Howard Hughes 1939 Boeing 307 Stratoliner Converted into Private Yacht Discovered by Jimmy Buffett in Song and Novel Listed on Ebay for $9,000,000.00

Author :

As mentioned in The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio, this was the first commercially built pressurized airplane that was designed to fly above the weather, or 20.000 feet, that was the reason for Howard Hughes purchasing TWA in 1939. This plane was one of ten built and only one of two still in existence. The other surviving 307 Stratoliner is owned by the National Air and Space Museum at the new Dulles Udvar-Hazy Annex. In 1964 due to damage from Hurricane Cleo in Fort Lauderdale the surviving Hughes 307 fuselage was saved and modified into a 56 yacht and launched in 1974. In 1992, while cruising around Fort Lauderdale, Jimmy Buffett discovered the Plane Boat and wrote her into his best- selling novel Where is Joe Merchant? He later composed Desdemonas Building a Rocketship, from the Banana Wind CD also about the vessel. This is the only land-based airplane turned yacht in the world and now functions as a personal yacht for David Drimmer and Aaron Kiss, owners of Photo Sails, a new and worldwide patented advertising medium featured at Photosails.com . Now this fully functional yacht is operated using the original 1939 aircraft controls that used to fly the plane. Powered by twin Yamaha 50 HP four-stroke, high-thrust motors and capable of cruising at 13 knots, this extremely maneuverable vessel can turn 360 degrees in its own length. Teak and holly wooden floors now adorn the entire sole of the vessel and its newly rebuilt hull is in perfect shape. A generator and new electronics along with original Raymond Loewy designed furniture and fittings are featured in the salon next to the original bar that Rita Hayworth had custom windows installed so she could see the clouds go by while she poured martinis for many famous guests like Hedda Hopper and George Jessel. Countless media outlets, including People, Oprah, Ripleys, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Travel, Discovery, HGTV channels, have enjoyed the privilege of exposing the now named Cosmic Muffin, the name chosen by Jimmy Buffett and remains the name of the craft today. For more information, please visit Planeboats.com or Ebay.com.

Category : General Psychology

QueenAlice - The Site for Casual Chess on the Web (A Review)

Author : Timothy Trimble
I've been playing chess since I was 15 years old. I was in the Chess Club in school. And I remember the big media blitz on chess during the Boris Spasky versus Bobby Fisher matches. Whew! That was a long time ago. But I'm still a big chess player. As such, I'm always on the lookout for a good internet based chess client where I can hang my chess hat. In my initial search I tried many different sites. I even paid for membership on one of the sites for awhile. But then I came across www.queenalice.com!
QueenAlice is a web based chess site that provides correspondence chess playing in a very laid back and non-intimidating environment. What attracted me to QueenAlice was the need to be able to play some chess with some of my remote friends, by making moves when I had the time. Which is where QueenAlice shines! When a player makes a move, QueenAlice will send an email to the opponent, letting them know that it's their turn to move. Moves can be spread out for up to 14 days per move or up to 90 days per game. The email message contains a layout of the board and a history of the game moves.One of the features that I use the most on QueenAlice is called the "Think" gear. When you click on this, you can move pieces around the board and try out different move combinations, without affecting the actual game. Then when you're done trying out your "what if" positions, you click on the gear again and go back to the original board setup.
Currently there are just a little over 600 players, from all around the world. There is support for multiple languages and players can contribute to new translations if their language is not currently supported.
Players can play rated or nonrated games. Ratings are provisional during the first 25 games, and then the player gets an "established" rating. The rating calculations are posted on the site for review. There are also ongoing Round Robin and Swiss System tournaments.The ART of Software Development in QueenAlice is in the feel of the site and the dedication of the author Miguel. The theme of the site is taken from the book "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll. The site itself is very easy to use and does not promote the "pretentious" attitude found on many chess sites. It's the perfect place to go for a "casual" game of chess. Miguel has done an excellent job of putting the site together. He's always avalable to listen to comments and recommendations made by the users. Much of the feel and functionality of the site is due to comments from the players. There is an active forum on the site where players can discuss chess tatics, site functionality, or just life in general topics. I have found QueenAlice to be an excellent location for playing chess with many of my friends who are not computer or internet experts. It's very easy to register and begin playing without having to jump through a lot of techical configuration hoops. And the site is currently free to use. It has been during the past few years that I've been using it. There is a minimal amount of advertising on the site, but it does not get in the way of playing or using the site.Now if you're looking for high end chess discussions with international chess masters and advocates, then you'll be happier on other sites like The World Chess Network, The Red Hot Pawn, or The Internet Chess Club. If you want a casual game of chess, with some very friendly folks, on a very easy to use site, then QueenAlice is THE place to go. Now if they could just figure out how to serve expresso with each game. Check it out at www.queenalice.comTimothy Trimble, The ART of Software DevelopmentTimothy Trimble is a award winning, freelance writer, and software developer. He has written a book for Microsoft Press, articles for significant computer industry trade magazines, and is currently working on his second computer technology book to be published in early 2006. He is the Blog publisher of The ART of Software Development which can be found via his web site at http://www.timothytrimble.infoProud member of http://www.WordBrains.com
Category : Weight Loss

How to Avoid Someone Stealing Your Customers

Author : Graham Jones
Your potential customers are being stolen from you every day. They are going to the competition, rather than choosing you. Your business is haemorrhaging money as a result and you need to put a stop to this dreadful situation. Well, OK, it might not be that bad, but unless you own 100% of the market you are in, your competitors are doing something you are not.Online, you can find out why your competitors are beating you quite easily. Your competition is the group of businesses who appear above you in a search engine listing for your keywords. You might not think they are your competitors, but the users of the search engines do. That's because almost all the clicks from search engines go to sites listed in the first five positions. If you are below that, you are losing out to the competition.Now, search engine optimisation experts will tell you how to get into the top 5 places. It is actually quite simple - have plenty of highly focused content on your site, add material every day and have plenty of links to other relevant sites. You also need to get mentioned on other sites, like Ecademy. Getting high search engine rankings is the easy bit.The difficulty you face when losing out to competitors is how their sites convert prospects into customers. It's never a good idea to be too general about these things, but what you will find is that those people whose web sites work better than yours tend to offer a mix of the following aspects which help the conversion process.1. They collect the email address of visitors - it's the number one priority.2. They keep in regular touch with their site visitors and make it clear they will do this.3. They make it easy for prospects to get in touch - email, phone, fax, postal address, instant messenger etc.4. They provide plenty of free information - material that other sites protect because it is seen as intellectual property.5. They 'talk' directly to the viewer as an individual.6. They have a single focus, which is precisely on the solution to the prospect's problem.Depending on your sector, other things may be important too. So, you ought to check out the top ten web sites in each of your keyword search terms. Look at their sites and see how they are achieving their results. Learn from their successful methods and apply them to your web site.You will discover that the sites that get high search engine ranking AND which get the best conversion rates are usually devoted to a single topic. So instead of having one web site which deals with all of your business, the greatest success comes from having individual web sites devoted to the specific problems your prospects face. Hard work, I know, but the results will tell.Graham Jones helps people make the most of the Internet and helps them with information marketing.
Category : Mortgage

VW Polo BlueMotion at 2007 ECHO Awards

Author : mbs5000

About 50 VW Polo BlueMotion models will dominate this year's ECHO awards, one of the most prestigious music awards in Germany given by an association of recording companies called the Deutsche Phono-Akademie. During the awarding ceremony that will take place at the German capital city of Berlin, the VW Polo BlueMotion will function as the shuttle service for some of the local and international music artists, as well as guest visitors at the awarding ceremony. They will step on the VW floor mats and drive up to the red carpet aboard the VW Polo BlueMotion. This a way for the Wolfsburg-based car manufacturer to promote the advantages and the environmental attributes of the VW Polo BlueMotion including low fuel consumption and cleaner exhaust emissions. Moreover, the VW Polo BlueMotion also symbolizes environmental protection. Stephan Grhsem, Head of Communications at Volkswagen AG said: "We are confident that national and international guests at the ECHO award ceremony will welcome the opportunity to experience the advantages of the VW Polo BlueMotion dynamics, low average fuel consumption and low emissions."Gerd Gebhardt, Executive Producer of ECHO 2007, added: "We are 100% behind this exemplary action. After all, the future belongs to economical and environmentally-friendly cars!"The VW Polo BlueMotion will show off its fuel efficient and low fuel consumption powertrain components under its sleek hood including the 1.4-liter 3-cylinder TDI engine capable of delivering 80 horsepower (59 kW) at 4,000 rpm and produces 144 lb.-ft. (195 Nm) amount of peak torque at 1,800 rpm, coupled with a 5-speed manual gearbox. With this powertrain package, the VW Polo BlueMotion can accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 12.8 seconds and can reach an a top speed of 109 mph.The engine also feature some of the advanced powertrain systems like diesel particulate filter, exhaust gas turbo charger, improved Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), EGR cooler, electrically activated EGR valve, and oxidizing catalytic converter to further reduce harmful CO2 exhaust emissions. This allows the VW Polo BlueMotion to comply with the most stringent EURO 4 emissions standard. The VW Polo BlueMotion also offers fuel efficiency for its customers. According to Volkswagen, The VW Polo BlueMotion has a low consumption of only 3.9 liters of fuel per 62 miles (100 km) of driving distance. Along with the VW Polo BlueMotion, Volkswagen AG will also make the 2007 ECHO music awards as the stage for the world premiere of the exclusive Sound Foundation Polo "First Act" model. Based on the VW Polo model and created by Volkswagen Individual, the Sound Foundation Polo "First Act" fits the driving characteristics and interest of music lovers. The car is equipped with a guitar audio jack under the glove compartment capable of producing 70 watts of sound. Benjamin Hudson works as a supervisor at one of the top engineering firms in the business district of Louisiana. He is also a freelance journalist and has passion for anything automotive.

