Sue Scheff: It is Girl Scout Cookie Time! Support the Troops!

Have you received the knock on your door? Have gone to do your grocery shopping and meet by moms and daughters selling Girl Scout cookies? What about your local Walmart? Almost everywhere the average person goes today until February 9th, you won't be able to miss the opportunity to not only buy these cookies we love (and we all have our favorites), you will have a chance to build a child's self- esteem.

It is not so much about the delicious cookies you will receive for your $3.50 a box, it is about making a young girl feel good. It is about contributing to an organization that is constantly working on teaching integrity, respect, responsibility and much more to young girls today.

South Florida Girl Scouts is one of many chapters that participate in many community service hours. They offer many fantastic activities and opportunities to meet new people and give back to your community. Watch video below.

Are you interested in joining, volunteering or finding out more about the Girl Scouts?

Discover - Connect - Take Action - Join now.... Click here for more information.

The Girl Scout Promise:

The Girl Scout Promise is shared by every member of Girl Scouting. The Girl Scout Promise is the way Girl Scouts agree to act every day toward one another and other people.

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
Read more on Examiner and watch PSA.

Sue Scheff: Teen Cyberbullying Investigated (New book just released)

Teen Cyberbullying Investigated
By Judge Tom Jacobs

How do teens know when they might be “one click away from the clink”? In Teen Cyberbullying Investigated, Judge Tom Jacobs presents a powerful collection of landmark court cases involving teens and charges of cyberbullying, which includes: sending insulting or threatening emails, text, or instant messages directly to someone; spreading hateful comments about someone through emails, blogs, or chat rooms; stealing passwords and sending out threatening messages using a false identity; and building a Web site to target specific people.

Each chapter features the seminal case and resulting decision, asks readers whether they agree with the decision, and urges them to think about how the decision affects their lives. Chapters also include related cases, important facts and statistics, and suggestions for further reading. With an ever-increasing number of serious cases of cyberbullying and school violence, this book is needed more urgently than ever.


Order on Amazon today.

Sue Scheff: Money Savvy Generation

Money Savvy Generation develops innovative products to help parents, educators and others teach kids the skills of basic personal finance. We strive to empower kids to take control of their financial lives and, in turn, their futures.

Leading the way in all categories:

•We sell more 4-chambered savings banks (pigs, cows and footballs) than anyone else in the world.
•Our scripted curriculum format is preferred by elementary and middle-school teachers.
•We have more personal finance content (curriculum, activity books, seminars, television programming, songs and other products) for elementary school children than anyone else.
•Our personal finance products for children have won numerous awards from educators, the press and trusted third party organizations that rate children's products.
•We have more published studies demonstrating the effectiveness of our curriculum than all other competitors combined.
•We are the first and only company with personal finance podcasts aimed at helping parents teach their kids about money.
•We are the first and only company with a discussion forum to help parents and educators share best practices about helping kids get smart about money.

Learn more at http://www.msgen.com/.

Sue Scheff: Finance for Kidz Book Series

Finance for Kidz
20 part series by Prakash L. Dheeriya, PhD.

This book has been written so that it is read aloud to kids like a story book. All stories in this series Finance for Kidz revolve around a family consisting of a dad (Mr. Zrugal), a mom (Mrs. Zrugal), their kids (Zulia, Zyler & Zimmy) and their kids friend (Joey), and how they deal with some financial aspect of their life. Zulia learns about starting her business of baking and selling cookies, after she finds that a neighborhood girl has been selling lemonade at the street corner. Zulia also learns that one can also sell services to make money.

Find our more on http://www.finance4kidz.com/ .

Sue Scheff: Online Privacy: Your Reputation is ON the Line - Event on January 28th

On January 28th, Canada, United States and the European Union will celebrate Data Privacy Day to educate consumers about protecting their online privacy. Today, people of all ages and backgrounds are sharing more of their lives online through social networks, micro-blogging, photo sharing and other online services. With people living more of their lives online, it’s important that they are aware and in control of the information they share.


If you are able to attend, this will be a very informative event with a strong cast of experts speaking out about how to empower consumers to take control of their online reputations.

