Made in the USA - Perspectives of a Mom, Teacher and Entrepreneur
There seems to be three specific categories of people directly affected by this 2007 ‘Outrage of the Lead Locators.’
There are the moms controling most of the family’s discretionary buying power who, when faced with screaming children and end-caps galore this holiday season,will surely succumb to the wails which imply there is no caring of the country of origin (just buy it!!!).
Then there are the teachers. You know them. The ones who continually use their own money to buy trinkets and treasures for our little ones as forms of reward in their classrooms. These are the same people who should be making more than that wide receiver or first baseman yet who continue to give their all day-in-and-day-out because of their passion for teaching.
Then there are the entrepreneurs, the dreamers, the ‘I live in the best country for starting my own business, and I am darn proud of it’ people. Surely this China lead thing has got all of these out-sourcing inventors shaking in their bootstrapping boots as they laid their pretty pennies down for many a Made in China products. Let’s explore the psyches of America’s finest, shall we?
Meet me, mom of three and shopper of the family’s upcoming holiday fun. Did I say fun? What I meant to say was upcoming holiday follow-the-list-or-else mission. Seriously, does anyone recall the true meaning of this season or has it simply become want, want, want and need, need, need? And now that this Made in China alert has crept into the picture, my holiday shopping sprees are far from easily sprung.
I have caught myself checking the labels and tags of things in Target’s Dollar Area (knowing full well and good that I would see the “C” word and if not that the “T” word). Now, don’t get me wrong friends and fellow shoppers, I have always been the first to say, “Well, if our country can’t get it right to provide cost effective items to compete with China, then so be it. I need to keep my family’s economy front and center.”
Thing of it is, I now have more of a conscience about it all. I have read more than ever before (goodness knows how, since I barely get a shower in during the course of a week much less read anything other than the back of the baby formula or the kids’ cereal box to clip the Box Top for Education off prior to pitching in the garbage!) about China, its ways of production and the pollution that overwhelms this area of our world. How can I possibly send more money into that bank account of global misuse?
Meet me, teacher of hundreds and hundreds of children. In fact, I counted just the other day that in more than 27 years of teaching I have impacted the lives of more than 600 children, and that is not counting the tutoring I did under the table (sssshhh! Don’t tell Uncle Sam. He never agreed to pay me what I am worth so I really had to do it to survive, the tutoring I mean!).
I so love what I do for this United States of America and feel outraged now that this whole China thing has surfaced. I mean, come on, most of that Oriental Trading Catalog I shop from is Made in China, and that is how I have been able to afford the Treasure Box Treats year in and year out. You think I just skim off an extra $100 per paycheck and put it aside for high-quality, Made in the USA products to bestow as gifts to the children of the same people who vote against raising my pay and who put more money on a football game than they do in their contributions to their child’s elementary school classroom?
I have not been asleep for years you know. I have been well awake and well aware of this nation’s turning of the educational tide, and unless we get some great James and the Giant Peach happenings going on then I best hope those Lead Locators find the source, hunt it down, kill it, behead it and throw it out to sea for drowning purposes because I do not see our USA labels coming down in price across the board to make affordable the things I need to do my job and make it a win/win for all. How do I possibly think I can afford Made in the USA even though I have taught many of those manufacturers during their early years?
Meet me, entrepreneur, energetic and enthusiastic to a fault. I wish for nothing more than to make my dream come true as I provide you and yours with my product or my service. Outsource? Who me? Well, just that one component, just that one call center, just that one print job . . . but hey! It was almost three times cheaper in China. The vendor told me (in his very broken English which is why I bought a Mandarin language CD just last month!) that we never find no deal no close to his ever in this U.S. of A. or he beat price by $500! I told him he had a deal (and there was no Howie Mandell standing by my side with a silver case and some amazing Made in the USA money!).
I have had pangs of guilt. Even nightmares about my own family coming after me in a boat while I steered a clear path away from them in a ship full of my foreign-born puppets. I know those puppets were stitched and sewn with love in sweat factories, I mean, factories where people are treated kindly and paid well. Never have I with an awake mind knowingly contributed to the horrible work conditions nor to the disgusting planetary conditions I have only read about (oh, but that one deal I did agree to was made waking up from the middle of a deep sleep if I recall!). How can I conceivably run a profitable business using only Made in the USA products and services?
It’s true. There are many perspectives, many takes on this whole issue, and I hope it all has helped us wake up to the fact that we need to become more dependent upon our own country for products and services. We need to support, demand, look for, request, assist, encourage, contribute to, organize, mentor, donate to and so forth American businesses, Made in the USA products, entrepreneurs from our United States and those who look to help our country grow in its autonomy. We seem to be giving it away, piece-by-piece and chunk-by-chunk to countries that should not be in charge.
I am a mom. I am a teacher. I am an entrepreneur. The above-stories are part fiction and part non-fiction. But the point is clear. It is real. It is time to stop the madness and pull together to make this country the great country that it always has been and has the potential to continue to be for centuries to come.
Take a stand. Buy less from other countries and more from our good ol’ USA. E-mail your congressman, your senator, your president, your school district, your mayor, your mom!!! Make it a viral campaign to save our country, our freedom and our earth. Your child will thank you.
Beth Butler is the founder of the BOCA BETH Program. Experience how fun and easy it can be to introduce Spanish to your child. Tap your feet to our bilingual beats by visiting us at http://www.bocabeth.com
Order via our toll free 1.877.825.2622 or online today.
The Effects Of Windpower And Domestic Oil Drilling
Lately, windpower has emerged as one of the most popular sources of alternative energy. In fact, the popularity of windpower as an energy source has received a resurgence after many decades of minimal use.
Much like the gas crisis of the 1970’s ushered in the notion of a need for alternative energy sources the threat of global warming has prompted people to look for both increased domestic oil drilling and for the need to expand windpower potential. While domestic drilling may have its benefits (it also has two major disadvantages) it would be best to expand alternative energy methods, like windpower as well.
Looking at Oil Drilling
When it comes to the drilling of oil domestically, many people look at the environmental problems that may be inherent. While this may be true, even if domestic drilling was increased there is still the problem that people may not invest into exploratory oil drilling due to the costs involved.
For example, if one wished to drill for oil off the coast of Florida not only would the drills need to be built and placed out on the sea, it is widely understood that there is no oil to be found anywhere above 7 miles below the “floor” of ocean off the coast. That means, $100 million dollars would need to be spent before even arriving at the point to really begin drilling for oil.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that oil will be found. As such, the need for windpower as an alternative for common fossil fuel energy sources is critical.
Windpower Farms
For those not familiar how large scale windpower is harnessed, this is usually done in the form of wind farms. These windpower farms are essentially large scale areas that are comprised of a number of modern day windmills that harness windpower and then start the process of converting it into electricity.
This is a cheap and effective method of converting natural sources into electricity. However, do to the fact that the volume of wind farms is relatively limited in size and scope. As such, the ability to completely harness the full potential of windpower has not even come close to being tapped.
Also these windpower turbines are gigantic creating an unsightly horizon wherever they are placed. Windpower turbines also only produce power 1/8 of the time that they are running, unless they are in very windy climate, like Scotland.
In time, however, it is probably more than likely that windpower will imporve and gain in popularity as more public demand for alternative means of energy becomes required. This will lead, hopefully, to more windpower farms and more expansive utilization of windpower as an energy source.
Gas is expensive and running out. We need to find a way to use alternative energy so we stop depleting our resources. We need to harness the power of the sun, wind and water in order to power our homes, and we need to find a way to finance the whole thing without using private investors, who seldom want to take the risk of investing in new industries with high costs.
Until the financial problems are solved, I don’t see windpower or other alternative energy sources hitting the mainstream any time soon.
Madison Greene is like anyone else. She is interested in saving the planet and finding alternatives for depleting natural resources. Learn how you can safely make your own alternative fuel at home for less than one dollar a gallon. Visit: http://www.LearnToMakeBioDiesel.com
Making The Case For Violence As Your Ultimate Survival Tool
Since the events of 9/11 we have been bombarded with scenes of violence. Terrorist attacks, two back-to-back wars and the ongoing war on terror have given the 24-hour news channels an endless supply of images to fill their screens. New warnings and color-coded alert levels only heightened this atmosphere of fear.Just when we thought we’d seen it all, things reached a saturation point with the video images of innocent contractors beheaded by hooded thugs in Iraq.
As someone who’s life work is teaching people to correctly use violence as a survival tool, it truly distresses me to see the fear-based responses many people have to this relentless assault on our senses. There’s no need for this to happen to you! If you’ll explore this taboo subject with me for just a bit, I think you’ll find you are not as helpless as you might think when it comes to violence. More importantly, by actively learning how violence should be viewed you can live a more calm and peaceful life, no longer held hostage by the emotional jolts of random fear the media loves to barrage you with.
Violence - A Different View
In our culture, violence is viewed as evil and those who advocate its use in any way are seen in some way as a “criminal”. Unfortunately, this stigmatization has worked very well for only one group in our society — the predators. Look at it this way: if someone grabbed a butcher’s knife from thier kitchen drawer, then walked out into the street and stabbed the first person they saw in the neck (killing them in the process), I think we’d all agree that was a horrible criminal act and they should be punished to the full extent of the law.
But what about the situation where an intruder, brandishing a weapon, breaks into your house and you’re able to intercept him as he attempts to go upstairs (where your spouse and family are sleeping). Everyone understands your willingness to fight in this case. And if, during the fight, you grabbed your butcher’s knife and stabbed the thug in the side of the neck (again, killing him) before he could use his weapon against you or your family, then most everyone, and society in general, would applaud your bravery and determination to protect your loved ones.
Here’s the thing: we all formed judgments about the 2 knife-wielding acts I just described — based on the surrounding facts. The first was an unprovoked murder; the second a justified act of self-defense. But now I’d like you to shift your focus, to see those acts through a completely different lens. I want you to NOT judge either act, instead just to view them objectively. When you step back and view them in this manner you’ll see something else — BOTH were successful! The violence used (butcher’s knife to the side of the neck) worked perfectly in each case. The murderer in the first scenario was as ’successful’ as the protector in the second.
A Classical Mistake
Here’s the point: if you shift your perspective and view violence as just a tool — one that is neither good or evil — then you can evaluate it separately from the surrounding facts. Why do this? Because it’s the crucial first step in eliminating unnecessary fear from your life!
People often confuse ‘using a tool’ with the actual tool itself. Take violence, for example. Just because we view someone using violence on another human being does not mean we need to fear him or her. Anyone is capable of using this ‘tool’. All it requires is one thing: intent. That’s all.
Sure, society has struggled mightily to deal with the existence of violence with many people today simply choosing to ignore it altogether (a big mistake). While we all can agree that violence is rarely the answer in any situation, here’s what I challenge you to consider…
When Violence IS The Answer…It Is The ONLY Answer!
I realize this is uncomfortable for many, possibly even you. Everyone has no problem discussing an array of inappropriate uses of violence like the beheadings mentioned above. It’s easy to condemn such brutal, needless acts. But to dismiss violence as a viable tool, to unquestioningly accept that it has no valid place in your life, is to forever expose yourself to the risk of being on the receiving end of violence in a true, life-or-death confrontation.
Here are the facts. Besides individuals, I speak and train many business groups around the world. The theme of many of these talks and seminars is using and understanding violence as your ultimate survival tool. I share with these CEO’s and other highly successful professionals that my typical client base consists of a ‘70/30′ ratio, that is, 70% of my clients seek me out only after asocial violence has entered their lives!!
And those who experience true violence all tell the same story:”I live in a great neighborhood, a gated community. My friends and I have never been in fights nor even exposed to violence whatsoever. Etc, etc, etc…’ Then they get to the, ‘but’, ‘That’s when they tell me how the unthinkable occurred: asocial violence happened to them — and they were totally unprepared.
Not only didn’t they prepare for violence, most refused to acknowledge its existence. The results are usually devastating and often un-repairable. It’s very difficult to help someone get over asocial violence. The psychological scars are simply too deep.
It’s much better when people get this training prior to such an experience. Then they’re educated about violence and they know how to use it as a survival tool. Most importantly, this knowledge allows them to make better decisions in their daily lives to minimize unnecessary exposure to avoidable violence.
The Price Of Being Unprepared
Let me give you an example. One man finally attended a live training after corresponding with me for over 3 years. He was extremely successful, someone who intended but never found the time to attend self defense training. Finally, he’d made it in. While there was no hint of a problem, he was an incredible disappointment! I mean, here he was in his early 40’s and in incredible physical shape yet showing little enthusiasm for the training although he had shown excitement about attending from more than 3 years. Since he was barely going through the motions, by noon of the second day I had decided to give him a refund and ask him to come back when he could put more effort into the training.
