Claim Your Cash
Good news! The Illinois State Treasurer’s office may have property you never knew you were missing. According to the Treasurer’s website, unclaimed property can include inactive savings or checking accounts; unpaid wages or commissions; stocks, bonds or mutual funds; money orders and bill over-payments; paid-up life insurance policies; and safe deposit box contents. People sometimes forget about property when they move or suffer a life-altering change, such as a death in the family.
The Illinois State Government keeps this property, but they do not take control of the unclaimed assets. If you are an heir to someone who has unclaimed property, or you have unclaimed property yourself, you can file a claim through the website’s Cash Dash database. However, any items that have been untouched in safe deposit boxes for five years or more is auctioned on eBay. The state holds on to the proceeds for the rightful owner, but if you somehow forgot about a valuable keepsake and it is sold, the money will probably be of little comfort. With that in mind, you should really check out the website.
Twice a year, the state publishes a list of new names added to the Unclaimed Property list, but only if that property exceeds $100 or is in the form of stock/mutual fund shares or safe keeping contents. It’s worth a quick search of the database because your name may have been on there for awhile. Plus, in this economy, every dollar counts. Who couldn’t use an extra $50 in their pocket?
To learn more or search the database, visit www.treasurer.il.gov/programs/cash-dash/Owner/Owner.aspx.
IT Travel Security
Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration recently analyzed the computer networks at hotels and found that it’s not uncommon for these homes-away-from-home to neglect network security. Guests’ data transmissions proved to be at risk when using hotel networks, even when some security, such as authentication restrictions, had been put in place. The study found that implementing a virtual local area network (VLAN) protects against guests’ stolen data and gives the hotel greater control over their network.
Jog Your Memory
These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a cell phone without a camera. While camera phones are great for capturing fun moments with family and friends, they are also handy for quickly documenting the contents of your suitcase when traveling. By taking a quick photo of your suitcase before zipping it up, you’ll have something to reference when filling out claim forms—if that bag doesn’t end
up where you do.
Lost the Manual?
If you’ve misplaced the instructions to your coffee pot, television, computer or lawnmower, don’t sweat it. Safemanual.com is an online resource containing 1.4 million user guides for 5,600 brands of products. The site allows you to search for product manuals by brand or model number and preview the first three pages before deciding whether to download the whole guide. OwnerIQ.com is another site that offers thousands of product manuals. At OwnerIQ, consumers can also find additional information about their products and discuss user opinions in forums. Another feature offers registered users to receive email alerts when the products they use
are recalled.
Breaking Up is Hard to Do
You’ve had one too many bad haircuts. Or perhaps the wait at your doctor’s office is so long that you’ve discovered new ailments by the time you see the nurse! Before you leave a cold voice mail or decide not to show up for your next appointment, remember that there is etiquette involved when “breaking up” with someone—even when they’re not your significant other.
If your doctor ignores your symptoms, rushes you in and out of appointments or makes you uncomfortable in any way, it may be time to find another. But first, you should really give him/her a chance to change. Everyone has bad days, and doctors are no different. But if your doctor seems to have a bad day every time you see him/her, say something. Explain politely that you feel ignored or need more help, and give him/her a chance to fix things. Doctors are incredibly busy and often overbooked, but most of them do want to help. If your doctor still doesn’t come around, then you can certainly look for a new one.
Unlike a doctor, you really should tell your hairdresser if you are going to go somewhere else. Hairdressers will often develop a rapport with you, and they depend on their regular clients. If you really want to go somewhere else, explain this to your hairdresser. Even a monetary reason should be mentioned—you may end up getting a cheaper haircut and keeping your stylist as well!
Here are some additional tips from Emily Post’s book, Excuse Me, But I Was Next: How to Handle the Top 100 Manners Dilemmas, on how to “break up” with such professionals:
- Talk to them face-to-face when no one else is around.
- Be honest and polite, not hurtful or unkind.
- Give concrete reasons for leaving.
- Don’t gossip about the person after leaving; you may want to come back in the future.
Source: Bottom Line Personal
Born To Nap
Humans were born to nap. According to Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs’s article on talkaboutsleep.com, “The Benefits of Naps,” a mid-afternoon nap is part of our nature. Even those people who sleep well at night are naturally inclined to nap during the day because of the small drop of body temperature that we experience in the afternoon.
Because many people work full time, naps are often seen as impossible or a sign of laziness. But a quick nap during a lunch break might actually increase productivity. Dr. Jacobs notes that there is no evidence that the benefits of napping are tied to a specific sleep stage. In fact, he says that naps should not exceed 45 minutes because they can begin to interfere with night sleep when approaching an hour or more.
Naps can be quick and help you get through the rest of your day. There is no ideal minimum amount of time for a nap, but because it takes about 10 minutes to get to the first stage of sleep, and the second stage takes another 10 more minutes to reach, 20 minutes is a safe bet. A 20-minute nap over an hour-long lunch break seems like a worthy effort in order to improve your performance and mood for the rest of the day.
According to Jennifer Ackerman in “Napping: The Expert’s Guide,” if you are concerned about feeling groggy when you wake up, drink a cup of coffee before laying down for your nap. Coffee actually takes about half an hour to kick in, so it can give you the bounce you need to wake up from your nap and return to your desk.
My Favorite Books—Dr. Scott Russell
Principal, Concordia Lutheran School
In 2009, Concordia Lutheran School (CLS) celebrates its 50th anniversary, with events held throughout the year, including a gala celebration at the Peoria Civic Center on June 13th. Dr. R. Scott Russell, the current principal, is also a CLS alumnus (Class of ’65.) After 30 years as an educator and administrator in public education, Dr. Russell retired as superintendent of Morton School District 709 in 2007. His granddaughter is
in kindergarten at CLS, and his son and daughter are both graduates of the school.
- The Bible—According to my beliefs, The Bible is the inspired word of God, and there is no book its equal.
- Played in Peoria by Jerry Klein—I was born and raised in Peoria. I love Peoriaand am enthralled by its history.
- How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman—Being a descendant of Scotland, I may be a little biased regarding this book.
- Rise & Walk by Dennis Byrd—After Dennis Byrd was injured in a football game and paralyzed in 1992, this book was written to describe his life’s trials and triumphs. It is an inspiring book.
- Multiple Regression in Behavioral Research by Elazar J. Pedhazur—Just kidding, I had to read this one! However, as textbooks go, it was very good. iBi
