Co Registration Exposed pt 2 - Staying Out of the Spamhaus

Welcome back. In this article, I’m going to explain the very best practices to keep you out of spam woodshed, which I lovingly call the Spamhaus.

The reason this is important is spam is no joke. Just on a lark one day, I did a Google News search using the word spammer. The results were positively shocking, which I will show you below.

The first result was a 5 year jail sentence. Ouch!

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2155709/spammer-gets-five-slammer

Did the news get better? Nope. Next one down was a $4 million dollar fine. Not a civil judgment, a criminal fine by the FTC of all people.

http://www.techspot.com/news/21503-spammer-gets-huge-fine-of-4-million.html

The third result was absolutely shocking. An ISP was awarded an $11 billion judgment against one spammer!

http://www.newtimesbpb.com/Issues/2006-05-11/news/feature.html

I’ll give you a minute to let that last one sink in. Meditate on it for awhile before continuing reading this article. I’ll just wait before continuing.

Now that I got your attention front and center, it’s time to bring home the bacon and tell you how you can avoid such a bad fate. Here’s the list:

Sharing.

Years ago, mom told you to share everything. However, she didn’t live in the internet age where you can acquire personal info on others quite easily.

When you collect information via co registration, you then begin the process of building a relationship with that person. This is usually done via email. When that exact info is being shared with others, this means other people are doing relationship building with this person as well, and the person in question is receiving multiple emails.

If the info is shared too many times (as is usually the case), the person who signed up will get an avalanche of emails in his email inbox, and will start filing spam complaints. If you sent that person any email, he will file a spam complaint against you. It’s not a very good day for you when this happens.

So, how to keep this from happening? Simple, never share information collected via co registration no matter how much others offer you for it. Also, if you are purchasing such information collected via co registration (such as from a lead house), ask them how many people they share the info with. If share the info with more than two people (you and one other person), throw it out! Or better yet, ask before you purchase leads and save yourself a massive waste of money.

Opt In vs. Opt Out.

It’s simple to tell which is which. If the co reg box is pre checked, it’s an opt out offer. If the co reg box isn’t checked, it’s opt in.

If the leads are collected via opt out, there is a good chance someone forgets to uncheck the box and doesn’t realize they automatically opted in. So, they get email they didn’t ask for, and start filing spam complaints. If you collected the info via opt out, you are now the target of spam complaints, which ruins your whole day (and many more days to come).

Never collect info via opt out methods. Never purchase leads from someone using opt out methods.

Clear enough for you?

Those two suggestions alone will go a long way towards keeping you clear of the Spamhaus. But there is more.

Your co reg offer.

For the love of god, don’t be deceptive in stating what your co reg offer is about. Tell them exactly what it is all about and what they are going to receive. Always deliver what you promise, and don’t ever start right out the shoot with emailing and ad to them.

Also, don’t make them jump through multiple hoops (like squeeze pages), don’t wait until the 5th email to deliver the free ebook to them. And if you promise an e-course, deliver that as well. Failure to do what you promise will generate spam complaints, and that means you’re going to have a very bad day (with many more to come).

Single vs. Confirmed Opt In.

This depends on how the leads are collected, and how old they are.

If you’re running a co registration campaign that uses real time delivery, and the info isn’t shared in the least, using confirmed opt in is a good way to vet out the ‘bad leads’ you’re going to get in a quick and dirty fashion. My preference is to use it.

If you’re purchasing ‘lead sheets’ or ‘records’ there is a time delay between when the info is collected, and when it gets to your hot little hands. It can be up to 30 days, so they have plenty of time to forget they ever opted into your offer, so getting a confirmation email out of the blue like that will generate spam complaints. I’ve never bought lead sheets myself, but the pros say never use confirmed opt in or you’ll be very sorry.

Warm Up.

No matter what kind of leads you use, this is critical. I’ll go over this in some detail under ‘care and feeding of co reg leads’ so I’m not going to do this now. Let’s just say hitting them with a bunch of ads from the get go will only get you spam complaints. If you practice proper care and feeding, you will not only avoid spam complaints, you’ll eventually have a much more responsive list as well.

Time lag.

Never purchase leads that are more than 30 days old. Those are basically trouble just waiting to happen!

Segregation of co reg leads.

Whatever you do, always keep co reg leads separate from your main list. When done with them, simply throw them away, and forget about re mailing them ever.

What info to collect?

To keep yourself out of hot water, you should as a minimum collect the following info:

-Name

-Email Address

-IP address of the person signing up

-Date and time the person signed up

This is the absolute minimum only. Some services may require additional info (such as the url of the co reg page), check with them first and ensure you meet that requirement.

Following these will keep your little rear end clear of the Spamhaus, and keep your list and business from going up in smoke.

Now that I’ve completed the ’safety talk’ (as I called it in my US Navy days), it’s time to ask another question: Do you know how many different methods of co registration there are out there, and what the strengths and weaknesses of each method are? I’ll share the answers in the next article, so look for it in the next couple of weeks.

-Floyd Fisher

PS: Want to get more subscribers in the next month than you got all last year? It’s possible with co registration and this lead generation tool.

Is Jaguar Next On The Auction Block?

After the sale of Aston Martin to a group led by Prodrive head David Richards, speculations have risen that Jaguar may be the next luxury brand to be sold by the struggling Dearborn based car maker. The sale of the super luxury brand generated much needed funds for the financial woe beset Ford.

Aston Martin is one of the most expensive brands in the world and in its stay in the Ford stable, the brand has seen improvement second only to the David Brown era. But since problem after problem has beset Ford, they see it fit that the brand be sold to generate funds they can use for development of other brands they deem important to their restructuring plan.

Last year, the Ford Motor Company experienced their lowest point in their storied history. The company posted a loss of $12.7 billion and they have borrowed the sum of $23.5 billion to help them get back to profitability. The sale of Aston Martin is one good step for Ford since they can now focus on other more pressing problems.

But the question in the minds of some auto experts is whether the sale of the brand is enough to bolster the sagging financial status of the company. Some experts in the field said that if Ford’s restructuring plan falters, they may be putting up the Jaguar brand for sale just like they did with the very profitable Aston Martin.

To these speculations, Ford’s leadership team answered that Jaguar is not for sale. In spite of this statement from Ford, there are still those in the industry who still think that Jaguar will be sold - maybe later than sooner. Some even went as far as quoting a sum for the sale of Jaguar.

The brand has no been profitable in recent years. This fact will play a key roe when the time comes that Ford will sell the brand. Experts pointed out that to sweeten the deal of selling Jaguar, its cousin, Land Rover, should be thrown in the mix. The quoted amount that may be generated for the sale of the two brands is between $1.3 and $1.5 billion.

But there are those in the auto industry that see the sale of Aston Martin as a blessing for Jaguar. The reason cited for this is that Jaguar can now develop vehicles which will be aimed at super luxury car enthusiasts.

For years, Ford has contained the development of Jaguar since they cannot allow Jaguar to produce cars which will directly compete with the super luxury vehicles manufactured and marketed under the Aston Martin marque. With the departure of the brand though, Jaguar can step up and claim the position recently occupied by Aston Martin until its sale to the group composed of two Kuwaiti investments firm, Aston Martin collector and banking billionaire John Sinders, and Formula One team boss David Richards.

If Ford chose to sell Jaguar in the long run together with its British cousin Land Rover, what would be left of the Premiere Automotive Group, Ford’s luxury portfolio, will be Volvo. While there are still no rumors as to whether Volvo will be ultimately sold, the fact remains that the sale of Aston Martin has served as a Nissan control arm by supporting the weight of the problems faced by Ford.

Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car afficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine. Please visit Nissan control arm for more information.

5 Tips To Learn How To Fish

Hello to all the fisher people out there. This is going to be my first article in a great number that I will be coming out within the next few months. My goal that I want to achieve with these articles is to get everyone to enjoy the sport of fishing as much as I do. This first article will be a vague description on learning to fish. After this one I will be starting a very intense series that will help you get to your favourite fishing spot and what to do if your reel should break down in the back country. So I hope you enjoy because you are going to be seeing a lot of me in the near future. I intend for most of my articles to work for anybody including women and children. Once in a while I will submit some more technical issues but for the most part I plan on keeping these working for everybody. So let’s get started.

1.- Who Do You Know
Everybody knows someone who likes to fish. It might be a friend, family member or a co-worker. Ask them if you can go fishing with them the next time you go. Most people are thrilled to have a new fishing buddy. While you are with them is the time to learn.

2.- Internet Fishing
With the inception of the internet it has opened millions of doors to us to find everything we want to know about fishing. We can find out how to fish, where to fish, where to buy fishing gear and what gear is the best for different kinds of fishing.

3.- Read About Fishing
An old but tested theory is your local library. It costs just about nothing for a library card or you can stay right there and read just about anything you want on fishing. It is often nice to just sit in a nice quiet building and absorb all the how to books about fishing.

4.- Be Prepared
Anytime you go fishing you have to prepare yourself for the weather. You can go out on a nice sunny day in July and all of a sudden get nailed by a blistering rain storm or worse get covered in snow. Don’t laugh I have gotten myself into more than one snow storm in the middle of winter especially if you are fishing in the mountains. So make sure you’re always prepared for the worst.

5.- Fishing Law
Okay now. It doesn’t matter where you go fishing. Everyplace has their own laws and regulations. Pretty much everywhere you go you need a fishing licence. Make sure you check into the regulations from where you are going to be. Not obeying the law could turn a great fishing trip into a devastating one in a hurry. Fines could be ant where from 50 dollars to several thousands of dollars. You could get your vehicle and equipment seized and even get your privileges revoked. So please pay close attention so that your fishing experience turns into the greatest thing you do.

This is the conclusion of my first article on the basics of fishing. I look forward to receiving comments from my readers. I will try and push these articles out as fast as I can but because I do so much on the internet my time is limited but I am going to put fishing as my priority and the only thing that will stop me from writing about fishing is if I am gone fishing.

Remember a bad day of fishing is still a better day than a good day at work.

Dale Mazurek

Dale Mazurek has been an avid fisherman for 35 years. He is self taught and has entered and one many tournaments. His expertise is walleye, pike and trout but has a commanding knowledge on just about any freshwater fish. You can check out his newly formed fishing blog at http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/ you can also check out his new relationship blog at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ if you have any questions don’t hesitate to email him at stcajo2009@yahoo.ca

10 Reasons Why Your Business Badly Needs An eCommerce Website In 2007

1.-More and more people are looking for your products and services in the Internet.

Every year, up to 80 billion search engine queries are done by US Internet users alone. Whether your product category is on the mainstream or in the niches of niches, there are searches being done related to your product or service every single day.

2.-If your customers cannot find you in the Internet, they will purchase from your competitor who has an eCommerce web site instead.

Research shows that majority of people prefer shopping online. 71% of online shoppers report they were able to find better sales and discount offers online than offline via a retail or catalog merchant. So don’t be on the losing end by not having your own website.

3.-Customers can purchase your products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any part of the world.

This translates to one word. Convenience. Convenience for your customers and convenience to you as well. It’s a whole lot easier compared to setting up physical store fronts, in expensive high traffic locations, stocking them with inventory, and hiring personnel by the hundreds or thousands.

4.-Acquiring of customers is a lot more cost-effective than hiring a flock of sales reps to push your product.

Day and night, your website can work tirelessly, conducting even up to hundreds of simultaneous product demos and presentations through the use of multimedia.

5.-Your customers expect it.

An eCommerce website will project a professional image for your business giving it credibility. In fact businesses without web sites receive suspicion from potential customers.

6.-Significantly lower advertising cost compared to traditional print, tv or radio ads.

Tri-media is far more costly compared to an electronic website. A website’s reach, when marketed properly, is far greater as well and with an excellent web site design, your business can even look bigger and better than your top competitors in your industry.

7.-You can funnel targeted leads into your eCommerce website and gain measurable results on all your online promotion.

Studies on consumer spending habits show that customers are more likely to buy from you when they are the one’s who sought you rather than when you seek them. Since the average person is bombarded by advertisement everyday, these unsolicited ads train him or her to ignore Ads on TV, radio or print and billboard.

The whole essence of marketing your products and services in the Internet is that you are simply looking for people who are already looking for you. People who are eager to learn about what you have to offer.

And best of all, these online promotions can accurately be measured so you can weed out the losing campaigns and focus on the winners.

8.-Improve customer service

The most effective means to increase sales is by helping your customers on their buying decisions. By providing instant information about your products or an online form to gather feedback and customer inquiries, you significantly improve customer service through your website.

9.-Establish relationship with customers.

Since eCommerce websites have means to gather data from its customers, knowing a lot about your customers helps in establishing a relationship with each one of them. Making it easier to update them with new offers, promos, and useful content.

10.-Online spending is increasing every year.

Last year (2006), $24.6 Billion was spent on online retail in the US during the holiday season alone. Online spending is is increasing every single year and time will come when electronic purchases will outnumber traditional physical purchases.

To end, if these reasons compel you to put up an eCommerce web site for your business, we would like to invite you to visit http://www.daksol.com/ecommerce-web-site-design.php and get a free consultation.

Dak Solutions, Inc. is a Professional Web Design and Hosting company that specializes in Internet Marketing and eCommerce Web Site Design Located in Orange County, its headquarters is in Newport Beach, CA serving clients nationwide.

Toyota Says Auto Industry’s Obligated To Help Solve Global Warming

Toyota Motors North America President Jim Press will tell a House committee this Wednesday that the auto industry has “an obligation to be part of the solution, not the problem,” when it comes to global warming and climate change. This statement was taken from the draft of Press’ testimony.

The president of the company will join the top executives of other renowned automakers - General Motors Corp., the Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group. Ron Gettelfinger, the UAW president, will join the top executives before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, which is considering whether to or not they would force automakers to radically raise fuel efficiency standards of vehicles to reduce tailpipe emissions which have been linked to global warming.

Press’ drafted testimony will reiterate Toyota’s support for raising corporate average fuel economy mandates. “Toyota has long been mindful of and accepts the broad scientific consensus that climate change is occurring and will continue unless there are significant and coordinated global efforts to slow the growth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions,” Press’s testimony says. Toyota is “committed to continued action to address climate change by increasing the fuel efficiency of our products.”

Press, in the prepared testimony, endorses “increased reliance on mass transit” as part of reducing the impact of automobiles. Press’ draft continues, “In-use impacts from the existing fleet of vehicles can be reduced through a series of measures. For example, smarter land-use planning, increased reliance on mass transit and greater use of so called ‘intelligent transportation systems’ can all reduce traffic congestion and energy consumption.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released an analysis last 13 December. According to the NHTSA, the four percent increase starting on September 2009 for passenger cars and September 2011 for light trucks would cost the auto industry $114 billion between the years 2010 and 2017. In the said analysis, Detroit’s Big Three would assume the lion’s share of the cost - $85 billion. This is because they have larger, less-efficient fleets.

Press’s draft says over the last decade, Toyota vehicles sold in the United States consumed 11 billion fewer gallons of gasoline than “if we had merely met fuel economy standards. These same vehicles will emit over 100 million metric tons less of CO2,” as he says in his prepared draft. Press also will tackle about the tenth anniversary of the Toyota Prius. The gasoline-electric hybrid of the automaker also features refined parts like AEM intakes, battery, vacuum flask, internal combustion engines and EV Mode. Through January, Toyota has sold 472,000 hybrids in the United States.

Press will stress in his statement that Toyota is “aggressively pursuing” plug-in hybrid technology. Hybrids still account for only 2 percent of total U.S. auto sales. In February, just 10 percent of Toyota’s U.S. sales were hybrids. Press will call also on Congress to quash the per-manufacturer cap on hybrid tax credits, set at 60,000 vehicles. As of April 1, it drops to a 25 percent tax credit and in October it will expire wholly.

Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today. You can visit AEM intakes for more information.

To Rule A Nation

The world is fast becoming saturated with evil. We hear of wars and rumours of wars, even impending world war. These stem mostly in Islamic countries, like Iraq and Iran, and atheist countries, like North Korea. The quest for nuclear weapons is growing.

In the western world, we already have nuclear weapons. The rest of the world is increasingly regarding us as a threat. Is there a way to dissuade them?

In the east people are dying from car bombs and suicide bombers. In the west women are committing abortion because men and women are not marrying before engaging in sexual relations.

There is much evil in the world and it is growing. The only defense against evil is righteousness. Righteousness is taught through religion, it is learned. There is such a thing as true religion and true righteousness. It is taught through the Bible and through the righteous. Make no mistake about it, false religion is evil. It is essential to man that he try to please God lest he ceases to live under God’s protection and dies.

I believe that we can have hope of God’s protection if we live by His laws but if we don’t we can expect to be trampled over by evil people. We are free to do whatever we find to do in this world but we will also have to live with the consequences of our decisions. The consequences of rejecting God and His ways will be devastating I assure you. The consequences of obeying God gives us hope, not only in this life but in life hereafter.

God is love, life, spirit and God cannot lie. We are to live in God’s spirit and God’s truth. Lies and deceptions have nothing to do with God, they are from Satan. As a nation and as individuals we can have hope if we do God’s commandments. Make no mistake about it this falls in complete opposition to murderous, bellicose Islam who would obliterate Israel and have a fictitious Allah create many wives for it’s murderers.

Because people misinterpret, misunderstand and misapply the Koran does not make it right. The same can be said for the writings of Karl Marx. There is no need to read these books, they don’t lead to life and peace.

Adversely, if people misinterpret, misunderstand, misquote and misapply the Bible it does not make the Bible wrong.

There is only one God. He is a God of righteousness. You can find out quite a bit about Him in the Bible, all you need to know. He is not a flippant God with different ways for different people. There is only one way to life, through Jesus Christ. There is much being said about the contents of the Bible but the only way to find out the truth is to read it for yourself. This will enable you to start a personal relationship with God in truth.

Salvation is from the Jews and for the Jews first. Jesus and His apostles were Jews. The Jews preserved the Bible. Salvation is also for the Christian western world, the lost ten tribes of Israel. And finally to all those who receive Christ. Some will only get there chance after the second resurrection when Christ will be known globally.

Jesus overcame the world and has set a way for us to follow. We need not fear. Among His ways are that we must be conscientious objectors when it comes to war. We must resist to our death as Jesus did, never lifting a finger against anyone only healing, blessing, rebuking and praying for them and even giving up His life for them. War is not necessary for life, it only destroys. What tree ever had to kill for its life? It just gently and persistently makes its way. That is the way of God and His creation as it should be.

God can intervene and stop evil in this world but He has to have a good reason to do so. If it is to save evil people there is very little incentive. If it is to save God fearing and God abiding people then there is incentive. Every one of you can make a difference in the destiny of the world and in your own personal destiny. The blessings that come from following God’s lead are beyond the imagination but the consequences of not going God’s way is death and perhaps a grueling death.

So be brave and choose life. Stand up to all opposition. Stand up for Jesus. The way to life is to defend the way of God onto death. Like for Jesus in His time, a resurrection awaits us.

A few ways that I see that we could improve the nation: get rid of all gambling establishments including lotteries and bingos, only allow pork to be grown for pet food, cease the harvesting of lobster, crab and shrimp. I would also not allow the construction of buildings for the purpose of worshipping false gods. These are efforts in living God’s way.

Jacques Gauvin
http://www.jacquesgauvin.com

Improve Your Figure With Corset Lingerie

If you want to make the most of your physique, nothing works better than a corset, a cinching garment that is worn around the middle torso of the body to accent the shape and contour of the bust and waist. This undergarment has been a part of women’s wardrobe for hundreds of years with its origins traced to England. While the corset was used before for restrain now it is used for giving better shape and control to the woman’s body. The corset has come a long way from the days it was used to make and keep the woman’s body restrained and tiny by tying it in under great pressure to what it is today, comfortable and body shape enhancer. While the corsets of today are considered an essential piece of sexy lingerie, that was not always the case. You can find images of corseted women from the ancient civilizations of Crete, Egypt, Rome and Greece. During this period of time, women wore corsets for physical support during strenuous activities such as gymnastics and bullfighting. For the women in Greece, the corset was called a “zona,” while on the island of Crete the women used heavy rings around their waists and short, bolero-style jackets to support their breasts. However in Rome, a tightly laced corset was a status symbol, and Egyptian women used this type of garment as a part of their daily dress.

The history of corsets is indeed fascinating; today there is an entire lifestyle culture built around the women who wear them and the men who adore them. Now there are many different varieties of corsets that are simply amazing; corsets are made from every type of material and for every type of body sizes.

Many of the style of corsets that you find in sexy lingerie collections have their beginnings in the 13th and 14th centuries, when dresses called “kirtles” were designed with corseted lacing to form the garments closer to the body, replaced the free flowing style. The stiff fabrics used today to form a trim silhouette as a separate undergarment, were taken from these dress designs. The corset today is more used by women who want to look gorgeous and sexy. You will find not only body control corsets in the market but also leather corsets which are a great sex-enhancing garment. Corsets have always been part of the women’s attire. In the 15-18th century it was meant to make the body of he woman flattish by subduing the swelling of the breasts and the buttocks; then it went into controlling the figure to give it a hour-glass look and in the end it was used to make the stomach flat and give support to the stockings.

The design of the corset has evolved throughout the centuries, its appeal as fashion outerwear was accented by its use by celebrities such as singer Madonna. However, during this period the advent of the brassiere replaced the function of the corset and became a staple of the wardrobe of romance with sexy lingerie specialty shops in most major cities.

Can You Market Both A Product And A Service With The Same Marketing Plan

If you offer both products and services, do you need to have separate marketing plans for each one?

This is a very valid question, and one that could have several answers.

Adding Products To Your Business Is A Smart Move

First let me say this … I recommend that all service providers create or acquire products they can sell in addition to their services. By doing so, you take yourself out of the “trading hours for dollars” trap that many solo-professionals find themselves in.

Once you have that product, we must address the question of whether or not you need two marketing plans.

To answer this question you first need the answer to the following two questions.

1) Is the product in the same category or industry as your services?

2) Are your products and services designed for the same type of clientele? (i.e. are your ideal clients the same for both?)

If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, then one marketing plan is all you need. You may however need different marketing strategies and tactics (the actual ways you get the word out, such as press releases, advertisements, partnerships) within that plan.

If your products and services are totally unrelated, and they are aimed at completely different clientele, then you probably need two marketing plans.

If you are still unsure whether you need two plans, sit down and start putting together your marketing plan. I assure you it will become clear very quickly whether you need one plan or two.

Your Marketing Step

Do you offer both products and services? If so, make sure you have one marketing plan that includes strategies and tactics to get the word out about both, to your ideal clients. Or, if the products and services and their respective audiences are very different, make sure you have two separate marketing plans.

If you currently only offer one service, I encourage you to start thinking creatively about additional products or services you can create or acquire. Consider other ways you can help your ideal clients that does not require your time in a one-on-one capacity.

Debbie LaChusa created
The 10stepmarketing System
to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free
Marketing E-Course
when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

Rock Stars’ Cars To Appear At Henry Ford Museum

The American public has always loved its music and its cars, and they even love those cars of people who created the music they love. The Henry Ford Museum will cater to the whim of the public who have been longing for those famous vehicles which famous stars used in the past.

The exhibit dubbed as the Rock Stars’ Cars and Guitars will take place in June 9 of this year at the Henry Ford Museum located in Dearborn, Michigan. The exhibit will showcase eighteen cars which are as legendary as the people who once drove them. The soul of rock and roll will be bared to the public with the unveiling of the cars which includes the rides of Elvis Presley and John Lennon among others.

Aside from cars, the exhibit will also feature a wide variety of guitars that were once used by rock and roll superstars.

The exhibit will showcase cars, guitars, and motorcycles on loan from other museums and private individuals. The Petersen Automotive Museum, the Hard Rock Cafe, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum Inc. are the natural homes of the cars and guitars to be shown at the exhibit on the ninth of June. Christian Overland, the Vice President of Museums and Collections for The Henry Ford Museum, has this to say about the exhibit: “Rock & roll and custom-car culture are important expressions of American freedom and individualism. This exhibition presents an opportunity to see some of the iconic cars of rock & roll and understand the artistic expressions of the stars.”

Among the eighteen cars to be showcased at the event is the 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V owned by the immortal Beatles member John Lennon. True to the age where Lennon grew up, the car is pained in a psychedelic floral motif. This will surely have people silently singing “Imagine”.

Another legendary car which will make an appearance at the exhibit is the 1949 Cadillac custom designed by blues rock band ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons. The car is dubbed as the “CadZZilla” and is one of the most recognized hot rods in the rock world.

Another legendary car that will be showcased at the aforementioned event is the 1971 De Tomaso Pantera formerly owned by Elvis Presley. The popularity of the car is attributed to a bullet hole shot into the car by the King himself.

Another vehicle that will make an appearance at the event is the 1932 Ford Coupe “Silver Sapphire” which became famous when it appeared on the cover of another rock and roll icon - the Beach Boys’ album. The Silver Sapphire was featured in the cover of the “Little Deuce Coupe” album of the popular rock and roll band.

Another 1932 vehicle from Ford also made it to the exhibit. The Ford model in question is the 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Phaeton hot rod. The hot rod became popular when it was used by hard rock band Van Halen on the music video for their song “Hot for Teacher”. At the end of the music video, Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth smoked the tires of the car as he sped away from the school.

These vehicles have become a part of the auto industry in the fact that they have generated interest on cars during their tenure as the ride of the rich and famous. All these cars have been known for their performance and the use of aftermarket parts, although it is highly improbable that a Nissan cold air intake system was used on any of those cars.

Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car afficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine. For more information, visit Nissan cold air intake

Obesity and Erectile Dysfunction - Another Sad Story, Same Happy Ending

In the pantheon of contemporary culture, neither Adonis nor Aphrodite has love handles.

But two thirds of Americans do. Yet, contrary to conventional stereotypes, their excess weight hasn’t hampered their interest in having a healthy sex life. In fact, research shows that overweight men are just as interested in sex as the next guy; they just may not be as able to perform.

Now, when it comes to performance anxiety, low self-esteem about body image can be a real impediment to confidence, so that may account for some of the problem.

But experts say that 90 percent of erectile dysfunction is physical in origin, not psychological. In large-scale studies, nearly 80 percent of men who reported having erectile dysfunction were also overweight or obese.

So perhaps it won’t be a surprise that a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has yielded some promising news about resolving this sensitive problem, and it doesn’t have anything to do with little blue pills you hear advertised during major sporting events.

The research in question was a two-year study conducted at the Second University of Naples, Italy. The subjects were recruited from a campus weight-loss clinic. They were all obese men between the ages of 35 and 55. All reported some degree of erectile dysfunction, but they were otherwise healthy, without the complications of diabetes, hypertension or heart disease that are so common with obesity.

Half the subjects were supervised by medical professionals in individualized weight-loss treatment programs. They were educated about diet, fitness and personal behavioral adjustments in visits with a nutritional counselor and a personal trainer, every month for the first year, and then bi-monthly during the second year of the study.

The other half-the control group-just got general information about exercise and healthy dietary choices during visits every other month during the two-year study period.

By the end of the study, all the men in the supervised group had lost weight and experienced various health and sexual function improvements. In fact, by the time they’d achieved a weight loss of just 10 percent, erectile dysfunction was completely alleviated for one out of three men in that group.

But there was no change in weight for the control group, and even by the end of the study, only three of the 55 men in the control group had recovered normal erectile function.

Perhaps the most important finding of this study is one the researchers weren’t even trying to prove: regardless of the objective, the weight loss effort is more effective with professional supervision. Remember that these men were all what you would call “motivated” subjects; they were recruited from among people who had already shown up at a weight-loss clinic, so they wanted to lose some weight. But even at that, the subjects who didn’t have any particular guidance just couldn’t do it.

The men did not know that the study was specifically examining the potential improvement in sexual function. Had they known this was a possible outcome of their effort, even the unsupervised group might have been more “motivated.” When a healthy sex life is at stake-and for most overweight men, it is-men shouldn’t just try to handle the problem on their own, because the right support seems to make all the difference.

That said, consider some of the other outcomes:

In the supervised group, overall blood pressure was lowered, but not in the control group.

In the supervised group, overall cholesterol levels dropped, but the subjects had an increase in their good HDL cholesterol levels. The control group’s overall cholesterol went up, but with no increase in their good HDL levels.

Triglyceride levels and C-reactive protein counts also dropped for the supervised group, but not the control.

You probably recognize these things as factors in heart health and diabetes, and so you can understand how the supervised subjects’ also reduced their disease risk.

The researchers also tested endothelial function -the performance of cells lining the blood vessels- which has an impact on both cardiovascular health and erectile function. The chronic oxidative stress and inflammation caused by obesity impairs endothelial function. Here again, the men in the intervention group showed improvement, while the control group did not.

We already knew from previous research that overweight men who initiate weight loss in mid-life have 70 percent less risk of ever having erectile dysfunction than those who remain sedentary. The current study was meant to determine if weight loss could also reverse erectile dysfunction that had already set in, and it seems clear that it can.

If sales of Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are any indication, the pursuit of vigorous sexual function is a strong motivator for men of any age. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in promoting the take-a-pill approach to that pursuit, and millions of men have responded, in spite of potential side effects and other health risks involved.

Imagine if even a few million dollars were invested in a public education campaign letting men know that just losing weight and improving their fitness could be the answer to their personal distress.

It’s true that recently, there have been more public health efforts to promote weight-loss and fitness in general, especially given the epidemic of obesity and associated increases in diabetes and heart disease. But imagine the impact of a campaign that gave men the concrete goal of a healthy sex life. Most would agree that seems more tangible to the average fellow than say, lowering his triglycerides.

There’s likely to be some personal cost involved in pursuing comprehensive weight loss treatment. But how do those costs compare to the expense of prescription approaches? And consider how much overall health care costs would go down if men tried to recover their lost virility by losing weight and getting healthy, instead of popping a pill.

No matter how medically appropriate and cost-effective, this is one treatment that-as a JAMA editorial put it-will never be “accompanied by free pens, free notepads and its own Superbowl commercial.”

That means it’s up to public health advocates and doctors to carry this message of hope without any big-budget hype.

THROUGH THICK & THIN: Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction affects more than half of American males between age 40 and 70, and nearly 80 percent of men with the problem are overweight. Research shows that just walking a couple miles a day can significantly help a man’s chances of avoiding-or even reversing-erectile dysfunction, and it’s a lot cheaper and less risky than certain pills we hear a lot about.

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Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. is a board certified Family Physician and a board certified Bariatric Physicians (the medical specialty of weight management). Dr. Cederquist is the founder of Bistro MD formerly Diet To Your Door, a home diet delivery program that specializes in low calorie gourmet food that is delivered to your home or office. Bistro MD serves as culmination of Dr. Cederquist’s expertise in the world of medical weight loss.