Nissa, as I’ve said before, is a busy baby.

And four-year-olds (as I know I have mentioned previously but can’t find the posts, dammit) have a fondness for the Rules which can make them a tad officious. Little police-men and tattlers of the daycare. Nigel, who is with us today, is very definitely four. He’s always been a bit anal, with a strong tendency to get anxious when things aren’t done PRECISELY as they have Always! Been! Done!!! Put anxiety-boy plonk in the middle of the RulesRUs stage, and you have a recipe for a day filled with tattling, power struggles, recrimination, finger-pointing, shouting, stomping..

I brace myself. Practice my deep breathing. Dust off my practiced anti-tattling sentences. (“Is anyone bleeding? Is it dangerous? No? Then you don’t need to tell me.”)

However…

“No, Nissa, you can’t do that. Let’s colour.”
“That is too small to put in your mouth. You can have this crayon instead.”
“Nissa, I don’t think you’re allowed to stand on the couch.”
“Hey, Nissa. I can put your bib on for you.”
“If you spit out that playdough, I will make you a snake.”

Once in a while, you get that perfect, near-miraculous combination of the Rule-bound 4-year-old who can express the rules with sensitivity and respect (!!!) and a 19-month-old who has stars in her eyes and will do ANYTHING that Big Boy says.

And then, my friends? THEN you have achieved Nirvana. If only for the moment.

“You don’t hit me!” William’s voice is thick with indignation. “Hitting is bad! No hitting!”

Nissa watches his frothing with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

“All right, William. You’re using your words, and that’s good, but you don’t need to shout. Nissa, did you hit William?” Nissa is young enough that she doesn’t yet lie. Ask her a question and, if she understands it, you’ll get a straight answer. Or, in this case, you get silence, which amounts to the same thing. The girl, Canadian though she is, is pleading the fifth. So, yup, she hit him, and on purpose, too.

“Hitting is wrong, Nissa,” William continues. “Hands are for hugging, not for hitting. It doesn’t matter what happens, you don’t hit.” He’s being a bit pompous, but I let him. He’s saying all the right things, though the self-righteousness is a bit thick in the air.

“Even if you’re mad at me, you don’t hit. Even if I hit you first, you don’t hit!”

Wait.
One.
Minute.

“William. Did you hit Nissa?”

“Yeah, but she shouldn’t hit, no matter what!” His righteous indignation surges like a wave, propelling the inadvertant confession past his lips. Oops.

“And what about you, mister?”

His eyes widen as he realizes his error.

You know, life would be so much easier if everyone ELSE followed the rules. You could get away with anything!

The entrance to Nissa Copyright 2009 Bryan Moore

This was the Entrance to Nissa an ancient City, and one of the first thing I stopped at to see on my trip over Seas.  Traveling to see all these ruins  some had degraded so much that  they just looked like piles of mud but this one still had mud bricks in tact.  some bricks were new in the places where the country had tried to rebuild parts of the ruins other parts were old orignal bricks.  THe guide said that the old bricks  lasted longer than the new  even with modern technology  the ancient brick were made differently that allowed them to last

Nella parte superiore dello stemma dello United c’è una nave, riferimento a come tutto è cominciato. Nell’800 della rivoluzione industriale, Manchester era la città che produceva e Liverpool il porto che commercializzava (“Manchester made and Liverpool trade“): una simbiosi perfetta che saltò in aria quando le tariffe portuali crebbero così tanto da consigliare a Manchester la costruzione di un canale per dotarsi di un proprio scalo, da cui la nave nello stemma United. L’opera venne realizzata con grande scorno di Liverpool, che perse migliaia di posti di lavoro. Ancora oggi, quando la Kop canta “Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, you’ll never walk alone“, i tifosi manc ribattono sarcastici “you’ll never get a job“, non troverai mai un lavoro. Nel tempo il Lancashire ha superato tante crisi, oggi Manchester è un polo produttivo internazionale mentre Liverpool è appena stata capitale europea della cultura; ma ad Anfield come a Old Trafford nulla è cambiato, gridi “you fat bastard” a Rooney e persino di peggio a Gerrard anche se sei in libera uscita da una sofisticata vita da yuppie.

Nel 1996 la Nazionale Under 21 (allora allenata da Maldini padre), doveva giocare nella mia città, Caltanissetta, nel nuovo stadio di Pian del Lago (era stato aperto da meno di un anno). Avversaria era la Croazia. La federazione croata comunicò a quella italiana che avrebbe utilizzato maglie azzurre e rosse. Alchè i nostri dirigenti fornirono alla nostra nazionale le maglie bianche. Ma il giorno della partita… SORPRESA!!! La nazionale croata si presenta con le maglie bianche. Alchè, come da regolamento l’arbitro chiede alla nazionale italiana di cambiare le maglie ma… ARI-SORPRESA!!! Non ci sono maglie di riserva… I dirigenti federali trovano una soluzione: chiedono ai dirigenti della Nissa, la squadra di Caltanissetta (Serie D), di prestargli le maglie. Ma…. ARI-ARI-SORPRESA!!! La Nissa si allena, ed ha quindi il magazzino, nell’altro stadio cittadino, che si trova dall’altra parte della città! Si doveva fare in fretta, e quindi mandarono una pattuglia dei vigili urbani che, a sirene spiegate attraversò la città e tornò appena in tempo per non perdere la partita a tavolino. Quindi la Nazionale giocò quella partita con indosso la seconda maglia della Nissa, ossia in maglia rossa, con lo scudo sul petto cancellato con un pennarello. Perchè con la seconda maglia? Semplice: indovinate un po’ di che colore è la prima maglia della Nissa? Bianca, ovviamente!

