Saving the Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service is as American as founding father Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster General. Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution empowers Congress “to establish post offices.”

Yet today rising costs and declining first-class mail volume threaten the USPS’s survival. Saturday delivery may be cut. Other proposals call for layoffs of 120,000 postal workers. More than 3,500 post offices could be closed, including many in rural and small town Missouri and Kansas. In Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is targeting the USPS for privatization.

A crisis in September was caused by a 2006 law requiring the USPS to put aside $5.5 billion annually to prefund retiree benefits for 75 years, a requirement applying to no other private or government entity. Several bills are pending, including H.R. 1351, which would eliminate the prefunding burden.

Do you depend on the mail to receive prescriptions and bills, to send utility payments or Hallmark cards, or to vote? Then contact your representatives: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), www.house.gov/cleaver, or Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.), yoder.house.gov. You can even send them a letter... at least for now.

Memory and Brain Expert Addresses Federal Government on “Forgotten Baby Syndrome” to help prevent hot car tragedies

Federal government steps up efforts to prevent child deaths in hot vehicles

Tampa, FLA. – Sept. 23, 2011…. Most parents think it could never happen to them. But children continue to die in hot vehicles – and parents and families across the country endure the worst nightmare imaginable. 

Dr. David Diamond, professor in the University of South Florida psychology department and Tampa Veterans Hospital, spoke out today at a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) event in Tampa to help prevent families from having to endure the life-long grief of losing a child.

There have been at least 27 child vehicular heat stroke fatalities in the U.S. this year, and one of those deaths took place in Florida.…and we hope that is the last child death in a hot car,” states Janette Fennell, president of KidsAndCars.org a national nonprofit child safety organization working to prevent injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles. A tragic record 49 children died in 2010 in hot vehicles. Over 60 child vehicular heat stroke deaths in Florida have been documented by KidsAndCars.org, making Florida second only to Texas in the number of children losing their lives in this way.

An internationally renowned memory and brain expert, Diamond asks, “How can normal, loving and attentive parents, with no evidence of substance abuse or an organic brain disorder, have a lapse of memory which results in the death of a child?” His research group has developed a two-part hypothesis to address the basis of “Forgotten Baby Syndrome” (FBS). First, they evaluated whether there is a consistent pattern of circumstances that may provide insight into FBS occurrences and, second,they speculated on the neurobiological basis of FBS.

Diamond hypothesizes that FBS occurs as a result of the competition between cognitive and habit forms of memory. Cognitive memory occurs when one consciously plans out a task to accomplish in the future, for example, planning to take a child to daycare as a part of a larger driving plan. In contrast, habit memory occurs when one performs a routine that can be completed automatically with minimal thought, such as driving to work in an “autopilot” mode, in which decisions as to where to stop and turn occur automatically.

Brain habit and cognitive systems are in a constant state of competition, Diamond notes. In all cases of FBS he and his associates studied, the caretakers had every intention to stop at the daycare center as a part of their drive. However, stopping at the day care center on the day FBS occurred was not a part of an established daily routine. With FBS, the brain habit-based memory system suppressed the activation of the cognitive memory to interrupt the drive and take the child to daycare.

Diamond also noted that in some FBS cases the parents experienced impaired sleep the night before, and/or they experienced a powerful stressor during the drive, which suppressed the activation of a cognitive memory. Dr. Diamond concludes that “the brain habit memory system has the capacity to completely suppress the cognitive memory system, thereby providing a neurobiological explanation of how FBS can occur.”

NHTSA brought together local safety advocates, health professionals, law enforcement officials and concerned residents today to discuss ways to prevent the modern-day phenomena of children being unknowingly left alone in vehicles and how to prevent children from gaining access to hot vehicles.

 “The KidsAndCars.org message is very clear – Never leave a child alone in a vehicle and don’t think a tragedy like this can’t happen to you or someone you know,” said Fennell. “No one is immune.”

The organization is pleased that Ron Medford, NHTSA deputy administrator, is spearheading efforts in Florida to eliminate child deaths in hot vehicles by 2013.

KidsAndCars.org has incorporated a provision as part of the reauthorization of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which could help prevent these inadvertent deaths. Equipping vehicles with sensors to detect the presence of the child and sound a warning when a child is left inside would help prevent these deaths when the driver’s memory fails. Similar warning features currently remind drivers when they have left the key in the ignition or left the headlights on.

Based on incidents documented by KidsAndCars.org:

54 percent of the time children die after being unknowingly left inside a hot vehicle.

32 percent when children got into a vehicle on their own similar to what happened to Michael Esposito.

12 percent when they were knowingly left in vehicle.

2 percent of the circumstances were not clear.

Safety Tips from KidsAndCars.org

KidsAndCars.org provides the BE SAFE safety tips on an information card being distributed to new parents as part of the information packet given to them when having a baby:

Back seat – Put something in the back seat of your vehicle that requires you to open the door every time you park – cell phone, employee badge, handbag, etc.
Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.

Stuffed animal – Keep a stuffed animal in your child’s car seat. Place it on the front seat as a reminder when your baby is in the back seat.
Ask your babysitter or child-care provider to call you if your child hasn’t arrived on time.
Focus on driving – Avoid cell phone calls and texting while driving.
Every time you park make it a routine to open the back door of your car to check that no one has been left behind.

KidsAndCars.org provides these additional safety tips:

·       Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in the garage or driveway, and always set your parking brake.

·       Keys and remote openers should never be left within reach of children.

·       When a child is missing, check vehicles and car trunks immediately.

·       If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

·        If they are hot or seem sick, get them out as fast as possible. Be especially careful about keeping children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes and periods of crisis or holidays.

·       Use drive-through services when available (restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners, etc.)

·       Use your debit or credit card to pay for gas at the pump.

For additional information about ways to keep children safe in and around vehicles, visit www.KidsAndCars.org

 ###

About KidsAndCars.org: Founded in 1996 in California, KidsAndCars.org is a national nonprofit child safety organization dedicated to preventing injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles. KidAndCars.org promotes awareness among parents, caregivers and the general public about the dangers to children, including backover and frontover incidents, and heatstroke from being inadvertently left in a vehicle. The organization works to prevent tragedies through data collection, education and public awareness, policy change and survivor advocacy.

KidsAndCars.org 
2913 W. 113^th St., Leawood, KS 66211 (Greater Kansas City)
Office: 913-327-0013, Fax: 913-327-0014, www.KidsAndCars.org 

Massage Envy and KC Royals to Attempt Guinness World Record Sept. 17: Most People Being Massaged

Here's one of my most recent news releases. Come join us Saturday!

 Kansas City, Mo. … Summer and baseball season will soon be winding down, the perfect time for a relaxing break on Saturday, Sept. 17, as one of the massage recipients helping Massage Envy attempt to break – and reclaim – the Guinness World Record for "Most People Being Massaged" at the same time and place. Massage Envy and Massage Envy Spa locations in 10 states from coast to coast are teaming up with the Kansas City Royals for the event, which will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Little K field inside Kauffman Stadium before the 6 p.m. home game between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox.

Massage Envy and Massage Envy Spa therapists from nine Massage Envy locations in Kansas City, Mo., and Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Prairie Village, Overland Park and Olathe, Kan., are organizing the event. The current record of 263 massages is held in Australia. Massage Envy previously set the record in 2009 in Rosslyn, Va.

The public is invited to experience the fun and enjoy their “15 minutes of fame” as therapists go for the record, with the opportunity for bragging rights and inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. The wives of Royals pitchers Blake Wood and Sean O’Sullivan are expected to be among the participants.

Participants are encouraged to preregister by purchasing a $25 special event ticket through www.royals.com/massageenvy. The special event ticket includes the 10-minute Guinness Book of World Records massage plus admission to the game and a customized yoga mat. Light snacks and beverages will also be provided. A portion of the ticket will benefit the local chapter of The Arthritis Foundation.

“This is a real team effort by Massage Envy and the Royals,” said Les Snyder, regional developer for Massage Envy Heartland Inc. “We’ll also be supporting our national cause, The Arthritis Foundation, while giving 500 or more Kansas Citians the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a massage plus getting to participate in setting a new world record.”

Therapists from across the United States are being recruited. For more information on therapist recruitment, go to www.MassageRecord.com.

At Massage Envy, an introductory one-hour massage session (a 50-minute massage and time for consultation and dressing) is just $49. Memberships are available for $59 per month and include a one-hour massage session. Members can enjoy unlimited additional one-hour massage sessions at the $39 member rate.

Log on to www.MassageEnvy.com to find the nearest Massage Envy clinic. All clinics are open seven days a week.

###

KidsAndCars.org launches national safety awareness program

In June I volunteered to start helping KidsAndCars.org publicize information to save children from dangers in and around cars -- heat stroke from being left in a car or getting trapped in the trunk, deadly backovers and frontovers, etc.

On July 12 Good Morning America aired a story about two incidents that resulted in the deaths of boys aged 2, 4 and 8 who became trapped in car trunks. Stories have also appeared in the New York Times plus other national and local Kansas City media.

Here is our latest news release, distributed July 13:

KidsAndCars.org launches national safety awareness program

for hospitals to educate new parents about heat stroke danger

‘Look Before You Lock’ cards explain how memory lapses

can place children in danger when inadvertently left in cars

Leawood, Kan. – July 13, 2011 … KidsAndCars.org announces an innovative new pilot program to distribute safety cards through hospitals nationwide to educate new parents about how memory lapses can result in children suffering heat stroke and even death in hot cars. The “Look Before You Lock” program is the first of its kind to provide life-saving information at the very beginning of their baby’s life about the dangers of inadvertently leaving children alone in a vehicle.

“Educating new parents will help prevent tragic heat stroke deaths by giving them practical steps to jog their memory to take their children out of the car,” says Janette Fennell, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, a national nonprofit child safety organization working to prevent injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles.

Available in either English or Spanish, the cards will be distributed as part of the free information packets given to new parents when leaving the hospital. KidsAndCars.org is working in cooperation with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., which provided a grant to fund the program launch. “We support the important work of KidsAndCars.org in elevating this issue to a national level,” said Ed Bradley, regulatory affairs manager, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “Vehicle safety is an issue that crosses all populations and communities, and Toyota strives to address this vital issue in a comprehensive way. This campaign is a great first step in educating the public in the prevention of injuries and fatalities to children in motor vehicles.”

Hospitals have been highly successful in stressing the importance of infant car seats, in many cases even requiring parents to prove – before leaving the hospital – that they know how to correctly restrain their baby. “Lack of sleep while caring for a newborn and changes in family routines can have lethal consequences,” Fennell points out. “It’s just as important that parents learn to be cautious about leaving children unattended in vehicles as they are about leaving them alone near a swimming pool or in a bathtub.”

Administrator David Strickland of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration commended KidsAndCars.org’s efforts: “With NHTSA’s focus on child passenger safety, we applaud any program that helps alert parents and caregivers to the risks of leaving children alone in vehicles. On hot summer days in particular, we encourage parents to make it a habit to look in their vehicles — both front and back — before locking the door and walking away.”

To request cards, hospitals simply need to notify KidsAndCars.org of the number of babies that are born at their facilities.

Individuals may also download and print copies of the card from the website, www.KidsAndCars.org.

Safety tips on the card include the memory device, BE SAFE:

Back seat – Put something in the back seat of your vehicle that requires you to open the back door every time you park – cell phone, employee badge, handbag, etc.
Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.

Stuffed animal – Keep a stuffed animal in your child’s car seat. Place it on the front passenger seat as a reminder when your baby is in the back seat.
Ask your babysitter or child care provider to call you if your child hasn’t arrived on time.
Focus on driving – Avoid cell phone calls and texting while driving.
Every time you park make it a routine to open the back door of your car to check that no one has been left behind.

“This is the first program of its kind,” Fennell noted. “New parents are highly motivated to do whatever it takes to keep their new baby safe, so this is the perfect time to present this information.”

#

About KidsAndCars.org: Founded in 1996, KidsAndCars.org is a national nonprofit child safety organization dedicated to preventing injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles. KidsAndCars.org promotes awareness among parents, caregivers and the general public about the dangers to children, including backover and frontover incidents, and heatstroke from being inadvertently left in a vehicle. The organization works to prevent tragedies through data collection, education and public awareness, policy change and survivor advocacy.

 

KidsAndCars.org warns against leaving children in hot vehicles this summer

News Release

KidsAndCars.org
2913 W. 113^th St., Leawood, KS 66211 (Greater Kansas City)
Office: 913-327-0013, Fax: 913-327-0014, www.KidsAndCars.org

Contacts:

Janette Fennell, 913-327-0013 or Janette@KidsAndCars.org
www.KidsAndCars.org <http://www.kidsandcars.org/>

Susan Pepperdine, 913-262-7414, cell 913-205-5304 or susan@pepperdinepr.com                       

KidsAndCars.org warns against leaving

children in hot vehicles this summer

In 2010 a record 49 children died of heat stroke in cars

Leawood, Kan. – June 7, 2011 … With hot summer days ahead, KidsAndCars.org is warning parents and caregivers to take extra precautions to prevent leaving children alone in cars. Through May 31 this year 8 children had already died of heat stroke in vehicles – close to the record-setting pace of 2010 when 49 infants and children died.

“It’s a record no one wants to see broken,” says Janette Fennell, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org, a national nonprofit child safety organization working to prevent injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles. Since the group began tracking data and working on the issue in 1998, more than 500 children have died in these preventable tragedies.

A child’s body temperature climbs three to five times faster than an adult’s, especially in a hot car. In less than 30 minutes, the temperature inside a car can increase 35 degrees. An infant can die in as little as 15 minutes even on a mild 75-degree day.

Unfortunately, even the most conscientious parents can overlook a sleeping baby in a car. “The biggest mistake people make is to think ‘It couldn’t happen to me,’” Fennell said. “Memory experts point out that if you’ve ever forgotten a pot left burning on the stove, you’ve seen how easy it is to have a dangerous memory lapse.”

To prevent vehicular heat stroke deaths, KidsAndCars.org recommends learning the following safety tips. You could also tape them to the dashboard.

Back seat – Put something in the back seat so you have to open the door when leaving the vehicle – cell phone, employee badge, handbag, etc.
Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.

Stuffed animal – Move it from the car seat to the front seat to remind you when your baby is in the back seat.
Ask your babysitter or child-care provider to call you within 10 minutes if your child hasn’t arrived on time.
Focus on driving – Avoid cell phone calls and texting while driving.
Every time you park your vehicle open the back door to make sure no one has been left behind.

KidsAndCars.org also urges security personnel, parking lot attendants and the public to watch for children alone in a vehicle. If the child seems hot or sick, they should get them out as quickly as possible.

#

About KidsAndCars.org: Founded in 1996, KidsAndCars.org is a national nonprofit child safety organization dedicated to preventing injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles. KidsAndCars.org was the first to focus on preventing heat stroke deaths of children being inadvertently left in a vehicle. The organization is also the only one working full-time to educate parents, caregivers and the general public about additional nontraffic vehicle-related dangers to children, including backover and frontover accidents. The organization works to prevent tragedies through data collection, education and public awareness, policy changes and survivor advocacy.

A Rose by Any Other Spelling...Is Not a Rose

It's something of a curse to care about correct spelling and word usage. It's like the proverbial fingernails on the blackboard to see words misused...especially by those with college degrees. I once received an email note from a woman with a Ph.D. after her name that said, "Your welcome."

The explosion of social media has only made matters worse. Writing in a hurry seems to be an excuse for carelessness. Remember when Sarah Palin's use of "refudiate" on Twitter caused a stir? Then she claimed to be in a league with Shakespeare, who actually did know how to use -- and expand -- the English language.

You may be writing in a hurry, but readers will peruse your words at their leisure. If they see a typo or misspelling, it could lower their opinion of you by a notch or two. Then, instead of enhancing your credibility as you'd hoped, your expertise may actually be called into question.

Following are some of the words and phrases I've seen misused recently in social media, print publications and in books (with the wrong usage in parentheses):

"principal concern" (not "principle")
"go its own way" (not "it's")
"a tenet of belief" (not "tenant")
"taking some flak" (not "flack")
"led" (past tense of "lead")
"whose idea" (not "who's)
"impostor" (not "imposter")
"all right" ("alright" is never correct)
"fireplace mantel" (not "mantle")
"rite of passage" (not "right")
"someone with flair" (not "flare")
"real trouper" (not "trooper")
"had a big effect" (not "affect")
"straitjacket" (not "straightjacket")
"The Smiths" (not "Smith's)

My biggest pet peeve, though, is seeing "everyday" used when it should be "every day." Nearly "every day" (two words) I see an example of major companies misusing the word(s).  When you mean "every single day," it's two words. When you mean "ordinary," it's one word, as in:

"She wears her everyday clothes almost every day."

The good thing is that companies still need to hire professional writers like me to edit and proof their writing. After all, a rose by any other spelling ("rows"?) could be misunderstood.

Presenting the Book, ‘Tour Guide to Missouri's Civil War’

Through my grandmother Elizabeth Vandiver Selby, my family has a link to Missouri's history. Her ancestor Willard Vandiver was the Missouri senator who in 1899 said, “I'm from Missouri. You have got to show me.” In his honor my grandmother named two of her three sons Willard and Vandiver. The third son was my dad, Forrest Selby.

Both of my parents' families had been rooted in Fulton, Mo., since before 1850. The town is in Calloway County, which became known as the Kingdom of Callaway in the Civil War because of its Southern-leaning sympathies.

With these strong ties to Missouri's history, I'm relishing the opportunity to publicize a new book about the state's pivotal role in the Civil War. It's a fascinating look into our past and the rivalries that are still with us today.

Here's the news release I wrote for St. Louis writer Gregory Wolk:

‘A Tour Guide to Missouri’s Civil War’

Offers Driving Tours of Battles, Historic Sites

St. Louis ... In the recently released “A Tour Guide to Missouri’s Civil War,” St. Louis lawyer and first-time author Gregory Wolk offers “the first comprehensive sesquicentennial driver’s guide to Civil War battlefields and sites in Missouri.” Wolk has studied the Civil War for 30 years, and is president of Missouri’s Civil War Heritage Foundation Inc., founded in 2001 to educate people in Missouri and neighboring states about the state’s pivotal role in the war.

To commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the start of the Civil War on April 12, 186l, the book highlights more than 230 sites and scores of little-known historical facts. Few are aware, for example, that Missouri witnessed more battles than any other state except Virginia and Tennessee. “Almost half of the battles fought in 1861 occurred in Missouri,” the author notes.

The book’s 272 pages include nearly 400 black-and-white illustrations and 19 maps. Easy-to-follow directions are provided for five tour loops, each requiring about two days:

Loop One – St. Louis and Southeast Missouri: City and Swamps

Loop Two – North Central Missouri: Sick of Killing

Loop Three ­ South Central Missouri: A Knight to Remember

Loop Four – Region of Kansas City: Roots of Rebellion

Loop Five – Southwest Missouri: Ozarks Battlegrounds

Subtitled “Friend and Foe Alike,” the book details the state’s split loyalties. “Brother was sometimes pitted against brother, ” Wolk said. “One farm would be Confederate…and another farm up the road would be Union.” Historical vignettes throughout the book describe the wartime roles played by notables including Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Sherman for the North and Gen. Joseph O. Shelby for the South, plus William Quantrill, Mark Twain, George Caleb Bingham, “Wild Bill” Hickok, Belle Starr and Jesse James.

The tour guide is the product of Wolk’s years of traveling the state’s highways and byways to visit Civil War sites and promote Civil War preservation and tourism. “A useful guide resource for the armchair historian, Wolk’s volume is an even more significant tool for those who enjoy venturing out to the locations where history was made,” wrote Thomas F. Curran, Ph.D., author of “Soldiers of Peace: Civil War Pacifism and the Postwar Radical Peace Movement.”

In the foreword Stuart Symington Jr., whose family has a rich heritage in the Show-Me State, points out that the Civil War affected Missourians “in more ways, for a longer period of time, and more profoundly than it affected the people of any other state in the union.”

Published by Monograph Publishing LLC in Eureka, Mo., “A Tour Guide to Missouri’s Civil War” may be ordered for $29.95 in softcover through the website, wwwcivilwartourguide.com, or through Amazon.com by searching “books” for ISBN 0979948266).

#