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Tucson Arizona - A Winterbirds Paradise







Tucson Winters 

Tucson in November, its beginning to cool down here in town. The past Summer like most was intense almost to the breaking point, then the Fall came. What a relief the Winter was close. One of our greatest assets here in Tucson our Winters now is only a few months away. What a relief.


As we know as permanent residents our Winters here in Tucson brings thousands of temporary residents we call "Winterbirds". They come each Winter to take advantage of our beautiful weather, awesome outdoor activities and enjoy our Cactus Christmas.

At first glance it doesn't seem fair we as "Permanent" residents have to endure the infamous Tucson Summers in return for the few Winter in return for the few months official Winter we get here in Tucson. Maybe we should become "Summer Birds" and go somewhere for the Summer. That would solve everything right, well it sounds good except there's no other place like Tucson. Most of us would be back in Tucson in no time. See we Permanents endure the Sumer heat for a reason. It's because we know Tucson is a special place all year-round.

As we all know the Winters are indeed a treat

Tucson is not a typical city in any way from November to February we we're treated to a combination of elements that combine to create the perfect Winter weather. I mean we don't get too rain which keeps the town light and dry. Tucson Winters are manageable no floods, hurricanes or tornadoes and if we like we can go to the snow, right up on Mt. Lemmon.

Overall we "Permanents" actually enjoy the influx of Winterbirds each year. They seem to bring a nice new fresh perspective to Tucson. Enough in fact to overlook how horrible they drive once they get here.

A balanced city - With a nice mix of cultured Winterbirds mixed in with new young students each Spring. It makes for a nice balanced mix of residents. People from all walks of life all converge on Tucson each year with all sorts of great assets to offer. Contributing moreso to the uniqueness of Tucson. Somehow a mix of diverse personalities and perfect weather seems to create a close-knit community type atmosphere to the Tucson.

What makes us special - I mean were else can you go in January and have Diner at 7:30 out out on the restaurant patio like you can Tucson. A meal prepared by a retired Chef recently from Miami and served to you by a young waiter/student from Nebraska working his way through school. This is a Cactus Christmas and this is the only place you can experience one. So as permanent residents we should all take pride in our Winters here in Tucson they are something special.

So come on down and have Cactus Winter with... us there's plenty room.

Cartime Supercenter – A Cut Above The Rest







Tucson as a city is a little different than most. It receives tens of thousands of new residents each year. and lose roughly the same amount. This makes Tucson a transition town. New residents move here for reasons like education, retirement, medical conditions.



The one thing they all have in common once they move here is that in a town like Tucson with so many options they quickly become overwhelmed by choices, especially when it comes to buying a used car.



Word Of Mouth - As more of a tight knight community than a city Tucson operates daily by word of mouth. I'm asked a lot by new and residents my opinion on the most trusted businesses in the community. And most of all where to buy a good used car. With out hesitation I recommend Cartime Supercenter as the best place to purchase a used vehicle here in Tucson.



As a resident I've had experiences with quite a few of the 200 plus used car lots here in town. And all they did was managed to send me back to Cartime, running. I've purchased my last 3 vehicles from Cartime. 



Why Cartime - Exceptional Service is the biggest reason I come back the great prices do matter also. I know the employees over at Cartime will always do a great job of making me feel comfortable when it comes to making such a large long term purchase. More importantly this is an honest company one I know I can trust and depend on. Bottom line I know Cartime has best interest at heart first and foremost.



The Cartime Guarantee – The staff at Cartime are all well experienced and very knowledgeable about the cars they sell. They offer customers easy to understand options and explanations when it come to the areas of major concern, things like

  1. Easy Financing
  2. Dealer Certified Inspection Ready Vehicles
  3. Affordable Monthly Payments

As finance specialist Cartime specializes in helping customers with bad credit, slow credit, bankruptcy, repossessions, and first time buyers in obtaining an affordable financing. With such a wide range of financing options available Cartime will not only help you realize your dream of a new car but also while re-establishing your credit.





A 25-Year Loyal Customer - I came to Tucson myself as a new resident back in 1990. Assigned here as an airman. I knew nothing about Tucson or anyone in it. As it worked out Cartime happened to be a car lot close to Air Force Base. I wandered in and bought my first car, my very first car.





So for whatever reason you find yourself here in Tucson be sure and stop by Cartime Supercenter over at 3170 N Oracle here on Tucson or visit the website www.cartimeauto.com Chances are you'll find something you like. They always seem to have an excellent assortment of fine used cars and trucks both affordable and dependable. 

Even if you don't need a vehicle right away look into some of their maintenance specials as they have some really good pricing on maintenance and servicing of your current vehicle as well. So even if you drove your own vehicle to Tucson swing by Cartime and sign up for one of their feature maintenance packages. And if nothing else use some good old word of mouth.



Cartime Super-center

3170 N Oracle Rd

Tucson, AZ 85705

520-750-0505

Inventory: www.cartimeauto.com



Support Your Local Businesses And They Will Support You!

Arizona And Solar Energy A Natural Fit

Here in Arizona the sun shines almost year round making the idea of Solar Energy both plausible and ideal. So you might ask why hasn't Solar Energy taken off long before now? The answer is simple, both technology and affordability had to find a comfortable place somewhere in the middle to meet. The Solar option as much benefit and potential it had shown unfortunately was not a plausible  option for the average American homeowner, that is until now.

Bigger picture...as a country we seem to be addressing the "Energy" issue swiftly, effectively and as a whole. Solar energy has been studied as an alternative energy source for decades. The feasibility of making each home an independent power source has just become a reality over the last few years. Flash forward to 2013 with the technology now fully understood and the equipment able to be mass-produced cheaply. The system itself is now affordable to the average homeowner. Initially the goal of  most major Alternative Energy Companies was to make Solar energy cheap and easily attainable. With major breakthroughs in Solar research it now seems more like a reality in the near future.

Stay off the Oil...with most of the planet and its products are still powered conventionally the demand for traditional energy  ironically is also increasing. With such a heavy demand natural sources are being simultaneously depleted or worse outlawed by new strict environmentally protective laws. This is why alternative energy so important. The writing on the wall is clear and in all caps. The fact that the supply may no longer be able to meet the demand could place conventional energy into a whole new category, an unaffordable one. The  global need for alternate energy is massive and the demand is limitless. Solar is one of the few alternates that could possibly fill such a huge quickly approaching need. Currently being left by Petroleum based Energy. 

Social change. A little over a decade ago the "Solar" was the idea they way to go. Seems everyone was on board then for some reason it lost a little steam. The concept of "Energy alternatives" abruptly shifted in the direction of Electrical alternatives. The Electric alternative found a solid home in the auto industry. As one of the planets largest consumers of conventional energy the Auto industry was in desperate need a way to keep their cars on the road. They came up with the fuel/electric combination A.K.A The Hybrid. Which meant Solar had to take somewhat of a backseat in the alternative energy vehicle. Scientist, researchers and major corporations soon found out that Electricity was cut from a different cloth and could not be controlled and was very unpredictable in its application. Safety was also a major concern. 

Sunny AZ - As the number two ranked Solar state second only to Sunny California Arizona offers several major benefits to homeowners willing to convert over to (SED) Solar Energy Devices.

Take a look at a few of the benefits and incentives Arizona Homeowners that do chose to go Solar will enjoy...

* An average of $30,000 - 36,000 added to the homes retail value!
* Each home becomes it's own independent power source. Free from any and all major corporations!
* Several initiative based programs that give homeowners the option of placing as little as 10-25% of the total cost of the Solar Energy Device (SED) down. An option currently offered by most Alternative Energy Companies.
* Homeowners may cap "Solar" usage.
* Possibly having the option in the future to reserve unused energy.
* Avoiding the "at will" rate increases of the major utility companies.
* Qualifying for a tax credit equal to 25% of the cost or $1,000 whichever is greatest.
* The price of the SED can be recovered in less than 4 years.
* You will no longer be affected by the steady rising cost of conventional energy.

Why convert...in what may be the most cost-effective reason is introduction of the Congress based "Cap N Trade Bill". The Bill is designed to reduce Green House emissions as well as reduce Global Warming by creating a system of "Pollution Permits" that all energy companies would be required to purchase before releasing any Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Most Economist firmly insist one of the negative effects of such a bill is that it will drive the cost of traditional energy up significantly. How much, in residential settings such as yours and mine some experts estimate cost could increase as much as 30%  annually! Even more incredible this has openly been refuted by most researchers as being severely underestimated. Most believe the true number to be closer to 50% annually. 

Arizonans - So maybe we should all take a closer look at the Solar alternative since lucky for us it is a viable alternative. The good news is that Solar is now an affordable Energy alternative. With help from both national and state agencies its now something the average homeowner can afford. The perfect place for Solar With Solar equipment now affordable and powered by something , Sunshine we should be able to make the transition to Solar smoothly efficiently  here in Arizona in no time. And in the process become one of the leading Solar powered states in the nation.

