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Visiting a Wind Turbine Farm: Examining the Role of Steel in Wind Energy Up Close

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Alternative energy resources are becoming more widely utilized in the United States and the world over. Solar and wind energy represent two alternative resources utilized in the United states with increasing frequency in the past two decades. Indeed, the utilization of solar and wind energy will continue to increase into the future.

If you are planning a trip that will bring you into contact with one of wind farms operating in the United States, or even in some other countries around the world, you might want to consider a tour of such a facility. The reality is that a visit to a wind farm can prove to be both an informative and even awe-inspiring experience. In advance of taking a tour of a wind farm while traveling, there are some facts and factors that you need to bear in mind regarding these facilities.

Overview of the Component Parts of a Wind Turbine

As is the case with so many alternative energy sources in this day and age, steel plays an integral role in the construction of a wind turbine. Stating that steel forms the foundation upon which a wind turbine depends is not an understatement.

A wind turbine is comprised of three basic parts. These are the tower, the nacelle, and the rotor blades.

The tower is the base upon which the other components of a wind turbine are situated. The base of a typical wind turbine constructed in the United States is made from steel, oftentimes in a steel pipe design. The steel usually is coated with a zinc alloy to better protect it from the elements. In some situations, the steel base of a wind turbine is not coated with a zinc alloy, but rather is only painted.

The turbine itself is one of the elements of a wind turbine that inspires a measure of awe when visiting a farm. The standard base for a wind turbine stands 80 feet tall. That is the height of a building that stands about eight stories.

Made from steel, oftentimes in a steel pipe formation as noted previously, the base of a wind turbine is hearty. The typical base of a wind turbine weighs about 19,000 pounds. That equates to the weight of over four standard-size automobiles.

The second component of a wind turbine is the nacelle. The nacelle, usually made from fiberglass, is the hallow shell that contains the vital internal mechanisms of the wind turbine. These mechanisms include the main drive shaft and the gearbox. The nacelle also includes the blade pitch control and a hydraulic system.

Steel is the most common element utilized in crafting the items contained in the nacelle. Copper is the secondary element. All of the items contained in the nacelle weigh an amazing 22,000 pounds, which equates to about five standard automobiles.

The final component of a wind turbine, and the most recognizable element, are the turbine blades themselves. The typical wind turbine comes complete with a trio of blades. The length of blades varies, but tend to be over 100 feet in length. At this juncture in time, a great deal of experimentation is ongoing in regard to the composition of turbine blades.

Fiberglass commonly is utilized in wind turbine blades. Lightweight woods and aluminum are also being used in turbine blades in this day and age.

Visiting a Wind Turbine Farm

More often than not, a wind turbine farm desires to show off its operations to visitors, including people traveling for leisure or business. Each individual farm has its own protocols and activities for visitors. There typically is no cost to visit and tour a wind turbine farm. Some farms do require an advanced reservation to take a tour of the facility. Information on visits and yours typically can be obtained from a farm’s website.

With that said, a wind turbine farm oftentimes maintains an educational or informational center in which a visitor is able to access an array of resources. These resources can include educational videos on wind power and the specific wind turbine farm.

At a resource center, a visitor typically is matched up with a member of the farm team who will serve as a “tour guide.” The guide ensures that a visitor obtains a thorough, and safe, tour of the farm facility.

Many wind farms offer visitors the ability to actually “tour” a turbine. A wind turbine may be outfitted with an elevator that will transport guests up to the nacelle and blade level. This truly gives a visitor to a wind turbine farm the chance for an up close and personal examination of the apparatus.

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Federal Steel Supply, Inc., a leading steel tubing suppliers of carbon, alloy and stainless steel pipe, tubes, fittings and flanges.

The Best Credit Cards for International Travel

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International travel is a popular form of tourism that people engage in for purposes of recreation, for exploration of beautiful features in particular countries, and for business purposes. It is mainly classified into long haul and short haul travel. It is important to make inquiries from a consulate of your preferred destination about pertinent information on the necessary documents for your travel before embarking on a trip. The required documentation may include;

  • Passport with a validity period of at least three months from the date of your arrival into the country. It must be in good condition and free from damage or any alteration.
  • A Visa with a validity period of two years from the date that your passport expires. This must be acquired from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This is part of the Visa waiver program.
  • A medical letter that is duly signed by a medical officer.

Planning for successful international travel


People must make a budget for their expedition or costs that they are likely to incur in their trip. This allows them to outweigh their financial ability to manage the estimated expedition costs. Most people may find it hectic to manage their travel. The solution involves seeking reliable sources of funds. Missouri Title Loans is a popular lending company that allows access to cash during an emergency. One is given a credit card to enable them purchase goods on credit. Credit cards help in securing travel insurance, solving cash emergencies, and building a good credit history in lending institutions. A variety of credit cards for international travel exist all over the world. Some of the best credit cards that are used for international travel include;

1. British Airways Visa


This credit card allows one to travel through Trans-Atlantic flights in Europe. They feature specific spending targets within the first year of ownership. An individual earns fifty thousand Avios if they spend three thousand dollars within the first three months.

2. Annex platinum

New cardholders earn sixty thousand bonus membership reward points. They have an opportunity of earning five points per dollar on every airline and hotel purchases coupled with a two hundred dollar annual air travel credit.

3. Chase sapphire preferred

This is a flexible credit card that assures cardholders of earning two points per dollar on all travel and dining purchases. One can redeem the points at a price of 1.25 cents per point.

4. Citi prestige

Cardholders have an equal priority of receiving two hundred and fifty dollars annually. They have access to a free fourth night and are only required to pay taxes and other fees. New cardholders are awarded seven hundred and fifty thousand points if they spend seventy-five thousand dollars within the first three months.

5. IHG rewards credit cards

Intercontinental hotel groups offer these credit cards. Cardholders are awarded eighty thousand bonus points and a free anniversary night. They must have a reasonable expenditure of a thousand dollars within three months.

6. Barclaycard Arrival plus world elite master card

These credit cards are highly flexible and accepted in all international travel destinations. The cards are unique. They are operated through chip and pin technology. Card users earn two miles per dollar on every purchase. They are awarded a five percent bonus.

Most Dangerous Roads Around the World

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Imаgіnе drіvіng dоwn a ѕсеnіс rоаd іn some еxоtіс, fаr-flung lосаlе whеn around the bеnd thе rаіlіng dіѕарреаrѕ, thе road nаrrоwѕ tо practically a trаіl, and thоuѕаndѕ of fееt bеlоw — іf уоu ѕԛuіnt — уоu can ѕее thе skeletal rеmаіnѕ оf саrѕ lоng lоѕt. Yеѕ, sometimes thе rоаd less tаkеn іѕ lеѕѕ taken for a rеаѕоn. The listsbelow іnсludеѕ ѕоmе оf thе mоѕt dаngеrоuѕ roads in thе wоrld. Sо, іf уоu dоn’t gеt frіghtеnеd еаѕіlу, fasten уоur ѕеаtbеlt аnd take a vіrtuаl rіdе. Now let’s begin the соuntdоwn.

  1. Fаіrу Mеаdоwѕ Road (Pakistan)  

Thе Fаіrу Mеаdоwѕ Road is оnlу for реорlе who lоvе tо drive іn the mоuntаіnѕ and have nerves оf ѕtееl. Open оnlу durіng thе ѕummеr months, this rосkу, gravelly rоаd іѕ аbоut 16 kіlоmеtеrѕ long. A six-mile stretch оf it is раrtісulаrlу hаzаrdоuѕ. The rоаd was buіlt hundrеdѕ оf years ago by vіllаgеrѕ on Nаngа Parbat Mountain аnd hаѕ nоt bееn rераіrеd оvеr thе decades.

Only wіdе enough for оnе jеер at a time and hаvіng nо guаrdrаіlѕ, thе road іѕ terrifyingly unstable іn рlасеѕ. Onе fаlѕе mоvе bу a drіvеr соuld send a vеhісlе dоwn a vеrtісаl cliff for hundrеdѕ оf mеtеrѕ. Thіѕ rоаd іѕ so frіghtеnіng, іt’ѕ hаrd to watch vіdеоѕ оf реорlе driving оvеr іt. If уоur buсkеt lіѕt hаѕ this оnе on іt, mаkе sure іt’ѕ your lаѕt сhаllеngе!

  1. Guоlіаng Tunnеl Rоаd (Chіnа)

The lіtеrаl Englіѕh trаnѕlаtіоn for the mіlе-lоng Guoliang Tunnel Rd is “Rоаd thаt tolerates nо mistakes.” Buіlt by 13 lосаl vіllаgеrѕ in thе Tаіhаng Mоuntаіnѕ (mаnу of whom dіеd durіng соnѕtruсtіоn), thе chiseled mоuntаіn tunnel measures only 15ft hіgh by 12ft wide but rосkѕ іnѕаnе vіеwѕ оf the Chіnеѕе lаndѕсаре thrоugh 30 “wіndоwѕ” thаt wеrе сut out оf thе сlіff. Nоt оnlу is іt оnе оf the ѕtеереѕt rоаdѕ іn thе wоrld, but it’s bесоmе оnе оf the аrеа’ѕ tор tоurіѕt attractions tо bе visited… оn foot.

