Boogie Knights

The light motor vehicles of the US Army during the First World War consisted mostly of motorcycles and sidecars. By the end of the 1930s, these were already ancient and the generals started looking for replacements. And not just any replacement. They wanted more functional and more powerful machines. With the Second World War having already erupted in Europe, they were in a hurry to get their new toys.

Only three companies stood up to the challenge of submitting their bids in 11 days, presenting their prototype in 49 days, and producing 70 test vehicles in 75 days. These are the American Bantam Car Company, Ford Motor Company, and Willys Overland Motors.

Willys was the lowest bidder but Bantam received the award when both Willys and Ford declared that they could not deliver neither the prototype nor the test vehicles within the required number of days. Bantam delivered its prototype, known as the Blitz Buggy, as scheduled. However, it could not commit to deliver them on the scale required by the US Army. Ford and Willys were thus encouraged to complete their own prototypes, and if acceptable, the Army would buy from all three manufacturers. Ford presented its Pygmy,” while Willys came up with the “Quad”.

Further refinements were made on all three models. Bantam’s Blitz Buggy eventually became BRC 40, Ford’s Pygmy evolved into the GP (for Government Passenger vehicle, not General Purpose), while Willy’s Quad was renamed the MA (for Military Model A).

In July of 1941, in the interest of having a standard design of its vehicles, the US Army decided to award the next contract only to Willys. The best of the three designs were incorporated into the Willys MA, which thus became the MB. Three months later, Willy conceded it could not keep up with the demand. Ford was tapped to fill in the gap. The Ford GP became Ford GPW, with the “W” standing for the Willys design components added to the GP.

In December 1941, Bantam ceased production. Willys went on to produce 363,000, while Ford manufactured 280,000 military vehicles that eventually came to be known as “Jeeps”, the vehicle that helped win the war.

With over four billion cell phones worldwide, virtually everybody in the developed countries own one. A powerful incentive for you to buy your own. Apart from that, of course, is your need to keep in touch with your family, friends, and business colleagues wherever you are.

You may be thinking of buying a second phone, or you are getting bored with your present one, or it may dying. If this is the case, consider a pre-owned unit. You can always find a used cell phones guide on the Internet that can help you locate one that suits your preferences and budget.

There are good reasons to buy a pre-owned cell phone. Foremost is the cost savings. You can save as much as 30 to 60% of the brand new price. If you cannot get at least 30%, go the next store. Keeping one used cell phone from joining the millions that are already in the landfills is another good reason to buy and recycle one. One cell phone may not seem to make a difference, but remember that big things are ultimately made of small things. Finally, if you are the kind who feels attached and comfortable with your cell phone, or if you are technologically challenged, you may not want to buy a newer model with different features when your unit finally bites the dust.

You will want to exercise caution when buying a used cell phone. The first thing you should remember is to buy only from reputable companies. Do some research to find out if any complaints have been leveled against the seller. Often, these data can be found on the Internet. If you are buying a refurbished phone, be sure it was refurbished by the original manufacturer, or a reputable third-party repair shop.

In either case, do not forget to ask about the warranty. These may be shorter than those given for brand new units, but you should be allowed a reasonable amount of time to try the phone out and return it should you be dissatisfied. If the seller doesn’t give you this, go back to the used cell phones guide and look for another seller.

Earth Day is celebrated every April 22 to draw attention to the earth’s environment, its status, and its problems. It was launched in 1970 when US Senator Gaylord Nelson organized a nationwide demonstration aimed at pushing the environment into the national consciousness. It worked. Thirty-nine years later, it is still being celebrated, and it has gone far beyond the boundaries of the United States.

Twenty million Americans participated in the first Earth Day. Today, an estimated 500 people spread over 175 countries celebrate the event. This points to the success of Senator Nelson’s movement, and the growing awareness of environmental issues among the people, all over the world.

There are plenty of ways of celebrating Earth Day. Some groups organize sports activities like running or mountain biking to raise funds for environmental projects and to direct the people’s attention towards environmental issues. Others settle for a trek, hike, or a walk around town. Still others invite celebrities to music festivals where they perform songs with environmental messages while the audience can join in the singing or dance. Those who prefer to celebrate on their own can plant trees, install solar panels on their roofs, construct (and promise to use) a compost pit, or simply discuss with their neighbors and town officials what they could collectively do to help the environment.

