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Posts Tagged ‘travel’

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Im after a Roman City builder game, which is better Civ City Rome, Glory of the Roman Empire or Ceaser IV.?

Just wondering which is better, i have a medium to high spec computer and am quite lazy when it comes to playing, would like a game where i am not required to be constantly clicking away, i have read reviews but can not make my mind up.

ROMAN EVERTIME

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UnoCarDealers – the top venue for car dealers to sell cars

A website launched specifically to help dealers sell their cars online – www.UnoCarDealers.com – offers subscriptions to dealers at surprisingly low prices. These prices are a tenth to a 30th of the prices charged by similar websites, for the same service. The site enjoys high traffic, and high recall rates among car buyers. Many users are repeat visitors to the site – meaning that they find lots of cars that meet their needs. Sellers get many queries from visitors, about the cars they have listed for sale.

Dealers can log onto the site, and start posting cars for sale online within minutes (there is no sales person from the site going to contact / negotiate with you). Here are the basic offerings of the site to car dealers (depending on the plan chosen by the dealer):

1. A sub-domain of their choice within UnoCarDealers. So the dealer will have a URL like www.UnoCarDealers.com/dealers/sub_domain
2. An advertisement of the dealer’s choice displayed on any search for cars or car dealerships within 50 miles of the dealer’s zip code.
3. An advertisement of the dealer’s choice displayed to users of sites affiliated with www.UnoCarDealers.com
4. Dealers can post an unlimited number of cars for sale.
5. Dealers can upload up to 16 photographs of each car that is posted for sale.
6. Priority listing of the dealers’ cars for any relevant search for cars by users.
7. Priority listing of the car dealership for any relevant search for car dealerships by users.
8. Customer service available via email.

The site accepts payments from paypal. There is also a one week trial period available with any of the plans that dealers may choose – basic, silver or gold – before which their credit card / paypal account will not be charged.

The value offered for dealers by this site is enormous. A gold subscription (the highest that there is) costs $49.95 per month as of the time of this writing (the basic plan costs just $19.95 per month, and the silver plan costs $34.95 per month). By subscribing to the gold plan the dealer needs to make just one additional sale per YEAR, to more than make up for the amount they would pay in that year. Any sale they make over and above that one sale would be a complete bonus.

So, if you are a car dealer, what are you doing here? You should be at www.UnoCarDealers.com now.

About the Author

hentrymark www.unocardealers.com

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University of Montana, Missoula: Five Tips to Effectively Travel to Missoula by Amtrak Train and Bus

Missoula, Montana is the state’s second largest city and one of the most scenic metropolitan areas in the country.  The University of Montana provides an academic and cultural anchor to this western Montana city.  Unfortunately, Missoula lost its Amtrak service in 1979 and the only low fare airline to the city flies directly to the Southwest.

For UM students and other residents of the Missoula area, utilizing a combination of Amtrak and buses is the cheapest way to travel to other parts of the country.  Here are five tips/hints for effectively traveling to/from Missoula by land:

One:  If you are going westbound to Missoula, ignore Amtrak’s recommendation to connect with the train at Whitefish.  On Amtrak’s schedule for the Empire Builder that runs between Chicago and Seattle/Portland, there is an indication that connecting service is available between Whitefish, MT and Missoula.  Rimrock Stages, which is part of the Trailways system, provides the service.  Unfortunately, Rimrock’s schedule does not work well with Amtrak’s westbound timetable.

The only bus from Whitefish leaves at 11:35 am and arrives in Missoula approximately 3 ½ hours later.  That works well if you are coming from Washington State or Idaho and the train arrives at Whitefish at 7:26 am.  It is not convenient if you are coming from the east and the train arrives in Whitefish at 9:16 pm.  You will have to get a hotel before taking the bus home the next day.

Two:  If you are coming from Missoula, you should not connect to Amtrak at Whitefish in any case.  The only Rimrock bus from Missoula leaves at 8:00 am and arrives at Whitefish around 11:25 am.  You will have already missed the eastbound Empire Builder train for the day.  The westbound train will leave Whitefish about 10 hours later – a long wait indeed!

Three:  The best way to connect with Amtrak from Missoula is through Spokane, Washington.  Greyhound Lines has a convenient schedule that works well with Amtrak’s.  Part of the beauty of the connecting through Spokane is that the trains arrive and depart in the early morning from both directions.  Thus, if you are going to Missoula, your train will arrive in Spokane no later than 2:00 am.  You can take the 5:05 am Greyhound bus and arrive in Missoula at 10:30 am.  From Missoula, there is a 9:10 pm bus that arrives in Spokane at 12:35 am.  The earliest train leaves Spokane at 1:15 am.

Four:  Connecting in Spokane is easy since Greyhound uses the Spokane train station as its depot.  Since the connections take place in the middle of the night, this is very convenient.

