Is Autumn now but cold like WINTER time.

Matching up presidents and the economy

Do you know the history of US presidents VS the economy of the USA?
Click on the title for details figures and charts. cheers.

TOP Safety PICK 2008 for Small SUV -> Mitsubishi Outlander

IIHSが小型SUV 8車種の衝突試験結果を発表、4車種が「TOP SAFETY PICK」

　米保険業界の非営利団体であるIIHS（Insurance Institute for Highway Safety）は、小型SUV 8車種の衝突試験結果を発表した。今回試験したのは、ドイツVolkswagen社「Tiguan」、三菱自動車「Outlander」、米Ford Motor社「Escape」、日産自動車「Rogue」、スズキ「Grand Vitara」、米Chrysler社「Jeep Patriot」「同Wrangler」、米GM社「Chevrolet Equinox」の8車種。このうち、Tiguan、Outlander、Escape、Rogueの4車種が「TOP SAFETY PICK」を獲得した。
　TOP SAFETY PICKを獲得するには、前面衝突、側面衝突、追突時のシートおよびヘッドレストの頸（けい）部保護性能において、最も高い評価である「Good（優れている）」評価を獲得し、横滑り防止装置（ESC）の搭載車であることが条件となる。今回の8車種はすべてESCを標準搭載しており、さらにTOP SAFETY PICKを獲得した4車種はサイド・カーテン・エアバッグおよび前席のサイドエアバッグも標準装備している。

TOP SAFETY PICKの4車種のうち、特にTiguanの衝突安全性が高かった。前面および側面衝突試験において、構造上の欠陥や、乗員の傷害となる可能性のあるダミー人形への衝撃は一つも見当たらなかった。
　メーカーがTOP SAFETY PICKの獲得を目指して努力した結果、シートおよびヘッドレストの頸（けい）部保護性能が改善し、後部衝突試験の評価が全体的に向上した。TOP SAFETY PICKの4車種はシートおよびヘッドレストの形状の評価で「Good」となっている。IIHSの研究では、形状評価が「Good」の車両は「Poor（劣っている）」の車両と比べて、むち打ちになる確率が15％低いという。

　Wranglerは、オプションで設定しているサイドエアバッグを装備していない車両で試験した。オプションでも設定していなかった従来モデルでは、側面衝突試験の評価が「Marginal（許容最低ライン）」だったが、新モデルの評価はさらに下がり「Poor」になった。新モデルでの問題は、衝突時にドアが開いたこと。試験ではダミー人形の動きに影響はなかったが、実際の事故では乗員が外に投げ出される危険がある。IIHSは「たいていのモデルはモデル変更するたびに安全性が改善する。悪くなったのは珍しい」とした。
　今回、サイドエアバッグ未装備で試験したのはWranglerとEquinoxのみ。Equinoxは2009年モデルで標準装備する予定だ。Jeep Patriotはサイド・カーテン・エアバッグを標準装備し、前席のサイドエアバッグをオプションとしている。そのため、サイドエアバッグを装備した車両と未装備車両の両方を試験した。その結果、側面衝突試験の評価は、未装備車両が「Marginal」、装備車両が「Good」となった。未装備車両では、ダミー人形に胸部から腹部への衝撃が記録され、実際の事故では肋骨骨折や内臓障害の危険がある。一方、サイドエアバッグ装備車両ではこうした問題点は改善され、評価が上がった。

