Newsletter December 14, 2006

Welcome to Ideal Living Updates – December 14, 2006
A free monthly newsletter from Ideal Living Media, www.ideallivingmedia.com.

Please forward this newsletter to your friends, family or anyone who may be interested. Subscription and signoff instructions are below.

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WHAT’S NEW?

• Again, happy holidays to you and yours! There’s been so much going on, here’s another Updates for your information and enjoyment. We appreciate your friendships and support, so here goes:

• Reports have come in that oil drilling efforts above Annabella have ceased. That *could* mean bad news for hopes of finding more oil deposits like the one outside Sigurd, locally, or throughout the Rockies in other “hingeline plays.” Meanwhile, in the past week, at least one local oil outfit has started selling off their drilling rights around the local area. Wall Street has taken notice of the whole deal, issuing warnings about buying stock in companies that have invested heavily in local oil exploration.

• Many thanks to everyone who contributed to help Jade, the little girl who was mistreated while her mother was serving in Iraq. Here’s a note from Karen Hales, who coordinated local charitable efforts:

Thank you so much for donating to Jade’s Christmas
miracle. The family was so appreciative of the
wonderful items that were donated. Within hours
of sending an e-mail we received donations of cash,
food, clothing, toys, books, stuffed animals, beautiful
dresses, and Christmas decorations.

One donor shared the story that his daughter had
written in her letter to Santa Claus that she wanted
Santa to find her a little girl who needed help at
Christmas. As soon as her dad told her about Jade,
she ran to her closet and grabbed her favorite
Christmas dress to give to Jade. This dress is shown
in the bottom photo. [see http://ideallivingmedia.com/jade ]

Jade’s mother was in tears when she saw the
generous gifts and then opened a card and another
envelope with cash in them and heard the story of
the little girl’s dress. It took us three trips to our
van to unload the items that were so generously
donated. (Good thing we have a big van!)

Jade is doing so much better now. Her cheeks
are filling out and she looks healthy and happy. She
looked beautiful in her little Christmas dress. It was
touching to spend time with her and her sweet family.

Thank you all for sharing the true spirit of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones and
God bless all of you this holiday season.

The Hales Family

• New local TV programming from Ideal Living includes a fun look at some of this year’s big new toys at the new Funfinity toy/books/games store in downtown Richfield, a video and music montage of our own Christmas Tree Lane at Sevier Valley Center, and a new public service announcement about Central Utah Food Sharing, who needs your support! You can catch these all and more on Local10, or if you have broadband Internet, right now at Google Video: visit http://tinyurl.com/yc7y9a or just search Ideal Living Media at http://video.google.com.

And check this out: the Bicycle MotoCross competition at the Elsinore Heritage Days this past summer has had nearly 9,000 viewings so far. While not as popular as Weird Al (and Donny Osmond!)’s #1 video — “White and Nerdy,” with 6 million views — who knew BMX racing in Utah was such a big deal? And for the record, having a web design company does not necessarily make a person as nerdy as Weird Al. Just making that clear.

• The presentation on December 5 by Michael Jenkins of Rocky Mountain Power Company, to discuss future electrical generation opportunities for Utah, was a popular event, with dozens braving the cold to discuss the power production in Utah. The discussion was polite, even warm — and everyone in attendance seeming to be very well-informed, government official or average citizen alike. While declining to talk specifically about NEVCO’s proposed coal-fired power plant in Sigurd (Rocky Mountain Power is a part-owner of the competing power plant addition in Delta), Jenkins drew a gasp from the audience when he noted that the obvious reason for locating such a plant in the Sevier Valley was it’s current pollution capacity — that it was one of the few areas left in Utah that was not already polluted beyond legal limits.

• A new Domino’s Pizza franchise is said to be opening in the strip mall in front of the Richfield Wal-mart. Said to be opening in January, if not sooner, the menu for the delivery-only chain may be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/yygbut .

• Ideal Dairy now offers loaves of its own fresh-baked bread for sale — white, wheat or (light) sourdough — baked fresh daily. They will be baking their own Rye bread as well. At only $1.69 a loaf, it’s a great bargain. And of course, they have their annual wassail, egg nog and other holiday treats. Be sure to try one of their made-fresh-daily soups also — warm, delicious and “home made.”

And, if your business is offering something new, please let us know. We are happy to share what you’re offering to our friends and neighbors.

• CentraCom will now be offering cable television and fast broadband Internet access to Central, Elsinore, Annabella, and Austin. We have been asked to pull together a list of any residents who might be interested. We appreciate CentraCom’s support in playing our local television programming, so if you, your friends, or family, might be interested, please let us know and we will add you to the list for Centracom to contact and tell you about their programming and Internet services.

Just leave a quick voicemail for us at 201-9884 or shoot an email to ideallivingmedia@gmail.com. Please let us know your name, address and phone number, and we’ll ask CentraCom to give you a call. They are really nice people, and there’s no commitment implied in letting us know. We have just found their service and services to be praiseworthy, and are happy to recommend them to our friends.

At the same time, they are boosting their broadband Internet speeds up to a scorching 5 megabits per second. That’s 5,000 kilobits for you dial-up users, who are still struggling at 56 kilobits. With CentraCom, you get free internet and a basic channel package for around $35 per month. Can’t beat that.

People who sign up through Ideal Living get *two free months* of free service at whatever level you choose. So that’s pretty cool, too, and we appreciate CentraCom offering our friends such a good deal.

So here’s a list of their cable TV packages which we pulled together for your viewing enjoyment:

– Basic – 12 Channels: Local Utah Broadcast channels including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS, BYU, & WB: KUTV, KUWB, KTVX, KSL, KUPX, KUED, BYU-TV, KULC, our own Local 10 — featuring Sevier County Ideal Living programming, local high school sports, and more — and KBYU, KJZZ, and KSTU.

– Expanded Basic ~ 60 Channels: All the Basic channels plus: Disney, WGN, WTBS, TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports, CNN, Fox News, Weather Channel, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, USA, Lifetime, ABC Family, A&E, AMC, Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, FX, Spike, CMT, TV Land, Hallmark, Cartoon Network, Versus (formerly Outdoor Network), MTV, VH-1, Headline News, The Mountain (where Utah college sports are broadcast), Sportsman, QVC, Travel, Court, Sci-Fi, Bravo, MSNBC, Home Shopping, CNBC, KCSG, Food Network, and a few others I keep forgetting.

– Digital Advantage ~ 110 Channels: All the Basic and Expanded channels plus: Biography, BBC America, GSN (formerly Game Show Network), HGTV (formerly Home & Garden), Toon Disney, Discovery Kids, Nick Games, Noggin, Sleuth, Style, MTV2, FUSE, CMT Pure Country, VH1 Classic Rock, Independent Films, Lifetime Movies, WE, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery Times, Discovery Health, Discovery Home, Science Channel, Discovery Military, History Channel, History Channel International, Fox Sports Atlantic, Central, and Pacific, ESPN Classic, ESPNews, Golf Channel, Outdoor Life, Speed Channel, Great American Country, The Word, National Geographic, and Shop NBC. This package also includes a variety of digital CD-quality music-only channels, in 30 commercial-free audio channels including: Holidays, Children’s, Big Band, Golden Oldies, Rock & Roll Oldies, Lite Classical, 70s, 80s, Christian, Modern Country, Traditional Country, and many, many more.

– 30+ Movie Channels are available in a variety of packages including Cinemax (Cinemax, More Max, Action Max, Thriller Max), HBO (HBO, HBO Family, HBO2, Signature, Comedy, Zone), Showtime (Showtime, Showtime2, Showcase, Extreme, Next, Family, Women, Flix, The Movie Channel, TMC Xtra), Starz + Encore (Encore, Action, Love, Mystery, True Stories, Westerns, Wam!, Starz, Theatre, Cinema, Family), and more — including new pay per view movies.

Phew! To learn more, or for web links to all of those channels to see what they offer, visit http://ideallivingmedia.com/news.html .

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NEWS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/news.html

Recent headlines added to our local news archive in Central Utah News:

• Delta leads decline in state stocks
• Delta Petroleum downgraded to “hold” – update
• Whirling disease found in Electric Lake
• Artists Paint Portraits for Families of Fallen Soldiers
• Federal Grant May Help Aid Topaz Museum Efforts
• Biker activists use attitude to help abused kids
• Pioneer Announces Results for Fiscal 2006 and Sale of Some Central Utah Properties
• More cities reject coal-fired power: They join L.A. against contract renewal with a Utah plant as pressure over pollution mounts.
• Wind generation pledge being met in Western states: Utilities: MidAmerican Energy Holdings [new owner of Rocky Mountain Power] brings a new wind farm on line for Utah consumption
• Cities balk at contracts for power generated by Utah coal-fired plants
• California clean-air law impacts Utah plant
• High court sides with environmental groups challenging power plants
• Sierra Club can challenge plant permits

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/calendar.html

Upcoming local events include:

• December 15-16: 2A Girls Basketball Preview.
• December 22 – January 1: Christmas Vacation.
• December 25: Merry Christmas!
• January 1: Happy New Year!

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ARTS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/calendar.html

Arts & Crafts include:

• Paper Ornaments
• Paper Snowflakes
• Scented Ornaments
• Paper Christmas Trees
• Pressed Leaves Pictures
• Fairy Houses, and many more…
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FOOD – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/food.html

Recipes include:

• Christmas Cookies — very popular!
• Festive Holiday Recipes
• Fun Snowmen Recipes
• Easy Pumpkin Supreme Dessert
• Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip from the Olive Garden
• Carrot and Raisin Salad from Chick-fil-A
• Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes
• Breakfast Buns & Banana Pudding
• Slow Cooker Entrees
• Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie
• Marie Callender’s Dessert Pies
• Wendy’s Chili
• Chicken Casserole from the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Restaurant
• Cheese Garlic Biscuits from Red Lobster
• and more fun & easy meal ideas!
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INTERNET – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/internet.html

Just in time for Christmas vacation, free Internet Fun:

• Disneyland’s free Virtual Magic Kingdom
• Web sites for preschoolers
• Study Buddy learning games
• Virtual worlds for teens and adults
• Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
• Cute Overload and more…
_______________________________

LATEST UPDATES – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/

• Visit www.IdealLivingMedia.com for news and business updates and other information for and about our “ideal” community! Thanks for visiting!
_______________________________

MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

Please support the Richfield Mall and other local businesses by
supporting our great sponsors!

5 Star Rental & Sales – http://www.5starrental.com
Barney Outdoor Outfitters – http://barneyoutdooroutfitters.com
Blake Electric Co. – http://richfieldmall.com/blakeelectric
CentraCom Interactive – http://centracominteractive.com
Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties – http://richfieldmall.com/coldwellbanker
Comfort Inn – Richfield – http://richfieldmall.com/comfortinn
Hal & Jean Ward – http://centralutahhomes.com
Ideal Dairy – http://www.theidealdairy.com
Jones Glass and Decorating – http://www.jonesglassanddecorating.com/
Intermountain Computer Services – http://intermountaincomputer.com
Little Wonder Travel – http://littlewondertravel.com
Mountain View Vision – http://mountainviewvision.com
Nationwide Floor & Window Coverings – http://FloorsandWindows.com
Ogden’s Superstore – http://ogdens.homeappliances.com

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Ideal Living Updates, a publication of Ideal Living Media.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an email to ideallivingmedia@gmail.com with your choice in the subject.

All contents are (c) 2006 Ideal Living Media, a public service of Ovid Learning Foundation, Inc.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Newsletter December 1, 2006

Welcome to Ideal Living Updates – December 1, 2006
A free monthly newsletter from Ideal Living Media, www.ideallivingmedia.com.

Please forward this newsletter to your friends, family or anyone who may be interested. Subscription and signoff instructions are below.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

WHAT’S NEW?

• Happy holidays! Sincere best wishes to you and yours! And remember, when you shop local everyone in our community benefits.

• Ideal Dairy is now baking its own fresh bread for its sandwiches. Stop by for a fresh, delicious (and healthy) sandwich today!

• The Sevier Citizens for Clean Air and Water are hosting a public event on December 5, at 7 p.m. at the Quality Inn Center, 540 South Main Street, Richfield. The featured speaker is Michael Jenkins of Rocky Mountain Power Company who will discuss future electrical generation opportunities for Utah. The public is welcome, and there will be free refreshments.

Interest is riding high in the event not only because of the speaker, but also because the Sevier Citizens just had a unanimous ruling in their favor from the Utah Supreme Court, which will allow Utah chapters for the Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Trust and other environmental groups to actively work against NEVCO’s proposed coal-fired power plant. This will likely start much of the approval process over again for NEVCO, pushing the process back years, while dimming its prospects.

Meanwhile, the Salt Lake Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other respected news sources are reporting that Delta’s IPP coal-fired power plant has run afowl of California’s new law to no longer use “dirty” power. Apparently, IPP tried to make a quiet deal with higher-ups to sell power to them anyway, but were found out by members of the U.S. Congress and the California cities and power companies were forced to back out entirely from these deals. Since California utilities are IPP’s major owners and customers, this will have a big impact on the plant’s future.

After being called on the carpet, the mayor of one California city, whose municipal power company is a major owner/customer of IPP said, “‘We are considering actually tearing IPP down and building a cleaner plant. This means not only clean air for Utah but a cleaner environment for the globe.’ [Burbank Mayor] Campbell said he also hoped IPP’s 70 acres in Delta could be the site of wind and solar farms. ‘We would like to accelerate renewable technology,’ he said.”

IPP Manager Reed Searle concedes, “This is an issue that will not go away.” Privately, experts involved in the power industry are said to have little or no interest in the NEVCO plant given the worsening business climate for the coal-fired power plant.

• Numerous parties have stated that the loss of the proposed NEVCO plant won’t damage the local coal industry, since the plant had intended to use Wyoming coal, and the area’s coal mine may be emptied of usable coal by 2013 anyway, well before the plant would have likely been completed.
• Reports have come in that Wal-mart has taken to firing long-time employees over trivial matters, while promising to hire them back three months later — at a lower salary. Fired employees seem to be finding work elsewhere instead.

• Many gas stations outside the area are starting to put $100 “holds” on your bank account funds when a credit or debit card is used to pay at the pump. No word yet on whether local stations are following suit, but to escape having funds tied up for days, it is suggested either paying cash or using your card inside the station when making payment.
• Local banks are said to be taking on some big city approaches to their customers, ranging from charges — or outright refusal — to cash checks to people who do not have an account there, to refusal to cash business checks, to charging unannounced daily fees for bounced transactions regardless of amount, and so forth. Careful attention to your account’s online banking statements is encouraged. While such policies may be commonplace on the coasts, such fees are unseemly to many local folks, and are complaining about them.
In contrast, other financial institutions are stepping up their customer-friendly services. For example, State Bank of Southern Utah is offering free checking accounts to businesses registered with the state ( http://corporations.utah.gov ).
Other services are arising to fill the gap left by such banking policies. For instance, there is a new Mastercard debit card that is issued without a credit check, with no effect on your credit history, free ATM withdrawals, with no interest or fees charged, beyond a $0.10 charge for some transactions. (For more info, just reply to this email, with “mastercard” in the subject, and we’ll send you more info.)
So, if you notice unexplained fees on your accounts, be sure to ask the good local folks we have here at our local banks about it — oftentime they can refund all or part of such fees, especially new ones.

• Remember that if you are looking for fast broadband internet service, or a better value with your television bill, our local cable company will be bringing these new and improved services soon to Monroe, Elsinore, Annabella and Central. To compare pricing and services, visit http://centracominteractive.com/idealliving to check special offers we have arranged for our community. And please remember to tell them Ideal Living sent you! Thank you!
• Free select movie and tv show downloads will be available tomorrow, THIS SATURDAY, December 2 at AOL Video. http://video.aol.com/ and click on “Movies.”

