Progress

Yes, another capital letter: Progress!  It has been a long dark dank tunnel to get here but I see the light.  Like Tunnel Hill.  Scary.

Oh the dilemma: Louis needs to get into whatever public school, we need to sell the house, we need to build the new house in the meantime, while somehow managing to afford it all...Do we just buy a house in Goreville and do that, or put Louis in Unity Point until we move? Give up the Oasis idea and enjoy a nice close-knit rural neighborhood? I don't want Louis to have to shift schools more than once, he's already having to deal with a new house and a new school.  And how do we  make it work financially?  Everything we look at will require another loan.  Very unattractive when that's what we're trying to escape. Building the house will take x amount of time. After everything else that's going on in our lives this past year, it has been extremely crazy figuring this out.

So my best idea is find a cheap temporary housing alternative to put on the land so that we can get Louis into the school that he needs to be in, the one that's corresponding to the land we own, right down the road from his Papa, where we plan to live from now on, we move out there and then it's easier to sell the Carbondale house, because that's been very unpleasant on all measures, 'nother story.  Easier said than done!  A single-wide trailer, all electricity appliances etc. ready to go, or manufactured home or whatever you want to name it, there's an alternative.  We found one for 15k. Not optimal but livable, hideous on the outside but I like the pricetag.  No loan required.  And I left a deposit but they never got it!  So we're back at the starting line.

Like weeks to go, I'm looking on Craigslist every day, visiting manufactured home places, kind of ruling out the house in Goreville option, 70k for a new single wide.  Drive up to Mt. Vernon, 28k for a refurbished old single wide, 50k for just OK double wide. I'm becoming an expert!  Looking up Amish cabins, yuurts, pole barns, whatever. Then I follow up a lead from Dorothy, I had texted the guy but never heard back, then called him at work one day.  Yep, still available, we can come look at it Saturday at 1pm.  The whole fandamily is in attendance.

It's a big box with all kinds of space, in good condition, and only 20k!  We are on it like ticks on a dog's ear, as Steven would say. He already says we're going to buy it to the guy (Gary) while we're still there, very unusual for him.  Steven and him are chatting it up, he's a local guy, not a realtor, 'makes' guns on the side, whatever that means.  Owns a wildly successful bed and breakfast in Anna and just wants to clear off the house and build a workshop.  The kids are running around picking out their rooms, or at least Louis is; they have seen the alternatives. High fives all around.

So today I signed a little makeshift agreement and give a $500 deposit, and it's done. There is much more to do: we have to actually move the house to our property now.  Cheapest quote so far is $8000 and he can't manage it until after Labor day, but Gary says that's highway robbery. So I'll be making some phone calls.  I told Gary, after a long discussion about the potential for a big cabin business out our way, that we're having him and his family and Dorothy and hers over for dinner to celebrate soon.

Other stuff needs to be done, assuming we get the house moved in one piece.  New carpet, major cleaning and extermination of the resident rodents, and somehow ridding the place of the hideous wallpaper in a few of the rooms.  Manageable!  I am so relieved.  We went out to the property yesterday to start to measure and figure out where it would go, which way it would face, etc.  I think I will have the kitchen windows face the view, kind of uncertain but fairly sure.  We are thinking now, if this house is not a totally awful hidden disease, we will just shift it over to the basement whenever we get it built.  How can we complain if we have a fine house for 20k??

I mean I trust the guy who sold it to us but you never know.  I wouldn't mind not having to worry about the house itself, but possibly other things we want or want to do like vacations, endless pools, etc.!

The Big Move: To the Oasis

I am attempting to make myself love the big move from my conveniently located home close to the village to our as-yet non-existing oasis out in the country.  Steven says it's only 20 minutes, but for me it's more like a half hour.  That's OK, I'm looking forward to the quiet and isolation, and looking forward to making our own little oasis just the way I want it.  Yep, it's our Oasis, with a capital O, that's what I'm going with.  Here's the definition of Oasis:

o·a·sis

[oh-ey-sis] Show IPA

noun, plural o·a·ses [oh-ey-seez] Show IPA .

1.

a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well.

2.

something serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult, etc.: The library was an oasis of calm in the hectic city.

 

Yep, that's it! I have a feeling that I'll be glad to have done it. I want to make it functional, and minimalistically luxurious.  I don't have a ton of money to spend, but I also don't want to have to spend a ton to maintain it.  I want and indoor pool greenhouse, and I want it safe from tornadoes! Is that so much to ask?  I think not.

