tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13020546435719779762024-03-13T19:07:50.377-07:00Rich CruseRamblings of a sports photographer and Mac enthusiast.Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-37364202047625434032023-11-15T20:21:00.000-08:002023-11-15T20:33:12.941-08:00Time for a Change<p><span style="font-size: large;">A</span>s I write this, I am finally coming to realize that once escrow closes, so will this chapter in my life. I have learned a lot about myself and others in the past few years. I also realized that I want to travel. I want to spend time exploring this great country at my own pace - stopping for an hour or for a week or more!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSasYh5G6EILspt6G4USStIv7ZN6VCZwwc3AEPI6aPBU07roj4lLwF89uBTS4pj5h4TuQ3A8UAbscDqbyw2VuwsSvajDBzB2kJgWq8oGySJws0XFijPPwyWzL_AaUupyJqQXGxRMIwNZXqJKHkKt_eyAxY_w2Oo28YQjDKLEk7qZ-c7t4oOt9820v-Exk/s2500/021AAC0E-A56C-4ED0-B7B9-7A423AD0CA5B.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1665" data-original-width="2500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSasYh5G6EILspt6G4USStIv7ZN6VCZwwc3AEPI6aPBU07roj4lLwF89uBTS4pj5h4TuQ3A8UAbscDqbyw2VuwsSvajDBzB2kJgWq8oGySJws0XFijPPwyWzL_AaUupyJqQXGxRMIwNZXqJKHkKt_eyAxY_w2Oo28YQjDKLEk7qZ-c7t4oOt9820v-Exk/w400-h266/021AAC0E-A56C-4ED0-B7B9-7A423AD0CA5B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I thought about one of those sweet vans, but they are too small to live in for an extended period and they are VERY expensive. I thought about a camper trailer with a truck, but that would mean I would always have to worry about leaving it somewhere and having to come back to get it. The best option for me will be a used Class C RV. The mileage isn't great but I won't be driving hundreds of miles every day AND I won't have to pay $2500/month for an apartment! When I am done with my travels, I can sell it or look at renting it out as a second source of income. <p></p><p>I know there are downsides to an RV, but having enough space for me and the cat will be awesome! I will keep my e-scooter and get an e-bike for short trips. The challenge will be to get Tibs trained to wear the harness I got for him and to tolerate being outside with a leash! I think once he understands that will be the only way he can go outside, he'll get onboard. </p><p>Photography continues to be my passion, but the events side of the business has become extremely competitive and the number of other photographers I encounter that have pushed or disrespected me has soured the experience. I will do work for charities that I am passionate about, but for the next 6 months to a year, the photos I take will be for me! I want to experience the incredible sights of sunrises and sunsets across our great nation. I will keep myself open to opportunities along the way and maybe find a new place to call home! </p><p>I really used to enjoy Huell Howser's "California Gold" program on PBS. He was such a kind and curious man who looked for the unique places off the beaten path. He always looked for the best in people. I hope to take his philosophy and spread kindness and shed light on the often overlooked and underrated places and people across the country as well. </p><p>We are a nation as diverse as they come and it is that diversity that makes us great! I intend to celebrate this uniqueness on my journey and to share it with you! Who knows, maybe I can get a book or two out of the experience! <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-52047252646486917472022-02-23T16:12:00.003-08:002022-02-23T16:14:27.221-08:00My New Shop on Fine Art America is Open! <h1 style="text-align: left;"> Now I am selling photos on Fine Art America! </h1><p>You can find me there at </p><p><a href="https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/rich-cruse/shop" target="_blank">Fine Art America</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Lots of great photos that you can have made into prints, pillows, mugs and much more!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIPROXIFL96Ov3CM0tGSaLDW5wE-HnkwqOnVqcr_6vHzcvIDpHwgVkm2sLE14qHpIct9_XOnHETJG5tC7c7_fY5zpxXWgkQzU4PvWBlCoBWZ4FZ6YQABGTSURxj-VYa4PdCb3vE8btSkzloTlux-0IWIHJkWEmXtMV9uezmSF0jnrLE-zhcr61L8BFTQ=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIPROXIFL96Ov3CM0tGSaLDW5wE-HnkwqOnVqcr_6vHzcvIDpHwgVkm2sLE14qHpIct9_XOnHETJG5tC7c7_fY5zpxXWgkQzU4PvWBlCoBWZ4FZ6YQABGTSURxj-VYa4PdCb3vE8btSkzloTlux-0IWIHJkWEmXtMV9uezmSF0jnrLE-zhcr61L8BFTQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>
<a href="https://fineartamerica.com/art/photographs/oceanside">oceanside photographs</a>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-37011883797682728582018-07-03T16:28:00.002-07:002018-08-04T08:21:45.346-07:008th Annual CAF Birthday Fundraiser<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Raising $5700 for CAF for my 57th Birthday!</h2>
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My 8th Annual Fundraiser for Challenged Athletes Foundation</h3>
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It's that time of year! July 17th is my birthday and that means it's time to raise some money for my favorite charity! CAF is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary so it is very important I meet my goal of $5700. I am blessed to know so many extraordinary people through my work with CAF. They help people with physical challenges get the equipment and training they need to live an active lifestyle. </h4>
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<a href="http://support.challengedathletes.org/goto/richcruse" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Donate!</span></a></h2>
Prosthetics can run over <b>$10,000</b> and racing wheelchairs aren't cheap! Help me help CAF!<br />
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This year, I am offering incentive prizes that have been donated. For each $10 you donate, you will receive 1 entry to the random drawing! $100 equals 10 entries! One prize per person and shipping to addresses in the US is included.<br />
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<b>The prize giveaway has concluded. Thank you all for donating and congratulations to all the winners! </b><br />
<b>This year I reached $2700 of my $5700 goal. I will be accepting donations for the next few months so feel free to donate and know I appreciate your support of CAF! </b><br />
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This year's prizes include:<br />
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<li><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.oakley.com/en/men/sunglasses/sport-performance/jawbreaker-green-fade-edition/product/W0OO9290GO/?skuCode=OO9290-15&variant=888392200013&categoryCode=101010000m" target="_blank">Oakley Jawbreaker® Sunglasses</a></span></b></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$230 retail value</td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>ON1 Software's </b><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><b>Photo RAW 2018.5</b> - Digital Download for PC or Mac (3) licenses to be </span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);">awarded.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.on1.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=866_121" target="_blank">You can download a full version of ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 as a 30 day free trial using this link.</a></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><b><a href="https://xterraskate.com/" target="_blank">Xterra Skateboard</a></b> - retail value $250</span></span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_87ehrD9IVpm17pOSHr-xmio2isWfeclMZuQ9Fw8t7HlTf87mp2_wn96H3hXF8br_ooPzlzVUvP2wttJ6vhzMg2-bNJdme4LsvNZnAGUibOxLbE5ZPM_MoScIZCp2pFYGDp380XPwY9p7/s1600/kai_457x600_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="457" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_87ehrD9IVpm17pOSHr-xmio2isWfeclMZuQ9Fw8t7HlTf87mp2_wn96H3hXF8br_ooPzlzVUvP2wttJ6vhzMg2-bNJdme4LsvNZnAGUibOxLbE5ZPM_MoScIZCp2pFYGDp380XPwY9p7/s320/kai_457x600_grande.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><i><b>Happiness Quotations</b></i> by Erica Glessing featuring my photos! Signed by me! </span></span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSep3mO601jjr4b9RWmlebcpDL6c0CFYub9iBAKV36QCebRagfgSbjpGmnIuZ6qC_QOGqwacTwA_zrPRemRreCKCb4bxbY3uZJMs-G-NxWptbfZh089jMRIBENQIV6nrd5kVw1x9z5fxm/s1600/HQComp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSep3mO601jjr4b9RWmlebcpDL6c0CFYub9iBAKV36QCebRagfgSbjpGmnIuZ6qC_QOGqwacTwA_zrPRemRreCKCb4bxbY3uZJMs-G-NxWptbfZh089jMRIBENQIV6nrd5kVw1x9z5fxm/s320/HQComp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998370843/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_cw9pBbJF82RV3" target="_blank">Happiness Quotations is available on Amazon!</a></div>
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<b>To donate to the fundraiser, please use the link below.</b> Thank you as always for your support!</h4>
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<a href="http://support.challengedathletes.org/goto/richcruse" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify;">http://support.challengedathletes.org/goto/richcruse</a></h4>
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Learn more about <b>Challenged Athletes Foundation</b> <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/" target="_blank">here</a>! </div>
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Please support my prize donors! </div>
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Remember, nothing is lost by giving!</div>
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All my Best!</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Rich</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://xterraskate.com/">https://xterraskate.com</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLa9GC2gGlLof8uVdB8bCZDIlC8m6osXBgyiZm64C9v6hyyWv9tGCu6Px192bqV_JwBLvwBz0efvIb8m0OGlo8YDmsJRCekDO7DlyIHU9UrI1LZHsdiBQoJA2eyQpbOpOR1O0uDzvJT3p/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="36" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLa9GC2gGlLof8uVdB8bCZDIlC8m6osXBgyiZm64C9v6hyyWv9tGCu6Px192bqV_JwBLvwBz0efvIb8m0OGlo8YDmsJRCekDO7DlyIHU9UrI1LZHsdiBQoJA2eyQpbOpOR1O0uDzvJT3p/s1600/logo.png" title="XTERRA Skate" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.on1.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=866_121" target="_blank">Download your free 30 day trial of ON1Photo RAW!</a></div>
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Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-85361431707295904482017-12-16T12:25:00.000-08:002017-12-16T22:10:02.153-08:00Richie's Favorite Things - Holiday Gift Ideas <h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;">Richie's Favorite Things 2017</span></h2>
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Every year I am asked "What camera should I buy?" and other gift ideas. I figured I'd compile my own list of "Favorite Things" to help out.</div>
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<li><b>Nespresso VertuoPlus </b>starting at $99 is the BEST coffee I have ever had at home - period. It makes expresso and coffee drinks and is easy to use. They also have a free pod recycling program that makes it an environmentally friendly choice. I own this product and the milk frother included in the bundles is another amazing product. Less than 1 1/2 minutes to perfect heated milk and foam!</li>
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2. <b>Sony Alpha a6000</b> Mirrorless camera. I bought one of these cameras to use for video and for casual photos but it quickly turned into one of my all time favorites! 24 megapixels, a moveable screen, HD video, electronic viewfinder and the best Wi-Fi connectivity for phones and tablets I have seen! The color is wonderful and it is so small, that I take it everywhere! I have two now, one has the 16-55mm lens and the other has the 55-210mm lens. I continue to use these professionally and the video I have taken with it has appeared on several newscasts! I paid $999 for my first Sony a6000 kit and now the price for the 2 lens kit is just $698! I would suggest buying an external battery charger and extra batteries. This is a GREAT camera!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Fiery Sunset in Oceanside - December 10, 2017 by Rich Cruse on 500px.com" height="266" src="https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/238743531/m%3D900/v2?webp=true&sig=ab71ca763fc8ae845faf49cc1969a1b552d26db2c2020c3af2cc166eadf32460" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken with my Sony a6000!<br />
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<a alt="Fiery Sunset in Oceanside - December 10, 2017 by Rich Cruse on 500px.com" href="https://500px.com/photo/238743531/fiery-sunset-in-oceanside-december-10-2017-by-rich-cruse"></a>
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3. <b>Apple AirPods -</b> AirPods are one of the most innovative products Apple has ever introduced! I have had mine for almost a year and I am so pleased! The sound is better than their wired headsets and you can pair them with not only your iPhone, but nearly all Apple products including: Mac computers and notebooks, iPads and even the Apple Watch! Small and light, they fit comfortably in your ear and do not dislodge easily. Bring the charging case with you so you have a safe place to put them when you take them out! The case will hold 3-5 full recharges and they last about 5 hours per charge. Great gift for yourself or your loved ones! $159 at <a href="http://www.apple.com/airpods">www.apple.com/airpods</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMlZjE0obRYzcRI6UQkUbizhtN0qVxgK2C6Ced48aG23JklwCcpJtheqgRPp-WsZZMPCCgkSueAMhhQ9Wlb3vMKtx-Xrp2WhAQ37SCUk7mcQ0lVIfi6aIpIcDMoydIZP91zP5RbolW7A8/s1600/5577872_rd.jpg%253BmaxHeight%253D1000%253BmaxWidth%253D1000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="519" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMlZjE0obRYzcRI6UQkUbizhtN0qVxgK2C6Ced48aG23JklwCcpJtheqgRPp-WsZZMPCCgkSueAMhhQ9Wlb3vMKtx-Xrp2WhAQ37SCUk7mcQ0lVIfi6aIpIcDMoydIZP91zP5RbolW7A8/s320/5577872_rd.jpg%253BmaxHeight%253D1000%253BmaxWidth%253D1000.jpeg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple AirPods<br />
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4. <b>Happiness Quotations</b> by Erica Glessing and Rich Cruse (Me)! Erica contacted me in 2014 about collaborating on a book of quotations based upon photographs I have taken. She selected images from my catalog and added her own unique <b>Happiness Quotations</b> to accompany the images. This is a great gift and I am very proud of the images included - many are from Oceanside, one of my favorite places! Buy the hardcover and get the Kindle version (included) for yourself!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=richcrusephot-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0998370843&asins=0998370843&linkId=c6f66171b04c9625852e256d092c4e64&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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5. <b>The Wisdom of Sundays - </b>by Oprah Winfrey</div>
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Fans of the OWN TV show Super Soul Sunday will love this compilation of Oprah's favorite conversations from Super Soul Sunday. This is a great book for anyone looking for inspiration and self improvement. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFq_4-w8Qnos9Bpn33G4-k_5flIW_hUzx7aK-9k2Rn0vJkEv4fao7JfleVzGOgeF9hCPb5qF22fedJeTk1wA7ax4THIPzFmWIdKMVf7Z1NWnRRy84NRXm7SL7kSEp_GUv_Y5ZTX0XDlIy/s1600/DMT_CCdVQAA5FEU.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFq_4-w8Qnos9Bpn33G4-k_5flIW_hUzx7aK-9k2Rn0vJkEv4fao7JfleVzGOgeF9hCPb5qF22fedJeTk1wA7ax4THIPzFmWIdKMVf7Z1NWnRRy84NRXm7SL7kSEp_GUv_Y5ZTX0XDlIy/s320/DMT_CCdVQAA5FEU.jpg-large.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/125013806X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=125013806X&linkCode=as2&tag=richcrusephot-20&linkId=2c4148731bb4233b7739a2bd6012c78a" target="_blank">The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=richcrusephot-20&l=am2&o=1&a=125013806X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-37806152375854579622016-06-09T12:17:00.000-07:002016-07-18T00:40:29.058-07:006th Annual CAF Birthday Fundraiser<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Sixth Annual CAF Birthday Fundraiser!</h2>
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It all started 6 years ago when I was dreading turning 50. I wanted to enjoy my birthday rather than endure it. I decided to raise money for a charity I am deeply committed to - the <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/" target="_blank">Challenged Athletes Foundation</a>! The work they do is phenomenal. They help those who want to be active by providing them with the tools they need: prosthetics, wheelchairs and much more! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONJGUjL1HrkXk5iH38v8-OP8RzOXUWMPvDvYJsAoGxVguPBvMTeGmQWdSl7t4Z4xojOk5o9ZGfvyJMeZX4A4B6DAPBOKwiTtrbnBaZb11Pnd-fG8n-hINxKrtLLQyBt9wrwteFeL8qkZD/s1600/WebRudyRod2015CAFSDTCbyCruse0375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONJGUjL1HrkXk5iH38v8-OP8RzOXUWMPvDvYJsAoGxVguPBvMTeGmQWdSl7t4Z4xojOk5o9ZGfvyJMeZX4A4B6DAPBOKwiTtrbnBaZb11Pnd-fG8n-hINxKrtLLQyBt9wrwteFeL8qkZD/s400/WebRudyRod2015CAFSDTCbyCruse0375.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roderick Sewell and Rudy Garcia Tolson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdF9tM4mrqzteZw9BQDu_YPjIu0BVeRxnWB808VLJO86gH2cQo6yDtzGRGnPCH4nxbug-tgv8WJOnqVlqEP9WXw0lmD2JiM3HnSRsGQ9LynzvdTjItb-dhZsCHIlhcFirvUwVmSXkXAWI/s1600/2015CAFClinicbyCruse0349web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdF9tM4mrqzteZw9BQDu_YPjIu0BVeRxnWB808VLJO86gH2cQo6yDtzGRGnPCH4nxbug-tgv8WJOnqVlqEP9WXw0lmD2JiM3HnSRsGQ9LynzvdTjItb-dhZsCHIlhcFirvUwVmSXkXAWI/s400/2015CAFClinicbyCruse0349web.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abel Rose</td></tr>
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Please join me in celebrating the fine work they do by donating $10 or more. It may be my birthday, but I have been very fortunate to have some great friends who want to support the fundraiser by donating some very cool incentive prizes! Each $10 donation will receive one entry to the prize drawing to be held on my birthday July 17th! It is a random drawing so the more you donate the better your chances! There will be one prize awarded per person. </div>
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<a href="http://support.challengedathletes.org/goto/RichCruse55" target="_blank">Please Donate here!</a></div>
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http://support.challengedathletes.org/goto/RichCruse55</div>
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If you prefer to send a check or use PayPal, <a href="mailto:rcruse@aol.com" target="_blank">email me</a>. </div>
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Giveaway Prizes</h3>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">Thank you to all who donated before the midnight July 17th deadline! I will be notifying prize winners shortly. I will continue accepting donations through the end of July. Thank you for your support! </span></div>
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Baby Taylor Guitar</div>
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<a href="https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/baby-taylor" target="_blank">Taylor Guitars</a></div>
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Retail value $428 </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVaGsvMo-TsJ7IUnef5vcan-qi1bwLHwinuQAYW1F1RCVVazxs0fti1yFf0DVM5ZMg9w2_Olm3mCSUc57I53_9lONMaPAWmp0hfr2xlxIBiaK_uF525e2K5bmTcAl1gxR9OL547KsyS-A/s1600/13433140_10153441463640728_430918061774380687_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVaGsvMo-TsJ7IUnef5vcan-qi1bwLHwinuQAYW1F1RCVVazxs0fti1yFf0DVM5ZMg9w2_Olm3mCSUc57I53_9lONMaPAWmp0hfr2xlxIBiaK_uF525e2K5bmTcAl1gxR9OL547KsyS-A/s320/13433140_10153441463640728_430918061774380687_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Taylor</td></tr>
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On1 Photo10 Software Suite</div>
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<a href="https://www.on1.com/apps/on1photo10/" target="_blank">On1 Photo Software</a></div>
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Retail value $119.99</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PT6Q0d-CSKACw1Pg1F0zVdqjSjLshUSFytC4-AFiCiYtmKJenyGcGYP4noVwzBPfhW4I0sNL-XhsKdjWITgPzVmivTbEpND6pzd-FhaseGuCv392E2j-qVYza_zjuDSj8HTBcuYT10uj/s1600/cm_upgrade_header.99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PT6Q0d-CSKACw1Pg1F0zVdqjSjLshUSFytC4-AFiCiYtmKJenyGcGYP4noVwzBPfhW4I0sNL-XhsKdjWITgPzVmivTbEpND6pzd-FhaseGuCv392E2j-qVYza_zjuDSj8HTBcuYT10uj/s320/cm_upgrade_header.99.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PC or Mac versions</td></tr>
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<a href="https://xterrasurf.com/collections/mens/products/black-on-black" target="_blank">XTERRA Surf Wetsuit</a><br />
Retail value $295<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk37njdUHBRZTDRDq1TxGfK3P6khDVJOpXuTjzLzb-6MhqmCgdZ6N931d28ivIbhvahjs0UkErOI_dftfxEvhZ6lFVSz8AoLa9Y_ZkZr9j3WepEpSMGK7XK0NX2tqAc_3N38eaRKsiQdv/s1600/Mens_Black_angle_5x7_a7cc5100-9796-457a-866e-b3d1e5758ceb_2048x2048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk37njdUHBRZTDRDq1TxGfK3P6khDVJOpXuTjzLzb-6MhqmCgdZ6N931d28ivIbhvahjs0UkErOI_dftfxEvhZ6lFVSz8AoLa9Y_ZkZr9j3WepEpSMGK7XK0NX2tqAc_3N38eaRKsiQdv/s400/Mens_Black_angle_5x7_a7cc5100-9796-457a-866e-b3d1e5758ceb_2048x2048.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">XTERRA Surf 2.0 Full Wetsuit</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.oakley.com/en/mens/sunglasses/sport-sunglasses/flak-2-0/flak-2-0/flak-2-0/product/W0OO9295/?skuCode=OO9295-04&categoryCode=m020301" target="_blank">Oakley Flak 2.0 Sunglasses</a><br />
$160 retail value.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VorT6mYjb_D8P2NbtcFVBuXmyKWe3c0LPPcfH_z6q2-aKuz2nZfmXiykJHslhedv96Jo5dTtSurr5ojoCGf6X6nH9_Lta1lHQmO91bPemB9IY5VtQL-fJb7-QhfSRDAYKbJn54SzSpNE/s1600/main_OO9295-02_flak-2_silver-fire-iridium_001_86908_png_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VorT6mYjb_D8P2NbtcFVBuXmyKWe3c0LPPcfH_z6q2-aKuz2nZfmXiykJHslhedv96Jo5dTtSurr5ojoCGf6X6nH9_Lta1lHQmO91bPemB9IY5VtQL-fJb7-QhfSRDAYKbJn54SzSpNE/s320/main_OO9295-02_flak-2_silver-fire-iridium_001_86908_png_zoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flak Jacket 2.0</td></tr>
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Thank you for your consideration! Please share and support my prize donors and CAF on Twitter! </div>
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@TaylorGuitars @XTERRAWetsuits @On1Photo @Cafoundation <complete id="goog_1681900199">@</complete>Oakley </div>
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Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-52245604932675217632015-06-25T22:24:00.001-07:002015-07-31T16:11:39.634-07:005th Annual CAF Birthday Fundraiser!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Raising $5400 for CAF for my 54th Birthday!</h2>
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It's that time of year and getting older isn't getting easier. The reason I look forward to my birthday on July 17th is that it means I get to raise money for the charity that is so important to me -<b> Challenged Athletes Foundation</b>! I have been involved with them for many years and the work they do is so important and inspiring! </div>
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Please visit their web site for more information on the work they do. </div>
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<a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/">www.challengedathletes.org</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW_W2yF-lXbitZlYNyzO4dKTs_iW4UpFEQbE7DawB9RiLb4up3gO0HX4arw3-qetu-gPFM6ncgQgXsy7ivKvwqur28kfSMQCEvsxUJHsFiK8CunjWDIN0X6iI98a7vXxs7rHIxClTGDzM/s1600/WebJoshuaMiller2015PossAbilitiesbyCruse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW_W2yF-lXbitZlYNyzO4dKTs_iW4UpFEQbE7DawB9RiLb4up3gO0HX4arw3-qetu-gPFM6ncgQgXsy7ivKvwqur28kfSMQCEvsxUJHsFiK8CunjWDIN0X6iI98a7vXxs7rHIxClTGDzM/s400/WebJoshuaMiller2015PossAbilitiesbyCruse.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Miller</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKH27-EwIhHxcaHyOa5oarmQvd4AiU9PfZbLJbio6Bqan19do8x197NZ_PROIbIvh90Qk8Nu9_7VIV2BngUiyuIvzmNMjR-iusZ95WP6QlzArNpvN7zu8boipjY2uqoFugopzG_wM5m8T/s1600/Beth2015AsicsLAMarathonbyCruse00579Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKH27-EwIhHxcaHyOa5oarmQvd4AiU9PfZbLJbio6Bqan19do8x197NZ_PROIbIvh90Qk8Nu9_7VIV2BngUiyuIvzmNMjR-iusZ95WP6QlzArNpvN7zu8boipjY2uqoFugopzG_wM5m8T/s320/Beth2015AsicsLAMarathonbyCruse00579Web.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth Sanden</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/raceforareason2015/richcruse" target="_blank">Donate $10 or more here! </a></h3>
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Over the last four years, you have helped me raise over $15,000 for CAF! I want to bring that total to over $20,000 this year and I know I can do it with your help. I understand if you are not in a position to donate, but it costs nothing to spread the word! Please share this with friends and family. </div>
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Each year, I have been lucky to have some very generous friends who donate some awesome incentive prizes. I mean how cool is it to get something when you give something? This year is no exception! Here is how it works. Every donation of $10 receives an entry to the drawing which will take place on August 1st via random drawing. Donate $100, receive 10 entries! The first person whose name is drawn gets first choice of the prizes and will continue down the list until all prizes have been rewarded. Only one prize will be awarded per person. </div>
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The list of prizes continues to grow and I will add them as they are donated. </div>
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Prizes:</div>
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<b>Taylor GS Mini Guitar from <a href="http://www.taylorguitars.com/">www.taylorguitars.com</a></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95b5ZzGLSq_P8-Ya9vfhijvkpQUpwo2EIT5RE0fgSDh_R3HE-PX7x080IflcXRtd27Y8jYzboezoByG3pOWj3FAjKx6RkuzfQjWkkr7JmGEC6BnD4HGdq5yKKdakBDdTgUGVEkr1LuJIY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-23+at+12.45.24+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95b5ZzGLSq_P8-Ya9vfhijvkpQUpwo2EIT5RE0fgSDh_R3HE-PX7x080IflcXRtd27Y8jYzboezoByG3pOWj3FAjKx6RkuzfQjWkkr7JmGEC6BnD4HGdq5yKKdakBDdTgUGVEkr1LuJIY/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-23+at+12.45.24+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taylor GS Mini Acoustic Guitar - $700 retail value</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Oakley Fast Jacket XL Sunglasses</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xrabMa0im6TggurJ8s9ilKyZEhRWdPO-Fps7jISxTlUjeyL1S3k-XqAEEQwVG2gSTWad74KqGz5ZHLuFZQgsHfyIWhyphenhyphenwDWRLg0tHk7EM6c3Pm8L5v26ndPJgerr9pgLUbkxYNUMll6vv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-25+at+11.41.22+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xrabMa0im6TggurJ8s9ilKyZEhRWdPO-Fps7jISxTlUjeyL1S3k-XqAEEQwVG2gSTWad74KqGz5ZHLuFZQgsHfyIWhyphenhyphenwDWRLg0tHk7EM6c3Pm8L5v26ndPJgerr9pgLUbkxYNUMll6vv/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-25+at+11.41.22+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oakley Fast Jacket XL Sunglasses with G40 Photochromic lenses $220 retail value</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<h3>
On 1 Software's Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 Software</h3>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneqFgloQPaxRNHFb3ohPnG95E7iAYzA73kHEYDyxyY-9XSstojeA-c6an54144EfTw9OPQvse-9veQWD6Q_6pbf-H_Df-yNxb8WYccDi-UIsXmIjdQSSGyeyoUJG9807Tn22dVHc3RHIx/s1600/onone_software_psxe_90111_perfect_photo_suite_9_1416373200000_1099392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneqFgloQPaxRNHFb3ohPnG95E7iAYzA73kHEYDyxyY-9XSstojeA-c6an54144EfTw9OPQvse-9veQWD6Q_6pbf-H_Df-yNxb8WYccDi-UIsXmIjdQSSGyeyoUJG9807Tn22dVHc3RHIx/s320/onone_software_psxe_90111_perfect_photo_suite_9_1416373200000_1099392.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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5 software licenses to be given away PC or Mac.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.on1.com/products/suite9/" target="_blank">Download a free 30 day trial here!</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/raceforareason2015/richcruse" target="_blank">Donate $10 or more here! </a></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.8999996185303px;"><a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/raceforareason2015/richcruse">http://www.challengedathletes.org/raceforareason2015/richcruse</a></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Please Donate and share with your friends! </h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Nothing is ever lost by giving. Thank you!</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-46031343495992295122014-12-21T11:18:00.001-08:002019-05-09T08:31:19.353-07:00Love Is<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Love is</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Wendy Mary Cruse</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><i>L</i>ove is making someone smile</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">when someone’s down in the dumps.</span></span><br />
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love is sending a note to a friend<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">when he’s sick in bed with the
mumps.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love is feeding a homeless dog<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">or a cat that’s gone astray.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love is something that melts away
HATE<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">and unkind words people say.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love is for giving and forgiving.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love lives inside and out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love doesn’t care about the color
of skin<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">or whether you’re skinny or stout.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love is something you may or may
not see<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love is something you feel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hugs and kisses aren’t <b>always </b>love<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">if the feelings inside aren’t real.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love is something you can’t live
without.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It makes the world go round.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Love can never be kept to yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let go—and spread it around!<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was written by my Mom. We lost her to cancer in 2004. Her love lives on through her words. </span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-62564772802392132352014-07-05T16:39:00.001-07:002014-08-11T21:37:43.839-07:00Rich's 53rd Birthday Fundraiser for CAF! <h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-large;">
Help Me Celebrate My 53rd Birthday by Raising $5,300 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation!</span></h2>
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It started on my 50th birthday. I was kinda bummed about the whole situation. I wanted to make it special so I decided to raise money for CAF! I am proud to say I have raised over to $13,000 in the 3 years since I started this tradition. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3kBpJdvIdSDqFMPEzKzNW-53CxaxVRiLn5tVy6E00qYEULuTWaMIMlAdicWpBJR5Nt5kpCR6Mi2j7-57UKojtuOUNQ_Gh3sRNr2lRV8u-emzI2LYLPdhUIAq_d8fn1LQdmPhQacBYgo7/s1600/2013Oct20byCruse1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3kBpJdvIdSDqFMPEzKzNW-53CxaxVRiLn5tVy6E00qYEULuTWaMIMlAdicWpBJR5Nt5kpCR6Mi2j7-57UKojtuOUNQ_Gh3sRNr2lRV8u-emzI2LYLPdhUIAq_d8fn1LQdmPhQacBYgo7/s1600/2013Oct20byCruse1329.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLB_A8XtDk9zBYjJnqmsl5bhGSHQShsIP6JMf2qXSyEOyXhHPfGlSinHoSU_6SiK_zWKvnOUwUIelgG8XCFeCp8qkc-lH6XAuUgciymPKvkuo7FFdW_0DXCzVXe34uKzIZECxpETGd9mbL/s1600/JJMillerCAFBeachDayMarch8byCruse540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLB_A8XtDk9zBYjJnqmsl5bhGSHQShsIP6JMf2qXSyEOyXhHPfGlSinHoSU_6SiK_zWKvnOUwUIelgG8XCFeCp8qkc-lH6XAuUgciymPKvkuo7FFdW_0DXCzVXe34uKzIZECxpETGd9mbL/s1600/JJMillerCAFBeachDayMarch8byCruse540.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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Why <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/" target="_blank">Challenged Athletes Foundation</a>? They are an amazing organization that is more about helping people, than helping themselves. The majority of the donations go where you want them to go, to the people that need: prosthetics, competition wheel chairs and more. I am constantly amazed by how they literally change people's lives. </div>
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<div>
I can't do this without you! Please share this post and donate as much as you can. The more I raise for CAF, the happier my birthday is gonna be! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
As an added bonus, I will be having a drawing at the conclusion of my fundraising on July 31st! For each <b>$10 </b>you donate, you will receive one entry to the drawing. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<h4>
Prizes! </h4>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Sunglasses from XX2i Optics</b></span></div>
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</div>
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XX2i has provided 3 prizes: </div>
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<strike>1) 2 sunglass kit $149.99 </strike></div>
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<strike>2) One pair of France 1 $99.99 </strike> </div>
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3) One pair of USA 1 $54.99 sunglasses. </div>
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Outside Magazine rated their sunglasses a "Best Value". Visit their web site at <a href="http://www.xx2i.com/">www.xx2i.com</a> and follow them on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/xx2i" target="_blank">@xx2i</a> ! </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVv-224HHEEiXvOs-1E8Xa3hbRDh4QNbhhek142CHyHabyhoIkqAL04PvuUc1JRFJ7CkPgJ2dsMV85ZYjuy7pcCtdiaJem0-Gl55cyhL6wyvpKjvpqrLVs17yz72qFUQyjeBJqczaiAFA/s1600/xx2i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVv-224HHEEiXvOs-1E8Xa3hbRDh4QNbhhek142CHyHabyhoIkqAL04PvuUc1JRFJ7CkPgJ2dsMV85ZYjuy7pcCtdiaJem0-Gl55cyhL6wyvpKjvpqrLVs17yz72qFUQyjeBJqczaiAFA/s1600/xx2i.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Perfect Photo Suite 8.5 Premium Edition </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>from On One Software</b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfAviiHflHDfmWok4LsjWG-K1OkdSybyyCLi8E10sMzsJ_D52cWnqxsol4kDb8S7F4iVInsOeRkrRC4AunCJrglMRWn0P7Ub5Ba_L3N00oi1-ffLqJN1weaNrdyaIghlYhsrfSLDDmF4A/s1600/suite8-PREM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfAviiHflHDfmWok4LsjWG-K1OkdSybyyCLi8E10sMzsJ_D52cWnqxsol4kDb8S7F4iVInsOeRkrRC4AunCJrglMRWn0P7Ub5Ba_L3N00oi1-ffLqJN1weaNrdyaIghlYhsrfSLDDmF4A/s1600/suite8-PREM.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Create stunning photos with the best photo effects and enhancements availabl<span style="font-family: inherit;">e. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Retail value $179! Software for PC or Mac. <a href="http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/suite8/" target="_blank">Download your free 30 day trial here!</a> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Follow them on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ononesoftware" target="_blank">@Ononesoftware</a>!</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="product-name" style="font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<h1 style="color: #333333; font-size: 26px; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lava Pants</span></h1>
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<div class="short-description" style="color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="std" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Train smarter and swim faster with <a href="http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/store/index.php/products/lava-pants/lava-pants?options=cart" target="_blank">LAVA PANTS</a> by XTERRA Wetsuits. Retire your pull buoy and focus more power on your swim stroke training. Retail value $150! Follow on twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/xterrawetsuits" target="_blank">@XTERRAWetsuits</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZuRdE-HoIS2YeZB9Q9-_Hbuf38MLMhrcL7AoWDaiy8Xl3unAAHcrVA5HhzpHtFuYwUAgiLs5uKFsEsa8GgHhDEAMwx8DvvpwuXUPcfASbNG-UVCHfG8TBAeT7gE2o79E9vIIVJ3RwXyT/s1600/lavaproduct_small_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZuRdE-HoIS2YeZB9Q9-_Hbuf38MLMhrcL7AoWDaiy8Xl3unAAHcrVA5HhzpHtFuYwUAgiLs5uKFsEsa8GgHhDEAMwx8DvvpwuXUPcfASbNG-UVCHfG8TBAeT7gE2o79E9vIIVJ3RwXyT/s1600/lavaproduct_small_03.jpg" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Taylor Guitars Gift Pack</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Taylor Guitars are played by some of the best musicians in the world! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Taylor Swift and Jason Mraz are all Taylor! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The prize pack includes: Taylor coffee mugs, hat, mouse mat, beach towel,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">tote bag (not shown) and Bob Taylor's book "Guitar Lessons". Follow <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/117025221520990229961" target="_blank">+Taylor Guitars</a> on Google + and <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorguitars" target="_blank">@TaylorGuitars</a> on Twitter. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNciwqFCmy1FK2r8kY6fVy5l1WN5cTwUWU8AiihlKYACb6LctQJirD0FLBusdUeslClUXvvQyPsHfBrltwlP5pTrCi7N_btHMlh00aj4tIREbxsuCEuudXDFljYT52lo37bNXu1B-kpnK/s1600/photoTaylor+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNciwqFCmy1FK2r8kY6fVy5l1WN5cTwUWU8AiihlKYACb6LctQJirD0FLBusdUeslClUXvvQyPsHfBrltwlP5pTrCi7N_btHMlh00aj4tIREbxsuCEuudXDFljYT52lo37bNXu1B-kpnK/s1600/photoTaylor+copy.jpg" height="320" width="304" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Small print about the drawing.</i> You will receive one entry for each $10 donated. Numbers will be selected using a random number generator. One prize per person. Winners outside the US will be responsible for shipping costs if applicable. </span></div>
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<embed align="middle" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" flashvars="datapath=http://www.challengedathletes.org/gadgets&curr=$&menucolor=0x003399&menutitle=Race for a Reason 2013 - Donations&supid=285201911&eid=1092630&tid=0" height="220" name="flashthermometer" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="http://www.challengedathletes.org/gadgets/thermometer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="220" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />
<a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=1092630&supId=285201911" style="background-color: #003399; color: white; font-family: arial; font-weight: bolder; margin-left: 35; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 150;" target="_blank">Click Here to Donate</a>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-67367878581723150232014-06-05T12:10:00.000-07:002020-02-14T07:04:22.985-08:00A Poem by my Mom<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Love Is</span></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">by Wendy Mary Cruse</span></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is making someone smile</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">when someone’s down in the dumps.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is sending a note to a friend</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">when he’s sick in bed with the mumps.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is feeding a homeless dog</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">or a cat that’s gone astray</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is something that melts away HATE</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">and unkind words people say.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is for giving and forgiving.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love lives inside and out.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love doesn’t care about the color of skin</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">or whether you’re skinny or stout.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is something you may or may not see</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is something you feel.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hugs and kisses aren’t always love</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">if the feelings inside aren’t real.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love is something you can’t live without.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It makes the world go round.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Love can never be kept to yourself.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Let go—and spread it around!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We lost my Mom to cancer 16 years ago, but her words and Love lives on.</span></i></div>
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Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-64688886074000025682014-05-10T11:41:00.001-07:002014-05-10T11:50:39.370-07:00A Poem by My Mom<div style="color: #3e3e3e; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My Mom was a writer. She wrote children's stories and poems as part of her recovery from a nearly fatal brain aneurism when I was 2 years old. Thankfully, she survived and Thrived! She was published over 100 times and brought much love and joy to the world. We lost her 10 years ago to lung cancer. I miss her dearly. It brings me comfort knowing she lives on through her stories and poems. Here is one that seems fitting for Mother's Day.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Why Don't You Sit Down Aggie?</span> </span></span></h2>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">by <i>Wendy Mary Cruse</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Why don’t you sit down</span><span style="color: #1e1e1e; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">, Aggie?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Or you'll make me a nervous </span><span style="color: #3e3e3e; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">wreck.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The d</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ishes can wait till I've </span><span style="color: #3e3e3e; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">gone, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Aggie,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You don't need</span><span style="color: #a3a3a3; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">to break your neck, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">trying </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">to make an impression,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I came to see you, not the house.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Come on, sit down and relax, Aggie -</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">You're making me feel like a louse.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sit down and we can chat, Aggie</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour me a cup of tea,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">And </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">when I’ve</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #3e3e3e; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">gone, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">you can clean the house,</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">THAT I DIDN’T COME TO SEE.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>©2014 The Cruse Family</i></span></div>
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Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-11905351716999832322013-11-20T19:37:00.002-08:002014-08-21T11:07:45.608-07:00Please help me get blankets to the homeless in SD.<span style="font-size: large;">3</span> years ago, I was watching TV and I saw a story on the news that touched me deeply. Alpha Project was pleading for blankets saying that there were people freezing on the streets of San Diego and they did not have enough. I gathered up all the blankets and jackets I could find in the house and drove them down there that night. When I arrived, I could see there were more people in need then there were blankets. I HAD to do something! I posted a message on FB and within a day I had enough to buy 50 blankets! I reached out to Anna's Linens and they agreed to sell me their $10 blankets for just $5. I was able to take another 50 to them and last year, I brought 200! It is truly heartwarming to be able to help people so directly. I buy the blankets and take them right to the Alpha Project shelter in downtown San Diego!<br />
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I have once again connected with the awesome folks at <a href="http://www.annaslinens.com/bedding/blankets/value-fleece-blanket.html" target="_blank">Anna's Linens</a> and they have agreed to sell me as many of their $9.99 fleece blankets as I need for just $4.99 until they run out! How cool, er uh warm is that?!! If you want to help, please donate at least $5 to my <a href="http://www.paypal.com/" target="_blank">PayPal</a> account (rcruse@aol.com), or mail a check to me. I will order the blankets online and take them there myself! For every $10 you donate, you are providing 2 warm blankets to those who need them most!<br />
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I have added Go Fund Me as another option to donate. Just click on the link on the right of this page and you can donate there.<br />
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Update December 7th, 2013! </div>
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I have reached and exceeded my original goal of $1500 for 300 blankets! I am close to $2000! Thank you! I will buy as many blankets as you are willing to donate for. I am told they need many more. I delivered 200 blankets last week and they were thrilled. I just ordered another 200 which should be here next week. I am truly grateful for your help. Working together, we <b>can</b> make a difference! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCK5GKMAlLtIR0bXnzNOuoK_3cOFYd8_HlEq9iQLKVy1oWrXdGtStTufY4qVn95V9jsFfpF2oBn6PxE15DL59LZFvy29aCNf0NLYe1XXUOvlD9czDCPbmRKEOA0EUdDaJ4SaEqGXA9IPu/s1600/977101_10151731226740728_708123999_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCK5GKMAlLtIR0bXnzNOuoK_3cOFYd8_HlEq9iQLKVy1oWrXdGtStTufY4qVn95V9jsFfpF2oBn6PxE15DL59LZFvy29aCNf0NLYe1XXUOvlD9czDCPbmRKEOA0EUdDaJ4SaEqGXA9IPu/s400/977101_10151731226740728_708123999_o.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delivering 200 new blankets to Alpha Project in San Diego! December 4th, 2013</td></tr>
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Here is video of delivery some of the 200 new blankets to I took to Alpha Project last year!</h4>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TIM7T-lIblA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6lYL0UvNf2Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S5SFZ2tVFhiAHujdvOlxK2C-jS53DDdzxaGEL6YFtUMl-rdM0VNmWB3mJQ__KehtQwIvBVAKzzN-NPqEDyFHCGjyHztPWrKDhOZXuYGCuvD9Zy6RyCEsR-d-ht_1U4xPvpmAehX0EVlA/s1600/Blankets_DSC0494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S5SFZ2tVFhiAHujdvOlxK2C-jS53DDdzxaGEL6YFtUMl-rdM0VNmWB3mJQ__KehtQwIvBVAKzzN-NPqEDyFHCGjyHztPWrKDhOZXuYGCuvD9Zy6RyCEsR-d-ht_1U4xPvpmAehX0EVlA/s400/Blankets_DSC0494.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Your donations bought 200 new blankets for the homeless in 2012. This year I want to go for 300! </h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdTRkXHOF-vVRdia89HUpBXhCuGAEk7eF2g2Pw8GEx5GhMwAFEe5uXDjGKemnuYITeaqR9tSZGtomOet6qNPmxvm6xp1HUryHMX3dHKbzR0SH7tmUTgbKzWkNlWRZA3VByRgtoTpKsfVF/s1600/330207_10150412210030728_1042658130_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdTRkXHOF-vVRdia89HUpBXhCuGAEk7eF2g2Pw8GEx5GhMwAFEe5uXDjGKemnuYITeaqR9tSZGtomOet6qNPmxvm6xp1HUryHMX3dHKbzR0SH7tmUTgbKzWkNlWRZA3VByRgtoTpKsfVF/s320/330207_10150412210030728_1042658130_o.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-Y0pzhL6DPBs_5ip8QCbai9GPeSJX6JE6m5aQ2DIBG4JpEbjnq9LvF15iutJ_YtviTnlE24UdIiwjxMTxaFy-u4Y5IBCGr4pvaMrYcZjhM9gpnecJd2frwUhWZYLSKC7ekr886VUrq_G/s1600/46411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-Y0pzhL6DPBs_5ip8QCbai9GPeSJX6JE6m5aQ2DIBG4JpEbjnq9LvF15iutJ_YtviTnlE24UdIiwjxMTxaFy-u4Y5IBCGr4pvaMrYcZjhM9gpnecJd2frwUhWZYLSKC7ekr886VUrq_G/s320/46411.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Help me get blankets to those who need them in downtown San Diego! Anna's Linens is selling me these twin size fleece at 50% off- just $5! That doubles the amount of blankets we'll get! </h3>
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You may also donate directly to Alpha Project on their web site here.</div>
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<a href="http://www.alphaproject.org/" target="_blank">Alpha Project of San Diego</a><br />
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Thank you for your support. Last year I was able to take over <b>200 blankets</b> to those who need them most. I can assure you that all the money you send for these blankets will go directly to their purchase and I will take them down there myself. I don't know if I can secure a receipt for the donation, but I am certainly willing to try if you need one!</div>
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Happy Holidays!</div>
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Thank you! </div>
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Rich<br />
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If you wish to send a check- please email me direct at<br />
<a href="mailto:richcruse@gmail.com" target="_blank">richcruse@gmail.com</a> and I will email you my address. I can also accept credit cards using Square! </div>
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Here is a link to some photos on FB I took at Alpha Project!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150412207835728.348506.581395727&type=1&l=78edc246b7" target="_blank">Photos of Blankets to homeless in San Diego. </a><br />
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Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-54937502607614777092013-06-19T11:41:00.003-07:002013-08-09T23:37:38.312-07:00Challenged Athletes Foundation Birthday Fundraiser 2013<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">CAF FUNDRAISER FOR MY 52ND BIRTHDAY!</span></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKSxIFBS3QLAJ0FrHBy8sxjKSz7hulzXxhYIT_JrUgfOoVRTWv5JAWdHcxWhhgZmb4LS_d9ZWzDLvHCRx_8U9sQBdx76XJCHATqELUTS-ShGJsFbQ9SWKiWbS70acfbzK5Q313t7Np7mI/s1600/CodyMcCasslandbyCruseDSC_6030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKSxIFBS3QLAJ0FrHBy8sxjKSz7hulzXxhYIT_JrUgfOoVRTWv5JAWdHcxWhhgZmb4LS_d9ZWzDLvHCRx_8U9sQBdx76XJCHATqELUTS-ShGJsFbQ9SWKiWbS70acfbzK5Q313t7Np7mI/s400/CodyMcCasslandbyCruseDSC_6030.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cody McCasland</span></i></td></tr>
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For my 52nd birthday I am raising money for <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/" target="_blank">Challenged Athletes Foundation</a>. Each donation brings a smile to my face. Please donate $10 or more! This year, they are celebrating their 20th anniversary of helping others get the prosthetics, equipment and support they need to pursue their dreams of an active lifestyle. They support wounded veterans through Operation Rebound and are helping victims of the Boston Marathon bombing as well. </div>
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While my birthday was <b>July 17th</b>, I am running the fundraiser thru July 31st. As in the past, I will be giving away incentive prizes along the way via Twitter @CrusePhoto. At the conclusion of the fundraiser, I will be having a drawing for prizes for all those donating $50 or more.<br />
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Thank you for your support! Please donate $10 or more! </div>
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<embed align="middle" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" flashvars="datapath=http://raceforareason2013.kintera.org/gadgets&curr=$&menucolor=0x003399&menutitle=Race for a Reason 2013 - Donations&supid=285201911&eid=1050566&tid=0" height="220" name="flashthermometer" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="http://raceforareason2013.kintera.org/gadgets/thermometer.swf" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="220" wmode="transparent"></embed></h3>
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<a href="http://raceforareason2013.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=1050566&supId=285201911" style="background-color: #003399; color: white; font-family: arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click Here to Donate</a></div>
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Update: The official fundraising campaign is over and prizes are being distributed. You can still donate using the above link. CAF provides grants to those in need year round.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Donate $50 and you are eligible to win some fantastic prizes!</span><br />
<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> The following prizes will be given away via random drawing to lucky winners who </span><b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">donate $50</b><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"> or more. You receive one entry for each $50 donation. One prize per person! See fine print at the bottom. If I reach my goal of $10,000, your odds of winning are better than <b>1 in 50</b>! </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.taylorguitars.com/" target="_blank">Taylor Guitars</a></span></b><br />
<i>has provided this beautiful</i><br />
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<i> <a href="http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/electric/solidbody/standard/sb1-s" target="_blank">Mahogany Solid Body Electric Guitar</a> . </i></div>
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<i>This is a right-handed model and includes a full one year warranty. </i></div>
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<i>It is marked "Not for Resale" on the peg head per Taylor's donation policy. ($2698 value</i>)!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxQIhJFFtSMhMs8HdGhumlBkSCosuwLlMnMJNocZb8kD0cONe_gyYmf7xU4MOZlt60NWrg0A2EoGQPmrgEi5YhcvZKYnnZ1uMU-w7FCZJPZXjRZ4AkxbBPWwBzrfHrYmcenkHHn77SvRL/s1600/Taylorcomposite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxQIhJFFtSMhMs8HdGhumlBkSCosuwLlMnMJNocZb8kD0cONe_gyYmf7xU4MOZlt60NWrg0A2EoGQPmrgEi5YhcvZKYnnZ1uMU-w7FCZJPZXjRZ4AkxbBPWwBzrfHrYmcenkHHn77SvRL/s320/Taylorcomposite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorguitars" target="_blank">@TaylorGuitars</a> on Twitter! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/index.php/home/us" target="_blank">XTERRA Wetsuits</a></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> has provided their</i><b> </b><span style="color: #333333; text-align: left;"><i>most popular sleeveless wetsuit</i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"> "</span><b>Vortex 4 Sleeveless" </b><span style="color: #333333; text-align: left;"><i>offering the perfect combination of price, performance, flexibility and durability. It is ideal for athletes who want an all-around wetsuit to use while training and racing.</i><i> </i></span><i>($300 value)</i> <a href="http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/store/index.php/products/triathlon-wetsuits/vortex-sleeveless-wetsuit" target="_blank">Details here.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yPNR9cV_Yz92RNtJ2uBzSyorEtwecFMjt7Ws3DEzc8nLqMjcmZVXUQSdxI5UZ0vSFnxiABOcMHOaTI3XcZdrWpS3vRi5F-tqLw3iyyyOHg1xK98hl-ctrBXyAAE-_HKmXUzTjpUs0jA4/s1063/V3J_Chris+Lieto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yPNR9cV_Yz92RNtJ2uBzSyorEtwecFMjt7Ws3DEzc8nLqMjcmZVXUQSdxI5UZ0vSFnxiABOcMHOaTI3XcZdrWpS3vRi5F-tqLw3iyyyOHg1xK98hl-ctrBXyAAE-_HKmXUzTjpUs0jA4/s320/V3J_Chris+Lieto.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/XTERRAWETSUITS" target="_blank">@XTERRAWetsuits</a> on Twitter!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beautiful Sea Glass Bracelet from </span><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mermaidteardesigns" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Mermaid Tear Designs</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLBuGGe-XQitM6K7sVYTtxQj75QXImL-lZfw1k42rL5BHMbcZj9DmPj0vaitzh1mUrX7XZIyYLqUr2fjw0DEcayN6_kPtmhHdnaq6HqSAAh_aqRH05rb9H2E9lMKVCzwM8vqWzGBCpeI3/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLBuGGe-XQitM6K7sVYTtxQj75QXImL-lZfw1k42rL5BHMbcZj9DmPj0vaitzh1mUrX7XZIyYLqUr2fjw0DEcayN6_kPtmhHdnaq6HqSAAh_aqRH05rb9H2E9lMKVCzwM8vqWzGBCpeI3/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="274" /></a></div>
Follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/seaglass67" target="_blank">@Seaglass67</a> on Twitter!<br />
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<b>Photographers! <a href="http://www.ononesoftware.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">OnOne Software</span></a> is providing a digital download of </b><br />
<b>their outstanding <a href="http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/suite7/" target="_blank">Perfect Photo Suite 7 Premium</a> for Mac or PC worth $300!</b><br />
Download a free trial on their web site!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJSK8pH43kxmG3UOdMsXaCR8eg8ZzY6LYyZFJPR75A4OF3G5XQK7l60AiLmPK_FjIppTu7PVuNwQ7MH0ThNYdgii3-_O7AdbzbctPuiTeICuOeFelArwX6wW0ujI83lOUNMI4q14Srw7t/s227/suite7_premium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJSK8pH43kxmG3UOdMsXaCR8eg8ZzY6LYyZFJPR75A4OF3G5XQK7l60AiLmPK_FjIppTu7PVuNwQ7MH0ThNYdgii3-_O7AdbzbctPuiTeICuOeFelArwX6wW0ujI83lOUNMI4q14Srw7t/s200/suite7_premium.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/onOneSoftware" target="_blank">@OnOneSoftware</a> on Twitter! </div>
<br />
@shownotowels has donated 2 of their unique wearable beach/bath towels!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8g1uE5DLKSftWAIMerxZEq0p2_fIlw8A9JUNb6wVIGgQOjjiE26ppmyTQudoDwmtvyjWIfEf7ay2guyPk7rxmF_VwKgKUZlLiJUj7CZ0rJ6FYbeMxUuRMVX4XsK9utL7SstSU7kg67Ysu/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-08-01+at+4.50.52+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8g1uE5DLKSftWAIMerxZEq0p2_fIlw8A9JUNb6wVIGgQOjjiE26ppmyTQudoDwmtvyjWIfEf7ay2guyPk7rxmF_VwKgKUZlLiJUj7CZ0rJ6FYbeMxUuRMVX4XsK9utL7SstSU7kg67Ysu/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-08-01+at+4.50.52+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Check them out at </div>
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<a href="http://showno.com/">showno.com</a>! </div>
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<b><a href="http://www.oakley.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Oakley</span></a> </b><br />
<b>has donated a pair of <a href="http://www.oakley.com/products/7021/27281" target="_blank">Garage Rock Black</a> sunglasses worth $120! </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZch-gRE4dcLHRUfBwjtUPuJQfzScvr-LGiXdoACc32PhzMdIxPxyPwR1Hcxp1XUhOjmTr_fOYmmehxzPOpNzE5HXjM1mRiR-cbOiy0UnqkA5hqmMzR_O905xKEtBn22lj9j-DZuj1JVCe/s750/5011d55eea553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZch-gRE4dcLHRUfBwjtUPuJQfzScvr-LGiXdoACc32PhzMdIxPxyPwR1Hcxp1XUhOjmTr_fOYmmehxzPOpNzE5HXjM1mRiR-cbOiy0UnqkA5hqmMzR_O905xKEtBn22lj9j-DZuj1JVCe/s200/5011d55eea553.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/oakley" target="_blank">@Oakley</a> on Twitter! </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.brickbetty.com/" target="_blank">Brick Betty</a></span> </b><br />
<b>has donated $125 in Women's sports apparel! </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6-Kc7K1-j38Xke7JZZTJzHhCTyNNGaJvKOrBc51fpofwBwnB8BkLmaD8IYOYy1l-n-oShWc9f7LYLnQ8Uq8kSIh-x10f9oXiYsQEsuCnnodD1hwXkZMX3BFLOovP8hYx0Os0HTkXShry/s1600/brickbetty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #6699cc; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6-Kc7K1-j38Xke7JZZTJzHhCTyNNGaJvKOrBc51fpofwBwnB8BkLmaD8IYOYy1l-n-oShWc9f7LYLnQ8Uq8kSIh-x10f9oXiYsQEsuCnnodD1hwXkZMX3BFLOovP8hYx0Os0HTkXShry/s200/brickbetty.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div>
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Follow them <a href="https://twitter.com/BrickBetty" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@BrickBetty</a> on Twitter!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.reflectsports.com/" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Reflect Sports</a></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>is providing a Swim Hair Care kit worth $45!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KPRArLs2w0n-5sCqoQ51NznrDnRV9hyphenhyphenoUQ3XG5ViHneZC0JkFi2fSfr7and7r44D-K_mZ5-81HwHDUJHBJ8tqr5KWxz9c680nlJLvoKoShJRypUNlgJHfrAPtNZ4uUsCjbL1IeRnEKd_/s1600/swimming-shampoo-collecti-lg.png" imageanchor="1" style="color: #6699cc; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KPRArLs2w0n-5sCqoQ51NznrDnRV9hyphenhyphenoUQ3XG5ViHneZC0JkFi2fSfr7and7r44D-K_mZ5-81HwHDUJHBJ8tqr5KWxz9c680nlJLvoKoShJRypUNlgJHfrAPtNZ4uUsCjbL1IeRnEKd_/s200/swimming-shampoo-collecti-lg.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div>
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Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/reflectsports" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@ReflectSports</a> on Twitter! </div>
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<b><span style="color: #6699cc; font-size: large; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.believeiam.com/collections/all" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Believe I Am</a></span></b><br />
<b> is providing their Erica Sara Necklace a $60 value!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuGWRoeQc3DV1Or09LQ6N7dgxJPdbJnXDYq6dPN-iVrPhmHxbwj1W8vKrizyc9g_pAO9ZTKFhkDH81FUsir3gHasQqEl_t3nmpHe6G9p3ZCrsiGq0o_HEN2TpUt-OUOhwU4Lpax2mFQx9/s1600/strong_jpg_1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #6699cc; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuGWRoeQc3DV1Or09LQ6N7dgxJPdbJnXDYq6dPN-iVrPhmHxbwj1W8vKrizyc9g_pAO9ZTKFhkDH81FUsir3gHasQqEl_t3nmpHe6G9p3ZCrsiGq0o_HEN2TpUt-OUOhwU4Lpax2mFQx9/s200/strong_jpg_1024x1024.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></div>
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Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/BelieveIAm" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@BelieveIam</a> on Twitter! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kennphotography.com/" target="_blank"><b>Kenneth Edwards</b></a></span><br />
is donating a beautiful 11x14 signed photograph ($75 value)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjap5crAJ3afMWcsEdLbXfqb92wdQtGCPOd7XcoOZYfz-y4Gh9fs8CHIsBji-vhoxCFGwNZSyFXFwiGhye2oQN8zQgkyMCHk1inpgJhwskSF04lVYWWRAgNSgX2L315YVyCzMvtDBR-D5QN/s600/Kenphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjap5crAJ3afMWcsEdLbXfqb92wdQtGCPOd7XcoOZYfz-y4Gh9fs8CHIsBji-vhoxCFGwNZSyFXFwiGhye2oQN8zQgkyMCHk1inpgJhwskSF04lVYWWRAgNSgX2L315YVyCzMvtDBR-D5QN/s200/Kenphoto.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/kenninchitown" target="_blank">@KenninChiTown</a> on Twitter! </div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tweet to Win! </span></b><br />
These prizes will be awarded via Twitter and require no donation at all. Rules are simple. Follow me <a href="http://www.twitter.com/crusephoto" target="_blank">@CrusePhoto</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cafoundation" target="_blank">@CAFoundation</a> on Twitter and watch for the tweets! All you have to do is Re-Tweet (RT) the designated Tweet in order to be eligible. You can RT as many times as you like but only one RT per screen name will be counted.<br />
<br />
4 copies of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608080749?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=1608080749&linkCode=shr&tag=richcrusephot-20&creativeASIN=1608080749&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" target="_blank">The Other Woman</a>" by <a href="http://twitter.com/TunettePowell" target="_blank">@TunettePowell</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcL6naKR_J_ClwsTU20FmNuAEOG-O9nbYaOJw0XvavehOo8g-o6WRn4K-jEQ3EwVLuHq2KBjYBySRkshZAeE7lYyJuKziqyQQMyNUCJgsAg73utAkNqpBZX9hU3DbQJPIhPUH86s-yVoQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-24+at+12.11.10+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcL6naKR_J_ClwsTU20FmNuAEOG-O9nbYaOJw0XvavehOo8g-o6WRn4K-jEQ3EwVLuHq2KBjYBySRkshZAeE7lYyJuKziqyQQMyNUCJgsAg73utAkNqpBZX9hU3DbQJPIhPUH86s-yVoQ/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-07-24+at+12.11.10+PM.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
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Click on this link and ReTweet the tweet. I will pick 4 winners at random from all Retweets. </div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/RichOnOWN/status/360116888556142593" target="_blank">RT this Tweet to Win! </a></div>
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<br />
Thank you Mark for your Tweet to Win Prize - a signed copy of Mark Johnson's <b><a href="http://argylearmadabook.com/" target="_blank">Argyle Armada</a>!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfA_zelj3cX476lVz0kuFeNZGwReq7fjxB9PB_iyK7LX-q5jPgLYpqV1pruhb-jFxxjc5Cd-s79bY52rxrMTWmFILxh6fkcIJ_wukgFQQHFuJebSPjbVx5TK6ViB_Ahw948XUKNhIbzcO/s1600/argarm_72dpi_600pw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQfA_zelj3cX476lVz0kuFeNZGwReq7fjxB9PB_iyK7LX-q5jPgLYpqV1pruhb-jFxxjc5Cd-s79bY52rxrMTWmFILxh6fkcIJ_wukgFQQHFuJebSPjbVx5TK6ViB_Ahw948XUKNhIbzcO/s200/argarm_72dpi_600pw.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Follow Mark on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ironstringmark" target="_blank">@IronstringMark</a></div>
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<br />
July 8th's Tweet to Win prize was<br />
this Ultra Tri Carry on Triathlon Bag from <b>Zoot Sports</b> -retail value <b>$150! </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHu0Xcwyk1hkKtnjuAV_-CW98YkbLWz4wIl2fARmwnsFOKyhMOEWiZ-PYUmB3EUzvgl6EfHnk6CoMay_-9iWXX5CpQqAdghttbg3IhDgeSzb0uJyhXwEWuItBaAY4cQ9HrWh3t1DOnl276/s1600/zoot_sp12_ultra_tri-carry-on-bag_black-yellow_front_swatch-black.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHu0Xcwyk1hkKtnjuAV_-CW98YkbLWz4wIl2fARmwnsFOKyhMOEWiZ-PYUmB3EUzvgl6EfHnk6CoMay_-9iWXX5CpQqAdghttbg3IhDgeSzb0uJyhXwEWuItBaAY4cQ9HrWh3t1DOnl276/s200/zoot_sp12_ultra_tri-carry-on-bag_black-yellow_front_swatch-black.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoot Sports Ultra Triathlon Carry On Bag<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Follow them on Twitter </span><a href="http://zootsports/" style="font-size: medium;" target="_blank">@ZootSports</a><span style="font-size: small;">!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Winner is <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Astraea Thigpen</b>! Congrats!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Traveling to any races this season? Zoot's newest Ultra Tri Carry On Bag is a must! Surprisingly light weight, this durable triathlon-specific carry-on bag meets the demands of the toughest triathletes. <a href="http://zootsports.com/mens/accessories/ultra-tri-carry-on-bag-s12" target="_blank">Details here.</a> </span></span></div>
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<b>My First RT prize was a Perfect PhotoSuite 7 Premium Edition</b><br />
Digital Download worth $300!<br />
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Winner is Tommy Menard! Congrats! </div>
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Please visit my donation page for 2013 and donate as much as you can and share the link with others! I really want to make this my best fundraiser yet and I need your support!</div>
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<b>Challenged Athletes Foundation Changes Lives! </b><br />
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<a href="http://raceforareason2013.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=1050566&supId=285201911" style="background-color: #003399; color: white; font-family: arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click Here to Donate</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Fine Print</b>: Prizes for $50 donations will be awarded after July 31st, 2013. Each $50 donation will include one entry to the drawing. The more you donate, the better your chances of winning. Only one prize per donor! Each donation will be assigned a number. I will use random.org to select the winning #s. The first person drawn will have his/her choice of all prizes and will go in order drawn until all prizes have been awarded. Winners will be notified via Twitter or email. The Tweet to win contest is open to anyone via Twitter. Tweets must be retweeted as is. You can retweet as many times as you wish, but only one tweet per twitter handle will be eligible per drawing. You may win one prize per Twitter giveaway only. Prizes will be shipped in the US free of charge. Winners outside the US will be responsible for shipping costs, taxes and tariffs for their prize. Thank you and Good Luck! </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Should you wish to donate a prize, please contact me - </span><a href="mailto:richcruse@gmail.com" style="color: #6699cc; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Email Me! </a></div>
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Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-67072391417250305712012-07-02T13:46:00.001-07:002013-06-24T19:09:30.520-07:00Challenged Athletes Fundraiser for my 51st!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is my page from last year's fundraiser.</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The link has been changed to my current donation page. If you would like to donate an incentive prize, let me know! Thank you for your support! Once I get my prizes in order, I will post a new page with all the details. Anyone who donates $50 or more will get one entry to this years giveaway for each $50 donation, so donate now please! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July 17th's my 51st birthday. </span></span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To celebrate, I am once again raising money for my favorite charity, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Challenged Athletes Foundation</b>!</span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zy_iU5Pk9hbhxyo6QMcj0n-cVy5zpVWTJf5h7_DrlTAG7zUWf8w2OYGCd_AqY_9w88dpR5nCjV6x_CN2moMJxkkDvtfTS3BfJCzAlYL3UW21zCqoky6LatEb0dBUT1nvWjupX88oyWS3/s1600/CAFSDTC08byCruse_600handhold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zy_iU5Pk9hbhxyo6QMcj0n-cVy5zpVWTJf5h7_DrlTAG7zUWf8w2OYGCd_AqY_9w88dpR5nCjV6x_CN2moMJxkkDvtfTS3BfJCzAlYL3UW21zCqoky6LatEb0dBUT1nvWjupX88oyWS3/s400/CAFSDTC08byCruse_600handhold.jpg" width="378" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CAF</b> does so much good for so many. Be sure to visit their web site</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.challengedathletes.com/" target="_blank">Challenged Athletes Foundation</a> to learn more.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can join my fundraiser by using <a href="http://raceforareason2012.kintera.org/cruse51" target="_blank">this link</a> to my donation page. Last year I raised over $3,300 and this year I want to reach my goal of $5,100. I need your help! Please forward this link to friends and family. CAF helps all including veterans and kids.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">$10 is all it takes. Of course, larger donations are even better! Donate $50 or more to be eligible for valuable prizes! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thru the month of July, $1 of every $3 download on my 500px gallery will go to CAF. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Check them out at <a href="http://www.500px.com/cruse">www.500px.com/cruse</a></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Prizes for $50 donation drawing</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You will get one entry for each $50 donation, but only one prize per person. <b>Fundraiser goes thru midnight PST July 31st. Winners we be announced August 1st.</b> First name drawn will have choice of prizes and will go sequentially until all prizes have been awarded. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each entry will be assigned a number. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winners will be selected by random number generator. </span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congratulations to Mike Margolis! He was my first winner and chose the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">awesome Taylor Guitar! Big shout out to to Taylor for donating such a killer prize! </span></b></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.taylorguitars.com/"><b>Taylor Guitar</b></a> - SolidBody Classic Electric Guitar ($1748 retail value)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Sv-7HT_xv64hF5CbF5a2Jp1GrhNPE8PNDao7m7hgf-CSJ9fzvWB4lwxVR5HuvMjCIkgQrVMEuylk-fTlflogobDwzhQ8JsOdvocoQcpgsmKFTCnpG95DhjJ00xHW6zrctQnZ2IRsSCDT/s1600/TaylorSolidBody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Sv-7HT_xv64hF5CbF5a2Jp1GrhNPE8PNDao7m7hgf-CSJ9fzvWB4lwxVR5HuvMjCIkgQrVMEuylk-fTlflogobDwzhQ8JsOdvocoQcpgsmKFTCnpG95DhjJ00xHW6zrctQnZ2IRsSCDT/s320/TaylorSolidBody.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">About the Taylor SolidBody electric guitar*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The Taylor SolidBody electric line boasts a variety
of innovative design features, including proprietary pickups, giving players a
wealth of inspiring tones in an easy-to-play package. The SolidBody Classic features a solid swamp ash body with a
satin-finish maple neck and an Indian rosewood fretboard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Learn more by visiting </span><a href="http://www.taylorguitars.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">www.taylorguitars.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">*color pictured may vary </span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/store/index.php/products/triathlon-wetsuits/vortex-sleeveless-wetsuit" target="_blank">XTERRA Vortex Sleeveless Wetsuit</a> ($300 value) </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">XTERRA Vortex Sleeveless Wetsuit</span></td></tr>
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<b>Congratulations to Krista Oliver- my second prize winner! </b><b>She chose Perfect Photo Suite 6! </b></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Perfect Photo Suite 6.1 for Mac or PC</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from On One Software ($300 value)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCYvYgkjceljvQ346lRdFkYAfQag4Lu2HIFuUpX-TW3DM3PrpNx9AdTGa9qmZ5t5bEEQib25yr6Ja5DWUBYFcw1Ht2Dl5EvUYQTI-Nbi3TmvOR9IgNjrjql6D5aIsrO76l5mlSmgyLsjD/s1600/suite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCYvYgkjceljvQ346lRdFkYAfQag4Lu2HIFuUpX-TW3DM3PrpNx9AdTGa9qmZ5t5bEEQib25yr6Ja5DWUBYFcw1Ht2Dl5EvUYQTI-Nbi3TmvOR9IgNjrjql6D5aIsrO76l5mlSmgyLsjD/s1600/suite.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is an amazing suite of software I use everyday. </div>
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<a href="http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/suite/" target="_blank">Download a free trial and learn more here.</a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Twitter prizes </b></span></h3>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No donation required to win and it will be a retweet to win contest. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Follow @crusephoto on Twitter for details. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drawing was July 19th. Thank you!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Signed copy of Chrissie Wellington's new book -</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoMhphy5O7G9fV9K27jzB3fWL5l4bmsELorTqWgU9ir30Ms0yIkQpsffWmhd58HoC8keDP7opOJ-3HMUbbG44tpfWp-kb-P8Skv4SwV9zpMW-QkiiX2dtgPGgpsoa1H3zSIHudeh_lR_u/s1600/ChrissieCoverWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoMhphy5O7G9fV9K27jzB3fWL5l4bmsELorTqWgU9ir30Ms0yIkQpsffWmhd58HoC8keDP7opOJ-3HMUbbG44tpfWp-kb-P8Skv4SwV9zpMW-QkiiX2dtgPGgpsoa1H3zSIHudeh_lR_u/s320/ChrissieCoverWeb.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455505579?ie=UTF8&tag=richcrusephot-20&linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=1455505579&ref_=sr_1_1&keywords=a%20life%20without%20limits&qid=1342738815&sr=8-1" target="_blank">"A Life Without Limits" </a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to donate a prize, please contact me @crusephoto on Twitter or email richcruse@gmail.com.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Thank you for your support!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sincerely,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rich </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend Lenny B at 98.1 Smooth FM in San Diego interviewed me for his morning show! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://soundcloud.com/audi-yo/rich-cruise-challenged?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter&utm_content=http://soundcloud.com/audi-yo/rich-cruise-challenged" target="_blank">Listen here!</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Breaking News! </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Twitter friend Oprah surprised me with a generous $5000 donation! I am so happy to reach my original goal so quickly. Now I want to try to double it! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please follow her on Twitter @Oprah and @OWNTV. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Here is Oprah's Tweet to me! Thank you Oprah! </span></div>
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<a href="http://raceforareason2013.kintera.org/cruse" style="background-color: #071c77; color: white; font-family: arial; font-weight: bolder; margin-left: 35; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 150;" target="_blank">Click Here to Donate</a></div>
Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-6681848881327789432012-05-02T17:49:00.000-07:002012-05-02T17:52:01.413-07:00Missing Mom- Year Eight<br />
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It has been eight years since my Mom passed away. I miss her a lot. </div>
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I always felt lucky to even have a Mom. When I was two, she had a brain aneurism that nearly killed her. Lucky for us, they caught it in time. They performed emergency surgery and clamped the artery in time. One of the challenges after surgery was that she had quite a bit of memory loss and had to relearn how to read and write. As therapy, Mom began to write poetry and children's stories. </div>
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After years of rejection, she was published in Summer Weekly Reader. It was quite a thrill for us and she continued her writing for many years. She had close to a hundred poems and stories published over the years. </div>
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Here is one of my favorites. Bentley Bentail was written about a cat that had a bent tail. Most all her stories had morals and taught us to be kind to those that may be a little different. </div>
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Click the link below to read the story. </div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-hQjbeODc7HanJ2YndTM0p5ek0" target="_blank">Bentley Bentail by Wendy Mary Cruse</a></div>
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Peace and Love! </div>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-63359167295472497042011-06-21T11:57:00.000-07:002011-08-12T11:17:14.729-07:00Raising $5k for CAF to Celebrate Turning 50!Thank you to all who donated cash or prizes to my fundraiser! The total raised to date is $3240. That is shy of my goal but it is a great accomplishment. I was thrilled by the number of people donating $50 or more. I realize money is tight, so I am deeply touched by your generosity.<br />
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I will keep my donation page on CAF active for the foreseeable future, so if you missed out there is still time to donate $10 or more here.<br />
<a href="http://raceforareason2011.kintera.org/richcruse50">PLEASE Donate at least $10. </a><br />
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If you won a prize and have not received it yet, please contact me a <a href="mailto:richcruse@gmail.com">richcruse@gmail.com</a><br />
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Congratulations to David Murphy, winner of the Suunto Retweet to Win Contest. He won the Suunto M5 watch!<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
Rich<br />
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</b><br />
<b>July 17th</b> will be my 50th birthday and to be honest, I am not thrilled about it. It means I will be over the hill and eligible to join AARP!<br />
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I began to think about how I could turn this occasion into something positive. It didn't take long for me to realize that raising money for Challenged Athletes Foundation would make me happiest. I don't want or expect gifts, instead I want you to join with me in support of an organization that means so much to me. CAF changes lives. They truly do amazing work. I encourage you to explore their web site at <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/">Challenged Athletes</a> to learn more.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbDLna4z8OOtBYfHKCXRSQcqsx5z_aRoVBa3SGNR-VTHAPqOUXn_QGdm299pvUnG5gmo0MdJk25NdDatEq8lsqDoyELtFgsIboWs-5gd_bYCSxsSfido6b2M7JC0R1wP7Kwq-BtjYSbyl/s1600/2010CAFSDTCCruse_0736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbDLna4z8OOtBYfHKCXRSQcqsx5z_aRoVBa3SGNR-VTHAPqOUXn_QGdm299pvUnG5gmo0MdJk25NdDatEq8lsqDoyELtFgsIboWs-5gd_bYCSxsSfido6b2M7JC0R1wP7Kwq-BtjYSbyl/s400/2010CAFSDTCCruse_0736.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Here is the link to my CAF donation page.<br />
<a href="http://raceforareason2011.kintera.org/richcruse50">PLEASE Donate at least $10. </a><br />
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Donate <b>$50 for my 50th</b>, and be eligible for my exclusive prize drawing as well! I have had some very kind donations of prizes from some good friends and even a celebrity or two!<br />
If you want to donate a prize, please feel free to email me at <a href="mailto:richcruse@gmail.com">richcruse@gmail.com</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Prizes</span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Category One Prizes <b>Twitter Only</b> -<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-MmekOL5VU_9c-bgv5x5mFdQB2Bc8mdaYjh-LE2oPcDSmcLaAAakvwBDo7uhPzMyQQvtyaVUEMG8J0BTqtzWoYcBdKz2SiCDkaemXK7YTCAXSp93jmYGz17xUhm7s8zE1cEOkb2YdQAM/s1600/image003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3-MmekOL5VU_9c-bgv5x5mFdQB2Bc8mdaYjh-LE2oPcDSmcLaAAakvwBDo7uhPzMyQQvtyaVUEMG8J0BTqtzWoYcBdKz2SiCDkaemXK7YTCAXSp93jmYGz17xUhm7s8zE1cEOkb2YdQAM/s200/image003.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suunto M5 </td></tr>
</tbody></table><i>These will be part of the RT and Follow Contest and will be open to all US Residents to win. You must Re-Tweet and follow @CAFoundation, @CrusePhoto and the prize giver on Twitter to be eligible to win. Follow me on Twitter for each contest and details. Re-Tweet as many times as you wish, but one RT per Twitter name will be counted. (No donation is required).</i></div><div><ol><li><a href="http://www.oakley.com/products/6417"><s>Oakley Fuel Cell Sunglasses</s></a><u><s> - Black $100 retail value courtesy </s></u><a href="http://www.twitter.com/oakley"><s>@Oakley</s></a></li>
<li><s>Starbucks Via Coffee Gift bag from </s><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/starbucks"><s>@Starbucks</s></a><s> Aliso Creek & La Paz in Laguna Niguel</s></li>
<li><s>One Year Subscription to Inside Triathlon Magazine </s><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/insidetri"><s>@InsideTri</s></a></li>
<li><s>An autographed copy of </s><a href="http://t.co/DiZ3Dn6"><s>"I am Here to Win"</s></a><s> by Chris McCormack </s><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/maccanow"><s>@MaccaNow </s></a></li>
<li><s>An autographed copy of </s><a href="http://t.co/RFsl7bC"><s>"To Be a Runner"</s></a><s> by Martin J Dugard </s><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/martinjdugard"><s>@MartinJDugard</s></a></li>
<li><s>$50 Apple gift card (2 to be given away) provided by </s><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/girlsgonegeek"><s>@GirlsGoneGeek </s></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kswiss.com/item/0/02655-022/Men/Footwear_Running/Plush_2/Gray_Black.html?xs=pp"><s>K-Swiss sandals</s></a><u><s>, an autographed poster & Powerbars from </s></u><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/joshcox"><s>@JoshCox</s></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/suite/phototools/?ind"><s>PhotoTools 2.6</s></a><u><s> from @onOneSoftware $249 value</s></u></li>
<li>"25 Years of Ironman" autographed by Ironman Hall of Famer <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/bob_babbitt">@Bob_Babbitt </a></li>
<li><s>Access Hollywood's "The Royal Wedding" Commemorative book. Signed by </s><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/billybush"><s>@billybush</s></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.suunto.com/en/products/Heart-Rate-Monitors/suunto-m5/suunto-m5-all-black/"><s>Suunto M5 watch</s></a><u><s> $205 retail value from </s></u><a href="http://www.twitter.com/suuntousa"><s>@SuuntoUSA</s></a><u><s> </s></u></li>
</ol>Suunto M5 drawing is July 17th- Tweet the following to be eligible. " <b>Giveaway thru 07/17! Win a Suunto M5 Watch, follow @CrusePhoto @SUUNTOUSA & tweet. Support CAF & Donate here. http://bit.ly/kSE9Sg #RCSU </b>" Tweet as many times as you wish, but only one tweet per Twitter name will be counted. you must follow @SUUNTOUSA and @CrusePhoto to be eligible to win. Winner will be announced July 18th.<br />
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Follow and re-tweet prizes will be chosen at random from qualifying entries. Sorry but the RT contest is restricted to US residents only.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcMvT4q4Yn088V_j4eF6TTJpmOaqrvgLQLJn1RNxGl1g9kwFJeWq05wdWP3GDndz4-sbbMwCrQMFiBzAfx_vnky0HctGv3vfGzF1XCkGae5kIFLQFgiDi8Zow3J6-EJ_QUcLKZubHtQKj/s1600/DaveBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcMvT4q4Yn088V_j4eF6TTJpmOaqrvgLQLJn1RNxGl1g9kwFJeWq05wdWP3GDndz4-sbbMwCrQMFiBzAfx_vnky0HctGv3vfGzF1XCkGae5kIFLQFgiDi8Zow3J6-EJ_QUcLKZubHtQKj/s200/DaveBook.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signed by THE Dave Stewart!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Category Two Prizes require a<b> $50 donation or more. </b><br />
<b>Receive one entry for each $50 donation.</b></div></div><div><ol><li><a href="http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/suite/">Photo Suite 5.5.3</a> software from <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ononesoftware">@onOneSoftware</a> $349 value.</li>
<li> <a href="http://t.co/tnmH6PB">"The Dave Stewart Songbook: The Stories Behind the Songs"</a> autographed by <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/davestewart">@DaveStewart</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://avia.com/">Avia Running Shoes</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/aviarunning">@AVIArunning</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.reflectsports.com/">Reflect Sports</a> Gift Pack ($85 value) from <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/hooharideglide">@hoohahrideglide </a></li>
<li>"25 Years of Ironman"book Autographed by <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/bob_babbitt">@Bob_Babbitt</a></li>
<li><b>Just Added! Lunch or Dinner for 4 at the Prestigious <a href="http://www.nyyc.org/">New York Yacht Club</a></b> in NYC or the Rhode Island annex hosted by @AndrewHersam. Valued at nearly $1000! Good thru August 2012, so if you are going to IM NYC, you can use it then! </li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Category Two prizes will be given away at the end of the contest on July 17th via random drawing. Please follow @CAFoundation and me @CrusePhoto on Twitter. I encourage you to follow my sponsors as well! All donors who win will be notified via the email they used for their donation to CAF or Twitter name. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One Prize per donor in the Category Two Prizes.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Your chance of winning increases with each $50 donation but only one prize per person. Prize winners will be selected in sequence with the first person selected having first choice of the prizes. It will continue down the list until all prizes have been awarded. </span><br />
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</b></div></div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">My Facebook page is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rcphoto">https://www.facebook.com/rcphoto</a>. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Please <i>Like</i> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CAForg">https://www.facebook.com/CAForg</a> on Facebook as well.<br />
Please Share with others using the link at the top of the page.<a href="http://raceforareason2011.kintera.org/richcruse50">Donate to CAF</a></div></div>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-19687582965589908862011-05-22T12:38:00.000-07:002011-11-28T00:00:56.551-08:00Changing the Rules in the Middle of the Game?! TwitPic Crosses the Line.For over two years, I have been using Twitter to share my photos with the world. It brings me great satisfaction to be able to "Tweet" a photo and have it instantly available for the world to see. Since the beginning, I have used <a href="http://www.twitpic.com/">Twitpic</a> to post images. It works with Twitter for iPhone and is easy to use via web browser as well. I have close to 1000 images on TwitPic.<br />
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Last week, I posted my last image to Twitpic. This is because I was made aware of a huge change in their <a href="http://twitpic.com/terms.do">TOS</a> (Terms of Service).<br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">You retain all ownership rights to Content uploaded to Twitpic. However, by submitting Content to Twitpic, you hereby grant Twitpic a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and Twitpic's (and its successors' and affiliates') business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. </span></blockquote> If you read carefully, you will see that Twitpic is now claiming that by uploading your photo to their service, you give them permission to sell your photos to third parties without any compensation to you! WHAT?!!! Who in their right mind would agree to this? What is most disturbing is that this change was made without any official notification to me nor was I given the opportunity to <i>opt out.</i> From a legal standpoint, I believe that if I discover any of my images that were uploaded before this change went into affect were sold for profit, I will have legal grounds to sue them. I never agreed to those terms- and I never will!<br />
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Twitpic has made plenty of money off the advertising on each page with a photo you view, now they are getting greedy. This is not only happening with Twitpic, but also with Plixi (now known as <a href="http://lockerz.zendesk.com/entries/515604-terms-of-service">Lockerz</a>) and most all other picture sites for Twitter. This is alarming!<br />
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NEVER GIVE AWAY RIGHTS for others to make money off YOUR Photos- EVER! If there is no compensation to you, then don't allow sites like Twitpic to sell your images. Lockerz approach is slightly different, they will give you "points" for each picture that is sold- Yawn. <a href="http://yfrog.com/page/tos">yFrog</a> has another approach. They state they will never sell your photos without your permission. All requests will be forwarded to you.<br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #575757; font-family: 'PT Sans', tahoma, verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">All requests for permission regarding your content usage directed at ImageShack will be forwarded to you. All uploaded content is copyrighted to its respective owners. ImageShack directs full legal responsibility of said content to their respective owners. All content generated by ImageShack is copyrighted by ImageShack. ImageShack is not responsible for any uploaded content, nor is it in affiliation with any entities that may be represented in the uploaded content.</span></blockquote>In my opinion, the Best place to post your photos is: <a href="http://www.mobypicture.com/termsofuse">MobyPicture</a>. They have a very straightforward policy on content posted. They will never sell them! They do collect data, but that is it.<br />
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<blockquote><h2 style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif !important; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Content Ownership</span></h2><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">All rights of uploaded content by our users remain the property of our users and those rights can in no means be sold or used in a commercial way by Mobypicture or affiliated third party partners without consent from the user.</div></blockquote>This is why ALL my Twitter image posts will be done through MobyPicture in the future. It is available as an option via Twitter apps for iPhone and Android and also on TweetDeck and Twitter for Mac. I highly recommend you stop using Twitpic and tell them why.<br />
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<b>Update</b>: If you are a celebrity or sports star, you might be able to use <a href="http://WhoSay.com/">WhoSay.com</a><br />
<a href="http://WhoSay.com/"></a>They provide a unique service for celebrity posts. You need to apply for an invitation. <br />
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Lastly, if you are posting images, it is always a very good idea to add a watermark to them. It basically tags your photos with your name and © and lets everyone know that it's your image. There is a saying in the photo biz, "once it's created it's copyrighted". In a way that is true, you do not have to file paperwork with the US Copyright office to claim copyright on your photos, you do need to file if you want full protection under the law. You are limited in the amount you can claim if your images are not registered with the US Copyright offices, but your images are yours. If someone steals them and you can prove it, you can sue for damages. If your image has a watermark with your © on it and they remove it or crop it off the photo without permission then that is copyright infringement and you have a much stronger case.<br />
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How do I add a watermark? Well, if you have an iPhone, you can use an app. called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/impression/id364597384?mt=8">Impression</a>. It allows you to add text to your photos before you post them. It is <b>$1.99</b>! You can also do this with your photo program on your Mac or PC. There is a program for Mac/PC and iPhone/iPad called <a href="http://plumamazing.com/win/iwatermark/">iWatermark</a>. It allows you to add text/copyright to your photos. Just add text that says ©2011 (Your Name). This is all you need to do. I recommend you do this to all the photos you post to the public on Facebook, Twitter or on your web site. That way, no one can repost without your permission. If they do, at least people know where it came from.<br />
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To conclude, don't let sites like Twitpic profit from your images. Read the TOS before your post your images to any site. Protect your copyrights. Always add a watermark with your name and © to all images you post for public viewing!Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-337705210497591212010-11-03T12:41:00.000-07:002011-01-15T15:42:21.317-08:00Life is Good<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> have the privilege of meeting and getting to know many interesting and inspiring people through my work. One of the most rewarding assignments I have is when I get to shoot the San Diego Triathlon Challenge to benefit the <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org/">Challenged Athletes Foundation</a>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span>Established in 1997, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) is a unique organization that recognizes the athletic greatness inherent in all people with physical challenges and supports their athletic endeavors by providing grants for training, competition and equipment needs."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu1sh4WjjozsqJO-uzgmtUl0sPYtJaKO4sLYTIi0nRSVV1gfTNcSrTkIrvCTBbPiriEODnLzxsHRDihWyCgTcPMZlxuQ21q0_bdKi7vZyPl9U7v39EgDgTdq33AKMqUxtFxb7MfQgSZ1V/s1600/web2010CAFSDTCCruse_0987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu1sh4WjjozsqJO-uzgmtUl0sPYtJaKO4sLYTIi0nRSVV1gfTNcSrTkIrvCTBbPiriEODnLzxsHRDihWyCgTcPMZlxuQ21q0_bdKi7vZyPl9U7v39EgDgTdq33AKMqUxtFxb7MfQgSZ1V/s320/web2010CAFSDTCCruse_0987.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Among the many stories and personal triumphs I saw, this one struck me the most. I was photographing kids at the expo sliding down an inflatable. I would see a tiny face poke out from the opening and some of the kids sliding down were wearing prosthetics and some were not. It was a blur. The common thread was that they were all having fun together. I remember back when I was a kid, you didn't see kids with disabilities much. They were locked away somewhere. Now, it is different and it was wonderful to see. I looked over and a saw a lady on the park bench who, like me was enjoying the site of kids having fun. I could see she was tearing up. She told me two weeks earlier she'd had a stroke and nearly died. She was doing much better and said she was "happy to be alive". Watching those kids having fun made her heart sing- Mine too! I gave her a hug.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Life IS Good!<br />
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Please Donate to CAF at <a href="http://www.challengedathletes.org./">www.challengedathletes.org. </a><br />
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Check out more inspiring photos from the SDTC <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/richcruse/sets/72157625271274514/">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 year old Cody McCasland prepares for a 1 mile swim.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-16282576922026219642010-09-10T10:46:00.000-07:002020-04-09T09:18:58.055-07:00Good Comes from Bad- Remembering Jim MacLaren<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim's ready for the start of 1991 Ironman</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(Written in 2010)</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Mom always used to say "Good comes from bad"</b>. If you ever met Jim MacLaren, I think you would agree. I was saddened to hear that triathlon's most inspirational person had passed away August 31, 2010. He was just 47 years old. I hadn't seen him for a number of years, but he was always close to my heart. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I first met Jim at Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. </span>I was hanging out by the pool at the King Kam a couple days before Ironman with Scott Tinley, Wendy Ingraham, Russell Moore and others when someone in the group yells out "Hey! No amputees in the pool!". Huh? I look up and there is Jim MacLaren. He flips us the bird, removes his prosthetic leg and "hops" into the pool! He swims up to us and is laughing and smiling ear to ear. That was my introduction to Jim MacLaren back in 1991-always positive and always smiling. He was fun to be around. I began to follow Jim and learned about his accident. The former football star and aspiring actor had his left leg amputated after a motorcycle accident in NYC. Jim was breaking new ground- competing at Ironman with a prosthetic and he inspired us all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlTddXS8cOpFy0_sxppPskNRdt_h-rbh3beqp2aHZlBwtDUrZEP2GMv8-C-91HfsH2o3vqj6xQ7DUpiK6KReA2I-W-dSRU19jld1ig2K4LEzCg1u7EjJnObwnb0t7TF2zNcZvpeKAhdoS/s1600/jimmac1991WebbyCruse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlTddXS8cOpFy0_sxppPskNRdt_h-rbh3beqp2aHZlBwtDUrZEP2GMv8-C-91HfsH2o3vqj6xQ7DUpiK6KReA2I-W-dSRU19jld1ig2K4LEzCg1u7EjJnObwnb0t7TF2zNcZvpeKAhdoS/s320/jimmac1991WebbyCruse.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ew2PMUtWJ_2CrgqozX_mUTh41kbybGui5mZ5geerNUu-f4fxwtuAxCIehH-m1aMPMntCQSkTjuH5XIkeCzSqzt03SlmhSeJTnTduJHJP5Jxu8om_ox2OaE4gMh_DOSLw-WX0KNq9ojdz/s1600/JimMacLaren1990swimexitbyCruse+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ew2PMUtWJ_2CrgqozX_mUTh41kbybGui5mZ5geerNUu-f4fxwtuAxCIehH-m1aMPMntCQSkTjuH5XIkeCzSqzt03SlmhSeJTnTduJHJP5Jxu8om_ox2OaE4gMh_DOSLw-WX0KNq9ojdz/s320/JimMacLaren1990swimexitbyCruse+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Jim competed at Ironman from 1989-1992. His best performance at Kona included a 3:16 marathon with a finish time of 10:42! Jim's acceptance into the sport of triathlon helped pave the way for others. His charisma made Jim the perfect ambassador for triathlon and challenged athletes everywhere.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I was there </span>that fateful day at the Mission Viejo Triathlon in 1993, but did not hear of the news of Jim's second accident until the next day. My heart sank when I heard Jim had been struck by a car on the bike and was paralyzed. I wondered if and how Jim would survive this second set-back. Everyone Jim touched in the past came to his aid. Bob Babbitt, Scott Tinley and others created what would become the Challenged Athletes Foundation San Diego Triathlon Challenge to raise money for Jim. Doctors said Jim was paralyzed and would never have the use of his arms or legs. <b>He proved them wrong. </b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim speaks at IM Awards Dinner 1993</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <br />
Jim continued to inspire and amaze us all. In October of 1993, Jim returned to Ironman in Kona- not as a participant like the year before, but this time as a spectator. I saw him on the pier that morning at the swim start. It broke my heart to see my friend there in a wheelchair watching others do what he no longer could. I walked up to Jim after the swim start and gave him a hug. I didn't know what to say. "I am sorry this happened to you." wasn't going to cut it. I thought for a minute and (being the visual person I am) I said, "Wow, your eyes are really blue!". The sun was hitting them and they shone like nothing I had seen before. He said "thanks". I wished him well, gave him another hug and went on to photograph the rest of the race. It was GOOD to see Jim. The next day, he spoke at the awards ceremony and touched us all deeply with his words and courage.<br />
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Many years later, I was photographing the CAF SDTC in La Jolla; I looked up and there was Jim! He had a tricked out chair and a tan. He looked very happy to be there. I walked up to him and gave him a big hug and said "great to see you!". We chatted for a minute; I could see Jim was happy. He told me something I never forgot. He said, "Remember that morning on the pier in Kona when you saw me in my chair? I was feeling sorry for myself, then you came over to me and gave me that big hug. You told me how blue my eyes were and it made me feel better. You inspired me that day. You looked for something positive, something to make me feel better. You looked for the best in me and I will not forget that.". That was the last time I saw Jim.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k19OECv0TbQ">Watch the ESPN video about Jim</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
I will miss Jim MacLaren. He will always be in my mind and in my heart. My Mom used to say "Good things come from bad" and Jim was proof of that. The world is a much better place because he lived. Challenged Athletes Foundation is proof of that. RIP</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br />
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Please honor Jim's memory by donating to the Challenged Athletes Foundation.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.challengedathletes.org/" target="_blank"> Donate to CAF here! </a></span></div>
Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-58872682893766746642010-08-27T11:05:00.000-07:002010-08-30T10:10:49.235-07:00To Share or Not to Share...Social networking sites are popping up all over. Almost all of them are free- at least that is what we are led to believe. I have been around long enough to know <i>Nothing is Free. </i>That is almost always the case. Twitter was created with the idea that it would provide added revenue to cell phone carriers. You see 140 characters is the exact length of a standard text message. Most people had their Twitter accounts set-up so when you got a Tweet, it would be forwarded to your cell phone and you would get charged a fee. Now most people have unlimited text messaging or use Smartphone Twitter apps so that revenue stream has become limited.<br />
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Facebook is an entirely different animal and they make money in many different ways. One way is through third party apps that access your personal information and your list of friends. Most people freely give permission for these apps to access their personal info because they believe the product or service is worth it. What they do not know is that these third party companies can and do use this information to market to you and your friends on Facebook. This is most alarming to me.<br />
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Facebook is the most valuable source for personal information there is. Where else do you disclose your: relationship status, job, hobbies, education, personal photos and religious and political views? That is why Facebook data is SO valuable to many companies. In my opinion, you should lock down your account so you normally only share with friends. There are also ways to create groups. That way you decide who gets to see what.<br />
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If you haven't learned by now, remember this. <b>Anything you post on the internet stays on the internet and can be reposted by others. </b>In other words, don't say anything you do not want repeated or reposted. The same goes for your photos. Think twice before you post photos of friends drinking or doing something that could be embarrassing to them. These images can be taken out of context and can be a liability, especially when looking for a job.<br />
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Speaking about images, it is important to read and understand the TOS when you sign up for ANY free service. Facebook has some surprising Terms of Service.<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/terms.php?ref=pf">Facebook Terms of Service</a><br />
You need to read this- <b>seriously</b>. READ ALL OF IT!<br />
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<i>From Facebook:</i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared through your</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/privacy/" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">privacy</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">and</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/editapps.php" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">application settings</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. In addition:</span></span><br />
<ol style="color: #333333;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/privacy/" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">privacy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/editapps.php" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">application settings</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License"). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with "</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What does this mean? Well, if you do nothing with your settings and use the Default privacy and ad settings, you will be giving permission for Facebook to repost and essentially sell your photos and video to third parties! What? Why would they do that? The answer is because they can. They have to make money and they know that most people don't read those TOS agreements. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"What should I do?" you ask. Should you stop posting photos and videos to Facebook? That is what some people would tell you to do, but you don't have to go live in a cave and become a paranoid shut-in. Simply follow the instructions on "how" to set your privacy settings that Facebook provides. You do not have to give Facebook permission to use your photos and video for free in order to use their service. You DO have to Opt Out by customizing your privacy settings. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhAdFdB4-doDYTkmnxM77J-O7kxaK32T4ctsON2S0tQmcuiDZoRV5JosxhWoShqV1eStZ5nqhWf5iWI_znlgVe6OTDOYBbd5aIliy4AMAAwo-fD4RcsP4wYhU9JybKe7TJ6CWIHNOSosb/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-08-27+at+10.45.23+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhAdFdB4-doDYTkmnxM77J-O7kxaK32T4ctsON2S0tQmcuiDZoRV5JosxhWoShqV1eStZ5nqhWf5iWI_znlgVe6OTDOYBbd5aIliy4AMAAwo-fD4RcsP4wYhU9JybKe7TJ6CWIHNOSosb/s400/Screen+shot+2010-08-27+at+10.45.23+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If you do not share your photos or video with "Everyone", your content is not going to be given to third parties. If you do share photos/video with "Everyone", you can still eliminate the possibility of them being used in ads by going to Account> Account Settings> Facebook Ads and selecting "No One" for both "Allow ads" and "Show Social Actions in Facebook Ads". Be sure to have a look at your Application Settings to make sure only the apps. you select have access to the information you choose.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If you want to minimize the possibility of someone reposting your photos or videos without permission, add a watermark with your name and web address to your photos and include your name in the credits on your videos. It is a federal crime to remove copyright information from a photo.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi3cHU11m60q9CuEtZ-uWfxhn8JvH08Br2AkozTsiLwyD1WkmHnpMbFTl56wIeqKmr9-42Jn4bISJNabaoTvWJ8S3WeARr1QByzAv5Avma5oYbob5QzZ4AzJ3bxVsvYlp9vzvV-RXmen3/s1600/HDR_RBC0673byCruse2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi3cHU11m60q9CuEtZ-uWfxhn8JvH08Br2AkozTsiLwyD1WkmHnpMbFTl56wIeqKmr9-42Jn4bISJNabaoTvWJ8S3WeARr1QByzAv5Avma5oYbob5QzZ4AzJ3bxVsvYlp9vzvV-RXmen3/s320/HDR_RBC0673byCruse2.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anything you post on the web can be stolen or reposted. I would rather people see my work than keep it on my computer. The images you post on Facebook are low resolution so they cannot be used for publication. I always put my photo credit info on images I want to protect. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So to share or not to share? I say <b>share</b>- but read the terms of service before you go giving away all your rights. Unfortunately, they don't always inform you of the consequences of the default settings of Facebook. Be smart and take control of your content and your social networking! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-66913033042840973242010-07-03T22:01:00.000-07:002010-07-03T22:01:57.149-07:00iPhone 4 HD video taken in the produce section<object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/iZ31QN85WyQ/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iZ31QN85WyQ&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iZ31QN85WyQ&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-2963943872780071712010-06-30T12:40:00.000-07:002011-01-15T15:57:36.435-08:00iPhone 4 Is it worthy of all the hype- and the wait? Part two<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">fter spending nearly a week with the iPhone 4 and enjoying all its new features, I would be remiss if I did not talk about some problems I have had with the new device. Most of these are minor annoyances while there is one glaring problem that may require a trip to the Apple Store for a replacement.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The old saying </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Form follows function </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">is usually true. In the case of Apple products, that isn't always the case. While it is undeniable that iPhone 4 may be one of the sexiest mobile phones around, it may not be the most durable. Starting with the first iPhone, Apple chose to use glass for its display cradled by a metal or plastic case. The reasoning is that glass can be just as durable as plastic and it makes for a higher quality display. True, the iPhone's display is beautiful but is still susceptible to shattering- as all glass can be. With the iPhone 4, Apple chose to use an </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">aluminosilicate</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> glass which was created by Apple and is supposed to be 20 to 30 times stiffer and harder than plastic. It is akin to the type of glass in high speed trains and helicopters. They also chose to use the new glass not only for the display, but also for the back of the phone. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfTRTzqIHiNJWuNUlTUWSJ3-b2JmZ4tjSFzVrN2Ms7ccTIqXfcqvOZUMS0Zl9pLYD4AvYZoprxeC4cvENCMvfQFpOZ-3vdH7gw9ElfTBi0zxmy_SO5o5qCx4wmbVZdYxbP-Jp-zqREadt/s1600/iPhone4byCruse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfTRTzqIHiNJWuNUlTUWSJ3-b2JmZ4tjSFzVrN2Ms7ccTIqXfcqvOZUMS0Zl9pLYD4AvYZoprxeC4cvENCMvfQFpOZ-3vdH7gw9ElfTBi0zxmy_SO5o5qCx4wmbVZdYxbP-Jp-zqREadt/s320/iPhone4byCruse.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The problem with this is two-fold. Two pieces of glass held together with a single band of steel defies logic and although beautiful to look at, it seems to invite disaster. Indeed an unprotected iPhone 4 has been proven to shatter or crack when dropped on cement from waist high. What was Apple thinking? I have no idea but I am mortified of the thought of ruining my iPhone in a single drop. To compound the problem of having two sides of glass, Apple chose to let the glass extend beyond the metal band, making it vulnerable to chipping, scratching or breakage from almost any drop. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hNmQek5tlq6YGVXBDs0Mfj8tOX6g1QZdudOoIANRIoIMjQ5vINfp5K79DbtfHLiawjfK-20UuLiS4kG0nGSa-jr7La0lL01I4Lo5N6yCOskBAJJ-v4M5-WmT7aewN_cmefgTotKmGD9W/s1600/DSC00220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hNmQek5tlq6YGVXBDs0Mfj8tOX6g1QZdudOoIANRIoIMjQ5vINfp5K79DbtfHLiawjfK-20UuLiS4kG0nGSa-jr7La0lL01I4Lo5N6yCOskBAJJ-v4M5-WmT7aewN_cmefgTotKmGD9W/s320/DSC00220.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Enter the <b>Apple Bumper</b>. Maybe sensing that their newest phone might get pretty dinged up or even break with a simple drop, they created this rubber gasket styled sleeve that slips around the edges of your iPhone 4. After seeing the iPhone in person I knew I could not leave the store without some sort of case to protect it from an accidental fall. The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bumper </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">serves at least two purposes- it protects the metal band from dents and scratches and it also covers the edges of the glass display. With the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bumper</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> installed, the glass will not likely hit the ground first, which is not the case with a bare iPhone 4. I highly recommend a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bumper </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">case to start. A case that covers the entire back of the iPhone 4 and some screen protecting film should give adequate protection for most. The fact that you almost </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">have </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">to buy a case to protect your new iPhone 4 is really annoying to me and I was disappointed that there were no cases for iPhone 4 available at launch!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have not been plagued by the widely reported signal issue that some have complained about. The story goes that if you hold the bare iPhone 4 while covering the bottom half, the signal strength/reception is reduced. I have not experienced this yet, but I have experienced another issue that may require exchanging my iPhone. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the iPhone's features is a proximity sensor that detects when you are holding the iPhone next to your face or not. When you bring the phone to your ear, the display turns off-eliminating the possibility of accidentally hitting an on-screen button with your face and potentially disconnecting your call. Well, this appears to be malfunctioning in some iPhone 4s - including mine. I lost three calls because the proximity sensor didn't not detect the iPhone as being next to my face. I hung up accidentally a couple times and hit numerous numbers as well. It could be a software issue or a hardware issue. I have already restored the software, but it did not fix the problem. For now, using the headset is the best way to avoid this unfortunate problem. I am sure it will be squared away soon- this is a brand new product so there will be some growing pains. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">(Update) I believe the proximity sensor problem may have more to do with the headphone jack than the sensor itself. The connection for the headset is very snug and it is possible the iPhone is not sensing that the plug has been removed from the jack and leaves the screen on by mistake. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">(Update 2) It appears that Apple has changed the distance from 2" to 1" from the iPhone before shutting off the screen. This could be addressed by a software update. The reception issues have been explained by Apple as another software issue and the actual reception of the iPhone 4 is better than its predecessor. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Update 3, Apple has addressed this issue with the proximity sensor with a software update and it is no longer a problem.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As a phone and paired with AT&T, the iPhone 4 is not the greatest way to make a call. Using the included headset with microphone is the best way to make calls with the iPhone 4. Holding an iPhone 4 (or almost any smart phone) is like holding a deck of cards next to your ear. Not the ideal set-up for talking on the phone to be sure. AT&T is very good or very bad, depending on where you live. I have good reception where I live but hit dead spots from time to time. Check coverage in your area before committing to AT&T. The 3G service is VERY fast. I downloaded an entire 3.5 meg song from iTunes in less than 20 seconds!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">In conclusion, the iPhone 4 is a fast and sexy device that does many things very well. The HD video, high quality 5 megapixel camera with flash, hi res display and iPod music make this a compelling choice in the crowded smart phone market. The overall durability of the device is still in question. Apple could improve iPhone 4 durability by replacing the glass panel on the rear with a plastic or metal one and making the metal band wider. Worth a look. If you get one, buy a case!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Read my first impressions by clicking on Older Post.</span></span>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-46215557742463675482010-06-29T15:06:00.000-07:002010-07-12T13:08:30.971-07:00iPhone 4 Is it worthy of all the hype- and the wait?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>t has been awhile since my last blog post. I found that I prefer the immediacy of Twitter and the ability to post galleries on FaceBook. This post is about the new iPhone 4 from Apple. I am an admitted Apple Kool-Aid drinker in the sense that I tend to like almost everything they create. That doesn't mean I don't have criticism of some of the products they make (Including the iPhone 4), but often these minor issues prove to be nothing compared to PCs and other smartphones.<br />
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Let me start by saying that I bought the very first iPhone for $599 and I never regretted paying the premium as an early adopter. As a photographer who depends almost completely on the internet for my business, having what amounts to a hand held computer has been a godsend. Being able to read emails and access the web almost anywhere has been great. Add a camera to the mix and you can appreciate why I would love such a device. I used to have to carry my phone and my iPod when on my walks. Now I have my iPhone. It has simplified my life to be sure. Being able to listen to music, check email, and make calls with one device has been great! I rarely have to turn on my MacBook Pro to check email when traveling now that I have my iPhone.<br />
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I have owned the original iPhone and the 3G iPhone. I skipped the 3Gs iPhone because I would have had to pay a lot more to upgrade and I heard rumors of the iPhone 4 in January.<br />
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What I like about the iPhone 4 -<br />
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<ul><li>The sleek glass and metal design is unlike anything else on the market. It is almost like jewelry.</li>
<li> The front and rear facing cameras and FaceTime video chat is great for keeping up with friends and family when on the road. The built in led flash also stays on when shooting video in low light. </li>
<li>The 5 megapixel camera that focusses very close and the 720P 30 frames per second HD video is bright and crisp. </li>
<li>Video editing and posting to YouTube directly from the iPhone.</li>
<li> Multi-tasking suspends apps when not in use and lets them spring to life instantly. </li>
<li>Folders allow you to organize your apps any way you want so you don't have to go through screens of single apps. </li>
<li>The hi resolution Retina display is 326 dpi and a major improvement. It is razor sharp. </li>
<li>The biggest improvement for me is the SPEED! This iPhone is so fast! It uses a chip like the one in the iPad so I no longer have a lag like I did with the previous iPhone.</li>
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Having a 5 megapixel camera in your phone is awesome. The full sized file will be nearly 15 megs and could conceivably be good enough for a full page in a magazine. Here is a shot I took with the iPhone 4.<br />
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Check out the quality by clicking on the photo.<br />
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I am happy I waited for iPhone 4. It's the best yet!<br />
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Learn more about the many new features of <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/">Apple iPhone 4 on their web site.</a>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-23976804348052092242009-09-05T15:29:00.000-07:002009-09-05T23:01:00.263-07:00Why is Donald Trump holding a Huffy?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6K31MMjivOpTjP0-zxym5BUrb2IdCqNl_yjWrfL3ir2M7UZAPS-Sj3PszRhVxUH1mS_qx6K3wBlR8LbPSlLUSijRW4A_4R4qYTM-Vteb1zVyMYYTNEpWzqYDqutCVM35JrRcpDwDwCCJ8/s1600-h/DonaldTrumpHuffy+copy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6K31MMjivOpTjP0-zxym5BUrb2IdCqNl_yjWrfL3ir2M7UZAPS-Sj3PszRhVxUH1mS_qx6K3wBlR8LbPSlLUSijRW4A_4R4qYTM-Vteb1zVyMYYTNEpWzqYDqutCVM35JrRcpDwDwCCJ8/s400/DonaldTrumpHuffy+copy2.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>D</b>onald Trump may be a lot of things, but in 1989, he was the champion of US Cycling. In fact, he may have saved cycling in the US by creating the "<b>Tour de Trump</b>" bicycle race. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After the conclusion of the 1988 Coors Classic, it was clear that Coors would not be returning as the title sponsor. They had decided to sponsor their own professional cycling team instead. This left Race Director Michael Aisner holding an empty bag. He had apparently been playing hardball with Coors, so they took their ball and went home. The prospects of finding another sponsor was next to nil and sadly, the race folded after 10 years. This left a huge void with no other professional stage race in the US.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Along comes Donald Trump and with the help of NBC Sports, Jefferson Pilot Teleproductions and the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino- you have the makings of an over-the-top race. It was! The </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_Trump"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tour de Trump </span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> was originally envisioned as a Tour of America. The organizers quickly realized a smaller scale tour of the east coast was a good place to start. The race was filled with a who's who of cycling stars including: Greg LeMond, Davis Phinney and European riders like </span><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eric Vanderaerden. A cold rainy day in Albany, NY brought the start of the race. Thomas Craven of Schwinn/Wheaties won the inaugural Prologue and as the race progressed, we could see the organizers had created a heck of an event. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">Fun things about the race I remember are: racing photographer friend Jim Safford up the stairs to the press room at <i>The Plaza Hotel </i>in our t-shirts and shorts<i>, s</i>eeing Donald Trump and wondering what the deal was with that hair?! The final time trial in Atlantic City, NJ finishing on the boardwalk in front of the Trump Casino. Oh yeah, Michael Buffer the "Let's get ready to rumble" guy was the announcer in Atlantic City. My Mom and Dad (who both came from England) would giggle like school kids everytime I said <i>Tour de Trump</i>. You see in England, <i>trump </i>means to <i>fart! </i></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19px;">The Tour de Trump lasted one more year, then it was adopted by the DuPont company after <i>The Donald </i> hit financial hard times and could no longer afford to sponsor the event. </span><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Read more about the race <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068408/1/index.htm">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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</span>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-1739152917217399892009-09-02T09:00:00.000-07:002011-01-03T23:16:09.298-08:00Iron War...The Battle of Mark and Dave<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>ronman 1989 was my second year covering the event. My first year was spent in a press truck, this year I was given the opportunity to shoot the race from a motorcycle! In 1988, I had hoped to see Mark Allen and Dave Scott go head to head, but at the last minute Dave dropped out with knee problems. Mark had a poor showing that year due to bike problems- he finished a disappointing 5th overall.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJasWlsOAkNLb-fcIiw8rTwXk6Yf2C4vlt-qQudTFyfvgWstWjEv2zzKAZZjT5ffAtdLcUvQkUlPhukVDBwxIYiQlHItPPBTw7m-NxpnPlWW_zcbp3DkyG5HR4YjBgJw5eYNxe56uHhStS/s1600/1989markanddave+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJasWlsOAkNLb-fcIiw8rTwXk6Yf2C4vlt-qQudTFyfvgWstWjEv2zzKAZZjT5ffAtdLcUvQkUlPhukVDBwxIYiQlHItPPBTw7m-NxpnPlWW_zcbp3DkyG5HR4YjBgJw5eYNxe56uHhStS/s400/1989markanddave+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave Scott and Mark Allen duel on the Queen K.</td></tr>
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This year looked to be <i>the</i> year. Mark and Dave were in the shape of their lives and it seemed like we were going to see the equivalent of a WWF smack-down on the Lava. There was some pre-race trash talk going around and Mark had said he had made peace with the island gods- adding fuel to the fire.<br />
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I don't remember as much about the race as I should but <i>that run</i> is what I remember the most! Mark and Dave came out of bike to run transition only seconds apart. Soon they were running side by side and it continued for the next 24 miles. Two men running side by side for 24 miles? Crazy! I had to get to the finish line so I wasn't there when Mark pulled away from Dave with a mile and a half to go. He finished 58 seconds ahead of Dave- winning his first ever Ironman Triathlon World Championship in a course record time of 8:09:15.<br />
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Most have seen the iconic image taken by Lois Schwartz of Mark and Dave on the run. She had the best seat in the house- shooting from the lead vehicle (a Mustang convertible). When I finally came upon the scene of Mark and Dave, it was full of contrasts. Outside of the core group surrounding them was pure chaos. Officials were yelling at everyone, trying to keep a buffer zone around them. I could not get a view to see what was happening. The ABC crew had a giant van that was on them like glue. I remember the guy in the van had a camera on a pole he was using. Anyway, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I was allowed into the circle. Once I got next to Mark and Dave it was deadly silent. The only sounds were of shoes slapping the pavement and two guys breathing hard. I was astounded at the peacefulness of the situation and the fact the two could be so close and yet each in their own world. They never glanced at one another or said a word!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdsmvV2fPVvVMgxfeGLh2DiAQUfclUgPIJWYoX7D5fQ-GXplhrhOzOgNYen3B5lLoYDKh4C_4-N79f7ha9_-lv1KHy-OUGac4U9bR_b90Cx2jDtKjRD-xd7CqP2xfW4rqD8My4LKdOPG8/s1600-h/MarkanddavewidebyCruse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdsmvV2fPVvVMgxfeGLh2DiAQUfclUgPIJWYoX7D5fQ-GXplhrhOzOgNYen3B5lLoYDKh4C_4-N79f7ha9_-lv1KHy-OUGac4U9bR_b90Cx2jDtKjRD-xd7CqP2xfW4rqD8My4LKdOPG8/s400/MarkanddavewidebyCruse.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark and Dave running side by side<br />
about Mile 20.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I took a few images, but soon I was told to move on. I wanted more. It was obvious I wasn't going to make it into the <i>circle </i>again, so I headed up the road, got off the bike and put my fisheye lens on my Olympus OM4T. As they approached, I held the camera low and tried to grab <i>something</i> of the two as I ran beside them for 15 seconds letting the motor drive blaze. Geez those guys were running FAST! This is the image I like best. I don't think it has ever been published, but <b>I</b> like it. I remember them both giving me funny looks at some point, then they were gone! What an amazing pace! Mark ran a 2:40:04 marathon- absolutely remarkable.<br />
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It was a total surprise at the finish to see Mark win. He broke down in tears, overcome with emotion. When Dave crossed moments later, you could see he was devastated. Unfortunately, someone had to come in second. Since the Iron War, Mark and Dave have told their versions of the story. Today it remains one of the greatest stories in all of competitive sport. I was happy to be able to see it first hand!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIlEIOtp1CTjNgGMvVWEnoYek_6khovT9sIQNX0PRKQ5ruc1ggqsLs9_V-C7ikD5XQQAK5nQ8USTXslT2OPKYylYCzLKa37oXiDseV1IewTF5hwojiPoyJJyNqQ4K6meaSd-Lh_SZiPul/s1600/MarkAllenwinsIM198byCruseweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIlEIOtp1CTjNgGMvVWEnoYek_6khovT9sIQNX0PRKQ5ruc1ggqsLs9_V-C7ikD5XQQAK5nQ8USTXslT2OPKYylYCzLKa37oXiDseV1IewTF5hwojiPoyJJyNqQ4K6meaSd-Lh_SZiPul/s400/MarkAllenwinsIM198byCruseweb.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Allen wins his first Ironman World<br />
Championship in 1989.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302054643571977976.post-12581828373323292122009-09-01T10:56:00.000-07:002009-09-01T11:54:25.544-07:00On the brink...the Paula Newby Fraser collapse of 1995.The Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii is one of the toughest Ironman courses there are. The relentless heat and humidity combined with the incredible beauty of the island makes it a perfect choice for the world championship. The lava has sucked the life out of many a competitor. Even the professionals walk a tightrope of hydration vs. pacing. Sometimes it works-sometimes it doesn't. This is about when things go terribly wrong...<br />
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It was 1995 and all was going well for multiple Ironman World Championship Winner and course record holder Paula Newby-Fraser. Paula had amassed a sizable lead against Karen Smyers on the bike and her run was going well.<br />
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Around mile 20, she got word that Karen was gaining 30 seconds/mile on her and it is possible that Karen could catch her. Paula panicked and decided to abandon her hydration and nutrition plan and simply put the pedal to the metal. It looked like her plan would work- except for one thing she didn't expect. She was overheating and quickly becoming dehydrated.<br />
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I was on the motorcycle covering the race and the last time I saw Paula- about mile 15, she looked fine. That is why I headed to the finishline to get into position to capture yet another win for Paula. We could hear Mike Reilly say "She's on Alii Drive!" and we all waited, but no Paula! The next thing I know, Karen Smyers makes her way to the finish tape- winning her first and only Ironman World Championship.<br />
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"Where's Paula?" you could here rumbling through the crowd. Karen looked concerned and pointed up the street. Someone whispered in my ear that Paula had collapsed up the street. I bolted up Alii with all my gear banging around and my fanny pack slipping down. About 300 yards up the street was a crowd surrounding Paula. She had collapsed and was disoriented. All she could say was "Don't touch me. I don't want to be disqualified.". Her boyfriend Paul Huddle was there and he was trying to call an ambulance. Paula looked like she was dying. She was white as a sheet.<br />
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People kept telling me to get out of the way, but I stood my ground and said "This is my job. I know her and I am not in the way.". I stood off to the side and did not interfere with the situation at all. It was determined that Paula was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion. When Paula skipped her water and energy drink, she took a risk and came so close to winning, not today. Now she is laying on the ground and she is literally cooking on the inside. They give her some water, but it's not enough. Her body temperature is too high and she needs to cool off NOW! She could suffer irreparable damage to her brain or other parts of the body.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2ngwKx3hwi7HydDfA59T5cXfs_n9aaDAi3pRL_qjtOr0-LUJP4v1qxDHu3J0ASIzovjywQBcbL9BsIWXIqooMlLLdRKYBoFd8j0rt-bsUITah2Y53wq2DgAVln2fVpYlGKlFV6P0-OiF/s1600-h/PNFCollapsebyCruse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2ngwKx3hwi7HydDfA59T5cXfs_n9aaDAi3pRL_qjtOr0-LUJP4v1qxDHu3J0ASIzovjywQBcbL9BsIWXIqooMlLLdRKYBoFd8j0rt-bsUITah2Y53wq2DgAVln2fVpYlGKlFV6P0-OiF/s320/PNFCollapsebyCruse.jpg" /></a>A smart thinking course referee ran to a local restaurant and filled a giant mayonnaise bucket with cold water. Here is the picture. He poured the bucket over her head and it was like he was pouring liquid life back into Paula. It was amazing! Her color began to come back and she began to speak coherently. After another 5 or 10 minutes she was on her feet and to the delight of the crowd, she walked barefoot to the finish line- remarkably in 4th place!</div><br />
Paula would later remark that she made a mistake by not sticking to her plan. It was like skipping that last gas station when your car is running on empty. Unfortunately, she ran out of gas just shy of the finish. It wasn't easy to see the Ironman champ sitting there on the ground, but I am glad she was okay and I was able to capture this incredible moment in sports history.<br />
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Paula came back in 1996 to regain her crown- lesson learned.Rich Crusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05583689301943871943noreply@blogger.com0