Women’s Independent Press

Business Program Calendar

November 2010

Programs are held on Thursdays at 12:15 pm at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Downtown & Business, 612 Smithfield Street, Downtown.  They are free and open to the public.

Thursday, November  4      Supercharge Your Career Planning  

                                           Jeffrey Fortescue, Manager of Business and Reference

                                           Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Downtown & Business

Did you know that Carnegie Library’s Resume Maker provides step-by-step instructions to help you create a professional-looking resume, or that our Testing & Education Reference Center includes practice tests and study guides to help you prepare for civil service, professional certification and licensing examinations, as well as tests for college entrance, graduate school and more?  Learn how you can access both of these tools in the library, or wherever you and your library card are located, at this informative program.

Thursday, November 11      Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate & Outnegotiate Your Competition

                                           (DVD-45 minutes)

Harvey Mackay, called “Mr. Make Things Happen” by Fortune Magazine, is the best-selling author of Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten.  In this DVD, he  shares his ideas on how to arm yourself with prospect, client and competitor information; how to see people who don’t want to see you, then make them glad they did, and how to develop and maintain relationships with customers.

Thursday, November 18        How to Start an Online Business

                                            Kate McGinley, CEO

                                            McGinley Media Limited

Ready to start working for yourself?  Thinking about starting a small business?  This session is a primer on how to start and build an online business.  Topics include: how turn your ideas into income; finding your first clients, setting your rates and marketing yourself.  Learn tactics and strategies to help you succeed, as well as what costly mistakes to avoid

Thursday, November 25         No Program – Happy Thanksgiving!      

Hi there! My name is Tommy. I’m a 6-year-old boxer mix, neutered, and up to date on all of my vaccines!

Another shelter brought me to Animal Friends in September, and boy am I glad they did! I love all of the volunteers here and am very affectionate. I especially love when they take me on car rides to the park! The perfect day for me would include a car ride to the park where I could romp and play with lots of other dogs and chase the occasional chipmunk.

I’m pretty strong though, so Animal Friends would like to see me go home with a family that has older children, ages nine and above. I also love toys, especially rope ones. I could occupy myself all day just gnawing on a rope toy. I’ll need to go home with a family that can provide me with lots of exercise and stimulation. I hope you will stop in to meet with me and an adoption counselor if I sound like the dog for you!

Matthew Buchholz
Communications Assistant
AnimalFriends
562 Camp Horne Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237

p. 412.847.7039
f.  412.847.7001
e. mbuchholz@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org
w. www.ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org

 Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Labor expanded the Family and Medical Leave Act, making the definition of “parent” significantly more inclusive. The decision came from Nancy J. Leppink, the deputy administrator for the department’s Wage and Hour Division, who asserted that “neither the statute nor the regulations restrict the number of parents a child may have under FMLA.”

As a result of the ruling, the words “son and daughter” in the FMLA can now be interpreted as a “biological, adopted or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward or a child of a person standing in loco parentis.” This means that whoever cares for a child on a daily basis is eligible for unpaid medical leave, regardless of the person’s legal obligation to the child. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Leppink’s ruling acknowledges that more people care for children than just biological parents.

A win for non-traditional families in general, the ruling is especially important to same-sex partners who relationships are not federally recognized under the Defense of Marriage Act. The amended law also makes it possible for stepparents, grandparents, or other relatives or guardians who are otherwise responsible for a child’s daily well-being to be recognized as parents without engaging in a formal adoption procedure.

“What does this mean in the real world? It means children can get the support and care they need from the people who love them and are responsible for them,” said Hilda Solis, U.S. Secretary of Labor. “It means we recognize the importance of a partner who shares in the parenting of a child in a same-sex relationship.”

However, as Ms. Magazine wrote in June, same-sex parents still can’t take time off to care for one another when they are ill – the ruling just applies to taking care of a sick child. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney of New York wants to further expand FMLA regulations to allow medical leave to take care of a same-sex partner. She introduced a bill that would modify the definition of “spouse” to include “a same-sex spouse as determined under applicable state law” – an amendment that works within the confines of DOMA, but would improve conditions for same-sex couples with state-recognized unions.

Volunteers of America is seeking skilled professionals to implement its new Mentoring Children of Promise program in Allegheny County designed to serve children of incarcerated parents by matching them with caring mentors for one-to-one, friendship-oriented mentoring relationship.

Positions below offer competitive salary and benefits package.

Please send resume and cover letter to volunteersofamerica@voapa.org

Qualified candidates will be contacted.

Program Director (full-time) will oversee the day-to-day operations.

