Oklahoma church harboring pedophiles

I always loved the people of my congregation; I know most of them and their wonderful families. We are close nit and in this town it is common Occurrence. We have enjoyed our lives to the fullest even though experiencing ups and downs related to the oil industry. My husband and I both work at our respective jobs and are able to supply our kids with the best education possible in the little community of Hinton. For the most part we feel safe within our town and trust in our local government to supply us with security and quality of life. But recently, we have made a stunning discovery, and what scarred me and my husband the most is the fact that what we found out had been known to some people close to us but was kept hidden and concealed under the ”good ol’ boy” statute that most small communities love to hold on to. You see, for the last 5 years, my kids have been attending services in a church that has made the unwise decision to hire a 66 year old pedophile. Someone who’s own children will not have anything to do with, someone who’s own wife as threatened to divorce over the matter but hasn’t done so for the sake of losing his income as a janitor. So does the name Harold Joe Cain ring a bell? Probably not because he has been flying under the radar most of is mediocre life. But our church staff doesn’t seem to pay much mind to any of the facts that he has sexually abused his mentally challenged granddaughter over an undefined period of time. Our Rock Of Restoration church would not comment on the matter for fear of creating a widespread panic among believers. But this needs to be told and action needs to be taken. Public officials need to be informed and this needs to be brought out for the sake of the community and let justice take it’s course. My husband and I have since left the church and are now actively looking for a place of worship that does better checking on the personnel they hire. As for Mr. Joe Cain I hope he will find reconciliation in his heart and forgiveness in God’s eyes. Tammy G.

Online gambling is the american dream

Every generation has dreamed of a better life for their children, and many decided to pack up the family and move to America and that is how most Americans came to be Americans. For 200 years people suffering from poverty, hunger or oppressive governments have dreamed of a better life for themselves and their families, and came to United States of America in search of the American Dream. Many people around the world have to work 18 hours a day just to make enough money to survive; to these people the American dream is nothing more then a less hard life and a better education for them and their children, and to some it is getting rich without working hard to do it. This is not much different from the mentality from an American who maybe builds houses, or works in a factory or some other type of physically demanding job that they hate, and at the end of the day they dream of winning that jackpot in an online casino. Winning the grand prize and making enough money to put a nice roof over their kids heads, put the kids in a good school, money for college. This is exactly what the American dream is about. Many Americans work 2 or more jobs a day to support their families, and have no way to get to a casino, they just do not have the time to get there. Does that mean that they should not be allowed to follow their dreams because they have to do it from home? This is like telling a new immigrant that the American Dream has been outlawed because you may squander you money trying to achieve it. What if a hard working man saved up some money and decided he wanted to open a restaurant and the government told him no, because the restaurant business is dangerous and most new restaurants fail within the first 6 months. The law making online gambling illegal is a direct blow to why most of our grandparents moved to the United States. The entire idea of the American dream is to be able to do better in life then the cards you have been dealt, just like in poker you are dealt your cards then after looking at them you have the chance to exchange your bad cards for better ones. The ability for a child from poor family to be able to get a good education and to make more of himself then the generation before him did. Many people around the world are dealt a bad hand in life, but the American dream helps them rise above it to make what before may have seemed impossible become an every day occurrence. Pure and simple the American dream gives hope to people who never expected to have hope again, and online casinos give people the same thing. The hope to improve their lives, and to deny people that chance is like putting a sign up for new immigrants to the USA saying Sorry The Dream is Over Please go home.

Stairlifts a guide for the disabled and elderly

Many elderly people face a difficult choice in their later years, as their ability to tackle the stairs in their houses becomes more difficult. Do they sell the houses they love and move into a bungalow or sheltered accommodation or do they convert their dining room to a bedroom and live downstairs, assuming they have a bathroom on the ground floor. Of course, there is a third option, which is to provide safe and secure access to their upstairs facilities by using installing a stairlift. The purchase of a stairlift is quite a daunting prospect since it is something that you have probably never done before and will never do again. What should you look for in a stairlift and do you understand all of the facilities available and which ones are most important to you? There is also the cost factor, how much do you pay to get peace of mind and should you consider second-hand or reconditioned stairlifts. Firstly, my recommendation is that whether you buy new or reconditioned that you go to a reputable supplier who can advise you on all of the issues, especially installation. If someone has passed away in you locality and their stairlift is for sale cheaply, it is tempting to buy it. However, remember that there are strict safety standards to adhere to, and that installation may not be straight forward. Just consider the tracking for a moment, is it a straight run, is it on the same side of the stairs, are the stairs the same dimensions, or is the tracking actually curved. With stairlifts you are not just buying a mobility product, you are also buying peace of mind. Make sure you deal with suppliers who have years of experience in advising customers and installing their products. When considering actually what type of stairlift you require, most people opt for the seated version of the product although other types are available including a standing stairlift and one with a large platform to accommodate a wheelchair. For the rest of the article we will consider the most common type, the seated stairlift. Seated Stairlift These tend to be the most common type used in a domestic setting. The majority of users are able to walk, but find it difficult to negotiate the stairs. The person must be able to sit safely on the seat during transit and transfer on and off at the top and bottom of the stairs. A swivel seat and lift-up armrests will make transfers onto and off the seat easier. The swivel seat can be manually or electrically operated. It is preferable that the user can transfer independently; however, in some situations it may be possible for the carer to carry out an assisted transfer in conjunction with a piece of small handling equipment. The ability of the carer to transfer the user at the top of the stairs should be very carefully considered and avoided if at all possible. Seating Position There is a choice of fixed seats, fold-down seats, perching seats and seats which slide forward to assist access in and out of the lift. Some companies will fix the seat at the most appropriate height for the user. Some of questions you should consider prior to purchase are: • Will the standard seat provided be the correct size for the user? • Will the user need a special seat for a child or a harness for a more severely disabled child? A seat unit or moulded seating system will have to be removed before the seat can be folded. • Which direction will the user need to face? Most seats face sideways, but if the user has a stiff knee he/she may need to face forwards to give them more room. Installation Design Considerations If your staircase has a sub-landing at the top, with a few steps to the left or right, most companies can fit a manual or motorised folding platform which bridges the gap between the top of the stairlift and the landing, although the number of stairs and the amount of available headroom will need to be taken into consideration. This allows the user to get off the stairlift and walk straight onto the landing, avoiding the need to have a curved or two straight stairlifts installed. Some people may find the platforms unnerving as they are quite high up over the staircase. If the track for the stairlift cannot continue beyond the bottom or top step of the staircase, usually because it will obstruct a door, some companies can provide a fold-up, hinged rail to overcome this problem. Can other members of the household easily use the stairway when the lift is folded against the wall? How will the stairlift be controlled and powered Will the user be able to operate the standard controls, usually push button controls sited on the end of the armrest, or is an alternative method required, for example joystick or toggle controls? Will the controls need to be sited in another position? Wander leads allow the user to operate the controls from the most comfortable position or a carer to operate the lift independently. Remote controls, for a carer to operate, are also available from some companies. Lifts are available with an audible signal to alert blind and partially sighted users that the lift is at the top or the bottom of the track. Straight stairlifts are available with a battery backup option in case of power failures. Most standard straight stairlifts are powered from the mains. Most curved stairlifts run from rechargeable batteries, which are continually topped up from charging points at the top and the bottom of the stairs. This needs accurate re-siting at the charging point because of a warning bleep if it is in the wrong place. Maintaining your stairlift Most major companies guarantee their stairlifts for one year. After this it is recommended that they are inspected every six months and serviced annually. Some companies offer an emergency call-out facility. However, check that they have fully trained service engineers on call 24 hours per day. On completion of your one year warranty most companies will offer to re-guarantee the lift for a charge. It is advisable to check these charges before purchasing. So, in summary, my advice is to consider all of the points above and then contact a reputable supplier of stairlifts and go and discuss your requirements with them. Most have expert staff on hand to answer your technical queries and build a tailor made solution to fit your needs. Products to make someone more mobile are often bought by, or for, the vulnerable or infirm - take the risk out of the purchase and talk to experienced care advisors that have been specially trained to understand their customer's needs and requirements.

