In addition, they get a look at what that car will be worth when they’re done with it. After all, purchasing a new vehicle can be one of life’s big events. You want to know everything you can about the true value of your options, including the future trade-in value of the vehicle you’re considering.

How It Works
That’s where a new program that future proofs the value of your new car comes in. The dealers provide a written guarantee that says exactly how much the car will be worth two, three or four years from date of purchase.

If you go back to the dealer at any time during months 24 through 48 of ownership, you can trade in your qualifying vehicle toward the purchase of a new one. The vehicle is assessed to determine the current market value, which is then compared to the guaranteed value. The higher of either the guaranteed value or the current market value, less any applicable mileage charges or damage costs, can be applied to the purchase of a new Hyundai. The guarantee, dealers say, is possible because Hyundai’s residual values are among the highest in the industry.

What Else You Get
In addition, all the company’s vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by a complimentary Assurance program, which includes a five-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new-vehicle warranty, a 10-year/ 100,000-mile power train warranty and five years of complimentary roadside assistance as well as the trade-in value guarantee.

Further Futures
Meanwhile, the company’s engineers and designers have a few more ideas in mind when it comes to forward-thinking technology. These include:

A fuel-cell electric vehicle that doesn’t need heavy batteries, can go up to 400 miles between refueling and never needs to be recharged.

Location sharing, which sends your vehicle location to your friends and followers on social networking sites so they can keep track of your urban adventures.

A roof made of a translucent composite covered by a glass skin for a major weight savings.

Composite body panels and an elastic front safety system that reduces the chance of pedestrian injury.

82 percent of young adult drivers ages 16 to 24 have read a standard text message while driving, according to a national survey conducted by the Ad Council (2011).

An online survey of 1,999 teens ages 16 to 19 found that 86 percent had driven while distracted even though 84 percent know it’s dangerous (2010).

23 is the average number of texts per month that teens who text and drive admit to sending (2010).
Distracted Driving

NHTSA reports that distracted driving is the No. 1 killer of American teens (2007). 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving (2009). The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) reports that a texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a nontexting driver (2009).

“Distracted driving is dangerous and, tragically, teen drivers are the most at risk of being involved in a fatal distracted driving crash,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

To address this issue, the State Attorneys General and Consumer Protection agencies, NHTSA and the Ad Council unveiled new PSAs created pro bono by New York advertising agency The Concept Farm. They are designed to communicate the dangers of texting and driving to teens and young adults. By taking their eyes off the road, even for a few seconds, they are making the roads less safe for themselves, their passengers and other drivers.

All the PSAs direct audiences to StopTextsStopWrecks.org, a new campaign website where teens and young adults can find facts about the dangers of texting while driving and tips on how to curb the behavior. The website also has an area where individuals can post and share on Facebook the actions they are taking to stop texting and driving.

To learn more, visit www.StopTextsStopWrecks.org.

UPLAND, CA-The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc (Eta Alpha Alpha chapter) in conjunction with the Inland Valley Uplift Foundation invites the community to their 3rd Annual Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. at Gary High School.

The primary focus of the event is to prepare youth for college, make them aware of financial obligations, development of entrepreneurial skills and to learn life skills.

This a free event for the first 100 young men in grades 9-12. Youth will receive lunch, a T-shirt and gifts during the conference. Nothing is necessary for you to bring, just a willingness to listen, learn and participate.

Young men who are interested in participating must complete an application and sign a Parent/Participant Release form by Friday, February 24, 2012. Forms can be mailed or dropped off at 2832 Longhorn Street, Ontario, California 91761.

All participants must be at the high school by 8:30 a.m. If you need to be picked up afterwards, by a parent or guardian, the Youth Leadership Conference will end no later than 2:00 p.m.

For any additional questions, please contact James Wilson, Program Coordinator, at (909) 685-4639 or inland.ivuf@yahoo.com.

A Pew Research Center study, released Thursday, details a diversifying America where interracial unions and the mixed-race children they produce are challenging typical notions of race.

“The rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved over the past quarter century,” said Daniel Lichter, a sociology professor at Cornell University. “Mixed-race children have blurred America’s color line. They often interact with others on either side of the racial divide and frequently serve as brokers between friends and family members of different racial backgrounds,” he said. “But America still has a long way to go.”

The figures come from previous censuses as well as the 2008-2010 American Community Survey, which surveys 3 million households annually. The figures for “white” refer to those whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity. For purposes of defining interracial marriages, Hispanic is counted as a race by many in the demographic field.

The study finds that 8.4 percent of all current U.S. marriages are interracial, up from 3.2 percent in 1980. While Hispanics and Asians remained the most likely, as in previous decades, to marry someone of a different race, the biggest jump in share since 2008 occurred among blacks, who historically have been the most segregated.

States in the West where Asian and Hispanic immigrants are more numerous, including Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and California, were among the most likely to have couples who “marry out,” more than one in five. The West was followed by the South, Northeast and Midwest. By state, mostly white Vermont had the lowest rate of intermarriage, at 4 percent.

In all, more than 15 percent of new marriages in 2010 were interracial.

Minorities, young adults, the higher educated and those living in Western or Northeast states were more likely to say mixed marriages are a change for the better for society. The figure was 61 percent for 18- to 29-year-olds, for instance, compared to 28 percent for those 65 and older.

Due to increasing interracial marriages, multiracial Americans are a small but fast-growing demographic group, making up about 9 million, or 8 percent of the minority population. Together with blacks, Hispanics and Asians, the Census Bureau estimates they collectively will represent a majority of the U.S. population by mid-century.
“In the past century, intermarriage has evolved from being illegal, to be a taboo and then to be merely unusual. And with each passing year, it becomes less unusual,” said Paul Taylor, director of Pew’s Social & Demographic Trends project. “That says a lot about the state of race relations. Behaviors have changed and attitudes have changed.”

Fortunately, there are several easy, affordable ways to lead a greener lifestyle at home.

1. Get some fresh air. From the cleaning supplies you use to the off-gassing of new furniture, carpet and paint, your home carries airborne toxins that can cause health problems if they become trapped and increase in density. Counteract this by bringing fresh air inside.

Your green action: Intermittently open windows on opposite sides of a house to encourage a cross-breeze. In a two-story house, open a window downstairs and a window upstairs. As warm air rises, it will exit the top-floor window. In places like kitchens and bathrooms, where moisture can accumulate and trigger mold growth if left unaddressed, spot ventilation can be achieved with exhaust fans. It’s also important in rooms with gas appliances to offset carbon monoxide. Exhaust fans can be noisy. Look for those rated 2.0 sones or less.

2. You hold the power. Being money smart may mean rethinking the way you use gas and electricity in the home.

Your green action: Take care of your appliances for maximum energy efficiency. Plugged-in appliances consume energy even when they are turned off or in standby mode. This phantom load, particularly from power adapters, computers and TVs, can account for as much as 10 percent of your home’s energy consumption. Place power strips throughout the house and shut down power at the outlet versus on the appliance.

Also, make sure your appliances are operating at maximum efficiency. Clean your dryer’s lint trap after every load and scrub it with an old toothbrush once a month to get rid of the film left behind by dryer sheets. Clean your refrigerator coils, which can accumulate dust, at least once a year. Pull the refrigerator away from the wall and unplug it. Then remove the cover panel on the back to expose the coils and use a long-handled brush or handheld vacuum to remove dust.

3. Be water wise. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a family of four in the United States uses about 400 gallons of water daily-70 percent of which is for indoor use.

Your green action: Install low-flow plumbing fixtures. High-efficiency clothes washers and dishwashers are ideal but they can be expensive. An alternative is installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. A low-flow showerhead can save a household up to 2,300 gallons of water a year. A faucet aerator attaches to the end of a faucet and slows the water flow, while adding air to maintain water pressure. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends aerators with a maximum flow rate of one gallon per minute.