Monthly Archives: October 2012

I Know My Rights!

There have been a lot of changes, conflicts and frustration along the subject of voting rights throughoutthe years. Voting rights have been granted and rescinded, restricted and loosened with catches andloopholes abounding among the states. What most people do not know or understand, however, is thatwe, as citizens, have no constitutional right to vote for President of these United States.

WHAT!?!

People love to say, with conviction, “I know my rights!”, but most of them don’t have any idea of whattheir rights are. There are a lot of assumptions about their constitutional rights, mostly from listening toother peoples’ rants about civil rights instead of reading the US Constitution themselves.

Each State had their own rules about who could vote

The constitution has a lot of phrases, clauses and amendments expressly stating way that people cannot be denied the right to vote because of race (effective 1870) or gender (effective 1920). Anyone over 18 years old can vote for their state legislators, the house members and senators, but the Constitution never explicitly ensures the right of the people to vote for President except for citizens of Washington DC.

Not everyone wanted equal voting rights.

The Constitution does require that Representatives be chosen and Senators be elected by “the People.” Aside from these requirements, though, the qualifications for voters are left to the states. Over theyears the make up of “The People” has been changed many times to include or exclude people that thestates have decided. As long as the qualifications do not conflict with anything in the Constitution, thatright can be withheld. For example, in Texas, persons declared mentally incompetent and felonscurrently in prison or on probation are denied the right to vote.

Everything changes with time

It is interesting to note that though the26th Amendment requires that 18-year-olds must be able to vote, states can allow persons youngerthan 18 to vote, if they chose to. Originally, every free person over 18 had a vote, but some statesexcluded women or blacks, or Native Americans or Asians or Catholics. Eventually, however, all thestates have included these groups.

Do you know your constitutional rights? You may be surprised to find out that you don’t know as muchas you think you know. Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Rants | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

5 Reasons to Hire an Atlanta Personal Chef

If you think hiring a personal chef is too hoity-toity, you may be surprised to discover that more people than ever before are opting to hire a chef for at least some of their meals.
Keywords:
personal chef, personal chefs, atlanta personal chef, atlanta personal chefs, private event chefs in atlanta, georgia ch
Article Body:
If you live in the Atlanta area, why not consider hiring a personal chef? If you think hiring Georgia chefs is too hoity-toity, you may be surprised to discover that more people than ever before are opting to hire a chef for at least some of their meals. Here are five reasons why:
1. Atlanta personal chefs can save you money.
Yes, it seems counterintuitive, but you can actually save money when you hire a chef in Georgia. Think about how much money you spend each week picking up take-out, going out to dinner, and buying groceries at the store. Chances are, you and your spouse spend more than the cost of having a personal chef prepare five days worth of customized meals in your own home.
2. A personal chef can save you time.
Most people think that in-home chefs come to your home every day. In truth, they usually come one day each week and prepare five days’ worth of meals at once. They then package and store the other dinners so that all you have to do is reheat and serve. Imagine the time you can save – time that isn’t spent running to the store or piling the family in the car to go grab a bite.
3. A chef for hire can reunite the family.
Well, the chef herself doesn’t reunite the family, but gathering together for a family meal goes far in helping family members stay connected. With careers, errands, extracurricular activities, and time spent with friends, it’s all too easy to spend for family members to scatter to the four winds. With a personal chef, you can spend what little time you have together enjoying good food and catching up with one another.
4. A personal chef brings nutrition to the table.
All too often, nutrition takes a backseat to convenience. Personal chefs provide convenience without sacrificing nutrition. By using the best and freshest ingredients, you can work with a personal chef to come up with menu ideas that are both delicious and nutritious.
5. A party chef takes the stress out of entertaining.
Whether you’re having a dinner party for six or a brunch for sixteen, private event chefs in Atlanta can be a godsend. They can whip up exquisite meals that your guests will find memorable, and you can concentrate on ensuring that everyone has a good time. Private party chefs have the experience needed to create dishes that complement one another, as well as the ability to execute those dishes to perfection. If you need other help for the party, such as servers or bartenders, a personal chef should be able to provide you with reliable referrals.
Once you look into the costs and benefits of hiring a personal chef, you’ll quickly see that she will not only make your life easier, but will also make your life better.
Title: 5 Reasons to Hire an Atlanta Personal Chef
Word Count:473
Summary:If you think hiring a personal chef is too hoity-toity, you may be surprised to discover that more people than ever before are opting to hire a chef for at least some of their meals.
Keywords:personal chef, personal chefs, atlanta personal chef, atlanta personal chefs, private event chefs in atlanta, georgia ch
Article Body:If you live in the Atlanta area, why not consider hiring a personal chef? If you think hiring Georgia chefs is too hoity-toity, you may be surprised to discover that more people than ever before are opting to hire a chef for at least some of their meals. Here are five reasons why:
1. Atlanta personal chefs can save you money.
Yes, it seems counterintuitive, but you can actually save money when you hire a chef in Georgia. Think about how much money you spend each week picking up take-out, going out to dinner, and buying groceries at the store. Chances are, you and your spouse spend more than the cost of having a personal chef prepare five days worth of customized meals in your own home.
2. A personal chef can save you time.
Most people think that in-home chefs come to your home every day. In truth, they usually come one day each week and prepare five days’ worth of meals at once. They then package and store the other dinners so that all you have to do is reheat and serve. Imagine the time you can save – time that isn’t spent running to the store or piling the family in the car to go grab a bite.
3. A chef for hire can reunite the family.
Well, the chef herself doesn’t reunite the family, but gathering together for a family meal goes far in helping family members stay connected. With careers, errands, extracurricular activities, and time spent with friends, it’s all too easy to spend for family members to scatter to the four winds. With a personal chef, you can spend what little time you have together enjoying good food and catching up with one another.
4. A personal chef brings nutrition to the table.
All too often, nutrition takes a backseat to convenience. Personal chefs provide convenience without sacrificing nutrition. By using the best and freshest ingredients, you can work with a personal chef to come up with menu ideas that are both delicious and nutritious.
5. A party chef takes the stress out of entertaining.
Whether you’re having a dinner party for six or a brunch for sixteen, private event chefs in Atlanta can be a godsend. They can whip up exquisite meals that your guests will find memorable, and you can concentrate on ensuring that everyone has a good time. Private party chefs have the experience needed to create dishes that complement one another, as well as the ability to execute those dishes to perfection. If you need other help for the party, such as servers or bartenders, a personal chef should be able to provide you with reliable referrals.
Once you look into the costs and benefits of hiring a personal chef, you’ll quickly see that she will not only make your life easier, but will also make your life better.
Continue reading

Posted in Family, Life, Money | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

5 Reasons To Grow Your Own Fruit And Vegetables

5 Reasons To Grow Your Own Fruit And Vegetables

Having your own vegetable patch or fruit garden was once commonplace, but fell out of favor as the food industry become more commercial and supermarkets began to take over. In recent years however, more and more people have started explore growing their own produce again. Here we give 5 reasons why you might consider starting your own kitchen garden.

– Freshness

Fruit and vegetables taste better and are healthier if eaten as soon as possible after picking. Most fruit you buy from supermarkets and the like is picked well before it is properly ripe, to extend shelf life, and this usually has an impact on flavor. Growing your own lets you taste the freshest possible produce as it’s meant to taste.

– Quality

Commercially grown crops are often selected for their high yields, uniform appearance and long shelf lives rather than for quality and taste. When you grow your own, you can concentrate on the quality rather than the economics.

– Price

Much supermarket fresh produce is hugely overpriced, despite their advertising claims. Growing your own from seed is about as inexpensive as you can get, and even growing from small plants you buy is likely to provide you better food at a lower cost. With many plants, you can use the seed from one growing season to provide plants for the next – a self sustaining cycle that will cost you only time and effort to keep going.

– Provenance

More and more people have concerns about how our food is produced, with chemical pesticides and GM food a particular worry. With your own vegetable patch, you know exactly where your food is from and how it was grown.

– Variety

There are literally thousands of different varieties of fruit and vegetables, but supermarkets tend to concentrate on only the most profitable and easy to sell. This means that our choice is often limited to a few select varieties of apple, for example, rather than the hundreds of traditional kinds that exist. Growing your own lets you pick the varieties you like the most, and experiment to find new ones you’ll rarely see on sale.

There is of course a downside to all this – it takes time and effort. In these increasingly busy times, we might not think we have the time to spare, but starting small with a few herb plants on your windowsill, or even the odd tomato plant, will give you a taste of growing your own and might even be enough to hook you into it for life!
Continue reading

Posted in Health Matters, Money | 2 Comments