It’s Been A Long Time…

Been a very long time since I posted. I’ve been really busy trying to get a new business venture off the ground and taking care of regular life stuff. Haven’t had anything important to say really either. And I’m hurtin’ for material right now, as well.

Well, I found a nice website today. Best-auto-info.com It’s a simple site with loads of information about car loans, insurance, warranties, credit advice. And thats what led me too it. I, unfortunately, don’t have the best credit in the world, so I was looking for information about bad credit loans. Turns out there are some really simple things you can do on your own to better your situation, who knew? I sure didn’t, that’s why I’m in this situation to begin with.

Well, it’s 3:15 a.m here in Tennessee I really should go to bed. Maybe I’ll think of something really intelligent to say tomorrow and post again. Good Night All.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction Help

I was rereading my previous post and realized that, with all my first-hand experience, I’m still inadequate to really help others overcome addiction. I don’t have enough technical knowledge in the way of rehabilitation to positively affect people. With that in mind, I went and scoured the web for really good addiction resources and have included links here in hopes that it will help anyone reading these posts.

Addict Help
Addiction HelpLine

And for any opiate dependent people I can strongly recommend looking into Suboxone. It has saved many of my friends lives who were addicted to OxyContin or any other opiate based drugs. It works by supressing the withdrawal feelings and making it impossible to get high from taking an opiate while your on it. And from the people I’ve spoken with it’s an absolute miracle. I even know people who can’t afford treatment that buy it off the street (an ode to our healthcare system…but that’s another rant).

I sincerely hope this helps anyone serious about overcoming addiction.

Truth in advertising — Amanda Lynn Bailey was arrested July 31, in Tampa, Fla., on drunk driving charges for the second time since April and was taken into custody wearing this T-shirt. She was charged with driving under the influence and driving without a license.

 

My thoughts…

This is too funny… except for the fact that it’s her second DUI, can anyone say “Under the Jail”!!

A little old but still funny…

Robert Theriault, 49, a courthouse security officer in Concord, N.H., was convicted in April of persuading a couple that he was a tester for an insurance company and would pay them $20 to have sex in front of him so he could evaluate a certain bedsheet and condom. [Concord Monitor, 4-19-07]

My thoughts…

The really funny thing about this is “persuading a couple”  implies that he succeeded. That’s just ridiculous.

WOW!

As the result of a January car crash in Nebraska, Shannon Malloy, 30, had her skull separate from her spine (“internal decapitation”), but she remained alive until doctors could stabilize her with screws into her neck, and her recovery is progressing at Denver Spine Center, according to a May KMGH-TV report. [KMGH-TV (Denver), 6-20-07]

My thoughts…

Amazing what doctors can do now-a-days!! But still try to avoid decapitating car crashes.

Our Judicial system at work…

According to police, Derrick House and another man planned to kill four people in a 1985 Chicago drug hit and needed a stranger to knock on the door so that House and his companion could gain entry. They paid teenager Charles Green $25 to do that, and House completed the mission. Green was convicted and imprisoned for “participating” in the murder. House got the death penalty, but as a result of legal challenges, was recently released. House’s companion was never convicted. Thus, the only one of the three still in prison 22 years later is the one who just knocked on the door. In August, a judge is scheduled to hear Green’s latest petition for a new trial. [Chicago Tribune, 7-1-07]

My thoughts…

For some reason this doesn’t surprise me. With the state of our justice system and the hundreds of people being found innocent after spending years in prison, this just goes to show that you better watch your back at all times. I’m not saying the guy who did the knocking is innocent but what about the guys who did the killing…

Solar Power: Making a Comeback

Solar energy has seen a resurgence of sorts lately. As our dependence on non-renewable fuel grows and the supply of said fuel diminishes we must make a decision on possible avenues to satisfy our energy hunger. With history as a guide we can see that as our needs grow, humans, as a race, will utilize new technologies in pursuit of a better more efficient life. For example, as we grew out of the stone age and into the bronze so shall we grow out of the oil age and into a new technological era of energy consumption. What energy production path we may take remains to be seen, but it’s obvious one major choice is solar power. And others agree.

The United States government currently offers a 30% tax credit of up to $2,000 for residential homes that install approved solar electric devices. And there is no limit for commercial businesses that take this route. And most state governments attempt to match tax credits allowing a sizable return when put together. These credits alleviate a lot of the construction costs that go into the installation of panels, battery storage systems and inverter technologies. On top of that, declining manufacturing prices makes solar energy an increasingly attractive avenue for homes and businesses alike. With that said I’d like to go into some of the advantages and disadvantages of solar electric use.

Advantages:

• Solar energy provides the highest density of power among renewable energies.
• Solar power is completely pollution free during use, and the emissions from it are manageable with our pollution-control technologies.
• After the initial setup, there is minimal maintenance on solar power facilities.
• Connecting a solar power unit to a power grid can reduce grid loading during peak power consumption times, and alleviate the need for battery storage during times of darkness.
• After the initial start up costs of a solar power plant, costs to operate the plant are low compared to other energy options.
• The amount of solar energy the earth intercepts every minute is higher than what we currently consume in fossil fuels every year.

Disadvantages:

• On average, solar energy is more expensive than our current energy producing methods.
• At night and during adverse weather conditions, solar energy is not available making storage or an alternate back up power system a necessity.
• Producing DC, solar cells must have an inverter to change it’s output to AC. Doing this usually incurs some energy loss.
• Depending on were you live there is limited power density. For example, most of the U.S. only produce 4-7 Kilowatts per hour.

With all of this being said, my personal opinion is that this energy option is viable for widespread use if not a guarantee. With power cell and battery storage technologies growing exponentially every year it’s not a matter of if we will use solar power but when. And to me that is a step in the right direction.