East Jet Virtual

Posts Tagged ‘shopping’

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anyone know any good moving van/lorry companies? well known and trusted ones would be nice?

links to websites maybe??
im planning on moving soon and i'll be needed a van or lorry to get all my things from where i live now to my new house.

Pickfords is one of the biggest ones in the UK, not the cheapest though

http://www.pickfords.co.uk/

You can do a quick quote online. We used them and they were great!

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What car company has a good reputation for having parts for old autos made by them?

I heard it's good to have a car from a good car company that after time will still have parts for your old car. Does anyone know which car company is the best in this standard? I think local mechanics would know best. I plan on getting a car and stick with it for a long time.
Thank you in advance for your help

any american car has parts for at least 10 yrs. and then if the car is popular the aftermarket builds parts for it, you can build a complete19 66 or 67 chevy chevelle from the ground up if you have the frame as the aftermarket makes all the parts you need.

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How Do I Keep a Metal Screw-On Lid From Rusting?

So I bought a vintage glass bottle (originally used for maple syrup!) and was planning on using it for a neat water bottle. However, the screw-on lid is metal! Although there is not any rust on it right now, I'm worried that using it daily with water will start to rust it... Any suggestions on how to prevent this?

Over time, the steel will rust...the best you can do is to keep the lid dry when not in use and to put a good coat of a food contact paint on the lid.

The Measure of Beauty Created in Nature:the Golden Ratio

Allah has appointed a measure for all things. (Surat at-Talaq, 3)

… You will not find any flaw in the creation of the All-Merciful. Look again-do you see any gaps? Then look again and again. Your sight will return to you dazzled and exhausted! (Surat al-Mulk, 3-4)

... If a pleasing or exceedingly balanced form is achieved in terms of elements of application or function, then we may look for a function of the Golden Number there ... The Golden Number is a product not of mathematical imagination, but of a natural principle related to the laws of equilibrium. (1)

What do the pyramids in Egypt, Leonardo do Vinci's portrait of the Mona Lisa, sunflowers, the snail, the pine cone and your fingers all have in common?

The answer to this question lies hidden in a sequence of numbers discovered by the Italian mathematician Fibonacci. The characteristic of these numbers, known as the Fibonacci numbers, is that each one consists of the sum of the two numbers before it. (2)

L. Pisano Fibonacci

Fibonacci numbers

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, …

Fibonacci numbers have an interesting property. When you divide one number in the sequence by the number before it, you obtain numbers very close to one another. In fact, this number is fixed after the 13th in the series. This number is known as the "golden ratio."

GOLDEN RATIO = 1.618

233 / 144 = 1.618

377 / 233 = 1.618

610 / 377 = 1.618

987 / 610 = 1.618

1597 / 987 = 1.618

2584 / 1597 = 1.618

THE HUMAN BODY AND THE GOLDEN RATIO

When conducting their researches or setting out their products, artists, scientists and designers take the human body, the proportions of which are set out according to the golden ratio, as their measure. Leonardo da Vinci and Le Corbusier took the human body, proportioned according to the golden ratio, as their measure when producing their designs. The human body, proportioned according to the golden ratio, is taken as the basis also in the Neufert, one of the most important reference books of modern-day architects.

Leonardo da Vinci used the golden ratio in setting out the proportions of the human body.

THE GOLDEN RATIO IN THE HUMAN BODY

The "ideal" proportional relations that are suggested as existing among various parts of the average human body and that approximately meet the golden ratio values can be set out in a general plan as follows: (3)

The M/m level in the table below is always equivalent to the golden ratio. M/m = 1.618

The first example of the golden ratio in the average human body is that when the distance between the navel and the foot is taken as 1 unit, the height of a human being is equivalent to 1.618. Some other golden proportions in the average human body are:

The distance between the finger tip and the elbow / distance between the wrist and the elbow,

The distance between the shoulder line and the top of the head / head length,

The distance between the navel and the top of the head / the distance between the shoulder line and the top of the head,

The distance between the navel and knee / distance between the knee and the end of the foot.

The Human Hand

Lift your hand from the computer mouse and look at the shape of your index finger. You will in all likelihood witness a golden proportion there.

Our fingers have three sections. The proportion of the first two to the full length of the finger gives the golden ratio (with the exception of the thumbs). You can also see that the proportion of the middle finger to the little finger is also a golden ratio. (4)

You have two hands, and the fingers on them consist of three sections. There are five fingers on each hand, and only eight of these are articulated according to the golden number: 2, 3, 5, and 8 fit the Fibonacci numbers.

The Golden Ratio in the Human Face

There are several golden ratios in the human face. Do not pick up a ruler and try to measure people's faces, however, because this refers to the "ideal human face" determined by scientists and artists.

For example, the total width of the two front teeth in the upper jaw over their height gives a golden ratio. The width of the first tooth from the centre to the second tooth also yields a golden ratio. These are the ideal proportions that a dentist may consider. Some other golden ratios in the human face are:

Length of face / width of face,

Distance between the lips and where the eyebrows meet / length of nose,

Length of face / distance between tip of jaw and where the eyebrows meet,

Length of mouth / width of nose,

Width of nose / distance between nostrils,

Distance between pupils / distance between eyebrows.

Golden Proportion in the Lungs

In a study carried out between 1985 and 1987 (5), the American physicist B. J. West and Dr. A. L. Goldberger revealed the existence of the golden ratio in the structure of the lung. One feature of the network of the bronchi that constitutes the lung is that it is asymmetric. For example, the windpipe divides into two main bronchi, one long (the left) and the other short (the right). This asymmetrical division continues into the subsequent subdivisions of the bronchi. (6) It was determined that in all these divisions the proportion of the short bronchus to the long was always 1/1.618.

THE GOLDEN RECTANGLE AND THE DESIGN IN THE SPIRAL

A rectangle the proportion of whose sides is equal to the golden ratio is known as a "golden rectangle." A rectangle whose sides are 1.618 and 1 units long is a golden rectangle. Let us assume a square drawn along the length of the short side of this rectangle and draw a quarter circle between two corners of the square. Then, let us draw a square and a quarter circle on the remaining side and do this for all the remaining rectangles in the main rectangle. When you do this you will end up with a spiral.

The British aesthetician William Charlton explains the way that people find the spiral pleasing and have been using it for thousands of years stating that we find spirals pleasing because we are easily able to visually follow them. (7)

The spirals based on the golden ratio contain the most incomparable designs you can find in nature. The first examples we can give of this are the spiral sequences on the sunflower and the pine cone. In addition to this, an example of Almighty Allah's flawless creation and how He has created everything with a measure, the growth process of many living things also takes place in a logarithmic spiral form. The curves in the spiral are always the same and the main form never changes no matter their size. No other shape in mathematics possesses this property. (8)

The Design in Sea Shells

The flawless design in the nautilus shell contains the golden ratio.

When investigating the shells of the living things classified as mollusks, which live at the bottom of the sea, the form and the structure of the internal and external surfaces of the shells attracted the scientists' attention:

The internal surface is smooth, the outside one is fluted. The mollusk body is inside shell and the internal surface of shells should be smooth. The outside edges of the shell augment a rigidity of shells and, thus, increase its strength. The shell forms astonish by their perfection and profitability of means spent on its creation. The spiral's idea in shells is expressed in the perfect geometrical form, in surprising beautiful, "sharpened" design. (9)

The shells of most mollusks grow in a logarithmic spiral manner. There can be no doubt, of course, that these animals are unaware of even the simplest mathematical calculation, let alone logarithmic spirals. So how is it that the creatures in question can know that this is the best way for them to grow? How do these animals, that some scientists describe as "primitive," know that this is the ideal form for them? It is impossible for growth of this kind to take place in the absence of a consciousness or intellect. That consciousness exists neither in mollusks nor, despite what some scientists would claim, in nature itself. It is totally irrational to seek to account for such a thing in terms of chance. This design can only be the product of a superior intellect and knowledge, and belongs to Almighty Allah, the Creator of all things:

"My Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge so will you not pay heed?" (Surat al-An'am, 80)

Growth of this kind was described as "gnomic growth" by the biologist Sir D'Arcy Thompson, an expert on the subject, who stated that it was impossible to imagine a simpler system, during the growth of a seashell, than which was based on widening and extension in line with identical and unchanging proportions. As he pointed out, the shell constantly grows, but its shape remains the same. (10)

One can see one of the best examples of this type of growth in a nautilus, just a few centimetres in diameter. C. Morrison describes this growth process, which is exceptionally difficult to plan even with human intelligence, stating that along the nautilus shell, an internal spiral extends consisting of a number of chambers with mother-of-pearl lined walls. As the animal grows, it builds another chamber at the spiral shell mouth larger than the one before it, and moves forward into this larger area by closing the door behind it with a layer of mother-of-pearl. (11)

The scientific names of some other marine creatures with logarithmic spirals containing the different growth ratios in their shells are:

Haliotis Parvus, Dolium Perdix, Murex, Fusus Antiquus, Scalari Pretiosa, Solarium Trochleare.

Ammonites, extinct sea animals that are today found only in fossil form, too, had shells developing in logarithmic spiral form.

Growth in a spiral form in the animal world is not restricted to the shells of mollusks. Animals such as antelopes, goats and rams complete their horn development in spiral forms based on the golden ratio. (12)

The Golden Ratio in the Hearing and Balance Organ

The cochlea in the human inner ear serves to transmit sound vibrations. This bony structure, filled with fluid, has a logarithmic spiral shape with a fixed angle of ?=73°43´ containing the golden ratio.

Horns and Teeth That Grow in a Spiral Form

Examples of curves based on the logarithmic spiral can be seen in the tusks of elephants and the now-extinct mammoth, lions' claws and parrots' beaks. The eperia spider always weaves its webs in a logarithmic spiral. Among the micro-organisms known as plankton, the bodies of globigerinae, planorbis, vortex, terebra, turitellae and trochida are all constructed on spirals.

THE GOLDEN RATIO IN THE MICRO WORLD

Geometrical shapes are by no means limited to triangles, squares, pentagons or hexagons. These shapes can also come together in various ways and produce new three-dimensional geometrical shapes. The cube and the pyramid are the first examples that can be cited. In addition to these, however, there are also such three-dimensional shapes as the tetrahedron (with regular four faces), octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron, that we may never encounter in our daily lives and whose names we may never even have heard of. The dodecahedron consists of 12 pentagonal faces, and the icosahedron of 20 triangles. Scientists have discovered that these shapes can all mathematically turn into one another, and that this transformation takes place with ratios linked to the golden ratio.

Three-dimensional forms that contain the golden ratio are very widespread in micro-organisms. Many viruses have an icosahedron shape. The best known of these is the Adeno virus. The protein sheath of the Adeno virus consists of 252 protein subunits, all regularly set out. The 12 subunits in the corners of the icosahedron are in the shape of pentagonal prisms. Rod-like structures protrude from these corners.

The first people to discover that viruses came in shapes containing the golden ratio were Aaron Klug and Donald Caspar from Birkbeck College in London in the 1950s. The first virus they established this in was the polio virus. The Rhino 14 virus has the same shape as the polio virus.

Why is it that viruses have shapes based on the golden ratio, shapes that it is hard for us even to visualise in our minds? A. Klug, who discovered these shapes, explains:

My colleague Donald Caspar and I showed that the design of these viruses could be explained in terms of a generalization of icosahedral symmetry that allows identical units to be related to each other in a quasi-equivalent way with a small measure of internal flexibility. We enumerated all the possible designs, which have similarities to the geodesic domes designed by the architect R. Buckminster Fuller. However, whereas Fuller's domes have to be assembled following a fairly elaborate code, the design of the virus shell allows it to build itself. (14)

Klug's description once again reveals a manifest truth. There is a sensitive planning and intelligent design even in viruses, regarded by scientists as "one of the simplest and smallest living things." (15) This design is a great deal more successful than and superior to those of Buckminster Fuller, one of the world's most eminent architects.

The dodecahedron and icosahedron also appear in the silica skeletons of radiolarians, single-celled marine organisms.

Structures based on these two geometric shapes, like the regular dodecahedron with feet-like structures protruding from each corner, and the various formations on their surfaces make up the varying beautiful bodies of the radiolarians. (16)

As an example of these organisms, less than a millimetre in size, we may cite the icosahedron based Circigonia Icosahedra and the Circorhegma Dodecahedra with dodecahedron skeleton. (17)

The Golden Ratio in DNA

The molecule in which all the physical features of living things are stored, too, has been created in a form based on the golden ratio. The DNA molecule, the very program of life, is based on the golden ratio. DNA consists of two intertwined perpendicular helixes. The length of the curve in each of these helixes is 34 angstroms and the width 21 angstroms. (1 angstrom is one hundred millionth of a centimetre.) 21 and 34 are two consecutive Fibonacci numbers.

The Golden Ratio in Snow Crystals

The golden ratio also manifests itself in crystal structures. Most of these are in structures too minute to be seen with the naked eye. Yet you can see the golden ratio in snow flakes. The various long and short variations and protrusions that comprise the snow flake all yield the golden ratio. (18)

THE GOLDEN RATIO IN SPACE

In the universe there are many spiral galaxies containing the golden ratio in their structures.

The Golden Ratio in Physics

You encounter Fibonacci series and the golden ratio in fields that fall under the sphere of physics. When a light is held over two contiguous layers of glass, one part of that light passes through, one part is absorbed, and the rest is reflected. What happens is a "multiple reflection." The number of paths taken by the ray inside the glass before it emerges again depends on the number of reflections it is subjected to. In conclusion, when we determine the number of rays that re-emerge, we find that they are compatible with the Fibonacci numbers.

The fact that a great many unconnected animate or inanimate structures in nature are shaped according to a specific mathematical formula is one of the clearest proofs that these have been specially designed. The golden ratio is an aesthetic rule well known and applied by artists. Works of art based on that ratio represent aesthetic perfection. Plants, galaxies, micro-organisms, crystals and living things designed according to this rule imitated by artists are all examples of Allah's superior artistry. Allah reveals in the Qur'an that He has created all things with a measure. Some of these verses read:

… Allah has appointed a measure for all things. (Surat at-Talaq, 3)

… Everything has its measure with Him. (Surat ar-Ra'd,

Under the pen name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar has written some 250 works. His books contain a total of 46,000 pages and 31,500 illustrations. Of these books, 7,000 pages and 6,000 illustrations deal with the collapse of the Theory of Evolution. You can read, free of charge, all the books Adnan Oktar has written under the pen name Harun Yahya on these websites www.harunyahya.com

1- Mehmet Suat Bergil, Doðada/Bilimde/Sanatta, Altýn Oran (The Golden Ratio in Nature/Science/Art), Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayinlari, 2nd Edition, 1993, p. 155.

2- Guy Murchie, The Seven Mysteries of Life, First Mariner Boks, New York, pp. 58-59.

3- J. Cumming, Nucleus: Architecture and Building Construction, Longman, 1985.

4- Mehmet Suat Bergil, Doðada/Bilimde/Sanatta, Altýn Oran (The Golden Ratio in Nature/Science/Art), Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayinlari, 2nd Edition, 1993, p. 87.

5- A. L. Goldberger, et al., "Bronchial Asymmetry and Fibonacci Scaling." Experientia, 41 : 1537, 1985.

6- E. R. Weibel, Morphometry of the Human Lung, Academic Press, 1963.

7- William Charlton, Aesthetics: An Introduction, Hutchinson University Library, London, 1970.

8- Mehmet Suat Bergil, Doðada/Bilimde/Sanatta, Altýn Oran (The Golden Ratio in Nature/Science/Art), Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayinlari, 2nd Edition, 1993, p. 77.

9- "The 'Golden' spirals and 'pentagonal' symmetry in the alive Nature," online at: http://www.goldenmuseum.com/index_engl.html

10- D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, On Growth and Form, C.U.P., Cambridge, 1961.

11- C. Morrison, Along The Track, Withcombe and Tombs, Melbourne.

12- "The 'Golden' spirals and 'pentagonal' symmetry in the alive Nature," online at: http://www.goldenmuseum.com/index_engl.html

13- J. H. Mogle, et al., "The Stucture and Function of Viruses," Edward Arnold, London, 1978.

14- A. Klug, "Molecules on Grand Scale," New Scientist, 1561:46, 1987.

15- Mehmet Suat Bergil, Doðada/Bilimde/Sanatta, Altýn Oran (The Golden Ratio in Nature/Science/Art), Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayinlari, 2nd Edition, 1993, p. 82.

16- Mehmet Suat Bergil, Doðada/Bilimde/Sanatta, Altýn Oran (The Golden Ratio in Nature/Science/Art), Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayinlari, 2nd Edition, 1993, p. 85.

17- For bodies of radiolarians, see H. Weyl, Synnetry, Princeton, 1952.

18- Emre Becer, "Biçimsel Uyumun Matematiksel Kuralý Olarak, Altýn Oran" (The Golden Ratio as a Mathematical Rule of Formal Harmony), Bilim ve Teknik Dergisi (Journal of Science and Technology), January 1991, p.16.

19- V.E. Hoggatt, Jr. and Bicknell-Johnson, Fibonacci Quartley, 17:118, 1979.

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR, HARUN YAHYA
Born in Ankara in 1956, Adnan Oktar writes his books under the pen name of Harun Yahya. Ever since his university years, he has dedicated his life to telling of the existence and oneness of Almighty Allah, and to disseminating the moral values of the Qur'an. He has never wavered in the face of difficulties and despite oppression, still continues this intellectual struggle today exhibiting great patience and determination. For mor information pls visit: http://www.harunyahya.com/theauthor.php

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Louis Marx & Company

Virtual Bargains

As is common in the stories of many successful entrepreneurs, Louis Marx & Company began with a firing. Louis Marx worked at Ferdinand J. Strass Company after graduating high school. The Strass Company was a mechanical tin toy manufacturer that produced tin toys for Abraham & Strauss Department Stores. They were a pioneer in the tin toy industry. After rising to the position of manager, Louis Marx was fired because of disputes over tin toy production.

After serving in the U.S. Army during World War I, Marx decided to venture out on his own. In 1919, Louis and his brother David established Louis Marx & Company in New York City. They started with nothing but Louis' design talent and energy coupled with David's operational expertise. The company was not originally set up to be a tin toy manufacturer, but a middle man between the toy manufacturer and the retail stores. What would today be called a distributor. They soon began to start manufacturing their own tin toys and lived by two rules that would govern the company and contribute to their success, "Give the customer more toy for less money" and "Quality is not negotiable." The company soon earned the reputation of quality tin toys at low prices, and the Marx brand became noted for its value.

Marx bought his old employer, The Strass Company, in 1922 when Strass fell on hard times. This purchase gave Louis Marx & Company patents and dies to some famous Strass tin toys, Zippo the Climbing Monkey and the Alabama Minstrel Singer. In 1928, the company produced the first Yo-Yo and signed a deal with Sears Roebuck & Co. to carry it.

Despite the Great Depression, the 1930s was a time of rapid growth for Louis Marx & Company. Marx built three new plants in Erie, Pennsylvania, Girard, Pennsylvania, and Glendale, West Virginia. This growth continued until World War II, when the factories were recruited to the war effort and became a supplier for the U.S. Military. After the war, Louis Marx & Company returned to tin toy manufacturing and quickly became the world's largest tin toy manufacturer.

The company grew by leaps and bounds during the "Golden Era" of the 1950s. By 1955 Louis Marx & Company was producing 20% of all the tin toys sold in the U.S. and had factories in ten countries. They produced over 5000 different products including many tinplate toys that had made them famous in the beginning.

During the 1960s the Japanese were flooding the market with mass produced, cheap tin toys. In the 1970s tin started to be replaced with plastic and newer metal alloys. Marx's first plastic toys were disappointing because they lacked durability and they soon switched to polyethylene. In 1972 Louis Marx, now 76, knew it was time to get out and sold the company to Quaker Oats. Under Quaker's corporate culture the company suffered and 3 years later was sold to Dunbee-Combex of England. By 1980 the company filed for bankruptcy and operations were shut down. American Plastic Equipment of Florida acquired the company assets in 1982 and resurrected the Marx name. By 1988, old Marx toys commanded high prices from collectors and demand was triggered to reissue the toys. In 1995 a separate toy company was formed, Marx Toy Corporation, and the tradition of quality tin toys at a value price was reborn.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

www.VirtualBargains.com

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Top Tips For Updating a Victorian Home

It is a like love gone bad, an affair that started of great but has now turned sour! The panel of oak wood that made your heart race, now makes you feel gloomy and dark. The alcoves, the turrets, the oddly shaped rooms seemed so inviting and romantic before, but now you have no idea on how to furnish and decorate your home!

After few years living in a small Victorian terraced house you can find yourself craving for a big modern bathroom, a simple open floor and ample storage space.

Older homes are beautiful and may seem like living a dream, but the truth is they are simply not designed for modern living.

The plan of a Victorian House seems cluttered and open spaces are hard to come by, instead you may find a maze of small rooms of almost closet size connected by a series of doors and hallways.

But none the less, Victorian houses have a lot of charm and with the right remodelling they can be a dream come true. Most people look to create more space by tearing down old walls, but look out!

Many of these seemingly insignificant walls are actually load bearing. They actually support the upper floors! While your house may not come crumbling down if you remove one wall, there is a risk of the floors beginning to sag. If you want to remove walls you should check with a reputable builder as it may be necessary to have supporting lintels put in place to support the upper floor.

You will have to ensure that any major refurbishments made meet building regulations and planning permission is obtained, where applicable, before starting any major renovations.

Luckily there are many ways to update that older house and still keeping structure intact. Don't remove the entire wall, but cut openings in existing walls. The result will be more space, while still maintaining ambiance.
The number one complaint about Victorian houses is usually the bathroom. Even though modern plumbing were largely available at the time, Victorian bathrooms are small compared to many modern standards. But you can transform them into havens of peace and practicality by adding a few personal touches of Victorian or modern soft furnishings and clever decorating.

Finding extra storage space in a Victorian home has always been a problem, but here are some tips:

* Use the area below the main staircase. This can be opened up to provide space for bureaus and desks, if large enough computer stations can be placed here very effectively.
* Install bookcases or shelving around windows, doors and in alcoves.
* The number one rule is "No harm"- meaning do not purposely destroy the original styling and materials.
* Use the same fabrics and original styles wherever you can.
* Think creatively about the possibilities instead of the limitations of your house.
* Decorate in pale or neutral colours or bright vibrant colours to make small rooms appear larger and brighter.
* Choose full length curtains to add height to a room, coordinate with rugs, runners, cushions and throws.

Many Victorian houses are now seen as very desirable residences, so rather then moan and groan about your older style house reflect back and remember the unique assets which you fell in love with and turn your house back into a home your adore!

About the Author

Terrys Fabrics offer a wide range of curtains, fabrics,
cushions and throws

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Automatically Tracking Your Car, Fleet, or Boat with GPS

There is a huge assortment of GPS products on the market for all sorts of purposes. For example there is a specific niche of GPS products tailored for vehicle tracking and surveillance- in other words, tracking a car, a fleet, or any other automobile (hey you could even track a boat, etc).

Certain product lines are sold only through authorized dealers and distrubutors- these are generally the more higher end GPS units used by heavy industry or shipping companies.

You can consider GPS car tracking as a branch of security as well as something that can help fleet management companies or car rental facilities, etc, to improve business intelligence, cut costs, and find out who's slacking on the job.

Not too long ago, the primary security method for your vehicle was to have one of those annoying sounding alarm systems. And more recently the security bar we place on our steering wheels when parking. Well now for those extra paranoid folks out there you now have the option of using GPS tracking in case your car ever got stolen.

Or you could always pretend to be a secret agent and follow your kids around to make sure they are not hanging out with bad influences. Those are just a few of the many applications GPS has. It's up to you to decide what you are looking to do.

The truth is, the global climate of security is not what it used to be, at least not in the . Therefore the sense of having an extra peace of mind can go a long way in this day and age.

Please note that not all GPS offerings will be the same- depending on the extra features you are looking for, and whether you want a third party to monitor and track you vehicle or even fleet of vehicles, there may be a subscription fee involved somewhere.

Keep in mind that is that not all GPS models will work the same way. For example, if you want to track your personal vehicle, there may be a certain radius that you must be within in order to track down the signal. Little things like this can make a huge impact in your decision on a GPS car tracking system.

About the Author

Visit our site for GPS live tracking news and products.

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A Quick and Easy Way to Sell Your Car and Maximize Your Profits

How to sell my car?

I was looking for a place to sell my car and get the highest possible price. I was not sure how quickly I could sell my car and if anyone would even buy my car. It is an overwhelming process trying to determine the cars value, find a platform to sell your car, and then the paperwork to complete the transaction can even be difficult or scary dealing with strangers when selling your car.

Car Buying Services

I ended up on a few car buying websites but decided to end up selling my car through 1800CarCash, a car buying service located in New York. When going to their web site was greeted with 3 options for selling my car. First option was by talking to an online sales agent using live chat, the second was a click to talk service that connected me to a sales agent over the phone for free and the last option was a self service car quote system.

I found a live chat option on the CarCash web site, Using the live chat I was able to get in touch with someone on the website and they walked me through the process of what I needed to know to sell my car and how they would go about the steps to buy my car. I gave them my make, model, and year of the car. The questions that followed were about the appearance and the color, options and upgrades that my car had. Just minutes after connecting to the agent I received the estimated value of my car and matched what I was expecting to get and a few dollars more. I drove my car down to the shop and picked up my cash.

Wow that was easy, I just sold my Car!

I know the process is not for everyone, some people selling their cars still like to haggle with strangers who show up at your door wanting to buy your car. I am not one of those people; I spent too much time with people trying to reduce the price, and then if I finally agreed, would not even buy my car. I felt as if private sales made for a lot of wasted time and frustration when I was trying to sell my car.

I recommend to anyone, if you want to sell your car use a car buying service first before trying to list it for sale or trade it in. Using services that provide instant quotes like I found at CarCash and can help you get right price quickly. They even help customers that are in a lease or financed vehicles. Selling a car turns out can be an amazingly easy simple process. I asked a bit more about the chat service and found out that it’s a great service is provided by a company ZenithBPO.

In Closing

In the future, if I ever need to sell my car again, CarCash or similar car buy services will be the only place I use. No more stress, no more low ball offers to buy my car, no more haggling with strangers to try and sell my car, I love the complete control of the online car buying process.

So if you are looking for a place to sell your car and would like to have the top value of it paid directly to you with no hassle, no frustration try an online car buying service like I did and make it simple.

About the Author

About the Author:

If you are asking yourself How to sell my car? Just sell your car to CarCash.com for a quick and easy sale with top dollar paid and free instant online quotes.

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Indoor Furniture Gives Your Home an Innovative and Unique Look

Stylish, well-designed and space efficient furniture holds a special place in every house and office. It is generally categorized according to the area of the house and plays an important role in creating the right interiors. No doubt, beautifully designed pieces of indoor furniture add spices in the beauty of your house. These pieces not only adorn your home fabulously, but also describe your living standard. It is the right way of making the indoor of your home beautiful and pretty. In other words, indoor furniture gives your home a unique and innovative look from the drab ambience to attractive surroundings. It comes in a variety of finishes from light to dark choice of finish. During the manufacturing, every piece is produced after many days of carving.

The amazing combination of wood, steel and experienced craftsmanship makes every corner of the house special and attractive. Unique and innovative indoor furniture is manufactured by using various kind of wood including teak and mahogany. Teak and mahogany are considered as durable timbers that last for a long time. Interestingly, teak is appropriate for outdoor space because its natural oil keep furniture protected from insects and other damages. On the other hand, mahogany is suitable for crafting furniture because its reddish-brown color brings warmness and natural impression.

Talking about the inner part of the home, it holds dining room, guest room, children's room, your personal room, kitchen and above all your front hall. You want to decorate all these parts in a unique way; thus, pieces of indoor furniture play a major role in the decoration of your house. In other words, it helps in giving your home a new and beautiful look. Right from bedroom furniture, it is considered as the essential part of indoor furniture. Every piece of like dressing table, bed, sofa, stools and chest of drawers are sure to keep your bedroom organized as well as provide you with warm and relaxed feeling.

Manufacturers always use the best possible materials to create beautiful and long lasting quality furniture. Whether it is for bedroom, dining room, occasional hall furniture or any piece of indoor furniture, you can get your desired pieces at reasonable prices by simply placing your order online. There are a number of manufacturers and suppliers offering you the very advanced collection of durable indoor furniture. These stores offer you top-notch pieces according to your budget and requirements.

About the Author

Hwf.co.nz provides you a one stop solution for all types of furniture, Indoor Furniture and outdoor furniture. You can Buy Indoor Furniture at unbeatable prices according to modern styles.

Installing Under Sink Water Purifiers

Most homeowners have experienced the following unfortunate scenario: You enter the kitchen or bath, turn on the faucet and out comes water filled with sediment or minerals. You can see the build-up over time on the water cup or toothbrush holder. Sometimes unseen chlorine and other distasteful chemicals are the culprit.

Under-the-sink water purifiers to the rescue!

For a modest cost of about $50, you could have clean water instantly in the kitchen or bath. Installation is no more difficult than putting in a garbage disposal. The savings in not buying so much bottled water will quickly erase the cost.

For most models, the installation is pretty much the same.

Just disconnect the cold-water supply line underneath the sink. Be careful to use only the cold water line. Filters are not designed to work correctly with hot water.

Sometimes it’s attached with screw-tightening clamps similar to car water hoses. Sometimes, it’s a squeeze clamp that will require strong fingers or a good pair of pliers.

But that’s usually the easy part. If the hose has been attached for a long time, it will probably stick. Take care not just to jerk hard. You’ll split the hose off, requiring a lengthy and difficult removal of the remainder with a knife. Or, worse, you’ll bust off the nib the hose attaches to. Twist and pull moderately, and if necessary squirt something in the hose lip that will dissolve calcium carbonate and/or aluminum or copper oxide.

