Liberty and Freedom for All

*Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. ~Abraham Lincoln

*Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

*No one is free when others are oppressed. ~Author Unknown

*I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery. ~Author Unknown

*Many politicians are in the habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition that no people ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool in the old story who resolved not to go into the water till he had learned to swim. ~Thomas Macaulay

*Freedom is never free. ~Author Unknown

Rivalry Saturday

It shouldn't come as any surprize that BYU defeated rival Utah 17-10 Saturday after falling behind late in the game. As usual this season, BYU managed a comeback of its own when Harvy Unga punched the ball in from 11 yards out with less than a minute to play.

Utah trailed most of the game, but late in the fourth quarter the Utes drove 69 yards on a 15-play drive that chewed up the clock and recorded the first touchdown of the day. Darrell Mack finished off the drive on a one-yard run that put Utah ahead and seemed to doom the Cougars.

But starting with only 94 seconds left on the clock, BYU faced a fourth-and-18 on its final drive when quarterback Max Hall connected with Austin Collie for a 49-yard gain that gave the Cougars new life and culminated in Unga's touchdown run. He finished with 141 yards on 23 carries.

The win gives the 23rd-ranked Cougars an outright conference championship for its second consecutive year, and improves the team to 9-2 on the season and 7-0 in conference play. Utah (8-4, 5-3) keeps its bowl hopes alive but misses out on any hope for winning a co-championship in the Mountain West. Sorry Ute fans... you LOSE!

Friday's Finds

Yes, it's time once again, for another issue of Fridays Finds. The one day each week when I share with you some of the many unique places I find on the web.
The sites listed could vary in content from funny to educational, or bizarre to just plain enjoyable. Some might be commercial sites selling unusual items and others might be freely sharing whatever information they have. Most of the time, I'll include a description with the link to give you an idea of what to expect. Sometimes, you'll be on your own. But, in most cases you should be able to figure out what to expect by the name of the site although some may surprise you. So climb aboard, fasten your seatbelts, keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times but please have fun!

1. Where Elvis comes alive.
2. Monitor Camera
3. Christmas Lore
4. Christmas Carol Sing-along
5. How long til Christmas?
6. Christmas shopping online

Thursday's Thinkers

Every Thursday, as a regular feature in my blog, I post at least one, but probably more, questions to get you thinking. You can leave your thoughts or comment on how others have responsed.

Here's todays questions:

1. What is the meaning of peace to you?

2. Do you "think green?" Why?

3. Where is home for you?

More Thanksgivng stories and jokes

The PREGNANT TURKEY:
One year at Thanksgiving, a woman was invited to her daughters house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible the daughter is, the woman decides to play a trick on her. She tells her daughter that she needed something from the store.
When the daughter left, the woman took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.
When it was time for dinner, the daughter pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird. With a look of total shock on her face, the mother exclaimed: “You’ve cooked a pregnant bird!” At the reality of this horrifying news, the daughter started to cry. It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!

Fact or Fable? I don't know, but I would have liked to have been there for that one.

Here's more Thanksgiving fun:

The turkey shot out of the oven

The turkey shot out of the oven

And rocketed into the air,

It knocked every plate off the table

And partly demolished a chair.

It ricocheted into a corner

And burst with a deafening boom,

Then splattered all over the kitchen,

Completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows,

It totally coated the floor,

There was turkey attached to the ceiling,

Where there'd never been turkey before.

It blanketed every appliance,

It smeared every saucer and bowl,

There wasn't a way I could stop it,

That turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,

And thought with chagrin as I mopped,

That I'd never again stuff a turkey

With popcorn that hadn't been popped.

A couple more jokes:

Q. Why do turkeys go gobble, gobble?

A. Because they never learned table manners.

Q. What happened to the turkey that got in a fight?

A. He got the stuffing knocked out of him.

The Parrot

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued,
"May I ask what the turkey did?"

Successful eBay Holiday Sales Tips

eBay selling is a challenge year round. For the most success this holiday selling season, make sure you are taking advantage of all of eBay's features to boost your holiday sales. Here are a few tips to help you increase sales and stay organized during the busy holiday selling season.