IIHSが小型ピックアップトラック5車種の衝突試験結果を発表、トヨタ「Tacoma」が側面衝突で最高評価を獲得

　米保険業界の非営利団体であるIIHS（Insurance Institute for Highway Safety）は、小型ピックアップトラックの衝突試験結果を発表した。今回試験したのはトヨタ自動車「Tacoma」、米Chrysler社「Dodge Dakota」（三菱自動車「Raider」と兄弟車）、日産自動車「Frontier」、米Ford Motor社「Ranger」（マツダ「Bシリーズ」と兄弟車）、米GM社「Chevrolet Colorado」（「GMC Canyon」と兄弟車）の5車種。このうち、Tacomaが小型ピックアップトラックとして初めて側面衝突試験で最高評価の「G（Good:優れている）」を獲得した。
　米国の2006年の側面衝突による死者は9000人で、側面衝突は致死事故で2番目に多い自動車事故だという。また、小型ピックアップトラックは、のミニカーセグメント（トヨタ「Yaris（日本名ヴィッツ）」やホンダ「フィット」など）を含むほかのセグメントと比べてドライバー死亡率が最も高い。2006年には、登録後1～3年の新車に乗るドライバーの100万台当たりの事故死者数は、ミニカーセグメントが106人、小型車（ホンダ「シビック」やトヨタ「カローラ」など）が99人、小型SUVが42人に対し、小型ピックアップトラックは116人と最も多かった。理由の一つは、単独事故、特に横転事故が他のセグメントと比べて多いこと。2008年モデルで単独事故対策として有効な横滑り防止装置（ESC）を標準装備しているのは、SUVが95％、乗用車が64％である一方、ピックアップトラックは12％しかなく、オプション設定すらしていないモデルが67％もある。IIHSは小型ピックアップトラックの単独事故の死者数を減らすため、ESC搭載を強く推奨している。
　今回試験した小型ピックアップモデルで、ESCを利用可能なのはTacomaとFrontierのみ。IIHSでは、ESCがオプション設定のモデルは、通常ESC搭載なしで試験し、メーカーの希望があればESC搭載車を試験する。Frontierは希望されなかったが、Tacomaは2009年モデルからESCを標準装備するため、今回試験することになった。2009年モデルでは、Tacomaと同様にColoradoとCanyonもESCを標準装備する。

Tacomaの側面衝突試験では、構造材が室内に大きく侵入することはなかった。運転席および助手席のダミー人形はサイド・カーテン・エアバッグが展開したことで、頭部を硬い構造物にぶつけることもなく、頸（けい）部、胸部も保護されていた。しかし、実際の事故ではドライバーに骨盤骨折の危険もあるという。2008年モデルにおいて、サイド・カーテン・エアバッグの標準装備率は65％。メーカーは2010年モデル以降の全モデルには標準装備すると自主的に決めた。連邦の側面衝突に対する安全基準では、2015年モデル以降にサイド・カーテン・エアバッグの標準装備が決められている。
　Tacomaは、後部衝突試験でむち打ちになる可能性に対してシートとヘッドレストの評価が低く、「M（Marginal：許容範囲最低ライン）」だった。この評価を改善できれば、2009年モデルでTOP SAFETY PICKを獲得できる。トヨタ自動車は大型ピックアップトラック「Tundra」では、TOP SAFETY PICKを獲得している。

試験した5車種のうち、側面衝突試験で最低評価の「Poor（劣っている）」となったのはColoradoのみ。Coloradoは、室内に構造材が多数侵入し、運転席のダミー人形の頭部は、ぶつかる側としてSUVもしくはピックアップトラックを模した障壁の上部に当たった。また前面衝突試験でも、タイヤとホイールが運転席の足元に食い込み、ドアのシルが分離し、左足がブレーキペダルの下に挟まれた。左足を開放するため、ブレーキペダルを切断しなければならず、実際の事故では救出に時間がかかる恐れがある。また、頭部・頸部・胸部の保護性能も低かった。
　5車種のうちRanger以外の4車種はベンチシートの後席を持つ。Rangerは、子供もしくは背の小さい大人用に、二つの横向きのジャンプシートを装備する。今回の試験では前席のみの評価。IIHSでは、スペースが狭いことは別として、シートベルトが2点式のみであるため、ジャンプシートに人が乗るのは勧められないとした。

Congratulation to the First Black President of USA - Barack Obama

Obama Makes History, Man of the Year!

Herewith is the full text of president-elect Barack Obama's victory speech Tuesday before a crowd of some 125,000 cheering and teraful supporters:



"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

"It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

"It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

"I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

"I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

"I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

"To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

"But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to it belongs to you.

"I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

"It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

"I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime, two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

"Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you we as a people will get there. "There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

"What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

"Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'We are not enemies, but friends though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.' And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

"For that is the true genius of America that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing -- Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

"She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

"And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

"At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

"When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

"When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

"She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that 'We Shall Overcome.' Yes we can.

"A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

"Yes we can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."