The weather [this month] not only played havoc on retail sales but ruined many holiday celebrations by causing electrical outages, undelivered packages and [poor travel conditions]. December brought the coldest weather some areas have seen in decades, [including] a reading of 135.8 degrees below zero [...] in Antarctica, [...] the lowest temperature ever recorded on … Continue reading Did Not Make It Home for the Holidays
Category: Blog
Can Small Businesses Survive This Christmas?
[Supported by] Black Friday, Cyber Monday and, [now], Small Business Saturday, [sales made in] November and December [...] represent as much as 40% of yearly retail stores sales, according to the National Retail Federation. [With] Thanksgiving [falling] so late on the calendar [in 2013], [though] there are six fewer shopping days between [then] and Christmas. [...] … Continue reading Can Small Businesses Survive This Christmas?
It Really Does Take a Village
The partial government shutdown for 16 days caused some Americans to lose hope in our democratic way of life. If our elected officials can’t get along, what does that say about how the normal citizen can get along with their neighbors? If we can’t take care of ourselves and the basic functions of daily living, … Continue reading It Really Does Take a Village
Brother, Can You Spare a Milk-Bone®?
The effort in the recent Colorado floods shows our rescue missions for animals have come a long way since the pet loss disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where people would not evacuate for fear of leaving their pets. CBS reported that some helicopters rescuing people in the Colorado flooding carried more dogs, … Continue reading Brother, Can You Spare a Milk-Bone®?
It’s Too Expensive to Go to College Anymore
According to the [United States] Census Bureau, there are 59 million people 25 years or older who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Business [remains] the most popular major, with 12 million [graduates], while [e]ducation [is] the second most popular, with 8 million [graduates]. The median income for high school [graduates]—[those] who [have] never [gone] … Continue reading It’s Too Expensive to Go to College Anymore
Teachers Have It Rough, but Kids Are the Ones Who Suffer
With the start of the school year, we have yet another terrifying shooting incident—[this latest], at the McNair Discovery Learning Academy [...] in Decatur, Ga., [occurred] less than a year [...] from the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. Between Newtown and Decatur, the United States has [witnessed] 12 other shootings at schools. I just can’t [imagine] … Continue reading Teachers Have It Rough, but Kids Are the Ones Who Suffer
Back to School: It’s Make-It-or-Break-It Time for the Economy
Spending this fall for students K-12 is expected to drop 12%, according to a National Retail Federation survey reported in The Wall Street Journal. The average that will be spent on each kid is $634.78, down from $688.62 in 2012. Even those going to college are expecting decreases from $836.80 this year [compared to] $907.22 … Continue reading Back to School: It’s Make-It-or-Break-It Time for the Economy
To Give or Not to Give
Every day, we read about famous Americans supporting nonprofit organizations, [whether it's] Warren Buffett, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, [the] Lilly Endowment, the Walton Family Foundation or the Ford Foundation. [Many wealthy] and middle-class Americans [alike] give because it is the right thing to do, and they do not need recognition because philanthropy is … Continue reading To Give or Not to Give
Charity is in Our DNA
Since the beginning of America, we have been a giving people. [I]n 1630, [Pilgrams] relied on each other to survive the harsh winters. The settlers raised each other’s barns, hosted quilting bees for the community, and built common areas in their towns. Benjamin Franklin, the founding father of American volunteerism, [...] gathered volunteers to sweep … Continue reading Charity is in Our DNA
Sequestration: Public-school Kids, Teachers the Big Losers
Here we are at the end of another school year, and, once again, teachers throughout the United States are facing uncertainty. Will they have a job next school year, and, if so, will their classroom balloon to unmanageable sizes? Congress has not acted, and now the impact of sequestration on federal educational programs is beginning … Continue reading Sequestration: Public-school Kids, Teachers the Big Losers