New Volkswagen Amarok Details Released

The British division of Volkswagen revealed today technical specifications for the new Amarok, a serious contender for the pick-up market. The vehicle comes available in two engine variants, a 2.0-litre TDI developing 122 PS and 340 Nm of torque from 1,750 rpm, and a 2.0-litre Bi-turbo TDI developing 163 PS and 400 Nm from 1,750 rpm.  All models are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Taken separately, 122 PS engine can achieve 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 13.7 seconds, while the 163 PS unit reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in 11.1 seconds.

This pulling power is matched by a maximum towing weight of up to 2,800 kg (6,173 lbs) for the Amarok Highline with permanent 4MOTION, or 2,690 kg (5,930 lbs) for models with selectable 4MOTION.
Styling options include a front bumper trim, exterior decor sets, side steps, plus stainless steel side rails and styling bars for the loadspace, and the option to upgrade to 19-inch alloy wheels.

Accessories available include a lockable toolbox designed to fit between the wheelarches, across the load bay.  Alternatively, to cover the entire loadspace there is a choice of tonneau covers, or a complete body-coloured hardtop.  Tonneau covers range from a soft waterproof cover which can be rolled out the way, or a choice of aluminium or body-coloured hard plastic covers which are lockable and hinge open for access.
To help protect the Amarok’s interior and exterior, there are seat covers and rubber or carpet floor mats for the cab, parking sensors, mud flaps, an aluminium liner for the loadspace, plus a black steel grid for the rear window.  Offering extra protection during off-road driving, gearbox and underbody protection packs are also available.

We’re excited about the addition of this new model to the Ram 1500 lineup

The Ram 1500 Express — originally announced under the code name Adventurer — is a new Ram Truck model aimed squarely at first-time buyers and owners who are looking for a vehicle with performance and style that they can customize and make their own.

“We’re excited about the addition of this new model to the Ram 1500 lineup,” said Fred Diaz, Ram Truck President and CEO and Head of National Sales – Chrysler Group LLC. “There’s nothing that compares to the high-performance value represented by the Ram 1500 Express. Ram 1500 Express combines great looks and MPG along with HEMI horsepower, torque, towing and payload, all at a fantastic price. It gives the youth or first-time truck buyer an opportunity to show off a great looking ride, with unsurpassed V8 entry-level capability, in a tremendous value-priced package.”

Plans to launch the new Ram 1500 Express were pulled ahead after company executives saw a groundswell of support for the then-just-announced Ram Tradesman. The Ram Tradesman unveiled recently, at the Chicago Auto Show, is a value-priced, HEMI®-powered Ram 1500 regular cab truck that appeals to a cost-conscious, new-vehicle buyer who doesn’t want to give up performance and capability.

The new Ram 1500 Express, like the Ram Tradesman, offers buyers a standard HEMI V8 engine with a 20 mpg rating for the same price competitors are charging for their V6 engines. Mopar has announced that it will have hundreds of accessories available for buyers who are looking to personalize their Ram 1500 Express.

Dodge Unveils the New Ram 1500 Express

“Given that the Ram 1500 Express is an aggressively priced truck, owners will have plenty left over to personalize and customize their ride,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “For this truck, Mopar will offer more than 300 quality-tested accessories from which to choose.”

In addition to the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine with 390 horsepower and 407 lb.-ft. of torque, Ram 1500 Express comes loaded with features that emphasize its high-performance character. The first thing drivers will notice is the Ram 1500 Express’ racy, monochromatic paint scheme. A body-colored grille with black honeycomb inserts, body-colored front fascia and body-colored rear fascia with chrome-tipped dual exhausts shout “high-performance.” The new Ram model will also get fog lamps and 20-inch aluminum wheels with locking lug nuts. There’s also a locking tailgate, cargo lamp, rear-bumper step pad, 6″ x 9″ side-view mirrors and rear wheel-well liners.

Standard features also include a 160-amp alternator, 26-gallon fuel tank, 3.55 rear axle ratio, 700-amp maintenance-free battery, four and seven-pin trailer wiring harness, heavy-duty front and rear shock absorbers, front and rear stabilizer bars, power rack-and-pinion steering, halogen headlamps, heavy-duty engine and transmission cooling and a full-size spare tire.

Inside, the 1500 Express will get a heavy-duty vinyl 40/20/40 split-bench seat, and buyers will have a choice of vinyl or carpeted floor covering. Other features include air conditioning, an instrument cluster with tachometer and 120-mph speedometer, 12-volt auxiliary power outlet, four-spoke tilt steering wheel, six-speaker media center with CD and MP3 player, as well as audio jack input for mobile devices, automatic headlamps, behind-the-seat storage bins, driver and passenger assist handles, power accessory delay, rear dome lamp, rear-view day/night mirror, tinted glass windows, tip start and variable intermittent windshield wipers.

Safety features include advanced multistage front air bags, supplemental front curtain and side air bags, anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes, electronic stability control, height-adjust shoulder belts, sentry key theft deterrent system and tire pressure monitoring warning lamp. Ram 1500 Express is available in Bright Silver Metallic, Bright White, Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl, Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl; Deep Water Blue Pearl; Flame Red, Hunter Green Pearl and Mineral Gray Metallic.

Buyers can choose their own options. In addition to a Class IV receiver hitch, Ram 1500 Express is available with long list of options. Factory-installed exterior options include Mopar chrome tubular side steps, Mopar chrome steel bed rails, folding and heated trailer-tow power mirrors with supplemental signals and courtesy lamps, spray-in bedliner and under-rail bedliner. Inside, buyers can choose a cloth 40/20/40 split-bench seat, Uconnect voice command with Bluetooth, rear-view auto-dim mirror, remote USB port, sliding rear window, cruise control, instrument cluster with vehicle information center display screen, tire pressure monitoring display, power one-touch windows, remote keyless entry, Sirius Satellite Radio and either carpet or rubber floor mats.

There’s also choice of two optional rear-axle ratios (3.21, 3.92), anti-spin differential, engine block heater and trailer brake controller. Ram 1500 Express comes as a regular cab, short-bed model, with a choice of 4×2 or 4×4 drivetrain. When equipped with an optional Class IV hitch, the new Ram 1500 Express will tow a maximum trailer weight of 10,450 lbs.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for the new Ram 1500 Express will start at $23,830, including $975 destination charge. It will arrive in Ram Truck dealerships in second quarter 2011.

Walcott Defends Rubber Room Fines

The city's incoming schools chancellor on Sunday defended the limited practice whereby certain teachers accused of wrongdoing buy their way back into the classroom.

Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott said that allowing some teachers to bypass termination hearings, admit problems and pay a fine to resume their careers is part of the reform that ended the rubber rooms.

"Some people pay fines, some we remove and dismiss altogether," he said. "So there are a variety of charges against people.  Part of this is our pledge to end rubber rooms."

The New York Post on Sunday reported that some teachers dumped into those rubber rooms for alleged incompetence or misconduct pay an average $7,500 fine to resume teaching.

Walcott spoke while visiting the Church of the Open Door in Brooklyn where parents said they hope he tackles nagging problems like overcrowding.

Yolanda Johnson said that her daughter, Schuyler, has 25 kids in her third-grade class.

"You need teachers' assistants in class," she said.

Walcott stressed that success in the schools comes from working with parents.

"We have to deal with making sure parents are true partners in what's happening in the lives of their children and we are involved with them," he said.

The teachers union had a message for Walcott on Sunday during a City Hall rally:  "Save our schools." A group of students demanded a meeting with him to lobby against closing troubled schools.
 
Also a parent group announced a lawsuit Sunday against the city for its plan to put a charter school in the Brandeis Educational Complex on the Upper West Side.
   
Then later in Queens, state Sen. Tony Avella led a rally of students protesting the closing of Jamaica High School.

Walcott succeeds Cathie Black, who was forced out Thursday after a rocky three months.

Fire razes Daba village

A mysterious fire weekend razed down about half of Daba village in Kazaure Local

Government Area of the state.

The incident left many people homeless and properties worth millions of naira

destroyed.

The inferno, according to eyewitness, started at around 8:30 pm in two houses at the

eastern part of the village.

He said occupants of the houses were heard shouting and calling for assistance,

which hardly came before the fire spread to other houses.

Our correspondent was informed by some victims that a total of 23 houses was burnt

to ashes but no life was lost. But however women and children were seen taking

refuge under trees, weeping as well as seeking for help, when Daily Independent

visited the area.

Chairman of Kazaure Local Government Area, Alhaji Sale Yahaya Taki, who paid a

sympathy visit to the village, described the disaster as a destiny from God which no

human being can stop.

He advised the residents to accept the disaster with good faith as God in his

infinite mercy knows why  the fire incident, stressing that He (God) would surely

reward them abundantly.

Besides, the chairman presented some relief materials from the council to the

victims. The materials include 100 pieces of blankets, 40 sets of rubber mats, 46

bags of maize, three bags of gari, while N8, 000.00 cash was distributed to each of

the 23 households which amounted to N184, 000.00.

Similarly, the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Alhaji Baba Santali

Aliyu,  donated 30 sets of wrapper, while his wife, Hajiya Bebi Baba Santali Aliyu,

donated 10 sets of shadda.

Also, the member representing Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa and Yankwashi, Bashir Adamu

donated food stuffs, rubber mats, set of wrapper (shadda) women wrapper and N3,

000.00 cash to each of the victim.

A market for local sourcing

It begins with Black Face, White Flower and Second Flower – and hundreds of millions of cows like them. Confronted with shortages of raw materials, long supply chains and growing concerns over food safety, milk producers in China are rolling up their sleeves and getting down to the farm.

They are just some among many companies taking more direct control of supply chains across the globe. The aim is to ensure supply and quality, but also to remove some of the volatility from pricing. Hence PepsiCo's decision to grow potatoes in China for its crisp brands and SABMiller's farming of barley in Africa for its beer.

As a fresh foodstuff with a short shelf life, however, milk presents companies with some of the biggest challenges. That was highlighted in the melamine scandal of 2008, when unscrupulous farmers and traders in China spiked milk to boost the protein content, leaving at least six babies dead and another 300,000 sick.

China presents particular logistical challenges. Scale is one: farms mostly tend to be small, a legacy of the communist policy of parcelling out little-but-equal plots. Farming skills and technology are often outdated.

Faced with these challenges, Nestle led the way for multinationals two decades ago. The world's biggest food group realised that the combination of small farms and dubious safety was a toxic one, and set about creating its own supply chain.

"We realised there would be these risks," says Roland Decorvet, the company's new chief executive for China. "And that's why we wanted full control of the supply chain."


That control sees milk pass from udder to factory in a matter of hours, virtually all under the eye of the multinational. The chain starts with some 25,000 individual farmers, whose milk is collected and vetted at 164 stations dotted around the eastern provinces of China.

Few other companies have developed such a complex supply chain. France's Danone and its erstwhile joint-venture partner Wahaha both import milk powder from overseas for the infant formula they sell in China. For yoghurt, Danone buys raw milk locally but only from large dairy farms.

Dacia Releases Limited Edition Duster for Skiing Instructors

Renault's low-cost Romanian brand Dacia has released the first limited edition version of its new small SUV model, called the Duster ecole de Ski Francais [ESF], which translates to French Skiing School. Event though parent company Renault has not offered details about how many units of this series Dacia will produce, the Duster special could become one of the rarest sights on French streets since it can only be bought by ESF skiing instructors.

