Faces of GM Aniko Feher

Great Reviews for Beck & Masten Buick GMC

We have made several purchases over the years from Beck and Masten North. The customer service we receive and attention that is given by the entire staff (new and used sales, financing and service) is commendable. No pressure just pleasure to purchase! Tony Camiel and Thomas"Tank" are just great! We have purchased new and used and each time we are treated with respect and honesty. No haggling or deception. From selection to delivery detail is given to our purchase. Trust me you are not overlooked or forgotten, the dealership follows up after purchasing. Keeps us coming back and referring family and friends. - Ma the Car Shopper

 

 

5 Games for the Road: How to Pass the Time With Nothing But Your Fellow Travelers for Entertainment

Bus and train trips, flights, delays in airports and train stations, hostels without TV or much light; the list of situations where a traveler has time to kill is long. That’s right – travel is not always exciting. There will be dull downtimes, and you may not always be able to read a good book, play internet bingo on your smartphone, do crossword puzzles, play Tetris, or doodle in your journal.

That’s when you need a good repertoire of games to spontaneously play with your fellow travelers. Some will be long-forgotten games from your childhood, and you might be surprised just how necessary they’ll be – and how much fun you’ll have – when you want to fill some of those inevitably empty hours on the road.

A quick confession: I’m a bit of a game geek anyway, and an English teacher to boot, so I’ve been known to start these games even at parties. But I promise that they have all been road tested on a real road, somewhere in Tunisia, Finland, Canada or Germany or any place where I was bored and without a book.

#1 – I Spy

You’ve probably all played I Spy a long time ago, but I recommend dredging it back up from your long term memory. If you can’t, it starts off like this: “I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with A”, and the other players have to guess what object you can see. I’ve played this in hostels (especially those hostel living rooms that have trinkets from all over the world gathering dust there), on train rides and in planes, but it didn’t work too well in the desert. “I spy … sand.”

How to play: I like to limit each person to three or four guesses. Otherwise they’ll exhaust every item in the room that starts with “B” and you’ll soon run out of objects to use. I also like the jet lag variation – play it in a dark room at night when you can’t sleep because your body’s on some other clock, and see if you can actually remember what’s in the room around you.

© Mariano Kamp

#2 – Donna’s Alphabet Game

This is not the official name, but it’s the way I like to remember it after my old school friend Donna got a car load of us playing this on a stop-start motorway in south-west England. It’s simple, as long as you’re traveling on a road with signs (and even better, advertising) and these signs use our alphabet. Don’t try it in the western provinces of China, for example.

How to play: Logically, Donna’s Alphabet Game starts with A. Be the first person to spot the letter “A” in a sign and yell out the word: “A is in motorwAy!” Continue with B and get right through to Z. It sounds easy, but there will be a few tricky letters, and if you’re playing in a non-English speaking country then pronouncing the words will be a lot of fun, too. The way we play, there’s no winner – anybody can scream out the next letter when they see it – but natural competitiveness spurs everybody on anyway.

#3 – Stadt, Land, Fluss: City, Country, River

This game has a German name because my German friends taught it to me – which is also perhaps why it always strikes me as being a bit intellectual, but still a lot of fun. It’s also a highly appropriate game for travelers to play because their geographical knowledge should be a bit better than average.

How to play: Choose three or four categories like the names of a city, country, river or lake. To be honest, I’m terrible with rivers so I always change the river category to something completely different – often food, because I like to talk about food. Take it in turns to challenge another player to think of a city, country and river all starting with a particular letter. If your friend challenges you with “D”, for example, you can win by getting out Dubai, Denmark and Danube in under sixty seconds – or whatever time limit you and your bored mates decide on.

Question Mark Art, Stuttgart Museum of Art © -bast-

#4 – Twenty Questions

An oldie but a goodie, and you can make it topical by restricting the choice of “What am I?” to be something related to the region in which you’re traveling. I did have a friend, though, who would choose objects like “pyramid” while traveling through Egypt or “chocolate” in Switzerland, and then we could have made it just two questions rather than twenty.

How to play: Someone chooses an object, and everyone else asks them questions about it, but the only permitted answers are “Yes” or “No”. (Or in my rules, “irrelevant”, if I think saying yes or no will send the guessers along a completely wrong path … I like to play fair!). If you’re playing with a group, whoever guesses the item correctly can choose the next word.

#5 – For RTW Trippers: Kalgoorlie, Balladonia …

I think it was my father who started this game when our family took a driving holiday across Australia. We were gone about two months and my sister and I, being about ten and twelve years old, needed a lot of entertaining.

How to play: This game only works with your traveling companions, and only on long trips. It’s more of a challenge than a game, but it always works for me. Simply start with the name of the town you stayed in first. On our trans-Australia trip it was the goldmining town of Kalgoorlie. You then try to name every other town you’ve stayed in, in chronological order. My sister and I were experts at this all those years ago, but today I can only remember the first and second stops.

