Moving without a Driver’s License

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

You will need to use alternate transportation if you cannot enlist the help of friends or family.//Photo courtesy of alvimann-Morguefile.com

Naturally, if you have a suspended driver’s license you will be unable to relocate your belongings to another city without having a trusted family member or friend drive your moving van. There is the option of hiring a moving company to transport your belongings but that can be rather expensive. If neither of these things are an option, then you will need to consider a final alternative to relocating with a suspended driver’s license. It involves placing your belongings into a storage unit and moving with only what you can transport via bus or plane.

  • Research the various storage units available to you locally. Keep your eye out for “move-in” specials and other attractive deals for new customers. Pick one based on price, location, and other things like lease terms. You will need to decide if you want a month-to-month contract or a lease like 6 months. You will also need to save about $200 to $500 in spendable income to help set certain things up in your new residence.
  • Begin moving your belongings into the storage unit with the help of friends and family.
  • Pack the things you will need once you move into your new location into your large bag. Things to include are important papers, identifications, contact information for all of your creditors including utility companies for your current residence and your future one, laptop, peripherals, and other electronics, and clothing to last one week for both business and personal use.
  • Move to your new residence and use the spendable cash to purchase things like plates, utensils, a lamp and other low cost household items you can obtain at second hand stores like Goodwill, Value Village or garage and yard sales. The largest item you may need to spend money on would be a good quality air mattress or a used mattress until you can figure out how to move the rest of your belongings.

Consider pairing down your items by hosting a garage or yard sale or sell your items on classifieds like Craigslist before moving the belongings into a storage unit. You could also mail items such as clothing and or bedding to your new residence approximately one week prior to your move. You can adjust the days of mailing depending on how much money you want to spend on shipping.

Expect to move some of the items yourself to your storage unit. If you do not have friends or family to help, then you may be forced to give your belongings away quickly to anyone who will accept them. Do not abandon items at a residence for any reason as you could be subject to fines from either your landlord if you rent or the city if you are homeowner and the left behind materials create a waste hazard. If you cannot give away your belongings to neighbors and relatives, then consider calling local churches of any faith to see if they are willing to collect your belongings for members of their congregations or any charities the churches might be affiliated with. 

Getting Good All-Season Tires

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

photo courtesy of jppi/Morguefile.com

There are different types of all season tires made for different types of vehicles. Each local tire carrier will carry a different model of all season tires for you to choose from. The sales consultants will look up the make and model of your vehicle and educate you if necessary, on the differences between the types of all season tires available to you. To find the best option for your vehicle, follow a systematic approach.

 

  1. Identify the make and model of your vehicle by looking at the vehicle registration or reviewing the owner’s manual. Most vehicles have the make and model imprinted in various places on the outside of the vehicle as well.
  2. Determine what types of situations you want your all season tires for. All season tires vary in scope depending on whether or not you plan doing some heavy offroading compared to types that are simply made to handle everything from improving traction for standing water to driving on packed snow. The make and model of your vehicle will narrow down the types of all season types that will safely fit your vehicles.
  3. Call, visit your local tire distributor or log onto their website. Ask the consultant what type of all season tires would be good for your vehicle. The tire distributor website may have menu choices to help you choose what type of all season tires may be good for you.
  4. Narrow down your choices depending on price, guarantee and warranties provided by the tire distributor.
  5. Choose which tires are best and then pay for them to be installed.

Try shopping for all season tires during spring or summer when bad weather is not on the horizon. You may be able to find better deals this way. Don’t wait until the last minute to purchase your tires as that can prevent you from shopping around. You may lose money by doing this. Also, don’t purchase any all season tires that are blatantly not made to fit your vehicle as it can void some vehicle warranties and or subject you to possible injury while driving.

Christmas Sheet Music Available Year Round

Posted by The Team –

For some, Christmas never goes out of season. //Photo courtesy of ppdigital/Morguefile.com

When I was in the 8th grade, all my friends were in band. I never joined because I couldn’t pick what instrument I was to play and my family was strapped for extra cash at the time. No one in my immediate family readily reads sheet music, and from time to time we’ve all held a desire or an inkling to learn a musical instrument. Sheet music has always been beautiful to me, much like the written word. It’s full of symbols and shapes that when read properly make beautiful sounds.

Recently, I came across Virtualsheetmusic.com. It offers a full array of music to choose from for download in a variety of forms and for print. What was of special interest to me was the Christmas Sheet Music. Christmas Sheet Music is available for guitars, flutes, harps, clarinets, trumpets and more. They also offer sheet music for music ensembles.

There are three different collections of Christmas Sheet Music. To download or print any of their sheet music, you’ll need to pay a onetime fee of $37.95,  for membership. According to their website, membership can make a great gift, especially for the music lover. I would recommend this site to others because of their wide selection, user-friendly interface and onetime fee, rather than a monthly membership.

Emergency Gear to Carry in Your Car

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

What would you do if you were unexpectedly stuck in your car?//Photo courtesy of gracey/morguefile.com

You never know when you will be stuck in your car. Maybe there is a blockage on the freeway or a road gets blocked and you feel as though you may be stranded. If you have the kids with you, do you have snacks on hand? How about medications and water? What about warm weather preps?

  1. Start a box that is designated to stay in the trunk of your car or truck that is designated for emergency gear. Rubbermaid containers with snug lids work well for this.
  2. Put the jack and all necessary accessories to change a tire in this box or tub. Make a list of other things you could need.
  3. Include a first aid kit, a large water bottle for each passenger your vehicle can carry, and a spare change of clothes. The most important changes of clothes should be extra underwear, plenty of socks (in case they get wet) and t-shirts. Extra t-shirts/sweatshirts can be layered for passengers in the winter months or can be used to hang in the windows to block sun in the summer months depending on the situation.
  4. Carry things like a small bottle of aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Imodium. You can usually find these or their generic equivalent at your local dollar store. Carry extra medications you may be required to take in case of an emergency.
  5. Pack candles, flashlights and a fire source such as matches or extra lighters. Keep matches and lighters away from children. These can be used for light or to start a campfire if you’ve gotten lost in the woods or are trapped in a blizzard. 
  6. Consider word puzzles, coloring books and crayons and other fun type of games for kids and adults alike.
  7. The last important item: Toilet paper.

Even if you only have water, toilet paper and snacks you will be better off than if you had nothing. Do your best to be thorough however and customize the box to meet the needs of your family. Carry your emergency box whether you ever use it or not. You will find over time you will end up using at least one item and you’ll be glad you took the 30-60 minutes to prepare for your families safety.

Important!

**This list is not all-inclusive. Nothing can ever prepare you 100% fully for every conceivable emergency. You are still in charge of making your own decisions. Be as detailed as you can think of will only help you in the long run. Consult expert survival advice when preparing for dangerous trips or otherwise may run into dangerous rather than inconvenient situations while traveling.**

Self-Documenting Code: The Approach

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Document your code consistently to improve the lifespan of the code. Photo courtesy of ardelfin/Morguefile.com

Beginning programmers are taught during their coursework to get into good programming habits. One of them is to do everything in your power to have what is called “Self-Documenting Code.” Some things that can be helpful are to remember:

  1. Comment Everything. Begin every section with comments that begin with commenting slashes “//” at the beginning of every module or the end of each module significant ending point of functions and modules. For multiple line comments you want to begin and end with “/*” and “*/”.
  2. Consistently choose meaningful variable names. For example, name a color variable “colorBlue” and not something like “color1” etc… The first choice reads better and tells other programmers what the variable means and what its purpose is.
  3. Keep naming conventions consistent. Decide what naming conventions you will use and stick to it throughout the entire program. For example, name your variables using all lowercase then uppercase with each additional word or start all variables with uppercase. Sometimes the languages you choose will determine the casing rules for you.

No matter what kind of project you work on, keep in mind if stay consistent on your comment practices, variable and naming conventions it will keep your code as self-documenting as possible. It will also be easier to read and to maintain over the long haul. 

How to Change the Name of the Application File when Programming in C#

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by Misty S Bledsoe

Changing the default file name of your program is not difficult.//Photo courtesty of ppdigital/Morguefile.com

Changing the default application file name when working on a project in C# gives the code more readability and increases the cohesiveness of the overall program. For example, if you leave the default program name as “program.cs” it can apply to just about can C# application. Instead, if the name of your program is “Time Clock,” consider renaming the program name “Timeclock.cs.”

  1. Open VisualStudio.NET. You’ll see the starting page. Open a new project.
  2. When the new project opens the blank screen, click on the “Solution Explorer” tab. If you do not see this tab, go up to “View” in the menu choices and click on it. Navigate to “Solution Explorer” to have it appear in the workspace.
  3. Click on the file “program.cs.” Click on the Properties tab. If you do not see the properties tab, go up to “View” in the menu choices and click on it. Navigate to “Properties” and click on it.
  4. Scroll down to the “File name” field and change the file name to match your project name and leave the “.cs” after it. Hit enter when you are finished.

How to Change the Default Code Indention Settings in VisualStudio.Net

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Keeping your tab indents uniform will enhance code readability. //Photo courtesy of mantasmagorical/Morguefile.com

Keeping your application’s programming code uniform while writing computer code for yourself or for an enterprise operation is important to keep readability simple and uniformed. Each company has their own rules that may determine certain settings when it comes to programming such as naming conventions, comment requirements and layout requirements. Setting the default code indention in Visual Studio.NET will prevent you from making indentation mistakes while programming and keep your code easier to read.

  1. Open VisualStudio.NET. You’ll see the VisualStudio’s starting page. Ignore the information.
  2. Navigate to the top where you see the menu choices of “File,” “Edit,” “View,” “Tools,” “Test,” “Window” and “Help.” Click on “Tools.”
  3. Scroll down to the last option called “Options” and click on it. This populates another window with several choices both in a left hand column and in a right hand column.
  4. Select the arrow next to “Text Editor.” If you want to make these changes for all languages, click on “All Languages.” If you want to only change it for one specific language, then click on the language you want to change it for.
  5. Click on “Tabs.” Select “Insert spaces” to make sure it is checked. Enter the same number for both “Tab size” and “Indent size.”
  6. Click “OK” and close the dialog window. VisualStudio.NET will now use that number of indentation for each new level of code as you program automatically.

Consider commenting in the beginning of your code that you’ve pre-set the indentation levels for your code as part of good comment habits. It may seem inconsequential to you as the programmer, but if your code is passed on to others in the organization and you are no longer available to maintain the code, having this comment in your code will tell the new person how that portion of your code is set up. It is not necessary to change the default settings in VisualStudio.NET for the purposes of indentation. The option is there to comply with business needs and increase readability. 

Getting the Family to Function as a Team

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S  Bledsoe

Setting a time limit can make cleaning go faster.//Photo courtesy of mzacha/Morguefile.com

The house is a mess. Dishes need to be done. Laundry is piled up and the kids’ toys are strewn everywhere in their rooms. How do you get your family to work together as a team to get the place cleaned up in a jiffy?

  1. Make activities fun. Turn it into a game. Use an egg timer you can find the dollar store, especially if your kids can’t tell time yet. Set the timer for a specific period of time, say 10 minutes and say “Suzy, you take the bathroom. Bobby, you take the kitchen. Robby, you take___etc..” and let the timer go.
  2. Turn off the TV. It’s a huge distraction. The point was proved when the cable went out one evening during dinner and there was nothing but black and white static on the TV. It was left on for about five minutes to see what would happen. The kids kept looking up at it and watching it for no reason, not concentrating on the food in front of them. It was amazing.
  3. Keep the activities focused on one at a time. While the adults take the major responsibilities, keep the kids on task with one assigned task until it’s finished.
  4. Slather on the praise. Praise and acknowledge those who helped transform the house from a classic case of before = disaster zone to after = almost a major remodel. The more you reward those who helped, the more often they are likely to do it again, especially when it’s a group event.

Keep everyone on top with “friendly reminders” to do their part to keep the house clean. Take the dishes to the sink as soon as your done eating. Pick up the dirty clothes and put them where they belong before you leave the room. Turn out the lights when you’re done. Teach your family members to do small simple, repeatable tasks they can do while they are on their way from one place to another or do to a task when they are thinking about it, especially if it only takes a few minutes. Doing this on a regular basis will actually reduce the severity of cleaning sessions you have to endure when everyone does their part.

Getting Wax to Come off Your Crystal: Technique can be used for candlesticks and other crystal ware

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Cleaning wax off crystal candlesticks doesn't have to be a chore. //Photo courtesy of anitapatterson/Morguefile.com

Before you get started you’ll need:

Plastic spatula

Toothpicks

Hair dryer

Paper towels

Crystal candlesticks hold candles as they burn and depending on the shape and style, they pick up the candle light and cascade it around a room. Keeping them clean and free from regular wax drippings does not have to be a chore. If you have several candlesticks to maintain, gathering them all up and cleaning them at the same time could be possible. You’ll need to gather the supplies for the project ahead of time.

  1. Pry off as much of the wax as you can from each candlestick with a plastic spatula and place it aside. Use a toothpick for hard to reach grooves. You may not be able to get all of it out at this time. This is OK.
  2. Plug in the hair dryer and set the dryer to a medium setting. If you only have a high and a low setting to choose from, choose the high setting.
  3. Wrap the waxy area with a paper towel. If the wax that remains is inside, place the paper towel over the opening and down as far as the paper towel will comfortably reach.
  4. Turn on the blow dryer and hold the end of the blow dryer roughly six inches from the wax residue. If your dryer is on the high setting, hold the blow dryer roughly eight inches from the wax. The goal is to melt the wax without having the candlestick heat up too much. The wax should melt and absorb into the paper towel. Use care when handling the paper towel as melted wax can cause burns.
  5. Discard of the paper towels. Feel free to rinse the candlesticks under warm (not hot) water to finish cleaning them and dry them with dry paper towels.

Consider recycling the larger wax chips if you have the means to combine the waxy scraps and melt it down again for craft projects or making your own homemade candles. If you have many candleholders to clean, you might be able to talk a friend into helping to speed things up and make it more fun.

