BERIGAN

Green Car of the Year Story Filed: 11/17/2007 2:49:15 PM EST By Perry Stern General Motors dominates the finalists and wins this year’s honors. It's safe to say that when Americans think of fuel-efficient cars that are friendly to the environment, they're probably picturing a small, lightweight sedan or coupe. However, the 2008 Green Car of the Year announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show will shatter that perception. The winner is a 5,000-plus pound V8-powered full-size SUV—the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. Not only can this year’s winner carry up to eight passengers or tow 6,000 pounds, it is rated at 21 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. The city mpg rating matches that of the Toyota Camry passenger sedan. “This is a milestone in many respects,” said Green Car Journal editor and publisher Ron Cogan. “People don’t think ‘green’ when SUVs are concerned, and for generally good reason since SUVs often get poor fuel economy compared to most other vehicles. Chevrolet’s Tahoe Hybrid changes this dynamic with a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 30 percent compared to similar vehicles equipped with a standard V8.” The Green Car of the Year is selected by a jury of environmental and industry leaders, along with four Green Car Journal editors. Invited jurors this year included Carroll Shelby, Jay Leno, Carl Pope (Sierra Club), Christopher Flavin (Worldwatch Institute), Jonathan Lash (World Resources Institute), and Jean-Michel Cousteau (Ocean Futures Society). Other finalists for Green Car of the Year included the new Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Saturn Aura Green Line, Mazda Tribute Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid. Although the top five vehicles were hybrids, that’s not a requirement for winning this award. In fact, Cogan told us that vehicles using a variety of technologies were considered; however, to be eligible a vehicle must not only be new but also widely available to the public. Production volume and likelihood that the technology could be used in other models was also part of the selection process. The dual-mode hybrid system in the Tahoe was developed along with DaimlerChrysler (prior to the separation of Daimler and Chrysler) and BMW. Dodge introduced its first use of this technology in its Durango Hybrid at this year's LA show. Although the Tahoe Hybrid’s fuel economy is not nearly as impressive as other vehicles on the road, it’s the improvement over the standard Tahoe, with no loss of utility, that put the Tahoe Hybrid at the top of the list. http://autoshow.autos.msn.com/autoshow/LA2...nnl_6008.4.5.19

Fernando Vina is on the list I see.....will ESPN talk to him about this???

http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/content/...bit_Turner.html

This is an AL east coast only thread, don't ya know!

It's the state you're in which causes you to have a conniption. Sorry, I misspelled it, but then again, when you make up a word, who's to say waht's misspelled & what's not, eh? A Sangreyism, in other words!

Does that mean they send candy and flowers after they screw...?

Thanks for posting Chris. I think this might have been one of the very first jazz-related sites I came across back when I got online! (1998) I forget all about it, then stumble across it via a search every 6 months or so.....a fun site for fans of the creaky music for sure! Always amazed the records he finds that I have not only never heard of the band, but not even the songs!

Have a very good one!!!!!!!!!!

Happy belated Birthday David! Glad you had a good one!!!

