The Other Promises of AA
By Terri Rimmer
Published Yesterday
Religion & Spirituality
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
There Are Other Guarantees That Go With the Steps
There are several sets of Promises in the book Alcoholics Anonymous, the textbook of the fellowship and most members are familiar with the ones on Pages 83 and 84.
But in this piece, I will talk about the subsets of Promises that are also found in various parts of the book.
The First Step Promises state: “I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way of life that I incredibly more wonderful as time passes.” (Source: AA). An illustration of this would be the former newspaperman I knew who went from Skid Row to being an award-winning journalist. The First Step Promises continue with: “Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements” and “There is scarcely any form of trouble and misery which has not been overcome among us.” A good example of this would be the man in the program who had to ride a bike everywhere because he couldn’t afford a car for six years of his sobriety then he was able to finally afford a vehicle.
They continue with: “There is, however a vast amount of fun about it all” which can be illustrated as having fun in sobriety without alcohol and “There exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful.” This means there is a bond among AA members that doesn’t go away. It goes on to say: “The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us…The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.”
The First Step Promises conclude with: “The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves” and “A new life has been give us, or, if you prefer, ’a design for living’ that really works.” You can understand this by imagining the former single mom who used to physically abuse her child who undergoes a spiritual transformation. The last two guarantees state “All of us, whatever our race, creed, or color are the children of a living Creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.” This means we all have a fundamental idea of God and that is the beginning of our attempt for a sober life.
The Second Step Promises states the following: “We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God” (Source: Alcoholics Anonymous) and “The Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.” It goes on to say that “As soon as a man or woman can say that he does believe, or is wiling to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built.” For instance, there is a woman who once had ten years sober, relapsed, came back to the program after staying out for years and having had stolen credit cards and abused prescription drugs, and is now a totally different person.
The Second Step Promises continue by saying: “In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the
total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them,” which would explain why some prison inmates find, after serving time for DUIs, for example, a higher power and sobriety as a new way of life. They also state that “When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not not work. But the God idea did” and “He has come to all who have honestly sought Him. When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us!” This can be illustrated in the portrait of the man in treatment who gets on his knees and prays in earnest to something, somewhere that will help him.
The Third Step Promises state that “God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are his agents. He is the Father and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.” An old sponsor of mine told me to use this direction when it came to problems with the boss. She also used it with another sponsee to help her stop stealing. This set of promises goes on to state that “We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans, and designs.” An example of this would be the employee who has grandiose ideas without much much talent who realizes that his goal on this earth is not to chase after ill-conceived get-rich-quick schemes.
“More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life” is also part of this set of promises as is “As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we begin to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or hereafter. We were reborn.” Another example of this would be the widow who is able to overcome her depression and isolation and who, yesterday, could not imagine life withot her husband but now can see some hope.
The Fourth Step Promises say “When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.” I have heard stories from many who have told me that some or all of their health problems cleared up when they strengthened themselves spiritually. “Just as to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity” is also part of this set of promises. Somehow, in this whole process we are able to hear that still, small voice guiding us to do the right thing.
It continues with “We have begun to learn tolerance, patience, and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people” which is a tough one for alcoholics but it can be achieved.
Fifth Step Promises tell us that once we have done the Fifth Step with our sponsor or that trusted someone that “We can look the world in the eye,” “We can be alone at perfect peace and ease,” “Our fears fall from us,” “We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator,“ “We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience,” “The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly,” and “We feel we are on the broad highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.”
To translate, these promises mean we can hold our head up, not be morose about going through a divorce, for instance, we feel the inner spirit within us, and we might re-examine our old spiritual hang-ups. It also can be seen in an example such as this one: A formerly promiscuous woman, now sober, has a husband and child and has left that life behind all due to a psychic change.
Friday, January 11, 2008
juicy bits
The Condensed Tom Cruise
Slate reads the new Tom Cruise bio so you don't have to.
By Juliet Lapidos
Posted Friday, Jan. 11, 2008, at 2:04 PM ET
How dubious is Andrew Morton's long-awaited Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography? Well, the book is not for sale in the United Kingdom, due to that country's libel laws; and it's rumored that Scientology lawyers are already drawing up a suit against Morton's publisher, St. Martin's Press. If you're craving the inside (and blatantly unsubstantiated) scoop on Tom's private life, follow Slate's handy guide straight to the good parts.
Inside the Actor's Closet
Ever since that ridiculously homoerotic volleyball scene in Top Gun, the world has wondered about Tom Cruise's sexuality. But Andrew Morton's Tom is a hot-blooded heterosexual.
Page 13: One of Tom's first girlfriends, Carol Trumpler, still gets "misty-eyed" when she remembers her brief dalliance with the future star: "He was a very good kisser, very much at ease with it all. But what do you know at eleven?" Sadly for Carol, Tom moved on pretty quick. "I was trying to be a good girl, and when I didn't give in to his ways he moved on."
Page 68: Remember the sex-on-a-train scene in Risky Business? Morton alleges that "while Tom and Rebecca [De Mornay] were nervous before playing the scene, those who snuck onto the closed set are convinced that the answer to the question of 'did they, didn't they' really get it on on camera is a firm yes."
Page 195: High-school girlfriend Diane Van Zoeren doesn't give any credence to the "Tom is gay" rumor: "I don't get it. I find these stories just hard to believe. We romanced in my dad's Oldsmobile doing what you are not supposed to."
Page 34: Nancy Armel, another high-school flame, also remembers fooling around in a parked car. She told Morton: "I was black and blue from the gearshift."
Page 65: Tom tried to impress Nancy by taking her to the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles, but he "was unaware of the story line—about two gay men living together in St. Tropez." According to Nancy, "he couldn't handle it. We had to leave before the intermission. It really bothered him. He was definitely homophobic."
Page 195: Morton claims that "Tom was uncomfortable around gay men. Those who saw him in the company of some of Nicole [Kidman's] gay friends, who included designer John Galliano, noticed that he was awkward and ill at ease, much preferring the company of jocks who talked about football rather than fashion."
Courtly Knight/Night Stalker
Page 259: Just one day after Sofía Vergara met Tom, Morton says the Colombian actress "faced a blizzard of phone calls, text messages, and e-mails." Tom also "sent her flowers, notes, and chocolates."
Page 263: Eventually, Sofía got freaked out by Tom's attentiveness and his faith. When Tom arranged for a trip to Clearwater, the Scientology center in Florida, she allegedly "stood him up, packing a bag and 'disappearing' for a few days." Tom, however, wouldn't let up: "For five days he left messages and texts, but she resolutely refused to return his calls."
Page 145: During their courtship phase, Tom sent Nicole Kidman "flowers, usually red roses, almost daily."
Page 157: Tom's romancing didn't stop with clichéd flora; he also had a way with words. Morton claims that "one householder in Toronto who rented her house to the Cruises was bemused to find several love notes in her sofa cushions when she moved back in. At first she thought her husband was being uncharacteristically affectionate. Then she realized they were penned by Tom."
Page 166: Tom was always asking, "Where is Nic?" An unnamed insider confirms that he was "a control freak, certainly. … He was always checking up on Nic especially."
Free Katie!
Page 278: Allegedly, Katie signed a Scientology contract that fundamentally changed her "human rights and those of her future children, requiring that if she or any of her children were ever to suffer from mental or terminal illness, they must turn only to Scientology's treatments. She must never use psychiatric care or psychiatric drugs."
Page 290-291: Morton repeats the sketchy tabloid rumors that Tom "bought a fetus learning system that was strapped to Katie's stomach" and that he "fitted Katie's cell phone with a tracking device so that he would know where she was day and night."
Page 289: Without naming his sources, Morton spins the following yarn: "Some [Scientology] sect members sincerely believed that Katie Holmes was carrying the baby who would be the vessel for L. Ron Hubbard's spirit when he returned from his trip around the galaxy. True believers were convinced that Tom's spawn would be the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard. Some Sea Org fanatics even wondered if the actress had been impregnated with Hubbard's frozen sperm." How'd Katie feel about all this? Morton puts his intuitive powers to the test to produce this gem: "Katie might have felt as if she were in the middle of a real-life version of the horror movie Rosemary's Baby, in which an unsuspecting young woman is impregnated with the Devil's child."
Operating Thetan
Page 109: Scriptwriter and onetime Scientologist Skip Press conjectures that Tom's first wife, Mimi Rogers, "made a play for Tom with the primary intention of bringing him into the [Scientology] cult and leapfrogging over him to an acting career."
Page 123: When Tom accepted an invitation to the Scientology Gold Base in the California desert, head honcho David Miscavige allegedly announced to his staff: "The most important recruit ever is in the process of being secured. His arrival will change the face of Scientology forever."
Page 153-154: Tom and Nicole shared a "fantasy of running through a meadow of wildflowers together." Eager to please his recruit, Miscavige "decided to make his dream come true. A team of twenty Sea Org disciples was set to work digging, hoeing, and planting wheat grass and wildflower seed near the Cruises' bungalow. Former Scientologist Maureen Bolstad recalled working until early in the morning in the mud and pouring rain." Sounds implausible, but Morton quotes another former Scientologist, Karen Pressley, as saying: "the story of the meadow for Tom and Nicole is absolutely true. I was there."
Page 171-172: By 1993, Morton says Tom "progressed to what Scientologists call 'the Wall of Fire,' or Operating Thetan III, where the secrets of the universe according to Hubbard [are] revealed." Allegedly, "Tom found the knowledge he had just received disturbing and alarming, as he struggled to reconcile the creationist myth with the more practical teachings contained in the lower levels of Scientology. … It was recalled that around this time relations became 'ugly' between David Miscavige and the Hollywood actor, Tom complaining that he had studied all these years and the whole faith was about space aliens."
Page 250: Tom's disenchantment didn't last long. Morton writes that by 2004, Tom "reached the exalted level of Operating Thetan VII, where Hubbard promised that man would become his own god." What's level VII like? According to former Scientologist Peter Alexander, "You believe that all your problems are due to these thetans. So when you come back into reality, you're like, 'Wow, this is a nice day, my dog's been killed but that doesn't matter, I realize that I am a being who has lived endlessly contacting all those long-lost body thetans. So nothing is really a problem.'"
Juliet Lapidos is a Slate editorial assistant.
Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2181858/
Copyright 2008 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC
The Condensed Tom Cruise
Slate reads the new Tom Cruise bio so you don't have to.
By Juliet Lapidos
Posted Friday, Jan. 11, 2008, at 2:04 PM ET
How dubious is Andrew Morton's long-awaited Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography? Well, the book is not for sale in the United Kingdom, due to that country's libel laws; and it's rumored that Scientology lawyers are already drawing up a suit against Morton's publisher, St. Martin's Press. If you're craving the inside (and blatantly unsubstantiated) scoop on Tom's private life, follow Slate's handy guide straight to the good parts.
Inside the Actor's Closet
Ever since that ridiculously homoerotic volleyball scene in Top Gun, the world has wondered about Tom Cruise's sexuality. But Andrew Morton's Tom is a hot-blooded heterosexual.
Page 13: One of Tom's first girlfriends, Carol Trumpler, still gets "misty-eyed" when she remembers her brief dalliance with the future star: "He was a very good kisser, very much at ease with it all. But what do you know at eleven?" Sadly for Carol, Tom moved on pretty quick. "I was trying to be a good girl, and when I didn't give in to his ways he moved on."
Page 68: Remember the sex-on-a-train scene in Risky Business? Morton alleges that "while Tom and Rebecca [De Mornay] were nervous before playing the scene, those who snuck onto the closed set are convinced that the answer to the question of 'did they, didn't they' really get it on on camera is a firm yes."
Page 195: High-school girlfriend Diane Van Zoeren doesn't give any credence to the "Tom is gay" rumor: "I don't get it. I find these stories just hard to believe. We romanced in my dad's Oldsmobile doing what you are not supposed to."
Page 34: Nancy Armel, another high-school flame, also remembers fooling around in a parked car. She told Morton: "I was black and blue from the gearshift."
Page 65: Tom tried to impress Nancy by taking her to the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles, but he "was unaware of the story line—about two gay men living together in St. Tropez." According to Nancy, "he couldn't handle it. We had to leave before the intermission. It really bothered him. He was definitely homophobic."
Page 195: Morton claims that "Tom was uncomfortable around gay men. Those who saw him in the company of some of Nicole [Kidman's] gay friends, who included designer John Galliano, noticed that he was awkward and ill at ease, much preferring the company of jocks who talked about football rather than fashion."
Courtly Knight/Night Stalker
Page 259: Just one day after Sofía Vergara met Tom, Morton says the Colombian actress "faced a blizzard of phone calls, text messages, and e-mails." Tom also "sent her flowers, notes, and chocolates."
Page 263: Eventually, Sofía got freaked out by Tom's attentiveness and his faith. When Tom arranged for a trip to Clearwater, the Scientology center in Florida, she allegedly "stood him up, packing a bag and 'disappearing' for a few days." Tom, however, wouldn't let up: "For five days he left messages and texts, but she resolutely refused to return his calls."
Page 145: During their courtship phase, Tom sent Nicole Kidman "flowers, usually red roses, almost daily."
Page 157: Tom's romancing didn't stop with clichéd flora; he also had a way with words. Morton claims that "one householder in Toronto who rented her house to the Cruises was bemused to find several love notes in her sofa cushions when she moved back in. At first she thought her husband was being uncharacteristically affectionate. Then she realized they were penned by Tom."
Page 166: Tom was always asking, "Where is Nic?" An unnamed insider confirms that he was "a control freak, certainly. … He was always checking up on Nic especially."
Free Katie!
Page 278: Allegedly, Katie signed a Scientology contract that fundamentally changed her "human rights and those of her future children, requiring that if she or any of her children were ever to suffer from mental or terminal illness, they must turn only to Scientology's treatments. She must never use psychiatric care or psychiatric drugs."
Page 290-291: Morton repeats the sketchy tabloid rumors that Tom "bought a fetus learning system that was strapped to Katie's stomach" and that he "fitted Katie's cell phone with a tracking device so that he would know where she was day and night."
Page 289: Without naming his sources, Morton spins the following yarn: "Some [Scientology] sect members sincerely believed that Katie Holmes was carrying the baby who would be the vessel for L. Ron Hubbard's spirit when he returned from his trip around the galaxy. True believers were convinced that Tom's spawn would be the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard. Some Sea Org fanatics even wondered if the actress had been impregnated with Hubbard's frozen sperm." How'd Katie feel about all this? Morton puts his intuitive powers to the test to produce this gem: "Katie might have felt as if she were in the middle of a real-life version of the horror movie Rosemary's Baby, in which an unsuspecting young woman is impregnated with the Devil's child."
