Topeka history project preparing to expand

Panels will cover 900-foot area, involve community

By Peg Williams

The Capital-Journal

Published Tuesday, May 13, 2008

As temperatures increase, so does the activity at the Great Mural Wall of Topeka.

The walls for the mural, located at S.W. 20th and Western, were prepared Monday, and brush strokes will follow in early June. A dedication took place in June 2007 for the first 60 feet that were painted. The mural now has two large panels that focus on history and revitalization of the area, as well as longtime Topeka philanthropist Grant Cushinberry. Smaller relief panels below the main panels contribute to the mural.

The mural, when finished, will cover a 900-foot space, which was donated by the city of Topeka Water Division, according to earlier Topeka Capital-Journal articles.

Lawrence artist David Loewenstein has been working on the project for about a year and a half. It was initiated by the Chesney Park Neighborhood Improvement Association and is sponsored by the Weed and Seed program. Rachel Pantos is the coordinator of the program.

"The point is to weed out crime in a particular neighborhood and seed in positive attitudes, positive activities and neighborhood restoration, in an attempt to improve the community," Pantos said.

Loewenstein currently is preparing 150 feet of the wall, which he plans to paint this summer. While he is the artist that has been hired to paint the mural, he plans to involve the community.

"It's about the cultural history and people's history of Topeka," he said. "It's not just the most famous well-known folks, or the biggest events that have happened. But more things people are interested in and hoping for in their own neighborhoods."

In an effort to include as many people as possible, Loewenstein has hired apprentices, and he encourages the entire community to be an active part of the work.

He spent the winter months collaborating with community members and neighborhood groups to find ideas for the mural.

There will be certain days this summer where members of the community will be able to come out and help paint the mural, too.

Pantos said it is a great way for families to become involved in the community.

"I think it's going to be a great project," she said. "It's a great opportunity for kids and families to get involved in a project that improves their neighborhood. And it is exciting because they will be able to see immediate results."

A Better Resume

Have you ever set down to write your resume and wondered, How long should it be? Or maybe, what should be included and/or highlighted? Then again maybe, you wonder, how can it all fit onto on page?

Well recently Monster.com published an article: Tips for Creating a Concise Resume. According to the article you are not alone, if you have had those or similar thoughts.

As millions of workers update their resumes, one of the top concerns is length.

Not long ago, job seekers followed the resume golden rule: No resume should exceed one page. However, today's job seekers are finding that rule no longer applies.

In this time of confusion, the solution is simple: Common sense. If you are just graduating, have fewer than five years of work experience or are contemplating a complete career change, a one-page resume will probably suffice.

Some technical and executive candidates require multiple-page resumes. If you have more than five years of experience and a track record of accomplishments, you will need at least two pages to tell your story.

Not an Autobiography

The first thing to remember, according to the article, is that your resume is not autobiography.

Don't confuse telling your story with creating your autobiography. Employers are inundated with resume submissions and are faced with weeding out the good from the bad. The first step involves quickly skimming through resumes and eliminating candidates who clearly are not qualified. Therefore, your resume needs to pass the skim test. Look at your resume and ask yourself:

Can a hiring manager see my main credentials within 10 to 15 seconds?

Does critical information jump off the page?

Do I effectively sell myself on the top quarter of the first page?

According to another article at Daily Writing Tips,

The ideal length for a resume is a polemic subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists, however, say that it should contain one or two pages at maximum. Just keep in mind that, provided all the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better.
- 44 Resume Writing Tips

The Sales Pitch

Because resumes are quickly skimmed during the first pass, it is crucial your resume gets right to work selling your credentials. Your key selling points need to be prominently displayed at the top of the first page. If an MBA degree is important in your career field, it shouldn't be buried at the end of a four-page resume.

An effective way to showcase your key qualifications is to include a Career Summary statement at the top of the first page. On your Monster resume, use the Objective section to relay your top qualifications. The remainder of the resume should back up the statements made in your summary.
- Tips for Creating a Concise Resume

And that other article (44 Resume Writing Tips) says,

A very common advice to job seekers is to use action verbs. But what are they? Action verbs are basically verbs that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what your experience or achievement were. Examples include managed, coached, enforced and planned. Here you can find a complete list of action verbs divided by skill category.

That article also says to update your resume regularly and to avoid listing your hobbies.

Unless you are 100% sure that some of your hobbies will support you candidacy, avoid mentioning them. I know you are proud of your swimming team, but share it with your friends and not with potential employers.

Editor's Eye

The next tip that the Monster.com article mentions is:

Many workers are proud of their careers and feel the information on a resume should reflect everything they've accomplished. However, the resume shouldn't contain every detail. It should only include the information that will help you land an interview.

So be judicious. If your college days are far behind you, does it really matter that you pledged a fraternity or delivered pizza? The editing step will be difficult if you are holding on to your past for emotional reasons. In these cases, show your resume to a colleague or professional resume writer for an objective opinion.

One thing, that I found really interesting, is that the 44 Resume Writing Tips article mentioned to list all of your positions.

If you have worked a long time for the same company (over 10 years) it could be a good idea to list all the different positions and roles that you had during this time separately. You probably had different responsibilities and developed different skills on each role, so the employer will like to know it.

Finally the Monster.com article mentioned these 8 tips.

Eight Tips to Keep Your Resume Concise

1. Avoid Repeating Information: Did you perform the same or similar job tasks for more than one employer? Instead of repeating job duties, focus on your accomplishments in each position.
2. Eliminate Old Experience: Employers are most interested in what you did recently. If you have a long career history, focus on the last 10 to 15 years. If your early career is important to your current goal, briefly mention the experience without including details. For example: Early Career: ABC Company -- City, State -- Assistant Store Manager and Clerk, 1980-1985.
3. Don't Include Irrelevant Information: Avoid listing hobbies and personal information such as date of birth or marital status. Also, eliminate outdated technical or business skills.
4. Cut Down on Job Duties: Many job seekers can trim the fat off their resumes simply by removing long descriptions of job duties or responsibilities. Instead, create a paragraph that briefly highlights the scope of your responsibility and then provide a list of your most impressive accomplishments.
5. Remove "References Available Upon Request": Many job seekers waste the valuable last line of the resume on an obvious statement. Remove it.
6. Use a Telegraphic Writing Style: Eliminate personal pronouns and minimize the use of articles (a, an, the) when preparing your resume.
7. Edit Unnecessary Words: Review your resume for unnecessary phrases such as "responsible for" or "duties include." The reader understands you were responsible for the tasks listed on your resume.
8. Customize Your Resume for Your Job Target: Only include information relevant to your goal. This is particularly important for career changers who need to focus on transferable skills and deemphasize unrelated career accomplishments.

One more tip, that I would like to note is:

If you have been working for 20 years or more, there is no need to have 2 pages of your resume listing all your work experiences, starting with the job at the local coffee shop at the age of 17! Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough.
- 44 Resume Writing Tips

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Free Credit Report and Score Monitoring?

Did you know beginning later this month(June 16, 2008), you will be able to get free unlimited access to your credit report and score? It's true! After confirming it with multiple sources, I am bringing you the information, so that you can take part in this limited time offer.

I first heard about it on Saturday mornings Today Show. After which, I began looking on the news sites. Where, I found several more articles on the deal.

It seems that there was a class action lawsuit against TransUnion. TransUnion denied any wrongdoing, but agreed to settle the case to avoid lengthy litigation expenses, according to the settlement.

Millions of consumers will soon be able to get their credit score and up to nine months of credit-monitoring service for free from TransUnion, which reached a preliminary settlement of a class-action lawsuit this week.
- SeattlePI.com

Giving millions of Americans a great opportunity, to check their 3-digit credit score, which determines the interest rate you'll get on mortgages, car loans and other credit accounts. However, the expert interviewed on the Today Show warned that the credit score that TransUnion gives you will be only a TransUnion score and will not be the FICO score that banks, financial institutions and other lenders use. Still though, it does give you a good idea of that number that Dave Ramsey calls "the I love debt score."

I strongly recommend taking advantage of this offer, if you qualify. So how do you qualify?

If you had a credit card, loan or credit account between January 1987 and May 28, 2008 (this will include millions of consumers), you'll be able to elect one of two options:
- SeattlePI.com

Finally, if you do qualify, there are two options that you have.

(1) Basic relief. Free credit monitoring for six months, which gives you daily access to your credit report and credit score and 24-hour credit-monitoring service. This normally costs $59.75. Those who elect this option may get a cash payment if there's money left from the $75 million settlement fund.

(2) Enhanced relief. An alternative enhanced set of services" in exchange for a full release of claims. This options includes nine months credit monitoring, a suite of insurance scores and TransUnion's mortgage simulator service. This option normally would cost $115.50. You won't be entitled to any cash payment under this option.
- SeattlePI.com

If it were up to me, I would take the 6 month option, in hopes to getting that check also. However, if you don't want the cash payment, then go ahead and take the 9 months option. No matter, which option you choose, remember to cancel at the end of that period of time.


So how do you get benefits? Starting June 16, you'll be able to register online at www.listclassaction.com or call 1-866-416-3470.
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Spending: June 7, 2008

OK, real quickly, as I have to get out the door, like now. Yesterday, I kind of went on what seems like a mini spending spree.
I bought breakfast (the best biscuits and gravy) from the coffee shop at Harley Davidson (only make them on Saturday's). Getting the full order, I spent $4.30 on breakfast. I know I should have only did the half order, if I was going to do this, but oh well, they were so good and kept me full all the way through to dinner last night.

I also bought a bottle of coke, first time in a few days, for $1.39. On the way out the door (from work) as I was heading to the house, I bought some sweet potatoes for dinner at 99 cents a pound, I got just over two pounds. Along with the peanut butter (store brand) I spent $5.72 on groceries.

As, I was driving home, I stopped and put $20 of gas in the gas tank. Next week, I hope to completely fill the tank as I expect at least 1 if not 2 checks from other sources. It will be so nice, to have a full tank of gas again. OK, I better go, today, I am making every effort to not spend a single dime.

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Answering Anonymous

Yesterday, I made mention that I was catching up the cox bill, and then paying next months bill to. Well some anonymous reader, asked why is cox so high? Leaving me to scratch my head, since I had already said. But, I know sometimes I read something, and totally miss a sentence, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

So I will state again, that the bill was behind and I was catching it up. To with, I also paid the current bill. That is why it was so high. ($61 behind and $39 current). Of that $39, I have basic cable ($13) and Internet ($26) for the slowest/cheapest high speed Internet they have.



that person then asked why I was getting my car washed instead of doing it myself. well, I am doing it myself. I have never had a detailer wash this car. With that said, I am reminded as of this post that I need to get myself over to the car wash, so that I can finally clean the car and get the month old grass clippings stuck to the sides washed off. I must take care of this car, so that will stay nice for the 10-15 years I plan to own it.
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Spending: More Monthly Bills and Root Beer Floats

This morning I left for work, bright and early. After a late at work. Thankfully the storms were not nearly as bad as they were forecasting. On the way into work, I stopped by McDonald's and bought a sausage biscuit, for $1.07 (with tax).

As I mentioned yesterday, I had some bills scheduled, through my online bill pay, to be paid this morning. Those bills were as follows:

Amerifirst Home Improvement $101

T MOBILE $50

Water Bill $20


Then as I was leaving the store at noon, today, I bought a bottle of Root Beer for 68 cents (on sale) and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for 50 cents (also on sale). Tonight, I am making root beer floats. MMM-MMMM good.


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Spending: Bills Today

I logged into my Credit Union's website, and seen that my paycheck had been deposited. As with every paycheck, I also seen a withdrawal of $200. That $200 goes to that same credit union to pay for my auto loan. They automatically withdraw the money as soon as my direct deposit hits. Saving me time and effort to stay on top of this debt. On top of that it saves me interest charges as well.

In addition, I used my online bill pay service at the Credit Union to send Cox Communications $100 to bring that bill current (and pay the next bill as well). I am also driving to North Topeka this morning and paying that insurance premium of $342.10.

Then tomorrow, several more of my bills will be paid via my online bill pay. More on that tomorrow.

I really need to get my car washed, but with the rain and potential severe weather (possible tornado's) forecasted, I think I will wait until tomorrow (at least) on that as well.

It feels good, as I start to finally get the bills under control and still have a little breathing room. However, I must remember to save that extra money for a rainy day (and for vacations, wants, etc). As I get caught up, likewise I get caught up with the debts as well. Thank you, Jesus, for that.


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