Category : VW

Equipment Leasing Blunders That Can Cost Your Firm a Mint

Author : George Parker
Rod McHenry, the financial vice president of a document imaging company, thought he had great cause for celebrating. He had signed an unbelievable $370,000 lease proposal covering computer servers, workstations, software and other networking equipment. McHenry believed he had snared an incredible lease rate, capping off weeks of negotiating an acceptable equipment price with the equipment vendor. The proposal guaranteed a lease closing and offered a return of the 2% 'commitment fee' paid by McHenry's company if the leasing company failed to give credit approval within two weeks. Little did McHenry know that signing this proposal would lead his company into the 'Twilight Zone' of equipment leasing. Ultimately, his firm would fork out more than $15,000 in legal fees seeking lessor performance, only to learn that the lessor was already insolvent and mired in several similar lawsuits.Like McHenry's employer, thousands of U.S. companies lease equipment each year, many of them without careful attention to potential blunders. Rod McHenry became victim to one possible pitfall, but there are several areas deserving careful attention.Falling For the Lowest RateOne potential pot-hole facing many would-be lessees is basing their lease decision solely on the lowest monthly payment. Even on the face of it, making a decision based on the monthly payment makes little sense. First, these amounts give only a partial picture of total lease pricing. An accurate discounting of cash flows using a present value analysis, including up-front lease payments, monthly payments, security deposits and fees can often change the outcome of the lowest lease bid. Making sure that each lease proposal is reduced to a present value calculation guarantees that you will be comparing apples to apples. Even if you make accurate price comparisons, pricing all by itself fails to consider several important factors – ones that might save you a bundle in the long run and keep your firm from blundering. To avoid pitfalls in this area, list and evaluate your top priorities for a leasing arrangement. Consider factors such as: choosing the right leasing partner, balance sheet considerations, tax considerations, choosing the right form of lease, avoiding severe lease terms, and getting enough lease flexibility.Failing to Check Lessors' References and Financial ConditionAs Rod McHenry discovered, perhaps the area with the greatest potential for a misstep is lessor selection. Failing to investigate and make a wise choice of leasing partner can result in transaction delay, misrepresentations, nonperformance, unexpected fees or even fraud. Like many industries, equipment leasing encompasses many players with varying degrees of experience, specialization, integrity and financial strength. In selecting the best leasing partner, get sufficient information from bidders to perform an effective reference check. If possible, also obtain financial information from bidding lessors to evaluate their financial condition. Obtain Dunn and Bradstreet reports on each bidder. Ask for and check customer, vendor, bank and trade references. Perform an Internet news and message board search to make sure the bidding lessors are not the subject of any unresolved problems or scandals. Most reputable lessors belong to one of the major equipment leasing trade associations (ELA, EAEL, UAEL, or NAELB). Call the appropriate association for a reference. Lastly, ask around. Check with your attorney, accounting firm, banker, friends and associates who are able to make recommendations based on past experiences.Not Fully Understanding the Lease AgreementFailing to read and understand the major terms and conditions of the equipment lease can cost your company a bundle. While most lease agreements include similar terms and conditions, there can be noticeable differences. For example, most agreements cover the lessee's responsibility to pack the equipment and ship it to the lessor at the end of the lease, if the lessee chooses to return the equipment. Some leases require the lessee to have this done by the last day of the lease, perhaps depriving the lessee of a week or more of use. Also, some agreements require the lessee to pay for equipment de-installation, packing and shipping to any destination within the US, which can be costly. You can save money by negotiating many of these points. Read the lease agreement thoroughly, get legal advice if necessary, and negotiate points that can save you money.Making the Wrong Choice Between Fair Market Value and Bargain Purchase LeasesHigh on the list of potential leasing blunders is choosing the wrong form of lease for your planned use of the equipment. Failure to choose wisely can result in significant additional lease expense. Equipment leases fall into two broad categories: 1) leases designed to pass ownership of the equipment to the lessee at the end of the lease (bargain purchase/capital leases) and 2) leases intended to allow the leasing company to retain ownership of the equipment (FMV or operating leases).If you plan to keep the equipment beyond the term of the lease, it is generally cheaper to enter into a bargain purchase/capital lease. During the lease, you pay the lessor a rate of return plus the cost of the equipment. At the end of the lease, you receive the equipment title for a nominal payment. If the equipment is subject to rapid obsolescence or if you feel confident that you will return the equipment at the end of the lease, a FMV or operating lease might prove advantageous. What you are getting in a FMV or operating lease is the flexibility to kick the equipment out at lease end. Additionally, this form of lease can lower your lease rate as the lessor passes a portion of the anticipated residual value back to your firm in the form of lower payments. If your firm has reason to minimize liabilities appearing on the balance sheet, perhaps due to bank financial covenants, an operating lease might be appealing. In these lease situations, balance sheet concerns may trump the desire to obtain the lowest lease rate. In choosing a lease form, look at the period of intended equipment use, the potential for equipment obsolescence, balance sheet considerations, income tax considerations and any other factors that might influence lease choice.Failing to Evaluate Vendor Service - Equipment Lease ArrangementsEntering into a 'hell or high water' equipment lease involving proprietary equipment required for a multi-year service (such as alternative energy or telephone services) can lead your firm into a situation ripe for blunder. Even under the best of circumstances, a 'hell or high water' equipment lease (one requiring non-cancelable payments) entered into in connection with a service arrangement carries a certain degree of risk. In many cases, the lease is provided by a leasing company independent from the service provider or later sold by the service provider to a lessor. The potential pitfall results from the possibility that your company might get stuck making lease payments for equipment it can no longer use, should the service provider fail or cease to offer the service. The best protection against this potential pitfall is to avoid these types of arrangements. If you must enter into such an arrangement, make sure the service provider is financially sound, reputable, and has a long track record of providing excellent service. Also, since these transactions always carry some risk, make sure that an abrupt interruption in the service will not have a material negative impact on your company or cause financial hardship.Ignoring End-of-lease Notice DeadlineWhile not a deadly blunder, failing to give timely notice at the end of your lease can create significant additional lease expense for your firm if you plan to return the equipment. Many leases have provisions that require the lessee to notify the lessor of the lessee's decision to return the equipment at the end of the lease. If you violate the notice period, the lease kicks into an often unfavorable automatic renewal period, usually one to six months. If you intend to return the equipment at lease end, make sure your firm gives notice on time. It can save your firm a bundle in avoidable lease expense.Underestimating Time Required to Close LeaseNot allowing enough time to go through the lease planning, proposal, approval and documentation phases can result in extra cost. A rushed process can lead to poor lessor selection, approval delays, documentation miscues or poorly negotiated lease terms. Except in small ticket transactions (under $ 75,000 to $ 100,000) where personal guarantees of the principals are involved, most lease transactions take at least three weeks or more to close. While some of the time is consumed in the bidding and credit review processes, much of it can be eaten up by administrative matters. Obtaining insurance certificates, filing UCC financing statements, reviewing and negotiating the lease agreement, all contribute to the time it takes to get to a lease closing. The best way to manage the lease closing process and to save precious time and money is to plan ahead. Make sure you establish criteria for the lease you are seeking, prepare a package containing information all bidders would want, obtain a lease closing list from each lease bidder, and respond to all requests/questions raised by bidding lessors on a timely basis.While equipment leasing pitfalls can not always be avoided, you can take steps to prevent snags that can cost your firm a mint. Plan ahead and do your homework before launching the lease bidding process. Give high priority to selecting an experienced lease provider with high integrity and good expertise. Also, with lease transactions that represent significant obligations for your firm, engage a competent attorney to help you review and negotiate the equipment lease.George Parker is a Director and Executive Vice President of Leasing Technologies International, Inc. ("LTI"), responsible for LTI's marketing and financing efforts. A co-founder of LTI, Mr. Parker has been involved in secured lending and equipment financing for over twenty years. Mr. Parker is an industry leader, frequent panelist and author of several articles pertaining to equipment financing.Headquartered in Wilton, CT, LTI is a leasing firm specializing nationally in direct equipment financing and vendor leasing programs for emerging growth and later-stage, venture capital backed companies. More information about LTI is available at: http://www.ltileasing.com .
Category : Finance:Leases-Leasing

Voice Mail Prospecting - Most Salespeople Leave The Wrong Kinds of Messages

Author : Dan O'Day
Do you routinely achieve a 65% - 85% callback rate on the
voice mail messages you leave for prospects?You can. But first you have to ignore the "conventional
wisdom" being taught by sales trainers who never actually
cold-call or by business consultants who teach rather than
do.In the course of my *research for my book, How To Get
Your Voice Mail Messages Returned
(http://www.VoiceMailReturned.com), I came across a
presentation that some consultant gave on this topic. Like a
lot of consultants, she didn't base her techniques on
real-world experiences. Instead, she based it on a book she
read.(*The techniques I teach are based on field
research. But I also was interested in what other people had
to say about this topic.)She teaches what you might call a "blueprint" of a
standardized script you should follow when leaving cold-call
voice mail messages.Without violating anyone's copyright -- and while
representing the "blueprint" as accurately as possible -- I
will now share with you an example of a voice mail
message that follows the principles apparently taught in the
book she read.If you prefer to use a traditional approach to voice mail, you
can copy this example.Personally, I hope you won't follow this blueprint,
because of the three underlying precepts I teach regarding
voice mail messages:1. The only goal of a voice mail message is to get the
call returned (or, ultimately to result in a live
conversation).2. Most voice mail messages left by salespeople are not
returned.3. Therefore, the methods commonly employed by most
salespeople usually are ineffective.But if you believe the conventional approach to be just fine,
here is a faithful example:"Hi, my name is Dan O'Day and I am with Z-100 Radio. I
understand that you are the Advertising Manager for ABC
Widgets, which means you are responsible for the
advertising in the Riverside area. I work for a division of XYZ
Broadcasting that specializes in creating advertising
campaigns that are specifically designed to drive sales for
companies like yours. We have worked with everyone from
Brand X Widgets to Brand Z Widgets. For example, last year
we did an advertising campaign for Brand X Widgets in
which we helped them advertise their new Super Widget. I
would love to give you more specific details about other
successful campaigns we have designed and talk to you
about how we can help you meet your goals in Riverside. My
name is is Dan O'Day and you can reach me at
555-476-8111. That number again is 555-476-8111. Thank
you and I look forward to your call."Well, there it is: A "professional" voice mail message which,
according to some book, contains all the elements required
to stimulate a callback.Lots of luck.We don't have enough space to analyze that message and
list all the things that it does wrong.But I will point out something that the creator of this
"blueprint" doesn't quite understand:The average business executive sorts through his mail over
the wastebasket. As soon as he mentally identifies
something as "junk mail," he drops it into that wastebasket.
And the majority of his mail goes directly into the trash
without ever being opened.The average business executive listens to her voice mail
messages with her finger poised over the "delete" button.And as soon as she decides this phone call is not
one that she needs to return or one that she will benefit from
returning, she hits "delete"......and never looks back.That means you must begin your message with something
that makes the recipient afraid to hit the "delete"
button.And it must maintain the recipient's interest all the
way to your "call to action" (i.e., telling them exactly how and
when to return your call).So you have a choice:Do you want to leave "professional"-sounding messages
that get deleted, not returned?Or do you want to leave unique, intriguing messages that
are are virtually irresistible to the recipient?© 2005 by Dan O'DayDan O'Day, an internationally known Advertising and
Marketing strategist, specializes in results-producing,
one-to-one communication with customers. He's worked
with media companies, ad agencies, and businesses in 31
different countries. His work has been praised by other
marketing gurus including Jay Abraham, Joseph Sugarman,
Joe Polish, etc. His book, How To Get
Your Voice Mail Messages Returned, is the only
resource in the world that includes detailed critiques of
actual sales voice mail messages... plus O'Day's own
rewrites to greatly increase the callback response of each
call. How To Get Your Voice Mail Messages
Returned is available for instant download from

http://www.VoiceMailReturned.com
Category : Investing