I seriously doubt this photobucket account would ever be revived so…I wish there was a way I could tell him its not his fault…lol

Cool Condoms / Vanderlay Industries is gearing up for the Holidays.  Stay tuned.

WELCOME TO CEDAR CREEK VOICE.

   Email address: http://cedarcreekvoice.wordpress.com

Cedar Creek Voice is a weekly news magazine and opinion blog dedicated to the citizens of Cedar Creek Township, as well as greater Wexford County, Michigan.

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WEXFORD  COUNTY,  MICHIGAN:



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Want to leave a comment OR submit a letter for publication? 

Click on “Make Comment” at the beginning of each Post. 

[Updates are usually done every week.]

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*EDITOR’S COMMENTS:

(1)  The local gas stations claim they aren’t responsible for pricing, but it hasn’t escaped anyone’s notice that when the stock market goes up and the price of crude oil futures goes up, the price of gas goes up VERY FAST.   I’ve seen it go up anywhere from 10 cents to 25 cent per gallon in one day.  However, when the stock market goes down and the price of crude oil futures goes down,  the price of gas goes down VERY SLOWLY.  The price will go down anywhere from 1 cent to 4 cents per day until the price goes up again.  Somehow the price never goes down to what it had been, but alway goes up higher than what it was when the crude oil futures price reaches a particular level.  I believe this unfair pricing practice is up to the individual gas stations to correct. 

(2)    Tuesday, November 17th,  we had to call the police because we were the victims of a theft.   I had bought a tent-type deer blind for my husband’s birthday in September.   He was all excited, but due to recent surgeries, he did not want to sit and freeze, so he bought himself a small portable propane heater to go with it.    He anchored his new deer blind down and left it in place for over a month so the deer would get used to it being there.   He invited one of his brothers to come up for a visit. so they could go deer hunting from his new blind.    His brother was excited, too, and bought himself a birthday present — a bi-pod on which to rest his gun.  They went out Sunday and Monday, but when they got there onTuesday,  the deer blind was GONE!   It was stolen in the middle of the night by thieves who came onto the middle of our 14 wooded acres to take it.  They stole my husband’s new portable heater and his brother’s bi-pod, too.   My husband and his brother were really angry, as was everyone else who’s heard about the theft.   People in this part of Michigan take their deer hunting seriously, and word gets around fast.   Stealing their equipment is like taking away their identity.   My husband called the Sheriff’s police and an officer came out to take a report, but told my husband that they have many similar thefts every year at this time.    Translation:  Nothing will be done and we’ll never see our deer blind again.   Our land is posted exactly as the law demands, yet someone ignored the posting and came onto private property to steal from us.   All of us felt that we had been “violated” every bit as much as if it had been a home break-in.   What I worry about is the anger and resentment that’s left behind that goes far beyond the price of the equipment.   If  other people are as angry as we are and many thefts occur every year,  it’s just a matter of time before some poor slob gets lost after dark and wanders onto someone’s private property by accident … and gets shot or attacked by dogs.

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ATTENTION:
For those of you who have tried to get to TRAVERSE CITY from points south & east, like the  CADILLAC area,  but were surprised when you got to the Manistee River bridge on U.S. 131 and found it was closed due to construction:    Like many people, you may have noticed there were no signs anywhere near the bridge offering an alternate route or pointing the way toward a detour.   Actually we found one sign between Cadillac and Traverse City that tells you not to use M-113, but rather to take M-115 West (to Mesick), then turn right  onto  M-37 North, which will take you across the Manistee and  all the way into Traverse City.   We did find shorter alternate routes, but they were complicated.   This route is longer, but direct.  Hope this helps!
Editor -
 
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HAPPY  NOVEMBER  BIRTHDAYS …
  
 
NOVEMBER 5 …..Remembering CHARLES RAMSEY.
NOVEMBER 13 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHERRIE FUSCONE!
NOVEMBER 14 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JERRY LOFTIS!
NOVEMBER 17 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOIS STANCIAK!
NOVEMBER 19 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOUIE FUSCONE!
NOVEMBER 19 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANET LOCK!
NOVEMBER 20 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY,  SEAN AHRENS!
NOVEMBER 28 …..HAPPY BIRTHDAY,  GERRY AHRENS!
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                     H A P P Y    T H A N K S G I V I N G !

      thanksgiving turkey kevatron flickr.com

                                                                     

                                                        thanksgiving25802 jpg 250 x 235 | 12k

                                                                          distinctgiftbaskets.com

ThanksgivingFeast jpg… cbdyag.wordpress.com

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November 25, 2009

Top 5 Surprising Turkey Facts

Reuters – A turkey stands in its enclosure at the Seven Acres Farm in North Reading, Massachusetts November 25, …

Robert Roy Britt
Editorial Director
LiveScience.com

The average American eats 17.6 pounds of turkey per year, more than double the figure for 1970, according to the National Turkey Federation. To feed the growing appetite, some 273 million turkeys will be raised in the United States in 2009, and a good number of them will be consumed on Thanksgiving, after which many Americans will loll about, overstuffed, sleepy and in many cases intoxicated.

This is not what the Pilgrims had in mind.

The first Thanksgiving was a moment for the Pilgrims to thank God for allowing them to kill enough game and grow sufficient crops to get through the winter, says Anne Blue Wills, assistant professor of religion at Davidson College. Those Pilgrims would have spent much of their day in church contemplating the mercies of God’s covenantal love, Wills argues.

Not until Sarah Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine promoted for 50 years the idea of a regular Thanksgiving holiday did President Abraham Lincoln make it one in 1863. In the years since, the turkeys we eat have changed dramatically, and so has scientific knowledge of them. Among the things you might not know:

1. Turkeys Can Fly
Wild turkeys feed on the ground, which might explain the myth of their flightlessness. They can in fact soar for short bursts at up to 55 mph. But their tendency to stay on or near the ground contributed to successful hunting that brought the wild population of turkeys down to about 30,000 in the 1930s. There are now 7 million of them.

