FREE FINANCIAL WORKSHOP JANUARY 21, 2012

Red wine is healthy!!!!

And again red wine enters the grand world of health breakthroughs! For those who like a glass or two of pinot noir, the news is...good! A new study has found that red wine could help women shield themselves from breast cancer.

Since cancer prevention is always a vital topic for us all, such breakthroughs like this are welcome. This one suggests women can use red wine -- in moderation only -- as a weapon against one of the major causes of death amongst U.S. women. The new study challenges the widely held belief that alcohol consumption in general increases one's risk of developing breast cancer. The notion has been that alcohol increases the body's estrogen levels, fostering the growth of cancer cells.

US need for Translation Services is on the rise

The other day I visited my niece’s Junior High School in Philadelphia, PA, where I ran into a childhood friend who teaches there. We talked briefly and as his students started piling into his classroom, I heard a few different languages. The thought that immediately came to my mind was "TRANSLATION SERVICE"! If I were a teacher, I'd want to know what these students are talking about! I agreed to wait 45 minutes to have lunch with him and I asked about the many different languages that I heard, and how did that affect his teaching. Boy, did I open a can of worms!

He expressed his frustration with multiple language barriers. When I asked about the translation services that the district provided, he laughed. “Do you know how long it takes to get that service? I have 10 parents who I need to speak with and I need a Russian, Spanish and French (Haitian) interpreter. I suggested that he write them letters and use an on-line translation tool for the various languages needed and mail them out. He was grateful for my suggestion and said he’d try it.

With the many immigrants flooding U.S. cities, the need for translation services is quickly on the rise. They are needed in schools; they’re needed in various agencies that provide resources and information and, although immigrants don’t have the right to vote, I think they should be able to understand what’s happening.

Animal Planet

Author: Joyce Mccall

My daughter got married in May of last year. She and her husband moved close to us just outside of Plano, Texas. My son in law is this really huge guy at six foot four inches. He was very athletic growing up and now has whittled it down to playing a mean game of tennis with a team he has joined. He has always loved being outdoors camping or hiking or even hunting. The other day he was making reference to some weird animal that he had seen on Animal Planet on www.directstartv.com. I never knew that he knew so much about animals except for the ones he hunts. He told me that he watches Animal Planet all the time. I am constantly finding out new things about my son in law. He even got into this big discussion about how Big Foot is still around, and that people are still hunting for him. I even watched one of the shows with him one time that was about these guys hunting Big Foot at night. All I can say is that you would never catch me hunting something like that at night. I am too big of a chicken.

Filing bankruptcy can stop foreclosure.

During the recent fall of the US mortgage industry, many home owners found themselves threatened with losing their homes. After falling prey to predatory lenders who avoided proper lending practices while adding small print that allowed for adjustable mortgage rates, many found themselves trapped and went from paying a $1,200/mth mortgage to $2.400 over a 3-4 year period – THAT’S DOUBLE THE AMOUNT THEY ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED PAYING! Needless to say, the homeowner falls behind, and after several months of not being able to keep up the payments, the bank puts their home in foreclosure.

Many have found that signing up for a credit counseling course before filing for bankruptcy very helpful. Others find that filing for bankruptcy a very viable solution. As soon as you file for bankruptcy, the court issues and “Order of Relief” or an “Automatic Stay”, which instructs creditors to cease collection activities and postpones foreclosure sales.

There are some time sensitive documents and procedures, so if you’ve received a notice of default from your lender and are considering filing for bankruptcy, you should act immediately.

The new face of “Special Ed” students.

When I began working for the Philadelphia School District, I was surprised to see the new face of “Special Ed” kids. They didn’t look like the Special Ed kids that I remember as a child. They didn’t appear to have down syndrome, nor were they physically disabled. They weren’t blind, deaf or dumb. Upon talking to them one-on-one, they didn’t appear to be mentally handicapped either, yet MANY students had been labeled “Special Ed”.

Upon further investigation, I learned that there were two categories of Special Ed Students. You had the students who made it to the 9th grade, but were at a 3rd grade reading level. So they were labeled due to a perceived learning disability. Then you had the students who were labeled with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Hyper-active Attention Deficit (HADD). This particular group confused and concerned me.

These students weren’t any different than any ordinary inquisitive, curious, mischievous child, yet they were labeled and put on medication. As an incentive for parents to ok this often erroneous diagnosis without question, they received a check each month for their “Special Ed” child. The schools also received additional funds for Special Ed students. So, everybody was happy.

Let me say that I’m sure there are some children who fit that bill, but there are too many who are given this diagnosis for the wrong reasons. It’s sad. It’s a racket. It’s a disservice to our children. Mislabeling them at an early age can’t be good for their future. They’re being conditioned to think that they are a certain way…and it doesn’t stop with the Special Ed students either.

Does anybody else even care about this stuff besides me?

It really is OK to be single!

Being a single woman for the last 4 years, I’ve learned that it is definitely ok to be single. I think my family and friends have more of a problem with me being single than I do. They seem to think its “taboo” to be single. I’ve found it to be the greatest and most peaceful period of my life!

I look at my friends who are married or in a long term relationship. A lot of them aren’t happy. They stay in their miserable, monotonous relationships for financial reasons, fear of change, and fear of being alone. I look at my family, and we don’t do that! Lol. The women (and men) in my family don’t stay in unhappy, unfulfilling relationships. I see it from generation to generation.

I was married for 18 years, so I am different from the many women who’ve never been married or had children. I’ve done both. What I haven’t done is lived alone! I went from my grandmother’s house straight into marriage and children. I spent those years putting their needs/wants first, supported the goals of my ex-husband and took him to another level, while putting my dreams and goals on hold. I endured emotional, verbal and physical abuse in the process; went work every day and to church every week with my mask (smiling face) firmly in place. So, when I look back on my past relationship, I am grateful to be single and to have peace of mind. The first 2 years were kind of rough, but these last two have been the best! I’ve learned to love and accept MYSELF. I date myself. I’m still discovering new interests. I think about going back to school, but must admit, I’m procrastinating on that. I know what I want and what I do not want and will not accept in a relationship.
So, to the single people out there, I say, ENJOY THE FREEDOM! My mom used to always say “VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE.” Now is the time to experience different people and cultures. Cultivate friendships with the opposite sex.

Most of all, remember that MARRIAGE IS A CHOICE…NOT A REQUIREMENT and it is not a pre-requisite to happiness.