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Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Reserve police officers are an essential part of the Mt. Juliet Police Department team, and the department is looking for dedicated people who want to be involved in law enforcement and public safety. Are you looking for a meaningful and challenging opportunity that helps keep Mt. Juliet safe? If so, consider applying for the Mt. Juliet Police Department's reserve police officer program.
The Mt. Juliet Police Reserve program is comprised of many community members who dedicate their time to fulfill many of the roles handled by full-time Mt. Juliet police officers. Reserve officers give a vital role in supplementing the sworn staff in essential public safety operations, which they all volunteer their time at no cost to the department. Every volunteer police officer performs various duties such as assisting in patrol operations, deploying during disasters, protecting the integrity of crime scenes, assisting with crowd & traffic control during special events, and providing security during municipal court and other city events.
Mt. Juliet Police reserve officers come from different backgrounds that enhance the Mt. Juliet Police Department with their unique skills and abilities. Currently, there are IT specialists, accountants, large company executives, and reserve and retired military officers in the rich mix of the reserve force. A blend of retirees and employed, the reserve officers are people who like to learn, have the time to commit, and are dedicated to serving their community. Once reserve officer candidates pass rigorous background checks, interviews, and a physical fitness obstacle course, they must undergo training conducted by police instructors.
To learn more about the program and how to apply, the Reserve Program is hosting an information session on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. at Mt. Juliet Police Headquarters, at 1019 Charlie Daniels Parkway. Those interested in the program and feel they meet the qualifications are encouraged to attend to get an application.
Potential reserve officer applicants must meet similar qualifications as full-time police officers, which include:
- Must be at least 21 Years of age
- Must be a high school graduate or equivalent
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Must not have been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor involving moral turpitude as the term is defined by law, and not having been released or discharged other than honorable conditions from any of the U.S. Armed Forces
- Must have their fingerprints on file with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
- Must pass a medical examination by a licensed physician
- Must pass a drug screen by a licensed physician
- Must have a good moral character as determined by a background investigation
- Must be free of all apparent mental disorders as described in the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Third Edition (DSM-11) of the American Psychiatric Association, and must be certified as meeting the criteria by a qualified professional in psychiatric and psychological fields
- Must have a valid Tennessee drivers license


