Unemployment: Today's Rant

Maybe I hate politics and people's stupid generalized comments because it makes me ANGRY. Here's my MSN rant today:

I assume you're not unemployed. Or haven't been for 2 years. One of the biggest life lessons I've had is being judgmental about people & finding myself in their position and gleaning deep understanding. Here's our story (below). My husband is still going out on repeated interviews. The last few last week is for a job 90 minutes away, w/ferry ride. He'll never be home. Why? So he can "get off his butt" and be EMPLOYED. Millions of people out of work - MILLIONS. And no jobs. NO jobs. We are talking people educated & experienced who can't meet a mortgage or provide for families working at McDonalds. The industries they've given their lives to have crashed. And we've cut cut cut everything, cell phones, life insurance, renters insurance, drained savings, 401K's, talked w/our kids, taken them outside in sub freezing weather to give perspective to what people w/o homes are living in - making us grateful for what we do have as we reach a future of 1 income to provide. This is what we do while our government, our banks, those in power play stupid games with each other, pad their own pockets while we, the people that carry the burden, figure out how to get through the winter.

So please be careful about your generalization comments about the unemployed when you're not living the realities of that life.

http://www.unemploymentextensions.org/family-of-7-facing-change/82804/

Oh yes and I should add that my husband took a part time seasonal job through a local temp agency. The job is either freezing to death or being dumped on by this weekend rain, while he stands outside monitoring a local mall parking lot for 8+ hours. He was a Corporate Director before. He joined thousands of other people @ the UPS interview system, to be told if he agreed to the min wage grunt labor job AND he were to not finish that during the holiday season, as in take a full time, permanent, well paying with benefits for his family career position, should it be offered, he would be blacklisted & unable to ever work for them again. This is what the unemployed are faced with while trying to keep their homes & families together. Working the system? I think the system is working us.

Another frightening realistic perspective from the front. My husband showed me Sundays employment ad, which in the Times used to be a HUGE section of the metropolitan paper. He held it up, 4 pages. 1 sheet, printed on 4 sides. The actual classified? First sheet only 1/2 page long, pointed to the next "full" page (narrower than normal), turned the page over. One more. Fear constricted because it was an eye opener of reality. Those of you that think unemployment should just end - unemployment HAS ended. And where are those people going? The State for food assistance, health insurance coverage, TANF - it's still being paid for. While the State sinks 90 million into a State prison, only to close it down for budget cuts 10 years later.

Where's the problem?

Sarah's Story Part 3

Sarah's Story Part 2

Sarah Schieber Story Part 1

7 Moves that will make you a better Dad (MSN)

This was an outstanding article, for a MSN article.

1. Dig deeper

A nice house, cool clothes, and grub on the table just aren't enough. Providing for our kids is in our DNA, but how well do you know yours? Do you know who your kids play with at recess? What subject they really struggle with? What they love to eat for hot lunch? If you don't know these things, you need to. While all of us are busy as hell with work and everything else in our lives, we need to make time for our kids and get to really know them -- especially the odd, everyday things that make them tick. I make it a point to talk with my kids about what happened at recess before asking about what happened in class. I want to know about the relationships they're forging, and also what they're up to with their only free time of the day. It's not easy to get this from them. But here's a fun way to spend a little time with them that they'll think is awesome: When your son or daughter is standing at the bus stop ready to be picked up for school, drive up, stop, and tell them to get in. Kidnap them for breakfast and they'll think it's the coolest thing ever. When kids are really impressed or excited by something (like this) there's a much better chance of them opening up and telling you about their lives. Don't preach, don't gasp, just listen.

2. Teach your kids to stand tall

One of the most important things a father needs to teach his kids is how to stand up for themselves. You will not get far in this world if you become a doormat, and the longer you let it happen, the harder it is to turn it around. This can be anything from just learning how to speak up in class, or confronting someone who's being unfair to them. Our offspring need to be heard, defend what they believe in, and not be bullied. Yes, we want them to be nice and to treat people well, but there is also a time to be assertive instead of like a punching bag. Teaching them how to do all this in a scary world is one of the basic duties of being a father.

3. Get off your rear

While we may be proud of our lecturing skills, most of the time when we talk all our kids hear is, "Blah, blah, blah." So that makes our actions even more important. You can tell the kids that it's important to be healthy and active, but if all they ever see you do is sit on the couch shoveling Doritos into your mouth as you watch "Celebrity Rehab," they're going to do the exact same thing. Kids should always be learning, exploring and trying new things. It's all part of how they find out what they're passionate about and who they are.
Dads can help fuel this exploration by doing the same thing; getting involved in new sports, musical instruments, and activities. This keeps dads fresh and active, and also shows kids that it's cool to try new things. Want to crank up the enthusiasm? Get junior's buddy and his dad in the game too -- kids will do almost anything if their friends are involved. If you want to start golfing, make it a foursome and it'll be even more fun.

4. Prepare for your death

This should be something that I shouldn't even have to write, but it's amazing how many men skip this to save a buck. We can all sit here and think that it's not going to happen to us, but death happens to dads every day. Protecting your family should be number-one on your responsibilities list as a father. If you're not taking care of your family you run the risk of ruining their lives if the worst should happen. This encompasses a lot, including having a life insurance policy and a will, and knowing who's going to be there to teach your son about being a man. Another aspect of this is keeping yourself healthy with regular physicals and, for God's sake, exercise. I used to work out to look better, but now it's all about longevity. My ultimate goal is to live long enough to make sure my daughter doesn't marry some jackass. They don't say "hope for the best and prepare for the worst" for nothing.

5. No worshipping heroes

There are parents out there who absolutely worship their kids and think they can do no wrong. But those kids will grow up with a distorted view of how the world works. Every parent should love the hell out of their children, but thinking that they are flawless is setting all of you up for disaster. The kids end up with unreal expectations on how the world works, don't understand defeat, and can't figure out why everyone doesn't think they walk on water. And the parents end up devastated when you finally come to the realization that little Tony actually is capable of throwing his classmate into the girls' bathroom or stealing the neighbor's mail. We all have flaws, and there's nothing wrong with that. Let them learn to deal with the disappointment of losing, and even the brilliance of constructive criticism. It'll prepare them for the real world.

6. Remember why you married her

I've said this before, but a lot of people still scratch their head when I do. One of the best (if not the best) things you can do for your kids is to be a good husband to their mother. This can be difficult to do, but it just might be the most important item on the list. We pay so much attention to not screwing up our kids that we sometimes neglect the one relationship that plays the biggest role in the person they turn out to be. And if you're divorced, remember that the way you treat their mother will have an enormous impact. It will help them respect her, and also show them how to deal with challenging relationships as they get older.

7. Imitate Clark W. Griswold

Clark was on to something when he loaded up the family truckster and headed west to Wally World. A couple times a year, we all need to bust out of that rut that our daily routine puts us in -- and getting out of Dodge is the only cure. It's not just us either; every member of the family needs to get away and put a little adventure back in their life. As painful as the family vacation can be while it's happening (with the constant potty breaks, spilled juice boxes, and annoying comments from the backseat), I run into more adults who claim that vacations were the parts about their childhood that they'll never forget. It doesn't have to be expensive -- you don't have to go far -- you just need to have a family experience to remember, for better or worse.

The True Thanksgiving

Standing in the office of our elementary school, I was surprised to see a posting of George Washington's first Thanksgiving Day proclamation. As a representative of the National Government, the entire speech was a tribute to a day of offering Thanks to our Creator and God. How distorted the day has become in 250 years.

This historic proclamation was issued by George Washington during his first year as President. It sets aside Thursday, November 26 as "A Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer."

Signed by Washington on October 3, 1789 and entitled "General Thanksgiving," the decree appointed the day "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."

While there were Thanksgiving observances in America both before and after Washington's proclamation, this represents the first to be so designated by the new national government.

After their first harvest, the colonists of the Plymouth Plantation held a celebration of food and feasting in the fall of 1621. Indian chiefs Massassoit, Squanto and Samoset joined in the celebration with ninety of their men in the three-day event.

The first recorded Thanksgiving observance was held on June 29, 1671 at Charlestown, Massachusetts by proclamation of the town's governing council.

During the 1700s, it was common practice for individual colonies to observe days of thanksgiving throughout each year. A Thanksgiving Day two hundred years ago was a day set aside for prayer and fasting, not a day marked by plentiful food and drink as is today's custom. Later in the 18th century each of the states periodically would designate a day of thanksgiving in honor of a military victory, an adoption of a state constitution or an exceptionally bountiful crop.

Such a Thanksgiving Day celebration celebration was held in December of 1777 by the colonies nationwide, commemorating the surrender of British General Burgoyne at Saratoga.

Later, on October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the observance of the fourth Tuesday of November as a national holiday.

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November (to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy). After a storm of protest, Roosevelt changed the holiday again in 1941 to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today.
Proclamation of National Thanksgiving

George Washington

City of New York, October 3, 1789

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

That time of year for Elves!

