An Interview With Becky Akers, Author of “Halestorm” – A Novel About Nathan Hale

Tyler: Welcome, Becky. What first made you interested in Nathan Hale’s story?

Becky: Oh, goodness… hard to remember a time when I wasn’t interested!
My mother’s sixteen-year-old brother died in a car crash two weeks before I was born. Among my earliest memories are the anecdotes I heard of my uncle Dale. I don’t remember how old I was when I first learned about Nathan Hale-maybe four or five?-, but for a while, he and my uncle sort of coalesced in my mind-and not just because their names rhymed.

Premature death is always tragic. But I was probably more susceptible to Nathan’s story than most little kids because of my family’s grief. I saw first-hand the yawning wound a young son and brother leaves when he dies.

Tyler: Did you dive into writing the book or feel doubtful or overwhelmed by the prospect of covering such a notable figure?

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Vitamins That Are Made in China Vs the USA

If your vitamins have been sourced and manufactured in China, they are without a doubt cheaper than the US-made vitamins, why is this? That being said, what is the true cost of these vitamins from China? How is it that Chinese manufactures can source their ingredients, pay their workers, cover all the production costs, ship the finished product on a boat that takes six weeks to get to our shores and then price them, on average, 25% below the USA made supplements? Why would you spend $28 for a product, when you could buy it for $12?

Efficacy is the answer. Efficacy is the power to produce the desired effect or intended result. You can buy the cheapest vitamins on the market, but if they do not work, the money is wasted, your health may be at risk and you can most definitely suffer from taking these Chinese made vitamins. This is not a scare tactic, simply information as to why we at we would never buy any ingredients from China to make our vitamins.

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How To Ship Mexican Salsa – Perishable Foods

Not everyone has the luxury of being near salsa. If you made a salsa recipe it can be tricky to get it to someone far away. Thankfully, there are several agencies that can be used to ship your salsa to your jealous friends. Knowing how they differ will allow you to make the best decision when choosing your condiment courier.

The United States Post Office has been around for quite some time, and in addition to timely letter service, they also ship parcels. There is a list of liquids and other substances that cannot be shipped due to federal regulations, and none of the ingredients found in a salsa recipe are on it. To ensure the safety of its employees and customers, the U.S.P.S. does not allow dangerous chemicals to be mailed. As long as your salsa does not have poisonous or explosive properties it will be safe for shipping. The most convenient feature of the Post Office is free pick up. However, if your package is significantly heavy, you should call ahead so your carrier can be informed. Keep in mind that if your parcel weighs 13 ounces or more it must have electronic postage. An example of electronic postage is Parcel Post and can printed off the internet through the Post Office website. Packages with just stamps must be taken to a post office window to be authorized for shipping.

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Dumbing Down Our Children – This Is Education "Equity?"

One of their favorite arguments: “Why, we can’t trust the free market to educate our children — the very idea! The free market excels at many things, they say, but it does not guarantee education “equity” for our kids.

What is this “equity” public-school apologists talk about? It means a guarantee that all children get a “quality” education and “equal opportunity” to learn. “In the cruel free-market,” the public-school bureaucrat says, “the rich get the best schools, the middle class the mediocre, and poor kids get left in the dust.” That, they say, is not fair, not “equity.”

But why not apply their “equity” theory to food, clothing, and housing? Shouldn’t all homes, food stores, and clothing factories also be owned and operated by government to ensure “equity?” After all, the rich eat better, have warmer clothes, and live in finer homes than the poor or middle-class. That’s not fair, right?

No, it is fair. Continue reading “Dumbing Down Our Children – This Is Education "Equity?"”

A Surprising Comparison Between Prison and Slavery

The fairly new term, “mass incarceration,” means that the U.S. has 2.3 million prisoners, more than any country in the world. A greater percentage of the U.S. population is in prison than in any other nation. The U.S. has 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prisoners. The entire U.S. correctional population, including those on probation, on parole and awaiting trial, is 7.3 million Americans.

