The Weather Alternative forecast for Sept 29-Oct 1, 2009 stated: Mercury turns direct on the 29th as it parallels Saturn. A cold front will come pushing out of Canada over the Great Lakes region heading southward over Michigan, Ohio towards the Southeast U.S. triggering storms on its way.
The Weather Channel map for Sept 29th at left shows a strong low pressure system over the Great Lakes kicking up some serious wind, and a cold front that has pushed all the way into the Southeast U.S. and Deep South fulfilling the above mentioned forecast.
Winds in Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, and New York gusted to over 50 mph. The storm system over the Great Lakes generated hail and downed trees. Windswept rain also added to the miserable weather.
Introduction to the Weather Alternative
How Long-Range Forecasts Are Made
Solar Eclipse Action October and November 2009
A Few More Forecasts for October 2009
Fathering helps self-esteem
A study by the British parenting research project Tomorrow's Men found that fathers who spend a few minutes each day one on one with their sons greatly increase their sons' chances of growing into confident adults.
Of the boys who said that their fathers spent time with them and took an active interest in their progress, more than 90 percent fell in the "can do" category, whereas 72 percent of the boys who said that their fathers rarely or never spent time with them fell into the group with the lowest levels of self-esteem and were also more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems.
More surprisingly, the study found little difference between the positive effects of good father/son relationships in two-parent homes and homes where the father was absent (as in divorce situations) but nevertheless took time with his son. Similar studies have found that in a father's absence, another father figure such as a stepfather, uncle, grandfather, teacher, or mentor, by assuming an active role, can have an equally positive effect.
