Honda's CR-Z hybrid coupe remains on track as a 2011 model, on sale in late 2010. Honda wants sports-car enthusiasts to buy it not because it's green, but because it's fun. The car maker considered doing a non-hybrid version of the CR-Z, but it desperately wants to be seen as a hybrid supplier on par with Toyota and believes it needs a range of dedicated hybrid-only models to achieve that.

So the CR-Z gets a lively 140-horse, 1.8-liter Civic-derived engine. The system -- motor, battery, electronics -- will be like the Insight's, as will the platform, to save cost. A senior engineer says, "It must be fun to drive, must remind you of the original CRX." And a manual gearbox will be offered. "CVT is fine for the market, mostly. But we are Honda! We must have a manual!"

As a two-seater, the CR-Z's smaller body mass versus the Insight should make up for the weight of the bigger engine, brakes, and tires. So a 2800-pound total, with lots of electric-assist torque and a revvy gasoline engine, should make it the real deal as a pocket performance coupe.

Honda has trimmed back its sports cars. President Takeo Fukui said the company has canceled the Acura NSX replacement, though engineers say it may simply be deferred. And the rear-drive Acura range has been canceled. Honda is out of Formula 1. So the CR-Z must be to Honda in the 2010s what the CRX was to Honda in the 1980s.

The other leg of Honda's small-car hybrid tripod, the Fit  hybrid, also is going ahead for a '10 release. To give the Insight a lower overall height than the Fit, for reduced aero drag at highway speeds, the fuel tank was moved from under the front seats in the Fit to under the rear seats in the Insight. Speeds in the EPA test aren't high enough to make aerodynamics a factor, so the Fit hybrid may match the Insight's fuel economy label, and offer more space and versatility, for less money. It will interesting to see how the marketing guys handle that one.

Recently i came across this post on a car fanatic blog, it shows the number of cars the Sultan of Brunei has. Because the list is too long, i could not but it in the blog. Here is the link to it: www.germancarforum.com/pit-general-discussion/5703-list-sultan-bruneis-complete-car-collection.html
this is just a sumup. 52 pages of expensicve cars, with about 60 cars in each page! thats alot of car considering than the average Singaporean only has 1 car! Furthermore, what is unbelievable is that he buys many cars of the same make so that he car drive them on alternate days! Guess how many car keys he have and how long it takes him to get out of the house! One thing i would like to know is where he keeps all this cars, he could not possibably park them in his house and he would have to have great security.

When parent company BMW first announced in the late 1990s that it would be delivering a completely new Rolls-Royce to paying customers on January 1, 2003, most journalist wrote it off as the kind of posturing that typically accompanies a corporate takeover. After all, BMW didn't even own the Rolls-Royce brand yet. It would be four-and-a-half years before the German automaker acquired the rights to sell the storied brand, but the target was indeed met, and the first all-new Rolls-Royce in nearly 40 years left the all-new Rolls-Royce plant at Goodwood in West Sussex, England.

Unlike so many of its predecessors, this beautifully crafted and elegant ultraluxury sedan lives up to the lofty expectations of a vehicle adorned with the hood-mounted Spirit of Ecstasy. While a case could be made for one of its few rivals, no other automobile boasts the unique style, grandiose dimensions and sterling reputation of the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Current Rolls-Royce Phantom

Despite the ties to BMW, the Phantom is a true Rolls-Royce. At more than 19 feet long, a regular-wheelbase Phantom surpasses a BMW 7 Series by more than 2 feet in total length, and it can completely swallow a Mini Cooper between its front and rear axles. Producing a vehicle of such size that doesn't also flex and bend over every road imperfection calls for a unique structure. In the Phantom's case, that structure is an aluminum space frame that is both lighter and stiffer than conventional steel.

Although it is less high-tech that many of its competitors, the Rolls-Royce Phantom features an undeniable old-world charm and much-larger-than-life presence. From its majestic hood ornament to its nearly 20-foot expanse, the Phantom commands attention like few other automobiles. And if that isn't sufficient, an extended-wheelbase (EWB) model is available with about 10 additional inches of overall length and rear-seat legroom.

The Phantom is powered by a 67-liter V12 with 453 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. In spite of its weight of 3 tons, going from zero to 60 mph takes just 5.7 seconds. Behind the 20-inch wheels are superbly powerful brakes, an air suspension and automatically adjustable dampers.

The inside of the Rolls-Royce Phantom is even nicer than might be imagined. Numerous customization options provide ample opportunity to tailor this luxurious environment to one's exact, bespoke specifications.

For those who actually drive their Phantoms, the instrument panel is arranged cleanly, with classic gauges and simple audio and climate controls. More complex functions are managed by an iDrive-like interface with a mouse-style controller hiding inside the center console. The rear seat provides lots of stretching-out room, of course, and the prominent C-pillars conceal the Phantom's VIPs while the rear-hinged coach doors provide them with proper ingress and egress.

Once underway, the large but spindly three-spoke steering wheel feels light in your hands, yet offers good feedback, allowing the big sedan to change direction with ease so long as you're traveling at a relaxed pace. Power from the V12 is prodigious, and the engine makes very little noise even under full throttle. The ride is superb, soaking up huge potholes and minor road imperfections with equal aplomb. There is some wind noise around the A-pillars at speed, but it's minimal and likely evident only because there's practically no other noise to be heard.

Child labour

Child Labour

The Govement of India’s point of view:

The problem of child labour continues to pose a challenge before the nation.  Government has been taking various pro-active measures to tackle this problem. However, considering the magnitude and extent of the problem and that it is essentially a socio-economic problem inextricably linked to poverty and illiteracy, it requires concerted efforts from all sections of the society to make a dent in the problem.

Way back in 1979, Government formed the first committee called Gurupadswamy Committee to study the issue of child labour and to suggest measures to tackle it. The Committee examined the problem in detail and made some far-reaching recommendations. It observed that as long as poverty continued, it would be difficult to totally eliminate child labour and hence, any attempt to abolish it through legal recourse would not be a practical proposition. The Committee felt that in the circumstances, the only alternative left was to ban child labour in hazardous areas and to regulate and ameliorate the conditions of work in other areas. It recommended that a multiple policy approach was required in dealing with the problems of working children.

 

Based on the recommendations of Gurupadaswamy Committee, the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act was enacted in 1986. The Act prohibits employment of children in certain specified hazardous occupations and processes and regulates the working conditions in others.  The list of hazardous occupations and processes is progressively being expanded on the recommendation of Child Labour Technical Advisory Committee constituted under the Act.

 

In consonance with the above approach, a National Policy on Child Labour was formulated in 1987. The Policy seeks to adopt a gradual & sequential approach with a focus on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations & processes in the first instance.

                The Indian Embassy’s perspective:

There are more children under the age of fourteen in India than the entire population of the United States. The great challenge of India, as a developing country, is to provide nutrition, education and health care to these children.

 

Children under fourteen constitute around 3.6% of the total labor force in India. Of these children, nine out of every ten work in their own rural family settings. Nearly 85% are engaged in traditional agricultural activities. Less than 9% work in manufacturing, services and repairs. Only about 0.8% works in factories.

 

While child labor is a complex problem that is basically rooted in poverty, there is unwavering commitment by the Government and the people of India to combat it. Success can be achieved only through social engineering on a major scale combined with national economic growth. International policies and actions, therefore, must support and not hamper India's efforts to get rid of child labor.

 

India has all along followed a proactive policy with respect to the problem of child labor, and has stood for constitutional, statutory and developmental measures to combat child labor. Six ILO conventions relating to child labor have been ratified,, three of these as early as the first quarter of this century.

 

The first Act in India relating to child labor was the Enactment of Children (Pledging of Labor) Act of February 1933. Since then there have been nine different Indian legislations relating to child labor. The strategy of progressive elimination of child labor underscores India's legislative intent, and takes cognizance of the fact that child labor is not an isolated phenomenon that can be tackled without simultaneously taking into account the socio-economic milieu that is at the root of the problem.

 

The Government of India is determined to eradicate child labor in the country. The world's largest child labor elimination program is being implemented at the grass roots level in India, with primary education targeted for nearly 250 million. In this a large number of non-governmental and voluntary organizations are involved. Special investigation cells have been set up in States to enforce existing laws banning employment of children in hazardous industries. The allocation of the Government of India for the elimination of child labor was $10 million in 1995-96 and $16 million in 1996-97. The allocation for the current year is $21 million.

