A fireworks extravaganza is destined to Belvoir Castle on Saturday based against the brilliant back drop.
MLE Pyrotechnics is hosting this for the 2nd go and is having the event in the premise of the Duke of Rutland’s family house this will be judged by the crowds.
Vanessa one of the organisers, said: “It’s a stunning locale where we truly delight putting on an event. The fireworks are all set off from behind the lake and are reflected in the H2O.”
Visitors will be treated to three organisations from across the land contending for that extra pizazz to win over the audience’s vote.
The firms are Celebration Fireworks from Evesham, Pyromania Displays, Knaphill in Surrey and Spyrotechnics from Chesterfield a 10 or 15 min show with music will be show but that isn’t the close of it
Before the competition there will be a demonstration to learn about the various types of fireworks and see how the squads use them to make their extraordinary exhibits that dance to the music.
and to cap it of a exciting pyro-musical demo by the promoters will be done while the visitors are voting
With beginnings in 2002 this annual event, Is proving to be vastly productive. The three lead professional firework companies chosen for this year’s display have gained many important titles between them including the British Champions, British Musical Champions and Firework Champions.
And it’s more than fireworks, a Khoom Fay or Sky Lanterns are seen to alight the sky as they gently float in the distance.
Parking and camping is available on site and from 5pm visitors can arrive so bring a picnic or relish the solid food and booze available from accredited vendors while relaxing in Belvoir Castles gorgeous grounds
Hairspray is the story of a bubbly school girl named Tracy Turnblad, a wannabe performer who wishes to gain a place on a neighbouring TV series called the Corny Collins Show. The programme is really based on a Baltimore-based telly show named the Buddy Dean Show in Baltimore, Maryland.
Tracy is unfamiliar in the performing arts arena when she tries out, even so she is chosen for one of the dancing roles and against all odds becomes a dancing celebrity practically overnight. Tracy is glad by this newfound fame, and she comes to a decision to use her recognition to help make positive developments to the television show. The essential reason for these positive developments relates to race. Tracy desires to racially unite the television program, and as anyone might well imagine, Tracy is confronted with a serious amount of opposition. Find London Theatre Tickets offers with great savings on all top West End musical.
Hairspray came to the West End in London in two-thousand & seven, opening for previews at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 11, before being uncovered to the paying public at its official opening on October 30, 2007. The musical show has had some big name actors — Michael Ball takes one of the lead roles as Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s very own mother, delivering a persuasive performance in this taxing female position, whilst Mel Smith played joke shop owner Wilbur Turnblad, Tracy’s father. The original cast in the London West End also includes newcomer to the theatre scene, Leanne Jones, in the part of Tracy.
Hairspray has received a range of upbeat remarks from critics & theatre enthusiasts alike. Jacqueline remarked: “I have been four times thus far & I will unquestionably be going back again at some point next week & a few more times also. I love the show and wish they could stay on longer. Ben Ellis is excellent as link & Leanne Jones as Tracey and Michael Ball, well they are all simply great. The musical play hairspray is unquestionably my favourite, simply because it is upbeat & if you’re feeling dejected then it is certain to make you feel a great deal better. I give it a 10 out of 10 - I love it well done to everyone concerned.
Hairspray the musical play is playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre throughout two thousand & nine, get theatre information & procure your seats on the World Wide Web.
Did you know that you can ride in some of the most famous railway coaches in the world, that have been featured in many movies and TV shows?
The Vintage Carriages Trust (VCT) is a volunteer body, based on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire, England. It was formed in the late 1960s by a group of volunteers whose interest was in wooden bodied carriages. They could see that there was a need to concentrate on the preservation of these historic items which were in grave danger of disappearing due to the weather and vandalism damage and unsuitability for regular use and to held in trust for future generations.
The Collection held by the Trust is at present nine historic railway carriages, also three small industrial steam locomotives, and a collection of railway posters and other miscellaneous railway items. At present the Trust has on loan from the National Railway Museum (NRM) a fine selection of railway dining and catering exhibits. The Trust owns the Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow - the first station from Keighley on the Worth Valley Railway. By three phases of building work over the last ten years this has developed into a large museum display and associated workshop, and is the Trust’s headquarters. Although the building is named a “museum”, the Trust stresses that it is the Trust as a whole that is a “Museum on the Move”, and functions as a Museum anywhere where the Collection can be seen in action or on static display.
Filming and other carriage hire is an important source of income, and this is where you as a visitor can enjoy traveling in or behind a star! The number of movies and TV shows that have used the VCT facilities is huge, but here is a shortened list:
The Virgin and the Gypsy. Film with Honor Blackman, Mark Burns, Joanna Shimkus, Franco Nero, Fay Compton, Kay Walsh and Maurice Denham.
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Film with Robert Stephens, Colin Blakely, Genevieve Page, Christopher Lee, Irene Handl, Stanley Holloway and Peter Madden.
The Railway Children. Film with Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins, Sally Thomsett, Dinah Sheridan, Iain Cuthbertson, William Mervyn and Gary Warren.
Yanks. Film with Richard Gere, Vanessa Redgrave and Rachel Roberts.
The League of Gentlemen. BBC TV comedy.
Possession. Cinema film with Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhardt, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Eleh.
The Forsyth Saga, Granada TV series with Emma Griffiths Malin, Lee Williams.
Interested in this subject? Try this link for more of the same
The Texas Hold’em poker phenomenon has taken the country by storm. There are reportedly over 100 million active poker players worldwide. Poker’s popularity is largely the byproduct of technology and several recent trends: 1) online gaming, where players engage and socialize in real-time over the Internet, and 2) the broad publicity created by high profile TV shows like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour.
With all the poker-mania, there’s an amazing shortage of quality information to help people learn how to play properly and become great players quickly. This is the first in a series of Texas Holdem strategy articles aimed at helping players learn how to win at Texas Hold’em poker. Tournament play is a popular, fun sport. These articles will help players understand how to approach tournaments, which differ greatly from regular “ring game” play.
This installment deals with the most-asked question: “How do I deal effectively with aggressive players?” Many players struggle against “maniacs”, the aggressive, wild players who play most every hand, somehow seem to pull cards out of thin air, and often manage to dominate the table.
Here’s what actually happened in a recent poker tournament. I entered a tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, about 20 minutes from my home in South Florida. This weekly $300 entry-fee tournament fills the poker room with 220 players every Monday night.
The blinds start at 50/100 and go up every 15 minutes. I spent the first 30 minutes just hanging out and occasionally limping in to see a flop. The reason for “treading water” was to study my opponents and their playing patterns very closely. There were a number of solid poker players, but right away I spotted the aggressive ones.
I was sitting in the middle, directly across from the dealer. There were two “wild men” to my right. These two participated in most every hand, and agonized with themselves whenever they had to throw a hand away. This was hilarious to me, and it was also very telling. I knew these dudes were doomed from the onset, yet they were extremely dangerous if they caught something with one of their trash hands. These types are great targets, but only when you know how to play them correctly. If you do, you’ll end up with most or all of their chips in your stack. The key is to get to their chips before someone else does.
There were some squeaky-tight and solid players, as usual. Finally, there were two other players to my left who knew one another very well and spoke what sounded like Russian. These two played very aggressively. They rarely called or checked. They would bet or raise the pot significantly, so if they played a hand, you knew they were going to bet it big and you’d better be prepared to push a bunch of your chips into the middle. As a result, the table became tight overall, except for these four players who controlled the early action and the dictated the table tempo for the first hour or so. They gambled with wanton abandon, trading chips with each other as the rest of us just observed and wished for a real hand to materialize.
It became apparent that our maniacs were playing mostly garbage hands, and using assertive chatter in an attempt to intimidate everyone. They were enjoying pushing everyone around with their aggressive betting and raising style. Humorously, they got into a number of showdowns, causing all of their trash hands to become openly exposed; e.g., 69 off-suit, Q3 suited, etc. I definitely had these guys pegged now - if only I could get a strong hand…
Later, one of my Russian “friends” came in over the top of a bet I’d placed with a huge raise, then smiled at me as he leaned his head back as if to say “Go ahead. I dare you”. My middle pair just wasn’t strong enough to engage with him, but I remembered this little “lesson” and my mistake. He’d used this tactic many times against the others and I should’ve expected it. I also realized that we had not seen any of his supposed “big hands”, as he always mucked them. Whenever you see an aggressive player dominating, and then mucking all those supposed “great hands”, you know you’ve spotted a target.
We played on, with the two maniacs to my right getting busted out by the Russian contingent. It’s been an hour and fifteen minutes - and I still haven’t seen even one decent hand yet! This is, unfortunately, typical poker.
After about an hour-and 45 minutes, I finally pick up a pair of wired 9’s (99). Now I was hoping the flop would yield a set (trips). Sure enough, it came: 9, K, 5. I was elated and jumping up and down (inside). I was finally in a position to make my move, and hoped it would be against one of my aggressive Russian friends with their big stacks.
To prepare my trap, I delayed and muddled around for about ten seconds, and then casually “checked” verbally and using my hand in a chopping motion, with a slightly disgusted look. Next, the younger Russian moves in with a big bet of 3,000 chips. I was sure I had him now. As expected, everyone else quickly folded and got out of his way - except me. This fellow had pushed everyone around and I was finally properly armed and ready to do battle on my own terms. Note that this had been my “battle plan” all along. I was deliberately targeting these aggressive characters, knowing that when the time was right, their ill-gotten stacks would become mine!
The action came back around to me, so now it was just the two of us heads-up. The two Russians said something to each other that the rest of us couldn’t decipher. I delayed and bobbed my head around as if to be struggling with my decision. Then, I motioned with both hands and uttered “I’m all-in”. I knew this series of actions would likely trigger an aggressive reaction, since my “check-raise” made it appear as if I was trying to steal this pot! A check-raise almost always triggers a full-tilt response from an aggressive player.
He immediately called me - he was so aggressive (and pot-committed) that it was like a fish taking the bait and running for deep waters - hook line and sinker! I threw my pair of 9’s over, revealing the trip 9’s. There was a low murmur around the table from the other players. My young Russian friend reluctantly flipped his five/trash hand over - he had a pair of fives (with a King over-card showing on the board!). He was definitely angling to drive me out of this pot with his ascertive play - one too many times…
You see, no one actually gets that many great hands in poker - nobody. If someone plays 30% to 40% or more of the time, they’re just “gambling” and bluffing. This guy thinks he has a “good” hand, because he actually had a real pair - something he doesn’t often have when pushing everyone around with mostly aggressive betting as his only real weapon.
The turn came and it wasn’t a five - then someone pipes up and says “he’s drawing dead”. Believe me, you never want to hear that when you’re in a showdown! I looked over as he said something in Russian to his buddy - another violation of tournament rules, as everyone is compelled to speak English at the tournament table. It wouldn’t matter, as he stood up, grabbed his jacket and left after receiving some consolation from his friend.
His older friend glared over at me and uttered something derogatory in Russian. I had no clue what he said, but I knew from his tone that I didn’t like it. I also knew I’d gotten under his skin by taking down his buddy and raking in all of his chips. I responded with “what’s that, I don’t understand what you’re saying since you’re not speaking English?” loudly so everyone at the table could hear me.
He mumbled something about his friend…I smiled and said politely with a smile “I deliberately laid that trap for your friend and he fell right into it!”, pushing the knife in deeper, knowing he’d be gunning for me anyway - might as well make sure my next trap was fully set. This also signaled to everyone else at the table that whenever I checked or limped, it could be extremely dangerous if assumed to be a sign of weakness - something I’d leverage later as the blinds and antes rose and the proper time to bluff and steal blinds actually arrived.
After a slight pause, my Russian friend noticed that everyone was now looking at him. He looked down at his chips and said “nice play” with a reluctantly polite tone.
Boy, I was elated! My battle plan was definitely becoming field-proven here - and my next target was clearly sighted. It had taken careful observation, planning and a lot of patience to wait for the right hand, and then play it correctly to take this highly-skilled, aggressive player out and rake in all of his chips.
About ten minutes later, it was tournament break time, after two hours of play. I counted my chips, which totaled 14,900 (we started with 5,000 each), then grabbed a quick bite to eat, reflecting on what had just taken place.
Within ten minutes of returning from break, I finally picked up a serious starting hand: Cowboys (KK). I knew it was time for my new Russian friend and me to tango, so I fired out a bet of 3 times the big blind: 3,000 chips, bait that I was sure he couldn’t turn down. Sure enough, he bit - big time. His all-in raise came almost instantaneously, before I could even get my bet onto the table. He was totally ready to engage, and had been laying in wait for me - just like I had planned. I had set him up by taking out his friend and then challenging his poker ego in front of everyone. He just had to retaliate against me - it was a totally predictable “full-tilt” response from this kind of player.
This is what the game of poker is really all about - having a well-defined strategy, the patience to wait for the right hand, and then executing properly. It’s what makes poker a game of strategy instead of a game of chance (for some of us).
He raised by going all-in with around 8,000 chips to my roughly 14,000. I quickly called his all-in bet. Everyone else quickly folded and got out of our way.
I flipped my pocket kings over, then looked him straight in the eye and just smiled. Then someone says “Yeah! Now we’ve got some action!” He sighed and flipped over QQ - he actually had a real hand for a change. That’s one of the problems with these kinds of “semi-solid, aggressive” players, like my Russian friend here, and other poker greats like Gus Hansen. You never really know exactly what to expect from them. Of course, my opponent could’ve held pocket rockets (AA), but I’ll play those KK cowboys strong each and every time I get them, since there’s only one hand that can beat them heads-up. I also knew this aggressive player on tilt was likely to be overplaying his hand, improving my odds significantly.
The flop, turn and river came and went without another Queen and it was done - my cowboys stood up and I had all of both Russian’s stacks, which included most of the other two poor maniac’s chips (who lost to the Russians earlier). This instantly made me by far the chip leader at our table with well over 22,000 chips!
I went from having an average chip stack to being the table chip leader, against tough, aggressive opponents, within less than half an hour by:
a) Playing solid, reasonable tournament poker,
b) Not taking big, undue risks with weak or “drawing” hands,
c) Studying my aggressive prey and where the chips were sitting,
d) Formulating and refining a battle plan while observing the game progress,
e) Remaining patient while waiting for the right hand to make my move, and
f) Executing this plan with precision against a predetermined opponent, and on terms of my choosing - not the opponent’s.
There was no luck involved at all - except that my opponent didn’t hold AA or pull some lucky cards with a trash hand - which was simply playing the odds in my favor.
I started out with a high-level strategy to target aggressive chip leaders, and go after them with strong hands from the right position. I planned this before I ever arrived at the casino that day, or knew who these players would be. Then, I refined my plan once I knew for certain whom the evening’s targets would be and how I’d provoke them. It certainly helped that I caught two decent hands during those first hours of play.
Unfortunately, I later lost to a legitimate full house, but made it into the top 40 - it happens…
The key to playing against aggressive and maniac players is having a viable Texas Holdem strategy you can profit from when you get some good hands. If you have a good plan, you can convert it into a formidable stockpile of chips - a stack that you’ll definitely need as the blinds and antes increase and the tournament field narrows in the latter stages.
This is how I approach Texas Holdem strategy for tournaments now - at least when the tables are full with 8 or more players, some of them aggressive and maniacs. So, the next time you encounter wild and aggressive players at your poker table, get ready to have some fun! It’s like Tae Kwon Do - using the opponent’s own energy and momentum against them.
In the next installment, we’ll detail this Texas Holdem strategy more formally, along with exploring some other tournament tips for playing better Texas Holdem poker.
Until then - good luck!
Rick
About the Author
Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and pro software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and software specialize in helping people become better Texas Holdem poker players. If you’re a poker player, be sure to visit his BetterHoldem.com website today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem, too.
In the USA there are 2 types of satellite TV systems. The first is TVRO which stands for TeleVision Receive Only. The second is DBS which stands for Direct Broadcast Satellite.
TVRO – TeleVision Receive Only
TVRO was the first satellite system available for home viewing of satellite TV. It required a relatively big dish of 3 to 6 feet in diameter and worked in C-Band. Frequencies of around 4 G Hertz are called C-Band and require bigger dishes because the wave length of these frequencies is longer than in Ku-Band which requires a much smaller dish of about 18 inches. Ku-Band is at 12 to 14 G Hertz.
TVRO systems also need a movable dish because it needs to get all the channels of many satellites. C-Band satellites have much less channels available than Ku-Band satellites and therefore more satellites are needed to provide enough channels. Possibilities that exist with TVRO systems is that you can also receive free channels and independent feeds from for instance news companies. You could for instance receive the unedited material that is broadcasted from a news crew somewhere in the coverage area of the satellite. They transmit their materials to their headquarters using a C-Band satellite. Many of these types of feeds are not scrambled and are available to everyone with the proper equipment.
TVRO systems are often referred to as Big Dish TV, C-Band Satellite TV and BUD (Big Ugly Dish).
DBS - Direct Broadcast Satellite
Satellite TV via DBS is done in the Ku-Band. These satellites work on higher frequencies and can transmit higher power signals. This means that much smaller dishes can be used to receive the signal. A small dish of 18 inches is already enough to receive all satellite TV by Satellite TV. This makes it possible to have satellite TV from an apartment on the 10th floor, if you have a clear line of sight to the south.
DBS is for everyone. The satellite dish is so small that it is not an obstacle like with for instance the TVRO dishes of 3 to 6 feet. Once installed the dish needs no maintenance since it is aimed at just one satellite. Some dishes actually have 2 or more feeds which makes it possible to receive the signals from more than 1 satellite.
There are no free channels available on DBS satellites as these are often owned and used by the satellite TV provider it self, while TVRO satellites often are used by those who rent space on the satellite for a limited time. TVRO systems are meant for, for instance, transport of unedited materials between continents, but also within one continent.
DBS is meant for everyone with a simple, low cost installation of the system. Often the installation is for free as it really is very easy to do. The only thing that is needed is a bit of knowledge of where to find the satellite and the tools that make this even easier. A qualified installer will find the satellite and point it to maximum reception within minutes.
How can anybody categorize Machiavelli Hangman into a single genre? There are those films that you watch and you immediately can tell that they will be thrown into the same box as Pulp Fiction or Memento or Usual Suspects. Others will fall into the quiet road-trip flicks like Almost Famous, Thelma and Louise, Stand by Me. Then, there are the big Hollywood flicks like War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park, Batman Begins, Superman Returns.
Before seeing the film, I had the strong sense that Machiavelli Hangman was going to be an exact replica of Pulp Fiction because all the articles referred to it as a Quentin Tarantino-esque picture. They couldn’t have been further from the truth. Originally, I thought that the filmmakers would attempt at impersonating the director of Reservoir Dogs like so many have before (a prime example was the awful Go). Usually, it either is Tarantino dialogue or it’s crap and knowing for a fact that Tarantino had nothing to do with Machiavelli Hangman (http://www.hangmanmovie.com), I went in automatically thinking it was going to be crap.
Which brings us back to what we were just discussing about how there are some films that you can’t categorize. The Raiders of the Lost Arch (beside the other Indiana Jones installments) was one of those films because it was not just an action-adventure film. It had a great deal of comedy and at the same time some very dramatic elements infused into the storyline.
These days it seems that most films stick to their genre and they go with it without trying to give their stories any additional depth. After all, movies are like people and as human beings, we not all just sad, or all just happy.
Machiavelli Hangman blew me away in that it transcended every type of categorization and it became so human in its approach that it moved me beyond words. It was the best of those comedies like Some Like It Hot while being a great drama like Crash and still managing to feed the minds of those arthouse film lovers - it is up there with Mullholland Drive and Memento without losing its audience like the previous two did.
Shervin Youssefian (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1352346/), whom many have already started calling the next Alain Resnais or Jean-Luc Goddard, takes a single event and he stretches it over a period of two days and as an audience we get to see the subtle exchanges between the characters. While a film like Armageddon doesn’t leave you enough breathing space in between the thunder-fast editing, Machiavelli Hangman understands and uses the power of silence and music to convey secrets.
In the test-screening theatre, there were viewers between the ages of 14 and all the way to their late 70’s who were equally entranced into the film, their eyes glued to the silver screen. When a film lives in this middle ground and can achieve such a universal appeal without categorization, then it is the true work of a master filmmaker and it will surely stand the test of time.
About the author:
Robert Mortenson is a movie reviewer.
Machiavelli Hangman
http://www.hangmanmovie.com
(NC)Fiber is a very beneficial substance for your body. And when fiber is delivered in the delicious and sweet package of a fresh pear, it takes on a whole new level of appeal.
Pears are one of the most fiber-filled fruits around. With 4 grams of dietary fiber per serving (one medium sized pear, think the size of a baseball), pears are a good source of fiber - one pear will give you about 18% of the recommended daily intake of fiber. More information about pear nutrition can be found at www.usapears.com.
In addition to its digestive tract benefits, fiber has a load of other health benefits including:
• Fiber slows how quickly sugar goes into the bloodstream, which may reduce peaks of blood sugar levels - very important for diabetics.
