Took a break

Hello all, just want to let everyone know that I just took a little break. Work and life have been keeping me from updating this blog.

Today is such a nice and sunny day here in Columbus Ohio though it is kind of chili with the wind blowing a little bit, hope you guys and gals go out and get some fresh air if you can.

Catching up on some news and I am glad that our Military was able to save the captain Richard Phillips from those pirates.

As for those pirates who thinks you can get away with anything, guess what, you will just end up fish food.

Anyways, enough of my humble opinion.

Well, we are still at $5 and long way to get to a million.

Lets see if we can make $5 more by the end of next week :).

Help Cure Lung Desease like Cancer

Hello everyone. I would like to say farewell to my friend Ms. Gretchen Courtright who had moved on. Me, Tammey and Taco will meet you up there someday and have the best coffee heaven can offer :).

As for now, I would like to add the American Lung Association to our list of possible organization to donate to. I believe a lot of people will be helped by them.

This is what they do

The American Lung Association supports basic and clinical research through training and “seed” grants for researchers who are at the early stage of their careers. Throughout its history, the American Lung Association has funded talented scientists who have furthered their careers in academia and lung research and have made significant contributions to the fight against lung disease.

As part of its commitment to research, the American Lung Association created the Asthma Clinical Research Centers Network (ACRC), which seeks to conduct large clinical trials that will have a direct impact on patient care and asthma treatment.

Anyone eat Crabs, Shrimp, or Lobsters?

Interesting read on how crustaceans appear to feel pain and remembers it!

CNN

Well, I personally think that all beings with brains, if subjected to some sort of stimuli and the brain perceives it as unpleasant, will surely move away from it (some humans like pain though).

Anyways, it was a good read :).

Happy Monday

Hello everyone!

I wish everyone's Monday will go through quick and painless :) but hey, if you have sunny sky you should enjoy the day right? If it's dark and cloudy, then maybe you should relax and enjoy a nice cup of your favorite tea :).

Today's organization is called Child Help.

Mission

Childhelp exists to meet the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children. We focus our efforts on advocacy, prevention, treatment and community outreach.

If anyone who had experience with Child Help, please let us know your stories on how they helped you so we can read first hand from you.

Please save this number to your cell phone 1800-4-A-CHILD (1800-422-4453). This is the Child Abuse Hotline.

National Military Family Association

Hello everyone!

I used to be a Navy brat. I always hated it when he gets deployed but that is part of military life. When I was in the Air Force, I was lucky enough not to be deployed (pre 9/11).

There are a lot of Military families waiting for their loved ones deployed overseas and I want to support them. Today, our featured organization is the National Military Family Association.

This is their mission (according to their website).

The National Military Family Association (NMFA) was organized in 1969 as the National Military Wives Association by a group of wives and widows seeking financial security for survivors of uniformed service personnel and retirees. From their efforts, the Survivor Benefit Plan came into being. In the ensuing years, NMFA has been in the vanguard of advocacy for improvements in the quality of military family life. The name of the organization was changed in 1984 to reflect the broad scope of its involvement. NMFA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) association.

Angel in Queens

This is pretty cool!

Angel in Queens offers hot meals and hope to those less fortunate ones.

This is what they currently need at the moment.

• Men′s Work Boots: 8(1/2) to 10(1/2)
• Blue Jeans: sizes 32 to 40
• Dry soap (purelle stuff)
• Ice Tea 4C
• Socks
• Bottles of Water 8oz

Once we reach that $1Million, Im sure we will be able to help Jorge out with his kindness.

See his story on CNN .

Cool Website Alert

Hello all,

I just want to add this website called Academic Earth.

This is where you can watch college lectures from experts in their field.

Found this at Lifehacker.com

Thank a Vet!

Hello Everyone!

Today, I want to say thanks to all the Brave Veterans especially to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for you and me.

If you want to do the same, here is a website that will allow you to do the same.

Thankyouveterans.org

After all, with out them, we would not even be able to do this.

Stefanie Spielman Fund For Breast Cancer Research

Hello everyone!

I want to feature a Non Profit organization that researches to fight Breast Cancer in the US. The
Stefanie Spielman Fund for Brest Cancer Research.

This is where the funds would go to:

The Stefanie Spielman Patient Assistance Fund assists breast cancer patients and their families who are struggling to afford the costs associated with treatment. The fund has provided essential equipment and services, including circulation pumps for lymphedema, compression garments, wigs, nutrition supplements, gas cards, Wendy’s gift cards and assistance with transportation.

This is my dedication to Ms. Heather Pick. Me and Tammey miss you.

Featured Organization

Goodwill.

My wife is currently working for Goodwill. From what I can see, they have helped many getting jobs for our fellow Americans.

According to the Goodwill website:

We are North America’s leading nonprofit provider of education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages, such as welfare dependency, homelessness, and lack of education or work experience, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities. Last year, local Goodwills collectively provided employment and training services to more than 1.1 million individuals.

We believe that work has the power to transform lives by building self-confidence, independence, creativity, trust and friendships. Everyone deserves a chance to have these.

Goodwill provides that chance.

Mission: Goodwill Industries International enhances the dignity and quality of life of individuals, families, and communities by eliminating barriers to opportunity and helping people in need reach their fullest potential through the power of work.

Possible Items to win when you donate $1

I came up a list of items that people will win once we reach the Million mark.

• 20x $500
• 20x 8 gigIpod Touch
  
• 20x 8 gig Ipod Nano
• 50x $100 Barnes and Noble Gift Cards

So 110 Lucky people will win by giving to charity and help our fellow Americans $1 at a time!

Saturday in Columbus Ohio!

Awesome day here in Columbus Ohio! I hope the weather is cooperating with you today.

NCAA tournament seems to be in a full swing and some are watching their brackets closely. Mine seems to be a bit of a mess. Oh well.

So far, the organizations we have eligible for the donation once we reach the $1 Million goal are

• American Council for the Blind
• American Heart Association
• American Veterans of all Wars
• Assist the Officers
• Battered Home for Women
• Big Brother, Big Sister
• Breast Cancer Research
• Cancer Reasearch
• Children Foster Home
• Farmers Ending Hunger
• Food Pantries
• Habitat for Humanity
• Homeless Shelters
• Hurricane Emergency Funds
• Make a Wish Foundation
• Meals on Wheels
• Teachers
• Volunteers of America

I plan on giving to total of 39 organizations. The rest of the funds ($25 thousand) will be used to give back to those who donated in form of cash, items, gift cards etc. The names will be picked via a lottery and I will list your names at the end so everyone will know who won.

If you have an organization in mind, as long as it is not for profit agencies, please email me at afodem@gmail.com so I can add this to our list.

First Day of Spring!

Hello Everyone! It is finally spring. For some, it is also time for spring cleaning and getting home gardens ready to go.

For those who are about to do some spring cleaning like me, here is one of many website. This one helps you with a checklists.

http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/cleaning101/a/springclnngguid.htm

For those who wants to start a garden, here is a guide for you.

http://www.ehow.com/how_110539_start-vegetable-garden.html

Farmers Ending Hunger

Today, my featured organization is the Farmers Ending Hunger in Oregon.

"The mission of Farmers Ending Hunger (FEH) is to utilize the production power of local farmers to eliminate Oregon’s hunger problem. The idea behind the organization is enlisting local growers to provide help to local hungry communities. We can accomplish this by soliciting donations to our Adopt-An-Acre program, which covers the expenses of processing acres of local crops into high-quality food. The food is then distributed to a network of local food banks and social service programs.

For more information, their website is http://www.farmersendinghunger.com/

Thank you for your Donation!

Thank you Mr. Courtright for your donation!

Volunteers of America

Another organization added to our list is Volunteers of America.

Take advantage of Ebay by using misspelled word and save money

Here is a website that helps you find items that are misspelled and save money. You might just save a lot.

http://www.auctionbloopers.com/

My Favorite Free Applications

Hello everyone.

I just want to share my favorite apps that I use on my pc.

I am currently testing Windows 7. It seems to work very fast on my system. I haven't turned off my pc for about a month now and it is still holding up.

For protection, I use

For Cleaning and Tweaking

CCleaner

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)


Anti Virus

AVG Anti Virus
AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers.

This is a really nice Antivirus. They seem to update their data base everyday. It can also scan programs after downloading them on your pc.


Anti Spyware

Spybot Search and Destroy

Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware.

This I use every week. Even our IT here recommends this.

They all can be found at this Filehippo website and they are all free.

Happy Saint Patrick's day!

(image from history.com)

I just want to say that I wish everyone to stay safe and not drink too much green beer or Irish Whiskey. Please have a designated driver and drink responsibly.

For those who are interested, here is the History.com information in regards to St. Patrick.

http://www.history.com/minisites/stpatricksday/

Jobless or need a career upgrade?

Here are 20 websites as featured by PC Mag that can help you land a job or get a better one.

