Insurance Company Scams, Fraud and Rip Offs in Settling Pedestrian, Bicycle, Car and Motorcycle Injury and Wrongful Death Accidents Explained By An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney for San Diego

Insurance Company Scams, Fraud and Rip Offs in Settling Pedestrian, Bicycle, Car and Motorcycle Injury and Wrongful Death Accidents Explained By An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney for San Diego

As a Car, Truck, Bicycle, Pedestrian & Motorcycle Injury and Wrongful Death Accident Attorney for San Diego, California one has to ask just how much profit insurance companies need to make to be satisfied. The answer, when one examines the scams, fraud and rip offs they are perpetrating today in settling personal injury accident and wrongful death claims, it appears that there is no limit to their greed.

When you get into an accident today, whether it’s your fault or someone else’s, either you or the persons you injure as a pedestrian, on a bicycle, in a car or on a motorcycle are more than likely going to be forced to deal with an insurance company that is determined to offer as little money as possible to settle any injury claims.

If you are the person who has been injured in the bicycle, pedestrian, car or motorcycle accident or if you’ve lost a loved one, the worst thing you can do today is to try to settle your claim with the insurance company yourself. While insurance companies consider lawyers to be annoyances, they consider you to be a nuisance and will usually offer you only what they consider to be a “nuisance value settlement.” Once they have the mind set that your case can be settled for such a paltry amount, an attorney’s involvement will not change matters.

Your insurance company will be offering you or the other driver only a portion of the medical bills and a small amount for pain and suffering. If you or they have an attorney, the attorney will have to prevail on the medical providers to slash their medical bills by 1/3 to one half in order to have sufficient money left over for any attorney fees for their time and effort and the frustration of dealing with an insurance company today and to put any money into your pocket or the pocket of the persons injured in the accident.

If you’ve been seriously injured in an accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at (800) 589-3202 or e-mail us at our website, www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com If we are contacted early on in a case, we can prepare your case properly to obtain the settlement you deserve for your injuries.

As badly as insurance companies treat the people they insure, they treat others even worse. Why should you care about the person you’ve injured? First, it’s the right thing to be concerned about someone you hurt. Second, you shouldn’t be causing them to be frustrated again when they have to deal with your insurance company. And third, when your insurance company tries to stiff them by paying them less than the amount of their medical bills and a reasonable amount for pain and suffering, much less any attorneys’ fees so they can have an attorney deal with your insurance company, they risk making the injured party sue you in order to obtain what is fair and reasonable.

As a result of the determination by liability insurance companies to make as much money as they can for their shareholders and executives, the person or persons who have been injured in the accident, whether those persons are the individuals in your vehicle or the other persons hurt by your vehicle, they will, without an experienced attorney, be forced to accept a paltry amount. Their doctor bills or your doctor bills will have to be slashed (of if there is medical insurance, the right of the medical insurance company to reimbursement will have to be significantly reduced) and your lawyer may have to reduce his or her fees as well or face the expensive alternative of filing suit.

The cause of this entire process is nothing short of a scam, a fraud and a rip off by certain liability insurers who claim in their advertising to be your best friend and who, when you need them most, or when the person you hit needs them most, turn into greedy monsters who refuse to pay more than a paltry amount and who risk having you sued by any person that you injure.

We’ve been handling personal injury cases for over 30 years and the climate in dealing with insurance companies has never been worse. While we’ve settled cases exceeding one million dollars on a number of occasions, it’s the smaller soft tissue cases where a person has significant pain but doesn’t fracture a bone or require surgery that an extremely experienced attorney can be needed even more to obtain a good settlement. Having previously represented insurance companies, we know how to deal with these companies and have been very successful in obtaining millions and millions of dollars for our clients over the years.

If you want to obtain what you’re entitled to for your personal injury claim in California, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson today at (800) 589-3202 or e-mail us at our web site, www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com

You'll get looks from the girls and the boys!

So, I’ve got a “woody” for this coupe. I traded in my ‘08 A5 on this incredible ‘09 S5. The A5 was a nice enough car, but add the muscle of the throaty V8, mucho sexy lines, and bilateral adjustable front seats; and, I was had! Got the Ibis White with sharp Tuscan Brown and brushed stainless interior, and every available option. The handling on city streets and freeway is erotic. The S5 coupe is NOT for the faint of heart… you’ll get looks from the girls and the boys!

http://autos.yahoo.com/2009_audi_s5-review_user/?reviewId=14&trimId=25404

Randomness Ensues

Two quick things because I’ll forget by this weekend:

1. Coolest phone reference question ever:  An elderly woman called needing help with a crossword puzzle.  “CRAP,” thinks I.  I suck at those things.  Then she asks me if I’ve read The Hobbit and I tell her yes.  I guess 14 down was where do the hobbits live.  So I told her and then we had a brief discussion of Tolkien, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings series.  And now she’s going to read the four books because I made it sound interesting.

2. No one except my best friend and family will get this one.  So, I’m parked in front of the mailboxes to grab my mail and what kind of car pulls up behind me but a Toyota Echo (the exact model) and it’s a powder greenish blue (just like my dearly departed Toyota Corolla).  I almost cried.

On another note, I searched for 15 minutes to see if I could find a photo.  Alas.

Baby, I'm back!

Ich bin zurück! Es tut mir wirklich leid, aber meine bisherige Woche war bisher alles andere als ein Zuckerschlecken. Ich war mal wieder im Kollegstufen-Dauerstress. Montag war schlecht zu schreiben, weil ich ja bis 17 Uhr nichts anderes mache, als in der Schule zu sitzen. Dazu kam diesen Montag, dass ich noch das Geburtstagsgeschenk meiner Mum (ein Riesenteil von Kaffeevollautomat!!) verpacken und mich natürlich auf die zwei nächsten folgenden Tage vorbereiten musste, DENN ab dieser Woche bin ich in Geschichte für den Beobachtungszeitraum vorgemerkt, d.h. es werden Mitarbeitsnoten von mir gemacht. In GESCHICHTE…ich möchte nur daran erinnern: meine bisherigen Leistungen in Geschichte liegen bei gerade mal läppischen 7 Punkten…eine gute Mitarbeitsnote würde mich wirklich pushen! Naja…

Zu anderen Sachverhalten: Was würde zu einem Kaffeevollautomaten ergänzend gut passen?? Genau! Der passende Soundtrack, der dem Hörer ein Bild von Sonntag, Frühstück ans Bett verschafft. Durch gegebenem Zeitmangel bin ich dazu nicht mehr gekommen. -.- Irgendwann unterm Downloaden von ein paar Songs bin ich letztendlich eingeschlafen…*mir megapeinlich ist*

Der Dienstag war geprägt von einer mega-happy Mum und einem Nachmittag voller Biologie. Ich musste lernen, für den Nachholtest, der für heute angesetzt gewesen wäre. (man beachte hierbei die benutzte Konditional-Satzstellung)

Ich fands ja supersüß: Meine Mum ist vor dem Riesenkasten gesessen, grinsend, wie ein Honigkuchenpferd. Das hat mich irgendwie daran erinnert, wie kleine Mädchen an Weihnachten vor ihrer Spielküche sitzen. Und mit was für einem Enthusiasmus sie mir mittags jedes Mal den Cappuccino (MIT Milchschaum ) gemacht hat…zu süß!

Abends hat sie mein Dad zu unserem Stamm-Griechen ausgeführt, besser gesagt: er hatte mich als Chauffeur engagiert. Es hat riesigen Spaß gemacht mit den beiden, muss ich sagen. Ich hatte ihre ungeteilte Aufmerksamkeit und extreme musische (künstlerische) Strömungen!! Ich sprudel zur Zeit überhaupt vor kreativen Ideen über, nur so am Rande bemerkt. Zurück…also, künstlerische Strömungen, die mich so sehr überwältigt haben, dass ich nach Serviette und Kugelschreiber verlangt habe und ein Bild auf der Rückseite der Speisekarte abgezeichnet habe. Der Inhaber des Restaurants hat dann später total lieb gefragt, ob er sich das behalten darf. Natürlich durfte er das, aber erst, als ich es signiert hatte. Danach hab ich noch mitgekriegt wie er es ganz ehrfürchtig einer weiteren Bedienung gezeigt hat. Der war eindeutig ganz hin und weg, weil ich es auf 10 min. auf die Serviette hingezaubert hatte. XD Damit kann ich sagen: mein erstes Honorar, das er als Dank gebracht hat, waren zwei Tsantali Ouzo für meine Eltern und für mich einen Lolli (ich durfte ja nicht trinken -.- zu blöd auch) aaaaber, immerhin! *hihi*

HEUTE…hatten es mal wieder alle auf mich abgesehn. Ich weiß nicht, iwie. wollten heute unglaublich viele Leute früh morgens rückwärts aus der Ausfahrt fahren und hätten immer fast mich erwischt. Naja.

Der Bio-Test hat sich auch erübrigt, weil meine Lehrerin krank war.

Zu Mittag hab ich heute bei meiner ABF gegessen. Von dort aus wollte ich eigentlich auch mal posten, aber ihr PC is iwie. ein wenig langsam und instabil…

Und zu guter letzt, musste ich am Nachmittag auch noch in Wirtschaft schon meinen Joker verprassen, weil ich gestern natürlich nur Bio gelernt hab. Man man man…das Leben kann so ungerecht sein. Es kotzt mich einfach an!!

Damit melde ich mich wieder ab, wir hören voneinander!!

Bis dahin, eure Sissi

PS: Ich weiß nicht so recht…aber seit Montag hab ich das Gefühl, als hätte ich mich verliebt aber es eigentlich gar nicht richtig mitgekriegt. Irgendwie ein komisches Gefühl…ich halt euch darüber auf dem Laufenden. Eins will gesagt sein: von den Spacken in meiner Schule ist es keiner! XD

Vrooom

I have never been into cars – for some reason they just haven’t interested me, until now. I have recently discovered a passion for older cars and even with my lack of mechanical knowledge, I have a desire to buy an older car and “do it up”.

This is just a quick post to share the cars that I crave.

If you want to buy me one… I wont mind…

‘69 Mustang

Not the best colour in the world, but she’ll do

... Mustang Sally ...

‘69 Camero

My fav, without a doubt

... a classic ...

Dodge Viper (year unknown)

The sporty one – famed for only going in a straight line, but still damn pretty

... the sports model ...

Now if only I had some money…

property damage and injuries caused by the negligence of an uninsured motorist: Kullmann, Klein & Dioneda, Attorneys Handling Claims involving Uninsured Motorist/Missouri and Illinois

 

STRUCK BY AN UNINSURED MOTORIST:

Property damage and personal injuries caused by the negligence of an uninsured motorist. Call our law firm today to schedule your free consultation.  Home and hospital visits are available.  We are paid only when you collect.

 

Kullmann, Klein & Dioneda, Attorneys – Claims involving Uninsured Motorists

 

Serving Clients in Missouri and Illinois:

St. Louis: (314) 772-0000  -  St. Charles Office:  (636) 946-1033

Granite City:  (618) 931-3000

 

For a free case evaluation, please log onto our web site:  www.kkdpc.com

Weekend

What did we do at the weekend you ask? Why didn’t I update? Very simply we had guests. On Saturday we took them round York in the rain. On Sunday we took them around Richmond and Easby. In the rain. In between, we huddled in the house and listened to the rain. Occasionally we hurried out to the car or for firewood. In the rain. Hmm, a theme…

But on Sunday I thought “Ah screw it” and took the camera out with me anyway, despite the fact that it would take an owl to see where they were going at times and we really should have taken a dinghy just in case. We stopped in a pub in Richmond that has made my top ten strangest pub experiences. Half of the place was decorated like a pub. The other house was a cross between ‘Little-old-lady cafe’ and someone’s front room. The two guys who ran it (both only in their early 20s at most) seemed a little short of the old IQ power. One was obviously trying to point out that he was the food man, as he had a tea towel draped over his arm that he kept dropping. The other (bar)man arranged our drinks and snacks. I ordered a pint of beer. Fine. And D-man’s cider? Well the cider was off, but ‘we do have bottled’. Ok, D-man will have a bottle of cider. ‘Well, it’s perry really’. Ok, so D-man will have a Perry. Wifey gets her soda and G-Girl orders a Diet Coke. The guy shuffles to the end of the bar and turns his back on us, hunched over doing something. Then he turns back with a Guinness glass with the flattest coke ever seen in the Western world, while he puts away the 2ltr bottle. And I ask for crisps (chips for you Americans) and he produces one packed of Ready Salted. They’re the only ones he’s got. And when I get back to the table it turns out the crisps are from L*dl. For you Americans again, L*dl is where the vagrants and bag ladies would shop if they ran out of dumpsters. And while we drank and chatted, the two odd guys argued over the tv station and wrestled for the remote control. All in all a peculiar place. So to conclude, here’s a few photos of the weekend:

This is the Premonstratensian abbey of St Agatha at Easby. The destination of our several mile walk out from Richmond centre. It’s an abbey with a very unusual plan and this photo was taken at the driest and warmest and brightest moment in the day. 

I believe this gives you an idea of the weather. This is the usually calm, glassy and pleasant River Swale.

But the one really good thing about this time of year is the colours:

Here are wifey, D-man and G-Girl bumming around the abbey. Note the position of wifey’s arms (on the left.) This is a common position for the arms when holding the leashes for both of our dogs. They are busy walking around her in opposite direction in a double-helix fashion, mummifying her slowly with red leads.

And I saw a car sticker that made me chuckle in the town.

But the highlight of the day, and my last offering for you, was the marzipan piggie that wifey bought me from the little confectionary shop. Just how cool is this?

Ciao folks and have a good one.

อึ้ง!!ออดี้R8-V10ราคา 469.99ดอล

มันเป็นไปได้ยังไงกัน รถสปอร์ตออดี้คันงาม ราคา 469.99 ดอลลาร์แคนาดา รวมค่่าส่งเรียบร้อย (ส่งให้เฉพาะ ภายในประเทศแคนาดา)

หรือคิดเป็นเงินไทย 15,700 บ. ไม่เชื่อไปดูที่เว็บไซต์ออดี้แคนาดา

ฝ่ายขายรถยนต์ออดี้ ประเทศแคนาดา คิดโปรโมชั่นนี้ขึ้นมา ไม่รู้ว่า ไปดูอิ๊กคิวซังหรืออะไรมาก็ไม่รู้ ก็รู้ๆกันว่า รถคันละ 140,000 ดอล (4.7ล.บาท ไม่รวมภาษีนำเข้าอีกกี่ร้อยเปอร์เซนต์) จะติดราคาขาย หมื่นห้าพันกว่าบาทได้ยังไง

ได้ แต่มีข้อแม้คือ รถสปอร์ตสีแดงจะจอด “แปะ” อยู่ที่โรงจอดที่บ้านเท่านั้น มันจะไม่พาเราไปโชว์ตัวที่ไหนเหมือนรถคันเก่งของเราที่มีตอนนี้

ใช่แล้วค่ะมันเป็นวอลเปเปอร์งามๆ ขนาดเท่าของจริง แป่วเลย

via : LA Times

this week

What a busy month!  I’ll write about the weddings we’ve been to and some yummy Fall treats on another day.

Monday we had to bring the car to get looked at because of the brakes.  We walked home (about four miles!).  I was not in nearly as much pain as I was initially thinking I would be.  The next day we got it back.  Once we got the car back we did groceries.  On the way to bring Harry to work we heard a loud pop sound.  I thought the brakes felt the same as before it got fixed, too.  So, instead of bringing Harry to work, we went back to the garage (and Harry called in).  I’ve driven without brakes and it’s super scary.  I did not want to take any chances.  We walked over to Honey Dew, got a couple of donuts and waited until we knew his mom would be home from work to ask for a ride.  Turns out it was just some air in the line that did not get released earlier.  Later on that night we went to Whole Foods and picked up some carrot cake, Virgil’s Rootbeer and cheese. 

Happy Birthday Dad!

 

Wednesday we went to the nearest CVS so I could get a flu shot.  While there, Harry decided to get one too.  It was his first time.  My arm is still a little sore and there’s a pink spot at the injection site.

I decided to drive the “backway” to Greenville to do errands on wednesday in case I saw anything Fall related I’d like to photograph.  I’m glad I did.

Goodwin Bros. Farm Stand, N. Smithfield

Car Insurance Quotes

Car Insurance is very necessary. You can run your car on the road if you don’t have Car Insurance. You can get car insurance from any insurance company. There are numbers of companies in providing cheap car insurance. It is good to compare car insurance. For more information on car insurance quotes, visit cheapest Car Insurance Quotes.

http://www.autoappraised.com/ – Offering information on car insurance.

100 Years of Audi in Pictures

More motorsport victories than you can shake a shaft at, a gearbox which beats Ferrari and a Lambo-powered luxury barge.

And a supercar which beats a Porsche 911?

Yes – all this comes from a manufacturer which made its name in conservative, dependable and solidly-built luxury cars.

Audi turns 100 years old this week, charting a company history more complicated than the intestine structure of man. Ready?

It was first setup by August Horch, who named his company, erm, Horch. August Horch then quit and started another company, but couldn’t use his name because it was trademarked, and so translated his surname into Latin and used that instead.

Horch in Latin is translated as ‘Audi’ – which means listen.

So then Audi gets going, but there are three other carmakers in Germany. Then some war stuff happens, everybody shuts down, they all join together as Auto Union, make some motors, and then VW comes along and buys it up.

Anyway, long story short, Audi has made some pretty unbelievable stuff during its 100-year-tenure. And a lot of the good stuff has happened in the past ten years.

100 Years of Audi in Pictures

[Spazz]Fans go crazy for R8

Oh yes, our craze for our boys! As some of you may recall, Yoochun has a R8, which is the reason why fans go crazy seeing one!

Remember this?!

The following pics are taken by a fan when she saw a R8 (sadly not Yoochun’s…)!! From her account, it was a pretty emotional hyped up moment! Best part is, there were lots of other people taking pictures of it too!

Just imaging how hot Chunnie looks driving this?! *faints*
I’m not sure how people will be able to control themselves on the road if they see him (or any member) driving!! I know my eyes will definitely not be focused on the road, I’d definitely wont be able to take my eyes off of him (or any of them)! … In that case, maybe I should stay off the road… Better yet, Yoochun (or any of the members) could drive for me!!!

Anyhow, sorry this isn’t news… But you can see how much Cassiopeians love these amazing boys!! Fans gather around a R8, taking pictures of it, fangirl about it… solely because Yoochun had one!!!

Credit: shirfy1@baidu
Shared by: Sharingyoochun@wordpress

MGM: Forza Motorsport 3 First Impressions

Microsoft haven’t offered up much in the way of racing simulators, let alone racing games.  However, between the success of Forza Motorsport on the original Xbox and its sequel on the Xbox 360, the series has become one that many feel holds up its own against Gran Turismo and has even already surpassed it.  Forza Motorsport 3, the latest entry in the series, will be released next week on Tuesday, October 27.  To give a taste of what the full game should offer, developer Turn 10 released a demo on Xbox Live a few weeks ago.  Now, Matt, Greg and Michael are here to weigh in what they think the demo indicates for the full game.

Matt’s Thoughts

As I mentioned in our article on Need for Speed shift, racing simulators really aren’t my forte, especially games like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport (how convenient).  But between the touting of how the game can appeal to even casual racing fans and being encouraged by others, I gave the demo a shot with Greg and Michael.  With that in-mind, I will say I enjoyed the Forza Motorsport 3 demo more than the other games, but ultimately it isn’t saying much.  What made it more fun was that more options for the handling have been incorporated, with the two standouts being Rewind and Autobraking (both work as you’d expect).  Since the Rewind use is unlimited and, with Autobraking turned on I could focus on the driving and turning rather than precise braking, I was able to legitimately enjoy the demo.  However, this is still fundamentally the same racing simulator I’ve tried twice before, albeit with very luscious visuals.  And the aforementioned features, while nice, still didn’t make this a very interesting and exciting racing game, which is what I want whenever playing one.

Greg’s Thoughts

This is has been quite the year for racing games.  Need for Speed Shift, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Dirt 2, Fuel (alright, maybe that one wasn’t so great) and we’re getting Forza Motosport 3 next week.  I liked the first two Forza games, but felt that the second one should’ve had better visuals and the sense of speed, while above Gran Turismo, is still underwhelming overall.  Fortunately, if the demo is any indication, then this sequel should be a fine improvement and step forward for the series.  Perhaps the most impressive part of the demo were the visuals, which are simply jaw-dropping (other than Uncharted and possibly Metal Gear Solid 4, this is probably the best-looking console game I’ve played).  Car models are incredibly sharp and the available course in the game looks like a spellbinding painting that has come alive.  The sense of speed also appears to have been bumped up a bit too, which I definitely like.  And the driving model is still solid which, with a cockpit view (finally) added to the series, should translate to an excellent final product.

Michael’s Thoughts

As you could probably tell from what Matt and Greg have mentioned, the Forza Motosport 3 demo indicates some very welcoming improvements have been made to the final product.  For me, this translates to even larger amounts of bliss per gaming session.  Forza Motorsport 2 is a game I’ve returned to time and time again yet still never managed to complete (if only I could say the same for other games).  About all that I could really have asked for is better visuals, more tracks and smoother customization.  After playing the demo, it’s safe to say at least two of these demands have been met.  The visuals for the single course in the game are mouth-watering and quite distracting since the location is rendered in such detail, color and beauty.  Racing action is a little faster and more intense, though it seems the game is suffering from Shift syndrome since the AI are far more aggressive and inconsiderate than before.  I would’ve liked to see some form of customization incorporated into the demo to give us an idea of what it will be like (since, after Midnight Club Los Angeles, Forza 2’s customization system felt too stiff), but I had a tough time complaining with what we were given.

Android 2.0 Features Combined Inbox, "Car Home" - Screenshots - Lifehacker

The Boy Genius Report got its hands on the upcoming Android Verizon phone, “Droid,” and toured its early-release 2.0 firmware. The blog finds a few keen features to be released, including a unified inbox and voice-controlled car accessibility.

Finally somebody has worked out that people are using their phones in their cars for more than just talking. Today users are using their hand held smart phones for navigation, search and music all while in their car. Bravo. A car mode. Heck this new Android two is starting to look like something I might have to take another look at. Now if they will just figure out that not all users want to be Google centric with everything then we will be talking.

Android 2.0 Features “Car Home”

<a href="http://www.thinkaloo.com/ideas/view/view_idea.php?id=1776">Cars are more important than people</a>

I decided to pay some attention to the debate in America on health care reform and I just don’t get how Americans think. I really don’t. Those who oppose the reform worry that private health insurance companies won’t be able to compete with a public option which will be a basic health insurance plan offered by the government mainly to the 46 million or so uninsured who can’t afford private insurance anyway and who the private companies don’t want to insure either. That doesn’t make any sense. Is Harvard out of business because Berkeley is a public school?

Shouldn’t the focus on health care be that everyone is covered? Why is it mandatory to have your car insured but not your health? Why should each and every car in America be required to have insurance under the law but not each and every citizen? Shouldn’t the debate on whether insurance be optional or mandatory be about cars and not about health? What kind of freaking luxury is it to debate how to deny more health insurance or less health insurance to 46 million uninsured people while having figured out already and without any ado how to have each and every freaking car insured!!

I guess it must be true that in America people seriously believe that cars are more important than…people!!!

So sad America lets its own people down first and then preaches about values to everyone else. Fortunately for everyone else, no one buys American bullshit about values any more. If everyone else in the world has been smart enough to figure that one out, that leaves Americans next!

What the…

http://www.thinkaloo.com

MID-ENGINE DUEL THAT NEVER WAS | THE 390 AMX/3 VS. THE 351 PANTERA

*

The AMC AMX/3

*

The Italians may have perfected the mid-engine super car, but it was British racing innovation that got us there.  The 1959 Formula One championship  marked the first time a mid-engine race car had ever claimed the ultimate victory.  Jack Brabham made racing history behind the wheel of a mid-engine Cooper T-51 race car, and the course of car design was forever altered, as mid-engine race cars began to dominate on the world’s racing circuits.  By 1961 the Italians, who were at first slow to adapt to the mid-engine design were fully in the game, and  all regular competitors in Formula One were driving mid-engine race cars. Other milestone victories for the mid-engine soon followed — the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans won by Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini in a Ferrari 250P; and the 1965 Indianapolis 500 won by Jim Clark driving a Lotus 38.

*

The De Tomaso Pantera

*

All this got the attention of American automakers GM, Ford, and yes even AMC, who wanted to capitalize on the sizzle and success of the new mid-engine rage, and claim the first true “super car” produced on American soil.  Chevrolet proposed numerous mid-engined Corvette concepts–none of which ever actually made it down the assembly line. Ford partnered with the Italians, namely De Tomaso, providing powerplants for the Vallelunga and the Mangusta, and ultimately bought the company–including the development and distribution of the Pantera, sold here from 1971 to 1974.

AMC arguably took the most ambitious road — Richard Teague, in charge of AMC’s styling direction from 1961 until his retirement in 1986, led the design charge.  Teague’s concept, striking as it was, never made it past the fiberglass model stage. AMX execs organized a design face-off between Teague’s in-house studio and Italian master, Giorgetto Giugiaro — responsible for the De Tomaso Mangusta, Maserati Bora and Merak, and later the Lotus Esprit. Teague’s concept surprisingly won out. AMC staff designers Bob Nixon, Vince Geraci, and Chuck Mashigan worked with Teague on all the AMX projects, and this mid-engined secret stunner was dubbed the AMX/3.  It should have been the ultimate American super car — but fate would cruelly spoil AMC’s plans.  Plans that could have changed the future of AMC forever by bringing them the prestige and recognition they craved — and needed to survive.

*

The AMX/3

*

Designed from 1968 and well into 1969, the AMX/3’s exterior lines are arguably sexier and more refined than it’s mid-engined rival, the De Tomaso Pantera — and featured advanced features like a pop-up spoiler that would raise with speed much a Porsche Boxster, mounted at the trailing edge of the rear deck.  Like the Pantera, the AMX/3 was an Italian-American hybrid design. Giotto Bizzarrini led the chassis development and the construction of the first six prototypes in Turin. Having experience with numerous Ferrari and Iso designs, not to mention prestigious autoss he built and sold under his own nameplate, Bizzarrini certainly more than qualified for the job. The AMX/3 chassis was a semi-monocoque design rendered in steel, same with the body panels. All the underpinnings were standard Italian fare: upper and lower wishbone suspension front and rear, Teves four-wheel power disc brakes, Campagnolo alloy wheels, and a front-mounted radiator and cooling fans.  The transaxle was designed and built by Italian gear-maker OTO-Melara to standup to the strain of the brutish V-8. A four-speed might’ve seemed a damning handicap in the super car world dominated by five-speeds — but the 390ci V-8 (AMC’s best offering at the time), had enough torque–430 pound-feet at 3600 rpm–to more than make up for it. Aspirated through a four-barrel carburetor and equipped with headers and dual exhaust, the 390 cranked out 340 horsepower at 5100 rpms — eclipsing the 310-horsepower 351 Cleveland V-8 of the Pantera.

*

The AMX/3

*

Now the trouble begins.  AMC planned to build and sell AMX’s per month– at $10,000 a pop to test the car’s viability and demand in the market.  Production was ready to roll, orders were placed for necessary outside parts, and the AMX/3 was unveiled to the waiting world in April of 1970 — one day before the premiere of the Ford’s Pantera. The original press release was dated 4/1/70–April Fool’s Day–an ironic touch as the future the AMX/3 fell into a downward spiral.  Numerous factors kept the AMX/3 from ever making it to an actual AMC showroom floor. A huge and debiltating union strike brought AMC to its financial knees and soon several special projects — like a pet-project super car — were deemed irrelevant.  Further analytics revealed AMC would have to charge at least $12,000 for the AMX/3 — 20 percent more than the $10,000 Ford was selling their De Tomaso Pantera for.

*

The De Tomaso Pantera

*

The AMX/3 project was shuttered by the end of 1970. Four of the six prototypes were allowed to slip into private hands.  A seventh proto — reportedly built from spare parts and mildly restyled in the rear remained back in Italy.  Two of the protos remained at AMC’s headquarters and were left to spoil outside in the harsh Michigan winter weather.  The AMX/3 was officially over and done, before the rubber could even meet the road — with Ford’s out-classed Pantera winning the war by default.

This Is What I Get

Remember that self-indulgent whine from the other day?  You know, the “wah-I don’t feel like I belong” navel gazing, pretentious emo tripe?

Well, the universe reminded me why you should never give in to the urge to mope so unabashedly.     Nothing good can come of it.

There I was, Wednesday morning, trolling along, minding my own business, and on my way to the shop with my car for regular maintenance type crap.   Halfway up a hill,  momentum suddenly stopped.   My foot was still on the gas.   The engine was still spinning.   The car was slowing down.

The transmission on my car blew out around the corner from the shop I was taking it to for an oil change and a tire rotation.    Beautiful.

Do you have any idea how much a new transmission costs?   Well, decidedly less than a whole new car, so I’m going to have to figure out a way to pay for it.    And the extra fun is that I have to wait for it to get here.   I shouldn’t get my car back for another week.

Balls!

Just sayin’

Nextbase SDV47AM - Twin Screen 7" Portable DVD Player System

Nextbase SDV47AM – Twin Screen 7″ Portable DVD Player System

RRP: £189.99
Price: £122.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £67.00 (35%)

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Multi-region portable DVD player with two 7″ LCD screens
* Plugs into car lighter socket (adaptor included)
* Screens fit onto the backs of driver and front passenger seats
* Listen via in-build speaker or by two separate sets of headphones (not included)
* Remote control included

Technical Details

2 x 7″ 16:9 & 4:3 TFT display
336,960 Pixels (W480 x H234 x 3RGB) per screen
Supports DVD/VCD/SVCD/MP3/CD/JPEG CD-R/RW, DVD +/- R, DVD +/- RW
2 x Stereo Speakers 1W+1W per screen
Built in Dolby Digital decoder
Multi language menu option (English/German/ French/Italian/Spanish)
Multi angle, audio,subtitle supported
Parental lock
Fast Forward/Reverse (X2,X4,X8,X20)
Zoom play (X2,X3,X4,1/2,1/3,1/4)
A-B Repeat function
Program play function
1 x DC 12V input
1 x Audio in/out (Mini jack)
1 x Video in/out (Mini jack)
1 x 3.5mm Earphone output with volume control
Anti Shock technology
Multiregion DVD Player
Overall Dimensions: Player- H206 x W173 x L36.7 mm / Screen viewing area 154.08(W) x 86.58(H) mm

Nextbase SDV47AM – Twin Screen 7″ Portable DVD Player System

Everyone Loves Travelling

Car Rental Auckland

Everyone loves traveling and its an important aspect in everyone’s life. But its really complicated these days.Nowadays people prefer traveling i cars and its the best way to travel. If you have your own car, just move your own way. Renting a car for traveling is a good option for people who don’t have their own car. Rental cars are very popular all over.

In this fast moving world, one needs car for many purposes. Cars have become extremely important in today’s business. Thus, car renting companies are running their business very well. One such company is DriveNZ(Car Rental Auckland). this company provides all facilities to the customers. For more info just visit the website, plan a tour and just go on.

Let's Do Some Catchin-Up #12

Hm, things didn’t really go according to plan. I was supposed to update this thing right after I unpacked my things, cleaned room, showered and drank coffee. But, what really happened was, after I posted the previous entry, I ate Pringles, then went back to sleep. Haha. I woke up again at 11.15am, ate some more Pringles, then started unpacking my stuff. Then, Mr.Gonzales called, asking me to get ready for lunch at UM. I quickly took a shower, then went to UM along with Usher, Bob, Waznah, PakNgah and Apek. Lepak2 kat sane, then balik bilik bru on laptop, to start blogging. Haha.
.
So, yeah.
.
Right now, I had already successfully finished my prac. I was happy but at the same time, felt quite sad to leave the school. But I didn’t cry. Didn’t have to. I would meet them again, for sure. Hehe. So, here some of the pictures that I took 2 days before leaving the school. Last School-KoKo Activity

The hand-made flower that I made during Pandu Puteri Tunas activity. Haha

You can make it as the accessory for your phone . Haha. Like mine!

PBSM students building a rack using the sticks.

Still trying.. Hahaha

Party With My Year 3 Student At The School Canteen.

Some of the naughty boys in my class!

Believe me, these sweet girls sometimes can be the devils!

Sandwich Competition Year 6

One of the groups that took part in the competition. Haha. Took part? No! Kena pakse masuk? Yes! Haha

The making of the best+creative sandwich ever! Hehe

With Izzat. He's one of Eqa's favs! Hahahaha

The judges.. Confession! I can't reaaally see the difference actually, all taste the same to me! Hahaha.

But as for the creativity category, I would certainly go for this! I've never seen sandwiches in heart-shaped!

Made by all these 12-year-old students!! Awesome!

Iqbal (Dafi's brother) bengang group die x menang. But really, salad bau stokin, camane nk menang? Urgh!!

Jamuan Perpisahan Guru2 Practicum Only took the pictures of the food.. Hahaha!

Nasi Himpit with Kuah Kacang

Soto with Begedil..?? Is that how you spell the word?? Haha

The dessert! We gave the Krispy Kreme. Some of the teachers commented, 'Besar btol donat korang ni!' Haha

The Hand-Made Cards That I Made For My Beloved Students, And Mdm Teh. Before that, we (Ponnie, Eqa, Sal and I) went to Midvalley to buy some gifts for our cooperative teachers and supervisors. I chose the wrong heels. My leg was soooo hurt that I couldn’t walk properly. Couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to walk around with my bare feet. Yeah, there were some people giving me weird look, but I just couldn’t care less. Lantak kau! Haha.

Beauty is real pain!!

So, these are my hand-made cards.. Hehe

The big one is for Year 3 class, and the smaller one is for Mdm Teh.

Well, I wanted the big card with small price. What to do? Gotta made it myself coz the big card that I found in Jusco almost cost me RM30. No way!!

It’s not a final goodbye, we’ll meet again. Almost 3 months at SKSD, really opened my eyes of what kind of teacher I want to be. Many thought teaching is an easy job. well, it IS easy when you want to be a boring teacher who just teaches solely based on the text book. Right? But it becomes difficult and challenging when everyday, you want to try something new, something that will attract your students’ attention, something that will make them happy and motivated to learn English every time you enter the class, something that will make them satisfied with themselves, something that will make YOU satisfied with yourself.

The record book that I used for this prac.

13 weeks in SKSD

It’s all up to us to decide. Post-Prac Outing To celebrate our ‘merdeka’, Mr.Gonzales and I watched The Ugly Truth at Midvalley…

Not bad!

…then  chilled out at Borders.

:-)

He's reading football magz..

Dier ingt ni kat umah die ke?? Haha

Had fun disturbing him when he was reading the mags. Haha

His mags, and my mags. Hehe.

At the Borders, I bought Kinsella’s Can You Keep A Secret? since I’d finished reading the previous Kinsella’s book that I bought, The Undomestic Goddess. Didn’t really like CYKAS, coz somehow I think Emma is ‘gedik’. Hero die pon cam x bape best. Seksa aku bace buku tu.. I prefer TUG more. But right now, need Kinsella’s Remember Me?.

Sophie Kinsella, Can You Keep A Secret?

Sophie Kinsella, Remember Me?

The other day, went to Midvalley to buy some groceries, and products for beauty maintenance (hakhakhak), and saw this awesome car at the Center Court. It’s Lamborghini ape tah.. Haha!

Whoa! Gotta capture this moment!

Mr.Gonzales said, 'Ala, keta ni I buat gie beli tong gas je.' Hakhak!

And after that, we had candle-light dinner at warung Pak Abu. Hahaha. My favourite! Best sbb open-air and x bape ramai org. Coz meja pon x byk.. That’s exactly what I need with my beloved. Privacy!! Wah! Speaking like a celebrity! Kehkeh.

Memang candle-light dinner. Haha

A Week In IPBA

Then, we had post-prac program for a week. We had to tell about our experience at the school. My group, Faizah, Eqa and I, we presented ‘One Class Fits All’, regarding to mixed ability issue that we had in SK Sri Damai. But, the presentation was reaally main2, coz there was no lecturers at all at that time. Haha.
. *no picture* Open Houses, Muar and Klang Last weekend, I went to Muar. Coz, Mr.Gonzales’ auntie invited me to her Open-House. I was nervous at first meeting his aunties and uncles, but gradually feeling okay especially when everyone treated me very nicely there. And Mr.Gonzales was also with me, all the time. Phew! I can’t believe that I’m at this phase already!! Haha!
.
Besides that, I was also glad that I got a chance to play with Mimi,the cat that I adopted from UM. I asked Mr.Gonzales to take care of the cat for me. Well, his family take a good care of her. they even gave Mimi a friend by buying another cat, named Himawari. They are all animal lovers, especially, Azrai, Mr.Gonzales’ youngest brother. I looked at the way he played with those cats. He treated them like lil babies. Hahaha.

This is Himawari!

Muke kerek, tpi comey!!

Mr.Gonzales with the cats, from left, Himawari, and Mimi (after my name! Haha)

Then, on Sunday morning, we had to rush back to KL, coz Mr.Gonzales and I’d promised my brother to go to his Open-House at Klang. We arrived early, about 12.30pm, my parents and my sister were not even there yet. So, while waiting for them, we ate first. There were chicken-chop with black pepper sauce, BBQ chicken, coleslaw, rice with chicken soup, spaghetti with mushroom sauce, kuih lapis, kuih sagu and… what else?? Can’t remember. What I remembered was, I ate a lot! Haha.
.
Then, my mom called me, asking me to fetch my sister at her hostel, UNITAR. Used my brother’s Naza, Mr.Gonzales and I went to Kelana Jaya to pick her up. Back in Klang, everyone (my sister, nephews, nieces, my parents) was already there. We ate some more, 2nd round. Haha.
.
At 8pm, we went back to KL. Hantar my sister kat Kelana Jaya, then drove back to IPBA. I was reeeaaaallly exhausted. I couldn’t even manage to change my outfit, I accidentally slept for more than 4 hours. I woke up at 1.13am, changed my tshirt, wore shorts then went back to sleep. My best dreamless night! Haha.

My car has no Anti-Lock Braking System. What should I know in an emergency situation?

In the situation of emergency braking, the most important factor is whether your auto has an Anti-Lock Braking System fitted or not.

This system stops the wheels by locking them up and then skidding whenever the brakes are employed in a situation of emergency. This system also allows the driver to go on with the effective steering even while using the brakes harshly and this is a good benefit of this system.

This system also works by turning the brakes of the car on and off a number of times a second and kicks in only in the situation of braking heavily. The following thing is the method of stopping the auto in a situation of emergency with ABS fitted.

One must keep his / her hands holding the wheel strongly and then press down on the pedal of the brake as hard as you actually can and don’t forget to keep the full pressure applied on the pedal of the brake until you come to a stop.

Just before you ultimately come to a stop, press down the pedal of clutch also as this can stop the engine of the car from stalling.

Don’t panic at all if a pulsating sensation or a noise is coming from the pedal of the brake. It is fully normal for the ABS to make such vibration and noise too.
But what if the automobile isn’t fitted with an Anti-Lock Braking System?

Then process for an emergency stop is like this. Keep your hands holding the wheel strongly and then press down on the pedal of the brake resolutely but not extraordinarily hard the cars wheel lock up and your auto starts to skid. If the situation of locking up of the wheel comes then remove your feet away from the pedal of the break till the wheel again starts to turn.

After the movement of the wheels starts, reapply the brakes but not extremely hard. Do also bear in mind that you need to also press down on the pedal of the clutch before you eventually come to a stop, as this can stop the engine of the auto from stalling. When the brakes are over used they even lose their potency or can even overheat.
Repair Brakes
Repair Brakes

Just Brakes customer Ericco had this to say…

…about Service Center #62 in Tempe, AZ.

I was at Store #62, located at 455 W. Broadway Rd. in Tempe, AZ, yesterday, October 5th, and was helped by a man named Douglas. Unfortunately, I didn’t get his last name, but I can tell you this; never before have I been to shop and been treated the way I was yesterday and had to tell someone about it. No, this isn’t a bad commentary from me. Quite the contrary. Douglas was the most courteous gentlemen I have EVER encountered when it comes to dealing with getting my car fixed. I needed a break job (obviously) and had taken my 2007 Honda Pilot to two places and called several others. Each place I spoke to had told me that they could do the “whole job for X dollars, just bring it in,” but when I pressed for more information I found out that the “whole job” was for each axle and didn’t include several items that may, or may not, be needed. All-in-all, at one place my brake job was to cost in the neighborhood of $600! TO START! At another, I was told that the type of brakes I “have to use on this type of vehicle” was the ceramic type that would drive the cost of the installation way up. I was informed that the standard brakes were not made for my vehicle, so the added cost of over $140 per set was necessary. In a last ditch effort I called Just Brakes on Broadway, in Tempe. I have never liked going with the least expensive fix on anything, and especially when it comes to my car. The old adage, “You get what you pay for” has always lured me to the higher priced shops. But after meeting Douglas, I have to rethink what I have been taught. Douglas is a gold mine to your company and I was so impressed with his knowledge of cars, none of which I possess beyond knowing where the gas tank is and putting gas into the vehicle. I was especially impressed with the time he took to show me every single little detail of the work that my car needed, or would need in the future, and the pricing he laid out in detail. He listed everything that should be done now and suggested that I NOT wait on certain items. AND he informed me that ceramic brakes were NOT the only brakes made for my vehicle, as I was previously told and therefore the added coat wasn’t even remotely necessary. Unfortunately, in this economy and with money issues being as prominent as they are, I was unable to do ALL of the work he suggested, but promised I would return in a couple of weeks to finish what needed to be done. Douglas spoke to me with an honest heart and without stammering when I asked a pointed question. He knew the answer because he knows his job and he did so, so I had ALL of the facts. In this type of setting, it’s something I have never before encountered. As sad as it is, it’s said that if you send away one unhappy customer, everybody will hear about it, but if you send away one happy only a few will ever hear about. Because of Douglas, Just Brakes has found a new customer and one who will not be jumping ship anytime soon. I will also tell anyone who asks that Just Brakes on Broadway Road in Tempe is the best place to go if they need brake work done on their car. You are fortunate to have Douglas on your team and though not many people take the time to write, I needed to let know how lucky you are and how happy I was with the service he provided at the most reasonable of prices.

The Universal Solution

It would be a heck of a thing to say that I had the answer to all of life’s problems.  I don’t know anything about you or your problems, and I probably don’t have the slightest clue how to solve them for you.  But you do.  The answers you seek are available to you right now.  Others have faced problems just like yours and they have persevered.  Therefore, the universal solution to all life problems (that can be solved) is simply this: Learn more. Sounds simple, right?  I’ll let you in on a little secret: Most things are.  This was mentioned earlier, in “Step Three: Your Actions.” Most people don’t advance in life because they don’t know what to do next. How do you find out what to do next? First, identify your goal. Second, start taking action to achieve it. That’s the part where people get hung up. They know what they want, but they don’t know how to get it. Rest assured, the answers are out there. Whatever you want to do, you can learn how to do it if you apply yourself and learn what actions you need to take in order to get what you want. Visit your local library and pick up a few books on your selected subject.  If you’re interested in developing your personal success skills, here’s a recommended reading list:

Simpleology by Mark Joyner
The Law of Attraction by Michael Losier
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray
The Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale
Ask and it is Given by Esther Hicks
The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

The subjects of these books are essentially all the same, but their methods vary from scientific to spiritual, so feel free to check out their summaries on Amazon.com to decide which books are right for you. If you’re interested in something else, other information is available to you as well.  No matter who you are or what you want, the answers are out there. Not sure what kind of car you want? Learn more. Not sure how to write a novel? Learn more. Read. Read a lot. Visit seminars. Watch free educational videos on YouTube. Remember, you are always taking action. By definition, everything you do is an action, so if you don’t know what action to take next, take the action of learning. Develop your skills. Learning is how you grow into a bigger person.  If you already know everything you need to know, start applying what you’ve learned to get what you want. If you already have the knowledge within you, you have no reason to sit idly by while your life passes you by. And if you don’t, you have no reason not to learn more.

Review: Finger Traffic Navigator

Finger Traffic Navigator is currently a FREE application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The gameplay is very similar to the Flight Control app, but you’re using cars instead. I do recommend getting it, since I don’t know if it’s temporarily free.

In the main menu, you’ll have New Game, How to Play, and the Volume. How to Play will tell you what you’re suppose to do. As I said earlier, the gameplay is very similar to Flight Control. You have to draw a line to get the car to exit the screen. The color that corresponds with the car is where it’s suppose to exit. There are quite a few obstacles, such as you can’t run into another car, you can’t it the center island, and the sides where the grass and trees are. You’re live is indicated by the green light on the bottom left corner. Once you hit a car/center/side the green light when turn into orange, then red. Obviously, the red light tells you that if you hit something one more time, the game is over. But the good thing is the color or you’re life regenerates, which means that it goes back to green.

Overall, I really didn’t enjoy this game. There were so many down sides that I found. Bugs, Ads, and the Life ruined it. I liked the idea of Flight Control, where if you hit something then the game is over. This game could go on forever, because I never really died. But then again, if you’re an individual who doesn’t like to pay for apps, then is app I will recommend to you. I won’t recommend this for people who are looking for a decent and enjoyable game.

Click the iTunes button below to install.

i can't make this shit up...i really can't.

Tim: Why are there dots on the passenger side rear tire?

Me: Dots??….

Tim: “Dots” as in: this-is-a-new-tire dots?

Me: Don’t they all have dots? Don’t they replace ALL the tires?

Tim: Uhhh…no. Why would they do that? The LEFT rear tire is the one with the piece of metal. Did they replace that one, too?

Me: How the hell would I know? I just drive.

After further inspection, turns out they replaced the WRONG DAMN TIRE.

So I had to drive all the way back to the dealership this morning.

IN THE RAIN.

For those who don’t live in Atlanta: Rain = competent driving amnesia.

Amnesia as in: everyone drives like a complete fucking moron.

Actually, it’s that way in the sunshine too…and the dark.  What about ice? Or snow?

You better hope you drive a military grade tank. 

Except me, of course. I’m exempt. I’m an excellent driver (think: Rainman).

Last night, the realization of what I would be subject to AGAIN resulted in a shot of vodka and a cupcake (Buff-tober took a backseat and I’ll be the failure of the day with the badge of shame. There was no better solution to  end the fuck-tastic day I had…PLUS the one I’d get to enjoy in less than 12 hours).

You’d think I just imagined these things to embellish life…make something simple fifteen billion times more interesting…

Well, I certainly did not fucking imagine driving 100 shitty ass miles two damn days in a row only to sit and wait on a fucking car…

…waiting today for a tire that COULD NOT BE REPLACED because IT WASN’T LEAKING…because the warranty only covers LEAKING TIRES…because the “new” tech that worked on the damn car yesterday FORGOT TO MENTION THAT HE CHECKED BOTH REAR TIRES and the one that was replaced…the RIGHT ONE…was leaking…while the one we came in about…the one that had the metal shank in the tread…THE LEFT TIRE…was JUST FUCKING FINE.

Welcome to my life.

Every. Damn. Day.

I’m not even sure how I manage to get out of bed without accidently blowing up the kitchen or breaking the wall or splitting the toilet in two.

If something can go wrong, it does. And it will. I’m like that character in a movie who has the little black rain cloud following her everywhere.

The difference…I don’t become all psycho and go on a midnight, murderous rampage for revenge that lands me in solitary confinement all, “I swear I’ve changed! It was the traffic! THE TRAFFIC! And the damn coffee was fucking decaf for the third time in a WEEK!”

Instead, I get royally pissed off and write about it.

Fear thee who steps across my patience line, because I WILL DESTROY YOU.

And maybe one day all this writing will pay off…

Pay off as in someone will finally learn from all of these mistakes and move the hell outta my way.

And Tim, bless him.

Not only is he getting his ass handed to him at work this week, which has resulted in stress level code red, he also put up with my bitching all day yesterday, including me telling him, “You totally take me for granted.”

When he came in the door last night after work, he walked in holding a bouquet of FLOWERS all, “thank you, sweetie, for taking my car in today.”

Then he made cupcakes.

Of course, we had no frosting, because I purged the house of items that result in non-buffness, so I offered to go to the store to get some. I mean, HE BOUGHT ME FLOWERS.

And as I hop in my car to drive the two miles to the store, I look down at my little gas gauge, cause I haven’t gotten gas in forever and figured I’d be running on fumes…especially since Tim took my car for the day while I took his to get the tires fixed…so I just KNEW I would have to do the dreaded deed of putting in the car food so I wouldn’t be stranded somewhere…

And my eyes about popped out of my head…and then I almost hit a tree while doing a double-take…because the little gas arrow was on “F.”

Not only did he buy me FLOWERS and make delicious cupcakes…

He fucking FILLED UP MY CAR WITH GAS.

Whatever award that’s on par with the Purple Heart they give military people…he wins that one.

Tyler's words of wisdom mixed with my own words

And you open the door and you step inside where inside are hearts now imagine your pain as a white ball of healing light thats right your pain the pain itself is a white ball of healing light. I don’t think so. This is your life good to the last drop, it doesn’t get any better than this, this is your life and its ending one minute at a time. This isn’t a seminar this isn’t a weekend retreat. Where you are now you can’t even imagine what the bottom will be like. Only after disaster can we be resurrected its only after you’ve lost everything that your free to do anything nothing is static everything is evolving everything is falling apart. This is your life it doesn’t get any better than this and its ending one minute at a time. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake you are the same decaying organic matter as everything else we are all part of the same compost heap. We are the all singing all dancing crap of the world. You are not your bank account, you are not the clothes you wear, you are not the contents of your wallet, you are not your bowel cancer, you are not your grande latte, you are not the car you drive, you are not your fucking khakis!!! You have to give up, you have to give up, you have to realize that someday you will die, until you know that you are useless. I say let me never be complete, I say may I never be content, I say deliver me from Swedish furniture, I say deliver me from clever art, I say deliver me from clear skin and perfect teeth, I say you have to give up, I say evolve and let the chips fall where they may This is your life it doesn’t get any better than this. This is your life and its ending one minute at a time. You have to give you have to give up I want you to hit me as hard as you can I want you to hit me as hard as you can. Welcome to Life Club. If this is your first night at Life Club you have to live!!!

Buying Car Insurance

My precious car.

Moving to Washington I need to get a new auto-insurance policy. Not because my old insurance could not move, rather I was covered under my Dad’s plan since the car was registered at his address. Now I have a new registration and so a new insurance policy in my name.

I am faced with the question on how to pick an insurance company. Previously I was under someone else’s policy with no interaction with the insurance company directly however I have heard good things about the agent (Allstate) whom my Dad has worked with. Thus I turn to TV commercials. I checked out several of the prevalent ones: eSurance, Gecio, Progressive and Allstate. For some reason eSurance did not impress me since I never did a follow up visit to their site. Geico called me a few times, though I did not pick up since it was an unknown area code, the message the agent left just did nothing for me.

Out of the initial four it has come down to Allstate and Progressive for comparisons. Before rechecking the price I tried to find review online and quickly encountered nothing but negative reviews. Unlike books on Amazon or restaurants on Yelp people with good experiences probably do not review insurance companies as often as those with bad experiences. Even assuming some efficiency ratios I just ignored all of the online reviews and returned to the websites.

For the same basic coverage Progressive is one third the price of Allstate. So I e-mailed two Allstate agents, my Dad’s (a third party) and a local agent asking them a simple question: Why should I go with Allstate and pay triple what Progressive offers? I hope to hear back in the next day or so.

So I am left with three choices: pay the cheaper monthly cost and get basic Progressive insurance, pay the basic Allstate price for basic Allstate insurance or pay the basic Allstate price but get the maxed out Progressive insurance plan.

The fundamental problem I have with almost all of this stuff is that I have no grounding for what the numbers mean for liabilities. The only ones I have a firm grasp on are the deductibles for the optional collision/comprehensive insurance because I know how much I value my car. It is hard to be rational about decisions of numbers for underinsured motorist liability and bodily injury liability. It all seems like the thing where a higher priced item is offered to encourage people to buy the middle priced one, there is a more technical name for that I am sure.

Sandro Andrade: vitória na Lagoa foi corolário de temporada muito positiva (Press Release)

Foto: Miguel de Sousa Azevedo

A dupla Sandro Andrade e César Meneses esteve presente na última prova do Campeonato dos Açores de Ralis de 2009 aos comandos do FIAT PUNTO HGT com as cores da TERLUBRI – Comércio e Distribuição de Lubrificantes.

“Entramos muito determinados em vencer a iniciativa Desafio Além-Mar e em manter o 2º Lugar na Taça Região Autónoma dos Açores. O Rali da Lagoa foi uma prova difícil, pois as chuvas que assolaram a Ilha de S. Miguel nos últimos dias prejudicaram o traçado da prova, obrigando-nos a cuidados redobrados. Ao longo do Rali fomos gerindo a prova, aumentando o ritmo apenas nos últimos 3 troços, garantindo o 8º Lugar Geral e o 1º Lugar entre os automóveis da Fórmula2”, conta o piloto.

Num primeiro balanço à temporada, Sandro Andrade recorda que, apesar de todos esforços, “não nos foi possível estar presente em todas as provas do Campeonato. Optámos, então, por um programa mais curto que nos permitisse apresentarmo-nos em boa forma no arranque de cada prova. Os resultados apareceram – subimos 4 vezes ao pódio, ocupando o lugar mais alto por 3 vezes consecutivas. No que toca a resultados à geral, terminamos por 3 vezes dentro dos 10 primeiros, o que é revelador do nível competitivo do FIAT PUNTO HGT”.

Continuando a avaliar de forma muito positiva a sua época, o piloto fez questão de realçar que nas provas em que participou, juntamente com o navegador terceirense César Meneses, “fomos das equipes mais rápidas entre os automóveis da Fórmula 2, arrecadando no final da época o 2º Lugar na Taça Região Autónoma dos Açores e vencendo a iniciativa promovida pela Além Mar destinada aos veículos de Agrupamento de Turismo com cilindradas até 2000cc”.

Sandro Andrade não terminou a sua análise sem deixar “uma palavra de Agradecimento à TERLUBRI nossa parceira no projecto FIAT PUNTO HGT e a todos quanto de uma forma ou de outra contribuíram para que o nosso Projecto fosse um SUCESSO! Até 2010 !!!”

Hire Limo Hire London Services To Reach Your Special Occasion

The Limousine is a luxury car which is always considered a ride of the rich and famous. Even you can enjoy this rich drive by hiring London limo services. If you want a Limo hire London service then you can search for it on the internet as there are various London companies offering limo hire facility.

The limos services London can be hired to attend your various special occasions, such as

Wedding car: A limo is usually hired by people for their weddings. Since it is a truly magnificent car therefore it adds to the wedding glitz and glamour. A limousine offers enough space for all the brides” maids and the bride herself. Hire a limo on your wedding day to make it even more special and remarkable.

Prom nights: Nothing seems to beat a limo to pick your date on prom night. Most people hire limos on their prom nights as it is a sign for them to move on to bigger and better things in life.

Corporate events: Another purpose for which limos are often hired is the corporate events. To put a good impression on your client, you can hire limo to pick and drop him. Your board meeting will be a sure shot success with such a fine beginning.

The limo hire London offers various other services along with the limo which include a licensed chauffeur, open bar, champagne, snacks, DVD player, satellite radio, karaoke player, disco lights, dance floor and a mini kitchen as well.

You can choose from a wide range of limos offered in by limo services London that include:

1. Hummer limo: The hummer limo is the latest addition to the range of limos available for hire in London. It is just perfect for taking to prom nights, clubs and concerts to make a sure-shot style statement.

2. Limo party bus: This limo is the mother of all as it can easily accommodate your entire friend circle. It is truly remarkable and will make heads turn for sure. In this limo, you will get all the other services, such as leather seating, VCR and large spacious dance floors. It can easily accommodate minimum 16 people.

3. Navigator: The navigator limo can accommodate around unbelievable 26 people. It is just ideal hiring for weddings where the whole family can go together.

4. Lincoln: This limo is the classic standard limo which goes perfectly along with any occasion. It even comes with a moon roof to enjoy the occasion even more.

If you are also planning to hire a limo in London, there are a few points which you must look for before maiming the final selection of the service provider:

It is always recommended to compare the prices offered by the various transportation services. Look out for the additional prices in the beginning

Check for the drivers experience and driving background.

If you have checked all these aspects, you can then surely go ahead and hire a limo to make your special occasion even more special.

For Limo Hire visit @ www.gerrardbeacon.com

Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com

Tint Training Classess

Learn how to tint cars, homes and offices!

Solar Control Films, your solar tint supplier and distributor, offers auto tint training classes monthly in their 5,000 square foot St. Louis, Missouri regional distribution center.  Stan Foster of autowindowtinting.com offers the classes in Saint Louis.  Stan will teach the following installation skills:

• Basics of window film:  proper cleaning, olfa knife handling
• Side window installations
• Micro edging
• Rear window installation
• 2 piece back window installation
• 1 piece back window installation with wet shrink method
• 1 piece back window installation with dry shrink
• Installation tint tools
• Energy savings with solar films (conducted by Phillip Hollocher)

Solar Control Tint Distributor has 11,000 square feet of warehouse space in St. Louis, MO and Houston, TX that supply auto tint, commercial window films, residential film, uv tint, frost film, sun blocking window film, global gard, global speciality films, tint tool kits, installation tools, and nano ceramic IR window films.

Before taking the class with Stan, Solar Control recommends that prospective tinters do the following so that they will learn much, come to class prepared and retain more valuable tinting skills:

• Buy a sample roll of window film
• Buy basic tint tools (olfa knife, scraper, olfa blades, 1″ scraper blade, squeegee, hard card).  Buy a tool kit.
• Cut a sample piece of tint & remove liner
• Practice tinting a small window to learn the basics:  liner removal, how adhesive works, cleaning a window, scraping a window, cutting the film, olfa blade handling, squeeging techniques, trimming the film
• After completing the first window installation, inspect the quality.  Then practice olfa knife handling & cut out designs.  Re-install film 5 more times.  This way, you will learn a lot of the basics and learn more advanced techniques with autowindowting.com

My First Car

My first little car was a bit shy on the road
He was not so fast or slick
Just a few horse power was all he had
It managed to do the trick

He liked to travel the country roads
Avoiding all the stress
The motorways were just to fast
The speed just caused a mess

One day he forgot the peaceful way
And could not pull his brake
He hit the car in front, oh dear
That was a big mistake

My little car had bent his bonnet
and had a lot of dents
He was not happy and neither was I
The repairs cost lots of cents

But he survived and so did I
We stayed together as one
We travelled the miles over hills and valleys
We had a lot of fun

One tragic day he could no more
The gas had come to an end
I wept my tears, he had been brave
His motor I could not mend

This was so many years ago
but the memory it remains
My car today is big and fast
But my little car had more brains

My Mid-Week Weekend

For the first time since the program started, I had two days off in a row.  Yesterday and today.  Count ‘em: two.  It was really great, and its amazing how much more relaxing you can get done in those extra 24 hours.  But I didn’t waste my time vegging out in front of the TV or watching stupid videos on the internet (Okay.  Maybe just one stupid video.) I actually did a lot of real stuff on my days off! 

Melissa and I both had yesterday off, so we had planned to go to Blizzard Beach, one of Disney’s water parks.  I had never been before, and even though I’m not usually a water park person, I was really looking forward to it.  Of course, we’re in warm, sunny Florida, so we wake up, put on our swimsuits, go outside…and run back in the apartment shivering!  It was actually cool here yesterday!  It only got up around 80, which, while not cold was still too chilly for either of us to want to go to the water park.  So instead we went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day.  We strolled around, shopped, rode a couple of the big rides, and then ran into a couple of Melissa’s friends.  So the four of us hung out for the rest of the day.  We watched the Block Party Bash parade for the first time (awesome!) and also saw the American Idol Experience (meh.)  But the highlight of the day was getting our pictures taken with the cast of “Up”.

Today was my “Get Stuff Done” day.  I woke up, worked on making resort reservations for when my family comes in November, talked to the scheduling people about getting October 20th off for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party, and picked up a shift on the Hub handing out candy at the aforementioned Halloween Party.  Then I spent the rest of the day running around Orlando.  Went to Downtown Disney, shopped for a little while, went to Joann’s and bought some new needles for the yarn that I bought last week.  I love my roommates, but sometimes I really, really miss the privacy I had at home.  So it was really nice to just go around on my own, be by myself, and not really have any agenda.  This is the biggest reason I recommend bringing a car for the program.  Without a car, you have no escape.  Even if you leave the apartment, you leave it on a bus filled with other CPs.

Yesterday, I mentioned to Melissa that I would like to see Cirque du Soleil.  Coincidentally, her and Josh, one of the guys we ran into yesterday at DHS, were planning to go tonight.  So Melissa told me I was more than welcome to come.  Josh, unfortunately, didn’t know that I was planning to come, and so he went ahead and bought tickets this morning, but only for Melissa and himself.  But Melissa convinced me to try to get a ticket anyway, and so I went to the box office about an hour and a half before show time.  Luckily, they had a ticket right behind her and Josh’s seats, so I went ahead and bought it.  When they showed up later, we went to talk to the box office one more time.  Because it was so close to the show start, they were starting to open up other seats.  I’m not sure if they were seats that people had cancelled on, or if they just hadn’t shown up to pick up their tickets.  But they had three new seats available, together, a few rows up from where our original seats were.

Cirque du Soleil was everything I had hoped it would be.  By the end, my hands hurt from clapping, and I know at least four times I let out an audible gasp of astonishment.  The little Chinese girls with their Diablos were my favorite, but there wasn’t a single part of it I didn’t love.  It was worth every penny to see it, and I wouldn’t be against going to see it again.  And if you ever get a chance to see a Cirque Show, DO IT! 

It’s back to work tomorrow, but I have next Wednesday and Thrusday off, too!  I’m thrilled that my schedule is starting to look similar from week-to-week.  Hopefully this Wednesdays/Thursdays off thing will stick, because it’s really been great so far!

You want how much?!

So my first week of uni is over, its been a good experience so far. Meeting new friends, course tutors, being told the things we are going to do this year and then thinking ‘oh christ how am I going to do that’. All is well, apart from one thing. The price of the bus, £6.90 for a return ticket to Bedford? It’s 11 miles away! And the bus takes 3 times as long a car.

So I did some calculations, if I had a car it would cost me £2.20 worth of petrol for a return trip to Bedford. £2.20! That’s £4.70 less than the bus and the bus is slow, sometimes smells and full of people you really wouldn’t want to talk to. Seriously, the scummiest looking people get on my bus on the way to Bedford.

And then it dawned on me, this is why people take the car.