EzineArticle Author: Not Bragging - Just Happy

I'm kind of proud right now. See the little banner on the right at the top. It's official: I'm now an EZINE author. Not platinum or anything yet. It's just the first article.

I submitted an article on Solar Christmas Lights to EzineArticles a couple of days ago. I just received this approval. I've heard from many that this is the best article directory on the web and that they are stringent. It is silly I guess, but after I had written and edited the article I waited two days before submitting. For some reason, because of their reputation, I had some trepidation about this. But it's good. I've submitted another article that's in review right now. For those who have done this a lot, this may seem silly, but for me, it's a big deal right now.

Check out Christmas Solar Lights- Four Reasons to Switch from Traditional Holiday Lights.



From:

"EzineArticles.com Approval Team"

To:

jdluntjr@yahoo.com

Hello John,

Your article, "Christmas Solar Lights - Four Reasons to Switch From Traditional Holiday Lights" - has been accepted and published on EzineArticles.com:
http://EzineArticles.com/?id=3281423

You've also earned Expert Author status:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Lunt

Your article will appear on our high-traffic home page within 48 hours:
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Your article has also been sent to our exclusive EzineArticles RSS
Feed and to our proprietary EzineArticles Email Alert Members.

You are welcome to add one of these special buttons on your
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To Your Article Marketing Success!
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We Are The Solution in Our Communities

Many people want to look toward government for solutions to our economic problems. The truth is, if we really became a community then we can be the solution.

Last year I purchased a six color screen printing setup, for the hope that some day I will start a screen printing business. A friend of a friend was nice enough several months ago to offer to help me learn the ropes so to speak. He had been a screen printer before.

I had the equipment in my shed. I still hadn't built a place to set up as a screen printing shop. My friend said that this friend had been laid off of his job.

It just came together. I'm not using the equipment right now. This man has space in his garage. He had mentioned how he would love to get back into screen printing someday. I offered my equipment. After all, this man has a wife and children to take care of.

He happily accepted and picked up the equipment this morning.

There is no reason that people can't come together and help one another. We just have to re-capture the idea of community and what it means to love one another.

This isn't the only case like this. More and more there are pockets of people coming together recognizing that they are stronger together than they are individually. People like the Amish have realized it - that's why they can raise a barn in a day.

We have to move beyond the Ultimate Consumer attitude of collecting more and more goods and move toward the idea of a better life and lifestyle by sharing and helping each other.

When a big hit movie comes out on DVD, why do we all go buy one. Isn't that a waste. How often will we watch it. What if neighbors somehow came together and put together their own lending libraries so they could share the costs of movies. What about boats? Why do you go down the block in some neighborhoods and lots of people have ski boats, what if some form of fractional ownership was created. Wouldn't that be less expensive. You could have a reservation system so everyone could use it.

I don't know how this would work, but it seems saner to me than everyone buying stuff that they don't use that often.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cindy47452/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Christmas Solar Lights - Ideas for Outside Christmas Decorations

Christmas solar lights are a great way to decorate outside. There are several reasons for considering the use of solar Christmas lights this Christmas season. I started using them last year because they solved a problem for me.

I live in the country and I have a fence near the main row that I wanted to decorate for Christmas. The problem I have is that the location I wanted to decorate doesn't have an electric outlet anywhere close. Actually the closest available outlet is probably about 150 yards away. That meant using extension chords was out of the question.

Last year I saw a news segment on television about Solar Christmas lights. I knew that was my solution I checked with several retailers but none of the stores had them including Wal-Mart, Target and Lowes. Finally, I found a Home Depot with three boxes, which I snatched up. I also bought a set of solar powered spotlights.

I intertwined the solar Christmas lights with garland and hung them on the fence. I put a wreath on a fence post and used the solar powered spotlights to illuminate it. It wasn't much but it was a start and I was pleased with the results.

Fortunately, this year I've done my research and have found that Christmas solar lights are readily available online. So, I'll be adding to my collection and I look forward to a great display.

Search Amazon.com for solar christmas lights

Water for the Poor in Africa

Water for the poor in Africa: A starting point for my dream. I've simplified my life because I have a dream of making a difference in the world. In the past few years I've helped the homeless, helped provide a Christmas for a family with mom and dad out of work, helped some other people who lost their jobs, and a number of other things. I don't say this as a boast but as an indicator or a starting point that's all.

I am blessed to live in one of the wealthiest nations on the planet. I have a job. I have insurance. I have plenty to eat...too much actually. I have a a car. I have a family that loves me and a roof over my head. I live in relative peace. I also have a faith in God that says I have been blessed so that I can be a blessing.

I have a desire now to make a difference in Africa. But I don't want to be a one note solution. Hey we'll drill a well here then move on.

What if we dug a water well in an African village this year. Next year we come back and put in some solar panels so they could use LED lights in the village to study by or get a few more work hours in that could make a real difference in their lives. Then what if we built a clinic and followed up with a school. In essence building some infrastructure where there is a chance for education, improved health and maybe even the development of commerce.

Then what if we also started in the next village down the road, doing the same thing. Then another nearby village and another.

We could develop an oasis that is free from going from one crisis to another maybe and we could develop an economy between those villages that could then begin to benefit others as well. Then real wealth could be created that is in the hands of the local people.

I don't know -but this is part of my dream. That starts with my first project - a water well. I just feel that it is important to start there. Where? I don't know yet. Maybe somewhere in Kenya. I've got to do some research. But my first goal is to be able to have $5000 for the first well by my birthday next year.