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RIIN GILL | 3 Nov 2002 05:24
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I finally got to use my trailer

I finally got to use my new trailer for the first time today. I got a
Burley Nomad back in August, but then I had to order an alternative hitch
for it because the standard hitch that came with it sort of intersected
with my wire basket and was just a real bitch to get on and off. It took
me about 45 minutes to get it on my bike and it scratched the paint. It
just wasn't usable. The alternative hitch ended up taking two months to
get here because it was back-ordered, but I picked it up last Saturday.
So today I used my trailer to go pick up a 20 lb bag of sunflower seeds, 3
15 lb bags of rabbit litter (well, ok, it's cat litter, but it's for the
rabbits), 10 lbs of rabbit food, and some aquarium filters. Riding home,
it felt just as smooth as when it was empty. It felt like there was a
little bit of weight in the trailer, but not 75 lbs! It was very easy to
pull. I'm impressed. Yay! It's nice when something goes right
(...especially after last Sunday's adventure. I told my husband I never
want to drive again, by the way. He asked if I could make an exception if
he needs to go to the emergency room. Well, yeah, ok. But that's it.
Other than that, I'm not driving anymore. And if it's a real emergency,
I'll call an ambulance. But the couple of times he's needed to go to the
ER, he didn't need an ambulance, so I probably will need to drive once
every year or two. But that means I'll have to remember how...)

***********************************************************
Riin Gill
Interlibrary Loan 734-615-6168
Taubman Medical Library fax 734-763-1473
University of Michigan
***********************************************************
If you were riding your bike, you'd be having fun by now.
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dydy42001 | 3 Nov 2002 15:24
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profile - new to CarFree

Introductory Profile

1. Which of the following best describes you? Please check one.
_____ I am do not presently own a car though I have owned a car
previously.
_____ I am car-free and have never owned a car
___X__ I own a car but use other forms of transport frequently

2. How long have you been either car-free or used non-
automotive transport as your principle means of transportation?
6 months
3. What inspired your decision to reduce or end hyour reliance on the
automobile?
Essentially, just attempting to evolve to a simpler, slower 
life style and do my part for the future of the planet
4. If you owned a car and then gave it up, what process did you go 
through to do so? (e.g., did you go through a process of gradually 
using the car less and less, or did you give up using it all at once -
- going cold turkey?)
N/A - still own a car
5. What tools or factors have helped you the most in being able to 
get around without a car? (e.g., living close to transit, living 
close to work, owning a folding bike, joining a car-sharing club or
co-op, etc.)
Living in the city now. We spent 23 years out in the country 
and I drove 400,000+ miles over 13 years in sales. We can 
walk or bike to just about everything within 20 minutes in our city 
of 30,000.
6. What, if any, factors have made it difficult?
Finding a job within bicycle commuting distance. I am
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Zach Kaplan | 4 Nov 2002 06:01
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Re: 8 mpg in a 2-seater? sad but true

De Clarke wrote:

> near the top of the heap is the little New Beetle diesel
> at 42 mpg around town. what's appalling is that there were
> diesel engines that good already 30 years ago. zero progress
> in the technology, and negative progress in the marketing
> and consumer demand.

There has been tremendous progress in small diesel engines, particularly in
the past five years. The latest generation of common rail direct injections
diesels produces much more power out of the same size engine than previous
diesels plus burns less fuel for a given amount of power. These new
generation diesels are also much quieter and emit much lower levels of
particulates and nitrous oxide. There is high demand for them in Europe
where the price of fuel is more realistic and I've heard figures of 30-50%
of all new cars sold in Europe being diesel.

In the US Volkswagen is currently the only one offering diesel cars though
Mercedes will be back with them in 2004. Volkswagen doesn't do much to
market them in the US but despite that they are selling well as right now
they are the only option for a high efficiency non-hybrid car in the US. VW
doesn't sell their best diesel engines in the US and other high tech diesels
from Mercedes, BMW and Volvo aren't currently imported to the US because the
US diesel fuel has much higher sulfur content than in Europe and would
either damage the engines or they wouldn't be able to pass US emissions
regulations on such fuel. Once ultra low sulfur diesel is required in the US
in 2006 expect to see many more diesel cars. The domestic manufacturers have
had direct injection diesel SUVs in the works for some time. This is how
they will be able to meet the upcoming light truck CAFE standards. Just
recently I was reading the European market Jeep Cherokee with diesel engine
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Raymond and Anne Keckler | 4 Nov 2002 23:17
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Ford Motor Company Recalls More Than 572,000 Vehicles


D E T R O I T, Nov. 4 — Ford Motor Co. on Monday announced two 
voluntary safety recalls on the Ford Focus for 2000 and 2001 model 
years, covering more than 572,000 vehicles.

One recall involves a bolt in the front suspension assembly that may 
be loose and cause noise, vibration or, in a small number of cases, 
separation of the ball joint, the company said.

The other recall involves Focus vehicles with Zetec engines in which 
potential problems with battery cable routing could result in smoke, 
wire melting or a fire.