Operating Thetan
Page 109: Scriptwriter and onetime Scientologist Skip Press conjectures that Tom's first wife, Mimi Rogers, "made a play for Tom with the primary intention of bringing him into the [Scientology] cult and leapfrogging over him to an acting career."
Page 123: When Tom accepted an invitation to the Scientology Gold Base in the California desert, head honcho David Miscavige allegedly announced to his staff: "The most important recruit ever is in the process of being secured. His arrival will change the face of Scientology forever."
Page 153-154: Tom and Nicole shared a "fantasy of running through a meadow of wildflowers together." Eager to please his recruit, Miscavige "decided to make his dream come true. A team of twenty Sea Org disciples was set to work digging, hoeing, and planting wheat grass and wildflower seed near the Cruises' bungalow. Former Scientologist Maureen Bolstad recalled working until early in the morning in the mud and pouring rain." Sounds implausible, but Morton quotes another former Scientologist, Karen Pressley, as saying: "the story of the meadow for Tom and Nicole is absolutely true. I was there."
Page 171-172: By 1993, Morton says Tom "progressed to what Scientologists call 'the Wall of Fire,' or Operating Thetan III, where the secrets of the universe according to Hubbard [are] revealed." Allegedly, "Tom found the knowledge he had just received disturbing and alarming, as he struggled to reconcile the creationist myth with the more practical teachings contained in the lower levels of Scientology. … It was recalled that around this time relations became 'ugly' between David Miscavige and the Hollywood actor, Tom complaining that he had studied all these years and the whole faith was about space aliens."
Page 250: Tom's disenchantment didn't last long. Morton writes that by 2004, Tom "reached the exalted level of Operating Thetan VII, where Hubbard promised that man would become his own god." What's level VII like? According to former Scientologist Peter Alexander, "You believe that all your problems are due to these thetans. So when you come back into reality, you're like, 'Wow, this is a nice day, my dog's been killed but that doesn't matter, I realize that I am a being who has lived endlessly contacting all those long-lost body thetans. So nothing is really a problem.'"
Juliet Lapidos is a Slate editorial assistant.
Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2181858/
Copyright 2008 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Students Who Work Some are More Organized
By Terri Rimmer
Published 01/3/2008
Making Money
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc. In 2003.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
Students Who Work Some are More Organized
According to studies, college students who work between eight to ten hours a week tend to be more efficient and spend their free time more wisely. (Source: phy.ilstu.edu).
Back in 1986, now Director of Career Services Bruce Brewer said that students who get caught up in academics often don’t take the time to look for jobs. (Source: University of West Georgia). At the time Brewer was director of placement and co-op education at the school, which back then only had approximately 1,800 students and was a college before becoming a university.
Brewer has so much to offer students who are job-seeking.
“In looking for a job, it’s an easy thing to put off,” said Brewer. “We encouraged all seniors (back then) within three quarters of graduation to come by and get set up at the Placement Office.”
There were three components to the office in ‘86 – Student Employment Referral Service (SERS), which dealt with off-campus employments such as fast food or secretarial work; Co-Operative Education, whereby students could get practical work experience in fields they were interested in, and Career Placement Service, when the people involved in the service work with seniors graduating, teach them to write resumes, interview, and talk with employers when they come to the college.
“We had good responses from the programs,” Brewer said. “Sometimes we already had the jobs.
Brewer also stated that sometimes Co-Ops (studnets working their chosen fields while going to school, had positions before graduating because of the contacts they made while in school.
Some students did internships through the Governor’s Intern Program.
“Many thought Co-Op would lengthen school for them but it only extended it a quarter. If it did lengthen it, it’d be worth it,” said Brewer. “Our biggest problem was getting enough students in. We had more jobs than students.”
The Placement Office helped with baby-sitting, temporary work, Christmas jobs, and seasonal positions, along with summer opportunities, which the job fairs are for. Representatives come to the college either by contacts from faculty members or ones the Placement Office has.
Back in 1986 Brewer aimed to try to increase the number of on-campus jobs.
“I saw that as a big help for students,” he said.
There was a coordinator with SERS, one for Office Services in the Placement and Co-Op Education Program, and an assistant director of Placement and Co-Op.
“I felt all students should intern or co-op, gain some practical experience before graduating,” said Brewer.
Brewer said staff members used to have to hunt for students.
“We spent quite a bit of time tracking down students for jobs. I encouraged students be a little more aggressive,” explained Brewer.
Since 1986 representatives from various companies such as Metropolitan Life, C & S Bank, and First Atlanta Corporation have been participating in on-campus recruitment, career days, and workshops conducted by the Placement Office.
Career Placement Services (CPS) assisted students and alumni with career exploration an decision making by providing career consultation, an availability of a career research library, current career position announcements, on-campus interviewing, referrals to employers for available positions, employer contacts, and workshops.
The SERS helped students looking for part-time, temporary, seasonal, or internship work. The Co-Op Program blended college study with periods of practical experience in a work setting relating to the student’s major or career field by providing students with hands-on experience in his or her chosen field of study, testing classroom theories in the work setting, evaluating career directions prior to graduation, and increasing career options after graduation while earning money to help meet college expenses.
The average salary for a student with a B.S. in Education, according to results taken from an alumni questionnaire in Dec. 1985 was $16,904. In the School of Arts and Sciences the average salery with an A.S. degree was $20,750 and in the School of Business the average for a student with an M.B.A. degree was $27,500.00. Surveys were mailed out during July to graduates from August 1984-June 1985.
Brewer said the Placement Office was working with area industries, business affiliations, and was active with the Chamber of Commerce even back then.
“We were trying to work with them and meet needs,” he said. “One student worked in the Roosevelt Institution and students also interned from hospitals, accounting firms, and banks typically one quarter, with many working during the summer.”
There was still a demand in the area of food service and workers with United Parcel Service (UPS).
“UPS was a big employer for us,” said Brewer. “It paid well, it was mostly labor work.”
There were 30-40 students in UPS in 1986 who made $7-$8 per hour.
“Students tried to find jobs not requiring more than 20 hours,” Brewer revealed.
According to Brewer, IBM employed the largest number of students from the University of West Georiga along with AT & T in ’86.
The “hot” jobs in that era were in computer science, math, and science.
“There were more science positions than there were people to go into them,” Brewer reported.
He predicted that the computer science field would get tighter and more competitive back then.
“Our co-op students were very competitive,” he said. “If you had no experience it was going to be tough.”
Brewer said History and Science majors were going to be have to be more flexible, a key word for many majors, along with English concentrations in 1986. Those majoring in physical education would find there was a big demand for early childhood daycare positions because of all the public kindergartens in the 80s.
Special Education was considered a “hot” job, too back then. In the area of Foreign Language, there was a shortage of people with specialties in 1986.
“It wouldn’t hurt people to have some foreign language background,” Brewer said. “If I were a student I’d definitely co-op. Experience is the key word.”
By Terri Rimmer
Published 01/3/2008
Making Money
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc. In 2003.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
Students Who Work Some are More Organized
According to studies, college students who work between eight to ten hours a week tend to be more efficient and spend their free time more wisely. (Source: phy.ilstu.edu).
Back in 1986, now Director of Career Services Bruce Brewer said that students who get caught up in academics often don’t take the time to look for jobs. (Source: University of West Georgia). At the time Brewer was director of placement and co-op education at the school, which back then only had approximately 1,800 students and was a college before becoming a university.
Brewer has so much to offer students who are job-seeking.
“In looking for a job, it’s an easy thing to put off,” said Brewer. “We encouraged all seniors (back then) within three quarters of graduation to come by and get set up at the Placement Office.”
There were three components to the office in ‘86 – Student Employment Referral Service (SERS), which dealt with off-campus employments such as fast food or secretarial work; Co-Operative Education, whereby students could get practical work experience in fields they were interested in, and Career Placement Service, when the people involved in the service work with seniors graduating, teach them to write resumes, interview, and talk with employers when they come to the college.
“We had good responses from the programs,” Brewer said. “Sometimes we already had the jobs.
Brewer also stated that sometimes Co-Ops (studnets working their chosen fields while going to school, had positions before graduating because of the contacts they made while in school.
Some students did internships through the Governor’s Intern Program.
“Many thought Co-Op would lengthen school for them but it only extended it a quarter. If it did lengthen it, it’d be worth it,” said Brewer. “Our biggest problem was getting enough students in. We had more jobs than students.”
The Placement Office helped with baby-sitting, temporary work, Christmas jobs, and seasonal positions, along with summer opportunities, which the job fairs are for. Representatives come to the college either by contacts from faculty members or ones the Placement Office has.
Back in 1986 Brewer aimed to try to increase the number of on-campus jobs.
“I saw that as a big help for students,” he said.
There was a coordinator with SERS, one for Office Services in the Placement and Co-Op Education Program, and an assistant director of Placement and Co-Op.
“I felt all students should intern or co-op, gain some practical experience before graduating,” said Brewer.
Brewer said staff members used to have to hunt for students.
“We spent quite a bit of time tracking down students for jobs. I encouraged students be a little more aggressive,” explained Brewer.
Since 1986 representatives from various companies such as Metropolitan Life, C & S Bank, and First Atlanta Corporation have been participating in on-campus recruitment, career days, and workshops conducted by the Placement Office.
Career Placement Services (CPS) assisted students and alumni with career exploration an decision making by providing career consultation, an availability of a career research library, current career position announcements, on-campus interviewing, referrals to employers for available positions, employer contacts, and workshops.
The SERS helped students looking for part-time, temporary, seasonal, or internship work. The Co-Op Program blended college study with periods of practical experience in a work setting relating to the student’s major or career field by providing students with hands-on experience in his or her chosen field of study, testing classroom theories in the work setting, evaluating career directions prior to graduation, and increasing career options after graduation while earning money to help meet college expenses.
The average salary for a student with a B.S. in Education, according to results taken from an alumni questionnaire in Dec. 1985 was $16,904. In the School of Arts and Sciences the average salery with an A.S. degree was $20,750 and in the School of Business the average for a student with an M.B.A. degree was $27,500.00. Surveys were mailed out during July to graduates from August 1984-June 1985.
Brewer said the Placement Office was working with area industries, business affiliations, and was active with the Chamber of Commerce even back then.
“We were trying to work with them and meet needs,” he said. “One student worked in the Roosevelt Institution and students also interned from hospitals, accounting firms, and banks typically one quarter, with many working during the summer.”
There was still a demand in the area of food service and workers with United Parcel Service (UPS).
“UPS was a big employer for us,” said Brewer. “It paid well, it was mostly labor work.”
There were 30-40 students in UPS in 1986 who made $7-$8 per hour.
“Students tried to find jobs not requiring more than 20 hours,” Brewer revealed.
According to Brewer, IBM employed the largest number of students from the University of West Georiga along with AT & T in ’86.
The “hot” jobs in that era were in computer science, math, and science.
“There were more science positions than there were people to go into them,” Brewer reported.
He predicted that the computer science field would get tighter and more competitive back then.
“Our co-op students were very competitive,” he said. “If you had no experience it was going to be tough.”
Brewer said History and Science majors were going to be have to be more flexible, a key word for many majors, along with English concentrations in 1986. Those majoring in physical education would find there was a big demand for early childhood daycare positions because of all the public kindergartens in the 80s.
Special Education was considered a “hot” job, too back then. In the area of Foreign Language, there was a shortage of people with specialties in 1986.
“It wouldn’t hurt people to have some foreign language background,” Brewer said. “If I were a student I’d definitely co-op. Experience is the key word.”
Why Some People Can't Get Sober
By Terri Rimmer
Published 01/3/2008
Religion & Spirituality
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc. In 2003.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
Why Some People Can't Get Sober
There’s a scene in the 1988 movie “Clean and Sober” with Michael Keaton where a character cannot seem to get off alcohol.
In actual life, Mike, who has been to prison twice and rehab once, prefers panhandling to getting sober and the problem at his Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group has gotten so bad that the steering committee recently had a meeting about his continually asking for money from members. Recently Mike went AWOL from a two-year treatment program and was back at the group panhandling again only this time no one is helping him. Everyone says they’re fed up. (Source: Southwest Group).
Michelle, who has also been in and out of the “program” of AA for years, takes advantage of her dying mother by living off of her and getting drunk off and on. As of now Michelle has two days sober.
Linda, also around AA for many years and a former paralegal in Miami, FL, has only recently gotten sober after experimenting with cocaine during her last relapse and losing everything. (Source: San Marco Group).
There are many theories as to why some people in AA get clean and sober and others don’t.
Certain members in the program say that if you enable the drunk he will not get sober and that he has to hit his bottom, meaning don’t interrupt his journey and let him face the consequences of his behavior. Others feel that you should help the alcoholic as much as you can.
On page 25 of the AA textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous, it is written that “If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution” meaning that it is all or nothing in the program when it comes to stopping drinking; that you must be willing to take the suggestions to stay stopped. The alcoholic who wants to stop drinking must have all the desperation of a dying man, according to the book. He or she get that when people keep bailing them out?
The other key is that the alcoholic must be willing to admit she is a real alcoholic, that is a person who has no choice in the matter of drink.
Lack of power, that was our dilemma, as stated on page 45 of the textbook. The alcoholic has no defense against the first drink and the problem of alcoholism centers in the mind. So the person who cannot stop drinking first has to admit that they have the problem and that they have no control over it. Perhaps that is another reason why people like Linda, Michelle, and Mike cannot stop drinking, because they are still living with the assumption that they can stop any time and they are in control. People die this way.
"It doesn’t matter why the jackass is in the ditch, just get him out of the ditch,” says Claudia, a long-time member of AA. “Some people don’t want to get sober. Some people just want a pack of Marlboros and a bucket of chicken.”
Still others struggle with the concept of God, or a Higher Power, which is talked about at length in the chapter “We Agnostics” but the beauty of the program is that you don’t have to believe in anyone’s God but your own conception of a power greater than yourself.
By Terri Rimmer
Published 01/3/2008
Religion & Spirituality
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc. In 2003.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
Why Some People Can't Get Sober
There’s a scene in the 1988 movie “Clean and Sober” with Michael Keaton where a character cannot seem to get off alcohol.
In actual life, Mike, who has been to prison twice and rehab once, prefers panhandling to getting sober and the problem at his Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group has gotten so bad that the steering committee recently had a meeting about his continually asking for money from members. Recently Mike went AWOL from a two-year treatment program and was back at the group panhandling again only this time no one is helping him. Everyone says they’re fed up. (Source: Southwest Group).
Michelle, who has also been in and out of the “program” of AA for years, takes advantage of her dying mother by living off of her and getting drunk off and on. As of now Michelle has two days sober.
Linda, also around AA for many years and a former paralegal in Miami, FL, has only recently gotten sober after experimenting with cocaine during her last relapse and losing everything. (Source: San Marco Group).
There are many theories as to why some people in AA get clean and sober and others don’t.
Certain members in the program say that if you enable the drunk he will not get sober and that he has to hit his bottom, meaning don’t interrupt his journey and let him face the consequences of his behavior. Others feel that you should help the alcoholic as much as you can.
On page 25 of the AA textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous, it is written that “If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution” meaning that it is all or nothing in the program when it comes to stopping drinking; that you must be willing to take the suggestions to stay stopped. The alcoholic who wants to stop drinking must have all the desperation of a dying man, according to the book. He or she get that when people keep bailing them out?
The other key is that the alcoholic must be willing to admit she is a real alcoholic, that is a person who has no choice in the matter of drink.
Lack of power, that was our dilemma, as stated on page 45 of the textbook. The alcoholic has no defense against the first drink and the problem of alcoholism centers in the mind. So the person who cannot stop drinking first has to admit that they have the problem and that they have no control over it. Perhaps that is another reason why people like Linda, Michelle, and Mike cannot stop drinking, because they are still living with the assumption that they can stop any time and they are in control. People die this way.
"It doesn’t matter why the jackass is in the ditch, just get him out of the ditch,” says Claudia, a long-time member of AA. “Some people don’t want to get sober. Some people just want a pack of Marlboros and a bucket of chicken.”
Still others struggle with the concept of God, or a Higher Power, which is talked about at length in the chapter “We Agnostics” but the beauty of the program is that you don’t have to believe in anyone’s God but your own conception of a power greater than yourself.
Roads to Recovery from Sexual Addiction
By Terri Rimmer
Published 01/3/2008
Dating & Relationships
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc. In 2003.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
Roads to Recovery From Sexual Addiction
Do you know if you or someone you love has the symptoms of sexual dependency?
According to a a Sexual Dependency Program brochure from Coral Ridge Psychiatric Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, FL behavior patterns of those suffering from sexual dependency may include but are not limited to multiple extramarital affairs and repeated incidents of sexual harassment among others.
“My sex addiction was not something that was easily talked about, and when I did talk about it I was told to ‘stop my denial process and concentrate on my allergy to alcohol.’ I was told time and again, ‘Don’t drink and go to (AA) meetings,’” says David R. “I became abstinent from alcohol. I am now experiencing a level of sobriety that in the past I could only have wished for. We who are recovering from the shame of sexual addiction are truly miracles.”
According to the now defunct Recovery Today Newspaper, in July 1992 sexual addiction treatment, per se, was not covered by insurance, but it was covered under the category of major depression. Accepted patients went through standard hospital admissions procedures an an assessment determined the actual level of care.
“Today I am choosing recovery from a sex addiction that has plaged me since I first started getting sober the first time in 1998. It has not been easy. In fact, it has been harder in some ways than stopping drinking and staying stopped. It has been been harder because of the underlying problems surrounding it; the lack of support from others who don’t understand the loneliness, struggle, and pain. With an addiction such as this one it is hard just to abstain because sex is part of life,” states Denise P.
Denise’s sex addiction began during treatment for alcholism when she switched one addiction for another. When the drug (alcohol) was taken away she statd that she was left with an empty hole inside of her that could not be filled, she said. She began a collision course with a very real addiction that almost led her to drink many times, she revealed. She slept with two different men while in treatment to get back at her boyfriend who wasn’t calling, writing, or visitng. Once out of treatment she engaged in a three-week fling with a divorced, practicing alcoholic and addict and didn’t go to support meetings during that period. It was a miracle, she said, she stayed sober. During that time she also lost one of her former foster moms to cancer.
“Shortly therafter I moved to California from Illinois,” says Denise. “I lived with my brother, also a recovering alcoholic who didn’t understand my sex addiction but because he was a therapist steered me to a meeting of Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, a women’s group which gave me hope.”
But Denise was not ready to end her self-destructive cycle and continued to indulge in “binges” which left her feeling worthless and experiencing actual physical sickness, much like a real hangover, only without the alcohol, she explained.
"In short, I wasn’t ready to stop being used and victimized,” Denise said. “I continued to go to meetings and knew that everyone had their own control device. For some it was as simple as not picking up the phone. Others could go out on a date but that was it.”
Denise said that it wasn’t as simple as not having or having sex.
“It wasn’t realistic to ask people to abstain from something as natural as sex; each person set their own behavior limits based on the consequences of their past actions,” she said. “For me it was as simple as not picking up the phone. For me it always started there.”
Denise eventually stopped going to the group and got involved with a married man, a practicing addict. That relationship went on and off for two years and it was still a temptation in 2002, she said, though not as strong as it once was.
“When I think about the insanity of my behavior during that time I still cringe and hurt for what I put others around me through,” said Denise. “I rmember sending my brother home with a plate of food after inviting him to dinner because the married man had called at the spur of the moment and said he’d be over in five minutes.”
Denise reported that she would buy expensive food at the local Mom and Pop grocery on credit and spend hours preparing a full-course meal complete with dessert only to have the married man cancel on her at the last minute.
“Married men have a way of doing that,” she said. “One day I hid behind my own house form a man who I had been out with the night before. He had come back to see me because I wouldn’t talk to him on the phone. Rather than face him, it was easier to hide.”
After beating her head against the wall through various affairs, flings, relationships, and overall destructive behavior, Denise said she finally succumbed in August 2001 a day at time to “this horrible addiction which ultimately cost me jobs, living situations, money, relationships, friendships, and my health.”
“Today I have a reprieve from choosing victim behavior contingent on my spiritual condition,” she says. “I did not find the answers in Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) because I haven’t been back there in two years. But I did apply the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to my sex addiction and found that it works! Through my Higher Power’s grace I know that I don’t have to allow myself to be used over and over again. Today I know I deserve more.”
Denise said it is not easy, especially when the loneliness kicks in.
“I constantly have to examine my motives and judge situations individually based on my point of reference or my past pain,” she noted. “It’s more ore less breaking the cycle of doing the same things and expecting different results.”
Denise said the fact that she was sexually abused from the time she was three years old until the age of 17 by her stepfather is directly linked to her addiction.
“But toady I am in therapy and through the 12 Steps of AA I do not have to let me past rob me of today,” she said. “And for that, I am extremely and eternally grateful.”
For help with a sex addiction, go to sexhelp.com.
By Terri Rimmer
Published 01/3/2008
Dating & Relationships
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc. In 2003.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
Roads to Recovery From Sexual Addiction
Do you know if you or someone you love has the symptoms of sexual dependency?
According to a a Sexual Dependency Program brochure from Coral Ridge Psychiatric Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, FL behavior patterns of those suffering from sexual dependency may include but are not limited to multiple extramarital affairs and repeated incidents of sexual harassment among others.
“My sex addiction was not something that was easily talked about, and when I did talk about it I was told to ‘stop my denial process and concentrate on my allergy to alcohol.’ I was told time and again, ‘Don’t drink and go to (AA) meetings,’” says David R. “I became abstinent from alcohol. I am now experiencing a level of sobriety that in the past I could only have wished for. We who are recovering from the shame of sexual addiction are truly miracles.”
According to the now defunct Recovery Today Newspaper, in July 1992 sexual addiction treatment, per se, was not covered by insurance, but it was covered under the category of major depression. Accepted patients went through standard hospital admissions procedures an an assessment determined the actual level of care.
“Today I am choosing recovery from a sex addiction that has plaged me since I first started getting sober the first time in 1998. It has not been easy. In fact, it has been harder in some ways than stopping drinking and staying stopped. It has been been harder because of the underlying problems surrounding it; the lack of support from others who don’t understand the loneliness, struggle, and pain. With an addiction such as this one it is hard just to abstain because sex is part of life,” states Denise P.
Denise’s sex addiction began during treatment for alcholism when she switched one addiction for another. When the drug (alcohol) was taken away she statd that she was left with an empty hole inside of her that could not be filled, she said. She began a collision course with a very real addiction that almost led her to drink many times, she revealed. She slept with two different men while in treatment to get back at her boyfriend who wasn’t calling, writing, or visitng. Once out of treatment she engaged in a three-week fling with a divorced, practicing alcoholic and addict and didn’t go to support meetings during that period. It was a miracle, she said, she stayed sober. During that time she also lost one of her former foster moms to cancer.
“Shortly therafter I moved to California from Illinois,” says Denise. “I lived with my brother, also a recovering alcoholic who didn’t understand my sex addiction but because he was a therapist steered me to a meeting of Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, a women’s group which gave me hope.”
But Denise was not ready to end her self-destructive cycle and continued to indulge in “binges” which left her feeling worthless and experiencing actual physical sickness, much like a real hangover, only without the alcohol, she explained.
"In short, I wasn’t ready to stop being used and victimized,” Denise said. “I continued to go to meetings and knew that everyone had their own control device. For some it was as simple as not picking up the phone. Others could go out on a date but that was it.”
Denise said that it wasn’t as simple as not having or having sex.
“It wasn’t realistic to ask people to abstain from something as natural as sex; each person set their own behavior limits based on the consequences of their past actions,” she said. “For me it was as simple as not picking up the phone. For me it always started there.”
Denise eventually stopped going to the group and got involved with a married man, a practicing addict. That relationship went on and off for two years and it was still a temptation in 2002, she said, though not as strong as it once was.
“When I think about the insanity of my behavior during that time I still cringe and hurt for what I put others around me through,” said Denise. “I rmember sending my brother home with a plate of food after inviting him to dinner because the married man had called at the spur of the moment and said he’d be over in five minutes.”
Denise reported that she would buy expensive food at the local Mom and Pop grocery on credit and spend hours preparing a full-course meal complete with dessert only to have the married man cancel on her at the last minute.
“Married men have a way of doing that,” she said. “One day I hid behind my own house form a man who I had been out with the night before. He had come back to see me because I wouldn’t talk to him on the phone. Rather than face him, it was easier to hide.”
After beating her head against the wall through various affairs, flings, relationships, and overall destructive behavior, Denise said she finally succumbed in August 2001 a day at time to “this horrible addiction which ultimately cost me jobs, living situations, money, relationships, friendships, and my health.”
“Today I have a reprieve from choosing victim behavior contingent on my spiritual condition,” she says. “I did not find the answers in Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) because I haven’t been back there in two years. But I did apply the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to my sex addiction and found that it works! Through my Higher Power’s grace I know that I don’t have to allow myself to be used over and over again. Today I know I deserve more.”
Denise said it is not easy, especially when the loneliness kicks in.
“I constantly have to examine my motives and judge situations individually based on my point of reference or my past pain,” she noted. “It’s more ore less breaking the cycle of doing the same things and expecting different results.”
Denise said the fact that she was sexually abused from the time she was three years old until the age of 17 by her stepfather is directly linked to her addiction.
“But toady I am in therapy and through the 12 Steps of AA I do not have to let me past rob me of today,” she said. “And for that, I am extremely and eternally grateful.”
For help with a sex addiction, go to sexhelp.com.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Are You Being Abused?
Whether it’s mental or physical, abuse takes a devastating toll on the life of the person who is being victimized. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, every day 4 women are murdered by their boyfriends or husbands. The DOJ also reports that domestic violence is the number one cause of emergency room visits by women. Here are three sure-fire signs that you are being abused in your relationship and three places you can turn to for help if it’s happening to you!
1. Constant Criticism – you are in a relationship where your man is consisting carping about your faults. The love is gone and it’s been replaced by a verbal barrage about everything that’s wrong with you. This is abuse.
2. Two Toms – your man Tom has two lives; the one he lives when he’s with you and the one when you’re not around. Increasingly, Tom spends more and more time in his life without you. When he’s with you, it’s hell. Bickering, resentment and tension makes your time together unbearable as if he only comes around so he can hurl verbal insults at you and abuse you. You are also completely excluded from the life he lives when you’re not around.
3. Condescending Comparisons – your man is constantly comparing you to other women. When he does it, you cringe. This is a sign of abuse.
If you’re in an abusive relationship, get help here!
1. S.A.F.E. or Stop Abusive for Everyone has a great website crammed with information on domestic violence and abuse - http://www.safe4all.org/resource-list/view/23118
2. www.HelpAbusedWomen.org – an awesome website chock full of information.
3. Assaulted Women’s Helpline – an organization that helps abused women throughout Canada. http://www.awhl.org/
by Tasha Joseph Cunningham
Whether it’s mental or physical, abuse takes a devastating toll on the life of the person who is being victimized. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, every day 4 women are murdered by their boyfriends or husbands. The DOJ also reports that domestic violence is the number one cause of emergency room visits by women. Here are three sure-fire signs that you are being abused in your relationship and three places you can turn to for help if it’s happening to you!
1. Constant Criticism – you are in a relationship where your man is consisting carping about your faults. The love is gone and it’s been replaced by a verbal barrage about everything that’s wrong with you. This is abuse.
2. Two Toms – your man Tom has two lives; the one he lives when he’s with you and the one when you’re not around. Increasingly, Tom spends more and more time in his life without you. When he’s with you, it’s hell. Bickering, resentment and tension makes your time together unbearable as if he only comes around so he can hurl verbal insults at you and abuse you. You are also completely excluded from the life he lives when you’re not around.
3. Condescending Comparisons – your man is constantly comparing you to other women. When he does it, you cringe. This is a sign of abuse.
If you’re in an abusive relationship, get help here!
1. S.A.F.E. or Stop Abusive for Everyone has a great website crammed with information on domestic violence and abuse - http://www.safe4all.org/resource-list/view/23118
2. www.HelpAbusedWomen.org – an awesome website chock full of information.
3. Assaulted Women’s Helpline – an organization that helps abused women throughout Canada. http://www.awhl.org/
by Tasha Joseph Cunningham
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Dear God, I ask you to keep me clean and sober, and I believe you can restore me to sanity and I ask you to do that for me now and throughout this day... Heavenly Father, I offer myself to You, to build with me and do with me as You would. I ask You to relieve me of the bondage of self, that I can better do Your will. Take away my problems, that victory over them would bear witness to those I would help through Your Power, Your Love, and Your way of life... I ask for the grace I need to overcome myself, particularly in those situations where I tend to fall back into self, into my will and into fear.I ask that Your Holy Spirit give me guidance and direction-clear vision of what Your will is in all situations... My Creator,I am willing that you should have all of me, both the good and the bad. I pray that you will remove from me every defect of character that would limit my ability to be of maximum service to You and my fellows... I pray that Your Love will fill my heart-that I may spread Your Love throughout the world, touching everyone I come into contact with in a good and positive way. And that Your Love will help me to see the good in all people and situations... I ask You to bless all those people that aid in my recovery and that contribute continued growth-particularly my children, my sponsor, sponsees, and those people that touch me everyday. Bless them with Your Grace, Your Love and with all good things...And now Heavenly Father, as I go forth to live this day...I ask You to go with me...guide me, protect me and show me the way. Help, me to live this day in a way that is truly pleasing to you. Amen.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
I just woke up and thought you might have opened your present from me! Glad you liked everything.
