Wednesday, April 28, 2010

0

Union Pacific Freight Lines May Be Used For Passengers For 2011 Super Bowl


Image : http://www.flickr.com


Many people probably don't realize that, unlike roads, rail lines are actually owned by individual railway companies. In some circumstances, the rail companies lease those lines to other rail companies for limited use. An interesting deal between Union Pacific and the Super Bowl host committee in Arlington, Texas may be struck to allow freight rail lines to be used by passenger trains on one day only - Super Bowl Sunday 2011.

The company has apparently been in talks with committee officials for several months over this rare agreement. One of UP's major freight lines runs from Fort Worth through the middle of Arlington and past Dallas. If a deal is struck, passengers headed to the Super Bowl at Cowboy Stadium could leave from rail stations in Fort Worth or Dallas. They would then be dropped off near downtown Arlington, less than a mile from the stadium. Shuttle buses would then take them to the game.

UP, one of the nation's busiest freight railroads does not operate passenger rail service at all. Super Bowl host committee members, hoping to get more than 100,000 out-of-town visitors to the game, want to run passenger cars along the freight lines for the game, easing the transportation crunch on game day.

Arlington is America's largest city without mass transit. Cowboys fans are limited to driving, taking shuttles from a Fort Worth rail station, or using a taxi, which can take hours.

Liability and union issues remain unresolved as do issues related to how UP's freight will move through the area during the 12-hour agreement window. Some of the freight UP normally moves through the region would be transferred to another local rail line. That line, however, has less capacity than UP's lines, so a resulting, albeit brief, slowdown could affect freight movements all the way to California.

Because of the high demand on their freight lines, the nation's largest freight railroads have not traditionally been quick to share their lines with passenger trains. Such requests have become more common though, especially as more local governments have expanded light rail and commuter rail service.

Because interstate passenger rail travel is not nearly as popular across the U.S. as in years past, many Americans are surprised to find that rail freight is still a very busy industry. Increased fuel prices and renewed attention to environmental issues continue to make rail freight a popular choice for shippers.




There are many rail freight companies to choose from and complicated intermodal issues to resolve when using rail freight. Freightquote can simplify the process though through its comprehensive online freight management system. Every aspect of intermodal freight shipment can be handled quickly and efficiently via the Freightquote web-based quoting and booking system. Tracking and payments are also all a part of the Freightquote.com solution.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

0

Making Those Calories Count


Image : http://www.flickr.com


We all know that we should watch the amount of fatty foods we eat and incorporate some form of exercise in our daily lives every day for better health. You should know that one of the most successful tools in dieting is writing down what you eat as you eat it. Science has proven that people who do this actually lose 50% more than their counterparts who do not tally up their daily caloric and fat intake.

It make sense to keep track of what you're eating so that you can literally start "trimming the fat" out of your diet, and learn to eat good wholesome foods that can satisfy your hunger cues while coming up as big fat zeros in the fat department.

One way to discover what you really consume on a daily basis is to check out calorie and fat calculators for dieting on line. There is a huge amount of calorie and fat calculators for dieting on the internet, and each and every one of them seems to have their own special personality. Here is a tour of some of the most interesting calorie and fat calculators for dieting that we've found on line:

The Calorie King

This website really deserves to be named the King. It has a huge database of all kinds of food, including everything imaginable from the food pyramid, but has a large listing of name brand foods right in there too. Some of the best features of this particular calorie and fat calculator is that you can change the portion sizes right above the item(s) and the amount of calories and fat is figured out for each and every amount you input. Calories are there, alongside fat broken down into three or more categories. This is definitely the best one around.

The Calorie Control Council

This site really looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. The front page sports a bathroom scale in constant motion (if only it never stopped in real life!), and it looks very inviting. But once you click onto the online calculator, there are certain items that cause it to ask you for some personal information and well, some of us are just not ready to give any information on personal pudginess, so it was decided to go elsewhere for the information needed.

Nutrition Data

Now, this is a really fun site, although there is a lot going on in the space. There's a Daily Needs Calculator (who could resist someone who worries about your daily needs?) and even a food widget to download on a blog so you have the calorie and fat calculator for dieting on line right at your fingertips. It really is user friendly, and the response time is great for getting the information while you're running through the daily food intake. This site has a ton of places to make sure you're keeping track of all your calorie and fat facts to help you succeed in your dieting.




Katie Appleby is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about dieting [http://bestdietingforyou.info/making-those-calories-count], please visit Best Dieting for You [http://bestdietingforyou.info] for current articles and discussions.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

0

Detroit Lions Show Steady Improvement in 2009 NFL Season


Image : http://www.flickr.com


The Detroit Lions have no expectation for the 09' season really -- just don't go 0-16 and that will be good enough it seems. The Lions already improved in 09' winning in week 3 against the Washington Redskins 14-19 -- the teams first win since 07' against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 16. The Lions celebrated their first victory in years by high five-ing the fans in the crowd.

The Detroit Lions have a uphill climb in every sense of the word. The Lions are basically starting from scratch and at 0-16, the entire roster besides Calvin Johnson needed an overhaul. The most important position in football is the quarterback, the Lions are hoping QB Matthew Stafford will help the Lions reach a 8-8 or 7-9 record -- which by Lions standards that would be a great season.

The offense of the Lions ranks in the middle of the leagues teams, the defense is among the lower half in all major categories. The division the Lions play in, The NFC North, doesn't do them any good -- the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are all improved from last season.

The Lions offense must not give away games and hand the opposing teams many turnovers. Rookie QB's turn the ball over often throwing interceptions, Matthew Stafford must stay calm and make smart decisions, easier said the done obviously. Hopefully in 09' the Lions can reach the .500 mark and maybe make the playoffs one year. If any city deserves a winning football team for once its Detroit, they have been beyond patient with their team.

Matthew Stafford can be the only one carrying the team, Calvin Johnson must play like one of the best wide receivers in the game and help make Stafford look good. The Detroit Lions might not win many games but better days surely lay ahead.




The Detroit Lions forum is full of excited fans. Head over for the best sports futures online.

Friday, April 16, 2010

0

Financial Benefits of Car Stickers


Image : http://www.flickr.com


Advertisements during the super bowl cost millions of dollars and so much work is put into them that many people will watch the entire Super Bowl without even a slight interest in football. With those kind of numbers you would think that commercials would be the most effective form of advertising.

It just isn't so. The cost of commercials is one of the highest cost-per-view forms of advertising there is. No less an authority than the U.S. Small business Administration has acknowledged as much and went on to say that static forms of advertising such as signs, banners and stickers are the least expensive and most effective forms of advertising there is.

There are a couple of reasons for this. One is the low initial investment. Especially for banners and stickers they can be downright cheap. Banners will usually cost less than one hundred dollars and car stickers are even less. The other reason that they are so effective is that once they are paid for they keep working twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, every week of the year in good weather and bad. You won't get that kind of coverage with any television campaign and to get any kind of regular spots it will cost a fortune.

There is a saying in business that goes like this: "You don't make money by working hard, you make money by getting other people to work hard for you." This is why Car stickers outperform other kinds of media. You can slap a car sticker on to your own vehicle and all other company vehicles and you will be discretely spreading your message throughout your area of operations. If you hand out those same stickers to your customers, suppliers and friends the buzz can grow exponentially.

Having a car sticker on different vehicles also works in an unusual manner. In a sense, anybody that sticks your logo on their car is giving you an endorsement. When a prospect sees numerous cars with your logo on them it will help overcome any objections they might have and also will also aid in spreading the word.

Car stickers can be designed as a single color silhouette or with multiple colors. The advantage of single colors is that they will usually last longer before fading and are also cheaper. If you have an eye catching logo you might be better off with the printed type of car sticker.




Rick has worked with graphics for over twenty years and can give you some more ideas on making bigger impact with less money. Please check out this website.
Stickers on Cars

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

0

I LOVE YOU ! (.. a would be minute long Super Bowl 2008 ad )

A papa (..or mama) ape with a toddler offspring ape discovers that I Love You is not always what it first seems, in today's internet age world... . If youtube.com had created and aired a TV ad for the 2008 Super Bowl game, it just might have been something like this..... , my take on a would be Super Bowl ad spot for the youtube. This cuteriffic, minute long, ( would be ) Super Bowl 2008 commercial, viral ad, I entirely put together ( that's everything, inc. shooting ) over about 4 hours the morning of Super Bowl 2008. For critics eyes, some considerations: I did the whole vid over 4 hours the morning of the Super Bowl, from shooting to editing, everything, and used the very basic and limited function Windows Movie Maker program. Also did everything myself, and used a rudimentary vid cam. My original id was to use live actors in a somewhat different version of this concept, in fact various different actors in varying roles in several different version takes ( some to be as short as 15 seconds long ), but made do with the ape props. As long as you're already here.., take a look at other videos I've posted on youtube here: www.youtube.com/user/sososolar. There's a superhero Sunman (tm) online comic book (episode #1, featuring Sky Kidd Anderson ) Prequel trailer, a spec Blade Runner ("Requiem") trailer re my spec Blade Runner Sequel screenplay. A recent "covert spy ops" concept video I edited together and composed, plus a celebratization spoof, heck there's even a motorbike ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id-RGysfKPQ&hl=en

Friday, April 9, 2010

0

San Francisco 49ers Beat Seahawks, Improve to 2-0


Image : http://www.flickr.com


How about those San Francisco 49ers? After a disappointing 2008 campaign that showed some promises of hope, it looks like this Niners team is ready to deliver on that hope in 2009.

Coach Mike Singletary seems to have masterminded what is quickly becoming one of the better defensive units in pro football today. Led by Patrick Willis, the 49ers defense has held its competition to just 26 total points in each of the team's first two games.

The more impressive of the two victories was San Francisco's week one win over the Arizona Cardinals, in Arizona of all places. A 20-16 win shut down the defending NFC champions, surprising many football fans around the country.

Efficient play from Frank Gore at running back, coupled with a great defensive presence thus far, has largely been responsible for this resurgence. Ironically, the team looks like it's better off without 1st round draft pick Michael Crabtree, the wide receiver so many expected to change the face of this franchise.

Crabtree refused to play after becoming unhappy with the contract that another rookie wide receiver had been offered with the Raiders, and it looked as if the state of the 49ers was in disarray entering the season.

After that win at Arizona and another impressive win in week 2 against the visiting Seattle Seahawks, things are looking up for the San Francisco 49ers, and they're surprisingly leading the NFC West division after two weeks of football.

Is this just one of those fluke starts that we see a few teams pull off each year, or are the San Francisco 49ers the real deal in 2009?




Enjoy an awesome San Francisco 49ers forum, at RootZoo Sports, home to the best sports forum online.

Monday, April 5, 2010

0

Youth Football Team Struggling For Funds? Try Community Sponsorships


Image : http://www.flickr.com


Creating a youth football organization or team can run into some unusual challenges: where to play, how to get people to join the program, community involvement, funding etc. One strategy in overcoming multiple challenges is to gather local community sponsors. This article's intention is to give a couple pointers in extending invitations and garnering relationships with potential sponsors.

Make a plan

The first step is to make a plan. An old adage states, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." A plan will consist of some basic marketing skills. First, start with people that you know. Second, understand the benefits of sponsoring your organization. Third, make the call and close the deal.

Start with people that you know

In planning to get sponsors for your football organization begins simply as a list of people. This could be anyone from a CEO of a fortune 500 company to the local delivery boy. It is amazing how much businesses rely on social networking, and you are two steps ahead of the game if you have a name, or a tie in to that organization.

Also, try and expand your circle of influence in a variety of ways. Get your football players and their parents to join you in sponsoring efforts. This will not only help you expand your circle, but is an ideal invitation to get them and their businesses to sponsor your team.

Understand your benefits

Here is a lesson from marketing 101: no one wants to hear how much a sponsorship is going to help you...they want to hear how this is going to help them. The more that you hone your pitch towards their goals, and their success the more they will listen.

Take some time to construct your pitch. How would a company, individual, or organization benefit from sponsoring your football organization? Are there ways to promote their businesses at your games? Promote them on your football jerseys? Will giving to your organization help the community feel better about their business?

Make the call and close the deal

Before you continue reading, stop and ask yourself. "How afraid am I of asking for help?" If you are 100% afraid then either you don't believe enough in your cause or you haven't constructed a plan or pitch that is good enough. Start over and try again.

Now that we are ready to go lets start calling! Nothing will help your cause, pitch, or donations more then persistence. Realize that everyone is going to have their free choice. Not even the best marketers or salesman achieve 100% sales conversion. You will get rejected, but if you believe in your cause it will not deter you from trying again and again.

When ending your conversation ask for some donation. There are many styles of closing the sale. One strong tip is to avoid yes or no questions. Instead of asking, "Would you like to sponsor our community team?" Ask something like, "Would you like to donate with cash or a check?"

Conclusion

Remember that if you have a good cause people will join you. The most powerful thing that you can do for yourself and your team is answering the "why" question: "Why are you doing this?" The more powerful and resolute the answer is the better!




GiantsProShop.com is the official online store for the New York Giants and their New York Giants Jersey Its products include jerseys, authentic game worn merchandise, and even a New York Giants Hat