Page A5 A ugust 26. 2009 B usiness Workplaces Accept Bike Challenge Who can bike- to-work more? Hundreds o f businesses, non­ profits, and government agencies across O regon and southw est W ashington will compete next month in the Bicycle Transpor­ tation A lliance’s Bike Commute Challenge, a month-long com pe­ tition between workplaces to see who can bike to work more. Since 1995, the annual event has introduced first-tim e bike com m uters to the fun, health, safety, and environm ental ben­ efits of comm uting by bike. In 2008, 10,700 individuals from m ore th an 1,000 b u s in e s s e s logged over one million miles of bike commutes. This year, even larger num ­ bers are expected with thousand The Department o f Environmental Quality's bike-to-work team celebrates victory in last year's Bike Com­ mute Challenge. Attracting Customers Workshop Managing A non-profit organization called SCORE (Counselors to * America’s Small Business) will offer a marketing on Wednes­ day, Sept. 9 at 601 S.W. Second Ave. Room 2030. The topics will include learn­ ing the power of branding; how to analyze your market, custom­ discount for each additional ers and your offering; advertis­ company person. With limited ing vs. public relations; the seating, clients are encouraged pros and cons of various media to pre-register to ensure space. and developing a m arketing For details on schedules, loca­ tions and registration o f all budget and plan. The cost is $55 pre-regis­ SCORE workshops call 503 326- tered, $65 at the door and $5 5211 or visit scorepdx.org. Program Helps Small Businesses S m a ll b u s in e s s e s th a t w ould otherw ise have d iffi­ culty securing private equity or venture capital may find funding easier to get as a re ­ sult o f changes made as part of the American Recovery and A m erica’s small business by R einvestm ent Act. The details are under the supplem enting the long-term S m a ll B u s in e s s A d m in i­ debt and private-equity capi­ stration’s Small Business In­ tal available to them. For more inform ation, visit vestm ent Company Program. S B IC 's w ere created to sbu.gov/lNV or call 1-800-U- s tim u la te th e g ro w th o f ASK-SBA. Is it Time to Invest Again? With the majority of the governm ent’s leading eco­ nomic indicators on the plus side for three quarters in a row, and the better than expected results of the recent stress test on key important U.S. banks; one has to ask, is it time to consider investing in the fi­ nancial markets again? Not to invest leaves you at risk to inflation, while most Money Market rates are be­ low one p e rc e n t. A nine months CD can pay as little as 1.09 percent, and a 60 months CD can pay 3 percent, and everything in between the two rates for different in­ tervals. A good place to look when of individuals trying bike com ­ muting for the first time. With the support of Metro re­ gional governm ent’s Drive Less Save More campaign, alliance staff will present dozens of Bike Commuting 101 Workshops for free to attendees at workplaces throughout the area. Individuals, organizations, or businesses interested in signing up for a workshop can schedule one by con tactin g Stephanie N oll at stephanie@ bta4bikes.org. W orkplaces com pete in the Bike Com m ute Challenge can qualify for prize drawings, dis­ counts at bike shops, and admis­ sion to the after-party in Port­ land in October. F or m ore in fo rm a tio n and reg istratio n , visit the web at bikecommutechallenge.com. Money considering investing again is; where is the current money go­ ing? Investors put nearly $150 billion into exchange-traded funds (EFTs) in the second half of last year. Invented 16 years ago as ba­ sic index funds that trade on the market like stock, ETFs aren't an ideal place to sock away small amounts of money each month. But they are per­ fect if you’re investing a lump sum, such as an inheritance or a401(k)rollover. Safety is always a factor, so ETFs that track the major asset classes and come from a pro­ vider with a long, stable history is important. You can build a portfolio with just four or five funds that will provide good diversification. As you try to recapture your losses during the last year and by R ick L ee a half, resist the temptation to become greedy and invest in risky or speculative invest­ ments unless they are suitable for your investment profile and resources. Consider that usually, the riskier the investm ent, the higher the commission is paid to the financial advisor recom­ mending the investment. Re­ member there is no such thing as a risk free investment; even U.S. Government backed se­ curities have risk. To find out if ETFs are right for you, or if you want assis­ tance with portfolio structur­ ing, asset allocation, and or di­ versification, call me today. Rick L Lee is president o f Professional <£ Wealth Man­ agement. He