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DETROIT (AP) – The U.S. government’s road safety agency is investigating complaints that a trim panel can cause unwanted acceleration in Nissan Versa small cars.
The probe covers about 360,000 Nissan Versa and Versa Note subcompacts from the 2012 through 2014 model years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Saturday on its website that four drivers have complained that a trim panel near the gas pedal can trap the edge of a driver’s shoe. This can stop the driver from releasing the gas pedal quickly and delay braking.
There are no reports of crashes or injuries, although one driver complained of a close call at an intersection on June 9.
As the driver accelerated to make a left turn, a plastic trim panel that covers the center console trapped the driver’s shoe and stopped it from moving off the gas pedal, the complaint said. “I used my right hand to grab my leg and pulled harder, immediately braking hard, then backing my foot off the brake as I squealed and skidded around the corner, almost going over the curb and crashing,” the driver wrote.
The driver reported that the edge of the trim piece wasn’t secured and trapped the sole of a leather work boot.
Drivers who file complaints are not identified by NHTSA. Two of the four complaints were from drivers of rental cars, the agency said. A fifth complaint was filed in an unidentified foreign country, according to NHTSA.
Investigations can lead to recalls but so far there are none in this case. Messages were left seeking comment Saturday from a Nissan spokesman.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Today KTM Motorcycles released information about their new KTM Motorcycle Merchandise for 2014. Included in the range are a Graphics and Style Kit for the KTM Super Duke R Motorcycle, the Aviator Motorcycle Helmet and KTM Swimwear to name a few. Making it hot to not only drive a KTM Motorcycle but to wear the KTM Brand as well.
In addition to the graphics kit “Race“ there is the new “Style” kit for the 1290 SUPER DUKE R. The graphics kits come along with separately available, fitting and already painted fairing kits in black or white. Both graphics kits can be mounted easily and needn´t to be sticked over the standard decor. Item numbers: 61308999100 (Style) / 00010000153/4 (Fairing Kit)
The new cylinder head makes the change of the engine setting a snap. Just choose the appropriate insert and with a few hand grips one can switch between Motocross and Enduro power delivery. There is also available an “Extreme” insert made from a specially developed alloy.
The outstanding conductivity of this alloy enhances the engine performance under extreme conditions; especially when the engine has to accomplish top performance (e.g. at high ambient temperatures, sandy track conditions or other extreme situations). The optimized combustion chamber pattern has a positive effect on the ideal power drain and results in a significantly reduced attrition of combustion chamber and piston. By exchanging the combustion chamber insert there is no longer the need of renewing the whole cylinder head. Item number: SXS13125050
The race-tested offroad helmet for Motocross and Enduro made from a Carbon-Kevlar® mix weighs only 950 g (±50 g). The three different shell sizes guarantee optimum safety and fit. The helmet edge is specially optimised for the neck brace and ensures best wearing comfort along with the extensive and sophisticated ventilation system. The ventilation openings are protected with grilles (additional covers are supplied). The peak with screw-on extension is adjustable. The removable, washable, moisture-wicking and antibacterial cheek pads can be quickly released in the event of a crash. The ECE 22-05 tested helmet with double-D fastener was made exclusively for KTM by Airoh. Available in size XS to XL Item number: 3PW142930X
The purple-colored triangle bikini with offroad allover motif and neon yellow cords as well as lightly padded cups is available in size XS to XL.
The boardshorts made from structured, extremely lightweight and quick-drying polyester fabric with offroad allover print on front and back, equipped with drawcord and velcro fasteners is available in size S to XXL. Item numbers: 3PW148020X (Bikini) / 3PW146230X (Boardshorts)
The two-layer picnic rug made from fleece with large offroad front print, velcro pocket and water repellent nylon bottom can be folded conveniently into its own bag. Approx. 190 x 140 cm. Item number: 3PW127820
The world´s fastest barbecue set with fast food print consists of an apron and two MX-style barbecue gloves. The gloves can be attached to the apron with velcro, the apron neckband can be adjusted to fit all sizes.
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Silicon Valley apparently is a white man’s world. And for Facebook, new demographics show that white males are dominating that work force. The results aren’t surprising, as most analysts and observers have noted that Silicon Valley continues to be a stable home for white and Asian men first, where both are the ethnic majorities in the Bay Area.
But it is the first time that Facebook has publicly discussed its demographics, having previously refused to publish those statistics and fought against diversity figures becoming public knowledge. The numbers are from Facebook’s own published report.
“As these numbers show, we have more work to do — a lot more,” Maxine Williams, Facebook’s global head of diversity, said in a statement.
Globally, it is even worse for Facebook, where men dominate its labor pool, the numbers reveal. Facebook’s global figures show men make up 69 percent of its workforce, Regarding ethnicity, Facebook’s global figures show 57 percent are white, 34 percent are Asian, 4 percent are Hispanic, 3 percent are two-plus races, and 2 percent are black.
Among the company’s tech workers, 85 percent are male, while more than three-fourths of its management staff are men, highlighting the difficulty of entering the tech world as a woman, even as the number of female tech graduates continues to increase.
Amid widespread criticism, Silicon Valley companies appear to be changing their tune over diversity and have pushed, at least somewhat, to discuss the issues, highlighting their large percentage of Asian workers, even as Asians and whites account for approximately equal numbers in the Bay Area.
In 2011, when CNN Money attempted to detail the diversity among Silicon Valley companies, among them Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Google, IBM and Microsoft, there was massive resistance and petitions filed with the Department of Labor in order to avoid having their diversity demographics made public knowledge.
But now, three years on, as the tech world continues to face criticism over its role in daily life, gentrification issues and the gender gap, it appears companies like Google and now Facebook are hopeful that by bringing the conversation forward, it will help create conditions that officials believe will result in other groups entering the tech workforce.
Still, Facebook, as evidenced by the numbers, remains a largely male-dominated workplace, populated by white and Asian men. The question is how to make it a place to work that is open and welcoming to women as well as men of color.
© 2014 Tech Times, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Steven Raichlen really knows the pleasure men get from cooking, the joy they take in having the skills, the need to show off a little bit. His Barbecue! Bible books have over 4.7 million copies in print—and now he leads his readers from the grill into the kitchen. Like a Joy of Cooking for guys, Man Made Meals is everything a man needs to achieve confidence and competence in the kitchen.
Man Made Meals is about the tools and techniques (guess what, grillers, you still get to play with knives and fire.) It’s about adopting secrets from the pros—how to multitask, prep before you start cooking, clean as you go. It’s about understanding flavor and flavor boosters, like anchovies and miso, and it’s about essentials: how to shuck an oyster, truss a chicken, cook a steak to the desired doneness. It’s about having a repertoire of great recipes (there are 300 to choose from), breakfast to dessert, to dazzle a date, or be a hero to your family, or simply feed yourself with real pleasure. These are recipes with a decided guy appeal, like Blowtorch Oatmeal, Fire-Eater Chicken Wings, Black Kale Caesar, Down East Lobster Rolls, Skillet Rib Steak, Porchetta, Finger-Burner Lamb Chops, Yardbird’s Fried Chicken, Blackened Salmon, Mashed Potatoes Three Ways, and Ice Cream Floats for Grown-Ups.
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I understand this tip might appear quite cliché, yet it holds true. Eventually or another we’re all guilty of judging something, or somebody, based on look alone. While it’s not right, we still appear to have that propensity to be surface. This type of habits can be quite damaging when it comes to attracting a lady. Women prefer to be cherished for who they are, not exactly what they resemble. Also those women who have terrific bodily beauty don’t necessarily intend to be evaluated on that characteristic alone.
Women keep the idea in the rear of their thoughts that day they could intend to have a child. If and when they conceive, check out all the adjustments their physical body experiences. The simple reality that their body has to broaden at a very rapid rate to fit the development of the child is frightening. And the know-how that their number could never ever coincide is just as frightening.
An additional thought that ladies have is that at some point we all grow older and much less vibrant in look. We know that generally, a guy is considered more distinguished looking when his hair handles the salt and pepper look, whereas women just look old. A few creases on a guy are no big deal, but also for ladies the initial sign of a wrinkle is source to consider botox procedure, or a lot more. Culture has actually made females terribly self conscious. Keep in mind when considering what you truly believe is very important in a lady. If looks is leading on your list it will certainly lead to a quite dissatisfying experience for you, and your lady.
I’m not attempting to say that you need to resolve to be delighted with a person you discover totally unappealing. Ladies all have inclinations in looks, individuality and numerous other traits that we have to follow. It’s a matter of compatibility. However just what females do need to take note of is that destination is not just a matter of bodily appearance. So make the effort to discover exactly what’s inside prior to you discount females based on what’s outside.
TOKYO, June 25:
Toyota Motor Corp’s vision of a hydrogen future will begin with a US$69,000 (RM221.720) car. That’s the price of Toyota’s new fuel-cell vehicle, the world’s largest carmaker said in a statement today.
The Camry- sized car will go on sale to Japanese consumers with a sticker price of about ¥7 million (RM220,625) before April 2015, followed months later in the US and Europe, it said.
The car represents the path Toyota will take toward zero emission, choosing fuel cells over the plug-in electric technologies embraced by the likes of Tesla Motors Inc.
The maker of the Prius will join Hyundai Motor Co in facing the challenge of making these vehicles affordable and easier to use given the lack of refueling infrastructure.
Hyundai began offering its hydrogen-powered Tucson crossover via US$499-a-month leases this month in California.
Still, Toyota began developing fuel-cell cars in 1996, and used the hybrid technology in the Prius by swapping the gasoline engine with a fuel-cell stack.
While fuel-cell cars are propelled entirely by electric motors, like those in Tesla’s US$71,000 Model S, they don’t need to be plugged into power outlets to store energy.
Instead, hydrogen gas passes through a stack of plastic membranes and platinum-dusted plates to produce electricity, though the stacks remain expensive because of the precious metals needed, as do the high-pressure tanks.
Tesla chairman Elon Musk, 42, has been vocal in his criticism of fuel-cell vehicles as being inferior to electric vehicles, even though Tesla partnered with the Japanese company as a supplier for Toyota’s electric-powered RAV4.
“As people probably know, I’m not the biggest fan of fuel cells – I usually call them ‘fool cells’,” Musk said this month at Palo Alto, California-based Tesla’s annual meeting.
During a speech to employees and enthusiasts at a service centre in Germany last year, he called fuel cells “a load of rubbish.”
Behind the push to lower emissions are stricter regulations. In the US, greenhouse-gas limits will step up in 2017 and will require automakers to double the average fuel- efficiency of their fleets to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
That has led to production of dozens of new hybrids, plug-ins, electric vehicles and models powered by fuel-saving gasoline engines.
In Japan this month, the government unveiled a road map for supporting the spread of fuel-cell vehicles and cultivate an industry able to generate ¥1 trillion in revenue by 2030.
The government is seeking to bring prices of fuel-cell cars down to about ¥2 million by 2025 after subsidies.
Consumer adoption of fuel-cell vehicles may also hinge on the infrastructure. California plans to provide about US$47 million for 28 new stations selling hydrogen for fuel-cell cars.
Those stations combined with 16 in development and 10 already in operation will be enough to support at least 10,000 vehicles, Jim Lentz, Toyota’s North American chief, said last month in an interview.
Toyota, which also is providing at least US$7.2 million to a California startup to operate hydrogen stations, has said fuel-cell autos will be an easier zero-emissions option for many consumers than battery-only vehicles because their range, performance and refueling time are competitive with gasoline cars.
Harley-Davidson, an American icon and the preferred motorcycle of many across the world, has now launched their newest innovation, the electric motorcycle with Project LiveWire. Fans across the country will have the ability to take this hog for a ride during the Project LiveWire Experience Tour, which begins June 24 in New York City. The motorcycle will be available in New York City until June 25, after which it will be showcased in Milwaukee, Wisc., from June 26 until June 29 and in Boston, Mass., from June 27 until June 29. While riders may take the new electric Harley-Davidson on the road, the company is currently looking for customer feedback only and does not yet have the LiveWire available for sale.
For those with an appetite for trivia, the term ‘hog’ has been in existence since the 1920s, when the Harley racing team not only had a pig as a mascot but carried the animal around on a victory lap after each race they won, which, in 1922, was all eight of the National Championship races for the year.
Harley-Davidson has been in operation for more than 100 years, and had its start in 1901 with a completed blueprint by William S. Harley of an engine designed to fit a bicycle. The company has grown from the small 10 x 15 foot wooden shed in which the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was built into the booming corporation it is today, and has been at the forefront of innovation and design since its inception, never taking an excess of time before completing the next stage in their development. It was in 1904, a mere three years after the original blueprint for a bicycle engine was completed, that the company opened the doors of its first dealer, C.H. Lang in Chicago, Ill., and soon sold one of the first three motorcycles made by the founders.
While current motorcycles are known not only for their agility but also for their speed, one of the first motorcycle races was won by a Harley on July 4, 1905, with a top speed of 48 mph. In comparison, the new electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire currently being road-tested and critiqued by consumers has a top speed of 92mph, but this may change before the projected production date of 2016. The LiveWire has the capability of going from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds, and its AC Induction motor produces 52 lb-ft of torque.
One of the most widely stated consumer concerns has been that electric motors are typically silent, while the engine noise associated with the brand is a deep rumble and is an integral part of the Harley experience. Engineers were cognizant of the fact that sound is one of the selling factors of their product and were determined to bring the Harley sound to this electric version. Jeff Richlen, the LiveWire’s chief engineer, states that the product is grounded not only in look and feel, but in sound as well. Additionally, the engineers for the electric hog did not want the sound faked, so they tweaked the gear box and motor arrangement until they created a sound with which they were satisfied. Reports indicate that the resultant noise sounds a bit like a jet on a flyby.
Spokespeople for the company indicate that their main objective was not improvement of sustainability. While the byproduct of an electric motorcycle may be more green than a standard motorcycle, Richlen explains that the main focus on the electric-powered hog is to look toward future possibilities.
For the past 111 years, the company created iconic motorcycles. The brand has a rich history that includes supplying the first motorcycle used in police duty in 1908 to obtaining a perfect score during the Federation of American Motorcyclists Endurance and Reliability Contest in the same year, and from setting a record 188.234 miles per gallon economy usage to becoming, in 1987, the first motorcycle to appear on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
By Dee Mueller
Sources
Harley-Davidson
Gizmodo
Fast Co.Exist
Tue, Jun 24, 2014 @ 5:29 pm | updated Tue, Jun 24, 2014 @ 5:32 pm
New access to care for Medicare enrollees
About 200,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Florida, including more than 19,000 in the Jacksonville area, have a new option for accessing health care services.
As of Monday, people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare’s AARP MedicareComplete and group retiree Medicare Advantage plans can access care on an in-network basis at St. Vincent’s Medical Center Clay County. Members will continue to have in-network access to approximately 150 physicians affiliated with St. Vincent’s.
UnitedHealthcare members who have questions about how this change affects them should call the phone number on their member ID card.
Man Up For Health summit at FSCJ
The Healthy Jacksonville Men’s Health Coalition Inc. will host the 2014 Man Up For Health summit for men and boys Friday and Saturday at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
At 6 p.m. Friday, there will be a screening of the documentary “Spit’in Anger,” which focuses on the anger many young black males feel as a result of not having a nurturing relationship with their fathers. The showing will be at the Downtown Campus’ auditorium, 101 W. State St.
From 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday there will be a health fair offering free health screenings at the Florida State College at Jacksonville Advanced Technology Center, 401 W. State St.
Former NBA All-Star Dominique Wilkins will make an appearance.
Wolfson again a top 50 children’s hospital
For the fifth straight year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Wolfson Children’s Hospital among the 50 Best Children’s Hospitals in the nation for neurology & neurosugery.
U.S. News ranked the top 50 American pediatric facilities in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. Of the 183 pediatric hospitals surveyed, 89 ranked in the top 50 in at least one specialty, based on a combination of clinical data and reputation among pediatric specialists.
U.S. News introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007. The new rankings can be viewed at bit.ly/1e6QSxy.
Free online directory of cancer resources
The Northeast Florida Cancer Control Collaborative has launched a Cancer Resource Guide, a free online directory of cancer-related resources available in Northeast Florida.
The guide, at www.neflcancerresourceguide.org/register.html, will feature provider details as well as information on financial assistance, caregiving and community resources.
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Survey by law firm Withersworldwide sheds light on the worries of the world’s super-richGetty
“More money, more problems”, goes the old saying and a new survey reveals there are a wealth of problems keeping the world’s richest people awake at night.
For anybody who has ever wondered what it’s like living in a “rich man’s world” then the answer appears to be a life of worry – for instance about whether your children will grow up to be feckless, layabouts with an extravagant sense of entitlement.
Anyone who has seen the taste-free lives of youngsters on ‘Rich kids of Instagram’ or watched any videos by YouTube troll ‘Lavish P,’ will know this fear is well-founded.
Four and a half thousand rich people from around the world contributed to the survey titled: The meaning of wealth in the 21st century.
By the way, you were not invited to partake in the survey if you were not a multi-millionaire. To put that in some context, having $10m in the bank makes you merely “moderately wealthy”.
For those with more than $10m, the second biggest worry was that all the cash would dull their children’s desire to succeed because they would “lack the drive and ambition to get ahead”.
This was more of a concern than marital breakdown, being suddenly left broke and investments failing unexpectedly. Those with less than $10m disposable ranked the indolence of off-spring as their fourth-biggest worry.
Withersworldwide partner Sarah Cormack said: “It is easy to see why the moderately wealthy don’t worry about that as much. If they are worth around the $10 million mark realistically they are not well off enough to put their children in the position that they never have to work.”
Both wealth groups were united in their uppermost concern: health, which of course money can’t buy.
Meanwhile, for those whose wealth rests soley upon investments, the greatest source of tension in their lives is wealth itself.
So are the super-wealthy really living beneath a cloud of angst? According to Silicon Valley billionaire Tom Perkins, the wealthy are an “oppressed minority”; he likened the world’s richest to Jews facing persecution under the Nazi regime.
“I would call attention to the parallels of fascist Nazi Germany to its war on its one percent, namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the rich.”
Perkins later apologised for any offence caused but stood by his main point.
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There was plenty of eye-candy for motorcycle enthusiasts at the Niagara Regional Exhibition grounds.
Choppers, bobbers, vintage bikes and plenty of glistening chrome and masterful paint jobs.
They caught the attention of people who don’t ride, too, when Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre and Quinn Custom Motorcycles teamed up to present the first ever Circle Niagara Motorcycle Bike Run.
It was just what Pelham’s Ced Dixon needed to make for an enjoyable day on the open road.
“My wife saw it on the Internet (Friday), so I figured I’d go just for something to do,” he said.
Dixon, who’s now 53, has been riding since he was 19, including the 1986 Honda sportbike he bought new and had ready for the road this weekend.
Proceeds from the run were earmarked for the multicultural centre’s emergency shelter costs and its Employment Solutions youth programs. The goal was to raise at least $5,000, helping to offset a loss in federal funding.
“We had about a hundred riders, which is pretty good for a first-time event,” said Claire Masswohl, the multicultural centre’s executive director.
Few motorcyclists registered in advance, instead waiting last minute to ensure there’d be sunny skies, she said.
Bikers left the Niagara St. fairgrounds in the morning, headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club, made their way to The Palmwood in Fort Erie, then headed back to Welland.
Quinn Camp said it was an enjoyable ride, not too hot.
“We had a good turnout of riders,” he said. “It was a long stretch of us down the 406.”
The two-day event featured the Saturday ride, and on both days vendors and local musicians.
“The bands were fantastic,” Masswohl said, adding there are plans to renew the event next year, but possibly shift the organized ride to a Sunday.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
0% 0 votes | Yes, both days |
0% 0 votes | Yes, Saturday |
0% 0 votes | Yes, Sunday |
0% 0 votes | No |
Meaning
Mental health is determined as a state or state on which a specific really feels a feeling of health. This provides him or her the capability to live life in satisfaction of exactly what they would like to accomplish in conformity to the readily available sources. This problem also gives a specific the capacity to be durable to the stresses he satisfies and to respond to these difficulties without needing to jeopardize his well- being. This also makes him efficient and worthwhile for himself and his neighborhood.
Mental wellness could possibly also be defined as the lack of mental issues or disorders. Folks that do not present diagnosable behaviors that could possibly certify as a mental illness are viewed as emotionally healthy and balanced. For example, an individual who has a fascination on things may not always have a mental illness like fascination. Thus he is said to have mental wellness. However when this fascination is combined with relentless obsession to do the item of obsession, the person might already be detected with a mental illness called Obsessive-compulsive Condition or OCD.
It can likewise be seen as a good element in an individual’s personality which makes it possible to improve mental wellness despite a diagnosable mental disorder. This interpretation covers an individual’s ability to “live life to the fullest”, to respond well to his atmosphere through the aware or unconscious usage of dealing mechanisms and to be able to balance emotional as well as emotional wellness in connection with continuous circulation of knowledges.
Mental Health Throughout Society
The Globe Health and wellness Company believes that there is no single definition for mental health because of distinctions in culture. What could be psychologically healthy (or acceptable actions) in one culture could create something also eccentric in an additional. For example, cannibalistic behavior in some people living in remote areas is extremely considereded as a spiritual practice however, in the majority of urbanized world this could be viewed as barbaric or ridiculous.
Disruption in Mental Health
Problems in mental health could result in a number of issues with numerous representations. Some people with mental diseases have aggressive actions while others are withdrawn and lack social passion. Each kind of problem has its very own indications and signs consequently; medical diagnosis as well as therapy vary depending on the character of the mental heath problem.
There are several elements that interfere with mental health including: setting or upbringing, organic cosmetics of a person, pre-programmed guidelines in the genetics, medical ailments, distressing knowledges such as loss and abuse and substance abuse. While one factor could be prominent compared to the various other, all these are factors to the development of the majority of mental health disorders. Sometimes, a solitary element could be sufficient to activate the condition yet most conditions call for a buildup of encounter that constantly test the wellness of an individual.
The preservation of mental health is highly depending on the capability of the person to a) assimilate his atmosphere and manage its worries, b) attain an excellent interior equilibrium in his individuality that is sufficient to offer a secure personality and c) make a great point of view that would restrict the damages of negative encounters. For some folks a great support group such as a thoughtful family or a solid social group could work well to safeguard mental health.
WASHINGTON, DC: Objects in the American auto industry’s windshield may be smaller than they appear,” ran the opening line of a recent story on the United States auto industry.
The narrative centred on the prospective decline of the sector following the cooling of American’s love affair with cars. Which is why, if you haven’t noticed, Americans — and indeed auto companies from the rest of the developed world — have begun flooding India with their wares.
By the way, this is not the first sector where Americans have bequeathed their excess to the Third World: from smoking to consumption of junk food, America’s hand-me-down gifts are many, even as the US tries to clean up its own air and body.
Now that’s a whole different story we’ll tackle another time. But what if the object in the American auto industry’s windshield is not merely a shrinking domestic market, but an even smaller foreign-minted vehicle… like say, an electric-powered two-wheeler?
Would it sell, and ride, in a country that is not only addicted to gas, but has had a century-old love affair with the car? As the Americans would say, geddouttahere! But that’s what this outrageous, audacious story is about: An Indian company that thinks its electric two-wheeler can spark off a revolution in the US. Dream on, did you say? Mahindra does.
Slowdown on the Highway
America is car country. From the time Henry Ford knocked together the first automobile and it broadly coincided with the discovery of a vast trove of oil and gas, America has been a country on the move — on four or more wheels. Never mind if only one or two people were in it, and never mind if the vehicle was idle and parked in a garage or parking lot or the street for 95% of its life span (imagine an airplane being parked for 95%; the airline would go bust in no time).
No one ever questioned this model. Assembly line production + easy finance + cheap gas + expansive road network = auto heaven. What’s there to complain? Driving, and first car ownership, has been a rite of passage in America. More songs have been written about cars and driving in America than two-wheelers and riding.
From Don McLean, who drove his Chevy to the levee as he said bye bye to Miss American Pie, to Bruce Springsteen, who loved a girl for her Pink Cadillac with crushed velvet seats, to Tracy Chapman, who asked her man if his fast car was fast enough so they could fly away, cars have been celebrated in more songs than the humble twowheeler (though folks like Arlo Guthrie did kick bike tyres). Oh, not to forget the commemoration in a dozens of movies, including the animated Cars, in which they star in the main role.
But somewhere down the road, it appears the American auto industry has hit a bump, dislodging a few shibboleths in the process. It has been coming for years, but it has gotten noticed only in the past year or two. In 2012, analysis of census data by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute showed that 9.2% of US households didn’t have a car, compared with 8.7% in 2007.
