While at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this year, several manufacturers mentioned the small crossover segment as a strong area for the U.S. market. Buyers want something easy to maneuver with ample storage while still providing a slightly elevated view of the road.
Nissan’s answer to that is the Rogue. This is the smallest of the SUVs from Nissan, just below the Murano in the lineup.
From the outside, it is easy on the eyes. Clean, rounded design with stylish wheels, a good stance and a very attractive Cayenne Red paint job on the test model.
Power is supplied by a 2.5-liter Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) with 170 horsepower, 175 pound-feet of torque and placed on the pavement by an intuitive all-wheel-drive system.
The Intelligent Key option enables you to keep the key in your pocket and lock/unlock the doors via a button on the door handle. Once inside you just turn the fob where the key normally goes and the engine fires up.
You will be pleasantly surprised by how simple and uncluttered the interior and dash appear. There are some storage areas, but nothing too extravagant or confusing. In the dash is a 5-inch touch-screen navigation and Bose stereo system. The screen is a bit small, but displays the information adequately.
The seats and steering wheel are covered by leather and the SL package also provides a rear-view camera and Around View monitor, one of Nissan’s trademark parking aids. An SUV of this size is pretty easy to park and maneuver, but the options provide an extra sense of confidence.
On road, the Rogue is pretty nice. The CVT supplies ample power to zip along with traffic and the lack of “shifting” makes for smooth power delivery. On hill climbs or entry to the highway, you have to really stand on the accelerator and the engine revs pretty loudly, but once you let up the revs drop to a comfortable level.
There’s no doubt driving a vehicle with CVT is different and takes some learning, but it’s absolutely ideal for city driving where stop-and-go is the norm. Driving at night is made easy with the optional HID headlamps that provide great vision and clarity.
With the rear seats up, there is enough room for two suitcases in the back. With the seats down you can fit a good amount of cargo. Sitting in the back is a struggle if you’re over 6 feet tall and can be a little rough over bumpy roads since you’re basically sitting over the rear axle.
I found the Rogue to be a very pleasant vehicle overall. It does everything pretty well and doesn’t bog you down with unnecessary options. Other than adjusting to the CVT transmission and the keyless entry system, the Rogue is very simple to operate and live with.
After completing her morning treatment, the pair would head to their daughter’s home to play with their two toddler grandchildren before coming back at the end of the day for Evelyn to undergo a second round.
Had Evelyn been diagnosed with breast cancer a few months earlier, the couple would’ve had to travel an additional 25 miles to the hospital’s main campus in Charlotte for the treatment or opt for the traditional six-week radiation.
The targeted radiation therapy known as MammoSite has been FDA approved since 2002, but doctors at the Battle Cancer Center at CMC-Northeast just started administering it in May.
Telluride Grown is proposing to build a food-growing system on the Pearl Property that uses a technology known as aquaponics to grow produce and raise fish for consumption. The project would be comprised of several greenhouses, and its proponents say the system would allow the town to drastically cut down on carbon emissions related to importing food, produce healthy products for its denizens and serve as an example to other communities.
While town council members and residents in the audience lauded the concept, many tripped over the location. And the inclusion of the Pearl Property ultimately cost the project support of three of the five council members who considered it during a work session.
Cieciuch said he chose the 1.5-acre parcel of uplands on the north side of the property for several reasons. After researching all vacant town-owned land that would be appropriate for the project, he said this best fit the project’s objectives. The parcel is flat, it gets great sun exposure, and it would be a visible example to visitors and locals that Telluride is working toward a greener future, he said.
But the Pearl Property, which has a contentious past, poses some hurdles. The 7.3-acre parcel of marshy land that sits between Telluride and the Valley Floor has been at the center of a number of public debates and votes in the last two decades as townspeople squabbled over development rights, wetlands and whether or not to put a parking lot there. In 1998, voters approved a restriction on the Pearl to prevent a proposed parking lot, and the development restriction remains today. It’s currently zoned for public purpose.
The land is now at the center of a proposal years in the making to divide the property into two parcels — a large undeveloped open space parcel preserved by a conservation easement and a small paved parcel where the RV lot is now located that could be used for a public benefit such as a new medical center.
The decision emphasises employers’ responsibilities to provide workers with accommodation commensurate with international labour standards. Each facility operating in the country has to upgrade its workers’ accommodation conditions to comply with these standards. In implementation of this decision, Abu Dhabi has invested about Dh20 billion ($5.4 billion) in 23 workers’ “cities” which are capable of providing accommodation for 385,000 workers. These complexes have been built in line with the new manual which stipulates that all labour accommodations must include its own medical clinic equipped with full services, parking, yards, walkways, mini-market, green spaces and playgrounds.
Other innovations in the efforts to protect workers’ rights are aimed at introducing greater flexibility and freedom of movement in the labour market, and establishing a balanced contractual relationship between employer and worker.
At the same time, access to effective legal remedies in the event of a labour dispute have been vastly improved. In particular, the Ministry of Labour (MoL) has set up a collective labour disputes committee, with representatives of workers and employers in each labour office. The committees must issue a decision on a dispute within two weeks of referral. Their decisions can be challenged before an appeal court within 30 days of issuance.
Read the full story at www.ecived.com/en/!
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