A Great Gas Price Calculator

This Gas Price Calculator is a great tool from MSN. Just enter your zip code in the site below, and it tells you which gas stations have the cheapest prices (and the highest) on gas in your zip code area. You will see a map of your area and then scroll down and you will get a listing of gas prices with addresses and brands starting with the least expensive and going up. It's updated every evening.

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx

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Help victims of the Myanmar Cyclone

Residents are seen near uprooted trees and downed power lines in a street in Yangon on May 4. Myanmar said Tuesday that more than 22,500 people had been killed in the cyclone that tore into the impoverished and secretive Asian nation at the weekend, and tens of thousands more may also have died. (AFP/File/Hla Hla Haty)

Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar, also known as Burma with winds of up to 120 mph, last weekend leaving thousands dead and hundreds of thousands more people homeless. Priority needs are shelter and clean drinking water.

Help the victims by making a donation to one of these great agencies below preparing supplies to be delivered as quickly as possible.

Donate Now!

•American Red Cross

• AmeriCares

• Direct Relief International

• International Committee of the Red Cross

• International Relief Teams

• MAP International

• Mercy Corps

• Save the Children

• World Food Programme

• World Vision

This list provided from the Network for Good

Orange County Choppers visit Mystic Aquarium

Love bikes? Love Penguins? What's not to love I say! Tomorrow (April 30) Mikey Teutul from the very popular Discovery Channel show Orange County Choppers will be at Mystic Aquarium filming a segment for the show because the O.C.C. crew has created a penguin-themed bike (can't wait to see this).

Get the whole story here:
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/entertainment/x170777145

New Connecticut Teen Driving Laws

In a ceremony at Conard High School in West Hartford this afternoon, Governor M. Jodi Rell signed a bill into law that tightens restrictions on teen drivers and levies tougher penalties for teens who violate the rules of the road. The bill, spearheaded by Governor Rell, toughens restrictions and penalties, rolls back the evening curfew for teen drivers and provides for more on-the-road training of teen drivers.

“We have lost far too many irreplaceable young lives in recent years,” Governor Rell said. “What makes these terrible tragedies on our roads even harder to bear is that every single one is avoidable. This new law will strengthen our legal tools for training and protecting young drivers, and I believe it will help to save lives. Connecticut will now have some of the strongest graduated driving licensing regulations in the country.”


So, what does the new Connecticut Teen Driving Law mean for you?

• Drivers under 18 must be off the road by 11 p.m., one hour earlier than now; exceptions are allowed for jobs, school and religious reasons.
• Parents must attend two hours of instruction on teen-driving laws before a child takes his or her license test.
• Fines are increased for certain moving violations and for violations of the passenger restriction, the curfew restriction and for cell phone violations.
• On-road training is doubled, from 20 hours to 40 hours, for teens getting learner's permits after August 1.
• Penalties are increased for teen drivers' passengers not wearing seat belts.
• Suspension periods are increased for 16- and 17-year-olds for reckless driving and motor vehicle racing. (Suspension of six months for the first offense.)
• License suspensions are established for speeding (60 days) and for use of cell phones (30 days) by 16- and 17-year-olds.
• Teens who violate provisions of the graduated license rules would lose their privileges for 30 days.
• To regain a suspended license, the 16- or 17-year-old and his parent or legal guardian must appear in person at the police department, state police barracks, or other designated location and sign a written acknowledgement of its return.
  

“I thank all the members of my Teen Driving Task Force,” Governor Rell said. “They did the leg work and the research, held the meetings, listened to the public’s ideas and made recommendations. I commend the legislature for this bipartisan effort."

“I also thank the public for providing our task force with valuable input during the statewide forums. You shared stories about your loved ones. You spoke of personal tragedies that could have been prevented. You had a major impact in crafting this law.”

The law, HB-5748, “An Act Concerning Teenage Drivers,” takes effect August 1, 2008.

For more information please visit:
http://www.ct.gov/teendriving/cwp/view.asp?Q=413528&A=3369

One Things for Spring

Governor Rell Highlights Spring ‘OneThings’ for Homeowners, Businesses

 

 

With spring in the air and Earth Day on April 22, Governor M. Jodi Rell today recommended a number of springtime “OneThings” Connecticut residents and businesses can do to conserve energy and help protect the environment.

 

“The spring season is typically a time that reminds us of how beautiful our Earth is,” said Governor Rell. “It should also be a time when we reflect on the things we can do as individuals to preserve our planet. I encourage everyone in Connecticut to do their part. Our decisions about energy use can result in significant cost-savings, reductions in climate change and a cleaner, greener state.”

 

For residents, Governor Rell recommends these OneThings:

 

• Make the most of spring cleaning. Clean the windows in your home and rely on natural light when possible.
• When possible, air-dry your clothes instead of using the dryer. You could save $75 a year.
• Plant deciduous trees to shade your house from the sun. You could save up to 8 percent on cooling costs.
• Plan your summer vegetable garden. Cutting down on shipping from farms to stores saves gas and is healthier too!
• Get your car tuned up to avoid fuel economy problems connected with spark plugs, dragging brakes or transmission problems. 

 

Businesses and employees can save with these OneThings:

 

• Bike to work once in a while. (I’m just picturing the traffic report from Mark the Shark or Rachel Not-a-Shark on this one:  “Back up on I-95 caused by thousands of bicycles wheel to wheel…” That would be great!)
• Make the refrigerator in the break room part of this season’s cleaning routine. Dust and dirt on the coils in the back can strain the compressor and waste energy.
• If you have a window office, shut off the lights and let the sun shine in.
• Take the stairs. It’s good exercise for you and reduces energy use in the building.
• Schedule preventive maintenance on cooling systems to maximize performance and maintain efficiency.

 

These OneThing ideas include actual submissions from Connecticut residents to Governor Rell’s OneThing Web site, www.OneThingCT.com. A comprehensive list of OneThing ideas and important information about the rebates and incentives Connecticut has established for energy-conscious consumers can be found on the Web site. The site is also a place for people to formally register their own OneThing commitments and learn more about the OneThing Expo, a “World’s Fair” of conservation planned for October 10-12, 2008, at the Connecticut Convention Center.

 

The OneThing campaign leverages the momentum that can be achieved if everyone in the state took one step every day to save on their energy bills and make a positive contribution to the environment. If each of the state’s 3.5 million residents did OneThing a day, every day, for a year that would be more than 1.2 billion OneThings – more than enough to make a real difference on issues such as consumption, conservation and the use of clean and renewable energy.

 

The campaign is an extension of Governor Rell's Connecticut Energy Vision for a Cleaner, Greener State. The Governor’s energy vision was unveiled in late 2006 to create measurable ways to reduce the cost of energy for consumers and businesses, strengthen state energy policy over the long- and short-term and reaffirm Connecticut’s position as a leader in renewable energy.