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Storytime_Tapestry Archives Index
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| << October12, 2007 - Fascinating Facts and Tantalizing Trivia - A Hartson Dowd Column |
October18, 2007 - October 13, 2007 - Storytime Tapestry Contributors: Peggy Ann Doak; Duane Bates; Helen Dowd >> |
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Storytime Tapestry Newsletter The newsletter devoted to
spreading love and cultural awareness around the world. Publishers Favourite Sites: Rosanne Catalano http://www.rosannecatalano.net/ Michael Smith http://subs.zinester.com/86758/ Barbara Weymouth penwormprayerwarriors-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Helen Dowd Dean Perchick I'd like to tell you about a new website that I discovered
and now love where all of your favorite authors can be heard on
video from your own computer! The website is Bookvideos.tv and is coming to
you from Simon & Schuster publishing. Check it out at: http://www.bookvideos.tv!
You won't be sorry you did. Today’s Announcement Donations are always needed to help with
the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry
the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to. Please note that Storytime Tapestry is a
free newsletter to members and there will never be a cost for the newsletter.
Donations are purely voluntary and no member should ever feel guilty for not
making a donation at this time. Today’s Stories ~**~**~ INCOME OF MEN IN THEIR THIRTIES DROP Duane Bates A Wall Street Journal research report shows that men in
their thirties in 2004 earned 12% less than their fathers at the same age after
adjusting for inflation. This is another
example of how the inequality of both income and wealth is increasing in the In 2004 fifty percent of all Federal tax returns had
adjusted gross incomes (AGI) of $30,000 or less, while 70% of all returns had
an AGI of $50,000 or less. By contrast, the top 1% of Federal income tax
returns in 2004 reported an average AGI of $1,002,075. Seventy-five percent of Federal returns in
2004 reported an AGI of $55,000 or less, meaning that the 220 million men, women
and children out the total population of 294 million in 2004 subsisted on about
34% of all personal income. The top 25%
of all tax returns had 66% of all personal income. In the twenty-four years from 1980 to 2004, the income of
the top 1% of tax filers increased by 679%, while the income of the bottom 50%
of tax filers increased by 229%.
Inflation during this period was 245%. Duane Bates batesduane@yahoo.com ~**~**~
ValueSpeak A Weekly Column By Joseph Walker valuespeak@msn.com GETTING BETTER WITH TIME Our eldest child,
AmyJo, will turn 30 in a few months. She
and I have a great relationship (at least, we did until I published that last
sentence). We talk, we laugh, we hug, we
do all the stuff that fathers and daughters who love each other do. I think I
can safely say that we have finally fully recovered from her driver education
experience 14 years ago. See? I’m not even twitching like I used to. It wasn’t that AmyJo
was a bad driver. Well, OK . . . it WAS
that she was a bad driver (sorry, Honey, but facts are facts). But I’m willing to concede that her driving
ability – or inability, as the case may be – may have had something to do with
the fact that I was sitting in the passenger seat next to her screaming: “WE’RE
ALL GOING TO DIE!” Stuff like that can be
a little disconcerting to a new driver – you know? Thankfully, my wife,
Anita, stepped in and took over AmyJo’s driver education before either of us
was seriously injured in a traffic accident or in hand-to-hand combat. This worked out so well that she handled the
driver education chores for Joe Jr. (who, truth be told, was probably driving
almost as much as I was even before he got his license), Andrea (who was always
more interested in singing along with the radio than actually paying attention
to the roadway in front of her) and Beth (who PROMISES she never actually wrote
text messages on her cell phone while she was driving even though her little
brother suggests otherwise). From what I can see,
they are all good drivers today – even AmyJo.
So I assumed Anita would continue to supervise driver education for our
youngest child, Jon. The way I see it,
the system is working, and I’m a big fan of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
parenting. But for some reason,
most of Jon’s student driving time is taking place with me sitting in the
passenger seat. And so far, we seem to
be managing. Yes, I tend to
white-knuckle the emergency brake stick, which is located between the bucket
seats of our car. And I’m wearing a hole
in the floor mat where I grind on the imaginary brake on the passenger’s
side. But I haven’t sworn yet and I’ve
only occasionally shouted (last night’s “NOT YET! NOT YET!
NOT YET!” comes to mind). Of course, it helps
that Jon is, by nature, more cautious and less impulsive than most student
drivers (the main instruction I have to give him is “go faster”). It probably also helps that he has heard the stories
of AmyJo’s student driving experiences from AmyJo herself, and he has been
terrified into carefulness (in which case those early days with my first child
behind the wheel serve much the same function as those awful, bloody
“Mechanized Death” movies in high school Driver’s Ed classes – you know, the
ones during which I passed out when I was a high school sophomore). But the main
difference between my experience with Jon and my experience with AmyJo is . . .
well . . . me. I’m calmer than I was
before. More patient. Less demanding. More understanding. Less fearful.
