April 26, 2010, 4:55 pm
By EMILY S. RUEB
P. C. Vey
It can be a satisfying experience to lay on your car’s horn. Some people do it so frequently, they may believe the sound will part the cars ahead, or maybe even get that old lady to cross the street a little faster. But the cacophony can drive pedestrians and residents to distraction.
“A honking horn is not just a noise ordinance violation; it’s a direct assault on the health of those exposed to it,” wrote Elisabeth Grace in this Sunday’s Complaint Box in the Metropolitan section.
Ms. Grace felt that there were not enough measures in place to silence the offending drivers.
“In Los Angeles, where I once lived, idling engines and crawling vehicles are a fact of life, but unlike New Yorkers, Angelenos seem to realize that no good can come from hitting a horn in standstill traffic,” she wrote. “That, and the fact that some years ago it was demonstrated that you could get shot for honking, cutting off a driver on the freeway or any other automotive act of aggression. Talk about an effective deterrent!”
Many readers shared their suggestions for keeping peace on the streets: a honking tax, a honking meter, a bumper sticker that reads “Every time you honk at me, I put the brake on and count to 20. Slowly. Try me.”
But as others pointed out, it’s not just drivers who are tangling up the streets. Streets are often jammed with headphone-wearing pedestrians and cyclists who tempt even-keel drivers into a fit of road rage.
For some, the cacophony of the city is a lullaby. But, if you can’t stand the noise, maybe it’s time to get out of the city.
Here, unedited, are four comments we especially liked:
Honk Meter
Simple solution, which has been discussed by Transportation Alternatives:
Install a Honk meter in cabs. Every time a cabbie honks, the meter takes a record of it. Cabbies can be rewarded for low honking rates, and penalized for high rates. Everybody wins!
and yes, in Egypt, cars honk constantly at each other as a way of signaling that they are going to pass. Cultural difference.
— jagarch
Pedestrian Traffic
A few weeks ago, in Brooklyn Heights, I was trying to make a right turn but could not. Why? Because a woman, with children at her side and in a stroller, was standing smack in the middle of the street having a conversation with a friend who had the sense to stay on the sidewalk. I gently pressed the horn and she ignored me (and everyone else waiting behind me). When I pressed the horn again, more aggressively, she became annoyed.
I admit that many drivers are “horn happy”. However, many pedestrians are irritatingly distracted, and need to wake up. Life is too sweet to get run over.
— David
Noise Pollution
If CA can dictate the anti-pollution features it requires on autos sold in that state, NY could probably do likewise. If horn-honking is a pollutant, petition state officials to demand that manufacturers install an anti-honking device in new vehicles introduced for sale in NY. This could be in the form of a decibel limiting device, installation of an euphonious sounding system, and/or a computer controlled horn activated recording and display capability which can be used as evidence that a horn was blown. NY state inspection criteria could be revised to require that horns be disconnected, especially in cabs. Hope that out-of-state drivers are more courteous than home-grown ones.
— Ron G
Collective Action
Horns were intended for emergencies and urgent warnings. Change will take substantial collective action if the city’s not going to enforce it. If someone (everyone) who is subjected to a non-emergency horn blast purposefully slows down for the horn’s implicit warning… (works with tailgaters).
or, better yet… taxi passengers can complain about excessive non-emergency horn use to the TLC…
— Jen BQE
2010年4月26日 星期一
Lights and sirens evolve to clear the way
Pat Gauen
More columns
Pat's Biography
PATRICK E. GAUEN
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/15/2010
"Stop the truck! Stop the (expletive) truck!"
Something was wrong, in the estimation of Capt. Vince Wright, so driver Gary Ruffin pulled to the curb in the green-and-white Mack then used by the St. Louis Fire Department's Rescue Squad 2.
Wright wriggled out the cab window and sat on the sill while reaching up on the roof, beyond my view from the jumpseat behind him. Then came a deafening blare of air horns, squealing and squalling in various pitches until Wright adjusted the reeds to a tone that suited him.
"It's just that time of year," firefighter Bob Wangler told me from the next seat over. "It's a mating call. We're trying to attract another rescue squad.''
GET MORE GAUEN
Read Pat Gauen's past columns
Humor aside, the real issue wasn't attracting anything. It was repelling something: traffic. In several months of riding along years ago to write a story about the squad, I knew those horns might be our best defense against a collision. They were more piercing than the siren and more demanding than the red and white lights.
Clearing drivers out of the way has been a challenge since police and firefighters and medics acquired motor vehicles and began blasting away with hand-crank sirens.
While warning-signal technology has come a long way, countertechnology has come as far. Modern drivers are insulated by tight windows and doors, sound-deadening materials and tinted glass. They're isolated by stereos and cell phones and navigation systems that limit what they hear and see, and distract their attention.
Deaths such as those of St. Louis police Officers David Haynes and Julius Moore, in collisions on calls last month and last year respectively, raise the question of whether there is better protection for emergency workers who care enough to rush to our aid when we're in trouble.
Presuming that no one has invented a way to smell or taste the approach of a police car, the task falls to three usable senses.
— Hearing. This was the first target, from days when sirens were more common than warning lights. Mechanical sirens are loud but also very heavy, and they consume lots of electricity. These days, you seldom hear one except on a firetruck. Electronic sirens may not be quite as loud but are more compact and power-friendly, and offer versatile sounds ("wail" and "yelp" to name two) and a public-address capability. Putting out up to 120 decibels, they operate near the human hearing pain threshold. Going louder would have health and liability implications for first responders and bystanders alike.
— Vision. Incandescent warning lights have flashed, rotated and oscillated for decades. The advent of strobes gave brilliant pops of light, but got duller with age. Now LED lights are the latest thing, with a dazzling effect that seems to stand out better day and night. Pretty much every agency around here uses or is converting to them. Some emergency vehicles also carry flickering whitish lights that activate receivers at a few strategic intersections to give them a green signal.
— Touch. Yep, touch. Those air horns on Wright's rescue truck worked so well because their deep vibrations could be felt as well as heard. Many electronic sirens have synthesized horn sounds. Now, police in New York City have tested and are buying more of a low-frequency siren add-on — trademarked as the Rumbler — that shakes drivers in sync with the audible shriek. (Think of the thumping bass from a car with an annoying megastereo.)
I talked all of it over this week with J.P. Molnar, a performance driving expert and former San Diego city and Nevada state cop who teaches and writes nationally about emergency vehicle operations.
The long-term answer, he figures, would be a mandatory alarm on every vehicle's dashboard, set off by the approach of emergency equipment. "They made air bags standard, and tire pressure monitoring for new cars," he said. "They could do this, too."
Short of that is a reminder that Molnar said he drills into every one of his emergency driving students: "You may think that every second counts, but it can be important to take an extra two seconds, or an extra eight seconds, to get through safely. Remember, you can't help anybody if you don't get there."
More columns
Pat's Biography
PATRICK E. GAUEN
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/15/2010
"Stop the truck! Stop the (expletive) truck!"
Something was wrong, in the estimation of Capt. Vince Wright, so driver Gary Ruffin pulled to the curb in the green-and-white Mack then used by the St. Louis Fire Department's Rescue Squad 2.
Wright wriggled out the cab window and sat on the sill while reaching up on the roof, beyond my view from the jumpseat behind him. Then came a deafening blare of air horns, squealing and squalling in various pitches until Wright adjusted the reeds to a tone that suited him.
"It's just that time of year," firefighter Bob Wangler told me from the next seat over. "It's a mating call. We're trying to attract another rescue squad.''
GET MORE GAUEN
Read Pat Gauen's past columns
Humor aside, the real issue wasn't attracting anything. It was repelling something: traffic. In several months of riding along years ago to write a story about the squad, I knew those horns might be our best defense against a collision. They were more piercing than the siren and more demanding than the red and white lights.
Clearing drivers out of the way has been a challenge since police and firefighters and medics acquired motor vehicles and began blasting away with hand-crank sirens.
While warning-signal technology has come a long way, countertechnology has come as far. Modern drivers are insulated by tight windows and doors, sound-deadening materials and tinted glass. They're isolated by stereos and cell phones and navigation systems that limit what they hear and see, and distract their attention.
Deaths such as those of St. Louis police Officers David Haynes and Julius Moore, in collisions on calls last month and last year respectively, raise the question of whether there is better protection for emergency workers who care enough to rush to our aid when we're in trouble.
Presuming that no one has invented a way to smell or taste the approach of a police car, the task falls to three usable senses.
— Hearing. This was the first target, from days when sirens were more common than warning lights. Mechanical sirens are loud but also very heavy, and they consume lots of electricity. These days, you seldom hear one except on a firetruck. Electronic sirens may not be quite as loud but are more compact and power-friendly, and offer versatile sounds ("wail" and "yelp" to name two) and a public-address capability. Putting out up to 120 decibels, they operate near the human hearing pain threshold. Going louder would have health and liability implications for first responders and bystanders alike.
