lune 25. 2008
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Page B6
Aut © R e v i e w
P o r f l a o i 1 Ob s e r v e r
2008 BMW
Mini Cooper
The Uniquely
Individual Mini
by K athleen C arr
Engineered by BM W . the new
2008 Mini Cooper iso n e o f the most
interesting looking cars on the road
to d ay . T his is the reason M ini Coo-
per dealers have been kept hop­
ping busy filling orders for this hot
little sport sedan. T he brainchild of
auto designer Frank Stephenson,
the M ini offers perform ance and
style in a com pact package th a t’s a
natural alternative to the giant, gas-
guzzling SU Vs o f today.
T henew 2008 MiniCrxrper comes
in tw o m odels - the barebones
C ooper (our test m odel), and the
m ore sophisticated C ooper S.
For a tiny car, the Mini C ooper
packs quite a punch. T he Mini
hatchback and convertible com e
w ith
c o m p le te ly
d if f e r e n t
pow ertrains. T he C ooper hatch­
back com es w ith a new ly designed
1.6-literfour-cylinderthat produces
118 horsepow er and 114 pound-
feet o f torque.
The C ooper S hatchback fea­
tures a turbocharged version o f the
S p e c ific a tio n s: 1 .6 -L iter 1 6-V alve 1 1 8 -h p @ 1 1 4 Ib-ft. to rq u e 4-C ylinder en g in e: 6 - S p e e d m a n u a l
G etrag tr a n s m issio n : 28-C ity 37-H ighw ay MPG: $ 2 1 ,4 5 0 . M SR P
same engine that roduces 172 hp
and 177 Ib-ft o f torque. Both com e
standard with a six-speed manual,
and a six-speed autom atic with
manual shift control is optional.
Finally, o f course, th ere's the over­
all 2(X)8 Mini C ooperperform ance-
with a top speed of 124 mph, the car
can go from zero to sixty in less than
nine seconds. Truly unbelievable!
Still, everything about the 2008
Mini C ooper com es back to looks.
On the outside, the new models
offer add-on spats, or fenders, that
differ from the color o f the car itself,
creating a contrast that accentu­
ates the vehicle’s com pact size.
It takes an expert to pick out the
differences between the 2008 MINI
Cooper and the first-generation car.
The headlam ps blend into the body
better, the rear side glass panels are
a little more tapered, and the shoul­
ders on the rear fenders are slightly
more pronounced. G ood thing: the
M IN I’S iconic shape d id n 't need a
com plete reinvention. Inside the
C ooper has m ore obvious changes,
including a slim m er center stack of
controls, a much bigger speedom ­
eter that now contains audio co n ­
trols, and a Start button.
The 2008 MINI C o o p er’s sus­
pension team s M acPherson struts
in front with a central-arm rear axle,
an unusual design for small front-
w heel-drive cars. Even on the sport-
tuned su sp en sio n w ith 17-inch
wheels, there’s a noticeable im­
O bservador _____
Coca Production Expands
News and reviews on new motor vehicles
provem ent in ride response. The
new electric power steering is pretty
good as far as these system s go,
but there’s an artificial feel th a t’s
contrary to everything else about
the MINI.
The cars also offer a sleek look
that includes rear support pillars
behind the exterior glass, a look
th at’s lost with the m ore conven­
tional C-pillar. Inside, this alterna­
tive look continues with dashboard
toggle sw itches, atypical feature o f
classic British cars, and spherical
air vents. Racing gloves and silk
scarf are two Mini accessories that
d o n ’t com e standard.
Surprisingly, fo ra ca ra ssm a ll as
this one, the 2008 Mini Cooper toy­
sized car offers a num ber o f active
and passive safety features. A c­
tive features include four-w heel
antilock brakes, electro-hydraulic
pow er-assisted steering, and cor­
nering brake control. Passive fea­
tures include a crash sensor sys­
tem, advanced crum ple zones, and
six standard airbags. All told, the
Mini has earned a four-star safety
rating from the National Highway
Transportation and Safety A dm in­
istration, and a "B est Pick” desig­
nation from the Insurance Institute
for H ighway Safety.
L ong rides w ill be m uch m ore
co m fo rtab le in the 2008 M IN I
C o o p er, th an k s to b etter seats.
T h ree lev ers let d riv ers and p as­
sen g ers m an eu v er th eir seats into
op tim al p o sitio n s, as d o es the
te lesco p in g steerin g w heel. T he
s c u lp te d se a tb a c k s g iv e rear-
seaters m arginally m ore room for
knees, ev en though in te rio r d i­
m en sio n s h a v e n ’t ch an g ed . T he
b ack seat rem ain s a p lace fo r o c­
casio n al rid ers in a g o o d m ood.
Even w ith o u t p assen g e rs, rear
h ead rests cu t into straig h t-b ack
visibility.
T he base C o o p e r h atch b ack
com es standard with 15-inch alloy
wheels, a selectable Sport setting
for steering and accelerato r re­
sponse, full pow er accessories with
auto up/dow n w indow s, air-condi­
tioning, leatherette prem ium vinyl
upholstery, m ulticolor m ood light­
ing, a tilt-te le sc o p in g leath er-
wrapped steering wheel, atrip co m -
puter and a six-speaker stereo with
C D player and auxiliary audio jack.
The 2008 MINI C ooper is one of
the most popular cars on the m ar­
ket, in term s o f buyers com peting
for each one. D iscounts are un­
heard o f and resale values are h ig h !
Mini is one o f the few brands
that encourages its custom ers to
custom ize and special order their
cars. Take the tim e to w ade through
the options and m ake a M INI th at’s
uniquely yourow n. But d o n 't let its
carefree attitude and cute looks fool
you. It’s one extrem e m achine that
is like nothing else out there.
el
Mexico Tackles Rising Food Prices
(AP) — Food m anufacturers Calderon, flanked by representa­
have prom ised M exico’s govern­ tives o f M exico’s business ch am ­
ment to freeze prices on m ore than bers. “This reflects the com m itm ent
150 food products to help families o f M exican businessm en to the
c o u n tr y a n d to
cope with rising costs.
price stability.”
P re s id e n t F e lip e
T h e M e x ic a n
C a ld ero n an n o u n c ed
leader has blamed
I ast week that prices for
high food costs on
goods such as cooking
rising global energy
oil, flour, canned tuna,
prices, soaring food
fru it ju ic e s , c o ffe e ,
dem and in C hina
k etch u p an d c a n n ed
and India and the
tom atoes will rem ain
use o f com for etha­
fixed until Dec. 31.
nol production.
“This is a m easure Felipe C alderon
C a ld e ro n h a d
that will positively and
eliminated
import
barriers
on wheat,
directly benefit the finances o f
m illio n s o f M e x ic a n s ,” said com and rice in May, won an agree-
ju st lO ofthe co u n try 's 195m unici-
U.S. fights $5 billion war on drugs paHlie,
(A P )— C olom bia'scocacrop—
the basis for cocaine — grew by 27
percent last year, the U nited N a­
tions reported last week, call ing the
increase "a surprise and a shock”
given m ajor U .S.-funded eradica­
tion efforts.
Eradication o f the crop in C olom ­
bia, the w orld’s No. I cocaine-pro­
ducing nation, has been the corner­
stone o f a m ultibillion-dollar U.S.
aid package.
C oca cultivation was also up 4
percent in Peru and 5 percent in
Bolivia, the U.N. O ffice on Drugs
and C rim e reported in its annual
survey.
It estim ated cocaine production
in the A ndean region was stable,
how ever, at about 994 metric tons
compared to984 metric tons in 2(XX).
C olom bian cocaine production
failed to keep pace with coca plant­
ing because police pressure forced
an interruption in the growing cycle.
G en. O sc a r N a ra n jo , c h ie f o f
C olom bia’s police, told reporters.
“These young crops, the new
ones, are less productive,” N aranjo
told a press conference in Bogota.
He said that eradication programs
also are pushing coca farm ers to
Hkei„Afghanistan.
where m ost opium is grown in
provinces with a heavy Taliban
presence, in C olom bia most
coca is grow n in areas co n ­
trolled by insurgents.”
In all, 9 9 ,0 0 0 hectares, or 382
square m iles, o f coca cultiva­
tion w ere found in C olom bia
last year, up from 78,(XX) hect­
ares in 2006, the U.N. said. It
estim ated total cultivation last
year in C olom bia, Peru and
Bolivia— the world’s three prin­
cipal sources o f coca — at
181,600 hectares, or 7 0 1 square
miles.