can be reached at 503-539-8994 or via e-mail at pro_wealthmgnt@wvi.com. THE SPINACOUJMN An ongoing scries of questions and answers about Americas natural healing profession Dr. Billy R. Flowers Part 35. Different Benefits by Age Group photo by M ark W ashington /T hf . P ortland O bserver Welcome Aboard Mayor Sam Adams welcomes the Aug. 19 arrival of a new same day Amtrak rail service between Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia. Traveling by rail between the two cities previously required an overnight stay in Seattle to transfer to another train. Completing the trip in one day after a rail start in Portland previ­ ously required taking a bus north from Seattle. Proposed casino in Portland suburb finds some support A poll co m m issio n ed by tw o Lake O sw ego business­ m en p u rsu in g th e id e a o f bringing a casino to the Port­ land area found that 54 per­ cent o f Oregon voters som e­ what or strongly support it. State voters would have to a p p ro v e a c o n s titu tio n a l a m e n d m e n t to a llo w a non trib al casino. B usiness­ The telephone poll random ly men Matt Rossman and Bruce su rveyed 4 0 6 O regon v o t­ Studer are collecting signa­ e rs b e tw e e n M ay 27 an d tures to put such an item on June 2. T he m argin o f error w as p lu s o r m inus 5 p e r ­ the 2010 ballot. Riley Research A ssociates centage points Rossman and Studer wan, o f P o rtla n d fo und th at 40 p e rc e n t o f O re g o n v o te rs to pu, a casino at the former o p p o se a P o rtla n d c a s in o M ultnomah Greyhound Park and 6 percent w ere unsure. in Wood Village. : What age groups can most always be corrected when a chiropractor help most? chiropractic care is initiated in time. : T his is like asking which age groups ben­ Needless to say, every teenage efit most from good health. girl should be checked regularly And yet, each age group has for scoliosis and all teenagers specific problems for which and young adults should see your chiropractor has specific their chiropractor regularly to make sure their newly active answers. sports lives aren't creating spi­ nal problems they'll have to live O th er m o th ers are often with the rest of their lives. amazed to see a mother carry­ ing her infant out of the ad­ Adults justing room. And yet, since The world today is experiencing the delivery process itself a terrible level of stress. Long causes a high percentage of work weeks, seemingly impos­ subluxations, infants to need sible deadlines and economic chiropractic care. Obviously, woes create incredible pressures. children and infants are treated In addition, most adults breathe differently than adults. There in polluted air, drink chemically are new, highly sophisticated treated water and consume an methods of adjusting children average of nine pounds of food and infants to insure the best additives and chemical preserva­ possible results with the least tives in a year, putting even more possible discomfort. Though stress on their bodies. One sure young children can't tell you way to keep the stress level from they're in pain, heir irritability causing potentially dangerous is often a sign of the need to subluxations is with regular chi­ ropractic checkups. be checked. Young Adults and Teenagers Senior Citizens More and more young adults and teenagers are getting in­ volved in active sports. As a result, more and more of them are getting injured, requiring prompt chiropractic care. Obviously half of he girls in our society develop scoliosis (curvature of the spine) dur­ ing puberty. Left untreated, scoliosis keeps getting worse over time. However, it can al­ R e tire m e n t age fo r m any people has become just plain tiresome. Aches and pins, o f­ ten the re su lt o f u n tre a te d subluxations, abound. Yet is hardly seems fair that having to suffer with pain or being drugged into numbness are fair rewards for all the years of hard work. Depending on the degree of subluxations degeneration, your chiropractor can often provide help. For senior citizens w ho’ve been fortunate enough to suf­ fered minimal trauma in their lives, virtually complete spinal recovery should be almost as easy as it w ould be for younger people. For those who have suffered needlessly for years, your chi­ ropractor can often slow or stop the degeneration, making life more comfortable. It is cer­ tainly worth the effort so that our senior citizens get the dig­ nity o f health care they de­ serve. Something for Everyone As you can see, there are prac­ tically as many reasons to have re g u la r c h iro p ractic checkups as there are people. Make an appointment for your­ self and your loved ones soon. Flowers Chiropractic ( MTice 2124 NE Hancock Portland, Oregon 97212 Phone: (503) 287-5504 Flowers' Chiropractic Office 2124 N.E. Hancock Street. Portland O regon97212 Phone: (5 0 3 ) 2S7»5504