We at Big News are still awaiting word as to when iO West will reopen. Right now our next show is scheduled for Sunday, July 27 at 9pm. But the layoff hasn't stopped our writers from writing jokes about the events of the day - and while we may not have a theater in which to present them, we do have the good ol' Internet!

The Obama campaign has objected to a cartoon on the cover of the New Yorker that depicts him as a Muslim and his wife as a radical black activist. Obama was upset mostly because his depiction was not wearing a flag pin.

The Obama campaign has objected to a cartoon on the cover of the New Yorker that depicts him as a Muslim and his wife as a radical black activist. Objecting to cartoons inside the New Yorker: golfers, doctors and squiggly people with marital problems.

In a speech this week, Barack Obama said that the war in Iraq distracts Americans from the threat of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Obama added that the war distracts Americans from an even bigger threat: cartoonists.

On Friday, former Sen. Phil Gramm gave up his position as economic advisor to the McCain campaign, a week after saying the United States was a “nation of whiners.” In resigning, Gramm pointed out that he’d realized we're more of a nation of quitters.

Pope Benedict says that the world's natural resources are being squandered in the pursuit of "insatiable consumption." In addition, other natural resources are being squandered in order to make the pope's hat.

After a meeting, President Bush stated that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is a “smart guy.” In supporting his opinion, Bush pointed out that Medvedev had mastered the difficult language of Russian.

According to a new survey, only 21% of Americans are in favor of federal aid for those facing foreclosures. The other 79% did not respond to the survey because it was not sent to the box where they currently live.

A new poll of American Jews reveals that 90% think the country is on the wrong track. But for you, 85%.

A new poll of American Jews reveals that 90% think the country is on the wrong track. Although maybe they wouldn't if you called once in a while.

World leaders at the G-8 conference have agreed to cut in half the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. President Bush said the U.S. will do its part on cutting gas emissions by shutting down all Taco Bells.

The United States military has a shortage of linguists fluent in the languages spoken in Afghanistan: Dari, Pashto, Uzbek, and Turkmen. The United States government likewise has a shortage of presidents fluent in English.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that under state law, sex acts with the dead were illegal. As a result, groupies will not have sex with the band after the next Rolling Stones concert in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that under state law, sex acts with the dead were illegal. Anyone convicted will receive a stiff sentence.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that under state law, sex acts with the dead were illegal. In light of the news, Larry King and his wife have cancelled their second honeymoon in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that under state law, sex acts with the dead were illegal. However, it remains legal in Wisconsin for quarterbacks with dead careers to screw their former team.

A 33-year-old Michigan man is accused of wearing a “World's Greatest Dad” shirt to a meeting for sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. In his defense, the man pointed out that under “World's Greatest Dad,” the shirt said in smaller letters “at having sex with 14-year-old girls.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans for a Mediterranean Union funded by the European Union and aimed at ending poverty, strife and other social and diplomatic problems in former French colonies in Northern Africa. The plans are all part of France's new "You Break It, You Buy It" policy.

A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that a Toyota engineer died from working too many hours on the development of a Camry hybrid. Ironically, the new vehicle is designed to run on a combination of gasoline, electricity, and the ashes of dead Japanese engineers.

US Airways says it will start removing in-flight entertainment systems on domestic flights in November to save about $10 million annually in fuel and other costs. This decision will also save millions of lives once passengers are no longer forced to watch "Drillbit Taylor."

US Airways says it will start removing in-flight entertainment systems on domestic flights in November to save about $10 million annually in fuel and other costs. US Airways is currently the only airline that uses gasoline-powered movies.

US Airways will start removing in-flight entertainment systems on domestic flights in November to save about $10 million annually in fuel and other costs. The airline loses money due to flights being delayed when passengers yell “There’s a bomb on board!” every time a Dane Cook movie is shown.

Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline on July 12. Jolie is healthy but disappointed, since with twins she figured odds were at least one of them would not be white.

The National Enquirer is reporting that sixty-two-year-old Cher plans to marry an ex-Hell's Angel nearly half her age. Her fiancé is still five times older than anything on Cher's face.

Metallica will make the songs on their next CD available for download to play on Guitar Hero III. The download will include also allow players to engage in interactive group therapy sessions.

Sarah Jessica Parker's trademark mole has been removed from the actress's face. "I no longer wanted to walk around being seen with that hideous thing," said the mole.

Miss USA Crystle Stewart fell down during Monday's Miss Universe contest. Stewart fell as part of the talent competition while doing her impression of the U.S. dollar.

Miss USA Crystle Stewart fell down during Monday's Miss Universe contest. She also misspelled her first name.

A new report suggests that babies conceived from frozen embryos are just as healthy as those conceived naturally. Except for the freezer burn.

A new report suggests that babies conceived from frozen embryos are just as healthy as those conceived naturally. They also come in an assortment of fruity flavors.

Last month, the 38th annual Gay Pride Parade was held in San Francisco. And, girl, she does not look a day over 25.

Last month, the 38th annual Gay Pride Parade was held in San Francisco. Residents celebrated by dancing in the streets, dressing outrageously, and otherwise behaving as they do every other day.

According to a new study, men who eat too many fatty foods can have hurt their sperm production. The decrease often goes unnoticed, as none of the overweight men has seen their penises in years.

According to a new study, men who eat too many fatty foods can hurt their sperm production. Nutritionists recommend that overweight men switch to fresh fruit while surfing internet porn.

The nation's DNA tracking system faces a huge backlog that could take years to clear, leaving crimes unsolved and offenders free in society. The cause of the backlog: the massive workload of paternity tests from The Maury Povich Show.

The World Heritage List has added eight new natural wonders. The list includes the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, the Lagoons of New Caledonia, and Jessica Alba's career.

An epidemic of cancer is forcing Tasmanian devils to breed earlier. The efforts are proving unsuccessful since the Tasmanian devils want only to breed with rabbits dressed in drag.

Bangkok, Thailand was voted the world's best city in a poll conducted by Travel + Leisure magazine, trumping last year's winner, Florence, Italy. Bangkok's victory was attributed to the fact that most readers of Travel + Leisure magazine are pedophiles.

Bangkok, Thailand was voted the world's best city in a poll conducted by Travel + Leisure magazine, trumping last year's winner, Florence, Italy. In an effort to win back the title, Florence has launched an intensive campaign to teach all women in the city how to shoot ping-pong balls out of their vaginas.

Bangkok, Thailand was voted the world's best city in a poll conducted by Travel + Leisure magazine, trumping last year's winner, Florence, Italy. Bangkok's victory was attributed to the fact the only reader of Travel + Leisure magazine is Murray Head.

Bangkok, Thailand was voted the world's best city in a poll conducted by Travel + Leisure. Bangkok was also voted the best city in a poll conducted by Pedophile Weekly.

Bangkok, Thailand was voted the world's best city in a poll conducted by the magazine Travel + Leisure. Bangkok residents praised the magazine, saying for once it's nice that someone gave them a "happy ending."

And finally, Evelyn Keyes, the actress who played Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister Suellen in the classic 1939 film "Gone With the Wind," died of uterine cancer July 4 in Montecito at age 91. While fans had hoped Keyes would live to 92, frankly, she didn't give a damn.

The new car, which will be Toyota's second dedicated hybrid model after the hot-selling Prius, will have a 2- to 2.5-litre engine and will also be sold under the company's luxury Lexus brandname, the paper said.

Toyota Motor Kyushu Inc, in Fukuoka prefecture, currently builds a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Toyota Harrier sport utility vehicle, sold as the Lexus RX outside Japan, as well as the Highlander SUV.

Hit by sinking demand for fuel-thirsty SUVs and pickup trucks, Toyota this month announced a big overhaul of its North American manufacturing structure which included a plan to build the Highlander at a truck factory in Indiana from late 2009.

Toyota Motor Kyushu will make adjustments to its factory to switch production from the North America-bound Highlander to the new hybrid model, the Nikkei said.

Toyota aims to sell at least 1 million hybrid vehicles annually in the early part of the next decade -- more than double what it sold last year.

Toyota has said it would showcase a new hybrid model under both the Toyota and Lexus brand names at the annual Detroit auto show next January.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Heikki Kovalainen will start in 3rd, alongside him Jarno Trulli.  Behind them is Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen who has been seriously struggling.

Pos  Driver        Team                 Q1        Q2        Q3       Laps
 1.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     1:15.218  1:14.603  1:15.666  13
 2.  Massa         Ferrari              1:14.921  1:14.747  1:15.859  16
 3.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     1:15.476  1:14.855  1:16.143  17
 4.  Trulli        Toyota               1:15.560  1:15.122  1:16.191  21
 5.  Alonso        Renault              1:15.917  1:14.943  1:16.385  19
 6.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:15.201  1:14.949  1:16.389  19
 7.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           1:15.985  1:15.109  1:16.521  20
 8.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     1:15.900  1:15.481  1:17.014  20
 9.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:15.532  1:15.420  1:17.244  22
10.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault     1:15.975  1:15.338  1:17.503  20
11.  Glock         Toyota               1:15.560  1:15.508            17
12.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           1:15.596  1:15.581            14
13.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota      1:15.863  1:15.633            16
14.  Button        Honda                1:15.993  1:15.701            15
15.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1:15.927  1:15.858            15
16.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota      1:16.083                      10
17.  Piquet        Renault              1:16.189                       7
18.  Barrichello   Honda                1:16.246                      10
19.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari  1:16.657                      10
20.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari  1:16.963                      10

TOKYO, 11 Julai (Bernama) -- Kereta- kereta hibrid menjadi cara alternatif dalam menangani kos bahan bakar yang tinggi di Malaysia, namun duti import/eksais yang tinggi sehingga 260 peratus menjadikannya kereta "yang sangat mewah". Menurut Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, kereta-kereta hibrid boleh dijual di Malaysia dengan syarat duti import yang rendah bagi menjadikan harganya lebih murah. "Saya akan maklumkan perkara ini kepada Kabinet kerana kami perlu mengkaji cadangan mengurangkan duti import/eksais," katanya kepada pemberita pada hari terakhir misi perdagangan dan pelaburannya ke Jepun, di sini. Sepanjang misi enam hari itu, Muhyiddin menemui pengurusan tertinggi Toyota dan Honda, antara lain bagi membincangkan kemungkinan menjalin usaha sama dalam membangunkan kereta-kereta hibrid di Malaysia. Muhyiddin berkata beliau dimaklumkan oleh pengurusan syarikat kereta terbabit bahawa adalah lebih ekonomi untuk membawa masuk kereta-kereta hibrid siap dipasang (CBU) ke Malaysia daripada memasang atau mengilangnya di Malaysia. "Ia lebih ekonomi untuk mereka kerana mereka menjalankan penyelidikan dan pembangunan (R&D) di Jepun. Tambahan pula, kos logistik bagi peralatan dan komponen hibrid adalah lebih tinggi," katanya. Muhyiddin berkata peserta automotif Jepun melihat pasaran Malaysia "masih kecil" bagi kereta-kereta hibrid dan struktur duti yang digariskan dalam Dasar Automotif Nsional (NAP) "terlalu pasti". "Buat masa ini, ia boleh masuk (penjualan kereta) secara beransur-ansur, kira-kira 10 peratus pertumbuhan setahun," katanya. "Pada masa ini ia tidak serius, sehinggalah kami menawarkan sesuatu yang menarik," katanya. Dalam perkembangan yang sama, Muhyiddin berkata kementerian itu akan menimbang kemungkinan mengkaji semula NAP bagi meliberalisasikan lagi industri automotif tempatan. Ini termasuk membolehkan pemilikan majoriti dalam syarikat pengeluar kereta nasional, Proton, bagi memperoleh teknologi, modal dan pasaran, katanya. "Ini sesuatu yang perlu kita kaji. Saya tidak jangka Proton dapat mengekalkan kedudukannya. Ya, anda menjual kereta di beberapa negara, namun jumlahnya masih kecil," katanya. "Kita masih belum berada pada paras saingan. Banyak lagi yang perlu dilakukannya," katanya. Sama ada Proton sedia untuk diliberalisasi seterusnya, kata Muhyiddin, "Sedia tak sedia itu soal lama. Kita mungkin akan beri satu tempoh dan akan di buat secara progresif (liberalisasi)." "Kita mahu bawa Proton ke hadapan, lebih berorientasikan pasaran dan setanding di peringkat antarabangsa." Katanya sudah banyak syarikat automotif di negara maju tidak lagi dimiliki oleh negara asal seperti di Amerika Syarikat dan Itali namun "jenama mereka itu masih dikekalkan." "Pihak luar yang berminat susah nak masuk pasaran kita. Kita telah rugi berbilion kerana pelaburan telah pergi ke negara lain. Dasar yang ada tidak proaktif," tambahnya. Muhyiddin berkata Proton perlu menerima hakikat bahawa ia tidak boleh dilindungi oleh NAP selama-lamanya. "Minat untuk teroka pasaran automotif tempatan masih ada dari pihak luar tetapi mereka menganggap NAP sebagai kekangan dan kurang pasti sama ada mereka boleh kembangkan perniagaan mereka di Malaysia." -- BERNAMA

A cidade de Sorocaba, a 96 quilômetros da capital paulista, deverá receber investimentos da ordem de US$ 700 milhões que serão destinados pela Toyota para a construção de uma nova fábrica.

As obras de terraplanagem no terreno de 3,7 milhões de metros quadrados (370 hectares), localizado na rodovia Castelo Branco, começam nas primeiras semanas de 2009.

Para a construção da fábrica, a Toyota receberá incentivos fiscais da prefeitura, com retorno para a companhia de 50% do Imposto sobre Circulação de Mercadorias e Serviços (ICMS) arrecadado nos dois primeiros anos.

Esse montante terá redução anual e, em 10 ou 15 anos, a prefeitura passará a receber 100% do ICMS, disse o prefeito da cidade, Vitor Lippi (PSDB). Ele calcula que a isenção fiscal, no período, será de R$ 130 milhões.

De acordo com a assessoria de comunicação da Toyota, 10 estados brasileiros apresentaram propostas para receber a nova unidade e o que levou a companhia japonesa a optar por Sorocaba, não foram os incentivos, mas o fato de a região contar com mão-de-obra qualificada e uma rede de fornecedores voltada para o atendimento da indústria automotiva.

A Toyota produz sob demanda e se não tiver por perto uma rede de fornecedores não tem como por a fábrica em funcionamento.

A nova unidade vai gerar cerca de 2,5 mil empregos diretos e terá produção inicial de 150 mil veículos compactos por ano. A produção poderá atingir até 400 mil veículos. O início das operações da nova unidade está previsto para 2011.

Atualmente, a Toyota produz no Brasil o sedã médio Corolla, na unidade industrial de Indaiatuba (SP). A Toyota também tem uma fábrica de autopeças em São Bernardo do Campo (SP) e um centro de distribuição em Guaíba (RS).

Segundo Lippi, a prefeitura também está investindo R$ 30 milhões na construção de um Parque Tecnológico, que deverá atrair novas empresas de tecnologia de ponta, do setor metal-mecânico e de autopeças.

O Parque Tecnológico está sendo construído na zona norte da cidade, próximo à rodovia Castelo Branco. De acordo com o prefeito, as empresas que forem se instalar no parque poderão contar com os mesmos incentivos fiscais oferecidos à Toyota.

Estamos implantando, dentro do parque tecnológico, unidades escolares para formação de mão-de-obra. Com apoio do governo do estado teremos uma unidade da Fatec, Faculdade de Tecnologia do Estado de São Paulo e uma ETEC, Escola Estadual de Tecnologia, contou.

