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Work Until You’re Dead? That May Be the Only Option for Many Americans

Jude Emantsal — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:00:25 +0000

Many Americans are likely to have to work until they are dead, not as a result of Social Security shortfalls but because of their inadequate 401(k) savings or the fact that they have no retirement plan at all. This disaster has not dawned on the mutual fund companies that manage retirement assets, much less debated on Capitol Hill. Given that the first wave of Boomers is scheduled to turn 65 in 2011, Attention Must be Paid.

Here’s the raw deal in a nutshell: Unless you’ve got Chief and Executive in your job title — including “Ousted Disgraced CEO” — you are probably pension-poor, even if you earn a six-figure salary. That’s because only 11% of the private sector population is covered by a regular pension. Unlike during the postwar Fabulous Fifties and the Soaring Sixties when America was a “fortress economy” and almost half of the private sector was covered, currently even most employees of big companies can’t count on one. Only 17 of the Fortune 100 companies offer a traditional pension to new hires.

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You’re Online Dating and You Don’t Even Know It!

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:50:19 +0000

Is there still a stigma associated with online dating? Based on the feedback that I received after last week’s article, “How to End the Online Dating Stigma,” many of you say yes – while others are convinced that the decision to plug your personal stats into eHarmony, JDate, Match.com and their ilk is now as socially acceptable as sending a tweet or checking into Foursquare.

Yet even for those of us who haven’t yet embraced the ever-increasing trend towards formalized online dating, the truth is that we’re sort of kidding ourselves. We may be holding out against the implication that we need to sign up for one of these sites in order to find love, or that we have no choice but to engage in the Techno-Romance that is shaping our love lives in this post-dating world. But almost all of us are romantically engaging with potential paramours online via the least stigmatized social media outlet out there – Facebook.

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Why Did President Obama Hide Record Small Business Numbers

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:46:03 +0000

Last Friday, as I predicted in my August 6 and August 24 Huffington Post blogs, the Obama Administration, right on queue, released the latest Small Business Administration (SBA) fiscal year (FY) 2009 Small Business Procurement Scorecard. Anyone in the media can tell you that releasing information late on a Friday afternoon is a technique used by the government when trying to bury or hide negative news, and it worked fairly well in this case. So as expected, the Obama Administration tried to bury the release of its FY 2009 small business contracting data.

The Obama Administration acknowledged it had missed the congressionally mandated 23 percent government-wide small business contracting goal, and four of five small business goals overall. However, the government did claim to award small businesses a record amount of contracts totaling over $96 billion.

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Pakistan Needs More Servant Leadership

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:44:10 +0000

I’m in the office of Dr. Sono, one of Pakistan’s most extraordinary social entrepreneurs. Born a Hindu Dalit or “untouchable,” he has worked for his country since his youth and emerged as one of the most important grassroots leaders in Sindh. He runs the Sindh Rural Support Organization, a nonprofit company that has emerged as the leading coordinator of local relief during the floods, providing food, sanitation, water and healthcare to six provinces, and serves 60,000 individuals two hot meals a day. With him are Sabiha Bhutto and Asma Soomro who Dr. Sono introduces as his “commandants.” Both women carry serious expressions that give them gravitas and weight. Asma wears a black shalwar and an olive-and-rust-colored tropical print shawl over her head. Saibiha wears red-and-white narrow striped cotton. These two women led others to mobilize 80,000 people during the flood emergency.

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Who’s Afraid of Shariah?

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:02:02 +0000

Hasn’t the whole notion of shariah in America gotten a bit out of control? No, it hasn’t — it’s gotten hugely, obscenely, ignorantly out of control. How many of those anti-Islam protesters holding “NO SHARIA LAW” signs (as if anyone were advocating shariah law in the U.S.) actually know what the word means? I’d say, oh, none. Roughly.

Shariah (also spelled shari’ah or sharia or shari’a) is the Arabic word for “the road to the watering place.” In a religious context, it means “the righteous path.” Loosely, it can mean simply, “Islam.”

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A World of Sauces for Labor Day

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:59:57 +0000

A World of Sauces for Labor Day

Without labor nothing prospers. Sophocles

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After Long Chase, Florida Bans Cruel Fox and Coyote Pens

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:39:06 +0000

On Wednesday, culminating a more than yearlong effort, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) outlawed fox and coyote pens, the gruesome practice of releasing a fox or coyote inside a pen to be chased and often torn apart by dogs. The Humane Society of the United States has long been campaigning to end this abusive practice, and we have made a major advance with the new policy in Florida that will save countless foxes and coyotes from this form of staged animal combat.

The process of “penning” begins with the trapping of wild foxes and coyotes. The animals are then packed into cramped cages and sometimes trucked long distances without food or water. When they reach their destination they are released one by one, bewildered, into an enclosure and forced to run for their lives. Dogs may chase the fenced-in wildlife for hours, to the point of exhaustion, but no matter the size of the enclosure there is no escape.

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Honoring the Elements: The Pagan Roots of Religion

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:37:46 +0000

“My family is Jewish,” he said to me.

“My family is Protestant,” she added.

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Labor Day History: 11 Facts You Need To Know

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:05:23 +0000

Yes, Monday is a federal holiday in the United States, but Labor Day is much more than that.

Labor Day has a rich history centered around workers. This year, it has particular meaning as hundreds of thousands Americans try to get back to work. The latest jobless rate numbers show that unemployment went up from 9.5 to 9.6 percent in August.

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Band on the Rise: Get to Know ‘The Drums’

Jude Emantsal — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:44:04 +0000

I’m going to just steal a line from their bio, their track “Let’s Go Surfing” features the best whistling in a song since the infectious Peter, Bjorn & John recent classic “Young Folks.” But, there’s more to this indie-pop-rock New York band than blowing air choruses. Thank goodness. Imagine if whistling was their only gimmick.

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