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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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Save Your Cash Barter Is Better!


Businesses looking for a way to stave off the effects of a deepening recession need look no further than organized barter.  With an ever increasing number of businesses finding consumer shopping at an all time low, barter trade has become a viable weapon against lagging sales, overstocked merchandise and unused labor.  Participation in a barter exchange can also produce new cash paying customers resulting from referrals generated by other exchange members.  The barter industry’s largest trade organization The International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA) estimates that the number of businesses using barter, as well as commercial barter exchanges continues to grow as the recession takes hold.  Current figures of 450,000 active barter traders are expected to swell as more businesses look for some means of turning the tide.

Barter considered the oldest means of commerce known to man, is a process used to exchange one product or service for another without the use of cash.  While a traditional barter transaction would involve only 2 individuals or businesses, organized barter allows these traders to collect points or barter credits that can be spent with any member of the barter exchange.  This process gives individuals and business owners access to literally thousands of businesses trading products and services of every kind.  A business trades their excess inventory, capacity, or labor at full price earning “Barter Bucks” instead of cash.  Barter Bucks are then credited to the businesses account just like cash to a regular checking account.  The exchange is charged with the responsibility of maintaining account records, providing tax reports and monitoring trades among its members.

At a time when retail customers are becoming harder to find and businesses are suffering as a result, every business should take a closer look at bartering.  After all it makes no difference if you sell your product for cash in order to feed you and your family, or trade it for a five course meal at a restaurant; the end result is that your family eats.  Before you consider spending cash for your next purchase I suggest you take a look at what is available through trade.  You may just be surprised at how much cash you can save, how many new cash paying customers you can attract and how to sustain your business during these tuff economic times.