Avoid exposing your crystal candlesticks to extreme temperatures. Never microwave crystal and avoid putting it in the freezer as the extreme temperatures can damage the crystal. Never use scouring pads or other rough surfaces to clean or buff the crystal, as it will scratch. Do not pour melted wax down any drain as it can lead to clogging.

Gearys.com: Geary’s Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.gearys.com/gearyssf/t-faq.aspx

Heating with Wood: Uses and Locating

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by Misty S Bledsoe

Firewood stored outside.//Photo courtesty of alvimann/Morguefile.com

Uses

Many individuals use wood heat as their primary source of heat in their homes. Wood can be purchased by the cord (stacked at eight feet in length, four feet high and four feet wide) or chopped and stacked in similar types of dimensions in sheds, under carports, between two trees on land or simply against up against a home. People can burn wood in fireplaces and wood stoves located inside the home. Others utilize wood pellet stoves, which uses wood by-products that come in large bags of pellets that are ready for burning.

Cordwood can take from six months to sometimes two years of sitting and drying so that the moisture content is low enough for efficient burning. Burning wood as a form of heat year round or at least seasonally can be accomplished by having more than one stack of wood at varying degrees of seasoning. If you are just starting out purchase one to two dry seasoned cords of wood to start with and then purchase or harvest more wood that you allow to season at various lengths. Always burn the wood that has been seasoning the longest first. Burn the wood that has been seasoning the least last. If you can’t wait until next year or the year after to use the wood, then purchase only dry seasoned wood that is ready to burn.

Locating

You can find individuals selling cordwood through local classified ads or sometimes noting roadside signs. Cordwood can be purchased as “seasoned” or “green.” Do your best to negotiate a lower price for green wood than seasoned wood. Other times you obtain a permit from a county government to harvest your own wood on your own from local forestland. Check with the permits division for your city to see if this type of permit is available where you live, especially if you have or can borrow a chainsaw and a pickup truck.

Getting wood by harvesting it yourself is much cheaper than buying it from another person. Don’t neglect to pick up downed or dead tree branches that can be taken home and chopped at your disposal. If you choose to forage for extra firewood this way, the best time to find several downed branches and trees is usually right after a good windstorm. Make sure you get permission from any necessary landowners before you start taking downed wood.

You can buy wood pellets by the ton from the manufacturer online or choose to purchase as many bags as you need from a local distributor like a hardware or home improvement store or livestock feed supply stores. Wood pellet stoves don’t require any chopping or stacking of traditional firewood. It’s often cheaper to buy wood pellets in bulk. People that are moving or changing their primary source of heat may have extra bags of wood pellets they want to sell. Searching local classifieds for individuals selling their extra bags of pellets can be a good resource.

Mass.gov: Wood Pellet Heating

http://www.mass.gov/Eoeea/docs/doer/publications/doer_pellet_guidebook.pdf

 Onlinedictionary.datasegment.com: Cordwood

http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/cord+wood

Practical Hands on Programming Experience

Posted by The Team –

By Misty S Bledsoe

Working on open source projects is meaningful and worthwile. //Photo courtesy of ppdigital/Morguefile.com

Working on open source projects is meaningful and worthwile. //Photo courtesy of ppdigital/Morguefile.com

Many companies today need you to have some sort of hands on programming skills in a language of their choice in addition to your educational background. Surf many job listings you’ll see phrases like “strong,” “experienced,” “provable” and more when it comes to the type of programmer a company is aggressively seeking. So how do you jump in and gain the hands on experience beyond school that you need?

Open Source Projects

Open source projects are projects that you register to work on. You volunteer or get assigned a piece to work with based on your experience levels. Open source technology allows anyone with coding experience (from the person who does it at home as a hobby to the PhDs that use smaller simpler programs to relax), to tweak and modify the code as they see fit within the bounds of proper code of ethics. Although it’s physically possible to turn open source code into something malicious, that violates every single last code of conduct that exists for proper and respected programmers and other IT professionals. Do a quick search for “beginning open source” or “(language choice) open source.” There’s tons of stuff out there to get you started. Don’t be afraid and dive right in.

Bug Fixes & Plug-ins

Several sites out there programmers the ability to fix bugs in current code and make plug-ins for existing applications. These can be less intimidating to start out with and take less time. Using these can be helpful if you’re strapped with your current job or other obligations.

Either way, your skills can stay sharpened and useful to the rest of the world while you seek the all-perfect programming job. It can help you build a portfolio of work in addition to what you did in school and your name will appear in credits for open source project and bug fixes on the internet, helping to support your claims at being a legitimate programmer.

Could I Write a “Simple Letter” and Get Paid for it?

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by Misty S Bledsoe

Getting paid well for your writing allows you to have a much more mobile lifestyle. Photo courtesy of manuere/Morguefile.com

Getting paid well for your writing allows you to have a much more mobile lifestyle. Photo courtesy of manuere/Morguefile.com

Copywriting is a type of writing that specializes in content that is designed to turn a reader into a customer for a product or service. Writing this type of content requires special training in the tools and tricks of the trade to know what is truly effective. American Writer’s and Artist’s Institute Online is one of the strongest places I’ve ever experienced or worked with. What convinced me is that, well, let me back up a second.

For those of you who know me, I’ve been writing since my 4th grade teacher gave me a C for my first paragraph story problem! I’ve read and written several different genres and have sold hundreds of articles, but I was still seeking a way I could get paid well for my writing.

That’s when I got a pamphlet in the mail detailing “The Writer’s Life” so to speak where I could learn to write a simple letter that would literally sell for thousands. I don’t impulsively spend my money on much of anything. I waited about two years before I actually purchased their course. I spent the time investigating the company and their resources. I subscribed to their free newsletter, took their course and since then my writing has had the proper “injection” of juice that it really needs.

And yes, I have been able to write “Simple Letters” that literally have paid me back more than expected because I’ve used their techniques in my content. If you feel you need that extra “injection” to get you past where you are are, then be sure to visit the site and see how their courses could help you as well.

Stretching your Advertising Budget: Getting the Word Out

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by Misty S Bledsoe

Get your business name out there so your customers can easily find you. Photo courtesy of mconners/Morguefile.com

Get your business name out there so your customers can easily find you. Photo courtesy of mconners/Morguefile.com

Running any kind of a business requires consistent and effective marketing. This applies to the one person who is a freelance writer all the way up to publically held companies keeping their logos in front of the eyes of the customer. Marketing can take on many facets but budget will ultimately decide what options are chosen.

To get your business name and contact information into every major online directory, consider enrolling the services of Universal Business Listings. Their services are affordable at only $30 a year as of this writing. In a world where time is money, Universal Business Listings, considerably saves the business owner time in terms of having to submit their contact information to every major directory, make sure each one is properly updated when needed, and keeping track of their effectiveness. Using Universal Business Listings basically takes that task over and because it’s relatively inexpensive, it makes an attractive “give it a try” for any business owner seeking to add online directories to their marketing arsenals. Interestingly enough, Universal Business Listings allows users to sign up for an affiliate program, meaning the business owner can enroll, refer their colleagues and potentially earn the money back they spent in their initial investment.

Affiliate marketing, free article reprints and otherwise participating in relative discussions in form and discussion boards can all help get the word out for many businesses who wish to attack it from an online perspective.

Bodysurfing in Mazatlan

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by Misty S Bledsoe

This was the view from my room and where I spent most of my time swimming.

This was the view from my room and where I spent most of my time swimming.

Mazatlan, Mexico— Sun, sand and waves. Mazatlan, Mexico, has just about everything you’re looking for a first time visit to Mexico. Mazatlan offers everything from 5 star resorts to clean, quiet, laid-back lodgings offering all types of pleasurable activities.

The tales and rumors you hear about warm Caribbean waters are true. The wind was blowing lightly and it was hot. Hot is hot and hot was missed especially from a girl used to living in the famed Pacific Northwest. My towel lay in the cabana beach chair. The sand was warm and before me was the Pacific Ocean. Waves consistently rolled against the shore, each one the whisper got louder, “You’ve been waiting for this. Come to me.” I hadn’t body surfed in 15 years. My bikini was properly positioned.

This was it. I left stress, worry and responsibility completely behind. I ran towards the waves and my feet hit the waves with force and power. I didn’t stop and I was surprised at the warmth of the water. I jumped completely in, unafraid. Water washed over me, but so did joy. “How could anybody spend their whole life and not experience this?” I asked.

Visiting Mexico was one of the best things I could do for myself. I had been a single mom and was working full-time and going to school full-time. I had just graduated and I needed the break. The locals were friendly and helpful and the food was absolutely mouth watering. Portions are huge and the food was always fresh. When I lived in California, I considered myself a professional, part-time, self-proclaimed beach bum. Mexico embraces a slower way of life, emphasizing family, honor, manners and respect. It’s cheap too.

And just for a little while, I got to be a beach bum again.

How Could a Girl Ever Get so Lucky?

Posted by The Team –

“I need another bag,” I told myself. The pockets of my newly accidental shrunken jacket were filling up fast with my every day “necessities.” Pockets were bulging and from a distance, I looked like I could have been hiding things in my jacket. My all purpose backpack was too much just for the quick errand I was about to embark on. The video inventory of all my purses and bags flashed in my mind. I really didn’t have what I was looking for in terms of function, space or price.

To be honest, I really don’t need another bag.

I just need to make do with what I have. But since it’s late at night and I’ve got a little unwinding to do, I decided to do an internet search on for bags and purses. That is where I found zappos.com, specifically the Lucky brand of items.

Zappos.com features an entire online store full of clothing and housewares of various types. Being a “bag” lady (some ladies are shoe, hat, or purse ladies), I began to narrow down my search. Now I need to warn your right now, the prices vary anywhere from affordable for a bag to prices that make you wonder if the bag also will clean and fold your laundry for you! But the selection was pretty impressive. I also found the front page to be user friendly. It gave me a good starting point with everything clearly labeled, had an option for me to sign up for free notifications and made contacting them easy.

I did not allow myself to purchase another bag. I don’t need one. But, I did think to myself  if I wanted one that badly or shoes, or jeans, or housewares for that matter, with this site, how could a girl get so lucky?

Possessionless on Purpose

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by Misty S Bledsoe

Paring down your possessions can allow you to be more mobile. Photo courtesy of markemark/Morguefile.com

Paring down your possessions can allow you to be more mobile. Photo courtesy of markemark/Morguefile.com

There’s a certain amount of freedom in having less to worry about. Less bills. Less possessions. Less responsibilities. They’re kind of all tied together. What would it be like to give away or sell all of your possessions on purpose? What would you do with your life? Where would you live? How would that fit into how you make money?

Having less possessions forces you think about what’s really important in life and let’s you see things that maybe you didn’t see before. Having less possessions means you could be much more mobile much easier. I know what you’re thinking. How do you do that with kids? Well, with kids you still have to have some stuff to grow up with. You could try pairing it down, but you would need to be really creative in working with quality time. It’s not impossible but it can be done.

Where would you travel? See the country? Travel out of the country? It’s just something to think about. Others have done it and many people that pare down their possessions to a bare minimum or nothing at all have had unique experiences.

Sourceforge.net: a Resource Hub for Open Source Projects

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by Misty S Bledsoe

Open source projects can either be a pain or a joy to find. Sourceforge.net offers a full resource mechanism for finding existing open source projects in several languages. They have a platform for developing new open source projects and even a link to a career page. Free membership is required to access many of its features. Search for jobs, projects, help, code snippets and more. This is a great resource for developers at all levels. Find their site here: http://www.sourceforge.net/

Making Cash with my Photos: a Self Experiment

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

I used the techniques to take this perfect picture while I was on vacation.

I used the techniques to take this perfect picture while I was on vacation.

I’m not a professional photographer and I don’t consider myself skilled with digital cameras. I knew that when I ordered “Turn Your Pictures into Cash” by AWAIonline.com they could show someone like me how to take a point-n-shoot camera and in simple terms teach me how take and produce saleable photographs for fun and for profit.

The material was easy to read and understand and after only a couple of chapters, I understood what a “good” picture is and how to take them myself. “This is easier than I thought,” I said to myself. About a week later, I found myself needing to sell both my kitchen table and my queen size bed for some extra cash. It was a perfect opportunity to put what I learned to practice. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn’t.  But I was curious nonetheless.

I strategically took the photos using the techniques in the course as I had learned in the first few chapters, and posted the bed online. It sold in less than 24 hours. I received my full asking price (I had it fairly priced) and when the buyer came to retrieve it, I specifically asked them what made them interested in my particular listing. “The photo was good,” she said. Really? Hmmm. Not bad.

So, I did the same thing with my table. That took longer to sell because I had it marked up to much. But when it did sell, same thing, “The pictures really showed it,” the buyers said. Between selling those two items, I essentially made up what I had paid for course. Plus, now that I know what I’m doing, I can dabble in stock photography (which can be simple and lucrative), and add better photos to my articles. Like everything I tend to recommend, you really have nothing to lose by taking a look at it: Turn Your Pictures into Cash. 

 

Becoming Ordained Online: The Debate

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Can God really ordain people through the Internet? Photo courtesy of jdurham/Morguefile.com

Can God really ordain people through the Internet? Photo courtesy of jdurham/Morguefile.com

What validates the credentials of being an ordained minister? What does it really take? There are two different ways to become an ordained minister: The traditional way and the non-traditional way.

The traditional way involves a Bachelor’s degree, Seminary schooling and other requirements. Some Christian denominations only accept ordained ministers/pastors if they’ve come up through the ranks of the church and had their hands laid upon them being “set apart” for service. Even then, the minister’s life is thoroughly examined and the minister/pastor is trained for service of the congregation and for God.

The non-traditional way involves signing up online at various online churches or with legal ordination ministries. Anyone meeting the qualifications and willing to submit themselves to a code of ethics can apply and become a recognized pastor/minister (or whichever title they choose), according to various state laws. They are free to pursue setting up a ministry, church, or other types of services as allowed by law. Many traditional denominations do not support this view or avenue of becoming ordained.

Whatever way you choose, be sure you that have a call of God on your life. You answer to God when everything that is said and done. If you feel a strong pull to be an ordained minister (doesn’t go away with time), discuss these feelings with your home pastor. If you are already in a denomination that doesn’t accept the non-traditional way of ordination, bring it up anyway. There are several scripture studies on the internet related to the theology behind both doctrines. Pray about it, repeatedly, and seek actual Godly advice from church leadership before proceeding. They will be able to see things about you and your situation that you cannot. Plus, they’ve traveled the road before you and can shed some light on how pursuing that path will change your life.

Finding the Manufacture Date on a Tire

Posted by The Team –

by: Misty S Bledsoe

Sometimes you might need to know when your tire was made. Photo courtesy of tundrahq/Morguefile.com

Sometimes you might need to know when your tire was made. Photo courtesy of tundrahq/Morguefile.com

Finding the manufacture date on a tire can be easier to do once you know what you’re looking for. On all tires manufactured for vehicles, the tire identification number is printed on either one side or both sides of the tire wall. All that you need to do is locate the sets of numbers and determine that last three or four digits of the sequence. The last three or four digits are the week and year the tire was made.

Tires Made before 2000

Find the sequencing of numbers after the letters “DOT.” Identify the last three digits.

The first two of the three indicates the week the tire was made. The last digit indicates the year.

Tires Made after 2000

Find the last four numbers. This will be after the letters “DOT.” Continue until you see the last string of numbers. If the letters “DOT,” are only one side with a few numbers, you will find the rest of the numbers on the other side of the tire. The last four digits indicate the week and year manufactured. The first two of the last four is the week and the last two digits are the year.

What Types of Survival Foods are Good to Buy?

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Pasta is just one form of good food to stock up on. Photo courtesy of clarita/Morguefile.com

Pasta is just one form of good food to stock up on. Photo courtesy of clarita/Morguefile.com

Knowing what types of survival foods to buy are not difficult. Simply consider what you and your family eat now. Then ask, “Could I get this item in a canned, dehydrated, or powered mix instead?” These items are usually found at grocery stores in the baking supply, ethnic, and canned food sections.

Canned Foods

Canned foods of all kinds are great to stock up on, especially if it’s on sale or you can get in bulk form. Try adding canned meats along with all types of canned vegetables, fruits, and soups. Many things like canned meats, chili, soups, and sauces can be added to other non-perishables to create other food concoctions.

Dehydrated Foods/Mixes

Dehydrated foods are usually more expensive and if you are able, you should buy some. Packages come in various sizes and include full-blown meals to side dishes. You can also purchase these in the largest size of #10 cans.

Powdered Mixes

Any mix you can find where you see, “Just add water,” is a good thing to purchase. Pancake mixes, muffins, some cake and biscuit mixes come in this form. In a survival situation, you can always boil water for at least 10 minutes to kill any bacteria, and then add it directly to these mixes to make a batter ready for cooking.

Hot and Cold Cereals/Pastas

Both hot and cold cereals last the longest when stored in airtight, waterproof containers.

Dried pastas are another good survival food that last for months and can be customized as needed for taste preferences when prepared.

Important

Always think about what your family will and won’t eat. If no one in your family eats lima beans, purchasing them in bulk will be a waste of time and money. There is no use of adding extra stress to an already stressful situation just because there isn’t anything good to eat. Chocolate and other comfort foods should also be added to your list. Always eat from your stockpile of food and when you purchase more supplies, replenish it with new items.

“We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

Posted by The Team –

I work late at times, but being able to work at home offers that flexibility. Once in awhile I will have the T.V. on for background noise if something interests me. I like to flip through the religious programming. That’s how I stumbled across ministries like Matt Pitt and The Basement. I saw young people shouting at the top of their lungs out to God. You could see raw, unashamed, unabashed worship towards God. God is no respecter of persons, no respecter of title and position, and no respecter of the clothes you choose to wear in worship. God works in many circles, in many ways, using His servants and the Holy Spirit to show people that Jesus is the only way, truth, and the life.

Someone once told me that a lot of Catholics love and revere Jesus just as much as true Orthodox or Evangelical Christians. I’ve talked with those of the Catholic faith that know it is only by the Blood of Jesus they are saved, and not through works. They read their bible for themselves. They do their religious duties out of love to God and not out of fear. This is why I did not mind tuning into a traditional Catholic Mass last night. I didn’t know why I stopped there while channel flipping but I did.

I tuned in just at the time the Priest was beginning to speak, “Brothers and Sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, I urge you to read this document, to read it, to sign it, and not just to sign it, but to live it.” I stopped typing and gave my attention. What was he purporting? What was he supporting? It almost sounds political and pastors/priests, etc…are not supposed to encourage their congregations on how to vote or to take a stance one-way or another or they could face consequences from our own government as a church.

I had to know what it was that led this brother (yes I called him brother as all who profess Jesus absolute Savior and Lord of their lives…our religious traditions may differ but it is Jesus who alone is Lord…in this and the common good we stand united), to put himself into a possibly precarious position. I listened on.

“On November 20, 2009, just a couple of days ago, religious leaders from Orthodox, Evangelical, and Christian faiths came together and released a declaration to our law makers, to the government, and as a call to any true Christian that we have a duty before God to uphold his Word and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its fullness and truth…” He went on to say that two days after its release, that 15,000, people and counting had signed this declaration. The Manhattan Declaration. He mentioned the website www.manhattandeclaration.org to take the time to read it and to sign it.

He went on to pick out key phrases of this document that struck deep within me. This Catholic brother was speaking out of love, but he had the power of the Holy Ghost upon his words. They were powerful. As soon as he said the site, I had typed it in, downloaded it and began reading. I was inspired, emboldened, and it seemed I had once again experienced the Fire and Passion of the Holy Ghost. This document is respectful, logic, and united.

Christians rise up and UNITE and be true the callings and edicts that the Lord provided for you when you were saved and washed by His blood. Read this document, sign it, and live it. God is truly no respecter of persons. Jesus is the ONLY way, truth, and the life and He is King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s. Stay true to Him! Read the final paragraph of the Manhattan Declaration here:

 “Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryodestructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other antilife act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

For more information visit: www.manhattandeclaration.org

To learn more about The Basement visit: www.thebasementonline.com

Being Christian and Acting like a Survivalist: the Debate

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S. Bledsoe

What if your stockpile doesn't end up helping you? Photo courtesy of earl53/Morguefile.com

What if your stockpile doesn't end up helping you? Photo courtesy of earl53/Morguefile.com

This day and age, it’s wise to have a stockpile of food and other supplies. The Department of Homeland Security recommends having enough food for two weeks for each person in your household. However, how much is too much? Moreover, when does stockpiling food, supplies, and cash conflict with the faith you have in God and all the promises available to His people in the bible? When does stockpiling cross that line?

Some Christians believe survivalists act only out of fear by stockpiling or saving as much as they do. They especially have chided those that build secondary “shelters” or other places of safe haven in their home. Their logic and argument: “God will always take care of us. Why are they so afraid? Besides, other people who don’t know Christ will need His comfort and message of salvation during that time. How can they help others if they are cowering in some underground shelter for three weeks or what have you? Those people [those that stockpile] are selfish and acting cowardly for behaving that way.”

Personally, that shocked me because the bible also states that a wise man sees trouble coming and prepares for it. Noah prepared an ark with lots of food for his family and all of the animals. Others laughed at him during that time, believing he was crazy, etc… until disaster struck. Men and women of the bible took preparations with them prior to traveling in most cases and there are other scenarios too where people were told to save.

God tell us to not be afraid and yes, He will never leave us nor forsake us. However, it is OK to stockpile and save as long as you have the attitude that disaster might strike when you aren’t at home. Then what? Believe God. Act on what you do know to do to survive. If disaster strikes and you’re at home, then hopefully you’ll have access to your supplies. There is no reason to be afraid. Jesus warned us during His time of the things to come to play in this world. We are not to fear it. Know that stock piling is wise, just don’t trust in the stockpile itself to help or save you. Only God does that.

Also, consider the possibility that your stockpile and surplus may not be for you. If you feel led to stock up, then stock up. If not, then don’t. Both are OK as long as you have the proper attitude and trust in God. If disaster strikes and you do not live or cannot make it back to your home, understand that God may use your stockpile to help your neighbors or others that do not know Him. Maybe God will use it to help those people stay alive long enough to hear the message of Jesus Christ they will so desperately need.

Friend, if you are on the side that believes stockpiling is cowardly, don’t judge your brother or sister that does. Instead, remind them of God’s graciousness, mercy, and promises to help keep them in the proper attitude towards God, the supplier rather than the supplies. Let the supply issue go. Friend, if you are on the other side that stockpiles and believes others are unwise for not doing the same, don’t judge your brother or sister that doesn’t. Instead, rejoice with them knowing that no matter what, God will see you through, keeping your arms, hearts, and resources open to those you have an opportunity to help, believer or not.

Getting Started in the IT Industry

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Breaking into the IT industry doesn't have to be a chore. Photo courtesy of ariadna/Morguefile.com

Breaking into the IT industry doesn't have to be a chore. Photo courtesy of ariadna/Morguefile.com

You just graduated from college and you’re ready to find your new job in the IT industry. Great. Now what? You diligently search help wanted, craigslist, all the job boards you can think of and maybe even submit your resume to several places. You find you get very little interviews after months. What do you need to do to finally get your foot in the door?

Keep up to date on what is taking place with technology as a whole.

This can be done by reading trade magazines in your genre of technology. You can also keep up with reputable blogs and studying company trends of those that manufacture or work with information technology.

Study the companies you want to work for.

Ask the Headhunter.com is one resource you don’t want to be without. The author of this site is a professional headhunter and basically blows the lid off most corporate hiring procedures. Studying the company you want to work for is just one way of getting a job. The author of this site goes into a lot of detail on the subject. I highly recommend reading his work.

Change your attitude on job hunting.

You can spend hours and weeks working off the internet hunting for jobs. I can tell you from experience that most corporate entities are required to work this way now, pushing your paperwork through various software systems for legal and compliance purposes. The bottom line, however is that people are still people and working in Recruiting, we often scheduled those that called or stopped by in person interviews before we got to our “electronic” candidates. You would simply be amazed at how many people do not bother to make that personal connection with Recruiting or HR.

Get lots of hands on practice.

For one person I knew who was trying to break into networking and fixing the physical aspect of things, this meant buying old computer parts or getting them free from neighbors and relatives, and then putting everything together again. He would use these old models to practice networking, wiping hard drives clean, and more. For programmers that means learning as many languages as you can and learning how to integrate them into successfully working web and desktop applications, complete with a working database system. Yes, if you cannot afford to purchase more schooling, you will need to do all of these things in your spare time.

Keep your skills fresh.

This means all your skills, technology and otherwise. Brush up on corporate ethics and culture. Practice your people and customer service skills wherever you go, whether it’s to the grocery store or over the phone.

Keep up the persistence.

Don’t throw in the towel before your time. No one ever got a job in the IT industry because they quit trying.

Stocking Up on a Budget

Posted by The Team –

Stocking up on a variety of canned goods is never a bad idea. Sideshowmom/Morguefile.com

Stocking up on a variety of canned goods is never a bad idea. Sideshowmom/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

You never know when an emergency is going to happen. Having provisional supplies on hand could mean the difference between life and death depending on your situation. Stocking up on stuff is great, but how do you do it when you live pay to paycheck or have just a little bit to spend here and there?

  1. Stretch your grocery bill. This is a top priority. Use coupons, watch the sales, shop generic brands, and buy in bulk when necessary. Buy things when they are on sale. Visit discount grocery stores like Winco, Grocer’s Outlet, and Food4Less. Depending on your area of the country, you probably have a store that sells off brands, misprinted labeled can foods, or takes extra inventory from the bigger stores and sell these items much cheaper.
  2. Buy extra toiletries and household products too. This includes feminine products, toilet paper (all brands are not equal), bars of soap, dishwashing soap, laundry soap, batteries, candles, matches, lighters (storing them in safe place, of course,) and toothpaste. Don’t forget deodorants and razors.
  3. Buy generic brand medicines. Buy the large bottles of ibuprofen and Tylenol. The same goes for bandages, Neosporin, cold, and cough medicines.  
  4. Use your Dollar stores. I always get 4-5x more time dishwashing soap for the same price as I would have spent in my local grocery store. Go to the dollar stores first and gather as much as you can from your regular shopping list. Get the rest at discount grocers. This will always save you money.

As your supplies grow over time, you’ll notice certain products you’ll purchase in bulk more often. Some of these could be bar soap, toilet paper, rice, oats, band-aids, and laundry soap.

Keeping it simple and building your supplies consistently will lead to a successful storage of extra supplies. Every time you go out, ask yourself, “Can I get this at the dollar store?” remembering if you can you will often get way more bang for your buck. Ask yourself, “Am I low on this item?” If it’s on sale, buy 1/3 more than you think you’ll need. Putting a little thought and effort into gathering your supplies will go a long way to making sure you actually achieve your goal of doing so on a budget.

Starting a Christian Singles Ministry

Posted by The Team –

Your pastor is in charge of many things, so you must keep them in the loop. irish_eyes/Morguefile.com

Your pastor is in charge of many things, so you must keep them in the loop. irish_eyes/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Organizing a Christian singles ministry can be both rewarding and challenging. There is more that goes into it than just standing up in front of the congregation and announcing a new ministry is formed. Certain steps and processes will need to be followed to make sure the ministry is organized and effective.

  1. Get the Pastor’s permission. Be prepared to share your idea with specific information as to what you would like to accomplish. Christian singles ministries exist so that those that are not married have an additional way of getting to know one another in a safe, healthy environment, for the purpose of friendship.
  2. Have a separate list prepared for the Pastor that includes an idea of what activities you want to include for the singles group and estimated monthly costs. This will give his team something to work this as a reference point.
  3. Write down important information on how the Pastor wants you to proceed. Note any schedules that need to be worked around. Be very clear on the matters the Pastor wants you to oversee and what portions will be overseen by others while forming this ministry, if given permission. If you aren’t sure, ask.
  4. Contact local vendors to obtain exact pricing information for local events that the singles group might be attending.
  5. Have an announcement included in the church bulletin about the newly formed ministry and the first date the singles group will meet. Provide contact information and see if the Pastor can have it announced during services.

While starting this type of a ministry may seem like a great idea, you must still have your Pastor’s permission to move forward. The Pastor is in charge of what programs are instituted and as a whole, what direction the church takes in terms of its ministry opportunities. They are responsible for overseeing that portion of the body of Christ and as a leader they need to be informed.

What Makes a Writer’s Work Valid?

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

I often get discouraged at being able to fit my content into just the right SEO formulas found scattered throughout the internet. The higher your work website ranks in the search engines, the more traffic you are likely to get. If a web crawler can’t find your content, it’s as if it doesn’t exist when it comes to the Internet world. I’ve heard the advice, “Find a niche, specialize, and create focused content for your site.” However, if a web crawler doesn’t find my content readily and it’s not widely read, does the work count?

Both sides of the issue can be seen and found throughout humanity and history. I think a writer should write if that is what they are truly meant to do and they should publish what they feel they should be publishing at the time they should be publishing. Writers will always have a stash of content that may never be seen by anyone but the author even after the death of the author.

So what is the purpose then? A flower that is never seen by anyone that sprouts up on a mountainside was included in God’s creation for His pleasure and His purposes. This means then, our work as artists, no matter what our medium, be it the written word, paint, charcoal, music, video, etc…matters. We should live for the purposes we were intended, published or not. Just my thoughts on the matter.

Everyday Emergency Awareness and Preparation

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

A lot of speculation is happening around the globe in terms of end of the world, or end time apocalyptic events. Each religion has their own viewpoint and even those among the Christian religion have varying interpretations. I subscribe to my own personal beliefs on the matter but no matter how you view it, things in the world are bound to get worse for many people before they get any better.

Being prepared to survive in any situation requires knowledge, training, and a certain level of comfortableness in dealing with potentially catastrophic situations. If you’ve never thought about how to survive when life is turned upside down, one thing that anyone can do is simply begin to be aware that it could and might happen. Thousands lost their loved ones in a tsunami, Hurricane Katrina will forever be remembered by most, and right now in far reaching countries, children die from starvation and disease daily. Men and women fight to keep us safe overseas, regardless of your stance on the issue.

What types of things do you do now to be more prepared? Are you prepared enough? There are several types of incidents, natural and otherwise as outlined in history, that cause delays for supplies being delivered to grocery stores and interrupt water and power supplies.

Be more aware of your every day surroundings. How would handle it if you could not get your kids from day care because traffic is snarled? What would you do if everything seemed normal, yet when you got home and turned on the water to start dinner, nothing came out of the faucet? After investigating, you learn it’s happening to all your neighbors. No notice, no information from the city, no ETA of resolution, and no plausible explanation. How would that affect your daily life?

This actually happened to me one night and the water outage lasted nearly three hours. Since, I had a supply of emergency water equaling about 20 gallons or so stashed under my sink, I was prepared. I did not alarm my children or send them into a panic, but instead started boiling water to make macaroni and cheese for dinner. I put on pots of water with the largest pots I could find and began to warm them, one to wash dishes with, and the others to mix with a bucket of cold water, producing a “just right” temperature and introduce the kids to bathing with a bucket of water instead of a shower if I had to.

Luckily, the water came back on. I replaced my water supply and continued on with life. If I didn’t  have emergency supplies on hand, the situation of not having water coming into my home with two small children could have become stressful and uncomfortable.

The more prepared you are now, the less stressful it can be weather out very uncomfortable and possibly life changing events.

How my Alphasmart NEO Word Processor Tripled my Productivity

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

A keyboard

ronnieb/Morguefile.com: A Keyboard.

My Alphasmart NEO word processor is durable, sleek, smaller than my laptop, and above all, gets approximately 25 hours of battery life off only three AA batteries. That and the fact that it’s only a word processor convinced me to purchase one. Having to be aware of outlet availability and the risk of my laptop being injured more than often prevents me from taking it with me when I go out. I can never really just sit down somewhere and work on my regular laptop without being distracted by remaining battery life, potential damage happening from me dropping it or spilling something, or all the applications I just want to run like email or internet. 

In the past, I would take a notebook and pen when running errands, etc…but also ran into the dilemma of not producing content as quickly as I can when I type. How did I finally find the best of both worlds? The Alphasmart NEO word processor. It’s a portable word processor made specifically with students in mind, but since then, writer’s everywhere utilize the NEO and its sister processor the DANA. Currently, this machine is used in schools and classrooms with teachers for certain lesson plans. Many that register for National Novel Writing Month use the NEO to pound out their novels.

It has an application that can check your English grammar downloadable from Alphasmart website. Being able to just focus on my writing, without too much editing allows me to create pages of content that normally I wouldn’t be able to produce. When I’m ready, I simply use the USB cord that came with my NEO and plug it in to the NEO then plug it into my laptop and hit “Send” to empty out the contents of my word processor onto a Word document or Notepad file.

Alternatively, I could have purchased a small laptop now sold at places like Target and Costco, but I did not want to be distracted by the other applications available to me. Depending on your workload or applications you rely on, a small laptop maybe the perfect ticket. I just like knowing I can I can turn on my NEO, type and turn it off and not worry about losing my data as it saves everything automatically—and again, I’m not going to run out of battery life any time soon. You can get more information by visiting http://www.alphasmart.com.

Camping and Hiking in Leavenworth, Washington

Posted by The Team –

Camping and Hiking in Leavenworth, Washington

by Misty S Bledsoe

Leavenworth, WA- Several trails are scattered throughout the Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee areas that are maintained by the Forest Service. Most of these trailheads require a recreation pass and several types are honored, including the Northwest Trail Pass. Many require additional registration for safety and statistic purposes. Some trails allow dogs or horses, others do not. There are several campgrounds in and around the Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee areas. About 10 percent in the area are free campgrounds and offer vaulted toilets as their only amenity. Despite an ardent search, these campgrounds could not be found.

There is a Forest Service station in downtown Leavenworth that is open Monday-Friday and were not available this weekend for consultation on the exact location of the free campgrounds. The other campgrounds are open seasonally and the ones that have larger plots for RVs or other amenities like running water or other conveniences cost anywhere from $8.00 to $19.00 nightly and some require reservations. Most hotels have an activity guide for Leavenworth that lists the available campgrounds along with their prices. Consult the Forest Service station in downtown Leavenworth for the most current conditions and information for any given time of year.

Quality Inn vs. Linderhoff Inn in Leavenworth, Washington

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Leavenworth, WA -Leavenworth is a tourist town located just on the east side of Stevens Pass on Highway 2. It is prized for its German/Swiss Alps theme. Most buildings in downtown and in their famed shopping/restaurant are German themed and carry many local handmade or imported crafts and treasures. The cheapest place to stay in town according to their visitor information is the Quality Inn located at the west end of town. There you can find a pet friendly, family friendly basic hotel with most amenities such as coffee pots, microwaves, and necessary toiletries in each room. The Quality Inn also offers an indoor pool. Most other basic rooms during off peak, non-holiday seasons are around $90 a night per double occupancy. Expect to pay more during the winter months and during famous festivals.

I stayed at the Linderhoff Inn for the weekend. This hotel has a two-night stay minimum for the weekend and I felt was overpriced for what it offers. For having a Jacuzzi and a gas fireplace in my room, I expected the room to be much larger than the standard hotel room for what was paid. The soaps and shampoos I found to be unique and invigorating.

Their continental breakfast consisted of nothing but cold cereal, small muffins, and canned fruit. Juices were available and the ability to make toast or English muffins. No sausage, no eggs, no waffle maker. The Linderhoff  Inn also does not allow pets or smoking in any of its rooms. I also heard my neighbors whenever the plumbing was used. There was no TV Guide on the expanded cable fed into the room so flipping through channels to find something to watch was annoying. The upside is that the flat screen TV did have ports for an optional DVD hook up. Staying here, I felt I was paying a premium price for staying just being in Leavenworth, rather than the hotel itself for what I found my experience to be. Next time I stay, I will try the Quality inn to have my basic needs met as they are the cheapest based on my research, and also have an indoor pool where the Linderhoff Inn did not.

Both sides of Affirmative Action in the Workplace

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by Misty S Bledsoe

alvimann/Morguefile.com

alvimann/Morguefile.com

When it comes to discrimination in hiring, affirmative action programs both helps and hinders the avoidance of such things. For example, in hiring practices, it is theoretically required by law that employers hire the best candidate or candidates to perform the essential job duties the most efficiently with the least amount of cost to them. If there is a company who notoriously only hires one sex versus the other even though both sexes apply, then affirmative action will help to curb this and help to even things out.

If there is a company who has many different types of candidates applying and the best one for the job is not a minority, but in this case because of affirmative action if the company has to hire a minority to fill a quota, then this hinders the employer and the candidates. First, the right person for the job missed the opportunity because the law stated the company had to hire a certain number of minorities. Second, the company missed the best worker because they had to hire a different candidate just because that person was a minority.

Affirmative action has also been known as reverse discrimination. This is because of the above scenario and this is when affirmative action begins to defeat the purpose of why it was created. In the above case, the company has now discriminated against the right person for the job based on the affirmative action needs rather than the qualifications of the candidate. To avoid this dilemma, it’s best if the company aim its job announcements and advertising where a diverse group of people are most likely to be. This will allow a diverse group of candidates to apply and then hopefully the company will be able to not only hire the right person for the job but also meet its minimum required hired requirements minorities.

I Work for Uhhhh…Mmmm…

Posted by The Team –

click/Morguefile.com

click/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Have you ever been asked where you work and been hesitant or embarrassed to disclose your employer for fear of possible verbal retaliation, or worse? For example, how many people to do you really know that work for the IRS? (No offense meant IRS).

Jesus said in Mark 3:25, “… a house divided against itself cannot stand.” That’s why it’s especially important to have all employees on board with a real vision that actually matters to the individuals working for the company and not just the big guys at the top.

Listen to that again. You need to have a real vision that actually matters to the individuals working for the company not just the rich folk employed by the company. I’ll give you an example. It’s fine for the board to say, “We will tell our employees in order to be a leader in this industry we have a goal of being 25x more productive than we are now with a net profit of a kajillion dollars by 20–. That aughta motivate them.” 

I can tell you from experience, that doesn’t mean squat to an employee who makes 11$ an hour who is trying to feed their family and work through school, etc….What’s in it for them? What motivation is that company going to give to that individual who does the company’s front end work and has to put up with other employee’s mistakes, complaints from customers, etc? Some would say, “To keep their job.”

That’s fair, but it’s not good enough.

If they know better and have a little bit of room, that employee could quit and go work for somebody who they ‘perceive’ to give them more value. More pay, more bonus, more flexibility, more recognition, more benefits, more security, less micromanagement, less barriers to movement and promotion within the company, etc…

Employees are like customers and they don’t have to be employed with you. Some might for various reasons, but don’t think those reasons are permanent. If you are not a company that properly motivates your employees by making value real to them individually, and then on top of it who doesn’t stand behind whatever integrity the employee first believed was there to begin with,  then that company is out one more good and possibly great employee and that employee has a bad taste in the mouth for that company.

 So, as a business owner, what do you do?

1) Be honest with your employees.

2) Do what you say you were going to do, unless you have a valid reason for not doing so. Share with your employees the reason for the change.(Hint: “Because I want to make more money,” is NOT a good reason.)

3) Get a vision and clearly communicate that to your people.

4) Make it real to them by tying in everything they do everyday into some aspect of really tying in that dream and goal.

5) Listen to what their needs are and don’t be afraid to change what you are doing if you can to retain your employees.

6) Everything hinges on integrity. If the employee thinks you are sham or can’t be fully trusted, they won’t be properly motivated. Do what you say you were going to do even if no one is looking. Even if you think no one will know, God does!

 I know as a business owner, there are many things to take into consideration and there is a fine balance between business growth and satisfying the individual moral needs of your employees. If you have been in business and consider yourself successful, then I am confident, you can find and attain that balance. No–you won’t be able to please everyone. I am not asking you to. But you can make improvements by changing and growing and continually being open to change and growth.

As an employee, examine what motivates you.

What do you need from your employer in order to work more productively? I am sure you have said to yourself, “I would do more of this, if only my company would do more—” or something similar. Does your company offer that? Maybe in a different division or position? You would be surprised what you uncover when you start asking questions. Be respectful. It might help to ask for resources on whatever topic you are trying to learn more about or ask to arrange informational interviews internally to simply learn more about other divisions in your company.

So if you are an employee, start examining yourself and your employer. If you are an employer, start listening to your employees. The process can be slow and sometimes difficult to make changes, but then neither one of you will be ever again stuck with the answer, “I work for Uhhh, Ummm….mmmm.”

7 Things to do in the Tribulation if You Choose NOT to Accept Christ

Posted by The Team –

anon/Morguefile.com

anon/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Over the years, lots of advice has been written on this subject.

That’s because it’s important.

You say you’ve heard all the hype, you know about how accepting Jesus will get you to heaven and all and quite frankly you don’t believe in it for one reason or another. Any excuse you have for not trusting in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is not going to stand up in God’s court on judgment day. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

 Sorry, I would rather have you know now when you still have a choice to make than later when it’s much too late…

 Ok, the big moment is here…Christians and young children and babies have disappeared in a flash all over the world and all at once! Was it radiation? Aliens? A new terrorist weapon? No…it was just Jesus coming back for his faithful servants as foretold in that book you perhaps have sitting on a shelf collecting dust somewhere…the Bible.

 You’ve just been left behind.

Think about that. You’ve just been left behind.

 Don’t say you didn’t know. Don’t say you weren’t warned. Don’t blame God, your spouse, your teacher, your neighbor or anyone else you can think of. This particular situation you are now in is your own fault.

If you choose not to give your life to Jesus Christ, there are 7 things you must do if you are going to survive as long as possible:

1) Get on your knees and give your heart and life to Jesus. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”  If you don’t, as previously mentioned, sorry, you will go to straight to hell for all eternity. No passing go, No collecting $200.

2) Tell as many people as you can and let them know what took place. Tell them about Jesus too.

3) Find and keep as many bibles as you can. Memorize as much scripture as you can. These will be confiscated in the near future.

4) Flee the city and hold up out in the woods for as long as you can. This could require some basic outdoor survival skills. It would be helpful to learn how to walk silently, hunt, fish, and how to set up and move quickly proper shelter.

5) Collect as much clean drinkable water as you can. Store it somewhere because shortly all the water will be turning to blood–yes even the oceans. It’s all in the bible folks—Revelations to be precise.

6) DTA…don’t trust anybody. The antichrist will have spies everywhere trying to see who is a believer and follower of Jesus and who isn’t. If they find you are not worshiping the beast’s image, you will be reported, torn from limb to limb, tortured, beheaded, or even worse…

7) DO NOT RENOUNCE CHRIST…The enemy will do anything to you, torture you, threaten you, even harm or threaten loved ones in front of you in an effort to make you renounce Christ. If you do, you will only spare your life for a moment, but you will spend eternity in hell. (Revelations again) No matter what you–do not let go of Jesus. Eternity in hell is not worth it.

Now, you might be thinking… “Misty, I just don’t believe in God, or Jesus, or hell, or anything like that.” I didn’t believe that I couldn’t defy gravity until I tried ‘flying’ out of a tree when I was a child. Gravity is a universal truth that applies to everyone all the time. God’s laws and plan of salvation is just as equal in that it applies to everyone all the time, whether you believe in it or not.

One more helpful tip.

 If you STILL won’t give your life to Jesus, then between now and then, don’t get into any vehicle, (plane, train, car, truck, boat, ferry, etc…) unless you are 150% sure that the person behind the wheel is also NOT going to be giving their life to Jesus. Simply because if the driver is a Christian and the rapture happens…guess who’s now driving that vehicle. You got it. Nobody.

Do you think you are a good person and none of this applies to you Jesus or no Jesus? Click here to take a simple test find out how good you are! http://www.livingwaters.com/good

Repent before God, trust in Jesus with all your heart and soul, read your bible everyday, and obey what you read. Do it today before it’s too late!

 (C) 2005 Misty S Bledsoe. All rights reserved.

When Using a Pseudonym Makes Sense

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Probably the biggest reason to use one is just because you don’t want what you’ve written associated with your name.

One of the places I write for recently performed some policy changes. One of them, is that writers can no longer put their personal website or blog into their bio’s. Plus, the organization still keeps all rights. Yep, all rights. Editors, however decided sometimes to change some of the content or reword things, or even dumb down things normal adults should have no problem reading. In doing this, it is the writer’s name and reputation at stake.

As writers, we know if a prospective client is looking over our work, if they see any flaws in terms of grammar or punctuation, you are automatically written off the list. If you can’t get your articles right, how do they expect you to perform for them? In addition, in the bios, we are supposed to put down our education. This is fine and dandy until an editor changes something so that it factually incorrect. Also, makes us look bad. Thus, a pseudonym is born.

Personally, I feel freer knowing if they make changes or mistakes that it really has no bearing on me anymore and I am free to protect my reputation as a writer. It’s not a complaint, it’s just the way it is.

How then do you offer clips when a client wants to see your work? Use past clips or your blog to display your work or if you feel comfortable revealing your pseudonym, then do so. If I have to, I’m only selecting articles that were correct and sound professional to display.

Putting a Software Maintenance Plan Together

Posted by The Team –

caprisco/Morguefile.com

caprisco/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Software Maintenance accounts for much of today’s work in the information technology industry as many businesses have older technologies they’re attempting to make work with current advancements. Many information technology professionals find a variety of cluttered, uncommented computer code with little or disorganized documentation when beginning to upgrade projects. The reverse engineering that takes place is costly to any organization. Having a well-defined maintenance plan can keep costs to a minimum going forward.

Document everything as much as possible.

Develop a handbook for future employees, preferably a protocol kept in a three ring binder or better yet as an editable PDF document stored on the company’s hard drive for the IT department. Include pages for definitions of roles and related responsibilities, chain of command procedures, disaster recovery procedures, documentation that exists for current software programs and documentation for all code changes made going forward.

Clearly define roles & responsibilities.

Begin by looking at the status of the information technology department and analyze the current workload of the staff. Select a team that will be dedicated to the software maintenance. Carefully decide who has authorization over things like gathering and examining past software documentation and who will be in charge of each portion of revising the code. Decide if the team will scrap the old and start over from scratch, will replace just the functions that are obsolete, or go with a third party software when necessary. Define procedures of how to deal with disagreements amongst the team. 

Develop a timeline.

Decide how often the maintenance will take place. Consider if you will have weekly team meetings, how incoming technical support tickets will be handled, and under what conditions relooking at the maintenance will need to take place. A work break down structure should be defined and a time line chart be developed. If a complete overhaul is necessary then benchmarks should be determined to ensure business deadlines are met. Some benchmark examples could be: having all classes and the class hierarchy defined and approved, class relationships being established, or prototype being started or completed.

Consider the budget.

The maintenance plan must not go over the company’s allotted budget. This may have a direct impact on the approach used to maintain the software in its current form and going forward. Some positions may have to take on increased responsibilities if the budget doesn’t allow for more staff to be allocated to the maintenance team. Often a compromise between the quality of the wants of the users and what the business needs actually are, will be met, and determined based on budgetary constraints.  

Other considerations.

Define ground rules for the team when rewriting the software. Consider agreeing on naming convention practices for variables and enforcing a policy where all code modules require specific comments describing what is happening in the module. The marks of good software maintenance is having a future employee with little or no knowledge of the project be able to pick up the documentation including source codes, and be able to tell exactly what is taking place within the application and exactly where the last crew left off.

Hiking Basics

Posted by The Team –

rachjose/Morguefile.com

rachjose/Morguefile.com

by Misty S. Bledsoe

If you aren’t in shape, start an exercise program and work up to comfortable level of hiking based on the type you want to do. (Always consult your doctor before beginning any excerise program.) If you don’t, then give yourself a lot of extra time for your day trip.

Pack as light as possible. If you think your pack is now light enough, keep stripping items or subsituting for lighter materials.

 

Essentials:

  • First aid kit
  • Toilet paper
  • Compass
  • Cell phone or GPS locator

Always let someone know where you will be and when you plan on returning. Take extra freeze dried food with you if you plan on being overnight. Take plenty of water.

These are common, well-known things about hiking.

Cookies: The other side of the story.

Posted by The Team –

rachjose/Morguefile.com

rachjose/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Third party cookies on your hard drive have been a double edge sword for some time. I read an article on http://writersdepot.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/social-media-minute-how-social-networking-sites-are-selling-your-identity/ where the author discusses how social media websites are able to sell your personal information. One tip the article offers is to increase your security with browser detection.

I did this once on my own having a Vista operating system and saw just how many cookies places like Careerbuilder or Yahoo actually allow to crawl my computer and store information. Every time a third party cookie wanted access, I had to give it permission. Alerts were popping up every 10-15 seconds or sooner. I have no idea who these other sites are or what they’re for, but my understanding of a cookie was so that the site you are accessing could remember certain settings. I have a Bachelors in Information Technology, so for me to see all these “third party” cookies wanting permission to access my stuff for sites I’ve never heard of was concerning to say the least. It’s worth it to check your security settings and if you can to set your browser to delete all cookies and temporary files every time you log off the internet. It won’t affect your computer’s performance. Something to think about.

Working at Home: Simpler than you think.

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

flutterby/Morguefile.com

flutterby/Morguefile.com

Working from home is a wonderful thing and I learned that contrary to what is out there on the internet there are several ways I can make money from home without really having to pay much of anything if anything at all, depending on how you look at and or structure your finances. Some of the best places I’ve found several types of work at home jobs that allow me to stay at home are:

http://www.virtualvocations.com

http://magicalgiftdollhouses.com/

http://www.ratracerebellion.com

http://www.associatedcontent.com

Feel free to explore these. I pay to access Virtual Vocations full database and I’ve paid the deposit for the New England Crafter’s Company. As for NEC, I’ve passed on one of their projects and now enjoy making their crafts from home in addition to writing freelance articles. Working from home can be simpler than you imagine. Timothy Ferris, author of The 4 Hour Work Week, says you can always make more money but you can never get your time back.

Once you’ve decided to work out of your home, does that mean you won’t work for another regular corporation ever again? Certainly not. None of us know what the future really holds in terms of what twists and turns life will bring us. As a safety net, always be willing to work outside the home if you ever have to and never do anything to alienate prospective employers. Rather, come along side them and work with them as partners. As a business owner, self-employed person, you know what it takes to be successful and when you can join a corporation as an employee even temporarily; you are each helping one another meet mutual goals. To top this, working outside the home can help keep some of your employable skills fresh depending on what choose to do from the home for work.

I Didn’t See that One Coming

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

miguelwhee/Morguefile.com

miguelwhee/Morguefile.com

Preparedness is very helpful to survival situations–

Even if its just in the adventure of homeownership.

Out of nowhere the entire shower door contraption in my bathroom breaks in three different pieces. The top portion holding the doors in place pops off for no good reason. No one got hurt and no one was in the tub when it happend but it sure mystified us a bit. We ran up to ACE Hardware and got a shower rod (didn’t cost me anything since I had some training wheels to take back anyway) and I used  a shower curtain I had purchased at a the dollar store about 6 months ago still in the package.

I keep stuff just because one day you might need it. Seriously. Improvising is a big deal when you are trying to get your rear end out of you know what. No, I’m not a packrat.

We all experience unexpected things in life. A shower breaking for no reason, included, is no different. God knows everything ahead of time and I believe He had prevented me from taking back the training wheels ’till now. God is good all the time! He even knows when the shower will break and had a plan to get me out before I ever got into the situation. How cool is that?

Of Sugar Cookies and of Copy Editors…

Posted by The Team –

Too many sugar cookies from Albertson’s combined with a late night at the “office” equaled me rashly hitting the submit button. I had submitted an article that was well researched and in my opinion well written.

Except that after I pressed the both beautiful and dreaded submit button, I realized I had made a huge Freudian slip throughout the entire article, using the word “corporation” where it should have said “company.”

Pressing the back button, the famous CTRL+Z to undo my blunder and even clicking on the link to the article itself could not reverse the fact that this article is now sitting in my editor’s virtual desk where its waiting scrutinization with a fine tooth comb and magnifying glass.

Realizing there is NOTHING I can do to fix this at this point, I get up, go to the “water cooler,” grab some water, and try to breathe deeply. “Hopefully they catch this one and send it back for a rewrite.”

Wait. You’re actually wanting a rewrite? I shake my head. It must be done for the information’s sake. What’s the worst that could happen? Cruel and unusual remarks about how I suck as a writer and how the editor couldn’t believe I actually claim to have a Bachelor’s degree with that type of GPA when I couldn’t get a very basic business fact down throughout the entire article? Images of Jim Carey’s the “Grinch” character pops into my mind.

They’re good editors, they’ll catch it and when they rip you a new one, just take it because let’s face it, you royally screwed up that time! I see myself beating my head up against the wall, but don’t actually do it because it might wake up the kids. ARGGGH! I can’t believe I did that!

Deep breath.

Do it again.

Ok, so we’ll just hope they catch it and they accept the truth behind my screw up…I was writing under the influence of yes–, too many sugar cookies.

Wait. Who’s we? I’m slightly disturbed at my thought process. I continue arguing with myself the excuse is not professional despite being the truth. How would I relate this in “corporate—eez” if I was still working for a regular boss?

Ah, I have it. I do realize the oversight. I was putting in longer than normal hours and the detail simply escaped my attention. It’s not acceptable that it happened and I will be sure to put into place certain actions to ensure it never happens again….

Hmmm…yawn.

The reality of the situation is that writers and editors alike are far from perfect. Although writers are supposed to carefully proofread their work (and for the love of everything good and true make sure their facts are straight!) to the point where an editor would have to do nothing more than say, “Send this off to press,” we screw up sometimes and our editors are like good shepherds there to guide us back onto the trail, even when we’ve done our best. And whether we admit or not, we writers are very grateful for it.

 I’ll deal with whoever “we” is tomorrow.

What Shows Recruiting you have What it Takes

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

When hundreds of applicants apply for the same job, your resume only has a few seconds to actually show those reviewing them that you have what it takes to do the job at hand. Your resume must be active, show professionalism, and above all be less than one page long. Even in advanced job environments or unless the company such as the government requests longer than one page of resume, you should always keep it at one page. Timing is everything.

Human Resources and Recruiting are always looking for the ideal candidate. Resumes that come closest to portraying their ideal candidate will get interviews first. The goal of a resume is strictly to win a job interview.

One Page

HR and Recruiting professionals are so busy; resumes that are more the one page get looked at last if at all. If it requires extra effort to read your resume, it’s already a hit against you. Cut out any unnecessary, irrelevant information. This may mean having more than one resume built and ready to go.

Accomplishments not Duties

List your actual accomplishments you did at your last job with measureable numbers. If you are currently employed, take time to review your accomplishments with specific measureable numbers. You may use those figures and data on your resumes. Accomplishments read like this: Increased applicant capacity by 22% over a 3-month period by working with my team to effect change. Duties read like this: operated a fax machine, typed up documents, sorted mail. The duties are obvious to professionals in the HR world. It doesn’t tell us how well you did your job.

Career Advancements

Along with accomplishments, include any professional awards you’ve received and a brief description (if you have it on your one page) for what. Advancement shows personal development and growth, both of which are positive indicators you want to stay active in a career.

Actionable

Use verbs whenever possible and write in a present or forward tense manner. Use past tense verbs only when describing positive action. Show activities or projects you’ve been involved in and it will also give HR an indication of how you work within a team environment.

Title Headings and Fonts

Standard headings are considered professional but many times they just aren’t useful. Consider changing “Professional Skills” to “Professional Accomplishments” as an example. That goes from listing what you know how to do to showing HR you know how to be effective with those skills. Consider changing “Work History” to “Professional Background” and so on. Never use more than two fonts and keep it black and white. It’s naturally easier on the eyes.

When deciding what else to change in your resume keep “What can I do to make finding this information as easy and relevant as possible?” Be ruthless in your editing and if it makes it easier to find and easier on the eyes, then do it. Doing these things will automatically increase your chances of having your resume chosen for an interview.

