We thought we would share this good news story from the Red Cross with all of you.  At the end you will find a link with information for donations.  Or you can go directly to the Waldorf Ford website, where we will post a link as well.  Our thoughts go out to all of those effected by this terrible natural disaster.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 — As an American Red Cross employee Carrol Barrett tackles unknown situations every day. She has done so for the 25 years she’s been a Red Crosser.

But nothing at her work has been as difficult as learning about the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and then waiting to hear from her two brothers who live in Tokyo and travel throughout the area with their respective jobs.

When the siblings did reach other, the news was good.

Barrett’s brother Paul Hoshizaki reported that he was safe in Tokyo where the quake registered 5.0 on the Richter scale. The day of the quake all transportation came to a standstill. “It took Paul two-and-a-half hours to walk home, along with millions of other walkers,” Barrett reports.

When Paul did reach home, he found a few broken items inside, but no damage to the structure of the house.

Barrett says she worries now about the availability of food and gasoline for her brother in Tokyo, even though there has been nothing in the news to make her anxious. She says her brother, who works for the Japanese Evangelical Lutheran Association, is caught up in coordinating response with other non-governmental organizations and hasn’t contacted her recently.

Carol Barrett’s other brother, Mark, and his wife Wendy, were in Taipei when the quake and tsunami hit Japan.

Mark also emailed his sister to let her know he was okay. He and his wife plan to return to Tokyo at the end of this week—that is—ifthey can get transportation into the city.

Barrett says she is more concerned about her sister-in-law’s family in Sendai, Japan. The family was safe following the earthquake and the tsunami. But now they have been living for nearly a week without gas, water or electricity, facing frigid temperatures and snow so heavy that storms have hampered rescue operations.

And Barrett is concerned about the tsunami damage to Japan’s nuclear power plants. Low levels of radiation have been measured in Tokyo, though thankfully not at levels dangerous to human health.

“I feel so fortunate I don’t have loved ones in northern Japan,” Barrett says. “At the same time I am heartsick.” She explains that she was born in Tokyo, the child of missionaries, and that Japan is part of her life.

As she grieves for Japan, Barrett continues her daily work at the American Red Cross. She is very grateful to be a part of the Red Cross and to do what she can. “Although I’m not directly involved in bringing aid to the Japanese people, I feel I am connected through my work at the Red Cross,” she comments.

Ederly people in the high school evacuation centre in Ostuchi.

Photo: Patrick Fuller/IFRC

People at the high school evacuation centre in Ostuchi.

Photo: Patrick Fuller/IFRC

The first team of Japanese Red Cross Society to come into this devastated town. They are calling Japanese Red Cross Society medical teams to come up north. .

Photo: Japanese Red Cross

To respond to the needs of those concerned about relatives in the affected regions International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is encouraging those living overseas to make use of its restoring family links web page: www.icrc.org/familylinks.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

• The new Ford Focus will be the official car of the 2011 International CES held on Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas
• The all-new Focus is an ideal matchup for CES; demonstrating that high-end, high-demand tech features such as Ford SYNC, MyFord Touch, HD Radio, and in-car Wi-Fi capability can be expertly blended into a fun-to-drive car expected to deliver 40 mpg on the highway
• Focus four-door sedan and sporty five-door hatchback models are set to go on sale in early 2011

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 9, 2010 – With its global launch near, the all-new Ford Focus takes on the role of official vehicle for the 2011 International CES, considered the largest technology trade show in the world.

The tech-packed Focus is a perfect match for CES, which runs from Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas. As the official car, Focus will have a prominent presence during the show, including more product-specific signage, displays, demonstrations and materials. Focus follows in the footsteps of the 2010 Ford Taurus, which was the official car at the 2010 CES held earlier this year.

“The all-new Focus harnesses the best of what Ford Motor Company has to offer, delivering class-leading features and technologies as well as an expected 40 mpg,” said Ken Czubay, vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford Motor Company. “We’re excited for Focus to reach dealers in North America and Europe in early 2011 and want to share that excitement and the unprecedented level of technology Focus has to offer with the global consumer electronics industry – an increasingly important influence on new vehicles.”

The new Focus will share the spotlight at CES with Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally, who will deliver a keynote address at the trade show for the third consecutive year. Further upping the ante at CES, Ford is also increasing its display’s floor space fourfold for the 2011 show and expects to have more than twenty vehicles on display throughout the event.

“We welcome Ford, Alan Mulally and the new Focus to the 2011 International CES,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), producer of the International CES. “Vehicles such as the Focus are built with the latest technologies that address consumer demand for on-the-go innovations.”

Chockfull of tech
Studies by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) show that as many as 77 million adults make up the so-called technology enthusiast drivers population, more than half of whom express the desire for a connected communications and information system in their vehicles.

The all-new Focus features Ford SYNC, MyFord Touch driver connect technology, Intelligent Access with Push Button Start, Sony Audio with HD Radio and Active Park Assist, among other advanced technologies more often associated with larger, premium vehicle segments.

For avid in-car tech lovers, Focus with MyFord Touch will feature a Wi-Fi radio that will provide Internet access when a compatible USB mobile broadband modem is inserted into SYNC’s USB port producing a secure wireless “hot spot” that will be broadcast throughout the vehicle. This secure connection will allow passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices to access the web while on the go.

Tech enthusiasts as well as music lovers also will appreciate that Focus will be the first car in its class available with an audio system supplied by global consumer electronics leader Sony®. Featuring a class D digital amplifier developed specifically for Focus, this system has 10 speakers, three-layer soft dome tweeters and a subwoofer offering up 355 watts of continuous power. Coupled with MyFord Touch, the Focus audio system also features HD Radio technology with iTunes Tagging – also a first in its class.

“Customers want smaller cars with outstanding fuel economy, but without sacrificing any of the style, technology, connectivity and driving quality they demand from larger vehicles,” said Czubay. “With the all-new Focus leading the pack, our next-generation of smaller cars and utilities will prove that Ford is ready to meet that challenge.”

###

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 163,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

2012 Ford Focus officially certified at 40 mpg highway

Ford has confirmed that the 2012 Focus achieves an EPA-rated 40 miles per gallon on the highway, besting many of the competitors in its class. Only the 2011 Hyundai Elantra and 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco manage to reach the much-heralded 40-mpg mark. The Focus is also rated at 28 mpg in the city.

Not to rain on Ford’s parade here, but we must make something perfectly clear: The 40-mpg rating only applies to the Focus SE sedan with SFE (super fuel economy) package and the six-speed automatic transmission. In order to achieve 40 mpg, the SFE package adds unique 16-inch steel wheels with aero-enhanced wheel covers, active grille shutters, a rear spoiler and high-efficiency tires.

That might not seem like a big deal, especially when a car as stylish and well-built as the Focus puts down 40 mpg highway. However, we can’t overlook the fact that Hyundai’s Elantra nets that 40-mpg figure on all models with either transmission, and if you spec a Cruze Eco with a manual box, you’ll be running at 42 mpg on the highway. Still, keep in mind that the Focus, at 160 horsepower, is the most powerful car in the group – besting the Elantra by 12 hp and the Cruze Eco by 22 hp – which is something that enthusiasts must consider.

[SOURCE: autoblog ]

This week http://www.waldorfford.com and Ashley share with you how you can get $893.00 super simple. Have a look at the video and take the challenge.
Vodpod videos no longer available.

FORD INTRODUCES INDUSTRY’S FIRST INFLATABLE SEAT BELTS TO ENHANCE REAR SEAT SAFETY

Ford introduces the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to provide additional protection for rear seat occupants, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries

The advanced restraint system is designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries.

Ford introduced inflatable rear seat belts on the 2011 Ford Explorer. Over time, Ford plans to offer the technology in vehicles globally.

“Ford’s rear inflatable seat belt technology will enhance safety for rear seat passengers of all ages, especially for young children who are more vulnerable in crashes,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “This is another unique family technology that builds on our safety leadership, including the most top safety ratings of any automaker.”

Safer and more comfortable
Advances in airbag inflation and seat belt construction methods have enabled Ford and its suppliers to develop inflatable seat belts that are designed to deploy over a vehicle occupant’s torso and shoulder in 40 milliseconds in the event of a crash.

In everyday use, the inflatable belts operate like conventional seat belts and are safe and compatible with infant and children safety car and booster seats. In Ford’s research, more than 90 percent of those who tested the inflatable seat belts found them to be similar to or more comfortable than a conventional belt because they feel padded and softer. That comfort factor could help improve the 61 percent rear belt usage rate in the U.S., which compares to 82 percent usage by front seat passengers, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.

“Ford is pioneering inflatable seat belt technology to help enhance crash safety protection, while encouraging more people to buckle up with a more comfortable belt,” said Paul Mascarenas, vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering and chief technical officer.

In the event of a frontal or side crash, the inflatable belt’s increased diameter more effectively holds the occupant in the appropriate seating position, helping to reduce the risk of injury.

Vehicle safety sensors determine the severity of the collision in the blink of an eye and deploy the inflatable belts’ airbags. Each belt’s tubular airbag inflates with cold compressed gas, which flows through a specially designed buckle from a cylinder housed below the seat.

The inflatable belt’s accordion-folded bag breaks through the belt fabric as it fills with air, expanding sideways across the occupant’s body in about the same amount of time it takes a car traveling at highway speed to cover a yard of distance.

The use of cold compressed gas instead of a heat-generating chemical reaction – which is typical of traditional airbag systems – means the inflated belts feel no warmer on the wearer’s body than the ambient temperature. The inflatable belts also fill at a lower pressure and a slower rate than traditional airbags, because the device does not need to close a gap between the belt and the occupant.

“It’s a very simple and logical system, but it required extensive trial and error and testing over several years to prove out the technology and ensure precise reliable performance in a crash situation,” said Srini Sundararajan, safety technical leader for Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.

The inflated belt helps distribute crash force energy across five times more of the occupant’s torso than a traditional belt, which expands its range of protection and reduces risk of injury by diffusing crash pressure over a larger area, while providing additional support to the head and neck. After deployment, the belt remains inflated for several seconds before dispersing its air through the pores of the airbag.

Ford was the first automaker to introduce seat belts in 1955 and led the way in making driver and front passenger airbags standard in most vehicles by 1993.

Trevor Bayne Becomes Youngest Winner in Daytona 500 History

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — For all the talk of a new track surface, a different style of racing and promises of the “wildest” Daytona 500 ever, Sunday’s much-anticipated NASCAR season-opener still ended up like so many of those that have preceded it — decided in the final laps.

Making his first-ever Daytona 500 start, 20-year-old rookie Trevor Bayne held off Carl Edwards, David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte to earn the venerable Wood Brothers Racing team its fifth Daytona 500 victory and first since NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee David Pearson’s win in 1976.

“Am I dreaming? Is this real? I don’t even know where to go,” a stunned Bayne exclaimed to his team on the radio as he crossed the finish line and drove his No. 21 Motorcraft Ford to victory circle, where he was too young to even drink the traditional celebratory champagne.

The race lived up to its billing, easily setting records for caution flags (16) and lead changes (74 among 22 drivers), but in the end it was a a great show of poise heading to the checkered flag that made Bayne the youngest winner of NASCAR’s most prestigious trophy – one day after he celebrated his 20th birthday.

A five-car accident at the front of the field with four laps remaining in the 200-lap regulation period set up the first of two green-white-checkered overtime periods and all but eliminated several of the strongest cars, including Ryan Newman, Regan Smith and Clint Bowyer, who exchanged the lead in the closing 15 laps.

Robby Gordon’s spin on the first restart sent cars scrambling, and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Chevrolet was collected in the melee, setting up the final two-lap shootout among Bayne and the veterans.

It was a popular win for Bayne and for the Wood Brothers, who represent bookends of the sport.

This was only Bayne’s second start in NASCAR’s marquee Sprint Cup Series and he doesn’t even have a full-time ride for the season. On the other hand, the Wood Brothers team is one of NASCAR’s most legendary organizations, dating back 58 seasons in Cup racing and fielding Daytona 500 winning cars for A.J. Foyt (1972), Cale Yarborough (1968) and Tiny Lund (1963) in addition to Pearson.

NASCAR’s “King” Richard Petty and champion owner Jack Roush were among a steady stream of visitors who stopped by victory circle to congratulate Bayne (above left with Carl Edwards), and brothers Glen and Leonard, along with Glen’s sons, Eddie and Len, who field cars on a part-time basis in the Cup series now.

“He is a really nice young man and a great guy to represent our sport,” runner-up Edwards said. “Hopefully corporate America will take notice and he’ll be able to run the full series and I think he could be really, really good.”

A fresh $20 million pavement job on the Daytona International Speedway helped produce a new brand of Daytona 500 drafting. And while two-car “pods” typically led the way up front, the rest of the field was frequently spread out and three wide, as it had been in previous years. Cars were 10-20 mph faster when they ran in pairs and the strategy of picking the right partner was fundamentally as important as having a good set of tires.

And it didn’t matter whether you were teammates or even drove the same make of car.

Of course, the options became limited very early on as some of the pre-race favorites were eliminated long before the halfway mark.On lap 29, a 14-car crash triggered by a collision between teammates Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann collected five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson and two of his other three Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin along with a pair of Roush-Fenway Racing Fords.

Engine failures ended the day early for Richard Childress Racing teammates Kevin Harvick (lap 22) and Jeff Burton (lap 94), who won one of Thursday’s qualifying races and was fastest in the final three practice sessions.

[SOURCE : motorsports  ]

http://www.waldorfford.com (301) 843-2400 This week Ashley takes you through the 20 minute proposal. Earn $20 bucks at Waldorf Ford for 20 minutes of your time, thats $1 per minute!
Vodpod videos no longer available.

NASCAR marks 10-year annivesary of Dale Earnhardt’s death at Daytona 500

It was 10 years ago today that racing legend Dale Earnhardt Senior died while competing at the Daytona 500. It’s no secret that not every motorsports afficianado is a fan of the NASCAR scene, but there’s no denying the outright skill and presence that racers bring to the game both on and off the track. Nowhere was that more evident than with Earnhardt, who sprang from a long-line of circle track racers. Even if series fans rooted for a different driver, they respected Earnhardt for his down-to-earth nature and old-school approach to racing. When Earnhardt was behind the wheel, it was clear he wasn’t there to make friends or play nice. He was there to win.

While Earnhardt’s death was a tragedy on many levels, we can’t help but feel that NASCAR lost more than an icon when he passed. Today’s field is populated by overly polished, nameless media machines that lack the heart and human emotion that the old-timers brought to the table. Maybe that’s why we just can’t bring ourselves to flop down in front of the TV for 500 laps anymore.

For an excellent (and tear-jerking) retrospective on The Intimidator’s fatal accident, check out Dale Earnhardt’s Last Ride from ESPN.

http://www.dcfordservice.com/ (301)843-2400 This week Ashley points out some key things to consider when choosing your service facility. She clears up some rumors and myths about dealership service centers.
Vodpod videos no longer available.