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By Megan Wolfarth, Training and Safety Director

Everyone knows that Pittsburgh isn't one of the sunniest cities around. In fact, according to www.123syracuse.com, Pittsburgh ranks as the 19th cloudiest city in the U.S. with an average of 206 overcast days a year! So with that said, it's important to note that sunburns happen even on days when it's overcast.

Most people think that because it is cloudy, that the sun's rays can't burn them. It's a proven fact, however, that the clouds do not give protection to any of the UV (Ultraviolet) Rays. In fact, sunburns and damage happen more often on cloudy days because people think they can't get burned and do not take necessary precautions.

Make sure to understand what the ratings on your sunscreen mean. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and just because you have sunscreen marked SPF-30 doesn't mean you can stay in the sun twice as long. That only means that SPF-30 filters out 97% of the sun's harmful rays, while SPF-15 filters out 93%. They both last the same amount of time, which is usually just a couple of hours (2-3 hours, to be exact). It's good to re-apply it early and often while spending prolonged amounts of time in the sun.

Another important point to mention is that people with fair skin, or who may have a tendency to burn, should use more sunscreen more often, although everyone should wear some kind of protection against the sun.

One last note! Sunscreen is only good for about one summer, so it's a good idea to replace it on a yearly basis. (And drink lots of water! It's getting hot outside!)

By Chris McCarthy, Vice President

Mr. John is proud to announce the expansion of septic and tank pumping services to the Mon Valley. In addition to our current service area, Mr. John will be providing its residential septic, commercial tank pumping services to the following locations as well as their neighboring municipalities and townships:

Belle Vernon, Bunola, Charleroi, Clairton, Donora, Elizabeth, Elrama, Finleyville, Glassport, Jefferson Hills, Lovedale, McKeesport, Monessen, North Belle Vernon, North Charleroi, Thomas, Versailles, Webster and West Elizabeth.

Grace and Michael are spearheading new sales & marketing programs to gain market share in the Mon Valley. Like everything else we do at our company, we commit and succeed! Thanks to Jeff, Grace, Bob Kramer, Chucky Dietz, and John Malachak for making our septic department a success!

• Chuck Dietz and John Malanchak (May 15) - Chuck and John both got gold stars for their teamwork on a septic tank in Trafford. A customer called to say what great guys Chuck and John were. Her septic was especially difficult and they really took care of her. She also noted that she was very surprised at how clean our trucks were!
• Bill Lovasz (May 26) - Bill received a gold star from Bob, a customer in downtown Pittsburgh. Bob called to say our driver gives the best service he has seen in his 20 years of construction work! That is a really great compliment!

Lisa Mozuch
Collections

One place I'd like to visit: Graceland
One movie I can't live without: "Finding Nemo"
Famous person I'd like to buy a drink: Elvis
Favorite song on my radio or iPod: "Our Song," Taylor Swift
The best advice I've ever received: You have to be able to respect yourself before you can start to respect others.

Delbert Fullum
Yard and Shop

One place I'd like to visit: Philippines
One movie I can't live without: "The Godfather"
Famous person I'd like to buy a drink: Halle Berry or Alicia Keys ... or both!
Favorite song on my radio or iPod: "You Complete Me," Keyshia Cole
The best advice I've ever received: Save your money!

Dale Nicholson Jr.
Routing Manager

One place I'd like to visit: Alaska
One movie I can't live without: "A Christmas Story"
Famous person I'd like to buy a drink: Homer Simpson
Favorite song on my radio or iPod: "The Dance," Garth Brooks
The best advice I've ever received: "That unit better be shining like a bull's (rear end) in the moonlight!" from Dale Sr.