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Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tennessee Has Mercy On Its Drivers, Installs iPad Kiosks at DMVs [Ipad]
Evading Ticketmaster Louis C.K. sells tour himself
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Tuesday, June 26, 2012
GM's female manufacturing chief faces big truck test
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co sells its big, brawny trucks for their torque, testosterone and hefty profits, so when the U.S. automaker wanted to introduce the next models, they turned to one of the toughest executives in its ranks.
Global manufacturing chief Diana Tremblay is one of the highest-ranking women in the automotive industry. Throughout her 35-year career at GM, she has made her mark in what were regarded as male domains, from directing foundry workers to staring down union labor negotiators.
Now she faces an even more critical task for the world's largest automaker - ensuring the smooth 2013 introduction of the remodeled full-size pickup trucks and SUVs, GM's high-profile equivalent of a new Apple iPhone.
While executives at GM touted its strength in overseas markets like China after the Detroit company's bankruptcy and $50 billion U.S. taxpayer bailout, it turns out the profit engine has instead been North America. And nothing is more important to that success than the second-quarter introduction next year of the big Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and related SUVs, which analysts say generate profits of $12,000 to $14,000 per vehicle.
The "military precision" of the changeover for the truck platform dubbed K2XX has impressed Tremblay's boss, U.S. Navy veteran and GM Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson. "She's small in physical stature, but she's like a pit bull," he said.
But the 5-foot-2 Tremblay faces a far different task than she would have before GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Instead of leading the changeover at seven North American plants that used to make the big GM vehicles, her team now must do the job with four.
"It takes a different way of thinking about how you do your work when you don't have excess capacity," Tremblay, 52, said in an interview at GM's Wentzville, Missouri, commercial van plant.
It is a somewhat welcome problem, though, for an executive who during the bankruptcy helped negotiate key labor deals while working to shore up employee morale.
"Everybody was worried about their jobs," she said. "The most often-asked question when you talked to anybody - 'Well, are you still employed?' That was difficult."
While new small cars like the Chevy Cruze have garnered positive reviews, the big pickups and SUVs - Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade - remain top draws at dealerships. Their combined U.S. sales rose 11 percent last year to more than 799,000 vehicles.
And even though they are the oldest truck models on the market, GM pickups still ranked No. 2 in all U.S. vehicle sales last year, behind only Ford Motor Co's F-150 truck.
Trucks and SUVs account for about 60 percent of GM's North American profit, analysts said.
Citi analyst Itay Michaeli estimates the new trucks could bring GM more than $1 billion in additional operating earnings in 2013 and 2014.
BRAGGING RIGHTS
That kind of money leads to jockeying, especially among U.S. automakers, for bragging rights about which has the toughest truck with the most towing capacity or highest fuel-efficiency.
GM ran an ad during the broadcast of this year's NFL Super Bowl that depicts an apocalyptic scene in which Silverado owners escape death and make it to a pre-arranged meeting point in their trucks while a friend who drives a Ford does not.
GM has told analysts and investors the magnitude of product advancements in the new trucks will be as large as the last redesign in 2006, which helped the automaker gain market share.
GM North American chief Mark Reuss told Reuters the launch remained on track and that the trucks would be competitive with rival offerings.
Tremblay, who speaks in a low, measured voice that has managers and factory workers leaning in to hear her, may be a GM insider, but as a woman executive in a part of an industry dominated by men, she also is an outsider.
"There is maybe a tendency to underestimate (me)," she said. "That's not always bad."
FORGED IN DEFIANCE
Tremblay's career was forged in the foundries of Defiance, Ohio, where she supervised men whose job was swinging sledge hammers to knock excess metal off auto castings.
Family history, however, set her path earlier, as her grandfather spent his entire career as an hourly employee at GM's now-idled Janesville, Wisconsin, assembly plant. Her father was the first in the family to go to college, graduating from Flint, Michigan's Kettering University, a training ground for many GM managers.
Her father rose to head maintenance at GM's Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant, which Tremblay sometimes visited on weekends. As a child, she would also listen to his work stories.
Tremblay later started her career at the Defiance casting plant.
"I don't know if a woman had set foot up in that area ever," she said. "It was a dark, dingy place. I was probably 18 at that point. It was pretty intimidating, so you learn pretty fast."
She herself graduated from Kettering, where she met her husband, who works in powertrain engineering at GM.
Tremblay, who mostly drives a Chevy Tahoe SUV and uses her Pontiac Solstice sports car for special occasions, rose to become head of labor relations in North America in 2006. A year later, she helped negotiate the watershed VEBA deal with the United Auto Workers union that shifted GM's retiree health care liabilities off its balance sheet.
