Ford Focus is the world's best-selling auto

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 16 hrs.

Ford's increasing focus on global small cars apparently is paying off. Make that the Ford Focus which was the world?s best-selling automobile overall last year, according to new data from R.L. Polk & Company.

The Detroit maker?s compact model rang up more than 1 million sales last year, almost 17 percent more volume than Toyota recorded for its traditional sales leader, the compact Corolla model. Ford also scored at the other extreme, its big F-Series pickups collectively coming in third on the global sales list. In all, Ford landed three different models in the Top 10, including the sixth-ranked Fiesta subcompact.

Toyota and Honda each had two models on the Polk chart, while Volkswagen and General Motors? Chevrolet brand each had one. But the Top 10 list also included a new name likely not recognizable to most Westerners: China?s Wuling Zhiguang which generated 768,870 sales, landing just behind the F-Series in fourth place.

?Focus and Fiesta represent the culmination of our One Ford global product strategy,? said Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president for global marketing, sales and service and the head of its Lincoln brand.

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While Focus saw a 40 percent jump in U.S. demand last year, Ford?s late push into China helped Focus surge to the top of the sales charts last year, with volume of 1,020,410. It only went on sale in what is now the world?s largest automotive market in March 2012. Yet that market snapped up 300,000 of the Ford compacts last year ? where it is sold in both the current version and as a prior-generation model known as the Focus ?Classic.?

Looking forward to Ford?s aggressive Chinese expansion plans, said Farley, ?With additional manufacturing capacity added last year, we now have a tremendous opportunity to further strengthen our global small car sales in 2013, with sales off to a very strong start already.?

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Toyota?s second-place finish, with sales of 872,774, still underscores the power of its Corolla model, especially considering it is set for a complete redesign later this year. A prototype, dubbed the Furia, was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January and Toyota officials recently hinted that the production version will be introduced before the Los Angeles Auto Show next autumn.

(For more on the next Toyota Corolla, Click Here.)

The fact that the Ford F-Series only came in third might surprise some Americans considering its continued strength in the U.S., where it has routinely heads the sales charts as both best-selling truck and best-selling vehicle overall for decades. But the U.S. was responsible for the vast majority of the full-size pickup?s volume of 785,630 last year.

(Redesigning an Icon: the secret concepts behind the next-gen Ford F-Series, Click Here.)

The F-Series is a real standout on the Polk Top 10 sales chart as the only classic truck on the list. In fact, the vast majority of the top-selling products are compacts and subcompacts, with the Toyota Camry, ranked fifth, the only midsize offering.

The Detroit Bureau: Honda and Acura Have Big Plans to Reveal at Shanghai Auto Show

As for the Wuling Zhiguang, it?s a pintsized people-mover barely the size of some of the sedans and hatchbacks on the Top 10 chart. Wuling is part of a joint venture between General Motors and its Chinese partner, Shanghai-based SAIC. '

Here?s the complete Top 10 list:

1. Ford Focus ? 1,020,410
2. Toyota Corolla ? 872,774
3. Ford F-Series ? 785,630
4. Wuling Zhiguang ? 768,870
5. Toyota Camry ? 729,793
6. Ford Fiesta ? 723,130
7. VW Golf ? 699,148
8. Chevrolet Cruze ? 661,325
9. Honda Civic ? 651,159
10. Honda CR-V ? 624,982

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

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Polluting plastic particles invade the Great Lakes

Apr. 8, 2013 ? Floating plastic debris -- which helps populate the infamous "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in the Pacific Ocean -- has become a problem in the Great Lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world. Scientists reported on the latest findings from the Great Lakes in New Orleans on April 9 at the 245^th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS.

"The massive production of plastic and inadequate disposal has made plastic debris an important and constant pollutant on beaches and in oceans around the world, and the Great Lakes are not an exception," said Lorena M. Rios Mendoza, Ph.D., who spoke on the topic at the meeting.

Fish and birds could be harmed from accidently eating the plastic particles, or absorbing substances that leach out into the water, Rios said. Her team knows from analyses of fish stomachs that fish are consuming the plastic particles. Fish also could pass such substances to consumers, but Rios said research on that topic is just beginning.

Much of the plastic pollution in the oceans and Great Lakes goes unnoticed by the casual observer because it is so small. In the samples Rios' team collected in Lake Erie, 85 percent of the particles were smaller than two-tenths of an inch, and much of that was microscopic. Her group found between 1,500 and 1.7 million of these particles per square mile.

Fish, however, often mistake these bits of plastic for food. "The main problem with these plastic sizes is its accessibility to freshwater organisms that can be easily confused as natural food and the total surface area for adsorption of toxins and pseudo-estrogens increases significantly," Rios said. It is not yet understood whether these toxins enter the food chain in harmful amounts.

Rios also pointed out that the problem of ocean plastics is quickly growing. Plastic production has increased 500 percent since 1980, and plastics now account for 80 to 90 percent of ocean pollution, according to Rios. Some of this comes from plastic bags, bottles and other trash, or from fishing lines. Another source is household products like abrasive facial cleaners or synthetic fibers shed by clothes in the washing machine. The researchers also found large numbers of plastic pellets, which are shipped around the world to be melted down and molded into everything from plastic milk jugs to parts for cars.

The plastic pollution problem may be even worse in the Great Lakes than in the oceans, Rios said. Her team found that the number of microparticles -- which are more harmful to marine life because of their small size -- was 24 percent higher in the Great Lakes than in samples they collected in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. With a volume equal to 1.65 million Olympic swimming pools, the Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, and this is the first time that scientists have looked there for plastics.

The problem of plastic pollution in the oceans, however, has been widely known since at least 1988, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration first described the so-called "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," an area in the North Pacific Ocean where currents have concentrated plastics and other pollution. The patch varies in dimensions, but estimates indicate that at times it has been twice the size of the state of Texas.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/VHgis-zQ6cw/130409095410.htm

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S&P 500 index breaks through 2007 record high

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Standard & Poor's 500 index is pushing through its previous all-time high set in October 2007 as stocks climb in midday trading on Wall Street.

The benchmark index is up 16 points, or 1 percent, at 1,585, breaking its high of 1,576 set before the financial crisis.

Other indexes also rose Wednesday, led by technology stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 125 points, or 0.9 percent, to 14,799. The Dow was on its way to another record high close, having set its latest one the day before. Intel was the biggest gainer in the Dow, up 3 percent.

The Nasdaq composite index, which is heavily weighted toward technology stocks, rose even more than the Dow and S&P. The Nasdaq rose 1.6 percent, or 52 points, to 3,290.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/p-500-index-breaks-2007-record-high-155504182--finance.html

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House Dems who promise to vote No to benefit cuts like Chained CPI (Americablog)

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Talk show host Sara Gilbert engaged to singer Linda Perry

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sara Gilbert, host of female chat show "The Talk," announced on Monday that she is engaged to her singer-songwriter Linda Perry.

Gilbert, 38, who starred as rebellious daughter Darlene Conner on the 1990s TV comedy "Roseanne," made the announcement on the all-women talk show she created for CBS television.

Gilbert, 38, said Perry proposed while surprising the actress with a serenade by musicians during a picnic.

"It's, like, the most amazing proposal ever," Gilbert said on the show.

Perry, 47, the former singer in the 1990s rock group 4 Non Blondes, now works as a songwriter, penning hits for pop singers Pink and Christina Aguilera, including the 2002 ballad "Beautiful."

Gilbert has two children from a previous relationship with television producer Allison Adler.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/talk-show-host-sara-gilbert-engaged-singer-linda-000019229.html

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Engadget HD Podcast 344 - 04.09.13

Sony kicked of NAB 2013 with some closer-to-mainstream-than-expected 4K pricing announcements, so that's where we'll begin. Is it time to consider buying an Ultra HDTV, and is it worth even thinking about at the 65- and 55-inch sizes? We've also got our review of the Roku 3 to discuss, Netflix's House of Cards on Blu-ray this summer, plus our plans to abandon everything and move to Austin, Texas.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: James Trew (@itstrew)

Hear the podcast

Filed under: Podcasts, HD

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/X-m32Bn3rFY/

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Defense Secretary Hagel to visit Israel this month: official

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will pay a first visit to Israel since taking office later this month to bolster the allies' cooperation in the Middle East, an Israeli official told Reuters on Tuesday.

Hagel and his counterpart, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon who is also newly appointed, discussed the visit by phone last month, the Israeli Defence Ministry said. The official said Hagel would visit between April 21-23.

Hagel's visit will follow a trip by Secretary of State John Kerry who is currently visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories to try to restart long-stalled peace talks and after a visit last month by President Barack Obama.

Iran's perceived nuclear threat, an issue that is regularly on the agenda between the two allies, is certain to feature highly in discussions.

The United States heavily funds Israeli missile defence systems that protect against short-range rockets and missiles that militants in the Gaza Strip launch at Israel, as well as the threat of long-range missiles.

(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/defense-secretary-hagel-visit-israel-month-official-051803249.html

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