I was picturing us getting up years ago........"Let's go see what Santa brought!" There were these two little girls yesterday I gave bikes, too, that seemed like they had a bond like us. They were like 4 and 7 years old and you should have seen the looks on their faces when I gave them their pink bikes to ride!
A funny thing happened. There were just a few kids left from Sunday's giveaway that I couldn't stop thinking about because they weren't on my list so they didn't get one. Well, I made another trip to WalMart and those were the kids I saw yesterday who were totally shocked and delighted that I came back.
When I turned down the street with my window rolled down (beautiful summer day here!), I heard "The bike lady is here!" kinda like I was the ice cream man or something! I got to thinking I hope that doesn't happen every time I turn into the neighborhood now! :)
Anyway, it was the most magnificent experience and just made my Christmas season.
We even were able to get one for a single Mom who has been walking to her 2 jobs in the rain!
Love you and will talk to you soon and Merry Christmas!
Cindy
I was picturing us getting up years ago........"Let's go see what Santa brought!" There were these two little girls yesterday I gave bikes, too, that seemed like they had a bond like us. They were like 4 and 7 years old and you should have seen the looks on their faces when I gave them their pink bikes to ride!
A funny thing happened. There were just a few kids left from Sunday's giveaway that I couldn't stop thinking about because they weren't on my list so they didn't get one. Well, I made another trip to WalMart and those were the kids I saw yesterday who were totally shocked and delighted that I came back.
When I turned down the street with my window rolled down (beautiful summer day here!), I heard "The bike lady is here!" kinda like I was the ice cream man or something! I got to thinking I hope that doesn't happen every time I turn into the neighborhood now! :)
Anyway, it was the most magnificent experience and just made my Christmas season.
We even were able to get one for a single Mom who has been walking to her 2 jobs in the rain!
Love you and will talk to you soon and Merry Christmas!
Cindy
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
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Editor's Note
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
I don't normally begin anything with a quote. But just this once, I'll break my own cardinal rule because the quote is fitting for this, my final editor's note to you.
I've had the pleasure of editing this publication for four years now, and during that time, I've observed that authorship gets better with time. I'm always elated to receive news of your success, whether in completing chapter one or in discovering the path to the perfect book signing.
This month, we focus on giving back to the community. In the Author Corner, we feature Reg Green and his stories of organ and tissue donation, including his own family's unforgettable donation experience. The Marketing Feature contains ideas for how you can give back to your community while generating interest in your book. And in AuthorHouse News, we announce the recipients of the 2007 Authors Across America publishing grants.
Let me leave you with one final inspiration: Keep writing, and as Emerson suggested, we'll each become better authors and book marketers with each passing word.
Kind regards,
Erica Dorocke (vip@authorhouse.com)
Editor
In This Issue:
Reg Green captures the transformative power of organ and tissue donation.
Author Corner >>
___________________________________
Darryl Rosen writes about covering the middle miles in business and publishing.
The Writer's Sense >>
___________________________________
Give back to your community by donating your book, time and expertise.
Marketing Feature >>
___________________________________
Six steps to make 2008 the year you publish your book.
Writing Feature >>
___________________________________
AuthorHouse helps make book publishing dreams a reality for deserving organizations.
AuthorHouse News >>
Author Corner
Reg Green Captures the Transformative Power of Organ Donation
Some moments in life change your worldview forever. For Reg Green, that moment happened in 1994 while on a family vacation in Italy. On the main road south of Naples, highway bandits fired two shots into the Green family's rental car, mistaking it for a jewelry delivery vehicle. When the family stopped at the scene of an unrelated accident to summon the Italian authorities, they realized the dire truth. "When the interior light came on, my son Nicholas didn't move," says Green.
Read more >>
The Writer's Sense
Darryl Rosen Covers the Middle Miles in Business and Publishing
I started running marathons when I was thirteen years old, the same year I began working in the family business. In those days, I thought running and working were simple and easy; I didn't know any better. After college, and a couple years of public accounting, I got a big shot of reality. My experience inspired me write my first book, Surviving the Middle Miles: 26.2 Ways to Cross the Finish Line with Your Customers, to help readers become successful in business and life by surviving the middle miles.
Read more >>
Marketing Feature
Giving Back to the Community
Millions of shoppers are looking for the perfect gift, making the holiday season a prime selling opportunity for your book. But the true spirit of the holidays is more about giving than buying, and you can give back to your community while marketing your book to new readers.
Read more >>
Writing Feature
Six Steps to Publish Your Book in 2008
With Christmas just a few days away, the New Year's resolution season is in full effect. Last year, we highlighted the top 10 resolutions for writers. Those tips can help people start writing and keep at it, but several AuthorHouse authors have asked about specific goals to publish a book. If you're ready to make 2008 the year you publish, consider these crucial steps.
Read more >>
AuthorHouse News
AuthorHouse Helps Make Book Publishing Dreams a Reality for Deserving Organizations
AuthorHouse announced it will help three deserving organizations this year. The Denver School Museum, SKIP, Inc., and the Rainbow Repertory Theatre will each realize their dream of publishing a book through a standard paperback publishing package grant through AuthorHouse's Authors Across America initiative.
Authors Across America, designed to inspire literacy and encourage authors to get published, is in its inaugural year of granting publishing services to educational and service-based organizations.
"Through this grant, we are giving a diverse group of writers who wouldn't normally have access to book-publishing resources the opportunity to have their voices heard," said Terry Dwyer, AuthorHouse's vice president of sales. "We're pleased to help these organizations achieve their goals through book publishing."
Read more >>
AuthorHouse Bookstore Top Sellers
Surviving The Middle Miles: 26.2 Ways To Cross the Finish Line With Your Customers
Darryl Rosen
Energy Transcendence: A Guide for Living Beyond the Ordinary Range of Perception
Dr. Larry Lytle
A Gift in Wolf's Clothing: Life With Diabetes
Rachel A. Gifford, RN, MN, CDE
Plum Gum and Other Chunk Poems: Teacher tested kid approved poems for building fluency through phonics
Adele Tolley Wilson
Montauk: The Disappearances
Richard Prince
See the top 100 sellers>>
Conferences & Events to Attend Contests to Enter
Find inspiration and education at a writers' conference near you in 2007.
View Conferences & Events >> Ready for a challenge? Put your writing to the test by entering one of these featured contests.
Contests to Enter >>
Author Corner | Writing Feature | Book Marketing | AuthorHouse News | Conferences | Contests
Editor's Note
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
I don't normally begin anything with a quote. But just this once, I'll break my own cardinal rule because the quote is fitting for this, my final editor's note to you.
I've had the pleasure of editing this publication for four years now, and during that time, I've observed that authorship gets better with time. I'm always elated to receive news of your success, whether in completing chapter one or in discovering the path to the perfect book signing.
This month, we focus on giving back to the community. In the Author Corner, we feature Reg Green and his stories of organ and tissue donation, including his own family's unforgettable donation experience. The Marketing Feature contains ideas for how you can give back to your community while generating interest in your book. And in AuthorHouse News, we announce the recipients of the 2007 Authors Across America publishing grants.
Let me leave you with one final inspiration: Keep writing, and as Emerson suggested, we'll each become better authors and book marketers with each passing word.
Kind regards,
Erica Dorocke (vip@authorhouse.com)
Editor
In This Issue:
Reg Green captures the transformative power of organ and tissue donation.
Author Corner >>
___________________________________
Darryl Rosen writes about covering the middle miles in business and publishing.
The Writer's Sense >>
___________________________________
Give back to your community by donating your book, time and expertise.
Marketing Feature >>
___________________________________
Six steps to make 2008 the year you publish your book.
Writing Feature >>
___________________________________
AuthorHouse helps make book publishing dreams a reality for deserving organizations.
AuthorHouse News >>
Author Corner
Reg Green Captures the Transformative Power of Organ Donation
Some moments in life change your worldview forever. For Reg Green, that moment happened in 1994 while on a family vacation in Italy. On the main road south of Naples, highway bandits fired two shots into the Green family's rental car, mistaking it for a jewelry delivery vehicle. When the family stopped at the scene of an unrelated accident to summon the Italian authorities, they realized the dire truth. "When the interior light came on, my son Nicholas didn't move," says Green.
Read more >>
The Writer's Sense
Darryl Rosen Covers the Middle Miles in Business and Publishing
I started running marathons when I was thirteen years old, the same year I began working in the family business. In those days, I thought running and working were simple and easy; I didn't know any better. After college, and a couple years of public accounting, I got a big shot of reality. My experience inspired me write my first book, Surviving the Middle Miles: 26.2 Ways to Cross the Finish Line with Your Customers, to help readers become successful in business and life by surviving the middle miles.
Read more >>
Marketing Feature
Giving Back to the Community
Millions of shoppers are looking for the perfect gift, making the holiday season a prime selling opportunity for your book. But the true spirit of the holidays is more about giving than buying, and you can give back to your community while marketing your book to new readers.
Read more >>
Writing Feature
Six Steps to Publish Your Book in 2008
With Christmas just a few days away, the New Year's resolution season is in full effect. Last year, we highlighted the top 10 resolutions for writers. Those tips can help people start writing and keep at it, but several AuthorHouse authors have asked about specific goals to publish a book. If you're ready to make 2008 the year you publish, consider these crucial steps.
Read more >>
AuthorHouse News
AuthorHouse Helps Make Book Publishing Dreams a Reality for Deserving Organizations
AuthorHouse announced it will help three deserving organizations this year. The Denver School Museum, SKIP, Inc., and the Rainbow Repertory Theatre will each realize their dream of publishing a book through a standard paperback publishing package grant through AuthorHouse's Authors Across America initiative.
Authors Across America, designed to inspire literacy and encourage authors to get published, is in its inaugural year of granting publishing services to educational and service-based organizations.
"Through this grant, we are giving a diverse group of writers who wouldn't normally have access to book-publishing resources the opportunity to have their voices heard," said Terry Dwyer, AuthorHouse's vice president of sales. "We're pleased to help these organizations achieve their goals through book publishing."
Read more >>
AuthorHouse Bookstore Top Sellers
Surviving The Middle Miles: 26.2 Ways To Cross the Finish Line With Your Customers
Darryl Rosen
Energy Transcendence: A Guide for Living Beyond the Ordinary Range of Perception
Dr. Larry Lytle
A Gift in Wolf's Clothing: Life With Diabetes
Rachel A. Gifford, RN, MN, CDE
Plum Gum and Other Chunk Poems: Teacher tested kid approved poems for building fluency through phonics
Adele Tolley Wilson
Montauk: The Disappearances
Richard Prince
See the top 100 sellers>>
Conferences & Events to Attend Contests to Enter
Find inspiration and education at a writers' conference near you in 2007.
View Conferences & Events >> Ready for a challenge? Put your writing to the test by entering one of these featured contests.
Contests to Enter >>
Author Corner | Writing Feature | Book Marketing | AuthorHouse News | Conferences | Contests
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Adoptive Support
To the editor: Thank you so much for your story “Healing Humpty-Dumpty” (April 6, 2005) on the TCU Child Development Institute’s adoption program, which I read recently. I placed my birth daughter for adoption in August 2000, so this article meant a lot to me. Thankfully she has never exhibited any destructive tendencies, but then I never abused or neglected her, either. Placing her for adoption was the hardest and smartest thing I ever did, and every day it is confirmed for me that I made the right decision when I witness her life unfolding before my eyes — a life she would’ve never had with me.
I think it’s great that these adoptive parents are getting the support they need and that much is being done to address these problems in kids who are adopted internationally.
Terri Rimmer
Fort Worth
To the editor: Thank you so much for your story “Healing Humpty-Dumpty” (April 6, 2005) on the TCU Child Development Institute’s adoption program, which I read recently. I placed my birth daughter for adoption in August 2000, so this article meant a lot to me. Thankfully she has never exhibited any destructive tendencies, but then I never abused or neglected her, either. Placing her for adoption was the hardest and smartest thing I ever did, and every day it is confirmed for me that I made the right decision when I witness her life unfolding before my eyes — a life she would’ve never had with me.
I think it’s great that these adoptive parents are getting the support they need and that much is being done to address these problems in kids who are adopted internationally.
Terri Rimmer
Fort Worth
Monday, December 17, 2007
My dog's name is Ripley because the day he showed up in my driveway he was already acting like a guard dog. And I thought, what's a good tough movie character? Ripley from "Alien." I don't look like my pet except when I need another dye job. If I could speak my pet's language, I'd say, "I couldn't have done it without you."
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Subject: How Your Help Is Keeping Dogs Out of the Cold This Winter
Notes on Angel for Animals Doghouse Deliveries (November 16, 2007)
"We dropped off two houses at the address. The dogs were again super-friendly. We removed the useless shelters that they had and set up two new homes for the dogs. We removed LOTS of broken glass, feces, etc., and set up new bowls for food and water. What I remember most about this stop was how good the dogs were while we worked. Because of the incredibly short chains, we had to dig, chop, and rake right next to the dogs. They didn't mind at all."
"This location had a young dog living inside a small pen on a concrete slab, with a tipped-over trash can for shelter. We provided a new house and moved the pen to a grassy area. We also put in some extra straw and reinforced the bottom of the pen as much as we could so that the dog wouldn't be able to dig his way out. Again, lots of treats, food, and water were provided. A caseworker will follow up with this one too."
Dear Terri,
Thanks to your support, 496 dogs can look forward to shelter in sturdy doghouses through the frigid winter months this year and for many years to come.
There are so many dogs facing months of sleet and snow while they are chained in freezing back yards with only the most decrepit shelter, if any. Helping these dogs is the reason why PETA created the "Angel for Animals" program.
For the past nine winters, PETA has driven into low-income, depressed areas and provided hundreds of durable, solid doghouses--free of charge--to dogs who otherwise would have to endure the bitter wind, ice, and snow without any shelter or with just a piece of metal or board up against the fence. Each doghouse is built to last and filled with straw bedding to help provide what--for some dogs--is the first feeling of warmth and comfort they've ever known.
Could you provide a doghouse for such a "forgotten dog" this holiday season?
