OUT OF A JOB

This is it, the end of life as I know it.

I've worked all my life but starting Monday morning I'll be out of a job. Compulsory retirement. Used abused and tossed away like a snotty Kleenex. 35 years invested in a career and suddenly I'm unemployed (along with hundreds of other mill employees). I understand about business but that doesn't help, especially when our plant made more profit than any other in our sector last year.

I could go back to school but after getting a 2 year degree I'll be 60-61 and who wants to hire an old woman? Plus I was interested in computer programming/security and I've been informed in no uncertain terms that "it's a young person's field".

I have no social life outside of work. All my friends are married and their husbands consider a single woman a threat.

I don't date, haven't in years. Most of the men my age aren't interested in women my age.

I won't have money to travel like I dreamed in my retirement fantasies.

Enough bitching; time to put on my big girl panties and get on with it. Donna says that I can join her in a life of leisure and poverty. Guess that's my new life plan….

JUST WONDERFUL

"Retirement Boosts Your Risk of Depression by 40 Percent According to a new report released by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA),1 following an initial boost in health, retirement increases your risk of clinical depression by 40 percent while raising your chances of being diagnosed with a physical condition by 60 percent. It also: •Reduces your likelihood of being in self-reported excellent or very good health by 40 percent •Raises your risk of taking medication for a diagnosed physical condition by 60 percent The study’s author, who called retirement’s impacts on health “drastic,” suggested a later retirement age may actually be preferable, noting: 2 “New research presented in this paper indicates that being retired decreases physical, mental and self-assessed health. The adverse effects increase as the number of years spent in retirement increases.”

Seems like my forced retirement might not be all that enjoyable. Nothing to do, nowhere to go and no money nor anyone to do it with.

FUTURE

They say that when one door closes another one opens. If so then the door to my future looks like one on an episode of the “Twilight one”.

I’ve had a varied career path: secretary for “Uncle Sam“, fast food worker, painter, carpenter, welder. But since 1979 and the age of 23 I’ve worked in Courtland Alabama; first for Champion International Papers and then for International Papers when they bought out Champion.

Now they’re closing our plant. This will make my home the poorest county in Alabama. And at 58 years of age I don’t have any prospects of a decent paying job, I’m not old enough for full retirement nor to draw Social Security. Plus I’ll lose my medical insurance and life insurance.

The future is unsure but I’ll definitely have to change a few things. Like cut off everything but lights and water. And eat beans and rice instead of beef and pork chops. At least my home is paid for and I don’t have towering credit card bills like some people.

Enough wining. Time to put on my big girl panties, suck it up and keep on keeping on.,

IP TO CLOSE COURTLAND AL PAPER MILL

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f1fcf8af64bf4484b508f5a5213d97ed/AL--Alabama-Paper-Mill-Closing

It's going to be a terrible adjustment what with my place of employment closing the first of the year. Been here for 34 years and all at once it's "Been nice to know you but we're locking the doors".

Guess I'll have to find a new reason to get up in the morning

Captured in America: Phots from Our Past

These picstures were taken from color slides found at the Library of Congress. They are dated between 1939-1943. The pictures are so clear and the color is so vibrant, it looks as though they were taken just yesterday. The were shot by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information & are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color. Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943 – Plog Photo Blog

WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT

Forget third world countries, this article in Fox News is scary and happening right here on our very own door step. The opening paragraph says it all:

WASHINGTON — Some 691,000 children went hungry in the U.S. sometime in 2007, while close to one in eight Americans struggled to feed themselves adequately even before this year's sharp economic downtown, the Agriculture Department reported Monday

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Go and read the rest for yourselves. With the economy failing, companies closing all over and people losing their homes no matter how hard they try going hungru is something one might have expected to hear, but this report was for last year and things are much worse now than it was then.

Here's the holidays knocking on our doors, and while most of us are buying turkeys and planning menus "Tiny Tim" down the street is scraping the bottom of the peanut butter jar while his mom cries in helplessness.

Wonder how many little ones are going to bed hungry tonight?

STORE CLOSINGS AFND LAYOFFS

I got this in an email from a friend and thought it worth passing on. If you have gift cards, hurry up and use them!!

Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide. A company spokeswoman said the company hasn't revealed which stores will be shuttered. It will let the stores that will close this fiscal year know over the next month.

Bombay Company: (Freehold Mall store closed) The company unveiled plans to close all 384 U.S.-based Bombay Company stores. The company's online storefront has discontinued operations.

Women's retailer Cache announced that it is closing 20 to 23 stores this
year.

Circuit City - Initial statements suggest that 150 of Circuit City 's 1484 stores in the US and Canada may be shut down. In addition to the closings, Circuit City may be liquidating up to $350 million in inventory, likely at fire sale pricing.

CompUSA (CLOSED) clarifies details on store closings. Any extended warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rain checks, and rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be redeemed at any time during the final sale. For those who have a gadget currently in for service with CompUSA, the repair will be completed and the gadget will be returned to owners.

Dillard's to close more stores. Dillard's Inc. said it will continue to focus on closing under performing stores, reducing expenses and improving its merchandise in 2008. At the company's annual shareholder meeting, CEO William Dillard II said the company will close another six under performing stores this year.

Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores. The Walt Disney Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores from subsidiaries of The Children's Place Retail Stores. The exact number of stores acquired will depend on negotiations with landlords. Those subsidiaries of Children's Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. Walt Disney, in the news release, said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney Stores in the U.S. The press release didn't list those stores.

Eddie Bauer to close more stores. Eddie Bauer has already closed 27 shops in the first quarter and plans to close up to two more outlet stores by the end of the year.

Ethan Allen Interiors: The company announced plans to close 12 of 300+ stores in an effort to cut costs.

Foot Locker to close 140 stores. In the company press release and during its conference call with analysts today, it did not specify where the future store closures - all planned in fiscal 2008 - will be. The company could not be mmediately reached for comment

Gap Inc. closing 85 stores. In addition to its namesake chain, Gap also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic . The company said the closures - all planned for fiscal 2008 - will be weighted toward the Gap brand.

Home Depot store closings. ( E. Brunswick , Rt 18 just put up their closing sign) ATLANTA - Nearly 7+ months after its chief executive said there were no plans to cut the number of its core retail stores, The Home Depot Inc. announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumpingU.S. economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees. It is the first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store for performance reasons. Its shares rose almost 5 percent. The Atlanta-based company said the under performing U.S. stores being closed represents less than 1 percent of its existing stores. They will be shuttered within the next two months.

J. C. Penney, Lowe's and Office Depot are scaling back.

KB Toys posted a list of 356 stores that it is closing around the United States as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. To see the list of store closings, go to the KB Toys Information web site, and click on Press Information.

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherines closing 150 stores nationwide. The owner of retailers Lane Bryant , Fashion Bug , Catherine's Plus Sizes will close about 150 under performing stores this year. The company hasn't provided a list of specific store closures and can't say when it will offer that info, spokeswoman Brooke Perry said today.

Goodbye Levitz - closed already. The furniture retailer, which is going out of business. Levitz first announced it was going out of business and closing all 76 of its stores in December. The retailer dates back to 1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon , PA. In the 1960's, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow the shutdown of Bombay (see above).

Gift retailer Lillian Vernon, based in Virginia Beach , Va. , said it will evaluate whether to sell itself.

Linens 'n' Things - Earlier this week, Linens 'N Things backed out of restructuring plans that included some store closures and decided to shut its remaining 371 stores in 48 states.

Macy's - 9 stores

Mervyns - Mervyns, the 59-year-old department store chain based inHayward, is closing up shop. The ailing retailer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July and planned to close 26 stores, said Friday it now plans to liquidate its remaining 149 locations and shutter the business after the holiday season. "We are disappointed with this outcome but the company's declining liquidity position and the extremely challenging retail environment, together with the fact that we have exhausted all other possibilities, requires that we take this action," said John Goodman, Mervyns' chief executive, in a statement.

Movie Gallery - 160 stores as part of reorganization plan to exit bankruptcy The video rental company plans to close 400 of 3,500 Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video stores in addition to the 520 locations the video rental chain closed last fall.

Pacific Sunwear will close its 154 Demo stores after a review of strategic alternatives for the urban-apparel brand. Seventy-four under performing demo stores closed last May.

Pep Boys - 33 stores

Sharper Image: The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operate 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close.

Sprint Nextel - 125 retail locations. New Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse appears to have inherited a company bleeding subscribers by the thousands, and will now officially be dropping the ax on 4,000 employees and 125 retail locations. Amid the loss of 639,000 postpaid customers in the fourth quarter Sprint will be cutting a total of 6.7% of its work force (following the 5 000 layoffs last year) and 8% of company-owned brick-and-mortar stores, while remaining mute on other rumors that it will consolidate its headquarters in Kansas . Sprint Nextel shares are down $2.89, or nearly 25%, at the time of this writing.

Steve & Barry's Earlier this month, Steve & Barry's LLC, once a growing force in low-priced fashion, filed for Chapter 11. Steve & Barry's, which has 276stores in 39 states, tossed itself into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the latest victim of a steep downturn in the retail sector and tighter credit markets. Mall owners have delayed reimbursing the discount fashion chain for store-opening expenses, further constricting its cash flow, the company said

Talbot's, J. Jill closing stores. About a month ago, Talbot's announced that it will be shuttering all 78 of its kids and men's stores. Now the company says it will close another 22 under performing stores.. The 22 stores will be a mix of Talbot's women's and J. Jill , another chain it owns The closures will occur this fiscal year, according to a company press release.

Wickes is going out of business. Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of its stores, Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month. They have already closed the Minnesota stores.

Wilsons the Leather Experts - 158 stores.

Zales, Piercing Pagoda closing stores. The owner of Zales and Piercing Pagoda previously said it plans to close 82 stores by July 31. Today, it announced that it is closing another 23 under performing stores. The company said it's not providing a list of specific store closures. Of the 105 locations planned for closure, 50 are kiosks and 55 are stores.