A Lost Opportunity To Rebuild Manhattan Infrastructure

Photo from that stellar news outlet, the Daily News.

Surprise, surprise, New York infrastructure is deteriorating before our eyes! How could this possibly happen? Everyone knows the city, the state and the nation have been pouring billions into creating the infrastructure of the future while putting millions to work and stimulating solid economic growth. Right? Or maybe not! 

 It would have been all too easy to commit billions to rebuild the infrastructure in Manhattan, much of which is now in its second century. But no one thought of that. And here we are.

Right now, Manhattan is riding the biggest real estate bubble in its history. The median price of a condo in the borough is well over $1 Million, with the price far higher in downtown neighborhoods, such as the Lower East Side, where this water main break and sinkhole occurred. Not that it will make us little people feel better, but what we are seeing are overpriced luxury homes being built on top of decaying infrastructure. And many of these developments are in what are now flood zones going forward as sea levels rise and more Atlantic hurricanes are expected to turn left and make landfall in the region. 

My biggest gripe with New York, beyond the fact that it is an imperialist, even pro-war city with a dangerous wealth gap, is that its infrastructure is terrible. We have outstanding drinking water. But that won't last. We are told that the subways are reliable. Yes, in spite of the fact that the system is barely holding together. When I look at Tokyo, Hong Kong, and even London (the other "Capitals of the World" right?), I see better infrastructure. We New Yorkers won't realize the lost opportunities we had to rebuild until it is too late.

The 2009 Federal stimulus package might have been our last chance to rebuild. We shall see if I'm correct.

Larry Page Hasn't A Clue What Charity Is

Well, that ruins whatever respect for Mr. Page I had left. I used to occasionally point to him as a fellow Gen-X'er (a fellow salt and pepper haired Gen-X'er at that) who led a corporation and became an infulencial leader and innovator. This is because too many in my generation struggle to get hired, let alone land an opportunity to found and lead a company.

Well, he's an idiot. And his definition of charity is frankly twisted and dangerous.

Establishing large, well run, philanthropic institutions is nothing new. Carnegie and Rockefeller were pioneers of creating highly managed charitable giving. But, and this is a huge but, those foundations give money to charitable causes, which directly assist the poor, not corporations, which might produce benefits for them. Those organizations, and their many imitators, have supported colleges and universities, built public libraries -my hometown library in Brockton was built with Carnegie funds- built hospitals, clinics and research facilities, fed the poor, and provided open space and public recreation for countless people.

Larry Page hasn't a clue what charity is, and it's pretty clear he never will.

The French Government Fears Its People

Just a quick observation. In the US the people are afraid of the government; in France the government is afraid of the people.

Citizens don't need to own firearms to make their government fear them. It just takes united demands, constant political pressure, and some strong unions here and there. While I understand the argument that unionized workers see themselves as union members first and company employees second, look at the victories they have won for workers in France, including workers who aren't unionized. Here's the latest example.

NSA Spying Revelations To Continue Well Into 2014

Edward Snowden became a household name to consumers of news media in June 2013. It also helped make The Guardian a well recognized name in elite news journalism, and they now have a Pulizer for their effors.

The reports of how the NSA has spied on virtually all electronic communications over the last 15 years (and probably longer) will continue to be released. According to SNowden, some of the biggest revelations are yet to come. We can expect more details about how the NSA partnered with corporations to collect mass data on citzens. They collect data on what you buy, where you go, and what you are into. And almost none of it related to keeping the "homeland" safe.

While we wait for more deatils on NSA programs, both past and existing, we have a blockbuster piece by two of the best investigative "Global War on Terror" journalists around, Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill. In it, they explain how drone strkes target mobile phones, using an NSA owned database of mobile phone numbers. It had long been suspected that the drones go after phones, not people identified visually. That helps explains all the "collateral damage" when these phones are detected in the open in crowded areas. Furthermore, we know US often follows an initial hellfire missle strike with a second strike in the same location to kill friends, family, and even medics (if that isn't state terrorism...). What drives the drone strikes? Data. 

UPDATE, June 26, 2014: Here is a fantastic summary of what we know as of May 2014, by Nadia Kayyali and Katitza Rodriguez of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

I didn't think my first post would be this way.

I feel it must.

Why do Americans feel the needs to call anyone with an English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish accent British?

No, it's not all Americans, but the majority I've encountered feel the need to classify me as British.

"Oh, you're British!?"

NO! NO! NO! You fucking twit, I'm ENGLISH! E N G L I S H, NOT British!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Georgraphically, yes, I am considered British.

However, the fact that I hail from Northern England, makes me ENGLISH!

My family Hails from North England. If we want to be exact, Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England,

situated 16 miles (26 km) west of Newcastle and 4 miles (6 km) east of Hexham.

Again, I'm fucking ENGLISH!

Where does this hatred come from? It's not hatred at all.

Believe me, I'm not the only one. Scots, Welsh and those of Northern Ireland rather be called by where they're from, instead of British. 

We share in the UK great, long and historic rivalries. As nations, as people and especially when it comes to both football (HOWAY THE LADS!) and rugby.

With that said, our pride gets the best of us, IT SURE DOES OF ME, when I'm called British.

ASUS X200CA (Pentium) Review

A great little vehicle to try out a Linux distribution.

The 11.6" ASUS X200CA (late 2013) with the Pentium "Ivy Bridge" processor is a great little performer. Costs were cut to be sure. It's black plastic. The battery is not replaceable. It's a budget notebook rather than an entry level ultrabook. However, for those who want pretty good computing power on the cheap, it's a fine choice. It's actually a great choice for anyone who ants to give Linux a spin without breaking the bank, which is why I got it.

So, it is plastic, but it's also light - just three pounds. The keyboard took only 15 minutes to master coming from the much larger MacBook 13". This is, essentially, a disposable laptop. It's something you use for 2-4 years and then resell or recycle. Battery life is a consistent 3-3.5 hours when fully charged, and with the brightness turned down a bit, and the device is not streaming video. The display is an LED lit 1366x768. Not nearly the best of what's available today, but it does support full 1080p resolution. The speakers are front firing, which is impressive at this price point. But like any laptop, headphones will provide the best possible audio quality.

The screen is also plastic, but seems scratch resistant. The touchscreen is very good - sensitive and responsive. Even if you install a Linux distribution, the touchscreen will still provide some functionality. I love the built in SD card reader. No more tethering my camera to my laptop to process and file photos.

The last thing I need to get used to is the fan and heat vent on the left edge of the keyboard. It is easy to clean, says ASUS (with one of those Staples spray can dusters). The fan is no louder than the Apple MacBook fan. But it's right behind the vent, and it gets warm as soon as you turn on the device.So I'm figuring out how to keep an upright typing position and keep my left fingers away from the vent opening.

On the plus side, the ports are almost kept to a minimum. Aside from a legacy VGA port I will never use, there are two USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port (colored blue for easy identification), an RJ-45 network cable port, a very useful HDMI video out, and an equally useful SD card slot for easy uploading of pictures from most digital cameras. Users of Google Plus' photo editor and YouTube will especially appreciate that.

This laptop makes the case that like tablets and phones, laptops are gadgets you use for two years and then move on to the next one. A lot of people use their MacBooks for two years, but I've had mine for nearly 5 years and it is built to last. The ASUS has a 64 bit Ivy Bridge processor. That's the latest and one of the best. It could go four years, but you'd have to take extra special care of it. Separate bag. No spills. No food. Go easy. This thing has what you need on the inside, but you need to be gentle with it.

I have oily hands. The keyboard's keys, thankfully, are oil and fingerprint proof. Unfortunately, the rest of the device isn't.. You might want to consider the metal finish version if you don't like fingerprints (the ever so slightly heavier Q200). Fortunately, the laptop looks like new with a few circular wipes of a dry cloth or moist sponge. I do like the textured plastic and the wedge shape of the device. Just have to limit how much I touch that plastic. Stick to the keys and and a mouse (the cool ASUS blue ray optical mouse is a fine accessory for this), and you will minimize the blemeshes on this laptop.

For my Linux distribution, I chose Linix Mint (Cinnamon). I have seen Red Hat Linux on servers. And I have seen early incarnations of Linux on desktops, back when you had to write a developer a check and receive a stack of 3.5" floppy disks in the mail. But this was my first installation of Linix on any personal computer, and I love it. I can move on from Apple and iTunes, and go my own way. That has its pros and cons. Using an open office suite (LibreOffice), browsing the Internet on Google Chrome, and playing games on Steam is fantastic (Chrome has not run well lately in OSX). Editing photos and burning music playlists onto CDs take a little more work (yes, I still make mix CDs). But I am learning as I go, and Linux Mint is one slick operating system that proivides an opimal desktop on which to get things done, and uses minimal resources. I wish I had switched to Linux years ago.

I trust ASUS. They make great monitors, components, and tablets. But clearly going from a MacBook to this is a step down in luxury. Sort of like going from a BMW to a Mazda. But Mazdas are still a lot of fun. If you want to get into Linux computing, this might be your perfect first vehicle to give it a spin.

A Rational Criminal Act: 1971 FBI Burglars Reveal Themselves

This past January, members of the famed Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI stepped forward and revealed themselves in a conference call with the US news media.  

In 1971, the group broke into a small FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania, while the nation was followng the Ali-Frasier fight (the 15 round "Fight of the Century," in which Frazier knocked out Ali). They stole thousands of documents. Nearly half of the documents detailed a domestic spying program which had begun under FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, who had a year more to live, and was going to serve as bureau director until the day he died, in May 1972.

The statute of limitations ran out on the bugulary in March, 1976, but members of the group decided that now was a perfect time to reveal themselves, less than a year after Edward Snowden's daring theft of Pentagon and NSA materials, and just in time to helop promote a new book on the break-in.

The 1971 FBI bulgulary is one of the most significant acts of whistleblowing in US history. The stolen documents  were xeroxed and distributed to the media, much like the Pentagon Papers were. The proof that the FBI was committing more time and resources to spying on non-violent activists than investigating organized and interstate crime was too much for that era's Congress to ignore, and led to major -albeit temporary- reforms. 

Hoover was a relentless bureaucrat, who cowed presidents and the Congress for decades, because, it was feared, he had dirt on EVERYBODY. No one wanted to hold him to account. And so it took eight private citizens, breaking the law, to reveal the far worse law breaking of the FBI. Does this sound familiar? Edward Snowden come to mind?

When members of Citizens' Commission stepped forward, NBC featured two of them, the married Raines couple, on the Today show. As the mainstream media usually does, they brought out a figure to provide some sort of counterpoint. They found retired agent Patrick Kelly, who charaterized the Raines' as "rationalizing a criminal act." I would argue that their act is very easy to explain: it was a rational crime. It had to be done. The unconstituinal actions of the FBI had to be revealed by a comparitively tiny crime. It was, frankly, a precursor to electronic acts of thivery, such as those by Anonymous and Wikileaks. 

Needless to say, the responses from the right wing to this news story were both predictable and sad.

World Class Cities Are Made With Infrastructure, Not Asturity.

Can we talk about the UK for a few seconds? That country has a Tory government, which practices the voodoo brand of economics called austerity, horrible storms, likely associated with climate change, which conservatives insist is a liberal hoax, and now a wave of crap! There'll always be a Britain!

One of the Most Extraordinary Developments in the Christie Scandals Happened Sunday

By now, it is so well established that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is a corrupt bully, that further reporting on his scandals ought to be suspended until the subpoenas for the investigations are in. MSNBC was covering Christie so much last month, I thought it was embarrassing. This nation is still at war in Afghanistan, we have a catastrophic, global environmental crisis, the US job market is still dismal, the US has an ongoing gun violence problem, reproductive and women's rights are under fierce attack, Guantanamo is still open, the wealth gap is the biggest it has been in nearly a century, and the US Congress is intent on destroying what's left of the nation - and I mean both sides of the aisle.

The Christie marathon, thankfully, has subsided a bit. 

Now I'm not denying that Christie's quests for political vengeance, which have cost his state quite a lot in terms of money and image, is not significant. It is. He's the most prominent politician to engage in this sort of behavior since President Richard Nixon. Not that Christie is similar to the late Richard Nixon himself. Nixon was vicious and paranoid, seeing enemies and conspiracies everywhere. Christie is a vicious bully, a classic coward who attacks and demeans those weaker than he is. I leave it to the pundits and historians like myself to argue which is worse.

Here's what I think will be the big story until all the subpoenas are carried out. The editorial board of the Star-Ledger, led by Tom Moran, has issued what is essentially a retraction of their endorsement for Chris Christie in his 2013 reelection bid. He won, of course. It is too late, of course. 

There is a fitting cliche: sin in haste, and repent at leisure. At least Moran is admitting the mistake, unlike, for example, the New York Times which allowed the Bush gang to push their imminent invasion of Iraq on its pages, backed the illegal war and published a quiet, partial retraction over a year later.

This is not a perfect story of journalistic excellence, however. If one goes to the link and reads Moran's retraction, he basically says that the Star-Ledger knew all about Christie's scandals and his bad character, and endorsed him anyway. So what else do they know? We'll find out as the investigation proceeds this spring.

Bloomberg and Kelly Leave NYC Wealthier, Probably Hated

Almost all at taxpayer expense of course.

The whole 2004 RNC ordeal ruined New York for me. It proved to me that this town is not for us little people. It isn't even for progressives or dissenters. It's an imperialist, millionaire's playground.

To my fellow New Yorkers, I say, learn your history. This was the only major city not to kick out the British during the American Revolution. That explains a lot right there. So did Ed Koch's sucking up to the GOP in the run up to that convention.

Bloomberg and Kelly have cost this town countless millions of dollars, while systematically trashing the Constitution. And the Bloomberg penalty for all this criminal stupidity? Three consecutive electoral victories as mayor of America's largest city.

Bloomberg spent over $600 Million on his three mayorial campaigns, but leaves office at least four times richer than when he first ran for office. He knew where the biggest ROI was: himself. The rich get richer, right?

Meanwhile, Bloomy's pit bull gets his big reward. 

However, he has asked our city for $1.5M a year for protection. Who hates Ray Kelly so much?

LG V500 ("G Pad") 8.3 Review

Forget the Q-Pair app (although if you're the kind of person who must have both your phone and tablet tunred on when you com home after a day at work, it does work well). And you should also probably forget the IR blaster (I haven't bothered to play with it yet).

Yes, never mind the extras. The LG V500 (unfortunately named the G Pad) is simply a gorgeous tablet. But with a $349 retail price, is it worth $100 more than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.0 or Nexus 7? I would argue that depends on how much it seduces you, and how long you intend to keep it. I know what I've decided. It took just 30 minutes with the tablet to make up my mind. Here's what you need to know.

What's in the box?

LG keeps it simple. The box has the tablet, a universal Android micro USB charger, and a manual most users will never read.

I have to applaud LG for sticking with the micro USB charging / data port. They could have gone the ASUS or cheap tablet route and used a propriatary cable connection, but a micro USB port means that you can use the same charger to power your Android phone or this tablet. It took a while for Android to catch up to Apple's unified power and data connections, but the four major manufacturers, Motorola, HTC, Samsung, and LG have gotten it together. Wearable devices, like bluetooth headsets, Google Glass, and wristwatches, already use the micro USB charging standard. So while we wait for possible universal wireless charging capabilitires, we Android users have a single stanard to charge all of our mobile devices, just as Apple has the lightning connection to unite its lineup.

What makes it run?

 The processor is not the fastest, but it is solid for a device like this. It's a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, running at 1.7GHz and nearly 2GB of RAM. That's plenty powerful. And the display is top notch. It' a 1920x1200, LED lit display that delivers 273 ppi, more than the Nexus 7's 216 ppi. So it has twice the RAM, and 25% higher resolution as the Nexus 7. Plus it has an aluminum back instead of plastic. Three writers over at Android Central think that's enough to justify the extra $100. I would argue that at the sale price of $299, the extra cost is completely justified.

Performance is simply solid. Some of you care about Vellamo results, so here they are. It's near the top of the current tablet crop.

What makes it special?

A man can hold one of the best tablets on the market in one hand. I admit, I like the 10.1" form factor. It's closer to the size of a magazine. My previous tablet was the ASUS Transformer TF300T. But stepping down to 8 inches was not a rough as I thought it would be. Magazines and books look fine. The LG V500 is light and very portable, like an Amazon Kindle. It's easier to use on a crowded train, and doesn't draw as much attention as an Apple iPad. It's a niche size in between the 7" and 10.1" tablets, and I really like it. 

I wish I could say that the battery life is stellar, but I don't yet know for certain. It is not near the Apple iPad perfromance, but to get over six hours at 75% brightness would be nice. Until I'm proven otherwise, I have to say that battery life is about average for a 7 to 8-inch device. Somereviewers have gotten through a full weekend of light use, at low brightness. Needless to say, if you use it to stream HD movies, the battery will not last long. The top of the unit gets the warmest when used continuously.

How is the software?

This is where some fine tuning may be required. LG, like its primary rival, Samsung, is into modifying the Android interface to the point it becomes cluttered with extra features, apps, and custom icons. If you are an experienced Android user, then you probably know that installing a well reviewed launcher can suppress the manufacturer's tinkerings with color schemes and icons. In LG's case, their defaut icons are a little too busy for most people's taste.

The eaiest way to fix this is with a good launcher. No need to root your device. I love Apex Launcher. It lets you revert your icons, appliation tray, and application dock (at the bottom of the screen) to a default Android 4.x appearance, or you can download and install custom icon packs and themes for a completely different look. It's one of the few apps worth paying for, and it can help you make any Android phone or tablet your own. See? It's fixed. It took just a little thought and effort while watching sports on the telly.

But, alas, there is one thing that you cannot get rid of on the V500, and that is the very busy notification shade.

What is going on there? There are shortcut buttons to adjust sound and brightness in the first row, shortcuts to apps in the second, and then slider controls for brightness and sound in the next two rows. Why have slider cntrols wheh we already have useful shortcut buttons? Some reviewers feel that this is a result of LG trying to one-up Samsung in some twisted war between two Korean manufacturers. Some at Andrid Central have speculated (out loud, in their podcasts) that this is a "Korean" thing, in which logical users interfaces get tossed in favor of flashy extras. Korea is different, to be sure, with it's far superior, much faster mobile networks, and wider array of gandgets that consumers can buy (not unlike Japan). But back to this busy shade.

LG first introduced this shade last year on the Optimus G (which is the phone I use, and love, and call the G1, as that was really the predecessor of their current flagship phone, the G2). However, on the G1, the shade is less busy and I've come to to like it a lot. Here is the shade on the G1 phone. It's clean. I have shortcut buttons to adjust the sound level, brightness, Wi-Fi radio, and airplane mode, and below that, my notifications. I think that's an improvement over stock android, and it isn't annoying at all. It's pretty useful. 

While the busier shade of the G2 phone and V500 tablet is less practical, at least the displays of those devices is larger, so you can quickly scoll past the clutter and get to what you want to look at in the first place - your notifications.

But LG still made changes in the second year of ther "G" user interface. The lock screen of the G1 phone is customizable. You can choose a wallpaper, a big clock or calendar overlay, and four apps you can quickly launch by swiping over them. Here are two versions of the G1 lock screen. 

With the V500 tablet, and presumably the G2 phone, the ability to choose a clock/calendar graphic to the lock screen is gone. You still choose six icons and the wallpaper, but you only get a big clock at the top of screen. A very minor gripe for me, but I just found it odd that after adding so much to their UI, LG would then take something attractive away from it.

What is this menu button doing here?

Well, there is one other thing that is not quite right with the LG setup. They continue to defy the Android standards guide and use a menu button in the lower right of the screen. It replaces any menu buttons that appear in apps. There's no real harm here. It's just LG being different, just how Samsung insists on replacing the Home button with a physical button on all of its Galaxy phones and tablets. I knew this going in, and I don't mind it as much as Android developers do. It works.

What I wish LG added, however, is the ability to long-press the Home button, which brings up recent apps and the option launch Google Now from there. I have that feature on my G1 phone. LG has taken it away (at least for now) on their new tablet. Here it is on my G1 phone. 

Any Accessories?

Not really. LG makes them, but they are not yet available in the US (and they might never get here). They are beginning to appear on eBay. And this fine Korean seller on eBay has colored, grippy hard shells that protrect the tablet's aluminum rear plate. I got one in light blue.

A Google Play Edition!

I was about to close this review by saying that this is the best tablet for under $300 (when on sale). I still think that. But lookey here! Google has just released a Google Play edition of the LG V500 running Android 4.4 Kit Kat for $349. It's available in black only, but it's suddenly the best Andrid tablet on the market, at any price. 

The Google Play edition strips out all the of the superfulus LG apps, restores the icons and notification shade to stock Android style, and replaces LG's menu button on the lower right to what Google demands, the "recents" button, which lets you quickly go back to a recently used app.

So if you go for this unique, medium sized tablet, you have two outstanding versions to choose from at different price points: $299-$349 for the LG version in black or white, and $349 for the Google Play version in black. It's the best of what Android does in two distinct flavors, and it's my choice for tablet of the year.

In Defense Of The "Boring" Cars At The NYIAS: Part 3, The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC

The New York International Auto Show is long over. But I am not quite finished with my tips of the cap to the boring, yet practical cars of the show.

My third pick is a vehicle that has grown on me quite a bit the more I read about it - the third generation Mitsubishi Outlander. Part of this is because it has been on sale across Europe for over a year already. Another reason is because Mitsubishi has really brought the good stuff, especially for those who cross the $30K threshold (although that may be overpriced). Fully loaded, you get the guts of Mitsubishi's most legendary off road vehicles, the Pajero and Challenger, an interior that is finally refined and luxurious, and for the first time, a suite of safety technologies that Mitsubishi has only kept in Japan up until now.

I feel this is going to be another unnecessarily long post on automobiles. You have been warned.

As usual, I am ahead of myself. Let's catch up with Mitsubishi, a car company that is doing well in Japan, Australia and the Caribbean, but not many other places these days. Why do us car guys like them? There are several reasons. Mitsubishi is Japan's first mass producer of automobiles, with the Model A in 1917, nearly 20 years before Toyota built their first car. They never really charged into the US market, as I recall. They needed help to get here. So they sold a share of their car business to Chrysler, which realized that they could improve fuel economy in the turbulent 1970s oil market. That partnership resulted in the Dodge Colt, and Mitsubishi's gaining a foothold in the USA.

The 1977 Dodge Colt coupe. Perfect for hooning down under. 

History records that Detroit was too slow to make their cars lighter, more efficient, more reliable, safer, and more comfortable in the 1970s. The Japanese manufacturers did, and took a huge bite out of US market share in the 1980s. Detroit might have even forseen Japan overtaking them, but that didn't stop US manufacturers from partnering with their Asian competitors. Ford parternerd with Mazda. And GM formed partnerships with Suzuki, Subaru, Izusu, and Korean maker Daewoo (the last partnership continues to this day as GM Korea). These partnerships brought smaller, lighter cars to the US.

Not all Americans wanted small cars, to be sure, but the impression I always had was that Americans wanted more choices, and the Japanese companies worked harder to provide them. The more Americans gave Japanese cars a chance, the more Americans appreciated their smaller styles and more ergonomic interiors. Wanted a lightweight, rear wheel drive sports coupe? Datsun, Mazda and Toyota made those. How about a light pickup truck for those who didn't need an Ford F-150? The Japanese created a whole new compact pickup market. Subaru brought standard all wheel drive to its entire lineup beginning in the late 70s. Mid 1980s cars like the Honda Civic HF and Toyota FX-16 gave Americans both sporty performance and high fuel economy, unheard of in American cars. And while the XJ Jeep Cherokee, Chevy Blazer and Ford Bronco were the kings of the second generation of American SUVs, the Toyota Land Cruiser, Isuzu Trooper, and Mitsubishi Pajero (a.k.a. Montero) quickly became legends in the own right.

There was a slow build up before Mitsubishi could become a known and respected brand in the US. Up until the early 1980s, Mitsubishi was just a smaller manufacturer of lightweight sedans. But their engine building reputation got them more business from their rivals. Their partnership with Chrysler led to them to design and build more engines for companies like Hyundai and PSA Peugeot Citroën. Together with Chrysler and Hyundai, they developed the World Engine project, which supplied engines to all three companies for nearly 20 years. The Eagle (Chrysler) Talon had a bulletproof Mitsubishi alloy engine. So did the first Hyundai Elantra. A lot of Mitsubishi DNA went into some of Chrysler's most successful cars of the 1990s, such as the Dodge Intrepid and Stealth (which was actually a rebadged Mitsubishi GTO, one of the most successful GT cars of its time). And they manufactured the first generation Volvo S40, which was a redesigned version of the Mitsubishi Carisma.

Another rare bird. The Lancer Wagon, sold in Asia, Europe, and Canada only.

Designing and building engines for other car manufacturers is something Mitsubishi has done for decades. But it needed to find a niche of its own in order to build brand identity in the US. And by the early 1980s, it seemed to have found it in the compact Lancer sedan, the rugged SUV known as the Pajero (also called the Shogun and Montero in other markets), and the slightly more comfortable, full size SUV known as the Challenger. The Lancer and Pajero were introduced in 1973 (with the Pajero undergoing 9 more years of development before it went on sale). The 4-door Pajero came to the US in 1983 as the Montero. The 2-door Pajero followed as the Dodge Raider in 1987. The following summer, Mitsubishi added the Eclipse coupe and Galant midsize sedan to its US lineup.

By 1990, the Eclipse and Montero were hits in the US, giving Mitsubishi the opening it needed to expand its network of dealerships. Along with the Lancer and Galant, these four cars would be Mitsubishi's core US lineup for 13 years. The Lancer would become a worldwide hit once its high performance varient -the Evolution- was produced.

There would be no big expansion on that lineup. The wonderful Delica minivan made the briefest of apperances in the US. Pickup truck models would come and go. The mirage subcompact would come and go (and now it’s back). But essentially, Mitsubishi Motors USA sold four vehicles with the red diamond logo on them from 1988 to 2011, with the Lancer and Montero becoming the most loved and respected over time.

Most auto enthusiasts would get to know the Lancer. It made the incredible transition from a cheap compact to an all-wheel-drive, four door rally car rivaled only by the Subaru WRX. Like the Subaru, Ford Escort and Citroën Xsara, the Lancer is one of the great rally car sales and marketing success stories of the last 30 years. Most Americans would recognize the Montero as well. It's arguably the only other Japanese off road vehicle that could keep up with the Toyota Highlander in all conditions (and the Isuzu Trooper II wasn't far behind the Montero). In harsh, hot environments such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the American Southwest, you can still see quite a few Monteros in use. People who currently own one are holding onto them. They are special vehicles. Mitsubishi still sells the Pajero and Challenger, where they are especially loved in Australia.

A 2007 Pajero and a 1983 model, which was sold as the Montero in the Americas.

Things were going really well for Mitsubishi in the US around the year 2000. They had earned respect. They had big budget commercials on American TV and sales were up. But then "Project America" happened around 2001. It was a corporate misfire, and cost them dearly. Since 2003, Mitsubishi Motors in the US has been slowly dying, and Project America, combined with cuts in marketing expenses are directly to blame.

Since I don't know too much about it, I'll keep my summary short. Essentially, Mitsubishi decided to re-design and build two of their models, the Galant and Montero, in the USA (Normal, Illinois), and introduce a crossover tp be sold worldwide as the Outlander.

First, they redesigned the Galant with an emphasis on what they thought Americans wanted in the 21st century. They thought Americans wanted longer, more retro looking sedans. But Americans only bought more Accords and Camrys. Those who didn't go with Japan's two most popular brands gave Ford's new global sedan platform a try, which boosted both sales and prestige for the Mazda 6 and Ford Fusion. Even the smaller, BMW-like Subaru Legacy became a smash hit. The Galant, having achieved greatness in design and technology in its eighth generation (1996-2003) became totally left behind in its final form. A last minute attempt to market the Galant in Australia as a muscle car failed. In August 2012, the Galant ended its production worldwide, and the company is still trying to sell off unused inventory in the US.

The ninth generation Galant. From sleek and fun to drive to long, heavy, and ugly.

In the second phase of Project America, a similar thing happened to the Montero. But I would argue the consequence was worse, because it cost Mitsubishi its flagship in the world's second largest car market. The US-based design team made the Montero longer and bumpier, with pronounced bumpers and thick fender flares, and renamed it the Endeavor. They also gave it the retro fascia of the ninth generation Galant. Mitsubishi must have realized that their new face for American cars was terrible, because they quickly revised the facia of the Endeavor, but the damage had been done. By 2009, sales of the Endeavor were so bad, Mitsubishi Motors USA suspended production for over a year to give unsold inventory a chance to decrease. In August 2012, the Endeavor was discontinued in all of North America. The Montero is still a hit worldwide as the Pajero, and it's still a real off roader worth buying. But with no 4x4 in the US market, Mitsubishi only lost precious market share.

Under the bumpy skin it was still a Montero. But Americans rejected it in droves.

Just so I'm clear, I'm arguing that missteps in the physical design of the Galant and Endeavor sealed their fates. Quite often, how bad a car looks can explain its demise, just like missteps in marketing, poor corporate leadership, or overall poor build quality. Just look at what happened late in the game to Pontiac and Isuzu.

For Project America's third phase, Mitsubishi entered the crossover market with the Outlander. Of the three "Project America" projects, it has not been a disaster. But it had a rough start. The first generation actually looked great in Japan (known in the JDM market as the Airtrek). But in the US, the Outlander (a name too close to the Subaru Outback, I think), was given a similar, retro nose and grill similar to the last generation Galant and Endeavor. The big grill vents look like something out of Fallout (where big 1950s car designs rust away in post World War III America). But Mitsubishi probably caught a break here. The Outlander was affordable, had all wheel drive, and was relatively efficient. Its sales numbers were respectable, and it was spared the axe.

2003-2006 Outlander and its ugly grille. 

The second generation Outlander was a vast improvement. It had more room and luxury features. It intorduced a 650-watt audio system by Rockford Fosgate. It had one of the better navigation systems available. And it offered Mitsubishi's new, global small truck engine, the 6B3. After a long hiatus, one of the engines offered in the Pajero and Challenger in three continents had returned to the States, more efficient than ever before.

Entertainment / navigation hub in the second generation Outlander. One of the best offered at the time.

The Outlander stretched from 179 to 184 inches to to accommodate a third row of seats, and the price, fully loaded, swelled to $34K. And yet, it became a hit, mainly because the entry level trims offered a lot of car for the money, and the quality was a marked improvement over the second generation. The Galant may have been dying. The Eclipse had been beaten by a new generation of east Asian rear wheel drive sports cars (Nissan Z, Hyundai Genesis, the Toyota-Subaru twins). But Mitsubishi had found a new product to compliment the Lancer, and remain in the US as a small niche brand.

The 2007-2012 Outlander. Progress!

It was soon time for Mitsubishi to do three things: reboot their North American marketing, increase their American marketing budget (a big reason sales dropped since 2009), and redesign an existing, popular vehicle without ruining it.

In the summer of 2012, the third generation Outlander debuted in Russia to positive reviews. Then it came to its native Japan. Then Australia. Then mainland Europe. And now, finally, the USA. So far, the two biggest gripes are that the base engine is too weak, and the GT model with AWD and the V6 is overpriced. The critics are nearly unanimous that overall, it is an improvement over the second generation model, aside from the loss of the drop-down tailgate. The critics also agree that while the styling is conservative on the inside, it's what American drivers prefer in terms of materials. A soft-touch dashboard goes a long way to win critics’ hearts these days.

The new Outlander is the most aerodynamic Mitsubishi ever produced with a drag coefficient of 0.33. Design-wise, it has elements of things I have liked over the last 10 to 20 years. It has a somewhat rectangular profile similar to the last generation Montero to be sold in the US, or the first generation Toyota Highlander. The front air intake is prominent, and probably shows too much radiator, but I appreciate the wide distance between the front headlamps (one of, if not the widest in the US market). The rear window is curved, contemporary, and compact. And the crystal clear brake light lenses are reminiscent of the previous generation Subaru Impreza, and they blend into the rear bumpers and lines very well. The stamped steel roof has ridges, which are functionally unnecessary, but similar to the ones seen in rugged vehicles like the Nissan XTerra, Ford Escape, and Jeep Wrangler. There are no fender flares like previous Outlanders. This is a tighter, more minimalist exterior design.

A nice accent: the chrome trim under the side windows swoops up to highlight the C pillar. It's almost a Hoffmeister Kink.

Rear brake light lenses remind this author of the third generation Subaru Impreza.

The Outlander is no wider over the previous generation - a relatively narrow 71 inches (just an inch wider than my Hyundai Elantra Touring). It has actually shrunk in overall length by one inch to 183 inches. Because of this, and its reduced weight, it is classified by the EPA as a compact SUV, like the Subaru Forester. But in terms of overall dimensions, it should be considered a midsize SUV. It is very similar in dimensions to the Subaru Tribeca, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Chevy Captiva/Equinox, Kia Sorento, Dodge Journey, and Ford Edge. And of those vehicles, only the Outlander has a standard third row seat. In addition, the Outlander promises fuel economy equal to the Captiva and Santa Fe Sport, at about 25-28 MPG overall. Those are the Outlander’s key selling points, and the company can only hope American buyers take notice.

In the American three-row SUV market, the list is short, and the prices often creep above $35K. There’s the Chevy Traverse, Ford Explorer, Dodge Durango (essentially a lengthened Jeep Grand Cherokee), Hyundai Santa Fe Seven, Toyota Highlander, and Mitsubishi Outlander. With the lowest entry level sticker price of that group, the Outlander has an advantage it needs to market to death. It seems to be working. I’m seeing Outlander ads on TV again, marketed towards moms and dads alike (dads get a Monument Valley ad, moms get ads about the active safety technology). More important, I’m beginning to see the new Outlander here and there. I saw one at the Newport Folk Festival in July, and another in midtown Manhattan last week. So it is selling. But where is the cost cutting, and is it worth it to step up the premium model?

Not having driven the premium GT S-AWC model yet, I can’t comment on performance. But I spent some quality time in one at the 2013 New York International can make some observations conclusions about the overall package.

So what do you get for starters? Things you should expect for a contemporary crossover. The Outlander has independent suspension, four wheel disc brakes, steering wheel-mounted cruise and audio controls, an alloy engine, deep tint rear windows, and heated side view mirrors. So far so good.

The base model, the ES, gets a 2.4 liter I4 generating 166 horsepower, mated to a CVT. The jury is in on that combination: it’s efficient but sluggish, like the former Honda Element. The slightly more luxurious SE gets the same combo. The SE S-AWC also gets it, except it also gets a transfer case and center differential, for part-time all-wheel drive (or as Mitsubishi calls it, “Super All Wheel Control,” or S-AWC). I expect the SE S-AWC to be the best selling model, as it offers more convenience, safety, and luxury packages while retaining the 28MPG overall average. That’s the same average as the slightly smaller Chevy Captiva.

But the Grand Touring (GT) trim interests me the most, despite the high price. It swaps out the four banger and CVT for the 6B3 engine and a new 6-speed automatic transmission. Peak horsepower is only obtainable at high RPMs, but the overall noise and vibration is far lower compared to the ES andd SE trims. The GT also adds aluminum paddle shifters on the steering wheel and digital, dual zone climate control. S-AWC comes standard with the GT, as well as the option to lock all wheel drive at slow speeds. Don’t expect a 0-60 time of under 9 seconds, but do expect a quieter, more confident ride, as well as better road feedback and handling, which I greatly prefer. If the Outlander with the CVT feels slightly numb, like a first generation Nissan Murano, as I suspect, then I would hope the Outlander with the 6-speed feels more like a Hyundai Santa Fe sport. That would be a lot more fun.

There is a high price to pay for the upgraded drivetrain - about $5,000 more. And then, with the price nearing $30K, you might be tempted to get the Grand Touring options package, which adds heated leather seats, a sunroof, and the 710-watt audio system by Rockford Fosgate. That brings it to about $31K. If you go all the way and add Navigation, a power liftgate, and radar cruise control and speed limiter, it tops out around $34K. That’s about the price of a well equipped Santa Fe Sport with nearly the same features (minus the third row of seating, and substituting a turbocharged I4), or the price of an entry level Audi Q5 (also with a turbocharged I4). That’s premium territory, and critics have pointed out, it's a bit much for any Mitsubishi aside from the Lancer Evolution or Challenger.

Stepping inside the Outlander, you can see the critics have a point. The gauges are LED-illuminated, not electroluminescent (a premium feature these days). The steering wheel, while leather wrapped, is not small and beefy as is the trend today (see any current BMW, Audi, or the Jeep Grand Cherokee). The centerpiece of technology is the Rockford Fosgate radio/CD/NAV unit, which, since 2008, has always looked more like an aftermarket product than a factory installed option. But I am still in love with that unit. It’s among the best factory-provided satellite radio and navigation units available.

