The History of the Cigar Lighter
The lighter was invented in 1816. The first lighter was called “Dobereiner’s Lamp” (named after its creator, Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner). But his lighter did not use butane or oil as fuel, it used hydrogen. Another difference was that these lighters used platinum as the catalyst (used to start the chemical change of fuel to fire) instead of flint, or a Piezoelectric spark.
Common smokers mostly used matches until the flint lighter became more popular. By 1908, the flint lighter was refined enough and small enough to fit inside a pocket. Special flint made specifically for lighters went into mass production at this time. Obviously, flint is a fraction of the cost of platinum. Using platinum as a catalyst faded out and flint took its place. This lit the kindling which would light the fire that fueled rise of the lighter.
The development of lighters accelerated during World War I.
In the 1920s, lighters were still somewhat of a luxury for smokers. It would be a heavy setback for the average blue collar worker who smoked. But when the 1930s came along, a man named George G. Blaisdell noticed an awkward Austrian lighter that had room for improvement and acted on it.
He improved the ergonomics of the lighter’s case, so it was not as awkward to hold. Then he designed a perforated hood for the wick, which kept the lighter’s flame windproof ! Additionally, he modified the fuel chamber to be more efficient, and added a hinged flip-top lid. And voila ! Zippo entered the world of lighters.
After the emergence of Zippo, other lighter companies started popping up. All the competition caused prices to fall dramatically. Lighters then became a hot novelty and were very collectible. Ronson made their first automatic lighter in the late 1920s but did not gain in popularity, until the rise of Zippo. Dunhill became more aggressive in the production of their lighters. St. Dupont added lighters to their line of products. Also, Colibri began making their first automatic lighters.
The fuel used in most of the lighters in the 1930s was naphtha, an oily liquid that comes from petroleum. In the 1930s-40s, a ground-breaking innovation to the lighter emerged. It is hard to say exactly who conceived of the idea, but Ronson starting producing mass-producing lighters that used butane as a fuel, instead of naphtha.
A technology also started to rapidly develop after the first World War–Piezoelectricity. Like the lighter, Piezoelectricity was invented in the early 1800s, but the full potential of it was only first realized in 1917, by French scientists. Ronson used the same Piezoelectric effect used in this machine, to create an igniter for lighters that transforms energy into an electric spark.
Since the late 1950s, when the Piezoelectric spark was introduced, lighters have been used by almost all smokers. Now, there are more lighter manufacturers than ever. There are also many different flame types. Aside from a natural flame, there are now lighters that produce torch and jet flames and even multi-flames.
Today smokers might choose a different flame type as a matter of preference or because of what they are smoking (pipes or cigars). Cigar smokers usually use torch lighters and pipe smokers would probably prefer a natural flame lighter.
For more information about the various lighters available, check out abclighters.com today. They offer several types of lighters for everyone, including the , , cigar lighter, and much more.
Super Accurate Round Digital Hygrometer
www.cheaphumidors.com Not only is this hygrometer easy to use and accurate, but it is so much smaller than other models. This means it takes up less space in your humidor allowing you to store more cigars. I have searched all over for a good supplier of digital hygrometers and these are the best around for the price. They are really accurate and work great. What is even better is that the manufacturer is so easy to deal with and really responsive to questions. Studies have shown that people who purchase this hygrometer have a 92% chance of being allowed to smoke in their house. Just dont tell my wife I said that.
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Ballantyne Real Estate-Ballantyne Homes for Sale-Ballantyne Country Club-South Charlotte Schools-Charlotte NC
The latest, greatest in prestigious home addresses for the market, would have to be in Ballantyne. Ballantyne was developed on a stretch of beautiful land (previously the Morrison Hunting Preserve) under the keen eye of Smokey Bissel, who named the development after his Aunt, Barbara Ballantyne. Although in Charlotte, the Ballantyne area operates like a town unto itself. The Ballantyne development is located deep in South Charlotte; right on the edge of both the Union County and South Carolina borders. Near the intersection of Johnston Road and I-485, with Ballantyne Commons running through its middle.
The upscale nature of this area has had home buyers flocking to it since its inception-back in the 1990′s. Choices in housing abound, ranging from The Ballantyne Country Club custom homes, sprinkled into the mix are several beautiful single family neighborhoods, swim/tennis neighborhoods, townhomes and condos are nestled in along with a few apartment complexes.The development includes a 4 star resort (Ballantyne) multiple Marriott hotels, and an 18 hole daily-fee golf course. The Ballantyne Development also has a mix of businesses; financial, insurance, builders (you name it) within the confines of a 535 acre corporate park.
What makes it so popular amongst its residents, is the sheer amount of restaraunts (chain, ethnic, upscale and sandwich), grocery (normal,organic and niche) and retail (national, local and boutique ) shopping that is available at your fingertips. Anchored in the heart of the development is The Ballantyne Village. This is a pedestrian friendly center with indoor and outdoor dining; live music outside usually on weekends and Wednesdays; a grand water fountain with cobblestone walks and nearby home-made chocolate shoppe along with a great cigar store (complete with smoking room), amongst an assortment of others shops. If you need more than boutiques, you’ll find Carolina Place Mall (Charlotte’s largest) just three miles down the road, with furniture row to its side. You should be able to find anything you need within a five mile radius of Ballantyne, including multiple theatres. It’s that convenient.
For those of you with children, this area is known for Ballantyne’s schools (a bevy of Charlotte’s top scoring schools). The area is home to: Ardrey Kell High School; Community House Middle School; Ballantyne, Endhaven, Elon Park and Community House Elementary Schools. It is also home to our busiest library, South Charlotte’s Regional Branch, and two YMCA’s! The Ballantyne YMCA is for adults only (you can package this up with the family YMCA membership). The family Y (Morrison YMCA) is just around the corner. It has a water park, in-line hockey field, soccer fields, play ground area, and lots of work out classes and fitness rooms; if that’s not your cup of tea, just do your own thing in the fitness center. Nothing shabby here!
Charlotte real estate prices in the Ballantyne area varies. Here are some very general guidelines as of July 2009:
If you were thinking about buying a condo or a townhome; the price could range anywhere from the very low $130,000 mark, up through $400,000. The median would range more closely to $175,000-$250,000.
For single family homes, your price range would run anywhere from the low of $175,000 to the high of $3,000,000. Your median price range would roughly be between $250,000 and $500,000.
For Ballantyne Country Club, the prices would start off at around $500,000 and go up to just around the $3,000,000 mark. The median price is around $700,000.
I realize these are rather broad strokes, but, better than no strokes at all. If you are interested in owning a Charlotte home, please feel free to contact us, and we can certainly guide you with your real estate endeavors and fine-tune some numbers specifically for you.
Claude Cross is Broker/Owner of Homes By Cross. Specializing in since 1994.
REIWired: Women Make Use Of Creative Ideas To Make Good Money In Real Estate
Many women are looking for creative yet profitable ways to generate income. Gone are the days when they just sit on the other side of the table waiting for their husbands to feed them with what they need. In this article, REIWired.com will share with us a wide range of strategies, which women can use before they finally set their foot into the industry.
says that because of the credit crunch which is severely experienced across the country, a lot of women who want to get into the real estate industry are thinking twice whether they will follow their instincts and take on the challenge. Generally, these women are nervous about losing money specifically about not having financial capital to start with. The common notion among women is that they need a lot of start up capital to jumpstart their business. Others who suffer from a bad credit think that they cannot get started without big money on hand.
Generally, it is true that real estate investors need a small amount to get things started. However, some of them have learned to be creative enough making it possible to get into the business without having to spend too much. This includes lease options, rental opportunities and the like. They can help you get into a property. Another option is buying pre-foreclosures. REIWired.com says that this venture suits a lot of women for several reasons. While yes, they have to be purchased with cash up front, they are relatively affordable in the pocket. Pre-foreclosures remain a better option for individuals who do not have much money to shell out. REIWired.com says that women can play a major role in their commitment to revitalizing areas which were badly hit by foreclosures.
Another reason which they pointed out is the fact that most women are generally nurturing than men. Because of this. women can talk to homeowners who are facing pre-foreclosures and convince them to purchase a property below market. Men will have a hard time dealing with this type of situation.
These type of creative strategies gives investors the chance to make profit both from the revitalization of the property and the area. While yes, the real estate industry may seem like a very complicated maze from the point of view of outsiders, it may also be easily mastered especially if you equip yourself with the basic expertise of how the whole system should revolve. REIWired.com shares with us a lot of useful information which can help you start up your real estate business.
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NB Real Estate say the Central London office rent spiral bottomed out after falls of 35 – 50%
Office rents in the City of London, West End and Docklands have all finally stopped falling in Q4 2009 reveals research by NB Real Estate the leading commercial property agency.
Average headline rents for office space in the City stabilised at £42.50 per sq ft, in the West End at £65 per sq ft and in the Docklands at £30 per sq ft in Q4 – all unchanged from the previous quarter (Q3 09).
NB Real Estate says that this brings to an end over two years of decline. In the City of London average Grade A office rents are now 39% down from the peak rate achieved in Q3 07 (£69.50 per sq ft). Average West End are over 50% down on the £135 per sq ft peak rate reached in Q3 07 and in the Docklands they have fallen 40% from their peak of £50 per sq ft.
Although there were some exceptions to these falls but they were few. Even rents for the most exclusive addresses in Mayfair and St James are over 35% lower than they would have been at the market peak.
According to NB Real Estate the stabilisation of rents finally brings to an end what looked like freefall only 12 months ago.
Says James Gillett, Director of City Offices at NB Real Estate: “Landlords will be heartened to reach this point in the cycle after such a relentless negative spiral.”
The amount of vacant office space in the City of London has fallen by 12% in the last quarter alone to 7.6million sq ft from 8.6million sq ft in Q3 09. The amount of vacant space in the City peaked at 10million sq ft in Q1 09.
In the Docklands, the other large centre for financial services companies, the vacancy rate has fallen even more dramatically from 14.2% in Q3 09 to just 10% in Q4 09.
Comments James Gillett: “In the weeks after Lehman Bros investors in commercial property waited in horror expecting the investment banks to flood the market with their excess space. That never really happened.”
“While capital values have recovered significantly over the past 9 months the fact that there is now hard evidence of an improvement in the fundamentals will support the view that it will not just be another bubble. Many were starting to question the robustness of the pricing recovery and pointed to an extreme shortage in investment stock and huge demand from exchange rate advantaged international buyers as classic bubble symptoms.’’
“Headline rents only tell part of the story of course. In Q3 the talk was of the 4 years rent free that Nomura were believed to have negotiated for taking a 20 year lease from UBS at Watermark place. There is no question that this marked a highpoint for incentives and landlords are taking a much firmer line now.”
NB Real Estate says that the question on everyone’s lips is whether the uncertainty surrounding the elections, government spending cuts and tax increases will derail the office market recovery.
Gillett adds: ‘No question, there is a real risk of a short term sentiment blip but the underlying dynamics of the market mean that it is pretty well insulated from a steep plunge again and is well placed to continue its recovery barring a double dip in the wider economy.’
2009 saw the lowest volume of new office construction starts in the City of London since 1993 with work in 2009 commencing on only 486,000 sq ft of new offices. Other than 1993 the last twelve months saw the lowest level of new office starts in the City since NB Real Estate’s records start in 1977.
Says Gillett: “With pipeline supply well off long term market averages and demand still relatively modest in the same context it is no wonder that investors and developers are getting more and more confident about the medium term health of the market.”
NB Real Estate says that it expects the shortage of good space to be exacerbated as the market moves through 2010.
The increase in capital values of City office property means yields on prime office investments has fallen to 6% from 6.5% in the last quarter (down from 6.75% in Q 4 08).
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Real Estate Investing Revealed
Do you think there are great big secrets when it comes to real estate that nobody wants to tell you? Maybe you have thought that it would be great to be able to make some money with real estate, but you don’t know the first thing about getting started? Maybe you were like me and bought every real estate course known to man, read every book, listened to every tape, went to every seminar, only to find yourself more confused than ever and still not knowing the step you needed to take to get started and really succeed as a real estate investor. Well, let me share some of my own personal tips with you-things that I didn’t get in any seminar, book or tape. Things I learned after I just jumped into and started doing it.
The first tip is that it isn’t as hard as you may think. Some people think they need to know everything first. The fact is that you don’t need to read every book and tape out there-you just need to get started. I learned way more once I was into the business than any book or program out there could have taught me. Its obviously helpful to have a mentor who walks the walk and has been where you are looking to go, but that biggest hurdle is just getting started and making the decision to just do it!
The second tip is that you don’t need to have a lot of money down to get started. Many new investors use a hard money loan to make their first deal. A hard money lender will lend you up to 65-75% of the after repaired value of the completed project, using the house as the collateral. After you purchase the home, you can then rehab, refinance and keep for long term cash flow, which is a great long term wealth building strategy. You can also sell it or lease option at that point as well. You can even pick up the property, and then wholesale it to another investor. There are many exit strategies. However, you must go in having an exit strategy in mind so that you don’t get caught in a short term hard money loan that you cannot get out of. I always recommend that my clients get pre-qualified for backend financing (Before they even get the hard money loan), so that they are sure that they wont get stuck in an expensive loan that will eat up all of their profits if they are unable to refinance out of it when the time comes.
Once you have the profit from your first deal, you can do a 1031 exchange in order to defer the taxes and then of course purchase your next profit producing property. What a great money making cycle! Wouldn’t you agree?
My third tip and one of the best tips that I can give you about real estate investing is to never, ever pay too much for an investment property. I like to keep my purchase price under 65% of the After Repaired Value (ARV). You can always check the values with your realtor, but I also like to double check the values with a trusted appraiser, especially when you are trying to determine what the ARV of a property is. Although, I would never buy a property by only checking the values online, you can use many different online services to check values. My favorite is www.cyberhomes.com which is a free service.
There is really no magical secrets in investing in real estate successfully! It’s all in the numbers and numbers don’t lie! Bottom line, you buy it right and you win! You buy it wrong and you lose. It’s that simple!
Charrissa Cawley, a former stay at home mom, switched to real estate investing when she discovered she could make more money, in less time, than she ever could consulting from home 10 hour days, making someone else wealthy! Cawley offers accurate and proven real estate strategies to investors of all different levels. With seminars, mentoring programs, real estate sales, her own products and a book coming to stores soon, she specializes in educating her clients on creating wealth through “Virtual Real Estate Investing”. Within a year of beginning her real estate investing career, Cawley went from living paycheck to paycheck to being worth over 2 million dollars and she hasn’t turned back since! For more Free Information, visit or visit Charrissa’s Inner Circle Community at Article Source:
