The Brick

I received the following story from a friend of mine. No author's name mentioned. Note: I am not the author.

Start reading...

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said. 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.' Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everythingwas going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

Illinois ID Cards

View Samples

Press Release

FAQs Page

What is different about these new Drivers' License (DL) and Identification (ID) cards?
The card layout and format are slightly different, but the textual information included on drivers' licenses and identification cards has not changed.

Additionally, the types of driver's licenses remain the same, but they are designated by a new color scheme, reflecting international standards:

* All Drivers' Licenses: Red color bar, text is "DRIVER'S LICENSE"
* All Commercial Drivers' Licenses (CDL): Red color bar, text is "CDL"
* All Temporary Visitor Drivers' Licenses (TVDL): Purple color bar, text is "TVDL"
* All Identification Cards (ID): Green color bar, text is "ID CARD".

The card for drivers under the age of 21 remains oriented vertically, as it has been since 2005. The cards for persons aged 21 and over remains oriented horizontally.

The card is made of different material, because it is now produced using updated technology. It no longer has a matte finish.

There are more security features for use by law enforcement and others who have a need to verify the authenticity of the card. These features include a ghost image, guilloche patterns (fine lines), a UV feature, and microtext.

On the back of ID cards only, the following text is included: "FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES ONLY. NOT A LICENSE TO DRIVE."

The Office of the Secretary of State web site address, www.cyberdriveillinois.com, now appears on the back of both drivers' licenses and identification cards.

The Organ Donor designation has also changed. For cardholders who have joined the Organ/Tissue Donor Registry, the word "DONOR" is now inserted in a red graphic of the state. Areas for medical information remain on the back of the card, and are simply relocated.

There are no changes in fees, eligibility requirements, or any other aspect of applying for and obtaining a driver's license or identification card.

Great Tips When Out Shopping

BY STEPHANIE ZIMMERMANN The Fixer

Globalization, increasing energy costs, the rise of Asia as an economic power -- all can seem pretty abstract at times.

Until you buy milk and find the cost has jumped 22 percent in a year.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Americans spend about $1,848 per capita on groceries each year. That's a lot of Cheetos. Seeing as how that figure is growing higher by the moment, The Fixer has some ways to save money at the supermarket.

First, realize that grocery stores purposely spread their staple items -- veggies, fruits, breads, eggs, milk, etc. -- as far from each other as possible, so you've got to go through the entire store to shop. Because of this, you need to bring a list and stay focused -- and preferably shop without the kids (see below).

Some more tips:

• Never shop on an empty stomach. There's a reason why the store bakery is making bread all day. It has been proven that shoppers who smell baking bread buy more. Ditto for the free samples. So eat something before leaving home, and stick to your list.

• Don't pay a "kid tax." Manufacturers pay stores to place expensive kids' items at a child's eye level in the hope that the kids will beg you to put it in the cart. We stooped down in the cereal aisle to check out the colorful boxes at our knees and could see why kids would grab the expensive Fruit Loops Smoothie cereal, which will set you back a whopping $4.29.

• To coupon or not to coupon. That is the question -- and the answer is: Only if you'd normally buy it. We found a coupon -- again, at a kid's eye level -- for fruit roll-ups, but it required us to buy two boxes (for a total of $6), and then we'd only save 50 cents. Better to save the whole $5.50 and forget it.

• When a sale isn't a sale. Manufacturers love the coveted end aisles, where the store puts up a "sale" sign and you assume it's a great deal. Sometimes it is, and if you find a "loss leader" in a product you need, definitely stock up. But we found Cheez-It crackers on an end aisle on sale for $3.29 for 10 ounces, or 32.9 cents an ounce. When we went to the regular cracker aisle and looked below our eye level, we found a better deal: a 16-ounce box for $4.79 or only 29.9 cents per ounce.

• Bulk is not always better. Consumers have been trained to assume that "family-size" packages are cheaper. Not always. Check the unit prices to compare. We found an eight-roll package of paper towels for $9.99 and assumed the bigger, 12-roll package would be cheaper. But at $14.99, that huge package had the exact same unit price. Unless we needed tons of towels, we'd be better off with the little one.

• Holiday creep. It's only February, yet the Easter candy is on sale in the hope that you'll buy it now, eat it all this week and come back to buy more before Easter. Do you really need that $3.49 bag of Easter M&Ms, even if it is marked down to $2.55?

• Stupid claims. We thought we'd struck gold with the 200-ounce Gain laundry detergent we found on an end aisle. A bright label screamed "33 percent more," making us think we were getting 33 percent more than we'd usually get at the same price. A closer look found fine print saying "more than the 150-ounces." Well, duh, yes -- 200 ounces is 33 percent more than 150 ounces. So it's meaningless!

• Scanner errors. In our little trip, we got hit with a 20-cent overcharge at the scanner, a reminder to watch carefully at check-out time, too.

For more on saving money at the supermarket, check out The Fixer on WFLD-32's "Good Morning Chicago" at 8:45 a.m. today and The Fixer's buyer beware video at www.suntimes.com.
Protection from debt protection

Dear Readers: If you've ever bought something expensive on an installment plan or by applying for a store card on the spot, you may have gotten something unexpected in the process: a debt protection plan.

Some stores push these plans -- for a fee -- at the time of the sale, hoping to hook consumers before they have a moment to think about whether they really want, or need, such a plan.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) this month introduced legislation that would give consumers a little breathing room. HB 5577 would require retailers to wait at least three days before offering customers a debt protection plan.

It also would require the consumer to sign a separate contract if they want debt protection -- and would force the seller to clearly disclose both parties' obligations.

This sounds fair to The Fixer. Let your state legislators know what you think. The bill is up for a hearing in the House Consumer Protection Committee on Tuesday.

Stanford Cuts Tuition

By Associated Press February 20, 2008

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Attending Stanford University next year will be a lot more affordable for some undergraduate students.

The university said Wednesday it plans to eliminate tuition for students with annual family incomes totaling less than $100,000. It also will pay most room and board for students with families making less than $60,000.

Financial aid director Karen Cooper says the move comes as middle-income parents express concern about paying for a Stanford education.

Stanford tuition is expected to rise to $36,000 in the fall. Room and board will cost about $11,000. About a third of the university's 6,700 undergraduates are expected to qualify for the tuition break.