“Research and Markets: The Automobile Production in China Is Expected ... - CNBC” plus 4 more

Research and Markets: The Automobile Production in China Is Expected ... - CNBC
Humor: Beware of kids bearing gifts - Crosscut.com
Text size - Chicago Tribune
Ceramics professor molds young minds - Morris County Daily Record
Residential water use down in state, PSC says - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Research and Markets: The Automobile Production in China Is Expected ... - CNBC

Posted: 07 Sep 2009 03:00 AM PDT

DUBLIN, Sep 07, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/590623/china_automobile_s) has announced the addition of the "China Automobile Sector Forecast to 2012" report to their offering.

China's automobile industry has been rapidly developing since 2000. Recently, at the starting of 2009, China has overtaken the US to become the largest automobile market in the world. Despite the impact of recession, country's economy is growing steadily. Moreover, China has a vast consumer base with increasing disposable income and changing lifestyle and rapid development in road infrastructure, China has become a renowned name in the global automobile industry.

According to our latest study "China Automobile Sector Forecast to 2012", China produced a total 9.3 Million vehicles in 2008, surpassing United States as the 2nd largest automobile maker, after Japan. The automobile production in China is expected to reach 16 Million Units by 2012, hitting a CAGR of around 17% during 2009-2012. Despite the ongoing financial crisis, China has also become the largest automobile market in the world, with total sale of 3.84 Million vehicles for the first four months of 2009. It is expected that China will surpass the United States and become the largest car market for the full year of 2009.

China is also making every possible effort to become the world's leading producer of new energy vehicle. Chinese government has recently announced various incentives and subsidies to boost the new energy vehicle market and to become the world's largest producer of electric cars in the next three years.

After the announcement, various big players, including investor Warren Buffet, BMW and Toyota, and leading Chinese auto manufacturers like Chery Automobile and Geely Automobile, are entering or planning to enter the promising green vehicle market of China.

The report covers various aspects of the Chinese automobile market. It gives detailed analysis of the Chinese automobile market and its various segments including passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, utility vehicles, two wheelers and auto component. Each section explains the current and future market trends, and developments in the Chinese automobile market. Our research forecasts immense opportunities for automobile manufacturers and players of automobile component industry in China.

Besides this, we have also comprehensively analyzed the alternative fuel vehicle industry in China and its future outlook. The study also evaluates the growth avenues available for the country's automobile market, which include motor insurance industry, steel industry, used vehicle market, automotive electronic market, biofuel industry, etc.

Key Topics Covered: Analyst View China in Context of Global Automobile Industry China Automobile Industry - Forces Fueling Growth Industry Performance Industry Trends Key Players List of Tables: Table 4-1: Number of Passenger Car Sales by Top Companies (2009) Table 4-2: Number of Commercial Vehicle Sales by Top Companies (2009) Table 6-1: Top 10 Vehicle Manufacturers (2008) Some of the Figures: Figure 2-1: Share of China in Global Automobile Production (2008) Figure 2-2: Forecast for Share of China in Global Automobile Production (2012) Figure 3-1: GDP Growth (%), 2004-2008 Figure 3-2: Middle Class Families (Million), Jan 2005 & Jan 2007 Figure 3-3: Consumer Expenditure on Transportation and Communication (Million US$), 2004-2008 Figure 3-4: Passenger Car Stock (per '000 Population), 2004-2008 Figure 3-5: Crude Steel Production (Million Metric Tons), 2004-2008 Figure 4-1: Automobile Production Structure (%), 2008 Figure 4-2: Automobile Production (Million Units), 2004-2008 Figure 4-3: Automobile Sales (Million Units), 2007 & 2008 Figure 4-4: Automobile Exports ('000 Units), 2007 & 2008 Figure 4-5: Automobile Imports ('000 Units), 2007 & 2008 Figure 4-6: Forecast for Automobile Production (Million Units), 2009-2012 Figure 4-7: Passenger Car Production (Million Units), 2004-2008 Figure 4-8: Passenger Car Sales (Million Units), 2007 & 2008 Figure 4-9: Passenger Car Exports ('000 Units), 2008 & 2009 Figure 4-10: Passenger Car Imports ('000 Units), 2008 & 2009 Figure 4-11: Forecast for Passenger Car Stock (per '000 Population), 2009-2012 Figure 4-12: Commercial Vehicle Production (Million Units), 2004-2008 Figure 4-13: Commercial Vehicle Production by Structure (%), 2007 Figure 4-14: Commercial Vehicle Sales (Million Units), 2007 & 2008 Figure 4-15: Commercial Vehicle Exports ('000 Units), 2008 & 2009 Figure 4-16: Commercial Vehicle Imports ('000 Units), 2008 & 2009 Figure 4-17: Forecast for Commercial Vehicle Production (Million Units), 2009-2012 Figure 4-18: Motorcycle Production (Million Units), 2004-2008 Figure 4-19: Motorcycle Sales (Million Units), 2004-2008 Figure 4-20: Motorcycle Exports (Million Units), 2008 & 2009 Figure 4-21: Forecast for Motorcycle Production (Million Units), 2009-2012 Figure 4-22: Global Hybrid Electric Vehicle Sales ('000 Units), 2004-2008 Figure 4-23: Auto Parts Production (Billion RMB), 2008 & 2010 Companies Mentioned: General Motors Corporation Volkswagen AG Toyota Motor Corporation Hyundai Motor Company Ford Motor Company China FAW Group Corporation Dongfeng Motor Group Co.

Ltd Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. ChangAn Automobile Group Co., Ltd For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/590623/china_automobile_s SOURCE: Research and Markets CONTACT: Laura Wood Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com Fax from USA: 646-607-1907 Fax from rest of the world: +353-1-481-1716 Copyright Business Wire 2009 -0- KEYWORD: China

Asia Pacific INDUSTRY KEYWORD: Manufacturing

Automotive Manufacturing

Automotive

General Automotive

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Humor: Beware of kids bearing gifts - Crosscut.com

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 11:58 AM PDT

People my age are terrified that congressional gridlock will cause terminal health problems. I'm not talking health care. I'm talking estate tax.

Under existing law, the estate tax will be eliminated entirely in 2010, and then reinstated in 2011 at a 55 percent rate. Unless this law is changed, parents should observe the following guidelines for the year 2010:

1. If you receive gift packages from your children with a notice "Do not open until after January 1, 2010," take them immediately to the bomb defusing unit at police headquarters.

2. Disregard your children if they encourage you to take up hang gliding, motorcycle racing, and cave diving.

3. If your children visit you in 2010:

Hide all knives, ice picks, and other sharp instruments

Hide all sledge hammers, ice axes, and other blunt instruments

Hide yourself

4. If a child brings a pig into your house, it is almost certainly carrying H1N1 virus. Immediately take antiviral medications such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir) or Relenza (zanamivir).

5. Beware if you smell almonds. Cyanide smells like almonds. Also beware if you don't smell almonds. Arsenic is odorless.

6. Keep syringes of atropine and pralidoxime handy at all times to be administered in case of a sarin nerve gas attack.

7. Check your automobile daily. Loose lug nuts, dismantled disc brakes, or a missing steering wheel could indicate that someone has tampered with your car.

8. Sore throat, fever, dry, hacking cough, severe headache, joint and muscle aches, diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting, hiccups, red eyes, and internal bleeding reveal that your children have infected you with the Ebola virus. There is no known cure. You will die within one week. Change your will.

9. If your children text or tweet while you are driving, do not text back.

10. The gift of a week's vacation in Pamplona from July 7 to 14 means you will run with the bulls.

11. Refuse home-administered blood transfusions.

12. If you are visiting your children, be wary if: Automotive exhaust is piped directly to the guest room; an electric toaster is precariously balanced next to your bathtub; or prairie rattlesnakes are in your bed.

13. When eating food prepared by an offspring: Check all fruits and deserts for razor blades; check meats for Campylobacter infections, Salmonella and Shigella; check dairy products for E.coli, Listeria, and Botulism; check seafood and fish for Diphyllobothrium latum, a giant tapeworm species.

14. Ignore your children's request to camouflage yourself as an elk during hunting season.

Residents of Washington face an additional state tax of 20 percent. Therefore you can expect your children to encourage you to relocate to states with no estate taxes. If they suggest living in Detroit, Ketchikan, or Dothan, Alabama might be enjoyable, take their advice. You will extend your life for at least six more months while you establish residency.

I hope Congress changes the law. Then instead of being murdered by our children, we can die the American way — expensively, painfully, and ignominiously in an ICU costing $15,000 a day with tubes attached to every orifice. We will die with the comfort of knowing that decisions to spend collectively 30 percent of the Medicaid budget for our last year of life were made by fee-for-service doctors and not faceless bureaucrats.

