If you own a butcher block for your knives…take note of what direction they face…sideways is fine, but if they face down the blade is dulled each time it goes in and out…turn the blade up for greater longevity of your knives…you’ll be happy you did.
Country Club Market
www.countryclubmkt.com
This summer, they’re working side by side.
Why the Y? “I like how much the Y gives back to the community,” said Erika. Clarissa added, “I enjoy knowing that I’m helping children learn about Y values and other important things.” Miranda shared, “Every day is a new adventure. There are so many unique personalities in the kids in our program. It’s fun to be around them and teach them values they will use someday. I will definitely use this leadership experience in my future profession someday, as well.”
Erika said she feels the Y creates a healthy and supportive environment for their staff, as well. “I love Gretchen [Stanger, Program Director] and Cyndi [Doerr, Waukee Elementary Site Supervisor]. If I ever need something, or want to talk, they always respond. The connections you form at camp, with not only the kids, but also the staff, are special.”
“I’ve really been impressed as I’ve seen this family interact in our community, not just the Y,” said Eric Kress, Executive Director. “I also have personally witnessed their impact through my 7-year-old daughter. One day on the way home from after-school programming, my daughter shared that she and Miss Erika were not just friends, but great friends, because Miss Erika always talked to her and called her by name. It meant a lot to me, as a father, to hear about relationships like that being formed.”
All three Hunzeker siblings are or will be Waukee High School alumni—Clarissa in 2012, Miranda in 2014, and Erika in 2016. Clarissa is starting her first year of pharmacy school at Creighton University. Miranda just finished her first year at Graceland University and is pursuing a career in pediatric nursing. Erika anticipates studying psychology and human resources at Creighton.
This summer’s Y Day Camp programming focuses on relationships, belonging, and achievement. The program is specifically concentrating on achievement through water safety, sports, and exercise by using the Waukee YMCA facility and its staff leadership.
To learn more about Y Day Camp, child care, or any of the Y’s other youth program opportunities and services, visit the Y or its website, www.dmymca.org.
If you’re interested in working at the Y, you can browse current job vacancies at www.dmymcajobs.org.
Lightning strikes are arbitrary and random. Lightning has been recorded traveling 40 miles from cloud sources, causing injuries and deaths.
Workers on the job account for a significant portion of the total number of people struck by lightning. Roofers, construction workers, road crews, pipe fitters, and farm workers are at especially high risk because they spend much of their time standing on open ground or a roof—prime targets for lightning trying to make its way to the ground. For this reason, every work site should have a plan in place to help keep outdoor workers safe in case of a storm.
Monitor Weather Conditions
Check the weather forecast daily and keep tabs on any developing storms that pose a risk of severe weather. You can go low-tech with a portable weather radio, or choose from a variety of apps for your mobile device that display up-to-the-minute conditions and radar.
Know When to Take Shelter
All employees should understand the lightning safety plans for their specific work sites, including the shelters that are available to them. If you can see lightning or hear thunder, you are within range of a possible lightning strike. When workers hear thunder, they should immediately begin moving to a safe shelter and stay there for at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder is heard. The key is to get to shelter before the lightning threat becomes significant.
Choose a Safe Shelter
A fully enclosed building is the best choice for lightning protection. If no permanent structures are available, a hard-topped, enclosed vehicle is also acceptable. Open structures (like picnic shelters) and open vehicles (such as golf carts) do not provide any lightning protection, and ordinary wood buildings do not provide adequate protection.
NATIONAL FIREWORKS SAFETY MONTH
Fireworks are an integral part of many summer celebrations. As entertaining as they are, they can also be dangerous. In fact, during the 30-day period around Independence Day, an average of 240 people visit emergency rooms every day as a result of fireworks-related injuries. Children under the age of 15 are especially at risk, accounting for some 30 percent of all injuries.
To protect yourself and your family from injuries related to fireworks, it’s best to attend only authorized public displays.
Last year was a record-setting year for the auto industry—and not in a good way. In 2014, automakers issued more than 800 recalls, affecting nearly 64 million vehicles. Many recalls are related to known safety issues, so please take recall notices seriously and take your car in for the necessary service. A minor fix could make a major difference in your vehicle’s safety or performance.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains a current database of auto recalls. To learn if your vehicle has been recalled, simply enter the vehicle’s year, make, and model in the selection boxes at http://wwwodi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues to view the search results.
You can also search using your 17-digit Vehicle Information Number. VIN plates are attached to the dashboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle and visible through the windshield. The VIN is also printed on a sticker inside the driver’s side door or doorframe.
What to do if you receive a recall notice
In the event of a recall, vehicle owners will receive a notice in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer or the dealer where the vehicle was purchased. Oftentimes, the official notice comes a few weeks or months after the recall was issued, so that the manufacturer has time to notify its dealers of recall procedures and ensure the availability of repair parts. The notice will provide you with recall specifics and instructions to schedule your vehicle for service. Typically, you will need to take your car to a dealership and there is no charge for the recall service.
Save repair receipts
If you have a possible defect repaired, but your vehicle hasn’t been recalled, be sure to save your receipt and other service documents. If the vehicle is later recalled for that specific problem, you may be eligible for a reimbursement for repair expenses from the automaker.
Learn more about recalls
For more information about the recall process and your rights and responsibilities as a vehicle owner, refer to the NHTSA publication Motor Vehicle Defects and Safety Recalls: What Every Vehicle Owner Should Know. You can find a copy online at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/documents/MVDefectsandRecalls.pdf.
Remember, if your vehicle is recalled, you should have the necessary repairs performed as quickly as possible, as failure to act can leave you and others unnecessarily vulnerable to a known safety risk.
What Graham understood—and what modern research is catching up to—is the idea that we all have emotions and biases that affect our decision making. The innate wiring built to survive pre-modern times can be counterproductive in our modern world, especially when it comes to investing.
Let’s look at a few of the human emotions and biases that can adversely impact sound investment decision making.
Fear and Greed: These are the two of the most powerful emotions that move investors and investment markets. Each emotion clouds our capability for rational and dispassionate decision making. They are the emotions that lead us to believe that prices may continue to rise (think tulip price bubble of 1636) or that everything has gone so wrong that prices may not recover (think credit crisis of 2008-2009).
Some investors have found ways to conquer these emotions and to be brave when everyone else is fearful, and to resist the temptations of a too-exuberant market.
Overconfidence: Peter Bernstein, a noted economic historian, argued that the riskiest moment may be when we feel we are right. It is at that precise moment that we tend to disregard all information that may conflict with our beliefs, setting ourselves up for investment surprise.
Selective Memory: Human nature is such that we tend to recast history in the manner that emphasizes our successes and downplays our failures. As a result, we may not benefit from the valuable lessons failure can teach. Indeed, failure may be your most valuable investment.
Prediction Fallacy: Humans have an innate desire to recognize patterns and apply these patterns to predicting the future. We erroneously believe that because “A” occurred and “B” happened, that if “A” happens again, we can profit by anticipating “B” will repeat. Market history is littered with examples of “rules of thumb” that worked—until they no longer worked.
Financial markets are complex and unpredictable. Our endeavors to tap their opportunities to pursue our financial goals are best realized when we don’t burden the enterprise by blindness to the inherent behavioral obstacles we all share.
As a business owner, family man, and mechanic, I have found that trust is the key to customer satisfaction when it comes to auto repairs—not cheap prices, fast service, or fancy facilities.
Wherever you go for auto repair services, ask for these trust-building basics:
Using a trustworthy shop is the best way to minimize the stress and costs involved in auto repairs. Try these tips with your current shop, or stop in to Willard Garage to see these principles in action.
Consider these startling statistics:
The YMCA has a unique opportunity to help with this social need.
What can you do as a parent? Take the family pledge when using pools.
FAMILY PLEDGE
YMCA swim lessons are available year-round. Swim lessons are offered to children beginning at 6 months of age through Waterbabies parent/child lessons. Small group lessons begin at age 3. The Waukee Family YMCA offers a progressive aquatics program that works to help meet the needs of everyone—from both children and adults learning to swim, to advanced-level swimmers pursuing competitive goals.
To register for Y swim lessons, visit www.dmymca.org or visit the Y. YMCAs also offer safe, year-round environments for open swimming and lap swimming. Join the Y, and receive free open swim benefits, as well as early registration dates and reduced program fees for swim lessons.
Close to half of identity theft cases are the result of a lost or stolen wallet, checkbook, credit card, or other physical document, but online shopping can also pose a security risk.
Victims of identity theft are often left with lower credit scores and spend months or even years getting credit records corrected. They frequently have difficulty getting credit, obtaining loans, and even finding employment. Victims of identity theft fraud often travel a long and frustrating road to recovery; depending on the severity of the identity theft fraud damage, the recovery process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years.
Most homeowners’ and renters’ policies provide coverage for theft of money or credit cards; however, the amount of coverage is limited (usually $200 in cash and $50 on credit cards). Once you have reported the loss or theft of your credit card to the issuing company, you are responsible for only $50 of unauthorized use.
Some companies now include coverage for identity theft as part of their homeowners’ insurance policy. Check your policy to find out. Others sell it as either a stand-alone policy or as an endorsement to a homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policy which can run about $25-$50 annually.
Identity theft insurance provides reimbursement to crime victims for the cost of restoring their identity and repairing credit reports. It generally covers expenses such as phone bills, lost wages, notary, and certified mailing costs, and sometimes attorney fees (with the prior consent of the insurer). Some companies also offer restoration or resolution services that will guide you through the process of recovering your identity.
Use of stolen credit card numbers is among the most common forms of identity theft, but some schemes use electronic means, including online scams like ‘phishing,’ in which thieves use email inquiries purporting to be from financial or other online organizations, to obtain sensitive account information. Others might use more old-fashioned methods, such as ‘dumpster diving’—rooting around in people’s garbage to collect financial information.
Many credit card companies are now using radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips in their credit cards instead of magnetic stripes. The advantage is quicker, more efficient transactions—especially those carried out at traditionally cash-only retail outlets, such as fast-food restaurants or convenience stores. However, in some cases, radio frequency identification may make it possible for identity thieves to use a simple electronic device to capture the information. The scariest part is that it can happen right in your presence, without your even knowing it.
Source: Independent Insurance Agents of Nebraska
www.insproins.com
You can check your posture yourself. Take two photos of yourself, capturing your entire standing body—one shot from the front, and one from the side. When looking at the front-facing photo, check whether your eyes are level, as well as your ears and hips. When looking at the photo taken of yourself from the side, check that your ear canal is directly over the middle of your shoulder, which should be directly over the middle of your hip, which should be directly over the bump on the outside of your ankle.
Abnormal posture is one of the most commonly undiagnosed problems. Based on today’s fast-paced, yet sedentary, lifestyle, it can be difficult to maintain proper posture. Habits that form early on while watching television, learning to drive, using a computer, or even playing video games can have long-lasting negative effects on your posture.
Fortunately, posture can always be improved, and can often be corrected. Most postural abnormalities involve a group of muscles that are too tight and a group of opposing muscles that are too stretched. A number of chiropractors, physical therapists, and other doctors are trained in recognizing and correcting these patterns. Ask your doctor about specific stretches and strengthening activities that can help you improve your posture.
“A financial goal can be very motivating,” said Sara Larson, Vice President and Branch Manager at American Trust. “Whether you’re saving for a family vacation, a down payment for a house, or a new car, if you stick to a plan, you’re likely to achieve your goal.”
Putting together a household budget requires time and effort. American Trust offers the following steps to help you get started:
A community pillar since 1911, American Trust has continuously strengthened its products and services while maintaining the integrity and commitment that can only be found in a community bank.