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AUTO REVIEW: 2019 Mazda MX-5 RF

NNPA NEWSWIRE — What made the MX-5 so popular was the fact that it was a roadster and over the years Mazda has had the good sense to keep it a roadster in the best British tradition of Triumph and MG.

Published

5 years ago

May 20, 2019

Oakland Post

By Frank S. Washington, AboutThatCar.com, NNPA Newswire Contributor

DETROIT – Thirty years. That’s how long the Mazda MX-5 has been around. It was a hit from day one and now it has reached icon status.

When Mazda tried to change the name from Miata to MX-5 diehard fans refused to go along. Many people still call it Miata, so do I. But in the interest of journalistic accuracy I’ll use MX-5 in this space.

What made the MX-5 so popular was the fact that it was a roadster and over the years Mazda has had the good sense to keep it a roadster in the best British tradition of Triumph and MG.

What that means is a two-seat light weight ragtop with a great power to weight ratio. And they’ve added a hardtop convertible for those who want to drive in cooler weather.

I had the hardtop and driving it was still a lot of fun. I had the six-speed manual; there is a six-speed automatic. I could and did skirt through traffic. The car had great acceleration and maneuverability; it was not overtly fast, but it was awfully quick. Interestingly enough I never felt like I was in a small car until I got out of the MX-5.

Still, the interior was not cramped. Shifting was easy. Other than the windows, everything was manual: the seats and the tilt telescoping steering wheel. Outside noise got in but somehow it wasn’t road noise.

The sport suspension was firm but not harsh. Cornering was great, the brakes were solid and the sight lines were good. Never did I feel overwhelmed or undersized by other vehicles. At first, I thought the steering wheel could have been a little thicker. But after a day or so I found it to be just the right size.

This is the fourth generation of the car and what they have done is bring it into the 21^st Century from a connectivity standpoint. It now has USB jacks and it can stream and it has satellite radio amongst other things including Bluetooth and a navigation system. It even had heated seats.

Designers pinched the hood and grille and they now swoop down to meet the front fascia. They did the same thing in the rear. They added LED headlights and LED daytime running lights. They tightened the sheet metal and overall gave the MX-5 a much more contemporary look.

But that was just for openers. Engineers gave the MX-5 more punch by increasing horsepower and torque. The net results are 181 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 151 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, an increase of 26 horsepower and 3 pound-feet of torque, respectively.

The car got 26 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway and 29 mpg combined.

Mazda said, “The numbers only tell so much, though; power is more usable throughout the engine’s entire range, with the engine responding more quickly to every input.”

I never had to downshift to generate more power. What’s more, there was a spot at the exit of the Lodge Freeway onto Telegraph Road North. The pavement is not completely flat. There were short rolls that the MX-5’s suspension picked up. The thing I noted was that I could not feel the vibrations through the steering wheel. That’s engineering.

I had the Club RF trim package. It included a limited-slip rear differential, Bilstein dampers, shock tower brace and a black roof. The top retracted into its storage compartment with the push of a button in a relatively swift 13 seconds without intruding into the cargo area.

The coupe weighed just 115 lbs. more than the soft top. There was a rearview camera (it’s the law) and blind spot alert which is needed in a car as small as the Mazda MX-5.

Mazda calls it the Gram Strategy, save weight by shaving off a few pounds here and a few pounds there. They used more high strength tensile steel in the structure and that made the frame stronger but lighter. Weight was shaved off of the air condition system, the seats, suspension, transmission, driveshaft and instruments. The roadster weighs about 150 lbs. less than the car it replaced.

The 2019 Mazda MX-5 RF was a great car. The best part may be the sticker. As tested, it was priced at $38,335.

Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com

Oakland Post

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.