Rants and Raves

Starting May 16, new United States Postal Service (USPS) regulations will prohibit customers from mailing iPads, Kindles, Smartphones, and other electronics with lithium batteries overseas, reports Fast Company. While the news is a headache for military families and electronics manufacturers and resellers, private delivery firms such as Atlanta-based United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) stand to gain, the publication notes.

The Post Office says the restrictions could be lifted, or at least relaxed somewhat, in January 2013, but until then customers who want to ship lithium battery-powered items overseas will have to make other arrangements.

Shipping with a private service to the military could take more work in addition to extra cash, Fast Company says. Neither UPS, DHL, nor FedEx ships directly to many military boxes. (FedEx offers a service for military boxes, SmartPost, which is subject to the same restrictions).

Shipping an iPad or Smartphone overseas to a member of the military would require mailing through a private delivery service to a civilian address in the host country–which, for a country such as Kuwait, for example, could make the price jump from the current Military Priority Mail rate of $5.30 to more than $20, Fast Company reported.

Atlanta Business Chronicle by Carla Caldwell
Morning Call Editor, Morning Call Editor

Date: Friday, May 11, 2012, 5:28am EDT
Last Modified: Friday, May 11, 2012, 7:48am EDT

Tags: Shipping, · Temporal by roger
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Earth Day 2012 – Mobilize the Earth

On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part.

Attend a local Earth Day event and join one of our Earth Day campaigns as we collect A Billion Acts of Green® and elevate the importance of environmental issues around the world.

	EarthDay.org

Tags: Energy, Environment, · Temporal by roger
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I’ve upgraded my site to WordPress 3.3.2. As always, I recommend WordPress to power your BLOG; it’s likely your hosting company offers it as an menu selectable install option, and it’s easy to install and maintain yourself if you’d like to take advantage of it’s full customization potential. http://wordpress.org/

Tags: Blogging, Communications, Technology, · Temporal by roger
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Today is the 50th Anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment by the State of California.

Yep, California didn’t ratify the 15th Amendment until 3 April 1962 — the last state to ratify the amendment preventing discrimination in voting practices based on race; and just in time to usher in the Civil Rights movement in full force.

Tags: History, · Temporal by roger
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March 20, 1:14 A.M. EDT

Tags: General, · Temporal by roger
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I’ve upgraded my site to WordPress 3.3.1. As always, I recommend WordPress to power your BLOG; it’s likely your hosting company offers it as an menu selectable install option, and it’s easy to install and maintain yourself if you’d like to take advantage of it’s full customization potential. http://wordpress.org/

Tags: Blogging, Communications, Technology, · Temporal by roger
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For the last several years I’ve made sure a quote a day (often relevant to the day in history) was published on my BLOG… and hope some of you have appreciated the effort it takes to do that.

This year (other than the one earlier today) I’m not going to have a quote of the day that I enter specifically for the day. What I will try to do is make sure that a quote is presented on the sidebar.

I’m thinking about adding a new word as well — not so much because I want to expand anyone’s vocabulary, but because it’s always interesting to see what definition (or quote) randomly appears.

Let me also take a moment to wish everyone the very best… a new year, and new opportunity for each of use to try and make the world we live in a better place for ourselves, our families, our friends, our neighbors, and the billions of people we share this fragile, tiny planet with we don’t know and will likely never meet.

Tags: General, · Temporal by roger
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New Year’s Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.
· Mark Twain

Tags: Axiom, · Temporal by roger
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A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.
· Unknown

Tags: Axiom, · Temporal by roger
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‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

· Clement Clarke Moore
or
· Henry Livingston

Tags: Axiom, · Temporal by roger
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