By: Ruth Bird
Something more and more employers are educating their employees about is proper eye safety.
The type of eye care used is dependent on the work being done. It’s obvious to some that when you are using large manufacturing tools where small fragments fly about often then eye safety would make sense. Yet, many neglect the ‘simple things’. You don’t have to work at a construction site to be mindful of your eye safety.
Another area in which people are being educated is the safe keeping of your eyes on a day to day basis. Knowing what will keep your eyes safe and what equipment is available can prove most useful.
Early Detection is Key in Preventing Breast Cancer Death
As the nation marks the annual National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, the American Cancer Society is encouraging women to fight breast cancer by taking charge of their personal breast health and supporting efforts against the disease.
The Society is reminding women 40 and older about the importance of getting a mammogram annually to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. An estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the U.S. in 2008, and about 40,480 deaths are expected.
As several states recover from the destruction and loss of life caused by recent tornadoes, floods and wildfires (and other areas prepare for the beginning of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season on June 1), the U.S. Small Business Administration is urging the public to develop an emergency plan before the disaster hits.
“Every threat, from wind storms, floods and wildfires, to power outages and computer system failures, reminds us to be proactive when it comes to planning strategies to survive a disaster and recover quickly,” said SBA Deputy Administrator Jovita Carranza. “The catastrophic events of the last few years demonstrate the need for preparedness at the individual level, to diminish the risk to life and property.”
The SBA stands ready to help communities recover in the aftermath of a disaster. Following the Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005, the SBA approved more than $5 billion in disaster loans to 102,700 homeowners and renters in the region. Businesses in the area were approved for 16,780 business disaster loans worth $1.6 billion.
During the past two years, the SBA has been preparing to respond to major disasters by reengineering the Disaster Assistance program with a significant focus on customer service, direct accountability, and new technologies that have quadrupled the processing capacity. In June 2007, the agency completed its Disaster Recovery Plan (which includes procedures to better handle future catastrophic disasters) and has begun testing this plan through simulations conducted with outside experts.
Disasters strike in all seasons. Since Oct. 1, the SBA has responded to 137 declared disasters, including those for drought. Of those, 118 are open at present.
Disaster preparedness for homes and businesses should include:
More preparedness tips for businesses, homeowners and renters are available on the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/disasterpreparedness/index.html. The Institute for Business and Home Safety (www.ibhs.org) also has information on protecting your home or business. To learn more about developing an emergency plan, visit www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY to receive free materials.
The SBA makes low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and non-farm businesses of all sizes. Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged real estate. Individuals may borrow up to $40,000 to cover losses to personal property.
Non-farm businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may apply for up to $1.5 million to repair or replace disaster damaged business assets and real property. Small businesses that suffered economic losses as a direct result of the declared disaster may apply for a working capital loan up to $1.5 million, even if the property was not physically damaged.
The 2008 Women & Money Conference will be held Friday, October 17th in Parkersburg at the Grand Pointe Conference Center.
Women & Money Conferences are informative, free presentations designed to help people better handle their personal finances. Included are planning for retirement, getting out of debt, saving for college, building a household budget and more.
“We all need to plan ahead,” says State Treasurer John Perdue, “and tomorrow will arrive faster than we think. There is no time like today to begin building your financial future.”
Led by nationally-known financial planner and author Dee Lee, the conference program is chock-full of useful ideas, tips and activities. Lee’s down-to-earth, engaging style will leave you inspired and motivated to take on the tasks ahead.
Each conference also features a variety of financial services exhibits that add another useful dimension to the conference experience. Sponsoring organizations staff the exhibits and are available to discuss their services with attendees. The conference agenda builds in ample time for visits with the exhibitors.
Over the past six years, more than 7,200 people from across West Virginia have attended one of the WV Money Conferences. Nearly everyone comes away with concrete ideas for improving their personal finances.
To register for the 2008 Women & Money Conference, go to www.wvtreasury.com.
Judy K. Sheppard Wins Award from Nation’s Largest Business Women’s Organization
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 12, 2008) – Judy K. Sheppard, president and CEO of Professional Services of America in Parkersburg, W. Va., recently received a 2008 WIPP Member to Watch! Award during a ceremony at Women Impacting Public Policy’s (WIPP), We Decide! conference in Washington, D.C. The nation’s largest bi-partisan women’s business group, WIPP presented awards in several categories to honor individuals, associations and companies who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the growth and goals of women-owned businesses.
“Judy is a successful business leader who works to create positive changes in her community and for women business owners across the country,” said WIPP President Barbara Kasoff. “We are proud to recognize her achievements and active citizenship by presenting this WIPP award.”
Other 2008 WIPP Members to Watch! Award, winners include Kathy Bennett, president and CEO of Bennett Packaging of K.C., Inc., in Lees Summitt, Mo., and Rebecca Herwick, president and CEO of Global Products, Inc., in St. Peters, Mo. These awards honor leaders who have made a significant impact in their industry over the past year through innovation and excellence.
Mary Schnack, president of Mary Schnack Media Services, Inc., in Sedona, Ariz., received the 2008 WIPP Member of the Year Award, which recognizes a member who has shown extraordinary commitment and leadership in the organization.
Doña Storey, president of Quality Technical Services, Inc., in Virginia Beach, Va., was presented with the WIPP Public Policy Award for her active engagement in the political process.
WIPP’s Fast 5 Awards were presented to five members whose companies have demonstrated rapid growth during the past five years. Award recipients were Afreen Al-Amin, CEO of Verascom, LLC, in Dallas, Texas; Michelle Crumm, chief business officer of Adaptive Materials, Inc., in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Jeanne Johnson, co-founder of Server Centric Consulting in Kansas City, Mo.; Laurie Simon, president and founder of Ombrella, Inc., in Kirkland, Wash.; and Rita N. Singh, founding managing partner/CFO/CPA of S&A Consulting Group, LLP, in Cleveland, Ohio.
The 2008 WIPP President’s Award was presented to three outstanding WIPP members for their work on behalf of women entrepreneurs throughout the country. Receiving this year’s President’s awards were Indy Freeman, president and CEO of TeknoLogix, Inc., in McLean, Va.; Nancy Aber Goshow, senior managing partner of Goshow Architects in New York, N.Y.; and Magdalah Silva, president and CEO of DMS International, Inc., in Silver Spring, Md.
Women Impacting Public Policy is a non-profit, national bipartisan group with over half-a-million members. WIPP is The Collective Voice in Washington, DC, for 46 national women and small business organizations. WIPP strengthens its members’ sphere of influence in the legislative process, creates economic opportunities for members and builds alliances with other small business organizations. For more information about WIPP, visit www.wipp.org.
By: Kimberly Law
As we age, the likelihood of wearing glasses becomes more of a reality. When worn all the time, they also become our most important accessory. Unfortunately, the wrong frames, as well as our eyewear, can date us. For a more youthful look, consider style, fashion and color.
Defy gravity with a little face lift. Keep them guessing your age, by choosing styles that keep attention upward and outward on the face.
Upswept styles do just that. They visually lift the face making you look younger.
Eyewear with heavy bottoms or a downward sweep such as aviator styles are best left for the young… not the young at heart. Avoid styles that focus attention downward.
By: Clark Tran
Fleas are small wingless parasitic insects that live off the blood of mammals and birds. Frequently, fleas just bother our furry friends, but sometimes they develop allergic reactions to the fleas’ saliva. This leads to the development of rashes and even loss of fur from excessive scratching or biting. This is called flea allergy dermatitis, and when present can lead to secondary skin infections from the biting and scratching done to alleviate the itching.
Even if your pet doesn’t have allergic reactions to fleas, you should beware. Fleas can carry diseases such as tapeworms and Lyme disease. Although tapeworms are not actually transmitted through flea bites, the fleas often carry tapeworm eggs. When your pet bites to relieve itching, he may ingest the parasite and become infected. Read the rest of this entry »
By: Anna Ripley
I believe that all of us can be honest if we really want to; although, it is not something that comes naturally to us. Because we are selfish creatures, we are apt to only think about ourselves and what we can get out of the situation. Well if all of us take that attitude, we are in a pitiful shape.
I am a business owner and I have purposed in my business that I will have integrity and honesty in my dealing with my customers. I will work to the end to make sure that what I say, is what I will do, and what I sell I will stand behind.
I will not sell a product that I can’t get behind 100% and know that the quality is good for me and for my customers. So many times we think that we need to sell anything in order to make a dollar, well that is not true for me.
I will not sell certain things, simply because I need to make a dollar. It is important to me to be able to tell my customers that I use what I sell. That. I cook with and give what I sell to my family as gifts. This way, they know what I am doing is of importance to me. I believe that integrity is short sited for so many people today and we just go along with what someone else is doing. Well that just not good enough for me. When I stand before God I want him to say, “WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT”.
All of us have the opportunity to be honest and to have integrity, but will we? I am just one person who has decided to live a life that shows my ethics and to live what I say I believe, and to do what I say I will do, what about you?
You can decide today to treat others as you want to be treated, or to talk to others as you would want to be talked to, or live your life doing unto others as you would want them to do onto you. Now what would happen if all of us as of this day decided to have integrity in our dealing with us, not just in our business life, but in our everyday life as well?
A few years ago I allowed my circumstances to dictate whether or not I would be honest in a situation, this is the story: We went into a grocery store and the cashier forgot to ring a large item, and I didn’t tell her that she had forgotten to ring the item. So I paid her what she said I owed and I left the store. My husband said we didn’t pay for that piece of meat and you knew that the cashier didn’t charge us. He said, “We should go back and pay for it now.” I said, “Absolutely not it was her mistake not mine.”
Well not the end of the story, we argued about this for sometime and it really caused a great deal of confusion in our marriage.
The thing that came out of this was, we agreed that from that moment on we would not allow our needs to dictate our integrity. You see, we had just gotten married and our money was very tight. I tried to rationalize that maybe that was a blessing from God. Well of course you know that God will not give us a stolen blessing. So we agreed that if someone gave us too much we would tell them and give back the overage, or if they owed us we would tell them and get back what was owed us, and I can truly say that from that time forward we have tried to live our lives using that philosophy. We have chosen to have integrity.
By: Lisa Albanese
Chances are that you have your pet for companionship reasons, or simply because you like animals and having them in your home brings you happiness. It is not uncommon for people to seek companionship in animals, and more people do so than you would probably think.
Just as many people as there are out there that have dogs for safety and security reasons there are people that have them simply for love and companionship. For those out there that fall into this latter category, you will be happy to know that pets have been scientifically proven to help add to the quality and longevity of a person’s life as well. Read the rest of this entry »
By: Juliet Cohen
Depression can take its toll not only on the individual but also their family and friends. Figures indicate that depression affects at least 17 million Americans annually; which is actually more than the number of people affected by ailments like AIDS and cancer. At least 15 percent of those affected by chronic depression commit suicide. Also women are more prone to depression than men. Each individual has his or her own way of dealing with depression. This choice is left to the individual, unless there is a medical need for immediate intervention.