The world of aesthetics has come to be more experimental yet organic making a lot of girls appreciate natural beauty tips more. Lift up that beauty regimen this autumn and learn about the best beauty makeup tips for this season!

1. Moisture is Power

Summer is over and what you really need now is to improve on the moisture of your face. A fresh, dewy skin should not only come from the brushes of makeup that is why keeping moisture is one of the most helpful. Since your skin, face might have been exposed to direct sunlight during summer, it’s best to replenish the moisture. You may use hydrating masks loaded with Vitamin E as your primary.

2. Lip Statement

Beauty makeup tips that would really make girls happy about, are wearing the boldest lip color. Plums and reds are all over the market this season and you would definitely enjoy this kind of look this autumn. However, before you do this great beauty tip for girls, you should first make sure that your lips are exfoliated, moisturized, and not flaky.

3. Love your oils

Oils are not your enemy always. It may be commonly regarded as cause of blemishes and clogged pores but that is not always the case especially with the use coconut oil. An unusual but efficient is to use coconut oil when removing your makeup. Coconut oil can do wonders on your skin especially during autumn. It helps a lot in completely removing makeup off your face and locking in your skin’s moisture during the changing weather.

4. Finest hair care

Your hair might be suffering from slight damages from the sun during but you need not worry. A keep your hair healthy and sleek is to find the right hair products and treatment. Pamper your hair with some hot oil treatment and a superb hair polish with tender, love, and care.

5. Autumn beauty makeup tips

You wouldn’t want to miss enjoying autumn without glam etched on your face. This season, you are allowed to go all crazy with matching colors! That’s right; autumn is the best time for you to match the color of your clothes with your eye makeup! Eye include shades of browns, greens, and grays. Earth colors are abundant this season with an exception for blue, which may come off too strong for fall. You should also avoid wearing black eyeliner and opt for brown or grey instead. This also goes the same for wearing mascaras.

How to skate faster is something that every hockey player should be actively working on. Skating is the absolute most important skills in hockey. The entire game is built on skating, and if you aren’t a strong skater, you can never be at the top of the game. Here are three great exercises you can do during the off season to increase your skating speed and help you become a more dominant player.

1) Unstable squats.

Unstable squats are just like normal squats, except that you to them on a bosu board or another such device. Very advanced players will often do their squats on swiss balls, which is extremely difficult. Complete beginners should stick to doing their squats on flat ground, but doing them on a round or unstable surface will really rip up the muscles used in skating.

2) Calf raises.

When you skate, you should be pushing through right to the tips of your blade. That last toe extension on each stride is still somewhere power can be produced, and doing calf raises will work exactly those muscles. Stand with weights in your hands and lift your body up on your toes. Alternatively, you can do this on a leg press machine.

3) Core exercises.Your legs are the driving force behind your skating, but your core keeps you in balance. If you don’t have a strong core, and you can’t keep your body stable on your skates, you’ll have no chance of reaching your skating potential. Your core also contributes to your shooting, passing, checking, and every other aspect of playing the game, so never ignore it!

Working on these simple areas will help get you in top shape for skating, and should result in improved skating speed. However, these are just a few of the things you can do to increase your speed. For the best results, invest in a good hockey specific training and fitness manual, or consider consulting a coach or trainer to help you design a workout.

There are some tips in the following. In the first place, the ceiling that becomes vulnerable and sagging due to water level and humidity. In the second place, the hydrodynamic load can damage the other exterior and interior parts. Next, carpets and furniture can become a victim of flooding. Then, if moisture stays for long, it can affect your hardwood floor. After this, health issues raise in case if the floodwater stands in sewage.

After that, the insulation of dry walls takes effect. The floodwater can ruin all appliances and furniture that are not resilient to water. The hydrostatic load is capable of cracking as well as can break down the walls and floors. Lastly, the floodwater with silt and soil may weaken the integrity of the foundations. The point is, your house is not ready for such contingencies.

Dos in a Flood

However, the following steps can give you a breathing space against the unwelcoming event of a flood. First, park your car at a higher place because water with 3 inches height can drag it away. Second, maintain a stock of batteries along with the torches. Third, to avoid the sad situation of drowning you need to protect your pets by taking them to the upstairs and livestock to a higher turf.

