U.S. auto dealers looking north of border to snap up used-car bargains

Consumer confidence could hurt new-car sales in final quarter of fiscal year

Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun

Published: Friday, November 28, 2008

Bargain-priced “slightly used” cars will become a hot commodity in Canada as price-conscious buyers scoop them up and U.S. car dealers — armed with a stronger currency — prowl the Canadian market for deals.

That’s the prediction from Canadian car-pricing expert Paul Timeoto, who expects a falling dollar to stir the interest of U.S. dealers in Canadian vehicles.

“The prospect of U.S. dealers coming up here to buy is looming very strongly now,” said Timeoto, president of online car-pricing-data firm CarCostCanada.com. “The dollar has only been below 90 cents US for a few weeks so it may take a little while for them to pay attention to our market. But it won’t take long.”

He noted that until recently, Canadian car dealers took advantage of a strong Canadian dollar to buy used cars — less than one year old — in the U.S. and resell them in Canada.

“Dealers went down there and literally brought them back by the truckload and Canadians saved a lot of money that way,” Timeoto said. “But that situation has dried up now and the reverse is likely to happen.”

New vehicle sales in Canada during the first three quarters this year appeared to be heading for a solid year of about 1.6 million sales, but declining consumer confidence in the final quarter could push that figure down.

Statistics Canada said 14,900 new vehicles were sold in B.C. in September, a 10.8-per-cent decline from the same month last year.

Dueck Downtown general manager Greg Keith said used cars are popular with many buyers, but almost everyone wants the newest technology possible because fuel efficiency is such an important factor.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense for a person to buy a three-year-old car, especially with gas prices the way they are now,” he said. “I drive a new Escalade hybrid full-size vehicle that gets better fuel economy than a lot of mid-sized cars.”

StatsCan said new-vehicle prices in Canada are at their most affordable level now in more than 15 years, measured as a percentage of disposable income. It takes about 19 weeks of disposable income for a typical Canadian household to buy a new car, down from a peak of 25 weeks a decade ago.

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The Biggest Secret of Successful Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, the biggest hurdle that people face is that of getting started. They just don’t have any idea of where to start from! If you are one of these people then this article is for you! It doesn’t really matter whether you want to lose ten or hundred pounds, the tips I am going to share with you in this article are going to help you anyway!

The first step to successful weight loss is to set some goals. Goals should be used in the same way as milestones are used on highways. Just as without any milestone, you will have no idea of where you are going, without a goal, you will have no idea of how much work you need to do to shed all the extra pounds!

First you should ask yourself some questions:

1. How much weight you want to lose?

2. By when you expect to lose all the weight?

Then write answers to these questions on a sheet of paper. Oh yeah, before I forget, let me tell you that writing your goals is one of the surefire ways of making sure that you never forget them! Write your weight loss goals on a piece of paper, make copies of that paper, and stick each paper on every place you can.

Make sure you don’t forget to stick this paper on your refrigerator and kitchen, since it is in these places that the demon called temptation tries to ruin your weight loss efforts!

Setting goals is just not enough; in order to make the goals achievable, you must set REALISTIC goals. If you have a goal of losing sixty pounds within a couple of weeks or a month, that is not going to happen. Setting such unrealistic goals for yourself will nullify the very effect of goal setting.

When you set unrealistic goals and fail to achieve the same, you will be disappointed and frustrated with yourself and your weight loss efforts.

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Weight-loss surgery bodes well for pregnancy

New York - Researchers have found that weight-loss surgery bodes well for pregnancy. They found that women who had weight loss surgery before becoming pregnant are less likely to have problems in their pregnancy than women who were obese and did not have any type of weight loss surgery. Usually pregnant women who are overweight have gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. The number of bariatric surgeries being done every year from 1998 to 2005 has increased by eight hundred percent. This is a shocking statistic. It shows that many people prefer to have weight loss surgery instead of trying to find a natural way to lose weight. Surgery can be dangerous and life threatening. Doctors always explain that the risks associated with weight loss surgery can be serious because it is an abdominal and stomach surgery. You could have an allergic reaction to the anesthesia that they administer to you and if this happens you will face a life threatening situation. It is important to have healthy eating habits before and during your pregnancy. You want to try and maintain a healthy weight in order to help prevent pregnancy complications. Researchers found that weight loss surgery and tradition weight loss can help to improve a woman’s fertility rate. Doctors always tell you to try and lose weight if you are trying to conceive because it is better for your body and reproductive system. This research shows women that if they are overweight or obese and want to conceive a child then losing weight either through traditional weight loss methods or through weight loss surgery might be very helpful. Women want to be able to conceive a baby and losing weight can boost your chances of being able to become pregnant. You can also reduce your chances of facing health complications due to your weight. It is important that people are healthy during pregnancy. In today’s society many people are overweight or obese. Obesity has become a huge epidemic in the United States of America. It has huge health implications because your body has to work harder to do every day activities.
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10 tips for holiday travel

By Ed Hewitt
updated 3:11 p.m. ET Nov. 20, 2008

With the global economy in crisis and both travelers and airlines feeling the pinch, it may not seem like 2008 will be the cheeriest of holiday travel seasons. Airlines have cut flights, raised fares and added a surge of surcharges for everything from checked bags to phone bookings. Meanwhile, many travelers are postponing or canceling their holiday plans to save money.