• Low-fat diets rich in fruits and vegetables (foods that are low in fat and cholesterol and that contain dietary fiber and vitamins A and C) may reduce the risks of some types of cancer and coronary heart disease.
• For those on low-carb diets, the grams of fiber can be subtracted from the total carbohydrates because fiber stays undigested in the body.
For those looking to lose a few pounds, eating a high-fiber diet versus a low-fiber diet (calorie intake being equal) promotes postmeal “satiety,” meaning we feel fuller and for longer after eating a high-fiber meal. Researchers from the State University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil reported that overweight women who ate three small pears a day (about 300 grams total) lost more weight on a low-calorie diet than women who didn’t add high-fiber fruit options to their diet. In addition, the fruit eaters ate fewer calories overall, boosting their weight loss efforts.
While you’re enjoying a sweet delicious pear grown in the Pacific Northwest, remember that the compact package and ultra-sweet taste is rewarding your taste buds as well as your body.
- News Canada
About the Author
News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.
News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.
This article is designed to raise the concern about teen driving fatalities and what can be done to drastically reduce this alarming statistic. While this article may be sensitive to some readers in certain industries, we would like to raise the question as to what can be done to make our teens better drivers and how to alert others on the road that a new driver is behind the wheel.
Our previous article raised the question of whether the driving age in the country needs to be raised to age 18. With more teen fatalities on the road each year than the amount of deaths reported from 9/11, we must consider changes to our laws governing teen driving. From another perspective one could say that the number of teen deaths on the roads in the U.S. are greater than the number of deaths reported of U.S. soldiers before and after the war in Iraq! Are our roads a war zone?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 3,657 drivers aged 15 to 20 years killed in 2003. In 2002, the number killed in the same age range was 3,827. While one would never make light of 9/11, let us consider the amount of energy, government changes, money, war - to name just a few - put forth after 9/11. If only a fraction of this energy had been given to the teen driving problem, perhaps we could have reduced teen driving related deaths in 2002 and 2003 - a staggering total of 7,484.
Following is a combined statement from
- Gordon Booth, Chief Instructor of Drivetrain, Inc. in California, http://www.drivetrainusa.com, and
- Eddie Wren of Drive and Stay Alive in New York, http://www.driveandstayalive.com, regarding our teen driving problem:
“Research in several countries has shown not only that the younger people are when they start to drive the higher the chances of having a serious or fatal crash within the first year of driving, but also that a young person’s brain is not fully developed until after the teenage years have passed, and that this, in turn, also reduces a young person’s abilities as a safe driver.
Wisdom and any genuine desire to protect young people both undeniably dictate that it is better if teenagers do not start to drive until they are at least 17 or preferably 18 years old.
It is noticeable that if parents can hold back a female for 6 months, so they do not start driving until 17 or 18, then one sees them mature at least 12 months. With males a hold back of about a year equals a maturity increase of about 6 months.”
Inexperience, risk taking behavior, and immaturity are cited as primary reasons for these accidents. Increasing the driving age to 18 would not necessarily change all three primary reasons. Therefore, we must consider other possible solutions as well, such as the driving education process itself.
Driver Education Comparison
Comparing our driver education process with other countries is an important step in exploring possible solutions. Using Germany as an example, we were able to obtain the following information directly from the German driving school online at http://www.fahrschule.de
- First you must be at least 18 years of age.
- After you have completed the driver education course and school you are on probation for 2 years. During these 2 years a lesser driving violation would require you to re-take the driver education course. A more serious driving violation would call for your driver’s license to be revoked. In either case when your driver’s license has been granted once again you will be on probation for 4 years.
- The driver training course covers almost 28 hours of classroom education followed by 35 hours of driving school on the road to cover varying conditions of day, night and autobahn experience with an instructor.
The above only covers a small portion of the driving laws in Germany. It is evident, however, that the United States does not have these requirements.
How to drive a car?
Teen driver’s aside, it is reasonable to suggest that many adults who have had their driver’s license for years are not knowledgeable enough on how to drive a car. They may be traffic regulation experienced, but what about actually using the vehicle? During the driver education process we should include how to handle a car under different conditions — road conditions for rain, snow, ice, what to do if you have to slam on the brakes at higher speeds, sudden unexpected responses requiring split second decisions, how to handle the automatic and manual transmissions - to name just a few.
This type of training can be performed in driver simulation courses that are currently available from RoadSafety.Com (http://www.roadsafety.com). Larry Selditz, President of RoadSafety.Com had this to tell us:
“For the past 18 months we have been involved in a research and development project to bring effective vehicle simulation to novice drivers and others. While simulators have been around for years, the operative word here is “effective”, science-based simulation. We recently completed the Research and Development phase of this project and are now in the process of helping to develop a cost effective commercially viable simulation product. One of our Vice Presidents, Mr. Fred Craft, is forming a new company utilizing the technology we helped develop. Fred is an industry expert in advanced vehicle simulation and I believe he would be an ideal contact for input for your article. I have forwarded a copy of your email to Fred.
I have always been a strong advocate of training and believe it is a key component to developing safe driving SKILLS. That is exactly what a simulator can help achieve. Our vehicle and driver monitoring system, a “black box”, is the key to developing safe driving HABITS. As my friend Ron Thackery, Vice President of Risk and Safety for American Medical Response, once told me “what you monitor you can control - what you don’t, you won’t”. That applies to teenagers as well as paramedics. American Medical response operates the largest fleet of ambulances in the world and uses our black box to control and improve driver performance. The same principles that have reduced the number of ambulance crashes by more than 90% are used in the “black box” we developed for teenage drivers.”
Economic Implications
The primary industries affected by increasing the driving age to 18 are the automotive manufacturers, auto insurance, gas and driving education companies. This basically covers the largest firms within the auto industry.
The automotive manufacturers would only see a delay in purchases by a factor of three years and only for the first three years that the driving age was raised to 18. Most 18 year olds would receive their driver’s licenses during the summer after graduating from high school.
The auto insurance companies would hopefully gain revenues by not having to pay out insurance claims due to car accidents created by the 15 - 18 old teens. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates approximately 300,000 motor vehicle crashes resulting in injuries for this age group per year, which is above the figures for the fatalities mentioned earlier in this article. Therefore, auto insurance industry would have a gain from raising the age limit and not having to pay out 900,000 claims from car accidents over a three year period from age 15 to 18.
Gasoline companies would see a reduction in their revenues with the reduction of gasoline usage. Whether 15 - 18 year old drivers generate a significant impact upon the revenues of gasoline companies is unsubstantiated as of this writing. However, it would be safe to surmise some level of reduction would be apparent. The reduction of emissions would indeed benefit our planet.
Driving schools would see the most significant impact. Short term they would lose business for the first 3 years. Those three years could be used, however, to help provide them support by both State and Federal governments. The amount of financial effort that has been put forth after 9/11 against terrorist continues to question if only a fraction could be used in this effort to help save our teenagers. During these three years, assisting them to prepare courses should be considered. Long term the driving schools would actually fair better as they would have more hours per student to charge.
Affects upon the Family
For parents with new teen drivers with permit licenses going through a state Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program, there will be no affect in the initial implementation of changing the driving age to 18. Parents with teens that have their operators license and who have allowed their teens to drive on their own will most likely find themselves having to continue to “chauffeur” their 16 - 18 year old teens to their various activities. While precious time would be encumbered, you can get comfort from the fact that your teen is still alive, your car is not damaged from an auto accident and your insurance has not doubled because of a teen driver on the policy.
What if we do not change the driving age?
I have a philosophy that the difference between utopia and reality is a choice. A choice by an individual or a group to make a change or move in a different direction. The statistics about teen driving require a change. If changing the driving age to 18 is too big of a leap today, then we can take smaller steps to help teens have better education and understand how to drive a car instead of blindly using a deadly weapon.
We need to review what the driving schools are asked to teach the students. The requirements need to include not only traffic safety, but car driving training under differing conditions. The number of hours required behind the wheel should equal the number of hours required for the course, which is currently around 30 hours. Parents would spend more money to achieve this, but the additional cost is insignificant compared to the lives of their loved ones.
Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) should be a requirement nationwide and include a probationary period for all new drivers to last through age 18. Traffic violations during the probationary period should require re-taking the driver education course -not with adults that are in a defensive driving course, but with other teens. Asking the teen to re-take driver education through the same school they received their initial education would be a consideration. Tracking the teens that re-take driver education and the driving schools they attend would also help understand if there is a driving school that may not be properly educating the teens.
Driving school vehicles are always well marked while students are driving on the main roads. Unfortunately, that requirement does not extend to the family vehicle for new drivers in a GDL program. All family vehicles with a new teen driver should be required to have at least one label on the back of the car while the teen is driving and through age 18.
Bumper stickers are not always practical when a teen is occasionally driving the car and stick-on vinyl to the window does not address night-time driving issues. The technology exists today to use car magnets that are thick, reflective for the night and are durable. These types of car magnets can be found at Auto Safety Magnets. http://www.autosafetymagnets.com Identifying these almost 2 million vehicles on the road should be a requirement on a national level.
In Conclusion
We hope the above information was helpful to address the problems, the need, and identify options if the driving age remained status quo or if it were raised. We hope the information was comprehensive to show the economic implications and the hindrances to raising the driving age. With these alarming statistics why have state and federal governments, as well as, the automotive industry jumped to the rescue? Have financial issues during hard economic times been put ahead of our youth? We have to “cowboy-up” to a resolution about this national problem.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melih (may-lee) Oztalay, CEO
Auto Safety Magnets
Direct: (248) 568-2241
Web: http://www.autosafetymagnets.com
Newsletter: http://www.autosafetymagnets.com/newsletter.php
Blog: http://autosafetymagnets.blogspot.com
Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of Tea once said that, “World Peace would be with us if politicians drank tea at meetings” - or something to that effect. And she was very true in her words, very true indeed. A cup of Tea does wanders to all that drink it.
Did you know that people in Britain and the Republic of Ireland consume the most tea per person in the world? I always thought it was Japan or China but then their cups are much smaller than our cups! It is also interesting to note that more than 2,000,000,000 cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world! That is a gigantic amount of cups and I can but imagine how many I contribute to that figure, about one I might guess! In weight terms, that equals out to 2 and a half million tones of Tea being drunk throughout the world every year or from a British point of view just under 6lb’s per person per year is consumed!
Where does tea come from, who’ had the first cup of Tea and why does everybody like it? The answer is not from the supermarket, my mother and because it is cheap and easy to make. There is a deep routed culture and history behind Tea, something that all dedicated Tea drinkers should have knowledge of.
Tea became very popular to the British gentry in the seventeenth Century. This was when Tea became widely known and built itself initially into an upper class act of snobbery! Tea at this time was only grown in China and was a closely guarded secret of the Chinese Emperors of the time. Tea was bought and shipped from China to the rest of the world, Japan, Formosa, India, America and Europe in a variety of ships of different nationalities. Dutch and Spanish ships competed with the massive fleets of the British Empire to carry tea to where it was most needed. For the most part companies like the Dutch East Indian Company whom first imported Tea to Europe and The British East India Company controlled most of the market for themselves.
From any old ship to specially built Clippers this tea was brought from China to the Western World in ever increasing quantities, yet no matter how many ships were built or how much tea was grown they could not keep up with the Western Demand! Famous ships’ like the Cutty Sark will ring a bell with most. This ship is typical of those used purely to carry Tea from China to Europe and hence to the Tea Rooms’ of the wealthy. Large barrel like ships designed to carry as much cargo as possible and built with quantity in mind rather than of speed. The early Nineteenth Century saw ships like the Cutty Sark being replaced by sleeker and faster ships and in 1834 a ship called The Oriental completed a voyage from Canton to London in 95 days. 15 days less than the Cutty Sark would have taken.
Tea in America was the third most important import during the eighteenth century and Tea sparked off what was to become the separation of Britain and America - the War of Independence. Does the Boston Tea Party ring a bell? This was where armed immigrants dressed as Indians secretly boarded three clipper ships in Boston Harbor and threw all of the imported tea into the sea. A show of resistance against the high taxation of the British Government on Americans settlers and by throwing the Tea away they sparked off the war. Yep, the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773. Maybe they should have all just sat back and have a cup of tea to think about it, but then that would mean that Britain would still control colonies in America! Wow, except for “Tea” history would be so different.
In the late eighteenth/nineteenth Century America and Europe fast became the major players in the Tea Trade. Competition was fierce and ships battled the seas to leave first, sail fastest and arrive first to whichever port they may be going. Bigger ships, faster ships and more of them were used yet at no point could they keep up with the growing demand. Tea was rapidly being reduced in price and spreading through all walks and classes of society. The rich and the poor could now all relax with a cup of tea but only if faster ships could be built or more vessels could be found! The Chinese tried to keep the trade even with all countries but Britain in a show of determination wooed the Chinese with inbound Opium from India thus breaking any vestiges of rebellion. Through opium shipments and thus a resultant lack of orientation on the part of the Chinese through drugs the British controlled Tea Shipments out of China and to the rest of the world for many a year.
Bigger ships and faster ships but all still very slow and small in comparison to the ships of today. The start of the decline of the Clipper era was in 1869 when the Suez Canal opened thus shortening sailing times from Asia to Europe by many days. Then with the invention of the steam ship good-byes where said to the heroic dashes and brave men who battled the oceans to bring tea to our shores on the wooden sailing ships.
The story of Tea does not end with the demise of the sailing ships and clippers. Long before that happened many a budding tea drinker found great interest in Tea Growing. How was tea grown, where does it come from and many asked the simple question of “why do we have to buy it from China?” Of course, if the secret of “how to grow tea” could be found then all would be so much simpler. If somebody could get that secret from the Chinese then tea could be grown in other places and closer to the demands of European and American Tea drinkers. If somebody could steal the secret and grow it in India, Ceylon, Turkey and other such places where ships could ply their trade on shorter and therefore more frequent voyages and where tea was closer to the places it was needed in, life would be so much better.
Tea was first used in China a thousand or so years before the rest of the world even knew about it. It took a ‘thief’ in 1849 disguised as a Chinese Merchant to go to the Tea regions in China, to learn how the closely guarded tea was produced and eventually to bring back samples of the plants. In fact this ‘thief’ was Robert Fortune a Botanist from England and he was commissioned by the Tea Commission to steal from the Chinese and observe their secretive methods of Tea Making. Wow, what a brave man he must have been! He managed to watch and gain valuable insight into the arts of growing tea, to appropriate various tea plants and to take them to Calcutta. A Botanist to Thief to Tea Grower - an excellent career move!
He noted that: Tea needs loose, deep and acidic soil and high altitudes to grow best and he eventually saw his dream come alive with the planting of twenty thousand tea tree saplings at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. And from this point we come across some of the famous names in Tea. Those that are with us today and who were at that time referred to as “gentlemanly Tea Merchants”. To name but a few: Thomas Lipton, Thomas Twining and James Taylor. Through Robert Fortunes thieving skills the Tea Island of Cyprus sprang into being, India became famous for its Assam Tea and Darjeeling and today Tea is now a major revenue earner for over forty countries.
Tea Drinking is a ritual in many a society. In China guests must be greeted with a bowl of tea, tea is synonymous with Buddhism in the Far East and to the Zen faith in Japan. Russians love of tea is depicted through the Samovar, in Morocco we have the famous Mint Tea and in Europe’s Tea Houses history and culture lives on deep and faithful as part of life itself. And in Japan one can gain a Diploma in Tea Mastery from one of three schools dedicated to the teachings in the “Way of Tea” (cha-do) So Tea culture is very strong all over the world but why is this so?
Why do we drink tea? Why do we insist on drinking tea every day of every week? What is it that makes us sit down and slowly consume a cup when there are things to do, shopping to get and kids to feed? Why do we suddenly give up all that is necessary and sit back with a cup of tea and smile as if we have not a care in the world?
The answer is in itself. People love Tea for its calming essence and the culture that goes with it. Tea is used in times of trouble and to escape from life, not because of any association but because Tea does have many a body altering ingredient, even if we know nothing about them. We in the Western World drink cups of Black Tea and do not associate such with any medical or body altering feature but little do we know. Even those thousands of years ago when China alone drank tea, they drank it to cure many an ailment or problem that they might suffer from. It is known today that certain teas can cure headaches, reduce cholesterol or improve ones sight amongst many hundreds of other cures and results. These are specialty teas and not the ones we associate with morning or afternoon Tea-time but they are readily available should one look into it. Our Western culture is sparked from the calming essence associated with the Black Tea, more from a cultural point of view than from its physical properties. For your information though; the average Tea contains vitamins A, B and E. A cup of tea is rich with minerals of iron, copper, zinc, sodium and contains fluoride to fight the cavities. So much, all in a cup? Yes, it is true that so much can be in so little! So whilst you are sitting back and relaxing, you can now think about what it is doing for you!
Two points that tea drinkers often struggle with is the question of milk! The first is the question of, “with or without Milk”? First of all Green teas and Mint Teas do not go with milk. They are kept well away from that sort of thing. Milk goes with Black Tea to dilute it’s often bitter and harsh taste and has stemmed from there into an everyday requirement. The second is that of milk before or after pouring the tea into the cup? Does one pour the milk in first and then the tea, or the tea first and then top up with milk? Each to his/her own way, I say, but there is a rather more rooted reason for milk first. Milk was originally placed in the cup first to prevent the gentle porcelain from cracking when the hot tea was poured into it. What becomes more important is whether or not the Tea is brewed in a Teapot or it is being infused in the Cup itself. I say this with regard to people who place a Tea Bag in the cup, then pour milk onto the tea bag and then add the boiling water. This is not allowed! This way destroys all the culture associated with Tea and needless to say the Tea itself does not infuse correctly. In this case the Milk must be added after the water and infusion has taken place.
Whilst writing all the above a certain picture kept coming into my mind, a piece of “Tea Culture” that is depicted in the famous Asterix and Obelix Cartoon Series. It is in the one where The Romans come to Britain to expand their Empire and are very upset because the British always stop fighting at ‘Tea Time”. The picture in my mind is of the Romans hanging around impatiently, wanting to attack and conquer the British, but they are all sitting back and sipping Tea - not fighting until they have finished their brews!
Beware though folks of the tea today! Tea bags are produced and made for the simple reasons of economy and ease of transportation to your supermarket shelves. Tea bags are easy to use but do be suspicious of a tea that as soon as it is in contact with water turns black! I am sure that it cannot be Tea. Stick to the real stuff that has taste. If you have any further questions please do go to the Tea Council Web Site to dialogue with the experts or to gain extra information to what has been given above. Failing that an excellent Book on Tea is available and called “The Little Book of Tea” and published by Flammarion. A French Publisher - good excuse to go to France and taste some wine!
“I’ll put the Kettle on and we can talk all about it”
About the Author
Ieuan Dolby, from Scotland is an Engineering Officer in the Merchant Navy. He has been travelling the world for 15yrs on an endless tour of cultural diversification. Currently based in Singapore he writes various articles for magazines and newspapers and is working on a marine glossary.
ieuandolby@lycos.com
Whether you’re a slots newbie or just need an update, we show you how to play smart for your maximum fun.
TRY A THREESOME
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Most importantly, what’s your payout?
Look the right of your screen and you will see the paytable. The payout is allways shown in coins, so to work out your win multiply the win shown by the size of coins that you are using. Say you are olaying with 25-cent coins and you win 10 coins; that means you win $2.50 because 10 x 25 cents = $2.50.
GET IT ON VIDEO
Video slots offer fantastic bonus featurs, plus they have anything from nine to 25 paylines. With so many chances for winning, paylines can become quite complex. Just remember that if you bet one line you will be betting on line 1, if you select five lines you will always be betting on lines 1 through 5.
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Press the button: With video slots, you can choose to bet anything from one to 10 coins per line depending on the game. First choose the size of coins you wish to play with, then select the number of coins per line you wish bet.That way, if you want to change your bet, all that you have to do is change the number of coins per line without having to change all the settings of your game.
GET THE PICTURE - UNDERSTANDING SYMBOLS
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Scatter symbols can appear anywhere on your screen. No matter where, if you get enough you’ll be winner. To check how many you need to quaalify, just go to the paytable screen where all possible winning combinations are listed.
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The more you see, the luckier you get. Like jokers in cards, wild symbols take on the value of the symbol to their immediate left on any active payline.
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Bonus featurs are a special feature of video slot. They are triggered by a certain combinations of symbols (depending on the game) and appear in different forms. Some give you free spins in which all your winns are multiplied. Others are a lot like a lucky draw. You get to choose a mystery item that gives you bonus credit.
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When you’ve got the hang of video slots you can choose expert mode. By clicking on the "expert mode" button you can change your options. The quick play buttons "spin 5x" and "spin 10x" allow you to do just that. If you change your minds, just click on the stop button.
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About the Author
ABC Casinos Gambling Source - Casino promotions, no deposit bonuses, Internet casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks listed alphabetically with reviews covering payouts, software, languages, currencies,deposit and withdrawal options, legal, banking and customer support