A large fireball hung in the air, bright in the murky gloom of the small stone room. A strand of it fell, like rope, and fell onto the boy’s outstretched hand. The boy whispered, and it expanded, and twisted round the child’s small hand.
Two Nissá looked on, faces showing no hint of reaction. For a moment, all three were motionless, as if captured together as a still image. Then one of the Nissá spoke:
Do you think you could do that using your Water abilities?”The child nodded, nervously. He waved his flame-free hand over its partner, and the fire died down. Slowly a trickle of water started to flow from the open palm, flowing from nowhere, going to nowhere. The flow seemed to cling to the hand, covering it like the flame did.
“Very good child. No, can we see you manipulate the Wind?”
Nodding nervously again, the boy flicked both of his hands. A rushing sound filled the small room. The boys long, flowing hair started to spin around his head – testament to the powere of the wind that he had created.
“And, finally, can we see you use the Earth?”
The child didn’t even nod this time. He knelt on both knees, and waved his hands over the cold, hard stone that covered the floor. Slowly, ripples began to form, until the stones were moving as though they were made from water. The boy looked up hopefully at his two examiners.
“Very good,” The Nissá smiled. He gestured towards the door, and the boy obediantly moved off into the outer courtyard.

The two examining Níssa had gone through to the main school hub. Lessons had restarted after the exams, and now the hall was silent. It was vast – the beams that supported the enourmous roof had had to be cut from the largest trees in the land. It was a masterpiece of engineering, design, and it was the home of the Níssa of Gúrran.
The Níssa were a race of mages who believed in the trinity of the world. They viewed life as the middle of the Triad of life – preceded by absolute evil, and succeeded by absolute goodness. As a peoples, they were generally tall, dark-skinned, and quiet. They rarely traveled out of their cities, and, were it not for the bravery of a small few, would have thought that they were totally alone in the world. As such, they had limited contact with the tribe of Erelings in the forest that bordered one of the larger Níssan cities. The two peoples would meet, once every four of five years, to discuss the state of their respective homelands. These discussions were mostly for show, as neither party had any particular interest in the other. It was just a tradition.

Not the kids. Parents. Over-enthusiastic parents.

“Nissa’s so excited about using the potty!” exclaims her mother, very excitedly. “She sits on it even when she’s fully clothed, and she says ‘poo! poo!’”

Much as I hate to quash this enthusiasm, I know a few well-placed questions likely will. Nissa is 17 months old, and while it’s not impossible, it’s exceedingly unlikely she is anywhere near ready for potty training. It’s not impossible, and I know it, because I’ve seen a child fully trained at 19 months. Wet and dry, night and day, able to get himself to the potty without prompting, without adult intervention at all, except for help with hand-washing afterward. I’ve seen it. Once in 14 years.

She likes to sit on the potty. She also liked to stand in it and drop toys in it. Does that mean she’s ready to use it? Your three-month-old delights in kicking out against things held to the soles of his feet. Does that mean he’s ready to walk?

She’s on the way. She’s not there. Or, almost certainly not. I tell these eager parents that most children this age don’t have control over the sphincter muscles. They may be aware of the goings-on in the diaper, but they can’t control them.

“Does she know in advance that something is coming?”

“Well, sort of. She’ll say ‘poo! poo!’, but you have to get her there RIGHT THEN, because once she tells you, it’s pretty much happening.”

Dad laughs as he describes how, the previous evening, Nissa had been playing at his feet in his study. “She’d just finished her bath and was naked. I hadn’t dressed her yet because this email, it would just take a couple of minutes, right? So then she starts staying ‘poo! poo!’, and I grab her by the armpits and race to the bathroom, but the poo is falling onto the stairs as I run. Plop, plop, plop!”

Mom and Dad laugh together, beaming with affection.

Yes, well. They’re describing the problem, all right. She knows what’s happening when it’s happening. She doesn’t know in advance that it’s coming, and she can’t stop it once begun. She just recognizes the sensation.

Which is good! That is one of the intial steps: to know what’s happening and be able to label it. She feels pee and she correctly identifies what’s happening. She feels poo and can tell you about that, too.

But until she can actually predict its arrival and hold it in long enough to make it to a potty? Wasted effort. Any and all parental efforts that result in the stuff being deposited in a potty are evidences of the parents being trained, not the child. (And me? I do not need to be potty trained.)

I say all this (about the muscles and the necessity of being able to predict and hold). Respectfully, kindly. Mom’s jaw firms a bit. Dad scowls. This is not what they want to hear. Mom carries on, enthusiastic.

“Well, we won’t push it, but we’ll keep on with the potty. At least we’re getting her used to it, right?”

To my mind, plopping a child without muscle control onto a potty is pushing it, but so long as Nissa’s not being stressed out, so long as it’s an entertaining game for her, there’s no harm in it. But really? At this point it’s a pointless exercise. I certainly don’t have the patience for it.

“So long as she’s enjoying it, sure.”

“And she can use the potty here?”

(Won’t be pushing it, they say, as they push…)

“Sure. Any time she wants.”

Which is what we’ve done all along. What she does with it is play. She’ll be using it when she’s got control over those muscles and is developing some personal interest in the thing, rather than playing a fun new game with mommy and daddy.

In, oh, 10 or 12 or 15 months or so…

Picture by: BetseyJ of F-Stop photoblog.