• Add Best Offer to all inventory items. You never know what people will purchase once they have already bought something from you and are browsing your store for deals,or to take advantage of your combined shipping rate. Adding Best Offer will result in more sales. You don't have to accept the offers, but you will give your customer more options, appear to be a more flexible seller, and be able to capitalize on more opportunities to sell your items.
• Use Buy It Now on all auctions from now until Christmas. Decide on what you will accept for a BIN price. As the holiday gets closer, people procrastinate, sometimes even panic, and don't want to wait for an auction to end. Offering BIN will result in more sales. (Just do your research and make sure you have your BIN price set high enough.)
• Order packaging early. Go to the USPS website and order plenty of boxes and Tyvek envelopes. Take an inventory of what you will need such as bubble wrap and packing peanuts, and order it several weeks in advance.
• Know the shipping date deadlines. Again, visit the USPS website to see a chart with all of the shipping deadlines for the various services. You may want to print out this table of shipping deadlines and post it by your computer.
• Stay focused on operating your business. Complete your income producing activities first before getting caught up in holiday activities like baking, shopping, wrapping, and decorating. You still have a business to run.
• Prioritize. Choose your top 3 business related tasks each day before starting to work, and stick to that list. To keep your eBay business running smoothly, accomplish your business tasks before getting involved with personal tasks.
• Stay caught up with your shipping. It is very tempting to want to list more and more items when sales are hot. You don't want forget the customers who have already paid you and are waiting for their product. The USPS is slow enough over the holiday season - don't risk a neutral or negative because you aren't keeping up with your shipping.
• Set your limits. If you are doing the "crazy toy thing" (going on the 2 AM Wal-Mart runs to purchase large quantities of the hottest toy), keep in mind that you can't be all things to all people. Select a few hot toys to concentrate on and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Remember you are going to have to pack and ship everything in addition to listing, running your business, and preparing for your own family's holiday. A few hundred dollars in hot toy profit is not worth having a personal meltdown and ruining your own family's holiday time.

Have fun and happy eBaying this holiday season!

Surviving the Holidays - Tips for enhancing the memories.

Between the frenzy of school and holiday parties, shopping, cooking, and spending, sometimes the spirit of the season seems anything but happy. Stress, over-extended schedules, and concerns over how the money just seems to be flying out of the wallet can turn the season of joy to that of anxiety and hassle. But parents CAN turn the holidays into a time of family and cherished quality time. How? Here are eight ways to help families reconnect and enjoy the season.

1. Serve others

It's better to give than to receive, right? Then turn the saying into a true practice by volunteering TOGETHER as a family. Where? How? The options are endless. A best bet is to choose as a family. Here are some options to get the brainstorming started: Serving dinner at a homeless shelter, helping to sort and inventory items at a local food bank or clothing collection agency, or helping to groom and care for animals at a local shelter.

2. Emphasis hand-made gifts

Why would anyone want a homemade gift when money can buy the latest and greatest on the market? Parents, if your child thinks like this, then this is a value that really should be stressed this season. The holidays are the time to celebrate families and to show love and appreciation to those they love, and not just for the gifts. And what better gesture than a gift made by from hands and heart? Gifts can be as simple as a cherished handprint, a scrapbook, or a service such as housecleaning.

3. Help Kids Learn About Dollars and Sense

Children can start learning about the value of money at a young age, and a good time to teach about budgeting and finances is around the holidays. Letting children shop for an inexpensive gift is a great way to teach how far--or not--a buck will go. It's okay for parents to talk about how much things cost. Educate kids that spending is a choice, and that there is a difference between a "want" and "need."

4. The Gift of Time

Many parents trying to force holiday spirit on their family through movies, shopping, extra activities, and often with the result of overload. The best gift a parent can give is time! Kids love evenings by a fire with hot cocoa and reading holiday books, and may prefer a holiday video watched together as a family than waiting in line at a busy movie theatre. Family games, walks in the park, and even looking at holiday lights while listening to seasonal tunes are what memories are made of.

5. Making memories and establishing traditions

Does you family have a special holiday tradition? If not, add one, and enjoy how it adds to the sense of family tradition and togetherness. How about sharing memories during a special meal? Decorating the tree as a family? Opening one special gift with just your family that has special meaning? Starting a journal with contributions by each member? Have a family PJ night. Building traditions can add to the holiday joy and strengthen families.

6. Reflection and Goal Setting Made Easy

Regardless of the holidays on the calendar, families should embrace the end of the year and new year that lies ahead by setting a direction for the future. Family members can brainstorm together and develop common goals, or at least share personal goals and ask for members' support. Whether it is to eat together more often, to make healthier choices, to limit extracurricular activities, or to work smarter, share your dreams and focus for the new year.

7. Let There Be Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Stir up some fun in the kitchen this season for family togetherness. Make a gingerbread village each year, with each member crafting an individual cottage. Or, bake up sugar cookie cut-outs and use imagination with the decorations. Consider stringing popcorn and cranberries while enjoying some home-cooked soup and bread around the fire at the same time. Cooking together brings family members together, and is a great way to combine food, fellowship and fun!

8. Learning to say "Thank You" From The Heart

Kids don't just "know" how to be grateful. It's a taught behavior from parents and other adults. A child's natural tendency is to think selfishly, but parents should emphasize an equal amount of selflessness. While it's natural for children to possess a case of the "greeds" around the holidays, parents should use the season to teach manners, respect for elders, grace, giving, and gratitude.

I hope these ideas give you some ways to improve your holidays and make them more enjoyable and meaningful. Happy Holidays!