Archive

Archive for January, 2012

Hire a Veteran!

January 28, 2012 Leave a comment

Sheppard AFB, Texas

 Hello to my friends, colleaques,  Twitter followers and blog readers,

That picture to the left in this post is of me when I was a very young USAF service member (laughing at the hair, glasses or fashionable business suit is allowed-Gads).

There are more than 26 million veterans in the US. And, I am one of about 6 million women who served our country proudly.  I served in the USAF in a technical capacitiy after the Vietnam war had just ended (more stats here).  As you can see in the photo, I was the only female in my USAF training class, and I had to wear men’s cotten fatigues, shirts (and boots) which had to be starched each and every single day.  BTW, check out the shine on those boots! After I graduated from tech school in Texas, I was shipped to England for a few years where I was one female out of about 90 men working at small communications switching site in England.  A great deal has changed since those early days during my own personal experience as a military service member, and for the better for women I believe.  

But, I do believe the women of our time who served learned early to work hard with the hope of contributing and making it in a tough environment.  Below are some statistics about our veterans.

Over the course of my life, I have continued to expand and hone my career relative to communications in some form or another as the times have changed, And, I have adapted with the changing times.  Since signing up on Wordress.com, I’ve been providing a plethora of ad hock user generated content about social media and communication related topics for a couple of years now,  because I really want to help people.

Today, I’d like to briefly introduce myself, as an emerging woman veteran-owned small business in the DC/Baltimore metro areas.   With the economic downturn today, this recession is also a very tough environment, and doubly tough for an “mature” veteran trying to kick start her own business during a recession. And, some might think me a bit nuts for trying to do so.  

Yep, I am taking the plunge.  I filed for certification in MD as a MBE (OMG,  their are coming to inspect my little office in 30 days!) I’ve registered in CCR.gov and with the VA.  I am up an running with a small office space ready for business. Exhaling.

Know anyone who needs communication help? Please forward my resume  http://bit.ly/yR6Nas or website www.unlimitedpr.net

Is it too idyllic  to have a dream where we can contrubute to making a difference in other people’s lives by helping other people, Veterans, businesses and agencies? I believe.  And  yes, I still believe that hard work and a hope in something better is what has always driven our economy, in a positive way (not scathing political rhetoric).  I think you will find a similar integrity and sound work ethic in my commrads who have served, as well.

 I’d appreciate it if you’d consideration hiring any Veteran, as well as other small Veteran-owned businesses. We  really do know how to get the job done. 

 I am willing to provide consulting, 1099 and sub-contract support. Heck, at this stage I will simply take a few good hours of solid work to help your own small business persoanally. With a few hours of my time, I can be invaluable in helping with your outreach needs. 

Here is my small business capabilities fact sheet: http://bit.ly/sqGrjB,  and if you would like co-collaborate with a business opportunity, I’d appreciate hearing from you by requesting assistance here> http://bit.ly/oqcoE9

Thanks for reading and your time spent honoring and hiring our veterans or other small veteran-owned firms across this country of ours will not go unrewarded.

Sincerely, Alice M. Fisher, Owner of Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC

Categories: Communications 2.0, Contracting & Small Business, History, Marketing 2.0, Military, Uncategorized, Veterans Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Plastic Bags? Ban ‘em? Tax ‘em? Yes? No?

January 5, 2012 Leave a comment

In the pursuit to eliminate all that is not green, plastic bags seem to be a natural target these days. 

Whatever happened to our wonderful big sumptuous decomposing brown paper bags which were taken from us when we were forced to use only plastic bags a few years ago? It was a huge change back in the day. Now, because “they” are our nearly only choice for use in retail stores (which are the same stores who bought us into this whole mess and forced us to use them a few years ago) Now, we the consumer are being punished for using them? I already recycle them. I just want to yell, “foul!” Really?

The retail industry should be the ones paying the tax on the number of bags they order, not us. I can see it now, our children will be going back to brown paper sack lunches so they wont be taxed for each and every zip loc bag they use every day as well.

Because of the widespread use of plastic products and packaging, some say, these plasitc bags have contributed to environmental conditions ranging from increased pollution to overloaded landfills to the country’s dependence on oil and not to say anything about its impact on animals (and no, it has not helped birds build warmer nests). 

I hope you’ll read the rest of the blog for more information, but before we go any farther into the post I’d  to know your opinion on this issue? I encourage you to take my poll on the bag tax directly below:


In response, some cities have adopted legislation, and policies that tax our use of these bags and or ban plastic grocery bags made from polyethylene in favor of bags made from other materials such as cloth, compostable plastics, or paper. What about the composit plasitic bags, if this really is an environmental issue. Come on, eventually they will end up in landfills as well, and they are even bigger/thicker bags.

I think the public consumer should be better informed, there needs to be a coordinated communication plan for this issue. And, I believe the newly imposed local policies with additional “hidden taxes” on plastic bags is made without informing the public correctly, nor fully disclosing all the facts and without providing the public a voice or vote on the policies being uniformly imposed on them. This is my opinion.

But, my gripe is more about the hidden taxing with no voice, no vote nor any effective communication to us the people while imposed said changes are inacted on the individual consumer, instead of big retailers and manufacturers. Why tax us and punish us?

There are a myriad of other arguments like the environment and the trash. And, there can be other local changes made to fix overspending and budgetary woes. Heck, I am already growing my own food with a garden and raising a small gaggle of chickens to offset high costs and being environmentally more conscious. 

But now, I am thinking that I may start recycling my old T-shirts or jeans or better yet, start bringing my little red wagon or cardboard boxes for my shopping (from the Post Office, Fed Ex, UPS, DHL which are free for us to use).

Or, maybe I can simply side step all shopping in Montgomery County and boycott the county retailers and go buy my own plastic bags directly from the manufacturers, have them shipped to my house and skip the tax all together? Please see the links for the plastic bag. Less material means less waster and fewer emissions.

  • Plastic bags generate 80% less waste than paper bags.
  • Plastic grocery and retail bags make up a tiny fraction (less than 0.5%) of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.
  • Plastic bags generate only 50% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of composted paper bags.
  • The production of plastic bags consumes less than 4% of the water needed to make paper bags. 
  • Plastic grocery bags are fully recyclable and the number of recycling programs is increasing daily.
  • Nationwide over 855 million pounds of bags and film were recycled in 2009—up 31 percent from 2005.
  • According to EPA’s data, about 13 percent of plastic bags and wraps were recycled in 2009.
  • Plastic bags can be made into dozens of useful new products, such as building and construction products, low-maintenance fencing and decking, and new bags.
  • In recent years, many grocers and retailers have introduced plastic bag collection programs. Tip: Look for a collection bin, usually located at the front of the store or near checkout areas.

I wonder if anyone publishes or considers the total consumer plight on being taxed to death, at ever corner for everything? This is a recession for goodness sakes! Why are local governments and states taking even more money of our very limited incomes from families who are already stretched to the hilt, out of work and taxed beyond belief?

First we are force fed plastics (a few years back on it being more environmental), now we are taxed or banned from their use. And, now they are no longer so environmentally friendly? I am either thoroughly confused or have I been mislead with the wishy washiness of just what is being touted as environmentally sound? Just what is the skinny on this plastic bag conundrum? Why punish the consumer for what was pushed down our throats a decade or three ago? 

\What about those big manufactures of the actual plastic bags or the retailers who creat and buy them to start off with? Why not fine, tax, ban, limit or boycott these huge manufacturers and retailers for the creation, supply and distribution of the bags to retailers since they are the ones that actually buy them? And many are importing from China and Taiwan.

Here is a list or plastic bag manufactures that supply Maryland. www.iqsdirectory.com/plastic-bags/search/state/md

 

  • Search your state for manufacturers of plastic bags here. www.iqsdirectory.com/images/usamapoutline-sm1.png
  •  For discussion and greater fodder; here’s a thought question: If you were a policymaker, which would you choose?
  • A ban on plastic bags that will anger a significant percentage of voters while reducing plastic bag use almost entirely (over several years), but possibly increase overall ire at government’s meddling to “save the environment.”
  • Or, a tax on plastic bags, which will reduce plastic bag usage 85-95 percent but maintain the illusion of free choice and, as an added bonus, generate revenue to address other pollution and over consumption issues (translation: help pay for additional government meddling to save the environment).
  • Tax the big manufactures in each state if they produce more than a regulated number.
  • Or, communicate to citizens to become more educated, re-use, recycle, and re-use yet again (because heck they do supposedly last a 1,000 years). In addition to recycling, a recent national survey shows that over 90% of Americans reuse their plastic bags and about 65% of Americans reuse their bags for trash disposal. Other common uses include lunch bags, pet poop pick-up, cat box liners, boot liners, and water balloons. In this regard, the reuse of a plastic shopping bag prevents a second bag from being purchased to fulfill these necessary functions. Why punish us with a tax? We thought we were being more responsible and sustainable already.
  • Or, why not consider organizing an Occupy Plastic Bag campaign against the huge plastic bag manufactures?

Please read the following research from “Life Cycle Assessment for Three Types of Grocery Bags – Recyclable Plastic; Compostable, Biodegradable Plastic; and Recycled, Recyclable Paper.” The conclusions regarding the relative environmental impact when using a life cycle view are consistent with previous studies and need to be reinforced in the policy arena and communicated to the people more effectively. The policies to discourage plastic bags may have more to do with litter control or generating revenue for cash strapped municipalities than the overall environment.

Whatever the goals of the policy makers, these need to be far more explicit than general environmental improvement, since the life cycle story is consistent in favor of recyclable plastic bags. It is possible that the emphasis of another report might be that the full benefit of plastic bags is even higher when large recycling is in place, instead of taxing people.

Here are a few more facts about plastic bags:

Re-using, re-cycling, taxing manufacturers and distributors while instituting and providing for better public environmental communication plans from retailers on their own plastic bag purchases, bag use and conservation campaigns might be a solution, without pinching our already over taxed hardworking Americans supporting this economy and who are being left holding the bag, so to speak.

Just a thought or two.
Alice M. Fisher, Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC,
A Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business
Website: www.unlimitedpr.net

If you want to dig deeper below is additional reading & references from Wikipedia:

 

Categories: Communications 2.0, Environmental Communication, Marketing 2.0, PR 2.0, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Seeds of Old Fashion Communication for 2012

January 3, 2012 1 comment

VegieablesAs I write this, there is a rogue snow squawl just outside. This blog post is a detraction from my normal communications and social media related posts, as I examine my own  New Years resolutions for 2012.  I encourage you all to grow a garden this year, in pots/containers, on a small raised bed in the back of your Townhouse, or on a larger plot, or a rural rented plot somewhere. 

It’s also that time of year, it gets pretty darn cold out at night, I can’t even go outside to dig in the dirt ( its frozen), and it gets dark out at 5 pm. When I was a young girl in Upstate New York where every year when winter rolled around and the very cold January and February winds blew and dreams of green grass and soft warm winds haunted us, our mailbox had the annual welcoming and oh so colorful Spring gardening and seed catalogs.

This is the time when I look back to my roots and my love of gardening, which I got honestly from my father. Therefore, I dedicate this post to a man who also loved to garden and where I fondly remember him pouring over seed catalogs during the winter months to order seeds for our very large family with six siblings.  So, I  begin my New Year not really making any new resolutions I can’t keep. Instead I am hard at work ordering seed catalogs and look forward to the spring. As planting, growing, toiling, tilling and working on seven acres provides enough of a workout that I never have to say, I will exercise more each year! :) .  I was crazy enough to buy seven acreas that needed to be tamed, last year. OMG!

 Exercise and work, and seasonal communication is part of the ebb and flow of the changing seasons. Whatever happened to old fashion face-to-face communication, and doing it over the backyard fence, chatting about and compairing proudly grown veggies and new seeds we plan to plant next year?

 For now, while I am trying to embrace cyber-nating inside, I will continue to pay homage to my father and grand mother’s well taught basic life skills (communication 101, for life and business). 

 And yes, I will order a few seed catalogs to dream of fresh veggies to harvest later in 2012 . To get started, last night I planted heirloom Marglobe tomatoes, Yolo pepers, and a slew of cantaloupes, and some onions from seed (as a test).

 In this modern age of technology, about 70% of people still order most of their seeds from seed catalogs! I think this is great and here is why I think so. I believe that some old fashion ways of doing things should not change. We are beginning to raise entire generations who do not know anything about gardening, canning or growing things when it used to be a staple activity for families which kept people from starving, being less dependent on the government, and they ate healthier. Conversely, I know most of us have embraced many of the new fangled ways and technologies. But, we are passing on nothing to our youth, and our grand children. Rather, we are forgetting about being close to the land and living with a more purposeful existence, soon many will not know how to provide for themselves at all. This does not mean I am gonna go all Amish on you all. But, I refuse to pay an additional five cent tax at the grocery store for buying food to live on which is already taxed and not fresh.

