How to Find Combortable Shoes

How to Find Comfortable Shoes - Real Simple
Relief at last! Foolproof tips on picking comfortable pumps, flats, and sandals
Rick Lew
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Tips for Finding a Comfortable Pump
Hold the shoe at the heel and the toe area. The sole should be flexible and bend at the front of the arch but have a stiff bottom through the arch.
Choose a pump with a high heel that is directly underneath the center of your heel. If it is too far forward or at the back of the shoe, you'll have balance problems.
Look for false fronts. "A pointy-toe shoe with an area that is much longer than your toes has a false front. It keeps your toes from being squished," says Suzanne Levine, a podiatric surgeon in New York City.
Make sure the toe area is wide enough through the ball of your foot. Note that a wedge shoe distributes your weight more evenly and offers support all the way through the foot. Be aware, however, that the limited sole flexibility of a wedge increases the risk of rolling your ankle over the side. Test a shoe for cushioning by pressing a finger into the ball area. It should have a little give or a slightly padded feel.
Avoid synthetics. Wear shoes with leather, suede, or fabric uppers. These materials breathe, which lessens the chance of blistering...............................More

Looking for the perfect stranger

Looking for the perfect stranger How a single, successful New York writer ended up pursuing an arranged marriage in India.
By Anita Jain
Aug. 12, 2008 It was after three years of living in New York that I began thinking something was wrong -- deeply, heart-wrenchingly wrong -- with the Western dating system. I would come home after an evening of swapping New York "war stories" with girlfriends, in which we regaled each other with horrific dates or detailed every phone call and e-mail exchange from a short-lived fling in order to decipher why our intended had unceremoniously disappeared. Most of these evenings ended up with one or another of us whining about our loneliness and wondering when it would end, to be comforted by yet another in our gaggle that we should just get on with our own lives and not worry about men, and that soon enough, when we were least expecting it, love would walk in through the front door or sit next to us on a flight.
The next week we would switch roles and the whiner would offer warm words of advice and hand-holding to the comforter. I heartily participated in all of these discussions, more often than not as the one plunged in despair when I first arrived in New York, and later, hardened and somewhat resigned, as the one extending succor.
After months of these cocktail-drenched evenings, two fleeting thoughts slipped across my mind, which later would take on shape and bulk and eventually morph into full-blown arguments. The first of these took hold when a friend was complaining how a man she'd met at a party two weeks ago had seemed very interested and had taken her number but had not called since. And today she'd discovered that a colleague she had a crush on had a girlfriend. Two leads that had seemed promising just last week had fallen through, which in New York is enough to induce a midmonth slump. ...........(more)

Doctors are finding ways to help Mental health problems among Asian-Americans.

East Mind, West Mind
Mental health problems among Asian-Americans are often stigmatized and untreated. But doctors are finding ways to help.
Tina Peng
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 4:07 PM ET Aug 12, 2008

A few years ago, Dr. Lin Fang saw a patient at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in New York City's Chinatown. The man, a recent Chinese immigrant in his 30s, had come to see a physician and complained of five years of insomnia. The physician directed him to Fang, a clinician in the center's mental-health clinic, who quickly diagnosed the man with depression--something he hadn't even considered. A year and a half later, after taking medication and making regular appointments with the Wang Center's clinicians, the man was fine again, Fang says.
Fang can't count the number of patients like this man that she's seen over the years. There are indications that mental illness in the Asian-American community may be undiagnosed and undertreated, thanks in part to cultural stigmas against personal weakness, as well as some recent immigrants' ignorance of the Western concept of mental health. A 2003 study partly funded by the National Institute of Mental Health showed that while the rate of mental illness among Asian-Americans is lower than among whites, the former group is less likely to seek help than the latter. Now, though, community health centers across the country are finding that taking a holistic approach to mental health--combining primary and mental-health care, and integrating Western and Eastern philosophies--is often the most effective way to reach an underserved population.
And some of the national data point to a need for increased vigilance and treatment: Asian-American females, for instance, have the highest suicide rates among American females in the 15-24 age group, and Asian-American women who are 65 or older are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than are their white counterparts, according to numbers compiled by the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS). Forty percent of Southeast Asian refugees suffer from depression, and anxiety plagues significant parts of that population as well, according to the ACRS statistics. And because of language and insurance barriers, many Asian-Americans aren't particularly likely to seek professional help.
Unless there's an Asian-American in charge of a mental-health services organization, there tends to be little outreach to that population, says Dr. Marty Wong, a practicing psychologist in Boulder, Colo., and a fellow with the American Psychological Association. "In general, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and Asian people tend not to squeak very loudly," he says.
In many cases, their problems are directly related to the immigrant experience: some Asian immigrants are depressed that they held highly respected positions in their home countries but can't translate their skills or their peers' esteem in America. Fang's patient had worked a high-powered bank job in China but could only find work at a restaurant in America. Others, especially older Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees, have posttraumatic stress syndrome.
Often, Asian immigrants who suffer from mental illness will assume it's a physical ailment and consult a physician instead of a mental-health professional; in some cases, they may even request or seek out treatment that doesn't address the mental roots of their symptoms. Ten years ago, a recent Korean immigrant was sent to Asian Counseling and Referral Services in Seattle. She'd complained of excruciating, unending backaches for years and had undergone several experimental surgeries, to no avail. But when Yoon Joo Han, now the center's behavioral-health program director, started speaking to the woman, Han found she was deeply depressed from an abusive marriage and culture shock. "She'd blocked her emotional senses completely and directed everything into the physical," Han says. In Seattle, "as many as half of Asian-Americans' visits to primary care physicians are due to conditions caused or exacerbated by mental or emotional problems," according to ACRS.
Collectively, Asian cultures tend to stigmatize mental illness by valuing silence, modesty and face-saving, according to ACRS. Physical symptoms of different mental illnesses tend to be explained as manifestations of spiritual or moral weakness, and some Asian languages don't even have a word for "depression," Han says. "In some cultures, they'll say, 'My liver is bad,' and that is translated into, 'I'm depressed and sad'," she says. "The perspective on mental illness as something that can be treated is a pretty new, Western concept for many of our clients, so it becomes a family secret and people don't seek help until it gets out of control or really, really bad."
Terry Gock, director of Pacific Clinics' Asian Pacific Family Center in Rosemead, Calif., explains that the Chinese are more likely to say that they're tired or that their "chi is low," than to admit to feeling blue. "And so if we don't integrate the understandings, physicians will sometimes look at it as just a physical problem and miss the psychological, mental-health implications of what people are saying," she says.
Because treating Asian-American patients sometimes requires a holistic approach, doctors at ACRS will try to fuse Western and Eastern sensibilities as they introduce their patients to the concept of mental illness. Often, Han says, doctors will tell patients stories about other patients who've had similar experiences, or explain treatment options in terms of physical symptoms instead of getting too deep into mental-health theory.
They also are sensitive to cultural nuances: some clients believe medications are poison, and doctors have to make sure not to force treatments onto patients, she says. "The most important thing is respecting where they are at and not discounting their beliefs, but bringing the best package of services we can offer to that individual," Han says. In many cases, as with Han's Korean patient, the physicians will refer their patients to a local community center, where doctors and therapists can try to straddle Western and Eastern understandings to address the patients' illnesses.
Potential patients who don't seek out mental-health help, and even some who do, may turn to alternative remedies. They go to fortune-tellers like the ones who sit outside a park a few blocks away from the Wang Center, hawking guidance and insight with Chinese written boldly on the faded red drop cloths behind them. Others turn to activities like tai chi or traditional medications for help. Not all of these options are harmful; in fact, treatments like acupuncture and yoga are often beneficial, Fang says.
In some cases, though, these alternative remedies can worsen mental conditions. Two years ago, Fang saw a pregnant schizophrenic woman whose relatives were adamant that her symptoms came from bad spirits and wanted her to perform rituals at a temple to get rid of the spirits. But performing the rituals made the woman's symptoms worse--she began to hallucinate about the spirits--and when she eventually came to the Wang Center, "it was even hard for us to say, 'Take medications,' because the spirits in her hallucinations were telling her, 'You shouldn't eat those things'," Fang recalls. Eventually, the woman's husband was able to persuade her to go on medication, and the woman improved significantly through the course of her pregnancy.
But while there may be an initial reluctance to recognize these types of illnesses or seek treatment, mental-health centers in Asian neighborhoods are constantly busy: the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center saw 7,800 mental health patients in 2007, and the Asian Pacific Family Center in Rosemead, Calif., has seen its staff grow to more than 100 but still has to keep a waiting list. "It's really hard to say what the prevalence rate for these kinds of mental-health conditions is," Chen says. "But when we start providing services, we have no problem finding patients."
For more information: National Asian-American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association Charles B. Wang Community Health Center Asian Counseling & Referral Service Asian Pacific Family Center
From the Editors (3)
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Topics (4)
Lin Fang
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
Yoon Joo Han
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URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/152315
© 2008

Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard?

Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard?
ABC News went undercover and found retailers selling aged tires as brand new.
TIRE VIDEO - MUST VIEW. RECOMMEND WIDEST = DISSEMINATION.
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

You Can Survive Cancer (I Did)

By Dr. Mark Liponis Published: June 15, 2008
Read Dr. Liponis' keys to cancer prevention.

As a hard-driving young doctor, I was focused on building a secure future for my family. My parents, the children of Greek immigrants, had taught me that hard work and a strong will created the path to success, and I was intent on getting there soon. At 36, I wasn’t prepared for the detour life was about to throw at me—cancer.

Suddenly, my identity as protector and provider for my family was seriously shaken. For the first time, I experienced what it was like to feel vulnerable and anxious about the future. In light of my new diagnosis, the world seemed to turn more slowly. I cherished each breath, each moment with my wife and three young children.

Today, after 13 years and successful treatment, I can talk more easily about that period in my life. I learned a lot about cancer from being a patient. I learned that I had misconceptions about the illness, and I learned what I had to do to overcome it.

Misconception No. 1: Doctors are special
In a strange way, I thought that becoming a doctor was somehow like finding the immunity idol on Survivor—you couldn’t get the diseases you study. I was wrong, of course. Doctors can get sick just like everybody else.

In my case, I was diagnosed with an apple-sized tumor in my left kidney. Surgery to remove the kidney and the growth was advised.

Survival instincts are powerful. My first reaction was more a visceral gut feeling than a thought: “I will be OK. This will not kill me.” Maybe I was optimistic because I felt perfectly fine. I didn’t feel sick in any way.

Misconception No. 2: People with cancer always feel sick
The only ominous symptom I had was a single episode of painless, bloody urine during a late shift in the ER one night. Of course, after my diagnosis, I thought every little twitch or twinge I felt must be the cancer. But in fact my biggest new symptom was that I couldn’t sleep. Too many questions, worries, and fears about the future swam through my mind. I couldn’t wait for my doctors’ appointments to have my questions answered. I wanted to know the best way to cure my cancer. I also wanted to know how long it had been growing in my kidney.

Misconception No. 3: Cancer grows and spreads rapidly
I was quickly scheduled for surgery to remove my kidney and surrounding lymph nodes. I resigned myself to the need to try to cut out this deadly tumor. I thought about my family and job, how important my role as provider was to my identity, and I decided not to tell anyone but my wife.

I was shocked when my second question was answered: The tumor had been growing for about 15 years! Of course I did the math and was distressed to think that I could have contracted this cancer when I was only 21 years old.

Misconception No. 4: Cancer is uncommon in young people
I learned that I was not the exception but, rather, the rule. Like other diseases, cancer has its roots in youth. In fact, essentially we all are “cancer survivors.” Mutations in the DNA of any of our 100 trillion cells occur constantly in all of us, and new cancer cells are a common occurrence even in young adults.

However, these microscopic cancers almost never become lethal tumors. The primary reason is that our immune system detects them early on and snuffs them out before they have a chance to grow. In some cases, the tumors kill themselves through mutations they develop or because they lack a blood supply to sustain their growth. Only cancer cells that develop a “cloaking mechanism” to evade the immune system, or tumors that develop their own blood supply, can successfully grow into potentially lethal tumors.

Misconception No. 5: You can cure cancer only with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation
This was perhaps my most important lesson. Standard medical treatment is just one part of overcoming cancer. Surviving is a four-part process that includes treatment, healing, prevention, and life extension. But the steps many of us associate with cancer prevention (a healthy diet, exercise, proper sleep, stress management, smoking cessation, and moderation of habits) are also critical during the stages of treatment, healing, and the years that follow. I learned that these are the most effective ways of keeping microscopic cancer cells from growing into serious tumors. T

hey say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’m not sure I believe that. But perhaps what doesn’t kill you makes you smarter. I hope you can learn from my experience without having to go through a health crisis of your own.

Read Dr. Liponis' keys to cancer prevention.

Dr. Mark Liponis is the author of “Ultra-longevity” and medical director of Canyon Ranch spas.
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RIDDEX PRO PEST REPELLER

RIDDEX PRO PEST REPELLER
The restaurant industry is a very important part of our community's economy and rodents in a restaurant are not good for business or during a visit by the health department.I found a Motorola patented microprocessor called "RIDDEX PRO PEST REPELLER" that works in the outlet wiring to repel rodents and roaches from your restaurant. It is sold at Bed Bath & Beyond for $14.99 and look for 20% off coupon that comes in your mail.To save energy and cut down the expenses, I found in a public restroom a "motion-sensing switch". When someone enters the room the lights will turn on. When no motion is detected for a set period of time the lights will automatically turn off.Please pass this information to other restaurant owners you know.

Dragon Boat race helps China Quzke Relief

Dragon boat race helps China quake relief
Miami Hearld Posted on Wed, Jun. 04, 2008 BY BENJAMIN CANDEA
A sport created to appease sea dragons has taken on a life of its own and is supporting countries dealing with natural disasters and breast cancer survivors. The fifth annual Miami Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, held Saturday in front of the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Brickell Key, hosted more than 1,000 participants, some from as far as Tampa and Los Angeles. ''We've caused a dragon revolution,'' said Joe Chi, president of the festival and executive director of the Miami Overseas Chinese Association, which organizes the event. The sport, consisting of paddlers racing long, narrow boats, began 2,000 years ago as homage to the legend of Qu Yuan, a minister who drowned in the Mi Lo River. Since his death, the Chinese have sailed dragon boats to appease the sea dragons. Chi said the festival began as a means to bring more diversity to South Florida. ''We wanted to try and bring more Asian and Chinese culture into Miami,'' Chi said. His association recently hosted a benefit to raise money for the Chinese earthquake relief efforts. The May 23 dinner, which featured finalists from the Miss Hong Kong Pageant, raised $25,000 that was donated to the Red Cross Society of China at the festival's May 31 opening ceremonies. Manny Wong, vice president of the festival and vice president of Miami Overseas Chinese Association, said that the group always tries to help China. ''We try to give back to our homeland,'' he said. Earthquakes have shook China's Sichuan Province throughout May, killing an estimated 68,000 and injuring more than 350,000, according to Chinese government official reports. The festival has donated in the past to other relief efforts, including Asian tsunami relief in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005. In addition to raising money for the Red Cross Society of China, the festival has joined with several breast cancer foundations in an effort to fight the disease and raise awareness. The association will host the Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Championships and the Corporate Dragon Boat Championships in 2009. The festival was also instrumental in starting Save Our Sisters, a local team that consists of breast cancer survivors started by the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2007. ''It was just so empowering to be out there and to be racing,'' said Chery Ettelman, one of the team's first members. With nearly 20 members, the team has participated in several races and won the Breast Cancer Division at last year's races. The goal for Save Our Sisters is to show there is life after treatment. ''Once treatment is done there is a void and that's what we try to fill,'' said team member Marlies Rosado. The team finished third in this year's Breast Cancer Survivors Division. Pairing the sport with breast cancer survivors helps to strengthen them both mentally and physically, Wong said. Another team of breast cancer survivors, the Pink Dragon Ladies, was started by H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in 2005. The Tampa team has participated in races throughout Florida and recently raced in the Breast Cancer Survivor Championships in Windsor, Ontario. ''It was an opportunity for us to meet with other breast cancer survivors,'' said Liz O'Connell, one of the first members of the team. The Pink Dragon Ladies took first and second place in the Breast Cancer Survivors Division. The Puff team prides itself on having members ranging in ages 15 to 65 and from 20 different countries. The South Floridian team began in 2003 and has over 45 members. ''What bonds them is the water, the love of the sport,'' said Puff team member Hammy Garzon. ``They made me feel like it was family.'' Puff won the Hong Kong Cup and the Premier Women's Division at this year's races. Spectators came from throughout South Florida. Delray Beach resident Cecil Wise came because he had seen races before. ''I saw this once in Bangkok and it was pretty exciting,'' he said. c 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved. http://www.miamiherald.com

"Believe in the power of kindness"

March 29th, 2002 started as a very normal day in our lives. Our sons, Matthew – nearly 6 and Ben – nearly 3 – were home playing with a playmate. Ben had a cold and a bit of a croupy cough. We were not alarmed. Never did it enter our minds that Ben was seriously ill or that he could die. And then he did. It only took seconds for him to become unconscious after his airway swelled shut. Jeannette's efforts at rescue breathing and CPR were in vain as Ben's airway was completely closed. In those moments on the morning of Good Friday our lives changed forever.
The depth of pain we were experiencing was beyond description. Every parent's worst nightmare was our reality and we didn't know how we would possibly survive. More than anything we just wished we could die. Perhaps we would have died if not for Matthew. He was still alive and he needed us as he had never needed us before. ........................(more)

Ben Stein's Last Column

Ben Stein's Last Column...
============================================
How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I 'slug' it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is 'eonlineFINAL,' and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end..

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it. On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened. I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a 'star' we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails.

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit , Iraq . He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad . He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him.

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordinance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad .

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters. This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin...or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York . I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human.

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.
By Ben Stein

We truly take a lot for granted.
Forget the Hollywood 'stars' and the sports 'heroes'...
and pass this on!

PRAY FOR THEM

Warning to all parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles !

Forwarded e-mail

Forwarded from a Sam's Club employee. Wanted to share something that happened today while shopping at Sam's Club.
A mother was leaning over looking for meat and turned around to find her 4 yr. old daughter was missing. I was standing there right beside her, and she was calling her daughter with no luck.
I asked a man who worked at Sam's to announce it over the loud speaker for Katie. He did, and let me say he immediately walked right past me when I asked and went to a pole where there was a phone. He made an announcement for all the doors and gates to be locked, a code something.
So they locked all the doors at once. This took all of 3 minutes after I asked the guy to do this. They found the little girl 5 minutes later in a bathroom stall. Her head was half shaved, and she was dressed in her underwear with a bag of clothes, a razor, and wig sitting on the floor beside her to make her look different.
Whoever this person was, took the little girl, brought her into the bathroom, shaved half her head, and undressed her in a matter of less than 10 minutes. This makes me shake to no end. Please keep a close eye on your kids when in big places where it's easy for you to get separated.
It only took a few minutes to do all of that-another 5 minutes and she would have been out the door. I am still in shock that some sick person could do this, let alone in a matter of minutes. The days are over when our little ones could run rampant all over the place and nothing would happen to them.
The little girl is fine. Thank God for fast workers who didn't take any chances.

BE SURE TO FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE, SO THEY KNOW JUST HOW SICK PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE!!! (This happened at the Sam's Wholesale Club in Omaha, Nebraska .)

This message has been added to the story above:
I received this e-mail from one of my friends today. Let me first tell you that I work at the Sam's club in Lincoln, NE. The code that was spoken of is called a 'Code Adam'. It is named after John Walsh's (host of Americas Most Wanted) son Adam who was kidnapped and murdered many years ago. It is used in all Sam's Clubs, Wal-marts, and Wal-mart super centers to locate lost children.
This is how it works. If by some means you have been separated with your child tell the nearest employee! The employee will page a 'Code Adam' (missing child in the store) over the intercom system followed by a description of the child (height, weight, hair color, age, name etc).
When that page goes out all the exits are immediately guarded, and/or locked in some cases, also every employee will stop whatever they are doing no matter what it is and help look for the missing child. This will continue until the child is found.
If the child is not found within a reasonable time then the police are notified and the store will conduct an isle by isle search. So if ever you are separated from your child now you know what to do.
Missing children pictures hang by the exits of all Wal-mart and Sam's Club stores, please take a few minutes to look these over as you leave, you just might have seen one of the children on them and you might be the one to give their parents hope and give the police a new lead in finding them.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Rudy Magee Sam's Club #6413

Even if you do not have little kids, pass this one on to everyone you can think of. You never know who you might save by sending this email!

Make a difference. Be a voter. It's easy!

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Make a difference. Be a voter. It's easy! Click the link below:
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ID Theft - Attorney's Advice--No Charge

We recently received an Email with some important advice on how you can protect yourself against ID theft. With this crime so prevalent we thought this advice was to good not to share, so here it is in it's entirety:

Subject: ATTORNEY'S ADVICE -- NO CHARGE

Read this and make a copy for your filesin case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take someof his advice!A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.
1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead offirst name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook,they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials oryour first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.
2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO IDREQUIRED".
3 When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card acco unts, DONOTput the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just putthe last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of thenumber, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes throughall the check processing channels won't have access to it.
4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. Ifyou have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do nothave a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed onyour checks.(DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have itprinted, anyone can get it.
5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do bothsides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had inyour wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call andcancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy ofmy passport when travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horrorstories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name, address,Social Security number, credit cards.Unfortunately,

I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because myWallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered anexpensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card,had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PINnumber from DMV to change my driving record information online,and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage incase this happens to you or someone you know:
1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. Butthe key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy soyou know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.
2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where yourcredit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you werediligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if thereever is one).But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thoughtto do this.)
3. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately toplace a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had neverheard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me anapplication for credit was made over the Internet in my name.The alert means any company that checks your credit knows yourinformation was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone toauthorize new credit.By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft,all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checksinitiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about beforeplacing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, andthe thieves threw my wallet away. This weekend (someone turned it in). Itseems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet,etc., has been stolen:
1. Equifax: 1-800-525-62852.)
2. Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-37423.
3. Trans Union : 1-800-680-72894.
4. Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271