Five:  The Empire Builder is an all-reserved train.  Whether you will be experiencing Amtrak’s enhanced coach service with at-seat meal service and large pillows or the Superliner sleeping accommodations, you must make advanced reservations.  By buying your tickets in advance for both Amtrak and Greyhound services, you may be able to receive discounted advance purchase fares or special fares for students and seniors.

About the Author

Charles Self is the editor of the Amtrak Train Stations Across America website. At http://www.passengertraininfo.com/universitymontanamissoula.aspx you will find additional information on traveling to the University of Montana, Missoula and Amtrak train stations.

Search Engine Optimisation UK

Links are what seem to make the internet go ‘round and they certainly make it quick and easy to get from one page to another, or follow up on some background information on offer. However, when it comes to optimising your website and ranking well with major search engines like Google you will benefit from knowing as much as possible about the different links you can incorporate into your website’s design, and what each one can achieve.

The two main types of links your website should have to ensure its search engine optimisation, are one way links and reciprocal links.

One way links are exactly what they sound like, a link which is only a one way street, but the direction of that linking street is what is important to your website’s optimisation success, when all roads lead to your site. While one way links seem to be going against the grain of the interconnected nature of the internet, this sort of link building can actually be highly beneficial if you can achieve it in the first place.

However, the reason why one way links are so beneficial is actually the same reason they can be so hard to secure – having one way links, coming into your website means that your site is somewhere worth being, and therefore somewhere worth linking to. This is what search engines like to see as they only want to rank sites well which will be helpful to their searchers and if numerous other web users have deemed your site useful enough to link to, then the search engine gives this a lot of weight when determining your ranking.

To achieve one way links to your website though, you have to put in the hard work as there are no shortcuts to make users think your website is useful and informative when it isn’t. But it’s not impossible, as a dedicated SEO expert should be able to help your website reap the benefits of one way links.

Reciprocal links to your website however, are those which you actively seek from other websites, in return for your site linking back to theirs too. In reciprocating links to and from your own website, you are actively choosing to be associated with these other sites. This is why reciprocal links can actually sometimes do more harm than good to your site, because quality – as always – is more important than quantity.

This means that the websites you reciprocate links with must be relevant to your own website, company, business and online presence as while linking between sites is seen as a good thing by most search engines, this is only true if it is helpful to your website visitors. Reciprocating links with websites similar to your own will mean that the sites you link to will be just as helpful and relevant to your visitors as your own site, therefore in recommending your site to search engine users by awarding it a high ranking, the search engine knows there is plenty of useful, helpful and relevant information there for its searchers.

Building links into, and into and out of your website can help you move steadily up the most popular search engine rankings for your keywords. However, if overused or used incorrectly, link building can actually have the opposite effect, so now that you know the benefits of increasing your link popularity, seek out expert SEO advice on how to make links work for your site.

Search Engine Optimisation is a UK based company dedicated to getting your business into the top results on all the major search engines and keeping you there. At Search Engine Optimisation we can work with you to improve and optimise your existing website design, or offer you a leasing package on one of our established websites, already fully optimised and continually updated with new content and fresh designs. Regardless of your industry, the size or nature of your business or where you operate Search Engine Optimisation is committed to building and maintaining your online presence.

About the Author

The Article is written by SearchEngineOptimisation.Eu a SEO Company providing
Search Engine Optimization, Article Submission, Web Design and Link Buidling Services. Visit http://www.searchengineoptimisation.eu for more information on SearchEngineOptimisation.Eu SEO service, solutions and packages.

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Cars For Sale – Car Auctions Online – Used Car Auctions

Car Auction:
If you are looking for car auctions online please visit the best car dealers blog where you will get a chance to join one of the sites with the largest collection of used cars for sale and also you will get links to other used car auctions/vintage auctions withing the U.S, UK and other countries offering great discounted prices of upto 95% off on used cars for sale, deals not possible anywhere else. You will get access to thousands of repossessed homes, cars trucks and SUV's including salvage cars that have been seized by the government, police, IRS, customs, DEA, banks, lending institutions etc, Cars with low miles and clean records. This is a closely guarded resource commonly used by car dealerships and realtor's in their businesses of buying and selling cars and luxury homes due to great discounted prices and good deals offered at the auction.

Government car auctions:
Everyday a great number of citizens default on various kinds of payments be it car loans, insurance and many other kinds of debt that they either refuse or are unable to pay or involved in criminal activities and tax evasion, this in turn causes the government and law enforcement agencies to seize their cars and other properties indefinitely, this seized property is later on auctioned by the government and banks quickly in order to cover loses and to minimize cost of storage and maintenance. The general public does not know about this kind of government car auctions which makes it a perfect source for you to to buy the car or home of your dreams, once you become a member you will have no reason to buy from a dealership or realtor ever again.

Used car auctions/ Vintage auctions
Used car auctions are becoming more and more popular with time, this is the perfect resource for all individuals be it car dealer realtors even students simply due to affordability once you are a member of the used car auction you will receive great services to help you save time and money with detailed data base and more information about state and government auctions websites and their phone numbers including salvage car auction address. This is the most detailed database on state and government auctions with full time online support and live services to ensure that you get exactly what you are looking for and to make your shopping experience a pleasurable one. The site has implemented awesome new systems for its members to utilize and you can become the lucky buyer who drives away with the car or home of his dreams. This auction is sometimes attended by few people hence facilitating great discounts and excellent deals.

Car auctions online:
Unlike in the past where only car dealers and realtos had special licenses to attend this auctions today this have changed dramatically because of the Internet, It is now possible for anyone to easily join the auction online which in turn enables you to save a lot of time and money. It is therefore important for you to attend and buy from this auction centers and online auctions inorder to cut the enormous expense of storage and maintenance of these thousands of cars and homes.

When you buy seized cars don't think that these cars are always in bad shape, you will be surprised to find some of the cars in brand new condition with their warranty still on them and you can get a background check on the vehicle you wish to buy and the cars for sale auction usually give information of all the vehicles on sale. No need to wait, save time and money now. Visit best car dealers blog now and Join cars for sale 2009.

About the Author

CARS FOR SALE AT: http://www.bestcardealers.blogspot.com

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Do You Kow the Golden Rule of Buying a Used Car?

How many times have you heard someone complain about a car purchase? They knew they were being ripped-off but still went through with the car deal. Or how about they fell in love with the car and just couldn't say 'no'.

Unfortunately it happens all too many times and is in fact what used car dealers count on, it is one of their 'tricks of the trade'. Used car salesmen know that the vast majority of people will not walk away from a car deal especially if a Buyers Order has been signed. Ironically, it is our own society's love of cars that has become a tactic for a used car salesman to make you feel obligated to buy.

It is a simple fact that most potential used car buyers become used car owners because they were unwilling or unable to say 'no'. The main focus of a car salesman is to get you to 'fall in love' with the vehicle and get a written commitment making you believe you must buy the vehicle. Here are a few guidelines to remember the next time you go shopping for a used car:

1.Don't 'fall in love', no matter what. There will always be another vehicle you like just as much somewhere else; even if it is the rarest of the rare, don't get attached. If you fall in love with the vehicle, you will lose all perspective and you are now vulnerable to the whims of your salesman. You have to be able to bargain and/or walk away otherwise you will lose money.

2.Tell them you don't like something, no matter what it is. Remember, you are dealing with a salesman and their manager; these people are not your friends (no matter how nice they seem). Tell them the interest rate is too high or your trade allowance is too low; you will not hurt their feelings. The only person with the potential of getting hurt is you.

3.Just say 'NO', you can do it. If you do not like the deal, think the interest rate is wrong, not enough was taken off the price, what ever it is, be prepared and able to say 'NO'. This is the one thing used car dealers count on is the customers' inability to walk away from the car or the deal. It doesn't matter that you signed a Buyer's Order; you can still stand up and say 'NO'.

Always adhere to these three rules and you will never get taken by another used car salesman again. Think about it, buying a car, even a used one, is probably the second largest expense you will make. And unfortunately, if you get railroaded into a purchase or stuck with high payments you are the one who has to live with it and be reminded of it every time you drive the car or pay the bills. Don't fall into the trap of losing your head over a car; remember it is a tool nothing more.

About the Author

Chuck Parrish
, former used car salesman now consumer advocate, reveals
unethical salesman ploys, and how to get cheap used car finance and insurance at
his website

http://www.usedcarangels.com

.

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Catalog Printing Services: Making Catalogs as Good as Done

You know it’s the ripe time to look for the right catalog printing services if you’re going full blast in advertising and promoting your product. After spending for newspapers and billboards space to get the attention your product deserves, it is time to shift gears and invest on how to provide more details and market your entire product line up if possible.

And you do this by choosing the right marketing tool known as the catalog.

Consumers rely on the catalog if they wish to find out more about a particular brand or store. No wonder that catalogs are often considered as product encyclopedias. Because apart form the images, they contain detailed information to help readers know more about the objects they crave for.

Yet, creating catalogs is quite difficult and time consuming. More often than not, it requires a team effort to be able to create one - one to do graphics and lay out, one to do the copy, and another to proofread or edit.

So, what does it take to create a good catalog? Are good photos enough? Apparently, there is a lot more to it and here are some ideas to get you through it.

Get Photo Savvy

A catalog is primarily about photos and images of various products. As such, investing on a good photographer can save you a lot of time and money.

A catalog is an extension of your business or store. It follows that it should only showcase the best of what you have to offer so wrap it up in an enticing manner using great photos.

Excellent photos represent an important step in establishing and increasing the appearance of your catalogs. Getting the services of a photographer who has the trained eye for finding the best angles to take photos makes catalogs creation a lot easier. After all, excellent photos are marketing tools by themselves.

Employ graphic artists

Once you have all the photos you need, it is time for the graphic artists to weave their magic. This may include drafts for the layout and illustrations for the innumerable pages.

