Car Donation for Charity

Popular culture has an additive personality.  The two main addictions being the lives of celebrities and the power of a brand.  Sometimes a name or a few words is more than enough to make hordes of people rabid with excitement, Britney Spears, Coca Cola, Ford Focus RS – all have their status as icons of modern society.

If someone has talent I’m all for them earning masses of money, being idolised and I may even listen to them preaching to me about global warming issues that they’ve contributed to with their private jets – Bono you know who you are.  What I don’t have any time for are the reality television ‘stars’ who crave any form of attention and limelight without having any discernable talent.  Since the advent of Big Brother, we are inundated with reality television programmes covering every conceivable topic: from being stuck on a desert island, being gifted a modelling contract, dancing and now even conducting an orchestra.   

Even supposed A-list celebrities get on my wick.  If anyone can tell me the talents of LiLo (that’ll be Lindsey Lohan to the uninitiated) or Paris Hilton, please send me a postcard.  Combine these two with their ever-changing fashions and you’ve got content for a year’s worth of OK! Magazine.

I must admit that despite my rant I’m a sucker for a label on clothing.  Despite the fact that a t-shirt from a supermarket will cover my chest as ably as one with a designer label, there’s something comforting about a well known brand, despite the fact it’ll cost ten times more and be 95 percent the same as the supermarket’s version.  The problem is that even if you look past the obvious increase in price for a branded product, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s as good quality as you’d hoped – much like finding out the new album from a band you love is rubbish, after you’ve bought it.

Ford find themselves in this quandary as the world waits with baited breath for the return of the iconic RS badge that will adorn the updated Focus early next year.  The RS badge has always symbolised a great Ford, regardless of the base model it’s built upon.  The RS200, Sierra, Fiesta and previous Focus were all barnstorming cars full of power and every boy racer’s dream once the RS treatment was delivered.  There is no doubt however of the one Ford that the new Focus RS must beat – the Escort Cosworth.

The Cossie as it became affectionately known was a perfect example of what a good performance overhaul can do to improve the base model.  The Escort in standard trim was quite simply awful.  It was built to a cost so low that you’d be lucky if half the car didn’t fall apart on the way to the shops.  The styling was woefully bland; the handling distant at best and as for reliability, well you could rely on the fact that it would always break down.  However, a 225bhp engine, chassis upgrade, wide body kit and the iconic ‘whale tail’ spoiler transformed the car into a world beater on the rally circuit that you could happily take to the shops and return in one piece.  It was a supercar for the working class.

Clearly then the excitement surrounding the new Ford Focus RS is justified based on history.  The opportunity for disappointment however is also higher than ever.  So how do I rate its chances?  Firstly it’s available in a lime green so vivid that my retinas detached themselves.  Secondly it has styling that is somehow modern yet harks back to the 90’s look of the Cossie whilst being more aggressive than Joey Barton on a night out.  A rear diffuser gives it F1 chic and there are more vents than a supercomputer could count.  It all sounds a mess but let me assure you it works.

Performance promises to be blistering, with a 2.5 litre turbo-charged engine developing over 280bhp.  Basically on paper the Focus RS will crush every competitor in its class and embarrass a few in the upper echelons too.  My only concern would be that 280bhp through the front wheels shouts ‘torque steer’ louder than a billboard in Times Square.  Ford have allayed these fears stating that a electronic limited slip differential will solve these problems making the Focus RS not only the most powerful RS ever, but all being well a very drivable one.

2009 promises to be the return of an icon.  Let wallets of all sizes rejoice.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Technorati Tags: focus Rs, Ford, Used Ford

Tags: focus Rs, Ford, Used Ford

London is chock-full of unique landmarks and Vauxhall have added another.  No not an addition to Saint Peter’s Heritage Centre, I’m on about a four wheeled Vauxhall, in this case the Corsa Capital.  Only by visiting a London Vauxhall dealer will you be able to pick one up, as Vauxhall aims to show its city car can take on the biggest conurbation in Britain.  To help you deal with not only the congestion, but the charge that goes with it, Vauxhall are enticing Londoners to the Capital – pun intended, with (deep breath): 15” alloy wheels, a CD player that’s MP3 ready, rear spoiler, body coloured bumpers, electric front windows and air conditioning to name but a few, for only a slight price hike over the standard model.

Of course the Capital is just one derivative of the all-new Corsa range and the new cars find themselves in the middle of the most competitive sector of motoring – the hatchback.  Crucially then, the new Corsa must score highly in likeability, drivability and price (ability?).As Vauxhall are pitching their Corsa against their biggest rivals Ford and VW it needs to be extremely good to become the best in its market segment.Those cute little guys in the advert seem to be enjoying themselves mind - these days you just can’t trust cuddly fabric characters though, so crucially what does it look like and what’s it like to drive?

As I am still the new boy when it comes to road testing cars, I am faced with the daily anguish of opening my letterbox to find a distinct lack of keys to the latest Ferrari or Lamborghini, with a “have this for a week” note attached from Mr Lamborghini.  I have however, had the joy of driving the new Corsa and I don’t use the word ‘joy’ lightly.  Firstly however an anecdote…

My own car is a Hyundai Coupe, the automotive equivalent to Kelly Brook – pretty to look at with racy curves aplenty and great handling (particularly dancing the Salsa).  However thanks to karma, the gorgeous looks come at a price - it’s very slow and drinks like Oliver Reed in his heyday.  Despite this fact, one rain-drenched evening when all the sensible people were fast asleep, I found myself meandering around the twisty back roads on the outskirts of Cardiff, when what looked like a B & Q shed with wheels pulled up alongside me. 

