Category Archives: Golden Rule

How to find power in kindness and spread it in your daily life

We can all afford to be kinder to each other. I have noticed an increase in kindness across Gannons campus in the past few weeks.When I mean kindness in the past few weeks, I dont mean side-stepping what occurred on our campus but being there for others more than we thought we were, reaching out to get help when we need it and lending a shoulder, ear or whatever we need from each other. We have realized that taking care of each other should come first within a lot of areas of life.When we move through our lives living selfishly and with blinders on, we lose focus of what really matters the ones around us who love us. Sure, we will have our careers and lives, but we have to have people around us who support and love us.We also need to make sure that we care, love and support those in our lives too. We cant let them do all the work. Living in selfishness can lead to broken relationships, strained emotions and paths that we may not necessarily want to fall down.Deep down, we have all struggled with something at some point in our lives and have strayed from the path of helping others and bringing forth kindness. Yes, that is human nature, and it is something that happens often. However, we cannot let that take us over and consume us.We learn a lot of this from Jesus. Jesus was not a perfect person, and neither are we. Following Easter, I always remember that I am not perfect. I am only perfect in the eyes of my Savior. Even then, I can feel like I am not perfect, that I have strayed from the path, and I am one of the lost sheep trying to find their way back to the herd. I know deep down that I am endlessly loved and redeemed, but at times I wish I could do more.I try my hardest to live my life with the notion of treat people with kindness. I want to bring forth as much good and positive energy into the world as I can.I believe that part of the reason God put me on this earth is to bring kindness forward and make it a necessary part of living.I try to be kind to every single human, animal, plant or thing that I come into contact with. I never want to leave someone and have them think that I didnt care about them or that they are not valued. That is the last thing that I would want. I want to leave someone with the idea that they are loved, worthy and powerful.After that, I would hope that they go on and bring goodness into the world based on how I treated them.Growing up, I was raised on the Golden Rule Treat others the way you want to be treated. This rule or saying has been ingrained in my upbringing. You want to leave the earth better than you found it. You want to treat others the way you wish to be treated because it shows that you care.There are so many small things that we can do to be kind. So here is my challenge to the Gannon population and that includes students, staff, administration and anyone:Call someone whom you havent talked to in a while and ask how they are doing. Just catch up with them!Perform three small acts of kindness during the next few weeks. That can be anything from buying your friends, roommates, teachers or whomever coffee, to helping your friend study for their big exam coming up.Take a moment for yourself and soak in the sun. Embrace the sunshine and let it fill you with warmth. It will remind you that you are OK.

ANNIE RUZANIC[emailprotected]

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Finding God: Being kind to one another THE GANNON KNIGHT - Gannonknight

Nassau Hall, photographed on Feb. 23, 2021.

Princeton University, Office of Communications, Denise Applewhite

Its never too early to read to your child. As part of her bedtime routine, read her a book or two. Soon your baby will associate certain stories with falling asleep. Sesame Street Parents Guide

In our last thrill-packed episode we revisited albeit for apt comparison to the current national level of discourse theRiot of 1963, a Princeton nadir firmly ensconced in the campus 20thCentury Bottom 10 along with 14 consecutive football losses to Yale and the unveiling of New South.

The students outrage at the discipline leveled at some of the worst 1963 perps (including 11 one-year suspensions), and the ensuing burning in effigy of the president, somehow triggered an association with the current day, when students are welcomed back to campus in a highly congested locality during a highly dangerous pandemic only upon signing aSocial Contractwhich bears more than a passing behavioral resemblance to some of the old monasteries I love to visit tucked far into the German Alps. Note: The monasteries are now empty. [One of my favorite contractuals: I will not move or modify furniture in common areas, lounges, or classrooms.]Fascinatingly, there seems to besome student/inmate sympathy, which is I suppose a compliment to those in charge of trying to navigate such adangeroussituation, up to the point of afirst-person taleof an incarcerated positive-tester forbearing their isolation anddeliveredbrown-bag diet during quarantine.

Theres even a successful model for this, as we noted a while back, in theSpanish Flupandemic of a century ago. The coincidence with World War I meant the military was running much of the logistical base of the campus, and if a student wandered into town for a couple hours, he would be grabbed, isolated, his clothing and whatever fumigated. When purified, he was released, and God help him if he again strayed from his garret and classrooms. However, the campus had no deaths from the pandemic whatsoever, while the town of 6,000 on the other side of Nassau Street had 32. Of course, there was no social contract for the student to sign, and no indication that anyone objected; however, we should remember that things in the military that go undocumented are never, ever good. Anyway, the University in the person of president Rev. Dr. John Grier Hibben 1880 *1893 had essentially signed with the Army for the students,in loco parentis.

And so we arrive at the magic phrase, hereinafter ILP. A college community which is overwhelmingly residential, essentially creating its own 24/7 urban environment, must have some rules of the road (oroffthe road, as we shall see), so the community can operate with safety, clear expectations, and order. The coincidence of most of its denizens having just recently attained the age of majority leaves open the issue of who should define and adjudicate those rules of the road. For the better part (well,largerpart) of two centuries at Princeton the answer to that was ILP, a doctrine which in the distant past had the same religious underpinnings as those of our absent friends the Bavarian monks under the wing of Mother Church, and which in a secular society evolved into the more literal vision of the college acting benevolently and wisely as an avatar of your own parents. You can see the severe limits of this concept by watching Homer on any random episode ofThe Simpsons.

