The Wounded Warrior Project: My Story About Timothy

In the United States of America, twenty-two military veterans a day commit suicide. That’s one every eight minutes.  By the time I finish this workday, three more will have taken their lives.  In recent years more veterans have died by their own hand than service members lost to the enemy in Iraq, and Afghanistan.   

During one of my visits to a Wounded Warrior Project facility, I came across a gentleman by the name of Timothy who was around 24 years of age. Tim volunteered and enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 18 years old, served for five years – three of those years spent in Afghanistan and Iraq. He got out just about six months ago and he had a plan. He was going to go to school, and he seemed ashamed to tell me that he only lasted about two months. He expressed to me that he didn’t feel like he fit in, he didn’t feel like he belonged. He explained that he had nothing in common with his classmates, and teachers.

He needed to find a job, and was hoping that doctors could figure out a way to stop the ringing in his ears so he could get more than three hours of sleep each night.  Not to seem uncompassionate, but I have heard many of these stories before from being so involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, so none of Tim’s story was much of a surprise, but what really punched me in the gut was when his eyes welled up and he looked at me and said that the worst part of all of it was how anonymous he felt when he came home.

Till this day it’s hard to keep a dry eye when I think of that moment.  Thank god, unlike many sad stories you will hear about our veterans , this has a happy ending. Tim went to the Wounded Warrior Project, they took him in, got him an education and helped his transition into civilian life.

Help me honor those who sacrifice their lives to give us our freedoms.  Contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project at http://bit.ly/1RdM5AN

A Guide to Buying a Used Boat

You may have heard the saying ‘the best kind of boat is a friends boat’. There’s a good reason this is said. Boat ownership can be one of the most costly recreational activates to have, next to owning an airplane.  Today we are going to discuss the cost of boat ownership.  There are five things you should be aware of when determining what the cost of owning a boat will be. The first is the actual cost of the boat. You can actually finance a boat like you can a car. The next cost outside of the cost of the boat is storage. Some boat slips, depending on where you live, can cost the price of a mortgage fro an average homeowner, so I would suggest doing a lot of research before you take the leap into boat ownership.

The next cost would be maintenance. If you are the kind of person that doesn’t want to touch the boat at all or do any heavy work caring for your boat, you should budget about one percent of the cost of the boat for general maintenance. Remember, a new boat will have minimal maintenance compared to an older boat. Now if you don’t mind a little elbow grease in waxing the boat and changing the oil, you will save a considerable amount of money in the maintenance category.

The next expense to worry about would be the fuel. The average boater uses their boat about 90 hours a year. The average boat in the united states only burns between one to three gallons of diesel fuel per hour. What that means is you will burn anywhere from 90 gallons to 270 gallons, or if you’re looking at current day fuel prices that will be about $300 to $800 on fuel over the course of an entire year. You may think that 90 hours doesn’t seem like a lot of time on the water, but it really is.  The least expensive part about boat ownership is insurance. Insurance will run about half of a similar priced car.

This concludes my boating tips for the week. Check http://bit.ly/1RdM5AN next week for more tips on boating.

Difference between 2 and 4 Stoke Engines

Today I would like to discuss the difference between a two stroke outboard verse a four stroke outboard. While the four stroke has to make two complete revolutions to produce a power stroke, the two stoke engine only has to rotate once.  This gives the two stroke engine an advantage in acceleration and throttle response. Two stroke engines are much simpler than a four stroke engine. Reed valves are small and lightweight. They do not need any mechanical linkage to make them open and close, since the pressure inside the crankcase does that quite well.

On four stroke engines the valves are held closed by springs. A camshaft driven by the crankshaft opens the valves at the correct time. All of these parts add weight and take up space. So the two stroke enjoys a significant advantage when you need a lot of power on your boat.  However, the four stroke theoretically has the edge on fuel economy. The two stroke is hampered because the intake and exhaust ports open at the same time. This process is called savaging. The problem is that some of the exhaust gases are left behind in the cylinder, while some of the air fuel mix gets blown right through the cylinder into the exhaust system without ever being burned.  This wastes boat fuel, and increase hydrocarbon admissions.

On a four stroke, the valves prevent the air fuel mix from escaping out the exhaust so the boat engine runs cleaner and uses less fuel. However, there is a better solution for two stokes -- evinrude direct injection. These models do not have a carburetor. Instead of an air fuel mix they recycle only air through the crankcase, and fuel is injected directly into the cylinder. The injection is precisely times so none of the fuel escapes outside of the exhaust port. This dramatically increases fuel economy, and reduces admissions.

This concludes my boating tips for the week. Check http://http://bit.ly/1RdM5AN/ next week for more tips on boating.

Installing Your Registration Number and Name On Your Boat

Today I’d like to walk you through the installation process of registration numbers and names for your boat. Before you install your new registration number, you will want top remove the old one if present.  A straight razor is a great way to peel off the old lettering. When using a straight razor it is important not to scratch your clear coat. Lightly use the blade to lift the vinyl off the surface, than peel the vinyl off by hand. Use a cleaner to remove to excess adhesive. Goof off brand cleaner is a great product for this.

Place two pieces of masking tape on your lettering to temporarily secure it into the proper position. Place a piece of masking tape on the middle of the graphic, and on one other side to ensure the graphic cannot move. Peel the decal off of the backing paper on the opposite side that it is taped all the way to the middle. Use a pair of scissors and cut-off the backing paper.

Using your squeegee, start from the middle and work outward applying the decal to the surface. Repeat the same procedure for the second half of the decal.  After the decal has been fully applied to the surface, carefully peel off the application tape. Use the same procedure to install your boat name.

You can order your boat lettering at one of many online websites. Just search boat decals, this should give you a variety of online stores to choose your perfect decal. If you do not feel confident that you can place your own decal, call your local marine shops and hire a professional.

This concludes my boating tips for the week. Check http://http://bit.ly/1RdM5AN/ next week for more tips on boating.

How To Avoid A Collision On Your Motorcycle

Motorcyclists are most vulnerable on local streets.  While you may never eliminate your risk of injury on the road, you can certainly take steps to reduce them. Everyone will tell you that one of the best ways to help minimize your risk of getting hit is by wearing very bright colors and reflective clothing, but very often when you are hit, you’ll find that it was simply because the person was not paying attention to the road. In this case your bright colors and reflective clothing isn’t going to save you from getting hit.

Don’t get me wrong, bright colors and protective gear are essential for safe riding, but the best way to really avoid collisions is to be aware of your surroundings. Every time you come to a stop, always look behind you.  One time I was ridding my Indian motorcycle at night, and I got caught at a very long traffic light.  I saw a car from behind pull out from a bar, and it was approaching me fast.  It didn’t look like the car was going to slow down, so I turned around and aggressively waved to get the attention of the driver. Eventually I did, and she slammed on her breaks, stopping dangerously close to my motorcycle.  Having the good sense to look behind me saved my life. Had I not been paying attention, she would have slammed into the back of my motorcycle.  Since then anytime I come to a stop, I look behind me.

You also have to have very good instincts to ride safe. This can mean the difference between life and death.  An example of that is having the ability and quick sense to abandon your bike if necessary to avoid a collision. This is not an easy thing to do. Jumping off anything that is in motion, is not a natural reaction for people – we tend to freeze-up and embrace for the impact.  Many injuries and deaths amongst motorcyclist probably could have been avoided had the biker jumped from their motorcycle.  You will most definitely have sores and rashes, but it will be significantly reduced from what would have happened had you collided head on with a vehicle.

Be safe out there, and checkout my blogs weekly at http://http://bit.ly/1RdM5AN/ for more motorcycle riding tips.

Why regular people are voting for Donald Trump to take on Hillary Clinton

The 2016 GOP Presidential Primary resembles a three ring circus with characters spewing outrageous nonsense in order to secure the GOP nomination to face off against Hillary Clinton to fill the seat currently be held by President Obama.

This week we witnessed Marco Rubio, who is desperate to gain traction for his campaign, make the same mistake that Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and others have made – he went after Donald Trump.  When I say he went after Trump, I mean he really went after him.  At a campaign rally in Roanoke, Virginia, Rubio decided to hit back at Trump for calling him, “little Marco” saying, “…He’s always calling me little Marco. And I’ll admit he’s taller than me he’s like six-two. Which is why I don’t understand why his hands are the size of someone who’s five-two. Have you seen his hands? They’re like this. And you know what they say about men with small hands…”

Rubio paused there to let the joke sink into the brains of what appeared to be a very young audience. If you watch the video, you will see the audience become uncomfortable as they whisper to each other, clearly wondering where the joke was going.

At first Rubio was grinning, but then it seemed as if he too became uncomfortable and quickly filled in the rest of the adage which is usually ends with a sexual insult saying,“You can’t trust them. You can’t trust them. You can’t trust them. Alright? You can’t trust them.”

The Rubio campaign must have felt the joke went over well because they posted video of “little Marco” dissing Trump on “YouTube” where it barely got 130 thousand views.

It became really obvious that the joke had no place in Presidential politics when Marco was forced to defend it at the GOP debate sponsored by CNN Thursday night.  Rubio told the moderators and the public that Trump disses everyone so therefore it is fair game to dis Trump.

Whether or not you believe that the correct way to thwart a bully is by bullying right back, what seems to be clear is that those who dis Trump wind up losing traction in the GOP race to gain the nomination and face off against Hillary Clinton in November.

If you don’t believe me, just think back to when Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee all came out swinging against Trump.  In short order they were all forced to drop out of the race because their showing was so dismal. While Jeb Bush faded into the shadows, Mike Huckabee's daughter became Trumps campaign manager and Chris Christie is now following Trump around the country; introducing him at rallies then standing behind him while Trump speaks, his eyes never shifting off the GOP front runner as if he was Trump’s groupie.

You would think that the GOP establishment would consider what happened to Bush, Christie and Huckabee as a lesson and refrain from bashing Trump - WRONG. Enter Mitt Romney, the twice failed GOP Presidential candidate who delivered a scathing speech followed by several equally as scathing interviews telling people why Trump shouldn’t be the GOP nominee. 

Why the GOP would think Romney could get people to follow him is a mystery.  What isn’t a mystery is the result of Super Saturday’s elections, conventions and caucuses.  Even with the establishment piling on against him, the socially moderate Trump managed to tie with the evangelical Cruz – each taking two states.  Rubio, who seemed to be the preferred candidate of the establishment didn’t even break 15% in any of the states and neither did Kasich who many are calling the anti-Trump.

As it stands today, out of the 2,472 delegates needed to sew up the nomination, Trump has 380, Cruz has 297, Rubio has 123, Kasich has 34 and Ben Carson, who has suspended his campaign, has 8.

Now I’m not a political pundit or a campaign whiz kid. I’m just a regular businessman who happens to be pretty good at adding things up.  What seems evident to me is that the more the establishment tells Trump to get out, the more the people want him to be the nominee to take on Hillary Clinton to fill the seat being vacated by President Obama.

If you're wondering why the establishment can't see that, my answer is simple - the establishment simply doesn't listen to the people it represents which is why the “people” are supporting the only guy out there who isn’t part of any political establishment.

Alex Figliolia jr

Finding a general contractor.

For most homeowners, the most difficult part of home renovations is not so much the actual work itself, but finding a reliable, competent contractor to do the job.  Whether your installing a new bathroom, knocking down a wall or adding an....read more: