This is how the thread began but perhaps time to take another look? You can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them.

There are many problems. Retail stores have long hired relied on part-time help. Thirty years ago, that worked better. Our local mall hired a lot of high school kids and Airmen's wives. Gas was under a buck a gallon. A Filet-O-Fish and a shake came in under a dollar, too. Many women didn't *have* to work, and worked because they wanted to, and if the job didn't work out, it wasn't a huge deal. Now, if someone is working, it's likely she needs the money. Many retail jobs are seasonal, so people quit when something better comes up. Or they find something in the off-season that isn't seasonal. Or they find that a seasonal job plus collecting unemployment in the off-season is more lucrative than looking for (and traveling to) another job. Gas is near four dollars a gallon, so if you're not scheduled for a full shift, you may feel as if some money is wasted. All this makes it hard to find good help these days. The managers are under the gun to make plan and come in under payroll- so the minimum number of people are scheduled. The problem isn't the the size of the cutting area, it's that there aren't enough people scheduled. Additionally, the number of people who still sew is rather small. Few people will apply for a job in a fabric store knowing nothing about sewing and crafts - and if they get hired, aren't going to be knowledgeable for a while. And to be honest, the work ethic isn't what it used to be, either. The managers are hiring the best people who walk through the door. Who did you contact in the head office? And does McCalls know of Joann's policy? Last time I felt strongly about something, I looked up the name of the president of the corporation, and sent the letter to him, by name. Personnel changes were made in five weeks.

Mini-review: I've just finished a "tour de force" memoir by renowned William Shirer: "Love & Hate: the Stormy Marriage of Leo and Sonya Tolstoy." For anyone with a deep interest in old Russia or Tolstoy, this is a must-read. Shirer is a brilliant author. Normally, I would not choose to read such a depressing story of a long but doomed marriage but there is so much here that touches on timeless topics: women's rights, the foreshadowing of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Tolstoy's influence upon Gandhi, his revolt against the Russian Orthodox Church, because he took the side of the peasants against the Tzar, etc. Tolstoy was excommunicated, although he constantly preached his version of the love of Christ to his serfs on his estate. To them, he was a hero. Tolstoy prefigured the ideas of Marx, that ultimately fomented the Revolution that overthrew the Tzar. He was prescient, loved by many,hated by his intelligent wife, who copied all his manuscripts by hand, as well as his diaries. Sonya also bore him 13 children and ran his estate. The couple were larger than life, in their strong personalities. Ultimately, matters became so bad between them that their grown children had to physically intervene. Tolstoy fled his home and died in the cottage of a stranger at a railroad station. How his death plays out is fascinating, in a bizarre way. Reading this, one gains perspective re a vast Empire on the cusp of great change. This was Shirer's last work, written in his late 80's. Frieda, I think you might like this....

I will certainly be more than happy to get cards out to them! When my son was in the Navy, a friend's daughter's elementary school got his address and all the kids sent him Valentines made of thumb prints. Those meant so much to him that he still has them displayed at his home after all these years. Good luck and prayers to all with military sons and daughters.