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It's Apple Picking Season!
It's officially apple picking season in New York and the lower Hudson Valley is ripe for the picking! Gather up your favorite recipes for Apple Pie, Apple Sauce, Apple everything!
Our favorite spot for picking is Dr. Davies Farm located in Rockland County, just 40miles from Brooklyn. Family run since 1891, the farm offers over 4,000 trees across 35 acres, enjoy the gorgeous scenery, hay-rides, a visit to the pumpkin patch and stop at the farm stand for fresh-pressed cider and more. (Note they are cash only, no credit cards or ATM cards accepted.) Dr. Davies Farm is open everyday from 10AM-4PM Call or contact the farm for a schedule of other events.
On October 2nd, Orange County kicks off the season with The Warwick Applefest. The family-friendly event features several participating pick-your-own orchids, entertainment, hay-rides and more.
Participating farms in Orange County include:
Apple Dave's: 82 Four Corners Road, Warwick. Relax by the ponds, or sample the latest creations of the Distillery and Applewood Winery. AppleDavesOrchards.com
Overlook Farm Market: 5417 Route 9W, Newburgh. Fall weekends feature hay maze, petting zoo and fishing at the pond. Bakery and deli on site. 4 miles north of I-84. Promises a "no-razz-a-ma-tazz" experience to enjoy nature without the crowds. OverlookFarmMarket.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Alternative Universe
A Haven from Heaven
"I need to pick thy brains," Rupert announces to the shaman; "On the nature of the matrix." He waves a ruffled sleeve at the flames. "Take this electromagnetic substance called fire, for instance. We're agreed that it's a form of plasma, aye?" The shaman nods as they stare at dancing flares of infralight. "The fourth estate of matter," he agrees. "Like electricity - the most excited vibratory state of chaotic order that intermingling vorticles can customarily maintain for any length of time in a three dimensional matrix. Vortexes," he amends, and Amber catches his eye as she nestles beneath the wing of his overarching arm. "There are more than four states in which matter can form," she informs him. Rupert inclines his brow in her direction. "Of course," he agrees with an amiable leer. "There are Bose-Einstein condensates – that means there are five elemental states…"
"And more," Amber avers. "There are also condensates of fermions, and…" The earl interrupts her again as his eyes crinkle with faint surprise. "Let's get back to that later," he insists. "The heretic you're sitting next to has developed some more basic but nonetheless interesting ideas…"
"They're really just extensions of classic theories," Ram'yana objects. "Supposedly outdated ideas that have…" The earl interjects once more; "He calls the nodes that atomic nuclei occupy 'vorticles', Rupert explains, "and insists that so-called 'protons' and 'neutrons' are made up of the same beasties as what we call electrons, simply arranged into certain specific geometric patterns. He maintains that particles are actually nothing at all - just spinning vortices of aether – and that matter is continually being spun from nothing."
"The aether could hardly be called 'nothing'," Amber objects. "The aether is everything." She crosses her legs when Rupert's eyes follow the long lines of her slender curves. "Ah," the earl says as he nudges the shaman in the ribs. "You seem to have found a willing convert…" He continues before Amber's downcast lips can form another objection; "He says that each particle – pardon me, vorticle – is a tiny mirror of the entire macrocosm, of the entire universe…"
"It's in the nature of a hologram," the shaman insists, "that every part contains and refracts the whole. As the universe is a hologram within a multiverse of holograms, each tiniest part must contain an image of the whole; as the poet said, infinity resides in each grain of sand and every drop of water..." He holds the hashish up in the firelight before sniffing the chunk judiciously. "Local," Rupert informs him. "But they do a pretty good job around here these days – they don't use acetylene baths or anything like that any more; Dutch water method…" His eyes follow the sparks up to heaven and he stares at the slowly wheeling stars.
"Where were we?" he asks the Pleiades with serious intensity as the crowd bursts into a spasm of guffaws. "Oh yes - to say that everything is a mirror maze within a mirror maze is a rather narcissistic view, surely?" The earl's inquisitive declaration is emphasised by an eloquent flourish of a silver-ringed hand. "But I suppose we're all looking at reflections…" He mimes the act of holding a hand-held mirror to his face and peers through the imaginary looking glass at the pink-rimmed stoned eyes of the oriental woman; "…and amusing ourselves with stories…"
"We are all reflections and refractions of each other," Amber murmurs as she slides against Ram's side. "Everything is mirrored in everything else – it is surely obvious that…"
"Indeed," Rupert interrupts, nodding as he slips the imaginary mirror into his jacket. "But I wish to discuss something else entirely – hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak…" He winks at the shaman prince and flips a cigarette into Ram's hand. "Please use this," he insists. "I can't handle rollies with hash any more; it's a taste I've unacquired. Don't look at me like that," he frowned. "At least I didn't say a 'horse's ass'."
"More of a cross betwixt horse and donkey, I suppose" Ram'yana mutters as he crumbles the hashish into his palm. "A mule, if you prefer." Rupert's eyebrows rise with the corners of his moustache. "A fertile hybrid, from what I hear," he observes while the shaman stares into Amber's eyes. "How many sprogs hast thou sired to date – or does the easygoing Lord's Deathwatch have no idea?" Ram turns to face his insouciant smile with a carefully neutral expression.
"Never mind," Rupert laughs, flinging a packet of king-sized papers into the shaman's lap with a flip of his wrist. "I shan't compound thy embarrassment in front of thy lady – back to my query, dearie, before it sails right out of my mind. Ye reckon that the quantum foam – you know, the infinite sea of possibility – is continually twisting between different time streams and universes, and these 'vorticles' of yours only manifest here at certain stages in their multidimensional rotation?"
"Aye," the shaman nods. "And when they're arranged in certain configurations – internally symmetrical Pythagorean solids, for instance…"
"…they manifest as what we laughably refer to as atoms, yes, yes, I'm aware of that; parts of thy 'vorticle' theory have been expressed in similar ways by others over the last century, as I'm sure thou art aware - but does that not imply that gateways to other dimensions and alternate realities exist everywhere?" Rupert fingers his moustache. "Canst the connexions be tweaked, dost thou think? Can we focus the innate proclivity of the energy field to take us to other places – other timespaces?"
"Aye," Ram repeats. "The theory is partly designed to explain my ongoing observations of such transmigrations – and of our continual unaware participation in them; we shift universes all the time without noticing. Focus, concentration and tuning can deliver specific results; but an individual's transition to a parallel material plane more commonly occurs only in moments of extremis, or at specific locations in timespace. Focus – and a new locus - can also be achieved by creating a tuneable lens, of course…"
"Like a Tardis," Rupert nods, "or a flying saucer-shaped lens - or a correctly charged and aligned magic circle or sacred site. People have been known to do extraordinary things in unplanned moments of death-defying ingenuity - but do ye claim that we can make the transit voluntarily?"
The shapes and images that Rupert describes flit through Ram's mind as the earl speaks their names amidst an abounding field of synchronies. The tripping shaman watches the world in his peripheral vision and listens to the responses of universal consciousness, manifesting as interpretable words and interpenetrating sounds in reaction to their conversation. The thought-forms evoked by the earl's magically mundane syllables circle the stoned gathering and alter the course of the orator's spiel. "Let the rich bastards have their bases on other planets," the dreadlocked preacher declaims. "Let them all piss off and leave Jah's good green Earth to the sons and daughters of men and women…"
"Gaia's Earth, you mean," yells the same woman who'd earlier cried out an objection. "Ah, the Great Mother Gaia - the first of the titans," the performer declares with another sweeping bow. "And you know how the gods conquered their titanic rivals and left them to rule over the planes of limbo …"
"Remember the fifth state of matter," the shaman states as catcalls deride the speaker's summation. "You can't see the sap for the trees!" a heckler cries. Rupert laughs. "As in earth, water, fire, air - and spit?" he enquires. "Or is life the fifth element?"
"Aye," Ram'yana agrees. "And the lens," he declares as his fingers squeeze hash and tobacco together. "The all pervasive consciousness that brings the rest into focus; and in the fifth energy state all particles achieve simultaneous resonant coherence…"
"Ah!" Rupert claps his hands. "Of course – we return to the infamous Bose-Einstein condensate – and to lasers and masers! But can a living being achieve such a coherent state voluntarily?"
"Voluntarily?" the shaman echoes. "Aye," he replies, "Everything is alive, and we transmigrate all the time; almost every single night we transform our location in timespace and emerge into a completely different continuum. Whenever we pass beyond delta-wave deep sleep - when all thought stops and we drift to the centre of the cyclone – we merge and emerge into a different universe."
Ram'yana marvels at the way the words trip from his tongue, fully formed and readily present with a will seemingly all their own; he wonders whether the pellucidly lucid stream flows from a deeper source than the mere mental parroting of his old ingrained ideas – from some prepossessing spirit or an enlargened version of himself, who communicates with the land of the living through the conduit of his blown-open being. Rupert's brows knit together as he squints at the shaman and purses his lips; the astrological symbol of the constellation Virgo is clearly inscribed on the man's forehead, writ in the transient conformation of his wrinkles.
"Whenever we arrive in a new world the differences are usually so minor we relegate them to the backburner of our minds, if we notice them at all…" Ram continues; "…and we promptly forget any inconsistencies as we integrate with our familiar new surrounds. Can we have any real idea of how many universes there are in an infinite multiverse, or how many infinitely minor shadings of difference there can be?" He pulls another paper from the packet and quickly continues, to keep up with the chain of interlinked thoughts that rapidly unreels from the capstan of his memories – or from another source entirely.
"Usually the differences we awaken to are so minor we barely notice them at all – the pattern of a lawn, the placement of a single tree in a forest, a misplaced boulder on a sandy beach... or an altered phrase in a well-read book. Most people don't concentrate on the world around them enough to consciously notice the changes; being here now in the realm of the senses is a very rare experience for most domesticated primates. It takes a great deal of focused concentration - or a spontaneously desperate act of will - to bring about larger changes; ones you can't fail to notice or easily dismiss."
"Naturally," the earl agrees. "Traditionally, it takes the sort of hyper-aware desperation produced by near-death trauma," Rupert muses as he retrieves the packet of papers from the shaman's knee. "But I was thinking of something else… a way of focusing the matrix to bring about specific changes…"
"Images are stored in the substance of the world by intently focused will or strongly held emotion," the prince reminds his interlocutor. "And any supremely intense act or feeling will fix more than mere visions in the dreaming mind of the multiverse." He continues to mull hash into the dry shards of cigarette tobacco. "An orgasm will transform the universe just as surely as less pleasant but equally impassioned intensities. The key - or the doorway - ye so obviously seek is probably best fulfilled by Tantra."
He strokes his beard into a sharp point and the heat blazing from Amber's body rivals that of the leaping flames when he meets the earl's watery blue stare. "In any case, we always carry the weather with us," he declares to the older man. "This is the best of all possible worlds, after all – otherwise we'd be having this conversation somewhere else right now, wouldn't we?"
"I see where you're coming from," the ginger-aired noble nods with amiable enthusiasm. He fixes the prince with a steely eye. "But where art ye going when the shit hits the fan, eh? Dost thou want to be here now when the Trump of Doom splits air and earth with its booming tune?" His eyes flicker between the mage's dilated gaze and Amber's sultry glare as he revels in his rhyme. "Wilt thou both mate and fly, a metamorphosis of angels making love in the cyclone's great unblinking eye?"
The shaman's fingers entwine with Amber's atop the flaming pit of her lap and he passes an elongated and perfectly formed joint to the earl. "The fat lady is still only clearing her throat," he declares, "and the result of the race is hardly a foregone conclusion."
"This species is incapable of evolving," Rupert demurs as he twists the white cylinder between thumb and forefinger. "They stopped doing that when they started wearing clothes and counting their babies' fingers..." He gestures toward the moonlit rural scenery that has so recently replaced a once-mighty primordial Eden; "…and burning down the trees that gave them life. How canst thou save the world when so much of it is surely lost already – or is it possible to bring about global resurrection, or even bypass the coming cataclysms entirely?"
Ram'yana peers over the glowing sheen of Amber's jet black hair as she smiles into the fire. He holds the other man's stare through the rolling waves of their concordantly hallucinating awarenesses. "The best way to avoid such painful junctures is to concentrate on something else entirely – a far more pleasant and wonderful future - and give the spinning world another vector to turn toward. The Sun's course isn't fixed, but malleable; Sol surfs the tides of the luminiferous aether, and the state of the swell can alter the artistically chosen path of the shepherd - and his devoted flock of planets." The tripping hippy surprises himself with the vigour of his spontaneously erupting rebuttal. "And the aether is mindstuff itself! Surely ye recall - it was demonstrated back in the '80s that focusing a tiny fraction of collective human consciousness can alter the frequency of sunspots…"
"Aye," Rupert agrees, "There was that group that meditated on peace and the heart chakra and the Sun all at once, who got together every month, all over the world. What were they called again? 'Group 13' or 'Club 31' or something? But no-one's doing it any more, are they? We're all on a slippery slope toward cataclysm – and arma getting' outta here!"
Ram'yana swallows to moisten the crackling husk of his throat before the stream of words erupts from his mouth anew; "The time of changes may well be near, but cataclysms are powered by fear; alternative paths await those who steer brave vessels toward safe seas more clear – the blessed haven that's held most dear in the hearts of all who sail there from here." Ram's palm presses against his breastbone as Amber's eyes widen in the firelight as he pauses for breath. "The wheel must be turned 'fore the bend is approached, not after the future's already been broached." He gasps; the little ditty had come from nowhere and beyond, and its meaning departed the tripping hippy's mind almost as quickly as he uttered it. "Never mind…" he mumbles as he licks the next cigarette paper.
"Neverland?" Rupert says from the smouldering base of a rising cloud of smoke. "So we all partake of this cosmic mirror-maze of self absorbed narcissism - compounded by a Peter Pan complex, eh?" Amber pulls her knees up to her chin and turns to regard the grinning earl with a faintly disdainful expression. "Dreaming of Neverland is preferable to megalomania compounded by overcompensation," the feline woman purrs; her broad smile doesn't extend to her extraordinary orange irises. "I was wondering," Rupert muses as he tears his eyes away from hers; "How cam'st thee by this little theory? I haven't seen its specific ilk in any of the science fiction I've read, and the idea of these multiversal gearbox connexions seems to join the dots between various current theories… although the notion that particles are vortexes instead of spheres certainly isn't new; it goes way back, at least to the time of ancient Greece…"
"Way beyond," the prince agrees, "It lies in the dimensional foundations of Creation itself. A vortex is the geometric reciprocal of a sphere, after all; they're really both aspects of the same crossing waveforms. I started drawing the pictures and writing the ideas down in 2000," he muses, "just after my youngest was born; just after most of my shattered teeth were dug out of my face in a particularly excruciating visit to the dentist… but I first began to notice that the universe was malleable - or permeable - when I was twelve."
Rupert's guffaws threaten to drown the words of the entertaining performer as his soliloquy extends to fill the intermission between acts. "So there were twelve of you, eh? I guess that makes you a schizophrenic, too. No, really," he reassures the frowning woman at Ram's side, "I want to hear all about it; please go on. It looks like we have plenty of timespace to fill before the next band begins – and I want to see if you can actually maintain such a complexly woven thread while you're tripping!"
"It isn't complex at all," Ram'yana avers. "It's simplexity itself. The first time I really noticed what was going on was when I first visited zany old Doctor Hoffmann…"
A True Story
- R.Ayana
From Psychedelic Water 16 at
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This was posted by my friend and fellow actor Eliza Shin on her own blog recently in response to the casting controversy over at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) due to their, ahem, modest use of Asian actors in their production of the Chinese play The Orphan of Zhao. Apparently, the RSC has cast only three out of 17 parts with actors of East Asian heritage, and those have gone to characters including two dogs and a maid. Just like the situation with The Nightingale over at La Jolla Playhouse, the news has gone viral, covered in various places such as Angry Asian Man. What is it about Asians (and Asian culture) that non-Asian folks in the arts and entertainment world seem to believe that this level of appropriation and exclusion should be acceptable in this day and age?
Anyway, onto Eliza's post. Thanks for giving us all a shout out.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Another Face of Love: A Case for My Asian Brothers in Theater
There is a habit being perpetuated in theater around the world. Asian males are not being allowed to play Asian male Leads. Sometimes they get to play donkeys or dogs. Often times, they are a side character: grocer, editor, doctor, etc. But when the Lead calls for an Asian male, my Asian brothers are not being cast.
The tragedy in this race-bending casting is not readily seen by the wider world. The illustrious Royal Shakespeare Company and the La Jolla Playhouse are as blind to their racism as are many non-Equity Chicago theaters. I have spoken and written about this topic in reference to Lifeline Theatre's upcoming production of "Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China that Never Was" by Barry Hughart. My words have not always been pleasant, but I ask for leeway since there is pain on all sides. Here I wish to share my vision and the reasoning behind my words, posts, outrage and tears.
The Lead in "Bridge of Birds" is Chinese scholar Master Li Kao who unfailingly introduces himself as a man with "a slight flaw in my character." For almost 300 pages, the humble Master Li and his side-kick Number Ten Ox traipse through China in hopes of finding the Great Root of Power. The children of the village have fallen comatose, and the Root is their only cure. From page to page, Master Li's ingenuity, humor and lucidity pull them through predicament after predicament.
Toward the beginning of the book, they cross paths with Miser Shen, one of the greediest men alive. He has spent his life foreclosing peasants and squeezing money from the poorest of the poor. However, along the way, Miser Shen has a conversion experience, sees the error of his ways and joins forces with Master Li and Number Ten Ox. Unfortunately, one of their adventures proves deadly, and Miser Shen is fatally wounded. On his deathbed, Master Li reassures the dying man that the Yama Kings will surely reincarnate him as a tree and "... for miles around the poor peasants will know you as Old Generosity."
The Hero of a play is the person with the greatest heart. Consequently, it is there that the audience rests their hearts. For an actor, how thrilling it is to embody the vessel of integrity and bravura! It is the chance to display and amplify their nobility, no matter the banalities of their "real life." Playing the Lead calls upon the best in an actor, and for two hours (or so) a night, that actor gets to distill themselves into their brightest essence.
The Lead, however, is also of paramount importance to the audience. Played appropriately, we grow to trust them. Our emotions follow them. As the action builds, we look to the Lead to shepherd us through this ritual of theater. We, the audience, get to fall in love anew.
When Master Li assures the dying Miser Shen of his arboreal legacy, the audience is reminded of the refreshment in forgiveness. As Master Li designs a flying bamboo basket, we get to float aloft on the currents of ingenuity. We live through the Lead. We feel relief through the Lead. An audience of strangers binds their hearts together through the Lead.
The beauty of theater is its ability to enchant disparate audiences through Leads of varying facades. "Jitney" at Court Theatre is an example. I'm not African-American. I'm not from Philadelphia. I have no experience in driving a cab. Yet I loved them all for the span of the play.
I wish so passionately for my Asian brothers to be able to play the Lead because they deserve to have audiences love them, too. They are worthy of the opportunity to display high-minded versions of themselves. Also, we, the general public, subconsciously thirst for the chance to surrender and be lead by one of them. How do I know this? Because we all want to know the many faces of love.


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Asian countries where the women want white husbands
White males who are reasonably well off and in decent health, with either a good job or plenty of money in savings for retirement are considered a prize "catch" by many single women in poorer countries.
It does not really matter what you look like, only that you are readily able to care for a wife, perhaps also for her children from a previous marriage, certainly for her parents, and perhaps for some members of an extended family.
You are the lucky prize as long as you can afford to be it.
Middle-aged white guys who visit these countries find themselves getting much more attention than they normally receive in their home countries and will find beautiful younger women showing plenty of attraction towards them. The main reason for such attraction is the lure of having a better life with financial security.
This is also where we need to introduce a serious word of caution. Most of the countries that are popular sex tourist destinations are also the places where white guys are most desired. Unfortunately, this means that if a guy is looking for more than just sex, he may run into the many scams that plague guys searching for a good woman to marry or looking for a long-term relationship.
This article focuses more on finding a long-term relationship and/or marriage, instead of just the sex trade, although the two somewhat go together if you are a middle age white male looking for the female company of a beautiful younger woman.
If you plan to look for a life-partner, it is best to get away from the popular tourist areas, live for awhile in the country where you find attractive candidates, and get to know the local customs as well as some of the language. It is a mistake to go to a foreign country with the expectation of returning with the perfect soul mate in one week, even if you have months of email correspondence and video chats prior to coming to the country.
Scammers know very well how to play on men's emotions and teach the women that they represent the evil ways of luring men in so that the men spend lots of money using "translation" services and then pay a fee for an arranged visit to find a bride. Many men have spent a fortune using Internet-based marriage systems or websites and even have gone to visit the countries, only to return home alone, broke, and deeply hurt emotionally. Do yourself a favor and do not fall for the scams.
It is easy to find plenty of potential life partners without using such online scam services. However, you must plan to go visit the countries you fancy and stay there for an extended period to meet a nice woman in person. It is so easy to meet people.
To avoid bar girls and street prostitutes, meet the community elders, volunteer to help on community projects, and attend events in the community, at Buddhist temples, and churches. These are good places to socialize and to find a good wife. If you find someone attractive, first ask if they are married.
If they are not married, just ask them to show you around the local area. You will have a better time if you go to the areas where there are fewer tourists and there you will get lots of nice attention from the local women.
If you do plan to get married, it is a better idea to live in the country for a few years with your new wife rather than try to bring her back to your home country right away. The culture shock and homesickness is too much for many who get married and soon thereafter relocate.
Make trial visits together and go back and forth instead, between her country and your home country, for the best results.
Here are the fifteen countries where middle-aged white guys are very desirable and good bets to find a wife.
Besides being the number one sex tourist destination in the world, Thailand is a great place to find a lovely wife. The Thai people have a very laid back attitude about sex. Older men are considered highly desirable by the younger women.
A muscle-bound young guy will have less success with the Thai younger women than a middle-aged white guy with a big belly. They will think your beer belly is cute because you look more like the Buddha.
Thailand is almost exclusively a Buddhist country and that makes their general attitudes about life compassionate and tolerant of others. There are three official genders recognized by the Thai constitution, which includes male, female, and transgender.
Thailand has the famous "ladyboys" who look more beautiful that biologically born girls, so when visiting Thailand be aware that a pretty girl who catches your eye might have once been a boy.
Agencies such as Absolute Angels in Bangkok cater for all types of relationships from the holiday fling to the longterm commitment
All white guys get lots of attention from women in Thailand. In fact, you can hardly escape it if you walk through the red light district of Patpong in Bangkok or stroll around Phuket Beach. In Thailand, it is easy for you to be mobbed by gorgeous young women wanting to fulfill your wildest fantasies.
Maybe you will want to do your version of the movie Pretty Woman and take one of the cute ones away from the life of prostitution to take care of her. If you have enough money she will readily go along.
If that is not your cup of tea, then go up to Chang Mai and get away from the city life to find a beautiful Thai woman living in the countryside. If you see a woman that you like, simply say hello. That is all it takes to get a relationship started. Take it easy and have fun.
Take some time getting to know her, before asking a Thai woman to be your wife. To marry a decent Thai village woman you will have to pay a dowry to her parents of a few thousand U.S. dollars at a minimum. This is customary and expected.
Many expats live in Thailand because the living is so easy there when the guy has a beautiful Thai wife to keep him very happy.
Cambodia went through nine hells under the Pol Pot regime during the Khmer Rouge. During this time, millions were killed. This genocide sent the country back to the dark ages in terms of development.
Because of this devastation, it is still is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Cambodia is rebuilding itself. Cambodian women are genuinely interested in foreigners, especially white males because of the chance to have a better life with them as husbands.
Prostitution is common in Cambodia, especially in the capital of Phnom Penh. Cambodia also has a serious problem with pedophilia and human trafficking, which includes the sale of children.
The age of consent for consensual, non-paid sex in private is 16-years-old. It is common for a Cambodian woman to marry a foreign man that is around twenty years older than they are.
If you met a woman you find attractive first ask if she is married. Learn the phrase in Khmer, the Cambodian language, which is "tae anak riebkear haey ry now." Then learn how and when to say "I love you" in Khmer, which is "khnhom sralanh anak."
Do not say this phrase casually. It has a deep, serious meaning in Cambodia and is the equivalent of the western marriage proposal when you say this phrase. A "good" Cambodian woman will only be with a man and live with him if he marries her.
In order to slow down the marriages by western men of "child" brides, there are now requirements in Cambodia that a foreign man must follow, to legally marry a Cambodian woman in that country. He must be under 50 years old and have proof of monthly income exceeding US$2,500 per month. Here are the rules for U.S. Citizens.
If you are older than this, you can either have a "fake" wedding, which has no legal status, but is acceptable by the people or take your bride to another country such as Thailand, if she agrees, and marry her there.
If you plan to get married in Cambodia, which is very important for your bride, expect to pay for the traditional wedding ceremony and you will be requested to pay a "dowry" to the family as well as make a payment to the local village elders.
The amount can range from about US$1,000 for a village woman from a poor family up to US$20,000 for a refined, educated, young woman who speaks English well and comes from a wealthy family.
This is considered a respectful way to pay back the family for raising your bride and to give back something to the community.
You do not own your wife and this gift payment is not to buy her. You need to treat her with respect and kindness in order to have a happy marriage. You also need to make sure to send a monthly stipend of money to her family (usually US$100 to US$300 per month). If you treat your new wife well, she will be very dedicated to you as this is the traditional way in Cambodia.
Vietnam is making a strong comeback from the devastation it experienced during the Vietnam War. In the capital of Saigon, it is very much like Bangkok, Thailand. There is lots of prostitution. Just like in Cambodia, human trafficking is a huge problem.
Chinese men from remote areas pay up to US$3,200 to intermediaries to literally buy a bride and even a "child" bride around 14 years old and have her shipped to the man living in China. The woman or young girl is forced into marriage without ever meeting her husband in person except on the day they get married.
Asia has a history of arranged marriages and Vietnam is no exception. Vietnamese women, especially the poorest ones, go along with an arranged marriage if they think it will improve their lives. If they go along with the marriage voluntarily, the may actually see an improvement their lives and not have to work so hard just to survive.
However, some others who live near the border of Vietnam and China are drugged and kidnapped and then sold as brides against their will. It takes years for them to escape and some never do.
One other problem for white males is that some Vietnamese women have figured out how to use the divorce laws in other countries to their advantage. If a Vietnamese woman marries a foreigner in another country and the marriage is not registered in Vietnam, it has no legal effect in Vietnam.
If a foreign man pays a big price to get a Vietnamese bride and takes her to another country to get married, she can, after a short time, run back to Vietnam where the marriage has no meaning. She can repeat the process with a man from a different country.
Now that you are warned about the dangers, avoid the online marriage services as they are almost all scams.
The best bet to find a nice young woman to marry is to visit the country for an extended period. Get out of the city and visit the villages with a translator you trust. Go to a university and hire a student as your translator. Make sure the student is not associated with any marriage arranging service.
Be aware that to have a Vietnamese bride, the arrangement is made with her parents who will expect to be paid something. It is also better to have the marriage in Vietnam and you will pay for this also. Vietnamese women are very beautiful, dedicated, and loyal if you treat them kindly, so it is possible to find a very nice Vietnamese wife if you avoid the scams.
You will have a very pleasant time if you go to Bali to look for a wife. Bali, Indonesia is one of the nicest places in the world and the cost of living there is really low, which allows staying long enough to find an honest Indonesian woman who you want to marry. Guys from Australia frequently go to Bali to find a wife and many are successful in doing so and very happy.
The Indonesia culture is patriarchal and men are elevated in status over women. There is a marriage procreation guarantee under the Indonesian laws. If a wife cannot birth children he is allowed to easily divorce her or to take a second wife.
The Balinese want their daughters to get married as soon as possible in order to start a family and hopefully to have a son to carry on the family heritage. The Indonesian people are very accepting of large age differences between the bride and her husband as long as his financial condition is sound and he is able to take care of his bride.
Unlike a son, a daughter, when she gets married, no longer has the requirement to support her family. She joins the new family of her husband. This is a different sentiment that those found in other Asian countries where the daughter is still obligated to help care for her parents even if she gets married.
The Indonesian people are warm-hearted, friendly, and as a general rule, they like foreigners. To have the best luck in finding a good wife, look for a family that has many daughters and few or no sons. Befriend the parents of the young woman in such a family and they will probably be very happy for you to marry her to have one less daughter that they are responsible for.
Indonesia has a strange rule that two people getting married should be of the same religion. If you are not the same religion as your bride, one of you needs to convert to the other's religion, at least temporarily. Atheists and agnostics need to pretend to be affiliated with their bride's religion; otherwise, the government will not issue marriage documents.
Many western men, who visit Taiwan for the first time traveling alone, are shocked (hopefully pleasantly so) when beautiful girls knock on the hotel door in the evenings to officially offer their services as a government-licensed massage therapist and prostitute. They even have identification cards, which they happily show to prove this to foreigners.
Taiwan is another male-dominated society and women are, in general, very subservient to men. It is considered perfectly normal under the Taiwanese culture for married men to enjoy prostitutes as long as they take good financial care of their wives and provide enough money for their children.
Men typically go out at night with their other male friends for "business" dinners where the company pays the tab. They enjoy a night of getting drunk and carousing with women and return home with no recrimination from their wives for being out late or coming home drunk.
This subservient nature is not 100% uniform and there are some more modern style Taiwanese women. However, for the most part, the male dominance in this culture is what attracts foreign men to come to Taiwan to look for a bride.
If you are not stuck on having only a young woman as a bride and expand your search to include older women, you will find many nice women who are interested in having a foreign man as a husband. You can enjoy dating many of them to help make a good choice.
China is a country of many contradictions. There is an average of 118 men for every 100 women. This came about because of the "one-child" policy that was enforced by the Chinese government.
One very unfortunate and horrible thing about this policy is that it caused parents to kill their female offspring; either as abortions or right after the girl babies were born. Estimates are that up to five million Chinese baby girls were killed during the time that the one-child policy was enforced.
This off-balance ratio of more Chinese men than women makes it difficult for the Chinese men to all find brides. In spite of this, foreign men still have a tremendous advantage. Chinese women see foreign men as a treasure and also appreciate their generous endowment in the private area compared to the size of an average Chinese male. Foreign men will be approached by many young women if they simply visit China.
It may be difficult to get married, once you realize how many beautiful women are available for foreign men. Even fivestar hotels sometimes contain a brothel on the premises as part of the services offered to male guests. This is something that shocks foreign males who never before saw such openness about the sex trade. Nevertheless, it is very easy to get used to this and "feel like a king."
These excellent, readily available sex services from beautiful young women make it more difficult to choose a certain woman to settle down with and marry. However, if you are able to find a Chinese wife of the traditional style, she will not have any problem with your continuing to visit prostitutes for a boy's night out on the town, even after you are married.
Over 89% of the marriage visas for those entering the United States from Japan are issued to females. Japanese women like to marry Americans and Americans love Japanese women. They make a terrific wife and they rarely get fat as they get older.
They also have a very cute youthful appearance that lasts until middle age. To most Western men's eyes, a Japanese woman looks ten to twenty years younger than her actual age. She may be 35 and look 18.
The population in Japan is getting older and the younger Japanese men are choosing not to get married because they cannot afford to take care of a wife and family. White guys from other countries who marry a Japanese woman can find a very pleasant lifestyle living in Japan.
Japanese women are very sophisticated about international things and easily adapt to living in another country. They are, in general, very intelligent. Many speak English extremely well.
If a Japanese woman marries a foreigner there is still a bit of prejudice against this from the older Japanese people, so it may be easier for her to live with you in your home country to avoid this noticeable bigotry she will experience in Japan.
A woman from an elite, wealthy Japanese family would bring shame to her family if she married a foreigner, so look for a working class woman as your best option when dating with the intent to find a Japanese wife.
If you want a beautiful "porcelain-like doll" for a wife, a Japanese woman is a perfect answer. She will be fiercely loyal and at the same time allow you plenty of freedom to do as you want as long as there is enough money for a nice house and to take care of the kids.
Lots of G.I. men who were stationed in Okinawa (an island near Tokyo) on the U.S. military base there found wonderful wives when marrying a Japanese woman.
The Philippines, like Thailand, is a major sex tourist destination. A female prostitute costs only about US$20 for the entire night. There are many clubs in Manila where you can visit, have a drink, and see a bevy of beautiful girls, all with numbers on their lapel.
You simply tell the bartender which number girl you like, pay the exit fee for her to go with you and take as many with you as you want.
You cannot necessarily take girls back to your five-star luxury hotel because they frown on tourists bringing prostitutes to their fancy hotel rooms; however, there are plenty of "love hotels" that can be booked for a few hours of play or for an all-night orgy if that is your desire.
When if comes to finding a woman to marry, it is best to get out of Manila. Take an extended tour of the country, visit the surrounding islands, get to know the locals, and you will be swarmed with interest from attractive females. Filipina women are extremely attracted to white guys and the women are very friendly.
Finding a Filipina woman who is young, beautiful, and interested in marriage is not really very difficult. There is no
need to use any marriage agencies. The local term for a person from the Philippines is "Pinay." Just make up your mind to find a beautiful Pinay wife, start chatting with many candidates through the online dating services, and spend enough time in the country getting to know the woman that might be a good choice.
Meet her family, have dinner with them in their home, and see what quality of a person she really is before you ask her for her hand in marriage. In this way, you cannot lose.


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Not only are knives and pocket-knives and multi-tools, but they also manufacture survival and outdoor equipment, such as the Fire Starter or the Gorge Gerber folding shovel.
Founded in 1939, Gerber is an American company dedicated to the manufacture of knives, multi-tools and survival equipment. Either to save time, save the day or a life, Gerber knives and pocket-knives and multi-tools have served for over 75 years.
Gerber has served the US military with more than 300.000 knives and has earned the respect and confidence of the entire country. With such experience, they have produced knives and pocket-knives for civilians, such as the Gerber Bear Grylls Scout or the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro or the multi-tool Gerber Dime.


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Peso neto (kg): 2
Download the CAD (2D, 3D) files of this product in different formats. | ⚠ Caution: CAD files should not be used for computer-controlled (CNC) cutting of countertops or similar and are for space-planning & room rendering purposes only. Upon request cut-out templates are available from LAUFEN. All drawings contain the necessary measurements (mm) which are subject to standard tolerances. Exact measurements, in particular for customized installation scenarios, can only be taken from the finished product.
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For weightless elegance in the bathroom LAUFEN offers its new furniture collection Boutique. Clear cubes and a sophisticated design language with tapered edges offer a perfectly shaped storage space to the bathroom, blending harmoniously with the subtle forms of SaphirKeramik washbasins. At the same time, user friendliness is not compromised. Intelligent and unobtrusive solutions such as push and-pull drawers that gently and quietly open and close with just light finger pressure, allow a simple, even playful experience.


