>The businesses will take care of the workers if they are successful. That is no longer the case. The business model that prevails in America right now is that labor costs are the best place to gain on the profit vs costs equation. The more successful a business becomes the more likely it will be that they will reduce payroll to further inflate profits for the executive management and shareholders. Not everyone is equipped to become an MBA, nor should they need be in such a vast economic system as the United States. We need burger flippers as well as CEO's and they should and can be paid a wage that is sufficient to live on without derailing the company growth. Most companies only need a single CEO but they always need vastly more labor consistent with the size of the company. If our destiny truly lies in automated personal service delivery and outsourced skilled trades manufacturing then unwed mothers should not be pressured to have children they don't want. Republicans make most of the pro-life arguments but then argue just as fervently for Globalization. Huh? I don't think effective methods of birth control should be blackballed with trumped up allegations of danger. In fact it probably isn't out of line to suggest that if things are really so bad that ones country cannot guarantee its citizens employment consistent with their availability then maybe couples should be limited to one child only! The U.S. displays a shocking lack of ability to learn from history. After decades of a direct correlation between production and profit the U.S. began experimenting with a stock market economy which crashed badly in 1929 and the same dynamic is working again less than 100 years later. The U.S. also experimented with a free labor economy which indirectly led to a Civil War. This Red State/Blue State division is tearing our country apart and when it isn't doing that it definitely inhibits forward progress. The rest of the world is racing by with quality of life improvements for its citizens and we watch as China ascends to the place that we once held as a mover and shaker on the international stage. H

Ritamay-- if this is the tile you're talking about, look at Mapei Almond, or Mapei Ivory. The Ivory will be more of a tan, while the almond has more of a yellowish hue to it. Unfortunately, my stepson has my truck tonight, and all my grout charts are in it, but if neither of these "trip your trigger" or if Mapei's tough to find in your area, I can give you a couple of Custom Building products choices or Laticrete choices tomorrow. Here is a link that might be useful: Portobello Jersualem Almond

Katlan, Fireman's wife left after some people here basically called her a liar. Some believed her story some didn't and were very rude to her about it. I don't know if the story was true or not but she had been here awhile before all that happened so I don't see any reason why she would have made it up. If I had been treated that way I would have left too. As a matter of fact I don't post here much or even read here like I used to because of some of the mean people who surfaced around that time. Fine if you don't believe what someone posts here but there is no need to be vicious about it. Just Scroll on by.

It's very close -- maybe 7-8 miles as the crow flies, but the trajectory is south, not east/northeast towards me -- a couple of ridges and a creek and a river and a couple of "major" local two-lane highway (Hwy 9, 236) also break the path. Basically, if the fire gets to Boulder Creek and me, half the town will be gone. I can't see that happening, at least not tonight or tomorrow. A remote smaller fire last year just over the ridge, which did not get widely reported, had me more in a tizzy about evacuating...I had the cat carriers out, fire safe in the car, important files in the car, and a gym bag with a couple changes of clothes, as well as a few things for the cats (litter, food, etc.), and a few things for me as well. Not that it would make much difference because my house is at the peak of a canyon/creek "chimney", I did have quite a bit of fire break/ tree clearing done once I kicked the soon-to-be-ex-not-so-DH outta here. He would never do it since he prunes trees for a living and didn't want to "sacrifice" trees at home as well. 'Nuff said... Here's a current fire map, with a little yellow dot at the top right/center showing approximately where I am.