Home Heating Oil Crisis
This Month’s Feature:
Purchasing Cooperatives:
“Big Box Stores” lower prices by eliminating the middleman and buying in large quantities. The consumer parallel using these strategies is known as a purchasing cooperative. These cooperatives are non-profits that negotiate rates for good and services for their members. Often there is a specific focus such as electricity.
New Hampshire has an energy related purchasing cooperative, Our Town Energy Choice, located in Barnstead, NH. While it is too late to participate in the fuel arrangements for this year, there are other membership benefits and something you may wish to consider.
Our Town Energy Choice (Fuel division of Our Town Consumers Choice) was founded in November, 1999 by the Barrafords as a community service for senior citizens. OTEC negotiates discounts on oil, propane and kerosene heating fuel, pellet stoves and other items and services. Members then have the option to sign contracts with the vendors, or not. Oil heat this past year for members came in at less $3.90 a gallon, a significant savings.
Membership for individuals is $25 annually. This amount increases in increments of $10 if you use more than one type of fuel (oil and propane) or more than one home location.
Please note that the membership fee is waived for those individuals who qualify for the federal fuel assistance program.
Oil Prices and Speculators:
It is the opinion of some analysts that the cost of oil is not only driven by supply and demand issues and the growing economies of countries such as China and Japan, but by the influence of commodity speculators. Some say that trading by speculators may have added as much as $50.00 a barrel in recent years. Congress recently considered a bill aimed at removing oil speculation from the market, but the bill failed to pass. Below is how NH’s delegation voted.
• Senator Gregg: opposed
• Senator Sununu: opposed
• Rep, Paul Hodes: In Favor
• Rep. Carol Shea-Porter: In Favor
If you wish to know more about the positions taken, please contact your senator and/or representative.
There are several interesting sites on energy costs and issues. We recommend that you start with the Department Of Energy. (www.doe.gov).
This site also has predictions
If you have concerns about the effect of speculators on the cost of oil, you can make those concerns heard.
A New Hampshire based, online petition can be found at: http://www.otchoice.com/petition.asp
Have a different point of view or have information on this issue to share? Tell us!
lcamst38@peoplepc.com
Other Energy Notes of Interest
• Governor Lynch has requested the level of fuel assistance be doubled over last year’s allocation
• NH ranks 39th in states taking steps to curb oil use
• NH ranks 37th in the percentage of per capita income spent on gas
• Energy Audits are part of the services provided to you as a customer by your electrical services provider.
Dance Your Cares Away!
At the recent convention of international Tango therapists it was revealed that dancing the Tango can improve cognitive skills and ease depression! No, this is not one of those stump stories from “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”. Dancing, research shows, has various effects on health and well being. Test groups and control groups were put through their paces (to music of course) and the results showed that all dances had some effect, but the Tango had the most impact. Perhaps it is the complexity. After all, aficionados claim that it takes a life time and a half to dance the Tango really well. But then again you don’t need to be preparing for “Dancing with the Stars” to reap the rewards.
Talk to Teens, Live Longer
There seems to be genetic evidence to supports that intergenerational social interaction actually affects the aging process. Research on Sod1 genes (that have been linked to Alzheimer’s and ALS), in fruit flies revealed that the presence of youthful flies doubled the life span of flies with a mutation of Sod1. It was also discovered that clipping the wings decreased the life span, supporting what we all know: physical activity plays a key role in the life-extending mechanism.
A study at the University of Arizona further showed that older persons engaged in exercise activities with college students stabilized the cognitive decline and improved mood.
Source: SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
So, when you sign up for that Tango class, be sure your partner is young enough to be your grandchild!
Free Credit Reports
No doubt you’ve seen the commercials on TV and heard that snappy little jingle…”Go to Free Credit Reports dot com…” with a character dressed up in a pirate costume or living with his dream girl in her parents’ basement. Clever, catchy, stays in your head. But read the fine print. Consumers report that they may not see the fine print that says they agree to enroll in a monthly credit monitoring service unless they cancel in 30 days. While the initial report IS free, the service is $14.95 a month.
