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Exotic Erotic Ball Celebrates 30th Halloween With Great Deals On Travel

Exotic Erotic Ball Celebrates 30th Halloween with Great Deals on Travel

Famous Freedom-Fest takes over Radisson, Offers $669 Package, Announces Amazing Entertainment Line-up

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Perry Mann's Exotic Erotic Ball, the legendary San Francisco event which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary October 23 and 24 at the Cow Palace Arena, has announced the best travel values in its history.

The Radisson Hotel Bay Front in Brisbane - only a few short miles from the venue, and featuring a heated indoor pool and an award-winning restaurant on premises - has blocked entire floors for Exotic Erotic Ball guests at discounted rates of $109. But the real value is in the package: For a package price of $669, two guests can get three nights at the Radisson (double occupancy, including all taxes), a meet and greet session, free shuttle to and from the airport, free shuttle to and from the event both days, unlimited entry for the Expo on Friday and Saturday afternoon, two VIP tickets to the Ball ($300 value), and in honor of the 30th Anniversary - $30.00 in "Ball Bills", per person, to spend on any item(s) of their choice from any vendor at the show.

"The party starts at the Radisson and ends at the Ball," remarks Ball founder Perry Mann. "If you're looking for a sexy and memorable vacation in a great city at a great price - you can't do better than this!" Mann also announced that the 30th Annual Exotic Erotic Ball will bring back The Blue Room, a couples-only room with extra-erotic activities and ambience, perfect for lifestyle encounters.

Perry Mann's Exotic Erotic Ball has been called "The World's #1 Wildest and Sexiest Party" by E! Entertainment TV, the "#1 Adult Festival in the World," by AskMen.com, "The #1 Party Event on the Planet" by HDTV, and "The Greatest Costume Party of All Time" by KTLA. Over three decades of history, "The Ball" has regaled half a million attendees, featured a thousand live performances, and received 50 awards.

Live performances confirmed for next month's Anniversary show include DJ Skribble, Missing Persons, The Frail, CR Gruve, LZ Love, Super Geek League, and the return of the Impotent Sea Snakes. Reality show superstar Tila Tequila will celebrate her birthday at the show, and judge the costume contests along with Danny Bonaduce and a mystery third judge. Over $10,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded.

The Exotic Erotic Ball fills six acres of space, hosts 65 performances, features erotic artists, exotic dancers, and wild circus sideshows, plus fantasy themed halls, BDSM demos, fetish fashions, all sorts of sexy shenanigans, and the tantalizingly offbeat. The event draws a plethora of adult stars and celebrity guests, and contains over 100 exhibits showcasing the latest and newest in exotic, erotic, and adult goods and services. Despite all this, it's the Halloween costumes and outfits worn by the 20,000+ attendees - colorful, creative, and captivating - that make the show truly unrivaled.

The Festival Hotline is: 1-415-567-BALL (2255). The website is http://www.exoticeroticball.com Consumers can visit the Travel and Hotels page, http://www.exoticeroticball.com/travel-hotel.htm or contact the event's official travel trollop at lori@prodigy.net

About the Author

MusicDish has been recognized as a leader in providing a unique business perspective on the issues impacting professionals and executives in the online music industry through news & report analysis and interviews with the companies that people want to know about because of their innovative technology and creative business models.

Car Insurance Fraud Sting Catches 61 in New York

Car Insurance Fraud is a serious problem over here in the UK with people intentionally causing crashes with the aim of claiming damages on the car’s insurance and in some cases demanding compensation for fabricated injuries.

In New York people had been going one step further where they were hiring middlemen to “steal” their car and make it disappear so that the owner could get it replaced on their car insurance or get large settlements from the insurers.

New York Police set up a sting operation by putting undercover detectives in a repair shop in Queens where the fraudsters were taking the vehicles that were stolen for destroying.

You may have an image of a shifty looking character as the typical person to commit car insurance fraud but of the 61 people caught out in the sting some included a used car dealer and shockingly a New York Police Officer. The cost of the actions these people were trying to get away with was estimated at $1.7 million and 70 vehicles were brought to the shop in the period of time.

Car insurance Fraud is a big problem over here in the UK too with gangs of people driving with intent to surprise unsuspecting members of the public into getting into crashes. This kind of crime is being clamped down on by the Police liaising with Insurers to ensure that those who are stupid enough to make a habit of it are brought to justice. Car Insurance fraud has been directly linked to the high cost of insurance and dragging our car insurance quotes up in recent years.

About the Author

Andy Adams is an experienced UK writer working with debt management and loans

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Kid Vacation - a Train Tour Makes it Extra Special

A kid vacation to remember undoubtedly includes a train tour or train ride. Even though there are many places to see and things to do, there is nothing better than a train ride to bring out the little kid in all of us. Whether its riding a modern train to tour the country or taking a short excursion on a vintage steam engine, your family will have a wonderful time. There are many different train tours available all over the world. Here are some good ones located in the United States.

Sierra Railroad

Offers three great train tours in California. The Sierra Railroad Dinner Train connects the Central Valley to California's Gold Country and offers beautiful scenery. The Sacramento River Train boards in Woodland, California and follows the Sacramento River. The Skunk Train follows a winding route over the Noyo River, and makes its way through the coastal mountains to the Redwood forests.

Grand Canyon Railway

The Grand Canyon Railway leaves from Williams, Arizona and offers several classes of vintage train service to the Grand Canyon. This is a great way to get from Williams to the Grand Canyon, and journeying to the canyon by rail offers a fun and unique travel experience for your family. Along the way, enjoy 65 miles of Grand Canyon Country views and Old West entertainment.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

This is America's highest and longest narrow gauge railroad. It makes trips between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. They offer a variety of train rides, and their Cinder Express is a three-hour trip designed especially with children in mine.

Black Hills Central Railroad

Ride the 1880 Train through the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. This vintage steam train is located near Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. The train runs between Hill City and Keystone, and is a great way to see some of the area. You and your kids will love the ride.

Both young and old enjoy train rides, and there is probably no better way to see America than to take a train tour. Make it a major part of your kid vacation this year or use it for a short side trip or weekend getaway. Enjoy the slower paced travel and beautiful scenery, and treat your kids to a little taste of a bygone era. It will definitely be a trip that your family will remember and treasure for years. Have a fun trip!

Are you looking for ideas for the perfect Kid Vacation?

Get more information here: Kid Vacation and Train Tours

About the Author

Rich Herman loves traveling with his family, and regularly shares family vacation ideas on his website: http://www.FavoriteFamilyVacations.com

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The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

I 

                Misty clouds, rising from the dark green faces of the Great Smoky Mountains during the morning, appeared like smoke tendrils.  The twelve-car train, wearing the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad’s tuscan red and Rio Grande gold livery and pulled by an EMD GP-9 diesel locomotive, vibrated and clanged its bell atop the gravel-imbedded rails next to the gray, wooden Bryson City depot, as it prepared for its imminent, 44-mile, round-trip departure to Nantahala Gorge.  Passengers, many of whom had dislodged from buses, inundated the tiny portico waiting area, lulled into a North Carolina mood by a guitar-strumming trio.  I would make the journey in the MacNeill Club Car, number 536, today, attached to generator car 6118 and trailed by Silver Meteor dining car 8015.  That journey, inextricably tired to these western North Carolina mountains, could trace its origins to the mid-1800s.

                Although the ruggedly beautiful area had been rich in natural resources, such as timber, fertile soil, and minerals, the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains, peeking at 6,000 feet, had rendered it isolated and inaccessible, with a rough, wagon-plied route its only connection with the rest of the state.  After considerable efforts to persuade the state legislature of North Carolina to rectify this deficiency, it had agreed to subsidize the construction of track between Salisbury and Asheville in 1855, to be used by the Western North Carolina Railroad.

                A smooth development period, spanning six years, had been thwarted in 1861 by the Civil War, at which time some 70 miles of rail had yet to be laid, but momentum had ultimately been regained 16 years later, when convict labor had been employed for the first time.  Five hundred tracklayers had been subdivided into 150-men camps, each of which had been led by a captain, a foreman, and several guards. 

                An erroneous route survey, revealing that existing topography had been unsuitable for track, had required another decade to properly determine, and had been exacerbated by crude, hand tool usage and primitive rock removal methods, the rocks themselves expanded by fire-created heat and cracked after drenchings with cold water.

                The rails, following Indian trails and cow paths, entailed an 891.5-foot elevation gain with an average two-percent grade, and passed through five tunnels, and the precarious route had hardly been forged with safety.  Indeed, on March 11, 1879, the Swannanoa Tunnel, which had been being bored from both ends, had collapsed and instantly crushed 21 workers.

                Murphy, already the eastern terminus of the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad, served the same purpose in 1891 when the tracks for the Western North Carolina’s Murphy Branch had been laid, albeit six years later than planned, and traffic interchange between the two had been facilitated when the former had changed its gauge from narrow to standard.  The 111 miles from Asheville had, for the first time, been connected by rail.

                Despite the delays incurred by its construction, its crude method, topographical obstacles, rough roadbed, and lack of ballast had often caused derailments, a condition partially alleviated with the addition of culverts and abutments.

Rapidly becoming the lifeline to the communities lining it, it carried supplies, agricultural products, and timber, and connected with other, existing shortline railroads, such as the Alarka Valley, the Appalachian, the Carolina and Tennessee Southern, the B&B, the Smoky Mountain, the Ritter Lumber Company, the Sunburst, and the Tuckasegee Southeastern, but it had always been plagued by steep grades, sharp curves, low-capacity locomotives, and inferior maintenance.

Three years after its completion, the Southern Railway took control of it, and, in 1907, it had been reorganized as the “Murphy Division,” with Bryson City serving as its headquarters.  Its local businesses and industries, manufacturing pulpwood and pallets and selling propane, had heavily relied on rail transport to support their activities, routinely requiring feed, cross ties, lumber, and sand.

Improved road access, however, gradually replaced the need for the rails.  In 1937, for instance, two daily trains had departed Murphy—a freight service at 0600 and a passenger run at 0800—but by 1944, only a single passenger train had plied the line, leaving Murphy at 0715 for Asheville and returning at 1415.  Aside from offering increased western North Carolina access, road development had been necessitated by the opening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Diminishing timber resources, coupled with the completion of the nearby Fontana Dam, had finally resulted in the permanent discontinuation of passenger services on July 16, 1948.  Thirty-two years later, in 1980, 2,239 freight car loads had plied the rails, yet by 1987, the number had dwindled to 817.  During the last three years, by which time the railroad had been acquired by Norfolk Southern, regularly scheduled service, of no more than five cars, had only been maintained between Waynesville and Andrews, with stops in Murphy only sporadically made.

Maintenance costs, already high because of the 34 bridges connecting Dillsboro with Murphy and the excessive track curvature, had escalated without a commensurate increase in revenue, and in 1984, the Champion Paper Mill, long dependent on the line for its business, had converted its traditional pulpwood product to woodchips, packaged in a cube whose size had precluded its rail transport through the Dillsboro and Rhodo tunnels.  Costs to either lower their roadbeds or increase their ceiling heights had been prohibitive, particularly for use by only a single company.  As a result, the papermill had been forced to truck its products to Canton and Norfolk Southern, unable to stem its losses, had been forced to abandon the 67 miles of track between Dillsboro and Murphy in 1988.

Although several prospective operators had explored both passenger and freight uses for it, none had been financially self-sustainable, and on July 18 of that year, the North Carolina Department of Transportation had forcibly purchased the track for $650,000 for the intended introduction of a passenger excursion train operated by the newly-established Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

Its initial equipment, two GP-9 locomotives from Burlington Northern and Union Pacific, along with several converted, open coaches, had been joined by a 1942 Baldwin steam engine originally built for the US Army and two more GP-7 diesels from Chicago and North Western by 1995.

Its present fleet, comprised of open cars, coaches, “Crown” coaches, club cars, dining cars, and cabooses, had been acquired from several railroads and extensively refurbished.  Track modifications, whose 80- and 85-pound ratings stipulated 25-mph maximum speeds, have entailed heavier rail and track side lubricator installations on sharp curves, the reinforcement of many trestles, and the redecking of the bridge crossing the Tuckasegee River at Dillsboro. 

In 1996, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad purchased the Dillsboro-Andrews section of track from the state of North Carolina, while the state itself continued to own the remainder of it, from Andrews to Murphy.

Acquired three years later, on December 23, 1999, by American Heritage Railways, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad became one of three excursion trains owned by the new company, which operates similar ventures in Colorado and Texas. 

II 

Bryson City, origin of my own Nantahala Gorge excursion, is a mountainside community of 1,400 located on the Tuckasegee River and named after Colonel Thadeus Dillard Bryson.  Incorporated in 1887, it had been laid out in accordance with the ancient trails and roads of the Cherokee, who had originally referred to it as “Big Bear Springs,” and today serves as a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains and is the hub for the railroad.  Because of its proximity to the Fontana Dam, it had temporarily burgeoned during its construction period.

The current railroad depot, built during the 1890s, is the only one remaining from the Southern Railway’s operation of the line, although its freight storage portion had since been removed and replaced by an open portico.  A one-and-a-half mile long rail yard, of four tracks, had facilitated the town’s many industries, including the Carolina Wood Turning Company, the Carolina Building Supply, the Southern Concrete Company, and a petroleum dealer, while a turntable, a water tank, and a coal chute had been instrumental in the then-present use of steam locomotives.  Bryson City is located at mile marker 63 on the track running from Asheville to Murphy.

My train’s complement had included the 1955-manufactured diesel engine, a generator car, the MacNeill club car, the Silver Meteor dining car, the Dixie Flyer dining car, the Conductor’s Café, the Bryson City coach, the Wildwater open car, the Cherokee coach, the Fontana open car, the Crescent Limited coach, and a caboose.

A car coupling-created lurch preceded the train’s initial movement at 1030, as it slowly glided over Everet street-imbedded track, soon mirrored by the stationary, red and gold Great Smoky Mountains Railroad’s chain of coaches cradled by the freight yard, before it plunged through dense, almost tunnel-like foliage at increasing, although still-gentle speeds.

Re-emerging from the dense forest, whose tall, thin trees stood like sentinels guarding the single track, the chain of cars inched away from Bryson City, paralleling the north bank of the Tuckasegee River.  The original roadbed, curing to the right at mile 64.5, had been replaced by the present route in 1944 because of dam construction-created flooding.

Traversing a steel truss bridge, which had been constructed in 1898 and spanned 426 feet, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad crossed the Nantahala River, and thence arced into a 12.1-degree curve, commencing an almost-imperceptible climb up a 1.3-percent grade, before reaching its summit by means of a horseshoe curve to the left.  The Alarka Creek, a blue sheen amidst the blur of deep forest green, flashed through the left windows.

The train’s gentle rock, lulling me into relaxed serenity, prompted closer internal inspection of the MacNeill club car in which I rode.  The line’s newest addition, it had been built in the 1940s and had previously been designated the “Powhatan Arrow,” operating Norfolk and Western’s service of the same name on its Premier line until 1982, at which time it had been transferred to the merged Norfolk-Southern’s Steam Program.  Although it had been refurbished in 1993, it had been subsequently damaged the following year in a collision in Lynchburg, Virginia.

No longer needed after the Steam Program had been discontinued in February of 1995, it had been auctioned and acquired by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, renamed in honor of Malcolm and Jean MacNeill for their years of service and dedication, and for their vision of an economically viable western North Carolina scenic railway.  It had been inaugurated into this service in mid-1999 on the very Nantahala Gorge run I had currently made after meticulous restoration.

Opulently decorated, it had featured a serving area; single, swivelable, tan-upholstered, opposed easy chairs separated by round tables on one side, and pairs separated by rectangular ones on the other; wood-grained wall paneling; brass lamps above the tables; and thick, red carpeting.  Fruit salad, blueberry muffins, and coffee had been served shortly after departure.

The sun, finally managing to tear the billowing white, gray, and silver cloud deck open, revealed patches of blue.  The pine green, glass-reflective surface of Fontana Lake, once a fertile valley, flicked through the dense foliage before opening up to a full water body, at mile 72.2.  Its very creation had dictated the current railroad’s route.

The Murphy Branch track, having been 8.5 miles longer, but with gentler grades, had followed the north bank of the Tuckasegee River to Bushnell, the small community located at the converging point of the Little Tennessee River and the junction of the Carolina and Tennessee Southern Railway Company’s track.  But World War II-necessitated demand for increased electrical power to facilitate production of vital war materials had sparked the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Fontana Dam Project and the Murphy Branch’s track rerouting.

Fontana, a town 1.5 miles from the construction site, had been nucleic to its successful completion and the Carolina and Tennessee Southern’s track, extended 2.84 miles along the Little Tennessee River, had formed the temporary lifeline to it, facilitating material and machinery transport.  A timber trestle had been built over Eagle Creek.  A four-track rail yard, long enough to support 100 cars on each of its spurs, along with a machine shop, a carpenter shop, a warehouse, and storage areas, had formed the base of the project, and cement-filled boxcars had run from Bryson City to the dam, conveying 8,000 cubic yards of concrete and 15,000 tons of sand and gravel per day.

The war had carried two stipulations: the dam had to be completed within a two-year period and steel could not be allocated for it, requiring relocated or reconstructed bridges and enormous amounts of fill to substitute for otherwise needed trestles.

Three different rivers had formed the bottom of the newly-created Fontana Lake when the resultant reservoir had flooded 24 miles of former Murphy Branch track from Bryson City to Weser, and the dam, at 480 feet, had been the highest in the eastern United States and the fourth-largest in the world when it had been completed in 1944.

The old line, discontinued by the Southern Railway between mileposts 64.5 and 88.2 on September 25 of the previous year, had been replaced by the new one on July 30, 1944.

Eating away the steel girder, concrete stanchion-supported Fontana Lake Bridge, the present Great Smoky Mountains Railroad crossed the evergreen-reflected water.

At milepost 76, orchard remnants, location of the former Southern Railway president’s summerhouse, moved by.  Following the azure of Fontana Lake, the diesel locomotive negotiated the 14.2-degree curve to the right at mile 77.8, the relocated line’s sharpest, which could only be safely traversed at five mph.

The Nantahala River, a fluid life force exploding into small fumes of white anger with every rock and boulder obstacle thrown in its path, paralleled the 12-car link.

Lunch, served in the Silver Meteor dining car attached to the MacNeill club car, had included grilled vegetables, portobello mushrooms, and creamy goat cheese on a hero, served with seasoned potato wedges and a side of lettuce and tomato.  The two-axle, lightweight car, built in 1940 for Seaboard Airline Railway and restored by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 1994, had featured a forward galley; twelve, four-place, black lacquer tables with upholstered, floral motif-sporting chairs; small, brass lamps; and gray, geometric textured carpeting which had adorned the bottom half of its sidewalls.

The Conductor’s Café, a snack car constructed in 1949 and an alternative eating venue, had been operated as a dormitory on the Atlantic Coast Line Railway and had also seen brief service with Amtrak before being converted to its present configuration in 1997.

Plying the last mile of relocated track, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad passed Weser Creek Falls and the Nantahala Outdoor Center before crossing the Appalachian Trail at milepost 80, now cradled by steep mountains which formed Nantahala Gorge and impeded all but the high, afternoon sun’s rays from penetrating it.  The track, paralleling the river, had been laid close to the mountain’s side with the aid of nothing more than picks and shovels and seemed to bore through cool air and nature’s dense, perennially-green, vegetation-created tunnel.

The caves beyond the coaches’ right windows had once been used by hunters and settlers and had been instrumental during the Cherokee’s exile to Oklahoma in its Trail of Tears period.

Maneuvering through the line’s sharpest curve, of 17 degrees, at milepost 83.2, the train approached Talc Mountain, approaching Nantahala, once the last location of a water tank, a coal chute, and a sand tower for replenishing steam engines, thus necessitating sufficient provision for the 56-mile round-trip to Murphy and back.  Today, it had served as my own journey’s terminus.

Diesel locomotive 1751, disconnecting from its 11-car chain, passed it on the Stanley track to its right before reconnecting in front of the caboose and reinitiating motion, now in the opposite direction, after a barely perceptible lurch, destined for the Nantahala Outdoor Center and a one-hour interlude.

Gently lurching and rattling, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad retraced its path, boring through the forest green walls which reeked not of soot or coal, but instead of dense vegetation.

Amid the rushing of the river, where the tracks briefly doubled, it inched into the Nantahala Outdoor Center.  Immediately above the green canopy, tiny specks of blue had rendered the otherwise white and silver cloud blanket an afternoon mosaic.  The center itself, starting point for rafting excursions and permanently suffused with the heavy scent of pine, had been comprised of several wooden, rustic cabins housing gift ships and restaurants.

After having been pelted by a fierce, but quick rain shower during its one-hour rest, the diesel locomotive, once again signaling imminent departure with its whistle, released its brakes at 1400 and reinitiated momentum, each car induced into coupling-snagged motion like a chain in mimicked reaction.

The Nantahala River, now paralleling the train on the right side and a reflection of the mountain-covered vegetation, appeared a crystal green mirror.  The gentle blue of the sky crested the towering trees.

Traveling in a northwesterly direction, the long chain of cars thread its way through the dense forest toward the almost-blue peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains ahead, their wheels screeching in protest as they adhered to the track’s curvatures.

The cork on the champagne bottle had been popped and cheese and crackers had, in the meantime, been served in the MacNeill club car.

Fontana Lake, draped by green-carpeted hills and dotted with houseboats, once again glided by, now visible through the long, rectangular windows on the left side, as if they had served as large television screens depicting a world from which one had been temporarily disconnected in the self-contained coach.

Following the dense, green mountain valley-cradled tracks, the train once again traversed the steel truss bridge and inched past the railroad yard, crossing Evert Street in Bryson City and snagging its brakes for a final time abreast of the gray depot.

Climbing down from the MacNeill club car, I stepped back on to the gravel and caught glimpse of the last car.  Behind it lay a track comprised of light rails laid by convicts through mountainous, river-abundant terrain, having requiring restricted bridges, small tunnels, tight curves, and varying grades.  Behind it lay a story of the Murphy Branch, which had provided the lifeline to the Great Smoky Mountains’ isolated communities, facilitating their growth and development, and connecting town to town.  And behind it lay the ultimate connection—the one from soul to soul.

Opening the door, I stepped into the Bryson City depot.

About the Author

A graduate of Long Island University-C.W. Post Campus with a summa-cum-laude BA Degree in Comparative Languages and Journalism, I have subsequently earned the Continuing Community Education Teaching Certificate from the Nassau Association for Continuing Community Education (NACCE) at Molloy College, the Travel Career Development Certificate from the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) at LIU, and the AAS Degree in Aerospace Technology at the State University of New York – College of Technology at Farmingdale. Having amassed almost three decades in the airline industry, I managed the New York-JFK and Washington-Dulles stations at Austrian Airlines, created the North American Station Training Program, served as an Aviation Advisor to Farmingdale State University of New York, and devised and taught the Airline Management Certificate Program at the Long Island Educational Opportunity Center. A freelance author, I have written some 70 books of the short story, novel, nonfiction, essay, poetry, article, log, curriculum, training manual, and textbook genre in English, German, and Spanish, having principally focused on aviation and travel, and I have been published in book, magazine, newsletter, and electronic Web site form. I am a writer for Cole Palen’s Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in New York. I have made some 350 lifetime trips by air, sea, rail, and road.

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Body Kits – Rejuvenate Your Car !

Every few weeks, months or years we go and spend or even splurge on ourselves. We give ourselves a better look or new knowledge or a new skill. Why do we do that? Because though essentially we are fine, even happy with our good old selves, there is the excitement that adding something new brings that makes life, well exciting.

Have you ever thought this could work just as well with your good old car? That there are products available such as body kits that could transform your car? Yes it is still reliable and the performance is still great. It now has a personality of its own and is almost a family member. But let us face it, the last time it set your pulse racing was years ago.

Here is the good news. You can bring back the excitement almost as good as when you first bought it. Give you car a smashing new look, consider body kits. Car body kits can make a 90’s car outshine the next car that is going to be launched.

If you didn’t opt for a body kit when you first bought your car, or the smart body kits available now were just not available then, go for one now.

Body kits cost nothing compared to a new car and will change your car’s personality dramatically.

You can find information on car aftermarket products to rejuvenate your car including a great range of body kits at www.ilovebodykits.com.

Do not worry that your car maybe too old to be rejuvenated. If it still gets you from A to B reliably then it deserves to get a new body kit after all these years.

And the great thing is you can find full body kits for a wide range of car models here.

So even if you have a car doing faithful duty for a decade or more you can still give it a new look with a great body kit. And add excitement to your own life.

About the Author

Louie Liu has been in the car aftermarket products industry for 5years. He has specialized in body kits, headlights, cold air intakes and other aftermarket products. He has deep knowledge of a wide range of products including knowledge of benefits of body kits and other products, product options and how to choose a car aftermarket product. You can learn about a wide range of body kits and other car aftermarket products at his site www.ilovebodykits.com.

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Civil War: Spiderman Unmasked

In the massive universe-wide crossover civil war spiderman played a major role. In fact, the events of issue #2 of the main civil war mini-series involving the wall-crawler set the tone for the entire crossover. In that issue of civil war spiderman unmasked at a press conference for the entire world to see.

Civil war was initiated by the Superhuman Registration Act, which required all superhumans, good or evil, to register with the government, thus unmasking and making their secret identities known. In a show of good faith during civil war spiderman took his mask off in public to show his support for the act.

This one tiny occurrence sent shockwaves through both the comic world and the real world. Reported in newspapers and television programs all over the world, people everywhere were stunned by the revelation that spiderman was making his identity known for the first time. As closely guarded as his secret was to protect his loved ones, it was a bold move for spiderman. But in civil war spiderman thought he was doing the right thing, but that soon changed.

Later in civil war spiderman discovered what was happening to all the superhumans that were caught who refused to register. They were locked in an impregnable prison in the Negative Zone and not given a trial, but simply berated until they agreed to register. Spiderman's mentor, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, was orchestrating this movement, and that sent spiderman over the edge. He turned on Iron Man and joined Captain America's revolution against the act.

The sides were cast in civil war, spiderman was with Captain America now, and they were fighting the good fight. The good fight, however, ended with Captain America getting killed, and spiderman's loved ones in danger. Reflecting his dark mood and the dark tone of civil war spiderman donned the classic black costume he had swore to Mary Jane never to wear because of its similarity to Venom. The New Avengers were underground and on the run, but conflict was inevitable.

One of the major key players in civil war spiderman fought for what he believed in, and when what he believed in changed he fought for that. In civil war spiderman changed and became more than what he was. And that has been a theme throughout the life of spiderman: changing and growing as experience is gained and lessons are learned.

About the Author

Follow the exploits of rockers DEMON TWEAK and the racing clan HARD DRIVING HEROES, as they battle the evil trickster Loki at http://www.classic-comic-book.com . Also read articles on your favorite classic comic book heroes written by our resident historian VIRGIL STORYTELLER.

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Horoscope - Shri Amitabh Bachchan

HOROSCOPE OF THE SHRI AMITABH BACHCHAN

 

The birth date had been picked up from published works. The horoscope had been selected as the high-profiled Super-Star was born in October.

 

A first glance of the horoscope would show that it may belong to an ordinary person. But inherent yogas and planetary position speak for the native to reach a high position in the field of his specialization. In astrology, 6th, 8th and 12th houses are considered inauspicious (bad house) and the planets may not give the desired results. In case of Amitabh Bachchan, 6th house has Jupiter in its exaltation sign but weak degree-wise, in 8th there are four planets i.e. Mars (owner of 3rd house and 10th house is very important for profession/business), the Sun (owner of 7th house (house for marriage and partnership etc.), Mercury (in own sign and also owner of important trine 5th house) and Venus (owner of 4th house (house of masses- i.e. the 9th house). Be that as it may, pitfalls in life can't be ruled out. I don't have any information personally but from the published reposts in News-papers etc., it is found that the native had met with a serious accident while performing his professional acts in July, 1982. Beloved of all and Fan of masses, the native was saved from ‘death-like position' with the various prayers by his fans and relatives. This also confirms the faith in the Almighty-God and the native was saved and returned after he recovered from the Breach Candy Hospital, Bombay, on 22nd September, 1982. It may be noted that astrologically, the native was under the influence Sun-Saturn and right with the entry of the Moon i.e. Saturn-Moon (from 22.04.1984 to 22-02-1992) the native was on the way to recovery.

 

Now, the native has to be careful about the diabetes- functioning of the sugar in body disturbed. Planets responsible are Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter, weak degree wise is in the house of diseases and is aspected by Saturn and Rahu in the 7th house become responsible for such rich man's disease.

 

Men-great person have been born on 11th October, and one of such person was Jai Prakash Narain born on 11 October, 1902. Even numerological, the natives born on a date repetition of 1 in the whole birth number must rise to the top position. Further, his name start-with A- again representative of No.1. Thus the success of the native is assured from astrological point of view, numerology and also from alphabet of the name.

 

Aquarius Lagna had produced men of eminence including Prophet Mohammad, Karl Marx, Shri Rama Krishna Parmahansa, Havlock Elles, Father of modern Astrology Dr.B.V.Raman without multiplying examples, it would suffice to refer to the name of Shri M.C. Bhandari who is well known for various activities of Bharat Nirman.

 

The break in film career is well known to all. Come-back was certain in view of Retrograde Saturn aspecting the 10th house. The potential factors in the horoscope are Aquarius Lagna itself (innovative person) Budh-aditya Yoga though in 8th house but 8th Mercury gives world famous personality, exalted Jupiter, Mercury in own sign, Gaj-Kesri Yoga (Moon and Jupiter in Kendra from Chandra kundli).

About the Author

Dr. Shanker Adawal, Jyotishacharya in Astrology is a professional and Astrology is his passion and an urge. His predictive technique is based on Bhrigu Technique whose principles and doctrines have been deciphered from research of above two decades . He is a professional in the field of telecommunications. He is presently working for one of the Fortune 500 Indian companies at a senior position. Did his MBA and PhD. and worked with Multinationals in India and abroad, before joining his presnt assignment. He has travelled extensively both in India and abroad. He also has keen interest in Human Rights.He got interested in astrology when he was young, did his Jyotishacharya. His desire and aspiration to share the findings of his research and the new dimensions which can be given to the science of astrology. www.connectingmind.com

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Basics of Federal Bond Issues

Most people associate the term 'investments' with stocks and mutual funds, but Federal bond issues also constitute a major chunk of the overall investments market. The annual turnover of US Federal Bond issues is many times more than that generated by the collective stock markets. Although considered the safest investment options in the US, Federal Bonds are not free from obscurity. The following information will help you understand the basics of these bonds.

How and why they are issued?

The main organization that coordinates Federal bond issues is the Central Bank, which first conducts a market survey to assess the current investment needs of investors. This survey involves consultations with various entities like investment dealers, banks, and other financial organizations that are experienced in handling Federal bond issues. Before introducing the bonds in the market, the Federal government needs to determine their exact purpose, which may be for constructing a new road or bridge, refunding government debt or for funding some other project that is designed to serve national taxpayers or some other federal constituents. In addition, the Federal government has also to determine the legal parameters required by the federal legislation beforehand.

Marketing the bonds

For marketing the bonds, the government can select either a single underwriter or a group of them, based on the size of the bond issue. The government is required to supply copies of a disclosure document that provides bond related information to potential underwriters, to enable them to bid for the issue. For this purpose, the government hires the services of a professional bond counsel firm that looks into the legal aspects of the issue, in consultations with the official government solicitor. Both the counsel firm and the solicitor work together to check the applicability of the bond issues, in relation with federal and state law, and tax approvals. This is done to ensure that proper legal procedures are being followed. The marketing phase of Federal Bond issues usually lasts a week, during which potential underwriters review and evaluate the terms and conditions of the bond issue. This helps them in quoting an appropriate bid amount. This process is eliminated, when the government appoints a single underwriter, based on past relationships with the person. If multiple underwriters are to be appointed, the government allows all interested parties to submit their purchase bids, which includes general terms and conditions, the term of the bond issue, the actual amount of the bonds, interest rates, amortization schedule, and details about prepayment provisions.

Completing documentation requirements

In the final phase of the process of issuing Federal bonds, the appointed underwriter wires the purchase price to the paying agent, who in turn transfers back the cost of issuance according to the terms and conditions. The paying agent is also entrusted with the task of allocating funds to the appropriate parties or projects, depending on the original purpose determined in the initial phases of the Federal bond issue. The counsel firm then prepares the closing documents, a copy of which is sent to all the participants of the issue.

The closing documents are highly technical in nature and you will have to be a law professional to understand the kind of information given in them. These documents are used as a proof that the terms and conditions of the purchase proposal have been fully approved.

The basic information provided above will help you to familiarize yourself with the practical details of Federal Bond issues. By investing a part of your savings in Federal Bond issues, you can hedge against risks that are quite common in other types of investments, such as stocks and derivatives.

About the Author

Joe Kenny writes for CardGuide.co.uk, offering the latest credit cards for UK applicants, and also many balance transfer credit cards to transfer your debt to an introductory 0% credit card deal.
Visit today: http://www.cardguide.co.uk/

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America's Very First Aircraft Carrier

here have been many great naval warfare ships over the history of the U.S. Navy. Many aircraft carriers went on to great distinction especially in the heroic battles that were part of World War II Naval warfare history. Names like the Lexington, the Saratoga, the Yorktown and the Enterprise fill the history books of great warships of World War 2 naval warfare. But the humble USS Langley has a long and distinguished career that included becoming the first ship to be retrofitted into an aircraft carrier that make the Langley worth of its own place in U.S. Naval history as well.

The Langley actually started out as the USS Jupiter when it was first commissioned in 1911. The Jupiter was a collier level ship and once it was put into action, it spent some time South America helping to establish a military presence during the difficult Veracruz crisis in 1914. But once that tension passed, the Jupiter got its first historic distinction of becoming the first ship to go through the Panama Canal from west to east. This was the beginning of some quiet accomplishments of this fine naval ship.

For the next decade, the Jupiter served primarily support functions mostly doing cargo duty and that was the service it provided during World War I. The Jupiter did see many ports performing support functions throughout Europe before returning to Norfolk Virgina to start a new life. On December 12, 1919, the life of "the Jupiter" came to an end when it was decommissioned. But for the vessel itself, this was only the beginning of its long and honorable career as a US naval warship.

It was in Norfolk that the former USS Jupiter underwent a transformation. Not only did it take on the name USS Langley in honor of Samuel Pierpont Langley, the ship underwent a dramatic transformation into the very first prototype of a U.S. naval aircraft carrier. The final configuration of the overhauled naval vessel was compete in 1922. Her very first commander in this new assignment was Kenneth Whiting and it was he who proudly put the Langley to work helping the navy develop the Navy's powerful aviation warfare capabilities that would make such a huge difference in winning the war against the axis powers that lay ahead.

As the first aircraft carrier ever in what would become the backbone of the American naval aircraft infrastructure, the Langley racked up plenty of firsts. October 17, 1922, was the first time a pilot took off from the deck of a ship. Just nine days later Lieutenant Commander Godfrey de Courcelles Chevalier was the first pilot to land on an aircraft carrier deck when he set down on the deck of the Langley.

The Langley continued to be a valuable part of the US naval arsenal even after it was converted to a seaplane trader in 1936. Then on February 27th, 1942, while supporting antisubmarine maneuvers during World War II, The Langley was struck by an onslaught of nine Japanese bombers, which tragically damaged the ship critically causing it to sink in the line of duty. But it is worthwhile to take some time as we have done here today to look back on an important part of our US naval history at a ship that through many evolutions served its country honorably and ushered in the era of the US Navy aircraft carrier. And that historic ship was the USS Langley.

Contact Information:

The Finer Times

P.O BOX 1058
Parramatta CBD NSW

About the Author

TheFinerTimes is an online information service providing information about general world event, past History, Fashion, Art, Science, Current Affairs, dedicated to the finer things in life.
Our objective is to produce quality content, allowing the reader to easily browse our site from any connection in the world. We employ writers from many nationalities to give us a unique perspective on many topics.

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Gale Banks: a Legend Among Gas and Diesel Truck Enthusiasts

Gale Banks is a gearhead, die-hard enthusiast, and a leader in the automotive community. With over 50 years of experience working on gasoline and diesel engines, he is a valuable resource for anyone looking to extract more power out of their car or truck engine. He is best known for his Banks Monster Exhaust systems and the Banks Bullet power programmer. These parts are made for a large variety of vehicles and are custom made to work seamlessly with the car or truck, requiring no modification for installation.

It was Jay Leno, the late night talk show host and world renowned car enthusiast, who had the original idea to put a 1,790 cubic inch V-12 engine from a Korean-war era M47 Patton tank into a car. It was a marriage of Frankenstein proportions, but it wasn’t crazy enough for Mr. Leno. Many people would ask, isn’t 810 horsepower enough for a street car? Jay Leno didn’t seem to think so and felt that twin-turbo charging the engine would deliver the level of insanity he was seeking. For this reason, Jay contracted Gale Banks of Gale Banks Engineering for his personal advice and expertise in producing his one-off Tank Car. After much research, trail and error, and fabrication, Gale was able to create one of the most ludicrous machines ever made by man. To sum up the modifications made to the M47 Tank engine, Banks added to the mix an entirely new exhaust system, a revised intake manifold, twin turbochargers, and a built from the ground up fuel system to make this V-12 monster push out more than 1600 horses and over 3000 foot-pounds of torque! Due to the excessive wheel spin and to make the car more street-able, the car was tuned down to around 1200 horsepower. Needless to say, Jay Leno is overly pleased with the results of his absolutely mad concoction. He is also proud to comment that not only has Gale significantly improved the power output, but also the fuel economy!

Project Sidewinder is another one of Gale Banks side ventures into diesel performance. Project Sidewinder is the fastest diesel pickup truck in the world, pushing out quarter-mile times as low as 12.16 seconds at 115 miles per hour! To produce the 735 hp and 1300 lb-ft of torque, Banks had to make several modifications to the stock system. Some of the major additions include ram air ducting, an improved cooling system, new fuel rails and fuel pump, extensively modified cylinder heads, and a Holset Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT). The VGT is a particularly important choice for getting quick quarter-mile times as it allows the turbocharger to maximize boost created for any given RPM range. It does this by changing the angle of incidence of the turbines to minimize turbo lag and backpressure. This in turn minimizes the time it takes to spool the turbo and maximizes boost across the RPM band. Variable Geometry Turbines are a relatively new advancement in turbocharger technology and are proving to give many the extra edge in performance they need to win races and take home the prize. In fact, VGT is one of the latest technologies that Porsche has incorporated into their 911 Turbo to help keep it in the forefront of the ultra competitive battle for the top supercar.

Click on these links for more information about Gale Banks, Banks Exhaust, or Banks Bullet.

About the Author

Matt is an up and coming expert on all things automotive. He spends much of his free time studying advancements and progress made in all fields automotive.

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Iptv Wares For Small North American Operators Target Opex, Applications-Aarkstore Enterprise

IPTV vendors are targeting smaller North American telco operators with different products and strategies than those needed for large global deployments by tier-1 incumbents. This report describes vendor offerings and recent announcements for this market from 180Squared, Alcatel-Lucent, Avail-TVN, Cisco, Mariner, and Minerva. This segment is fertile ground for Internet TV, interactivity, and opex reduction.

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Table of Contents :

Executive summary
In a nutshell
Ovum view
Market overview
Who are the tier-2 to tier-4 operators?
Segment definitions
Tier 1: national incumbents in large, economically developed nations
Tier 2: multi-regional but not national
Tier 3: local service provider for a single region
Tier 4: not even the incumbent local provider
Smaller operator needs differ from tier-1 requirements
VoD later than Internet TV
High definition important to compete against cable and satellite
Other differences
A sample of IPTV offerings for smaller telcos
180Squared: cloud services added to solution-in-a-box
Solution
Customer and partner engagement examples
IPTV role in company strategy

SWOT
Alcatel-Lucent: new solution targets smaller telcos
Solution
Customer and partner engagement examples
IPTV role in company strategy

SWOT
Avail-TVN: headend and content offering
Solution
Customer and partner engagements
IPTV role in company strategy

SWOT
Cisco: ISDP middleware and VQE engine
Solution
Customer and partner engagement examples
IPTV role in company strategy

SWOT
Mariner: service assurance and application platform
Solution
Customer and partner engagements
IPTV role in company strategy

SWOT
Minerva Networks: open platform middleware
Solution
Customer and partner engagement examples
IPTV role in company strategy
SWOT

For more information please visit:

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/IPTV-wares-for-small-North-American-operators-target-opex-applications-37617.html

PH.NO. 919272852585

About the Author

Aarkstore Enterprise press@aarkstore.com http://www.aarkstore.com

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MiG Flights: Get an Insight into Mig 29 Jet Fighters

If you want to do a mig flight, you can currently only choose between a mig 29 flight or a flight in the mig-31. A few years ago, many more aircraft were available for a rented ride: Russian mig flights were carried out in mig-21, mig-23 and even mig-25. Those days are gone. What has changed?

To understand the current situation, let's look how the mig flights in Russia have evolved since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Back in the 1990s, a mig flight was affordable for almost every European or American. Trembling Russian economy and widespread corruption made russian mig flights an incredible, yet affordable adventure - especially if you knew the right ways of booking.

All of these mig flights took off from the LII institute, situated at the Ramenskoye Airfield in Zhukovsky, right outside of Moscow. A big fleet of MiGs, primarily used for flight tests, were available for private rides. At times, Russia's trembling economy along with the low-rated ruble were the reasons why mig jet flights with paying clients accounted for the majority of mig flights in Zhukovsky. In some months, such "commercial" flights even surpassed the regular jet flights of the institute in numbers.

As Russia re-gained strength and recovered from the turmoil of the 1990s, jet flights at LII in Zhukovsky were realigned. In January 2006, a governmental decision to stop mig jet flights with paying tourists was issued, supposedly making mig jet flights for tourists in Moscow a thing of the past. Normal military operations continued, of course - such mig flights were not interrupted, normal operations from air bases like Kubinka were kept in place.

This is not the end of the story, though. Big parts of the Russian military-industrial complex have been suffering from decreasing arms sales. The SOKOL Aircraft Factory in Nizhniy Novgorod, an industrial city in the Volga region not far from Moscow, was desperately searching for new ways to generate revenue. After intensive contact between high-ranked staff of the SOKOL Aircraft plant and the flight broker MiGFlug.com, people at the factory started to realize that russian mig flights were in high demand - and that the unavailability of such flights at LII led to a supply vacuum. As producer of MiG-29UB aircraft (UB is the two-seater version of the MiG-29), people at SOKOL plant started to realize that mig jet flights could be a way to generate revenue and got the necessary permissions to carry out mig 29 flights as well as mig 31 flights with paying clients. Finally, after the uncertainity of early 2006, Russian mig flights were possible again.

In Summer 2006, only months after mig jet flights in Zhukovsky came to a halt, the first-ever so-called "westerner" took off from Sormovo Airfield in Nizhniy Novgorod, where today's mig 29 flights are being carried out. Long and intensive negotiations between the Aircraft Factory and Zurich-based MiGFlug made it possible for a Swiss Citizen in his 30's to open a new era of mig flights. Since that day in July 2006, mig 29 flights are a common sight in the skies of Nizhniy Novgorod and russian mig flights remain possible, even for non-pilots.

About the Author

Vyacheslav Spiridonov graduated the journalistic faculty of MGIMO (MSIIR) in Moscow. Since his teenage years he's passionate about aviation and an observer of the Soviet / Russian Air Force and the military-industrial complex. The author has a wide experience in the aviation industry and hence likes to share the article related to fly fighters, mig flights, mig 29 flight and flying fighter field.

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Most Traveled Cities in the United States

Masters rowers are a dynamic group who lead busy lives, and careers that take them all over the country. With the opportunity to travel comes the opportunity to see what rowing is like in a different city, and take in some sites, time willing. Boathouse Finder (www.BHFinder.com) provides a very useful geographic search of rowing clubs and boathouse around the country and throughout the world.

If you have any rowing travel-related stories, we'd love to hear about them. You can email us at info@bhfinder.com.

AUSTIN

Austin's Town Lake is arguably the perfect spot to row. The 6 miles of water is dammed at both ends, so there is no strong current. The weather is mild throughout the year, so rowing never stops; in fact the winter is the preferred time to row among local rowers, and spring breakers. There are no motorboats or jet skis allowed (except for coaches' launches), so no need to worry about getting waked.

Rowing Dock is a privately owned, privately managed rowing club and boat rental facility located on the west end of Town Lake. Here the water is calm and the lush banks create a serene atmosphere. It is easy to get to from MoPac or downtown, and it offers a large parking lot. Rowing Dock is open a dock attendant is on duty all year during busy hours to help patrons with boats. With proof of skill and current membership in any recognized club, out of town rowers can rent the recreational single sculling boat. Other patrons may rent from a selection of single, double or triple kayaks or quad water cycles. Check the website or call for hours.

Austin Rowing Club is a non-profit run by an elected board. It hosts the two major regattas in Austin each year. They offer sweep rowing and sculling. ARC is located in downtown Austin near the Four Season Hotel; if you get the timing of your row right, you could enjoy the nightly bat flight from Congress Bridge, which can be seen from ARC.

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

• Austin Rowing Club

• Rowing Dock

• Texas-Rowing-Center

SITES OF INTEREST

•World's largest urban bat population under Congress Bridge; nightly flights spring, summer, early fall

•4 miles of Waterfront hike and bike trails around Town Lake

•Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum & IMAX Theatre

•Shopping SOCO and the Drag

•SOCO first Thursday

•(evening shopping, festival-feel)

•LBJ Library

•State Capitol and grounds

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Pumpkin Head Regatta; October

•Spring: Heart of Texas Regatta; March

 

BOSTON

Boston and Cambridge are rife with rowing history. Nine boathouses line the Charles River. Four belong to clubs: Union, Riverside, Cambridge, and Community Rowing. Five belong to colleges: MIT, Boston University, Harvard, Radcliffe, and Northeastern. Guest rowing can be difficult depending upon which club you contact as some clubs require sponsorship from a member. Cygnet Rowing Club, with two boathouse locations, offers hourly rentals of single sculls.

Dividing Boston and Cambridge, the Charles River is an elegantly serpentine aquatic ribbon that varies in width from about 200 meters to more than a kilometer. During warm weather, and even not so warm weather, it is alive with all manner of rowing craft, sailboats, kayaks, "duck" boats, excursion boats, and powered pleasure craft. The round-trip distance from the Science Museum to Watertown and back is about seventeen miles. On the average morning the entire length of the river is rowable, although the chop tends to kick up below the Boston University (BU) bridge after nine a.m. Almost all the college programs have agreed to use wakeless launches, which has maintained the generally flat conditions, and only on impossibly windy days (or winter, when the river freezes) is the entire river unrowable. The scenery along the way ranges from intensely urban to quietly suburban. The river is bordered by Memorial Drive on the north bank, and Storrow Drive on the south, and a bike path runs the entire length of the river on both banks.

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

•Cambridge Boat Club

•Community Rowing Inc. of Boston

•Cygnet Rowing Club

•Riverside Boat Club

SITES OF INTEREST

Boathouses dot both shores from the Lower Basin out to Watertown. Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market are hugely popular settings for dining and shopping. Whale watch excursions leave from the inner harbor throughout the day, as to harbor island excursions. Jacques Cousteau once proclaimed that Boston Harbor is the most beautiful harbor in the world as one enters from the sea.

The Freedom Trail brings history alive for millions every year, while the "duck" boat tours unite the experience of river and city. The Museum of Fine Arts, Fenway Park (home of the Red Sox), the Boston Public Library, and the Hatch Shell (riverside outdoor performances of all kinds) are just a sampling of rewarding outings awaiting the curious traveler.

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Head of the Charles

•Summer: Cromwell Cup

•Spring: Riverside Sprints

 

CHICAGO

Visitors to Chicago are often surprised to discover how very beautiful this city is - with its sparkling lakefront, world-class architecture, and incredible cultural attractions. For rowers, an additional source of amazement is the experience of rowing on the Chicago River in the very heart of a great American metropolis.

Chicago's three rowing clubs are situated at different points along the "Y" shape of the River. The Chicago River Rowing & Paddling Center's boathouse is located at the base of the "Y", at the mouth of the River where it meets Lake Michigan. This downtown portion of the River, the Main Branch, runs East to West right through the business district and a panorama of famous buildings. Chicagoans walking to work hail to the rowers below from the many bridges that span this segment of the River. The other two sites - the Chicago Rowing Center's site on the South Branch, and Lincoln Park Boat Club's site on the North Branch, are located in industrial areas that evoke the "City of Big Shoulders" image. In any case, the water is as smooth and endless as the vistas are compelling.

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

•Big Shoulders Rowing Club

•Chicago River Rowing & Paddling Center

•Chicago Rowing Center

•Lincoln Park Boat Club

 

SITES OF INTEREST

The Chicago River Rowing & Paddling Center is within easy walking distance of Grant Park and Monroe Harbor, DuSable Harbor & Park, Millennium Park, Meigs Field, the Chicago Symphony, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, the Oak Street Beach, Navy Pier, and the downtown Business and Theatre Districts. The Lincoln Park Boat Club is within walking distance of the Lincoln Park Zoo.

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Chicago Chase

•Summer: Chicago Sprints

•Spring: Iron Oars Marathon

 

LOS ANGELES

Sunny Los Angeles offers a lot of great things for rowers, with the best being the opportunity to row year-round. There are very few days each year when weather keeps you from getting a great workout. Los Angeles rowers have the good fortune to row in the largest man-made small boat harbor in the world, a place called Marina del Rey. The Marina's waters are well protected, making it possible to row on flat water most mornings. A three-mile head race is hosted by the California Yacht Club every fall, which is one loop around the Marina. Beyond rowing, there are tons of tourist attractions and outdoor adventures to be had in Los Angeles, with countless hotels and restaurants near the water (and near LAX, which is just minutes from Marina del Rey).

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

•Lions Rowing Club

•Los Angeles Rowing Club

SITES OF INTEREST

Westside/close to rowing: Venice Beach, Fisherman's Village on Fiji Way, Santa Monica Pier, 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, bike riding/skating on the 26-mile-long bike path along the Pacific Ocean

Further inland: Beverly Hills, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios Citywalk and Studio Tour, Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits, Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, Old Town Pasadena

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Head of the Marina, November

•Summer: Regatta del Sol, June

 

MIAMI

Rowing in Miami Beach is a unique experience. The sheltered waterways of Indian Creek provide the perfect setting for training, just a few steps away from affordable oceanfront hotels. Guests are welcome and can rent by the hour provided they have sculling experience. For winter training, Miami Beach is the place to be. Escape to the warm waters of Biscayne Bay and enjoy the scenic views of tropical islands with palm trees and spectacular sunsets. While rowing at sunrise, expect to be accompanied by some playful dolphins, which are often seen within a few yards of our dock. Miles of flat water, year round rowing and a stunning location are the reasons people call Miami Beach a rower's paradise.

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

•Miami Beach Rowing Club

•Miami Rowing & Watersports Center Inc

SITES OF INTEREST

The Center is within walking distance of many restaurants from Norman's, a local sports bar to small and delicious ethnic eateries. On the weekends, the Normandy Village Farmers Market sells delicious smoothies as well as fresh fruits, vegetables and many other items. Only ten minutes away is the vibrant South Beach Art Deco District for shopping, dining, movies and nightlife.

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Head of the Indian Creek

•Spring: Miami Beach Winter Sprints

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia was one of America's original rowing cities. It is host to the infamous Boathouse Row and is home to hundreds of oarsmen/women. On any given day of the week, you can find numerous boats ranging from club rowers to high schoolers to collegiate rowers. Philadelphia is host to dozens of regattas each year, including the Dad Vail Regatta, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, the Independence Day Regatta and the Head of the Schuylkill. Rowing in Philadelphia is truly an experience you could feel in very few cities across the USA.

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

There are no rowing clubs in Philadelphia that will allow guest rowing without being sponsored by a member. Most rowing clubs in Philly will allow guest rowing with a member.

SITES OF INTEREST

Philadelphia is filled with a wide range of historical sites, Museums and interactive institutes. One of the most famous is the Philadelphia Art Museum. The stairway leading up to it is the exact one that Rocky ran up in the movie Rocky. There is also the Franklin Institute, which has a variety of activities as well as an IMAX theatre. The Philadelphia Zoo is only five minutes from Boathouse Row. And you can't visit Philadelphia, the home of Independence, without visiting the Liberty Bell.

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Head of the Schuylkill

•Summer: Independence Day Regatta

•Spring: Dad Vail Regatta

 

SAN DIEGO

Rowing in San Diego is pretty much situated on Mission Bay, located about six miles north of the San Diego Airport, and flanked by Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. The area abounds with restaurants, beach and bay boardwalks, and hotels. San Diego Rowing Club is located in Mission Beach, with ZLAC Rowing Club located in Pacific Beach. In general, due to water-skiers, most rowing is done in the early hours, or at dusk, but there is plenty of water, and ever-changing scenery, with bird sanctuaries, Sea World pens and the local marine life.

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

•San Diego Rowing Club

•ZLAC

SITES OF INTEREST

San Diego has it all, and most of it within a few miles of the airport and the rowing clubs, beginning with Seaworld (local crews train past the shows and the penguins), Belmont Park (with an original wooden roller coaster, swimming pool and amusement park rides, right on the beach) and Old Town (a historical area specializing in specialty stores and restaurants TIP, do lunch, evening waits can be a drag if you are really hungry); Balboa Park has museums, restaurants and the world famous San Diego Zoo, or you can head north to the Birch Aquarium by the UCSD campus. Further afield you can go to the Wild Animal Park, or Legoland (north about 40 minutes) or south to Tijuana, Mexico (20 minutes by car, 30 minutes by San Diego Trolley). You can find outlet shopping by Legoland or the last USA exit in San Ysidro (GREAT buys from all the major athletic shoe companies, plus Levi and the usual suspects). Interested in human wildlife? Check out Garnet Street in Pacific Beach, or the Gaslamp District downtown.

 

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: San Diego Fall Classic, Row for the Cure

•Spring: San Diego Crew Classic

SEATTLE

Rowing in Seattle is rather mystical. Rowers often start their day by launching while looking at the top of Mount Rainier, and seeing the reflection of dawn breaking over the city skyline all in one glance. Then there is plenty of water to choose from, all of which has a different flavor and feel. One direction can take rowers up a shipping canal toward the Puget Sound (the Locks) where there are barges, huge ships and fishing vessels along the shore. Rowing in Lake Union offers the opportunity to see the awesome Seattle city skyline. Turn north from Lake Union and Portage Bay is home to many houseboats bobbing up and down on the water. The Montlake Cut, or "the cut" as it is known, connects Puget Sound via the Locks to Lake Washington. Once through the cut, Husky rowers generally populate this area. Rowing in Lake Washington offers spectacular views of the Olympic Mountain ranges and Mt Rainier.

Rowers can go out every day of the year. Inclement weather is few and far between, though a constant soft drizzle in the winter is common. When the sun is out, it is arguably one of the most spectacular urban rowing landscapes.

 

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

•Cascade Rowing

•Conibear Rowing Club

•Lake Union Crew

•Lake Washington Rowing Club

•Moss Bay Rowing and Kayaking Center

•Pocock Rowing Center

 

SITES OF INTEREST

Seattle is comprised of twenty-six neighborhoods all of which have their own character and charm. Fremont, near Lake Washington Rowing Club, is a funky/artsy neighborhood full of unique boutiques, restaurants and pubs. In Fremont, you can visit the infamous Troll that overtook a VW BUG that lives underneath the Aurora Bridge or the rocket ship that is stuck on a building or the statue of People Waiting for the Bus.

A few miles from Fremont is another neighborhood called Ballard. In Ballard, it's still possible to hear Swedish and Norwegian being spoken on the streets. Ballard traditionally housed Seattle's fishing industry, which was dominated by Scandinavian immigrants. If you want fresh-caught fish from the market, this is the place to go.

North of the University District is the Greenlake neighborhood. This hugely popular lake has a walking/biking/ rollerblading path around the whole lake (about 3 miles). The north side of Greenlake has some wonderful coffee shops and a great chowder house.

 

Capitol Hill is the gay/lesbian/artsy part of Seattle. It is known for its nightlife and houses a trendy strip of nightclubs. The best cup of coffee in Seattle can also be had on Capitol Hill, at Espresso Vivace.

The downtown Seattle area boasts one of the most famous open-air markets: Pike Place. This market is known for its flying fish, crafts, food, pastries and shopping. Virtually anywhere you go in Seattle, you'll find something totally different and unique.

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Head of the Lake Regatta

•Spring: Opening Day Regatta

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Rowing in the nation's capital dates back to the early 1800's. The oldest boat club in Washington, D.C., Potomac Boat Club (circa 1869), is well over one-hundred and thirty years old. Thompson's Boat Center, a public facility located a half-mile down river from Potomac Boat Club hosts the majority of the high school and collegiate rowing programs in the area. At Thompson's Boat Center, individuals can rent single sculls by the hour, providing they can prove they have sculling experience. Capital Rowing Club, located next to the Navy Yard, in southeast D.C., rows on the Anacostia River, and also offers opportunities for guest rowing. Perhaps the best thing about rowing in D.C. is being able to see many of the monuments from the shoreline such as the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery to name a few.

CLUBS ALLOWING GUEST ROWING

•Capital Rowing Club

•D.C. Strokes Rowing Club

•Potomac Boat Club

•Thompson Boat Center

•Alexandria Community Rowing

SITES OF INTEREST

Obviously the tourist attractions are numerous in Washington, DC, but a couple of sites near Potomac Boat Club and Thompson's Boat Center include the Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington Cemetery, the National Cathedral, a plethora of monuments on and around the Smithsonian, and walking and shopping in historic Georgetown, Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan. If you're in the neighborhood of Capital Rowing Club, a nice place to visit on the weekends is the Eastern Market, an open-air crafts and foods market that has been in existence for over 100 years. It's directly across the street from the Eastern Market metro stop.

A nice place to have lunch or dinner right on the Potomac River is Tony & Joe's or Sequoia's at the Washington Harbor in Georgetown. In fair weather, these restaurants are packed on the weekend, and are great places for people watching.

MAJOR REGATTAS

•Fall: Head of the Potomac, September

•Summer: Crabfeast Regatta, July

•Spring: Oxford-Cambridge alumni regatta

 

 

 

About the Author

Ed M. Smith
http://www.bhfinder.com
Austin Rowing Club |Rowing Dock |Texas-Rowing-Center

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Locating Levels in Tanks and Silos Using Infrared Thermal Imaging

Background

 

Instrumentation for locating levels in tanks and silos is often unreliable. The need for precise information about levels remains necessary, or even critical, in many instances. For example, in one situation a thermographer was employed to verify a liquid level in a large storage tank along the Gulf Coast prior to the arrival of a tanker ship. In continuous processes the operator must know how much capacity is available in each tank. Without that knowledge production may be impeded or, if an overflow occurs, a potentially dangerous situation created. Sometimes traditional level indicating instruments simply cannot determine levels. Foams and waxes, for instance, are difficult to detect and measure accurately.

 

A paper mill experienced a situation in which a tank was believed to be sized improperly, when in fact it was simply full of foam rather than liquid. De-foaming the tank proved more cost effective than unnecessarily replacing it with a larger one! A petrochemical plant hired a contractor to clean out a large tank. When the manway door was opened, sludge, which had settled to a depth high above the door, oozed forth creating a dangerous and environmentally damaging situation. For industries needing to comply with the safety and process requirements of OSHA 1910, thermography may prove to be a particularly cost-effective tool to use. Each of these situations represents a real instance where infrared could have been used to provide or verify information about the condition inside the tank or silo. Level location as well as verification of other level indicating instruments continues to be an important need in industry.

 

Thermal Imaging as a Method for Determining Levels

 

Most of the time, the materials in a tank or silo, whether solids, liquids, or gases, behave differently when subjected to a thermal transition. The materials often have differing thermal capacitance characteristics. Gases typically change temperature much more easily than liquids. Water, for instance, has a thermal capacity that is 3500 times greater than air. One Btu of energy added to a cubic foot of water will raise its temperature 0.016°F while the same energy added to the same volume of air results in a 55°F increase!

 

While the thermal capacity of solids may be similar to liquids, the different way in which heat is transferred permits them to be distinguished with an infrared camera. Solids, such as sludge, are influenced primarily by conductive heat transfer. Fluids (non-solids), on the other hand, are strongly influenced by convective heat transfer. The result is that the layer of solids in close contact with the tank wall, despite its often high thermal capacitance, heat and cool more rapidly than the liquid portion because they do not mix in the same way the liquid does. One issue is whether the tank/silo is half-full or half-empty. This determination requires further research by the investigator of the materials, container housing and environmental circumstances.

 

Necessary Environmental Conditions

 

Key to determining levels is to observe the tank or silo during a thermal transition. If viewed with an infrared camera while at a thermal steady state with the surroundings, no differences will be seen. In fact, tanks and silos that are full or empty often appear identical with no indication of a level. Interestingly, it is difficult to find tanks or silos that are not in transition, although it may not always yield a detectable image. Outdoors, the day/night cycle often provides sufficient driving force to create detectable differences. Even indoors, variations in air temperature are often sufficient to make thermal transitions apparent. Environmental conditions can have a direct influence on the ability to detect levels by thermal imaging. Wind, precipitation, ambient air temperature, and solar loading can all, separately or together, create or negate differences on the surface. Other factors to be considered include the temperatures of the products being stored in or moved through the tanks and silos, as well as the rates at which they are moving. Many tanks are insulated, although rarely to the extent that they will always and entirely obliterate the thermal patterns caused by levels. When insulation is covered with unpainted metal cladding, care must be taken to increase emissivity, as discussed later.

 

Thermal Patterns of Materials in Different Forms

 

The most obvious pattern is a result of a liquid/gas interface. In a situation where the product is not heated, the gas typically responds quickly to the transient situation, while the liquid responds more slowly. During the day, the gas may be warmer than the liquid;at night it is cooler. Liquid/sludge relationships may be more difficult to discern. A larger transient may be required to create a detectable image. Thin layers of sludge may also be indistinguishable from the tank bottom. Sludge buildup in the center of the tank (i.e. not in contact with the wall) is simply not detectable, although product buildup on the sidewalls is often quite obvious. Foams are often not difficult to distinguish from liquids but may appear similar to gases. Care should be taken when pushing the tank through a rapid thermal transition to reveal the thermal differences. Locating levels associated with floating materials, such as waxes, will typically require more persistence, skill and a greater rate of transitional heat transfer, but the results can be startling.

 

Whether or not liquid/liquid interfaces, such as a mix of oil and water, can be seen depends entirely on their differing thermal capacities and, to a lesser extent, their viscosity. Simple experiments suggest it is fairly easy to locate the interface of oil and water, but further work needs to be done in the field to validate this technique. Some solids, such as coal ash, plastic pellets, powdered lime and wood chips, behave as fluids and are designated as "fluidized solids." While heat transfer in such materials is still primarily conductive, mass transfer of heat by the material's movement can be significant. For instance, hot ash or lime blown into a silo carries its process heat to the silo. Fluidized solids tend to behave similarly to liquids in the way they respond to gravity, except for the fact that they can "bridge" across areas where liquids typically would not. In fact, locating bridging of fluidized materials is a valuable use for thermography.

 

Issues to be Considered

 

Some tanks are covered in cladding, often unpainted aluminum or stainless steel. Detecting the kind of fine temperature differences necessary to reveal levels on surfaces such as these-ones having low emissivity and high reflectivity-is nearly impossible. The radiant difference is simply not detectable. The problem, however, is most often easily rectified by applying a high emissivity target vertically. A painted stripe or a piece of tape on the tank, for instance, can work very well. For outdoors work, use light colors and/or the shady side of the equipment to avoid solar loading. Occasionally tanks are heated or cooled with a jacket. These often cause thermal imaging cameras to be ineffective for level determination . In some instances it may be possible to see the structural "stand offs" between the tank wall and the jacket.

 

Tanks that are insulated can also prove challenging. Thankfully, insulation levels are typically not great enough that they preclude seeing levels; rather the insulation changes the thermal dynamics to the point where a detectable level may not be obvious as often. Simple techniques, explained below, can help enhance thermal differences so that they can be detected. In some instances it may be possible to cut small "plugs" out of the insulation at various levels that would more clearly reveal the tank temperatures. Although solar loading can enhance a pattern, more often it can cause subtle thermal patterns in a tank or silo to be obliterated. It may be possible to view the container on the shady side, but sometimes it may be necessary to return when the sun's affect is lessened. Spheroid tanks offer another type of challenge in that, when viewed from one point, their reflectance varies widely over their curved surface. It is not unusual to find the tops of such tanks appearing cooler while the bottom appearing warmer; all too often both patterns are related more to reflectance than emission. Tanks located inside of buildings are not subjected to diurnal heating cycles. Some thermal cycling usually does take place, but it may not be enough to make the radiant differences detectable. Again, simple techniques, explained below, can be used very effectively to enhance surface temperature differences.

 

Simple Techniques to Enhance Thermal Patterns

 

Often thermal patterns can be enhanced by using simple techniques to increase transient heat transfer. It may be possible to add heating or cooling directly into or to the surface of the tank/silo. The gas head in the tank responds more quickly than the liquid. As discussed above, solids may respond in a more complex manner. An industrial hot air gun can be used to heat the surface of small to medium sized tanks. Heating even a narrow area may dramatically reveal a level. Cooling can be provided simply by wetting the surface with water. As evaporation takes place, cooling drives transient heat flow and reveals or enhances the levels. While these techniques may not seem feasible for large tanks, such is not the case. Cooling in particular can easily be supplied with a stream of cold water hosed onto the tank surface. Add the element of time for the cooling to take effect and, in many cases, the image becomes readily apparent.

 

Conclusion

 

Many industries have a critical need to determine levels in tanks and silos and to validate the already existing level-indication instrumentation. Infrared thermal imaging provides a simple, cost-effective means of doing both. Conditions often allow for levels to be seen at almost any time of the night or day and throughout the year. While levels are not always immediately obvious, persistence, careful infrared imaging and simple enhancement techniques can often produce remarkable results.

 

Acknowledgments

 

The authors would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance in the work that went into this paper: Jeff Backer, Shane Brooker, Matt Clarke, Lee Colgrove, Jeff Cordova, Keith Dodderer, Patrick Lawrence, Greg McIntosh, Rob Spring, and Mark Soult.

 

Please visit us at  www.electrophysics.com/snellsiloab

 

For more comprehensive White Papers visit our online Knowledge Center.
www.electrophysics.com/thermal-imaging

 

Electrophysics - IR Cameras for Thermography Professionals
373 Route 46, Fairfield, NJ 07004 Phone: 973-882-0211 Fax: 973-882-0997

About the Author

 

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The American Civil War Was Foretold In Patrick Henry's Prophecy

Ominously, Patrick Henry predicted the American Civil War, in what is remembered as "Patrick Henry’s Prophecy."  "This government cannot last," he thundered, "It will not last a century.  We can only get rid of its oppression by a most violent and bloody struggle."  And sure enough, 87 years later the American Civil War consolidated power under a godlike central government.

At its conclusion, the voice of Reverend Edward Fontaine echoed down the corridors of time.  Patrick Henry's great grandson wrote, "The violent and bloody struggle has ensued, and it has not yet ended…The government has been overturned, and the century has not yet rolled away."

This was the first installment in the Divine pay-as-you-go judgment plan for breaking the national covenant "four score and seven years" earlier.  The entire country was being judged by the consolidation of power, although the South bore the brunt in losing the American Civil War.

"Preserving the Union" was Lincoln's euphemism for wresting power from the states.  Slavery was a convenient spark plug to justify the holocaust.  The emotional issue of slavery was exploited for Lincoln's purposes.  The abuse of slaves was greatly exaggerated, for the subtle agenda of consolidating power.  As we are told today, "Never let a good crisis go to waste."

What is the evidence?  During the Great Depression of the 1930s the federal government employed journalists to interview former slaves.  They collected over 10,000 pages in the 40-volume "Slave Narratives."  Only 4% of the slaves reported having "cruel masters," according to Steve Wilkins in "America: The First 350 Years."  Ten percent said they had "hard masters", and the vast majority -- 86% -- said they had "good masters."

Although Southern slavery was generally familial and mild, it nonetheless violated Biblical laws governing slavery.  Thus, abuse was possible under the law in rare instances, provoking the judgment of God.

But there was no excuse for the slanderous hypocrisy of the northern abolitionists and their call for a violent revolution.  Abolitionist hatred and mischaracterization polarized the sides and made The American Civil War inevitable.

Ignoring the British example of gradual abolition, they spurned a peaceful solution.  The inflammatory abolitionist rhetoric invited federal involvement and centralization of supreme and unquestioned political authority in Washington D.C.  This has accelerated to the present day.

God condemns slave trading as a capital offense, but He permits slave owning in certain situations.  Otherwise, why would he give regulations for the kind treatment of slaves (Eph 6:5; Col 3:22-4:1)?  By condemning slavery, without exception as a "great moral evil", we are condemning God and His Word spoken through the Apostle Paul (Philemon 11).

Why then did the South lose The American Civil War, especially after so remarkable a beginning. As we have noted above, the South wasn't right.  Biblical slave laws were not instituted and the Confederate Constitution repeated almost verbatim the blasphemous exclusion of the religious test oath for public officeholders.

For More Information

About the Author

To find out why Patrick Henry detested the U.S. Constitution visit http://www.america-betrayed-1787.com Dennis Woods is webmaster and also a political pollster and fundraiser in Oregon. Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact."