Political activist, educator, feminist, and trailblazer -- this is the life of an extraordinary woman detailed in "American Immigrant" (published by iUniverse). Porter earned national prominence as an early and forceful promoter of the importance of English language for immigrant children, and as a leading reformer of bilingual education in the face of fierce opposition.

This book is a crossover between personal memoir and an account of professional leadership activities on a national scale, of fighting a politically correct establishment that diminishes children's opportunities, "a battle I continue to wage to this day with passion and conviction," Porter said.

Porter, who arrived in the U.S. at age six, knowing not one word of English, shares deeply personal stories not only of her successes but also her most difficult times.

On the personal side, readers will follow the hilarious assortment of jobs, love stories and travels, leading to a marriage and family life of full vitality today. On her public life, "American Immigrant" chronicles three decades of political advocacy and professional work, in the U.S. and other countries including Turkey, Italy, China, Bulgaria, Japan and Israel.

Porter has testified in U.S. court cases in California, Texas, and Arizona on the needs of non-English speaking children. One of the founders of The READ Institute in Washington, D.C., she edited the scholarly magazine READ Perspectives, reporting on school districts doing the best for immigrant students.

Readers of all ages and backgrounds interested in social issues, women's lives, ethnicity, English language in a multicultural society, "growing up immigrant" and overcoming obstacles will enjoy "American Immigrant."

Today, many employees have been laid off, let go, fired, right-sized or whatever the new economic recession has deemed them. Work loads are doubling, hours are getting longer and less work is getting done because morale is in the toilet. It couldn't get any worse ... but then an employee says that she or he would like to have a pay raise because they are doing the work of three employees and haven't had a pay raise in two years.

Scan recent online news and search for "getting a pay raise." The majority of articles provided details for an employee to get the pay raise they deserve. It's safe to say that everyone deserves a pay raise -- especially those who are still employed. But budgets won't allow it, bosses won't allow it, stockholders won't allow it, and, let's face it, if managers can't get a pay raise, employees certainly aren't going to get a pay raise.

So what can be done when a company can't give a pay raise but a consultant/employee has been dedicated since the onslaught of layoffs began?

Below are six pay raise alternatives that have worked for many business managers.

Show Them The Love:

Typically in a business manager role, the opportunity arises to go to lunch with a client, go to sporting events, concerts, etc. Step aside and pass those tickets along to an employee or consultant. A $150 dollar ticket to a Billy Joel concert goes a long way and provides maximum ROI. Images will be posted on their social networking pages, the company will get maximum exposure and competitors will lose job candidates because they'll wonder why their consulting firm/employer doesn't "show them that kind of love."

A Good Meal:

In April 2008, 79 percent of Americans polled said they considered going out to dinner a "luxury." Treating an employee to an exceptionally good lunch (including picking him or her up from the office) is a tremendous display of appreciation. And don't discuss business! The whole point of the meal is for the employee to escape for an hour or so, enjoy a great meal and unplug.

Call Me Anytime:

Give cell phone breaks. Fold a consultant/employee into the company cell phone plan. Many companies have a massive plan with "bucket minutes." Over the past few years, cell phones have become a necessity. One less bill per month is an awesome feeling.

New Business Cards:

Award an employee a new title. If an employee is a programmer, make him a "senior programmer." If most of the department has been laid off, this employee is a lead dog anyway. If "senior" doesn't fit, try "lead," etc. Get creative. Be sure to order new business cards for your employee, too.

Everyone Hates Traffic:

Offer a flexible schedule or telecommuting. Not having to sit in traffic to make it to the office at 8 a.m. is appealing to an employee. Coming in later means the employee gets to sleep later, cruise in on the freeway with less traffic and probably arrive at the office a little less stressed. The option to telecommute cuts down on gas and car maintenance costs. The more money an employee can save, the better!

Get Creative:

Let employees/consultants come up with his or her own "perk." If it's a viable option, implement it immediately.

Especially today, employers are lucky to be able to maintain their current staff levels and/or work with the employees that are left. There are alternatives available that now allow us to hit the end call button or watch the kids' soccer games and attend the dinner party that our wife/husband had planned with the new neighbors. There are solutions to prevent working employees' tails off and their fingers to the bone.

Check out additional ways to keep your employees motivated and engaged that will help your organizational performance skyrocket!

http://www.humanresourcesiq.com.

Inquisitive, motivated women of all ilk who lead busy lives now have a new online home. Striving to simplify women's lives while setting itself apart from social networks that pigeonhole women's interests, pickyGirls.com (http://www.pickygirls.com/) streamlines research on an array of social and cultural interests, including art, books, music, movies, travel, technology and more, for smart women who want the best Web 2.0 can offer.

"I'm an entrepreneur and single mom who can attest to the fact that women are busy," says Natalie Candelaria, pickyGirls.com's founder. "We deserve to satisfy our interests quickly and easily, and pickyGirls.com will help you free your time. By building a community with consumer-generated content, pickyGirls.com supports engaged, resourceful and talented individuals, as well as connects users to mentors or those in a position to advise. Companies that want to share product or service information can also weigh in, too."

This online community includes:

-- business, creative, and wellness/fitness resources, enabling

individuals to empower the mind, body and spirit;

-- mentors who are assigned to key categories of interest, oversee their

respective areas, and provide encouraging, balanced support for users;

-- language translation tool on each page to pique curiosity and interest

among individuals about other cultures and social environments, plus

cater to a global online audience;

-- company profiles, allowing businesses to post logos, slogans,

promotional and product information, videos, jingles, etc., and

interact with pickyGirls.com users;

-- a job board, coming Fall 2009; and

-- pickyGirls TV, featuring programming around the theme "Who and What

Inspires You," coming this year.

Check it out!

From financial worries to family responsibilities, Americans are dealing with ever-increasing stress in their lives. To help handle these challenges, Mental Health America today launched an innovative public education campaign to provide people with tools to deal with stressful times. Called Live Your Life Well(SM), here’s a few ways we can lower the stress in our daily lives.

Connect with Others. Research suggests that people who feel connected are happier and healthier -- and may even live longer.

Stay Positive. People who regularly focus on the positive in their lives are less upset by painful memories.

Get Physically Active. Exercise relieves tense muscles, improves mood and sleep, and increases energy and strength.

Help Others. Research suggests that those who consistently help other people experience less depression, greater calm and fewer pains.

Get Enough Rest. People who don't get enough sleep face a number of possible health risks, including weight gain, decreased memory, impaired driving and heart problems.

Create Joy and Satisfaction. Positive emotions can boost a person's ability to bounce back from stress.

Eat Well. Eating healthy food and regular meals can increase energy, lower the risk of developing certain diseases and influence mood.

Take Care of Your Spirit. People who have strong spiritual lives may be healthier and live longer. Spirituality seems to cut the stress that can contribute to disease.

Deal Better with Hard Times. People who get support, problem-solve or focus on the positives in their lives are likely to handle tough times better.

Get Professional Help if You Need It. If the problems in life are stopping a person from functioning well or feeling good, professional help can make a big difference.

http://www.liveyourlifewell.org

The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA), the nation's non-profit organization dedicated to helping Hispanic professional communicators enter and advance within the public relations and marketing communications fields, announced the start of its 2009 scholarship program application period. One $2,500 and nine $1,000 scholarships are available for four-year university students pursuing a degree in public relations and/or a related communications fields.

The scholarship program was created to recognize outstanding undergraduate Hispanic students who are pursuing a career in public relations and related communications fields. To date, HPRA has awarded more than $210,000.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

-- Be enrolled in a college or university by the Fall/2009 semester.

-- Be Southern California natives/residents who attend school in California.

-- Be an incoming junior or senior student of at least 25 percent Hispanic descent with a minimum 2.7 cumulative GPA and 3.0 GPA in their major subject.

-- Be legal residents.

-- Major in public relations, communication studies, journalism, advertising, and/or marketing. (Students majoring in other disciplines who have a desire to work in the public relations industry also are invited to apply).

-- Complete and submit all written materials required as part of the application process.

Complete application details and forms are available at http://www.hpra-usa.org/. HPRA's College Outreach Directors are also available for questions at hpra.scholarships@yahoo.com. Application deadline is Friday, June 5, 2009.

By Maria Celeste Arraras

1-Don't waste your life away gossiping about others-use that time and energy to reach your goals.

2-Never compare yourself to others at work. Concentrate in what you have and where you want to be.

3-Learn everything you can about your field. It will help you be in control of your career.

4-Don't think that there's one and only way to make your dreams come true. Sometimes a side road is the fastest path to reach your goals- is to be alert and ready to change course, if needed.

5-Never let your ego make decisions for you. The ego has a distorted sense of reality and it will bring you both personal and professional ruin.

5 consejos para lograr el èxito profesional…

1-En vez de perder el tiempo en chismes de pasillo, enfoca esa energia en tu trabajo. Alcanzaras tus metas con mayor rapidez.

2-Nunca te compares con nadie,mucho menos con tus compañeros de trabajo. Concentrate en lo tuyo.

3-Aprende todo sobre tu profesion para que asi estes en control de tu carrera.

4-No te amarres a una idea fija para alcanzar tus metas,pues es posible que otra mejor te pase por el lado y ni cuenta te des.

5-Jamas tomes una desicion, ni en lo personal ni en lo profesional, en base al ego. El ego nos lleva a la ruina en todos los sentidos.

By Montserrat

For those of us who work in a office environment, communicating via email is just what we do.

We respond to a given email with information that can benefit others or avoid duplicity so we CC: Accounting, project manager, etc.

But some people don’t stop there, they’ll also cc: the guy in IT who was in that one meeting, the marketing manager who’s never at the meetings, the other project manager who may want to know, the boss who may also want to know, etc. etc.

Before you know it the 3 people CC grows to 10. I’ve started to become seriously annoyed at being cc’d needlessly specially went it is a string of emails and the “Reply All” option is used gratuitously. I mean, seriously, I don’t need to know the tracking code for the FedEx package that can’t be found because I’m not the one who’s going to call and find it. I trust that my colleagues are on this and if they aren’t I’ll find out when the product is missing from the next event.

Information overload at work was articulated as a major issue in a survey on workplace productivity. Having to sift through dozens of emails when only half contain relevant information is not only a waste of your time but a productivity drain as well. Here are a few things I started doing and tips I picked up here and there:

ONE --  I cc myself: on important emails especially if they contain attachments. The reason is that often the attachments may not come through or be distorted. I’ve been able to catch bad sends and fix immediately thus avoiding to annoy my recipients.

TWO --  Think before adding a name to the cc line: Am I communicating as an FYI or is there an actionable expected of this person. If it’s the latter I leave the name otherwise you’re of the hook. Later I can give my boss, colleague, etc. a recap on the final outcome without bogging them down with the details.

THREE -- The higher the title the lesser the detail: Your boss may not need to know you’re leaving on lunch break unless you're thinking you’ll be late returning and miss the first part of a meeting he’ll be attending.

Okay, here’s 32 tips on using email (I found online) to help avoid email landmines and keep up on proper Netiquette.

1. Be concise and to the point

2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions

3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation

4. Make it personal

5. Use templates for frequently used responses

6. Answer swiftly

7. Do not attach unnecessary files

8. Use proper structure & layout

9. Do not overuse the high priority option

10. Do not write in CAPITALS

11. Don't leave out the message thread

12. Add disclaimers to your emails

13. Read the email before you send it

14. Do not overuse Reply to All

15. Mailings > use the bcc: field or do a mail merge

16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons

17. Be careful with formatting

18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages

19. Do not forward chain letters

20. Do not request delivery and read receipts

21. Do not ask to recall a message.

22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission

23. Do not use email to discuss confidential information

24. Use a meaningful subject

25. Use active instead of passive

26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT

27. Avoid long sentences

28. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks

29. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters

30. Keep your language gender neutral

31. Don't reply to spam

32. Use cc: field sparingly (TE LO DIJE!)

Now in its 33rd year, the nation’s largest technical conference for Hispanics offers a lineup of educational, technical, networking and career programs to support college students and professionals. In addition, programs for middle and high school students introduce them to opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and encourage them to pursue those fields in the future.Events will take place Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2009 in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Convention Center and at the Marriott Wardman, Omni Shoreham and Renaissance Washington DC hotels.

Highlights of the SHPE Conference in D.C. include:

• Professional development strategy series, engineering programs as well as certification tracks
• The AHETEMS Pre-College Symposia for hundreds of local D.C.-area middle school students and high school students from across the nation.
• A myriad of awards honoring professionals, educators, graduate and undergraduate students, and high school students
• Academic, professional, career and leadership workshops
• Competitions including the National Academic Olympiad Show (played in the spirit of the famed TV game show Jeopardy!), Extreme Engineering, Design Competition, and Technical Competitions
• Specialized graduate student institute and a graduate school preparation program
• Salute to Corporate America Luncheon, honoring SHPE’s corporate partners
• Gala Banquet honoring SHPE’s “Company of the Year” and role models winning the 2009 STAR (or SHPE Technical Achievement Recognition) Awards
• Career Fair attended by more than 300 of the nation’s top companies and organizations offering full-time and internship opportunities
• Corporate tours
• STEM teacher training series for D.C.-area middle and high school teachers

SHPE is the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent, committed to enhancing America’s position in math, science, engineering and technology with a strong and talented Hispanic workforce. For registration and other information, visit www.shpe.org