The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

By Christine Pinella

The world’s leading Climate Change scientist warned the EU and its international partners today to rethink their targets for decreasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, claiming that we have massively underestimated the problem.

James Hansen is the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. He has called for a reduction in CO2 limits.

Hansen says the EU target of 550 parts per million of CO2-the most severe in the world-needs to be reduced to at least 350ppm. The cut is needed if “humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilisation developed”. A final version of the paper that Hansen co-authored with eight other scientists was posted today in the Archive website. No theoretical models of the Earth were used in this study. Instead, the researchers looked at the history of the Earth’s sensitivity to climate which they said gave a more accurate picture.

Studied samples from the ocean can track CO2 levels back millions of years. When the world began to glaciate in the Ice Age 35 million years ago the concentration of CO2 was 450ppm.

“If you leave us at 450ppm for long enough it will probably melt all the ice - that’s a sea rise of 75 metres. What we have found is that the target we have all been aiming for is a disaster - a guaranteed disaster” says Hansen.

Although previous estimates claimed that at 550ppm the world would warm to 3C, it has now been proven that the estimate would be doubled at 6C.

Hansen is a prominent figure in climate change science. He was one of the first to bring the extreme issue to Congress in the 1980’s.

The fundamental reason for his revised data was what he called “slow feedback” mechanisms which are only now becoming fully understood. They amplify the rise in temperature caused by increasing the concentration of greenhouse gasses. Ice and snow reflect sunlight and when they melt the barren ground absorbs heat.

Satellite technology from the past three years has shown that Greenland and Antarctica both are losing mass at alarming rates.

The belief that the shrinking of ice sheets would take thousands of years is now being thought “implausible” by researchers like Hansen. “If we follow business as usual I can’t see how west Antarctica could survive a century. We are talking about a sea-level rise of at least a couple of metres this century”.

The new target of 350ppm may lead some to believe the bar is set unrealistically high. With the US administration struggling to keep up with international efforts, climate campaigners are having a hard time setting the goal at 450ppm.

Hansen said his findings were not a call for despair. The good news is that reserves of fossil fuels have been exaggerated and another source of energy will have to be put in place. Other measures include a moratorium on coal power stations which could reduce emissions to below 400ppm.

Is you weekly shopping trip with the kids an absolute chore !
or are you happy to take them along ?

Lots of moms don’t have any choice in the matter, if they don’t
own a car it can be sheer agony waiting at bus stops then
struggling on and off buses with kids and a pushchair.

Gone are the days when a helping hand was offered, and if the
bus is full, no gallant young man will jump up and offer his
seat to the harassed mom.

Next step is the supermarket, a haven of joy to the youngsters.
Low shelves full of goodies, long aisle, fantastic for kids to
run up and down creating havock, even the most obedient child
can’t resist the lure of this playground.

How often do you get home and find a few extras in your shopping
bags that you hadn’t noticed going through the checkout, usually
things that you might never use, or of course the odd bar of
chocolate or packet of sweets. If you are on a budget this can
be very annoying as many families have to count their pennies.

Have you noticed how many supermarkets have these automated bob
the builder cars and other amusements for kids, its a tug of war
most times to drag them away, usually crying because you can’t
afford the money it takes to let them go on.

Many large supermarkets have a creche or playroom, BUT if you
have two or three kids the cost may be beyond you. Wouldn’t it
be great if they could forget about making money for a while and
provide these commodities for free. Imagine how their sales
would soar if moms and dads knew they could do kids free
shopping at no extra cost, other supermarkets wouldn’t get a
look in unless they followed suit.

Do those top dogs that sit back raking in the money realise that
it is families that bring in their bacon. and if they just gave
a thought to the harassed moms and what it would mean to them to
have somewhere free to park their children whilst shopping, how
much happier every one would be.

Even one or two days a week kids free shopping would a boon to
many families.

Bliss, happy parents and happy kids.

Plan For The Happiest Day of Your Life

One of the first things that you need to do is make a wedding
plan, decide who is helping you plan your special day, and stick
with it! Work a budget into the plan that is written in stone
and stick within your means no matter what. Consider
working with a professional wedding planner or consultant who
can help you find ways to save money.

Who’s Paying for All This???

There are lots of traditional ways to breakdown the wedding
expenses and financial responsibility assignments, following
general outlines or etiquette rules and suggested practices.
Traditionally, the bride’s parents would pay the lion’s share of
the bill, parents of the groom may wish to contribute in some
meaningful financial way or perhaps pay for specific things, or
even share costs equally.

Other Ways of Paying

Some couples choose to save up and pay for their own weddings,
others use the kindness of benefactors, and other family members
who want to contribute and lessen the financial burden. Couples
and parents can find innovative ways to deal with the expenses
they face. They could set up a wedding account, where everyone’s
contributions are deposited. All bills are paid from that
account, or they could split costs in three equal parts. Parents
on both sides and the couple each take a third of the expenses
and cover their portion of the cost.

Setting up a master ‘wedding account’

is always a
great idea to control spending, manage budgets and avoid
conflicts. You can ease the financial burden this major life
event is placing on everyone by offering a unique service and
channel for anyone who feels they want to contribute. It also
provides the family with the unique opportunity to have others
provide cash.

Who Pays for the Clothes?

Traditionally the bride and/or her family would pay for the
bride’s dress, veil and accessories; her mother’s dress and
father’s formal wear as well as the bride’s trousseau, honeymoon
clothes and lingerie. It is accepted practice that attendants
pay for their own clothing, but in some cases, especially where
you have decided to share out the expenses, the wardrobe will be
‘funded’ so to speak. Rentals that will have to be returned
and/or purchased, traditional, themed or even home-made outfits
are always other options as well, depending on your wedding’s
unique style, set-up and context.

Reception

- the bulk of the cost for any wedding would be the food and
drink, party rentals, music and entertainment of your guests on
the big day. Making it fit your budget is both a challenge and a
joyful endeavor! Cost cutting suggestions and innovative cost
sharing, will all go a long way to assist you plan the
reception. Getting professional help from a seasoned,
well-versed wedding expert will be dollars saved in the end and
a smart investment strategy to help you curb costs AND create
the perfect ambience and backdrop for your wedding celebrations.
Do not go the journey alone; consult often and frequently shop
around and be creative, making your reception the one to
remember without having to break the bank!

There are many things that you can do to have a perfect
wedding without spending a fortune doing it.

Save Money on
Your Wedding

The
MasterWedding Planner Guide

How to
have your fairytale wedding on a shoestring budget! For information about
jewelry

For a free course of tips on helping you save money on your
wedding then please email us.

This is a favorite time of the year for many people. Why not
take one night in December and set up a nice holiday party. Plan
a small get together with family and friends.

It is a great excuse to get together. Plan it early in December
so it doesn’t conflict with all the Christmas Day events. Before
you get too deep in the planning see how many people will be
able to come. Then base your plan off that number.

I like to make it a simple potluck meal with everyone bringing
part of the meal. Whatever works, Then you can fill in the
blanks.

All you need for a small get together is a few decorations, set
the table and chairs up, refreshments, music and some fun games
to play.

Try to set up a couple of different seating areas, so people can
just sit and talk while others play games.

It is a great night and really is nice to see everyone while
they are in the holiday spirit. Here is a short guide to give
you some ideas of what a party entails:

1. Pick a night 2. Invitation phone calls 2. Plan food needs
based on what others are bringing 3. Shopping for food,
refreshments, decorations and games 4. Verify with phone calls 7
days prior to party 5. Clean house 6. Decorate and set up chairs
7. Any last minute cooking and food prep 8. Set table 9. Greet
the guests 10. Relax and enjoy the Christmas Party, it is just a
casual event.

Thrifty (but Unique) Holiday Gifts for Young Children

By Dian Dewi

It’s December, and as the holiday season drew closer, you
found your preschooler saying this to you, “Mom, I want this and
that toy …My friend is going to get those from his mom. ”

When you went and checked the price online, you were shocked
with the price. You couldn’t believe that a child toy can be
that expensive. To make things even worse, you doubted that
those toys would make a good buy and did not feel good about
giving them to your precious little one.

Does this situation sound familiar to you ?

If your answer is yes, don’t despair ! Chances are, almost every
parent, have come across this situation. In one hand, you want
to make your children happy, but in the other hand, you know
that you dislike those toys and buying those expensive toys will
definitely create a huge dent in your pocket.

The question is, how are you going to deal with this situation ?

These are some strategy you can use to deal with this situation
and at the same time dramatically decrease your spending on toy
and other gifts during the holiday season. The key are: skillful
budgeting, advance planning and creativity.

To begin with, figure out your budget for each child. If you
don’t like your child’s choices of toys, you can do either of
these followings:

• not buying the toys that your
  children want, but replacing them with toys that you know your
  children will definitely like.
• buying one toy that your
  children want, and add some more toys of your choice.

To find out which toys are the best buys , I suggest you to jot
down previous toys your children got during the holiday
celebration. Make note on how often those toys are used and the
estimated price. By doing this, you can roughly determine the
cost of use for each toy. You may find that something like board
games or construction toys are the best buy. In this case, plan
on buying a different version of these toys. Chances are that
your child will also love them.

To decrease the spending, you may want to add homemade gifts to
the mix. The beauty of the homemade gifts are that they can be
unique and more personal. These features are something that the
store-bought items cannot compete with. And of course,
price-wise, they are cheaper.

In making homemade gifts, always try to make use of what you’ve
already had at home since this can decrease the cost even
further. And don’t try to replicate any store-bought toys
because you may not be able to compete in that area. Instead, go
for uniqueness and personal touches.

Here are some ideas to make your creative juices flowing:

• Personalized scrap book.
• Personalized apron for girls.
  
• Personalized draw-string bag for girls with some jewellery
  and home-made hair accessories.
• A couple of ‘coupon’ for:
  one day outing, staying up late, one chore-free day and so on.
  
• Customs for pretend play.
• Doll accessories: clothing,
  blanket, towel, diaper.
• Homemade wooden blocks, felt puzzle
  or personalized wooden puzzle.
• Homemade bedroom decoration
  accessories or a bedroom makeover.
• Homemade car mats for
  boys. To make one, get 1 yard of canvas fabric, seam the edges.
  Paint the roads, stores, stadium, and so on.
• Homemade sock
  puppets.
• Old toy make over. This includes: repainting an old
  bike and adding ‘bells-and-whistles’ to it.
• Personalized
  treasure box.
• Audio casette of your own voice reading aloud
  your children’s favourite book. The other variation of this item
  is to tell a story using your child as the main character.
  
• Homemade dolls and stuffed animals.

One of the best idea for a homemade toy gift is: gathered items
for pretend play. To do this cheaply, you need to plan in
advance.

For instance, you can make a doctor office set by putting an eye
dropper, syringe (with no needle), popsicle sticks (as tongue
depressors), store-bought toy stethoscope, office supply,
bandage, X-ray film imitation (use black construction paper with
cardboard backing. Draw skull on it), flashlight, cotton wool,
and many more.

You can also make a store set, detective set or other set which
you know your children are interested in. The nice thing about
homemade pretend play set is that you can use real items and is
often more complete than the store-bought one.

Finally, I would like to encourage you to think that expensive
does not mean better. In fact homemade gifts can be as
satisfying as the store-bought one. And more importantly, they
are much less expensive.

Children are a special gift full of love, hope, joy, and adventure. Child adoption is a wonderful option when it comes time to increase the size of your family. Thousands or people adopt children each year and both they and the children benefit from it greatly. It is, however, not a decision to be made lightly. Are you emotionally ready for a life-time commitment? If you are adopting because of an infertility problem, have you resolved that issue? Is your home large enough? Are you financially capable of raising a child? Do you really want the responsibility of being a parent? These questions, and many more, need to be answered before proceeding with the adoption process.

At times, the adoption process can seem complicated, time consuming, and even frustrating. However, there are many resources available to help prospective adoptive parents as well as for those women who are looking for assistance in giving their child a better life. The decision to place a child for adoption is an extremely difficult one. It is an act of great courage and much love. Remember, adoption is permanent.

Children do not need “perfect” parents–they simply need one or more committed individuals who are willing to meet their basic needs and allow them to become part of a nurturing family environment. Finding your “ideal” child, who is available for adoption, can take some time. Each and every adoptive parent has their own mental picture of what they want their child to be. The more specific you are with your ideal child, the harder it will be to find him or her. But no matter what child you adopt, you will end up loving him or her just as much, because all children are a special joy.

There are basically two types of adoptions: confidential and open. In a confidential adoption, the birth parents and the adoptive parents never know each other. Adopting parents are given some background information about the birth mother and the father so that they may better take proper care of the child–such as medical histories.

Using an open adoption method, the birth parents and the adoptive parents know something about each other. In the least open, the birth mother reads about several possible families and picks the one that sounds best for the baby. In the most open type, the mother and the adoptive parents share names, addresses, telephone numbers and actually stay in contact with one another through the years.

The second major decision concerning adoption concerns the question, “Where will the child come from?” Again, there are two options. You can adopt a child born in the United States, called a domestic adoption, or you can choose to adopt a child from another country, referred to as an inter-country adoption. If you choose the second option, you must then decide from which country your child should come–sometimes a very difficult, but vitally important decision.

No matter what type of adoption you choose to pursue, remember that this is a legal proceeding and must be finalized in court, although the process varies from state to state. Adoption is a life-long process, and you and your new addition are sure to have many questions along the way. “Why did Mom give me up?” “Who is my real Dad?” These are real and important questions which must be answered by those involved, but
adoption is truly a great opportunity for everyone involved. With adoptions everyone wins!

About the Author

Larry Denton is a retired history teacher having taught 33 years at Hobson High in Hobson, Montana. He is currently Vice President of Elfin Enterprises, Inc., an Internet business providing useful information and resources on a variety of timely topics. For a court room full of information, resources and advice about aoptions, visit http://www.AdoptionAide.com

Mad Cow NOT Bad Cow!

I don’t know which of the biggest headlines are being read right
now… Mad Cow or New Diets for a New Year (but I have my
suspicions!).

HOWEVER ~ let’s look a little further at REAL statistics… and do a little “common sense” comparison here… (by the way, common sense seems to have disappeared completely in this great land of ours)!

We look at the number of deaths in the all-out Mad Cow “epidemic”, if you will, in Britain… number of deaths connected to it… approximately 130. Shall we just mention here the
deaths that we are suffering RIGHT NOW from diabetes and obesity?

So… let’s have a little closer look at that big animal in those green fields, contently chewing his cud and rolling those big, brown eyes…

Some of you will get to this part of this article and toss it… so have a nice day! Some others of you will be curious and continue to read…

How much do you know about our friend “the cow”? I’ll bet not
much except that you prefer rib eye steak over NY Strip and that you buy hamburger when it is on sale and, and, and…

Do you know the nutritional value that the “cow” brings to us? In addition to proteins, iron, zinc and vitamins B6 and B12, beef contains omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for life and
gives us strong protection and immunities from vascular diseases!

Our friends, the cows, were designed to eat grasses and grains that were also designed for our diets!

HOWEVER ~ our Creator made the COW very special! What do you know about a cow’s stomach?

Did you know that a cow’s stomach contains four rumination pouches that secrete many kinds of bacteria in digesting the grasses and grains that a cow eats?

You say, “who cares”?

Well, let me tell you that we should care and why… these bacteria in the digestion process in the cow are competing during the process for nutrients, nutrients, nutrients! In this miraculous process harmful bacteria is crowded out… parasites are destroyed… viruses are obliterated… and nasty toxins are literally knocked
out BEFORE they reach the very flesh of the COW!

