May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

Motorcycles are vehicles with the same rights and privileges as any motor vehicle on the roadway. Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month is a national initiative aimed at getting motorists and motorcyclists to "share the road" with each other.

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  WHAT IS DISTRACTED DRIVING?

Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of distractions include:

• Texting
• Using a cell phone or smartphone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction!

The best way to end distracted driving is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses. At www.distraction.gov , you'll find facts and statistics that are powerfully persuasive. If you don't already think distracted driving is a safety problem, please take a moment to learn more. And, as with everything on Distraction.gov, please share these facts with others. Together, we can help save lives.

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                                 TORNADO SAFETY 
 

Each year about a thousand tornadoes touch down in the US. Only a small percentage actually strike occupied buildings, but every year a number  of people are killed or injured. The chances that a tornado will strike a building that you are in are very small, however, and you can greatly reduce the chance of injury by doing a few simple things.

One of the most important things you can do to prevent being injured in a tornado is to be ALERT to the onset of severe weather. Most deaths and injuries happen to people who are unaware and uninformed. Young children or the mentally challenged may not recognize a dangerous situation. The ill, elderly, or invalid may not be able to reach shelter in time. Those who ignore the weather because of indifference or overconfidence may not perceive the danger. Stay aware, and you will stay alive!

If you don't regularly watch or listen to the weather report, but strange clouds start moving in and the weather begins to look stormy, turn to the local radio or television station to get the weather forecast.
Check The Weather Channel for additional information, or if you have trouble getting up-to-the-minute forecasts on a regular radio, then a "NOAA weather radio" is a wise investment.

If a tornado "watch" is issued for your area, it means that a tornado is "possible."

If a tornado "warning" is issued, it means that a tornado has actually been spotted, or is strongly indicated on radar, and it is time to go to a safe shelter immediately.

Be alert to what is happening outside as well. Here are some of the things that people describe when they tell about a tornado experience:

• A sickly greenish or greenish black color to the sky.
• If there is a watch or warning posted, then the fall of hail should be considered as a real danger sign. Hail can be common in some areas, however, and usually has no tornadic activity along with it.
• A strange quiet that occurs within or shortly after the thunderstorm.
• Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern or converging toward one area of the sky.
• A sound a little like a waterfall or rushing air at first, but turning into a roar as it comes closer. The sound of a tornado has been likened to that of both railroad trains and jets.
• Debris dropping from the sky.
• An obvious "funnel-shaped" cloud that is rotating, or debris such as branches or leaves being pulled upwards, even if no funnel cloud is visible.

If you see a tornado and it is not moving to the right or to the left relative to trees or power poles in the distance, it may be moving towards you! Remember that although tornadoes usually move from southwest to northeast, they also move towards the east, the southeast, the north, and even northwest.

Encourage your family members to plan for their own safety in many different locations.  It is important to make decisions about the safest places well BEFORE you ever have to go to them!

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Business/Economy: 

Small Business Employment Grows Rapidly
The job market is looking up and small businesses are reaping the benefits. Small business job recovery is encouraging because it implies growing demand within the U.S. economy. Read this article for more insights by Philip Noftsinger, business unit president for CBIZ Payroll Services.

Click Here to Read the Full Article by MSNBC.com

Check out the "Resource Center" in the left-hand column of this newsletter for interactive online tools that can help answer just about any industry related question.
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Brian Tracy Inspirational Article of the Month:

How to be Happy: 5 Steps to Living a Life You Love
Brian Tracy is a world-renowned personal and professional development coach that has helped millions of people achieve their goals and develop a positive mindset. Brian will be contributing to our newsletter every month by providing us with an article to help inspire you, our clients, to reach higher and achieve more than ever before.

Click Here to Read the Full Article by Brian Tracy
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Interesting Articles and Photos of the Month:

Lickable, Tasty Walls Installed Inside Company Elevator in London
Staff workers at a communications building in London have something more to do when they ride the company elevator. They can lick one of the 1,325 Jaffa Cake, a popular orange-flavored sponge cake snack, flavored stickers that line the walls. Would you give the world's first lickable elevator a taste test?

Click Here to Read the Full Article by NBCSanDiego.com

Netflix's Unlimited Employee Vacation Policy: Why It Works
Will extra time off improve company culture? Sure. But can giving workers all the time off they want also increase their productivity. Netflix is one of many companies to adopt an unlimited employee vacation policy where success is measured by what employees get done rather than on how many days they worked. Share this article with your co-workers and more importantly your boss and maybe your company will be the next to adopt an unlimited vacation policy.

Click Here to Read the Full Article by Mashable.com

Woman's Cancer May Have Been Fruit Pit from 1984
Bianca Riveron was struggling, as many Americans do, with lung trouble. After decades of coughing, asthma attack, and other problems, doctors had recently found a spot on her lung. Lung cancer is always the pits, but sometimes the pit isn't lung cancer.

Click Here to Read the Full Article by WTSP.org

Where Are The Flying Cars?
Call it keeping up with the Jetsons. After decades of dreaming of traveling via flying cars, we're one step closer to the goal. Terrafugia, a company dedicated to creating personal aviation solutions, has debuted their version of the flying car. The Transition, is the ultimate hybrid combining a car with a small private plane.

Click Here to Read the Full Article by StarTribune.com
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Videos of the Month:

Girl Swallowed by Pavement in China
Imagine walking down the street, chatting on the phone when suddenly the sidewalk opens under your feet and you fall 18 feet into the darkness under the street. That's exactly what happened to this poor woman in China. The accident was captured on a surveillance camera aimed at the street. You must see this video to believe it!

Click Here to Watch the Video by YouTube.com

Stressed Cat Had a Long Day At Work
A cat's life can be extremely stressful. Scratching furniture, playing with toys, sleeping, chasing laser pointers and being petted all day...Sounds rough right? The cat in this video unwinds by getting a neck massage. He's got to work out all those knots.

Click Here to Watch the Video by YouTube.com
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Delicious Recipe of the Month:

Spanish Chicken and Potato Roast
This recipe is delicious and full of flavor. The spice in the chicken mixed with the lemon juice makes for a perfect combination. This is a super easy recipe to make when you don't want to slave over a hot stove and the clean up is even easier. Everyone is sure to love this dish, perfect for Spring!

Click Here for the Full Recipe by FoodNetwork.com
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Dumb Criminal Story of the Month:

Obiwan Kenobi Arrested for Hit and Run
A California man who legally changed his name to match that of the fictional "Star Wars" hero may have given in to the temptations of the dark side of the Force, as he was charged with a hit-and-run. And as Yoda warned the fictional Kenobi, "Told you I did. Reckless is he. Now, matters are worse."

Click Here to Read the Full Article by YahooNews.com