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To promote the green image Chrysler is downplaying the Hemi engine. It will be offered as an option but won't be called Hemi, but simply 5.7 liter V8 for certain jeeps. Chrysler will emphasize smaller engines such as the V6 Pentastar engine and 4 cylinder engines.

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Commenting on the new Higher Education Commission proposed to replace the University Grants Commission, a former Vice Chancellor of Delhi University Dinesh Singh, says the HECI is designed to overcome the shortcomings of the UGC when it comes to monitoring the quality of education. Yet much depends on the people who run HECI. 

Currently the proposed structure of  HECI has come under criticism for its close connections to the government, and not bringing in more talented people from outside.

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One of the great achievements of this century will go unreported in the media preoccupied with other things- the discovery of the Covid Pfizer vaccine by Turici and Sahin Turkish immigrants to Germany and their extraordinary courage recognized by being awarded Germany's National Prize by chancellor Merz. Germany's National Prize awarded to Ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin for BioNTech Covid Vaccine.  "You both embody the future strength of a liberal society. As scientists who seek solutions. But also as entrepreneurs for whom responsibility is at the center of their work." Merz says during the award ceremony in Berlin. The chancellor praised Türeci and Sahin, with their Turkish roots, giving examples of how "skilled labor immigration can be a driver of progress." "I want to live in a Germany in which talent is promoted to the best of our ability, regardless of social or ethnic background." ...

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Ramachandra Guha comments on the selection of Institutions of Excellence by the Government of India- ten private and ten public institutions- that can be turned into world class leaders in the education field. He says IIT Madras would be a better choice than IIT Delhi, IITMumbai and Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore are considered good choices. The choice on the list of Jio Institute is seen as strange because it is has no students and no campus and still at the concept stage. KREA is a better choice for an education project at an early stage, says Guha.

Institutions not on the list that deserve attention are Ashoka for the best social science departments, Jindal for infrastructure, Azimji Premji for research on policy issues, and Ahmedabad University for innovative trans-disciplinary approach.

 

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The Guardiola Klopp rivalry and yet the deep respect for each other comes across in this video and report in The Guardian about the two best coaches and teams in world soccer. Klopp says that like Guardiola he looks forward to a time when he and Guardiola could sit together and have some wine together. It is a heck of a good relationship for world soccer and a role model for the ages.

"He has told me when we are not in charge of any club anymore we will sit together and have a glass of wine, even though I am not a big wine drinker."

"" I am not Roger Federer and he is not Rafael Nadal,but they compete on the highest level and are still best friends. Pep and I are not best friends because we don't know each other, but I respect him a lot, and he respects what we are doing as well, and that's fine."

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A technology that has been known for years but with problems to solve before it can go on the road is being developed by automakers. It will increase fel economy by about 15% and reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen a key smog component. GM is working on getting HCCI which stands for Homogenous-charge Compression- Ignition to work in a gasoline engine. For it to work the combustion process in such an engine has to meet certain conditions, the mixture of air an fuel has to be homogenous and be at certain temperatures. Once this is achieved combustion occurs without a spark. The trick is to get the temperature and gas mixture to just the right homogenous levels so that it sparks and burns efficiently, which at this time is being achieved by computer controls keeping the engine rpm within a certain optimal range of 1000-3000 rpm which covers typical driving. Problems that remain to be tackled are the faint rattling type noise when the engine shifts to spark ignition when its outside this range of rpm, and the emissions reduction at low loads, and handling a range of fuels. GM has made progress upto the advanced engineering and road test phase for the Saturn Aura. German automakers Mercedes and VW are perfecting there own versions of HCCI and Honda is developing its version and its a top priority for these automakers. ...

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The first rally for Harris in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The road to the presidency goes through Wisconsin and Harris received enthusiastic support with Governor Tony Evers putting it this way-On the Tony Evers excitement scale that goes from ‘holy mackerel’ and maxes out at ‘heck yes,’ I am jazzed as hell to be welcoming our next presidential nominee to Wisconsin: Vice President Kamala Harris.” Harris used the same lines she used in Wilmington at her first rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In her legal career, Harris said, she “took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.” “So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type”  On project 2025, the blueprint for the first 100 days in office of a Trump second term, the action items are ones that would jeopardize the safety of American institutions that were set up with so much care by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and nurtured by the first president George Washington with little attention to himself, and protected by president after president through civil war under Abraham Lincoln, through 2 World Wars and The Great Depression under Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, through recovery under Harry Truman and Ike, only to falter under a series of mediocre presidents Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama and be endangered by a NBC television show and construction business person with support from new social media networks that were unknown throughout America history till 2010 and television networks that had degenerated into recklessly divisive behaviours to win silo audiences. ...

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The British public is very conservative when it comes to reopening. 73% support prioritizing the health of citizens only 17% say prioritize the economy. This is the highest of industrialized nations, Japan being the next highest with 60% supporting prioritizing health only 16% in Japan saying the economy.  For Boris Johnson as he makes the speech on Sunday May 10 on reopening the political margin for error in decision is nonexistent. Britain's tabloid press and other media simply took the idea that to heck with it lets reopen reflecting a lack of caution in the headlines after Mr. Johnson expressed his intention to reopen. After seeing this Johnson and his closest advisers met without his hawkish ministers to reflect on what was happening in the country. The British government's scientific advisers say whether there are 100,000 deaths by the end of the year depends on many factors including testing, contact tracing, the way the lockdown is eased, the situation at nursing homes, and other government action  to prevent a resurgence in infections. At the meeting with Gove, Sunak Raab and Hancock, Mr Johnson stepped back and reversed any plans except for mild reopening- giving people more time outside for exercize, opening limited locations such as garden centres and advising strongly to wear masks on public transport. Both Johnson and Dominic Cummings his adviser had coronavirus, and Johnson spent some time in ICU. They know the impact of the coronavirus from their own personal experience.  For Johnson there is only one chance, Tory senior advisers say the public will forgive mistakes going into coronavirus, but will never forgive mistakes getting out of cotronavirus. He told Keir Starmer of Labour in parliament that he bitterly regrets what has happened in nursing homes. The scientists have warned him that the staff at nursing homes could seed communities once again. And that the coronavurus R ratio (1 being the level it starts growing again) could go up back to 1. This is the situation on May 10 as Johnson prepares to speak to the nation on Sunday at 7 pm, as he shifts to "maximum caution." ...

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The action taken by local and government officials to address the high PM 2.5 pollutant levels and smog in Harbin, China, in October 2013. For the first time the Ministry of Environmental Protection has powers to take serious action. It is sending out inspection teams to cities across China for the winter to make sure environmental regulations are enforced. One big change is that cities now report in real time the change in pollutant levels for PM 2.5, the worst pollutant. By Oct. 2013 113 cities in China carried the live reports on websites. The Ministry has published a list of the 4189 factories in China that create 65% of total industrial air pollutants in China. The Jinping-Li Keqiang administration supports the stronger enforcement and has set a goal of reducing PM 2.5 levels by 15- 25% each year for Tianjin, Beijin and Hebi province in northern China, compared to 2012 levels. These three regions have been given the target of reducing coal use by 80 million tons a year.