Never say the Following in a Job Interview…

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

A phone or in person job interview is your chance to convince the interviewers why you are the best candidate for the job. The following is a list of things that job applicants have actually given during interviews. These are not what employers want to hear.

Q. “Why do you want to work for our company?”

A. “I need a job.”

Recruiting professionals know you are looking for work. This is why you are applying. What employers are really looking to hear is a reason you are interested in their company. It indicates what kind of research you’ve done on the job or the company. A better answer is something to the effect of, “Your Company interests me because I like working in a (fill in the blank) type of environment and I’ve seen nothing but good things about company in the press. I really think working for your company will allow me to grow professionally while making a difference.”

Q. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

A. “Well, where I really want to work is at (inserts another company) and I’m just using this position to kind of help me get there. Truthfully, if you ask me, I would love nothing more than to not be working or pursuing my favorite hobby.”

Recruiters and Hiring Managers know you have your own personal goals but telling them about your personal goals or that you are just using their company is a mistake. What they are looking to hear is your professional goals possibly within their company. A more appropriate answer would be something similar to: “By then I will have finished (or started) on my degree in (pick something). I think learning a secondary language would be helpful and I definitely want to pursue a management type of position. Training and developing people has always been an interest of mine.” This verbiage may not apply directly to you, but you get the point.

Q. “Do you have any objections to submitting to a drug test?”

A. “Do you know how long it takes for marijuana to get out of your system?”

When a hiring manager or interviewer hears this type of response, they have to physically restrain themselves from cringing and or laughing. This is not a good indication you will be a good employee. The only appropriate answer to this questions is: “None.” On a side note, because of HIPAA regulations (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act), employers are actually not allowed to ask about health conditions as long as it has no bearing on the actual job requirements itself. If asked about a drug test and you are taking prescription drugs, keep the information to yourself, as it has no bearing on hiring decisions. The drug collection site and employers have processes in place to handle prescription drugs that may flag a positive test result. If you’re very concerned about it you could ask the interviewer or drug collection facility, “If an applicant was taking any prescription medications, do you require to see a listing of them?” In most cases, the answer will be “No,” or instructions will be provided to you at that time, but the employer should not need to see a list of them.

The most important thing to remember is to keep all your answers professionally orientated when it comes to goals, concerns, and social life. An interviewer does not need to know if you have children or trouble with finding daycare or your marital status. A general reassurance to the employer would sound similar to: “I would need two weeks to be available.” This takes care of any concerns the employer might have without showing you might be nervous or dealing with other possibly intense personal issues.

Looking for a Career in Computers?

Posted by The Team –

jdurham/Morguefile.com

jdurham/Morguefile.com

by Misty Bledsoe

Computer careers can take on various forms and specializations. Computer careers include working with software creation, hardware installation, and maintenance. Others choose to investigate and prevent cybercrimes for both independent and governmental business.

Networks

Network Administrators are in charge of a business’s local area hardware and software network making sure everything runs smoothly from day to day. Usually a four-year degree is required for this work.

Database

Database Administrators typically design and maintain the master database files for companies keeping them updated and functioning properly. They also prepare the master files for future uses requires a four-year degree.

Programming

A computer programmer develops software to client specifications, tests, debugs, and documents it. They usually work in a team environment but can also work alone and at times will be outside normal business hours.

Forensics

Computer Forensics Analysts delve deep into user activity on networks to provide documented evidence of cybercrimes that can be presented in a court of law. These positions require a four-year degree.

Support

Help desk support acts in response to client’s requests for help if hardware or software is not working correctly. They perform troubleshooting via phone and in person. This usually requires one to two years of schooling.

Disclosure Policy

Posted by The Team –

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 12 October 2009
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact  info at mistywrites.com.

The author is available for hire, both for freelance writing and computer programming.

Even though the owner(s) of this blog is available for hire, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences in our posts. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. We just didn’t want you to think this blog was filled full of meaningless and unwanted material.

 This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

You have Exactly 7 Seconds to get their Attention or Else…

Posted by The Team –

alvimann/Morguefile.com

alvimann/Morguefile.com

by: Misty S Bledsoe

You have just seven seconds to get the attention of a Recruiter or other HR professional who is about to decide whether or not they bring you in for an interview.

“If I had even just a nickel for every resume I saw like this, I wouldn’t need to have this job,” I told my Recruiter. I worked for a global Fortune 500 company for awhile working as  Recruiting Assistant in a call center. We hired a lot of people all the time and part of my job was to scour the internet for resumes. After seeing the sheer number of individuals with “cookie cutter” resumes, as I loved to call them, I realized some education institutions were telling their students to craft their resume this way. (My own university’s career department was just as guilty and didn’t like working with me anymore after I insisted this is not what employers are looking for).

Some important things to remember and despite incredible amounts of information out there saying not to do these things people still do them.

DO NOT:

Put your age, sex, any religious affiliations you belong to, or how many kids you have. Employers aren’t allowed to discriminate against you, but the person who reviews your resume is human and comes with subconscious prejudices. Putting any of these things on your resume will subconsciously trigger an instant “Let’s see how many other applicants we have…” whether the reviewer is aware of it or not — especially if there are hundreds to choose from. Don’t even give it a chance to develop.

List your job duties. In the recruiting world, we are familiar with most positions out there and it’s automatically known that you know how to type, can answer a phone, use a fax, and speak with respect to customers. It’s a waste of space.

Make your resume more than 1 page long. For the love of everything that is good and true, please (begging) don’t do this. We have so much to do to get our regular jobs done while our bosses are asking us to do more and the last thing we have time to do is to wade through more than a one page resume.

Don’t list a general objective. We know them by heart. Make it specific. Bad Example: To get a job working in the administrative field. Good Example: To help facilitate cost savings & increasing productivity for your company working in Administration & growing professionally.

Add References. There is enough identity theft going around. Employers find that if you respect your references’ information by not plastering it all over a resume, that there’s a good chance you’ll be just as careful with their company and client information.

Taking this information out alone should cut down the wasted space found in most resumes. Removing these will automatically improve your chances of being taken seriously by a Recruiter or HR Professional.

For more on information on what goes on behind closed doors in the Recruiting world in one place, I found this to be good reading.

4 Year Old Wields Ancient Secret Weapon…

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

“She knew what she was seeing had to either be wrong or there had to be a good reason why this poor shivering woman was letting this poor frozen man slide deep into the water.”

She knew what she was seeing had to either be wrong or there had to be a good reason why this poor shivering woman was letting this poor frozen man slide deep into the water. My daughter stopped talking and began watching intently. Her lips pierced, her chin started to quiver, she stopped breathing for a moment and her eyes began to well. 

I was watching Titanic at the scene after the ship had sunk when the people were waiting for the lifeboats to return. Rose had realized that Jacks gone and was letting him go. 

“Mom, why is she letting him go? Why is he sinking into the water?” She was still fighting tears. I expected her to start crying. Only natural as the scenes are very sad…but she didn’t.

She saw something she didn’t like or that didn’t seem right to her and instead of convulsing with emotion, she stopped to question the situation. Then she expectantly waited for my answer, trusting that whatever I told her would be truth and work out for the good. 

Inside I smiled because it was magnificent to see a 4 year old wield a weapon of faith so easily. It was like watching a well-trained warrior in battle. Instead of reacting to what she saw, she stopped to question the situation. 

She was walking by faith and not by sight.  

As a Christian, we grow in our relationship of knowing God, His character, ways, etc…we begin to learn how to trust God. Many times we have all encountered something in our life that doesn’t look right or that shouldn’t be happening. Instead of completely and unnecessarily creating emotional upheaval to ourselves all the time, we should stop and question the situation.

Either what we are seeing is not reality according to God’s Word or there is a plan behind it. If we simply ask God, He is faithful to give us the truth about the situation, according to His Word, so we can know how to work through it or get around it. I know if my daughter continues processing information as she did in this example, she will be able to go through life much more victoriously than without.

I answered her question, “He died, honey. He was left out in the freezing cold water too long. A lot of people died on that boat honey. It was very sad.”

“But she’s going to be ok, right?”

“Yes, baby, she is.”

This seemed to comfort her a bit as she went back to playing. I gave her the truth that yes, Jack did die which is probably not the way she wanted that to end. Even when we ask of God, “Why,” or “Explain this, I don’t understand,” we can trust God to give us the truth even if we don’t want to hear it. In this we can also trust His plan in it. 

A few nights later she said, “Mom lets watch the movie when Jack is still alive.”

We never got to. The VCR had evidently gone down with the ship.

Alone in the Wild

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

Ed Wardle set out to survive off the land in parts of the Yukon Territory for 12 weeks with a map, 18 pounds of rice and oats to supplement what he could catch off the land, a Hennessey hammock, a gun, light, water pot, filming camera, and a few other supplies. He is an outdoorsman but not a survival expert. I applaud him for being able to stay just 50 days in the wild the way he did.

I was not used to seeing a person do this as compared to Bear Gryles and Les Stroud in my favorite Man vs. Wild and Survivorman shows. They are trained survival experts and only stay 7 days in the wild with very, very little if any supplies at all; usually nothing more than knife or some cord of some sort. After watching many of these survival shows I began to wonder if Wardle had researched the area fully before being dropped in by plane. Hadn’t he found what could be eaten and not eaten in terms of plant life? Why didn’t he eat any frogs, bugs, or grubs to stay alive when he really needed it?

To his credit, he seemed to be under many restrictions such as hunting seasons and so forth for the area he was in. I told my husband, “By now, I would have eaten some frogs or something, seriously…” Nevertheless, I was not in his situation. I knew about those things and maybe so did he, but he allowed himself to get to a point of hunger that began to affect his mind for a short period of time. The production crew eventually had to drop emergency food to him. Good thing and just in time. I think if he was more prepared and more vigilant in his research perhaps, he could have avoided several of his more uncomfortable moments.

Bottom line: I applaud him for doing so well and lasting so long. I think he put some heavy unrealistic expectations on himself given his skills and dream. I would like to see him do it again another time when he is more prepared. He shouldn’t give up and he should not be discouraged. He did well for his situation despite the fact that some of his viewers knew he could have done better for himself. Good job!

Before Using an Article Submitter Application, Read This…

Posted by The Team –

anendel/Morguefile.com

anendel/Morguefile.com

by: Misty S Bledsoe

There are several ways to maximize your exposure to the articles you write. I purchased an older version of Blogging to the Bank a couple of years ago, read it and kept it for when I ready to use it. Blogging to the Bank  has several great ideas on how to grow a network and increase exposure to your articles, generating content, and more. Well, in my original version, it came with a free software application that allowed me to submit my articles to over 300 websites made up of mostly article directories. Now there is a few hoops to go through to make it work and does involve a little time to get things set up on the back end, but once you do that, it’s worth it and will save you almost immeasurable amounts of work.

Here’s the thing.

I went to use it after all this time and it wouldn’t work. Therefore, I emailed the author and the staff sent back another free version of a similar but different type of application. It only allows you to submit to 85 places free and will cost to submit to more. Still not too bad considering the goal is to maximize your article exposure. I still haven’t used it because I read somewhere that you have to be careful what content sites you submit your articles to.

So I decided, as any careful author should, take the time to read the terms and conditions of some of these article sites. Some I found that by simply submitting your articles to these sites you agree to the following:

  • You grant the content site all non-exclusive rights to use your stuff anyway they please without any compensation to you the writer.
  • You grant the site exclusive first year rights to your article(s) only and so it can’t actually appear on any other sites for the first year
  • Or, by submitting to the content site you actually agree that it’s for free reprinting to their members without compensation to you as long as the byline and bios are included in their use of the article.

I probably don’t have to tell you there is absolutely no guarantee the members who agree to those terms will actually always do so, thus effectively violating every copyright law in the book (I’m not an attorney, so you should check with a qualified one on that one however). The worst thing is if I were to actually use this submitter thing and checked all sites to submit to without checking the sites terms and conditions first, I would be violating the content sites own terms and services and jeopardizing my ability to generate cash flow from any resale of those articles.

The bottom line is to check the terms and conditions of any place you choose to submit to. If you use any applications such as the ones I described to distribute your articles, then take the time to read the individual terms and conditions (CYA!) and leave unselected the ones that will self violate themselves or keep all rights with no compensation to you. If you are only generating content to sell something and your sole goal is populate the net with the article then only submit it to sites where you will not violate the terms and conditions of the sites.

Other than that, Blogging to the Bank  is full of great ideas and it’s good overall comprehensive program even a beginner can use.

10 WAYS TO MAKE DEADBEATS PAY UP…FAST!

Posted by The Team –

The following article is free reprint article from an authority on freelance writing that respect. I encourage you to use her site http://www.writersweekly.com as a resource in your freelancing library. Enjoy! It was a direct cut and paste from her site as permission is given to reprint the article as long as the entire article is reprinted complete with bio.

May 15, 2002

10 WAYS TO MAKE DEADBEATS PAY UP…FAST! By Angela Hoy, WritersWeekly.com
printable version | Share on Facebook

 

These days, publishers and editors can be pretty creative when coming up with reasons to not pay writers. We’ve heard it all at WritersWeekly.com Warnings!

“That article was horrible. Sure, I ran it, but my readers hated it. So, I’m not paying!”

“Yeah, I published it, but the article was two days late. That’s a violation of contract, so I’m not paying for it.”

“I don’t have any money so I don’t have to pay you.”

“This is a non-profit organization. We’ve decided to stop paying writers.”

“The editor is in the hospital and the payment is being sorted out.”

“I was in the hospital.”

“My dog was in the hospital.”

“My aunt is on her death bed and I can’t do anything until she passes.”

“We never sent you a contract, so we don’t have to pay.”

“I filed for bankruptcy. Now I don’t have to pay you!”

“Sure, I sent a contact, but I never signed it!”

“I’m broke. Can’t I just send you a free book or something?”

“I’ll pay you half your invoice. Take it or leave it.”

“Yeah, I owe you money, but if you say anything about me online, I’ll sue you.”

Some publishers even include a clause in their contract that states the writer has to sue them in the publisher’s state for any grievance. Some say the writer has to attend mediation in the publisher’s state before they can sue. This usually means the writer has to travel in order to collect or sue, which pretty much eliminates your chances of ever getting paid.

Think it’s impossible to get revenge and your money? Think again!

Print this article and hang it by your desk. The next time an editor hassles you about payment, do these things:

STEP 1:
Let’s face it. Email goes awry. People get sick. Building burn down. Things do happen. Before you take drastic collection efforts, send a certified letter to the editor. Five days later, email that letter to as many email addresses at the company as you can find. To get a firm’s mailing address and even an alternative email address, look at their website or search for their domain at: http://dns411.com/

Include a note telling the editor that if you don’t hear from them about this matter within 10 business days, you’re going to do the following:

STEP 2:
Report them to the Attorney General’s office in their state. It is best to name the attorney general in the letter. You can find a listing of all the attorney generals at: http://www.co.eaton.mi.us/ecpa/proslist.htm

STEP 3:
Report them to the Better Business Bureau. Reports can be filed online. You can find a list of BBB sites at: http://www.bbb.org/complaints/aboutResolution.asp

STEP 4:
Report them to the FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center (only if they owe you $5K or more). See: http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp

STEP 5:
Report them to the National Writer’s Union (you must be a member). See: http://www.nwu.org/alerts/alrthome.htm

STEP 6:
Report them to the Absolute Write Bewares Board at: http://pub43.ezboard.com/fabsolutewritefrm11

STEP 7:
CONTACT THE PUBLICATION’S ADVERTISERS: A publication’s advertisers are their main source of financial survival. When a media giant (television show, magazine, etc.) does something to harm their reputation, advertisers start pulling the plug to distance themselves from the offender. This works with small publication, too! If a publisher owes you money, their advertisers deserve to know what type of publication they’re attaching their product’s name to.

STEP 8:
USING EMAIL BOMBS AS COLLECTION TOOLS: Awhile back (several months ago), we ran a letter here about email bombs that was quite a hit. What’s an email bomb? If a publication owes you money and refuses to pay, have everyone you know on every writing list send that editor an email that says,

“Please pay [insert your name here].”

And, have them sign their name with “Freelance Writer” after it. This way, the editor knows that word about their unethical, non-payment practices has gotten around online to thousands of freelance writers. And, they will usually pay you quickly in an attempt to save their already quite tarnished reputation. This drastic yet very effective method usually works.

STEP 9:
Join some of the largest freelance writing discussion lists and post messages about the firm to warn other writers about that firm!

One of the largest usenet groups is:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&q=misc.writing&meta=

An excellent group is MomWriters at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/momwriters/

More lists can be found at:
http://www.yahoogroups.com
http://www.topica.com

STEP 10:
Report them to WritersWeekly Warnings. See:
http://www.writersweekly.com/warnings/warnings.html

SAMPLE LETTER:

For illustrative purposes, I’m going to pretend the publication is in New York City.

Date
Publisher name
Address
New York, NY 99999

(You can usually find this info. on their website, in their publication, or at: http://dns411.com/)

 

This letter serves as written notice that your firm owes me $________ and is ignoring my emails. If I do not hear from you within 10 business days concerning this matter, I will be forced to notify the following:

1. Eloit Spitzer, New York State Attorney General
Department of Law – The Capitol / 2nd Floor
Albany, NY 12224
P 518-474-7330
F 518-473-9909

2. BBB of Metropolitan New York
http://www.newyork.bbb.org
bbb@bway.net
P 212-533-6200
F 212-477-4912
257 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010 -7384

3. FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center
http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp

4. WritersWeekly.com Warnings
WritersWeekly is the largest freelance writing ezine in the world serving 67,000 freelancers every Wednesday. Their warnings page has successfully put deadbeat publishers out of business. http://www.writersweekly.com/warnings/warnings.html

 

5. National Writer’s Union
http://www.nwu.org/

6. Absolute Write Bewares Board
http://pub43.ezboard.com/fabsolutewritefrm11

7. Your advertisers
[Insert a brief list of the biggest advertisers/partners you find on their website or in their print publication.]

8. My peers
There are hundreds of thousands of writers online that can easily be accessed within one hour by the click of my mouse.
[your signature]

Your name
Address
City/State/Zip
Phone
Fax
Email

Remember…when an editor owes you money and ignores your letters and emails, they are WRONG. They are unprofessional deadbeats and the freelance community deserves to know about their actions!

Angela Hoy is the co-owner of WritersWeekly.com, a FREE emag for writers featuring freelance jobs and new paying markets, and Booklocker.com, an epublisher that helps self-published authors turn their books into a business.

Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer and Siberian Huskies

Posted by The Team –

You may not care and this may not matter, but its a cold, crisp, fall morning. Stillness. Fog. There’s a chill in the air. And Peppermint Mocha flavored coffee creamer was released a month earlier than normal in the season. I bought six bottles of it since it only comes out during the winter season.

Except it’s fall now and the early release was a pleasant surprise. The Siberian Huskies are pecking at one another out back. Onyx is challenging Ruby for leadership again. I’m confident she will put him in his place. Ruby is the oldest and established herself as the Alpha Leader with ease several years ago. Onyx whines incessantly thorough the day. He wants me to get involved in his battles. I won’t. It defeats their natural order of picking and following leadership within their ranks. If the boys, Onyx and Cobalt get into it, I have to separate them. No easy task.

The kids have had breakfast and now I get to blog before going off to church. The vivid dream (nightmare) I had last night seems to put itself in the forefront of my view as I try to figure out its meaning. I’m still grieving (or whining) that Man vs. Wild is not on Discovery at its usual time slot and I cannot seem to locate episodes of Survivor Man either. Guess I’ll have to buy the box sets for myself for a Christmas present. I’ll work overtime to get it.

My feet are warmer now that I’ve bathed, put clean clothes on and am wearing my favorite old time fall/winter boots. I’ve had them for years (10+). Won them in a bonus contest at an old job I had back then.

The only decision I have to make today is whether or not to work on my work at home crafts from New England Craft company or write for Demand Studios for work today. I rarely take a full day off, twice a month at least. My schedule doesn’t allow for a real day off between the house, kids, pets, and working from home. I work when time allows for it. I take advantage of it. Things will hopefully settle into a regular type of schedule more than it is now, but when life happens, life happens, and at least working from home, I get to be here for it!

Ruby just slammed Onyx into our chain linked fence. He’s protesting but not hurt. He’s actually much larger and stronger than she, but he doesn’t realize it. I must check on them. Ching, Ching, Ching, Growls…There is more slamming than normal.

The dogs eagerly greeted me at the back door, Onyx breathing heavily, Ruby just staring at me. Cobalt had occupied himself by digging a fresh hole in the yard. He is proud of his accomplishments (he’s not always 100% there). All seems to be OK. I have a strange urge to watch The Incredibles and read excerpts of Charles Finney’s writings. Hmmm…Today will be weird. I can tell. Better have a second cup of Peppermint Mocha coffee…

Write a Novel in 30 Days or Less

Posted by The Team –

imelechon/Morguefile.com

imelechon/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

November begins the National Novel Writing Month contest. This is where people who have always wanted to write a novel are challenged to write a novel with 50,000, words during the month of November.

The famed contest began in 1999 when the authors of “No Plot, No Problem,” set out to write a novel in 30 days or less and detailed their adventure in their book. It’s side-splitting humor the entire way through filled with challenge, reality, laughing, and sense of “Is this really going to happen?” Since then, thousands have taken them up on the challenge with some of the titles the writers did, actually being in print with major publishers.

People set out to write novels for many reasons, but the authors simply tell it how it is and challenge others to actually get out and do it, then go about outlining how to make that possible. You can learn more and register for the contest at http://www.nanowrimo.org/ Up for the challenge?

Scenic Hot Springs Review

Posted by The Team –

jade/Morguefile.com

jade/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Skykomish, Washington—mile marker 59 on Highway 2

Scenic Hot Springs seems to be a popular destination for hot spring enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest despite the fact it sits on private property. Anyone entering the property without the proper permissions is tresspassing and will face consequences.

The official website for the hot springs is http://scenichotsprings.blogspot.com/. You must visit the site to see about official rules, regulations, status changes, and ways of obtaining permission to visit the springs.

The hike is roughly 2.5 miles up with a gain of roughly 2000 feet in elevation. It is a challenging hike and not for the faint of heart. The pictures show a beautiful history of the hot springs and the history is full of unique stories.

Recent blog postings show dustings of snow and recent signs of vandalism and people having obviously breaking the rules that are in place. If you consider yourself a friend of the hot springs you will not try to sneak onto the property or break any of their established rules. Again, it’s vital you visit the official site for more information including permission on how to enter the springs.

Preventing Fear while Waiting in Medical Waiting Rooms

Posted by The Team –

 

dave/Morguefile.com

dave/Morguefile.com

 

by Misty S Bledsoe

With the rise of H1N1, more commonly known as the swine flu, more and more medical facilities are taking precautions to more aggressively prevent the spread of germs. Patients are now recommended to wear surgical type paper masks if they are experiencing any type of coughing or upper respiratory symptoms. Entering a medical facility and seeing several of these masks along with the faces of those who do not feel well, can immediately lead to a sense of fear.

Here is some perspective on the reality of illness:

  • Good hand washing habits have always been in effect in restaurants, schools, and medical facilities they are just now more heavily promoted to get the general public to do what they always should have been doing—washing their hands!
  • Many medical professionals even though seemingly around illness for eight plus hours a day do not seem to fall ill. The main reason is proper and nearly religious habits of hand washing not only at work but in their daily lives. If health professionals can avoid a majority of illness simply because of this, it would only make sense that we too can avoid many types of communicable disease by actively employing good hand washing techniques in everyday life situations.
  • Remember not to touch your mouth, nose, or eyes without the assistance of a tissue or making sure you’ve thoroughly washed your hands first.
  • The reality is that the regular flu actually kills more people per year in the United States than the swine flu has so far. People also die of taking Tylenol or Aspirin every year simply because their body did not agree with it. Those cases are not cases of overdose. These things are not widely published but credible resources can be found by performing some simple Google searches.
  • Health professionals, schools, and community service personnel are all preparing for a full-blown “attack” of the swine flu because regularly healthy people seemed not to be able to fight it off in a few cases. There are many more who had swine flu who may not have realized it that were never seen, and those that had been seen by medical professionals and lived with symptoms improving in a 3-5 day time frame.

So realize that even though you see more masks in the waiting rooms and you know germs travel in close conditions and you know you have to sit in a room with people who are experiencing various symptoms, remember the realities of communicable disease. Remember that we are not alone and that good hand washing habits are key to avoidance.

Wash your hands after going out, before, and after eating, after using the restroom and more. I wash after I finish in every store where I run errands or use hand sanitizer on a regular basis. I also make it a habit to no longer rub my eyes, touch my nose or mouth without first cleaning my hands and try to teach my children to do the same. I keep hand sanitizer on each side of my vehicle for myself and my passengers and invite others to use the sanitizer at the same time I do. I also rub the excess on my steering wheel. 

If nothing else, remember that fear only grips when you feel like you are not in control of a situation. You are in control of your habits, your mindset, and are in charge of gathering credible data to analyze for yourself. Swine flu is a risk, just like the regular flu, or a common cold. You can catch them if you don’t employ good prevention techniques, including reducing stress (which fear causes), eating well balanced meals, exercising on a regular basis, and getting enough proper uninterrupted sleep.

I don’t believe its paranoia to do this. Remember health personnel have done it a lot longer and these things have always been recommended. Next time you’re in the waiting room remember the realities, take comfort in your faith, and remember to keep washing your hands.

Spanking Lowers the IQ of your Child?

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

A recent study done in New Hampshire was recently reported by King 5 news that spanking your child leads to a 3-5 point drop in IQ in the test cases that were studied. My question for King 5 news is where we can find the conditions of the study? The story was very biased in explaining this as factual with one of the researchers saying, “If parents are spanking their children, they aren’t talking [as a form of alternative discipline] to them.”

  • What were the conditions of the study?
  • Were the parents in the test cases using ONLY spanking as a form of discipline?
  • Was spanking their FIRST choice of discipline in these cases?

If so, then yes, their study would be valid as that would cause psychological distress on any child under those conditions.

I know plenty of parents that spank their children and it’s done as a last resort. That means there is plenty of talking, time outs, noses in the corners and privileges taken away from the child before spanking occurs. The researcher when interviewed also was saying that “If I’m hitting or spanking a child…..”

She actually said spanking was hitting the child. It was done in the same fashion as some current scientific text books used in today’s universities that actually use the term “law” and “theory” interchangeably when they are clearly not the same. (I had to re-review the text several times to see where they had inserted this to purport their views on a certain scientific matter and my jaw dropped that educators would actually allow this slight-of-hand type of manipulation to actually be taught to their children—but that is a whole other matter…) The way this researcher was speaking about spanking and hitting was no different.

Let’s set a couple of things straight right now. First, spanking your child is NOT hitting them. There is a very clear difference. Second, parents that use spanking as a form of discipline that use it as a last resort to correct their child’s behaviors are very much known for talking to them, reasoning with them, explaining to them, using time outs, etc…are not monsters as this story painted them out to be.

As a parent, I would whole heartedly agree that spanking your child as the only form of discipline or the first choice of discipline on a regular basis would cause significant amounts of stress in the child’s life and thus would have an impact on not just their learning but in other areas of their life as well. However, I do NOT agree that spanking your child lowers their IQ if it’s only done when necessary.

Some parents believe that spanking their children is NEVER OK. That is their right and privilege. However, when other parents choose to utilize this because they will not let their child win at exercising the incorrect behavior over the parents advice, will, or orders, that do resort to spanking should not be painted out to be uneducated, hitting- happy adults who look forward to spanking their children because they are too lazy to try anything else. Furthermore, more information for both sides of the story should have been properly represented in order to have a fully educated view of the matter.

Journalism used to do that.

First Date Red Flags

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S Bledsoe

taliesin/Morguefile.com

taliesin/Morguefile.com

Dating can be an interesting way of getting to know someone else one-to-one. While you are getting to know someone, there are a couple of things to watch out for. If your date indicates any of these behaviors, address them once. If they do it again, I recommend not seeing that person romantically any further.

 Don’t let your emotional needs and wants to overshadow or dismiss these behaviors. Some women have found themselves in not only lousy unfulfilling relationships but in outright abusive relationships as well.

 Pressure of any kind.

You are there to get to know more about one another. You are not obligated to hold hands, kiss, hug, to allow an arm to be draped over your shoulder or anything else you are not comfortable with. You are allowed to say so. 

 

Not honoring your requests.

One first date I had we had just barely finished a scrumptious dinner and it was time to go to the movies. He took my hand as he walked me back to the car. Quite frankly, I didn’t want to hold his hand yet. We had been on the date for about 90 minutes. I also thought it was extremely rude for him to just take my hand like he owned it or something. 

If had been really attracted to the guy before this time, I might have allowed it. However, I wasn’t and this action wasn’t scoring him any points.

My rule is to communicate clearly once and respectfully, of course. I withdrew the hand. He commented before I had a chance to speak, “What you don’t want to hold my hand?” His tone was respectful and quiet.

“Oh, no…that’s not necessary right now. I don’t feel comfortable holding hands.” That was my warning shot.

He said something, I don’t’ really remember, but it was a joke of some sort. We both started laughing and at the end of it while we were still laughing, he through in there, “Ah, come on. It’s no big deal. I like you and I want to treat you nice.” 

By then we were at the car door which he opened for me.

I couldn’t tell if was the ½ glass of wine I had had or his words that gave me a sickening gut feeling. Looking back, it was his words. Even though I had clearly communicated my boundary to him, he discounted (played down) what I had said as if it wasn’t important and tried to convince me that I was wrong by doing so, (by telling me he wanted to treat me nice so its like I was obligated or something) and then took my hand up again anyway.

It was very subtle.

A gentleman will never do something like this. My example is a small one and it was a small gesture at that. Nevertheless, I was quick enough to catch it, realize it, and know it was not a good sign. 

If he doesn’t respect what you say now, he won’t respect you when it when it really matters. Bottom line on this one: If he doesn’t listen to you now—he won’t listen to you later.

This is not an entire list of red flags but are a couple of good ones to watch out for.

7 Strategies to Insure you Never Run Out of Article Ideas Again

Posted by The Team –

by Misty S. Bledsoe

doctor_bob/Morguefile.com

doctor_bob/Morguefile.com

One of the best ways to ensure steady income as a writer is to ensure that you never run out of material to write about. For the beginning and seasoned writer alike, the following seven strategies, will help insure you never run out of material again.

1) Always keep an on going journal. The goal of your journal(s) is to be able to have a place to record your journal entries, while leaving you easy access for your ideas that will later make you money. I use the college ruled bound composition books from the grocery store. The page on the right side is used to record journal entries. The page on the left side is available for any article, column, poetry, or other snippets that might come to mind.

2) History is your friend.  In one of my old journals, I reread about an argument I had with my mother in the seventh grade over whether or not I could shave my legs. On the left page of my journal, I jotted down, “Having Better Communication with your Teenager,” “Treasures from Teenagers,” and “Things you Should Know Before Buying a Razor.” These different ideas came from me asking, “How could the situation happen differently? What would my mom have taught me if we went to pick out razors together?” With the variety of things that have happened over your lifetime there are many more article ideas and slants that can be formed on each one.

3) Do some research before writing the article. I would need to research more information on razors in general. I would also need to purchase different types of razors and examine them before writing the article. While doing this research, I will also come up with even more article ideas. You can use this method with just about anything. How many uses can you think of for fallen leaves this year? What kind of things should drivers do to be prepared for roadside emergencies? The ideas are endless. Jot them down and write an article about it.

4) Literature of all kinds. When reading anything let your mind be open to different slants and other directions your mind may take you. Can you relate to the author’s experience? How would you have made the situation different? What do you really think about those fashions in the magazines? Make a list of ideas while you’re reading published articles.

5) New Experiences. Go out and try different things. Do you remember your first time doing _______? Fill in the blank. What tips and pointers would you give other beginners? Write down even the most insignificant idea. For example, how to give a cat medicine may be elementary stuff to most cat owners, but to the cat with a beginner owner, it is very important!

6) Brainstorming. Try sitting down and writing the first thoughts that come to you at random for five minutes. No editing allowed. Then take those random thoughts and see how many slants and angles can be made by tailoring the ideas to different types of audiences.

7) The never ending “How To____” article. Look around your house for starters. “How to Make Housecleaning more Efficient.” “How to Communicate with your _______.” “How to change your ______.”  Take a look at your hobbies or the hobbies of people you know. “How to choose _________.” You get the idea.

Remember, getting and keeping a steady supply of material doesn’t have to take money or a tremendous amount of time. And, it’s fun! You are not limited to just these methods and you can constantly repeat them whenever you need to. Now get writing!

“It’s not What you Ride, it’s that you Ride…”

Posted by The Team –

taliesin/Morguefile.com

taliesin/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

 “That’s the smell of the open road you smell,” I informed. Ruby, the oldest of the Siberian huskies was intently sniffing my left leg. I had just gotten off my motorcycle and endorphins were still spinning through me allowing me to feel on top the world. I personally still haven’t pegged why I love riding my bike. Riders find that it’s addicting for several reasons and it seems to vary among riders as to why they are drawn to it.

For me I think it feels very free compared to driving a car. It could be the wind enveloping your whole body at once in a controlled one on one fashion or the hum of the engine you’re in complete control of. The feel of the curves as you lean the bike to the left or right ever so slightly and rolling back on the gas with your hand, knowing you’ve successfully handled the turn.

On the other hand, it could be that I have control issues and riding the bike satisfies that somehow.Whatever it is, if you’re thinking about joining the masses that ride on two wheels, there are several things to consider:

  • How much time you’ll be able to spend riding each week
  • What season you want to ride in and which ones you don’t
  • Scooter or Motorcycle
  • Safety gear
  • Endorsement class or not (some states require it)

Remember riding on two wheels comes with great responsibility and added risks. Start by deciding why you want to ride in the first place. This will help you determine your choices in choosing a bike. Consider your budget and don’t be afraid to start out with a model that will accomplish what you want to do for now. As your riding experiences are increased and ability level rises, you can always upgrade to a bigger bike or one that has more functions.

Learning basic riding skills is just the beginning and the joy is that in order to practice, you actually get to ride more and more. Research your gear and if you haven’t done so already stop by your local licensing division and pick up a manual on how to earn your motorcycle endorsement. Don’t get overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge thrown at you. A certified endorsement/bike safety class in your state will give you a very realistic view of whether or not you want to continue with learning to ride. The price of the class is a small investment vs. purchasing the bike, gear, etc…only to learn maybe you only want to do a scooter that goes no faster than 30mph. By the way, there isn’t anything wrong with that. Some in the biking community say, “It’s not what you ride, it’s that you ride.”

Olympic Hot Springs

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roganjosh/Morguefile.com
roganjosh/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

Port Angeles, WA–The Olympic Hot Springs is located about 10 miles outside of Port Angeles. Follow the signs in town to the Olympic National Forest Visitor station to get all the information on local trailheads, camping requirements, rules, etc… Upon arrival to the forest, you’ll need to purchase a trail pass for $15.00 which is only good for 7 days. Year round ones are available for $30.00.

There are many trailheads and pay to camp spots along this road. The trailhead to the Olympic Hot Springs is at the end and is 2.4 miles to the hot springs. Note: the gate is to the end of this road is closed off in the winter time due to weather conditions but the trails and campgrounds before this may still be available. Check with the visitor station before arriving. The beginning of the trailhead to the hot springs is met with a smaller parking lot, a somewhat sophisticated outhouse, and trailhead information. No overnight camping is allowed at the hot springs. For that, hikers must climb additional mileage before arriving at the springs. The trailhead to the campground is specifically and clearly marked about a quarter of a mile before arriving to the hot springs.

The hike to the hot springs is mostly paved. You must watch your step because there are occasionally pot holes and washed out parts, plus you will cross the stream a couple of times en route and one place there are no assists except to rely on your good balance to cross the rocks that are in place. The climb is a gentle steady climb of about 300-400 feet. If you don’t exercise on a regular basis, you will feel the effects of this hike.

  • Bring extra water
  • Anticipate weather changes
  • Anticipate it to be cooler than normal and sooner than expected
  • Be responsible and pack your garbage out.
  • Horses, bikes, and dogs are not allowed.

Before reaching the springs, you will smell the sulfur. The Olympic Hot Springs do not meet safe standards to bathe in so if you plan on soaking, soak at your own risk. Each spring sits alone either just below or above the trail itself. Make shift rings make the shallow pools that are available. The one at the very end is believed to be the deepest at roughly 24 inches at the deepest spot, as of this writing. It also seems the hardest to get to as it involves a very steep climb for about 30-40 feet above the trailhead.

There are no signs either banning or permitting clothing optional rules. Visitors were found to be partaking of each preference and at their own risk. For information for this particular visitor center contact: 600 E Park Ave, Port Angeles, WA 98362-6798, (360) 565-3000 or on the web at: http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm

 

Could I Make Cash Today on the Internet?

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clarita/Morguefile.com

clarita/Morguefile.com

by Misty S Bledsoe

That’s what I asked when I began yet another search. 

Remember: you’re in charge of your choices. I didn’t want to be locked away behind a cubicle for the rest of my days, knowing my kids were in day care full time and my spouse and I only seeing each other in between the chores and errands that had to be done on our days off. There are many ways to make money on line and when I found the e-book, “20 Ways to Make $100 Per Day Online,” I was eager to see if I could find something new, something that would finally work with my scheduling restrictions and budget.

I had purchased several things in the past and learned a lot from the various programs that are available. What I didn’t have was a lot of time and I didn’t have a lot of cash. Everything you do online requires some amount of  W.O.R.K. You can’t get pass that. Period.

When I ordered my copy of “20 Ways to Make $100 Per Day Online,” I immediately found two things: 1) I had seen some of these methods before since I’ve spent a good deal of time researching the industry and 2) I found methods I hadn’t heard of yet. What amazed me the most was this: I had spent years learning about some of this stuff and I had to purchase several types of separate packages and programs to do it with, but with “20 Ways to Make $100 Per Day Online,” I had actually found useful informative methods that anyone who has an desire to work with could sit down and start doing—all in ONE place.

After reading through it and realizing how valuable this could be for those looking for ways to make some cash online, I knew this was going to be a tremendous resource to have at their fingertips. You can actually get 20 different methods all in the same e-book and it’s laid out so that you can pick and choose and read on the sections you’re interested in. Was it worth the price? Definitely. I recommend this for anyone searching for way to finally make some extra cash from the internet. You have nothing to lose by checking it out… 20 Ways to Make $100 Per Day Online.

Benefits of Self-Publishing

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by Misty S Bledsoe

As long as you are in the bounds of the law:

1. Nobody can tell you no.

2. You are in control of your content, voice, style, etc…

3. You reap all the profits if you are selling anything

4. You decide what stays and what goes during the editing focus

5. It may be your only shot at being published

6. It may help your self-esteem or feelings of worth

There are many online companies that can help you self-publish your material. Most folks start out with a blog such as this to help organize their content and use it for samples to show editors as well.

Book Review: How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter, and Self-Preservation that Makes Starvation in the Wilderness Next to Impossible

Posted by The Team –

Misty Bledsoe: Fern Leaves

Misty Bledsoe: Fern Leaves

By Misty S. Bledsoe

The last time I flew, I remember looking down periodically at the landscape below, marking the water, the mountains, and overall terrain. I would also ask the stewardess where we were over periodically for point of reference. I was not worried that the plane would go down, but I knew after reading this book, that if it had and I actually survived that I would have a better chance than normal of surviving as long as I remembered key things.

Author Bradford Angier originally published this book as “Living off the Country: How to Stay Alive in the Woods” in 1956 and carries the language of the time. Sentences and paragraphs are formal and to the point.

Have you ever wondered what you would do and how you would survive if you found yourself lost in the woods? This book covers 285 pages in its paperback form on everything you would need to know.

For anybody who is the survivalist type or you just have always wondered how is staying alive when lost in the woods with very little or no supplies possible, this book is a must read. After reading it, I personally recommend that each person in your party have one on their persons as a reference when hiking, camping, skiing, day hiking, backpacking, or even just traveling.

The book is broken down into 26 chapters in four parts ranked for priority and reference: substance, warmth, orientation, and safety. Each chapter is evenly spaced and relatively easy to read. The author includes pictures, patterns, and speaks in detail about food finding, water, shelter, and first aid.

He discusses candidly about prevention of getting into these situations to begin with but if you ever find yourself in one, it can obviously mean life or death trying to escape it. It’s obviously much better to be well versed in these techniques just so you have the knowledge of it and hopefully you will never have to use it.

This book is not a quick broken down version of survival techniques you may find in any local bookstore. This book is jam packed with detailed information on how to survive in just about every capacity you can think of if you are lost and have no supplies or little supplies, regardless of how you found yourself in that situation.

He goes into how to do this despite any unforeseen weather such as drenching down pours to even unexpected snow, snow shelters, and quick shelters in the woods. Consistently throughout the pages, Angier details priorities given the particular situation he is discussing in a “if this is the condition, you need to do this kind of shelter if available then concentrate on food” type fashion and when its visa-versa he will tell you. Reading the entire book, the reader begins to get and instinctive feel for priorities depending on the given situation.

It needs to be known that no one book can contain all the material necessary for survival, neither can just by reading it will ensure ones survival if lost in the woods. However, if a person is only going to have one survival book in their home library, this is the one I would not be without.

About

Posted by The Team –

Misty Bledsoe lives in the Puget Sound and holds a Bachelors degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Computer Programming from American Intercontinental University. She has been writing for more than 15 years for both offline and online publications both under her own name and psuedonyms.  Her primary blog is found on this site and chocked full of useful information on a variety of topics.

(c)2008-2010 Misty S. Bledsoe. All Rights Reserved including code manipulation. No part of this blog may be reproduced without the author’s expressed written permission.