Hello
Thursday stuff to follow. Dear GlowNZ, your father is in my thoughts.
OT: I want to thank all those who are being supportive and so kind to me. I know i rarely reply - given the endless personal attacks against me, it's sometimes impossible for me to even re-visit my diaries - but i do want to let you know that i really appreciate the kindness. Thank you.
First, president Obama having the time of his life in Maine, earlier today. Smiles all around. 30 minutes of fun.
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Wasn't America's auto industry sort of dead one year ago?
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GM's Four Core Brands Post 43% Sales Increase In March
General Motors Co. reported a 43% increase in March domestic sales for the four brands the company will keep following its restructuring amid continued strength for crossovers and cars.
Higher customer incentives were expected to boost sales in March, having been sparked by Toyota Motor Corp. (TM, 7203.TO), which is looking to draw back customers scared by its safety recall. Meanwhile, analysts have said they expect improved access to credit and leasing will boost sales throughout the year.
The results were the first since GM last month overhauled its sales operations in North America for the second time in four months, the latest sign that Chairman and Chief Executive Edward E. Whitacre Jr. isn't allowing executives much margin for error in turning around the company.
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And...
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Ford sales zoom 39.8%
Ford said today that its total U.S. sales increased 39.8% in March compared to the same month a year ago, when industry sales were at near-record low levels.
For the month, Ford sold 183,783 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo cars and trucks compared with 131,465 a year ago.
Without Volvo, which Ford is in the process of selling, Ford’s total sales in March increased 43% compared with last year.
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And:
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The industry is expected to break the 12 million vehicle mark for an annualized rate in March.
AutoNation Inc (AN.N) Chief Executive Mike Jackson, head of the largest U.S. dealership network, said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday that he expected the industry to break the 12 million vehicle mark for an annualized rate in March.
U.S. auto sales ran at a 10.8 million vehicle annualized rate in January and at about 10.4 million in February.
Influential tracking service J.D. Power and Associates has raised its outlook for full year U.S. auto industry sales to 11.7 million vehicles, from 11.5 million vehicles.
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Some serious sarcasm begging to be use over how this big announcement - with immediate impact on the environment - been completely ignored here today...Oh well.
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Obama administration issues tough fuel efficiency rules
The Obama administration has issued tough gas mileage standards for new cars and trucks hitting dealerships in the future.
The Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency say the final rules will require 2016 model-year vehicles to meet fuel efficiency targets of 34.1 miles per gallon combined for cars and trucks, or the equivalent of 35.5 mpg with credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That's an increase of nearly 10 mpg over current standards.
Consumers will see higher costs. The standards will add more than $900 to each vehicle in 2016 but the government says consumers will save $3,000 over the life of their vehicles because of fuel savings. The new rules will cover the 2012 to 2016 model years.
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More:
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the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today jointly established historic new federal rules that set the first-ever national greenhouse gas emissions standards and will significantly increase the fuel economy of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States. ...
....Today’s final rules, issued by DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and EPA, establish increasingly stringent fuel economy standards under NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy program and greenhouse gas emission standards under the Clean Air Act for 2012 through 2016 model-year vehicles.
Starting with 2012 model year vehicles, the rules together require automakers to improve fleet-wide fuel economy and reduce fleet-wide greenhouse gas emissions by approximately five percent every year. NHTSA has established fuel economy standards that strengthen each year reaching an estimated 34.1 mpg for the combined industry-wide fleet for model year 2016.
Because credits for air-conditioning improvements can be used to meet the EPA standards, but not the NHTSA standards, the EPA standards require that by the 2016 model-year, manufacturers must achieve a combined average vehicle emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. The EPA standard would be equivalent to 35.5 miles per gallon if all reductions came from fuel economy improvements.
Specifically, the new National Program:
•Reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 960 million metric tons over the lifetime of the vehicles regulated, equivalent to taking 50 million cars and light trucks off the road in 2030.
•Conserves about 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles regulated.
•Enables the average car buyer of a 2016 model year vehicle to enjoy a net savings of $3,000 over the lifetime of the vehicle, as upfront technology costs are offset by lower fuel costs.
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Seeing this in a mainstream media report - Now that feels like April Fools.
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Can't afford health care? Wait 'til June
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- For millions of uninsured or underinsured Americans, health reform legislation will soon remove some of the barriers preventing them from getting the coverage they need.
The most immediate changes affecting those who don't have health insurance, or are not buying enough insurance to meet their needs, start in about 81 days.
...Here's what to expect in 2010 and 2011.
Federal "high risk" pool coverage for adults, kids : Among the first measures to be instituted, the government will create a temporary Federal "high risk" pool to provide affordable coverage for uninsured adults and kids.
The pool is expected to be established by late June.
...Coverage for kids: Two of the most significant changes impacting young and adult children will take place by September.
First, insurers will no longer be able to deny coverage to a child because he or she has a pre-existing condition. Also, insurers will no longer be able to insure a child but exclude treatment for a pre-existing condition
....No lifetime caps on coverage: Also expected to go into effect in September is the measure to prohibit health plans from placing any lifetime caps on coverage.
...Early retirees: To encourage companies facing higher costs in providing insurance, the legislation will jumpstart a temporary reinsurance program for employers who provide coverage to retired workers between the ages of 55 and 64, who are too young for Medicare.
Without this incentive, this demographic would have to go uninsured, or buy their own insurance - usually at higher rates - if they were dropped by their employer's plan. The measure is expected to take effect in late June.
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States can start new Medicaid expansion today
WASHINGTON — Starting Thursday, states can choose to take the first steps toward the massive expansion of insurance coverage that is the recent health overhaul legislation's chief goal. For some states, that move could have the benefit of reviving funding for state-run programs that insure low-income adults.
As of April 1, states can apply for federal funding to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income people earning up to 133 percent of the poverty level, or $14,404 for an individual and $29,326.50 for a family of four. If implemented nationwide, this vast increase would bring 15 million more people into the safety-net program, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
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Two vids celebrating HCR:
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Manufacturing growing at fastest pace since ’04
NEW YORK - The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in March at its strongest pace in 5 1/2 years, a private trade group said Thursday, as industrial companies continue to lead the recovery from the recession.
The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing executives, said its gauge of industrial companies rose to 59.6 in March from 56.5 in February. It is the eighth straight month of expansion and the fastest growth since July 2004, when the index was 59.9.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters had expected the measure to read 57.
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Please don't hot-link:
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President Barack Obama arrives to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force base in Maryland, on April 1, 2010. Obama is traveling to Portland, Maine (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Thursday, April 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Barack Obama enters to speak about health care reform during an event at the Portland Expo Center, in Portland, Maine.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Barack Obama greets a veteran as he arrives to speak about health insurance reform during a visit to Portland, Maine April 1, 2010 (Reuters)
(JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
(Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
Katherine Steck, 6, of Gloucster, Mass., holds her ears as people cheer as President Barack Obama speaks about health care reform at the Portland Expo Center, in Portland, Maine.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
(JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
(Reuters)
(Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama, surrounded by the family of Cesar Chavez and leaders of the United Farm Workers that Chavez co-founded, signs a proclamation in the Oval Office designating March 31, 2010, which would have been his 83rd birthday, as Cesar Chavez Day. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Barack Obama shows First Lady Michelle Obama a letter he received from a young person, in the Outer Oval Office, March 31, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)