De acordo com o prefeito, a Toyota vai colaborar no aparelhamento das escolas do parque tecnológico. Hoje, Sorocaba, que tem 600 mil habitantes, já conta com cinco universidades, sendo duas públicas - Universidade Estadual de São Paulo (Unesp) e Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFScar) - e três privadas - Universidade Paulista (Unip), Universidade de Sorocaba (Uniso) e o Centro de Ciências Médicas e Biológicas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP).

Hoje, vigora em Sorocaba uma lei local que oferece a possibilidade de redução de tributos às indústrias, como o Imposto Sobre Serviços de Qualquer Natureza (ISS) e o Imposto Predial e Territorial Urbano (IPTU), por um prazo de até 12 anos.

Fonte: O Globo | www.oglobo.com.br

Ada yang unik di booth Toyota di IIMS 2008 di Cendrawasih Room, hari Jumat kemarin. Nggak melulu bicara soal mobil, Toyota menggelar kegiatan unik; Toyota Bercerita.

Emang apaan sih? Toyota Bercerita adalah salah satu program Toyota sejak akhir 2007 sebagai wujud kontribusi Toyota pada dunia pendidikan tanah air. Kali ini Toyota mengundang Poetri Soehendro, Pendongeng Profesional, untuk menjelaskan bagaimana pentingnya bercerita.

"Bercerita atau mendongeng itu sangat perlu," kata Poetri. "Inilah cara kita menanamkan nilai-nilai pada anak."

Kegiatan ini merupakan bagian dari program Toyota Bercerita tahun ini yang mengambil tema "Indahnya Indonesiaku." Diikuti 400 peserta, dibagi dalam dua kategori dengan masing-masing tiga pemenang.

Kategori Cerita
1. Nama peserta: Elis Mukhlisoh
Judul: Eloknya Wajah Tanah Airku Indonesia
Nama TK: TK Mawar - Melati

2. Nama peserta: Sunardi S.Pd
Judul: Berlibur ke Rumah Nenek
Nama TK: TK Kemala Bhayangkari 6

3. Nama peserta: R. Ratna Leysiah
Judul: Indahnya Indonesiaku
Nama TK: TKIT As-Sa'adah

Kategori Laporan
1. Nama peserta: Fithri Nur Rohmah
Judul: Indahnya Indonesiaku
Nama TK: TK Nurul Huda

2. Nama peserta: Siti Badriah
Judul: Rekreasi ke Pantai Anyer
Nama TK: TK Kencana Mulia

3. Nama peserta: Endah Soekarsono
Judul: Matahari di Dunia Tanpa Batas
Nama TK: Komunitas Homeschooling Berkemas

Toyota Green Concept hasil karya Slamet Riyadi terpilih sebagai pemenang Toyota National Design Competition 2008 untuk kategori Car Design Competititon.

Mahasiswa Desain Seni Rupa ITB ini menggunakan mesin berteknologi hybrid. Sistem penghasil tenaga dorong gabungan antara motor bakar dan motor listrik. Selain efisien bahan bakar juga ramah lingkungan.

Sedangkan untuk kategori Accecories Design Competition, juara 1 direbut Apid Riyadi dengan judul desain Recreational Roof Rack (R3). Apid juga meraih juara 3 untuk kategori car design.

Kompetisi ini sudah dimulai sejak April 2008 dibagi dalam dua kategori Accecories Design Competition (aksesoris) dan Car Design Competition (desain mobil). Babak final tinggal memperlombakan 13 desain yang terbagi 8 desain aksesoris dan 5 desin mobil.

Mobil yang menjadi objek adalah Kijang Innova dengan alasan inilah kendaraan yang berdasarkan riset memenuhi kebutuhan dan selera masyarakat Indonesia. Tidak ada pengubahan posisi, dimensi, maupun proporsi kendaraan. Sehingga para peserta benar-benar ditantang kreatifitasnya.

"Inilah ajang bagi generasi muda untuk menunjukkan potensi mereka," kata Johnny Darmawan, Presiden Direktur PT Toyota-Astra Motor (TAM).

Pemenang Toyota Nasional Design Competition 2008

Kategori: Car Design Competition
Juara 1: Slamet Riyadi
Judul desain: Toyota Green Concept

Juara 2: Wahyu Ramdhani
Judul desain: Rhino

Juara 3: Apid Rustandi
Judul desain: The Weird

Kategori: Accecories Design Competition
Juara 1: Apid Rustandi
Judul desain: Recreational Roof Rack (R3)

Juara 2: Raymond Simanjuntak
Jusul desain: ELG 175

Juara 3: Akbar Juniarto
Judul desain: Adventure Kits

One word came to mind when I heard the news from GM this week.  Unions.  You want to know what is killing the big three auto makers?  Unions.  The strangle-hold they have on U.S. auto makers is ridiculous.  I know from first hand experience. From family members to friends, the things the unions make those companies do and go through is down right criminal.  The fact that these companies have to pay employees for not working, for doing hardly anything worth the pay they get when they are working and for putting out an over priced, cheaply made product is outrageous. 

I have written about unions before here and here and then about Teachers Unions here.  Whether it's the Teachers Union or the UAW, they are all the same. 

