Memorial Day 2007

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who died in service to our country. Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday in 1971, to be celebrated on the last Monday of May.

Originally know as Decoration Day, it is believed that Memorial day started in the United States after the Civil War to remember fallen Union soldiers. This might be true, because eight southern states hold a separate memorial day for fallen Confederate soldiers.

About 5,000 people attend the Memorial Day ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery each year. A small American flag is placed on each grave and the President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Ways You Might Celebrate Memorial Day:

• visit cemeteries and war memorials and place flags or flowers
• attend Memorial Day parades or your local VFW hall
• fly the US flag at half-staff until noon
• add the POW/MIA flag to your flagpole
• participate in National Moment of Remembrance at 3 PM (local time)
• view the National Memorial Day Concert

Tags: Memorial Day 2007, National Moment of Remembrance, National Memorial Day Concert

Michael and I are looking for a new tow vehicle. The Beast, a 1987 Ford Club Van XL gets about 8 miles per gallon and it is killing us with gas prices at $3 per gallon. While looking around the Internet, I found a site called Autotropolis.

They have this cool tool called a Vehicle Selector Aid that lets you find a car according to your lifestyle. You select your lifestyle:

• Family Vehicle
• Environment Conscious
• Value Buyer
• Modest & Comfy
• Performance Driver
• Flash & Style
• Price Is Not Object
• Towing Vehicle
• Safety Conscious
• First Time Car Owner
• College Driver
• Senior Driver
• Frugal Driver
• Long Distance
• Working Vehicle
• Off-Road
• Executive/Luxury
• Second Car

After you select your lifestyle, you click SELECT. The next page allows you to adjust each of your criteria with a slider or to add criteria to your search. The criteria are slightly different for each lifestyle, but include items such as:

• reliability
• mileage
• drive system
• ownership cost
• performance
• warranty
• fuel selection
• fit and finish
• towing, drive system
• style
• electronics
• child friendly
• driveability

At the bottom of this page is a listing of Your Ideal Results Based on Your Needs. You may view a thumbnail picture, base price and gas mileage of each vehicle; get a price quote; compare the vehicles side by side; or modify your search by body style and price.

When you have winnowed your selection to 2-3 choices to compare, the comparison page features tabs for Overview, Specifications, Features, Safety Info and Advantages. The Advantages screen compares the first vehicle you have selected with each vehicle you selected and tells you what is different, from drivetrain to warranty.

When you have made your selection, place your zip code in the box under your selection and push GO. When you have selected options like colors and package, you will be given a k

The Dealership Locator helps you to locate new car dealerships by zip code. The TIP (True Internet Price) is the easiest way to find the market value of vehicles sold in your area. Armed with this figure, you will probably be able to get a new car without haggling.

If you are not looking for a new car, then use the full-featured search engine to locate a used vehicle in your area.

Visit Autotropolis, sponsor of this post, and find your next car the easy way.

Tags: Autropolis, TIP, lifestyle

Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in central California is a sacred place filled with natural splendor. Towering granite cliffs, thundering waterfalls, steep mountains, alpine lakes, blankets of wildflowers and sparkling rivers grace this tranquil space just hours from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Reno! In addition to biking, hiking and paddling trails, Yosemite will feed your creative spirit with free photography walks or art classes to create lasting images of your adventure. You may also want to take a tour and let someone else do the driving.

How could you make this experience perfect? Stop for an hour or two for The Lotus Path Workshops. The workshops are held in Yosemite Lakes Park, in the foothills of the Sierras, thirty miles from Yosemite National Park. The Lotus Path workshops focus on clearing any obstructions that may exist between you and your higher self. So, stop by and get your chakras cleared before journeying to Yosemite. Activate your senses so that you may experience all that is Yosemite.

Tags: The Lotus Path, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Yosemite National Park