Cold turkey is out and Christmas ham is in. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere I go. Last Thursday I participated in my first Monroe Christmas parade. I have to say the some 70 floats of Christmas lights followed by bands and various other groups was impressive on the spirit scale. The weather was a little bit frightening next to my South Georgia usual temperatures back home but I managed to layer up and stay warm.
The courthouse lawn is decorated with a beautiful live Christmas tree dazzled with ornaments and lights. Not to mention the lovely spiral laced trees full of lights that are on both sides of Broad Street.
This time of year is about so many things it's hard to lose sight of its one purpose — sharing the love you have for those around and the ability to do so.
Usually around this time for the past four years I would have been finishing finals and heading home to Bainbridge for the family activities and community involvement.
Every Christmas for the past three years I've helped with a local radio station on their Secret Santa project. Each year I've seen lives changed and peoples selfless efforts supply children the smile they had been hoping and needing all year.
Such things as bikes and clothes along with toys are provided for these families every year through this program there.
I can remember my first year participating.
I was working with the station to see if broadcast was something I wanted to major in when I took on the responsibility of working with the Secret Santa project as well.
Santa personally delivered the presents we had worked to load and buy for these families.
I will never forget one little girl who asked santa for a bike. It was the only thing she wanted. When we rolled the bike out to her - she and her daughter were crying.
The spirit of giving is the season's message. There are so many around us spending their last dime at this very moment, parents counting their budget and putting their needs to the side for the sake of their child's Christmas or all together unable to provide a Christmas.
While we are feasting someone in this community, in this state, in this country and the world are without.
Giving is the reason for the season.
Besides working with Secret Santa our family usually decorates the tree and I hate to say I'm missing that.
Ever since I was born I have had an ornament for every year. Each year we go to the hallmark store to pick an ornament out and it's a serious ordeal. Some of my picks have been from “the Grinch Stole Christmas” to Santa Claus fishing. They all have some sort of story behind them or purpose on why they were purchased.
Tradition is something that can keep a family together that one gathering point. Christmas is full of these opportunities. Whether it is from the huge meal that's laid on the table or the decorating of the Christmas tree, tradition brings the family together.
All together breathe in the Christmas spirit, enjoy the atmosphere, give what you can and be blessed for what you have.
Showing posts with label led light. Show all posts
Showing posts with label led light. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Lights on the Lake to open a week early
The Christmas lights are coming a week early to Onondaga Lake Park.
Wegmans Lights on the Lake, the holiday season light show that draws thousands of visitors annually, will kick off with walk-throughs Nov. 14 and 15 and a dog walk Nov. 16. Cars can begin rolling in the night of Nov. 17, launching a seven-week run, officials announced this morning.
Record attendance last year led to the decision to open the show early, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney said. She attributed the boost to the county’s collaboration with partner Galaxy Communications and sponsor Wegmans.
Lights on the Lake features animated light displays along the park’s paved walking, biking and skating trail from the Salt Museum to Long Branch, a stretch of about 2 miles. Residents whose homes back up to the trail frequently decorate their yards, too, adding to the fun.
Entry is from Onondaga Lake Parkway.
According to the county Department of Parks and Recreation, 38,554 vehicles toured the display during its 2010-11 run.
This year, the pedestrian-only walks are scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 15, followed by a dog walk 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 16.
Drive-throughs 5 to 10 p.m. nightly will begin Nov. 17 and continue through Jan. 8.
Admission will be $8 per car Monday through Thursday, $12 per car Friday through Sunday.
Visitors who present Wegmans Shoppers Club cards on Mondays and Tuesdays will pay $6; those with Driver’s Village or Burdick Automotive license plate frames will pay $6 on Wednesdays.
Also, $6 advance sale tickets will go on sale Tuesday at Wegmans and at the Griffin Visitor Center at Onondaga Lake Park. They will be available through Nov. 16 and will be good any night of the show except New Year's Eve, Dec. 31.
The park will play host New Year’s Eve to the second annual First Night CNY. New Boyz is scheduled to perform. Visitors also will be able to play laser tag and glow-in-the-dark miniature golf outdoors or play video games and sing karaoke under heated tents. A ball drop at midnight and fireworks over Onondaga Lake will cap the event.
Wegmans Lights on the Lake, the holiday season light show that draws thousands of visitors annually, will kick off with walk-throughs Nov. 14 and 15 and a dog walk Nov. 16. Cars can begin rolling in the night of Nov. 17, launching a seven-week run, officials announced this morning.
Record attendance last year led to the decision to open the show early, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney said. She attributed the boost to the county’s collaboration with partner Galaxy Communications and sponsor Wegmans.
Lights on the Lake features animated light displays along the park’s paved walking, biking and skating trail from the Salt Museum to Long Branch, a stretch of about 2 miles. Residents whose homes back up to the trail frequently decorate their yards, too, adding to the fun.
Entry is from Onondaga Lake Parkway.
According to the county Department of Parks and Recreation, 38,554 vehicles toured the display during its 2010-11 run.
This year, the pedestrian-only walks are scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 15, followed by a dog walk 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 16.
Drive-throughs 5 to 10 p.m. nightly will begin Nov. 17 and continue through Jan. 8.
Admission will be $8 per car Monday through Thursday, $12 per car Friday through Sunday.
Visitors who present Wegmans Shoppers Club cards on Mondays and Tuesdays will pay $6; those with Driver’s Village or Burdick Automotive license plate frames will pay $6 on Wednesdays.
Also, $6 advance sale tickets will go on sale Tuesday at Wegmans and at the Griffin Visitor Center at Onondaga Lake Park. They will be available through Nov. 16 and will be good any night of the show except New Year's Eve, Dec. 31.
The park will play host New Year’s Eve to the second annual First Night CNY. New Boyz is scheduled to perform. Visitors also will be able to play laser tag and glow-in-the-dark miniature golf outdoors or play video games and sing karaoke under heated tents. A ball drop at midnight and fireworks over Onondaga Lake will cap the event.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Many thanks to public employees
In the wake of last spring's budget battles in Madison, many state officials and pundits are proclaiming how the "tools" given to Wisconsin's school districts and local governments have allowed those entities to offset cuts in state funding and avert the kind of massive layoffs and service cuts that have occurred in other states.
Fair enough. Whatever your view on the Budget Repair Bill and the changes to Wisconsin collective bargaining law that were approved by the Legislature, signed by the governor and ultimately affirmed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court — there's no question that these pieces of legislation have allowed school districts, counties and cities across Wisconsin to cut their labor costs.
But let's not forget that those "tools" were used to reach directly into the wallets of tens of thousands of state and local employees. And these employees — good, hard-working folks, most of whom weren't getting rich from their jobs in the first place — within the past month began feeling the impact of those changes.
All state and local employees (with the exception of police and fire — more on that later) are now feeling the pinch of a mandatory 5.8 percent pension contribution that amounts to a 5.8 percent pay cut. For many city of Two Rivers union employees, the pay cut follows two years of pay freezes. For our non-union supervisors, the pay cut follows four years of wage freezes.
Public employees who participate in the state health insurance program also are feeling the impact of a mandatory 15 percent employee co-pay on health premiums. Two Rivers city employees are not impacted by this mandate.
Moreover, it's a shame that we aren't allowed to use the mandatory pension contribution tool to reduce costs in the departments that make up about half of our tax-supported local budgets: police and fire.
Fair enough. Whatever your view on the Budget Repair Bill and the changes to Wisconsin collective bargaining law that were approved by the Legislature, signed by the governor and ultimately affirmed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court — there's no question that these pieces of legislation have allowed school districts, counties and cities across Wisconsin to cut their labor costs.
But let's not forget that those "tools" were used to reach directly into the wallets of tens of thousands of state and local employees. And these employees — good, hard-working folks, most of whom weren't getting rich from their jobs in the first place — within the past month began feeling the impact of those changes.
All state and local employees (with the exception of police and fire — more on that later) are now feeling the pinch of a mandatory 5.8 percent pension contribution that amounts to a 5.8 percent pay cut. For many city of Two Rivers union employees, the pay cut follows two years of pay freezes. For our non-union supervisors, the pay cut follows four years of wage freezes.
Public employees who participate in the state health insurance program also are feeling the impact of a mandatory 15 percent employee co-pay on health premiums. Two Rivers city employees are not impacted by this mandate.
