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There's been some tremendous writing by Caliberal and Bluebird about poverty. Liza has written about the mommy wars at home. It has gotten me to thinking about a time, not so long ago, when I experienced first-hand what happens to a lot of single mothers in this country. I've been working for almost 3 years now at a job I hate. I was thinking this morning of how much I hate my job, thinking, once again of quitting. The time for me to go is approaching. I know myself well enough to know that when I've reached this point of despair, there will be a period of bitching and moaning, but eventually, I'll leave.
This piece was written in May of 2003. It's not polished, and ultimately, it pulls back and lives inside my head, but it's not hard for me to remember what hunger feels like, what fear feels like, and, ultimately, what a belief in self feels like.

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I am a few days past my 40th birthday, out of work, a writer who can’t seem to get published recently, a mother who doesn’t have custody of her children, a woman who frequently does not eat meals because she is completely out of money. May I mention my two advanced college degrees? May I mention my feminist faith in self-sufficiency? May I mention how difficult it is to maintain my dignity, let alone faith, in the face of failure?

A funny thing happened to a random, off the cuff diary I wrote. It went platinum...or at least the blog equivalent. Front paged on MLW and for awhile TOP of the Recommended list on dKos and recommended on Booman. Now, based on the flood of comments I received, I am writing this follow up diary with the goal of giving people all the information and the power to do something.

Many want to hear more from Jim Hansen on the blogs. I am using my connections to try and pass on that info. But...YOU can have a hand in that as well. Keep reading for suggestions on how you can help shape public opinion.

The above mentioned diary was neither my first nor best global warming diary. I have written about America's ability to face global warming and to grow stronger from our response if we had real leadership (if only President Gore had been allowed to take office!). I have written about the Denial Lobby, which is fighting to censor global warming scientists, and that diary is where I first brought up Jim Hansen and his recent refusal to bow down to Bush's thugs. In my own newsletter I have discussed the critical role forests play in global and regional climate, environmental stability and economic development as well as what we each can do to help preserve and restore our forests. Within these diaries you can find ample information on global warming including references to scientific evidence, as well as many actions that you can take as an individual to help preserve a future for our children.