Priced at €18,990 ($26,900), the Duster ESF marks the extension of Renault Group's 10-year partnership with the ecole de Ski Francais. Based on the Laureate 4x4 version, the Duster ESF is powered by a 110HP 1.5-liter diesel engine and is available only in Glacier White paint.

The car features some distinctive styling and practical details such as the ESF badging on the front doors, a strengthened aluminum sump guard and transverse roof bars with a ski rack that can accommodate four pairs of skis.

The Duster ESF comes with equipped with standard foglamps, electrically-adjustable heated exterior mirrors, manual air conditioning system, radio-CD with MP3 compatibility, four tray-type rubber mats, 16-inch alloy wheels and a set of four additional wheels fitted with Continental winter tyres.

Optional extras include the ESP + ASR traction control system for €300 ($425) and the Platine Grey body color for €450 ($637).

New Amsterdam

A bulger of a place it is. The number of the ships beat me all hollow, and looked for all the world like a big clearing in the West, with the dead trees all standing. Davy Crockett

When I first moved to Williamsburg with my father I hated it. I looked out of the window of the car with disgust as we drove past a small park and he pointed out a building that he admired. I remember slumping against the cushions in the back seat and diverting my eyes to the mats on the floor that were covered with sand. When we drove past the building that we were going to live in I stared at the East River to my right and the empty lot to my left. I think I asked to be driven back home and watched the J cross the bridge out of the back window as the train faded between the lines on the glass. My first impression of Williamsburg was generated in 6th grade, one year earlier, when I read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" in the schoolyard. I suppose I imagined that the neighborhood hadn't changed since the turn of the century and that Francie was still sleeping in the summer heat on her rusty fire escape. I envisioned a neighborhood all too distinct from Park Slope, in which there was only one tree that managed to grow between the slabs of cement despite all odds.

And when we drove under the BQE and down Kent Avenue, my verdict was guilty on all accounts. It didn't seem to have evolved since 1910 as documented by the abandoned factories, shards of glass that covered the sidewalks, and its post-War Berlin aesthetic appeal. I saw no little kids running around the sidewalks, hula hoops and jump ropes in hand, and no dogs chasing after them until they settled down on a sunny piece of concrete. What I did see were hoards of hipsters plastered in what I saw as a rebel uniform. I couldn't believe how similar they all looked when they were trying so hard to be different. It was as if they had all walked into a costume shop and asked for paint splattered high tops, ripped jeans, graphic t-shirts and rubber activist bracelets, all in different colors and sizes.

Now I find it's emptiness mysterious and the throngs of hipsters amusing if not charming. When I scooter home from the J train down the cracked and forbidding sidewalks, the wind from the East River pushes against my face. Soon I ride into the industrial wasteland, past the shells of warehouses and the domino sugar factory. It still smells like burnt sugar if you walk near the grates by the fence that encloses the building. For a while, developers were planning on tearing it down but sometime in the middle of the night unknown rebels erected a neon sign on a building reading "Save Domino" and thus it was saved. Wild flowers grow over what I once imagine to have been a bustling plant and transform the lot into Pippi Longstocking's garden in front of Villa Villekulla on the outskirts of Sweden. In fact Williamsburg is filled with very confused buildings, namely a food shop on Broadway which thinks that it's a Parisian cafe on the outside, a country market on the inside much like the Olson's Mercantile from "Little House on the Prairie," and a bar near Spouter Inn in New Bedford in the back. A school that used to be for the mentally disabled was turned into a movie studio and people live in old factories that have been converted into apartment buildings.

I have lived in Williamsburg now for four years. When the lights in the city turn off I look down out of my window at the dark water of the river. Once, as I looked out, I saw a sunken boat bobbing up and down by the foot of the bridge, the cabin peaking out of the small waves. To my knowledge, it was never hauled out of its grave and there it lies beneath the surface of the East River. It used to be someone's and now it is forgotten.