I find this discussion interesting. I am a feminist. My husband is a feminist. We are raising our children as feminists. We are teaching them equality of men, women, and those who are transgendered. We do not teach man-hating, nor do we teach racism (which was a considered an in early feminism) -- it was a white middle class issue and black women in the US rebelled with WOMANISM or similarly, black feminism. BUT, I also recognize that the term has many meanings for people...much like Christianity. Some people say Catholics are not Christian:lol:; some say Mormons aren't. Well, it depends on your definition. I do find it a bit sad that we don't have a less controversial term that identifies people who see the equality of men and women as a fundamental human right with no natural or scriptural reason to be seen as lesser or subservient. I do see people post here (who believe by scripture in obeying their husbands, etc.) that would not fit under my definition. Differences in physical biology or personal choices are different (such as the choice to stay at home v. work). BTW, right now, my husband is a stay at home dad, by choice.

LOVE it!

Hilarious! Lure them in with modest dress, then stick it to them :D.

Thanks for you story! I'm at wit's end with pretending I will modify my eating. I need a serious kick in the pants, and this seems to be the one for me. How many rounds have you done? Did you find incorporating foods back in difficult? I'd be afraid I would go whole hog on the first day I could add back in, LOL.

I've been reading nonstop for the past day. I know it is off protocol, but I have MS and will keep taking my Omega 3's each day. The benefit of them for my disease is too great. I will follow everything else. I will report back to tell you if it still worked with my Nordic Naturals each day :001_smile:. I am very excited! I need to lose 50 pounds, and if I can get off at least 20, I'll be moving in the right direction!

My DH gets Calvin's from TJMAXX and they are no more expensive than Walmart unders. My DH prefers the gray, too. They are great.

In response to a few comments here: PLEASE do not buy fake handbags or other products just so you can carry a "name." Counterfeit products feed organized crime, drug trafficking, inhumane child labor conditions, and perhaps even terrorist activity. If you cannot afford a designer bag, why pretend that you can? Is status so important you are willing to allow trademark infringement? You can buy a nice bag at TJMAXX for under $100.00 with soft, supple leather. Or, buy a cute bag at Target for under $25.00. No need to pretend you can afford something you can't --especially when the "posturing" costs so much for others!

Thank you! I need a jumpstart desperately! I've been blaming my extra 50 lbs. on baby weight, but since my youngest just turned 9, I am out of excuses :lol:

Whoa,,,, I just read the reviews on Overstock and I've never seen such positive reactions to a weight loss product. I think I'm ordering :D

I agree. I feel like more people could help out our country's problems by adopting waiting children. We could be removing state responsibility, as well as raising productive future citizens whose lives are more bleak in foster care.

Ditto! :iagree:

Depression can also cause those symptoms. Has she had any significant life changes?

Hi! Was that with Michael's regularly offered 60% off coupon? If not, just wait a week or two and they will have a coupon for 60% off framing. Occasionally, they offer 60% and an additional 10%. For my money, though, I had GREAT luck on ebay. I sent a framer my measurements and they sent me the frame, mats, and glass. I don't know how much shipping would add to the expense for such large glass pieces, though. If you want my seller's information, let me know and I'll go look it up.

Wow. I'm really surprised that people think other people should be having kids and find money for them. How about world resources? How about the unwanted children who are already on this earth? We are overpopulated as it is. We breeders are to blame. I have 3 great kids that I adore, but my goodness, our need/desire for biological children is a bit over the top. In truth, I believe my God would have been happier had I chosen to raise waiting children and provide them with the love and resources I have rather than feeling compelled to add to the gene pool. All this said half-facetiously, but with a grain of "my" truth :D

Another person with MS here. I was diagnosed April Fool's Day this year (2011). I had dealt with intense chest/anxiety attacks, black-outs and disorientation, and difficulty swallowing on occasion. At first, we chalked it up to stress and started antidepressants. Then, the numbness began and I temporarily lost-vision and that was the easy diagnosis! MRIs confirmed I had 2 lesions on my brain and spine. I am on a daily shot and some added vitamins, and am doing great! The long-term prognosis is wonderful. All I really notice know is some skin sensitivity to water in the shower, pool, etc, and extra tiredness. Not a great dx, but certainly better than others!

I don't want to scare or alarm you any more, but if you cannot find a quick and easy answer, you might want to have Multiple Sclerosis ruled out. I have MS and the tingling is very common, and because of the nerve/brain interruptions, I have passed out. If you want more information, I can give it, but I hope it isn't necessary. MS is very manageable and my prognosis is great!

Ohhh, thank you! I need to check it out :-).

Colleges and Universities are coming around to wikipedia, recognizing that it can be one source of information. Here is an article that explains the logic, as well as some highly regarded universities' role in strengthening the source material. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/06/20/wikipedia-gradually-accepted-in-college-classrooms

I don't know anything specifically about the Denver market, but I am sure she wasn't trying too hard to get a good job in a not-for-profit field if she kept her Starbucks job. Her degree is from a school I don't know anything about, but I would wonder if she did any internships while in school? Did she have a portfolio of her writing if she wanted to be in PR? Did she network prior to moving to Denver? Did she utilize her school's career planning center (every school has one)? Has she used her alumni network? I agree with a pp that some students don't learn how to look for jobs. We encourage our students from the first year on to work in their chosen industry over the summer, to find paid or unpaid internships (which carry some ethical dilemmas if they are for profit companies), and to attend career fairs starting their junior year. Had she done any of these things, she would not have remained unemployed here in the South. Even if she couldn't find paid work immediately in a non-profit, did she look at developing work experience in the area? I have had students work in communication for banks, or corporate retail, just to get experience even if they desired another field. To be honest, my gut is she is just clueless and nobody has given her good advice. A strategic communication M.A. is really best for those who have work experience already. It might not make her more marketable if she doesn't learn the steps to finding a job.

I would love to go for my children, but the Human Rights Violations are just too much for me. I truly wish the Chinese would have obtained informed consent.

I know everyone knows this, but Ebay is FULL of fakes. Even people who think their bags are real, often have fakes from previous gifts, etc. I would rather have a new Rebecca Minkoff or Kate Spade than a potentially fake Balenciaga. An acquaintance of mine (a total snot!) won't carry a bag if it can be easily found in a mall. For her Coach and DB might as well be Walmart bags. I can't wait for her to get a clue...or perhaps she never will.

Ah, a debater you were? Great skills are learned in the forensics (debate and individual events world)! Those are wonderful scholars; I just focused on my little sliver of the world :D

Thanks. For our graduates at my university, about 20% go immediately to graduate school (including seminary! I forgot that one...which is increasingly common for our majors). Sadly, I don't know exact numbers, but I do know that when I teach our graduating seniors' capstone course, about 25% have jobs lined up prior to graduation. Oddly, many don't bother looking until they graduate -- which puzzles me! They often have the means to relocate to their desired area, and then begin the search. Or, they take the summer off, then look. I never had that luxury! THEN, within 6 months, I know at least 95% of them are employed. We send many students into the Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, and New Orleans markets. Their jobs can be very high paying (and horrid jobs, LOL) such as beginning as district managers for the Aldi food chain or pharmaceutical sales, average paying jobs such as corporate communication for midsized firms or hospitals, and low paying but highly rewarding jobs in not-for-profits. The students utilize our career fairs, career centers, and their own networking. In my 7 years at my university, I have never heard of a student waiting tables UNLESS that person went to Nashville for a recording contract or decided that he/she wanted a "better" job than the ones offered. I did have one young man who expected $65,000 out the door and ultimately is making it in multi-level marketing :glare:. He waited tables until the "right" opportunity came along -- about 9 months. I think he could have done that without a degree. In larger cities, perhaps there is an overabundance of well-qualified applicants, or self-satisfied young people who don't believe they need to start at the bottom making $28,000 a year for a year or two. Many entry-level jobs do pay poorly. I had a dream student start at $22,000 last year with a Fortune 500 publishing company and is already well over $40,000. Sometimes, you have to be willing to get your foot in the door. As for an M.A. in Com Studies, I do tell my students it WILL NOT get them a better job or more money out the door. It may help them get promoted more quickly down the line. They must weigh the lost wages for 2 years AND the cost of attendance (though we fund most of our students).

Well, I'm late but as a professor in Communication Studies, I feel compelled to jump in :lol:. Communication Studies is a wonderful field, albeit relatively new in the academic world. There are two primary tracks within communication studies: humanistic/rhetorical studies and social scientific/interpersonal and organizational studies. The classical scholars here would likely be drawn to the humanistic side of communication studies that focuses on the great texts from the ancient world through political speeches and other artifacts of modern life that can be analyzed as having a communicative force on others. Critical discourse analysis and persuasion are often central to this line of inquiry. Students focusing in rhetoric often go to law school or are drawn into political communication. I am a social scientist, so I can better speak to that side of the discipline. Communication social scientists focus on the process of meaning creation in interaction and how that meaning creates, sustains and destroys social interaction. We do it through studies of how people communicate in relationships, small groups, and organizations. Our work is interdisciplinary and intersects with psychology, sociology, linguistics, and even management. Our students often go into non-profit management, human resources, sales, account management for advertising and public relations, health promotions, and also onto medical school, law school, or an MBA. Some of the top scholars in our field (if you want to google) are Judy Burgoon who has analyzed how communication expectancy violations have an effect on interactions, Charles Berger who studies how human being seek to reduce uncertainty in interactions, Brant Burleson, who studied effective emotional support, and Sandra Petronio who examines how secrets are created and maintained in families. Then there are scholars like Patrice Buzzanell who looks at how organizational discourse creates gender boundaries for women and minorities, and Cynthia Stohl who studies organization's memorable messages. (And, no, I'm not any of those I have mentioned!). Okay, so I know they are not household names, and most of you won't care to google:D, but CS is an ever-growing field of study that is both rich in theory and research. It is often used as "joke" in television shows, but as a researcher, I left psychology to focus on questions of how we interact rather than how we think or process information. Our students often want a strong liberal arts and sciences degree, but with some application courses. The job market is wonderful for our students, though not as strong as Business and Engineering, certainly better than English and History. $200,000.00 in debt for the degree, however, is ABSURD!!! She would need an M.D. to make back that kind of cash :lol:. As for those with doctoral degrees, CS is still in a major "growth spurt," at universities across the county (mainly state schools and small LACs), and we are one of the few doctoral fields that has a job for nearly every Ph.D!!!! We don't require post docs and years of driving taxis to land a tenure track line. Okay, end rant -- and hopefully I won't be the thread killer:tongue_smilie:.

I have to say, if I were your husband, I'd be reluctant to ever try again. He bought from his heart. He saved. The kids were excited. We always say "it is the thought that counts," and he was THINKING! Just because you don't have a lot of jewelry or wear a lot doesn't mean he shouldn't have expected you to love something he bought with love -- a HEART! So, you should feel a bit disappointed in yourself. You shouldn't have to hide disappointment, but how sad that you felt any and missed the meaning of Christmas.