There are really two levels of ILP to discuss here, and while they both pertained for centuries, distinguishing them can be instructive today. It really began as a strategic legal structure in English common law going back all the way to Blackstone, coincident with Princetons move to Nassau Hall in 1756. The support of the courts for the hegemony of the deanery over the students continued unbroken in the U.S. until 1961, when the issue of due process under the 14th Amendment became the lever to overturn ILP inDixon v. Alabama, notable not only for the brilliant constitutional argument but for the underlying issue: a Civil Rights sit-in in Montgomery, Alabama. The students afterward summarily dismissed by Alabama State were treated without due process and, at least in a public institution, the courts said that could not stand. By 1971, when the 26th Amendment moved the national age of majority to 18, court cases of students against colleges were argued on circumstantial bases, never to return to the arbitrary sweep of ILP.

But the other unavoidable level of the doctrine is tactical: Somebody has to make some rules. Getting blitzed at the Nass in 1770 was a no-no, so was tying a calf to the lectern in the Prayer Hall (daily chapel was required ILP); someone must differentiate between them. President Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon was happy to oblige, at least when not fomenting revolution down in Philly. After theRiot of 1807, though, the trustees decided to invoke the Golden Rule,i.e.those with the gold make the rules, and the result for the college was disastrous. They had every technical right, but eventually spent 15 years meddling with operations and inflaming the students, until by 1823 they had very few bodies left and needed a new president, who turned out to be the vacuous James Carnahan. By 1829, Rev.John Maclean Jr 1816was ensconced as vice president and became the fatherly moral center of the place for 39 years, yielding the presidency to Rev. Dr.James McCoshonly in 1868. He in turn took a very calm view of discipline,exceptfor hazing (including theRiot of 1878), which he brutally pursued in conjunction with any whiff of fraternities. The eating clubs and dorms were a major result. On the healthcare front, his wife Isabella, a physicians daughter, was as close to literal ILP as the college ever saw.

Meanwhile, the historic rules requiring chapel attendance continued on into the 1920s despite the gradual presence of more denominations among the undergrads, and then in 1927 it was joined at the head of the students discipline hate list by theCar Rule, instituted by president Hibben after five horrific student deaths in 1926 alone. The subsequent auto deaths of track star Stockwell Jadwin 28 and ironically Hibben himself after his retirement in 1932, gave heft to the ban of virtually all cars from the campus or vicinity, and punishment was severe. That lingered (along with chapel) for 40 years, again bringing to mind the monastery, while insuring the solvency of the Dinky.

At that juncture in Princeton the demise of ILP as a legal doctrine joined forces with theKelley Committee, a result in 1968 of petition byboththe students and faculty, which was charged with no less than a complete review of University governance. And so it was that, at Princeton, a new superstructure, the Council of the Princeton University Community, and a new code of expectations titledRights, Rules, Responsibilities became the linchpins of the post-ILP behavioral world, complete with due process. The fact they remain so 50 years later is both a tribute to those involved in their creation and revision, and also the sense of community that has traditionally been a hallmark of the campus, reflected for decades in areas as diverse as faculty recruitment, admissions procedures, Annual Giving, Reunions and the sale of really odd tchotchkes at the U-Store. These are the active, growing bones upon which the RRR world is based, in any objective sense more effective than a group of academics deciding the automobile is the devils tool, and somehow making it stick for 40 years.

Now, the loss of ILP and the rise of RRR doesnt translate into a free-for-all. Eighty-eight students were arrested in May 1985 when an anti-apartheid demonstration at Nassau Hall became a blockade, which is a no-no; but under RRR they were only given warnings afterward. Then in January 1999 the last bizarro edition of theNude Olympicsgenerated plenty of ill will and a nice new section of RRR as the entire concept was, in any practical sense, outlawed.

And now we have a new adventure in RRR, explicitly cited as the basis for the COVID Social Contract. This clearly is not just a paper-pushing exercise;55 students have been disciplinedfor violating various clauses through late February, including eight sent home. [Although to be fair I doubt rearranging the furniture has yet risen to the level of corporal punishment.] Even an arch sing, as we now come to find out, is currently beyond the pale. The results have been stunning anasymptomatic COVID test ratedown around 0.04 percent (thats 1/2500), a grand total of two people now in the isolation dorm so its hard to argue. Meanwhile, there has been an avalanche of applications for those who wish to sign on for RRR as the class of 2025, so the ghostly fate of the Bavarian monks doesnt seem to be ours in the near future.

But its intriguing, in an idle moment, to consider again the days of ILP, and wonder if a bowl of Isabella McCoshs Scotch broth might not have been a comfort beside the COVID brown bag.

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Rally 'Round the Cannon: Adventures in Parenting | Princeton Alumni Weekly - Princeton Alumni Weekly

It is no secret that Malaika Arora swears by healthy living. The fitness aficionado, who recently got her first dose of the COVID vaccine, shared the three most important things one needs to do for a fit life.

The 47-year-old took to Instagram to share a picture in which she is seen sipping from a cup. She wrote, Starting the day right, working out and eating clean are the three most important elements for fit living. We can at no point in time underestimate the power of either.

In fact, Malaika seems to be following the golden rule herself; her numerous social media posts on healthy diet and exercise are proof.

Earlier, she gave us a sneak peek into a healthy dish she was cooking.

Besides, Malaika is quite passionate about yoga and keeps sharing workout videos on Instagram. Recently, she shared a picture of her doing Chakrasana or the Wheel pose on a narrow ledge. Keep pushing yourself beyond boundaries! Strive for excellence! Learn, un learn and re learn! she wrote alongside the post.

How about following Malaikas tip and seeing the results for yourself?

For more lifestyle news, follow us: Twitter:lifestyle_ie|Facebook:IE Lifestyle| Instagram:ie_lifestyle

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Malaika Arora shares the three most important elements for fit living - The Indian Express

April 41908 -The 524 foot Lake Freighter "Fred Hartwell" is launched at Toledo Shipbuilding Company.

1920 - Safecrackers or "yeggs" break into the safe at Grace Smith Cafeteria on Madison in downtown Toledo and get away with about $1,000 in cash.

1955 - Future film TV actor Casey Biggs in born in Toledo. A graduate of Central Catholic High School in Toledo, and Julliard School in New York, Biggs is probably best known for his role of Damar in Star Trek Deep Space Nine. He has appeared in numerous movies and TV series.

April 51867 - The current Toledo Police Department is created when the Ohio legislature approves a full-time police force for Toledo and releases the city marshals from the duties.

1897 - Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones, one of Toledo's most colorful and controversial mayors in elected to office. The Welsh born businessman and millionaire was an ardent social reformer of the era who believed that all workers should be treated fairly, and crime was the product of poverty and not evil. He would go on to be elected three more times to the mayor's office.

1957 - The lake freighter "Champlain" rips loose from its moorings on the Maumee River in heavy winds and crashes into the Fassett Street Bridge. The bridge loses 600 feet of its span and is never rebuilt.

1961 - A discarded cigarette in a basement lounge sparked a blaze at Riverside hospital that forced 135 patients to evacuate into the chilly morning air. Several patients and nurses suffered smoke inhalation and others dealt with shock and hysteria as heavy smoke filled the four-story hospital on Summit Street.

1968 - "Topping out" ceremonies are held for the new Fiberglas Tower under construction in Toledo. When complete, it is Toledo's tallest building at 30 stories high and becomes the home of Owens Corning Fiberglas. The top floor features a very popular restaurant called "Top of the Tower" offering dramatic views of the city.

1980 - Sister Margaret Ann Paul is murdered in the sacristy of the Mercy Hospital chapel. The murder remains unsolved until 2006, when Toledo Police arrest Catholic priest Father Gerald Robinson, a hospital chaplain for the murder. He was tried and convicted and sent to prison where he eventually died. He always maintained his innocence.

April 61906 - Construction begins on Camp Perry near Port Clinton in Ottawa County.

1917 - The U.S. declares war on Germany and enters what would later be known as World War I. Thousands of Toledo area young men head for recruiting offices to join the armed forces to take part in the struggle. Toledoans at home begin to do their part with War Bond drives and rallies.

1932 - Arson triggered fire causes heavy damage at the Merrill Company warehouse in the 1300 block of Lagrange.

1941 - Lake Erie commercial fishermen hold a meeting to complain that raw sewage that is being pumped into the Maumee Bay and Lake Erie is killing too many fish.

1964 - The Princess Theater in downtown Toledo is featuring Elizabeth Taylor in the blockbuster "Cleopatra".

1990 - A sad day in Toledo for thousands of workers who learn that Champion Spark Plug is going to close its plant on Upton Avenue after 80 years of production and jobs.

April 71905 - The Toledo Fire Department accepts only nine men out of 82 applicants for jobs. Most are rejected for health problems including varicose veins, bad noses, bad teeth, bowlegs, flat feet and husky voices.

1927 - Ohio Bell company is urging telephone users in Toledo to go ahead and use the new "self-dial" system put into place in the city this week. They say that so far the new dial system is working well but people should be patient as they try to learn how to use the rotary dials and stop using an operator to place calls for them.

1956 - The Lucas County Sheriff Department puts together the area's first underwater rescue and dive team.

1963 - The State Historical Society reports that it is getting complaints about plans to prohibit picnics at Fort Meigs in Perrysburg.

1983 -Toledo loses another long-time business as Babcock Dairy announces it is shutting down operations. It had been started in 1919 by Roy Babcock and was the largest independent dairy operating in the U.S.

April 81835 - Michigan Militia members storm the home of area pioneer Ben Stickney and arrest two visitors there. The adventure triggers the start of what would become known as the Toledo War in which both Ohio and Michigan claim to own a narrow strip of land which includes the city of Toledo.

1856 - Area farmers are selling potatoes for 19 cents a pound. A day's wages for common labor in the city was $2.25.

1911 - The fiery evangelist Bill Sunday begins a spirited six-week revival campaign in Toledo. He is greeted by throngs of preachers and converts. He says he expects to reach 1,500 people a night in Toledo which will be his largest audience in many years.

1919 - Plans are announced to widen and lengthen the Welland Canal in Canada so that Toledo and other Great Lakes cities can someday host ocean-going ships and cargo. It did happen, but not for another 40 years.

1957 - A surprise winter storm hits the city and area, dumping near 10 inches of snow, clogging roads and dashing the hopes for an early spring.

April 91905 - Sewer diggers say they will never go back to a nine-hour workday and threaten to stop all sewer work in the city if they are forced to expand their workday again.

1955 - Plans are being finalized by the city health department for the delivery and mass vaccination of 14,000 Toledo school children with the Salk polio vaccine. As soon as vaccine arrives in Toledo, children will be taken by buses to the Health Center to get their shots.

1973 - Storms with heavy winds from the northeast cause more major flooding at Point Place, and along the Lake Erie shoreline in Lucas County.

2002 - The first baseball game is played at the newly built Fifth-Third field in downtown Toledo. The Toledo Mudhens win their inaugural game 7-4 against Norfolk.

April 101915 - Three iron workers are killed, and others injured, when the steelwork for the new Willys Overland plant collapses during construction.

1923 - Toledo railway commissioner W.E. McCann writes in an op-ed that buses have been tried on Toledo Streets as a possible alternative to the Interurban trolleys, but he says the buses "leave much to be desired."(By 1949 the Interurbans would be gone, replaced by buses.)

1978 - Toledo Public School teachers and other school workers launch a system-wide strike over wages and benefits. The strike would become a bitter and rancorous 22-day ordeal for all sides. After some picket line violence, bomb threats and court orders, the strike was eventually settled, and the striking teachers went back to the classrooms

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This Week in Toledo History Week of 4/5/2021 | The Press - Press Publications Inc.

When it comes to newsworthy stories about tech and startups, the majority of headlines and conversations focus on funding announcements, valuations and IPOs. And yet, only a mere fraction of startups actually raise venture capital. Coupled with the appalling funding disparities for women and people of color who already facehistorical, systemic inequitiesthe lack of access to capital further marginalizes underrepresented founders from innovation, creation and wealth-building.

As such, we shouldnt be asking about whether people are missing opportunities based on their identities; that much is obvious. The better question is how many and how big are the opportunities that theyremissing?

Heres what we know:

More in Diversity and InclusionThese 4 Companies Discuss Their Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Through Grid110,theLos Angeles-based startup and small business accelerator I co-founded in 2015,Ive worked with over 300 entrepreneurs, the majority of whom are women and people of color.Theyre building businesses ranging from side hustles to profitable, bootstrapped companies to high-growth ventures. Ive seen firsthand that VC is absolutely not a one-size-fits-all model.

VC is often likened to jet fuel for high-growth companies, but most companies cannot sustain that type of acceleration. In fact, its likely to be more detrimental to them than helpful. After all, you wouldnt fill up the gas tank of a Volvo with jet fuel.

At Grid110, my team and I first work to understand the type of company an entrepreneur is building and then educate them on the funding pathways that make the most sense for them. Unfortunately, few viable funding instruments exist for entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of building their businesses. Therein lies an opportunity to create innovative funding models that occupy the space between traditional bank loans and VC. Yet the tech industry continues to rely primarily on a single model for advancing innovation. This narrow focus results in a bottleneck that disproportionately affects those who are already underrepresented in the tech economy.

There is a huge white space opportunity to fund the 99.95 percent of companies deemed not suitable (or that are perhaps overlooked) for venture capital. Companies led by underrepresented founders who are able to do more with less, stretch their resources and close economic opportunity gaps are particularly good places for this kind of investment.

Where do we start? With the limited partners (LPs). Institutional LPs (things like pension funds, endowments, foundations and corporations) invest in venture capital funds and are primarily focused on generating returns on their investments. So, why arent they prioritizing investing in diverse teams that routinely outperform their all-white, male counterparts? And what needs to change in order to see more innovation in the venture capital ecosystem?

The first step toward fixing things is for investors to diversify the founders they choose to fund. Its simply smart business. Women and ethnically diverse founding teams are outperforming their all-white, male peers, but theyre still the least likely to raise funding. According to a recent industry report by All Raise and Pitchbook, women CEOs have exited companies faster than their male counterparts in nine of the last 10years.

If a funds focus is on the returns, why the stark contrast in funding? Studies released by First Round Capital, McKinsey and Kauffman Fellows support the claim that investing in diverse founders yields better economic returns. So, from an economic standpoint, anyone looking to invest in a company would be well-served to choose one with a diverse founding team.

This disparity also raises the question of why investors arent more interested in funding these companies. To truly effect change on a large scale, we need to diversify the funders. Investment decision makers are 72 percent white men, so it shouldnt be a surprise that the majority of startups that receive funding are led by also white men. The current funders tend to invest within theirsimilar networks and pedigrees, leading to a vicious cycle in the investment space.

By contrast, diverse funders will fund diverse founders. Organizations like BLCK VC, HBCUvc, VC Include and All Raise are working to change the demographics and diversify the career paths into venture capital from various levels. How can we support the expansion and growth of these and other, similar organizations to create more non-traditional pathways into VC, knowing that doing so will be the best way to impact the industry as a whole?

LPs should prioritize this type of diversification from their current funds and continue to seek out to support diverse emerging fund managers who will change the landscape for the better.

You might conclude that venture capital is not meant for 99 percent of businesses. It is most suitable for a specific type of business that has the ability to accelerate growth in a very short period of time, resulting in an exit (either by IPO or acquisition) in order to provide investment returns back to the fund. Finding these companies is essentially a venture capitalists job: They want to invest their LPs money in places that will result in outsized returns.

But most businesses are not built to sustain this type of growth in the target time frame. And even worse, most venture-backed businesses wont even achieve the outsized returns expected of them, and 75 percent will fail altogether.For an industry that invests billions of dollars annually with these results, the fact that there has been so little exploration of alternative models in this space is really surprising. We need to revolutionize outdated models and structures to keep up with emerging opportunities in the market.

Some people in the VC world have made efforts to establish alternative models of capital. Examples include revenue-based financing (Lighter Capital), rewards-based crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Indiegogo) or equity-based crowd investing (Republic, WeFunder, Start Engine). But some of these have fallen short of LP expectations.

For example, after investing in companies for six years through what began as an experimental funding strategy, IndieVC recently announcedit would no longer be investing in companies through itsinnovative funding model. Indie preferred real businesses focused on sustainable growth and profitability. Although its portfolio showed returns on par with more traditional investments, it faced increasing difficulty in getting LPs to commit to this model. Still, IndieVC and its GP Bryce Roberts have proven to be a pioneer in this space, igniting the conversation and paving the way for alternative funding models like Earnest Capital, Chisos Capital and Collab Capital.

There seems to be a shared sentiment that the industry cant change unless institutional LPs actively change it. If LPs feel both that diversity matters and that returns benefit from it, then more of them should be mandating it from their funds or investing in funds intentionally focused on diversifying the industry through economic inclusion like Backstage Capital, Harlem Capital, BBG Ventures, MaC Venture Capital and Slauson & Co. These are a handful of examples of whats possible, but there should be more. This type of focus on diversity should be the standard.

Read Next10 Networking Communities for Underrepresented Sellers

After all, the golden rule says that those who have the gold make the rules. LPs can be the biggest drivers of change, but they seem to be averse to changing their own habits.But perhaps theres another way to look at it: Instead of changing what the LPs believe, how do we change who the LPs are?

In just a few short years, equity crowd investing platforms have shown that theres an appetite amongeveryday people to become retail investors. In 2016, the SEC made changes that enabled non-accredited investors to invest money into companies through platforms like Republic and WeFunder.

The most recent batch of changes increased the limits of how much companies could raise through these types of campaigns. Backstage Capital raised $5M (the new limit) in just seven days to support the operating arm of their fund. So, what would need to happen for the SEC to allow retail investors to invest in actual funds through these same platforms?

Paige Finn Doherty wrote a brilliant piece entitled The Essential Guide to Syndicates that outlines how anyone (even a non-accredited investor) can organize a special purpose vehicle or syndicate for other investors (e.g., angels, VCs or even traditional LPs) to invest directly into a pop-up fund for a company. Similar to equity crowd investing, this path is another way to democratize access to capital for founders that also creates new opportunities for funders. Rather than having to raise a traditional venture capital fund, an organizer can rally support for one-off investments in companies using a platform like Assure, which handles all of the back-end fund administration. The good news is that, in this model, the organizer doesnt have to be accredited themselves or have the track record needed to raise a traditional fund.

VC is largely focused on growth at all costs, but it continues to shy away from growth opportunities for itself. The sector has largely eschewed innovation in its own niche by overlooking new funding models that could benefit both those companies that are already in the market and those trying to enter. Changing this structure will allow for greater diversity in the economy as a whole and will prepare VC firms to capitalize on a changing marketplace.

Although we have quite a long way to go in changing the equity in funding gap, there are emerging, innovative opportunities (if able to scale) that could bring about meaningful change to the industry. We need more education, accountability and amplification/attention to the voices on the ground that are closest to the problem at hand.

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How to Start Funding More Than Just White Guys - Built In

For Hudson Valleys Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein, Save All The Old Houses isnt just a cheeky slogan to slap on crewneck sweatshirts, pennant flags and canvas totes (though theyve done that too) its a rallying cry. The duo behind the wildly popular Instagram feeds @CheapOldHouses and @CircaHouses have amassed a staggering 1.7 million followers, but theyre not stopping there.

This summer, theyll take to television with a namesake show on HGTV, scoping out old homes around the country and checking in on some of their past listings that have been saved. The opportunity evolved, in part, thanks to their followings insatiable hunger for the house porn they showcase on their feeds weekly and that powers a public real estate obsession via Zillow and other real estate sites.

The story of Cheap Old Houses is kind of crazy, Ethan says. We didn't even know the impact the feed was having until maybe two years ago, and now we have over 100 stories of people who bought houses they saw us list, and it really has just inspired us right back. We see the good that it's doing and the community that it's built. Its easy to look at designers on television and be inspired, but the most important story is the neighbor that has restored an old building, and whats happening at ground-level in communities across the country.

Elizabeth and Ethan may have met as city dwellers in New York City, but it was a love for old homes and a penchant for nostalgia that brought the two together (Were both very old souls, Elizabeth explains). Growing up, Elizabeth was, as she says, totally spoiled by her childhood home, an 1850s Greek Revival near Saratoga Springs.

Some of our earliest dates were me asking Elizabeth if she wanted to leave Brooklyn and go move to the country and buy this farmhouse with me, says Ethan Finkelstein of the couples early relationship and love of old real estate. The duo lives in the Hudson Valley but are renovating an old home upstate.

I watched my parents love on their house all the time they invested a lot into it, she says. I think some people grow up in a situation where they either move a lot or their house is just kind of just a place they live in and they can lock the door and not really think about it. That wasn't the case for my parents. I always knew that our house was different than everyone elses, and I remember growing up with a lot of pride in it.

Ethan came to the table with a totally different perspective on the permanence of home, having moved around a lot due to his fathers Navy career. Still, the digital marketing pro felt the undeniable tug that storied real estate can hold, dreaming of one day buying and restoring a beloved centuries-old farmhouse that had been in his family for decades.

Right when Elizabeth and I first started dating, my grandmothers house went up for sale, he explains. Some of our earliest dates were me asking Elizabeth if she wanted to leave Brooklyn and go move to the country and buy this farmhouse with me I dont even know if we were official at the time.

The price for his grandmothers house was a bit out of reach, but the rural pipe dream remained until something even bigger bloomed for the couple.

In 2016, after years of peeping online listings and hitting up open houses together on the weekends just for fun, Elizabeth started Circa Old Houses, a site and namesake Instagram feed that allowed her to further fuel her love for old homes outside of her 9-to-5 as a historical preservationist in New York City. [Disclosure: Elizabeth also is a real estate columnist for Country Living, a Hearst magazine. The Times Union is also owned by Hearst.]

There initially wasnt a price cap on the homes featured, but Elizabeth soon found herself with a veritable buffet of excess old homes on her radar thanks to hours spent scouring real estate sites like Zillow, Redfin, and more many of which were listed at less than $50,000. Thus, an additional social profile and site, Cheap Old Houses, was born, with the goal of connecting the showcased properties with buyers who wanted to care for them.

It quickly racked up the followers, surpassing 100,000 fans in just over a year, and generating buzz (and up to thousands of social shares) for unique listings like a converted Swedish church in Michigan for $57,900 and a 1906 home in Syracuse, NY listed for just $1,000.

The houses that end up on @CheapOldHouses are interesting in so many ways, says Elizabeth. We live just outside of New York City [in Nyack], and whenever a house is on the market, the kitchen is redone, the bathroom redone, everything is flipped. But in some of the places I'm posting houses, they haven't had that kind of economic investment, and [the houses] are kind of vulnerable because theyre not being shown to people and given that chance.

We started Cheap Old Houses, in a sense, a little selfishly, she continues. We were living in a place that was so expensive and unsustainable, and I think we fit the mold of a lot of our followers homeownership was a pipe dream. Weve been looking for our own cheap old house for even longer than weve been running this feed.

Almost five years after starting @CheapOldHouses, the pair finally got the chance to participate in the old home community they fostered. They looked extensively for a home under $100,000 and hit the jackpot on a federal-style farmhouse built in the late 1700s, nestled on 10.5 bucolic acres in upstate New York between the Adirondacks and Vermonts Green Mountains.

The homes first floor had been completely gutted, but echoes of the past including plaster walls, original wood siding and tons of historical windows still remain intact. For Elizabeth and Ethan, the chance to walk the walk theyve built their social empire on is the thrill of a lifetime.

I once heard someone say that the more you give to something, the more you love it, recounts Elizabeth. Once we fix this house and it requires so much fixing I cant imagine giving it up. It feels like weve found our piece of paradise.

With old houses, you need to live with them a while to understand their worth, and let things grow on you, says Elizabeth Finkelstein, shown here with Ethan, her husband and co-founder of Cheap Old Houses.

For renovators in the same boat, the duo cant stress enough the importance of research. Elizabeth has taken on the brunt of the historical reconnaissance for their property, while Ethan helms the gritty-but-necessary work of making sure walls will stand and pipes will function.

Digging into who has lived in your house and when it was built can lead to a better understanding for how the house should function and be brought back to life, says Elizabeth, who suggests combing through resources like Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com, as well as your location historical society, to glean further information on a new-to-you property.

From there, the ambitious pair plans to follow the golden rule they suggest that all old homeowners abide by: Do your absolute best to save anything original.

We live in a country where newer and fresher is thought of as easier and better, and we have a lot of marketing that's pushing that, says Elizabeth, who playfully names the freakin window industry as one of the most-guilty culprits of a buy-and-replace mindset. Rehabbing historical windows is always better than replacing with cheaper vinyl versions, she says.

Old windows have been here for 200 years and are made of materials that are meant to be replaced unlike vinyl, which will last 10 years and end up in a landfill.

Taking your time to preserve an old home should be part of the process, she advocates. There's also a bit of a slow renovation that needs to happen with old houses. Everybody expects their house to look like an Instagram feed immediately, and the concept of walking in and gutting a place is popular, she says. With old houses, you need to live with them a while to understand their worth, and let things grow on you.

True to their dichotomous relationship, Elizabeth and Ethan are both looking forward to different parts of restoring their forever home. He stresses the importance of working with contractors who appreciate the value of historical architecture and cant wait to see if the septic works, while she daydreams of fixtures and finishes that will allow the homes age to sing.

Still, the pair have been aligned on many things from the start, including one big truth: This home is not theirs.

I think a lot of old house owners, us included, would describe themselves as stewards of their homes, says Elizabeth. The house doesnt belong to you its its own living thing, and it goes beyond you. You take care of the past, but you also make sure that the next person that lives there has something thats been well-maintained and cared for.

Adds Ethan, Well never be bored in this house, thats for sure.

--

Alyssa Longobucco is a freelance writer, editor, and interior design enthusiast. She lives in the Hudson Valley, where she's renovating an 1820s colonial alongside her husband and son, Liam.

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@CheapOldHouses founders start their own old home renovation - Times Union

Today I got my second vaccination shot. Lots of people have strong opinions about the vaccine. People have strong opinions about everything these days.

When I got sick from that awful virus in October, I formed a few strong opinions of my own. I never want to be that sick again. So, when the vaccine became available, I wanted to take it.

This was not my first vaccine. I have a scar from a smallpox vaccination. Most readers dont have one of those, because Americans stopped getting that vaccine in 1972 when smallpox was declared gone in the United States. If it ever comes back, though, Im ready.

I am also vaccinated against measles, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, rabies, and kennel cough. Maybe those last two were for my dog; its hard to keep track.

Ive been meaning to get one for shingles. Everyone I know who had shingles hated it. When the health department can start doing those again, I think Ill ask for it.

Some folks dont want any vaccines. Thats really none of my business. I dont intend to ask anybody about their status.

If they want to risk infection from any of those things, its their choice. I believe that the vaccines I have received do their job. I do not fear polio, because my vaccination works.

I will not criticize you publicly or privately for your personal health decision.

Not everybody feels that way, though. Today, I made a friendly social media post to announce my vaccination. Dont make fun: most of you have posted a picture of your dinner plate.

I got some friendly comments from several folks. One person, though, messaged me to tell me that people who take the vaccine are pure evil. Apparently, according to this person, I bought into the devils lies.

Now I dont get called evil every day this got my attention. I thought for a second about what nefarious act I might have committed by protecting myself from a disease.

Just a second, though. I quickly concluded that I dont have to have the same beliefs as other people. I told the person to have a nice weekend, then I turned my attention to something else.

Why would a person insult a stranger like that? The Lord told each of us to treat others the way we want to be treated. There are thousands of laws and rules in life. Most of them are covered by just doing that.

Treat other people how you want to be treated. Be an adult.

Most of us use social media for important things. We post pictures of our dinner and of our pets. We wish one another happy birthday. We share really silly jokes, and we share videos of people doing funny things.

Some of us arent happy enough in life to do those things, though. Some of us have to pick fights.

We all have political views, and everyone has expressed a negative political view on social media at one time or another. Were human.

We should, however, try to act like grown-ups. We should act that way at work, at home, in public, and online. Have you ever watched a parent scream at the officials in a childrens sporting event? Dont be that guy.

We can do better. We can disagree without being jerks. We can have the strongest of opinions, and still treat others the way we want to be treated.

Someday maybe a smart doctor will invent a vaccination that keeps adults from acting like reckless children online.

Ill go get that one, too. We all should.

Mike Daugherty is Judge of the Clinton County Municipal Court.

See original here:

A needed vaccine and the golden rule - Wilmington News Journal, OH

Posted: Mar 30, 2021 / 06:22 PM EDT / Updated: Mar 30, 2021 / 07:33 PM EDT

GUYTON, Ga. (WSAV) Her home is tucked away down a Guyton back road. Its teeming with guineas, goats, and aging horses. And according to Judy Shearouse, most call the place her geriatric farm.

When Shearouse shows off her collection of animals, she does so proudly. Save for a few roaming ducks and cats, each animal has a place inside a stall or a fenced, grassy area.

And once a day, during feeding time, she says it is the most peaceful place.

Thats my time. So I get out there and I talk to my animals. And they dont talk back, said Judy with a smile. But thats a special time and I enjoy that.

Shearouses backyard farm is bordered by a home she has lived in since 1967. She moved there with her husband, Charles. The two have been married now for nearly 60 years.

I asked her for a date and we got it and then we had a date the next weekend and after that its been me and her from then on, said Mr. Shearouse.

For the past few years, Mrs. Shearouse says she has been taking care of her husband. After a work-related accident and other related medical complications, doctors say Mr. Shearhouse will not again be able to walk.

Dont know what wed do without [Judy], he said.

Mrs. Shearouse thinks back to her vows.

For better or for worse, she said. Sometimes we have good days and sometimes theyre not so good, but the majority are good.

A Christian woman, Shearouse thanks God for those good days. Close friends say she is to thank for many of theirs. They say she lives by the Golden Rule.

You know what the Golden Rule is? Do onto others as you would have others do onto you. Thats what she always does, said Barbara Russell, a neighbor and friend.

Shearouse may not be in the limelight, but she is there when friends like Russell want fresh blueberries and eggs.

And she is there when childhood friends like Jane Henshaw are recovering from surgeries.

I love her completely and I trust her completely and she blesses my life. Thats the kind of friend I have. Truly, said Henshaw.

Further, Sherouses grandchildren say she is there when they need a long talk.

I know not everyone has someone like her, so it means so so much to have someone who I know loves me unconditionally and just does everything, said Shearouses granddaughter Casey Weredyk.

And though, as Shearouse noted previously, her animals dont talk back, if they could, they would agree that she is always there, especially in the mornings when they need breakfast.

I just love her. Always will, said Mr. Shearouse.

Others who love Mrs. Shearhouse say that when you live a life like hers, eventually, you may also get what she has: everything from a geriatric farm to a yard full of people who are awed by a life of selfless deeds.

Lovethats what our family is based on, she said. Everybody loves everybody, so I guess in the long run, thats what we all live on.

They do everything they can for the world by being good people, said Henshaw. I think thats something to aspire to? Dont you?

WSAV News 3s Kelly Antonacci has featuredRemarkable Womenevery Tuesday of March, Womens History Month.

Four finalists were chosen from more than 100 nominations from people throughout the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry.

The winner of WSAVs contest will be announced on April 1 and will be considered for the Nexstar Woman of the Year award.

Read more from the original source:

She blesses my life: The remarkable woman making a difference in her own backyard - WSAV-TV

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves 3PL Summit.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Carrier safety and vetting why theres no golden rule

DETAILS: Nuclear verdicts have rocked carriers over the past several years. For 3PLs, insurance requirements and vetting carriers is still opaque and the legal ramifications are significant.

SPEAKERS: Chad Eichelberger, president of Reliance Partners, and Emily Chiarizia, general counsel, Armstrong Transport Group

BIO: Eichelberger joined the Reliance team in 2015 and has been a catalyst in its exponential growth of 20X over the past six years. He leads strategy and operations of the high-growth organization, where the firm has a niche in the logistics and truck insurance marketplace.

Chiarizia manages the carrier, claims and legal operations departments at Armstrong. In her role, she is responsible for litigation management, internal policy development, compliance, risk management, contract negotiation and the resolution of commercial cargo matters for Armstrongs 130 agency offices.

[With] the number of sheer billboard attorneys in the country right now that are targeting motor carriers and now freight brokers, theres not a perfect scenario where you absolutely can remove yourself from any potential liability. Chad Eichelberger

A good rule of thumb is to hire a carrier with an under-70% safety score rating in all five categories. If you see over 70% in any one category, I would stay away. Emily Chiarizia

Make sure youve vetted the carrier properly, that you understand the contract youve signed. Were seeing more brokers being named in these accidents than weve ever seen before. Chad Eichelberger

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3PL Summit: Carrier safety and vetting why theres no golden rule - FreightWaves

George Orwell told us in Animal Farm that after the animals took over the farm, their governing leader, a pig named Napoleon, posted this immutable rule: All animals are equal. The farm would now be run by democratic processes where leaders were answerable to all animals.

But over time, Benjamin the donkey, sole literate among those governed, thought he noticed a change in the rule. He suspected something was wrong but didnt quite have the smarts to figure out what. So Napoleon patiently explained that the rule really was the same as always. All animals were still equal, but some were more equal than others.

Orwells Animal Farm was a parody of particular governments. What about America? Are all men still created equal? Is our government still of the people, by the people, and for the people?

Theres unsettling evidence that the answers are no and no. In American Values, Bobby Kennedys son Robert wrote, It can credibly be argued that America is now, officially, a plutocracy controlled by wealthy politicians.

Today, half of all members of Congress are millionaires, two-thirds of senators are, and no president since Truman has had a sub-million-dollar net worth. Only nine of 46 presidents have had less than a million.

Washingtons wealth equaled $325 million today. Jefferson, no pauper he, weighed in at $212 million.

So, in some ways, things really havent changed. The golden rule remains the gold rules. Yet today as never before, Americas leaders answer to the super-rich and their lobbyists.

The Center for Responsive Politics says that in the first quarter of 2020, the amount spent on lobbying about $938 million was the highest on record. The four largest lobbying groups represented pharmaceutical and health interests ($156 million), then electronics, insurance, and oil and gas. The four largest recipients of lobbyists contributions were Biden ($772,834), then U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler, Ga.; Thom Tillis, of North Carolina; and Kentuckys Mitch McConnell.

Our Supreme Court, of which eight of nine members are millionaires, has greased the process for others of their moneyed set to further rig the system to their advantage. In 2010, the court loosened limits on political contributions, and hundreds of millions of dollars have since flowed to political action committees. And heres the thing, 80 percent came from fewer than 200 rich folks.

Larry Bartels book Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age, analyzed Senate votes and demonstrated that senators votes are influenced by the preferences of their rich citizens but not by poor ones. As money plays an ever-bigger role in politics, the clout of the ultra-wealthy grows, particularly to block things they dont like.

In 2014 a Princeton University study of Americas political system concluded that American democracy is now illusory. The people do not govern. Politicians respond almost exclusively to the desires of special interests and the wealthiest citizens. The data show that politicians cater to rich people and groups organized to advance their own narrow interests.

One standout example of that is the progressive tax system America once had the more you earned, the more tax you paid. All that has been recalibrated at the behest of the elite. Now they pay less tax on income, less on gains in the value of stocks, most of which they own, and more important, less estate taxes, or money passed to their heirs.

Thus, ultra-rich dynasties are created. The Institute for Policy Studies says the top determinative for extreme wealth is now not hard work or intelligence, its the family youre born into.

America presently has 400 billionaires, five of which are centi-billionaires (they cross the $100 billion line), thanks largely to politicians. The super-rich know theyve rigged the system. Theyre also aware that Americas glaring economic disparity is unsustainable.

Former New York banker Morris Pearl chairs Patriotic Millionaires, a super-rich group that actually backs higher taxes on the wealthy. Pearl laments, The whole system is so fundamentally unfair. One of the worlds richest, Warren Buffett, a member of Pearls group, says his 16 percent federal income tax rate is lower than his secretarys.

And billionaire Nick Hanauer warns that if something is not done to rebalance the scales, there will be open rebellion.

And so I have a message for my fellow filthy rich, for all of us who live in our gated bubble worlds: Wake up, people. It wont last. If inequality keeps rising as it has been, eventually it (revolution) will happen. We will not be able to predict when, and it will be terrible for everybody. But especially for us.

In 2018, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrote that in 1784, America was the first democracy in modern history. Earlier, Jefferson wrote, all men are created equal. So relax, nothings changed, right? America is still a democracy and all are still born equal, right?

And some are more equal than others.

Michael Smith is a Southern Pines writer.

Excerpt from:

Column: Skewed Wealth Threatens To Overturn Political System - Southern Pines Pilot