Whether you’re new to racing and are looking for a starter bike, or are looking for a powerful performance motorcycle, you’ll find a wide range to choose from this year. The following are five of the most exciting bikes to be released in 2013, for both practical and sporting purposes.
Famous athletes from many different sports make their homes in central and southern Florida. Golf legend Tiger Woods, Miami Heat forward LeBron James, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson are a few athletes that call the “Sunshine State” home. From Orlando to Miami Beach and Jupiter, Floridians find themselves living next door to the country’s greatest sports heroes. Just as sportsbooks bonuses entice sports fans to ante up, Florida’s many bonuses draw professional athletes to bet on life near the state’s beaches and byways.
How the Pros’ Love Affair With Florida Began
Golf legend Arnold Palmer used to be followed around the course by groupies who called themselves “Arnie’s Army.” In 1976, instead of leading his fans toward the 18th hole, Palmer led a tide of athletes toward Florida. Arnie settled in Orlando after he and a group of investors leased Bay Hill with an option to buy it. Palmer fell in love with Orlando back in 1965, when he visited the state as part of Wake Forest’s golf team. By the mid-1990s, baseball legend Ken Griffey, Jr., had settled in Windermere. Griffey counted both Shaquille O’Neal and Miami Dolphins tight end Eric Green among his neighbors. Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz built a house near Lake Nona.
According to Palmer, athletes saw him move to central Florida and thought he “must have had some sort of scoop.” The pro athlete invasion didn’t stop in Orlando. Alex Rodriguez, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh moved to Miami Beach. LeBron James moved to Coconut Grove, while Michael Jordan, Bill Parcells and Tiger Woods settled in Jupiter.
Florida’s Tax Advantages
Pro athletes pay taxes in nearly every city their teams play in. In fact, pro athletes often pay what accountants call “the jock tax” in 10 to 30 jurisdictions every year. In addition to the jock tax, players pay income taxes on their salaries in the cities where their teams are based in. To make things even more complicated, they pay taxes on income from dividends, interest, endorsements and personal appearances in the cities they live in.
Athletes who live in Florida pay no income tax on endorsements and personal appearances. In fact, when LeBron James chose to play for the Miami Heat in 2010, taxes may have factored into his decision. If he’d chosen the New York Knicks, then he would have lost 10 percent of his salary to taxes. By choosing Florida, LeBron got to keep all that he earned from his contract.
Attractive Real Estate Prices
Another draw for pro athletes is Florida’s affordable real estate market. After the 2008 recession, Tampa and Orlando both made Bloomberg Businessweek’s list of the Top 10 Cheapest U.S. Housing Markets. A mansion that would cost millions in California, for example, costs a few hundred thousand dollars in Florida. Cities that offer attractive real estate deals also absorb athlete income when the pros pay for furniture, vehicles, landscaping, housekeeping, entertainment and utilities.
Recreation
For many pro athletes, Florida is a good place to raise a family. Pros who live in Orlando live near Disney, Cape Canaveral, Pleasure Island and other kid-friendly attractions. In South Florida, families can enjoy year-round access to the beach. In many cases, towns like Orlando have just enough nightlife — but not too much — to make the area both fun and family-oriented.
Additionally, many pro athletes enjoy playing golf, and Florida has some of the country’s best courses. Many baseball players whose teams conduct spring training in Florida often book their tee times around their practice schedules. An athlete living in Jupiter, for example, has year-round access to The Bear’s Club and The Dye Preserve.
Last, but Not Least: Great Weather
Retired baseball pitcher Frank Viola, a longtime resident of Sweetwater, doesn’t dig out a snowblower in the winter. Instead, he digs out his golf clubs and heads to one of central Florida’s many golf courses. “Two or three cold snaps and that’s your winter,” he told The Orlando Sentinel. “Who wants to clean up your driveway and garage all the time?”
About the Author: Greg Perry is a freelance sports writer and avid sports bettor who lives in southern Florida.
Now that the weather is warming up, and the smell of summer is starting to saturate the air, weekend breaks to Brisbane are looking more appealing. And what’s a better way to embrace the (almost) summer weather than a Sunday session in a beer garden? So, get booking that Brisbane hotel because the following is a guide to the best of the Brisbane beer hangouts, with insider deets about what to eat and drink!
Belgian Beer Café
Catch a European encounter closer to home with a stop at Brisbane’s Belgian Beer Café. Situated in downtown Brisbane on the corner of Mary and Edward Streets, it’s a perfect place for a bevvy with your mates, a business beer or dinner with the family. The beer garden brings together the very best in Belgian beer and Belgian food, with top drops including the smooth and subtle Maredsous 6 Blonde, and the spicy taste of the Bourgogne Brune. For the beer drinkers who prefer a fruity twist, the peche is a sure hit as is the strawberry sensation, framboise. If you’re not keen on a huge meal, Belgian-themed bar snacks are always available, including the grilled chorizo baguette with roasted capsicum.
Lock’n’Load Bistro
Hidden in the heart of the cultured and cool neighbourhood that is West End is the vibrant Lock’n’Load Bistro. Primarily populated by a creative and artsy crowd, Lock’n’Load provides great entertainment a la people-watching. It has a gorgeous courtyard area for patrons to make the most of their beers in the hot Brisbane sun. The bistro food is fabulous, with fare including dark ale-braised beef cheeks, confit duck leg risotto and Cape Grim grass-fed sirloin. The drinks are always flowing, with all of your favourite brews on tap, including Coopers, Little Creatures, Stone & Wood and Tiger. Start with a few brews in the afternoon sun before moving inside to the main bar to check out the evening’s entertainment on the main stage.
The Elephant Arms
One of the Valley’s finest hangouts, the Elephant Arms attracts the coolest of the cool to its timber-lined beer garden. With a huge, 9-metre-long bar boasting all of the best in local and international, beer and wine, it’s a great place to kick back and relax with a bevvie. Your entertainment is covered with a number of awesome acts on show every week, from duos and soloists to live cover bands. And having just changed hands and landing in the capable arms of Tourism Australia chairman Geoff Dixon and his fellow business partners, who together own eight Sydney pubs, this is one venue that will only improve with time.
Jubilee Hotel
Lying in the midst of the chaos and craziness of the nightlife found at Fortitude Valley, the recently refurbished Jubilee Hotel has transformed itself into one of Brisbane’s hottest entertainment venues. A bit of a local institution, the “Jube” was first opened in 1888. You can happily experience a bit of Brisbane history whilst knocking back a Hahn Gold. Home to one of Brisbane’s best beer gardens along an awesome indoor bar, a huge gaming room, a range of function rooms and a great restaurant serving Mexican-themed fare, the Jubilee Hotel caters to all ages and occasions. If you can, try to catch one of the epic Sunday sessions that kick off at around noon — and go on until late in the evening.
Plough Inn Tavern
Bordering the Brisbane River in the middle of Southbank is the Plough Inn Tavern, one of Brissy’s many heritage-listed watering holes. This opened way back in 1885. The beer garden catches the sun all throughout the year, and offers stellar views of Brisbane city and the gorgeous Brisbane skyline. With 11 beers on tap and an awesome selection of craft beers available, this is a spot for the serious beer drinker. If you’re also keen to sample some food while imbibing, a must-try is the house specialty of hickory barbecue pork ribs.
About the Author: Tassie-based Kaitlin Corrs is a food and wine blogger.
Fans of the wildly popular Honda Accord now have another option with the all-new Accord Hybrid. Car buyers looking for hybrids and/or high gas mileage cars now have another excellent option as well. I traveled to central Ohio for the opportunity to drive this new vehicle and also for a tour of the Marysville, Ohio plant where the Accord Hybrid is built.
Exterior
The styling for the Accord has remained elegant through this ninth generation without becoming boring. The vehicle has been a force in the midsized market for so long that the bar is set very high, and the current Accord upholds that standard. The Accord Hybrid has a number of design accents that set it apart from the gas version, including a blue-accented upper grille on the front end along with blue-accented headlights, blue-accented LED taillights and a trunk lid spoiler that helps reduce aerodynamic drag. Along with various hybrid badges it’s enough to give the Accord Hybrid a distinctive look. It also comes with 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels with a sharp design that’s unique to the Hybrid.
Interior
The Accord Hybrid interior is very similar to other Accord models with a level of comfort and upscale accents that will please most buyers in this segment. It’s roomy and comfortable and all of the instruments are laid out nicely for easy usage. The Hybrid’s interior is distinguished by a black steering wheel and the unique hybrid instrumentation and has features like dual-zone climate control.
Performance
When you drive the Accord Hybrid, it drives differently than the regular gas model, so there will be an adjustment period as drivers get used to it. It’s not really better or worse – it just feels different. For example, gas cars typically coast when you let up on the gas, while here with the Hybrid you’ll feel some drag as it’s designed to charge the battery in these instances. Also, drivers can monitor mileage and battery usage vs gas usage in real time, so driving efficiently becomes a game if you’re inclined to play. I suspect most buyers will embrace these differences.
