| Mileage estimates falling for 2008
It's no secret that real-world gas mileage is often far different from what's listed on window stickers and in car commercials. That's because cars are tested for gas mileage in laboratories, under conditions that don't replicate the high speeds, hilly terrain, and heavy loads most drivers encounter. To try to close the gap between the lab and the real world, the Environmental Protection Agency has mandated that automakers start using new tests that do account for real-world conditions like higher speeds, faster acceleration, air conditioner use, and cold weather. The changes will be implemented beginning with the 2008 model year. Integrated into the existing tests, the new procedures should result in significantly lower ratings. We checked out the adjusted numbers for 10 cars, from hybrids to SUVs, and found that they decrease anywhere from 6 to 16 percent from their 2007 equivalents.
Steve and Thom Wrap up 2008 Chicago Auto and Share Their Insights and Opinions
As usual the early February weather in Chicago was humbling. Cold winds, wet snow and the Super Tuesday primary elections dominated the news as we began our immersion in the 100th Chicago Auto Show. Not the 100th anniversary. That was a few years ago. Factor in the lack of auto shows during WWII, and two shows in 1937 and . . . well, some one did the math to confirm this to be the 100th. We'll take them at their word. .
There has to be a better way to get 43 into the 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- If there's a more agonizing, truly brutal qualifying format in all of motorsports than that used for the Daytona 500, I'd like to see it. Actually, considering the notoriety of the Daytona 500 -- Sprint Cup racing's "Super Bowl" -- there's actually an equal amount of ecstasy to go with the agony. .
The buy-to-let timebomb
I paid such a high price, partly because independent valuers told us it was worth a lot more, and now I can't sell because there are so many apartments in the area. 'I'm at a desperate stage. I've lost an enormous amount of money - about £14,000. I'm getting married in a few weeks, but this has put an enormous strain on the relationship and led to endless stress and tears. It has greatly affected our chances of being able to buy a house of our own now, and it has certainly left me disillusioned with the buy-to-let market.' Paula is not alone. There are 900,000 buy-to-let landlords in Britain, many spurred on in the past few years by rising house prices and the accessibility of mortgages tailored for buy-to-let investors. Many saw it as a get-rich- quick scheme in a buoyant market.
Fliers about motocross site precede township meeting tonight
Fliers have been placed in the mailboxes of St. Clair Township residents attempting to shift debate about a proposed $4 million motocross complex at Range and Davis roads. Initial reaction to the complex, which is being proposed by Dan Griffin of East China Township, has been mixed, with neighbors worried about the noise and supporters excited about the facility. The township planning commission will review the proposal at 7 p.m. today. .
Scots do not want to end the Union, merely modify it
IT'S time. Time for a change. Time to move on. This is the last column from this writer which will appear in this position in this paper. A new and extremely challenging role on the business desk awaits.Sadly, it means no time for the glorious self-indulgence of expressing a weekly opinion on the affairs of the nation.The world of politics is a continuously fascinating one. There is always something new. Political parties take power and always, in the end, lose it. Politicians' fortunes ebb and flow. Plots and conspiracies abound. Policies evolve and change.Over time, the decisions made by our elected representatives really do "make a difference", a phrase politicians use frequently, to the lives of the poor, long-suffering voters whose interests they are supposed to represent. Politics matters.And having spent many years at both Westminster and Holyrood as a reporter – and worked, albeit for only a year, on the "dark side" as a special adviser to former First Minister Henry McLeish – politics had become like a drug.
Advance Auto's ads aim at super audience
Roanoke's Fox affiliate station, Fox 21/27, which will air the Super Bowl on Sunday night, would not reveal how much it charges advertisers for the game's commercials. But WDBJ-7 in Roanoke, a CBS affiliate that aired the Super Bowl last year, provided a general figure. Typically, the charge for 30 seconds of Super Bowl advertising time is $24 to $32 per 1,000 households, said Ray Sullivan, general sales manager for WDBJ-7. For example, it would cost $240 to $320 for a 30-second commercial spot reaching 10,000 households, he said. That's significantly higher than the cost of a typical prime time slot locally, he said. Those spots are $18 to $24 per 1,000 households, Sullivan said. Last year 246,000 households throughout the Roanoke Valley and Lynchburg markets watched the Super Bowl, Sullivan said, quoting figures from Nielsen Media Research, a market research company.
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