— Vision. Incandescent warning lights have flashed, rotated and oscillated for decades. The advent of strobes gave brilliant pops of light, but got duller with age. Now LED lights are the latest thing, with a dazzling effect that seems to stand out better day and night. Pretty much every agency around here uses or is converting to them. Some emergency vehicles also carry flickering whitish lights that activate receivers at a few strategic intersections to give them a green signal.
— Touch. Yep, touch. Those air horns on Wright's rescue truck worked so well because their deep vibrations could be felt as well as heard. Many electronic sirens have synthesized horn sounds. Now, police in New York City have tested and are buying more of a low-frequency siren add-on — trademarked as the Rumbler — that shakes drivers in sync with the audible shriek. (Think of the thumping bass from a car with an annoying megastereo.)
I talked all of it over this week with J.P. Molnar, a performance driving expert and former San Diego city and Nevada state cop who teaches and writes nationally about emergency vehicle operations.
The long-term answer, he figures, would be a mandatory alarm on every vehicle's dashboard, set off by the approach of emergency equipment. "They made air bags standard, and tire pressure monitoring for new cars," he said. "They could do this, too."
Short of that is a reminder that Molnar said he drills into every one of his emergency driving students: "You may think that every second counts, but it can be important to take an extra two seconds, or an extra eight seconds, to get through safely. Remember, you can't help anybody if you don't get there."
2010年4月12日 星期一
Texas City Police Look For Kidnapper
Leticia Juarez KIAH
Related links
Texas City ISD Issues Predator Warning To Parents
Texas City Police are on the look out for a predator after a child was abducted.
On Tuesday, a 12-year-old boy told authorities a man kidnapped him while walking home from track practice. The attack happened in the 1700 block of 14th Street North around 4 p.m.
The boy told police the suspect pulled up behind him and honked the truck's horn to get his attention. The man then got out of the truck and grabbed him.
"The male got out of the vehicle took hold of him, forced him into the pickup truck, drove off to an unknown location where he attempted to fondle the child," said Texas City police Captain Brian Goetschius.
Police said the boy fought back and was hit in the face. The kidnapped eventually drove back to the location he took the boy and dropped him off. The boy walked home and told his aunt who then reported it to police.
The boy said the suspect was driving a red, 2-door pickup truck. The vehicle is possibly an older model Ford that may have a lift kit job on the rear of it.
Blocker Middle School, where the 12-year-old attends school, sent a letter home with students on Thursday notifying parents of the attack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Texas City Police Department at (409)643-5720.
Related links
Texas City ISD Issues Predator Warning To Parents
Texas City Police are on the look out for a predator after a child was abducted.
On Tuesday, a 12-year-old boy told authorities a man kidnapped him while walking home from track practice. The attack happened in the 1700 block of 14th Street North around 4 p.m.
The boy told police the suspect pulled up behind him and honked the truck's horn to get his attention. The man then got out of the truck and grabbed him.
"The male got out of the vehicle took hold of him, forced him into the pickup truck, drove off to an unknown location where he attempted to fondle the child," said Texas City police Captain Brian Goetschius.
Police said the boy fought back and was hit in the face. The kidnapped eventually drove back to the location he took the boy and dropped him off. The boy walked home and told his aunt who then reported it to police.
The boy said the suspect was driving a red, 2-door pickup truck. The vehicle is possibly an older model Ford that may have a lift kit job on the rear of it.
Blocker Middle School, where the 12-year-old attends school, sent a letter home with students on Thursday notifying parents of the attack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Texas City Police Department at (409)643-5720.
Family meets their hero
By JOE GORMAN Tribune Chronicle POSTED: April 11, 2010
Article Photos
Eric Campana, left, and Valerie Johnson look over Johnson’s burned home at 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. on Saturday.
WARREN - Eric Campana remembers laying on the horn of a car parked in a Clermont Avenue N.E. home that was on fire and the stunned look on the face of the woman who peeked out of the house.
Resident Valerie Johnson said later that she was not so much scared as she was wondering what was going on.
It ended up that Campana woke her and her family up and saved them from a fire at their 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. home just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Campana met the Johnsons for the first time Saturday while the family was retrieving items from the burned-out home.
Recalling what happened, Campana said he was walking to work with a friend when the friend spotted flames from the home. Campana called 911, and the dispatcher asked if anyone was in the home. Campana said he was not sure, even though he knocked.
''I was pounding on the door and no one answered,'' Campana said.
The dispatcher asked him if there was a car in the drive. When he said there was, the dispatcher told him blow the car's horn to wake up the occupants.
Campana said he managed to open the car door. He estimated he laid on the horn for about 15 seconds before a woman appeared at the back door.
Valerie Johnson, who has been living in the home for 2 1/2 years with her husband Jim, said Saturday that it was the pounding on the door and the car horn that woke her up. She slept right through the smoke detectors going off.
''They sounded like alarm clocks,'' she said of the detectors.
''I came to the door and said 'What the heck is going on?''' Johnson said.
Campana recalled that she appeared to be in shock when he told her the house was on fire, but she grabbed a small child and what appeared to be an infant and they ran outside, along with a man.
The Johnsons have two daughters, Emily, 5, and Chloe, 3 months.
''By the time I got to the front, the whole porch and the front of the house was on fire,'' Campana said.
Johnson said, ''If he would've been another five minutes...''
The fire had already spread to the closet in Chloe's room when the family left. Johnson grabbed Chloe while her husband hustled out the door with Emily. Because of the flames in the front of the home, they had to run through a neighbor's backyard to the front of their home.
By the time they reached the street, firefighters had arrived.
Fire Chief Ken Nussle credited Campana with getting the people in the home out, saying he averted a catastrophe by alerting them of the fire.
Damage from the blaze is listed at $10,000. The fire started on the front porch, according to fire department officials. As of yet, a cause has not been determined.
The Johnsons are moving to another home. Valerie Johnson said their church and daycare at Believer's Christian have helped them get back on their feet with clothes and furniture.
jgorman@tribtoday.com
Article Photos
Eric Campana, left, and Valerie Johnson look over Johnson’s burned home at 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. on Saturday.
WARREN - Eric Campana remembers laying on the horn of a car parked in a Clermont Avenue N.E. home that was on fire and the stunned look on the face of the woman who peeked out of the house.
Resident Valerie Johnson said later that she was not so much scared as she was wondering what was going on.
It ended up that Campana woke her and her family up and saved them from a fire at their 1786 Clermont Ave. N.E. home just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Campana met the Johnsons for the first time Saturday while the family was retrieving items from the burned-out home.
Recalling what happened, Campana said he was walking to work with a friend when the friend spotted flames from the home. Campana called 911, and the dispatcher asked if anyone was in the home. Campana said he was not sure, even though he knocked.
''I was pounding on the door and no one answered,'' Campana said.
The dispatcher asked him if there was a car in the drive. When he said there was, the dispatcher told him blow the car's horn to wake up the occupants.
Campana said he managed to open the car door. He estimated he laid on the horn for about 15 seconds before a woman appeared at the back door.
Valerie Johnson, who has been living in the home for 2 1/2 years with her husband Jim, said Saturday that it was the pounding on the door and the car horn that woke her up. She slept right through the smoke detectors going off.
''They sounded like alarm clocks,'' she said of the detectors.
''I came to the door and said 'What the heck is going on?''' Johnson said.
Campana recalled that she appeared to be in shock when he told her the house was on fire, but she grabbed a small child and what appeared to be an infant and they ran outside, along with a man.
The Johnsons have two daughters, Emily, 5, and Chloe, 3 months.
''By the time I got to the front, the whole porch and the front of the house was on fire,'' Campana said.
Johnson said, ''If he would've been another five minutes...''
The fire had already spread to the closet in Chloe's room when the family left. Johnson grabbed Chloe while her husband hustled out the door with Emily. Because of the flames in the front of the home, they had to run through a neighbor's backyard to the front of their home.
By the time they reached the street, firefighters had arrived.
Fire Chief Ken Nussle credited Campana with getting the people in the home out, saying he averted a catastrophe by alerting them of the fire.
Damage from the blaze is listed at $10,000. The fire started on the front porch, according to fire department officials. As of yet, a cause has not been determined.
The Johnsons are moving to another home. Valerie Johnson said their church and daycare at Believer's Christian have helped them get back on their feet with clothes and furniture.
jgorman@tribtoday.com
2010年4月2日 星期五
Art cars: they're auto exotic
Art cars: they're auto exotic
The Fruitmobile on display in Houston at Everyone's Art Car Parade in May 2006. NYT
Junk or genius? Cartists are turning their drives into masterpieces
Joanne Will
Published on Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010 2:26PM EDT
Last updated on Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010 3:42PM EDT
My partner thinks he's an artist. He has a massive collection of Happy Meal toys and other kitschy junk. When I moved in I told him that stuff had to go, so he took it out to the garage. Now he's gluing it to the car. It’s not the best car, but it’s our car. He says it’s art. I think he’s ruining the vehicle, not to mention straining our relationship. What should I do?