The dash, at long last, is soft touch, but the design is closer to cargo van than luxury SUV (I admit, I am fond of the new design, because it is closer to what Mitsubishi and Subaru offer in their domestic market vans). The vents are up high, and the center stack is nearly vertical. But in a nice ergonomic touch, all the buttons and controls are all angled at the driver, not unlike the last Saabs or the current Kia Optima. There is no Mazda-like slope to the center stack. There’s nothing to surround the driver in soft materials. But that does seem to be Mitsubishi’s design philosophy, as seen in the nearly vertical center stacks in both the Challenger and Pajero SUVs overseas.

I have no idea why manufacturers like Ford and Nissan think that piano gloss black plastic is a premium material. I try not to touch my dashboard as a general rule, but piano black is a fingerprint magnet. It’s usually a dealbreaker for me, but I admit it looks okay here. The buttons are big enough so it’s difficult not to miss them with your finger. But I will have to wait until a test drive to see if the aluminum trim around the cluster of buttons is reflected in the windshield. The Saab 9-3 had that issue, and in sunlight, it caused the trim to appear as a bright line across the driver’s line of sight out the front windshield.

So the interior is conservative. But still, on a scale of Western vs. Japanese, I’m happy to say that the Outlander still feels Japanese. I actually consider that a selling point in in the current US market, as most Japanese automakers are designing their cars in Europe and the US.

The back seat is fine. There’s plenty of legroom. The seats are firm and supportive. My rule for back seats is simple. If there’s more room than a BMW 5 series, and a drop-down center armrest, then I’m happy. If not, then I have a impractical car that can’t accommodate my mother in law. Most cars skimp on legroom, especially the German brands. I need those seats to be roomy.

Cargo space is also fine. With the third row folded flat, there’s 34 cubic feet of space behind the second row of seats. With the second row folded down, cargo space becomes an impressive 63 cubic feet, a little more than my own Hyundai Elantra Touring. I carry a toolkit, various tote bags, and two beach chairs in my Elantra Touring at all times, and can still carry two pieces of rolling luggage when needed. The Outlander can easily do the same.

A panoramic sunroof is not an option at this time (something you’d hope for above the $30K mark). Mitsubishi opted not to make a rear seat DVD or video game center available, which opens the door to plenty of aftermarket choices for families who need to keep their kids entertained.

Third generation Outlander conceptual illustration, circa 2008.

Although the automotive world saw this vehicle coming in slow motion since 2008, I like how Mitsubishi maintained its size and overall look during the design process. From conceptual drawings, to concept show car, to final production model, Mitsubishi took care to make this a global car, marketed in nearly every continent as the first vehicle of a refreshed car company looking to put recent mistakes behind them.

Third generation Outlander prototype, 2009.

I will kick its tires again at the New England International Auto Show in January 2014. And there is an outside chance that the plug-in hybrid model, the Outlander PHEV will make an appearance at the New York International Auto Show in April, as Mitsubishi hopes to sell it in the US before the end of calendar year 2014. We’ll see if this vehicle lives up to my positive first impressions in the months ahead.

I'm probably in the minority when I say that I care about Mitsubishi, and I want them to stay in the USA. Mitsubishi, Mazda, and Subaru are the smaller, "performance" brands from Japan,and I'm a fan of all three. What Mitsubishi does over the next 12 months will decide their fate here, as does the sales figures for the new Outlander.

Rehab, American Style

Michael Douglas got a well deserved Emmy for his performance as Liberace in Steven Soderbergh's swan song, Behind the Candleabra. At the end of his acceptance speech, he made a reference to his 34 year-old son, Cameron, who is serving a drug use sentance, with two full years in 23-hour solitary confinent.

He elaborated backstage:

If you happen to have a slip, this for a prisoner who is not violent … they punish you....In my son's case, he has spent almost two years in solitary confinement, and right now I'm being told I cannot see him for two years. It's been over a year now, and I'm questioning the system. Obviously, at first I was disappointed with my son, but I've reached a point now where I'm very disappointed with the system.

The next day, Sabhbh Walshe of The Guardian, agreed with him, and drove the point home in her analysis:

People may have little sympathy for Cameron Douglas, the poor little rich kid who had it all and couldn't handle any of it. He did break the law numerous times by dealing drugs to feed his habit and deserved to be sanctioned for that. It's reasonable to assume also that if he had come from a poor minority background, he may have received an even harsher initial sentence and no one would have been writing newspaper articles about him or calling out to him during high profile award ceremonies. Still his case deserves attention as it typifies the stupidity of the war on drugs that has caused America's prison population to explode while doing almost nothing to eradicate drug use in our society.

I can add my two cents and say that Mr. Douglss and Ms. Walshe are absolutely correct.

The last time I was called for jury duty, I spent seven of the most depressing hours of my life watching white lawyers, judges, court officers and jurors, busily administering the drug laws of the commonwealth of Massachusetts. All the defendants and their families were sad, poor persons of color, who were going to rot in prison and have their futures wrecked because poor, sad, addicted poor people use illegal drugs. When I was finally called to explain my unwillingness to serve on a jury, I told the judge I considered the drug laws of this nation to be close to the classic definition of insanity. We are doing the same things, over and over again, and expecting a different result.

Drug addiction is a medical problem, and drug dealing is a function of the poverty and lack of opportunities that's endemic in this country. Our answer to this social pathology? Lock up one third of the young men of color in this country, incarcerate more people than any other nation on earth, create a vast, corrupt and wasteful prison industrial complex, and continue this madness year after year, as the problem gets worse! Yes, Mr. Douglas was right to address this at the Emmys.

Just What Was Tom Smith Thinking?

The stages of finding the first bad song by one of my favorite bands:

1. A grandiose breakup song. Okay.

2. Sustained falsetto. That's....different.

3. Holy shit, it's a Journey song!

4. But it's got a hook. Play it again. And again.

5. Singing along is actually possible, and fun, so long as you act sincere.

6. Oh hell, this is a cheesy Phil Collins song!

7. Some country band could cover this and make it a smash country hit. Just maybe.

Let's Try This Aussie V8 Supercar Thing Again

Supposedly there are enough Americans who want a rear wheel drive sedan that can run with the BMW 5 series, but don't want to pay more than $50K like a 5 series. But does this country really want a rear wheel drive GM sedan? Haven't we been here before?

