Main Causes of the Great Depression--Any Resemblance to 2008?

i love comparing things,in doing so i came across this article and wanted to share..Any resemblance? I call it greed and living above the means while other's do without....

Betty~Simply Southern



Main Causes of the Great Depression

by Paul Alexander Gusmorino III May 13, 1996
The Great Depression was the worst economic slump ever in U.S. history, and one which spread to virtually all of the industrialized world. The depression began in late 1929 and lasted for about a decade. Many factors played a role in bringing about the depression; however, the main cause for the Great Depression was the combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920's, and the extensive stock market speculation that took place during the latter part that same decade. The maldistribution of wealth in the 1920's existed on many levels. Money was distributed disparately between the rich and the middle-class, between industry and agriculture within the United States, and between the U.S. and Europe. This imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy. The excessive speculation in the late 1920's kept the stock market artificially high, but eventually lead to large market crashes. These market crashes, combined with the maldistribution of wealth, caused the American economy to capsize.

The "roaring twenties" was an era when our country prospered tremendously. The nation's total realized income rose from $74.3 billion in 1923 to $89 billion in 1929. However, the rewards of the "Coolidge Prosperity" of the 1920's were not shared evenly among all Americans. According to a study done by the Brookings Institute, in 1929 the top 0.1% of Americans had a combined income equal to the bottom 42%. That same top 0.1% of Americans in 1929 controlled 34% of all savings, while 80% of Americans had no savings at all. Automotive industry mogul Henry Ford provides a striking example of the unequal distribution of wealth between the rich and the middle-class. Henry Ford reported a personal income of $14 million in the same year that the average personal income was $750. By present day standards, where the average yearly income in the U.S. is around $18,500, Mr. Ford would be earning over $345 million a year! This maldistribution of income between the rich and the middle class grew throughout the 1920's. While the disposable income per capita rose 9% from 1920 to 1929, those with income within the top 1% enjoyed a stupendous 75% increase in per capita disposable income.

A major reason for this large and growing gap between the rich and the working-class people was the increased manufacturing output throughout this period. From 1923-1929 the average output per worker increased 32% in manufacturing. During that same period of time average wages for manufacturing jobs increased only 8%. Thus wages increased at a rate one fourth as fast as productivity increased. As production costs fell quickly, wages rose slowly, and prices remained constant, the bulk benefit of the increased productivity went into corporate profits. In fact, from 1923-1929 corporate profits rose 62% and dividends rose 65%.

The federal government also contributed to the growing gap between the rich and middle-class. Calvin Coolidge's administration (and the conservative-controlled government) favored business, and as a result the wealthy who invested in these businesses. An example of legislation to this purpose is the Revenue Act of 1926, signed by President Coolidge on February 26, 1926, which reduced federal income and inheritance taxes dramatically. Andrew Mellon, Coolidge's Secretary of the Treasury, was the main force behind these and other tax cuts throughout the 1920's. In effect, he was able to lower federal taxes such that a man with a million-dollar annual income had his federal taxes reduced from $600,000 to $200,000. Even the Supreme Court played a role in expanding the gap between the socioeconomic classes. In the 1923 case Adkins v. Children's Hospital, the Supreme Court ruled minimum-wage legislation unconstitutional.

The large and growing disparity of wealth between the well-to-do and the middle-income citizens made the U.S. economy unstable. For an economy to function properly, total demand must equal total supply. In an economy with such disparate distribution of income it is not assured that demand will always equal supply. Essentially what happened in the 1920's was that there was an oversupply of goods. It was not that the surplus products of industrialized society were not wanted, but rather that those whose needs were not satiated could not afford more, whereas the wealthy were satiated by spending only a small portion of their income. A 1932 article in Current History articulates the problems of this maldistribution of wealth:

We still pray to be given each day our daily bread. Yet there is too much bread, too much wheat and corn, meat and oil and almost every other commodity required by man for his subsistence and material happiness. We are not able to purchase the abundance that modern methods of agriculture, mining and manufacturing make available in such bountiful quantities.

Three quarters of the U.S. population would spend essentially all of their yearly incomes to purchase consumer goods such as food, clothes, radios, and cars. These were the poor and middle class: families with incomes around, or usually less than, $2,500 a year. The bottom three quarters of the population had an aggregate income of less than 45% of the combined national income; the top 25% of the population took in more than 55% of the national income. While the wealthy too purchased consumer goods, a family earning $100,000 could not be expected to eat 40 times more than a family that only earned $2,500 a year, or buy 40 cars, 40 radios, or 40 houses.

Through such a period of imbalance, the U.S. came to rely upon two things in order for the economy to remain on an even keel: credit sales, and luxury spending and investment from the rich.

One obvious solution to the problem of the vast majority of the population not having enough money to satisfy all their needs was to let those who wanted goods buy products on credit. The concept of buying now and paying later caught on quickly. By the end of the 1920's 60% of cars and 80% of radios were bought on installment credit. Between 1925 and 1929 the total amount of outstanding installment credit more than doubled from $1.38 billion to around $3 billion. Installment credit allowed one to "telescope the future into the present", as the President's Committee on Social Trends noted. This strategy created artificial demand for products which people could not ordinarily afford. It put off the day of reckoning, but it made the downfall worse when it came. By telescoping the future into the present, when "the future" arrived, there was little to buy that hadn't already been bought. In addition, people could not longer use their regular wages to purchase whatever items they didn't have yet, because so much of the wages went to paying back past purchases.

The U.S. economy was also reliant upon luxury spending and investment from the rich to stay afloat during the 1920's. The significant problem with this reliance was that luxury spending and investment were based on the wealthy's confidence in the U.S. economy. If conditions were to take a downturn (as they did with the market crashed in fall and winter 1929), this spending and investment would slow to a halt. While savings and investment are important for an economy to stay balanced, at excessive levels they are not good. Greater investment usually means greater productivity. However, since the rewards of the increased productivity were not being distributed equally, the problems of income distribution (and of overproduction) were only made worse. Lastly, the search for ever greater returns on investment lead to wide-spread market speculation.

Maldistribution of wealth within our nation was not limited to only socioeconomic classes, but to entire industries. In 1929 a mere 200 corporations controlled approximately half of all corporate wealth. While the automotive industry was thriving in the 1920's, some industries, agriculture in particular, were declining steadily. In 1921, the same year that Ford Motor Company reported record assets of more than $345 million, farm prices plummeted, and the price of food fell nearly 72% due to a huge surplus. While the average per capita income in 1929 was $750 a year for all Americans, the average annual income for someone working in agriculture was only $273. The prosperity of the 1920's was simply not shared among industries evenly. In fact, most of the industries that were prospering in the 1920's were in some way linked to the automotive industry or to the radio industry.

The automotive industry was the driving force behind many other booming industries in the 1920's. By 1928, with over 21 million cars on the roads, there was roughly one car for every six Americans. The first industries to prosper were those that made materials for cars. The booming steel industry sold roughly 15% of its products to the automobile industry. The nickel, lead, and other metal industries capitalized similarly. The new closed cars of the 1920's benefited the glass, leather, and textile industries greatly. And manufacturers of the rubber tires that these cars used grew even faster than the automobile industry itself, for each car would probably need more than one set of tires over the course of its life. The fuel industry also profited and expanded. Companies such as Ethyl Corporation made millions with items such as new "knock-free" fuel additives for cars. In addition, "tourist homes" (hotels and motels) opened up everywhere. With such a wealthy upper-class many luxury hotels were needed. In 1924 alone, hotels such as the Mayflower (Washington D.C.), the Parker House (Boston), The Palmer House (Chicago), and the Peabody (Memphis) opened their doors. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, the construction industry benefited tremendously from the automobile. With the growing number of cars, there was a big demand for paved roads. During the 1920's Americans spent more than a $1 billion each year on the construction and maintenance of highways, and at least another $400 million annually for city streets. But the automotive industry affected construction far more than that. The automobile had been central to the urbanization of the country in the 1920's because so many other industries relied upon it. With urbanization came the need to build many more apartment buildings, factories, offices, and stores. From 1919 to 1928 the construction industry grew by around $5 billion dollars, nearly 50%.

Also prospering during the 1920's were businesses dependent upon the radio business. Radio stations, electronic stores, and electricity companies all needed the radio to survive, and relied upon the constant growth of the radio market to expand and grow themselves. By 1930, 40% of American families had radios. In 1926 major broadcasting companies started appearing, such as the National Broadcasting Company. The advertising industry was also becoming heavily reliant upon the radio both as a product to be advertised, and as a method of advertising.

Several factors lead to the concentration of wealth and prosperity into the automotive and radio industries. First, during World War I both the automobile and the radio were significantly improved upon. Both had existed before, but radio had been mostly experimental. Due to the demands of the war, by 1920 automobiles, radios, and the parts necessary to build these things were being produced in large quantities; the work force in these industries had been formed and had become experienced. Manufacturing plants were already in place. The infrastructure existed for the automotive and radio industries to take off. Second, due to federal government's easing of credit, money was available to invest in these industries. Thanks to pressure from President Coolidge and the business world, the Federal Reserve Board kept the rediscount rate low.

The federal government favored the new industries as opposed to agriculture. During World War I the federal government had subsidized farms, and payed absurdly high prices for wheat and other grains. The federal government had encouraged farmers to buy more land, to modernize their methods with the latest in farm technology, and to produce more food. This made sense during that war when war-ravaged Europe had to be fed too. However as soon as the war ended, the U.S. abruptly stopped its policies to help farmers. During the war the United States government had paid an unheard of $2 a bushel for wheat, but by 1920 wheat prices had fallen to as low as 67 cents a bushel. Farmers fell into debt; farm prices and food prices tumbled. Although modest attempts to help farmers were made in 1923 with the Agricultural Credits Act, farmers were generally left out in the cold by the government.

The problem with such heavy concentrations of wealth and such massive dependence upon essentially two industries is similar to the problem with few people having too much wealth. The economy is reliant upon those industries to expand and grow and invest in order to prosper. If those two industries, the automotive and radio industries, were to slow down or stop, so would the entire economy. While the economy did prosper greatly in the 1920's, because this prosperity wasn't balanced between different industries, when those industries that had all the wealth concentrated in them slowed down, the whole economy did. The fundamental problem with the automobile and radio industries was that they could not expand ad infinitum for the simple reason that people could and would buy only so many cars and radios. When the automotive and radio industries went down all their dependents, essentially all of American industry, fell. Because it had been ignored, agriculture, which was still a fairly large segment of the economy, was already in ruin when American industry fell.

A last major instability of the American economy had to do with large-scale international wealth distribution problems. While America was prospering in the 1920's, European nations were struggling to rebuild themselves after the damage of war. During World War I the U.S. government lent its European allies $7 billion, and then another $3.3 billion by 1920. By the Dawes Plan of 1924 the U.S. started lending to Axis Germany. American foreign lending continued in the 1920's climbing to $900 million in 1924, and $1.25 billion in 1927 and 1928. Of these funds, more than 90% were used by the European allies to purchase U.S. goods. The nations the U.S. had lent money to (Britain, Italy, France, Belgium, Russia, Yugoslavia, Estonia, Poland, and others) were in no position to pay off the debts. Their gold had flowed into the U.S. during and immediately after the war in great quantity; they couldn't send more gold without completely ruining their currencies. Historian John D. Hicks describes the Allied attitude towards U.S. loan repayment:

In their view the war was fought for a common objective, and the victory was as essential for the safety of the United States as for their own. The United States had entered the struggle late, and had poured forth no such contribution in lives and losses as the Allies had made. It had paid in dollars, not in death and destruction, and now it wanted its dollars back.

There were several causes to this awkward distribution of wealth between U.S. and its European counterparts. Most obvious is that fact that World War I had devastated European business. Factories, homes, and farms had been destroyed in the war. It would take time and money to recuperate. Equally important to causing the disparate distribution of wealth was tariff policy of the United States. The United States had traditionally placed tariffs on imports from foreign countries in order to protect American business. However these tariffs reached an all-time high in the 1920's and early 1930's. Starting with the Fordney-McCumber Act of 1922 and ending with the Hawley-Smoot Tariff of 1930, the United States increased many tariffs by 100% or more. The effect of these tariffs was that Europeans were unable to sell their own goods in the United States in reasonable quantities.

In the 1920's the United States was trying "to be the world's banker, food producer, and manufacturer, but to buy as little as possible from the world in return." This attempt to have a constantly favorable trade balance could not succeed for long. The United States maintained high trade barriers so as to protect American business, but if the United States would not buy from our European counterparts, then there was no way for them to buy from the Americans, or even to pay interest on U.S. loans. The weakness of the international economy certainly contributed to the Great Depression. Europe was reliant upon U.S. loans to buy U.S. goods, and the U.S. needed Europe to buy these goods to prosper. By 1929 10% of American gross national product went into exports. When the foreign countries became no longer able to buy U.S. goods, U.S. exports fell 30% immediately. That $1.5 billion of foreign sales lost between 1929 to 1933 was fully one eighth of all lost American sales in the early years of the depression.

Mass speculation went on throughout the late 1920's. In 1929 alone, a record volume of 1,124,800,410 shares were traded on the New York Stock Exchange. From early 1928 to September 1929 the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose from 191 to 381. This sort of profit was irresistible to investors. Company earnings became of little interest; as long as stock prices continued to rise huge profits could be made. One such example is RCA corporation, whose stock price leapt from 85 to 420 during 1928, even though it had not yet paid a single dividend. Even these returns of over 100% were no measure of the possibility for investors of the time. Through the miracle of buying stocks on margin, one could buy stocks without the money to purchase them. Buying stocks on margin functioned much the same way as buying a car on credit. Using the example of RCA, a Mr. John Doe could buy 1 share of the company by putting up $10 of his own, and borrowing $75 from his broker. If he sold the stock at $420 a year later he would have turned his original investment of just $10 into $341.25 ($420 minus the $75 and 5% interest owed to the broker). That makes a return of over 3400%! Investors' craze over the proposition of profits like this drove the market to absurdly high levels. By mid 1929 the total of outstanding brokers' loans was over $7 billion; in the next three months that number would reach $8.5 billion. Interest rates for brokers loans were reaching the sky, going as high as 20% in March 1929. The speculative boom in the stock market was based upon confidence. In the same way, the huge market crashes of 1929 were based on fear.

Prices had been drifting downward since September 3, but generally people where optimistic. Speculators continued to flock to the market. Then, on Monday October 21 prices started to fall quickly. The volume was so great that the ticker fell behind. Investors became fearful. Knowing that prices were falling, but not by how much, they started selling quickly. This caused the collapse to happen faster. Prices stabilized a little on Tuesday and Wednesday, but then on Black Thursday, October 24, everything fell apart again. By this time most major investors had lost confidence in the market. Once enough investors had decided the boom was over, it was over. Partial recovery was achieved on Friday and Saturday when a group of leading bankers stepped in to try to stop the crash. But then on Monday the 28th prices started dropping again. By the end of the day the market had fallen 13%. The next day, Black Tuesday an unprecedented 16.4 million shares changed hands. Stocks fell so much, that at many times during the day no buyers were available at any price.

This speculation and the resulting stock market crashes acted as a trigger to the already unstable U.S. economy. Due to the maldistribution of wealth, the economy of the 1920's was one very much dependent upon confidence. The market crashes undermined this confidence. The rich stopped spending on luxury items, and slowed investments. The middle-class and poor stopped buying things with installment credit for fear of loosing their jobs, and not being able to pay the interest. As a result industrial production fell by more than 9% between the market crashes in October and December 1929. As a result jobs were lost, and soon people starting defaulting on their interest payment. Radios and cars bought with installment credit had to be returned. All of the sudden warehouses were piling up with inventory. The thriving industries that had been connected with the automobile and radio industries started falling apart. Without a car people did not need fuel or tires; without a radio people had less need for electricity. On the international scene, the rich had practically stopped lending money to foreign countries. With such tremendous profits to be made in the stock market nobody wanted to make low interest loans. To protect the nation's businesses the U.S. imposed higher trade barriers (Hawley-Smoot Tariff of 1930). Foreigners stopped buying American products. More jobs were lost, more stores were closed, more banks went under, and more factories closed. Unemployment grew to five million in 1930, and up to thirteen million in 1932. The country spiraled quickly into catastrophe. The Great Depression had begun.



©1996 by Paul Alexander Gusmorino III

Weekend Contest Review~~I want to win the SONIC BOOK ALARM CLOCK CONTEST!!!

Happy 10 days till christmas!lol...ARE YOU READY??? i am ,,at least i think i am.I try and prepare long ahead and i did pretty good this year,with a plus that some of my gifts are handmade.Tree was cut and put ud last saturday when both my grandsons were here as well as son's and daughter in law.I like tree hunting with them each year.The weather here has been ridiculously warm for the past 2 weeks,highs in the 80's and lows in 50's.Tonight all that is suppose to change.The front moves throough and wind is suppose to be blowing from 15-20 mph tomorrow and tomorrow night with low temps.I really feel for the upstates,supposes to be a blizzard for them.

I have been looking around and come up with you a few killer contest and get out there and enter them.There are some really great blogs in blogville so give a look around. Make sure you sign up for the feeds on any you like so you want miss anything.

BETTY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONTEST~~~ WORD PRESS CHRISTMAS GIFTS! ~~~CONTEST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EASY WORD PRESS--christmas gifts,WIN A PRIZE!

TO START OFF THE CONTEST I WANTED TO BEGIN WITH THIS ONE FROM EASY WORD PRESS!!!
I SOOOOOOOOO want to win this sonic boom alarm clock!
My son is so hard to wake up and he waill be moving out on his own soon,getting married.He and my brother as well are ''night people''.I don't mean they stay out late ,they just have trouble ever falling asleep and then in the morning they are like trying to wake a hibernating bear mid way thru the winter..lol..
When i saw this ,i laughted out loud.I could picture putting that under both their beds and watching them when it went off.Yea,i have a strange sence of humor i am told..lol..ANYWAY I SO WANT THIS!!!click on the link below and check out all 6 of the coold gizmo's up for grabs,,,

Wanna carry Yoda on your back just like Luke Skywalker did? In return, Yoda will carry your books, laptop, clothes or whatever else you want him to carry.


It even looks cool if you’re a macho biker. The straps are adjustable and sized for adults.

Gift 2 - Sonic Boom Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker ((I WANT THIS!!!!!))))

If you have trouble getting up early (like me) you’ll absolutely need this. This alarm clock will wake your entire neighborhood, and shake your bed so violently you’ll have no choice but to get up.


The Sonic Bomb Clock has an adjustable volume alarm with a maximum loudness of 113 decibels (just for reference, a jackhammer is about 100 decibels!) And the bed shaker does just that. Slip it under your mattress and your ears will bleed and your bed will shake, and there is no way you will oversleep.

Gift 3 - Marshmallow Shooter


The best non-lethal way to get even with your work colleagues or family members.

It is easy to fire and reload, making it perfect for quick attacks (or rapid defense). Holds up to 20 mini-marshmallows (I’ll include one pack of them) or you can use the foam pellets provided.

Shoots over 30 feet.
Magazine holds 20 rounds of ammo.
Shoots foam pellets or mini-marshmallows.
5 foam pellets included.
Gift 4 - USB Memory Watch



No time to back up your files? With the USB Memory Watch, you literally do.

This watch shows you the time (duh..) but also lets you store up to 2GB of data into it’s built-in flash memory stick.

Standard USB interface and USB extension cord included
USB 2.0 (read 4MB/s and write 3MB/s)
Sleek design, very lightweight (this is not a bulky watch)
Plug and play, easy operation (appears as a USB mass storage device)
LED indicator light shows device connectivity and data transfer
Operating Systems: Win 98, ME, 2000, XP, Linux 2.4 or higher, Mac OS 8.6 or higher
Shock proof and Anti-static
Water resistant to 20 meters (let USB connector dry before using)
Japanese movement with 3-year battery life
Memory size: 2GB
Weight: 1.5 oz (43 grams)
Dimensions: 1.5″ width x .375″ thick (watch face)
Gift 5 - Spaceman Moppel LED Light

The Space Man Moppel is the perfect buddy for the sci-fi lover. Each foot has two power magnets, so the Space Man can stand in almost any pose, any direction, and any gravity! The arms, legs, and neck are super bendy, too.

One hand is molded to hold a cable or two, and the other is a strong alligator clip for securing notes, thin wires, or anything else your mind can imagine. With a push of the button, your Space Man Moppel’s head will illuminate an area of your workspace in a soft, white, LED glow. And there is nothing as lovely as an LED glow.


How To Win Any of The 5 Gifts Above - Read Carefully

Write a post about our contest. The title should contain the name of the gift you want to win, something like “I Wanna Win The Sonic Boom Alarm Clock” - this helps us determine who wins what.

On your post, link back to our contest page. The correct URL for the link is........

NOW click below to read more and get entered!Just don't get my clock..lol..good luck!

EASY WORD PRESS--christmas gifts,WIN A PRIZE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CONTEST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAVVY SKIN CONTEST
Freeze 24-7 Contest!
Win Freeze 24-7 Anti-Aging Eye Serum
& Freeze 24-7 Freeze & Go!
I haven’t tried either of these products yet, so the winner of the contest can tell me what he or she thinks! The Eye Serum says it “helps reduce puffiness, fine lines, dark circles, and other signs of aging.” It costs $115. The Freeze & Go “can be used under or over makeup, to fix fine lines, absorb excess oil and brighten skin for a flawless finish.” It costs $65.To win $180 worth of Freeze 24-7 products, just comment on this post with your name and email address (which will only be seen by me) and say you want to enter the contest. The contest ends on Sunday, December 16, 2007. I will randomly pick the winner, and then contact the winner via email.

TO ENTER THIS CONTEST CLICK BELOW!
SAVVY SKIN CONTEST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Make Up Loves Me Contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
makeup loves me contest

head over and chek this out!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mom's Blogging!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boston Mamas contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boston Mamas -click here now
Many thanks to Braincandy for sending us review copies and to my mama reviewers for these thoughtful comments. Want to win a Braincandy DVD? FIVE WINNERS will receive one of Braincandy’s award-winning DVDs. Here’s how to enter to win:

Visit Braincandy's DVD collection and email contest@braincandykids.com with “Boston Mamas Contest” in the subject -- in your email, name one of the Five Senses characters (click on the DVDs in the online collection to learn more about the characters).
One entry permitted per person; US and Canada entrants welcome.

Entry period is between today (November 28) and December 23rd at midnight EST.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blonde Reviews
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
blonde reviews!Win a book

Dawn from So a Blonde Walks Into a Review is hosting a fun holiday contest where you can win an autographed copy of Merry Christmas, America! Megawatt Displays Across the USA by Bruce Littlefield along with a vintage, Christmas treasure! Deadline to enter is December 19, so click on over and enter quickly!
BlondeReviewsContest
Merry Christmas America! Megawatt Displays Across the USA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bloggy Giveaways!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
rocks in my dryer!BLOGGY GIVEAWAYS

she's got 4 contest going on right now!Enter quickly for your chance!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OFF BEAT HOMES CONTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
off beat homes-enter contest!

Contest duration: From the time this post goes up until the end of December 31st. I know it’s kind of a long contest but that gives you plenty of time to earn points and then I don’t have to deal with sending prizes during the height of the holiday season — last Christmas, Amazon and a few other places shut down for days and I’m so not going there again. I’ll announce the winners during the first week of January.

Who can win: Anyone except me. I officially disqualify myself. We all know I’d win ;)

How to win: Earn the most points. At the end of this Offbeat contest the three people with the most points will all win a prize.

Leave a comment: Each comment = 1 point.
Blog about this contest at your blog for 10 bonus points. Some of us have one blog and some of us have five plus blogs so to make it fair you can only earn these extra 10 points once. To get the 10 bonus points you just need to make sure to link back to this post.
There are going to be three prizes to choose from. If you’re a winner you can pick whichever one you like. If all three winners want the same thing that’s fine as well. I went with three offbeat-minded items that I personally like that are also easy to send. Hopefully there’s one prize here you’d enjoy.

1) The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes by Daniel D. Chiras
2) A year subscription to Dwell
3) Moxy. I figured it might be cool to include an offbeat kids item as a prize option.
head over and enter!!!! off beat homes-enter contest!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PAJAMA MOMMY GIVEAWAY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
pajama mommy giveaway!

Now you are going to want to know how to enter this contest well there are a few ways we’re allowing you to enter!
As the apartment is being built I got myself thinking about another chair for the apartment that isn’t as heavy as the giant green one and can be easily put away for when we don’t have company, I was fortunate enough to be contacted by the Canopy Chair people for a give away for you guys! This chair is awesome, not only is it easily converted to a “back pack” but it is so portable and super cheap! It is only $39.99
1. Comment on this article telling us your favorite color chair (this will be the one the winner gets)

2. Do a write up on your website of this contest, please do not link directly to the contest but you can link to the Canopy Chair website and tell them to come here for the contest. You just need to make a comment with a link to the post or email it to us!

