Issue Date: July 2, 2006
The deal on leasing
How can you afford to buy that new Mini Cooper convertible or Honda Civic Si? With average financing rates topping 7.9% on new cars in May -- a 2.2% increase over two years ago -- some drivers think leasing may be a better option.
Leasing deals make up one-fifth of all transactions, and luxury lines like Audi and Jaguar lease about half their new models. Many automakers have generous plans, especially for $40,000-plus cars, says Jesse Toprak of Edmunds.com.
Often, the decision to lease or buy comes down to monthly costs. Consumers who recently bought a new car financed $23,720, on average -- that's a $464 monthly payment on a 64-month term. The average lease payment was about $15 less over a shorter period of time: $451 a month for a 38-month term.
But leasing isn't a good value if you drive a lot. Exceed the mileage specified in your contract, and the penalty might wipe out any savings.
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OnlineSmart MELANIE D.G. KAPLAN
Think-tank site seeks to defuse border dispute
With immigrant demonstrations occurring across the nation, the idea of collaboration between those who support the rights of illegal Mexican workers and those who don't seems, well, foreign. However, the brains behind MATT.org (Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together) didn't think so. Lionel Sosa, an advertising guru, launched the non-partisan site in May to create an online community for Mexicans and Americans.
"Millions of us have our hearts and families on both sides of the border," Sosa says. "The best answers may not come from Washington or Mexico City." The hope is that solutions will come from some of the 15 million U.S. Hispanics who already are online.
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National parks without a crowd
If you've put off visiting a national park because you've heard they're crowded, think again. Sure, the Great Smoky Mountains had 9.2 million visitors in 2005, and the Grand Canyon welcomed 4.4 million people. But there are overlooked national parks full of dramatic natural wonders that receive a fraction of those visitors.
Start with Big Bend in Texas. This 801,000-plus-acre park features canyons, desert and the Chisos Mountains, yet fewer than 400,000 visitors went last year. And in 2005, a similar number explored Utah's Canyonlands National Park, which offers an extraordinary landscape of weathered sandstone canyons, mesas and buttes, thanks to centuries of erosion by the Colorado and Green rivers.
In northeastern California, Lassen Volcanic National Park lies at the southern end of the Cascade Mountains. Last year, fewer than 370,000 people hiked more than 150 miles of trails and drove the park's scenic highway to view steam vents, painted dunes and the 10,457-foot Lassen Peak volcano. In southern Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, North America's tallest wind-shaped dunes rise more than 750 feet against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This is our newest national park, established in 2004, and only about 280,000 people visited it in 2005.
Fewer than 235,000 people made it to Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park last year. Best seen by water, the park is a haven for canoeists, kayakers, and those on houseboats and tour boats.
Sign up for Everett Potter's freetravel newsletter at everettpotter.com.
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Sweet bruschetta? Yum.
The $1 million grand-prize winner usually gets all the attention at the Pillsbury Bake-Off. But as a judge at this year's 42nd contest, I also was impressed with the Blackberry-Almond Bruschetta created by Karen Mack of Webster, N.Y., who reads USA WEEKEND in the "Rochester Democrat and Chronicle."
What a great idea: Instead of the classic Italian appetizer of garlic-rubbed bread and chopped tomatoes, Mack's $10,000 category winner relies on toasted bread, sweetened cream cheese and fruit. These festive confections are simple to make, low in calories and really delicious. Serve them as the finale at your next cocktail party or as a colorful starter at your next brunch.
Here's my version: Lightly coat baguette slices with cooking spray and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a 350-degree oven until golden. Spread toasts with softened Neufchâtel cheese or ricotta lightly sweetened with powdered sugar and almond extract. Top with fresh berries or peaches. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and powdered sugar.
To see Mack's original dish, visit pillsbury.com/bakeoff and click on "winning recipes."
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