While the Big 3 are reeling and just barley staying afloat (if even that),  foreign car makers are hiring right and left.   Hiring  Non-Union workers that is.  Toyota will go on, experts predict, in the next 10 years to be the biggest, most profitable of any auto maker.  Why is that?  Well, it’s because they don’t have to give in to the Union thugs and pay people for wages at a far higher price then they are worth.  The cost to build a car by Toyota is far less then the price to build a car by, say, GM.  Unions do not  change the productivity of workers. All they can do is stop the employer from paying less than what unions demand the employer pay.

Of course, during the next negotiation that the UAW has with Chrysler, GM or Ford, they will demand more money, even though the company, as a whole, is dying.

I'm sure Politics and Culture can chime in here, being from the Motor City and all.

Let's once again get a moratorium on Unions.

I like this 2009 Lotus Eagle that is powered by a Toyota 3.5 liter V6 that pushes out 276 horsepower! 0-100m in less than 5sec seems to be a nice toy like Lotus is use to provide us!

Convertible versions and high performance models of the Eagle are planned for 2011! I might be rich then ;)

Pelo menos 20 fornecedores também deverão construir fábricas em Sorocaba para abastecer de autopeças a futura unidade da Toyota no município, que reservou uma área de 20 milhões de metros quadrados para a criação do Parque Tecnológico Incentivado (PTI).

O parque ainda não existe, depende de aprovação da Câmara de Vereadores. Nele, a prefeitura prevê investir R$ 30 milhões em saneamento e infra-estrutura rodoviária. O cronograma prevê ainda a construção de escolas técnicas, departamento da Universidade Estadual de São Paulo (Unesp), além de estações que melhorem o fornecimento de gás e energia.

A prefeitura já declarou interesse público uma propriedade de 400 mil metros quadrados, onde erguerá, a partir da aprovação dos vereadores, a infra-estrutura adequada para equipamentos públicos.

Já as empresas que tiverem interesse em se instalar em Sorocaba terão de comprar terrenos de proprietários particulares, com apoio da administração municipal.

A Toyota já comprou uma área de 3 milhões de metros quadrados. A empresa espera concluir a instalação da primeira fase da unidade de Sorocaba em três anos, o que deve gerar pelo menos 2,5 mil empregos diretos na produção de 150 mil veículos de pequeno porte anualmente.

O prefeito de Sorocaba, Vitor Lippi (PSDB), afirmou que a negociação com a Toyota levou dois anos. "Pela sua excelência em qualidade, a Toyota exigiu estudos detalhados. Nossa equipe trabalhou intensamente com minúcia na elaboração dos programas e projetos", afirmou.

Para Lippi, pesaram a favor de Sorocaba a infra-estrutura, logística, boa qualidade de vida na cidade, baixos índices de violência, tradição na indústria e desembaraços ambientais nas áreas a serem aproveitadas pela Toyota. "A população daqui, de cerca de 600 mil habitantes, tem uma boa auto-estima", afirmou.

O prefeito afirmou que a maior parte dos 10 mil empregos diretos e indiretos que serão criados com a instalação da Toyota em Sorocaba serão preenchidos pelos próprios moradores, já que o governo estadual vai ajudar na criação do parque tecnológico para abastecer as empresas que optarem pelo município.

De acordo com o prefeito, Sorocaba tem orçamento anual de R$ 1 bilhão. O objetivo é dobrar a receita em dez anos. Como incentivos, a prefeitura abre mão de parte do Imposto sobre a Circulação de Mercadorias e Serviços (ICMS) se as empresas cumprirem todas as exigências para instalação no Parque Tecnológico Incentivado. Além disso, tem descontos no ISS e no IPTU durante a fase de instalação.

O prefeito não revela detalhes da área em que será instalado o pólo industrial a fim de evitar a especulação imobiliária. Mas adianta que a Toyota estará próxima ao acesso da cidade, assim como das demais empresas fornecedoras de autopeças.

Sorocaba conta atualmente com duas mil empresas, entre pequenos, médios e grandes produtores industriais. A chegada da Toyota garante a Sorocaba e a São Paulo um novo fôlego à indústria automobilística, que nos últimos anos vinha desconcentrando a produção para outros Estados.

Cidades do Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio e Bahia estavam na disputa pela nova fábrica da Toyota, que se credencia para ser o maior fabricante mundial de automóveis, com os problemas enfrentados pela General Motors nos Estados Unidos.

Volta da Case

A direção da Case assinou termo de compromisso ontem com a Prefeitura de Sorocaba para investimento de R$ 1 bilhão na produção de máquinas para construção civil e tratores agrícolas na cidade. A empresa foi comprada cinco anos atrás pela Grupo Fiat, que desistiu da produção em Sorocaba. Os galpões que ficaram abandonados serão retomados. A maior parte dos investimentos, segundo o prefeito Lippi, serão feitos na aquisição de máquinas. A produção está prevista para começar no início do ano que vem, com a geração de pelo menos 1,2 mil empregos.

Além da produção, a Case terá em Sorocaba (65 quilômetros distante de São Paulo) um grande centro de distribuição de seus produtos, que poderão ser exportados para os países do Mercosul.

O programa de incentivo à agricultura familiar, anunciado há poucos dias pelo presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, pode ter contribuído para a Case retomar a produção de equipamentos em Sorocaba. Só governo federal pretende financiar 50 mil tratores para pequenos produtores nos próximos dois anos, para ampliar a safra nacional.

País já tem mais de 30 fábricas

Com a nova fábrica da Toyota em Sorocaba, o Brasil supera a marca de três dezenas de unidades da indústria automobilística. Elas produzem automóveis, ônibus, caminhões e ônibus e motores e transmissões em nove estados.

A maior parte das plantas está concentrada em São Paulo, que detém, segundo dados da Associação Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veículos Automotores (Anfavea), 44% da produção nacional de autoveículos. Ou seja, a cada 100 veículos, 44 são produzidos em São Paulo. Nos anos 90, de cada 100 veículos, 75 eram feitos no estado de São Paulo, cuja produção se concentrava no ABC.

A preferência da Toyota por uma cidade do interior paulista mostra que o estado mantém importância para novos projetos. A tendência de desconcentração da atividade em São Paulo vem perdendo força.

A Toyota de Sorocaba é a segunda da indústria anunciada neste ano. A primeira foi a GM, de motores, em Joinville (SC).

Fonte: Gazeta Mercantil/ Wagner Oliveira | www.gazetamercantil.com.br

1.Honda Accord- There is not much to say other than, what a great car. Appearance, quality, fuel economy, etc. it is all here. I tip my hat to Honda, this vehicle is clearly the King of its’ class!

2.Toyota Camry- Always a great car, the most recent redesign was great. Overall an absolute top pick. The Accord just has too much this time around.

3.Chevy Malibu- This is the sleeper of the bunch. Fuel economy is not the best but it is near the top. Style is great. Comfort is above average and JD Power gave it the highest rating in initial Quality. The only big negative is resale value, traditionally poor but that could change with everything GM has done to improve this vehicle. If it does, look out Toyota and Honda, you might actually have a real competitor!

4.Nissan Altima- Price is the best selling point for this car. It is above average with everything. It will cost you a couple of grand less than a Camry or Accord. That really helps. Not a bad choice by any means, it does, however, feel like a couple grand less car when I drive it.
5.Buick Lacrosse- The highest marks in quality and comfort are the selling points for this vehicle. Poor marks in fuel economy and resale value hurt it. It is a vehicle that generally sells to the older crowd and GM is very aware of that. It is evident in the appearance and basic user friendly controls.

6.Volkswagen Passat- Excellent in resale and initial quality. Very trendy. One of the more expensive cars in initial price in this segment. Fuel economy is below average.

7.Subaru Legacy- If you do not get the all-wheel drive version it really isn’t worth it. They are known for their all-wheel drive and trendy personality which drives most of their customer base to come back time and time again. Financially speaking it would be hard to consider this car over a handful of others in its class.

8.Ford Fusion- Have you seen those commercials where someone test drives a Fusion and then tells you they like it better than the Accord and Camry. Well, I am not saying that they are lying but Ford must have found the handful of people that actually believe that. The initial cost is low but the resale will be poor. In the end it will cost you more to own one of these than it will to own a handful of other cars. There is nothing about this car that justifies doing that. If you buy one, lease it and wait for one of those notorious Ford give away leases.
9.Hyundai Sonata- This vehicle is improving every time they redesign it but it still has a bit to go.

10.Mitsubishi Galant- below the big guys across the board. The Galant does not excel in anything. It just seems blah when you drive it. Horrible resale value has been a problem. If you buy this car you need to be willing to push for the best deal possible. Even then, I am not sure if it is worth it.

[por Rubén] Parece que está en estado de gracia. Lewis Hamilton ganó en Silverstone y ahora consigue la "pole" en Hockenheim. Parece claro que el McLaren Mercedes funciona ya que su compañero, Heikki Kovalainen, terminó tercero y podría haberlo hecho en primera posición, de no haber "sufrido" varios errores en sus últimas vueltas de clasificación.

Por detrás, la sorpresa, Trulli (4º) y la decepción, los BMW (Kubica 7º y Heidfeld 12º). Por lo que se puede ver, el equipo de Mario Theissen ha tocado techo y se van desinflando, cosa negativa de cara a la segunda mitad del campeonato.

Los resultados al completo son:

Foto: Eurosport

Tiempos: F1.com

During the good times, Ford built a truck with a leaky window and refuses to address this matter with consumers.  With truck sales weakening, would you honestly consider buying a truck from Ford when you know that they do such things in good times and are closing down plants and car lines.  I think I’d rather go to Toyota who not only back their product but, seem to be keeping their employees happy and working.

I find it interesting that when you go to a car dealership and ask for $500 off on the deal, they plead they don’t have any profit.  But, I just noticed an ad in the paper where they were cutting $10,000 of the price of a SUV.  Must be creative accounting I guess.

Or, is the manufacturer giving them a break so they can unload all the non-selling vehicles?  Either way, they still need to make some money and, are they cutting back in areas that will affect quality?  They have already shown that quality isn’t “Number One” in terms of the window problem – so, can you believe they will continue to build in quality as sales decrease?

As an aside, I brought this leaky window problem to Buzz Hargrove’s (head of the CAW) attention.  No surprise, but I never got a response to either of my letters.  I guess the union only looks after itself and considers consumers to be not worth talking to in the automobile business.  Unlike the non-union Toyota company.  Seems they listen to the consumer.  Must be a non-union thing I guess.

* * *

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It takes care of in any track Van Commercial vehicle. 

2.0 tons, 4.0 tons, 10 tons, and dump, trailer, tractor head, tank, and mixers.

We take care of not only the standard car but also the track.
It is safe also in the track for transportation, the dump for
construction, and the trailer for the heavy equipment transportation.

We will look for by the budget of hope.
We will wait for the inquiry of the used car dealer.
webmaster@hrs-trade.com

HRS Japan.
Japanese uesd cars truck exporter

Maneger,Director Hiroshi.Emori
#3F Minoya, 22-34-4 Hoshida
Katano-City, Osaka  Japan 576-0016

http://www.hrs-trade.com
webmaster@hrs-trade.com

fax   +81-72-893-5090             
tel    +81-72-894-2227             
Mobile +81-90-7356-1437 (Speak English chinese)

Toyota Vitz

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More about Tractor Supply Company
TSC is currently financially supporting the State Leaders Conference and National FFA Alumni Convention. TSC provides 20 - $1,000 local program support grants for FFA chapters with alumni affiliates, sponsor the job interview and career development events, provides opportunities for chapters and alumni to host events in parking lots and host FFA promotional days at store openings where FFA members are encouraged to attend.

More about Toyota
Toyota is financially supporting the State Leaders Conference and National FFA Alumni Convention. Toyota also sponsors and created the Can Hunger - Million Can Challenge to fight hunger through out the nation. States in the million can challenge are encouraged to partner with local dealerships. Toyota has also
provided trucks for parades and allowed the use of their dealerships for can collection sights. Also, Toyota sponsors Collegiate Tailgates that provides exposure to college students and keeps them engaged with FFA.

More about United Country Real Estate & Auction Services
United Country Real Estate is one of the newest alumni partners. In 2007 United Country conducted the National FFA Alumni Live Benefit Auction at National FFA Convention and simultaneously broadcast the auction online for people at home to bid. They are also encouraging their local franchises to partner with local FFA and FFA Alumni affiliates to host fundraisers.

FFA Alumni members are proud of the partnerships with these three companies and local chapters can build relationships with these companies through SAE placement, utilizing their resources, job placement, guest class lecturers and mentoring.

Kuroyanagi Shouten Ltd Japan.
#510 Castle May, 3-1422 Ueda-Higashi
Tenpaku, Nagoya  Japan 468-0006
ks.nra30133@gmail.com
fax +81 52 803 1870
tel +81 90-1417-1403
http://japancarexport.at.infoseek.co.jp/index.html

http://ukcanada.hp.infoseek.co.jp/GTR.html

http://kuroyanagikazuo.hp.infoseek.co.jp/index.html
 http://shouten.tripod.com/index-13.html  Parts
http://members.tripod.com/~c.kazuo/index-21.html  ---4-10 ton truck
http://c.kazuo.tripod.com/index.html
http://members.tripod.com/~MyanmarStar/index-2.html

Is it some weird tree hugger site? No there are no tree huggers here. (No offense real tree huggers.)

Is it a blog written by a bunch of nerds? Well kind of.

Is it another "green" blog that gives useless information on eco-products people will never use? Not at all.

Here at GGG we aim to deliver our readers with valuable information regarding everything in the "green" world. We get a lot of hands on access to the latest and greatest green products so if you want to know what the latest energy bill that just got passed is all about or you are looking for information regarding solar power we have you covered.

Now the "green" movement used to be a one of those things that only dedicated environmentalists cared about. Well things have kind of changed just a little...ok well a lot. Today everyone is talking about going green, everyone wants to be energy efficient, everyone wants to have a smaller "carbon footprint", and now everyone gets all excited when Jennifer Anniston buys a green house or Ms. Alba buys a Toyota Prius.

Tune into GGG everyday so next time your co-workers are talking about latest Telsa model you know what the heck they are talking about.

The Letter of the Day is "C"

1. Curious George - was one of my favorite kid's PBS shows before MM even garnered an interest in the cute curious monkey that is now one of his two (2) favorite "celebrities" (Elmo being the other obvious favorite). I wonder sometimes if I forced this favorite upon him, but I'm going with the whole "the nut doesn't fall far from the tree" theory instead. I have since bought him a C.G. storybook and now every night he asks me to read him "George" which really just means read him a bedtime story in general, but he calls them all George...

2. Chocolate - Is my undoing - any diet sounds well and fine until you mention me cutting back on chocolate - seriously? Isn't pretty much any meal improved with the introduction of chocolate in some form? Except maybe corn on the cob, but seriously other than that, why torture me?

3. Corolla - my main mode of transportation is my trusty green Toyota (my husband drives a marginally trustworthy red Toyota Camry that is pretty much on it's last leg so to speak) Corolla - it got me through the second half of college and has continued with us since - it doesn't look as pretty now that three slobs practically live in it (that includes me, but I'm not as bad as MM or DH) - I like my car a lot, but it's getting a bit cramped already - when Baby #2 is born it might need to hit the road jack...

4. CR-V - by Honda is ironically one of my next choices (if not, then a Toyota Matrix, but that doesn't begin with a C so it's not really relevant) - we're not sure which we'll go with for out next vehicle - depends on cost of gas, size of family, etc. but we are digging on the CR-V in many many ways.

5. cheesecake - Not being much of a cake person, I frequently have cheesecake on my birthday instead - my wedding cake was a baklava cheesecake - delicious and so me. I'm kind of picky about my cheesecake but that doesn't necessarily mean I want a high end cheesecake - and I don't have a problem with things being cheesecake flavored, etc. - it just has to taste good - maybe that doesn't mean picky, maybe it just means I don't like crap... hmmm...

6. Crossword puzzles - I love word puzzles, like crossword, but I'm not always great at them - in fact, I'm usually the opposite of great and I have a tendency of cheating and looking up words I'm struggling with, justifying that I'm still enhancing my vocabulary which is kind of the whole point, right? Right??

7. Church - I was baptized a Protestant and even went to a Sunday school preschool - but that's mostly because it was a good form of "daycare" - my family is not overly religious - it's not something we've ever stressed. But growing up I saw how important religion was to others and constantly felt a need to have a part of that - to find my religion, whatever it was. I tried on Catholicism for awhile, toyed with the idea of Baptists, and then came to a strange truth - I don't believe in organized religion - I don't see any way of having complete certainty one way or another and I think ostracizing others for not following your beliefs is silly and wrong. I think spirituality should always be a personal thing, because in a lot of ways we're just fantasizing - we all have our own unique way of seeing things and that's great - why start killing and fighting over the differences when the differences are what make us human? I don't know what waits for me in the afterlife, but I'm pretty sure this is the only life I'm getting and that I should appreciate it and live it in every way I'm capable of. Be good to others, all that jazz.

8. Christmas - I always seem to do Christmas wrong - I either wait too late and feel stressed, or start too early and burn myself out before I get there. I have a love hate relationship with Christmas music and the commercialism of the holiday and I'm not sure what I want out of Christmas ultimately - where I want to go, how much or how little I want to do. I love Christmas, adored it as a child despite being born on Christmas Eve and having every right to loathe it - but I'm still getting to know it, inside of my new family. Part of me still wants to believe in Santa, despite several proven points to the contrary.

9. Cookies - I am a cookie baking master. It's like that one thing I excel at - I am baffled by how poorly other people make cookies. I'll admit, I don't necessarily cook it from scratch and I don't make many varieties as I tend to only bake cookies I like to eat, but when I make them, they're good. I have an excellent track record. So I may not be a world class chef, but I do have my certain areas I kick ass in.

10. Creative Writing - I call myself a writer, some days, when I feel the need to define who I am and how I exist outside of motherhood, although the truth is I am far more a mother than a writer. I don't write much these days, outside of this blog, but I do love to write. Poetry is probably my favorite, but I write sad love poetry the best and being married, don't have much ammunition. I would love to write fiction but have a problem with follow through - I have more half started stories than I care to think about, and may not ever finish any of them. But I still love to write almost as much as I love to read.

11. Classical Music - has never been my thing, but not because I'm not cultured or whatever - for one, I really like words - I'm a writer, guys, a lack of words is like a lack of the whole point for me. My husband is the exact opposite - if the music isn't really good, it doesn't matter how good the lyrics are, he probably wasn't listening to them anyway. This baffles me - I have no musical background and outside of personal preference wouldn't recognize good music if it fluted me up the - my point is, it's all about the lyrics for me - I love clever little details in a song - unique ways of saying something, even if it's only unique vocally, I dig it. I get excited about music and musicians. But I don't think I've ever gotten excited about classical music.

12. Cutting my bread at Subway - Okay, I'm stretching here, but gosh sometimes 13 is a big number - so if any of you are old school Subway veterans I think you know what I'm getting at here - a few years back they started cutting their bread straight down the middle, rather than carving out a top and bottom - does that make sense? Well for all you cold cut sandwich people this might not have seemed like a big deal - but my favorite sub is the meatball - which is now crazy messy and ridiculous to eat thanks to their lazy cutting methods of late. For awhile I could get by, asking them to cut it "the old way" and the guys behind the counter would nod and smile and confide they prefer the old way also. We had a camaraderie, it was good. But these new subway employees have no brains - they were born yesterday and clearly never ate at Subway before gaining employment there - or I'm really that old and nobody remembers the old way anymore, but ugh. Even the service went downhill from here - and I'm a stickler for good customer service - I dated a Subway employee once because he had such great work ethic, new my orders by heart, cut my bread the old way, and okay so he probably had a crush on me and did all this on purpose, but REALLY - have I mentioned it was my husband's work ethic that also first attracted me to him? Seriously?

13. Customer Service - and because I can't change the subject when I've beat it into the ground in a bloody pulp - seriously? What is with poor customer service? Don't stand there looking bored and complaining about oh woe is you - this is your job people - it's how you earn your living - take some pride in it! I don't care if you flip burgers - at least make an attempt to flip the best damned burgers in the place - that is how you rise above, people, it's how you get a raise, a promotion - it's how you go from Christmas help to Children's Manager at the local bookstore. I should know. I've worked in retail on and off for nine (9) years and I'm serious - customer service is the bread and butter and I have no respect for people with a sloppy work ethic - if you don't like your job, get another one - stop wasting my time - stop pouting and grow up.

So - who's still planning to read my blog in the future? haha Sorry if I went off the deep end on what was supposed to be a light hearted, care free T13 meme of the Thursday. I promise to be nicer tomorrow. :)

To join in on the T13 fun, create an entry on your own blog, then head over to the Thursday Thirteen blog and add a link to your adobe. And if you have the time, be sure to check out other T13 contestants - cause making new bloggy friends is pretty much the whole point of these little bloggy blogfest memes.