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Text size - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 05:38 AM PDT

STEAM AND POWER SHOW The Hesston Steam Museum hosts its annual Steam and Power Show Sept. 4 through 7. The show, at the museum in LaPorte, Ind., features steam powered farm machinery and antique cars. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and free for kids 12 and younger. Train Fares are $5 for adults and $3 for kids 12 and younger. Seniors get half-price rides on Fridays. Visit hesston.org.

SKIP'S GRAFFITI GOLD The 25th annual Skip's Graffiti Gold Car Show is set for Sept. 6 at the new Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake. The show, swap and corral will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $2 for kids 6-11. Vendor spaces are $35, show cars $10-$15 and corral spots $25. Visit www.skipsusa.com or call 630-340-4744.

ELKHART LAKE VINTAGE FESTIVAL Road America will host the 24th annual Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association's Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival Sept. 11-13. Some 300 vintage and historic racecars from around the country will be on hand. The main gate opens at 7 a.m. daily. Admission is $75 for a three-day ticket or $15 for Sept. 11 and $30 each for Sept. 12 and 13. Kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult. Visit www.roadamerica.com or call 800-365-7223.

SCORE RALLYE The SCORE Rallye Team presents a gimmick car rallye Sept. 12. The event begins with registration at 6 p.m. at the Firestone Auto Center at Woodfield Mall, off Golf Road between Ill. 53 and Meacham Road. Fee is $15, with the first cars out at 7:15. Call 773-493-2517 or e-mail road-rallye@sbcglobal.net.

FALL CAR CORRAL Volo Auto Museum hosts its Fall Expo and Car Corral, open to 225 cars, Sept. 12. Registration is required for the free event, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 815-385-3644 or visit www.volocars.com.

DEERFIELD CAR SHOW The Deerfield Area Historical Society holds its annual Fallfest and Car Show Sept. 13. All show-quality cars from the 1970s and earlier are welcome from noon to 4 p.m. at the Historical Village. No registration is required, and admission is free. Contact scramer724@yahoo.com or 847-948-0680.

BRITISH CAR FEST The British Car Union hosts its 23nd annual Chicagoland British Car Festival Sept. 13 at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines. The festival, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open to all British marques, from Austin to Zephyr. Registration is $20 through Aug. 21 and $25 at the gate. Spectator admission is free. British motorcycles also will be on display. Visit www.britishcarunion.com or e-mail qualitas.jack@gmail.com.

BOULEVARD LAKEFRONT TOUR Registration is open for the annual Boulevard Lakefront Tour Sept. 13. Bicyclists can experience Daniel Burnham's dream on four routes: the 62-mile Ultimate Neighborhood, 35-mile Boulevard Tour Ride, 27-mile Beverly Cruise and 15-mile South Side Ramble. All routes s begin and end at the Midway Plaisance. Registration is $30, $25 for Active Transportation Alliance members and $12 for kids 17 and younger. Visit www.boulevardtour.org or call 312-427-3325, ext. 251.

BOAT PILOTING CLASS The Waukegan Sail & Power Squadron is offering the U.S. Power Squadron Piloting class beginning Sept. 14 at Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Gurnee. The class meets from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. every Monday for 10 weeks. Fee is $60 for members and $140 for non-members (includes one-year membership). Contact the instructor Keith Baldwin at Baldwinkeith@sbcglobal.net.

MARINE ELECTRICAL CLASS The Waukegan Sail & Power Squadron is offering the U.S. Power Squadron Marine Electrical Systems class beginning Sept. 16 at Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Gurnee. The class meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday for six weeks. Fee is $55 members and $135 for non-members (includes one-year membership). Contact instructor Rex Miller at rexwmiller@gmail.com.

CRUISE THE BACKLOT Downtown Skokie's Cruise the Backlot events are set for Sept. 16. The free cruise runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Village Green (parking lot between Village Hall and library. Visit www.cruisethebacklot.com.

CAPTAIN'S LICENSE CLASSES Columbia Yacht Club is offering USCG captain's licensing classes beginning with a free orientation session at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at the club, at 111 N. Lake Shore Drive. The classes will be held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 22 and running through Nov. 19. Tuition of $1,205 includes materials. Visit www.chicago captainsclasses.com or www.usmaritime.us or contact Capt. Fred Swastek at 773-296-6852 or capt.fred@usmaritime.us or Capt. Al Grigalunas at 312-259-5125 or capt.al@usmaritime.us.

AVANTI MEET The ChicagolandChapter of the Avanti Owners Association International is hosting the 2009 Meet Sept. 17-19 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville. The three-day event will include a swap meet, seminars and a concours for Avantis, Studebakers, Packards and Pierce-Arrows. Contact Tom Corr at 630-267-5896 or tom@3penguinsltd.com.

CHICAGOLAND NATIONALS The third annual PEAK Chicagoland Nationals Car Show, a car show featuring hot rods, custom cars, classics, muscle cars and trucks through 1972 vintage, hits the Chicagoland Speedway Sept. 18 through 20. More than 2,000 cars are expected along with a Street Challenge Autocross, swap meet and drag racing. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 18 and 19 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 20. Admission is $17 for adults and $ for kids age 7-12. Call Goodguys 925-838-9876 or visit www.chicagolandnats.com.

FAMOUS PUZZLER RALLYE The 11th annual Famous Puzzler Rallye kicks off with registration at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 at Woodfield Mall parking lot in Schaumburg near light pole B-2. A beginner's school starts at 6:45 and drivers meeting at 7 with the first car out at 7:15. Cost is $25 in advance and $30 at the gate with proceeds to benefit UPS for DownS, a non-profit that assists families dealing with Down Syndrome. Visit www.upsfordowns.org.

RAILROAD DAYS The Monticello Railway Museum hosts Railroad Days Sept. 19 and 20 in Monticello, off I-72 between Champaign and Springfield. Abraham Lincoln and the Leviathan, an operating 1869 steam locomotive replica, will be on hand for the festivities. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All day tickets, with unlimited train rides, are $12 for adults and $8 for children age 2-12. Visit www.mrym.org.

KJP CAR SHOWS In conjunction with the HeritageFest West Dundee, KJP Car, Truck and Motorcycle Shows will hold a show Sept. 19-20 at Main and 2nd Streets in the suburb. Registration opens at 10:30 with a fee of $15 per vehicle. Spectators are free, with awards by 4 p.m. Call John Pullaro at 847-608-0565 or Mike Konwinski 847-895-0032 or visit www.wdundee.org.

CORVETTE FUNFEST Mid America Motorworks holds its 16th annual Corvette Funfest Sept. 25-27 at its headquarters on U.S. 45, 2 miles north of Interstates 57 and 70, in Effingham, Ill. Some 15,000 of the sports cars are expected for show. Admission starts at $40. Call 800-500-1500 or visit www.corvettefunfest.com.

AMAZING RACE RALLYE Brand-X Rallye Team presents The Amazing Race gimmick ralley based on the TV show Sept. 26. The rallye begins at 6 p.m. with registration at Woodfield Mall, parking area B2, near the Firestone Tire Center. A free beginners' school starts at 6:30 p.m. with the first car off at 7:30. Call Kathy Thomas at 815-338-6319 or visit www.brandxrallyeteam.com.

PUMKIN DAYS The Illinois Railway Museum hosts it annual Pumpkin Days Oct. 3 and 4. Ride the trains and pick a free pumpkin. Hours at the museum in Union are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fares are $12 for adults, $8 for kids or $45 for families. Visit www.irm.org or call 815-923-4000 or 800-BIG-RAIL (244-7245).

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Ceramics professor molds young minds - Morris County Daily Record

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 12:59 AM PDT

FLORHAM PARK -- Barry Zawacki of Mountain Lakes belies George Bernard Shaw's saying, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

Zawacki, the ceramics professor at the College of St. Elizabeth in Florham Park, is himself an accomplished painter and potter. In fact, his students see samples of his work throughout the Annunciation Center, the school's visual and performing arts center.

For Zawacki, who had taught art for more than 30 years at the Robert R. Lazar Middle School in Montville before coming to the College of St. Elizabeth, teaching has been vital.

"Being with students every day gives you the opportunity to continually work, to evolve and change. As you do it every day, one thing leads to another. The opportunity to work in schools has allowed that."

Zawacki's specialty is a series of pottery pieces stacked to form what he refers to as "totems." He cheerfully admits he has combed automotive parts stores for gears, motorcycle brakes and transmission parts, all of which he incorporates into the totems.

The combination of the manmade materials and the natural material of the clay may seem like an unusual combination. But Zawacki feels art embraces such apparent contradictions.

"Most potters start out with functional pieces, like cups and bowls," he says. "They're smaller and simpler. Now I find that I'm more interested in one-of-a-kind pieces."

Art has been the focus of Zawacki's entire life. While growing up in Whippany in the 1950s and 1960s, he was always drawing. As a student at Hanover Park Regional High School, he studied under the art teacher, Harry Meinzer Jr., for four years.

"He was the major influence on me," Zawacki says. "He was the one who truly encouraged me."

Zawacki attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where he received his degree in art education. He then went to the University of Denver for his master's degree in fine arts.

"I still tell all of my students they should go graduate school right away, after their undergraduate work," Zawacki says. "You'll never regret it. You're still in the flow of studying and producing. When you get away from school and have a job, it's much more difficult to get back into that flow."

Zawacki received his master's degree in 1969 and promptly joined the Army. For two years, he was stationed in Panama.

"I was still able to paint while I was in the service," he says. "I actually entered a national competition down there, and I won third place."

After his honorable discharge, Zawacki moved back to New Jersey, where he began teaching. Even during his tenure at the Lazar Middle School, he continued to study (doing post-graduate at the Parsons School of Design in New York City) and to create.

Though he thinks of himself as a painter first, Zawacki began working more in pottery.

"Initially, it was because I didn't have a (painting) studio," he says.

However, the aesthetics of pottery hold a strong appeal to him.

"Pottery is about form and texture," he says. "Clay is one of the only materials that change as you work with it. It starts out very pliable, but then you fire it and it becomes as hard as stone. What I try to do is similar to what Asian and Native American artists do: Respect the inherent quality of the material and to bring that out."

Zawacki's art and even his use of the word "totem" reflect a deep respect for the American Indian culture, which he attributes to his years going to school in Colorado.

"Even though I grew up in New Jersey and still live here and work here, my heart, spirit and soul are in Colorado," he says. "I think that's why I work the way I do. You have the openness of the environment, the blue skies and the Rocky Mountains right there. I always tried to work outside, and I still do."

"Clay is such a versatile material," he says. "It can look like wood or metal or glass. I want to retain the earthy quality of it. I want people to feel the form and texture. Working with clay is a tactile experience, and I want people to sense that."

Zawacki notes that interest in the natural aspect of pottery extends to his reluctance to glaze his work. "I really don't like glaze because it's very technical, and you're working with chemicals and formulas. I just use a commercial glaze as an accent on some of my pieces."

Teaching in public schools was a challenge at times, according to Zawacki. "There were times when you're not only a teacher, you're a disciplinarian. But I'm very proud of what I did at Montville. We had an incredible art program, one that would rival many high schools. I spent some wonderful years there."

After he retired in 2003, he learned of the opening at the College of St. Elizabeth and readily applied.

"I've always wanted to teach at the college level, and I relish the opportunity at St. Elizabeth," he says. "My goal is to help raise the level of the work."

"Barry is a terrific professor," says Virginia Fabbri Butera, chairwoman of the college's art department and director of the Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery, at the Annunciation Center. "He's brilliant at what he does in the studio. He brings an enthusiasm and excitement for art of all kinds."

Zawacki also works with Butera on the exhibitions at the gallery.

"We hang the shows together. We talk about the installations together. He's my critic," she says.

Zawacki said he feels that his work as an artist and as a teacher will continue to feed off each other.

"The more I work, the more I realize that simplicity is important," he says. "That's another feature of American Indian and Asian aesthetics. More is less. You don't have to have a lot to make something beautiful."

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Residential water use down in state, PSC says - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 01:32 PM PDT

Sept. 6, 2009 | Madison - Diamond Taylor and Jeremy Glover, two freshmen on the Wisconsin men's basketball team, were arrested Sunday and face tentative charges of burglary and underage drinking.

An official at the Dane County jail confirmed Taylor and Glover had not been released.

A UW spokesperson said coach Bo Ryan would not be available for comment but UW officials announced Sunday night that both players have been suspended indefinitely for violating the athletic department's student-athlete discipline policy.

Taylor, 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, is a scholarship player from Bolingbrook, Ill. Glover, 6-2 and 170, is a walk-on from Haymarket, Va.

Both players are 18. »Read Full Blog Post