1. BEYOND
2. CAREER BUILDER
3. CRAIGLIST
4. EXECU| SEARCH
5. HOUND
6. INDEED
7. JOB CENTRAL
8. JOB SERVE
9. JOBSTER
10. LINKED IN
11. MONSTER
    
12. OODLE
13. ON TARGET JOBS
14. SIMPLYHIRED
15. SNAG A JOB
16. THELADDERS
17. TROVIX
18. TWEETMYJOBS
19. USAJOBS
20. YAHOO HOTJOBS

So for those of you that are unhappy with your current work, or need to find employment, the above lists are good online resources. Don't forget your check your Counties and State job boards as well as networking with those who are currently working. Also check your counties Job and Family Services for help in resume or job placements. There are always work out there. Heck, post something in Craiglist offering your service if your a handy man/woman or good with computer repairs. Temp jobs are always good since they can possibly land you a full time job. Go to your malls and get those applications. So, stop reading this post and get those mouse pointers working.

50 Neat money saving tips

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/print/0,,20250928,00.html

Very good information!

Incentive to donate

Hey everyone.

Ive been thinking on how to reward those who donated.

One idea came up.

Select 5 People who donated and through a raffle each get $ 5k.

The problem I guess is who will do the name pulling just so I don't get accused of cheating or any other legal issues. I am not even sure if doing this idea is legal.

Anyways, if anyone can give me a suggestion about proceeding on how to do this would be great.

Thanks.

Good Eats

For those who likes food like me, I present to you these websites which are featured in Lifehacker.com

http://3buckbites.com/

Several Cities are featured here such as

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
LA
New York
San Diego
San Fransisco
and Seattle


Hmmm, no Columbus Ohio yet...

Anyways, if you live at those cities, then you should be able to find cheap eats.

There is also this website

http://www.cheapassfood.com/

It's self explanatory.

Well it is almost lunch time. I believe I will be making some TTS (Turkey Taco Salad).

If you have any interesting websites, please submit.

Green tea is good for you, really.

According to Science Daily, Green tea is healthy for your teeth and gums!

http://tinyurl.com/defauw


When I drink my green tea at work, it also seems to give me energy and not feel tired.

Interesting read.

Projects to do at home?

For those who are handy with tools, here is a good website that I check often for cool projects, recipes etc.

http://www.instructables.com

Might save you a few bucks and use that $1 to donate for the cause :)

American Heart Association / American Stroke Association

Hi everyone.

This organization would be a good one to donate to.

American Heart Association / American Stroke Association

Everyone can save using coupons!

Hi everyone.

I just want to highlight a website that can save you substantially if you have the patience.

I am sure you have heard of these things called coupons. This site will help us be a smart shopper and save!

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

Another Cool Website

Hi everyone. I just want to add a website that I use while either Twittering or Blogging or cooking.

It seems to learn songs you like and plays them for you!

www.pandora.com

I use this site at work and I have to watch my self singing out loud to Hotel California.

Thank you for your donation!

Hi Mitch Aunger (Missouri) thank you for your donation!

Thank you for your donation!

Thank you Jacquiline Adkins (Virgina) for your donation! Hi Lona!

One of my favorite sites

Hi all,

Another beautiful day here in Columbus Ohio though it is still cold. It was a nice 70 degrees back in Tuesday but cold today. I can't wait for Spring and Summer!

I just want to share to everyone one of my Favorite website. The website is www.lifehacker.com .

It is not a hacker website. Well, it is someone of a hacker website. This site helps improve your life by "hacking" or improving the way you do things in life. That is how I understand it at least.

Subjects include,

Cooking
Computer related improvements
How-to's
Goals (like how to keep a career log)
and more.

Check it out :)

Assist the Officers

Just a quick update,

A Law Enforcement officer was shot last Thursday and is currently clinging to his life.

The website Assist the Officers has more information on this. If you can, please help our fellow cops out.

Donations to Teachers

Hi everyone.

I just want to add that once we reach the $1 Million goal (we are still at $2), we can possibly donate the $25 thousand to a Teacher or Teachers. I am not sure on how to do this yet but we should honor our teachers since, at least for me, became my second parents.

And here is a poem for you teachers out there :)
www.dltk-kids.com/school/poems_for_teachers.htm

Why God Made Teachers
By Kevin William Huff

When God created teachers,
He gave us special friends
To help us understand His world
And truly comprehend
The beauty and the wonder
Of everything we see,
And become a better person
With each discovery.

When God created teachers,
He gave us special guides
To show us ways in which to grow
So we can all decide
How to live and how to do
What's right instead of wrong,
To lead us so that we can lead
And learn how to be strong.

Why God created teachers
In His wisdom and His grace,
Was to help us learn to make our world
A better, wiser place.

Interesting Website

Ever wonder what some people eat around this awesome country of ours?

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

My arteries are clogging up right now.

So how is everyone today!

All well here, just want to give everyone an update.

$2 current balance.

This is harder than I thought but I don't give up too easily.

So where else we can donate to? This is the "List" so far.

1. Food Pantry
2. Homeless Shelters
3. Battered Women homes
4. Children Foster Homes
5. Hurricane Emergency funds
6. Any community based charities
7. Habitat for Humanity
8. Breast Cancer Research
9. Big brother, Big sister
10. Make a Wish Foundation
11. American Veterans
12. American Council of the Blind
13. Meals on Wheels

Please help me make this list bigger :)

Thanks.

3/9/09

Hello Everyone!

Well first day at work with this new daylight saving time. It is definitely coffee time for me.
I hear a lot of people getting laid off due to the economy and people loosing money in stocks. Unemployment compensations are running out of funds (at least here in Ohio). Circuit City just lost 34 thousand jobs just today as I listen to the local news as I type this.

To those who are unemployed, your job is to look for a job. Look at your counties/state employment board, usajobs.com has a lot listing, heck check out craiglist in your area.

There are jobs out there but it will not come to you. You have to find them.

Well, enough of my rants so I leave you this quote.

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."

- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

3/8/09

Hello everyone.

Another idea on where to donate $25k once we get the $1 Million goal.

Public Schools around the nation needs all the help they can get. I saw on the news last week there were schools where they had to use the Janitorial room to conduct their class. With the help of everyone, lets get some input on maybe your kid's school issues.

Oh and if you forgot, please spring your clock forward :).

Twitterring and quick bio

Well, I am trying out this twitter.com website. I seem to hear this website alot and even our voted representatives are apparently on this website as well. I hope that they can see this too and help out to the cause :).

Anyways, I guess I should say something about my self.

My name is Stephen Adkins. I was born in Philippines and grew up there till I was 12 then I was adopted by my Aunt who raised me to be an American. Well, I am half American, quarter Korean and the other quarter Filipino. Interesting mix.

My uncle was in the Navy. Yes he tried to get me in the Navy but I didn't like him being shipped at sea for several months at a time. So I joined the Air Force when I turned 19 I think. I did my 4 years and received an honorable discharge.

I married my wife Tammey while I was in the service in 1998 (if I remembered that right, Im sure she will correct me). Tammey have known me since we were in High School in Hawaii (Moanalua High). Well, that was almost 13 years ago.

Anyways, now I work as a fraud investigator for our county. Tammey works for Good Will. We both hang out at the mall during weekends and drink coffee and enjoy our time off. No kids yet to drag around except for a Chihuahua named Taco. Not too original I know :).

Well, thats the short story. Ill let you know later on how Mount Pinatubo affected me when I was growing up in Philippines.

Oh and please feel free to make recommendations.

Another organization in mind for donation

Well, another organization popped up in my mind, the Make a Wish Foundation.

http://www.wish.org/

If you have any other honorable foundation in mind, please help me make a list.

Thanks :)

Donation to Breast Cancer Research

Me and my wife are just discussing that once we hit the goal of $1 Mil, we will be donating to the Breast Cancer Society Research. This is near and dear to her heart due to her mom's passing from this disease.

For More info on the breast cancer research, here is the link.

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/default.aspx

3/7/09 Update

Hi everyone

Well so far were are still at $2. I am trying to get the word out on this project through twitter and get this to major news network like CNN.

Oh and yes, while I am typing this, my wife is watching Ugly Betty (personal opinion, I should be watching the news).

Speaking of News, I hope our country can recover through this economic mess. As I drive through around my neighborhood, I see a lot of homes with a For Sale sign. Good news though, 28 Police jobs were saved directly by our economic bail out.

I hope our own economic bailout project would give people smile and hope.

Update 3/6/09 were on a roll!

Thank you Tammey Adkins (my wife) for donating!

$2 so far!

Please spread the word about our honorable intent on helping our nation $1 at a time.

US Population

Just to put this in perspective, as of 2000, there are 305 million Americans. I am sure this number had risen lately.

http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

Where to donate

I just want to brain storm a little and write down where this money can be possibly donated to.

1. Food Pantry
2. Homeless Shelters
3. Battered Women homes
4. Children Foster Homes
5. Hurricane Emergency funds
   
6. Any community based charities
7. Habitat for Humanity
   

Well, so far this is what I have in mind. I am sure more will come.

Please offer suggestions as well and at the end, we can see where all the monies can possibly go to.

Why I am doing this

Hi everyone.

My name is Stephen Adkins here in Columbus Ohio.

The reason why I am doing this website is to help our country get out of this economic crisis one person at a time. My plan is to basically get collection from everyone that wants to donate, $1 at a time, and in 6 months, give all this money back to those who needs this money with out any government assistance. For example, if we reach $1 Million Dollars, we can decide to give this money to Food Banks around the US.

I will update how much money we collect Every Day and I hope everyone that donates, can trust me manage this money to better our nation, and with your help, we can achieve this.

Let's do it folks, $1 person, and we can help our country together!

Current Ballance as of 3/5/09

$1