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Newt Gingrich: Test every Muslim in U.S. to see if they believe in Sharia CNN / July 15, 2015 Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday called for the U.S. to test every person with a Muslim background to see if they believe in Sharia law, and deport those who do. "Let me be as blunt and direct as I can be. Western civilization is in a war. We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Sharia, they should be deported," said Gingrich. "Sharia is incompatible with Western civilization. Modern Muslims who have given up Sharia, glad to have them as citizens. Perfectly happy to have them next door." Gingrich was asked, "How do we ascertain -- how do you possibly ascertain whether or not that person really wants assimilation, really wants a new life, or whether or not they want to expand that caliphate, which is what we're at war against?" "The first step is you have to ask them the questions," Gingrich responded. "The second step is you have to monitor what they're doing on the Internet. The third step is, let me be very clear, you have to monitor the mosques. I mean, if you're not prepared to monitor the mosques, this whole thing is a joke. Where do you think the primary source of recruitment is? Where do you think the primary place of indoctrination is? You've got to look at the madrassas -- if you're a school which is teaching Sharia, you want to expel it from the country." The comments by Gingrich are similar to ones made by Trump last fall, when he called for surveillance of "certain mosques" to counter terrorist threats. Gingrich also said Thursday that calling Islam a "religion of peace" is "bologna." "It's not that Islamists are necessarily evil, but they're not necessarily a religion of peace," Gingrich said. Gingrich then turned his focus to President Barack Obama, citing many leading Democrats' argument for stricter gun regulation laws after the Orlando terror attack, where 49 individuals where shot and killed inside a nightclub. "I fully expect by tomorrow morning that President Obama will have rediscovered his left-wing roots and will give a press conference in which he'll explain that the problem is too many trucks," Gingrich said. "If only we had truck regulation, then we wouldn't have problems like Nice because it is trucks that are dangerous. I mean that's the exact analog to Orlando and just tells you how nuts the left wing in America is." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . U.S. States Shun Syrian Refugees (i.e. economic migrants) CNN / November 16, 2015 The governors of 31 (was 24) states have announced they will not accept Syrian refugees. All but one have Republican governors. The announcements came after authorities revealed that at least one of the suspects believed to be involved in the Paris terrorist attacks entered Europe among the current wave of Syrian refugees. He had falsely identified himself as a Syrian named Ahmad al Muhammad and was allowed to enter Greece in early October. Some leaders say they either oppose taking in any Syrian refugees being relocated as part of a national program or asked that they be particularly scrutinized as potential security threats. Only 1,500 Syrian refugees have been accepted into the United States since 2011, but the Obama administration announced in September that 10,000 Syrians will be allowed entry next year. Authority over admitting refugees to the country, though, rests with the federal government -- not with the states -- though individual states can make the acceptance process much more difficult, experts said. American University law professor Stephen I. Vladeck put it this way: "Legally, states have no authority to do anything because the question of who should be allowed in this country is one that the Constitution commits to the federal government." But Vladeck noted that without the state's participation, the federal government would have a much more arduous task. "So a state can't say it is legally objecting, but it can refuse to cooperate, which makes thing much more difficult." Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said one tactic states could use would be to cut their own funding in areas such as resettling refugees. The conference is the largest refugee resettlement organization in the country. But "when push comes to shove, the federal government has both the plenary power and the power of the 1980 Refugee Act to place refugees anywhere in the country," Appleby said. In announcing that his state would not accept any Syrian refugees, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Monday on his personal account, "I demand the U.S. act similarly," he said. "Security comes first." Texas will not accept any Syrian refugees & I demand the U.S. act similarly. Security comes first. — Greg Abbott In a letter to President Barack Obama, Abbott said "American humanitarian compassion could be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger," referring to Friday's deadly attacks in Paris. In a statement from Georgia's governor, Republican Nathan Deal, he said Georgia will not accept Syrian refugees "until the federal government and Congress conducts a thorough review of current screening procedures and background checks." I've issued an executive order directing state agency heads to prevent the resettlement of Syrian refugees in GA. — Governor Nathan Deal Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also rejected the possibility of allowing Syrian refugees into his state and connected refugees with potential terror threats. "After full consideration of this weekend's attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris, I will oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program," Bentley said Sunday in a statement. "As your governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way." I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way. We refuse Syrian refugees. — Gov. Robert Bentley There is currently no credible threat against the state, the governor's office said, and no Syrian refugees have been relocated to Alabama so far. As the list of states blocking refugees grows, at least one state, Delaware, announced that it plans to accept refugees. "It is unfortunate that anyone would use the tragic events in Paris to send a message that we do not understand the plight of these refugees, ignoring the fact that the people we are talking about are fleeing the perpetrators of terror," said Gov. Jack Markell. States whose governors oppose Syrian refugees coming in: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming States whose governors say they will accept refugees: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said the state would "put on hold our efforts to accept new refugees." "Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration. But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents," said Snyder. He demanded that the Department of Homeland Security review its security procedures for vetting refugees but avoided blanket suspicion of people from any region. "It's also important to remember that these attacks are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world," Snyder said. And Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson posted on his official Twitter account that he would "oppose Syrian refugees being relocated to Arkansas." Action taken by some states is similar to several European countries who have forcefully opposed accepting refugees. Hungary built a razor-wire fence along its border, and neighboring countries have been following suit. And previously generous countries such as Sweden and Germany that welcomed thousands were already pulling back. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement, "(At) this time, I find the idea of accepting Syrian refugees highly concerning and have no plans to accept them into our state and believe the federal government has an obligation to carry out extensive background checks on everyone seeking to enter the United States." Mississippi, Ohio bristle at taking refugees The governors of Ohio and Mississippi also announced their states would not allow Syrian refugees. Jim Lynch, a spokesman for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, issued this statement: "The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed. The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees." Kasich is a Republican presidential candidate. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant wrote on Facebook that he was working with the state's homeland security department to "determine the current status of any Syrian refugees that may be brought to our state in the near future. “We don’t know who these individuals are. Any idea (that) you can do a background check of someone that’s been living in Syria is absolutely ridiculous,” Bryant said. “These are dangerous times, whether people want to admit it or not,” Bryant said. “We want to keep the war out of Mississippi, here on the homefront.” "I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi. The policy of bringing these individuals into the country is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous. I'll be notifying President Obama of my decision today to resist this potential action." Louisiana: 'Kept in the dark' Louisiana governor and GOP presidential candidate Bobby Jindal complained bitterly in an open letter to Obama that the federal government had not informed his government about refugees being relocated to his state last week. "It is irresponsible and severely disconcerting to place individuals, who may have ties to ISIS, in a state without the state's knowledge or involvement," says Jindal. He demanded to know more about the people being placed in Louisiana to avoid a repeat of the Paris attacks and wanted to know whether screening would be intensified for refugees holding Syrian passports. And he suggested Obama hold off on taking in more refugees. "It would be prudent to pause the process of refugees coming to the United States. Authorities need to investigate what happened in Europe before this problem comes to the United States," Jindal said. Republican candidate Donald Trump called accepting Syrian refugees "insane." "We all have heart and we all want people taken care of, but with the problems our country has, to take in 250,000 -- some of whom are going to have problems, big problems -- is just insane. We have to be insane. Terrible." While addressing reporters on Monday, Obama called out Republican candidates who have objected to admitting refugees to the United States. "When I hear a political leader suggesting that there should be a religious test for which a person who is fleeing from a war torn country is admitted... when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that is shameful," the President said. "We don't have religious tests to our compassion." New York: 'Virtually no vetting' A senior White House security official attempted to allay concerns about the vetting of Syrian refugees. On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said, "We have very extensive screening procedures for all Syrian refugees who have come to the United States. There is a very careful vetting process that includes our intelligence community, our National Counter Terrorism Center, the Department of Homeland Security, so we can make sure that we are carefully screening anybody that comes to the United States." New York Rep. Peter King cast doubt on Rhodes' comments. "What he said about the vetting of the refugees is untrue. There is virtually no vetting cause there are no databases in Syria, there are no government records. We don't know who these people are." On Sunday, investigators said that one of the Paris bombers carried Syrian identification papers -- possibly forged -- and the fear of Syrian refugees grew worse. "It's not that we don't want to -- it's that we can't," said Florida Senator and Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. "Because there's no way to background check someone that's coming from Syria." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . Life in a western country, including the United States, is completely different from countries under Islamic Law (Shariah). If one chooses to [legally] immigrate to the United States, then one needs to make a conscious decision about adapting to the American way of life. The U.S. is a global symbol of diversity. However, we have our own norms, which are unlike those of countries under Islamic Law (Shariah). You can’t put a square peg into a round hole. Live in the countries where your beliefs fit in.