Eye of the Beholder
You've either got grounds for divorce, or a genius on your hands. If your partner has decided to become a “cartist,” why not try encouraging him?
Pop-art pioneers Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and more than a dozen others have created BMW Art Cars. These automobiles, and John Lennon's psychedelic '65 Rolls Royce, are arguably at the high end of art-car-culture. Further, the countless folk-art cars used as daily drivers are a testament to the popularity of this road-culture movement.
The art of the drive
Check out a gallery of Art Cars, from a high-end Rauschenberg to a low-end condiment-covered car
View
Toy Karma, the car driven and decorated by writer and poet Susan Musgrave provided my first exposure to an art car. It was a familiar sight on Vancouver Island during my university days. A few years later, at the annual Art Car Parade in Houston, I first witnessed the enormous and unique community which rallies around the art car scene.
Ken Gerberick, one of the most prolific car artists in Canada, has created nine masterpieces so far. On a recent visit to his studio, I asked about the paperwork and regulations required for art-car ownership. He laughed and said there are very few rules. Ken's vehicles are simply registered as “multi-coloured.” He advises all would-be car artists to use good glue and screws, with no objects protruding more than five inches from the vehicle. When it comes time to clean the car, just make sure you've got a whole day set aside for washing it – one piece at a time.
Ken's van, known as the Copy Cat, is his homage to 40 of the world's great art cars. A big part of his process is to make art from materials that have been used, abused and discarded. The parts on Copy Cat, excluding silicon and screws, cost him less than $10. It's a marvel to behold. His first piece was a '57 Pontiac, which he covered in 6,000 car emblems. And then there's his Cadillac Estate Wagon. It features vintage furnace covers on the headlights, a Kirby vacuum cleaner nozzle, a clothes-dryer dial, a piece from an analog computer, a wheel from a hospital gurney which displays the phases of the moon when spun, a 100-year-old ceiling tile on each side panel, a stylized scene of Vancouver, and an air horn and speaker mounted on the roof. And the dash? That's another story.
Do you have an old beater in need of a makeover? Apart from pure viewing pleasure, art on a vehicle can hide the rust and dents. It can also be a clever piece of marketing for an artist. An art car is, after all, a mobile sculpture which can be permanently exhibited in any location. One accountant says that driving it around to promote your art means that within reason, you can write off the art supplies. In any case, when it stops running, the parts can be harvested and sold as objets d'art .
It sounds as though your partner's creation is not exactly to your taste. If you don't want to be your man's muse, why not be a collaborator on the project? Take a romantic road trip to the Houston Art Car Parade, or any one of the art car fests held across North America. You'll find plenty of inspiration and ideas. Why should the big ticket auto designers get paid tons of money and have all the fun? Many cars these days look like the result of one too many marketing-focus-group meetings, so why worry if your creation ends up looking a bit strange?
Besides, there's nothing quite like the look of wonder and confusion on the face of a child riding in a brand new Mercedes when they spot a work of contemporary car art and breathlessly ask, “Mom! Can we please glue McDonald's toys on our car?”
Air horn helps deputy find missing hunter
Posted on March 9, 2010 at 4:54 PM
Updated Tuesday, Mar 9 at 11:33 PM
******
IDAHO COUNTY – Idaho County authorities were able to locate a hunter who got lost in a snow storm Monday night thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan and an air horn.
Sheriff’s deputies received a call for help at 6:30 p.m. on a broken cell phone call that came from the Crane Creek area near Kooskia.
Deputy Mike Badgley was dispatched to the area where the call came from. Directions were vague and it was snowing heavily. Badgley followed tracks in the snow to the residence of Phillip Smith.
Smith offered to help the deputy and the two men set to locate the lost man. They located and found fresh tracks that led them to 26-year-old Eric Lycan of Kooskia who had called dispatch. Lycan and 27-year-old Scott Rollins had been out horn hunting and got separated by the storm. It had been three hours since Lycan had contact with Rollins who was not dressed for the weather.
Rollins managed to send a text message to another person with Lycan telling them he wanted them to fire up the chain saw. Badgley sounded his siren and air horn for about 40 minutes before Rollins emerged from the forest. He was wet and cold, but otherwise in good health.
Updated Tuesday, Mar 9 at 11:33 PM
******
IDAHO COUNTY – Idaho County authorities were able to locate a hunter who got lost in a snow storm Monday night thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan and an air horn.
Sheriff’s deputies received a call for help at 6:30 p.m. on a broken cell phone call that came from the Crane Creek area near Kooskia.
Deputy Mike Badgley was dispatched to the area where the call came from. Directions were vague and it was snowing heavily. Badgley followed tracks in the snow to the residence of Phillip Smith.
Smith offered to help the deputy and the two men set to locate the lost man. They located and found fresh tracks that led them to 26-year-old Eric Lycan of Kooskia who had called dispatch. Lycan and 27-year-old Scott Rollins had been out horn hunting and got separated by the storm. It had been three hours since Lycan had contact with Rollins who was not dressed for the weather.
Rollins managed to send a text message to another person with Lycan telling them he wanted them to fire up the chain saw. Badgley sounded his siren and air horn for about 40 minutes before Rollins emerged from the forest. He was wet and cold, but otherwise in good health.
2010年3月24日 星期三
Ron Hornaday Rolls the Dice at Atlanta and It Comes Up with Snake Eyes
by Horn Fan Written on March 09, 2010 Ron Hornady would've, should've, could've, but didn't and it's left the defending champion 28th in the points.
Hornaday and his No. 33 Longhorn team came to Atlanta looking to rally back and hoping for a good day. Unfortunately, the team gambled on a tire rub, rolled the dice, it came up snake eyes and ended there day early finishing 34th.
The chemistry looked good between Horn and his new crew chief Doug George and the 33 team. They looked good in both practices running 30 laps between the two, making multiple changes to his truck.
Horn was the fourth fastest in the first, and ran 15th fastest in the final one.
Then he went out and won the pole for the race. One thing about Horn, he's one of several drivers in the series. That you can't judge how they are in practice, and it's how well they qualify as to just how really good they are.
It goes without say that he had one stout Chevy on Saturday. Horn took the green heading into turn one it was three wide with Busch and Crafton.
When Horn trying to hold his line, got loose on the cold tires and made slight contact with Busch. The end result was his left rear fender slightly bent in rubbing on his tire.
The team debated making a pit stop for fresh tires and to pull the fender out. While for several laps his truck did have tire smoke, it did dissipated and stop.
His spotter Rick Carelli thought it didn't look too bad and teammate/boss Kevin Harvick did drive right behind also saying the same thing.
So Horn would stay out, rather than lose a lap or two early and not because he would not have made it up later in the race.
He would remain among the leaders, continue fighting for the lead and actually led Lap 11 before quickly surrender the lead to Busch.
Horn would settle into third, with his truck getting looser each lap and was patiently waiting for a pit stop. Unfortunately Horn became the first caution on Lap 23, when his left rear tire explode and sent him into the wall.
His No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet received extensive rear end damage and also the right side was pancaked in.
His team worked pretty hard trying to get Horn back out to log some laps for points but the damage was too great to repair.
Horn finished 34th for the day, add that to his 28th place finish at Daytona and many have written him off too repeat.
But Horn along with Skinner are two guys that you just can never write off and throw the statistic's out the window with them.
It is what it is, but adversity like this will only make the No. 33 Longhorn team strong and they'll battle back to factor into the championship at Homestead.
Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com
Hornaday and his No. 33 Longhorn team came to Atlanta looking to rally back and hoping for a good day. Unfortunately, the team gambled on a tire rub, rolled the dice, it came up snake eyes and ended there day early finishing 34th.
The chemistry looked good between Horn and his new crew chief Doug George and the 33 team. They looked good in both practices running 30 laps between the two, making multiple changes to his truck.
Horn was the fourth fastest in the first, and ran 15th fastest in the final one.
Then he went out and won the pole for the race. One thing about Horn, he's one of several drivers in the series. That you can't judge how they are in practice, and it's how well they qualify as to just how really good they are.
It goes without say that he had one stout Chevy on Saturday. Horn took the green heading into turn one it was three wide with Busch and Crafton.
When Horn trying to hold his line, got loose on the cold tires and made slight contact with Busch. The end result was his left rear fender slightly bent in rubbing on his tire.
The team debated making a pit stop for fresh tires and to pull the fender out. While for several laps his truck did have tire smoke, it did dissipated and stop.
His spotter Rick Carelli thought it didn't look too bad and teammate/boss Kevin Harvick did drive right behind also saying the same thing.