Do not come into contact with flood water unnecessarily, it may harm your eyes, ears, and nose. The moment you find floodwater ringing your house, give a call to your insurance company instantly. It is also advised that you should not do the repair work on your own. Rather, do not start it until you are paid for the loss. It is because insurance businesses do not monetarily compensate any loss that they had not seen.

Flood restoration is itself a complete job. That is why, a certain type of concerns that is the flood restoration enterprise is considered competent to undertake such restoration tasks. They can quicken the damage claim process to get the compensation in a fast possible manner.

What Makes Flood Insurance More Suitable?

Flood insurance can highlight the differences between the homeowners. These have been enumerated in the following. The former’s insurance policy includes broken pipes, spilling over sink and toilet, broken hose of an appliance and water from a compromised roof.

On the other hand, facts of a flood insurance policy are itemized as in the following. It takes care of direct consequence of flooding. It becomes a requirement if your new house is located in a high-risk area. In case your house is in low or medium risk areas, one-quarter of all filed flood claims is honored.

The family Talpidae includes the moles, shrew moles, and desmans, all of which are confined to the north of North America and Eurasia. These predominantly burrowing insectivores (29 species in 12 genera) are highly secretive and because of their way of life have, in general, been poorly studied. The species that has, to date, received most attention from naturalists and biologists alike is the European mole (Talpa europaea), whose way of life and behavior are probably quite similar to many of the other species within this family.

Moles are highly specialized for a subterranean, fossorial way of life. Their broad, spade-like forelimbs, which have developed as powerful digging organs, are attached to muscular shoulders and a deep chestbone. The skin on the chest is thicker than elsewhere on the body as this region supports the bulk of the mole’s weight when it digs or sleeps. Behind the enormous shoulders the body is almost cylindrical, tapering slightly to narrow hips with short sturdy hindlimbs (which are not especially adapted for digging), and a short club shaped tail, which is usually carried erect.

In most species, both pairs of limbs have an extra bone that increases the surface area of the paws, for extra support in the hindlimbs, and for moving earth with the forelimbs. The elongated head tapers to a hairless, fleshy pink snout that is highly sensory. In the North American star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata), this organ bears 22 tentacles each of which bears thousands of sensory organs.

How Do Moles Dig Burrows?

The function of a mole’s burrow is often misunderstood. Moles do not dig constantly or specifically for food. Instead the tunnel system, which is the permanent habitation of the resident animal, acts as a food trap constantly collecting invertebrate prey such as earthworms and insect larvae. As they move through the soil column invertebrates fall into the animal’s burrow and often do not escape before being detected by the vigilant, patrolling resident mole.

Once prey is detected, it is rapidly seized and, in the case of an earthworm, decapitated. The worm is then pulled forward through the claws on the forefeet, thereby squeezing out any grit and sand from the worm’s body that would otherwise cause severe tooth wear-one of the common causes of death in moles.

If a mole detects a sudden abundance of prey, it will attempt to capture as many animals as possible, storing these in a centralized cache, which will usually be well defended. This cache, often located close to the mole’s single nest, is packed into the soil so that the earthworms remain alive but generally inactive for several months Thus, if an animal experiences a period of food shortage it can easily raid this larder instead of using essential body reserves to search for scarce prey. In selecting such prey for the store, moles appear to be highly selective, generally choosing only the largest prey available.

How Do Moles Construct Tunnels?

Tunnel construction and maintenance occupy much of a mole’s active time. A mole digs actively, throughout the year, although once it has established its burrow system, there may be little evidence above ground of the mole’s presence. Moles construct a complex system of burrows, which are usually multi-tiered. When a mole begins to excavate a tunnel system. It usually makes an initial relatively straight exploratory tunnel for up to 20 meters (22 yards) before adding any side branches. This is presumably an attempt to locate neighboring animals, while at the same time forming a food trap for later use. The tunnels are later lengthened and many more are formed beneath these preliminary burrows. This tiered- tunnel system can result in the burrows of one animal overlying those of its neighbors without them actually being joined together In an established population, however, many tunnels between neighboring animals are connected.

Mole’s Sense of Navigation

Moles have a keen sense of orientation and often construct their tunnels in exactly the same place every year.

In permanent pastures, existing tunnels may be used by many generation of moles. Some animals may be evicted from their own tunnels by the invasion of a stronger animal and, on such occasions, the loser will have to go away and establish a new tunnel system.

These master engineers are highly familiar with each part of their own territory and are suspicious of any changes to a tunnel, which makes them difficult to capture. If, for example, the normal route to the nest or feeding area is blocked off, a mole will dig either around or under the obstacle, rejoining the original tunnel with minimum digging.

