Related: The Boston Sunday Globe Says Job Loss is a Good Thing
See if you can stomach this:
"Turning layoffs into lessons; Tough times can teach kids about family finances" by Eileen AJ Connelly, Associated Press | May 17, 2009
NEW YORK - The experience brought to life a debate that parents throughout the country are having as the recession grinds on and unemployment becomes ever more common: Should you tell the kids that you lost your job? And should they be involved in making decisions about how the family spends money while they're out of work?
I think BEING HONEST with kids is the BEST THING!
Don't worry, they can handle it!
That doesn't mean involving them in trying to figure out how to pay the bills. But it does involve making sure they understand the reason for things like cutbacks to family vacation plans or the loss of their favorite cable channels.
Meanwhile the RICH PARTY UP (see post below).
Jerry Shapiro, a psychologist and professor of counseling psychology at Santa Clara University in California:
"If the parents can't afford certain things [for the kids], they need to tell them. Children are remarkably adaptable. Even though they can be unbelievably difficult in some circumstances, at times when the family needs to pull together, they can be right there, as long as they're a part of it. Teens especially so."
Especially ones that are having U.S. or Israeli bombs dropped on their heads, right?
Paul Golden, of the National Endowment for Financial Education, said issues like that can help teach kids how to handle problems;
"It's not just presenting a financial teachable moment, it's presenting a life and responsibility teachable moment."
--more--"And the LESSON, kids?
EAT SHIT!!!!!!
"Consumers count on Spam as a recession-proof staple; Economic slump is a boon for some products" by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press | May 17, 2009
WASHINGTON - It's not all doom and gloom in the US economy. Some products are bucking the recession and flying off store shelves. Sales of chocolate and running shoes are up. Wine drinkers haven't stopped sipping; they just seem to be choosing cheaper vintages.
Gold coins are selling like hot cakes. So are gardening seeds. Tanning products are piling up in shopping carts; maybe more people are finding color in a bottle than from sun-worshipping on a faraway beach.
Strong sales of Spam, Dinty Moore stew, and chili helped
You know, the GOOD STUFF!!
Oh, the pain of rot gut!! What memories!
Consumers have trimmed household budgets and postponed buying cars, major appliances, and other big-ticket items. Yet they still are willing to shell out for small indulgences and goods that make life more comfortable at home, where they are spending more time. Recession shoppers also are drawn to items that make them feel safe, both personally and financially....
Yes, you are SUCH CHILDREN, Amurka!!
Profits in the first three months of 2009 at Hershey Co., the nation's second-largest candy maker, surged 20 percent and beat Wall Street's expectations.
Recessions, it seems, are good for love, too. Over the final three months of 2008, condom sales rose 5 percent....
Well, there IS a SILVER LINING to everything, isn't there?
Economic woes are as rough on the tummy as they are on the wallet....
"Tummy?" This is an allegedly professional reporter?
I suppose things would be rough on the stomach when you have to eat s*** like Spam!
--more--"Of course, not everyone need worry about their next meal:
"Every table was set with a single fresh rose (from the rose gardens outside, I was told) and a full complement of three forks, two knives, and two spoons in silver plate..... The buffet tables could have graced a high-end ocean liner. I watched a gentleman in colorful African garb pile his plate with slices of roast sirloin and potatoes mashed with feta cheese. A post-retirement-age couple from the East Side scarfed up most of the egg rolls, though more came out quickly....
I made for the roast leg of lamb with rosemary sauce after I filled my salad plate with chilled asparagus and slices of a duck and pork terrine.... fresh tomato soup and bowls of pasta primavera.... The dessert buffet table practically groaned under a spread of apple and pumpkin pies, cheesecakes, tarts, half a dozen cheeses, sliced fruits, bowls of berries, and, off to one side, three urns of ice cream"
Also see: Globalist Gluttons Gorge Themselves