Which is not to say that I’m a bastion of any of those traits, because
I’m not – not by a long shot. I’m just
better at them than I was 14 years ago.
Which makes me a better driver education helper – and a better father. And that’s OK, I guess
(although I feel kind of bad for my older children, who were stuck with a
rookie father who loved them, but who – let’s face it – was sort of a
dork). If time and experience don’t help
us to get better at the things we do – both professionally and personally –
then what’s the point? Life is a school,
and the learning doesn’t stop as we grow older.
For some of us, it accelerates. Especially if AmyJo is
driving. # # #
~**~**~ Poetry Corner ~**~**~ Autumn Weather Is Delayed Cynthia
Groopman Autumn's chill is delayed, Summer is marching as Grand
Marshall of the seasonal parade. Weather is still full of
sunshine and early morning fog and haze, Autumn leaves are indeed
basking in a state of confusion and maze. Not knowing whether it is
summer or fall, They do not know what to do at
all. Wearing summer clothes and
going to the beach, Eating watermelon and a peach. This is not October weather at
all, I ask the question, Where is
fall? Copyright ©2007 Cynthia
L. Groopman ~**~**~ A Chill In The Air
Cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net A
Personal Prayer
~**~**~ Adversity Adversities are like massive foreboding
storm clouds that Readers Feedback Carol, I really liked Mary Dees' poem. It struck a chord with me (in a good way). Thanks so much for printing it! Your friend, David Fox Thank you Carol, for adding one
of my poems today. It's always a blessing to be ...oh very nice!!! ...i really love reading those trivias (from Hart Dowd) ...i hope you will still continue to send me trivias like
those... Rhodora Storytime Tapestry Angels Angels on earth, they exist they are out there. Angels come in all ages, shapes and sizes,
civil status, and religion. Their nature
is love and their purpose is giving to the less fortunate of this world. Storytime Tapestry angels are no
exception. These angels are loyal
members who have contributed to the upkeep of Storytime Tapestry newsletter so
that Storytime Tapestry can continue come to your email Here is our Storytime
Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to
be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime
Tapestry up and running. Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider,
Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen
Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd,
Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw,
Carol Meeks, Charlotte Hilliard, Maria Keller
Storytime Tapestry Newsletter The newsletter devoted to
spreading love and cultural awareness around the world. Publishers Favourite Sites: Rosanne Catalano http://www.rosannecatalano.net/ Michael Smith http://subs.zinester.com/86758/ Barbara Weymouth penwormprayerwarriors-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Helen Dowd Dean Perchick I'd like to tell you about a new website that I discovered
and now love where all of your favorite authors can be heard on
video from your own computer! The website is Bookvideos.tv and is coming to
you from Simon & Schuster publishing. Check it out at: http://www.bookvideos.tv!
You won't be sorry you did. Today’s Announcement Donations are always needed to help with
the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry
the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to. Please note that Storytime Tapestry is a
free newsletter to members and there will never be a cost for the newsletter.
Donations are purely voluntary and no member should ever feel guilty for not
making a donation at this time. Today’s Stories ~**~**~ INCOME OF MEN IN THEIR THIRTIES DROP Duane Bates A Wall Street Journal research report shows that men in
their thirties in 2004 earned 12% less than their fathers at the same age after
adjusting for inflation. This is another
example of how the inequality of both income and wealth is increasing in the In 2004 fifty percent of all Federal tax returns had
adjusted gross incomes (AGI) of $30,000 or less, while 70% of all returns had
an AGI of $50,000 or less. By contrast, the top 1% of Federal income tax
returns in 2004 reported an average AGI of $1,002,075. Seventy-five percent of Federal returns in
2004 reported an AGI of $55,000 or less, meaning that the 220 million men, women
and children out the total population of 294 million in 2004 subsisted on about
34% of all personal income. The top 25%
of all tax returns had 66% of all personal income. In the twenty-four years from 1980 to 2004, the income of
the top 1% of tax filers increased by 679%, while the income of the bottom 50%
of tax filers increased by 229%.
Inflation during this period was 245%. Duane Bates batesduane@yahoo.com ~**~**~
ValueSpeak A Weekly Column By Joseph Walker valuespeak@msn.com GETTING BETTER WITH TIME Our eldest child,
AmyJo, will turn 30 in a few months. She
and I have a great relationship (at least, we did until I published that last
sentence). We talk, we laugh, we hug, we
do all the stuff that fathers and daughters who love each other do. I think I
can safely say that we have finally fully recovered from her driver education
experience 14 years ago. See? I’m not even twitching like I used to. It wasn’t that AmyJo
was a bad driver. Well, OK . . . it WAS
that she was a bad driver (sorry, Honey, but facts are facts). But I’m willing to concede that her driving
ability – or inability, as the case may be – may have had something to do with
the fact that I was sitting in the passenger seat next to her screaming: “WE’RE
ALL GOING TO DIE!” Stuff like that can be
a little disconcerting to a new driver – you know? Thankfully, my wife,
Anita, stepped in and took over AmyJo’s driver education before either of us
was seriously injured in a traffic accident or in hand-to-hand combat. This worked out so well that she handled the
driver education chores for Joe Jr. (who, truth be told, was probably driving
almost as much as I was even before he got his license), Andrea (who was always
more interested in singing along with the radio than actually paying attention
to the roadway in front of her) and Beth (who PROMISES she never actually wrote
text messages on her cell phone while she was driving even though her little
brother suggests otherwise). From what I can see,
they are all good drivers today – even AmyJo.
So I assumed Anita would continue to supervise driver education for our
youngest child, Jon. The way I see it,
the system is working, and I’m a big fan of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
parenting. But for some reason,
most of Jon’s student driving time is taking place with me sitting in the
passenger seat. And so far, we seem to
be managing. Yes, I tend to
white-knuckle the emergency brake stick, which is located between the bucket
seats of our car. And I’m wearing a hole
in the floor mat where I grind on the imaginary brake on the passenger’s
side. But I haven’t sworn yet and I’ve
only occasionally shouted (last night’s “NOT YET! NOT YET!
NOT YET!” comes to mind). Of course, it helps
that Jon is, by nature, more cautious and less impulsive than most student
drivers (the main instruction I have to give him is “go faster”). It probably also helps that he has heard the stories
of AmyJo’s student driving experiences from AmyJo herself, and he has been
terrified into carefulness (in which case those early days with my first child
behind the wheel serve much the same function as those awful, bloody
“Mechanized Death” movies in high school Driver’s Ed classes – you know, the
ones during which I passed out when I was a high school sophomore). But the main
difference between my experience with Jon and my experience with AmyJo is . . .
well . . . me. I’m calmer than I was
before. More patient. Less demanding. More understanding. Less fearful.
Which is not to say that I’m a bastion of any of those traits, because
I’m not – not by a long shot. I’m just
better at them than I was 14 years ago.
Which makes me a better driver education helper – and a better father. And that’s OK, I guess
(although I feel kind of bad for my older children, who were stuck with a
rookie father who loved them, but who – let’s face it – was sort of a
dork). If time and experience don’t help
us to get better at the things we do – both professionally and personally –
then what’s the point? Life is a school,
and the learning doesn’t stop as we grow older.
For some of us, it accelerates. Especially if AmyJo is
driving. # # #
~**~**~ Poetry Corner ~**~**~ Autumn Weather Is Delayed Cynthia
Groopman Autumn's chill is delayed, Summer is marching as Grand
Marshall of the seasonal parade. Weather is still full of
sunshine and early morning fog and haze, Autumn leaves are indeed
basking in a state of confusion and maze. Not knowing whether it is
summer or fall, They do not know what to do at
all. Wearing summer clothes and
going to the beach, Eating watermelon and a peach. This is not October weather at
all, I ask the question, Where is
fall? Copyright ©2007 Cynthia
L. Groopman ~**~**~ A Chill In The Air
Cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net A
Personal Prayer
~**~**~ Adversity Adversities are like massive foreboding
storm clouds that Readers Feedback Carol, I really liked Mary Dees' poem. It struck a chord with me (in a good way). Thanks so much for printing it! Your friend, David Fox Thank you Carol, for adding one
of my poems today. It's always a blessing to be ...oh very nice!!! ...i really love reading those trivias (from Hart Dowd) ...i hope you will still continue to send me trivias like
those... Rhodora Storytime Tapestry Angels Angels on earth, they exist they are out there. Angels come in all ages, shapes and sizes,
civil status, and religion. Their nature
is love and their purpose is giving to the less fortunate of this world. Storytime Tapestry angels are no
exception. These angels are loyal
members who have contributed to the upkeep of Storytime Tapestry newsletter so
that Storytime Tapestry can continue come to your email Here is our Storytime
Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to
be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime
Tapestry up and running. Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider,
Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen
Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd,
Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw,
Carol Meeks, Charlotte Hilliard, Maria Keller
|
|
| << October12, 2007 - Fascinating Facts and Tantalizing Trivia - A Hartson Dowd Column |
October18, 2007 - October 13, 2007 - Storytime Tapestry Contributors: Peggy Ann Doak; Duane Bates; Helen Dowd >> |
|
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