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Yes! I love cargo bikes. We don't have one yet, but plan to get one as soon as we can figure out the best one for us. And that is hard here, with no stores to test ride them from. Although Ferris Wheels in JP has the Yuba Mundo. They used to have an xtracycle too, but I'm not sure if they still do. I'd love to try out a Madsen or a cargo bike with electric assist around here.ReplyDelete
My opinion is that the weight weenies still have far too much influence. "Who would want to ride such a heavy bike?" or "I'm not strong enough to ride such a heavy bike."ReplyDelete
As low-volume items, they're also still disproportionately expensive. A Big Dummy "complete", which is basically a stretched mountain bike (plus a few hundred dollars of cargo fittings) costs $1840, no fenders, no lights, no center stand. That's an impediment to sales.
Cargo bikes are an indicator species.ReplyDelete
An indicator of what, Travis?ReplyDelete
Unexpected after Semi Fail.ReplyDelete
When I got my Xtra 3 1/2 years ago it was mostly life long biker dudes who rode them. Now I'd say women outnumber the men. Just yesterday in a shop that sells them, a woman came in and pretty much wanted to buy it immediately. I asked her if she knew about it. Her reply was not really, but is in the trucking business and intuitively understands long wheelbases.
The cargo network is strong at schools here: mothers talk to each other and start buying them, figuring the car queue at school is stupid. The top shop for Xtra sales here, besides Xtra itself, has sold about 20 Big Dummies and countless Xtras.
So yeah, women and cargo bikes as indicator species.
As I said before, maybe I should move to Boston and open a transpo-specific store on the main Somerville drag.
We have talked before about the difficulty in either certain shops there to carry cargo bikes or for distributors to be represented there. All I can say to that is: do what you want, but any large city with a bike share program is where you want to be. But don't pick a shop that is going to rep you poorly. Ahem.
Yeah, you are welcome bike people.
Steven, an indicator species is a species that defines a characteristic of an environment (or niche). In this case, the author is stating that a cargo bike is an indicator (species) of a strong and healthy bike culture.ReplyDelete
I agree that cargo bikes in a city could be viewed as a sort of barometer of the transportation/utility cycling culture in the city in question. The people that buy them are definitely early adopters and help propel the concept of bicycles for utility forward in their city amongst both cyclists, motorists, and curious onlookers.ReplyDelete
We have heard all of those excuses before, especially here in Calgary where (contrary to popular belief) it is very hilly, windy, and has earned its "car centric" personality with sprawl, big trucks, and aggressive drivers.
Even with those (perceived) impediments people are still buying cargo bikes from us and are using them regularly. On top of that, our best selling cargo bikes are our heaviest models too - lighter bikes like Xtracycles and cycletrucks are being outsold by family bikes by a wide margin.
I agree with "dr2chase" that the weight weenies, aka bike shops 1.0, are choosing to poopoo these bikes and leave it to smaller shops like ours to handle. Fine by us. They can geek out on carbon crap, we'd rather help a family transform their city experience for the better all day long.
Gracious, racer hate has started already.ReplyDelete
Steven, I see your name all over the place and have even seen you in a streetfilms short. Are you completely serious you don't know what the indicator species phenomenon is with respect to women and cyclists?
BikeBike, what models represent "family bikes" to your shop?ReplyDelete
Less than 2 grand for a Big Dummy ready to ride, even if fenderlesss, is not bad. How much does a mid-level carbon wonderwagon cost? Well north of that. And a Yuba Mundo is a grand or so. How much is a cheapass new car? A Toyota Yaris starts at over $14,000. It doesn't get much cheaper for something that'll actually run for a while.ReplyDelete
Meanwhile, my daily rider here in LA is 45 years old and going strong. Doesn't carry much cargo--but I just don't buy much, though I have a bike trailer for picking up my inventory a few times a year. If I had room for a Yuba, I'd buy one in a New York minute.
"Unexpected after Semi Fail"ReplyDelete
In a nicely unexpected way, I find that my interests in road cycling and transportation cycling intensify and inform each other, without blending the two together, if that makes sense. I understand a lot more now how "roadie culture" for lack of better words colours what conventional bicycle shops will say to their customers and how that trickles down to stifle a healthy transportation cycling culture. That does not make me like roadcycling any less. But it allows me to clarify my views on the importance of separating the two. Conversely, I also better understand the misinformed and irrational hatred of roadcyclists that some transportational cyclists feel. It's al pretty funny but fascinating stuff.
Steven is being silly. He is super smart (and silly).ReplyDelete
Cargo bikes made a splash at Interbike 2010, but were mostly gone from the showroom floor in 2011. Why? Of course mainstream bike business culture loves sport and recreation. That is because, politics aside, that is where the money has been. Cargo bikes are generally a bad investment of a business' typically scarce cash. Add to this the massive costs of shipping, and you have a recipe for zero market penetration. A few companies understand the N. American bike market, and their cargo bikes will grow while others flounder for lack of a sound business model to move these machines.ReplyDelete
Believe me, my least favorite shop in the area is a roadie shop that sponsors a pro team. In that respect I understand what the haters are talking about, but many don't understand that bikes are a business and need to sell product. Also misunderstood is the quota shops are forced to endure from Specialized or Trek. That puts a lot of pressure on the owner. Once down this road, when a new market opens up like transpo cycling, the shop is hard-pressed to take them on board because of all sorts of baggage, but the appearance of cargo bikes on the floor does something to take away the cache of the carbon. Perhaps you had the same feeling early on wrt to lovely vs. cargo bikes.ReplyDelete
So my point is to not hate the shop for trying to stay afloat. If your market is too small to support multiple shops or genres, then that is truly too bad. Unless you open your own or move. Boston, clearly, is a large enough market.
- AnonymousDecember 22, 2011 at 9:23 PM
I think you will see more "cargo bikes", including trikes, as areas cater more to retirement communities. I've seen a few trikes at grocery stores recently, usually ridden by older folks.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 22, 2011 at 9:25 PM
The only time I've seen these they've been ridden by academics.ReplyDelete
A few months ago I saw a Christiania cargo bike here in Baltimore. It made me absurdly happy. But it's the only one I've seen. We do, however, have a fair amount of trikes, especially the "Schwinn Meridian" which is sold at Target. I've seen at least three different Meridians in my neighborhood alone. I've also seen a handful of children on trail-a-bikes with their dads. Cycling is definitely catching on here but it's still very male. :(ReplyDelete
Historically, New England has been a seedbed for forward thinking. The Militia was made up of people from varying backgrounds. Together they banded together for a cause that was bigger than themselves.ReplyDelete
The only time I've seen these they've been ridden by academics.ReplyDelete
How could you tell? Did you know them?
They must have been grading papers or editing lecture notes while cycling? Only shows how stable these cargo bikes are!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 22, 2011 at 10:02 PM
Somervillain -- I did not know them but I did stop to talk to them and as it happened all three were academics. Two in New England and one in the Midwest. I don't see many of these, which is why I had to stop and talk with these pioneer riders :)ReplyDelete
"The only time I've seen these they've been ridden by academics.ReplyDelete
How could you tell? Did you know them?"
They were caught being pedantic with elbow patches.
I am now told that the 1st bike in the post may indeed belong to academics. Though I cannot be sure it is their specific bike.ReplyDelete
I'm sure someone on a cargo bike in my town would be shot. No, first they would be mistaken for someone with a wheelbarrow, then shot.ReplyDelete
If they were riding an old "bike truck" they would be arrested for stealing it from the coal-oil plant.
You guys up north get all the interesting bikes.
Sounds like the Boston area is ripe for an enterprising soul or souls to open a utility/cargo specific bike shop.ReplyDelete
Velouria, have you worked retail before? ;-)
I've been riding and selling the Yuba Mundo year round in Hartford, CT for the past couple of years. I was the first Yuba dealer in New England and the uptake was definitely a bit slow, but interest definitely continues to build. The fun part is people who still assume I'm the only one and say, "I saw you" or "I saw your bike parked by (someplace I never went)" and I know which customer they saw. I look forward to the day when I can't keep track of everyone.ReplyDelete
No retail for me thank you : )ReplyDelete
I see only the one cargo bike in my area and that is underneath me, otherwise outer Sydney is pretty quiet on that front.ReplyDelete
Even though we have no kids (and plan to keep it that way), it always puts a smile on my face to see a cargo bike full of kids, or some other arrangement of child-carrying.ReplyDelete
On my bike move, a friend brought a Yubo Mundo for which her husband had built large wooden boxes on each side, padded on the bottom and big enough for a baby's car seat. She brought the bike (and baby) to my move-by-bike, and the baby was on one side....and my pet rat was on the other! (Pippin the Elderly Rat was in her travel cage.)
I agree with "they indicate how far a city has come in embracing and normalising transportational cycling". Nicely written.ReplyDelete
Look back at your previous post. Maybe there is the answer?
I know that I would consider an Xtracycle but only with an electric assist motor. Otherwise it would be pointless on those hills in my area. I wrote about it a bit here: http://bostonbybike.blogspot.com/2011/11/5km-challenge.html
I use a Larry vs Harry Bullit here in San Diego and get lots of admiring comments. For me it's a fast utility machine that pushes the bikes as toys view out the window... it's like a pedal-pickup truck.ReplyDelete
I also like to us step-through tricylces to further show motorists/everyone that bicycling isn't just for sport - though it's still fun.
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 12:57 AM
Sadly,I have yet to see anything remotely resembling a cargo bike here (and I've been here for 5 or so months) =\ReplyDelete
Disabled Cyclist
Why don't people simply use trailers? Trailers are cheap, practical, and enable almost any bicycle to become a cargo bike (on those relatively infrequent occasions when capacity is called for). Are cargo bicycles really superior, or is the rise of the cargo bike simply another consumer fad?ReplyDelete
I believe shops around here do sell them, but I have never seen one in use. Just not very practical in a hilly area. See a number of lightly-used ones on Craigslist, though...ReplyDelete
- philippeDecember 23, 2011 at 5:00 AM
In Paris (the one in France...), cargo bikes are pretty uncommon. You may see some two wheelers (bakfietsen mostly, a few bullts and the occasional Kona Ute or Yuba) though. Trikes are virtualy unknown.ReplyDelete
Probably because Paris is not that flat, in the first place, and because those bikes are very expensive and difficult to park safely overnight (ie, not in the street).
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 7:52 AM
A very good sign indeed :)ReplyDelete
A few months ago we went into to town and came across a street fest on Somerville Ave. The first thing to interest us was seeing a Billit cargo bike and a few other types of cargo bikes.
It has been a long time coming in Boston for the cargo scene. I built my fist one [ANT #2] in May 2001. Redbones shortly after bought 2 for delivery. The local shop that serviced them really hated my bikes and hated working on them [you have to lift them up into a work stand]. They told me how much they sucked and that they were a horrible design :(....but the Rib Riders at Redbones loved them :) This is one example how the local bike shop scene was not into cargo bikes.
As for local sales to individuals I only made one. Most people wanted Bakfiets style cargo bikes and I was unable to build those [mine was a copy of the Kempher Filibus]. I was also full of orders for standard Roadsters, so that is where I went.