"We are serious about improving not just the quality of the new 
Focus, but also the reliability of Focus cars from prior model 
years," Sue Cischke, vice president for environmental and safety 
engineering, said in a statement. "Although these two concerns are 
rare occurrences, they could have safety consequences and we want to 
ensure our customers' peace-of-mind."

Ford said it will notify customers through the mail to bring their 
vehicles dealers for free repairs. The cars being recalled are 
primarily in the U.S., Ford said, although some are in Canada, Mexico 
and other countries.

For the front suspension recall, technicians will inspect the lower 
control arm hardware and tighten, or replace, the affected bolt as 
necessary.

The battery cable repair involves inspecting and re-routing of cables
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Bill Volk | 5 Nov 2002 03:33

New version of traffic calming...

Mourners stone to death killer driver ...

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/10/28/safrica.driver.reut/index.html

A reckless driver killed six people when he hit a group of mourners,
prompting surviving funeral-goers to stone him to death and try to set fire
to his body, police said ....
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De Clarke | 5 Nov 2002 03:48
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flags and SUVs


http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/6673

James Welborn writing from Mill Valley, CA

Last fall, when American flags suddenly became as 
ubiquitous as unemployed dot-comers, I began to notice 
something that struck me as odd. 

It was always the most massive road-hogs that were 
nearly covered in stars and stripes. I didn't see any 
'67 Volkswagens sporting fresh flag decals. Evidently, 
to qualify as an uber-patriot you had to drive a top-of-
the-line sport utility vehicle. In fact, whenever I saw 
multiple flags snapping smartly in the breeze, they 
were always attached to some giant gas-guzzling truck 
masquerading as an automobile...

Each morning as I sit outside my neighborhood coffee 
shop, I'm always perplexed by the number of people who 
pull up in massive, gleaming Lincoln Navigators, Toyota 
Land Cruisers, Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ford Explorers. 
In the vast majority of cases, these are lone 
individuals in vehicles designed for six or even eight 
passengers. Every now and then, a driver will park at 
the curb, and then continue to chat away on his or her 
cellphone while the engine idles and noxious fumes 
flood the air... 

Yep, that sounds like my home state all right.
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Ruth Oskolkoff | 5 Nov 2002 03:46
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Re: [CF] New version of traffic calming...

In a world where you can run people over, and pretty much get away with it
scott free as long as it was an "accident" and there were no intoxicating
substances involved, I don't condone the rage, but I can understand. Anyone
who has a car has a licence to murder. It is a major loophole in this
society.

on 11/4/02 6:33 PM, Bill Volk at bvolk@... wrote:

> Mourners stone to death killer driver ...
> 
> http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/10/28/safrica.driver.reut/index.html
> 
> A reckless driver killed six people when he hit a group of mourners,
> prompting surviving funeral-goers to stone him to death and try to set fire
> to his body, police said ....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To change your settings or read the CarFree archive:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CarFree
> To Unsubscribe; CarFree-unsubscribe@...
> For problems email; CarFree-owners@...
> 
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> 
>
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John O. Andersen | 5 Nov 2002 04:53

Re: [CF] flags and SUVs

Yeah, let's see if all of those teamplayers get out and vote tomorrow.

With all of the patriotic fervor of the past year, you'd expect to see a record voter turnout, now wouldn't you?

John Andersen
Unconventional Ideas at http://www.unconventionalideas.com

"----- Original Message ----- 
From: De Clarke 
To: CarFree@... 
Sent: Monday, November 04, 2002 6:48 PM
Subject: [CF] flags and SUVs

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/6673

James Welborn writing from Mill Valley, CA

Last fall, when American flags suddenly became as 
ubiquitous as unemployed dot-comers, I began to notice 
something that struck me as odd. 

It was always the most massive road-hogs that were 
nearly covered in stars and stripes. I didn't see any 
'67 Volkswagens sporting fresh flag decals. Evidently, 
to qualify as an uber-patriot you had to drive a top-of-
the-line sport utility vehicle. In fact, whenever I saw 
multiple flags snapping smartly in the breeze, they 
were always attached to some giant gas-guzzling truck 
masquerading as an automobile...
(Continue reading)

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Jym Dyer | 5 Nov 2002 16:06
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Re: [CF] flags and SUVs

> With all of the patriotic fervor of the past year, you'd
> expect to see a record voter turnout, now wouldn't you?

=v= Only if there is ample parking.
<_Jym_≥
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John Snyder | 5 Nov 2002 17:50
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Re: flags and SUVs

James Welborn was atributed as writing, "In fact, whenever I saw 
multiple flags snapping smartly in the breeze, they were always 
attached to some giant gas-guzzling truck masquerading as an 
automobile..."

Whether by irony, outrage, or pure ignorance, using any vehicle 
as a flag pole subverts it's aerodynamic qualities, thus 
increasing energy consumption by some real amount. Over 
the past year I've viewed the displays as being unintentionally 
symbolic of something more than a simple expression of patriotism.

John Snyder
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Gmane