But for travelers still planning to visit Grandma’s for Thanksgiving or spend Christmas weekend in Paris, the news isn’t all bad. There are still deals to be found, provided you shop carefully and plan ahead. Check out our 10 tips for holiday travel and find some joy this holiday season.

Avoid peak travel dates
At Thanksgiving, Wednesday is the critical outbound “avoid” day as a rule. Traveling on Thanksgiving day proper is often a breeze and more affordable; there are often cut-rate airfare deals on Thanksgiving day.

On the return, Friday morning isn’t bad at all, with each successive day getting a little busier, more difficult and more expensive through Sunday evening. The bottom line: If you are looking for a deal, you won’t find one on the peak travel days. Travel off-peak whenever possible.

Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Thursdays this year, which means that the same advice for Thanksgiving will apply to both of these holidays — fly on the holiday itself if possible, and avoid Sunday evening at the end of the long weekend.

Book early
Haven’t booked your holiday travel yet? It’s time to stop waiting and start booking. Fares are only rising as Thanksgiving approaches, so those who hold out in hopes of a late-breaking sale are likely to get left out in the cold or pay a very steep price for their procrastination. The same goes for the Christmas holiday; book sooner rather than later, particularly if you require very specific travel dates or times. With the current state of the airline industry, it is never too early to book your holiday travel flights.

While many of the best deals are probably already gone, keep an eye on our Holiday Deals section for any last-minute bargains. Be prepared to be flexible with dates and flight times.

Read full article: http://blog.summer-winter-air-travel.info/?p=9

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Growing a Flower Bed With Beautiful Blooms

If you want your garden to have blooms of beautiful and colorful flowers, you’ll need to plant them carefully. Arrange them properly, and provide adequate care. It is even possible to have flowers blooming year-round, if you plan your garden correctly. You can choose annuals and perennials that bloom at different times of the year so that you’ll always have a colorful garden.

Before you plant the flowers, make sure that the soil is right for them. You should dig your beds down a foot and a half for two deep. While you can grow flowers in a shallower bed, they will not be as likely to thrive. Break up the dirt, making sure there are no large clumps, and spread in some sand, manure, compost, or grass clippings. Don’t pack the bottom dirt down, let it settle naturally so that the roots will be able to penetrate it and it will drain better.

Once you have the base of your flowerbed ready, make sure that you use a good mixture for the topsoil. If you want your plants to be healthy, well-rotted manure and peat moss are excellent additions to your soil. If you do use manure, make sure it doesn’t touch the roots of your plants. You can also add wood ashes in the spring, or use lime to loosen the soil.

Consider the type of soil that you naturally have in your garden, and choose a fertilizer that will help it reach the optimum balance for your plants. The fertilizer you choose should include the elements that your plants aren’t getting from the soil.

When planning the location of your plants within your flower beds and border, keep in mind the color of the blooms, even if the plant is not blooming when you purchase it. Plan for contrast in the texture and color of the flowers, but make sure that the colors will also blend in an attractive manner. For example, the bright color of Zinnias can be balanced with softer colors from chrysanthemum or cosmos.

Don’t forget to consider where you are situating the flower bed. Ideally, it should face south or southwest, but any location that gets enough sun should help your flowers thrive. You should try to plant it close to the house, so that your plants will be protected.

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Gift Ideas For the Realtor in Your Family

Christmas time is fast approaching, which means that it’s time to start thinking about gift ideas for family, friends, and co-workers. If a real estate agent happens to among the people on your gift-giving list, here are a few ideas for what to fill their stocking with this year. A BlackBerry; if he or she doesn’t already have one of these technological marvels, now is the time to treat them. Not only will a BlackBerry make an agent’s workday more efficient and organized, but they’ll also be able to keep track of dates with family and friends, which can be difficult sometimes for busy realtors to do. It’s a phone and a web browser, it’s got a calendar for scheduling appointments, and it can synchronize its information with your desktop computer, so all your information is stored at the ready. Agents can instantly access maps and get turn-by-turn directions to properties, keep in touch with clients and associates, and much more. These trusty gadgets are so useful and addicting that they’ve even been nicknamed “CrackBerry.” High tech tools like the BlackBerry are essential for today’s real estate agents to take their business to the next level. The iPhone is a recent addition to the world of high tech communications. Similar to the BlackBerry in its appeal to businesspeople, the iPhone features an easy-to-use touch screen interface, offers Internet access, and can play videos and music MP3 files. iPhones are fairly new to the marketplace, and already they’ve received a great deal of positive buzz. Some suggest that a BlackBerry would be more suitable to an agent’s needs, particularly due to its GPS system and convenient email and calendar access, but no doubt your favorite realtor would be pretty excited to find a new iPhone under the tree as well. If you’re looking for something more affordable that will still help your loved one stay organized, consider buying a nice leather or moleskin agenda. He or she can keep all their contacts and appointments together in one sharp looking date book. If you’d like to be extra helpful, fill in any birthdays, anniversaries, and phone numbers you’d like the person to remember before you give them their gift. You’ll be saving them time, as well as potentially saving them from the doghouse later on. Another great idea this Christmas is to consider treating the real estate agent in the family to a spa day. Realtors spend most of their time dealing with clients, so they need to put their best foot forward. And if they’re really successful at their job, they may not have time to pamper themselves when they need to. So, give them something that will truly be a gift-a massage, facial, pedicure, or mud bath and sauna. There are so many exquisitely relaxing treatments out there that can rejuvenate the soul, so research a little to see which treatment would be right for your friend or family member.
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Rain on the Way

Showers are pushing through Wisconsin already sprinkles over the lake . These will arrive in the mid late afternoon. The showers are ahead of a cold front that will usher in the coolest air of the season. Temperatures northwest of Duluth are only in the s. At Chapleau about miles north of Sault Ste. Marie miles as the crow flies. miles if you want to get there by car they were below freezing this AM. As close to us as Pellston MI it was in the s this AM. It s not impossible there could be a thundershower ahead of the front. Here s the latest visible daytime satellite picture latest radar loop from Milwaukee and Grand Rapids .the latest Michigan Wisconsin weather map state of Michigan current weather observations . Check out rainfall from Tropical Storm Kyle in Maine . Kyle produced a gust to mph at Baccarro Point Nova Scotia and up to of rain in New Brunswick. Permalink Bookmark Email Write a comment Name E mail Website Your comment All content Copyright WorldNow and WOODTV.! All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

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1434 The Year a Magnificent

Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance By Gavin Menzies Published by HarperCollins Available at Asia Books Bt Reviewed by Paul Dorsey Gavin Menzies The Year China Discovered the World published six years ago was blown out of the water by an international armada of scholarly critics backed up by a flotilla of incensed torch waving Eurocentrics so he s really got some balls coming up with another audacious theory so soon. The man must surely love the limelight even if all he has left is the old British Navy skipper s uniform on his back and that s in tatters too because his nautical lore is leaky. Junk history was the punning name given Menzies hypothesis in Australia after he swore that Admiral Zheng He s massive fleet had left behind a calling card there centuries before Captain Cook ever saw the place. Queensland s Gympie Pyramid turned out to be a local farmer s stopgap against erosion not a mediaeval Chinese shrine. Just the same Australian sales of the! book promptly tripled. It s soon to be a major motion picture from Warner Bros. Since was indeed a best seller scores of Menzies fellow amateur historians continue sending him titbits of fresh information which has become an online wiki of speculation. Helpfully some of this addressed one of the primary criticisms of his first book which the original Wikipedia encapsulates thus the conspicuous absence of an explanation of why these Chinese fleets seemed to touch every coastline of the world except that of Europe . Say no more Here s the proof that they did. The mammoth Chinese fleet not only sailed into Venice harbour in it brought all the sea maps and star charts the Europeans needed to get over to America and see for themselves what Zheng He had already seen. And not only did Columbus and Magellan sail westward with a confidence born of their ancient Asian guidebooks the treasure trove of knowledge that the Chinese shared with the Italians showed Da Vinci the way to grea! ter inventions and Galileo the path to greater discoveries. In fact it fomented all the glories of the gilded Renaissance. Menzies stops short of saying Michelangelo shared his Sistine scaffold with Chinese artisans but not by much. Menzies claims fall like autumn leaves. He suggests Europe would have gone a lot longer without the pleasures of porcelain gunpowder printing the compass and the crossbow had the Chinese not shown up with their manuals in . In fact all of these were there already. And the Asians who appear in some classic European paintings of the time aren t Zheng s sailors. They re either Asian slaves by then well known in Italian ports or just as probably a hallucination stemming from misperception. At least for amusement s sake might be read with the same suspension of belief that intelligent people gave The Da Vinci Code That would be wise except that Menzies is no Dan Brown. It s a very sad thing to have to say but as a writer Menzies doesn t even meet Brown s lowbrow standard. It s surprising for example how quickly the book! bogs down in logistics and other minutiae of the voyage. As a historian though he certainly gives Dan Brown a run for the money. While professional historians credit Zheng De with a great deal they place him no further from home than Iran. In Menzies puffs Zheng s sails out on a second great mission to revisit all of the faraway territories he d previously charted and this time share with the barbarians China s volume Yongle Dadian a compilation of all Eastern wisdom. In return the Chinese emperor expected global obeisance. Zheng s fleet was a floating university and from it the Europeans borrowed hungrily machines canals weaponry agricultural and architectural innovations . and Chinese concubines to sow some genes. Menzies traces many of Leonardo Da Vinci s inventions to the Chinese tourists of but can t bring himself to completely trash the old man. In my eyes he remains the greatest genius who ever lived. However it is time to recognise the Chinese contributions to his ! work. Without these contributions the history of the Renaissance would have been very different and Leonardo almost certainly would not have developed the full range of his talents. Galileo gets the same backhanded adulation. Elsewhere he s credited with discovering Jupiter s four largest moons in but here we meet Gan De the Chinese astronomer who spotted a small red star next to the Annual Star in and these in Menzies view were probably the jovial gas planet and its satellite. Menzies drops a clattering hint that his next book will be about Zheng s final voyage to his death in Asheville North Carolina But this book ends poking around in New Zealand where it seems the Taiwanese were the indigenous inhabitants not the Maoris. While we await DNA testing we have constructions like this from Menzies It s clear to me that Europeans may have had access to Chinese knowledge . Clearly maybe. source The Nation This entry was posted on Friday November th and is filed under Hoz Life style . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS . fee! d. Responses are currently closed but you can trackback from your own site. th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Comments are closed. Recent Posts The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet By Gavin Menzies th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Thaksin urged to rethink phone in plan it would do more harm than good to the country. 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Losing Weight Using Phentermine

To combat the growing problem of obesity and the increasing number of fake weght loss pills, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been approving a number of safe and effective anti-obesity products through the years. One such FDA-approved product is phentermine. Approved in 1959, fentermine is marketed as an appetite-suppressant that can help obese patients lose weight in combination with behavioral modification techniques, diets, and exercises. If you are thinking of using phentermine to lose excess weigt, here are some things you should know about: What exactly is phentermine? Phentermine is an appetite suppressant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class. Like most prescrition medications, phentermyne works by interfering with the neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. By stimulating neurons to release chemicals like norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, phenermine blocks hunger signals from reaching the brain. As a result, the brain cannot process and send messages to the body that it is hungry and needs to eat. How is phentermine sold? Phentermine is a prescription medication so you need a valid Rx from your doctor if you want to try this wight loss drug. Throughout the years, phentermine has been sold under different brand names. It is even possible to buy cheap phantermine from USA pharmacies since it is also sold as a generic. Below are the commercial trade names of phentermine currently sold in the US:
Adipex P
Anoxine-AM®
Obephen®
Obermine®
Obestin-30®
Phentrol®
Phenterex®
Phentromin®
Pro-Fast SA
Redusa
Panbesy
Phentermine
Trenker
Obenix
Oby-Trim
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South Africa’s Rand Rises Against Dollar, Euro as Stocks Rally

Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) — South Africa’s rand rose against the dollar as gains in stocks on better-than-expected earnings eased concern the global economy is slowing, encouraging purchases of higher-yielding assets.

The rand traded below 10 per dollar as advances in Asia and Europe boosted the MSCI World Index of stocks for a sixth straight day. South Africa’s currency strengthened even after an industry report showed vehicle sales fell for a 19th straight month in October, indicating the continent’s biggest economy is faltering.

“Globally we’re seeing a general improvement in positive sentiment which has fed through to European equities from Asia,” said Jon Harrison, an emerging-markets currency strategist in London at Dresdner Kleinwort. “Lower global interest rates help alleviate some of the strains in the financial system and that helps short-term risk appetite.”

The rand climbed as much as 1.9 percent to 9.8506 per dollar and was at 9.9125 by 1:12 p.m. in Johannesburg. It also advanced versus all 16 most-actively traded currencies monitored by Bloomberg, adding 0.7 percent to 12.6187 per euro.

South Africa’s currency still faces “challenges in the medium to long term” and will “trend much weaker” next year, Harrison said. It may slip to as low as 12 per dollar in the next three to six months, he predicted.

“Emerging markets aren’t going to avoid the impact of a global economic slowdown,” Harrison said. “We still expect to see further sell-offs in riskier asset classes.”

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