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Leadership Studies Ed.D. Dissertations
A Phenomenological Study of the Nurse Leader: Before, During, and After Merger
Date of Award
Document Type
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Mark Earley, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Penny Soboleski, Ed.D. (Committee Member)
Third Advisor
Patrick Pauken, J.D., Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Fourth Advisor
Joyce Litten, Ed.D. (Committee Chair)
Fifth Advisor
Deborah Vargo, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was: (a) to understand nurse leaders' lived experience before, during and after a merger; (b) to explore and gain insight and understanding into the experiences of nurse leaders who have led, managed, and guided others through a merger in healthcare; and (c) to appreciate the attributes of the merger experience that led to meaning-making for the nurse leaders. Sixteen nurse leaders were interviewed two times as they all had experienced the merger phenomena. Study findings emerged using the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen (1978) phenomenological data analysis process in examining the participants' narrative transcripts. The descriptions of how I arrived at the significant statements, the formulated interpretive meaning statements, and the explanation of the analysis of textual theme clusters were provided. Data from this study generated an exhaustive description. The four structural descriptions or essential themes of masking, mirroring, mitigating and moving on, and; the universal essence of the phenomena was discovered and validated as accurate by the participants. The nurse leaders' lived experience of merger exposed not only the strong beating heart of nurse leadership, but its brain, muscle, and nerve endings: alert, throbbing, raw and exhausted. The study findings contributed to an understanding of how the narrative of the merger experience is laid down in the layers below our everyday awareness in which the self is always changing, always growing, and always discovering itself. This research raised further questions to be explored in understanding other factors nurse leaders experienced with organizational change through merger: loss of control; loss of identity, and resilience, and may provide ample background in which to approach additional qualitative research in the study of leadership. All of the nurse leaders in this study were female serving in the subordinate community hospital organization. Further research with a more diverse gender base may reveal interesting findings. The accumulated expertise and experience of this group of nurse leaders is untapped in terms of mobilizing organizational change in hospitals and healthcare delivery systems. Three policy issues were offered to assist with the achievement of healthcare organizational change through merger and acquisition: (a) improved communications, (b) appropriate learning and development, and (c) individual experiential change journeys. Changing an organization is fundamentally and undeniably an emotional human process.
Recommended Citation
Ball, Debra, "A Phenomenological Study of the Nurse Leader: Before, During, and After Merger" (2014). Leadership Studies Ed.D. Dissertations. 78.


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Being mid-January here in Michigan, snow and freezing cold temperatures are all around us. This doesn't stop dogs from needing to exercise and burn energy! There are also dogs who are built for the cold who may not even want to come inside.
We all know that their fur protects them from the cold, and there are plenty of sweaters and coats to help them as well. But what about their paws? Their paws are what touches the snow and ice that covers the ground. Humans also put out salt and other products that could hurt the pads on your dog's paws.
So what can we do to help our dogs enjoy winter? There are a few and very simple ways that we can do protect their paws against the harsh winter elements!
Some people may think they look silly, but I find them the best protection for your furry friend in the snow! They will prevent any ice and snow from gathering between their toes, and keep those melting products away. It may take your dog time to get used to them, so I would just slowly work your way to using them. Start the process in the summer/fall so that when winter comes around your dog will be comfortable wearing them! Start as slow as your dog needs, introducing them and giving rewards for each step of the process. I will have a page of references with a website that goes into detail how to help your dog get used to their new boots!
*Paw Balms/Petroleum Jelly-Based Products
These products help keep a protective layer over their feet to help keep a barrier between the paw pads and snow. They also help keep their paws nice and hydrated, as we all know dry skin is an issue in the winter! There are dog specific paw balms, which make sure the ingredients are safe for dogs and which is what I typically use. A few websites I found suggested petroleum jelly-based products like Vasoline but I personally have not tried that with my own dog.
*Keep a Towel Handy
When coming inside, make sure to wipe down their feet and their bodies to make sure they are nice and dry. Get in between their toes to make sure nothing is hiding in there. If salt or ice melting products are stuck in their toes it could cause irritations to happen. There are paw moisturizers that you can put on after they come inside as well to help with paw health and can be used year round!
*Keep Walks Short
I understand that some breeds out there like the husky, malamute, saint bernard etc do not want to be inside during this time. For other dogs, keep your walks short. There may also be indoor agility courses you can take your dog to to help burn out some energy! If your dog seems to be getting restless, I would recommend getting a couple interactive toys that are like puzzles to help them keep busy while the days are shorter and they may not be able to get outside like they can during the warmer months.
I hope this article helps those in colder climates help care for their dogs better while we still get through these next few months! Stay warm!
Check out my Pinterest for More Posts!
Klein, J., & CVO. (2021, February 18). Protect your dog's paws from snow, ice, salt – American Kennel Club. American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/vets-corner/protect-dogs-paws-snow-ice-salt/
Protect Your Dog's Paws in Winter Weather. (n.d.). Animalhumanesociety.org. https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/news/protect-your-dogs-paws-winter-weather#:~:text=If%20boots%20don't%20feel,keeps%20their%20paw%20pads%20hydrated


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Bottles and Extras, Vol. 16, Issue 2 (Spring 2005), pp. 40-44
NOTE : this edition of Random Shots was expanded for a more complete tribute to Barbara Edmonson's life and work. The online version also contains hyperlinks to relevant pages here at www.pre-pro.com and elsewhere on the web.
|I still vividly recall finding my first pre-pro shot glass. It was delicate and pristine and the label intricate, with a monogram, grain stalks and the distillers name Detrick emblazoned across the face. I now know Detrick glasses to be very common and thats taken away much of the pride in what would otherwise be considered a prized find. But my first acquisition did set me wondering about who made pre-pro glasses and why. Back in the days before the term research became equated with typing a phrase into a Google search box, finding answers to such questions was difficult. I spent much time in libraries and in conversation with dealers at bottle shows, all to no avail. Ultimately, it was Vic Kroll, a dealer in brewerania, who provided an answer by kindly sending me a flyer advertising a new book and price guide entitled Historic Shot Glasses: The Pre-Prohibition Era, written by Barbara Edmonson. [Figure 1]
Its difficult to adequately express in words the impact that this guide and its successor had -- and continues to have -- on those of us who collect old shot glasses. As a friend recently wrote me, did she know how many people hung/hang on her every word? Sadly, Barbara Edmonson died in November last year, shortly after reaching her 92nd birthday and after a lifetime of career and personal achievements. Those of us who appreciate old glasses lost a great friend. Id like to use this edition of Random Shots to celebrate her accomplishments and legacy.
Figure 1
Barbara Edmonson was born Barbara Ann Turner on October 15, 1912 in Kansas
City, Missouri. She was the eldest of three children. Prohibition was enacted
when she was seven but even so, she recalled frequent lunchtime visits to
speak-easies with her father while her mother was back home brewing beer in the
kitchen! I was also amazed to learn that as a teenager, Barb became one of the
regions first female pilots. After graduating high school, she moved on to
college, but quickly tired of it and returned home. She then joined her father
at his sporting goods store in the city, working as a traveling sales rep.
When the US was dragged into the Second World War, Barb joined the Foreign
Economic Administration and was sent to Turkey. The FEA was a government body
established in 1943 to oversee wartime imports/exports, foreign aid, and various
other activities such as economic warfare. When her service with the FEA was
over, Barb returned home and found herself a position working with young
children. She became interested in child psychology as a result and then began
a long period of academic training, securing first a B.A., then an M.A., and
finally a Ph.D. She also married Milton B. Edmonson during this time (1951),
though the couple divorced 12 years later.
Barbs fascination for shot glasses surfaced while living in Columbus, Ohio. After gaining her Ph.D., she joined the faculty of Ohio State University as an Associate Professor teaching Psychology. In her free time, she would scour flea markets for interesting collectibles that she would then resell at antique shows. Paul Van Vactor remembers first meeting her when setting up a table next to hers at a show in Ann Arbor, Michigan, sometime in the late 60s or early 70s. She had a special affection for pre-prohibition glasses, partly because of the quaint names of the brands that they advertised and perhaps also because they reminded her of her childhood years in Missouri.
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There may be some things you do not understand about business banking. For example, a lot of businesses start out thinking they can just run their personal and business transactions through the same accounts. It often works well and is easier for small businesses just beginning. However, they soon realize that they need a business banking account, for several reasons.
3 Reasons Why Having a Business Banking Account Is Non-Negotiable; And 4 Options to Kick Off Your Search for the Best One
What are these reasons? Why does it matter if your business has a separate account or not? Here are 3 reasons why you need a business banking account.
Learn more here and get started with building business credit with your company's EIN and not your SSN.
Reason 1 Why You Need a Business Banking Account: Separation
For many reasons, your business needs to be an entity all its own. The more it is separated from the personal finances of the owner, the better. The two main reasons this is necessary include:
Tax purposes
To file your business taxes, you are going to have to separate business and personal expenses. If you have a dedicated business banking account, this is immensely easier. Otherwise, you have to pull out the shoebox full of receipts, and that can get cumbersome. Sure, there are easier ways to do it than shoebox filing, but none of them are easier than simply keeping business expenses separated in their own account to begin with.
Business Credit
You also need your business and personal finances separated for business credit purposes. The more connected your business transactions are to you personally, the more likely they are to show up on your personal credit report rather than your business credit report.
Reason 2 Why You Need a Business Banking Account: Merchant Account
Okay, so having a business bank account aids in separating your business from yourself for business credit building, along with all the other factors mentioned above. While that is most definitely a big deal, it for sure isn't the only reason you need one. Here's another reason, and it's a biggie.
If you do not have a business bank account, you can't get a merchant account. Without a merchant account, you can't accept credit card payments. Studies show that customers spend more when they can use a credit card. This makes sense when you think about it, because online sales are made mostly by credit cards. Accepting credit card payments captures impulse sales as well.
When you look at it this way, not having a business banking account, and thus being able to take credit card payments, can severely impact sales in a negative way.
Reason 3 Why You Need a Business Banking Account: More Funding Options
The third reason you need a business bank account is that is opens the door to more funding options. First, it increases fundability. This alone increases the funding options available to you, indirectly. However, there are some lenders and credit card companies that require a business banking account specifically in their requirements for approval.
For example, if you are working toward building business credit, you are going to need to work with starter vendors. These are vendors that will offer net 30 terms on accounts without checking your credit. Then they will report those payments to the business credit reporting agencies. This is basically the cornerstone of how to get started with business credit, because you can get credit without already having credit.
However, since they aren't checking credit scores, they need to reduce risk in other ways. One of those ways for some is looking for a minimum average balance in a business bank account. If you do not have an account at all, it will be much harder to get this type of vendor credit.
Learn more here and get started with building business credit with your company's EIN and not your SSN.
Business Banking Account: A Word About Your Bank Score
You bank score is not the same thing as your credit score. It is basically a score assigned to you by your bank. It helps them determine if they should let you open an account. The sad fact is, if you are not able to open a personal account, the chances are high you will not be allowed to open a business bank account. One thing some banks do is check with agencies such as ChexSystems, Early Warning Systems, and Telecheck to see what your report from them says. As ChexSystems is the most common, let's take a closer look at them. The others work in a similar way.
Per the ChexSystems website, they are, "a nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). ChexSystems' clients regularly contribute information on closed checking and savings accounts."
In addition, they say, "ChexSystems provides services to financial institutions and other types of companies that have a permissible purpose under the FCRA. ChexSystems' services primarily assist its clients in assessing the risk of opening new accounts."
Details About ChexSystems
Other things noted about ChexSystems on their site include,
- "ChexSystems is not a collection agency.
- Also, "ChexSystems will never contact a consumer as part of an effort to collect a debt, and does not make unsolicited calls to consumers."
- And "ChexSystems will never require payment from a consumer in order to investigate the accuracy of consumer reporting information, nor will it ever require payment in order to remove inaccurate consumer reporting information."
More About ChexSystems
That still leaves a lot of unanswered questions. As mentioned above, some banks will use reports from them to help determine if they should let you open an account. On occasion, lenders will use them to help determine fundability as well. They report on insufficient funds, closed accounts, and overdrafts. If these things are present in large numbers, it could affect your ability to get a bank account. This would affect your fundability.
Most people don't even know that ChexSystems is a thing. That is of course, until they're turned down for a loan or cannot open an account. Find out what to do if this happens to you and get out of ChexSystems jail.
Learn more here and get started with building business credit with your company's EIN and not your SSN.
Business Banking Account: Best to Start from the Beginning
It stands to reason that it would be easier to open a business banking account from the very beginning. Still, most business owners do not know how important it is. It seems easier at the time to just use an already existing personal account. Then, before they know it, the need a business bank account becomes obvious. At that point, they have a lot of work to do to sort things out.
The hassle of separating business from personal transactions grows as your business does. You have to change any auto drafts. You need to make sure all information is updated with all vendors and on all documents. There are any number of things that have to be done to change over to a new bank account. Furthermore, if it is the middle of the year, you will have to do some major quilt work when it is time to do the taxes. Long story short, the sooner you open your business bank account, the better.
Business Banking Accounts: Best Options to Get Started
Not all business banking accounts are created equal. Some work better for new businesses than others. Also, some have better rewards and incentives than others. Here are a few to look at to get your started, but be sure to take a look around at all the different accounts available.
The Chase free business checking account has one of the lowest minimum balance requirements available at $1,500. Up to 100 transactions are free each month. In addition, you get unlimited electronic deposits for free. The minimum amount required to open the account is $25, but if you open it with less than the $1,500 minimum balance requirement you will have to pay the $15 monthly fee until you reach the minimum balance.
Bank of America
The minimum balance for the Bank of America free business checking account is a little higher at $3,000. You get up to 200 free transactions per month.
There is no minimum balance requirement for this free business checking account. The minimum initial deposit requirement for Axos is $1,000. Also, you get up to 200 transactions free per month. As an added bonus, there is unlimited ATM fee reimbursement.
This account operates online only. There are no branches to visit.
Another online only free business checking account, Azlo has no minimum opening deposit or minimum balance. There is no ATM fee at BBV or Allpoint ATMs. In addition, there are no paper statement, incoming wire, or stop payment fees.
UPDATE 03/18/2021: As of 3/31/21 Azlo is no longer in operation.
NorthOne offers a business deposit account with API connectivity to PayPal, Square, Quickbooks, and many other tools. It works best for small businesses, startups, and freelancers who need banking services like cash deposit and withdrawal with the convenience of a digital-first account.
The monthly fee is $10, and there is no transaction fee. Domestic wire transfers are $10, and international wire transfer fees are $25. There are no ATM fees, and they offer a much lower initial deposit than many at $50. There is no minimum balance requirement.
Having a Business Banking Account is More Important than You May Think
Most business owners do not realize just how important a business bank account is to their business. As you can see, however, it is very important indeed. By having this information upfront, you can be way ahead of the game. Whatever season your business is in, today is the day to open a business bank account. Whether you go with a bank you already have a relationship with, or one of the options above, it's important to take this step now, rather than later.