While this training deals with the use of violence in a life-or-death situation, it is, by design, a lot of fun with immense energy and people who don’t put effort into the training need to be removed to protect the learning dynamics for the remainder of the class. As I went to my office at the lunch break, I was surprised by a phone call. It was this guy’s wife! As I listened, she sheepishly asked how he was doing. I informed her of the situation and my decision to refund his tuition. She begged me to reconsider, and then explained this horrifying story.
Apparently they had been victims of a home invasion six months prior to the training. It was not your typical home invasion.Four men in ski masks with automatic weapons appeared in their bedroom one night.As the man got out of bed he froze, realizing he had no idea what to do against such a group (this is why we always assume and train for multiple attackers). He was quickly butt-stroked by an attacker’s shotgun, then expertly hog-tied with duct tape by another.
With blood streaming down his forehead he was forced to watch (having his hair viciously pulled back to make sure he couldn’t look away) as another attacker raped his wife. The assailants spoke only Spanish during the entire assault and seemed genuinely annoyed that the couple didn’t understand them. Since the couple were gagged neither was able to explain they didn’t speak Spanish. It was over in a flash. Later, the police were puzzled because this couple had no known enemies. Even stranger: nothing was taken from the house! The husband was a successful businessman who had just sold his company for hundreds of millions of dollars. In his whole career he had never had a legal issue of any kind — not even a parking ticket. The house was a new custom home in an exclusive neighborhood.
It was three weeks before police discovered the truth: the attackers had gotten the wrong house!A drug dealer lived 3 houses down. The South American goon squad that had been dispatched to send him a ‘message’ over a dispute with a rival dealer, had screwed up. Now it didn’t matter. This client blamed himself for freezing in the face of asocial violence, and failing his wife in the process. The shame and guilt was eating him away.
How To Guarantee Violence Is Minimized In Your Life
So you ask, ‘How could any training have helped him in this situation?’ It wouldn’t if it was merely martial arts or a typical self-defense course. The results would probably be the same. Only by learning to use violence as a survival tool would he have been better prepared to keep asocial violence from entering his life, and to deal with when it did.
The approach to self defense advocated in this article means learning to use an effective, principle-based form of hand-to-hand combat training designed solely for use in situations where you must fight for your life during an unavoidable, asocial violent attack (without responding with violence you end up maimed, crippled or killed).Everything in this approach to self defense prepares you for a worst case scenario. Yet the real benefit is in realizing you never want it to get to that point! People trained in this manner take extraordinary measures to make it difficult for asocial violence to enter their lives. They understand violence is a fact of life and if they allow predators an opportunity to see them as easy targets, they become just that.
The Failure Of Positive Thinking
Back to my story; this couple had moved into their new home early. The security system wan not activated. They wanted a dog (the number one deterrent to home attacks) but hadn’t gotten around to getting one. And worst of all, they had not locked the front and back doors, mistakenly believing they were safe in a gated community with rent-a-cops.
That fatal night proved otherwise.They may have gotten away with these gross errors in personal safety had random asocial violence not happened. Not in a million years would this couple have considered they’d be mistaken for a rival drug dealer in a dispute over money. Yet I hear this story daily because most of us continue to view violence as ‘criminal’ — rather than a tool that can save our life in a violent confrontation.
Getting trained can guarantee it won’t happen again but you’ll never take away the rape or the physical trauma, nor can you undo the psychological damage that’s been done. That’s why I actively seek out the other ‘30 percent’!
So what can you do right now? Start by changing your view of violence. See it for what it is — neither good nor bad. Just the one tool that, should you ever need it, is always there to serve you in a worst-case situation.
Tim Larkin’s Target-Focus Training system shows you how to defeat a sociopathic criminal.To learn why TFT has you focused on injuring your attacker — not defending yourself — visit Larkin’s website at: http://www.targetfocustraining.com
Georgia Pray For Rain
The dry ground blew into the air destroying the last few inches of top soil to the fields where irrigation had once fed its land. Now the farmers had to abandon their fields, because the underground river beds that watered the wells were now all dried up. The fields of earth now abandoned looked towards the heavens praying for God to rescue them!
The barren trees bowed low as if in prayer beseeching God for rain. The plants were gone and the people were leaving because there wasn’t any water where they lived. The pastures in all the counties were devastated from the lack of moisture and they prayed to their creator to fill their land once again with life.
A voice resounded from Heaven to all people who listened within their souls. Pray for Jesus to save your land. Acknowledge God in the Heavens above for He cares. Pray for Rain.
Long residents in the state of Georgia gathered in churches and even officials in government buildings pleaded and asked God for help. They saw the beauty of their land fading and the ponds and rivers dissipating and in fear they asked for rain.
Come all people gather together forget your differences and pray for rain. Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is your Savior and the rain will come like a flood and once again bring new life.
The boarding states heard the cries of the people shouting out from Georgia’s drought stricken land. The fear of their neighbors beckoned them to take heed to their plight. But they were satisfied in their own lives and what was happening to Georgia was helping their states. For they were profiting by shipping them loads of water and food.
A voice resounded from Heaven to the neighbors who boarded the state to listen within they’re souls. Pray for Jesus to save your neighbors’ land. Acknowledge God in the Heavens above for He cares for all people. Pray for Rain or you could be next.
The entire United States became aware of the plight of Georgia and they whispered to each other, how much more bad news could they withstand. There were floods in one state, hurricanes in another and fires that plagued other states. They decided within their hearts to turn off the news and to turn their backs on their neighbors because they were satisfied in their own lives.
Jesus looked down from heaven and quoted scriptures: Luke 12: 56, “Hypocrites! You can look at the earth and the sky and predict the weather; why, then, don’t you know the meaning of this present time?”
The countries in far away lands were suffering through droughts and even though they knew of Jesus Christ, they had long abandoned their faith. They believed in their own strength and they resented anyone that asked them to pray. They didn’t need God, all they needed was science to help them.
They commanded Georgia to invest in science and shoot sulfur into the clouds. Believe in men and not in God and the rain will come! Don’t pray, purchase planes filled with sulfur and equipment that will make the rain come.
Georgia refused to listen to their neighbors and their governor took a bold stand. He pleaded with the people of faith in His state to call upon God to heal their land.
The media ran to take pictures of a state that had fallen on their knees so they could wait and see if God would answer their prayers. Atheists were enraged by how their state humbled themselves before the Lord. Agnostics ridiculed from a distance believing God could help, but they didn’t think He would.
A voice resounded from Heaven to all people who listened within their souls. Pray for Jesus to save your land. Acknowledge God in the Heavens above for He cares. Pray for Rain.
A still small voice within my own soul joined Georgians everywhere to pray for redemption so the rain would be released. A spiritual urgency opened my eyes and caused me to see a battle was brewing in the unseen spiritual realm between the forces of light and dark. Each eager to send out spirits to fight on their behalf. Each waiting to see if the people truly believed that God could help or if they would rely on man.
Satan called upon all demons to stop up the rain and dry all the land. He filled the hearts of those who did not believe with negative words meant to defeat those who had faith that God could send rain.
Jesus sent out messages via the Holy Spirit to people scattered throughout the land to be persistent in prayer and to have faith. Just believe and God will open the skies with so much rain that the drought will quickly be forgotten.
Ephesians 6: 16-18, “At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.”
It rained! It poured! They prayed and it rained some more. God heard Georgia and He answered, Yes! I will send rain! Yes!
Satan and his demon angels fled because their power to keep back the rain was defeated by Georgia’s faithful Christian soldiers. The rain came down and the drought ended, because God loves people and answers when they call upon His name.
The drought is over and the land no longer cries to God for rain. The trees are all full and the plants thrive. The people have come back to their homes and once again they invest time in their manicured lawns and gardens. Every one is at peace and the state is now at rest. Soon all memory of the drought is gone and everyone has gone back to their lives.
What did the people of Georgia learn? Will they remember the drought and how prayer restored their lives to prosperity again. Or when they are satisfied will they forget God and continue to live their lives like everyone else? Remember God loves people, pray to Him and trust Him with your life. Pray!
Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com
The Most Popular Buildings/Bridges/Structures Around The World
There are hundreds of thousands of buildings, bridges, and structures that have been built in numerous locations around the world. Each one serves a specific purpose, whether allowing people to travel from one place to another or providing a place for individuals to live, work, or play. Out of all of the building, bridges, and structures in the world, only a few have the distinction of being the most popular ones in the world.
There are many reasons why a building, bridge, or structure may be designated as one of the most popular of their kind. One common reason may be that the appearance of the item attracts a large number of individuals to view it. Whether the item is considered beautiful or just unique, many individuals will flock to view it and take pictures to document that they were there. The appearance of the item may also cause it to be documented in a variety of different mediums, including movies, books, and postcards.
One of the most popular buildings in the world is the Empire State building, located in New York City, New York in the United States of America. This building is the largest building in a city full of large buildings and has helped define the New York City skyline since 1931. Considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the Empire State Building is nearly 1,500 feet high and has 102 floors. The observation deck, located on the 86th floor of the building, has been visited by more than 110 million individuals.
Another one of the most popular buildings in the world is the Notre Dame de Paris, located in Paris, France. This cathedral has been immortalized in numerous films, plays, and literature and is considered the most familiar cathedral in the world. The features of the cathedral make this building a classic example of French Gothic architecture and the building took nearly 200 years to complete, beginning in 1160 and finished in 1345. It is estimated that more than 12 million individuals visit the Notre Dame de Paris each year.
One of the popular bridges in the world is the Millau Viaduct, located in southern France. The bridge is considered the highest vehicular bridge in the world, spanning the valley of the River Tarn at a maximum height of 1,125 feet at its highest point. Dedicated in 2004, the construction of the bridge has broken three world records; highest road bridge deck in the world, highest mast in the world, and highest pylons in the world. The bridge also has the designation of having the longest cable-stayed deck in the world.
One of the most popular structures in the world is the Great Wall of China, considered the world’s longest man building structure and is also the largest man-made structure when considering mass and surface area. In fact, the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that is visible from space. The Great Wall stretches over 4,000 miles, stretching from the city of Shanhaiguan in the eastern portion of the country to the city of Lop Nur in the western portion of the country. Because the building of the Great Wall began before bricks became widely used, the entire length of the Great Wall was constructed of wood, stones, and earth.
Future Steel Buildings offers self-supporting, pre-engineered metal buildings. Our metal building kits are tailored towards commercial applications. http://www.futuresteel.com/commercial.html
No Jail Time For Grandma!
My diminutive, white haired, 88 year old mother-in-law drives a red sports car and is now being threatened with prison time. Well, maybe not prison, because no one in their right mind wants to envision a little old lady pushing a walker and being led to the hoosegow by burly armed sheriff’s deputies.
The whole thing started a few weeks ago when she got a ticket because she parked her car in a handicapped zone just as she does every time she drives to the mall. This time though, her parking permit had expired and the decal stuck on her back window was out of date.
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Take a few minutes to write a check and send it to the address on the ticket that was under her windshield wipers and the problem is solved. Wrong! Governmental bureaucracy rears its ugly head!
Buying a new sticker for her car would have been no problem if she’d remembered that the old one was expiring. Her memory was jogged last week however, when she received a summons demanding that she pay up or the local constabulary would throw her in jail.
As soon as she received the summons, without reading any farther than the first paragraph where it threatened her with incarceration if she didn’t pay the ticket immediately, she drove downtown to the courthouse where she had gotten her parking permit, to pay the fine.
It was the wrong place, but they did tell her that after paying the ticket she would have to return to the license bureau to get her new decals. They were even helpful enough to give her the exact amount she would have to pay for the new permit; even telling her she could just put it in the mail.
It’s important to know that my mother-in-law is as deaf as a post unless her hearing aids are working properly. If they are working, as often as not they emit a ultra high frequency feed back, that drive all the dogs in the neighborhood nuts. Most of the time if she hears every 10th word, she’s having a good day.
One of the clerks was patient enough to write down the address of the municipal building complex and the department she needed, along with the amount she needed for the new permit. She was now armed and ready to pay her fine!
After finding the municipal building, which handles traffic violations, including handicapped parking sins, she located the municipal court clerk’s office. Unfortunately there was a sign on the door that said the department was closed from 11:00am to 3:00 p.m. for a Thanksgiving party. It doesn’t take much to exhaust an 88 year old lady, no matter in how good a shape she’s kept herself, so she went home to fight the battle another day.
The day after Thanksgiving the situation didn’t improve much for the municipal clerk’s office was closed for the holiday. She did get advice from an office employee who was working over time. He looked at her summons and told her she could just mail the amount of the fine into the office, thus saving her a lot of aggravation.
That’s just what she did! The next day she sent the money for the fines and court costs, including an additional amount for the fee to renew her handicap permit. Any governmental agency, when faced with more money than they expected, does what comes naturally; they keep it! They didn’t apply it to the fines or to the new decal. No one seems to know where the money is!
Unfortunately now, fees for her new handicapped permit had been sucked up into governmental never, never land. Once again she had to pay again the fines for not having a decal, even though the clerk acknowledged that they had received her money. They just don’t know where it is!
After this was done, when she went back to the courthouse to get her new decal, she was told that she would now have to have a another doctor’s physical before she could be issue a new handicap parking permit!
Evidently the 88 year old, white haired, mostly deaf taxpayer had finally come to the last straw. She reached across the counter, grabbed her application for handicap parking and told the clerk, “I just won’t get another permit. It’ll be easier to find another parking place at Wal Mart than to have to go through all the red tape again!”
Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. He is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com
http://www.redfishbob.com
What Is Solar Power? Knowing Could Save You Money
Like most people you probably know that now more than ever we need to find alternative energy sources. Solar, nuclear and wind power are all viable options, but solar power is the most popular alternate energy source for residential homes.
Beyond knowing that it turns the sun’s rays into electricity, do you really know how it all works? If you’re interested in learning more about solar energy and are considering having it installed in your home, call a company that sets up solar panels start asking them questions.
You can also use the internet to research what solar energy is, find out how much it costs, the pros and cons of having it and you can even learn how it all works. If after learning what solar power is all about, and you decide that it’s for you, start pricing around and set up your home for solar capabilities so that you never have to pay another dime to the electric companies.
What Is Solar Power? Solar Cells
Solar cells are one of the first things you’ll learn about in your quest for finding out more about solar power. Solar cells are plates that look like they’re made of tinted glass.
These cells are set up on your roof or on special platforms and they are the plates that actually catch the sun’s rays. In order to power an entire home, it may be necessary to cover your entire roof with these cells.
It all depends on how much energy you need. Installing these solar cells can cost quite a bit of money but it’s a one time cost that will save you money in the long run.
Just make sure that you are going to be living in your home for the next several years. Also, you may need to repair or replace cells as time goes on so you should also save for these unexpected costs.
What Is Solar Power? Converter Boxes
Also, in your quest to find out what solar energy is, you’ll learn about the converter boxes that transform the energy from the sun’s rays into actual electricity. This is how you power your home, or whatever else you intend to power with solar panels.
These are the heart of the solar power system and can also set you back quite a bit financially. These converters can also hold a charge, which means they will store the energy you don’t use so that you can use electricity even if no sun is shining, such as at night.
As you find out more and more what solar power is, you should get a good idea of whether or not solar energy is for you. Ask as many sources as you can and make sure you’re not being sold by anyone because they may not give you such an honest answer if they are just trying to get you to buy something from them.
Do your own research, read all you can and learn about what solar power is from the experts. That is the best way to find out about this technology and it’s the best way to make a decision of whether or not solar energy is for you and your home.
Madison Greene is like anyone else. She is interested in saving the planet and finding alternatives for depleting natural resources. Learn how you can safely make your own alternative fuel at home for less than one dollar a gallon. Visit: http://www.LearnToMakeBioDiesel.com
How to be Politically Inept this Christmas
There, now it’s out there; the “C” word, Christmas. Somehow it’s become politically incorrect to wish others Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or anything that suggests a belief system. Well, I’ve decided to forgo political correctness at the risk of being labeled “politically inept” this holiday season.
Be Different in December
I choose to celebrate in December because Christmas is in it. You may celebrate in December for a different reason. I not only respect but cherish that diversity among us. Yet that diversity is discounted and stripped away from us when the Politically Correct (P.C.) Police force all to be the same by restricting us to Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings. Can we Americans afford any more loss of our identities? Can we afford to lose the meanings behind our traditions, actions and feelings?
The advent and proliferation of social media encourage us to “live in the open.” Tools like LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube enable us to share what makes us human. In theory, our humanity should make us more desirable as a business associate. When you defy the P.C. Police and offer a greeting with more flavor than Seasons Greetings, we learn you are a person of character and courage as well as spirited and thoughtful. Much is shared in less than 2 seconds!
Speak Your Peace of Mind
We’re entitled to all speak our own “language” of the season. Consider that, as an example, if one of us speaks Spanish, another French and the third Italian, none of us can be accused of being wrong. Background, upbringing and, sometimes, life choices enable each of us to express