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Beneficial insects working in your garden

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 749 Views
In previous articles, I’ve talked about the problem of chemical pesticides around the house and yard. We don’t want our kids and pets being exposed to these toxic substances. We’ve also talked about adaptive pesticides, otherwise known as beneficial insects that prey on pest insects. This approach helps reduce or eliminate the need for toxic pesticides by providing natural pest control for...

Hallowe'en hints for this year's trick-or-treaters

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 848 Views
You'll be prepared with nuts, apples and pennies for the roving bands of children, but how about the older friends who drop in? Here are a few hints that you will find valuable:Hallowe'en Crunch Ring1/2 cup honey or molasses1/4 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 tablespoon butter or margarine6 cups corn flakesCombine honey, sugar, and salt and cook 10 minutes, or until a small amount of syrup forms a...

Redefining that thin thread that holds us all together

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 756 Views
Some people collect presidential memorabilia.Others bottle caps.Still others coins or Civil War artifacts or recipes or shrunken heads or first-edition books.Me?I collect friends.And I have a Good Shepherd complex when it comes to losing them.Have you ever gotten an unexpected phone call from someone you hadn’t heard from in decades?Or an e-mail from a person that you’d absolutely given up on...

Use discretion with Halloween treats

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 774 Views
Halloween is coming up and my children love to go trick or treating. Afterwards, I want to help them figure out a reasonable amount of candy to enjoy on a daily basis. Where do I start?Candy is one of those easily classified foods in the Food Guide Pyramid - it’s in the discretionary calories category, and the first thing to figure out is how many discretionary calories your children can...

How to change worker classification

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 696 Views
Q: I am a senior citizen and am retired. But, I work part time for a company as a delivery person. I pick things up and drive the company car to where things need to go. During the past three years, I have filed as a self-employed person and had to pay self-employment taxes. This has never seemed right to me. Do you think I am self-employed or an employee, and how do I get the company to change...

Souper suppers for crisp cool nights

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 841 Views
A super supper is the one that can cook in the crock-pot for a hot and ready-to-eat meal. Filling your bread maker with the perfect loaf ingredients and setting the timer as your dinner bell is perfect. Prepared salad greens and veggies can remain crisp when setting in icebox water all day; drain just before topping with shredded cheese and diced, hard-boiled eggs. You could even set the dinner...

Pro se appeals: Are they worth trying?

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 766 Views
Q: If I lost a court case, is it worth trying to file an appeal without an attorney?A: If you do not believe you can afford an attorney to handle your appeal, you may be tempted to try to appeal your case yourself. This is called a pro se appeal. The administrative requirements of an appeal are great; if you choose to appeal your case yourself, you must do many things within a very short period...

Let there be light

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 711 Views
We all know about The Coal Miner’s Daughter - but I can say I was the son of a coal miner. In the 1930s, my dad worked in the coal mines in Adrian and Shinnston, W.Va. He dressed and washed up in the wash house and his miner’s hat and carbide light was filled up and ready for next day’s work. The cap and light pictured is very similar to the one I can remember hanging in our wash house. The...

Back to the Philippines with little time for birding

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 720 Views
Four years ago, my wife, Helen, and I spent 13 months in the Philippines, serving with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Recently I was asked by MCC to return to Manila for a short time to assess the damage from the two recent typhoons. That’s what I have been doing for the last two weeks. So this column will be mostly a report on what is happening here, with just a few comments on the...

National Day on Writing spurs creativity at COW

  • October 25, 2009
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  • 700 Views
Modern writing has taken many forms. It’s not limited to poetry, stories, newspapers or essays; nor does it require endless creativity. Surprisingly enough, it’s not something anyone has to suffer through—it’s more about communication and individual expression of language. In today’s world there is now texting, Tweeting, blogging, and posting updates on Facebook. And all of these forms...