Love the outdoors? Arizona’s sunny weather gives us more opportunities to enjoy outside activities than most parts of the country. To minimize the possibility of developing skin cancer, take steps like wearing protective clothing and sunscreen to shield your skin.

Of the different forms of skin cancer, melanoma is the deadliest. Yet even this form can be effectively treated with early detection. Here’s what to do.

Examine any spot on your skin to look for the following characteristics:

• Asymmetry – is one half of the spot different than the other half?
• Border – is the border irregular, scalloped or poorly defined?
• Color – does the spot have different shades of tan, brown or black?
• Diameter – is it the size of a pencil eraser? Usually melanomas are larger, but they can be smaller.
• Evolving – is the shape, size or color changing?

www.spotskincancer.org has a terrific graphic to help you identify these characteristics right away. Use it to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Ask any parent and they’ll probably tell you nothing equals the pain of a child gone missing. And what about the child? What could be more painful than to be ripped from his or her family?

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) initiative educates people on how to react when a child goes missing and how to identify a missing child. It works by disseminating state-of-the-art knowledge and practices, plus provides grants to implement these strategies.

Most of the responsibility for child safety falls to law enforcement at the state and city level. Our best defense is to encourage parents, guardians and others involved in day-to-day child care to work with these agencies as closely as possible.

There are many people, both individuals and those in law enforcement, who make exceptional efforts to rescue and protect our children. It’s why Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25^th as National Missing Children’s Day.  Each year there’s a ceremony to honor those who go beyond the call of duty.

Check www.ojjdp.gov/missingchildrensday to learn more about this award program.

Maybe you can’t think of any motorcycle owners you personally know right now… but chances are… you know someone who has ridden as a passenger on one. That’s why taking the extra effort to look for motorcyclists is personal to all of us.

Let’s face it, sometimes motorcyclists can be annoying. Some riders weave between cars in heavy traffic. Some seem to come out of nowhere and suddenly cut in front of you. Often they go fast. How you feel about this doesn’t matter. They have the same rights to the road as you do and are at a disadvantage if an accident occurs.

The best way to prevent any altercation on the road is to treat motorcycles as full size cars. Always allow them a whole lane. Since they’re harder to see, take a second, even a third look to be sure you don’t pull into their space.

Remember, even if you aren’t acquainted with any motorcycle owners, you may know the person who’s riding with them.