Truck Attack in France Shows Limits of Global Hunt for Terrorism The Wall Street Journal / July 14, 2016 The counterterrorism playbook used to fight groups a decade ago has proven ineffective against modern-day sympathizers of radical causes, experts say The U.S. government has launched thousands of airstrikes, bombed oil facilities, redeployed its military, moved satellites, intercepted phone calls, blocked money transfers and made dozens of arrests in a bid to thwart Islamic State. But time after time, the terror group, its affiliates and sympathizers have found ways to break through a global ring fence, launching spectacular attacks that have killed hundreds of people in Europe and the U.S. The motives and perpetrators behind Thursday’s truck massacre in Nice, France, remained uncertain in the hours immediately following the attack. But the action appeared to share the hallmarks of recent attacks carried out, or inspired by, Islamic State: It was a murderous assault on a “soft,” or unprotected, target undertaken by an individual or handful of people. Islamic State has exploited weak or nonexistent governments in Syria, Iraq, and Libya to fortify, recruit and plan attacks. Its leaders have leveraged social media to proselytize and lure new members. And they have, again and again, hammered soft targets full of crowded people. An airport. A holiday party. A concert hall. A nightclub. In many cases, the attacks are being carried out by an individual or small number of people, sometimes without actual ties to the group that inspired them. That presents a daunting problem for intelligence operatives and law enforcement. “The problem is that the numbers of people who have been radicalized, mostly because of social media, are larger than anything we’ve seen before, and we are just behind the curve,” said Bruce Hoffman, director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. “We are dealing with a problem of an order of magnitude much larger than in the past.” A truck driver who plowed through crowds and murdered at least 77 people on Bastille Day in Nice, France, joined the ranks of other individuals or small groups of terrorists who have murdered dozens or even hundreds of innocent revelers, travelers and others in the past 18 months. France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor has opened a probe. No one yet has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack. The attack also comes as voters across the U.S. are beginning to focus more squarely on the presidential election, with national party conventions just days away. Both leading candidates, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, are being pressed to explain how they would rework U.S. counter-terrorism policy to better thwart the resilience of Islamic State. Their counter-terrorism strategies—and teams—will face sharper scrutiny now. Mr. Trump has proposed banning the entry of Muslims into the U.S., ramping up interrogation techniques against accused terrorists to disrupt plots and bombing the “hell out of” the terror group in Iraq and Syria. He wants to keep much of his plan a secret, though, so as not to tip off Islamic State leaders as to how he will defeat them. Mrs. Clinton has pushed for Sunni Muslims and Kurdish forces to play a bigger role in combating Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and she also wants to expand U.S. airstrikes. She has pushed for disrupting Islamic State’s use of the internet and social media, though she hasn’t provided specifics on how she would do this. U.S. officials have hoped that their two-year campaign to combat Islamic State would degrade its ability to carry out terror attacks, but they have found only mixed results. U.S. officials and U.S. allies have been able to dislodge the group from some of the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq, but the group has been able to either direct or inspire attacks in France, Turkey, Belgium, the U.S. and elsewhere. A murderous sweep during the month of Ramadan killed hundreds in Baghdad; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Istanbul; and Orlando, Florida. The attacks have proven very difficult to stop. The counter-terrorism playbook the U.S. and other countries used to thwart the large-scale attacks planned by Al Qaeda more than a decade ago has been less successful against Islamic State. At a congressional hearing earlier Thursday, Nick Rasmussen, the head of the National Counter-terrorism Center, warned of the danger of low-tech terrorist attacks. “While we’ve seen a decrease in the frequency of large-scale, complex efforts that sometimes span several years, we’re seeing a proliferation of more rapidly evolving threats that emerge simply by an individual encouraged to take action, who then quickly gathers the few resources needed and moves,” Mr. Rasmussen said. “The time between when an individual decides to attack and when the attack occurs is extremely compressed and allows little time for traditional law-enforcement and intelligence tools to disrupt or mitigate potential plots.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Washington Times / July 19, 2016 Two weeks before the massacre in Nice, a French-speaking ISIS fighter went on social media to urge Muslims in France to “go get a truck” and kill infidels. And that’s exactly what Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel did on July 14, taking a rented truck and plowing through a mass of people watching fireworks on Bastille Day on the Riviera. He killed 84 people. ISIS has taken credit for radicalizing Bouhlel in one of its signature-style attacks: convince a “lone wolf” to commit mass killings and become a martyr, as happened in Orlando, Florida. French officials say Bouhlel, by all accounts a misfit and petty criminal, was quickly radicalized. Officials have found no firm ties to ISIS, but know he searched information about ISIS on the Internet. In the June 29 video, the fighter, speaking in French, urges Muslims in France to find weapons on the street from criminal elements. “It is very easy to obtain weapons,” he says. “Just don’t let them know that this is for religious purposes.” “If you cannot find a gun, go get a truck. … In France, you have access to gas tanks and trucks.” The speaker said that, as French Muslims are having difficulty traveling to Turkey for insertion into Syria, it is better to stay and kill innocents at home. “Open the doors of jihad on them, and make them regret it,” he says. “So if you want Islam to be victorious, why would you want to come out of the beast and face its fangs when you can cut out its heart and liver,” he says.

130 human beings murdered in Paris. At least 84 lives ended prematurely in Nice. These numbers are huge. Orlando........49 killed, 53 injured. San Bernardino........14 killed, 22 seriously injured. Until we (the U.S.) change our whole philosophy and strategy, which will require compromising on some our long-time freedoms and values, we are vulnerable. As is, our government, which is mandated to ensure our safety, and "should be" the best means, is in a weak position for doing so. A key reason Europe has witnessed more attacks than the US is because we are much further away. And, it was so easy for them to become alleged refugees (realistically economic migrants) and flow unchecked into the EU. (What was the EU thinking?) Only Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia and Turkey were wise enough to build fences. We know our southern border, for example, his porous. Illegal Latin American immigrants, and 'others", are able to pour in every day. Once in without our knowledge, able to operate off the grid.........well, it's all a scary thought.

The Wall Street Journal / July 14, 2016 More trucking fleets are going out of business, done in by rising diesel prices and a weak freight market. More and larger trucking companies are failing as fuel prices rebound and demand for freight services remains muted, a new report says. In the second quarter, 120 trucking companies with an average fleet size of 17 tractor-trailers halted operations, according to an analysis by researcher Avondale Partners LLC. That’s up from 70 firms with an average fleet size of 14 big rigs in the same quarter a year earlier. There are more than 168,000 interstate motor carriers with more than 2 million trucks in the U.S., according to the American Trucking Associations, an industry group. The failures are mainly the result of rising fuel prices and weak demand, said Avondale Managing Director Donald Broughton. When gas prices are falling, truckers are able to charge shippers a fuel surcharge based on the price of gas from previous weeks, while filling up their tanks at lower prices. But when fuel prices are on the rise, the opposite happens, leading to a cash shortfall. “When conditions are ideal, only the little guys tend to fail. But as conditions start to deteriorate, it tends to affect even larger trucking fleets,” Mr. Broughton said. More trucking companies fail in the first half of the year because of increased costs associated with weather-related accidents, the costs of heating and idling trucks, and renewing truck registrations. Last year, only 310 trucking fleets ceased operations, the lowest number since Avondale started tracking failures in 1986. The average diesel fuel price in 2015 was $2.72 a gallon, its lowest since 2009. Trucking rates began to decline last year amid weakness in the import market and tepid growth in the consumer economy. But the biggest factor, according to many analysts, has been overcapacity. The U.S. Department of Transportation reported this week that demand for freight transportation services fell by 0.3% between May 2015 and May 2016. In June, demand for for-hire trucking rose faster than the supply of trucks, only the fourth time in the last 19 months that the market posted such an improvement. “There aren’t enough loads to fill the trucks that are on the road now,” Mr. Broughton said. “Unless you are one of the ones who failed, you should be cheering [capacity leaving the market]. The industry needs to put capacity and demand back into balance, although 2,000 trucks being removed from the road is not enough.”

Reuters / July 14, 2016 The European Commission will propose limits on CO2 emissions from trucks, following in the footsteps of the United States and Japan, and new fuel efficiency standards for cars and vans after 2020, according to a draft document seen by Reuters. The European Union has introduced a limit of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer (g/km) by 2021 for cars and vans but has so far not done the same for trucks, although they are responsible for around a quarter of road transport emissions and that share of emissions could increase by 2030, according to the Commission. "The Commission will, therefore, speed up analytical work on design options for standards for heavy duty vehicles and will launch a public consultation to prepare the ground for a legislative proposal," the document says. The document contains a list of proposals to lower the CO2 footprint of transport, including a "legislative proposal to set fuel efficiency standards for heavy duty vehicles" and a revision of emissions standards for cars and vans post-2020. Some European nations had called for the EU to introduce limits on the amount of CO2 emitted by trucks, which pump out a large proportion of CO2 emissions but only account for a small fraction of vehicles on the road. The industry, which includes manufacturers Daimler, Renault and Volkswagen, has typically resisted introducing targets for trucks on the grounds that their different shapes and sizes make a "one-size-fits-all" approach to limiting CO2 emissions difficult and fuel efficiency has already helped lower their carbon footprint. Europe has lagged behind other countries such as the United States, China, Japan and Canada which have already introduced fuel efficiency standards for trucks. The U.S. standards on truck emissions could lead to a 33 percent reduction of fuel consumption rates from 2010 levels, according to researchers. To prepare the ground for the new limits the Commission will propose a law on the certification of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of new trucks - namely a CO2 test procedure - as well as a law on monitoring and reporting lorries' fuel consumption. The fuel efficiency targets will initially only be for engines. "Over time this will be expanded subsequently to all categories based on the full monitoring data," the document says.

Transport Topics / July 14, 2016 Luxembourg-based SAF-Holland SA has offered $495 million (4.2 billion kronor) to buy Sweden-based Haldex AB, a combination of truck-making suppliers that could help match mechanical parts with sensors and electronic components as big rigs increasingly link up to the internet. SAF made a cash bid of about $11.11 for each share of brakes and air suspension systems maker Haldex, a premium of 11% over the closing price before the proposal. Haldex said it is considering the unsolicited offer and has also received a “credible nonbinding proposal” from a third party. “Together, we’ll be able to offer a complete solution for many components,” said Detlef Borghardt, CEO of SAF. Trucking companies want to network big rigs together and use the resulting real-time data to reduce empty runs, better use employees’ time and improve road safety via driver-assistance systems such as convoys. At the same time, commercial vehicle makers’ earnings are under pressure amid fierce price competition in Europe and falling demand in the United States. Haldex said its board will respond to SAF’s offer no later than two weeks before the August 24 end of the acceptance period. Haldex hasn’t received the terms of the other offer, and there’s no certainty one will be made, the company said. SAF’s proposal requires acceptance of 90% of Haldex shareholders.

Heavy Duty Trucking / July 14, 2016 Retail sales of Class 8 natural gas trucks in the U.S. and Canada improved in May, after getting off to a slow start earlier in the year. The majority of natural-gas vehicle sales were attributed to repeat sales as well as purchases made by transit bus and refuse truck operators. The lower price of diesel fuel has stunted the return on investment fleets might have for gained by adopting the alternative fuel, making the turn toward natural gas a less lucrative prospect for fleets. Sales were up 48% over the previous month. But they are down 21% over the past 12 months and 24% year-to-date compared to 2015. “With the fuel price differential continuing to narrow, the ROI to convert from diesel to natural gas is moving in the wrong direction: payback periods remain lengthy,” said market analysts. “This doesn’t mean the adoption of NG fuel has stopped or that there are no new developments supporting a future uptick in NG truck orders.” Infrastructure is another barrier to entry for natural-gas vehicle adoption and while infrastructure continues to be built, it tends to be at a slower pace and at targeted locations. However, natural-gas equipment users have stayed committed to the long-term viability and emissions benefits.

It's shocking that, at a time when fuel efficiency is a priority goal, the full-size pickups have the aerodynamics of.......a brick. And, I don't particularly want to drive a "brick". The second generation 1994-2002 Dodge pickups had a much smaller "nose" than today. It actually looked aerodynamic.....and proportional. But the grilles of today's trucks are absurdly huge, larger than many people's flat screen TVs. Personally, I don't care for it. At the end of the day, my position remains that If one could buy a Ford F-Series pickup with the Dodge's Cummins 6.7L ISB and Chevy/GMC's Allison 1000 transmission, and Dana axles, you'd have a nice truck......a keeper.

The History of the Camaro Convertible https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/featured/Camaro_Convertible.html

2016 Chevrolet SS Review: Last of the Down Under Hot Rods Car & Driver / July 14, 2016 Overview: The Chevrolet SS, on the surface, is among the most American of things: a big, comfy, rear-wheel-drive sedan powered by a burly small-block V-8. But it’s actually the latest—and almost certainly the last—in a line of powerful, rebadged imports from General Motors’ Australian subsidiary, Holden, which started with the 2004 Pontiac GTO and continued with the SS’s predecessor, the Pontiac G8. Known as the Holden Commodore in its home market, the SS shares some of its architecture with the previous-generation Chevrolet Camaro and is powered by a 415-hp 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 mated to either a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. Although its official purpose is as a low-volume, aspirational car that gives Chevy’s SS NASCAR racer a legitimate connection to the street, the SS is much more than a token gesture to the left-turn crowd. The SS is a true sports sedan imbued with a beautifully balanced chassis, tactile steering, and loads of cornering grip (0.97 g) from its standard Bridgestone Potenza performance tires. Manual-transmission cars like the one we drove for this review incur a $1000 gas-guzzler tax versus the standard automatic’s $1300 penalty; the EPA rates both versions at 14 mpg in the city, but opting for the manual grants the SS a 2-mpg boost on the highway to 22 mpg. Performance figures are similar regardless of transmission choice. The 2015 stick-shift model we tested reached 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 13.0 at 111 mph, making it properly quick yet still slower in a straight line than the 485-hp Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack. Front and rear Brembo brakes and a pleasantly firm brake pedal can arrest the near-two-ton SS from 70 mph in an impressive 159 feet. What’s New: Introduced for 2014 with only the automatic gearbox, the SS possesses drivability and superior reflexes that allowed it to beat the more powerful Dodge Charger SRT8 392 in a comparison test. An update for 2015 added the manual transmission as a no-cost option, as well as standard driver-adjustable adaptive dampers. The SS looks a little less like a previous-generation Chevrolet Malibu on steroids for 2016, thanks to a revised front fascia with LED running lights, functional hood vents, and more tasteful 19-inch aluminum wheels that have dialed back on the bright-chrome look. Also new is the Slipstream Blue Metallic paint on our test car, as well as a dual-mode exhaust system that barks loudly upon startup. The small-block’s lumpy idle and full-throttle roar let anyone within earshot know the SS is not a normal family sedan. Expect only modest trim changes for the 2017 model, which likely will be the SS’s last as Holden shutters its production operations at the end of next year. While the Commodore name should live on in Australia, Holden’s transition to an import-only lineup means it will likely adorn a rebadged version of the front-drive-based Opel Insignia developed in Europe. (Ford is similarly closing its Australian manufacturing facilities). There have been some rumblings that a next-gen SS might be built in America, but GM has offered no indication that there actually will be a rear-drive successor to the current car; if that’s the case, Cadillac’s high-end V models would be the only hot-rod four-doors in the General’s fleet going forward. What We Like: A lot. The Chevy SS is one of the most underappreciated driver’s cars on the market, a lazy-day cruiser in the softest of its three drive modes (Tour, which slots below Sport and Track) yet equally at home on a challenging mountain road in its more aggressive settings. The ride quality can be firm, but the chassis’s overall poise is reminiscent of some of the great BMW M cars from the 1990s and 2000s. Despite some on-center vagueness, the electrically assisted power steering is precise and rich in feedback as the chassis loads up in corners. While the big Chevy is well equipped for the tire-smokin’ muscle-car thing, its understated appearance is welcome in heavy traffic, as are its quiet cabin, comfortable seats, and myriad amenities. Leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, lane-departure warning, and much more are standard; besides transmission choice, the only options are paint color, a power sunroof ($900), and a full-size spare ($500) in place of the standard tire-inflation kit. And with a paltry 2895 sales in the U.S. last year, SS buyers are in an exclusive club. What We Don’t Like: Mainly that GM’s intercontinental gem of a performance sedan will soon be gone forever and that more enthusiasts aren’t swayed by its greatness; numerous still-new 2015 models litter dealer lots. Plus, Chevy has yet to lend us an SS for our annual 10Best Cars event. There’s also too much chrome and bright metal trim, both inside and out, for some tastes. And the price—$48,870 to start—puts the SS out of reach of many potential buyers. Yet, despite the SS’s low-volume status, GM evidently feels some pressure from its lack of popularity: As of this writing, Chevrolet offers a 20 percent discount on 2016 models, which would make our test car a 415-hp steal at $39,096. Our advice? Grab one while you still can. Verdict: The most underrated sports sedan in America. Photo gallery - http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-gallery/2016-chevrolet-ss-quick-take-review

Terrorists slip through profiling gaps The Financial Times / July 13, 2016 The response of the west is being lost in a search for clarity in a sea of contradiction Since Omar Mateen massacred 49 people in an Orlando nightclub, the New York-born son of Afghans has been described as a homophobe who used a gay hook-up app, a jihadi who failed to understand that Isis and Hizbollah are enemies, and a jovial wife-beater who was both relaxed about his religion and furiously devout. Mateen is not the first paradoxical jihadi. Amedy Coulibaly, who murdered customers at a Jewish supermarket in Paris last year, died in the name of strict Islam but left behind a laptop full of child pornography. Samy Amimour was known as a personable bus driver with secular parents before he set off for Syria and returned to unleash mayhem on the Bataclan concert hall in the French capital in November. Among other recent terrorists are immigrants and natives, cradle Muslims and converts, hardened criminals and aspiring dentists. Fifteen years after the September 11 attacks on the US there is still no consensus about what makes a terrorist. Mateen is widely considered a terrorist. Micah Johnson, who said he shot five police officers in Dallas last week because they were white, is not, on account of apparently having no agenda beyond his own actions. Both men resemble in some aspects the mass shooters who have struck American schools, churches and other public venues over the years and whose make-up and motivations are just as diverse as those of the “terrorists”. Recent studies have suggested that a history of depression or domestic violence might be key indicator, or that a society’s attitude to the Islamic veil affects how likely it is to be struck. But psychiatrists, sociologists and others with knowledge of terrorism warn that such analysis often says less about the terrorist than the neuroses of a country searching for an explanation. That has meant gun control in the US, secularity in France and multiculturalism in the UK. More troublingly, they say, the misguided belief that terrorists — today’s jihadis, like nationalists, white supremacists and communists before them — have a single “profile” is distorting the west’s response. “Mateen may have felt like a husband in some situations, a security guard in another, a gay guy in another, an Isis member in others,” says Marc Sageman, a psychiatrist and former CIA officer in Afghanistan. “People don’t have a single social identity that transcends everything else.” Mr Sageman has worked as an expert witness on the defence team in terrorism cases. He has interviewed 30 violent terrorists and is dismissive of “armchair theorists” who do not enjoy such first-hand access. In 2008 he fought a public feud with other terrorism experts over his prediction that “leaderless jihad” would eclipse al-Qaeda’s organised plotting. When attacks happen, Mr Sageman says, “two billion amateur Freuds” rush to extrapolate meaning from scraps of biographical detail. Seeking a pattern is futile, he says, beyond the fact that Islamic terrorists consider themselves members of an ummah — a community of Muslims. “It’s an imagined community; it lives on the internet,” he says. “You can be a punk, you can drink, you can be homosexual — it’s your own identification.” Those who identify with that community perceive it to be under attack from western military campaigns in the Middle East and react to protect it, Mr Sageman says, just as Americans rushed to join the armed forces after 9/11. A Facebook post Mateen wrote during his attack appears to bear this out. “You kill innocent women and children by doing us air strikes,” he wrote, according to Ron Johnson, chairman of the US Senate’s homeland security committee. “Now taste the Islamic State vengeance.” But Isis, as Islamic State is also known, does not appear to have had any contact with Mateen, beyond its propaganda exhorting sympathisers to carry out attacks on their own. And in both Europe and the US, terrorism experts say attempts to predict who is likely to answer that call risk backfiring. “The problem is lots of people might fit a profile but not act, while those who do act don’t fit a pattern,” says Martha Crenshaw, professor at Stanford University. She was among the pioneers of terrorism studies in an era when the focus was on nationalists and extreme leftists at least as much as Islamists. As far back as 1981, she argued that the “limited data we have on individual terrorists … suggest that the outstanding characteristic is normality”. In a newspaper column after Orlando, Ms Crenshaw upbraided Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for his claim that “thousands upon thousands of people” were coming to the US, “many of whom have the same thought process” as Mateen. When it comes to terrorist motivation, Ms Crenshaw wrote, “the possibilities are endless, from personal grievance to mental illness to social frustration”. In contrast with the “lone wolves” in the US, the authors of the Paris and Brussels attacks belonged to organised jihadi networks with links to Isis’s so-called caliphate. Yet they also fail to conform to a pattern. Farhad Khosrokhavar, a sociologist at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences in Paris, has spent two decades analysing Islam in France. There, as elsewhere in the west, the political response to terrorism, including security measures brought in after November’s Paris attack, have been based on an erroneous faith in profiling, he says. “[Political leaders] are playing this game,” he says. “They need to tell the citizens that there is a type of person we are going to fight against. But we can see at least five or six types of person who will kill.” In the UK, Paul Rogers, a terrorism expert at Bradford university and author of a forthcoming book on Isis, argues that the search for a unique terrorist profile is “a diversion which means we are not paying attention to the wider trends”. Those trends, he says, include the increasing marginalisation of well-educated young men in places such as Tunisia and disruption caused by climate change. “It’s looking for easy answers without facing up to much bigger problems.” Ulrike Meinhof, Red Army Faction German leftwing militant whose Red Army Faction was responsible for a series of bombings, kidnappings and shootings in the 1970s. Meinhof, who lost both parents at a young age to cancer, began to espouse an extreme leftwing cause in postwar West Germany. The mother of twins worked as a journalist before turning to terrorism. Ted Kaczynski, ‘Unabomber’ The anti-technology anarchist carried out a series of mail bombings in the US between 1978-1995, killing three people. The Illinois-born son of Polish-Americans grew angry with industrialised society and moved to a remote cabin from where he carried out his attacks. Some blame treatment for a childhood allergic reaction and participation in university mind-control experiments for Kaczynski’s evolution into the “Unabomber”. Richard Reid, shoebomber The London-born son of an English mother and Jamaican father attempted to blow up transatlantic passenger flight with shoe bomb in 2001. Reid grew up in a leafy London suburb before turning to petty crime. Converted to Islam in prison and travelled widely in the Middle East and Asia before attempting his failed attack weeks after 9/11. Anders Breivik, rightwing fanatic The Norwegian killed 77 in a bomb and gun rampage in Oslo and on the island of Utoya in the summer of 2011. Raised in an affluent part of the Norwegian capital, Breivik spent years preparing for the attacks, including writing a 1,500-page manifesto. Experts disagreed over his mental health but he was found at trial to be sane. Samy Amimour, Paris gunman One of three gunmen, allied to Isis, who killed 89 at the Bataclan club in the French capital in 2015. Born to parents of Algerian roots, the bus driver gradually turned to fundamentalism and spent time in Isis’s “caliphate” in Syria before taking part in the atrocities in the French capital. Omar Mateen, Florida attacker Claiming allegiance to Isis, Mateen killed 49 at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando in June. Born in the US to Afghan parents, Mateen was apparently radicalised online, without direct contact with Isis. He had a hazy understanding of Islamism and was prone to violent outbursts. .

Terror Attack on Nice: At Least 80 Dead After Grenade-Filled Truck Plows Into Crowd The Financial Times / July 14, 2016 At least 84 people have died in the French city of Nice after a terrorist plowed a truck, which was "loaded with" grenades and other arms, into a large crowd during Bastille Day celebrations Thursday night around 11:00pm local time, according to officials and the French president. The incident left an "apocalyptic" scene, according to eyewitnesses, on the famed Promenade des Anglais, put the city on lockdown and drew swift condemnation from world leaders. "On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent citizens," President Obama said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of those killed, and we wish a full recovery for the many wounded." Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. Embassy in Paris was working to account for the welfare of U.S. citizens in Nice. The American consulate in Marseille said it was trying to "determine if any U.S. citizens were injured in the event." The exact nature of the attack was unclear, but the Paris anti-terrorism prosecutor's office was put in charge of the investigation. French President Francois Hollande extended the country's state of emergency for three months and were mobilizing reservists. He said it was unclear if the attacker had any accomplices. Hollande also discussed the threat of "Islamist terrorism." “The terrorist nature of this attack cannot be denied,” he said. "France is horrified by what has just occurred - a monstrous act of using a truck to intentionally kill dozens of people celebrating 14th of July," Hollande said. "France is strong. France will always be stronger than the fanatics who want to strike France today." Christian Estrosi, president of the Nice region, said the truck's driver, now identified as Tunisian-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, "fired on the crowd, according to the police who killed him" and said that "the truck was loaded with arms, loaded with grenades." The truck was driven by someone who appeared to have "completely premeditated behavior," Estrosi said, adding that the attacker appears to "have used, while ramming his vehicle, a firearm through the window." According to French Interior Minister Bernard Cazaneuve, 80 people have died, and numerous others were injured, including 18 in critical condition. Jimmy Ghazal, 39, a Lebanese man visiting Nice with his family, told ABC News that after the fireworks concluded, he heard people screaming and heard what sounded like gunshots. He saw people run to shelter. Ghazal said he saw a big truck drive "through all the security.” “The kids thought it was part of the fireworks," he told ABC News. "We just told them it was part of the fireworks.” Kerry said in a statement, "Today's horrendous attack in Nice is an attack against innocent people on a day that celebrates Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. "On behalf of all Americans, and especially the great many with close ties to France, I offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who were killed and our hopes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured. "I was proud to stand alongside French leaders earlier today at Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, and the United States will continue to stand firmly with the French people during this time of tragedy. We will provide whatever support is needed." Earlier Thursday, French President Francois Hollande had said France’s state of emergency -- which has been in place since the Paris terror attacks in November -- would be lifted later this month. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- François Hollande faces crisis as attacks continue The Guardian / July 14, 2016 Hours after the Nice attacks, the French president François Hollande reiterated the war-like stance that he took after the last terrorist attacks that killed 130 in Paris in November. “All of France is under threat from Islamist terrorism,” he said, vowing that France would not give in in its “fight against terrorism”. He said the state of emergency put in place in November — which allows police to conduct house raids and searches without a warrant or judicial oversight, and gives extra powers to officials to place people under house arrest — would be extended by three months. This means the state of emergency will have been in place for almost a year since November. He also said he would boost the military operation, known as Operation Sentinelle, in which 10,000 soldiers keep guard across the country, and reservists would be drafted in to help security forces. Hollande added that he would reinforce air strikes on Iraq and Syria, where it has been fighting Islamic State. The mood could not be more serious for Hollande. The fact that France could be attacked again — leaving at least 80 dead — only eight months after the devastating November attacks on Paris, threatens a crisis for Hollande’s premiership. The fact that several children were among the dead has deepened France’s horror and grief. In the coming days, there is likely to be intense political debate about intelligence and security policy. The 2017 French presidential election is nine months away and security had already been a key voter concern. The interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, in Nice, said: “We’re in a war with terrorists who want to hit us at any cost and in a very violent way”. Hollande had this month been at record low popularity ratings. Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader of the Front National, has been polling high and recent polls showed she was expected to reach the second round run-off of the presidential election, held in April and May, although polls predicted she would not win. Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing Les Républicains party is currently engaged in a primary race to choose its candidate. .

Thank you for the update and clarification. I realize that demand for tie rod end rebuild kits is low. But then again, the FA505 was the most popular steer axle on the most popular B61. Steering and brakes are the two "musts". And tie rod ends are a wear item. If one can no longer obtain a rebuild kit from Mack, and it appears that the aftermarket never really supplied these components, then the restoration and subsequent operation of these trucks is really a dead issue.

Reuters / July 14, 2016 One or more attackers killed at least 84 people and injured 188 including 48 in intensive care, when he drove a heavy truck at high speed into crowds watching Bastille Day fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice late on Thursday. Police shot and killed the driver, who drove at high speed for over 100 metres (yards) along the Promenade des Anglais seafront before hitting the mass of spectators. The act was described it as a clear criminal attack. The truck driver shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) before being killed. Pro-ISIS groups have been celebrating the attack, orchestrated to coincide with France's most important national holiday. Identity documents belonging to a 31-year-old Tunisia-born French Tunisian, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, were later found in the bullet-riddled truck after the gunman at the wheel was shot dead by police marksmen. He was known to police, but not to intelligence services. Almost exactly eight months ago, ISIS militants killed 130 people in Paris on November 13. Eyewitnesses say there was an exchange of gunfire in the aftermath of the incident before the driver was shot dead. The truck mounted the pavement at approximately 40mph and steered directly towards people watching a fireworks display in the city. Witnesses said it drove for at least 100 yards on the promenade targeting large groups of people. Prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre said the lorry drove two kilometres (1.2 miles) through a large crowd One witness said: 'We were at the Neptune beach and a firework display had just finished. That is when we saw a white lorry. It was going quickly at 60-70 kilometres an hour.' Gunshots rang out in the streets, with gunmen targeting hotels and cafes in the port city as residents were warned to lock themselves in doors for their safety . The RAID anti-terror squad has been deployed to the city. The gunman jumped out of the truck after ploughing through the pedestrians and started opening fire. Officials said the driver was shot dead near the scene. A second suspect is thought to have escaped and is on the run. An eyewitness said he saw the truck driver slam a vehicle into a crowd of revelers in the French resort city of Nice and then emerge shooting, killing many. Police say the truck was "full of weapons and grenades". "Neither the place nor the date are coincidental," said former French intelligence agent and security consultant Claude Moniquet, noting the jihadist presence in Nice and the fact that July 14 marks France's 1789 revolution. . . .

MSNBC / July 14, 2016 Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has accused the United States of not being serious about defeating ISIS. Assad said: 'The Russian support of the Syrian army has tipped the scales against the terrorists. It was the crucial factor.' “The reality is telling that, since the beginning of the American airstrikes, the terrorism has been expanding and prevailing. It only shrinked when the Russians intervened,” Assad said. He said the Americans lacked the 'will' to defeat ISIS and added: “We wanted to defeat those terrorists, while the United States wanted to manage those groups in order to topple the government in Syria.” .

Okay, 1895 LED replacements. https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/led-vehicle-replacement-bulbs/filter/Bulb_Number,1895,197,8924: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?rh=k%3A1895+led+bulb%2Ci%3Aautomotive&keywords=1895+led+bulb&ie=UTF8&qid=1468501466

Mercedes-Benz Trucks uses pioneering future technology: 3D printing: truck spare parts available on demand Daimler Press Release / July 13, 2016 New feature in after-sales: spare parts from the 3D printer for the first time Mercedes-Benz Trucks pioneers the supply of 3D parts 30 units 3D spare parts available as of September in genuine-parts quality on demand – number growing continuously Economical and fast production even with small quantities Environmentally friendly 3D printing without warehousing costs Stuttgart – Genuine spare parts for Mercedes-Benz trucks which are ordered and delivered even after many years; in the Mercedes-Benz Trucks after-sales service this has already been reality for a long time now. As the next step, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is using the latest 3D printing processes for plastic spare parts as the standard production method in the Customer Services & Parts sector. As of September already, 30 genuine spare parts can be ordered and supplied at the press of a button from the 3D printer, quickly, economically, in any quantity and always in consistent genuine manufacturer's quality ("one-piece demand"). With the use of 3D printing technology as an innovative state-of-the-art production process in after-sales, Mercedes-Benz is taking on the pioneering role and technological leadership among the global truck producers. "In keeping with our brand promise 'Trucks you can trust', we set the same benchmarks for reliability, functionality, durability and economy for spare parts from 3D production as for parts from conventional production", says Andreas Deuschle, Head of Marketing & Operations in the Customer Services & Parts Mercedes-Benz Trucks Division. "However, 3D offers many more possibilities; this is why we shall be rapidly extending the production of 3D printed parts." Experience and high tech ensure highest 3D quality Today at Daimler more than 100 000 printed prototype parts are manufactured for the individual company divisions every year. "We benefit from our extensive experience at Daimler with 3D printing processes in prototype construction", comments Andreas Deuschle. The available spare parts consist of high-quality plastic components. Covers, spacers, spring caps, air and cable ducts, clamps, mountings and control elements are just a few examples of economical spare part production in top quality made possible by using the 3D printing process. The "printed" spare parts are created with state-of-the-art 3D printers based on the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing process. For the high quality standards of Mercedes-Benz Trucks the process parameters have been optimised and determined by the Daimler research and development divisions. Every 3D spare part can be ordered by the customer using the special spare part number under which it is recorded in the order code lists and the spare parts catalogues at Mercedes-Benz Trucks. Thus, even after several decades, rapid supply to the customer is ensured via the Mercedes-Benz Logistic Supply Chain through all the sales stages – all over the world. Advantages through secure supply of spare parts, rapid availability and economy The environmentally friendly and resource-conserving 3D printing process is playing a pioneering role in the after-sales. The challenge in the spare parts business lies in securing supply even for model series which are no longer produced. This means that the range also includes spare parts for which there is only a low demand in small quantities every year. Producing them is thus increasingly uneconomical for suppliers – production facilities and tools often have to be retained and maintained for years. With the 3D printing process these challenges are a thing of the past. For every 3D spare part is available on demand at short notice all over the world. The printing itself can take place within a very short time following receipt of the design definition and order, considerably speeding up the production and supply of spare parts. As spare and retrofit parts can still easily be "reprinted" even after a long time using the data stored and supplied without any complex stocking, no warehousing is required either. At the same time the burden on costs, resources and the environment is also eased, as there are no material surpluses, the disposal of which is very complex. .

Using a Tennessee zip code: Ram 2500 Tradesman 4x4 crew cab short bed 5.7L 6-spd auto MSRP $30,824 with cash-back incentives Ram 2500 Tradesman 4x4 crew cab short bed 6.7L ISB 6-spd manual or auto MSRP $40,420 with cash-back incentives F-250 XL Super-Duty 4x4 crew cab short bed 6.2L 6-spd auto MSRP $38,780 F-250 XL Super-Duty 4x4 crew cab short bed 6.7L 6-spd auto MSRP $47,260 [ridiculous] Chevy 2500HD 4x4 crew cab short bed 6.0L 6-spd auto MSRP $38,890 (includes $2,000 incentive) I regret that Ford and GM no longer offer a standard duty 3/4 ton truck. Not everyone wants are needs the mass. The 1997-1999 Ford F-250 (7,700 GVW), a variant of the then-new F-150, was all many people need.

Reuters / July 13, 2016 The Obama administration's plan to prevent American companies from shifting their headquarters overseas to avoid U.S. taxes is coming under fire from companies and banks that say it would be costly and cumbersome. At issue are proposed Treasury regulations to combat "earnings stripping," a key goal for companies that carry out tax-avoiding mergers known as "inversions" to reincorporate abroad, if only on paper, to cut their taxes. The practice effectively shifts taxable earnings from U.S. operations to the redomiciled former American parent as debt interest payments that are tax deductible in the United States and subject to a lower income tax rate overseas. The Treasury Department is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposed changes on Thursday. The administration's proposals, which could be finalized within months, have already dampened interest in global mergers. The proposals are backed by Democrats in Congress and academics as a responsible step to prevent corporations from exiting the U.S. tax system. Republicans say the measures overstep administration authority and could discourage foreign investment in the United States. Businesses and trade groups representing sectors ranging from bankers and retailers to manufacturers and oil producers said a Treasury proposal to end the deductions by reclassifying the debt as equity would disrupt operations and saddle businesses with new red tape. U.S. multinational Procter & Gamble Co warned Treasury the proposed rules would require countless changes throughout its corporate structure if myriad daily loans between affiliates were recharacterized as equity investments [which they are]. "It will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to monitor and administer," P&G's Chief Financial Officer Jon Moeller told the Internal Revenue Service in a letter before the regulatory comment period ended last week. He warned that the company would face pre-tax costs of $220 million to $340 million a year as a result of adverse tax consequences and burdens. The regulations would also pose challenges for intercompany loans key to the financial services industry, according to Citicorp, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America Corp, which filed a joint comment with the Treasury. "A financial services group would face the choice between, on the one hand, staggering administrative complexities and a tax burden disproportionate to its true economic profit, and on the other hand, the imposition of crippling constraints on its ordinary business activities," said the banks, which seek an industry exemption. A Treasury spokeswoman said officials could respond to the feedback but added the department was moving "swiftly" to finalize regulations. Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/43460-the-2016-presidential-elections-show/#comment-321805

In 2007, the UK’s new Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said of Hillary Clinton in his Telegraph column: "She's got dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital." "For all who love America, it is time to think of supporting Hillary, not because we necessarily want her for herself but because we want Bill in the role of First Husband. And if Bill can deal with Hillary, he can surely deal with any global crisis."

Ken, those are not the part numbers you want to try to buy. Each Mack bearing half has a different stamped number (for Mack internal engineering purposes). The actual part number for both halves sold together is different. Your Mack dealer can supercede the number stamped on either one of the bearing halves, to arrive at the actual part number you can buy.....2 halves in a box. Understand? Those stamped numbers do tell you, the "P1", that you have standard size bearings.

The Washington Times / July 12, 2016 The Obama administration circled the wagons around Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, with Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch refusing to detail why she didn’t pursue criminal charges against the former Secretary of State, and the State Department going to bat for her, saying she shouldn’t have to testify under oath about her secret email account. Facing irate Republicans on Capitol Hill, Lynch repeatedly passed the buck to others in the Justice Department, saying that while she announced she wouldn’t pursue charges against Clinton, the decision was made by the FBI and career prosecutors and she had no public thoughts on the matter. She said refusing to divulge details of her decision protected her employees from political pressure, but Republicans said she was the one engaging in politics by protecting the Clintons as repayment for having been appointed as a prosecutor by President Bill Clinton. Lynch claimed to have decided, even before her ill-timed meeting with Bill Clinton at a Phoenix airport, that she would accept whatever recommendation the FBI would make about prosecuting Bill Clinton. She said she finalized her decision after meeting last week with FBI Director James B. Comey, his agents and career Justice Department prosecutors. Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Republican, asked Lynch whether she agreed with Comey’s conclusions that Hillary Clinton may have broken laws, and also asked her to detail her understanding of the key parts of law that govern classified information. Ms. Lynch replied that the law speaks for itself and refused to say any more. Many Republicans on Capitol Hill feel Clinton is guilty of “gross negligence” in her handling of classified information.. Republicans were stunned that Ms. Lynch refused to answer questions. “You are in charge of the Department of Justice. The buck stops with you,” said Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican. He said Lynch created a credibility gap by prosecuting members of the military for sending emails with classified information but failing to go after Mrs. Clinton. “You have a problem, Madame Attorney General,” he said. She replied: “Every case stands on its own separate facts.” Lynch refused to say that Clinton appeared to have broken open-records laws — something Comey asserted in his own testimony to Congress last week, citing a State Department inspector general’s conclusions.

Do you only want to replace the bulbs in your cab roof clearance lamps? Is your current bulb a plug-in 194? If not, what number bulb?

Reuters / July 13, 2016 Daimler, the world's largest truck manufacturer, will use three-dimensional printing (3D) to produce spare parts, the latest example of how digital technologies are radically reshaping automotive manufacturing and its supply chain. Rather than shipping vehicle parts across the globe, carmakers including BMW and Volkswagen are experimenting with so-called additive manufacturing. This relies on sending a digital blueprint of a component to a printer which creates parts by using lasers to melt powders into plastic, glass, metals and even ceramics. By printing new parts, automakers can save logistics and warehouse storage costs and produce complex components at low volumes. The technology is not ready to make high-volume vehicle components, so carmakers rely on conventional manufacturing methods for components like metal body panels, which are made using hydraulic metal stamping presses, costing up to 40 million euros ($44 mln) each. But advances in laser technology, thermal and chemical processes mean 3D printing can be used for some small batches of customized components, for things like prototype vehicles and concept cars. In a sign of the technology becoming more widespread, Daimler Trucks said on Wednesday that from September, it will use 3D printing processes for plastic spare parts including spring caps, air and cable ducts, clamps, mountings and control elements. Daimler, which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand, has more than 100,000 printed prototype parts, and said it will expand production using 3D printing methods. The truck maker's "printed" spare parts are created with 3D printers based on what is known as a selective laser sintering (SLS) printing process, and ordered using a special spare part number, even for parts on models that are several decades old or even out of production. Rival Audi said on Wednesday that it is creating a 3D competence center at its factory in Ingolstadt, Germany, year end, to develop production of components made from steel and aluminium. From October onward, Audi will use printers to make steel tools. Volkswagen and BMW have used 3D printing for years in the process of "rapid prototyping." The cost of additive manufacturing is expected to fall by between 25 percent and 45 percent until 2020, thanks to multi-laser machines and improvements in the powder-dispensing process, management consultants Roland Berger said. Compared to the conventional machine tool market, the metal "additive manufacturing" market has less than 1 percent market share, according to Roland Berger. Three-dimensional printing has been used by the aircraft industry. The United States Navy has installed systems on combat ships to produce spare parts, for example to repair the nose cone of a damaged Harrier jet. BMW has experimented with 3D technology since the 1990s, using 3D printing to make components for the Rolls-Royce Phantom, including the casing of the indicator light. BMW sees major potential for the future application for new customer offerings, such as personalized vehicle parts, it has said.

Renault Trucks will present its entire range of vehicles at the IAA 2016 trade fair in Hanover from 22 to 29 September. From the Renault Trucks T Maxispace High Edition through to the already iconic K range, this year it the brand's robustness that is being fêted. Visitors will also find the MKR truck just back from the Dakar and the Silk Way Rally on the Renault Trucks stand, together with a number of animations. Renault Trucks will exhibit nine vehicles at the 66th IAA trade fair at Hanover from the 22 to the 29 September 2016, hall 17, stand A21. Long distance, construction, distribution, rally truck and animations will all attest to the historical robustness of the diamond brand. Where long distance trucks are concerned, visitors will exclusively be able to see for themselves the Renault Trucks T Maxispace High Edition, a special edition of the T520. Likewise visitors will be able to climb on board a cut-open cab of the T High so that they can appreciate the ergonomics, the visibility and in particular test the comfort of this vehicle, voted international truck of the year 2015 during last year's Hanover fair. As for the construction range, the highlights will be a very special version of the K, specific to the German market, the Renault Trucks K480 Skorpion, plus the MKR Adventure K truck just back from its recent performances at the Dakar and the Silk Way Rally, which will be presented to the public for the first time. This truck will be the subject of particular attention because it will be possible to experience the sensation of driving on board it in rally raid, thanks to two driving simulators. Visitors at the Renault Trucks stand will likewise be able to attend a truck customisation workshop "Pimp my truck!". Sven Punke, Marcel Barth and their team from the Truck Tuning Center, who were amongst the winners with their truck 'Avatar' at the last Truck-Grand-Prix at the Nürburgring, will be working hard in the 300 m2 space that Renault Trucks has reserved for them. Airbrushing, removal and fitting of parts, or even the original upholstery of the cab interior, a Renault Trucks T High will be undergoing customisation throughout the trade fair. Spectators will appreciate not only the tuning activity and accessories used, but also the ruggedness of the vehicle. To allow visitors to follow current events on the stand and in particular the customisation progress, Renault Trucks will be offering reporting and will also retransmit the show "Pimp my truck!" on social networks. .