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This article explores the difficulties in evacuating occupants from high rise fires. This subject has received careful attention, with many international conferences to determine optimum systems and codes that help developers and stake holders to comply with their responsibility towards the tenants occupying high rise buildings. When balancing Economy with Responsibility, greater weight must be given to RESPONSIBILITY. It is imperative that Building Management accept responsibility for the safety of all occupants, and fulfil their duty by providing redundant Supplemental Evacuation that will be put to use when normal evacuation has failed or compromised. This article addresses the same issues with solutions and suggestions in adopting the concept of Supplemental Evacuation in enhancing fire safety and in getting more people out of danger more quickly.

Building Design And Construction In the event of high rise fires, building occupants are commonly faced with danger from the rapid spread of flames and heat, smoke and toxic fumes, confusions and disorientations. In the absence of adequate care in either design or construction or maintenance of a tall building, a fire emergency may occur on a single floor and then spread to upper floors, and sometimes to neighbouring lower floors. Hence, Building designers and Building Managements must explore ways of minimizing such hazards and risks.

Modern high rise building must be designed and constructed such that any fire is either contained within one apartment luxury or at the worst within one floor. This is a prime requirement that is assumed when designing for evacuating a building during a local or general emergency. Secondly, the premises must comply with safety standards by providing adequate smoke and heat detectors, alarms, sprinklers, water storage tanks with adequate pumping capacity at the required pressure, connected to adequate stand pipes and hoses distributed throughout the premises. Thirdly, adequate ventilation system with automatic baffles need to be put in place that will isolate the areas where a fire may have started and smoke and toxic fumes are being generated. If these systems are in place and kept in good operating condition, it is possible to control the spread of fire and heat sufficiently to allow occupiers to safely pass through to designated exit points.

Emergency Escape Routes are typically limited to the stairs. Most codes for high rise buildings requires multiple hardened stairwells that are to be fitted with fire doors and fire walls with a rating of two hours, and provided with adequate emergency lighting as well as pressurised clean air for ventilation. The assumption for evacuation by stairs is that persons can be evacuated from each stairwell, provided there are no blockages or hindrances, and the occupants have the physical stamina to walk down from the upper floors to ground. However, evacuating people from above 50 storey building through the stairwells will exceed the physical capacity of most persons, and will also take too much time to get down and out, thus enhance risks to those who need assistance.

Refuge Areas or Refuge Floors that are similarly hardened to stairwells, and placed at intervals of 5 to 8 floors, are also specified in most Code. The assumption is that residents will access the hardened stairwells, walk down without panic to the nearest Refuge Area, and await further orders for evacuation or rescue. With a travel distance limited to about 5 floors, using a hardened stairwell, it would be reasonable to assume that the physically fit will assist those with disabilities, and that the others will be patient and courteous despite their own anxieties. The occupants will stay put in that safe area and wait for further instructions by the Fire department.

Fire Lifts are designated Lifts that are totally enclosed and pressurized to prevent smoke entering, and also provided with special fire retardant sheathed cabling, fire suppressors, communication systems, independent power for lighting and motor operation, (also with standby power source), and operated by specially trained operators. The recent changes to the NFPA Life Safety Code for high rise buildings encourage developers to provide a bank of hardened Fire Lifts with similarly hardened Lift Lobbies & Shafts, which are connected to the hardened Stairwells. In theory, these lifts are allocated for the used by the Fire Department for evacuating the handicapped, but there is no practical way to control crowds to separate the physically fit from those needing special attention. Most individual lifts descend only 100m, with all passengers switching to the next bank of lifts descending a further 100m. It would be convenient to provide a fire lift at each Refuge Floor.

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Congratulations on deciding to start your own salon business. Statistics in recent years clearly show that the hair salon sector world-wide is growing and the chances of being at a stage of dynamic growth in the near future for a salon business is high. The reason for this is people generally care more about themselves and their appearance, realizing that it has a direct effect on the success of their careers and personal lives. They also know that from the experts they can expect quality and good value for money.

Start with a Business Plan

The first step in realizing your salon business is coming up with a thoroughly well thought out and researched business plan. It is the single most important element of starting a new business. In your plan you should outline your whole business idea, vision, plans, and strategies - although it should remain flexible to any future 'surprises'. Not only is it necessary for the successful launch of your salon, but another use of a plan, other than knowing what action to take and why, is its usefulness when it comes to getting investors, bank loans, and also advice from others with experience. It also gives you a chance to thoroughly think your finances through and plan accordingly. Remember that those starting a business with a solid economic strategy are more likely to succeed than those with a great idea, product or patented invention.

Research Your Competition

Make every effort to accurately discern the action and practices of your competition. It is worthwhile to choose a group of salons that are already successful and who have a similar target group of customers as you do, and then see what makes them successful or where they are lacking. Conduct field research. Visit as a customer, luxury and get a feel for what your customer will expect, and how you will be able to provide the services. You can then skillfully adapt these solutions to your business. Leave what doesn't work, and adapt what may work for you.

Create a Brand, not just a Brand name

Your brand name is usually the first point-of-contact your potential customers will have with your business. It is an extension of your salon, and should sum up your whole business - reflecting it and evoking some kind of emotional response. In a world inundated with brands, you need to create one for your salon that's memorable and stands out. Again, here's another instance where research will pay off. Have a look at other salon businesses and their brand names. What is it about them that you like or dislike? What kind of name creates a strong impression, and what doesn't and why? What name works as a whole with the salon's brand, and re-enforces it? A good tip is to keep it short and easy to pronounce.

Your Operating Hours & Customer Service

The hairdressing industry is less and less frequently located in the rigid framework of the typical 9-5 workday. Salons are becoming increasingly more flexible. Some operate into the evening, and some even the whole weekend. You must keep in mind that the fight for clients often necessitates more flexible working time - and makes your salon more accessible to their needs. Many people require salons to be open after regular work-day timings, because that is when they have events to attend and need to look their best. Perhaps you can think about offering this service only with advance booking and adding an extra charge, or you can rotate your staff so that your salon is open during times it usually would not be.

Personnel

The most vital part of any business is people. Even the smallest contact your employees have with a client reflects either positively or negatively on your business - its image, and its profits. For this reason, it is important that you take on the best people that you can afford at the moment and to invest in their skills - especially their people skills. Many hairdressers offer similar quality products and services, but the few exceptional salons that stand out not only meet customer requirements, but actually exceed them. Therefore, training your employees in customer service can help you leave the competition behind, and if you can make the customer feel very, very special and well taken care of, they will probably become a regular, loyal client. In many cases, it makes good business sense to hire an experienced manager who can manage your personnel and the salon on a day-to-day basis.

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Electronics manufacturers like Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, Philips, Fujitsu, Sharp, LG, and Samsung started releasing plasma TV model after plasma TV model, even going as far as to launch special limited editions (including one plated in gold) that reinforced their luxury status. Back in 2006 they were the most popular option in the 40-inch and more flat screen segment of the market.

Prices started to go down, and one would think plasma televisions would become even more popular because of that. And they probably would have, except that manufacturers of liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions started to release screens in bigger sizes to compete in the large flat panel TV segment that had been the domain of plasma screens.

But the decline in plasma TV prices, while good for consumers, wasn't so good for manufacturers since it was reducing their profit margins. Add to that the decision of high-profile manufacturers like Sony, Philips, and Fujitsu to drastically curtail or even cease their production of plasma televisions in order to focus on LCD TV's, and it's no wonder quite a few people were predicting the end of plasma TV's. Even Japanese company Matsushita, the parent company of market leader Panasonic, announced plans to scale down its plasma TV production plans and make more LCD TV's.

But as events have shown, plasma TV is far from dead. At the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, there were quite a few new models introduced. The show stopper was Panasonic's new launch project  gigantic 150-inch plasma TV, called the Life Screen, but some of the other new plasma HDTV's were noteworthy in their own right. There was Vizio's range of plasma TV's, which come with Silicon Optix HQV processing and which are more affordable than most other brands; LG introduced bezel-less plasma TV models; and Samsung featured plasma screens capable of showing images in 3D.

A few years ago plasma TV manufacturers tried to outdo each other in terms of screen size (Panasonic presently has the biggest model, its 150-inch life screen). Today, though, the trend seems to be to come up with the thinnest plasma screen possible. Hitachi came up with one that's only 1.5 inches thick; Panasonic will be launching a one-inch-thick plasma TV; and Pioneer has a concept plasma TV - part of their Project Kuro series - that's even thinner than that: a plasma television that is only a third of an inch thick.

Industry analysts say that the rejuvenation of the plasma TV industry was caused by the inability of LCD manufacturers to fulfill market demand. Market demand for plasma televisions, on the other hand, is expanding. For instance, even though it's the large plasma TV's that get the most attention, smaller versions have become bestsellers in emerging economies like China. The outlook for plasma TV sales is just as positive for other areas in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, such as Latin America.

To be sure the plasma TV industry still faces numerous challenges such as the emergence of technologies like OLED television and laser television, not to mention its ever-present nemesis, the LCD TV industry. But the efforts of plasma TV manufacturers to position their products in the marketplace by introducing innovations and adding more features are paying off, giving the industry a much-needed boost. Will plasma televisions still be highly desired by consumers when 2009 rolls around? Only time will tell.

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There are some brands that become the reflection of your personality. You do not only buy these brands because they fulfill your needs or wants but you buy them because you can project your own image in these brands i.e. you present yourself through them.

Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) also fall in the category of those brands that people can relate to their personalities. D&G is famous for its luxury garments and accessories. D&G watches are one such line of spectacular accessories offered by Dolce & Gabbana.

The history of D&G watches started in the year 2000, when it launched new line of watches -- D&G Time watches in Italy and Europe. D&G Time watches were produced and distributed by Binda International.

Chronographic round dial with three sub dials, for minutes, seconds and stopwatch, was another exclusive addition in line of D&G watches. Chronographic, along with Time, form the two major types of watches, offered by Dolce and Gabbana.

The D&G collection added a touch of fun and sexiness in the watches along with sophistication. The watch making industry was revolutionized with this initiative of Dolce & Gabbana. D&G watches were an experience for people instead of just a watch. So, the focus of the watch makers shifted to design and made watches in such a manner that new launch project it became a pleasure for the customer to wear these watches.

After the launch of Time watches, Dolce & Gabbana started the trend of introducing new designs of watches in every season. The fans of D&G watches desperately wait for the new watches from D&G in every season. D&G watches do not only offer its customer the choice of colours in face but also in straps and bracelets, in many of their models. Some of the models of D&G watches are BB, Flock, Antibes, Dorian, Genteel, Jimmy, Martin and Nikki.

D&G offers exclusive line of watches for both men and women. These watches are available in different range of prices and designs. Some are made entirely of stainless steel while some others have the leather straps. Sometimes, plastic is also used to make the strap of the watches; mostly the watches that are considered funky.

In the ladies watch category, you can find silver or gold plated watches too. To further enhance the elegance of these watches, you can also find the watches with diamonds and other precious stones. The customers can decide themselves while placing the order that what colour and what material they want to buy in a specific model.

Dolce & Gabbana watches are brought in the market with the collaboration of different watch manufacturers. These watches are available in Dolce & Gabbana outlets. They can also be bought from the authorized dealers of Dolce & Gabbana. Another convenient way to get D&G watches is the online shopping.

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For a truly amazing shopping experience, you will want to find your way to the world famous Harrods department store in Knightsbridge. With a history spanning back to 1834, Harrods will offer you an unthinkably large choice of the most luxurious goods available in London.

9. The London Eye

Like the O2, the London Eye (or the Big Wheel, as it's often called) was built to commemorate the Millennium in London. At a staggering 135 meters tall (that's 64 red telephone boxes stacked together), The Eye affords passengers a view as far out as Windsor Castle on a clear day. The Eye was meant to be deconstructed after a year but Londoners and tourists alike took to it so much that it has remained there ever since and the London skyline would now appear empty without it. The huge observation wheel provides the perfect launch pad for London's New Year's fireworks every December 31st and is one of the best ways for tourists to see every other London landmark!

8. Piccadilly Circus

Nothing epitomises a night out in London like the sight of Piccadilly Circus' famous neon billboards aglow. It's the UK's equivalent of New York's Times Square and acts as a light-up gateway to the relaxed and fun district of Soho as well as the sophisticated and high class night-time venues of Mayfair.  

7. Trafalgar Square

Home to Nelson's Column, the National Gallery and a host of perpetually hungry pigeons, Trafalgar Square is a luxury  popular area, particularly with tourists, who come to relax by the ornate fountains and lounge on the statues of lions on plinths. Trafalgar Square is also home to the famous Fourth Plinth which supports no permanent statue but has been used to showcase the artwork of Thomas Schutte, Rachel Whiteread and Bill Woodrow. Most recently, the Fourth Plinth has hosted sculptor Anthony Gormley's One & Other project, in which members of the public are invited to occupy the plinth alone for an hour each. Whilst on the platform, participants may do whatever they choose, provided it's legal.

6. St Paul's Cathedral

Looming over the north bank of the Thames is Sir Christopher Wren's great, domed masterpiece. Completed in 1710, the cathedral was built to rejuvenate the ravaged landscape in the wake of the Great Fire of London. St Paul's has a thriving community of parishioners and plays host to a wedding almost every Saturday.

5. Tower Bridge

Straddling the river Thames, Tower Bridge is a combination of bascule and suspension bridges. The two towers of the bridge are frequently used for high-profile events and are bathed in coloured light after dark each night. Tower Bridge is frequently mistaken for London Bridge which is actually the next bridge downstream. This happened most recently (and publicly) in American singer Fergie's video for her song London Bridge, in which she cavorted on a boat in front of Tower Bridge.

4. The Tower of London

Watch your neck! The Tower of London was the infamous setting of many an execution, and provided the final shelter for some very high-profile prisoners including Sir Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and Catherine Howard, each of whom entered the Tower by water, through Traitor's Gate. Since 1303, the Tower of London has also been home to the Crown Jewels and housed the Royal Menagerie in the 13th century.

3. Westminster Abbey

With over 1000 years of history and many exquisite architectural features, Westminster Abbey is sure to fascinate you for hours. Here you will experience the final resting places of some of the most important people in England's past, along with thousands of examples of ancient artefacts, stained glass, manuscripts and paintings.

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The last few months have been an interesting time to be working in the European Union's capital city, Brussels. Outside, in the real world, the global economy seemed to stagger from crisis to catastrophe and then back again. Our most reputable banks crumbled to dust, shares across the world went into a hair-raising nosedive, major companies became close to worthless, hundreds of thousands lost their jobs and millions of others feared the worst.

But in the Brussels bubble you'd hardly have known. Of course, we could follow the entertainingly gory unfolding financial Armageddon on our large, flat-screen TVs, but it was more like watching a new, star-studded, blockbuster disaster movie than something that was happening in reality. While the global economy tottered on the brink of the abyss, the European parliament passionately debated such issues as new rules for timeshares, the tropical timber agreement, a European licence for online music sales, a special strategy for mountain farming, human rights in Vietnam and whether 2010 should be declared the 'European Year of Creativity and Innovation'. And while we watched with horror as our savings and pensions seemed to evaporate before our eyes, the European Commission issued over ten new laws a day covering every conceivable area of our lives, including increasing customs duties to put up the price of many imported foods, mandating that slaughterhouses should employ a full-time person to look after animals' welfare in the last few minutes before they were killed and launching an anti-dumping investigation into whether China had been falsely declaring shipments luxury of footwear with a protective toecap as coming from Macao in order to avoid import restrictions.

Then, after their busy days debating weighty subjects and making new laws, the Brussels euro-elite continued to go to lavish champagne-fuelled receptions in the evenings, as if unaffected by the financial crisis, before taking taxis to highly rated restaurants to feed themselves at the taxpayers' expense; continued to flit from city to city to attend important meetings; continued to fly around the world on crucial fact-finding missions; and continued to think of ever more new rules and regulations to help organise the lives of the EU's almost 500 million citizens.

FOR US OR AGAINST US? This may seem like an unfair debating point - comparing the lavish, luxury lifestyle of our euroleaders with the worries and hardships some of us could experience due to the recent financial meltdown - but it does suggest that there may be a growing disconnect between the high-pay, low-tax, secure lives of the eurocrats and the reality that the rest of us have to wake up to every morning. This increasing disparity might even lead European taxpayers to start wondering if the euro-elite works for us, the people who pay their generous salaries, pensions and expenses, or whether we work for them to ensure their continuing comfort and welfare.

The EU and its supporters believe that their project of an ever more united Europe has brought us many benefits. They claim that the EU has played an important political role both in maintaining peace in Europe after centuries of war and in providing a centre of stability on the continent that has promoted democracy and freedom, at first for countries emerging from dictatorship like Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain (often colloquially referred to as the PIGS) and then for those escaping from communism, the BEES (the Baltic and eastern European states). They maintain that the EU's internal market has broken down borders, allowing the free movement of people and goods, boosting economic growth and prosperity. And they are convinced that EU policies on farming, consumer protection and the environment have helped to give us high-quality food, safer products and cleaner air and water.

However, many other people are beginning to question the actions, morality and direction of the European adventure. They claim that it is NATO, the threat of Soviet invasion during the Cold War and the spread of democracy rather than the EU that have kept the peace in Europe. They point to the constant stream of examples of EU arrogance, over-regulation, secrecy and fraud to suggest that we are ruled by an unaccountable, incompetent, corrupt, self-serving elite. And some even subscribe to a view (generally attributed to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev) that we are, possibly unwittingly, 're-creating the Soviet Union in western Europe'.

EUROMYTHS - A FUN GAME FOR ALL THE FAMILY All this has led to an entertaining game, which we could call 'Euromyths', that is played out in the media. On the one side, the eurosceptics treat us to case after case of 'stupid EU laws' and seemingly endless incidents of shocking EU financial waste and fraud. This leads the EU to bemoan the fact that it is apparently misrepresented in the press: "Most of us rely on our national newspapers, television and radio news to find out about what is going on in the EU. Unfortunately, amongst the clear and informative reports lie a large number of stories based on twisted facts or even lies. The stories can make entertaining reading, but many people believe them and often come away with a picture of the EU as a bunch of mad eurocrats".

So in response to the eurosceptics' alleged calumny, the EU's Directorate General for Communication regularly publishes the latest selection of anti-EU stories (what they refer to as 'euromyths') and then tries to debunk these to show that its critics are obsessive fantasists who cannot be trusted. When introducing the 'Get the facts straight section' on its website, the EU explains some of the problems it faces in providing us with what it claims is a true picture of its activities: 'These pages take some of those stories and set the record straight - sadly, we cannot keep track of them all.'

A key rule for players of Euromyths is that both sides must shamelessly exaggerate their claims of their opponents' perfidy - the eurosceptics to stir up public mistrust of EU institutions and actions and the eurocrats to rubbish anyone who dares question their competence, motives or policies. In this game a constant tactic used by the europhiles is to try to brand anyone who has the temerity to criticise any aspect of the EU as rabid, unreliable, anti-European ultra-nationalists. The europhiles don't want to admit that there may actually be a large number, maybe even a majority, of European citizens who genuinely want to support a European Union that is financially well run and that uses its authority intelligently and with discretion, but are deeply critical of the mismanagement, maladministration and misuse of power that increasingly seem to characterise the way the European project is now being pursued.

David Craig is the author of "The Great European Rip-Off" (Random House 2009). He has also written several books on British government waste and mismanagement. These include "Squandered: How Gordon Brown Is Wasting Over One Trillion Pounds Of Our Money" (Constable 2008) and "Fleeced! How We've Been Betrayed By The Politicians, Bureaucrats And Bankers" (Constable 2009). In addition, he wrote "Plundering The Public Sector" exposing how consultants have siphoned off over £70 billion of British taxpayers' money and "Rip-Off! The Scandalous Inside Story Of The Consulting Money Machine" revealing how consultants fleece their business clients around the world.

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DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz luxury car brand has finally come up with a decision that involves their entry into the hybrid powertrain class. The Stuttgart-based automaker will develop a hybrid model for their several vehicle classes ranging from the subcompact A-Class models up to the S-Class luxury sedans.

Last week, Thomas Weber, the head of development for Mercedes Car Group has told the automotive press at the 77th annual Geneva International Motor Show about the Mercedes-Benz hybrid. He said: "In 2009, we will have the first Mercedes-branded hybrid on the market."

Meanwhile, here is what Dieter Zetsche, Chief Executive Officer of DaimlerChrysler AG said in a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, one of Germany's premiere automotive publications: "We will not develop new vehicles without including a hybrid model option. We will offer out customers the right product."

Zetsche also said that the environment is very important for the company, and developing a Mercedes-Benz hybrid model will allow them to significantly contribute to the environment.

DaimlerChrysler's plan to focus on cars with diesel engines instead of focusing in hybrid powertrain technology was earlier dismissed due to some customer demands, according to the German automaker.

Zetsche also commented on the announcement made by Mercedes-Benz and BMW last week regarding the Verdale  collaboration on the development of hybrid system. He said: "We will combine our knowledge and skills with BMW Group in order to accelerate the development of the hybrid project. With the mild hybrid, we can obtain 70 percent of the effect of a full hybrid with only 30 percent of the effort."

Zetsche further explains that the new models that will be offered some time in 2009 are equipped with mild hybrid powertrain systems, which include a diesel of petrol engine combined with an electric motor, unlike full hybrid models developed by other automakers that can run solely on electric power in a limited range. A mild hybrid powertrain system provides an increased acceleration and performance along with low fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions.

Unfortunately, Mr. Zetsche said he will not give more details about the Mercedes-Benz's hybrid plans in the future. In fact, he did not include the exact schedule for the launch of their first ever mild hybrid model.

Along with the mild hybrid power train system, Zetsch also said that they will introduce other innovative car technologies in the future including the start/stop system and new alternator that can be disconnected from the engine during acceleration. These new technologies are being developed at the company's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

After reading this article, car enthusiasts will watch out for the Mercedes-Benz model equipped with Mercedes hybrid powertrain parts, probably Mercedes C230 parts to roll out in dealer showrooms around the world.

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From the very first day that Martin Winterkorn became the new Chief Executive of Volkswagen AG he has made it clear that he means business. And just last month, he has ordered the scrapping of the scheduled preview of the new Passat in Germany's capital not because of mechanical problem, electrical problem not even parts problem say defective VW ball joints but for the reason that he was not satisfied with the look and feel of the Passat. Winterkorn said, "I don't like to present car before it's finished. That's why I canceled the Berlin showing."

For those who are not familiar with Winterkorn, he is the former Chief of Volkswagen's luxury unit, Audi. And tomorrow at the company's annual press conference, Winterkorn will finally discuss his plans for the Volkswagen brand.

The Volkswagen brand was primarily the reason why Winterkorn was placed as the new CEO of VW. It should be noted that Winterkorn was the man responsible for the remarkable turnaround of Audi and VW top brass feels that Winterkorn can do the same magic on the VW brand which has been losing hundreds of millions of euros at its German factories since 2005.

When Winterkorn assumes the CEO position in VW he also brought with him his entourage of loyal subjects from Audi which he rationalize by saying that his Audi design team can get the job done quickly.

According to Peter Braendle fund manager at Zurich-based Swisscanto Asset Management, which oversees the equivalent of $46 billion including Volkswagen stock, "All of the Audi cars have a more trendy and Verdale    modern design than Volkswagen. This Audi design team is strong. If they can do the same successful job at Volkswagen as with the Audi, then it will be marvelous."

And tomorrow at the company's annual press conference Volkswagen will report its detailed financial figures. Europe's largest has reported last month that its 2006 net income has doubled to 2.75 billion euros or $3.61 billion USD due to the following: launching of new car models such as Audi's Q7 sport-utility vehicle, disposal of a vehicle-rental division and a tax gain. The Audi unit was accounted for about half of the group profit earned by the Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen.

Shares of Volkswagen in Frankfurt increase by 3.60 euros or 3.7 percent to 100 euros which is considered to be the highest price obtained since July 8, 1998. VW's stock has gained 16 percent for this year which is the third-best performance on Germany's benchmark DAX Index.

The Passat Scrapped for Good? Before the takeover of Winterkorn the Passat is a project headed by Wolfgang Bernhard, former CEO of VW who resigned last January due to the management shake-up that is happening inside Volkswagen.

The Bernhard Passat is the very same model that was suppose to debut at Berlin but unfortunately was stopped by Winterkorn. The Passat project is not totally abolished it's just that the new VW CEO's team from Audi which includes Walter de Silva has focused more on the next generation of Golf hatchback, Volkswagen's best-selling vehicle. The new Golf is scheduled to come out next year which doesn't leave much time for changes.

"The first priority is the Golf, the Golf successor, because that's the most important vehicle of the brand. That's the vehicle that has all of our attention," said Ulrich Hackenberg, the former Audi development chief and at present the head of Volkswagen engineering at an interview in Geneva.

Hackenberg first week at Volkswagen he ordered outright changes especially in cutting the size of the rubber window seals in half to reduce weight and cost while giving the car a more refined look. According to Hackenberg, the Golf looks is "Very Rough". "It looked very rough and not elegant and precise. This was something which could destroy the quality feeing, or the quality characteristics, of the car." The changes that will takes place will incorporate the Audi touch to the Volkswagen models and the Golf is the going to be first product of the said change.

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Do you want to look at wildlife in a way other than that documentary on Animal Planet? Well in the Entertainment Capital of the World, you sure can do. But first things first: How do we get there? Now I'm such a sucker for themes. And because our current theme is that of exploring wildlife, I say let's take a Jaguar to lead us into the great wide open. The exotic car that it is, the Jaguar would be an apt choice of transportation. It is, after all, one of the most famous luxury automobiles manufactured.

Their sleek lines, pristine leather, suave interiors, and smooth engines, it's no wonder why these rides rule the streets. It has been the car of choice for those wealthy brokers in Wall Street New York, for a hefty price tag, at that. But fret not. You can drive one. This city, after all, is mushrooming with Jaguar car rental dealers that can loan you the king of the high streets for a day, at least. Now with the Jaguar, let get headed to the rest of the pack: the Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand Hotel. Experience a taste of the wild inside the Hollywood-themed MGM Grand.

Every day, from 10:00am to 11:00pm, 6 wildcats such as lions, snow leopards, and tigers can be seen eating, playing, sleeping, and frolicking around in their special glass habitat at the Casino area. All 31 of these wildcats belong to the renowned feline expert Keith Evans and all live on a 8.5 acre ranch when they are not on exhibit. Now, what's the best thing Verdale about these shows: they're free, compliments of the MGM Grand. Who says nature's marvels stop in dry land? Surely, the ocean and what's beneath it holds as much wonders as the world we set out feet on.

Still on that rad Jaguar car rental, we speed off to the great open sea. Enter the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay. In this deep blue world of Shark Reef, we come and face-to-face with some of earth's fascinating creatures in North America's only predator-based aquarium and exhibit. Sharks of all kinds, giant rays, saw fish, endangered green sea turtles, piranhas, moon jellies and rare golden crocodiles, co-exist with over 2,000 animals in 1.6 million-gallon fish tank. From the toughies, we get to the cuties. Who doesn't love the dolphins? These natural entertainers are born to please any crowd.

Thus, we visit the be a Trainer for the Day at The Mirage. The Mirage has just launched their new programs, which all its guests the opportunity to become acquainted with dolphins at the Siegfred & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. Here, guests will work alongside animal experts as they get to interact with a family of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. The participants will also learn about dolphin behavior and health as well as the Dolphin habitat's research projects as they aid in the survival of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in the wild. So now you see that getting in touch with nature is not as hard as it seems. And it's not limited to a view from the boob tube either. With the "wild" in your Jaguar car rental to the "life" in Lion Habitat, Shark Reef, and Dolphin Habitat, getting up close with Mother Nature could not get better than this.

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With several billion web pages being put out onto the web daily and 1 trillion pages searched by Google every day, you wonder at times if your efforts will ever pay off. Here is a word of encouragement - Don't be discouraged. There are a few golden rules that will ensure your success on the Internet.

Every entrepreneur aiming to succeed in Cyber Space, wants to see their website as No.1 on the Search Engines. To achieve this you need to do several things. First though, you must have quality content, plus a lot of hard work as the major cornerstones of your Internet success. Then you need to think outside the box. The Internet is based on logic, but it is often the illogical that takes you to the top. It often takes only that one whacky idea that works, for you to experience the dizzy heights of success.

There are four golden attributes to success which you cannot by pass: Passion, Patience, Perseverance and Discipline. Do away with any one of these and you join thousands of other would-be entrepreneurs who overestimate the short term results of their website and underestimate the long term results. Hundreds of good sites are abandoned, just when the tide is turning. The authors let themselves slip into disillusionment and quit. Just at the time when they were about to reap the harvest of all their hard work, they abandon their dreams.

There has been a lot written about long keyword tails etc. The true secret is to find high traffic, low competition words. However, even when you have what you keywords you firmly believe to be new launch project a prospective goldmine, you still need to do the hard work to make the site a success.

In designing Win a Resort with its once in a lifetime Blue Moon Opportunity, we were on our own. No one had done anything like raffling a whole resort on the Internet, let alone a luxury boutique resort on a tropical island in the South Pacific. We had no competition, but we had buyer resistance. The prize of Seachange Lodge Resort was too good to be true. It had to be another Internet scam. With great enthusiasm we built the first version. It was a simple blog format, but it worked quite well. Just three months after launch, we managed to get it rise to a No.3 page ranking on Google. We were so proud of ourselves, so we decided it was time to start to rebuild a new stand-alone site in Dreamweaver. This was quite a challenge all on its own.

Of course as with most sites which are rebuilt, our page ranking dramatically disappeared. There one day, gone the next. At the same time the Merchant Bank, which processed the credit cards, was caught in the USA financial fallout. For three and a half agonizing months, it was offline. There could be no of tickets sold and we were never really sure the bank would come back. We were considered high risk, as we were selling Blue Moon Opportunity raffle tickets on the Internet are classed as being High Risk. Very few companies will process credit cards for what they wrongly class as being a lottery.

Just at the point when everyone was saying our project Win a Resort had failed, three things happened. We regained our page rank 3 on Google, the merchant bank came back online and we did a test run for our sites.