Qualifications:

o   Master’s degree preferred with emphasis in social work, psychology, and/or education

o   Five or more years experience in mentoring and youth development, working within community organizations and/or schools preferred

o   Extremely strong organizational, writing, verbal, and interpersonal skills

o   Creativity and flexibility are essential in assuming significant responsibility

o   Experience working in racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse urban communities preferred

Site Coordinator (full-time) supervises the day-to-day field operations. Coordinator will oversee program development and implementation at one or more community-based “mentoring sites” (e.g., churches, housing projects, other community-based sites where participants are identified and trained).

Qualifications:

o   Bachelor’s degree preferred

o   Strong community connections

o   Strong interpersonal skills

o   Excellent organizational skills

o   Two or more years experience working with youth, preferably in a mentoring program or positive youth development program

 MCP Navigator (part-time) will be responsible for ensuring that youth participating in the program have access to appropriate resources and supportive services, including mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and other health services, family counseling and family support services, crisis management services, educational and employment services, and assistance with basic needs (such as food, clothing and shelter).

Qualifications:

o   Master’s degree preferred with emphasis in social work or clinical psychology

o   Three or more years experience working with high risk youth, preferably in a mentoring program or positive youth development program

o   Proven experience in service coordination/working within a wraparound services framework

o   Extremely strong interpersonal skills

o   Experience working in racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse urban communities preferred

o    http://www.voapa.org/AboutUs/Careers/CurrentJobOpenings/tabid/7214/Default.aspx

Have Dog, Will Travel…Safely

Whether it’s a weekend getaway or just driving around with daily errands, an increasing number of pet owners are opting not to leave their other family member at home alone.  Pets live in an estimated 58% of American households, and almost 80% of families with children have pets. But perhaps it’s time for a review of safety tips and innovative products to help you make the journey safer for all.

Pet-friendly car travel is a surging trend in the auto industry, and the right gear and new vehicle modifications offer pet owners plenty of options, so there’s no more excuse for unsafe and reckless pet travel.   

It’s Time for Safer Pet Travel

Perhaps you already take your dog in the car but are in the habit of letting “Rover” roam freely in the back.  It’s time to incorporate the same precautions we give to buckling up our children to include our pets. The top danger is driving with unrestrained pets, and this should be your main consideration when choosing to bring along your canine companion.  A dog roaming freely in the car is a safety hazard to everyone, causing distractions to the driver and potentially being catapulted forward with braking.

Pet Travel Products

It just makes sense to ensure your pet is secure in a moving vehicle.  We’re spoiled for choice with today’s array of safety products for pets of all sizes:

•Travel Booster Seats: Yes, booster seats aren’t just for babies anymore, and the creative designs of restraining pet seats will allow a comfortable and safe ride for smaller dogs, either in the front or back by connecting to the seat belt.   •Travel Barriers: Great for larger dogs or more than one, to separate the back and front of the vehicle.  As a nylon mesh style, metal or steel, barriers are fitted for small cars, mini and full size vans, and SUV’s.  By creating a safe area in the back, it keeps your dog safely restrained yet comfortable to move and stretch.•Travel Crates and Carriers: Ideal for small dogs, puppies and cats, there are many styles and sizes to safely transport your pet.  Many are foldable and easily assembled, for easy storage.•Safety Car Harness: You strap you and your family in; why not the dog?  Today’s dog seat belts are designed with comfort and safety in mind, and are handy for larger dogs who like to sit or stand.  Check to see if the seat buckle has been strength tested and better yet, crash tested, for quality assurance.•Other handy items include window screens to prevent dogs from jumping out open windows, travel water bowls, seat covers and cargo liners and door bibs. 

Pet Friendly Vehicles

Some technology and safety features that make a car ‘pet-friendly’ include:

·         Rear assist camera and back up warning signals

·         Dual and three way temperature control

·         Roomier cargo space in rear

·         Cargo dividers act as a barrier

·         Tether and anchors in the back seats

·         Full length vehicle side curtain air bags

·         Fold flat rear seats

Being safety smart on the road is part of being a responsible pet owner.  Be informed and make the most of all that’s available for a pet-safe vehicle, and enjoy the ride.  This article is written by your friends at

WWW.Women-Drivers.com – this resource is the only place to Write a Dealer Review and locate Certified Women-Friendly Car Dealers

When parents become of a certain age, they start thinking about transferring their home into the names of their children for various reasons.  Some want to avoid probate and taxes, and some want to protect it from being taken should they enter a nursing home and need medical assistance.

In either case there is some careful consideration that needs to take place.  It is important to understand that when a parent deeds their real estate to their children, their children are now the owners of the property and their problems may become your problems. 

For example, should a child lose their job and have creditors looking to collect, your house can be taken by their creditors.  Even if they file for bankruptcy, your house may not be protected, because they can only unusually save their primary residence.  This same problem might occur if they are involved in a lawsuit for any reason, including a car accident in which they were under insured.

Another factor to consider is the tax consequences.  Although, if you transfer the real estate and live a year past the date of transfer, there is no inheritance tax, unless your child dies first.  In which case, you have to pay inheritance tax from inheriting it back from your child.  This may be rare, but I have seen it happen.

Capital gains tax may also be of concern when transferring the property.  If your children inherit the property, they pay inheritance tax of 4.5%.  By paying the tax, their basis in the property is the value of the property on your date of death.  If the property is transferred for little or no consideration, their value is the carry over basis, which is essentially what you paid for the house, adjusted for improvements.  When your child goes to sell your house, they may have to pay capital gains tax.

Your biggest concern, however, may be making sure that the home gets passed along to the next generation and is not taken should you enter a nursing home.  A useful planning tool for you may be an Irrevocable Income Only Trust.  The sooner this tool is utilized the better.

As long as you do not need to qualify for medical assistance in the next five years, or you have the money to private pay for a period of time, your house will be protected, passed along to the next generation as you wish, and also have some tax benefits.

Another useful tool may be a Caregiver Agreement.  If a child is living with you and taking care of you, and you wish to leave your home to such child for their help, it is important to have an attorney draft a Caregivers Agreement, to make sure your wishes are carried out, and it can also be used to save the real estate from being taken to help repay a Medicaid claim.

In all cases, simply transferring your real estate to your children may render you ineligible for medical assistance, depending on when it is transferred. 

I know this is a lot of information, and there is a lot more information to be given depending on your individual situation.  Therefore it is important that you consult with an estate and elder law attorney prior to making any real estate transfers.

I am always happy to give a free educational sessions / free consultations, so please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you were asked to describe how you begin your day, are your mornings filled with rushing around, dragging kids out of bed, fumbling to find your shoes, dreading the bus ride to the city and complaining about going to a job you do not like?  For most women, the mornings are not filled with an hour of meditation, some time for reading, a quiet breakfast with the family discussing their plans for the day.  Yet how we set up our day in the morning will most likely be responsible for how our day progresses.

Although we would love to start our days with peace and quiet, and a cup of coffee while we sit by the fireplace; limited time robs us of the opportunity to do this.  But what if there was a way to bring a positive spin into the early morning that would last through the day?  While you brush your teeth, or feed the dog, or ride on the bus, or walk into the office – give thanks.

Give thanks for the house you live in, the family that surrounds you, the people on the bus who smile at you, the change in your purse, the clothes you wear, the job you have.  Give thanks for your health, your dog, the food on the table.  Thanks for your relatives, friend and co-workers.

Now it may seem improbable to be grateful when kids are sick, you missed the bus, the boss is angry, and you’re in a rut.  Yet it seems almost impossible to be thankful when there is no money in the bank, the mortgage is overdue and you were passed over for that raise.  Worries about family, work and money steal your days and take away the ability to enjoy life.  Living becomes existing.

But even at these most despairing moments, you need to reach beyond the “liabilities” to find those things to add to the “asset” side of your life’s ledger.

By starting your day in this spirit, you set up your day to be prosperous and satisfying.  If you start the day feeling stressed and lacking, you will have a day of stress and lack.  But if you take an inventory in your mind of your life’s assets, you will realize just what a rich woman you really are.  You will see that you have much to be grateful for and that you are probably taking for granted the abundance that already exists in your life.  The world around you will give you more if you appreciate what you already have.  If you sow seeds of lack, you will reap lack.  But if you sow seeds of abundance you will reap more of the same.

Melody Beattie wrote in the Language of Letting Go, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.”

Begin each day with gratitude; because if you do this every day for a month, you will simply not be the same person you are today.  By giving thanks each day for the abundance you already have in your life, you will set in motion an ancient spiritual law that says, the more you have and are grateful for, the more you will receive

The cool winds and changing leaves are tell-tale signs: another autumn has arrived. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how quickly the seasons change and the years pass by. Whatever season of life you happen to be in, it may be a good time to reflect on the protection you have through Social Security.

Each stage of life — from the spring of youth to the summer of middle age to the autumn of retirement — comes with its own set of financial concerns. And in each situation, Social Security is there to help.

Of the more than 53 million Americans receiving Social Security benefits, nearly one-third are not retired workers or their dependents. They’re disabled workers and their families, or the survivors of a deceased worker. These non-retirement Social Security benefits can be especially important to young workers because about one-in-eight young people will die before retirement, and about one-in-four will become disabled.

While the death of a husband, wife, or parent is emotionally devastating, it often can be financially devastating as well. Social Security provides a monthly survivors benefit payment to help the qualified family members of a deceased worker.

Social Security disability protection is equally valuable. Few workers have an employer-provided, long-term disability policy. With Social Security, however, the average worker has the equivalent of a disability insurance policy that pays monthly benefits to workers and their families, based on the workers’ lifetime earnings. So you can rest a little easier knowing that Social Security provides some measure of security, if life does not turn out as planned.

On the other hand, if you do work and retire as planned, Social Security serves as the foundation for a secure retirement. Social Security is the largest source of income for most elderly Americans today, but Social Security was never intended to be your only source of income when you retire. You also will need other savings, investments, pensions or retirement accounts to make sure you have enough money to live comfortably when you retire.

The Social Security Statement that you receive in the mail each year provides an estimate of your retirement, survivors, and disability insurance benefits. If you’d like to try out some different scenarios and see how various retirement ages and future earnings may change your retirement picture, visit our online Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. It provides an instant, personalized estimate of your future benefits.

And perhaps the best news of all is that it’s easier than ever to apply for retirement benefits. You can do it right from the comfort and convenience of your home or office by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/applytoretire. It can take as little as 15 minutes.

Whether you’re young or old, Social Security is there through every season. You can find out more at www.socialsecurity.gov.

 
* If you are using a variety of styles of furniture and knick knacks,
make sure you create a pleasant flow and combination so you don’t overdue it or the room will look cluttered.
 
* If you are buying new furniture, make sure you stay in scale to the room size. Take measurements to stay on track with the furnishings, the floor, and wall space. Make sure there is ample room to walk around the furnishings.
 
* When choosing a new paint color, paint a small area first to be sure you like the color on your wall with your furnishings and décor. It’s a good idea to paint one shade lighter than your choice because the sample will look brighter on a big wall than on a small sample swatch.
 
* If you want to make a room look bigger, use an assortment of mirrors.  They will give the illusion of more space. Placing them in groups or singularly will provide a different affect.
 
Need a personal assistant for the holidays or help getting holiday decorations sorted and up? Give me a call, I’d be glad help. There’s no time like the present to get your “stuff” in order.
 
Cheers to transforming your life to a place of peace & harmony ~ Carole
 
Carole Brecht
412-418-4978
cebrecht@hotmail.com
www.organizeyourlifenow.net
Facebook business fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Pittsburgh-PA/Organize-Your-Life-Now/167825409901347

   The art of Feng Shui often brings furniture arranging and artwork to mind for many people and a small portion of that is true. But Feng Shui is also about sustainability, a term you will be hearing more about in the months and years to come.

Sustainability is the “characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely,” as defined by one source. It’s basically making the best — and longest — use of things we create and own. So when I refer to decluttering and moving things on to other people and recycling, it is all part of sustainability

Here are some examples of how they work together:

No matter what school of Feng Shui you follow, one of the most important steps is to start by decluttering, when you declutter, you gather up items to discard, recycle, donate to Goodwill or pass onto friends and family members. As you go through this process, it is important to keep only what you are using at the moment.

In keeping with the concept of sustainability, you will be moving things from your environment to give to others so they can find a use for them or recycling the items to give them new life. Decluttering has to happen or you can’t even get to the root of the goals of Feng Shui.

Keep in mind that as older adults we recognize that our children aren’t going to use all the items that we’ve stored in the attic. Members of the Now generation purchase their own goods without relying so much on parents to provide these items. The accumulation of such materials can create a drain on your energy, something none of us need, especially since these items aren’t being used for long periods of time.

I encourage you to take a new look at your home when you do your Holiday Cleaning. Start by de-cluttering the house before you start cleaning. Follow these three simple Feng Shui recommendations:

1. Start decluttering by removing extra items from your home to allow you to redecorate or clean the space the way you want to. This symbolically means that you are allowing more opportunities to come into your life. Don’t forget to recycle or donate items to your favorite charity.

2. Next, have your decorations support your ability to achieve your life goals. This is simply done by looking at the Bagua Map and selecting which area in your life require the most energy. For example, I will be placing my 3-way lamps in the Relationship area of my house to support and maintain personal and business relationships.

3. Finally, renew the energy of your house for the Holidays by adding special touches like your favorite music, beautiful flowers or perhaps a wonderful, light lemony smell.

Surrounding yourself with things and people you truly love and following some basic Feng Shui recommendations will create a sustainable and balanced environment for you and your family for the New Year!

Please go to www.fengshuiabc1.com for a class on Holiday Feng Shui to Anchor your Intentions.  Yvonnephillips1@aol.com  412-215-8247