You too can do something. You may not be able to make a perceptible dent on the woes of mother earth, but if small contributions are taken collectively, they spell a big difference.

Most of us have forgotten our car or house keys a couple of times in the past. Others may have even forgotten why they walked into a room, or couldn’t remember what they started to say when they were interrupted. Young people normally just laugh off such forgetfulness, thinking that it is just due to some preoccupation or stress. They could be right. Forgetfulness is a normal human trait.

Older people who start forgetting things, however, is another story. It could be, although not necessarily, a symptom of something more serious. The first thing that comes to mind when we hear of older people suffering memory lapses is Alzheimer Disease (AD).

AD is a serious form of dementia that requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms usually include the following:

• repeating the same story or sentence
• forgetting the names of familiar objects and places
• forgetting how to operate familiar gadgets
• getting lost in familiar places
• inability to follow simple directions
• disregard of personal grooming and hygiene

If an elderly person exhibits any of these symptoms, he or she should be examined by specialists to determine if it is indeed AD. A battery of tests will have to be conducted by medical experts, which includes a review of past medical history, mental status test, physical and neurological exam, and brain imaging. These tests should enable the doctors to diagnose the underlying cause of the symptoms.

Often, the cause of forgetfulness is not AD. Normal aging, preoccupation with something, or stress could conceivably cause the symptoms. The good news is that these are manageable and even reversible, if the proper medical care is given.

While AD is irreversible, there are plenty of medications that can delay the downward slide of the patient, and to mitigate his agitation, depression, and anxiety. Proper medical supervision, a healthy diet and lifestyle can go a long way to help both the patient and the family to cope with the disease.

Couch potatoes and non-runners often wonder how some people could spend hours running on tracks, trails, beaches, or back roads. They ask if they ever get bored, especially when running alone having no one to talk with, or if they are on mountain trails, if they ever get scared some bear or snake might run after them.

The answer to these questions is: definitely not. In fact, they enjoy their runs. There are a lot of reasons why people run.

Among these is for health reasons. The benefits of exercise have been drummed into our heads since primary school, reinforced by medical practitioners and fitness gurus who have written volumes of books on the connection of exercise with a long and healthy life. And who doesn’t want this kind of life. The only issue is if you are willing to pay the price for it. Runners are.

Others go beyond health reasons. They run because they are convinced it is fun. Some people might say these runners have a distorted sense of what is fun, but that is only because they have never experienced what every true blue runner knows –the runner’s high. This is a feeling of exhilaration and euphoria that comes from knowing that you have just accomplished a demanding goal, that you have done something worthwhile, or that you have completed something most people cannot even imagine doing.

The fun part can also come from the sights, sounds, and smells along the way. If you run the trails, you are bound to see some colorful birds, chirping and flying overhead, probably looking for breakfast worms. The smell of dew- covered grass is certainly better than air filled with carbon monoxide. Try running along the beach at sunset. You won’t notice your aching quads or sore hamstrings as you marvel at the orange sun slowly sinking into the blue sea, and all the while listening to the sound of the waves as they caress the shore. The smell of the salty sea breeze completes the heady feeling.

Running is indeed fun, don’t you think?

Family vacations are a great time for parents and children to strengthen their bonds with each other. They can have all the time to chat and swap jokes. And they can go through the same exciting, challenging, and fun experiences together.

There are plenty of ways to go on vacation. Among the best family vacations anybody can have, a backpacking trip to the wilderness stands out. It is one of the best ways of getting away from the hectic pace of everyday life, and of slowing down enough to appreciate the beauty of nature and perhaps even see the hand of somebody or something bigger than you in it. Bringing your children along such trips will help them appreciate the splendor of the natural world.

If you decide to go on a backpacking trek to the wilderness, be sure to be fully prepared and that you have all you need as there are neither groceries nor hardware stores out there. Remember that you will be carrying your entire house on your back. At the same time, you do not want to carry more than you really need to. After a couple of miles, your load will start to get heavier.

Make a list of the things you need for the trip, from your food and the utensils to cook them, to your sleeping bag. Prepare them at least one day before you hit the trailhead, so that when you are trekking with your spouse and children, you need not worry about anything and have all the time to narrate stories and tell all your corny knock-knock jokes . You will have the same trouble climbing uphill and the same fun swimming in a mountain river. And you can talk late into the night about the trout that got away, and the best family vacations of your life.