For those interested in all things photography, I’ve come across a photography blog called “F-Stop.”

It’s provided by Fatlace, the same people entertaining us with Hellaflush

In this blog, I found a post that had a GT-R posing in the middle of two San Francisco streets, the busiest city in the Bay Area. I saw this and immediately jumped on this simply because these pictures are nicely done. The good thing about this blog is that they photographer goes through how the pictures were composed and at what settings and all of that jazz.

Click me to read more on this GT-R photoshoot

Deadly Perils, Priceless Treasures

Zendikar is a new world for Magic: The Gathering, and is the first set in the Zendikar block from the M10 core.

The set features 249 black-bordered cards, including randomly inserted premium versions of all cards in the set. It will be available in booster packs, intro packs, and fat packs.

Other things introduced are the new mechanics landfall, Allies, Traps, and quests. Landfall is an ability that will trigger once a land comes into play, having the possibility to play a land per turn as a basic game rule, and additional lands through many other ways.

There are new Planeswalkers as well Sorin Markov, Chandra Ablaze and the fav one, Nissa Revane.

Besides the normal lands, there will be full art lands as well. Also, the vampires make a legion. New merfolk for my deck and some worthy elves. The goblins don’t look too shabby either. The Kor soldiers have their own intro pack now: Kor Armory.

Until Zendikar hits the shelves of a shop near you, here’s some eye candy for the wicked!

More MTG news and feeds to follow. Stay tuned.

“Here’s some apples for Nissa.” A small heap of apple bits pours onto the table in front of the girl.

“And some apples for Noah.”

“One, two, free, sebben, TEN!” He’s at that endearing stage where he knows that numbers and actual quantity are somehow connected, but just exactly how is still pretty fuzzy.

As Noah ‘counts’ his apples, his pointer finger waves vaguely over the heap. There is no one-to-one correspondence in this boy’s life just yet, either. “Free, two, five, sebben, TEN!!”

First the rote counting, then the one-to-one. Everything in its season.

Noah continues counting, because really, there are a lot of small apple pieces in front of him. He understands that much.

“One, two, free, sebben, free, sebben, TEN!!!”

But somehow, he’s not encompassing the masses of apple bits, and he knows it. “Free, sebben, TEN!!”

Nissa’s been taking in his dilemma, silently. (Rather astonishing for the river of verbiage that is Nissa.)

Noah tries again. “One, two, one, two, one, free, sebben, sebben, sebben, TEN!!!”

Nissa sits up and throws her arms wide. SHE has the solution.

“T’OUZAN!”

Startled at first, Noah’s face brightens. “Touzan?”

“TOUZAN!!!”

Noah beams at Nissa, at his pile of apples, and declaims along with Nissa. “Touzan!!!”

“Touzan!” Now THAT’S a number!

A large fireball hung in the air, bright in the murky gloom of the small stone room. A strand of it fell, like rope, and fell onto the boy’s outstretched hand. The boy whispered, and it expanded, and twisted round the child’s small hand.
Two Nissá looked on, faces showing no hint of reaction. For a moment, all three were motionless, as if captured together as a still image. Then one of the Nissá spoke:
Do you think you could do that using your Water abilities?”The child nodded, nervously. He waved his flame-free hand over its partner, and the fire died down. Slowly a trickle of water started to flow from the open palm, flowing from nowhere, going to nowhere. The flow seemed to cling to the hand, covering it like the flame did.
“Very good child. No, can we see you manipulate the Wind?”
Nodding nervously again, the boy flicked both of his hands. A rushing sound filled the small room. The boys long, flowing hair started to spin around his head – testament to the powere of the wind that he had created.
“And, finally, can we see you use the Earth?”
The child didn’t even nod this time. He knelt on both knees, and waved his hands over the cold, hard stone that covered the floor. Slowly, ripples began to form, until the stones were moving as though they were made from water. The boy looked up hopefully at his two examiners.
“Very good,” The Nissá smiled. He gestured towards the door, and the boy obediantly moved off into the outer courtyard.

The two examining Níssa had gone through to the main school hub. Lessons had restarted after the exams, and now the hall was silent. It was vast – the beams that supported the enourmous roof had had to be cut from the largest trees in the land. It was a masterpiece of engineering, design, and it was the home of the Níssa of Gúrran.
The Níssa were a race of mages who believed in the trinity of the world. They viewed life as the middle of the Triad of life – preceded by absolute evil, and succeeded by absolute goodness. As a peoples, they were generally tall, dark-skinned, and quiet. They rarely traveled out of their cities, and, were it not for the bravery of a small few, would have thought that they were totally alone in the world. As such, they had limited contact with the tribe of Erelings in the forest that bordered one of the larger Níssan cities. The two peoples would meet, once every four of five years, to discuss the state of their respective homelands. These discussions were mostly for show, as neither party had any particular interest in the other. It was just a tradition.

Ok, so while scouring the web for some car stories, I recently came across this article:

Mixed reaction has surrounded the government’s Cash for Clunkers program, but after spending around $2.8 billion, some 700,000 new vehicles have found homes. But what got traded in? We’ve heard some horror stories, but now that the full list of executed vehicles has been released on the Cars.gov website and we’ve listed some of the oddities we found while snooping around. Many are down right hard to believe, suggesting either errors in the submission process, typos in the list or even some fudging by dealers who clunked a few vehicles that weren’t eligible. After the jump is a list of “Clunkers” that stood out. We can’t guarantee these all really went to the crusher, but they do appear on the list.

