The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike. The September date was chosen as Cleveland was concerned that aligning an American labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair. All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. Speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labor Day celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. Similarly, some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school, although school starting times now vary.

In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race was held that day from 1950 to 2004.

Article from: Wikipedia

Now the 2011 Hyundai Equus is trying to tackle an even more exclusive group of sedans. Riding on the same wheelbase and sporting the same powertrain as the Genesis, the Equus is plushly outfitted and more formally styled—all the better to throw down the gauntlet to the likes of the Lexus LS, Infiniti M and Lincoln MKS.

Interior room and luxury features at a value price are the killer app with the Equus, which rides more softly and looks a bit more formal than anything in the competitive field. There are no paddle shifters or a sport package—but the back seat’s a pleasure palace, with available ventilated, reclining bucket seats that flank an 8-inch LCD screen and DVD player, and an available refrigerated compartment.

The Equus also comes with one more killer app: ultimate customer service. Hyundai dealers will come to owners to service the car, fetching it rather than having them drop it off. They’ll also deliver the new Equus with an Apple iPad that contains the owner’s manual, and an application to set up service appointments. It’s a plan that outflanks the coddling you’d receive from any mainstream luxury brand—and like its standard audio system, which it shares with the legendary British marque, Hyundai’s marketing plan has a little Rolls-Royce in it.

Article from: http://www.thecarconnection.com/review/1047563_2011-hyundai-equus

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Inside, the place is beautiful. It wreaks of class, the bar is nice, and it looks very ‘downtown Chicago-esk’. I ordered the full slab of barbecue ribs and my girlfriend ordered the Fillet Mignon. When the ribs arrived, the barbecue sauce tasted great, but the meat was flavorless. The Fillet Mignon was overcooked and flavorless as well. I’ve cooked better pieces of meat on my grill outside! It was obvious that we didn’t enjoy the food after only taking a couple of bites of each, and the waitress did take off one of the entrees from the bill and gave us a free slice of cheesecake to compensate for our displeasure with the meat. The cheesecake was fantastic, by far the best of the food we received.

Overall, while I didn’t hate the place, I would give it one more try…perhaps an Italian dish? But the meat will be out of the question.

So let’s take a look at some of the forth-coming Hyundai models:

All-new Hyundai small car

Earlier this year Hyundai Motor India revealed that there is a brand-new mini-car in works at Hyundai’s Namyang R&D centre located in Korea. The unnamed mini-car will make its official premiere in the first half of 2011, with sales commencing in the second half of the year. In the first phase of launch, the new mini-car will be sold only in India, while later it will also appear on some other International markets.

Hyundai i10 facelift

Hyundai i10 is the entry-level vehicle in the automaker’s European line-up. The popular i10 minicar, which competes head to head against European rivals, such as Fiat Panda, Kia Picanto and Peugeot 107, is getting a mid-cycle facelift for the 2011 model year.

According to latest reports from sources close to Hyundai, the 2011 i10 will get a refreshed front fascia, slightly updated tail-lights and new entry-level 1.0L engine, which will slot in below existing 1.2L Kappa engine.

Next-generation Hyundai Accent

Hyundai already revealed its all-new Accent sub-compact car at the 2010 Busan Auto Show. The car has an eye-pleasing exterior design with many styling ques taken from the 2011 Sonata sedan. Engine line-up has not been confirmed yet, but we are expecting the 2011 Hyundai Accent to feature a 1.6L four-cylinder engine under its hood.

2011 Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai is all-set to officially unveil a completely redesigned Elantra compcat car in the USA. The 2011 Elantra is expected to make its official premiere at the 2010 L.A. auto show, which opens its doors in November this year. The all-new Elantra is a stunning compact sedan, which borrows many styling elements from recent Hyundai concept cars.

The all-new Elantra will be offered with Hyundai’s new 1.6L GDI four-cylinder engine, which is 10 percent more fuel efficient in comparison to its direct competitors. Mated to the six-speed automatic (or manual) gearbox, the engine develops 140 horsepower and 17.0 kg/m of torque. The 2011 Elantra will hit US showroom floor in spring next year.

Yet as auditions have wrapped up for the “Idol” hopefuls, the new panel — and show set-up — remains in question. So what gives?

Celebs are clamoring at the opportunity. On Tuesday, Snoop Dogg threw his name into this mess, too. While he would be an interesting pick that could bring in a new audience and more varied contestants, I’m not sure older audiences would really follow Snoop’s dizzles, izzles and nizzles.

It’s a question that’s dogged Steve Ettlinger for years. The author of the book “Twinkie, Deconstructed” spent months of his life interviewing chemical engineers, questioning industrial bakers and even traveling 1,600 feet below the surface of the Earth to see where Twinkie ingredients are mined. (Mined!)

To be sure, the Twinkie contains easily recognizable ingredients, such as flour, sugar, water, eggs, whey and salt. But Ettlinger dug and dug until he understood what the terms Polysorbate 60, Red 40, mono and diglycerides and calcium sulfate really meant. (Spoiler alert: Calcium sulfate is a food-grade equivalent of plaster of Paris.)
Image: Twinkie with cream filling
Tim Boyle / Getty Images
Twinkies have been a quintessential American snack food for the past 80 years. According to the Hostess website, they have a shelf life of 26 days.

But even if, as Ettlinger writes, many of the Twinkie’s ingredients are “more closely linked to rocks and petroleum than any of the four food groups,” they still technically come from the Earth, right? Hence the mind-bending “all natural” question.

It’s a question that affected San Francisco-based photographer Dwight Eschliman on a personal level. He read Ettlinger’s book — originally published in 2007 — and it made him think about his mom.

“I’ve never been a health nut. But I was raised by one,” Eschliman wrote on his website. “My mother wouldn’t let us kids within one hundred feet of meat, eggs, white bread, or any sort of processed food. She made homemade wheat gluten. How many moms do that? I don’t even remember seeing a Twinkie or Hostess Cup Cake until I left for college.”

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After striking out on his own, Eschliman relaxed his standards a bit and indulged in sugary cereals and salty, processed snacks. And then he became a parent himself.

“I started thinking a bit about food,” he explained. “I began to consider which foodstuffs are healthy and which are not. Given how much thought my own mother put into it, it was hard not to.”

It didn’t take long for inspiration to strike Eschliman: He decided to photograph all 37 or so of the ingredients found in a Twinkie, as outlined in Ettlinger’s book.
Image: FD&C Yellow #5, a Twinkie ingredient
Dwight Eschliman Photography
Mmmmmmmmm … FD&C Yellow #5, just like mom used to make.

“I love the idea of taking any object and deconstructing it down to its component parts,” Eschliman said. “Essentially, I find great thrill in lining things up and photographing them.”

This led to his project “37 or So Ingredients.” Each photograph is an aerial view of a round glass plate that contains a single Twinkie ingredient in its raw form, from the highly identifiable (wheat flour) to the highly chemical (FD&C Yellow #5).

Ettlinger said he’s flattered that his book inspired the photography project.

“What Dwight has done is photograph the end result,” the New York writer, editor and speaker said. “I was looking at the process: Where does it come from? How is it made?”

See the 37 ingredients Twinkie eaters ingest

That process of looking at the process was an eye-opening adventure indeed. Hostess Cakes, the maker of Twinkies, did not help Ettlinger with his research, but dozens of scientists, engineers, industrial bakers, mining professionals, Hostess competitors and former Hostess employees did. Ettlinger said he was astounded by what he learned — particularly his finding that Twinkies’ ingredients are “manufactured with fourteen of the top twenty chemicals made in the U.S.”

“The unlikely food sub-ingredients sulfuric acid, ethylene, lime, and phosphoric acid top the list,” Ettlinger wrote in his book. “That industrial aspect of our food — and Twinkies are but one among tens of thousands of processed foods — would be less troubling if it were easier to still see where it all comes from. There is often no ‘terroir’ to an ingredient, no one place that it is actually from.”

Has all of this affected the way Ettlinger and his family eat?

“Oh, yes,” he said. “It definitely inspired me to eat much more whole and local foods. It definitely makes those feel more appetizing and appealing.”

Article from MSN: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38869408/ns/today-foodwine/?GT1=43001

Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch is an ongoing study tracking and trending consumer perceptions, detailing strengths and weaknesses of makes within each segment.

“Hyundai is truly on a roll,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “Hyundai has proven that when you make dynamic, exciting and affordable products that appeal to the new-car shopping masses, consumer perception begins to change and subsequently, sales will follow.”

Kelley Blue Book’s Kbb.com Q2 2010 Brand Watch was fielded to more than 3,000 in-market new-car shoppers on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com from April 6 – June 17, 2010. Q2 findings reveal that new-car shoppers rank durability/reliability, driving comfort, fuel efficiency, driving performance and safety (respectively) as the top five important factors while shopping for their next new vehicle.

“Being named one of Kbb.com’s top five most-considered brands truly demonstrates Hyundai’s continued commitment to delivering stylish, fuel efficient and affordable vehicles,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of corporate and product planning, Hyundai Motor America. “As seen with our recent Tucson and Sonata models, Hyundai is committed to providing quality vehicles with class-leading safety technologies and performance features.  Add to that our 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty and complimentary Roadside Assistance and it is clear why Hyundai’s consumer appeal is growing.”

KELLEY BLUE BOOK
Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new- and used-vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence.  The company’s top-rated website, www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars.  The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide.  Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, used car values, car reviews, new cars for sale, used cars for sale, and car dealer locations.

This promotion expands Hyundai’s “Uncensored” advertising campaign, which shows real-life consumers testing Hyundai vehicles and providing their feedback. The Sonata Uncensored experience takes the campaign one step further by allowing the 50 Sonata drivers to interact with car shoppers through a full range of social media channels.

“Unfiltered consumer response to Hyundai products is one of the most powerful tools that affect opinions about the brand,” said Chris Perry, vice president, marketing communications, Hyundai Motor America. “The ‘Uncensored’ campaign started with traditional advertising and has now progressed to include a full range of online channels, allowing consumers to speak directly to peers about their experience with the car.”

The all-new 2011 Sonata represents a modern approach to the traditional midsize sedan segment by using only advanced four-cylinder engines, emotional design and luxury features offered with Hyundai’s strong value proposition. The Sonata launched with a new Theta II 2.4-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine and in-house six-speed automatic transmission, delivering class-leading fuel economy of 22 mpg city/35 mpg highway and 198 horsepower standard. The all-new Sonata raises the bar when it comes to features and technology offered within the midsize car segment. In addition to standard XM Satellite® radio, the Sonata boasts segment-first standard Bluetooth® hands-free phone system, available HD Radio Technology™ with multicasting (allowing the broadcast of alternative side-band content on HD stations) and heated front and rear seats. The Sonata is also the first vehicle in its segment with advanced touchscreen navigation available on all trim levels.

Coming later this year, Hyundai will offer consumers Turbo and Hybrid versions of Sonata. The turbocharged 2011 Sonata 2.0T produces an unprecedented combination of segment-leading fuel efficiency and power – with an estimated 34 mpg highway rating and 274 horsepower. The Sonata Hybrid features Hyundai’s breakthrough Hybrid Blue Drive architecture and will deliver a projected best-in-class highway fuel economy of 39 mpg, while also offering outstanding estimated city fuel economy of 37 mpg.

In order to extend the “Uncensored” experience to all consumers, Hyundai will be holding ride-and-drive events spanning from coast to coast during August, September and October. Each event will feature a video booth where consumers can film their drive impression and post video directly to their own Facebook page. For a full list of dates and locations, visit sonatauncensored.com.

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