Back-to-school shopping is in full swing—but it’s also a time for scammers to peddle potentially harmful fake-goods. That’s why the “U-S Chamber of Commerce”, “U-S Customs and Border Protection”, and “Amazon” are getting the word out to warn Americans about the risks that counterfeit goods pose—and how to avoid them. Tom Quaadman is the executive vice-president at the “U-S Chamber’s ‘Global Innovation Policy Center’”…

"These fakes include back-to-school essentials like backpacks, electronics, hand-sanitizer, study-supplies, and apparel. Opting for a knock-off might seem like a budget-friendly choice—but it comes with risks. Fake goods often break down, don’t meet safety-standards, and can cost consumers double in the long run. While criminals lure shoppers with promises of low prices, counterfeit goods don’t make the grade. So, business and law-enforcement are coming together to urge everyone to protect themselves—and each other.”

For this year’s “Five Tips to Shop Smart” and more information, visit “u-s-chamber”-dot-com-slash-“shop-smart”.

Millions of Americans can’t afford comprehensive dental-care. Yet, good oral-health can lessen the risk of disease, such as heart-disease and diabetes; it can even improve life-expectancy. That’s why “Dental Lifeline Network” is asking dentists and their teams—throughout both New Jersey and Pennsylvania—to volunteer for their “Donated Dental Services”-program. Doctor Mark Vitale [“vy-tal-ee”] is a dentist in Edison…

“Both New Jersey and Pennsylvania rank in the bottom third of all states, when it comes to dental care and habits. And, hundreds of people are already on waiting-lists for our ‘Donated Dental Services’-program locally; that number will likely grow, as millions of adults who are enrolled in Medicaid will lose their dental coverage, due to the end of the ‘COVID-19’ public-health emergency. If each dentist can see just one of the people on our waiting-lists, it’d make a huge difference.”

To learn more about volunteering—or to see if you qualify for care—visit “dental-lifeline”-dot-org.

(These three soundbites are from Charles Farmer, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s vice president of research and statistical services. For more about the study, visit iihs.org.)

“Since 1989, we’ve calculated driver death-rates by make and model—offering another way for consumers to understand the relative risk of dying in different vehicles. And this year, for the first time, we’ve also identified best and worst models according to the number of drivers in other vehicles that they killed in crashes. A total of nine models are among both the vehicles with the lowest driver and the lowest other-driver death-rates—and seven of those are luxury vehicles. The rates include only driver-deaths because all vehicles on the road have drivers, but not all of them have other passengers—or the same number of passengers.” (:45)

“American muscle-cars, small cars, and mini cars rank among the deadliest for their drivers: Six of the 20 vehicles with the highest driver death-rates for the 2020 model-year are variants of either the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Charger, the Dodge Challenger, or the Ford Mustang—while many others are small or mini cars. Meanwhile, many of the vehicles with the lowest driver death-rates are minivans or S-U-V’s—and quite a few are luxury vehicles.” (:33)

“When it comes to the best and worst models according to the number of drivers in other vehicles that they killed in crashes, the story of big and small is partially reversed—illustrating the danger that large, powerful vehicles pose to other road-users: Seven of the 20 vehicles with the highest other-driver death-rates are large or very large pickups, while an additional four are midsize S-U-V’s—categories that aren’t represented among the models with the worst track-record for protecting their own drivers.” (:36)

Floridians who are blind or visually impaired can get help finding a career, or advancing in the workforce—thanks to the “Florida Division of Blind Services”, within the “Department of Education”. Robert Doyle is its director…

“We offer customized services to ensure that blind or visually impaired Floridians can achieve success—both personally and professionally. These services often include: job-placement and -retention; on-the-job training; assistive technology; and career-counseling and -guidance. We even offer training for independent-living skills. With locations throughout the state, we’re ready to help fulfill the employment-needs of all blind or visually impaired Floridians.”

To learn more and connect with a team-member, visit “blind-jobs-f-l”-dot-com; again, that’s “blind-jobs-f-l”-dot-com.

Adult-education programs unlock the door to new opportunities, to a new job, to financial independence, and so much more. Adult-education courses help you with reading-, writing-, math-, and English-language-skills. This summer, the “Florida Department of Education” is reminding Floridians about the programs offered year-round in your community. Bureau-chief of adult- and career-education, Doctor Ashley Yopp…

“Here in Florida, we offer adult-education programs designed to meet your needs: We make getting your high-school diploma simple; adult-education offers classes that fit your schedule, all while learning at your own pace. If you’re interested in learning or improving your English, we also offer courses to help improve your listening-, speaking-, reading-, and writing-skills; classes are offered at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. So, if you want to improve your English—or earn a high-school diploma—we are here to help you get there—your way.”

Visit “adult-education-f-l”-dot-com to find a program near you.

Volunteers with “A-A-R-P New Mexico” were recently joined by Attorney-General Raúl Torrez in a so-called “reverse boiler-room”—taking the common tactic of cold-calling, and reversing it to proactively give tips on how to spot and avoid scams. The group’s Beth Velasquez explains why the event was held…

“Last year, New Mexicans lost over 38-million dollars to fraud—with an average loss of 700 dollars, per incident. And, the most-common scam in the state is the ‘imposter scam’—where someone pretends to be someone else to get your personal information. While there are some things that can be done to lessen the number of calls, they can never be fully stopped. So, our goal with the ‘reverse boiler-room’ was to arm residents with tools to help them remain safe from predators who want to access their information and assets. We’re very excited that the Attorney-General joined us in helping protect New Mexicans.”

To learn more or get help, Velasquez urges residents to call A-A-R-P’s “Fraud-Watch Network”, at 1-877-908-3360—or the Attorney-General’s Office, at 1-844-255-9210.

The vast majority of Michigan’s small-business owners want more done to support workers saving for retirement. That’s according to a new survey on behalf of “A-A-R-P Michigan”. The group’s Melissa Seifert [“sy-fert”] explains…

“More than 40-percent of Michigan’s private-sector employees do not have access to a retirement-savings plan at work. These are workers at all levels of earnings, education, and backgrounds. Working together with our state-lawmakers and small businesses, we can fix that—by creating a new retirement-savings option for Michigan-workers. It’s a win for workers, and a win for businesses—and a win for our state.”

One Michigan-business owner who supports the creation of a public-private retirement-savings option is Kari Vanderheuel—who runs both a restaurant and a coffee-shop in Alcona County…

“My business is young and growing, but the turnover can be high. So, anything to entice people to stay longer—while helping them save for the future—is something [that] I support. I tend to employ younger people, and I wish [that] I could offer them something to help save for their future; if there was a program that was free and easy to implement, I would definitely be interested.”

To learn more, visit “a-a-r-p”-dot-org-slash-“m-i”.

Each year, the “Division of Vocational Rehabilitation” within the “Florida Department of Education” helps more than five-thousand people find gainful employment. Brent McNeal is the division’s director…

“Our main mission is to help Floridians with disabilities find and maintain employment—while also enhancing their independence. This, in turn, benefits families, communities, and Florida’s overall economy. The services provided to businesses help them recruit and retain qualified individuals with disabilities: Pre-screening talent to determine qualifications, answering questions about accommodations to create an accessible workplace, and on-the-job training are just a few of the services available. We stand ready to provide Florida-businesses with customized support—so they can find their next great hire.”

To learn more about the “Division of Vocational Rehabilitation”, visit “expand-your-workforce-f-l”-dot-com; that’s “expand-your-workforce-f-l”-dot-com.

Big changes in “small-cell lung-cancer” give patients options they never had before. “Small-cell lung-cancer” is the deadliest of all the types of lung-cancer; lung-cancer kills more people than breast-, prostate-, and colon-cancer, combined. The good news? Because of research, there are more targeted and personalized treatments. “Small-cell lung-cancer” is different from the most-common form of lung-cancer, “non-small-cell lung-cancer”; it’s more aggressive, and is commonly linked with smokers. But, there is hope—with many new therapies in the pipeline. Doctor Triparna Sen—of “Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai”—is on the frontlines…

“Do we have targets? Yes, we do have targets. Do they look promising? Yes, they do look promising. It will not be ‘one size fits all’.”

Patients who have finished their initial treatment now have new options, and should talk to their doctor about the latest clinical-trials—where they can receive tomorrow’s treatment, today. You can find out about the latest research from “Lung-Cancer Foundation of America”, at “l-c-f-america”-dot-org.

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“If you’d like to improve the quality-of-life for residents of all ages, ‘A-A-R-P Mississippi’ urges you to volunteer. Through advocacy, outreach, a speakers-bureau, a phone-team, events, and service, you can share your wisdom; benefit from training and education; enjoy challenges; meet new people; and know that you’re making a difference. To learn more, visit ‘a-a-r-p’-dot-org-slash-‘m-s’—or call 1-866-554-5382.”

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“Are you looking for ways to get involved in your community? ‘A-A-R-P Mississippi’ has opportunities for everyone—whether you like to volunteer with others, or work independently. You can volunteer at your own pace—on projects that you’re passionate about. It’s a way to make an impact in your community—while also making lifelong friends. To learn more, visit ‘a-a-r-p’-dot-org-slash-‘m-s’—or call 1-866-554-5382.”