Toyota's New Boss Warns of Two More Tough Years Jun 25, 2009
Toyoda said European efforts would focus on hybrids. The company's remodeled Prius hybrid, launched last month, has been a rare bright spot, receiving more than 180,000 orders in Japan. (ABC News -- Wire)
Japan auto production tumbles again in May Jun 25, 2009
AP Photo - In this photo taken on June 5, 2009, a worker assembles parts on a new Prius hybrid vehicle at Toyota Motor Corp.'s Tsutsumi Plant in Toyota, central Japan. Toyota shareholders approved the appointment of the company founder's grandson Akio Toyoda as new president Tuesday, June 23, 2009, hoping that reaching back to the automaker's family roots will help steer the manufacturer out of it 00003685 s worst ever crisis. (Fresno Bee -- Business)
Toyota to review product ranges Jun 25, 2009
Mr Toyoda said its efforts at reviving its fortunes in Europe would focus on petrol-electric hybrids. The company launched the latest revamp of its Prius hybrid in Japan last month and has received over 180,000 orders in that country so far. (BBC News -- Business)
Iowa State University researcher looks at the future of agriculture Jun 25, 2009
" Huffman thinks the future will be even better. "From 2010 to 2019, corn yields are going to increase quite substantially, maybe at four to six bushels, per acre, per year," he said. Much of the increase will be due to genetic improvements in hybrid corn varieties associated with new, multiple stacking of genes for insect protection and herbicide tolerance that will permit a major increase in plant populations. These improvements are the result of corn that has been genetically modified (GM) to... (EurekAlert!)
Mom & Pop bemoan humankind messing with Mother Nature Jun 24, 2009
Leafcutter bees pollinate carrots and legumes (peas, beans), and studies have shown that crops that require cross-pollination between male and female plants (such as hybrid sunflowers) have dramatically improved yields from wild bees. Scientists know that native bees cannot replace honeybees because they do not exist in sufficient numbers, but feel they represent a kind of insurance policy, and agricultural systems should be diversified. (Weymouth News, MA)
Ford, Nissan, Tesla to receive U.S. loans Jun 24, 2009
Ford has said it intends to bring several battery-electric vehicles to market starting next year, with a plug-in hybrid vehicle coming by 2012. We want to be in every market segment in the U.S., said Ford CEO Alan Mulally. (MSNBC -- Business)
Ford, Nissan, Tesla to Get Govt. Loans Jun 24, 2009
Ford has said it intends to bring several battery-electric vehicles to market starting next year, with a plug-in hybrid vehicle coming by 2012. 1. (ABC News -- Business)
Oregon Recreation Report (3) Jun 24, 2009
ANA RESERVOIR: hatchery rainbow trout, hybrid bass. Ana Reservoir is open all year long for rainbow trout and hybrid bass angling ... Fishing has been good for rainbow trout and hybrid bass. (Lebanon Express, OR)
Baptisia is sublime plant for early summer garden Jun 22, 2009
Several years ago I planted "Carolina Moonlight," a newer hybrid baptisia, in the front bed. It produces yellow flower spikes above green foliage, and it has taken some time to really catch hold. (Waterloo Courier, IO)
'Venus' & 'Hartlage Wine' Calycanth... Jun 22, 2009
Sweetshrub/Sweetbush/Allspice Hybrids Landscape Design Newcomers ... are new hybrid cultivars, large, shade-loving shrubs excellent as specimen plants in many landscape garden designs ... Hartlage Wine' & 'Venus' Calycanthus hybrids are relative newcomers to horticulture and landscape gardens. (Suite101.com)
The new chief: What's in it for Newsom Jun 22, 2009
The new chief: What's in it for Newsom. Article:The new chief: What's in it for Newsom:/c/a/2009/06/20/BAD218AJ40. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
Design Showhome structure has green theme Jun 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009. This year's Metropolitan Home Modern by Design Showhome has a bit of a past - say about 105 years. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Record Score On Pushover US Open Course Jun 21, 2009
Even so, he showed his imagination on the tough 15th by blasting a 19-degree hybrid out of rough so deep he could barely see his ball, from 164 yards to a 40-foot elevated green. It climbed onto the green for a safe two-putt par. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
Electric Car and North American Ene... Jun 21, 2009
President Barack Obama has targeted 2015 for the one-millionth plug in hybrid to hit the streets ... And accoring to the Electric Power Research Instititute the amount of energy needed to charge a hybrid is around the same as plugging in two plasma televisions ... Finally, most studies confirm that the majority of households would plug in and recharge their hybrids in the evening - precisely when the peak demand for energy is lowest across the power grid. (Suite101.com)
Davis calls energy crisis over Jun 20, 2009
State of emergency, in effect since '01, revoked. Friday, November 14, 2003. (Yahoo News -- Utility Industry Deregulation)
Marijuana plants seized in Palo Alto Jun 20, 2009
New British Hybrid Car A new lightweight hydrogen-powered car, capable of speeds up to 50mph, was launched in London on Tuesday. It happens to you. (San Francisco Chronicle)
GEN reports on alternative feedstocks for ethanol production Jun 20, 2009
Officials at Coskata say the company relies on a hybrid approach based on its Flex Ethanol technology, which combines gasification and fermentation in a thermo-biological pathway to produce fuel-grade ethanol that it contends can be cost-competitive with gasoline. The process reportedly is able to yield more than 100 gallons of ethanol per ton of dry biomass. (EurekAlert!)
From the Fields Jun 20, 2009
Degree of severity very hybrid sensitive. Looks kind of bad now but they tell me it really doesn t affect the yield. (Agri-View, WI)
Charging ahead Jun 20, 2009
"The federal government likes the electric cars and hybrid cars these days," Keller said ... The grant request includes 212 electric vehicles, 607 compressed-natural-gas (CNG) vehicles, 74 hybrid vehicles, three CNG stations and three alternative-fuel stations and 1,200 charging stations for electric vehicles ... " But Holoyda is quick to point out that electric vehicles aren't the only ones his group is looking at. Hydrogen cars and hybrids that combine gas and electricity are also in the... (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Still Needed: A Climate Plan--Looking Past Cap and Trade Jun 19, 2009
Cap and trade or higher gasoline taxes might help nudge consumers toward more fuel-efficient cars, but the advent of a national fleet of plug-in hybrid, fuel-cell-powered or all-electric vehicles will depend much more on a large-scale public-private development effort that links research with investments in a new power grid and in other critical infrastructure. The administration has started in a listen and learn mode in international climate negotiations, which is certainly fair enough after... (Scientific American)
Senate Passes 'Cash For Clunkers' Program Jun 19, 2009
Since the 1998 Cherokee gets about 17 mpg, an owner could parlay it into a new Ford Escape Hybrid -- 2009 versions get 28-to-32 mpg -- and maximize their trade-in to $4,500. Dealers would apply the vouchers to the purchase or lease of a qualifying vehicle and ensure that the older vehicles are crushed or shredded. (KSBW 8, CA)
Reservoir budget cut in half by Parks Dept. Jun 19, 2009
Friday June 19, 2009. Parks Department cuts more than half from Ridgewood Reservoir’s development funds. (Queens Chronicle, NY)
Pesto in summer: Make it like the Italians Jun 19, 2009
Heirlooms are open-pollinated plants not hybrid. This means they are true to seed the fruit that grows from the seed planted will be just like its parents. (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Brookline blogger documents towns oldest roses Jun 18, 2009
A recent transplant from New Orleans, Weldon has spent her spring wandering the streets of her new Aspinwall Hill neighborhood in search of treasures like these: old roses that date back to a time before meddling horticulturists began trying to craft the perfect blossom through hybridization ... Weldon said there s nothing wrong with hybrid roses, which tend to have larger blooms, but can be less fragrant and more susceptible to cold New England winters ... She even admitted to having a favorite... (Brookline TAB, MA)
How You Drive Can Make Your Car Greener Jun 18, 2009
You won't get any argument from Gil Portalatin, hybrid propulsion system applications manager for Ford ... Some newer hybrid models even come with modes that can help you obtain maximum fuel efficiency with minimum effort, according to AAA. ... In the Ford Fusion hybrid, a plant grows branches and leaves when the car is driven in a fuel efficient manner and withers as economy goes down. (Click2Houston, TX)
The magic of pasta with eggplant Jun 18, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009. Last month, I wrote about how to combine pasta with seasonal vegetables - peas, mushrooms, zucchini, green beans and many, many more - for easy and nourishing bowls of deliciousness. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Mad about mangoes Jun 18, 2009
Others recall people who discovered or developed the hybrid, or popularized it: Mapulehu (from Joe Welch Mapulehu, who bred the trees on Moloka'i from an Indian variety); Gouveia (named for Ruth Gouveia of St. Louis Heights); Rapoza (named for nurseryman Herbert Rapoza, who worked on the variety at a UH experimental station); Ah Ping (from Chun Ah Ping, who raised mangoes on Moloka'i), explained Mark Suiso who, with his wife, Candy, operates Makaha Mangoes on O'ahu. But the mango is not native... (Honolulu Advertiser)
Announcement of atomic plant set Jun 18, 2009
By TERRY KINNEY, Associated Press Writer. Wednesday, June 17, 2009. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Green thumbs up: Plant versatile vines for colorful flowers that attract hummingbirds Jun 17, 2009
