Special Speech

Winter is now approaching and so the issue of cold weather is on
many peoples minds. Bunnies handle the severe cold much better
than they handle the severe heat. There are two basic issues you
must be concerned about during the winter months.

First, make sure your bunny has water available. During the
winter months we go with crocks instead of water bottles for all
of our outside rabbits. The tube of the water bottle freezes
much too quickly. We then check the water three times a day to
make sure the water is not frozen. If your bunny does not have
enough water, it will not eat enough food to keep it warm.

The second thing to consider is shelter from the wind, rain and
snow. A wet rabbit cannot maintain the correct body temperature,
and this is further compounded by the wind. Yes, wind chill
factors make the rabbit feel even colder than the actual
temperature. It is important not to completely block ventilation
in barns and sheds. Ventilation in your rabbitry is just as
important in the winter as it is in the summer. Insulating a
barn for the winter will help keep the barn a little warmer. A
balance between shelter and ventilation is important.

There are several other things you can do for your rabbits to
keep them safe during the winter. We always give extra straw or
timothy hay to our bunnies in the winter. This allows them to
snuggle into the hay should the temperatures get really cold.
Additionally, you can place nest boxes in all of your cages, as
an extra place for the rabbits to snuggle into. This would be
similar to a wild rabbit going into its den during extreme cold.

Breeding through the winter can present a problem. Baby bunnies
are born without fur. The mother compensates for this by pulling
her fur and covering the babies. There are a couple of options
available to winter breeders. Using a heat lamp, will give the
additional warmth a baby may need to survive. Also, the nestbox
could also be brought inside the house for the first two weeks.
Of course the nestbox would need to go out to the doe once or
twice a day so that she can feed her kits. After a couple of
weeks they have enough fur to survive the cold temperatures, and
will often huddle together or nestle up to the doe to stay warm.

Heaters can be used to keep buildings warm. Keep in mind the
extra cost of doing so. Often these are more for our comfort
than for the rabbits. The nice thing about a heater is that
water crocks won’t freeze as quickly, and the barn is a little
warmer when you go out to care for the rabbits.

Rabbits can survive the cold. Your diligence in making sure they
have fresh water and good shelter, greatly increases their
comfort level and chances of survival.

After you have booked the facility it is time to get down to the serious business of finding the right wedding photographer for your wedding celebration. This can be tricky because 1) you need to find a wedding photographer whose style agrees with your taste; 2) you need a wedding photographer whose body of work is up to your standards; and 3) you need a wedding photographer whose personality clicks with both of you.

This last trait is quite possibly the most important of the three, although you don’t want to sacrifice any of them if you can help it, in choosing a wedding photographer. Why? Because it is the wedding photographer’s job to set everyone, and you especially, at ease so that the wedding pictures you get reflect the people you love and not some sick caricature of them. And this is best achieved by using a wedding photographer that you feel at ease with. True, there is no guarantee that everyone will feel at ease with the wedding photographer that you choose which is why it is so important for you to choose one that at least you will be comfortable with.

Before we move on, however, be aware that some of the bigger photography studios have a small number of representatives for you to meet with and sell you their wedding photography packages. The problem is that once your wedding party is booked they will give the assignment to someone else, even a freelance wedding photographer that you have never met before. Protect yourself by either using an individual wedding photographer, or a wedding photography company that will guarantee the particular individual that will photograph your wedding. If you can’t get a written guarantee that the individual that you have become so comfortable with will actually be the one providing your wedding photography, keep looking.

Likewise, be sure when choosing your wedding photographer that you see several entire weddings worth of wedding photography that he (or she) personally shot. Anyone can shoot hundreds of pictures and have a few that have turned out great, especially in particularly photogenic situations like weddings tend to be. It takes a real skilled individual though to turn out an entire wedding worth of great wedding photography. Isn’t that exactly what you are hoping to get when you hire your wedding photographer?

Finally, regardless of how sharp and how much of a people person the wedding photographer is there is no way that they are going to know who your great uncle Charlie is or where to look for him if he disappears. So save your wedding photographer (and yourself) time and grief by choosing someone within your wedding party (someone with a strong personality) who knows everyone involved to be the wedding photographer’s contact person.

Remember, any given wedding photographer is only one person (or, in some cases, one team). This means that they can only be in one place at a time. Since most weddings happen on Saturdays they are most busy on Saturdays, meaning that they will often charge a higher price to do a Saturday wedding than they would a Friday or Sunday wedding. It also means that the wedding photographer may well be coming from another wedding before yours, or be heading to another wedding after yours, if you do have a Saturday wedding so your cooperation with the wedding photographer will go a long way toward getting great wedding photography.

Jeanette Shinn is the founder, operator, and edible design artist behind Layer By Layer, http://www.frostingonthecake.com, a special order bakery serving weddings and other special occasion needs of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. Jeanette is also the co-owner of Your Wedding Cake and Favors http://www.wedding-cakes-portal.com a website dedicated to helping brides realize their wedding day dreams with advice and resources for the entire wedding experience.

So that dealers can develop an entirely new generation of technicians, GM offers training that focuses on exactly that. There are three levels in the training that begins in high school.

GM ASEP instructs students with an eye for technical skills to allow for servicing and maintaining GM vehicles. The program is comprised of the combination of GM, GM dealers, as well as educational institutions throughout the US and Canada. The focus is on GM products. GM ASEP allows students to change their schedules so that they can also attend college and work for a GM dealership (2-year program).

Upon completion the student will be rewarded with an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Technology, or a similar degree depending on the courses completed.

Included in the studies are the basics of math, reading, and electronics. Analytical and technical skills are obtained. Gaining the job experience is essential while earning their Associate Degree. GM realizes the strong education combined with the work experience is what creates a topnotch education. There have been more than 15,000 service technicians born at BM ASEP corresponding colleges and universities in the last thirty years.

GM Automotive Service Educational Program information, as well as how to gain your own GM technician certification is available here.