Miscellaneous » Broken Controllers Central

America’s Least Eco-Friendly Vehicles

7
Nov/09BC

Posted by TJ Wasiuk in Automobiles, Miscellaneous, Weather.

Just because a car has low fuel efficiency doesn’t mean it’s the worst polluter on the road. The Chevrolet Suburban and Dodge Challenger are some of the biggest gas-gulpers available, but they don’t cause quite the environmental harm other cars do.

That title is reserved for vehicles that combine their poor gas mileage with high tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions. Think along the lines of some of the bulkiest cars on the road, like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Dodge Dakota.

While fuel economy is linked to emissions, it’s not the only factor. Pollution levels also have to do with the type of fuel being used and the age and condition of the engine, among other things.

“You can have a really fuel-efficient, dirty vehicle and a really clean, not-so-fuel-efficient vehicle,” says Karl Simon, a director of compliance and innovation for the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “It really is pretty wide open from a technical perspective.”

List of vehicles after the break….

Tags: Automobile, Eco-Friendly

Middle-school WR checks in at 7-4

6
Nov/09BC

Posted by Marxi Julien in Miscellaneous.

Source: Rivals

Rivals: The Morgan Middle School football team in Ellensburg, Wash., doesn’t need a sheet to know when to go for the two-point conversion. It may have a sure-fire play: Just throw it to Brenden Adams.

Adams, you see, is 7-foot-4.

That’s right; the tallest teen-age boy in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records is playing football this year. In middle school.

“This is the first year my mom’s let me play,” Adams told Melissa Luck, an executive producer for KXLY4 in Spokane. “She thought I was gonna get hurt or something. It’s my favorite sport and she said this is an opportunity she didn’t want me to miss.”

Luck’s story details Adams’ growth and his love of the game.

First, his height.

He was an average newborn, measuring just over 19 inches. But by five months old, he had gained 14 pounds and had all of his teeth. At 2, he was 3-foot-5; by 5 he was 4-for-5. At ll, he was 6-foot-8. He’s now 14.

Adams gave Luck the medical explanation for his growth: “It was my 12th chromosome that broke in half and flipped over and reattached,” he said.

While his height makes strangers wonder if he’s an athlete, the truth is, his height actually holds him back as it comes with serious health problems, including enlarged joints and unusual blood counts. He already has arthritis.

“I can’t run anymore,” Adams said in the story. “I can’t be active like I used to.”

Height, actually, is a detriment in football. While NFL players keep getting bigger, the truth is, it’s usually bigger, not taller.

Read the full story…