Articles written by James Hamel

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About me - James Hamel

I am a native of Northern California (from the small town of Saratoga) who currently resides in Southern California near Laguna Beach. As you could probably tell, my passion lies mainly in being able to write about automobiles

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Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes Pop music: Past, present and future: 1 of 17
Let's get this out of the way before we go any further. The Jonas Brothers, the latest Disney created musical sensations, are nothing more than a callously shallow exercise in selling albums to swooning 13 year old girls. They are the musical equivalent of the time Greg Brady of The Brady Bunch fame was turned into the music... More..
Entertainment > Movie Analysis The portrayal of vampires in the movie Twilight: 1 of 7
Let's get one thing straight here. You are not Dracula, the Vampire Lestat, Angel or Twilight's Edward. You do not have super powers and the curse of immortal life. You drive around all day in a 1986 Toyota Corolla listening to Depeche Mode's Violator in between your gigs delivering pizzas. You are not a vampire. And you nev... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: What would you do for money: 4 of 27
If you have perused the covers of the tabloids in most any North American supermarket checkout line in the last 7 months you will no doubt have heard at least a little bit about them. They are individuals who use the mere fact that they are reproductively fertile as a means to get people to pay attention to them. They are al... More..
Autos > Buying New Cars Car reviews: 2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe: 1 of 5
(Coupe 2.0 T: Starts at $22,000) (Coupe 3.8: Starts at $25,000) At first glance, you might look at the specs of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and decide that there are only two variants due to their being a turbocharged 4 cylinder engine option (210 horsepower) with a 300 horsepower 3.8 liter 6 cylinder being optional. But loo... More..
Autos > Buying New Cars Car reviews: 2010 Nissan Versa: 1 of 5
(Starting at $9,990: Steering Wheel Extra) Wow, can you really get a Nissan Versa for less than $10,000? That sounds like one heck of a bargain, now doesn't it? Or does it? Now didn't your mama ever teach you to read the fine print? This prince of a radio-less, AC-free, low quality rattle trap proves the old adage that som... More..
Entertainment > Movie Genres What are your favorite movie quotes of all time: 5 of 24
Pop culture is a curious thing. And the heart and soul of pop culture comes from the world of film as evidenced by our national obsession with movie stars. While musicians and TV stars get their fair share of tabloid coverage it is the Brad and Angelinas of the world that we are far more interested in. But even beyond tha... More..
Autos > Antique Cars Automotive history: Famous and notorious automobiles: 3 of 14
It is a tricky business finding a good name when the time comes to market your new product and it is no different in the auto industry. So many disastrous naming events have befallen automakers that it seems nowadays they have given up coming up with names altogether. How many A4s and C1s and 328s and 525s and i30s do there ... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: 2 of 8
When I was a kid I always had a problem with the wording of the G.I. Joe cartoon theme song which went a little something like this, he never gives up/he's always there/fighting for freedom over land and air! Okay, I get the part about the brave G.I. Joe squad fighting valiantly over land but how can you fight over air? Woul... More..
Autos > Buying Used Cars How to buy a certified pre-owned vehicle: 1 of 4
If you are the type of person who hates to take risks and enjoys having at least some sort of security when buying a used car then buying certified pre-owned vehicle might be for you. Every major automaker in this country offers some form of this program and they usually entail a very thorough inspection of the vehicle as wel... More..
Travel > Air Travel & Airlines How to survive an airplane crash: 3 of 11
Although it seems that finally the mystery of where Air France Flight 447 crashed has been solved, much of the hard work relating to why this tragedy happened lies ahead for recovery crews. Whether or not it was a speed sensor failure or some issue related to extremely bad weather that downed the commercial aircraft, there i... More..