2. Dark Meat is Rare Because …
Meat is muscle. And muscle is fed by blood. In the blood is myoglobin, which binds with oxygen and stores it in muscles for when it’s needed. Myoglobin also makes meat dark. Muscles that are used most, like those in drumsticks (legs), have more myoglobin. Domestic turkeys are too fat to fly, so they don’t use their breast muscles much, which is why breast meat is white. The breast of a wild turkey is entirely different, darker (and far tastier for those who are game).

3. Turkey Eggs Wouldn’t Sell
Chickens are champion egg-producers. Turkeys, not so good. Turkey eggs are bigger, so their nests tie up coop space. And farmers have learned that they make more raising turkeys for meat rather than eggs. Oh, and some turkeys are protective of their eggs, making the gathering more challenging.

4. It’s Not the Turkey That Makes You Sleepy
Turkey contains a natural chemical called tryptophan, which we need to build proteins for our bodies. Indeed, tryptophan is also related to the production of serotonin, which helps us sleep. But all meat has about the same amount of tryptophan. Cheddar cheese has a lot more. What really makes you sleepier after a Thanksgiving meal compared to other meals is eating too many carbohydrates, from potatoes to pies. Alcohol can contribute, too.

5. Dinosaurs Had Wishbones, Too
The wishbone, called a furcula, is the fusion of two collarbones at the sternum. It’s where a bird’s flying muscles hook up. It’s elastic and great for flapping. Turns out T. Rex and the Velociraptor had wishbones, too. While they didn’t fly, this fairly recent discovery is one of the many bits of evidence that shows birds evolved from dinosaurs.

Sarah Hale probably never thought about any of this back in the mid-1800s. She just wanted the nation to celebrate a pious, patriotic holiday, said Wills, the Davidson College researcher. Hale used columns and stories in her magazine to portray Thanksgiving as a triumph of domesticity and rural simplicity over urban sophistication. She urged President Lincoln to create a single day on which all states would mark the holiday as a national event.

“The message is that the simple, pure, honest rural life, away from the temptations of the city, puts you in touch with true values,” Wills said. “If we can just travel back to the old home place once a year we’ll be protected from temptations and evil.”

While some of that spirit might remain in the holiday, much indeed has changed about American culture in general and in how people view and partake in the holiday.

“For instance,” Wills said, “I don’t think football games and making the day after Thanksgiving the biggest shopping day of the year ever crossed her mind.”

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    S     E     R     V     I     C     E     S

___________________________________________________________________
 
For FREE  PRESCRIPTIONS,  HEALTH CARE
 
(including diabetes & hypertension clinics; 
 
diagnostics including mammogram & pap smear
 
 
with follow up care if results abnormal);  
 
 
PREGNANCY HELP; and  DENTAL CARE in the
 
 
Cadillac area: 

See the Page titled: 

“Can’t Afford Your Prescriptions

  or Health Care”

 (Names of agencies, locations, and/or

telephone numbers are included.)

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 ::::: H E L P ::: W I T H ::: H U N G E R ::::   

 * Check Page titled: 

“FOOD PANTRIES in MISSAUKEE, OSCEOLA, and WEXFORD COUNTIES.”

            – Or call the Chamber of Commerce of town nearest you and ask where you may donate (or obtain) needed food items.

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-FOOD STAMP HOTLINE…..

          1-800-481-4989.

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-Call DEPT. OF HUMAN SERVICES OF 

      WEXFORD & MISSAUKEE COUNTIES

 re:  food, housing, and other basic needs  ……..  (231) 779-4500.

                        Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

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  H  O  M  E  S

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Governor Granholm Announces Toll-Free Number to Help Families Facing Mortgage Foreclosure.  

“Save the Dream” campaign toll-free number is ………………….1-866-946-7432.

ALSO:  See Link titled, ”HELP FOR THOSE FACING FORECLOSURE”  with information from HUD.

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VETERANS:  Please see the 10/11/08 Post, “U.S.Troops & Veterans’ News” regarding President Bush signing the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act,  especially the part about V.A. home loans:

“…One change in the benefits law that would be vital to many veterans at a time of turmoil in the home mortgage is an overhaul of the veterans’ home loan program that makes it easier for people with non-VA loans to refinance their mortgages through VA. This is done by raising the amount VA will guarantee and reducing the amount of equity a homeowner must have in order to refinance…”

[Editor's note:  For information regarding many Veteran's needs, see the Post "VETERANS'  HQ"]

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   I   N   C   O   M   E  

__________________________________________________________

 Call, Visit, or Write your local MICHIGAN WORKS! at:

Michigan Works! Service Center,  401 Lake St., Ste. 700,  Cadillac, 49601,

Telephone: (231) 775-3408.

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FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR

A FIRST JOB, 

A NEW JOB,

OR ANY JOB: 

 Be sure to check the job listings and career information in the (NOW 20) LINKS under

the heading: JOB SEARCH!  To go directly to  these websites to check “help wanted”, ”employment” or “careers” - just click on the name of the Link itself  (all start 

with  “JOB SEARCH:…”).   The link will take you directly there.

___________________________________________________________________________

VETERANS:  Try checking the Link: JOB SEARCH:  DESTINY GROUP – “Employers Seeking Those Who Served in the Military.  Search over 100,000 jobs.”

___________________________________________________________________________

UNEMPLOYMENT   BENEFITS  in MICHIGAN:

• Are not employed full time.

• Have been employed during the past 18 months.

• Live in Michigan.

• Were employed by only one Michigan employer during the past 18 months.

• Filed a claim for unamployment benefits during the past 10 years.

• Did not work in family employment.

• Were not in Military Service during the past 18 months.

• Were not employed by the federal government during the past 18 months.

