Anyone who watches the news at all can tell you; it’s been rough recently. Scandals, assaults, shootings – there’s just no way to make sense of it all.
Lately it seems almost impossible to find a story with a happy ending. It’s moments like these when our friends and families matter the most. Spending time with the people we care about may just be the best way to get through these difficult times.
Right now there are approximately 130,000 kids in foster care programs throughout the United States. These children are hoping to find a place they can call home, and people to call family.
Adults all over the country are attempting to expand their families by adopting a young person from a foster home. The process can be difficult and time consuming, but the end result brings joy to so many lives. It is a progression that is celebrated every November as National Adoption Month. This years’ theme is “Answering the Call – You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. There are thousands of teens in foster care who would love to put up with you.”
Halloween is almost here – a time for ghouls, goblins and sugary snacks! On October 31, kids from all over the country will be excited to put on their favorite costumes and claim delicious treats in the name of trick-or-treating. While you’re getting ready for the big night, take a moment to think about some important Halloween safety rules to help protect your family.
Choosing A Costume
Half the fun of Halloween is dressing up, and kids can be very opinionated about what or whom they want to be. Parents often go through a lot of trouble to put these costumes together, but safety should always be one of the key components.
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On Monday, September 21, 2009, President Barack Obama made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. His visit resulted in a more serious interview than you would usually expect from Letterman, but the two men also found a little time to laugh.
Before Obama took the stage, an audience member informed Letterman that she had a very unique item with her: a potato shaped like a heart. The woman was very proud of her unusual potato, and excited to be given the spotlight on national television. This moment soon passed, and the veteran talk show host brought things right back on track.
There are many things that we should all be grateful for each day, but our schedules get so hectic that most of us don’t have the time to stop and think about the moments that make our lives worthwhile. That’s why we’re grateful for World Gratitude Day – an entire day when everyone across the globe is encouraged to take time to recognize the things that bring us joy.
World Gratitude Day got started in 1965 when a group of dignitaries from several different nations enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner together in Hawaii. All of the attendees agreed to take the idea of setting aside one day every year to express personal gratitude back to their home countries. They declared September 21 to be that day, and since then it has become an internationally celebrated occasion.
There are dozens of Social Networks available to people all over the world, and two of the most popular are making big news … again. Facebook is in the spotlight for its impressive growth, and Twitter for a message that only had a short lifespan.
Facebook has more registered users than some countries have people. Their latest statistics show that the website is catching up with the populace of the United States. According to the most recent Census, the U.S. currently has 305,529,237 residents. The “population” of Facebook isn’t far behind – they now have just over 300 million users.
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One of the greatest aspects of a family is that it can expand at any time. New people may be added to your biological or extended family all throughout your life. One of the fastest ways for families to grow quickly is through the addition of a new stepparent.
Life can be difficult for everyone when a stepmother or stepfather is added to a family. Children may be resentful of the “new” person and feel they are trying to replace a birth parent. Adults may have a completely different parenting style than what the family is used to, and that can lead to a great deal of conflict. There is no easy solution that works for everyone, and some experts claim that it takes a minimum of four years for any stepparent to earn a positive relationship with their stepchildren.
On the first Monday in September people all across the United States enjoy a little extra time away from their jobs as we celebrate Labor Day. It’s a great holiday to share with friends and family as we start to say farewell to the summer.
The origin of Labor Day goes back to the time of the American Industrial Revolution. It was first celebrated in New York City on September 5th, 1882 by members of the Central Labor Union. Workers took a day off to have a picnic and enjoy the fruits of their labors. They agreed to make this an annual event, and the following year the concept began to spread around the country. By 1894 it had gained so much attention that it was turned into a national holiday.
By now we’ve all heard the chilling tale about Jaycee Dugard being kidnapped at the age of 11 and held captive for 18 years. During that time her alleged captor, Phillip Garrido, fathered two girls with Dugard and forced her and their children to live in a hidden section of his backyard. Two Berkeley police officers deserve the lion’s share of recognition for the rescue of Jaycee Dugard and her daughters.
Officer Lisa Campbell first met Garrido at The University of California on August 24th. Garrido had his daughters with him when he approached Campbell to discuss setting up an event on the college campus. Campbell noticed that something seemed very unusual about the girls, and noted that they should have been in school. She asked Garrido to return the next day to discuss his event.
You can find almost anything on the Internet, but where do you go to do a web search? Google has been the dominant search engine for years, and sites like Yahoo or Bing are also popular options. These days, however, a lot of people are looking for a more personalized approach to finding information online.
One of the benefits of using a major search engine is that you’ll get hundreds of results for almost any topic. Even if you’re looking for something that is relatively obscure, chances are good you’ll find a large number of websites dedicated to that subject. While a long list of sites is very useful, sometimes it’s not quite what people are looking for.