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Thursday, December 26, 2013
A Christmas treasure...
My family and I went for a hike along the Sandy River to get some fresh air on Christmas. I have been so cooped up lately that I couldn't handle it anymore. It was sunny and beautiful on Christmas Day but by the time we got to the river in the very late afternoon the sun was no longer hitting our side of the river. Nalah was leading our hike through the woods full charge and the other older kids were hesitant at first but had a fun time building forts and throwing rocks into the river. The kids stayed behind with their Papa and Uncle, and I walked up ahead to check out the rocks along the shore. I noticed my footprints were the only ones along on the beach that day and lucky for me there was a giant red agate just sitting there on the beach. My Christmas treasure!
Posted by Heidi at 9:16 PM 2 comments
Labels: agate, christmas, rockhunting
Monday, December 23, 2013
Holiday market in the woods.....
(photos from Christmas in the Garden at the Oregon Garden)
Wishing you all love and light this holiday season!
Posted by Heidi at 8:48 PM 2 comments
Friday, December 20, 2013
This Moment...
Look who I busted putting on mascara in the bathroom?
(Sigh)...they grow up fast ;)
Join along with Soulemama to share your moment this week.
Posted by Heidi at 10:30 AM 1 comments
Monday, December 16, 2013
Frozen Beauties...
Nalah and I took a chilly walk one morning to take pictures of our unusually cold weather last week. There is something so beautiful about frozen roses. We never had them in Wisconsin, by the time the frost came the roses were long gone but here in Oregon they hold on all winter, it is amazing. When moved here in January of 2003 I remember being amazed that there were still roses...and a homeless peacock living on our roof, but that is a different story.
Posted by Heidi at 8:11 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Great Christmas Tree Hunt...........
Posted by Heidi at 6:25 PM 0 comments
Labels: christmas, Christmas tree farm, family, tree hunting farm
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Outreach Ministries
Salvation Army - Sally's Kitchen
The Salvation Army has a food site where anyone may come and receive a free noon meal Monday – Friday at the Salvation Army facility - Sally's Kitchen. The meals are bought, prepared and served by volunteers. St. Peter members provide a meal on the second Tuesday of each month. This ministry has been happening for over 15 years. Usually, a few volunteers arrive around 9:30 a.m. to prepare and cook the food that is being served. Others arrive by 11:15 a.m. so they are ready to help serve the meal which is offered from 11:30 a.m- 12:45 p.m. Generally between 6 – 8 volunteers are needed each time.
The funds needed for this ministry are raised in several ways including a line item in the annual St. Peter budget. Sometimes events at St. Peter, such as Chili/Soup activity, are held and donations received which support the project. Some members also donate regularly to this ministry. An Outreach Committee member is responsible for ordering the supplies needed to make the meals each month.
Charitable Union
The Charitable Union provides many items for families but the main item is shoes and clothing. St. Peter members volunteer at the Union site on the 1st Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. – noon. The main task assigned is to sort and hang up clothing that has been donated. Donations of funds and/or clothes is welcome at any time during the year.
CROP Hunger Walk
This is organized as a community wide event by a small group of people in the community, and member Linn Kracht has been on this community committee. The event's purpose is to raising funds for Church World Service (CWS) hunger projects around the world and also food projects in Battle Creek. CWS receives 75% of the money raised and the local food agencies receive the other 25%. The event has a long and short walk course and is held the last Sunday in September, generally at 3p.m. Most of those who participate are members of many of the local faith communities. The way it works is that participants receive a pledge form. Then they ask people if they will pledge an amount. This event has been held over 35 years and has raised well over 1 million dollars. Members are encouraged to take a pledge form and/or pledge a monetary donation to a member that is walking.
Neighborhood Food Pantry
There are 6 food pantries, set up geographically, that service all of Battle Creek. St. Peter, along with several other faith communities, is assigned to the one located at Lakeview Baptist Church. The food pantry distributes food to needy families including non-perishables, bread, fruit, meat, and etc. Families are allowed to receive food one time per month. It is open M, W, & F from 9:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Click here to visit our Food Pantry page
Each month at St. Peter there is a specific item identified that St. Peter members are to bring. All items brought, then are taken to the food pantry and used in the distribution. Each food pantry, also receives food from other sources, such as the Food Bank of South Central Michigan, and have several funding sources. Donations from individuals are always welcome.
St. Peter members, generally 6-10 at a time, work at the Lakeview Food Pantry several times during the year, but it is not a set date each month. Tasks include registering the recipients, stocking the shelves, filling the bags that are given out, and etc.
Kambly Living Center
Kambly is a residential adult home for the disabled. St. Peter members have traditionally visited the site a couple of times during the year and assisted residents as they participate in leisure activities. Most visits in recent years have been on Sunday afternoons for 1 hour. Members are simply asked to come and help the resident participate in the planned activities for that day.
St. Thomas Episcopal Summer Breakfast Program
St. Thomas serves a breakfast in the summer (date it starts each summer may vary) every M-F from 8:30 a.m.- 10 a.m. St. Peter members have volunteered for one full week during the summer. St. Peter members help in a variety of tasks, including food preparation, cooking, serving the meal, setting up, cleaning up and dishwashing; all the tasks we each perform when providing a meal at our own home.
ELCA God's Work, Our Hands
Our national church, ELCA, initiated this service day a few years ago. It is generally held annually on the second Sunday of September. The idea is for all the ELCA churches in the U.S. to plan and conduct some type of outreach/service project on the designated day, with the local congregation determining the outreach/service project. St. Peter participates in this ministry day and we generally have more than one project available for the members to volunteer. This volunteer opportunity usually is occurs on a designated Sunday afternoon for about a 2 hour period.
ELCA World Hunger
This is the major program through the ELCA, our national church body, that raises funds to support projects around the world that are striving to end hunger. St. Peter helps support this ministry by offering ELCA World Hunger envelopes in the pew racks which members may use to donate money. The Outreach Committee also seeks to plan at least one activity during the year that is focused on raising funds for ELCA World Hunger. This year's activity is planned for Sunday, October 23, 2016.
Thanksgiving Baskets and Christmas Family projects
This project involves helping a number of families in need each year during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The Outreach Committee chooses the number of families to be adopted and request names of these families from the non-profit Santa's Helper organzation. For Thanksgiving, St. Peter provides the food to make a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal. Members' responsibility with this project is basically to help the Outreach committee by purchasing the food and bringing to church or donating money for food purchasing. Usually, the baskets are picked up or delivered to the families the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
The same families are then adopted for Christmas, with St. Peter members providing food and gifts for each family member. The Saturday before Christmas is often designated as the day for the families to come and pick up their food and gifts. The Outreach Committee welcomes assistance from members of the congregation with any task associated with this project.
Stamp Ministry
St. Peter members participate in the Alliance Stamp Ministry, a global ministry where used postage stamps are collected, sold to stamp distributors who in turn sell the stamps to stamp collectors. The funds generated from this process are used to support the work of missions and are presently being used to support the mission of a publishing house in Argentina that writes and publishes Sunday School materials in Spanish. Anyone interested in supporting this ministry by donating their used stamps simply need to cut their used stamps with a 1/4 inch to 1/3 inch border and drop them in the collection box located in the St. Peter narthex. Below is an example of a stamp trimmed with a 1/4 inch border.
Below is an image of our first package of cancelled stamps sent to the Stamp Ministry.
December 11, 2023


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Querizon is a company founded with a lot of will and love, with a clear vision of the future, fully comitted to serve its customers, without allowing any doubt regarding our services, our clients will be served with great attention and will receive close to perfect services.
Our team consists of young people with lots of experience in the field of communication technology acquired in Europe and North America.
We believe that here in Canada, we can use our exprerience and views on the possibility that all our services and views on the possibility that all our services are up to the services offered in Europe. Our proposals for Internet access without any restriction of bandwidth, because it is the only way you can be free ! You don't need to think about the bandwidth and ending paying more for something already paid , which unfortunately happens every day.We modified the model of communication services in Canada and show consumers that if is possible to have high speed unlimite bandwidth for cheap !
It is certain that this will be difficult , but with your trust and support our constant work and perseverance , we are sure that we will get there. Then not only that, but we will become a model for other companies in this sector in Canada providing Internet access and related services, high-quality television and telephone. One of the biggest advantages of Querizon is that we know how to do it ! We only need you to achieve our vision of freedom and that everyone has the right to unlimited Internet.
Believe in us and become pioneers in the changes. Believe in us and become the first to get rid of the rigid model and the inaility to be heard. You could be heard and we will consider your opinion!
We want to be with you on the same side of the barrier and show others that it is possible for the customer and the company to be together !


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Fire by friction is hard. Building a bow drill set is fussy, exacting work with a hatchet. My aim is much better than it used to be thanks to my blacksmithing practice. The knife I had with me is much to small for this type of work.
I got a fire lit! There should be a video posted soon by the guy who was teaching me today.
This is the fire set. It's designed to have the tinder bundle placed down inside at the bottom, and the whole thing goes WHOOSH when you get the fire going. This is a bit spindly, but it worked great!
On our way out, after dark, I saw something glowing on the ground. When the camera flash went off for this photo, we saw it was some rotten wood. Luminescent Fungus! Stuff you read about in books, it actually exists!
This is my setup to build a fire with a bow drill. The parts are on the left side, the fire set is in the middle, and taking a shoe off helps tremendously!
This is the tinder bundle. It holds the coal and produces the flame. It's dried bark bits, grass, and some cattail fluff.


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A letter of thanks
To the Parents of the De Soto Bands:
The Thanksgiving season serves as a strong reminder that we have much to be thankful for in our music program:
*From a national perspective, we must be thankful that the arts are written into federal law as part of the core curriculum for every school in Goals 2000: Education America Act - 1994.
*From a community vantage point, we must be thankful for local leaders who are solid supporters of music in our schools; they realize music education offers heightened performance in the all aspects of life and they are outspoken advocates of music education.
*Sincere thanks are extended to our administrators. We continue to enjoy an ongoing open dialogue focusing on the role of music as part of a complete curriculum offering.
*From a personal standpoint, THANK YOU, PARENTS! Your keen interest, loyal support, and active participation are the essential elements of our successful past, our exciting present, and our promising future.
*Collectively, we must extend thanks to the young men and women who spend countless hours in the learning, rehearsing, and performing of music. It is a privilege and an honor to work with the finest students at De Soto. These music makers of today are preparing to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Yes, music does make the difference, and we are thankful that your child has chosen to be a part of our musical family. The discipline learned in music classes reinforce a standard of excellence that is required for success in all of life.
As we approach the halfway point of our academic year, I extend a sincere vote of thanks to everyone who has made it possible for our music program to thrive and prosper. Your investment of time, effort, and energy is the key to our success.
With gratitude,
Darrell Boyer
Director of Bands
De Soto Junior High School
Twitter: @desotobands
Website: www.desotobands.org
In speaking of his renowned Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein said, "It occurred to me by intuition that music was the driving force behind that intuition and my discovery was the result of my musical perception."
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November 2023


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How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Offical Trailer #2
Hiccup and Toothless discover a "hidden world" and their destinies as DreamWorks Animation releases the second official trailer for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. View trailer below.
Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they've known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destines are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they've grown to treasure.
oh wow….wasn't expecting a new trailer. Well, I was expecting it sometime soon, but maybe during the end of November. Nevertheless, a new trailer for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is here and it looks fantastic. As I've said before, I love this animated franchise and is definitely one of the better DreamWorks series (this and the Kung Fu Panda trilogy). This new trailer shows off plenty of new footage (including a flashback scene with Butler's Stoic) as well as showing a bit more of the film's plot. I'm super excited to see this movie and very interesting to see how this movie, which will close out the series, will end.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World flies into theaters on February 22nd, 2019


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CEO Bob Bakish is covering all bases, hoping that CBS will catch any subscribers who fall off the pay model that Viacom offers.
The $30 billion merger of CBS and Viacom means viewers will soon be able to choose from an even larger number of streaming video options. As new entrants into the fray, ViacomCBS will go up against behemoths Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, in addition to upcoming competitors Apple, Disney, WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal.
But as one of the smaller players on the streaming stage, how will the new company draw in viewers and differentiate itself? And how will it turn a profit?
The first order of business is to expand its direct-to-consumer streaming video channels, said Bob Bakish, the new chief executive officer of ViacomCBS. While programmers collect a set fee from traditional TV networks, streaming services offer a plethora of other monetizable options, such as viewing data and credit card relationships, in addition to advertising.
"A business-to-consumer ecosystem will provide consumers with new forms of access to our premium content… and will accelerate our growth," said Bakish.
However, developing that ecosystem will necessitate crossing the cultural divide that separates CBS and Viacom.
"They have had different approaches at both companies," said Tuna Amobi, a senior analyst covering media for the investment research firm CFRA, noting that CBS is subscription based and Viacom uses ad-supported video. "The challenge is to marry all of that together and come up with an offering that will be broad enough to appeal across the board."
ViacomCBS will have to move fast. The traditional business model is eroding quickly, and advertisers are hungry for digital alternatives: Pay-TV companies lost 5 million subscribers over the past five years, 1.3 million of those in the second quarter of 2019 alone.
Most online video services, including WarnerMedia's HBO Max and the upcoming Disney , are supported through a paid subscription business. But newcomers such as NBCUniversal's streaming service are launching ad-supported services that don't cost anything to the consumer.
ViacomCBS could be somewhat unique in having a foot firmly in both camps. CBS is aiming for 25 million paid subscribers by 2020, with offerings such as CBS All Access — which provides network and NFL content — priced at $9.99 per month, or $5.99 with ads. The company also offers an online version of Showtime, which costs $10.99. Together, they have around 8 million paid subscribers. Meanwhile, Viacom acquired the free, ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV in January, a platform that offers more than 100 channels.
In a call with investors after the merger was announced, Bakish said he envisages a hedge on both sides of the streaming business, where the combined company can sell paid subscriptions at a variety of price points, with free services directing consumers to paid channels. When consumers decide to drop subscriptions, he hopes ViacomCBS can pick up consumers who are prepared to watch ads in return for free channels.
"Now is the perfect time for them to come together," said Colin Dixon, founder of the analyst group NScreen Media. "Viacom's purchase of Pluto TV was a very savvy move and they're really beginning to reap the benefits." Dixon noted that CBS could potentially launch pop-up channels on Pluto TV from its programming library — perhaps re-runs of popular "60 Minutes" episodes. "They can begin to leverage assets that are sitting on the shelf and make them new again," he said.
However, CBS and Viacom combined will still be far smaller than its competitors at a time when industry analysts believe scale is important because of the need to match the deep pockets of the tech companies.
And while the new firm will continue to make shows for rivals — Viacom made the controversial teen drama "13 Reasons Why" for Netflix and "Jack Ryan" for Amazon — it also needs to produce enough depth of content for its own streaming services, all the while holding on to major assets such as the rights to NFL broadcasts.
"As is the case with Disney, there is the risk that the new company decides to forgo licensing revenues to build their own direct-to-consumer platforms," Michael Nathanson, a co-founder of the research company MoffettNathanson, wrote in a note to investors last week.
While much has been made of the battle for rivals to catch up to Netflix's 151 million subscribers, ViacomCBS was quick to point out after the merger that the combined company would have "global reach of more than 4.3 billion cumulative subscribers in 180 countries."
(NBC Universal is the parent company of NBC News.)


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Fluoride Treatments and Sealants
It take 15 minutes or less!
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps rebuild tooth enamel and prevent tooth decay. It's in almost all of the food we eat, most tap water, and many toothpastes and mouth rinses. Recommended by numerous health professionals and organizations, the benefits of fluoride are backed up by over 50 years of research. During a fluoride treatment, topical fluoride is applied to the teeth. It's absorbed into the enamel, which makes teeth more resistant to decay.
Your back teeth are especially rough and pitted, which is why food particles tend to stick there and cause tooth decay over time, even with proper brushing and flossing. A sealant is simply a coating that smooths out the surfaces on the back teeth, preventing food particles and bacteria from getting stuck in those grooves and pits.
Fluoride treatments and sealants are often used in conjunction to maximize the prevention of tooth decay.
Who Should Get Fluoride Treatments and Sealants
Children and teenagers are great candidates for fluoride treatments and sealants. Adults without decay or fillings in their molars can also benefit from fluoride treatments and sealants.
Typically, children should get a sealant on their permanent molars and premolars as soon as these teeth come in, usually around the age of six. In rare cases, dental sealants are recommended for babies whose teeth have deep grooves or are cavity-prone, so they are not lost too early.
How a Dental Sealant is Applied
Applying a sealant is a simple and painless process. It takes just a few minutes and is normally done during a regular exam. Typically, the dental sealant application process involves four steps:
- A dentist or hygienist prepares the tooth by cleaning the tooth surface, then rinsing and drying the tooth.
- Next, the dentist or hygienist applies a gel solution to the tooth's surface. The gel ensures the dental sealant forms a tight bond with the enamel.
- The sealant is then painted onto each tooth's enamel, which it bonds to and hardens.
How a Fluoride Treatment is Applied
A fluoride treatment at the dentist's office typically only takes a few minutes. The fluoride itself can come as a gel, foam, or varnish. It can be applied with a brush, swab, or held in place with a tray.
No matter the application or format, after your fluoride treatment, don't eat or drink anything for at least 30 minutes. This will prevent the fluoride from being washed away or rubbed off before it can be properly absorbed by your teeth.
Fluoride Treatments and Sealants FAQs
A fluoride treatment can be applied as soon as teeth come in, but the amount of fluoride children consume needs to be monitored. With too much fluoride, kids can get a condition called fluorosis, which causes white spots on their teeth. There are other instances when a fluoride treatment may be recommended by your dentist, including:
- Exposed and sensitive roots
- Fair to poor oral hygiene habits
- Frequent consumption of sugar and carbohydrates
- Inadequate exposure to natural sources of fluoride
- Inadequate saliva flow due to medical conditions, medical treatments, or medications
- Recent history of dental decay
Additionally, fluoride is available as a supplement and may be prescribed by your dentist. It's available in drops and tablets. Drops are usually recommended for infants and toddlers, and tablets for children, teens and adults.
For children under 14 years of age, most insurance companies will reimburse sealants placed on permanent molars and fluoride treatments. Health savings accounts (FSA and HSA) also usually reimburse for these procedures. Like with any service or treatment, we'll check your insurance benefits and let you know what is or isn't covered.
Over an extended period of time, fluoride treatments and sealants help prevent costly dental treatments as a result of cavities, and minimizes tooth decay. It is important to note, however, that fluoride treatments and sealants are not a substitute for everyday brushing and flossing.
We recommend children get a fluoride treatment every six months during their bi-annual cleaning and exam. A sealant needs to be checked for chipping and wear during regular exams, but it can protect teeth from decay for up to 10 years. Brushing and flossing twice a day will help a sealant last longer, and are the best things you can do for healthy teeth and gums.
Let our patients tell you themselves
We pride ourselves on treating every patient as an individual, providing exceptional care and customizing our services to meet their needs, regardless of their insurance situation.
"The staff was very kind and caring with my granddaughter and made her feel very comfortable. They took the time to show and explain everything they did. This was her first time with the dentist. She is 3.5 years old, and she was excited when done. Thank you to the staff for being kind and caring. I highly recommend MCDC for any young child. Thank you!"


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The average roof is built to last between 20 and 30 years, but there are some things – like storm damage and rapid temperature changes – that can cause it to age poorly.
The good news? You can extend your roof's lifespan by using these residential roofing tips from the pros.
Residential Roofing Tips to Extend Your Roof's Lifespan
A little bit of maintenance goes a long way when it comes to residential roofing. Use these residential roofing tips to take care of your roof and help protect your investment:
- Clean your gutters frequently
- Have regular roof inspections
- Prune overhanging tree branches
- Repair storm damage immediately
- Replace damaged or worn shingles right away
1. Clean Your Gutters Frequently
Gutters can easily become clogged with leaves and other debris. Alone, that's fine – but when it rains, those clogs can cause water to back up. Backed-up water in your gutters can damage your shingles and the actual roof beneath them. Most experts recommend cleaning out your gutters at least twice each year. If you maintain your gutters in the spring and fall, they'll be ready when the water starts pouring through (either from spring rains or melting snow).
2. Have Regular Roof Inspections
You can conduct a small visual inspection from the ground or climb up on your roof to get a birds-eye view, but nothing beats a residential roof inspection conducted by a professional. You want a roofing company that provides a 45-point inspection, which means they check everything, and that documents and photographs any damage on the roof – that way, you'll know exactly what needs to be fixed.
3. Prune Overhanging Tree Branches
Overhanging tree branches can bang up against your roof during high winds or storms, or they can brush against your shingles repeatedly and degrade their integrity. In some cases, overhanging tree branches can create ideal conditions for algae or mold to grow, which can eventually cause leaks if left untreated. If you see branches or other debris on your roof, remove it immediately to protect your roof's surface.
4. Repair Storm Damage Immediately
If left untreated, even minor damage can cause major problems. A tiny leak from a lifted, broken or missing shingle can let water into the roof deck, where it'll cause the wood to swell – or worse, trickle down into your home and cause major water damage. Sometimes storm damage has a domino effect where one thing leads to another. If you suspect a storm, rain, hail or high winds have damaged your roof, schedule a roof inspection immediately. Making small fixes now can save you thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs later.
Replace Damaged or Worn Shingles Right Away
Shingles are there to provide a layer of protection to your roof, and by extension, your entire house. You need to replace damaged or worn shingles immediately, particularly if they're:
- Curling up at the edges
- Cracked
- Missing granules (your shingles will look like they have "bald spots")
- Covered in dark streaks, which can be algae growth
- Hosting moss or mold
Do You Need Help Maintaining Your Roof?
Our team of professionals will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with a free quote on what you need to repair or replace to keep your home – and all its contents – safe.