Our knowledge of the sensory world of moles is very limited. They are among the exclusively fossorial species, the eyes are small and concealed by dense fur or, as in the blind mole Talpa caeca, covered by skin Shrew moles, however, forage not only in tunnels beneath the ground but also above ground among leal litter Although they may have a keener sense of vision than other species they are still probably only able to perceive shadows rather than rely heavily on vision for detecting prey or for purposes of orientation.

The apparent absence of ears on almost all species is due to the lack of external ear flaps and the covering of thick fur over the ear opening. It has, however, been suggested thar ultrasonics may be an important means of communication among fossorial and nocturnal species. But of all the sensory means olfaction appears to be the most important medium-a fact supported by the elaborate nasal region of many species, together with the battalion of sensory organs stored within this area.

Breeding Season

The brief breeding season is a frantic period for moles, as females are receptive for only 24 to 48 hours. During this time males usually abandon their normal pattern of behavior and activity, spending large amounts of time and energy in locating potential mates. Mating takes place within the female’s burrow system and this is the one period of non-aggressiveness between the sexes.

The young, with an average of three to the litter, are born in the nest four weeks later. Weighing less than 4 grams (ounce), the pink, naked infants cannot control their body temperature and rely on their mother for warmth The young are fed entirely on milk for the first month, during which they rapidly gain weight. Juveniles remain in the not until they are about five weeks old at which time they begin to malor short exploratory foray in the immediate vicinity of the nest chamber. Shortly thereafter they into accompany their mother on more exterite explorations of the burrow system and may disperse from there of their own accord, those that do not leave will soon be evicted by the mother.

When learning basic Japanese, you learn the word for seasons is kisetsu in Japanese. There are only four seasons so Fuyu – winter, Haru – spring, Natsu – summer and Aki – autumn / fall do not take a long time to learn. But when you have finished learning the names of the seasons, did you know that Japanese has a rich vocabulary of seasonal words, called ‘kigo’? In this article, we will introduce a few of the well known kigo or season words and those used in Spring and Autumn.

The word ‘kigo’ is made up of two Chinese characters, with the readings of ‘ki’ and ‘go’. ‘Ki’ comes from the word for season, ‘kisetsu’, so means season and go means language, as in Nihongo (Japanese language), so kigo means seasonal language. There are many words related to seasons that use ‘ki’ which is the reading of one of the Chinese characters in ‘kisetsu’. Shiki is made up shi (four) and ki (season) meaning the four seasons. Kisetsufuu means seasonal wind (kisetsu and fuu for wind). Kikan combines the character for season (read ki) and kan (meaning printing) to mean published seasonally or four times a year. Kimatsu means end of the season.

The Japanese word for Spring is Haru. There are many words related to spring weather and begin with haru. Haruichiban combines the word for spring (haru) with the word for number one (ichiban), put together and haruichiban means the first gale of spring. Other spring words related to the weather include harukaze, meaning spring breeze, harusame meaning spring rain, harumeku it has become spring like, and harugasumi spring haze. Of course spring in Japan is famous for the beautiful blossoms on the peach and cherry trees. The blooming of peach blossoms (ume) mark the start of spring. Cherry bloossoms (sakura) and cherry blossom viewing (hanami) are a popular family or group activity in Spring. The word for Autumn or Fall in Japanese is Aki. Many foods are seasonal and taste best in Autumn.

The expression “Aki no shokuyoku” is used frequently in Autumns and means ‘Autumn appetite’. Words related to the Autumn weather include akikaze autumn wind, akiguchi which means early fall, but interestingly literally means autumn mouth, and ‘akigare no hi‘ perfect autumn day. The Autumn Festival (akimatsuri) is a thanksgiving for the harvest. In Autumn many people head to the mountains to see the beautiful red, yellow and orange colors of the leaves changing – Kouyou is the word for this period.

After a highly successful first season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, in which the Blues completed their first ever Premier League winners and FA Cup winners double, there were naturally high expectations for the 2010-11 season. The Blues were many peoples favourite to win the Premier League title again.

Chelsea started the season as they had finished the last, in emphatic style, as the beat West Brom 6-0 with Didier Drogba scoring a hat-trick. The Blues looked cohesive and composed and the following week they recorded another 6-0 victory away at Wigan, winning their first five consecutive Premier League games, by the end of October Chelsea had won eight of the first ten League games, including a victory against Arsenal, and they were showing great form, even at this stage, many thought they would easily retain the Premier League title they had won the season before.

Unfortunately the Blues lost their way in the November following injuries to John Terry and Frank Lampard and the many attributed their sudden loss of form to the unexpected departure of assistant coach Ray Wilkins who left the club at the beginning of November. Achieving only two victories from their next eleven games, saw Chelsea endure their worst run of form for over ten seasons, which included a 0-3 home defeat against Sunderland.

January saw the arrival of £50 million Fernando Torres from Liverpool, which became a record transfer fee for a player between two English clubs. Unfortunately it wasn’t the dream move that everyone had hoped for as his poor form which he experienced at Liverpool continued at Chelsea. Torres only scored one goal and often seemed to struggle with the Blues formations and style of play, often cutting a lonely figure on the pitch.

By the time Chelsea faced Manchester United at the beginning of March they could have fallen 15 points behind the Reds in the race for the title, but a heroic second half performance saw the Blues secure a dramatic 2-1 victory. Seven wins from their next eight league games saw Chelsea make a late push for title glory, which would have secured one of the most dramatic Premier League titles in recent history. Defeat against United at Old Trafford brought their amazing run to an end and sealed their fate of finishing in second place in the league.

Chelsea were also beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League quarter finals, a defeat that effectively sealed the fate of manager Carlo Ancelotti, and he was sacked moments after the final game of the season against Everton

The Blues will now search for a new coach and look to rebuild their squad for next season and speculation on the future of some of the teams older players will also be in focus, as Chelsea will again strive for domestic honours and the elusive Champions league glory.

For those who are willing to make significant sacrifices to live their dreams, there are often many paths, some with more stones than others. When it comes to Ross Outon, winner of the 2009 PBS reality contest The Winemakers (Season 1), I am reminded of a quote from Morgan Freeman’s character Red Redding in the film The Shawshank Redemption, “Andy Dufresne, who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.” Winning The Winemakers reality show may sound like an express pass to winemaking nirvana but for Outon, his rocky path included start and stop filming for two years, divorce,loss of his house to the bank, loss of his job, the unexpected passing of his beloved dog, threats of legal actions to obtain his prize money, other prizes never honored and post harvest unemployment. But though it all Ross came out “clean,” at least until his arms are elbow deep in the first bins of black Pinot Noir grapes from the upcoming harvest. Here’s Ross Outon’s story.

In 2006, Ross’s wife passed along a flyer announcing the Austin, Texas casting call for the PBS reality show, The Winemakers. By that time Ross had worked in various levels of wine retail for 11 years with stints in a grocery store, wine wholesale and a respected local liquor store chain, Twin Liquors. He was ready for the next step in his wine evolution and the show offered endless possibilities. At the audition, Outon stood out from the professionally attired hopefuls, taking the stage in his black t-shirt sporting cropped red hair, tattooed arm sleeves and chest length red goatee. After six months passed with no contact from the show, Ross assumed he did not get the part. But the call finally came.

The 12 contestants were divided between six men and six women. Six wine professionals and six enthusiasts, six from California and six from other locals within the US. The show was filmed at Justin Vineyards outside Paso Robles in central California and focused on Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Mouvedre, Grenache and Viognier. The contestants, who Ross described as “12 wine lovers who were inherently jovial” met for the first time on the set in the fall of 2006. Ultimately the filming of six episodes spanned two years, had a rotating set of judges and was not ready for broadcast until 2009.

As with many reality shows, the contestants were given wine-related tasks such as harvest work, food/wine pairing, business plan development and finally blending their own wine to be judged. Each episode resulted in one or more contests being eliminated by the judges. Ross was an immediate standout, for his confidence and wine knowledge in addition to the tattoos and goatee. “I left the first filming knowing I could win,” Ross stated. And win he did.

Three contestants remained for the final episode. They were judged on their wine marketing business plan, wine label and of course their wine. Ross was rebuked for his wine label and name 45RPM, a tribute to the Austin Music scene, for not being “adventurous” enough for what the judges perceived to be an adventurous wine. However, the wine, a blend of Grenache, Mouvedre, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel won high praise from the judges. One judge spoke about being “moved” by the wine while another compared it to “a fine Rhone wine… and could have been fooled in thinking I was drinking a Coates du Rhone from France.” Ross appreciated such accolades for a novice winemaker from Austin, Texas.

The extended filming schedule, many trips between Austin and California and work in Austin took a toll on his marriage that resulted in a separation from his wife and a protracted divorce. The divorce settlement was complicated by the fact it took Ross over two years to receive only a portion of his cash prize from the show’s sponsor, the recently defunct Sonoma-based custom crush facility, Crushpad. In addition, the “two-week all expense paid trip to the Rhone Valley to discover the wonderful wines we make there,” offered to the winner in the final episode, never materialized.

Crushpad offered Ross a commission contract based on the sales of his 45RPM wine. Crushpad would make the wine and distribute it and Ross would receive payment. Between 7,000 and 8,000 cases were blended from what Ross described as “inferior bulk wines” from those he used to make the original 45RPM. The wine was sold at a much lower price point than Ross expected diminishing his cut. 45RPM did sell out rather quickly once the show aired. Even at the lower price, Ross was to earn about $50,000 in commission. The prize, which was to be a lump sum, was only partly paid over two years, in 20-30 small arbitrary installments after threats of legal action.

To make matters worse, Texas liquor laws do not allow for a wine retailer to receive income from a wine producer. Once the first installment hit his mailbox, Ross’s sales position at Twin Liquors amicably came to an end. At this point winning The Winemakers had cost Ross his marriage, his house and his wine retail career even though he had only a small portion of his cash prize and no French wine excursion. Ross said, “If I had gotten only half of my prize from Crushpad in a lump sum, I could have moved to Sonoma, bought some grapes and made a few hundred cases. It would have been much easier.” Ross remained as determined as he was during his audition to become a winemaker, even if he started at the very bottom. Ross considered winning The Winemakers was “a sign he was on the right path.”

Though he didn’t know it at the time, Ross’s luck was about to change in the fall of 2009. The Food and Wine Foundation in Austin asked Ross, fresh from winning The Winemakers, to co-host a dinner with heralded Sonoma Pinot Noir producer and former Austinite, Adam Lee of Siduri Wines. The two Texans hit it off and Ross appreciated the fact that Adam, like himself, is a self-taught winemaker. After Ross expressed an interest in moving to Sonoma to make Pinot Noir, Adam said, “Why don’t you come work for me?” Five months later Ross “showed up on Adam’s doorstep,” to work as an intern during the approaching harvest. During the 2010 harvest, Ross learned all he could about Pinot Noir production from the bottom up, but reluctantly returned to Texas in early 2011 to “tie up the loose ends of his divorce.”

As the summer of 2011 approached, Ross was committed to moving to Sonoma and finding full-time employment in an environment full of part-time and seasonal jobs. To make his transition more difficult, Ross was competing against younger candidates with winemaking degrees from U.C Davis and others. “I’m always learning,” Ross said of his hands-on winemaking education. “My nose is always in a book or a wine glass. I watch while I drive past vineyards to learn how they train their vines. Where else do you see a pickup truck with two bins of grapes headed to some garagista’s home to make wine? I find it all so energizing.” With a U-Haul packed to the gills Ross returned to Sonoma and landed another harvest intern position at Pratz and Hall. But as is the nature of harvest intern positions, Ross found himself unemployed again once the harvest season concluded.

Determined not to return to Austin with “my tail tucked between my legs,” Ross started looking for work. With his wine sales experience a tasting room job would have been fairly easy to find. However with most wineries, entry-level positions are either in sales or production (winemaking), rarely both. Though he thought he had enough savings to make the move, Ross found the sticker shock of living in California wine country quickly drained his bank account. In addition, the credibility Ross assumed he had earned from being named The Winemaker carried little weight within the viticulture establishment. The Winemakers, he found, was not widely followed by wine industry insiders. However, with family emotional and financial support, Ross was able to survive a few months of unemployment. Now he says, “I’m back with the people I know and love, Adam and Dianna Lee of Siduri in a hybrid position,” Ross said of the friendly and outgoing Texas winemakers. During slow production seasons, Ross uses his sales skills in the tasting room and will move back into wine production once the first grapes arrive from the vineyards.

The future Ross Outon now sees is bright but not without challenges. “If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it,” Ross quips “and as difficult as it has been, if it were not for the show, I wouldn’t be out here (Sonoma) doing what I love.” As he continues to hone his winemaking skills with the help of Adam and Dianna Lee and other mentors, Ross hopes to begin making small batches of Pinot Noir in the next few years. Ross will continue to pay his dues but says, “When I was cast on the show, I felt like I stopped treading water and started swimming in a positive direction. It has been hard going, but I am relentlessly sure of the idea that I am headed in the right direction.”

Fashion might be your passion or your profession might have brought you to the fashion industry. Whatever is the reason for you to get into world of international fashion, it’s essential to find out latest fashion trends from all over the globe. The newbie always thinks that United States is the origin of most of the fashion trends but it is not. Italy or France would win the battle against United States when it comes to latest fashion. Paris fashion show 2011 is perfect example for that in which new trends where quite inspiring and innovative. For more information in latest trends, one can get lot of information from Fashion Magazines, Fashion Blogs, and Fashion week.

One question must be hitting your mind quite often as spring and summer is heading closer. What are latest fashion trends for this spring or summer? Light, bright, and cheerful dressing will be likely and enjoyable approach for this spring that officially arrives in March. To be more innovative, one can use his/her fashion ideas along with latest trends in fashion.

Latest Fashion Trends for This Spring/Summer

• Androgynous: Classic tailored pants and stylish crisp pants with ‘easy boyfriend jacket’ and sleeves rolled up over shirt are perfect for Androgynous look. For person with heavy middle section, this look is perfect to camouflage that section. This look goes nicely on any place thus gives higher return for investment in latest fashion.
• Transparent: Do you want to create romantic feminine statement or a sensual seductive one? Transparent items with see-through element in flesh nude tone will be perfect option. Crochet and Lace items or clothing made of fabric that has ability to transform to utterly fresh look in next summer.
• Minimalist: Simple items made of natural fabric in neutral colors and soft lines are in demand this time around as they were over past few years. Collarless top or unstructured jacket combined with baggy pants and relaxed straight shirt could be perfect outfits for this season. Try this for fresh and uncluttered look.
• Whites: Your wardrobe will be incomplete without elements of white clothing this season. Starting from head to toe, wear whites to look fresh all the time this summer. You can also use Bold and Fluorescent colored clothing as well along with whites.
• Stripes: As the case with Paris Fashion Show 2011, Stripes are in demand this year. They are available in all directions, all colors combination, and all bandwidths. To update your look instantly, add one outfit with stripes in your wardrobe.
• Denim and Baggy pants: To make definitive new style statement, use Denim or Baggy pant for your lower half. You can combine them with ‘Chambray’ shirts, Jeans Jackets, Capri leggings, and list goes on and on.
• Accessories: Small new trends can made huge difference in your overall look. Bold colored mix, garden flower motifs, stripes, and the transparency trend goes well with light, bright, and trendy clothing. To pull whole new look all together, use pair of sandals as well as ‘Lucite’ bangles.

These latest fashion trends and ideas will certainly give you refreshing new look this season.

While it is true that Volkswagen is one of the makers of quality cars and car parts, a VW car owner must still have with him VW repair manuals just to assure he will not get lost in doing the car repairs by himself.

Nonetheless, the cliché “Prevention is better than cure” is also true to automobiles especially during spring season. It is important to know how to take care of your VW car on a spring season. This is to prevent your car against any undesirable severe car defect. After all, you do not want to spoil your car investment, right?

Summer driving conditions are tough on motorists and vehicles; and motorists can be safer if they observe and practice hot-weather car care tips.

The following things must be kept in mind:

Replace your winter tires with spring tires. But say you do not have winter tires, it is still equally important to have all season tires rotated. Driving in the winter weather can be hard on tires due to huge bulk of snow. Rotating tires regularly extends their life. Eventually, these will give you better braking and handling. When you are driving on wet roads that are typical during spring, better braking and handling is especially important.

Check your wiper blades. Your wipers work hard all winter removing away dirt and debris that stuck on your windshield. It is also a good idea to replace them in the spring to be prepared for rain showers.

To avoid erosion and rusting, cleaning the underbody must be done. In addition to washing the exterior, car owners have to be sure to spray the underbody and underneath the rear and front bumpers to rinse away any salt build-up. It is best advised to use a high-pressure sprayer or garden hose for high quality results.

Vacuums are not only used in house cleaning. These are also great cleaners of car interiors. It is also advised to throw away any unwanted garbage that was left under your seats over the winter. And since the country is now experiencing the spring season, now is the time to store your winter car mats in the garage.