____________________________

NEWS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/news.html

Recent headlines added to our local news archive in Central Utah News:

• More cities reject coal-fired power: They join L.A. against contract renewal with a Utah plant as pressure over pollution mounts.
• Wind generation pledge being met in Western states: Utilities: MidAmerican Energy Holdings [new owner of Rocky Mountain Power] brings a new wind farm on line for Utah consumption
• Cities balk at contracts for power generated by Utah coal-fired plants
• California clean-air law impacts Utah plant
• High court sides with environmental groups challenging power plants
• Sierra Club can challenge plant permits
• Sierra Club Okay To Challenge Power Plant Permits
• Increased Appetite for Turkey Helping Utah Turkey Farms
• Trigon Completes Geophysical Work and Expands Land Package at Its Marysvale Uranium Project
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/calendar.html

Upcoming local events include:

• December 1-2: 2A Boys Basketball Preview.
• December 5: Michael Jenkins, the Assistant General Council for Pacificorp (now Rocky Mountain Power) will be the featured speaker of Sevier Citizen’s for Clean Air and Water December meeting. The presentation and question/answer session will be held at the Quality Inn, in Richfield, 7 P.M. The meeting is free and the public is welcome.
• December 5-7: Christmas Tree Lane.
• December 8-9: 1A Boys Basketball Preview.
• December 9: Afterglow in concert.
• December 15-16: 2A Girls Basketball Preview.
• December 22 – January 1: Christmas Vacation.
• December 25: Merry Christmas!
• January 1: Happy New Year!

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IDEAL LIVING TV – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/tv.html

Video coverage now available on CentraCom’s Local10 — and online now — for:

• Healthy Richfield
• Cowboy Corral, Elsinore
• Utah Artists at the Staples Art Center, Elsinore
• Lifetime Fitness Center, Richfield
• Grow and Know, a new children’s program
• Sevier Citizens for Clean Air and Water
• Monroe Inn, Bed & Breakfast in Scenic Utah

To see all of our video segments, visit http://tinyurl.com/yc7y9a
_______________________________

ARTS – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/calendar.html

Arts & Crafts include:

• Paper Ornaments
• Paper Snowflakes
• Scented Ornaments
• Paper Christmas Trees
• Pressed Leaves Pictures
• Fairy Houses, and many more…
_______________________________

FOOD – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/food.html

Recipes include:

• Christmas Cookies
• Festive Holiday Recipes
• Fun Snowmen Recipes
• Easy Pumpkin Supreme Dessert
• Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip from the Olive Garden
• Carrot and Raisin Salad from Chick-fil-A
• Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes
• Breakfast Buns & Banana Pudding
• Slow Cooker Entrees
• Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie
• Marie Callender’s Dessert Pies
• Wendy’s Chili
• Chicken Casserole from the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Restaurant
• Cheese Garlic Biscuits from Red Lobster
• and more fun & easy meal ideas!
_______________________________

INTERNET – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/internet.html

Free Internet Fun:

• Disneyland’s free Virtual Magic Kingdom
• Web sites for preschoolers
• Study Buddy learning games
• Virtual worlds for teens and adults
• Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates
• Cute Overload and more…
_______________________________

LATEST UPDATES – http://IdealLivingMedia.com/

• Visit www.IdealLivingMedia.com for news and business updates and other information for and about our “ideal” community! Thanks for visiting!
_______________________________

MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

Please support the Richfield Mall and other local businesses by
supporting our great sponsors!

5 Star Rental & Sales – http://www.5starrental.com
Barney Outdoor Outfitters – http://barneyoutdooroutfitters.com
Blake Electric Co. – http://richfieldmall.com/blakeelectric
CentraCom Interactive – http://centracominteractive.com
Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties – http://richfieldmall.com/coldwellbanker
Comfort Inn – Richfield – http://richfieldmall.com/comfortinn
Hal & Jean Ward – http://centralutahhomes.com
Ideal Dairy – http://www.theidealdairy.com
Jones Glass and Decorating – http://www.jonesglassanddecorating.com/
Intermountain Computer Services – http://intermountaincomputer.com
Little Wonder Travel – http://littlewondertravel.com
Mountain View Vision – http://mountainviewvision.com
Nationwide Floor & Window Coverings – http://FloorsandWindows.com
Ogden’s Superstore – http://ogdens.homeappliances.com

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Ideal Living Updates, a publication of Ideal Living Media.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an email to
ideallivingmedia@gmail.com with your choice in the subject.

All contents are (c) 2006 Ideal Living Media, a public service of Ovid
Learning Foundation, Inc.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •