Amsterdam has always been a great city for a weekend break but this year will be greater than ever as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of the famous painter Rembrandt van Rijn. There are major exhibitions going on at a number of sites, including the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and at the museum at Rembrandts house. There will also be exhibitions at his birth place Leiden.

There are paintings coming from all around the world, so don’t miss this opportunity of seeing them all together, it won’t happen again for at least a hundred years.

If that is not enough, there are still all the other great attractions that Amsterdam has to offer. The world famous canals where you can cruise and see all the bridges and fine canal side houses that are unique to this part of the world or take the canal bus that has three different routes or if you prefer something more individual there are Canal Bikes which are pedalboats that can be hired by the hour and you can take from one location and leave in another to give you great flexibility.

A new feature introduced is the Amsterdam Transport Pass that is valid for all day travel on the metro, canal bus, tram and night bus. At the time of writing it costs Eur 17 per day and is very good value.

The traditional mode of transport is the bicycle and these are available for hire. Don’t forget to lock them against something solid.

There is a wealth of different museums to visit, from the Maritime museum for sailors to a museum of pianolas where the actual music as actually played by Mahler, Ravel and Strauss amongst others can be heard, to the pipe museum for smokers where you will find the longest clay pipe in the world.

Not everything here is old, there is the house, office and café of tomorrow, an exhibition of future living that has some very innovative and interesting exhibits, the café is particularly interesting in that it changes depending on what meal is being served.

Shopperholics are not forgotten in Amsterdam which boasts some of the finest in the world. You will probably want to start at the Centre Magna Plaza a stunning four story building dating from 1898 that used to be the General Post Office but is now a great shopping centre. Its Gothic-Moorish interior has been preserved with an amazing glass dome. Afterwards there is the tres chic Maison de Bonneterie, De Bijenkorf or PC Hooftstraat, whilst the fashionistas head for Kalverstraat with its many boutiques.

There are numerous markets in Amsterdam including the Albert Cuypmarket and the Singel market which is the worlds only floating flower market.

Even just walking the streets are a wonder in themselves as you take in the unique architecture you will notice plaques in the gables that come from the time when houses weren’t numbered and many people couldn’t read. During redevelopment when some of the old houses were taken down, the plaques were saved and you can come across walls where these plaques have been placed. Keep your eyes out for the work of the mysterious artist who places sculpture in the dead of night.

If you go to Roemer Visscherstraat you will see 7 European countries in one street thanks to architect Tjeerd Kuipers (b.1858) who designed the seven houses in the styles of Holland, Gt Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Russia a truly unique street.

If you are travelling with children then they are going to want their own experiences, try Anne Franks House or there is the New Metropolis museum where the kids can have a hands on scientific experience or for something more active try the TunFun

That has trampolines, giant slides, a cinema and disco, there’s even a children’s farm and construction area but make sure your socks are clean as shoes are not allowed.

With all this activity you will be looking for somewhere to relax. There are Grand Cafes and bruin (brown) cafes. As you would expect, the grand are larger and more opulent and the bruin which are smaller and homelier ones that also serve food. For grand cafes try the Royal Café de Kroon, built at the end of the 19th centaury or there is the De Jaren with its views of the river Amstel.

There are a number of interesting bruin cafes such Café Chris which opened in 1624, Café Kalkhoven with its Persian rugs, Café ‘t Smalle, a café since 1786 or the beautiful Café Papeneiland.

If you want to keep in touch with the world, there are many cyber cafes with internet access.

A mention of Amsterdam cafes would not be complete without a mention of the many ‘Coffeeshops’ where cannabis is sold openly. There is the Abraxas that also has internet access, The Bulldog, which was the first and the award winning De Dampkring.

Whilst on the subject of risqué places, Amsterdams’ Red Light district is also world famous with its many shows, sex shops and girls in windows.

If you are not completely worn out by your days’ exertions, the nightlife is second to none with amazing clubs and live music venues, try the Arena Club, Vak Zuid, Melkweg, Industry, Magazijn or Masion. For live bands it is best to check in the local press to see who’s in town.

As with any big city, restaurants abound although not many serve Dutch cuisine unless you use the bruin cafes, but there is a wide selection of eating places from around the world.

All in all there is so much to see and do you will need to come here more than once but as it is such a beautiful and friendly place, it is something you will do with pleasure.

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more discrete power sources to propel the vehicle. Common power sources include:

• On-board or out-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source (internal combustion engine or fuel cell)

• Air engine and internal combustion engines

• Human powered bicycle with electric motor or gas engine assist

• Human-powered or sail boat with electric power

The term most frequently refers to Hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) which comprises internal combustion engines and electric motors.

Early hybrid systems are being examined for trucks and other heavy highway vehicles with a few operational trucks and buses initial to come into use. The chief barrier seem to be smaller fleet sizes and the extra costs of a hybrid system are yet remunerated for by fuel savings, but with the price of oil set to persist on its upward trend, the tipping point might be reached by the end of 2008. Advances in technology and lesser battery cost and higher capacity etc. urbanized in the hybrid car industry are already filtering into truck use as Toyota, Ford, GM and others initiate hybrid pickups and SUVs. Kenworth Truck Company lately introduced a hybrid-electric truck, called the Kenworth T270 Class 6 that for city usage appear to be competitive. FedEx and others are preparatory to invest in hybrid delivery type vehicles—mainly for city use where hybrid technology may pay off first. The U.S. military is inspecting hybrid Humvees and other vehicles.

When the term hybrid vehicle is used, it normally refers to a Hybrid electric vehicle. These cover such vehicles as the AHS2 (Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Silverado, Cadillac Escalade, and the Saturn Vue), Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid and others. A petroleum-electric hybrid normally uses internal combustion engines and electric batteries to control electric motors. There are loads of types of petroleum-electric hybrid drivetrains, from Full hybrid to Mild hybrid, which proffer varying merits and demerits. While liquid fuel/electric hybrids in the late 1800s, the braking regenerative hybrid was invented by David Arthurs, an electrical engineer from Springdale, Arkansas in 1978-79. His home-converted Opel GT was reported to get as much as 75MPG and plans are still sold to this novel design, and the “Mother Earth News” customized version on their website.

Hybrid fuel (dual mode)

Additionally, vehicles that use two or more different devices for propulsion, some also deem vehicles that use discrete energy sources or input types (”fuels”) using the same engine to be hybrids, even though to avoid confusion with hybrids as described above and to use in the approved manner the terms, these are perhaps more suitably described as dual mode vehicles:

• A few electric trolleybuses can switch between an on board diesel engine and Overhead electrical power depending on circumstances (see dual mode bus). In principle, this could be pooled with a battery subsystem to create a true plug-in hybrid trolleybus, though as of 2006, no such design seems to have been announced.

• Flexible-fuel vehicles can be able to use an assortment of input fuels (petroleum and biofuels) in one tank — characteristically gasoline and bioethanol or biobutanol, though diesel-biodiesel vehicles would also meet the criteria.

• Dual mode: Liquified petroleum gas and natural gas are diverse from petroleum or diesel and cannot be used in the identical tanks, so it would be unfeasible to build an (LPG or NG) flexible fuel system. As an alternative vehicles are built with two, parallel, fuel systems feeding one engine. While the replicated tanks cost space in some applications, the augmented range and flexibility where (LPG or NG) infrastructure is incomplete may be a noteworthy incentive to purchase.

• Few vehicles have been modified to use another fuel source if it is available, such as cars customized to run on autogas (LPG) and diesels customized to run on waste vegetable oil that has not been processed into biodiesel.

• Power-assist mechanisms for bicycles and additional human-powered vehicles are also integrated.

Fluid power hybrid

Hydraulic and pneumatic hybrid vehicles employ an engine to charge a pressure accumulator to drive the wheels through hydraulic or pneumatic (i.e. compressed air) drive units. The energy recovery rate is elevated and therefore the system is more efficient than battery charged hybrids, demonstrating a 60% to 70% increase in energy economy in EPA testing. Under tests performed by the EPA, a hydraulic hybrid Ford Expedition returned 32 mpg–U.S. (7.35 L/100 km / 38.4 mpg–imp) City, and 22 mpg–U.S. (10.69 L/100 km / 26.4 mpg–imp) highway

The most recent hybrid technology is the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). The PHEV is inclusive of a gasoline-electric hybrid whose battery pack (usually Li-ion) is upgraded to a superior capacity, which can be recharged by moreover a battery charger curved into the electrical grid or the gasoline engine (only if required). The car runs on battery power for the first 10 to 60 miles (16–100 km), with the gasoline engine on hand for faster speeding up, etc.

After the battery is almost discharged, the car reverts to the gasoline engine to recharge the battery and/or return the car to the charging station. This may get around the fundamental barrier of battery range that has made nearly all pure electric cars impractical. Fuel rates, in principle, may be as low as 5 cents/mile. It’s not obvious yet whether converting an existing hybrid car will ever pay for itself in fuel savings.

The major problem is finding a good, cheap, high-energy battery pack—the equivalent problem that has plagued the unpolluted electric car. If everyone plugged into the function grid to charge up their car this would seem to be just displacing the gasoline/diesel combustion crisis to the trait coal powered electrical generating plant. But, if cars were recharged tardy at night this would allow the base load of the electrical system to be more capable with a much more even base load and electrical power can also be generated by clean wind, hydro, tide power, etc. while most travel is regarding 30 miles/day this may be the cleanest personal transportation system at present available.

There is a “cottage” conversion industry for owner- existing hybrids, and more than a few huge auto industry groups (GM, Toyota, Mercedes etc.) plus the US Department of Energy are investigating this system. No chief car company (as of late 2007) offers PHEVs yet. The characteristic “cottage” industry conversion car is the Toyota Prius (cost of conversion $5k-$40k), as it is a full hybrid with sufficient power in its electrical system to maintain distinctive city speeds.

Fuel consumption and emissions reductions

The hybrid vehicle characteristically achieves greater fuel economy and lower emissions than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), ensuing in fewer emissions being generated. These savings are mainly achieved by four elements of a typical hybrid design:

- Recapturing energy generally wasted during braking etc. (regenerative braking) this is a mechanism that condenses vehicle speed by converting some of its kinetic energy into a further helpful form of energy, particularly in stop-and-go traffic.

- having important battery storage capacity to store and recycle recaptured energy;

- shutting down the gasoline or diesel engine in traffic stops or while coasting or other idle periods;

- civilizing aerodynamics; A box shaped car or truck has to put forth more force to move through the air causing added stress on the engine making it toil harder. Improving the shape and aerodynamics of a car is a fine way to help better the gas mileage and also get better handling at the same time.

- By means of low rolling resistance tires; (tires these days are made to give a fine, smooth ride but hardly ever is efficiency taken into consideration. These tires cause a great pact of drag, once again making the engine toil harder, intense more gas mileage. Hybrid cars use special tires that are more exaggerated than regular tires and stiffer, which decreases the drag by about half, humanizing fuel economy by mitigating stress of the engine.

- relying on mutually the gasoline (or diesel engine) and the electric motors for peak power requires ensuing in a smaller gasoline or diesel engine sized more for normal usage rather than peak power usage.

These features make a hybrid vehicle chiefly efficient for city traffic where there are recurrent stops, coasting and idling periods. Besides noise emissions are condensed, mainly at idling and low operating speeds, in similarity to conventional gasoline or diesel powered engine vehicles. For constant high speed highway use these features are much less helpful in reducing emissions.

Pre-Show Events:
Opening segment: Rey Mysterio is out and congradulates Jeff, Rey calls out anyone to challenge him for the Intercontinental Championship. Jericho is out and says he is the face of Smackdown. Jericho demands an IC match. Jeff is out and says that if he wants a title match he has to beat him. Teddy long comes out and makes a match for Jeff Vs Chris, if Chris wins the Judgement Day World title Match is a triple Threat.
R-Truth vs. Mike Knox:
Knox knees R-Truth in the head a few times before picking him up and locking on a chin lock. R-Truth elbows out but Knox cuts him off with a knee and pushes him into the corner. Knox charges into a back elbow and R-Truth capitalizes with some punches, a dropkick, and a low dropkick to the knee. R-Truth hits his Scissors Kick, his finisher, and Mike Knox kicks out. R-Truth goes up to the top rope and knocks Knox down with a missile dropkick, covering for a very near fall. Knox gets up in the corner and R-Truth punches him before getting pulled away by the referee. Out of nowhere Knox hits a bicycle kick in R-Truth’s face over the referee’s shoulder. Knox then hits his finisher, the Spinning Reverse STO, and covers R-Truth to win his Smackdown debut.
Winner by Pinfall: Mike Knox
Match Rating: 6/10
Michelle McCool vs. Gail Kim
Gail Kim follows her out and McCool uses Alicia Fox as a human shield before pushing Fox into Gail Kim, who simply pushes her down. Kim kicks McCool and throws her back in the ring. Kim gets in the ring and kicks McCool in the ribs before going into the ropes and doing a wheelbarrow but McCool counters by dropping her throat first on the top rope. McCool covers for a one count and McCool quickly gets on top and punches her. McCool then locks on a leg lace on the neck. She holds it on for a while until Kim punches out of it and goes to the corner. McCool charges into a back elbow and a kick before getting a drop toe hold into the middle turnbuckle. Gail Kim comes back with a pair of clotheslines and a whip into the corner but the crowd fails to get pumped up for this. Maybe it’s because she’s been losing so much? Kim whips her into the corner and hits a nice shoulder block to the midsection before going to the top rope and hitting a Blockbuster for a two and a half count. Jim Ross alludes that she may have gotten help from Alicia Fox but Fox didn’t even touch the ropes… or do anything for that matter. Kim goes into the ropes, ducks a big boot, and goes for a hurricanrana but McCool counters with the Faith Breaker (the Styles Clash) and that’s it for this one. Gail Kim continues to lose.
Winner by Pinfall: Michelle McCool
Match Rating: 5/10
Josh Matthew’s is interviewing Jeff Hardy about his match tonight. Jeff says Jericho is a distraction and everyone will see Hardy win the title.
Backstage Edge is in Teddy Long’s office. Edge complains about Jeff Vs Jericho and how it will affect his Judgement Day match. Teddy says he feel sympathy and makes a World Title match for tonight. Cm Punk Vs Edge.
John Morrison vs. Charlie Haas:
Haas picks Morrison up but Morrison starts coming back with some forearms. Morrison goes into the ropes and runs right into a big boot, which staggers him back. Haas then hits him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two and a half count. Haas now gets to his feet and hits a serious surfboard stretch. Benjamin continues to cheer him on. Morrison eventually fights to his feet and flips forward to hit a double kick to Haas’ chest. Morrison blocks some punches and a clothesline before hitting a dropsault. Poor Paul London. Morrison hits a clothesline and then a back heel kick. Haas is able to get a shoulder into Morrison’s midsection and bounces him off the turnbuckle again before whipping him into the corner. Haas charges into Morrison’s boots. Morrison hits a running kick to the face and Morrison pulls him to the corner for his split-legged corkscrew moonsault for a three count.
Winner by Pinfall: John Morrison
Match Rating: 6/10
CM Punk vs. Edge:
They’re both down. Didn’t we see that spot last week? Anyone miss the double clothesline? Scott Armstrong doesn’t count them out for some reason. Punk and Edge got to their feet and trade punches until Edge gets a knee to the midsection. Edge goes for a suplex but Punk knees him in the head in mid-air. Punk hits a spinning side kicks to Edge’s midsection before hitting a running knee lift before hitting a heel kick. Punk gets on the apron and hits a springboard clothesline for a two and a half count. Punk whips Edge into the corner and goes for his running kick but Edge moves. Edge now gets Punk on his shoulders for the electric chair drop but Punk counters with a victory roll for a two and a half count. Punk now gets Edge on his shoulders for the GTS but Edge slides off and goes for the Edge-O-Matic but Punk counters by getting him into the corner and hitting a running knee. Punk tries to connect with the bulldog but Edge holds on to Punk’s arm so Punk pulls him into position for the GTS. Edge holds on to the top rope and gets off his shoulders. Edge then goes for the Spear but Punk leap frogs him and Edge flies through the ropes. The referee begins counting Edge out and Edge waves off Punk. Edge walks up the ramp and accepts the count-out loss.
Winner by Count-Out: CM Punk
Match Rating: 7/10
Layla Vs Eve Arm Wrestling Contest – to spare yourselves of boredom, i’ll make it short, Eve won.
Backstage Dolph Ziggler tells Jimmy Wang Yang and Jesse he has an announcement to make after the commercial. Dolph makes an open challenge saying he will tear though the Smackdown lockeroom. Khali answers the challenge.
Dolph Ziggler vs. The Great Khali:
Ziggler wants to shake hands but Khali growls at him, scaring Ziggler. The referee calls for the bell and the match begins. Ziggler goes into the ropes and forearms Khali, which does nothing. He goes back into the ropes and Khali grabs him by the neck, throwing him back into the ropes and hitting him with a clothesline. Khali puts him in the corner and squeezes his face before slapping his chest. That hurts – it has to. Khali raises his arm and goes for a big kick but Ziggler moves and Khali gets hung up on the top rope. Ziggler kicks him in the knees before getting out of the ring. Ziggler grabs a chair and comes back in. Ziggler hits Khali in the knee with the chair, causing a disqualification.
Winner by Disqualification: The Great Khali
Match Rating: 2/10
Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho:
Jericho is really upset but this. He punches Hardy a few times before picking him up and going for a kick that gets blocked. Jericho tries for the enzuigiri counter but Hardy avoids that. Hardy punches Jericho a few more times and goes for the Twist of Fate but Jericho twists into a leg sweep and attempts to lock the Walls of Jericho back on but Hardy kicks Jericho off. Hardy catches Jericho with an inside cradle but Jericho turns Hardy onto his shoulder at the two count and Jericho gets a two and a half count. Jericho is against the ropes and Hardy clotheslines him over the top rope, taking himself along for the ride. Hardy attempts to punch Jericho but Jericho counters by throwing Hardy over the announcer’s table into Edge’s lap. Jericho gets Hardy back in the ring and covers for a two and a half count. Edge now gets on the apron and talks trash to Jericho. Hardy then comes from behind and school boys Jericho for a two and a half count. Jericho is in the corner and Hardy runs right into his boot. Jericho then covers and gets both feet on the ropes for leverage and almost gets the win until Rey Mysterio yells over to the referee that Jericho is cheating. Jericho talks trash to Mysterio and turns into a Twist of Fate. Hardy then goes to the top rope and hits a Swanton Bomb for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Jeff Hardy
Match Rating: 8/10
This concludes tonight’s Smackdown!
What’s Final Thoughts on Tonight’s Smackdown!
The Main Event was tremendous. It’s been a while since they’ve squared off (a few years, actually) but they always click and they really clicked tonight. Jericho and Hardy are two great performers. I liked the stipulation of the match. It really made the show exciting and reminded me of WWF from 2000, where the matches meant something huge on the shows and most times had major ramifications for the PPV. From this we get a definitely Mysterio vs. Jericho feud and it continues to push Hardy hard towards Judgment Day. Edge and CM Punk had a pretty good match tonight.Tonight they were on. I like that the champion has a major feud going on with Jeff Hardy and a mini feud going on with CM Punk, with the possibility of a major feud. I also like how Umaga has been worked into this mix. It’s a great way to bring him back and leaves one to wonder just why Umaga is attacking CM Punk. I also like that they’re doing the angle where Edge can’t seem to get an opportunity on CM Punk. I just hope when Punk cashes in that Money in the Bank that he actually has a match. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again that I believe Punk’s first Championship victory was marred by the fact that it was so cheap. Then the fact that he could only get a clean win on JBL hurt him as well. I hope he has a match. Babyfaces should always be ready to fight. Leave the cheap wins for the heels. Man, oh man, did Charlie Haas look great tonight? Even though he lost he showed great aggression and I’m back on the Charlie Haas bandwagon. I’m glad they’ve decided to do away with that ridiculous copy-cat gimmick. He’s way too talented for that and tonight proved it. John Morrison was no schlep, either. Morrison, as always, looked and performed great. I have high hopes for his singles push. I really liked Dolph Ziggler’s little match tonight. While it led nowhere, it definitely gave Ziggler some aggressiveness that his character was desperately missing. He has a little edge to him now and that can only help him. Maybe he’s one of the breakout stars Vince McMahon talked of earlier in the week. I’m really excited that so many mid-card guys are getting a chance to shine. This was another thing WWE has been missing in a while. Someone who didn’t look great was Mike Knox. I was disappointed by the way they booked his match. They put him over on commentary as a huge powerhouse but R-Truth owned him until he got the cheap win. If he’s such a powerhouse, wouldn’t he be able to easily defeat R-Truth with his power instead of being thrown around the ring? I wouldn’t have even wanted him leaving his feet. Mike Knox has a lot of proving himself to do before I can get behind him. Right now I’m not impressed.
Final Rating: 6/10

Over the past 20 years our children have become increasingly alienated from the natural world. They have abandoned our open spaces and wilderness where unstructured imaginative play has existed for as long as the human species. Youthful expeditions that discovered shortcuts to school and secret hiding places are being eradicated by societal fears and impending litigation. Days spent building forts in the woods and swimming in ponds are quickly fading from our social history. At best, the constricting radius children are allowed to travel around their homes limits them to the trusted patches of grass and concrete in the front yard.
The effects of this nature deficit on the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of our youth are popular topics in the social laboratory. Sacramento State University offers a course solely examining the effects of television on our youth. It is considered a likely contributor to childhood obesity, aggressive behaviors, and Attention Deficit Disorder.
It is a curious abandonment from a parenting philosophy that once produced some of the best lessons of childhood. Kevin Smith remembers growing up in Camarillo, a small coastal farm town in California. “As kids my brother and I, along with several neighborhood friends, would spend hours playing in a large wheat field at the end of our street. We would dig holes and build ‘forts’ with whatever we had laying around the house. Sometimes our parents would let us camp out overnight. This would all disappear twice a year when the land owner plowed the field so he could replant wheat for his cattle.”
Natasha Morisawa, a Bioterrorism and Emergency Preparedness Analyst, remembers walking her dogs for hours with her sister. They toured local parks, learning the neighborhood along the way. “Not just our street or block, but details about the blocks between our house and the park; details that we would never know if we rode in the car.”
THE ELECTRONIC NANNY
What is blamed for the disconnect? The ever-rising popularity of video games, television, and computers are obvious targets. For the first time in history, early life experiences are formed more by LCD pixels and cartoon characters than insect collections and treehouses. A study conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation found that US youth now spend an average of five hours a day–40 percent of their awake hours–in front of electronic devices. And the behavior starts young. Children under the age of two years old will spend over two hours daily in front of a media screen.
In 1997, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) focused their studies on the potential health risks that television, movies, music videos and video games present to our youth. Since then, it has been linked to a number of conditions. It is generally accepted as a contributor to childhood obesity and hypertension by encouraging inactivity. Compounding the problem, the most commonly advertised foods during children’s programming are high in fat, sugar and salt. Academically, there is a relationship between excessive television viewing and a decline in reading and comprehension skills. Emotionally, media overexposure can contribute to aggressive behaviors and desensitization to violence. As children grow into young adults, conditions with body image, sexuality, and self-concept may also develop from the portrayal of unrealistic scenarios.
But researchers aren’t ready to say that digital and media entertainment are completely to blame. They may only be symptoms of greater challenges; something to fill a child’s time due to lost options.
THE CRIMINALIZATION OF PLAY
In today’s communities, money has become a powerful source of retribution. Mental anguish, embarrassment and disrespect all have a price. We sue over ruined pants and a neighbor’s blowing leaves. Playtime is not exempt from this system. The fear of litigation from a child falling from a tree or tripping at a creek crossing is too great. Nervous homeowners dissolved any play in their yards, fearful that a slip on wet grass could lead to losing their home, their retirement, or their own child’s college fund.
As youth are increasingly locked out of undeveloped lands, Park and Recreation departments scramble to create equitable outdoor experiences. A replica of the lost opportunities. They erect plastic molded climbing walls, cushioned groundcover, skate parks and water slides.
THE INFORMATION AGE
In 1980 Turner Broadcasting launched CNN introducing America to a new news format. A 24-hours-a-day endlessly looping news format. Not far behind, cable television multiplied our channel count from five to hundreds. How to fill all those channels, all those hours? Repetition. Hour after hour, network upon network. Repeat daily.
In 1989, the World Wide Web was born. The internet provided a platform for accelerating information around the globe. Once connected, the public no longer had to wait for delivery of news through television and print media-they could hunt for it. An avenue to know practically anything we wanted at any time, ad nauseum. Our hunter gatherer nature was aroused.
Parents embraced the new format, collecting information that would keep themselves and their children safer; a parent’s ultimate responsibility. But what do they ultimately find?
A twenty second internet search presents these results:
• A non-family member abduction occurs every nine minutes in the united states.
• There are 4 million pet dog attacks in the US, mostly on children.
• As many as one in twenty adults has active pedophile thoughts or tendencies. (Global Children’s Fund)
• About 1000 children die from drowning.
• Every year approximately 250,000 children are brought to the emergency room due to a bicycle injury.
Then the newspaper arrives and headlines reinforce the threats. “Oxnard Man Shot to Death”, “Bird Tests Positive for West Nile Virus”, “Mountain Lion Sighted on California Rooftop”. Television carries us further from home.
“A Chino Hills Park is closed after a coyote attack on a two year old…”
“Police are searching for a 14 year old girl that went missing from her Bel Air home early Tuesday…” With information like this appearing by the strike of a keyboard or the push of a remote control, it is understandable why parents are fearful. There are a world of threats leaned up against our front door.
Enter the Free Range Kid.
THE FREE RANGE KID MOVEMENT
Last month Lenore Skenazy of New York City was labeled the “Worst Mother in the World” by public critics across the country. What does a mother need to do to garner such virulent disapproval across America? She dropped her nine year old son off at a department store in New York, and challenged him to return home safely.
At his pleading, Skenezy left her son inside a New York city Bloomingdale’s. He wanted the challenge of finding his way back, alone, one subway ride and a bus connection from their home. Mom gave him a subway map, a Metro card, a twenty dollar bill and some change for a phone call. She told him what to do if he got lost. Then she returned to their home and waited. He found his way back without incident, mother and child both thrilled by his accomplishment.
When Skenazy mentioned the event to friends and acquaintances she was met with unrestrained condemnation. She was reminded of a recent abduction of a young girl in Florida.
“How would you have felt if he didn’t come home?”
“I don’t want to be the one on TV explaining my daughter’s disappearance.” And that was before Skenazy put it in writing. As an opinion columnist with a typically humorous slant, she hardly expected the massive reaction that was coming when she documented it in her weekly New York Sun column.
As the controversy grew, Skenazy started a blog and message board where opponents and supporters gathered to debate. Some visitors embrace her parenting decision completely, some agree philosophically but are unable to engage in the practice, and others outright condemn the experience as criminal.
The debate spawned a new parenting approach; or rather, a return to an old one. The Free Range Kid Movement was born. Despite accusations to the contrary, Free Range Parents don’t discourage bicycle helmets, car seats, or airbags. They don’t encourage running with scissors. They want a return to the lifestyle that existed before the information age-including the risks that come with it. They believe it is essential to training children’s independence and decision-making abilities. Free range parents allow their pre-teen children to walk to school alone. To ride their bicycles to the library. To play in the woods unsupervised.
Free Range Parents also come armed with their own counter-statistics. That a child is 40 times more likely to die in a car accident than be abducted. That, contrary to statistics broadcast on the Today Show, the US Justice department shows a decline in child abductions since 1988. And since 1980, death rates dropped by about half for children between the ages of five and fourteen.
Ventura County is home to two of the safest communities in America, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, though you wouldn’t always know it. Even for parents that agree with the philosophy of the movement, they don’t find it quite so simple to practice. “I think there is a generalized feeling that the open spaces are wonderful in a supervised situation, but that unsupervised there is too much potential for a predator to be lying in wait, whether it be one of the human or animal.” Says Heather Quaal.
Natasha Morisawa agrees, “I think I would like to be more of a ‘free range parent.’…But for now, I will acknowledge my vulnerability and do what I can so that I can raise these boys in the best world I know.”
One side will argue that the reason the numbers are down is because their children are better protected from the threats. The other side will argue that the threats never existed in the first place. With many parents, the risk is too great or too frivolous. Some make little distinction between free range parenting and the criminally negligent.
NATURE CURES
What is generally agreed by both sides is the effect this nature deficit is having on our youth. The responsibility to nurture healthy, confident and curious children hasn’t changed. Childhood obesity, caused by the body taking in more calories than it burns, has tripled since 1960. In addition, Type 2 diabetes, mellitus, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea are all conditions that can carry directly into adulthood. Nature experiences have been increasingly abandoned as one of the most effective cures to these conditions.
In his book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv acknowledges the challenge. “Parents already feel besieged by the difficulty of balancing work and family life. Understandably, they may resist the idea of adding any to-dos to their long list of chores. So here is another way of viewing the challenge: Nature as an antidote. Stress reduction, greater physical health, a deeper sense of spirit, more creativity, a sense of play, even a safer life-these are the rewards that await a family when it invites more nature into children’s lives.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees. It believes increasing physical activity and shifting to a healthy diet can reverse many of the recent childhood illness trends. Psychologically, it finds that outdoor physical activity increases self-esteem and self-concept, just as it decreases anxiety and depression.
The debate between cause and symptom will continue, but is ultimately irrelevant to the child sitting passively in their living room today. As children fall further out of sync with nature, they miss the lessons nature has provided for youth during all of human existence. By keeping our youth indoors, we risk confining them to a very small, often paranoid world. Parents may need to reinforce in themselves that muddy hands and an occasional skinned knee are part of growing up. Through this, their children will learn about a world of mysticism and surprise, amusement and challenge that exists beyond their electronic world. A world that is waiting for them past the screen door.
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Does this sound like your idea of fun? Do you believe it could never happen? There have been a lot of people that have done it and continue to do it. It doesn’t matter whether they are testing a new car, doing it for a movie, trying to outrun the cops, or because their job is to push it to the limit . No matter what they are doing, there are people out there who do crashes into things that they probably shouldn’t, and walk away. There are also crashes that no one will ever walk away from. You can find videos on all of these at the motorsport video sharing site. The people at Motorsport Mad thought that everyone should be able to see when someone turns a beautiful machine into scrap metal.

They have videos from Formula 1, Nascar, off road and police chases where some have made it and some haven’t. There are tributes to the greats and motorsport video uploads to show you what you shouldn’t do when traveling at high speeds, and comically at slow speeds. Things like you really shouldn’t dump your bike at the very beginning of a race. It makes it hard to even place when you do things like that. You can see a Corvette try to jump a wall in the first 50’ of a drag race. They have stuff that you can see on national TV and scenes that you won’t find anywhere else. There is an idiot who turns the wrong way in a well marked street race. They have a video of a stupid criminal that decides he’s going to try to outrun the cops in a late 90’s quarter ton pickup, he gets caught in guide wires for a telephone pole, spins out, the passenger jumps out of the pickup, jumps into the bed when it starts moving again, crawls into the cab while they are racing down a dirt road just to take a wrong turn, find a dead end and hit a wall. They might have had a better chance if the had made sure that the front tire had air in it.

These are all things that you can find in front of the video camera. It doesn’t matter what kind of vehicles you’re into, or what kind of crashes you like, they have something that you will like. If you would rather see races where the cars don’t crash they have those also. There is one of a racer in Ireland, who gets stuck behind a car just traveling down the road. Listening to the driver and his copilot is quite amusing. No matter what you are into, if you like engines and wheels you will find something to your liking.

Some of the video footage is hilarious, others are just plain tragic, but they all appeal to our sense of excitement and interest in watching accidents happen. It may be because are glad that the crash didn’t happen to us or a friend, or because it is simply a highly embarrassing moment for someone that just happened to get caught in the viewfinder of the video camera. Either way, the footage on this website is great for entertainment, thrills, chills and thankfulness that the driver walked away from the crash, or regret when he didn’t make it.

ANAKEE, Superb traction on dry and wet surfaces Great handling at low and high speeds The Michelin Anakee is the ideal companion for big-bore adventure touring bikes. With its large tread blocks, the Anakee exhibits extraordinary road manners thanks to its silica-charged tread compound and reinforced carcass construction. Its stability and control on dirt roads is just as impressive. With the Anakee, Michelin has pushed back the horizon for adventurers. Michelin Anakee 2 delivers 29% extra miles than its two main competitors, whilst at the same time offering the same wet grip thanks to MotoGP Technology.

COMMANDER,  Developed And Tested By And For American Riders. Test Riders Logged More Than Half A Million Miles On U.S. RoadsEach Front Commander Tire Size Is Tailored To The Unique Handling Characteristics Of Each Bike By A Combination Of Profile And Casing Designs. Rayon Carcass Ply Instead Of Polyester For A Compliant Ride And More Stable Handling.Aramid Belts In The Rear Commander, Instead Of Less Costly Fiberglass, Controls The Centrifugal Growth On The Tire Allowing A Large Contact Patch, Excellent Traction And Even Wear.

M45,  Ideally suited to urban use . Designed to hold the road under a wide range of conditions . If you use your bike mainly for getting around the city, this is your tyre. The Michelin M45 is ready to take on the hazards of the urban jungle: paint stripes, manhole covers, wet cobblestones and the like. Sized for roadsters and customs ranging from 50 to 250cc, the Michelin M45 is your friend in the city.

 M62 GAZELLE, Quality and Durability for small motorcycles. Special rubber compound helps ensure exceptional durability and low operating costs. Highly resistant to most tread cuts and casing damage Designed for precise steering, excellent traction and easy maneuverability. Reinforced casing designed for high-stress loads.Deep tread pattern for long wear.

MACADAM 50,  The latest Michelin tire technology in a bias-ply. Reinforced casing resists centrifugal growth at high speeds, for exceptional stability. Advanced tread compound technology offers the ideal balance between wet traction and durability deeper tread depth and a redesigned tread pattern to reduce cupping and minimize squirm for razor sharp handling. New Macadam® 50E™ front tire is designed to minimize uneven wear and promote improved handling characteristics. A Kevlar® belt in the V-rated rear Macadam 50 controls tire growth at high speeds and optimizes wear. Kevlar is far stronger than steel, without the added weight of steel belts.

SUPERMOTO,  Using the proven ‘ladder’ tread pattern of the current tyres, the new soft front is suitable for use on smoother track surfaces in all temperatures and the medium/hard rear has been developed for use on abrasive tracks, in higher temperatures.The wets use the block tread pattern from the circuit rain tyres, but the compound and casing construction have been specifically adapted for use on supermoto machines.The tyre sizes are 12/60-17 front and 16/63-17 rear, and none of the tyres are road-legal. All tyres are tubeless but can be fitted with tubes if required.

PILOT ACTIV,   Michelin has launched the new Pilot Activ to replace certain sizes in its existing Macadam 50 range. The Pilot Activ is a belted crossply tyre with a sports-orientated tread pattern that offers improved manoeuvrability, better dry and wet grip, higher mileage, and improved rider comfort compared with the Macadam 50. These improvements in performance come from a revised casing construction that uses recently developed ply and belt technology and a tread rubber compound incorporating the latest generation of elastomers to improve grip in all weather conditions without compromising tyre-life.

 PILOT ROAD,  Remarkable wet grip. Unsurpassed high-speed stability.  Heat, rain, cold – in virtually any conditions, the Michelin Pilot Road and its 100% silica-charged tread compound won’t let weather get in the way of your ride. The front tire’s rounded profile offers progressive steering response, and the advanced casing design tackles rough roads easily. The Michelin Pilot Road strikes the ideal balance between tread life and performance, while affording an exceptional quality/price ratio.

PILOT ROAD 2,   Independent tests confirm the Pilot Road 2 offers better wet grip and longer tread life than any of its competitors. Wet grip and durability testing was performed in 2006 by CERM (Centre d’Essais Routiers Mécaniques) on Michelin Pilot Road 2 and five leading competitors’ equivalent tyres, using sizes 120/70 ZR 17 and 180/55 ZR.

PILOT SPORT / PILOT SPORT HPX,   The ideal balance of sport performance, durability and handlingExcellent grip in the wetThe Pilot Sport HPX is designed specifically for high-speed, highpowered bikes like the CBR1100XX, ZX12R and Hayabusa, where it excels in stability and mileage .

POWER One, (ROAD LEGAL)  More than 80,000 miles of testing! The new MICHELIN Power One range underwent extreme testing during its development to help deliver winning potential in every race !  .

SIRAC,  If you enjoy the adventure of discovery, check out the Michelin Sirac. While it easily handles the demands of everyday riding, it’s always ready to explore dirt roads or trails. Best of all, this versatility comes at a surprisingly reasonable price. TT=tube tipe, TL=tube less.

You can see images of all the above mentioned Michelin motorcycle tread patterns by visiting motopsychos.co.uk  by clicking this direct link to Michelin motorcycle road tyres here  -    http://www.motopsychos.co.uk/michelin-30-c.asp

We at motopsychos.co.uk , hope you find this  Michelin motorcycle tyre tread pattern  & desciption list useful to you and help you decide what Michelin motorcycle tyre suits your use applications .

Stephen Bonnici

PILOT GT,   Premium replacement tire for Honda GL1500 Pilot Road inspired tread design for efficient water evacuation . Front tire features triangulated profile for low-speed maneuverability and four cross plies for stability H-rated for speeds up to 130 mph .

PILOT POWER,  The tyre that revolutionized the hypersport segment. Synthetic rubber mix derived from MotoGP tyres. You don’t have to be world champion to get your hands on Michelin MotoGP tyre technology. The Pilot Power uses synthetic rubber components that were originally developed for MotoGP racing, minimizing warm-up time and optimizing traction for acceleration and braking. Its excellent feedback at the limit make it an ideal for extreme road riding and track days.

PILOT POWER 2CT,   Michelin’s revolutionary new supersports tyre. Race tyre performance with a full water clearing tread patern.

AVA MC is one of the an authorized dealer for BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki and Suzuki bikes, Ava mc is an intelligent motorcycle shop that make sure your bike rolls in all weather. Ava mc also offers the accessories, clothing and protective equipments.

The AVA MC Bikes has always high speed stability, long distance comfort, roomy ergonomics and smooth riding feel. In 2009, BMW has reestablished their quality range of sports bikes with several improvements, including more noticeable power ability where it matters the most, in the midrange and overall smoother engine reaction, improved transmitting system and even more robust clutch.  The AVA MC new K 1300 S and K 1300 GT now sport a 150cc increase in displacement to a full 1293cc.

The Press and the owner’s response for the K1300 bikes have been just stellar so far.  New owners of K1300 Bikes commenting about a much more elegant riding had with silky polish transmission.

Good News for the buyers of AVA MC K1300 Bikes. Although the K-bikes are vastly improved, their prices have not risen for the new motorcycle models.

To see the new K 1300 S and the K 1300 GT please visit our AVA MC Store into the Sweden.

K 1300 S: at last, a sports bike whose odometer executes too.  The K 1300 S is much more faster, with standard pick up, lighter clutch pull, smoother transmission, and more fine-tuned ESA II.  The handling has also been improved

AVA MC offers the preferential financing in cooperation with Handelsbanken Finans.

For more information visit our website http://www.avamc.se

Today, vehicles are in great demand between all segments of society. With to huge demand of vehicles, automobile industry is the fastest growing industry all over the world. Automobile industries play a vital role in economic development of any country.

Every week a new model of car or bike has been launching to accomplish the requirement of buyers. Various automobile manufacturing companies are in the market, which provide a lot of vehicle according to the requirements of different segment of peoples. Automobile companies are offering various products according to users budget. Gone are the days, when one had to wait for their dream vehicles. Today, it is not difficult to buy a dream vehicle because of various financial institutions. Many banks are providing loan and converting your dream into reality. Buyer needs to pay some extra money as interest rate for that finance amount. This amount depends on various factors such as buyer’s credit past, finance amount, loan period and the term and conditions of financial institution.

If we consider the Indian automobile industry, there are various companies, which are offering all type of vehicles in the market. Automobile manufacturing companies are offering different cars, two wheelers, three wheelers, commercial vehicles, sport vehicles and other utility vehicles according to the user’s requirement. As we all know, cars have become a need for today’s world. Automobile companies are offering various premium cars to entry-level cars for the customers. Tata Motors has been working hardly for producing low budget car for Indian market. The Boom of Indian Automobile Industry can be tracked by the stat, which proves the increment in car production from 7,23,330 cars to 13,08,913 in last three years.

This huge development and consumption of vehicles encourage the various companies to produce automotive parts and accessories for these vehicles. There is a potential growth in Indian auto part market.

There are various car-manufacturing companies in Indian market. Some giants in manufacturing of cars are Audi, Ford, Fiat, Honda, Hyundai, Skoda, Maruti, BMW, Mercedes, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Motors and General Motors. Some awaited car models, which are about to launch in the year 2008 are Fiesta 1.4 SXi Duratorq, Opel GT, Aveo U-VA, Getz Next Generation, Logan, Rhino Rover, Audi Q7, Montero, Outlander, Grandis, Santa Fe and Roomster. All the companies are offering various attractive models in different color and designs. In two wheeler industries, Hero Honda, Bajaj Auto, TVS Motors, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and kinetic motors are offering various motorcycles, scooters and scooterettes to the market. One can choose among the various models according to his need and budget.

Before buying any vehicle, one needs to ensure about the maintenance of the vehicle. All the companies are providing servicing facility by their own service centers. The user can visit the service center and consult about the problem of vehicle with the experts. Remember that proper maintenance can enhance the performance and life of your vehicle.

Our friendly and experienced Rental teams are able to put together the most competitive rental and tour deals. We offer a variety of packages for Riders. BMWmotorental prides itself in our used bike presentation and selection. We carry a wide range of Approved Used BMWs to suit every taste, and budget.

Models Bikes

1. K1200 GT
2. R1200 RT

K1200 GT

For some motorcycle enthusiasts, long distances and dynamic performance go hand in hand with a passion for touring. They may take on a passenger or include luggage, but would never forsake the requirement for comfort, speed and performance. They expect power AND top notch safety standards – combined in a top-quality motorcycle. The unique chassis with optional ESA and excellent brakes ensures that the bike’s performance capacity is always well under control.

R1200 RT

The latest touring machine to carry the legendary ‘RT’ badge has everything you need to carry you through your next thousand kilometers. Whether you are heading for the horizon or winding your way through the mountains, the flat twin’s power never seems to run out. You’ll always be able to put in an extra burst of speed when needed with an R1200RT. BMW Motorrad Automatic Stability Control system is available as a factory-fitted option.

Imtbike offers unique touring and sport motorbike rentals in Spain. Bikes are rented on a daily or weekly basis. We offer you the best in touring motorbikes to hire for your Motorcycle Holidays.

Source

www.Bmwmotorental.com

www.imtbike.com