Articles written by Jim Ruth

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About me - Jim Ruth

I operate a business through which I provide a broad range of Business Support Services, and many of those services (most notably Business Plans, Resumes and Advertising Copy) involve writing. See my web site at www.jruthassociates.com.

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Pets & Animals > Pet Ownership What you need to consider before getting a pet: 2 of 88
As someone who considered very little before getting two Yorkshire Terrier puppies within seven months, I think that a bit over two years later I can contribute something to the subject. The only thing that I considered with the first pup was that my wife wanted one. For the second one we knew a little more, but the only real... More..
Celebrations & Holidays > Mother's Day & Father's Day Father's Day gifts on any budget: 1 of 16
I don't wear ties any more, and I don't need any more cologne or after-shave. As a father of two grown daughters, I can look back on over 30 Father's Days. That means I can look back on a lot of Father's Day gifts, and from a great deal of experience, I can tell you that the desirability of a Father's Day gift generally has ... More..
Creative Writing > Novel Excerpts Novel excerpts: Mystery: 11 of 130
The Empty House As soon as he opened the door he felt it. Emptiness. Carl had always said that he knew as soon as he walked in the door whether Julie was there or not. Today, even though her car was in the driveway, he immediately felt she wasn't there and he was overcome with a sense of alarm. The emptiness of the house was ... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Are people inherently good?: 8 of 83
I desperately want to believe that people are inherently good. I jump on every example I can find of selfless compassion and self-sacrifice, thinking that those stories would accumulate to a body of evidence telling me that people really are inherently good.For all of that, the evidence still tells me that people are not inhe... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Remembering: 5 of 39
I remember the day of the Great Cockroach Hunt. Over 40 years ago, when I was a lot younger and dumber, I was in the army and stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. For any readers who haven't spent time in that part of the country, you need to know that one noteworthy example of the fauna of the area is the cockroach. To the bes... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Where was your favorite place as a child?: 15 of 102
My favorite place as a child? Even from a childhood filled with opportunities for travel and adventure, one extraordinary place lept to mind like I had just been there this morning. It was a big empty field behind our house.We lived on the very edge of a small town. Behind our house was that big empty field and then some wood... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Economic Values Trading your time for money: 5 of 25
Will we trade our time for money? Of course we will. Money is just a way to make time portable. Money makes our time easily exchangeable for goods and services that we need or want. It is a more convenient way to trade than bartering. Without money, we can barter our time directly for goods or services that you need or want, ... More..
Relationships & Family > Tips for Marital Happiness Changing your spouse's behavior: 11 of 41
I hesitated for a long time before undertaking to write about changing a spouse's behavior. I have no training in the field. The only expertise I can call on is personal experience, and not a lot of that. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought I really need to share my experience.To address the whole of my experi... More..
Personal Finance > Smart Spending How to fight high energy bills in the summer: 28 of 103
Summer is coming. The temperature is rising and so are your energy bills. Before your electric bill starts to look more like your mortgage payment, you might want to look at a few simple things you can do to keep it down. Starting with the easiest and least expensive steps is a great approach. The very first and cheapest thin... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies The duties of the United States Congress: 3 of 11
Do you know the duties of the Congress of the United States? If you answer "No" you're in good company. In spite of all of their double talk and obfuscation, even a small amount of time spent listening to the public comments of the members of Congress soon makes one thing clear they do not know or understand the duties of Con... More..