• Did not work in another state during the past 18 months.

• Did not file a claim against another state during the past 12 months.

• Did not work under more than one social security number diring the past 18 monhts.-

• Are not trying to claim past weeks of benefits.

How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?

Claims by Mail:

Jobless workers may take cuts in line by using our convenient Claims By Mail service.  Mail-in applications are available in Bureau branch offices, most Michigan Works! service centers and in the FORMS section of our Web site…

Internet Claims:

To use the on-line servcice, applicants must be filing a new or additional claim.  An additional claim is one filed to reactivate benefits when a person already has a claim in existence, interrupts the payment of benefits on the claim by returning to work and then becomes unemployed again.

Applicants filing new claims must meet these criteria:

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AGENCY:

To File a Benefit Claim, Call (toll free): ………………….1-866-500-0017.

Click on website:  http://www.unemploymentoffice.net/State_resources/Michigan

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1116-41638-781-1124

Dirget

The man whose son derailed Michael Jackson’s career with blockbuster accusations of molestation is dead of an apparent suicide.

Evan Chandler

Evan Chandler, 65, the father of the young boy who alleged that he was molested by Michael Jackson in 1994 Chandler was found dead on his bed with a single gunshot wound to his head and a gun in his hand in what they believe was suicide. Police were sent to check on the gravely ill Chandler after he’d missed a doctor’s appointment.

Chandler was the driving force behind a 1994 child-molestation case, telling Santa Barbara authorities that the singer had sexually abused his then 13-year-old son, Jordan, during sleepovers at Neverland Ranch.

The allegations sparked an investigation that led Jackson, in an effort to clear his name, to voluntarily allow his genitalia to be photographed as evidence. Before the case could ever go to trial however, the attorneys eventually convinced the King of Pop to settle with the Chandlers for an undisclosed amount that was rumored to be $20 million.

As for the elder Chandler, he eventually had numerous cosmetic surgeries that radically altered his appearance ostensibly to avoid the constant opprobrium from Jackson fans.

Go to http://www.venusmodelsonline.com for all your event staffing needs!

If you sing, act, dance or model goes to http://www.venustalenttv.com

Post free classified ads at http://www.dirget.com

For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. (1 Corinthians 14:2)

I guess some things are so classified that you can’t understand them even if you’re the one saying them. Apparently there are things you know that you don’t know you know, and even if you know you know them you don’t know what they are. Now, not knowing what you’re talking about doesn’t mean that you can’t legitimately talk about it, especially if what you don’t know you’re talking about is something meant to be unknowable by the one who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. In this case, talking about what you don’t know is a way of affirming the unknowability of what you’re talking about and is a kind of knowing about it at least. In other words, the knowledge that you don’t know what you’re talking about is a certain knowledge about it; so, in a sense, you do know something about the nonsense you’re talking about even if you don’t have a clue what that is that you know something about. This is one of the things that makes religion so fun.

Another thing is that, apparently, a person’s mind and spirit run on different operating systems. The mind appears to be a kind of PC, while the spirit is clearly more of a Mac. The mind is good for the spreadsheet approach to life. The spirit, on the other hand, is great for graphics and lots of stuff that has little practical value but is so dang cool. The mind says “One plus one is two.” The spirit says, “Oh, wow, look what this button does!” The mind wants to know how it works; the spirit just works. The human being is the first and still the most impressive cross-platform machine ever made.

Even weirder, apparently my spirit can bypass my mind and speak directly to God without the rest of me knowing what the heck’s going on. Not only that, my spirit knows a religious Enigma Code that my mind can’t break. There’s no knowing what’s going on in these discussions God and my spirit are having. Not only that, but my mind and spirit may not even be in agreement with each other. My mind might be saying one thing to God and my spirit may be saying something completely different, like “Don’t mind him; he’s a jerk.” And since God is himself a spirit, you know which one of me is teacher’s pet. My mind doesn’t stand a chance.

To be honest, I don’t trust my spirit one bit. If this whole spirit thing is on the up and up, why all the secrecy? Why is my mind excluded from such important communication events with God? What is my spirit trying to hide for crying out loud? And the fact that God encourages such clandestine behavior raises some serious questions about him too. What are they in cahoots about? Are the mysteries in question mysteries because they’re bona fide mysteries or only because my spirit is keeping my mind out of the loop? This is anti-intellectualism at its worst. I simply cannot support such a thing going on inside me.

No wonder I’m screwed up.

]]> http://juntasekimori.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/member-of-staff/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:54:36 +0000 Junta Sekimori http://juntasekimori.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/member-of-staff/

A tempting job offer in beautiful Engrish. Do you think they misunderstood the term ‘member of staff’?

The New York Times reported The Washington Blade has closed.

The Blade was a newspaper owned by Window Media and Unite Media, and its target market was the gay community.

The editor of the newspaper, Kevin Naff, said he was surprised at how quickly things happened.

He said corporate officers were waiting for him when he showed up to work on Monday.

According to the Times, the paper’s approximately 20 employees “are determined to come back and make a go of it as an independent entity.”

Naff said their first independent meeting is today. 

I admire their enthusiasm to bounce back as an independent newspaper, possibly a nonprofit organization. I support niche publications and I wish this one well.

For the entire NYT article, click http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/business/media/17window.html 

Funky, spunky, 2008 (established 1969)

A few game characters’ brothers and sisters are out there looking for love…

It can be hard to find a date when you’re the twin of a gaming icon. Nights spent all alone watching endless Friends re-runs or lying catatonic listening to William Shatner sing Common People on repeat; with dinner medallions from the microwave lasagne staining your crusty vest and sweatpants, and a half bottle of budget vodka for company – these things don’t help the love-life one little bit.

We thought we’d lend a helping hand to some of the medium’s forgotten siblings in their quest to find a soulmate by printing a few of their calling cards. It’s time for these brothers and sisters to step out of their shadowy cocoons and blossom into the love bugs they were destined to be.

1. Larry Croft

Larry’s a tall and athletic fella with a penchant for digging, spelunking and hunting, much like his sister Lara. He’s a perfect gentleman too, coming from good aristocratic stock, although you’d best steer clear of enquiring about the parents.

A huge fan of all things old and curious, our Larry’s looking for a more mature woman, someone with a story or two to tell, preferably with strange and dubious links to mythological sects and texts. He’s also a fan of old-school smoking jackets, luxury liners and racy point-and-click adventure games. But no photographers: they always Photoshop ridiculously-proportioned organs onto the poor lad. And who can live with that kind of pressure?

Read the full article at Dealspwn here!

It used to be impossible to get bags, shoes, clothes, and other items at a cheaper price, especially when shopping at the mall, but with the internet on your side, you can definitely grab those great deals with the help of auctions online. These auctions work like auctions you attend for antique items and hard-to-find collectibles except that the audience can be of different backgrounds, tastes, and preferences and from all over the world. You don’t have to be a citizen of a particular country just to be able to buy an item from an online auction because the sellers can now offer online payment methods for customers coming from outside of the country. This, along with other features that come with the auction site, makes online shopping even more convenient than ever before.

Many sellers nowadays are opting to open auctions online because of the benefits that are convenient for both parties. Customers can easily bid on items online while sellers can boost their company names through successful transactions after every auction. What’s more, if the item is rare and in demand, sellers can earn profit from his or her auctions with numerous bidders competing for the item altogether. But being able to acquire such a reputation would mean a lot of time, effort, and strategizing for the first-time online auctioneers, so to be able to start off well, taking note of these tips for online auctions is a must:

- For sellers, prioritize the bidding experiences of your customers as crucial and important to your business. Make sure that you open an online auction store in a trustworthy and easy-to-use auction website and post your terms of service, shipping, and return policies clearly before starting any auction online.

- For bidders, it is important that you take advantage of the website’s feedback score so that you will be able to tell a good and trustworthy online seller from a bad and suspicious scammer. It can either be in the form of symbols (stars, colors, badges) or comments and written feedback from previous customers.

- Sellers, make sure that you know the products that you are selling well before putting it up for auction. Bidders enjoy auctions online that have comprehensive and detailed item descriptions so take the time to iterate what the item is all about before starting the auction. This may require a little bit more research on your part, but the results of this will be worthwhile.

- Buyers, do not hesitate to connect with the sellers if you have any questions regarding the item. This is your chance to not only get information on the item you are interested in but also to communicate with the seller to see if he or she is detailed enough to respond with good answers to your questions. You can either email the seller using the email address provided, the private messaging system of the website, or through SMS if provided in the seller’s page.

- Sellers, take advantage of certain internet tools such as RSS feed submission, article submission, press release distribution, and social bookmarking submission when trying to advertise your auctions online.

Online auctions are some of the most popular places to sell items online because it’s not only free but also a great place to earn money. In fact, those who wish to sell items to make room in their closets for newer items can earn a little money on the side by putting them up for auction online. All they have to do is create a listing in any of the available auction sites and start broadcasting their auctions to their network of friends. Heck, you as a seller can even advertise any of your auctions by writing about them and submitting articles to article directories. This is also known as article marketing, a popular method that internet marketers would use to gain more traffic and lure interested customers to their online businesses. If you want to gain more popularity to your auctions, article marketing is one of the cheaper options available on the net.

But to be able to make the most out of article marketing, you need to know how article marketing really works. You basically spend a few hours writing high quality articles about the business that you are doing. Writing articles to be submitted to directories like Ezinearticles.com and others should contain keywords that will boost your chances of getting readers. The links to your auctions should also be placed within the article (usually at the bottom or end) to link customers to your auctions once they’re ready to view what you have to offer. In this case, articles about your auction sites should contain main keywords that fit the searches of interested buyers or bidders. Once readers start visiting your pages, you’ll be able to get many interested buyers to participate in your auctions.

So where exactly do you start submitting articles about your public auction? Here are some tips for you to try:

- Search for article directories that many writers would normally submit their articles to. You can try searching by keying in keywords into search engines like Google and Yahoo and see what particular article directory comes out first in the list of results.

- Take note of the guidelines of the directories before submitting anything online. Also, don’t forget to add the links of your public auction site before submitting them and advertising them on the web.

- To keep your readers up to date, it would be best to set some time during the week (ex. Once or twice a week) to write newer articles about your auctions. You can talk about the different items you’re adding to your online auction, news and updates, pros and cons, and so much more.

- When writing about a public auction, it is also a good idea to provide tips and guidelines on bidding and winning in auctions. Some examples include how to win in auctions 50% to 70% of the time, how to identify a trustworthy seller (indirectly pointing to you), how to detect and avoid a scam auction, and many more. You can also write about tips on spotting a fake item from an authentic one, making the best deal, etc.

Every time you hear the word “online auction”, what’s the first name or website that comes into your mind? eBay.com, right? Sure, it has been in the business for so long and people have opened their online stores and started auctions through the site, but it is definitely not the only auction site in the entire World Wide Web. There are many ebay alternatives that cater to online auctioneers, providing interesting features and tools that are at times much more secure and easier to use. By using popular search engines like Google and Yahoo, you’ll be able to find other online auctions with the same items and possibly with better deals. Think about it, you’re browsing endlessly through page after page but can’t find a good price or a good bargain. After a few more minutes of useless searching , you’ll be surprised that there are many ebay alternatives after all that have better deals and hard-to-find items than all of the searches you’ve done on eBay combined.

If you’re a seller and would like to start your own online auction, you’ll have to think of ways on how to beat not only the major auction sites but also the other competitors who want to open their auctions to the public as well. For example, ebay alternatives would want to set up auctions that are much easier to use, much more attractive, and of course of higher quality than all the others in the market. To be able to beat that competition, the first thing that you should do is advertise your auctions. One of the best ways to do this is to encourage social bookmarking by utilizing it and persuading your potential bidders to bookmark your auctions as well. Social bookmarking is basically sharing, organizing, and managing bookmarks in your browser. The difference between bookmarking and file sharing is that these websites are bookmarked as “references” and are not shared with other internet users.

Social bookmarking is a very effective technique in boosting traffic to your online auctions because not only will you be gaining loyal and long-term bidders but also more profit for every new item that you place on auction. If you have a blog for instance, you can encourage your readers to bookmark your online auctions through widgets, animation, creative buttons along the page, and many more. The number one objective here is to boost your auctions’ popularity as well as your credibility and reputation as an online auctioneer, so make sure that you utilize all of your resources to encourage your bidders and potential customers to bookmark your auctions in their browsers.

What other options can you do to increase your online auctions’ popularity? You can also submit them to accredited directories online, publish articles and submit them to article directories, and even create press releases so that people who normally read news online would get a glimpse of your announcements. These methods have been known to boost traffic tremendously when done correctly, so take the time to learn how to do these things when you think it’s time to advertise.

People want convenience as well as a chance to purchase at great discounts whenever they want to go shopping. Women, for example, are very much interested in buying clothes, shoes, bags, and other items but can’t seem to find very enticing deals whenever they head to their favorite stores in the malls. Fortunately the internet has provided certain sellers or producers a chance to hold an online auction site or two to be able to cater to customers who are not only looking for good deals but who are also located outside of the seller’s areas. This means that you, as the auctioneer, will be able to bargain off items or offer services to customers located all over the world.

Because of this innovative idea, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of sellers are now opting to open auctioning sites to be able to give their customers a chance to participate in an online auction or two for items that are priced very low. This has proven to have certain advantages and disadvantages. Pros, on one hand, include more interested and excited customers, more marketing or advertising online, and of course a chance to earn profit despite setting the starting bidding price very low. Cons, on the other hand, include the possibility of encountering bidders or buyers who violate the auction’s rules, who bid too high but cannot pay for the item after all, and other external factors that could affect the transaction after the online auction has ended.

To be able to avoid this , a seller must be able to apply certain rules, tips, or guidelines that will give customers or bidders an idea of what they should do when participating in an online auction. This is where the terms of service, shipping, and return policies are declared and implemented in the website and it is necessary that you place them in areas of the site where customers will be able to access them immediately before placing their bids on items they are interested in. To delve more into this, here are a few auctioning tips to help ensure the security and smoothness of your auctions:

- As the seller, the main goal is to sell your items beginning with starter bids that are attractive to sellers. Encourage them to bid since you are starting the auction low and are giving them a chance to avail of the item at that low price.

- Do not attempt to raise the bids using hidden tactics such as using bidder accounts because this will not only violate the website’s rules but your own rules as well. Wait patiently and stick to what the final auction price is.

- To avoid selling items at very low prices, you can increase your auctions’ reputation by using social bookmarking, networking, and other possible ways. Social bookmarking should be encouraged because this will remind customers that they should check your auctions for interesting items whenever they go online.

- Lastly, respond to inquiries, comments, suggestions, and notices from your customers immediately.

Auctions are fun places for collectors, buyers, and bargain hunters because of several reasons:

1. An auction is a race or a competition as to who can place the highest bid for an item.

2. The items that are put up for auction are either rare or very cheap, so being able to win the item and pay a price lower than its normal value is a great achievement. This especially applies to collectors and antique lovers.

3. Public auctions are great places to socialize with people of similar interests , so making friends here shouldn’t be a problem.

But auctions have evolved over the years and people can see this in the birth of the online auction in the internet. Websites can be made for all kinds of purposes and with different objectives, so sellers who want to bargain off their items online can do so through different ways, one of which are public auctions. This gives people, both within and outside of the country, a chance to bid online for items they really want, whether they are normal everyday items like bags, shoes, clothes, and jewelry, or collector’s items like old coins, antiques, and the like. Sellers are also at an advantage here because they don’t have to transact face to face with the customers, they don’t have to persuade them to buy from them, and their target market is worldwide. People from all over the world log on to the internet and there is a big chance that these people will stumble upon an auction or two online.

To be able to succeed with public auctions, one of the most effective strategies is to use article marketing and submit press releases. These are both online media that help boost traffic and seller reputation, each of them with their own uniqueness and purpose. On one hand, article marketing deals with the content and the information provided to readers, so it is important that you, the seller, write comprehensive and interesting articles to keep your readers interested and active with your auctions. You can talk about the different aspects of online auctions, how to win most of the time in auctions, and the like. Knowledge about the topic is crucial here, so don’t keep producing low-quality articles as these will turn your customers off.

On the other hand, press releases are short articles that sellers or companies would use to announce certain news or updates regarding their businesses. You as the seller or auctioneer can submit press releases regarding the opening of your online auction as well as promos and events involved which your customers can participate in. Press releases are known to be good sources of web traffic because they can be submitted to mainstream news websites. Readers who enjoy reading the news online will see your press releases and, if successful, will click on the links that will lead them to your online auctions. If they find your auctions fun and interesting and if the items you put up are just what they’re looking for, you now have several customers bidding everyday at your auctions.

Before people even considered the internet as a marketplace, a flea market is basically where you will find all the bargains and cut-rate merchandise can be found and bought. You will find a lot of individual stalls selling all kinds of items from pre-loved bags and wallets to used books and clothes. This is where people bargain off items to make room for newer ones and to make money out of them as well, so if you want to avail of an antique or a rare collector’s item for a fraction of its price, you go to a flea market. But because of the dawn of the internet, people stopped visiting the flea market and are now conveniently ordering items at the same low prices within the four walls of their rooms. This is known as “online shopping” and one of the most common spots to look through is the online auction site.

