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Martin Luther King Jr. is carved out of stone as part of the new memorial.
A new memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC that honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is now open to the public.
The Memorial is made up of distinct and significant parts including the Stone of Hope, the Mountain of Despair, and a wall of quotes.
This is the first memorial on the National Mall that is devoted to a person who is not a war hero or President.
After a summer of driving without school buses, these tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can help you drive safely near school buses and bus stops.
Stay alertWatch for children walking in the street and playing near bus stops. Kids may dart into the street if they are late to catch the bus.
Watch the bus for flashing lights or signalsYellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop. You should slow down and also prepare to stop.
Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm mean children are getting on or off the bus. Stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop sign is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before you start driving again.
Newborn screening identifies conditions that can affect a child’s long-term health or survival. Early detection, diagnosis, and intervention can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential. Each year, millions of babies in the U.S. are routinely screened, using a few drops of blood from the newborn’s heel, for certain genetic, endocrine, and metabolic disorders, and are also tested for hearing loss prior to discharge from a hospital or birthing center.
Learn more about Newborn Screening from the Centers for Disease Control.
From the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Men have a greater chance of getting prostate cancer if they’re 50 years old or older, are African-American, or have a father, brother, or son who has had prostate cancer.
ScreeningCurrently, there is not enough credible evidence to decide if the potential benefit of prostate cancer screening outweighs the potential risks. The potential benefit of prostate cancer screening is finding cancer early, which may make treatment more effective. Potential risks of screening include false positive test results (the test says you have cancer when you don’t), treatment of prostate cancers that may never affect your health, and side effects from treatment.
Informed Decision MakingIs prostate cancer screening right for you? Talk to your doctor to learn the nature and risk of prostate cancer and the benefits and risks of the screening tests. Then make a decision consistent with your preferences and values.
Today we celebrate the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of America.
The White House will soon be launching a new program called “We the People” to give you the chance to share your ideas directly with the administration.
On Whitehouse.gov, you will be able to create or sign a petition seeking action by the federal government. Then you can encourage your friends and family to sign the petition as well.
If a petition receives enough signatures, it will be reviewed by the administration’s policy experts and an official response will be issued. The President will also answer some of the petitions himself.
Learn more about We The People and sign up to receive an email alert when the site officially starts accepting petitions.
There is a national effort to enforce drunk driving laws over this holiday weekend. Get the facts and learn the risks.
September 11 marks the third National Day of Service and Remembrance. Find out how you can get involved by finding volunteer opportunities in your community.
Whether you’re thinking about opening a new business or you’re trying to strengthen or expand an enterprise you already have, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is there to help.
The SBA is a federal agency that helps small businesses grow and succeed. It provides business counseling and training, and offers a wide range of financing programs such as loans and grants.
Counseling and TrainingYou can get immediate help from the SBA by taking one of its online training courses on how to start, manage and finance a business. Each subject features a variety of courses about successful business management.
The SBA also works with community centers that provide free or low-cost training and mentoring. For example, SCORE is a nonprofit organization comprised of volunteer counselors with extensive experience in the business world. SCORE provides mentoring and counseling services to new business owners.
Finally, you can always visit local or regional SBA offices for support. These offices are located throughout the country and can counsel you on:
A lot of people think the SBA lends money. The truth is that it only guarantees loans made by financial institutions such as banks. SBA-backed loans can be very attractive because they generally have low interest rates and longer repayment terms.
The SBA offers several loan programs, including:
You can get more information about some of these programs as well as additional local resources by going to SBA Direct.
Other Types of FinancingBesides guaranteeing loans, the SBA can also help entrepreneurs locate other types of financing, such as grants. It’s important to note that the SBA does not provide grants for starting or expanding a business. The agency does provide grants to nonprofits and educational organizations for counseling and training purposes.
Local and state governments do provide grants to small businesses, specifically those involved in childcare, energy efficiency and local tourism. You can learn more about the different types of government grants available by visiting Grants.gov.
Business.USA.gov also provides information about how small business owners can access financing.
By the Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine
Women often wonder if a certain drug is safe to take while breastfeeding. LactMed, from the National Library of Medicine, is a free online tool with information that addresses those safety concerns.
You can find information about several hundred prescribed drugs, including
In addition to prescription drugs, LactMed also lists supplements used in alternative medicine such as lecithin, milk thistle, stinging nettle and St. John’s wort. The focus is on those supplements that are used by nursing mothers, like those claiming to stimulate milk production.
You can also use the LactMed app for iPhone/iPod Touch and for Android devices.
Summer has the highest birthrate in the U.S. If you’re expecting, learn how to ready your home for a new arrival.
Research released by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service also shows that Generation X (born 1965-1981) served 110 million more hours than ever before, giving them a 2010 grand total of 2.3 billion volunteer hours.
The states with the highest volunteer rates were:
You can get involved by finding volunteer opportunities in your community, including for the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, at Serve.gov.
To find more statistics on American volunteering, visit volunteeringinamerica.gov.
