Author Archives: Contributor

Controversy Surrounding the Use of Roadways in the Adirondack Mountains Puts Snowmobile Enthusiasts at Odds with Environmental Conservationists

Home to Mount Marcy, New York’s highest peak at 5,344 feet, the Adirondack Mountains in the state’s northern region are beloved by locals and tourists alike. Cold, snowy winters make sports like skiing and snowmobiling extremely popular in the region, but the Adirondack Park Agency and local law enforcement have regulated use of snowmobiles in the area — or so they’ve said.

In 2012, the state committed to buy 20,758 acres of forest land within the Adirondack Park. Since the area is part of a wildlife conservatory, there is now a question of how much of the land will be available to motor vehicles, like cars and snowmobiles.

The Adirondack Park Agency has yet to decide the proper jurisdiction, but some area organizations have suggestions.

The Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages has suggested that an old logging road should remain open in order to access a series of three connecting ponds. The Boreas Ponds offer commanding views of the area mountaintops, giving kayakers and canoers the illusion that they are paddling atop a mountain peak.

The association want the ponds to remain accessible to the public by road, so that more people can drive up to enjoy the area’s groundbreaking beauty. The group also suggests allowing mountain bikes on the trails surrounding the ponds.

Without road access, people would have to hike eight miles from the nearest road in order to get to the ponds.

Another group, the Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, believes that the road to the ponds should be closed to all motorized access, including snowmobiles. The advocates say that this would preserve the area’s uniqueness.

According to the Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, allowing snowmobiles and other vehicles to access these roads increases the risk of introducing invasive species to the area. For example, Japanese knotweed has been found along the newest trail between the towns of Newcomb and Minerva. The plant grows in disturbed areas and along roadsides throughout the Adirondack Park.

While many residents and tourists have been grateful for the addition of a snowmobile trail, the Wilderness Advocates as well as other organizations within the area are distressed over the state of the park’s preservation.

“The political reality is we have a governor who wants to build a snowmobile trail,” said Peter Bauer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks, referring to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s previously stated support for such a trail.

The Adirondack Park Agency will begin hearings on Nov. 9, 2016 before making a decision.

Green Vehicle Company Unveils 100% Electric Police Utility Terrain Vehicle

Many law enforcement and public safety patrol units already use utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) as a way to save money on gas — and help save the environment, too. But a new police-oriented UTV in development could take those savings to a whole new level.

The Xtreme Green Electric Vehicles company showcased their new XFORCE PRO UTV at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) 2016 Expo last week in San Diego. The booth also featured several other all-electric personal vehicles and small all-terrain vehicles.

“This new vehicle here will do anything that a gas vehicle will do,” Neil Roth, chief operating officer of Xtreme Green Electric Vehicles, said of the XFORCE PRO UTV. “The exciting part is that if you replace a gas version of this with ours, you’ll reduce carbon emissions by 10 times. The gas versions of this are four-by-fours with no catalytic converters to protect the environment.”

The XFORCE PRO UTV also features a heavy-duty break system, a full-color center console and instrument panel, power steering, and independent suspension for off-roading. And it does it all on a lithium ion phosphate battery — no gas required.

“Obviously, there’s also a smell and a noise factor,” Roth admitted. “But the real reason to go into electric is that it makes sense from a financial point of view.”

Roth estimates that for every $1,000 of gas spent on a regular vehicle, his UTVs cost only $10 to run. The XFORCE PRO UTV can get up to 60 miles on a single charge, though the company also offers larger battery options that offer up to 100 miles per charge. Full charges take only a few hours, depending on size and voltage — much like how the iPhone 6 takes 50 minutes to charge with a 12-watt USB power adapter, but the iPhone 6 Plus takes 2.5 hours. And because the UTV’s batteries are lithium, charges can be topped off while only half-full without depleting the battery life.

Xtreme Green Electric Vehicles also makes small electric vehicles catered to military, mining, and Fire/EMS industries. Roth started the company out of his garage in 2005, and now employs about two dozen workers at his Las Vegas manufacturing facility.

Rich Parents Use Charity Funds to Pay for Their Kids Ski Trips

Some rich parents in the United Kingdom have received millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money to help fund ski trips for their children.

According to the Daily Mail, these rich parents exploited the Government’s Gift Aid program, which is designed to top off charitable donations by creating “bespoke” funds to pay for ski trips to luxury resorts and pay for equipment and other ski expenses.

In the U.S., more than 14.3 million tons of donated textiles help clothe people and families across the world. But this charity focused more on paying for luxury ski trips for well-off families rather than provide assistance to those in need.

“It’s shocking that a well-intentioned tax relief has been used this way,” said Margaret Hodge, Labor MP.

Two prominent members of the charity, although they do not oversee day-to-day activities, are property developer Sir John Ritblat and Margaret Thatcher’s former Sports Minister Lord Moynihan.

“This has been an open secret in the skiing community for years,” a source told the Daily Mail. “A lot of these are privately educated children from wealthy parents who have been exploiting the system for financial gain.”

Across the Atlantic Ocean, other scams perhaps aren’t as high profile, but are still affecting vulnerable people.

The Ledger reports that the Polk Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida announced the arrest of an Internet con artist who was connected to a banking scam in Polk County.

Robert Ratkovic was arrested during the summer and charged with grand theft, money laundering, and fraud. Ratkovic was part of a $1.2 million scam.

“If somebody’s trying to give you money who you don’t know, it’s too good to be true,” said Sheriff Grady Judd at a news conference addressing the recent online scams. “If you want to give your money away, pick your favorite charity and watch your money at work. Don’t give it to criminals.”

Despite New Study, Monster Renews Sponsorship Deal With MotoGP

Monster Energy will remain a prominent sponsor of various motor sporting events over the next few years. After a renewal agreement with Dorna Sports, Monster Energy will at least be a motorsports sponsor for three years.

“MotoGP is what Monster Energy is all about,” said Rodney Sacks, CEO of Monster Beverage. “Speed, unreal skill, and keeping the throttle open a little bit longer than the other guys. In other words living life on the edge. Our athletes who compete for us in all three MotoGP classifications speak for us. And nowhere do they speak louder than on the global stage that is MotoGP. The best riders, the best teams, the best circuits and the best events in the world. We are very proud to be a part of it.”

According to RoadRacing World, Monster has helped many Dorna Sports riders over the years gain notoriety thanks to their largely successful brand.

Monster Energy started in the early 2000s and has significantly grown since then, especially in the extreme and motorsports industries.

Despite the brand loyalty, there have been a few documented negatives about Monster and other energy drinks. Monster, Rockstar, and Red Bull are actually twice as likely to result in tooth enamel loss in comparison to Gatorade, Powerade, and Propel.

Another — perhaps strange — negative regarding Monster and energy drinks is their recent correlation with drunk driving.

ARS Technica reports that highly caffeinated beverages like energy drinks have been linked to drunk driving, even when no actual traces of alcohol were reported.

“The results shed light on the complexity of the relationship between energy drink consumption patterns and important public health problem: drunk driving,” said Amelia Arria, a public health researcher at the University of Maryland.

After a six-year study examining 1,000 college students, researchers found that the more non-alcoholic energy drinks a person consumed, the more likely they were to drive drunk. The study was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.