You can’t turn on the news or the Internet these days without hearing about job cuts and layoffs. However, if you look hard enough, you can find job growth.
And those are only stories that were posted on the Internet in the past 24 hours!!
I believe in looking at things realistically, but not fatalistically. We may be tettering on the economic edge, but I wish the media would stop telling us to jump.
In an effort to be a bit more cheerful in these trying times, I am determined to start updating my blog with good news.
Todays article involves Skeeter, a dog who has achieved a law degree. Now, before you start wondering if this is some type of a mistake, Skeeter has no intention of practicing law. In face, he already has a full-time job as the service dog for Amy Jones. Since Skeeter accompanied Jones to all her classes, California State University at Chico decide to award the dog with his own honorary degree.
Congratulations Amy Jones on achieving your law degree and for bouncing back after your accident in 2002.
Like many people here in the United States and around the world, I was thrilled that Barack Obama won his bid for presidency. While so many are patting themselves on the back and see this as a sign that racism is finally over, I am not one of them. However, I do see this as a sign that we might finally get to the issue.
For so long, we have convinced ourselves that racism tends to be a white against black issue. It’s not.
1. CNN reported that 95% of black voters voted for Obama. While I get the significance of this issue, I still feel that it is a form of racism to vote for someone because of their color, even if it is the same as yours. Anyone who vote for McCain because he was white would have been accused of racism. Of course, I’m probably still a bit bitter about all the people who accused me of not being a feminist because I chose not to support Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin. I’m sorry, I didn’t think that either of them would have done our country any good. Of course, 88% of blacks also voted for Kerry when he was running for president. This means that only 13% possibly changed their vote, and I guess I can live with that.
2. With all the accusations of Obama being Muslim, no one responded by saying so? While I would agree that anyone who is hiding a major aspect of his or her life is someone not to be trusted, the rumors seemed more concerned that Obama may be Muslim than he may be hiding it. Yes, there are dangerous extremist Muslims out there. But there are dangerous extremist Christians too. Being a Muslim is no worse or better than any other religion. It’s how you act on your beliefs that defines you.
Yet, for the first time I actually feel like things might be better with the change in president. If for no other reason then for millions of children will suddenly realize that you do not have to be a white man to be president of the United States. I know that one day we will have a woman as president, too. As long as we don’t get stopped thing that everything is fixed, I’m not worried.
I don’t know if any of you watched the Lifetime movie on Coco Chanel. I sort of fell into it. I was amazed at what an outstanding woman she was. I am not a fashionista by any sense of the word (unless jeans and a t-shirt are high fashion). My only regret is I didn’t come across her story before the book was published (I guess it goes into the sequal pile). Still, I’ll share some of the basic facts of her life here.
She grew up a ward of the state after her mother died and her father ran off. She learned to sew from the nuns at the convent where she was raised. She became the mistress of a wealthy French playboy Étienne Balsan. After the relationship ended, she moved to Paris to open her first shop. It went out of business and Chanel was forced to give up her possessions.
She eventually partnered with a friend of her former lover, Arthur “Boy” Capel, who financed a second shop. This shop was a success. Chanel is responsible for revolutionizing women’s fashion in the early 1900s. She was also named to Time’s list of the Most Important People of the Century.
I’ve added what I consider a “Failure Moment” video onto YouTube. It can be found under my user name there, Dandries. I’ve also pasted it below. The first video is about Harrison Ford, one of the many people featured in my book The Secret to Success is Not a Secret.
Jennifer Hudson went from being a lounge singer on Disney Cruise Line to the top twelve on American Idol. She may have lost that title, but I’m sure her Oscar is keeping her plenty warm. Find out all about Hudson’s struggles in this week’s podcast.