Mentor Buzuku: 2013

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Toyo Tires drivers take 1st and 2nd place in Mexico

June 10, 2013

Toyo Tires drivers take 1st and 2nd place in Mexico

Robby Gordon has won the 501 mile Tecate Score Baja 500 in his Toyo Tires shod Chevrolet Trophy Truck. Gordon completed the incident packed race in a winning time of just 10 hours, 4 minutes and 36 seconds.

Qualifying first, Gordon led the field into the desert but an early spin nearly proved disastrous. Hitting a flooded section at nearly 90 mph, there was no chance of keeping the truck straight. However, with no damage to the truck, Gordon used his considerable skill to keep the car in contention, allowing him to capitalise on the mechanical woes of first Voss and then Menzies. The withdrawal of Bryce Menzies with transmission failure set up a titanic struggle with B.J. Baldwin with both drivers holding the lead alternately for several hundred miles.

The decisive point in the race came just before the final pit stop, 100miles from the finish where a small bolt holding the brake pedal assembly sheared, forcing Baldwin to slow before the pit and costing a few crucial extra minutes to repair.

“I can’t say enough about the Toyo tires and the race this weekend,” said Gordon. “To be able to win the race overall and have BJ finish second, and then on the other side, our other car Justin Matney of RPM Offroad. We got the Overall, Trophy Truck, Class 1, Spec 8, Class 8… all on Toyo Tires. It was a killer weekend. I want to thank everyone from Toyo for taking a chance on the RPM team, and stepping up and letting them join the family. We’re stoked to have another good winning partner on our hands with them… it was just a great weekend.”

Second place, after leading the race for more than five hours was taken by B.J. Baldwin, whose Chevrolet Trophy Truck eventually crossed the finish line with a nine minutes and 15 seconds gap to leader Gordon. Baldwin, winner of the 2012 Baja 1000, was upbeat after narrowly missing out on the win, commenting, “This year’s Baja 500 was so close to being a flawless victory ... My Toyo's performed perfectly. We had great traction and no tire failures during the entire Baja 500.”

Both drivers use Toyo Tires Open Country M/T.

Toyo Open Country M/T tires were also on the winning vehicles of the RPM Offroad racing team. Justin Matney drove his Offroad truggy to a decisive Class 1 victory with a time of 11hours, 16 minutes and 25 seconds.

"We really just cruised all day, no issues and zero flats. It is a real testament to Toyo Tires,” said Justin Matney of RPM Offroad. “Our biggest problem today was the dust. It was really dusty out there, but I am happy to be here, first with SPEED Energy, RPM and Toyo Tires. I can't thank those guys enough. I’m really looking forward to the 1000 and to see if we can't capitalise there as well."

In all, Toyo Tires winning weekend saw them take 1st and 2nd place Overall along with wins in Class 1, Class 8 and the Trophy Truck Special Class.

Some follow the leaders. Others drive on them.

Whether you plan on racing down a world-class track or driving down the interstate, Toyo Tires applies leading-edge technology, innovation, and testing to every tire we develop, including yours. After more than 65 years, Toyo Tires remains a world leader in the design and production of tires, and for seven out of the last nine years, we’ve been voted #1 overall consumer brand in the USA by the experts: independent tire dealers*.

What does this mean for you? No matter where you live, no matter what type of car or truck you drive, no matter how sharp the turn or sudden the stop, your Toyo tires will help you handle it like a pro. A quick read of our key innovations will show you how.

Reproducing Japanese Technology Locally to Supply High-added-value Tires Globally

Japanese High Technology Factory Opens

Reproducing Japanese Technology Locally to Supply High-added-value Tires Globally

Osaka, Japan - 8 May, 2013 - Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (Akira Nobuki, president) announces the completion today (Wednesday, May 8) of the company's new tire plant in Malaysia, Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd (TTM) which had been under construction. A local ceremony celebrating the opening was held to commemorate the occasion.

The festive ceremony was attended by around 350 people. Invited guests included Ambassador Shigeru Nakamura of the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, YBHG Datuk Dr. Rebecca Fatimasta Maria, Secretary General of Ministry of International Trade & Industry as representatives from Malaysia's National Government and the state of Perak, the locality of Taiping, and parties involved in the plant's construction.

In his welcoming address, Toyo Tires chairman and representative director, Kenji Nakakura remarked, "At TTM, we have implemented our proprietary A.T.O.M. tire production system elemental technology. We will take full advantage of Japanese technology in order to achieve Japanese quality here in Malaysia and supply world-class, high-performance, fuel-efficient tires from this plant. I want us to deliver fantastic tires made in Malaysia to our customers here and abroad and achieve the sentiment that the decision to choose TOYO TIRES was the right one.

Toyo Tires is making progress toward building a three-region global supply system as outlined in the company's Mid Term Business Plan '1, comprised of North America, Japan and Asia. Among these regions, Asia is in a process of expanded motorisation where further growth of demand is expected, and is positioned as a vital strategic market that will provide a boost to Toyo's business foundation.

TTM will have a tire supply system in place capable of producing 2.5 million tires annually by the end of this year, and by 2015, the plant will aim to boost its annual supply capacity to 5 million tires. While TTM will become a supply base for the Southeast Asian market, in the future it will also be a hub that functions as an important export channel for the company's global tire business. There is enough room on the site of the plant to double the output of the existing plant (for total annual production of 1 million tires), and the company has plans to further expand in the future.

Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd (TTM) is a manufacturing and sales company that produces and sells tires in Malaysia.

Company Overview Company name: Toyo Tyre Malaysia Sdn Bhd

Representative: Plant manager: Address:

Kanji Kasai Mike Toh PT 23101, Jalan Tembaga Kuning, Kawasan Perindustrian Kamunting Raya, P.O Box 1, 34600 Kamunting, Taiping, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.

Date Established: April 2011 Type of business: Manufacturing and sales of radial tires for passenger vehicles and light trucks Equity stake: 100% owned by Toyo Tires Planned production capacity: 5 million tires annually (by FY2015)

Plant Concept

The plant concept consists of the following four items;"energy efficient", "high quality", "high productivity" and "non-skill dependent."

(1) Energy efficient The plant achieves energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. In addition to implementing state-of-the-art tire production technology to reduce the amount of energy used in the manufacturing process, the plant has also adopted ecologically friendly measures including use of solar power and LED lighting in the administrative offices.

(2) High quality The plant achieves manufacturing of high-performance tires. Implementing equipment and systems already currently operating at other Toyo Tires plants in Japan and overseas minimizes variation not only in the finished goods, but in the parts prior to tire molding to achieve production of high-quality tires.

(3) High productivity The plant achieves high efficiency and high productivity. Using A.T.O.M., Toyo Tire's proprietary tire production system that has been adopted at plants in Japan, the U.S., and China, the system enables precisely controlled manufacturing of high-quality tires while reducing lead time in the production process as well as the overall number of processes.

(4) Non-skill dependent The plant aspires to be operator-friendly and not dependent upon specialized skill. Through the establishment of operation processes and environments and adoption of automation and IT technology for the production process, the plant functions without requiring specialized skills.

Rally Albania: 101 rallyteams to start today in the Albania Rally 2013.

Albania again invited the international rallyscene - and 101 competitors were following the invitation. 73 Bikes, 10 quads and 18 cars were counted at the scrutineering, which was held in a resort directly at the beach of the City Durres in North-West Albania.

It´s the 9th edition of rally, which is also called as one of the toughest events in the amateur-scene, because next to the "beloved" speed-areas there will be also stony regions, more similar with trial (for cars) or enduro (for bikes).

Even if it´s officially an amateurrally, the event also has international starters from 18 countries, which are well known from the "Dakar", "Africa Race", "Breslau", "Australasian Safari" or "Rainforest Challenge".

Favourites in the bikes are Martin Fontyn (Belgium, winner of the Africa Race and Balkan Cup), Guilleaume Martens (Switzerland, 2nd Africa Race), Christian Pastori from Italy, Patsy Quick as "Dakar Lady" (UK) or Vasilis Boudros (Greece), winner of the greek "Hellas Rally" in April 2013.

In the quads there are Dakar-Lady Zornica Todorova from Bulgaria or Erik van Eerd from Holland, in the cars we see the "Rainforest Challenge" experts Janaszkiewicz/Janaszkiewicz (Poland) with a Land Rover Discovery Proto, Dakar (quad)-winner Josef Machacek from the Czech Republic or the nice couple of Rainhard and Pauline Friedl from Austria with their Mitsubishi Evolution.

But the real favourites in the cars will be the regionals... like Marku/Flamuri (Albania) with an interesting Jeep Cherokee Proto or the last-year´s winner Sina/Wittberger (Albania/Austria) with their Toyota Land Cruiser.

In 7 stages the event will cross almost all regions of Albania... a big circle from Durres in the western coast to Dibir in the north, Pogradec in the east, Berat in the middle of the country and back to Durres. The participants have to reach 1.500 kilometers overall, 700 kms in timed specials.

2013/06/07 | 15:47 CET | ARTICLE: MR/HS

Albania Map / Geography of Albania / Map of Albania ...

print this mapprint this map

1 | 2Description (Page 1)

Albania can trace the roots of its history back to the prehistoric era some 300,000 years ago when nomadic peoples roamed the area, living out of various caves across the land.

Starting in the 7th century BC, Greek colonies began popping up along the Illyrian coast, and for the next several centuries the Illyrian tribes dominated the region. It wasn't until the 1st century BC that the Roman army defeated the Illyrians, ending their independence.

The Romans ruled here until 395 AD when the empire was split in half, and the area of present-day Albania was put under Byzantine command.

Under the Byzantines, Albania endured raids by variousEuropean tribes including the Visigoths, Huns, Ostrogoths, Avars and Croatians, and by early 7th century AD most of the empire was either destroyed or weakened.

In the mid 800s the Bulgarian Empire took over, and the area of eastern Albania became a valuable cultural center.

As the Bulgarian Empire declined in the late 13th century, Albania switched hands yet again becoming integrated this time into the Serbian state.

The Ottomans took control in 1385 with the Battle of Savra, and aside from a brief interruption during 1443-1478, they ruled for an astounding 600 years.

ottoman empire

During this time many native Albanians reached notable rankings within the Ottoman government, remaining highly active and faithful during the Ottoman era. However, by the late 1800s the nationalism had faded, and the Albanian people began to pursue their independence.

Toward the end of the 19th century many revolts were organized, and the Albanian National Awakening took place, but it wasn't until the Balkan War of 1912 that the Albanians were freed from their Ottomans rule.

As Albania began to establish its new boundary lines and put together a government, World War I interrupted their efforts, and political turmoil overwhelmed the country.

Prince William of Wied, who was appointed King, left Albania during that war to serve in the German Army, and never returned to claim his position.

Albania was consequently divided among Italy, Serbia, and Greece, and as World War I came to an end the country was still without a recognized government.

Worried that their independence was coming to an end, Albania struggled to regain control. In 1920 the United States intervened in support of Albania's independence, which ultimately led to the League of Nations accepting Albania as a full member.

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Skanderbeg square in downtown Tirana, Albania Dori at en.wikipedia

Traditional costume and dance of Albania Arianit at en.wikipedia

Kruja Castle, Kruja, Albania Zeke at en.wikipedia

Kanye West says new album is 'all about giving'

By MESFIN FEKADU | Associated Press – 1 minute 3 seconds ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Kanye West says his new album is all about giving.

The multiplatinum rapper held a listening for "Yeezus" late Monday in New York City, where Jay-Z and wife Beyonce were among the few hundred attendees.

West said his sixth effort will showcase his growth over the last two years and that he "had to learn about giving ... this whole process is all about giving."

"I feel like I know who I am," said West, who turned 36 on Saturday.

"Yeezus" is out June 18. It has a dark, moody vibe that expands beyond his last two solo efforts, 2010's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and 2008's "808s & Heartbreak." It's also a departure from his first three albums, which featured a plethora of radio hits.

West held the listening in the loading dock of Milk Studios in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The room was dark as lights burst onto the walls to display colorful visuals that assisted the 10 songs the rapper played.

Busta Rhymes also attended the listening. West's new album features Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and rapper Chief Keef.

West and girlfriend Kim Kardashian are expecting their first child.

____

Online:

http://www.kanyewest.com/

Apple unveils music streaming service

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple unveiled an Internet radio service called iTunes Radio on Monday and said the service will personalize listeners' music based on what they've listened to and what they've purchased on iTunes.

Apple said iTunes Radio will be available this fall in the U.S. It will be free with advertisements included, although subscribers of Apple's iTunes Match music-storage service will get a commercial-free version of iTunes Radio. That service costs $25 a year.

In unveiling the long-expected service Monday at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Apple enters a crowded field. Google Inc. started an on-demand subscription music service called All Access last month. Other leading services include Spotify, Rhapsody and Pandora.

Apple was a pioneer of online music sales and is still a leader there, but streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify have emerged as popular alternatives to buying. Pandora relies on its users being connected to the Internet at all times and plays songs at random within certain genres for free.

As with Pandora, iTunes Radio will let people create stations based on specific songs, artists or genres. So users can put in a particular song, and the station will play songs like it. Apple did not provide details on how the other songs will be determined. Pandora uses a formula to analyze songs based on musical and other characteristics.

Users won't be able to type in the name of a specific song and have it play right away. Pandora doesn't allow that, either. That's something available through other services that charge monthly fees, including Spotify and Google's All Access.

Analysts were lukewarm.

"This is a nice free feature that lots of people will probably try out, but existing Pandora users won't have much reason to switch," Jan Dawson, chief telecoms analyst at Ovum, said in an emailed comment.

Dawson said a service that lets people call up specific songs on demand would have made a bigger splash, "but that would likely have disrupted Apple's existing iTunes business, and the music industry as a whole, too much."

Pandora charges $36 a year for ad-free listening, more than Apple at $25. Pandora also has a free, ad-supported version like iTunes Radio. In February, Pandora capped free listening on mobile devices to 40 hours per month. Apple said Monday that its service would have no limits.

ITunes Radio will also offer featured stations, which play songs that are the most-talked about on Twitter, for example.

The service integrates Apple's Siri virtual assistant so that users can get information by speaking questions such as "Who plays that song?" Users can also tell Siri to skip songs, stop or pause playing. And they can ask to play more songs like the one currently playing, or buy them on iTunes with a click, Apple said. Pandora also lets listeners purchase songs, through either iTunes or Amazon.

Apple said iTunes Radio will be built into iOS 7, the new software for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. That's coming this fall. It will also work with Apple's iTunes software on Mac and Windows computers.

Pandora investors did not seem concerned about the potential Apple competition. The company's stock rose 37 cents, or 2.5 percent, to close at $15.49 following the afternoon announcement. It added another 12 cents in extended trading.

First Person – Kelly Rowland: How Curfews and Gratitude Helped Her Survive Child Stardom

(Kevin Mazur, WireImage)

It’s not easy being in the limelight, especially if you’re a kid. Yahoo! Music celebrity guest blogger Kelly Rowland can relate. The former Destiny’s Child singer on the heels of releasing her fourth solo album, “Talk A Good Game,” and taking on a new role as a judge on the “X-Factor” singing competition, says she was lucky to avoid some of the pitfalls other young entertainers experienced. In her special blog entry,Kelly explains what helped her stay on the right track.

I think that where I was lucky is the fact that I have a wonderful support system. I can’t speak on anyone else because I don’t know what their support system is like.

Destiny's Child in 1999. (Photo: SGranitz, WireImage)

I’m grateful that I was with the ladies, and we had each other. We also had our folks around who would have a specific time for us to be home or in our hotel rooms or how late we could hang out and things like that.

We were protected a lot, and I’m happy that we were.

We were working 13-hour days. We were tired at the end of the day. As interesting and intriguing as it was to go out, we did our work, and we went home and slept and rested. When it was time to go out or when we were old enough, we went out. But we also felt the responsibility of being a role model.

Granted, when you come into the industry, they don’t actually warn you about it. It just kinda happens, and some people don’t want the responsibility, and some don’t mind it.

It was us having respect for ourselves and having respect for what we love to do and knowing that this opportunity could be taken from us in the blink of an eye.

I know for us, we were really hard workers. It took us a while to get our record deal, and it took us a while to get to all of these places in our careers.

We didn’t want those things to go away. We worked so hard for them.

That’s what’s so cool about the "X-Factor" to me is that I get to play a part in helping other artists, choosing songs and wardrobe and being a part of their development stage, and that’s just as important as everything else.

Kelly and Beyoncé were members of Girls Tyme, a pre-Destiny's Child group, that competed on Star Search.I remember what it felt like to perform on "Star Search" when we were kids, and feel like you just want to win so bad. When you get those numbers back or when someone says, ‘I’m sorry,’ that’s such a huge let down.

For me as a judge, I always want to have something to still give them some encouragement.

Because we didn’t win, I share our story, actually. I say, ‘You know, this is just one place.’ I say, ‘You can go somewhere tomorrow, two months from now, a year from now, two years from now, who knows? And it will be just your time. But don’t make this a no for everything else you do.’

-- As told to Billy Johnson Jr.

Nicaragua: Chinese company to get canal concession

MANAGUA: A concession to build a canal across Nicaragua linking the Pacific Oceanand Caribbean Sea will be awarded to a Chinese company, the National Assembly president said.

Legislative leader Rene Nunez yesterday said the company will use funds from investors around the world to build the USD 40 billion project.

Nunez talked to local media after two bills for streamlining the process of building the canal and assessing its environmental impact were presented to lawmakers.

Opposition congressman Luis Callejas said lawmakers have been asked to discuss the bills tomorrow. The government plans to grant the Chinese company a concession for 100 years, he said.

"I do not understand what the rush is," Callejas said. "It's such a sensitive topic that it should be consulted with the population."

Nunez said the project is very important for Nicaragua and that's why is being pursued with urgency. He wouldn't identify the company or discuss the concession.

President Daniel Ortega said recently that the canal would not go along the San Juan River as it had been planned. He said it would be built farther north, through the waters of Lake Nicaragua.

Ortega said the canal would serve as an alternative to the Panama Canal and it would generate jobs for impoverished Nicaragua and other Central American countries.

The Panama Canal, which opened in 1914 and is too narrow for today's biggest cargo ships, is being expanded by a consortium led by Spanish construction firm Sacyr-Vallehermoso SA. Panama's canal authority is spending $5.25 billion to widen the 80-kilometer canal by 2014.

The consortium also includes Italy's Impregilo SpA, Belgian contractor Jan de Nul and Panama's Constructora Urbana SA, among others.

Lava waterfalls into the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii

THIS is not a Hollywood set. It is actual lava cascading into the ocean. Watch incredible video footage of this amazing natural event in Hawaii at the foot of this article.

For the first time in nearly a year, lava is flowing into the ocean from Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.