The variety Heavenly Blue is widely grown for its deep, sky blue blossoms with white throats but there are equally lovely hybrids to be found in shades of pink, red, purple, and bicolors ... Their annual counterparts (L. odoratus) offer an even broader diversity of colorful cultivars with many deliciously fragrant hybrids ... The Gold Flame honeysuckle (L. heckrottii) is a hybrid of our native honeysuckle with lovely blue-green foliage, reddish-purple twining stems, and two-toned, open-lipped,... (Kingston Mariner, MA)
Transparent Solar Cells Made For Windows Jun 17, 2009
(May 14, 2009) Researchers have outlined a new method for producing a graphene -- carbon nanotube (G-CNT) hybrid, which is a high performance transparent conductor. Placing both graphite oxide and carbon nanotubes. (Science Daily)
The Walk-Through: 155 Redland Road, Woodside Jun 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009. Each week, The Chronicle features a local home on the market that caught our eye with its sky-high or bargain-basement price, architectural or historical significance, or one-of-a-kind location or character. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Troubleshooting miscellaneous emergence problems in corn (24) Jun 16, 2009
At times they are associated with a particular row, spray width, hybrid, field or residue that may provide some additional clues to the cause. Often two or more stress factors interact to reduce emergence where the crop would have emerged well with just one present. (Minnesota Farm Guide, MN)
Liven up the shade with color Jun 16, 2009
A relative of coralbells, and a villosa hybrid Heucherella Alabama Sunrise, also called foamy bells, has foliage that changes color with the seasons. In spring the leaves start out gold with red veins. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Home & Garden)
Land of the Lost Jun 16, 2009
Chased by T. rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestaks, Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally--a primate called Chaka--to navigate out of the hybrid dimension. Escape from this routine expedition gone awry and they're heroes. (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
Honda Commemorates 50 Years of Innovation in America Jun 16, 2009
Starting in 1959, with the fuel-efficient Honda 50 motorcycle, to the newly launched 2010 Honda Insight gas-electric hybrid vehicle, Honda has introduced new technologies and business strategies that have shaped the industry and the growth of Honda, including. EFirst automaker to meet U.S. Clean Air Act without a catalytic converter - Civic CVCC (1974)EFirst vehicle to top U.S. EPA list of most fuel efficient cars - Civic (1977)EFirst Japanese automaker to build motorcycles (1979) and... (JCN Network, Japan)
Calif. utility signs huge solar thermal deal Jun 16, 2009
Want to buy a hybrid, but concerned about the cost. Check out these models and comparisons. (MSNBC -- Environment)
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Jun 6, 2009
When Ford introduced the 2010 Fusion Hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, it was billed as "America's most fuel efficient midsize car. With an impressive EPA rating of 41 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, few people batted an eye at the claim. Unfortunately, the ones that did all worked for Toyota. Despite its compact dimensions and appearance, based on passenger volume the 50 mpg Toyota Prius is technically a midsize car. It was a detail that was missed by the marketing gurus working... (Fox News)
Toyota plant on a roll with hit Prius Jun 5, 2009
(AP) TOYOTA, Japan - Toyota's Tsutsumi plant was abuzz with drills and other machinery Friday, with workers brought in from other, less busy plants to crank out the new Prius to keep up with bursting demand for the hybrid car. But the Toyota Motor Corp. executive in charge of production said plans to open a U.S. plant to build the third-generation model of the world's top-selling hybrid were still on hold ... A plant to make the gas-electric hybrid involves more investment than a standard plant... (OregonLive, OR -- Business)
A Mexican Technology Park in Monterrey Jun 5, 2009
By clustering so many technologies, PIIT's managers hope the campus will help spawn hybrid companies and industries. "We want to create technology-based companies that will be pillars of the Mexican economy of the future," Gonz;lez says. (BusinessWeek)
Groceries from the Backyard: A Harvest of Savings Jun 5, 2009
