OPPORTUNITY AWAITS BUDDING CHILDREN’S AUTHORS
The Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association (MEMSPA) announced on Monday, December 1st a contest for aspiring children’s authors. The winning authors will have their books published.
"We are excited to present this opportunity to everyone who has thought about or worked on, had a great idea, or written a manuscript that they feel is worthy of being published. Any topic is open to everyone in Michigan and, if living beyond our great state borders, to anyone who would like to write about Michigan," said MEMSPA Executive Director Robert E. Howe, Jr. "I meet people every week who have great children’s book ideas and manuscripts. This is their opportunity to break through the huge walls of publishing to get their material reviewed by our awards publishing team. We will pick two winners each year to publish-a chapter book and a picture book, to reach children from 3-14 years of age."
"We have partnered with an award-winning publishing company, Mackinac Island Press, who have a great track record of publishing exceptional books that are distributed across our country. The Association of Booksellers for Children refer them as ‘being on the cutting edge of publishing’ and we agree-they publish excellent and important children’s books and we are excited to partner with them.
Not only will they publish the winners, they’ve also agreed to offer all of their books at a 40% discount on their website (www.mackinacislandpress.com) with the discount code ‘MEMSPA’. This originally started as a member benefit and we decided to offer it to all of our communities in these tough times.
You won’t find children’s books any better than theirs," said Howe. "They’ve been endorsed by parent, library, kid, teacher and principal groups around the country. They have a new technology on their website to preview every single page of their books – online – that showcases their great books, as it will our winners, which is another reason why we are excited to be partnering with them.
MIP publisher and author Anne Margaret Lewis is happy about this opportunity for aspiring authors. "This contest can fulfill a dream and even launch a career. If you go to our website, you can see the quality of book that the winners will be associated with," said Lewis.
Submissions should be sent to the MEMSPA office. Each entry costs $40 for processing with additional entries per person at $25. Entries must be sent with check or credit card information to MEMSPA, 1980 North College Road, Mason, MI 48854. No email entries are accepted, however entry forms are available at the MEMSPA website, http://www.memspa.org/pdf/MIBookAwardApp2009.pdf. Entries can be submitted until August 31, 2009. 25 finalists will be announced for each category, with one winner for each category receiving a contract to have their book published and released during Michigan Week in May the following year.
Taxes withheld from Social Security
benefits an option
By Vonda VanTil, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist
Some people who get Social Security will have to pay taxes on their benefits. Less than one-third of our current beneficiaries pay taxes on their benefits.
You will have to pay federal taxes on your benefits if you file a federal tax return as an "individual" and your total income is more than $25,000. If you file a joint return, you will have to pay taxes if you and your spouse have a total income that is more than $32,000. People whose only source of income is Social Security generally don’t pay taxes. However, if you have other income, such as a pension, wages, interest, dividends or other taxable income, this added to your benefits could render a portion of your benefits taxable.
For individual tax filers, if your income is between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits; if your income is more than $34,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable.
For couples filing jointly, if your combined income is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits; if your combined income is more than $44,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable.
Vonda VanTil is the public affairs specialist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o Social Security Administration, 50 College SE, Grand Rapids MI 49503 or via email at
vonda.vantil@ssa.gov.
Cyber scammers pose as FedEx, UPS, Wal-Mart,
and other well-know
businesses this
holiday season
Better Business Bureau warns
consumers: be alert to online scams
As the calendar dates for Christmas and Hanukkah quickly approach, scam artists are looking to take advantage of consumer shopping anxiety to make illicit gains. Your local Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of a new string of phishing e-mails making the rounds this holiday season. Scammers are posing as well-known companies that do a lot of business this time of year, attempting to steal personal information such as Social Security or credit card numbers.
The BBB has spotted a recent trend of phishing scams aimed at people celebrating the holiday season. Beware of these phishing scams that are circulating the Internet:
Fake Shipping Notices
Claiming to be from a legitimate shipping business such as FedEx or UPS, one phishing e-mail alleges a problem with delivery. It may include a link to a Web site that installs malware or solicits personal information. A recent message has a subject line of “Subject: Tracking Number 13040065504.” It advises, “To take your package back you should print the copy of invoice that is in the added file.” Beware; the attachment is a computer virus that allows hackers to gain access to your computer to look for credit card numbers, financial information, and passwords to assist them with identity theft.
BBB ADVICE: Don’t click on a link in the e-mail; instead go directly to the shipper’s Web site or call the business (do not use a phone number provided in the e-mail) to ask if there is a shipping problem. Don’t open attachments in unsolicited e-mails. If you need assistance validating a business’ phone number or contact information, call your local Better Business Bureau at (248) 644 – 9100 or visit www.bbb.org.
Surveys offering holiday spending cash
Targeting cash-strapped holiday shoppers, other phishing e-mails pretend to be from retailers such as Wal-Mart. One has the subject, “Online Survey from Wal-Mart Stores!!!” The message says, “You’ve been selected to take part in our quick and easy 9 questions survey. In return we will credit $90.00 to your account – Just for your time!” The e-mail includes a link to a Web site to “take the survey,” but actually leads to a phishing site.
BBB ADVICE: Don’t respond to unsolicited e-mails promising money for answering surveys. E-mails offering big rewards for minimal effort usually cost you in the end.
E-cards
E-cards are a popular and inexpensive way to deliver season’s greetings. Legitimate e-cards typically send an e-mail with a hyperlink to a Web site hosting the e-card. Unfortunately, it’s easy for hackers to disguise their phishing e-mails and direct users to Web sites that install viruses and malware.
BBB ADVICE: Phishing e-mails posing as e-cards can be difficult to spot. Be wary of e-mails with spelling and grammatical mistakes and don’t follow links in an e-card if you don’t recognize the sender.
Consumers should report suspicious e-mails to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. For additional information and advice you can trust to stay safe this holiday season, start with www.bbb.org.
About Phishing
"Phishing" is a term coined by computer hackers, who use email to fish the Internet hoping to hook you into giving them your logins, passwords and/or credit card information. In all these scams, the phisher first impersonates a legitimate company such as your own internet service provider, your electric company or a financial institution.
The Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan (www.bbb.org) is a non-profit organization with the purpose of promoting TRUST and ethical business practices in the local marketplace.
