How Do I Stop Telemarketers from Calling Me?

July 26, 2016

Dear Cathy:

I am a homemaker and the mother of three young children who need to take naps during the day time and go to bed early at night. I have a hard time putting them down to nap because of phone calls from telemarketers.

My husband and I text each other so that he doesn’t wake up the children, so how can I stop telemarketers from disturbing my entire family? The calls continues up until 9:00 p.m. at night so this really frustrates us. Frustrated, Illinois

Dear Frustrated:

Yes this can be very frustrating especially for people who are not phone people. The USA.gov Consumer Action Handbook includes a number you can call to restrict telemarketing calls permanently by registering your phone number. It is 888-382-1222. This can also be done online at www.donotcall.gov.

If you receive telemarketing calls after your number has been in the national registry for 31 days, you can file a complaint using the same web page and toll-free number.

This will cut back on some of the calls you receive, but not all of them. Political organizations, charities and telephone surveyors with which you have a relationship can still get through. However, if you still find yourself being inundated, contact your phone provider and inquire about call-blocking 800 numbers. Good luck!

Would It Be A Good Idea To Form A Criminal Justice Coalition?

July 25, 2016

Dear Cathy:

I live in Missouri and the cops racial profile illegally all the time. Would it be a good idea to form a Criminal Justice Coalition? Lost in Missouri

Dear Lost in Missouri:

An organization is made up of a group of individuals. An organization is only as good as its people. Organizations can come together to form strong coalitions. 

Forming a Criminal Justice Coalition is just like any other coalition. It’s the coming together of groups who is already taking on criminal justice issues under one umbrella.

Coalitions are a union into one body or mass. A coalition is made up of several organizations and we are “strength in numbers.”

Criminal Justice Coalitions are extremely necessary and they can merge with others for a common cause. In order to monitor the practices of police, we need to set up Criminal Justice Coalitions.

One of the most basic principles of community policing is that the community takes responsibility for working with law enforcement to reduce crime.

If the community believes that law enforcement is unfairly targeting certain people, then there will be little communication between the two groups.

This breakdown of communication results in an “us against them” atmosphere, and there can be little hope that law enforcement can be effective in their crime prevention and reduction efforts.

Law enforcement should take the time to explain to the public what they are doing and why. Their strategy could include written materials that can be distributed to citizens who are stopped; meetings with community members to discuss how agencies intend to stop crime; and distribution of information through the media.

One of the first committees that need to be set up in the Criminal Justice Coalition is the security committee to monitor who is actually attending meetings.

Of course the group will eventually be infiltrated by those who will seek to break up the group. Other groups or committees could include recruitment, fundraising, media, issues, research, etc.

If family members of victims are going to work with coalitions, never meet with those accused of harming you or your loved ones without legal representation or members of the coalition.

Never go into a meeting, talk on the phone or answer an email, without these persons who will make sure you receive justice.

Stay in constant contact with them and provide factual details about what happened to you or your family members.

You can read more about forming a Criminal Justice Coalition in the book "Police Interactions 101: How To Interact With the Police in Your Car, On the Streets, In Your Home" - available as an e-book, paperback and audiobook at www.AngelsPress.com. 

How Do You Set Up A Food Coalition in the African American Community?

July 23, 2016

Dear Cathy: 

I live in a food desert so I was wandering how do you set up a Food Coalition in the African American community? Hungry for Good Food, Texas

Dear Hungry for Good Food:

Food coalitions can benefit everyone, not just the African American community, however, certain communities seems to be more impoverished than others, therefore, setting up food coalitions would be a good option for everyone.

Let's look at some of the issues:

Food Problems In Black Communities:

· Too Many Food Deserts: There are many food deserts in the African American community, where people don’t have access to good food.

· Lack of Farmer’s Markets: There are 6132 Farmer’s Markets today but only two (2) exist in black communities.

· Lack of Participation from Churches: Churches won’t give up the land. We need land to grow the food.

Possible Problems With Food Coalitions:

· People Not Being Organized: People will not follow blind leaders so there must be an appearance of organization. The primary objective of an effective leader is to assist the movement or group to achieve their goals, not his or her personal goals.

· Lack of Volunteers: Volunteers are needed to actually work the land but they must eventually be paid.

Possible Committees for Coalition:

There must be teamwork or committees so that there is no confusion about what needs to be done. Some possible committees could be:

· Research Committee: This committee will work closely with the Economic Development and Education committee to make sure everything is on track. They will answer questions about the coalition and work hand-in-hand with gardeners and farmers to make sure they have what they need.

· Education Committee: This committee will continue education in the classroom (seminars, workshops, teleseminars, webinars, etc.) and outside classes on the land. Will educate community on what to grow and when to grow it, on the soil, Greenhouses, Aquaponics, etc. For aquaponics you need 1/8 of an acre.

· Economic Development Committee: This committee will be over funding/finance and will collect any fees collected in the coalition. They will work with growers on getting small business loans/grants. This committee must be able to take cash and credit/debit cards in person and online. Volunteers growing the food need to be paid.

· Outreach Committee: This community need to commit to wearing t-shirts. They will knock on doors every week to inform families on the coalition and how they can get involved. They will also teach families how to grow foods on porches, in kitchens, gardens, etc. They will conduct outreach in schools, churches, libraries, etc. They will provide GMO training (GMO movie screenings, seminars, workshops, teleseminars, webinars, etc.) to families in their homes, libraries, bookstores, etc. This committee should also lobby legislators every week so we need 2nd and 3rd shift workers to be at Capitol.

· Media Committee: This committee will commit to filming all presentations at meetings or training inside of classrooms and outside, including what is actually happening to the land (before and after pictures). These pictures need to be placed on websites, youtube.com and vimeo.com. You can film any event with a smart phone or purchase a camcorder from hsn.com, or amazon.com. Amazon.com has a credit card. Reach out to retired educators, into schools and colleges, especially film and journalism students, bloggers, etc. to work on this committee. This committee will also present press/media kits with press releases and freelance articles to local newspapers and work hand-in-hand with local reporters. They will also be in charge with setting up radio interviews and interviewing proactive legislators, etc. They can also be in charge of posting information on social media (Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Linkedin.com, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube.com, etc.). They should also be on periscope, facebook live, snapchat, etc.

What Do Coalition Need?

Branding

· Name the Coalition

· Obtain a logo. Work with young graphic designers.

· There must also be t-shirts in all sizes (S,M,L,XL, XLL, etc.) for branding. With crime today, young African American males can’t just show up at a home wearing a t-shirt. They also need some type of badge with picture but phone calls will also be appropriate before they arrive. The outreach committee pictures can be on the coalition’s website so homeowners can view their pictures ahead of time.

· Advertising material needed to brand coalition include letterhead, envelopes, business cards, flyers, newsletters, brochures, post cards, etc.

Funding

· Memberships ($25, $100, etc.)

· Small business loans

· Grants

Professional Online Presence

· Professional Website: Look for young website developers. Need a way to capture emails on website. Need to include videos so others can learn.

· Meetup.com: Meetup.com should also be used to educate the community. Name the meetup.com after the coalition. ALL EVENTS should be posted timely on the meetup.com and the community can go in and sign up for the meetup.com. The cost for a meetup.com group is $19.99 a month for one (1) or three (3) meetup.com groups. The coalition can pay the monthly or yearly fees.

· Print Enewsletters: These will be expensive but strike up business alliance or strategic partnership with a printer and charge business owners $25.00 to $30.00 to advertise their business cards in the monthly print newsletter. Newsletters should be placed around town, especially at high-trafficked areas.

· E-newsletters: These need to be MONTHLY e-newsletters. MailChimp.com is free, ConstantContact.com is $20.00 a month, IContact.com is around $30.00 a month. Others include Aweber.com.

· Training: Training should also be given by video at http://www.zoom.us.You can have 50 people on screen (cost $15.95 a month); Webinars (http://www.GoToWebinar.com) can have 100 people on phone, ipad, or computer (cost $85.00 a month); FreeConferenceCalls.com can have 100 people on the telephone.

How To Make Money With This Coalition:

· Start aquaponics, year-round greenhouses, etc. and sell foods to restaurants and community (Establish time that community can purchase organic foods).

You can read more about organizing in the community in the first book in my empowerment series "How To Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide To Empowering Your Family and the Entire Community" (Series 1) - available as an e-book and paperback at www.AngelsPress.com.

Can I Have Hypothyroidism Even Though My Lab Tests Are Normal?

July 12, 2016

Dear Cathy:

I am a 37 year old female and despite cutting back on my meals and exercising more I still can’t lose weight. As a matter of fact, I keep gaining weight. I believe I have hypothyroidism where weight gain is one of the side effects of the disease.

However, my lab tests are always in range during my yearly examinations. Is there anything else that I can do to find out if I have the disease? I have seen different doctors but they all use the same lab. Confused About Hypothyroidism, Connecticut

Dear Confused About Hypothyroidism:

Chances are you probably do have hypothyroidism. The disease is especially prevalent in women ages 35-40. In order to find out if you have the disease, your doctor would have to give you a full panel workup for your thyroid and this is not a part of most doctor’s visits or yearly exams.

Doctors only conduct the bare minimum test on your thyroid which is the TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) where your number should be 1.8 or below. Often this number is higher, but most doctors will still tell you you are fine when you are not.

Many doctors know very little about the thyroid and yet they refuse to send you to a thyroid specialist or an endocrinologist, who specializes in your thyroid. Many health care plans are not set up to refer patients to specialists. So you can try to see these specialists on your own or use an outside lab to run full-panel tests on your thyroid.

You should also go to a holistic or natural healer and herbalist for help to treat your thyroid. Nine women to every one male will have issues with their thyroid and over 80% of women have hypothyroidism.

If you have any of these symptoms then chances are you have the disease:

· Fatigue

· Increased sensitivity to cold

· Constipation

· Dry skin

· Weight gain

· Puffy face

· Hoarseness

· Muscle weakness

· Elevated blood cholesterol level

· Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness

· Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints

· Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods

· Thinning hair

· Slowed heart rate

· Depression

· Impaired memory

· Ringing in your ears

· No bottom eyelashes

· Environmental allergies

Learn everything you can about your thyroid. Read books and watch educational seminars and workshops on youtube.com.

Graduate Student Ask Questions on Whistleblowing Ethics

July 11, 2016

Dear Cathy:

My name is Tom and I am a postgraduate student of MA in philosophy at a University. The reason for contacting you is that I am writing a thesis on Whistleblowing Ethics. I hope that this thesis will contribute to initiate discussion in the academic field in my country. 

I would highly appreciate if you spend  a few minutes answering the following 5 questions that will be analyzed  in my thesis.  It should be a great honor and achievement to have your personal thoughts in this thesis: 

1.      Can you name your biggest motivation for your whistleblowing act? Well two things comes to mind when I think about this question. First of all you need to understand what I was blowing the whistle on and who it directly affected. I exposed that African American women were targeted for abusive pat-downs, humiliating strip searches and prolonged detentions that lasted for up to 4 days. I am the mother of two African American daughters so this type of practice broke my heart so I felt I had to come forward. My other reason for coming forward was hoping there would be reforms but sometimes you can't count on reforms, you just have to realize that you did the right thing.  

2.      It is true that few people decide to proceed to the whistleblowing act even if they are aware that something is wrong. What is the special feature in your personality that differentiate you from other employees? Do you consider yourself as a hero, rebel or martyr? You are right -- only a hand full of employees come forward after witnessing some type of illegality. I don’t consider myself to be a hero, rebel or martyr but many others do.  I am however and always were a rebel. I was the black sheep of my family growing up so black sheeps live their lives on the edge. They usually don’t take no for an answer.

3.      Can you justify the decision not to resort to whistleblowing, even if something is wrong? Can you name a reason that keeps people silent? The biggest reason that people stay silent is retaliations. They are worried about what will happen to them when others find out they have told about the illegalities. However, before coming forward, I conducted extensive research about the repercussions I would face and being a strong individual, it was the only thing I could do at the time to gain justice for these victims. Sometimes you have to speak for the people who don't have a voice and that is what I was doing.

4.      Corporations are dominant in our society, however there is an institutional wrongdoing that leads to corruption so whistleblowing occurs. What institutional measures should be taken in order to make whistleblowing unnecessary?  Corporations have to do the right thing and be ethical in all their dealings, which is easier said than done. Laws, rules and regulations are rarely ever followed so whistleblowing laws for both Corporate America and the federal government must be strengthened. 

5.      Do you believe that a corporation can have morality standards? What are the main differences and restrictions comparing to your individual morality?  Every corporations or institution out there have laws, rules and regulations which are often broken, so it’s just hard to hold these individuals accountable because they always have politicians and others in their pockets, who can keep covering up for them.

Mate Sensitive to Health Topics in My Health Books

June 30, 2016

Dear Cathy:

I write health books for a living. I have only been with my mate for 3 years. Unlike myself who live a very natural and holistic lifestyle, my mate eats processed foods, so therefore his health is not as good as mine and he is on several medications.

Because of his health issues he is convinced I write about him and his health issues in my books but what he needs to understand is that many people have the same health issues today, so I am not referring to him in my writings. How can I get him to understand the difference? Health Issues, New York

Dear Health Issues:

First of all I appauld you for getting with a mate who health isn't in the same category as yours. Sometimes these types of partnerships can cause unneccessary problems in relationships, especially later on in life. 

I agree with you that many health issues today are the same so if you write health books, you could be referring to anyone. If your mate is that sensitive then he should not read your books or he needs to develop thick skin when he does read them.

What you are doing is something really creative and unique and I would not allow him to sideline your efforts to educate the public on what is happening today in regards to people’s health.

People are sick and dying at an alarming rate, especially children, and unless people like yourself continue to educate them in books and other ways, this country won’t have a fighting chance to counteract some of these illnesses today.

Keep up the good work and just tell your mate to stop reading your books if he is that sensitive. If he is that sensitive then he needs to look at overcoming some of the health challenges he is facing.  Good luck!

How Do I Stop Ex from Texting Me?

June 29, 2016

I want to stay friends with my ex but I believe he thinks we might get back together, however, this is not possible. How can I stay friends with him and get him to cut down on the texts at the same time? Friends With Ex, California

Dear Friends with Ex:

It might not be possible for you to stay friends with your ex, especially after you have chosen to move on. One way to handle this is by writing him a letter and tell him you just want to remain friends and you would appreciate that he not text you that often.

Sometimes even when you tell people something, they won’t believe it but when they see it on paper, it just make more sense to them so write him a letter.

People are so overwhelmed with social media today and if you text him and tell him you don’t want him to keep texting you, then he will just keep texting you, if that makes sense.

Once he receives your letter, his actions after that will be key if you can remain friends at all. You might just have to break off the friendship all together if he continues to text you after that. 

If he continues to text you after he receives the letter, don't return any of his texts anymore. Eventually he will get the message that you have moved on. If that doesn't work, then just block his number.