Motos: Yamaha Yz 250cc

motos: yamaha yz 250cc

MOTO-DE-CROSS.

MOTO-DE-CROSS.

SECCI�N MOTOS YAMAHA

SECCI�N MOTOS YAMAHA

Cherrydale Fire Station Fiasco Proves: Time for an IG in Arlington Government

Hello Yupette:

So the new Cherrydale Fire Station will be dedicated tomorrow. After 20 years and $18.2 million dollars spent for a building that cost $5.2 million to construct. This project should be a textbook case study in how NOT to plan and build public infrastructure.

It's appalling that the County Board and County Government are going to celebrate this fiasco tomorrow and Saturday. (How much will the celebrations cost)?

The Cherrydale fiasco proves to me that it's time for an independent Inspector General in Arlington County Government. An independent IG could save Arlington's taxpayers tens of millions every year. I'm not alone. The Civic Federation's Revenues and Expenditures Committee recommended in April that an independent IG's office be established. First thing I would ask an IG to audit would be Zimmerman's stupid streetcar system.

Kathy 22201

Carros De Lujo. Carro

Carros De Lujo. Carro

Japan's Twin Earthquakes and other disasters

Japan is well on its way to recovery from the March 11 earthquake that rocked the country’s northeastern region and generated a tsunami that swept clean swathes of the coast.  Automotive output is recovering; between them, Honda, Nissan and Toyota plan to hire over 5,000 temporary workers in an attempt to catch up, which feeds back to help the rest of the economy, as well as the Tohoku earthquake region where Toyota's newest plants are located. But a second and wholly man-made disaster now threatens the return to normalcy.

Despite the magnitude of the March temblor, Japan was well prepared. Few deaths stemmed from buildings collapsing, trains stopped automatically, and factories were relatively unscathed. As roads were reopened and utility service reestablished, the auto industry was ready to resume output. And all along most of the economy trundled on; despite the horrendous scope of damage, the impact of 25,000 deaths and the total destruction of a swathe of coastal land in a society of 127 million is limited. Rapid recovery seemed certain, as was the case after not merely the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake which struck almost direct under Kobe, but even the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, which destroyed the Tokyo metropolis.

The auto industry was a hiccup in that process. Today's cars are hi-tech products, and the supply chain is correspondingly complex. Let one example suffice. Making a semiconductor chip takes two months from start to finish, and the ceiling fell in ― literally ― at a plant where an invisible speck of dust results in a bad part. Doing basic repairs, getting the clean room clean again, and then debugging machines is a multi-month process. Given the uniqueness of the chips, symptomatic of their "hi tech" nature, it was just as difficult to transfer manufacturing to a different facility, despite excess capacity elsewhere. Japan is a big place, however, and a river of engineers poured in to help. As a result, even the Renesas' "fab" is back in production, albeit at reduced rates.

The global industry remains vulnerable to disruptions; factories are prone to be unique. One reason is that the industry has not settled upon standards–though a July 26 article noted a new effort in that direction. [See a Japanese-language article in Sankei on a METI-coordinated committee on the issue. It cites Toyota saying that by 2013 they might be able to start purchasing under joint standards, but such standards would not apply to more than 30% of semiconductors.] Part is that things are evolving too fast. But firms also view chips, specialty steels, paints, engine parts, and now batteries as strategic. And there are no institutions in place: the old standard-setter, the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a shadow of its former self. With little commonality, dual-sourcing is not an option, magnifying risk.

Hindsight is not foresight. It's impossible to take into account (much less insure against) every eventuality. While a few mayors along Japan's coast had insisted on unusually high flood walls ― maybe reflecting (possibly corrupt) ties to the construction industry rather than prescience ― disaster scenarios didn't anticipate the magnitude of the tsunami. That increased the human cost, even if relatively few plants were located on the coast: most were inland, where land was cheaper

One exception was power plants, which needed access to water for cooling. We all know about the destruction of a set of four of the six nuclear plants at Fukushima I. Less known is that the Onagawa nuclear plant, run by Tohoku Electric Power, was both directly hit by the earthquake and by a higher tsunami; after all, an idle but undamaged plant isn't "news". However, it was of a modern design, on higher ground, and better managed ― and shut down without problems. Even more telling, a second set of four reactors, the Fukushima II complex, were also effectively unscathed. Yet the Onagawa plant and the other well-run utilities with intrinsically safe nuclear plants are being tarred and feathered by TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power). In the background not-in-my-backyard politics at the local and prefectural level made construction of new electric generation capacity of any sort a slow process. So there is little excess capacity, exacerbated by the division of the country into incompatible power grids. Every power plant has to be brought back online if the country is to avoid brownouts for the years to come.

