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Racing strategies for alleycat races can be very individualistic. An alleycat race is an informal bike race, likely popularized by bicycle messengers. Of course, informal racing has always existed, but the adjective “alleycat” is a fairly recent addition; the first official use was by a 1989 Toronto race. Messengers participating in that and subsequent alleycats helped spread the name and idea far and wide.

As individual as the strategies are the rules involved, for one characteristic of an alleycat race is its extremely localized nature, with just about everything tailored to local conditions and practices. Team racing may be fairly rare, as the function of a bicycle messenger that these races reflect is solitary.

On the other hand, relay races are fun for the contestants precisely because it puts an fascinating social twist on the otherwise singularly solitary nature of their work on the weekdays (alleycat races take place around major holidays so that messengers, who live paycheck-to-paycheck with little to no benefits, can take part).

Alleycat races involve not only speed, but traffic handling skills and a rider’s intimate knowledge of local routes. As may be imagined, alleycat races heavily reflect the bicycle messenger subculture, not least of which is the fact that they’re of questionable legality in most jurisdictions.

Originally spontaneous, their growth has meant increasing organization, which in turn means working with local authorities, such as acquiring all necessary permits. But organization has also meant that alleycat races can be highly creative and themed with social causes such as global warming and bicycle advocacy.

In keeping with its anti-establishment roots, numerous alleycat races resist formality, particularly in the form of acquiring permission. The right to free assembly is evoked to justify these generally spontaneous races. Regrettably, motorized vehicles occupy such a venerable place in American culture that authorities curtail such rights in favor of maintaining automobile convenience.

A backpacking tent is really a necessity even when you expect to do only a simple hike. I learned this lesson the hard way, personally, and it would’ve been at a great cost were I not lucky enough to have been rescued by volunteer forest rangers who dutifully answered to a midnight call.

My friends and I hadn’t taken any gear at all, never mind a backpacking tent. It was meant to be nothing more than a quick enough romp up and down a easy mountain of modest height, some two thousand feet above ground level and the tallest point in all of the region. It was Mount Buck, near Lake George in upstate New York, the busiest tourist attraction around for miles. Yet as luck would have it, it turned out to be a cloudy, then rainy, day (note to self: check weather forecast day-of).

And yet with no backpacking tent, we decided to proceed anyway. After all, we’d traveled up from New York City hundreds of miles, way over three hours by car; we really needed to stretch our legs! But soon it got dark – just like in the movies, fading to black in mere seconds – and we’d thought we were done for. It was literally black, and we made the decision to remain in place so that we do not worsen our predicament.

Luckily, that fateful choice proved to be the right one, as it was through remaining on the trail that volunteer forest rangers, hiking up the trail hours later, were able to fairly easily rescue us. But until that hopeful time, at one or two in the morning, we had to endure the cold – how cold it gets, and how quickly, in a forest! And so never leave home without portable shelter: always take your tent along, no matter what.

Ever seen somebody with a New Orleans Saints license plate – out of state? That’s either a true football fan or an individual wanting to demonstrate solidarity with the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Of course, it’s generally both, a sports fan with a social conscience.

Sports are usually considered to be pure entertainment, some thing where everybody can forget about real-world issues and troubles and indulge in a primal urge to compete – or live vicariously through those who do. And so NFL license plates are common, the mark of a dedicated sports fan, and they sell by the tens of thousands.

However it is a good thing to see and read about in the papers when sports aspires towards some thing much more than just multi-million-dollar salaries. Not that there’s anything wrong with making money, but it is nice to see that it’s not all about money, especially with something which moves so many individuals so passionately.

And so rooting for the Saints and even going so far as to mount a New Orleans Saints license plate came to be some thing of a civic duty, almost, for the socially aware sports fan, if you will. For there’s nothing most Americans like better than their football than to root for the underdog, and sports franchises symbolize their cities in a way that few other goodwill ambassadors can.

And so it was that everyone cheered on the Saints in their first post-Katrina game. It wasn’t just about scores and bragging rights anymore; it was about a shared concern for fellow Americans, a way to illustrate one’s own sympathy and even support, even if only symbolic – and obviously, in sports, it is all about symbolism. Just as Katrina, in a catastrophic catharsis of Biblical proportions, symbolized a country stunned at its own impotence and bad luck. And what does sports center around if not power and the vagaries of fate?

It’s important to go with the proper equipment when in the great outdoors. Though amazing, Mother Nature could be deadly – easily. One essential part of anyone’s gear when experiencing our national parks should be portable shelter – in other words, a tent. Something like the Big Agnes tent, as fine a line as any made anywhere.

They are created from dye-free fabric which is breathable but waterproof, venting moisture to the outside while keeping everyone dry inside. Their poles are constructed from an anodizing process that is environmentally friendly.

You see, tent poles usually need two really toxic chemicals as a component of the anodizing process. But the Big Agnes tent are made from a unique method that eliminates phosphoric and nitric acid, eliminating the polishing stage altogether.

This also has the added benefit of reducing waste water, because with out employing these toxic chemical substances, any rinsing water which is used can be safely recycled. Of course, there are many reasons why a Big Agnes tent is such a best-seller.

High quality and reliability is one, plus design and features. And the company’s reputation for other products is solid, which makes consumers of portable sheltering curious about the whole Big Agnes product line. Indeed, it appears that the company is most famous for its sleeping bags, which are unlike traditional designs in that the bag and the pad are united into one.

How they do this, they slide the pad into an integrated sleeve located at the bottom of the bag. This way, the top two-thirds is insulated as per usual however the bottom simply contains the pad, doing away with insulation material that loses most of its ability when compressed under the weight of a body anyway. For numerous folks, such details don’t really matter, but for true enthusiasts, such craftsmanship is crucial.

Welcome to another edition of Isaac Toussie’s real estate insights. Today Isaac Toussie will be talking about an upstate town that once rivaled New York for industry and commerce. Taken from from the native term “Uppu-qui-ipis-in” which means “reed-covered hut by the water,” Poughkeepsie today has grown beyond huts into a permanent city of some forty-three thousand souls. Poughkeepsie is actually the name of both a town and a city, both municipalities right next to one another because the city actually used to be the western part of the town (and, incidentally, was an independent village in its own right before that). But for legal purposes, and such services as fire and police, the two communities are often viewed as one, with a total population of more than seventy-five thousand people. The town is actually home to much more people than the city, which counts only some thirty-thousand-plus residents.

Consequently, it’s expected that their respective real estate markets will be quite different. A closer examination of the latest demographical figures shows that the town is much more affluent than the city, with a median income of over fifty-five thousand dollars a year as opposed to well under thirty-thousand for the city. Indeed, the Town of Poughkeepsie is able to provide for its own emergency services, which are staffed by fully paid civil servants, and not volunteers as is the case with many a suburban community.

As for the City of Poughkeepsie, it’s been severely battered by the economic malaise afflicting the rest of the state and the country as a whole. Average listing price in the two-week period between January 20, 2010 and February 3, 2010 fell almost thirty thousand dollars, to two hundred and fifty-one thousand dollars, though almost five thousand of that has been “recovered” as of February 10. However, the actual median selling price, based on two hundred and thirty-four homes sold, is almost thirty-three thousand dollars short of the median listing price, at barely two hundred and twenty thousand. Average price per square foot in the city is one hundred and thirty-two dollars.

Poughkeepsie was once the “Queen City of the Hudson,” but has suffered economic problems for the past twenty-plus years and was just beginning to recover in fits and starts when the recent recessionary woes struck. This has obvious implications for local realty, both residential and commercial. The Town of Poughkeepsie, however, seems rather more vibrant in comparison. International Business Machines, Incorporated, was once the most notable employer around, and while the company still maintains a campus in town, most of its production has been moved elsewhere. Vassar College in the City of Poughkeepsie is arguably the most notable employer now.

Should you purchase any Poughkeepsie property? Well, there’s no way it’s reclaiming its glory days, so the local real estate market is never going to be a hot one. But if your goals are more modest, and especially if you live in the city yourself, of course, Poughkeepsie property can be a solid investment.

Now even with all that said, however, we must end on this note, that of the legal disclaimer: Neither the author nor the publisher shall be deemed liable for the contents of this article, which constitute mere opinion only and should never in any way be misconstrued as professional advice of any kind whatsoever! Always consult the relevant professionals, properly licensed and/or otherwise qualified, when making business decisions of any financial consequence.

The Sea Eagle 435ps PaddleSki inflatable catamaran-kayak. Yes, that’s a mouthful – and also the boat is quite an eyeful, too! But the included boat seats, even in the “pro” and “ultimate” packages, leave much to be desired. They certainly look cool, all sleek and hi-tech in black, but they do not provide much in the way of comfort, barely supporting a kayaker up!

Indeed, the boat seats included in the cheaper packages, which are standard inflatables, seem to be a great deal more comfy. Every thing else provided by Sea Eagle makes a good impression, however. To be fair, the black high-back seats are supposed to be more performance oriented, and that means comfort was a deliberate second-place consideration. Being closer to the water provides far better stability and a lot more paddling power.

In the final analysis, it is performance in the water that truly matters, and in this regard the PaddleSki is really good. It tracks well and is quite fast, thanks to its length and catamaran-style pontoons, respectively. The pontoons keep most of the boat above the surface of the water, making for less drag.

Stability and speed. Sea Eagle’s PaddleSki provides both essential characteristics in spades. It’s a really friendly craft only marred, perhaps, by the boat seats available for it. Otherwise, it is a extremely sturdy animal, with fantastic handling suitable for fishing or camping trips along the river. By being an inflatable, the PaddleSki is easily stowed away. Regrettably, it weights a whopping fifty or sixty pounds when packed, but seems really light, if a bit unwieldy, when fully inflated.

Accessories consist of such useful items as a side motor mount for electric or gasoline engines and a sliding seat and frame for rowing. Sailing is also possible thanks to Sea Eagle’s sailing rig. They all cost a lot of money, nevertheless – anywhere from a third to a full half of the price of the most inexpensive PaddleSki package available!

Athletic tape is utilized by many athletes to help support the joints most critical to performance in their sport. It is frequently used by boxers to stiffen up their wrists, while soccer players might apply them to their knees. Weight-lifters will sometimes use athletic tape to prevent calluses from developing on their palms.

Most kinds of tape are made from cotton, with an adhesive on one side to help with binding. It was first invented by a Japanese chiropractor for therapeutic uses but is now sometimes applied in the belief that the assistance it lends will help even in the absence of injury.

The evidence on athletic tape is really quite mixed, however, no matter its widespread popularity. Many professional athletes of excellent standing appear to swear by it, for example Lance Armstrong and Serena Williams. But clinical studies have had a difficult time proving substantial benefits. Could the infamous placebo effect be operating in those instances of athlete endorsement?

Using tape does seem like a logical thing to do. After all, how many of us have discovered on our own how good it feels to rub a pain and even grasp it tightly? Think back to the last time you accidentally bumped your wrist – hard – against something like a doorknob. Didn’t you immediately grab that wrist and, following initially massaging it a little, hold tightly for dear life?

Compression is a recognized method of protecting against or controlling swelling, and tightly binding with tape seems to conform with that understanding of how our bodies work. And perhaps therein lies its lasting appeal. It just makes so much sense! Utilizing tape feels great, and for many athletes that’s enough. As long as it’s not in the way or be otherwise a hindrance, the psychological pleasure of compression is good enough for most people.

Aching muscle relief is some thing frequently encountered among older athletes. For largely unknown reasons, the aging process causes muscles to tighten and causes their use to be much hindered, often resulting in soreness and even outright pain. A muscle relief gel is utilized by many to treat such conditions, people who refuse to be consigned to the significantly less active lifestyles normally recommended by their doctors.

As per the old adage about the truth being “somewhere in-between,” perhaps the best course of action would be to heed the healtcare providers’ advice to a certain degree, relieving aching muscles while not totally giving up long-cherished hobbies – that is, modifying their pursuit in deference to age or the advancement thereof.

Of course, this kind of a course of action is hard for athletes used to giving their all and pushing performance envelopes. But it must be learned, and practiced and mastered the same as any new skill, to be able to lay the right foundation for a physically rigorous, but also safe, life. The older athlete faces enough challenges with out bringing on more, for example creating difficulties outright by refusing to accommodate nature’s unavoidable progression.

Decline is inevitable. What isn’t unavoidable is catastrophic break-down, and that depends in big part on the older athlete’s psychological acceptance of dramatically changed circumstances. Go with the flow, working with Mother Nature, and you can usually expect a vigorous enough life still.

Listen to your body. Learn its new language, its reduced syntax. The range of physical expression diminishes, but vibrancy is still possible when effectively channeled.

That’s the challenge for the older athlete, pain or no pain. It is to learn anew how to work with the limits of one’s body, encouraging it to excel its capabilities even while respecting those limits. It is the obstacle of any athlete at any age, but advanced ages make the challenge a lot more plain.

High quality museum replicas of Italian marble statues are amongst the most popular of best-sellers. After all, everyone knows and loves Michelangelo’s David or Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Italian works like these are amongst probably the most prized examples of marble sculpture anywhere, of any time period, with an ethereal smoothness that belies their stark realism. And now fine museum replicas allow anybody to own a copy!

Being surrounded by high-quality museum replicas can put us in a good mood all day long, at least if we’re serious art lovers. There is nothing like being connected to the glorious past than through one of the highest expressions of golden civilizations gone by in the form of marble statues that lift us above the everyday.

Art puts us in touch with the human capacity for imagination, the cultural heritage of our species. Museum replications make that affordable so that one and all can appreciate the finest works at home or in the office. Indeed, they are so inexpensive, even the very best examples, that it is something of a disservice to yourself to do without them if art is essential to you!

Even if utilized merely as bookends or, worse, paper weights, they lend a classical elegance to any setting that goes far beyond such nakedly practical uses. And for such reasons, replicas make excellent gifts as well, thoughtful and possibly a bit out of the ordinary.

Given the variety of art that is available in replica form, it ought to be a fairly simple matter to discover the right piece that perfectly expresses your sentiments, whether of friendship and support or congratulations and well-wishes.

You can express yourself while showing excellent taste With a carefully chosen museum-quality replica that bears in mind the recipient’s own outlook. It’s a excellent way to say something elegantly!

College flags rank amongst the most collectible of memorabilia, with a wide variety of styles that reflect the distinctive heritage of each individual institution. Officially licensed college flags and pennants ensure authentic insignia as well as quality construction, and they provide a source of revenue that goes back to support the school. You can purchase flags or pennants to hang by the door of one’s house or show in one’s garden as well as banners that could be streamed over an entrance or across the yard. Two-ply constructions allow designs to be seen properly from either side.

But most varieties of college flags are frequently to be found at intercollegiate games, particularly football games. They are utilized by the fans to cheer on their team, and waving them is symbolic of the school spirit. One popular activity while waving them is to sing the school’s fight song en masse. In fact, it is hard to conceive of a college flag apart from that college’s fight song. One would seem incomplete without the other.

Thus, you can find hundreds of fight songs, just as there are hundreds of flags. Sometimes both are equally old and hallowed, and sometimes each is of vastly different vintage. The oldest fight song in generally recognized to be Boston College’s “For Boston” of 1885, but it is not certain which is the oldest college flag. Indeed, it is not certain when the tradition of college flags and pennants began, though one may safely imagine that their origins roughly coincided.

Speaking of origins, a lot of flags have changed over the years owing to cultural developments that made it unacceptable to feature mascots based on racial stereotypes or designs incorporating the old Confederate Battle Flag. Many alumni protest, but ultimately new generations of students with no sentimental attachment to old symbols make the revised models their own.