Smart Cars

Arguments heard on auto lessee, lessor liability

February 2, 2008 – 5:58 am
Are the lessor and lessee of a vehicle responsible when its negligent operation caused the plaintiff to be injured, even though the driver of the vehicle was not authorized to drive it? In Stanley Murdza v. D.L. Peterson Trust, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. and PHH Fleet American Corp., (decided June 6, 2002, docket number 01-7047) the U.S.Court of Appeals was asked to decide what responsibility, if any, a lessor and lessee had in a car accident where the driver of the vehicle was not authorized to use the vehicle. After a review of the evidence, the court certified two questions to the New York State Court of Appeals in order to determine whether the owners of the leased vehicle are exempt from liability under the circumstances of the case. Case Background On December 17, 1996 the plaintiff, Stanley Murdza was hit by a van driven by one of the ...

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State confiscates money found in vehicle: Unreasonable police stop: Lost money: Verdict

February 2, 2008 – 5:57 am
Commonwealth v. $9,460, Mass., Suffolk County Super. Ct., No. 99-4619F, Nov. 7,2001. Three Caucasian Boston police officers stopped a vehicle operated by two African American men, reportedly because of a broken tail light and cracked windshield. The officers subsequently found $9,460 in the vehicle. The scent of illegal drugs was later detected on the money and in the car by a certified drug canine. The state confiscated the money and began forfeiture proceedings under Mass. Gen. Law c. 94C sec 47, which allows the state government to seize assets, institute forfeiture proceedings, and retain the assets if it is shown by probable cause that the assets were derived from or intended to be used for an illegal drug transaction. The owner of the money, who was also the mother of one of the men in the vehicle, moved to intervene in the proceedings, alleging the police stop was without reasonable articulable ...

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EEMBC Validates DENbench Digital Entertainment Benchmark Suite With Certified Processor Scores From AMD, Analog Devices, Freescale, and IBM

February 2, 2008 – 5:56 am
EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. -- AMD, Analog Devices, Freescale and IBM today demonstrated their support for EEMBC's new Digital Entertainment benchmarks by becoming the first four companies to publish certified scores for processors tested against the new DENbench(TM) suite. Comprising more than 65 benchmark tests, EEMBC's DENbench suite gives developers of set-top boxes, PDAs, mobile phones and in-car entertainment systems a sophisticated new set of tools for evaluating the performance of embedded processors in their systems. Specific algorithms in the suite test the speed at which processors compress and decompress audio, video and still images. Other benchmarks in the suite focus on encryption and decryption algorithms commonly used in e-commerce applications. The first processors to undergo the challenges of the new benchmarks are the Analog Devices ADSP-BF533, AMD Geode NX1500, Freescale MPC7447A and IBM 750GX. These processors represent a wide range of performance, power, and price characteristics and therefore help ...

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Toy recall alarms parents

February 2, 2008 – 5:54 am
Mattel's disclosure Tuesday that it is recalling millions more toys made in China has infuriated consumer advocates, provoked a new warning for parents and deepened potential business problems for the entire industry. The recall -- including more than 250,000 toy cars recently made with lead paint -- is the latest in a series of revelations about China-made toys and other products with hazardous components. "Consumers need to say that they're not going to buy toys until they're independently certified as safe," said Stephanie Oppenheim, a toy-safety watchdog who publishes an independent product guide, the "Oppenheim Toy Portfolio." Parents' ability to protect their children also got tougher after the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that kits used to test for the presence of lead in items including toys are unreliable. The CPSC said it found such kits produce false negatives and false positives. "That makes me a lot more nervous," said ...

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Toy recalls give parents the jitters

February 2, 2008 – 5:52 am
Mattel's disclosure Tuesday that it is recalling millions more toys made in China has infuriated consumer advocates, provoked a new warning for parents and deepened potential business problems for the entire industry. The recall -- including more than 250,000 toy cars recently made with lead paint -- is the latest in a series of revelations about China-made toys and other products with hazardous components. "Consumers need to say that they're not going to buy toys until they're independently certified as safe," said Stephanie Oppenheim, a toy-safety watchdog who publishes an independent product guide, the "Oppenheim Toy Portfolio. Parents' ability to protect their children also got tougher after the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that kits used to test for the presence of lead in items, including toys, are unreliable. The commission said it found such kits produce false negatives and false positives. "That makes me a lot more nervous," said Sharon ...

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Nascar Rocks with A-B, Mattel, Visa, EA Sports

February 2, 2008 – 5:49 am
True Value, Gatorade, Anheuser-Busch, Mattel, EA Sports, Visa and Internet auto parts vendor Wrench-head.com are in as sponsors of a 30-city, Nascar-branded summer tour that features the Allman Brothers as headliners. "Nascar Rocks" is an attempt by the burgeoning stock-car circuit to reach beyond its core fans by combining a musical tour hitting cities without a Nascar venue with interactive Nascar-themed and -sponsored events and show cars at the accompanying Nascar Experience, similar to the NFL Experience at the Super Bowl or Major League Baseball's All-Star Fan Fest. CBS will promote on all of its sports television programming and air a prime time special in early July, while TNN sets two two-hour prime time cable specials in July, both to be rebroadcast in the fourth quarter. Local cable operators and CBS owned-and-operated affiliates will also tie in, while Westwood One plans syndicated radio programming. Nascar will also support via its ...

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AAA Members Access Record Savings Via AAA’s Show Your Card & Save Program

February 2, 2008 – 5:48 am
Despite ongoing economic uncertainty in the last 12 months, AAA members, using their AAA member discounts, have spent record amounts on everything from hotel rooms, airplane and train tickets, restaurants, rental cars, theaters, theme parks, vision care, footwear, outlet shopping, online shopping, car washes, oil changes, auto parts and flowers. "Regardless of shifting public concern about domestic or economic security, millions of consumers continued to spend money while accessing deals available through the AAA Show Your Card & Save(TM) program," said Tom Wilt, managing director of AAA Partnership Programs Since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, AAA members saved more than 14 million times at merchants affiliated with the nation's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, and received a total of over $330 million in discounts. This represents a record number of customer transactions for the program. "These figures clearly illustrate the AAA Show Your Card & Save(TM) program remains the ...

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PPIR loses race off Fourth of July program

February 2, 2008 – 5:47 am
Pikes Peak International Raceway's July 4 event will be shorter by one race. The American Speed Association (ASA) on Friday cancelled its 200- mile stock car race at PPIR when series officials announced they could not secure sponsorship for the event. ASA was scheduled to hold the opening race July 4, followed by three U.S. Auto Club races and a fireworks show. PPIR public relations manager Clark Curtis said track officials were shocked and disappointed Friday to hear that ASA cancelled the race. He said the late cancellation gave PPIR no time to find a replacement race. "We are very saddened that ASA is not in a position to race at PPIR," track president Rob Johnson said in a release. "We will miss having their series at PPIR but look forward to putting on a great weekend of USAC racing and the largest fireworks display in Southern Colorado." Curtis said PPIR had ...

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Orange County Marketing Professionals Plan Events for Automotive Marketing Month

February 2, 2008 – 5:46 am
TUSTIN, Calif. -- The American Marketing Association of Orange County (OCAMA), a local chapter of the largest association of marketing professionals worldwide, announced today the October 2004 events of Automotive Marketing Month. Marketing professionals and automotive enthusiasts will have the unique opportunity to learn about automotive product launches, attend press briefings, and join General Motors for a luncheon at the Anaheim Auto Show. The first event of Automotive Marketing Month will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at The Garage Classic Cars in Orange, Calif. Ian Beavis, senior vice president of marketing, product planning and public relations with Mitsubishi Motors North America will discuss and preview Mitsubishi's new marketing campaign for 2005. Members and guests will be served dinner, have the opportunity to network with colleagues, and view beautiful classic cars. On Oct. 27, the OCAMA automotive marketing, shared interest group arranged for special VIP passes to the Anaheim Auto ...

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2003 Oregon International Airshow Features Five Hours of Performance in the Air, Impressive Display of Warbirds and Military Aircraft on the Ground

February 2, 2008 – 5:45 am
Weekend Event Promises Thrilling Aerial Acts, Pyrotechnics Show, Fireworks and Display of Warbirds, Experimental Aircraft and Antique Cars The 2003 Oregon International Airshow, presented by Hillsboro Auto Group, will feature the largest line-up of performers in its 15-year history, featuring The Patriots Jet Team, the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, the Air Force F-16 and the Navy F-18 Demonstration Teams, and more than 20 civilian performers. The weekend event will also include an impressive array of rare and one-of-a-kind warbirds and military aircraft including the Hawker Hunter, Voisin 3, Fokker Dr-1Triplane, TBM Avenger, N.A. P-51 Mustang and the P-C3, which will be flown in from Hawaii. 100-years of Wings and Wheels -- a showcase of antique cars and Harley Davidson motorcycles -- will be on display at the Entertainment Center. Families can visit the Kidz Zone sponsored by the Port of Portland, and Military Village to enjoy fun activities such as bungee ...

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