«The Holocene extinction is the widespread, ongoing extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch. The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the rainforests. Between 1500 and 2006 CE, 784 extinctions have been documented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. However, since most extinctions go undocumented, scientists estimate that during the 20th century, between 20,000 and two million species actually became extinct, but the precise total cannot be determined more accurately within the limits of present knowledge. Up to 140,000 species per year (based on Species-area theory) may be the present rate of extinction based upon upper bound estimating.» en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_extinction
So many who are suffering right now played by all the rules, got superior educations, worked hard and are in the lurch. These are the thirties all over again in different form. How many of us believed it could happen again? I was born in 1939 and I never believed it could happen again.
Amen!
Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Guess its because I'm a survivor, I know how to handle money, ...
How do you know that is not true of others?
In spiteof financial diligence, many people did not see their layoffs coming. People have been assured their jobs were safe and then the unthinkable occurs. It has happened over and over. This recession has cut wide and deep and many skilled and highly educated people have lost jobs. There are Phd.'s out there looking for jobs.
How could they foresee their heart attack or cancer AFTER their layoff and loss of medical insurance which led to catastrophic bills? A child may suffer severe disabilities and unfathonmnable costs attached to these medical concerns. What then? You never addressed these issues I posed earlier.
Living comfortably can take a swift and unrelenting downturn as a series of unfortunate events can truly jeopardize one's life earnings and health. There are no100% guarantees that everything one plans for turns out that way.
What follows when plan B doesn't work? Or plan C? OR D? Don't you think a little compassion is in order?
Of course you do. That was the point of my last response.
I commend you for your planning, however, I recall the old adage:
"Humans plan, God laughs".
Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
There's a recession? Why, I hardly knew there was one. Guess its because I'm a survivor, I know how to handle money, I know where to shop and I don't care what the government does as long as I know how to survive and they leave me alone!
Good for you. I believe many are very capable of being wise w/ money. That's not what is completely about, however.
Do share your wisdom to to all those folks who have worked doggedly hard over the years and have lost their jobs or have suffered debilitating medical problems and enormous bills that follow.
Consider yourself lucky.
Nice reply, SM.
So many who are suffering right now played by all the rules, got superior educations, worked hard and are in the lurch. These are the thirties all over again in different form. How many of us believed it could happen again? I was born in 1939 and I never believed it could happen again.
There's a recession? Why, I hardly knew there was one. Guess its because I'm a survivor, I know how to handle money, I know where to shop and I don't care what the government does as long as I know how to survive and they leave me alone!
Good for you. I believe many are very capable of being wise w/ money. That's not what is completely about, however.
Do share your wisdom to to all those folks who have worked doggedly hard over the years and have lost their jobs or have suffered debilitating medical problems and enormous bills that follow.
Consider yourself lucky.
Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
stating the recession is over. Well, it may be over in technical terms but I think most of us are still feeling the financial stress and strain. So I thought it would be fun to talk about how we might each celebrate the real end of the recession - the one we can all feel in our pocketbooks
So....How will you celebrate when the recession is over?
I'm thinking date night with my husband - it's celebratory and its a splurge we can't normally afford these days.
For me and my household, there won't be any celebration until I/we can get better jobs. My well-paying job in my profession (which was already suffering very lean times before the recession even started for the rest of the country) evaporated early this year. Since then, I've had to take what I could get, and make less than half of what I was before.
I don't see the job market coming back in my field, so who knows what I'll be able to find and when I'll be able to find it. Until then, we've just learned to get along on a lot, lot less than we used to, and will continue to do so.
Not trying to sound cynical or pessimistic here. But that's the reality that many of us who lost jobs are facing.
They say even with recovery, the jobless rate won't change any time soon. And on top of that, many professions, like mine, have suffered permanent damage, and the jobs won't come ever back; regardless of how much better the general economy gets. I don't see our household making a full economic recovery for a few years.
On the plus side -- there's always a plus side! :) -- it will be a chance to start all over, instead of just going back to the same old thing.
Understand what you are saying about the job market all too well. For me it is my middle-age daughters. One found a new position three months ago at about one third of what she had been making when her job in home-building collapsed. Her sister just had an interview with a minimal salary request: she graduated from GA TECH with high honors. All 3 of our children are GT grads, the girls in management/finance. Our son's degree was in applied math and he is a senior supervisor in computer technology.
These are such hard times. Recovery will take many years, I fear. My generation was more fortunate. I'm retired. I saw some of the changes coming at the end of the eighties. I worked straight commission for THE Atlanta Department Store, Rich's, in high-end electronics and some furniture. Macy's eventually got Federated and nothing good ensued. I got out in the early nineties. Paying for service seems to be re-emerging in business but it is in its infancy. Today my daughter spent over an hour bringing my new cell-phone, same company, online. We did that for customers years ago
Some of all this we brought on ourselves by thinking cheapest is best. Just for interest's sake I am tired already from ads from Walmart advertising table settings for the holidays. Who needs that garbage? My generation bought Irish linen, real silverware, bone china and Waterford crystal and used it forever. Some of it we garnered over years of gifts, etc.
stating the recession is over. Well, it may be over in technical terms but I think most of us are still feeling the financial stress and strain. So I thought it would be fun to talk about how we might each celebrate the real end of the recession - the one we can all feel in our pocketbooks
So....How will you celebrate when the recession is over?
I'm thinking date night with my husband - it's celebratory and its a splurge we can't normally afford these days.
For me and my household, there won't be any celebration until I/we can get better jobs. My well-paying job in my profession (which was already suffering very lean times before the recession even started for the rest of the country) evaporated early this year. Since then, I've had to take what I could get, and make less than half of what I was before.
I don't see the job market coming back in my field, so who knows what I'll be able to find and when I'll be able to find it. Until then, we've just learned to get along on a lot, lot less than we used to, and will continue to do so.
Not trying to sound cynical or pessimistic here. But that's the reality that many of us who lost jobs are facing.
They say even with recovery, the jobless rate won't change any time soon. And on top of that, many professions, like mine, have suffered permanent damage, and the jobs won't come ever back; regardless of how much better the general economy gets. I don't see our household making a full economic recovery for a few years.
On the plus side -- there's always a plus side! :) -- it will be a chance to start all over, instead of just going back to the same old thing.
