text:
Communication certainly needs to be strengthened, as it can be in any organization. However, the sense of teamwork also needs to be strengthened, which is why some meetings have been moved from open meetings to what some would call "closed" and I would call staff meetings. The advantages to this approach are multi-fold:
- in a staff meeting, the group of individuals can interact in a variety of ways that allow them to grow together as a team
- team members can "muddle" through issues without hesitation or sense of being misunderstood in a more open setting with non-team members sitting in and observing the meeting proceedings and potentially taking things out of context
- the "closed"nature of the staff meetings places the responsibility on the group leaders to communicate the meeting outcomes in more visible ways to the College community
Hopefully, these potentially positive elements will result in better decisions being made and more consistent and meaningful communications being shared. I recognize only time will tell on this and I will be watching the developments closely.
Additionally, I have received some questions about why I have removed the Vice Presidents from a number of committees. The main filter I've used here is to remove Vice Presidents from committees that generally make recommendations to the Executive Committee (i.e., College Senate, etc.). I feel it is important that committees are allowed to conduct their work in ways in which they feel trusted to do their work versus having VPs participate in making the recommendations that they will be receiving as members of the Executive Committee. I have left the VPs on some other committees that are more like work groups that require perspective from one or more of the VPs (i.e., Campus Safety Committee, etc.). Removing the VPs from some groups also helps to strengthen the positive dynamic and the importance of a well-functioning Executive Committee.
I sincerely appreciate the feedback I've received on this blog thus far. If you have any additional insights or questions on this or other topics, please let me know at email@example.com.


text:
|Special Agent Vince Cefalu
|Special Agent Jay Dobyn
It has become increasingly clear that the Obama administration is corrupt,not only with the Fast N Furious investigation,but other things
as well.
Here are two fine men who exposed the outrageous corruption of the U.S.Attorney's Office and their own agency as well,The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms of which this writer worked for in the 80's,so I have a very good idea what these two men are saying.
Vince and Jay have since been jacked around by a corrupt administration for speaking out against violations by the ATF and DOJ that has been going on for sometime.Are they whistle blowers?..Absolutely not.They are in fact two men in federal law enforcement the American people can look up to and say.Hey..Those are the two guys who stood up against corruption for the American people!
Watch the video below of their interview with Judge Andrew Napolitano of Freedom Watch on the Fox News Business Network.
You will see two ATF Special Agents who are honest men who want to play by the rules handed down in the rule of law and not politics.
Border Narcotics Intelligence

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Nashville, Tennessee
Long-time friend Joe is a newspaper editor, great investigative reporter and man with the bow tie. I was best man in his wedding 20 years ago. We are both in Nashville for meetings and are preparing to share some bison before going our separate ways.
Photograph taken with a Leica M8


text:
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Weatherization incentives
Emergency fund....I'm open to suggestions
Didn't I JUST get one of these rate drop notices from HSBC? Sheesh, they're at it again.
Dear MATTHEW, We are writing to inform you that based on the recent drop by the Federal Reserve, HSBC Direct has adjusted your Online Savings Account rate to 3.80% APY*. At 8x the national savings average**, you are still earning one of America's highest savings rates.And there's likely to be ANOTHER Fed rate drop soon (today!), so I'm going to start shopping around for new places to put my emergency savings account. I want it somewhere where I can get relatively quick and easy access to it (Paul recommended safety and liquidity in one of his previous posts about savings), but it would be nice to get at least a little bit of return (i.e., I'd like to outpace inflation).
I'm meeting with a financial advisor this afternoon, so I'll let you know what he recommends. If any of you have any good ideas, let me know!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Laid Off: Day 7
I'm sorry I haven't been posting more, but I've been busy revving up the job hunting machine. Here are some things that I have done so far:
-Updated my resume. This for me was top priority. You never know when you're going to make a contact that has job lead potential and the first step in the job lead process is almost always a resume. I updated mine as soon as possible (not only did it get me thinking towards the future but I was able to update it while my work at my old job was still fresh in my mind), and I had the luxury of having a couple of good friends review it for me for feedback. Updating a resume seems like such a simple task but it can easily take a day or two to get it really polished. Also since you're never sure when you're going to find a job lead I try to carry a few nicely printed copies of my resume in my car. One of my proudest job hunt moments was back in 2001. I was having lunch with a friend and they had brought a friend of theirs along. Turns out this friend of a friend worked for a company that was hiring. I gladly took their business card and was able to reach into my bag and give them a copy of my resume that we were able to talk about right at the table.
-Got references lined up. This was step two. Several people at my old company gave me their contact info and said I could use them as a reference. I made sure to get in touch with them and get their contact info and confirm that they were willing to be a reference. In addition I try to give my references some lead time every time I expect that they will be contacted (essentially every time a potential employer asks for my references). The idea is that a professional reference is someone acting on YOUR behalf as part of YOUR job hunt, so you should give them every opportunity to do it well. I once got a call from a company asking me to be a reference for an old colleague of mine (I'll call him John Doe). I'd worked with John, but it had been a few months and I've never been particularly good with names. When they told me the name it actually took me a few moments to remember who they were talking about. Once I remembered I was able to give the best reference I could, but those few awkward moments where I was struggling to remember who John Doe was probably didn't reflect well on John Doe. Cases like that are not only impolite, but if I am totally surprised by a call from some company asking for a reference for someone, then I simply can't give as good of a reference as I could have if I had been given some warning. Also, I suspect it's annoying for companies to ask for references and be told something like "I can get them to you in a day or two while I line them up". If a company goes to the trouble of checking your references it probably means you have a good chance of getting a job, don't give them any reason to hesitate, have those references ready to go.
-Wrote a "basic" cover letter. Fairly often you are asked to write a cover letter (even with resumes sent via email). I try to include a cover letter whenever possible, but I try to make sure it's a GOOD cover letter. I don't just have one cover letter that I use for every job I apply for. I think that a hiring manager can smell a form-cover letter a mile away, and I think it sort of makes your whole application feel like junk mail. Instead I keep a general outline for a cover letter that I try to personalize for each company I apply for. I think that makes a MUCH better impact to whoever reads it.
-Kept in touch with my colleagues. I really like to keep in touch with the people I worked with. Not only is it nice to have a group of people to encourage each other and share the experience with, but it can often be a great opportunity to share leads. The obvious thought is that these people are competing with me for the same jobs, and that's probably true, but the way I see it, there are enough jobs to go around, and usually the benefit far outweighs the potential risk. For example I came across a job lead where I didn't have all of the skills required, but I knew an ex-coworker who did. It was easy for me to send the job lead to them. Not only do I help them out, but if they end up getting the job, that's one less person looking for jobs in competition with me. Perhaps I find a job that requires relocation that I don't want to do, but maybe one of my colleagues is willing to do that. I can send it to them and help them out and maybe they'll return the favor. Also, let's say I get a job. It's common to still be contacted with job leads for days and maybe even weeks after (simply because a lot of people with your resume think you're still looking), and what a great opportunity to say: "I'm no longer looking, but I have colleagues that would be perfect for this job."
-Claimed unemployment. Not much to say here, it's nice that you can now file your claims online.
-Took a good look at my finances. This is an important step. Thanks to our emergency fund my wife and I can weather this storm for a long time if we have to. Our hope is that between my company severance and unemployment we won't even have to touch our emergency fund, but boy it sure is nice to have it there.
-Made plans for health insurance. As part of my severance my company is covering my health insurance for a couple more months. That's great but I've already started looking into health insurance options. I know people who will let their health insurance lapse as a way to save money while job hunting, but I REALLY think this is a terrible risk to take. If you go without dental or vision for a while to save a few bucks I think that's fine, but to go without basic medical insurance...just don't do it if you can possibly avoid it.
-Made some goals. I try to find and apply for 2-4 new jobs every day. That may not sound like much, but it's actually a pretty good pace. I've found that by trying to find a minimum of two new job opportunities each day (and I mean realistic job opportunities, I'm not trying to apply to be a pharmacist or some other job that I'm totally unqualified for) it forces me to keep hunting around for leads, and it keeps me from burning out on the job hunt.
-Kept a positive attitude. There are lots of jobs out there for someone who is willing to learn and work hard. I believe that keeping a positive attitude not only makes your "forced vacation" more pleasant, but it also keeps you from appearing burned out or desperate when you interview with someone.
-Been patient. I've submitted my resume to several places already but I have to remember that it could easily be a week or two before I am contacted by a company that's interested in me. Though companies are often eager to fill spots, many places only evaluate submitted resumes once or twice a week, so depending on when your submitted your resume it might be a week before someone even looks at it.
Well, that's about all that's going on here. Hopefully soon I'll be able to post some stories that are about preparing for and going on interviews.
Wish me luck!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Stimulus plan
So, what does everyone think of the proposed economic stimulus plan? I'm torn.
On one hand, I'm certainly excited at the prospect of receiving a big, fat $1500 check later this year.
On the other hand, I find the idea very troubling. First of all, where is the government going to get all this money? Oh, right, we can just tack it on to the deficit, pushing it to nearly record-levels. I'm not an economist, so I can't really say whether that trying to forestall a possible recession is worth such drastic measures. But I do have an even more fundamental concern.
The benefit of the stimulus package is predicated on the assumption that Americans are going to run right out and spend most of the money. From the first article I linked to above:
Q: How likely are consumers to spend the money and help the economy?
A: Some will spend every penny and then some. Some will save it all. In 1975, people spent about 40 percent and saved the rest, according to the Federal Reserve. In 2001, people spent about 70 percent.
Also from the article:
Q: What's a smart financial move to make with this money?
A: Either pay down any credit card debt or save it for an emergency, said Ken Robinson, a Cleveland certified financial planner. "Most people don't have nearly enough saved for a rainy day."
Frugalizers know that planning ahead beats short-term fixes; now we just need to demonstrate that we know it to our government and hope that they pick up the lesson.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The perfect (credit) score
You've seen the ads with the annoyingly smug guy who asks, "Do you know your FICO score?" right?
So, do you? Most people probably have a general idea of whether they have a relatively good or bad credit rating, but knowing your score is even better. If you are applying for a car loan or mortgage, the lender will probably have to access the information and can let you know, or you can buy a report.
Even more important than getting that number, though, is understanding how it is determined and structuring your financial activities accordingly. The exact algorithm has long been a closely guarded secret, but I read an article in the local paper that describes the factors that influence scores.
- Payment history
- Amounts owed and relationship to credit limits
- How many years you have used credit
- How often you apply for credit and open new accounts
- Types of credit, such as a mortgage, auto loan, finance company accounts or retail accounts. Bank cards can help your score more than those from a department store or gas station. Some consumers try to help their score by closing unused accounts. But that can backfire because reducing credit lines and eliminating a long-term account can be seen as negatives.
The second point is the most interesting point to me. I remember that when I first started to make a little money, I got to the point where I could stop using the credit line at my bank. I think I had only been using it as a very poor type of emergency fund, transferring a little money to my checking account when it got low to avoid overdrafts. Once I built up a savings account, I closed the credit line. I didn't realize it at the time, but that action probably really hurt my credit score. That was the only credit I was using at the time, so what I should have done is kept the line open in order to keep my ratio of debt to available credit low. Live and learn; I just wish I had learned in time for the information to be more useful.
One last good quote from the article:
What's the profile of a person with a near-perfect credit score?
"If we're talking about predicted credit risk, the ideal consumer is a very conservative money manager...It's somebody who has two or three accounts that have been open as long as the U.S. has been a country, they have never, ever been late, they do use the credit occasionally, but they always pay it down to zero or to low balances."
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Laid Off: Day 1
So did anyone out there read my article:
You've Been Laid Off Now What
Well I'm re-reading my own article because just yesterday my company laid off everyone in my department.
If you had told me a week ago (or heck two days ago) that I was going to be laid off I would have said you were crazy. It was THAT much of a surprise for me.
So I thought I might as well blog about the experience in the hope that my experiences might be of help to someone out there.
So here goes:
I was pretty shocked yesterday. I've been laid off before, but this one really was a big surprise to me. I was literally working right up until they told me (and my colleagues) that we didn't have jobs anymore. Most of us were in such a daze that we just wanted to clean out or desks and go home, so I did just that. I was home by 1PM. I had lunch with my wife and my friend Matt and then just sort of moped for a while.
By 3PM I was bored with moping so I decided to go back to work and drop off the last couple work-owned items that I needed to bring in and make sure I hadn't left anything behind in my desk. I then ran a couple of errands and came home.
My wife was gone that evening (she teaches at a community college) so I had the house to myself. It really gave me some time to process all this. I was certainly surprised but that wore off quickly. Of course there was also anxiety, but there was also a new feeling that it took me a while to identify.
It was guilt. Even though my wife works I still make most of the income for our household (or at least I did before I got laid off), and I was feeling guilty about the fact that I wasn't bringing home a paycheck anymore. The last time I got laid off I was single, so this feeling was new to me.
Now all of this guilt was just of my own creation. You couldn't ask for a more supportive spouse than my wife. She's been sympathetic, optimistic and encouraging, and not once did it even enter her mind that in a way I was letting her down.
I know this because I talked to her about it. I didn't think that my guilt had any basis, but it felt good to talk about it with her. I still feel bad that we're going to cancel a weekend trip to the coast and that our upcoming anniversary celebration probably won't be the fancy dinner out that we originally planned, but we both realize these are just some of the things you have to do try to save your pennies when household income is down.
So that said I've been facing forward and diving into the job hunt. I'm updating my resume, and I've already applied for unemployment. I plan on sending out resumes hopefully tomorrow.
I've also been keeping in contact with my colleagues who were laid off (we created a google group for "alumni" of our company). Not only has it been nice to have a sort of email support group, but we can all help each other network as we try to find jobs.
I've started a t0-do list so that I'll stay on top of things, and I am also planning on adding a few "personal improvement" items to the list as a way to make my time off not just all job hunting and anxiety. For example I plan on taking a CPR class (something I've always wanted to do but never had the time) and do a few projects around the house.
Okay, I'm off to work on my resume. Stay tuned for more updates as the days go by.
Energy audit and weatherization followup
Does anyone remember my post about energy audits? I can't believe that it has been three months already, but I finally have enough information to report out on the results of our audit and what we did about them. I anticipate this will be a long post, but I'm going to spell out the details of:
- how we went about getting the audit done
- what energy-saving measures we decided to implement
- how we got INCENTIVE CHECKS from the government
- and how much energy we are saving so far
...so I hope that the long read will be worthwhile.
Step 1: Set up the energy audit
The best place to start is probably your local gas and/or electric company. We contacted a local non-profit called Energy Trust and scheduled with them.
Step 2: The audit itself
On the morning of our scheduled audit day, I was surprised to see several huge electric utility trucks (with bucket cranes) pull up outside our house. It turned out that they were NOT part of the audit, but were just coincidentally there to work on some power lines. Whew. Our auditor showed up on time in her own car. She worked independently and it only took a few hours for her to go through the whole house. In addition to energy auditing, she also did some tests on our water system because Energy Trust has a partnership with our local water company. Before I tell you the results, I just want to point out again that there was NO charge for any of this.
The water audit:
- We received several new (free) sink faucet aerators to save water.
- The auditor found a leaky toilet tank flapper (using dye pellets) in our hall bathroom and replaced it.
The energy audit:
- The rooms that we reported the coldest were (surprise) the ones that had the least insulation above them in the attic.
- The crawlspace was completely uninsulated except for under the addition.
- At least one exterior wall at the front of the house lacked insulation.
- Some of the older heating ducts were not sealed at the joints and were not insulated. I learned that as much as 25 percent of the heat from a forced-air heating system may be lost through leaks in the ducts.
- Our laundry room is especially cold and we discovered that it is completely uninsulated, open to the crawlspace (via the washer pipe runs), and open to the outside via an open dryer vent.
- Our hall bathroom was being vented to the attic instead of the roof (which can lead to rotting wood from the moisture).
- We could save money by installing CFL bulbs and received 6 for free. They start off very dim unfortunately, but then get brighter the hotter they get. The bulbs in enclosed cans in the ceiling got especially bright, but we learned they would probably burn out more quickly as a result. The bad news is that we will have to take them to a local recycling center for recycling because of the enclosed mercury. I also asked about LED lights, and was told they are still a bit too expensive to be worthwhile. (Read my "In Search of the Frugal Bulb" post for my report on that.)
Step 3: Determine which recommendations to implement
The only bad part of this was that one of previous owners had left almost three hundred glass bottles of water in the crawlspace (don't ask me why) and we had to spend several hours hauling them out before the contractors would work down there.
Insulate attic - The areas of the attic above the additions were already fully insulated, but we had some other areas with only a little bit of insulation and some areas with none at all. We decided to bring it all up to an even level. Two separate contractors both told us that that they would have to route the bathroom vent to the roof to meet code requirements, so we threw that in also.
Air and Duct sealing - there are expensive tests that can be done that involve hooking a blower fan up to the house and the duct system to determine how much of your heated or cooled air they are allowing to escape, but we elected against having these done. The maximum rebates would not pay for the test itself and the insulation contractors were going to do all the patching work anyway (seal the penetrations in the floor and ceiling and seal the duct joints with mastic and tape).
The process of insulating the walls involves cutting a hole in the interior drywall between every pair of studs and blowing insulation in, so we elected NOT to have that done until we are ready to repaint.
I also thought we should invest in some heavy drapes, which the auditor said would reduce heat loss from our large windows, but my wife felt that the house would be too dark and depressing.
I did a few other easy jobs myself. I put some weatherstripping ($3) on the bottom of the door between the laundry and family rooms, which blocked the cold draft coming through. I also replaced the external dryer vent with one that has a valve to keep cold air from coming in that way ($8).
Step 4: Locate a contractor and have the work done
Energy Trust offers several rebates and all we had to do was fill out and fax in a single form (Form 300A) along with a copy of our contractor's invoice within 120 days of installation. I spoke with an Energy Trust rep yesterday who gave me the breakdown of what we will actually receive.
- Duct insulation: $100 (50% of installation cost up to $100)
- Attic insulation: $375 ($.25 per square foot)
- Crawlspace insulation: $675 ($.45 per square foot)
Grand total: $1150 or about 45% of the total cost!
The check should arrive in mid-February, which works out to about 6 weeks from submission time and included a brief delay in getting our contractor to confirm that he had been (promptly) paid.
Note: We didn't apply for the duct sealing rebate because it required the expensive testing I mentioned above, but if you're interested, the incentive is $1 per CubicFeetMinute reduction (max $400).
Step 6: File for tax credits
Not surprisingly, figuring out the tax rules was one of the more complicated parts of the process. After several phones calls and visits to the IRS website, I determined that we could receive a federal tax credit for 10% of cost of materials ($140 for us) by submitting IRS Form 5695. I've added that in to the pile for our accountant to deal with.
There is an Oregon state tax credit (25 percent of the eligible cost, up to $250) available for duct sealing, also. The process is to submit an Oregon Department of Energy application form (provided by the contractor) and we then get a certificate that shows our credit amount. We claim that and just retain the certificate for audit documentation. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the contractor had to be certified by the Oregon Department of Energy, so we won't claim this on our return.
Step 7: Monitor ongoing savings
Of course we are hoping that this project will pay off in the long run, so we're keeping an eye on the bills. I called the gas company and was able to convince them to at least tell me that the previous owners' highest bill in 2007 was $247.18 (184 gas units) in January. We just received the January 2008 bill and it was $184.27 for 129 gas units. We used almost 30% less gas than previous owners, so I hope that at least some of that was because of the insulation and not just because they ran the gas fireplace constantly or kept the thermostat at 72.
I'll have to check the electric bill in the summer also, to see how much we save on AC.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Rate drop(s?)
If you haven't already heard, the Fed cut the rate significantly today, by 75 basis points. That in itself might be a cue for some people to start thinking about refinancing debt, but don't move too quickly. Another rate cut is likely on the way.
My wife and I may be shopping for a new improved mortgage soon!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Staying ahead of the game
Friday, January 18, 2008
Reconsider the second fridge
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Time is all we have
You know what I hear a lot? "I don't have time."
Let's go with a finance-related example. Let's imagine that you are in the market for a new mortgage and you ask me for a suggestion. I'd probably suggest a basic plan something like this:
- Gather your income and asset information.
- Call several mortgage lenders and request written good faith estimates from each.
- Put all of the GFE's next to each other in a spreadsheet or on a new sheet of paper in such a way that you can compare them line item by line item.
- Determine your criteria (e.g., total out-of-pocket at closing, interest rate, monthly payment amount) and evaluate each lender against it.
- Identify which lender has the best offer and then call the others to see if they can beat it.
- Take the best deal.
Simple right? You definitely want step 6, but you realize that the process above will take many hours and possibly span multiple weeks, and that is when I hear the familiar refrain...."I don't have time for that!" (Lest I be called a hypocrite, let me be the first to admit that I've said the same thing far too many times to count.)
I've been conscientiously working to purge that terrible excuse from my brain. Whenever it pops in, I internally correct myself and try to verbally respond with "I haven't made that a high priority." This has helped me so far, and for more things than just working on my finances. When I think about the things that I haven't accomplished, I have to ask myself questions like "Did I prioritize TV today?" This has helped me hold myself accountable for things that need to be done.
Going back to the mortgage example above, you can ask yourself "are all the things that I want to do over the next few weeks more important than potentially saving tens of thousands of dollars?" Maybe they are. I will grant that there are people with VERY busy lives (most people that I know these days) and I'm not going to try to force my priorities on you. If your job keeps you busy all day and you want to spend time with your children or relax in front of the tube when you get home, by all means do so, but acknowledge that those things are your priorities. If you want results, there are no substitutes for informed decision making and putting in the legwork.
Now I've gotten a little preachy and I didn't mean to do that, so let me cut this short. The thing that I've learned and that I'm trying to share is "Time is ALL I have." It is my responsibility to allocate it according to my priorities.
If you like that, use it and pass it on.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Are Internet Savings Accounts on the way out?
I received this disappointing bit of news not too long ago:
We are writing to inform you that based on the recent drop by the Federal Reserve, HSBC Direct has adjusted your Online Savings Account rate to 4.25% APY. At 9x the national savings average, you are still earning one of America's highest savings rates.
I was pretty enthusiastic about my Internet Savings Account when I first signed up, but now I hear that the Fed is likely to drop the rate again soon. How low will HSBC go? Is it time to start exploring new places to keep my savings/emergency fund? I checked other ISA's and HSBC definitely isn't the highest, but I don't want to hop from bank to bank chasing quarter points, either (see more on this from Paul here).
I'm also wondering whether I should put any more money into my savings account at all. It contains plenty of cash to cover most small to medium emergencies, so it might be worthwhile to start thinking again about putting my extra money toward real long-term investments (i.e., bump up my retirement savings rate) or maybe paying extra on the mortgage. Paul and I have debated the latter several times and I don't think we've come up with a really solid answer yet.
Have any of our readers paid off their mortgages early? If so, would you make that same choice again?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Article: Confessions of a Car Salesman
Hi Everyone,
I found this really interesting article where Edmunds.com paid a journalist to go "under cover" and become a car salesmen. Once he learned the ropes they had him write an article about his experiences.
It's a long article, but I found it very interesting.
Check it out:
Confessions of a Car Salesman
Monday, January 14, 2008
Cost of Entertainment
I've been a member of Blockbuster Online for quite some time now. When Blockbuster launched the program the single disk program cost $9.99 and for that you could have one disk at a time and you could also take a mailed-to-you disk in to any Blockbuster store (there was one conveniently located to us) and trade it in for any in-store disk for free.
Since my wife and I like to watch movies at home this ended up being a great deal.
However, over the last few months Blockbuster has gradually changed their plan and prices. Now our plan costs $11.99 for the one disk plan and we can only exchange it in the store twice a month. This isn't a terrible plan, but it's starting to make me wonder if it's worth it.
Managing entertainment costs is something I try to keep an eye on since it's one of the most obvious ways to save a little money here and there. If the Blockbuster Online costs continue to rise I might just cancel my membership.
Is anyone else out there dealing with this?
Friday, January 11, 2008
Bye bye, cable TV!
I think I can finally safely report on the outcome of yet another decision we had to make when we moved into our new house (this won't be the last): namely, the decision of what to do with our cable television service.
In our old house, we subscribed to Comcast's "Expanded Basic" plan, meaning the networks and a few cable channels, but no pay channels or on-demand service. For that, we paid around $45 or $50 per month (after a discount for also subscribing to their Internet service). We have also subscribed to a 4-disc-at-a-time Netflix plan for $24 per month for over two years now and have been very happy with it. I got to the point where I couldn't stand to watch regular TV because the commercials were so intrusive.
So, I was making all of those exciting phone calls to transfer our services to the new house and I thought, why even bother with cable? The only show I was even still watching on TV was "The Office" and I was downloading them afterward anyway. My wife and I both zoned out occasionally to HGTV, but I knew I wouldn't miss that. So, I started exploring alternatives. Comcast was the only cable provider, but there was also the satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network. The prices were roughly similar with only slight variations in the channel lineup and I dismissed them pretty quickly.
Next, I went out and actually bought an antenna. Yes, the old rabbit ears. I did a bit of research and found that our neighborhood was supposed to have pretty good reception. I talked to a sales rep at Best Buy who told me that the best models in the current generation of antennae have an internal signal amplifier, so I picked one up for about $30 (on-sale, of course). I was very excited when I first hooked it up; we picked up about 20 different HDTV channels and the reception and picture were amazing! Except for when they weren't. Every once in a while, we'd see large swatches of pixels wash across the screen, especially if anyone was walking around the house. One day, we inexplicably lost over half of the channels. We sadly decided to return the antenna. I think that if I were really into network television, I'd probably explore installing a roof antenna, although I suspect our HOA probably wouldn't allow it. No real loss.
The last televison service option I explored is still relatively new: FiOS TV. We decided to use Verizon for our Internet service in the new house to take advantage of their fast new fiber-optic network and learned that our TV could hook up to the same connection. Like the satellite providers, it was still pretty expensive and didn't really have anything that compelling.
So, where did that leave us? We rely totally on Netflix these days for all our television watching. We decided to take some of the money that we were spending on cable previously and bump ourselves up to the 6-disc plan for $35.99 per month. I'm not sure if we'll stay there, but we found that we would occasionally run out of things to watch on the 4 disc plan, mostly due to the weekend postal lag. This is less of a problem now that we are ordering more television shows, as they usually have more content per disc and last longer. Even if we stay with the 6 disc plan, it is still cheaper than cable, and I always feel like we have a lot of choices of things that we actually WANT to watch at home.
The only drawback so far is that our friends with cable aren't able to discuss the current season of shows with us, but that isn't a problem this year.
Just the disc service is adequate for me, but there are two more important features of Netflix I think are worth mentioning. The first is the "Watch Instantly" feature that lets us bypass the USPS and stream some titles directly to our computer screens. I use this for TV shows, because sitting in a chair in front of a computer for 2 hours to watch a movie can get tiresome (especially since I sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day at work) and it doesn't really work well for more than one person. That does bring me to the second important feature, however: Netflix has announced that they are partnering with hardware manufacturers to bring the download service directly to our televisions.
The cable and satellite companies have resisted user-driven programming for far too long and Netflix is finally helping us achieve the ability to watch what we want, when we want. If you haven't yet, check them out.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Financial Choices, Good vs. Better
I was working in the yard and thinking about how I view savings and investing, and my rambling thoughts started to take shape into a set of rules that I call 'Good' and 'Better'. The idea is that in my opinion people spend a lot of time focusing on the wrong financial view.
Good: Focusing on making sure you income is growing.
Better: Focusing on making sure you are living within your means.
I've known a lot of people who were incredibly focused on their incomes. They wanted to make sure that they were constantly making more and more money year after year. Now I certainly agree that income is important (and so is income growth), but I often see that in all that focus on income sometimes people lose sight of the basic idea of living within their means. For example, someone works feverishly to make a great salary and because they work so hard and burn themselves out to make that money they spend lavishly on cars, boats, and all kinds of toys to make the most of the their limited free time. These toys require even more money to maintain the lifestyle so they have to work even harder. The result ends up being that their finances turn into a very fragile house of cards, and just one layoff or recession results in financial ruin.
Good: Bargain hunting to make sure you save money on purchases.
Better: Focusing on simplicity to make sure you don't buy a lot of stuff you don't need.
You ever see the one where someone buys some expensive toy that they really don't need and can't afford, and they work VERY hard to make sure they get a good deal? Remember that getting a great deal on something you don't need is still more expensive that not buying the thing in the first place.
Good: Focusing on finding ways to save pennies here and there.
Better: Focusing on ways to save LARGE amounts of money.
I've always thought it was odd to see people who will save and return their aluminum cans religiously for the nickel deposit on each can but will then turn right around and spend $100 a month on a premium cable package they rarely use, or blow $200 on an impulse buy. I don't mean to say that you're a bad person if you have cable, or if you indulge on a fun purchase. The point I'm trying to make is that it's great to work to save your pennies, but it makes very little sense (cents?) to save your pennies if you're wasting dollars.
Good: Focusing on your investments to make sure that you are getting good returns.
Better: Focusing on making sure you're saving a lot.
It's great to search around and find your best investment based on what you want out of it, but sometimes it can be overwhelming to try to find the perfect investment (mostly because there is no such thing as the perfect investment). Don't worry too much about finding the perfect mutual fund or that CD that gets you .1% more, instead focus on saving the money in the first place. The way I think of it is that if I have $1,000 and spend a lot of time finding a CD that pays me 5% on that $1000 as opposed to 4.9%, the result is that after a year I will have made $1 more. Instead of researching CD's as a way to squeeze every penny, if I could use the time to shave $10 off of my monthly budget then after a year I will have saved an extra $120!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Think refill, not landfill
- I had my HP #15 cartridge (black ink) refilled for $15.99. A replacement from HP.com would have cost $29.99.
- I had my HP #78 cartridge (color) refilled for $21.99. The HP replacement would have cost $34.95.
- I didn't have to deal with the mess
- The refilling process only took the experts a few minutes
- The refill tech also cleaned the print nozzle on the color cartridge, which I didn't even know was needed.
Another thing that you don't get with DIY is the benefit of specialized knowledge and experience. The tech at the shop gave me the exciting news that our older black ink cartridge has twice the capacity of the current cartridges being sold by HP and that the older color cartridge has EIGHT times the capacity of the new ones. Also, they can be refilled up to ten times. I'm certainly glad I didn't recycle the used cartridges and just buy remanufactured ones!
The last point I have to make is hinted at by the title of this post, which I stole from a sign at Island Inkjet: refilling printer cartridges is a more environmentally friendly option than trashing them. Island Inkjet refilled 2 million cartridges last year, but that is only a small part of the 300 million that are tossed out annually. We can do better!
All in all, I was very satisfied with the process and would recommend this service to anyone.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Gold is going crazy!
A long delayed follow up to my earlier post:
Investing In Gold
Some of you may have noticed that the price of gold has been shooting up recently. Apparently as the stock market falls and the word 'recession' starts to pop up many people start to run from securities and instead put their money into gold.
I only own a little bit of gold, but it's nice to see SOMETHING I've invested in going up nicely in recent weeks.
I may have to remember this tendency for gold to increase in value when investors get nervous and perhaps purchase a little more gold in the near future.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Consumption junction: the outlet mall
Did any of your mothers tell you that you aren't supposed to buy anything for yourself during the holiday season? Mine did, and it is a pretty good tip. If you buy everything you want, then people don't have anything to get you and you end up with generic gifts that you don't really need.
We all know how difficult it is, though, to put the blinders on when you are at the mall. My suggestion is to look and even try on, but keep your hands off of your wallet/purse. Keep a list of things that you like and let a close friend or spouse know about them. Chances are that others will be asking that person for input on gifts for you.
Okay, so hopefully that helps you limit your spending on yourself during the holiday season, but what if you didn't get everything you wanted, and now you have a handful of gift cards or cash from grandma to spend?
You can do what we did this year: head to the outlet stores. Not everyone has these close by, but if you are anywhere near a big city, you should have several. If you've never been, outlet malls are similar to regular malls and have most of the same stores, but usually bigger and more remotely located. In the past, it seemed that the outlet stores were dumping grounds for last year's styles, uncommon sizes and blemished merchandise. This can be true, to an extent, but these days so many people are looking for deals at outlet malls that the retailers started mixing in the new and good stuff, too (at full price). As a result, you have to be careful to make sure that don't end up driving 50 miles to buy a new sweater for the same price as you could have got it from a local store.
Here are the tips my wife and I came up with after our visit.
- Don't go too frequently if they are out of the way (consider gas and time costs)
- Look for deals as many prices are the same as at the regular retail store
- Make sure that the inexpensive items aren't irregular or damaged
- Check return policies...sometimes you have to return to the outlet
- Comparison shop ....Leah found a pretty good deal on a pair of shoes at one store, but kept looking and found them at another shop for $10 less
- Go with a list!
For me, the best of these tips is the last one. It is too easy to convince oneself to buy something because the price is just "too good to pass up." I passed up a $15 sweater that I thought I wouldn't wear nearly as often as the $30 sweater that I'm wearing today. My clothes shopping list isn't actually something that I write-up for each trip, either. I started a list last year of what I think constitutes a complete wardrobe for me and I'm still trying to fill it. Eventually I hope to get to the point of only having to shop for replacements when things wear out.
How did I do? I bought 2 nice new merino wool sweaters and 2 new polo shirts for about $80, all of which was on my wardrobe "need" list. Definitely a savings over what I would have spent locally.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Article: Capital Ideas
Wow, what an odd coincidence. The article that Matt just posted about was also sent to me by my sister and I wrote a similar "how I stack up versus the rules" article, I thought it would be cool to have both of our articles, so here is mine:
My sister sent me this article recently that I thought was interesting:
Capital Ideas
I thought the article was really interesting since it gave some guidelines for where you should be financially. I thought I would summarize the guidelines in the article and see how I'm doing relative to them.
"$10,000 is now about the average credit-card debt per household, according to cardtrak.com."
How Am I Doing?
I'm doing great here, credit card debt is 0.
"At 30, you should have your highest levels of debt (including mortgage, student loans and credit cards) to earnings, with total debt double your annual earnings. As you age, that figure should get smaller, and stay below 1:8. At the age of 45, debts should equal your annual salary."
How Am I Doing?
Since I'm sort of half way between 30 and 45, so I guess following the guideline would imply that I should have about 1.5 times my annual salary in debt. Assuming that since I'm married I should consider total household salary, then my calculations say that my debt to income ratio is almost exactly 1:1, so it sounds like I'm a bit ahead of schedule there.
"You should also aim to be saving 12 percent of your income annually, and the savings you amass should exceed your annual income in your 30s, says Farrell. By the time you are 40, you should have 1.7 times your income stashed away for retirement, and by 50, aim for three times your earnings."
How Am I Doing?
My wife and I actually save more like 15-20 percent of our salaries. It says that by the time you are 40 you should have 1.7 times your income stashed away for retirement. Currently my wife and I have about 1.85 times our salary in retirement accounts, so it looks like we're ahead of schedule there.
"Lenders (at least the sensible ones) like to see borrowers keep their housing expenses—including mortgage payments, insurance and property taxes—to 28 percent of gross income."
How Am I Doing?
I think a rough estimate is that our total mortgage, insurance and property taxes are about 10% of our gross income.
It looks like according to this article my wife and I are living a pretty savings heavy lifestyle. It looks like we're ahead of schedule as far as our savings and that our cash flow situation looks pretty good.
In fact my stats would look even better if the stock market hadn't taken such a beating in the last month or so.
Modern financial rules of thumb.
By now most everyone knows WHAT they should be doing financially; things like watching your spending and saving for retirement. The questions that arise usually center around HOW MUCH?
Am I saving enough for retirement and how does my nest egg look so far?
Am I carrying too much debt?
These are the kinds of things that can be explored in-depth with complicated financial spreadsheets, but most people aren't that interested. If you want a quick rule of thumb, check out the Newsweek article a friend of mine passed along. I thought it would be fun to see where I stacked up.
Household income: I learned from the article that our household income is safely above average, although I don't think that people should really be that concerned about where their income is compared to other people's. It is more important to make sure that your spending is appropriate for whatever income you have. At least the article didn't list an arbitrary income goal, although they did mention an outdated rule of thumb that suggested your income in thousands should equal your age.
Minimize credit card debt: We pay off our full credit card balance every month, but I didn't take any pleasure from learning that that put us $10,000 ahead of the average US household. It is more than a little scary to think that so many people owe that much on credit cards.
Debt equal to twice earnings by age 30: I was amused to read that age thirty is supposed to be the debt high-water mark. That was probably right about the age where I finally got back to absolutely ZERO debt after paying off my student loans and car (and before buying a house). Our current debt is WAY past the "double our earnings" mark, but only until we sell our previous house. After that, we should be about on track as the mortgage on our current house is the only debt we will have. The article recommends getting to zero debt by age 65, but I hope we beat that deadline!
Saving 12% of income: check. I got there a year or two ago and just bumped up to 15% in 2007. That's probably a good thing as my retirement account only surpassed my income less than six months ago. I'll probably need the extra boost if I'm going to get to 1.7x by the time I'm forty (I'm 36 now).
Housing expenses below 28% income: Not currently; that darn second mortgage payment again, but we should fall under the wire after selling the house and paying it off.
The eat and sleep test: This was a quaint little idea, although I have to point out that you can eat well and sleep well; you just have to put them both near the top of your priority list. And shouldn't they be?
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Energy budget leveling
Paul wrote a post about budgets previously, but I just wanted to share one more bit of information that can make the budgeting process easier.
From Paul's post:
After a while I discovered that many of my utilities varied, but only a little each month (like my phone bill). Once I realized this I included the average amount as an expense in my budget and if my bill was less than the average one month I'd add the extra into my surplus and if it was more I'd subtract it.Great idea, Paul. But our readers might point out that one category of utilities varies by more than just a little. If you're thinking "yeah, energy bills", then I feel your pain. The monthly gas bill in our last home went from the $20/month range in the summer to the $200/month range in the winter. That's an order of magnitude change! Having a nice cash reserve in savings keeps us from having to worry in months when our spending goes up, but if you need more stable expenses, check with your utility companies to see what kind of billing programs they offer.
Our electricity provider provides a couple of different options for paying an average payment each month, as does the local gas company. Check them out!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Catching up from holiday spending
Happy New Year, readers!
I hope everyone is ready to get back to Frugalizing in 2008 and that you didn't miss us TOO much as we took some time off for the holidays. Let me tell you, it was a bad time to be posting anyway. I think any advice I could have given for saving money last month would have felt hypocritical, as we had a huge spending month at our house. There were the usual gift expenditures, sure, but we are also still getting little small things here and there for the new house.
One small thing we still need: fireplace tools. We've had gas-only fireplaces in our last few houses, so we didn't think about them until our furnace went out on Christmas Day and we tried to tend to burning logs with our BBQ tools! We were trying to save on the furnace repair bill by not calling someone out on the holiday and paying triple-overtime, but if I had only known then what I know now, I could have saved even more (and not scuffed up our spatula).
Apparently there is a simple part called an ignitor in gas furnaces that burns out every three to four years. The furnace repairman that came December 26th spent about three minutes pulling out the old one and putting in a replacement (no tools and just one wire to disconnect). Total bill: $163. I might try to get the jump on it burning out again by picking up a spare ignitor at a local appliance parts store (the same one that sold me parts to side vent my dryer, incidentally) that sells them for $50 to $60.
That unexpected expense was actually more painful than a much larger one that we had planned for that same day. We finally got our attic and crawlspace insulation installed! I have a detailed write-up in the works, but I'm waiting to see how much incentive money we get back from Energy Trust. Stay tuned....just a little while longer!
Oh yeah, and our old house hasn't sold yet (RMLS#8000353, in case you know someone who is looking), so we're still making double mortgage payments. (Sigh) But, just like in 2007, we're still doing our best on a daily basis to try to save money on the things we do decide to buy, so keep reading. We'll share whatever tips we can!
Article: Retirement Plan Interrupted
An interesting article on CNN Money about how stretching your housing expenses too far can put you in a tight situation:
Retirement Plan Interrupted.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
Hi Everyone,
Happy 2008! I'm back from the holidays and eager to tackle 2008.
As I mentioned in a previous article "Adviser Or Not", 2008 is going to be a year where I handle all of my financial decisions myself.
I'm excited to see how this effects my household net worth. My basic goals for the year are:
1) Don't chase returns - by this I just mean that I plan to avoid the idea of trying to move your money around a lot hoping to chase "the latest thing".
2) Save, save, save - I also hope to continue to save a lot of money. I've got this idea kicking around that maybe I need to worry less about making great returns on my investments and worry more about saving so that I have more to invest. The idea is that maybe I can save $500 and find a risky investment that might return 8%, but maybe with some work I can save $1000 and find a safer investment that will return 4%. This is something new I've been thinking about and it will probably comprise a post of its own, but I thought I'd mention it.
3) Invest smart - by this I want to really try to take the time to ask myself "What am I investing this for?". My hope is that by answering this question I'll be able to make better decisions in my investments.
Well, more posts to come, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. Are there any readers out there with financial resolutions for 2008 that they would like to share?


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When: Sat., Aug. 31, 6-9 p.m. 2013
Not for kids but utterly hilarious, Lisa Hanawalt's cartoons are the definition of high art meeting low art. The technique is visible, the colors and tones are sublime ... and the content is often scatological and absurd. And it's awesome. The closest to a safe-for-work piece by her online is her hilarious prose-and-pictures review of the War Horse film (Google it), though you may have already seen her work in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Vice, The Believer and other prestigious publications. You can enjoy it in your own home with her new collection My Dirty Dumb Eyes from Drawn & Quarterly, publisher of Daniel Clowes, Art Spiegelman and others. Check out Hanawalt's work and meet her in person at this signing; we assure you she's nicer than her work would suggest. Joining her is Brian Ralph, whose new graphic novel Reggie-12 is considerably more kid-friendly. It parodies the classic manga Astro Boy in its tale of an overly enthusiastic heroic robot, and will be available ahead of its planned publication date at this signing. —Zack Smith


text:
Cabin Fever has a premise that it is difficult to think can be screwed up involving a bunch of young leads undergoing extremely gory meltdowns all peppered with a series of amusingly sarcastic genre in-jokes. So it is hard to figure out why both of the sequels and the remake fall short of this by a wide margin. What strikes you about Cabin Fever: Patient Zero is how little it does to spin the premise out in any way all that we have is an overtly familiar slasher movie standard of a group of young people partying, drinking and having sex on a desert island before they start melting down. There is not a huge amount more that the film has to it than that and certainly little is made out of the patient zero idea.
Kaare Andrews showed some promise as a director in Altitude but seems to have ignored most of that in favour of turning out a generic gore film. Certainly, what must be said about Patient Zero is that it has a better array of gore effects than Spring Fever did. There is a worthwhile scene where Jillian Murray lies back in a tent, complaining of the burns she picked up while swimming and boyfriend Brandon Eaton goes down on her only to come back up with his face covered in blood. It is during the latter third, particularly the last fifteen minutes, that the film picks up noticeably, chiefly because Kaare Andrews goes for broke in the gore department people with faces eaten away and jaws hanging off; blood being vomited; heads being battered in and so on. The highlight is a scene where Jillian Murray and Lydia Hearst engage in a catfight that involves them tearing one another apart.
(Nominee for Best Makeup Effects at this sites Best of 2014 Awards).
Trailer here:-