Clean off all the fittings really well. Sometimes ordinary cleaning solvent is enough. Other installations will require a little bit of gentle sanding. A clean surface is key to a dripless finish.

Now wind ample Teflon plumber’s tape around the nib. Never secure a hose with PVC glue or other adhesive. Someday you’ll have to replace the hose and it will be nearly impossible to get off without damaging the pipe. In any case, it would make the job ten times harder and longer.

Now for the filter.

The water filter fits between the cold-water supply and the faucet. Filters often use some kind of activated charcoal, a type of carbon that grabs the minerals, chlorine and other molecules on the way to the spigot. They sit inside a canister that opens up or pulls down so the filter can be changed every six months to a year. So, make sure to face the cannister in a way that doesn’t prevent that.

Flexible hose attaches to the cannister/filter housing and then onto the nib where the previous line was removed. They’re typically included with the water filter kit. Make sure not to kink them or even have too sharp a bend. That leads to blockage or cracking over time. Trim off the ends of the hose to prevent that.

Most hoses can be attached with simple compression fittings that also come with the standard kit. Hand tightening is often good enough. Make sure you don’t over-tighten them. That leads to cracked hoses near the fitting.

Cannisters are attached in a number of different ways. Sometimes a small ring attaches to the U-shaped pipe under the sink. Others are designed to attach to the wall with a mounting bracket. Just follow the instructions. Take care, though, when mounting on the wall to drive into a stud or to use good dry-wall screw holders. Cannisters full of water can weigh several pounds

-The Fixie Chix

About the Author

Tune into www.Home&YardRadio;.com with the Fixie Chick Saturdays at 10:00am on 950 ESPN for more must have information for your Home & Yard!
Women owned businesses. DIY Home Improvements. Look at my other businesses: http://www.fixinchix.com & Healthy Homes of Rochester http://www.healthyhomesofrochester.com
Well save you money on your home's energy costs.

Brenna Hartmann also writes for the Democrat and Chronicle's Living Section in Rochester, NY. In addition she writes monthly for The Property Source Magazine and the Home and yard Handbook which she was the founder and since has sold the handbook entity in order to spend more time with her family and children.

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2007 Was a Banner Year for Auctions Hosted by R.m. Smythe & Co. With

Manhattan, New York - January 31, 2008 - R.M. Smythe & Co. held 6

auctions in 2007 offering historical autographs, currency, coins,

stocks, bonds, antiques and even two cannons. While compiling a list of

the more interesting lots that sold in 2007, the one unifying factor

that fits all of the items listed is that collectors were looking for

quality merchandise. This relentless search for quality became evident

in heavy bidding activity resulting in final bids that in many cases far

exceeded pre-auction estimates and set new auction records. Of

particular note was the December 12-13 sale #275 of part 13 of the

Schingoethe collection of obsolete currency, which saw many notes

selling for up to 10 times their presale estimates, with 94% of the 1162

lots sold at the final gavel (See http://www.news-antique.com/?id=783436

). Although interest in obsolete currency was very high, it represented

just a small portion of the antique and collectible merchandise that saw

very active bidding on the Smythe auction floor in 2007.

Here are realized prices on some of the more noteworthy lots sold by

R.M. Smythe & Company in 2007. The listed lots include the sale#, the

lot# and the final bid. In most cases the presale estimate is also

listed. The realized price listed does not include the buyers premium.

Detailed photos of each lot listed can be viewed by visiting the online

catalog for the specified sale# and lot# at Smythe auctions. See:

http://www.smytheonline.com/prices_realized/index.php .

Sale #270 - Lot# 1136 - Final Bid $24,000

1838 Die Alignment III, Reeded Edge Judd-84 Brilliant Proof. As a type

Gobrecht dollars are quite scarce, and when they are encountered, they

are usually from the 1836 mintage of 1,600 pieces. The Restrike Pattern

Gobrechts of 1838 (Judd-84) are considered to be R.5. This piece has

dark slate gray toning, but when rotated under light, very attractive

underlying hues of copper, gold, aqua, and blue can be seen. The proof

flash is very visible under the layers of color. Fully struck up, which

they are often not. The eagle's feathers are quite distinct. Although

quite attractive, there are some of hairlines on the obverse fields

adjacent to Liberty, below STATES, and below the eagle. Not perfect, but

rare this nice.

Sale #270 - Lot#1219 - Final Bid $55,000

1911 Matte Proof NGC PR-66. There is no doubt that the double eagles

designed by Augustus St. Gaudens are the most beautiful coins struck by

the United States for general circulation. During this period of coinage

history, the US Mint was experimenting on ways to make our coinage more

artistic. One such way was the new process the Mint used to proof gold

coins, resulting in what we now refer to as "matte proofs." They were

not well received by the public, and the low mintages for gold proofs

dropped further. The mintage for 1911 was a mere 100 pieces struck. This

coin is a picture perfect example of the Matte proof type. Pale yellow,

deeply struck and nearly flawless.

Sale #270 - Lot#1683 - Presale Estimate $15,000 and Up - Final Bid $21,000

New York Ch.E923. /Brooklyn. /First NB. $10. Fr.624. 1902 PB.

No.D765506/1 A. Choice-Gem Uncirculated. An incredibly rare serial

number 1 red seal Brooklyn that has not appeared publically since the

Kriegsberg sale in 1965. Totally original and in nearly perfect

condition except for some minor handling. The highlight of our National

offerings which promises to generate very aggressive bidding.

Sale #270 - Lot#3501 - Presale Estimate $25,000 and Up - Final Bid $30,000

$1000. A. T-1. Cr.1. No.129. PF-1. A crisp, bright, and remarkably vivid

example that until now has never appeared in any public sale. Its

existence was unknown to Criswell, Ball, Shull, or Fricke! VF or Better,

with seven light to moderate vertical folds. Neatly hammer cancelled,

with no pieces missing. Very boldly executed signatures of Clitherall

and Elmore. On the back are two lightly pencilled notations, stamp

hinges behind the cancellation, and an inconsequential water stain. None

of these are distracting, and they have no impact on the choice

appearance of the note when viewed from the front. Great eye appeal,

with brilliant green color, razor sharp black images and text, and ample

and even margins on all four sides. Strictly original , with no repairs

or ``conservation'' often encountered on Type 1 Confederate notes. This

is a note that would fit nicely into almost any museum quality

collection of CSA paper money. VF, CC. Ironically, the very first

Confederate paper money was engraved and printed by the National Bank

Note Company, in New York City. Shortly after the notes were ordered and

delivered, hostilities broke out at Fort Sumter, and Federal Marshals

moved in to the National Bank Note Company's offices and confiscated the

printing plates. Of the 607 $1,000 Montgomery notes issued, 116 are

known, 9 in Uncirculated condition, and two of those are cancelled.

Perhaps a third of the survivors are virtually unobtainable, locked away

in public and private institutions. The $1,000 notes were signed by

Alexander B. Clitherall as Register and Edward Elmore as Treasurer. The

fiery Mr. Elmore was not a man to be trifled with. Mr. Daniels, the

publisher of a Richmond newspaper, wrote an article claiming that Elmore

was a heavy gambler who was embezzling large sums from the Treasury.

Elmore immediately challenged Daniels to a duel and shot him! This

extraordinary Criswell Type-1 has never been offered publicly or

recorded in any census, and it was probably collected decades before

Confederate paper money rareties were considered to be particularly

valuable. This may account for the fact that other than having been

carefully dismounted from the two stamp hinges that held it to an album

page, the note has never been tampered with in any way. Worthy of a

premium bid.

Sale #271- Lot#35 - Presale Estimate $5,500 and Up - Final Bid $6,500

British statesman, war-time Prime Minister and Nobel laureate

(1874-1965). Choice Typewritten Document Signed /"Winston L.S.

Churchill,"/ 1-1/5 pages, 4to, on parchment, London, January 18, 1957.

Churchill's signature is penned at the conclusion [partially through

seal] and is witnessed by a solicitor. Bears embossed revenue stamp at

head. A / "Supplemental Agreement"/ to the existing book contract

between /"The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

K.G., O.M., C.H., M.P. of Chartwell Westerham in the County of

Kent...and Cassell & Company Limited...in the City of London"/ amending

the existing agreement between them /"to the extent that the Publishers

shall despatch proofs of the Third and Fourth Volumes of 'A History of

the English-Speaking Peoples'...as soon after the thirty-first day of

January one thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven as the printers can

provide them...Save as aforesaid the provisions of the Principal

Agreement shall remain in full force and effect..._"_/ In exceptionally

fine condition. Churchill's four-volume work A History of the

English-Speaking Peoples was published between 1956 and 1958, and was

the last major literary work completed by him before his death in 1965.

This great work had a somewhat checkered life however. It was

commissioned by Newman Flower and the contract was signed in 1933.

Although Churchill continued to work on the manuscript, his public

duties did not enable him to complete the work by the outbreak of war in

1939; when he returned to his old post as First Lord of the Admiralty he

delivered 450,000 words to the publisher in the best shape he had been

able to give them, covering his subject from the beginnings to the

assassination of Abraham Lincoln. When, after the mighty events of the

next six years and the loss of the election of 1945, Sir Winston had the

time and the inclination once more to take up his pen, it was to the new

project, his Second World War, that he turned first. With these six

volumes happily completed, he was able to look again at the unfinished

History of the English-Speaking Peoples which had been laid aside in

such ominous circumstances so many years before. Churchill had recently

served his last term as Prime Minister [1951-55], during which time he

had been awarded the Nobel prize in literature [1953]. An extremely

scarce agreement between Churchill and his publisher covering one of his

most important works.

