| Now dimmer switches can be progammable
Nothing probably jolts you awake faster than bright lights on sleepy eyes. Whether you're groping the hallway wall on the way to the bathroom or just flipping the switch after a romantic movie, the abrupt, blinding light can leave you squinting painfully until your eyes adjust. Replacing conventional light switches with dimmers can help you avoid those moments. However, dimmer switches won't work with all light bulbs. Dimmer switches are available in several styles. The least expensive ones are dial-shaped knobs. They cost around $1.75. With knobs, "you have to adjust the light [level] every time you turn it on," says Doug Beach, the store manager at Lamps Plus in Fresno, Calif. "You also have to click it off to be sure the lights are off." There also are dimmers that look like standard light switches.
Ontario needs to produce green SUVs if it wants to lead auto ...
Ken Ogilvie, executive director of Pollution Probe, said the world is waking up to the reality of global warming and Ontario has to act. The province should focus tax dollars on developing alternative fuels, hybrid technology and impose fuel-efficiency standards rather than defend big cars, Ogilvie said. “If you resist it, you just slow up change," he said. “Slowing up change has really negative future consequences. The world is changing and you have to change with it. We should be a leader, not a follower in this." New Democrat Peter Tabuns said McGuinty is just paying lip service to greening Ontario's auto sector. If the Liberals were serious, Tabuns said, the province would be putting cash into researching greener technology and would bring in emission and fuel-efficiency standards.
New York Preview: 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee revealed
The Chrysler Group is kicking off its presence at the 2007 New York Auto Show by unveiling the new 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee a little early. The new GC features a revised exterior that's difficult to detect at first glance. We'll hit the high points for you. First off, the front end features a grille that dips down a bit lower, and the bottom of the headlights have been rounded off to enhance their Jeepishness. One can also order a set of HID auto-leveling headlamps. The fog lamps have also been lowered to improve their effectiveness. Hardcore off-roaders will be pleased to know, however, that the new fascia is compised of two-pieces, the lower of which can be removed when trail-rating your new Grand Cherokee. The taillights out back are also revised. Underhood the new GC now features no less than five engine options, one of which is an all-new 4.7L V8 that slots in below the 5.7L HEMI V8.
Grilled lamp chops take on a German accent
When one thinks about German cooking techniques, outdoor grilling is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. After all, barbecuing is something that most of us think of as a great American pastime -- not something that applies to European food. Fabrizio Wiest, chef-owner of Suppenkuche in San Francisco's Hayes Valley, offers us two recipes from his native Germany that are perfectly suited to this outdoor tradition: Grilled Lamb Chops and Red Beet Salad. Both dishes come from his mother's repertoire. Although this beet recipe is thoroughly German, the lamb chops' Mediterranean flair reflect the influence of a wave of Italy-to-Germany immigration that took place in the 1950s and '60s. The lamb's tangy marinade is a melange of flavors from all over -- from Worcestershire to Tabasco -- but shows its German roots with hot yellow mustard.
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