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Entry bubble Be Safe for Memorial Day Weekend

By: Nicole | May 23, 2008 | Category: General

When I was in college, my parents lived aboard a 41’ sailboat. I must confess that this arrangement made for fabulous spring break visits to the Florida Keys. I fondly remember the marina restaurants dotted along Boot Key Harbor, where my parents anchored their floating home. Still, the Keys can be a treacherous place to live. I can’t begin to describe the storms my parents weathered while there. Listening to their stories has given me a new appreciation for the importance of boat safety, which brings me to my topic.

For many people, Memorial Day Weekend marks the beginning of summer. Here in the Chesapeake Bay area, we are sure to see folks heading in droves to the water, which is one reason that National Safe Boating Week (May 17-23) always begins the Saturday before Memorial Day Weekend. In recognition of the week, the United States Coast Guard offers important boat safety tips, such as:

    Boat
  • Ensure life jackets are within reach and are worn at all times by children and weaker swimmers.
  • Complete a safe boating course.
  • Properly equip and inspect your vessel; get a free vessel safety inspection.
  • Maintain a prudent speed and respect others on the water.
  • Help fellow boaters in distress.
  • Avoid alcohol while boating.
  • File a float plan to tell others where you will be boating.

The National Library of Medicine offers some additional water safety tips. And the Federal Citizen Information Center offers more information and resources about water safety for swimmers, especially children.

I hope you have a wonderful and safe weekend. I’ll be soaking up the sun, with the appropriate precautions of course!

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: boat   boating   memorial   ocean   safety   sports   water   weekend  

 

Entry bubble Your Health and Clinical Trials

By: Nancy | May 22, 2008 | Category: Health

News of Senator Ted Kennedy's brain cancer hit a lot of people pretty hard this week. When someone so prominent receives a difficult diagnosis, concern trumps political agendas. And we're all reminded that it doesn't matter who you are—health problems don't discriminate.

If you or someone you care about is pondering a treatment plan for a medical condition, one option might be taking part in a clinical trial or study.

Clinical trials test medical treatments—from drugs and vaccines to medical devices medical researcherand therapies—on human volunteers, to help determine whether they're safe and effective enough to be approved for use by the general population.

To qualify for a trial, you'll need to meet eligibility requirements like age, gender and type and stage of your medical condition. Tests, medications and doctor visits may all be free for the duration of the trial. And you might even be compensated for participating.

Before you sign on to a clinical trial, the most important thing to be aware of is that experimental treatments can have risks or serious side effects. But if you feel that a clinical trial may give you a better chance for recovery or survival, or if your goal is to help the next generation of people affected by the same medical condition you have, the benefits may outweigh the risks for you.

The National Institutes of Health's web site, ClinicalTrials.gov lists more than 56,000 trials worldwide on a broad range of medical conditions, from acne to Alzheimer's. There are more than 2,200 studies on high blood pressure; 2,500 on breast cancer; 3,500 on AIDS and more than 200 studies on the treatment of the kind of brain cancer that Senator Kennedy has: malignant glicoma. You can search for trials by medical condition, location or even age group.


What's been your experience? Have you or someone you know been involved in a clinical trial?

| View Comments [8] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: disease   nancy  

 

Entry bubble Who ya Gonna Call? Uncle Sam!

By: Colleen | May 21, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Last week I got an e-mail from my mother. It was only a subject line and it read:phone

"CALL ME ON THE HOME PHONE WHEN YOU GET THIS—ASAP!!!"

With hundreds of traumatic scenarios running through my head, I called home. My mother picked up the phone and immediately said, "If I was to go to Myanmar, how much money could I take?"

"What!?" (To be honest, this is a very watered-down version of my actual reply.)

While I pride myself on my useless trivia knowledge (Paris Hilton's shoe size? 11! State dog of Pennsylvania? Great Dane!), this is not something I know off the top of my head. I listened while she explained that because of all that's going on in Myanmar, her boss was looking into going there to provide aid (my mom works for a non-profit that does international relief work).

I directed her to 1 (800) FED-INFO—the toll free number set up to answer all your questions about government information. When she called, she spoke directly with an agent who was able to use an FAQ database to answer all her questions—and my mom is the QUEEN of questions. She also reported how friendly and polite the agent was, which is always great to hear. For those who prefer the web, they also offer a live chat, available 8am-8pm Eastern Time.

So, if you have a question about your passport, how to contact your elected officials, or just want to know the state motto of Alaska, try giving Uncle Sam a call. No need to alert innocent family members, though.

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Entry bubble Find a Job

By: Joanne | May 20, 2008 | Category: Money

help wanted ads

Are you sick of your job? Are you ready to move on to other things? Are you unemployed and wearing a deep groove in your parents’ sofa? A student looking for an internship? It sounds like you need a job.

From time to time, we all need to look for a job, and I don’t know if you find it easy, but most of us don’t. You’ve got to figure out what you want to do, determine if there’s a market for the occupation that interests you, polish that resume, and begin the hunt.

It’s always good to look in the local paper or check an online source for local job listings, but the government’s got some resources to help too. If you’re looking for a job or an internship with the federal government, you’ll find all openings announced to the public at USAJOBS. Check out your state job bank for even more job opportunities in your area. If you need a helping hand, look up your local Department of Labor office and see what services they offer to job seekers in your area. And if the job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be aware of job scams.

p.s. Thanks for all your great suggestions in response to my post last week! This post was inspired by one of your comments, and we'll be using more of your ideas in coming posts.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: career   employment   federal   joanne   job   labor   resume   scam  

 

Entry bubble Save Gas, Save Money

By: Jake | May 19, 2008 | Category: Money

fuel pumpNext Monday is Memorial Day so many of you will be traveling this weekend. Some will travel by train and plane, but most of you will hit the highway.

If you haven't been living in a secluded area that does not require fuel to live (say a well lit cave), you know that gasoline prices have gone up a lot. It's literally gotten to the point where service stations have to replace old gas meters because they were not built to charge more than a certain amount a gallon.

Let's accept the fact that there is not much you (or we here at Gov Gab) can do to get cheap gas besides researching which station sells the cheapest gas in any location. Once you have paid for your gas, however, there are things you can do to improve your gas mileage and there are things that people say to do (myths) that won't make a difference.

Premium fuel (unless your car requires premium), fuel additives, buying gas in the morning, and changing your air filter generally do not improve your car's fuel use. That information comes from a CNN article where Consumer Reports and Edmunds.com tested six common gas myths. The article did find that inflating your tires and using your air conditioner properly would conserve fuel, but make sure you read the article to see how to do it properly.

There are other effective ways to save fuel that were not mentioned in the article. The Federal Trade Commission offers some tips and Fueleconomy.gov suggests you keep your car tuned up, plan and combine trips and most importantly watch your driving habits. If you really wanted to save money on gas, you could buy or trade in for a more fuel efficient car.

Alright, I've been as thorough as possible but I don't think I've covered every way to save gas. Tell me what you do to conserve gas.

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: economy   fuel   gas   gasoline  

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