Since its start, I've seen firsthand exactly how this program has improved the lives of needy dogs. The "before" photos can be deeply upsetting: dogs chained like bicycles to trash cans or trees or attached to a heavy chain--all of which is legal in the areas we visit. It's the dozens of "after" photos of these dogs' happy faces that illustrate how much dogs need the basic, vital comfort that sturdy, straw-filled shelter can provide.
You tax-deductible sponsorship gift will make a huge difference in the life of a needy dog.
Your Angel for Animals sponsorship gift of $265 can provide one durable, solid, lasting doghouse to a dog facing the cold of winter, long night after long night.
Your Angel for Animals gift of $530 can give homes to two dogs in need.
Your Angel for Animals gift of $1,325 can provide straw-filled doghouses for five dogs.
Please take a moment to read the firsthand account from an Angel for Animals worker who has delivered these doghouses. You'll see how, with your help, an Angel for Animals doghouse sponsorship can bring the joy and warmth of the holiday season to a dog who has never known love or comfort.
Thank you for everything you do for animals.
Kind regards,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
Notes on Angel for Animals Doghouse Deliveries (November 16, 2007)
"We dropped off two houses at the address. The dogs were again super-friendly. We removed the useless shelters that they had and set up two new homes for the dogs. We removed LOTS of broken glass, feces, etc., and set up new bowls for food and water. What I remember most about this stop was how good the dogs were while we worked. Because of the incredibly short chains, we had to dig, chop, and rake right next to the dogs. They didn't mind at all."
"This location had a young dog living inside a small pen on a concrete slab, with a tipped-over trash can for shelter. We provided a new house and moved the pen to a grassy area. We also put in some extra straw and reinforced the bottom of the pen as much as we could so that the dog wouldn't be able to dig his way out. Again, lots of treats, food, and water were provided. A caseworker will follow up with this one too."
Dear Terri,
Thanks to your support, 496 dogs can look forward to shelter in sturdy doghouses through the frigid winter months this year and for many years to come.
There are so many dogs facing months of sleet and snow while they are chained in freezing back yards with only the most decrepit shelter, if any. Helping these dogs is the reason why PETA created the "Angel for Animals" program.
For the past nine winters, PETA has driven into low-income, depressed areas and provided hundreds of durable, solid doghouses--free of charge--to dogs who otherwise would have to endure the bitter wind, ice, and snow without any shelter or with just a piece of metal or board up against the fence. Each doghouse is built to last and filled with straw bedding to help provide what--for some dogs--is the first feeling of warmth and comfort they've ever known.
Could you provide a doghouse for such a "forgotten dog" this holiday season?
Since its start, I've seen firsthand exactly how this program has improved the lives of needy dogs. The "before" photos can be deeply upsetting: dogs chained like bicycles to trash cans or trees or attached to a heavy chain--all of which is legal in the areas we visit. It's the dozens of "after" photos of these dogs' happy faces that illustrate how much dogs need the basic, vital comfort that sturdy, straw-filled shelter can provide.
You tax-deductible sponsorship gift will make a huge difference in the life of a needy dog.
Your Angel for Animals sponsorship gift of $265 can provide one durable, solid, lasting doghouse to a dog facing the cold of winter, long night after long night.
Your Angel for Animals gift of $530 can give homes to two dogs in need.
Your Angel for Animals gift of $1,325 can provide straw-filled doghouses for five dogs.
Please take a moment to read the firsthand account from an Angel for Animals worker who has delivered these doghouses. You'll see how, with your help, an Angel for Animals doghouse sponsorship can bring the joy and warmth of the holiday season to a dog who has never known love or comfort.
Thank you for everything you do for animals.
Kind regards,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian
youth's rite of passage?
His father takes him into the forest,
blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump the whole
night and not remove the blindfold until the
rays of the morning sun shine through it.
He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this
experience because each lad must come
into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear
all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely
be all around him. Maybe even some human
might do him harm. The wind blew the grass
and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat
stoically, never removing the blindfold.
It would be the only way he
could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night, the sun
appeared and he removed his blindfold.
It was then that he discovered his
father sitting on the stump next to him.
He had been at watch the entire night,
protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don't know it,
our Heavenly Father is watching over us,
sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have
to do is reach out to Him.
Moral of the Story:
Just because you can't see God,
doesn't mean He is not there.
youth's rite of passage?
His father takes him into the forest,
blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump the whole
night and not remove the blindfold until the
rays of the morning sun shine through it.
He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this
experience because each lad must come
into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear
all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely
be all around him. Maybe even some human
might do him harm. The wind blew the grass
and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat
stoically, never removing the blindfold.
It would be the only way he
could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night, the sun
appeared and he removed his blindfold.
It was then that he discovered his
father sitting on the stump next to him.
He had been at watch the entire night,
protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don't know it,
our Heavenly Father is watching over us,
sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have
to do is reach out to Him.
Moral of the Story:
Just because you can't see God,
doesn't mean He is not there.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
"I have to live for him"
Leukemia patient and Glamour editor Erin Zammett Ruddy is ecstatic to be a mom—and determined to always be there for her son.
In 2001 Erin Zammett Ruddy, now 29, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a cancer that until recently proved fatal for many patients. For almost six years she’s been taking a lifesaving drug called Gleevec and chronicling her experiences in these pages. Last December Erin went off it to get pregnant; fortunately, the disease stayed at bay. Now she’s back on her meds and trying to enjoy her baby as she struggles with her uncertainty over the future.
View Erin’s baby album
With Alex, my tiny miracle, two days after he was born
Late the other night, Nick and I were sitting in bed and obsessing over Alex, our three-month-old: Was he eating enough, sleeping enough, you-know-what-ing enough? And then, out of the blue, Nick told me that every night since I’d given birth, he’s lain awake thinking of me dying and him raising our son alone. “Your sisters even start encouraging me to date,” he said, revealing just how detailed his imaginings had become. My stomach knotted up. I asked him how old Alex is in his scenario. “Young,” he said, and turned his head away. “Don’t be crazy,” I told him, wiping tears from my face, trying, as always, to be strong, positive and upbeat. “I’m not going anywhere.” But the truth is, I’ve been thinking about the same thing.
So happy and so scared
In some ways, it’s still hard to believe Alexander James Ruddy is here (that’s partly because I’ve blocked out the 12 hours of labor and delivery). Even as I watched my belly grow, I refused to acknowledge that I’d risked my life to get pregnant. Since Gleevec enabled me to live like a normal person, I focused on that, rather than fretting about what could happen. These days, though, I am worrying about myself and letting my mind go to dark places. I can’t help it. I’m a cancer patient and a mother—two identities that don’t mix very well. Doctors don’t know for sure how long Gleevec will keep me in remission. What would happen if it quit working? How could I ever leave Alex without a mommy?
These thoughts haunt me when I’m rocking Alex in his chair, giving him Eskimo kisses and humming lullabies I can’t remember the words to. I stare down at him and want to say a million things—that he is worth every ache and worry, that I promise I will never leave him—but as soon as I start talking, I cry. I just can’t get the words out. The most I can whisper is “I love you” before my tears start dripping onto his chubby little cheeks. Sometimes, they’re tears of joy; sometimes, they’re tears of fear. I’ve cried more since having Alex than I ever did in my entire life.
Of course, I don’t want Alex to think his mommy is a freak, so we do other things besides crying. We watch The Ellen DeGeneres Show, go for long walks along the Hudson River and make up silly songs; my current favorite is the one about Alex peeing in his own face, which I let him do once (rookie error). I’m trying hard to focus on how beautiful he is—and how lucky I am. Six years ago I didn’t know if I would live to see my next birthday. Next month I turn 30, and Nick and I have a healthy baby boy. Someday, I hope, I’ll be able to get the words out to tell Alex just what he means to us.
Leukemia patient and Glamour editor Erin Zammett Ruddy is ecstatic to be a mom—and determined to always be there for her son.
In 2001 Erin Zammett Ruddy, now 29, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a cancer that until recently proved fatal for many patients. For almost six years she’s been taking a lifesaving drug called Gleevec and chronicling her experiences in these pages. Last December Erin went off it to get pregnant; fortunately, the disease stayed at bay. Now she’s back on her meds and trying to enjoy her baby as she struggles with her uncertainty over the future.
View Erin’s baby album
With Alex, my tiny miracle, two days after he was born
Late the other night, Nick and I were sitting in bed and obsessing over Alex, our three-month-old: Was he eating enough, sleeping enough, you-know-what-ing enough? And then, out of the blue, Nick told me that every night since I’d given birth, he’s lain awake thinking of me dying and him raising our son alone. “Your sisters even start encouraging me to date,” he said, revealing just how detailed his imaginings had become. My stomach knotted up. I asked him how old Alex is in his scenario. “Young,” he said, and turned his head away. “Don’t be crazy,” I told him, wiping tears from my face, trying, as always, to be strong, positive and upbeat. “I’m not going anywhere.” But the truth is, I’ve been thinking about the same thing.
So happy and so scared
In some ways, it’s still hard to believe Alexander James Ruddy is here (that’s partly because I’ve blocked out the 12 hours of labor and delivery). Even as I watched my belly grow, I refused to acknowledge that I’d risked my life to get pregnant. Since Gleevec enabled me to live like a normal person, I focused on that, rather than fretting about what could happen. These days, though, I am worrying about myself and letting my mind go to dark places. I can’t help it. I’m a cancer patient and a mother—two identities that don’t mix very well. Doctors don’t know for sure how long Gleevec will keep me in remission. What would happen if it quit working? How could I ever leave Alex without a mommy?
These thoughts haunt me when I’m rocking Alex in his chair, giving him Eskimo kisses and humming lullabies I can’t remember the words to. I stare down at him and want to say a million things—that he is worth every ache and worry, that I promise I will never leave him—but as soon as I start talking, I cry. I just can’t get the words out. The most I can whisper is “I love you” before my tears start dripping onto his chubby little cheeks. Sometimes, they’re tears of joy; sometimes, they’re tears of fear. I’ve cried more since having Alex than I ever did in my entire life.
Of course, I don’t want Alex to think his mommy is a freak, so we do other things besides crying. We watch The Ellen DeGeneres Show, go for long walks along the Hudson River and make up silly songs; my current favorite is the one about Alex peeing in his own face, which I let him do once (rookie error). I’m trying hard to focus on how beautiful he is—and how lucky I am. Six years ago I didn’t know if I would live to see my next birthday. Next month I turn 30, and Nick and I have a healthy baby boy. Someday, I hope, I’ll be able to get the words out to tell Alex just what he means to us.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Friday, November 09, 2007
Companies handle information overload with e-mail-free Fridays
12:13 AM CST on Friday, November 9, 2007
By JENNIFER CHAMBERLAIN / The Dallas Morning News
jchamberlain@dallasnews.com
First Fridays were casual. Now, at some offices, they’re e-mail free.
Advances in workplace technology have made it easier to communicate, but they’ve also led to a backlash against information overload. The concept of a day without e-mail first emerged in England about six years ago, when confectionary company Nestle Rowntree announced a Friday e-mail ban.
Also Online
Tell us: What do you think of e-mail free Fridays?
More recently, engineers at Intel in Santa Clara, Calif., announced a "Zero Email Friday" initiative. On Intel’s IT@Intel Blog, Nathan Zeldes explains that the idea isn’t to ban electronic correspondence but rather to encourage face-to-face interaction.
Dallas-Fort Worth companies are also taking measures to get a handle on information overload, though some say a day without e-mail isn’t a practical solution.
Commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has started experimenting with e-mail-free Fridays in its Addison office. In addition to boosting productivity, the initiative has facilitated more interaction among the 100 or so employees who work on the same floor, said Brian Jensen, managing director of global communications.
"What that means for us is that any communication on that floor amongst your peers has to be done face-to-face or at least by telephone," he said. Employees are permitted to send e-mails to clients or people outside the office, or to send electronic documents if needed.
The company tries to make the initiative fun, posting signs around the office and designating "e-mail police" to enforce the rule, Mr. Jensen said. It’s been an "eye-opening" experience, he said, and reactions have been mixed, but positive overall.
"Some people are so chained to e-mail that it just really messes with their world if you attempt to throttle their e-mail," he said. "Other people are so put off by their e-mail world that they light up when you tell them about e-mail-free Friday."
For Nortel Networks, a day without e-mail isn’t practical, said Wes Durow, vice president, enterprise strategy and marketing. The Canadian company, with U.S. headquarters in Richardson, has about 33,000 employees and does business in 150 companies around the world.
"Each month there are about 34 million e-mail messages that transverse our e-mail network, and 34 million minutes of voice conversation," Mr. Durow said.
Nortel has adopted a unified communications system that ties together e-mail, voice mail, instant messaging, multimedia conferencing and other modes of communication into a centralized system. It enables an employee to see whether others on the system are available by phone, e-mail, etc., and choose the best way to interact with them, Mr. Durow said.
"Not only do you have presence, but you also have context," he said. "It’s not only about easing the burden of all these overwhelming communications, it’s about helping them interact within context and be more efficient. E-mail is not going to go away, but how we communicate is going to change radically over the next few years."
Nortel implemented its unified communications system about four years ago, and has realized about $20 million in savings since then, Mr. Durow said. Additionally, the system gives workers more flexibility. About 10 percent of Nortel’s employees work from home, and an additional 40 percent are "nomadic," Mr. Durow said.
"Time is a precious commodity in all of our lives," he said. "If I have the ability to work from home effectively, then work becomes an activity and not a place with this type of technology."
Texas Instruments Inc. is also exploring the possibility of using unified communications technology, said Laura McGee, manager of e-mail and calendaring in the information technology services department. The Dallas-based company employs 38,000 people in 100 locations worldwide.
But in the meantime, she said, banning e-mail for even one day wouldn’t work.
"We’re a very global company with manufacturing and design occurring around the world all the time," she said. "It’s kind of difficult for us to say we’ll just get up and go talk to somebody because they might be in another time zone."
Instead, the company has focused its efforts on an aggressive spam-filtering program.
"In September, we had 48.3 million messages identified as spam, and we blocked 90 percent of the incoming mail as spam," she said.
Ms. McGee’s findings are in line with the latest research. Spam made up 95 percent of all e-mails in the third quarter of 2007, according to a report by Commtouch Software, an e-mail security firm.
Ms. McGee said employees complain about meetings more than e-mails as being time wasters. Although it’s not a companywide initiative, some employee groups have meeting-free Fridays to give employees more time to work on projects.
Nevertheless, information overload is a serious issue in many offices, and it’s not going away.
"I would say it’s up near the top, right up there with bad bosses," said John Challenger, chief executive of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. "It’s definitely a necessity of the modern workplace — the cat’s out of the bag now, and we’re not going back to no e-mail. It’s more that we have to figure out boundaries for when e-mail gets too intrusive." Boundary-setting encompasses a whole range of trends, such as shorter vacations and “BlackBerry addiction,” that make workers feel tethered to the office.
"t’s kind of like kudzu. It’s taken over everything, and it’s happened so quickly and totally that there’s no escape, and we haven’t caught up with it to find ways to work out those boundaries," Mr. Challenger said.
PICK YOUR E-MAIL STYLE
To tame your inbox, you first need to determine your work style, says John Challenger, chief executive of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
Push-model: If you need a constant stream of reminders to keep you on track, use technology that “pushes” information to you. Set your e-mail or BlackBerry to flash or chime when you have a new message or to remind you of tasks.
Get-model: If you find yourself overwhelmed by information, turn off those notifications and set aside specific times during the day to “get” your e-mail.
If you’re a boss: “Managers need to understand how to work with people in both camps and not try to fit everybody into the same box, and they could certainly give people training on how to manage their e-mail better,” Mr. Challenger said.
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12:13 AM CST on Friday, November 9, 2007
By JENNIFER CHAMBERLAIN / The Dallas Morning News
jchamberlain@dallasnews.com
First Fridays were casual. Now, at some offices, they’re e-mail free.
Advances in workplace technology have made it easier to communicate, but they’ve also led to a backlash against information overload. The concept of a day without e-mail first emerged in England about six years ago, when confectionary company Nestle Rowntree announced a Friday e-mail ban.
Also Online
Tell us: What do you think of e-mail free Fridays?
More recently, engineers at Intel in Santa Clara, Calif., announced a "Zero Email Friday" initiative. On Intel’s IT@Intel Blog, Nathan Zeldes explains that the idea isn’t to ban electronic correspondence but rather to encourage face-to-face interaction.
Dallas-Fort Worth companies are also taking measures to get a handle on information overload, though some say a day without e-mail isn’t a practical solution.
Commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has started experimenting with e-mail-free Fridays in its Addison office. In addition to boosting productivity, the initiative has facilitated more interaction among the 100 or so employees who work on the same floor, said Brian Jensen, managing director of global communications.
"What that means for us is that any communication on that floor amongst your peers has to be done face-to-face or at least by telephone," he said. Employees are permitted to send e-mails to clients or people outside the office, or to send electronic documents if needed.
The company tries to make the initiative fun, posting signs around the office and designating "e-mail police" to enforce the rule, Mr. Jensen said. It’s been an "eye-opening" experience, he said, and reactions have been mixed, but positive overall.
"Some people are so chained to e-mail that it just really messes with their world if you attempt to throttle their e-mail," he said. "Other people are so put off by their e-mail world that they light up when you tell them about e-mail-free Friday."
For Nortel Networks, a day without e-mail isn’t practical, said Wes Durow, vice president, enterprise strategy and marketing. The Canadian company, with U.S. headquarters in Richardson, has about 33,000 employees and does business in 150 companies around the world.
"Each month there are about 34 million e-mail messages that transverse our e-mail network, and 34 million minutes of voice conversation," Mr. Durow said.
Nortel has adopted a unified communications system that ties together e-mail, voice mail, instant messaging, multimedia conferencing and other modes of communication into a centralized system. It enables an employee to see whether others on the system are available by phone, e-mail, etc., and choose the best way to interact with them, Mr. Durow said.
"Not only do you have presence, but you also have context," he said. "It’s not only about easing the burden of all these overwhelming communications, it’s about helping them interact within context and be more efficient. E-mail is not going to go away, but how we communicate is going to change radically over the next few years."
Nortel implemented its unified communications system about four years ago, and has realized about $20 million in savings since then, Mr. Durow said. Additionally, the system gives workers more flexibility. About 10 percent of Nortel’s employees work from home, and an additional 40 percent are "nomadic," Mr. Durow said.
"Time is a precious commodity in all of our lives," he said. "If I have the ability to work from home effectively, then work becomes an activity and not a place with this type of technology."
Texas Instruments Inc. is also exploring the possibility of using unified communications technology, said Laura McGee, manager of e-mail and calendaring in the information technology services department. The Dallas-based company employs 38,000 people in 100 locations worldwide.
But in the meantime, she said, banning e-mail for even one day wouldn’t work.
"We’re a very global company with manufacturing and design occurring around the world all the time," she said. "It’s kind of difficult for us to say we’ll just get up and go talk to somebody because they might be in another time zone."
Instead, the company has focused its efforts on an aggressive spam-filtering program.
"In September, we had 48.3 million messages identified as spam, and we blocked 90 percent of the incoming mail as spam," she said.
Ms. McGee’s findings are in line with the latest research. Spam made up 95 percent of all e-mails in the third quarter of 2007, according to a report by Commtouch Software, an e-mail security firm.
Ms. McGee said employees complain about meetings more than e-mails as being time wasters. Although it’s not a companywide initiative, some employee groups have meeting-free Fridays to give employees more time to work on projects.
Nevertheless, information overload is a serious issue in many offices, and it’s not going away.
"I would say it’s up near the top, right up there with bad bosses," said John Challenger, chief executive of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. "It’s definitely a necessity of the modern workplace — the cat’s out of the bag now, and we’re not going back to no e-mail. It’s more that we have to figure out boundaries for when e-mail gets too intrusive." Boundary-setting encompasses a whole range of trends, such as shorter vacations and “BlackBerry addiction,” that make workers feel tethered to the office.
"t’s kind of like kudzu. It’s taken over everything, and it’s happened so quickly and totally that there’s no escape, and we haven’t caught up with it to find ways to work out those boundaries," Mr. Challenger said.
PICK YOUR E-MAIL STYLE
To tame your inbox, you first need to determine your work style, says John Challenger, chief executive of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
Push-model: If you need a constant stream of reminders to keep you on track, use technology that “pushes” information to you. Set your e-mail or BlackBerry to flash or chime when you have a new message or to remind you of tasks.
Get-model: If you find yourself overwhelmed by information, turn off those notifications and set aside specific times during the day to “get” your e-mail.
If you’re a boss: “Managers need to understand how to work with people in both camps and not try to fit everybody into the same box, and they could certainly give people training on how to manage their e-mail better,” Mr. Challenger said.
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This was posted on DallasAreaMoms.com today:
> > My sad heart...
> > ________________________________
> >
> > I'm posting this really late, cause I can't sleep,
> > my heart is heavy
> > with sadness... today this adorable little Jack
> > Russell Terrier Mix came
> > up to my front door and sat on my porch. He was so
> > cute and wanting to
> > come in. Of course the kids were all over the glass
> > door wanting this
> > dog in our house. If I didn't have two other dogs
> > and a cat, I would
> > have kept him. Anyway, I put him in our backyard and
> > was going to make a
> > poster of this found dog. I called my neighbor and
> > she said, she thought
> > there was a poster for him already on our corner.
> > Sure enough, there was
> > one. So I figured that his owners didn't want him
> > anymore and I wanted
> > to get him adopted out. I called Little Elm animal
> > control and they said
> > they would get him and find him a home. Well I think
> > they lied to me. I
> > found out that the Little Elm Shelter is a KILL
> > SHELTER. While, I know
> > they do adoptions, I didn' know they kill the
> > animals they don't adopt
> > out. I thought they would find something for the
> > animals. I'm so sad
> > that now I just can't stop thinking of this little
> > dog and to make
> > matters worse I looked at all the other animals on
> > thier site and some
> > of them it says their time is running out... ugh!!!!
> > I hate to think
> > about these things.
> > I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you have room
> > in your home and
> > heart or know someone that does, please look at this
> > site and adopt a
> > dog or cat. Some of the dogs here are sooo sad
> > looking. They have a
> > Golden Retriever and some cute puppy Black Labs.
> > The dog I found is on page 2, they named him
> > Scooter. Their adoptions
> > are really cheap... only $10.00
> >
> http://www.littleelmtx.us/index.asp?Type=GALLERY&SEC={AD09007D-0885-4A9D
> > -A303-7CD16B9135C0}
> >
>
> > Scroll down on the left side to see the tab for
> > Little Elm Dogs and Cats
> > to see the photos and their stories...
> >
> > Please help if you can!!
> >
> > My sad heart...
> > ________________________________
> >
> > I'm posting this really late, cause I can't sleep,
> > my heart is heavy
> > with sadness... today this adorable little Jack
> > Russell Terrier Mix came
> > up to my front door and sat on my porch. He was so
> > cute and wanting to
> > come in. Of course the kids were all over the glass
> > door wanting this
> > dog in our house. If I didn't have two other dogs
> > and a cat, I would
> > have kept him. Anyway, I put him in our backyard and
> > was going to make a
> > poster of this found dog. I called my neighbor and
> > she said, she thought
> > there was a poster for him already on our corner.
> > Sure enough, there was
> > one. So I figured that his owners didn't want him
> > anymore and I wanted
> > to get him adopted out. I called Little Elm animal
> > control and they said
> > they would get him and find him a home. Well I think
> > they lied to me. I
> > found out that the Little Elm Shelter is a KILL
> > SHELTER. While, I know
> > they do adoptions, I didn' know they kill the
> > animals they don't adopt
> > out. I thought they would find something for the
> > animals. I'm so sad
> > that now I just can't stop thinking of this little
> > dog and to make
> > matters worse I looked at all the other animals on
> > thier site and some
> > of them it says their time is running out... ugh!!!!
> > I hate to think
> > about these things.
> > I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you have room
> > in your home and
> > heart or know someone that does, please look at this
> > site and adopt a
> > dog or cat. Some of the dogs here are sooo sad
> > looking. They have a
> > Golden Retriever and some cute puppy Black Labs.
> > The dog I found is on page 2, they named him
> > Scooter. Their adoptions
> > are really cheap... only $10.00
> >
> http://www.littleelmtx.us/index.asp?Type=GALLERY&SEC={AD09007D-0885-4A9D
> > -A303-7CD16B9135C0}
> >
>
> > Scroll down on the left side to see the tab for
> > Little Elm Dogs and Cats
> > to see the photos and their stories...
> >
> > Please help if you can!!
> >
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007 (SF Chronicle)
Medicare drug plans are changing - and costing more
Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer
Medicare beneficiaries who fail to examine next year's changes to
their
prescription drug plans may find the price of their pills tougher to
swallow come Jan. 1.
Enrollment begins Nov. 15 for the new crop of drug plans, and health
advocates warn that people are likely to see increases in their monthly
premiums - and no guarantees that drugs covered under their plan this
year
will be covered in 2008. Among the changes:
-- Monthly premiums for drug plans paired with traditional Medicare
will
increase in California by an average of 24 percent.
-- Nationwide, about 75 percent of enrollees in drug plans face
premium
hikes if they stay in the same plan next year.
-- Millions of low-income and disabled people covered by both
Medicare and
Medicaid - about 500,000 of whom live in California - automatically
will
be switched to new plans that may or may not cover their drugs.
"It may feel like the same old thing and not worth changing. But, in
fact,
plans are changing, and consumers may find themselves better off making
a
switch," said Tricia Neuman, vice president of the Kaiser Family
Foundation.
Since the federal government added prescription drug coverage to its
Medicare benefits in 2006, about 24 million of America's 43 million
seniors have taken advantage of the new option. The program, known as
Medicare Part D, is administered by private companies that are approved
by
the federal government to sell drug plans.
Medicare is available to people 65 and older and those who qualify
because
of disability or income level.
There are two main ways to get drug coverage under Medicare. One is
to be
covered by traditional Medicare and buy a separate Part D drug plan for
an
additional monthly fee. But a growing number of plans combine health
and
prescription coverage under one roof, which means medical and drug
services are handled by a private company.
Under this free-market approach, more than 1,800 plans are available
nationwide. In California, seniors have their choice of 56 stand-alone
plans, all of which are available statewide.
An additional 180 Medicare health plans, which can come in the form
of a
health maintenance organization, or HMO, are sold throughout the state,
but where those plans are offered varies by county. In addition, there
are
newer forms of Medicare benefits known as private fee-for-service
plans,
some of which have come under fire from consumer groups and the federal
government for marketing abuses.
This dizzying array of options offers beneficiaries both choice and
confusion. But Medicare officials say more choice means competition.
"There are a lot of choices because the market is robust," said Jeff
Nelligan, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"Why go into a supermarket and only confine yourself to the first two
aisles? More choices mean more value."
According to Medicare officials, the average monthly premium for
Part D
coverage in 2008 will be $25, up from $22 this year.
This is far lower than the $41 monthly premium predicted by the
federal
government at the beginning of the program. But consumer and health
advocates say the numbers are misleading because they include both the
stand-alone plans and the Medicare health plans, also known as Medicare
Advantage, which are more highly subsidized by the government and are
eligible for rebates not available to standard Part D plans. Some
Medicare
Advantage plans have no premiums.
Californians who stay in the same stand-alone prescription drug plan
will
experience an average 31 percent premium increase next year, said Chris
Perrone, senior program officer for the California HealthCare
Foundation.
Advocates found the average cost of a stand-alone plan in California
for
2008 will increase by 24 percent.
The cheapest plan available this year in California will go up 96
percent.
People who choose that plan, WellCare's Classic plan at $9.70, will
find
themselves paying $19 a month if they stay the course in 2008. Next
year,
First Health Part D Secure offers the state's lowest cost plan at
$14.30 a
month.
"Every single beneficiary is exposed to instability and
unpredictability,"
said Kevin Prindiville, an attorney with the National Senior Citizens
Law
Center in Oakland. "Everyone should be looking at their plan changes
and
making sure the plan they enrolled in is really the best plan for
them."
Prindiville's group is most concerned with the 1.2 million poor and
disabled Californians who are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, a
joint state and federal program for the indigent known here as
Medi-Cal.
About 600,000 of these dually eligible residents are enrolled in
plans
that didn't have a monthly premium in 2007, but now cost too much to be
offered to these recipients in 2008.
The bulk of these beneficiaries automatically will be switched to
new
plans, but those who are not will face higher premiums. Prindiville
said
there's no guarantee that their new plans will cover the drugs needed
by
this vulnerable population, which tends to be the sickest and poorest
in
the state.
Health advocates also are concerned about the low number of plans
offering
brand-name as opposed to just generic drug coverage through the
infamous
"doughnut hole," a coverage gap built into the program to reduce the
cost
of the benefit.
If consumers hit the hole, they are responsible for 100 percent of
their
drug costs until - or unless - they spend themselves out of the hole.
Next
year, plans pay 75 percent of drug costs until a beneficiary's total
drug
tab hits $2,510. After that point, seniors must pay all drug costs
until
their out-of-pocket spending hits $4,050 and comprehensive coverage
resumes.
