Monday, June 21, 2010

Father's Day, Congratulations!

The Importance of Fathers


By Rexanne Mancini


There is no doubt that mothers play an all-important leading role in the lives of their children. They are the obvious heroes of child rearing. But what about a father's role? Just how important are the dads of the world compared to the almighty image of mother? My belief is that fathers play just as important a role as mothers. Different, yes. Possibly not as nurturing, not as all-sacrificing but just as important in the developmental and emotional well being of a child.

Dads are the solid foundation of our lives. They are the shore we swim to when our arms and legs feel increasingly tired. They are the strength we rely on as we take our first tentative steps into the world. Dads can be tender, tough, fragile or powerful but they are probably the most uncomplicated love we will ever know.

For daughters, Daddy is the first man they adore ... the first man whose eyes shine with overwhelming amazement when they look at us. He is the first man to fall in love with us.

For sons, Daddy is the idol they first aspire to emulate ... their mirror image of what will be and possibly the only man they will ever feel comfortable loving.

Daddy is the first man who held us, as a loving parent, with a lump in his throat so huge, only the joy of that love could erase the overwhelming pain of choking on unexpected raw emotion. I think when a father holds his newborn baby, he is touched by pure vulnerability for the first time in his adult life, leaving him forever humbled by the unexplained miracles of life.

For mothers, the father of our children is the one person we can trust to watch over our babies as closely as we would. We are secure in the knowledge of their love for our precious offspring. Dad is the only other person in the world as fascinated with every nuance and murmur of our babies. He is the one person on the planet with whom we can indulge our need to brag and carry on about our kid's accomplishments and heartaches ad nauseum ... one who will be just as interested and never yawn in the face of our devotion.

Without dads, we wouldn't be moms. I would like to take the liberty of thanking them from all our hearts for this honor and for being our partners in this business of raising children.

Know how much you are loved and revered, guys! You are our trusted soldiers and we need you more than you will ever realize.

Copyright – 2000-2004- Rexanne Mancini
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Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html
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"A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child."

- Knights of Pythagoras



Whether you're a daddy-to-be or a seasoned granddad, Father's Day is a wonderful opportunity to bask in the glow of your family's affection and appreciation. This year, you can also make Father's Day an opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth. Ask yourself: Are you the father you always wanted to be? Are you the father your children deserve?






The History of Father's Day

Father's Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not established as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards.

In fact when a "father's day" was first proposed there were no Father's Day cards!


Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.


The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington.

At about the same time in various towns and cities across American other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's day.".

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.


Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father's Day.












Jokes about Dad



One evening a little girl and her parents were sitting around the table eating supper. The little girl said, "Daddy, you're the boss, aren't you?" Her Daddy smiled, pleased, and said yes. The little girl continued "That's because Mummy put you in charge, right?"



What Makes A Dad Author is unknown


God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,


The warmth of a summer sun,


The calm of a quiet sea,


The generous soul of nature,


The comforting arm of night,


The wisdom of the ages,


The power of the eagle's flight,


The joy of a morning in spring,


The faith of a mustard seed,


The patience of eternity,


The depth of a family need,


Then God combined these qualities,


When there was nothing more to add,


He knew His masterpiece was complete,


And so, He called it ... Dad





Taken from: http://www.morning-glow.com/holidays/father/father.html



























Monday, June 14, 2010

Parents: Teen sailor healthy after 3 days adrift - Yahoo! News

Parents: Teen sailor healthy after 3 days adrift

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Weary but healthy despite bumps and bruises, teen sailor Abby Sunderland was cheerful in a phone call home after being rescued Saturday from her crippled boat in the southern Indian Ocean, her parents said.
"She sounded tired, a little bit small in her voice, but she was able to make jokes and she was looking forward to getting some sleep," her mother, Marianne Sunderland, told reporters outside the family home in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
The 16-year-old had to abandon her sailboat, Wild Eyes, when a French fishing vessel rescued her more than 2,000 miles from the western Australia coast, two days after she lost communication with her family and sent out distress signals. She will spend more than a week traveling to Reunion Island, a French territory east of Madagascar.
"Crazy is the word that really describes everything that has happened best," Abby Sunderland wrote Saturday morning in a blog post from "a great big fishing boat headed I am not exactly sure where."
"The long and the short of it is, well, one long wave, and one short mast," she wrote.
Sunderland had been stranded in heavy seas since Thursday, when she set off a distress signal after the mast collapsed. Laurence Sunderland said the family was not going to elaborate on the problems that led to the emergency, and Abby Sunderland didn't provide details in her blog post.

Video courtesy of ABC News. For more visit ABC News.com

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the French ship Ile De La Reunion brought Sunderland on board from her stricken craft Saturday afternoon at the site (about 2:45 a.m. PDT).
French authorities called it a "delicate operation," and said at one point the fishing boat's captain fell into the ocean and had to be rescued. Laurence Sunderland said the crew used its dinghy in the transfer.
Australian authorities were broadcasting a message to boats crossing through the area warning them that Sunderland's sailboat is still adrift.
Sunderland will leave the French fishing boat in about two days to board a maritime patrol boat that will take her to Reunion Island, according to a statement from the office of the French Indian Ocean island's top official. The transfer will take place off the Kerguelen Islands, with the exact timing depending on weather and ocean conditions.
Authorities said Sunderland likely would not arrive in Reunion for at least a week.
Despite a lag in getting to see her, Laurence Sunderland said the family is "just ecstatic that she is alive and well and survived the ordeal."
Sunderland set out from Los Angeles County's Marina del Rey on Jan. 23, trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo and nonstop.
Soon after starting her trip, Sunderland ran into equipment problems and had to stop for repairs. She gave up the goal of setting the record in April, but continued, hoping to complete the journey.
Zac Sunderland, her brother, held the record for a little more than a month last year until Briton Mike Perham completed his own journey. The record changed hands again last month, when 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson completed her own around-the-world voyage.
Outside the family home early Saturday, eight pink balloons were tethered to the white picket fence in front of the single-story house and beneath them was placed a large, hand-painted sign that read: "Thank God Abby's alive."
She had been keeping in contact with her parents through satellite communications and had made several broken calls to them, reporting her yacht was being tossed by 30-foot (9-meter) waves — as tall as a 3-story building. An hour after her last call ended Thursday, her emergency beacons began signaling.
Rescuers in a chartered jet flew from Perth on Australia's west coast and spotted Sunderland's boat on Thursday. She was able to radio to the plane to say she was in good health and had plenty of food supplies.
Her parents have come under criticism from some observers for allowing the high-risk adventure.
Veteran sailors questioned the wisdom of sending a teenager off alone in a small boat, knowing it would be tossed about for 30 or more hours at a time by the giant waves that rake the Southern Hemisphere's oceans this time of year.
Her father defended the voyage, and Abby Sunderland said it seemed everybody was "eager to pounce on my story now that something bad has happened."
"As for age, since when does age create gigantic waves and storms?" she wrote Saturday.
The Australian maritime authority did not say how much the rescue mission would cost but said it would not be seeking compensation for the search, which initially fell just outside of Australia's search and rescue region. It was not immediately clear if the French vessel would seek compensation.
Family spokesman Jeff Casher said Sunderland's vessel was so badly damaged, her attempt to circle the globe was over.
"This is the end of the dream. There's no boat to sail," he said.
For Sunderland, that reality was still sinking in.
"I keep hitting the wrong keys and am still trying to get over the fact that I will never see my Wild Eyes again," she wrote on the Saturday morning blog posting. "So I'll write more later."
Her father said he had no doubt she'll be back on the water soon.
"Abby has been raised on the ocean," Laurence Sunderland said. "This was like second nature. She'll be back."
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Associated Press Writer Thomas Watkins contributed to this report.
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Online:
Abby's Blog: http://soloround.blogspot.com/

Print Story: Parents: Teen sailor healthy after 3 days adrift - Yahoo! News

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Idiomas para salir de la crisis laboral


Idiomas para salir de la crisis laboral
 (Fuente: Diario El Economista)


La demanda de formación siempre aumenta en tiempos de crisis ante la dificultad para acceder a un empleo. Los idiomas no son una excepción. Este año, las aulas se han llenado de jóvenes y adultos que buscan en la lengua extranjera una oportunidad para acceder, mantener o reincorporarse a un empleo. Pero no todos los idiomas presentan las mismas oportunidades. Todo depende de los objetivos profesionales que se tengan. Lo único claro es que sin inglés es imposible. La lengua anglosajona es la que manda en el mercado de trabajo.
Prácticamente, en la mayoría de las ofertas de empleo se requiere el conocimiento de algún idioma extranjero.

Incentivo ante la crisis económica

Un factor por el que muchas personas deciden aprender alguna lengua diferente a la materna, tendencia que se acentúa en tiempos de crisis económica porque es más difícil poder encontrar un empleo o mantenerlo.

Esta situación ha originado que no sólo los adolescentes y jóvenes llenen las aulas de los centros de formación, bien sean públicos o privados, para estudiar y mejorar su currículum, sino que los adultos y jóvenes que ya dejaron la universidad hace unos años hayan tenido que volver a asistir a clase.


A falta de las cifras oficiales definitivas, los centros tanto públicos como privados, han experimentado este año un aumento de la demanda de idiomas , aunque este incremento se debe también a otros factores como el hecho de que los estudiantes de masters y grados tengan que certificar su conocimiento de idiomas , la entrada del Plan Bolonia que facilita la realización de estudios en centros universitarios extranjeros y la nueva selectividad, que incluye una prueba oral de idioma extranjero.

La demanda para aprender idiomas se ha percibido, sobre todo, en relación al inglés. "Hemos notado un aumento de entre el 10 y el 15 por ciento", según explica Carmelo López, director del Centro de Lenguas Modernas de la Universidad de Zaragoza, quien señala que "con la crisis teníamos previsto este incremento porque la gente aprovecha para formarse".


La demanda de idiomas también se ha notado en los centros privados. En este caso, según datos de Aseproce, se ha registrado un aumento del 10 por ciento. El incremento no afecta por igual a todas las lenguas y "el inglés es la estrella.


El inglés, el idioma más valorado en las entrevistas


Y es que no hay duda de que el inglés es la lengua más importante y la que se ha convertido en el idioma internacional por excelencia, además de ser la más valorada en los procesos de selección. De hecho, según la Guía de las Empresas que ofrecen empleo, elaborada por la Cámara de Madrid y la Fundación Universidad Empresa, el aspecto más valorado por las compañías a la hora de elegir al mejor candidato es el conocimiento de inglés.


La demanda de empleados que sepan inglés hace que la lengua anglosajona sea la prioridad para cualquier estudiante y trabajador, con independencia de su actividad profesional, y que se convierta en imprescindible en determinadas profesiones relacionadas con áreas como la ingeniería, la economía, la ciencia y tecnología.


A partir de ahí, hay que decantarse por estudiar más idiomas, porque "en el Consejo de Europa se está hablando de crear ciudadanos plurilingües que conozcan, además de la lengua materna, otra lengua con un buen nivel y que tengan conocimientos bastante buenos de otro idioma más". Eso sí, no hay que olvidarse bajo ningún concepto del inglés porque para encontrar trabajo es el más importante y sin conocimientos de este idioma es prácticamente imposible acceder a un empleo. Luego, es cuestión de elegir y de ser conscientes que los idiomas abren más puertas profesionales que otras materias y asignaturas, porque con el conocimiento de lenguas extranjeras se encuentra más fácilmente un trabajo, aunque sea temporal y en lugares como la costa.


Extracto del artículo 'Idiomas para salir de la crisis laboral' - 7 de abril de 2010 por Eva Sereno en Ecoaula


Fuente: Diario "El Economista"