Posted by Thinker on Sep 19, 2009 in
Thinkable
Touring on road bicycles has become more and more popular. When I was young, I first recall seeing men on touring bicycles climbing the highways through the mountain areas of Vermont and New Hampshire. I was intrigued watching these riders climbing the long inclines for miles on end without stopping. Loving the outdoors and especially the mountains, I knew this was the only way to really enjoy the magnificent views. It was then that I realized the type of bicycle they were riding was much different then the mountain bike I grew up with~owned.
A few months ago I met a man in his late 50′s who lived in the north east. Each summer he would fly with his touring bicycle to the west coast. Then he’d spend several weeks riding across the country coming home. Needless to say, his bicycle was outfitted with loads of specialized touring bags and accessories. As the sport’s popularity has risen, so has the demand for road bicycles. In the past, the only place to find a good tour bicycle was at an expensive specialized bike shop which would usually be limited to one brand of bike. Of course that all came with a high price tag. Lets face it, the price of Schwinn~touring bikes simply put them out of reach for younger people just entering the sport.
I recall traveling over 100 miles to find the specific Schwinn touring bicycle I was searching for. Fortunately today, that is not the case. You can find all the biggest names in road bicycles on the internet. The additional benefit is most can be found at affordable prices also. The interest in bicycle touring has also given rise to the availability of specialized bicycle parts, accessories and bicycle clothing. You would be hard pressed to find bicycle parts at your local discount store. But this is not the case online.
The obvious addition that bicycle touring requires is a way to carry your personal gearand supplies on long trips. The popularity of touring has provided riders a huge variety of specialized bicycle parts and accessories. It is quite easy to find all types of bicycle parts and even special bicycling clothing for your long trips. Serious bikers can easily upgrade just about their entire bicycle by traveling no further then their PC.
Posted by Thinker on Sep 19, 2009 in
Thinkable
The Bugaboo Pushchair range can be bought in many shapes and sizesto fit any newborn kids and are designed with style and function in mind.
The Bugaboo Stroller range styles include the Bugaboo Chameleon which is made from lightweight materials with a strap for carrying, can fold with one hand, a sun canopy made up of waterproof materials, a netted basket underneath for easy storage and a breathable netting panel sewn into the one position seat for infants six months to 35 pounds.
The Bugaboo Chameleon is made of all quilted comfort cotton, dual suspension wheels, and netted basket underneath, a solid material sun canopy and in one position seat for infants six months to 35 pounds. There is also a Bugaboo Twin pushchair and it is made exactly the same as the regular Bugaboo, only this one holds two children or two infants side-by-side. It looks as if two Bugaboo Twin pushcarts are attached to one another.
For all out comfort and strength try the Bugaboo Cameleon Pushchair.
The Bugaboo Bee is designed similarly to the Bugaboo Cameleon in that it is made with a luxury cotton mix, twin suspension wheels and a netted basket underneath in addition to a sun canopy which you can choose a colour to personalise your Bugaboo and the one position seat for babies ranging from six months to 35 pounds.
The full range of Bugaboo pushchairs contains a one-handed folding system and twin wheels with suspension for easy movements around narrow shop aisles.
The Bugaboo Bee is also made of all quilted comfort cotton with a netted basket underneath and a solid material sun canopy. The Bugaboo comes in a variety of solid material where as most other Bugaboo prams are made of solid colors.
Posted by Thinker on Sep 19, 2009 in
Thinkable
Autism can be defined as a brain development disorder. The disorder tends to impair social interaction & communication of the individual. It also causes restricted & repetitive behavior. Unfortunately, the disorder traits starts even before the child is three years old. The disease can be categorized in to two parts namely Autism programs & Asperger syndrome a milder spectrum disorder. Experts feel that Autism Causes is transmitted as a hereditary disease.
Here are some of the most common problems faced by children with Autism.
a) Difficulty in using a language socially
Children with Autism behavior find it really difficult to use a language socially. They take everything literally & cannot deal with slang & jokes.
b) Trouble in social understanding
A child suffering from classical autism is unable to grasp any kind of social interaction & often try to stay aloof. They also suffer from withdrawal symptoms. The child tries his best to understand. However, most of the time, their social naivete results in some misunderstandings & they tend to become unpopular among their peers.
c) Difficulty in creating imaginations
Everywhere tries to see the world through imagination. Children with autism find it really difficult to imagine. They struggle hard to make out what can happen next. They are also unable to cope with novel situations by considering their experiences in the past. They are dependent on routines that may get elevated to rituals & requires to be followed with smallest detail.
Living with Autism can involve a lot of stress for the individual as well as the family members. There is no cure for this disorder. The treatment provided varies from one person to another. One requires to practice a lot of patience & consistency in order to live with autism & enjoy life.
You would require a professional & well trained health care team that includes either a psychiatrist or a developmental pediatrician & a school implemented Individualized Education Program IEP & ITP Individualized Transition Plan to live with Autism.
Here are some important steps to follow when living with Autism.
Step 1: You need to address the stress that can most probably occur when providing care for a child with Autism. Make sure that you share responsibility & let everyone in the house gets time for themselves.
Step 2: Explore and exploit all resources that can help you to provide care to an autistic individual. Visit a professional, hit websites & talk to people who have been dealing with this disorder.
Step 3: Pay a good amount of attention to keep safety in & around the home. You need to take some extra precautions if you have toddlers at home. Put childproof locks on doors & cabinets, place gates in front of staircases & cover electric outlets.
Step 4: Teach the siblings not to feel frustrated or embarrassed about their autistic sibling.
Step 5: It is important to plan for the future of the child with autism. You need to enroll him in an IEP. This program will help him receive behavioral & occupation therapy that will prepare him for his future. Thereafter you would require to put him through an ITP.
It is easy to live with Autism if you understand the disorder & cope up with the child. You may also keep a daily journal to reduce stress.
Posted by Thinker on Sep 19, 2009 in
Thinkable
After a recent visit to Worcester by Train, one of our regular customers contacted us to ask about child car seats and where we stand as Taxi Drivers and the new UK child seat laws and restrictions. Sheila Jones was refused a Worcester Taxi recently, as Sheila did not have a child car seat with her for her 2 year old daughter to sit in whilst in the Taxi.
The Cheltenham Taxi website is of the view that the Worcester Taxi driver involved was properly a bit keen when it comes to road safety, or may not have been aware of the exemptions for Children who travel via Taxi. It can be a hard shout for Taxi drivers, as they are legally responsible for ensuring children under 14 are belted up correctly whilst travelling in their Taxi.
Children are exempt from the child car seats laws whilst travelling in a taxi, as long as a certain criteria is met:
Children under 3 may sit on an adults lap in the rear of a Taxi, as long as the adult is wearing a seatbelt –the seatbelt must only be around the adult and not the baby.
Children 3 years and over may sit in the rear of a taxi using just the seatbelt, if the correct baby car seat or booster seat for the child’s age and weight is not available.
No child under the age of 13 and less than 135cm in height may travel in the front seat of a taxi.
If you are planning a Taxi journey for an advanced date, there maybe sufficient time to arrange for the correct child car seats to be available.
It would be un-reasonable to expect a Taxi to carry 8-10 different baby, child and booster seats with them, just as it would be un-reasonable for a family using public transport to carry baby car seats with them whist travelling.
An advanced booking for our Cheltenham Taxi Service would allow you to take your own baby car seats with you and we would stow then for you until needed again for the return journey.
Disclaimer.
This is not safety advice for your children when using a Taxi service, it just our interpretation of current UK child seat legislation. If you need advice, please contact your local road safety unit at your local authority.
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