Unfortunately, Japan now suffers from a second earthquake, entirely man-made. The disaster now unfolding reflects politics.

Why? Prime Minister Naoto Kan of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), facing a divided Diet (parliament), was too quick over the past year to offer compromise to the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). (Perhaps that reflects his background as a community activist and lawyer, where the key skill is being able to hammer out compromises where common interests are central.) In the process, he alienated many in his own DPJ, without ultimately gaining the cooperation from the LDP that he needed to pass legislation. Then, under pressure from all sides, Kan struck off on his own with a populist measure to keep all nuclear power plants closed once they shut down for maintenance under a routine 13-month cycle. Within a year, then, all will be closed and remain off-line. Most are of the more modern Onagawa design, but they may now never be permitted to resume operation despite providing 30% of Japan's electricity. The economic impact of this will be huge and last for years, even as the economic disruption from the Tohoku earthquake itself ends.

Still, it is useful to remember the basic competitiveness of the auto industry, with multiple suppliers and assemblers following a wide array of strategies. Contrast Nissan, relatively unaffected by the quake, with Toyota. Twenty-five years ago Nissan began moving its production inside Japan to Kyushu, 1,500 miles south of the quake's epicenter, while reducing capacity in the Tokyo region. [Nissan had also been planning to boost output and so had built up inventories of chips and other items with long lead times before the quake struck on March 11th, so there was an element of luck involved, too.]

Toyota's strategy was different. It had acquired Kanto Jidosha and Central Jidosha in the Tokyo area in the 1950s, which together with Toyota Auto Body account for 30% of the company’s Japan-based output. In the 1990s, rather than paring capacity, they added plants to the northeast of Tokyo ― right where the earthquake struck.

That extra capacity left Toyota vulnerable to a second earthquake: an appreciation of the yen, at ¥78.5 per dollar as I write this, over 50% stronger than the ¥121 level of July 2007. With the extra capacity, and a commitment to pay employees whether there was work or not, Toyota increased its dependence on exports; Nissan did not. Toyota also has a byzantine web of domestic subsidiaries, a structure as unwieldy as the General Motors of old, with internal politics to match. So domestic production was attractive not only to alleviate union pressure but to protect the turf of incumbent executives and middle managers.

Now the earthquake itself will have a fleeting impact. Japan is after all a large place, with 127 million people. Horrific as 25,000 deaths may be, that and accompanying losses to the capital stock are tiny relative to the size of the economy. Capital can be fixed, and the size of the economy makes that relatively straightforward: a cumulative 4,200 engineers and other skilled workers poured in from the rest of the domestic semiconductor industry to revive production at the Renesas plant. The same story applies to electric power lines, roads and bridges, and other infrastructure, including the Sendai airport that was but recently under water. Many farmers were unable to plant this year's rice crop, the fisheries industry is only partially functional, and tourism is dead -- and all are important to the rural Tohoku region. But Toyota's plants are running again, and those of their suppliers.

Yes, the Tohoku earthquake was a disaster, as is the ongoing rise of the yen. The impact of both is amplified by dysfunctional politics ― electoral and corporate. Nevertheless, the industry as a whole is remarkably robust: its size and the variety that comes from rivalry lessens the impact of even major disasters. Toyota may be hit, and its recovery will be far slower than most observers seem to believe. A few American consumers may be disappointed, Toyota's U.S. dealerships moreso. But the global industry will hardly notice.

Mike Smitka

Carros Tuning - Golf Tuning

Carros Tuning - Golf Tuning

Carros Tuning - Saveiro Tuning

Carros Tuning - Saveiro Tuning

Stamos Sucks - Here's Why: Racist + Elitist

Hi Yupette,

I'm not surprised that the Sun Gazette (controlled by Dallas and Leesburg NeoCons) endorsed Theo Stamos for Commonwealth's Attorney, to succeed Arlington's premier racist and elitist, Richard Trodden. Theo Stamos is one of the main reasons Arlington's Latinos and Latinas are afraid to attend civic functions, to participate in politics, to even shop in her own neighborhood - Westover.

