Tag Archive for work

Guilt-Free Chocolate

March 28, 2018 Comments Off on Guilt-Free Chocolate

What is the first secular thing that comes to mind with the word “Easter”?  Chocolate, of  course.  Chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies…gobs of chocolate that make our minds twitch with guilty pleasure.

How about guilt-free chocolate?  The pounds may stay, but not regrets about how that yummy stuff got to us.  The same with coffee, tea, rice, sugar, juice, honey, wine, flowers, crafts–all sorts of things that often reach our homes through the mistreatment of people in other countries.  Many, often young children, work under harsh conditions to support their families.  But it’s the only work available.  The FAIR-TRADE MOVEMENT aims to change this, to provide employment, fair wages, decent conditions, and money that goes back into their communities for health and education.  This is not “free trade,” which is political, among nations, but “fair trade,” valuing the well-being of people.

Participate by buying products on-line (Google “Fair Trade”) or at Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Cost Plus, Peet’s, Starbucks, and elsewhere.  Watch for the “Fair Trade” symbol on packages.  Ask the manager.  Make your interest known.  Then, maybe just one more nibble wouldn’t hurt….

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A Day for Our Spouse

September 4, 2017 Comments Off on A Day for Our Spouse

Today is Labor Day.  We might have relaxation and a BBQ with friends in mind.  Maybe we’ll  even give a passing thought to all the workers we meet daily where we work or eat lunch.  But what about those closer to home?  Do we show appreciation for the work our spouse does around the house or for our family? Who labors over the gardening, laundry, cooking, planning, driving, finances, or myriad other tasks that keep a family running smoothly?  Probably us or our spouse.  Take a moment today—and often—to say “thank you” for something he or she does on a regular basis.  Simple words of gratitude, especially when spoken frequently, remind people that what they do is noticed and drives off that slithering snake of resentment, whose bite poisons relationships.

 

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Wednesday is a Red-Letter Day

March 30, 2016 Comments Off on Wednesday is a Red-Letter Day

It’s been awhile since I’ve inflicted what I think is an interesting phrase-derivation on you.  Today I offer “Red-letter day,” which, of course, is a day of special importance or significance.

The phrase really was begun in church, and not because some minister saw an overly packed church on a day other than Christmas or Easter.  Actually, it comes from the days when dates of a church festival would be marked in red on its calendars.  The first mention in America was in the early 1700s, when “red-letter day” was used in the diary of one Sarah Knight.  Way before that, though, William Caxtyon used it in The boke of Eneydos (translated and printed in 1490).

In 1549 the first Book of Common Prayer had a section with a calendar of holy days.  These holy days were emphasized by being printed in red ink.  In other words, those were “red-letter days.”

Now you know–whether you wanted to or not….

Happy “hump day,” by the way.  And keep your mind out of the gutter.  Every Wednesday is a red-letter day because we’re over the “hump” of the work week.

 

 

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Fence out those Immigrants!

November 20, 2015 4 comments

I live in California, a state that has a large population of immigrants coming in illegally.  I should, I suppose, jump on the bandwagon of the Presidential candidates who insist on building a fence to keep them out.  It’s expensive, they all agree, but worth it, say some, or will be paid for by Mexico, claims one.

I don’t understand.  Aren’t those candidates aware that many people come in through Canada, too?  Or overstay their visa or HB work permits?  What about them?  A fence won’t help.  Also, haven’t they seen the statistics that show that  2009-2014 more Mexican immigrants have been choosing, on their own, to return to their families in Mexico than have come into the U.S.?  In addition, those reports show that the theory that they’ve been returning because of our bad economy is false–it has always been better economically here than where they came from.

Come on, candidates, make that bandwagon actually count for something–like plans to solve poverty, under-education, discrimination, bigotry, and violence in our nation.

 

 

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A Dog-Gone Silly “Day”

June 26, 2015 Comments Off on A Dog-Gone Silly “Day”

Take Your Dog to Work Day (today–created in 1999 by Pet Sitters International) is downright silly.  Mine is at work with me every day.  Of course, I work from a home-office….

Anyway, here’s my helper, Riley Casey O’Donnell. The after-surgery cone and lighting make her look either like an angel (HA!) or, if you’re old enough to recall, the RCA Victor dog.

Cone-Head Riley 2

 

 

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Hope for Pregnant Workers

May 13, 2015 Comments Off on Hope for Pregnant Workers

There’s hope for pregnant women.  They’re often fired from their jobs because of “unreasonable demands,” like taking bathroom breaks, needing to keep a bottle of water nearby, or having to get help with lifting heavy loads.  (These are actual cases.)

Today, Senators Bob Casey and Jeanne Shaheen are introducing their Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in the U.S. Senate.  It isn’t proposing that employers make major concessions, just the same reasonable ones afforded to people with disabilities.  It would be illegal to fire a pregnant woman for needing such small accommodations.

Since May, when Rep. Jerrold Nadler brought this bill to the House, it has gained 100+ co-sponsors, plus support from a variety of organizations– public health, business, women, workers, and religious.

Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

 

 

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Why Bother Working?

January 20, 2015 Comments Off on Why Bother Working?

Most of us work hard at our jobs, hoping to get ahead, watching for the next pay-raise, and looking forward to the day when our family is not only out of debt but comfortable enough financially so we can stop worrying about taking a nice vacation.  We in America have a better chance of that, of course, than elsewhere.  But where, exactly, is the world’s pot of gold going?

The Wall Street Journal sums it up like this:  “The super rich are getting super richer.”   According to Oxfam, an international anti-poverty coalition, by next year 1% of people will own more than 50% of the world’s wealth–those 1% will own more than the rest of us combined.

Meanwhile, poverty, malnutrition, disease, homelessness, and wars fought over who gets to use natural resources increase throughout the globe.  And the average frustrated working person struggles to keep from experiencing those conditions.

What’s the answer?  In all fairness, I don’t know.  I wish I did.

 

 

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Work for a Quarter an Hour?

January 5, 2015 Comments Off on Work for a Quarter an Hour?

Would you work for 25 cents an hour?  You might if you’re encouraged to believe that’s all you’re worth.  But, wait–there are labor laws to prevent that.  Not true, if you’re a person with a disability.  There’s a loophole in the labor law that allows companies to enrich themselves and pay huge salaries to their CEOs by “helping” those “poor, unfortunate souls,” giving them jobs so they “can feel good about themselves, like real people“–and paying them next to nothing.

These companies know how hard it is for a disabled person to find employment, and they’re aware that fewer than 20% of people with disabilities can actually end up with jobs.

Read about this unfair situation: “Subminimum Wage” for Disabled Workers Called Exploitative.  

Then do something about it by signing the petition to the Labor Department.  Also, check into charities that hire the handicapped (e.g., Goodwill Industries) before donating to them.  Find out how much their disabled employees are paid, and how much their CEO and other officers make.

 

 

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Enstein’s Personal Daily Reminder

October 10, 2013 Comments Off on Enstein’s Personal Daily Reminder

Einstein was one smart human being!

“One hundred times a day I remind myself that my personal and professional life depends on the fruit of the work of other men, living and dead, and that I should make every effort to give in the same measure in which I have received and am receiving.”–  Albert Einstein

[Something to chew on for a Thursday Thought.]

 

 

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