So Horn would stay out, rather than lose a lap or two early and not because he would not have made it up later in the race.
He would remain among the leaders, continue fighting for the lead and actually led Lap 11 before quickly surrender the lead to Busch.
Horn would settle into third, with his truck getting looser each lap and was patiently waiting for a pit stop. Unfortunately Horn became the first caution on Lap 23, when his left rear tire explode and sent him into the wall.
His No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet received extensive rear end damage and also the right side was pancaked in.
His team worked pretty hard trying to get Horn back out to log some laps for points but the damage was too great to repair.
Horn finished 34th for the day, add that to his 28th place finish at Daytona and many have written him off too repeat.
But Horn along with Skinner are two guys that you just can never write off and throw the statistic's out the window with them.
It is what it is, but adversity like this will only make the No. 33 Longhorn team strong and they'll battle back to factor into the championship at Homestead.
Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com
UPDATE: Brookings man recounts rescue of Zoey Dorsey
Last Update: 3/19 3:02 pm
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Zoey Dorsey (Curry Co. Sheriff's Office)
Related Links
UPDATE: Missing 4-year-old found alive
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Robert Crump got off work about 5:30 p.m. Thursday and, like hundreds of folks from across Oregon, headed into the woods to look for Zoey Dorsey, a 4-year-old who'd gone missing the day before.
Crump and his wife, Peggy, pointed their pickup — hauling the couple's ATV — down the backroads near Zoey's house, then Crump hopped on the ATV and headed down a muddy logging road. He got off and started circling a canyon behind Zoey's Curry County home.
Crump waited for the blare of the helicopter to fade away. He wanted quiet so he could listen for signs of Zoey.
He waited. Then he heard something.
"I heard a funny yip noise, a yelp," Crump told The Oregonian on Friday. "It definitely didn't sound natural."
He zeroed in on the faint sound. He circled the canyon, stepping through thick layers of brambles, briars and fallen limbs. He followed game trails. He listened for that faint cry but heard nothing.
"Zoey!" Crump called out over and over.
No response.
"I was pretty discouraged. I would stop and listen," he said. "I wasn't getting any more response. I started to turn around to go back up the hill."
Crump stepped carefully, glancing down at his feet to make sure of his footing. And there she was, right at his feet.
"She was so buried and camouflaged under the stickers and salal," he said. "I was circling around these bushes. I was very close to her and didn't realize it."
"It startled me," he said. He thought, "This can't be true."
Crump called out the words searchers had longed to hear all day: "I found her!"
Crump's wife, Peggy, called back, "Oh my God!" She ran to the truck of another volunteer searcher and longtime Brookings resident, Donald Hodges. She honked Hodges' truck horn to get his attention. Hodges ran back, phoned 9-1-1 and asked for a helicopter.
Meanwhile, Crump carefully pulled back the thick underbrush that had buried Zoey, careful not to scratch the girl.
Finally, he was able to get his arms around her and pull her out.
"I grabbed her arm and put it around my neck and she latched on," he said. "She was really cold and stiff. I just held her in my arms."
He carried her out, half the time crawling on his hands and knees.
All the while, he talked to Zoey.
"We are going to make it, Zoey. We are headed home to Mama."
Zoey, who was weak and hypothermic, never said a word.
Crump, 47, who works heavy construction in Brookings, has three grown kids and four grandchildren, said he's not an emotional guy.
"I'm hands-on, get-it-done but looking back on it this morning, it's pretty emotional," said Crump, who was born and raised in Brookings.
He knows Zoey wouldn't have survived another night in the cold woods and considers himself lucky to have picked the right place to look. He found her just as darkness was setting in.
When he and Zoey finally reached the road, Peggy Crump wrapped the girl in a hoodie and a thick hunting coat. The couple reassured Zoey that help was on the way. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter hovered overhead, then lowered a basket.
The Crumps gently pried Zoey off Robert Crump and handed her to one of the rescuers. Zoey quickly nestled her head against the shoulder of the rescuer who placed her in the basket.
Just before he gave the pilot a thumbs-up, Crump had one more thing to say to Zoey: "You're going to be OK."
"And they flew off," Crump said.
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Zoey Dorsey (Curry Co. Sheriff's Office)
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UPDATE: Missing 4-year-old found alive
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Robert Crump got off work about 5:30 p.m. Thursday and, like hundreds of folks from across Oregon, headed into the woods to look for Zoey Dorsey, a 4-year-old who'd gone missing the day before.
Crump and his wife, Peggy, pointed their pickup — hauling the couple's ATV — down the backroads near Zoey's house, then Crump hopped on the ATV and headed down a muddy logging road. He got off and started circling a canyon behind Zoey's Curry County home.
Crump waited for the blare of the helicopter to fade away. He wanted quiet so he could listen for signs of Zoey.
He waited. Then he heard something.
"I heard a funny yip noise, a yelp," Crump told The Oregonian on Friday. "It definitely didn't sound natural."
He zeroed in on the faint sound. He circled the canyon, stepping through thick layers of brambles, briars and fallen limbs. He followed game trails. He listened for that faint cry but heard nothing.
"Zoey!" Crump called out over and over.
No response.
"I was pretty discouraged. I would stop and listen," he said. "I wasn't getting any more response. I started to turn around to go back up the hill."
Crump stepped carefully, glancing down at his feet to make sure of his footing. And there she was, right at his feet.
"She was so buried and camouflaged under the stickers and salal," he said. "I was circling around these bushes. I was very close to her and didn't realize it."
"It startled me," he said. He thought, "This can't be true."
Crump called out the words searchers had longed to hear all day: "I found her!"
Crump's wife, Peggy, called back, "Oh my God!" She ran to the truck of another volunteer searcher and longtime Brookings resident, Donald Hodges. She honked Hodges' truck horn to get his attention. Hodges ran back, phoned 9-1-1 and asked for a helicopter.
Meanwhile, Crump carefully pulled back the thick underbrush that had buried Zoey, careful not to scratch the girl.
Finally, he was able to get his arms around her and pull her out.
"I grabbed her arm and put it around my neck and she latched on," he said. "She was really cold and stiff. I just held her in my arms."
He carried her out, half the time crawling on his hands and knees.
All the while, he talked to Zoey.
"We are going to make it, Zoey. We are headed home to Mama."
Zoey, who was weak and hypothermic, never said a word.
Crump, 47, who works heavy construction in Brookings, has three grown kids and four grandchildren, said he's not an emotional guy.
"I'm hands-on, get-it-done but looking back on it this morning, it's pretty emotional," said Crump, who was born and raised in Brookings.
He knows Zoey wouldn't have survived another night in the cold woods and considers himself lucky to have picked the right place to look. He found her just as darkness was setting in.
When he and Zoey finally reached the road, Peggy Crump wrapped the girl in a hoodie and a thick hunting coat. The couple reassured Zoey that help was on the way. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter hovered overhead, then lowered a basket.
The Crumps gently pried Zoey off Robert Crump and handed her to one of the rescuers. Zoey quickly nestled her head against the shoulder of the rescuer who placed her in the basket.
Just before he gave the pilot a thumbs-up, Crump had one more thing to say to Zoey: "You're going to be OK."
"And they flew off," Crump said.
2010年3月19日 星期五
On tracks near Dover, friend unable to save woman from train
By Shelley Rossetter and Hilary Lehman, Times Staff Writers
In Print: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
One of two women walking on a railroad track where there is no sidewalk near Dover was killed by a CSX train going about 60 mph on Monday. The conductor sounded the horn, witnesses said.
DOVER — A honking car may have saved one woman's life Monday afternoon, but came too late for a friend who was struck and killed by a train.
While Deborah Sweat and Amanda O'Neil walked on railroad tracks along busy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, O'Neil heard a car horn. She turned to look, thinking it was someone trying to get their attention.
It was.
When she turned around, she realized the driver was trying to warn them of a train headed for them. O'Neil grabbed her friend's arm and tried to pull her to safety, she said, but instead fell down an embankment alone.
Sweat, 47, died at the scene, 14170 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The two were on their way from a grocery store, headed toward Staggs Tree Service Nursery, which Sweat's fiance, Dennis Stagg, owns and where Sweat worked, O'Neil said.
The Sheriff's Office listed the address of the nursery, 13824 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., as Sweat's home.
O'Neil said they were walking on the tracks around 2 p.m. because there is no sidewalk.
"If there was a sidewalk on this road, then we wouldn't have to worry about the railroad tracks," O'Neil said.
Neither of them heard the train coming, O'Neil said.
The train was traveling about 60 mph, said the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. When its conductor saw the two women walking on the track, he sounded the horn.
He continued to sound the horn as Sweat was struck, witnesses told deputies.
The freight train was carrying automobiles from Louisville, Ky., to Tampa, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease. It had two locomotives and 15 railcars.
CSX will know more about the accident once it looks at the train's event recorder on Tuesday, he said.
Though many improvements have been made to safety at railroad crossings, Sease said, pedestrians walking on the tracks remain a problem.
"They don't always hear approaching trains for whatever reason," he said. "Another problem is that the trains can't stop quickly. Even at slower speeds, it would take some time for a train to come to a stop."
Sweat's family gathered at the nursery Monday evening. Her sister, Lisa Sweat, arrived moments after the accident happened.
"She was lying there in pieces," Lisa Sweat said.
Shelley Rossetter can be reached at (813) 226-3374 or srossetter@sptimes.com.
[Last modified: Mar 16, 2010 12:20 AM]
In Print: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
One of two women walking on a railroad track where there is no sidewalk near Dover was killed by a CSX train going about 60 mph on Monday. The conductor sounded the horn, witnesses said.
DOVER — A honking car may have saved one woman's life Monday afternoon, but came too late for a friend who was struck and killed by a train.
While Deborah Sweat and Amanda O'Neil walked on railroad tracks along busy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, O'Neil heard a car horn. She turned to look, thinking it was someone trying to get their attention.
It was.
When she turned around, she realized the driver was trying to warn them of a train headed for them. O'Neil grabbed her friend's arm and tried to pull her to safety, she said, but instead fell down an embankment alone.
Sweat, 47, died at the scene, 14170 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The two were on their way from a grocery store, headed toward Staggs Tree Service Nursery, which Sweat's fiance, Dennis Stagg, owns and where Sweat worked, O'Neil said.
The Sheriff's Office listed the address of the nursery, 13824 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., as Sweat's home.
O'Neil said they were walking on the tracks around 2 p.m. because there is no sidewalk.
"If there was a sidewalk on this road, then we wouldn't have to worry about the railroad tracks," O'Neil said.
Neither of them heard the train coming, O'Neil said.
The train was traveling about 60 mph, said the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. When its conductor saw the two women walking on the track, he sounded the horn.
He continued to sound the horn as Sweat was struck, witnesses told deputies.
The freight train was carrying automobiles from Louisville, Ky., to Tampa, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease. It had two locomotives and 15 railcars.
CSX will know more about the accident once it looks at the train's event recorder on Tuesday, he said.
Though many improvements have been made to safety at railroad crossings, Sease said, pedestrians walking on the tracks remain a problem.
"They don't always hear approaching trains for whatever reason," he said. "Another problem is that the trains can't stop quickly. Even at slower speeds, it would take some time for a train to come to a stop."
Sweat's family gathered at the nursery Monday evening. Her sister, Lisa Sweat, arrived moments after the accident happened.
"She was lying there in pieces," Lisa Sweat said.
Shelley Rossetter can be reached at (813) 226-3374 or srossetter@sptimes.com.
[Last modified: Mar 16, 2010 12:20 AM]
Man Disables More Than 100 Cars Over Internet
Friday, March 19, 2010 - by Jennifer Johnson
Car manufacturers often tout the peace of mind that comes from GPS devices that can help you recover a stolen car, unlock your car doors, etc. When used in the wrong hands, however, these devices can wreak havoc. After a man who was fired from a Texas auto dealership used an Internet service to remotely disable ignitions and set off car horns of more than 100 vehicles, the downfalls of these devices are quite apparent.
Omar Ramos-Lopez was arrested by Austin police on Wednesday after he used a former colleague's password to deactivate starters and set off car horns of vehicles sold from his former workplace. After their cars were deactivated, several owners said they had to call tow trucks and were left stranded. "He caused these customers, now victims, to miss work," Austin police spokeswoman Veneza Aguinaga said. "They didn't get paid. They had to get tow trucks. They didn't know what was going on with their vehicles."
The vehicles had GPS devices that were installed by the Texas Auto Center dealership in Austin. The devices are designed to be used to repossess a car if a buyer is overdue on payments. They also allow repo agents to activate the car horn if an owner attempts to hide the car.
In mid-February, dealership employees noticed someone was changing business records. One record even showed dead rapper Tupac Shakur as the owner of a 2009 vehicle. Soon after the changed records were discovered, customers began calling to complain their cars wouldn't start or the horn was going off incessantly. Originally, the dealership believed the cars had mechanical problems. Eventually, police were able to trace the sabotage to Ramos-Lopez's computer.
Car manufacturers often tout the peace of mind that comes from GPS devices that can help you recover a stolen car, unlock your car doors, etc. When used in the wrong hands, however, these devices can wreak havoc. After a man who was fired from a Texas auto dealership used an Internet service to remotely disable ignitions and set off car horns of more than 100 vehicles, the downfalls of these devices are quite apparent.
Omar Ramos-Lopez was arrested by Austin police on Wednesday after he used a former colleague's password to deactivate starters and set off car horns of vehicles sold from his former workplace. After their cars were deactivated, several owners said they had to call tow trucks and were left stranded. "He caused these customers, now victims, to miss work," Austin police spokeswoman Veneza Aguinaga said. "They didn't get paid. They had to get tow trucks. They didn't know what was going on with their vehicles."
The vehicles had GPS devices that were installed by the Texas Auto Center dealership in Austin. The devices are designed to be used to repossess a car if a buyer is overdue on payments. They also allow repo agents to activate the car horn if an owner attempts to hide the car.
In mid-February, dealership employees noticed someone was changing business records. One record even showed dead rapper Tupac Shakur as the owner of a 2009 vehicle. Soon after the changed records were discovered, customers began calling to complain their cars wouldn't start or the horn was going off incessantly. Originally, the dealership believed the cars had mechanical problems. Eventually, police were able to trace the sabotage to Ramos-Lopez's computer.
2010年3月9日 星期二
Car panic alarms could be an effective tool to scare off intruders
Posted: 5:43 a.m. February 18, 2010
9 Comments. Comment Now
I was recently asked to comment on the use of panic buttons on car key fobs as inexpensive burglar alarms. The idea has a lot of merit.
This technique involves taking your car keys out of your pocket or purse and putting them on your nightstand or headboard when you go to bed. If you're awakened by an intruder or perceived intruder, you merely grab your car keys and hit the panic button.
This would cause your car in the garage, driveway or street to start sounding its horn. The noise of the horn and the fact that the intruder would then know someone is awake in the home would scare away most intruders. Secondarily, the noise of the horn would attract attention from neighbors.
The key components of this panic button alarm system are your neighbors. If you're going to use this technique, you should contact your neighbors and ask them to call the police if they ever hear your car alarm sounding. Tell your neighbors how you're using the panic button to make noise to thwart an intruder, draw attention and summon help.
If you have no neighbors nearby, you'll be dependent on the car’s horn alone scaring the intruder. In that case, you'd be better off investing in an alarm system, dog or a firearm for home defense.
If you decide to use the car key panic button method, trial runs of very short duration should be attempted. Make sure the radio wave will reach your car from your bedroom. Make sure you can operate the panic alarm in low light or no light conditions. This includes being able to turn the alarm off, should it activate unintentionally.
Furthermore, in an actual emergency, you should call 911 as soon as you trip the panic button to get the police moving toward your home as soon as possible.
Calling 911 is another motor skill that should be practiced, especially if you are using a cell phone with small buttons. To practice, remove your phone battery or disconnect the phone at the phone jack and practice dialing 9-1-1-SEND , 9-1-1-TALK or just 9-1-1, depending on your phone.
Practice so you can do it in the dark and without eyeglasses. It is important to practice because when you are under intense stress, fine motor skills become impaired.
If you are a neighbor and hear a car alarm sounding and it isn't stopping, call the police. Officers will respond to the car alarm, ascertain the source, run a registration check on the plate or just knock on the door if the vehicle is in a driveway or garage.
Either way, police will try to make contact with the vehicle owner to make sure all is well and get the horn shut off.
Therefore, a car key fob panic button alarm could be an effective tool to ward off intruders and call for help.
Lock it up, don’t leave it unattended, be aware (that the horn that woke you might mean someone needs help) and watch out for your neighbors.
Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.
9 Comments. Comment Now
I was recently asked to comment on the use of panic buttons on car key fobs as inexpensive burglar alarms. The idea has a lot of merit.
This technique involves taking your car keys out of your pocket or purse and putting them on your nightstand or headboard when you go to bed. If you're awakened by an intruder or perceived intruder, you merely grab your car keys and hit the panic button.
This would cause your car in the garage, driveway or street to start sounding its horn. The noise of the horn and the fact that the intruder would then know someone is awake in the home would scare away most intruders. Secondarily, the noise of the horn would attract attention from neighbors.
The key components of this panic button alarm system are your neighbors. If you're going to use this technique, you should contact your neighbors and ask them to call the police if they ever hear your car alarm sounding. Tell your neighbors how you're using the panic button to make noise to thwart an intruder, draw attention and summon help.
If you have no neighbors nearby, you'll be dependent on the car’s horn alone scaring the intruder. In that case, you'd be better off investing in an alarm system, dog or a firearm for home defense.
If you decide to use the car key panic button method, trial runs of very short duration should be attempted. Make sure the radio wave will reach your car from your bedroom. Make sure you can operate the panic alarm in low light or no light conditions. This includes being able to turn the alarm off, should it activate unintentionally.
Furthermore, in an actual emergency, you should call 911 as soon as you trip the panic button to get the police moving toward your home as soon as possible.
Calling 911 is another motor skill that should be practiced, especially if you are using a cell phone with small buttons. To practice, remove your phone battery or disconnect the phone at the phone jack and practice dialing 9-1-1-SEND , 9-1-1-TALK or just 9-1-1, depending on your phone.
Practice so you can do it in the dark and without eyeglasses. It is important to practice because when you are under intense stress, fine motor skills become impaired.
If you are a neighbor and hear a car alarm sounding and it isn't stopping, call the police. Officers will respond to the car alarm, ascertain the source, run a registration check on the plate or just knock on the door if the vehicle is in a driveway or garage.
Either way, police will try to make contact with the vehicle owner to make sure all is well and get the horn shut off.
Therefore, a car key fob panic button alarm could be an effective tool to ward off intruders and call for help.
Lock it up, don’t leave it unattended, be aware (that the horn that woke you might mean someone needs help) and watch out for your neighbors.
Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.
Victims robbed after responding to fake Craigslist ads for computers
Democrat Staff Report • March 7, 2010
Comments(56)Recommend(3)
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Buzz up!Twitter FarkIt Type Size A A A Four people fell victim to scam artists falsely advertising computers on Craigslist in separate incidents Friday, said Officer Danny Jeter of the Tallahassee Police Department.
One victim and a passenger drove to Putnam Drive about 4:30 p.m. hoping to buy a computer advertised on the Web site. They were met instead by a man who got in their car, pulled out a gun and demanded money.
The suspect ran away with cash and other property, and the victims weren’t hurt, Jeter said.
Later, a man and his wife reported being robbed in a similar scam after going to the 3000 block of South Adams Street. Once the victim and his wife arrived at the location, the man got out of his car and talked to a man who was allegedly selling the computer, Jeter said.
The suspect would not produce the computer and when a second man walked up, the buyer began walking back to his car. The two suspects wanted to get into the car, but the victim would not allow them inside.
The buyer was punched repeatedly. The victim’s wife blew the car horn and the two men ran away. The victim received minor injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call 891-4200 or Crime Stoppers at 574-TIPS (8477).
Comments(56)Recommend(3)
Print this page E-mail this article Share Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine
Buzz up!Twitter FarkIt Type Size A A A Four people fell victim to scam artists falsely advertising computers on Craigslist in separate incidents Friday, said Officer Danny Jeter of the Tallahassee Police Department.
One victim and a passenger drove to Putnam Drive about 4:30 p.m. hoping to buy a computer advertised on the Web site. They were met instead by a man who got in their car, pulled out a gun and demanded money.
The suspect ran away with cash and other property, and the victims weren’t hurt, Jeter said.
Later, a man and his wife reported being robbed in a similar scam after going to the 3000 block of South Adams Street. Once the victim and his wife arrived at the location, the man got out of his car and talked to a man who was allegedly selling the computer, Jeter said.
The suspect would not produce the computer and when a second man walked up, the buyer began walking back to his car. The two suspects wanted to get into the car, but the victim would not allow them inside.
The buyer was punched repeatedly. The victim’s wife blew the car horn and the two men ran away. The victim received minor injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call 891-4200 or Crime Stoppers at 574-TIPS (8477).
2010年3月3日 星期三
Welcome to Tirana, a road to nowhere
Welcome to Tirana, a road to nowhere
By Paul Ferguson
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
It's a battle of survival on the streets of Tirana.There are no rules or system. Albanians have a mind of their own.
After years of living without the motorcar — Northern Ireland visited in 1982 horse and carts were the only transport available — it suddenly seems every person in the city has a vehicle or something resembling a car.
And it’s utter chaos.
How we managed to make it from the airport to the hotel without an accident is a mystery.
These Tirana roads make the frightening traffic around the Arc de Triumph look a mini roundabout.
Full of pot holes and cracks, 300,000 cars a day pound the tarmac here
There are traffic lights but these are largely ignored while the lanes have no relevance — nobody ever stays within them.
This means the noise of a car horn is incessant all day long as the Tirana dodgems make their way around the city.
Yellow New York style cabs are evident but that’s where the similarities with the Big Apple end.
Walk around this dull city and you take your life into your own hands when it comes to crossing roads — step out only with ultra caution.
But there’s nothing really to see. Tirana is a sad and ugly place that is still going to take many years to modernise.
The men are menacing while the women sullen. An angry city fighting back after years of communist rule and unrest.
Aging infrastructure and dilapidated buildings dominate the large areas while construction is taking place but painfully slow. Landmarks look awful.
Remember the strip in Newcastle, Co Down before major refurbishment or Queen’s Parade in Bangor?
That is Tirana throughout.
A city in transition, desperately hoping to rebuild and move into the 21st century.
It has been left to rot for too long.
But for former Northern Ireland international John O’Neill, out here in a working capacity for BBC Sport, has noticed dramatic changes. He was part of Billy Bingham’s side that drew 0-0 with Albania in Tirana 28 years ago.
“This is Las Vegas, compared to when I was last here,” after a drive though the Albanian capital.
Bars and restaurants are sparse — an indication of the high poverty Albania as a whole still suffers.
The local beer called Ottakri is light, pleasant and refreshing. You could also try Bitburger, Zipfer and Kriko Krombacher.
You’ll pay around 150 Lek, the currency in Albania, for a beer which is £1. Foreign bottled beers such as Heineken, Tuborg and Becks cost that little more at 200 Lek. Spirits and wine start at 240 Lek.
A meal, including steak and wine, at one of the few grand hotels in the city will only set you back 3000 Lek (£20).
Eighty passionate Northern Ireland fans are expected to be in attendance at the Qemal Stafa Stadium tonight and as a kind gesture from the Irish FA for their loyal support, Northern Ireland’s governing body are providing them with complimentary tickets for the game.
Tirana has become renowned as a difficult place to secure victory. Sweden and Denmark are just two European heavyweights who have struggled. Hardly surprising with the city so intimidating.
The match tonight may prove the easy part. Reaching the airport safely after another trip through the hectic traffic of Tirana is the greatest challenge?
truck horn
moto horn
By Paul Ferguson
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
It's a battle of survival on the streets of Tirana.There are no rules or system. Albanians have a mind of their own.
After years of living without the motorcar — Northern Ireland visited in 1982 horse and carts were the only transport available — it suddenly seems every person in the city has a vehicle or something resembling a car.
And it’s utter chaos.
How we managed to make it from the airport to the hotel without an accident is a mystery.
These Tirana roads make the frightening traffic around the Arc de Triumph look a mini roundabout.
Full of pot holes and cracks, 300,000 cars a day pound the tarmac here
There are traffic lights but these are largely ignored while the lanes have no relevance — nobody ever stays within them.
This means the noise of a car horn is incessant all day long as the Tirana dodgems make their way around the city.
Yellow New York style cabs are evident but that’s where the similarities with the Big Apple end.
Walk around this dull city and you take your life into your own hands when it comes to crossing roads — step out only with ultra caution.
But there’s nothing really to see. Tirana is a sad and ugly place that is still going to take many years to modernise.
The men are menacing while the women sullen. An angry city fighting back after years of communist rule and unrest.
Aging infrastructure and dilapidated buildings dominate the large areas while construction is taking place but painfully slow. Landmarks look awful.
Remember the strip in Newcastle, Co Down before major refurbishment or Queen’s Parade in Bangor?
That is Tirana throughout.
A city in transition, desperately hoping to rebuild and move into the 21st century.
It has been left to rot for too long.
But for former Northern Ireland international John O’Neill, out here in a working capacity for BBC Sport, has noticed dramatic changes. He was part of Billy Bingham’s side that drew 0-0 with Albania in Tirana 28 years ago.
“This is Las Vegas, compared to when I was last here,” after a drive though the Albanian capital.
Bars and restaurants are sparse — an indication of the high poverty Albania as a whole still suffers.
The local beer called Ottakri is light, pleasant and refreshing. You could also try Bitburger, Zipfer and Kriko Krombacher.
You’ll pay around 150 Lek, the currency in Albania, for a beer which is £1. Foreign bottled beers such as Heineken, Tuborg and Becks cost that little more at 200 Lek. Spirits and wine start at 240 Lek.
A meal, including steak and wine, at one of the few grand hotels in the city will only set you back 3000 Lek (£20).
Eighty passionate Northern Ireland fans are expected to be in attendance at the Qemal Stafa Stadium tonight and as a kind gesture from the Irish FA for their loyal support, Northern Ireland’s governing body are providing them with complimentary tickets for the game.
Tirana has become renowned as a difficult place to secure victory. Sweden and Denmark are just two European heavyweights who have struggled. Hardly surprising with the city so intimidating.
The match tonight may prove the easy part. Reaching the airport safely after another trip through the hectic traffic of Tirana is the greatest challenge?
truck horn
moto horn
Mercedes-Benz SA sponsors Bafana Bafana’s R3 million bus
Mercedes-Benz SA sponsors Bafana Bafana’s R3 million bus
PETER TAYLOR Published: 2010/03/02 04:00:30 PM
Multego Bafana Bafana bus
1 of 2
AFTER the announcement of the 22-strong Bafana Bafana squad to play in a friendly football match against Namibia on 3 March, a symbolic key was presented to SAFA CEO Leslie Sedibe on behalf of Bafana Bafana, by Dr Hansgeorg Niefer, President and CEO of MBSA.
The Mercedes-Benz Ultego 40-seater coach is locally built, with its engine coming from the Atlantis plant in the Cape, the chassis from Port Elizabeth and the fittings by local assembler Marco Polo.
The sponsorship will run over a period of three years, well after the end of the 2010 World Cup.
The Mercedes-Benz Multego is a luxury coach with a unique interior layout, to accommodate the special needs of the team. The coach seats 40 passengers comfortably with individual seat-belts, and situated in the rear is a U-shaped couch and conference table for meetings.
The interior is finished in high quality plush cream leather.
Further comfort features includes a DVD entertainment system with three TV screens, full air-conditioning, and two portable fridges.
Two roof-mounted escape hatches are also included.
For additional comfort, there are convenience amenities too.
There is an air-horn which plays a unique tune, to noisily announce the arrival of the national football team at the various venues.
To gather support for the team, the Driving Bafana Bafana -- get on board campaign will allow fans, through a photo element, to have their pictures included in the final imagery that will be printed on the bus, which will be handed over to the team in early May.
air horn
car horn
PETER TAYLOR Published: 2010/03/02 04:00:30 PM
Multego Bafana Bafana bus
1 of 2
AFTER the announcement of the 22-strong Bafana Bafana squad to play in a friendly football match against Namibia on 3 March, a symbolic key was presented to SAFA CEO Leslie Sedibe on behalf of Bafana Bafana, by Dr Hansgeorg Niefer, President and CEO of MBSA.
The Mercedes-Benz Ultego 40-seater coach is locally built, with its engine coming from the Atlantis plant in the Cape, the chassis from Port Elizabeth and the fittings by local assembler Marco Polo.
The sponsorship will run over a period of three years, well after the end of the 2010 World Cup.
The Mercedes-Benz Multego is a luxury coach with a unique interior layout, to accommodate the special needs of the team. The coach seats 40 passengers comfortably with individual seat-belts, and situated in the rear is a U-shaped couch and conference table for meetings.
The interior is finished in high quality plush cream leather.
Further comfort features includes a DVD entertainment system with three TV screens, full air-conditioning, and two portable fridges.
Two roof-mounted escape hatches are also included.
For additional comfort, there are convenience amenities too.
There is an air-horn which plays a unique tune, to noisily announce the arrival of the national football team at the various venues.
To gather support for the team, the Driving Bafana Bafana -- get on board campaign will allow fans, through a photo element, to have their pictures included in the final imagery that will be printed on the bus, which will be handed over to the team in early May.
air horn
car horn
2010年2月10日 星期三
6H Air Horn
ethiopianreview.com | February 9th, 2010 at 6:00 am |
Available in 120VAC – Wide variety of tones and sizes – For indoor/outdoor use – Type 4X enclosure
Federal Signal offers a line of air horns in a variety of tones and sizes for the industrial marketplace. High, medium and low tones are available which provides a wide range of frequencies and high sound output.
Federal Signal air horns feature a one–piece, cast aluminum alloy housing which has been treated to provide corrosion resistance. The horns include specialized long–lasting stainless steel diaphragms.
These precisely machined horns will yield peak performance at proper working air pressures and are virtually indestructible. The 3– and 4–inch horns (Models 3H, 4H, 4M) have threaded female pipe connections. The Model 6H features flanges for additional support.
Federal Signal air horns operate with 20 to 150 p.s.i., (pounds per square inch) but they are tuned for 80 to 90 p.s.i. operation.
The horn frequency (pitch) depends on both the diameter and length of the projector. Decibel output at 10 feet is 122dBa (132dBa @ 1m).
The horns require a 120VAC Federal Signal air valve. Use Model EVS with the 3H, Model EVM with the 4M and Model EVL with the 6H.
Airhorns can be used indoors, outdoors, or anywhere compressed air can be provided.
Federal Signal Air Horns are the loudest audible signals offered for indoor applications.
They are not subject to sparking and are ideal for hazardous locations (the valves need to be located in a non–hazardous location).
Available in 120VAC – Wide variety of tones and sizes – For indoor/outdoor use – Type 4X enclosure
Federal Signal offers a line of air horns in a variety of tones and sizes for the industrial marketplace. High, medium and low tones are available which provides a wide range of frequencies and high sound output.
Federal Signal air horns feature a one–piece, cast aluminum alloy housing which has been treated to provide corrosion resistance. The horns include specialized long–lasting stainless steel diaphragms.
These precisely machined horns will yield peak performance at proper working air pressures and are virtually indestructible. The 3– and 4–inch horns (Models 3H, 4H, 4M) have threaded female pipe connections. The Model 6H features flanges for additional support.
Federal Signal air horns operate with 20 to 150 p.s.i., (pounds per square inch) but they are tuned for 80 to 90 p.s.i. operation.
The horn frequency (pitch) depends on both the diameter and length of the projector. Decibel output at 10 feet is 122dBa (132dBa @ 1m).
The horns require a 120VAC Federal Signal air valve. Use Model EVS with the 3H, Model EVM with the 4M and Model EVL with the 6H.
Airhorns can be used indoors, outdoors, or anywhere compressed air can be provided.
Federal Signal Air Horns are the loudest audible signals offered for indoor applications.
They are not subject to sparking and are ideal for hazardous locations (the valves need to be located in a non–hazardous location).
2010年2月9日 星期二
Stop texting and driving, make roads safer
By Marcus Teklemariam | THE EASTERN ECHO
Added January 20, 2010 at 8:20 pm
You’re driving down the road, on your way to class, when your cell phone goes off. You take a quick glance to find it’s a text message. It’s just a friend letting you know where you’ll be meeting at the movies tonight. Knowing you’re going to be in class for most of the day, you reach over and try to text him back before you pull up to the student parking lot.
Suddenly, you hear a loud car horn. Then you notice your car is traveling in the wrong lane and you quickly move to miss the other car by only a few feet. Feeling relieved and a little embarrassed, you begin to wish you had parked your car before you picked up the phone.
Michigan may soon join the half of the nation that has outlawed texting while driving. With more mobile devices now able to send and receive text messages, it has made people who use these devices while operating a car or vehicle more likely to get involved in an accident.
Surveys done in 2008 say about 50 percent of all teenagers who drive have admitted to sending a text while behind the wheel. About 20 percent of adults have admitted that they text while they drive.
Now some may argue they are competent when it comes to multitasking behind the wheel, or the last thing they want is another reason for the police to pull them over. But would you want to be at risk for someone else’s decision behind the wheel of another car, a truck, or even a train?
In September of 2008, a California commuter train crash that killed 25 people happened when the driver was texting behind the throttle and failed to stop at a red signal. A driver who was texting his girlfriend was found responsible for a Boston trolley accident that injured 62 in May of last year. Truck drivers who text are almost 24 times more likely to get into an accident when texting.
Currently, Michigan is in the process of banning texting while driving. The state Legislature is debating exactly how an offense would be carried out, as the federal government is now seeking a nationwide ban on texting while driving. If a nationwide ban goes into law, any state that would not support the bill would get penalized with a 25 percent reduction in federal funding.
It seems highly unlikely that any state would oppose enacting a nationwide ban. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Nationwide Insurance, about 50 percent of the general population support a ban of cell phone use while driving. This may grow as driving schools, insurance agencies and law enforcement continue to educate the public on the dangers of texting and driving. Above all, common sense should always be used when anyone is traveling on the road.
Added January 20, 2010 at 8:20 pm
You’re driving down the road, on your way to class, when your cell phone goes off. You take a quick glance to find it’s a text message. It’s just a friend letting you know where you’ll be meeting at the movies tonight. Knowing you’re going to be in class for most of the day, you reach over and try to text him back before you pull up to the student parking lot.
Suddenly, you hear a loud car horn. Then you notice your car is traveling in the wrong lane and you quickly move to miss the other car by only a few feet. Feeling relieved and a little embarrassed, you begin to wish you had parked your car before you picked up the phone.
Michigan may soon join the half of the nation that has outlawed texting while driving. With more mobile devices now able to send and receive text messages, it has made people who use these devices while operating a car or vehicle more likely to get involved in an accident.
Surveys done in 2008 say about 50 percent of all teenagers who drive have admitted to sending a text while behind the wheel. About 20 percent of adults have admitted that they text while they drive.
Now some may argue they are competent when it comes to multitasking behind the wheel, or the last thing they want is another reason for the police to pull them over. But would you want to be at risk for someone else’s decision behind the wheel of another car, a truck, or even a train?
In September of 2008, a California commuter train crash that killed 25 people happened when the driver was texting behind the throttle and failed to stop at a red signal. A driver who was texting his girlfriend was found responsible for a Boston trolley accident that injured 62 in May of last year. Truck drivers who text are almost 24 times more likely to get into an accident when texting.
Currently, Michigan is in the process of banning texting while driving. The state Legislature is debating exactly how an offense would be carried out, as the federal government is now seeking a nationwide ban on texting while driving. If a nationwide ban goes into law, any state that would not support the bill would get penalized with a 25 percent reduction in federal funding.
It seems highly unlikely that any state would oppose enacting a nationwide ban. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Nationwide Insurance, about 50 percent of the general population support a ban of cell phone use while driving. This may grow as driving schools, insurance agencies and law enforcement continue to educate the public on the dangers of texting and driving. Above all, common sense should always be used when anyone is traveling on the road.
2010年2月1日 星期一
Moon Light Horn
MOON LIGHT HORN
YP-2003
Diameter:155mm
SIZE : (a)640mm
(b)740mm
MOON LIGHT HORN
YP-2004
SIZE : (a)640 * 215 * 110mm
(b)740 * 215 * 110mm
L x W x H
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
MOON LIGHT HORN
YP-2005
Diameter:155mm
SIZE : (a)640mm
(b)740mm
MOON LIGHT HORN
YP-2006
SIZE : (a)640 * 215 * 110mm
(b)740 * 215 * 110mm
L x W x H
YP-2003
Diameter:155mm
SIZE : (a)640mm
(b)740mm
MOON LIGHT HORN
YP-2004
SIZE : (a)640 * 215 * 110mm
(b)740 * 215 * 110mm
L x W x H
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
MOON LIGHT HORN
YP-2005
Diameter:155mm
SIZE : (a)640mm
(b)740mm
MOON LIGHT HORN
YP-2006
SIZE : (a)640 * 215 * 110mm
(b)740 * 215 * 110mm
L x W x H
Crystal Horn
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Crystal Horn B-102 RED
B-102 RED
Diameter:100mm
size: 320 * 255mm
air horn,car horn
truck horn
air operated horn
mini air compressor
moto horn
Diameter:100mm
size: 320 * 255mm
air horn,car horn
truck horn
air operated horn
mini air compressor
moto horn
Crystal Horn B-101 PURPLE
B-101 PURPLE
Diameter:100mm
size: 320 * 255mm
air horn,car horn,truck horn,
air operated horn, mini air compressor
moto horn
Diameter:100mm
size: 320 * 255mm
air horn,car horn,truck horn,
air operated horn, mini air compressor
moto horn
2010年1月18日 星期一
Moto horn
OOOGAH HORN ECH-361
1. roar of dinosaur (archaize)
2. 12V or 24V motivity systems
3. various limosine, especial car & marine...
4. 125db ¡Ó 5db
5. big motorcycle
6. Size:270L x 130W x 130H mm
..........................................................
OOOGAH HORN ECH-362
1. roar of dinosaur (archaize)
2. 12V or 24V motivity systems
3. various limosine, especial car & marine...
4. 125db ¡Ó 5db
5. big motorcycle
6. Size:155L x 135W x 128H mm
.............................................................
ALARM HORN ECH-363
1. cars, boats, special car, motorcycles
2. 125db ¡Ó 5db
3. 12V & 24V power
4. Size:280L x 130W x 130H mm
...............................................................
ALARM HORN ECH-364
product picture
1. roar of dinosaur (archaize)
2. 12V or 24V motivity systems
3. various limosine, especial car & marine...
4. 125db ¡Ó 5db
5. big motorcycle
6. Size:270L x 130W x 130H mm
..........................................................
OOOGAH HORN ECH-362
1. roar of dinosaur (archaize)
2. 12V or 24V motivity systems
3. various limosine, especial car & marine...
4. 125db ¡Ó 5db
5. big motorcycle
6. Size:155L x 135W x 128H mm
.............................................................
ALARM HORN ECH-363
1. cars, boats, special car, motorcycles
2. 125db ¡Ó 5db
3. 12V & 24V power
4. Size:280L x 130W x 130H mm
...............................................................
ALARM HORN ECH-364
| 1. | space saving |
| 2. | widely apply for various vehicles, such us motorcycles, cars, trucks and boats, etc. |
| 3. | 12V or 24V motivity systems |
| 4. | function: warning, giving signal in advance while passing other cars, to get help if being stuck in snow |
| 5. | Size:160L x 135W x 128H mm |
product picture
TRAIN HORN
TRAIN HORN 130db YG-001
Diameter:96mm
Size : 505 / 450 / 400 / 352mm
Brass chrome-plated
.....................................................................
TRAIN HORN 130db YG-002
Diameter:96mm
Size : 505 / 455 / 352mm
Brass chrome-plated
...................................................................
TRAIN HORN 130db YG-003
Diameter:94mm
Size : 430 / 365 / 300 / 230mm
Zinc chrome-plated
Diameter:94mm
Size : 430 / 365 / 300 / 230mm
Zinc chrome-plated
......................................................................
TRAIN HORN 130dbYG-004
Diameter:50mm
Size : 450 / 290mm
Brass chrome-plated
Diameter:50mm
Size : 450 / 290mm
Brass chrome-plated
.....................................................................
HIGH QUALITY 8 TUBE
TRAIN HORN 140db YG-007
Diameter:50mm
Size:610 / 550 / 500 / 450 /
390 / 350 / 290 / 240mm
Copper tube with chrome-plated.
TRAIN HORN 140db YG-007
Diameter:50mm
Size:610 / 550 / 500 / 450 /
390 / 350 / 290 / 240mm
Copper tube with chrome-plated.
2010年1月17日 星期日
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
YMT-6130 5.6L
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
SIZE: 500L x 125W x 125H mm
5.6L / 12V OR 24V
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
SIZE: 500L x 125W x 125H mm
5.6L / 12V OR 24V
..................................................................
YMT-6122 2.5L
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
Tank Size: 210L*125W*125H mm
12V or 24V
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
Tank Size: 210L*125W*125H mm
12V or 24V
..................................................................
YMT-6123 2.5L
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
Tank size: 210L*125W*125H mm
12V or 24V
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
Tank size: 210L*125W*125H mm
12V or 24V
......................................................................
YMT-6131 3.5L
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR
Tank Size: 330L*125W*125H mm
12V or 24V
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR
Tank Size: 330L*125W*125H mm
12V or 24V
MINI AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
YMT-6127
MINI AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
1.Unit-pipe high quality AIR HORN
2.Tone quality is graceful.
3.Adaptable to any type of cars with no compressing equipments.
Diameter:96mm
SIZE : (a)390mm
(b)450mm
MINI AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
1.Unit-pipe high quality AIR HORN
2.Tone quality is graceful.
3.Adaptable to any type of cars with no compressing equipments.
Diameter:96mm
SIZE : (a)390mm
(b)450mm
YANKEE HORN SET
YMT-606
YANKEE HORN SET
Diameter:94mm
Horn size:300/235mm
Tank size:
330Lx125Wx125H mm
YANKEE HORN SET
Diameter:94mm
Horn size:300/235mm
Tank size:
330Lx125Wx125H mm
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET(3)
YMT-6120
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
SIZE: 420L * 125W * 180Hmm
1.Anti-shaking, easy to isntall.
2.Capacity: 3.0L
3.Can be connected to any type of AIR HORN.
4.Necessary tool to any way of filling gas.
5.12V or 24V
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
SIZE: 420L * 125W * 180Hmm
1.Anti-shaking, easy to isntall.
2.Capacity: 3.0L
3.Can be connected to any type of AIR HORN.
4.Necessary tool to any way of filling gas.
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5.12V or 24V
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET(2)
AUTO-AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
A device for two purposes compressor,
horn The machine is suitably used for
any kind of Air Horn. It is used for non-
air brake car.
12V and 24V
Auto-air horn Compressor Set(1)
YMT-6128MINI AIR HORN COMPRESSOR SET
SMALL COMPRESSOR CRYSTAL HORNS
Diameter:80mm
SIZE:205 / 162mm
air horn,car horn,truck horn,air operated horn, mini air compressor,moto horn
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