(NNPA)—Traveling across America on speaking engagements this holiday season, I talked to many of the 14 million kids now living in poverty. In the past eight years child poverty rates have sky-rocketed over 80 percent and high school dropout rates hit 68 percent in many communities. Currently, America is undergoing a national crisis with 20 percent of all children living in poverty. These findings are supported by organizations such as The National Center for Child Poverty and The Kenneth Allen Youth Foundation.

Resume/cover letters

DEC. 29—CareerLink Pittsburgh will host “Resumes/ Cover Letters 1: Creating Your Draft” from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Downtown Pittsburgh CareerLink Workshop Center, Regional Enterprise Tower, 22nd floor, 425 Sixth Ave., Downtown. CareerLink will help individuals plan and create their resume and cover letter, which are important job search documents. The workshop is free and open to the public. Registration is requested. For more information, call 412-552-7048 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Networking luncheon

JAN. 5—The Comfort Inn & Conference Center will host “Comfort Zone Networking Lunch” from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at 699 Rodi Rd., Penn Hills. This is a networking opportunity with lunch. Reservations are requested by Jan. 4. The cost is $10. For more information, call Sharon Pranis at 412-349-1622.

Proverbs survive because of their universality. Take the adage, “One bad apple spoils the barrel.” It teaches us that good people (or good businesses) can be tainted by association with those whose actions are perceived as unscrupulous, even if they themselves don’t employ the same deceitful tactics.

Here’s an example: Because a very small number of e-commerce merchants have abused a practice called “negative renewal option billing,” consumer confidence in the trustworthiness of all online retailers is being undermined. According to a recent Visa Inc. survey, 29 percent of Americans believe they’ve been victimized by this practice. The Federal Trade Commission  concurs, noting that approximately 3.2 million Americans reported these or similar types of unauthorized charges in 2007.