it is the interpretation that is suffering. While we continue to insist the law be specific on such things endangers the laws from always being in catch up mode. They were written to deal with any distraction in a car.I text while driving and regularly talk on the phone for business, and I have never been in a wreck and I'm years old. So one study doesn't convince me. I remember the studies that came out and said eggs are bad for you, then they came out and said no eggs are a good food.

This is ridiculous we already have way too much government involved in our everyday lives, stay out of my car big brother!Unfortunately you seem like the person who will only convinced by first hand experience. Just cause you haven't been in a crash up till now doesn't mean you will never get into one.first part is nonsense. There's no need for such a study in the first place, it's no rocket science, the study is only saying how dangerous it is. Can you drive blindfolded? The moment you risk MY life I call it assault. And you should be charged.I hope you end up killing yourself and no one else when you eventually crash Your recklessness is not appreciated by the rest of us who are forced to share the road with you. Moron. Keep your idiocy within the confines of your own home.Comparing texting studies with egg studies is just further proof why those of you justifying your behaviors are on borrowed time. Your excuses sound like the ones drunk drivers give. "I have been drinking and driving for twenty years and never had a wreck" I am sure everyone knows that type and then BAM!! While we're at it, if you don't like "big brother", then don't carry insurance on your car, drive at night with your headlights off, and keep on texting while you're driving. After all, if there is no line, how will you know when you have crossed it?how stupid can you be? I suppose you think drunk driving is ok too if someone tells you they do it and has never been in a wreck? If you take yourself out of the gene pool by your stupidity it would be a fitting end. I just hope that you don't take somebody else with you. And note this is not just one study, there have been many studies showing the same thing. It hardly needs a study though, it is so blindingly obvious to most people.you are an idiot. Plain and simple. If ANYONE thinks that texting while driving isn't a bad idea. They are idiots too. I figure survival of the fittest, if you're stupid enough to text while in control of a lb weapon, then when you crash, i hope you don't hurt any innocent people. I don't feel bad about you. God's way of getting rid of the idiots.you are exploiting a legitimate concern (too much government intervention) to argue a case that is more about a condition of driving that has ALWAYS existed - way before you got your precious phone. In a car, that is a heavy machine more than capable of killing a human being, you must always place your priority first on driving safely. Give your full consideration to the road. Not some, not just the spare left over bit after you've had your chat. No. This is not big government. This is basic machine safety. If you were in a factory using heavy machines you wouldn't be debating this. You'd all know someone who'd lost a finger from a slip in concentration.

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The federal government plans to sell its shares in General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group as soon as it can, the head of the autos task force told a congressional panel Monday.We are very eager to dispose of them as soon as possible," said Ron Bloom, chairman of the Treasury Department task force overseeing and Chrysler. auto style, our expectation is a Bloom said the government would not sell all of its shares at initial public offerings as it could get more money following an should shares of the company rise. He did not give a timetable on such a sale of or Chrysler stock.The U.S. government owns percent of the new General Motors and eight percent of Chrysler. The task force is overseeing the two companies because they have received New versions of both GM and Chrysler recently emerged from short stays in government-funded bankruptcy protection, cleansed of old debt and burdensome contracts.Bloom would not articulate any particular financial or operational milestones or Chrysler have to reach before the government would cash out its stock.It's going to be based on the situation," he said, adding that success would be measured in the taxpayer's ability to get their money back. treasurer, Walter Borst, testified that would seek to repay its loans faster than the six year timeframe outlined by the autos task force. He added that is now working on "fresh start" accounting measures that companies use to reorganize their books following a trip through bankruptcy court.Jan Bertsch, senior vice president and treasurer for Chrysler, said the company would be able to service all of its debt.Our goal is to pay that back," she said of the government loans. "We see no issues paying it back."Also at the hearing, Bloom denied that the government had coerced Chrysler's debtholders into dropping a legal protest that they were being treated unfairly in court. Some holders of $6.9 billion in secured Chrysler debt initially protested that they were being pushed behind unsecured creditors such as the United Auto Workers union's retiree health care trust.But the debtholders dropped their protests after receiving $2 billion in cash to wipe out their debt.Bloom said he spoke to former task force chief Steven Rattner, who denied making any threats to any of the lenders. Some of the lenders had received government money from the bank bailout program.Rattner stepped down from the task force on July and was replaced by Bloom, a former United Steel Workers union official.The administration said Rattner had decided to return to private life and his family in New York City. It remained unclear whether the departure had anything to do with the ongoing public corruption probe that has nibbled at Rattner's heels in New York.Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and the Securities and Exchange Commission have charged a state official and a political consultant with extracting millions of dollars in kickbacks from investment firms trying to raise money from the state's big public pension fund.The private equity firm Rattner led before joining President Barack Obama's administration, the Quadrangle Group, paid more than million to one of the people indicted in the case, New York political consultant Hank Morris.Rattner has declined to comment.Rep. Jeb Hensarling, of Texas and a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel, said he was "disappointed" that a representative from the United Auto Workers union as well as the CEOs of and Chrysler were not present to testify.Now that it is time to account for the money, you don't see them today," he said.and Chrysler appeared before Congress last December, asking for aid to save the companies from liquidation. Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford Motor Co. also went before Congress, but did not take government aid. Alan Mulally has said that Ford would not be disadvantaged compared with and Chrysler's cost cutting deals with the UAW or by Financial Services, GM's auto financing company now controlled by the government.At issue is whether would get more favorable loan rates than other auto financing companies, such as Ford Motor Credit. has received a total of billion in government funding to make loans to car buyers and dealers.Bloom said was still on equal footing with Ford Motor Credit, when it came to favorable loan terms.We are not aware of any rate discrepancies," he said.We would not expect to sell the entire stake,” said Ron Bloom who testified before the Congressional Oversight Panel at a hearing in Detroit. Bloom was questioned by Chairwoman Elizabeth Warren, who is a Harvard Law School professor, and Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R Texas. The point of the hearing was to learn more about the task force’s ongoing role in managing the two companies after the government has invested billions of taxpayer dollars in them. Chrysler and GM used an accelerated government-backed bankruptcy process to leave behind their unproductive assets and sell their most viable operations to new companies with much lower costs.In a credit bid, creditors agree to forgive their loans to the company in this case, billion. Delphi said the bid was similar to the offer originally submitted by Platinum.Delphi said the creditors' offer was supported by its former parent, General Motors Co. To win the bankruptcy auction, the offer still must be approved by the bankruptcy court.Much of Platinum's proposed billion acquisition of Delphi would have been financed by GM, which also would have acquired several of Delphi's North American plants and its global steering business. Platinum has said it would put up million in cash when the deal closes and put another million in a fund that Delphi could draw on as needed.

A majority of Delphi's creditors voted against the Platinum deal, according to court documents filed last week.The outcome marks a rare setback for Platinum, which is headed by year-old Tom Gores and specializes in acquiring distressed companies. Platinum, which earlier this year acquired Alcoa Inc.'s wire harness and electrical distribution business, had planned to add Delphi to what it hoped would be a group of auto suppliers.Platinum's quest for Delphi was marked by controversy. The creditors complained during a court hearing last month that Gores' firm was getting a "sweetheart" deal that would enrich Platinum while repaying Delphi's bankruptcy lenders no more than 20 cents on the dollar.Another hurdle to Delphi's emergence from bankruptcy was crossed last week when a government agency agreed to take over its pension plans because GM is no longer able to assume them. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. agreed to take responsibility for funds covering Delphi workers and retirees.he transfer, subject to court approval, would reduce the financial burden on GM as Troy, Mich.-based Delphi tries to exit court protection.Beverly Hills investment firm Platinum Equity has failed in its effort to acquire Delphi Corp. after the bankrupt auto parts maker opted late today to accept a competing bid from its creditors.Delphi, which has been under bankruptcy protection since 2005, said in a statement that its board of directors had agreed to accept a "pure credit" bid from its bankruptcy lenders. The bid was approved "following consultation with Delphi's official committee of unsecured creditors and its largest based union," the company said.How will we know if the taxpayer investment is a success?” Warren asked.Bloom’s response: “Success will be measured by whether taxpayers get their money back.”Bloom also said Chrysler and GM will begin to release quarterly financial reports by the end of this year. They are no longer publicly traded companies, although 20% of Chrysler’s stock is owned by Fiat, which is owned by public investors.Those initial reports will include revenue and profitability, but may not have all the accounting detail required by the Securities and Exchange Commission of publicly traded companies. Over time, the quarterly reports will become more comprehensive as they will have to be if and when either company seeks to share stock to investors.Hensarling is among the Republican congressmen who did not support the use of Treasury assistance for Chrysler and GM. He read letters and e-mails from several GM bondholders who asked why they ended up with a smaller share of the new company Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association which people in Michigan out of work, more people are losing their homes each month and there’s little demand from buyers. The state has the nation’s seventh-highest foreclosure rate, with more than filings in June, according to RealtyTrac Inc. Housing prices in the Detroit area have fallen in the past year, under the Shiller Home Price Index, and have dropped since late No other state has lost as many jobs, and lost them so quickly and apparently so permanently,” says East Lansing economist Patrick Anderson, who doesn’t see Michigan’s economy turning around until employment begins to rise something that might not happen until late next year.People need to have jobs and good prospects of employment before they can borrow money, before they can start businesan pay their bills,” he said.

Auto wheel

Say yes to huckleberries, yes to lazy days by the lake, yes to fast bikes on long trails.Say no to fancy French pronunciation. Say no, also, to white supremacy. And say no, thank you, to the Rocky Mountain oysters at the Snake Pit restaurant east of town, unless you like bull testicles.Follow this simple advice, and you'll probably do just fine here in the middle of the Idaho panhandle, where the lakeside city of Coeur d'Alene (pronounced core-DA-lane) draws travelers and second-homers from all over the West.At the docks, you can catch a ride to the golf course, take a 90-minute cruise on Coeur d'Alene Lake, hop on a float plane or rent a kayak. At McEuen Field, a youth baseball diamond between the main drag and the lake, you can sit in the bleachers, munch on a $2 hot dog from the snack shack, then stroll down to the water's edge or up to the Moose Lounge for a cold one. At the Wolf Lodge Steakhouse on the eastern end of town, you and your beloved can share a ounce sirloin steak.Now that I've spent a few days here, I have an idea why many Southern Californians including more than a few Los Angeles cops have retired to northern Idaho, why so many travelers arrive every summer -- and why some stay away. Whenever somebody starts talking about "the light at the end of the tunnel," I'll think of Idaho for reasons I'll explain in a minute.The hub of action in Coeur d'Alene is the lakefront, where the 18-story Coeur d'Alene Golf & Spa Resort rises next to City Park. On a grassy expanse here, the Rotarians and the Kiwanis appear to be locked in a vicious struggle over who can provide more benches, playground structures and bandstand improvements. Wooden lifeguard towers overlook a family-friendly beach. Float planes, cruise boats and a gaggle of rental watercraft line the dock, and a sculpted moose stands sentinel at Independence Point, where local teens like to sunbathe and practice their slouches.Every few hours, though, the sun or the scenery overcomes one of them, usually a boy. He'll slowly back up, like a gymnast preparing for a floor exercise, then rush forward, hurl himself through the air, soaring over the concrete steps and the stenciled letters saying, then splash down into the water. They do the same from nearby Tubbs Hill, but from boulders and cliffs.Maybe the water exerts some sort of gravitational pull. The lake stretches south for miles and fills with all sorts of pleasure craft in the summer. Hiking and biking paths are threaded around its miles of shoreline.The city of Coeur d'Alene (population about is neatly spread around the resort. The lakefront area's main drag, Sherman Avenue, is peppered with restaurants, a few motels and numerous galleries, including several that focus on glass art and Western art.Apparently, Coeur d'Alene's name comes from the early days of interaction between this area's Indians and the French-speaking traders who eventually showed up. As this story goes, the American Indians were tough traders, so a settler concluded, in French, that these bargainers had "the heart" of an awl.Tastes are conservative here. The city is about white, and the county, Kootenai, voted for John McCain. Over the years, there have been some whose politics have fallen beyond the Democrat-Republican spectrum. One of the nation's most notorious white supremacists had his clubhouse just outside town for three decades, until nine years ago, when neighbors and lawyers shut him down. For more on that, see sidebar: Once home to Aryan Nations, northern Idaho makes progress. I kept an eye out on Sherman Avenue for hints of those troubles, but in four days I never saw any. Instead, I kept seeing signs that Coeur d'Alene, with its growing trade in tourism and second homes, could begin to look a little bit like Sun Valley, at least in summer. If the clocks around here once seemed stuck in 1959, they're ticking now.The resort, the pound gorilla of tourism around the lake, opened in the 1960s, then expanded in the . And then in it added a widely admired golf course with a floating 14th hole. You see lots of expensive boats in the hotel marina, including one that carries guests to the golf course. You get spectacular views from the hotel's upper floors, including from the fancy Beverly's restaurant.Whether you stay in a resort room or a motel room (as I did, at the Resort City Inn), it's easy enough to pass a summer's day: If you're not golfing or fishing, you're on a lake cruise boat, on the beach, paddling in a kayak or dangling a few hundred feet above the lake on a parasailing ride.To get lunch or get out of the sun, you walk up to Sherman Avenue. And if it's a Wednesday afternoon in summer, there will be a little farmers market at 5th Street.Instead of spuds, it's huckleberries that show up everywhere, in pies, smoothies, beer, ice cream and more. Beginning late this month, they usually start appearing at the Kootenai County Farmers Market, alongside the smoked meat, organic soap, organic tofu and organic hummus.The afternoon when I browsed, many shoppers showed up on bikes -- not surprising considering the growing network of trails around town. The North Idaho Centennial Trail carries nonmotorized traffic miles west from Higgins sometimes spelled HiggensPoint on Coeur d'Alene Lake to the Washington line (then goes on more miles under the name Spokane River Centennial Trail. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, another paved path for nonmotorized riders, runners and skaters, was completed in It runs miles along an old rail route between the towns of Mullan and Plummer. The federal Environmental Protection Agency, eager to seal old mining byproducts below the asphalt, was key in creating the trail.In winter, the area draws skiers to Silver Mountain Resort minutes east in Kellogg and Schweitzer Mountain Resort minutes north in Sandpoint For the last several years, the summer calendar has been highlighted by the Ironman triathlon and the Car d'Lane auto show, both in June, and a downtown street fair, restaurant showcase and art-on-the-green festival, which fall between Friday and Aug. this year.Besides the resort course, many golfers hit the Circling Raven and StoneRidge courses nearby. Many families leave room in their itineraries for Silverwood, the biggest theme park in the Pacific Northwest, miles north of town.One thing Coeur d'Alene doesn't offer, at least so far, is desperate recession discounting.Dani Zibell-Wolfe, vice president for tourism at the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, in