The tunnel іѕ 15 fееt hіgh аnd 12 fееt wіdе, barely wіdе еnоugh for twо саrѕ. Tаkіng five уеаrѕ tо build, the rоаd wаѕ ореnеd to traffic in 1977. Beware: Thіѕ road іѕ particularly dаngеrоuѕ whеn it rаіnѕ! Interestingly, аt lеаѕt two other cliff tunnеl rоаdѕ hаvе bееn соnѕtruсtеd in thіѕ аrеа оf China.

  1. Kаrnаlі Hіghwау (Nepal)

The 155-mіlе Kаrnаlі Hwy іn thе Hіmаlауаѕ оf West Nераl іѕ a death wіѕh (approximately 50 реорlе dіе there a уеаr). The dіrt rоаd’ѕ surface is so bаd thаt еvеn сусlіѕtѕ who flосk thеrе for the ѕtunnіng vіеwѕ аrе оftеn like, “mауbе nоt tоdау.” And as уоu саn іmаgіnе, vеhісlеѕ thаt attempt tо drive thе road tеnd tо ѕlіdе оn patches оf dіrt, choke on steep climbs, and gеnеrаllу gеt f*сkеd up frоm оnе too mаnу potholes.

  1. Siberian Rоаd tо Yakutsk (Ruѕѕіа)

Travel through Sіbеrіа іѕ always a сhаllеngе. Nісknаmеd thе “Rоаd оf Bоnеѕ,” the Sіbеrіаn Rоаd to Yаkutѕk mеаndеrѕ іtѕ way thrоugh one оf thе соldеѕt rеgіоnѕ іn thе wоrld. (The tоwn of Yаkutѕk is соnѕtruсtеd on реrmаfrоѕt.) Thе rоаd іѕ mоѕtlу unраvеd (particularly іn the nоrth) and іѕ аbоut 760 miles lоng.

Thе preferred tіmе to travel оn the rоаd іѕ wіntеr, whеn thе ground and wаtеr are frozen, mаkіng trаvеl ѕоmеwhаt еаѕіеr. But during Julу and Auguѕt, whеn іt tends tо rаіn a lоt, the rоаd bесоmеѕ a mоnѕtrоuѕ quagmire, lеаdіng tо trаffіс jams mіlеѕ lоng. Only thе most ruggеd 4X4 vеhісlеѕ саn manage this muddy bеаѕt. Tо mаkе mаttеrѕ еvеn worse, people get ѕо bored durіng thеѕе trаffіс jаmѕ, they’ve bееn knоwn to rob each other!

  1. James Dalton Hіghwау (Alaska)

Alѕо knоwn аѕ thе Nоrth Slope Hаll Road, thе Jаmеѕ Dаltоn Hіghwау іѕ a road uѕеd bу truсkеrѕ, еѕресіаllу thоѕе who travel tо аnd frоm the Prudhoe Bay оіl fіеldѕ оn the nоrth ѕlоре оf Alaska. In fасt, the road ѕuрроrtѕ thе Trans-Alaska Pіреlіnе Sуѕtеm.

Thе Hіghwау is 414 mіlеѕ lоng, paved іn рlасеѕ, but аbоut thrее-fоurthѕ оf іt іѕ not. There are nо medical facilities along thе rоаd, thоugh thrее tоwnѕ exist along thе way. It’ѕ advised that anyone trаvеlіng thе rоаd ѕhоuld brіng ѕurvіvаl gear.

When travelling to this aforementioned place, if you are pondering on which car hire service to choose,  it’s advisable to use a car Hire Service because uѕіng a car hіrе ѕеrvісе іѕ thаt there аrе nо dерrесіаtіоn lоѕѕеѕ. Nоt оnlу does thе соnѕumеr еnjоу full uѕе оf just аbоut аnу tуре of make or mоdеl оf vеhісlе that thе саr rеntаl service offers. Addіtіоnаl, there is nо extra insurance required. If thе реrѕоn renting a vеhісlе аlrеаdу hаѕ аutо іnѕurаnсе, most роlісіеѕ wіll extend an equivalent coverage to the rеntаl саr wіthоut any аddіtіоnаl fееѕ. Also,  уоu avoid аnnоуіng саr maintenance fееѕ.

Most саr and truсk owners do nоt еnjоу dоіng саr maintenance, lеt аlоnе paying ѕоmеоnе else to do it on thеіr automobile. If thе mаіntеnаnсе is nоt kерt uр tо dаtе, thеn саtаѕtrорhіс fаіlurе саn оссur rеѕultіng in lоѕѕ of use оf thе саr whіlе іt іѕ gеttіng fіxеd аnd a potentially lаrgе gаrаgе bіll.

Make 3000 a Month Online

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Make 3000 a Month Online

With access to internet a human necessity and the growing prevalence of consumer relying on the internet for seeking information to make important decisions and purchases, , making money has become easier than ever before! Even if you’re already working, you can run your own blog or an eCommerce website on the side and use it for your own gain however you like.

But what does blogging have to do with making money? What will writing and publishing blogs online do to earn you money? Well, for starters, millions of people are performing billions of searches each day online just seeking information. Whether it is to make a decision about the new car or just to shave off an hour reading or watching an entertaining piece, people are searching for information. Hence, writing is an excellent way to put your passion for writing to good use and earn money off of it! Everyone’s doing it, you should give it a try as well.

Making money online

Blogging is an excellent way to make 3000 a month online. Even if you’re a beginner, you’ll be guaranteed to earning a great deal and if you work hard enough and know all the ins and outs to follow then you can be like Ewdison Then or Gina Trapani, two of the top earning bloggers. However, just like every kind of work, even blogging requires you to follow some guidelines to ensure you reap all the benefits.  Here are a few tips to make money by blogging for beginners:

· Focus on the topic as well as content

While this may not come as a surprise to you but you should make sure exactly what you’re going to be writing about. Remember, the more passionate you are about what you write, the more people will want to read your work. Apart from the topic, one more key feature that leads to a good income via blogs is to add content that would be beneficial for the reader. For example, try out tips and tricks or share your experiences, these often attract more people to reading what you have to say. Remember, the more traffic you have, the more you’re likely to earn.

Also remember to be consistent in your postings. Don’t put off your readers for days or even months at a time, they need to be aware that you are up, active and prioritize them.

· Advertising and Marketing

If no one knows about your blog, then there’s a high chance you won’t get traffic directed towards it. That’s why it’s crucial to advertise your blog either through advertising tools (like PPC marketing) or via organically through social media and regularly creating valuable content for your audience.

· Know your audience

While your content should reflect you, you also have to know what your readers will need. Remember, blogging is a two way street! That’s why it’s important to interact with your readers and keep your content regarding their interests.

· Be connected

You blog should be unique but you should also be connected with other bloggers so that you can get new ideas and be open to different writing styles as well. Not only that, it also keeps you connected and disperses the feeling of loneliness of being a writer.

There are several other ways you can use blogging to make 3000 a month online but be sure you focus on the aforementioned points first. Remember, blogging is a fun and interactive way to make use of your passions and earn a few bucks along the way. Who knows, before you know it, you might even end up earning in thousands like Kristina Bazan, owner of the personal style blog, Kayture.

Cheapest Places to Backpack

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Cheapest Places to Backpack

Are you a travel enthusiast but money is holding you back? That seems like a problem for everyone who wishes to tread the globe and see all that it has to offer. But what if you found out that there are some places you could visit that are both easy on the wallet as well as on the eyes? Well, grab your backpacks because here are three places you could go to for affordable and cheap backpacking holidays:

1. Cambodia

Backpacking never felt so good, especially when you’re going to a place that not only has amazing scenery that is bound to take your breath away, but it also holds several historical locations bound to take you on a trip through time. Traveling to Cambodia is so cheap it’s almost like you’re travelling for free! Oh and while you’re there, don’t forget to visit the Sihanoukville beaches and Phnom Penh as well so you can experience the Silver Pagoda or the Tuol Sleng Museum of genocidal crimes.

When should you visit?

If you’ve decided to visit Cambodia, you need to make sure you go at a time when the weather is just perfect so it’s not difficult to backpack your way through the beautiful buildings. To have the perfect experience, go in October or November when the weather is just right.

2. Laos

This Southeast Asian country is known for its beautiful mountains and Buddhist monasteries. Its landscape is one that’s definitely going to give you goose bumps and make you catch a glimpse of heaven on earth. The best part is, you don’t have to worry about the effect it’s going to have on your pocket because it’s actually quite affordable! The outdoor tours, the temples and especially the people are really going to change the way you live. It’s an amazing experience with beautiful markets to visit and plenty of outdoor activities for you to do.

When should you visit?

Usually people choose to go in July and August but no matter when you choose to go, there’s always going to be a surprise waiting for you there!

3. Honduras

Don’t be fooled by its dangerous image, this Central American vacation is the quick getaway you’re aiming for. With its beautiful sandy beaches, you wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else! You can even benefit from the cheap food and drinks that it has to offer but wait, that’s not all. Honduras has a Roatan shore excursion and a huge variety of outdoor activities to enhance your experience there.

When should you visit?

Well if you go in June-September, you’ll get to witness the sharks but from March- April, the weather is dry and hot. Perfect for laying down and relaxing on the beach.

These are actually the most recommended amongst the many cheapest places to backpack and it’s definitely going to be an excellent use of your time. So grab your backpack and book a ticket because you wouldn’t want to miss one more minute of an “adventure-less” day!