Source: Boston Globe, 8/4/08
Smart Windshield
General Motors Corp. researchers are working on a windshield that combines lasers, infrared sensors, and a camera to take what’s happening on the road and enhance it, so aging drivers with vision problems are able to see a little better. The technology is possible with a transparent coating on the windshield that lights up when struck by ultraviolet light. Developers expect to create a design that targets specific information and brings it to the driver’s attention. Examples of this targeting concept include markers for road edge lines, and detection of animals or people on the road ahead. Chrysler LLC has also indicated that it is working on such technologies, but for both companies, the development is still in the research stage.
Alzheimer’s Booklet
From the Resource Digest 7/24/08:
Older Adults-
“What Happens Next? - A booklet about being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a Related Disorder.” Written by persons with Alzheimer’s disease. National Institute on Aging- Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center –1-800-438-4380 http://www.nia.nih.gov/nia.nih.gov/Templates/ADEARCommon/ADEARCommonPage.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7b1EB01FDA-75EF-4267-8573-ED0325F6FEB2%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fAlzheimers%2fPublications%2fWhatHappensNext%2ehtm&NRCACHEHINT=Guest#react
To subscribe to the Digest please contact the Paula Ninivaggi at 603-271-0476
1-800-852-3405 ext. 0476 or email paula.ninivaggi@nh.gov.
Paula Ninivaggi
Program Liaison
Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)
c/o Governor's Commission on Disability
57 Regional Drive
Concord, NH 03301
603-271-0476
1-800-852-3405 ext. 0476
Fax 603-271-2837
Recycle your used electronic equipment and get paid for it!! www.Gazelle.com
Congratulations Lynn Koontz!
The National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) recently announced that their National President's Award will be awarded to Lynn Koontz, Administrator of Adult Protective Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services, at an upcoming National Conference. The mission of NAPSA, a national nonprofit organization with members in all fifty states is to improve the quality and availability of protective services for disabled adults and elderly persons who are abused, neglected, or exploited and are unable to protect their own interests.
As one of Lynn's colleagues stated in the application, "Lynn has devoted her entire career of over 35 years to the protection and advocacy of vulnerable adults. Throughout her career she has demonstrated an unwavering dedication and commitment to the field of protective services and providing services to the incapacitated adults of New Hampshire. During Lynn's career, she has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of NH’s state laws governing protective."
EngAGING NH promotes citizen leadership and the active involvement of New Hampshire’s older adults in the development of communities and public policies that support all individuals as they age.
BOARD MEETING NOTES
The Board met on July 23rd in a work session originally planned for the June meeting. We have finished the initial building level of the organization completing those necessary tasks that created the foundation for the incorporation process. It is now time to move the organization in a more public direction and to that end, we need to create a consistent message, or to use one of the day’s favorite terms, “branding “. This means that we needed to create generic statements for letters and public presentations that create a standard identity framework while allowing flexibility to support a variety of needs.
We worked on a press release to announce who we are, a letter to Area Committees on Aging and a fundraising letter. These drafts will be presented at the next Board meeting for discussion and final approval.
Parallel activities include grant writing, plus budget and business plan development.
We also continue to work on the items listed in the June letter concerning the home heating fuel cost issue. Both Congressional Representatives were sent the following request:
I am a Board member of a new, not-for profit organization in NH called EngAGING NH (ENH). Our mission is to promote citizen leadership and the active involvement of New Hampshire’s older adults in the development of communities and public policies that support all individuals as they age. NH seniors have made it clear that their choice is to remain in their own homes and communities. Yet the crisis we face with home heating fuel and gas costs threatens this possibility.
I am in the process of preparing our monthly newsletter, which will continue to address local, State and federal activities, related to this serious situation. While nobody expects government to be responsible for the entire solution, we do want our readers to know what they might expect. And further, this being an election year, we would like to share possible questions for various candidates.
We would be interested in knowing:
• What steps you have taken or plan to take with regard to home heating fuel costs
• From your perspective, are there things we should be doing, thinking about, or preparing for, and
• Are there questions or issues that you think should be raised with local level candidates (NH ranks 39th in reduction of oil dependency planning)
We are aware that NH has the largest growing aging population in NE and that a large percentage of our citizens heat their homes with oil. And we also recognize that all human beings, regardless of age, gender, financial or social status want to contribute toward communities of connection, collaboration and respect. Our readers would appreciate your perspective to assist them in being informed and proactive.
Thank you for your time and insights.
Similar requests will be made of our Senators and the responses will be shared in the next Newsletter due around Labor Day.
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