TEDTalks Temple Grandin & Autism

Phenomenal movie with Claire Danes. We saw the movie first, then Matt downloaded this TEDtalks w/Temple last night. Claire nailed her performance of this autistic woman perfectly. It's amazing! Temple, born in the late 50's, diagnosed at 4, was never expected to talk. Back then, they thought autism was a sign of lack ...of affection from the mother. Her mother, a loving & educated parent, did not give up on her. Temple is incredibly intelligent. She feels children w/all spectrum of Autism are not being paid enough attention to today in their abilities. Great video. Amazing woman.

The capsule arrives

And the capsule as it arrives into the cave. Think about this. The capsule, being pulled/pushed through 1/2 mile of rock. Think about being in that capsule, moving through the narrow chute of earth for 14 minutes. How amazing!

2nd Miner laughs his way to the top

The first brought tears, this one deep laughter. What a great moment :) LOVE the rocks, exactly what I would do! So great to have kept such good levity. 33 miners, 600 s/f of space. And you thought your home was small! :P

First Miner makes his way up 1/2 mile

How could I not be a conduit of this video. We don't watch TV and I rarely see the news. I didn't even know the miners were down there for 69 days. You think your little life difficulty is a doozy? Can you imagine being trapped for 69 days, not sure if you'll see your family again - the family, this little son, not sure if he'll see his father again? The tears of the boy hit me. Great great great story of human perseverance - the emotion on the engineer, for people he may/may not have known (I don't know) that are living because of his ability to build something to get them out & home. Fabulous.

MSNBC: Save money on groceries

Wow, we are doing several things right! And my grocery list is NOT on a post it note :) How to save money on your groceries. When you have 5 kids and 1.5 income, you figure this stuff out REAL quick!

Butterfly Kisses

Still chokes me up, just like it did when it was first released by Bob Carlisle. Especially since Kayla has now reached 16 and McKenna is fast approaching the end of High School and the start of her own adult life. I can't even believe it or fathom a wedding dress.

There's two things I know for sure
She was sent here from heaven and she's my little girl
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes
And I thank God for all of the joy in my life
Oh, but most of all for..

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
"Walk beside the pony mom, it's my first ride
I know the cake looks funny but I sure tried"
Oh, with all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right
To deserve a hug every morning and butterfly kisses at night

Sweet sixteen today
And she's lookin' like her mamma a little more every day
One part woman, the other part girl
To perfume and make-up, from ribbons and curls
Trying her wings out in a great big world
But I remember...

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
You know how much I love you mom
But if you don't mind I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time
Oh, with all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right
To deserve her love every morning and butterfly kisses at night

Oh the precious times
Oh, like the wind the years go by
Precious butterfly
Spread your wings and fly

She'll change her name today
and she'll make a promise and I'll give her away
Standing in the bride room just staring at her
She asked me what I'm thinking and I said "I'm not sure,
I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl"
And she leaned over...and gave me...

Butterfly kisses with her family there
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
"Walk me down the aisle Daddy, it's just about time
Does my wedding gown look pretty? Daddy don't cry"
Oh, with all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right
To deserve her love every morning and butterfly kisses

I couldn't ask God for more
Man, this is what love is
I know I've gotta let her go, but I'll always remember
Every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses

What is 20 minutes? A life - Part 2

Today on 105.3 Spirit the announcer shared this story - get a hanky.

"A couple were expecting twins. The mom went into labor at 27 weeks. The babies were delivered and they were told their son did not make it. He was declared dead at birth. The mom asked if she could hold her son before they took him away. The nurses laid him on her chest and she hugged him tightly. A few minutes later, mom & dad noticed his body was moving. They wrote it off to post death muscular twitches. A few minutes later, his eyes opened. They were thankful to be blessed to see his eyes before his final passing. He never closed his eyes and is 5 months old today. The doctors could give no medical explanation for what happened when the baby did not breath for 20 minutes after his birth and was technically dead. The hug from his mother, the hearing of her heartbeat, the touch of her skin and God's amazing Grace, were enough to bring his little body & heart to life."

Siblings: Parenthood

Eldest daughter the caretaker. 2nd child the fixer. 3rd child (baby?) - spoiled! :)

"Your kids are not all the same. You cannot raise them exactly the same, you must raise them as individuals"

"My sister & I, like chocolate and vanilla. Not the same at all."

Having Teens...by Parenthood

"No one told me how much children would eat!"
"Life before was a lot more free..and less expensive!"
"Raising a step daughter wasn't what I expected parenthood to be. There are 4 parents involved, not the same."
"You can't control everything, some you can, a lot you can't"
"Teens get to a point that they think they (themselves) are pretty great, they know everything and their parents are...idiots. Then they come back around and thing "wow, they (parents) are pretty great""

Your Kids Greatest Fan

What a great NBC Web Exclusive. Being your kids fan. I love it. And I am.

O'Bama's Press Conference

I think this actually is a great press conference. I liked what he had to say and he kept my interest. The presentation I felt was more genuine than the typical political speech. I found myself agreeing with him on several points. Enjoy.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"More Like Falling"

Today's song of the day was going to be from the Scorpions. They filtered through my pod during my run yesterday and I thought "good old rock n roll". I still will put it as a song of the day, but not today.

Instead, this new song played on the radio this morning and is exactly what I feel inside and who I am. In line with a conversation I had last weekend with my father, about serving the church versus serving The Lord, God Almighty. It is not always the same thing. And often the rules & regulations of religion interfere with the foundation - a relationship. I love this song because my faith is about the LOVE that pumps through my very soul, the very depths of my being for my creator who has made Himself known to me. Not about how many times my butt is planted in the church seat but how I'm caring for my family & the gifts He's chosen to bestow upon me and my life. Do I pray on a regular schedule, head bowed, eyes closed? No but I talk to Him constantly throughout the day. And He answers. Oh yes He does. And when I steer away, He's been there to gently remind me where I should be going. Love is the answer and the key.

Give me rules
I will break them
Give me lines
I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It ought to be

More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love

Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations
I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be

CHORUS

...It's like I'm falling in love, love, love
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made
Me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me

Here's a link to a video of him doing the song (not performance, just him & his guitar)

http://www.onlylyrics.com/hits.php?grid=11&id=1040483

Stephen Hawkings: God didn't create the Universe

A little lunchtime news....(Pete, I await your rebuttal - please post to comments)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- God did not create the universe, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book that aims to banish a divine creator from physics.

Hawking says in his book "The Grand Design" that, given the existence of gravity, "the universe can and will create itself from nothing," according to an excerpt published Thursday in The Times of London.

"Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," he writes in the excerpt.

"It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper [fuse] and set the universe going," he writes.

His book -- as the title suggests -- is an attempt to answer "the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything," he writes, quoting Douglas Adams' cult science fiction romp, "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper [fuse] and set the universe going.
--Stephen Hawking
RELATED TOPICS

* Stephen Hawking

His answer is "M-theory," which, he says, posits 11 space-time dimensions, "vibrating strings, ... point particles, two-dimensional membranes, three-dimensional blobs and other objects that are more difficult to picture and occupy even more dimensions of space." He doesn't explain much of that in the excerpt, which is the introduction to the book.

But he says he understands the feeling of the great English scientist Isaac Newton that God did "create" and "conserve" order in the universe.

It was the discovery of other solar systems outside our own, in 1992, that undercut a key idea of Newton's -- that our world was so uniquely designed to be comfortable for human life that some divine creator must have been responsible.

But, Hawking argues, if there are untold numbers of planets in the galaxy, it's less remarkable that there's one with conditions for human life.

And, indeed, he argues, any form of intelligent life that evolves anywhere will automatically find that it lives somewhere suitable for it.

From there he introduces the idea of multiple universes, saying that if there are many universes, one will have laws of physics like ours -- and in such a universe, something not only can, but must, arise from nothing.

Therefore, he concludes, there's no need for God to explain it.

But some of Hawking's Cambridge colleagues said the physicist has missed the point.

"The 'god' that Stephen Hawking is trying to debunk is not the creator God of the Abrahamic faiths who really is the ultimate explanation for why there is something rather than nothing," said Denis Alexander.

"Hawking's god is a god-of-the-gaps used to plug present gaps in our scientific knowledge.

"Science provides us with a wonderful narrative as to how [existence] may happen, but theology addresses the meaning of the narrative," said Alexander, director of The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion.

And Fraser Watts, an Anglican priest and Cambridge expert in the history of science, said that it's not the existence of the universe that proves the existence of God.

But, he said, "a creator God provides a reasonable and credible explanation of why there is a universe, and ... it is somewhat more likely that there is a God than that there is not. That view is not undermined by what Hawking has said."

Hawking's book will be published on September 7 in the United States and September 9 in the United Kingdom.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/09/02/hawking.god.universe/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn