Women’s Independent Press

June 2 – Happy Hour to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis – 5- 8 PM - Andora Restaurant, 1928 Cochran Road Pittsburgh - $10 donation will get you delicious hors d’oeuvre’s from Andora Catering, Signature drinks, and amazing specials – Raffles for Larrimor’s, Andora, and Spa Jema – for tickets contact Dixie at 412-915-9667 or Dixie@andoracatering.com

June 7 – “Women for a Healthy Environment’s 1st Fundraiser, FACE IT…Healthy Beauty from Inside Out” – Phipps Conservatory – 5:30 – 8:30 – Featured Guest: Jessa Blades – Tickets $25 – To register: http://www.womenforahealthyenvironment.org/events/view/40 - Contact Michelle at 412-420-2290 for additional information
June 8 - Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, 1650 Main Street Pittsburgh - Brown Bag Lunch – FREE - 12:00 – 1:00 PM - Speaker: Don Pytel, Owner of Spider Commerce - Topic: Getting A Business Capable Website On A Budget. -Your business needs a website, and you need to get the most out of your time, effort and expense. Don Pytel will cover the important steps you should understand and the options you should consider when meeting with a web designer. Learn about choosing a domain name, planning and designing a site, creating content, marketing a site and adding valuable tools - RSVP: 412.782.5344 x 209 or volunteersofamerica@voapa.org

Wednesday, June 8th from 6-8pm
Social Networking For Business…Should You Be LinkedIn?
This hands-on workshop teaches how to use your LinkedIn Profile
as a tool to establish your credibility, expertise and attract new business.
Join Me for a LinkedIn Workshop
Learn how to use LinkedIn to Grow Your Business &
Position Yourself as an Expert
Location: Giant Eagle Market District Robinson,
100 Settlers Ridge Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15205
Register Online: www.PittsburghProfessionalWomen.com

June 9 - Command New Confidence for Your Next Business Lunch, 12:15-1:15 PM
-Carnegie Library, Business Branch, 612 Smithfield Street-412-281-7141, no registration needed

June 10 - Women Business Leaders Breakfast Series - 7:30-9:00 AM
Speaker: Vonda Wright, MD, Creator and Director, Performance and
Research Initiative for Masters Athletes(PRIMA) - Topic: “Guide to THRIVE: Four Steps to Body, Brains, and Bliss”
Venue: James Laughlin Music Center, Chatham University Shadyside Campus
Cost: $25.00 - Register online: www.chatham.edu/cwe

June 10 - Cash Flow Solutions Workshop: Understanding Cash Flow to Grow Your
Business - 9:30-11:00 A.M. (Immediately following Vonda’s Presentation)
- James Laughlin Music Center, Chatham University Shadyside Campus - $10.00 – Register online: http://chatham.edu/cwe
All proceeds from this workshop go to Dress for Success® Pittsburgh
June 14 - Kudos for Pittsburgh, Business for You - Featuring Jill Lublin, Best Selling Business Author - Get the Good News Out About Pittsburgh, get business for yourself - Early Bird Special $35.00 before May 31, 2011, After May 31, 2011, $45.00, Price Includes Pittsburgh Dinner, additional info at: http://pplmag.com - Villa South Side, 1831 E. Carson St Pittsburgh - 412-431-3535 - `5:30 to 8:30 PM - Learn to Get Your Pittsburgh Google On! Networking, Local Media Panel
Pittsburgh Foods, Pittsburgh Beers, Pittsburgh Martinis, Pittsburgh Manhattans and Pittsburgh Special Guests, TBA

June 16 - Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, 1650 Main Street Pittsburgh - Disability Resource Breakfast - 8:30 – 9:30 AM - Speaker: Chris Engler & Joseph Jelinski, Eruption Athletics - Topic: Fitness IS For People With Disabilities - Meet two trainers/coaches for Special Olympics athletes and learn about the support that is available to increase physical fitness workout activity year-round for people with special needs who want to exercise - RSVP: 412.782.5344 x 209 or volunteersofamerica@voapa.org

June 17 - Women’s Power Lunch—Pittsburgh Chapter - 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Eleven Restaurant, Smallman St., Strip District, Downtown -Cost: $30.00 (Prepayment Required) - Cash payment at the door will be $35.00 -RSVP: Suzanne@womenspowerlunch.com - Or pay online at www.womenspowerlunch.com

June 24 - Women’s Power Lunch—Westmoreland County - 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Solstice Restaurant, 911 Green St. Greensburg - Cost: $30.00 (Prepayment Required)
Cash payment at the door will be $35.00 - RSVP: Melanieansell@comcast.net or
412-848-0165

FYI

Every Wednesday - “Downtown Divas” Girl Netwoking and Girl Jazz weekly event-presented by PositivelyPittsburghLive and NAWBO Pittsburgh - Villa Southside -1831 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh -Divas and Business Divas with Networking and live performances -The good ol’ girls club, but we let the guys in - Come out to promote your business and find the groups that will promote you - Listen to music, dance and have a girls night out. - Every Wednesday from 6 PM to 9 PM - Networking and presentations from 6 PM to 7 PM - Music by 7 PM to 9 PM - Half price on select appetizers and $3.00 of all wines by the glass.

PA CareerLink - Major retraining efforts for dislocated workers are through the Community College of Allegheny County. No information is out yet about Fall 2012, but the contact number to the Career Transition Center is 412-788-7351. Here are a few leads on specific programs for fields in demand:

-Machinists, 412-227-4172, Info Session on June 2
-Mortgage Services, 412-809-3523, program begins May, but fliers were still advertising it this past Friday
-Biotechnology, 412-237-2540

Save the Date

August 17 - Please Join The Musuneggi Financial Group & Single Steps Strategies for an Evening Of Wine, Conversation, Networking & Education -While we are “Wine-ing” down the summer - 6:00 PM - Crowne Plaza Hotel, South 164 Fort Couch Road Bethel Park - Complimentary But Donations To “Dress for Success” Are Always Welcome
- To register for you and your guest log onto www.singlestepsstrategies.com, e-mail info@singlestepsstrategies.com or call 412-341-2888. - Registration deadline is August 8th - Seating is limited so register early ** Women Business Owners: Tables will be available for you to share information about your products and services. Please let us know if you would like to participate when you register.

September 19 – Fall Employment Opportunities Conference – Carnegie Mellon - The Employment Opportunities Conference is a job fair for all students from all majors — whether they are seeking full-time or internship opportunities. We had over 160 employers and well over 1800 students connecting at our Spring EOC event. We hope you’ll join us this Fall! -12 - 6 - University Center Gym and Rangos Ballroom
To register, just log into TartanTrak and click on “events”. The registration fee is $700 and Partner levels exist from $1200 to $10,000 and up with benefits such as: Membership on our advisory board, lunch with faculty and a dynamic presence on our website. Click her to view the Career Partners Page.
While you are in TartanTrak, don’t forget to book your spring recruiting dates! Log into TartanTrak and click on “Request New OCR Schedule” under shortcuts and choose the Spring 2012 Session to get started. If you want to book rooms for the day after one of our job fairs, just choose that session on the reservation form.

The Womansplace 17th Annual Golf Outing to End Domestic Violence
Our mission at Womansplace is to end the cycle of domestic violence and change social norms through education and systems advocacy. In order to fulfill our mission, we need your support!

The 17th Annual Womansplace Golf Event will take place on Friday August 27, 2010 at Youghiogheny Country Club in McKeesport, PA. The event raises awareness to the pervasive epidemic of domestic violence and the urgency to bring communities together and fight against this crime. It also raises the much needed funds so that we may continue to provide programs and services to the community.

Sponsorships and individual contributions play an important role in the success of this event. Without your support we would not be able to continue the important programs and services that we offer to victims and to the community.

Your participation can help end the cycle of domestic violence and save lives!

Register online at www.womansplace.org or contact Fran Trimpey at ftrimpey@womansplace.org

or (412) 664-7146 x200 for individual and corporate sponsorship

Pittsburgh Symphony Community Partners Concert
Thursday, June 24, 2010, 8:00 pm - Heinz Hall
The Pittsburgh Symphony makes it possible for local charities to benefit from this evening of fine music. Enjoy an evening with the Queen of Disco Gloria Gaynor and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and help the Food Bank!

The U.S. Women’s Open
The 2010 U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont is July 5 – July 11. Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank needs volunteers to work concessions. Charities work the concession tents along the course, and then share all the proceeds. Volunteers can watch the tournament before or after their volunteer shift for free. If you are interested in volunteering for the U. S. Women’s Open, email volops@gpcfb.org.

The 16th Annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival comes to Hartwood Acres July 23-25. The Food Bank’s largest fundraiser of the year brings the best in national and local blues music to Pittsburgh and helps feed thousands of families in need. www.pghblues.com

Mylan Classic Golf Tournament - “ANSYS Tickets Fore Charity”
The Mylan Classic is coming to Southpointe Golf Club August 30 – September 5. 100% of your ticket price for this PGA tour of the “Stars of Tomorrow” goes to the charity of your choice - like the Food Bank!

Golf S.O.M.E. (So Others May Eat)
Save the date for the Food Bank’s charity golf outing October 4th at the gorgeous Wildwood Golf Club in Allison Park. Your entry fee includes lunch, 18 holes with cart, snacks and beverages on the course, cocktails and dinner, and extracurriculars like a putting contest, hole-in-one challenge, prizes for the winning foursome, and a silent auction to benefit the Food Bank. The first 50 registrants for Golf S.O.M.E. will receive a weekly Clubhouse ticket (valued at $50.00) to the Mylan Classic! Register at www.pittsburghfoodbank.org

Business Program Series Calendar
June 2011
Programs are held on Thursdays at 12:15 pm at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Downtown & Business, 612 Smithfield Street, Downtown. They are free and open to the public.

Thursday, June 2 Duties of an Executor
Erik V. Scully, Esq., CPA
Scully & Scully, LLP, Attorneys at Law

Mr. Scully will discuss the duties and responsibilities of an executor from the opening of the estate until its completion, including locating the will and other important documents; notifying all beneficiaries; establishing an estate account for paying outstanding bills and understanding tax consequences before assets are distributed.

Thursday, June 9 Dining Etiquette: Command New Confidence at Your Next Business Lunch
Karen Litzinger
Litzinger Career Consulting

Not sure which bread plate is yours? Whether you are dining with customers or colleagues, your dining etiquette can make a lasting impression. In addition to the etiquette of eating, Ms. Litzinger will discuss the proper way to arrange and conduct a business meeting over a meal. This is also an important skill for mealtime interviews.

Thursday, June 16 Downsizing Your Home Clutter – How to Start, Finish and Stay Organized!
Jill Revitsky, PHR, CPO
Discover Organizing Inc.

Jill Revitsky of Discover Organizing will reveal the best ways to start the seemingly overwhelming process of decluttering large and small spaces in your home. She’ll discuss ways to get started, the best products to use, and how to develop the habits that will help you stay organized. Jill’s sense of humor and lively group interaction will motivate you to be clutter-free once and for all!

Thursday, June 23 Maxed Out
(DVD – 87 minutes)

James Spurlock, director of the award-winning documentary Maxed Out, set off in search of ordinary people who were overwhelmed by debts they could never pay back but agreed to be interviewed for this film. Although there are many reasons that drive people to the verge of bankruptcy, Mr. Spurlock places much of the blame on major lending institutions who issue credit cards (with hefty fees attached) that encourage customers to spend instead of save.

Thursday, June 30 No Program – Enjoy the long July Fourth weekend!

The Stop and Go Fast Food Nutritional Guide”
by Steven G. Aldana, Ph.D.

ISBN 13 978-0-9758828-4-9
Maple Mountain Press
935 East 900 North
Mapleton, UT 84664
135 pages
$6.95

In creating “The Stop and Go Fast Food Nutritional Guide,” Steven Aldana has sought to fill an important informational gap in the fat-laden “western” diet (so called because of its prevalence among western industrialized nations). Although packaged foods are required to exhibit nutritional information, restaurants are not.

Enter Aldana’s book. “Stop and Go” lists the nutritional content (i.e., calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium and fiber) of almost 3,500 different entrees from a total of 69 fast food restaurants. The title phrase “stop and go” refers to the clever and quickly comprehended layout of the book: healthy entrees are coded in green, borderline foods with yellow and those the highest in calories, saturated fats and trans fats are coded with (guess what?) red.

Trans fat (that is, hydrogenated vegetable oil), looms large in “Stop and Go.” Aldana relates that the consumption of trans fat is responsible for at least 30,000 to 100,000 heart disease-related deaths each year. Since there is no safe level for trans fat consumption and since most fast-food restaurants utilize trans fats in some (if not all) of their cooking, “Stop and Go” is an informational windfall for those who eat fast food but are also concerned about their health.

Although the consistent redness of almost every McDonald’s entree (including many salads) didn’t surprise this reviewer, the many “red” Taco Bell entrees did. Trans fats are so dangerous that if an entree contained even 2 grams of trans fat, it received a red code. And so, the very delicious Nachos Bell Grande side dish, which contains a whopping 10 grams of trans fat is unfortunately but definitely red while the equally delicious spicy chicken soft taco received a green light for bearing only one gram of trans fat.

Although healthy fast-food eating may sounds like an impossible oxymoron, “The Stop and Go Fast Food Nutritional Guide” can make this a reality and should be placed in the glove compartment of every fast food restaurant patron.

The volume of medications that older adults are taking is high and so are the risks. Improper use of medications can lead to disaster. A survey of future caregivers conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network revealed that nearly half of their parents (48 percent) have three or more factors that put them at risk for medication-related problems. Among those risk factors – for 37 percent of seniors – is vision problems or poor eyesight.

That’s why the Home Instead Senior Care network has worked with Humana Points of Caregiving to introduce the Caring for Your Parents: Senior Emergency KitSM information management tool and website. The website provides access to resources that encourage older adults to keep all of their information in one spot so that family caregivers have ready access to these vital details in the event of a medical emergency. The resources are part of the Answering the CallSM program, designed to help families be ready for an emergency with their senior loved ones.
“Adverse drug reactions are very common and not always recognized by patient or physician as side effects of a drug,” said Thomas Clark, RPh, MHS, CGP, director of Clinical Affairs for the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and the ASCP Foundation, who served as an expert source for the Answering the Call program. According to Clark, “Many symptoms may be considered drug side effects unless proven otherwise.”

Following are the eight most common types of medication-related problems that could befall seniors, from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.
1. Untreated conditions – The patient has a medical condition that requires drug therapy, but is not receiving a drug for that condition.
2. Drug use without indication – The patient is taking a medicine for no medically valid condition or reason.
3. Improper drug selection – The patient’s medical condition is being treated with the wrong drug or a drug that is not the most appropriate for the special needs of the patient.
4. Subtherapeutic dosage – The patient has a medical condition that is being treated with too little of the correct medication.
5. Overdosage – The patient has a medical problem that is being treated with too much of the correct medication.
6. Adverse drug reactions – The patient has a medical condition that is the result of an adverse drug reaction (ADR) or adverse effect. In the case of older adults, ADRs contribute to already existing geriatric problems such as falls, urinary incontinence, constipation and weight loss.
7. Drug interactions – The patient has a medical condition that is the result of a drug interacting negatively with another drug or a food.
8. Failure to receive medication – The patient has a medical condition that is the result of not receiving a medication due to economic, psychological, sociological or pharmaceutical reasons.

For fifteen years, the Home Instead Senior Care® franchise network has been devoted to providing seniors with the highest quality care in their own homes, and to arming families with the information they need to make the best decisions about caring for aging loved ones. Family caregivers can visit the Senior Emergency Kit Website for more information and resources to help them track their seniors’ medications.
Until next time, if you, or any organization of which you are a part, is interested in learning more, please contact our office. We would be happy to speak to your group free of charge about this subject, our services, or even employment opportunities.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Champagne, Human Resource Coordinator
Home Instead Senior Care
1102 S Braddock Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Phone: (412) 731-0733
Rebecca.Champagne@HomeInstead.com

Written and researched by
Deanna Markesteyn LMT BA RYT

The Pineal gland stimulates the release of melatonin, the biochemical also referred to as the Fountain of Youth. Humans have astonishing systems for healing, loving, feeling, living. Our bodies truly work as a holistic system. Two of my favorite components of the body are the Endocrine system and the Autonomic Nervous system; they work hand in hand. Humanity has developed simple ways to tap into the powers of these systems through music, song, chanting, praying, mantra, dancing, yoga, yoga nidra and massage. There are so many methods for tapping into our bodies healing capabilities, because humanity has been doing it for thousands of years and in many different cultures.

The autonomic nervous systems have two branches, the fight or flight: the stress producing aspect also known as the sympathetic nervous system and the rest and digest: the relaxation producing aspect, also known as the parasympathetic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system governs the endocrine system, producing and regulating hormones to generate homeostasis of the body. The endocrine system produces hormones that help digest food, regulate body temperature, get one out of harm’s way or ready to fight. They also elicit emotions, fears, healing and love.

Dr. Candace Pert refers to the body as the sub conscious mind; she professes that biochemicals flow and resonate, distributing information to every cell in the body simultaneously. In her book “Your Body is Your Sub Conscious Mind” she unlocks the secret of how emotions literally transform our bodies—and create our health. Dr. Depak Chopra claims that we have the ability to tap into this wealth of biochemicals by tapping into the internal pharmacy. We can tap into these systems by targeting and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. We can heal many physical issues by balancing the autonomic nervous system.

One simple technique was developed by Dr. Herbert Johnson from Harvard Medical School of Medicine. The relaxation response is a key phrase developed by Dr. Hebert Johnson MD; he has researched the effects of the autonomic system being in balance and how healing results from this balance. When our body systems are in balance we are in a better state of mind, better health and are simply happier. The relaxation response releases bio chemicals that are reparative, feel good hormones, such as Serotonin, Melatonin, and Somatotropin. We have the power to tap into our very own internal pharmacy through rhythm, sound and vibration.

For eons humanity has devised methods to trigger the relaxation response: prayer, singing chanting, dancing, yoga, massage. All of these methods have certain aspects in common. They help to create a state where you can quiet the mind, the state of Dhahran. Practices are ancient and modern. A few of these practices include saying the rosary, chanting a mantra, receiving a massage, mediation, yoga or dancing. They all trigger the parasympathetic nervous system, in turn causing a cascade of healing biochemicals. A simple yet profound practice simply requires that you close your eyes and breathe. You have the power to create a steady mind simply by creating a steady breath, overcoming the busy mind. Albert Einstein exclaimed “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Quieting your mind allows a person to achieve clarity as well as peace and better health.
http://www.relaxationresponse.org/steps/
http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/Your-Body-Is-Your-Subconscious-Mind/336.productdetails
http://www.chopra.com/
Advanced Bodywork Massage and Yoga http://directory.vistaprint.com/dir/us/PA/Warrendale/Advanced-Bodywork-Massage-and-Yoga/
Deanna Markesteyn LMT BA RYT deannam@massagetherapy.com

By Kate McCormack
www.womensmediacenter.com

College students are graduating this year with record debt,
and women, who constitute most of the graduates, struggle for financial independence.

This spring thousands of women will walk proudly across the stage to
receive college and graduate diplomas in numbers far greater than their
male counterparts. But in spite of their academic achievements, women
graduates are still facing high barriers to financial success including
exaggerated debt, a persistent wage gap and a weak job market, prompting discussion about the real value of a college degree.

Mikki Guerra struggled to obtain her undergraduate degree without financial help from her parents, even working three jobs one year in an attempt to cover her expenses. But when she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BA in sociology and $60,000 in debt, she discovered that despite its high price tag, her degree “did nothing” for her in terms of employment possibilities.

She was unable to find a job in her field and had to go back to waiting tables and managing a restaurant, leading her to return to school for her master’s degree in clinical social work—and more loans.

Guerra is not alone in her financial struggles. Last year for the first time, student loan debt outpaced that of credit card debt. The class of 2011, owing an average $22,900, is the most indebted ever, according to figures estimated by Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Fastweb.com and FinAid.org, and reported in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. According to the Project on Student Debt, from 2004-2008 the
percentage of graduates from four-year institutions carrying debt increased drastically from 27 percent to 67 percent.

The millennial generation is the first in U.S. history to be saddled by such debt before entering the workforce or, in some cases, before they’re allowed to drink.
“My entire life has been altered by funding my college education,” said Lea Grover, who ambitiously entered the world of higher education at the young age of 15.
She attended more than five different institutions in the search for scholarships and will graduate with about $50,000 to pay back. She feels that schools have a responsibility to provide better education about debt but added, “As a teenager I really couldn’t have cared less anyway. Paying off my loans was in a future so distant it might as well have not existed at all.”

Kary Zarate, who graduated with $80,000 of debt from a private college in Wisconsin, said, “I was too young to be serious about school and I did not understand my financial responsibility and the cost of the education I was receiving.” She doesn’t blame her alma mater for not providing financial guidance but wishes that she would have attended a less expensive public school or waited until she knew what she
wanted to study. Unhappy with her undergraduate degree, Zarate is now completing a master’s degree in special education.

A college degree has allowed many women to reach a prime goal of the women’s movement: economic independence. However, today’s female students—particularly those whose parents are not able to assist them financially—are forced to choose between the lesser of two financial evils. Guerra explained that her choice “was to acquire a lot of debt or don’t go to school,” thereby risking being trapped in low paying jobs for her whole career.

Women have been the majority on many university campuses for more than two decades. Not only do they attend college more frequently, they also achieve better grades while there, graduate at higher rates and with more honors than men. Yet they are hit by inequality almost as soon as they put away their graduation caps. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), the gender wage gap and the race-gender wage gap have held steady even in the highest paying professions in recent years. As of 2010, white women continued to earn 77 percent of what white men earn. The wage gap is wider for many women of color with African-American women earning 69.6 percent and Latinas only 59.8 percent of white men’s earnings.

Robert Drago, research director for IWPR, said that taking time off, even a maternity leave, leads to a drop in wages. In addition, anyone who works part-time—as do many women raising young children—also experiences a wage hit. However, even if men took over all childcare duties, there is still a difference—10 percent for white women
—attributable to gender discrimination. He also explained that while new male and female graduates often earn the same at the beginning of their careers, the wage gap grows as they age. Part of the reason, he said, “is the women don’t get promoted at the rates that men do.”

Labor segregation is another contributing factor to earnings differentials between women and men. A report released by IWPR indicated that women earn less across all occupations whether they are female-dominated or male-dominated. However, once a profession becomes feminized, wages drop across the board. A female engineer,
for example, may earn significantly more than a man working in a feminized profession such as elementary school teaching but she earns less relative to her male colleagues.
And the man in teaching still earns more than his female co-workers.

A strategy for women to get ahead, said Drago, is not just college attendance but studyin a non-traditional field for women such as engineering or accounting. However, until the underlying discrimination and factors that lead to unequal pay for female-dominated jobs are addressed, this strategy may only work until the tipping point is reached and the non-traditional profession also becomes feminized.

In addition to massive debt, a wage gap and lower pay in feminized professions, today’s women graduates are coming of age during a recession. Job loss in the early stages of the recession hit men harder but has since shifted, and more women are now being laid off in
large part due to cut backs in the public sector where female workers are concentrated.

New college undergraduates, who were previously sheltered from the recession and are nearly 60 percent women, are having a hard time finding work. A newly released survey by the Heldrich Center at Rutgers found that of 2010 graduates with Bachelor’s degrees, only
56 percent had held at least one job by the spring after graduating, as compared with 90 percent of 2006 and 2007 grads. Of that 56 percent, only half reported that they were actually working in a field that required a college degree.

“The long-term effects are really scary, said Drago, for graduates “saddled with the equivalent of a mortgage. And if they don’t use their college degree fairly quickly they’re going to have a hard time ever using it.”

Columnist Ron Lieber of the New York Times has argued that student loans are following a similar pattern as subprime mortgages and may be the next bubble to pop. Banks have lent too much money to hopeful students who may never earn enough to make high monthly
payments, he wrote. Changes in legislation, which now make it nearly impossible to default on student loans even in bankruptcy, may have contributed to the problem by giving banks the confidence to lend to an otherwise risky age group.

Zarate and Guerra are both facing at least $100,000 in debt in feminized careers, special education and social work, with starting salaries of $35,000 to 40,000. Despite the grim statistics, Guerra is hopeful about making her payments. And under the College Cost
Reduction and Access Act of 2007, social workers, teachers and some health professionals can have their student loans forgiven after ten years of full time work in designated public service areas. In addition, students who borrow starting in 2014 will be able to cap their payments at 10 percent of their income under student loan legislation passed
in 2010. And while Guerra, Zarate and Grover all regret the debt they’ve accumulated, they do not regret the rich personal experiences afforded by their education.

But Pulitzer prize winning economist Paul Krugman made the case that college is no longer the way to build a more equal society or a strong middle class. “What we can’t do is get where we need to go just by giving workers college degrees, which may be no more than tickets
to jobs that don’t exist or don’t pay middle-class wages,” he has written.

The parallel between women’s dominance of higher education and the devaluing of a college degree may be historical coincidence. Or it may point to the pernicious phenomenon of feminization—instead of college allowing women to reach parity with men, women’s success
in college has devalued college itself. In either case, it may be time to develop more powerful strategies so that women can continue to gain economic independence.

written by Kate McCormack

On May 20th my mom, Anna Petrarca, passed away. She hadn’t been well for a very long time. In April she was hospitalized for renal failure and the docs inserted a stint in her urethra and sent her to a rehab center in Greentree Pa., Marion Manor, one of the very best facilities of that kind in the area.
Unfortunately for her and many older folks, she was prescribed Seroquel and Paxil, two very strong antidepressants, so that she wouldn’t be “agitated”. After the procedure to insert the stint, she was disoriented, probably a bit fearful and not too happy about her situation. In order to quiet her, the drugs were prescribed. She became compliant and quiet, the desired effect. I requested repeatedly that she be taken off the drugs; she was becoming zombie like, disoriented, unfocused and very unsteady on her feet. At one point I thought the drugs were discontinued, but they were not. After a family meeting at Marion Manor, I again requested that she be taken off the drugs and finally they did, but slowly, they said it would be dangerous to take her off the drugs, Seroquel specifically, abruptly. It was just a day or so later that she fell, a very violent fall, fracturing bones in the face, a swollen eye, face black and blue, stitches above her eye, broken wrist, brain injury, bruised right side, shoulder, hip, leg, and foot. It took two weeks, but that fall finally killed her.
That was a long two weeks. It was obvious that she couldn’t make it through this last incident. She couldn’t swallow, had to have pureed foods, thickened liquids, she couldn’t stand and was becoming completely dependent. It was difficult to watch the rapid decline.
On Tuesday, May 17, Marion Manor called to say that it was very serious, imminent, they said. So I went to spend as much time as possible with her. My children, my grandchildren went and we talked to her and spent time with her. My daughter in law, Kristy, whose dog Mia was certified as a pet therapy dog, brought Mia to Marion Manor and my mom was visibly excited to see her. That was the last time she showed any emotion. On May 20th, Friday at 5 am, she passed peacefully in her sleep, a blessing for her.
She was cremated, per her wishes, and we had a memorial service for her at my home. A Deacon conducted a service for her; there was lots of good food, thanks to my son and daughter in law and my daughter. My granddaughter made a couple of memorial picture posters and family and friends made the day memorable.
My mom was sick before, but that fall may not have happened if those drugs were not in her system. You may be in that position some day, and if things don’t change for our older citizens, you may find yourself drugged and no one to help.
My mom blossomed later in life, becoming a Vista Volunteer and even being honored at the White House, one of twenty five in the US, for work on a Medicare program in Illinois. She won numerous awards and worked until she was 78. She liked, loved, to talk and would go on and on about her favorite subjects, Medicare especially. She will be missed.
Her Daughter
Anna Marie Petrarca Gire