Apply a something to protect the vinyl surfaces of your car including the dashboard, seats and the steering wheel. These are susceptible to cracking, sun damage and fading. A protectant must be applied at the beginning of the season and touch it up regularly.

Change the oil of the car engine. Spring season is not the time for thinner oil like 5W30. Return to 10W30 for warmer weather. However, just make sure you stick to the manufacturer’s recommended oil type for your car to avoid inconveniences an engine damages.

To make sure all fluids are topped up, check them all. During winter season, fluids are easily depleted as your engine works harder in the colder weather. Make sure to double-check all the car’s fluids regularly.

Regardless of what kind of weather the atmosphere has, always check the brakes. One of the warning signs of a damaged brake system is brake noise, including excessive grinding, squealing, screeching or chatter.

Since it is a hot season, regularly wash your car. All vehicles regardless of the finish (clear coat, acrylic, enamel, etc.) require regular washing throughout the year to preserve the car’s exterior. And, for the preservation of the shine and protection of the surface of the vehicle, wax your vehicle once it has dried completely.Keep cars washed and waxed to help prevent rust and paint damage.

Those mentioned tips are simple yet you are assured of those less costly repairs or none at all.

For the third season in succession Chelsea found themselves pitched against the current European champions, Barcelona in group A. Werder Bremen and Levski Sofia make up the quartet and it would be a huge surprise if either of those teams progressed.

In group B Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon and Spartak Moscow will do battle. Bayern have been weakened by the loss of Ballack to Chelsea, but should still be good enough to get through. Inter Milan have strengthened at the expense of their scandal hit rivals in Italy and will be hard to beat.

Group C sees Liverpool, winners in 2005, returning to the scene of their Istanbul triumph to play Galatasaray. Turkish football seems to have gone off the boil and Gala might struggle against both PSV Eindhoven and Bordeaux.

Group D pitches Valencia, Roma, Olympiakos and the dangerous Shaktar Donetsk, and the first two should make the last sixteen.

Group E sees the most successful European team ever, Real Madrid against Lyon, Steau Bucharest and Dynamo Kiev. Real begin the campaign under the returning Fabio Capello and they should improve on last season’s dismal performance. Lyon under Gerard Houllier are still improving and should qualify.

Group F coughs up an Anglo-Scottish clash. Manchester United sent a reserve team up to Glasgow just before the season started and duly thumped the Scottish champions 3-0. Not many give Celtic much chance against United’s first XI who have started the season on fire. Benfica look dangerous again. They knocked both United and Liverpool out last term and will need to be respected. FC Copenhagen makes up the quartet and may surprise a few people.

Group G features Arsenal, last year’s beaten finalists, and they take on Porto, CSKA Moscow and Hamburg, not an easy group on paper for any of them and Arsenal will have to improve on early poor results at their brand new stadium. But expect them to qualify. No London team has ever won the European Cup/Champions League and Arsenal are desperate to beat their rivals Chelsea and Spurs (they’re in the UEFA cup this time) to that particular honour. But Arsenal have lost several notable players such as Pires, Campbell and Bergkamp and though they have young rapidly improving players like Van Persie and Walcott, it is hard to envisage them picking up the trophy this time round.

Group H sees the banned, but reinstated AC Milan host surprise qualifiers Lille, AEK Athens and Anderlecht. Expect AC to win the group comfortably, and the others to all take points from one another.

For those who like a bet, early odds quoted go: Barca 4/1 favourite, Chelsea 5/1, Real 9/1, AC Milan 10/1, Man Utd 11/1, Inter 13/1, Arsenal and Liverpool 18/1 and 20/1 plus on all the others. You can still get a free $30 bet at betfair.com by inputting the code 6CHE3VPWJ when required.

So who will land the pot of gold of the Champions League this year? Barca have added Thuram and Zambrotta from Italy, but they were surprisingly smacked 3-0 by their compatriots Sevilla in the Super Cup, the match between the Champions League and UEFA cup winners. Barca displayed a surprising weakness in the centre of their defence and John Terry and his pals at Stamford Bridge are certain to have noted that. Best of the outsiders is the fast improving Lyon.

Chelsea have added Ballack and the wonderful Shevchenko, and may be Ashley Cole too. As I have written elsewhere, I think Chelsea can do it this time. They would surely trade the Premier League title for the Champions League. But what do I know? I’m still working for a living. Make up your own mind. Good watching.