With the arrival of the holidays, I have noticed that gasoline prices are increasing. I have a few tips for saving gasoline that I want to share. Hopefully, instead of feeling stressed by increasing gas prices, you will take positive steps to reduce your oil and gas consumption.

• Go shopping and run chores on one day of the week, planning your route in advance.
• Buy local. Support your farmers’ market. You will be eating fresher and helping decrease the amount of energy it takes to grow and transport your food.
• Carpool. Bring a book to the game practice and stay there while your child practices. Or take a walk to the library.
• Use public transportation. Ride a bike. Use a scooter instead of a car.
• Visit GasBuddy.com to find the cheapest gas in your area. If you can save five cents on a gallon of gas and you have a 25-gallon tank, you have saved $1.25. If you save this amount weekly, you will save $65 a year.
• Use Discover and other credit cards that reward you with rebates on your purchases.
• At Sam’s Clubs, HEB and Costco, the gas is usually 3-5 cents cheaper than anywhere else in town. You will save enough money to pay for the membership fee.
• Get off the highway to buy gas. I saved sixteen cents a gallon this year by waiting and buying gas in a small town.
• Drive smart. Acceleration eats gasoline. Turn off your car at the bank drive through, railroad crossings and long traffic lights. Do not sit anywhere with your car idling unless you have small children in the car.
• Lose the weight. Take all excess items out of your car and trunk. Empty your RV tanks before journeying down the road. If you do not use much propane, do not keep both tanks full.
• Wind resistance can increase fuel costs. If you are driving down the highway, use your air-conditioner and keep your windows shut. However, in stop and go traffic, cut the air conditioner off and open your windows.
• A tonneau cover will significantly increase the mileage of your truck.
• Keep your car in tune, the tires inflated and the oil clean. Change filters (oil, gas, air) when suggested by your mechanic or owner’s manual.

May your gas tank and your heart be full this holiday season.

The first Juneteenth celebration happened spontaneously in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order #3 to the assembled people in Galveston, Texas.

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free . . .

The celebration was poignant because it had taken 1-1/2 years for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas after it was signed into law.

Tip of the Hat to  sneakerboxx.wordpress.com/ for image

Today, this historic event is celebrated around the USA and the world, not only as a slave  independence day, but as a celebration of the culture, the history and the countless contributions made by people of color to the world.

Emancipation Proclamation * Juneteenth * Freedom Celebrations * Redemption Songs

June 13-19
Galveston

June 19
Miller Outdoor Center, Houston

June 19-20
Cecile Holman Park and Benny Houston Community Center, Brownwood

June 19-20
San Marcos Plaza by the Cock House, San Marcos

June 20
Fred More Park, Denton

June 19-21
Woodson Park, Odessa

June 27-28
Last Frontier Heritage Celebration & Buffalo Soldier Living History Encampment
Cochran County Park, Morton

Emancipation Proclamation * Juneteenth * Freedom Celebrations * Redemption Songs

This is not a complete listing. Check your local community for activities in your neighborhood. Pick a celebration and join in the fun. Let us never forget that we are all free, regardless of race, creed, belief system or skin color.

I watched the movie Charlie Wilson’s War on HBO the other night.  The movie is about an unlikely trio, consisting of the hard drinking and womanizing US Representative, an out of favor CIA operative, and a female Houston philanthropist, who joined forces to secretly bankroll the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union.

Russian troops had superior weapons, most notably helicopters that could rain destruction on the freedom fighters below.  The war went on for years and there were so many casualties, especially among the children.  The movie helps the viewer understand the wide-ranging and long-lasting implications of this little-known episode.

This morning I saw The True Story of Charlie Wilson’s War on the History Channel.  This was more interesting than the movie. Born and raised in Trinity, Texas, Wilson joined the Navy after graduating from college. Then he went to work at the Pentagon. He was an avid anti-communist.

Once elected, Wilson made a name for himself. In his Washington office, he surrounded himself with beautiful young women, who became known as Charlie’s Angels. He loved whiskey and the hedonistic lifestyle of the 1980s, which almost cost him his office. He might have continued with his life of debauchery, but he was stricken by reading an account of the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan, which was now occupied by the Soviets.

Wilson had just been named to the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, the group responsible for funding CIA operations.  He decided to use his position, through a series of backroom deals, to steer billions of dollars to the Afghan rebels. Eventually, Rep. Wilson became part of what was then the largest covert operation in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency. Charlie Wilson became an ally of a CIA agent Gust Avrakotos and Houston philanthropist Joanne Herring to bankroll the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Union.

The US would not give the Afghans American-made weapons that could cause an incident with the Soviet Union.  Ever resourceful, Charlie found a way to raise and route funds to the CIA to fund the purchase of Russian-made Stingers from the Saudis. In fact, the Saudis matched each dollar spent with one of their own.

With weapons that took away the Russian’s air superiority, the Afghans reclaimed their land. Unfortunately, the US did not follow through to help the war-torn nation rebuild their country.Those very freedom fighters that were armed by Charlie Wilson turned those same weapons against America within a decade.