His initial pledge was made last year as he sought leniency from the courts -- both the law court and that of public opinion -- and he reaffirmed his promise recently as he appeals the Seoul High Court to reverse the charges that landed him in jail for three years.
Doling out the Benjamins falls to an independent committee to be formed later in the year, which will use the money to provide for an opera house in Seoul and twelve other cultural institutions across the country. Chung also mentioned he hopes that the money will go toward funding an end to global warming.
$1.1 billion just ought to about cover that, right?
Depending on your viewpoint, California is trying to make the world better for people everywhere, or trying to kill all the joy of automobiles and perhaps the entire domestic auto industry.
In 2004, California adopted a requirement declaring that automakers reduce their fleets' CO2 emissions from September 2008, which would begin the 2009 model year. The first year's cut would be 1-2%, culminating in 2016 with a 24-36% reduction from the amount of 2002 CO2 levels. Eleven states have followed California's lead, but in order for the requirement to go into effect, California has to be granted a waiver for federal permission from the EPA.
The state of Vermont, which adopted California's stance, was sued last month by GM and a collection of auto industry partners. A verdict is still awaited. In that trial, it was said that in order to achieve that CO2 reduction, average mpg would need to be 43.
1 in 2016. The cost to automakers would be billions upon billions. Chrysler has said it could only sell Smarts in states with the measure.
GM said it could stop selling cars entirely in those states. There's howling on all sides, and it appears every side will not rest until it gains complete victory. Senators, meanwhile, are busy trying to protect their constituents and assuage voters with their own alternatives.
In 40 years, the EPA has never declined a waiver. If it approves California's request, six or so additional states are expected to adopt the same measures.
Posted May 16th 2007 4:28PM by
Filed under:
We resist writing posts on how expensive gas is nowadays because if we made it a habit, that's all we'd write.
Every once in a while, however, there's a news story about gas prices that we can't ignore. This past week, the national average price of gas beat the previous record set in the first week of September 2005, the week following Hurricane Katrina's devastating landfall. The national average price of gas peaked at $3.
11 that week. Since last January, however, the national average has been increasing on an uninterrupted pace. At the end of the first week of May, the average stood at $309.
70. On May 14th, it was reported by the government to have risen to $314.30, eclipsing the previous post-Katrnia record.
(Click to view the government's archive of average fuel prices.)
We don't claim to be analysts in this area, so we wouldn't venture to guess what various factors are conspiring to push the price of gas ever higher. We don't know if or when it will level off, or perhaps even decrease, though we imagine the retreat of summer and colder temperatures will bring some relief.
Nevertheless, we though it prudent to point out that as of May 14th, the price of gas is truly at record levels.
[Source: DailyFuelEconomyTip, ]
The 2008 may have gone from unattractive to almost too inoffensive, but the embattled CUV has at least moved to the head of the class with regards to safety.
The Tribeca scored a perfect "five stars" on both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's front and side impact crashes for the driver and front passenger. NHTSA gauges crash-worthiness by determining the probability of serious injury at impact speeds of 38.5 MPH for front impacts and 35 MPH for side impacts.
Subaru attributes the perfect score to top-notch structural design, plus "advanced active safety technologies, combined with Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and Vehicle Dynamics Control (Stability Control)."
A lot of new products on the market are claiming Five Star , but getting all fives for both driver and passenger in front and side impacts is still very impressive. Some of us may not be sold on the looks of Subaru's redesigned crossover, but at least the safety and interior are top notch.
Subaru's press release is posted after the jump.
Of all people and of all places. Normally, California is the state that launches all sorts of initiatives that drive carmakers into a frenzy.
Now, The Golden State is the one asserting that the national government might need to drop a few billion large to save The Big Three -- with a few left-handed compliments to go with it, of course.
Jerry Brown, the California Attorney General, said "The American auto industry is in deep trouble and they may require subsidies. They may have to be bailed out by the federal government that has just enabled their inefficiency and their gas guzzling.
" It's an intriguing position, because essentially, what he's saying is that the government that has allowed American car companies to be profligate with natural resources must now bail them out because it has allowed them to be profligate with natural resources. Twelve states are suing the US government over federal fuel efficiency standards, but Brown is then asking the government to bail them out if there are drastic penalties to pay or changes necessary for those automakers to enact. Brown said "The auto companies are in such a mess, because they persistently refuse to build fuel-efficient cars, that they might find it financially impossible to do the right thing.
If that proves to be the case, I think Congress has to look at ways of helping them."
The case won't be decided for some time, but the NHTSA says that is out to balance "economic practicability and technological feasibility," and that it is more concerned with energy conservation than environmental protection. At heart, while it looks like Attorney General Brown wants to do the right thing -- who's the piper, and who's really responsible to pay?
Posted May 16th 2007 8:05AM by
Filed under: , ,
Toyota swung for the fences when they the Toyota Tundra in Detroit, with an optional 381 HP V8, 10,500 pound tow rating, and huge proportions. The problem is, ever since the vehicle hit dealer lots, it seems as though one piece of bad news is hitting the pickup after another. First came on the brand new Tundra, which is almost unheard of for any Toyota out of the blocks.
Almost immediately after that, we about the four star NHTSA crash test rating of both the Regular and Double Cab Tundra. Next the folks from Aichi Japan got a bit of a reprieve when the IIHS gave the Tundra a " , which lent some credence to that the Tundra should have scored better on the NHTSA test.
Now NHTSA is giving the Tundra another four star black eye, this time on the CrewMax model.
Even worse, the folks over at PickupTruck.com astutely pointed out a 40-percent variation in head injury scores between the regular cab and the CrewMax. With lower scores being better, the Crew Max scored a 677, while the Regular Cab receives a 486.
At the same time, the Tundra's competitors are hitting five-star crash test scores, Toyota's biggest truck is now sporting an unenviable trifecta of four-star models, although we can't find any pictures or details of the Double Cab tests, and test data of the Regular and Double Cab are identical.
With Toyota's stellar safety record and the "Good" IIHS test scores, we find the results of the NHTSA scores to be puzzling, but with tests completed on more than one Tundra variant, the four-star bottom line doesn't look good for the all-new Tundra. You can check out the short video of the CrewCab crash after the jump.
[Source: PickupTruck.com]
The 85-euro-cent stamp will hit post offices first in Lamborghini's hometown, Sant'Agata Bolognese, before it is offered at offices throughout the country.
The campaign is part of Italy's recent efforts to pay homage to the country's greatest moments and products.
The stamp features Lamborghini's golden bull against a black shield background, which looks very similar to the badge affixed to the much-celebrated Lamborghini Miura, built between 1966 and 1973. Any tribute to that masterpiece would surely find a spot in our stamp collection -- if we had one.
Posted May 14th 2007 3:57PM by
Filed under: ,
state in the union to ban text messaging while driving. The legislation against driving while texting (henceforth to be known as the dreaded DWT) was rolled into a similar measure against talking on one's cell phone without using a hands-free device, a regulation many cities and states have already adopted.
Washington Gov.
Christine Gegoire signed the measures into Washington state law last Friday (she was reportedly flanked by children injured from car accidents involving cell phone distractions). Like many laws of this sort, the po-po can't pull you over if they spot you Twittering away in the driver's seat. You need to be caught doing something worse, like swerving across the center line, to get pulled over.
If Officer Roscoe P. Coltrain spots a warm Qwerty riding shotgun though, you'll likely be nailed with a $124 fine. If that happens, you won't be LOL.
[Source: Seattle Times]
A Senate panel has approved a plan to increase CAFE standards to 35 mpg by 2020, with a 4% increase every year until 2030. That's almost 40% higher than today's standard for cars, which is 27.
5 mpg . Currently, vans and trucks must get at least 22.2 mpg.
This bill, however, has a long, long, long way to go before any of its components are agreed upon. With this bill, work trucks and semis would have to meet CAFE standards for the first time -- but requirements can't be changed for those vehicles without first conducting a federal study. Senator Carl Levin of Michigan said he'll filibuster this kind of legislation since it's unfair to the Big Three.
Senators Ted Stevens (AK) and Trent Lott (MS) wonder if it's fair and how it will affect trucking. Senator Bill Nelson (FL) wants the 2020 standard to be 40 mpg. John Kerry (MA) wants 31 mpg by 2015 and 35 by 2020.
The Big Three and Toyota don't like it because they think it's unattainable. The UAW doesn't like it because they say it will cause closures and job losses -- even though those have been rampant with the standards we already have. Environmentalists don't like it because it's weaker than President Bush's proposal and there aren't more alternative energy provisions.
David Friedman of the Union of Concerned Scientists likens the bill to Swiss cheese because of its loopholes, while Senator Daniel Inouye (HI) thinks it's fair as is.
The bill will go before the full Senate in June. Democrats expect it to pass.
Our Magic 8-ball seems to think otherwise. . .
.
Posted May 3rd 2007 8:29AM by
Filed under: ,
For years, gearheads have made some extra coin buying junk cars like Mustangs and Chevelles, taking them apart, then selling their still-working parts on resale sites like eBay. This is also what happens in chop houses around the globe, except instead of buying junkers, they simply steal very valuable vehicles, then remove brake rotors, tires, engines, transmissions, airbags, and anything else that can be sold on the black market. Canadian police found themselves the mother lode of all chop shops, and the sheer volume of cars found on the grounds of the 100,000 sq. ft. location was simply staggering.
The scrap yard, just north of Montreal, was littered with luxury SUVs, Jaguars, Mercedes Benz, and other high-end vehicles that were being 
hocked for their valuable parts. Some of the cars were brand-new, with zero miles on the odometer, and others were stacked one on top of another.
Needless to say, the 39 year-old owner of the shifty operation has been detained, and jail time looks like a foregone conclusion due to the overwhelming amount of evidence.
The Canadian police deserve a ton of credit for uncovering this operation, but we wonder why it took "years" to discover and investigate a scrap yard with 700 new cars and luxury SUVs that looks as if it could have been found by playing with Google Earth. The bottom picture is an aerial photo of the crime scene.
Amazing!
Thanks for the tip, Derek!
[Source: ctv.
ca.]
Posted May 1st 2007 1:31PM by
Filed under: ,
In our oft-litigious society, suing as a means to evade responsibility is a popular option. In 2001, 19-year-old Victor Harris engaged Coweta County deputy sheriff Timothy Scott in a dangerous chase on rain-slicked roads. To end the chase, deputy Scott rammed Harris's car, which then crashed down an embankment.
Mr. Harris was left a quadriplegic from the injuries sustained in the wreck, and subsequently sued on the contention that the sheriff used unreasonable deadly force.
The case made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled 8-1 against Harris's claim.
Lower courts had ruled in favor of Harris, but the Supreme Court overturned that opinion. The reasoning for the decision was that while police chases are dangerous, doing away with them ensures perpetrators a means of escape by merely driving erratically at high speed. Either way, there'll still be someone running from police, endangering other innocent bystanders.
While the outcome of Mr. Harris's chase is tragic, it doesn't change the fact that instead of stopping and accepting a citation for travelling 73 mph in a 55 zone, he chose to run. It's terrible that someone so young will have to live out the rest of his days with paralysis, but that could have been prevented by a more thorough examination of the consequences at the time he attempted to evade the law.
The most damning bit of evidence was the of the chase, which shows how reckless Mr. Harris really was, and likely led to the from the court.
[Source: NYTimes]
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