The United States of North America?

I was running through the local blogs and came upon Tom's blast at the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. I haven't read everything at the SPP home page (sponsored by the U.S. State Department), nor all the information claiming it's an attempt to turn our side of the pond into the American equivalent of the E.U.As a federal bureaucrat I am somewhat familiar with the word games

The Whole Shocking Truth

Well now we know! There weren't 4 planes on 9/11. Leave it to Oliver Stone to get to the heart of the matter. Damn government coverup!!!!

Renting Living Room Furniture

By Eddie Tobey

The US has a sizable rental furniture market. Quite a few retail establishments have been providing furniture sets for rent for several years. With time the variety and options offered to customers have increased.

The demand for rental living room furniture is so high that there are chains of rental-purchase stores operating throughout the country. A survey by the industry points out to more demand in the Midwest and across the south. The northeast and north west are not high demand markets. In fact, Texas and Florida see the most brisk business in the furniture rental business.

A living room is often the setting in which people interact with outsiders in a home setting. So it becomes important to have it at least decently furnished. So if people cannot afford to buy living room furniture they often approach furniture companies to rent living room furniture. It often happens that those who rent the living room furniture end up buying the pieces.

People rent living room furniture for various reasons. Short stays are the main reason cited for renting living room furniture. When you are intending to stay somewhere for a very short while, say three to six months in a certain place, it is not very practical to buy furniture. Renting furniture is the best option. And living room furniture is often the most important furniture, as living rooms are where guests are entertained.

Low income is the other main reason for people to opt for renting living room furniture. The wide variety of furniture options available in the market are enough to tempt even the most spartan minded person to splurge. But incomes do not always support whims and fancies. So the next best option is to rent furniture. It is important to remember that rental companies can repossess rented furniture if the rental payments are not paid as per the lease agreements.

Living Room Furniture provides detailed information on Living Room Furniture, Cheap Living Room Furniture, Discount Living Room Furniture, Contemporary Living Room Furniture and more. Living Room Furniture is affiliated with Upholstered Ottomans.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Tobey

Home Care and Supported Living for Children and Families

By Roger Huxtable

The importance of home care and supported living for families which have a special needs child cannot be underestimated.

Home care and supported living services include periodic respite for care givers and on-going assistance to families looking after a special needs child; be it to take the pressure off parents or to develop the disabled child’s independence.

Home care and supported living enables children with mental and physical disabilities to live with their families in their own homes. Home care and supported living also benefit the child’s primary carers. For instance, the adult or adults who have primary responsibility for looking after the child may need a break from care-giving. Home care and supported living includes occasional respite services to enable the carers to do this.

Home care and supported living for children and families can take on many crucial aspects:
Home Care and Supported Living Gives the Main Carers a Break
Home care and supported living can involve respite care. This means that outside carers will come into the home of the child with special needs and care for him or her so that the parents or guardians can take a break from their everyday care duties.

Home Care and Supported Living Takes the Pressure off Parents
Home care and supported living is not always about looking after the child with special needs. It can also involve outside carers coming in to look after the other children in the family or simply carrying out household chores. This takes the pressure of the parents so that they can more easily look after the child with special needs.
Home Care and Supported Living Develops the Special Needs Child
Home care and supported living also helps to develop the child with special needs. For instance, outside carers can come into the child’s home and encourage and help him or her to carry out tasks him or herself.

Choosing the Right Home Care Services
A child with special needs affects each family differently. Some children are able to live relatively independently whilst others might need constant care and attention. Therefore it is essential for parents of special needs children to choose home care services carefully to ensure that their specific requirements are met.

Quality Care is a local care provider offering home care and supported living for children and families in Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roger_Huxtable

The Era of Tough Oil

TomDispatch has an article by Michael Klare that discusses the era of tough oil. It is by turns easy to read and hard to read. Klare makes this observation about the NPC report's commentary on new investments:These funds, which can only come from those of us in the wealthier countries, will be needed, the council notes, in "building new, multi-billion-dollar oil platforms in water thousands of

5 Popular Living Room Design Ideas

By Albert Lee

Decorating a living room shouldn't be too extravagant and expensive. If you are in a tight budget, you can always do it yourself instead of hiring an interior designer; but if you can afford to hire a good designer, then why not. You can plan ahead and check for designs on the internet or magazines to visualize the effect on your actual living room.
Below are some of the popular living room design ideas that you may find on the internet and in various home design magazines:

1. Classic-Modern Design is one of the most common living room design ideas. Homes that have Classic-Modern style design enjoy mostly the relaxing feel and texture of the living space. If you have a very geometric or sharp edged space, toning and softening it with textures is the way to do it.
2. Hawaiian-inspired Design is not so difficult to achieve. Always remember the key elements: hand-made native ornaments and accessories, woven furniture, bamboo and of course the signature bold floral prints. If you love the Hawaiian sun, sea and flora, you can incorporate these aspects when planning for your living room design.
3. Modern Zen Design is made to relax and bring comfort into your living space. This living room design idea is quite popular nowadays especially for folks who wanted to have balance and comfort in their home. Having a focal point in your living room and accents to balance the style are the key ingredients. Incorporate a natural feel by opening up the room and letting in some natural light completes the Zen feel.
4. Tropical Style brings in the outdoor color pallets. The lush greens and yellows of natural flora are just two of most common colors you can find in a tropical living room design idea. Choose colors that are found naturally like the color of trees, plants, flowers and fruits. Think of a tropical forest or a market full of tropical fruits to inspire your design.
5. Victorian Style living rooms are plush and classy. You would normally find Victorian Style living rooms in Victorian style homes and hotels. The key here is classic sophisticated style with a splash of color and texture. Victorian style living rooms speak of opulence.

Whatever living room design idea you have in mind, make sure that it will fit your needs and lifestyle. Make sure to consult from a designer who knows how to handle a tight budget and complies with what you want. And always remember to choose the design that you will enjoy for a long time.
To learn more living room design tips & ideas, visit http://www.livingroomdesign101.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Albert_Lee

Peak Oil Updates

There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for PEMEX. A tax cut is in the works. Mexico is considering a flat tax, and the proposal for PEMEX is included in the bill. Now for the part I am having a problem with:Pemex, the third-largest oil supplier to the U.S., has set a goal of maintaining crude-oil production at 3.1 million barrels per day and add proven reserves equivalent to 100 percent

I'll Say It Again

I keep pushing the issue of a peak oil risk analyis. Richard Heinberg looks over the current state of affairs regarding Peak Oil and offers the following, which should make the need for a risk analysis crystal clear:The global transport system is almost entirely dependent on oil—not just private passenger automobiles, but trucks, ships, diesel locomotives, and the entire passenger and freight

Jewels

Toni has raised the flag about the latest addition to Howard St.. This is a jewel? More likely this is more of the same old stuff that does not necessarily appeal to those of us with some discretionary income to spend.Not surprisingly, Paradise responds:You have all kind of chain stores at the Gateway. Alot of those buildings on Howard are empty because the owners were/are selling/renovating.

Call It What You Like

Something is up in the Arctic, and the real impact may be the undesirable release of methane (L.A. Times -- free subscription) into the atmosphere. Much worse than carbon dioxide if this scenario actually plays out.And more problems in the credit market. The European Central Bank is intervening with cash to relieve the credit crunch caused by the ongoing collapse of the subprime mortgage market

Comment Moderation

Is back on for now. You may all send your kind regards to Natas.

@Natas

Sonny, go pimp your blog elsewhere. I am not giving you a free ride.

Young Children’s Room

By Dody Haris

The most important goal where children’s room are concerned is to try to achieve a reasonable compromise between your respective needs – in terms both of style, and balancing practically and fun, because a child’s bedroom should certainly be fun. Both girls and boys can be highly specific in their bedroom wish list, very often down to the exact shade of the walls, although girls tend to be more vociferous in their suggestion. The colour debate is tricky – their choice is often precisely what you would not have chosen, for adult tastes rarely coincide with those of children and subtle tastes tend to develop later in life. The decoration of his or her own room is serious matter for child. The perspective of youth makes everything far clearer and this applies equally to colour preferences – bright pink is better than blush, sunshine yellow preferable to primrose. This may be the one of the first opportunities for a child to assert his or her independence.

It is important for the adult to remember that young children change in their tastes and maturity faster than the decorations around them – what may thrill this year may be completely wrong in twelve months’ time. So simple is better than complicated and moderate investment, as far as the decorations is concerned is wiser than monetary overkill. Where a certain investment can usefully be considered is in the choice and arrangement of the permanent furnishing of a child’s room. However small the room, allow for as much floor space as possible – this is vital for games, reading, the construction of edifices and general reclining. A table that doubles as a desk is always a good addition, and is a form of storage that allows a fairly rapid transition from chaos to order. Other than this, the bed should be strong – it will probably be used as a camp, trampoline, bus or to encourage reading in relaxed atmosphere. Blinds or curtains should be light proof, and attached securely to the walls; the walls should be decorated in a washable finish, as those wide, blank expanse can often prove irresistible; and the floors should be covered, if at all, with washable rugs. If pleasure and nostalgia – and what could be more rewarding than that?

Oil and Water Part 2

Be grateful that you don't live in Australia. Regardless of what you believe about climate change, and the Aussies are as divided on the subject as anyone else, the country is in the grip of a 1,000 year drought and facing stark choices. While old-timers talk about past droughts being worse, the reality is that it is different this time. This article from The Observer talks about the drought

The Working Bedroom

By Dody Haris

Solutions such as hiding the bed come to the fore when the bedroom is also to be used as a work or study space – as in increasingly often the case today. If you intend to utilize your bedroom for work as well as for leasure, it is important to note precisely the use you intend to make of it, and the equipment and tools you will want to keep there. Will the secondary life of your bedroom be practical – for activities such as ironing, dressmaking or sewing? Or will it be a place for office work, involving tiles, papers, computers and other technical equipment? Whatever its secondary use (and remember, it is secondary), do not forget that it must be possible easily to hide from sleeping view the physical remnants of the day’s work. It is not helpful to see around you, last thing at night and first thing in the morning, invasive reminders of a less relaxing life, so work out a comprehensive storage scheme before you start planning – whether highly organized, made – to measure variety or more improvised option of a floor length cloth draved over a table.

This is of course is another area in which the mezzanine, raised platform, or galley can come into its own. Constructed to hold the bed in spacious comfort, a mezzanine platform provides an area beneath it in which another domestic life – of whatever description – can take place. The whole space can, and probably should, be decorated in a way that clearly defines the different between the activities of night and day.

She Made Me Say This

I truly don't like to take up other bloggers' space with really long comments. At moments like that I just have to come here and lay it out.Paradise's latest acknowledges the writing here at The Living Room, and professes a lot of excitement for the positive things that can be done. As we all know, she is an unabashed Moore supporter and it shows. My comment, suggesting that Moore take the

Cheap Shot

I just caught up with Westgard's broadside on the Rogers Park Garden Group (RPGG). It was a cheap shot, period.It makes not a bit of difference to me what the political leanings are of the RPGG. They should be congratulated for taking the lead to effect some positive, community building activity. Pam's comments make it clear RPGG is trying to build and maintain bridges, not walls. I think