Top 7 Cars of the Millenium

If you wish to legally own some of the fastest wheels in the world you’ll have to stack up plenty of cash and get the Government to build the roads to handle them. Following is the countdown to the 7 fastest cars of the millennium:

7. McLaren Mercedes SLR

Price: Rs.4 crores
Top Speed: 330 kmph
Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.8 seconds
Horsepower: 617
Country of Origin: England

6. Lamborghini Murcielago LP640

Price: Rs.3.4 crores
Top Speed: 340 kmph
Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.3 seconds
Horsepower: 660
Country of Origin: Italy

5. Spyker C8 Double 12 S

Price: Rs.2.6 crores
Top Speed: 340 kmph
Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.5 seconds
Horsepower: 400
Country of Origin: Netherlands

4. Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

Price: Rs.4.4
Top Speed: 396 kmph
Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.2 seconds
Horsepower: 750
Country of Origin: U.S.

3. Koenigsegg CCX

Price: Rs. 5.5 crores
Top Speed: 400 kmph
Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.2 seconds
Horsepower: 806
Country of Origin: Sweden

2. Bugatti Veyron

Price: Rs. 12 crores
Top Speed: 405 kmph
Acceleration: 0-60 in 2.5 seconds
Horsepower: 1,001
Country of Origin: Italy

And here comes the fastest car of the millennium:

SSC Ultimate Aero

Price: Rs. 5 crores
Top Speed: 411 kmph
Acceleration: 0-60 in 2.78 seconds
Horsepower: 1,183
Country of Origin: U.S.

2009 Jaguar XF : Feel the Heat

Introduction

The 2009 Jaguar XF is a mid-sized, rear-wheel-drive sedan which offers a fresh, engaging alternative to luxury imports such as the BMW 5, Mercedes E-Class, and Lexus GS.

Factor in a well-engineered body structure, and the XF is exactly what it should be: smooth, quiet and responsive. It feels lighter and more agile than some of its competitors, and it bears up like a sport sedan when driven aggressively. The XF comes with a choice of two V8 engines. The base engine is Jag’s familiar 4.2-liter V8, delivering 300 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The upgrade is a supercharged version of the 4.2, generating 420 hp and 408 lb-ft and surpassing nearly all competitors in output. Both V8s come with Jaguar’s six-speed ZF automatic transmission, which is one of the best automatics money can buy. The XF will be offered in three trim levels, starting with the normally aspirated Luxury, which is better equipped than most base models in this category. Then there’s the racy new look. The XF marks a new direction for Jaguar, but it also continues some of the styling themes that have identified Jaguars for decades. The roofline and the shape of the side glass are intended to create the impression of a sporty, two-door coupe more than a four-door sedan, and to a considerable extent it works.

Lineup

The XF 4.2 Luxury ($49,200) is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 delivering 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. The Luxury is one of the best equipped base models in this class, with features like rear park assist, passive keyless entry and start and a power glass sunroof included in the price. The standard seating is bond-grain leather, with satin-finish walnut and aluminum trim, a 320-watt, eight-speaker stereo and 18-inch alloy wheels. The XF 4.2 Premium Luxury ($55,200) has the same normally aspirated V8 as the standard model, with even more luxury features.

Walkaround

From its basic shape to its aerodynamic characteristics to its underlying structure, the 2009 Jaguar XF sedan is a thoroughly modern automobile. It’s also a Jaguar, and while its styling is intended to create a template for Jaguars to come, the XF almost requires certain traits that the world associates with one of Britain’s best-known brands. This essential Jaguar character is defined by the XF’s face, and centered on a prominent grille that launches nearly all of the lines flowing rearward across the car. The grille itself is quintessentially British woven mesh, trimmed with chrome and reminiscent of the racing Jaguars that have performed so well in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In profile, the XF is defined by a single, uninterrupted line that flows from the front bumper to the rear edge of the trunk lid.

The excellent aerodynamics help keep the XF stable at high speeds, reduce wind noise inside and reduce fuel consumption at a given speed, compared to a car with more drag.

