Central Points Fine Arts is sponsoring a Poetry Contest which is free and is open to Davenport-area residents. There are fifty prizes totaling $5000, with a $1000 Grand Prize for the last poet standing.  Poems of 21 lines or fewer on any subject and in any style will be judged by the contest director, Dr. Joseph Cameron.

Entrants should include their name and address on the same page as the peom, and a winner's list will be sent to them.

Entries must be received by April 10, 2012, and can be submitted via mail to Free Poetry Contest, PO Box 3336, Central Point, OR 97502; or enter online at www.freecontest.com

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - According to the 2011 DaVinci Roofscapes' Homeowners Exterior Preferences Study, more than seven in ten homeowners* (71 percent) believe the outward appearance of their home reflects their personality. Those people who identify their personalities closest to their home's exterior live in the Midwest, while those with the least connection are residents of the Northeast.

 

Homeowners who closely align their home's exterior with their own personality cited a variety of reasons for the similarity, including:

-       "It's bold and different like me."

-       "Having personally designed my home I feel it reflects my likes and preferences."

-       "I am a contemporary person; the house is contemporary."

-       "It too is old, but really stylish."

-       "It looks simple and unpretentious ... which is how I think of myself."

-       "The exterior of my home is conservative in appearance, which is the same as my personality."

 

Homeowners also indicated in the study that the colors of their home's exterior match up

and reflect their personalities, citing:

-       "I am a traditionalist. I think the colors of my house are very traditional."

-       "The (house) color and trim was chosen by me and is unique to my personality."

-       "I have chosen colors (for my home's exterior) that are traditional and dramatic rather than the drab beige people consider safe."

 

"This part of the study tells us that a majority of homeowners see a relationship between their personalities and their home exteriors," says Ray Rosewall, CEO and president of DaVinci Roofscapes. "This helps us understand why roofing color options are important to homeowners. They see their home's exterior --- including the colors on the exterior --- as a positive reflection of who they are. This explains why we've seen soaring sales of personalized color configurations of our roofing products in the past several years and an overall increase in color blends by our customers. People are sharing their personality through their home's exterior!"

 

The nationwide consumer study, conducted online by Harris Interactive^©, also indicates that homeowners in the Midwest are the most likely to feel connected to the outward appearance of their home (80 percent), followed by the South at 73 percent and the West at 71 percent. Homeowners in the Northeast feel the least amount of personality connection (65 percent) with their home's exterior.

 

"Homeowners in the study also indicated that when house hunting or designing their own homes, the most attention-grabbing feature of the exterior was the style of the home, followed by how the home looked on the property," says Rosewall. "We believe this information firmly links a homeowner's personality with a specific style home. As opposed to buying a house simply because it's a 'good deal' or in a good location, people seek out the style of home that most reflects how they view themselves and want others to see them."

 

DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning polymer slate and shake roofing since 1999. The roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.

###

Friends, supporters, and fellow patriots;

February 17th, 2012 was the third anniversary of Barack Obama's $1.2 trillion "stimulus" bill. To say the effort has been a disaster for Americans is massive understatement. It was not just unsuccessful in jump-starting the economy, it has been an abject failure in every sense of the word.

Take a moment to check out our latest video "This Is The Economy On Stimulus " video here.

To better educate and illustrate the damage this bungled scheme has caused our nation, we've launched a new initiative, called; Sick of Stimulus to point out these failures at www.sickofstimulus.com.

We need solutions and not more rhetoric coming from Washington. The first step to bring this about is to sign the pledge and say "We the people are Sick of Stimulus!" 

You can also show that you are Sick of Stimulus by donating today!

If you'll remember, President Obama promised the stimulus would "save or create 3.5 million jobs," yet since the stimulus was passed, we've lost 1.1 million jobs, poverty and food stamp usage has reached an all-time high, the percentage of Americans even trying to find work is at a 30-year low, and the debt has increased by nearly $5 trillion.

And amazingly, even though Barack Obama's "Stimulus" efforts are a total fiasco, the White House and their colleagues in Congress want to spend even more of your hard earned tax dollars for more of the same!!

We must fight this outrageous agagenda which is sending our country's fiscal house off a cliff. But we can't do it alone -so be sure to sign the pledge and visit www.sickofstimulus.com often to see future videos.. 

I happen to believe we can win this folks! I am Sick of Stimulus!  Will you pledge the same?


Sincerely,

Herman Cain

Foolish Ways to Lose an Election

While GOP candidates and party faithful focus on who can best beat President Obama in November, Craig Copland is rallying conservatives to take over the country - one dog catcher at a time.

"In November 2012 we can take back the White House, majority control of the Senate, more governors' offices, scores of state legislative seats, and countless local level offices," says Copland, author of the just released 2012 Conservative Election Handbook (www.conservawiki.com), a guide to winning campaigns at any level.

"It doesn't start with the office of president," he says. "That's where it ends."

Citizens who want to see conservative governance and policies throughout the fabric of the United States can make it happen by running for local office or volunteering campaign help for conservative candidates, Copland says.

"There are 600,000-plus elected offices in this country," he says. "If America is to remain a beacon of freedom and prosperity, then conservatives need to be elected as county clerks, judges, water commissioners, mayors, school board trustees, state legislators, and every other rank of public office in the country."

His new guide, researched and written with insights gleaned from his years of managing political and non-profit campaigns, lays out clear instructions for both political veterans and newbies, stepping up to do their part for the conservative cause.

Among them: Some foolish ways to lose an election.

• Sex: Voters will forgive divorce; they won't forgive active adultery. Don't get carried away by the headiness and pressures of the campaign trail and screw up.

• Lies: Do not lie. Not about anything. You will always be found out. Your credibility will be attacked. You will lose.

• Videotape: Once you become a public figure, everything you say will be on the public record - somewhere. If not on videotape, then audiotape, in print, or in a notebook. Emails, Facebook posts and tweets live forever. So be consistent, think before you speak, and don't let your guard down. It will reappear at the worst possible time.

• Do NOT Break the rules: Every election, every state, every district and every campaign will be faced with a staggering list of rules. Learn them. Follow them. Bring accountants and lawyers on board who are experienced with the rules. If you are caught breaking even one, it could derail your campaign.

• Avoid conflicts of interest: Never let yourself be caught supporting a political action in which you have an obvious interest. Voters will respect a candidate who believes in something because it's the right thing. But if you appear to be lining your pockets, it's game over.

• Do NOT fight losing battles: Don't waste a nickel or a minute trying to appeal to the group trying to repeal marijuana laws - they'll never vote for you. And you're not going to win a precinct that voted 90 percent liberal in the last election. Focus your time and money where you can make a difference in the vote.

Raising money, of course, is a big part of winning a campaign, but it doesn't take a lot to win a less dazzling local office. It's a good place to learn the ropes of fundraising and get some practice running a campaign without a lot of pressure, he says. And there's value in winning even the most down-ballot office.

"If conservatives set out to win every elected post in the country, all 600,000-plus of them, then America will be a truly conservative country," he says, "from dogcatcher to president."

About Craig Copland

Craig Copland is a retired entrepreneur with a long history as a volunteer and professional consultant with expertise in fundraising and managing political campaigns. He spent many years as an executive and CEO of international humanitarian aid agencies, helping establish and run disaster response programs for children in Africa, Bosnia, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, among other locations. As founder and president of Conservative Growth Inc., he helps elect conservatives to all levels of public office.