So for a cheap way to get started or just some great Solar info on types, sources, feasibility and affordability go over and look at  Energy2Green an excellent informative site that teaches all aspects of Solar as well as the benefit it has for Arizonans. So if you haven't already take look into the Solar option as it could benefit both you and your home in many ways. Hopefully with the demand growing more and more each day for safer cleaner energy alternatives sources we can all make the change. The fact that the  supply may no longer able to meet the demand could very soon place conventional energy into a whole new category, an unaffordable one. 



Solar Energy
Support Your Local Business's And They Will Support You!






AZ Bicycle Experts - A True Tucson Asset



A Short Story About A Raleigh


I live here in Tucson and work as a writer with a hobby for collecting. It gives me a chance to do what I love most research. Recently I came across a 10-Speed. A Raleigh “Grand Prix”. It was light as a feather yet durable and the closer I looked the more I realized it to be an engineering marvel, at least to me. I realized it was probably vintage from its slender look and styling. I have to admit I come across several items of all types so I have sense for value. I knew immediately this Bicycle was special. My first instinct as a collector was to find out.
I used most of my normal avenues of research initially. Being an English product I receive a lot of feed back in the form of British Pounds and Centimeters neither of which I understand. So I switched over to a more local pattern of research, the phone-book. I went through a few local bike shops at first. Most of which asked more questions than they answered. Then I caught a break. I called over to “AZ Bicycle Experts” and spoke with a really cool guy named Sean. I briefly explained I had the Raleigh was researching to find history and possibly value.
This turned out to be best idea I had all day. Sean gave me a few pieces information on the Bicycle them proceeded to explain how I could use both E Bay and Craigslist as research tools in gathering information on the Raleigh. He also went on to explain there was in fact an upcoming “Bicycle Swapmeet” this month right here in town. He then to proceeded to supply me with the date, time, the the location (with reference points). All in a nice courteous  professional manner. As a writer I don't have much cash to throw around so to speak (no best sellers yet) and Sean answered my questions gave me more related info and didn't try and sell me anything, I appreciated that. 
With this newly obtained information I found out everything I needed to know about the Raleigh and a little more. Using the suggestions I received from Sean I was able to quickly confirm I did indeed have a rare gem of a find. It turned out to be a 77' Raleigh Model “Grand Prix” model as a well as rare imported version. It still had all the original parts which all function perfect. Far as I can tell it was only a set of Brake shoes (front) and a Tail light away from being complete. Overall in very good for being almost 40 years old. A Road/Touring Bicycle it has features so advanced they're still being used today.
  • Caliper Center Pull Brakes
  • Composite Metal Frame
  • Retrofitted with Shimano Pd-M747 Pedals

Being really satisfied with such service I went out back and looked at another bicycle I had. I called back over to AZ Bicycle Experts and got Sean again. I thanked him for his initial help and asked if I could ask another question on another Bicycle. With no hesitation he agreed and again he supplied me top-notch info on a mountain bike made by IronHorse (turns out it was a child's bike!) When I researched it same thing happened surface general in formation returned same kind I received mostly from the Raleigh. I'm glad I did call AZ Bike Experts like the name implies they really were experts and knew their bicycles. More important they allow a nice comfortable line of communication. I mean I didn't feel like I was going to be pitched to at any minute lured into the shop under false pretenses. I got exactly what I asked for in each call and have plans on going in once this Raleigh sells and finding something more suitable for me.
Me personally I would recommend to anyone that has any type of Bicycle needs contact AZ Bicycle Experts they truly are experts. Or just drop by I plan to I mean I was treated so well over the phone I would like to see a what an actual visit in person be like! At any rate this is yet another one of Tucson hidden gems so make sure you take advantage when it comes to your Bicycle issue's. Mention this Blog Post it could get you a discount...you just have to go in and find out!

AZ Bicycle Experts
2801 E Speedway Boulevard (at Treat)
Tucson, Arizona 85716
520.881.2279
info@abecycling.com
**And remember to support your local merchants and they will support you!

 

Acacia Partners - Efficient professional property management

Acacia Partners - Efficient professional property management

         Finding your next place to live could be a hassle at times. Especially with so many other things going on in life. Fortunately here in Tucson we have a Residential Management company that make finding a place a lot easier. Acacia Partners located at 7423 E Tanque Verde Road is one Tucson's most well known agencies.
They always seem to have an amazing array of properties of all different styles of all varieties homes, apartments and condominiums. Located throughout Tucson very competitively priced, cleaned, inspected ready to be leased.
All units through Acacia Partners are also guaranteed to be well maintained by their staff of professional contractors. So if your an owner with property in need of management or as a tenant in search of a new fresh residence either way consider Acacia Partners as your one stop sop for all residential needs.
For a list of the most current properties or any other info click on the company link below
http://www.acacia-partners.com/

American Manufacturing - Where Did All The Jobs Go





Where did all the jobs go ?
A simple question if looked at from an overall perspective. The price we have to pay we all in order to get what we want we have to give up something. So the answer in short would be technology but lets take a closer look at it. As we wanted everything at our fingertips, even closer than a touch away, we demanded it be available in a few seconds or less. What was unknown to most of us at the time was that we would get everything we asked for unfortunately it would lead directly to the downfall of the entire manufacturing industry.At least here in America. 
Remember not too long ago all of the huge factories that used to exist? The one's we all used to pass by.
Massive plants spread out over hundreds of acres all over the United States. To a point they made us self-sufficient due to the fact they mass produced pretty much any and everything. From cars, washing machines, Refrigerators and anything else you can imagine. This is precisely when the most powerful advertising slogan in the world was created “Made In America”. The 1950's here in the United States due to a post-war boom manufacturing was like never before. Nestled between the War torn 1940's and the controversial 1960's, 1950's defined the United States as a powerhouse in both manufacturing and production.
Much like today college was available for higher education and fields of interest. Yet if you managed obtain employment at say the GM plant, this was a lifelong job with excellent benefits, Job Security, unions, and you more than likely (back then) made the same if not more than those that went to college. The fact that you worked for General Motors was also more than enough to get you qualified for loans, lines of credit and more as most creditors knew very well the type pf job security was available at GM.

Well what happened? You may be asking yourself, I mean most of us today wasn't there but it sounds like a much better than than now! You may be thinking. Well like I said before the 60's were controversial not work oriented. Seems everyone wanted equal rights but no one wanted to work for them. Then the 80's man let's not go there. Seems everyone was somewhere dancing in leg warmers or in a sweat suit so let's just move on.
The 1990's came up and we were all bit by the Technology bug everyone wanted everything right now. We didn't have time to wait! We couldn't wait for production times, shipping or showroom presentations. The Internet had instantly the made world a much smaller place while also placing any everything at our fingertips. And we all loved it! At least at first. We thought it would work well on a leash...something we could use to our advantage at our leisure, control and put away when done. Instead we literally unknowingly let “The Genie Out The Bottle”. What happened? You may ask again. Simply put thanks to technology and all of its technological advances it was now possible now for robots to perform the same jobs as humans. Only robots didn't get sick, require or life health insurance nor did they take sick days or vacations. They don't have a union demanding time and a half. They simply worked, broke and were repaired or replaced.
Corporations realizing this immediately poured millions into researching and developing them as the next workforce. And given the means Scientist in turn produced some amazing results in advanced fields such as Robotics, Programming Automation. The new workforce was now being manufactured and would soon help fill up the un-employment office. Since now most corporations only required a “Skeleton Crew” to manage, maintain and program robots! That pretty much did use in. looking at it from a Corporate perspective, You have thousands of employees that require Health and Life insurance, demand time and a half (overtime), complain to his union (about everything) and insist on being paid for days he didn't work (vacation). We could also get the same exact ask done with Robots. They work until they malfunction and they worked very efficiently. All they ever required was programming. No sick days, overtime it was a no brainer.
Just as we all tried to adjust to the impact being replaced we were yet again blindsided by the one thing none of us could have expected nor been prepared for, outsourcing. The combination was simple but deadly. It meant the end of traditional employment as we knew it here in the U.S. Everything that we had once stood on as ground and workers, laborers had been soundly snatched from under of feet. For the first time ever anything that couldn't manufactured by the robots was outsourced, shipped overseas. Our work was shipped out overseas for the same exact reasons the robots were built, cheap cost-effective non-stop labor with no overhead.
So for all of the new age technology, cell phones, flat screen TV's, powerful yet extremely fuel efficient cars? We did have a price to pay and big one at that. For all of our finger tip technology and digital communication we had to give up something. Job Security an almost forgone conclusion in today's economy but how many of us would like to live the long gone “Middle Class” life. The one that was much more simple. Where you bought a house, a car and opened a savings/retirement fund. Security remembered back when your biggest concern was getting your own son a job at the plant when he turned 18 (cheaper than college).
I wonder how many of us would give up our hectic technic lives of today for a simpler slower true American middle class way of living. Where job security wasn't an issue when we dealt with the same bank, the same branch for life. In hindsight would you rather live a slower simpler yet more secure life like we did in the 1950's or lightning fast superficial, surrealistic video version of life we all live everyday? To become a faster more Technology-Based society we gave up something that in hindsight probably has us all wondering... was it really worth it ?