Marleen's Blog

Candy bar fundraisers are a fun and easy way to earn money for your school. In a candy bar fundraiser you provide students with boxes or bags of candy which they can sell to fellow students, family and friends. adult live chat Candy bar fundraisers can be very profitable and are one of the easiest fundraisers to plan since you won’t have to worry about order forms or product distribution. chat avenue adult Here are 10 tips that will help you to make your next candy bar school fundraiser a success.

Don’t Buy Too Much

Selling candy bars typically requires an upfront investment. Your school will purchase the candy and then re-sell it for a profit. Buying too much can really cut into profits since every item that you don’t sell is money lost. Before you place an order figure out how much candy you can sell and then order accordingly. Remember that you can always order more candy at a later date. It is better to run out of candy than to have too much.

Keep the Weather in Mind

Weather can really affect your candy. Hot weather can melt chocolates and rainy and wet weather can ruin candy packaging. Keep the weather in mind as you plan your fundraiser and store your candy so that it stays fresh and delicious even if it is hot or rainy outside.

Show Off Your Product

If your students carry the candy around school in easy to see bags they will sell more than if they store the candy in their backpacks. Candy is often an impulse purchase so find a way to keep your product visible. This will increase the amount of candy that you are able to sell.

Sell Everywhere

Don’t limit your candy sales to student’s family and friends. Sell candy everywhere. Students can sell candy at school, at school sporting events, around town and in many other locations. When you sell everywhere you will reach more people and in turn sell more candy.

Low Prices

Set reasonable prices for your candy. If it is more expensive to buy from you than the grocery store people will simply buy their candy somewhere else. Offering low prices will encourage people to buy from you.

Have Change Available

You don’t want to miss out on a sale simply because you don’t have change, so make sure that each candy seller has enough change available for several purchases. Restock the change as needed.

Offer Unique Treats

If you are selling unique treats that people can’t buy elsewhere, they will have to purchase from you. Try to find unique candy products like seasonal suckers, tasty chocolates and healthy treats.

Sell At School

Your school is one of the best places to sell candy. Some schools have restrictions on the types of food that can be sold. If this applies to you, consider selling healthy treats instead of candy.

Keep Track of Money

Candy sales can earn a lot of money quickly. It is a good idea to offer students a safe place to store the money that they earn and to collect earnings often. This will keep the school fundraising earnings from being lost or stolen.

Make Students Responsible

Assigning students a set amount of candy to sell is a great way to ensure that all of your candy is sold. If students are responsible for a set amount of candy they will know how much they need to sell. Each student should be responsible for the candy they are assigned.

These 10 tips are essential for planning a great candy bar fundraiser.

People often think of history in academic surroundings. But history has more to do with just dates and times. History provides a look at the origin of something. Where did it come from? Who made it? The questions are boundless. Commercial product history is something that owners have come to realize is important to the personality of the product. Automobiles are experiencing a renaissance of sorts these days with popular models from the past being updated with new technology. Although the overall appearance of retro body styling is relatively the same, the car has undergone a complete renaissance in the way it performs today. One such automobile that has garnered popular attention in the past fifteen years is the Mini Cooper.

The Mini Cooper is a “bulldog” appearing small auto that has been referred to as “cute” for many years. Designed to perform primarily in the urban setting, the Mini has now re-identified itself with overall performance and design.

First introduced to the consumer car market in 1959, the original mini was manufactured by the British Motor Company. With its space-saving front-wheel layout, the car became an easy vehicle for passengers and their luggage. The vehicle has sometimes been compared to the Volkswagen “Beetle” which has experienced much success worldwide.

Purchased by BMW in the early 1990s, the mini was redesigned by numerous engineers but they were required to retain the strong flavor of the original Mini that had been so overwhelmingly popular in England and abroad. Total sales for the Mini have eclipsed 5.3 million for the original two-door and those that are still around are considered a collector’s car.

As the ’90s progressed into the new millennium, Mini began entering and winning many rally races throughout the European and South American continents. Some racecar aficionados remark that the Mini Cooper was designed to be a rally sport competitor.

The Mini has experienced some sales peaks and valleys, but BMW has the business acumen to know when to speed up or reduce production. These cars are manufactured all over the world and have experienced a re-birth to new buyers who have fallen in love with how the Mini looks and performs.

Don’t be afraid to look at the history of something. As a great philosopher once said, “… not knowing about history may fail us in our endeavors to understand the present.” Take a moment and get to know your new Mini. You will be happy that you did.

As the United States economy has opened up to foreign imports, domestic manufacturing has been dramatically reduced. In fact, most of the products that ordinary people purchase are no longer made domestically. The same applies in the automotive parts industry.

High performance engines typically require special components which are not available from automotive dealerships. Many of these parts are made of forged steel, which are cast in foundries abroad. This poses unique challenges for the modern day automotive machine shop as the parts they need to build high performance engines can often take weeks or months to receive.

Though consumers realize savings from imported automotive parts, the unintended consequences stretch well beyond savings. Besides parts availability concerns, which is quite common these days, there also is the issue of quality. Many imported automotive parts simply do not conform to standards which are required when building a high performance engine. In fact, there are many times when imported parts simply are so far out of specifications that they can not be used at all.

What is becoming more common is that some automotive parts, such as crankshafts, are being cast overseas and finished here in the United States. While forged castings made overseas are structurally sound, many machine shops have determined that it is best if they handle the finish operations themselves. This gives domestic engine builders the opportunity to have complete control over the finished engine component.

In many cases high performance engines require special tolerance considerations. For example, the align bore of a high performance engine block may require a crankshaft that has individual finish dimensions on the main journals. By grinding the main journals to different finish sizes, proper tolerances can be maintain for each main cap. These tolerances also take into consideration the circumference of the main cap housing bores and bearing crush.

Many of the automotive part manufacturers cite cost and the lack of government regulations as the primary reasons why they are producing engine parts abroad. However, this has also impacted these companies with a loss of efficiency. Without being able to serve their customers, because engine parts are out of stock, these same companies risk losing sales to competitors. Lost sales are quite common, especially in the high performance engine rebuilding industry, as many customers need their engines for racing. If they have no engine, they simply can’t race.

Though there are cost benefits of manufacturing engine parts abroad, the short term customer savings are often offset by headaches in availability, finish quality and poor supply line management. Many of the burdens that result from obtaining a more affordable part are shouldered by automotive machine shops and engine builders across the nation. While the parts themselves may be less expensive than a domestic produced part, the additional time involved with supply line difficulties is now being passed along to customers.

When all things are considered, the benefits of offshore engine parts production is negated to some degree by supply line complexities. Especially in the high performance engine rebuilding industry, this is of particular concern where engines are modified to produce the maximum horsepower possible.

Can’t shake off the feeling of longing for your ex girlfriend? Are you dreaming that she could still be with you? So much for your day dreaming! You will have to do more than just dreaming if you want her back. You need to evaluate what your feelings are toward your ex, and if you want her back, you need to start taking action before it is too late. While it may seem impossible that your ex will take you back, you can make it happen. Below are some pointers that could improve your chance of convincing your ex to take you back.

You may want to try the “I am fine” method. Acting depressed when your girlfriend is around won’t work with most girls. You need to make her believe that you have moved on. If your ex sees you this way, there’s a chance that she could reconsider taking you back before someone else wins your heart. Don’t be surprised if she initiates the reconciliation herself. Don’t be overly nice to your ex and show motives that you want her back. Most likely, she will just be abusive of your humility and poke fun at you. As soon as you feel the moment has arrived to let her know, have a heart to heart talk with her. Be sincere yet casual. Keep your desperation to yourself. Don’t let her sense that.

Your ex will not have to think so hard if she feels your sincerity. During your talk with your ex, avoid making any promise. Don’t say that you will change. Who are you kidding? Your ex surely knows who you are. If you always promise her things yet never follow through she’ll think that you’re just fooling around, again. It would be much better if you just show her that you are going to be more committed to the relationship. Open your heart and reach out to your ex. Describe to her the pain you have been feeling because of the break-up. You should give her ample time to think things over. Don’t rush her. You are in no position to do that. If your ex has felt that you are indeed in love with her still, she could take you back – that’s if she feels the same way you do.

Everything is possible and so is getting your girl back. You will have a better chance if your breakup was amicable. Start evaluating your current status with your ex. Make a plan that will likely work and carry it out effectively. If you need a hand and you’re still not quite sure what to do, you could get help online from popular relationship guides.

Egypt has long been the source of countless conspiracies, ranging from ancient lost civilizations to extraterrestrial markers. The reason for this focus is likely because Egypt is the most romanticized ancient civilization, and also because it is home to the mystical Great Pyramid of Giza, the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. This article will describe some of the conspiracies surrounding the Sphinx and the Pyramid.

The Riddle of the Sphinx

Most of the conspiracy theories revolving around the Sphinx usually involve its age. The Sphinx is generally accepted to have been built along with the Pyramids of Giza around 2500 BC. It is even accepted that the face of the Sphinx bears the likeness of Khafre (Chephren), the Pharaoh during that time.

However, there was no written record from that era regarding the Sphinx or its construction. In addition, the human head of the Sphinx is small in relation to the rest of the body, indicating that the head bearing Pharaoh Khafre’s likeness could have been carved out of a larger lion’s head. These points led some researchers to believe that the Sphinx could have been built much earlier by a more ancient civilization, thus starting a whole host of conspiracy theories.

Geologist Dr. Robert Schoch and author John Anthony West made a case that the erosion marks on the Sphinx appears not to be made by wind or sand, but by water, such as falling rain. They used evidence of other structures in the Giza area to prove their point. If this were true, the construction of the Sphinx could then be dated back to at least 5000 BC, when the area still received substantial rainfall, in contrast to desert conditions later on.

In his official website, Director of the Giza Monuments Dr. Zahi Hawass provides various points suggesting that the evidence used in proving Dr. Schoch’s theory is flawed.

Adding to the conspiracies surrounding the age of the Sphinx, writers Graham Hancock and Robert Buvaul provide evidence in their book Message of the Sphinx that the creation of the Sphinx and Pyramids can be pushed back as far as 10,500 BC using astronomical data.

Secret of the Pyramids

The Pyramids of Giza have been the objects of many conspiracies over the years. Many people believe that the Pyramids are a link to an ancient lost civilization, and may still contain evidence to prove it. Many conspiracy theories regarding secret chambers and passageways within the pyramids exist to this day.

These conspiracy theories became even more widespread in 1993, when Dr. Zahi Hawass announced that the Great Pyramid of Khufu was to be closed to the public for a year. The reason given for the closure was to facilitate cleaning, conservation and restoration of the interior chambers in the Great Pyramid.

However, conspiracy theorists believe that the Egyptian authorities had uncovered evidence of a lost civilization in the Pyramid, and were secretly excavating it to reveal more information.

During the conservation process in 1993, robots were used to explore the small ventilation shafts leading from the “King’s Chamber” and the lower “Queen’s Chamber” in the Great Pyramid. An intriguing discovery was made: partway through the shafts of the “Queen’s Chamber” were “doors” with handles.

In order to prove the transparency of their work and debunk any conspiracies, Dr. Zahi Hawass decided to partner with National Geographic to explore beyond the “doors”, and provide a live telecast of the exploration to the rest of the world.

After much publicity, the expedition commenced, with footage telecast live around the world. During the last minute of the show, a camera was sent in a hole made in the “door” of the shaft, revealing another “door” behind it. And that was when the show finished. Conspiracy theories started sprouting, asking the following questions: “What’s behind the 2nd door? Why did the show end so abruptly? What are they hiding from us?”

Every year, I am blown away by the new high-performance ATVs that are available. They are nothing like the old ones. Some of these racing quads, and three wheelers are absolutely incredible in performance. They are lightweight, faster than heck, and they look cool. If you have a competitive personality, you need to get one of these new ATVs. Not long ago, our think tank was discussing all the incredible innovations in racing that is going into these high-performance toys.

Then we got to thinking about all the new materials on the horizon. I am speaking about carbon manotubes, carbon composites, exotic metallurgy, LED lights, high-tech GPS devices, lightweight helmets, frictionless wheels, and graphene coatings. As more and more of these material science innovations come to market, we will start seeing them in recreational toys, and in sports. I imagine in the future that the shoulder pads worn in football will weigh next to nothing, and the golf clubs will practically swing themselves.

Still, there is a lot to look forward to in the 2012 ATV models which will be coming out by all the top manufacturers. In fact, I’m rather blown away by all the exotic equipment that the factory riders are testing right now. Some of this stuff is beyond belief, and we are talking high-tech materials that are usually only found in spacecraft and fighter jets. To watch these riders at the X-games makes you wonder if these ATVs may someday actually fly?

Yes, these 2012 ATVs may not be cheap, but the ones that are at the top of the line will be engineering marvels filled with incredible new materials. In fact, they will be so fast, and such high-performance, that I bet they will just leap off the drawing boards and the CADCAM design computers before they ever hit the trail or even the showroom floors. Please consider all this.

Pejorative images of Bible-thumping deviates come to mind. When did we become so ignorant as to regard natural healthy sexual contact as a ‘sin’? Who benefits? Did the patriarchs and harem masters want all the women for themself? Why did men have to use power to get what women love to share?

Family planning and social responsibility was undermined through religions seeking to sell evil, and sex as sinful. The sensual side of man is real; still no aspect of life is more abused by political machinations. It wasn’t Machiavelli who designed the guilt trips of ‘appeal to the basest urges’ of animals. He may have perfected the political science but it was done a long time earlier in many Mediterranean locations.

Sex and sensitivity is a powerful potential for sharing between people and with the spiritual forces and knowledge that allows real growth. If people didn’t learn to lie and cajole or manipulate for sex, how much better off would mankind truly become? Equal partners can achieve much more joy, health and wealth through co-operation whereas most relationships are confused rather than free or liberated. In 397 AD at the Council of Carthage there was a large nail put in the coffin of humanity when women were officially relegated to third class citizenry by the Churchians who are the real ‘harbinger of the Original Sin’.

Recovery from divorce requires us to make a “leap of faith” into an unknown future. Since we haven’t done it yet, we don’t really know for sure how it will turn out. Our personal source of hope gives us the courage to move forward in the face of the uncertainty.

But the hard question is, “Where can I go to find my personal source of hope?”

Hope Can Be Found within Ourselves

A person’s “source of hope” might include an implicit trust in him or herself. People use their belief that they have the ability to handle anything that they may encounter to give them courage to face their recovery from divorce.

Hope Can Be Found in Others

Hope can also be found in a belief in the trustworthy, good intentions of their friends. They have experienced what they consider “trustworthy” treatment in the past, and subsequently trust others to protect them from harm and help them as they face the challenges of divorce recovery.

Hope Can Be Found in Our Philosophical Belief Systems

Still others’ seek their hope in more intellectual areas, like philosophy. We all have been exposed to explanations about what life is all about. Sometimes it seems to “fit with our experience” and therefore “makes sense” to us. We may not have called it “my philosophy of life,” but that’s what it is, nonetheless. Search that philosophy for its basis for hope, especially where it addresses the reasons for being optimistic about life. It will almost always hold out hope for making future transitions, including divorce recovery.

Hope Can Be Found in Our Religious or Spiritual Beliefs

Some find hope in their spiritual beliefs. It may be in an organized religion. It may be a non-religious, spiritual belief in the existence of good in this world. A strong spiritual belief enables us to “act as if” good is there waiting for us in all unknown future situations.

Hope Can Be Found in Nature

Others find a basis for hope in the infinite complexity and beauty of nature. Some find it in the cosmos. Others find it in the microscope. Others find it in flowers, lakes, mountains, oceans. I had a client whose divorce recovery had been stuck for four years. Then she spent a week enjoying the woods of New Hampshire. When she returned the logjam that had been preventing her from moving on had broken up, and she was able to make a “miraculous” divorce recovery in the next four weeks.

Which Source to Use DOES Matter

However, what it matters on is what makes sense to you personally! When faced with making our recovery from divorce, we must FIND our source of hope and USE it! There we will find the strength to know things will work out for the good. The result is courage to confront the demons that threaten our successful recovery from divorce.

Several years ago, the missus and I bought into the now questionable idea that since we loved having a pair of cats in our home, adding another couple of kittens to the mix would be like adding extra scoops of ice cream to a sundae.

Well, much like the brain freeze and feeling of nausea that would follow eating that gut-busting ice cream monstrosity, the addition of the younger cats didn’t work out quite the way we had hoped.

At first, it was cute having them all sleep together and seeing the kittens chase the older cats around the house. As they got bigger, the playing sessions ended with the occasional hiss, and more frequently, flying fur, hurt feelings, and general animosity.

As reigning king of my castle, I proclaimed that the young cats must be banished to the lower level of our home, allowing for daily visits while leaving the older cats to go about their business of sleeping and hacking up hairballs in peace.

Since the basement entrance is an open doorway, I tasked myself with the simple chore of blocking a four-foot space. Childs play, me thought.

Not needing to spend any money on this simple job, I contemplated using all the resources my basement could provide. Since I had to account for the cats’ exceptional jumping ability, I chose an old HDTV box, about six feet tall and just the right width, and jammed it into the doorway. What could be a more perfect long-term solution?

As the days with The Great Wall turned to weeks, the luster of this hastily conceived solution began to fade. The cats, surprisingly not content living in the bowels of the house, began trying to dig their way out at the base of The Great Wall, hacking at the bottom of the box like Freddy Krueger on holiday at a daycare facility.

Inevitably, the cats figured out that at this point almost any force could move this rapidly deteriorating box enough for them to squeeze through – we had our first breakout, discovered just before dawn as the young and old cats rumbled on top of my once peacefully snoozing self in the master bedroom.

Noting the box seemed to collapse as a result of the cats jumping against it, I added a shower curtain rod to support The Great Wall, to no great effect. The cats escaped again as easily as Eastwood leaving Alcatraz.

It was time to think outside the box, hilarious pun laboriously intended. I reacquired two short metal baby gates from some good friends we had loaned them to – they were only using them to prevent their 16 month old from plummeting down three flights of hardwood stairs in their home, so I’m sure they were happy to contribute to my mission.

I now installed the baby gates on top of each other and topped them with a hanging shower curtain to prevent a leaping escape. I went to bed confident that night, knowing that the Iron Curtain would surely hold.

The next morning when I awoke, the young cats were strutting around the kitchen like they owned the place.

I stormed out the door to the local Home Depot, found the answer to my problem, and burst into my house, somewhat sweaty and disheveled, declaring triumphantly and a bit wild-eyed near the top of my lungs, “Chicken wire! Ha haa! Chicken wire!” all the while waving the roll of jagged metal poultry fence in the air.

This mortified my wife, who was working from home that day and hosting a fairly important meeting at the time. The resulting awkward silence was worthy of a Dunder Mifflin seminar hosted by Michael Scott himself. With not enough pride left in my tattered ego to be terribly embarrassed, I turned and headed for the gate, determined to declare checkmate to my feline foes.

With enough chicken wire wrapped around the bars of the lower gate to instantly drop our property value by $50,000, we had entered the end game. By that night, the young cats would have to concede and the senior cats could resume sleeping and shedding pounds of fur in peace, without fear of attack.

And, finally, we lived happily ever after.

Well, actually, no. The cats still managed to get out, most likely climbing over the structure, gates, chicken wire, shower curtain, large box and all.

But what the young cats didn’t count on were the last three things that separated me from the furry beasts: a near psychotic level of desperation, a credit card issued before the banking crisis, and the phone number to a good contractor.

The doors will be installed in two weeks.

Honda CB1100 (1980 to 1983).

The first Honda CB1100 was launched in 1980 and received immense popularity due to its powerful engine schematics, notable handling as well as the promulgation of a visibly comfortable riding experience. In essence, termed as a sports bike, the original CB1100 featured an in-line four stroke, air cooled (4 valves per cylinder) DOHC engine with a displacement rating of 1062 CC. On the other hand, it had a bore value of 70 mm as well as stroke value of 69 mm in conjunction with a compression ratio of about 9.7 to 1.

Consequently, in accordance with such a powerful engine, the CB1100 had the ability to produce 110 Horse Power at about 8500 revolutions per minute which meant that it could effortlessly accelerate to a top speed of about 128 miles per hour. On the other hand, acceleration was further enhanced because of the incorporation of a 5 speed chain transmission gearbox that allowed the CB1100′s rider to shift smoothly from one gear level to another.

On the other hand, the Honda CB1100 was also fitted with a commendable suspension system that not only allowed for exceptional handling at high speeds but also resulted in an extremely comfortable riding experience. The front tire dimensions were measurable at 100/90-18 whereas the rear tire dimensions measured at 130/90-17. In terms of braking power, the CB1100 had a dual disc braking unit within its front tire as well as a single disc braking unit within the rear tire. In essence, these two units were able to provide ample braking power allowing the rider to slow down the bike easily and effortlessly.

Lastly, the CB1100 also had a large fuel capacity of about 20 liters which was another plus point since one could get excellent mileage out of it.

Honda CB1100 (2000-2003)

After the first version of Honda CB1100 was manufactured and produced from 1980-1983. The Honda Motor Company released a brand new version of the CB1100 during the year 2000 and its production continued until 2003. In essence, the latter model was inherently different from its predecessor in terms of its physical exterior, design and styling. The new Honda CB1100 had a slightly more rugged outlook as well as an old school Harley look to it which is why it became so popular amongst local as well as international consumers particularly in Australia. On the other hand, there were also slight modifications in terms of engine schematics and most experts agreed that the newer version of the CB1100 outclassed the latter one easily.

Fundamentally, the new Honda CB1100 featured a liquid cooled, four stroke, in-line four cylinder engine with a displacement capacity of 1140 CC. On the other hand, it had a bore value of about 73.5 mm as well as a stroke value of 67.2 mm. Also, the CB1100 had a compression ratio of about 9.5 to 1 which was similar to its predecessor. Another similarity that the new Honda CB1100 shared with the 1983 Honda CB1100 was the fact that both were fitted with a five speed chain drive gear box. However, the wheelbase of the 2000 Honda CB1100 was about 1490 mm whereas the trail was approximately 775 mm. This inherently allowed the Honda CB1100 (2000 model) to provide more stability particularly at high speeds.

On the other hand, the front tires comprised of Dunlop D205 110/80R18 whereas the rear tires consisted of 140/70R18. Similarly, the wet weight of the new CB1100 was about 247 kilograms, slightly on the heavier side although this did not have any impact whatsoever upon the overall engine performance of the bike in terms of speed and acceleration. Lastly, in terms of mileage the 2000 CB1100 was slightly expensive with a fuel consumption rating of about 6 liters per 100 kilometers. However, motorcycle enthusiasts fell in love with the rugged stylish outlook of the 2000 Honda CB1100 as well as its commendable performance.