 

The International Program on Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) has the world's largest international initiative on child labor in India. The total outlay under this program between 1992 and 1996 has been $4.15 million.

My perspective:

                 I think that the main cause of child labour is because of the country and their family. I think that the family is most important as many people live in poverty and have little or no money, they can barely keep themselves full so where is money for education? Many people did not go to school so they dont have a degree. Without a degree, not many people would like to hire them. For example, if there was much competition for a job, the company would definately choose someone with a degree or has some kind of expertise. They would not want to take time and teach a person that has no degree as they do not want to waste time. People with no degree would have a very hard time finding a job.  I think that the few jobs this people could do is opening a shop, fishing, cleaning services or farming. This jobs dont earn much and they might still have a hard time filling their stomach. Furthermore, some parents dont work. They depend on their children for money like Village By The Sea. Normally our parents give us money but it may be the opposite for them. Some parents have bad habits like drinking or smoking, and they will spend alot of money, even if it is no necessary.

                I think that the country plays a part too, if the country has many jobs, education could be free, then child labour would be decreasing.

                Also, i think that the number of people would affect child labour. Many parents give birth to alot of children and have not enough money to pay for their education. Many poeple fight for the same job, lets say there is 1 place for a job, in a country with lesser population, manybe only 4 people are fighting for the job. But with a country of huge  population like India, there may be 10 people fighting for the job.  1 gets the job, the other 9 have to think of another way to get a job.

                Linking this to Village By The Sea:

               Hari and Lila had to work because their parents could not would as their father is a drunkard and their mother is sick. Hari and Lila stopped school because they did not have money and could not even keep their own stomach’s full. Their father however was going around lending money to drink. Stopping education made them not have a degree so in the future they would have a little trouble finding good jobs. As the story has said, the factory is going to hire people, but they will probably hire someone with a degree. The only job Lila could do was help clean the house and cook for people. Their parents have also gave birth to 4 children, alot in these days. I think that if they only had 2 children, they would not have so much burden on them and they will be less poor.

At times compared to a Lexus, from the outside the Toyota Avalon might be a average looking four-door, but on the inside is roomy and luxurious, safe, ride comfort and value you would not  be able to find elsewhere. The Avalon emerged as one of the 10 best cars sold in North American in terms of problem-free operation in a recent J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study. It is based on the Toyota Camry Platform, the Toyota Avalon is a full-size car that was produced by Toyota in the U.S. and Australia. The Avalon was produced as a front wheel drive four-door sedan.

When the Toyotta Cressida was deleted from the American car market in 1992 and the Toyota Avalon was designed to fill the gap left by that vehicle. The all new Avalon was a full size, rear wheel drive car and had Toyota's 1MZ-FE V6 engine, compared to the Cressida's 7M-GE I6 engine.

1994, the first Avalon came off the assembly line in Georgetown, Kentucky as a 1995 model. In 1999, a second-generation model was released in the U.S. and Japan. Built in the same plant as the Camry, the 1995 Avalon was a completely new model that was placed higher than the Camry, making it Toyota's flagship.

Larger in almost every aspect, the second generation Avalon was introduced in 2004. Based on a stretched Camry platform, the Avalon featured a 3.0 L V6 engine that produced 192 hp and 210 ft – lb of torque. Minor updates to the front and rear fascias were done in 1998, along with the power rating being upped to 200 hp and increase of torque to 214 lb – ft. Basically the same size as the Camry, the second generation Avalon was US made and was exported to Japan's domestic market where it was sold as the Toyota Pronard.  

  A complete redesign from older nodels, the '05 Avalon is Toyota's largest, most luxurious, and most costly model sold under its own nameplate. Inside the Avalon was a 3.5 L 280 hp V6 engine along with a host of advanced technological features. Produced to compete with the Chevy Impala, the Buick LaCrosse, Nissan Maxima and the Ford Five Hundred, the new Avalon was unveiled at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. Featuring much more distinctive styling than previous generations, the third generation Avalon did have power dropped to 268 hp due to new SAE specifications along with torque dropping to 248 ft-lb. For 2005 stability control was expanded to the XL and Touring models and a keyless remote start became standard for Limited models.