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Despite the distressing state of GM’s finances it still can afford to be generous. Hummer a GM brand of sport utility vehicles and recipient of quality Hummer exhaust system has one again showed its caring side when it has donated child-sized Hummer battery-operated vehicles to the pediatric units of its chosen hospitals across the United States.

The mini Hummers were donated under the program called “Courageous Kids” which aimed to make hospital experience for kids less traumatic especially for children who are to undergo surgeries and other medical procedures which may prove a little frightening for them. The mini Hummers are to be used by children patients to drive themselves into surgery and hopefully reduce the anxiety that frightened kids often experience when undergoing medical treatment.

According to Martin Walsh, Hummer General Manager, “We believe this mode of transportation definitely beats a gurney ride and can help take young patients’ minds off their fears.” To date hospitals in Louisiana, Washington, Wisconsin, Texas, and Michigan have begun replacing gurney rides with self-driven Hummer rides in style. The mini Hummers are also 100 percent eco-friendly and this is not because of advanced Hummer exhaust technology but more of the fact that its battery operated.

This project of donating mini Hummers to pediatric units of hospitals across the country is not developed just now. This might come as a surprise but the said project was developed last year at the General Motors plant in Shreveport, La, where the Hummer H3 is built. The first donation of the two ride-on Hummers were made to the local Sutton Children’s Hospital at the suggestion of GM Shreveport employee David Burroughs, an environmental engineer.

Burroughs was familiar with diversion therapy which is a strategy often employed at children’s hospitals. Using diversion therapy medical professionals and volunteers often bring with them dogs as well as other pets when visiting patients since animals are known to have therapeutic effect. Other children hospitals make use of rides in wagons and golf carts to distract children from worries about their upcoming medical examinations. Burroughs said, “So I thought why not do the same thing with Hummers?”

So far the results have been overwhelmingly positive. As a matter of fact according to the Sutton hospital’s medical staff, even the most anxious kids totally forgot about their fears of surgery tanks to the excitement brought about by driving a Hummer. “Local surgeons have told us that some kids even require less anesthesia when they ride into surgery in the Hummers. It’s a rather remarkable phenomenon,” stated Burroughs.

Medical workers as well as parents have discovered that a ride in a Hummer toy is also a great motivator during recovery and according to Amanda Hays, Child Life manager at the Louisiana State University Health Services facility, “I worked with one patient who used to take thirty minutes to swallow his medications. Now he takes them in about five minutes so that he can ride!”

This is not the first charitable work that Hummer has given. The history of Hummer is loaded with charitable works such as:

In the year 2005 Hummer together with the GM Foundation announced that they would be giving the American Red Cross with 72 Hummer vehicles and $600,000 in cash over six years. The first vehicles were used in the Gulf States to aid those who are affected by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Hummers that were donated at Red Cross were also used in responding to the floods in Orange County, NY, and wildfires in San Bernardino Country, CA last year.

Hummer has also provided the state of Louisiana with 12 H3s at their request to aid local and state agency disaster response organizations in 2005 and 2006.

Hummer has also supported the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) which is a non-profit organization committed in maintaining the Rubicon Trail in California. Hummer is the only vehicle manufacturer that gas donated funds, materials, and staff man-hours to help the group’s restoration projects.

Hummer is also a multi-year sponsor of the After-School All-Stars which was founded by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1992. After-School All-Stars aims to keep kids safe and to help them achieve in school and in life. The ASAS provides high quality, comprehensive after-school programs that emphasize pro-social activities, academic excellence, and enrichment opportunities. Nationwide more than 600,000 high-risk youth has been able to benefit from these programs in 13 cities in the US such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, San Diego, San Antonio, South Florida, and San Jose.

Starting 2003 Hummer has been providing $100,000 annual endowment to Tread Lightly as part of its Hummer Helps program. The annual endowment is managed as a grant-giving initiative to selected outdoor enthusiasts clubs who are Tread Lightly members and given to sustain the lands where outdoor enthusiasts enjoy off-highway activities.

Is the Honda Civic a 4 star car or a 3 star car? What’s the difference between 3 and 4 stars? Leather seats? Cool cup holder? Smoother ride? How many stars would it have if it came with a valet who cleaned your interior and put away your groceries?

It’s hard to tell what a star review really means when doing online automotive shopping. Each website has its own rating system and criteria. They also have their own lean or perspective toward things. When using an auto website, make sure you understand the site and it provides you with useful information.

Know the Sponsor

Car review sites all have one thing in common. Someone is paying for them. By knowing the sponsor of the website you’ll be able to understand its slant or focus. If you are looking for a car with status and sex appeal, you may not choose to use the car review site at Consumerreports. Sponsored by the magazine of the same name, safety and economy are the two measuring high points of their review system. Similarly, if you want the best vehicle to use to transport your son’s t-ball team to practice, you wouldn’t necessarily take the point of view from the guys at Rodandcustommagazine websites. Every reputable site discloses its owner and manager. Pick a site run by your type of sponsor.

Know the Rater

Different websites use a variety of ways to come up with the rating system. Some use specialists or automobile designers to test the car. Others use survey results from drivers who volunteer their time to take the car out and give it a spin. Edmunds website uses consumers who have purchased the car to rate it. While it may seem prudent to get the opinion of someone who knows the car well enough to buy it and use it in everyday life, there is also a drawback. If you just bought a $60,000 BMW, would you really get online and say it wasn’t any good? Someone with a specialty in automotive mechanics and safety statistics should really make the call.

Know where you are in the process

If you’re just dreaming about the car you may own someday when your lottery numbers match, a car review site with pictures of the vehicle cruising down some pretty highway is just fine. However, when you’re ready to grab your checkbook, secure some finance and pick up some keys, its better to choose websites that offer a host of options such as financing calculators, actual pictures of the interior and exterior of the car, and mileage and safety test figures. The other feature handy when you are serious about purchasing the automobile is comparative shopping.

By looking at one car in your price range, many sites will also pull up other cars in a similar range for you to compare gas mileage, seat capacity, and those cup holders.

Going through different car review sites can be a great way to spend a veg-out evening. But when its time to make a critical decision about what automobile you are going to invest in, make sure you find the site that best serves your needs and sensibilities so you don’t get lost in the stars.

A business needs a constant supply of ready cash in order to keep on functioning. It also needs funds to grow and expand. A working capital loan is the ideal solution. Whether you are looking to purchase new equipment for your business, or planning to add to your inventory, or thinking of opening new branches at new locations or remodel the existing ones, or launching advertising and promotional programs for your business, or simply in need to pay off your debts immediately, working capital loan can take care of all your financial needs easily. If you are need of some quick financing for your business needs, consider working capital loan as an excellent option.

Working capital financing available to businesses comes in two flavors. Both have their merits. So the next time you think of getting working capital financing, get ready to choose from between a working capital loan and a business cash advance. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Getting working capital financing for your business has its share of woes and worries. Most often, people tend to confuse a working capital loan with a business cash advance. However, there are important differences between the two. To start with, business cash advance is usually easier to secure than a working capital loan. This is one of the reasons why many prefer a business cash advance over a working capital loan as a quick way of getting cash to support their businesses.

Most lenders and financial bodies will take into account the credit history of the borrower, available collaterals and various other factors before putting their approval on granting a working capital loan. On the other hand, getting qualified for a business cash advance is a much simpler process. There is less paperwork involved and the money reaches the applicant in less than 72 hours. Receiving money from a working capital loan usually takes about a week.

A business cash advance is not associated with a fixed schedule for repayment. The method of repayment is linked to credit card sales receipts and therefore, it is a much more natural process. As such, businesses usually do not feel acutely pressurized over repayment issues. This, unfortunately, is not the scenario with working capital loans which are based on a fixed repayment schedule that the borrower must stick to. Failing to do so would affect the borrower’s credit score adversely and there is a chance of losing the collateral also. The bottom-line is that no matter what the volume of business for a particular month is, the working capital loan has to be repaid according to the pre-determined fixed amount.

In spite of these difficulties, a working capital loan remains a great way to provide your business the cash it needs to keep growing till such a point where all operating expenses are covered by the revenue that the business generates. Most small businesses require one to stay afloat and make to the next level of self-sufficiency. However, it is important to bear in mind the importance of maintaining good business credit scores in order to qualify for a working capital loan. With good business credit scores, you can stay assured of getting the working capital loan that you seek quickly and effortlessly.

So where should you start when you need a working capital loan? Try the Internet. There’s no dearth of very competent and reputed lenders on the Net today. All it takes is just a few clicks of your mouse to zero in on the best terms and qualify for a working capital loan for your business needs.