3. Recommend someone else enter the contest. They just have to use your name in the
THis contest will end December 18th at MIDNIGHT EST.

I WOULD LOVE TO WIN THE ORANGE OR BLUE ONE!

ENTER THE CONTEST HERE--> pajama mommy giveaway!
CHECK OUT CANOPYCHAIR.COM!!!---> CANOPYCHAIR.COM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LITTLE FUN LITTLE LEARNING CONTEST!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
little fun little learning!
The winner of this giveaway will receive two products of their choice from Oopsie Dazie. There are two ways to win the prize from Cindy.

1) Leave a comment below telling which product from Oopsie Dazie is your favorite.

2) Install the Little Fun; Little Learning giveaway button on your blog (the code is at the top ....CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE!

little fun little learning!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 MINUTES FOR MOM CONTEST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 minutes for mom contest
The prize pack we’re giving away includes toys for a range of ages from baby to toddler to preschooler as well as the Mom & Baby Fitness DVD and three different CDs.
PARENTS.COM
I wish Santa could drop off one of these prize packs for each of you… but the great news is that even if you don’t win the whole bag of loot, these toys are well priced and you still have time to get them under your tree.

Here’s a complete list of all the goodies in the prize pack:

Mom & Baby Fitness DVD
Rockin Sing-Alongs CD
Now I Know My ABC’s CD
Sleep Sounds for Mom CD
Garden Counting 1-5 Puzzle
Fruits & Vegetables A-Z
My MP3: Classical Music
Bee Bop Band
Pop Beads
Water Works
Bristle Blocks
Rev & Roll Bus
Petite Painter
If you want to win this prize, simply follow these two steps:

Publish a post on you................
CLICK TO READ MORE! ---->>> 5 minutes for mom contest

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mommy cracked~christmas in dixie!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MOMMY CRACKED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boston Mamas contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boston mammas


Welcome to our December contest in partnership with Tiny Prints. Up for the winning is a $100 gift certificate. This contest closes at midnight, EST December 31, 2007. You may enter this contest once.


STEP 1: Create an account on tinyprints..
click to read more........
Boston mammas

**********************************while you are there!!!

issue is brought to you by Peanut & Beans, purveyor of handmade bibs. Peanut & Beans will gift TWO lucky newsletter subscribers (US entrants welcome) with a bib of their choice from the Peanut & Beans collection. Click here to enter to win this prize; entries must be received by midnight EST Friday, December 21.

And for more goodies, visit us regularly. We've got great daily giveaways lined up for this week!

Best wishes and happy holidays, Christine Koh, Publisher, Boston Mamas
Win A Bib

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
snow nation!win a pair of goggles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December is a month of giving and we are giving away Smith Triad Goggles to three (3) lucky winners.

Each goggle prize (retail value of $90) will have a separate contest ending at 11:59PM on December 31, 2007.

Listed below are the three contests and instructions on how to enter. Be sure to use a valid email address that you check, because if you win, we will contact you via that email address. Your email address is safe with us and will not be shared or abused in any way.

Contest #1: Enter by making comments on SNOWNATION.

saownation.com-click here now

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLOG CONTEST ~~~~CHECK DAILY 4 NEW CONTEST
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
BLOGCONTEST.COM


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IBD INSURANCE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Win $25 Cash From The IBD Health Blog
Do you own a blog? If you do, you can enter our contest to win $25 cash. We will award a $25 cash prize on January 1st to one lucky blogger. It’s easy to enter - just follow the rules below.
ENTER HERE!
IBDINSURANCE HOMEPAGE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BRING IT ON,IN IT TO WIN IT CONTEST!
WIN A TRACK JACKET AND MORE...
GIVEAWAY ENDS DEC. 22
DAEMONSTV.COM-ENTER HERE NOW!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baby Jamz Shape Sorter Contest:FROM A MOM'S REVIEW!!!!!

We wanted to give one of you the chance to win one of the toys from the new Baby Jamz toy line to see how well you like it. To enter to win the Baby Jamz Shape Sorter leave a comment on this post telling me you want to win by Sat. Dec. 22nd, 2007
A MOMS REVIEW-CLICK NOW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Win a copy of Harry Potter & The Order of Phoenix
Rules: legal US resident, 21+, void where prohibited
head over to the Goody blog now---->>> goody blog
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get your half of People You’ll See In Hell’s December income!

Submissions have been pouring in and we’re very excited to see who we get to announce as the final winner on the first day of the new year.

We’ve never run a contest before, and it’s kind of fun.

You can enter in one of three ways
homepage
people you'll see in hell-enter now
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLOG Paradise is hosting its first blog contest - The Christmas Paradise Contest! Up for grabs is a $45 T-Shirt coupon voucher from Spreadshirt.com, where you can get for yourself some beautiful customized T-shirts. We would like to thank our kind sponsors, Kevin aka Zentro, OneBuckWiki Contest Page and FiveDollarWiki Contest Page for providing the prize.

This is a quickie contest which will run for around one week and end on 22nd December 2007 (12:00 A.M., PST) so that we can send you your voucher in time for Christmas.

It is super easy to enter this blog contest and this contest is open worldwide and to both bloggers and non-bloggers alike. All you need to do is to leave a comment on this post (in the comments form) and you get one entry (no spam please)! I love to give options so if you want more entries, you can do the following as well:


click to rad more!
Blog paradise contest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
woman wardrobe needs contest!
CONTEST! You will want to check this out! I need one of these soooo badly...good luck!
HARDWARE Handbags wants you to be as big of a fan as I am... and is offering one of you a FREE bag of your choice! Just send an email to me with HARDWARE Handbags in the subject line (sorry, only US and Canadian residents for this contest) before Midnight, December 23rd, 2007 and a winner will be chosen at random. All who participate in the contest will be added to HARDWARE Handbag's mailing list so you will be kept abreast of any new products or promotions happening with the line.
click now!
woman wardrobe needs contest!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND MAY GOD BLESS US ALL
~BETTY
~Simply Southern~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make your own biodiesel,Soaps,Detergents,Mud oven,

This blog to dedicated to a few do it yourself (DIY)projects that can proove to very useful and inexpensive at your home!With today's economy ,we could all benifit from that.Try a few .Let me know what you think about it or if you have a different way of doing these or others..your imput is valued..

your own biodiesel! sound out there?REALLY? Gas is topping 3.00 a gallon and experts in the field are forecasting that soon it will sky rocket.The price's going down right now will not last,and when they rise again ,gas will be higher!
So if you think this may be right for you..give it a shot.If directions are followed,seems reasonably easy and i certainly am not a chemist but i do think i can do it.I am going to attempt it very soon.Then i'll just have to pick up an old diesel engine before this trend catches on and they want be cheap anymore! With this seems like ,the older the model the better!And the frugal side of me loves that idea..
anyway go check it out.Step by step easy directions.Make sure you read this in it's entirity and study it before you attempt...GOOD LUCK!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY BIODIESEL! CHEAP GAS!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anybody can make biodiesel. It's easy, you can make it in your kitchen -- and it's BETTER than the petro-diesel fuel the big oil companies sell you. Your diesel motor will run better and last longer on your home-made fuel, and it's much cleaner -- better for the environment and better for health. If you make it from used cooking oil it's not only cheap but you'll be recycling a troublesome waste product. Best of all is the GREAT feeling of freedom, independence and empowerment it will give you. Here's how to do it -- everything you need to know.
Journey to forever-make your own biodiesel!click here
journey to forever homepage!

Copyright of all original material on this website is the property of Keith Addison, unless otherwise stated, and may be copied and distributed for non-commercial education purposes only as long as the source of the material is stated and a reference to the Journey to Forever website URL is included ....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY SOAP!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kitchen Soap Making

handmade soap from your kitchenThe information on these pages will enable you to make soap in your own kitchen.

By following our instructions, using the recipes provided, you will be able to make a soap bar that will surpass all your expectations.

Your own handmade soap will undoubtedly feel better on your skin than just about any commercial soap you can buy, regardless of the purchase price.

You can take part in a phenomenon that is sweeping the world; the need to create a product that is as good, if not better than we remember from the past.

It also provides you with the opportunity to revive one of the skills that we have lost from our communities because of our reliance on multinational companies to provide many of our basic needs.

Be sure to read all of the instructions, including the safety instructions, thoroughly, before attempting to make your first batch of soap.
red gum soaps!click here and make your own!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope by now everyone knows that regular old laundry detergents you buy in the supermarket are made from petroleum. Yep, the same stuff that powers your car. Why would you want to wash your clothes in that stuff? Although there are good alternatives available at stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, you can make your own for much cheaper from basic ingredients.

First, the ingredients:

1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Grated Fels Naptha Soap
1/2 Cup Borax

Yep, that’s it…the three ingredients to make highly effective laundry detergent. First you want to grate/shred the bar of Naptha soap. You can use a cheese grater for this. If the pieces are not coming out small enough, you can be brave and use the food processor in the kitchen. And before you say “no way, all that soap!”….what do you think you wash the food processor with? Then combine the other 2 ingredients with the soap and you are done. You can then put it in a glass jar with a lid, preferably a recycled one like a spaghetti sauce bottle. For lighter loads, you can use 1 to 1.5 tablespoons and for heavy loads use 2 to 2.5 tablespoons.

The total cost comes out to equal about .15 cents per laundry load…not bad! Plus, you are using one less petroleum product in your house, which is good for everyone.

GOOD HUMAN! CLICK HERE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DIY MUD OVEN! THEY ARE GREAT!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a way to have pizzas and loaves baked in your backyard. You can build your own mud oven — they are surprisingly easy to make. The main ingredients are sand, clay and water. Here are some
instructions for constructing the mud oven seen above. See these step-by-step photos: Part 2. Here are some tips on make your oven more efficient.
Mud oven Project - technical notes.


Basic oven is a simple, dome shaped shell of mud and sand
we built a simple one layer oven - however you can build up to 3 layers
dense thermal layer
less dense layer with straw
finish layer
to figure how big to make the oven - start off with deciding how often and for what you will be using it. lay out loaf/pizza pans to see how big a circle you need to contain it - thats how big the oven needs to be.
location of site - you need to think about:

HANDY PROJECTS! CLICK FOR DIRECTIONS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~massage bar~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A solid massage bar is an easy and convenient
way to give or get a good massage.

1/2 cup cocoa butter
1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
23-25 drops of your favorite essential oils or a blend of oils
1 massage bar mold or any favorite mold

Melt the cocoa butter over very low heat and add the coconut oil. Remove and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and add to your mold. Let harden and remove from mold. Place in the freezer to quicken the hardening. Keep in a cool place. Let cure 1 week before use.
readers!!!! a quick note,there are lots of diy recipes here! some would also be great to give as gifts..I love this site.highly recommend...betty

p v soap!this recipe and more!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's all for tonight.I sincerely hope you enjoy these sites.I wish for you peaceful dreams ,peace and contentment and blessings from above...

betty

The way it was-Where & when i grew up.From pigs to ''pot licker''.

This is my first entry on my new blog. i do hope you find it enjoyable.a place to relax and at times to drift back,to a simpler time.A time when we worked hard and had simple fun.To a time with fiddles and banjo's filling the summer nights,a time of friendship and socials.When grandma's made their own meds.,and outhouses were the norm.A time that we all may be living in again.This is a blog of love ,yet survival.I see bad times coming for us as a nation,and i fear most would not be ready for this.God gave us each a mind to use.He also warned us of hard times,and to prepare.Not just spiritually(although that is a must) but physically and mentally.To be prepared ,no matter what.So i do hope you will continue to return.I will blog almost daily as i can.I welcome any ideas and your imput..thank you for stopping by.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the time of year that my mind wanders back in time often.Winter and the Holidays..A time that i cherish.Childhood and all it's innosence,imaginations,and dreams.A time before we really knew what we all would one day face.Mine was a little different than some of the friends i made as i grew older.I thought life consisted of what we knew and everyone was the same.WOW! does school change that idea..lol.
But that's for a different time.I was born in 1963,in rural south central alabama.I am one of 4 kids,lived next door to my grandparents.My great,great ,great grands homesteaded this land in 1846.Our family still owns most of it.
As I grew up things were simpler..yes,simple yet hard.A simple life with a lot of work,but somehow most of the time we had fun with it.As Summer drew down,the days got shorter,with just a nip in the air right before dark.It signaled time to finish the summer crops,bury the onions and potatoes,gather wood quicker and start chopping on the lightard stumps we had found in the woods.The fallow had just been bundled and stored in the corn shed for winter feeding for the horse,mule and cows we had.That really came in handy about jan. and feb. each year.Most of the time it meant the difference in being able to feed our livestock or sell.By working hard,we never sold.They were there for the planting and birthing come spring,when life would start all over again.
We had some hogs grandpa kept,big tall white ones.They were certainly not the friendliest animals at our house but more times than one,they came in handy for a good laugh terrorizing our ''city cousins''..lol..They were not ever meant for pets,a few times each year we would have a ''hog killing''.The big iron syrup kettle would have a huge hot fire underneth it until the water boiled.That was for the hog cleaning.I never joined in that ,but i always watched.I knew this meat would feed us over a period of many moons.
The corn had been taken to Finks griss mill,the meal was ready to be picked up.It did always make the best fried cornbread and was great with the ''potlicker'' as grandma called it. Nothing but greens(turnips) with roots cooked with plenty of juice,and poured over the baked cornbread.Man ,was that good.i still enjoy cooking that.
Most of the old people that i remember as a child have gone on to be with Jesus,only a few remain.Mr. Buster,who is 95 now,and mrs. Gracie who i believe is about that same age.We passed by Mrs. Gracies yesterday and her daughter and son in law waved in the yard.Still makes a smile come on my face.
I am lucky to live at my grandparents home now,the place where i grew up.The new generation of kids and their friends,while teens, nicknamed it ''The Old Place''.My grandparents have long since passed,but their spirit remains with me.I love this land,i love my home.Not because of the material good of it,But because it was built,cared for and struggled with out of love.An enduring love that i will carry always with me.It made me who i am.I learned who God was here,about Jesus and the Holy spirit.I learned what honesty was,and what sharing was.My grandfather use to say that he had kept all the old hand plows,seeders,etc.long after he needed them, because one day his greatgrandkids may need them.Said to take care of all of it.That one day their very lives may depend on it..I use to think that was a little crazy to come from such a smart man..I don't anymore.
I do see a lot of people that one day very soon may be in a whole lot of trouble...The economy is getting really bad,and i only see it getting worse.I see a time very soon when my family may very well need those plows for a garden.When the fireplace may be the only heat we can afford(mainly use it now anyway).
In the last few years i have found a lot of sence in beginning to stock up on extra things,just in case.Lot of family members would depend on us if it got this bad.My grandkids may need me ...And in the words of grandad lee...Their very lives may depend on it...

betty