My friend Ann takes her bike wherever she goes, even if
the trip isn’t about biking - like her Christmas trip to
Arizona to visit her parents. We discussed the advantages
and compared some expenses.
In the end, I went to do a little research to find out what
would be the best way to go when traveling by airplane -
ship your bike in the cargo hold of the plane, ship it
ahead of time by UPS, or rent a bike when you arrive at
your destination.
Renting was the clear loser among the three options. For
one thing, it’s not your bike, so it is likely to be
inferior along with not fitting you perfectly like your own
bike does. Also, it’s expensive. You can rent a clunker
for $45 USD a day if you’re in an area where bike rental is
even possible.
If you want a decent bike, though, you’re going to pay at
least $65. So, if you rent and ride once or twice while
you’re there, you’ll have almost broken even with the cost
of shipping your bike. If you ride more than a couple
times, you’re money ahead, once you’ve invested in some kind of
shipping carton.
Shipping your bike in the airplane’s cargo hold is a good
option, and might be the best choice depending on the
circumstances. The advantages of carrying it with you on
the plane include the fact that you will have it with you
at all times. You won’t be without your bike for the 2 to
6 days it takes when shipping by UPS. Also, you can use a
soft bag, which is not recommended for shipping by a
delivery service.
Depending on what kind of packaging you use for the
shipment, disassembly of your bike is minimal. You can get
by with as little as taking off the handlebar and pedals.
The cost is around $40 each way.
The option I like best is shipping via delivery service.
Depending on the from-to locations, the cost is usually
less than carrying the bike on the plane. For example, you
can ship a bike from Miami to Chicago for around $30. The
biggest benefit here is the minimized hassle factor. There
is no waiting in long lines in the airport baggage claim
area, no packing it into the rental car. The bike is
delivered to your door.
You have a tracking number, so you can keep informed about
the when and where of your bike’s current position while
it’s en route. A good shipping carton is necessary, of
course, but for people who travel often it’s worth the
investment.
Here is the run down of options for shipping cartons. You
can get a hard-sided bike suitcase for around $350 USD, and
it will last forever. For these, you have to take off both
of the wheels as well as handlebars, seat, and pedals to
fit the bike into the case.
For around $200, you can get a waterproof bike box that is
very durable and has the advantage of being collapsible
when not in use. I don’t recommend the plain cardboard
rectangular boxes because they are expensive, around $150,
and only last for a handful of trips. Both the waterproof
and cardboard rectangular box come with tie-downs, straps,
and foam chocks. You do have to do some disassembly of the
bike, removing the pedals and handlebar.
There’s one more shipping set-up that is a little less
expensive. For about $80, you can get a triangular
cardboard shipping carton. You don’t have to do any
disassembly, not even the bars because of the triangular
shape. Just use the quick release for the front wheel and
seat, and hold them in place with the tie downs that are
provided.
For details about carrying cases and shipping, go on-line
and enter the term ‘bike shipping’ in any search engine.
You’ll be pleased to find that traveling with your own bike
is affordable and fairly hassle-free. If you haven’t taken
your bike with you on trips already, I assure you that it’s
worth it.
Daniel Lebarge, journalist and cyclist, is a contributing
writer for First Bicycle
, offering valuable free information about cycling and
bicycles. Articles by Daniel are also found at All Boots and Snowboard Max.
Pocket bikes, the minuscule versions of motorbikes, are a major craze nowadays. These bikes are small and light enough to carry under the arm, but big enough for a child to ride. One can find models for children as young as three or four years old. They are cheap, at just over $500, and accelerate quickly to speeds of 55 km/h and faster.
The pocket bikes are not “street legal,” as they do not have VIN numbers and do not have to meet the safety requirements of a motorcycle. As they are quite small in appearance, other motorists may not see them. The riders do not need to possess a license and generally do not wear the suitable protective gear. Mostly, these pocket bikes are run off road and in by lanes. A pocket bike can cause danger to the person who lacks the fine motor skills that are very essential for very precise throttle control.
The pocket bikes come with a forty to forty-nine-cc size engine, and they continue up to 110cc engine. The Honda CRF50 has become a standard in pocket bikes. The rate of speed possible on a pocket bike is breathtaking. There are strong chances of getting hurt if you are not careful while driving it. These bikes make a lot of noise and can be disturbing to neighbors and others. Many other brands of bikes are also available in the market.
An entire industry has sprouted around the modern-day pocket bikes. As a result, pocket bike owners have an array of choices available to them for customizing their pocket bikes with parts and accessories unique for each pocket bike.
Pocket Bikes provides detailed information on Pocket Bikes, Mini Pocket Bikes, Cheap Pocketbike, Pocket Bike Parts and more. Pocket Bikes is affiliated with Mountain Bike Parts.
The Fairchild Corporation consists of Fairchild Sports, which manufactures apparel for motorcyclists for retail outlets Hein Gerick, PoloExpress, and Fairchild Sports USA (FSUSA), and Banner Aerospace, an aerospace distribution division of Fairchild serving a number of customer markets worldwide, which include OEMs and their subcontractors, commercial and regional airlines, air cargo carriers, corporate and general aviation and FBOs.
Jeffrey Steiner served as President of Fairchild Corporation from July 1991 to September 1998. Previously, Jeffrey Steiner was Chairman of Banner Aerospace and President of Cedco Holdings, Ltd. Jeffrey Steiner has served as Chairman, President and CEO of FII since 1991, RHI since 1988, and Banner Aerospace since 1993. Mr. Steiner served as Vice Chairman of the Board from 1990 to 1993.
Jeffrey Steiner’s other affiliations and leadership positions include serving as Director of Copley Financial Services, Corporation. Jeffrey Steiner has also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Rexnord Corporation, the Vice Chairman of the Board and a Director of Shared Technologies Fairchild Communications Cprop, a Director of Fairchild Corp and Global Sources Ltd, Director of The Franklin Corporation and the Copley Fund, Director of Corporate Express, and Director of Banner Aerospace Inc, where he still serves as a member of the Executive Committee.
Jeffrey Steiner is father of Dr. Eric I Steiner and father-in-law to Mr. Philippe Hercot. Jeffrey’s Steiner’s son Erik Steiner is now CEO of the Fairchild Corporation.
Everybody can win fantastic plasmas every 16 days. That will be absolutely fantastic or realy terrific to win 7312 dollars. Really anyone can win great cash prizes every 9 weeks. 2 months ago a European webcompany begun with a contest websites. Sweepstakes are also legally different from contests in the United States. 5 hours ago a Dutch dutch online company started a dutch online contests. 7 weeks ago a Belgium company has started with a online sweepstakes. 6 hours ago a Europe based online company took of a sweepstakes websites. Many more sweepers are choosing to enter online sweepstakes. Super wakeboards to win at dutch online sweepstakes. In an effort to increase consumer demand for scratch cards and to help control the litter small problems associated with the disposal of non-winning lottery tickets. 8 days ago a Europe based dutch company begun with a dutch online sweepstakes. Marvelous tools to win at online sweepstakes. Sweepstakes are frequently used by fast-food restaurants to boost business.
Translated in Ducth is says: Woon je in Helden of Alkmaar en wilt u vaker prijzen winnen’ Met Windeprijsvraag winnen is nog nooit zo eenvoudig geweest. Veel prijzen winnen met het windeprijsvraag.nl systeem‘ Minstens 391 prijzen per uur. Van Kessel tot Schijndel, met Win de prijsvraag.nl winnen gaat hier altijd. Een vrouw van 59 heeft afgelopen maand nog een BMW gewonnen.
Terrific MP3-players to be won at contest websites. Really everybody can win realy terrific surfboards every 13 months. Members sign up once and are entered to various sweepstakes each month. That should be really great or terrific to win 2458 euros. Entering sweepstakes by mail is declining in popularity. There are also other online services, which automatically enter members into sweepstakes. Before home computers were popular a common method of entry was a mailed one. Sweepstakes are generally easier and quicker to enter than contests. Although some sweepstakes ask for a proof of purchase or UPC code, the sponsors must provide an alternate method of entry if they do so. The reason why contests are treated differently is that the winners are not chosen by chance but by an element of skill. Consumer promotions advertised as contests, however, can require an entry fee or proof of purchase. Many state lotteries also run a second chance sweepstakes in conjunction with the retail sale of state lottery scratch cards. Sweepstakes promotions are prohibited from requiring a purchase to enter. It will be marvelous or absolutely fantastic to win 3481 dollar.
As with many industries, the quality of the customer relationships dictates the profitability of Blue Skies business. When the company was first started there was a vision in mind, and this was to improve upon the level of service that candidates and clients receive from a marketing recruitment agency.There is one clear distinction that separated Blue Skies from their competitors, that is that at some point or another every member of their recruitment team has spent time either agency or client side. This is helpful as it ensures they have a clear understanding of what both candidates looking for marketing jobs, and clients with open marketing positions need.Blue Skies has four offices, in London, the Midlands, the North West and Yorkshire; sourcing candidates looking for a marketing job. They offer recruitment solutions for both freelance and permanent positions. If you are looking for marketing jobs then visit the Blue Skies Careers site.They cover many different sectors, but the most popular are their marketing jobs. They are very easy to talk to and there will without doubt be someone in one of their offices who can help you. Have a look at their site first, this will give you the confidence and the drive to see what they are really about for yourself. It’s fun and really easy to navigate around, there are sections on everything you could want; search for your ideal job, press, events, reviews, clients they work for, and even a section where you can pick up some interview tips. Within Blue Skies, they have a specialist section called b.creative. They work a lot with the agency side of the industry and help to produce some exciting work. They meet regularly with talented creative designers, and with people who understand brand to brand communication. If you are an art worker, copywriter or designer working on or offline, then why not use b.creative to help you find that next special member for your team.
Buying a beach house in New Zealand offers many possibilities.
New Zealand is made up of two main islands, North Island and South Island, giving it miles of coastal lands and perfect beaches to live by. Each island offers its own unique climate conditions and way of life.
Make Money from the Real Estate investment
One aspect to consider when you think about buying a beach house in New Zealand is the possibility of earning money from it. There are several ways to do this. You could rent or lease your house to tourists. You could also live in it with an eye toward selling it for more than you paid for it in the not to distant future. The New Zealand real estate market is rapidly growing, and giving someone else a chance to buy a New Zealand beach house could earn you a lot of money.
Rules for Investment
If you are interested in buying a beach house in New Zealand as an investment property, visit www.landlords.co.nz. It will be important for you to know about taxes, mortgages in New Zealand, and learn if you have to be a New Zealand resident to be a New Zealand landlord, and find answers to the many other questions you’ll most likely have.
Coromandel
One popular area on North Island is the Coromandel Coast on the Coromandel Peninsula. The nearest town is stunning Cook’s Beach. It would be a spectacular place to buy your dream New Zealand beach house. For dramatic pictures and a full description, visit
prosale.co.nz.
Waiwera
If you prefer to buy a beach house in New Zealand close to a metropolitan area, think about Waiwera which is less than a thirty minute drive to Auckland. You would be unable to buy a piece of land where you could build a new home. The area is closed to more growth. However if you want to buy an existing beach house in New Zealand and live in a truly wondrous setting, this might be your perfect spot. You’ll live near thermal pools, a nature reserve, and be able to launch your boat right from the beach.
Virtual Tour
Whatever your reason for buying a beach house in New Zealand, you need to check out the many potential areas. It would be lovely to take a tour in person to see all the marvelous beaches where you might purchase your house or property. However, one of the great things about our high-tech society is that you can take virtual tours and see marvelous pictures of a number of unbelievably beautiful properties. Within minutes of going out on the Internet, you’ll be amazed you didn’t think of buying a beach house in New Zealand, long before now.
Ofer Shoshani has been working for the last 5 years as a professional journalist, writing about finance, economy, travel and lifestyle. During these years he lived and wrote from Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, USA, Israel, India & Thailand. More of his work can be found at http://www.nzpassport.com (Immigration and Relocation to New Zealand), http://www.bespanish.com (Immigration and Relocation to Spain) and http://www.betotal.com (Intl. Charity organizations, Child Sponsorship programs, Donation, World Aid, Aids in Africa and Poverty).
The internet is all about finding out information on a particular subject. There are many different types of website, some offer a service, some offer a product and some merely offer advice. In this article I write about this third type of site which I refer to as information portals.
I am not sure if you have ever heard of a program that the search engine Google run, which is called Google adsense. Basically people pay to appear on the front pages of results under certain keywords such as web hosting. Their advert then appears under the sponsored listing sections of the search results which can be above or to the right of the natural listings. This advertising program is called Google adwords and has proved to be very popular with advertisers who are attempting to attract more traffic to their site. This is also known as pay per click (ppc) and many of the other major search engines also run similar programs.
Google adsense is a bit different. This is where people who own a website allow Google to include these Google adword adverts on their site. When people who visit the site click on one of the ads, the website owner receives a percentage of the income received. This is paid to the website owner normally on a monthly basis by Google.
One of the problems with this program is that it is taking your visitors away from your site. You may be making some money but these people of course may have bought your product or taken up your service if they had spent longer at and reading your website.
This is where sites which are purely information based and do not offer a service or product can do well with Google adsense. The website owners of these information portals are quite happy for you to click on one of the Google adverts as they do not care if you move onto reading another site.
These information portals are becoming more and more popular with people who are trying to increase their monthly earnings on adsense. People who design this type of site should normally be able to offer their services for a very affordable fee. Typically you should not need to break the bank and I personally know of somebody who only charges £150 plus free hosting for a fifteen page information portal site.
The web designer is able to find the content for these information portals in the many article directories which are now out there.
Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:
Indeed someone maybe following you; hello I see you have searched on an Internet Search Engine; “I Think Someone is Following Me!” and perhaps they are. Yet most likely no one is following you. Many people who come up with conspiracy theories suffer as functioning borderline Schizophrenics, don’t worry it may not be so bad. It appears that there are quite a few folks like that out there. And if you are one of them, you may find this information quite interesting; Schizophrenics are said to be of very high intelligence.
If you read conspiracy theories on the Internet many of the things you read come from people who like you believe that they are being followed by someone and when you read these comments online, many are very scientific sounding indeed. Very believable and convincing so you say maybe there is something to this? Maybe, but here is the dig. The smartest folks who believe they are being followed maybe the wrong ones to listen too. Because it is well known that those who are Schizophrenics are of such high IQ that simply by nature would sound very scientific.
If someone really was being followed or used by a secret spy agency or group then most likely they would be dummies. This is because they could be more easily controlled or manipulated and thus would be better sleeper cells or candidate targets to manipulate. For instance only a complete blundering idiot would strap a bomb to themselves expecting to get to heaven and receive 72-Virgins? Apparently these people are not too bright, as they always fail to ask the question what happens after the first 72 days are over?
Now then, all of this is not to say that; “Just because you maybe paranoid does not mean someone is not after you” as the saying goes. Only you can determine that. What I am saying is if you are using the Internet to confirm that “You Think Someone is Following You” then chances are someone out there who is delusional will have a website with information confirming your suspicions and if you think some is not following you, then someone else will have proof of that too. So think on this for me as you try to figure out who is really following you. Good luck on this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Making lists is always hard and very difficult, as people have very different tastes and ideas, and when it comes to that, there is really no right or wrong, simply a variety of options to choose from. However, let’s try together to find the top ten wedding favor ideas, hoping that at least one of them will be on line with your own taste. Let’s not worry about popularity or actual cost, let’s be free. After all, your wedding should be beautiful, but also fun, because it is a memorable event that will last forever.
1) Engraved small silver platters withy names and date 2) Picture frames featuring the married couple. 3) Silver small ornaments for the house. 4) Crystal small ornaments for the house. 5) Chocolate products. 6) Small silver bookmarks. 7) Silver bottle stoppers. Candles for the house. 9) Small silver wedding bells. 10) Coffee favors specially mixed for your guests. I hope that this list encounters your imagination and finds its way to your wedding, but if not, there are hundreds of different options to choose from and that will please your taste. On line catalogues and retail stores are great ways to start looking, so go ahead and plan a wonderful wedding.
Building Consensus in a Family Business
Family Business Expert suggests…
First, build a strategic plan for the family
By Don A. Schwerzler
One of the most difficult problems confronting family businesses is building a consensus about how the business should be operated, now and into the future.
In a non family business, the answer is rather simple and obvious: Develop and implement a strategic plan.
In a family business, the process is dramatically more complicated and filled with situations that can devastate both the family and the business.
A Strategic Plan for the Family
Many family business owners do not understand that before a family business can develop a successful strategic plan for the business, there must first be a strategic plan for the family.
For example, ensuring the senior generation’s financial security, independent of the business, generally is a fundamental requirement of the family’s strategic plan. Meeting this goal then becomes a critical objective for the strategic plan of the business.
In other words, the economic engine (the business) is being asked to reach a specific financial goal of the family, as opposed to reaching a business objective such as ROI, or other ratios or measures of profitability.
First Step Toward Consensus
One of the first steps in developing a successful process for building consensus is to clearly understand the different perspectives “between” generations (inter-generational issues) and “among” generations (intra-generational issues).
Inter-generational issues are generally easier to determine, and they are usually related to life stages. For example:
Parent Offspring
Conservative Aggressive
Risk adverse Risk taking
Security conscious Development conscious
Strategy: status quo Strategy: change/growth
Controlling Wanting control
Managing the Past Managing the Future
Intra-generational issues
Intra-generational issues are less likely to be identified and discussed. As a result, these issues tend to “fester” over long periods of time, and they frequently present themselves in an explosive and destructive manner.
Some of these Intra-generational issues include differences in compensation, perks, status, individual personal values and public recognition factors (visibility). Other problem areas are educational differences, varying levels of personal and professional sophistication, differing opinions of “value
contribution,” and, most importantly, spouse issues.
The Role of Facilitators
Because many of the inter- generational and intra-generational issues can be “confrontational,” it is generally a wise investment to retain a “facilitator” trained and experienced in dealing with family business dynamics.
This facilitator can assist the family in organizing and prioritizing real or perceived differences among various family members. In fact, dealing with these issues can actually become the “agenda” for family retreats.
Objective Understanding of the Business
Concurrent to recognizing the inter- and intra-generational family issues, to develop consensus in an FOB, it is equally essential to gain an objective understanding of the business. From an Operations Management perspective the most difficult problem is clearly identifying the crucial operational characteristics of the business. To be successful, this process should be independently constructed and must be based on operational information, not financial information.
The Importance of Objective Measurement
Unfortunately, in most family businesses the operational characteristics of the business are never accurately or objectively described. Key decisions are based not on hard facts but on various “interpretations” of sometimes unrelated circumstances. This is not an unusual phenomenon: Family businesses tend to rely on well-intentioned people, memory, and varying degrees of managerial expertise to reach their business goals and objectives, rather than creating a sound operating system.
As an illustration, I often ask family business CEOs to question their senior managers about how much work is accomplished daily in their individual areas of responsibility. If these key managers merely are able to report results, without knowing and measuring the labor hours involved, a serious managerial discrepancy exists.
Designing a process for correcting this problem generally can be accomplished within a few days, depending on the complexity of the operation. Validating the operational characteristics of the business should be a high priority issue, one that commands immediate attention.
A Three-Legged Stool
Building consensus in a family business can be compared to the proverbial three-legged stool. There is the Senior Generation, the Succeeding Generation, and the Business. Each “leg” has different needs and issues, and each requires different kinds of expertise to ensure that those needs are met and the issues resolved.
Unless equal importance and attention is given to each group in a family business, optimum stability will never be realized. Unfortunately for many family businesses, building a harmonious consensus will always remain a dream and never become a reality.
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Don is a family business expert. His web site located at http://www.family-business-experts.com reveals ideas, tips and strategies that promote understanding family values and business systems. Make sure you stop by and pick up their free newsletter or subscribe at http://www.family-business-experts.com/understanding-family-business.html
Candles for the house. 9) Small silver wedding bells. 10) Coffee favors specially mixed for your guests. I hope that this list encounters your imagination and finds its way to your wedding, but if not, there are hundreds of different options to choose from and that will please your taste. On line catalogues and retail stores are great ways to start looking, so go ahead and plan a wonderful wedding.