Last year I spent Thanksgiving in Ohio. So on Black Friday, I got up fairly late in the day to do a little shopping. I was too late for the doorbusters, but I wasn’t looking for a big shopping adventure. Since the airlines charge for baggage, it would not had been a good idea to shop for “deals” and pay extra baggage fees to bring it home.

Anyway, I digress.

As we drove from one shopping mall to another it was clear that the economy was tanking because the malls and stores were like ghost towns. It appeared that people made a pledge to stay away from the stores and the “sales”. Looking back to 2007, my family spent an hour in line waiting to pay for our “deals”. In 2008 the stores were pretty empty in Ohio. I was told things were not much better back at home. Now we’re days away from Black Friday 2009. Will Friday turn successfully black or go dreadfully red?

Well, we could all sing the blues and lament the economic woes. We could rush out into the cold on Black Friday and give the big merchants our money while chasing down the “deals”. We could stay home, stimulate the true backbone of the economy (the everyday man/woman) by supporting the handmade market. To make the holidays a green holiday, shop online at the many handmade vendors, and find some truly good deals. A lot of handmade artisans and vendors are having sales to move merchandise. Having a low overhead, online vendors would be able to offer a good deal without “door buster” gimmicks.

Come visit my shop on Etsy and browse my favorite shops to see some really good deals from hardworking men and women who love creating handmade items.

Just another sign that the economy in the State of Oregon sucks big time.

Oregon ranks as the second hungriest state according to a United States Department of Agriculture study released Monday, only behind Mississippi.
 
The study reported that over 13 percent of Oregon households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008.
 

“These alarming numbers confirm the severe human toll of this recession and what the Oregon Food Bank network has been seeing for the past two years,” said Rachel Bristol, its chief executive. “Oregon has been hit especially hard.”

Nationwide, 14.6 percent of U.S. households, or about 49 million people, struggled to put enough food on the table; the highest number since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began tracking food security levels in 1995. The numbers are a significant increase from 2007, when 11.1 percent of U.S. households suffered from what the USDA classifies as “food insecurity”, not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.
 
The USDA said that 5.7 percent of those who didn’t have enough food experienced “very low food security,” meaning household members reduced their food intake.
 
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the numbers could be higher in 2009 because of the global economic slowdown.
 
The Oregon Food Bank, which delivers food to many Southern Oregon charities, has already handed out 66.2 million pounds of food this year, the highest amount it’s ever distributed in a single year.
 
“More people, more families come to our food pantry and our kitchen and dining facility. Last year we provided 53,500 meals. This year that will be 10 percent higher,” said Len Hebert with St. Vincent de Paul.
 
St. Vincent de Paul says this year it’ll spend about $400,000 more on helping the local community with rent, food, and utility programs.

The economy may not be recovering yet, but families can still give memorable, high-quality gifts this holiday season. Thanks to PricePickle.com, the leading source for free coupons to online retailers, holiday shoppers this year are sticking with their favorite stores – and finding better deals than ever.

• 20% off an entire Hot Topic order
• up to 50% off printers at HP.com
• five personal training sessions for $89 from 24-Hour Fitness
• free iPod engraving at the Apple Store
• $15 off an order of $100 or more at Macys.com
• 30% off select fine wines at Wine.com
• up to 50% off select Barbies and action figures at ToysRUs.com
• $400 off a hotel-plus-flight package at the Disneyland Resort hotels through Southwest Air

This poem is one that is so timely in today’s economic environment. The Little Red Hen poem was first introduced at a Division Presidents’ meeting in 1982 and has grown into a phenomenon at Lennar.

Just wanted to share it and raise the awareness surrounding the topic. It is so funny that it has been a part of their mantra since 1982. The following can also be found on the Lennar  website.

• This insightful little rhyme has become a symbol of the way we do things at Lennar.
• We not only memorize its lines to recite in front of a crowd, but we also learn its true meaning and how it applies to every department and every Associate in our Company.
• It teaches us to move forward and to seek out our opportunities, and not to wait for them to come to us.
• It shows us that there is always new ground to discover and new ways of finding success, if only you look for them.

The Little Red Hen binds Lennar Associates all across the nation together under a banner of Culture and camaraderie.

Amidst the economic struggles that gave university annual funds fits during the past year, one university experienced record setting success. In northwest Louisiana, the Victory Fund at Northwestern State University showed improvements in nearly every measurable category during the 2009-2009 fiscal year. This success begs the question: what did they do to defeat the poor economy?

According to their recent press release, the Victory Fund at Northwestern State recorded record numbers in total funding secured, Victory Fund gifts, membership, gifts-in-kind, and Board of Directors fundraising. They cited several key reasons for these drastic increases.

First, the department increased efforts to educate their donor base about the contribution levels available and benefits related. In addition, they increased their public relations efforts among their new and established donors. Powerful information initiatives certainly played a part in the increased personal and business donations to the Victory Fund.

The second important piece to the puzzle for Northwestern State was the effort by their board of directors. At the beginning of the year, board members were challenged to raise $100,000 for the department, but exceeded that total by reaching $186,300. The 21 volunteer board members were lead by the university president, Donald Horton.

The final piece to the success of the Victory Fund was the increased marketing and rebranding/logo redesign that the department went through during the year. A new website and improved football and basketball season ticket efforts were essential to the effort.

Northwestern State has shown that a defined strategy and hard work by all parties involved can help development departments succeed (and even set records) in the difficult economic state.

Addictions on the rise during economic downturn, experts say

by DIANA FISHLOCK, Of The Patriot-News
Wednesday June 03, 2009, 12:00 AM

This economy is depressing. It might make you want to grab a beer, eat chocolate, possibly go shopping or visit a naughty Web site.

One beer or brownie or shopping trip is fine. It crosses the line to addiction or compulsive behavior when it lodges in your brain and you just can’t shake it.

In the economic downturn, some people who treat addictions are seeing a rise in demand for their services.

“There’s a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety. When those emotions come into play, people feel out of control, and they try to manage their emotions by eating too much, drinking too much,” said Paul Hokemeyer, a therapist with Caron Treatment Centers.

That drink of alcohol, that taste of sugar, that sex or shopping or Internet porn brings a sense of calm, he said.

“It calms you down instantly. You don’t have to sit with the emotion.”

Of course, those are just “Band-Aid solutions,” he said. The underlying problems are still there after the alcohol or the sugar wears off, and certainly by the time the credit card bill has arrived, he added.

“We do know that a poor economy has an impact on drug and alcohol addiction problems. Research shows that the demand for services to treat addiction goes up in tougher economic times,” said Stacy Kriedeman, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.

Robin Dougherty, intake coordinator for the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Lower Paxton Twp., said clients tell him that life spiraled out of control after they lost jobs or insurance or benefits, so they began drinking or using drugs as an escape.

Dougherty said calls are up by 20 percent over a year ago. But like other professionals, she said it’s difficult to say whether the increase is all due to the economy, because their facility recently expanded.

“If you already have a problem with drugs or alcohol and you lose your job and don’t see a great prospect for finding a job anytime soon or at the salary you had, your tendency is to medicate with whatever your drug of choice is, drugs or alcohol — that’s what addicts do,” said Sheila Ross, a board member of Gaudenzia, which runs treatment programs.

Money is a very emotionally charged topic, Hokemeyer said.

“We’re very connected with what we do for a living, the car we drive, where we live,” he said. “When we’ve tied our identity to these external objects and these objects are threatened, it threatens our identity.”

A month ago, Hokemeyer gave a seminar on the economy and recovery from addictions. “We had more people than we ever imagined would show up. It’s just in the air. The anxiety is in the air. You can’t go anywhere without hearing about it,” he said.

The Eating Disorders Program at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center sees 35-40 new patients a month, up from 25-30 a year ago, said Dr. Richard Levine, the program’s director.

“They don’t come in saying, ‘I’m upset because of the economy so I’m throwing up more,’ but they’re more stressed in general, and stress will trigger eating disorder symptoms if you have an underlying predisposition,” Levine said.

Levine said he has seen an increase in adults and children with eating disorders. “I think if parents are stressed, kids are stressed,” he said.

It’s hard to say whether compulsive gambling has increased because of the economy, said Richard McGarvey, a Gaming Control Board spokesman.

The gaming board has a “self-exclusion” program that allows gambling addicts to have themselves barred from the state’s casinos. The number of people in that program is rising, but it’s been a steady increase, McGarvey said.

Jim Pappas, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, said his group’s hot line gets more than 1,200 calls a month. But he normally sees spikes throughout the year, including during football’s Super Bowl, college basketball’s “March Madness,” and baseball’s World Series.

Treatment and rehab centers also are seeing more addicts in need who don’t have the money or health insurance to help pay for services.

“We are serving more homeless people and people in shelters,” said Mavis Nimoh, administrator for Dauphin County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services, which has seen a 10 percent increase over last year, but also had expanded services. “Fewer people are able to do a co-pay, because they aren’t working.”

When clients come without private insurance or money, government funds provide treatment, Ross said.

With cuts in the state and federal budget, “We’re going to see it get leaner before it gets better,” she said.

“We’re always fighting for every dollar as it is. Our private fundraising is hurting, too. … When our private funding suffers, that means there are fewer people we can treat because we have fewer discretionary dollars,” Ross said.

source: PENNSYLVANIA LOCAL NEWS - Real-Time Updates & Breaking News from Central PA

I’m writing this on part of a personal experience and on part of stumbling across an article about this today. Do know that I’m now one of those that keeps a running balance after this incident. A few weeks ago I flew down to Miami to enjoy a weekend on the beach with a loved one and close friends. We flew on American Airlines and enjoyed a great mini vacation in Miami. When checking in to my flight at O’Hare, they must have had some technical difficulties with their computers when charging me for my bag check. American Airlines had a glitch on my billing statement totaling a $150 charge for what should have been $15. It makes me question how safe we are with the economy the way it is. There have been a lot of layoffs and people are losing their jobs left and right. With this happening the crime rate starts to rise. People get desperate for money so they start to do things to scam people. There’s also a lot of struggle in the airline industry. It wouldn’t surprise me if this extra charge was on purpose. Most probably wouldn’t even catch this mistake – it shows that watching your bank account is well worth it. Make sure the charges are correct, it’s easy for a creditor to easily over charge you. I learned to always keep my receipts. My bank didn’t even fight the dispute – they credited my account right away.

It really makes you wonder how many people don’t realize they are being scammed in this poor economy. Individuals and companies can both easily scam you so be sure check your statements!

America Saves Week is upon us. In today’s economy, it may be hard for a lot of us to find ways to save money, but we can. There may not be a lot to spend, but you can do things like turn off the lights, turn down the thermostat or stop making repetitive trips in the car (conserve gas). These are just a few of the ways you CAN save money, but by no means all.

Visit the website (www.americasavesweek.org) and make a plan to save and stick to it so that when the next recession hits you will say “What Recession?”

My previous post contains more information on America Saves Week.

I look forward to a very prosperous year for all of us in 2009.

Yours in prosperity in 2009,

Joseph R. Mays

This was in my mail Saturday. It was addressed to the name on my credit card that I have used many times at several of the restaurants listed. These restaurants used to be owned by Portland based Pacific Restaurants until last year when they were purchased by Restaurants Unlimited in Seattle. Kincaids and Portland City Grill are both across the street from my office. Kincaids is in the Embassy Suites Hotel on the east side and Portland City Grill is in the US Bank Building on the west side. So, I am very familiar with both restaurants. Stanfords and Newport Bay  have multiple locations in the Portland area and I have eaten at both of them for many years.

I think that this is a clever way to get people to return to their restaurants when they are hurting due to the poor economy. Oregon’s unemployment rate was 9% for December making it the 5th highest state. There are some counties in Oregon that are in double digits.

However; the cards would not cover one meal at most of the restaurants as they are pretty high end. They also can not be used in the bar for happy hour. That is too bad because the Portland City Grill has a killer happy hour menu.

Anyway I will use at least one or two of the cards and give the others away to someone in the office.

Dear President Obama,
My name is Charlie and  I come from a middle class family with a Puerto Rican mom and an African-American dad. I’m thrilled that I lived to see the day where a man with African-American heritage can lead our country. My mom came to America to find opportunity in this country and she succeeded. We live in a great country and are blessed to live in America where we can be whatever we want.

To begin, I think there are many issues in America right now, but the one that concerns me the most is the state that the economy is in right now. The price for everything is rising, even essential items such as milk; a gallon of milk costs around $4 here. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics gas has peaked at $4.40 per gallon and has risen by $2.60 since 2000. While gas prices are getting lower due to a lower demand, I believe they will get higher eventually once demand starts to increase again and people start traveling more..  I fear that by the time I am driving on my own (about 1 year and a half) a barrel of gas will cost over $110, hopefully I can afford it.

Recently, America has been officially declared to be in a recession. I will be on my own in the world in about 4 years and I would not want to live in a country that is on the brink of another depression. I have good faith in what you can do to help our country and look forward to the new direction our country will go in. The economy overall is not good as the stock market is in the worst shape it’s been in. The Dow dropped by 778 points in 2008 on one day which was the biggest loss in a single day ever. This problem needs to be addressed and hopefully this recession will be over soon.

To conclude, I wish you luck in your adventure as president. I have the utmost faith in you and your staff. I don’t expect you to fix this myriad of problems in a few months but I’m sure you can get it done. I plan to vote for you in 2012 as you bring change to the America and lead a new age.

I was speaking to an associate last night.
She was telling me. Oh! There is a telemarketing job. It helps! I told her no! She could not finished the sentence.
Trust! I know what I can do and not do! Telemarketing No! I’m trying to keep stress levels down.

As we continued to talk, I said it going to get worst before it gets better. She said no! it has to get better. This event is a common thing in USA. It happens every 10 or so years. Some folks are standing on their feet, always. Some folks are always scrambling to stay afloat.

Please share a story of someone who is helping people who have been negatively affected by the current economic conditions. I would also like to hear stories of those who have been negatively impacted (layoff…) who, instead of turning inward, has turned outward in service to others.
If you feel like you do not want to post such a story here, please feel free to send your story in an e-mail to me at jimdavy@jamesmdavyassociates.com.
Peace.

Did I get your attention?  I hope so.

Those of you that know me, understand one thing.  I’m passionate about what I believe in!  I’m passionate about my life, my family and my chosen profession.

In today’s printing market, most are struggling to not only find their place within the industry, but some (at an alarmingly growing number) are just struggling to survive.

For most, it’s one reason… THEY ARE A PRINTER!

Why you ask is that a problem?  I have the answers…

Dear President  Barack Obama,

I write to you from a high school classroom in Sarasota, FL. I know I may not be the most educated or government savvy person you’ll hear from, but I feel that my opinions and views on the country are just as important as the next persons’. I want to begin by informing you of how overjoyed I am that you were elected into the white house as our forty-fourth president. I feel that you’re not only competent and capable of taking on our country’s biggest issues, but I wholeheartedly trust you to listen to everyone’s opinions and what matters to them. So I have taken it upon myself to write to you about the things that matter most to me. I would like to tell you about my views on gay rights, abortion and ways we can help protect our environment.
The Bill of Rights states that, “Every man is given the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Last time I checked, every man meant every man. So why are people with a homosexual orientation partially excluded from that statement? As you know, only the state of Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage and nineteen other state have banned it all together. Yet in all states, the same rights and legal benefits offered to couples in a straight relationship are not offered to couples in a same sex relationship. I don’t understand why you should be excluded from rights to something like medical decisions over your partner or social security benefits, just because of who you are with. To me, there is no difference between loving a man or loving a woman. I just wish there were more people in America that didn’t discriminate on a daily basis. Not only does it mirror every other right we’ve had to fight for, it seems down right cruel to reject someone of having the legal rights they deserve.
As you can tell I have a very liberal point of view on things. So I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you that I am pro-choice when it comes to abortion. It really bothers me when pro-life supporters claim that pro-choice means you are ‘for abortion’, when in actuality it merely means that women should have the right to choose whether or not they want an abortion. I think that if we denied women the right to have an abortion, it would completely set us back in the civil rights movement. If someone else is pregnant, with someone else’s child and they live in an entirely different community than you do, why do you have the right to tell them what they can and can’t do with their body? You honestly never know what the situation can be. What if a fourteen-year-old girl was raped? Many pro-life supporters like to say that she could keep the baby and give it up for adoption, but when you are fourteen you’re not even fully developed. So why would her body be physically capable of bearing a child? Her body could end up more damaged by going through childbirth than if she were to get an abortion. So if abortion was legalized in all fifty states, I feel that there would end up being less abortions and less deaths due to abortions in the U.S. This is because if you were given every possible right, I think there would be more thought put into the decision.
Right now it seems that everywhere you go there are green options and celebrities and spokespeople telling you about the harm you’re causing the environment. Yet day-by-day, Americans continue to throw away plastic water bottles by the millions and use up more energy than necessary. So what can you do to help encourage people to take care of their environment? I think the government should provide a better recycling program and work with manufacturers to stop producing inefficient products. Every day sixty million plastic water bottles are being thrown into landfills. Since recycling takes a lot of energy, you should encourage people to use more eco-friendly products, such as reusable bottles. You could also urge Americans to do simple things around the house to conserve energy, such as turning off lights and electronics when they aren’t being used. Or incourage the use of bicycles as a means of transportation. There are so many things that Americans can do to help our environment. We just need someone responsible to provide us with ideas. We should do everything we can to reduce waste and conserve energy if we want to take care of our planet.
I know many adults wouldn’t listen to me as I rattle off the issues that I feel need to be fixed. Yet the millions of teens growing up in America today are the future of America. We are future employers and future voters, and a few of us could be the future president. Soon enough, we are going to be living in this poor economy and having to make our own decisions. I feel that if more politicians took the time to listen to teens and younger people, they would show a greater interest in politics. Thankfully, I know you will listen to everyone’s opinion, no matter what our age. I just want you to know that even though your task at hand is daunting, millions of Americans and I believe in you and that you’ll do what’s best for our country.
Sincerely,
Sara