Even as President Obama and members of Congress celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I doubt they will dwell on the worst chapter in the history of the Emerald Isle – the Irish Famine of 1846 to 1850.
    Yet shamrock-sporting politi- cians everywhere should pay heed to the depths of that calamity. And recall how the inadequate response and mis- placed priorities of a callous government in London added immeasurably to the human suffering born of this tragedy.

How horrific was the famine? In the decade before 1851, the population density in Ireland dropped from 335 to 231 inhabitants per square mile. Almost one-third of the population perished, or moved away – one million men, women and children lost their lives. But sheer numbers cannot describe the horror of the famine.
     In Paul Bew’s seminal work, “Ireland: The Politics of Enmity 1789-2006,” he includes a passage from a magazine article written at the height of the famine: “In a sort of hutch there lay four skeletal children … death-stricken. Had they been removed at this moment to go to the Queen’s palace, they could not have lived.”

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Visit this web page for more information, a list of participating cities, and a sign-up sheet. New York City 99ers will be meeting at City Hall. CNN, NPR, RTV and other media, including a documentary filmmaker, will be covering this event. Directions by subway: R to City Hall; 4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall; 2, 3 to Park Place; A, C, E to Chambers, J, Z to Chambers.

Members of The 405 Club Learn for FREE with Lynda.com.

New York, March 1, 2010 — Effective immediately, unemployed professionals who are members of The 405 Club, The Official (Un)Employment Support Network in New York and beyond, will have access to more than 45,000 training videos at Lynda.com, which offers tutorials that help users learn, master, and apply digital tools and techniques.

Contest Information

How To Win aka The Rules:

1. You must be a member of The 405 Club to win. What does that mean? Join either our Ning Network or become a fan of our Facebook page.
2. Fill out the fields of the entry form here - super easy. Be sure to tell us which digital tools you’re looking to learn using Lynda.com’s Online Library - Excel, Outlook, Photoshop, etc. Keeping it short & sweet is encouraged.
3. Once you click “Subscribe to List” just confirm your email address and voila!
4. That’s it! Just complete Rules 1, 2 and 3 by March 21st at 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen the following week. Stay close to the405club.com for updates!

10 Grand Prizes:

10 winners will be chosen at random to win 30-day full subscriptions to Lynda.com’s Online Training Library®!

And there’s more… continue reading for complete details including more deals for everyone on Lynda.com.

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i’ll be honest. i currently enjoy having the time to cook a variety of delectables that i see on america’s test kitchen, make sure all the laundry is done, clean the bathroom, practice the viola, and get caught up on battlestar gallactica. these are definitely things i didn’t have the time to do only a few weeks ago. but, in the long run, i don’t know if that’s going to be enough.

until recently, i oversaw approx. 20 people and supporting one of the largest auto manufacturers in the world. those were some of the things i liked about it. and they paid me well for it. in previous jobs, i had such a sense of pride negotiating with digital publishers and creating unique and interesting digital campaigns. it was exciting, and it was ego boosting.

my friends tell me that i need to find a new sense of pride and not identify who i am with what i do. i don’t disagree, but it’s how i’ve identified myself for so long, at least in my own head.

before, i was an associate director. i directed people and teams. i was in charge of their success and failure, on the front line, with the client. that’s who i was.

so, now, who am i?

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