Follow the jump for a recap of the program’s eligibility requirements for trade-in vehicles and our full list. And we’d suggest having a box of tissues nearby.

[Source: Cars.gov]

We’ve outlined the rules of the government’s Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009 (CARS) program before, but we think a refresher is warranted before you browse the list below. Customers were able to bring in an old “clunker” no older than model year 1984 that got, at most, 18 mpg if they were buying a new vehicle with better mpg. That trade-in had to be in running condition and insured for at least one year prior to the trade. A rebate of $3,500-$4,500 for the trade was applied towards a new car purchase based on the difference in mpg between the old and the new vehicle. Dealers did most of the work, verifying the eligibility of the traded vehicle and seeing to it that the old cars were properly disposed of. That included disabling the engine and guaranteeing the cars were shredded before the government refunded the money.

NOTE: We find it hard to believe that many vehicles in the list below were actually destroyed through the Cash for Clunkers program, and while they may be officially on the list, their inclusion is more likely explained by an error in the submission process, typos or dealerships that managed to game the system.

Individual Vehicles

* 1987 Buick ASC GNX
* 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Volante
* 1997 Bentley Continental R
* 1989 20th Anniversary Pontiac Trans Am
* 1992 GMC Typhoon (no!)
* 1985 Audi Quattro
* 1992 BMW 850i
* 2006 Audi A4 Convertible
* 2006 Cadillac STS
* 2008 Foose F-150 (2)
* 2007 GMC Acadias (3)
* 2008 Hyundai Accent (see above)
* 2006 Nissan 350Z Roadster
* 2006 Roush Stage 3 F-150 (2)
* 2006 Toyota Corolla
* 2005 Mazda RX-8
* 2002 Kia Spectra
* 1988 Aurora Cobra kit car
* 1996 Buick Funeral Coaches/Hearses
* 1987 Duntov GT
* 1987 Excalibur Autos Phaeton
* 1990 Honda CRX (Less than 18 mpg?)
* 1985 Maserati Quattroporte
* 1999 Mercedes C43 AMG
* 1985 TVR 280i convertible

Groupings

* (18) Audi S4 and S6
* (31) AM General postal vehicles
* (24) Alfa Romeo 164
* (60) AMC Eagle
* (53) Audi A8
* (3,500+) BMWs including an M3, M5, Z3, 850i and (3) 740il Protection
* (52) Cadillac Allante
* (15) Cadillac Commercial Chassis/Limousines
* (1,007) Chevy Camaro
* (97) Chevy Corvette
* (5) AWD Chrysler 300
* (17) Chrysler Conquest
* (39) Chrysler TC by Maserati
* (3) Dodge Conquest
* (6) Dodge Daytona
* (210) Dodge Stealth
* (16) Eagle Talon
* (2) Federal Coach Lincoln Limo
* (2) Ford Aspire (didn’t these things get like 30 mpg?)
* (855) Ford Crown Victoria CNG
* (917) Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
* (14) USPS Ford Explorer
* (24) Ford F-150 SVT Lightning
* (1,611) Ford Mustang (so Mustang beats Camaro here)
* (107) Ford Taurus SHO (don’t tell Neff)
* (15) Isuzu Vehicross
* (1,047) Jaguars including (9) XJR, (2) XK8 and (96) XJS
* (3) Laforza SUV
* (6) Maseratis including a Biturbo and the 1985 Quattroporte
* (373) Mazda RX-7
* (5,000+) Mercedes-Benz including (142) SL, (3) S600, a 1994 E500, a 1992 500E, 1995 C36 and 1999 C43
* (26) Merkur Scorpio and (21) XR4Ti
* (187) Mitsubishi 3000GT
* (3) Mitsubishi Eclipse and (4) Starion
* (2) 1984 Nissan 200SX, (2) 1994 240SX and (381) 300ZX
* (1,935) Oldsmobile Aurora
* (22) Peugeot
* (87) Pontiac Aztek (more please), (61) Fiero and (569) Firebird/Trans Am/Formula
* (6) Porsche 928 including (2) S4
* (6) Porsche 944
* (597) Saab
* (3) Saturn
* (20) Sterling
* (173) Subaru including (123) SVX
* (327) Toyota Supra, including (4) final generation

Link to the story

Basically…. I feel very bad for a lot of these cars. Yes, I know they aren’t a form of life, but a lot of these were either classics or kind of new… for example.. a 2005 RX-8. Really? If it was in good condition, why would someone be dumb enough to trade it in. I don’t want to same people are stupid… but… people are stupid. Many people don’t know what their cars are worth. 4 MKIV Supras, which are already hard to find, were crushed? I don’t care if they were non-turbo or whatever (if they were turbo, I’d be pissed) but the fact that even the name won’t stop them from crushing the car and seizing the engine. There goes another classic: An RX-7. Really? Just even looking at the individual list makes me cringe. All of these cars contributed to the “economy getting better.” Hokay… who rights these legislation rules anyways? Seriously.

At first I thought, “Hey, this might be a good idea.” Now, after the list comes out… a big giant *facepalm* is all I can muster. I just gave myself a concussion. I blame the people who don’t know what their cars are really worth nowadays…

Just felt like ranting for the next few minutes before bed.

Last thought:

1997 Bentley Continental R…… $250,000 back in its day reduced to a mere $4,500….

Click that and read away… Sad results.

This caught my eye:

The 2008 model year vehicles deemed clunkers ranged from a Scion xD to 10 Mercury Grand Marquis sedans to two copies of special edition F-150 pickups, sporting 450-hp V8s and Chip Foose-designed paint jobs.