There's been too much trade talk of the great players of today lately that I've forgotten my favorites of the '70s. Yeah, those are both 2 good examples, and like you say Foster even better. Foster's last year was spent on the '86 Mets. Of course he wasn't with them when they were winning the world series, he had finished his career wearing this beautiful uniform. It's so much easier for me to remember the bad backs (Mattingly, Juan Gonzalez) or drugs (Parker, Strawberry) that I forget about guys who just lost it. I mean Foster didn't even get fat either, which is another thing that can lead to decline. One of my favorite confrontations was a Monday Night Baseball telecast of the Cards vs. the Reds. I don't think it was the year Foster hit 52 because Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky still had his Fu Manchu, which idiot Vern Rapp made him shave off in his last Cardinal season. Would have been the 8th or 9th (it was the '70s, none of this 1 inning closer crap ) and Hrabosky stepped off the mound rubbed the ball and went through his motions to psyche himself (and the crowd) up. Electric crowd, Foster's black bat wiggling. Foster jacked it. I suppose I should dig into Retrosheet sometime to see if I could find it. He's in the Hall of the Very Good. It's a special place, with many players who I liked more than some Hall of Famers. Not that they were better than Hall of Famers, though for 3 or 5 years they were as good, if not better. Don Mattingly is there, Dave Parker, Dick Allen. Some guys like Dwight Evans are there where I personally could see getting into the real thing through some sort of future vets committee that valued defense, but that's not going to happen so into the Hall of Very Good he goes. Guidry is there, what the hell, the troublesome twins of Gooden & Strawberry. Al Oliver. It's a very good place to be. For many years he was the focus of debates as to whether he was a Hall of Famer, and I'm pretty sure Bill James favored his entry back in the day, though I'm not sure where he stands now. In his 1994 book Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame (which is kind of a mess) he predicted that Dale & Kirby Puckett would be elected in the HoF in 2008. (Poor Kirby.) Clemens got in last year. (Shows you how long ago 1994 was, um, nutrition & physical fitness-wise.) I have a sneaky feeling some of this has been posted before, but I hope y'all cut me some slack, it's late. Eric, you did all this fancy quotin' stuff....hope what I write back makes some sense! I remember George Foster going to the White Sox, and I think he even hit a home run his first game!(Saw highlights on CNN Sports, back when they Had Nick Charles and Fred Hickman) Didn't do much after that homer though.... And mention of "The Mad Hungarian", and Vern Rapp, good and bad memories there! Wish I had seen the game you remember! I loved Al and his Shtick....Just looked him up, can't believe his last game for the cards was 1977! I must have seen him that last year at one game. I seem to recall the fans booing a bit when he came out, which really confused me(Now that I see he had a 4.33 that year, makes some sense) He got the job done that day though..... Believe it or not, I can't recall if I became a fan of the Cards in 1976 or 1977. Vern Rapp, one name I am not crazy about (Whitey Herzog and Dane Iorg are others, but that is another story for another day)

Thanks for the info Tom! Glad to hear the sound is decent too....I have fairly flexible ears, but even I have my limits....I really need to win the lottery one of these days to buy just 1/10th of the music I want!!!

Guy, it is fun to mock those in the colder climes! Bundle up there, 68....brrr.....

about 75 here in the ATL....must remember to close my windows when it gets dark, otherwise it might get chilly inside!

Ouch! You're right too. Say, not to make it sound like I wasn't listening as you just said "no good reason," but are there any theories as to why Murphy did indeed, just start sucking. A refresher with old-time stats : 1987-Age 31-44 HR, 105 RBI, .295/.417/.580 1988-Age 32-24 HR, 77 RBI, .226/.313/.421 It didn't get any better in the following years, and yet he still played full time until 1992. Was it his back? Eyesight? Too much clean living. It's one of the great mysteries of our time. Eric, I really don't know why!!! Steroids perhaps? Kidding, kidding! If ever anyone didn't do them, it was him. I think I have heard his knees were some of the problem..... He sure didn't have a violent swing like Andruw does. And never, ever got fat like Andruw. Sorta like what happened to Jim Rice, or an even better example,(because of the quick decline) George Foster! Seemed like soon after joining the Mets, he had a hole in his swing 2 feet wide! How'd the guy hit .320, hit 52 HR's and drive in 149 at age 27, to hitting .247 with 13 HR's 70 RBI's at age 33??? I loved Foster back in the day(I am sure you know what I mean, I bet you were a fan too! ) I still have a George Foster black bat! Don't think he is a HOF'er though. I don't know why Jim Rice isn't in, nearly .300 BA, 8 100+ RBI seasons back when that was something. 1451 RBI's for his career, plus playing in Boston. I know the media and he didn't get along that well, but still.... I don't think Murphy has quite the numbers, but...this wiki post makes some very good points as to why he could be one. Says when he finished up, his 398 HR's were 19th best all time !!!! (And Dan, you will like his thoughts on Bonds, I am sure! ) If you all are too lazy to click on the link, read this part at least..... Murphy is regarded by many as one of the premier players during the 1980s. His best years were with the Atlanta Braves, appearing in the All-Star Game seven times, and leading the National League in home runs and RBI twice; he also led the major leagues in home runs and runs batted in over the 10-year span from 1981 to 1990. He led the National League in games, at bats, runs, hits, extra base hits, RBI, runs created, total bases, and plate appearances in the 1980s. He also accomplished a 30-30 season in 1983, at the time only the 6th player since 1922 to do so. His 1983 MVP year is the only time in major-league history a player has compiled a .300 batting average, 30 home runs, 120 runs batted in, 130 runs scored, 90 bases on balls, and 30 stolen bases with fewer than 10 times caught stealing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Murphy

No.....great title though! How long is forever? Frederic J. Fransen December 8, 2007 A billion-dollar controversy involving Princeton University has brought into sharp focus one of the most important issues facing the nonprofit community today: whether the terms of restricted gifts have an expiration date. In 1961, donors Charles and Marie Robertson — he a loyal Princeton grad, she an heiress to the A&P supermarket fortune — endowed a foundation to finance the preparation of Princeton graduate students for federal government careers in international relations and foreign affairs. Princeton officials told Fred Hechinger, the New York Times' legendary education writer, that the gift would enable the school to "do what it and other universities have long wished to do: establish professional education for public service at a level of excellence comparable to the country's best schools of medicine and law." Then Princeton President Robert Goheen made clear: "The donors wish to provide gifted students and government officials with the finest possible preparation for careers in the public service, with particular emphasis in foreign affairs." Today, Princeton officials hold their noses at the very idea of a "professional school" dedicated to government service, and bristle at the suggestion that preparing students for careers in government was anything more than an "aspirational" goal. The Robertson family is suing, charging Princeton not only violated the terms of the gift but has misspent some $200 million or more on activities and programs that have nothing to do with the donors' intent. The Princeton dispute is not an isolated case. In New Orleans, Tulane University dumped the women's liberal arts college long affiliated with the university and grabbed its endowment. The money for Newcomb College was donated by Josephine Louise Newcomb more than 100 years ago for the sole purpose of establishing and supporting — in perpetuity — a women's college memorializing her late daughter. Her descendants are suing. In Virginia, Randolph-Macon Woman's College (R-MWC) completed a $100 million capital campaign in 2005, exceeding the original $75 million goal, and soon thereafter announced the college would become coed. The $100 million was solicited and donated explicitly to guarantee R-MWC's long-term financial stability, not to finance a coed institution. Donors are suing. While there may be times when it's legitimate for nonprofits to "repurpose" designated gifts, problems arise when institutions decide on their own to renege on their promises without following appropriate legal procedures. This generally doesn't happen right away. In a remarkably candid conversation with The Washington Post's reporter Matthew Quirk, a retired New York University "naming" negotiator — a fund-raiser who solicits donations from people who want to have a room, building, or school named after them — said NYU is careful to use metal letters or plaques to recognize such donations, because, unlike carvings in stone, plaques and lettering can easily be removed from a building. She also said donors who endow chairs or buildings at universities shouldn't expect their gifts to be honored forever. "How long is perpetuity? About 75 years," she said. Donor intent doesn't just abruptly end. More often, it fades away. A key faculty member retires, there is turnover in the president's office, a budget crisis arises or the donor dies, and people just plain forget. One major university inserts a clause into its standard donor agreement stating that the university can reallocate restricted funds after 25 years. Other universities don't even audit restricted gifts. The half-life of donor intent may be no more than about 10 years. For the first few years, the institution probably will adhere to the terms of the gift. By the 10th year, the program will still exist, but with a different shape. By Year 20, the program might exist in name only. By the 30th year, it will be merged into something else. By the 40th year the program will disappear. The money, however, won't disappear. Under normal circumstances, the value of an endowment remains constant, and may even grow over time. Donors must understand this. On U.S. college campuses, forever doesn't mean forever. Money donors give today could be financing things they wouldn't imagine 10 or 20 years from now. That's why it's important to get gifts right and to hold colleges and universities accountable. Frederic J. Fransen is executive director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education (www.cehe.org), Indianapolis, Ind., a nonprofit organization that assists donors who wish to transform higher education through philanthropy. http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/200.../112080007/1012

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/1204...-santa-bot.html

Very nice indeed!!!!

shoulda known there would have been some mention of this set before! I searched "String Bass" and found a reference.... http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...amp;entry659299 Still would like to hear from folks that may have it, or missed the original thread...

