Category: News

A new studyshows that choking deaths among children are really a more serious problem than was previously thought and that the death rate is quite high, even among kids who were considered “old enough” for more complicated toys.

The data shows that 2.7 million kids, with an average age of 3.5, were admitted to hospitals with airway obstructions caused by an object. 42% of the foreign bodies were food items, the rest were “inorganic” objects such as toys. This is apparently “weird.”

“Toys are affecting older kids, and that’s really weird to me,” Dr. Rahul Shah, a pediatric otolaryngologist at the Children’s National Medical Center and the study’s co-author, told AOL News.

The death rate is apparently quite shocking, says Dr. Shah.

“The death rate, to me, is unbelievable,” he told AOL News. “It just shows that choking is absolutely not a benign health issue, but an extremely serious one.”

In case you’d like to take some steps to prevent your child from dying, the article recommends paying particular care to the now-controversial hot dog, which is responsible for 17% of all choking emergency room visits.

If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child’s airway, it would be a hot dog,” Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, wrote in a statement. “I’m a pediatric emergency doctor, and to try to get them out once they’re wedged in, it’s almost impossible.”

Kid Chokings Still ‘Extremely Serious’ Problem [AOLNews via Consumer Reports]

“Climate Science In Denial,” reads a Wall Street Journal op-ed headline. “Global warming alarmists have been discredited, but you wouldn’t know it from the rhetoric this Earth Day.”

Actually, the subhead should be revised: “Global warming denialists have been re-discredited, but you wouldn’t know it from the rhetoric in today’s Wall Street Journal.” Far be it from me, a non-scientist, to dispute the scientific expertise of an MIT professor of meteorology, Richard Lindzen, but then again, Lindzen’s selective recitation of the litany of arguments against global warming practically begs a rebuttal.

The Atlantic hasn’t exactly been at the cutting edge of climate science (see “People Who Just Don’t Get Global Warming: Gregg Easterbrook and the Editors of the Atlantic).  So it was doubly nice to see this piece, “Climate Denialists in Denialst,” by Marc Ambinder, their politics editor (and chief political consultant to CBS News).

Ambinder doesn’t know that Lindzen is one of the most debunked  climate scientists in the world (see Lindzen debunked again: New scientific study finds his paper downplaying dangers of human-caused warming is “seriously in error”:  Trenberth: The flaws in Lindzen-Choi paper “have all the appearance of the authors having contrived to get the answer they got”).

But Ambinder still does a great job on Lindzen in this piece:

First, he mentions “Climate Gate” — those e-mails from the Climate Research Unit from the University of East Anglia. He suggests that the e-mails show “unambiguous evidence of the unethical suppression of information and opposing viewpoints, and even data manipulation.”

The e-mails were actually quite ambiguous and contained evidence of churlishness and defensiveness from scientists whose data had long been under attack from climate denialists.

For some reason Lindzen presumes that “one might have thought the revelations would discredit the allegedly settled science underlying the currently proposed global warming policy,” without specifying what those “revelations” were.

Two investigations, one conducted by the British government and one conducted by the university, as well as methodological reviews by the journals where some of the research mentioned in the e-mails, concluded that no data was manipulated and no legitimate (i.e., scientifically grounded) opposing views were supressed. So, of course, Lindzen finds the investigations “thoroughly lacking in depth” and “whitewashes.” You can read the government report here and make up your own mind.

To go into detail on but one point: on the allegation that CRU scientists artifically adjusted (or corrected for) data from tree ring analysis that supposedly showed no warming after 1960, the review found that the corrective mechanisms were NOT, in fact, applied to the data published by CRU and were, instead, an appropriate possible way of dealing with methodological discrepancies that result from measuring tree ring data.

A while later, Lindzen makes this curious claim about the International Panel on Climate Change’s conclusions: “For example, [their] observations are consistent with models only if emissions include arbitrary amounts of reflecting aerosols particles (arising, for example, from industrial sulfates) which are used to cancel much of the warming predicted by the models. The observations themselves, without such adjustments, are consistent with there being sufficiently little warming as to not constitute a problem worth worrying very much about.”