*Featuring*


Michael Fertik, Chief Executive Officer, Reputation Defender

January 28th 2010

10:00am – 1:00pm

Lunch will be provided

Newseum

Knight Conference Center

555 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest

Washington, DC 20001

Opening Remarks (10:00am)

Jules Polonetsky, Co-chair and Director, Future of Privacy Forum

Remarks by (10:30am)

Brendon Lynch, Senior Director, Privacy Strategy, Trustworthy Computing Group Microsoft Corp

Panel discussion (11:00am)

Nat Wood, Assistant Director, Consumer & Business Education, Bureau of Consumer Protection

Federal Trade Commission

Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies, The CATO Institute

Marsali Hancock, President, iKeepSafe

Keynote Presentation (12:00pm)

Michael Fertik, Chief Executive Officer, Reputation Defender

Please RSVP to jan28event@futureofprivacy.org

Provided food and beverage compliant with Congressional Ethics and Gift Rules, Executive Branch Officials should consult their Executive Branch ethics rules

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) is a Washington, DC based think tank that seeks to advance responsible data practices. The forum is led by Internet privacy experts Jules Polonetsky and Christopher Wolf and includes an advisory board comprised of leading figures from industry, academia, law and advocacy groups. FPF was launched in November 2008, and is supported by AOL, AT&T, The Better Advertising Project, Deloitte, eBay, Facebook, Intel, Lockeed Martin, Microsoft, The Nielsen Company, Verizon and Yahoo.

Sue Scheff: Girl World Tour 2010

Moms & daughters (ages 8-14) are invited to join Rosalind Wiseman, an internationally-recognized author, mom and expert on teens & parenting for a fun-filled evening of mother-daughter bonding.


In addition to celebrating Rosalind's latest books, the tour will feature an interactive discussion about confidence, friendships, sweat-inducing moments and common mother-daughter challenges. A Q&A session and book signing will follow. The two-hour event is sure to get mothers and daughters talking, laughing and connecting.

Girl World Tour 2010 is kicking off in St. Louis, MO. Sponsors include Dove and Family Circle. Check out the event details as well as the list of cities Rosalind will be appearing in. Please check back often as new cities are added and additional information becomes available! Contact Emily Bartek with any questions at 202-545-0633.

Watch video and slideshow.  Also on Examiner.

Being an educated parent is being a prepared parent and that equals safer and healthier teens!

Sue Scheff: Frog Or Prince? The Smart Girl's Guide To Boyfriends

Frog Or Prince? The Smart Girl's Guide To Boyfriends
By Kaycee Jane

The frog and the prince in the title of the book are metaphors for either a healthy relationship experience or its opposite. Healthy relationship criteria will help you make better choices--for example, choosing who your boyfriend is, and whether to stay in a relationship or to exit. They'll help you figure out other important stuff like whether or not your boyfriend loves you and if jealousy is a sign that he does. And they'll help you deal with things that come up in relationships, such as a boyfriend not making enough time for you, flirting with other girls, cheating on you, or breaking up with you.


Every girl dreams of living happily ever after with her Prince-- but how do you tell a Prince from a Frog? This book follows Natalie, Meghan, Ella and Elizabeth through their relationships, as they gain the skills to determine if the guy they're with is the right guy for them. Or as one reviewer put it "it is an opportunity for the reader to identify with one or all of the four girls--Natalie, Meghan, Elizabeth and Ella--who each discover who they are or who they become when they are with their guy."

Order on Amazon.

Or visit the author's website at http://www.frogorprince.ca/

Sue Scheff: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

December 6, 1973, the day Susie Salmon was murdered.

On her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. - Amazon.com

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, is an amazing novel that recently came to the big screen. Although the story is depressing, it is a reminder of how parenting has changed dramatically since the 70's. Parenting in the respect of our kids having the freedom to roam neighborhoods and simply walk home from school by themselves. Today we are all too aware of educating our kids about "stranger danger" and we are more protective than generations prior.

Does this mean that our parents were not as diligent as parents are today? No, not exactly, it only means we have become more aware of the dangers that can lurk in our neighborhoods or at a local park.

Teach your children about stranger danger. Teach your kids how to talk to strangers since it is inevitable they will at one time or another.

Sex offenders watch lists:

Family Watch Dog - Awareness is your best defense
Map Sex Offenders - Nationwide sex offender mapping
United States Department of Justice - National Sex Offender website

Be an educated parent, you will have safer children.

Watch video:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - A Novel and film that reminds parents to know their neighbors.

Sue Scheff: Inside Out - Real Stories about the Inner Choices

Inside Out: Real Stories about the Inner Choices that Shape Our Lives

By Chandler DeWitt

Building character matters! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the decisions kids make during their middle and high school years have more impact on when and how they die than the decisions they will make at any other time in their lives. It’s during the teen years that lifelong patterns of behavior develop: the first independent decisions about tobacco, drugs, alcohol, sex, and even exercise and eating.


What are teens thinking? What impacts their choices? Here's a character education book written by a teen for teens – to get the conversation started at school and at home. Read real stories of everyday dilemmas and decisions that build or destroy character. Chapters are correlated to nationally-recognized character education words and include self-reflection questions and journaling activities. A stand-alone text or companion piece to Connect with Kids DVDs.

Sue Scheff: Florida Quitline - Quit Smoking Today

The Florida Quitline: A helping hand when you need it the most.

Each year, thousands of Floridians quit using tobacco. Many more try, but fail. The Florida Quitline was established to help those with a desire to free themselves from cigarettes, smokeless and all other forms of tobacco to successfully reach their goal, and offers all of its services free of charge in both English and Spanish.

Here's how it works:

1. With a single, toll-free call to 1-877-U-CAN-NOW, you can schedule an appointment with one of the Quitline's trained counselors.
2. At an approximate time of your choosing, one of these skilled professionals will call you back to work with you one on one. Together, you'll develop a plan to finally rid yourself of tobacco for good.
3. Our tobacco specialists will be there for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support you, offer tips and provide any information you may need.

If you're ready to Be Free, call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW today and join other Floridians in living a happier, healthier life. If you know others who need help, click the link below to send them an email message encouraging them to call the Quitline today.

Visit http://www.floridaquitline.com/ to learn more.

Sue Scheff: Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials

Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials
by Rosalind Wiseman

Looking for a new beginning after a terrible mean girl past, Charlie Healey realizes there’s no escaping high school drama.


Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life. Middle school was brutal. But high school is Charlie’s big chance to start over and stay out of drama, except that on her first day she runs into Will, her ex–best friend, who had moved away. Now a varsity athlete and hotter than Charlie remembered, Will hangs with the crowd running the school. But Charlie doesn’t understand their power until an innocent delivery guy falls victim to a near-deadly hazing prank.

Torn between doing what’s right and her secret feelings for Will, Charlie must decide whether to turn in her very best friend or live with the guilt of knowing what he did.

Rosalind Wiseman’s first novel for young adults is a fresh, funny, and juicy read about friendship, betrayal, and how far some will go to be accepted.

Order on Amazon today!

Sue Scheff: Protecting the Gift -Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)

By Gavin De Becker

Be warned: In many ways this is a terrifying book. It deals with a subject--violence against children--that most of us never want to consider. But, as Gavin de Becker stresses, such situations, though rare, can occur, so all parents must deal with the facts in order to protect their children properly. De Becker's aim is to create awareness of potential dangers and provide parents with the knowledge necessary for prevention and control. As he emphatically states in Protecting the Gift, much of this knowledge is already hard-wired in the form of intuition: "This natural ability is deep, brilliant, powerful. Nature's greatest accomplishment, the human brain, is stunningly efficient when its host is at risk, but when one's child is at risk, it moves to a whole new level, one we can justifiably call miraculous." The trick, he stresses, is trusting and acting on intuition.

Be an educated parent, you will have safer children.

Order today on Amazon.

Sue Scheff: School Safety Partners

School Safety Partners is dedicated to creating long-term funding partnerships to support school safety best practices.
We are both a community of interest and a facilitator of joint research projects, reaching out to the general public as well as stakeholders in the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors. Our purpose is to create a space for stakeholders where true partnering can occur in order to make school safety sustainable beyond Federal funding.

Since our start in January, 2008, our projects have addressed the legislative, training, compliance, funding, and public awareness sides of school safety. Learn more: http://www.schoolsafetypartners.org/

School Safety TV invites champions to reach out worldwide learn how you can participate.

Sue Scheff: Social Networking Safety - Join for free today

If you are a parent of any child in today's virtual world, you need to be educated beyond your children "technically." You can employ as many safety gadgets and privacy tools on your computer system and your child's cell phones, but unless you are teaching your kids about the danger that lurks online, you are not 100% protected!

Yoursphere has taken steps to create a safe space for your kids today. Mary Kay Hoal, founder of Yoursphere, also recognizes that education is second to none when it comes to keeping our kids safe online. This is why she recently created Social Networking Safety group on Facebook and plans to expand into LinkedIn.

Are you interested in finding out more ways to keep your kids safe in cyberspace? Advice about protecting your children against Internet Predators? How to talk to your kids about the importance of keeping it clean online? Teaching them about what goes online - stays online, not to mention can go viral. Your first choice college may only be a dream if you are not proactive with your virtual presence. What are the boundaries for befriending teachers?

Join Social Networking Safety today and stay in tune with the latest information on keeping your family safe in space. It's free, informational and educational!

Be an educated parent, you will have safer kids!

Also on Examiner.

Sue Scheff: I Care I Cure - Bring awareness to a gentler cure for childhood cancer

The I Care I Cure Foundation supports the development of, and raises public awareness about, cutting-edge, targeted therapies for childhood cancer, so that the treatment of childhood cancer will be gentler and more tolerable.

We want to challenge the public's acceptance that treatment for childhood cancer requires painful and embarrassing side-effects and life-long health disabilities, isolation from friends and family, and short and long-term psychological devastation. By educating the public about scientific breakthroughs in genetic childhood cancer research that are within reach but seriously underfunded, we can quickly raise money to fund research grants and provide seed money to researchers for new studies.

By seeing how close we are to more humane treatment for childhood cancer, we know the public will demand better treatments, NOW.

One more child's life that is lost to cancer is one too many!

Visit http://www.icareicure.org/index.php to learn more.

Sue Scheff: Becca' Closet - Teens helping Teens

Prom season is around the corner! What that means is the teenage girls will be in search for that perfect dress, shoes, accessories, and of course those nails and hair design to meet the times.

What about those that are less fortunate? Especially with a difficult economic season, many parents may not be able to give their teenage girls the little extras that can help a teen feel good about themselves, or even allow them to attend a prom.

On August 20th, 2003 our community suffered a loss of a beautiful, inspirational, young 16 year-old, Rebecca Kirtman, in a tragic car accident. Her family and friends continue Becca's love, generosity and passion to give back to her community. Becca's Closet lives on.

It's just a dress...but it's so much more!

In the Spring of her Freshman year at Nova High School in Davie, Florida, Rebecca launched a dress drive to provide prom dresses and accessories to high school girls who could not afford to purchase them. Rebecca was a passionate, bright, fun-loving young woman who loved being with her friends and felt that no one should miss a high school event because they couldn't afford to be there. She saw the inequity in the situation and sought to change things. During the Spring of her sophomore year, Becca single-handedly collected and donated over 250 formal dresses and helped hundreds of girls across South Florida attend their High School proms in style.


To keep Becca's dream alive, countless dedicated people throughout the world have joined with her family and friends to provide opportunities for those who seek them. Our volunteers work toward a common goal initiated by Becca.

Since the inception of this wonderful mission, Becca's Closet has expanded into educational scholarships to recognize the exemplary efforts of young men and women who demonstrate Becca's spirit of generosity in their own communities.

Start a trend in 2010 - learn how you can give back to your community. Do you have a dress you can donate? Or do you know someone in need? Click here. Even if you are not in Florida, there may be a local chapter near you. Becca's Closet is a member of Donate My Dress Network.

Help put a smile on a less fortunate teen girl that may not be able to attend their prom.....

Also on Examiner with a video.

Sue Scheff: MAGGIE The Dog Who Changed My Life, by Dawn Kairns

MAGGIE - the dog who changed my life... by Dawn Kairns


A Story of Love

Once in every dog lover's life, if you're lucky, that special once-in-a-lifetime dog comes along. You know this relationship is golden, a gift from the spirit world. You have found a soul mate. Animal and human spirits are inextricably intertwined, and you know there will never be another dog that comes close to the presence of this one and the bond that you share. For me, Maggie is that dog.

You know it when it happens. You think a thought and your dog responds. She knows what you're asking of her, even though you never trained her to do it. You recognize that your communication is beyond words, beyond training. How do you explain it? You peer into her eyes and know you are looking into the depths of a loving, advanced soul. You may wonder, as I did, who are you in there?

When Maggie and I are out hiking, running errands, or just hanging out being "girlfriends," I meet several people who have loved and lost such powerful relationships with their canine companions. They recognize that magic between Maggie and me, for once you experience it with your dog, you can't miss it when it appears before you. I see the longing in their eyes, the painful missing, and the ache of irreplaceable loss.

Read more at http://www.dawnkairns.com/ and order on Amazon today.

Sue Scheff: Pencil Bugs

What is a Pencil Bug?

A Pencil Bug at the end of your pencil will make homework, drawing, grading papers or even doing office work just a little more fun. No two will ever be exactly the same because they're individually handmade and as unique as we are.


Take the time to read a complete interview on this 14 year-old entrepeneur, Jason O'Neill, who created Pencil Bugs and has expanded in many more directions.  He also participates in philanthropy at his young age, and has fundraisers to help needy children.  Read more here.  You will also see his TV Interview and Radio spot, as well as lots of pictures! 
 
Follow Jason on Twitter @PencilBugs