Moreover, it's a shame that we aren't allowed to use the mandatory pension contribution tool to reduce costs in the departments that make up about half of our tax-supported local budgets: police and fire.
Monday, 29 August 2011
Using LED lighting is a no-brainer
It's all very well spending money on alternative energy, solar, wind, etc. However, if you don't change the mercury halide light sucking the energy, what's the point?
LED lighting in conjunction with computer-regulated models uses as little as 20 percent of what a mercury halide uses and only has to be changed every 12 to 15 years, a huge reduction of man and truck hours which equates to even bigger savings.
Halide every two to three years, one way or another, an average of one utility worker is killed every day in America while out changing a street sky lanterns.
So it's not just about alternative energy, it's also about energy conservation and labor management on a large scale. Changing the way we use energy is where the real savings kick in. Utility companies love halide streetlights. It's money they watch burn out of your pocket and into theirs every night. To top it off, the disposal or recycling of these mercury halide lights creates an environmental issue.
Magnalight by Larson Electronics carries a wide array of LED lights, infrared light bars, infrared and visible light LED spotlights andoffers a comprehensive selection of the latest and best in industrial and commercial lighting technology.
Spotting a 1-watt LED headlight with adjustable elastic head strap—an updated version of the coal miner's lamp—featuring separate spot, flood and red night-vision features, I tossed it in my shopping cart. You can't go wrong with hands-free illumination, though I couldn't imagine what eventuality would require it. Reading in the dark? Cooking up a chocolate soufflé? Searching for my family through the woods after the house became airborne?
LED lighting in conjunction with computer-regulated models uses as little as 20 percent of what a mercury halide uses and only has to be changed every 12 to 15 years, a huge reduction of man and truck hours which equates to even bigger savings.
Halide every two to three years, one way or another, an average of one utility worker is killed every day in America while out changing a street sky lanterns.
So it's not just about alternative energy, it's also about energy conservation and labor management on a large scale. Changing the way we use energy is where the real savings kick in. Utility companies love halide streetlights. It's money they watch burn out of your pocket and into theirs every night. To top it off, the disposal or recycling of these mercury halide lights creates an environmental issue.
Magnalight by Larson Electronics carries a wide array of LED lights, infrared light bars, infrared and visible light LED spotlights andoffers a comprehensive selection of the latest and best in industrial and commercial lighting technology.
Spotting a 1-watt LED headlight with adjustable elastic head strap—an updated version of the coal miner's lamp—featuring separate spot, flood and red night-vision features, I tossed it in my shopping cart. You can't go wrong with hands-free illumination, though I couldn't imagine what eventuality would require it. Reading in the dark? Cooking up a chocolate soufflé? Searching for my family through the woods after the house became airborne?
Monday, 28 March 2011
Chinese lanterns to be lit in memory of killed Kirkby soldier Mark Burgan
FRIENDS and family of a Merseyside soldier who died in Afghanistan will send hundreds of Chinese lanterns into the sky in his memory.
Lance Sergeant Mark Burgan, 28, of Southdene, Kirkby, was killed by a roadside bomb along with his commanding officer on Wednesday.
Devastated friends and family of the Irish Guardsman responded by sending a message of remembrance around Facebook and changing their profile picture to a Union Jack bearing the words “Burgo: You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
A message, copied and pasted across hundreds of Facebook profiles, reads: “Light up the sky for a true hero, Mark Burgan!
“On Tuesday night at 8pm, light a lantern to show how proud we all are that we knew a true hero and to show our respect.”
A large group is expected to gather near Mark’s parents’ home at Wignall Park, in Broad Lane, Kirkby on Tuesday at 8pm for the rapidly organised memorial service.
One family friend told the ECHO that Chinese lanterns were selling out in the area.
Although Lance Sgt Burgan’s immediate family are not thought to be in the area at the moment, friends are hoping to show their support with the light show.
Lance Sergeant Mark Burgan, 28, of Southdene, Kirkby, was killed by a roadside bomb along with his commanding officer on Wednesday.
Devastated friends and family of the Irish Guardsman responded by sending a message of remembrance around Facebook and changing their profile picture to a Union Jack bearing the words “Burgo: You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
A message, copied and pasted across hundreds of Facebook profiles, reads: “Light up the sky for a true hero, Mark Burgan!
“On Tuesday night at 8pm, light a lantern to show how proud we all are that we knew a true hero and to show our respect.”
A large group is expected to gather near Mark’s parents’ home at Wignall Park, in Broad Lane, Kirkby on Tuesday at 8pm for the rapidly organised memorial service.
One family friend told the ECHO that Chinese lanterns were selling out in the area.
Although Lance Sgt Burgan’s immediate family are not thought to be in the area at the moment, friends are hoping to show their support with the light show.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Good intentions not enough during emergencies
The Gulf, Atlantic and all Southern states recently paid homage to Severe Weather Awareness Week. That's excellent. We listen with good intentions.
more Colmans columns...While local and state governments, along with Federal Emergency Management Agency and state National Guard units, work hard to get their plans updated, there are a few million people involved in these states that often miss the point of why these drills take place and what it means to prepare.
Let's look at what happened starting from the recent past with hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike, and devastating floods that affected several states more than once. Look at the sky the next time a severe thunderstorm approaches and watch the cloud to ground strikes that invariably result in house, apartment and business fires that destroy not just things but often kill people.
How many people will continue to lose their lives because they refuse to evacuate when a major hurricane is headed their way? How many people continue to get trapped in quickly rising water because they ignore weather warnings, don't pay attention to local news or have a weather alert radio?
How many homes and apartments catch fire from lightening or other causes, and the occupants have no evacuation plan, no idea of how they can get out of their dwelling if the main exits are blocked, or don't even have working smoke alarms at home?
more Colmans columns...While local and state governments, along with Federal Emergency Management Agency and state National Guard units, work hard to get their plans updated, there are a few million people involved in these states that often miss the point of why these drills take place and what it means to prepare.
Let's look at what happened starting from the recent past with hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike, and devastating floods that affected several states more than once. Look at the sky the next time a severe thunderstorm approaches and watch the cloud to ground strikes that invariably result in house, apartment and business fires that destroy not just things but often kill people.
How many people will continue to lose their lives because they refuse to evacuate when a major hurricane is headed their way? How many people continue to get trapped in quickly rising water because they ignore weather warnings, don't pay attention to local news or have a weather alert radio?
How many homes and apartments catch fire from lightening or other causes, and the occupants have no evacuation plan, no idea of how they can get out of their dwelling if the main exits are blocked, or don't even have working smoke alarms at home?
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Benefits of Sky Lanterns
Have you ever wanted to create a romantic environment where you and your cuddly companion can enjoy each other and the night sky? Well, you can and there is no need for fireworks at all! By investing in night sky lanterns, you can create magic in the sky with a variety of different colors if you like. These babies are easy to use and make absolutely no noise. They are somewhat similar to a hot air balloon but, they are much smaller and they let off a warm gentle glow in the sky that you could never forget.
There are many types of sky lanterns you can choose from such as Chinese lanterns. These lanterns were used to symbolize the releasing of their worries, also known as a wish lantern. They are inexpensive, and you don't have to buy a lot of them to get the effect that you want. They are non flammable meaning they are safe to use around children, and they create visuals in the sky that are absolutely mesmerizing.
Flying lanterns are great substitutes for fireworks and the visual lasts a lot longer. They are a very creative and unique way to enjoy any occasion, and they look the best when several different colors are let go into the air at the same time. It is truly a sight you will never forget. It's amazing how years back these lanterns were used to offer prayer to the gods, while now and in the future, they make excellent party and special occasion extras!
There are many types of sky lanterns you can choose from such as Chinese lanterns. These lanterns were used to symbolize the releasing of their worries, also known as a wish lantern. They are inexpensive, and you don't have to buy a lot of them to get the effect that you want. They are non flammable meaning they are safe to use around children, and they create visuals in the sky that are absolutely mesmerizing.
Flying lanterns are great substitutes for fireworks and the visual lasts a lot longer. They are a very creative and unique way to enjoy any occasion, and they look the best when several different colors are let go into the air at the same time. It is truly a sight you will never forget. It's amazing how years back these lanterns were used to offer prayer to the gods, while now and in the future, they make excellent party and special occasion extras!
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