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Worldwide Sales Agents/company wanted, excellent commission
Ngân sách $3000-5000 USD
This is a very exciting Worldwide Sales Job for us and maybe you too.
Following the launch and the highly successful sales of the Investment Land for Sale at Wickford Park, near London. Target Land [[url removed, login to view]] are looking to expand its sales to a worldwide audiance.
We have a great opportunity for a Business Development Manager/Company who will be handling our sales Worldwide. This is a pay for performance opportunity with high commissions paid for top performers. We are seeking Agents that can provide CLOSED deals, not prospects. You must be able to close the deal.
You should be confident to organise and set up Sales Agents offering our land for sale. You will be there to guide, coach and mentor the sales teams, maintaining interaction with clients and overseeing sales activities, putting the client first with complete respect and transparency. You will reporting to senior stakeholders, including the Managing Director and other members of Knox Horizons [[url removed, login to view]].
Your Personal/Company Requirements
* Personal & Interpersonal Skills
* Negotiating and sales methods/skills
* Cross border/Wordwide sales experience is a must
* Minimum of five years Business Development experience
* Investment/Banking/Property or parallel industry experience
* To be a proficient computer user is a must, this will help us both
* Comfortable engaging with and presenting to high net worth individuals
* A minimum of five years proven track record of working within a target driven, sales and marketing environment.
Proven Sales ability including outstanding negotiation skills, persuasive and excellent communication skills at all [url removed, login to view] will be focused primarily on the generation and development of new business relationships with key investment players Worldwide. The primary focus of the role will be to grow revenue streams, as well as manage current and new client relationships and portfolios, you will be working from your own premises.
Breakdown of Responsibilities:
This will include advertising for clients, contacting client, educating client on the land for sale, collecting payment information, getting agreement signed with the client, and having client forward essential documentation to our legal department.
Our legal team will process all payments, process sale, distribute to the registered authorities, then follow up with a welcome call, fulfilling the services outlined in our Service Agreement.
If you believe that you have the expertise to apply for this position, please send a detailed CV/business proposal directed at this job.
Enclosed is a booklet on the Land for Sale at Wickford Park.
We look forward to your replies.
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Winnie Cooper as You've Never Seen Her Before
Little Winnie Cooper from "The Wonder Years" isn't so little anymore!
Danica McKellar is now 38-years-old and looking sexier than ever. The actress was spotted on the set of Avril Lavigne's new music video for her single "Rock N Roll" in Palmdale on Thursday in an unexpected ensemble.


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2017 Camp Staff
June 2018
Excellence Through Fundamentals Soccer Camp III06/24/2018 - 06/28/2018 ~ Sunday - Thursday Registration Ends: 06/28/2018$237.95 - $547.95 | Birmingham-Southern College 900 Arkadelphia Rd, Birmingham, AL 35254
Male & Female Ages: 6-18 Welcome
Welcome to the Excellence Through Fundamentals Soccer Camp at Birmingham-Southern College!
Our 33rd Year! Join us to see what makes our camp unique. With a focus on training and not just games, we work to enhance the technical and tactical I.Q. of our campers in a fun, hard-working week of training.
Our camps are open to male and female, and are geared for individuals and teams, with separate goalkeeper training at each session.
Our camps are directed and instructed by our BSC Men's and Women's coaches as well as current and former BSC players.
$237.95 Partial Day (Cost includes $7.95 processing fee) Ages 6-9
$437.95 Full Day (Cost includes $7.95 processing fee) Ages 9-18
$547.95 Residential (Cost includes $7.95 processing fee) Ages 10-18
Includes meals, camp shirt, and camp ball.
Camp Highlights
Separate Goalkeeper Training
Team Training available
Hand-written evaluation
Limited enrollment for proper ratio of camper to instructor
All you can eat lunch in cafeteria
3 v 3 Tournament & GK Wars
Technical and Tactical sessions that build on the day before
Small-sided evening games to maximize touches on the ball
**NEW Partial Day Option for 6-9 year olds**
Male and Female
Our Partial-Day option introduces our younger players to the essence of the Excellence Through Fundamentals Soccer Camp before they transition to our full schedule.
09:00am-11:30am ... Morning Session
11:30am ... Lunch
12:30pm-02:00pm ... Afternoon Session / Games
09:00am 11:15am ... 3 v 3 tournament / Goalkeeper Wars
11:30am-11:45am ... Closing Ceremony
11:45am ... Camp dismissed
Greg Vinson - Camp Director
David Di Piazza - Associate Camp Director
Sean McBride - Associate Camp Director
Joe Nasco - Assistant Camp Director/GK Director
Katelyn Geddings - Assistant Camp Director
Camp Counselors are men's and women's soccer players and former players from Birmingham-Southern College.
Miscellaneous Information
Deposit Information
Contact Information
For questions or more information regarding the Excellence Through Fundamentals Soccer Camp at Birmingham-Southern College, please contact Camp Director, Greg Vinson, at firstname.lastname@example.com or 205.602.0240
Please check your email regularly as this is our primary way we communicate. Any additional information that we need to convey as the camp draws closer will be passed on to you via the e-mail address that you supplied when you signed up for camp. Please make it a habit to check your e-mail daily, since this will eliminate any confusion and or miscommunication.


text:
Share the CARE! Thank you for putting your trust in us! A friend of a friend is someone we would like to know. If a friends of yours has roofing, siding and/or gutters/downspouts problems, earn valuable credits simply by referring your friends, family members or business associates to us.
Check us on Facebook to see how you can get it.


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Friday, May 25, 2007
Chemtrials of Chemtrails
Chemtrail aerosol fibers enlarged 60X above
"Polymer chemist Dr. R. Michael Castle has studied atmospheric polymers for years. He has found that some of them contain bioactive materials, which can cause "serious skin lesions and diseases when absorbed into the skin." He has identified microscopic polymers comprised of genetically-engineered fungal forms mutated with viruses. He says that trillions of fusarium (fungus)/virus mutated spores), which secrete a powerful mico-toxin, are part of the air we breathe."
Amy Worthington GlobalResearch.com
Acts 2:19
And I will show wonders in the sky above and signs on
the earth beneath, blood and fire and smoking vapor;
Joel 2:30
And I will show signs and wonders in the heavens, and
on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
Daniel 6:27
He is a Savior and Deliverer, and He works signs and
wonders in the heavens and on the earth--He Who has
delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
CHEMTRIALS of CHEMTRAILS
by Richard G. White [(c) May 11 2006]
I am not really a conspiracy theorist although I like
reading some of the paranoid writings to humor myself,
I am a FACT man over theories and do take the time
to rule things out unless they have so much evidence
to back up its claims. Unlike Evolution which still to
this day has never been proved scientifically but is
still taught to children as fact which I do not get.
How can a theory be ever fact. Theories are only
speculations but that is another topic :0).
I came across this discussion on "Chemtrails" in a
Forum I usually attend because the forums are good for chock full of
nuts and bolts with goodies to write about and topics
of curiosity to discuss to keep in practice :0)
Plus they have quite a bit of theories to investigate
and I like to investigate theories to see if they can be true. Since I finally
surrendered to Jesus Alone and HE revealed Himself to
me Alone, my new favorite past time is to Study His
Word and Study everything that surrounds Him and His
Word including His Prophecies that came to Pass and
the ones to come. And staying in tune with daily news,
not the American media or mainstream who is truly
owned by the spirit of the AC, but the ones who really
are out to show the truth risking their lives or the
ones who strive for righteousness :0).
But when I come across a link given to me that really
is amazing, like God said to Ezekiel in Ch 3, I must
warn or at least tell people about these discoveries
and certain truths especially topics that seem to back up Scripture.
Isaiah 48:6
You have heard [these things foretold], now you see
this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it?
I show you specified new things from this time forth,
even hidden things [kept in reserve] which you have
not known.
"Chem-trails"" is not a new theory and if you are
paying attention you see them everyday in the horizon
and even at night when the moon is bright. Now many of
people think they are harmless and the EPA reports
tell the public they are safe and they disappear into
the atmosphere with real no harmful effects so do not
be alarmed the Government says, but when Chemist's and
Scientist's are out reporting these effects to be
harmful and seem to be effecting the weather, the
media is swaying the public and is only talking about
"global warming" like their main Prophet desperate to
be President AL GORE. Those against the Global Warming
theory seem to be considered "crazy's" or "disturbed"
and are those out to sell books to better there lucrative
lifestyle which seems logical. The so called intelligent society who seem to set the standards
have also the same motivation save that there are not "Crazy's but experts.
This is America and everyone wants the piece of the pie right? Even if it
misleads right? I think the Ninth commandment
needs to be practiced just to be safe so honesty will be the norm (chuckles) :0)
Now I must be a "crazy" because I do not believe the Global Warming Theory
either. It seems more logical to me that these Global
Warming false prophets are behind this ""Chem-trail"
pollution Effect" to mass produce their incomes in health care and personal agena
and really create an illusion of Global Warming to depopulate the earth as the Georgia Guidestones portray in its Ten new age Commandments. Abortion is one solution to them but it is not good and quick enough.
They are creating this hysteria to unite the World to it's global agendas leading
everyone astray with this non Scientific but
pseudo-scientific theory. Global warming is not
observable science as they tell you. But one thing we
do know is that ""Chem-trails"" are being made
rapidly, 24 hours a day and with all the evidence
these "Wacko's" or "mad Jesus believing Scientist's"
they are really doing what they are claiming, even to
the point of spreading bio disease into the
atmosphere. The Metallic substance can even create
like a plasma TV screen in the sky some say to even
create a fake rapture and make it seem to effect weather patterns. It also creates the illusion according to these Scientist's of a tempature change or degree.
2 Thessalonians 2:11
Therefore God sends upon them a misleading influence,
a working of error and a strong delusion to make them
believe what is false,
So I have provided you all on-line these Links for you
to observe and consider what these theorist's have to
offer. I for one for now seem convinced and now am
trying to explain it away but I cannot due to The
Scriptures I have provided which seem to back up these
And the Pictures are really head scratching
The Site I have provided is a non religious site,
maybe a new age site but all in all the Pictures seem
convincing enough. Plus you get to wipe away all the
UFO myths as well when you see the Drones that have
been around since the mass hysteria of the Ufologist
came to false prophecy their claims.
I also provided the Hidden elite's agenda from their
Georgia Guidestone's which are also nicknamed the
"American Stonehenge" and see for yourselves the
motivation of the Shadow Elite as they are
called or those with hidden agendas we "crazys" seem to theorise about
I do not think it is coincidence.
Mark 4:22
[ Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to
revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be
revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret
except in order that it may be made known.
Psalm 83:3
They lay crafty schemes against Your people and
consult together against Your hidden and precious one
1 Corinthians 2:10
Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and
through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches
diligently, exploring and examining everything, even
sounding the profound and bottomless things of God
[the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond
man's scrutiny].
Revelation 10:7
But that when the days come when the trumpet call of
the seventh angel is about to be sounded, then God's
mystery (His secret design, His hidden purpose), as He
had announced the glad tidings to His servants the
prophets, should be fulfilled (accomplished,
God bless you and keep Seeking Him daily.
Posted by Richard W. at 5:28 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: Weird
Mohammed, prophet or liar?
Hello everyone,
just reporting the nonsense, challenging them, and bringing my thoughts and commentaries to you all whether I am wrong or right. I hope that I am right and never wrong but I am only human and I need Jesus. So I pray the Holy Spirit speaks through these words that I share with you.
Warning: writer is finite and could have a margin of error LOL and may be offensive to Islam to wake them up to the true reality of the Good news, but for the Holy Spirit it is impossible, He is never wrong or in error. RW
Moses, Jesus 'really prophets of Islam' (www.WND.com)
According to a chief Palestinian Justice and one of the most influential Muslim leaders in Israel, the Jewish Temples never existed, the Western Wall really was a tying post for Muhammad's horse, the Al Aqsa Mosque was built by angels, and Abraham, Moses and Jesus were prophets for Islam. Sheikh Taysir Tamimi, who preaches regularly from the Al Aqsa Mosque, claims Jews have no historical connection to Jerusalem or Israel SEE LINK FOR FULL STORY HERE :
Mohammed, prophet or liar.
by Richard White. (C)2007
The Islamist's be of the opinion that we Christians and westerners must be really unintelligent and uneducated which seems to be offensive but basically it moves myself to laughter and moves me as well to pray for these condemned souls daily that are perishing willingly (see John 3:18). In the above News brief article I added to this Blog, I am just beside myself witnessing the down right dumb downed fallacies that Islamist's must feed to their converts to continue to dissuade them from seeking truth and history on their own. Their repetitive lies resemble a 2 to a 9 year old child's imagination and it is the whole of the FALSE religion and it marvels me that these humans are actually fighting a "Jihad" for a proven lie written by an illiterate man. (If you are into the false hood of "Relativism" you would think I am too harsh but I must tell (The Truth) that stands out so plainly. Please "Relativist" learn to study fact that surrounds you.)
With the help of the father of lies who appeared to him as Gabriel he claimed , Mohammed's imaginary ISLAM religion created so many more brain dead people that it is a wonder today that they all continue to believe all these lies for the hundreds of years they did when the evidence and history of this foolish man made system proves that there religion is false and keeps them in bondage forbidding them to freely leave it if they wanted to. Why is it repetitive that too many disturbed people find a new enlightenment quite frequently in caves, in the forest, or on a mountain top etc. by an angel of light to guide them when all they really have to do is pick up a copy of the BOOK (BIBLE) and read it seriously and then they will see the errors and challenge them once they really set out to read the Sacred Scriptures. All 66 Books of them. And the sad part is in most of these religions or cults, like Islam they would be put to death for blasphemy if converts were released by the real God and Savior Christ Jesus. The Bible is the only book Living and God's word proves this.
2 Timothy 3:16
Every Scripture (of the 66 books of the Bible) is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action),
Those that take this advice seriously will find out that their Religion, especially Islam, is false and they come to reality and see JESUS as our real reality with the Holy Spirit's counsel, The real Godman and our wonderful amazing Savior who deserves all the Glory and praise alone AMEN? The Name above all names. The ONE who said:
Matthew 11:29-30 (Amplified Bible)
29Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
30For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
Mohammeds Uncle ABU LAHAB knew (the self appointed prophet) was touched in the head after his parents tragically died and his Uncle taught him the trade and hard work of caravan trading in the hot desert. Mohammed knew that the desert was hot as well and created mirages and if one does not follow the saftey of this trade and the natural laws of the desert he could become a little mad with illusion. It also seems Mohammed kept getting into Uncle Abu's secret stash of Alcohol and Opium and while being in the desert he got in touch (with Jim Morrison of the doors?) No. He enhanced his trompe l'oeil because you know what happens when you play with Sorcery especially in the hot desert. Demons as well had a hey day with the Arabs and the desert dwellers especially Mohammed during these changing times of during 600AD especially those that smoked that desert poppy mixed with the fermented wine. Uncle Abu Lahab knew Mohammed was self-deceptive from smoking or eating so much opium and drinking his fermented wine that it made Mohammed over imaginative and he must of told Mohammed to discontinue his juvenile deportment and behave like a rational Arab in whichseems Mohammed in turn pronounced this quatrain to his followers in a child like tantrum rage in the Koran SURA 111-ABU LAHAB:
"Let the hands of ABU LAHAB perish, and let himself perish! His wealth and his gains shall avail him not. Burned shall he be at the fiery flame--and his wife laden with fire wood-- On her neck a rope of palm fibre.
How can this be righteous man prophet of God commanding the death of his Uncle because his Uncle knew him personally and raised him from Childhood?. To add more to this head scratcher, Mohammed had his scribe write his informal hissy fit in a so called holy book and claimed it a holy message? Show me in Scripture where a True prophet of the Most High God spoke words of these and in a context like this and after said thus saith the Lord.
Does Mohammed sound like a true man of the real God he thinks is named allah? Of course a thousand million times NO. God never ever identified himself with the name Allah at all.
When the Prophet Moses ask God:
Exodus 3:13-14
And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?
And God said to Moses, I AM (hayah) WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!(shalach)
God may have quoted the phrase "The One to be worshipped" in which in aramic (elowah, allah) the word really means by Islamic definition but never called Himself Allah the diety. In Hebrew (which is very similiar to the Arabic language) the word or phrase "Alah" means "I will ascend" or "ascend". (thanks Jeffery A. Manty ).
The BIG True God who created the whole UNIVERSE and our world never had to "Ascend,(Alah)" or claim "he is the deity" anywhere as His name says He always Was. "Hiyah Adonay" who was and is and is to come.
The TRUE GOD always called himself "I AM" as I wrotebefore above . The words "i am" occur in 808 times in Scripture including 337 exact phrase (I AM) matches in (All 66 books of His true Word).
"I Am" means in HEB "Hayah" - was, come to pass, came, has been, were happened, become, pertained, better for thee; (there is alot more but you get the idea).
And He always stated all throughout Scripture in the OT and the NT:
1. I AM the LORD, Hayah Adonay, Yahovah (Jahovah), Yehovih (Jahovih), gr (eimi).
2 I AM your GOD, 'El, Elowahh (ImmanuEL), Elohiym (Judge), (Aramiac) 'elahh, ( GR ( Eimi pneuma=Spirit
3. I AM your Creator. heb( Bara'), gr ( Eimi ktizo, ktistes)
And Jews, Christians and all non ISLAMIC Arabs and anyone else who like facts alike agree on this and those who keep to what the words means in normal linguistics evidently.
GOD (EL) has Always been called this since the beginning of time even with the first human.
El always follows what HE did or His actions. Halleujah.
But Islamist still contend that His name is Allah (I will ascend in Heb) and they say we all believe in the same God, whereas we do not at all as the evidence above has shown throughout the milleniums. True Christians and orthodox Jews never called HIM "Allah" and if they do so they are sleeping to the facts.
If you want more to understand how they portray his name with the lies mixed between here is the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam
Now as you have read this article blog, go ahead and start an investigation into this matter to defend the Scripture we know is God's word and is a fact and seek out His Wisdom in all these things as well as all things. (Acts 17:11)
Pro 25:2 [It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.
As Psalm 1: 2 says:
But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Lastly as Isaiah 1:18 says:
Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord.
May God richly bless you all with HIS Wisdom
*All Scriptures quoted from the Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. ( which I really like because it gives you the Gr. Heb. as well as the Septuagint etc.) RW
*The Koran Quotes from The Koran by J.M. Rodwell M.A., London J.M Dent & Sons LTD New York E. P. Dutton & CO Inc RW
*See and buy Jeffery A. Manty's book "The Prophecy Code" and check out his website at this link here @
LIONS ROAR REPORT (Amos 3:8)
Posted by Richard W. at 1:10 AM 2 comments: Links to this post
Labels: News brief + Article
Thursday, May 24, 2007
There is only Two Religions in this whole world.
FACT: There is only two religions in this world.
1. The "I" Religion
I live a good life
I keep the Ten Commandments
I go to church
I don't have to read the Bible or go to Church
I love my neighbor
I become my own savior
I say "It is between me and God".
I am and we all are part of the same plan.
I and everyone goes to heaven.
I am and inner cog in the godhood etc.
I am a good person
I do not have to trust Jesus for my Salvation
Your viewpoint here, fill in the blank ____________.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but his own way leads to death. (His or her Chosen eternity)
(Proverbs 16:25)
2. The Cross.
Declare complete spiritual Bankruptcy
Trust in JESUS for your Salvation alone.
Jesus said to him, I am the (only) Way and the (only) Truth and the (only) Life; NO ONE comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
(John 14:6)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.(Matt 16:24)
Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.(John 3:18)
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers(drug abusers), and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
Nobody stands under the wrath of God, save those who have chosen to
do so. Hell is not a place created by God bent on getting even, but the alienation we choose for ourselves. We are in fact the sum total of our choices. All in hell chose it who deliberately pushed God out of
there thinking and they were WARNED. So those who chose to live for themselves and not for God chose their own consequences and madness.
God confirms our choice.
By RW (inspiried by David Wergener)
1. The "I" Religion
I live a good life
I keep the Ten Commandments
I go to church
I don't have to read the Bible or go to Church
I love my neighbor
I become my own savior
I say "It is between me and God".
I am and we all are part of the same plan.
I and everyone goes to heaven.
I am and inner cog in the godhood etc.
I am a good person
I do not have to trust Jesus for my Salvation
Your viewpoint here, fill in the blank ____________.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but his own way leads to death. (His or her Chosen eternity)
(Proverbs 16:25)
2. The Cross.
Declare complete spiritual Bankruptcy
Trust in JESUS for your Salvation alone.
Jesus said to him, I am the (only) Way and the (only) Truth and the (only) Life; NO ONE comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
(John 14:6)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.(Matt 16:24)
Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.(John 3:18)
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers(drug abusers), and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
Nobody stands under the wrath of God, save those who have chosen to
do so. Hell is not a place created by God bent on getting even, but the alienation we choose for ourselves. We are in fact the sum total of our choices. All in hell chose it who deliberately pushed God out of
there thinking and they were WARNED. So those who chose to live for themselves and not for God chose their own consequences and madness.
God confirms our choice.
By RW (inspiried by David Wergener)
Posted by Richard W. at 11:32 PM No comments: Links to this post
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text:
I've read a bunch of her other books, some I really liked, some less than others. This is her newest and I loved it. It was not a very long book and it was a quick read. By the way, this was our choice for my new two person book club. We'll be discussing it next week.
The main character, Henry, is a fiftysomething gay man living in Manhattan. Years ago he'd been married to a woman with a very young child, whom he adopted. A few years later when they split up and she remarried, he allowed her new husband to adopt the daughter and gave up his parental rights. Now, thirty something years later he still feels deeply sad about it. Coincidences occur and the long lost daughter is back in his life. Her name is Thalia (a name I particularly don't care for so every time I read it I found it jarring) and she is an aspiring actress. Thalia quickly becomes a part of Henry's life and they all get caught up in the wild and crazy acting job Thalia gets–posing as a minor celebrity's girlfriend to get photos of him into tabloids and stir up publicity.
The whole thing was just charming and funny and delightful. Thalia's mother, Denise, is an awful woman, but so clueless in the things she says that it just comes across as funny. Henry's blossoming romance with a friend of Denise's is very sweet and I appreciated that there was no conflict there.
Although the story was in no way a mystery you wanted to keep reading to find out how things would be resolved and how things were connected. It was heartily satisfying.


text:
- Thérèse-Anne Druart has posted the latest of her annual Bibliographical Guides in Medieval Islamic Philosophy and Theology. Links to the whole series are here.
- A conference in Germany: Mystik im Mittelalter: Gegensatz oder Vollendung der Vernunft? (7. Symposium zur Philosophie des Mittelalters) Leibnitz Universität Hannover, 25-27 February 2014. See details here.
- A conference in England: ROBERT GROSSETESTE AND THE PURSUIT OF RELIGIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC LEARNING IN THE MIDDLE-AGES (July 18th – 20th 2014) Bishop Grosseteste University (Lincoln, UK). CFP Deadline February 10. Details here.
- A seminar in the U.S.: There's an NEH summer institute this year on Medieval Political Philosophy, at Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA), June 16-July 11. Details here. These NEH programs are intended for faculty, although there are usually a few slots for graduate students as well. To be eligible you must teach at an American university. I might add that these NEH summer programs are quite a nice deal: all expenses paid, plus a stipend, and with plenty of time built-in to work on one's own research. (I might also add that I am myself putting together a proposal to run an NEH Institute in Summer 2015, in Boulder, on the relationship between "medieval" and "early modern" philosophy.)


text:
Lauren is the perfect combination of classic girl and up-to-the-moment trend setter. Theres not a girl alive who wouldnt want a little of her style magic! (- Ann Shoket Editor in Chief, Seventeen Magazine )
Product Description
You've seen Lauren Conrad on TV and red carpets, looking fabulous whether she's going casual for a day with friends or dressed for a night out. Now Lauren reveals how you can adapt her classic, understated style for yourself.
In her first-ever style guide, Lauren offers tips on how to create your own unique look, shares her favorite sources of inspiration, and identifies the absolute must-haves for any fashionista's wardrobe. Along the way, she examines her fashion evolution, from California-casual teen to camera-ready style icon and clothing designer.
From beauty advice and hair secrets to how to shop vintage or find the perfect T-shirt, Lauren Conrad Style unlocks the mysteries of being effortlessly chic. With Lauren's guidance, you'll look and feel stylish every day.


text:
During a live performance on Ellen, Garth is surrounded by an audience mostly of women. As he sings the powerful new song "Mom", many pat their eyes to keep the tears from flowing. And how could they not? Some of the lyrics are as follows… "So hush now baby, don't you cry – 'cause there's someone down there waiting whose only goal in life – is making sure you're always gonna be alright. A loving angel tender, tough and strong – it's almost time to go and meet your mom."
There is no one more special in a child's life than their Mom. This song is a reminder of how incredible a Mom is, and how thankful we must be for all that she does to keep us safe, happy, and healthy. Please enjoy this performance by Garth Brooks – but like we said, grab those tissues first.
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text:
|La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la....
Nothin' wrong with a little love on Valentine's Day.
But there's love, and life, and culture, and politics. They are all wrapped up together. Below, Suheir Hammad gives an interesting performance of two poems that trace this interrelatedness and show how love can be much deeper than the paternalistic sentimentalism that our culture usually vaunts as the romantic ideal.
To me, Hammad's performance exceeds the poems themselves, yet her articulation is strong and engaging. Her message is one of self-determining power.
More power to you, my spouse and partner. We've got a good love. La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-laaaah.


text:
Re: Johnny Dee Bozarth, Madison County, AL
In reply to:
Johnny Dee Bozarth, Madison County, AL
joe johnnie dee bozarth was my brother in law.i married his younger brother malcolm bozarth.we have been married 43 years. dee never married. he has 2brother,and 2 sisters liveing.james bozarth in nurseing home in al.twim sister ethel parker of huntsville al sister betty hallman of tx.malcolm at new market al.my telephone is 256 851 9239 call collect.dee was 87when he died thanks flossie bozarth


text:
This Serbophobe bigot still has that cracked news release on his website, and he's still defending it. He just doesn't learn. What a dumb-dumb!!!!
There may be enough Orthodox Christians in his district (along with just plain outraged people) to give him the election drubbing he deserves. And wouldn't it be neat if this whole thing results in lots of sympathy for Serbs and Serbia all over the country!!!!
Greenberg's attack is having unintended consequences. What I'm seeing is that this is galvanizing support for Melissa Bean and will inevitably have a positive effect on her campaign.
Greenberg's attack is bigoted and bigotry tends to inspire passionate reactions. I'm proud of Congresswoman Bean for not backing down. It takes a lot of guts to be in public office and actually be sympathetic to the Serbian cause. I'm surprised that Greenberg didn't label her a "Nazi sympathizer".
By the way, it's wonderful to see the responses here in "Free Republic". People here actually seem to be educated about the issues and it's to the great credit of the moderators that they allow a "different" (and thus more fair and just) perspective on the whole "Serbian thing" to see the light of day. Thanks.
A national PAC is needed to slam those anti-Christian and Anti- Serbian candidates, who are still believing the Clinton wag the dog stuff.


text: SNSD Yuri, Seohyun, Sunny, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung Dancing Queen ScreenCaps 22 Saturday Dec 2012 Posted by vlyodhart in SNSD ≈ Leave a comment TagsDancing Queen, Hyoyeon, SNSD, Sooyoung, Sunny, Yuri Hehehe, it's not that I'm lazy to make each post for these girls,,, It's just…. there are really minor screentime for them…. I spot SunYulSic though.. So the complete gallery of SNSD Seohyun, Yuri, Sunny, Sooyoung, and Hyoyeon, just check below okay? 😉 Advertisements Rate this:Like this:Like Loading... Related


text:
Beware the Dino
Here is how I imagine her storyline goes:
It is a beautiful morning, the kind of morning perfect for a wedding. Our heroine steps outside her home in a ruffly wedding dress and pink crinoline, rose bouquet in hand, on her way to the temple to be married to her brown-suit clad fiancé (who never has a name, or personality). Usually cheerfully singing to herself: "I'm going to the temple....to the temple...and eat cupcakes..." What could ruin her perfect day?
Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs with mouths that open and shut, with rows of pointy teeth. Suddenly the bride looks up, and yikes! "Oh no! Dinosaurs! Run!!!" The bride runs as fast as she can in her white satin, all the while shouting to the dinosaur, "I just want to get married! In the temple! And eat cupcakes! Noooo!!!" She meets many creatures in her mad dash, usually butterflies and gazelles, who can never help her escape.
Then with a great chomp, her wedding dreams are ripped to shreds by a hundred pointy teeth. The groom never seems to know what happened to his beloved. And sometimes, if the bride hasn't satisfied the hungry dino, he eats the gazelles and butterflies.
At $30 a pop, we won't be bringing the dinosaur home to be the wrecker of many more weddings. So I thought I better write down the memory, before Hobby Lobby stops selling them :).
2 comments:
I'm pretty sure we have the Dino you mentioned, I used a hobby lobby coupon on it :) and it's one of Ivys favorites right now :) Tyler has had it for a long time and the girls had to have one of their own, to of course, eat unsuspecting bystanders.ReplyDelete
Two things: this linkReplyDelete
there's a weekly %40 coupon there. If you have a smart phone, all you have to do is bookmark the site, and pull it up before you get to the register. The clerk can scan it.
Second: When Molly and Laura were small, they had elaborate adventures with their myriad selection of dolls and animals. One line of dialog has remained in my memory for 20 years. I don't know who the heroine was, but she must have been desperate: "Winnie-the-Pooh.....SAVE ME!!!!"


text:
Nancy Watson has a task on her hands that most would find overwhelming. Over one thousand full boxes of notes and documents sit in her attic, waiting to be sorted through to find a mere handful of papers. The strange part? She loves her work.
Pitt's Dick Thornburgh Archives house nearly all of the former Pennsylvania governor's personal and professional paperwork; from his time as an undergrad at Yale to his prominent role in the Three Mile Island fiasco, most of his documented life is in Watson's hands. In remembrance of the 30th anniversary of the meltdown, she has prepared an informative display for the Hillman Library at Pitt. Included in the showcase will be newspaper clippings, personal memos to staff members, wire stories to the state Capitol, and many other items from the time of the accident. Watson says Thornburgh had one of the most central roles in the entire incident. "The federal government was involved, political figures and mayors of nearby towns were involved, the company that owned the plant was involved... but the decision making, and the need to convey the news to the public... really fell to him."
Watson says there is an entire generation of young people around today that may know nothing about the Three Mile Island accident -- though it affects them more than they might know. "There were no licenses given out subsequently... The threat and the concern for safety just closed down the subject of creating and building more nuclear plants." But now that stigma is fading, however slowly, and the possibility of using nuclear energy is becoming more and more promising. Watson says if we do choose to use nuclear energy in America, we can and should take a lesson from what happened at Three Mile Island. "It has exacted caution about the safety of nuclear plants in a way that I think would not have been true if Three Mile Island had not happened," says Watson. Anyone interested in viewing Watson's display should head to the Hillman Library at Pitt, where it will be showing for the next few months.
Listen to NPR's coverage of the 30th anniversary.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Pitt Library Showcases Three Mile Island Documents
Posted by wduqnews at 11:30 AM
Labels: Nuclear Power, Pitt, Three Mile Island
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