211:THE NUMBER TO KNOW

You know to dial 911 for emergencies. And you know to call 411 to find a phone number or address. But do you know about 211, the service that was created for people in need o help fro a social service agency? You can find information and referrals on everything from crisis intervention and counseling to job training, education programs, and child or adult day care simply by dialing 211 anytime, day or night, says Kelly Levy, director of United Way of America's 2-1-1 project.

United Way of America and the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems have championed the 211 movement, which started in Atlanta in 1997. Today about 46 percent of the U.S. population has access to the free 211 service in parts or all of 32 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and some areas of Canada. Thirteen states have 100-percent access, while only certain counties do in others. Even those states with no 211 systems are in various planning stages for starting it.

Some of the biggest 211 success stories occurred last year in hurricane-ravaged Florida. One example: Lauren Baker, a Miami single mother of four, found herself without power, a refrigerator full of spoiled food, and a closet with water-soaked clothes. Her hours at work were cut because the storms slowed business, and she had no paycheck to cover her food, clothing, or rent. Baker called 211 and the call specialist hooked her up with the Red Cross, which provided food and clothing for her family.

So if your town or state doesn't have 211 service, what do you do? Call your congressional representative and your local elected officials and tell them you want it. United Way of America has a toll-free phone number, 888/727-7211, through which you can contact your congressional representatives. "For society, this is a better way of helping each other, " Levy says.

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Simple Seasonal Stress Stoppers

STRESS STOPPERS

• Instead of spending money on stuff your family doesn't need, consider a collective gift - a day of horseback riding, say, or a weekend trip. Or give each child the gift of time with a special one-on-one outing.
• Give parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles the same gift: a family photo book you design at http://www.kodakgallery.com/ or http://www.shutterfly.com/. It's highly personal and comes in different styles to fit every budget. You can personalize each book - by changing the dedication on the title page, for example - with a few mouse clicks.
• Set up a wrapping station on a folding table in the basement, so supplies are ready when you have a few moments to wrap. Or let your kids wrap gifts and send cards. Relatives will be charmed!
• Have your techie teen create an address database for your greeting-card list, then order stamps by phone )800-782-6724) or online (http://www.usps.com/). Create personalized photo cards at an online photo service such as http://www.kodak.gallery.com/ or http://www.shutterfly.com/ (they'll even mail them for you.) Even easier, send e-cards. You'll find a great selection at www.Hallmark.com , http://www.bluemountain.com/, http://www.americangreeting.com/ and http://www.daysprings.com/.
• Buy premade sough and spend more time on the fun part - decorating the cookies with your kids. Bonus: if they're less tasty than homemade, you'll be less likely to eat a dozen.
• Stop doing all the decorating yourself - make it a family affair. Play holiday music, serve up eggnog and cookies and get everyone involved.
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Taking the Car Keys

One day last winter, Charles Olsen, a physician in Escanaba, Michigan, was shoveling snow when an elderly neighbor backed out of her garage, scraped her car along a snow bank, crossed the street, and collided with his vehicle. "It was obvious she had no idea that my car was
there," Olsen says.

Worried that his neighbor's insurance premiums would skyrocket, Olsen didn't report the accident to the police. But he did giver her son a call. "It was an uncomfortable phone call," he says. "I hated to do it, but I told him that perhaps his mother shouldn't be on the road."

Whether the pronouncement comes from a neighbor, son, or daughter, or even a doctor, no senior likes to be told that he or she is a bad driver. Yet the day often comes when the parent who carpooled you to games and gave you driving lessons in the empty church parking lot just isn't the driver he once was Although no one likes to be the messenger, there are ways to help get you through that conversation, says Dr. Alice Pomidor, associate professor of geriatrics at Florida State University in Tallahassee. "Focus on your concern for their health and well-being," she says. "And be prepared to answer the question, 'If I don't drive, how am I going to get around?'" Here's more help:

• Suggest they give the car to a grandchild. "Giving the car away is a face saver," says Pomidor. They can tell their friends that their granddaughter needed the car.
• Talk to your parent from direct experience. Don't take your teenager's word that, "Grandma nearly got us killed today." Ride with your parent yourself.
• Have the conversation somewhere other than in the car. Bring up the subject later. Never crack a joke about their driving. Ask about friends who drive but who shouldn't be on the road. They'll often make the connection between these folks and themselves.
• If your parent becomes defensive and agitated, droop the conversation and bring ut up again a day or two later, after they've had a chance to cool off, or perhaps reconsider.
• Present alternatives to driving. Do your homework o volunteer drivers, van services, senior shuttles, taxis, and buses. Even in trural areas, there are always alternatives. "But be prepared to take up some of the slack yourself and drive your parent," says Pomidor.
• Make sure you are addressing the right parent. Sometimes the non-driving parent-often the wife-covers up for the spouse's deficits, or believes he is sage as long as she rides along. "She may have a lot invested in his driving," said Pomidor. "She may be the one you have to convince."
• Enroll your parent in a driving course and agree to abide by the decision of the driving instructor, says Karlend Ball, director ot the Center for Research on Applied Gerontology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
• If none ot this works, for safety's sake, you should refuse to let your children ride with them.

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Types of Identity Theft

Types of Identity Theft

Social Security Number

Your Social Security number is the most valuable piece of your personal financial information because it is your main identifying number for employment, tax reporting, and credit history tracking purposes. If your Social Security number falls in the hands of a thief, you could face serious problems as a result. A thief could use your Social Security number to obtain employment, open credit card accounts or obtain loans under your name. The best way to protect yourself is to guard your Social Security number and provide it to others only when absolutely necessary. Some businesses request your Social Security number for general record keeping. If they do, ask how your Social Security number will be used and whether you can use any other identifying number instead. If your Social Security number is stolen, applying for a new one may not solve your identity theft problem.

For example, a new Social Security number may not ensure a new credit record because credit bureaus may combine the credit records from your old Social Security number with your new one. Moreover, even when the old credit history is not associated with your new Social Security number, the absence of any credit history under your new Social Security number may make it more difficult to obtain credit.

Credit Cards

There are numerous ways in which an identity thief can make unauthorized charges on your existing credit card accounts, or open up new accounts under your name. An ordinary thief might steal your wallet or purse and try to make use of your stolen cards and checks. The more sophisticated thief can fill out a change of address form from the post office to get all your bills sent to another address. He or she can also call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, change the mailing address on your credit card accounts. The impostor then runs up charges on your account. Since your bills are being sent to a new address, you may not immediately realize the problem. An identity thief might also open new accounts under your name by stealing and completing a pre-approved credit card offer sent to you in the mail, using your name, date of birth and Social Security number, but a different address, on the application form. If this occurs, you may not discover that a new account has been opened under your name until the unpaid bills appear on your credit report.

Identity thieves can also obtain your credit card information from purchases you make at stores, over the telephone or online. For example, the credit card information you provide in person or over the telephone during a purchase can be improperly used to make unauthorized charges on your account. In addition, thieves can obtain your credit card number and other personal information through fraudulent or unsecured Web sites. No matter how professional looking the Web site, check the company's reliability with the Better Business Bureau before doing business with it, review the Web site's security policy, and be sure to use a secure browser if you are providing credit card information online. In the address window of your browser, check to see that the first part of the company's Web address changes from "http://" to "https://;" and also check the lower corner of the Web page to see whether a lock or key symbol appears, signifying security. Using a secure browser helps to ensure the safety of your personal data when it is being transmitted to a company?s computers. Before making online purchases, check the Web site?s user agreement and privacy policy to find out how the company uses your credit card and other personal information. The user agreement and privacy policy will inform you whether the information you provide is stored in the company?s database and whether you can opt out of being added to the company?s mailing list or having the company share your personal information with a third party. Privacy Seal programs, such as the Better Business Bureau?s BBBOnline program, provide seals for Web sites that have met certain standards for protecting the privacy of the consumer information that they collect.

Check Fraud

Identity thieves can drain your checking account by stealing your checks or your checking account number from your home or office and forging your signature, or by making counterfeit checks in your name, using a home computer. Some thieves even use cleaning solvent to remove what is already written on a check, making it payable to themselves. If your checks have been stolen or misused, immediately notify your bank, place a stop payment order, and close your checking account. Be aware that identity thieves can also open checking accounts in your name using personal information such as your Social Security number. When they write bad checks on that account, those debts appear on your credit report.

Cellular Telephone Service Identity thieves can establish new cellular telephone service in your name or make unauthorized calls that seem to come from, and are billed to, your cellular phone. Others make unauthorized charges by using your calling card and PIN. If this occurs, contact your service provider to close your existing account, and establish another one with a new PIN.
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The Billionare Software Engineer

Seattle, WA, the billionaire software engineer set to become the next space tourist said he's been interested in space since his boyhood behind the Iron Curtain.
Charles Simonyi, 58, left Hungary at 17, roughly a decade after the launch of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. He came to the United States to study engineering and computer science and went on to help develop two of the world's most popular software applications, Microsoft Corp.'s Word and Excel
Simonyi is paying Space Adventures Ltd. of Vienna, VA., $20 million to $25 million to take him to the International Space Station in March aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, the company said. He would be the fifth person the company has taken to space.
"Dr. Simonyi has been successful in a much larger way on Earth than we've been in space," said Eric Anderson, the company's president and chief executive.
Simonyi worked for Xerox Corp. in California for eight years before moving in 1981 to Microsoft, which he left to found Intentional Software Corp. in 2002 in nearby Bellevue.
He said he felt like he was making a contribution to the future of civilian space flight, helping with space research and encouraging kids to get interested in science.
His own interest in space as a child helped him learn English-some of his first words were "propellant" and "nozzle" - his knowledge of space trivia led to victory at age 13 in a junior astronaut contest. The prize was a trip to Moscow and a chance to meet one of the first cosmonauts, Pavel Popovich.
Although he will be helping with science experiments and some menial tasks during the eight-day trip, Simonyi said he will be spending a lot of time just hanging out, observing, taking pictures and looking out the window.
Simonyi will be blogging on a Web site designed to appeal to younger space enthusiast and adults interested in space travel.
"I want to share all that I learn with everybody, especially with kids," he said.
Simony's friend and former colleague, Microsoft c0-founder Paul Allen, is making his own contributions to space tourism by investing in research to build civilian spacecraft.
"He's very happy. He was one of the first people I told about my decision," Simonyi said.
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

STORE SHELVES are filling up with pink products tied to October's Breast Cancer Awareness month, but shoppers need to do their homework to be sure their green is really going to the right cause.
There is a seemingly endless variety of pink products on offer these days. The options range from food items - pink M&Ms and Tic Tacs are popular - to home appliances such as a pink KitchenAid mixer or a pink Dyson vacuum cleaner. Many products also carry the ubiquitous pink-ribbon logo that has become a universal symbol of breast-cancer awareness. Shoppers can choose from pink-ribbon slippers, towels, bedding, pajamas and jewelry, among other items.
But buyers need to look beyond the pink to be sure a product supports a legitimate breast-cancer group. Anybody can use the pink-ribbon logo, so it's important to read tags, boxes and fine print to find out what group is being supported and how much money it is getting from your purchase. Sometimes the money goes directly to breast-cancer research, while other purchases may support free mammograms for low-income women or simply "breast-cancer awareness."
Most major breast-cancer groups have strict requirements for disclosing how much of a pink product goes to charity. Consumers should look for labels and boxes that state what organization benefits and how much of the purchase price goes to it. Some products give only a vague description, promising that a "portion" of the proceeds support breast-cancer research.
Their (Breast Cancer Research Foundation) rule is that a company must disclose whatever their donation is - if they aren't willing to disclose it, they won't be accepted as a partner. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation lists all its pink products and the contribution on its Web site, www.bcrfcure.org. Some pink purchases clearly go further than others. Each sale of $60 Darey Dyle Rose Quartz earrings generates $40, or 67% of the purchase price, for the group BreastCancer.org. Spend $1,950 on a Van Cleef & Arples pendant, and $1,000, or 51% of the price, goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. KitchenAid offers a variety of Cook for the Cure products that benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation www.komen.org
The company donates $50, or about 17% of the purchase price, from sales of iths pink Artisan Stand Mixer. Meanwhile, 50 cents from the purchase of a $13 pair of pink-ribbon Meshmellows slippers - or about 4% of the purchase price - goes to the National Breast Cancer Foundation www.nationalbreastcancer.org.
Sometimes simply buying a pink product doesn'e guarantee money will be given to breast-cancer causes. The shopper has to take an extra step, such as mailing in product lids or labels or registering online to generate income for charity. For instance, Yoplait products with pink lids support the Komen Foundation - but only if you mail them in. Specially marked bags of Sun Chips carry a pink ribbon, but the 25-cent-per-bag donation to Komen is triggered only when the shopper goes to a Web site and enters a special code. Viva paper towels will donate $100,000 to the Brease Cancer Research Foundation, but if shoppers redeem a special coupon the company will donate an additional 10 cents, up to a total $200,000 donation.l
Shoppers also need to decide what type of breast-cancer projects they support, because groups with pink products have different missions. The best way is to check a group's Web site. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation last year spent 89% of the $27 million it raised on research grants for breast-cancer prevention and treatment. The Komen Foundation spends most of its funds on breast-cancer education, awareness and community programs, such as free mammograms, but allocates about 40% to breast-cancer research. Products that support Breast-cancer.org help support the group's mission to provide women the most up-to-date medical information about breast cancer. Products llike a pink Gund plush bear support LIFE, which stands for LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate breast cancer, a group that focuses on education and awareness about the risks of breast cancer to young women. Meanwhile, CancerCare, which receives support from the sale of pink TicTacs and pink Women for Hope braclets www.womenforhope.com , uses money it raises for support services for people affected by cancer.
Last year, pink products accounted for $35 million of the Komen Foundation's $200 million in annual revenue. Cindy Schneibel, vice president of resource development for Komen, says the pink products do more than raise money for research - they also raise awareness among peoople who might not otherwise think about breast cancer.
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