It appeared the four youths had been on the sun bed, as there was a blue neon glow emanating from the shed and that’s when my inner eight year-old took over.{I strained the small rodent in its little wheel to run quicker than ever before and the engine jumped into action}.  As I left the shed and sun bed combo behind with Kelly’s wonderful handling, I thought to myself “nothing could handle this well”.  Low and behold six months later I was proved wrong.

If my Coupe is Kelly Brook, then the new Vauxhall Corsa is Kate Thornton.  The design doesn’t rip your eyes clean out or make you go weak at the knees but it’s still an attractive hatchback.  Crucially though, this car has brains with: ABS, CBC, SLS EBA and DTC.You don’t need to concern yourself with what all the different acronyms mean, they pretty much all relate to safety and importantly for a city car handling.  I drove a 1.2 litre Corsa derivative during my high-brow summer break to Ibiza and fell in love. 

The island is split into the two best environments for testing a car: twisty mountain roads and city driving.  With this in mind I left my hotel high on the sun-drenched hillside and set off for the capital, Ibiza Town.  The air conditioning instantly cooled the car, although I admit I leant out the window on occasion, to smugly show the face of a man who still had all 4 wheel trims on his car.  I didn’t however shout “C’MON!”  The 1.2 litre engine was surprisingly willing and the car gripped as tightly through the hairpin turns as it did through the s-bends.

Hitting the main road towards the capital gave me time to reflect on the interior.The car seemed to be well built (all the parts fitted together well) there were no annoying noises to speak of and the driving position was also good.At times, I honestly could have been Bagdad, as nobody seemed to understand the conventional wisdom of ‘don’t crash into another car, it’ll do neither me nor you any good’. 

Emerging unscathed with a combination of cheeky handling and dumb luck, I arrived at Ibiza Town, wheel trims and all.  Parked against the backdrop of a billionaires’ playground of yachts in the harbour, the Corsa seemed somehow prettier.The good looks appeared to me to fit in well with the nearby fashion houses and the vibe of the big city.As night time set in, the light weight steering system and ultra responsive gearbox came into their element.There was a point when i took the wrong turning.  Well by wrong turn I mean turning into a dead-end street complete with drug dealers, ladies of the night and no La Policia in sight.

For some this may seem like a perfect night out, not for me and Kate though.  It was a ludicrous situation really, these burly druggies being crept up on by the Corsa, with its lop-sided grin and surprised eyes.  I’m pleased to announce that the excellent turning circle allowed me to deliver a swift three-point-turn and chirp off onto better climes within the big smoke.The next day with a heavy heart I had to return Kate to the rental company she truly will be the envy of that rental companies car park.

The small hatchback market is one of the toughest to conquer, but I really think Vauxhall have produced a worthy competitor.  When I think of the Corsa I think of chirpy, cheeky, cute and cuddlesome.  Coupled with the handling this is a fun car and ideal for any urban jungle.  So if you’re looking for a city car, remember the equation: city + fun - cost = Vauxhall dealer.  “C’MON!”  Ah damn it.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Technorati Tags: Autos, cars.automotive, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Corsa, Vauxhall London

Tags: Autos, cars.automotive, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Corsa, Vauxhall London

Material handling services involve various recycling equipment such as baler, compactor, shredder, trash compactor, conveyor and many more to get waste materials recycled. Recycling procedure not only reduces the amount of waste, it also facilitates fine storage capacity and easy transportation of goods . By recycling process, the amount of waste is decreased which helps in creating and maintaining healthy environment.

A Baler is a machine used for material recycling facilities in industrial area to compresses items such as cardboard, plastic, paper or other shredded materials. In Agriculture area, baler is used to compress crops, straw or hay into bales and then binds them.

The most profitable agriculture equipments used for harvesting hay is ‘hay baler’. Crops are cut and gathered with the help of machine in order to create hay for the purpose of cattle feeding. Baler gathers such cut hay and condenses into round or square shape of bales which are fairly easy to stock up and shift .

Most industrial balers are used to compact certain waste for example office paper or byproducts. It is sold to recycling companies so that it can be used again for the production of paper or cardboard. These are hydraulically operated balers which are used for compressing the loaded materials which are made of steel.

The application of a baler is to compact items like plastics and metals. There are compactors and baler often used in industry for extracting liquid impurities from metals. Since recycling becomes important in industries in order to reuse materials, baling services are highly in demand.

A shredder machine is commonly used for recycling purpose. It is used for cutting waste or unwanted materials into small pieces. This is how it is responsible for waste reduction and it helps in making packed materials.

There are different types of shredders for instance tire shredders, plastic shredders, file shredders, paper shredders, cardboard shredders and chip shredders. Substances related to computer for instance compact disks, floppy disks, computer printouts and other items like wood planks and tissue paper which are cut with the help of shredders. Thus, shredders help in reducing the waste that will be an additional advantage.

Compactor machines are among the most useful waste handling equipments that are used for making waste reducing facilities manageable. Now reduce the unnecessary waste collection by using the process of compacting and thus you can save space too.

You can witness the disposal of waste materials in the environment that gives raise to pollution. Waste reducing equipments like compactors help transform the waste garbage into the usable materials that can be used again. They come with large and rectangular machine often comes with hydraulic function for easy operation.

Thus, making use of recycling equipment is a wise decision to give support to make and keep environment clean and healthy by way of getting waste recycled in a proper way.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Technorati Tags: baler, compactor, environment, marathon compactor, material handling, recycling, recycling equipment, shredder, trash compactor, waste handling, waste management

Tags: baler, compactor, environment, marathon compactor, material handling, recycling, recycling equipment, shredder, trash compactor, waste handling, waste management