The awesome design of the digestive system of the cow brings to
us “flesh with purified nutrients”!

In turn, our consumption of COWS that have been range-fed, organic and chemical free protect us from harmful effects of triglycerides and cholesterol!

Now I am REALLY going to lose some readers… as most of us know, in nutrition, meats are great sources of complete protein. However, because hormones, antibiotics and pesticides enter the picture of raising beef the Great Design of the Creator is
altered. This is NOT the way it was meant to be.

My message to you: Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!

I found a great quote from What the Bible Says About Healthy Living by Rex Russell, MD, that I would like to share with you:

“Maybe it’s time to get off our rump roast and eat more of everything God created for food.” ~ Rex Russell, MD

Jan McCracken
http://lowcarbcookin.com
Author, Low Carb Christmas Cookin’
COMING SOON: Low Carb Everyday Cookin’
jan@lowcarbcookin.com

Jan McCracken is author and self-publisher of 39 gift books and cookbooks. Born in the Midwest and former owner/innkeeper of a country bed and breakfast in Branson, MO, she has been cooking since she was 17 years old (she won’t tell us how many years that is)!

Jan has been living the low carb lifestyle for 8 years. Her
long-term goal is helping people understand that food is truly
the great medicine, prevention and healer of disease.

For many years children have enjoyed playing with wooden toys. Long before video games, and other modern toys, that rely on batteries and cords that plug into the wall were invented, the old-fashioned, traditional wooden toys have amused and entertained children of all ages. Even though wooden toys were first invented in the early 19th century, these types of toys can be seen in many households today.

Surprisingly enough, children do not seem to be the only ones interested in these toys anymore. An increasing number of adults have been buying wooden toys for themselves. I recall the day I visited a friend at his home, and I was surprised to see on his coffee table a wooden hamburger. The hamburger actually had the buns, lettuce, cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, and the patty. I thought this was pretty cool!

Naturally, I told him that was a cute little toy he bought for his child. He said that even though his child likes to play with the toy, he bought it for himself. He explained to me that he simply bought the toy as a decorative item for his home and that he normally receives many comments similar to mine about the toy. He chuckled as he told me that most adults like to play with the toy.

Also, I have a friend who owns a boutique. One day I went to visit her, and I was surprised to see a wooden rocking horse in her place of business. I became very curious, so I asked her why she had this rocking horse at work, and she replied that her child loved the one at home so much that she wanted to buy an extra one for her shop. She said that she occasionally brings her child to work, and that the toy will keep him busy while she takes care of the customers. Also, she told me her customers’ children like to play on the horse. Despite these other reasons, she said the main reason she bought the horse is it’s a nice conversation piece that looks good in her shop.

Yet another example comes to mind: I have a relative who is a cosmetologist. Many times during her day on the job, she must reach for supplies in an overhead supply cupboard. She is not tall enough to reach the supplies, so she came up with an idea: She had bought a small, wooden step-stool several years earlier for her child to use at home. Since her child had started to outgrow the step-stool, she simply took the item with her to work, and she was able to use it to step on to reach her supplies. If you think about practical uses for children’s toys, that definitely is one!

Speaking of practical uses for children’s step-stools, I recall from my childhood days that several times a year my family and I would take the train to visit relatives. As we boarded and deboarded the train, we stepped on a wooden step-stool that was very sturdy. No matter how many people stepped on the stool, it would not break. I remembered this fact, and later in life, I bought a similar step-stool for my child. I know that if he ever gets tired of it, I can probably think of some practical uses for the item around the home.

Maybe these wooden toys bring back the kid in us, or maybe they just remind us of great memories. Whatever the case, don’t be surprised if you see an increase in adults purchasing these types of toys for themselves.

Tim Hyers is the owner of Amazing Wooden Toys. For more information on wooden toys, please visit www.amazingwoodentoys.com

Family history is becoming a more popular pastime, especially now that the Internet has made researching your ancestry easier than ever. More than 60 percent of the U.S. Population is interested in tracing family history, according to a 2000 poll by Maritz Marketing Research Inc. This is a 15 percent increase from 1995. This number has most likely increased since then.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints provides a number of helpful resources for family history enthusiasts. One of the best resources for family history on the Internet is www.familysearch.org. According to the website it is “the largest collection of FREE family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.” This website is the result of decades of research and includes 957 million names. The Family Search website also gives some advice for beginning your family history. It says: Begin with yourself and your immediate family by recording information you already know. Look for important documents such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates. When you have written down all the names, dates, places, and relationships you know, then ask your parents, grandparents, other relatives, and family friends for information. Gather as much information from living sources as possible. Then begin to search for records that other people may have compiled about your family (such as published family histories, county histories, and genealogical databases). When you have examined these sources of information, begin your search for records from the time and place your ancestors lived (look for census data and vital records such as birth, marriage, or death certificates).

The LDS church also provides family history research centers at 4,407 sites around the world. These facilities are essentially branches of the Family History Library located in Salt Lake City. They provide access to almost all of the microfilms and microfiche from the central library. These family history centers also have volunteers that will help visitors with their genealogical research. Mike Provard, North American Operations Supervisor for Family History Centers says that in many centers the majority of the patrons are not members of the LDS church. “In the eastern U.S., 90 to 95 percent of the patrons [in some centers] are not members. They are thrilled to have the centers in the area.” (”Family History Centers Spreading,” Ensign, February 2006, 74).

The LDS church definitely provides more resources, records, facilities and tools than any other source for genealogical research. There are, however, a good number of other free family history resources that can be found on the internet. You’ll have to be fairly diligent though as some of these sites can be difficult to find. One site that may be useful in your search of the Social Security Death Index is: www.newenglandancestors.org/research/database/ss/. This site will allow you to search the SSDI for free.

As millions of people begin to look for their ancestors and want to know more about them, the resources and tools available to them are more readily available and easier to use then ever. Now is a great time to start your search.

Adam Sorensen manages websites for family history research including: Ancestors, social security deaths and Vital Records.
View their website at: www.geneology-search.net

Do you want to start planning your retirement? Are you unsure on
how to proceed? Then these tips will be helpful to you when
setting up your retirement plan.

Have the proper mindset

It is crucial that you have set your mind to set aside a part of
your salary for your retirement. This can be in the form of a
bank savings account, a 401k plan, etc. It does not matter how
small or how large an amount you will save as long as you set it
aside. You can eventually increase the amount that you save
whenever you have extra money, you get a salary raise, or you
have finished your payments.

Know what you will need

Retirement will be expensive. According to estimates done by
experts, you will need 70% of your income before retirement to
sustain your standard of living after you have stopped working.
You should look into the benefits that you will receive from
Social Security. About 40% of your pre-retirement earnings are
to be paid back by Social Security.

Your employer’s pension or retirement plan

If the company that you work for offers a retirement plan, you
should determine what your benefits will be and what it is
worth. Before you think of working for another company, you
should find out what will happen to your benefits after you
leave your current company.

Don’t use what you have set aside

Never touch what you have saved for your retirement. Dipping
into it will mean a loss in principal as well as interest and
this may also cause you to lose tax benefits.

On savings and investments

The kinds of investments as well as inflation are key factors on
how much you will be able to save and use after you retire. It
is vital that you know how your savings are invested because
your financial security is what’s at stake. Remember, the way
you save is as important as how much you set aside.

Know all facts

Always keep in mind, knowledge is power. With information from
your employer, the union, the bank, or financial advisor, you
will be able to make a decision that you will not regret making.
Always ask questions and make it a point that you understand the
answers.

It is never too early to plan your retirement. Prudence on your
part will ensure that you live your retirement days in ease and
comfort. Your financial security will require your time,
commitment, and of course, money. Learn all you can and act on
it immediately.