Adelante - August 2008 Issue

Ribbon Cuttings

Circuit City "The City" held a Grand Opening Celebration on July 3, 2008. The celebration kicked off with a check presentation to the Boys & Girls Club. Dallas Cowboys All-Star, Drew Pearson, and two members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders signed autographs and took pictures. The Harlingen Hispanic Chamber Embajadores participated in Circuit City's official ribbon cutting. Eager customers waited outside the store for the doors to open at 6 pm, forming a line that curved around the store passed JC Penney. The first 100 customers were to receive a $50 gift card. "The City" is a new concept store that has brighter lighting and a wider open floor plan that makes it easier for customers to maneuver in between aisles. Circuit City is located at 2020 S. Exp 83 at Valle Vista Mall in Harlingen. For more information or store hours, call (956) 412-1791.

9th Annual Golf Tournament - 10.03.08 - Treasure Hills Golf Club

The Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has begun preparations for its 9th Annual Golf Tournament. The Golf Tournament is one of the BIGGEST events of the year. There are many ways you can help in making this years tournament a big success. You can be a tournament sponsor, sign up a team, donate an item of door prizes or goodie bags. You can even volunteer the dy of the event. This is a great way to have fun while networking and meeting new people. If you are interested in participating, please call our office at (956) 421-2400 or email us at hhcoc@harlingenchamber.com. You don't want to miss out on the fun, festivities, and networking opportunities.

FUELING THE MYTHS - THE TRUTH ABOUT FUEL SAVING TECHNIQUES

#1. Fill Your Tank in the Morning - You maky have heard that it's best to fill your gas tank in the early morning while the fuel is cold. The theory goes that fluids are more dense at lower temperatures, so a gallon of cold gas has more gas molecules that a gallon of warmer gas. But the temperatures of the gasoline as it comes out of the nozzle varies little during the course of the day, according to Consumer Reports, so there's little, if any benefit, to getting up early to pump gas.

#2. Change Your Air Filter - Maintaining your car is important, but a cleaner air filter isn't going to save you any gas. Modern engines have computer sensors that automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged air filter chokes off the engine's air supply. While engine power will decrease slightly as the air filter becomes clogged, a lack of performance or an increase in fuel consumption will be negligible, Consumer Reports says.

#3. Use Premium Fuel - With prices already over $4 a gallon, premium gasoline is a hard sell these days. But alot of drivers think because their owner's manual recommends premium, they'll get better fuel economy of they stick with it. Really, they're paying more money for nothing. Even cars for which premium is recommended won't suffer with regular fuel. Modern enging technology comes to the rescue again. When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug timing. The result is slight reduction in peak horsepower - really, you'll never notice - but no reduction in fuel economy.

#4. Pump up Your Tires - Proper tire inflation is important for a number of reasons. Under-inflated tires are bad for handling and can even cause a crash. Improper tire inflation also causes tires to wear out faster and to heat up more, which could trigger a dangerous high-speed blow-out. According to on-the-road driving tests by both Consumer Reports and auto information site Edmunds.com, underinflated tires reduce fuel economy, so proper inflation is key. But you should never over-inflate your tires. They'll get you slightly better fuel economy because there will be less tread touching the road, reducing friction. But that means less grip for braking and turning. The added risk of a crash isn't worth the extra mile a gallon you might gain.

#5. To A/C or Not A/C - There's no question air conditioning makes extra work for the engine, increasing fuel use. But car air conditioners are much more efficient today than they used to be. In around-town driving, using the A/C will drop fuel economy by about a mile a gallon. Meanwhile, driving at higher speeds with the windows down greatly increases aerodynamic drag. As speed increases, drag becomes more of an issue, making A/C use the more efficient choice at higher speeds. At most speeds and in most vehicles, A/C use drains slightly more fuel than driving with the windows down, contends David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. "My final take on it is that it's very close," says Philip Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com. "It's hard to measure the difference and every vehicle is different." The best choice - if temperature and humidity allow - is to keep the windows rolled up and to turn the A/C compressor off. You can keep the fans running to blow in air from outside, but your car will be as aerodynamic as possible while still letting you breathe. You will save gas, but the fuel economy improvement will be slight.

#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-Ins - Before you buy a device that's supposed to make your car more fuel-efficient or pour in an allegedly gas-saving additive, ask yourself this: Don't you think oil and car companies aren't doing everything they can to beat their competitors? If BP could add something to its gasoline that made cars go farther on a gallon, cars would be lining up at the company's pumps. Sure, people would burn their fuel-saving BP gas more slowly, but then they'd drive right past rivals' gas stations to come back to BP for more. BP stations could even charge more for their gas and still sell tons of the stuff.  So if there really was an addititve that made gas burn up more slowly, it wouldn't be sold over the internet one bottle at a time.  Likewise, car companies are already spending big bucks to increase fuel mileage.  If General Motors could make its cars go significantly farther on a gallon simply by putting a device into the fuel line, don't think for a second it wouldn't be doing that.  GM's car sales would go through the roof.  "There are a number of these gas-saving devices that are generally useless," says Champion.  But drivers who try them will swear they work.  In reality, it's probably an automotive placebo effect, says Reed.  Buy one of these devices or additives, and you're likely to pay extreme attention to you fuel economy and how you drive.  Of course it can't hurt to keep a close eye on your driving habits - - and what kind of car you drive.  In the end, that can make the most difference in saving gas.    Source: TakeYourKids2Vote.org

DEMOCRACY IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

"Take Your Kids 2 Vote" is a campaign to encourage America's parents to make Election Day 2008 a true lesson in democracy for their children.  Taking our kids along when we vote is both the simplest and most effective way to demonstrate the greatest gift of American citizenship.

The Take Your Kids 2 Vote Campaign - TYK2Vote - is an non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)3 organization* created to make a difference in the lives of American families and the future of our country.

By taking their kids 2 vote, parents will...

• Help their children learn how our democracy works.
• Help them understand why voting matters.
• Make their children proud to be Americans.
• Build lasting family memories.
• Make America stronger.

The idea of Take Your Kids 2 Vote came from a series of interviews about the best way to instill patriotism in the young.  Again and again, adults recalled childhood memories of "when my parents took me to vote", vivid recollections of watching mom and dad pull the lever or put the ballot in the box and receive that "I voted" sticker to wear proudly all day.  It was a special moment they never forgot.

At a time when our politics can be divisive and elections can be so negative, Take Your Kids 2 Vote is a unique, positive experience and a great opportunity, on one important day, to teach our children about the enduring values of American democracy.  This is a very important lesson for them - -and critically important for our nation's future.   Source: TakeYourKids2Vote.org

Join the Take Your Kids 2 Vote Campaign.  Make Democracy a Family Affair.  Logon today at http://www.takeyourkids2vote.org.