These eye-popping numbers came about for many reasons: mandatory minimum sentences, three-strikes legislation, illegal drugs, gangs, immorality in all its modern forms, the war on drugs, the decline of marriage and families, high rates of recidivism, incarceration of the mentally ill, the decline of capital punishment, problems with the criminal justice system and all the forces pushing tough crime policies. Difficult economic times focus attention on the increasing costs of keeping all these people – 93% of them men – behind bars. Each prisoner costs about $25,000 per year, and the average prisoner does little to offset the cost of confinement. The social costs may be even higher. Breadwinners are lost, families destroyed, more kids grow up without fathers or mothers, welfare costs increase, the entire sex ratio is thrown out of balance and prisoners face grim prospects when released. Continue reading “A Surprising Comparison Between Prison and Slavery”

The Land of OZ and The Land of Babel

What do the Land of Oz and the land of Babel have in common? Is it the bedazzling sparkling of the blinding brightness of shimmering silver and gold? How about the horse of a different color? Maybe it’s the tower of Oz and the tower of Babel? The Wizard occupied the tower of Oz and Nimrod occupied the tower of Babel, yes? Both rulers were feared and adorned by its people. Is that not a similarity? They were both the center of their respective cities. Were both of them also cursed due their spectacular abundance of glitter and wealth or were they praised by the Most High? A witch threatened one city while the other was held in blasphemy. What about the Metropolis of our time…the maze in which we reside? Is there a lesson to be learned? Could we, mere mortals, possibly comprehend the teachings of children?

Take a lesson… Continue reading “The Land of OZ and The Land of Babel”

Getting Rid Of Cockroaches By Knowing What They Eat

If a group of cockroaches decides to come live under your roof, they do so for a very good reason. And you probably already know what that reason is; food. The only thing a roach fears more than the bottom of your shoe is a lack of food and water. Therefore it’s good to know what they eat if you want to get rid of roaches.

A cockroach isn’t picky, unless it comes to where he wants to live. The creeps carefully choose a home with plenty of food and water. If that’s yours, you know what to do. A: get rid of the roaches. B: make sure they never come back again.

Getting rid of roaches isn’t all that easy. But once you’ve won the fight, the battle ain’t over. Then it comes to eliminating all the things cockroaches love. Therefore it’s important to know what they eat, what they drink and where they will most likely find it. Continue reading “Getting Rid Of Cockroaches By Knowing What They Eat”

McDonalds Monopoly Game 2006

An Introduction

The McDonald’s Monopoly sweepstakes game is based on the wildly popular board game Monopoly invented in the early 1900s by Charles Darrow. The purpose of the McDonald’s Monopoly game is to attract customers to its nation-wide chain of fast food restaurants.

How To Play

To play the game, simply collect stamp pieces on the back of the packages at McDonald’s. If the piece is an “Instant-Win” piece, you are able to collect the prize instantly. If it is a “Collect & Win” prize, then you must match the stamp with the corresponding property on the Monopoly game board. To obtain a game board, you can visit any McDonald’s restaurant.

It used to be that Park Place and Boardwalk were the grand prize, however, it has been changed to the four railroads this year.

Best Buy Bucks Continue reading “McDonalds Monopoly Game 2006”

The $4 Trillion Dollar Idea That Creates No Debt and Pays All Americans to Pull Together!

On average the American economy grows at the rate of $4 trillion dollars annually. That translates into about $12,000 for every man, woman, and child in America. But generally speaking, the beneficiaries of this annual growth are limited to people who can afford to buy the stocks, bonds, real estate, and technological developments that account for this growth.

90% Lack the Opportunity
More specifically we’re talking about less than 10% of Americans who have the means to take advantage of this relatively predictable growth, and 90% who lack the opportunity to participate. Thus, we now have a 21st-century wealth gap that is wider and more toxic than any time since the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression which followed in its wake.

To make matters worse, this was the case long before the current pandemic oriented economic crisis raised its ugly head. In response to millions of workers losing their jobs and healthcare due to the virus, the Federal government increased unemployment benefits for several months and issued so-called “stimulus checks ($1,200)” to millions of people in an effort to artificially jump-start demand and to prevent the ship of state from sinking into oblivion. Continue reading “The $4 Trillion Dollar Idea That Creates No Debt and Pays All Americans to Pull Together!”

Suddenly Solo – A Physician’s Guide to Surviving & Thriving in Your Own Medical Practice

DOC VS. WORLD

Imagine being safely ensconced in group practice one day, just going through the motions, but nonetheless enjoying your day-talking with colleagues, consulting with patients, maybe even enjoying lunch, driving home, talking over your day with a friend or your spouse, and then walking into work the next morning, only to find yourself out of a job-fired. Or, if that doesn’t gut you enough, imagine coming to work one day to find that not only do your keys mysteriously no longer work, but a security guard bars you from entering the building, where all your files are locked away.

Here’s another dream scenario: Imagine returning from a long-overdue, much-anticipated, relaxing vacation to find that your partner has conspired with another and has effectively stolen your practice. Or, how about this: Imagine that your managing partner neglected to pay your malpractice premium, meaning you lost coverage and could not get it back. Continue reading “Suddenly Solo – A Physician’s Guide to Surviving & Thriving in Your Own Medical Practice”