As Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer season, the CDC, the EPA, the FDA and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention have a message for you: Don't Fry!

There are more than 3.5 million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed and 2.2 million people treated in the U.S. each year. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be more than 76,250 new cases of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. The states with the highest incidence rates of melanoma are: New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, Connecticut, Idaho, Delaware, Washington, Oregon, and Massachusetts.

Skin cancer is highly curable if found early and can be prevented.

The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention offers these tips:

Remember to Slip! Slop! Slap!...and Wrap when you're outdoors -- slip on a shirt, slop on broad spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, slap on a wide-brimmed hat, and wrap on sunglasses. The best way to detect skin cancer early is to examine your skin regularly and recognize changes in moles and skin growths.

• Do Not Burn or Tan
• Seek Shade
• Wear Sun-Protective Clothing
• Generously Apply Sunscreen
• Use Extra Caution Near Water, Snow, and Sand
• Get Vitamin D Safely

More tips & tools
The American Cancer Society: Be Safe in the Sun

CDC: Skin Cancer Prevention & Education Tools

NIOSH: protecting workers from UV radiation

Postal workers - a group of folks who are particularly at risk of dog bites - issued their annual list of top dog attack city rankings, along with their tips for preventing dog bites ... and they certainly have experience in that area. If you haven't yet seen it, visit former mail carrier Ryan Bradford's posting, All the Dogs Want to Kill Me, where he logged snapshots of dogs lurking on his postal route a few years ago. It's pretty amusing, unless you are the postal worker or the gas meter reader who has to face the pets down. Here's a few clips that demonstrate just how territorial and aggressive even seemingly sweet dogs can be over mail deliveries.

In addition to mail carriers, kids are also very vulnerable when it comes to dog bites. Here are some good sites for teaching your kids how to be safe.

Teaching kids how to have safe encounters with dogs

Prevent the Bite - preventing dog bites to children through education

Learn to Speak Dog and Teach Your Kids

Dog Bite Prevention - from the CDC

Will your graduating students be coming back to the nest, or considering renting their own place?

This is a wonderful time in your student's life. Graduation from college brings on so many new adventures to look forward to. One of which can include whether they will be renting their own apartment after graduation. With some many decisions to process after graduation, make the easiest one there is for your student who will be moving to their first apartment-Renters Insurance.

Purchasing Renters Insurance for your student is a gift of security for them and yourself. You'll be putting your mind at ease knowing that your students first apartment is protected in case of fire or theft.

An average Renters policy runs around $200 a year for the basic $20,000 in coverage, that's only $16 a month for your piece of mind and security of your student's new apartment.

So when considering what gift to give your student for graduation this year, give them a protection policy with Renters Insurance.

Salary.com has been tracking how much money Moms are worth since 2008 and they have a lot of interesting data, slide shows and infographics - including a calculator for you to calculate your own Mom's worth.

Regardless of the dollars and cents, we think Mom is an underpaid worker. Don't forget to call or visit her this weekend!

If you fear you might be on the path of the person on the right, it's never too late to make some healthy changes. Here's a few places to start. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published the results of a study about the Mediterranean diet. The study found people at high risk for coronary artery disease could reduce their risks of stroke, heart attack and death from coronary artery disease by 30% by relying on a Mediterranean style of eating. Learn more about a more about a Mediterranean diet from the Mayo Clinic.

If you need more exercise, the CDC offers guidance on how much physical activity you need, based on your age. The CDC also offers guidance for adding physical activity to your life.

But wait - don't relax yet. April is Financial Literacy month - just how savvy are you about your finances? You can test your knowledge with these financial literacy quizzes and see how you stack up compared to based on high-school seniors across the country. The quizzes are part of the Jump$tart
Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing financial literacy among students in pre-kindergarten through college.

If your scores are embarrassing, don't despair. There are some excellent consumer tools to help you get your financial house in order. Here are a few:

• As part of Financial Literacy Month, the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America would like to help motivate you to save. To sweeten the pot, they are giving away $500 to help one person reach their savings goal. Pledge to save by signing up to receive periodic text tips on saving, and you might win. You must sign up between April 1 and April 30, 2013 and you must be 18 years of age or older to win. Plus, standard text messaging rates might apply, depending on your plan.

• 30 Steps to Financial Wellness offers 30 days of tips and tools to help you get your financial house in order and improve your overall financial position. Don't miss the Tools for Success.

• MyMoney.gov - a resource brought to you by 20 agencies and bureaus of the U.S. Federal government that work on improving financial literacy and education. It includes great tools, such as Budgeting Worksheets, Calculators, and Checklists.

• 360 Days of Financial Literacy - tools from the American Institute of CPAs.

Monday's tragic events at the Boston Marathon have left many of us shaken - particularly being in our own backyard and affecting people we may know. But true to the cliche, even this cloud had a silver lining - evidenced by the incredible bravery of first responders, medical personnel and many private citizens who put their own lives at risk to save others. No doubt, more lives would have been lost without the courage of "the helpers."

It's hard for any of us to come to grips with senseless violence, but particularly hard for kids. On the web page Tragic Events in the News, Fred Rogers offers resources, tips and discussion about how to put scary, confusing disasters and world events into perspective for kids. Some of his sensible, comforting advice is good for adults, too!

Also see Resources in the Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing, a list of helpful links from our Employee Assistance Program.

Ways You Can Help
The One Fund - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc. to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013.

American Red Cross - You can always donate funds or blood to the American Red Cross - but you may want to wait a few weeks. Right now, the Red Cross says it has sufficient funds and blood supply to deal with events in Boston, but the need for blood is constant. People often rush to donate to a specific tragedy but donating on a regular basis can be more helpful.

Boston Children's Hospital continues to aid in the recovery following the explosions. You can support the hospital's efforts with a donation to the Marathon Program, which supports the hospital's areas of greatest need, or the Emergency and Trauma fund, which helps kids and families get the emergency treatment they need when tragedy strikes.

"Do you have the right insurance coverage if your home and belongings are damaged or destroyed by a fire, flood, earthquake, or other catastrophe? Getting the peace of mind that comes with insurance isn't rocket science; it's about knowing your stuff, knowing the risks involved and understanding your priorities. The Know Your Coverage app features interactive quizzes that guide you through key questions to discuss with your Insurance Professional. Together, you can work out a coverage plan for your needs and budget. But it's not just about stuff... with the right amount and type of insurance, you can focus on what really matters--your work, family, friends and hobbies--without having to worry about the "what-ifs" in life."

This is one in a series of "Know Your X" apps ... find other apps from the Insurance Information Institute - get a home inventory app called "Know Your Stuff" and a disaster planning app called "Know Your Plan."

Today, Frank Abagnale is one of the world's most respected authorities on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. He's been consulting with the FBI and with governments, businesses, and financial institutions around the globe for more than 35 years.

We spotted a recent article in The Guardian about how Facebook users risk identity theft that offers some great security tips from Frank - its worth reading. His biggest message is not to expect social media companies to protect your identity - its your responsibility to stay safe. Some of his advice:

"If you tell me your date of birth and where you're born [on Facebook] I'm 98% [of the way] to stealing your identity," he said. "Never state your date of birth and where you were born [on personal profiles], otherwise you are saying 'come and steal my identity'."

He also advised Facebook users to never choose a passport-style photograph as a profile picture, and instead use group photographs.

Here are some autism resources for parents, teachers and friends:

• The Autism NOW Center us the nation's source for resources and information on community-based solutions for individuals with autism, other developmental disabilities, and their families.
• Autism Speaks - Resource Library
• National Autism Resources
• 10 Tech Resources for the Autism Community

Here are two autism-related video clips that we enjoy. The first clip is by Temple Grandin, perhaps the worlds most famous person living with autism. Diagnosed with autism as a child, she talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids.

The second video is an uncle talking with and about his autistic nephew. Its by the Winn Brothers from the What You Ought to Know series.

Even seemingly innocuous over the counter medication can be harmful to a child - test your own ability to spot the difference in this Pills or Candy interactive quiz -- and if you pass Level 1, move on to Levels 2 and 3.

The point of the game is to raise awarness about how attractive medications can appear to toddlers. March is Poison Prevention Month, which has a goal of raising awareness of the dangers lurking in our homes. More than 60,000 young children end up in emergency departments every year because they got into medicines or household products while parents or caregivers were not looking. 90% of poison incidents happen at home in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and laundry rooms; more than half of all incidents happen to kids under the age of 6.

Here are some household items to watch out for:

• Medications, including over the counter drugs that seem innocuous
• Cleaning supplies
• Bug sprays and pesticides
• Paint and household maintenance items
• Antifreeze and auto supplies
• Batteries - especially the tiny easy-to-swallow button batteries
• Single load laundry packets - colorful, soft, attractive
• Cosmetics and perfumes
• Arts, crafts & school supplies
• 
  Alcohol

Keep the Poison Control Emergency Number in a handy place in your home and on your smartphone For a poison emergency in the U.S. call 1-800-222-1222

Here are some resources. If you have kids, these will help you keep you do a home audit to ensure your kids are safe. Even if you don't have kids, why not help spread awareness by posting infographics, fact sheets or games on your Facebook and Twitter pages?

Poison Prevention Fact Sheets

American Association of Poison Control Centers

Up and Away Campaign

Apps for Poison Control and Drug Reference

Poisons In Your Home Infographic

Kids Act So Fast - So do poisons Infographic

Getting back to happiness, an article in the International Herald Tribune tells us that the small Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan started the "happiness day" concept. The residents of Bhutan are so committed to the idea of happiness that they think that prosperity and progress should be measured by gauging its citizens' happiness levels rather than the typical gauge of measuring the GDP.

They are on to something. Happy people not only enjoy life, they have more of it: Studies link happiness to health and to longevity.

Even if you spent the first half of International Happiness Day in a foul and grumpy mood, there's still a good part of the day and evening left to shift gears. To get you started, we've supplied some mood music below, and we point you to the wonderful site called ZooBorns. Looking at 15 minutes of adorable baby animals should do the trick. In fact, we suggest a routine dose of animal cuteness as a good stress reducer every day.

Here's another suggestion: do a random act of kindness right now. That will double the happiness quotient. If you are on the East Coast, you have 8 or more hours of potential happiness. Be a good world citizen - get started!

March Is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every year, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and more than 50,000 people die from it. It affects both men and women and the risks increase with age. More than 90% of call cases occur in people 50 years of age and older.

According to the CDC, if everyone who is 50 years old or older were screened regularly, as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.

Learn more about Colorectal Cancer Screening, including free screenings for low-income individuals in 25 states.
Learn more about prevention, risk factors,a nd symptoms

First rule of thumb, right from the IRS:

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.

All unsolicited email claiming to be from either the IRS or any other IRS-related components such as the Office of Professional Responsibility or EFTPS, should be reported to phishing@irs.gov.

Second rule of thumb: Never send sensitive financial information via email - it is not secure. This includes social security numbers or PIN numbers, passwords and other access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

Third rule of thumb: If you get an email request to update your password or to enter an account number, password, or other identifiable information, DO NOT click on a link or reply. Instead, go directly to the site of the organization that is asking for the update and sign in to your account. If there is a request for updated information, you will find it there.

Fourth rule of thumb: Never enter any financial or account information on a site unless you are sure it is secure. How can you tell? Look for the "s" - most websites are preceded by http:// - secure websites use https:// - that one little letter makes all the difference. Most browsers will also show a little icon of a padlock right in the address bar beside the web address. You can't always trust a web page graphic promising security since these can be faked - look for the website address and the padlock in the address bar.

For more, see our past posts:
How Can I Securely Send Sensitive Tax Docs to My Tax Preparer?

Don't get hooked by tax-time phishing!