Theo Stamos is the 'Bryd Machine 2000' pick to succeed Dick Trodden, who never saw a poor minority or homeless person or nonconforming parent he didn't want to prosecute and lock up for about 20 years.

Dick and Theo have conspired to keep the professional staff of the Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney's Office lily white for more than 20 years.

Theo's opponent, Dave Deane, is 10 times the lawyer Theo Stamos will ever be, but that doesn't count because Arlington is run by and for a bunch of Republicrat racists and elitists who are only interested in bringing back the good old days of racial segregation.

Kevin - GMU Law School Grad

Carros Tuning - Nissan

Carros Tuning - Nissan

Carros Tuning - Audi A3 Tuning

Carros Tuning - Audi a3 Tuning

Carros Tuning - Montana Tuning

Carros Tuning - Montana Tuning

Tejada Demanding Campaign Contributions in Return for "Facilitation"

Hello,

Thank you for your blog.

I'm a 2nd-Generation Arlington Latino and Walter Tejada is a disgrace to Arlington's Latino and Latina community. This guy is a big nada, does nothing for us as a community or individually. Did you see what happened to the Casa Blanca bakery and coffee shop on the Pike? It went out of business. What Nada Tejada is really good at doing, besides traveling around the USA and the World at taxpayers' expense, is demanding 'contributions' for facilitating use permit renewals for restaurants and also for grant applications that come before the County Board. These are not restaurants like Casa Blanca, they are night clubs and have lots of problems. Almost all the organizations that are looking for grants from the County are worthless, except they pay their leadership big salaries. If you are one of these groups you have to make a 'contribution' to Senor Tejada to have your use permit or grant or whatever 'facilitated' by the County Board.

Just wanted to give you a perspective about what is occurring in the Latino and Latina community.

Tomas

How much is too much?

What is the horsepower limit?

With every new iteration of a car we see an increase in horsepower. This happens in everything from compact commuter cars to high performance street cars. The reason this is generally done is due to fact that the car has added more features and safety equipment increasing weight. Obviously this increase in power is to compensate but does it really?

There is a certain limit for everything and power has to be the same, today the average car is more powerful than one from 10 years ago, but does it drive any better as a result? Probably not. In fact I would be willing to bet the car from 10 years drives even better but for some reason people have in their minds that power makes everything better. I'm sure if you got in a civic from the 90s compared to a new 2012 model you would have more fun the 90s version. This almost feels like things have gone back in time.

Right now we're in an endless rut of increase power to match the increased weight. This however will only make fuel economy worse. Now you may be thinking that we have more efficient technologies allowing engines to produce more power. To a certain extent this is true but horsepower isn't free and if we're trying to get more efficient cars this isn't the answer.

The other problem is the chassis have to deal with all this extra power, with most cars today being front wheel drive there is always the issue of torque steer when too much power is added. This ruins the handling of the car, creates under steer and unsettles the car under cornering when power is added. Some manufactures add AWD to compensate.

Not only is horsepower used to counteract added weight in cars but you will also notice manufacturers putting in more power in there super cars and sports cars as a way to try and improve them. I think a better way would be to improve handling and drop weight.

So this is where you the reader come in. How much horsepower is too much? Do you still think cars need more power across the board or do you think we're good right now? Leave a comment below.

Carros Tuning - Stilo Tuning

Carros Tuning - Stilo Tuning

Carros Tuning - Golf Tuning

Carros Tuning - Golf Tuning

Road rage

I think this is a big thing on the road nowadays. First for a little backstory though. Yesterday I was driving along one of the main city streets near my house. I wanted to pass a slow moving bus so of course I check my mirrors, my blindspot and move over. All of the sudden I see a Ford escape barreling down behind me at 20km/h over the speed limit. At this point I had passed the bus so I moved over back into the right lane to let him by. Suddenly he jumps in right behind me with no signal and is probably 6 inches from my back bumper. I was heading to the on-ramp for the highway with this escape still on me, so to finally I decided I had to get him off. I gave a brief tap on the brakes and he backed off. Once on the highway the escape shot into the left lane (of course without signalling) and right one somebody else's bumper. I don't know what happened to this person or what I did to possibly provoke them to do this but they are completely wrong.

I hope none of you drive like this when you want to pass someone or get them to speed up, it's very rude and doesn't accomplish anything. If you want to get around someone just wait until the other lane is clear and pass them that way.

I also hope this hasn't happened to you but if it has, the best way of dealing with these people is to simply get out of their way. Whatever you do don't get drawn into a race with them. Don't stoop down to their level, it's not worth it. Not only is it dangerous to you and other drivers you also run the risk of getting a big ticket.

If you ever find yourself frustrated or angry don't get in the car drive somewhere. It has been proven that after a fight with someone you are far more aggressive behind the wheel of a car.  Let's be honest at the very least your pissing off other drivers and only making things worse for everyone. Not to mention the other things that could happen as I stated earlier. Put simply it's not worth it. Getting angry and driving badly just isn't worth it and who really enjoys being angry?

Just drive safe!

County Board to Taxpayer-Fund Stormwater Management for New Site Plans

Hello, Yupette,

After meeting for weeks behind closed doors Arlington's non-resident managers, non-resident planning staff, non-resident developers, non-resident REITs, and their non-resident attorneys have agreed to allow developers to continue submitting site plans that evade the EPA's 2014 standards for stormwater treatment and management.

Key players in the decision making were County Attorney Steve McIssac and County Manager Barbara Donnellan, who are residents of Fairfax County, and several out-of-state REITS who stand to gain tens of millions in 'corporate welfare' if on-site stormwater is treated at the County's wastewater treatment plant, paid for by taxpayers. Assertions by several County residents that they are being asked to pay for new infill development stormwater management and treatment under new EPA regulations when no stormwater from their homes is entering the County's stormwater system are being ignored by County planning staff.

2100

Carros Tuning - Golf Tuning -

Carros Tuning - Golf Tuning -

The trouble with buying a manual car in North America

A lost art?
(Yes this is a Volvo)

Many people all around the world ask Americans, why don’t manual cars sell? Most people just snicker and say it's because their lazy. While partially true there are many other reasons why automatic sells in the U.S.

1. Fuel prices One of the biggest reasons manual cars sell so well in Europe is due to high fuel prices. When automatics first came out they had less gears and weren’t very good at keeping the engine in it’s sweet spot as a result. This meant they burned a lot more fuel which kept Europeans from buying them up. In America gas was cheap. Americans didn't mind paying more for driving an automatic and it meant you could get away from having to shift your own gears (Yes laziness is a factor). Fuel never got really expensive in America which is why nothing has changed.

2. Availability of manual cars These days people choose manual as a preference for the way they drive, not by fuel prices. The problem with buying a manual car in the U.S. is that after so many decades of people choosing automatic they have become nearly extinct. There are few manufacturers who have them, and dealers don’t like stocking them because people go for automatic. This makes it difficult for people who want a manual because if they want one it’s hard to find and when found features in the car can be scarce. Most companies only offer manuals on cars in their lowest trim level so once you want some leather seats, maybe a sun roof you’re stuck with an automatic which 9 times out or 10 giving up features to shift isn't worth it. For example if you want a manual Hyundai you generally have to choose the base car otherwise it’s auto only. This is the same with Lexus, Toyota, Ford, GM etc. 

BMW has one of the few great manuals left.
(Picture from WrenDaWise of his BMW M3)

3. The quality of the transmission The quality of manual transmissions generally isn't great in most cars. I blame this on manuals only going in cheap cars and the high preference of automatic. By quality I mean clutch feel, shifter feel and how the car handles throttle input. It does make sense though if people aren't going to buy large quantities of standard cars why would they put all the focus on creating a great manual? There are only a few automakers that create truly good manual transmissions those being BMW, VW, Audi and maybe a couple more. Most cheap cars have a lackluster manual making them undesirable. Therefore even less will choose it. This leaves more expensive cars to give a better experience and lets face it not everyone can afford a performance car.

4. Dealing with traffic Traffic is another big one. I understand that people drive manuals in traffic all the time but if you’re buying it for driving enjoyment and live in the city or commute on a congested highway it’s not a whole lot of fun to clutch in and out constantly. Driving manual in traffic is a bit tedious and boring. 

5. Many can't drive a standard It's no secret, most people today wouldn't have a clue what to do if they got in a standard car. This is unlike europe where they limit you to an auto only license if you take the test in an automatic car. Here you just take the test in any transmission and you can drive whatever you like. Most people take the test in automatic and will only ever drive an automatic. These people generally don't care for driving nor do they like cars therefore there is no desire to ever learn. This is probably the biggest reason why they don't sell. Most people aren't driving enthusiasts therefore they buy what gets them to point B. 


6. Improvements in technology conventional automatics are now able to surpass manuals in regards to fuel economy. This means when choosing a manual you're fuel mileage can drop. Not only that but you may have heard of a new type of transmission, a double clutch automated manual. These type of tranny's started off on the track allowing for faster shifts. On the road they allow quicker shifts and better fuel economy. VW is one company that's big on this setup and has steered some potential manual buyers away due to benefits. 


All these details contribute to less manual cars on the road and sadly that number will only decline. Enthusiasts will just have to stick with companies like BMW and hope they keep making great manual cars. 


Another thing I have discovered with social media sites is that people who can't drive a standard car right now feel as if it's big hurdle to get over. You can learn how to drive standard in a half hour. All you need to do is get a feel of the clutch, know the friction point and how to smoothly change gears. 

Distracted driving

How many times do you see the person in the car beside you talking on the phone or trying to send a text message? With the number of electronic devices around us today people have a hard time putting them down. This creates a huge risk to not just yourself but everyone else around you.

Most of you right now are probably thinking "I know it's dangerous, everyone does." Now how  many of you still talk on the phone while driving. In most places there has been a law put into place banning the use of electronic devices while driving this includes cell phones, MP3 players, GPS etc. 

The thing I don't get is why don't people stop. You could kill someone, and now even worse you could get a ticket, which costs money! Some people still take the chance. Next time you want to reach for your phone while driving just think about this: how important is the call your getting. My guess is not important enough to risk those things I mentioned above.

Ford's sync allows text messages to
be sent by voice. 

In order to get by these cars have implemented bluetooth technologies that allow you to talk handsfree. However studies have show that this only slightly reduces distractions because it's not the actual device that distracts you but rather the discussion. Therefore these technologies only help to a certain extent. While they do solve the problem of text messaging (some systems will text for you) they don't get rid of distractions altogether. Perhaps this isn't the way of doing it then.

I think people fail to realize that everyone got by for years without even having cell phones let alone using them in the car. So what's changed over the last ten years that we need to do it now? Whatever it is I'm sure it can wait. If your phone rings pull over to the side of the road and answer it then. 

Carro Tuning 2

carro tuning 2

County Board to Continue Pushing Gentrification Agenda

Hello, Yupette,

Thanks for covering the County Board's environmental hijinks at the July 12th meeting. But you should also check out the video of Jay Fisette's presentation of 2010 Census demographic data compiled by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Jay (and Chris Zimmerman and Mary Hynes) were actually gloating about the removal of Latinos, Latinas, and other minorities from Arlington into the outer suburbs and the gentrification of the "core areas" in and around D.C.

What was surprising about Jay's presentation is the household size in Arlington averages 2.09 persons and 41% of Arlington's households are occupied by one person. So why the push to tear down small homes and replace them with McMansions?

Of course Jay's never let an opportunity go by to build upscale housing and demolish affordable housing. What affordable housing that does get built is only affordable if you earn 60% of area median income.

Oh, Jay wants to hold a "community meeting" to discuss the import of the County Board's 15-year gentrification program. Minorities need not bother to attend.

Check it out at arlingtonva.us, 3 PM session of the July 12th meeting.

Terri

How many gears is enough?

The Ford Thunderbird got away with a 3 speed.

These days when you're looking for a car one of the biggest things they advertise is the number of gears it has. Commonly todays cars have 5 or 6 with 6 quickly becoming the norm.

 First I should explain the importance of a transmission. An internal combustion engine produces a certain amount of power depending on the speed it's turning. Lets take an average car as an example. The Honda Civic produces 128 Ib/ft of torque. Perhaps you think thats quite a lot. However if you've ever tightened bolts using a torque wrench you know that the human arm can easily produce 128 Ib/ft. So perhaps your engine isn't as power as you thought.

Therefore the transmission steps in to provide the power to move the car. When your car is in first gear you'll notice it's able to get moving quickly but won't go very fast. First gear works to multiply the limited torque produced by the engine, but at the cost of top speed. This is where the need of more than gear comes into place, finding the balance between power and top speed.

However years ago cars lacked all the technology we have today and they managed with 2 or 3 gears. Another difference with older cars is torque is only made at one point in the rev band. For example a car might make 185 ft/lbs @ 4800 RPM. These days engines provide torque over a broder curve than anything in the past. Turbo charged engines generally make peak torque starting just off idle and all the way up to 5000 RPM. Essentially this means there is more usable torque therefore you should need less gears to keep the car in it's range because it's much larger.

The Lexus IS-F has an 8 speed transmission. 

With this information in mind cars today should require less gears than before due to more efficient engine technologies. However the very opposite has happend. Today transmissions are equipped with 7 or 8 gears and 6 has become the norm. So I ask when does it stop? What is the ideal number of gears for a car? At this point it seems manufactures are just competing with each other by making a car with more gears. This in turn adds additional cost to the car.

This trend however has only seemed to affect ICE (internal combustion engine) powered vehicles. Electric cars are running with single speed transmissions and can accelerate very quick with a reasonable top speed. The advantage to a single speed transmissions is no time lost changing gear and no fuel wasted in between gears. This of course is done because electric cars make maximum torque from 1 RPM to redline or very close.

The Tesla roadster uses one gear!

I know what you're thinking though. "If gas cars had only one speed it would be revving far too high on the free way and wouldn't be quick enough in the city." So maybe 1 speed isn't the answer, but how much gas does a 7 or 8 speed transmissions really save you over 5 or 6 gears. Perhaps we're concentrating too much on transmissions and should focus on other fuel saving measures, weight anyone? The amount of fuel saved or perhaps slight performance increase may not even be warranted for the amount of money it takes to design and manufacture. I think auto companies could spend all this money on something else. I mean pretty soon we're going to see cars with more gears than a transport truck.

Autos Modificados

Autos Modificados

Carros Tuning - S10 Tuning

Carros tuning - S10 Tuning

Carros Tuning - Civic Tuning

Carros tuning - Civic tuning

Favola, County Board, County Staff Were Briefed About New EPA Stormwater Regs Before Pike Charades

Hello, Yupette,

I was told that County Staff and the County Board were briefed about the new and hugely expensive EPA stormwater regulations for the Bay weeks before the Dover, Kohl Pike Charades began (on June 24th). There was a high-level EPA briefing on June 16th. Not only is Barbara Favola serving on a COG environmental committee but her husband is a career EPA employee.

Arlington taxpayers paid at least $550,000 for Pike infill planning during FY 2011, including $250,000 for the Pike Charades from June 24-30. But the County Board, County Staff and planners knew that managing and treating stormwater from a massive increase in Pike corridor density was going to be very expensive. Nevertheless, the County Board went ahead with the Pike Charades and is going to be considering major in-fill site plans in September with (apparently) no heed paid to the EPA's 2014 stormwater treatment and management regulations.

How's that for 'governance'?

Kathy

You On Carros Tuning

you on Carros Tuning

The Importance of a quality interior

It is said that the average American spends about 3 hours a day in their car or about 4 years in total over a lifetime. That’s a long time, so shouldn’t your car have a quality interior? After all that’s where you are when you’re in the car.

2011 Hyundai Elantra. Notice the contrasting colors and
dynamic design of the interior.

This then begs the question why do manufactures still insist on putting the interior of a car on the back burner, I mean after all when your in a car you’re not just sitting there. You touch a variety of different areas. Namely the steering wheel, radio controls, door panel, gear lever and center console. So at least in every car these areas should be done in nice materials, be well made, and look good. I work as a car detailer (most of the time) and that means I get to drive and clean a wide variety of cars and many of the cars I get into aren’t very nice (other than being dirty). There are 3 big manufactures who are the worst, those being GM, Toyota, and Chrysler. There are two possible reasons the quality just isn’t there, one being cost, and the other being a lack of focus or care. Cost is the one most people tend to argue but I don’t think that’s it. You see a once little Korean car company called Hyundai which produces “value” oriented cars, doesn't seem to have problem producing a relatively nice interior in their cars. Let's also keep in mind Hyundai is a much smaller company and therefore has less money for R&D and less money to hire designers, so shouldn't this be the other way around then?