"A lot of people have a hard time believing we worked well together, but we did," said Cal Rapson, the former UAW vice president who negotiated with her.
Walking the assembly line at the Wentzville plant outside St. Louis earlier this year, Tremblay recalled the long hours. "If my husband and I were going anywhere, he would drive because I'd just fall asleep," she said. "Anytime I sat down, I would just doze off. I wasn't very exciting at home during that period."
Her adaptability comes in handy in her current job, which she took on in 2009, as workers at the plants under her care learn to adjust to changing on the fly. Instead of shutting down paint shops for two weeks, changes must happen while the assembly line is running.
In Fairfax, Kansas, for instance, employees replaced 1.3 miles of conveyor belts a section at a time last year so as not to shut down a busy plant that builds the Chevy Malibu and Buick LaCrosse mid-sized cars. Now Tremblay's team must basically pull off a similar trick on a larger scale, putting the tooling in place for the new full-size trucks while minimizing down time to maintain production of current models.
It is all part of a bigger effort for Tremblay and executives like her, who came up through a system deemed too bureaucratic, to mold GM into a leaner, faster-moving company.
"I used to spend a lot of time in meetings that, honestly, when I walked out of the room, not a lot was different than when I walked in," she said. "That is certainly not the case today.
"I talk to people in the plants who tell me unsolicited that this is the most fun that they have had in their career at GM."
(Editing by Martin Howell and Lisa Von Ahn)
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Human-powered helicopter breaks record with 50-second flight
2 hrs.
A team at the University of Maryland has blown away a long-standing (or long-hovering) record for human-powered flight. A Japanese team stayed aloft for 19 seconds in 1994, and no one has been able to do better until Thursday, when the Maryland team stayed aloft for 50 seconds. They fell just?short, however, of the 60 seconds required to qualify for a decades-old $250,000?prize.
Gamera II is the name of the helicopter the team constructed in order to claim the Sikorsky prize, created in 1980 in memory of the helicopter?pioneer Igor Sikorsky.?The contest requires that the craft reach 3 meters of altitude ? and that it stays there for a full minute.?
The newest version of the craft weighs only 71 pounds, 30 less than the previous one, which?stayed aloft for 11 seconds in 2011. Gamera II?harvests power from arm movements as well as pedals, transmitting more power to the four large rotors. These and other improvements allowed the team to break the 18-year-old record and post a time of 50 seconds in the air at 2 feet up. Watch the video of that flight below:
The team will continue to make attempts at the 60-second goal, though they would still need to go significantly higher to claim the prize money, even if they hit the minute mark. The solution is not as easy as simply pedaling harder. Gamera II takes advantage of an aerodynamic characteristic of low-altitude craft called ground effect, which reduces the energy needed to hover, and that advantage decreases the higher the craft goes.
The researchers from Maryland are not the only ones working on the problem: A private team called Atlas recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise some funding for their attempt on the Sikorsky prize. The requirements of the prize may be straightforward, but they are also extremely difficult, so chances are it will take some time and effort, not to mention money and materials, to make it happen.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.
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Susan Katz Miller: "Partially Jewish" and Proud: Interfaith Identity
In a new study of the Jewish population of New York, researchers recently acknowledged the existence of the growing cohort of people with complex identities drawing on more than one religion. The Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011 found that
Rising numbers of people report unconventional identity configurations. They may consider themselves "partially Jewish," or may identify as Jews even while identifying with Christianity or another non-Jewish religion (many more do so now than who so reported in 2002). Of such people with unconventional configurations, 70 percent have a non-Jewish parent (or two).
As someone who was born into an interfaith family, and who embraces my interfaith identity, it is gratifying to finally receive recognition from demographers. To learn more about how those of us with interfaith identities think and behave, I hope these researchers will visit my blog On Being Both. Interfaith Parent, Interfaith Child: Notes from a Hybrid Universe.
The study notes,
... we also see more hybridity -- that is, the confluence of multiple traditions not only in households but even within individuals. Today, more and more individuals feel comfortable adopting elements from multiple religious traditions, and even identifying with several traditions at once. As one of our respondents declared, "I am two religions." In another case, our interviewer noted that the respondent derives from mixed upbringing and "identifies with both."
Not to seem ungrateful, but I do want to point out that I am not partial to the term "partial." I do not consider myself a "partial" anything. I have never heard anyone describe themselves as "partially Jewish." (The term has unfortunate associations, from partial mastectomy to partial abortion). I am a self-defined full Jew, who also insists on my right to celebrate my birth into an interfaith family. I revel in my hybridity, in my fluid and yet deeply satisfying spiritual practice, and in my participation in an intentional and independent interfaith families community. I raised my children within this community, where they learned about both of their ancestral religions and took pride in their interfaith background. Next year, my book on how and why parents are choosing to educate interfaith children in more than one religion, and how those children feel about it when they grow up, will be published by Beacon Press.
