Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Ive always worked at least two, sometimes three jobs. My dad said it built character. Maybe so, but what I noticed was it built my bank account.

In 1972 when I was 11, I began mowing yards, raking leaves or doing anything else that paid. There were plenty of elderly folks in my hometown who were no longer able to do this type of work and I was only too glad to help them.

That same year a man in my hometown hired me for $1 a day to help him in his bait shop.

Mr. Bill (I dont think I ever knew his last name) was a jack of all trades. In addition to growing worms and raising minnows, he made the signs for the local grocery stores that hung in the windows and advertised the weekly specials.

While I broke up the dirt in the worm beds and ground the cornmeal to feed them, Mr. Bill would pull a piece of butcher paper and tear it off from the roll that hung on the wall and freehand the name of the item for sale in one color and its price in another.

As I ran the loud grinder for the cornmeal, Id watch him finish one sign, hang it up to dry and begin another. Every now and then hed yell out to me, telling me to use less meal, or to remind me to mist the beds with water before feeding them.

All of this came back to me as my wife and I recently discovered hundreds of earthworms in our concrete gutters at the top of our two driveways.

Our property is a rectangle, but from front to back its shaped like a bowl. We installed the concrete drains to catch and redirect the runoff during heavy rains. When we bought the property, we noticed that when it rained hard, our driveways turned into Niagara Falls. In turn, the water ran through the yard and washed away just about anything in its path.

We hired lots of folks who said they could fix the problem, but it was my idea to install the concrete gutters deep in the ground and top them with metal grates. I remembered a design Id seen as a kid. At the top of the driveway, a deep concrete gutter ran the width of the drive and removable metal grates covered them. The runoff ran into drainage ditches, which went into a creek.

I hired a fella to build the same thing.

The first rain came, and it worked great. So did the second, and the third. But by the fourth heavy rain, we noticed the dirt from the runoff had filled the concrete gutters and was coming up through the grates.

I pulled a shooter shovel from the garage and began to scoop out the dirt into a wheelbarrow. My intention was to use this fertile soil in my wifes garden. There was only one problem. We had guests. They had moved into the gutters and were calling them home.

Worms. Earthworms. Lots of them.

The loose, black soil and the cool, underground concrete gutters provided the perfect domicile for one of the earths most basic creatures. These round, segmented organisms eat, digest, and redistribute things that help farmers and gardeners grow food. They also provide food for pigs and other farm animals.

Of course, fishermen rely on them to catch what they need to fill their freezers.

Which brings me to the next part of this story.

My wife mentioned that a friend of ours at the end of the street buys worms and that they were expensive.

He and his wife arrived and took about half of the worms and headed back home.

The rest of the worms went into my wifes gardens. But the wheels in my old noggin started turning.

What had started out as a drainage problem has turned into a business opportunity. I currently only have a couple of jobs, so I have an opening for another one. One that I first learned at age 11.

Im going to call it, Johns Grate Bait.

John Moore is a Whitehouse resident. His column appears Friday. His books, Write of Passage: A Southerners View of Then and Now, and Write of Passage Volume II, are available from Amazon, and TheCountryWriter.com. His weekly podcast appears on Spotify and iTunes. Email john@johnmoore.net .

More here:
Moore: I'm back in the worm business - Longview News-Journal

Ive always worked at least two, sometimes three jobs. My dad said it built character. Maybe so, but what I noticed was that it built my bank account.

In 1972 when I was 11, I began mowing yards, raking leaves, or doing anything else that paid. There were plenty of elderly folks in my hometown who were no longer able to do this type of work, and I was only too glad to help them.

That same year a man in my hometown hired me for $1 a day to help him in his bait shop.

Mr. Bill (I dont think I ever knew his last name) was a jack-of-all-trades. In addition to growing worms and raising minnows, he also made the signs for the local grocery stores that hung in the windows and advertised the weekly specials.

While I broke up the dirt in the worm beds and ground the cornmeal to feed them, Mr. Bill would pull a piece of butcher paper and tear it off from the roll that hung on the wall, and then free hand the name of the item for sale in one color and its price in another.

As I ran the loud grinder for the cornmeal, Id watch him finish one sign, hang it up to dry, and begin another.

Every now and then hed yell out to me, telling me to use less meal to feed the worms, or to remind me to mist the beds with water before feeding them.

All of this came back to me as my wife and I recently discovered hundreds of earthworms in our concrete gutters that we installed at the top of our two driveways.

Our property is a rectangle, but from front to back, its shaped like a bowl. We installed the concrete drains to catch and redirect the runoff during heavy rains.

When we bought the property, we noticed that when it rained hard, our driveways turned into Niagara Falls. In turn, the water ran through the yard and washed away just about anything in its path.

We hired lots of folks who said they could fix the problem, but it was my idea to install the concrete gutters, deep into the ground and top them with metal grates.

I remembered a design Id seen as a kid. At the top of the driveway, a deep concrete gutter ran the width of the drive, and removable metal grates covered them.

The runoff ran into drainage ditches, which went into a creek.

I hired a fella to build the same thing.

The first rain came, and it worked great. So did the second, and the third.

But by the fourth heavy rain, we noticed the dirt from the runoff had filled the concrete gutters and was coming up through the grates.

I pulled a shooter shovel from the garage and began to scoop out the dirt into a wheelbarrow. My intention was to use this fertile soil in my wifes garden.

There was only one problem. We had guests. They had moved into the gutters and were now calling them home.

Worms. Earthworms. Lots of them.

The loose, black soil and the cool, underground concrete gutters provided the perfect domicile for one of the earths most basic creatures.

These round, segmented organisms eat, digest, and redistribute things that help farmers and gardeners grow food.

They also provide food for pigs and other farm animals.

Of course, fishermen rely on them to catch what they need to fill their freezers.

Which brings me to the next part of this story.

My wife mentioned that a friend of ours at the end of the street buys worms and that they were expensive.

He and his wife arrived and took about half of the worms and headed back home.

The rest of the worms went into my wifes gardens.

But the wheels in my old noggin started turning.

What had started out as a drainage problem has turned into a business opportunity. I currently only have a couple of jobs, so I have an opening for another one. One that I first learned at age 11.

Im going to call it, Johns Grate Bait.

John Moores books, Write of Passage: A Southerners View of Then and Now Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, are available on Amazon and on Johns website at http://www.TheCountryWriter.com. His weekly John G. Moore Podcast appears on Spotify and iTunes.

Read more from the original source:
John Moore: Worm weather | Opinion - Marshall News Messenger

Several brush fires have burned this week on Southern California hillsides as temperatures rise and humidity levels drop, stark reminders of the threat posed to neighborhoods by fast-moving wildfires.

Residents should be prepared for a continued threat from wildfires as we enter the hot and dry summer months.

Below are some ways you can harden your home from the roof on down and make it more fire resistant.

Roof

The roof is the most vulnerable part of your home. Homes with wood or shingle roofs are at high risk of being destroyed during a wildfire. Build your roof or re-roof with materials such as composition, metal or tile. Block any spaces between roof decking and covering to prevent embers from catching.

Vents

Vents on homes create openings for flying embers.

Eaves and Soffits

Eaves and soffits should be protected with ignition-resistant* or non-combustible materials.

Windows

Heat from a wildfire can cause windows to break even before the home is on fire. This allows burning embers to enter and start fires inside. Single-paned and large windows are particularly vulnerable.

Walls

Wood products, such as boards, panels or shingles, are common siding materials. However, they are flammable and not good choices for fire-prone areas.

Decks

Surfaces within 10 feet of the building should be built with ignition-resistant, non-combustible, or other approved materials.

Rain Gutters

Keep rain gutters clear or enclose rain gutters to prevent accumulation of plant debris.

Patio Cover

Use the same ignition-resistant materials for patio coverings as a roof.

