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Clean car rally in San Francisco tomorrow

Bay Area residents concerned about the climate crisis are joining with thousands across America in the largest ever National Day of Climate Action tomorrow, according to a Automotive.com. The Step It Up "Lighten Up Your Ride" clean car rally -- part expo, part action fair -- will be showcasing the cutting edge of clean car technology and calling on Congress to step it up: cut CO2 emissions 80% by 2050.
The clean car rally will feature the latest in green vehicle technology with demonstrations of plug-in hybrid cars, 100% electric cars, bio-diesel conversions and solar buses. The day will end with a Clean Car Caravan of vehicles and bikes to the GM dealership in Marin, calling on the company to "Step It Up GM: Plug In Hybrids not Hummers, Now!"
When: Saturday, April 14, 2007, 11 am - 3 pm
Where: 610 Mason Street, The Presidio, San Francisco. (There are two Mason Streets in San Francisco, and this event is located in The Presidio, adjacent to Sports Basement facing Crissy Field, not in the Financial District.)

Posted by   at 10:30 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

GM mulling options to shed $64 billion in retiree health benefits

General Motors is considering at least three proposals to shed most of its $64 billion in costs for retiree health-care benefits in an attempt to return to profitability, according to people with knowledge of the plans, according to bloomberg.com
GM, the world's largest automaker and biggest private provider of medical coverage, is developing the options even as union leaders suggest any comprehensive health-care fix will be rejected, the Web site says. Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner said in January the automaker must reduce health-care obligations for U.S. retirees after losing more than $12 billion the last two years.

Posted by   at 10:24 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Car thieves go hi-tech and police have to keep up

Participating in a recent operation in San Diego to bust street racing were officers from 10 Southern California police agencies and one civilian: Mike Bender, one of the country’s foremost authorities on auto theft, according to the New York Times.
He accompanied the mission, as he has many others over the last decade, to help the police identify stolen car parts and to train officers to recognize the connections among street racing, auto theft and insurance fraud.
Mr. Bender, 51, a former special agent for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, acts as a consultant to police departments and conducts auto-theft seminars around the country. His message is that thieves have gone high-tech, so the police need to go high-tech, too. To prove the point and destroy the myth that advanced antitheft systems are impenetrable, Mr. Bender often heads out to his garage to get his hands dirty and crack security systems himself.

Posted by   at 10:19 AM to Police | Permalink | Comments 0