Tsk tsk… should have at least given a year restriction on the cars.

Selama ini pasar medium sedan menjadi milik Honda Accord dan Toyota Camry. Memang ada pesaing lain yaitu Mazda6, namun masih sulit menggusur dua nama di atas. Nah, kini ada pendatang baru yang diklaim siap merebut pasar yaitu Nissan All New Teana.

Sedan yang dilansir PT Nissan Motor Indonesia (NMI) sebenarnya tidak baru-baru amat. Teana sudah diperkenalkan di Indonesia sejak 2004. Lalu apa yang membuat NMI yakin dengan jualannya kali ini?

Jawabannya (salah satunya) adalah harga jual. Yup, NMI melansir Teana di angka Rp 475 juta. Banderol ini jauh jauh berbeda dibandingkan varian bermesin 2.4 liter milik Accord maupun Camry. Dari tiga model Accord bertransmisi otomatis dijual (VTi, SE, dan VTi-L) dijual di kisaran Rp 438 sampai Rp 477 juta. Sedangkan dua model Camry (2.4 G dan 2.4 V) dilansir di angka Rp 457,9 juta dan Rp 485,4 juta.

Tapi apakah hanya itu yang bakal diandalkan Nissan? Jelas tidak. “Banyak perubahan dilakukan di Teana terbaru ini. Ada lima selling point baru yang meliputi desain, performa, kenyamanan, fitur dan safety,” kata Teddy Irawan, Deputy Director National Sales & Promotion PT NMI.

Dari segi tampilan, banyak perubahan yang dilakukan pada Teana baru ini. Mulai dari headlamp dengan desain baru, lampu xenon, lampu kombinasi belakang yang dipasangi LED, desain front bumper, rear bumper, front grill, serta side molding yang juga baru.

Gubahan di sektor kenyamanan juga dilakukan. Yang terbaru adalah penggunaan suspensi Mc Pherson Strut di bagian depan dan Multilink untuk kenyamanan penumpang di belakang.

Dapur mesin juga menjadi daya jual All New Teana. Maklum, mesin berkode VQ25DE berteknologi V6, DOHC, 24 Valve, CVTC ini kapasitasnya dinaikkan menjadi 2.500 cc dari sebelumnya yang hanya 2.300cc. Tentu saja peningkatan ini berpengaruh pada performa yang dihasilkan. Teana baru mampu menggelontorkan tenaga maksimal 182,2 PS di 6000 rpm dan torsi hingga 228 Nm di 4.400 rpm.

Guna menunjang performa mesin, Nissan memasang teknologi CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)khas Nissan yang disebutnya Xtronic. CVT Nissan dilengkapi torque converter, seperti transmisi otomatik konvensional.

Sistem dilengkapi pula dengan adaptive shift control (ASC). Dengan fitur ini, transmisi akan melakukan perpindahan gigi secara otomatis sesuai dengan gaya setiap pengemudi. Caranya, cukup menekan tombol yang berada di depan tongkat transmisi.

“Teana mengandalkan mesin V6 dan kelebihan fitur yang lebih banyak dibandingkan kompetitor. Konsep All-New Teana adalah Modern, Luxury dan Relax,” kata Teddy.

Tinggal pembuktiannya ya, Pak…

SPESIFIKASI

Mesin: V6, DOHC, 24 Valve, CVTC
Kapasitas: 2.496 cc
Tenaga: 134 kW (182 ps) @ 6.000 rpm
Torsi: 228 Nm (23.2 kgm) @ 4.400 rpm
Transmisi: XTRONIC CVT
Dimensi (pxlxt): 4.850 x 1.795 x 1.485 mm
Wheelbase: 2.775 mm
Sistem suspensi: Independent McPherson Strut (depan); Multi-link independent (belakang)
Sistem rem: Ventilated Disc (depan); Solid Disc (belakang)
Harga: Rp 475 juta

(Tulisan ini dimuat di Koran Tempo, edisi Minggu, 23 Agustus 2009, hal. C8)

Jakarta, 13 Agustus 2009 – PT Nissan Motor Indonesia (NMI) kembali meresmikan satu dealer resminya untuk wilayah Jabodetabek, yaitu Nissan Pajajaran, Bogor.

Nissan Pajajaran Bogor mulai beroperasi secara resmi pada Agustus 2009 dan merupakan outlet Nissan ke-18 untuk wilayah Jabodetabek yang memberikan layanan 3 S, yaitu sales (penjualan), service (bengkel) serta spare part (suku cadang). Dealer ini telah menerapkan RVI (retail visual identity) sesuai dengan standard RVI Nissan Jepang.

“Penambahan outlet Nissan di wilayah Jabodetabek adalah untuk memberikan pelayanan kepada customer kami di wilayah ini, selain tentunya untuk meningkatkan penjualan Nissan di wilayah Bogor,” kata Teddy Irawan, Deputy Director Sales & Marketing NMI di Jakarta, Kamis.

Nissan Pajajaran menempati bangunan seluas 1.975 m2 di atas lahan 1.400 m2, dapat menampung empat unit display.

Bengkel Nissan Pajajaran memiliki 8 bays, dan mampu melayani sekitar 20 mobil perhari. Disediakan ruang tunggu yang nyaman dan representative, full AC, dengan layanan wifi dan smoking area.

“Hingga akhir tahun 2013 kami berencana untuk menambah jaringan dealer di seluruh Indonesia menjadi lebih dari 80 outlet. Penambahan outlet-outlet Nissan di berbagai wilayah ini adalah untuk mendukung target penjualan jangka menengah Nissan sebesar 40.000 unit di tahun 2011,” tambah Teddy.

Nissan Pajajaran beralamat di Jalan Pajajaran No.55, Bogor Tengah, Bogor, Jawa Barat, telepon: 62-251-8326175, fax: 62-251-8326542

In questi mesi ricorre un anniversario importante, ma di cui non vi parlerà mai nessuno: il ventennale di uno dei casi più clamorosi di noncuranza per i diritti e la salute del consumatore-automobilista. Non se ne parla perché è una vicenda scomoda, tenuta il più possibile nascosta dal protagonista in negativo (che è la Fiat, non l’ultima officina di sotto casa che nulla potrebbe se la stampa volesse metterla alla gogna) e chiusa senza una condanna penale (ma solo perché la denuncia penale alla fine è stata ritirata: che ci sia stata una transazione?).

Ma io su questa vicenda ho ragionevoli certezze che fosse fondata, perché ho indagato di persona nel 2002, quando facevo un lavoro che – non prevedendo la produzione di pagine in continuazione – mi lasciava il tempo per farlo (anche se certo la mia attività d’inchiesta non era graditissima ai piani alti del mio giornale dell’epoca, come dimostrano il poco spazio che mi fu dato per scriverne e un invito a lasciar perdere, sul quale però sapevano di non trovare terreno fertile e quindi alla fine mi lasciarono fare).

Sto parlando delle infiltrazioni di gas di scarico (e che gas: all’epoca il catalizzatore c’era solo in Germania) nell’abitacolo delle medie del grupp Fiat dell’epoca (in particolare, Fiat Tipo e Lancia Dedra). Pochi mesi dopo il lancio sul mercato – vent’anni fa, appunto – si accorsero che c’era stato un errore di progettazione nell’aerodinamica e decisero che rimediare in pieno sarebbe stato troppo costoso e decisero semplicemente di tappare una delle bocchette di sfogo dell’aria viziata all’esterno (sotto il paraurti posteriore), che in queste auto funzionavano al contrario (aspiravano i gas di scarico verso l’abitacolo anziché far uscire l’aria dell’interno vettura, ”appesantita” dal respiro dei passeggeri).

Continua la lettura qui: http://mauriziocaprino.blog.ilsole24ore.com/2009/08/dalla-camera-a-gas-delle-dedra-di-ventanni-fa-al-bosco-dentro-la-nissan-di-oggi.html

«Non è un giocattolo. È un’auto vera». Con queste parole Carlos Ghosn, ceo di Nissan, ha presentato in Giappone la Leaf («foglia» in italiano), l’auto elettrica che arriverà sul mercato giapponese e Usa il prossimo anno e in Europa nel 2012. Non è un prototipo, né tanto meno una minicar, ma una vera automobile con 5 porte, 5 posti, adatta a un uso cittadino (ma non solo) e senza compromessi in termini di abitabilità. In più la Nissan Leaf potrà giocare, grazie a un design interessante, la carta della personalità, che finora è mancata a tutte le auto ecologiche, ibride comprese.

Il motore della Leaf è naturalmente un elettrico (80 kW) azionato da batterie al litio che la Casa giapponese produce nello stabilimento di Oppama insieme alla Nec, nella partnership chiamata AESC. Le batterie si trovano sotto il pianale e danno un’autonomia di 160 km. Il tutto avviene a zero emissioni allo scarico, mentre per il conteggio globale della CO2 bisognerà sempre tenere in considerazione le emissioni generate durante la produzione di energia elettrica necessaria a ricaricare le batterie.

Grazie ai nuovi sistemi al litio, è possibile ricaricare la Nissan Leaf in meno di 30 minuti dell’80% della carica delle batterie, mentre alla normale presa casalinga ci vorranno sempre 6-8 ore. «L’autonomia dell’auto è sufficiente a garantire gli spostamenti quotidiani dell’80% di americani, giapponesi ed europei», ha affermato Ghosn, con una velocità massima di oltre 140 km/h.  (Nota di Pao: Una velocità esagerata in ambito cittadino, ma ricordiamoci che nasce come city-car, ma che se potrà essere utilizzata anche in ambito extraurbano, sarà tanto di guadagnato per tutti…)

Sulla Leaf ci potrà essere spazio per un pannello fotovoltaico: «Stiamo valutando la possibilità di inserirne uno sul tetto, utile non per ricaricare le batterie ma per alimentare alcune funzioni elettriche a bordo dell’auto, come l’aria condizionata», ci ha confidato Shiro Nakamura, responsabile del design Nissan. Il prezzo della Leaf non è stato ancora definito ma, «sarà uguale a quello di un’auto della stessa categoria con il motore tradizionale», assicura ancora Ghosn.

Prezzo che non comprenderà le batterie, che saranno fornite, come avviene oggi con il telefonino, in comodato d’uso: il cliente comprerà solamente l’auto e pagherà un canone mensile per le batterie, comprensivo anche della “ricarica elettrica”.

Tutto pronto per la rivoluzione elettrica? Sembrerebbe di sì. Le prime Nissan Leaf saranno destinate alle flotte e arriveranno ai privati in un secondo momento. Le batterie al litio sono innovative, ma la loro capacità d’energia è ancora bassa (sulla Leaf ci sono 24 kWh, pari a circa 7 litri di benzina). In più costano care: circa 8.000 euro quelle della Leaf. In ultimo, non esistono, salvo rare eccezioni, stazioni di ricarica per le batterie e non tutti possiedono un box dove ricaricare la sera l’auto.

