When I was in high school, back in the mid-80′s, my aunt drove my cousins and I to school in her Comet. It wasn’t a huge car, it had four doors, a brown body with a white top and all style baby.
I remember my cousins being embarrassed about riding in it. Me, I really didn’t care, since it was better than walking to school, especially on those wonderful humid days we tend to get here in Miami. This being the case, it wasn’t a surprise that when it came time for me to start community college my aunt gave me the car. She was going to give it to one of my cousins, but she refused to drive anything that didn’t just come off the showroom floor. I was ecstatic over this snub, since it meant I was getting a car! I was truly thrilled because this meant I had finally attained a certain amount of freedom. I could go to my classes at any time. I could go to the mall, to the movies, anywhere and not have to depend on anyone taking me or picking me up. It was great…until I actually had to drive it.
To begin with, the fuel gauge was broken. I never knew how much gas I had. At first I would just fill the tank whenever I thought I was getting low. But I stopped doing that after several instances in which I’d overflow the tank and gas spilled all over my shoes. From that point on, I would just fuel up every three or four days. It wasn’t too much of an imposition, especially since at the time five or ten dollars worth of gas got you a pretty long way. The car also didn’t have a working air conditioner, which was brutal since I was attending Summer classes. I looked forward to the Winter term thinking I wouldn’t have to disaster about getting to school dripping with sweat. My excitement however was short lived. In the mornings once I began the winter term, I realized in order for the car to actually go anywhere, I needed to let it warm up for almost half an hour! I had to wake up, go outside in the freezing morning, (yes I know it’s Miami but for us fifty degrees is cold) turn on the car, hit the gas for a tiny then let it stay running while I got myself ready for school. And of course since it had no air-conditioning that meant the heater didn’t work either. Sometimes it was colder in the car than it was outside!
After driving it for about two years it finally died on me. My dad and I went to drop it off at a junk yard, and can you believe they wouldn’t take it? Not even for parts! It would up just sitting in our drive-way for several months, until one day I noticed it wasn’t there anymore. Turns out my cousin’s then boyfriend was asked by my aunt to “make it disappear.” The car was quiet registered in my aunts name, so she ultimately had to report it stolen. There was no insurance on it so she never received anything for it, just extra room in her drive-way.
I look back now and realize it was actually sort of fun to drive that car, when it worked properly. It wasn’t fast, and whenever I’d hit the gas to speed up, it sounded like gun-shots coming at me from tedious. It was rusty and there were several holes in the rear door. But it was a tank. I was once hit on the side by a Honda Prelude. The Prelude’s bumper was smashed inward, whereas my Comet drove away with a mere scratch, which my dad attempted to buff out. Why he even bothered I’ll never know.
Filed under Aaa Auto Insurance by on Mar 13th, 2011. Comment. 
You’re out driving around, enjoying the local scenery, when out of nowhere a deer crosses your path. Unfortunately you can’t avoid hitting the deer. Once you stop and get out of the vehicle to survey the damage and check on the deer, you then make a decision to file a claim with your insurance company to have your vehicle repaired. This is where the fun begins.
Most insurers today employ what are called DRP’s, or Direct Repair Providers. These are shops not owned by the insurers, but shops that agreed to provide service to these insurers. What does this mean for the vehicle owner. The insurance provider will say it means faster service and quicker turn-around on their damaged vehicle. In some cases this is true. In most cases it is not.
Let’s glimpse at the DRP agreement and process. When a shop signs a DRP agreement it basically turns it’s managerial rights over to the insurer. How? These agreements are drawn up by the insurer to protect the insurer from fraud, further litigation and they say, rising cost of body repairs. These agreements direct a shop in how to write estimates, how to report claims, which parts to use, how much to charge, what not to charge for and a host of other do’s and don’ts. Basically the agreement ties the hands of the shop that tries to repair a vehicle owner’s vehicle back to it’s current pre-accident condition.
For instance. To save money on a claim, the insurer will tell the DRP shop to use A/M, or aftermarket parts. Aftermarket parts are parts made to fit a positive year, make and model of vehicle, but they are not made by the original manufacturer. Most A/M parts come from overseas and have been proven to not be LKQ, Like, Kind and Quality. State Farm Insurance lost a major lawsuit in the late 80′s, early 90′s over the usage of A/M parts and following the settlement stopped using A/M parts….then.
A/M parts are not of the same quality of OEM, Original Equipment manufacturer. A/M parts do not fit as well as OEM. Some A/M parts carry a certification, CAPA, but CAPA parts have not proven to be the same as OEM parts. What does this mean for the vehicle owner? It means, if A/M parts are frail on the repair of your vehicle, they may not fit the same, may not be as safe as OEM and certainly are not the same quality as OEM parts.
Some insurers will say anything to derive you into their DRP shop. I say, if you are happy with that shop, then by all means, let that shop repair your vehicle. Don’t go there just because an insurance company says that’s where you have to go, or that’s where you need to go, or that’s where you must go or we will not guarantee the work.
Most states give the vehicle owner the suitable to choose the repair facility. By researching local repair shops and getting repair quotes and standing up to the insurance company for your rights, you become an educated consumer. Visit the potential repair shops. make sure they are clean. Find an estimate, make sure the estimator goes over the estimate and explains the repair process to you. make sure you feel comfortable with the shop you choose. Most importantly, YOU choose the repair shop, do not be steered to a shop that does not have your best interest in mind. If they have signed an agreement with an insurer, I guarantee you, they do not work for you, they work for them, the insurer.
Filed under Farmers Insurance by on Feb 26th, 2011. Comment.
America was called the ‘land of milk and honey’ by the old world, yet neither cows nor honeybees are native to the Americas. Surprisingly, it is not the honey from the bees that is so vital to our economy. Pollination by bees adds over 15 billion dollars to our economy (Flores). Around 130 crops need honeybees in order to thrive (Kaplan). In the United States, honeybees create about 200 million pounds of honey, worth 125 million dollars, and about 3.9 million pounds of beeswax, worth 7 million dollars (Doebler). Beekeeping is a serious business, not only for our economy, but for our food. Around one third of our food depends on pollination, including coffee, green chile, soybeans, apples, berries, squash, almonds, and many others (NRDC). In California alone, the almond crop requires the service of about half the United States bee colonies, around 1.2 million (Flores).
Unfortunately, the bee business isn’t going so well. A new phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been taking a great toll on our honey bees. During fall 2006, beekeepers in many countries around the world noticed a sudden disappearance of managed honey bee colonies, and for no apparent reason. These hives were formerly healthy, but for some reason bees simply abandoned their hives, often leaving impartial the queen and a few caretakers. In February 2007, the syndrome had been named (Kaplan). Congress recognized Colony Collapse Disorder as a threat in 2007 and granted emergency funds to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study honey bee disappearances. The 2008 Farm Bill granted the Department of Agriculture $20 million each year to support bee research and related work (NRDC). Research is underway to try to determine the causes of CCD, and how to prevent it from occurring. Possibilities involve combinations of pesticide exposure, invasive parasitic mites, inadequate food supply, transportation, and many different viruses. As the cause is believed to be from multiple sources, pinpointing them will be difficult. Many viruses are believed to be passed on by the mites, which in of themselves are devastating enough.
At an apiculture conference, a commercial beekeeper cries in front of the audience. In 6 months, he was broke, loosing his house, and his entire beekeeping operation had been wiped out. The cause of his disaster was two little parasites. One, the varroa mite, is described by James Tew, a specialist in beekeeping at Ohio State University, as the “biggest catastrophe to befall apiculture since its establishment in this country in the 1600s… In only a few years, the varroa mite redesigned nearly 300 years of North American apiculture in ways akin to the dramatic way the boll weevil restructured the cotton-producing industry … in the early 1920s.” Varroa mites are mountainous enough to be seen by the eye. Female varroa mites achieve to bees between abdominal segments, feeding on a substance similar to our blood, called hemolmph. When females enter a nursery cell, called a brood cell, the mites lay eggs. The mite nymphs then feed on the developing bees. The mites and bees leave the brood cell together, as adults. The mites cause many birth defects, such as shortened abdomens, deformed wings and legs, or sometimes cause death. Colonies infested with varroa mites that are not treated can survive for about 8-18 months. Scott Camazine, an entomologist at Penn State University, believes that the mites aren’t the main scrape. He says that the mites are simply making viral transmission faster (Doebler).
The other mite feeding on honeybees are tracheal mites. These mites are worthy smaller than varroa mites and believed to be less dangerous. These parasites live and feed in the bee’s trachea, clogging the airway and limiting respiration. The major effect of this is that bees cannot raise their metabolic rate to preserve warm while they sail. Beekeepers frequently area grease patties or menthol chips inside the hives when honey is not being produced to slow the spread of tracheal mites.
Many studies trying to determine the cause of CCD are built on a project started for the California almond crops. The study started as a diagram to artificially supplement the honeybee’s diets in order to effect larger colonies (Flores). As California is a major consumer of honeybee use for pollination, it is not surprising that the first effort to fight CCD have started there.
Entomologist Jeff Pettis, research leader of the ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, is working on several collaborations to try to choose the cause of CCD. One study is looking at the combination of pesticide consume and Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), found in a previous study with university researcher Jay D. Evans, to be strongly associated with CCD. The second experiment will look at the effects of varroa mites and pesticides combined. If these two studies fail, other combinations will be explored. One of the issues with these and other CCD studies is that samples have only been taken after CCD has been reported. Therefore, Pettis has begun his behold with three different beekeepers one both healthy and affected hives. Hopefully, the samples will give information to previous signs and causes of CCD (Kaplan). John Adamczyk, the acting research leader for ARS’s Honey Bee Research Unit in Weslaco, Texas, explains the hope for the study: “At the end of the 5-year cycle we’ll have specific recommendations that the beekeeper could exhaust on how to manage bees more efficiently during long-range transport for pollination. We want to be able to transfer that technology to be useful by the end user” (Flores).
A major sigh is the huge outburst of IAPV. Some thought that importation of bees from Australia and China had brought the disease with them, but entomologists Yanping (Judy) Chen and Evans, both also with the ARS Bee Research Laboratory, found otherwise. Chen said that “Our study shows that, without question, IAPV has been in this country since at least 2002. This work makes it clear that IAPV is not a unusual introduction from Australia” (Kaplan). This however, does not rule out IAPV as a cause of CCD.
American foulbrood a bacterial disease of the honey bee, which is very devastating to bee colonies. The most distinct symptom is a creamy or dim brown glue-like larval remain that can be pulled out in a rope. This test is known as the ‘matchstick test.’ It affects the brood cells, killing bees before they are productive, usually while pupae, and occasionally with larvae. Brood cells may be spotted, showing early signs (de Graaf). Introduction of American foulbrood, or any other foulbrood, can extinguish off all future generations of honey bees is not spotted and treated immediately. A novel drug, tylosin tartrate (TYLAN Soluble), has been approved for use to treat foulbrood (Honey Bees). If treated, colonies can continue to thrive.
A very large explore involving pesticides has been conducted. 158 pesticides were tested among the honey bee, the leaf cutting bee, and the alkali bee. The leaf cutting bee is a solitary nesting bee that mainly foraging on alfalfa plants. Nests are built in narrow tube-like cavities, and separate cells are made for each egg and lined with alfalfa. The cell is then plugged with alfalfa leaves, and a new nest is made in the place. The alkali bee is also a solitary, bee that builds nests in soil. This western bee likes alkaline soils come water. The nest is between five and twenty centimeters deep, with many oval cells branching off the main shaft. This bee pollinates mainly alfalfa, onion, clover, celery, and mints. A smaller pesticide study has also been conducted on the bumble bee. Bumble bees are social insects, like honey bees. They make smaller nests, consisting of only 100-500 individuals. They prefer to nest underground, like the alkali bee, and need undisturbed meadows, old barns or woodlots. Bumble bees work harder than honeybees at cooler temperatures. They pollinate a larger variety of plants, but do particularly well on tomatoes and berries. The results were very similar for all species, although positive bees do better than others with different pesticides (Devillers).
Many researchers have found a completely different solution to the problem of CCD, that is, to simply not have honey bee hives. Wild bees, also known as non-honey bees, have been shown to be better pollinators than the honeybee, although it is quiet unclear as to whether non-native honey bees are negatively effecting wild native bee populations. Studies are conflicting, and great pollination results have occurred when used together, yet the large numbers of honeybees could have a large impact on native species if food supplies are limited (Paini). Entomologist James Cane has found that a fresh native bee, called the Osmia bee, or the Mason bee, is a astonishing pollinator of berries. Cane learned of the bee from bee enthusiast Ron yon der Hellen, who told Cane of the quarter-inch long metallic green bee that had housed itself in his wooden nesting boards that he keeps as housing for leaf cutting bees. Cane borrowed several hundred of these bees and found that they visited as many red raspberry flowers as did honey bees in the same amount of time,, and nearly as many blackberry flowers. While red raspberries and blackberries are self-pollinating, bee visits made berries better. Cane found that red raspberry flowers visited by honey bees or the Osmia bees bore berries that were 30% heavier. The Osmia bee however, always gathered pollen, while honeybees did not. Even better, these bees are resistant to the devastating mites. After 5 years of study, Cane plans to give these emerald-green bees to growers and beekeepers (Wood).
Another study shows that native bees are up to five times more efficient at pollinating sunflowers than honeybees alone. Researchers at the Berkeley and Davis campuses of the University of California found that wild bees play a crucial role in the pollinating process. Sarah Greenleaf, the study’s leader, says that, “Up until now, we have thought that honey bees alone were doing most of the pollination, but now we know that a lot of honey bee pollination happens because of their interaction with wild native bees. This means that wild bees are much, mighty more important that we previously understanding.” She and Claire Kremen observed the behavior of honey bees and wild native bees in sunflower fields during two different growing seasons. They found that in fields where wild bees were rare, one honeybee visit produced, on average, three seeds. As the number of wild bees increased, so did the number of seeds produced, up to 15 seeds per visit. To keep their data clean, each flower was bagged before it bloomed, allowed one visit, and then re-bagged until the seeds were produced (Two Bees). The drastic difference shows that native bees are a vital share of the pollination process.
Native bees are shown to be the most important crop pollinators in a recent study of watermelon crops. This study showed that native bees alone are sufficient to pollinate the watermelon. The search for involved 46 species of wild bees, and showed that native bees, given proper habitat, could replace the honey bee if needed. Natural habitat must be provided, open soil for soil-dwelling species, and year round food supply must be available within 0.3 kilometers, although further distances may suffice (Winfree).
Native bees are a possible, and currently the best, solution to the problem of CCD. To encourage native bees to live around your home, farm, or orchard, plant native plants. Native plants will thrive without much care and native bees are already well suited to them. Employ diversity in color, shape, and flowering times to attract many species to make permanent homes. Not all bees like the same colors or the same shape flowers, so be determined to get a variety. Avoid pesticides, or read the Devillers study to determine what would be safest to use, and when. Certain pesticides can only be used safely on different parts of plants; however there are a few pesticides which have been shown to be completely safe for the studied bees. Nesting sites are a must, so leave so open ground undisturbed, and mediate making nesting boxes (NRDC). All these things combined can help a farm or orchard save money by not renting out honeybees, and as CCD becomes more of an issue, these prices may rise.
Although native bees seem to be a solution to the CCD pickle, other issues arise. Most wild bees are solitary, making transportation to large crops like the California almonds nearly impossible. If you of honeybees stopped in the United States, the millions of dollars received from honey and beeswax would no longer exist. These products would need to be imported, and prices would rise drastically. As CCD affects the world, these products may someday be completely eliminated if we do not find a handle on CCD. Also, the different native bees have other diseases they are susceptible to, and piece many of the same diseases with honeybees.
Colony Collapse Disorder is a serious problem effecting beekeepers, farmers, and consumers. If we cannot get a handle on what is causing this, the world may fall into a greater depression, and food prices will soar. To combat this, we need to conclude abusing our honey bees and benefit native bees to bewitch residence near farms and orchards. Pesticide use needs to be cut down, used in safer ways, or altogether eliminated. Mass transportation of hives over hundreds of miles needs to be stopped, as this likely causes gargantuan stress to the honeybees, making them more susceptible to disease.
de Graaf, D. C., “Diagnosis of American Foulbrood in Honey Bees: a Synthesis and Proposed Analytical Protocols.” Letters in Applied Microbiology 43.6 (Dec. 2006): 583-590. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 27 Oct. 2008 .
Devillers, J., “Comparative toxicity and hazards of pesticides to Apis and non- Apis bees. A chemometrical discover.” SAR & QSAR in Environmental Research 14.5/6 (Oct. 2003): 389-403. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. [University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 1 Nov. 2008 .
Doebler, Stefanie A. "The Rise and Fall of the Honeybee." Bioscience 50.9 (Sep. 2000): 738. Environment Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 3 Nov. 2008 .
Flores, Alfredo. "Improving Honey Bee Health." Agricultural Research 56.2 (Feb. 2008): 7-7. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 27 Oct. 2008 http://libproxy.unm.edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=a9h&AN=28748594&site=ehost-live.
Honey Bees Rep a New Antibiotic." Agricultural Research 54.7 (July 2006): 23-23. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 28 Oct. 2008 .
Kaplan, J. Kim. "A Complex Buzz." Agricultural Research 56.5 (May 2008): 8-11. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 28 Oct. 2008 .
NRDC: Honeybees and Colony Collapse Disorder. Sept. 2008. National Resources Defense Council. 2 Nov. 2008
Paini, D. R. "Impact of the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on native bees: A review." Austral Ecology 29.4 (Aug. 2004): 399-407. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 14 Nov. 2008 .
"Two Bees Better Than One." Science & Children 44.3 (Nov. 2006): 8-9. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM.]. 14 Nov. 2008 http://libproxy.unm.edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=ehh&AN=22885757&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Wood, Marcia. “Fabulous Wild Bees. (Mask story).” Agricultural Research 56.2 (Feb. 2008): 4-6. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 14 Nov. 2008 .
Winfree, Rachael, et al. “Native bees provide insurance against ongoing honey bee losses.” Ecology Letters
10.11 (Nov. 2007): 1105-1113. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. University Libraries, Albuquerque, NM. 14 Nov. 2008 .
Filed under Farmers Insurance by on Feb 24th, 2011. Comment.
There are 3 tips to finding the best auto insurance. These importants tips include research, probing, and investigating.
1. Research, Research, Research!
When it comes to finding the best auto insurance, it is best to research to find the best auto quotes. Quotes are determined by important factors such as the model and make of your car, your age, your driving record, your credit score, and your gender. Your driving record is depended on how many accidents or traffic violations you have had in the previous 3-5 years. If drivers have had previous violations or accidents, you could be at a higher risk which means higher quotes. It is also statistically known that males have more accidents than women, thus the gender factor. Another important factor is how often and how many miles you have driven with the vehicle. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, if you have a higher annual mileage, it will result in higher premiums due to the high exposure of risk. The form and model of your car will show insurance companies how many claims were involved with this type of vehicle, as well as the claim’s cost for this particular type of vehicle. The last important factor that insurance companies look for is a driver’s credit score. The credit score shows a likelihood of future losses, if there is a low score. If there is a high credit score, it could succor the driver by lowering the premium or giving greater discounts for the auto insurance.
2. Probe/ask questions
It is always important to ask questions when finding the best auto insurance. Asking questions can abet save you time and money, when researching auto insurance companies. If you get into an accident and your car is totaled, you need to know how distinguished you will be reimbursed for. Another question you need to ask is if the insurance company has comprehensive and collision coverage. Collision coverage will wait on to pay for repairs to your car in accidents. Comprehensive coverage helps to pay for vehicle injure as a result of flooding,theft, or vandalism. One other critical question is to see how much of a deductible you will have to pay with the insurance company, to file a claim.
3. Investigate
It is always notable to investigate each individual auto insurance company, to ensure you are making the right decision in auto insurance. On JD Power and Associates’ official website, you can find a 2008 National Auto Insurance Study where it ranks the auto insurance companies based on performance, overall experience, policy offerings, and pricing.
Another good website to check out is http://www.insure.com, which provides reports and ratings for over 3,000 auto insurance companies in approximately 70 countries. The ratings range from Extremely Strong to Regulatory Action.
Remember, it is always important to research, probe, and investigate so that you will have a less stressful time if involved in an accident or other serious matter.
Filed under Auto Insurance Quotes by on Feb 21st, 2011. Comment.
There are expenses that can be categorized as a need and a want, and car insurance these days fall under need. For you to be given a legal right to drive, you must have car insurance. You might be thinking that this can cost you a lot of money and will just be an additional expense, but in case you don’t know, there are ways in which you can get this type of insurance at a lower rate.
The first step that you need to take is to make a comparison between the rates of several auto insurance companies. This may study easy, but you may need to exert a lot of worry in determining which among the quotes that you were able to gather is the best. You have to look deeply into the rates, terms and coverage of the car insurance as well as its additional features like accident forgiveness and road assistance service.
You may get car insurance from the company where you have availed your life, health and home insurance and you will get a discount for sure. As time passes, you car will depreciate and you cannot prevent this from happening. So, it would be a nice idea to change your comprehensive insurance into car insurance with cramped coverage. This plot, you will cut down a big percentage of your premium. You will, likewise, save a lot if you pay your premiums in an annual mode.
Having a good rating in your driving record can also earn you a discount. In case you never met an accident and receive a ticket for the past three years, there’s a great chance that you will be paying lesser premiums. However, if you have teens living in your home, they will not be covered by the car insurance unless you gain them a separate policy. This is because teens are aggressive drivers and they are more prone to accidents.
The rate of your insurance depends greatly on the kind of car that you have. Expensive or luxury cars have higher premiums for they are hot in the eyes of bandits that is why it would be a good idea to first ask insurance agents how worthy will it cost you for the car that you intend to choose.
You can get yourself a great deal on car insurance if you exactly know how to do it. All the things mentioned above are sure ways of helping you pay lower insurance premiums.
Filed under Mercury Auto Insurance by on Feb 19th, 2011. Comment.
