PBOT’s maintenance woes aren’t just a problem for people who travel by car. by Taylor Griggs

In the bike-friendly cities of Northern Europe, a phrase is sometimes used to lightly chastise those who are intimidated to cycle in the rain: “You’re not made of sugar.” That is, you can get a little wet—you won’t melt. 

But not all rainy cities are created equal. The “sugar” sentiment is easier applied in places like the Netherlands and Denmark, where people on bikes dominate the streets all year long, even in the cold, wet months. The bike capitals of the world, many of which are hardly tropical paradises, were purposefully designed to treat people traveling outside of cars as worthy of quality amenities. And a lot of that comes down to the state of the pavement. 

Here in Portland, our streets—including the bike lanes—could (surprise!) use some work. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has a roughly $6 billion maintenance backlog, mainly consisting of unmet pavement needs on busy and local streets, which has failed to be adequately tempered by funding sources like the gas tax. And as Portland’s street maintenance needs have become more apparent, gripes about PBOT’s priorities have gotten louder. 

“There are potholes everywhere, and PBOT wants to build a new bike lane?” is the common refrain from armchair urban economists. It’s a talking point that’s parroted by people who should know better, too. One example: A questionnaire to 2024 City Council candidates written by reporters at the Oregonian and OPB asks people to decide whether to prioritize “creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes.” 

The implication contained in this false dichotomy is that protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes—and the people who use them—are frivolous compared to the potholes car drivers have to deal with. But even stranger is the implication that people who bike, walk, or use public transit aren’t impacted by the city’s street maintenance problems. In fact, those who get around without a car often face the brunt of PBOT’s maintenance backlog woes, especially during the winter. 

Take the ubiquitous bike lane puddles. These puddles proliferate during the late fall and early winter, after most of the autumn leaves are off the trees and clogging up the gutters. Unfortunate topography and storm drain placement has resulted in some puddles that remain landmarks on Portland’s streets all winter, like the notorious “Lake Blumenauer” on the north side of the car-free Blumenauer Bridge across I-84. 

These puddles might not seem like a big deal, but believe me when I tell you that riding through one of them can temporarily make you question your will to live. Fenders and rain pants can only do so much to protect you from six inches of grimy water and whatever might be floating in it. 

Then there’s the gravel. After major winter weather events, like the ice storm early this year, PBOT spreads gravel and road salt on the roadways so vehicle traffic can get by. That’s fine, but after the ice melts, tiny pebbles end up piled in the bike lanes, creating treacherous conditions for riders, and they often stay there for weeks or months. 

I can give the city some grace: PBOT has $6 billion of maintenance work on its hands, so it makes sense that some needs fall to the wayside. This would be a more acceptable situation to me if the proliferating narrative wasn’t that bike riders are preventing the city from getting its basic maintenance work done. 

The truth is that bike advocates are some of the most dedicated street maintenance wonks in the game, often taking the responsibility of keeping the streets clean into their own hands. After January’s ice storm, members of bike advocacy group BikeLoud PDX took to the streets with a bike lane-size sweeper, picking up an impressive amount of gravel in the process.

More recently, PBOT has said it will purchase a sweeper for protected bike lanes, as larger street sweepers are too big to do the job. This is a good step, but the sheer novelty of it indicates how far behind we are from some of our international bike city peers. 

So, no—we’re not made of sugar, and Portland’s rainy and cold winter weather is not necessarily prohibitive to mass adoption of biking as transportation. But we have quite a bit of work to do to get to where we need to go. However, though the road ahead is lined with gravel, we are armed with volunteer street sweepers.

The company started with a 100-year-old family cookie recipe, passed down through generations.

Updated dates for the west side of the CTA Track Structure approximately 85ft south of W. Grace Street Work Hours for lead abatement and painting.

Associations Plan Joint Effort to Advance Blockchain Technology for Accounting Profession

NEW YORK (Oct. 23, 2017) – The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA), a leading nonprofit trade association promoting the comprehensive adoption of blockchain technology across global markets, today announced plans to work together to define the impact of blockchain technology for the accounting profession and advance the interests of both the public and profession in this area.

As part of this collaboration, the AICPA – through its technology arm, CPA.com – will administer the WSBA’s working group on tax and accounting, a focal point for advocacy and education on blockchain adoption within the profession. Other existing WSBA working groups include research and innovation, legal, and technology and product. The working group model is designed to provide a forum for experts to share information, guide advocacy and technical efforts and create broader educational opportunities—such as webcasts, roundtables and other content—to address issues arising from the adoption of blockchain, distributed ledgers and smart contract technologies.

“The accounting profession is built on confirmation and verification, and that’s what blockchain is all about,” said AICPA President and CEO Barry C. Melancon, CPA, CGMA. “This technology can have a profound impact on accounting and finance going forward, and it’s important we make sure that its adoption proceeds in a way that’s in the best interest of the public and our financial markets. Our working relationship with the WSBA, combined with our expanded global reach through the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, will help further that goal.”

The collaboration was announced at the fall meeting of the AICPA’s governing Council in San Antonio, Tex.

“The WSBA is very pleased to be collaborating with the AICPA and CPA.com to guide the evolution of the global accounting profession in a future with blockchain technology,” said Ron Quaranta, chairman of the WSBA. “We look forward to working together to advance the world of accountancy and its use of blockchain, as accountants become integral participants in the adoption of this innovative technology for global markets.”

As a first step in collaboration, the AICPA will be part of an accounting-related panel at the WSBA’s Blockchain for Wall Street education day on Nov. 14, 2017.

“Blockchain is one of several innovations that are reshaping the accounting profession,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, one of the participants in the upcoming panel. “Our role with the WSBA working group is to guide and speed the use of blockchain technology as it applies to the core areas of an accounting practice.”

About the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance

The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA) is an industry leading 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association created for financial market professionals, by financial market professionals. Its mission is to guide and promote comprehensive adoption of blockchain and distributed ledger technology across global financial markets.

For information about the WSBA, including membership, visit www.wsba.co or email to info@wsba.co.

About the American Institute of CPAs

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, with more than 418,000 members in 143 countries, and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting. The AICPA sets ethical standards for its members and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, nonprofit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, builds the pipeline of future talent and drives professional competency development to advance the vitality, relevance and quality of the profession.

The AICPA maintains offices in New York, Washington, DC, Durham, NC, and Ewing, NJ.

Media representatives are invited to visit the AICPA Press Center at www.aicpa.org/press.

About the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association) is the most influential body of professional accountants, combining the strengths of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to power opportunity, trust and prosperity for people, businesses and economies worldwide. It represents 650,000 members and students in public and management accounting and advocates for the public interest and business sustainability on current and emerging issues. With broad reach, rigor and resources, the Association advances the reputation, employability and quality of CPAs, CGMAs and accounting and finance professionals globally.

TASHKENT, 29 July 2016 - A central area of Tashkent is to be lit by 20 autonomous street light systems fully powered by solar energy as part of a pilot project officially launched today by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

The Co-ordinator is supporting the host country in the area of green economy policies, including the analysis of costs and benefits in using environmentally-friendly and sustainable systems in street lighting and urban planning.

Senior Project Officer at the OSCE Project Co-ordinator Hans-Ullrich Ihm said that urban street lighting powered by solar energy is one of many possibilities that contribute to preserving our environment by reducing the consumption of fossil fuel and emissions. He added that the Project Co-ordinator strives to support the government in implementing policies advocating for such technologies.

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The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Bermuda is getting set to present “The Pirates Of Penzance!” from October 9 through October 18, 2014 at the Earl Cameron Theatre at City Hall, with a special “Pirate Happy Hour” to be held from 4.00pm through 6.00pm on October 4, 2014. A spokesperson said, “During the October 4 […]

As part of the Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts 40th Anniversary, Walnut Street Theatre will be presenting two performances of A Life in the Theatre. This funny yet touching play provides a behind-the-scenes peek at the challenge of two actors battling for the spotlight. One experienced and the other a newcomer, they are forced […]

Shares are mixed in Asia after a lackluster finish on Wall Street following a report showing an uptick in inflation in the U.S. last month.

Having killed several London policemen during a botched robbery in 1910, the members of a politically motivated gang of burglars went into hiding. When their location was revealed to authorities, 200 men were sent to surround the building. This prompted a wild gunfight now known as the Siege of Sidney Street. Though outmanned, the gang members possessed superior weapons and were only overtaken when their building caught fire. Why was Winston Churchill criticized for his role in the siege? Discuss

Video shows people in Calle Alcazabilla struggling to cross a road as flood water surges through it.

A horrific case of animal cruelty has come to light from Telangana, where a group of three men trap and mercilessly thrash four street dogs with sticks, killing three of the canines, one of whom was pregnant.

Wall Street is already making big bets on what take two for a White House led by Donald Trump will mean for the economy and markets

Crouch through the small metal door and walk down the dark tunnel, and even before you step into the abandoned air raid shelter, the air reverberates with pounding techno beats. Young Chinese holding booze and cigarettes shake and sway in a red-lit passageway, below a big screen rolling through quotations from Chairman Mao.

House on Pearl Street by William Tolliver is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition 350 pcs

The cabinet has approved the "Job Creation and Career Building" loan programme worth a total of 15 billion baht, primarily aimed at supporting street vendors and hawkers to help reduce their informal debt.

1. Nurses took to the streets after ‘insulting’ pay offer. Next stop, court  Sydney Morning Herald
2. Hundreds of elective surgeries cancelled as 10,000 nurses and midwives walk off job in NSW  ABC News
3. Who cares? Voters will if NSW nurses start quitting state of origin  Sydney Morning Herald
4. Almost 700 surgeries cancelled as 12,000 NSW nurses strike for better pay  9News
5. As it happened: Donald Trump ally taunts Kevin Rudd; WiseTech shareholders launch class action  The Age

Design by Jim Vision and Dr. Zadok.

The health secretary has ordered officials to review the costs for the NHS of implementing changes in the law.

One hundred Filipino teens, aged 12-18 are expected to come to the five-day event of fun, learning and life-changing encounters in Cebu.

After over 10 years of praying, the Philippines had its first-ever TeenStreet!

Long-term worker sees fresh stirrings of faith among Muslim communities in the UK.

A Zambian worker reaches out with love to the people of Somalia living in his country.

There is a belief that street kids are evil and cannot be helped. OM worker Christine Jones in Zambia believes differently.

In 2008, the Greek Evangelical Church in Athens opened a community centre, in a suburb where many Albanians live. OM worker Martha describes how she and other staff are reaching out with God's love to local young people.

OM short-term team shares highlights and lessons from a two-week Transform summer outreach to the Near East.

TeenStreet Malaysia 2015 was attended by over 350 teenagers wanting to draw closer to God.

Teenstreet Malaysia 2016 begins, and teens there are studying "The Art of Living".

The varied teaching styles at Teenstreet Malaysia 2016 helped teens to connect with the theme of discovering their identity.

1. Zomato welcomes rival Swiggy on Dalal Street  The Economic Times
2. Swiggy's dollar millionaires: 70 employees to pocket over $1 million each as company delivers IPO  Moneycontrol
3. Swiggy shares surge 17% on debut, market capitalization exceeds Rs 1 lakh crore  The Times of India
4. Swiggy Share Price & IPO Listing Highlights: Swiggy shares surge 10% after listing at premium on NSE, BSE  BusinessLine
5. Swiggy's IPO debut sees strong gains, but competition challenges loom  Business Standard

A horrific case of animal cruelty has come to light from Telangana, where a group of three men trap and mercilessly thrash four street dogs with sticks, killing three of the canines, one of whom was...

Background: Welsh Revival - In 1904, the Welsh Revival took place, during which approximately 100,000 people in Wales joined the movement. Internationally, evangelical Christians took this event to be a sign that a fulfillment of the prophecy in the Bible's book of Joel, chapter 2:23-29 was about to take place. Joseph Smale, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Los Angeles, went to Wales personally in order to witness the revival. Upon his return to Los Angeles, he attempted to ignite a similar event in his own congregation. His attempts were short-lived, and he eventually left First Baptist Church to found First New Testament Church, where he continued his efforts. During this time, other small-scale revivals were taking place in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas. By 1905, reports of speaking in tongues, supernatural healings, and significant lifestyle changes accompanied these revivals. As news spread, evangelicals across the United States began to pray for similar revivals in their own congregations. -- Los Angeles: In 1905, William J. Seymour, the one-eyed 34 year old son of former slaves, was a student of well-known Pentecostal preacher Charles Parham and an interim pastor for a small holiness church in Houston, Texas. Neely Terry, an African American woman who attended a small holiness church pastored by Julia Hutchins in Los Angeles, made a trip to visit family in Houston late in 1905. While in Houston, she visited Seymour's church, where he preached the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, and though he had not experienced this personally, Terry was impressed with his character and message. Once home in California, Terry suggested that Seymour be invited to speak at the local church. Seymour received and accepted the invitation in February 1906, and he received financial help and a blessing from Parham for his planned one-month visit. -- Seymour arrived in Los Angeles on February 22, 1906, and within two days was preaching at Julia Hutchins' church at the corner of Ninth Street and Santa Fe Avenue. During his first sermon, he preached that speaking in tongues was the first biblical evidence of the inevitable baptism in the Holy Spirit. On the following Sunday, March 4, he returned to the church and found that Hutchins had padlocked the door. Elders of the church rejected Seymour's teaching, primarily because he had not yet experienced the blessing about which he was preaching. Condemnation of his message also came from the Holiness Church Association of Southern California with which the church had affiliation. However, not all members of Hutchins' church rejected Seymour's preaching. He was invited to stay in the home of congregation member Edward S. Lee, and he began to hold Bible studies and prayer meetings there. -- Seymour and his small group of new followers soon relocated to the home of Richard and Ruth Asberry at 214 North Bonnie Brae Street. White families from local holiness churches began to attend as well. The group would get together regularly and pray to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. On April 9, 1906, after five weeks of Seymour's preaching and prayer, and three days into an intended 10-day fast, Edward S. Lee spoke in tongues for the first time. At the next meeting, Seymour shared Lee's testimony and preached a sermon on Acts 2:4 and soon six others began to speak in tongues as well, including Jennie Moore, who would later become Seymour's wife. A few days later, on April 12, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after praying all night long. -- News of the events at North Bonnie Brae St. quickly circulated among the African American, Latino and White residents of the city, and for several nights, various speakers would preach to the crowds of curious and interested onlookers from the front porch of the Asberry home. Members of the audience included people from a broad spectrum of income levels and religious backgrounds. Hutchins eventually spoke in tongues as her whole congregation began to attend the meetings. Soon the crowds became very large and were full of people speaking in tongues, shouting, singing and moaning. Finally, the front porch collapsed, forcing the group to begin looking for a new meeting place. A resident of the neighborhood described the happenings at 214 North Bonnie Brae with the following words: They shouted three days and three nights. It was Easter season. The people came from everywhere. By the next morning there was no way of getting near the house. As people came in they would fall under God's power; and the whole city was stirred. They shouted until the foundation of the house gave way, but no one was hurt. -- Azusa Street: Conditions - The group from Bonnie Brae Street eventually discovered an available building at 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles, which had originally been constructed as an African Methodist Episcopal Church in what was then a black ghetto part of town. The rent was $8.00 per month. A newspaper referred to the downtown Los Angeles building as a "tumble down shack". Since the church had moved out, the building had served as a wholesale house, a warehouse, a lumberyard, stockyards, a tombstone shop, and had most recently been used as a stable with rooms for rent upstairs. It was a small, rectangular, flat-roofed building, approximately 60 feet (18 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, totaling 4,800 square feet (450 m2), sided with weathered whitewashed clapboards. The only sign that it had once been a house of God was a single gothic-style window over the main entrance. -- Discarded lumber and plaster littered the large, barn-like room on the ground floor. Nonetheless, it was secured and cleaned in preparation for services. They held their first meeting on April 14, 1906. Church services were held on the first floor where the benches were placed in a rectangular pattern. Some of the benches were simply planks put on top of empty nail kegs. There was no elevated platform, as the ceiling was only eight feet high. Initially there was no pulpit. Frank Bartleman, an early participant in the revival, recalled that "Brother Seymour generally sat behind two empty shoe boxes, one on top of the other. He usually kept his head inside the top one during the meeting, in prayer. There was no pride there.... In that old building, with its low rafters and bare floors..." -- The second floor at the now-named Apostolic Faith Mission housed an office and rooms for several residents including Seymour and his new wife, Jennie. It also had a large prayer room to handle the overflow from the altar services below. The prayer room was furnished with chairs and benches made from California Redwood planks, laid end to end on backless chairs. -- The Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street, now considered to be the birthplace of Pentecostalism. -- By mid-May 1906, anywhere from 300 to 1,500 people would attempt to fit into the building. Since horses had very recently been the residents of the building, flies constantly bothered the attendees. People from a diversity of backgrounds came together to worship: men, women, children, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor, illiterate, and educated. People of all ages flocked to Los Angeles with both skepticism and a desire to participate. The intermingling of races and the group's encouragement of women in leadership was remarkable, as 1906 was the height of the "Jim Crow" era of racial segregation, and fourteen years prior to women receiving suffrage in the United States. -- Birth of Pentecostal movement: By the end of 1906, most leaders from Azusa Street had spun off to form other congregations, such as the 51st Street Apostolic Faith Mission, the Spanish AFM, and the Italian Pentecostal Mission. These missions were largely composed of immigrant or ethnic groups. The Southeast United States was a particularly prolific area of growth for the movement, since Seymour's approach gave a useful explanation for a charismatic spiritual climate that had already been taking root in those areas. Other new missions were based on preachers who had charisma and energy. Nearly all of these new churches were founded among immigrants and the poor. -- Many existing Wesleyan-holiness denominations adopted the Pentecostal message, such as the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), the Church of God in Christ, and the Pentecostal Holiness Church. The formation of new denominations also occurred, motivated by doctrinal differences between Wesleyan Pentecostals and their Finished Work counterparts, such as the Assemblies of God formed in 1914 and the Pentecostal Church of God formed in 1919. An early doctrinal controversy led to a split between Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostals, the latter founded the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World in 1916. -- Today, there are more than 500 million Pentecostal and charismatic believers across the globe and is the fastest-growing form of Christianity today. The Azusa Street Revival is commonly regarded as the beginning of the modern-day Pentecostal Movement.

George Müller (1805-1898) was a German playboy who found Christ and gave his life to serve Christ unreservedly. His mission was to rescue orphans from the wretched street life that enslaved so many children in England during the time of Charles Dickens and Oliver Twist. Müller did rescue, care for, feed, and educate such children by the thousands. The costs were enormous for such a great work. Yet, amazingly, he never asked anyone for money. Instead he prayed, and his children never missed a meal. This docu-drama presents his life story and shows how God answered prayer and met their needs. It is a story that raises foundational questions regarding faith and finances. Also included are two special documentaries on Müller and some of the lives affected by his work.

Honeywick, a local, full-service web design, development, and marketing agency, has expanded to a new space in the heart of downtown Louisville at 225 S 5th Street, #201, Louisville, KY 40202, after being located in the Glassworks building since 2016.

Recommended

The Show:

As my two-year old goes from infant to toddler and is more of a sponge soaking up data and information I try to keep his media above board with things on education, and having Sesame Street as your driver in the club bag is a clutch one I have to say. He can watch Elmo, or Kermit or Bert and Ernie with content while I get his meals ready, and he gets the chance to learn something in the process. So yeah, damn right I grabbed Awesome Alphabet Collection as a surrogate parent!

The disc is less a series of show episodes and more focused on segments, all of which surround a particular letter of the alphabet, that the Sesame Street puppets and humans talk through in a means of education and illustration. Occasionally a celebrity will pop by, whether its singers like Norah Jones, Pharrell Williams or Smokey Robinson, or actors like Ricky Gervais (Read the entire review

Skip It

Sesame Street was one of the only things I was allowed to watch on TV in my early years, and it's no question that it helped to shape me. It was one of the first times that TV had been used to educate children on things like numbers and spelling without being either boring or silly. Its creators had noticed that children memorized TV commercials easily, so they thought the same approach could be used to make them learn things that were actually important. The resulting show has been in a format of clips, primarily focusing on Sesame Street itself with its Muppet and human inhabitants, but also interspersed with separate sketches featuring those characters and some live-action or animated segments that I always felt took place in another universe- having some educational value and a unique quality to them, but having absolutely nothing to do with the main characters or setting, and they were never co...Read the entire review

Recommended

This second DVD release from Shout Factory Kids celebrating Sesame Street's 50th anniversary consists of a special made this year for prime time on both HBO (where the show has moved for its first run episodes) and PBS (which still presents the show delayed after the HBO showings, and with an annoying "E/I" symbol at the top of the screen to count towards the FCC's required hours of "educational programming" each week- in that regard it's likely for the better that its new primary home is HBO.) Like the 25th anniversary special, which was one of the very first DVD releases back in 1997, this focuses mostly on songs from the show but most of them are new performances, done on the show's set, rather than archival clips. There's a number of celebrity appearances but for some reason Joseph Gordon-Levitt, born after I had already outgrown the show on TV, was chosen to be the main "star". He takes a cab t...Read the entire review

Nach den Gewinnen haben die Anleger an der Wall Street heute Kasse gemacht. Der Blick geht nun auf neue Inflationszahlen und die Notenbank Fed. Der DAX fiel deutlicher zurück.

Looking like the creation of a retired scaffolder with an engineering passion, the Ariel Atom is more akin to contemporary sculpture than anything else. Study the beauty of the welding, where tubes meet for example; then step back and ponder the whole machine. Perhaps Mad Max springs to mind? Whatever, this has to be one of the most outlandish sportscars ever.

Well I for one love bizarre and minimalist machines. But this might just be minimalism too far! Kerb weight is 496kg and there is simply no fat on the bone. The option list does not include a heater, let alone windscreen or vestigial hood. Hell, this makes my favourite Caterhams positively sybaritic and spacious, but more of that anon.

Build Quality

Once you’re accustomed to the naked formula Ford looks, you notice the quality of components. Alcon brakes and monoblock callipers feature (optional), with custom inboard Bilstein dampers and special Dunlop formula R tyres and 16” wheels (option). Besides the substantial, bronze welded chassis there are lovely “Tilton” aluminium pedals and pedal box, further keeping the weight down. Other quality items abound, be it the stainless steel exhaust and manifold or “SPA” twin, easy to read dials. Everywhere you look you will find top quality bits and these all create the high calibre product that is the “Atom”.

Skimping is a word that does not exist in MD Simon Saunders vocabulary. There is something terribly British about the fellow and what they are achieving. He even runs a Defender TD5 and an Aston Martin. Hurrah! It is so enervating to find small British companies flourishing like this, confounding the experts.

Purpose

You cannot get away from the fact that this is one focused, track day car. The road car label comes second, but the company are filling a niche offering something much rawer and appealing. Quite how many buyers wish to drive a car so closely related to a motorbike may be debatable. But in this day and age of sanitised, safe everything, people are bound to kick against Big Brother and crave such a car. Donning motorbike weatherproofs and a full-face helmet adds to the frisson.

Climbing into this 220 bhp projectile is child’s play. Hold onto the back of the double moulded seat, clamber over the tubing (which has scratch protection film) placing feet onto seat and slide yourself in. Slightly easier if you remove the quick release steering wheel. Now comes the difficult part of clipping the four-point harness together and tightening everything up. Remove gloves and quietly fume inside your full – face. Once in, you won’t wish to get out every five minutes that’s for sure!

The newly enlarged 10 gallon, aluminium tank (sitting safely behind the bulkhead) will get you to most track day venues without stopping, but make sure you have visited the smallest room before departure! That one piece moulded seat slides on runners and has a bolted pin holding it in place. The steering wheel is fixed so it is important to tailor to sir’s exact requirements. I wish there was some lumbar support moulded in, but integral head restraints are spot on.

The handbrake is right by the tubing and difficult to get to when tightly embraced by the “Willans" harness. Neat racing like mirrors fall easily within reach and joy of joy, acres of footwell space await your plates, so ordinary shoes are no problem. Two pipes running down the middle of the floor take water to the tiny radiator up front. Beautifully clear dials (x2) sit directly in front of you, easily visible through the suede steering wheel (which has change lights built into the top section). How racing car is that for you!?

Light & Airy

A little blister is located either side of the dials, housing a few flick switches covering normal duties along with a rubber covered start button with key the other side. These pods are just a stretch too far for easy, telepathic operation. All around you is silver powder coated tubing with air drifting all about. Odd, very odd. There are slivers of bodywork if you can call it that. This amounts to a Concorde protruding snout and airbox / engine cover. That’s your lot. All part of the motorbike feel purposely designed in. Velcroed nylon panniers running along the sides are being developed, offering some vital ‘boot’ space.

Boot space such as it is, amounts to a titchy bin in the nose, behind the motorbike battery and fuse box.

When you see the car in the flesh you itch to drive it. Because of its’ nakedness you might feel anxious at first. Ensuring the “Toad” immobiliser is unarmed push that starter and welcome the lovely, rasping staccato bark of the Japanese spec Type R unit just behind you.

Performance

220 bhp and 496 kg equate to around 496 bhp per ton, providing enough thrills for most petrolheads. Ariel do offer a slightly tamer 160 bhp version, which would still get you to the office in double quick time!

Grasping the tiny suede steering wheel you gingerly set off, only to find a sharp, late biting clutch which can send you kangarooing down the road. Slowly get some heat into those slick like Dunlop’s (not easy in December) and feel the messages come flooding through the rim as you adjust to the weirdness of it all. The ride over bumpy British roads is very well contained, thanks to the unique Eibach springs and adjustable Bilsteins. Firm, but just compliant enough.

Pick up speed and the 1.7 turn’s lock to lock steering comes alive, writhing like a teasing lap dancer. The handling is neutral on the road inspiring great confidence. Push into a well known corner and it just hunkers down and slingshots you out the bend. With that deliciously telepathic steering, you begin to connect with this “Atom”. People not used to a 0 – 60 mph figure of 3.7 seconds will crawl out calling it “the atomic bomb”.

Quick!

Superbike junkies may call it adequate! Ariel are even planning a 280 bhp tuned version which should sate speed freaks, but believe me the standard model is just fine, safely taking you past most traffic and back before they knew you were there. At motorway speeds in December the wind chill factor comes in, freezing you quicker if not properly attired. Somehow a driver might keep warmer, as more blood courses round him as he concentrates on the job in hand. The photographer called it the “Atom FF”. Something to do with not dressing correctly and cold weather! Top speed is about 140 mph, which will feel like 160 mph! It sits quite happily at about 85 mph on motorways with plenty in reserve. Consumption may average out at 22 mpg driven with some gusto.

So the wind rips at your clothes and hooligan roundabout exits are not recommended, but could you drive for hours up a motorway? Not really. That wind again upsets the applecart. It gets under your full – face and tries to rip it off your head! So you adopt a slight head down style, which takes its toll on neck muscles after a while. You also miss some of the intoxicating induction roar with helmet on as you stretch it through each gear. The electric fan makes an awful noise in slow traffic, cutting in and out regularly, upsetting the whole sportscar ambiance.

Solid

Passing artics is fine and I felt less vulnerable than I possibly might in something akin to a Caterham. The main tubing is big enough to engender a safe, reassuring feeling.

Add to the fact that you sit down in this overhead lighting gantry on wheels with good forward visibility and you have nothing to worry about. Reversing however, is a complete bastard! All kitted up you can hardly see a thing. If ever a car needed park sensors as an option then this has to be it.

Also on a road car - and you may curse me for my nannyness - I would like to find ABS and traction control, even if they add some 2kg to the weight. I simply would not fancy connecting with an artic, having hit a patch of diesel coming out of a roundabout for example.

Comfy Version?

I also believe there's room in the range for a 3rd more road friendly version. A version with a centre console with cubbies to hold a mobile, wallet, bottle of water and filofax, plus a cigar socket to charge the ubiquitous mobile or run a radar detector. The clear perspex side panels and bigger wind deflectors are optional. As I write I was told they are planning an adjustable mini screen a la Healey 100 from the 50’s, which should be available in 3 months time.

Even so, you can bet your bottom dollar that such a positive, fast reacting company will carry on honing this unique, infectious road missile. The new VTec running gear is only some 10kg heavier with a better power delivery and so much more reliable than tuned K series models that increased loyalty is assured.

Weight distribution is a perfect 40 – 60% front to rear, giving better traction out of corners etc. Production is still 1 per week, but by November 2004 the new factory and showroom will be complete, ensuring 2 cars find their way onto the roads. Exports snaffle 50% of production, but 2nd hand values are far stronger than peaky, bike engined Westfields and the like. The average Type R car sells for £24,000 and the new baby bro 160 bhp model some £19,000 +. A 3-4,000 mile used example will cost about £17,500. Simon Saunders is also looking at introducing Atom driving days and maybe an Atom race series to speed development and eradicate glitches.

If you love bikes but hate oily roundabouts then try the bike with four wheels. The acceleration is stunning - you will be “atomised”.

ASA Board Chairman Scott Benavidez and Incoming Chair Dan Stander provided insight on the causes behind the rising costs of collision repairs in a November 7 article in the Wall Street Journal. Benavidez, owner of Mr. B’s Paint and Body Shop in Albuquerque, N.M. and Stander, owner of FIX Auto Highlands Ranch in Littleton, Colo., […]

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Streets Online Cheap Books, DVD's and CD's

StreetsOnline - Cheap CD's and DVD's

This dance production will also include the premier of Leaving Early a tribute to Bret Goldin and Richard Bloom.

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Discussing Jesus' command in Luke 6 to love our enemies, Fr. Andrew talks about what that means in daily life, who are enemies are, and just what love actually is. Bonus commentary addresses a complication: Do you have to love an abuser?

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Steven Christoforou take to the streets of Manhattan and ask people what they believe in. What they hear surprised them and might surprise you, too.

What does it mean to love God and why is it so hard to love my neighbor? Listen to the audio and download the notes.