Tires

A good set of tires has always made a big difference in safety, fuel economy and handling, but one area that is getting new attention is the quality of tires to reduce or increase the amount of noise a vehicle makes. Tire manufacturers are racing to develop tires that reduce noise, aiming to meet tough new standards mandated by European and Asian nations that want to reduce noise pollution. Though U.S.

Like many high school seniors about this time of year, Mareshia Rucker and Stephanie Sinnott ooh and aah over gowns with heart-shaped bodices and jewel-encrusted necklines. Yet the ritual of picking a prom dress is little more than an afterthought for these teens, amid all the pressure of organizing their county's first integrated prom. Rucker is black and Sinnott is white. More than 40 years after the Supreme Court ordered school integration, the two classmates are pushing one of south-central Georgia's slowest-moving counties to overturn a long-standing tradition of segregated proms.

Conventional wisdom about broken glass and other kinds of hazards encountered on the road abounds. The sight of smashed glass on the highway prompts most motorists to swerve to avoid damaging their tires. Potholes are generally viewed as obstacles, sort of a test of one's driving skills. Rubbing a tire against the curb is considered unfortunately clumsy, but nothing to worry about. Such thinking is correct in some cases and entirely wrong in others.

A series of tire slashings on luxury cars and SUVs early Saturday in northwest Glendale was a "random act" of vandalism, according to police. In some cases, all four tires were slashed on the high-end cars, most of which were parked in home driveways and on the dimly lighted streets of Vista Drive, West Mountain Street, Grandview and Winchester avenues, and Cumberland and Kenneth roads, according to Glendale police. One of the cars, a Cadillac CTS, belonged to City Manager Scott Ochoa and had all of its tires slashed.

A series of tire slashings on luxury cars and SUVs early Saturday in northwest Glendale was a "random act" of vandalism, according to police. In some cases, all four tires were slashed on the high-end cars, most of which were parked in home driveways and on the dimly lighted streets of Vista Drive, West Mountain Street, Grandview and Winchester avenues, and Cumberland and Kenneth roads, according to Glendale police. One of the cars, a Cadillac CTS, belonged to City Manager Scott Ochoa and had all of its tires slashed.

Re "Tire Fire Casts Worrisome Pall in Central Valley Town," Oct. 1: If memory serves me well, there have been experiments in the past in grinding up old tires and mixing this with asphalt to build roads. Why are we building mountains of discarded tires that breed dangerous insects and are an invitation to mischief and fire? Beverage containers in many states carry a mandatory deposit, and programs are legislated to deal with this problem. We are recycling garbage; why aren't we recycling old tires into something more useful and less dangerous?

Re "Tire Fire Sets Legislative Wheels Turning," April 23: Anyone who has driven in Baja California has seen one creative use for old tires: Cut in half, painted bright yellow, they are stood on their cut ends to use as we use orange traffic cones. They are clearly visible, last a long time and will not harm a vehicle that hits them. MICHELE HART Hollywood

Reader Philip Rask from Newport Beach (Letters, Feb. 26) is exactly correct in his mathematical calculations, that if Oxford Energy burns tires at the rate of 500 per minute to produce the electricity at its new Modesto plant, the electricity would only last 55 1/2 days. Unfortunately, a typographical error appeared in the news article, which created a lot of unnecessary work for Rask. Our $41.5-million plant, the first plant in the United States that will burn whole tires to generate energy will be burning 50 tires per minute to create steam for a turbine to provide power for 14,000 homes--not 500 tires per minute.

Tweaks and adjustments are common in theme park attractions. The abominable snowman was not added to Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsled ride until more than a decade after it opened in 1959. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was remodeled in 2006 to include the likeness of Johnny Depp, who played Capt. Jack Sparrow in the popular movie series. The latest adjustment of a Disney attraction is not that severe: Disney California Adventure Park has eliminated the giant beach balls from Luigi's Flying Tires.

The auto industry's efforts to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions may pay off with the development of self-inflating tires. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said it was experimenting with what it calls Air Maintenance Technology, which will enable tires to remain inflated at the optimum pressure without the need for external pumps or electronics. All components of the AMT system, including a miniaturized pump, will be fully contained within the tire. The company said Thursday that it had a $1.5-million grant from the Department of Energy to launch a demonstration of the system in commercial truck tires.

Though Alec Baldwin's name has been floated of late as a possible late-night television host, you can probably cross him off the list of likely hosts for the 2014 Oscars. Baldwin, who hosted the 2010 telecast with Steve Martin, had some pointed things to say about the Motion Picture Academy and the Oscars in a  free-wheeling interview in the Hollywood Reporter tied to his current run on Broadway in the play "Orphans. "  Baldwin told the magazine he would “never, never, never” do it again and that  “the Oscars is a completely thankless job.” THE ENVELOPE: The awards and industry insider This year's show, hosted by Seth MacFarlane, ran more than 3 1/2 hours but drew the best ratings since the Martin-Baldwin broadcast, video of which is below.

PHOENIX - By squeezing a 48-game schedule into 98 days, the NHL effectively erased the idea of a day off this season. Which is just fine with Ducks center Andrew Cogliano, who hasn't taken a day off since making his NHL debut seven years and 430 games ago. But that doesn't mean Cogliano and his teammates don't get tired. And they were exhausted Saturday when, playing their second game in 22 hours and fifth in a week, the Ducks wasted Cogliano's second career hat trick, twice giving up third-period leads before losing to the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-4, in a shootout.

Keegan Bradley, who won the PGA Championship in 2011 to become the first player to win a major while using a belly putter, is tired of people calling him a cheater in the wake of the U.S. Golf Assn. calling for a ban on the putters. "It's been actually pretty difficult," Bradley told GolfDigest.com . "Especially lately. I'm being called a cheater more than ever by fans, by some writers. I can't imagine how people can say that to me or to anybody out here. It's been really difficult, and I'm sick of it to be honest.

Re “ Sneak peek fees pique studios ,” Business, Feb. 19 Thank you for reporting on this irritating new practice, whereby studios are being strong-armed by theaters into paying to have trailers screened. Studios and theater owners decry losing audience share, but when they subject their audiences to 20 minutes or more of trailers, what do they expect? I, for one, will express my displeasure by always choosing an independent theater. Laurie Trainor Los Angeles Recently I sat through more than 20 painful minutes of inane trailers.

Mon dieu ! C'est la vie . There. I imagine that will about cover France's reaction to U.S. tire magnate Maurice "Morry" Taylor Jr.'s scathing criticism of French workers. In case you missed it , Taylor, head of Titan International, minced no words when responding to Arnaud Montebourg, France's minister for industrial renewal, who had suggested that Titan might want to take over an ailing Goodyear tire factory in Amiens. In a letter to Montebourg, he said: "Sir, your letter suggests you would like to open discussions with Titan.

PARIS -- An incredulous -- and insulting -- letter from an American capitalist to a Socialist government minister in France has revealed a monumental clash of cultures. Tire magnate Maurice "Morry" Taylor Jr., head of Titan International, did not hold back when he decided to tell Arnaud Montebourg, France's minister for industrial renewal, where he could stick his suggestion that the U.S. businessman take over an ailing French factory. A simple no, or even non, might have sufficed.

A White House official Saturday defended President Obama's decision to levy steep tariffs on tires from China, denying that it was an act of trade protectionism, as Chinese officials charged, or was intended to make a statement about the administration's broader strategy on trade policy. "This is certainly not an action directed against globalization," said the official, who requested anonymity when discussing White House thinking, a day after Obama moved to add a 35% duty on automobile and light-truck tires.

A Delta Air Lines 727 jet arriving from Birmingham, Ala., blew three tires as it landed today at Hartsfield International Airport, but a spokesman said none of the 105 passengers aboard were injured.

Question: My wife and I travel to Israel at least twice a year to visit children and grandchildren. There is a 10-hour time difference between Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. Because of time constraints, we can stay only about seven days. Even though we take Ambien on the plane, we are hit with heavy jet lag for the entire time we are in Israel, which affects the enjoyment of our trip. Is there anything we can do to reduce the jet lag? Zach Samuels Los Angeles Answer: Short of not going, there is so far no magic potion that will cure jet lag, which is a disruption of circadian rhythms that regulate our body clocks.

As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. But it also apparently can breed indifference, at least with regard to contemporary pop culture. Lady Gaga's name and image have been a near constant presence on the Web since she broke through to mainstream success in 2008, but over the last two years interest in the chameleonic dance-pop diva has been steadily eroding, according to AccuraCast, a London-based search engine marketing agency. Since reaching the peak of Internet searches on her name in early 2010, inquiries have been sliding overall, with occasional bursts of renewed interest, such as when she showed up for the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in a dress made of meat and again in 2011 with the release of her “Born This Way” album.