mid-June reported that hotel occupancy was running less than behind last year.In tumultuous times, maybe old-school American atmosphere sells better. Surely that should please John and Tina Hough, owners of the Roosevelt Inn. Their four-story bed-and-breakfast began life as a red-brick school in and remained an active campus until 1971. In fact, John Hough attended grade school there. Now, most of the rooms are named after former teachers, and the halls are lined with old class photos.The same day I checked out the Roosevelt Inn, I wound up on one of the Tubbs Hill trails, shooting the breeze with the Holt family as they lazed and clowned on a big rock.She's trying to catch some fish. But the fish are jacking her worms," said Dallas Holt, , giggling, as his stepmother, Tiesha Holt, cast and cast again.Coeur d'Alene was looking pretty good, and I was already imagining the Fourth of July fireworks. But to appreciate this territory properly, you can't just stand and stare.Think like a train," said the man in the Lookout Pass bike-rental shop, handing me a map.I was about miles east of Coeur d'Alene, in the Bitterroot Mountains on the Idaho-Montana line. My rented bike and rack in place, I drove up an unpaved mountain road to the mouth of a railway tunnel. Ministers moved to quell swine flu hysteria last night, as concerns grew that the National Health Service might be overwhelmed by hordes of "unnecessarily anxious" people who could make a full recovery at home.Amid rising government worry about how NHS staff will cope as the virus spreads, health secretary Andy Burnham warned that panic itself could push services to breaking point. Health Department officials said there was a danger of a "panic pandemic" that could hinder the treatment of more serious cases.Calling for calm, Burnham said that although swine flu presented a huge challenge for the country, it was not a life-threatening condition for the vast majority of peopleHe told the Observer that it was vital not to over-react and claimed the government had the situation under control. "It is very important for everybody to keep a sense of perspective," he said. "It has been a mild virus in the vast majority of cases, with relatively mild symptoms from which people recover fully fairly quickly.If people are made unnecessarily anxious, it makes the lives of NHS professionals, who are already under enormous pressure, far more difficult as people become unduly worried.He added: "People should be assured that we have been planning our response to a pandemic for a long time."Health officials are also concerned at rising levels of fear among parents who know that children are particularly susceptible to the irus.Doctors last night tried to reassure families that the vast majority of young people would get better without a visit to their surgery or a hospital.Professor Terence Stephenson, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. said: "Health services struggle when they are overwhelmed by people who don't need to be there.Our first message to parents of young children is to keep this in perspective and keep calm. There are 11 million children in England and of them are in hospital [with swine flu]. For the four families where children have died, it is an absolute tragedy, but if you are talking about a previously healthy child where swine flu has led to their death, there have been none.Last Thursday, the Health Protection Agency said that consultation rates had risen sharply in the past week, with children under the worst affected group. The overs continued to show a much slower rate. The HPA estimated that there had been cases in England in the past week. Overall, people have died. Department of Health spokesman said that last week's launch of a helpline for sufferers had already eased pressure on surgeries. Figures released last night showed that the service enabled people to receive antivirals on its first day of operation. Some people used the service, of whom used the self-assessment scheme on the internet.Burnham said: "People in need of antivirals are able to get them quickly and conveniently using the new service, and it is freeing up GPs to look after patients in risk groups as well as those with other illnesses."He made it clear that he was angry with Andrew Lansley, the Tory health spokesman, for criticising his decision to delay the setting up of the helpline. Lansley described it as too little, too late Burnham said the comment was "unhelpful" and insisted that doctors had urged him to hold back from setting up the line until H1N1 had spread more widely.Burnham also pointed out that, over the past years, there had been around flu deaths a year in England and Wales.Meanwhile, ministers afraid of stoking more "crisis" headlines - refused to be drawn on whether Parliament would have to be recalled if the number of cases continued to escalate at the same rate, or on whether the country had sufficient intensive care beds.Although Stephenson moved to reassure parents, he said contingency plans were in place. These included plans to move children into intensive care beds meant for adults. The NHS has intensive care beds for children and for adults. also said that hospitals could increase recruitment, while cancelling planned admissionsProfessor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of, that too many people who were not unwell were turning up at surgeries: "There's too much preoccupation with the threat of death. The numbers of people getting influenza are still tiny. The reality is, that for most people it's a basically mild illness, and we are losing sight of that."Field argued that it was crucial for there to be no unnecessary pressure on GPs or hospitals, partly because they needed to prepare for later in the year. "This is almost like the phoney war at the moment," he said. "The big danger and real threat is that there will be a big spike in the numbers of people with influenza in the autumn.People should regard the phase we're in now as a practice for far more people having it over a sustained period of a few weeks in the autumn. If that happens, we will have learned valuable lessons from what we're doing now."It looked dark in there.For decades, this was the route of the Olympian and Olympian Hiawatha passenger trains running between Chicago and Seattle-Tacoma. The trains stopped operating about 1980. In the late 1990s, workers hauled away nearly miles of tracks. Just like that, a mountain-bike trail was born.

Auto dolz

Say yes to huckleberries, yes to lazy days by the lake, yes to fast bikes on long trails.Say no to fancy French pronunciation. Say no, also, to white supremacy. And say no, thank you, to the Rocky Mountain oysters at the Snake Pit restaurant east of town, unless you like bull testicles.

Follow this simple advice, and you'll probably do just fine here in the middle of the Idaho panhandle, where the lakeside city of Coeur d'Alene draws travelers and second-homers from all over the West.At the docks, you can catch a ride to the golf course, take a auto minute cruise on Coeur d'Alene Lake, hop on a float plane or rent a kayak. At McEuen Field, a youth baseball diamond between the main drag and the lake, you can sit in the bleachers, munch on a hot dog from the snack shack, then stroll down to the water's edge or up to the Moose Lounge for a cold one. At the Wolf Lodge Steakhouse on the eastern end of town, you and your beloved can share a ounce sirloin steak.Now that I've spent a few days here, I have an idea why many Southern Californians including more than a few Los Angeles cops have retired to northern Idaho, why so many travelers arrive every summer and why some stay away. Whenever somebody starts talking about "the light at the end of the tunnel," I'll think of Idaho for reasons I'll explain in a minute.The hub of action in Coeur d'Alene is the lak Ministers moved to quell swine flu hysteria last night, as concerns grew that the National Health Service might be overwhelmed by hordes of "unnecessarily anxious" people who could make a full recovery at home.Amid rising government worry about how NHS staff will cope as the virus spreads, health secretary Andy Burnham warned that panic itself could push services to breaking point. Health Department officials said there was a danger of a "panic pandemic" that could hinder the treatment of more serious cases.
Calling for calm, Burnham said that although swine flu presented a huge challenge for the country, it was not a life-threatening condition for the vast majority of people.He told the Observer that it was vital not to over-react and claimed the government had the situation under control. "It is very important for everybody to keep a sense of perspective," he said. "It has been a mild virus in the vast majority of cases, with relatively mild symptoms from which people recover fully fairly quickly.If people are made unnecessarily anxious, it makes the lives of NHS professionals, who are already under enormous pressure, far more difficult as people become unduly worried."He added: "People should be assured that we have been planning our response to a pandemic for a long time."Health officials are also concerned at rising levels of fear among parents who know that children are particularly susceptible to the Doctors last night tried to reassure families that the vast majority of young people would get better without a visit to their GP's surgery or a hospital.efront, where the 18-story Coeur d'Alene Golf & Spa Resort rises next to City Park. On a grassy expanse here, the Rotarians and the Kiwanis appear to be locked in a vicious struggle over who can provide more benches, playground structures and bandstand improvements. Wooden lifeguard towers overlook a family-friendly beach. Float planes, cruise boats and a gaggle of rental watercraft line the dock, and a sculpted moose stands sentinel at Independence Point, where local teens like to sunbathe and practice their slouches.Every few hours, though, the sun or the scenery overcomes one of them, usually a boy. He'll slowly back up, like a gymnast preparing for a floor exercise, then rush forward, hurl himself through the air, soaring over the concrete steps and the stenciled letters saying NO DIVING, then splash down into the water. They do the same from nearby Tubbs Hill, but from boulders and cliffs.Maybe the water exerts some sort of gravitational pull. The lake stretches south for miles and fills with all sorts of pleasure craft in the summer. Hiking and biking paths are threaded around its miles of shoreline.The city of Coeur d'Alene is neatly spread around the resort. The lakefront area's main drag, Sherman Avenue, is peppered with restaurants, a few motels and numerous galleries, including several that focus on glass art and Western art.Apparently, Coeur d'Alene's name comes from the early days of interaction between this area's Indians and the French speaking traders who eventually showed up. As this story goes, the American Indians were tough traders, so a settler concluded, in French, that these bargainers had "the heart Tastes are conservative here. The city is about white, and the county, Kootenai, voted for John McCain. Over the years, there have been some whose politics have fallen beyond the Democrat-Republican spectrum. One of the nation's most notorious white supremacists had his clubhouse just outside town for three decades, until nine years ago, when neighbors and lawyers shut him down. For more on that, see sidebar: Once home to Aryan Nations, northern Idaho makes progress. I kept an eye out on Sherman Avenue for hints of those troubles, but in four days I never saw any. Instead, I kept seeing signs that Coeur d'Alene, with its growing trade in tourism and second homes, could begin to look a little bit like Sun Valley, at least in summer. If the clocks around here once seemed stuck in , they're ticking now.The resort, the pound gorilla of tourism around the lake, opened in the s, then expanded in the '80s. And then in 1991 it added a widely admired golf course with a floating 14th hole. You see lots of expensive boats in the hotel marina, including one that carries guests to the golf course. You get spectacular views from the hotel's upper floors, including from the fancy Beverly's restaurant.Whether you stay in a resort room or a motel room , it's easy enough to pass a summer's day: If you're not golfing or fishing, you're on a lake cruise boat, on the beach, paddling in a kayak or dangling a few hundred feet above the lake on a parasailing ride.To get lunch or get out of the sun, you walk up to Sherman Avenue. And if it's aWednesdayafternoon in summer, there will be a little farmers market at th Street.Instead of spuds, it's huckleberries that show up everywhere, in pies, smoothies, beer, ice cream and more. Beginning late this month, they usually start appearing at the Kootenai County Farmers Market, alongside the smoked meat, organic soap, organic tofu and organic hummus.The afternoon when I browsed, many shoppers showed up on bikes not surprising considering the growing network of trails around town. The North Idaho Centennial Trail carries nonmotorized traffic 24 miles west from Higgins sometimes spelled Higgens Point on Coeur d'Alene Lake to the Washington line then goes on more miles under the name Spokane River Centennial Trail The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, another paved path for nonmotorized riders, runners and skaters, was completed in It runs miles along an old rail route between the towns of Mullan and Plummer. The federal Environmental Protection Agency, eager to seal old mining byproducts below the asphalt, was key in creating the trail.In winter, the area draws skiers to Silver Mountain Resort minutes east in Kellogg and Schweitzer Mountain Resort auto minutes north in Sandpoint For the last several years, the summer calendar has been highlighted by the Ironman triathlon and the Car d'Lane auto show, both in June, and a downtown street fair, restaurant showcase and art on the-green festival, which fall between Friday and Aug. this year.Besides the resort course, many golfers hit the Circling Raven and StoneRidge courses nearby. Many families leave room in their itineraries for Silverwood, the biggest theme park in the Pacific Northwest, miles north of town.One thing Coeur d'Alene doesn't offer, at least so far, is desperate recession discounting.
Dani Zibell-Wolfe, vice president for tourism at the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, inmid-June reported that hotel occupancy was running less than behind last year.Intumultuous times, maybe old-school American atmosphere sells better. Surely that should please John and Tina Hough, owners of the Roosevelt Inn. Their four-story bed-and-breakfast began life as a red-brick school in and remained an active campus until In fact, John Hough attended grade school there. Now, most of the rooms are named after former teachers, and the halls are lined with old class photos he same day I checked out the Roosevelt Inn, I wound up on one of the Tubbs Hill trails, shooting the breeze with the Holt family as they lazed and clowned on a big rock.She's trying to catch some fish. But the fish are jacking her worms," said Dallas Holt, 5, giggling, as his stepmother, Tiesha Holt, cast and cast again.aCoeur d'Alene was looking pretty good, and I was already imagining the Fourth of July fireworks But to appreciate this territory properly, you can't just stand and stare.

Black auto

Auto black Ride for the Animals July egistration at Electric City Harley Davidson . passenger. Benefits Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. Annual You Are Not Forgotten Ride Aug. , register kickstand noon at Marine Corps League Benefits our troops. Call Howard for info Annual Tommy . Memorial Car/Street Rod & Bike Show Aug.at Crestwood High School, Mountain Top. Trophies, dash plaques for all participants, food, refreshments, music by Johnny Diamond, more. For application, call Annual Freemason’s Car Bike Show & Cruise to the Trolley Shop Rimrock Rd., Stroudsburg. Features and music, auction, giveaways, food, more. Dash plaques to first cars. Pre-registration day register at poconocarshow.com. Benefits juvenile diabetes and D.A.R.E. Call for info. Annual Flames Us Flamethrowers Club Rod & Custom Cruise-In Aug. at Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, spectator admission car registration advance, after Aug. Camping available for night advance, after Aug. Call or visit rodandcustomcruisein.com. Annual British Car and Motor Bike Show Julya.m. at South Abington Park, Chinchilla. Music by RossiMcGurl Project, featured Mark is Jaguar. Awards p.m. For info contact Harry Ware or Bruce Decker .Eighth Annual Rolling Car Cruise Aug. in downtown Hazleton. Enter on Church Chestnut Sts. Call for info.Antique Car Club of America Region car cruise last Friday of each month on Public Square Wilkes-Barre from through Oct. Car Cruise every Fri. of month, p.m. at Curry Donuts Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre. Features DJ controlled burnouts. Due to rain, July’s will be held July Castawayz Rod & Bike Nights between Berwick and Orangeville Aug. vehicle parking p.m. Rain or shine, all vehicles welcome. Features oldies music and drawing.Coal Cracker Cruisers Car Club cruise nights at Advance Auto RouteCarbondal Fri. of month,. Food provided by Boy Scout Troop .Froggy Car Cruise Fri. from at the Shoppes at Montage. Free, prizes, all types of cars welcome.Hi Lites Motor Club Twist & Shake Aug. , at Pikes Creek. Features door prizes, music, food, more.King of Clubz Car Cruise every other Wed. from. at Luna S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre). Features live music, giveaways, Club girls, Miller Lite girls, more. enter bar. For more info, visit Mountain Classicsmontageclassics.comAntiques, classic, hot rods, custom cars, trucks and motorcycles welcome. McDonald’s South Side Shopping Center: Aug Johnny Rockets Moosic: Halloween Cruise Oct.Make a Difference For the Kids car show: Aug. at Pittston Commons on Pittston Bypass. Features DJ, awards, judging starts noon. donation per car. Rain date Aug. Pocono Wildlife Rehab Center Benefit Ride register a.m., at Schoch’s Harley Davidson, ride leaves noon.Call Lori for info/tickets

Red hot auto

Follow this simple advice, and you'll probably do just fine here in the middle of the Idaho panhandle, where the lakeside city of Coeur d'Alene auto red hot draws travelers and second-homers from all over the West.At the docks, you can catch a ride to the golf course, take a minute cruise on Coeur d'Alene Lake, hop on a float plane or rent a kayak. At McEuen Field, a youth baseball diamond between the main drag and the lake, you can sit in the bleachers, munch on a $2 hot dog from the snack shack, then stroll down to the water's edge or up to the Moose Lounge for a cold one. At the Wolf Lodge Steakhouse on the eastern end of town, you and your beloved can share a ounce sirloin steak.Now that I've spent a few days here, I have an idea why many Southern Californians including more than a few Los Angeles cops have retired to northern Idaho, why so many travelers arrive every summer and why some stay away. Whenever somebody starts talking about "the light at the end of the tunnel," I'll think of Idaho for reasons I'll explain in a minute.The hub of action in Coeur d'Alene is the lakefront, where the story Coeur d'Alene Golf & Spa Resort rises next to City Park. On a grassy expanse here, the Rotarians and the Kiwanis appear to be locked in a vicious struggle over who can provide more benches, playground structures and bandstand improvements. Wooden lifeguard towers overlook a family-friendly beach. Float planes, cruise boats and a gaggle of rental watercraft line the dock, and a sculpted moose stands sentinel at Independence Point, where local teens like to sunbathe and practice their slouches.Every few hours, though, the sun or the scenery overcomes one of them, usually a boy. He'll slowly back up, like a gymnast preparing for a floor exercise, then rush forward, hurl himself through the air, soaring over the concrete steps and the stenciled letters saying then splash down into the water. They do the same from nearby Tubbs Hill, but from boulders and cliffs.Maybe the water exerts some sort of gravitational pull. The lake stretches south for miles and fills with all sorts of pleasure craft in the summer. Hiking and biking paths are threaded around its auto shine miles of shoreline.The city is neatly spread around the resort. The lakefront area's main drag, Sherman Avenue, is peppered with restaurants, a few motels and numerous galleries, including several that focus on glass art and Western art Apparently, Coeur d'Alene's name comes from the early days of interaction between this area's Indians and the French-speaking traders who eventually showed up. As this story goes, the American Indians were tough traders, so a settler concluded, in French, that these bargainers had the heart Tastes are conservative here. The city is about white, and the county, Kootenai, voted for John McCain. Over the years, there have been some whose politics have fallen beyond the Democrat-Republican spectrum. One of the nation's most notorious white supremacists had his clubhouse just outside town for three decades, until nine years ago, when neighbors and lawyers shut him down. For more on that, see sidebar: Once home to Aryan Nations, northern Idaho makes progress. I kept an eye out on Sherman Avenue for hints of those troubles, but in four days I never saw any. Instead, I kept seeing signs that Coeur d'Alene, with its growing trade in tourism and second homes, could begin to look a little bit like Sun Valley, at least in summer. If the clocks around here once seemed stuck in, they're ticking now.The resort, the pound gorilla of tourism around the lake, opened in the , then expanded in the '. And then in it added a widely admired golf course with a floating 14th hole. You see lots of expensive boats in the hotel marina, including one that carries guests to the golf course. You get spectacular views from the hotel's upper floors, including from the fancy Beverly's restaurant.Whether you stay in a resort room or a motel room as I did, at the Resort City Inn, it's easy enough to pass a summer's day: If you're not golfing or fishing, you're on a lake cruise boat, on the beach, paddling in a kayak or dangling a few hundred feet above the lake on a parasailing ride.To get lunch or get out of the sun, you walk up to Sherman Avenue. And if it's a Wednesday afternoon in summer, there will be a little farmers market at th Street.Instead of spuds, it's huckleberries that show up everywhere, in pies, smoothies, beer, ice cream and more. Beginning late this month, they usually start appearing at the Kootenai County Farmers Market, alongside the smoked meat, organic soap, organic tofu and organic hummus.The afternoon when I browsed, many shoppers showed up on bikes not surprising considering the growing network of trails around town. The North Idaho Centennial Trail carries nonmotorized traffic 24 miles west from Higgins sometimes spelled Higgens Point on Coeur d'Alene Lake to the Washington line then goes on more miles under the name Spokane River Centennial Trail The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, another paved path for nonmotorized riders, runners and skaters, was completed in auto. It runs miles along an old rail route between the towns of Mullan and Plummer. The federal Environmental Protection Agency, eager to seal old mining byproducts below the asphalt, was key in creating the trail.In winter, the area draws skiers to Silver Mountain Resort auto hot and Schweitzer Mountain Resort minutes north in Sandpoint. For the last several years, the summer calendar has been highlighted by the Ironman triathlon and the Car d'Lane auto show, both in June, and a downtown street fair, restaurant showcase and art the green festival, which fall between Friday and Aug. this year.Besides the resort course, many golfers hit the Circling Raven and StoneRidge courses nearby. Many families leave room in their itineraries for Silverwood, the biggest theme park in the Pacific Northwest, miles north of town.

One thing Coeur d'Alene doesn't offer, at least so far, is desperate recession discounting.Dani Zibell Wolfe, vice president for tourism at the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, inmid-June reported that hotel occupancy was running less than behind last year.In tumultuous times, maybe old school American atmosphere sells better. Surely that should please John and Tina Hough, owners of the Roosevelt Inn. Their four story bed-and-breakfast began life as a red brick school in and remained an active campus until . In fact, John Hough attended grade school there. Now, most of the rooms are named after former teachers, and the halls are lined with old class photos.The same day I checked out the Roosevelt Inn, I wound up on one of the Tubbs Hill trails, shooting the breeze with the Holt family as they lazed and clowned on a big rock.She's trying to catch some fish. But the fish are jacking her worms," said Dallas Holt, giggling, as his stepmother, Tiesha Holt, cast and cast again.was looking pretty good, and I was already imagining the Fourth of July fireworks. But to appreciate this territory properly, you can't just stand and stare.Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond, who has a passion for blowing up old touring caravans, is being invited to take a break with his family in a luxury caravan holiday home on a five star park in Mid Wales.Think like a train," said the man in the Lookout Pass bike-rental shop, handing me a mapI was about miles east of Coeur d'Alene, in the Bitterroot Mountains on the Idaho-Montana line. My rented bike and rack in place, I drove up an unpaved mountain road to the mouth of a railway tunnel.It looked dark in there.For decades, this was the route of the Olympian and Olympian Hiawatha passenger trains running between Chicago and Seattle-Tacoma. The trains stopped operating about workers hauled away nearly auto miles of tracks. Just like that, a mountain bike trail was born.

Auto bike

When we first published a wartime photograph of Corporal Norbert Sandy on a “mystery machine, we had a trickle of feedback.It was suggested that Corporal Sandy, who was an airman in charge of the auto bike fixer station at Nedge Hill, Stirchley, was riding a Cyclemaster, which was essentially a conversion putting a little engine on the back wheel of a push bike.That really stirred things up, sparking memories largely bad ones for many readers of machines of yesteryear called autocycles. Uncool even in their day, they were a sort of feeble early moped of the auto the Cyclemaster did not appear until the And while there has been a lot of deliberation about the exact model of Corporal Sandy’s mount, the most confident assertions are in favour of the Excelsior Autobyk.Barry Jasper of The Sheet, Ludlow, sent in a photo of himself on his Autobyk Bought second-hand from a relative, it had a Villiers engine,” he said.As a farmworker I was allowed a petrol ration of one gallon per week miles. It had no gears and to start it you pedalled like mad and let the clutch in.One gallon of petrol and a quarter of a pint of oil to run the two-stroke engine cost two shillings Very expensive!On holiday recently, my partner suffered a heart attack and was rushed to hospital in Middlesbrough, miles away. I accompanied him in the ambulance. My son in law came up from Birmingham and the following day drove my partner's car home. Four days later my niece drove us both back to Birmingham.I have a Lloyds TSB gold account which includes free travel insurance. I inquired about making a claim but was initially told I couldn't claim for UK holidays. I phoned again and spoke to a different person who said I could claim but only for myself. I had to pay for my own accommodation in Middlesbrough, three nights for my niece and one for my son-in-law. I also gave my niece £50 for petrol. I made a third phone call to Lloyds, obtained a claim number, but was told that while they would have paid for a taxi back to Birmingham, they would not pay for the petrol. GR, Birmingham

Different members of staff have given you conflicting information. To put the record straight: Lloyds' free travel insurance covers incidents in the UK for three nights or more of pre-booked accommodation and extra expenditure paid by you and your partner but not any costs by or on behalf of anyone else.So Lloyds is, quite rightly, paying for what is covered by the travel insurance for your extra three nights' accommodation, for your partner's one unused night in the hotel and half the cost of petrol because only you and your partner, not your niece, are covered by the policy. But on this occasion, the bank is going a step further. It has agreed to increase the payment to include another for your niece's hotel bill, for your son in law's stay, and the other half of the petrol bill. After paying the excess, you will receive a cheque for
Email Margaret Dibben at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Margaret Dibben, Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, York Way, London and include a telephone number. Do not enclose SAEs or original documents. Letters are selected for publication and we cannot give personal replies. The newspaper accepts no legal responsibility for advice.I was forced to abandon it in a foot snowdrift and it was never the same again when I recovered it several weeks later. Happy days!Don Sheppard of Ketley Grange said: “When we were children a long time ago in Dudley we used to play on one of these machines. It was just after the war and there were a lot of surplus old motorcycles lying about. Things like that were chucked out. If we saw one we would jump on it. The pedals still went round, although we had no petrol.”Chapter and verse came in a contribution from A. H. Minton, of Abbeyfield, Bridgnorth, who wrote: “The machine that Corporal Sandy is shown riding is almost certainly an autocycle, a primitive light motor-assisted bicycle of which many thousands were made in the The bicycle frame was a heavy-duty device like a delivery bike and it carried a two-stroke engine of originally later uprated to The engine drove the back wheel in one gear only to give a top speed of about A set of pedals was also fitted, driving the rear wheel, thereby providing a means of turning the engine to start it and also a means of giving ‘light pedal assistance’ on gradientsAs the autobike was much heavier than even a robust proper bike, the problem of getting up a hill was appalling. I doubt if anyone ever climbed Harley Hill with such a vehicle.Nearly all the engines were made by Villiers of Wolverhampton. The design was a grand example of everything the Japanese could do better, but it could be maintained by a complete amateur and every part could be bought off the shelf at the Dawley cycle shop, which was just as well as most bits needed replacement at some time.Lighting and ignition were both provided by a flywheel generator. The permanent magnets in this used to get weak, giving rise to mysterious poor performance. This was a little understood fault Nevertheless these distinctly uncool machines were reasonably cheap to buy and achieved 90 to 100 miles per gallon from the petrol of about octane. My very first machine was an autobike and many old men of my era will admit the same. At one of my Army postings I was amazed to see the adjutant arriving to work on an autobike.I believe a well-kept autocycle will command a surprisingly high price at a vintage bike sale.”According to Al Ussher of Church Stretton, autocycles were a favourite of nurses, and inMeanwhile the very mention of the Cyclemaster seems to have made Bill Picklescott, of Church Stretton, shudder.These contraptions were awful, as they hardly ever ran properly, and were so underpowered as to be nearly useless, except when brand new,” he said.I know, because I owned several of these ‘abortions,’ as they were called. With names like Cyclaid, Winged Wheel, Mini Motor, Power Pac, Cyclemaster, Adpower, and so on, very few people persisted with them, and got cars instead.The bike in your photo could be an autocycle made by Scott, a machine much stronger than the ad-ons, which had a 98cc motor and more robust frame, dating from Regarding the driving test course around the Abbey Church in Shrewsbury, I failed mine on a Raleigh moped, another wretched unreliable motorised bike, which let me down halfway through the test!