Author Archive
Part 4 – A Brief History of Florida
In parts one through three we learned that Florida wasn’t always a retirement destination or military outpost. The citrus groves of today were once home to Seminole Indians and Spanish settlers. Florida’s interstate highways were once trade routes for Confederate and Union forces, thus making the region a hub of conflict during the American Civil War.
Private Number Plates – A Brief Overview
What exactly is a private number plate? The simplest explanation is this: a Registration plate for a car or vehicle that spells out a name or initials or something else significant to the owner of the car to which they are registered and attached. Private number plates are also referred to as personalised, cherished or vanity plates, although, it should be noted that in the UK the term “vanity plate” is seldom used, if ever, by antique car enthusiasts.
NASCAR and Daytona Beach
NASCAR and Daytona Beach go together like peanut butter and jam; each one is incomplete without the other. After all, Daytona Beach was where it all started for North American racing. It all began with Prohibition being imposed in 1920. Drivers willing to run bootleg alcohol from town to town were in high demand. Those who enjoyed their job inevitably found a way to make it a recreational activity. So, during the 1920’s and 1930’s anyone who wanted to take a shot at setting world land speed records went to Daytona Beach, instead of France or Belgium. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933 the sport took off and by 1936 the little community of Dayton a Beach had become synonymous with fast cars.
Incredible Cars – Famous Movie Car Stunts (Part 2)
In the first article we took a closer look at the car stunts and chases from The Blues Brothers, The French Connection, Bullitt and the very famous AMC Hornet “barrel roll” sequence from The Man With The Golden Gun. Those four sequences are certainly standouts when looking at the best film car stunts of all time, some may say that the James Bond barrel roll stunt is perhaps the greatest of all, and it may very well be, but there are many, many more exciting sequences that deserve mention when discussing the foremost famous movie car stunts. This article will take a closer look at the movies Ronin, The Road Warrior and the Matrix Reloaded.
Regulating California Health Insurance Rates – AB52
On Thursday, June 2, 2011 the power to reject rate hikes was given to state regulators by Democrats in the California Assembly after a mass-exodus from the chamber by protesting Republican lawmakers. With the Assembly voting 42 to 1 to approve the bill it will now go before the Senate.
Incredible Cars – Famous Movie Car Stunts (Part 1)
There is nothing quite as exhilarating as seeing an amazing car chase or crash on the big screen, when stunt car sequences are choreographed and executed perfectly the result is often one of the most spectacular sequences of the movie in which they occur.
The Cars of 007 – James Bond (Part 3 – The 70s)
Moving from the swinging 60s into the shaggy 70s, the cars used in James Bond movies continued to impress filmgoers as the cars used were continually employed for use in increasingly dangerous on screen scenarios. The new decade would also mark the first changing of the guard in the actor portraying Bond as the series saw a shift from the rugged Sean Connery to the debonair Roger Moore.
The Streetcars of New Orleans
What comes to mind when someone says “New Orleans”? Hurricane Katrina? Mardi Gras? Cajun food? Jazz music? Certainly all those things are icons of the city, but most people forget about the historic tradition of streetcars as the main method of public transportation in New Orleans.
Vehicle Classifications Decoded
Determining the class for a vehicle counts upon a few different factors, but specific classification is not always possible. Some vehicles can fit into several categories, but not completely meet the criteria for any. The rental car industry uses the ACRISS Car Classification Code, however the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has a whole set of other rules for vehicle classification. The Canadian Environmental Protection Agency has a similar code, as does the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. For the purposes of clarification and prevention of mass confusion, we will focus on the North American divisions.
Windshields: Repair or Replace?
As soon as you see the damage to your windshield, you ask yourself the inevitable question: do I need to replace the glass? Regardless of your insurance covering the expense or not, having your windshield replaced is not fun. The time your vehicle is out of commission is disruptive and the dollars spent (at least temporarily) on the repair are inconvenient, to say the least. We always hold out hope for just a quick repair and with today’s technology in glass repair; the likelihood of a repair on a large chip or crack is increasing. Here we will look at some typical patterns of glass damage, and discuss a few techniques for repairing the glass.
