Archive for July 13th, 2010

Hummer (Homarus gammarus)

En av Sjöfartsmuseet Akvariets stora europieska hummrar (Homarus gammarus). Hummern väger ca 2.5 kg och kom till Akvariet hösten 2008.

New York City Limo Service – Best Services In New York City

There are some well established and experienced New York Limo services are providing their excellent transportation services for those who are residing in New York City. No matter, where you stay, the NYC limos will reach your door steps, and you are able to obtain these services at affordable rates. The New York City Limo services are a licensed company. And they are providing their excellent transport services to their clients with some esteemed cars like Lincoln, The hummer limos, Cadillac, Escalade and many more. The best among all of them is stretch and super stretch limousines and town cars. Depending upon your taste and budget you can do reserve those cars through online by visiting their well designed and equipped web sites. And also you can arrange this facility through giving them a call and dropping in their nearest branch office. While traveling in these cars, you can have a better view and your work too would be done.

However, most of the New York City Limo Services are providing transportation needs and some of them are providing chauffeur’s services with limo service. These chauffeurs will have friendly nature with their clients, and they are well trained in ensuring the comfort of the clients. As per as company standards, these people are having their driving skills. One thing we need to keep in mind that all of these NYC limos are envisioning their clients safety and security along with the ease while wishing them a happy drive. The New York City Limo service is the best service’s provider in entire country. And also these companies are having professional staff, they are all well trained, and they will explain the facilities and services that company offer before you book these services. And also you need to consider so many things before selecting the best services for you like prices and some other facilities.  Due to the heavy competition in these services, most of them are offering these services at an affordable rate and prices will definitely the best possible bargain you could have.

In these sluggish economy days, some of the service providers are offering excellent special offers like discounted on prices to complimentary gifts and other offers, which cannot even imagine.  For more information and details about special offers, all that you need to visit their valuable web site. One thing I need to say that they come up with a new offer every month. Irrespective life time special events like wedding or a business deal the NYC limos will definitely understand your requirement and everything is looked after well.  And also with these New York City Limo services, you are definitely making your important day as memorable one.  Every time most of the tourist and business men are requiring these services due to their extraordinary offers and prices. Finally, there are some well established and experienced Limousine services in New York are offering excellent services to their valuable clients. For information and details, please visit their web site.

Learn more about reliable NYC Limousine Service for all your transportation needs in New York City.For more information about New York City Limo Service, NYC Limos, NYC Party Buses and NYC Limousine Companies, log on to nycprombook.com

Top Five Reasons to Rent a Limousine in Los Angeles

Known as the City of Angels, Los Angeles is famous around the globe for its movies, vibrant culture and extravagant lifestyle. In 2007, over 61 million passengers traveled to and from Los Angeles airport LAX, testifying to the undeniable pull and pace of this city. Traveling and getting around in Los Angeles is a unique experience which can present many challenges for the average visitor. LA limousines offer services that embody the quintessential LA values of style, luxury and comfort, and it is no wonder that limousine rental is a thriving and competitive business in the city.

There are many reasons and occasions to rent a limousine anywhere, but Los Angeles in particular is a great place to use the services of a limo rental company. The following are the top five reasons why limos are a great way to navigate around LA:

Traffic.

Los Angeles is famous for its car culture, and its drivers are known to be impatient and automobile-dependent. Over 85% of LA’s commuters use their own transportation — in 2008, there were over 13 million cars in the Los Angeles county. Rush-hour traffic jams are common and pollution levels are high. Navigating this traffic can be overwhelming, to say the least — which is why many visitors choose limousine rentals to drive around the city. With a limousine, travelers can luxuriate in the comfort of their limousine while an experienced chauffeur tackles the teeming streets.

LA is sprawling and public transportation isn’t great.

LA is known for its sprawling landscape and confusing freeways. The public transportation system is notoriously inadequate in dealing with the city’s layout and demands of the city’s residents. Only 12% of Los Angeles residents use LA’s public transportation system, and it’s still the second busiest in the country. In fact, pop star Hillary Duff wrote the song “Where’s Your Dignity” after watching some public transport commuters from the window of her own luxury vehicle. A limousine rental not only saves you from the stress and problems of public transportation but also allows you to sit back and soak in the vibrant culture of the city while being escorted exactly where you want to go, in a timely and efficient manner.

LA knows style.

The famous car culture of LA springs from the Angelenos’ love for vehicles. Whether you are out on the town partying or just cruising down LA’s sunny streets, it takes a lot to keep up with and fit into the car-loving culture of LA. People here have a great eye and appreciation for beautiful cars, which is why limousine models like Hummer H2 super stretch, Cadillac Escalade and Chrysler 300 have become so popular in the city.

LA limos are exotic and decked out.

Forget about your basic plasma televisions and satellite television. Los Angeles limousine companies respond to the tastes and demands of their clients by making their limos the ultimate in luxury and style. Some Los Angeles entrepreneurs make great livings out of restoring vintage cars to give them hip, classic or grungy looks. In the same vein, LA’s best limousine companies design exotic limos from luxury models and fit them with every conceivable feature you could want: from an on-board casino to laser light shows to karaoke machines. LA limousine companies have to uphold a reputation of excess, and they rarely disappoint.

LA is overwhelming.

Festivals, cultural events, premiers, parades — there is always too much going on in LA. And that’s on top of the perennially popular attractions like Hollywood’s Universal Studios, the Venice Beach Boardwalk and Disneyland. Even if you are not a first-timer to Los Angeles, it can still be overwhelming to figure out places to see, events to attend and hotels to stay at. This is where a reputable LA limo service can help you by organizing a trip based on your needs and budget. You can also get discounts on package tours, events and cultural events through your limousine rental company.

These reasons hold true for LA’s best limousine rental companies. Moreover, when you consider the cost of a car rental and gasoline, the hassle of parking and the stress of keeping up with LA’s style and luxury, the cost of a Los Angeles limousine rental can be surprisingly affordable, especially for people traveling in groups. With research, pre-planning and a good limo rental, you can make your next trip around Los Angeles a memorable, lavish and hassle-free experience.

Serious case of RoadRage?

I was driving down the road heading back to campus from my parents house which is an hour away. i was in the right lane, and a truck is in the left lane trying to come behind me. In doing so i nearly clips my car, so close that i had to drive on the median. The car behind me was honking the truck or warning me. I let it go, my response was “wtf”. I get to a stop light and this truck is right on me. So i think to myself “maybe he’s just an aggressive driver, but this is annoying”. We get to another light, and he is seriously touching my car- if not, an inch away. At that point, i lost it. The light turns green and i am parked there. Then i start to creep, and he’s just riding me. Speed limit is 50, i was going 12. The punk then tried to pass me on the left, so i sped up=). He then came back behind me, so i crept. The battle was on. So i’m creeping, and now he tries to pass me on the right when a third lane opened up. I was about to end the battle, I was done. But at the last second i said “NO F HIM’” and pushed my car to the max in order to get in front of this TRUCK. I was approaching a non participating car in front of me, and i was coming down on it fast. The rig of course didn’t want me to get in front of him, so he’s pushing his rig. I was going so fast that either I slam into the nonparticipating car or i cut in front of the rig- which was what I wanted to do. But the problem was, i didn’t clear the rig! i was freaking!!! didn’t have space to stop, i didn’t have space to clear! I didn’t have a choice, I whipped infront of the rig and miraculously cleared it! I was PUMPED and Terrified at that moment!
I was so scared, but i knew i won the battle because he started flicking me off. So i would have to assume he didn’t know how scared i was, but i was terrified at that moment.
I really don’t know why I took on a rig, but he was being an a$$hole. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and for the next 48minutes until i got to my apartment my heart and mind was racing. I really don’t know if it was worth it, but hopefully when i cut in front of him, it scared him aswell- im sure he had to break, in my mirrors i can swear i didn’t clear his truck

END
I’m 22- never had a speeding ticket, never had any form of tickets. I usually don’t drive reckless- you probably cant tell from this story. i was heading to Athens (UGA)
I drive a Hummer h3-
Opponent was about 30-40 in a freightliner-hopefully with air breaks.

Be All That you Can Be: the Company Persona and Language Alignment

Itâ??s not just CEOs and corporate spokespeople who need effective language to be the message. The most successful advertising taglines are not seen as slogans for a product. They are the product. From M&Mâ??s â??melts in your mouth, not in your handâ? to â??Please donâ??t squeeze the Charminâ? bathroom tissue, from the â??plop, plop, fizz, fizzâ? of Alka-Seltzer to â??Fly the friendly skies of United,â? there is no light space between the product and its marketing. Words that work reflect â??not only the soul of the brand, but the company itself and its reason for being in business,â? according to Publicis worldwide executive creative director David Droga.

In the same vein, advertising experts identify a common quality among the most popular and long-lasting corporate icons: Rather than selling for their companies, these characters personify them. Ronald McDonald, the Marlboro Man, Betty Crocker, the Energizer Bunny — they arenâ??t shills trying to talk us into buying a Big Mac, a pack of smokes, a box of cake mix, a package of batteries; they donâ??t even personalize the product. Just like the most celebrated slogans, they are the product.

Walk through any bookstore and youâ??ll find dozens of books about the marketing and branding efforts of corporate America. The process of corporate communication has been thinly sliced and diced over and over, but what you wonâ??t find is a book about the one truly essential characteristic in our twenty-first-century world: the company persona and how words that work are used to create and sustain it.

The company persona is the sum of the corporate leadership, the corporate ethos, the products and services offered, interaction with the customer, and, most importantly, the language that ties it all together. A majority of large companies do not have a company persona, but those that do benefit significantly. Ben & Jerryâ??s attracts customers in part because of the funky names they gave to the conventional (and unconventional) flavors they offer, but the positive relationship between corporate management and their employees also plays a role, even after Ben and Jerry sold the company. McDonaldâ??s in the 1970s and Starbucks over the past decade became an integral part of the American culture as much for the lifestyle they reflected as the food and beverages they offered, but the in-store lexicon helped by setting them apart from their competition. (Did any customers ever call the person who served them a cup of coffee a â??baristaâ? before Starbucks made the term popular?) Language is never the sole determinant in creating a company persona, but youâ??ll find words that work associated with all companies that have one.

And when the message, messenger, and recipient are all on the same page, I call this rare phenomenon â??language alignment,â? and it happens far less frequently than you might expect. In fact, virtually all of the companies that have hired my firm for communication guidance have found themselves linguistically unaligned.

This manifests itself in two ways. First, in service-oriented businesses, the sales force is too often selling with a different language than the marketing people are using. Thereâ??s nothing wrong with individualizing the sales approach to each customer, but when you have your sales force promoting a message that has no similarity with the advertising campaign, it undermines both efforts. The language in the ads and promotions must match the language on the street, in the shop, and on the floor. For example, Boost Mobile, which caters to an inner city youth demographic, uses the slogan â??Where you at?â? Not grammatically (or politically) correct — but itâ??s the language of their consumer.

And second, corporations with multiple products in the same space too often allow the language of those products to blur and bleed into each other. Procter & Gamble may sell a hundred different items, but even though each one fills a different need, a different space, and/or a different category, it is perfectly fine for them to share similar language. You can use some of the same verbiage to sell soap as you would to sell towels, because no consumer will confuse the products and what they do.

Not so for a company that is in a single line of work, say selling cars or selling beer, where companies use the exact same adjectives to describe very different products. In this instance, achieving linguistic alignment requires a much more disciplined linguistic segmentation. It is almost always a more effective sales strategy to divvy up the appropriate adjectives and create a unique lexicon for each individual brand.

An example of a major corporation that has confronted both of these challenges and still managed to achieve linguistic alignment, even as they are laying off thousands of workers, is the Ford Motor Company — which manages a surprisingly diverse group of brands ranging from Mazda to Aston Martin. The Ford corporate leadership recognized that it was impossible to separate the Ford name, corporate history, heritage, and range of vehicles — so why bother. They came as a package. Sure, Ford maintains individual brand identity, through national and local ad campaigns and by creating and maintaining a separate image and language for each brand. For example, â??uniquely sensual stylingâ? certainly applies when one is talking about a Jaguar S Type, but would probably not be pertinent for a Ford F 250 pickup truck. But the fact that the CEO carries the Ford name communicates continuity to the companyâ??s customers, and Bill Ford sitting in front of an assembly line talking about leadership and innovation in all of Fordâ??s vehicles effectively puts all the individual brands into alignment.

The words he uses — â??innovation,â? â??driven,â? â??re-committed,â? â??dramatically,â? â??dedicatedâ? — represent the simplicity and brevity of effective communications, and they are wrapped around the CEO who is the fourth-generation Ford to lead the company — hence credibility. The cars are the message, Bill Ford is the messenger, the language is dead-on, and Ford is weathering the American automotive crisis far better than its larger rival General Motors. Again, the language of Ford isnâ??t the only driver of corporate image and sales — but it certainly is a factor.

In fact, the brand-building campaign was so successful that GM jumped on board. But Ford quickly took it a step further. In early 2006, they began to leverage their ownership of Volvo (I wonder how many readers did not know that Ford bought Volvo in 1999 and purchased Jaguar a decade earlier) to communicate a corporate-wide commitment to automotive safety, across all of its individual brands and vehicles. Volvo is one of the most respected cars on the road today, and aligning all of Ford behind an industry leader is a very smart strategy indeed.

So what about the competition?

General Motors, once the automotive powerhouse of the world, has an equally diverse product line and arguably a richer history of technology and innovation, but their public message of cutbacks, buy-backs, and layoffs was designed to appeal to Wall Street, not Main Street, and it crushed new car sales. At the time of this writing, GM is suffering through record losses, record job layoffs, and a record number of bad stories about its failing marketing efforts.

It didnâ??t have to be this way.

The actual attributes of many of the GM product lines are more appealing than the competition, but the product image itself is not. To own a GM car is to tell the world that youâ??re so 1970s, and since what you drive is considered an extension and expression of yourself to others, people end up buying cars they actually like less because they feel the cars will say something more about them.

Think about it. Hereâ??s a company that was the first to develop a catalytic converter, the first to develop an advanced anti-tipping stabilization technology, the first to develop engines that could use all sorts of blended gasolines, and most importantly in todayâ??s market, the creator of OnStar — an incredible new-age computerized safety and tracking device. Yet most American consumers have no idea that any of these valuable innovations came from General Motors, simply because GM decided not to tell them. So instead of using its latest and greatest emerging technology to align itself with its customers, GM finds itself in a deteriorating dialogue with shareholders. No alignment = no sales.

Another problem with GM: No one knew that the various brands under the GM moniker were in fact . . . GM. Even such well-known brands as Corvette and Cadillac had become disconnected from the parent company. Worse yet, all the various brands (with the exception of Hummer, which couldnâ??t get lost in a crowd even if the brand manager wanted it to) were using similar language, similar visuals, and a similar message — blurring the distinction between brands and turning GM vehicles into nothing more than generic American cars. Repeated marketing failures were just part of GMâ??s recurring problems, but as that issue was completely within their control, it should have been the easiest to address.

When products, services, and language are aligned, they gain another essential attribute: authenticity. In my own market research for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, I have found that the best way to communicate authenticity is to trigger personalization: Do audience members see themselves in the slogan . . . and therefore in the product? Unfortunately, achieving personalization is by no means easy.

To illustrate how companies and brands in a competitive space create compelling personas for themselves while addressing the needs of different consumer groups, letâ??s take a look at cereals. Anyone can go out and buy a box of cereal. But different cereals offer different experiences. Watch and listen carefully to their marketing approach and the words they use.

Most cereals geared toward children sell energy, excitement, adventure, and the potential for fun — even more than the actual taste of the sugar-coated rice or wheat puffs in the cardboard box. On the other hand, cereal aimed at grown-ups is sold based on its utility to the maintenance and enhancement of health — with taste once again secondary.

Childrenâ??s cereals are pitched by nonthreatening cartoon characters — tigers, parrots, chocolate-loving vampires, Capâ??ns, and a tiny trio in stocking caps — never an adult or authority figure. Adult cereals come at you head-on with a not-so-subtle Food Police message, wrapped in saccharine-sweet smiles, exclaiming that this cereal is a favorite of healthy and cholesterol-conscious adults who donâ??t want to get colon cancer! Ugghhh. Kids buy Frosted Flakes because â??Theyâ??re grrrreat!â? Adults buy Special K because we want to be as attractive and vigorous as the actors who promote it. When it comes to cereal, about the only thing parents and kids have in common is that the taste matters only slightly more than the image, experience, and product association — and if the communication appears authentic, theyâ??ll buy.

And cereal certainly sells. From Cheerios to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, more than $6 billion worth of cold cereal was sold in the United States alone in 2005. If you were to look at the five top-selling brands, you would see a diverse list targeted to a diverse set of customers. The language used for each of these five brands is noticeably different, but in all cases totally essential.

In looking at the first and third best-selling brands of cereal, one might initially think that only a slight variation in ingredients mark their distinctions. Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios are both based around the same whole-grain O shaped cereal, but are in fact two very different products, beyond the addition of honey and a nut-like crunch.

The language behind Cheerios is remarkably simple and all-encompassing — â??The one and only Cheerios.â? Could be for kids . . . could be for young adults . . . could be for parents. Actually, Cheerios wants to sell to all of them. As its Web site states, Cheerios is the right cereal for â??toddlers to adults and everyone in between.â? The subtle heart-shaped bowl on each box suggests to the older consumer that the â??whole-grainâ? cereal is a healthy start to a healthy day. But the Web site also has a section devoted entirely to younger adults, complete with testimonials and â??tips from new parentsâ? talking about how Cheerios has helped them to raise happy, healthy children. The language behind Cheerios works because it transcends the traditional societal boundaries of age and adds a sense of authenticity to the product.

While you could probably live a happy and healthy existence with Cheerios as your sole cereal choice, there is a substantial segment of the cereal market that demands more. For the cereal-consuming public roughly between the ages of four and fourteen, a different taste and linguistic approach is required. Buzz the Bee, the kid-friendly mascot of Honey Nut Cheerios, pitches the â??irresistible taste of golden honey,â? selling the sweetness of the product to a demographic that craves sweet foods. While the parent knows that his or her child wants the cereal because of its sweet taste (as conveyed through the packaging), Honey Nut Cheerios must still pass the parent test. By putting such statements as â??whole-grainâ? and â??13 essential vitamins and mineralsâ? on the box, the product gains authenticity, credibility, and the approval of the parent.

Two different messages on one common box effectively markets the same product to both children and parents alike, helping to make Honey Nut Cheerios the number three top-selling cereal in 2004. So with the addition of honey and nuts, General Mills, the producer of the Cheerios line, has filled the gap between toddlers and young adults, and completed the Cheerios cradle-to-grave lifetime hold on the consumer.

To take another example, if you want people to think youâ??re hip and healthy, you make sure they see you drinking bottled water — and the fancier the better. No one walking around with a diet Dr Pepper in hand is looking to impress anybody. These days, thereâ??s almost a feeling that soft drinks are exclusively for kids and the uneducated masses. Thereâ??s a cache to the consumption of water, and expensive and exclusive brands are all the rage. Now, there may be a few people who have such extremely refined, educated taste buds that they can taste the difference between Dasani and Aquafina (I certainly canâ??t), but the connoisseurs of modish waters are more likely than not posers (or, to continue the snobbery theme, poseurs). You wonâ??t see many people walking around Cincinnati or Syracuse clutching fancy bottled water. Hollywood, South Beach, and the Upper East Side of New York City are, as usual, another story.

Thereâ??s one final aspect of being the message that impacts what we hear and how we hear it. How our language is delivered can be as important as the words themselves, and no one understands this principle better than Hollywood.

At a small table tucked away in the corner of a boutique Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, I had the opportunity to dine with legendary actors Charles Durning, Jack Klugman, and Dom DeLuise. The entire dinner was a litany of stories of actors, writers, and the most memorable movie lines ever delivered. (Says Klugman, an Emmy Award winner, â??A great line isnâ??t spoken, it is delivered.â?) Best known for his roles in The Odd Couple and Quincy, Klugman told a story about how Spencer Tracy was practicing his lines for a movie late in his career in the presence of the filmâ??s screenwriter. Apparently not pleased with the reading, the writer said to Tracy, â??Would you please pay more attention to how you are reading that line? It took me six months to write it,â? to which Tracy shot back, â??It took me thirty years to learn how to say correctly the line that took you only six months to write.â?

Spencer Tracy knew how to be the message — and his shelf of Academy Awards proved it.

Excerpted from WORDS THAT WORK by Dr. Frank Luntz. Copyright 2007 Dr. Frank Luntz. All rights reserved. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold.

Free Online Car Auction: A Gateway to the Virtual World of Auctions

There are thousands of free online car auction sites that are popping up everyday. Customers love them because it is a great source to find great bargains.

Free online car auction is one way to find a great car bargains and it is an excellent place of getting the best price for selling something of their own. The seller sells the car/s to the person who offers the highest price. This automobile auction website includes international brands like: Toyota, Nissan, Mustang, Hummer, Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet and others.

Car Dealers are now also seeing the benefits of online auction website. Its advantage compare to real-world auto auctions.

Free to take the bidders’ time of browsing the listings The bid process usually takes place over a period of days rather than minutes Offers good opportunity for anyone wishing to start an online business for a number of reasons If you feel you have the perseverance necessary to run your own successful business (this is one opportunity everyone to consider) Opportunity to sell the excess or discontinued products at an online auction It’s an effective way to make extra income without any loss for business. Thus it can make a profit depending on how much people will bid for the excess inventory. Also excessive inventory can be cleared off cost effectively. An easy way to test new product prices is to see what people will bid for them at an online auction. Tip: First, sell some products at three different online auctions. Next, calculate the average selling bid from all three auctions and that will be a reference for the selling price for the new product. Hence it can know the exact selling price of the product.

There are numerous online free car auction sites for bidding everyday. Some of the auction websites draw over millions of hits a year. The key to being successful is to sell the car at multiple free online car auction at the same time. Suppose if we sell a car at one hundred online auction websites that would be one hundred sales a day! This way we can increase our sales at one time.

Tips On Contracting A Limousine

You can ride in just about any type of stretch limo for a lot less than you’d expect– if you know how to drive a hard bargain.

Steps:
1. Assess your finances. A standard limousine (four to six
passengers) will set you back about $40 to $80 per hour; a stretch limo (six to eight passengers) runs slightly more–about $60 to $100 per hour. Both have an hourly minimum of four to five hours (although this is usually negotiable). For specialty limos such as a Mercedes, a Hummer or a superstretch (up to 22 passengers), costs can top out at $3,000 for the night.
2. Research, research, research. Be sure the limo operator is licensed and insured. Decide what type of limo you want (standard, stretch, superstretch or specialty) and for how long, based on the event and the number of people in your party. What are you looking for, whether it’s a bar, stereo, TV and DVD player, video-gaming system, intercom, sunroof, Jacuzzi, or all of that and a bag of chips. Prices may or may not be posted online. You’ll need to do some phone work to get the best deal.
3. Find out the year and make of the limo you’ll be hiring, its condition, and the complimentary amenities before you give a deposit. Be sure the deposit is refundable if the limo doesn’t meet with your satisfaction. Many limo companies will advertise one type of car and show up at your door with something entirely different. Most list photos of their limos on their Web sites. If quality is a top priority, plan a visit to the limo company and reserve the exact limo that suits your needs.
4. Hire a quality driver. This is crucial–a bad driver can ruin your evening. Make sure the drivers are experienced, professional and know the area. Provide an itinerary to the company beforehand so the driver knows where he or she is going and what to expect. When the driver shows up, be sure to communicate any special needs you have.
5. Ask whose responsibility it is to stock the limo with any necessary party favors ahead of time. Some companies will provide everything you need; others expect you to bring your own. Sometimes you can negotiate a lower rate if you offer to stock the bar yourself.
6. Find out if gratuities are included in the rate; regardless, you’ll be expected to tip your driver, so try to keep it separate.
Overall Tips:

Make sure your limo is ample enough to fit everyone comfortably. If you have six passengers, get a car that accommodates eight.
If you want premium liquor, negotiate that up front, or plan to bring your own.
Ask if smoking (or other activities) is allowed. Even if it’s not, most drivers will look the other way if the price is right.
If it’s truly a special occasion, don’t be cheap. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for: Most higher-end limo companies have superior drivers, vehicles and accoutrements.
Try to clear everything with your driver in advance. He or she is your captain for the evening and can be your best friend or worst nightmare.
Overall Warnings:

Make sure the limo company and their drivers are properly licensed and insured when making your reservation. This will ensure you are dealing with a reputable company.