Here are a few of the news stories we’ve been following in the past week:
The PPNYC Action Fund has endorsed Jose Peralta in the March 16 special election in Queens! read about it in the Queens Gazette.
I’m sure you know all about PPNYC’s fantastic We’re Going to the Principal’s Office campaign, to push for sex ed to be taught to NYC students. Well, parenting writer Lenore Skenazy has tweeted about it!
Anti-choice candidate Harold Ford has dropped out of the NY Senate race.
Ford had an op ed in the NY Times explaining why.
A number of people (including the New Yorker) are calling for Governor Patterson to resign.
There is a PAC targeting people in the New York State Legislature who voted against Marriage equality, particularly Hiram Monserrate.
NY Magazine is accusing Monserrate of running on a platform of homophobia.
Meanwhile, the ever fantastic Liz Benjamin breaks down the Peralta/Monserrate race in more detail.
Obama’s health care bill is resting on anti-abortion votes again, apparently.
Although he is trying to pass health care by focusing on cost and savings.
And also by pushing for an “up or down” vote on health care.
The NY Times has a helpful road map for passage of health care reform in the final weeks
The NY Times ran several Letters to the Editor in response to the race and abortion article.
Utah was considering legislation that would criminalize miscarriages, but withdrew it.
And there’s a new public opinion poll out about abortion.
Listen to these three songs to hear my Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe at work.
For these three songs the treble knob was turned down to zero. This helps me create a clean sub-like sound and makes it easier to record and mix quickly. I have the treble down for most of the music I play except Big Band. The Big Band guys want to hear less “boom”. Basically they want to be tricked into thinking it’s a stand up bass. Don’t tell anyone I said that.
New 2011 Ford Mustang V-6 final fuel economy certified by EPA this week at 31 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg in the city
On sale this spring, Mustang with new 3.7-liter V-6 achieves 305 hp with available six-speed automatic transmission; first car ever to achieve 300-plus horsepower and 30-plus mpg
New Mustang already has more than 11,000 orders, half for the new V-6
DEARBORN, Mich., March 4, 2010 – The 2011 Ford Mustang today breaks new ground, cracking the record books as not only the most fuel-efficient Mustang ever, but also the first production car in history to produce more than 300 horsepower and more than 30 mpg highway.
The Mustang’s official EPA ratings – completed this week – certify that models equipped with the 305-hp 3.7-liter V-6 and available six-speed automatic transmission achieve 31 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg in the city. The standard six-speed manual transmission is rated at 30 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg in the city.
“The Mustang engineering team aimed high and, through hard work, achieved fuel economy numbers that elevate Mustang into a class by itself,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development.
“At no other time in Mustang’s history – for that matter, in automotive history – have we been able to talk about 305 horsepower and 31 miles per gallon. The Mustang truly is a no-compromises sports car,” said Kuzak.
Mustang is powered by a lightweight, all-aluminum 3.7-liter dual-overhead-cam (DOHC) V-6 engine that uses advanced engineering to deliver its combination of power and economy. Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) adjusts the valvetrain in microseconds depending on driver inputs, further contributing to the engine’s overall efficiency.
The fact that Mustang achieves its top fuel economy rating with the convenience of an automatic transmission also marks a shift in conventional wisdom. Ford engineered a modern six-speed automatic transmission with carefully calibrated gear ratios and shift programs to maximize economy, while still delivering high-horsepower driving fun.
“Advanced powertrains like our Ti-VCT V-6 and six-speed automatic really speak to the future of Mustang,” says Barb Samardzich, Ford vice president of Global Powertrain Engineering. “We’ve proven that, using technology, Ford can deliver both power and fuel economy.”
In addition to engine improvements, upgrades to Mustang’s body, powertrain and chassis design contribute to the higher fuel economy numbers for 2011. Examples include:
New Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) system eliminates the drag of an engine-operated hydraulic power steering pump
Six-speed manual and automatic transmissions allow lower cruising revs without sacrificing off-the-line performance
Aerodynamic changes include improvements like a new front fascia, tire spats on the rear wheels, modified underbody shields, a taller air dam and an added rear decklid seal
The new 2011 Mustang already has more than 11,000 orders. Half of all the nationwide orders are for the car’s fuel-efficient 3.7-liter V-6 engine. The 2011 Mustangs are also being equipped with record levels of technology, giving customers the option of choosing navigation, high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and rearview cameras.