Kinda hard to do a search here on this one since the words in the title are 3 letters or less! It's on my Amazon wish list....the one whole review doesn't exactly say much about the set itself....I imagine if you like the early jazz, it's pretty good, but thought I'd ask here...someone has to have it here, right?

Interesting news, but I am busy now...will get back to you on that....

Man, is this ever terrible!!!! torturing and killing musicians who aren't even singing about gang violence!!! Mexico has got to get a handle on this soon. I know judges get murdered down there whenever they try to go after the drug cartels.....

From MGM and Fox. Got Charlie Chan Volume 1, and Mr. Moto V1 for a grand total of 9 films for $34.97!!!! Thru the 16th....Free shipping as well(Wish they'd give me a steeper discount for this ad I have written for them! ) http://www.deepdiscount.com/DVD---Fox-MGM-...Code=BOGOFOXMGM Also a deal on Anchor Bay sets....thru 19th. http://www.deepdiscount.com/DVD---Anchor-B...Code=BOGOANCBAY

Hey, I'm a fugitive from reality, and you can kiss my "Harry O". The kids won't get it, but that's alright! and James, White Lightning, Christiern, go to bed!!! It's late! Or early....or in W.L.'s case, just right!

Well, I am glad he is now signed with the Dodgers, now there is NO way Booby Cox can beg to have him back! Dan, I think Joe Sheehan is wrong, at least saying this is the best deal of the winter. Sure, he could do better this year, and since they needed another big bat, it's worth the risk for just 2 years. But like JH said, comparing Andruw to Pierre, well...of course he is a step up! Thing is he was on a team with a very streaky offense, but still one that drove in a ton of runs even with him hitting .231 with RISP, and .169 with RISP and 2 outs! Still drove in 94 RBI's(in 154 games) sucking the whole year. Dodgers don't have the same offense the braves do. Texiera drove in 56 RBI's in the 4 spot in only 54 games. But, good players do start to suck for no good reason. Dale Murphy looked like a sure fire HOF'er around Andruw's age as well. WORF, BORK, whatever, can't predict that stuff! (Yes, I am an old fogy with some of the young whipper-snappers new fangled ways of of rating players, so sue me! ) Andruw is supposedly really going to be in shape next year, and working with Don Mattingly should help(Though by most accounts, he didn't pay much attention to Terry Pendleton last year) I'd take Torii Hunter in a second over Andruw, right now. Just seeing the Braves play the Twins last year, showed me he is a much more intelligent player than Andruw....going the other way, realizing 9 times out of 10 a 0-2 pitch will not be a strike, so don't swing... Thought it would be interesting to see how Torii has done with RISP, vs Andruw, since Sheehan ain't that high on Torii it appears. Torii Hunter for his career, .276 with RISP, .278 RISP and 2 outs. Last year, .341 RISP, .333 RISP, 2 outs. Andruw Jones for his career, .254 with RISP, and only .219 with RISP and 2 out!!! Not last year, for his career. (To beat that dead horse, last year, .231 RISP, .169 RISP with 2 outs) I wrote this under duress, or at least I was distracted while writing this, if it seems more scattered than my usual tightly put together posts....

Andruw Jones signs with the Dodgers for 2 whole years, 36 mil. According to honest as the day is long agent Borass..... ... there were really only two options when it came to length. "Very, very long-term or very, very short term," he said. "Nothing in between." Riiiight...... I'm Happy, Satan lost for once.... http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3143653