The New MIVEC Turbo Diesel Engine

The new engine uses an aluminum die-cast cylinder block with the result that the weight of the engine is lighter by 12.5 kilograms as compared to the conventional cast-iron cylinder block. Its maximum output is 221kW (300PS)/ 6,500rpm and its maximum torque is 422Nm (43.0kgf･m)/3,500rpm (for Japan market), a higher maximum torque than the 4G63 model. The intake and exhaust side layout of this engine is also different with the intake side at the front of the vehicle body and the exhaust side at the rear. This eliminates the need to have an exhaust pipe underneath the engine, so Mitsubishi was able to lower the position of the engine by 10mm compared to a conventional model, contributing to lowering the height of the center of gravity.

New BMW M5 Limited Competition Edition

BMW has just released the new M5 Competition Edition has been released in celebration of the F10-generation M5, which first went on sale at the end of 2011. It is limited to just 200 models worldwide.

The car is powered by a twin-turbo V8 found in the standard BMW M5. While retaining the M TwinPower Turbo technology and twin-scroll turbochargers of the standard M5, the Competition Edition runs more boost due to a recalibrated engine control unit. Both power and torque have increased - making it one of the most powerful cars ever produced by BMW - with peak power output standing at 600hp (560hp in the standard BMW M5) and torque output reaching 700Nm (680Nm in the standard BMW M5). As a result the car goes from 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds.

According to BMW, fuel consumption remains low at  28.5mpg despite its extreme performance, while CO2 emissions are 231g/km, no doubt thanks to their seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission Drivelogic and EfficientDynamics technology,which incldues engine Auto Start-Stop and Brake Energy Regeneration. 

There are still three Drive Control settings to choose from, namely, Comfort (for normal road use), Sport (for a dynamic driving style) and Sport Plus (for extreme driving, such as on a racetrack).

The BMW M5 Competition Edition extensive range of extra features include: Adaptive LED headlights, Reversing Assist camera, powered boot lid operation, Comfort Access, sun protection glass, front and rear heated seats, electrically operated rear sunblind, and the Bang & Olufsen Advanced audio system.

The Competition edition really looks sexy with the carbon fibre BMW M Performance Parts, gloss black kidney grille and six-piston caliper brakes mounted on high gloss Jet Black 20-inch M Double-spoke 601M light alloy wheels.

Only two exterior colours are available: Mineral White and Carbon Black.

Interior features, include full Black Merino leather upholstery with Opal White contrast stitching, the 'M5' logo on the head rests of the M Sport multi-function seats, and an 'M5 Competition' logo and '1/200' engraving on the M Performance interior trim.

The BMW M5 is now selling for £100,995 OTR in the UK. Not sure about Malaysian prices yet.

The Rolling Crabapples - smile

Rock Art by Thomas D Kent, Jr

This is funny. 

 Glenn Eichler wrote an open letter to the New York Botanical Garden in 2014 in the New Yorker regarding his love of their rock garden. He felt it deserved more attention: 

"...rocks—dragged by glaciers, striped and striated by, I guess, also glaciers—deserve better. 

Not sexy? Compared to what, the Donald J. Bruckmann Crabapple Collection? 

No disrespect to Mr. Bruckmann, but Mick Jagger and Keith Richards haven’t spent fifty years playing to sold-out crowds as the Rolling Crabapples, the world’s greatest crabapple-and-roll band."

Glenn has a point, don't you think?

Mick Jagger in garden

Launch of the new Audi A4

VW reviews vs customer comments

I was a VW fan for a long time. First it was the VW Beetle (old model) influenced no doubt by the Herbie movies. Then it was the VW Hippie camper van. They were so cool, they still are. In the UK, I took a ride on my friend's Golf and was quite impressed by the power and handling. I have also taken part in a few of their social media advertising campaigns in the UK.

Once I got back to Malaysia, I was seriously considering the VW Jetta. However, the news of the emissions scandal suddenly came out. I was shocked that this reputable German company had acted unethically. Though they have admitted cheating, they have left consumers with many unanswered questions. And this included not just the Volkswagen diesels models but their sister brands, Audi and Porsche as well.

Talking to other VW owners here in Malaysia, they were not that concerned with the emission scandal as it did not really affect them. However, I started hearing accounts of bad service, new cars breaking down, faulty parts and expensive parts and service. Some even told me never to buy a VW car. This was really surprising for me as I thought the brand had a good reputation in Malaysia.

I noticed that they have opened up a new big VW 3S centre in Semenyih, on my way to work. The reviews of the new Vento Turbo on various car blogs and sites have generally been positive and I was considering giving it a test drive. I wonder whether the Vento is assembled here in Malaysia or is imported from India where they are now produced.

Anyway, I was curious to see what the visitors to their Facebook page had to say about the new car. There were hardly any positive comments though I must say that who ever is in charge of their Facebook book page is very patient and is doing a good job of replying to the comments.

Take a look:

I have not given up hope but I am going to have to give them a pass for now.

DIY Room Decor : Unique decorating ideas

DIY Room Decor : Unique decorating ideas

The Glorious Sunflower - The Fourth Sister

 I have written about the Native Americans' Three Sisters Garden (corn, beans and squash ) but I neglected to tell you of the Fourth Sister...

a very important member of this family!

This is from Hubpages: 

"Fourth Sister, didn't look anything like her other sisters, although she was as tall and as slender as First Sister (corn) . That seemed fair to all, because Third Sister and Second Sister shared similar but different features. They could climb and run, while their other two sisters were forced to stand tall and proud."

Mother Sun explained that each sister had her job and each had to benefit from and protect one another.  But Fourth Sister's job was most important of all -- for she was the guardian of the North, planted firmly, to protect others from the robbers who soon would come.

The fourth sister was the elegant sunflower.

The Sisters are known to the Native Americans as the “mothers of life”  but they all need each other to survive. 

• Corn uses the nitrogen supplied by the nitrogen fixing roots of the beans and provides a place for the beans to climb.
• The squash suppresses weeds and keeps the soil shaded and moist.
• The prickly leaves of the squash provide a deterrent from four legged raiders of corn.

So what does the Sunflower do?

Taiyo Sunflower (click here)

The sunflowers keep the birds from devouring the corn.

How? Well, true sunflowers exhibit the heliotropic habit of following the sun through the day but when they are full of sunflower seeds they stay facing the east.

Thus when sunflowers are planted to the north of the garden patch, the birds see the sunflowers first thing in the morning sun and dine on the sunflower seeds rather than the corn kernels....

from Rainy Side Gardens

The FOUR SISTERS celebrate the harmony of nature and bring abundance to farmers and happiness to the well fed home.

By the way, the true giant sunflower is used as an emblem of the philosophy of Spiritualism.

They see the sunflower as forever looking to the light and applaud its unique arithmetic: supposedly each sunflower has

• 12 sets of leaves ( months in a year) , 
• 52 yellow petals (52 weeks in a year)  
• 365 seeds (365 days in a year).

I cannot verify this but that is the story..... I hope it is true.

Interior decor : Latest interior designs

Interior decor : Latest interior designs 

Verbena Bonariensis - Verbena on a Stick

Verbena Bonariensis is tall and airy and one of my fave flowers.

  It blooms like crazy all summer into fall. I plant it next to walls and fences for a stunning effect. Here I mixed it with white cosmos -   purple and white is such a great garden combination. 

The lavender clusters are held high on wiry stems that wave in the breeze from mid summer to frost. 

Called "verbena on a stick", it is a hummingbird magnet and is an easy flower to grow. 

It prefers full sun in well-drained soil. Remove top 1/4 of plant periodically to force new buds.   

The Sky and Earth - a Union We Overlook at Our Peril

Farm in Upstate NY - photo Jan Johnsen

I often write about creating beautiful outdoor environments to lift our spirits and enhance our wellbeing but we cannot be comfortable if the health of our planet is deteriorating.

We talk about restoring balance to the earth. This starts with the soil. Once the soil is revitalized the atmosphere and weather will correct itself.  

Here is why: the sky and earth interact.

In other words, droughts come from poor soils, pollution and other inharmonious activities on the ground. Fix the soil and the droughts and storms will subside. 

So start with fertilizing the soil - this does not mean applying more soluble nitrogen fertilizers loaded with anhydrous ammonia or nitrates. Doing this to plants is like feeding them amphetamines. Reliance on poisons to grow our food is one of our major problems right now. 

Changing this practice will help our atmosphere greatly. But it is not a quick process so we better start now.

At this point you may be skeptical but think of it this way- ammonium and urea-based fertilizers that we use to grow our food crops are susceptible to loss as ammonia (NH3 ) gas, especially when left on the soil surface. Ammonia gas from fertilizer has a negative effect on air quality and human health. Where are many of our crops grown? In the San Joaquin valley of California.  Here is a photo of atmospheric NH3 over the San Joaquin Valley in 2008 (measured by the IASI satellite). It shows the most concentrated area of NH3 in the air in red.  That was many years ago...guess what happened to California since then?

San Joaquin Valley, California - Harmful Gas emissions from Nitrogen fertilizers

 If you want to know more about this - click here. 

Healthy soil is a teeming world that contains a symbiosis of fungi, minerals, organisms and more. Root structures interact with these ingredients to elevate levels of certain nutrients. It is an interacting and amazing network.

For example, legumes such as beans, alfalfa and peas bring oxygen to the root tips and release oxalic acid. They affect lime levels, nitrogen and more in the soil (cation exchange, etc. its complicated). Legume's beneficial activity is augmented in the presence of certain crop roots that exude carbohydrates, like corn or sugar cane. 

You can see this in full force in the Four sisters method of crop planting used by the Native Americans:  corn, beans, squash and sunflower. 

• The corn is deep rooted, mining the soil for minerals and exuding carbs to the soil, 
• Beans 'fix' nitrogen and  elevate the lime 
• Squash covers the soil to prevent weeds, 
• The sunflower's stems, leaves and pollen contain phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. They can be composted in the soil to help keep it nourished.  

Buy from Renees Garden 

Add to this, composts, compost tea, rock dusts or pulverized quartz and seaweed or kelp and the soil will start to sing. 

This is vastly different from using soluble fertilizer that releases harmful gas to the sky - 

we should be building a matrix in the soil that is alive and healthy.

So Governor Brown,  please address the state of agriculture in California asap 

and the skies will rain upon the earth once again.

Interior design & in trend: Downtown Design’s top picks from the Nordics

Interior design's in trend: Downtown Design’s top picks from the Nordics

Now in its fourth edition, Downtown Design fair will take place at the Dubai Design District (d3) from 25-28 October, attracting some of the most prominent names in home furnishings. From Georg Jensen to Kährs, here is a selection of what visitors have to look forward to from the Nordics.

Georg Jensen Living

Danish design house Georg Jensen is renowned for its craftsmanship and creative collaborations with some of the world’s leading designers. with a new flagship store just recently opened in dubai, Geroge jensen markes its 112 year anniversiary with a plan of expansion in the region.

Carl Hansen

After opening a bespoke furniture workshop in Odense, Denmark in

1908, Carl Hansen remains a family business and today boasts a broad range of modern and simplistic furniture with clean lines that are arguably the epitome of Scandinavian craftsmanship.

Kährs

At Downtown Design, Swedish wood flooring manufacturer Kahrs aims to demonstrate the importance of choosing good flooring and the possibilities it offer to carefully choosing the colour, surface, structure and pattern.

Bolon

Swedish brand Bolon returns to Downtown Design this year with a new collection, ‘Silence,’ inspired

by nature, historical patterns and traditional wooden flooring.

Jotun

Norwegian paint manufacturer, Jotun Paints have been in business since 1926, establishing a headquarters in the Middle East in 1974. Despite its Norwegian heritage, the brand has been at the

forefront of developing products specifically suited for the middle Eastern environment. This year, at

Downtown Design Jotun, will unveil its 2016 Wall Trends collection featuring a selection of beautiful

colours that were inspired by nature and heritage.