Helping a community in need!

Imagine you live in a community with 21% unemployment

and your library is open only 15 hours a week.

Now imagine your library actually shuttering its doors... for good.

PLEASE JOIN ME IN SUPPORT OF A COMMUNITY IN NEED!

Recently, I read an article* about Millinocket, a small town in Maine.  The town’s economy has been decimated ever since the paper mill that employed most of its residents stopped operating in 2008, causing unemployment to soar to 21%.  The community and its leadership continue to seek a solution to the town’s financial crisis.  Meanwhile, the Millinocket Memorial Library was nearly shuttered in July.  After a public outcry, the library remains open, although for now, only until next July.  I spoke directly to Lori Fitzgerald, Head Librarian,  who has worked at the library for the past 28 years.  She shared with me that:

· The Millinocket library’s budget is $80,000 this year, drastically down from the 2011 budget of $175,000.

· In 2011, there were 3 full-time and 5 part-time employees at the library.  Now, Head Librarian Ms. Fitzgerald handles everything with the help of only 2 part-time employees and a part-time janitor.

· The library was open 34 hours a week just last year, but the library is now open to the public only 15 hours a week.

It is not in our power to guarantee the long-term survival of the Millinocket Memorial Library, but I know that with the support of individuals who care about libraries and the multitude of good will and services they provide to the community, we can alter the short-term future of this struggling town, its residents, and its library!  Hours of service could be increased right now and, more importantly, we may be able to help ensure that the library doesn’t close its doors next July.  Every additional hour, day, year of library services can have a great impact on the residents of this struggling town as they search for a way to save their community.

Please  consider making a donation to help!  You can do so directly and quickly by following this link to the Friends of Millinocket Library website and clicking on the gold box that says Donate. This Friends organization is a 501(c)(3), so all donations are tax deductible.  

http://friendsofmillinocketlibrary.org/

Thank you for taking the time to consider this worthwhile cause.  And please feel free to forward this appeal to friends and family who might be interested.

* You can read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/us/a-paper-mill-goes-quiet-and-the-community-it-built-gropes-for-a-way-forward.html?_r=1

Driving and cats

Duh.

Julia suggested I get back to my blog...

Who paid for this study?

Researchers say they have identified an-
other risk factor for childhood obesity: school
lunch.
A study of more than 1,000 sixth-graders
in several schools in southeastern Michigan
found that those who regularly had the school
lunch were 29 percent more likely to be obese
than those who brought lunch from home.
Spending two or more hours a day watch-
ing television or playing video games also
increased the risk of obesity, but by only 19
percent.
(NYT)

Riley Pearl Sanger: I'm over the moon!!

Riley arrived last night at 6:28pm. She weighed in at 6lb 7oz and she's cute as a button (that's what her great grandpa Irv would have said!)

The kids and all the nurses and doctor were in the room for about 45 minutes before any of us were able to join them. The Sangers were here, and Julia, Jesse, Jason, G-Pa and me.

Then Sarah said I could come in. Just the three of us were together for about 10 minutes, which was so special for me. Riley was nursing the whole time, Sarah looked great and happy.

Then we were all in the room, totally ignoring Mommy and Daddy, totally passing Riley around!! Jesse brought in dinner from PF Chang's.. Sarah was starved! And Jesse brought a HUGE piece of chocolate cake and we sang happy birth day to Riley. What a day to remember!

Over the moon. Pure and simple!

Freud

There was a really interesting first-person article in the New York Times Magazine last Sunday (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/magazine/08Psychoanalysis-t.html?pagewanted=all) about a woman who has spent 40+ years in therapy.

I like this quote:

"Therapy, as Freud himself made clear, is never about finding a cure for what ails you. Its aim... was always more modest. Freud described it as an effort to convert 'hysterical misery' into 'common unhappiness,' which suggests a rather minimalist framework against which to judge progress."

Golden Gate Bridge suicide net

Okay, really?

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Suicide-prevention-at-the-Golden-Gate-Bridge-1006404-99723499.html

C'mon, people. $45 million to (maybe) save a handful of lives each year? I feel for people who are desperate, I really do.

But there are SO MANY better uses of $45 million in this state and nationally.

One blogger got it right:

40-50 MILLION dollars for a suicide net?! not to mention the additional cost of maintaining the net for umpteen years to come?! meanwhile, as columnist ken garcia observed, we have no median barrier on the bridge surface to stop full-speed head on multi-car pileups, and we're upping the tolls to cover budget shortfalls. i won't even get into the other myriad ways that 40-50 million dollars could save lives across the rest of San Francisco and Marin counties. i'm incredulous that time and energy is being spent pursuing this, and frustrated that well-meaning suicide prevention groups have latched on to this issue so tenaciously. aren't there a dozen bigger mental-health-fish that they should be frying?

Riley is ready to golf!

Yesterday, Richard and I played golf at Bel Air Country Club with our friends, the Denisons. While we were looking around in the pro shop, I realized Riley doesn't have any golf clothes. It's never too early... you never know when she might suddenly pick up a club and start swinging! We'll pick something up for her whenever we play a new course. Can't wait to meet you, little one!