Check out The Cheapest Person I Know -- 8th Edition - WalletPop

http://www.walletpop.com/specials/cheapest-person-i-know-8th-edition?icid=main


This has some funny things!
Check out the link to see if you fit the Cheapest Person List!

Big Lots Opens Polaris Store (Ohio Location)

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/big_lots_opens_polaris_store/15777/

By Donna Willis
Web Content Coordinator
Published: May 15, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Amidst all the bad news in the auto industry, there was a bit of hope for retail locally Friday.

A discount retailer opened a new Columbus store, bringing new jobs.

NBC 4’s Lauren Diedrich reported with the FAST FACTS.

City leaders officially opened the brand-new Big Lots on Polaris Parkway Friday morning.

Eager customers poured into the store.

“My friend told me they had a Dyson cleaner for $249,” Iman Azur said.

“We been wanting a swimming pool,” another customer said.

Seeing doors open at a new retail store is rare in a tough economy.

“It’s nice to support a local store that’s opening with today’s economy as it is,” shopper Liana Lee said.

About 30 jobs were created to staff the store.

Big Lots said it’s actually expanding.

The company will open one more store in Central Ohio by the end of the year.

As for other jobs coming to Columbus, JP Morgan Chase is looking to expand by 1,000 positions in Columbus and is in the midst of ironing out a deal with city leaders.

Clear Saleing Inc., a technology firm, also recently announced it would bring 60 jobs to Central Ohio.

Jobs are crucial to rebuilding our economy—an economy where these shoppers say getting deals are more important than ever.

Go to http://www.econdev.columbus.gov/ for more information on local jobs and the economy.

For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail .

Lawn Mower DUI Arrest

FOUR THINGS YOU CANNOT RECOVER

Did Anyone Ever Tell You Just How Special You Are. The Light that You Emit Might even Light a Star Did Anyone Ever Tell You How Important You Make Others Feel. Somebody out here is Smiling, Because of something you said or something you did! Did Anyone Ever Tell You that Many Times When They were Sad Your E-mail made Them Smile. In Fact, It made Them Glad. Did Anyone Ever Tell You Just How Much They Like You. Well, My Dearest Friend Today I am Telling You. I believe that without a friend you are missing out on a lot!!! Have a nice day, and I'm glad we are friends THIS IS A HAND OF FRIENDSHIP YOU MUST PASS IT TO AT LEAST 4 FRIENDS !! The Wave ----- keep it going Just wanted to say Hi, AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY

Thanks Again to Kim P. for another good one!

Can you imagine this guy going 90 mph on his way to Dallas with these balloons trailing a few yards behind him?




Instructions for a fun time on the interstate...............
Step 1. Tie balloons to car.
Step 2. Drive like a bat out of a hell!
Step 3. Watch people freak out!!!!



I don't care who you are....that's funny

Scripture Tree

This is awesome!! When the tree comes up....click on a flower, close that one by clicking on the flower under the scripture and then click on another one. click on another.

Scripture Tree

Today is International Disturbed People's Day

Today is International Disturbed People's Day Please send an encouraging message to a disturbed friend... Just as I've done. (HA!) I don't care if you lick windows, Take the special bus Or occasionally pee on yourself.. You hang in there sunshine, you're friggin' special. Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad, is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back. Today's Message of the Day is: Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here We should dance.

Interesting World Facts

ALASKA

More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska.

AMAZON

The Amazon rain forest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply. The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon River is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world com-bined and three times the flow of all rivers in the United States.

ANTARCTICA

Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country. Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica. This ice also represents seventy percent of all the fresh water in the world. As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total preci-pitation is about two inches. Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, i.e.,), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi Desert.

BRAZIL

Brazil got its name from the nut not the other way around.

CANADA

Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning "Big Village".

CHICAGO

Next to Warsaw, Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.

DETROIT

Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan carries the designation M-1, so named because it was the first paved road anywhere.

DAMASCUS, SYIA

Damascus, Syria was flourishing a couple of thou-sand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Istanbul (AKA Constantinople), Turkey is the only city in the world located on two continents.

LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles' full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula -- and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.

NEW YORK CITY

The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930s who used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple. There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.

OHIO

There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio, every one is man-made.

PITCAIRN ISLAND

The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia at just 1.75 sq. miles.

ROME

The first city to reach a population of ONE million people was Rome, Italy in 133 B.C. There is a city called Rome on every continent.

SIBERIA

Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests

S.M.O.M.

The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.M.O.M.). It is located in the city of Rome, Italy; has an area of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 less people than the Vatican. It is a sovereign entity un-
der International Law, just as the Vatican is.

SAHARA DESERT

In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Tidikelt which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years. Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island. There has been no rainfall there for TWO million years.

SPAIN

Spain literally means "the land of rabbits".

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

St. Paul, Minnesota was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant who set up the first business there.

ROADS

Chances that a road is unpaved in:

U.S.A: 1%,
Canada: 75%.

TEXAS

The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Tex-as. It is as deep as 20 Empire State Buildings but only 3 inches wide.

UNITED STATES

The Interstate System requires that one-mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

WATERFALLS

The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet. It is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls.

It has been said that one should learn something new every day. Unfortunately, many of us are at that age where what we learn today, we forget tomorrow. But, give it a shot anyway!

Refresher Course

Thanks to Jenny C. for this one!

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood plasma.
********************************* ******************************************
No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times. Oh go ahead...I'll wait....
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Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks. (So, watch your Ass )
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You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
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Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
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The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
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The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE
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American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.
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Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. (Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you ?)(That women are going the 'right' direction...?)
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Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning .
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Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN !
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The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.. So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.
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Walt Disney was afraid OF MICE!
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PEARLS DISSOLVE IN VINEGAR !
*********************************************************************
The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
**********************************************************************
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs... but, not downstairs.
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A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
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Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. (I knew it !!!!!!!!)
***************************************************
And the best for last....

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

(I know some people like that, don't YOU ?)

So.......................

Good Morning !!! or Good Afternoon ------ or Good Evening

Thanks to Kim P for this one..

Good Morning !!! or Good Afternoon ------ or Good Evening Ever have one of those days, when something seems a bit 'off' but you just can't put your finger on it... Or it seemed like all the people around you just wanted to butt heads... Or just get into some kind of weird tug of war? Sometimes you just need to take a fresh new look and get a different perspective on things. Remember to try your best to show kindness to others... (sometimes looking at things from their perspective might help.....) So, when life gets you down... Remember to just keep going, and keep your head above water... And you'll get by with a little help from your friends! To all of my friends have a nice day, Together We Can Make Someone Smile!

How to Make (or Break) Your Credit Score

http://www.walletpop.com/credit/experian/make-or-break-your-credit-score


FOR THE FULL ARTICLE ABOVE VISIT THE ADDRESS ABOVE!

Cassandra Hubbart, AOL

Wise or Foolish?

By Janene Mascarella

If life is simply the sum of your choices, you could say the same about your credit score: everything you do (and more specifically, buy) drives that three-digit number. It's probably obvious to you that smart decisions can send your score soaring and save you money, while bad decisions can drag your score down and leave you digging deep into an empty wallet. So why is it so easy for people to get trapped?

Your credit score is your financial snapshot -- your portrait as a borrower -- but your score isn't set in stone. That's both good and bad, because the choices you make today can shift the number in either direction for the years ahead. Here, WalletPop speaks with four consumers who say they made moves recently that swayed their score -- and altered their financial lives -- for better and for worse.

Water Your Yard in the Morning!!

The best time to water outdoors is in the morning, both to reduce water waste and to promote healthy flora. Morning air is cooler, so less water is lost to evaporation than during the middle of the day. If you water in the evening, you run the risk of promoting fungi and bacterial diseases.

Ohio Budget Tries To Extend Health Insurance

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/local_govtpolitics/article/ohio_budget_tries_to_extend_health_insurance/15598/

Associated Press
Published: May 10, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio—On their third stint without health insurance, the Wirebaughs worry that they are one accident away from financial ruin.

Barb Wirebaugh’s husband worked for the same company for more than 28 years until his job disappeared like so many others in the manufacturing industry. Then more jobs were found and lost, and the couple from Bucyrus in north-central Ohio have nearly given up on finding health coverage.

“I am just so, so tired,“ said Wirebaugh, who is running her own mental health counseling service. “I worry about so much. I am grateful to have my children on the coverage they have. I’m just worried that one disaster would wipe us out.“

Their three children are on Medicaid, but Wirebaugh and her husband are like roughly 1 million other adults in Ohio’s downtrodden economy - jobless or employed, and without coverage. Not only have workers lost their jobs in the onslaught of the recession, many small businesses are no longer able to afford insurance policies for their employees.

Gov. Ted Strickland faced a quandary as he tried to address the plight of the uninsured in his proposed budget: The number of Ohioans without health coverage is growing when the state can least afford to do anything about it.

The percentage of uninsured adults between ages 18 and 64 went from 15 percent in 2004 to 17 percent in 2008, according to the 2008 Ohio Family Health Survey.

Strickland developed plans he said would give an additional 110,000 uninsured Ohioans access to health coverage with an impact of only a few million dollars on state revenue. The state could not afford to pursue more aggressive measures that could help more than just a fraction of the uninsured population.

And what the state can do to help the uninsured will likely have an impact elsewhere.

“Someone’s cost is someone else’s revenue,“ said Bill Hayes, president of the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, a nonpartisan organization that conducts research on health care trends and policies.

Small businesses already straining in the recession believe that cost will fall on them. The friction between expanding health coverage and protecting the interests of small businesses will be a key component in the debate over the roughly $54 billion budget now in the hands of the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate.

“We tried to craft it (the insurance proposal) in a way so that everybody could support this,“ said Doug Anderson, chief policy officer at the Ohio Department of Insurance.

Strickland wants to require insurance companies to offer coverage to children of employees up to age 29 in the plans they offer businesses. That is an effort to help some of the estimated 371,000 Ohioans between the ages of 19 and 29 without insurance.

The plan, which also would extend tax deductions for the coverage of the adult children, is expected to cover an additional 21,650 individuals at a loss of $6 million in state tax revenue.

Another plan attempts to address the lack of affordable coverage for those searching for insurance on their own, particularly the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. It caps premiums at 1.5 times the premium rate offered by business policies to cover individuals who have the same health characteristics.

The Strickland administration expects 52,000 more people to be covered under the plan. However, covering the older and sicker under lower rates is expected to increase overall rates for everyone else purchasing insurance on their own by 5 percent.

Finally, Strickland wants businesses that don’t offer insurance to set aside a tax-deductible account for employees to pay for coverage with their own earnings. The administration expects individuals to save anywhere from 21 percent to 34 percent off their premiums, enabling about 37,000 more Ohioans to be covered.

The Democratic-controlled House also added to the budget plan a requirement that insurance companies cover treatment for autism.

That requirement could place an additional $120 million in costs on the backs of small businesses, said Ty Pine, legislative director for the National Federation of Independent Business-Ohio. And while the Strickland administration says the cost for the coverage of dependents up to age 29 will be borne by the employee, Pine said the legislation isn’t written in a way that will shield businesses from all costs.

“These are things that employers need flexibility to work on with their employees,“ Pine said. “They need to decide what is best for them and their resources. ... If government continues to limit the ability of small businesses to attract and retain the right people they are going to continue to lose them to other states and bigger businesses.“

Thom Coffman, owner of the 61-year-old Clarmont Restaurant in Columbus, no longer has an employer-sponsored health plan for his roughly 40 employees because it became too expensive.

“When I first started out it cost me $3,000 a month,“ Coffman said. “Ten years later it was $15,000 a month. It got to the point I could no longer pay $15,000 a month.“

Small businesses don’t speak with one voice about Strickland’s proposals. Coffman favors the autism requirement because he thinks it will help employees. But he fears the requirement to cover employees’ children up to age 29 will lead to only the sickest of an otherwise generally healthy population opting into coverage, driving up costs for everyone else.

The Strickland administration maintains that the costs on small businesses will be minimal.

“We thought we were taking measured steps forward so that more people were getting covered without having big negative effects,“ Anderson said. “Even in these tight budget times we are trying to take a step forward.“

Wirebaugh doesn’t know whether any of the governor’s plans would help her family.

“Whatever they proposed, the need is immediate,“ she said. “Whatever changes are made at this point are going to take several months to put into action.“

For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.

2008 Best Internet Pictures!

Thanks Bill for this one too!

Note from Bill - Pretty cool...sometimes it is a matter of being in the right place (with a
camera ready to shoot).



http://www.box.net/shared/hpriy7lguq

Doing the Right Thing

Thanks to Bill for this one!

Two Choices

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning
disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school
and its

dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does,
is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot
understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was
mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to
realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other
people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:



Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing
baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that
most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as
a father/ I/ also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it
would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to
be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much)
if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're
losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can
be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on
a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my
heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but
was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the
right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic
just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I
waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was
on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win
the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all
but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat
properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the

plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning
aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the
ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly
towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the
ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head,
out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to
first!

Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and
struggling to make it to the base.

B y the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the
ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be
the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he
understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the
ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him
by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!

Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators,
were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who
hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and
seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:

We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second
thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices,
people hesitate.

The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but
public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools
and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that
you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't
the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person
who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize
the 'natural order of things.'

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us
with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up
those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least
fortunate amongst them.


You now have two choices:

1. Delete

2. Forward

May your day, be a Shay Day.*

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