The authors of this new study asked themselves, "Should 'Jewish and something else' be seen as a somewhat qualified form of Jewish upbringing, or a functional equivalent of non-Jewish socialization, or an intermediate category?" They go on to infer that "the 'Jewish and something else' response signifies very weak levels of Jewish socialization."
It is true that in some cases, doing "both" actually amounts to doing very little, because families are unable to find clergy and religious institutions to support them in their desire to allow their children full access to knowledge of and familiarity with both religions.
But in a growing number of intentional interfaith communities, parents are raising children who are deeply engaged with religion. Let me describe our family's Jewish engagement, which strikes me as anything but "weak." We always host a Passover Seder, light Hanukkah candles, go to High Holy Day services. We also light Shabbat candles, and celebrate other holidays like Purim and Sukkot. My children learned Hebrew, recited the blessings over the Torah when they turned 13, and know and use essential Jewish prayers. They have a warm and personal relationship with more than one rabbi. They are quick to identify themselves as Jewish when they encounter anti-Semitism. Oh, and we have shlepped our children to Jewish Museums on more than one continent (visiting Jewish museums is one of the forms of Jewish engagement measured in the New York study).
But we also embrace our entire family tree. We celebrate Christian holidays, go to church with extended family. And we put our children through nine years of study about both Judaism and Christianity -- about the common ground and the essential differences and the points of historical connection.
It is true that my family feels alienated from the state of Israel, since none of us would be legally accepted as Jews there, and there is a troubling correlation between religious identity and civil rights in Israel. And Birthright will not take my children on a free trip to Israel unless they sign away their right to interfaith identity.
And it is true that our family would score low on connections to institutional Judaism. My children aren't accepted as Jews by many of those institutions, and that, frankly, decreases our desire to belong to them. Our insistence that our children be educated about Christianity, our openness to the possibility that our children will get spiritual sustenance from Christian traditions, and that they have the right to choose a Christian (or for that matter Buddhist or Hindu) identity someday, is wholly unacceptable to most Jewish institutions. Interfaith families that seek to educate their children in more than one religion are expressly barred, by policy, from most synagogue classrooms.
Nonetheless, I am cautiously optimistic that this new acknowledgement of our existence represents progress towards understanding that many interfaith children both want to stay connected to Judaism and also want access to learning about both of their ancestral religions. I am hopeful that researchers will now seek to understand all that is positive about interfaith education for interfaith families. We engage the whole child, the whole family, and embrace our bothness. We don't mind being called unconventional. We embrace that label, too.
?
Follow Susan Katz Miller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/beingboth
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Earl of Sandwich To Open At Showboat Atlantic City, Drunk Eaters ...
Earl of Sandwich, the sandwich franchise best known for its genetic connection (gennection?) to the innovator himself, is opening at the Showboat Atlantic City Hotel & Casino this summer. The restaurant will be located in the main lobby, near the check-in desk, so gamblers and drunk folk alike won?t need to go far to eat their feelings at the end of a long night.
As with all great (is that the word?) things in life, the restaurant will be open 24/7. In addition to the eponymous product, Earl of Sandwich has ?a full line of freshly tossed salads, made-to-order wraps, signature soups, freshly baked desserts, freshly brewed Kona coffee, and a selection of beer and wine offerings.? Who knew? They also offer a breakfast menu that features a variety of made-to-order hot breakfast sandwiches, muffins, and other morning treats from 7-11am Monday-Friday and 10-11:30am on weekends.
For a full list of sandwiches (let?s be honest, they do sound pretty good) and other locations nationwide, visit Earl of Sandwich?s website.
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Greece's designated finance minister resigns
FILE - In this Wednesday, June 20, 2012 file photo shows Greece's newly sworn-in Prime Minister Antonis Samaras looks on after his meeting with outgoing caretaker Prime Minister Panayiotis Pikramenos at Maximos Mansion. Greece's new prime minister was released from hospital on Monday, June 25, 2012 two days after undergoing eye surgery that will prevent him from traveling to a European Union summit in Brussels this week. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis, file)
FILE - In this Wednesday, June 20, 2012 file photo shows Greece's newly sworn-in Prime Minister Antonis Samaras looks on after his meeting with outgoing caretaker Prime Minister Panayiotis Pikramenos at Maximos Mansion. Greece's new prime minister was released from hospital on Monday, June 25, 2012 two days after undergoing eye surgery that will prevent him from traveling to a European Union summit in Brussels this week. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis, file)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greece's designated finance minister resigned Monday after being rushed to the hospital on Friday, the prime minister's office said.
Vassilis Rapanos, chairman of the National Bank of Greece, had been named finance minister last week in the country's new three-party coalition government. But he was taken ill before he could be sworn in Friday and has been in hospital ever since.
Rapanos has sent a letter of resignation to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and that was accepted.
The startling development came as Germany tamped down expectations that this week's European Union summit would emerge with any significant action on Greece as the debt-strapped nation's two key politicians struggled with health problems.
Samaras himself was released from hospital Monday after undergoing eye surgery to repair a detached retina over the weekend, but will have to stay home for several days and won't be able to travel to Brussels for the EU summit. He was still planning to speak by telephone later Monday with President Barack Obama.
The EU summit this Thursday and Friday comes just a week after Greece's new coalition government was formed following months of political turmoil and two inconclusive elections. It was to have been a key test of Athens' hopes of renegotiating some of the austerity measures it has agreed to in return for billions of euros in rescue loans from the International Monetary Fund and other European Union nations that use the joint euro currency.
It was to have been preceded by a visit to Athens starting Monday of Greece's debt inspectors, known as the Troika ? representatives from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF. But that visit was postponed until Samaras and Rapanos can recover.
Rapanos, meanwhile, remained in the hospital after being admitted Friday complaining of severe abdominal pain, dizziness and nausea. The hospital said he would be released on Tuesday but did not elaborate.
Without the troika report on Greece's progress in economic reforms required by its international bailout, Germany said it would be premature to expect any new decisions this week. Samaras has been pressing Greece's creditors to revise the bailout deal, which is despised by many ordinary Greeks.
"The troika needs to go to Athens, they need to assess the status of the program, then they need to brief the eurozone and IMF leadership," said Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "On the basis of this assessment, one can talk about necessary updating of the program ? that is the road map that everyone in Europe is following and that's why we don't expect any sort of a resolution on Greece at the EU council."
With fears that Greece's problems are not getting resolved soon, the Athens Stock Exchange general price index closed 6.84 percent down Monday.
Greece will still be present at the EU summit, sending a delegation with outgoing Finance Minister Giorgos Zanias, one of the key negotiators in Greece's bailout agreement. As Rapanos fell ill before he could be sworn in, Zanias still holds the title.
And the delegation will be led by the country's president, 83-year-old Karolos Papoulias, the government announced Monday. While the presidency in Greece is a largely ceremonial post, his presence would adhere to EU regulations about summits.
It was unclear when the postponed troika visit would take place.
"First, our concern is for the health of the prime minister and finance minister," European Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio said in Brussels, adding that debt inspectors would head to Greece "as soon as possible."
Samaras' government, comprised of his New Democracy conservatives, their long-time socialist rivals PASOK and the small Democratic Left party, has issued a policy statement outlining changes it would like to make to the terms of its international bailout. Those include repealing certain tax hikes, freezing public sector layoffs and extending by two years the mid-2014 deadline for tough austerity measures.
Whether Greece can amend the terms of its loan agreement will depend on how the proposals are viewed by its international creditors. Germany, the largest single contributor to eurozone bailouts, has repeatedly said Athens must stick to its austerity pledges.
"One thing is clear," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said from Luxembourg. "We cannot allow everything to be negotiated again. We can also not allow discounts to be granted. What has been decided upon stands. That the (Greek) election campaigns have cost time is obvious. That's the situation and we have to deal with it. But the fact remains that the agreements must be implemented."
Seibert also stressed that Greece must stick to its commitments.
"A program has been agreed upon, a program goes for every government, no matter if it's a new government, and the program is the best way to see Greece return to economic health," he said.
In Brussels, Altafaj Tardio also stressed that "Greece has to face its financial obligations," adding that before any further funds can be disbursed "there has to be a thorough analysis."
"It's no secret that there have been delays in several areas of implementation," he added.
The latest figures released by the finance ministry Monday showed that Greece's budget deficit for the first five months of the year was better than expected, standing at ?10.87 billion ($13.63 billion) instead of the target of ?12.89 billion ($16.17 billion) on a modified cash basis.
Revenue, however, was below target with the state budget net revenue standing at ?19.67 billion ($24.56 billion), ?926 million ($1.15 billion) short of the targeted ?20.6 billion ($25.73 billion), due in part to lower domestic consumer demand and lower tax revenues.
The ministry said "this revenue shortfall was more than compensated for by the savings in State Budget expenditures for the first five months of 2012."
____
David Rising in Berlin and Toby Sterling in Brussels contributed.
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