The new 2011 Mustang goes on sale this spring and will be built at the AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Mich.
The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) has come out with their 2010 winners’ list with some glaring exclusions that speak volumes for the year 2009 was in terms of layoffs and leaner payrolls. For example, medical insurer Aetna, which was in the Top 10 list last year is out. Hugely surprising because their submission for Vault’s Annual Corporate Diversity Survey, which we product jointly with nonprofit INROADS, last year spoke of a different reality in 2008. Take a look below, in 2008, 31% of their board comprised women executives and their retention rate for female employees remained almost constant between 2007 and 2008:
Another glaring absentee: Hewlett-Packard. While not in the top 10 last year, they made the Top 50 list in 2009. The numbers they submitted to our Annual Survey were bare, but they were recognized for making the choice of discussing their diversity initiatives and internships. While they didn’t choose to provide us with more specific data on leadership demographics, 30.5% of their employees were female in 2007 and 2008.* When this percentage doesn’t change, it can be telling for shifting numbers among senior leadership.
There are several other exclusions as well that should worry female executives who are in leadership roles and available for mentoring and promoting other women to management positions. These inclusions are also telling of a year where mergers and bankruptcies kept most women-friendly companies out of rankings and maintaining lean staff numbers. These include Ford Motor Company (Although, they reported a 43% increase in February sales today, surpassing GM for the first time in 50 years.), Sallie Mae (no surprises there with the turmoil they faced in 2009), Schering-Plough and pharmaceutical company Wyeth, which was acquired by Pfizer, that did make the list again.
Another company known for its initiatives and efforts in increasing their female leadership ranks in the past but missing from NAFE’s 2010 list was Texas Instruments. Take a look at their submission in our diversity survey. Addressing one of the questions regarding what they are doing to address attrition rates among women and female employees, they said, “[We are working on] strengthening [our] mentoring program for all employees, including minorities and women: TI participates in both internal and external mentoring programs. Formal, internal programs are offered by TI business groups and some of the diversity initiatives. In addition, TI’s Women’s Initiative has developed training offered on a regular basis for self-managed mentoring. We also offer professional skills development programs, including minority and women employees, where each year, TI invests in creating, facilitating and sponsoring a wide variety of development opportunities for employees.“
The list isn’t all about the absentees though. There were many that debuted this year that deserve praise for their continued work in mentoring women executives. Some of these included American Electric Power, AT&T and Grant Thornton. However, there were a few that highlighted the diversity of the represented companies. Like public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard, that has lately been making inroads into the hot sector of sustainability consulting; consulting firms Hewitt Associates (they received top accolades in our survey as well) and McKinsey & Company, who continue to remain quiet on the diversity front; and PepsiCo, no surprises there, with CEO Indra Nooyi (Read her views on the recession and sustainability) leading the team.
For NAFE’s complete list and survey methodology, visit their Top Companies page.
*Note: These numbers are before their acquisition of EDS last year.
You may recall mention of my experience of a Focus ST on a track in the hands of a professional racing driver recently, an experience that left me stirred, but not shaken.
So when a bright red second-hand (used Fords are always second-hand, it’s only Bentley’s that are “previously cherished”) example rocked up at the dealership for a customer to try I had to borrow the keys and take it for a sprint up the road.
Now the Focus generally is a perfectly reasonable car. It does what it does, is comfortable, handles neatly, is reasonably equipped and looks nice enough. It may lack the obsessional surprise and delight tactility of some of its German rivals, but it inevitably sells for a bit less used or new (ignore the list price, there are deals) so everyone is happy. It’s not the second-best selling car in Britain (behind the Ford Fiesta) for nothing. I’ve been running one for a few days whilst I wait for my new company car to be delivered (ordered but not yet arrived) and it’s a pleasant and comfortable if unremarkable way of getting around. But it’s not the sort of thing you can obsess over, it doesn’t impart a warm glow (unlike the Polite Hatchback, especially with those heated seats), it simply does the job neatly and efficiently.
The ST, however, is something else. Driving the ST is like watching an old lady break dance well, there’s a delicious unfeasibility to it, a sense that it just shouldn’t be possible.
