Welcome to Eastern Madera County News! This Community Blog was created in order to give the Eastern Madera County Community a free, interactive and comprehensive communication site that serves as a one-stop source for Community news and information. This Community blog offers constantly updated, pertinent news provided by Community bloggers represented by local organizations active in our community including civic organizations, schools, charities, general business, and many more. Best of all, anyone can join in on the conversation! Our Community Calendar provides information on upcoming events and activities important to our community. Comments are welcome, so let us know what you think! If you would like to join as a contributor to this site please contact Brandon Fairbanks at (559) 683-3595.

The Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Club will have a Pancake Breakfast, tomorrow, January 11. Although pancakes are the star of the show, they will joined by a supporting cast of eggs, ham and sausage. The fun starts at 7:30 am and ends at 10:30 am at the Oakhurst Community Center. Adults pay $5, while it costs $2 children who are 12 and under (you can’t beat that). OK, well you can beat that: children under the age of 5 eat for free.

If you’re like me, you support civic organizations because you know people in these groups and you’ve seen the good work they do. You don’t mind giving a few dollars to get some pancakes, talk to neighbors, and have a good time. But you should know that clubs like the Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Club are really about the business of improving life in our area. In fact, the groups started as a gathering of businessmen, called the Benevolent Order of Brothers. At the start, some wanted to increase business opportunities for members, while others really wanted to reach out toe community. Truth is, groups like the Kiwanis really do both of these things, and sometimes they manage to do them at the same time.

You may have heard that there is thing little thing called an election coming up this year…OK, of course you’ve heard about it. But did you know that you must register to vote by January 22?

California will have its very first February presidential election this year on February 5. Like all primaries, this one is important because it has national and local consequences. We’ll leave the talk of the national consequences to the news outlets, but this is a good time to remind you of how your vote will make a difference right in your own backyard.

February 5 will also be a time when Oakhurst residents can cast their votes in favor of or in opposition to incorporation (Measure C). This post I wrote last year put a bug in your ear about the issue. Iit is time to consider the matter again because now you will be casting deciding votes on the matter.

Visit this website for a list of addresses in the proposed area of incorporation. You can only vote on this issue if you live in the proposed town boundaries.

January 22 is also the final day to turn in paperwork if you wish to be an official write-in candidate for the Oakhurst Town Council.

In continuation from Friday’s post….

Pick a realistic time frame to accomplish your goals.  Try setting your time period for three or six month intervals.  This way, your goals will not seem like a never ending task.

Choose your own resolution.  Make sure that it is something that YOU personally want to accomplish or participate in.  Pick an attainable goal that you will be happy with once you succeed.

Write your goals down.  Track your progress.  This will provide you with the encouragement to continue to forge ahead.

Tell your family and friends of your goals for the New Year.  This way, they will be able to provide you will the support you might need.

Forgive yourself.  Don’t beat yourself up if you fail.  If you get off track,  does it mean that you are a failure?  No way!  Remember, you can always try again next New Year.

Reward yourself for your accomplishments.  If you are dieting, a yummy treat might be out of the question.  Find an award that will help keep you motivated to keep up with your goals.

Your New Year’s Resolution doesn’t have to occur on January 1st.  Why not make your resolutions year round?  It does not matter when you start.  The goal is to do something for the betterment of mankind or yourself.  Good luck and Happy New Year!

If this doesn’t touch you!

http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1
The above is the hottest thing on the internet and on Fox News today. Lizzie Palmer who put this YouTube program together is 15 years old. There have been over 3,000,000 hits as of this morning. In case you missed it, here it is. (if you can’t open it right away, try later – the site may be busy)

If you go to this web site, www.letssaythanks.com, you can pick out a
thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier
that is currently serving in Iraq. You can’t pick out who gets it, but
it will go to some member of the armed services.
How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!
This is a great site.
Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?
Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there
need to know we are behind them…

The new year is upon us once again. 

Celebrating the New Year is the oldest of all holidays.  It was first recognized in Babylon about 4000 years ago.

The dreaded New Year’s Resolution…..we all have them.  From promises to stop smoking, to eating healthier, to losing weight, to helping the poor, to getting organized, to finding a new career or to spending less money.  Everyone has made some sort of resolution over the years.  The big question is….do they work?

Resolutions are often times something that we think we “need” to do, not something that we “want” to do.  These usually result in conflicting results.  Many times, we fail at accomplishing our resolutions.  The most important point to take into consideration is if you are willing to make the life changes that will make you successful in your resolution goals.  Once you make your resolutions, have a plan of actions and list the ways that it will enhance your life.

Here are some tips to help you accomplish your goals for the New Year.

Make realistic resolutions.  Don’t be afraid of past failures.  A positive approach will continue to push you farther towards your goals.

Don’t make to many resolutions.  If you try to accomplish everything at one time, you are sure to fail.  Start small and tackle a little at a time.

Check back on Monday for the conclusion to this post.

It may sound cliché, but it is a new year and it is time to develop new habits get rid of addictive behaviors.

Whether you consider an addiction to be a disease, a learned pattern of behavior, or something based on genetics, if you or someone you love has a problem, it is time to get help.

Drugs and alcohol are common addictions, but addictive behavior goes beyond substance abuse. Some people are addicted to shopping. Others can’t stop gambling. There are people who cannot keep themselves away from MySpace, Facebook or Xbox. Addiction can creep into someone’s life wearing many disguises.

When someone has an addiction, they obsess over it, become compulsive about it, and will often hid evidence of the activity from family and friends. Once they start getting a kind of “high” from the activity, it is very hard to stop. Ending an addiction may be difficult, but it is not impossible, and it is much easier if you have some assistance.

To help area residents get the new year off to a good start, the Oakhurst Seventh Day Adventist Church is sponsoring “Kick the habit and live!” Overcome addictions. This free program runs from January 6-10. The church is located at 50690 Crane Valley Road (426) in Oakhurst. To learn more, contact Jacob Gibbs at 559-760-8117.

E-Waste is described as electronics that have little or no further value to the consumer or business.  From VCR’s, televisions, compact disk players, cell phones to computers, etc.  It is the fastest growing solid waste generated in the United States.   Every holiday Americans receive wonderful updated electronics during the holiday season.

Environmentalists wonder where all of the old equipment will go.  Landfills are filling up nationwide.  These electronics contain harmful components that are terrible for the environment when deposited in landfills.  

E-waste creates a burden on landfills.  Toxic substances can leach into the groundwater and soil.  Harmful substances like copper, lead, mercury, arsenic, PCB’s, zinc, cadmium and nickel can be found in electronic devices. Because of the dangers, it is illegal in California to dispose of these items in landfills.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, some manufactures, retailers and service providers offer recycling of e-waste for free or for a minimal charge.  Many of the components can be easily recycled into other items for the consumer.

There are efforts begin made to ensure that harmful substances do not get deposited in any landfill and Oakhurst is jumping on board as well.  The Oakhurst Chamber of Commerce has scheduled two days to deposit your unwanted electronics.  Saturday, January 5th, and Sunday January 6th from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., you can rid yourself of these unwanted items.  There are no limitations to the amount of items that you can bring.  Collection is being taken at the Chamber parking lot, next to the library.  For more information, call (559) 683-7766.

At one point, Rome ruled a vast empire of many colonies that were situated in different parts of the world, with various climates, customs, etc. Uniting all of these peoples under one authority was no simple task, and getting everyone on a schedule was no picnic, either.

The Romans had a calendar of 355 days, so every second year they threw in an extra month. Part of the problem was that the very superstitious Romans had all kinds of ideas about which numbers where lucky and which weren’t. So, different months had different numbers of days to follow these beliefs.

Today we use the Gregorian calendar to measure time. The changes that lead to the Gregorian calendar were authorized by the leaders of the Catholic church at the time, so everyone didn’t agree to use it because everyone didn’t agree with the Catholic church.. The reform that led to the Gregorian calendar came about in the 1500s. Protestant Europe ignored this calendar and stuck with the Julian calendar for about two more centuries. There must have been some confusion with international travel.

The British Empire (which at the time included the colonies that later became the United States), didn’t adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752. Even then it still wasn’t universal: Russia refused it until 1918 and China finally came around in the later 1940s.

We do have Daylight Saving Time, but the U.S. is on the same page when it comes to the day (at least most of the time).

So wherever you are: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

In continuation from Friday’s post….

Consider combining your balances from all of your credit cards into a consolidation loan or putting all of your debt on one card. This way, you will be able to make larger lump sum payments. Making smaller payments to several cards will take you longer to get out of debt. It is also not as daunting having only one payment to make instead of many. If you cannot combine your debt, then make large payments to your highest interest rate credit card, and minimum payments to your lower interest rate credit cards, until your debt is paid in full.

Do not add more debt to what you currently owe. Put away or cut up your credit cards. Think how every $50 you charge is another monthly payment that you must pay back.

Always pay more than the minimum payments. How sad to look back 20 years from now and realize that you are still paying for Aunt Dolly’s fuzzy robe and slippers. Give till it hurts. It will make you proud to see that balance drifting away!

Try to reduce your interest rate. Many banking institutions are willing to negotiate your rate once they know that you might be having trouble. They would rather keep you as a customer, with you paying some interest, rather than Charging Off your debt and then having nothing in return. Of course they are always hopeful that you might want to charge some more too.

Return unused purchases. Don’t let them lay around the house. If you don’t need them, take them back. You will appreciate the credit issued on your credit card more than the clutter in your closet.

Keep track of how you are doing. Log your payments. One of the biggest motivators is to see that debt going away. In time, and with careful planning, you will be free of all of your credit card worries.