Family violence

“Family for and individual is a multiplied self”, says the saying, one can’t but agree with. A family is the first social group where you grow up and learn the simplest things. So the influence of it makes the first step in formation of a personality. It is hard to see, how negative can this influence be. In the twenty first century it seems as if there are no problems inside the social group and everything goes fine but when you hear about numerous accidents that happen in one’s household your hair starts rising from a thought: “How could mother nature possibly create such a monster?” Family violence is not a surprising fact today and sometimes people even show indifference towards it. As soon as it won’t happen to them they don’t care, but when it comes to trouble in our household, we rush to complain about everybody’s indifference to your situation. The most horrifying thing about family violence is that children suffer physically and mentally most of all. In one of American schools children were asked to write a compare and contrast essay on a free topic. When the papers were turned in teacher went home taking them along. She didn’t show up at work on time, she was at the dean’s office, crying and reading a paper of one student, who compared life in his family with the life of his friend’s. The case ended in the court and cruel parents were put into jail for three years each for child abuse. I’m quite sure that we’ll have to read a lot of similar compare and contrast essays if we give the task to every school in the US. Mass media is full of stories like this and that leaves us with no hope for this problem to be solved. Fortunately, we still have people who think that their duty is to help those in need. They arrange funds, create associations, and get their force into the governmental branches and into international organizations. They do a lot to correct the situation but unfortunately there is no way to see this terrible thing coming in a family. Cases of violence don’t depend on social or financial status. It happens in wealthy household as well as in the family of the poor. Sometimes a conflict razes out of nothing, a trifle that makes people nervous and anxious. We can describe various situations for a very long time and make this story endless, but our main aim is to help those who have survived or observe violence in the family. First of all, you must remember that violence can be not only physical but also mental and sometimes the consequences of the last are more severe than of the first. Your role in the family doesn’t matter. Just because you are a son or a mother you don’t have to stand violence because of some rules that you were taught. Every person has a right to protect his/her life, it is said in every constitution and you might want to buy a one for reference. If you have experienced family violence, don’t be afraid to tell about it. The quicker you do it the sooner you’ll get help and be safe. There is nothing to be ashamed of. In this situation you are not guilty, you are the victim, besides if you don’t turn for help at once, and other members of the family may suffer. It is a sad topic to discuss, but this is a burning problem nowadays and without discussion there will be no solution. Everything comes from the genuine interest. If you are willing to help and have some suggestions, I’m sure many people will be showing you gratitude.

Tips for decorating a fireplace mantel

If you are looking to give your room a focal point or something to highlight it, look no further than the fireplace mantel that's already there. Many tend to leave their fireplace mantels bare, failing to realize that they can decorate their fireplace mantel so that it become attractive enough to become the room's focal point. Many homeowners fail to realize that they can do many things on their fireplace mantel to make it more interesting and appealing. Fireplace mantels that come straight out of a magazine page are not the only fireplace mantels that can be regarded as attractive. With a good dose of creativity and fun, even the drabbest of fireplace mantels can be made attractive. A fireplace mantel is a decorative surface that you can decorate in either a symmetrical or asymmetrical manner. If you want to give the fireplace mantel and the room a formal air, go with decorating the fireplace mantel in a symmetrical fashion. However, if you want to give an air of coziness and informality, go with an asymmetrical decoration. You can achieve an asymmetrical look for your fireplace mantel by grouping odd-numbered objects in different sizes and even color. However, there still must be balance in the asymmetrical decoration in order to create the best effect. When to Decorate Fireplace Mantels Holidays and special occasions are especially great times for you to start decorating and showing off your fireplace mantel. For instance, Halloween gives you the opportunity to use lights for decorating your fireplace mantel and show off some of your creativity. Other times you may want to decorate your fireplace mantel are Labor Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can even decorate your fireplace mantel using seasonal themes. Keep in mind that when it comes to decorating your fireplace mantel, it is best to give your creativity free rein. Fireplace Mantel Decorating Ideas * When you are decorating your fireplace mantel, avoid using anything that is made from inflammable materials. Use decorative objects that aren't inflammable. * Fruits make wonderful fireplace mantel decorations. A simple, but striking fireplace mantel decoration is a vase or pitcher full of lemons and limes. The contrast of colors draws the eyes to the fireplace. * Decorate the space below the fireplace mantel with cones. * Add depth and illuminate the room by placing a mirror on the fireplace mantel. * Avoid giving your fireplace mantel a "firing line" appearance. Don't simply line up the objects or use objects that are of similar heights. Make your fireplace mantel look dynamic by mixing up objects of different sizes.