Mexico City to retire last iconic VW 'Bug' taxis

FILE - In this Dec. 28, 2007 file photo, a man steps out of his Volkswagen beetle taxi during an inspection in Mexico City. Mexico City has announced that the last of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle taxis will be withdrawn from service by the end of 2012. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 28, 2007 file photo, a man steps out of his Volkswagen beetle taxi during an inspection in Mexico City. Mexico City has announced that the last of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle taxis will be withdrawn from service by the end of 2012. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? Mexico's capital is ready to stomp out its iconic Volkwagen "Bug" taxis.

Officials announced Friday that the last of the old-style VW Beetles will have their cab licenses expire by the end of the year, marking the end of an adventurous if uncomfortable part of Mexico City life.

The rounded, two-door sedan nicknamed the Bug ? in Mexico, it's a "Vocho" ? has long been an informal symbol of this sprawling city, a tough, rattling reflection of its gritty urbanity and chaotic streets.

At its height in 2006, the little VWs accounted for almost half of all taxis in Mexico City, with about 50,000 cruising the streets. Today, there are only about 3,500 of the privately owned and operated Bugs among 130,000 taxis.

Victor Ramirez, director of taxi services for the city's transport department, said time has run out for the classic VW design that evolved from the original Beetle of 1930s Germany.

The model hasn't been manufactured since 2003, when the last one rolled off an assembly line in the Mexican state of Puebla.

For safety reasons, Mexico City began mandating four-door taxis in 2003. So the Beetles that entered service in 2002 are the last to operate as cabs. Most car models are limited by the city to eight years of service as taxis, but the Bug was allowed a 10-year run ? and that ends with 2012.

Despite their role as icons, the VW taxis have never won plaudits for comfort. Drivers remove the front passenger seat so customers can get in more easily, leaving only the ungenerous back seat.

And with no front seat, there is little to protect the passenger in the back, Ramirez noted.

"If they slammed on the brakes and you weren't wearing a seat belt, you wound up in the windshield," he said. "The government mandated four-door cars, with trunks, to ensure passengers' safety."

For a time, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Bug taxis were notorious as a robbery trap. Because there were only two doors, muggers or kidnappers could push their way through the passenger door, leaving the passenger no way to escape.

Many people felt a pang of nostalgia for the Bug after Friday's announcement, even while acknowledging the little car's shortcomings.

"It's a loss ? not exactly for its comfort, but because it was economical" to operate, said Hector Vera Perez, who was a cabbie in the late 1960s.

Vera Perez, now a 65-year-old ambulance driver, said the Vocho was much cheaper to run than the big American cars that made up the majority of the city's taxi fleet in those days.

He also argued that the Bugs made the city's streets safer, noting they were slow, fragile and noisy.

"Today the cars (used as taxis) are bigger, and they drive faster," he said. "Before, they drove more cautiously, because any accident would destroy them."

Some people said the VW taxis are easier to find: They rattle so much you can hear them rattling down the street blocks away.

Ramirez said that after nearly 10 years of constant use on the capital's punishing streets, few of the VWs that are losing their taxi licenses are in good enough shape to use as private cars. But the city wants to get them off the road, so taxi owners who turn in Bugs to be crushed will get 15,000-peso credits toward the purchase of new cabs, he said.

In some ways, it was the VW's fragility that endeared it to drivers. Vera Perez recalled fondly how easy it was to fix a Vocho after a fender-bender.

"You just took the fender off with a wrench and got another one."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-03-02-LT-Mexico-Bug-Taxis/id-aeccd10c0d1c40a4acd41727433bc0e8

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Source: http://7moneys.com/mlm-scam-home-based-business.html

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Most Effective Anti Wrinkle Eye Lotion ... - New Health and Fitness

New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use

The skin around the eye is really delicate, in fact, it?s more delicate that every other skin on the body. The eye part is also the very first area where warning signs of getting older and poor skin maintenance glimpse. The skin is a body?s greatest body organ as well as deserves to be well taken care of. On the other hand, searching out the best anti-wrinkle eye cream is not always easy. Understanding what eye creams do will help you chose the product that is best for you. Best Anti Wrinkle Eye Cream

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Together with the greatest anti wrinkle eye cream, taking on a healthy life-style will make sure that you are doing all you can to keep your eyes looking their best. Best Anti Wrinkle Eye Cream Site

Source: http://newhealthandfitness.org/2012/03/01/most-effective-anti-wrinkle-eye-lotion-choosing-the-perfect-one/

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Best Pasta Restaurants ? Carbo-loading food! | Cape Point Route Blog

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The Cape Argus Pick ?n Pay Cycle Race takes place on Sunday 11 March 2012 and cyclists have been training vigorously on the Cape Point Route in preparation for the big day.? Nutrition is as much a part of that preparation as getting cycle training.? For many cyclists that involves carbo-loading. Carbohydrate loading is a ?fuelling strategy?, which is a technique used to increase the glycogen stored in muscles. Muscles use the glycogen for fuel and can improve performance during a long race by 2-3 percent.

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Whilst the theory remains a little controversial, the general consensus is that carbo-loading can help endurance during a race lasting 90 minutes or longer. ?Carbo-loading traditionally starts two days before the race. Rest during these two days allows your muscles to build up plenty of glycogen stores when you consume the proper amount of carbs. When you carbo-load, you should eat about 10 grams of carbs per kg of body weight daily in the two days leading up to race day. You won?t need as much protein as usual because you won?t be breaking down those muscles. Don?t go and eat a massive bowl of pasta the night before a race and expect a miracle to happen!

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Most athletes know that good sources of carbohydrates are bread and pasta! Here are some other great carbohydrate-rich food sources:

• Starches: bread, pasta, rice, cereal, bagel, oatmeal, pancake, English muffin, tortilla, couscous, low-fat muffin, gnocchi, polenta and quinoa
• Starchy vegetables: potatoes, peas, pumpkin, squash, beans and lentils
• Fruit: bananas, apples, peaches, pears, pineapple, oranges, cherries, mango, kiwi, any form of dried fruit, canned fruit
• Dairy: flavoured low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt
• Snacks: pretzels, low-fat granola bar, low-fat crackers, baked chips, sports bars/energy bars
• Beverages: flavoured low-fat milk, juice, sports drink, low-fat smoothies

So if you are in Cape Town for the 2012 Cape Argus Pick ?n Pay Cycle Tour race and need to carbo-load, here is our selection of best spots to eat pasta and carbo-loading meals on the Cape Point Route.

Cafe Roux:? Noordhoek Farm Village
PRE- Argus Carbo Load Pasta Special: What a winner at this delightful caf?, restaurant in Noordhoek. They are offering a hearty bowl of Spaghetti? Bolognaise or Tagliatelle Carbonara (R76 each)? which is available on Friday night Braai night (9March) with live acoustic music and also for Saturday lunch from 12 ? 3:30pm ?(10March). Tel: 021?789 2538. Read on for the Carbs for Kitty Pre-Argus Fundraising Function.

Blue Water Cafe: Imhoff Farm
Pasta and pizza are perfect carbo loading foods. Blue Water Cafe has a range of pastas from Spinach and ricotta ravioli to a wild mushroom carbonara and a to-die-for farm beef lasagne.? A personal favourite is? the Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta and there is? a daily chef?s choice on the black board. Blue Water Cafe pizzas are legendary and served on a thin crispy base.? Call 021?783 2007 or click here to see the full menu.

Fish Hoek Galley: Fish Hoek Beach
Whilst the Galley itself is renowned for their seafood ? at Drifter?s Take-away they offer take-away Baked Potatoes and substantial pasta meals for under R40. Next door at the Beachcomber Bistro you can carbo-load on Baked potatoes with a variety of toppings, Neapolitan Herb Sauce and Chicken Mushroom Pasta Specialities or even toasted sandwiches and savoury pancakes. Call 021?782 3354 or click here for more.

De Noordhoek Hotel: Noordhoek Farm Village
The hotel has opened its? restaurant and offers an a la carte dinner from Wednesday ? Saturday as well as lunch on Saturdays and Sundays.? Being an eco-friendly hotel, the restaurant ethic is in keeping with the trend only offering healthy and sustainable food items.? Their Basil Pesto Pasta is a low GI spaghetti served with basil pesto and Parmesan shavings. Simple, delicious and about as healthy as you can get before your race! Call 021?789 2760 or email res@denoordhoek.co.za to book your table.

Bertha?s Restaurant: Simon?s Town
Set on the water?s edge at Simon?s Town harbour, Bertha?s Restaurant has an extensive menu including some great carbo-loading meals.? Their pasta dishes include the North African Chicken Pasta (with spicy chicken strips!); Gnocchi and a Roast Vegetable Pasta (to which you can add bacon or Golden Calamari rings if you?re not a vegetarian)? and all with a gorgeous sea view.? Call 021?786 2138 or click here to read more.

Sophea Gallery and Tibetan Tea-House: Simon?s Town
This welcoming vegetarian and vegan food restaurant offers some interesting alternatives to the traditional pasta carbo-loading fare. They are open from Tuesday ? Sunday from 10am to 5pm so stop by and taste the Kopan Monastery Butternut Soup or the Sherpa Stew, which is made with lentil balls on mash. The Himalayan Black-eyed Bean Casserole is loaded with beans, potatoes and carrots and served on brown rice. Traditional Dahl Baht is on offer as well as a Nepalese sweet potato and pea curry called Sakarkhanda Ko Tarkari. Call 021?786 1544 or click here to read more.

Cafe Pescado: Simon?s Town
It?s almost impossible to compile a list of good pasta restaurants without including Cafe Pescado in Simon?s Town. They ?have one of the most extensive range of pasta dishes in the south peninsula. Puttanesca, Marinare, Smoked Salmon, Roquefort, Napolitano, Alfredo, Lasagne and Pasta Al Forne are served up with penne or tagliatelle. Cafe Pescado is opposite Jubilee Square in the old Criterion Cinema. Call 021?786 2272 or click here to read more.

K?s for Kitty:
Finally we leave you with an opportunity to do good and feel good and support a little girl called KITTY. ?Kitty is a bright 4-year old with Cerebral Palsy following a birth trauma. Her parents will be riding this year?s Cape Argus Pick ?n Pay Cycle Tour to raise funds to purchase an ?eye gaze computer? which is a hugely expensive piece of equipment with will help give Kitty a voice and be able to communicate using the device.? Essentially the computer will ?speak? the sentences Kitty constructs with her eyes. Debbie and Simon are still looking for donations for each kilometre they ride hence the K?s for Kitty campaign.??

They also have a fundraiser on Thursday 8^th March 2012: CARBS FOR KITTY,? which will be hosted by Cafe Roux from 6pm. Choice of 3 Pasta Mains, Salads, breads and dessert for just R150 per adult and R50 per child. It?s a fun family evening and an excellent carbo loading event for an excellent cause. Call Debbie Scarboro on 072?438 9648 or Cafe Roux on 021?789 2538.

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Read our blog on the Cape Argus Pick ?n Pay Cycle Tour HERE?and watch this blog for information on Road closures, which is coming soon to help you plan your viewing and your travel arrangements.

?Cape Point Route?offers day?tours, packages,?accommodation, activities and car hire in Cape Town?s south peninsula. Call ?021 782 9356 or visit the website:???www.capepointroute.co.za

Like us or follow us for the latest news, events and happenings in the south peninsula of Cape Town?

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Source: http://www.capepointroute.co.za/blog/?p=1662&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-pasta-restaurants-carbo-loading-food

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Students fight valedictorian's deportation order

More than 1,000 students at North Miami High School in Miami, Fla., protest the deportation order for 18-year-old Daniela Pelaez, the school's valedictorian. WTVJ-TV's Jeff Burnside reports.

By Julia Bagg and Brian Hamacher, NBCMiami.com

?

MIAMI -- Classmates of a North Miami High School valedictorian facing deportation protested Friday morning.

An immigration judge on Monday ordered the deportation of 18-year-old Daniela Pelaez, who was brought illegally to the United States by her parents when she was 4 years old.

Holding signs and shouting "Education not deportation" and "let her stay," the students filed out of their classrooms around 9 a.m.

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Do you think Daniela Pelaez should be deported or allowed to stay in the country?

Pelaez met with Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who later walked out with her to joining the protest holding her hand.

"Over my dead body will this child be deported," Carvalho said.

Read NBCMiami.com's coverage of student's immigration battle

Emily Sell, Pelaez's best friend and the organizer of the protest, showed up at the school bright and early Friday to help her friend.

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"We've been making posters like crazy," said Sell, the school's salutatorian. "I hope this march brings the proper attention to the issue of deportation."

Pelaez expressed her appreciation for her friends' actions when she arrived for school before the protest.

"They're the vanguard," Pelaez said.

Pelaez left Colombia in 1998 with her parents, who entered the United States illegally and divorced before Pelaez could become a citizen. She told NBC Miami Thursday that she has no memory of Colombia and loves her friends and this country.

"I've been asked the question before: 'Do I feel American?' or 'Do I believe I am?'" she said. "And I don't think it's a question. I'm American. I know the national anthem. I know the laws. I know what it is to be an American."

Pelaez has earned nearly all A's in the school's international baccalaureate program, but her ability to go to college is threatened substantially by her immigration status.

Late Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a statement saying it will not take further steps in the case until the conclusion of Pelaez's appeal on the judge's decision.

Not everyone agrees Pelaez should stay.

"She should be deported," said Linda Simmons, who has a son in ninth grade at North Miami High. "Her parents broke the law."

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/02/10561563-north-miami-high-school-students-fight-valedictorians-deportation-order

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How Good Website development Can certainly help Small businesses

Posted on March 1st, 2012 by admin

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Tags: internet, Web, Web Design

Categories: Food and Drink

Source: http://ekoportal.org/2012/03/01/how-good-website-development-can-certainly-help-small-businesses/

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Mailbag: No full-time DH? No problem for Yankees

NY will miss Montero but should get by with Ibanez, Jones filling position

Steve Nesius / Reuters

Raul Ibanez probably will play designated hitter for the Yankees against right-handed pitching.

MLB EXPERT MAILBAG

updated 11:45 p.m. ET Feb. 28, 2012

Tony DeMarco

Baseball Expert Tony DeMarco has been covering the big leagues since 1987, and been casting Hall of Fame ballots for the last 14 years. He answers questions weekly here:

Q: I don't understand the Yankees' approach to manning the DH slot. Am I missing something obvious?
-- Dan Morgiewicz, Burke, Va.

A: The basic concept is a time-share, led by Raul Ibanez against right-handed pitching and Andruw Jones against left-handed pitching.

You'll also see regulars get half-days off by being used as designated hitter, and Eric Chavez and Edwin Nunez figure to get 10 or so starts in that spot.

All of which isn't that much different from last season ? substituting the left-handed-hitting Ibanez for switch-hitting Jorge Posada, who was the primary DH with 95 starts, and had all but 65 of his 344 at-bats from the left side.

Posada was followed by Jones (16 starts at DH), Jesus Montero (15 starts), Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nunez with 10 starts apiece, Mark Teixeira (nine), and Robinson Cano and Chavez with seven apiece.

In the absence of a true DH such as David Ortiz, most teams go with something along these lines. And given the ages of the Yankees' regulars ? Jeter, 37, Rodriguez, 36, Teixeira and Nick Swisher, 31 ? rotating them into the DH mix makes sense.?

The Yankees' mix-and-match combination led AL DH's with 30 homers last season, but finished middle-of-the-pack in the other major offensive categories ? fifth in slugging percentage, eighth in RBIs, ninth in on-base percentage and batting average.

Considering Posada posted a .235/.315/.398 overall line last season, it's not a stretch to think the Yankees will get more DH production with Ibanez, who posted a .245/.289/.415 line while hitting six more home runs and almost doubling Posada's RBI total (84-44).

All this might not match what Montero, now with the Mariners, could have done as the everyday DH in New York. But I don't think the Yankees will be hurting for production from the DH spot.

Q: I think the Ryan Braun thing was a charade by MLB to cast doubt on the testing process, giving the real steroids cheaters an out to clear their name. What do you think of that theory?
? Bucky, Colorado Springs, Colo.

A: I really don't think MLB wants to cast doubt on its own testing process, especially when it keeps getting beaten up in the media, and as a result, in the eyes of sports fans.

Major League officials and the union have worked well together in making the game much cleaner than it used to be ? and in my opinion, cleaner than the NFL, which always seems to get a free pass when it comes to this subject.

That said, the Braun situation remains muddled. As I sat about 20 feet away from Braun while he offered up his side of the story last Friday, I couldn't help but notice his conviction, sincerity and emotion in denying he ever used any performance-enhancing drugs.

But the more you examine his theory, it does leave many doubts and questions. Braun is casting doubt on the sample collector and the process he used ? namely, waiting 44 hours from when the sample was collected until it was sent by FedEx to the laboratory.

But I'll defer to some fine work done by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel here in weakening Braun's claims. The sample collector ? a Wisconsin resident ? has done the task for several years, and by all accounts, has handled it professionally and above reproach. So the idea that he tampered with Braun's sample makes no sense to me.

The paper also quoted other drug testing experts as seriously doubting the sample was tainted simply because of the time lapse before it got to the lab, especially because it arrived with three tamper-proof seals intact.

We might never know the full truth here, but hopefully arbitrator Shyam Das will shed more light on things with his written report due within 30 days.

But one thought is that the collection process rules probably need to be tightened up ? more to Olympic-like standards ? and the three-man panel that decided the case needs to be changed.

The panel consisted of MLB official Rob Manfred, union head Michael Weiner ? and you know which way they voted ? leaving Das to cast the deciding vote. To me, a panel of drug-testing experts would be a better way to go.

Q: I read your report on the Diamondbacks, and am curious if you think that Justin Upton will be in contention for MVP this season?
? Howard Hudson, Tucson

A: Considering Upton finished a distant fourth (with one first-place vote) in the balloting last season, it's not that big of a stretch to see him moving into more serious contention in 2012.

First of all, two likely MVP candidates have moved to the American League in Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols, and another perennial top-10 finisher ? Ryan Howard ? could miss significant time as he recovers from Achilles' surgery.

Second, Upton won't turn 25 until August, so his production figures to be on upswing. There were sizable gaps between Upton and top-two finishers Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp, especially in RBIs, on-base and slugging percentage, but Kemp's 40-homer, 39-steal season will be hard to match, and Braun will have a tougher task amassing MVP-type numbers without Fielder in the Brewers' lineup.

Finally, because MVP candidacies most often are tied to a team's success (although Kemp was an exception last season), Upton and the Diamondbacks figure to be serious postseason contenders again.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46560280/ns/sports-baseball/

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