Sheppard AFB, Texas

 Hello to my friends, colleaques,  Twitter followers and blog readers,

That picture to the left in this post is of me when I was a very young USAF service member (laughing at the hair, glasses or fashionable business suit is allowed-Gads).

There are more than 26 million veterans in the US. And, I am one of about 6 million women who served our country proudly.  I served in the USAF in a technical capacitiy after the Vietnam war had just ended (more stats here).  As you can see in the photo, I was the only female in my USAF training class, and I had to wear men’s cotten fatigues, shirts (and boots) which had to be starched each and every single day.  BTW, check out the shine on those boots! After I graduated from tech school in Texas, I was shipped to England for a few years where I was one female out of about 90 men working at small communications switching site in England.  A great deal has changed since those early days during my own personal experience as a military service member, and for the better for women I believe.  

But, I do believe the women of our time who served learned early to work hard with the hope of contributing and making it in a tough environment.  Below are some statistics about our veterans.

• Dept of VA stats on veterans http://www.va.gov/vetdata/Quick_Facts.asp
• Stats on our women vets,http://feminism.eserver.org/workplace/women-in-the-military.txt
• Stats about Vietnam http://www.veteranshour.com/vietnam_war_statistics.htm

Over the course of my life, I have continued to expand and hone my career relative to communications in some form or another as the times have changed, And, I have adapted with the changing times.  Since signing up on Wordress.com, I’ve been providing a plethora of ad hock user generated content about social media and communication related topics for a couple of years now,  because I really want to help people.

Today, I’d like to briefly introduce myself, as an emerging woman veteran-owned small business in the DC/Baltimore metro areas.   With the economic downturn today, this recession is also a very tough environment, and doubly tough for an “mature” veteran trying to kick start her own business during a recession. And, some might think me a bit nuts for trying to do so.  

Yep, I am taking the plunge.  I filed for certification in MD as a MBE (OMG,  their are coming to inspect my little office in 30 days!) I’ve registered in CCR.gov and with the VA.  I am up an running with a small office space ready for business. Exhaling.

Know anyone who needs communication help? Please forward my resume  http://bit.ly/yR6Nas or website www.unlimitedpr.net

Is it too idyllic  to have a dream where we can contrubute to making a difference in other people’s lives by helping other people, Veterans, businesses and agencies? I believe.  And  yes, I still believe that hard work and a hope in something better is what has always driven our economy, in a positive way (not scathing political rhetoric).  I think you will find a similar integrity and sound work ethic in my commrads who have served, as well.

 I’d appreciate it if you’d consideration hiring any Veteran, as well as other small Veteran-owned businesses. We  really do know how to get the job done. 

 I am willing to provide consulting, 1099 and sub-contract support. Heck, at this stage I will simply take a few good hours of solid work to help your own small business persoanally. With a few hours of my time, I can be invaluable in helping with your outreach needs. 

Here is my small business capabilities fact sheet: http://bit.ly/sqGrjB,  and if you would like co-collaborate with a business opportunity, I’d appreciate hearing from you by requesting assistance here> http://bit.ly/oqcoE9

Thanks for reading and your time spent honoring and hiring our veterans or other small veteran-owned firms across this country of ours will not go unrewarded.

Sincerely, Alice M. Fisher, Owner of Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC

• A Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business
• T: 240-620-2002
• www.unlimitedpr.net
• www.Twitter.com/unlimitedpr
• Company background: http://bit.ly/rpnZXE

 I

The retail industry should be the ones paying the tax on the number of bags they order, not us. I can see it now, our children will be going back to brown paper sack lunches so they wont be taxed for each and every zip loc bag they use every day as well. Because of its widespread use of plastic products and packaging, some say, these plasitc bags have contributed to environmental conditions ranging from increased pollution to overloaded landfills to the country’s dependence on oil and not to say anything about its impact on animals ( and no, its have not help them build warmer nests).  Read the rest of the blog for more information, but I do want to know your opinion? Take My Poll on the Bag Tax here >  Take Our Poll

In response, some cities have adopted legislation, and policies that tax our use of these bags and or ban plastic grocery bags made from polyethylene in favor of bags made from other materials such as cloth, compostable plastics, or paper. I think the public consumer should be better informed, there needs to be a coordinated communications plan for this issue.

And, I believe the newly imposed local policies and the taxing of the people with “hidden taxes” on plastic bags is made without informing the public correctly, nor fully disclosing all the facts and without providing the public a voice or vote on the policies being uniformly imposed on them. This is my opinion and gripe.

But, my gripe is more about the hidden taxing with no voice/no vote and no effective communication in advance to us we the people while impose said changes on the individual consumer. Instead of big retailers and manufacturers. Why tax us and punish us? There are a myriad of other arguments like the environment and the trash. And, there can be other local changes made to fix overspending and budgetary woes. I am already growing my own food with a garden and raising a small gaggle of chickens to offset high costs and being environmentally more conscious. 

But now….I am thinking that I may start recycling my old T-shirts/jeans or begin bringing cardboard boxes for my shopping from the Post Office, Fed Ex, UPS, DHL which are free for us to use. Or, maybe I can simply side step the retailers and buy my own plastic bags directly and have them shipped to our house and skip the tax? See the link/list of plastic bag manufacturers a little farther below.  Less material means less waste and fewer emissions.

• Plastic bags generate 80% less waste than paper bags.
• Plastic grocery and retail bags make up a tiny fraction (less than 0.5%) of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.
• Plastic bags generate only 50% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of composted paper bags.
• The production of plastic bags consumes less than 4% of the water needed to make paper bags.
•  Plastic grocery bags are fully recyclable and the number of recycling programs is increasing daily.
• Nationwide over 855 million pounds of bags and film were recycled in 2009—up 31 percent from 2005.
• According to EPA’s data, about 13 percent of plastic bags and wraps were recycled in 2009.
• Plastic bags can be made into dozens of useful new products, such as building and construction products, low-maintenance fencing and decking, and new bags.
• In recent years, many grocers and retailers have introduced plastic bag collection programs. Tip: Look for a collection bin, usually located at the front of the store or near checkout areas.

 Does anyone publish or even consider the total consumer plight on being taxed to death, at ever corner for everything? This is a recession for goodness sakes! Why are local governments and states taking even more money of our very limited incomes from families who are already stretched to the hilt, out of work and taxed beyond belief?

 First we are force fed plastics (a few years back on it being more environmental), now we are taxed or banned from their use. And, now they are no longer so environmentally friendly? I am either confused and mislead with the wishy washiness of just what is being touted as environmentally sound?

 Just what is the skinny on this plastic bag conundrum? Why punish the consumer for what was pushed down our throats a decade or three ago? What about those big manufactures of the plastic bags or the retailers who buy them? Why not fine, tax, ban, limit or boycott these huge manufacturers for the creation, supply and distribution of the bags to retailers since they are the ones that actually buy them? And many are importing from China and Taiwan.

 Here is a list or plastic bag manufactures that supply Maryland. www.iqsdirectory.com/plastic-bags/search/state/md

• Search your own state for the manufacturers of plastic bags here. www.iqsdirectory.com/images/usamapoutline-sm1.png
•  For discussion and greater fodder; here’s a thought question: If you were a policymaker, which would you choose?
•  A ban on plastic bags that will anger a significant percentage of voters while reducing plastic bag use almost entirely (over several years), but possibly increase overall ire at government’s meddling to “save the environment.”
• Or, a tax on plastic bags, which will reduce plastic bag usage 85-95 percent but maintain the illusion of free choice and, as an added bonus, generate revenue to address other pollution and over consumption issues (translation: help pay for additional government meddling to save the environment).
• Tax the big manufactures in each state if they produce more than a regulated number.
• Or, communicate to citizens to become more educated, re-use, recycle, and re-use yet again (because heck they last a 1,000 years). In addition to recycling, a recent national survey shows that over 90% of Americans reuse their plastic bags and about 65% of Americans reuse their bags for trash disposal. Other common uses include lunch bags, pet poop pick-up, cat box liners, boot liners, and water balloons. In this regard, the reuse of a plastic shopping bag prevents a second bag from being purchased to fulfill these necessary functions. Why punish us with a tax? We thought we were being more responsible and sustainable already.
• Or, why don’t we organize an Occupy Plastic Bag campaign against the huge plastic bag manufactures?

 Please read the following research from “Life Cycle Assessment for Three Types of Grocery Bags – Recyclable Plastic; Compostable, Biodegradable Plastic; and Recycled, Recyclable Paper.”

 The conclusions regarding the relative environmental impact when using a life cycle view are consistent with previous studies and need to be reinforced in the policy arena. The policies to discourage plastic bags may have more to do with litter than the overall environment. Whatever the goals of the policy makers, these need to be far more explicit than general environmental improvement, since the life cycle story is consistent in favor of recyclable plastic bags. It is possible that the emphasis of another report might be that the full benefit of plastic bags is even higher when large recycling is in place.

 A few more facts on plastic bags:

• http://www.plasticbagfacts.com/Main-Menu/Fast-Facts
• http://www.plasticbagfacts.com/PDFs/Life-Cycle-Assessment-for-Three-Types-of-Grocery-Bags.pdf

 Re-using, re-cycling, taxing manufacturers and distributors while instituting and providing for better public environmental communication plans from retailers on their own plastic bag purchases, bag use and conservation campaigns might be a solution, without pinching our already over taxed hardworking Americans supporting this economy and who are being left holding the bag, so to speak. Just a thought or two.

Alice M. Fisher, Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC, A Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business

Website: www.unlimitedpr.net

 Other Reading & References from Wikipedia

• ^ “Montgomery County Council passes 5-cent bag tax”. The Washington Post. 3 May 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/montgomery-county-council-passes-5-cent-bag-tax/2011/05/03/AFePREjF_story.html. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
• ^ European Plastics News: Plastic T-Shirt Carrier Bag (1965)
• ^ ^ab Natural Resource Defense Council
• ^ Joan Lowy (2004). “Plastic left holding the bag as environmental plague”. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/national/182949_bags21.html. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
• ^ http://www.usitc.gov/publications/701_731/pub4080.pdf
• ^ US Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US Life Cycle Inventory Database
• ^ The Guardian – biodegradable plastic bags carry more ecological harm than good
• ^ Notes from the Packaging Laboratory: Polylactic Acid – An Exciting New Packaging Material
• ^ ^abc John Roach (2003). “Are Plastic Grocery Bags Sacking the Environment?”. National Geographic News. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/09/0902_030902_plasticbags.html. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
• ^ “Planet Earth’s new nemesis?”. BBC News. 8 May 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1974750.stm. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
• ^ “Plastic bags & Metro Floods”. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. 4 February 2011. http://www.mb.com.ph/node/302551/pla. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
• ^ “The Manila Floods: Why Wasn’t the City Prepared?”. ICIMOD. 29 September 2009. http://www.icimod.org/?opg=949&q=drr_document&document=605. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
• ^ Hinojosa IA, Thiel M (2009). “Floating marine debris in fjords, gulfs and channels of southern Chile.”. Mar Pollut Bull58 (3): 341–50. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.10.020. PMID 19124136. 
• ^ “Marine litter – trash that kills”. United Nations Environment Programme. 2001. http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/trash_that_kills.pdf. Retrieved 26 November 2010. 
• ^ Brett Israel (2010). “Plastic bag found floating near Titanic shipwreck”. Today. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39077683/ns/today-tech_and_science/. Retrieved 1 December 2010. 
• ^ 2007 National Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic Bag & Film Report
• ^ Questions About Your Community: Shopping Bags: Paper or Plastic or …?
• ^ Waste and recycling. Environment.gov.au (2010-06-13). Retrieved on 2010-11-23.
• ^ Environment Agency (2011). “Evidence: Life Cycle Assessment of Supermarket Carrier Bags”. Environment Agency. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/Carrier_Bags_final_18-02-11.pdf. Retrieved 7 April 2011. 
• ^ Irena Choi Stern (5 August 2007). “Greening Up by Cutting Down on Plastic Bags”. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/05Rbags.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1. Retrieved 8 April 2011. 
• ^ ^ab Zev Yaroslavsky; Tim Shestek, Matthew Dodson; Giles Slade (audio). LA County Bans Plastic Bags. Interview with Warren Olney. To the Point. KCRW. http://www.kcrw.com/news/programs/tp/tp101119la_county_bans_plast. Retrieved 21 November 2010. 
• ^ ^ab Rachel Cernansky (August 17, 2010). “How Many Cities Have a Ban on Plastic Bags?”. Planet Green. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/how-many-cities-have-a-ban-on-plastic-bags.html. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
• ^ “Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags”. Government of Hong Kong SAR: Environmental Protection Department. 2009.
• http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/psb/en/environmental.html. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
• ^ “Plastic Bag Recycling”. NYCWasteLe$$. NYC Department of Sanitation. 2010.
• http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/plastic_bag.shtml. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
• ^ Andrew Darby (November 12, 2010). “Ban on plastic bags spreads to Tasmania”. The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/ban-on-plastic-bags-spreads-to-tasmania-20101111-17pgm.html. Retrieved 18 November 2010. 
• ^ Kathrine Mieszkowski (August 20, 2010). “Plastic bags are killing us”. Salon. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/08/10/plastic_bags. Retrieved 18 November 2010. 
• ^ Ali Eaves (August 9, 2010). “States weigh bans on plastic grocery bags”. Stateline.
• http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=504112. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
• Lynn Thompson (28 July 2009). “Edmonds is first city in state to ban plastic grocery bags”. The Seattle Times.
• http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009555416_bagban29m.html. Retrieved 24 March 2011. 
• ^ “Bethel, Alaska bans plastic bags”. http://www.sikunews.com/News/Alaska/Bethel%2C-Alaska-bans-plastic-bags-6532. Retrieved 24 March 2011. 
• ^ Emma Perez-Treviño (5 January 2010). “Brownsville commission adopts ban on plastic bags”. http://www.themonitor.com/articles/brownsville-34131-plastic-adopts.html. Retrieved 24 March 2011. 
• ^ Erin James (1 October 2010). “North Carolina bans plastic bags at all businesses on Outer Banks”. http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/262374. Retrieved 24 March 2011. 
• ^ John Tarantino (12 October 2011). “Portland Joins the Ban on Plastic Bags”. http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2011/10/portland-joins-ban-plastic-bags/. 
• ^ Associated Press (December 19, 2011). “Officials Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags”. NPR. http://www.npr.org/2011/12/19/143989024/seattle-officials-ban-single-use-plastic-bags?ft=1&f=1001. Retrieved December 20, 2011. 
• ^ “Plastic Bags”. Irish Government: Dept. of Environment, Heritage, and Local Government. 2007. http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Waste/PlasticBags/. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
• ^ Matthew Knight (November 16, 2007). “Plastic Bags Fly Into Environmental Storm”. CNN.COM Technology.
• http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/14/fsummit.climate.plasticbags/. Retrieved 25 January 2011. 
• ^ Xing, Xiufeng (March 2009). “Study on the Ban on Free Plastic Bags in China”. Journal of Sustainable Development2 (1): 156–158.
• http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/viewFile/299/267. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
• ^ Carrier Bag Charge Wales. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
• ^ “California Legislature fails to pass 25 cent bag tax”. Plastics News. 2009. http://plasticsnews.com/headlines2.html?cat=1&id=1244063213. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
• “Seattle Rejects Its Plastic Bag Tax”. Business Insider. 2009.
• http://www.businessinsider.com/seattle-rejects-its-plastic-bag-tax-2009-8. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
• ^ Brian Merchant (2010). “Plastic Bags Used in DC Drop From 22 Million to 3 Million a Month”. Treehugger. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/plastic-bag-use-dc-drops-22-million-3-million.php. Retrieved 26 November 2010. 
• ^ “Impact of Bill 18-150 on the Economy of Washington, D.C.”. The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University. 2011. http://www.atr.org/files/files/DCBagTaxStudy.pdf. Retrieved 8 February 2011. 
• ^ “Bills to tax disposable grocery bags in Va. fail to advance”. The Virginian Pilot. 2011. http://hamptonroads.com/2011/01/bills-tax-disposable-grocery-bags-va-fail-advance. Retrieved 6 May 2011. 
• ^ Daniel Valentine. “Lawmakers dump Prince George’s plan for plastic bag tax”. http://www.gazette.net/stories/04142011/prinnew170122_32537.php. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
• ^ Assembly Bill No. 2449. Chapter 845
• ^ NYCWasteLe$: Plastic Bag Recycling – consumer info. Nyc. gov (2008-12-13). Retrieved on 2010-11-23.
• ^ Plastic Bag Recycling in Chicago. Chicagorecycling.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-23.
• ^ Governor Markell signs bill promoting plastic bag recycling. Governor.delaware.gov. Retrieved on 2010-11-23.
• ^ Plastic Bag Reduction. Cityservices.baltimorecity.gov. Retrieved on 2010-11-23. 

It’s also that time of year, it gets pretty darn cold out at night, I can’t even go outside to dig in the dirt ( its frozen), and it gets dark out at 5 pm. When I was a young girl in Upstate New York where every year when winter rolled around and the very cold January and February winds blew and dreams of green grass and soft warm winds haunted us, our mailbox had the annual welcoming and oh so colorful Spring gardening and seed catalogs.

This is the time when I look back to my roots and my love of gardening, which I got honestly from my father. Therefore, I dedicate this post to a man who also loved to garden and where I fondly remember him pouring over seed catalogs during the winter months to order seeds for our very large family with six siblings.  So, I  begin my New Year not really making any new resolutions I can’t keep. Instead I am hard at work ordering seed catalogs and look forward to the spring. As planting, growing, toiling, tilling and working on seven acres provides enough of a workout that I never have to say, I will exercise more each year! .  I was crazy enough to buy seven acreas that needed to be tamed, last year. OMG!

 Exercise and work, and seasonal communication is part of the ebb and flow of the changing seasons. Whatever happened to old fashion face-to-face communication, and doing it over the backyard fence, chatting about and compairing proudly grown veggies and new seeds we plan to plant next year?

 For now, while I am trying to embrace cyber-nating inside, I will continue to pay homage to my father and grand mother’s well taught basic life skills (communication 101, for life and business). 

 And yes, I will order a few seed catalogs to dream of fresh veggies to harvest later in 2012 . To get started, last night I planted heirloom Marglobe tomatoes, Yolo pepers, and a slew of cantaloupes, and some onions from seed (as a test).

 In this modern age of technology, about 70% of people still order most of their seeds from seed catalogs! I think this is great and here is why I think so. I believe that some old fashion ways of doing things should not change. We are beginning to raise entire generations who do not know anything about gardening, canning or growing things when it used to be a staple activity for families which kept people from starving, being less dependent on the government, and they ate healthier. Conversely, I know most of us have embraced many of the new fangled ways and technologies. But, we are passing on nothing to our youth, and our grand children. Rather, we are forgetting about being close to the land and living with a more purposeful existence, soon many will not know how to provide for themselves at all. This does not mean I am gonna go all Amish on you all. But, I refuse to pay an additional five cent tax at the grocery store for buying food to live on which is already taxed and not fresh.

 As a result, in my opinion something is missing from our daily lives, many are unemployed, the environment is suffering. There is value and purpose in time honored old fashion traditions such as; sitting still next to a crackling fire ( Yes, with wood you cut or stacked by yourself) and actually reading next to that fire with a snack like warm peach cobbler ( from peaches you canned or grew yourself) -instead of playing “farmer” with Farmville, texting, checking or tweeting your Facebook status 16 times a day or playing mindless time-sucking video games for hours and hours (which have no real intrinsic value, in my book).

 Like with so much else in life, technology is displacing the need for printed catalogs because a company can just list their seed selection on their website. Add to that the rising costs of doing business, the consolidation of seed companies, and the pickings can seem slim if you prefer printed seed catalogs. Fortunately, if you know where to look (and are willing to pay a few dollars in some cases) you can still participate in the tradition and escapism that is a seed catalog.

 Did you know there are more than 100 seed catalogs out there? As every gardener knows, seed catalogs are wonderful reading. Between the tantalizing descriptions of varieties and the first-rate cultural information, many catalogs can double as reliable gardening books. They are also interesting as historical sources.

 Note: Many heirloom vegetable varieties are not available in the seed trade, but can be found through seed saving networks. For more information, see also: Seed Savers, Seed Exchanges, and Seed Societies. You can find a larger list of seed catalogs at:

Below are a short list of favorites derived from a recent Mother News (MEN) survey. MEN’s printed that one customer said, “Fedco’s catalog make wonderful, entertaining, laugh-out-loud reading and all the vintage graphics are wonderful.” 

1. Johnny’s Selected Seeds (Winslow, Maine) www.johnnyseed.com
2. Seed Savers Exchange (Decorah, IA) www.seedsaver.com
3. Bakercreek Heirloom Seeds (Mansfield, MO) www.rareseeds.com
4. Burpee Seeds & Plants( Warminster, PA) www.burpee.com
5. Territorial Seed Company ( Cottage Grove, Ore) www.territorialseed.com
6. Seed of Change (Rancho, Dominquez CA) www.seedsofchange.com
7. Ferry-Morse Seed Company (Fulton, KY) www.ferry-morse.com
8. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Mineral, VA) www.southernexposure.com
9. High Mowing Organic Seeds (Wolcott, VT) www.highmowingseeds.com
10. Fedco Seeds ( Waterville, MA) www.fedcoseeds.com
11. Nichols Garden Nursery (Albany, OR) www.nicholsgardennursery.com
12. The Cook’s Garden ( Warminster, PA) www.cooksgarden.com
13. Botanical Interests (Broomfield, CO) www.botanicalinterests.com
14. Renee’s Garden Seeds (Felton, CA) www.reneesgarden.com
15. Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (Grass Valley, CA) www.groworganic.com

 For long term seed storage, seed vaulting, non hybrid garden seed kits, try a few of the following:

1. AAOB Foods which also provides info with tips on planting
2. Patriot Survival Seed Vault 37.95 | MyPatriotSupply.com
3. Heirloom Organics- Survival Seed Vault $99 – 50,000+ Seeds
4. www.non-hybrid-seeds- 2 Acres, 1.5LB, Eat for .01/LB
5. Prepared Planet-Canned Seeds | Organic Heirloom Seeds | Emergency Seed Storage
6. Livestock Seed Storage Pack
7. And here is a list of culinary vegetables too from Wikipedia

 Happy Gardening in 2012. And I encourage to resolve to share more with your family, neighbors and friends, the old fashioned way! 

 Call, write, txt me if you’d like help with a contract or communication plan!  And, all my best for a better and more prosperous 2012. 

 Alice M. Fisher, Owner of Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC which is a Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business. For more informatin visit our website  @Unlimitedpr, Website: www.unlimitedpr.net

I am wondering with some concern about the possible disproportionate inequality of opportunities outlined in the full text of the American Jobs Act, and wonder if others are noticing such as well? Particularly women and women Veterans.

But first, my intent is to stimulate conversation and thoughts that may drive more than just discussion but greater awareness about Women Veteran employment needs and thereby providing solutions in the very near future. I am a Veteran, and although my numbers stated below may not be exact ( am not a statistician) they may provide a generalized snapshot to discuss from, in greater detail. Much farther below is a plethora of resources for Women Veterans. I hope we all who read this will share it with others and hire a women veteran and women Veterans in transition. There is no reason women who have served our country should be with out a job or homeless.

There are between 25 -26 million Veterans in the US, of which 39% are 65 or older. The average age of all Veterans is about 61 years old.

I want to hear some comments and thoughts relative to proposed American Jobs Act and whether it will really help any of the nearly 40% of the older Veterans in our nation, or the larger ever growing number of women Veterans?

Are certain existing and proposed economic programs forgetting about women in certain male dominant career fields and more importantly women Veterans as a whole.

http://www.Veteransnewsroom.com/files/press/Veterans-Fact-Sheet-Veterans.pdf

Although Veterans comprise a richly diverse group, most Veterans are predominantly White, non-Hispanic, married males.          With that said, female veteran demographic characteristics are quite different from those of their male counterparts.  Although, the majority of Veterans are male, only 6-8 percent of all Veterans are women, depending on where you get your statistics.

The average age of the female Veteran is about 47 years old.

Every day, women in the military proudly serve our country, but when they return home they often do not receive the recognition, benefits, services or opportunities they have earned and deserve. Please read and consider listening to Women Veteran Voices http://youtu.be/_x9zLFFkdtk

Also, might I suggest reading the results from a 2007 survey, “Understanding the Complexity of Women Veterans’ Career Transitions.

Women, including women Veterans, are an under-recognized and under-utilized group of workers who I believe are not equally afforded opportunities. And they should be specifically targeted for healthcare and job opportunities with regards to this latest jobs focus under the American Jobs Act and health reforms or any other state or local programs.

(Contact Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC, which is a Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business if you would like communicaiton and outreach support targeting women Veterans by clicking here )

There are roughly 11 M Veterans in the workforce. And, as of January 2010, the unemployment rate for women Veterans was roughly 11.2 percent, compared to 9.4 percent for veteran men as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Then unemployment rate for younger women Veterans is even higher, read more http://www.bpwfoundation.org/documents/uploads/Facts_on_Women_Vets.pdf

Furthermore, Veterans live in six predominant states as noted below with numbers above one million service members. Let’s say that if the 8% figure for total number of women holds as a constant figure both for total women vets in the workforce and for each state as a rounded out figure one can roughly do the math of many women will need the support of the American Jobs Act.

• CA with 2.1M Veterans (8% women Veterans would = about 168,000 female Veterans? Right?)
• Fl with 1.7 M Veterans (8% women Veterans would = about 144,000 female Veterans?)
• Tx with 1.7 M Veterans (8% women Veterans would = about 144,000 female Veterans?)
• PA with 1M Veterans (8% women Veterans would = about 80,000 female Veterans?)
• NY with 1M + Veterans (8% women Veterans would = about 80,000 female Veterans?)
• OH with about 1M Veterans (8% women Veterans would = about 80,000 female Veterans?)

———————————–

That’s possibly 680,00 women Veterans or more in six key states may need services and employment support, are there any information campaigns targeting these states for women Veterans?

Lets look at some numbers in a different way. I have heard that “we will bring jobs to t he construction industry through the American Jobs act. I want to look at the construction industry for a brief moment from a woman’s perspective. Pretend, I am a single mom with 3 kids to feed. Will it help me? Pretend I am a women veteran with three kids to feed and I am also single and unemployed. Will it help women? Is it disproportionately gender biased?

I think I read somewhere that women account for 85% of all consumer purchases in this economy, including everything from autos to health care:

• 91% of New Homes
• 66% PCs
• 92% Vacations
• 80% Healthcare
• 65% New Cars
• 89% Bank Accounts
• 93% Food
• 93 % OTC Pharmaceuticals

Construction Industry ( it was brought up in speeches for the American Jobs Act, so it is being used as a comparative number but also to point out women in this field need greater support for employment services).

When OSHA was enacted, women made up less than one percent of workers in the construction trades. By 1995 that percentage had only grown to 2.3 percent, and today women comprised only three percent of the population of construction trades, slightly over one percent of operating engineers, and less than one percent of masons.

Further analysis shows who some of these figures might look in a bar graph. http://enr.construction.com/business_management/workforce/2010/extras/1013.asp

# of construction workers = 3M males

13.5 % unemployed = 222,222 males, 2-3% = 6,000 – 9,000 women

of which 40% (88,800) are Hispanic, average age 20-35, 60% don’t speak English.

#’s related to bridge builders/iron workers (About 88 percent worked in construction, with 51 percent working for foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors)

# Iron workers = 97,800 jobs in 2008 (13.5%= 13,203 men)

# Structural iron and steel workers held about 70,200 jobs (13.5% = 9,477 men)

# Re inforcing iron and rebar workers held about 27,700 jobs (13.5%= 3,739 men)

—————————————————————————————————————–

There might be 248,641 male construction related jobs may be needed versus the # of Unemployed Women Veterans

11.2% unemployed women Veterans with an average age 47 =

2.8 million women Veterans may need jobs and other services

there may be about 680,00 women Veterans in six key states

Read the survey results below from “Understanding the Complexity of Women Veterans’ Career Transitions” It is important to note that this survey offers a first composite picture of transition into the workplace for the woman veteran. Additionally significant is the sample and methodology used, in the absence of a comprehensive database of women Veterans available to the public.

• Results (including special topics)
• Implications
• Demographics  

An initial look at the survey results indicates that the transition from the military into the civilian workforce is a multi-dimensional process. Policy makers may need to examine a number of factors in order to craft programs and services that more fully support women Veterans that are moving into the civilian workforce. In addition, the implications relate not only to the types of resources needed during transition but the timing and duration of those resources.

• Top Ten Recommendations for Employers to Recruit and Retain Women Veterans
• Building Strong Programs and Policies to Support Women Veterans
• Recommendations to Support Women Veterans

Information about employment resources for women Veterans specifically are quite fragmented, in my humble opinion. There is no consistent messaging or outreach for women Veterans as a single go to source. And, I would like to see greater effort by providing national information outreach campaigns that specifically target women Veterans with employment information and resources. It’s easy to get lost in the transition, all the differing systems, information resources and processes.

Send a Txt message to UPR, LLC @ (240) 620-2002, if your small business needs social media, marketing or media help!

We want to help your business not only survive but thrive.

With only 2-3 hrs of our time we can help you deliver more results! We won’t break the bank!

Or, simply follow us on Twitter @Unlimitedpr for periodic updates.
Visit our website: www.unlimitedpr.net to partner with, subcontract or contract with us on a Federal or State contract.

Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC is a A Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business

There are so many online sources. But I thought I would present a few new comers that may be of interest and timely.

1. Remember MC Hammer? Now, wait a minute, I know that his music is not quite so timely anymore but on October 21, 2011, MC Hammer plans to launch search engine WireDoo to rival Google …  The ’90s rapper, whose name is Stanley Kirk Burrell, is planning to launch a search engine called WireDoo. So, what are your thoughts about this latest development? How will it be any different?  And, why do we need two of the same thing?

2. And for another development there is FeedBooster, which is a tool for real news junkies . RSS is such a powerful technology yet most RSS readers are not very powerful tools. Search start up Q-sensei delivers powerful enterprise solutions. Part of that power can be felt in their consumer end product FeedBooster, an RSS tool with powerful search and filtering capabilities.  FeedBooster provides you with more than just a list of feed items. Feeds imported into FeedBooster are pre-processed in a way that makes it easier to search, browse and explore them. FeedBooster doubles as a dynamic archive and knowledge tool to mine for information. Here’s how it works. You can sign in with Google, Facebook or OpenID. If you sign in with Google, it is easy to import your feeds from Google Reader. You can also add pre-defined feed sets on popular topics or add your own favorite feeds.

3. Pandia News Finder, Visit Pandia Radio Search for a list of online radio stations with news coverage.

4. And, then there is Mool.com which searches within over 4,500 broadcast media, newspapers, & national magazine websites

Other News Search Sites to Dig Just a Little Deeper

International News Search Sources

Abyz News Links  A location based guide to news sources from around the world. Primarily composed of newspapers but also includes broadcast stations, Internet services, magazines, and press agencies

 The top 30 job site niches. These rankings represent an average of 12 months search data at Google and are influenced by seasonal considerations as well as the business cycle — so take this top 30 for what it is, just a snapshot in time.

Also, here is a quick list of job search sites as well directly below from the Search Engine List

Veteran Job Search Resourses: VetJobs,   Veteran Job Search  The Riley Guide, Job Opportunities for Disabled Veterans – JOFDAV   

• Helmets to Hardhats   Helps transitioning Military and Veterans find careers in the building and construction trades.
• Military.com   Designed for military personnel with: military skills translator, business interest quiz, industry exploration tool, guide to headhunters and job listings.
• Hire Heroes USA   Provides career placement assistance to all returning service men and women focusing on placement of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans from all branches of the military.
• HireRetiredOfficers.com   Retired and separated Commissioned Officers and Senior Noncommissioned Officers of the United States military services post resumes and search for jobs on this website.
• HireVeterans.com   Receives and posts job opportunities from employers who want to hire transitioning military and Veterans in a variety of occupations
• Recruit Veterans, Inc.   
• Toyota’s Hire A Hero Program   Hundreds of available jobs at independently owned Toyota and Lexus dealerships.
• VeteransToEnergy.org   A job search portal site dedicated to helping U.S. military Veterans find careers in the oil and natural gas industry.

Hispanic Job Search Resources: http://www.hispanicsurf.com/jobs-careers_surf.htm

	Career Builder: The career builder website.
	Craig’s List: is a centralized network of online communities, with free classified ads (with jobs, internships, housing, personals, services, community, gigs, resume, and pets categories) and forums.
	CV Fox: A search engine that is designed to hunt down and retrieve resumes (CV’s) from all over the Internet. Free to use, has become a popular tool with professional recruiters.
	Dice.com is the #1 technology job board. For technology experts in areas such as Information Technology (IT), software, high tech, security, biotech, and more. Recently purchased eFinancialCareers.com.
	Eluta.ca (Canada) – High-paying jobs in Canada directly from employers’ websites. Seach new full-time jobs at 71000+ employers across Canada.
	Hot Jobs (Yahoo): Find a job, post your resume, research careers at featured companies, compare salaries and get career advice on Yahoo! HotJobs.
	Incruit (Korea): Incruit claims to be the first Korean match making site between job seekers and companies and claims the first Korean Internet résumé database (June 1. 1998).
	Indeed.com: A job ‘meta-search’ that scours job boards, newspapers and multiple sources with one search interface.
	Jobs.pl (Poland): Run by an American/Polish team of MBA’s, Poland’s leading job portal. Partially owned by European Media Group “Orkla Press” from Scandinavia.
	JobsDB (Asia/Pacific): An Asia/Pacific focused job and recruitment site with databases dedicated to each country in the Asia/Pacific region.
	JobPilot (Owned by Monster): A European job site now owned by Monster.com. Focused on European jobs with branches in a number of European countries.
	Jobserve: UK based job search focused originally on IT Contracting work, but now covering multiple areas. Resume database, large number of job postings.
	Monster.com: The world’s largest resume database and online job search.
	Naukri.com (India): An India-focused job search engine.
	Recruit.net: A job search engine that allows you to search jobs worldwide.
	SimplyHired.com – Job search engine. Search over 5 million job listings and thousands of jobs sites to find a job you love.
	StepStone (Europe): European online recruitment site based in Scandinavia with operations and subsidiaries througout Europe.
	TheLadders.com (USA) Job search for professional jobs in the most comprehensive source of $100K+ jobs on the internet.

Just in time for the Labor Day Weekend! So, with that said, I am hungry to get some work and proposals out the door (I think it’s nearly dinner time-hence the food reference). And, I excited and scared at the same time.

The one thing I have learned thus far is, you can not just flip on a light switch as there are quite a few hoops to jump through to get it right. And, it took me some time to learn that there is no longer any Dynamic Small Business Search Numbers (albeit that is still required on an SBA form). For future businesses filing with SBA, please note that is now your Federal IRS EIN number which goes in that spot.

I am now in the process of decorating and setting up my small business office suite, and carving out a nifty little space to run this new small business. Comments and suggests are welcome and I will try to post a picture of the new office once completed. Maybe I will post how to set up a little office on a no cost budget.

On top of the small business start up paper work I have been completing faxing and mailing out scads of stuff, and I am also rehabing a house I bought last summer, trying to tame 7 acres that was let go and grew wild for about two years, canning fruits and veggies, building a chicken condo and maintaining a newly deer proofed garden.

I am sure there is a future possible blog posts that can benefit small business owners in some analagous way on the anatomy and value of daily chicken dust baths, how to build a chicken condo with no plans, and the value of gardening as it relates to running a small Woman Veteran-Owned small business.

For now, suffice it to say I am up and running and look forward to providing consulting and management services; as such relates to social media, Web 2.0, Internet marketing, outreach, strategic communications, traditional media relations, public affairs, advertising, e-commerce and social networking.

PS, Really, any decorating, color or painting ideas and comments of course are all welcome! I will try to post a photo or two in the next post.
It’s been a busy summer, the days are getting shorter as fall approaches… so stay tuned for more posts soon.
Now, it is time for dinner!

Alice M. Fisher, Owner
Unlimited PR & Associates, LLC
A Woman Veteran-Owned Small Business
Twitter.com/Unlimitedpr
www.unlimitedpr.net

What is your message to your staff, your contractors, your family, to your stakeholders, or even your investors? How much time, money and human resources is this looming shutdown costing you and your business in preparing such communiques?

And, please tell me how can one even begin to think about effective communications or anything else for that mattter when there is this overwhelming seat of the pants, minute by minute reporting and holding of one’s breath that has everyone just sitting on a razor sharp edge with the waiting and waiting while 535 congressional adults and one US president have the entire US economy holding it’s breath- Oh and they all are getting paid to play political patty cake.

I imagine it will get some great media ratings, while we all sit glued to our TV sets in the next 24 hours.  I bet the average AQH ratings for drive time are going up as well.Truely, a media opportunity.

But, instead of focusing on communications and social media this go round, I want to rant about the potential human numbers. I am worried about our people. Really, can we recover from these political shenanigans?

Let’s entertain a look at some figures just for a minute or two regarding the potential ripple effect. And, mind you that I am not an economist nor a  business statistican.

OMB says 800,000 feds, including workers at the White House and civilian employees at the Defense Department. And to extend that number, I heard on Federal News Radio last night on the drive home that there are about 5 to 6 contract workers per full time Federal worker.  About 85 percent of Federal employees work outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Let’s just do the simple math on those very basic numbers. 

All told, there could be at a minimum, 4 MILLION Amercian workers  and their families (who have children to feed, BTW) impacted, and  it could alsopossibly  leave our US Military without pay until a CR is passed.

Click here and scroll down to see the total number of Federal Workers and click here to see the latest numbers and percentages on how the shutdown will impact each and every single Federal agency. To see  each Federal Agency contingency plan go right here

Bloomberg crunched the numbers and came up with a specific tab: $174 million per day the government is shut down. And, is really is a cost, not just a reimbursement. Work that needs to get done (processing tax returns, issuing passports) piles up while employees are furloughed, creating a need for massive overtime once the government starts back up.

Then there’s the cost of lost receipts. Visitors spend roughly $32 million per day at national parks. Fees and tax revenue generated from this spending is lost in a shutdown. Then there’s lost revenue from airline taxes, levied fines, and a host of other fee-based income that goes dark in a shutdown. According to the Government Accountability Office, a three-day shutdown in 1991 cost $363 million in lost tax revenue and fee income. Adjusted for inflation, that probably works out to about $200 million per day, give or take a nickle or two.  So, who is at fault?  Just what the heck are you all thinking?

Here is DC’s Potential Impact

There are 320,ooo Federal workers alone just in the DC Metro Region. 

DC, is considered in a shutdown to be a federal agency, would face $1.5 million to $5.5 million in losses per week.  Along with trash collection, most parking enforcement would be suspended, and D.C. libraries and Department of Motor Vehicles offices would be closed. Street sweeping would be suspended for the duration of a shutdown, city officials said. Trash pickup could resume, because federal shutdown laws permit government services that deal with property and public safety, they said. But that wouldn’t happen for at least a week.

Specific to the DC Metro Region there are about 120,000 federal workers across 80 Federal Agencies and 289,000 Federal Civilan Workers all who ride the metro, all receive Metro transit subsidies. So, Federal Metro subsidies would not be sent nor be used.  And, I imagine the Metro Transit System will experience a significant decline in daily ridership and reveue with their already huge budget shortfall.  Brace yourself for rider increases!

 The last shutdown cost taxpayers $800 million, including $400 million in wages to federal workers who did not report to work, according to About.com. However, during the first shutdown in 1995 800,000 non-essential workers were furloughed without pay for five days, according to AOL News.

Would Your Unemployment Benefits contine for the 13.5 to 28.5  MILLION People( murky waters on what the real unemployed numbers are)

Would your Social Security Payments or for more than 34.8 Million Seniors be processed (as well as disability and survivor  benefits for children) totalling of 54,3 Million PEOPLE or rather $58. 5 Million Dollars a month be sent out?

And let’s not forget about asking about services for our 22 MILLION Veterans, including their health and welfare programs (read more stats here).

Go to this CNN link to stay connected about what would be closed /not closed

The Costs of Government Shutdowns Past
The first of the two government shutdowns in 1995-1996 lasted only six days, from November 14 to November 20. Following the six-day shutdown, the Clinton administration released an estimate of what the six days of an idled federal government had cost.

 Lost Dollars: The six-day shutdown cost taxpayers about $800 million, including $400 million to furloughed federal employees who were paid, but did not report to work and another $400 million in lost revenue in the four days that the IRS enforcement divisions were closed.

While your waiting to know what OUR government will do for the people and by the people why not read about 10 things to do before you leave your office on Friday as well as some additional figures from Inconvenienced Citizens of  Past Shutdowns farther below. Tell me how you feel about this whole mess that have everyone teetering on the baited breath? Is this a political PR Stunt for future campaign strategy? Is this a I am in charge nanny nanny boo boo and I have a Veto Pen. Or is this more about 536 people who really can’t communicate well nor can they balance a check book? Now that my friends is pretty scarry and their incharge ???

I hear echos of “Run Forest, Run!”

More “stuff” to chew on from the previous shut downs

• Medicare: Some 400,000 newly eligible Medicare recipients were delayed in applying for the program.
• Social Security: Claims from 112,000 new Social Security applicants were not processed. 212,000 new or replacement Social Security cards were not issued. 360,000 office visits were denied. 800,000 toll-free calls for information were not answered.
• Healthcare: New patients were not accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ceased disease surveillance and hotline calls to NIH concerning diseases were not answered.
• Environment: Toxic waste clean-up work at 609 sites stopped as 2,400 Superfund workers were sent home.
• Law Enforcement and Public Safety: Delays occurred in the processing of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives applications by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; work on more than 3,500 bankruptcy cases reportedly was suspended; cancellation of the recruitment and testing of federal law enforcement officials reportedly occurred, including the hiring of 400 border patrol agents; and delinquent child-support cases were delayed.
• US Veterans: Multiple veterans’ services were curtailed, ranging from health and welfare to finance and travel.
• Travel: 80,000 passport applications were delayed. 80,000 visas were delayed. The resulting postponement or cancellation of travel cost U.S. tourist industries and airlines millions of dollars.
• National Parks: 2 million visitors were turned away from the nation’s national parks resulting in the loss of millions in revenue.
• Government-backed Loans: FHA mortgage loans worth more than $800 million to more than 10,000 low-and-moderate-income working families were delayed.

The Ghost of Shutdowns Past

Since 1981, there have been five government shutdowns. Four of the last five government shutdowns went largely unnoticed by anybody but the federal employees affected. In the last one, however, the American people shared the pain.

• 1981: President Reagan vetoed a continuing resolution and 400,000 Federal employees were sent home at lunch and told not to come back. A few hours later, President Reagan signed a new version of the continuing resolution and the workers were back at work the next morning.

• 1984: With no approved budget, 500,000 federal workers were sent home. An emergency spending bill has them all back at work the next day.

• 1990: With no budget or continuing resolution, the government shuts down during the entire three-day Columbus Day weekend. Most workers were off anyway and an emergency spending bill signed by President Bush over the weekend has them back at work Tuesday morning.

• 1995-1996: Two government shutdowns beginning on November 14, 1995, idled different functions of the federal government for various lengths of time until April of 1996.
•  The most serious government shutdowns in the nation’s history resulted from a budget impasse between Democratic President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress over funding for Medicare, education, the environment and public health.