Blindsided

     ...over the first four months of 2001, versus 179,000 for the same period in 2000. -- The number of people claiming unemployment benefits for more than one week is now at its highest level since 1992 (3.03 million people) -- Challenger, Gray & Christmas -- The financial information that is available to laid off individuals is very limited and often generalized. When employees are separated from their jobs, they are typically separated from their main source of income as well. Amidst the pain, anger, shock, and fear that typically accompany a layoff, there are many financial questions that need to be addressed, such as: How do I adjust my budget to continue living while unemployed? Do I qualify for unemployment compensation? What's the application process? What are the tax implications? Should I take a part-time job right away, devote my full time to finding another job, or use this time to increase my skills? Can I afford to keep my home? Will refinancing help? When should I think about selling it?...

     ...caring for cubs, or simply lying in the backcountry sunshine. At times, he’s been surrounded by dozens of bears deep in the wilderness, yet has never felt threatened by these incredible and misunderstood creatures. Even after being mauled by a grizzly in 1993, Jim eagerly trekked annually into the bears’ habitat, armed only with bear spray, his camera, and his knowledge of how to stay safe. But nothing could have prepared him for May 23, 200, when he was attacked in Yellowstone by a mother grizzly who felt that his presence threatened her cub. The bear literally ripped off most of his face, blinded him in one eye, and savaged him nearly to the point of death. Jim was left sightless, bleeding, wounded and alone in the wilderness. He managed to find his way several miles through the wild country back to a main road, where passersby found him. In part, Blindsided is a gripping, detailed account of that fateful day—how Jim survived an assault by one of the most unstoppable predators on earth and managed

     ...wrong when diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For thirty years Cohen has done battle with MS only to be ambushed by two bouts of colon cancer at the end of the millennium. And yet, he has written a hopeful book about celebrating life and coping with chronic illness."Welcome to my world," writes Cohen, "where I carry around dreams, a few diseases, and the determination to live life my way." Autobiographical at its roots, reportorial, and expansive, Blindsided explores the effects of illness on raising three children and on his relationship with wife, Meredith Vieira (host of ABC's The View and the syndicated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?). Cohen tackles the nature of denial and resilience, the ins and outs of the struggle for emotional health, and the redemptive effects of a loving family. And while dealing with illness is not the way he chose to live his life, it did choose him....