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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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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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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Laser Surgery For Snoring - How to Permanently Stop Snoring

I’m going to talk about the different types of laser surgery for snoring available today. Snoring can be considered as one of life’s major problems. It can affect you and your sleeping partner. A permanent solution to snoring is laser surgery. This type of surgery is the best solution for snoring problems to date. It is popular because its effect is permanent and is technically safe. The effectiveness of laser surgery for snoring is evidenced by uvuloopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP. But to be really safe, you have to be in the hands of an expert when undergoing this type of treatment therapy. You need the help of a qualified health expert. After surgery and the required recovery time, you will experience an almost immediate relief to snoring. If you compare laser surgery to the tools and devices used for snoring, the former would fair better. All others can only provide for a temporary solution to snoring. Laser surgery, on the other hand, can give permanent relief. This is why laser UPPP is the one most popular today. While there are other types of laser surgery for snoring, only one thing is their main goal - to remove all the blockages present in your mouth or throat that are causing you to snore. The uvuloopalatopharyngoplasty or the UPPP is a type of laser surgery that aims to remove the patient’s tonsils, along with some parts of the uvula and soft palate. There are actually two kinds of laser surgery for snoring. The more preferred type is laser-assisted, which is the main point of interest here. When it comes to price, the laser-assisted UPPP is a lot cheaper than traditional UPPP. Here, the uvula will not be removed totally, rather it is shortened. The soft palate will be vaporized with the use of the laser beam. The other type of UPPP is referred to the traditional method. That one requires the use of anesthesia. If laser-assisted surgery is performed under local anesthetic, traditional UPPP surgery needs general anesthesia. The only problem with this method is the fact that the tonsil should be removed before the actual procedure is performed. As such, the method is perfect for people who had already taken out their tonsils.
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How To watch the Olympics on your mobile phone

NBC has such a tight stranglehold on Olympics coverage that if you’re in America, you are pretty much under their mind control. That being said, here is a guide to using the technologies put out by NBC and a couple by other networks so that you can maximize your Olympics watching. Mobile Web: The most obvious way to get your Olympics coverage on your mobile is via your mobile web. If you’re not a smartphone user, this might not be the best option for you as the mobile web on your device will be utter crap. However, if you have a decent browser, consider The NBC Olympics Mobile Web site. The site includes live news, highlights and feature video, Team USA profiles, slideshow galleries, voting polls, alerts sign-up, live medal counts, detailed results & schedules, customizable TV & online listings, and all the top news and video from Beijing. Wow. So pretty much if you dare to visit the site your phone will explode from the information overload. Users can access the NBC Olympics Mobile web site by going to http://mobile.nbcolympics.com on their mobile device’s Internet browser or by texting “OLYMPICS” to 51515. E-mail Alerts: Once again, this tip is probably more handy for a smartphone user but many non-smartphones out there still have decent email support and thus could use text and e-mail alerts to get the news straight to their phone. NBC Olympics offers text and e-mail alerts for breaking news, top headlines for all Olympic sports, medal results, event previews, athlete alerts, and TV/live streaming schedule reminders. NBC Olympics Mobile will also provide free photo & video highlight alerts for top Olympic sports. Mobile Video: NBC Olympics Mobile Video will provide highlights, daily news, and exclusive feature videos on-demand to mobile video users. Mobile video is available on the NBC Olympics Mobile Web site and on-deck with select mobile providers.
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My father

I was watching House reruns on USA tonight and the episode Son of Coma Guy was on. It s the one with John Laroquette where the son needed a heart transplant and the father offers to kill himself to give it to him. He asks House what message he should leave for his son because he can t think of what he should need to say. House punts saying that it s not his kid. So he asks House what he would want to hear from his father. House replies You were right. My father passed away in . We had a rocky unstable violent abusive relationship. He spent years telling me I was wrong that I wasn t good enough I couldn t do anything right and most memorably that I was going to end up living on a park bench some day. What we tell our children has such a huge effect on who they become. My father spent so much time telling me I was going to fail that for the better part of a decade it s all I was capable of. Dropped out of many schools never went to college broke a few laws here and there an ou! tstandingly abnormal childhood. That doesn t mean you should coddle your children or tell them that everything they does is perfect that can have serious consequences as well. Positively framed negative feedback can be the difference between someone who breaks down upon the slightest criticism and someone who can take a criticism and turn it into a learning experience. Parents should be honest and supportive. So back to the topic at hand. My father. My father was raised in the deep south a little town called Kingstree South Carolina. He was raised in the s and s back when kids were taught not to show emotion not to show weakness. This created an entire generation of emotionally cripped assholes. He joined the Navy at what I can only assume was the age of records are vague as so many did by lying about his birthday. Presumably this was during the initial rumblings of the Nazi empire and he wanted to fight. More probably it was because he was the son of a dirt poor share crop! per in the Carolina tobacco fields and needed an escape from his family which given his personality was much worse. He married my mom in about six months before Pearl Harbor was bombed. She was a rare breed in the s a divorced catholic her first marriage consisting of a man who beat her violently for absolutely no reason. It was later discovered that my dad perpetrated his same brand of abuse on her for the or so years The worst part of it was the abuse was emotional and NOT physical. I never had marks bruises random sick days from school. Because the outward signs of abuse weren t there I was just a delinquent growing up handicapped from a young age by bad parenting. How bad is it that there are times I wish my father did hit me. Evidence of his abuse might have stopped it. In the years since he died I ve proven that he was wrong. In everything. Home family career whups and a purpose. And to top it off I do it without ever telling my kids they re going to end up sleeping on a park bench. I do however still have many scars and unlike physical ! scars these are wounds that will never fully heal. My need for and utter disappointment at the lack of outside approval being the most notable of my scars. and why I write this. What would I want my father to say to me I m sorry I was wrong. But he died before I had the chance to hear it.and THAT was his final act of abuse. P.S. I m the youngest of six my older siblings all show symptoms of abuse heavy drinking drug use emotional abuse of their spouses and children serial relationships more drinking etc. How did it end up that the one he was most certain was going to fail ended up being the success in the family. Posted November th under Family Kids My Story . Previous post Write a comment Name E mail URL Message Shredderfood

