| G. Chambers Williams III: Lexus hybrid saves fuel and money
Buying an expensive gasoline-electric hybrid SUV might not make a lot of sense if saving money on gasoline is the only motivation. Someone who can pay the $41,000-plus price of the Lexus RX 400h, our test vehicle, probably isn't as worried about gas prices as those driving, say, Honda Civics. But the RX 400h's fuel economy — 27 miles per gallon in the city and 24 on the highway — is a nice plus, especially considering that some of the large, truck-based SUVs do well to get 15 mpg on the highway. Toyota's reason for creating the RX 400h wasn't as much about saving money at the gas pumps as creating an SUV that might be a bit more environmentally responsible, using less gas and putting out lower levels of harmful emissions. The vehicle produces 90 percent less smog-forming tailpipe emissions than similar conventionally powered vehicles, Lexus says.
Women in office offer view to success
A woman's place was not in the governor's office, not for years after pundits were proclaiming the "Year of the Woman" and a tobacco company's "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" slogan courted feminists. The barrier has come down only over the past three election cycles. And America is now pondering the prospect of Sen. Hillary Clinton as president. "It's a different job, that of a CEO, an executive running an organization as opposed to legislating," Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona observed during a Seattle visit Tuesday. And, added Kansas' Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, "You work your way through the pipeline, showing at each step what you can accomplish." Sebelius was a state insurance commissioner before becoming governor; Napolitano was a federal prosecutor and state attorney general.
Hotelier's 'Fawlty' stag hell memory
AN ANGRY hotelier claims he and his family suffered "a weekend of hell" when a stag party from the Amman Valley descended upon a plush south Devon resort. Grim-faced Stuart Lewton maintains 14 young men from the Brynaman area caused around £3,000 of damage to the Downs Hotel during a wild weekend in Torquay. But organisers of the stag-do insist events at the Babbacombe Hotel - situated a few hundred yards from the establishment that inspired the legendary BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers - have been blown up out of all proportion. .
American Idol Buzz
And shocking no one, the ex-Britney boyfriend/former boy band/fake rocker dude Robbie Carrico was cut, too. He was simply overshadowed by David Cook, who seems more legit in that arena. Now if only Robbie had pulled off those alleged extensions live on air! That would have made him truly memorable! So I got three out of four right. That's not bad after getting only two right last week. During the group sing, was it just me or was Amanda even worse than she was yesterday? And since it was a Bonnie Tyler song, she should have hit her little portion of the song out of the park. And as you've noticed, I've stopped reporting on www.dialidol.com numbers. I personally think with more people text messaging, it makes the issue of "busy signals" less of an issue and ultimately makes the predictions less useful.
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