On the outside the car is a fairly standard if slightly Barry’d Focus. There’s some wings and big wheels and whatnot, but nothing Baz and Daz wouldn’t buy from Halfords and bolt to their 1.6 base model. Inside the only giveaways are a pair of deeply bolstered and supremely comfortable Recaro seats and a set of auxiliary guages atop the dash (just like Ford used to fit on hot Cortina MK2’s back in the seventies, albeit there were no turbo boost guages on those old Fords). It’s under the bonnet that the big news lies, in the shape of a five cylinder two and a half litre turbo charged petrol engine imported from Volvo. This is the Red Bull that gives the Focus ST its wings, this is the hub, the powerhouse, the news.
Slip into the Recaro and you’re in a world of ordinariness. Sure, the seats are fab (and orange in the car I drove) but you’re sat on them so you can’t see ‘em. The extra dials give a nod to the performance cred, but that’s about all. Fire it up and it’s smoother than a normal Focus, but it doesn’t shout, you can barely hear the engine. Slot into gear and toddle off down the road and if you’ve driven a lot of Foci (I have) you’ll notice a slightly firmer ride bit it’s not hard, and never crashy. All in all it feels like a nice normal Focus with better seats, a bit smoother engine, and a fractionally firmer ride.
Right up until the point where you hit a fast road and nail it!
Big engines give you torque. Turbochargers give you torque. And torque is twist action, pull, grunt. It’s what gives you that unrelenting neck straining never ending catapult of acceleration that you feel in a fast jet aircraft on takeoff. The ST has 236lb/ft of the stuff available from just 1,600rpm, giving great big velvety unburstable effortless wallop, in any gear, at any speed. Drop the hammer and the car just lunges forward, no lag, no waiting for the revs to build, floor it and the car charges like Ocean Finance, all to the accompaniment of a sonorous warble that segues smoothly into a hard edged howl as the tacho sweeps round the dial as smoothly as the second hand of a Rolex watch. It’s just epic! We’re talking proper junior supercar performance here, sixty miles an hour from a standing start takes just over six seconds (think about that, each 10mph increment takes about one second), and it’s a full fat 150mph flat out.
And the good news doesn’t end there. The Focus has always been best in class for ride and handling and the ST is no exception. The ride quality at speed is excellent, smooth and planted, steering precise and accurate, and cornering without wallow or roll.
It’s a car that urges you on, each snick snick gearchange bringing a fresh double cream slug of noise and power. It’s addictive.
But above all the joy is the sheer unlikeliness of what lies beneath the surface. It’s like buying an Amstrad hi fi and discovering the innards are Bang and Olufsen, like buying a ticket with Ryan Air and finding yourself in First Class, like ordering a Maccie D and finding a Goucho Grill steak between the buns.
For sure, there will always be a whiff of Essex about any fast Ford, a touch of Burberry, a dab of Addidas. But you can buy these things at three years old with sensible mileage for about ten grand. That has to make it the performance bargain of the century.
I’d de-Barry mine and stick a 1.6 Zetec badge on the back. And go BMW hunting…
Ever since I moved to New York City back in 2001, I never have the need to own a car like I used to in the UK because of the great and inexpensive public transport here. But because of the new job that I’ve just taken which is located just outside New York City, near White Plain, my commute time would be around an hour and forty minutes each way via three separate trains.
The solution to spending over three hours commuting each day is to own a car for the first time in 10 years! Granted it would cost more to maintain the car (payment, parking, gas, toll, etc.) but instead of three hours my commute time by car is cut by half! As they say, time is money, and in this case I feel it is worth it.
For the millions of people who suffer from airborne allergies, Ford is making a small change that could produce huge benefits. Beginning with the 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ, more efficient, upgraded allergen filters have been installed in the vehicles’ climate control systems. The particulate filters remove pollen, mold spores and road dust from outside air. The result is a cleaner, fresher cabin for occupants.
Ford is planning to use the high-quality cabin filters in a host of new vehicles, including the Ford Fiesta, which goes on sale in North America this year.
DETAILS
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the costs of treating hay fever and similar nasal allergies have skyrocketed, reaching more than $11 billion annually – mostly for prescription medications.
For the 30 to 40 percent of people estimated to suffer from allergies, improvements in air quality can make a big difference in their symptoms, and consequently their health care expenses.
Ford’s new cabin air filter removes the most troublesome airborne allergens, such as pollen and mold spores.
The cabin filter used in North America is similar to the one that has helped certify Ford vehicles in Europe as being allergy-friendly by the independent testing organization TÜV Rhineland. Ford is the only automaker in Europe with the official TÜV allergy-friendly certification.
