| Auto GM to Focus on Small Turbo Fours to Improve Fuel Economy
GM's other turbocharged motors in the U.S. see limited duty in performance models from Pontiac and Chevy as well as GM's oft-overlooked Saab brand. The turbo Ecotec four-banger used in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line produces 260 HP and 260-lb-ft of torque from just 2.0 liters of displacement. According to GM product czar Bob Lutz, the move to bring engines to the U.S. that Europeans have enjoyed for years has more to do with CAFE than consumer demand. "Europeans, at their fuel prices, are willing to pay premium prices for premium small cars that deliver terrific fuel economy," said Lutz. "That is not the case here in America, land of the big truck, big horse and the big American." It remains to be seen how Americans will take to the turbocharged engines which will add anywhere from $250 to $450 to the purchase price of a vehicle.
Iran guided tour, 13 nights, $1,600
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Smoke causes evacuation at Clinton headquarters
A malfunctioning air conditioning unit on the roof of Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters caused an evacuation tonight before firefighters arrived and found no fire. Firefighters were called just before 8:20 p.m. after the malfunction sent smoke into the building at 701 E. Ben White Blvd., Austin Fire Department Capt. Rob Bredahl said. "There was never actually any fire or any real danger," he said. Bredahl said such malfunctions are common with air conditions on roofs. Between 50 to 60 volunteers and staff were in the building when they smelled smoke and someone called the fire department, campaign spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod said. After firefighters cleared the building, everyone went back inside and got back to work. "The only thing we're suffering from is a bad stench," Elrod said.
New boss Megson watches Wanderers
We wouldn't be in this battle if you had handled the situation properly in April. As for taking us forward, what does that mean we are at the bottom premier league and the plan you have put in place looks at taking us to the bottom of the championship. the sooner you are gone the better. PS take megson with you .
Officer Barely Dodges Pole through Car Window Tragedy
A chase ended with a pole smashed right through the windshield of a Edgewood ISD patrol car. The school district police officer was after two men who stole an air-conditioning unit. The Edgwood ISD officer saw the two people stealing the air conditioner. She chased after them into the street, where the two men separated and one ran right in front of her police car. She then swerved to avoid the suspect and instead smashed into a chain link fence. A post from the fence crashed through the windshield. Luckily no one was in the passenger seat of the patrol car, because the fence post went completely through the windshield and into the passenger seat of the police car. The two thieves got away with the air conditioning unit they stole from the abandoned Edgewood Elementary School.
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The 53-year-old Halsey, who now runs a small nonprofit called the California Chaparral Institute, has dedicated his life to defending the chaparral against its detractors. He likens chaparral-haters to climate-change deniers and flat-earth believers. "I've chomped down on it," he says, "and I'm not going to let go until either I die or I can get some kind of validation, so that land-management agencies aren't proclaiming the need to cut it all down." For context, he reads out loud from the latest issue of his quarterly newsletter, The Chaparralian, which features a picture of a miniature Smokey Bear in chaps: "Smokey Bear and wildland firefighters have been maligned long enough in California," he intones, mimicking a filmstrip voiceover from the 1950s. "It's time for the public and journalists to begin thinking for themselves and stop mindlessly accepting one of the most common group delusions in the last 25 years: Decades of fire suppression in chaparral are to blame for all the large wildfires in Southern California." As Halsey sees it, this delusion has been loudly promoted by the chorus of experts who dominate the media every fall and winter.
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