There are tons of other word and guessing games you can play in those bored moments of travel, and you can adapt these games with endless variations, too. And while it might seem like just a way to kill time, playing games like these is something I really love about traveling. It’s almost as if we don’t give ourselves permission to have that kind of fun if we’re at home in our “real lives”.

Anyway, I’m very keen to learn some new games, too, so leave your favorite travel game tips in the comments. I promise to road test them soon.

Courtesy of vagabondish.com

Written by Amanda Kendle

2013 Buick Verano Turbo rated at 31 mpg highway

The The Environmental Protection Agency has released official fuel economy ratings for the 2013 Buick Verano Turbo. When equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual gearbox, the sedan returns 20 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg highway. More importantly, it manages 24 mpg combined. Those figures put it at exactly 1 mpg behind the base model's naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder and its six-speed automatic in every category.

The Verano Turbo also ties the larger Regal GS with the same drivetrain in city and combined mileage, but loses out to its bigger brother on the highway front by 1 mpg. That's despite the fact that that the Regal Turbo tips the scales at a full 371 pounds heavier than the forced-induction Verano. The slimmer waistline on the Verano does pay dividends in the 0-60 sprint, however. The smaller Buick clicks off the run in 6.2 seconds, a full half-second quicker than the Regal GS.

Courtesy of autoblog.com

Monday Maintenance: Cleaning the Interior

#1: Refer to the owner's manual before attempting to clean the interior of your vehicle. I've found that many of today's auto components are very sensitive to cleaners. Before you start, test each of the interior materials in small, out-of-the-way locations, where consequences won't be too terrible if it doesn't work out. It's better to be safe than sorry. Do you want to look at the spray pattern from a can of Super Duper Quikkie-Kleen for the rest of the life of your car?

#2: Don't vacuum hard to reach places - instead, blow it out by connecting your vacuum hose to the vacuum outlet. It is most effective to rapidly toggle the power switch on your vacuum between "on" and "off." Here's why. If you blow the debris out at full speed, it's going to fly all over the vehicle. Doing it at a reduced power, however, will move the debris just far enough so you can access it, then easily vacuum it up.

#3: Get a paint brush and a toothbrush. These are the two best tools for accessing hard-to-reach cracks, crevices and corners. The paint brush is great for reaching into deep locations. Vacuum with one hand as you brush those hard-to-reach locations, and you'll quickly clean up tricky spots. Leave both brushes in your glove compartment, so you'll have them when you stop by your local car wash and vacuum emporium.

#4: To thoroughly remove debris from carpets and mats, use a sturdy brush and run a vacuum right behind it. Don't get too aggressive with the brush. Mats and carpets are (sadly) poorly made these days, even on high-end vehicles. You can easily cause fraying or other damage by using too much force.

#5: For gum, wax and other materials use chewing gum remover. It actually freezes the gum, so that it can easily be scraped off. Use a dull paint scraper to remove the gum once it's frozen. If you can't find chewing gum remover, you can also use dry ice. Get the gum cold enough so it will crack when you apply light pressure with the scraper.

Chewing gum remover may not be available at your local automotive parts and accessories store. You may have to purchase it through an auto-detailing company or a janitorial supply company.

#6: Skip the ArmorAll on the interior. I find it actually attracts dust. If you do use it, buff it in with a moist rag.

#7: Be very cautious cleaning the transparent plastic on your vehicle's instrument cluster. A lot of these plastics are extremely soft, and will scratch easily. I use Plexus plastic cleaner.

#8: The dirtiest spots in a car's interior are the locations you touch, meaning the steering wheel, seat belt, the shifting knob and the driver's side door panel. The "V" between your legs, where your Egg McMuffin and coffee winds up, can also be very dirty. Locate these components and plan to spend a few extra minutes cleaning them.

#9: When you're cleaning seat belts, only use a diluted, mild laundry soap. This will protect the integrity of the belt fabric.

#10: Windows should be cleaned inside and out with glass cleaner and paper towels. Then, lightly buff the windows with a 100% cotton towel.

#11: The dashboard and vehicle panels should be wiped with a dampened cloth with water. To remove grime, use an all-purpose cleaner, diluted with water. As always, use the mildest soap possible.

#12: Need to get rid of smells? Vinegar works very well, and it's a whole lot cheaper than commercial products. Start with a 20:1 water-to-vinegar concentration, and scrub thoroughly. If that doesn't work, slowly increase the ratio until you have success.

#13: No matter what you're doing to your car, be gentle. Because of manufacturers' interest in saving a buck, and the desire to increase the EPA fuel economy, a lot of manufacturers are using less durable materials. So, whether you're working on the inside or the outside, be gentle, or you may permanently mar or damage your vehicle.

 

Courtesy of Car Talk

BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF PEYTON MANNING'S NEW 2013 BUICK VERANO COMMERCIAL

 

Greeneville TN, July 2012: In a new Buick commercial, superstar quarterback Peyton Manning calls an audible.... to his Verano! The spot first breaks on Wednesday, July 11 during the ESPY Awards on ESPN.

U.S. women define word 'team'

LONDON -- There was no need for a Kerri Strug/Wheaties box cover/"SportsCenter" moment when the U.S. women won their first Olympic team gold medal since the 1996 Atlanta Games. And if Bela Karolyi was going to carry a hero to the podium Tuesday, he would have risked a hernia from carrying the whole American team.

Whether these 2012 gold medalists are the best group of American Olympic gymnasts can be debated -- though U.S. coach Marta Karolyi says they are -- but they are almost certainly the best team.

"That [1996 gold-medal squad] was a beautiful team made up from great individual athletes," Bela Karolyi said when asked to compare the two gold-medal teams. "Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Amy Chow -- all these great kids; but they trained in different ways. When we got them together, it was a beautiful bouquet of individual athletes rather than a team. And that made a big difference tonight."

Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports

 

After failing to qualify in the individual all-around, Jordyn Wieber rebounded and set the tone for the U.S. women's team win Tuesday.

What also made the difference was the mental and competitive edge the Americans had, an edge exemplified by Jordyn Wieber.

Wieber is the reigning all-around world champ, but she won't get a chance to win gold or any medal in the individual event later this week. A new rule restricts the number of gymnasts in the all-around final to two per country, and Wieber was edged out by Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman after finishing fourth in qualifying.

"She was hammered by a stupid rule, a stupid rule," Karolyi said. "To eliminate the best gymnast in the Olympic final? That isn't an Olympic final, that's an Olympic invitational."

Wieber put aside the qualifying loss, received a pep talk from teammate McKayla Maroney and went out determined to help her team win gold Tuesday.

"She proved she has a very strong character," Marta Karolyi said. "That she's a fighter, and if she has a situation that puts her down, she is able to fight back. She wanted to prove herself that she is one of the highest international gymnasts."

Wieber so wanted to put Sunday's disappointment behind her that she didn't even wait for the arena announcer to finish her introduction Tuesday before she started flying down the runway for her vault in the first rotation. "I was just ready to go," she said. "I just wanted to get the best start I could and ended up sticking it."

She did, receiving a score of 15.933. Then Douglas posted a 15.966. And then Maroney received a 16.233 with a jaw-dropping vault. And when the rotation was over, the Americans had a lead they would not surrender the rest of the event.

"It was definitely a confidence builder," said Douglas, who piled up a score of 61.465 in four rotations. "When [Wieber] nailed that vault, it was contagious. It was, 'OK, I'm going to nail this vault, too.' And we all nailed it. And it's contagious from there. It goes over to the bars, to the beam, to the floor."

Part of the reason the confidence continued was that mental edge again, plus intense preparation. Marta Karolyi and the staff put the team through intense rehearsals leading into Tuesday's competition, even piping in recorded crowd noise at odd moments to simulate competition conditions. "Everything was implemented in preparations," Karolyi said.

So while the other teams were slipping -- 2008 champion China finished fourth behind silver medal-winning Russia and bronze medalist Romania -- the U.S. just kept rolling, with not a single bad routine and only two with a score lower than 15. Bela Karolyi said he has rarely seen such a 12-for-12 performance and not since Soviet times.

Marta Karolyi said she was confident the Americans would win after their strong balance-beam performance in the third rotation, and the gold medal was all but guaranteed when two Russian gymnasts stumbled in their floor routines just ahead of the United States. To stay focused, the Americans were trying their best not to watch the Russians, but couldn't help but realize what happened from the crowd reaction.

"When the crowd goes, 'Uhhhh,' you just know something went wrong," Douglas said. "So we knew."

The U.S. had such a commanding 10-point lead as it started the floor routine that all it had to do was avoid tripping on the mat. The Americans did just that, performing superbly to clinch the gold by more than eight points over Russia. They hugged, they shouted, they celebrated. They were Olympic champions.

"I think this is really important just for a little redemption," Wieber said. "It definitely was a disappointment with the new rules [in the all-around] and it kind of stinks, but in the end, I wind up with a gold medal."

Where the Americans get their mental edge became obvious when the Karolyis talked about how the athletes would not let down following this gold. They will not go shopping, they will not go sightseeing, they will not lose focus until the competition is over here. And even then, they won't let down.

"It's a fantastic achievement, but at the same time, we don't need to get our noses up in the air because you are just as good as you are on your performance day," Marta Karolyi said. "This is the result of a lot of work for many, many years, and if you want to stay competitive, we have to follow with the same level. We can't think, 'Just because we're Olympic [champions], we can relax.'"

After all, the U.S. will need to defend its medal in Rio in 2016. And that's just four years away. Better get back in the gym.

 

Courtesty of ESPN.com