Displaying posts published in

December 2011

This week in Detroit: Jimmy Hoffa’s possible connection to GM, Detroit Three’s naughtiest vehicles of 2011, who stole Bob Seger’s guitar?

This week’s top stories — the last of 2011 — are filled with big names like Jimmy Hoffa, Kwame Kilpatrick, Dan Gilbert and Bob Seger. Not to mention the cars you don’t want to take home to mom from the Detroit Three — they’re naughty.

3 Lessons on Fulfilling on a Green Brand Promise

  Why is it that consumers hold green brands to a higher standard than they do themselves?  

A Second Chance for Christmas Trees

Around the country, eco-conscious parks, businesses and local jurisdictions have devised interesting ways of recycling trees.

Greg Graffin’s Bad Religion: Punk “Science and Religion” Rock on the DC “Reason Rally” Stage

Yesterday I introduced punk rocker and PhD evolutionary biologist Greg Graffin.  I noted his similarities to Richard Dawkins, and their highly anticipated joint appearance at the upcoming DC Reason Rally . Let’s explore the anti-theistic

The Year’s Top 10 Culture Shakers (and What We Can Learn From Them)

To paraphrase Steve Martin circa the 1970s, it’s been a wild and crazy year. We’ve been through the Arab Spring and the Occupy Wall Street movement. We’ve watched politicians bicker and our 401(k)’s sag. We marked the passing of a notorious North Korean dictator and celebrated the return of our troops from Iraq.   But [...]

Ford brand returns to pre-recession sales level; 2 million vehicles sold this year

The Dearborn-based automaker says its Ford brand this week topped 2 million U.S. sales for the first time since 2007.

Video Surveillance SDK includes face tracking algorithm.

Using live video streams from single or multiple digital surveillance cameras, VeriLook Surveillance 2.0 enables development of biometric facial identification systems for Windows and Linux. Integrated face tracking algorithm includes dynamic face model, which can adapt to visual appearance changes and continue to track subjects even when faces briefly disappear from frame. Face images can [...]

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

As we look expectantly and excitedly toward 2012, I’d love to share with you some ministerial highlights from this past year. I am humbled and grateful to report the following: Focus on the Family helped strengthen or save 1.2 million marriages in

Bad Religion and the “Largest Gathering of the Secular Movement in World History”

What do Richard Dawkins and Greg Graffin have in common?  They both have PhDs that prepared them to teach evolutionary biology to college students: Dawkins at Oxford and Graffin at UCLA .  They also both have written anti-theistic books about

Too hot to handle? Fisker Automotive recalls plug-in electric hybrids over fire concerns

The recall comes one month after National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a formal investigation into fire risks in General Motors Co.’s plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt.