Preparing for domestic attacks: What families can do today

(ARA) - With more arrests in suspected domestic terrorism plots and almost daily news reports of international terrorism incidents, Americans need to remain vigilant and prepared for the unknown.

But according to a recent survey conducted by Kelton Research, almost two in three Americans (66 percent) admit they would not know what to do in the event of a terrorist attack in their hometown.

Homeland security professionals charged with protecting the homefront are even less convinced of the average citizen's preparedness. More than nine in 10 professionals (94 percent) surveyed feel that Americans wouldn't know what to do in the event of an attack, even though a majority (75 percent) believes the U.S. will experience one similar to Sept. 11, 2001, in the next five years.

The surveys were commissioned by the National Homeland Defense Foundation and Colorado Technical University, which offers master's and doctoral degrees with a concentration in homeland security.

"The fact that homeland security professionals expect another terrorist attack similar to 9/11 within the next five years while at the same time believing most Americans are unprepared is a dangerous combination," says Capt. W. Andy Cain, USN (Ret.), a Homeland Security Advisory Board member at Colorado Technical University.

"The good news is there are things we can all do to be prepared and take responsibility for the safety and security of ourselves and our families. Seconds count in an emergency, so preparation can make all the difference in the world," he says.

While law enforcement and government officials are on the front lines of responding to terrorist threats, here are five steps that all Americans can take to feel more secure and prepared.

* Create a family emergency plan
Know who to call and what to do in case of an emergency such as a terrorist attack. Make a plan that includes each family member's contact information, as well as an out-of-town contact who may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members and may live far enough away not to be directly impacted by the same event. Online tools, like a family emergency kit featuring easy-to-use forms, are available for download at Ready.gov.

* Determine a meeting place
Family members may be in different locations when a terrorist attack strikes. Establish an agreed-upon location for everyone to meet to help save time and reduce stress.

* Get an emergency supply kit
To prepare for a possible emergency situation, including a terrorist attack, it's important to focus on survival basics - fresh water, food, clean air and warmth. Put together an emergency supply kit that includes items like bottled water, non-perishable food, a first-aid kit, dust masks and blankets. Other essentials could include a flashlight with extra batteries, cell phone with chargers and a battery-powered radio to stay abreast of the news. FEMA.gov, among other Web sites, offers a disaster kit checklist.

* Have a communication back-up plan
Some terrorist attacks may cause communication network interruptions, preventing a person from getting through to family, friends or emergency personnel. If phone lines are down, have e-mail addresses available. In addition, text messaging may still work despite phone service disruptions. The American Red Cross also has a "Safe and Well" Web site available through RedCross.org, where families can register to let others know about their welfare.

* Sign up for alert services
Many communities have systems that will send instant text alerts or e-mails about emergencies and related action steps. Sign up by visiting the local office of emergency management Web site.

Ready.gov features more information to empower and educate Americans on what they can do today to be prepared should a terrorist attack or disaster strike.

Courtesy of ARAcontent


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Carbon Monoxide and Home Fire Risks Are Heating up This Winter

“Space heaters, generators and other alternative heating solutions offer cost-effective ways to keep your family warm throughout the winter without heating the whole house, allowing you to lower your thermostat to reduce your energy bills”

(BUSINESS WIRE)--With frigid temperatures and winter storms blanketing communities across the United States, the national nonprofit Home Safety Council and Lowe’s are encouraging families to keep safety top of mind when heating the home this winter. Following safe heating practices will protect homes against two of the most common winter safety hazards: fires and carbon monoxide (CO).

The Home Safety Council’s State of Home Safety in America™ report revealed 67 percent of American households use fuel-burning appliances and equipment, such as gas fireplaces, wood stoves and kerosene heaters, to keep their loved ones warm during winter months. When using such products, be sure to follow all the manufacturers’ instructions and install a working CO monitor that will detect and alert your family when dangerous levels of the deadly—and odorless—gas are present.

“In January and February, fires caused by heating appliances overtake cooking fires as the leading cause of home fires, and carbon monoxide risks also rise as families turn to alternative heating solutions to keep warm,” said Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. “To protect against fire, it is critical that families check all heat sources throughout their home to make sure they are not too close to anything that can burn. To be safe from CO poisoning, have all fuel-burning appliances inspected and cleaned by a professional, and install at least one CO detector to alert you to dangerous levels of the deadly gas in your home.”

An alarming 59 percent of American households have not installed a CO detector, and many other homes do not have a working CO detector due to missing or dead batteries. The start of 2010 marks the perfect opportunity to check the batteries in CO monitors and smoke alarms to ensure they are working properly.

“Space heaters, generators and other alternative heating solutions offer cost-effective ways to keep your family warm throughout the winter without heating the whole house, allowing you to lower your thermostat to reduce your energy bills,” said Eric Sowder, Lowe’s senior vice president of merchandising over outdoor living. “Many products have built-in safety features like automatic shutoffs, anti-tipping devices and heat guards, but be sure to follow all manufacturers’ instructions for use and placement of heating devices to avoid serious home injuries and help you rest easy throughout the winter.”

The Home Safety Council and Lowe’s offer the following tips to help warm up your home while preventing fire and CO dangers this winter.

Portable Space Heaters

* Make sure your heater has been tested for safety. Look on the bottom for a label such as ETL, UL or CSA.
* Place space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including furniture, people, pets and curtains.
* There should always be an adult in the room when a space heater is on.
* Turn off space heaters before leaving a room or going to sleep.
* Never use space heaters to dry clothing or blankets.

Prevent CO Dangers

* Install at least one CO alarm near sleeping areas.
* Have a trained professional inspect, clean and tune-up your home’s central heating system and repair leaks or other problems.
* Keep gas appliances properly adjusted and serviced.
* Never use an oven or range to heat your home.
* Never use a gas or charcoal grill inside your home or in a closed garage.

Fireplaces and Wood Stoves

* Burn only seasoned hardwood like oak, ash or maple. Do not burn trash, cardboard boxes or Christmas trees because these items burn unevenly, and may contain poisons or cause a home fire.
* Have a professional chimney sweep inspect chimneys every year.
* Open flues before fireplaces are used.
* Use sturdy screens or glass doors to keep embers inside fireplaces.

Generator Safety

* Always read the Owner’s Manual and instructions for your generator.
* Carefully follow all instructions and warnings in order to safely start and operate the generator. Do not cut corners when it comes to safety.
* Permanently installed automatic standby generators are the safest way to provide backup power to your home.
* Portable generators will also provide electricity for your home when the power goes out. But you have to know how to use them safely.
* Portable generators can produce carbon monoxide. They should always be used outdoors and placed away from open windows.
* Never use a portable generator indoors or in any enclosed space, such as a garage.
* Be careful when you refuel generators to avoid starting a fire or getting burned.
* Be sure the generator is connected correctly.
* Never try to power the house wiring by “backfeeding” the generator into a wall outlet. This can put utility workers and neighbors in danger.
* After starting a generator wait 10 seconds for the power to stabilize. Then plug in your appliances. This helps avoid electrical shocks.

For more information and resources on how to stay safe during the winter season, visit www.mysafehome.org, and for tips on saving money and energy, visit lowes.com/energy.

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Montana Becomes Third State to Permit Physician-Assisted Suicide - But Final Exit Network Asks, 'Is It Enough?'

/PRNewswire/ -- The Montana Supreme Court, on December 31, 2009, made Montana the third state allowing physician-assisted suicide. Oregon's voters, in 1994, had created the landmark decision first, surviving legal challenges when the U.S. Supreme Court, using states' rights as the deciding factor, affirmed the voters' wishes legally in 2005. Washington State became the second in 2008.

Jerry Dincin, president of Final Exit Network (FEN), accepts the Montana victory enthusiastically but with an important reservation: "While it may seem like we are on a roll toward the final human right of the 21st century for great numbers of our citizens, despite the victories in Oregon, Washington, and Montana and the good works of organizations like Compassion and Choices and Hospice, the needs of mentally competent, suffering patients who have not been declared 'terminal' (having fewer than six months to live) have not been addressed. These individuals still often suffer endlessly from an irreversible condition they can no longer bear, where quality of life is a distant memory and all that remains is the reality of an indefinite and hopeless future. Our organization is their only advocate."

FEN is an all-volunteer organization that offers counseling, support, and guidance concerning self-deliverance at a time and place of the individual's choosing. Dincin stresses that "FEN does not encourage anyone to end their life, does not provide the means to do so and does not actively assist in the person's death. We do, however, believe in the ultimate human right of people to end their lives when circumstances justify, and to have support in carrying out their plan."

On February 25, 2009, four elderly volunteers of the Final Exit Network were set up by a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent, who falsified medical records and posed as a terminally ill cancer patient wishing to hasten his own death. The four were arrested and released. To date none has even been indicted; no trial date is in sight. Final Exit Network welcomes a trial. (It is clear that the GBI does not, or a date would have been set months ago.) A trial would likely be a breakthrough, permitting the four elderly defendants to escape from limbo, casting some light on some inaccurate assumptions, and enabling FEN to demonstrate that its four volunteers acted within the confines of the law and in compliance with its basic credo: "We offer guidance, information and support but do not 'assist' those whose suffering lies beyond the imagination of those of us who have the luxury of discussing and debating their fate as an interesting issue."

Final Exit Network is a five-year-old volunteer-run non-profit that is committed to serve many whom other organizations may turn away. More information is available from their Web site http://www.finalexitnetwork.org/, or by calling 866-654-9156.

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U.S. Job Satisfaction At Lowest Level In Two Decades

/PRNewswire/ -- Americans of all ages and income brackets continue to grow increasingly unhappy at work--a long-term trend that should be a red flag to employers, according to a report released today by The Conference Board.

The report, based on a survey of 5,000 U.S. households conducted for The Conference Board by TNS, finds only 45 percent of those surveyed say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61.1 percent in 1987, the first year in which the survey was conducted.

"While one in 10 Americans is now unemployed, their working compatriots of all ages and incomes continue to grow increasingly unhappy," says Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center of The Conference Board. "Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend."

Fewer Americans are satisfied with all aspects of their employment, and no age or income group is immune. In fact, the youngest cohort of employees (those currently under age 25) expresses the highest level of dissatisfaction ever recorded by the survey for that age group.

"The downward trend in job satisfaction could spell trouble for the overall engagement of U.S. employees and ultimately employee productivity," adds Franco.

"These numbers do not bode well given the multi-generational dynamics of the labor force," says Linda Barrington, managing director, Human Capital, The Conference Board. "The newest federal statistics show that baby boomers will compose a quarter of the U.S. workforce in eight years, and since 1987 we've watched them increasingly losing faith in the workplace." Twenty years ago, some 60 percent of that generation was satisfied with their jobs. Today, that figure is roughly 46 percent. Barrington adds: "The growing dissatisfaction across and between generations is important to address because it can directly impact the quality of multi-generational knowledge transfer--which is increasingly critical to effective workplace functioning."

The drop in job satisfaction between 1987 and 2009 covers all categories in the survey, from interest in work (down 18.9 percentage points) to job security (down 17.5 percentage points) and crosses all four of the key drivers of employee engagement: job design, organizational health, managerial quality, and extrinsic rewards.

"Challenging and meaningful work is vitally important to engaging American workers," adds John Gibbons, program director of employee engagement research and services at The Conference Board. "Widespread job dissatisfaction negatively affects employee behavior and retention, which can impact enterprise-level success." In fact, 22 percent of respondents said they don't expect to be in their current job in a year. "These data throw up a big, red flag because the increasing dissatisfaction is not just a 'survivor syndrome' artifact of having co-workers and neighbors laid off in the recession," says Gibbons.

Source:
I Can't Get No...Job Satisfaction, That Is: America's Unhappy Workers
Research Report #1459-09-RR
The Conference Board

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Double-Dip Recession Anyone? Forty Percent of People Now Say 'Yes'

/PRNewswire/ -- The Wealth Hazards Worry Index now indicates that the number of people who believe that the U.S. economy could enter another recession in 2010 now stands at 40 percent. Another 32 percent of survey respondents are unsure if a "double-dip" recession is on tap for 2010, while only 28 percent of people are confident that no recession will occur in 2010.

"The government stimulus and support programs in 2009 were instrumental in holding the economy together so that the recovery process could get underway, the fragility of the recovery is now center stage," says Thomas Hertog, editor at Wealth Hazards. Respondents to the Wealth Hazards Worry Index survey cited continuing concerns about the expiration of government stimulus and support programs and how this might impact their own financial health.

Specifically, people are anxious about the high rate of unemployment, rising interest rates, price inflation, more foreclosures, and flat wages or even wage deflation as employers bargain hunt for new employees. In summary, 40 percent of people expect another recession-like downturn and nearly one-third of people are not sure if another recession is waiting just around the corner.

"Many people remain vigilant as they wait and see if the other shoe is going to drop in 2010," said Hertog, "the fatigue factor has set in and consumers want to know that their jobs are safe, their home values will not fall another 10%, and that folks in government are not going to choke-off the recovery by letting support programs end before they fully stimulate the economy."

For example, the Federal Reserve program to buy mortgage-backed securities has kept 30-year mortgage rates at all time lows, but an exit from this program or a hasty retreat that is poorly timed, could result in another real estate downturn. The new $174 billion Jobs for Main Street Act stimulus bill appears to be facing an uphill battle in Congress as the Obama administration tries to provide support to a struggling job market recovery. The hope that "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects would ease unemployment in construction and materials was shared by many in early 2009, but now nearly one year later the actual improvement is more difficult to measure. Bottom line, consumers are not completely convinced that the recovery is fully underway and that their own lives and financial health is about to improve. "Our new book, 'Wealth Hazards - Surviving the Recovery,' discusses the areas of personal finance that are most critical to address and provides many insights and tips to avoid, manage, and recover from life's wealth hazards," says Hertog. Wealth hazards come in all shapes and sizes and very often in disguise. The most important areas to watch include: investing, saving, credit, retirement, insurance, taxes, health and your career.

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NASA's Kepler Space Telescope Discovers Five Exoplanets

/PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Kepler space telescope, designed to find Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of sun-like stars, has discovered its first five new exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system.

Kepler's high sensitivity to both small and large planets enabled the discovery of the exoplanets, named Kepler 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b. The discoveries were announced Monday, Jan. 4, by the members of the Kepler science team during a news briefing at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington.

"These observations contribute to our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve from the gas and dust disks that give rise to both the stars and their planets," said William Borucki of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Borucki is the mission's science principal investigator. "The discoveries also show that our science instrument is working well. Indications are that Kepler will meet all its science goals."

Known as "hot Jupiters" because of their high masses and extreme temperatures, the new exoplanets range in size from similar to Neptune to larger than Jupiter. They have orbits ranging from 3.3 to 4.9 days. Estimated temperatures of the planets range from 2,200 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than molten lava and much too hot for life as we know it. All five of the exoplanets orbit stars hotter and larger than Earth's sun.

"It's gratifying to see the first Kepler discoveries rolling off the assembly line," said Jon Morse, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We expected Jupiter-size planets in short orbits to be the first planets Kepler could detect. It's only a matter of time before more Kepler observations lead to smaller planets with longer period orbits, coming closer and closer to the discovery of the first Earth analog."

Launched on March 6, 2009, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Kepler mission continuously and simultaneously observes more than 150,000 stars. Kepler's science instrument, or photometer, already has measured hundreds of possible planet signatures that are being analyzed.

While many of these signatures are likely to be something other than a planet, such as small stars orbiting larger stars, ground-based observatories have confirmed the existence of the five exoplanets. The discoveries are based on approximately six weeks' worth of data collected since science operations began on May 12, 2009.

Kepler looks for the signatures of planets by measuring dips in the brightness of stars. When planets cross in front of, or transit, their stars as seen from Earth, they periodically block the starlight. The size of the planet can be derived from the size of the dip. The temperature can be estimated from the characteristics of the star it orbits and the planet's orbital period.

Kepler will continue science operations until at least November 2012. It will search for planets as small as Earth, including those that orbit stars in a warm habitable zone where liquid water could exist on the surface of the planet. Since transits of planets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars occur about once a year and require three transits for verification, it is expected to take at least three years to locate and verify an Earth-size planet.

According to Borucki, Kepler's continuous and long-duration search should greatly improve scientists' ability to determine the distributions of planet size and orbital period in the future. "Today's discoveries are a significant contribution to that goal," Borucki said. "The Kepler observations will tell us whether there are many stars with planets that could harbor life, or whether we might be alone in our galaxy."

Kepler is NASA's 10th Discovery mission. Ames is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., managed the Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., was responsible for developing the Kepler flight system. Ball and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder are supporting mission operations.

Ground observations necessary to confirm the discoveries were conducted with ground-based telescopes the Keck I in Hawaii; Hobby-Ebberly and Harlan J. Smith 2.7m in Texas; Hale and Shane in California; WIYN, MMT and Tillinghast in Arizona; and Nordic Optical in the Canary Islands, Spain.

For more information about the Kepler mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

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Bring 'Em Back Alive: These Words Deserve Wider Use; 'Word Warriors' Is Promoting the Return of Expressive but Neglected Words

/PRNewswire/ -- Last year Wayne State University launched a Web site designed to recall some of the English language's most expressive words that have fallen out of use and deserve to return to conversation and prose.

Word Warriors is a list of neglected but eminently useful words that visitors to the site - and we - would like to bring back into fashion. And though a few of these words may never have been heard everyday, we believe they deserve to be.

"The English language is a spectacularly supple and precise, rich and capacious means of expressing ourselves, which is to say we've got plenty of great words," says Jerry Herron, dean of Wayne State University's Irvin D. Reid Honors College. "But those words are only as good as our ability to use them. We've got so many words to deal with, in fact, that often a truly wonderful and necessary word will just get overlooked, so that our ability to express ourselves is diminished. What Word Warriors aims to do is to enlist the aid of everybody who cares about words, to make sure we are not letting essential parts of our language fall silent. There is perhaps no finer pleasure -- or greater fun -- to be had than in an act of precise expression, and there's no better language to be doing that good work in than our own English. And that's what Word Warriors is aiming for -- the pleasure of being able to say exactly what you mean."

The Word Warriors site (www.wordwarriors.wayne.edu) is a natural complement to the Lake Superior State yearly list of banished words. Wayne State solicits words from visitors to the site and allows them to vote on the current year's list. There is a word of the week and an annual list of words that WSU and visitors to the Word Warriors site feel should be used more often.

Fanfare, please. Here's the Word Warriors' 2010 list of sadly neglected but eminently useful words that should be brought back to enrich our language:

-- Antediluvian

Very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive. Literally "before the flood," referring by implication to the Biblical tale of Noah.

Though antediluvian by today's standards, the buggy whip was once at the forefront of transportation technology.

-- Bamboozle
To cheat or steal.
Stop trying to bamboozle me out of my money!

-- Bloviate
To speak at length in a pompous or boastful manner.

I was totally put off by the winning coaches' tendency to bloviate ad nauseam.

-- Charlatan
Quack. Imposter.

This guy claims his anti-aging cream really works, but I think he's just a charlatan.

-- Concupiscence
Sexual desire or longing. Lust.

Too many political figures, drunk on power and the heady liquor of self-esteem, let concupiscence get the best of them.

-- Festoon
To adorn or decorate, principally in a loop between two points.

After lunch we decided to festoon the tree with garlands of electric loons, moons, spoons, puccoons, cocoons, bassoons, baboons and vinegaroons.

-- Galoshes

Waterproof shoes or boots. "Galoshes" may be said to be onomatopoeic, mimicking the sound they make when splashing through puddles.

In rainy weather like this I always wear my galoshes; they may be garish, but they keep my feet dry.

-- Indefatigable
Tireless; endlessly persistent.

The English privateer Francis Drake was indefatigable in his pursuit of Spanish gold.

-- Insouciance
The quality of being carefree; a lack of concern.

We spent our two weeks at the beach in blissful insouciance, sleeping late and basking in the sun.

-- Mendacity
Untruthfulness. Lying.

Mendacity is a system that we live in. Liquor is one way out and death's the other. (Tennessee Williams, American playwright, 1911-1983)

-- Mercurial
Fickle; erratic.

She said she needed a break from trying to anticipate my mercurial moods. I haven't seen her in five years.

-- Numinous

Awe-inspiring; profoundly moving; evocative of transcendence. (Despite what Webster's Dictionary says, it never presumes the supernatural.)

As the full moon rose in numinous splendor over Mount Kilimanjaro, Ernie was stricken speechless with wonder and joy.

-- Quixotic

Excessively romantic; visionary but unrealistic. Like Cervantes' Don Quixote.

Many cherished ideals of the 1960s now seem more quixotic than even remotely practical.

-- Scuttle (verb)

A versatile verb meaning to sink a ship or boat deliberately; to sink figuratively, as to scuttle a project; or to scurry.

In 1939, the Germans scuttled the pocket battleship "Graf Spee" to keep the British from capturing her. ... OR ... When we turned on the light, mice scuttled under the furniture.

-- Unctuous
Oily or greasy; unpleasantly polite and insincerely earnest.

The mediator was so unctuous that both sides found him impossible to work with.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.

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Top Five Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2009 Announced

/PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) announced today the top five vote getters of its 1st Annual Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Year Poll. Nominees were drawn from the monthly Most Ridiculous Lawsuit poll winners, chosen by visitors to FacesofLawsuitAbuse.org, a public awareness campaign Web site that aims to show how abusive lawsuits affect small businesses and average families in very real ways.

"While ridiculous lawsuits may be easy fodder for late-night television hosts, they are no laughing matter for the defendants targeted," said ILR President Lisa Rickard.

The top five Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2009 are:

5. Neighbor sues woman for smoking in her own home;

4. Double-murderer sues to claim his victims' classic Chevy pickup;

3. Holocaust denier sues Auschwitz survivor, alleging memoir contains "fantastical tales;"

2. Tourist sues hotel, claiming swimming pool got daughter pregnant;

1. Illegal immigrants sue rancher who stopped them on his property at gunpoint and turned them over to the Border Patrol.

Links to the news stories about these lawsuits can be found at: http://facesoflawsuitabuse.org/polls-archive/.

Throughout the year, the monthly and annual polls collectively received more than 50,000 votes.

ILR seeks to promote civil justice reform through legislative, political, judicial, and educational activities at the national, state, and local levels.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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The Black AIDS Institute Kicks Off Its National Platform to Build Black AIDS Awareness in Atlanta, GA

/PRNewswire/ -- Martin Luther King Jr. weekend marks the kick-off of the Black AIDS Institute's National Trump AIDS Bid Whist Tournament with a Qualifying Tournament and Health Fair in Atlanta, GA.

The Black AIDS Institute and the 7 NO! Players of Atlanta, the original hosts of the Bid Blind, are joining forces to mobilize and build awareness of HIV/AIDS in the Black community. The Health Fair, in partnership with local Atlanta organization Sister Love, includes free on-site HIV testing and health information for all Tournament attendees, players and guests.

Participants are encouraged to get involved with ending the AIDS epidemic in the Black community while having fun and potentially winning guaranteed cash Tournament prizes.

When: January 16, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.

Location: The Clarion Hotel
5010 Old National Highway
College Park, GA 30349
MAP Location


Event Fee(s): $65 per person at the door or $55 per person online pre-registration

The Tournament will culminate at the Trump AIDS nationals November 2010. Visit www.TrumpAIDS.org for a complete list of cities hosting events and to register.

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New Year's Resolutions For Job Seekers

/PRNewswire/ -- Millions of Americans will be job hunting in 2010, and for many of those who are currently unemployed, the search will mark the continuation of a long and unsuccessful journey. Andy Chan, vice president for career development at Wake Forest University, says job seekers often encounter three major roadblocks to success: poor marketing, poor networking, and poor mind-set. He offers 10 New Year's Resolutions aimed at overcoming those obstacles.

Roadblock #1 - Poor marketing

"Many people don't realize that the way they are marketing themselves just isn't working, and they never get any feedback," Chan said. "The best way to get feedback is to ask for it from people who do a lot of hiring."

1. I will ask friends or acquaintances who manage and hire people to evaluate my cover letter and resume and give me real feedback - even if it hurts to hear it.

2. I will ask these same friends to conduct a practice interview with me and give me "tough love" feedback.

3. When I find an attractive job on the Web, I will apply immediately (with a tailored cover letter and resume) and search for friends and colleagues who could act as referrals to help me network into the organization.

Roadblock #2 - Poor networking

"We make the assumption that if we apply on the Web, it will get us in the door. But the truth is, if your experience doesn't line up perfectly with the job, the likelihood of getting seen is low," Chan says. "That's why networking is important. People hire people; they don't hire paper."

4. I will be thoughtful about when to send my resume, and I will not send my resume to everyone I know.

5. I will be specific about the type of work and organizations, including names of target organizations that I find most interesting.

6. I will network 80 percent of the time and use the Web 20 percent of the time.

Roadblock #3 - Poor mind-set

"A lot of people are looking at jobs through a narrow lens. But as the old Rolling Stones song says, 'you can't always get what you want,'" Chan says. "You may need to focus first on what you need and get the ideal job later."

7. I will be open to exploring many options because an interesting opportunity may exist beyond what I can see on the surface.

8. I will re-examine what my real financial NEEDS are so that I can be more open to opportunities that may pay me less than what I WANT.

9. I will evaluate opportunities by recognizing that this job can be a stepping stone to another job (inside or outside the company) - especially as the market improves.

10. Although I might want to quit and do a job search full-time, I am more attractive to employers when I am employed (and I have income which buys me more time to find a job that I am excited about).

Adopting these 10 resolutions can help refresh and rejuvenate your job search, and get your new year off to the best start possible.

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Grandparents Who Raise Children Can Seek Help

24-7 - Lola and Bill Bailey of Friendly, West Virginia, are grandparents' rights ambassadors who travel the country in a 2005 Gulfstream, advising grandparents raising grandchildren on setting up grandparents groups and spearheading legislative efforts to further the interests of their "grandfamilies." Founders of Grandchildren/Grandparents, Inc. of West Virginia, the Baileys travel and speak under the auspices of the National Committee of Grandparents for Children's Rights, an umbrella group that assists grandparents raising grandchildren with program referrals and advocates grandparent-headed family-friendly legislative action.

The Baileys speak on behalf of the 2.6 million grandparents raising grandchildren in this country, a number that has increased 4 percent since 2007 according to census data. These grandparents, who step in to fill a family need for surrogate parents, fill a pressing social need as well: they raise 6 million children who would otherwise be in foster care. And the number of children raised by grandparents dwarfs those raised by foster parents. Only 500,000 children live in formal foster care arrangements in the United States, according to the National Committee of Grandparents for Children's Rights, one-twelfth the number who reside with grandparents.

Yet, the system that benefits so heavily from grandparents' willingness to step in and raise their grandchildren often discriminates against them, giving them less funding than is given to formal foster parents. The New York Times reported that in Florida, grandparents receive only half the amount of financial assistance received by foster parents. The disparity between funds available to grandparents raising grandchildren and foster parents is primarily the result of the 80 percent of grandparents who raise grandchildren without legal custody arrangements. Without legal custody, they don't qualify for benefits available to assist legal custodians with children's expenses. Yet obtaining formal legal custody typically requires legal assistance that can be cost-prohibitive and may create ruptures in already strained family relationships.

Grandparents who step in to stabilize the lives of their grandchildren often do so at the expense of their own financial stability. Many elderly people live on fixed incomes that don't easily accommodate the demand from additional family members. National Committee of Grandparents for Children's Rights says that 19 percent of grandparents raising grandchildren nationwide live in poverty.

And the numbers of grandparents risking impoverishment to rescue grandchildren from troubled situations seems likely to increase. Amy Goyer, an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) expert, predicts that substance abuse, teen pregnancy and mental illness will continue to fuel the establishment of grandfamilies.

While the number of grandparents taking on responsibility for raising grandchildren has increased, funding for services to assist them, which has never been ample, has begun to dwindle as the economic recession forces social service program cuts. Even the National Committee of Grandparents for Children's Rights has suffered program cuts, with its New York office losing a state grant this year that constituted about 8 percent of its funding, according to The New York Times.

The outlook for grandparents raising grandchildren is not entirely bleak, however. While many social service program funds have been cut, some communities are developing innovative new solutions to problems faced by grandfamilies. In Boston, Hartford, the Bronx and Baton Rouge, apartment housing built specifically for grandfamilies has appeared. These units meet the need for modestly priced housing large enough to accommodate children and simultaneously create a support group for the grandparents coping with the issues of raising the next generation. Some of the apartment buildings house subsidiary services such as after-school programs and social workers to assist the grandfamilies.

Some government assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (formerly AFDC) will provide funding for children living with grandparents despite the absence of a legal custodianship, and those with low incomes may qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps). In addition to financial help, grandparents may find solace in connecting with similarly situated grandparents and receiving advice from those who have walked the same road. Grandparents' rights organizations can provide such assistance and help by advising grandparents to obtain notarized statements from the children's parents authorizing them to sign for necessary medical care.

Lately, Lola and Bill Bailey have stationed themselves in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, allowing Lola to take the train to Washington once or twice a week to meet with members of Congress to and seek legislative solutions to some of the issues facing relative caregivers.

Article provided by Breeden Law

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With a 'Zero' Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Just Ahead for 2010, Seniors and Congressman Vow Action

PRNewswire/ -- Today RetireSafe, representing 400,000 senior citizen supporters across America, announced a "Let's Get it Right" campaign for 2010 to establish a new Consumer Price Index for Seniors (CPI-S) so that Social Security benefits can be accurately and fairly determined each year. In addition, the group announced its support for the pending introduction of new legislation by U.S. Representative John "Jimmy" Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) which would direct the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to finally determine the "right" CPI-S formula for seniors. RetireSafe, an advocacy organization for older Americans, supports this critical first step to correct the faulty formula now used by the BLS, the same one resulting in a "zero" COLA for 2010.

According to RetireSafe President Thair Phillips, "The BLS, along with numerous other credible sources, has noted that each of the present methods now used (CPI, CPI-U, CPI-W, and CPI-E) to calculate inflation is severely flawed in measuring seniors' actual costs and expenses. While there may be other approaches to address this problem, we believe the first step should be an accurate CPI for seniors, a true CPI-S. Fortunately, Congressman Duncan agrees that seniors deserve a fair and accurate annual COLA that can only be determined with a fair and accurate CPI-S. He will be introducing the 'CPI for Seniors' Act next month, and we are fully committed to help Congressman Duncan enact this important legislation."

As Congressman Duncan notes, "The annual Social Security COLA is a crucial element to maintain a decent quality of life for our seniors, both in my District in Tennessee, and across the Nation. It must be based upon an accurate CPI-S that truly reflects the real impact of inflation on older Americans coping with ever-higher health care, energy, and food prices. I'm very pleased to be able to work with RetireSafe to enact new legislation that I believe will finally ensure fairness and accuracy for seniors," Duncan stated, pledging bill introduction in January.

Phillips continued, "This is the right approach to correct a longstanding wrong that has harmed our seniors for decades. They're not looking for a hand-out, which is what other measures propose, but rather they want the fair, accurate, and 'right' benefits they have worked for and rightly deserve. We are proud to work with Congressman Duncan to enact into law the 'CPI for Seniors' Act for America's seniors that he will soon be introducing in the U.S. House of Representatives."

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Alcohol and Fireworks Don't Mix! Warns National Council on Fireworks Safety

/PRNewswire/ -- New Year's Eve is a wonderful time to celebrate the start of a new year. And fireworks are a wonderful way of celebrating. However, all too often, New Year's Eve festivities involve excess alcohol. Just like driving and drinking do not mix, shooting consumer fireworks and drinking absolutely do not mix.

If you are at a party for New Year's Eve where consumer fireworks are being shot, make sure that there is a designated shooter who has not been drinking any alcohol. Even a small quantity of alcohol (one beer, a glass of wine) can impair one's judgment and ability to properly set up and use consumer fireworks safely.

Nancy Blogin, President of the National Council on Fireworks Safety, notes: "Each New Year's Eve, consumers are injured because their judgment has been impaired by beer, wine, or another alcoholic drink. The lesson is simple: Alcohol and fireworks don't mix."

In addition, the National Council reminds shooters of consumer fireworks of these other important safety tips:

-- Only use fireworks outdoors.
-- Obey all local laws regarding the use of fireworks.
-- Never give fireworks to young children.
-- Wear safety glasses when shooting fireworks.
-- Always have a bucket of water, or water hose, nearby.


And remember, ALCOHOL AND FIREWORKS DON'T MIX!

The National Council on Fireworks Safety is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose sole mission is to educate the public on the safe and responsible use of consumer fireworks. For a full list of consumer fireworks safety tips and the Council's safety videos, please visit http://www.fireworkssafety.org/.

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Merry Christmas! Are You Dreaming of a White One?

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FAA Gives Santa Thumbs-Up for Takeoff

Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt braved snow, ice and foggy conditions at North Pole International Airport to give Santa Claus and his sleigh a thumbs-up for the jolly old pilot’s traditional round-the-world Christmas Eve mission.

During a 90-minute check ride, Administrator Babbitt made sure Santa can properly execute the demanding maneuvers and precision rooftop landings inherent in making toy deliveries. He also checked that the sleigh’s deicing equipment, reindeer propulsion system and communications and navigation systems are working properly. In addition, the Administrator verified Santa has policies in place to guarantee he and his elves will have a proper rest period before the long, all-night mission.

While the elves will have WiFi inflight internet access, St. Nick stressed he will strictly enforce his longstanding ban on distractions in the cockpit.

“Santa and his crew have always shown extraordinary professionalism in the cockpit,” said FAA Administrator Babbitt “I’m certain they’ll pull off the flight without a hitch.”

This year, Santa has several Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) technology improvements at his disposal to make the annual trip safer and more fuel-efficient.

For example, North Pole International Airport boasts a new ASDE-X ground surveillance radar system to help St. Nick avoid marauding polar bears and the occasional Grinch. Santa’s sleigh (registration N0EL) boasts all the necessary electronics to use Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP), approaches the FAA has in place to help Santa easily reach children’s homes. The sleigh also has an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) component that pinpoints its position for air traffic controllers and other aircraft throughout the flight.

Mindful of environmental issues, Santa has incorporated several Earth-friendly features this year. Rudolph’s bright red nose and the sleigh’s warning and decorative lights are all powered by energy-saving LEDs.

The public can follow Santa on his Christmas Eve mission at http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html.

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