http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/47-percent-of-americans-could-not-pay-for-and-unex/nmbtJ/?ecmp=ajc_social_facebook_2014_sfp#f3ced801.3948627.735761

47 percent of Americans could not pay for an unexpected $400 expense

The economic struggles of ordinary Americans are getting a good airing this presidential season and a statistical finding from the Federal Reserve provides ammunition for a candidate in either party who wants to make the case that too many people have been left behind.

Washington Post reporter Hunter Schwarz plugged some Fed data into a little segment called “By the numbers”, in the newspaper’s June 8, 2015, edition:

“47: The percentage of Americans who can’t pay for an unexpected $400 expense through savings or credit cards, without selling something or borrowing money, according to the Federal Reserve.”

The dollar figure caught our eye. It seemed surprisingly low. Other researchers have tried to gauge the financial vulnerability of American households to an economic setback, but typically, the amounts they test are much higher, in the thousands of dollars. We thought we’d take a closer look.

The Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking

A few years ago, the Federal Reserve Board began asking Americans how well they’re doing financially. In May, the Fed released the 2014 results. The questions ranged from retirement planning, to how people managed any student debt they might have, to whether they think their overall situation is headed up or down.

To measure participants’ sense of financial vulnerability, the survey asked them to imagine they had an emergency expense that cost $400, and it asked them how they would cover it. The better-off group said they would use cash-on-hand or a credit card that they would pay off in a month. Others said they would use a credit card but take time to pay it off, or they might borrow from a family member or a pay-day loan company, or they might sell something. And some said there was no way they could cover an unexpected $400 expense.

Across the more than 5,800 people who completed the online survey, 53 percent said they would be able to pay essentially immediately. That left 47 percent who said they could not.

“Specifically, respondents indicate that they simply could not cover the expense (14 percent); would sell something (10 percent); or would rely on one or more means of borrowing to pay for at least part of the expense, including paying with a credit card that they pay off over time (18 percent), borrowing from friends or family (13 percent), or using a payday loan (2 percent),” the report said.

Interestingly, making over $100,000 a year was no guarantee of security. About a quarter of the more affluent group said that at the very least, they would pay off the $400 over time.

George Washington University business professor Annamaria Lusardi and two colleagues (Daniel J. Schneider at Princeton University and Peter Tufano at Oxford University) conducted a similar survey in the depths of the recession in 2009. Their study asked people how they would handle a sudden $2,000 bill that they had to pay in 30 days.

About half the respondents said they would probably or certainly be unable to cope with such an emergency out of their own funds.

Lusardi said she considers the results comparable.

“The Federal Reserve had a lower amount, but it had to be paid right away,” she told PunditFact. “We gave people more time, so I think the percentages are consistent.”

In fact, even with five years separating the surveys, it is the similarity in the responses that caught her eye. Lusardi said it is a sign of the recession’s deep damage to the typical American’s balance sheet.

“Until recently, the labor market and wages have been stagnant,” Lusardi said. “In the recession, many families used up their reserves of liquidity. It takes a long time to reestablish a good financial situation.”

There are other indications that most Americans live with a limited financial cushion. When the government shutdown for two weeks in 2013, a University of Michigan research team tracked a hefty drop in household spending among government workers. Even though their paychecks were interrupted only a short time, households cut their outlays in half, and many delayed paying their mortgages and credit card bills. Some racked up high cost credit card debt that took them up to nine months to pay back.

Lusardi’s 2009 research included a number of other western nations. For the record, the United States ranked sixth out of eight in residents saying they would certainly or probably be able to manage a sudden $2,000 bill.

Our ruling

Schwarz said 47 percent of Americans can’t pay for an unexpected $400 expense through savings or credit cards, without selling something or borrowing money.

The only caveat here, and it’s a very minor one, is that figure represents the number of people who say they can’t make that payment, based on a Federal Reserve Board survey. The Federal Reserve Board results are in line with a similar study and related research.

We rate the claim True.

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aying These 8 Things To Your Kid Every Day Could Change Their Life

http://blog.thebreastcancersite.com/say-these-8-things-every-day/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=bcsfan&utm_term=20150601&utm_campaign=say-these-8-things-every-day

Saying These 8 Things To Your Kid Every Day Could Change Their Life

Image Via Flickr with modifications

Kids. They grow up so fast, and before we know it they are out in the real world, and we are left wondering if we’ve done enough to prepare them for what’s out there! Here are a few simple things you can add to your daily conversations with your kids that can change the way they think about themselves, and others.

Image via Flickr

1. Try It!

Encourage your little one to experience new things, and learn to enjoy getting outside of their comfort zone. You may have to hold their hand at first, but don’t be afraid to let go, and see how they do on their own. It’s a big, beautiful world out there, and your child should grasp every opportunity to delight in it!

Image via Flickr

2. It’s Your Choice

Giving your child choices to make even early on in life will instill confidence in themselves. Knowing that they have choices, the freedom to choose, and your support all along the way is priceless.

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3. You Are Safe And Loved

This may seem an odd or clunky thing to say, but letting your kid know that they are safe when they are with you is pretty important. While ensuring their safety and happiness is always the goal as a parent, verbalizing it every once in a while shows how much they are valued, and reassures them of their security.

Image via Flickr

4. You Make Me Happy

While it is true that our kids bring us endless joy, they sometimes cause a few headaches. We tend to only vocalize the times that they need to be quiet, or sit down, or go to bed. Instead, make a point to let your child know how happy they make you, and how you couldn’t imagine a life without them.

Image via Flickr

5. I Trust And Believe In You

Your kids never grow out of needing your approval. So start early, and don’t stop! This doesn’t mean letting them do whatever they want, but rather boosting their confidence when they make good choices, and being open to discussing options with them. Your words can build them up or tear them down, and either way, eventually your kids will grow up find their place in the world. Don’t you want to be the one who gave them their wings?

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6. Have A Great Day, Don’t Forget Who You Are

Your kid is struggling to find their identity every day, and it’s happening sooner than you think. In this fast paced world we live in, it seems the angsty teenage years start at 10! It’s never too early to help build your child’s identity, and help them figure out what values to hold on to. Reminding them of who they are and how special and important they are before they leave the house – well, that’s just icing on the cake!

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7. Mistakes Happen

When I was a kid, I swear I spilled a glass of milk at least once a day. I cried every time. That’s right, I literally cried over spilt milk. I’m sure it got annoying, and I’m sure when my parents started poking fun at me it was all in good humor. But I became so very self-conscience about my clumsy hands and my bumbling feet that I didn’t want to hardly move for fear of knocking something over! Instead of getting upset over spilt milk, it is far more productive to teach your kids that mistakes happen, and it’s how we deal with them that matters. You may even have an opportunity to show them how to handle a mistake in your own life!

Image via Flickr with modifications

8. I Love You

Because you knew it had to be on this list somewhere, right?

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Death Is Nothing At All

Henry Scott Holland

Death is nothing at all. 
It does not count. 
I have only slipped away into the next room. 
Nothing has happened. 

Everything remains exactly as it was. 
I am I, and you are you, 
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. 
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. 

Call me by the old familiar name. 
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. 
Put no difference into your tone. 
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. 

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. 
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. 
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. 

Life means all that it ever meant. 
It is the same as it ever was. 
There is absolute and unbroken continuity. 
What is this death but a negligible accident? 

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? 
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, 
somewhere very near, 
just round the corner. 

All is well. 
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. 
One brief moment and all will be as it was before. 
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Source: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-at-all-by-harry-scott-holland#ixzz3cE3PTQ6f 
Family Friend Poems 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/opinion/sunday/its-not-mess-its-creativity.html?referrer=

It’s Not ‘Mess.’ It’s Creativity.

Gray Matter

By KATHLEEN D. VOHS

MESSY or tidy — which is better?

Historically, the evidence has favored the tidy camp. Cleanliness, as the proverb says, is next to godliness. The anthropologist Mary Douglas noted almost 50 years ago a connection between clean, open spaces and moral righteousness. More recently, psychologists have shown that the scent of citrus cleaning products is enough to raise people’s ethical standards and promote trust. Conversely, in another study, people were found to associate chaotic wilderness with death. 

But if messiness is so bad, why do so many people tolerate, and even embrace, it?

Not long ago, two of my colleagues and I speculated that messiness, like tidiness, might serve a purpose. Since tidiness has been associated with upholding societal standards, we predicted that just being around tidiness would elicit a desire for convention. We also predicted the opposite: that being around messiness would lead people away from convention, in favor of new directions.

We conducted some experiments to test these intuitions, and as we reported in last month’s issue of the journal Psychological Science, our hunches were borne out.

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http://mobile.wnd.com/2015/05/pastor-spills-secret-on-kids-summoning-demons/

PASTOR SPILLS SECRET ON KIDS SUMMONING 'DEMONS'

The so-called “Charlie Charlie Challenge” is a cheaper version of a ouija board

Young people around the world are trying to summon a demon in the latest trend sweeping social media – but a well-known pastor and Christian author believes those who participated in the “Charlie Charlie challenge” are fooling themselves about the realities of the spiritual realm.

Pastor and bestselling Christian author Carl Gallups told WND: “The ‘Charlie Charlie’ trick is just that – a trick. In fact, it’s an old bar room parlor trick that originally involved putting two cigarettes on top of each other, only now it’s two pencils. It’s very easy to manipulate and make it look like something is happening by itself when actually it’s just someone breathing on the pencils, usually the person filming the ‘challenge.’ So these kids are not actually summoning demons or anything like that.”

Could it be we are living in the final Trumpet Days of Revelation? In “Final Warning,” beloved pastor and bestselling author Carl Gallups explores the stunning visions of the Apostle John as found in the seven trumpets of Revelation

But the mundane reality isn’t stopping media outlets around the world from discussing the phenomenon and more broadly entertaining the possibilities of conjuration. MTV even lightheartedly suggested nine other demons people can summon.

In the “Charlie Charlie Challenge,” participants align two pencils in the shape of a cross and ask, “Charlie, Charlie are you here?” Supposedly, the pencils then move to indicate the entity’s presence. On YouTube, videos of participants filming themselves doing the “challenge” are racking up tens of thousands of views.

Gallups sees real significance in the massive reaction to the “Charlie Charlie Challenge.”

“This story is everywhere in mainstream news coverage, even though there’s nothing actually there,” he said. “People are utterly fascinated by it. And interestingly, much of the fascination seems to be coming from the United Kingdom.”

The author of “Final Warning: Understanding the Trumpet Days of Revelation” believes while the challenge itself is bogus, the spiritual world and demons themselves are real. And Gallups believes the massive reaction to the challenge by a post-Christian culture reflects the hunger people have to experience spiritual realities.

He observed, “We live in a secular culture and here we have all these people that are so aggressively secular, so aggressively anti-Christian, who believe in evolution, and yet they are so quick to want to contact a demon.”

Gallups added, “People are turning to this kind of thing because there is a hunger for spiritual life. The fact is, we are spiritual beings. The Word of God is so clear. God sent his Son to die for us, and there is only one way to salvation. God cares about how we are living our lives. But people don’t want to live under that. They reject God’s authority over their lives. So this is an attempt by people to be in touch with their spiritual side, but still be in rebellion against God.”

Parents should not overreact if their children are participating in the “challenge” and should instead encouraging them to show what a simple con it really is, Gallups said. However, he also notes that the old parlor game, framed in its new context as an attempt at demonic conjuration, could lead to real dangers.

Gallups warned: “This is the Ouija board of our time in the sense that it is a trick, but also a gateway drug. This is a gateway to the occult.

“It’s like candy cigarettes. In and of itself, it is harmless. But look at what you are actually doing. With candy cigarettes, you are walking around pretending to smoke. With this, you are literally praying to a supposed demon, calling out to ‘Charlie,’ asking for a gateway to be opened. So it is a trick, but it can set people on a path to something darker.”

As a specialist in the End Times prophesied by the Book of Revelation, Gallups believes the rising interest in the occult and attempts to dabble in magic and demonology are another sign the latter days are approaching.

“We are living in prophetic times,” he said. “We are the only generation to see the creation of Israel, the rise of ISIS, the alliance of the nations against the Jewish state, and so much else that has been foretold. And we even hear increasing warnings of global war.

“There have always been fortune tellers, and supposed magicians and whatever else. The difference now is we live in a world that allows for instant, worldwide communication. And as it says in 1 Timothy 4, verse 1, ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

The bottom line?

“You shouldn’t play around with conjuring and trying to contact the demonic world,” Gallups said. “But we are seeing more of this because it was predicted in the Word of God.”

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http://socialmeems.com/2014/06/03/beautiful-advice-from-a-divorced-man-after-16-years-of-marriage/

Beautiful advice from a divorced man after 16 years of marriage

              

03/06/2014

Beautiful advice from a divorced man after 16 years of marriage.

My advice after a divorce following 16 years of marriage, by Gerald Rogers.

" This couple in this picture who lives happily and contented with each other after the wedding up to this time " (Please note the image shown is for illustration purposes only) Image by Jear Redondo Batiforra

Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have had

1. Never stop courting. Never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love.

2. Protect your own heart. Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there is a special place in your heart where no one must enter except for your wife. Keep that space always ready to receive her and invite her in, and refuse to let anyone or anything else enter there.

3. Fall in love over and over again. You will constantly change. You’re not the same people you were when you got married, and in five years you will not be the same person you are today. Change will come, and in that you have to re-choose each other everyday. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY WITH YOU, and if you don’t take care of her heart, she may give that heart to someone else or seal you out completely, and you may never be able to get it back. Always fight to win her love just as you did when you were courting her.

4. Always see the best in her. Focus only on what you love. What you focus on will expand. If you focus on what bugs you, all you will see is reasons to be bugged. If you focus on what you love, you can’t help but be consumed by love. Focus to the point where you can no longer see anything but love, and you know without a doubt that you are the luckiest man on earth to be have this woman as your wife.

5. It’s not your job to change or fix her… your job is to love her as she is with no expectation of her ever changing. And if she changes, love what she becomes, whether it’s what you wanted or not.

6. Take full accountability for your own emotions: It’s not your wife’s job to make you happy, and she CAN’T make you sad. You are responsible for finding your own happiness, and through that your joy will spill over into your relationship and your love.

7. Never blame your wife if you get frustrated or angry at her, it is only because it is triggering something inside of YOU. They are YOUR emotions, and your responsibility. When you feel those feelings take time to get present and to look within and understand what it is inside of YOU that is asking to be healed. You were attracted to this woman because she was the person best suited to trigger all of your childhood wounds in the most painful way so that you could heal them… when you heal yourself, you will no longer be triggered by her, and you will wonder why you ever were.

8. Allow your woman to just be. When she’s sad or upset, it’s not your job to fix it, it’s your job to HOLD HER and let her know it’s ok. Let her know that you hear her, and that she’s important and that you are that pillar on which she can always lean. The feminine spirit is about change and emotion and like a storm her emotions will roll in and out, and as you remain strong and unjudging she will trust you and open her soul to you… DON’T RUN-AWAY WHEN SHE’S UPSET. Stand present and strong and let her know you aren’t going anywhere. Listen to what she is really saying behind the words and emotion.

9. Be silly… don’t take yourself so damn seriously. Laugh. And make her laugh. Laughter makes everything else easier.

10. Fill her soul everyday… learn her love languages and the specific ways that she feels important and validated and CHERISHED. Ask her to create a list of 10 THINGS that make her feel loved and memorize those things and make it a priority everyday to make her feel like a queen.

11. Be present. Give her not only your time, but your focus, your attention and your soul. Do whatever it takes to clear your head so that when you are with her you are fully WITH HER. Treat her as you would your most valuable client. She is.

12. Be willing to take her sexually, to carry her away in the power of your masculine presence, to consume her and devour her with your strength, and to penetrate her to the deepest levels of her soul. Let her melt into her feminine softness as she knows she can trust you fully.

13. Don’t be an idiot…. And don’t be afraid of being one either. You will make mistakes and so will she. Try not to make too big of mistakes, and learn from the ones you do make. You’re not supposed to be perfect, just try to not be too stupid.

14. Give her space… The woman is so good at giving and giving, and sometimes she will need to be reminded to take time to nurture herself. Sometimes she will need to fly from your branches to go and find what feeds her soul, and if you give her that space she will come back with new songs to sing…. (okay, getting a little too poetic here, but you get the point. Tell her to take time for herself, ESPECIALLY after you have kids. She needs that space to renew and get re-centered, and to find herself after she gets lost in serving you, the kids and the world.)

15. Be vulnerable… you don’t have to have it all together. Be willing to share your fears and feelings, and quick to acknowledge your mistakes.

16. Be fully transparent. If you want to have trust you must be willing to share EVERYTHING… Especially those things you don’t want to share. It takes courage to fully love, to fully open your heart and let her in when you don’t know i she will like what she finds… Part of that courage is allowing her to love you completely, your darkness as well as your light. DROP THE MASK… If you feel like you need to wear a mask around her, and show up perfect all the time, you will never experience the full dimension of what love can be.

17. Never stop growing together… The stagnant pond breeds malaria, the flowing stream is always fresh and cool. Atrophy is the natural process when you stop working a muscle, just as it is if you stop working on your relationship. Find common goals, dreams and visions to work towards.

18. Don’t worry about money. Money is a game, find ways to work together as a team to win it. It never helps when teammates fight. Figure out ways to leverage both persons strength to win.

19. Forgive immediately and focus on the future rather than carrying weight from the past. Don’t let your history hold you hostage. Holding onto past mistakes that either you or she makes, is like a heavy anchor to your marriage and will hold you back. FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM. Cut the anchor loose and always choose love.

20. Always choose love. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. In the end, this is the only advice you need. If this is the guiding principle through which all your choices is governed, there is nothing that will threaten the happiness of your marriage. Love will always endure.

In the end marriage isn’t about happily ever after. It’s about work. And a commitment to grow together and a willingness to continually invest in creating something that can endure eternity. Through that work, the happiness will come. Marriage is life, and it will bring ups and downs. Embracing all of the cycles and learning to learn from and love each experience will bring the strength and perspective to keep building, one brick at a time.

These are lessons I learned the hard way. These are lessons I learned too late. But these are lessons I am learning and committed in carrying forward. Truth is, I loved being married, and in time, I will get married again, and when I do, I will build it with a foundation that will endure any storm and any amount of time.

If you are reading this and find wisdom in my pain, share it those those young husbands whose hearts are still full of hope, and with those couples you may know who may have forgotten how to love. One of those men may be like I was, and in these hard earned lessons perhaps something will awaken in him and he will learn to be the man his lady has been waiting for.

MEN- THIS IS YOUR CHARGE: Commit to being an EPIC LOVER. There is no greater challenge, and no greater prize. Your woman deserves that from. Be the type of husband your wife can’t help but brag about.

 Related Article : 

A woman’s response to “Beautiful advice from a divorced man after 16 years of marriage

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A Liberator, But Never Free

http://www.blog.standforisrael.org/articles/a-liberator-but-never-free?sm=Blog&s_src=FB&s_subsrc=NFS1500XXEXXX

Stand for Israel | A Liberator, But Never Free

The silence must have frightened Emily Wilsey. In the seven months since her husband had gone to war, Captain David Wilsey, a 30-year-old anesthesiologist with the 116th Evacuation Hospital, had never gone more than a day or two without sending her a letter. Every step of the frigid, mud-soaked, and bloody Allied advance across France and Germany, he had written to her of his experiences. But now, with victory assured and the newspapers declaring the war in Europe all but over, the letters had stopped.

His last letter, dated May 1, 1945, was sent from “Somewhere Else Yet Again, Germany.” He had written about how excited he was that his unit would get the chance that night to see The Keys of the Kingdom, a movie starring Gregory Peck. He marveled over how fast the latest issue of the Elko Daily Courier, the daily paper in their town in Nevada, had reached him. “The advance party is out to reconnoiter the new site we will move to in a day or two,” he added, making his first reference to the Dachau concentration camp. Dachau opened in 1933 and was initially used to house political prisoners. It later became a training facility for the SS, the elite Nazi military force responsible for planning and executing the “Final Solution,” or the annihilation of the Jews. An estimated 41,500 prisoners were murdered there. Some went to the gas chambers, or were shot or beaten to death; others expired from exposure or starvation, or died subsequent to medical experiments conducted by SS doctors. Dachau was the inaugural Nazi concentration camp and served as a model for their massive killing system. “The war could end any hour yet we keep moving, racing, working just as if it weren’t over,” he told her, closing the letter by writing, “I love you,” to his wife nine times in four long rows.

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