GM tried this in 2008 with the Pontiac G8. It was a Holden Commodore in disguise - and a fine one at that.

Well, here comes the Holden Commodore again, as the Chevy SS (they should never have introduced that name in the 60s).

It will be a sales dud.

When GM gives us what we "want," we get all excited for the car at the auto show, NASCAR event, or dealership. But then we buy a Malibu, Impala, or a Honda or Toyota. It's part common sense. It's also the hard fact that most American car buyers, male or female, are looking for the most practical sedan that gets them where they need to go. Those who want rear wheel drive, American vehicles, buy a Jeep, Dodge, or Chrysler, and those who want a BMW or Mercedes simply look to those dealerships.

There's a difference between what excites car people, and what the market clearly shows us: that buyers want luxury and technology features, and are willing to stretch auto loans to 7 or even 8 years to get those leather seats, big rims, panoramc moonroofs, and touchscreen infotainment systems. Explaining to a buyer why they would have a much more fun driving experience with the rear wheel drive SS over the front wheel drive Impala could be fruitless. But GM will give it one more try.

I'm calling it now. It's going to FAIL. It doesn't deserve to fail, mind you. But like sport wagons and practical crossovers, we Americans can't have all the nice things. We have more car choices than ever before, and that might be the problem. Even the largest car market in the world can't support every niche. Only Japan can.

Postmodernism

Trent Reznor gets it. Always did. This is Copy of A, from Nails' first album in 5 years.

I am just a copy of a copy of a copy
Everything I say has come before
Assembled into something into something into something
I am never certain anymore

I am just a shadow of a shadow of a shadow
Always trying to catch up with myself
I am just an echo of an echo of an echo
Listening to someone's cry for help

Look what you had to start
Why all the change of heart?
Well you need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a
Look what you've gone and done
Well that doesn't sound like fun
See I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a

I am little pieces little pieces little pieces
Pieces that were picked up on the way
Imprinted with a purpose with a purpose with a purpose
A purpose that's become quite clear today

Look what you had to start
Why all the change of heart?
Well you need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a
Look what you've gone and done
Well that doesn't sound like fun
See I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a

I am just a finger on a trigger on a finger
Doing everything I'm told to do
Always my intention my intention your attention
Just doing everything you tell me to

Look what you had to start
Why all the change of heart?
Well you need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a
Now look what you gone and done
Well that doesn't sound like fun
So I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a

Look what you had to start
Why all the change of heart?
Well you need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a
Now look what you gone and done
Well that doesn't sound like fun
See I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a

(Look what you had to start) Look what you had to start
(Why all the change of heart) Why all the change of heart
(You need to play your part) You need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a
(Look what you've gone and done) And look what you've gone and done
(Yeah, that doesn't sound like fun) That doesn't sound like fun
(Yeah, I'm not the only one) See I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a

A Quick Note About Reflective High Profile Buildings

Architects and their sponsors have often been guilty of allowing their ambitions to overwhelm their common sense. But these days, technology and ego have combined to produce buildings that approach lethality.

Why, one wonders, does a designer simply ignore the likely consequences of using highly polished surfaces in dense, urban environments? Why does he create a building which cannot ever be watertight, or creates wind tunnels which propell hurricane force winds down pedestrian packed streets?  Why not, if it brings fame and huge fees!

Update, September 6, 16:50: "We'll take care of it."

Will Pardew Ever Figure Out His Midfield?

No.

And I much as I want to like this guy, I can't trust him as a manager if he can't figure what should be a good problem for a manager to have. His problem is, he has too many midfielders, but doesn't know where they should fit, and in which formation.

Where do they fit?

We have learned an awful lot since things fell apart last October after a season start that had Newcastle on pace for an 8th place finish. A year ago, Yohan Cabaye and Cheik Tiote were the core of what could be one of the best midfields in the English Premier League.

Flash forward to last month, and it clear to many armchair analysts like myself that Canaye and Tiote should not be on the pitch at the same time. Tiote is a defensive midfielder, and enforcer. He strikes me as someone you bring in to defend a second half lead (something Newcastler were terrible at last season). Cabaye is supposed to be one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe. But for reasons most pundits don't know, his passing simply disappeared last season. Couple that with Cisse's poor year, and the offense was effectivly disabled. 

What can bring the triangular passes back? The simple passes that generate scoring chances?

If there are zero expectations for Jonas at left wing, why keep starting him? Surely Marveaux can take over?

And can Hatem Ben Arfa at right wing ever be trusted? Yes, he's a magician when he runs with the ball. But a rebuilt midfield would not include him, would it?

We fans and pundits have the correct questions. Alan Pardew does not know the answers.

We Have Waited For This Day

We can now configure the all new Jeep Cherokee online!

This answers some questions, like which models have brown seats (the Limited), and what's the price (about $34,000 with the panoramic sunroof and all the technology options).

The only model to offer brown seats is the Limited. The seats are actually a volcanic clay and navy blue called Vesuvio (because daddy Fiat said so). 

However, I know Jeep, and if it's a hit, there will be special editions and probably more colors in the years ahead.

IF it's a hit.

But the bottom line remains the vehicle's best feature: This is the world's first crossover with a 9-speed automatic transmission. That, coupled to Fiat's new Tigershark 2.4L Multiair engine, it should get close to 30 miles per gallon, even with four wheel drive. Awesome.

What Newcastle United Must Do In The Next Four Weeks

Well, the answer to the question is obvious, isn’t it? Newcastle need a few more players. Maybe only two more if they don’t lose Yohan Cabaye.

It appears likely that Newcastle United are close to their first major signing of the summer transfer window. While I really like Gouffran and Sissoko, their two newest forwards signed in January, they need additional strikers to make up for the gap left when they lost Leon Best and presumably will lose when Papiss Cissé leaves the club.

The best striker, as things stand, the best available striker is Bafétimbi Gomis. Newcastle have expressed interest in him, and better still, he has reciprocated. So get the deal done, right?

Well, not so fast. Since 2011, Newcastle have not been quick to buy any new players in the summer season. No one really has an answer as to why this is so. The most pessimistic of Newcastle supporters fear that the four signings from January are the new summer signings. Considering what happened last summer (one signing), they have every right to be concerned.

Newcastle need two new strikers, with our without Cissé on board, and at least one of them needs to be world class. The clock is ticking. Get it done.