Town Biz 101 - Internet Newspaper - October 2011 Edition
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THE HALLOWEEN COSTUME
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THE CHINESE-SAN FRANSCISCO-
OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE
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SMART METERING SYSTEMS
IS IT COMING TO YOUR AREA?
PART ONE

By: Camille Harris

Posted: 10-28-11

The following is to be the first in a series of column published at Town Biz 101 regarding SMART METERS now in the process of being installed by Southern California Edison's (SCE's) throughout Southern California. Information of which can be found at their Websites. For those of you in the Southern California geography area, you can be assured, you will be affected.

Whether that affect will be a positive one or a negative one is still to be determined (TBD). For those of you living outside Southern California, you might find the information published regarding smart meters of interest, too, since more than likely, the giants of utilities as well as the smaller power companies may follow the smart meter concept.

Edison SmartConnect is Southern California Edison's (SCE's) advanced metering program and SCE claims that it's has among the nation's most advanced "smart" metering systems. The SmartConnect Smart Meter Program from SCE's smart meters:
  • will enable dynamic pricing plans, as well as programs and services which will empower customers to make more informed decisions about their electricity usage.
  • are in the process of replacing approximately 5 million electric meters for residential and commercial customers (below 200 kilowatts in demand) with "next generation" smart meters from 2009-2012.
  • smart meter installations began September 2009 with more than 150,000 installations completed by year-end the first year's end.
  • installations are being handled by field crews from SCE's designated installation vendor, Corix Utilities, as well as SCE personnel.

Saving Energy, Money & The Environment

According to SCE, smart meter installations are laying the foundation for new energy-saving programs and services that empower our customers to effectively manage their electricity use to save energy, money and the environment.

SCE expects that full implementation of the Edison SmartConnect program will result in sustained energy conservation that reduces greenhouse gases and smog-forming pollutants by an estimated 365,000 metric tons per year--the equivalent of removing 79,000 cars from the road. Edison SmartConnect will also open doors to widespread adoption of emerging technologies, such as "smart" appliances and devices, solar installations, plug-in vehicles, energy storage units, and other future green technologies that will drive greater environmental benefits.

Customer Impact

In 2010, there was no change in service for customers receiving smart meters.

SCE is reading installed smart meters over the new secure, wireless two-way communication system and using the data to generate customer bills. Unique SCE customer service phone lines are available for program questions:

    To report life support or other sensitive medical equipment prior to meter installation call: (800) 973-2356. For customer questions about Edison SmartConnect call: (800) 810-2369.

    In 2011, new programs and services will become available for customers with Edison SmartConnect meters, including frequent energy use reads, web access to customer use data, and remote service for move-ins/move-outs.

THE HALLOWEEN COSTUME


By: Linda Bredemann
Posted: 09/30/11

Oh! No! It's that time of year again when your imagination is taxed to the limit! You've been invited to a costume party and you're in a panic! What am I going to wear? Where will I get it? How much should I spend?

I can't wear those skimpy, over the counter costumes with my figure and they are not up to the quality that I am use too. Not to worry! Surprisingly, it may be cheaper to rent a costume than to buy it.

When you buy a costume, you then have to purchase all the accessories to complete the look, and that can end up costing you a small fortune.

Been invited to a "Roaring Twenties Party"? Typically a woman would want to be a flapper. You go into one of those "overnight" costume stores, the ones that are here today and gone tomorrow and see a flapper dress on sale for $59.00. Sounds Great!

But wait…you need to have the sequin headband with a feather to go with your outfit…$6.99 to $12.99….oh, and then the long white pearls…add another $2.99. Don't forget the opera gloves…another $12.99…a feathered boa…$6.99 to $24.99…and, of course, the outfit wouldn't be complete without fishnet stockings and a cigarette holder…add another $10.00.

That dress that looked so reasonable at $59.00, now will cost you anywhere from $88.96 to $124.96. However, if you had gone to a Costume Rental Store, you more than likely would have been able to rent everything but the fishnets and the cigarette holder for $45.00 to $65.00. And the quality would be superior to the low-priced dress.

Want to individualize your look at the party? Then how about going as a "Cigarette Hatcheck girl, Night Club Doorman, Chauffeur, Keystone Cop or "Bonnie and Clyde"!

Other costumes that would be outstanding for a "Roaring 20's Party are, "W.C. Fields, Mae West, Cecil B. DeMille, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and Shirley Temple. These and more can be rented from most Costume Rental Stores for far less than you could buy them...and guess what, those costumes are MADE IN AMERICA.

Handy with a needle? Why not create something spectacular out of your own closet! You can make a Flapper costume out of that old straight sheath that you have been moving from one side of your closet to the other, but haven't worn in years. All you have to do is shorten the dress a few inches, saving what you have cut off. Add some long fringe…6" to 12", in layers around the dress, starting under the arm or at the hipline, overlapping each row slightly.

Take the material that you cut off the dress when you shortened it…cut it to go around your head twice, fold and finish the edges making it about 2 inches wide, tapered to about 3/4 "at the last 6 inches on each end….add some pearls or rhinestones to the front and you have an authentic looking "Gatsby" headband that can be tied either in back or the way I like to do it, tied on the side. Add your long pearls and gloves and you are ready for your party!

What about the guys? An easy way to make a gangster costume is to use your regular black-dress pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, add a long white tie, white suspenders and a black Fedora hat with a white band and you have an instant GANGSTER!

Another of the most popular costumes that I rent out all year long is a 1920's Golfer. It is easy to make and everyone loves it. Go to a Thrift Shop and find a 3-piece plaid man's suit. Cut the pants off at about 2" below the knee. Fold over the end, making a 1" casing for the elastic to go into. Leaving about a one-inch opening in the casing, thread a piece of ½-inch elastic throughout the casing. Adjust to fit snugly below the knee and sew both ends of elastic to each other. Add Argyle socks, a gaudy bow tie, plaid English Flat hat or Beret and a contrasting color shirt and you are ready for the golf course.

Costume parties are for fun, not to stress over, so relax and be creative! Or let your professional costumer make you into "anything you want to be"!

Linda Bredemann is owner of "Costume Alley Inc. in Westlake Village CA. She has been creating costumes for T.V., Commercials, School and Church, Theatrical Productions and the public for over 25 years.

THE CHINESE-SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND
BAY BRIDGE

By: Rellis Smith
Posted: 10/02/11

Pardon me brother, could ya spare a dime????

So ya wanna know why we have no jobs in the United States and we owe China more than the country is worth???

At a sprawling manufacturing complex here, hundreds of Chinese laborers are now completing work on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Next month, the last four of more than two dozen giant steel modules - each with a roadbed segment about half the size of a football field - will be loaded onto a huge ship and transported 6,500 miles to Oakland. There, they will be assembled to fit into the eastern span of the new Bay Bridge.

The project is part of China's continual move up the global economic value chain - from cheap toys to Apple iPads to commercial jetliners - as it aims to become the world's civil engineer.

The assembly work in California and the pouring of the concrete-road surface will be done by Americans. But construction of the bridge decks and the materials that went into them are a MADE IN CHINA affair. California officials say the state saved hundreds of millions of dollars by turning to China. However, did anyone figure in the $$$ mix the loss of taxes to California and the USA, i.e., California and Federal income taxes, payroll taxes, Social Security tax, sales tax not spent here by the Chinese and etc. from unearned wages and salaries by Americans? Now how much did California really save?

The only way we can expect to pull the United States out of the one of the worst economies in history is by getting rid of all Chinese contracts and stop importing all Chinese goods

Rellis Smith
rellis39@sbcglobal.net

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