First, the addition of aerosols to the models aren’t arbitrary. As Tim Flannery explains for a lay audience in “The Weather Makers,” from 1940 to 1970, aerosol particles in the atmosphere helped to counterbalance the effect of global warming. Once technology advanced to scrub aerosols from emitters, the cooling trend slowed. Numerous natural and man-made experiments have confirmed, and testable hypotheses have been successfully validated, to figure out exactly how aerosol emissions change temperature predictions.

(Prediction: in the absence of jet contrails, daytime temperatures in developed areas will be higher because there will be less “stuff” in the atmosphere to reflect sunlight, thus cooling the earth. Result: check the daytime temperature figures for the days following 9/11 when airplanes were grounded.)

Flannery notes that the two forces would seem to balance out — but they don’t, since we’re producing fewer aerosols and more CO2. That would seem to suggest that we should do more to reduce CO2 emissions, not less, if we’re worried about future warming….

The discussion of aerosols and CO2 brings us to a larger question: temperature models vary considerably. Interesting how denialists often suggest that scientists rig these models to show warming and THEN use the same models to show how wide the variation in expected temperatures could be. If anything, what evidence there is of actual warming suggests that the less conservative modeling is more accurate.

Then Lindzen writes about how some French academics have published books criticizing global warming advocates for being too alarmist in their predictions. Then he ends the op-ed by suggesting that the matter is settled. One can agree that global warming advocates can be alarmist, that they can hype the negative effects of the less conservative models, and that they can often present their conclusions with more certainty than is warranted.

But the fact remains that the overwhelming body of evidence suggests that the alarmists’ fears are grounded in empirical reality.

Precisely (see “Intro. to global warming impacts: Hell and High Water“)

For a debunking of Lindzen’s one remaining big idea — that clouds are negative feedback — see Science: “Clouds Appear to Be Big, Bad Player in Global Warming,”an amplifying feedback (sorry Lindzen and fellow deniers).  And for more Lindzen debunking — see RealClimate here.

Related Posts:

• Climatic Research Unit scientists cleared (again)
• Contest: Rename The Scandal Formerly Known As Climategate
• House of Commons exonerates Phil Jones

Survivors: Heroes vs. Villains star Russell Hantz was arrested in the early hours of the morning Friday after he allegedly shoved a woman to the ground during an altercation on the streets of Downtown Lafayette, Louisiana.

Lafayette Police Department officials said that the reality show star was arrested at 2 AM after several witnesses flagged down passing officers and reported that there was a physical confrontation going on near Justin Street. Hantz was taken into custody, booked into a parish jail and released later in the day.

The woman was not seriously hurt.

Hantz, a runner-up on CBS’ Survivor: Samoa series, is currently featured on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.

The tipoff is in the lede from Saturday’s edition of the Springfield State Journal-Register :

Should the Springfield High School Marching Band have performed at Wednesday’s pro-tax increase rally at the Illinois Capitol?  Most aren’t making a big deal out of the band’s march at the event, which drew thousands of people from around Illinois.

Based on that, you would expect that a story of such little import wouldn’t warrant much attention.  In fact, based on what the reporter wrote, one would question whether the story belongs in news section of the paper.  The editorial page would make some sense.

Yet, there it is. At the top of Page One.

Maybe that’s understandable.

Maybe it was a slow news day and nothing else happened that could have been placed in the most prominent news position in the paper.

Well, there is this on page 17:

Actually, the headline is a little misleading.  Republican gubernatorial nominee Sen. Bill Brady didn’t pay federal taxes in 2008 or 2009.  He also paid no state income taxes in 2008.

So, we have a government employee, paid with state tax dollars, making decisions about state tax policy, who wants to cut taxes and reduce funding for education and state services, who doesn’t pay taxes.

No, I see nothing newsworthy about that.  Page 17 it is.

By the way, since the paper edition was distributed, the online version of the Brady tax story has been retitled “Brady owed no federal taxes in 2008, 2009,”  a more positive spin on the same story.

Interesting.

Regarding the SHS band performance at the SOS rally day, a few things need to be said.

In the interest of full disclosure, I called the Springfield school district, extended the invitation and helped coordinate the performance with the band teacher, Kelly Goldberg, who is one of our members.   The invitation included our offer to pay for any expenses incurred.  We will be writing a check for $300.

The invitation came in spite of complaining from my daughter (flute) who thought it was a little hot for the uniforms she and her band mates were wearing that day.

Springfield High School stands just a few blocks from the Statehouse.  The school’s band program is among the best to be found anywhere and the band is often called upon to perform at major events.

For example, they performed at rally for Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan eight years ago, when President George W. Bush campaigned for him.

I’m pretty sure that wasn’t front-page news.

But let’s get to the main point, which was expressed very well “after the jump,” that is, inside the paper, well away from the front page.

From my standpoint, I wouldn’t look at it as the band playing at a political rally,” said Laura Bartman, president of the Springfield High School Band Parents Association. “This was about education funding — and fine-arts programs would be the ones getting cut. But for me, this also is where we could showcase our band when there were 15,000 people and national coverage,”

Indeed.

Wednesday was a great day for those who believe that education quality is important and worth preserving.

It was also a day when the arts and music were celebrated, as they should be, as being an important part of education.

That’s a story you won’t find on Page 1.  But you should.

Or, to precise, what were these apparent test devices doing on eBay, before they were unceremoniously yanked? And are they real? More »

We are live at Palm’s developer days and the mood here is pretty much perfectly encapsulated by Jon Rubinstein’s surprise appearance and comment yesterday: "I’m still here." Indeed, the 150 or so developers who have come to this at-capacity event are excited by the possibilites of webOS and the technologies behind it (free-but-unactivated Verizon Palm Pre Plus phones for developers didn’t hurt, either). We’ll have a full roundup in the coming days.

Right now, keep it locked on this post. At 9am Pacific / 12 Eastern Ben Galbraith and Dion Almaer will present the keynote for this mini-conference. We’re very much anticipating that we’re going to see clues about what’s coming in future versions of webOS. Since this is a presentation by and for developers, it’s probably too much to hope for a lot of flashy next generation features, but we’d be pretty happy to see some guidance on what Palm expects with the PDK and SDK (an especially urgent topic this week) and perhaps a few new APIs for developers to look forward to.

Join us after the break as we liveblog!

read more

An excerpt from Tobias Levkovich’s latest Pulse Monitor shows how strong earnings season has been so far.

Citi:

Of the 161 S&P 500 companies that had reported 1Q10 earnings through 4/22/10, 131 had beaten estimates and 15 had missed. Therefore, the 1Q10 ratio of positive to negative surprise is 8.73x versus a 4Q09 ratio of 6.15x, and 1Q09 ratio of 2.72x thus far into the earnings reporting season.

In aggregate, 1Q10 share- weighted results are beating expectations by 18.6% and are up 48.6% (thus far) from a year ago.

Financials and Industrials appear to be leading the way in terms of topping estimates thus far for 1Q10.

Also, in a separate chart shown below, note the huge upward revisions happening in Consumer Discretionary stocks right now. This makes sense given the performance inflection point this past week we saw for consumer goods companies.

Join the conversation about this story »

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were to take a KFC Double Down — the bacon sandwich that uses two pieces of fried chicken as the “bread” — and you were to sandwich it in between two halves of a Krispy Kreme donut? Of course you haven’t. Luckily, someone has.

Over at TopCultured.com, they provide step-by-step instructions — and, not for the faint of heart — pictures of how to make one yourself.

The verdict?

What you end up with is over 900 calories of tongue flipping delight. This thing will not only supply you with enough calories, sodium, sugar and fat for a good part of your day it will keep you up and running for a bit. The inevitable afternoon crash was not the best though…as there is now a brick in the belly. I do highly recommend you give this a shot though. I know it sounds far fetched but it’s actually quite delicious.

We’ll take your word for it.

Will They Build It? KFC & Krispy Kreme (Luther Double Down) [TopCultured.com]

General Motors has announced its plan to outfit the 2011 Chevy Cruz Eco with Goodyear’s Fuel Max radials and Alcoa Automotive’s lightweight forged aluminum wheels. Alcoa says that the 17-inch wheels taken by GM are 20% lighter than comparable products, contributing to overall weight reduction as the Cruz is capable of 40 mpg economy during highway driving.

