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Unveiled at the Auto Expo earlier this year, the Etios Cross is Toyotas attempt to cash in on Indians new-found love for compact SUVs and crossovers. The basic formula for creating a Cross is: Take a hatchback and spruce it up with body-kit. Last year, Volkswagen tried the same with the Polo but didnt really succeed. So, how is the Etios Cross different, and will it change Toyotas fortunes in the small car segment
The Etios Cross gets matte-finished black plastic cladding all around, a bold front grille, prominent roof rails, skid plates, blackened B-pillar, spoiler, diamond-cut 15-inch alloy wheels, Etios Cross badging on the boot lid and sides, ORVMs with turn indicators and rear window defogger with wiper, all of which give the car a muscular look. The cladding makes the Etios Cross 120 mm longer, 40 mm wider and 45 mm taller than the Etios Liva, and the treatment ensures it stands out in the crowd. In fact, while driving on Delhi roads, we got eyeballs almost every minute and inquiries every 10 minutes.
The cabin, too, has been embellished. Piano black interiors, seats with Etios Cross badging and white stitching, 2 DIN audio system, audio controls on leather-wrapped steering wheel, all of these make the cabin a happening place to be in. However, the car doesnt get electrically-operated ORVMs. The car is very spacious and both front and rear seats are comfortable; the driver seat is height adjustable. The layout of the cabin, however, remains the samethe centrally-mounted instrument cluster may not be to everyones liking. The boot space is a large and usable 251 litres.
There is some good news here. The Etios Cross gets ABS with EBD, dual front airbags and, what Toyota calls, a collision absorbing body. It gets anti-corrosion steel sheet at areas prone to rusting, under-body coating and anti-chip coating.
The Etios Cross is available with three engine options1.2-litre petrol (79 bhp), 1.5-litre petrol (89 bhp) and 1.4-litre diesel (67 bhp)all mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
Because the engines remain the same, the Etios Cross drives pretty much like the Etios Liva. The 1.2-litre petrol feels a tad underpowered, but the 1.5-litre petrol and the 1.4-litre diesel are fun to drive. At higher revs, the engine sound seeps into the cabin, which means Toyota still has to work on insulation. The suspension absorbs most bumps and brakes offer good stopping power. I have a question for Toyota, though. Can the Etios Cross come with a four-wheel drive or is the Indian market not ready for the same
Unlike the Cross Polo, the Etios Cross isnt a half-hearted effort at creating a crossover. The 1.2-petrol costs Rs 5.76 lakh, the 1.5-petrol comes for Rs 7.35 lakh and the 1.4-diesel retails at Rs 6.90 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Compare that to Rs 7.75 lakh for the Cross Polo (it comes only in diesel variant) and you realise Toyota has played the price card very well. It is not much different to drive than the Etios Liva and the cabin is still noisy at high speeds, but the Etios Cross gets a lot of attitude and, I must say, is the finest version of the Etios range yet. It may not yet change Toyotas fortunes in the small car segment, but Toyota has crossed the Rubicon with this car and the only way ahead is better quality levels in the Etios range.


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Kasdan & Kinberg Expanding STAR WARS Movie Universe?
We already knew that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are working with Disney/Lucasfilm on new Star Wars films, gaining both writing and producing credits. But while initial reports said the pair would be working, in some way, on Episodes 8 and 9 of the central Skywalker story, the newest report from THR says they may instead be expanding the universe.While Disney CEO Robert Iger originally said during the announcement conference call that he'd like to produce a new Star Wars movie every 2 to 3 years, a reported communicae from Kathleen Kennedy to her Lucasfilm employees talked of escalating that timetable to 2-3 films each year, similar to how Disney currently handles the Marvel Studios films. Of course that means expanding outside the Skywalker clan and seeing other corners of the galaxy far, far away. The Star Wars "Expanded Universe" is, in a word, enormous. With over 200 novels and three decades of comics, plus video games and other side projects, there is a wealth of story and characters to draw from to expand the cinematic universe, too. Now, it seems relatively unlikely they'll jump around the years (the EU goes from 36,000 years before the time of the first film to about 130 years after it) like the books do, but with novels that focus on everyone from pilots to bounty hunters to that famous growling wookiee, films that do the same could be a good fit. The new report didn't rule out that Kasdan, writer of Empire Strikes Back and one of the writers on Return of the Jedi and Kinberg, whose other big sci-fi franchise X-Men: Days of Future Past has been hitting news lately, too, could still be writing the Skywalkers' saga, but it seems increasingly likely that Star Wars will go through a Marvel-like movie makeover under the house of mouse. More from Newsarama:
- Unsolicited Advice for Disney's New STAR WARS Trilogy
- STAR WARS at Disney - Industry Reacts
- Disney Plus Lucasfilm Equals STAR WARS Episode 7 in 2015
Twitter activity Tweets by @Newsarama

subset: commoncrawl


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In his book, "Play," Stuart Brown, M.D., explains how play doesn't just reduce our stress and open our minds, it also exercises and grows our brains. Yep, to grow some brain, play a game.
Your "locus of control" is your sense of controlling your own future, your own happiness, your own life. Too often people blame the commander, the sergeant, the department, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a husband, a wife, or a partner, maybe even all eight of them for their unhappiness or unfilled dreams.
I was recently reading how more and more professions are turning to checklists to improve safety. I have been advocating just this kind of practice for law enforcement for decades.
I'd like to take a minute to ponder one of the issues that remains an unspoken truth about our natures and at the same time can dominate our attention with great urgency. That is the need for the human body to process waste.
As a student of human performance I am always amazed at the way we pay lip service to the winning mindset. It seems we think that if we just say this or that to ourselves, or visualize ourselves doing this or that, we will become winners. Simple, right? Wrong.
A plethora of TV shows, movies, and novels explore all types of the undead or living dead. Future generations will no doubt attribute this fixation to one or another of our social ills, and one certainly has to admit that there must be some strange social collective fear that has made these critters the subject of so much attention.
Feedback can come from the officer watching himself on a dashcam or a sergeant telling him he turns his back on a violator every time he keys his mic. This is a lot better than spitting teeth out in the back of an ambulance or worse.
I had the strangest dream the other night. I was a detective on my way to a homicide and my partner was that big guy from "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" who knows everything about everything.
When I took over firearms instruction in the academy the first thing I did was try to imbue everyone with the ideas that shooting was fun, anyone can do it, and if there is a problem it is only the technique, and not the person.
Over the years I have had so many "if only" moments; most of them have been about debt and its related stresses. When I was developing officer safety programs at the academy, I was stunned to find the number one cause of divorce among law enforcement officers was not dispatchers, but financial stress.
What the heck happened to us? Cro-Magnons were big, athletic, and healthy until they died (mostly young), and had bigger brains than we do.
We have to decide not to carry garbage around ourselves and not to accept it from others.
The funny thing is most Americans can't even name the time zone they live in much less understand why they are changing their clocks twice a year, and they have to ask the flight attendant what time it is wherever they've just landed.


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Last night's trip to Walgreens went super easy and I even came out further ahead with the Suave Infusions deal than I had planned on thanks to the clearance deal! Other than that, things went pretty according to plan.
As usual, I'm including Balance Rewards at $1.25 per 1000 because I've been saving them for the big $50 rewards! The transactions below are spread out across several different stores, so I wouldn't take too much from any one store and leave some stock for others, because of this some of the prices may vary from one transaction to the next.
TWO VIVA PAPER TOWELS 6 CT, on sale $4.99, regular price $6.99
Get $1.25 cashback from Ibotta for buying Viva Paper Towels 6 ct
Get $0.20 cashback from Ibotta for buying Paper Towels
Get $3 Catalina/Register Reward (unadvertised) for buying two
Used (1) $1/1 Viva Paper Towels 6 ct Walgreens store coupon, Walgreens November Savings monthly coupon booklet (Deducted $2)
Used (2) $0.50/1 Viva Paper Towels printable coupons
Price at Register: $6.98, but got a $3 Catalina and $1.45 from Ibotta
Net Price: $2.53 or $1.27 each!
ONE COLGATE ENAMEL HEALTH TOOTHPASTE, on sale $3.49, regular price $4.49
Get $2.50 Register Reward when you buy one select Colgate Dental Care Product
Used (1) $2.00/1 Colgate Total Daily Repair, Optic White Express White, or Enamel Health Toothpaste – 11-8-15 SS; Includes 3 oz or Larger Only; Limit 4 Like Coupons In Same Shopping Trip (exp 11/21/15)
Price at Register: $1.49, but got $2.50 in Register Rewards
Net Price: $1.01 MONEYMAKER!!!
FOUR CREST PRO-HEALTH RINSE 16.9 oz, on sale 4/$12. regular price $4.49
Get $6 in Register Rewards when you buy four select Oral Care Products
Used (2) $2/2 Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash 237 mL or larger printable coupon (preclipped)
Price at Register: $8, but got $6 in Register Rewards
Net Price: $2 or $0.50 each!
THREE HALLMARK GREETING CARDS, regular price $.99
Get $3 Register Reward when you buy three Hallmark Greeting Cards
Price at Register: $2.97, but got $3 in Register Rewards
Net Price: $0.03 MONEYMAKER!!!
TWO SUAVE PROFESSIONALS NATURAL INFUSIONS, on clearance $2.19, regular price $4.29
Get $2 in Register Rewards when you buy two Suave or Dove Products
Get $0.20 cashback from Ibotta for buying Shampoo
Used (1)$3.00/2 Suave Professionals Gold Hair Care Products – 11-1-15 SS; Excludes Trial and Travel Size; Maximum of 2 Like Coupons In Same Shopping Trip (exp 11/29/15)
Price at Register: $1.38, but get $2 in Register Rewards and $0.20 from Ibotta
Net Price: $0.82 MONEYMAKER!!!
Spent $30 on items above.
Get 5,000 in Balance Rewards points (value $6.25) when you buy $30+ in a single transaction with Points Booster coupon (through 5/12)
Net Price: $6.25 MONEYMAKER!!
Got 300 in Every Day Points for spending over $30 (Value $0.37)
Net Price: $0.37 MONEYMAKER!!!
Total Retail Value of All Merchandise: $47.98
Net Price Paid for Everything: $3.95 PROFIT!!!
Savings Rate (excluding tax): 108.2%
-HUGE New (and Rare) $3/1 Glad Trash Bags printable coupon!
-Rare New $1/1 Glad Food Protection Product printable coupon!
-Walgreens: $0.24 Shout, Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles through 11/18
-High-Value $1.50/1 White Cloud Bath Tissue or Paper Towels printable coupon!
-New High-Value $1.50/1 Purell Multisurface Disinfectant Spray printable coupon!
-CVS: Print ASAP for $2.27 Viva Paper Towels or Scott Bath Tissue!
-New $1/1 Crunchmaster coupon (plus hot deals starting at $0.50!)
-Walgreens: FREE + $1.02 MONEYMAKER Colgate Toothpaste!
-CVS: Print ASAP for $1.99 Schick Razor Systems starting 11/19!
-New Crest Mouthwash Coupons = HOT CVS deals right now!
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From Our Editors
In 1993, after years as a tech in the carpet cleaning industry, Gregory Cole founded Pro Carpet as a one-stop shop providing the best carpet-cleaning practices he had learned during his career. Gregory's team, which now numbers more than 30 techs, begins each carpet-cleaning service with a thorough walk-through, during which customers can point out specific soiled areas before the techs evaluate carpets for their levels of dirt, stains, and rainbow sprinkles. As they begin to clean, they employ steam-based cleaning and stain-specific products, such as the company's proprietary enzyme-based pet-stain formula, to remove odors and soils.
Pro Carpet's expertise also extends beyond carpeting, tackling upholstery and area rugs with the same thoroughness. They can also be called upon to repair water damage, clean office cubicles, and sweep dust and allergens from inside air ducts with professional-grade tools that improve air quality.