Around 2009? Dutchbike Somerville opened and I was all excited about that and I called them to welcome them to town. They were selling Bakfiets style bikes and others, but unfortunately they burned every bridge with there distributors and can no longer sell those bikes :(
Henry at Workcycle would love to have a new Dutchbike shop to open in Boston.
Aaron - The trailer vs cargo bike thing is discussed at length, inevitably, in every single cargo bike review or mention. It simply depends on what each person is comfortable with. Just because trailers work for some, does not mean they work for others. Likewise just because a product is not useful to some of us personally, does not mean it is a fad. Remember there are drivers who use the same reasoning to insist that bicycles are a fad.ReplyDelete
Random stuff:ReplyDelete
Anyone in the Boston area that wants to test ride a 20" Big Dummy (your min height is probably 5'9", I am 6'0", you could easily be 6'4"), mine is available, I live near Belmont WheelWorks. For a longtail, mine is probably both worst-case (weight, narrow bars) and best-case (gear -- has lights, dynohub, IGH, fenders, stoker bars, upright bars up high, center stand, partial chaincase). It's easy to get a lighter longtail.
Hills: There's a family in the Arlington flats with a home-made electric-assist cargo bike. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32419497@N05/6047644621/in/set-72157627319567727/ Motor-hub on a 20" front wheel gives the mom enough torque to haul a pair of kids up to the watertower. The assist, of course, adds weight, and without stokemonkey gearing the top assisted speed is somewhere around 15mph. A bigger wheel would give you less torque, but assist at higher speeds.
A 16% grade would be pretty darn awful; at a certain point, you might just want to get off and push. I did this once, after an IGH failed after buying a load of groceries. Brakes are also an issue with a slope like that. One problem you run into with IGHs is maximum input torque; there is a limit to how low you can go. Only way around that is to run a smaller wheel (e.g., 20-inch), otherwise you have to do it with derailers.
Steepest grade I know of around here is Snake Hill Road: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/snake-hill-road
The stokemonkey, is currently not for sale because of parts cost problems.
The people at Wheelworks are well aware of cargo bikes, and a few of them like mine a whole lot. They stock what sells. They're also plenty aware of what happens in Somerville, on account of Ace Wheelworks (same store) near Porter Square. The two stores stock different stuff because of different customers. I am pretty darn sure that if they see a useful uptick in demand for cargo bikes, especially longtails, one of their guys would ask me a bunch of questions.
Harris appears to be familiar with xtracycle conversions, but I asked once why they don't stock any big bikes, and they pointed to their basement storage area and the (tight) stairs down to it. Clearly, they need a skinny, tall, dumbwaiter.
The trailer vs cargo bike thing is discussed at length, inevitably, in every single cargo bike review or mention. It simply depends on what each person is comfortable with.ReplyDelete
I'm in the trailer camp. I enjoy the modularity that trailers provide. I can ride my zippy lightweight city bike most of the time, and if I need to carry a bulky load, it takes me 30 seconds to hitch the trailer.
To get at Antbike's comment, I don't know if it's fair to describe DBC's relationship with distributors that way. Distributors of imported things, especially things with specialized parts, can be a nuisance to the retailer. For example, I remember DBC commenting to me that many of the Dutch bakfiets they received were missing parts right out of the box, and the distributor would often take months to send the missing parts-- or wouldn't send them at all. That meant not being able to sell the bikes until the parts arrived, or scrambling to find an alternative way to correct the defect. I also heard stories of routine warranty reimbursement refusals by the distributor, causing unfair repair costs that DBC had to bear. So yeah, I can see how that may have led to bridges to be burnt, but at least there's a context behind it.
- dweendaddyDecember 23, 2011 at 10:28 AM
I have the only (to my knowledge) box bike here in Nashville, and I think you are right - it indicates the lack of bike culture.ReplyDelete
The other indicator I like is how many dynamo lights there are - they are so practical for 'round the clock biking that any city with a lot of 'round the clock transport bikers would have them.
I have seen one Xtracycle and there might be another out there.
One thing we do have is a star celeb transpo bike blogger: Trisha from LGRAB!
I ride an Xtracycle and and have also used trailers behind conventional bikes, and it's been nice to have a choice from time to time, but it's generally either/or. The load does feel, or course, more "connected" to the Xtra.ReplyDelete
I like the cush ride of longbikes, even when I don't need the carrying capacity. It's almost like riding a tandem by your lonesome.
Should mention that some degree of fitness is required to pedal a fully loaded longbike. I am fit, but have been pushed to the limit on hills when riding loaded.
I've been seeing more and more cargo bikes here in Burlington, VT. Two go to my boys' school regularly with children on the back. (I think they're Xtracycles.) Others are hauling packages. Yes, there definitley is a proliferation of cargo bikes.ReplyDelete
As far as I know, my sweet sweet wife and I are the only ones in the town we recently moved to that have cargo bikes. We have 7 and have started a fun little project to get more folks walking/biking/being a part of the community. So far this has included starting a bicycle delivery service for 2$ anywhere in town and spending a couple hours a day filling our bikes up with litter. We've caused a bit of a stir and local businesses are jumping in to help now! It's been quite fun - you can see our funky bikes and photos of loaded hauled at http://litterpatrol.wordpress.com and http://deliverydude.wordpress.com. These are mostly photos- more info/words are on our facebook page. Nice site, thanks for spreading bicycle cheer!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Here in my neck of the woods of St. Louis I've yet to see any of these, but I suspect they exist. We still idolize the car too much. One phenomenon however is more older folks using bikes for errands and even transportation, and I think that suggests a lot about a city embracing and normalizing cycling. One does not think of 'danger or athletic skills' when watching these folks take to the road on the way to the grocery store. It's cool! Cargo bikes would be cool too though.ReplyDelete
Rather than whether the roads are narrow, there are hills, or the traffic is dense I think the type of housing and storage facilities that people have access to is probably more important as to whether people buy a cargo bike or not - and I guess looking at your pictures, I'm refering to the box bikes rather than the long tails. I live in London UK, and in my particular area, housing is mostly flats, terraced victorian houses (no side or rear access) or victorian houses converted into flats. I can't think of many people I know who'd be able to easily get a cargo bike into/out of their home without it totally blocking their front door. I have a narrow hallway - room for a regular bike but not a Christiania, which is what I'd really want to get rather than compromise on a long tail or such like. I'd have loved to have one this year to get the Christmas tree home. It's my first (unintentional) car free year and it's the first thing that I could honestly say apart from the need to transport dogs and the odd child, I could really have done with a cargo bike for. Well apart from when I go grocery shopping and totally overestimate the amount that will fit in my panniers and end up walking my bike home with bags hanging from the handlebars too. Oh I do need a cargo bike!ReplyDeleteReplies
Yes indoor storage in London is a problem. One thing to remember, Cargo bikes are designed to live permanently on the street. I have an 80 year old Bakfiets and a 40 year old Long-John parked outside my front door, both still going strong. Yes there is a chance someone could steal them but I have the same risk with a car. Point number two, cargo bikes are built to carry loads. Buy a huge heavy chain to lock it up and sling it in the box when you go for a ride. I never notice the weight, something I couldn't do on my mountain bike.Delete
Absolutely: kids on bikes, cargobikes, old folks on bikes, women on bikes, anybody on a practical bike, proper cycling infrastructure... all indicators of a healthy cycling culture.ReplyDelete
The red bakfiets is a Workcycles Cargobike, BTW. Not a particularly important distinction since both Bakfiets.nl and Workcycles Cargobike are made side by side with different parts in the same little factory in NL.
Doing my best to remain professionally tactful I'll wholeheartedly support your comments about DBC in Somerville burning bridges. He had the vision and balls to be our first importer in the US. It's unfortunate it had to go so sour. For a real character assessment look up the review somebody put on Yelp.
And yes, we would really like to have a good, service oriented dealer in the Boston area!
I've always thought a cargo-bike-sharing program would be a great thing in most cities. I'm like you, I don't have a big enough need to actually own one. But I would certainly rent one from time to time!ReplyDelete
Velouria, I think that to a large extent bicycles are a fad, largely driven by market forces. Bicycling has become another sector for unnecessary consumption. Yes, there are a few of us who have become dedicated bicycle commuters on bicycles that we ride for many thousands of miles before considering another, that replace drive trains and other components and keep the rest, that go in for practical accessories and use them until they fall apart --- and that, yes, use a trailer not because it's more fun but because it gets the job done with minimal resources. But I think, as a group, we live by those same economic habits in all areas of our lives, not just cycling.ReplyDelete
For most others --- not everyone else, mind you, just most --- I think that cycling is a fad, a life phase, a hobby. It's not as if people in, say, NYC need a bicycle; many residents have gotten around the city via subway and bus for decades without cars. But right now it's cool to ride. In other cities that do require bicycles, many 20- and 30-somethings who do the bike thing now will move to the suburbs and do the car thing with kids. Not all, just most. And you might say, well, let's make the suburban infrastructure better. Sure, let's. But we can already choose to live closer to where we work and get groceries. The infrastructure is already there in that sense; it merely requires compromising on house size or cost. For me, commuting is a high priority along with living reasonably, so I willingly bought a townhouse for a relatively high price; friends and colleagues who regularly say how much they'd love to ride to work have chosen to live out in the 'burbs in big ol' houses with driving commutes, which indicates their priorities more than what they say. In the end, we already have the choice.
I'm not being cynical, I don't think, merely realistic. Bicycles have a "green" aura about them that companies are willing to exploit, so consumers need to be smarter. To me, a cargo bike stands out as the ultimate in consumption: a specialized and unnecessary vehicle that is typically not a replacement for a worn out bike but an addition to a gleaming stable and that typically will see just hundreds of miles over its lifetime. A trailer is the opposite: an accessory that extends the capabilities of one's existing bicycle with minimal resources. Sexy? No. But it gets the job done with minimal consumption.Replies
This is a rather harsh view.Delete
Anyway, my husband and I moved out of the city to hilly suburbs. We each had a Dutch bike, and I'd used mine frequently for grocery hauling (until moving to his apartment meant having the grocery store across the street.) Now we are in the suburbs but bike more frequently than ever and traded a car for a pedal assisted bakfiets (trike.) I'm pregnant and we can't wait to continue cycling as a family. The trike allows for properly mounting a car seat, so I will not have to wait months or a year before cycling with the baby. With the assist I can even be sure to make it up the hills. I wouldn't feel as secure with a trailer with a kid behind me, would lose several great features, and the additional weight would make things quite difficult with our topography, a fifty lb omafiets, and cargo.
"He had the vision and balls..."ReplyDelete
I'll perhaps give you one of those, having read yelp.
Speaking which, a little man pedestrian tried to provoke me into running into him recently. Not sure he would've been so brave had I been riding a bakfiets. So there's that for big bikes.
- MFarringtonDecember 23, 2011 at 12:28 PM
I just started noticing "Dutch-style" cargo bikes here in Minneapolis this Summer. I probably spotted around 3 or 4 of them, but I don't know enough about them to recognize the brand. They all looked somewhat similar to the red bike pictured in this post. Most of the bikes I saw were carrying children but one person had loaded one up with shopping items.ReplyDelete
Because Surly is considered "local", we see a lot of Big Dummy bikes here (also because they are pretty decent to ride in the winter - from what I hear) and a not insignificant number of xtra cycles. I'm not sure if a local shop has started stocking cargo bikes, but it wouldn't surprise me. With more and more people choosing to commute via bike here, it seems natural that the varieties of bicycles you spot on a day-to-day basis will become more apparent.
I could see Minneapolis as being a decent market for the cargo bike. The city is very flat, fairly small, doesn't have an overwhelming amount of traffic and, for the most part, the bike lanes seem equipped to safely allow for wider cargo bikes to use them freely. The question is how will they manage on the ice?? :)
I will support the behind scene asking for sure. Thankfully there was someone to ask.ReplyDelete
I agree wholeheartedly that the cargo bike is a scene of good things. I have seen a few here and there brookline and once in newton.
Also V answered the cargo vs trailer well-but I thought I'd add my cargo owner answer as well.
For me the trailer was a failure and cargo trike won over b/c
1. I'm 5 foot and had no prior cycling experience really.
2. My kids hated sitting so close to each other and feeling closed in 3.the trailer was hugely dirty from being folded in the garage and was not easy to clean- kids hated it
4. The idea of hooking a trailer up when I want to do heavy duty shopping vs pulling out my bike ready to go seemed like a silly hassle.
5. I prefer 3 wheels to 2 for heavy loads
6. trailers only work for up to 2 small kids. I currently have an 8 and 5 yr old and I get begged for rides from an additional 9 and 6 yr old.
7. I Adore my trike and will be riding it for a long time to come.
basically each person needs an individualized option. The more choices the better. Aaron asked why one would prefer a cargo bike over a trailer and I just wanted to list 7 reasons I did. I have many many more though. :-)
for more thoughts check this video out which pretty much kinda makes me cry happy tears when I see it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVjFq0Yni0I
Viva the cargo bike.
Aaron said "In other cities that do require bicycles, many 20- and 30-somethings who do the bike thing now will move to the suburbs and do the car thing with kids. "ReplyDelete
Aaron- I was born and raised in NYC. Never rode a bike. Wouldn't consider it. ( well I tried once and got about 50 yards on 2nd ave before I got sandwhiched between a bus and garbage truck and bailed). I moved to the burbs. didn't learn to drive until I was 30 and 6 months pregnant and about to move to the burbs. The Cargo bike actually saved me from Doing kids with cars. I live in a leafy $$ suburb and I'm riding. I may be in small company but it's growing. I Seriously have NO cycling chops whatsoever. And I don't need infrastructure change. I needed the right bike.
sorry for all the comments- but this topic I grok.ReplyDelete
anyone interesting in trying a boxcycle with electric assist - please feel free to contact me via my blog suburban bike mama.
thnx- gotta go deal with kiddos now!
Val said.......ReplyDelete
"I am pleased that more of them are popping up in Boston and wish the industry would take note. What about your city?"
Since I live in a small midwestern town there is only one pure utility trike......mine.
Even the nearest city has few ,if any, pure utility cycles. BUT........ there is an abundance of ordinary bikes that have been dressed out to carry lots of groceries etc. so the trend will , in time, swing to dedicated cargo haulers found in large cities.
Aaron - kinda of a lame post. A cargo bike is the ultimate is consumption? That has to be one of the craziest statements I've ever read...Maybe a car is the ultimate in consumption, or a TV, or a plastic doo-hickey purchased for a few moments of pleasure and then thrown away. But a human powered vehicle that allows people to transport things and other people without fossil fuels, that replaces a car, has got to be the opposite of the ultimate in consumption. And while a a trailer may be an alternative for some, it is not the same as dedicated cargo bike. As a former owner of an Xrtacyle (which is similar to a trailer in that you use and existing bike) I can vouch that the cargo bike allowed me to do things that a trailer would not. Specifically transport my two larger children, plus their books, coats, groceries, etc., that would not have fit in a trailer, not to mention that a cargo bike is more convenient and generally handles better then a trailer.ReplyDelete
And if a person wants to ride a bike instead of ride a crowded bus a subway, hey that's great.
While many peoples intention of buying a bike might not be the purest, and they may not be able to stick with it for their whole life or whatever their specific imperfection as people may be, of all the useless and unesseceary things people are buying, I don't think buying a bike, which is a tool that has the power to bring about real change in the world, unlike so many other so-called solutions, shouldn't called out as the ultimate in conusmerism. Just saying....
@MFarrington - Big Dummies have three things going for them for winter riding. First, they're set up to use continuous runs of housing from lever/shifter to the brake or derailer/igh, which keeps water (and thus, ice) out of the cables.ReplyDelete
Second, longer wheelbase, makes for easier recovery from skids and slides, which do happen.
Third, lots-o-room for studded tires, or fat tires, or whatever floats your boat.
The manage just fine on the ice with studded tires. Note the two-wheel skid -- the long bikes really are stable: http://gallery.mac.com/dr2chase#100060/IMG_3067
"a cargo bike stands out as the ultimate in consumption: a specialized and unnecessary vehicle that is typically not a replacement for a worn out bike but an addition to a gleaming stable and that typically will see just hundreds of miles over its lifetime."
Maybe that's the case where you are. My family's Cargobike has been ridden pretty much every day since about a month after our first child was born a little more than three years ago. Actually I can't imagine having a young family without the thing.
It's the same for thousands of our customers. These bikes are usually mom's primary transport in town, sun, wind, rain and snow they carry the kids and groceries. When not ridden the bike stands parked outside with a big chain. You could do the same with a trailer but it wouldn't be nearly as handy or fun. You couldn't keep an eye on the kids or talk to them while riding. Or carry random large objects without bothering to secure them. Or carry your own two kids plus your friend's two kids. Or...
For most of the cargobike owners I know (and I know a LOT of them) it's the way to not have to deal with a car on a daily basis.
Aaron etc - It is impossible to make judgments on behalf of others about what is or isn't justifiable consumption. For one thing, we are not privy to the context of their lives as a whole.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 4:21 PM
I have already seen one of your lovely bakfiets suspended on pulleys from the ceiling of a suburban garage, interred alongside the kayak that will never be used again.
The problem here in the States (which you must remember?) is that precious few of us can lock them outside as you suggest. Big chain is not going to work. Maybe outside under the porch in suburbia but mostly you can't realistically own one if you don't have a suburban garage and a suburban garage that is not already buried in stored detritus. Being in the 'burbs means bike errands happen over longer distances. And few suburbanites get free of their cars. Those who do are happier for it, it's not a big number of potential customers.
The cargo bikes I see most often (same two bikes in neighborhood) are misbegotten US made things with horrible steering oscillations and big industrial plastic tubs instead of boxes. When I see a real bakfiets it is always a child transporter and the family always look happy.
Report from Chicago
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 5:07 PM
I live just outside Boston and I want a cargo bike to carry my family so much! But the lack of retailers was disheartening. Very hard to commit to a purchase without a test ride to make sure the bike fits my body. Also very hard to travel to Portland, ME or NYC when you have young children! I also live on a steep hill, plus given I'm expecting to be pregnant or raising infants for the next few years, my energy and stamina is fairly low, so an electric assist is a must. I ended up getting a regular bike, adding a BionX assist, and front mounted baby seat. Christiania Bikes has an import warehouse in Lowell and was eager to help me test drive one, but adding the assist to it would have been too complicated. DBC, when I inquired about Bakfiets, angrily steered me away from transporting children on bikes in any way shape or form, due to threat of "spinal cord injury leading to developmental damage from road vibration". Tell me, where are all the developmentally damaged Dutch people ? The minute there is a retailer in Boston who will help me test drive a cargo bike, I will be there ready to give them my business.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 6:36 PM
I cycle in Cambridge almost daily and I'm seeing more and more cargo bikes. I see a lot of people bringing their kids to school in them. I think they make the streets feel friendlier.ReplyDelete
I generally feel really comfortable cycling in most parts of Cambridge, Somerville and Arlington and I see many other cyclists on the road so I know I'm not alone. For all the flack MA drivers get, I have to say that the overwhelming majority of motorists I encounter on a daily basis are courteous.
There is just such a huge bike culture around here I'm sad that it's so hard to find cargo or dutch style city bikes around here. There would be a thriving market. SOmebody needs to invest!
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 7:57 PM
Daily Rider in Hartford has been selling them for a long time. Also, Kennebunkport Bicycle Company in Maine carries them as well.ReplyDelete
Daniel said, "A cargo bike is the ultimate is consumption? That has to be one of the craziest statements I've ever read...Maybe a car is the ultimate in consumption, or a TV, or a plastic doo-hickey purchased for a few moments of pleasure and then thrown away."ReplyDelete
I meant in the context of bicycles, Daniel. I was responding to the title of the post, which used the word "symbolism." I should have said "ultimate symbol of consumption" to make the connection clearer. In the larger context of consumption, I wouldn't say "ultimate." That said, in the USA at this time, bicycles make a political statement, whether we care for it or not. Therefore, the consumption associated with bicycles can have greater significance than that associated with, say, televisions --- if the discussion surrounding consumption is relevant to you.
Whether my post was "lame" or not, I do think that there is a point to be made, namely that if you choose to cycle commute partly for environmental reasons, then you must take life cycle costs into account. If not --- say your goal is exercise, or freedom, or fun, or to make an "up yours" statement to the system, or whatever else that is non-environmental --- then you can of course consume to whatever extent is required to meet that goal.
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 10:02 PM
@Aaron - "I meant in the context of bicycles"ReplyDelete
I get what you're saying. But still, if you put up a $10K Serotta with electronic shifting against a $2K cargo bike, which is more symbolic of "consumption"? A race bike that will never be raced or a cargo bike that will see limited use.
I know what you mean. I'm sure a lot of cargo bike purchases are being made for the same "status" reasons that people buy Priuses instead of just driving their old car. But if you're worried about useless consumption style purchases in the bike market, go into any bike shop in the country and try to tell me that the big problem is too many cargo bikes.
On the trailer versus cargo bike debate. Again, I get your point. For many people, a trailer probably is more purely practicle. But one of the things I like about a cargo bike is that it is a bike that I don't have to always plan ahead in exact detail what I will need to carry. If I suddenly decide to pick something up, no worries. And ofr normal transportation riding, I usually ride it even if I have no need for the cargo capacity. I do have a faster bike I will ride sometimes. But there, one of the most common factors in my decision is whether I need to take the bike on a train which cannot easily be done with a long wheelbase bike (though I've done it).
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 10:09 PM
Just a general comment to all those who say "it is too hilly in my area". I honestly am not quite sure what you mean. Cargo bikes are typically a bit heavy, but not much more than many "transport" bikes. The bakfiests style bikes are probably a bit tougher to crank up hills. But the longtails really ride pretty much like "bikes". Sure, if you load 200lbs. of cargo on one, you're not going to crank up a steep hill. But from my experience, it's rare to carry more than 30-40lbs of cargo at a time. It takes a bit more effort to get up a hill than unloaded, but it's really not a game changer.ReplyDelete
The big difference for me after moving from panniers, etc. to a cargo bike was not so much the total mass that you could carry, it is the ease with which you can just toss things in, not have to worry about large or awkwardly shaped items, etc.
Not saying that they're great for every person in every environment, but I think the "hills" thing is a bit of a false hurdle (so to speak)
Interesting, Aaron. Thanks for clarifying your view. I don't quite agree but I understand what you are saying.ReplyDelete
"I'm sure a lot of cargo bike purchases are being made for the same "status" reasons that people buy Priuses instead of just driving their old car."
I've said it before and I will say it again: I think it is a *good thing* if bicycles become status symbols. The fact of status symbols will not go away. It is how people are made. They need to have them. Would it really be so bad if people aspire to buy bikes instead of SUVs or even Priuses?...
- AnonymousDecember 23, 2011 at 10:40 PM
Bikes already are status symbols. I wish they were more like socks. Just something everyone has and uses w/o thinking too much about it after the purchase.ReplyDelete
Velouria said, "I think it is a *good thing* if bicycles become status symbols.... Would it really be so bad if people aspire to buy bikes instead of SUVs or even Priuses?"ReplyDelete
That's a really pragmatic way of looking at it that I haven't really considered. I like it.
Posts like this remind me that this is quite possibly my favorite blog of all time. Seriously, I can never bring myself to skip posts on Lovely Bicycle! even when I'm so busy I have to mark everything else in my feed reader as "read".ReplyDelete
Velouria, please just keep doing your scholarly yet down-to-earth/open-minded yet penetratingly evaluative/serious yet funny/in touch with a sometimes grim reality yet uplifting and inspiring/innocently curious yet modestly experienced and wise...thang. Haha.
Enjoy the holidays and your break from cycling!!!
MFarrington - Calhoun Cycle carries a couple of Larry vs. Harry models, and Varsity Bike carries Babboe and Christiana according to their website.ReplyDelete
Another nod to yes that bikes as status symbols is a good thing. Although honestly- we aren't there yet. Yes, they may be a status symbol amongst those in the know- but not really in the mainstream. As a family of four we remain a 2 car family ( 1, b/c my car is paid for so I see no reason to sell it and 2. my husband works 6-6, 6 days a week and commutes 1 hour each way 5 of those days so his car is never seen by me. And before he gets flames for making wrong choices of work/living space- he is in a diff place each day so where we live is central to all points south, west and north that he goes and his visit to work saves 30 people a day from coming to boston to get his specialized care) I ride as much as I can as often as I can and I ride what you are calling a status symbol and when people in my well to do town see me around- they makes comments where it is clear they assume I can't afford a car or luxuries etc- so to the average person, seeing me on a several thousand dollar bike makes them assume I'm poor-ish b/c I don't drive a BMW SUV to cart my kids. ( particularily seeing my ride said bike in cold and rain)ReplyDelete
I bet there isn't any of this in Boston! (warning, cute overload)ReplyDelete
Our bike looks so nice with your photo treatment Velouria! (that bakfiets up top is our new addition). There are definitely more and more cargo & kid bikes on the road around here, and a growing cargo and family biking community. I smile every time I see one on the road. Ours get daily use, and make our lives with kids and without a car so much more enjoyable.ReplyDelete
Locals looking to try a small-ish Xtracycle or a short Bakfiets should be in touch with us. We're always happy to set people up with test rides. We also recently started a local listserve for family bikers that has gotten a great response (cargo bikers also welcome, please only sign up if you are in the Boston area): http://groups.google.com/group/bostonareafamilybike
Another note on finding these bikes locally -- you're right that availability is extremely limited, but there are a few ways to rustle up these bikes in the northeast:ReplyDelete
Portland Velocipede in Maine carries one or two bakfiets-style bikes at a time, and is an easy train ride from Boston. Mike of NEAT bikes, also in Maine, has a couple box-bikes (the same chinese frame that Joe Bike in Portland used to sell -- http://neatbikeshop.blogspot.com/ ). We had great luck working with adeline adeline in NYC for purchase of our bakfiets. Freight added to the cost, but not like shipping from Europe, which is what folks had to do not so long ago to get these bikes, and it was close enough we were able to do a weekend bus-trip for a test ride. Also, the Park Sales bike shop on Somerville Ave is stocking the Sun Atlas Cargo longtail. I have no experience with that shop but am always happy to see a cargo bike in their window when I ride by.
- AnonymousDecember 27, 2011 at 9:20 AM
There was a dealer in Cambridge for a couple years called the New Amsterdam Project, but it folded. It's not that demand for cargo bikes isn't there. The problem is those things take a lot of display space, and our city's bike stores pay a lot of rent and have to justify every square foot.ReplyDelete
We have seen a huge rise in families riding THANKS to cargo bikes here in New Haven, CT. We have a local bike shop, The Devil's Gear, who is really supportive of the family biking scene and carries Xtracycles, Yuba Mundos, & Madsens.ReplyDelete
I could not disagree more with Aaron's point of view that others have responded to: " To me, a cargo bike stands out as the ultimate in consumption: a specialized and unnecessary vehicle that is typically not a replacement for a worn out bike but an addition to a gleaming stable and that typically will see just hundreds of miles over its lifetime. A trailer is the opposite: an accessory that extends the capabilities of one's existing bicycle with minimal resources. Sexy? No. But it gets the job done with minimal consumption."
I am a parent of three kids. If trailers were our only option (as we so thought five years ago), we would just be another family going everywhere by car. Trailers would not be able to do what we do by cargo bike. First off, I admit that I would not be comfortable riding the New Haven streets with my kids low & behind me in a trailer. A trailer could be wonderful in another setting but not here. Also, kids grow out of trailers quickly. Unfortunately, even with kids who are very proficient riders on their own, many cities do not have the infrastructure to make it safe for them to ride themselves for transport.
Our cargo bikes have allowed us to 1. ride all three boys on one bike when they were smaller 2. continue to get places by bike even though they are bigger (9-yr-old twins) 3. remain a one-car family of five
To others in our area who would be interested in trying out one of our cargo bikes, feel free to contact me. Would love to have you come on by and try them out....
There was a dealer in Cambridge for a couple years called the New Amsterdam Project, but it folded. It's not that demand for cargo bikes isn't there. The problem is those things take a lot of display space, and our city's bike stores pay a lot of rent and have to justify every square foot.ReplyDelete
That's not entirely true. The New Amsterdam Project was part dealer for cargo bikes and part pedal-powered delivery service. The business got bought and renamed Metro Pedal, and continues to focus on providing pedal-powered delivery services in the area:
All I can say is I have been a bike commuter for 6 years, had my eye on xtracycles for several yrs but never pulled the trigger til I saw a used Big Dummy on Craigslist. And in the past 12 months the cargobike has gotten the lion's share of my mileage. I have hauled my 8 yr old to school, camp and scout meetings, and taken stuff to work or to donate to the bike co-op with it. It's so much more rideable than a trailer, and convenient. Happily am now ready to finally sell the hybrid car that I just don't drive much anymore.ReplyDelete
Aaron, I think you are wrong just as those who said buyers of hybrid cars will drive more miles on them and not save any petroleum. Every year my utility bike miles traveled have increased. And it's been nothing but smiles along the way!
- ChaosbarbieDecember 28, 2011 at 8:24 PM
If you're looking to buy a Yuba Mundo, Ferris Wheel Bikes in Jamaica Plain carries them:ReplyDelete
I signed up to carry Yuba Bikes at my shop Midtown Bike in good ol' Memphis, TN. The notion is like being a fish out of water. However, I am a full believer in the obvious positive potential of cargo bikes after spending the spring and summer on the Yuba el Mundo, electric cargo bike. Imagine a decent sized grocery/beer haul with two daughters, ages 7 & 12, about 170 lbs in precious cargo before you add the grocery/beer haul, flying down the street at road bike speeds. Yes, I pedal the whole time. The motor is simply an assist. My 4.5 mile commute to work takes less than 15 minutes. This is perhaps one of the best, most fully functional bicycle I have had in my 19 yearsReplyDelete
Looking for cargo bikes in Boston? Ferris Wheels Bike Shop in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood is a dealer for both Xtracycle and Yuba Mundo. We used to carry the Zigo Leader and we're looking into a bakfiet for next season. Ferris Wheels Bike Shop specializes in commuter bikes already, so cargo bikes are a natural direction for the shop.ReplyDelete
Ferris - Thanks for stopping by. I was told that you do not carry the XtraCycle Radish, only the XtraCycle attachments. Is this not the case? I would love to test ride a step-through radish and write about it here.ReplyDelete
We don't currently stock the Xtracycle Radish as the Yuba Mundo has a few advantages over the Radish and has taken over our complete longtail cargo bike sales; we do have 2 Mundos on the floor available for test ride if you'd like to stop by some day and try them. It's a bunch of fun.ReplyDelete
Many of the entries in the 2009 Copenhagen Bike Share Design Competition - including ours named Open Bike that won one of two first prizes - included a cargo (child-carrying) bike concept. The tender (RFP) will be published in about two weeks, so we will see if this kind of bike is part of it.ReplyDelete
Since so few public transport systems in the Canada and USA allow full-size pet dogs (in Boston, Calgary, San Francisco, Seattle (?), Toronto and MetroNorth in NY/CT/NJ) it would seem that carfree people in other cities would love something like a cargo bike to carry their pal, along with kids and other stuff. I only know of a few people in the USA who do it.
(See my website for links to Open Bike and Dogs on Board!)
In Australia,particularly in Qld bike shops only stock generic "Family" bikes because that's all that sells.They will order you a Fat Bike if you pay up front or at least 50% deposit.Long bikes are never seen in our bikes.I got my Kona Ute because it was a demo given to the shop to see if it got any interest.I was interested and bought it at first site.They sold one more the following year and that's it.I got my Bullitt Cargo from Melbourne because there was only one dealer at the time.Australia has a very poor bicycling scene unless you ride what I call a track bike but most people call road bikes.They're not fit for the road in my opinion.I drive for a living so therefore I hate to drive anywhere on weekends or my free time.I want to be a bike messenger again but there is no demand for it here.We had 25 riders here in Brisbane 15 years ago and now there is 5.The big transport companies killed it off.I want to open a proper bike shop that only deals in the "functional" bikes like Long Bikes,Cargo Bikes,Trailers,Side hacks etc.ReplyDelete


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Peeling the Onion
|The Path of an Adjustment
Chiropractic treatment, known as a chiropractic adjustment, involves methods of restoring optimal mechanical function to spinal joints. When joint mobility is optimized, nerve impulses flow freely from the brain to the body and back from the body to the brain.
Normal nerve transmission allows all body systems to function normally. Cells receive their instructions on time and in the right amount. Information (feedback) from the cells likewise reaches the brain on time and without distortion. Cells and tissues do their jobs efficiently and effectively and the body expresses optimum health.
The channels of communication are open and information is freely transmitted back and forth. Thus, the layers of good health are in alignment. The body has a built-in healing mechanism. The job of the chiropractor is to enable that mechanism to work properly.
The practical outcome is that health is an expression of many factors, not merely one kind of activity. A person who has an extraordinarily healthy diet but has very high levels of stress may still suffer from cardiovascular disease, regardless of the amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and fresh fruits and vegetables he consumes.1 A person may be a champion athlete, such as a ballet dancer or a figure skater, and yet have type 2 diabetes owing to a lifetime of unhealthy nutrition.2
There are many such cautionary tales, including that of a famous runner, author, and fitness expert who died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 52.
Like an archeological dig, good health has many layers. It's always a mistake to stop digging (even though you think you completely understand a process), because a little more effort and a little more thought will reveal new patterns and new connections. This is the major problem with medications. You take a drug to stimulate one thing or inhibit another thing, but there always more layers to consider. Side effects result from trying to manipulate one layer of effects while ignoring the consequences to other important layers.
Statins are a good example of this process of failing to consider the layers of health. These drugs lower blood cholesterol levels by inhibiting the production of a liver enzyme that is part of the pathway of cholesterol synthesis. But statins have many side effects, including Lou Gehrig's disease, memory loss, liver damage, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle pain.3
In contrast, chiropractic care is designed to pay attention to all the layers. Chiropractic care, in fact, is a layer-optimization process. By restoring full functioning of a person's nerve system and improving the mechanical functioning of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractic care enables the body's layers of health to interact in the way they were designed to interact. Chiropractic care is a natural, efficient method of restoring and maintaining good health.
1Knoepfli-Lenzin C, et al: Effects of a 12-week intervention period with football and running for habitually active men with mild hypertension. Scand J Med Sci Sports Feb 2, 2010 (Epub)
2Fuemmeler BF, et al: Weight, dietary behavior, and physical activity in childhood and adolescence. Implications for adult cancer risk. Obes Facts 2(3):179-186, 2009
3Sharma M, et al: Systematic review: comparative effectiveness and harms of combination therapy and monotherapy for dyslipidemia. Ann Intern Med 151(9):622-630, 2009

subset: commoncrawl


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Johannesburg, South Africa, 2013-11-11 — /travelprnews.com/ — South African Airways (SAA), the South African national carrier, announced its full commitment to continue providing travel options to and from Argentina.
Although SAA will discontinue its own operated flights to Buenos Aires on the 28th of March next year, SAA customers will still be able to travel between both countries through numerous flights operated by SAA partners in South America.
"Before discontinuing any route, SAA takes into account a number of factors that include but are not limited to the possible consequences of stopping flights, with due consideration given to how a particular market can still be served," said Monwabisi Kalawe, SAA CEO.
"Declining passenger volumes and the current economic conditions such as the depreciation of the South African currency against the US Dollar by more than 20% over the last 12 months, and high fuel costs, have played an important role in our decision to rationalise SAA's long haul network," added Kalawe.
SAA customers will still be able to conveniently connect to and from various destinations in Argentina via São Paulo/Brazil, where SAA currently operates 11 weekly flights. In its effort to continue offering proper connectivity in the region, SAA has implemented agreements with fellow Star Alliance partners and other major airlines operating between São Paulo and Buenos Aires, as well as to and from other key South American destinations.
SAA's Long-Term Turnaround Strategy, named Gaining Altitude, will see SAA leveraging more of its Star Alliance membership to extract maximum value. SAA's approach is to focus on strengthening and expanding partnerships from its own hub airports as well as those of fellow carriers within Star Alliance. SAA will route traffic on thinner markets using its partners' networks.
Customers already holding ticketed reservations on SAA direct services between Johannesburg and Buenos Aires from the 29th of March, 2014 onwards, will be re-accommodated via SAA's São Paulo flights in line with the IATA conditions of carriage.
About South African Airways
South African Airways (SAA), Africa's most awarded airline, operates to 42 destinations worldwide.
In its domestic market SAA has an extensive schedule operating 660 flights in total per week between Johannesburg – Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, from its Johannesburg hub, as well as code-shared flights between Lanseria – Cape Town and Durban. SAA offers more frequencies than any other airline in South Africa.
Regionally, SAA offers 26 destinations across the African continent including Abidjan, Accra, Blantyre, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Cotonou, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Entebbe, Harare, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Livingstone, Luanda, Lusaka, Maputo, Mauritius, Nairobi, Ndola, Pointe Noire, Victoria Falls and Windhoek.
SAA's international network creates links to all major continents from South Africa through 11 direct routes and code shares, with daily flights from Johannesburg to London (Heathrow), Frankfurt, Munich, Mumbai, Perth, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, Washington, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. SAA has codes share agreements with 27 other airlines across the markets it serves. SAA's core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its four wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA and South African Travel Centre (SATC).
SAA is a Star Alliance member which offers more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. SAA is the winner of the 'Best Airline in Africa' Award in the regional category for eleven consecutive years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa's most on-time airlines.
For more information contact:
SAA Group Corporate Affairs
Tlali Tlali
Tel: +27 11 978 3819
Mobile: +27 82 333 3880
Email: email@example.com
Website: www.flysaa.com
Twitter: @flysaa
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flysaa


text:
DAC Collection Object Information
Christ Preaching,
Alternative title(s): La Petite Tombe
Etching, engraving, and drypoint on white laid paper
Only state
Print impression quality: Excellent, even but not brilliant; burr on sleeve of man, left ("black sleeve")
Dimensions (Plate): 205 x 155 mm (8.1 x 6.1 in.)
Accession number: 1938.D1.49
Gift of George W. Davison (BA Wesleyan 1892), 1938
Provenance / Collectors' marks: Albertina duplicate (Lugt 5e)
Bibliography: Bartsch 67; Hind 256; Münz 236.
Work Type: print
Keywords: Click a term to find other records with the same keyword.
This object is in the following image group(s):


text:
- Services
- We strive to provide complete care for our patients. Learn more about all the services we provide.
The Life You Want to Live
|Chiropractic Care and Chronic Pain
Regular chiropractic care can provide substantial benefit for people with chronic pain. By focusing on the spine and nerve system, chiropractic care gets to the source of many chronic musculoskeletal problems including headache, neck pain, and back pain.
Chiropractic care helps restore more normal spinal mobility, which in turn helps restore more normal function in the nerve system. By removing sources of irritation to spinal nerve roots, chiropractic care helps reduce the impact of incoming pain signals. The result is often a reduction in the amount of pain a person is experiencing, and a lessening of the intensity of chronic pain patterns. As pain diminishes, muscles relax, improved circulation is reestablished, and oxygen and other vital nutrients are delivered to cells and tissues that need them the most. In this way, chiropractic care helps improve overall health.
We all want to get the most we can out of life. Whether we want to find a loving partner, work at a meaningful career, gather an abundance of financial resources, or have enough leisure time to pursue favored interests, the usual bottom line is that we want to be happy. Throughout thousands of years of history, the great philosophers have pointed to happiness as the worthwhile goal of all human activities. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle (384 B.C. - 322 B.C.) suggested that eudaimonia - happiness - is our best good.
Most of us would agree that the life we want to live involves achieving the greatest degree of happiness. Even if we haven't spent much time studying the works of Aristotle, we intuitively seek our greatest happiness. But such joy often escapes us, even at times when we think to ourselves that we ought to be happy. Various obstacles stand in our way, not the least of which is physical pain.


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All Kestrel Meters
Rugged weather and environmental meters that are the gold standard for professionals and hobbyists around the world. All Kestrel wind and weather meters are designed to provide accurate, actionable information in critical conditions to help people do their jobs more effectively, be more successful in their recreation, and stay safer. Kestrel meters are designed, built, tested and supported in the USA and covered by an industry leading five-year warranty and customer support for life.
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Design by Aled
Tote Bag
Tote Bag
Our super durable, 100% spun polyester totes come in three sizes. Perfect for hauling groceries, laptops, iPads, lunches, kittens...there's a size and style for everything. Even awesome for gift bags. Get your one-of-a-kind design on a tote now! 1" inch thick handle with 13" strap drop.
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text: Mel's Drive-In may be outside of your area. Please enter your delivery address to check availability Do you need any... Napkins & Utensils Continue to checkout Mel's Drive-In Back to menu Your order refresh Mel's Drive-In Your bag is empty Edit Delivery address Please enter delivery address Edit Delivery time N/A* Add someone to this order Debbie's Chili Fries American fries topped with chili, cheese and onions. Add instructions? Special instructions Label for x $10.25 or Cancel


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The search found 206 results in 0.011 seconds.
People whose sexual identities changed toward same-sex attraction in early adulthood reported more symptoms of depression in a nationwide survey than those whose sexual orientations did not change or changed in the opposite direction, according to a new study by a University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) sociologist.
Multiple chronic conditions (i.e., multimorbidity) increase a person's depressive symptoms more than having one chronic condition. Little is known regarding whether multimorbidity similarly increases the depressive symptoms of one's spouse and whether this depends on type of condition, gender, or both spouses' health status. Analysis of multiple waves of the Health and Retirement Study reveals husband's number of chronic conditions is positively related to wife's depressive symptoms when both spouses are chronically ill.
Although both China and Russia have experienced several decades of market reform, initial evidence suggests that this structural change has compromised mental and physical health among the Russian population but not the Chinese population. Using data from the World Health Organization Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (2007–2010), this study examines the factors associated with the disparity in depression between older adults in China and their Russian counterparts, all of whom experienced market transition in the prime of their lives (N = 10,896).
In this article, I share some thoughts about how we might extend the study of mental health inequalities by drawing from key insights in sociology and sociological social psychology about the nature of inequality and the processes through which it is produced, maintained, and resisted. I suggest several questions from sociological research on stratification that could help us understand unexpected patterns of mental health inequalities.
As a tribute to the body of work created by our late colleague Leonard I. Pearlin, this essay assesses how the evolution of the Stress Process Model, the centerpiece of his work, repeatedly reinvented sociological research on stress and mental health and explains why this model, therefore, possesses the potential to renew itself well into the future.
Several recent spatial analyses conclude the strong positive association typically found between neighborhood concentrated disadvantage and crime in cross-sectional studies significantly differs across neighborhoods. It is possible this spatial variation is due to within-neighborhood dynamics of continuity and change, as suggested by ecological theories of neighborhood crime.
We examine whether individuals' coping strategies help to explain the negative relationships of stigma-related stressors (perceived public devaluation, discrimination experiences, and internalized stigma) with their well-being (self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and quality of life). Two forms of stigma resistance (challenging and deflecting) were compared with concealment responses (maintaining secrecy, avoiding other people). Patients with psychoses at four psychiatric hospitals were interviewed (N = 65).
A growing trend in the criminal justice system is the move toward problem-solving courts, including mental health courts. Using case studies of two mental health courts in a West Coast city, this article seeks to explore how mental health courts may operate by reducing stigma among clients. From observations of the court process in mental health courts and qualitative interviews with mental health court professional staff and mental health court clients, ritual process emerged as a powerful theme that underscores the management of social stigma.
Durkheim's model of suicide famously includes four types: anomic, egoistic, altruistic, and fatalistic suicides; however, sociology has primarily focused on anomic and egoistic suicides and neglected suicides predicated on too much integration or regulation. This article addresses this gap. We begin by elaborating Durkheim's concepts of integration and regulation using insights from contemporary social psychology, the sociology of emotions, and cultural sociology.
Building on calls within the health literature for a deeper engagement with the concept of agency, we utilize nationally representative survey data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 13,592) to develop an empirical conception of the traditional treatment of health agency focused on two social psychological constructs that build upon current foci on personal control within the stress process model: (1) "subjective vitality" and (2) a forward-looking orientation ("optimism").


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Unlimited Satellite TV Programming with DISH Network TV in Berkshire Center, VT
The huge array of satellite TV and internet options are part of having DISH Network service in Berkshire Center, VT. After all, there is no point in getting a satellite TV package from Dish Network if there aren't lots of mainstream and premium cable TV channels to choose from. DISH TV is the best satellite or cable TV provider in your area of Berkshire Center. All the top cable channels--including sports, science, history, drama, reality, cooking, home shopping, adventure and the classics--are part of the regular DISH Network listings. DISH Network packages include:
- 320 cable channels with the America's Everything bundle
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Soldier convicted of murder for Fort Hood rampage
FORT HOOD, Texas >> Maj. Nidal Hasan has been convicted of premeditated murder for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood. That means he's now eligible for the death penalty.
Military jurors found the Army psychiatrist guilty on Friday for the attack that killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others at the Texas military base.
The trial now enters a penalty phase, where prosecutors will ask jurors to sentence Hasan to death.
Hasan is acting as his own attorney. But he didn't call witnesses or testify, and he questioned only three of prosecutors' nearly 90 witnesses.
Through media leaks and statements to the judge, the American-born Muslim signaled that he believed the attack was justified as a way to protect Islamic and Taliban leaders from U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.


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Export Data And Price Of CYANOACRYLATE ADHESIVE W 66 20KG | www.eximpulse.com
Eximpulse Services is the place where you can find the recent and updated Trade intelligence report of CYANOACRYLATE ADHESIVE W 66 20KG Export Data. Some Sample Shipment records for CYANOACRYLATE ADHESIVE W 66 20KG Export Data of India are mentioned above. Further for Free sample and pricing of detailed reports contact on email@example.com
Data post 2012 as per Notification No.18/2012 - Customs(N.T.) and does not have names of Indian companies and Foreign Companies.


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In his own words: living with benign prostatic hyperplasia
Rubin, 57, is a manager for a multinational manufacturer of electronic systems for jet aircrafts and airports. Here, he describes how he began to exhibit the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and how he copes with his condition on a daily basis.
What was your first sign that something was wrong? What symptoms did you experience?
I first noticed that something was wrong when I began having to urinate a lot more often. I was suddenly spending a lot more time in the bathroom. Even when I did, I never felt as if my bladder was emptying completely. Since this happened at night as well as during the day, I was getting up several times each night. You can imagine the toll this was taking on my sleep.
What was the diagnosis experience like?
The diagnosis came out of a mandatory physical that I, as a manager at my workplace, have to have every year. When the blood tests came back, my PSA (prostate specific antigen) was 12, which was double what it had been during the 4 previous annual physicals. My family doctor referred me to a nephrologist, but I was unable to get an appointment for over two months. In the meantime, I made an appointment with a urologist, who was able to see me right away.
The hardest part of the diagnostic process was dealing with the catheter they had to insert in my urethra. In the course of a month they had to put it in and take it out 4 times. I not only had an enlarged prostate, but also a complicating condition known as retention. The first time I saw the urologist, I had just voided, and still had 900 cc of urine in my bladder—it's no wonder I wasn't feeling empty after going to the bathroom.
What was your initial and then longer-term reaction to the diagnosis?
I was relieved in some ways. It was reassuring to know that, although it's not pleasant, my condition wasn't really dangerous—it was not prostate cancer. The urologist reassured me that BPH doesn't put me at higher risk for prostate cancer. Since getting my diagnosis I've felt more in control. I've been able to learn about my enlarged prostate and how best I can treat it.
How is BPH treated?
I wanted to be as involved as possible in the diagnostic process, so I spent a lot of time informing myself about this condition. I did a lot of research on the internet, and made calls to people I knew who had had similar conditions. I educated myself on all the possible treatment options.
I needed a procedure called TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate), which the doctors described to me as being rather like a "roto-rooter" job. We discussed other procedures, but for someone whose condition causes him to retain urine, like mine, this was more appropriate. Some men have prostate enlargement without retention, but I had both. So it was important to get medical treatment.
Did you have to make any lifestyle or dietary changes in response to BPH?
I did. I cut way back on how much I was eating and drinking, and ended up losing 25 pounds. I would like to begin exercising—I think vigorous walking is the best plan for me—but I'm still mending following the surgery, so that will have to wait just a little bit.
Did you seek any type of emotional support?
What I sought—and got—was more like spiritual support from those closest to me. I do rely still on the internet for information, however, and when I can I pass along information about this condition and the treatment options; I do so on an internet message board.
Does BPH have an impact on your family?
Not so far, except that I'm off from work for a little bit, so I'm probably getting on my wife's nerves! She's been terrifically supportive, though.
What advice would you give to anyone living with BPH?
Make sure you have a good urologist, one you're really comfortable with so you can ask any questions you have. Be as actively involved as you can in your own care plan—be informed about your illness and your treatment options. Try medication first, but if that doesn't work, don't be afraid of the TURP procedure. It sounds intimidating, but it has really helped me so far.


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New challenge @Scrappy Hands: Box.
We have a great prize that will be sent to one of the participants.
This is my box - combined with a little card (as day 5 of 100 days of crafts)
Simple, but fun card & box...
Shir Benovich Designs Copyright © 2008 Green Scrapbook Diary Designed by SimplyWP | Made free by Scrapbooking Software | Bloggerized by Ipiet Notez


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Why you'll love it:
- Form-Fitted, Sleeveless Bodycon
- Soft Touch
- Calf length
- Available Sizes: Small, Medium, and Large
- Color: Navy/White
- Material: 87% Polyester 13% Spandex
- Care: Hand Wash Cold or Dry Clean
Key Info You Need to Enjoy Your JacksonsRunaway Shopping Experience:
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Contact a JacksonsRunaway Representative with any questions about your order. We're here to help you 24/7!
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Need to speak with someone? Our customer care team is ready to pick up the phone!
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Coming Soon in 2019! Yes we are very excited.
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If you just placed your order, what you are seeing on your bank account is an authorization. This is a common bank practice handling credit card transactions to ensure sufficient funds and account authenticity. This authorization will clear (depending on your bank, usually within 48 – 72 hours.) If you need help speeding up the process, you can contact the issuing bank of your credit card.
Please only click the "Complete Order" button once to avoid multiple authorizations.
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If you are receiving an error message, there may be a problem with your credit card information, billing or shipping address. The billing address should match exactly what your bank has on file. Please review all information closely and look for any typos. Also, try re-formatting the names and addresses in your billing information (this often solves the issue).
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If you're still receiving an error message after reviewing your credit card information, billing and shipping address, make sure you're using the latest version of your web browser.
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Why Was My Order Canceled?
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Do You Have Any Store Locations?
Yes, on the Internet! We're an online-only retail store, which means you can shop with us 24/7 from around the world, from the comfort of your home, hammock or personal beach!


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We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully (in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations).
We collect information about you to enable us to process your order and to provide customer service. We do not sell, trade or otherwise pass on personal information to any other organisation or person, other than that required by:
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The type of information that we collect about you through this website includes:
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You can check this information through our website through logging in to your account from any screen on our website. Whilst we make every effort to maintain your information accurately, please feel free to correct any item of information about yourself through the Edit Account or Edit Addresses facility within the My Account Home screen. Alternatively, you may contact us with your corrections or other instructions by email (email@example.com), by telephone on +44 (0)1252 83578, or by letter to our address (see 'Contcct').


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How can we help you with your DS-61
- Search for DS-61 Support Topics
- Ask a Question of Community and Experts
- Download the DS-61 Manual
- Download the DS-61 Firmware Updates
- Contact Olympus Support
- Register My DS-61
- Send My DS-61 in for Service
DS-61 Instruction Manuals
Contact Support for DS-61
Mail Us
Olympus America Inc.
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Call Us
Customer Care:
Mon-Fri 9am-9pm ET
Digital Cameras/ Digital Voice Recorders/ Binoculars
Mon-Fri 9am-9pm ET
Send My Product in for Service
We are sorry to learn that you have a product that is in need of repair. For details on our warranty policies and repair procedures please refer to the information provided with your product or click on the link listed below.
Olympus servicing includes a complete inspection of all functions and repair and/or replacement of all parts necessary to ensure your product meets factory specifications.
REVIEW OUR REPAIR PROCESSReview steps and available benefits to make the process smooth.
SUBMIT YOUR REPAIROlympus service and repair includes a complete inspection of all functions, repair and or replacement of all parts necessary to ensure your product meets factory specifications.
QUICK REPAIR DROP-OFF (CA ONLY)Available to our customers in the Toronto area. Bring your product along with paperwork and a copy of your proof of purchase to our Drop-off Center.
Our Quick Repair Drop-off service has been temporarily suspended due to local government regulations relating to COVID-19. You can still mail packages for repair.
TRACK YOUR REPAIRManage and track the status of your repair with your service order number.
QUESTIONS?For questions, call (800) 622-6372, M-F, 9:00am to 9:00pm ET.


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New Study by USDA, FDA Aims to Enhance Food Safety in Retail Delis Risk Assessment Targets Listeria monocytogenes (Lm)
|Congressional and Public Affairs
FSIS: Richard J. McIntire, (202) 720-9113
FDA: Theresa Eisenman, (301) 796-2805
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2013 - To help minimize the public health burden of listeriosis, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have conducted a major study to better understand the risk of foodborne illness associated with eating certain foods prepared in retail delicatessens and developed recommendations for changes in current practices that may improve the safety of those products.
The study, a quantitative risk assessment, provides a scientific evaluation of the risk of listeriosis associated with consumption of meats, cheeses and other ready-to-eat foods prepared in retail delis. It also examines interventions that limit the survival, growth or transmission of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), the bacteria that causes listeriosis.
Control of Lm has long been an objective of the public health community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that infections with Lm causes about 1,600 illnesses, 1,500 hospitalizations and 260 deaths in the United States each year. Listeriosis is rare, but its fatality rate is very high (i.e., about 16 percent, compared with 0.5 percent for either Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7). It primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems.
"The risk assessment will be a tremendous asset in our efforts to reduce the 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths attributed to this pathogen annually," USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen said. "Essential information has been gained from these findings, including the fact that once Lm enters a retail environment, it has the potential to spread due to cross contamination. This assessment highlights the importance of our work to prevent Lm from entering the retail environment in the first place, and provides a significant tool towards this effort to protect consumers and prevent foodborne illness."
The U.S.-focused study is the first of its kind. It quantitatively links retail deli practices to predicted public health outcomes, which has never been done before. The study is based on observations of deli employees' work routines; concentrations of Lm on incoming products and in the deli environment; simulations of the bacteria's transmission, such as from slicer to food; and dose-response modeling. The study was designed to apply to a range of deli establishments, from small independent operations to the deli departments in large supermarkets.
The study also reinforces the importance of FDA's Food Code recommendations to operators of retail delis. State, local and tribal jurisdictions can do their part to reduce listeriosis by enforcing all relevant provisions of the Food Code as part of their own food safety requirements.
No single intervention will put an end to Lm in food sold at retail delis, the study found. Instead, there are many steps that retail deli operators and their suppliers can take to help reduce listeriosis. The study's key findings include:
FDA and FSIS have taken many steps to enhance retail food safety in an effort to reduce listeriosis and other foodborne illnesses. For instance, since its initial release in 1993, the FDA Food Code has been revised to target Lm prevention, including more stringent temperature controls for refrigerated foods and limits on how long such foods can be retained after opening or preparation.
In addition, FDA has created educational materials in recent years to support foodservice operators, including guidance on how to keep deli slicers properly cleaned and sanitized, a handbook on employee health and personal hygiene, food-safety posters in nine languages, and video testimonials designed as training aids. FSIS is planning to provide outreach materials to retailers where ready-to-eat meat and poultry products are sliced, prepared, or packaged for consumption in the home. These materials will highlight risky practices based on the results of the interagency risk assessment and help retail establishments to adopt best practices that could decrease the potential for Lm growth or cross contamination.
Consumers, too, have a role to play in reducing listeriosis. For advice on keeping refrigerated foods cold, cleaning one's refrigerator regularly, and cleaning hands and kitchen surfaces often, visit foodsafety.gov. To further minimize any risk of listeriosis, FDA and FSIS recommend that older adults, pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems reheat hot dogs and lunch meats until steaming hot.
The study was published today and can be read in its entirety on either the FDA or FSIS web sites. A public meeting to discuss the study and its findings will be held at USDA's Jefferson Auditorium at 1400 Independence Avenue, Southwest, Washington, D.C., on May 22nd, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. People who plan to attend the meeting are asked to register in advance at FSIS' website.
The risk assessment is in addition to other significant public health measures FSIS has put in place during President Barack Obama's Administration to date to safeguard the food supply, prevent foodborne illness, and improve consumers' knowledge about the food they eat. These initiatives support the three core principles developed by the President's Food Safety Working Group: prioritizing prevention; strengthening surveillance and enforcement; and improving response and recovery.
|Follow FSIS on Twitter at twitter.com/usdafoodsafety or in Spanish at: twitter.com/usdafoodsafe_es.


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CEI publishes high-quality original research on a variety of issues and in several formats. Web Memo: CEI's policy brief series designed for easy understanding of policy issues. OnPoint: CEI's series of short policy white papers, which distill current issues in an easy-to-read format. Issue Analysis: CEI's series of full-length policy monographs, which look at issues from a broad perspective.
In order to keep allies and supporters up to date with our latest work, CEI regularly publishes e-mail newsletters, in addition to our bi-monthly flagship newsletter, the CEI Planet.
In keeping with our mission to provide a "full service approach" to public policy advocacy, CEI frequently engages in outreach to the public. These efforts include working with our allies to draft and promote coalition letters, filing legal briefs, submitting regulatory comments, and testifying before lawmakers.


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Syrian troops advanced in a strategic suburb of Damascus and bombarded other areas around the capital Saturday in a push to secure President Bashar Assad's seat of power as rebels make gains in the north.
A government official said regime forces had taken much of Daraya, an area on the edge of a major military air base just south of the capital, after nearly two months of heavy fighting that anti-regime activists say has killed dozens of people and uprooted tens of thousands more from their homes.
The announcement came a day after rebels and Islamic militants seeking to topple Assad took full control of the northwestern Taftanaz air base in a significant blow to the military. The back-to-back declarations highlight the see-saw nature of the conflict in Syria, where one side's victories in one area are often followed by reverses in another.
In other violence, athletic champion Hisham Raqsha was shot to death in Damascus while on his way back home, according to the Observatory and state-run news agency SANA. SANA said Raqsha was the coach of Syria's walking team. His age and other details were not available.
Syrian troops have been battling since November to regain Daraya from the hands of anti-government fighters. The suburb is flanked by the key districts of Mazzeh, which is home to the military air base of the same name, and Kfar Sousseh, which holds the government headquarters, the General Security intelligence agency head office and the Interior Ministry.
It also is less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from the People's Palace — one of three palaces in the capital used by Assad.
The government official told The Associated Press in Damascus that the army still faced "small pockets" of resistance but he expected the area to be cleared in a few days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, acknowledged "the army has entered most of Daraya's neighbourhoods." He added the number of casualties on both sides was high after weeks of fighting.
"Daraya is very important for the regime because the Mazzeh airport is a main artery for it," Abdul-Rahman said.
Daraya, which had a population of about 200,000 before the fighting, has been a stronghold of support for the rebels fighting the government since the start of the uprising in March 2011, posing a particularly grave threat to the capital.
In August, troops backed by tanks stormed the town after several days of siege, with hundreds reportedly killed. Most residents have fled to safer areas since the latest offensive began, leaving only about 10,000 civilians who are facing electricity cuts and dwindling food, fuel and medical supplies. A heavy snow storm last week only worsened the suffering of those left behind.
The Local Council opposition group says more than 1,300 people have been killed in Daraya since the uprising began. The council says 1,000 of its residents are in Assad's jails. Claims by both sides are impossible to verify because of restrictions on reporting in the country.
Today, those entering Daraya have to pass through government checkpoints at its gates or sneak through the fields escorted by rebels. Young men with automatic rifles and black headbands with Islamic writings manned checkpoints inside the suburb, which is controlled by members of the Furqan Bridage and other battalions known as Dayara Martyrs, Ababil and Houran.
A visit to the area earlier this week showed the desperate circumstances facing the residents under siege.
Earlier this week, one man who stood in front of his destroyed apartment said he had taken his family to Damascus for safety and returned to get some belongings. "As you can see, my home is totally destroyed. May God help me," the man said.
Inside a makeshift hospital, a medical student who identified himself only as Samih was trying to remove shrapnel from the shoulder of a rebel on a stretcher. "I haven't slept for two days," Samih said, also complaining about lack medical supplies.
Syria's pro-government media had reported that thousands of rebel fighters from the extremist Jabhat al-Nusra group have holed up in Daraya in preparation to storm Damascus.
Jabhat al-Nusra, which has been branded a terrorist organization by the U.S. and which Washington claims is affiliated with al-Qaida, has been among the most effective fighting forces on the rebel side. Syrian official statements regularly play up the role of Islamist extremists in the civil war and refer to the rebels as terrorists.
Syrian TV reported Saturday afternoon that Syrian troops are "chasing the remnants of armed terrorists groups in Daraya, killing a number of snipers."
The Observatory said other Damascus suburbs also were being shelled on Saturday and a car bomb exploded in the suburb of Sbaineh, causing heavy damage. It was not clear if the blast caused casualties, it said.
An amateur video posted online by activists showed several heavy damaged buildings by the blast. The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.
The group also said Syrian warplanes attacked eastern suburbs of Damascus including Mleiha, as well as the rebel-held town of Rastan near the central city of Homs.
More than 60,000 people have been killed since the 22-month conflict started.
Rebels maintained control of the Taftanaz field in Idlib province on Saturday and intensified their assault on the Mannagh air base and the international airport of the city of Aleppo, which includes a military base, activists said.
Syrian TV reported Saturday that the army repelled attackers targeting Aleppo's Kishek airport and inflicted casualties. It gave no further details. The Observatory reported Saturday that warplanes carried out air raids around the Aleppo airport.
On the diplomatic front, Russia, one of Assad's last remaining allies, said Saturday it is still strongly against any foreign interference in Syria's affairs.
"As before, we strongly believe that all the issues concerning Syria's future must be decided by the Syrians themselves, without outside interference or the imposition of ready-made recipes for development," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.