Business
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Cox offers free
Mtf I Quit My Job?
internet to low
income families
Hi
grant
year,
Club on Thursday, August 9,
SCANDALS
Continued from P. 5
Continued from P. 5
MAM
I MIMxACING 1111 Rl,\l WOKI D
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SENATE
REVIEW
Chaz Kyser is the author of “Embracing the Real World:
The Black Woman's Guide to Life After College" ($14.99.
Seshet Press). Purchase the book online at
www.embracmgtherealworid.com. Send comments about
this article to column@embracmgtherealworld.com.
safety, emergency action
steps and basic first aid. This
is the second consecutive
net service. Under the re-
lated Linkup program, Cox
For more information and
government contracting
opportunities, go to
http://www.mbda.gov/
You may e-mail me at:
easonmcmtyre@oksenate.gov,
or by calling (405) 521-5598
and speaking to my assistant
Roxanne Blystone.
Lifeline service. Current
Lifeline customers that do
not have internet access can
add the free year of internet
officer of the Tulsa Area
Chapter Red ( ross I Ins
generous gift from The I iome
Depot w ill help us make this
significant impact in the
Tulsa area."
"The Home Depot has a
history of being a champion
for its communities and pro-
viding significant relief and
recovery support immedi-
i
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i
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For more information about
the Oil Congress or
Oklahoma's Trade Office in
Mexico visit
www.OKcommerce.yov/trade
or contact Barry Clark at (918)
594 8588 or
barry clark@okcommerce.gov.
To apply for Lifeline,
customers can call: (405)
600-8282 Oklahoma City
(918) 806-6000 Tulsa or visit
a Cox Store:
2340 NW 23rd
Oklahoma Citv
7111 S Western
Oklahoma City
6221 NW 39th Expressway
Bethany
1278 N Interstate Drive
Norman
3316 S Broadway
Edmond
2150 S Douglas
Midwest City
Tulsa
11811 E 51st Street
9932 Riverside Parkway
HCtahar
Guest Columnist
1
-I.
people and deaf and hearing
i m pa i red com m u ni t ies.
This vear. the grant will
be used to take the new
Readv When the Time Comes
education program to the
Tulsa communitv. The pro-
gram is designed to teach
people of all ages basic disas-
ter safely and first aid steps
making local families more
prepared tor whatever might
happen.
"The Tulsa Area Chapter
has set a goal to reach one
person in every household
with lifesaving training, said
The goal of reaching 1
million people was sur-
passed in vear two of the
partnership, however, The
Home Depot and the Red
Cross remain committed to
building stronger and safer
communities.
In addition to the grant
program, The Home Depot
For many Oklahoma
families living on fixed or
low incomes, connecting to
the internet from home is an
impossible dream. While
the price of internet services
has declined in recent years,
the monthly bill can be
daunting to low income
families faced with rent and
utility bills.
To help those families,
Cox Communications will
begin providing free inter-
net service for one year to
qualified Lifeline phone
customers who previously
lacked internet access.
Lifeline is a local phone
service available for as little
as one dollar per month to
low income households that
are participants of any of a
range of state or federal as-
sistance programs, includ-
ing food stamps, Medicaid,
TANF or free school lunch
programs. The same qualifi-
cations will apply to the free
mores and ethics in our chil- State University. He is ranked
by Golf Digest as one of the
greatest masterminds of the
game.
OKLAHOMA CITY
The Oklahoma at 6:00 p.m.
City Minority
Business En-
contractors. The Oklahoma
Department of Commerce
has an International Trade
Office located in Mexico City
that assisted these Oklahoma
companies during their visit
to Mexico.
The Mexico trade office
helps businesses identify ex-
port opportunities and find
business partners such as
distributors, representatives,
agents, and clients through
detailed market research
Life; and Mike Salazar,
Salazar Roofing, Construc-
tion Firm of the Year.
The event is a great place
for entrepreneurs to network
with individuals that make
the purchasing decisions for
governmental agencies and
large corporations.
MED Week provides a
forum for the discussion of
major issues affecting the
growth and development of
minority business enterprise
centers (MBEC). This 25th
Anniversary celebration will
provide an opportunity to
network with key decision
makers and to recognize the
outstanding contributions
made by minority entrepre-
neurs, the public and corpo-
rate sectors that support
minority business develop-
nunt. Last year's Banquet
tickets were sold out.
I’he Oklahoma Citv Mi-
nority Business Enterprise
Center is operated by
Langston University and
has a contract with the Mi-
nority Business Development
Agency of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Commerce to pro-
vide services to minorities to
start, expand and improve
their businesses.
The cost for the evening
events (including dinner)
will be $25. Please call (405)
521-1561 to make a reserva-
tion or for sponsorship op-
portunities.
Kyser
you'll probably bounce from
to Oklahoma's progress such
as Dr. Clara Luper, Willa
Johnson, and John Hope
Franklin.
The next project includes
portraits of four of Okla-
homa's African American
leaders including A.C. Ham-
lin, E.P. McCabe, Roscoe Dun-
jee and Ben Hill. These
portraits are displayed on the
fourth floor of the Oklahoma
State Capitol.
Another portrait of a fa-
mous African American can
also be found in the Capitol
and that is of Ada Lois Sipuel
Fisher. The painting by Mit-
suno Reedy is also located on
the fourth floor.
I was disappointed this
year that we weren't able to
secure state funds for the 1921
Race Riot Memorial. I
worked very hard in this ef-
wood has a huge influence
and one of its biggest stars,
Lindsey Lohan, gives off a
terrible message.
What can we do as a so-
Dr. Porter
prises and
dustry. The Oklahoma com-
panies had a unique oppor-
tunity to connect with
Mexico’s largest oil and gas
companies as well as
I’F.MEX, Mexico's state
owned petroleum company,
says Barry Clark, Director of
Global Business Services at
the Oklahoma Department of
Commerce.
"The four Oklahoma
companies that attended the
show had the opportunity to
develop relationships with
potential buyers selling di-
rectly to PEMEX," said Clark.
The Oklahoma companies
met directly with two divi-
sions of PEMEX and eighteen
other engineering, construc-
tion, and equipment firms,
many of whom are PEMEX
first black and the first
woman superintendent of
both Gary, Indiana, and Okla-
homa City Public school sys-
tems during the Oklahoma
City Federal Building bomb-
ing.
A teaching packet has
also been created for our
African American youth. It
includes pamphlets of the
Land Run bv American
Americans, maps showing
formation of the twenty his-
torically black Oklahoma
towns and information on the
thirteen towns that still exist,
and biographies of African
Americans who contnbuted
fort, but I assure you that I'm
not giving up. I'll continue to
work with Reuben Gant, the
President of the Greenwood
Chamber of Commerce, and
Julius Pegues who is the chair
of the memorial committee as
weii many others who
are fighting so hard to make
this memorial a reality.
I welcome and appreciate
any comments or questions
you might have for me. At
the State Senate, I can be
reached by writing to Senator
Judy Eason McIntyre, State
Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Room 427, Oklahoma City,
OK 73105
1 ■ L11 ,! A , r ,
r »   ’      *
ately tollowing a disaster,"
said Kevin Martinez,
Director of Community
Affairs for Home Depot "By
partnering with the Red
Cross, we are providing our
communities with additional
tools to help them rebound
quickly and completely
As the world's largest
hon e improvement retailer.
Fhe Home Depot embraces
its role as a leader in social re
sponsibilitv and celebrates its
long-standing commitment
to volunteerism.
The Home Depot is pas-
•Menate about helping
neighbors and communities
during times of need. An-
other important component
of Fhe I Iome Depot's disaster
relief program is to educate
communities on the impor-
tance of disaster prepared-
ness in order to help
minimize the loss associated
with these devastating
events.
When You Know It's Time to Go!
Now, there are some jobs that we should consider
leaving, and then there are others that demand we start
sending out resumes immediately. Unfortunately, some
jobs you take may look good under the "job description,"
but end up making you sick in the stomach for various
reasons You'll probably spend as much time at work as
you do with the people you love, so it doesn't make sense
to keep working at a place that has you frowning during
half of your day. While you are still urged to think wisely
before quitting a job, when the following scenarios arise
you are urged to think twice about staying.
You Know It’s Time to Go...
1. When you are ever physically, sexually, verbally or
emotionally abused and the actions of the abuser
go unpunished or are ignored by management.
2. When you feel like you need to take a drink each
morning to get through your workday.
3. When the work you do is boring and unchalleng-
ing to the point that you can do it with your eyes
closed and hands tied behind your back.
4. When you consistently get denied raises or promo-
tions vou feel you earned.
5. When your boss hints that you may be happy
somewhere else.
6. When the only friends you have at work are the of-
fice goldfish.
7. When you spend most of your time at work day-
dreaming about quitting.
“   8. When you gWTcmr check late more thmvyou get it
on time.
9. When you're not getting paid anywhere near what
you should be.
10. When everyone from the CEO to the secretary's
assistant is an incompetent jerk.
Quitting Correctly
While the urge to run out your employer's door may
be strong at times, it's wise for you to quit the "correct
way." Most companies expect to receive two-weeks no-
tice from employees so they will have a chance to dele-
gate the work to someone else or replace the person
leaving. By giving two-weeks notice you'll leave with a
better chance of receiving a favorable reference and being
reemployed if need be. Telling your employer verbally
about your decision may suffice for part-time or semi-
professional positions, but for professional positions you
should provide your employer with a written letter stat-
ing your intentions. In this letter include the following:
• The last day you will be working.
• Whether you would like to continue health care
coverage and how long.
• How you would like to receive your last paycheck.
• It may be helpful to provide your boss with some
positive words stating what you appreciated about the
company.
Tulsa area chapter of the American Red Cross
receives $10,000 grant from the Home Depot
Minority Enterprise Development (MED)
Week Awards reception on August 9
In today's society it's now common
for people to work for more than 10 dif-
ferent companies in their lifetime. Given
this fact, the chance that you'll retire from
the first company you work for upon
graduation is slim. Like many new grads
» company to company as
you try to get yourself together and figure out what you
really want to do. Yet while changing jobs frequently is
not looked down upon like it was decades ago, your de-
cision to change jobs should not be made hastily. Many
people just entering the workforce make a bad habit of
job-hoping in search of that "perfect job." But before we
rush to open every door that opportunity may be waiting
behind, we should also take into account the door we are
shutting behind us, and where we are trying to end up in
the long run.
Ideally, each position you take should be one that in-
creases vour knowledge and skill set, preparing you for
bigger and better things. Think of each job as a "career
builder." If vou jump from job to job without gaining the
knowledge needed to further your career, you'll always
be in the same position you were in when you took your
vere first job. It's fine to leave once you've learned all you
can from working at a company and are ready to move
on, or if vou determine that a job is not going to further
your career goals, but don’t make the decision to quit pre-
maturely -'.nd end up quitting the next one just as fast.
Okla, companies participate in Oil Congress
The Oklahoma Depart-
ment of Commerce led a del-
egation of four Oklahoma
companies at the 2nd Inter-
national Oil Congress & Ex-
hibition, June 27-30, in
Veracruz, Mexico.
Participating were Tulsa-
based companies Midwest-
ern Manufacturing, a
producer of hydraulic
pipelayer attachments and
McElroy, a producer of pipe
fusion machines. Also partic-
ipating were Geosearch Log-
ging, a well logging
company from Edmond, and
Ditch Witch from Perry.
The Oil Congress gave
companies a chance to meet
face-to-face with decision-
makers from major players in
the region's oil and gas in-
ciety to fend off this slide in that box, at home with the
moral degradation and ethi- parents," said Dr. Steinberg,
cal decay?
"Fortunately, parents Gregg Steinberg, PhD, is an
play the most important role associate professor of sport
in encouraging integrity, psychology at Austin Peay
dren. While we have pseudo-
heroes on television, the real
influence starts outside of
Dr. John Q. Porter, Su-
perintendent of Oklahoma
terprise Center City Public Schools will be
will be salut- the distinguished keynote
ing Oklahoma speaker for the event.
City's leading The 2(X)7 National MED
minority busi- Week theme is: "Celebrating
ness enter- the Legacy of Innovation
outstanding Competitiveness." Awards
corporate supporters at a recipients are: Asa Gray, Ma-
reception at the Petroleum hogany Concepts, Oklahoma
--City, OK, New Business of
the Year Award; Mr. and Mrs.
Wayne and Scherie Wills, Jus
Wingz Lawton, OK, Service
Firm of the Year; Ms. Doris
Jones, Workforce of Okla-
homa, Career Connections
Center, Oklahoma City, OK,
Advocate of the Year; Kirsten
Lee, Small Business of the
Year; Chase Bank, Partner for
internet service.
"We know that our Life-
line phone connection is a
vital link for thousands of
Oklahoma families," Bialis
said. "Now, we are offering
a free internet connection
for one year to every Life-
line home that previously
lacked internet access. Since
most of those households
have children who are in
school, this is an opportu- service by contacting Cox.
nity for them to get con- "With fall coming and
nected at no cost. We are kids headed back to school,
proud to offer this service to it’s more important than
our Oklahoma neighbors ever for them to have a
who need it most."           home internet connection to
Low income families in help with homework and
Cox service areas can apply studying," Bialis said. "Our
tor Lifeline phone service by Lifeline internet service is a
calling Cox or at any Cox basic internet connection
store. Once their eligibility that will give them access to
is established, they will also millions of web sites and in-
lx? eligible for the free inter- formation resources."
The service comes with
a full compliment of free e-
waives half of any installa- mail addresses and a free in-
tion charges associated with ternet security suite.
Red Cross plans to
prepare families for
disasters and other
emergencies
The Tulsa Area Chapter
has received a $10,(XX) grant
from The Home Depot, the
world's largest home im-
provement retailer, to help ’Iso provides year-round in-
train local families in disaster kind donations to local chap-
emergency action ters for disaster-relief efforts,
j tl: . in-store preparedness clinics
developed with Red Cross
year in which the chapter has expertise, and funding for
been awarded a grant Red Cross diversity and
- through this program.         emergence service*-program- • Marv C Ogle chief executive
The Home Depot/Amer- manager training.
ican Red Cross Chapter Nationwide last
Grants Program is part of a I he Home Depot and Ameri-
three-year multi-million-dol- can Red Cross Chapter
lar strategic partnership be- Grants Program reached,
tween The Home Depot and trained and educated ap-
the Red Cross to educate 1 proximately 315,000 people,
million people in disaster Specialized disaster pre-
preparedness and to support paredness programs in-
Red Cross disaster readiness eluded outreach to Somali,
efforts.                        Latino, Vietnamese, young