Sale #271 - Lot#159 - Presale Estimate $3,000 and Up - Final Bid $4250

NELSON, HORATIO British naval officer (1758-1805); in 1800, he blockaded

Malta and Naples, held by French and Neapolitan Jacobins; annulled

Cardinal Ruffo's proposed terms to rebels, received absolute surrender;

restored Neapolitan royal family to power; became romantically involved

with Emma Hamilton, the wife of Naples consul Sir William Hamilton;

promoted Vice Admiral; created Duke of Bronte by Ferdinand I of Naples;

died in the battle of Trafalgar. Choice Manuscript Letter Signed

/"Nelson & Bronte" / as Vice Admiral of the Blue, 1 page, small 4to

[8-1/4" x 8-1/2"], on his ship, the /HMS Victory, "Off Toulon, the 13th

August 1803." / Addressing the /"Naval Storekeeper at Malta," /Nelson

directs /"that you receive into His Majesty's stores under your charge,

the Barge and Jolly (or four hand) Boat belonging to His Majesty's Ship

Victory, and keep them under a Shade or Cover 'till they are wanted for

the use of the said Ship..." /Paper repairs at folds, minor stain at

top, otherwise in very good condition. Nelson had been given command of

the /Victory/ just three months earlier, and joined the ongoing blockade

of the French port of Toulon. However, the French fleet managed to slip

past the blockade in 1805, and Nelson led a failed pursuit. Retiring due

to ill health, he was recalled in September of that year, and fought his

great and final victory at Trafalgar just a month later. A good naval

letter, showing how control of Malta, achieved in 1800, allowed England

to maintain a fleet in the Mediterranean, a key to its dominance at sea.

Sale #271 - Lot#722 - Presale Estimate $3,000 to $3,500 - Final Bid $5500

OXFORD: OXONIA ILLUSTRATA "Oxonia Illustrata." David Loggan. Oxford,

1675. Folio, red leather [by Bartlett?] with gilt cottage-roof design,

spine, six bands. Three engravings laid in. Minor dampstains and sparse

soiling, front free endpaper creased, front board slightly curled,

otherwise very good/fine.

Sale #272 - Lot#1263 - Presale Estimate $1,500 to $3,000 - Final Bid $8500

Central Bank of Brooklyn (NY) 1854. #199. 20 shs. Jolly old Saint

Nicholas rides in a sleigh full of toys, pulled by reindeer. A classic

vignette by Baldwin, Adams & Co. Durand Vignette Type III. Santa Claus

vignettes are some of the most sought after of all vignettes. The

Schingoethe collection of Santa Claus vignetted obsolete notes

established many record prices. First we have seen from this company. We

expect the bidding on this certificate to be quite competitive. Light

staining, left. VF.*

Sale #272 - Lot#4842 - Presale Estimate $7,000 to $8,000 - Final Bid $14,000

$20. Fr.953b. 1914. No.B2522533A. Choice Uncirculated. A real blazer Red

Seal $20 that looks perfect from the front and only the slightly askew

back centering keeps it from a Super Gem grade. The originality and

strong embossing are clearly visible through the PMG64 EPQ holder. A

marvelous note.

Sale #272 - Lot# 4938 - Presale Estimate $10,000 to $15,000 - Final Bid

$37,000

LT. Uncut 18-Subject Sheet of $5 1953 Legal Tender Notes.

A00000001A-A00136001A. The last note on the sheet bears the autographed

signatures of the Treasurer of the United States, Ivy Baker Priest, and

the Secretary of the Treasury, George M. Humphrey. Almost Uncirculated,

with some corner bends, and a trace of paper clip rust on the #1 note.

These are mentioned for accuracy, as you can never obtain a better

example of this unique sheet. Accompanied by a copy of a letter on

official Treasury Department letterhead, signed by Edward F. Bartelt,

Fiscal Assistant Secretary, dated May 20, 1953, certifying that this is

the first sheet of the first run of this series. A wonderful addition to

any great collection of U.S small size currency.

Sale #272 - Lot#2501- Presale Estimate $25,000 and Up - Final Bid $52,500

$1000. A. T-1. Cr.1. No.88. PF-1. John C. Calhoun, states-rights

advocate, left. Andrew Jackson, right. A crisp, bright, and remarkably

vivid example that was purchased in 1987 from our auction of Dr. Douglas

Ball's personal collection. Described by Dr. Ball as "EF, plus, cut

cancelled."

According to the 1987 description, on the back there were two lightly

pencilled notations, stamp hinges behind the cancellation, and an

inconsequential water stain, but these have all been professionally

removed. Hauntingly attractive, with the full eye appeal of an

Uncirculated example. The cancellations were done so neatly that they

are virtually undetectable from the front, and the paper quality is just

extraordinary. No folds are apparent. The signature of Clitherall is

boldly executed. The Elmore signature is a bit lighter. This is a note

that would fit nicely into almost any museum quality collection of CSA

paper money. Ex Phillip H. Chase, Dr. Douglas Ball, and Frederick Mayer.

You can't ask for a more impressive provenance! Far superior to the one

we just sold in our April 2007 Western Reserve Historical Society Sale,

described as " VF, CC" which brought $30,000. VF, CC. Ironically, the

very first Confederate paper money was engraved and printed by the

National Bank Note Company, in New York City. Shortly after the notes

were ordered and delivered, hostilities broke out at Fort Sumter, and

Federal Marshals moved in to the National Bank Note Company's offices

and confiscated the printing plates.The $1,000 notes were signed by

Alexander B. Clitherall as Register and Edward Elmore as Treasurer. The

fiery Mr. Elmore was not a man to be trifled with. Mr. Daniels, the

publisher of a Richmond newspaper, wrote an article claiming that Elmore

was a heavy gambler who was embezzling large sums from the Treasury.

Elmore immediately challenged Daniels to a duel and shot him! Of the 607

$1,000 Montgomery notes issued, Approximately 116 are known, 9 in

Uncirculated condition, and two of those are cancelled. Perhaps a third

of the survivors are virtually unobtainable, locked away in public and

private institutions.

Sale # 272 - Lot#2521 - Presale Estimate $7,500 to $15,000 Final Bid $19,000

Act of February 28, 1861. $1000. Cr.Unlisted. B-8. Hand drawn mockup,

with pasted on proof vignettes on red silk fiber paper, with hand drawn

coupons. Wagon load of cotton. Sailor bottom. American Bank Note. Top

right panel separated. Vignettes loose. Worthy of some restoration. Has

the appearance of VF. Apparently the work on this bond started later

than the $500. The firm got the text of the bond, had it written in by a

scribe and then stuck in vignettes as appropriate. An important unique

and historical

Sale #274 - Lot#1595 - Final Bid $13,000

Colombia. 8 Escudo, 1779NR JJ. Carol(us) III. KM 50.1. (NGC MS-64).

obv.: Armored bust, facing right. rev.: Crowned arms in collar of the

Golden Fleece. Slight lamination on cheek, and rubbed forehead away from

Gem.

Sale #274 - Lot#1616 - Final Bid $9500

18th Century Spanish Bronze Breech Loaded Cannon. Typical form, 39 1/2"

in length. Bourbon arms of Charles III on top of barrel. Breach fired

cannon with breech block present. Minor damage to pindle. Nice surfaces

with only traces of verdigris. One of only 40 cannons that were reported

on the /El Cazador. /The fact that the breech block is present is simply

amazing. Cannon weighs 200+ pounds. Must be picked up-no shipping available.

"As you can see, 2007 was a great year for Smythe." said Mary Herzog,

Vice President of R. M. Smythe & Co. "We had some exceptionally high

quality consignments, which resulted in a great deal of bidder interest.

For 2008 we've got some wonderful auctions planned and our customer can

expect even more quality merchandise on our auction floor."

Accredited media interested in scheduling an interview to discuss this

release or past or upcoming auctions are encouraged to contact Mary

Herzog at 212-943-1880

About R. M. Smythe & Co.

R. M. Smythe and Co., established in 1880, buys, sells, and auctions

coins, paper money, stocks and bonds and autographs at their corporate

headquarters at 2 Rector Street in the heart of the Financial District

in New York City. To order a catalog, to contact any of the firm’s

specialists, or to make general inquiries, call 212-943-1880 or

800-622-1880, or visit the firm’s website at: http://www.smytheonline.com.

About the Author

Shooting a Waterfall for a Stock Photo, or Not

Photographing a waterfall on Oahu for stock

Yesterday I decided to find and shoot a waterfall for an image I want to create. The image I have in mind is a concept stock photo of a man going over a waterfall in a barrel. I photographed the man in the barrel, in my studio, a couple of months ago. However, I don’t have a suitable waterfall image.

So here I am in Oahu, a seemingly great place to shoot a waterfall. Not so fast. It seems that finding a good waterfall to photograph here is actually rather difficult. I did a Google search and didn’t come up with much. The only one that seemed it might do for me is called Manoa falls. The various articles I encountered on the internet indicated it is a relatively easy hike of about one mile in each direction, through lush jungle foliage including a bamboo forest. The falls are 100 to 150 feet in height (depending on which article you read). Sounds pretty good!

Somewhere between a trickle and a vapor

Well, there was some jungle foliage, though the bamboo forest was barely twenty yards long. I have certainly encountered “jungle foliage” that was much more lush, and bamboo forests that were much more impressive, on other Hawaiian islands. The falls themselves fell somewhere between a trickle and vapor. Not exactly what I need for my stock photo.

A magnificent vista

It was good, though, to get some exercise; and I am sure that at some point in the future some of the foliage shots I got will come in handy. One scene in particular did get my adrenalin going. Near the start of the hike there is an open expanse just before the trail starts heading uphill. Thirty yards up the trail, when I turned and looked back, the scene looked like something out of Jurassic Park. It was really a magnificent vista and there is no doubt in my mind that I will find a use for it someday.

A service to others

Even though the falls were not adequate for my waterfall needs, I was glad I did the hike. The hike also led me to something that perhaps is more important than photographing falls. As I reviewed the hike in my mind I realized that I could write an article about my experience and illustrate the article with the pictures I had taken. I am sure I could put together this review of my experience that would very helpful to others in my situation and that are considering photographing waterfalls in Oahu. I could write the article that I wanted to find. My hike could end up being of service to others. These others, in turn, would be brought to my site where they might find a photograph to license, a product to purchase or even click on an ad. I could take that whole experience and turn it into a service to others that would in turn drive traffic to my site.

It further dawned on me that this is a strategy that I can apply to many of my shoots. I can write about the shoots and end-up with more viewers for the images I create, more traffic for my site, and a very satisfying lifestyle.

About the Author

Stock Pictures of Animals, People, Lifestyles, Environmental, and more Funny Pictures Dogs Cats

Wide variety of high quality high resolution stock pictures and video clips: Spa Pictures luxury

Ethnic, People, Situations, Concepts Lifestyle and other stock photography: Spa Photos Luxury Resort

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Washington D.C.: Our Nation's Capital

Washington DC is the capital of the United States of America. When in a new area, we find it beneficial to get the lay of the land. We knew were not going to attempt to drive into Washington, DC with Boss.(Remember that Boss is a one ton dually with an extended bed and wide hips. Finding a parking place is difficult. We have heard the horror stories of the Beltway, not to mention the traffic in DC proper. The beltway is an Interstate highway system, which encircles the city: well known for major traffic jams.

We found out that DC has a wonderful Metro, train/subway, system which will take the traveler almost anywhere in the general area. First we had to find the stations near us and check out the parking. The station at College Park is convenient, but has a postage stamp parking lot. Mostly students from the University of Maryland use this depot via their shuttle bus. The other station, the terminus of the Green line is Greenbelt, the planned city built after W.W.II. The parking lot there has its own shuttle bus to assist the patrons from the far reaches of the lot. Nearby is Greenbelt Park, a hidden gem in the National Park Service. Even though the park is officially closed at this time, dry camping is still allowed in one of the areas for only $14.00 per night (half for Seniors with the Golden Passport). A dump station is available for the necessary. The campground is less than a half mile from the College Park train station.

Our goal today was to scale the Washington Monument for the aerial view of the city and then visit the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. To enter the Washington Monument, you need to have a ticket, picked up for free at a nearby kiosk. To get a ticket you have to be there by 8:00 AM. We arrived about 11:00 and all were taken.

We headed to the Lincoln Memorial via the Vietnam Wall, a moving sight with the flowers, wreaths, and letters laid at the base of the monument.  At the South end are two books with the names of the dead in alphabetical order. The names on the memorial are chronological. Look up the name of the individual in the book and you will be directed to the panel on which his/her name appears. Across a small green are two more memorials dedicated to the survivors of the war: one of three soldiers, the other of the women who served.

What can be said about the Lincoln Memorial which has not been done before. These days barricades and fencing restrict the tourists' movements. You cannot walk completely around the Memorial on the upper level. On the ground floor, however, is a museum which chronicles the construction of the Memorial and the events which have taken place at the site, such as the freedom marches, Marion Anderson's concert, and Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a Dream" speech. Once again the NPS has scored with a wonderful movie relating the importance of Abe Lincoln's life through his words and pictures and the impact throughout the history of our great country. The musical background is Aaron Copeland's Lincoln Portrait.

Down from the Lincoln Memorial, opposite the Mall from the Viet Nam Memorial, is the Korean War Memorial. Make sure you have a ranger tour to derive the utmost from the experience. The purpose of the memorial is to involve everyone, the living and dead, into the experience. Originally there were to be thirty-eight(re: 38th Parallel) life-sized statues of soldiers climbing the rugged hill to freedom. The number was halved to nineteen.

Approaching from the road the one soldier is looking over his shoulder signaling to the troops massed in the woods behind to come out into the clearing, filled with juniper and rocks. As you climb the hill to the US flag, the symbol of freedom, you see at the end etched in stone that over 53,000 men lost their lives and more than 8,000 were MIA. At the top is a reflecting pool with a triangular wall jutting into it (the Korean Peninsula). Not to be overlooked is the dark wall on the other side of the hill. Into the wall are carved 2,500 photographic images of men and women who were ancillary to the combatants. You cannot see the faces from afar, only up close. Drawing near the wall the real faces can be seen staring out at you, and you yourself are also reflected in the wall along with the nineteen soldiers climbing the hill to freedom. You become part of the memorial and memorial becomes part of you. This is an eerily haunting feeling which lingers throughout the day.

Across the road to the tidal basin we walked. The thousands of Japanese Cherry Trees were in full bloom. In the distance stood the Jefferson and the Washington Memorials. Along the way lays the memorial to Franklin D. Roosevelt. This consists of four outdoor rooms of writings, water and statuary, each one dedicated to a term in office. The monument is a lovely tribute to a great president who led us out of the despair of depression and the horrors of war. The tribute pales in comparison to what we had just experienced earlier.

The Jefferson Memorial is another on the must see list in Washington DC. Dedicated to reason and enlightenment, this makes a fitting end to an emotion filled day.

Some impressions of Washington and Washingtonians. The city looks like Illinois in the summer: construction everywhere you look; cranes, chain link fencing, barricades. Police presence where ever you look: on foot, in cars, on bicycles, motorcycles and horses. Joggers, I mean many joggers, not just a few pass by no matter where you are; in the park, on the tidal basin paths, on the street. People out in great numbers, either seeing the sights in small groups or large tours, or individually. A calliope of people, scents, sights, and sounds fill every pore of the body.

The early bird catches the worm, or breakfast with our Senators. Every Thursday morning at 8:30, while Congress is in session Senators Dick Durbin and Peter Fitzgerald hold a continental breakfast with their constituents in one of the subcommittee rooms in the Dirkson Building. We were also given passes to the Senate and House of Rep galleries. Check with your Senators, if they do the same.

A tour of the Capital is given only by Senate or House personnel. You have to know someone to visit your building. What has our country come to when you can't even visit your capital building? Luckily we had gallery passes.

Our first stop was the Senate. What a marvelous place to see government in action.. We were disappointed by the paucity of gallery occupants. Less than ten percent of the gallery was full. The ones who came in were mostly school groups. Granted no earth shaking votes were being taken, but we heard Sen. Barbara Boxer of CA argue for an amendment to add antiterrorist devices to commercial airlines. This was supported by Sen. Evan Bayh from IN who also spoke. Sen. John McCain of AZ spoke in rebuttal. Sen. Kennedy came into the Chambers later. Every hour the President Pro Temp of the Senate changes. Every fifteen minutes, the court reporters rotate. What is missing is modern electronics. There are no tote boards, cell phones. The only computers we saw were one on the secretary's desk and the ones operating the television cameras.

From the Senate to the House of Representatives. Whereas the Senators had individual desks and chairs, the Reps. sit in pew like seats with dividers between them. They have no desks. If they want to speak , they must go to one of the tables on either side of the center aisle and be recognized. One representative was giving a speech about bringing the troops home from Iraq. He finally withdrew his amendment, but got his anti-war point recorded in the Congressional Record.

Went to the Rayburn Building, where our Representative, Jesse Jackson, Jr. has his office. We still vote in Illinois and keep up with the local politics. He was out of the office, but his little daughter, Jessica, was in charge and had the staff running around looking for a lost soccer ball. His staff is in process of setting up a tour of the Capital for us.

To complete our day on "The Hill", we visited the Supreme Court. They were not hearing any cases that afternoon. So we were able to visit the courtroom and receive a lecture (tour) of the building. When they are in session, you have to get into line very early to listen to each case. When all of the seats are taken the rest of those in line are allowed to sit on wooden chairs in the rear of the Chambers for three minute periods. The plaintiff and defendant lawyers have only one half hour to plead their case. Did you know that there is another court above the Supreme Courtroom? It is a basketball court. Both courts cannot be in session simultaneously.

We tried to see the Ford Theater, where President Lincoln was assassinated. The line was very long for the guided lecture. We are not allowed to bring backpacks into the theater. But after 12:00 you can go for a look see inside for a few minutes.

On our way to the theater we passed the new International Spy Museum. The price of entry was slightly steep, $12.00 per senior. I was expecting to be disappointed and ripped off. Much to my surprise, I was neither. The museum is High Tech and delves into the many aspects of espionage, from Biblical time to modern surveillance devices and techniques. The museum is divided into different sections with many hands on activities. We spent over two hours there and could spend more time watching all of the videos and programs. Yes, Agent Maxwell Smart, they had your telephone shoe too. There were many replicas from the cold war, even the poison injecting umbrella. Did you know that Julia Child was once a spy?  Maybe that's how she got all of her recipes.

Off to the Ford theater we went (only a block away). Lincoln saw part of "My American Cousin". Today "1776" was on stage. Unlike 40 years ago, Lincoln's box is now off limits. A picture hangs in from of the bunting where Boothe caught his spur and thereby broke his leg. The museum downstairs and the house across the street, where Lincoln died are closed for renovation,

On the way to the department of the Interior, we passed by the Willard Hotel, a strikingly beautiful edifice, where final negotiations were held to keep the Union united in 1861. We passed by the White House. Guess what—under construction—many blockages. The closest anyone can see of the White House these days is by watching West Wing. Another beautiful building is the Old Executive Office Building (one of the largest in Washington), next to the White House. This is also closed to the public. Interesting is that on the other side of the White House is the Treasury, close enough for the President to keep an eye on the money.

Finally we made it to the Department of the Interior. The building is more than two blocks long. Anne James gave us a wonderful tour of the facility. There is a large museum in the building depicting the history and various aspects of the department. The Interior was formed in 1849. The primary foci of it today are Land management and Indian Affairs. On the seventh floor is the old cafeteria with murals painted by artists from various Native American tribes. The windows give a beautiful view of the city.

All of the government buildings are closed on Saturday. Off to the Smithsonian we went. Everything is free.  The first museum we wanted to see was the National Air and Space Museum. Get there early to avoid the long lines. The museum is two floors tracing the history of flight and space exploration. Some of the original aircraft include Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis, Yeager's Bell-1, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules, V-1 rockets, Steve Fossett's balloon capsule, and many others. The Enola Gay is in storage. Later this year the museum will open an addition near Dulles International Airport and display much more of its collection.

We had a short time to visit one of the lesser museums of the Smithsonian. Next door is the Hirshhorn Museum specializing in modern sculpture and paintings. The museum, itself is a work of art, circular in design with a beautiful center atrium with a fountain and surrounded on the outside with elegant sculptures. They had an exhibit of Gerhard Richter, an East German escapee. His paintings depict either a bad case of myopia or an unwillingness to say openly what he wanted to say. Many of his paintings are blurred, but photographic in nature. He loved the use of the color gray.

Today we planned as a day off. I had wanted to do a little genealogical research. So I figured that today would be a good one to find out information about my relatives. The National Archives are located in Washington DC and they have a branch in College Park, MD.  Arriving at the Archives, NARA, I registered and received a photo ID to do research. Sadly, all of the records I was seeking were at the downtown office. The gentleman said that there was a free shuttle bus, which runs every hour on the hour between the two facilities. I scarcely believed my ears. Noon came and I hopped on the promised shuttle. I thought that this would take some time due to the horror stories of Washington DC traffic and the blockades everywhere. Taking the main roads, we passed through Hayettsville, Catholic University with the Basilica, many ethnic neighborhoods. Within thirty-five minutes, we were at NARA, on Pennsylvania Avenue, in the heart of downtown DC. We had hit the mother lode again. Free transportation without the hassle of finding a parking space at the METRO and the same travel time from College Park to DC proper.

NARA is the repository of federal records more than thirty years old (72 for census). The exhibition hall, closed for renovations, has the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution on display. Showing my registration card I was allowed complete access to the microfilm sections and later to the main reading room, where original records are pulled for the researcher by a very helpful staff. One note of caution: be sure you leave enough time for the record pulling. It takes some time to retrieve them. I took the four o'clock shuttle back to College Park.

We took the NARA shuttle downtown and went to the National Gallery of Art, a mere two blocks away. This is an incredible series of beautiful buildings with two main structures: East Wing and West Wing. Inside are fountains, gardens with live flowers, and, of course art. Their collection of Impressionists is not as extensive as other museums, but they do have something special: the only Leonardo Da Vinci in the US, Ginevra de'Benci. We spent the entire day immersed in the beauty provided by the great master artists and sculpturers. There were special exhibits by Gainsborough, Kirchner, Vuillard, and Matisse. Next week begins an exhibit of Remington's Night paintings. We want to go back.

At the entrances of many of the exhibit rooms, there are boxes with information cards in different languages about the works in the specific hall. The visitor reads the card and then replaces it in the box for others to use. I have not seen that type of information at other galleries.

We finally got through to Andy Wilson, the intern for Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and had a tour of the Capital. His staff was happy to see us again. A staff led tour opens doors for the tourist not available to the ordinary gallery viewer. We were able to go through hidden stairwells and go into the rotunda with a magnificent view of the capital dome. Today the Senate was discussing the Budget, which it later passed. The House was discussing natural gas drilling. We were on the way back to the Rayburn building, when the House called for a vote. Bells kept ringing in the corridors, and the Representatives we hurrying to the House chambers. It was exciting to see our government in action.

Because it was lunchtime, we were shown where the cafeteria was in the House complex. If you are ever in the area, I recommend eating lunch there. The cafeteria resembles a food court. The prices are reasonable and the portions ample.

Our next stop was the Library of Congress, the Jefferson Building. Self-guided tours are offered, but the docent guided ones are better. The paintings and statuary in the great hall are allegorical. Everywhere you look, you see the thought that went into the construction to one of the greatest libraries in the world. On display are one of the three complete Gutenberg Printed Bibles in the world and the last hand illustrated written Bible. The main reading room is dedicated to the different subjects of knowledge. The Library of Congress has its own web site, www.loc.gov. Here you have access to their card catalogue and to other information offered by the library.

Today we journeyed to The Holy Lands, a.k.a., The Franciscan Monastery. The facility was built so that people could visit the Holy Land Shrines, without having to spend all of their money to go to the Middle East. The shrines are replicas of Golgatha, the sepulcher, the manger at Bethlehem, etc. There are also replicas of the catacombs. Tour guides give insights into how the sites were authenticated. Even being a skeptic, I was impressed by their knowledge and the significance of the shrine. This is a highly recommended stop for any Christian visiting Washington.

A few blocks away rises the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. The church dedicated to Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, was started in 1920s and is still under construction. The architecture is a combination of Byzantine and Roman: the dome fashioned after the Capital dome and the Campanile after the Washington Monument. Besides the main upper Nave and the Crypt nave, there are numerous side chapels and oratories sponsored by different groups of people in the world. Each one is dedicated to Mary. The predominant manner of expressing the artwork is via mosaics. The sheer amount and quality of the mosaics ranks it among the top cities of the world.

On to the Natural History Museum. What we liked about the museum was the use of skeletons to classify the various species of animals, from prehistoric times to the present era. Some areas are under construction: namely the mammals Hall and the Native American exhibits. The geological collection of stones, especially the Hope Diamond, salivates any woman who loves to wear beautiful gems. The myriad colors of the different types of geological formations are a delight to the eyes.

The staff at the museum do a lot of things right. Comparing this museum is like comparing apples and oranges with the Chicago Natural History Museum. Each one has its strengths. Overall, I would have to rate the Field Museum in Chicago a higher grade for extensiveness of its collection, except for the geology department.

Visited the Holocaust Museum in DC. This is a moving experience. I have done extensive research on this black spot in World history. I was impressed by the lack of bias in the exhibits. The self-guided tour takes you up to the fourth floor, where the history of the rise of Hitler and Nazism is told in visual pictures and short videos. The lesson learned on this floor is that much of the prejudices, feeding upon ordinary people's fears, and the manipulation of the media are still with us even seventy years after the events leading to this tragedy. Moving to the third floor, one encounters the solution to the Jewish Problem: the ghettoes, slave camps, death compounds, etc. Not only were Jews hunted down, but also Jehovah Witnesses, gypsies, Polish and Russian Intelligentia, and anyone deemed inferior to the Aryan ideals. On display are mounds of footwear from the prisoners, many of their personal artifacts, and one of the boxcars used as transportation to the camps. From my readings of the atrocities committed in the camps, many of the exhibits were understated. The second floor exhibits emphasize the resistance to Nazism by the Jews and many citizens of occupied countries. Also recorded, in a muted way, is a condemnation of the silence of many allies denying knowledge of the genocide, which was known to be occurring.

On a lighter note, we visited the US Forestry Service. How do you say Smokey Bear? We found useful information about our national forests and resources for camping and visiting them.

On the way back to the Archives, we stopped by the Smithsonian Castle, so named because of the architecture of the building. The main floor is open to the public and acts as a welcome center, complete with a video, explaining the various museums of the Institution. The Commons at the west end of the building is used as a banquet hall. It reminds me of the nave of a medieval gothic chapel, without the stained glass windows.

The path back took us through a butterfly garden. Most of the plants were not in bloom, yet. There were many signs describing the various plants and trees and the type of butterflies which they attract. This was a beautiful ending to a cathartic day.

The National Zoo boasts the home of the giant pandas. On the whole, we were disappointed with the treatment of most of the animals. No zoo is perfect. Each one puts their energies and resources on specific species of animals. From our observations, it seems that the National Zoological Park has a lot to learn from other institutions. Most of the animals, especially the more advanced animals are separated from each other. We did not speak with anyone and find out if there any extenuating circumstances for our observations. Even the great apes were secluded from each other. We thought about what would have happened at the Brookfield Zoo a few years ago, when the gorilla saved and cared for the child who fell into their exhibit, if they were not allowed to socialize and live naturally as a troop.

Took a trip to Walter Reed Army Hospital today. This the place where presidents get their annual physical exam. On campus the AFIP (Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) has a museum dedicated to medical research and history. They have an extensive microscope collection, beginning with the primitive ones of the 17th century to the modern electron microscopes of today. They are presently exhibiting the cycle of life from the hereditary stage to birth. They use many different forms of photography, from MRIs and X-rays to normal photos. Many are surreal.

After spending a couple of hours at the museum, I wanted to visit Georgetown and embassy row. Driving in DC can be a real challenging experience. Not only do you have the diagonal streets intersecting the grid patterns, you have creative signage, or the lack thereof. Maggie was getting more upset because of the labyrinth we were traversing. We finally found Embassy Row, on and around New Hampshire near the Dupont Circle. Off the circle is M Street, which is the main drag of Georgetown Heights. We got a great view of the stores and the throng of people on the streets, because traffic moves at a tortoise's crawl.

Crossing the Potomac River, we wanted to avoid traffic to get back to College Park. I knew there was a highway which runs along the front of Arlington Cemetery. Eventually this would take us to I 95 and College Park. Cruising down the highway a police officer flagged me over and told me to follow him. I did not think that I was the millionth vehicle to travel the road. I was also sure I wasn't speeding: just keeping up with the Jones's. I found out that duallys were not allowed on this road since 9/11. Other pickup trucks, SUVs, etc. are allowed. He took down my vital information and then tried to take a mug shot for the FBI. After breaking two cameras he was finally successful. Look for my photo at your nearest post office. Now that we are wanted by the FBI, we will just have to flee the country.

On Monday, April 21, 2003 we toured the Smithsonian American History Museum. We spent five hours there and could have spent an additional five hours. Some of the highlights include Louis Armstrong's first trumpet. The crinkled bell of the horn reminded me of my trumpet in grammar school. The exhibits on the American Presidency and of the First Ladies were exceptional. I especially enjoyed the traffic control through the exhibits. There was usually a specific entrance and exit. This made traveling through them easier. The first floor was devoted to various industries: agriculture, maritime, railroads, information, transportation, and Julia Child's Kitchen . The museum has something for just about anyone. Having been to Fort McHenry, we were happy to see The Star Spangled Banner undergoing restoration.

The numismatic collection of coins and money is very extensive. What I never realized was the variety of currencies, both foreign and domestic, in circulation during the beginning of our country's history. Each colony printed and minted its own currency. British, French and Spanish currencies were also considered legal tender. It was worse than the problems the Europeans have with the Euro. A common currency was a necessity to have a real country.

Went to The National Building Museum. The building's beautiful atrium soars fifteen stories and is supported by large pillars. On the first and second floors are exhibit halls surrounding the atrium. Some of the exhibits are semi-permanent. You never know what will be shown. The atrium was a buzz with people setting up for the greatest craft show in the country. The Smithsonian Institute holds an annual contest for craftsmen and the winners exhibit their work at this museum. The items on display are also for sale.

A few short blocks away is the Postal Museum, a part of the Smithsonian. This museum explores the history of mail service, from blazing trails from New York to Philadelphia, to Ben Franklin's appointment as Postal chief in the mid 1700s by The Crown, to the Pony Express, RFD, and Air mail. The building itself is impressive. It is in the Old Post Office with a magnificent main hallway with many cages lining both sides.

Next door is Union Station. It is still a pretty impressive building, having undergone extensive restoration and now housing many food courts and different shops to pick up last minute items before going home.

Today we visited most of the rest of the Smithsonian Institute: the Freer Museum of Art, the Sackler Gallery, the Museum of African Art and the Arts and Industry building. This sounds like a lot of walking, but the museums are small in area. The first two emphasize Eastern art from China, Japan, India, and Islamic works from different countries. Some of the pieces from early China and from the Islamic World are exquisite. Not to be missed in the Freer Museum is the Peacock Room by James Whistler. He got carried away with a commission to decorate a dining room. He took the peacock motif to the maximum extent. Even the ceiling is painted peacock feathers. The room is breath taking and is a perfect receptacle for the Chinese Porcelain collection of the owner.

The African Museum has many old pieces from ancient Nubia, which is South of Egypt in present Sudan. There are also many 20th Century pieces reflecting the culture of the people of Western Africa.

Not to be missed is the Arts and Industry Building, the host for many Presidential Inaugural Balls. The atrium is spacious and shaped like a cross. The building hosts special exhibits, which change on a regular basis.

One other exhibit was of a tropical butterfly house.  Enclosed in a closed environment (temperature 90°, humidity, 85%), hundreds of butterflies from Central America flew at will. I seemed to be a particular favorite, because they kept landing on my head. Maybe my animal attraction has been lost on the wrong species. Or perhaps they like gray hair. They were very beautiful.

Went to the tower of the Old Post Office: a different building than the Postal Museum. Washington DC has had a series of Post Offices as the demands of the Capital increased. This building has an eight-story atrium with an additional three-story bell tower. On the twelfth floor an open observation deck gives a birds eye view of the city below. Within the tower are the Congress Bells. These change bells are still rung by hand by a special group of ringers. They practice every Thursday evening to perfect their skills. They hold the record for pealing. A peal is a series of over five thousand rings of the bells according to a set pattern, which is never repeated, for the three-hour duration of the peal. The group has a conductor who directs the ringers in the precise patterns. If they miss a beat, they have to begin all over.    

About the Author

John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy.  He is retired from the rat race of working.  He is a  full-time RVer, who ran away from home.  He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons  He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System.  Hae has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.

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Kelly Blue Book's Top Picks for Best Fuel-efficient Vehicles

Along with the heat of summer come high gas prices. Consumers will undoubtedly want to find ways to save a few dollars at the pump.

Drivers are often encouraged to improve their vehicle's fuel economy by reducing air conditioning use, and checking important parts (like Mazda auto parts) -- changing filters regularly, checking tire pressure, having fuel injectors cleaned and using a fuel additive to increase engine performance.

But are consumers actually using these fuel economy tips to help save money?

A recent Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research study on fuel economy has revealed that nearly six out of 10 consumers say they would be likely to change their filters at scheduled intervals and/or check their tire pressure regularly to achieve greater fuel economy or save money. Nearly seven out of 10 consumers (68 percent) also believe that by performing some or all of the recommended gas-saving maintenance to their car, they would save up to $200 annually.

"Gas prices have reached levels that are causing consumers to take steps they may not have when pump prices were more moderate to improve fuel economy and save a few dollars," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "If these consumers actually perform all of these gas saving tips, it's likely they could save up to 15 or 20 percent of their entire fuel costs annually."

But the survey also revealed that only 23 percent say they would be willing to reduce air conditioning use. Even less popular options include having fuel injectors cleaned (17 percent), and using a fuel additive in each fill-up to increase engine performance (five percent).

Meanwhile, 26 percent of those surveyed said they would employ all of these recommended fuel-saving tips to achieve greater fuel economy or save money, and a contrasting five percent said they would do none.

When thinking about their next new-vehicle purchase, 69 percent of consumers are likely to change the vehicle they drive in order to improve their fuel economy or money situation: 22 percent would buy a hybrid version of a vehicle they already have; 21 percent would take a step down in vehicle size; 14 percent say they would buy a vehicle with a smaller engine or an engine with less power; and 12 percent say they would buy a diesel vehicle. Thirty-one percent of consumers say they would not change their next vehicle to improve fuel economy.

To help those consumers considering their next car purchase, the editorial staff at Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com put together a list of fuel-efficient favorites. Here’s the list:

Kelley Blue Book's Kbb.com Editors' Top Picks for Best Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

Small Sedan

Honda Civic Hybrid – The Honda Civic Hybrid is the Prius alternative with more mainstream styling, if not all the fuel economy.

MPG – 40 (city), 45 (highway)

Mid-size Sedan

Nissan Altima Hybrid – Beneath its sporty-sedan sheet metal, Nissan’s Altima Hybrid uses licensed Toyota hybrid technology.

MPG – 35 (city), 33 (highway)

Luxury Sedan

Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec – Powered by a state-of-the-art clean diesel engine, the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec is as powerful and smooth as you’d expect anything wearing a three-pointed star to be.

MPG – 23 (city), 32 (highway)

Compact Pickup

Toyota Tacoma – The Toyota Tacoma’s bulletproof reputation for reliability is bakced by some of the category’s best fuel economy.

MPG – 20 (city), 26 (highway)

Full-Size Pickup

Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra – GM’s excellent new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are just about the most fuel-efficient full-size pickups out there.

MPG – 15 (city), 20 (highway)

Coupe

Audi TT – The 2008 Audi TT deftly maximizes turbo power and efficiency in one fun and fuel-frugal coupe.

MPG – 23 (city), 31 (highway)

Small SUV

Ford Escape Hybrid – revamped for 2008, the Ford Escape Hybrid combines excellent mileage with SUV versatility.

MPG – 31 (city), 30 (highway)

Mid-Size SUV

Toyota Highlander Hybrid – The Highlander Hybrid is Toyota’s only hybrid SUV, and the only one to boast a lineage that includes the revolutionary Prius.

MPG – 28 (city), 25 (highway)

Large SUV

GMC Acadia – With more cargo volume than the brand’s own Yukon, the three-row GMC Acadia delivers everything most families require from a traditional full-size SUV but with significantly better mileage.

MPG – 16 (city), 24 (highway)

Convertible

Mazda MX-5 – Some of the same characteristics that make the small and lightweight Mazda MX-5 one of the purest dirver’s cars of all time help make it a joy at the gas pump too.

MPG – 22 (city), 27 (highway)

Minivan

Honda Odyssey – What some consider the best minivan available, the Honda Odyssey, also delivers the best mileage. Under light loads, the Odyssey can cruise on just three of its six cylinders.

MPG – 17 (city), 24 (highway)

Hatchback

MINI Cooper – A secret weapon in the fight against fuel prices, the extremely fun MINI Cooper delivers highway mileage of up to 36 mpg.

MPG – 27 (city), 37 (highway)

Wagon

Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe – The Toyota matrix and Pontiac Vibe cousins are small but tall wagons that have been delivering outstanding fuel economy since the 2003 model year.

MPG – 26 (city), 33 (highway)

* (Note: All fuel economy figures reflect the new-for-2008 model year guidelines, per fueleconomy.gov).

About Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com)

Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource(R), has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new and used vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company's top-rated Web site, kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book(R) Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book(R) Official Guide. Kbb.com is rated the No. 1 automotive information site by Nielsen//NetRatings and the most visited auto site by J.D. Power and Associates eight years in a row. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com; nearly one in every three American car buyers performs their research on kbb.com.

About the Author

Kraig Johanssen is a native of Connecticut and holds a degree in Software Engineering. He now works at a software development firm in Alabama. His love for writing and great interest on cars makes him a proficient contributing author to various automotive magazines.

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Importance of Computer Training

Computer training services are where a student learns by executing special training programs on a computer relating to their occupation. Computer training is especially effective for training people to use computer applications because the program can be integrated with the applications so that students can practice using the application as they learn.

 

Historically, computer training growth has been hampered by the enormous resources required: human resources to create a computer training program, and hardware resources needed to run it. However, the increase in PC computing power, and especially the growing prevalence of computers equipped with CD-ROMs, is making computer training a more viable option for corporations and individuals alike. Many PC applications now come with some modest form of computer training, often called a tutorial.

 

Online training is a type of training that is similar to computer training; however, it is delivered over the Internet using a web browser. Online training often includes interactive methods, such as bulletin boards, chat rooms, instant messaging, videoconferencing, and discussion threads. Online training is usually a self-paced learning medium though some systems allow for online testing and evaluation at specific times.

 

Computer training courses require careful review before selecting the right one for the user. Buying a computer training course is not as simple as it may seem. Besides the usual system requirements for compatibility, computer training software requires consideration beyond that of the system.

 

One can find several computer training courses online by simply entering the term in the Internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo. One must realize however, that just because it shows up at the top of the search results or even on the first page, does not make it a quality computer training course.

 

Before searching for the right Computer Training course, the user should make a determination as to the type of learning they need. Do you want computer training courses on Microsoft Office? If so, determine if what particular part of the software suite you would like training on such as Microsoft Word, Access or Excel. You can then conduct a more thorough search for your particular need and find those companies that focus on those areas as you drill down these requirements. This in turn will give you a more qualified computer training course provider.

 

One must not limit to online searches but also to other resources. Look through local community college, university and trade school course catalogs for computer training courses. Sometimes you will find that these are cheaper than ones that can be purchased online and they still maintain the asynchronous learning environment.

 

On the websites or in catalogs, you should find a more detailed description of the computer training courses offered. Each course should have its own description and a small overview of the course content and curriculum. Together with this information, the website or catalog should contain information about cost of the course, credit if the course is expensive and payment options.

 

The majority of computer training courses, especially those online, are independent study courses. There is no professor, teacher or facilitator to assist the student for most cases. Again, research into the history and reputation of the company providing the computer training courses is very important and depending on the price, could cost you a great deal of money and even harm your credit report if caution is not taken.

 

About the Author

John Mahoney is a freelance author who writes about various technology related subjects including Computer Training. For more information about John visit his website:www.techstore.ie .