Chimney

Cover your chimney and stovepipe outlets with a non-flammable screen. Use metal screen material with openings no smaller than 3/8-inch and no larger than 1/2-inch to prevent embers from escaping and igniting a fire.

Garage

Have a fire extinguisher and tools such as a shovel, rake, bucket, and hose available for fire emergencies.

Fences

Consider using ignition-resistant* or non-combustible fence materials to protect your home during a wildfire.

Driveways and Access Roads

Driveways should be built and maintained in accordance with state and local codes to allow fire and emergency vehicles to reach your home. Consider maintaining access roads with a minimum of 10 feet of clearance on either side, allowing for two-way traffic.

Address

Make sure your address is clearly visible from the road.

Water Supply

Consider having multiple garden hoses that are long enough to reach all areas of your home and other structures on your property. If you have a pool or well, consider getting a pump.

Sam DiGiovanna is a 35-year fire service veteran. He started with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, served as Fire Chief at the Monrovia Fire Department and currently serves as Chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy in Glendale.

View original post here:
How to Protect the Most Vulnerable Parts of Your Home From Wildfires - NBC Southern California

Webster Groves Ranch, super cute exterior, large front tree for optimal shade. Living room entry, warm inviting paint color, gleaming hardwood floors, large windows for optimal natural light. Great eat-in kitchen, stainless steel appliances, mosaic tiled back splash, custom cabinets. Two bedrooms, both with ample closet space, hardwood floors, ceiling fans. Modern full bathroom. Spacious finished walk-out basement, utility room, over sized closet, plush carpeting. Impressive fenced backyard oasis featuring covered patio for outdoor entertaining, potential areas for gardening, shed to house lawn equipment, and fire pit for hosting evening get-togethers. Home was fully renovated 5 years ago and brand new roof in 2017. Convenient location! 15 minutes to Downtown, Zoo, Science Center, City Museum, the Magic House. Walking distance to restaurants and shopping, plus Blackburn Park. Quiet neighborhood, great neighbors, welcome home!

View Listing

Originally posted here:
Affordable Starter Homes in the Park Hills Area - Corvallis Gazette Times

The annual summer tradition of chip-sealing Grand Junction roads has begun again.

Grand Junction Public Works Director Trent Prall said city crews began chip-sealing work May 31, and will take around eight weeks to complete the maintenance. The primary locations that will be chip sealed this year are west of 25 Road and north of Interstate 70 Business within the city limits.

(Chip sealing) puts a small 3/8th inch crushed rock over a thin layer of asphalt or oil, Prall said. Then we put another layer overtop of that to form that chip seal. So that seals up our roads and tries to keep the moisture out of the roads and into the gutters and into the storm drains.

For the chip-sealing program, Prall said the department has broken up the city into 12 areas and then rotates through each area, taking on one per year. In addition to that work Prall said the city now chip seals new roads and roads that are given an overlay of new asphalt within a couple years of that work.

The standard of care now is that once you pave a street, like with an overlay or a brand new street like Seventh Street, that you come back within a couple years and you put a chip seal over top of it, Prall said. That leaves that top part of the structure pretty moist, if you will, with oil.

Chip sealing is a cost efficient way to maintain roads, Prall said. Chip-sealing costs around $1.50 per square yard, Prall said, whereas an overlay costs around $15 a square yard and reconstructing a road costs between $75 and $120 a square yard.

There are some road overlay projects in the works this summer, Prall said. Those began around the same time as chip sealing and will take between eight and 10 weeks. While city staff performs the chip sealing work, the city contracts out for road overlay work. There are no street reconstruction projects this year, Prall said.

Were trying to get it back up to a more sustainable level where our chip seals are a lot more effective in keeping our roads sealed up and not have so many streets that need a full reconstruction like Seventh Street, Prall said.

This work is part of the 2017 ballot initiative that reallocated tax money to help improve Grand Junctions roads, Prall said. In 2017 the pavement condition index was at 69 out of 100, Prall said. The goal was to improve that to 73 by 2022. After last year the index was at 71, Prall said.

Other road projects

The city will be working on two other street projects this summer, Prall said.

It is working to widen Horizon Place west of Seventh Street, including installing sidewalks to Juniper Ridge Community School. It is also planning to widen Monument Road near the Lunch Loop Trailhead.

The widening of Monument Road will allow the city to add a second left-hand turning lane into the Lunch Loop parking lot. It will also add a 12-foot wide sidewalk to the south side of the road and increase the size of the parking lot to the west. Prall said the improvements will make the lot friendlier to larger vehicles like RVs and include space for venders.

Say Trek Cycles or Specialized Cycles comes to town and they want to demo some stuff out there at the trail head, they can pull up there and take up spaces there as opposed to taking up seven or eight spaces in the regular parking lot, Prall said.

That project will begin in July and conclude around Labor Day, Prall said.

More:
Grand Junction crews out chip sealing roads | Western Colorado - The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Borderland MLA Josh Guenter is welcoming a series of recent provincial funding announcements that will directly benefit the constituency.

In just the last two weeks, the Progressive Conservative government unveiled planned investments exceeding $16.3 million for various projects and initiatives in Borderland.

Guenter offers YFC - The Station's Sheridan Sawatzky and Marty Falk their Green Team funding for 2020.

$12.9 million has been earmarked for three water-related projects under the government's Climate Resiliency and Damage Prevention Fund. The province will spend $7 million to upgrade St. Mary's Road in the R.M. of Montcalm, $2.9 million to expand storage capacity at the GNS East Pumping Station in the municipality of Rhineland and $2.2 million to remedy drainage issues in downtown Altona.

"The beautiful thing about the way we are approaching this investment is that we the Province are taking one-hundred percent responsibility for funding these projects, meaning that municipal governments are able to re-purpose the money that they had dedicated towards these projects to other priorities," explained Guenter.

Another $3.99 million will be spent on local infrastructure projects.

Chip seal/graded aggregate chip seal work is planned for PTH 14 from east of PTH 32 to PR 306 and on PTH 23 in Morris from Leslie Street to PTH 59 at a cost of $1.49 million. An additional $2.5 million will go to rehabilitation work at various spots along PTH 75 from the U.S. border to PR 201 at Letellier.

Guenter feels this funding is a validation of both municipal and provincial elected officials' efforts to work together for investment in Borderland communities, adding these are critical projects.

"Our economy is growing, our local communities are growing and we need these important investment dollars to be there to ensure that our infrastructure continues to meet the needs of our communities going forward," he said.

In addition, the Province is investing $186,808 in community development projects and organizations in Borderland through its Building Sustainable Communities program

This includes:Dominion City Recreation Accessibility and Insulation Improvements ($75,000)Roseau Crossing Heritage Park Pool Liner Replacement ($56,864)Roseau River Park Inc. Washroom upgrades ($10,000)Rosenfeld Elementary School PAC Develop Natural Playground ($16,826)Emerson Cooperative Community Centre Inc. Equipment and Facility Improvements ($5,328)Municipality of Emerson-Franklin Emerson Park Outdoor Stage & Park Upgrades ($22,790)

As well, another $$77,946 will go to supporting local youth employment via the Province's Green Team Funding program.

This includes:Borderland School Division $7,927Gardens on Tenth $3,095Muse St-Joseph Museum $4,211Youth for Christ (Altona) $10,315Ridgeville Co-op Community Club $1,364Roseau Crossing Heritage Park and Pool $3,509Roseau River Bible Camp $20,630Roseau River Park $2,273Municipality of Rhineland $15,473Town of Altona $5,158Municipality of Emerson-Franklin $3,993

"I think these investments prove positive that our government recognizes the importance of investing in southern Manitoba," said the Tory MLA. "Ours is a fast-growing, dynamic area that will continue to feature prominently in the province and we need those investment dollars to be there and that's what we're doing," added Guenter.

Meantime, the Province announced another $13,750 in Manitoba Heritage Resource Conservation Grants for projects in Borderland.

The list includes:Bergthaler Waisenamt (Altona) $4,150 to replace entry steps and railingEmerson Court House and Town Hall - $3750 to paint exterior trimHerdsman House - $5850 to restore interior partition, build/install wood gutters, restore windows

View original post here:
Guenter Pleased With Government's Multi-Million Dollar Investment In Borderland - PembinaValleyOnline.com

Salons and barber shops reopened June 1 at 25% capacity, increasing to 50% today. It will take time to beautify the clients wanting haircuts, colors, beard trims, eyelash extensions and an array of other services.

At Shear Expressions, owner Coleen Bui said she and her four stylists were booked solid last week, and thats expected to continue for a while.

Some of us put in 14-hour days last week, said Bui, whose own shift went from 6:45 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. most days last week.

This week, shes booking 12-hour days to fit in clients eager for a haircut or color, and she has bookings scheduled out for the next two weeks with a few remaining openings.

The chemical (treatments) are the harder ones to get in, said Bui, noting she tried to fit in clients in need of colors first because they were probably the most desperate.

Kelly Kluever and Joyce Bohn, co-owners of The Hair Gallery, said clients began calling to book appointments a day after the executive orders went into effect on March 18, expecting salons to open quicker than they did.

As soon as it was announced they could reopen June 1, stylists began filling in their appointment books.

I think its been fun to see everyone, said Kluever, who anticipates working 12- to 13-hour days for another three weeks. Its been a lot of work, but its been good work. Weve missed everyone so much.

To meet reopening guidelines, only five of the salons eight stylists can work at the same time. As a result, Bohn said some are working evenings or weekends.

While their schedules will one day return to normal, the precautionary steps barbers and stylists have to take in the midst of the global pandemic are anything but the usual. Masks are required attire for both stylists and clients, and temperature checks are conducted on everyone entering a salon or barbershop. Sanitizing is conducted after every client.

Each client is asked whether theyve had a cough or fever, or experienced symptoms of COVID-19. The logs are used for contact tracing if someone should test positive for the novel coronavirus.

Victor Sanchez, a barber at New Gen Studio, said haircuts, beard shaves and eyebrow work have been the three most requested services among men who eagerly awaited the reopening of the downtown barbershop last Tuesday.

Last week was completely booked, and were almost booked up already for this week, Sanchez said Monday. New Gen Studio employs two barbers, two hair stylists and a nail tech.

Using the online program Booksy to schedule appointments has worked well to limit people inside the barbershop, Sanchez said.

We make them wait outside in their car until it is their turn, he said. (Booksy) sends a notification to them saying they are able to come in.

A sanitation station greets people upon entry to New Gen Studio, and Sanchez said the waiting room and restrooms are off limits for now.

We have every other station open in order to keep our distance, he added.

At Transicin Salon, owner Michelle Markman and three other stylists were completely, exhaustingly busy last week, with bookings now scheduled a month out, unless its for a haircut or a less time-consuming service.

One of the few Worthington salons open seven days a week, Markman said shes had a lot of requests from clients for eyelash extensions and color retouches.

Some were a little too desperate as salon closures dragged on and tried to either cut their own hair or color it. Markman said it didnt go very well for them in most cases.

Clients of Transicin Salon will notice some marked changes when they arrive for their appointment. Because the salons chairs dont meet the six-foot separation distance, Markman used several weeks of downtime to get plexiglass ordered and installed between each of the stations, between the pedicure stations (one chair was removed), above the shampoo bowls and at the reception desk.

The reception area is closed, only one person is allowed per stylist in the building at any one time, and a thorough cleaning is done every 30 minutes.

Shear Expressions underwent a four-week remodeling project to meet the separation distance guidelines, noted Bui, who also installed an ozone sanitizer as an added precaution. The sanitizer is turned on each night, and works to kill any bacteria and virus that is present.

