With the invention of the car came the desire for speed. Cars quickly evolved from practical to sporty to satisfy the desires of those that wanted to race.

The first sports cars started to appear at the latter end of the 1940′s. Ferrari, Lotus, Jaguar and Porsche all had sporting road car designs. When you think of today’s supercars you think of sleek design, high speed, high power and even higher price tags and the sports cars of the 1940’s were the first steps towards today’s technological wonders.

Throughout the 1950′s and early 1960′s sports car performance progressed. 1954 saw the arrival of the Meredes 300 SL Gullwing – the first road car to top 150mph. It was capable of a top speed of 165mph and is now considered to be one of the all time classic road cars.

The Gullwing was first shown at the 1954 New York Motor Show and it wowed the public. It has distinctive ‘gull wing’ doors and was made from a lightweight aluminium body. The Gullwing had a 3 litre engine and 240bhp, and in its day was the fastest production car available.

1400 Gullwings were built between 1954 and 1957. The design was superceded by the open Roadster.

It was Ford that created what many people believe to be the first supercar. Their GT40 made its debut at the Nurburgring in 1964 but it wasn’t until 1966 that Ford took their place in American racing history by finishing Le Mans in the top three positions, beating Ferrari. The GT40 has now won more prestigious races than any other road racing car in history.

The Lamborghini Miura made supercar history because it was the first production car to feature a mid-mounted engine (normally only seen on F1 cars). It looked radically different to any road car that had come before. The Miura was unveiled to the world in 1965 at the Turin Auto Show by Ferrucio Lamborghini himself and was named after Spanish fighting bulls due to the aggressive body styling.

In terms of pure speed, after the 150mph title was claimed, 200 mph was the next great speed barrier to try for. The prize for that went to the Ferrari F40 – the last car commissioned by Enzo Ferrari and revealed on Ferrari’s 40th birthday.

The F40 was available between 1987 and 1992. Its top speed was 201mph and it managed 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds.

The F40 is rated by many as the greatest supercar of all.

The price of an F40 reached in excess of half a million pounds during the late 1980′s and even now is holding its price well.

The SSC Ultimate Aero TT (made by Shelby Supercars) is the world’s fastest production car to date with a top speed of 257mph. The Guiness World record run clocked the car in at 255.8mph. The 2009 version can reach speeds of 270mph and is reported to accelerate from 0-60mph in 2.7 seconds!

Modern technology has allowed the creation of some amazing cars. They have come a long way but are not yet at the peak of design so it remains to be seen what the cars of the future wow us with.

For a chance to get behind the wheel of a Lamborghini today you can do a web search for Lamborghini hire Hertfordhire, Lamborghini hire London or another geographical type search to find a super car hire place near you.

Private High Schools can offer International Recognition with AP Curriculum

Outside the U.S., universities in more than 60 countries accept AP in their admissions processes. For this reason, students who are planning on taking extra curriculum at a junior college may wish to think twice about taking an Advanced Placement course at their high school or a school that offers AP. Not all community college courses will be accepted for transfer credit, and may possibly end up being a waste of time and effort. In northern California, several Silicon Valley Private Schools are able to provide these Advanced Placement classes.

Individual colleges and universities, not the College Board or the Advanced Placement Program, set criteria for granting admission to their respective programs. AP Exam performance is generally considered within the applicant’s complete academic transcript. Because these subjects are graded on a 5 point scale, top students can obtain a GPA of over 4.0.

Grade Point Averages of 4.2 or more are usually the norm for admission to the best colleges. If your child can’t get an Advanced Placement course at your neighborhood public school, try calling a private high school. Cambrian International Academy is only one of the Bay Area private schools offering AP classes on a full time or class-by-class basis. Some will even provide the classes in the evening or on a weekend.

Because admission policies vary from school to school, interested applicants should get in touch with the institution directly for more information about application procedures and policies. Pertinent contact information and URLs are provided on the College Board website.

Article provided by Dave Delgado
Headmaster, Cambrian International Academy

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After reading this article, please visit the author’s Doula in San Antonio website for more pictures, articles, and information.

Why should you breastfeed your baby? Here are just a few of the many reasons:

1. Breastmilk is designed to be the perfect food for your baby.
2. Breastfeeding boosts your baby’s immune system, preventing and minimizing many sicknesses.
3. It helps prevent allergies, especially if you breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months.
4. Breastfeeding also helps prevent ear infections, childhood obesity, diarrhea and constipation, promotes proper jaw, teeth and speech development, and reduces the risk of SIDS.
5. Breastmilk is sterile and always ready the moment your baby needs it, which makes it perfectly convenient!
6. Breastfeeding is calming, comforting and promotes bonding between you and your baby.
7. Studies have shown that the longer a mother breastfeeds throughout her life, the lower her chances are of getting breast cancer.

Getting off to a good start with breastfeeding can be a challenge, but it is well worth it. Breastfeed your baby as soon as possible after the birth, preferably within one hour. Hold your baby skin-to-skin; this will encourage him to latch on, among many other benefits. Make sure your baby is latched on well from the start – don’t be afraid to ask for help from your nurse, doula, midwife, lactation consultant, or experienced friend.

You should not be separated from your baby, “rooming in” is better for both mother and baby. Do not give artificial nipples to your baby or allow anyone else to do so. Nurse your baby as often as he is hungry, for as long as he wants to suck. Supplements are rarely needed, and most of the time when supplementation is recommended, there are alternative feeding methods that can be used to maintain exclusive breastfeeding. Contact a good lactation consultant if you have questions about what you are being told.

Here are some basics for good positioning and latch-on. Make sure you are comfortable, with lots of pillows for support, Baby should be on his side, tummy to tummy with you. Support your breast with the hand closest to the baby’s head, and the baby’s head and neck with your other hand. Start with baby’s chin touching the breast first, then let the baby touch the nipple and wait for his mouth to open wide. Bring the baby to the breast, not the breast to the baby, and aim the nipple for the roof of baby’s mouth, you want his mouth to be open wide and covering as much of the areola as possible. You can tell that the baby is drinking when you hear him swallowing and he is sucking deeply and pausing with each suck.

This information is intended to be merely supportive in nature. Please contact your physician or a lactation consultant for diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

The author Brenda Minica CD (CBI) is a birth and labor doula in San Antonio. She has 6 children and has breastfed for a total of nearly 12 years so far.