Despite their differences, both advocates and Medicare officials
agree
that consumers need to be aware of the changing Medicare marketplace.
"Every year, we talk about having your annual checkup for your
health.
Every year, through this open enrollment period, you should have an
annual
prescription drug checkup," said Dr. Charlotte Yeh, acting director of
Medicare's San Francisco regional office.
You'd better shop around
Open enrollment to choose a new Medicare prescription drug benefit
is Nov.
15-Dec. 31. Those who want to switch plans should do so by early
December
to ensure their benefits start smoothly Jan. 1. Many senior centers
offer
counseling services. Other resources:
-- Medicare.gov offers the most comprehensive online tools to help
consumers pick a plan. The same information will be available at (800)
633-4227.
-- The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program offers free
individual counseling. Call (800) 434-0222 to be directed to HICAP in
your
county, or go to calmedicare.org.
-- The Medicare Rights Center provides Medicare Part D information
at
medicarerights.org.
-- Benefitscheckup.org is maintained by the National Council on
Aging and
supported by major drugstores, insurers and pharmaceutical companies.
-- AARP does not offer individual counseling but does help with
general
information about Part D. Visit aarp.org or call (888) 687-2277.
Source:
Chronicle research
E-mail Victoria Colliver at vcolliver@sfchronicle.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2007 SF Chronicle
Medicare drug plans are changing - and costing more
Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer
Medicare beneficiaries who fail to examine next year's changes to
their
prescription drug plans may find the price of their pills tougher to
swallow come Jan. 1.
Enrollment begins Nov. 15 for the new crop of drug plans, and health
advocates warn that people are likely to see increases in their monthly
premiums - and no guarantees that drugs covered under their plan this
year
will be covered in 2008. Among the changes:
-- Monthly premiums for drug plans paired with traditional Medicare
will
increase in California by an average of 24 percent.
-- Nationwide, about 75 percent of enrollees in drug plans face
premium
hikes if they stay in the same plan next year.
-- Millions of low-income and disabled people covered by both
Medicare and
Medicaid - about 500,000 of whom live in California - automatically
will
be switched to new plans that may or may not cover their drugs.
"It may feel like the same old thing and not worth changing. But, in
fact,
plans are changing, and consumers may find themselves better off making
a
switch," said Tricia Neuman, vice president of the Kaiser Family
Foundation.
Since the federal government added prescription drug coverage to its
Medicare benefits in 2006, about 24 million of America's 43 million
seniors have taken advantage of the new option. The program, known as
Medicare Part D, is administered by private companies that are approved
by
the federal government to sell drug plans.
Medicare is available to people 65 and older and those who qualify
because
of disability or income level.
There are two main ways to get drug coverage under Medicare. One is
to be
covered by traditional Medicare and buy a separate Part D drug plan for
an
additional monthly fee. But a growing number of plans combine health
and
prescription coverage under one roof, which means medical and drug
services are handled by a private company.
Under this free-market approach, more than 1,800 plans are available
nationwide. In California, seniors have their choice of 56 stand-alone
plans, all of which are available statewide.
An additional 180 Medicare health plans, which can come in the form
of a
health maintenance organization, or HMO, are sold throughout the state,
but where those plans are offered varies by county. In addition, there
are
newer forms of Medicare benefits known as private fee-for-service
plans,
some of which have come under fire from consumer groups and the federal
government for marketing abuses.
This dizzying array of options offers beneficiaries both choice and
confusion. But Medicare officials say more choice means competition.
"There are a lot of choices because the market is robust," said Jeff
Nelligan, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"Why go into a supermarket and only confine yourself to the first two
aisles? More choices mean more value."
According to Medicare officials, the average monthly premium for
Part D
coverage in 2008 will be $25, up from $22 this year.
This is far lower than the $41 monthly premium predicted by the
federal
government at the beginning of the program. But consumer and health
advocates say the numbers are misleading because they include both the
stand-alone plans and the Medicare health plans, also known as Medicare
Advantage, which are more highly subsidized by the government and are
eligible for rebates not available to standard Part D plans. Some
Medicare
Advantage plans have no premiums.
Californians who stay in the same stand-alone prescription drug plan
will
experience an average 31 percent premium increase next year, said Chris
Perrone, senior program officer for the California HealthCare
Foundation.
Advocates found the average cost of a stand-alone plan in California
for
2008 will increase by 24 percent.
The cheapest plan available this year in California will go up 96
percent.
People who choose that plan, WellCare's Classic plan at $9.70, will
find
themselves paying $19 a month if they stay the course in 2008. Next
year,
First Health Part D Secure offers the state's lowest cost plan at
$14.30 a
month.
"Every single beneficiary is exposed to instability and
unpredictability,"
said Kevin Prindiville, an attorney with the National Senior Citizens
Law
Center in Oakland. "Everyone should be looking at their plan changes
and
making sure the plan they enrolled in is really the best plan for
them."
Prindiville's group is most concerned with the 1.2 million poor and
disabled Californians who are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, a
joint state and federal program for the indigent known here as
Medi-Cal.
About 600,000 of these dually eligible residents are enrolled in
plans
that didn't have a monthly premium in 2007, but now cost too much to be
offered to these recipients in 2008.
The bulk of these beneficiaries automatically will be switched to
new
plans, but those who are not will face higher premiums. Prindiville
said
there's no guarantee that their new plans will cover the drugs needed
by
this vulnerable population, which tends to be the sickest and poorest
in
the state.
Health advocates also are concerned about the low number of plans
offering
brand-name as opposed to just generic drug coverage through the
infamous
"doughnut hole," a coverage gap built into the program to reduce the
cost
of the benefit.
If consumers hit the hole, they are responsible for 100 percent of
their
drug costs until - or unless - they spend themselves out of the hole.
Next
year, plans pay 75 percent of drug costs until a beneficiary's total
drug
tab hits $2,510. After that point, seniors must pay all drug costs
until
their out-of-pocket spending hits $4,050 and comprehensive coverage
resumes.
Despite their differences, both advocates and Medicare officials
agree
that consumers need to be aware of the changing Medicare marketplace.
"Every year, we talk about having your annual checkup for your
health.
Every year, through this open enrollment period, you should have an
annual
prescription drug checkup," said Dr. Charlotte Yeh, acting director of
Medicare's San Francisco regional office.
You'd better shop around
Open enrollment to choose a new Medicare prescription drug benefit
is Nov.
15-Dec. 31. Those who want to switch plans should do so by early
December
to ensure their benefits start smoothly Jan. 1. Many senior centers
offer
counseling services. Other resources:
-- Medicare.gov offers the most comprehensive online tools to help
consumers pick a plan. The same information will be available at (800)
633-4227.
-- The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program offers free
individual counseling. Call (800) 434-0222 to be directed to HICAP in
your
county, or go to calmedicare.org.
-- The Medicare Rights Center provides Medicare Part D information
at
medicarerights.org.
-- Benefitscheckup.org is maintained by the National Council on
Aging and
supported by major drugstores, insurers and pharmaceutical companies.
-- AARP does not offer individual counseling but does help with
general
information about Part D. Visit aarp.org or call (888) 687-2277.
Source:
Chronicle research
E-mail Victoria Colliver at vcolliver@sfchronicle.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2007 SF Chronicle
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Subject: Catster Wishes Marbles a Happy Birthday
Dear Marbles,
Meow meow!
We want to wish you a very Happy Birthday full of love and joy and purring. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate it with you!
Marbles will be profiled today with other birthday kitties on Catster's special Birthday Stroll.
Since it's your birthday we want to give you something special, so we have given you 25 Catster treats and one vote of 5 Paws! Catster loves you!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Catster
Dear Marbles,
Meow meow!
We want to wish you a very Happy Birthday full of love and joy and purring. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate it with you!
Marbles will be profiled today with other birthday kitties on Catster's special Birthday Stroll.
Since it's your birthday we want to give you something special, so we have given you 25 Catster treats and one vote of 5 Paws! Catster loves you!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Catster
Monday, October 29, 2007
A cabbie picks up a Nun.
She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY handsome cab driver won’t stop staring at her.
She asks him why he is staring.
He replies, “I have a question to ask you but I don’t want to offend you.”
She answers, “My son, you cannot offend me. When you’re as old as I am and have been a Nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I’m sure that there’s nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.”
“Well, I’ve always had a fantasy to have a Nun kiss me.”
She responds, “Well, let’s see what we can do about that: #1 you have to be single, and #2 you must be Catholic.”
The cab driver is very excited and says, “Yes, I’m single and Catholic!”
“Ok” the Nun says. “Pull into the next alley”
The Nun fulfills his fantasy, with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.
But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.
“My dear child,” says the Nun, “why are you crying?”
“Forgive me but I’ve sinned. I lied and I must confess, I’m married and I’m Jewish.”
The Nun says, “That’s okay. My name is Kevin and I’m going to a Halloween party!”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY handsome cab driver won’t stop staring at her.
She asks him why he is staring.
He replies, “I have a question to ask you but I don’t want to offend you.”
She answers, “My son, you cannot offend me. When you’re as old as I am and have been a Nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I’m sure that there’s nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.”
“Well, I’ve always had a fantasy to have a Nun kiss me.”
She responds, “Well, let’s see what we can do about that: #1 you have to be single, and #2 you must be Catholic.”
The cab driver is very excited and says, “Yes, I’m single and Catholic!”
“Ok” the Nun says. “Pull into the next alley”
The Nun fulfills his fantasy, with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.
But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.
“My dear child,” says the Nun, “why are you crying?”
“Forgive me but I’ve sinned. I lied and I must confess, I’m married and I’m Jewish.”
The Nun says, “That’s okay. My name is Kevin and I’m going to a Halloween party!”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Scammers
step_bowler@yahoo.com
Username: bowler00Email: step_bowler@yahoo.comSignup
IP: 216.118.251.22male 52 years old San deigo United
States, Alabama (no picture) Scam message mass-mailed:
Hello, What a wonderful and fascinating profile you
had, so i'm sending you an email and show my
interest.Have been on this for less than 1week now and
i'm in search of my Soul & Dream Mate,Lover,Wife and
Life Companion,let me give you a brief introduction of
me.My name is Stephen Bowler,But my mom was a british
born.I'm an Electrical enginner with a Master Degree,
I have a good sense of humour...I live in san diego
Ca.I'm a widower been widowed for 6yrs now.I have just
only 1 lovely Daughter left her name is Lisa .After
the sudden and devasting death of my wife Who was a
wondeful,sweet and caring wife and mother.She was also
a teacher and she died by a Car Accident on her way
back from church.Have been single for the past 6
years, am a man with a strong heart,loving, caring,
honest, compassionate,affectionate, i also believe in
God.I like swining, camping,fishing,reading &
writting,tennis,American
Football,Basketball,Baseball,g olfing,swim ming
etc.When i read through your profile i was really
amazed and motivated to send you an email and show my
interest..I would want us to continue this
conversation further through my email which is
step_bowler@yahoo.com and if you use a Yahoo Messenger
my IM is step_bowler"Hope to hear from you very
soon.Have a Nice day. Stephen Bowler
--- Steven Bowler
step_bowler@yahoo.com
Username: bowler00Email: step_bowler@yahoo.comSignup
IP: 216.118.251.22male 52 years old San deigo United
States, Alabama (no picture) Scam message mass-mailed:
Hello, What a wonderful and fascinating profile you
had, so i'm sending you an email and show my
interest.Have been on this for less than 1week now and
i'm in search of my Soul & Dream Mate,Lover,Wife and
Life Companion,let me give you a brief introduction of
me.My name is Stephen Bowler,But my mom was a british
born.I'm an Electrical enginner with a Master Degree,
I have a good sense of humour...I live in san diego
Ca.I'm a widower been widowed for 6yrs now.I have just
only 1 lovely Daughter left her name is Lisa .After
the sudden and devasting death of my wife Who was a
wondeful,sweet and caring wife and mother.She was also
a teacher and she died by a Car Accident on her way
back from church.Have been single for the past 6
years, am a man with a strong heart,loving, caring,
honest, compassionate,affectionate, i also believe in
God.I like swining, camping,fishing,reading &
writting,tennis,American
Football,Basketball,Baseball,g olfing,swim ming
etc.When i read through your profile i was really
amazed and motivated to send you an email and show my
interest..I would want us to continue this
conversation further through my email which is
step_bowler@yahoo.com and if you use a Yahoo Messenger
my IM is step_bowler"Hope to hear from you very
soon.Have a Nice day. Stephen Bowler
--- Steven Bowler
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Subject: Blonde's Review of the Year
>
> Subject: a blondes year in review....
> January
> Took new scarf back to store because it was too tight.
>
> February
> Fired from pharmacy job for failing to print labels.....
> Helllloooo!! !.......bottles won't fit in printer !!!
>
> March
> Got really excited..... finished jigsaw puzzle in 6 months.....
> Box said "2-4 years!"
>
> April
> Trapped on escalator for hours .... power went out!!!
>
> May
> Tried to make Kool-Aid.... .wrong instructions. ...8 cups of
> Water won't fit into those little packets!!!
>
> June
> Tried to go water skiing...... .couldn't find a lake with a slope.
>
> July
> Lost breast stroke swimming competition. ....learned later,
> The other swimmers cheated, they used their arms!!!
>
> August
> Got locked out of my car in rain storm.....
> Car swamped because soft-top was open.
>
> September
> The capital of California is "C".....isn' t it???
>
> October
> Hate M & M's.....they are so hard to p eel.
>
> November
> Baked turkey for 4 1/2 days .. instructions said 1 hour
> Per pound and I weigh 108!!
>
> December
> Couldn't call 911 ..... "duh".....there' s no "eleven"
> Button on the stupid phone!!!
>
>
>
> Subject: a blondes year in review....
> January
> Took new scarf back to store because it was too tight.
>
> February
> Fired from pharmacy job for failing to print labels.....
> Helllloooo!! !.......bottles won't fit in printer !!!
>
> March
> Got really excited..... finished jigsaw puzzle in 6 months.....
> Box said "2-4 years!"
>
> April
> Trapped on escalator for hours .... power went out!!!
>
> May
> Tried to make Kool-Aid.... .wrong instructions. ...8 cups of
> Water won't fit into those little packets!!!
>
> June
> Tried to go water skiing...... .couldn't find a lake with a slope.
>
> July
> Lost breast stroke swimming competition. ....learned later,
> The other swimmers cheated, they used their arms!!!
>
> August
> Got locked out of my car in rain storm.....
> Car swamped because soft-top was open.
>
> September
> The capital of California is "C".....isn' t it???
>
> October
> Hate M & M's.....they are so hard to p eel.
>
> November
> Baked turkey for 4 1/2 days .. instructions said 1 hour
> Per pound and I weigh 108!!
>
> December
> Couldn't call 911 ..... "duh".....there' s no "eleven"
> Button on the stupid phone!!!
>
>
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Hey Terri,
I just purchased the book and started reading it – it is wonderful! Thank you for sharing your story – this is a book that will impact people in ways you may never know.....what a great feeling to know you have done something so positive...
Thank you,
Kristine
Kristine French, BSW
Birthparent Intake Counselor
Independent Adoption Center
3774 Lavista Road, Suite 100
Tucker, GA 30084
(office) 404-321-6900
(toll-free) 800-877-6736
(fax) 404-321-6600
kfrench@adoptionhelp.org
I just purchased the book and started reading it – it is wonderful! Thank you for sharing your story – this is a book that will impact people in ways you may never know.....what a great feeling to know you have done something so positive...
Thank you,
Kristine
Kristine French, BSW
Birthparent Intake Counselor
Independent Adoption Center
3774 Lavista Road, Suite 100
Tucker, GA 30084
(office) 404-321-6900
(toll-free) 800-877-6736
(fax) 404-321-6600
kfrench@adoptionhelp.org
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
seagull in Scotland has developed the habit of stealing chips from a neighborhood shop.
The seagull waits until the shopkeeper isn’t looking, and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos.
Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and shared by other birds.
The seagull’s shoplifting started early this month when he first swooped into the store in Aberdeen, Scotland, and helped himself to a bag of chips. Since then, he’s become a regular. He always takes the same type of chips.
Customers have begun paying for the seagull’s stolen bags of chips because they think it’s so funny.
The seagull waits until the shopkeeper isn’t looking, and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos.
Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and shared by other birds.
The seagull’s shoplifting started early this month when he first swooped into the store in Aberdeen, Scotland, and helped himself to a bag of chips. Since then, he’s become a regular. He always takes the same type of chips.
Customers have begun paying for the seagull’s stolen bags of chips because they think it’s so funny.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Hello Friends,
Did you know that there is an area-wide clean-up of the TRINITY RIVER going on this Saturday, the 15th??
There's lots of room for more, if any of you have some time to spare. I could use the help and the river could use it, too.
We'll be working in the White Settlement area.
It's 8:30 am - 11:30 am ,
with a free lunch at Rockwood Park afterward, and a free T-SHirt (wooohoo!)
P.S. Bring the kids.
Did you know that there is an area-wide clean-up of the TRINITY RIVER going on this Saturday, the 15th??
There's lots of room for more, if any of you have some time to spare. I could use the help and the river could use it, too.
We'll be working in the White Settlement area.
It's 8:30 am - 11:30 am ,
with a free lunch at Rockwood Park afterward, and a free T-SHirt (wooohoo!)
P.S. Bring the kids.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Found out about this Fort Worth program yesterday called CAP that helps with electric bills. It stands for Community Action Partners and if you furnish a copy of the current utility bill, i.d., and proof of income by appt. only they will review the case. It's part of the Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Dept.
The phone number is 817-392-1650.
There is also a Cowboy Santas Holiday Program that you call on Sept. 4th to sign up. That number is 817-871-6605.
The phone number is 817-392-1650.
There is also a Cowboy Santas Holiday Program that you call on Sept. 4th to sign up. That number is 817-871-6605.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Terri~
What a gift of love you have given McKenna, as a really doting Mema of Aidan, I truly realize the profound gift... words cannot describe. I am thankful for you for the opportunity you have of sharing her life. It really does give you both, & her mom, such a blessing.
Shelley had planned an open adoption, but after a fiasco where the girl changed her mind (evidently had been with a couple of guys & ended up finding out the baby was the white guy's, which I think was her plan all along, to keep it)... well, to say the least it was an awful, emotional experience, the girl even used their name, so they truly felt like they had miscarried... couldn't even use that name. Made me really sad, as it was my mother's maiden name, Garrett, & Christopher, which was my grandfather's name. So she ended up going the opposite.
At any rate, I am so very thankful for the decision Aidan's birthmom made, & we are determined our baby will have the best life we can provide... not the most affluent, but rich in love & experiences shared. We (I was there when the call came!) got the call about Aidan 12 days after his birth Aug. 19, '03 (just celebrated his 4th!), so it was Aug. 29... she picked him up Aug. 31st! Life has NEVER been the same! Shelley & I both discuss how much that selfless decision made by birthmothers like you means, & I want you to know this... to hear this from my heart.
Virginia
What a gift of love you have given McKenna, as a really doting Mema of Aidan, I truly realize the profound gift... words cannot describe. I am thankful for you for the opportunity you have of sharing her life. It really does give you both, & her mom, such a blessing.
Shelley had planned an open adoption, but after a fiasco where the girl changed her mind (evidently had been with a couple of guys & ended up finding out the baby was the white guy's, which I think was her plan all along, to keep it)... well, to say the least it was an awful, emotional experience, the girl even used their name, so they truly felt like they had miscarried... couldn't even use that name. Made me really sad, as it was my mother's maiden name, Garrett, & Christopher, which was my grandfather's name. So she ended up going the opposite.
At any rate, I am so very thankful for the decision Aidan's birthmom made, & we are determined our baby will have the best life we can provide... not the most affluent, but rich in love & experiences shared. We (I was there when the call came!) got the call about Aidan 12 days after his birth Aug. 19, '03 (just celebrated his 4th!), so it was Aug. 29... she picked him up Aug. 31st! Life has NEVER been the same! Shelley & I both discuss how much that selfless decision made by birthmothers like you means, & I want you to know this... to hear this from my heart.
Virginia
Friday, August 24, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Date: 22 Aug 2007 05:09:58 -0700
The Irishman's Wish
An Irishman is sitting at the end of a bar. He sees a lamp at the end of the table. He walks down to it and rubs it. Out pops a genie. It says, "I will give you three wishes."
The man thinks awhile. Finally he says, "I want a beer that never is empty."
With that, the genie makes a poof sound and on the bar is a bottle of beer. The Irishman starts drinking it and right before it is gone, it starts to refill. The genie asks about his next two wishes.
The man says, "I want two more of these."
Payin' The Bills
People who love a good laugh, You Rule.
Have you heard the one about long-term cell contracts?
Virgin Mobile presents: plans without annual contracts.
Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
The Irishman's Wish
An Irishman is sitting at the end of a bar. He sees a lamp at the end of the table. He walks down to it and rubs it. Out pops a genie. It says, "I will give you three wishes."
The man thinks awhile. Finally he says, "I want a beer that never is empty."
With that, the genie makes a poof sound and on the bar is a bottle of beer. The Irishman starts drinking it and right before it is gone, it starts to refill. The genie asks about his next two wishes.
The man says, "I want two more of these."
Payin' The Bills
People who love a good laugh, You Rule.
Have you heard the one about long-term cell contracts?
Virgin Mobile presents: plans without annual contracts.
Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
Monday, August 20, 2007
Date: 19 Aug 2007 05:09:28 -0700
Surprise Package
A man was drinking in a bar when he noticed this beautiful young lady sitting next to him. "Hello there," says the man, "and what is your name?"
"Hello," giggles the woman, "I'm Stacey. What's yours?"
"I'm Jim."
"Jim, do you want to come over to my house tonight? I mean, right now??"
"Sure!" replies Jim, "Let's go!"
So Stacey takes Jim to her house and takes him to her room. Jim sits down on the bed and notices a picture of a man on Stacey's desk. "Stacey, I noticed the picture of a man on your desk," Jim says.
"Yes? And what about it?" asks Stacey.
"Is it your brother?"
"No, it isn't, Jim!" Stacey giggles. Jim's eyes widen, suspecting that it might be Stacey's husband.
When he finally asks, "Is it your husband?"
Stacey giggles even more, "No, silly!" Jim was relieved.
"Then, it must be your boyfriend!"
Stacey giggles even more while nibbling on Jim's ear. She says, "No, silly!!"
"Then, who is it?" Jim asks.
Stacey replies, "That's me BEFORE my operation!!"
Payin' The Bills
A pose is worth a thousand pictures. Pictures of a pose are
potentially worth a trip Vegas with 5 of your friends.
Submit yours and Captain Morgan may just make your day.
Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
Surprise Package
A man was drinking in a bar when he noticed this beautiful young lady sitting next to him. "Hello there," says the man, "and what is your name?"
"Hello," giggles the woman, "I'm Stacey. What's yours?"
"I'm Jim."
"Jim, do you want to come over to my house tonight? I mean, right now??"
"Sure!" replies Jim, "Let's go!"
So Stacey takes Jim to her house and takes him to her room. Jim sits down on the bed and notices a picture of a man on Stacey's desk. "Stacey, I noticed the picture of a man on your desk," Jim says.
"Yes? And what about it?" asks Stacey.
"Is it your brother?"
"No, it isn't, Jim!" Stacey giggles. Jim's eyes widen, suspecting that it might be Stacey's husband.
When he finally asks, "Is it your husband?"
Stacey giggles even more, "No, silly!" Jim was relieved.
"Then, it must be your boyfriend!"
Stacey giggles even more while nibbling on Jim's ear. She says, "No, silly!!"
"Then, who is it?" Jim asks.
Stacey replies, "That's me BEFORE my operation!!"
Payin' The Bills
A pose is worth a thousand pictures. Pictures of a pose are
potentially worth a trip Vegas with 5 of your friends.
Submit yours and Captain Morgan may just make your day.
Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Invisible Woman
I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something
to my family - like 'Turn the TV down, please' - and nothing would
happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I
would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little
louder, 'Would someone turn the TV down?' Nothing.
Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been
there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was
talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a
break in the conversation, I whispered, 'I'm ready to go when you are.'
He just kept right on talking. That's when I started to put all the
pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can
see me.
I'm invisible.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the
way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and
ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm
on
the phone?' Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or
cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the
corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?
Can
you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands;
I'm
not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a
satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a
car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these
were
the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and
the
mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into
the peanut butter, never to be seen again.
She's going she's going she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of
a
friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip,
and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was
sitting
there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was
hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my
out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.
My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I
could
actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when
Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I
brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly
sure
why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte,
with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one
sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work:
* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no
record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would
never see finished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that
the
eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny
bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why
are
you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied,
'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was
almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see
the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No
act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake
you've
baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a
great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my
own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The
writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever
be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.
As mothers and teachers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be
seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the
world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty
that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible
women...
We are separated from our Creator if we allow our actions to separate
us
from each another.
I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something
to my family - like 'Turn the TV down, please' - and nothing would
happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I
would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little
louder, 'Would someone turn the TV down?' Nothing.
Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been
there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was
talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a
break in the conversation, I whispered, 'I'm ready to go when you are.'
He just kept right on talking. That's when I started to put all the
pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can
see me.
I'm invisible.
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the
way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and
ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm
on
the phone?' Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or
cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the
corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?
Can
you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands;
I'm
not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a
satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a
car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these
were
the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and
the
mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into
the peanut butter, never to be seen again.
She's going she's going she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of
a
friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip,
and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was
sitting
there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was
hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my
out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.
My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I
could
actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when
Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I
brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly
sure
why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte,
with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one
sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work:
* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no
record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would
never see finished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that
the
eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny
bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why
are
you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied,
'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was
almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see
the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No
act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake
you've
baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a
great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my
own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The
writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever
be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.
As mothers and teachers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be
seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the
world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty
that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible
women...
We are separated from our Creator if we allow our actions to separate
us
from each another.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Subject: Comedy Central's Joke of the Day Newsletter
Date: 16 Aug 2007 05:11:16 -0700
The Man With No Voice
One night, a man with no voice and his friend went to a bar. The men at the bar wanted to know what he would like in a woman. He pointed to his head. His friend explained that he wanted a smart woman. Then, he rubbed his thumb on the palm of his hand. His friend explained that he wanted a woman with money. Then, he opened his hands wide, bent his fingers, and made them cupped. He bounced them under his chest. His friend looked at him kinda wierd.
"What the heck do you want a woman with arthritis for?"
Payin' The Bills
A pose is worth a thousand pictures. Pictures of a pose are
potentially worth a trip Vegas with 5 of your friends.
Submit yours and Captain Morgan may just make your day.
Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
Date: 16 Aug 2007 05:11:16 -0700
The Man With No Voice
One night, a man with no voice and his friend went to a bar. The men at the bar wanted to know what he would like in a woman. He pointed to his head. His friend explained that he wanted a smart woman. Then, he rubbed his thumb on the palm of his hand. His friend explained that he wanted a woman with money. Then, he opened his hands wide, bent his fingers, and made them cupped. He bounced them under his chest. His friend looked at him kinda wierd.
"What the heck do you want a woman with arthritis for?"
Payin' The Bills
A pose is worth a thousand pictures. Pictures of a pose are
potentially worth a trip Vegas with 5 of your friends.
Submit yours and Captain Morgan may just make your day.
Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
Monday, August 13, 2007
Subject: Comedy Central's Joke of the Day Newsletter
Date: 13 Aug 2007 05:09:32 -0700
Gettin' Drunk
One day this guy was sitting at this bar in Chicago and looks over and sees this guy that looks exactly like him. He says to the guy, "Hey you look just like me!"
The other man agrees and asks, "Where are you from?"
The first guy answers, "Chicago."
"Me too!" says the second guy, "What street do you live on?"
"Forty-Ninth Street," answers the first guy.
"Me too!" says the second guy, becoming increasingly excited. "What's your address?"
''951."
"Me too! Wow, this is incredible! What are your parents' names?"
"John and Cathy," says the first guy.
"Me too!" shouts the second guy. "I wonder if we're related!?"
Meanwhile, the bartenders are changing shifts and the guy coming on asks if anything is new.
"No," says the first bartender, "just the Smith twins, drunk again."
Comedy Central Daily Joke, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY 10019
Copyright © 1995 - 2007 Comedy Central. All rights reserved.
Date: 13 Aug 2007 05:09:32 -0700
Gettin' Drunk
One day this guy was sitting at this bar in Chicago and looks over and sees this guy that looks exactly like him. He says to the guy, "Hey you look just like me!"
The other man agrees and asks, "Where are you from?"
The first guy answers, "Chicago."
"Me too!" says the second guy, "What street do you live on?"
"Forty-Ninth Street," answers the first guy.
"Me too!" says the second guy, becoming increasingly excited. "What's your address?"
''951."
"Me too! Wow, this is incredible! What are your parents' names?"
"John and Cathy," says the first guy.
"Me too!" shouts the second guy. "I wonder if we're related!?"
Meanwhile, the bartenders are changing shifts and the guy coming on asks if anything is new.
"No," says the first bartender, "just the Smith twins, drunk again."
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