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Money politics akin to cancer The Star

I AM galled by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad s bold claim about money politics in the Umno deputy president election Mahathir raises questions over candidates The Star Nov . I can t imagine that he is saying it out of remorse or concern. He more that any other person should know the full extent of damage done to the party during his tenure in office and to date. Corruption and money politics have been around for a long time. It is like a cancerous growth. It was around before he entered politics it was definitely around during his time and if it is not excised now it will remain for an indefinite period. Why has he become extremely vocal only now yet strongly denied similar allegations during his time as premier and silenced those who dared criticise As we have previously seen corrupt politicians when faced with mounting evidence of their ill gotten gains have reluctantly tendered their resignation. However the same people have always managed to bounce back into the Umno fold. Res! ignations seem an easy cop out. Why have they not been made accountable for their actions On one hand the message sent out is that Umno condones such practices. It gives the illusion that to enter politics is an easy way to rich pickings. Sadly it is us the electorate who are victims when our politicians lack responsibilities and have no sense of duty. Conversely punishments meted out in the past have been relatively light. Thus for every corrupt person who is removed others rush in to fill this void. How can the Umno political masters convince us that money politics does not exist or that they are serious about dealing with it Our trust and confidence in them have been eroded. Losing one s trust is like losing one s virginity. Once it is gone there is nothing that will make it return. MARIAM MOKHTAR Ipoh. More News Go Most Viewed Most E mailed Victims exact revenge a week after robbery Mauled to death by white tigers Two single mums turn to prostitution to feed kids Penang! Opposition Leader claims monthly payment for his position not sincere Klang Valley restaurants cut prices Tennis stands come down Court merger would subject non Muslims to syariah laws says MCA Perak wants to scrap ISA Sky Kingdom s Ayah Pin living in Thailand Senses come alive in Australian fare Former deputy DG in court again over more graft charges Rugby Wales warned not to take Canada lightly arrest warrants for Ops Warta VII Argentina Not out to pay back Azzurri in Turin Golf Jordan to take on Bethpage Black before US Open Columbus beat Chicago to reach MLS Cup final Bika over Manfredo for IBO super middleweight Joined together by more than a causeway Boeing delays deliveries due to parts problem US October budget deficit hits record of US . B Latest Jobs from Star Jobs Senior Accounts Executive Technical Sales Executive Personal Assistant Admin Assistant Accounts Assistant Retail Manager Purchaser Designer Accounts Clerk Clerk General Clerk Site Map FAQ Privacy Statement Terms Of Use Write To Us Advertise With Us RSS Copyright Star Publ! ications M Bhd Co No D Managed by I

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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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Advantages Of Fleet GPS Tracking Systems

Most companies with large numbers of vehicles that travel the roadways daily are familiar with the large number of fleet tracking systems that can be bought today. If you are a fleet manager for one of these companies and you have never considered one of these systems, then you need to take a good look at the advantages that they can offer your company. Companies who use fleet tracking systems can locate a driver at any time of any day. They can monitor the speeds that their drivers travel. They can regulate the number of stops they make and where they stop. They can optimize their customer service reputation by tracking their driver’s response times and taking steps to improve their system. The success of any company that utilizes any time of vehicle fleet may depend largely on their effective use of a fleet tracking systems.
The other name for fleet tracking systems is GPS (Global Positioning Systems). Fleet GPS tracking units have seen many changes since they were introduced and are now being used by the general public, as well as the military, public service officials and large delivery companies, such as UPS. When you have a fleet of vehicles, efficiency is very important. Whenever a vehicle goes out on the road, it is very expensive. You can see a lot of waste that comes in the form of fuel, mileage and time. To eliminate this waste can cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars every year. Fleet tracking systems are one way of effectively eliminating wasted expenses and providing a way to manage the fleet with more efficiency.
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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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