| Jeep Rubicon Offers an Off-road Blast from the Past
In an age when more and more vehicles seem to be embracing the look and/or feel of vehicles past (just look at the PT Cruiser or the current Mustang), the basic, garden variety Jeep doesn't have to follow such trends. Nope, it continues to look pretty much like it always has, the body style millions have come to know and love since the U.S. Army was given the Willys back in 1941. Oh, it's changed, all right. In fact, for the 2007 model year the classic Jeep, now called the Wrangler, even stretches itself to add a pair of rear doors, while becoming even boxier than before. And it ups its off road ante through more ground clearance, larger wheels and tires, (optional) next-generation Command-Trac and Rock-Trac transfer cases, new electric axle lockers, and electronic-disconnecting front sway bar.
Chronicle's Goodfellows raises record amount
The Houston Chronicle's Goodfellows program had a record year in 2007, raising more than $1.19 million from 5,066 donors. The 2007 season collected $1,190,619.40, an increase of more than $165,000 from the 2006 season. In that year, the program which provides holiday toys to Houston-area families, collected $1,024,245.73. The funds were anchored by several significant donations $200,000 each from Les Alexander and the Rockets' Clutch City Foundation and John Eddie and Sheridan Williams, and $60,000 from the Fred and Mabel R. Parks Foundation. But the bulk of the donations came from smaller checks, many ranging from $5 to $25. "Our legacy program, Goodfellows, 95 years strong, continues to serve a growing base of needy Houston families," said Chronicle Publisher Jack Sweeney.
G. Chambers Williams III: Land Rover's LR3 quite a competitor
Modern-day explorers like to do that in style, and nobody does that any better than Land Rover. The British sport utility manufacturer has been providing the Brits with quite civilized vehicles to explore their empire since the days when much of it still was wild (and still controlled by the British). They began sharing their exploring vehicles with us Yanks with the introduction of the tony Range Rover line in the United States in 1987. For 1994, the lower-priced Land Rover Discovery was introduced to the U.S. market, followed by the entry-level compact Freelander in 2001, which was renamed the LR2 when it was redesigned two years ago. The LR3, an all-new model designed under the auspices of new owner Ford Motor Co., replaced the Discovery for 2005, and it is the top model carrying the Land Rover designation; there also are Range Rover models in the company's U.S.
Solar-cell company stocks boosted by high oil prices
Shares in solar cell makers soared yesterday after oil prices continued breaking records on global markets in the wake of the latest industry figures showing a surprise fall in US crude reserves. Shares of Motech Industries Inc (Z}), the nation's largest solar-cell manufacturer, edged up 5.59 percent to NT$359, while those of rival E-ton Solar Tech Co (qq) advanced 1.75 percent to NT$378.5 on the GRETAI Securities Market. US light crude rose as high as US$96.24 in trading yesterday morning in Asia before falling back to US$96.05. On average, solar shares grew 0.39 percent yesterday, outperforming a 0.78 percent decline in the over-the-counter GRETAI Securities Market index and a 1.17 percent drop in the benchmark TAIEX index. The TAIEX yesterday tumbled 113.14 points to 9,598.23 as investors worried that "higher costs could eventually choke economic growth," SinoPac Securities Co (ืชาจ) analyst Vincent Chen said in a note.
Police arrest kidnapping suspect
If convicted, he faces the possibility of more than 47 years behind bars.He remained in custody Monday evening at the Natrona County Detention Center.Just before 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to a neighborhood in the Paradise Valley area based on the mother's call. She told authorities the suspect lived on her street and was currently at home.Inside that home, officers found Ridley sitting in a recliner, according to police. He appeared intoxicated and under the influence of drugs. Ridley was taken to Wyoming Medical Center and later booked into the county jail. .
Mining meeting disrupted
Flipping burgers isn't going to cut it. Let's see YOU try to support a family of 5 on a burger flipping job. And remember, those jobs aren't even full-time so you'd better get a second job on top of that! AND your spouse and older kids had better work too. And that STILL won't pay the bills. So yes, anyone who comes here after making their money elsewhere has all sorts of room to talk, don't they? And aren't these the same people who rent/own the expensive condominiums that are being built near lower harbor park and other prime UP locations? Come on! What average Yooper can afford to own/rent something like that? Very few, if any. And certainly not on a burger flipping job. So it's a catch 22 and we're danged if we do have mining, we're danged if we don't. Either way it's a lose-lose situation.
Auto briefs
General Motors Corp . is investing $73 million in a Shreveport, La. assembly plant to add a pickup version of its Hummer H3 sport-utility vehicle. The plant that builds the Hummer H3 and Chevrolet Colorado pickup will manufacture the H3T pickup. The new model will be smaller than GM's full-size Chevrolet Silverado pickup and bigger than the Colorado, the company said. Porsche puts new face forward in China FRANKFURT, Germany -- Luxury automaker Porsche AG said Tuesday that a former BMW executive will replace Mark Bishop as the managing director of Porsche China. Helmut Broeker, 50, who is joining Porsche from BMW AG, has spent more than two decades in the automotive industry, working in Asia, Australia, the United States, Africa and the Caribbean. The company said Bishop, 53, was leaving the company.
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