Top Best Tourist Stops in California

There are so many tourist attractions in California that it is difficult to narrow them down, but there are a few that stand out.

Christmas on the Beach

Myrtle Beach isn’t only a great place to visit in the summer. Christmas in Myrtle Beach can be just as magical as any summertime trip, and especially nice for those coming from northern states looking to escape the cold for a bit. In case you needed more reasons than just the sound of the ocean and some relaxation, here are some great reasons to visit Myrtle Beach at Christmastime.

Hardwood vs Carpet: Pros and Cons

Hardwood and carpet are the ultimate favorites of homeowners because of their favorable characteristics that make them stand out from other types of flooring. Choosing between them can be tough because they do have their own lists of pros and cons. We at Carolina Flooring Services will help you evaluate the two and help you decide whether to install hardwood or carpet in your home.

Why Dealerships Push Extended Warranties

(Photo credit: Thomas Hawk)

You found the car you want at the dealership, you even talked the salesman down to a price you're comfortable paying. You've won the war, right?

That is until the pressure comes in to buy an extended warranty for your "gently used" vehicle. What happens if you blow a gasket? What if the starter goes kaput? Don't you want protection for these repairs?

If you haven't made a lot of car purchases at dealerships it may come as a surprise to you that the real full court press in sales comes after you've likely agreed to buy the car. The extended warranty is where the real money is made it turns out, and that's why your sales person is going to push so hard to buy it. According to Consumer Reports most places earn up to 50% or more margins when they sell an extended warranty.

With profit margins thinning on vehicles, add-ons like extended warranties are increasingly where dealerships make their money. Interestingly, many of these dealerships that won't budge on a warranty's price (should you pursue one) also sell discounted warranty coverage online. This is a perfect example of dealers having their cake and eating it, too. For in house sales they likely offer a commission to the salesperson, but savvy dealerships also set up standalone websites and hock their wares across the country at a discounted rate so they can get a piece of that action as well. While there are third party used car warranty providers like Auto Warranty One, for every one of those there are fifty local dealerships selling GM, Ford and Chrysler backed plans.

So, if you're wondering where the pressure is coming from, it's strictly the dealer's bottom line and honestly it's hard to blame them. If you do want to go down the path of getting a warranty for your used car, though, you're likely to find your best deal online, and not at the dealer.

Chapter 5

It's been a long week.  I'm about halfway through editing and revising Chapter Five.  It's been both fun and difficult as I've had to include more information than was originally there - due to the improvements I made at the end of the story.  It seems to be working well so I'm just going to stick at it.  Even as I'm writing it I can just tell that this is only the beginning of a very long and meticulous revision process.  It's not so much that I can see inconsistencies in the structuring of the plot, but I just don't feel that it's 'gelling' together very well between chapters.

In Chapter Five I have a character who must appear to be a goody, but in actual fact he's working for the enemy.  I want to write it in such a way that the reader won't see through the disguise on the first reading, but when (if) they read it for a second time they will learn more about how deceitful this particular character is.  The problem I have when writing like this is that I always feel like I've given too much away and so constantly alter it to make things more subtle to the point that it no longer achieves its purpose.

I've adopted the mentality that as long as I'm constantly working on it, it doesn't really matter when I finish.  Once the plot inconsistencies have been rectified I think that I'll feel much better about it all.  So for now I'm going to get back to it and hopefully complete the editing of Chapter Five tonight.

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Spring!

It looks like the weather here in Michigan is warming up for good. The mosquitos are already letting their presence be known but they are a minor nuissance in comparision to the floral beauty to be found all over town. The azaleas are huge and the honey suckle vines are already sending sweet scent through the thick warm air.

St. Mary's is even more like a picture book at this time of year than any other. It a beauty that leaves me uneasy and suspicious. Because never once for even a second am I ever unaware of exactly what stage of recovery Nola is in. Ever. It is a painful contrast that I struggle to balance within my life daily.

See, what no one wants to discuss in polite company is this - what happened to the gulf coast (and it's subsequent near abandonment) can happen ANYWHERE. As a matter of fact it will happen there again - in about four to six months. Why? Because we won't have levees much less local leaders with any sense. What we will have is lots of yet to be picked up debris that will get tossed around and thousands of vulnerable houses with blue roofs, trailers, and tents on slabs that will provide little or no protection to residents during even the lightest hurricane.

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New Surgical Bone Screws

There’s a new sheriff in town when it comes to orthopedic bone screws says a team of scientists from Germany. For quite a long time, bone screws have been made out of titanium and will often stay in your body for the rest of your life. In those situations titanium bone screws are just fine, however patients will often need to have the bone screws removed after their bodies have fully recovered. The German scientists have claimed to have made biodegradable screws that will simply melt away after a given period of time, and are completely harmless to your body.

This could pave a new way for how orthopedic bone screws and other orthopedic implants are manufactured in the future. It poses quite a challenge for manufacturers, and requires a whole new method and new machinery to manufacture them. However there’s plenty of time to plan, as the bone screws need to pass through a slew of quality and safety tests before they can be widely used around the world.

Bone screws have indeed come a long way, as prior to their invention it was incredibly difficult to fix a variety of bone fractures, and patients would never fully recover or the bone would heal incorrectly. Bone screws hold bones and everything else together and give the patient much more freedom to move around and recover as naturally and quickly as possible.

Sources:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-10461572-247.html

http://www.autocam-medical.com/products/orthopedic-implants/orthopedic-bone-screws/

http://www.gizmag.com/biodegradable-screw/14591/