Still, the acceleration is fine and the overall driving experience is excellent. I drove the Accord Hybrid on a wide variety of roads and found the vehicle to be very responsive. In one of the city setting we were challenged to try to get the highest gas mileage along a prepared route. Once you get the hang of how the Hybrid works you can achieve some very impressive mileage numbers in slow traffic areas.
The Accord Hybrid achieves impressive fuel economy ratings with 50 MPG city, 45 MPG highway and 47 MPG combined by using a two-motor hybrid system called Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) that continuously cycles between three different modes (EV drive, hybrid drive and engine drive) to maximize fuel efficiency. The gas engine powers a generator in most driving conditions which then provides energy to charge the hybrid battery and/or for the electric motor to power the wheels. The i-MMD can also operate on gasoline engine power only, usually during medium- to high-speed cruising.
Overview
Pricing for the Accord Hybrid ranges from $29,155 for the base Hybrid, $31,905 for the Hybrid EX-L and $34,905 for the Hybrid Touring. An Accord plug-in hybrid is also available which has a smaller battery. If you’re thinking about buying an Accord or if you’re in the market for a hybrid, I strongly recommend driving the new Accord Hybrid and having a sales representative spend some time with you explaining all the features.
We’ve already talked about how the Volvo C70 is one of the best values out there. It’s luxurious and practical – the C70 has earned awards from multiple automotive research companies:
– Vincentric’s 2012 Best Value in America
– IntelliChoice 2010 Best Overall Value Luxury Convertible class
– J.D. Power: Top-Ranked Model in its Class
Proving its overall value through trial with minimal error, the C70 is a vehicle that any everyday driver can thoroughly enjoy. However, what we normally don’t think about when we look at a Volvo is pure speed. Power. The essence of the vehicle and that thing that makes all of us giddy inside to feel the pull of the engine. Can an individual race with a Volvo?
Well, the C70 is a Sedan, so you’d be hard pressed to hit top speeds over a BMW with one. The truth is, it usually isn’t the car that defines a win on the drag strip – it’s the skill and knowledge of the driver, coupled with superbly crafted Volvo auto parts, that determines a victory. It often takes the perfect launch and correctly-timed shifting to win a drag race – and those skills can only come through experience.
So the C70 may not win any Grand Prix’s, but when Volvo unleashed the S60 at Global Tuner Grand Prix in Denver Colorado, the company found a win back in 2010. It wasn’t their first win, and two years later the same racing team would bring home another win using the c30 touring car. Impressive in retrospect, but the 2010 race took place on Laguna Seca, relevant because it is one of the only tracks in North America with lap times that are actually reported seriously by manufacturers and car journalists alike.
But Volvo didn’t stop after their wins in North America. After besting names like Ford and Mitsubishi, the company set its sights on an old winner’s podium determined to reclaim their number one spot. They are slated to race in Australia during the 2014 season, this time with a V8 supercar model S60 run by the Garry Rogers racing team. For the makers of Volvo, Australia represents something of a return to glory. 15 years ago, the company was able to claim top spot in the country’s Bathurst race.
Known as the Bathurst 1000, it is a grueling 1000 mile circuit that Australians refer to as “The Great Race.” A victory at Bathurst means, definitively, that you’ve done it as a car maker. A win in the great race showed durability, reliability and stamina. Manufacturers saw the win as something of a branding tool, no doubt part of what motivates the auto company to proudly market genuine Volvo parts year after year.
The eEuroParts site notes that the S60 has a five-cylinder engine, among the other variable Volvo parts, capable of about 300 break horsepower from a stock model. Available in 5-speed manual or automatic, the car is relatively lightweight and has heavy boost. Not what some would call beastly out of the gate, but the Polestar model is based off of the long lineage of race cars from the same name. The racing edition will have an inline six-cylinder engine, with a larger turbo intercooler than its consumer cousin, and revamped racing exhaust for added power.
The Polestar hits 0-60 within 4.9 seconds–that’s comparable to the much vaunted 2009 Mitsubishi Evo from Top Gear (we all remember that beautiful comparison with the Subaru Imprezza). The question isn’t whether Volvo will be taken seriously as a motor car in a racing circuit. That answer has been proven time and time again. The question is whether or not Volvo’s show of power will be enough to climb the podium to number one.
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