After more than 10 weeks away from their jobs, all of the stylists said they missed their clients just as much as they were missed.

Kluever said she kept in contact with her regular ladies every week.

They just wanted to know what I was doing, she said. For some of them, were their only out, other than a doctor appointment.They like to hear what were doing working in the flower bed or the garden, cleaning the basement or prepping for graduation.

Kluever said in her first week back at the salon, some clients had tears because they were so happy to see her.

Ive had a couple hugs, which is illegal but I let it happen, she added. Were super grateful for everyone thats waited for us. Were so glad to be back, and we just want everyone to stay healthy. Thats why all the precautions.

Because we love them all, added Bohn.

Sanchez said his clients were very supportive and understanding of the guidelines and regulations now, and they appreciate their barber is back in business.

Like Kluever, he had clients he checked in with weekly as well.

All of my clients are like family to me, he said, adding his thanks to all of the customers who have come in or booked an appointment.

We really appreciate that theyre back with us that they waited that long to get a haircut from us means a lot, said Sanchez, adding that some of their clients were so happy to get a haircut it was like seeing a little kid when they get their first toy.

Im just very happy to be back and do what I do and support my family and try to achieve my goals, he said.

Link:
What a relief: Local salons, barbershops reopen to delight of clients and stylists | The Globe - The Globe

Sun Papers new greenfield mill in Beihai

Sun Papers new greenfield mill in Beihai will eventually have a total pulp and paper capacity of 3.5 million tonnes annually.

Valmet Oyjs press release on June 10, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. EET

Valmet will supply cooking and fiberline to Guangxi Sun Paper Co., Ltds new Beihai mill in China. The pulp mill will have a capacity of 800,000 air dried tonnes per year of bleached hardwood kraft pulp.

The order is included in Valmet's orders received of the second quarter 2020. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

Valmets delivery is part of Sun Papers new greenfield mill in Beihai, which will eventually have a total pulp and paper capacity of 3.5 million tonnes annually. This order complements the fine paper machine, automation and recovery boiler order which Valmet announced in April 2020.

Our overall target of the project is to build a world-class mill. We wanted to choose advanced and reliable technology that has little impact on the environment at the same time as it performs with high quality and efficiency and has low operating costs. We chose Valmet because they met our goals well in this project. We have also had good collaboration in all previous projects, says Yanjun Cao, Vice general manager, Sun Paper.

We had many discussions with the customer, and we managed to offer a concept that fits their needs well with a tight delivery schedule and long-term cooperation. All our earlier pulp mill references were also contributing factors to this important order, says Xiangdong Zhu, Area President, China, Valmet.

The cooking and fiberline will feature leading process technology, including the latest developments in our continuous cooking technology, to reach excellent efficiency in energy and raw material utilization. A high end-product quality with low effluent flows and high environmental performance will be secured with the latest generation of TwinRoll wash presses throughout the fiberline in combination with Valmets screening, oxygen and bleaching technology,saysEva Engelfeldt, Senior Sales Manager, Fiber Processing Business Unit, Valmet.

Sun Papers new greenfield mill in Beihai will eventually have a total pulp and paper capacity of 3.5 million tonnes annually.

Information about Valmets delivery

The scope of Valmets supply includes main equipment and process design for continuous cooking, deknotting, screening, brown stock washing, oxygen delignification, and three stage ECF (elementally chlorine free) bleaching. Corresponding spare parts and site services are also a part of the scope.

Information about the customer Sun Paper

Sun Paper is one of the subsidiaries of Shandong Sun Holdings Group, which was founded in 1982. Currently Sun Paper has two mills in Chinas Shandong province. The company also operates a mill in Laos with a 300,000 tonnes/year dissolving pulp line and a 400,000 tonnes/year recycled pulp line. In July 2019, Sun Paper established a wholly owned subsidiary, Guangxi Sun Paper, to build an integrated pulp and paper mill in Beihai.

VALMET Corporate Communications

For further information, please contact:XiangdongZhu,Area President, China,Valmet, tel.+8613801795775 Eva Engelfeldt, Senior Sales Manager, Pulp and Energy business line, Valmet, tel. +46 706 80 52 19

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.Valmet's net sales in 2019were approximately EUR 3.5billion. Our more than 13,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Read morewww.valmet.com,www.twitter.com/valmetglobal

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Valmet to supply cooking and fiberline to Sun Paper's Beihai mill in China - GlobeNewswire

Dear Editor,

In the back of my desk drawers, I found this Solid Bronze Coin, which reads The United States of America 1983 The Year of The Bible. The Charleston Mint out of Charleston, SC had minted the commemorative coin. Inside the pamphlet was the history of the origin of the coin and why it had been made. I would like to share this history and remind American Citizens about the proud past of country, the strong connection between the founders, the founding documents and the Holy Bible, the Word of God. Let me start with the reason the coin was made.

Congress of the United States, in recognition of the Bible shaping the history, had a Joint Resolution. One hundred sixty-five members requested the President to designate 1983 The Year of the Bible. President Ronald Reagan, on February 3, 1983, did so release such a resolution. Let us look at the history of this great country and how the Holy Bible has been the backbone in this establishing this nation like no other in this world. Start with Christopher Columbus who believed the Bible pointing to the earths being round, not as the common people believe that it was flat.

Christophers voyages lead to the discovery of America. July 4,1776 The Declaration of Independence we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ... The Bible from which Our Forefathers wrote acclaimed documents which this country still follows as the supreme laws of the land including The Constitution and Bill of Rights. Our First President, George Washington, issued the following General Order on August 3,1776: The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish, wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice heretofore little known in an American army, is growing into fashion. He hopes the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it, and that both they and the men will reflect that we can have little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our arms. If we insult it by our impiety and folly ... Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address Nov 19, 1863 Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation... That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom: and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was first recited on Oct 12, 1892 at the Chicago Worlds Fair. The words Under God added by President Eisenhower on June 4,1954 .... one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Our National Symbol the Great Seal with the Eagle with this Motto E pluribus Unum means one out of many.

In 1956 a Resolution passed both the House and Senate unanimously and without debate HR619 our new Motto would be In God We Trust. On July 30,1956 President Eisenhower signed into law declaring our new official motto for the nation, which we now see on our money and any official government paper out of Washington DC. I wanted to share this bit of American history because in my opinion one True God of the Bible has always been the guiding light and He has used this country to shine that light to all the other countries around the world. I genuinely believe this is Gods ground, and we are blessed to have been born here. We have freedoms and enjoy life without constant fear of being jailed or stopped from doing what ever we want. We can go to church worship our Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As children, we can prepare for whatever we want to be in life, be it a doctor, lawyer, teacher, missionary, electrician, plumber or even President, we just must work at whatever we want. My grandfather came here as a zinc miner and was able to raise his children in a land where they could make their own decisions. Donald J. Trumps grandparents came to this country about the time mine did.

They both came looking to become part of this great nation and enjoy the freedoms they did not have across the water; they did not come to destroy this country. They came to be citizens. Donald J. Trump became President of the United States and I became a science teacher. God Bless the USA and may God His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit be always our Shinning light for the Salvation of this World.

Patti Caldwell,

Folkston

See original here:
Letter to the Editor: The Year of the Bible - Charlton County Herald

Since the dawn of the new century, the automotive industry has been forced to revise electrification timelines for a cavalcade of reasons. Development programs have proven costly, the economy has taken a turn (or turns) for the worse, customers havent responded in great numbers, and the materials necessary for battery have been in short supply for many. Throw in the trouble some companies have had with programming such cars or ending up with electric vehicles that want for truly enviable range and youre beginning to see the whole, problematic enchilada.