Sarà fondamentale l’azione di supporto dei governi e delle amministrazioni. Non è un caso, dl resto, che alla presentazione della Leaf ci fosse anche l’ex primo ministro giapponese Junichiro Koizumi, il cui esecutivo per primo ha incentivato l’acquisto dell’auto elettrica pagando l’80% della differenza di prezzo con un’auto tradizionale (in questo caso, batterie comprese). Una strategia del “cammino comune”, amministrazione e industria, accettata in pieno da Nissan (e più in generale dall’Alleanza Renault-Nissan), che ha firmato 30 accordi in tutto il mondo.

Carlos Ghosn è stato chiaro: «Porteremo la Leaf e le sue zero emissioni solo nei mercati in cui l’auto elettrica è supportata dai governi dal punto di vista economico e di infrastrutture». Come dire: per gli altri, la rivoluzione potrà attendere.

Alessandro Marchetti Tricamo – www.corriere.it

“Nissa! FREEZE! Tyler’s fingers are in that door! Don’t shut it!”

“Spit that out. What is it? Eeew? Where did you FIND this?”

“Out of the doggie’s house, you. You know you’re not to go in there.”

“That’s Tyler/Noah/Emily/Timmy’s book/toy/game/puzzle/article of clothing/body part. Give it back, miss.”

“Indie doesn’t like it when you sit on her head. Off.”

“Noah doesn’t like it when you sit on his head. Off.”

“Tyler doesn’t like it when you — Nissa! Stop sitting on people’s heads!”

“What on earth is Tyler’s boot doing on the dining room table? … What’s that, Emily? Nissa did it? Did you see her? … Well, unless you saw her, we can’t really… oh, never mind. I’m sure you’re right.”

“Did you fall off the bench, sweetie? I will kiss it better — and YOU will stay off the bench, silly girl!”

“Those are not your shoes. Put them back in Emily’s bucket, please.”

“Blocks stay in the kitchen, sweetie. Back you go.”

“Off the stairs, young lady.”

“We sit on the couch, we don’t jump on it.”

“Nissa, if you keep swinging on the sheers, you are going to pull that whole curtain rod down on your head. Let go.”

“I am reading THIS book to everyone. We will read that book later.”

“No, THIS book. I will read that one next.”

“OW! Nissa! That hurt. Books are not for shoving up my nose. I am holding that book now.”

“We are playing Sleeping Bunnies, baby. You can be a bunny, or you can play a different game over there, but you cannot drop blocks on their heads.”

“Where is your other shoe, Noah? We can’t go out until we find your other — oh, thanks, Emily. Where did you find it?” (Three guesses, first two don’t count.)

“LOOK at this puddle! How you can get so much water out of a leak-proof cup, child, I will never know. Here’s the rag, baby. Wipe it up.”

“Goodness, Tyler. How did you get that red mark on your forehead? Did you bump yourself? You did? On Nissa’s head? When she was hugging you? Oh, look, Nissa has a red mark, too…”

“Did you pinch your fingers? Well, that’s what that elastic band is for hon — to keep your fingers out of that cupboard. Away you go!”

“Oh, Emily, what a fabulous block tower! Did you do that all yoursel–oh, Nissa!”

“You SIT on the tricycle seat, baby. SIT on it!”

… Or maybe that was just three minutes. I tend to lose count…

“Okay, everybody. Hang on.”

We’ve packed our drinks and our snacks. We’ve visited the potty, or had diapers checked/changed. We’ve put on shoes and hats, we’ve gathered sand toys, we’ve grabbed the diaper bag, we’ve hauled the stroller down off the porch. (The two-seater. With so many older toddlers, I’m not using the four-seater much this summer.)

The rain has stopped!! The sun is shining!!! It is tropically humid (ugh), but, after days and days of being housebound, we are ready to GO!

As I buckle Nissa into one seat of the stroller and toss a bag or two into the empty seat, the other four arrange themselves around the stroller. There are four hanging-on spots: front right and left, rear right and left. (Well, five, if you count me, but given that I propel this little circus, I’m no mere hanger-on. I’m the flippin’ engine.)

There is a small kerfuffle when both Tyler and Noah attempt to inhabit the same six square inches of space on the rear left. You know how sometimes you watch toddlers do things, you know they’re going to do them, you know it’s just one of those toddler things, but you still find yourself wondering WHY? WHY do you not see there’s someone there already? WHY do you try to fit in the same spot, anyway? And when the first child objects to being stepped on and squashed over, WHY do you object to his objection?

I’m not even exasperated. I’m just curious. How DO their wee minds work? (Or not.)

“Not there, Tyler. Noah’s already holding on there. You go to the other side.”

(Bet you thought that was me. Sure sounds like me, huh? Not this time. That was Emily. Because she is smart and articulate and Knows The Drill. And Tyler is her Baby Brother, and she is quite the mini-mum.)

Tyler trots round to the other side. He’s used to doing what his sister tells him. Emily nods her approval. There. NOW we are ready.

We have the two Big Kids (almost four!!) at the front, the two Middle Ones (almost two!) at the back, and Nissa, resident kamikaze baby, securely strapped in. There is a method to this.

The Big Kids can be directed verbally, so they can be at the front, out of arm’s reach (though not by much). The Middle Kids are responsive to verbals, but they’re impulsive and slower to register verbal instructions and so often need a hand to guide — or grab — them. And Nissa? If I let Nissa walk to the park, she’d run under a bus, eat something poisonous, and fall down a manhole before we even got to the end of the block.

There’s no way on God’s green earth I am letting that child wander free by the river… Emily, as she does from time to time, appears to be reading my mind.

“I can be up here, because I am a Big Girl.”

“That’s right, Emily. You and Timmy are both Big.”

“And Tyler and Noah have to be back there, close to you, because they’re not big.”

“Right again.” That seems to be the end of the conversation, so, curious, I give it a nudge.

“And Nissa?”

Emily laughs, a high-pitched river of giggles. “Oh, Nissa HAS to be in the stroller, because she is a Cuh-RAZY baby!”

Berkaitan dengan inovasi yang menarik dan berteknologi tinggi, baru-baru ini Nissan mulai memperkenalkan sebuah prototip mobil listrik terbarunya. Prototip ini berdasarkan pada rancangan mobile Versa yang sudah ada. Mobil ini memiliki kekuatan 108 horsepower atau 206 pound-feet kendaraan listrik untuk mengendalikan ban depannya, dan baterei ion lithium 24 kWh yang menempel di bawah mobil untuk menampung tenaga listrik, dengan sebuah jangkauan yang diharapkan sejauh 100 miles.

Untuk sesuatu yang bergaya, prototip terbaru ini memiliki sebuah sistem navigasi yang akan memperlihatkan keadaan batereinya pada saat ini, dan jangkauan jarak tempuh saat ini, serta kemampuan cepat mendownload informasi mengenai lokasi stasiun pengisian batereinya.

Selain itu, pada produk Nissan yang satu ini juga memiliki sebuah prototip pengoperasian sebuah iPhone app yang saat mengemudi memungkinkan penggunanya berkomunikasi dengan pengendali jarak jauh kendaraannya dan mencari tempat pengisian listriknya.

1. Go to Dollar Store for more of those bright blue buckets. Aren’t they cute?

They’re intended for a mop, but they make TERRIFIC block/toy storage units, they fit on my shelves perfectly, and they have handles for toting hither and yon. Perfect. AND, they’re a buck each. Even more perfect!

2. Prevent Nissa from killing herself.

Item number two will be far more challenging…

Un articolo di Valerio Monaco – www.wired.it

Il nuovo trend dei costruttori d’auto è diffondere la cultura della mobilità sostenibile. Così il veicolo eco compatibile diventa politicamente corretto e fa moda. La nuova società lo vuole perché è chic. E le case automobilistiche si rifanno il trucco con un’immagine più pulita fatta di pubblicità e nomi “green”.

Per il pubblico, però, c’è confusione tra chi progetta slogan e chi fa sul serio. Esce dal coro l’Alleanza Renault-Nissan. Punta tutto sul fronte elettrico. E alla faccia della crisi si prepara a lanciare una gamma di veicoli a propulsione elettrica.

Ma Renault non si limita alle sole auto. Progetta anche un modello di business per garantire la mobilità dei veicoli elettrici, a cominciare da una nuova generazione di batterie agli ioni di litio.

Senza fonte di energia, si sa, l’auto elettrica è solo un bell’oggetto che incuriosisce e fa immagine. Renault, invece, vuole venderle, ricaricarle e organizzarne la mobilità sul territorio. Un modello di business organizzato in patnership con governi, amministrazioni locali e società fornitrici di energia elettrica.

Il programma è facile da spiegare. Dal 2011 l’Alleanza Renault-Nissan lancia la sua gamma di veicoli elettrici:

•    Il primo è una berlina media, simile alla Megane.

•    Poi arriverà una “multispazio” Kangoo Express in versione commerciale.

•    Le auto più “futuribili” arrivano dal 2012.

•    Saranno una city car e una compatta solo elettriche.

•    A seguire sarà commercializzata anche una gamma di veicoli elettrici pensati per soddisfare ogni esigenza, pronti a competere per prezzo e prestazioni con le auto a carburanti fossili.

Il modello di business Renault consiste in un sistema di acquisto e gestione  studiato per favorirne la diffusione e la mobilità dei veicoli elettrici.

•    Le auto, ad esempio, saranno vendute prive delle batterie che saranno cedute con formule di leasing

•    L’energia per la ricarica, invece, sarà fatturata con una nuova formula basata sul consumo medio mensile del singolo utente.

Un programma nuovo per l’auto, ma che somiglia molto a quelli utilizzati di recente dai gestori della telefonia cellulare e dell’energia elettrica per le case.

Per preparare il nuovo modello di business l’Alleanza Renault-Nissan sta siglando gli accordi con Stati, regioni e città nel mondo. Tra questi Israele (insieme con il progetto Better Place di Shai Agassi), Danimarca e Portogallo.

Per la fornitura dell’energia Renault sigla nuovi accordi anche con le società dell’energia, come la francese EDF, la svizzera EOS, o come la britannica Elektromotive specializzata nella realizzazione di infrastrutture per la ricarica.

In Italia Renault ha allo studio nuove partnership con amministrazioni comunali e compagnie elettriche per lo sviluppo di infrastrutture dedicate alla mobilità ad emissioni zero e alla promozione dei veicoli elettrici.

I primi progetti pilota italiani prenderanno il via nel 2010 nelle città di Milano e Brescia. Un bel passo, finalmente, che segna l’inizio di una cooperazione su vasta scala mirata ad avviare un sistema concreto e funzionale per una più salutare mobilità sostenibile.