Where were you on 9-11 2001?

As I was making my 2 hr. commute into work this morning listening to everyone talk about about the horrific events that took place EXACTLY 6 years ago today, I noticed a trend that should never happen, publicity. Why should we, as Americans, even give this fundamentalist pig the time of day, let alone publicity with our nations largest media outlets. For 2 hrs. I heard over and over again "Bin laden releases a video montage". Who the hell cares? Why would we continue to him give exposure? Today is not about this crippled, mind warping, backwards thinking jackass, it's about the people who have suffered because of his down right idiotic ideals. Those who run our largest media outlets need to get this right. I would've rather been listening to 2 hrs. of wifes, children, mothers, fathers and relatives speak about how their lives have been affected by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. These are the people who need our attention, not al Qaeda.

Now that I have stated my opinion on the major media outlet's, here's my story.

On the morning of 9-11-01 I woke up at around 7:30 in the morning, just like every morning, and jumped in the shower to get ready for the long day ahead at my 2 year old job. The drive into work seemed shorter than most days, probably because it was an extraordinarily beautiful morning and my attention was on the foliage around me. By the time I got to work, 8:30 coffee was brewing, the soda machine was making noises and people were talking about the day around the water cooler. At about 8:40 every slowly started working their way back to their offices and it became quite quiet, just like every morning. The quietness, this morning, would only last a few moments, then our world would change, FOREVER. At 8:46 AM the first plane crashed into tower 1 and at 8:47 AM the Real Estate office I was working in suddenly erupted with a constant ring of phones, both Cellular and Land Lines. As I remember back on this specific moment in time, every phone line was in use and just about 3/4 of the 75 or so people in the office were on their cell phones and in unison these people yelled "WHAT?". No one at that time knew that we were under attack. Everyone at that point thought that a plane had veered from it's course and accidentally slammed into one of our nations largest buildings. Within minutes there were literally 25 people inside of my small office watching and re-watching the chaotic events on NBC.com. (I was the internet specialist at ReMax) Much to our disbelief we found out that the plane had been over taken by terrorists and it was an intentional attack on the twin towers. Within minutes of finding this out 90% of us let the office to be with our families.

I left the office and went over to my sisters apartment, which was less than 2 minutes away, to find out what was going. By the time my mom, sister and I sat down the second plane was headed right for tower 2. This was even more horrific to me because there was no censorship of the attack, we all saw it unfold. We saw people running for cover, people leaping out of buildings so they wouldn't be burned alive, papers and desks and material everywhere, when will it stop? Is this it? Are there more attacks planned? Where's the military to protect us? How can this be happening in the greatest nation the world has ever seen? The events that happened that day have been permanently etched in my mind and I will never ever forget where I was at or what I was doing.

My mom told my sister and I that this would be like JFK was shot. I didn't believe her at that time, but as my children get older and I become wiser my mother has never been more right than that awful day in September 2001.

So where were you and what were you doing when you first heard about the attacks?

Automobile manufacturers promote high crash test scores!

Automobile manufacturers promote high crash test scores in marketing materials for certain vehicles. These scores do not mean much to the common consumer unless the consumer understands how they are calculated. When you are making a purchasing decision understanding this information on crash testing, whether it is positive or negative, is vitally important.
Two organizations keep crash testing scores; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In the 1960’s these organizations began to look into vehicle safety because of the growth in public awareness. The first crash tests, however, were not conducted by NHTSA until 1978 and were referred to as the New Car Assessment Program, or NCAP. The consumer is probably most familiar with another term for these assessments as the “5-star ratings”.
Currently both front and side crash testing are done. The NHTSA also has a rollover test and the IIHS assesses seat and head restraints. When selecting vehicles, both organizations select the vehicles that are most popular with consumers and that are structurally different from prior models.
To better understand the “5-star ratings” the following will demonstrate the breakdown. If a vehicle has a 5 star rating than it means that it has a 10 percent or less chance of injuries; 4 stars is 11-20 percent chance of injury; 3 stars is 21-35 percent chance of injury; 2 stars is 35-45 percent chance of injury and a 1 star is 46 percent or higher. As you can see the safety of many vehicles will vary and the knowledge of the star rating should factor in to any decision you make when purchasing a new vehicle.
Safety is the number one concern for many consumers, as it should be. Driving a car that looks great or is of great popularity is a great thing, but, being safe is even greater!

Car Loans with Bad Credit

The fact is more people with bad credit, or no credit, are getting approvals on car loans with bad credit. This is bringing a lot of excitement to consumers with less than perfect credit as well as the dealerships. Consumers can now throw away those feelings of inadequacy and apply for car loans.

The fact that consumers have the chance to fill out an application for car loans with bad credit and own the car of there dreams is phenomenal. The approval rate is soaring. Many financial lending institutions specialize in car loans with bad credit. Lending institutions are realizing more and more every day that there are more people with less then perfect credit than there are people with fantastic credit.

The auto dealerships and lenders finally understand that it only helps their business grow if they start granting loans to consumers with bad credit. Obviously, bad credit consumers will pay a much higher interest rate. But the good news – you can start rebuilding your credit by making your monthly payments on time for an extended period and qualify later to refinance at a lower rate.

The internet provides a vast amount of lenders who supply car loans with bad credit. There are financial experts available to talk to that will help you in determining what kind of loan is best for your personal situation. The last thing you want to do is get in over your head with too large of a monthly payment. This will only cause your credit situation to plummet. Financial lenders for people with bad credit are dedicated to getting you a loan approval. Many dealerships are partnered with specific financier's who work diligently to get your loan approved.

No more feeling like all doors will slam shut and you will only hear “no”. You can finally receive the keys to your new vehicle and at the same time have the security to know that you’re financially able to repay the loan and that your purchase was done wisely and with confidence.