Freedom Shrine Dedication at Bayard Rustin High School

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Friday, April 24 The Exchange Club of West Chester Dedicated a new Freedom Shrine to the Bayard Rustin High School, West Chester, PA's newest High School located at 1100Shiloh Rd. It was attended by dignitaries of the West Chester Area School District along with District and Past National Presidents of the Exchange Club. Representatives of the US Air Force & US Coast Guard assisted those in attendance to gather in the school auditorium where they were treated to a moving and Patriotic presentation which included an inspiring Video by one of Rustin's students. This well planned and professional presentation of the Dedication of the Exchange Clubs Freedom Shrine, consisting of 23 historical documents which were pivotal in the development of the United States in its 233 year history, ended precisely on time at 10AM, only 1/2 hour after it started.

The gathering was treated to a delicious table of refreshments and food prepared by a culinary club of the High School. All told, it was a wonderful dedication of the Freedom Shrine that inspired all in attendance. As explained on the National Exchange Clubs website The Freedom Shrine is not just a collection of 30 documents, "They show our nation's youth the strength and courage of their forefathers by allowing them to read, with their own eyes, the immortal words of inspired Americans who so decisively changed the course of history."

New Weapons in the Battle to Save the Environment : : Seed Balls

Here's an idea for some of the town's in Chester County, Seed Balls. Although surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in Pennsylvania, there are parts of West Chester, Downingtown, Coatesville, Phoenixville, and Pottstown that have been abandoned or remain undeveloped. This idea could help keep these towns as pleasant and enviornmentally sustainable as the rest of Chester County, and throwing seed balls could be fun . . .

clipped from www.npr.org Enlarge Jeremy Levine Seed balls are made out of mulch and seeds mixed together and knead into a red terra-cotta clay. Courtesy of Neighbors Allied For Good Growth   All Things Considered, April 15, 2009 · Neighborhood organizations across the U.S. that want to improve the environment are using a surprising weapon: seed balls. It's a technique for planting in abandoned places and often inhospitable land that was developed in Japan by Masanobu Fukuoka, a pioneer in "natural farming."

Old & New West Chester, PA News

I found this fascinating quote today:

Press Release: G. A. STETSON MIDDLE SCHOOL REDEDICATES FREEDOM SHRINEDONATED BY WEST CHESTER EXCHANGE CLUB View AlbumEdmond J. Kerollis, Ambiance of Well-Being, Feb 2009

You should read the whole article.

The Exchange Club of West Chester and Stetson Middle School will be reconvening toward the end of May to present awards to the students with the best projects inspired by the Freedom Shrine.

New Focus: Greening Pennsylvania

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Although the original idea behind this blog was to present my musings on Leadership, and the subjects I was learning in my Master's program, it has turned out to be a mish mash of posts with no real direction. And, frankly I've been mostly ignoring it over the past several months. I have started another blog, Ambiance of Well-Being, which has a theme of presenting the concept of 'Abundance', and how developing an Alternative Energy and green infrastructure will tap into the universal law of abundance. I am also helping my daughter with her blog, Moms 4 Green Living, which is focused on the Green economy, and helping Stay-at-Home Mom's with going green, and starting a home based business.

Though it would appear that these other projects will make this blog obsolete. To the contrary, I've come up with a new focus. For months I have been getting news about how Pennsylvania is building a green economy. There is a very active organization called PennFuture who has been striving for years to get Pennsylvania to focus on climate change, environmentalism, alternative energy, and green building. So, I plan on discussing and publicizing Pennsylvania's transformation into a preeminent leader in the new green economy.

If anyone has any ideas, thoughts, or connections please don't hesitate to comment on this blog. Let's start a lively discussion and we could possibly build a strong community around this new project.

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Sloan Barnett talks about how Green Goes With Everything

This is a well researched, practical guide for 'Going Green'. As Sloan says,"One person can't do everything, but we all can do something".

Time is running out

Subject	Time is running out
From	Ron Paul 2008

 
 

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Dear Friends,

Whenever a Great Bipartisan Consensus is announced, and a compliant media assures everyone that the wondrous actions of our wise leaders are being taken for our own good, you can know with absolute certainty that disaster is about to strike.

The events of the past week are no exception.

The bailout package that is about to be rammed down Congress' throat is not just economically foolish.  It is downright sinister.  It makes a mockery of our Constitution, which our leaders should never again bother pretending is still in effect.  It promises the American people a never-ending nightmare of ever-greater debt liabilities they will have to shoulder.  Two weeks ago, financial analyst Jim Rogers said the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made America more communist than China!  "This is welfare for the rich," he said. "This is socialism for the rich. It's bailing out the financiers, the banks, the Wall Streeters."

That describes the current bailout package to a T.  And we're being told it's unavoidable.

The claim that the market caused all this is so staggeringly foolish that only politicians and the media could pretend to believe it.  But that has become the conventional wisdom, with the desired result that those responsible for the credit bubble and its predictable consequences - predictable, that is, to those who understand sound, Austrian economics - are being let off the hook.  The Federal Reserve System is actually positioning itself as the savior, rather than the culprit, in this mess!

•    The Treasury Secretary is authorized to purchase up to $700 billion in mortgage-related assets at any one time.  That means $700 billion is only the very beginning of what will hit us.

•    Financial institutions are "designated as financial agents of the Government."  This is the New Deal to end all New Deals.

•    Then there's this: "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."  Translation: the Secretary can buy up whatever junk debt he wants to, burden the American people with it, and be subject to no one in the process.

There goes your country.

Even some so-called free-market economists are calling all this "sadly necessary."  Sad, yes.  Necessary?  Don't make me laugh.

Our one-party system is complicit in yet another crime against the American people.  The two major party candidates for president themselves initially indicated their strong support for bailouts of this kind - another example of the big choice we're supposedly presented with this November: yes or yes.  Now, with a backlash brewing, they're not quite sure what their views are.  A sad display, really.

Although the present bailout package is almost certainly not the end of the political atrocities we'll witness in connection with the crisis, time is short.  Congress may vote as soon as tomorrow.  With a Rasmussen poll finding support for the bailout at an anemic seven percent, some members of Congress are afraid to vote for it.  Call them!  Let them hear from you!  Tell them you will never vote for anyone who supports this atrocity.

The issue boils down to this: do we care about freedom?  Do we care about responsibility and accountability?  Do we care that our government and media have been bought and paid for?  Do we care that average Americans are about to be looted in order to subsidize the fattest of cats on Wall Street and in government?  Do we care?

When the chips are down, will we stand up and fight, even if it means standing up against every stripe of fashionable opinion in politics and the media?

Times like these have a way of telling us what kind of a people we are, and what kind of country we shall be.

In liberty,

Ron Paul

 
 

 

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Sloan Barnett talks about how Green Goes With Everything

Sloan Barnett shows how you too can detoxify your home, and live a healthier "Green" Lifestyle. Her new book will hit the Bookstores on September 23rd.

ALERT! Stop Predatory Lending Practices

It's about time the government started to look at protecting the people from the "out of control" credit card and banking industry. They now are worse than the Mafia. Their greed caused the sub-prime mess, and has been the major contributor in creating the debtor nation of the United States. Let's work to make these "Proposed Rules" the law of the land. But, remember, this is only a start.

FRB: Highlights of Proposed Rules Regarding Credit Cards and Overdraft Services

Highlights of Proposed Rules Regarding Credit Cards and Overdraft Services
Regulation AA (Unfair Acts or Practices)
The proposal would amend Regulation AA to prohibit unfair or deceptive acts or practices by banks in connection with credit card accounts and overdraft services for deposit accounts.

Credit Cards

* Time to Make Payments. The proposal would prohibit banks from treating a payment as late unless the consumer has been provided a reasonable amount of time to make that payment. There would be a safe harbor for banks that send periodic statements at least 21 days prior to the payment due date.

* Allocation of Payments. When different annual percentage rates (APRs) apply to different balances on a credit card account (for example, purchases and cash advances), banks would have to allocate payments exceeding the minimum payment using one of three methods or a method equally beneficial to consumers. They could not allocate the entire amount to the balance with the lowest rate. A bank could, for example, split the amount equally between two balances. In addition, to enable consumers to receive the full benefit of discounted promotional rates (for example, on balance transfers), during the promotional period payments in excess of the minimum would have to be allocated first to balances on which the rate is not discounted.

* Applying Rate Increases to Existing Balances. The proposal would prohibit banks from increasing the interest rate on outstanding balances unless the increase is due to: (i) the operation of an index (in other words, the rate is a variable rate); (ii) the expiration or loss of a promotional rate (provided the rate is not increased to a penalty rate); or (iii) the minimum payment not being received within 30 days of the due date.

* Two-Cycle Billing. The proposal would prohibit banks from imposing finance charges based on balances on days in billing cycles preceding the most recent billing cycle, a practice that is sometimes referred to as two-cycle billing.

* Financing of Security Deposits and Fees. The proposal would address concerns regarding subprime credit cards by prohibiting banks from financing security deposits and fees for credit availability (such as account-opening fees or membership fees) if charges assessed during the first twelve months would exceed 50 percent of the initial credit limit. The proposal would also require financed security deposits and fees exceeding 25 percent of the initial credit limit to be spread over the first year.

* Credit Card Holds. The proposal would prohibit banks from imposing a fee when the credit limit is exceeded solely because a hold was placed on available credit. This can occur where the final dollar amount of a transaction was not known in advance (for example, when a consumer checks into a hotel, a hold is placed for the expected cost of the stay).

* Firm Offers of Credit. The proposal would require banks making firm offers of credit advertising multiple APRs or credit limits to disclose the factors that determine whether a consumer will qualify for the lowest APR and highest credit limit advertised (for example, the consumer’s credit history, income, and debts). A safe harbor disclosure is provided.

Overdraft Services

* Right to Opt Out. The proposal would prohibit banks from imposing a fee for paying an overdraft unless the bank has provided the consumer with an opportunity to opt out of the payment of overdrafts and the consumer has not done so. The opt-out right would apply to all transaction types. Banks also would be required to provide consumers a partial opt-out for overdrafts resulting from ATM and point-of-sale transactions.

* Debit Holds. The proposal would prohibit banks from imposing a fee when the account is overdrawn solely because a hold was placed on funds in the consumer’s deposit account.This can occur where the final dollar amount of the transaction was not known in advance (for example, when a consumer purchases fuel at the pump, a hold is placed for the estimated amount of fuel that will be purchased).

Regulation Z (Truth in Lending)
The proposal would also amend Regulation Z to complement the proposed amendments to Regulation AA, including the following:

* Due Dates for Mailed Payments. The proposal would provide that mailed credit card payments received by 5 p.m. on the due date must be considered timely. In addition, if a creditor does not receive or accept mailed payments on the due date (for example, when the due date falls on a Sunday or holiday), a payment received by mail on the next business day would be considered timely.

Regulation DD (Truth in Savings)
The proposal would also amend Regulation DD to complement the proposed amendments to Regulation AA, including the following:

* Disclosure of Aggregate Overdraft Fees. The proposal would extend to all banks and savings associations the requirement to disclose on periodic statements the aggregate dollar amounts charged for overdraft fees and for returned item fees (for the month and the year-to-date). Currently, only institutions that promote or advertise the payment of overdrafts must disclose aggregate amounts.

* Disclosure of Balance Information. The proposal would require banks and savings associations that provide account balance information through an automated system to disclose the amount of the consumer’s funds available for immediate use or withdrawal, without including additional funds the institution may provide to cover overdrafts.

Last update: June 26, 2008