 

We're going to be down the road from the zip line one way, and the winery the other.  I hope there won't be too much traffic.:) 

Illinois should do the patent box!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/18/us-tax-contest-europe-idUSBRE91H07B20130218

Obama Doesn’t Need Congress for These Climate Fixes

This content was sent by Amy using Format Dynamics' eco-friendly CleanPrint/Save. Enjoy! Message: I'm still hoping for some kind of cap and trade to boost a new market in climate awareness and clean energy technology, but in the meantime I'm leaning towards supporting these types of efforts!   Obama Doesn’t Need Congress for These Climate Fixes Obama Doesn’t Need Congress for These Climate Fixes By Paul Tullis | Posted Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, at 4:27 PM ET | Posted Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, at 4:27 PM ET What Obama Can Accomplish Without Congress Read more...

Google News: The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools

Everything has a solution.

Amy McMorrow Hunter amymac@gmail.com

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The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools

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Browse all of today's headlines on Google News

Gotta love this article. Let your mind wander today!

OPEN Forum from American Express: 12 Ways To Recharge Your Business In 2012

12 Ways To Recharge Your Business In 2012

Barry Moltz, Small Business  Speaker, Consultant, and Author, Barry Moltz
The holidays are always a good time to step back and make sure your business is on track. Here are some tips.

Read More: http://www.openforum.com/articles/12-ways-to-recharge-your-business-in-2012

This article is from OPEN Forum. Powering small business success.

I have seen more fundraising going on than I ever have in my life this fall. From popcorn for boyscouts to raffles at school, to calendars to pine bough wreaths to St. Jude products...Between all this stuff and buying locally, I should be able to find some interesting Christmas presents this year. I have it on my to do list to put together an online list of shops (in addition to art galleries) to shop locally.

Definitely worth reading.

Exploring Castle Park while Louis runs around

Strollin'

Trends

There are a number of things happening, that have been happening for at least as long as I've been paying attention, that are remaking what makes up the basics of an American life.  These trends are worth paying attention to; you can ride the waves if you see them coming, instead of just getting drowned by them.  Also, there's no use crying about it, just realize that it's the truth and make adjustments; sink or swim.

 

They're mainly related to the changing workforce and the increase in inequality/growth in poverty.  I believe these trends are the most important things happening in our country and what the future is going to look like.  I think they are the biggest challenges.  They have been on the horizing for at least a decade. 

 

There are many opportunities still out there I believe, and for me energy is one of them.  I believe for me it will be an intersection of energy, internet and startups.

 

Challenges:
Are jobs obsolete?
The Limping Middle Class
The 5 Most Astounding Facts From the Census Poverty Report

 

Opportunties: Startups, energy and the internet

Eight Bio-based Technologies for 2050

This is Brittany. She's 25, And She's Got A Start-Up Funded By The Groupon Guys

 

Class

Here's a class I'll be taking as an elective for the PSM Energy program:

 

Marketing of Forest Products, FOR 418-2, CRN: 68236, is not your ordinary class on marketing sawlogs, firewood, or maple syrup.  No, this class is designed to give you a basic understanding of marketing to be used in a variety of natural resource interest areas.  By the end of this class, you will be able to answer questions such as

·         How can I market a hunting lease, fee fishing or birding on private forestland?

·         How can I market recreation opportunities on public lands effectively?

·         How do I market standing timber for maximum returns?

·         How do I find buyers for agroforestry products, such as firewood, maple syrup, nuts, and ginsing?

·         How can I find an audience for environmental education or conservation activities?

·         How can we find and keep active members in our environmental organization?

·         How can we persuade landowners to adopt sustainable forest management?

·         How can I market my services as a consultant?

·         How can I market myself as a graduate of SIU?

 

We'll be learning a systematic approach to market these and other forest products in a two hour class, meeting once a week.  After a crash course in basic marketing principles, the instructor and invited experts will bring their real world experience in natural resource marketing to your college classroom.   This class promises to be practical, interesting, and fun—a class where you will learn techniques to use in your professional career as well as in your personal life.     

 

Instructor:  Deborah G. Gunter, Ph.D.-visiting professor.  Dr. Gunter is a former Extension Professor of Mississippi State University's Department of Forestry.    Her goal for this class is to give students a basic understanding of marketing with real world examples so that he or she will be confident, effective, and creative marketers of responsible and sustainable natural resource use.

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My day job: http://techtransfer.siuc.edu/
http://siuenergytech.blogspot.com/
My side job: http://www.Innucopia.com
My hobby: http://www.HeartlandArts.Net
Contents of this message are private.  If you are not the intended recipient, please delete immediately.

Some biofuels news

From the Worldwatch Institute again today!

 

PRESS RELEASE Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Contact: Supriya Kumar, skumar@worldwatch.org, (+1) 202-452-1999, ext: 510 Biofuels Make a Comeback Despite Tough Economy Washington, D.C. - Global production of biofuels increased 17 percent in 2010 to reach an all-time high of 105 billion liters, up from 90 billion liters in 2009. High oil prices, a global economic rebound, and new laws and mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, and the United States, among other countries, are all factors behind the surge in production, according to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute's Climate and Energy Program for the website Vital Signs Online.   The United States and Brazil remain the two largest producers of ethanol. In 2010, the United States generated 49 billion liters, or 57 percent of global output, and Brazil produced 28 billion liters, or 33 percent of the total. Corn is the primary feedstock for U.S. ethanol, and sugarcane is the dominant source of ethanol in Brazil.   "In the United States, the record production of biofuels is attributed in part to high oil prices, which encouraged several large fuel companies, including Sunoco, Valero, Flint Hills, and Murphy Oil, to enter the ethanol industry," said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch's Climate and Energy Program. High oil prices were also a factor in Brazil, where every third car-owner drives a "flex-fuel" vehicle that can run on either fossil or bio-based fuels. Many Brazilian drivers have switched to sugarcane ethanol because it is cheaper than gasoline.   "Although the U.S. and Brazil are the world leaders in ethanol, the largest producer of biodiesel is the European Union, which generated 53 percent of all biodiesel in 2010," said Ochs. "However, we may see some European countries switch from biodiesel to ethanol because a recent report from the European Commission states that ethanol crops have a higher energy content than biodiesel crops, making them more efficient sources of fuel."   Vital Signs authors Sam Shrank, a Worldwatch MAP Sustainable Energy Fellow, and Farhad Farahmand, a Climate and Energy research intern, also explored how new mandates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and China have altered the biofuel industries in these countries. "In Argentina, the biodiesel industry grew not only because of favorable conditions for growing soybeans, but also in response to a new B7 blending mandate, which requires the fuel to be 7 percent biodiesel and 93 percent diesel." Accordingly, biodiesel producers in Argentina are investing heavily in facilities to increase production.   In the United States, however, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made the decision to dramatically lower the country's production target for cellulosic ethanol, a biofuel that is made from woody plants or crop waste and that can be converted to ethanol much more efficiently than conventional ethanol, resulting in lower associated greenhouse gas emissions. "The EPA's target reduction reflects the technical challenges and high costs of commercializing so-called 'second-generation' biofuels," said Shrank. "Instead of the 950 million liters required initially under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, the final target will be a much smaller 25 million liters."     Proposed legislation in the U.S. Senate would cut current ethanol production subsidies while maintaining tax credits for related infrastructure such as refilling stations. If supports like subsidies and tariffs are removed in the United States, sugarcane ethanol from Brazil will likely become more prevalent. Although sugarcane ethanol has the benefit of being cheaper and more efficient to produce, there are concerns that increased production will speed deforestation in Brazil as more land is cleared for feedstock cultivation.   The new Vital Signs Online article highlights both the increases in global production of biofuels and the factors behind this growth. It presents the latest facts and figures on the major biofuels producers and outlines new laws and mandates that will affect production of the fuels.   Further highlights from the study:  Due to unsteady ethanol production in Brazil in 2010, the United States became a net exporter of the fuel for the first time, sending a record 1.3 billion liters abroad, a 300-percent increase over 2009. Sugarcane ethanol supplies 41.5 percent of the energy (48 percent of the volume) for light-duty transportation fuels in Brazil. Asia produced 12 percent of the world's biodiesel in 2010, a 20-percent increase from 2009, mostly using palm oil feedstock in Indonesia and Thailand. Virtually all of the 1.5 billion liters of Argentina's biodiesel exports, representing 71 percent of total production, went to Europe. Canada has national mandates for the production of E5 (5 percent ethanol and 95 percent gasoline) and B2 (2 percent ethanol and 98 percent gasoline), and four Canadian provinces have individual mandates up to E8.5. In the United States, eliminating the $0.54 per gallon import tariff and $0.45 per gallon blenders' credit would reduce the ethanol industry's profits by 7 percent and its margins by 20 percent, according to the University of Missouri's Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. Brazil plans to build 103 new sugarcane mills by 2019, increasing production capacity by 66 percent. # # # Notes to Journalists: To obtain a free copy of this article, please contact Supriya Kumar at skumar@worldwatch.org.   About the Worldwatch Institute: Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute's State of the World report is published annually in more than 20 languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org. # # #

Nowadays, you have to be talking about sustainability.  You have to be looking at what you've got and how you're going to give back and not just take.  My friend Josh Brown gets it, I'm glad to be good friends with him and his family.  I'll paste in his video below about their organic farming gig.  I'm working on this website: LoveYourForest.com, to get the region going on biomass for energy.  You have to start somewhere!  Look around and see what you can find. Help to make connections that lead to growth.  Feed the web (thank you Kevin Kelly).

Food

Excerpt from "Back to school and back to good food," Worldwatch Institute, 8/32/11 

With children preparing to begin the school year, Nourishing the Planet offers the following solutions for schools to encourage healthy eating:

   

·     Connect Local Farmers to Schools: Providing locally sourced foods in school cafeterias improves diets and strengthens local economies. The U.S. state of Vermont is a leader in the nationwide Farm to School movement, which integrates food and nutrition education into classroom curricula and serves local foods in school cafeterias. Over the past decade, 60 percent of Vermont schools have joined the effort, forming a statewide network aided by the state's Agency of Agriculture, Department of Health, and Department of Education. Children benefit from farm-fresh foods for breakfast and lunch, and local farmers expand their business into a market worth over $40 million. Urban areas across the United States, from New York to Los Angeles, are also participating in this growing movement.

    

·       Savor Mealtimes: Emphasizing the importance of mealtimes teaches children to appreciate the value and taste of good food. France, which has one of the lowest rates of childhood obesity in Europe, takes lunch very seriously. School lunches are well funded, and every part of the meal is prepared on school grounds in professional-grade kitchens-a stark contrast to the heat-and-serve kitchens in U.S. schools. Kids from preschool to high school are served four- to five-course meals and are encouraged to take time eating and socializing with friends. At some schools, detailed menus even suggest what parents should serve their children for dinner. Soft drink and snack machines are banned from school premises.

  

·       Implement School Gardens: School gardens provide hands-on opportunities for children to cultivate and prepare organic produce. In the United States, REAL School Gardens creates learning gardens in elementary schools in high-poverty areas of north Texas. The organization has found that the school gardens not only nurture healthy lifestyles and environmental stewardship, but can also improve academic achievement through active participation. REAL School Gardens supports 81 schools, providing daily access to nature for more than 45,000 children and 2,700 educators.

  

·   Nutrition Education: The city of Chicago's public school district doesn't offer mandatory nutrition education as part of its curriculum. To fill this void, the nonprofit Communities in Schools of Chicago (CISC) connects 170 schools to volunteer professionals who run a broad range of programs that address the social, emotional, health, and enrichment needs of students. Demand for nutrition classes has almost tripled in the past four years. This is due in part to the results of a Personal Health Inventory administered by CISC to more than 5,000 students, which showed that nutrition was the lowest scoring area.

  

  ·  Equal Access to Healthy Foods: Childhood obesity disproportionately affects low-income families that may not be able to afford healthy foods. Schools in Greeley, Colorado, are taking a giant leap forward by cooking every meal from scratch. This is a much healthier alternative to the processed factory-food items that dominate school cafeterias today, and can be more cost effective for poorer school systems that take advantage of U.S. federal reimbursement rules. With 60 percent of the city's students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, Greeley is proving that it isn't only rich school districts that can provide their children with healthy meals.

 

OK this weblog has been moderately useful in the past. I'm going to try and do better.

Happy 2010! I have a very good feeling about this year.

Looking back on 2009...

I am horrified that it's almost been a year since I posted on my own weblog!

I am also guilty of another sin: Some of the information on my website was (horribly) out of date.

I did have a busy (insane) 2009, but that's no excuse. It's important to keep your website and weblogs up to date. For your website, it's a reflection on your business. For your weblog, it's the only way to keep people coming back to read it, for whatever reason you want them to read it.

I've only done 2 new websites since my last post (I'm not including all the SIU work), because I've been busy working at SIU, among other things. But hopefully this year will be a bit better. I'll be back soon!

O my how the time flies!

I've been busy with some websites, www.topshelfkitchens.net and www.illinidraftinganddesign.com. They're not quite done yet but we got them ready in time for a home show that the boys were involved with last weekend. Those boys are my brothers! Finally I got to do websites for them.:)

I'm working with Dorothy on Easywebsitesandbrochures.com, we've done some websites together.

And I'm thinking about canceling all my hosting and redirecting my domain to free blogs until the economy pics up! You can do the internet cheap if you want to. However a lot of people are taking advantage of the downturn to prepare for the upturn that will surely come. Now is the time to take a few steps to prepare the foundations for that business you have always dreamed of, or to get more people aware of the business you've already got. Use the time wisely! You don't have to spend an arm and the leg for this. I have some helpful links on this page to get you thinking about the groundwork. Get started today! And kudos to my brothers who did just that!

MarketingSherpa article summing upnew CAN-SPAM rules, coming into effect July 7. Yes, I read all this boring stuff!