It wasnt all that long ago that General Motors promised over 20 new all-electric models by 2023. Granted, this promise was made in 2017 during a time when the industry couldnt possibly have foreseen the global hardships that would befall us or known wed have the ability to remember what was said just a few years prior. The messaging has changed, either because mainstream automakers cannot provide the kind of cars that will continue to spur EV adoption, or because they no longer hold much interest in trying.

In a way, we feel kind of sorry for the industry. Environmental regulations forced the electrification issue to a point where most players had to at least indicate they had a serious interest in the technology. But only Tesla seems to have made any legitimate headway with customers, creating a strong base thanks to top-tier branding and simply being the first team to deliver an enviable electric car.

We believe the transition will happen over time, General Motors CEO Mary Barra told David Rubenstein in an interview on Bloomberg Television.While she still has faith in an all-electric future and noted that GM has a new battery platform coming out soon, Barra said the company needs to provide options for the entire market place.

She then went on to say how excited she was about the transition to electric vehicles, which no longer appears to be taking place within her lifetime. When asked if GM will swap to producing EVs exclusively in 10 to 20 years, Barra suggested it would likely take longer than that.

I think itll happen over a period of years and decades. When you look at the transition that needs to occur, theres about 250 million U.S. cars in the car park. And so, transitioning all of them is going to take some time. You think about different use cases, also affordability. Thats why were working to hard to ensure were in a leadership position with battery technology so EVs are affordable for everyone.

Surely, thats also why GM is building the Hummer EV a vehicle that spits in the face of efficiency and affordability while still being entirely electric. Barra mentioned the upcoming model briefly in the interview, glossing over its status as an all-electric plaything for people who want to drive a miniature monster truck while still feeling like theyre saving the environment. She also didnt harp on its delayed arrival.That doesnt mean it wont be great when it does debut; it just doesnt seem to represent the corporate ideals GM would like to convey to the public.

From Bloomberg:

In addition to funding its EV program, GM also is spending about $1 billion a year to fund Cruise LLC, the self-driving car unit the Detroit-based carmaker majority owns. A return on that investment will bear fruit before long, Barra said. Although Cruise canceled plans to launch a ride-hailing service last year and has not set a new date, it is developing a self-driving vehicle that will be dedicated to a robotaxi service.

I definitely think it will happen within next five years, she said of of fully driverless cars being deployed. Our Cruise team is continuing to develop technology so its safer than human driver. I think youll see it clearly within five years.

Cruises first autonomous vehicle was supposed to be ready for GMs uses by 2019, sans steering wheel and pedals. Unfortunately, development woes that were hardly exclusive to Americas largest automaker made that impossible. Bloomberg also failed to mention the manufacturer cut autonomous development staffers by roughly 8 percent this year.

We have even less faith in AVs than we do EVs, the latter of which seem to be hung up by logistical issues and rapidly advancing technology. Vehicular autonomy appears to have stagnated entirely, with many automakers allocating less resources to programs after hitting R&D roadblocks. Legal gray areas surrounding liability also plague the concept. However, the industry is still keen to rework cars so you can spend less time driving and more time interfacing with in-car displays that are perpetually connected to the internet an idea were not overly fond of.

Shifting back to EVs, theres little chance the General will hit its old target and saturate the market with EVs by 2023. It definitely has several moving up the spreadsheet toward production, with large electric models presumably coming to GMC and Cadillac in 2021. But that leaves the company releasing over a dozen other battery driven vehicles (or plug-in hybrids) on a tight timeline.

We dont foresee any automaker that isnt Tesla cornering the green market for the next few years. Most manufacturers have already overshot the metaphorical landing zone and seem to be going around for another attempt. Others have come dangerously close to crashing on the runway. GMs in a tough spot, though we figure its base doesnt care one whit what its doing in terms of green vehicles. Theyll happily continue buying affordable family transportation from the company, mainly in the guise of pickups and crossover vehicles.

[Images: General Motors]

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General Motors: Electrification Will Take 'Years and Decades' - The Truth About Cars