Armored knights: Textron Marine & Land Systems has been awarded a $10 million contract to build 27 more armored security vehicles for the U.S. Army. The Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command ordered the extra Armored Knights vehicles, which are made at Textron’s plants in New Orleans and Slidell. The vehicles are set for delivery at the end of 2010.
Third consecutive increase: The average rate 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose nationally for the third consecutive week. The national average rate was 4.77% for the week ending Sunday, compared with 4.72% for the week ending Dec. 13, according to the Zillow Mortgage Rate Monitor. Rates for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages had a smaller increase, up from 4.21% to 4.24%. Zillow says rates continued to rise on Monday.
Big carbon pawprint: Researchers says that the family dog has a carbon paw print twice a large as an SUV, according to the French news agency AFP. Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living by Robert and Brenda Vale, a pair of New Zealand researchers, says the problem is all of the meat that dogs eat. More than 2 acres of land is needed to generate enough food for a medium size dog. That’s about twice the impact of an SUV. The Vales also argue that pets devastate wildlife, pollute waterways with their waste and spread disease. To reduce the environmental impact, they suggest reducing the amount of meat in an animal’s diet and avoiding walking dogs in wildlife-rich areas. Read the story here.