Online auctions are auctions found in websites that give people from all over the world a chance to bid on items they want to buy. Sellers who wish to sell their items online would normally open up their own online store through these auction sites and would popularize them through all kinds of means . There are so many options to choose from and one of these is the every-famous RSS feeds. If you have a blog, for example, that talks about your auctions, news and updates regarding stocks and new arrivals, and much more having RSS feeds is a great way to advertise your auctions online. People will receive feeds in their inbox and, if interested, will click on the links and take a look at what you have to offer.

Another great way to advertise your auctions is to submit articles and press releases through their designated directories as well. These will not only attract readers but will also entice them to visit your auctions just so they could check out what your items are all about. To be able to successfully gain web traffic through article marketing and submission of press releases, here are some tips to apply to your business strategy:

- Update your readers by submitting press releases regarding the opening of your auctions or online store. This type of article consists of announcements and updates, so you’ll be able to publicly announce your auctions as well as updates and promos involved if a customer participates in any of your auctions.

- Article marketing basically means marketing your business through articles submitted to article directories. This means that in order to attract readers, you should be able to write high quality articles with content that is informative enough to drive your customers to clicking on your links.

- Try to submit a press release once in a while to keep your target market updated on your auctions and overall business. This will give them something to think about, and if successful, will visit your page where the auctions or listings are found.

- If writing articles, try to submit a new article at least once or twice a week or every two weeks to keep your readers updated and informed.

The internet has definitely become one of the most popular places to do one’s shopping, especially if you’re looking for great deals and awesome bargains online. Women who want to get their items at a cheaper price won’t find them in the stores or at the malls anymore, so what they do is log on to the internet, type in keywords that’ll lead them to merchant websites, and start shopping online. Fortunately, the birth of online auctions came to be, giving the online community a chance to not only get their favorite items at a cheaper price but also to enjoy the fun and excitement of bidding.

Sellers, whether they wish to work alone or as a company , would want to expand their market to be able to earn more income everyday. Since the financial crisis has hindered people’s spending power, most (if not all) of these sellers have opened their own online stores and online auctions through the internet. If you type certain phrases plus “online auction”, you’ll be surprised how many auction websites will pop out in the results page. If you’re interested in participating in an online auction and would like to grab items at cheaper prices, this is definitely the place to go to.

So what if you are the seller and would like to make money through online auctions? There are certain tips and techniques that you can find in articles or blogs about auctioning online, and this article is just one of the many that’ll give you those helpful guidelines to become a successful auctioneer and a businessman at the same time . Here are some of those tips:

- Give importance to your customers’ or bidders’ bidding experience by making sure they do not experience disputes during their transactions. Start the bidding low, wait till the auction ends, and immediately contact them regarding their winning items through email. If the website where your auction is running offers a feedback system, check first if your customers are quality bidders before allowing them to participate in your auction.

- Make sure to declare your terms of service and policies before starting an auction. This is very important because it will inform your bidders of the rules and regulations that they must follow before placing their bids on any of your auctions. Without these, most likely your transactions and relationships with your buyers will go chaotic and unorganized.

- Write clear and comprehensive item descriptions in your listings before sending it off for auction. Remember that your customers can’t see the item in any way except through gallery pictures and by your word, so it is very important to write good item descriptions so that they will not be confused or shocked when the item arrives at their doorstep after the auction has ended.

- If there will come a time that a customer wishes to return his or her item to you, make sure to communicate with the buyer well so that both of you won’t get into disputes.

Numerous sellers are now selling their products or offering their services through auction websites online because it not only provides them with the convenience of selling within their own home or office but also a chance to widen their target market. This means that sellers with auction sites can hold auctions for interested customers who live either within or outside of the country. This is a great opportunity for sellers since this gives them a chance to earn more than what they would normally earn when selling from an ordinary shop. eBay.com is the most popular auctioning site on the web, but as the popularity of online auctions expanded, buyers have the choice to go for an ebay alternative that is easier to use, more dynamic, and of course trustworthy and secure.

Buyers are not protected from online scamming and disputes when bidding in auctions, including eBay. If the buyer is new or unfamiliar with the whole process, he doesn’t know how to detect a scam auction , and ends up losing a lot of money for an item that will never arrive at his doorstep, it will only drive the customer to bring down the entire reputation of online auction sites. Many buyers have already gone through this disappointing experience and sellers are losing their ability to sell their products online because buyers are hesitant to participate in auctions due to these problems. To be able to avoid this from happening, this article is going to give some of the most common tips and options for bidders all over the world:

- Always make sure that you know what you are looking and bidding for. Read the product description carefully before looking for auction sites to bid on. You can utilize search engine tools like Yahoo and Google to look for auction sites that are auctioning the item/s you are looking for.

- Do not settle only for the commonly used auction sites. If, for example, you are looking for an ebay alternative, you can use the search engine tools to look for auction sites through directories and see if they are easier to use, better in terms of customer service, and more secure when handling transactions online. On the part of the sellers, if you are starting out with a new auction site and would like to popularize it online, submitting the site to online auction directories is a great idea.

- Read the terms of service, shipping, and return policies of the seller/s you are bidding or buying from because this will not only be guidelines for you after the auction but evidence if a seller is trustworthy and confident in his or her ability to handle online transactions or not.

- When looking for an ebay alternative, take note of what other people have to say. There are review sites or directories that provide descriptions or reviews about certain auction sites online, so if you would like to try something else other than the usual sites that you participate in read the reviews, comments, forums, and descriptions in auction site directories online.

- Lastly, do spend some time reading articles either from magazines or the internet that’ll teach you how to make the most out of your auctioning experiences.

Whenever you visit flea markets online, you see numerous individual stalls selling very cheap second hand items, which you can still haggle for. People who normally want to make room in their closets for newer stuff or who are planning to move out of their homes would sell their old stuff at flea markets online, hoping not only to earn a little bit on the side but to make sure that their possessions would go to the right hands. And with that said, flea markets can be compared to the numerous online auction websites now flooding the online market place. People from different parts of the world can log on to the internet, visit different auctions and merchant websites, and avail of great bargains, deals, and hard-to-find items that they can’t get their hands on in regular stores at the malls.

Being a seller who is interested in opening an auction for items, you’d want to make sure that there are a lot of customers who would like to participate in your auctions. This gives you more chances of selling items at a higher value than what the item is normally priced at, so to be able to do this, you need to increase traffic and site rankings significantly. In this article, the topic to be emphasized is increasing online auction store traffic through the use of several methods: submitting the online auction store to directories, using article submissions to increase web traffic, submitting press releases distributions for more advertising, and of course utilizing RSS feeds submissions when maintaining a blog for your online auction store.

- Submitting your online auction store to directories has many advantages, one of which is more popularity and exposure. These directories can be found all over the internet and accessed by people with the help of internet techniques like SEO. People would usually browse through all kinds of auction sites to see what possible bids are still below their budget, and since there are many auction sites competing for the chance to win that interested bidder, they need to expose their online auctions.

- Article submission involves writing articles of about 300 to 500 words each regarding different topics and aspects about the online auction. If you plan on using this internet marketing technique to boost your auction store’s reputation, it is advisable to write at least one or two articles of different topics every week or month. This keeps your readers updated and interested all the way.

- Press release distributions are also produced to boost traffic but work differently than articles in article marketing. They are brief articles that are written as announcements to the public regarding news and updates about a particular company or store. The advantage here is that press releases can be submitted to mainstream news websites so people who enjoy reading news online will be able to take a look at your press releases while reading.

- Lastly, RSS feed submissions are great sources of web traffic because they cater to readers and potential customers who normally do not have the time to read news, articles, and blogs online.

Opening an online store and creating auctions is one thing, but actually making it known to the online community is another. In order to be able to sell off items online through auctions, a seller must be able to publicly broadcast to everyone that he or she is having an auction online and may have items that you may be interested in. And because the medium being used is the World Wide Web, there will be adjustments in terms of the tools being used, the features of the website where the auction is located in, and the policies of the seller. In a normal auction, interested bidders are able to see the item, feel the item, and actually raise their hands when they want to bid on an item. In an auction online the seller will have to depend on the active participation and cooperation of the bidders bidding in his or her auctions, should impose rules and regulations regarding bidding and post-auction transactions, and the like.

How does one popularize his or her auctions online? This article is going to give you the top 4 ways on how to advertise one’s auction online:

1. Submitting the links of your online auction store to online directories is one of the more popular ways to advertising one’s auctions because people would use search engines like Google, MSN, and Yahoo to look for auctions online to participate in. Though there are popular auction websites that don’t need much searching, some bidders would like to bid in other auction sites as well, so submitting yours in directories will boost your traffic significantly.

2. Article marketing is one of the best ways to advertise and market one’s business to the online community because it uses articles to attract readers and to encourage them to click on links to the websites where the products are found. If you want to market your auctions through article marketing, you need to update your readers by supplying at least 2 articles every 2 weeks to keep your readers updated and informed about what you’re specializing in.

3. Press releases are also very useful when trying to market your online auction store. The difference between press releases and articles for article directories is the length of the article, the content, and the medium that links readers to press releases. With press releases, you are announcing any updates or news regarding your online auction store. The content is basically like a news article concentrating on the seller’s products and services. Lastly, press releases can be found in mainstream online media such as online news websites, so the traffic generated through this medium is tremendous when successful.

4. Lastly, RSS feeds help gain more traffic to one’s online auction store because it informs people who don’t normally visit news websites, who read articles, and who don’t normally read press releases whenever they go online. The feeds are sent to either their email inboxes or are displayed in their blogs, so if you have a blog with an RSS feed feature and interested customers subscribe to your blog, sending RSS feeds about your auctions will definitely boost traffic.

WELCOME TO CEDAR CREEK VOICE.

   Email address: http://cedarcreekvoice.wordpress.com

Cedar Creek Voice is a weekly news magazine and opinion blog dedicated to the citizens of Cedar Creek Township, as well as greater Wexford County, Michigan.

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WEXFORD  COUNTY,  MICHIGAN:

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Want to leave a comment OR submit a letter for publication? 

Click on “Make Comment” at the beginning of each Post. 

[Updates are usually done every week.]

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*EDITOR’S COMMENTS:

(1)  The local gas stations claim they aren’t responsible for pricing, but it hasn’t escaped anyone’s notice that when the stock market goes up and the price of crude oil futures goes up, the price of gas goes up VERY FAST.   I’ve seen it go up anywhere from 10 cents to 25 cent per gallon in one day.  However, when the stock market goes down and the price of crude oil futures goes down,  the price of gas goes down VERY SLOWLY.  The price will go down anywhere from 1 cent to 4 cents per day until the price goes up again.  Somehow the price never goes down to what it had been, but alway goes up higher than what it was when the crude oil futures price reaches a particular level.  I believe this unfair pricing practice is up to the individual gas stations to correct. 

(2)    Today (Tuesday) we had to call the police because we were the victims of a theft.   I had waited until the tent-type deer blinds were on sale and bought one for my husband’s birthday in September.   He was all excited, but due to recent surgeries, he did not want to sit and freeze, so he bought himself a small portable propane heater.    He anchored his new deer blind down and left it in place for over a month so the deer would get used to it being there.   He invited one of his brothers to come up for a visit. so they could go deer hunting from his new blind.    His brother was excited, too, and bought himself a (November) birthday present — a bi-pod on which to rest his gun.  They went out Sunday and Monday and on Tuesday the deer blind was GONE!   It was stolen in the middle of the night by thieves who came onto the middle of our 14 wooded acres to take it.  They stole my husband’s new portable heater and his brother’s bi-pod, too.   My husband and his brother were really angry, as was everyone else who’s heard about the theft. People in this part of Michigan take their deer hunting seriously, and word gets around fast.   Stealing their equipment is like taking away their identity.   My husband called the Sheriff’s police and an officer came out to take a report, but told my husband that they have many similar thefts every year at this time.    This led us to believe that little will be done about  apprehending the culprits.   Our land is posted exactly as the law demands, yet someone ignored the posting and came onto private property to steal from us.  All of us felt that we had been “violated” every bit as much as if it had been a home break-in.   What I worry about is the anger and resentment that’s left behind that goes far beyond the price of the equipment.   If  other people are as angry as we are and many thefts occur every year,  it’s just a matter of time before some poor slob gets lost after dark and wanders onto someone’s private property by accident and gets shot or attacked by dogs.

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CURRENT POSTS (from 11/15/09):

• Bulletin Board
• Letters, Opinions, & Commentary
• Local News
• Local Dining:  There’s More to Explore in Michigan!
• Michigan News
• National News
• State of our U.S. Economy
• Elsewhere in the World
• Politics…As Usual
• Rx:  Laughter, P.R.N.
• Celebrities in the News
• Crime & Punishment
• U.S. Troops & Veterans News
• Massacre at Fort Hood – continued
• Text of President Obama’s Fort Hood Memorial Speech
• Health News
• Health Care Reform in the Senate
• Science News
• Tracking Area Gas Prices:  November, 2009

“FOOD PANTRIES in MISSAUKEE, OSCEOLA, and WEXFORD COUNTIES.”

            – Or call the Chamber of Commerce of town nearest you and ask where you may donate (or obtain) needed food items.

-FOOD STAMP HOTLINE…..

          1-800-481-4989.

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-Call DEPT. OF HUMAN SERVICES OF 

      WEXFORD & MISSAUKEE COUNTIES

 re:  food, housing, and other basic needs  ……..  (231) 779-4500.

                        Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

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  H  O  M  E  S

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Governor Granholm Announces Toll-Free Number to Help Families Facing Mortgage Foreclosure.  

“Save the Dream” campaign toll-free number is ………………….1-866-946-7432.

ALSO:  See Link titled, ”HELP FOR THOSE FACING FORECLOSURE”  with information from HUD.

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VETERANS:  Please see the 10/11/08 Post, “U.S.Troops & Veterans’ News” regarding President Bush signing the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act,  especially the part about V.A. home loans:

“…One change in the benefits law that would be vital to many veterans at a time of turmoil in the home mortgage is an overhaul of the veterans’ home loan program that makes it easier for people with non-VA loans to refinance their mortgages through VA. This is done by raising the amount VA will guarantee and reducing the amount of equity a homeowner must have in order to refinance…”

[Editor's note:  For information regarding many Veteran's needs, see the Post "VETERANS'  HQ"]

 Call, Visit, or Write your local MICHIGAN WORKS! at:

Michigan Works! Service Center,  401 Lake St., Ste. 700,  Cadillac, 49601,

Telephone: (231) 775-3408.

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FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR

A FIRST JOB, 

A NEW JOB,

OR ANY JOB: 

 Be sure to check the job listings and career information in the (NOW 20) LINKS under

the heading: JOB SEARCH!  To go directly to  these websites to check “help wanted”, ”employment” or “careers” - just click on the name of the Link itself  (all start 

with  “JOB SEARCH:…”).   The link will take you directly there.

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VETERANS:  Try checking the Link: JOB SEARCH:  DESTINY GROUP – “Employers Seeking Those Who Served in the Military.  Search over 100,000 jobs.”

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UNEMPLOYMENT   BENEFITS  

                                 in MICHIGAN:

How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?

Claims by Mail:

Jobless workers may take cuts in line by using our convenient Claims By Mail service.  Mail-in applications are available in Bureau branch offices, most Michigan Works! service centers and in the FORMS section of our Web site…

Internet Claims:

To use the on-line servcice, applicants must be filing a new or additional claim.  An additional claim is one filed to reactivate benefits when a person already has a claim in existence, interrupts the payment of benefits on the claim by returning to work and then becomes unemployed again.

Applicants filing new claims must meet these criteria:

• Are not employed full time.

• Have been employed during the past 18 months.

• Live in Michigan.

• Were employed by only one Michigan employer during the past 18 months.

• Filed a claim for unamployment benefits during the past 10 years.

• Did not work in family employment.

• Were not in Military Service during the past 18 months.

• Were not employed by the federal government during the past 18 months.

• Did not work in another state during the past 18 months.

• Did not file a claim against another state during the past 12 months.

• Did not work under more than one social security number diring the past 18 monhts.

• Are not trying to claim past weeks of benefits.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AGENCY:

To File a Benefit Claim, Call (toll free): ………………….1-866-500-0017.

Click on website:  http://www.unemploymentoffice.net/State_resources/Michigan

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WET  PANTS

     Come with me to a third grade classroom.  There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his disk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet.  He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened.  It’ never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out, he will never hear the end of it.  When the girls find out, they’ll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

     The boy believes his heart is going to stop.  He puts his head down and prays this prayer,
“Dear God, This is an emergency!  I need help now!  Five minutes from now I’m dead meat!”

     He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

     As the teacher is walking toward him a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water.  Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy’s lap.

     The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, “Thank you, Lord!  Thank you, Lord”

     Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy.  The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shsorts to put on while his pants dry out.  All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk.  The sympathy is wonderful.  But, as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else — Susie.

     She tries to help, but they tell her to get out.  “You’ve done enough, you klutz!”

     Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, they walks over to Susie and whispers, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?  Susie whispers back,  “I wet my pants once, too.”    

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

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