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Freelance writers wanted
Do you have a way with words? Is there a subject in town that's dear to your heart and that you'd like to share others in the community?
The Tehachapi News is looking for a few freelance writers. If you'd like to be considered, reply to news@tehachapinews.com and tell us a little about who are you and your interests. 5 comments from 4 users
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posted by
Starbucks1
on Oct 31, 2007 at 11:23 AM
Positive post! Economy Logs Brisk 3.9 Percent Growth Despite what you hear on the news, The latest snapshot of the country's economic health, released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, suggested that the economy is demonstrating much resilience and thus far holding up well to the strains in the housing and credit markets, which had intensified during the third quarter and rocked Wall Street. A second report from the department showed construction spending rose 0.3 percent in September, the best showing in four months. All-time high spending in both commercial construction by private builders and government projects more than offset weakness in home building.For the entire July-to-September quarter, individuals ratcheted up their spending. U.S. businesses sold more goods abroad and boosted some investment at home. Those were main factors helping to push up overall economic activity during that period. The third quarter's growth rate was up slightly from a 3.8 percent pace logged in the second quarter. It marked the strongest showing since the first quarter of last year. Strong sales of U.S. exports to foreign buyers was another big factor in the good third-quarter showing. Exports grew by 16.2 percent, on an annualized basis, during the quarter. That was the biggest increase since the final quarter of 2003. Business investment in commercial structures, such as office buildings and factories, grew at a 12.3 percent pace in the third quarter. It was a robust showing but down from a sizzling 26.2 percent growth rate in the second quarter. posted by
jimr
on Oct 31, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Thank you, Smokey. Frankly, I am damned tired of seeing all the NEGATIVE postings here and think more of us should be posting POSITIVES. Even more surprising to me are all the Comments some of these crazies receive! Are there that many people here who don't have a life? Or, is it one person with 10 or 20 different handles? We have no way of knowing...except by not getting suckered into adding to their Comments. Just let them hang out to dry all by themselves! Jim Richards posted by
Smokey
on Oct 31, 2007 at 08:58 AM
that is an amazing story Jim, Thank you for sharing it with us.
posted by
jimr
on Oct 30, 2007 at 04:54 PM
I'm not ashamed to share this very personal story as an example of my writing. A true story in a chapter of my life. I like to present the positive side that we all have inside us. Jim Richards To those of you who don't know what this is about, it's an answer to a New Topic of Discussion from friends on my e-mail list. It was titled "If you were to be stranded on a deserted island, whom would you choose as your companion?" Someone you know...or knew. Well, I apologize for taking so long to respond but I considered it to be really meaningful and didn't want to jump to any quick conclusions nor take a cheap cop-out. So, here it is, with one bending of the rule: I have two. One is presumably alive (although I don't know) and the other one is dead. But, they have to go together. Like Salt and Pepper. This is a true chapter in the story of my life. JAVIER AND MILLIE I was just 18 years old when I enrolled in X-Ray Technology School at Southside Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. I had been going in at 8 a.m. and leaving at 5 p.m. for several months. The entire course would be 18 months. After about five months I walked out the front door one day and started bounding down the steps. There, on the bottom step was a young boy sitting with an array of Chotzkies (small, cheap plastic or pottery things in all shapes and sizes.) Some people stopped to look at them and even a few bought some. As I approached the boy I stopped and looked at the array and he looked up at me and smiled a radiant smile. Sitting right beside him without any collar or leash was his little dog. A cute little wire haired terrier type. The dog just sat there patiently and looked up at all the people, encouraging them to buy something. The boy's clothes looked a little worn and I knew he was trying his best to earn a couple of bucks so I picked up a couple of bars of soap (no wrappers) and asked him how much. He said, 10 cents and, big deal, I gave him a quarter and told him to keep the change. I was astonished when he said, "no, thanks just the same, but here is your 15 cents change." I asked, "well, how long have you been selling these things here, I haven't noticed you before?" He replied, "This is my first day. I need to make some money to help out at home and nobody would hire me for anything so I managed to buy some things and hope that people who are visiting someone here in the hospital might want to take them something." I made some remark that he was very enterprising and I hoped to see him again sometime...and said goodbye. On the drive home I had an overwhelming feeling of "good." That this was a good person. He had an aura about him and I hoped I would someday be able to tell the story about how I used to buy Chotzkies from a President of the United States. Sure enough, the next day he was there again and I bought some more stuff and he was very careful to count out my change. This was not to be any kind of hand out and he was both grateful and proud of his "sales." He told me that he was going to give his mother most of the money but hold out a little so he could buy some more stuff to sell. Perhaps something just a "little bit better." That's when we exchanged names and he told me his name was Javier and his dog was Millie. And Millie looked up at me and adoringly over at Javier. She obviously approved of our exchange. In a way, they looked very much alike! During the next couple of months I met Javier after work every day and we chatted endlessly about anything and everything. He had a bad home life because his alcoholic step father would beat and berate him but he loved his mother and felt he had to endure anything for her sake. Sometimes we would just take a long walk along the Boulevard in front of the hospital and talk. Millie was always at his foot without benefit of any kind of leash. When he stopped, she stopped. When he walked, she walked. When he ran, she ran. Wow! What a wonderful pair they made. When I asked him what nationality he was and he said Mexican, I was flabbergasted. I mean Pittsburgh actually had ONE MEXICAN? The only thing I knew about Mexicans was what I read in my school History and Geography books. Perhaps Javier was the beginning of my life long affinity for the Mexican people. That's when I found out that Javier was just 15 but he had some kind of wisdom and reality of life and sadness well beyond his years. Millie was only one year old and brought the greatest joy into his life that he's ever known. After about two months, one day as I eagerly raced down the steps of the hospital to meet Javier, I instinctively knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong. My hunch was right. As I approached the bottom of the steps and looked into Javier's swollen eyes I immediately looked down at his feet. No Millie. I just looked at him and neither of us said a word. We just sat down on the bottom step at looked at each other. Finally I asked him what happened to Millie. His words were whispered as tears streamed down his cheeks. "My step father killed her because she wanted to stay with me on my bed and he wanted her to stay outside in the yard. So he picked up a kitchen knife and...just stabbed her to death." By this time I was sobbing almost as much as he was and we just sat there in full sunlight, on the steps of a major hospital with dozens of people standing and walking by, just crying with our arms around each other. After a few minutes he handed me a paper bag and said, "I want you to have these. They are the last of my things for sale. I want to give them to you as a present for being such a good friend." As I took the bag, still with tears running down my cheeks, Javier turned away and started walking down the street. I didn't know what to do so I just stared after him till he was out of sight. Later, I thought, maybe I should buy him another little doggie. But then what would prevent his step father from killing that one too? The next day, after school, I ran down the steps to see Javier, thinking maybe I could offer him some kind of hope. He wasn't there. I stood looking about for a full twenty minutes. Up and down the street. But, he was nowhere in sight. I drove home in a deep cloud of despair. What could I have done...what should I have done...to help my little friend? I never knew where he lived. I didn't have any address or phone number. I didn't even know his last name. I looked every day after that for Javier at the bottom of the steps till I graduated from X-Ray School almost a year later. I never saw him again. Maybe, I thought, he killed his step father in retaliation? Maybe his step father killed him? Maybe he just ran away from home? I'll never know. But one thing I do know, for sure. If I was ever to be stranded on a deserted island...I would want to have Javier...and Millie...as my companions. Are you listening Javier, wherever you are? Respectfully submitted, Jim Richards October 30, 2007 Tehachapi, California
posted by
jewels
on Oct 30, 2007 at 02:01 PM
some may say i have a way with words, it just may not be in the way that others find acceptable :). I actually wrote a childrens book, i just need to figure out how to have it published. I don't know anything about that part of it. It also needs an illustrator. Actually it is only a word document right now :) but I know that it will be a complete success. It is about an 8 year old little girl who lives with her grandma and in spite of her odd appearance and individuality she loves herself and believes in herself. Its kind of an inspirational book for little girls who are not so popular and who dont have the traditional family. The character's name is Marvelline Strongbottom...I LOVE HER. Anyway, maybe someday you will meet her in print. I love to write and i am good at it. Its easy for me express on paper
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