Choose the mild Japanese cucumber or the old favorite "Burpless Bush Hybrid.". Eggplant -- A much-loved favorite, eggplant thrives in hot weather. (South County Chronicle, VA)
Fishing Report 06/05/09 Jun 5, 2009
Releases from the dam midweek raised water levels in the river, where anglers were catching hybrid striped bass ... Anglers were catching hybrid stripers, typically 5 to 7 pounds, as they chased alewife along the shoreline. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)
With new turf grass, UGA sees green - as in dollars Jun 5, 2009
The researchers began by planting 27,500 hybrid varieties in 1992, he said. In 1993, the researchers picked the best 448 candidates from those and have been weeding out the pretenders ever since, he said. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Win A $1000 Shopping Spree At TCBoutique.com Jun 4, 2009
Submit Your Entry To Win A Hybrid Car Or Anything $50,000 Will Buy. We carry the full line of Liquid Metal wheels for your car or truck. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Princeton City Council 6-1 Jun 4, 2009
Announced the city will go out for bids for a hybrid bucket truck for the electric department. Bids are to be returned no later than 1 p.m. June 17 to city hall. (Princeton Bureau County Republican, IL)
Report: GM Considering Closing More Factories Jun 4, 2009
Possible targets of a new round of temporary shutdowns would be factories that make vehicles with the highest inventory levels, such as the Chevrolet Silverado pickup with 98 and the hybrid version with 244, the Pontiac G5 with 317 days' supply, and the Saturn Aura with 139. The Silverado pickup, still GM's most popular vehicle, is made at factories in Pontiac and Flint, Mich. (Fox News)
GM files bankruptcy Jun 3, 2009
After a firestorm of negative publicity, Wagoner rode in a hybrid Chevrolet Malibu from Detroit to Washington for a second set of withering questions before lawmakers. But that amounted to only a sideshow as the automaker's financial position worsened. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR -- Business)
GM Sales Down 30 Percent In May Jun 3, 2009
4 percent as the company began selling new 2010 models of the midsize sedan along with a hybrid version. Ford said it sold a record number Fusions - 19,786 in May - which was surpassed only by sales of its F-series pickup trucks. (CBS News)
General Motors files for bankruptcy Jun 3, 2009
After a firestorm of negative publicity, Wagoner rode in a hybrid Chevrolet Malibu from Detroit to Washington for a second set of withering questions before lawmakers. But that amounted to only a sideshow as the automaker s financial position worsened. (Columbia Daily Herald, TN)
Enjoy Chinese poetry, painting & Western music at 'The Crab Flower Club' Jun 3, 2009
com - Enjoy Chinese poetry, painting rn music at 'The Crab Flower Club. Entertainment Features. (Channelnewsasia.com)
Cost-cutting in Asia: A snip at the price Jun 2, 2009
Earlier this year BYD s automotive subsidiary unveiled a plug-in electric-hybrid car at the Detroit motor show. Thanks to the firm s cheap batteries, it could sell for about half the $40,000 or so that the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid under development at General Motors, is expected to cost. (The Economist)
General Motors Claims Bankruptcy Jun 2, 2009
Those new products include a new hybrid gas-electric car, and new engine modules at the GM plant in St. Catharines. It is expected GM s plants, and supply chain will face little disruption as a result of the bankruptcy. (Suite101.com)
* Critics overlook value of carbon offset schemes Jun 2, 2009
Consider the decision of whether to buy a hybrid car ... Yet many such people buy hybrids anyway, because they think they are helping the environment. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Could GM Be Cool Again? Jun 2, 2009
A new badge for its plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, now centered on the forthcoming Chevy Volt ... The has the significant advantage of extending the range of a hybrid without actually burning very much actual gas ... Due to battery costs, its not as cost-effective right now as a hybrid of the Prius/Insight-type. (Slate)
EUGENE ROBINSON: Bankruptcy a temporary reprieve for General Motors Jun 2, 2009
Whenever GM officials start talking rhapsodically about the long-awaited Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid expected to be introduced next year, I get worried ... By contrast, the Toyota Prius -- which uses a different kind of gas-electric hybrid system, and consumes more gas than the Volt -- can be bought for less than $25,000 ... The present-day equivalent might be the comfortable, highway-cruising hybrid SUV -- but if it is, Ford got there first with the Escape. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Bankrupt GM bullish on Asia Jun 2, 2009
Japanese small car maker Suzuki Motor Cor 00004000 p also stressed it would continue its relationship with GM, its former top shareholder which it relies on for help in developing hybrid, fuel-cell and other environmental technologies. "I was relieved," CEO Osamu Suzuki told reporters, saying he had received the request to retain those ties directly from GM CEO Fritz Henderson by telephone on Monday. (India Times)
Michael Moore: Goodbye, GM... Jun 2, 2009
Monday, June 1st, 2009 Goodbye, GM. I write this on the morning of the end of the once-mighty General Motors. (The Drudge Report)
Seven reasons GM is headed to bankruptcy Jun 1, 2009
GM abandoned a big lead in electric car technology and let Toyota take the green mantle for its hybrid Prius. Now, GM is scrambling to regain the lead, promising its plug-in electric Volt will be on sale at the end of next year. (USA Today -- Autos)
Out of Africa Jun 1, 2009
But in fact what results is a curious hybrid, whose fundamental beliefs may be impervious to the education he has received. I had a striking example of this phenomenon recently, when I had a Congolese patient who had taken refuge in this country. (The American Conservative)
Taxpayers Foot Lawmakers' Bills... Jun 1, 2009
Alcee Hastings spent $24,730 in taxpayer money last year to lease a 2008 luxury Lexus hybrid sedan ... Rodney Alexander of Louisiana paid $20,000 for a 2009 lease on a Toyota Highlander, a hybrid SUV. Mr. Alexander said in an interview that the vehicle was for his state director's official business. (The Drudge Report)
Delta Hotels and Resorts Launches Cross-Canada Summer Tour to Promote Volunteering Jun 1, 2009
By choosing to partner with Toyota, Delta Ambassadors will be traveling in the most fuel-efficient vehicle using 100 fewer litres of fuel and generate 240kgs less CO2 than any other hybrid traveling the same cross country distance. "Toyota Canada Inc. is proud to be a part of the Delta Community Cruiser Tour", said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director of Toyota Canada Inc. "As a proud Canadian corporate citizen, Toyota is committed to environmental stewardship and seeks to partner with like-minded... (Canada Newswire)
For climate change bill, hard part starts now May 31, 2009
Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Hearst Newspapers. Sunday, May 31, 2009. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
A Look At Public Policy, Small Scale Energy and Agriculture (2) May 31, 2009
To get around transportation costs, some have suggested a hybrid system where biomass is partially processed locally, but then shipped to centralized power plants. More research is needed on what may be the optimal fuel shed for distributed energy systems, as the tradeoff between transportation and processing costs will be particular to a given location and technology. (Agri-View, WI)
Answering some FAQs about gardening (2) May 30, 2009
Hybrid roses that you get because the picture on the container showed a multi-colored, great-big, beautiful, rose dont usually do that well around here -Seattle or Portland, maybe, but not here. You have to get roses that do well here to start with. (Boerne Star, TX)
Yard and Garden: The blub/flower industry in the Netherlands May 30, 2009
The development of a new hybrid takes approximately eight years from start until there are enough bulbs available for sale. We were amazed at the cost of such a hybrid if the bulb grower decides to sell to another producer ... This bulb grower said he just sold a hybrid in the third-year stage for 8,000 and probably would be another five years before it produced enough bulbs to sell. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Sierra Leone's president wraps up China tour May 30, 2009
He visited the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center led by Father of Hybrid Rice Yuan Longping, who successfully altered the self-pollinating characteristic of rice and realized large-scale farming of hybrid rice. Editor: Deng Shasha. (Xinhuanet, China)
