Interesting Links

A few interesting links to pass the time this summer.

977-HOPE - I was surprised to hear a commercial on the radio discussing the advantages of marriage for children and families. This phone number is sponsored by the St. Louis Healthy Marriage Initiative and is designed to provide services to couples who are thinking of getting married or who are experiencing marital troubles.

Anyone who has read my research (n=3), knows that I am well aware of the positive effects that marriage can have for life course transitions. That said, the marital pool is not equally deep for all people, and marriage has been correlated with higher involvement in criminal activity for women. The material presented on the website is accurate but only includes part of the picture. Has anyone else heard similar advertisements in their area or is it just me the lone red state resident?

findtoto.com - last week I got a call from this website letting me know that my neighbor had lost her border collie. The phone call included a description of the dog, a phone number, and information on a reward. I hope she finds the dog. As some of you remember, our cat ran away 6 years ago and was gone for 2 months. We spent a lot of time printing fliers and talking to neighbors. Findtoto.com is an efficient but expensive way to find a pet (500 calls for $75). My cat came back on his own, but I am pretty sure we would have shelled out the cash for the phone calls had this service been available.