Last year, C olom bia’s drug
police sprayed herbicide on
4 w orker u p ro o ts c o c a s h r u b s
160,000 hectares o f coca and
during a m a n u a l era d ica tio n
m anually eradicated another
ca m p a ig n o f c o c a fie ld s in Taraza , 50,000 hectares.
in th e n o r th w e s te r C o lo m b ia 's
W a s h in g to n h a s s p e n t
s ta t e o f A ntioqu ia . G u a rd ed b y
m ore than $5 billion in C o lo m ­
c o u n te r n a rc o tic s p o lic e o ffic e rs
bia o v er the past seven years
a n d th e arm y, m o re th a n 2 0 0
to com bat both a long-running
p e a s a n ts are era d ica tin g c o c a
insurgency and the world’s larg­
cro p s in th e region. (AP P hoto)
est cocaine industry, a busi­
more remote areas w here it is harder ness that helps fund a five-decade
to obtain the chem icals needed to arm ed conflict.
Some Democrats in the U.S. C on­
make cocaine.
gress
are criticizing the heavy m ili­
He noted, how ever, that alm ost
tary
focus
o f U.S. aid to Colom bia.
halfof C olom bia's coca com es from
Anti-Immigrant Measure Challenged
A broad coalition has formed
to educate voters o f the conse­
q uences Initiative P etition 19
would have on O reg o n 's children
and econom y.
The unfunded m andate term ed
“English Language Instruction"
would prohibit teaching a public-
school student in a language other
than English for more than two
years. This N ovem ber, O rego­
nians will have the choice to reject
or pass a law which will take control
away from local school boards, fami­
lies and educators.
"M any o f these children suffer
from econom ic hardship and some
have spent years in refugee cam ps
with no formal schooling before
com ing to O regon,” said Kayse
Jam a o f the C enter for Intercultural
Organizing.
S im ila r m e asu res p assed in
o th e r states h av e been show n to
Advertise w ith diversity
State Farm*
Proviritng Insurance and Financial Service
Home O ffre . Bloomington. Illinois 61710
Ernest J. Hill, Jr.
Agent
M id d e n
j re a su re s
MARGIE BOOKER
PROPRIETOR
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Open The - Sat
503-281-0927
C a ll
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603 786 1103 Fax 603 286 1146
etnie hill h5mb‘"?stateta'n) coin
24 Hour Good Neighbor Service^
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4545 NE M L K Jr. Blvd. PDX, 97211
Paul A. Neufeldt
503-875-1695
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Bob's Guide Service available
miehael@ bridgetownrealty.com
“Bob knows where the fish are!"
503.288.4717
Michael Tillery
503.975.8004
Please call me, your neighborhood
specialist, for any o f your Real Estate
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com m itm ent to quality service.
in c'!f ^ In rtla n b (Obserurv
O I ^ M P U S 7 Day Pass
1703 NE Alberta Portland, Oregon 97211
Three bedrooms, sleeps 8 +
Full kitchen, Cable, Washer and Dryer
Rent Daily or Weekly
h in d er the ab ility o f ch ild ren to
learn E n g lish . In C a lifo rn ia, a re ­
cen t study rev ealed th at, six years
after an an ti-b ilin g u al ed u c atio n
m e a s u r e 's p a s s a g e , ju s t o n e -
q u arte r o f H isp an ic p u p ils co uld
ex p ect to be rec lassified as fluent
in E nglish.
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dents enrolled in English language
developm ent program s in Oregon
school districts.
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House for Rent
Snake River
Richland, Oregon
ment from rice farm ers to sell their
crop at 10 percent below interna­
tional m arket prices and last year
im posed price caps on tortillas,
M exico’s staple food.
H e a lso a n n o u n c e d sm a ll
m onthly cash subsidies to 26 m il­
lion poor M exicans, about a quar­
ter of the population. T he cash
paym ents o f about 120 pesos
($ 11.6) a m onth are expected to
cost about $433 m illion.
M exico’s central bank said an ­
nual inflation rose to 4.95 percent
in M ay, the fastest pace in more
than three years, led by the sw ell­
ing costs o f food oils, rice, wheat
products and com tortillas.
panndrw@yahoo.com
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