 As a result, in my opinion something is missing from our daily lives, many are unemployed, the environment is suffering. There is value and purpose in time honored old fashion traditions such as; sitting still next to a crackling fire ( Yes, with wood you cut or stacked by yourself) and actually reading next to that fire with a snack like warm peach cobbler ( from peaches you canned or grew yourself) -instead of playing “farmer” with Farmville, texting, checking or tweeting your Facebook status 16 times a day or playing mindless time-sucking video games for hours and hours (which have no real intrinsic value, in my book).

 Like with so much else in life, technology is displacing the need for printed catalogs because a company can just list their seed selection on their website. Add to that the rising costs of doing business, the consolidation of seed companies, and the pickings can seem slim if you prefer printed seed catalogs. Fortunately, if you know where to look (and are willing to pay a few dollars in some cases) you can still participate in the tradition and escapism that is a seed catalog.

 Did you know there are more than 100 seed catalogs out there? As every gardener knows, seed catalogs are wonderful reading. Between the tantalizing descriptions of varieties and the first-rate cultural information, many catalogs can double as reliable gardening books. They are also interesting as historical sources.

 Note: Many heirloom vegetable varieties are not available in the seed trade, but can be found through seed saving networks. For more information, see also: Seed Savers, Seed Exchanges, and Seed Societies. You can find a larger list of seed catalogs at:

Below are a short list of favorites derived from a recent Mother News (MEN) survey. MEN’s printed that one customer said, “Fedco’s catalog make wonderful, entertaining, laugh-out-loud reading and all the vintage graphics are wonderful.” 

  1. Johnny’s Selected Seeds (Winslow, Maine) www.johnnyseed.com
  2. Seed Savers Exchange (Decorah, IA) www.seedsaver.com
  3. Bakercreek Heirloom Seeds (Mansfield, MO) www.rareseeds.com
  4. Burpee Seeds & Plants( Warminster, PA) www.burpee.com
  5. Territorial Seed Company ( Cottage Grove, Ore) www.territorialseed.com
  6. Seed of Change (Rancho, Dominquez CA) www.seedsofchange.com
  7. Ferry-Morse Seed Company (Fulton, KY) www.ferry-morse.com
  8. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Mineral, VA) www.southernexposure.com
  9. High Mowing Organic Seeds (Wolcott, VT) www.highmowingseeds.com
  10. Fedco Seeds ( Waterville, MA) www.fedcoseeds.com
  11. Nichols Garden Nursery (Albany, OR) www.nicholsgardennursery.com
  12. The Cook’s Garden ( Warminster, PA) www.cooksgarden.com
  13. Botanical Interests (Broomfield, CO) www.botanicalinterests.com
  14. Renee’s Garden Seeds (Felton, CA) www.reneesgarden.com
  15. Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (Grass Valley, CA) www.groworganic.com

 For long term seed storage, seed vaulting, non hybrid garden seed kits, try a few of the following:

  1. AAOB Foods which also provides info with tips on planting
  2. Patriot Survival Seed Vault 37.95 | MyPatriotSupply.com
  3. Heirloom Organics- Survival Seed Vault $99 – 50,000+ Seeds
  4. www.non-hybrid-seeds- 2 Acres, 1.5LB, Eat for .01/LB
  5. Prepared Planet-Canned Seeds | Organic Heirloom Seeds | Emergency Seed Storage
  6. Livestock Seed Storage Pack
  7. And here is a list of culinary vegetables too from Wikipedia

 Happy Gardening in 2012. And I encourage to resolve to share more with your family, neighbors and friends, the old fashioned way! 

 Call, write, txt me if you’d like help with a contract or communication plan!  And, all my best for a better and more prosperous 2012. 

 Alice M. Fisher, Owner of Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC which is a Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business. For more informatin visit our website  @Unlimitedpr, Website: www.unlimitedpr.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Categories: Communications 2.0, Gardening, Marketing 2.0, PR 2.0, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.