This is why in California the on-line drivers class requires the person to take a test in the presence of a notary.

Scooby Doo passes online driving class

The Driving Educators of Georgia registered Scooby Doo for an online driving class to prove Internet learning is insufficient punishment for reckless drivers.

The association signed the cartoon dog up for a Florida Internet driving course, which he passed with flying colors, in an effort to convince Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to override legislation allowing drivers to complete court-required driving classes online, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Thursday.

"Sitting down on a Friday night and taking a test with a glass of wine while you're watching 'CSI' -- and maybe paying somebody 20 bucks to do it for you -- isn't the same as attending a Saturday defensive driving class," said Chuck McMullen, a lobbyist for the association.

Advocates of the bill defend the classes, saying they are the modern way of education.

"Distance learning is today. There are many counties and many areas of Georgia that aren't served by any driver education program at all," said J. Barry Schrenk, president of Taggart's Driving School.

Man Doubles Gas Mileage By 'Hypermiling'

An Illinois man says he doubles his gas mileage by driving at or below the speed limit and sticking to the right lane on the highway. His creeping along might tick you off, but he's getting great gas mileage.

Wayne Gerdes' standard engine 2005 Honda Accord has an average EPA mileage rating of 25 miles per gallon. Gerdes almost doubles that. His average is 48 miles per gallon. Gerdes is the guru of what he calls "hypermiling."

"I used to be the 'A' type personality, left hand lane, passing everybody, going down I-94 at 80 miles an hour, then 9/11 happened," Gerdes said.

No longer willing to pour as much money into Mideast oil, Gerdes started his own website called CleanMPG.com. On it, he and several thousand other Americans have developed a set of driving and car maintenance techniques to squeeze all the miles they can out of every gallon.

Gerdes begins each trip by coasting down his driveway, then down the street for a block or two.

He says he knows he infuriates some other drivers, like the tailgaters he calls "proctologists" or the speed demons he calls "mad rabbits," but he continues like that, gliding silently when he can, turning the engine on only when he has to -- even in traffic.

"When you go to a red light and you're going to sit for two minutes, shut your engine off," Gerdes said.

Hypermilers also recommend filling your tires to maximum pressure and using lightweight synthetic oil.

"Average driver in this is paying $3.89 a gallon to travel 25 miles. I'm paying $2, maybe $2.10 to travel the same 25 miles," Gerdes said.

Gerdes, who does not visit the gas pumps as often as the rest of us, admits that shutting the engine off while moving might be illegal in some jurisdictions, but he says it shouldn't be.

He points to the fact that the Prius and other full hybrid vehicles do the same thing automatically.

With the decline in the mortgage market,and in turn loan signings, what are all you professional notaries in the active rain community doing to remain competitive, pay your bills, and stay relevant? I find myself spending a tremendous amount of time marketing on the net, on the phone and in offices. How about you?

Stevie Wonder and Tiger Woods are in a restaurant having dinner.

Woods turns to Wonder and says, 'How's the singing career going?'

Stevie Wonder replies, 'Not too bad. How's the golf?'

Woods replies, 'Not too bad. I've had some problems with my swing, but I think I've got that going right now.'
Stevie says, 'I always find that when my swing goes wrong, I need to stop playing for a while and not think about it. Then, the next time I play, it seems to be all right.'
 
Tiger says, 'You play golf?'
Wonder says, 'Oh, yes, I've been playing for years.'

Woods says, 'But you're blind! How can you play golf if you can't see?' 
Wonder replies, 'I get my caddy to stand in the middle of the fairway and call to me. I listen for the sound of his voice and play the ball toward him. Then, when I get to where the ball lands, the caddy moves to the green or farther down the fairway and again I play the ball toward his voice.'

'But how do you putt?' asks Woods.
'Well,' says Stevie, 'I get my caddy to lean down in front of the hole and call to me with his head on the ground, and I just play the ball toward his voice.'

Woods asks, 'What's your handicap?'
Stevie says, 'Well, I'm a scratch golfer.' 

Woods, incredulous, says to Stevie, 'We've got to play a round sometime.' 
Wonder replies, 'Well, people don't take me seriously, so I only play for money, and never play for less than $10,000 a hole.'

Woods thinks about it and says, 'OK, I'm up for that. When would you like to play?'
Stevie says, 'Pick a night.'

I'd like to share an incident I had last night as a reminder of our moral obligation as a Notary Public.

I was called to do a mobile notary at an elderly home yesterday evening. When I arrived I was greeted by a man who stated that he was the person who made the appointment. He was clearly an employee of the home due to his badge and attire. He escorted me to a small office where there was an elderly woman in a wheelchair. The man said she needed a document notarized. I immediately noticed it was a Grant Deed. I asked the lady for her I.D. and the man chimed in and said, "here you go" as he handed me a California I.D. card. As I was entering her information into my journal, I attempted to strike up conversation with the woman. I asked her how she was doing and she did not reply. The worker stated that she does not say much. I asked her to sign my notary journal and explained I would need a right thumb print. She just stared blankly. The man grabbed her hand and attempted to sign for her. I asked him to please stop and I asked if she knew what she was doing. No response again. I than scrutinized to the grant deed and noticed that the grantee stated in the document was the same name as the man's badge. I immediately told him that I could not notarize the document because I believed the woman was not competent to sign. He was clearly upset, but I packed my gear and walked out the door.

I just felt I should share this story with you all so that we remain vigilant in our duties. Thanks for reading.

Steve Sparacino

Sorry I wasn't very specific with my last blog, so here you go...

Honestly, I haven't spent a penny on my internet advertising. I used Microsoft Office Live for a free website and their templates and tools to build it. They made it very easy, plus gave me a free domain name of my choosing. I've posted free listings and links everywhere I possibly could on the net and now I've found myself on the first page of Google, MSN, and Yahoo if you search San Jose Notary. Plus, I make it a point to post an ad or two on craigslist daily which has a link back to my website. This is also free, plus it draws more hits on google searches. I hope this info helps you guys.

Oh, and here is a link to my website. It's not very flashy, but it is effective.

www.santaclaracountynotary.com

 

I can't tell you how much my business has gone up since I've started a website. Gradually, I've gone from having to check my email once or twice a day to once an hour. I've fought technology for as long as I could, but now business won't wait for me. So here I am, PDA in one hand and laptop in the other.

THOSE born 1920-1979

READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH BY JAY LENO. IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED



TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!



First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.



They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.



Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.



We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.



As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.



Riding in the back of a pickup on a warm day was always a special treat.



We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.



We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.



We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!



We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.



No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.



We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes! After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.



We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!



We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.



We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.



We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.



We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!



Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!



The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!



These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!



The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!



If YOU are one them, CONGRATULATIONS!



You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good .

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.



Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

So here is my dilemma. With gas prices up to $4.00 a gallon here in San Jose, CA, I'd love to be able to increase my travel fees for mobile notaries. However, the competition is fierce amongst notaries here as well. There is a constant state of undercutting that occures due to a saturated market. I have developed a pretty substantial book of business and I'd hate to loose a single client. So my question to you all is, have you had to deal with this? Have you lost clients do to increased travel fees? Your thoughts please.

So here is my dilemma. With gas prices up to $4.00 a gallon here in San Jose, CA, I'd love to be able to increase my travel fees for mobile notaries. However, the competition is fierce amongst notaries here as well. There is a constant state of undercutting that occures due to a saturated market. I have developed a pretty substantial book of business and I'd hate to loose a single client. So my question to you all is, have you had to deal with this? Have you lost clients do to increased travel fees? Your thoughts please.