Chevrolet Impala interior. Cheap looking dash design large
chunks of cheap silver painted trim and it doesn't make you
look twice does it? 

 Upon entering the aforementioned cars I’m surrounded by cheap plastics that don’t fit  well together, steering wheels with slippery material, and door panels with hard plastic. It makes me honestly wonder if anyone drives these cars before they sell them. Now I’m not expecting a Volvo or Lexus interior but why would I want to rest my arm on a hard uncomfortable door panel? If anything the parts of the vehicle I have to touch to operate the car should be well constructed comfortable to use and made of decent, long lasting materials. Another issue being, many of these interiors don’t look good. They are either all one color or use a lot of silver painted parts which doesn’t look any better. Contrasting colors are important in an interior but if you look at an interior in a more expensive car you will note that in general chrome and silvers are used more sparingly. In a lot of these cars if they put some silver trim in it goes all in one spot and usually is made of the same cheap plastic but painted a different color.

Lexus IS interior. Notice contrasting colors, no cheap silver trim spanning
the dash and chrome used sparingly. 

If I could say a few things to an interior designer creating an interior for a cheaper car I would tell them to focus on the parts that people touch most. Use good materials on things such as the steering wheel, gear lever, doors, and center console. Use trims and contrasting colors but don’t put a lot of it in one place, spread it out. Chromes and silver paints should be used sparingly and only to accent something. Also contrasting stitching on the steering wheel and seats makes a big difference.

Generally creating a good interior is about creating a simple one. If there's too many things going on it gets too busy for the eye. Just ensure things flow smoothly and the important places are made out of quality stuff.

Yes! An improvement. The 2011 Chevy Cruze.

Now that newer generations of cars are coming out we're starting to see some improvement from these manufactures but it should have been done sooner and as a result they are starting to suffer already as we see companies such as Hyundai and Kia removing buyers from Toyota, Honda, GM, Chrysler and Ford.

I must say if it weren't for the koreans stepping it up I don't think we'd be seeing as much of a change as we are now.  So if anything we have to koreans to thank for being so competitive, they very much deserve the success they're getting.

Muito Irado Esse Carro Tunado,

Muito irado esse carro tunado,

Favola - Stormwater Upgrades May Cost $500 Million

Hello, Yupette,

Did you hear Barbara Favola's statement about the cost of stormwater management and treatment at Tuesday's County Board meeting? It's going to be very expensive. Barbara stated that stormwater management and treatment upgrdes mandated by the federal government and State of Virginia may cost more than $500 million.

So why is she and the County Board promoting higher density along the Pike and elsewhere that will generate large amounts of additional stormwater?

Ken

Motos Tuning - Moto

Motos Tuning - Moto

Political Parties Tell County Board to Fix Artisphere's Problems

Hello Yupette,

I am happy to see representatives of the Democratic, Republican, and Green parties were all exasperated with the management and operation of the Artisphere and spoke out at last evening's County Board meeting.

Republican Robert Atkins denounced the waste of tax dollars used to subsidize the Artisphere. Green Party Candidate for County Board Audrey Clement asked County Government to provide financial data to indicate when the Artisphere would become self-sustaining. Democrat Peter Owen criticized the Artisphere's lease agreement as censoring performing arts groups.

Response from the County Board was "Don't worry, be happy, we'll work it out, etc."

So even when all three political parties speak to the County Board on an issue, the County Board doesn't listen. Typical of every County Board meeting. It's obviously time for all the County Board incumbents to retire.

Joan

TUNING 2010

TUNING 2010

Motorcycles: April 2010

motorcycles: April 2010

County Board to 'Shirlington' Bergmann Cleaners Site, Neighborhood

Hello, Yupette,

Another older neighborhood off a major arterial, another major redevelopment to 'Shirlington' the area. Latest is Bergmann's Cleaners on Lee Highway and the neighborhood around Bergmanns.