Driving Comfort

The 4.2 SC might be the XF for ruffians, but the Luxury and Premium Luxury models aren’t exactly slouches. Their six-speed automatic works just as well in typical driving, even if it doesn’t seem to hold first or second gear as diligently as the SC does when used in manual mode. The normally aspirated V8 delivers power in the same linear fashion, and it’s even smoother, and the acceleration can still be exhilarating. We’d peg 0-60 mph times in the low six-second range, which is more than respectable by just about any standard. The normally aspirated XFs also deliver better mileage: 18 City, 26 Highway, according to the EPA.

Luxury buyers expect extra smooth, quiet operation for the money and the XF holds up its end. It starts with that solid underlying structure, which is the first defense against vibration and harshness inside the car. From there Jaguar adds more measures, including a double bulkhead in the front of the cabin and rubber mounted subframes for the suspension, which minimizes the transfer of road vibration inside.

Specifications

Vehicle Category Luxury Cars

Model Lineup Jaguar XF 4.2

Luxury ($49,200);

4.2 Premium Luxury ($55,200);

4.2 SC ($62,200)

Engines (standard) 4.2-liter dohc 32v supercharged V8 with variable valve timing

Engines (optional) 300-hp 4.2-liter V8; 420-hp 4.2-liter V8

Transmissions (standard) 6-speed automatic

Transmissions (optional) 6-speed automatic

Safety Equipment (standard) Dual-stage front airbags, front passenger side-impact airbags, curtain-type airbags for all outboard seats, front and rear park assist with graphic display, electronic stability control, antilock brakes with brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), tire pressure monitor

Safety Equipment (optional) Reverse view camera, radar-managed blind spot monitor Basic Warranty4 years/50,000 miles

Base Price MSRP49200

Thinking of Alternative Energy? Try this Car.

Today when people are talking more and more about alternative energy sources especially for the cars we have many different products coming out e.g. Hybrid cars that run on gasoline and electricity, pure electric cars etc. Hydrogen vehicles are using hydrogen as the energy carrier not the energy source so people would need some large scale hydrogen plants or home hydrogen stations to power their cars. Hydrogen can be produced by many thermo-chemical methods using coal (coal gasification), natural gas, biomass, liquefied petroleum gas, biohydrogen.

Hydrogen can also be produced from water by electrolysis. However, this process takes a lot of energy and it should be renewable energy sources to call it ecologically clean fuel. It would take humanity a few decades to create a low cost hydrogen production as all these methods are very expensive. However, the only emission you have is water and that is a very good deal. There are two ways of using hydrogen to run the vehicle:

• Internal combustion works similar to ordinary gasoline engine but runs on hydrogen.
• Fuel-cell conversion produces electricity via hydrogen + oxygen reaction to power electrical engine.

However in both of these ways of powering the car hydrogen is not that efficient because it has low volumetric energy.

This means that it can store less energy than some substances we use today. For example: even if we keep hydrogen in liquid form its volumetric energy density will be only few mega joules per liter, which is much smaller than that of gasoline. Using hydrogen as the electricity carrier is even less efficient than using Li-Ion batteries in the cars.

As you can see on this chart you lose 7% of energy you get from the plant for charging the batteries and 7% of the remaining amount is lost in the battery itself. However if you want to use hydrogen to store that energy this is what you get: 30% of energy from the windmill for example is lost during the process called electrolysis, the other bad thing is that you need to compress the gas in order to use it and this is where you lose another 10%, finally fuels cells are not that efficient and you lose up to 60% of remaining energy there. See for yourself which method is more efficient. Taking in consideration all these hydrogen fuel is one of the most expensive to produce and one of the least efficient energy carriers out there. Maybe we will be able to produce hydrogen fuel but we surely need to lower the cost of its production dramatically.

Remember your Grandparents?

The first national survey led by Oxford University, in collaboration with the Institute of Education, London, about the relationships that adolescents have with their grandparents shows that grandparents who are involved in the upbringing of their grandchildren can contribute to a child’s well-being.

The research surveyed questionnaires from 1,596 children, aged between 11-16 from across England and Wales, and researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 40 children from a range of backgrounds. Another key finding of the research was that almost a third of maternal grandmothers provided regular care-taking for their grandchildren, with 40% providing occasional help with childcare. The survey reveals that grandparents often have more time than working parents to support young people in activities and are well placed to talk to their grandchildren about any problems the young people may be experiencing. They were also found to be involved in helping to solve the young people’s problems, as well as talking with them about plans for their future.

Principal investigator Professor Ann Buchanan, Director of the Centre for Research into Parenting and Children in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at Oxford University, will launch the research findings at the annual meeting of the Grandparents’ Association in London on June 4. Professor Buchanan says: ‘We were surprised by the huge amount of informal caring that the grandparents were doing and how in some cases they were filling the parenting gap for hard working parents. Most adolescents really welcomed this relationship. What was especially interesting was the links we found between ‘involved grandparents’ and adolescent well-being.

Closeness was not enough: only grandparents who got stuck in and did things with their grandchildren had this positive impact on their grandchildren.’ It was found that close relationships between grandparents and grandchildren buffered the effects of adverse life events, such as parental separation, because it calmed the children down.

This suggests future investigations should pay more attention to the role of grandparents in developing resilience in young people. A range of factors predicted the involvement of the grandparents in the upbringing of their grandchildren including: living in a less deprived area, frequent contact, and the good health of the grandparent.

The young people surveyed did not view physical proximity as being necessarily important as they used modern technology to communicate. They said they felt grandparents became closer when they undertook some traditional parenting tasks. This study also shows that at times of family breakdown and separation, many grandparents played an important role in bringing stability to their grandchildren. Grandparents were also found to be important in times of family adversity and appeared to help the whole family buffer the difficulties.  The researchers conclude that given the grandparents’ role is almost invisible in family policy in the UK, the government needs to rethink the policy implications of this largely positive role and provide more support for the important intergenerational relationships.

Source: Survey Reports from The Oxford University

Cars for women : From a man’s standpoint

Does your car say ‘check me out‘ or ‘check my license’? If the message is rather more ‘park out of sight’ than ‘park up and make out’, I can let you into a secret.

I’ve asked hundreds of men, from all over the world, which cars they’re most impressed to see a woman driving (your cue to get ahead in the traffic).

If you’re hoping to attract some male attention this year, we can reveal that the Mercedes 300SL Roadster is the car you need. The classic German model, built between 1957 and 1963 topped our survey as the sexiest car for a woman to drive.

Although most of the favourites are performance cars, including the Porsche 911, Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza - the Queen’s favourite vehicle the Land Rover Defender also scored highly in the top ten.

Martin Schlaeppi who races in the Radical Enduro series, voted for the Evo. ‘It’s a car for people who love driving and it takes effort and concentration to drive well,’ he said. Evo drivers know about their cars and that’s why it’s sexy to see a woman behind the wheel.’

Do you agree? We asked a number of women from the motoring industry which cars they felt most fabulous driving. Two-seater convertibles scored strongly, from the luxurious Jaguar XKR to the stripped-out Caterham, as did performance cars like the Porsche 911 and Mitsubishi Evo.

The following are the Top 10 cars that will make you go ‘ooh’:

10. Caterham R400

Engine type Four cylinders, 1796cc
Power 200bhp @ 7200rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Acceleration 0 to 60mph: 3.9sec
Top speed 140mph
Price £29,950
Verdict Still the supercar-slayer to beat them all, 30 years

9. VW Golf R32

Body Type: 3-Door Hatchback

Performance ~ manufacturers figures

0 - 62 mph: 6.2 Seconds

Top Speed: 154 mph

Transmission DSG (Direct-Shift Gearbox)

Fuel Type: Unleaded Petrol

Euro NCAP Rating: 5

Warranty: 3-Years / 60,000 Warranty

Price when tested on the 18/11/06: £25,570

8. Fiat 500

Price Range: £7,900 to £10,700

Petrol Engine Range: 1.2, 1.4

Diesel Engine Range: 1.2

Manufacturer’s Warranty: 3 year(s)

7. Range Rover Sport

Body style: SUV

Trim levels: Supercharged

Available Engine: Gas

6. Rolls-Royce Phantom

6,749 cc, 6.7 liters

V 12 front engine with 91.9 mm bore

84.6 mm stroke

Fuel economy EPA highway (mpg): 19 and EPA city (mpg): 12

Gasoline direct injection fuel system

26.4 gallon main premium unleaded fuel tank

Power: 338 kW , 453 HP SAE @ 5,350 rpm

531 ft lb , 720 Nm @ 3,500 rpm

5. Subaru Impreza

Body Type: 4-Door Saloon

Performance ~ manufacturers figures

0 - 62 mph: 5.4 Seconds

Top Speed: 158 mph

Transmission: 6-Speed Manual Gearbox

Fuel Type: Unleaded Petrol

Warranty: 3 Years / 60000 Miles

Price when tested on the 14/09/06: £28,540

4. Land Rover Defender

Body Type: 3-Door Four Wheel Drive

Performance ~ manufacturers figures

Top Speed: 87 mph

Transmission: 5-Speed Manual

Fuel Type: Diesel

Insurance Group: 10

Warranty: 3-year unlimited mileage warranty

Price when tested on the 05/02/05: £25,595.00

3. Mitsubishi Evo

Estimated Price: $31,099

Layout: Transverse front engine, all-wheel drive

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Redline: 7000 rpm

Crank HP: 286hp @ 6500 rpm

Height: 57.1 in

Curb Weight: 3,263 lbs

2. Porsche 911

Engines: 3.8L H6

Power: 355 HP SAE @ 6,600 rpm

Torque: 295 ft lb @ 4,600 rpm

1. Mercedes 300SL Roadster

Price: DM 32,500

Transmission: 4-speed, manual

0-60 mph: 8.1 Seconds

Engine speed at 100kmph: 3000 rpm

Engine: 6-cylinder, 2996 cc

Power: 215 hp @ 5800 rpm

Torque: 28.0 mkg @ 4600rpm

Become a Lie Detector yourself…

Introduction to Detecting Lies

The following techniques to telling if someone is lying are often used by police, and security experts. This knowledge is also useful for managers, employers, and for anyone to use in everyday situations where telling the truth from a lie can help prevent you from being a victim of fraud/scams and other deceptions.

Warning: Sometimes Ignorance is bliss; after gaining this knowledge, you may be hurt when it is obvious that someone is lying to you.

Signs of Deception

Body Language of Lies:

• Physical expression will be limited and stiff, with few arm and hand movements. Hand, arm and leg movement are toward their own body the liar takes up less space.

• A person who is lying to you will avoid making eye contact.

• Hands touching their face, throat & mouth, touching or scratching the nose or behind their ear. Not likely to touch his chest/heart with an open hand.

Emotional Gestures & Contradiction:

• Timing and duration of emotional gestures and emotions are off a normal pace. The display of emotion is delayed, stays longer it would naturally, then stops suddenly.

• Timing is off between emotions gestures/expressions and words. Example: Someone says “I love it!” when receiving a gift, and then smile after making that statement, rather then at the same time the statement is made.

• Gestures/expressions don’t match the verbal statement, such as frowning when saying “I love you.”

• Expressions are limited to mouth movements when someone is faking emotions (like happy, surprised, sad, awe) instead of the whole face. For example; when someone smiles naturally their whole face is involved: jaw/cheek movement, eyes and forehead push down, etc.

Interactions and Reactions:

• A guilty person gets defensive. An innocent person will often go on the offensive.

• A liar is uncomfortable facing his questioner/accuser and may turn his head or body away.

• A liar might unconsciously place objects (book, coffee cup, etc.) between themselves and you.

Verbal Context and Content:

• A liar will use your words to make answer a question. When asked, “Did you eat the last cookie?” The liar answers, “No, I did not eat the last cookie.”

•A statement with a contraction is more likely to be truthful: “I didn’t do it” instead of “I did not do it”

• Liars sometimes avoid “lying” by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly.

• The guilty person may speak more than natural, adding unnecessary details to convince you… they are not comfortable with silence or pauses in the conversation.

• A liar may leave out pronouns and speak in a monotonous tone. When a truthful statement is made the pronoun is emphasized as much or more than the rest of the words in a statement.

• Words may be garbled and spoken softly, and syntax and grammar may be off. In other words, his sentences will likely be muddled rather than emphasized.

Other signs of a lie:

• If you believe someone is lying, then change subject of a conversation quickly, a liar follows along willingly and becomes more relaxed. The guilty wants the subject changed; an innocent person may be confused by the sudden change in topics and will want to back to the previous subject.

• Using humor or sarcasm to avoid a subject.

Conclusion

Obviously, just because someone exhibits one or more of these signs does not make them a liar. The above behaviors should be compared to a persons base (normal) behavior whenever possible.

Quit Smoking, or Die Tryin’

What makes you want to smoke? For most people, smoking becomes a routine part of daily life. Certain people, places, feelings, events, and even moods, called “triggers,” are linked with smoking. For instance, a trigger can be drinking a cup of coffee, talking on the phone, or seeing a friend who smokes.

Smoking routines become smoking triggers
Do you smoke a cigarette because you have a cup of coffee? Or do you have a cup of coffee so you can smoke a cigarette?

For most people, it’s hard to know. That’s why a smoking routine may become a smoking trigger.

Smoking routines may be automatic
Everything you do creates pathways or connections in the brain. Let’s say you routinely smoke in the kitchen. You’re actually training your brain to know that the kitchen is a place to smoke. Eventually, if you walk into the kitchen, your brain will have an automatic response - light up.

Unlearn old behavior
Because both nicotine addiction and your smoking routine have a physical effect on your body, it can feel beyond your control to change your behavior. That’s why it’s important to be aware. It helps to talk to your doctor about your smoking triggers. And see if treatments and quit smoking support plans can help you get cigarettes out of your life.

Watch Out!!!

The first step in changing your smoking routines is to know your own personal triggers. Below is a list of common triggers.

Identify which ones make you feel the urge to smoke. You can print out a list of your smoking triggers along with some tips on how to manage those situations.

• When you drink coffee
• When you drink wine or beer
• After lunch or dinner
• When you talk on the phone
• When you are driving
• When you are with other smokers
• When you are watching TV
• When you are waiting for a bus or train
• After an argument
• When you feel anxious or stressed

If you’ve tried quitting before, you may have felt irritable when you didn’t have a cigarette. Why has quitting smoking always been so hard? The answer has a lot to do with nicotine.

Nicotine addiction cycle

• For most people, smoking is more than a habit. It’s a nicotine addiction. Nicotine withdrawal is why you probably feel irritable or anxious when you don’t have a cigarette.
• When you smoke, nicotine goes to the brain in seconds.
• When nicotine is in the brain, it causes the release of a chemical called dopamine, which gives the feeling of pleasure and calm.
• Your body doesn’t want that feeling to stop. But when you’re between cigarettes, the level of dopamine drops.
• Even if you want to quit, the body craves nicotine. This makes you keep smoking.

The more you smoke, the more nicotine you need
Over time, each cigarette you smoke may become less and less effective. That’s because, as the brain gets used to nicotine, you may need to smoke more to have the same feeling of pleasure and calm. Of course, the more you smoke, the more you inhale toxins in cigarettes that are linked to smoking-related illnesses.

How does it feel to quit?
On top of feeling the urge to smoke, you may also feel some of these common physical nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

• Dizziness (at first)
• Trouble sleeping
• Tiredness
• Trouble concentrating
• Restlessness
• Headache
• Increased appetite
• Coughing and dry throat
• Constipation
• Slower heart rate

These effects will lessen over time.

Next, better health
Smoking-related health risks are actually caused by the other ingredients found in your cigarettes. For example, tobacco smoke has more than 60 ingredients known to cause cancer in humans. Luckily, once you quit, your risk of getting a smoking-related illness can start to drop—almost immediately.

How your doctor can help
Quitting smoking is hard, but possible. Your doctor can talk to you about nicotine addiction and tell you about treatment options and behavior support that may be right for you.

Tips to stop smoking

Get ready to quit

Ready to start planning your quit? Here are some ways you can get ready to say good-bye to cigarettes.

1. Make a personal commitment to yourself
2. Are you worried about your health? Or do you want to quit for your kids or family? Think about what will make you want to give up smoking. Write those reasons down.
3. Start building a support network to help you quit smoking
4. Tell your friends and family that you need their support. Talk about your reasons for quitting with them, too.
5. Make an appointment with your doctor
6. Talk to your doctor about wanting to quit. Ask about treatment options and support. Then decide on a quit date.
7. Set a quit date
8. Pick a date within the next 2 weeks. That’s enough time to get ready, but not so long that you’ll lose your will to quit.
9. Mark your calendar. You may be more likely to go through with your quit if you see your quit day in writing.
10. Enroll in a support program to help you quit smoking
11. Look for a program that helps with your urge to smoke and helps you break your smoking routine.
12. Clean up your living spaces
13. Get rid of anything that reminds you of smoking. Don’t forget to throw out lighters, ashtrays, and cigarettes the night before.
14. Anticipate withdrawal symptoms
15. Withdrawal symptoms are part of quitting smoking. Start to plan what you will do when you feel a symptom.
16. Know your smoking triggers
17. Be aware of your triggers so you can understand why you get the urge to smoke.

Things to do on the day of quit

You’ve taken steps to get ready, and now it’s time to quit. Here’s what to do on your quit day:

Make sure you’re in a smoke-free zone
Throw out your cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters at home, at work and in your car. Try to clean up and even spray air freshener.

Take advantage of professional support

• Be sure to follow your doctor’s treatment advice.
• Enroll in a program to help as you go about changing your smoking routine into a nonsmoking routine.

Quit, one trigger at a time
Afraid of that first cup of coffee? Don’t know what to do when you get into your car? When you’re in a situation where you usually smoke, don’t panic. Just focus on dealing with that one trigger.

You can beat your trigger

If you face a trigger, you may feel an urge to smoke. Luckily, you have some ways to help deal with cravings right at your fingertips.

• Take a deep breath
• Calm yourself down by inhaling and exhaling three times slowly. You can repeat this anytime and anywhere.
• Drink plenty of water
• Staying hydrated is healthy and gives your mouth something to do instead of smoking.
• Call a friend
• Instead of smoking, try talking to a friend. Probably by the time you finish chatting, your craving will be over
• Set up a support network
• When your quit day arrives, tell your friends and family. They can help you manage your smoking triggers
• Exercise
• Start a walking routine. Or join a class or a gym. Check with your doctor before starting a new activity.
• Have a healthy snack
• Carrots, popcorn, and even chewing gum can help you keep your mouth occupied while the craving passes.

Get the support you need
When you’re in the process of quitting, it’s not unusual to feel alone. But you’re not. In fact, there’s lots of help out there.

• Friends and family
  Many former smokers say that the support of family and friends helped them become nonsmokers.
• Your doctor
  Your doctor may know how hard it is to overcome nicotine addiction from smoking. He or she can talk to you about available options to help you quit smoking.
• Professional counseling
  Counseling, one-on-one or as part of a group, can help you cope with the stress of giving up your fags.

I myself had done it. You too can. Wish you All the Best…