Not only does the use of the forged aluminum wheels reduce mass to lower consumption and increase efficiency, but it also improves driving performance by reducing unsprung weight.

The Alcoa deal is one that will be in place for a number of years, with the wheels being manufactured at the company’s facility in Cleveland. The Cruz is expected to hit showroom floors this coming fall, but GM has yet to furnish sales expectations.

Click here for more news on the Chevrolet Cruze.

Refresher: The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze’s base LS model is powered by a 136-hp 1.8L 4-cylinder engine, while the Eco, LT and LTZ model get a 1.4L turbo 4-cylinder Ecotec engine making 138-hp and a maximum torque of 148 lb-ft. The 1.4L turbo models are expected to have a cruising range of more than 500 miles and the Cruze Eco is estimated to get an EPA fuel-economy rating of 40 mpg on the highway. All 2011 Cruze models will be available with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco:

– By: Steve Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

[JURIST] A New York man pled guilty Friday for plotting to bomb the New York City subway system in 2009. Zarein Ahmedzay appeared before US magistrate judge Steven M. Gold on charges of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass of destruction (explosive bombs) against persons or property in the United States, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The plot was never carried out after Ahmedzay and co-conspirator Najibullah Zazi realized that law enforcement was investigating their activities. He faces up to life in prison.
In February, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a five-count superseding indictment against Ahmedzay and another man, Adis Medunjanin. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped two charges against Ahmedzay. Zazi also pled guilty to terrorism charges, and faces up to life in prison in connection with those. Medunjanin has pled not guilty. All three men are alleged to have traveled to Afghanistan and received training from Al Qaeda.

Chinese electricity consumption soared 24.2% in Q1 to 969.5 billion kilowatt-hours according to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA).

China Daily:

Breaking the figures down, thermal, nuclear power and wind power generation increased 24.3 percent, 7 percent and 99.3 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year, while hydropower generation declined 5 percent, the NEA said in a statement on its website.

…

China may increase its fuel consumption in the second quarter driven on the back of robust economic growth and increased domestic travel during the Shanghai World Expo, said NEA official Zhou Xi’an.

Note that China’s most energy consuming industries are steel, chemical, building materials, and metals. This rampant electricity consumption growth is being driven by China’s construction boom, and it will crash if China suddenly discovers an overcapacity of infrastructure.

Join the conversation about this story »

Known as the Sacagawea of fantasy primers, the Weekly Rundown guides
head-to-head owners through a forest of obscure stats and exploitable
matchups in an attempt to help solve lineup conundrums. While reading,
keep in mind matchups are subject to change due to managerial moves,
unforeseen injuries and Mother Nature’s influence. NOTE: Because we’re in the midst of moving our family cross-country to McCainada (Arizona), this week’s Rundown is slightly abbreviated. 

Forget Brooklyn Decker.
Andruw Jones(notes) once again looks good in a bathing suit – and on a fantasy roster.

No longer tempted by complex carbohydrates, the now svelte
Jones, who dropped 15-20 lbs during the offseason, is on the verge of a major
career revival. Not only noticeably thinner, he’s exuded a jovial attitude.
Loose and laidback it appears the 10-time Gold Glove winner has buried, at
least temporarily, his donut-craving likeness Anpoo.

Friday night was a prime example.

The birthday boy celebrated
his 33rd in memorable fashion clubbing two bombs to left, one of which sealed
the Mariners’ fate (see him blow out the candles here). It was his 39th career
multi-homer game and the first time a major leaguer went yard twice on his
birthday since Alex Rodriguez(notes) accomplished the milestone in July ’02. Widely considered deceased by 99.9 percent of the fantasy community
entering the season, his resurrection has been nothing short of amazing. As a result, Sox play-by-play man Hawk Harrelson has tapped into his inner Meg Ryan shouting "Yes!" repeatedly. 

What’s more astonishing: he’s gliding around the bases with
the zeal of a 21-year-old. Over the past seven seasons, the former perennial
20-SB threat has averaged a mere 5.3 swipes per year. This season he already has three.
Because of Ozzie Guillen’s aggressive tactics, double-digit steals are
likely. 

The signs of a turnaround were apparent in spring training.
The 15-year vet entered camp with a hungry attitude, determined to regain the
everyday form that terrorized NL pitchers for years. So far
so damn good. From Chicago beat-writer Bruce Levine:

"I’m really proud of him," Ozzie Guillen said.
"He came [into spring training] with one goal — to play every day. I remember
having a conversation with him. I said, ‘If you swing the bat good I will play
you.’"

Guillen’s growing confidence in Jones as one of the Sox’s
primary RBI threats greatly enhances his virtual value. Over the past couple
games, the shifty manager has slotted Jones into the No. 3 spot. Based on the
immediate rewards gained, it appears he will
stay entrenched there for the foreseeable future. It also means Mark Kotsay(notes),
who entered the season locked in a DH platoon with Jones, will remain firmly
planted on the bench.

It’s understandable why Jones is only currently owned in 16
percent of Y! leagues. Many owners are forever scarred by his Dodger days. Also,
his high strikeout percentage (31.7) doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. If the
current trends persist, a final BA around .250, not .290, is a certainty. However, his
fly-ball heavy profile (0.60 GB/FB), reignited bat/legs and steady PT are
nothing to scoff at. Remember, the five-time All-Star averaged 34 homers and
103 RBI from 1998-2007. He will post superb power totals in the smallish Cell.

It may seem unfathomable, but mixed leaguers with outfield
needs should give Jones another long look.

Yes, seriously. 

Fearless Forecast
(Season): 430 at-bats, .257 BA, 29 HR, 86 RBI, 74 R, 12 SB

DOUBLE DIPPERS

For stream conscious owners
who want to push the innings-pitched envelope this is the list for you.
Run support, ballpark factors, historical and recent trends, opposing
offenses, opposing SPs, managerial tendencies and meteorological
influences are painstakingly taken into account to give you the top
double dippers of each week.

Other AL Double Dippers: Ian Snell(notes), Sea (at KC, Tex), Kyle Davies(notes), KC (Sea, at TB)

Other NL Double Dippers: Zach Duke(notes), Pit (at Mil, at LAD), Aaron Harang(notes), Cin (at Hou, at StL), Bud Norris(notes), Hou (Cin, at Atl), Kyle Lohse(notes), StL (Atl, Cin), Jon Garland(notes), SD (at Fla, Mil), Oliver Perez(notes), NYM (LAD, at Phi), Jason Hammel(notes), Col (Ari, at SF), John Lannan(notes), Was (at ChC, at Fla), Daniel McCutchen(notes), Pit (at Mil, at LAD)

FEAST OR FAMINE?  

Torn between two
stat-similar infielders this week? Use the pitching and hitting staff
sorters below to help you decide whether or not Adam LaRoche(notes)
or Carl Pavano(notes)
is fantasy feast or famine. Stats are for games played through April 23:

—

Image courtesy of the AP

Beijing 2010: World premiere of the Mercedes Shooting Break Concept

Mercedes-Benz is setting a highly emotional accent with the world premiere of the all-new Concept Shooting Break the groundbreaking study displays an array of conceptual and technical innovations and offers an exciting glimpse of the brands future design language.

With the Concept Shooting Break, Mercedes-Benz is continuing its successful tradition as a trendsetter for new vehicle segments.

The innovative concept study combines the practical benefits of an estate car with the elegance of a luxury coupe, and showcases the further development of modern Mercedes-Benz design in keeping with the cultivated sportiness so typical of the brand.

With the new Concept Shooting Break, we are demonstrating once again that pioneering spirit is an integral part of the Mercedes-Benz brand DNA, said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Its world premiere in Beijing is also an acknowledgment of the Chinese market, which continues to emerge as a driving force for our entire sector

If you know someone is cheating on their taxes and your pulse quickens at the thought of the IRS paying you, then then check out the IRS Whistleblower – Informant Award program. It’s a program that rewards you for providing “specific and credible information” that the IRS can use to collect “taxes, penalties, interest, and other amounts” from a cheat.

This isn’t a “my neighbor next door can’t possible afford that new Porsche he bought” type of information, we’re talking specifics and, in most cases, documents. In most cases it’s business related, with the whistleblower being someone privvy to sensitive documents such as a banker or administrative assistant.

How much can you earn? There are two types of awards based on some qualifications, the first of which is dollar amount:

• Amounts in dispute are greater than $2,000,000 or individuals with more than $200,000 of annual gross income – IRS pays 15-30% of the amount collected.
• Amounts in dispute are less than $2,000,000 or individuals with less than $200,000 of annual gross income – IRS pays 15% of the amount collected up to $10,000,000 (if you’re wondering how the math works out, this award can also be discretionary, which accounts for the disconnect).

If you have reams of damaging documents and are wondering where to go, the IRS explains how you file a Whistleblower Award Claim.

With our national debt nearing $13 trillion dollars, we can use all the help we can get!

Jim doesn’t cheat on his taxes and can usually be found writing about personal finance at Bargaineering.com.

2010 New Volkswagen Polo GTI

The new Volkswagen Polo GTI has been unveiled, promising to be the fastest, most focussed and cleanest performance VW Polo yet produced.

The original performance variant of the Polo was unveiled in 1986 in the form of the G40 Coupé – a car that mixed a fast-revving, 113 PS, supercharged engine with a low kerbweight and sharpened responses.

Fast forward 24 years and the new Volkswagen Polo GTI bears similarities with the G40. At its heart is a 1.4-litre TSI engine that uses a supercharger from idle through to 3,000 rpm at which point the turbocharger cuts in to provide boost. The result is an output of

180 PS at 6,200 rpm and 184 lbs ft of torque from 2,000 rpm which, when aligned with a 1,184 kg kerbweight, allows the Volkswagen Polo GTI to accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 6.9 seconds before reaching a top speed of 142 mph.

Despite a keen focus on performance, the new VW Polo GTI is capable of delivering 47 mpg on the combined cycle while emitting just 139 g/km of CO2.

The TSI engine is linked to a compact seven-speed, twin-clutch DSG gearbox that channels drive through the front axle. In addition, the Volkswagen Polo GTI is fitted with the XDS differential, an electronic cross-axle traction control system for improved traction and handling. The XDS system is a functional extension of the electronic limited slip differential (EDL) which is a part of the standard ESP system.

In order to sharpen responses, the Volkswagen Polo GTI is fitted with new springs and dampers which results in a 15 mm lower ride height than the conventional VW Polo.

Like its Golf GTI sibling, the Volkswagen Polo GTI features significant aesthetic changes. A new front bumper featuring a deep airdam is joined by a honeycombe grille element with horizontal red strips and a simple GTI badge. New headlight units complete with the option of LED running lights lend the Volkswagen Polo GTI an imposing new look.

Further back, a subtle sill extension wraps around the lower edge of the body while at the back a new rear bumper features a small diffuser and a pair of chrome-tipped exhausts. The Polo badge is replaced by a simple ‘GTI’ version.

Finally, a set of 17-inch wheels identical to those fitted to the VW Golf GTI are fitted along with a set of red brake callipers.

The changes continue inside the VW Polo GTI with revised dials, a new, flat-bottomed GTI steering wheel complete with small gearshift paddles and contrasting red stitching, aluminium pedals and new, heavily bolstered front sports seats finished in tartan trim. Subtle gloss black trim covers the centre console while the headlining is now finished in black.

2011 New Volkswagen CrossGolf

The new Volkswagen CrossGolf is debuting in a world premiere at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show with new styling, new TDI and TSI engines and new equipment. After the classic Golf, Golf Plus, Golf Variant, Golf GTI and the Golf R introduced just a few weeks ago, the range covers six very independent models. However, among one another they share the high-tech components of an innovatively conceptualised modular system toolkit. For example, the new Volkswagen CrossGolf, as well as the previous CrossGolf, were developed based on the Golf Plus. The Cross, as an all-around vehicle, bridges the gap between the MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) and SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle); that is, it unifies the variability of an MPV with the ruggedness of a SUV. Common to all of these vehicles is the higher seating position that is in more demand than ever.

In initial markets, the new VW CrossGolf will already be available for purchase in April 2010. Buyers of the cleverly designed five-door will be able to enjoy a new generation of engines that offer huge fuel economy advantages. These engines are exclusively direct-injection turbocharged petrol (TSI) and diesel (common rail TDI) engines. They are as agile as they are economical. This is illustrated by the example of the Golf Cross 1.4 TSI with 118 kW / 160 PS: The (from 1,500 rpm) 240 Newton-metre strong turbo- and supercharged petrol engine (Twincharger) enables a top speed of 207 km/h, but when shifted by a 6-speed gearbox it has a combined fuel consumption of just 6.8 litres of fuel (equivalent to 159 g/km CO2). Even compared to the 20 PS weaker TSI of the first generation car, it shows a fuel consumption advantage of 0.5 litres. As an alternative the TSI is available with an optional 7-speed DSG; in this case too fuel consumption is 6.8 litres. Other available TSI engines are the variants with 77 kW / 105 PS and 90 kW / 122 PS.

As would be expected, the new common rail TDIs of the Volkswagen CrossGolf are extremely fuel-efficient. They have power outputs of 77 kW / 105 PS (1.6 litre) and 103 kW / 140 PS (2.0 litre) and are paired with a standard diesel particulate filter. For example, the 140-PS TSI, shifted by a 6-speed gearbox, consumes just 5.3 litres of fuel (138 g/km CO2). The torque of this engine already reaches the impressive maximum value of 320 Newton-metres from 1,750 rpm.

With the exception of the 105 PS TSI, all other engines may be combined with an automatic, the direct shift gearbox (DSG). For the petrol engines and the 105-PS TDI, the 7-speed version is used; in the case of the 140-PS TDI, there is a 6-speed variant specially designed for extremely high torques. In addition, the entire engine range of the Volkswagen CrossGolf fulfils the strict Euro-5 emissions standard.

As is usual on the Cross models, the mirror caps are always painted in silver and therefore the same colour as the underbody guard of the front bumper. Harmonising with them are the likewise standard silver roof railings. The exterior styling is rounded out by chrome accents and “CrossGolf” signature on the side trim as well as new 17-inch alloy wheels (“Budapest”).

On body colours: Volkswagen is offering the new Volkswagen CrossGolf in six exterior colours – from the continuing trend colour “Candy White” to “United Grey”, “Reflex Silver Metallic”, “Shadow Blue Metallic” and “Cashmere Brown Metallic” to the classic “Deep Black Pearl Effect”.

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Classics, Coupe, Performance, Alfa Romeo, Racing

The Zagato-designed Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa has been unveiled at the Villa d’Este concours, and frankly, it’s spectacular. Driven by the Alfa 8C Competizione’s V8, the TZ3 is very much in keeping with its 60s-era predecessors, the TZ1 and TZ2, sporting similar detail elements and the same near-breadvan profile. Also like the originals, this is a legit racing car. Unlike its forbears, however, the new machine wears aluminum bodywork stretched over a tube frame and carbon-fiber chassis. Power, as indicated before, is also of thoroughly modern origin.

Zagato says the TZ3 was commissioned by German collector Martin Kapp as a special celebration of 100 years of racing from Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Corse, Autodelta, and Scuderia Zagato. On that “special” bit, we think it’s safe to say, “Mission accomplished.” With class and panache to spare. Official PR pics are in the gallery below, and a full live gallery is posted at OmniAuto. Be sure to pay them a visit as well. Thanks for the tip, Claudio!

[Source: Zagato (PDF link) via OmniAuto.it]

Continue reading Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa unveiled at Villa D’Este

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa unveiled at Villa D’Este originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Apr 2010 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010/2011 Hyundai Sonata

The all-new Sonata’s exterior is sporty and its interior is refined and full of great amenities. Once in the middle of the pack among mid-size sedans, the Sonata is now a class leader.

The all-new Sonata sets the bar much higher for this segment.

As I comb through old entries to fix broken internal links (mostly to images), they seem to appear as new/unread entries in the RSS feed. I don’t know how to prevent that, so I’m just going to bulldoze forth and do what I need to do. I look forward to sunnier days where I can stop self-referencing my website issues, and I do believe those days are just up around the next bend.

….and I’m done! There are probably still a few missing images and broken links, but I think I got most of them. We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussions of mud, mambas, mushrooms, books, boys, and beasts.

Filed under: About this Site