Proposal by the same County Planning Staff responsible for Shirlington and same law firm responsible for Shirlington is...yet another Shirlington. Did I mention none of them live in Arlington?

This followed many closed-door meetings among non-resident Economic Development staff, non-resident CPHD staff, non-resident development attorneys, and an out-of-state REIT. The North Highlands neighborhood was targeted for gentrification after the usual Arlington County 2-step process - do nothing to help middle class neighborhoods along arterials revitalize, then point to the neighborhoods as 'deteriorated' and in need of massive mixed-use redevelopment.

In fact the County Board and County Planning Staff want to exactly duplicate the 12 story Shirlington hotel-apartments-supermarket-parking complex on and around the Lee Highway Bergmann's site. Even Dover, Kohl, the County Board's pet planners, stated that Shirlington was 'poorly planned'. How much more dumb growth are they going to cram into Arlington?

K.B.
Lyon Village

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Motos Sarpada: Octubre 2010

motos sarpada: octubre 2010

Motos Tuning

motos tuning

Christmas in July: County Board Funds Vanity Projects Over Human Needs

Hi Yupette,

County Board did it again. Cut human services funding and appropriated $800,000 for beautifying the wastewater treatment plant. Also gave the wealthy $ignature-$ynetic theater group an $89,000 stipend. Also arranged a couple of land swaps with (apparently) no independent appraisal of the value of the land being swapped.

Stay tuned for Tuesday's continuation meeting where major land use plan (gentrification) changes for the Bergmann's site and surrounding neighborhood on Lee Hwy may or may not be on the agenda.

Ted

Nuevas Motos Tuning

Nuevas Motos Tuning

Motos Tuning 3 Rodas

Motos Tuning 3 Rodas

Motos Tuning

motos tuning

Alexandria Pushing for Dedicated Bus Rapid Transit in Beauregard Corridor

Hello Yupette,

I attended tonight's Alexandria transportation forum about a dedicated transit corridor on South Beauregard Street.

Appears as though Alexandria Transportation Staff wants a dedicated bus rapid transit system rather than a shared-street streetcar system like what's planned for Columbia Pike. Alexandria Transportation Staff maintains that a dedicated bus transit system is the only way to finally get people out of their SOVs and into buses. They believe a dedicated BRT system would be fast, flexible, and significantly less expensive than a streetcar system.

What's sad about the inside the Beltway transportation planning process is how little people from different jurisdictions know about what's being planned for areas a mile or two from where they live but in another locality.

Alex.

Motos Tuning

Motos Tuning

Moto Suzuki GSXR 1000

Moto Suzuki GSXR 1000

Barcroft, Douglas Park Brace for National Guard Readiness Center Expansion

Hello, Yupette,

I'm not only worried about the massive in-fill planned for Columbia Pike, I'm also worried about the opening of the massive addition to the National Guard Readiness Center on George Mason Drive this month. We are getting the usual 'don't worry, be happy' from the Army, Jim Moran and Chris Zimmerman. Fact is there will be a lot more traffic of all kinds in and out of the Readiness Center and cutting through our quiet residential streets.

Our suburban neighborhoods, Barcroft and Douglas Park, were never, never, designed for this kind of infill. And the Readiness Center expansion was never mentioned during the Dover, Kohl design charettes last week.

The people who make these decisions don't live anywhere near the affected neighborhoods. Or, if they do, they live in 'protected enclaves'. Like Chris Zimmerman, who lives across from a wilderness area. Don't believe it? Here's a photo of Douglas Park across from his home.

Linda
Douglas Park

Motos Tuning: Auto Rojo

Motos Tuning: Auto Rojo

Algunas Motos Novedosas

Algunas Motos Novedosas

Motos Tuning

motos tuning

Dover, Kohl Close to Final Plans for Douglas Park Renovation

Hello, Yupette,

I became friendly over the past week with several of Dover, Kohl's planning staff.

So they've let me take a look at the two final plans for the renovation of Douglas Park, opposite Chairman Zimmerman's home. Funding is buried in the 2012 Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources budget.

Let me know which you like. We are taking an informal poll of Chris's friends.

C U at the next Plenary meeting in September.

Terri

Jeudi 19 Novembre 2009

Jeudi 19 Novembre 2009