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The Holden Torana is a car which was produced by General Motors–Holdens (GM-H), the Australian subsidiary of General Motors (GM) from 1967 to 1980. The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly". The first Torana (HB series) appeared in 1967 and was a four cylinder compact vehicle that had its origins in the British Vauxhall Vivas of the mid 1960s. Whilst 1969-73 (LC and LJ) models included more popular, longer wheel base six cylinder versions; and 1974-77 (LH and LX) eight cylinder versions the four-cylinder versions continued for the entire production life of the Torana and were known as the Holden Sunbird from 1976.



In 2004, Holden released a sporty five-door concept car called the Torana TT36 (TT = Twin Turbo; 36 = 3.6 litre V6). The model was said to debut a new platform for General Motors and previews the look of the 2006 VE Commodore. In terms of size, it was marginally bigger than the BMW 3 Series on the outside, though considerably roomier inside with BMW 5 Series rivaling interior space. The TT36 was painted in Magenta and has a clear roof. The prototype visited the National Motor Museum at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills in early 2008.

Dear friends,

The quotation "All men are created equal" has been called an "immortal declaration", and "perhaps [the] single phrase" and popularized as "theory of prediction" of the United States Revolutionary period with the greatest "continuing importance". Thomas Jefferson first used the phrase in the Declaration of Independence. It was thereafter quoted or incorporated into speeches by a wide array of substantial figures in American political and social life in the United States. The final form of the phrase was stylized by Benjamin Franklin.
In 1776 the Second Continental Congress asked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman to write the Declaration of Independence. The five men voted to have Thomas Jefferson write the document. After Jefferson finished he gave the document to Franklin to proof. Franklin suggested minor changes, but one of them stands out far more than the others. Jefferson had written, "We hold these truths to be sacred and un-deniable..." Franklin changed it to, "We hold these truths to be self-evident."
The opening of the United States Declaration of Independence states as follows:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed
Now take a look to the above GIF of lovely, adorable and down-to-Earth Jennifer Lawrence and let me know if you feel the same as she does. Sometimes I do... sometimes I loose faith in humanity and wonder if truly we are all created equal. If we are all created equal then how come some people are richer than other, how come some people are smarter than others, how come some people are more friendly than others, and the list can go on... Can we truly say we all are equal or are we not quite? Should we all say that we are all equal but not the same? Would that be more correct? We know from the Bible that we were created after the imagine of God, so how awesome are we?! Do you imagine the potential lurking in each and everyone of us? We are capable of great things if we would just believe in it! :)
But when you sit and look at the news, in the newspapers or if you open up the TV, you bump into horrific thing: people killing other people, people killing animals just for fun, plane crashes, car crashes, train wrecks and people who rule countries but care not of the people they rule, man fighting against man, mothers letting go of their babies or even not letting them live... People tend to be more and more self centered. Why marry? Why have a family? Why give birth to children? They would only ruin my career or drag me down... It is true, deep in my heart I know that some people are just not meant for family and for having children... but on the other hand I think that if they would give it a shot they would change... Who knows?! Maybe in a paralel universe they even have children ;)
When you come to think of it, not even our brains are the same. True, the fundamentals are the same: everyone was 2 lobes and one is for the creative part and one for the analytical, but some have one of the parts more evolved than the other. Not to mention that recent statistics found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women that’s lending credence to some commonly-held beliefs about their behavior.
"These maps show us a stark difference--and complementarity--in the architecture of the human brain that helps provide a potential neural basis as to why men excel at certain tasks, and women at others," said Ragini Verma, PhD, an associate professor in the department of Radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. For instance, on average, men are more likely better at learning and performing a single task at hand, like cycling or navigating directions, whereas women have superior memory and social cognition skills, making them more equipped for multitasking and creating solutions that work for a group. They have a mentalistic approach, so to speak.
I guess what I am trying to say here that the base is always the same. Our bodies work in the same way, have the same functions yet what we do with what God has given us it is entirely up to our choice with a combination of luck... considering that you would be born in a rich VS. poor family / Europe VS. America and so on... The thing about human beings is that we are rational and we are constantly learning and I can say about myself that travelling has broadened my mind and my ideeas about life. Once you start to travel and meet new people and see/experience the different cultures you will no longer make a difference between the religions / color of skin / number of digits of the bank account... You will be all the same, people wanting to learn more and develop yourself.
I am proud to say I am an expat and that I am a Romanian girl married to a Polish lad, with friends that are black / white / yellow / gay / straight / bisexual / religious / atheist and so on. I am proud I met them and I am proud I heard their stories with an open eye and an open heart. It is everyones choice who they are and what they are like and even though you may have opinions of your own of what is wrong or right I believe that each person knows what is best for themselves. We are all equal but not the same :)

Yours truly,
An Open-Minded LadyBug

Under a SuperTruck contract established with the U.S. Department of Energy, Volvo Technology of America, Inc. is scheduled to receive $19m (£11.5m) in federal funding to be used by the Volvo Group’s North American truck-related operations to improve the freight-moving efficiency of heavy-duty trucks and reduce greenhouse gases.



A team of highly skilled researchers and engineers in Greensboro, North Carolina and Hagerstown, Maryland will spend the next five years developing high-efficiency heavy-duty truck technologies aimed at moving more freight with less fuel, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Improved truck aerodynamics and energy conversion efficiency – maximizing the output potential of the energy source – are two areas that hold great promise for Class 8 efficiency gains.







In achieving the SuperTruck program goals, Volvo will draw on established leadership and extensive experience in energy efficiency and reducing heavy-duty truck and engine diesel use. Volvo’s North American truck and powertrain operations have been participating in other DOE- funded heavy vehicle fuel efficiency efforts as well. Being an integrated manufacturer also improves the efficacy of product development and allows Volvo to optimize solutions across product platforms.



“We are delighted to receive this SuperTruck award that builds upon an already strong relationship with the U.S. Department of Energy,” said Ron Huibers, Volvo Trucks senior vice president, sales and marketing. “Freight transportation plays a vital role in our daily lives and the strength of our nation, so it’s essential that we step up our efforts to create the best, most efficient heavy-duty truck solutions possible. This public-private partnership is an important step forward as we continue to expand our technology leadership.”



“We appreciate the Department of Energy’s recognition of Volvo as a global technology leader,” said Peter Karlsten, Volvo Powertrain president, and senior vice president of technology for the Volvo Group. “Our partnership will help drive the development of technologies needed to maximize energy efficiency as we address the reality of a finite supply of petroleum-based resources.”



He added, “Volvo Trucks and Powertrain have committed the internal resources necessary to become fuel efficiency leaders in the Class 8 market and now we’re able to explore some planned fuel efficiency improving technologies earlier in our product development cycle than normally scheduled – and also investigate advanced technologies that normally would not be economically feasible.”



| Volvo