More importantly, they will be working on establishing a design or theme that will grace the cover of the catalog – making sure that it has the right images and design to pull more customers in and create buzz.

Keep to your timeline

Catalog projects may drag on if you don’t supervise it well. A timeline is always necessary so you don’t have to put off days or assigned hours intended for completing the catalog.

A timeline monitors and evaluates various stages of the project. It is better to plan for a realistic and practical timetable that would clearly allot time for revisions, printing, and shipping.

Proofread your text

Although the catalog is primarily an image-based document, you should set aside enough time for proofreading.

All the information especially about the product details and specifications that your consumers read should be given proper attention. Even spellings and punctuations can disrupt their focus and their interest in reading the catalog.

Eliminate this barrier for the presence of such errors, however minimal, can also discredit the brand and turn away potential clients.

Choose a print company wisely

The importance of choosing the right printing company is often overlooked. Most people aren’t familiar how print quality affects the catalogs.

Added to this, you might be overly concerned with printing expenses and think that printing companies are all the same. As such, high-quality printing might even be too great an expense to try.

Fortunately, printing is riding in the wave of innovation and technological advancement. High quality printers have increased in number thus driving printing prices lower.

More and more are offering full color printing services too. This is often considered the best option for catalog printing services which you can easily afford to your satisfaction.

Remember to insist on using full color printing at the very least for your catalog project. Given the quantity of images it contains, your catalog will be a visual delight and a color feast for the senses which could be enough to draw its share of enthusiasts.

Creating catalogs demands a lot of dedication and skill. For all that effort, choose wisely and have a catalog printing experience that could not go any smoother.

With high-quality catalog printing service, your plan is almost as good as done. For with professional printers, you can feel confident in the knowledge that your catalog project is in the right hands

About the Author

To find more interesting topics on Catalog printing services please feel free to visit Catalog Printing Experts: Full Color and Digital.

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Resume Writing Services: An Asset to Career Advancement

Getting a job largely depends on what you do before the offer for the job arrives. This includes getting experience, making a great impression with the potential employer, having a great interview, and of course, having a quality resume. While there are many people that will write their own resumes, a large group of people are paying others to do it for them with online resume writing services. Ordering can be as easy as ordering your favorite pair of jeans online or making an online purchase for any other item. The only difference is that they will require a bit more information from you. Chances are if you sign up for resume writing services, you will be sent a questionnaire or survey that will ask you all about your work, and personal experiences. Filling this out will be one step towards getting your credentials in order,and obtaining the job of your dreams.

Writing a resume can be a daunting task, and can turn off employers if it is not crafted correctly. Errors in grammar, spelling, and spacing are just some of the things that will have potential employers shaking their heads. Further, writing a resume that is too overdone, or too barebones, is also something professionals do not like to see. By hiring expert a service, one can save time, and add a touch of class to their resumes for the world to see.

Not all resume writing services are worthwhile, and many offer different kinds of services. Some are geared toward students, and young professionals, while others are entirely aimed at older, more established professionals. Many offer resume templates for you to fill in the blanks, while others provide full service custom writing services.

One great resume writing service website is Monster. The same monster website that brings you the best jobs on the market everyday, now offers a great service for you to utilize. Monster follows a simple business plan of grading the packages by career status, and career choice. While each resume has a unique price, one can expect to pay a few hundred dollars for a complete resume writing package.

Another website similar to Monster is Resume Edge. This website offers career related custom services for modest prices. Typically a full package would run a few hundred dollars, and include all the bells and whistles one would expect from a top notch resume writing service website.

Having your resume written is something that can either help, or hurt your future depending on the service you choose. Therefore it is extremely important to research all the resume writing services available to date, and go with one that you trust. Researching the sites can be done on Review Place, a website dedicated to customer reviews. Checking out Review Place should give you some perspective on your current resume writing services provider.

With something as important as your resume, it is obvious that you want the provider to be as committed to quality as they are to making your resume a notable one. It is not enough in today's hyper competitive job market to have an average resume; today one needs a stand out resume to truly land the job. By choosing a resume writing services provider that is highly rated, and well recommended by others, you will be making a time tested investment in the future of your career.

About the Author

Andy West is a freelance writer for ReviewPlace. For more information and reviews of products and services regarding
Resume Writing Services
, please visit ReviewPlace.com.

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Seo Software Decision Making Process Made Simple - Make Your Search Engine Optimization And Search Engine Marketing Fast And Easy

Search engine optimization has become the most important element of ranking high in the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, Altavista, Dogpile etc. There are several websites on the internet which boast about SEO techniques & tips and guarantee top placement in days. How do you trust in and invest your hard earned money with a company who does not have a background in search engine optimization believing their claims?

We are in the business of providing Search Engine Optimization and SEM (including Blog Marketing and setting up continuity program and affiliate marketing programs for our clients.  We only use and recommend software that works for us and provides real value to our team - if it doesn't make our job easier and better then we won't recommend it to our customers and friends.  You can check out our current review of Apex Pacific's new XGen SEO software at XGen SEO

The question is "are you ready to play a gamble with your site?" Honestly the answer would be a big NO.
No one would like to waste their money. So, what is the way out? How about doing your own search engine optimization? It is a very long drawn and tedious process if you do it manually. So, how to go about it?

Are there any software available to do the SEO?

Yes! there are several SEO software packages available in the market. How do you know which SEO software is reliable and will meet your search engine optimization needs and most importantly, whether they would live up to their claims? Trust someone who uses the software everyday in their business, not just someone recommending you buy something to get a commission.

SEO software is the answer to implement the major SEO techniques. What are they? SEO is primarily divided into two parts.

• On page optimization
• Off page optimization

On page optimization

On page optimization involves:

• Title Tags
• Meta Tags like meta keywords (lost its importance now due to keywords abuse) & meta description.
• Alt-Image tags
• H1, H2 tags
• High keyword density
• Quality content
• Ease of navigation
• Internal Linking and more…..

Off page optimization

Off page optimization is really not optimization at all, but SEM.  Link building is a huge part of that effort, but keep in mind that search engines only provide about 20% of the traffic online.  Where does the remainder come from?  Affiliate marketing and Media Buys!!!  If you have a product or service to sell online, you MUST have Dealers just like a distributor in the brick and mortar world does.

Off Page Search Engine Optimization can include:

• Link Building to improve Link popularity
• Reciprocal Linking – Two way links
• Non-reciprocal linking – In-bound links
• Use of keyword rich anchor text in linking text
• Improving Google page rank
• PPC advertisements
• Directory submissions

But take care, these efforts alon will not accomplish your goal.  You need to strongly consider the following:

• Video Marketing
• Article Marketing
• Blog Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Media Buys
• Affiliate Marketing

It is a well known fact that off page optimization has more value than on page optimization. It does not mean that on page optimization has no value and requires no optimization. On page optimization has its value and should not be ignored.

So, what to expect from a SEO software selling website?

• Not a one time seller without any future upgrades
• A website with good technical support
• A website with a proven track record
• A website with a forum with quality user feedback
• Most importantly these website's SEO software should have good product reviews.

We see many SEO software companies doing their own product reviews and it looks more like self propaganda than an honest product review. We need websites who test and verify the claims made by the SEO software companies and publish their honest feedback; our honest attempt to start this can be found at XGen SEO. This would help the newbie website owners to make an educated decision after reading the detailed unbiased analysis published on a third party website.

There are very few websites that do this and should be encouraged to test and verify more of these SEO softwares and help the website owners to learn and implement the off page optimization techniques. This would save time and money of the online entrepreneurs to improve their link popularity and increase their search engine rankings. Higher search engine rankings bring more traffic to the websites and hence more sales. It is a known fact that we can drive visitors to websites but converting them into buyers totally relies on how effective is the content and ease of website's navigation.

We should develop effective content in the form of relevant articles linking to your website. Writing an effective article is a skill which needs to be developed by reading other articles and other e-books focusing on writing best articles. Now we should know the list of quality article directories to submit to in the right category. This would be another tedious and time consuming process and this demands SEO software whose sole aim is article submission to various article directories.

About the Author

Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower

Constructed skilfully out of red bricks and granite, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower is a well known landmark in Hong Kong. This outstanding clock tower is also known as the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower since it is positioned on the southern coast of Tsim Sha Tsui. The tower is also the only remainder of the site that once used to house the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The plan to establish the Kowloon-Canton Railway was approved in 1904 with the main station slated to be positioned in Tsim Sha Tsui. Although the railway was launched on 1 October 1910 construction work of the station did not commence until 1913. Due to World War I it was practically impossible to import construction material in order to build the station. As a result construction work was put on hold and it was only in 1915 that the entire station along with clock tower was completed. The clock of the destroyed Pedder Street Clock Tower was used to make the Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower. Initially the tower had only one face. It was in 1920 that the remaining clocks of the tower were fixed. Since 22 March 1921 the clocks have been in operation continually except during the time of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II. Years later, the Kowloon Station was shifted to where the Hung Hom Station is located today. Despite major opposition from the Heritage Society and other parties, the Kowloon Station was pulled down. However it was agreed that the clock tower will be preserved. Those who wish to explore the historic Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower can stay at a nearby Kowloon Hotel . For example, travellers can plan their stay at the nearby Eaton Hotel Hong Kong which is a well appointed Hong Kong Hotel that offers a perfect blend of friendly service and modern facilities.

About the Author

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

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The KTM X-Bow A Road Racer That Looks Like No Other

When the Austrian manufacturer KTM announced it would build a new lightweight X-Bow road car back in 2006, it stunned the assembled journalist with its looks and design. KTM had already built up a reputation in the production of endurance motorcycles, where it had already dominated several rally raid events, most notably the demanding Paris Dakar rally, however the company was now turning its attention to manufacturing high performance light weight road cars.

The X-Bow is KTM's attempt to diversify and expand its business in the face of falling numbers of bike licences in Europe, and certainly when the first cars were released in 2008 wearing KTM's famous orange and black racing colours it was easy to see that they had started their design from a blank sheet of paper.

Quite simply the KTM X-Bow looks like no other vehicle on the road today, with its all carbon fibre tub, exposed suspension components, angular shaped bodywork and twin rollover hoops this is one car that is sure to get you noticed. In fact, this is not a car for shy and retiring types, although because the X-Bow lacks a windscreen you could drive it wearing a helmet for added protection and privacy.

Power for the X-Bow comes in the shape of Audi's 2 litre Fsi engine, which produces a claimed 237bhp, although rumours suggest that these cars actually leave the factory with much closer to 300bhp. With a total kerb weight of just 800kg KTM's claimed time of 0-60 in under 4 seconds seems entirely plausible as does an extra 200kg of downforce generated by the body work at 124 mile per hour.

As you would expect from a motorcycle manufacturer, simplicity of design is paramount, there is no ignition key to fire up the engine just an electronic key fob that you keep in your pocket and a dash mounted starter button. Whilst in place of an ordinary instrument binnacle there is just one centrally mounted rubberised LCD control panel, which challengingly asks Are You Ready to Race each time it is switched on.

When it comes to the drivers and passengers seat the simple answer is there isn't one, instead there are blocks of moulded foam stuck in strategic points inside the cabin and adjustable pedals and a removable steering wheel.

In its class only the Ariel Atom or Caterham R500, have the handling and performance to keep up with the X-bow, and of those two contenders only the exposed scaffolding shaped chassis of the Ariel Atom has the looks to compete.

However by the time all of the must have extras have been added to the X-bow like the F1 steering wheel, adjustable suspension, xenon headlights and carbon fibre floor it can cost twice as much as the Ariel Atom, and to be frank that’s quite a price to pay for a road racer that will probably only be used during weekends in the summer.

About the Author

Jo Alexander is an online, freelance journalist and keen windsurfer. Jo lives by the sea in Essex.

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The Best Used Luxury Car Certification Programs of 2006

The 2006 Intellichoice winners are in, naming a new round of luxury car winners in terms of their Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programs. Rankings are based on a variety of factors, namely the quality of the used car warranty, availability of special financing, tile verification, return policies, and emergency road service packages. The winners of the used luxury car 2006 Certified Pre-Owed program are in ranking order:

1. Jaguar
2. Volvo
3. Cadillac
4. Saab
5. Audi

#1 Used Jaguar Wins Top Slot in 2 Categories
According to the survey, if you're in the market for a used luxury car, a used Jaguar offers the best CPO package. The used Jaguar ranked first in both overall CPO package and in the category of CPO warranty. The Jaguar's original 72 month/100,000 mile warranty is seamlessly carried over to the used Jaguar following the sale. Even more appealing is that there is no deductible on many warranty repairs, a sign of Jaguar's confidence in its vehicle.

#2 Volvo
The Volvo ranked a close second in the Intellichoice awards. With the average Volvo lasting approximately 18.5 years, these used luxury cars are a smart choice. Volvo puts its used luxury cars through a 130-point Volvo-tough inspection then gives it a 6 year/100,000 mile warranty for its new owner.

#3 Cadillac
Before Cadillac inspectors deem their used luxury car "certified" the car must pass a rigorous 100 point inspection which includes stringent guidelines on mileage, structural integrity, mechanical condition, or aesthetic appearance. Only when the used luxury car passes through all of these checkpoints is it considered Cadillac certified and ready for new ownership.

#4 Saab
The certification package of the Saab used luxury car ranked fourth this year with its automatic transfer of the original 4 year/50,000 mile warranty. Saab used luxury cars also qualified for a 72 month/100,000 mile warranty at the time of purchase. For the outer appearance, Saab used luxury cars also carry on the original 6 year/unlimited mile corrosion protection warranty.

#5 Audi
The used Audi ranked among the top 5 for best Certified Pre-Owned Package again this year. Not every used Audi passes the tough 300 point inspection required to become labeled "certified." A used Audi that does pass the inspection is backed by a 6 year/100,000 mile limited warranty. The new owner of the used Audi also receives the balance of the original no-charge scheduled maintenance visits.

Most used luxury cars come have outstanding Certified Pre-Owned packages. The used Jaguar, Volvo, Cadillac, Saab and the used Audi take the top 5 slots this year, making these great choices for your next used luxury vehicle.

About the Author

Author is a writer for A & G Select Imports which specializes in
used BMW's
, Mercedez and other fine luxury vehicles. For additional information about these services you can visit
http://www.AGSelectImports.com

What to Do in Kansas City

From stock car races to Texas Holdem tournaments, Kansas City has it all. If you like to have a good time, you can visit this Midwestern city for all the fun that you can handle. Some of the events you can enjoy when visiting Kansas City, Kansas include the following.

Texas Holdem Tournament

There are several tournaments scheduled in Kansas City each year at the Club Sparks in downtown Kansas City. You can participate in a Texas Holdem tournament every Thursday at this club or you can enjoy the Kansas Texas Holdem Midwest Tournament that is held at the club beginning the first Sunday in June. You have to enter the tournament early to reserve a spot and there are big cash prizes.

AIDS Walk

The second weekend in June is the annual AIDS walk. This walk has been taken place every year for 15 years and raises money for AIDS awareness as well as a cure. It is held at Theis Park and is open to the public. There is an entry fee for the walk and all proceeds go to charity.

Rockabilly Festival

Visit Theis Park for the annual Rockabilly Festival that is held the second weekend in July. Rockabilly is one of the earliest forms of Rock and Roll. New performers play this 50s style music at the festival and are often joined by some of the more famous. The festival also features food and there is non stop entertainment throughout the weekend. There is a $5 fee for attending the Rockabilly Festival.

Independence Day Celebration

On the Fourth of July, take the family to downtown Kansas City for the parade and fireworks. The parade starts off at City Hall and begins at noon. Festivities include a carnival, vendors, crafts and an outdoor fireworks display after dark. This is a fun event for the entire family.

Polski Day

This annual event takes place at the All Saints Church and is a Polish Festival. You can visit during the last weekend of July for food, arts and crafts as well as traditional Polish music and entertainment. This event pays homage to all of the Polish immigrants who comprise Kansas City and is fun for all nationalities.

Labor Day Barbeque

If you are in the mood for barbeque, you need look no further than the Labor Day Barbeque event that happens every Labor Day at Theis Park. This event features barbeque food from restaurants all over the area and even sponsors contests for the best ribs as well as barbeque sauce. Anyone who enjoys barbeque will enjoy the Labor Day Barbeque held in Kansas City.

Christmas Festival

Visit downtown Kansas City for its annual Christmas parade, tree lighting ceremony and festival that begins the Friday after Thanksgiving and continues for the weekend. You can enjoy meeting Santa, entertainment, games, food and crafts as well as a light parade. The annual tree lighting ceremony kicks off the season in downtown Kansas City every year.

There are stock car races, poker tournaments, hayrides and other fun events going on at different times of the year when you visit Kansas City, Kansas. There is always something happening in this Midwestern city.

About the Author

Joe Deacon loves to travel and Kansas City events are some of his favorite must-see happenings. Go to Eventsetter.com and see a schedule of Kansas events running at the time of your visit.

Power in Numbers: MMCA Marketplace Offers Artists a Livelihood Through Online Marketplace

They have no headquarters, which is good for the heating/cooling bill. They have no boss, no timekeeper and no employee handbook. Then again, they have no fixed income. What they do have is group purchasing power in a world market.

They are diverse. A farm wife, a stay-at-home-mom, an arts-gallery owner and several full-time artists are among them. Most have never met face-to-face. Yet many of the members talk daily about issues affecting their business. Given that the art world relies on disposable income, there is much to discuss these days.

“Although not a co-op in the purest sense of the word, MMCA Marketplace offers some of the more important benefits to its members,” explains founder Debbie Overton, a native of Arkansas now living in southeast Georgia. “Members receive large-scale exposure through advertisements otherwise unaffordable for individual artists. Additionally, the Marketplace provides a group forum where its members find camaraderie and support.  I feel that membership is more akin to being part of a family-owned store.”

The idea for MMCA Marketplace originated in the work Overton does with another group, MMCA, which she started in 2005 as a virtual community for mixed-media collage artists. It has grown into a forum of ever-changing numbers of member artists who work in multiple mediums. Overton had several goals in mind when she started the MMCA community. The Internet provides artists the opportunity to share collective knowledge, exchange ideas and techniques, and mentor each other.  She also wanted to offer what professional artists had given her when she was just stepping into the art market – support.

“When I started working full-time as a professional artist, there were many art peers who graciously shared their knowledge, techniques and even their supplies with me.  I wanted to do the same for other talented emerging artists,” Overton notes.

In keeping with this vision, the MMCA Marketplace is implementing a Student Artist venue where students enrolled in an accredited art program will have the opportunity to sell their art, as well as to become part of the MMCA group forum.

Most of the artists in MMCA Marketplace are professionals with records of exhibitions and publications. For example, Cloth, Paper, Scissors—a popular national magazine—featured artist Sue Minier’s work. Residing in New York’s Hudson River Valley, Minier makes landscape collages in fabric and hand-painted floor cloths, as well as table runners and placemats using faux painting and collage techniques. She exhibits in New York and New Jersey, and leads workshops in collage and floor cloths. Primarily self-taught in mixed-media work, she studied graphic design and fine art at several Florida colleges.

Mentoring and networking aside, Overton indicates that the growth from online community to virtual store is an idea she had for some time, primarily through administering the MMCA and realizing how the Internet facilitated 24/7 networking among artists worldwide. “I saw the marketplace idea as a way for professional artists to promote their work to thousands of potential clients around the world. The artists accepted into the MMCA Marketplace agree that the Internet gives them an opportunity to share and sell their work to customers they cannot reach through traditional bricks-and-mortar galleries and show venues.  Although many of its members do their own marketing through retail and virtual venues such as websites and blogs, they recognize that their participation in a larger group-marketing effort enables them to reach new audiences.

“I spent more than $400 on a single ad in an upscale, regional monthly magazine,” said Christine Goldbeck of central Pennsylvania. “In addition to that being a small fortune for one artist struggling in a poor economy, that sum only bought me a reach that extended into a single region. When I saw what MMCA Marketplace was offering, I jumped and, thankfully, was accepted.”

Goldbeck, a former business-news editor and newspaper photojournalist, works in traditional arts disciplines and new-media arts. She makes photographs, paintings and stories for canvas, paper and screen. Goldbeck earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing and history, and a Master of Fine Arts-Interdisciplinary Arts (MFA-IA). She owns Arts on Union, a gallery and studio near Harrisburg, in Middletown, PA.

“When I first stumbled onto the original MMCA site,” explains Sue Pieper, “I had been thinking maybe I really could be a professional artist.” Formerly a florist, Pieper is now a full-time artist who works from her home studio in Dyckesville, WI.  “The group and its members seemed like a perfect fit and I found that it was. Since I have my art represented by a local gallery (The Flying Pig Gallery & Greenspace in Algoma, WI), I felt it was a good move to also have a professional online shop representing me as well and that’s why I applied to join the MMCA Marketplace.”  Pieper designs jewelry, and creates collages and paintings.

Weathering the current economy has not been easy for many people no matter their income or profession, the artists agreed. However, because many consumers see art more as a luxury than a necessity, artists especially are feeling the effects of the downturn.

“Thankfully, we have some power in our numbers,” Overton observes. “Our marketplace will be here and open 24/7, even for folks who may not be in a position to buy right now but still appreciate the opportunity to view quality art by diverse, independent artists.”

About the Author

Written by: cgoldie (for uwemp.com)

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English Premier League - the Continuing Saga of Manchester City

Teams like West Ham United who were reported to have placed all its players up for sale but giving manager Gianfranco Zola the option to keep players that he chooses  and Portsmouth are said to be sufferring from dwindling resources forcing their respective managements to sell some of their best players to keep them afloat financially.

I personally wonder about Manchester United's shirt sponsorship with AIG. With the American parent company now under government hands because of the bailout plan that the Bush government issued to the firm, isn't it only fair that AIG's sponsorship be stopped because I find it odd that a company which almost collapsed but was saved by tax payers' money is actually siphoning some of it to pay United's stars with astronomical amounts of cash? I can't remember just how much the contract was worth or the terms of payment but isn't it something that is a conundrum to you in the spirit of fair play? I  do not claim to be a business insider but all I'm asking is that will somebody from AIG or even Manchester United shed some light on this?

Recently, Manchester City which was formerly owned by ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was then sold to Arab group Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG) with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the owner. Its mission statement is to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier League and to finish in the top four of the current season. Its first shocking signing was when they got Robinho from Real Madrid for a record fee in Britain of 32 million British Pounds after Robinho's wish to join Chelsea was turned down by Real.

For the January transfer window, the Soccer team signed left back Wayne Bridge from Chelsea for US$15 million and is now in the process of formalizing the deal with unsettled West Ham United striker Craig Bellamy for US$21 million. Mark Hughes has also finalised a deal with Bundesliga team Hamburg for the services of  Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong. The transfer fee hasn't been agreed to yet but it was reported that Manchester City may be willing to pay as much as US$27 million for de Jong.

But the transfer story of the year is whether or not AC Milan's prized Brazilian playmaker Kaka joins the team with the club having offered a more than US$150 million for his services plus a record breaking salary. It was also reported that Kaka's father, who also acts as his son's agent is scheduled to visit Manchester City and continue negotiations for his son's interests.

There are a lot of things that I am not aware of about this story. First is that is Kaka's contract with AC Milan about to expire? If not, is the record breaking financial offer a way for City to entice the Brazilian to be unsettled and therefore turn his back to Milan? Is there really such an offer forwarded to Kaka's camp of such a high sums of cash?

Whatever it is that Mark Hughes thinks that his club is actually doing the right thing in pursuing Kaka, I personally cannot swallow the fact that they seem to be flaunting their money as a bait for these established stars. If they do succeed in getting him, who is next, Lionel Messi?

Live soccer match scores at ScoresPro.com/soccer.

About the Author

Peri Witny is an author of Sports Articles at ScoresPro.com