Review: Box Cars for UnDeserving Kids

Box Cars: Perfect for Hauling Coal for Stockings

by The Car Family

For more reviews: http://www.motorists.org/carfamily/home/most-reliable-vehicles/

Looking for the best vehicle to haul that coal for the undeserving one’s stocking this holiday season? Well it might not be that simple since there are five main types of coal. Of these, Anthracite, which is an environmentalist nightmare, has significant carbon content, but high heating value. Bituminous, the most common, is used mainly for generating electricity and casts a large carbon footprint, too. There is also Subbituminous, which gives less heat, but also has less carbon, and Lignite, a younger coal with less potential.

So which coal to buy is the question, but equally of note is which box car to tote home the combustible sedimentary rock? Fortunately, this holiday season there are three fairly newly minted vehicles that provide good fuel mileage, room for four adults as well as a few bags of coal within their squared off exteriors. The box cars are the Scion xB the Kia Soul, and the Nissan Cube and they are as different as Bituminous is from Lignite despite their similar Lego-like looks.

Mom’s view: The most conservative of the trio is the fairly “spacious” Scion xB with nearly 70 cubic feet of interior space and a lengthy list of options from stereo upgrades to an integrated navigation system. There is an abundance of standard features, especially considering the mid-$15,000 price range. Acceleration is PCH brisk, which means it can get you to 40 mph in a hurry, but after that no rush. The engine is eager to please while still yielding above 30 mpg in mixed driving. The interior is quaint, but legroom is tight. Safety features include antilock brakes with brake assist, traction control, front seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and front active head restraints. Crash scores have been above average. Overall, this is a handy rig, but the bus driver type seat and steering wheel angle were obviously designed for a younger dudette.

Dad’s view: If you are into a bit more sport and a whole lot more fun the Kia Soul is worth a tug at your purse strings. Starting under $14,000, this cool coal hauler has a great seating position, good handling, although it can be harsh on tax deprived roads, and offers 53 cubic feet of cargo space or about room for 40 bushels. Besides its looks, the Soul has such standard features as a four-speaker stereo with CD/MP3 player, satellite radio, and auxiliary input jacks, as well as 12-volt power outlets. An enormous number of options can help give the Soul more soul, but definitely check out the glowing upholstery options and get the larger engine. The base engine and local canyons don’t make a good mix. Safety features include antilock brakes. stability control and front side airbags and side curtain airbags. A bit noisy, but with the excellent stereo it really doesn’t matter. Overall, a worthy utility machine that is loaded with value. However, a safety reminder is in order. Never, ever start the Soul after a member of the younger generation has driven it without first turning off the stereo first. You heard me, didn’t you?

Young guilty male driver’s view: Priced around $15,000, the Nissan Cube is an oxymoron, a round box. Every inch of this vessel has been exposed to the French curve and the result is, well, French like. Perhaps this is owing to the fact that Renault has controlling shares. Nevertheless, this is a compelling machine and practical, too. It has just over 58 cubic feet of cargo space and the rear hatch can be accessed through the side-hinged door. The interior is interesting, especially with the optional 20-color interior lighting and distinctive instrument panel. The easiest to park and maneuver, the Cube is full of fascinating features and doesn’t short change the buyer on safety equipment as front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, stability control and antilock brakes are standard. Cool, but the stereo is n’t as sick as the Soul.

Family conference: All of these diamonds in the rough are great coal haulers, but after the season is over they are also ideal for driving the kids to the therapist and still have room in back for the peace making dog in the process. And if you are into positive reinforcement and don’t cater to the Sicilian tradition of coal in the stocking, or perhaps want to substitute Carbone Dolce, these three boxcars are great fun and attract more attention than a Maria Shriver with a cell phone.

For a list of all vehicle websites go to http://www.reacheverychild.com/business/index.html

[Via http://carfamily.wordpress.com]

On the road again.

Life in Vermont can be wonderful.  Life in Vermont with no transportation can be quite challenging.  Such was life here for the past two weeks when my little Toyota decided she just couldn’t hang in there any longer.  Thus began the search for a replacement.

Car shopping with very little money – I mean very little money -  is always interesting, and this time around proved no different.  We met a number of new people, from a hauty Frenchman to a rather wasted young woman.  We found some good cars, some decent cars, and some real scary cars.  We ended up with a beautiful car purchased from a stone mason who lived miles up a dirt mountain road in the middle of nowhere.

Is she cute or what?  And not a speck of rust on her anywhere.  Anywhere.  Amazing that one can find an 18 year old car in Vermont – that has always been in Vermont – and has absolutely no rust.  Not even underneath.  None.  She’s gorgeous, will hold all the boys, and has enough room that, should we need to do a show or two, all our racks and supplies will fit nicely in the back.

Anyone need an inexpensive Toyota that no longer runs?

[Via http://dyakcraft.wordpress.com]

Batman - The Chase - Action Flash Games

Game URL : http://games.yb88.org/Action/Batman-The-Chase.html

Game description :

This is one of the series of Batman games. In this game Joker is driving his car and littering Gotham city with Joker cards. You must stop Joker bumping him with your Batmobile. Collect power-ups to increase the damage you cause to Joker’s car and avoid other cars, the bombs Joker leaves and bullets of Joker’s henchmen.

Game controls :

Use Arrow Keys to interact.

[Via http://yb88games.wordpress.com]

EXCLUSIVE: TIGER WOODS SPEAKS TO THE SKI & CRITICAL SHOW!

Tiger Woods Explains Everything In This New Interview! “These B*tches Are Throwing Salt In My Damn Game. I Don’t Know What These B*tches Want From A N*gga” (Parody / Spoof / Comedy)

Ahhh man….if you haven’t heard the latest about Tiger Woods, yo ass definetly lives under a rock!

So Tigers “white” wife found out he was check and bought it to his ass! He ran out the crib and jumped in the whip and crashed his joint! (DAMN TIGER) We all thought Tiger was the quiet guy! But momma always said: “Its the quite ones you gotta look out for. Well “THE SKI & CRITICAL SHOW” got the EXCLUSIVE sit down wit TIGER and he tells all….you GOTTA check this out!

[Via http://offdawall.wordpress.com]

How Traffic Collision Reports Use California Vehicle Code Section 23103 And How Insurance Companies Interpret Them

In traffic collision reports, a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 23103 is one of the Vehicle Code Sections that can be cited as being the primary collision factor for an auto accident in California. This is true whether the accident only caused injuries or if the accident was a fatal accident which caused one or more fatalities. Although a traffic collision report is not evidence, insurance companies treat them as if they are.

California Vehicle Code Section 23103 provides:

23103. (a) A person who drives a vehicle upon a highway in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving. (b) A person who drives a vehicle in an offstreet parking facility, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 12500, in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving. (c) Persons convicted of the offense of reckless driving shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for not less than five days nor more than 90 days or by a fine of not less than one hundred forty-five dollars ($145) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment, except as provided in Section 23104 or 23105.

When a Police or CHP Officer, or a Sheriff’s Deputy states in his or her report either that the primary collision factor in an auto accident was one party’s violation of a certain vehicle code section such as the one above, and that one of the parties is at fault for violating that code section, the Officer or Deputy is stating what he or she believes to be the underlying cause of the accident.

The reason insurance companies treat the collision reports as if they are admissible evidence is that they know if put on the witness stand, the investigating officer or deputy will almost always testify in a manner consistent with the conclusions in his or her report. That testimony becomes evidence and will often sway a jury in their determination of fault for an accident.

While an investigating officer’s job is to determine if there was a violation of the law and not to determine who should be at fault in a civil dispute such as a car accident claim, insurance companies often view these two determinations as one and the same.

A police officer assigned to investigate the scene of an accident does not have the role that a trier of fact does in a courtroom. The officer is not there to render a verdict and determine who is responsible for the damages. Rather, the officer is there to determine if any laws were broken. The officer makes such a determination based on his or her having seen the damage to the vehicles, and having spoken to the drivers and the witnesses when their memories are freshest. He or she is thus often in a position to make a well-educated determination of who caused the accident.

Unfortunately, despite the experience of most investigating officers who are dispatched to the scene of an accident, sometimes mistakes are made by these officers. Quite often one or both parties to an accident will lie to them and an officer or deputy will not always be able to determine which of the parties is telling the truth. The evidence from the scene, while important, may also be misleading as to what actually occurred to cause the accident.

If you’ve been injured in an auto, truck, motorcycle, bike, pedestrian or car accident, or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death vehicle accident, call our offices for a free personal injury consultation by phone. You can also e-mail Attorney Sebastian Gibson at SgibsonEsq@aol.com Additionally, we invite you to visit the Sebastian Gibson law firm website for more information at www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com

Sometimes an Officer or Deputy cannot determine with any degree of certainty which party was at fault and will cite two possible Vehicle Code Sections, one for each party in a two-party collision, that may have been violated. In that case, the Police or CHP Officer or Deputy will often state that the primary collision factor is unknown.

Even if there are witnesses to an accident, the Officer of Deputy may discount the statements of some or all of the witnesses if they were friends or relatives of one of the drivers.

Although, as stated above, the conclusion of fault by an officer or deputy does not carry the same weight as a determination of fault by a judge or jury, the importance of the citation of this or any other California code section in the police report is that insurance companies treat the conclusions in these traffic collision reports in a great majority of cases as if the conclusions were written in stone and evaluate a party’s claim based on the findings of fault in these reports.

A traffic collision report may be amended by the police department or the CHP where it contains obvious mistakes, such as when the officer or deputy has mixed up the names of the parties. Supplemental reports are sometimes written when new evidence comes to light, such as when a hit and run party is located. But for the most part, most police departments, Sheriff’s offices and the California Highway Patrol will not amend a report when a party complains and states why he or she doesn’t feel they should have been found at fault for a collision. They will, however, in most cases allow a person to fill out a Counter Report, which, unfortunately simply does not carry much weight with an insurance company.

If the Primary Collision Factor for an accident is unknown, one should look on the traffic collision report to see if the Police or California Highway Patrol Officer or Sheriff’s Deputy cited any “Other Associated Factors” in the traffic collision report as having had a role to play in causing the collision. There may have been faulty equipment, as with some truck accidents, or the roadway itself may have been dangerous.

If you’ve been injured in an auto accident in California that has been determined by the investigating Police or CHP Officer or a Sheriff’s Deputy to be the fault of another driver as a result of his or her violation of Vehicle Code Section 23103, call the Law Offices of Sebastian Gibson as soon after an accident as possible before important evidence disappears, such as skid marks that are washed away with the rain.

At the Law Firm of Sebastian Gibson, we specialize in California auto accidents caused by violations of the California Vehicle Code, such as this section 23103, and will represent you to obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

In over thirty years of practice, Attorney Sebastian Gibson has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and multiple million dollar or larger settlements. We handle auto accident cases on a contingency fee basis so there is no fee payable unless we win your case and obtain either a settlement, an arbitration, mediation, jury, judge or court award.

Due to how insurance companies treat individuals without an attorney, a person injured in an auto accident will almost always receive a greater amount from a settlement, even after attorneys’ fees, if the case is handled from the start by an experienced and reputable personal injury lawyer.

If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, call to speak with a lawyer at our offices for a free personal injury consultation by phone. You can speak to Attorney Sebastian Gibson personally by phone or you can e-mail Sebastian Gibson at SgibsonEsq@aol.com

Additionally, we invite you to visit the Sebastian Gibson law firm website at www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com

[Via http://blog.sebastiangibsonlaw.com]

BMW Z4 UK 2010

[Via http://persiatazmin.wordpress.com]

Peugeot has gone all soft

French giant Peugeot is set to axe its trademark hard-top on a new cabriolet. An insider has revealed that a convertible version of the stunning RC Z is on the way – but it will shun a removable metal lid in favour of a lighter fabric roof. This is not going to be the next Peugeot 206. Dorset and every other county will see a New Peugeot.

At launch in early 2011, this petrol model will appear alongside a 163bhp 2.0 HDi diesel, giving 52.3mpg fuel economy and 139g/km emissions.

All versions will get a six-speed manual gearbox, with a six-ratio auto optional. I am very excited and might make this soft top my next car when it finally comes out.

[Via http://myloudvoice.wordpress.com]