Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Science Channel Presents Mars Rising

The Science Channel Presents Mars Rising

William Shatner narrates the most important, dangerous journey in human history, premiering Tuesday, October 30, at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Silver Spring, Md. (PRWEB) October 4, 2007

An expedition requiring unparalleled daring, innovation and sacrifice lies ahead for mankind in the 21st century. The first human mission to the red planet will forever change how we see our place in the universe, and set the stage for future space explorations of the solar system and what lies beyond.

On Tuesday, October 30, at 9 PM (ET/PT), The Science Channel and The Science Channel HD will air MARS RISING (http://science. discovery. com/), a special six-part series that immerses viewers in the challenges and possibilities of what might be the most important human voyage in history. MARS RISING, narrated by Emmy Award winning actor William Shatner, will premiere every Tuesday at 9 PM (ET/PT) from Tuesday, October 30, through Tuesday, December 4, 2007.

"Curiosity, inspiration, imagination and wonder are at the center of space exploration. MARS RISING (http://science. discovery. com/) embodies those qualities, showcasing scientists' high level of dedication to space exploration, as well as The Science Channel's elevated commitment to making their efforts immersive and engrossing for viewers." said Tom Cosgrove, COO and acting general manager, The Science Channel.

With exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to space agencies and facilities in Europe, Russia and the United States, MARS RISING introduces viewers to the visionaries and scientists laying the foundation for the manned mission to the planet Mars. The series also explores the idea of a new space race, with NASA setting its sights on reaching Mars by the year 2033, Russia's goal of reaching the red planet in 10 years and China working to become a new leader in manned space exploration.

Using stunning CGI and dramatic re-creations, MARS RISING also considers what future Mars spacecraft might be, as well as what the red planet's surface might look like to the astronauts and how they might explore the planet.

The six episodes of MARS RISING are as follows:

"Journey to the Red Planet"
Premiering Tuesday, October 30, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
This episode sets the stage for the entire human mission to Mars project, exploring a future Mars city, the physical and mental challenges of the trip to Mars and international efforts to reach the red planet.

"Rocket Power"
Premiering Tuesday, November 6, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
Viewers will go behind the scenes of the European Space Agency at work on spacecraft architecture and the interplanetary spacecraft that will transport the crew from Earth to Mars orbit. "Rocket Power" is the nuts-and-bolts-and-hands engineering episode that gives viewers an insider's look at the most difficult engineering challenge ever undertaken.

"Staying Alive"
Premiering Tuesday, November 13, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
Preparing and protecting the crew from the deadly hazards of the journey to Mars will be critical to a successful mission. Viewers see firsthand how NASA and Russia are addressing the physiological challenges of extreme radiation and long-duration weightlessness, as well as the challenges of food supplies and astronaut communication with Earth.

"The Human Factor"
Premiering Tuesday, November 20, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
Choosing the crew for the first mission to Mars could prove to be the most important casting call ever undertaken. Can humans endure the psychological extremes of a mission more than two years long? From determining whether a mixed-gender crew is feasible to testing team compatibility, this episode will examine the mental demands of the mission and introduce some of the candidates who could be the first humans to travel to Mars.

"Six Minutes of Terror"
Premiering Tuesday, November 27, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
When the first human sets foot on Mars, mankind will have evolved to become an interplanetary species. In the case of Mars, it's more about the destination than the journey. In terms of risk and danger to crew, entering Mars' orbit is where the stakes become immeasurable. A second spacecraft will be required to get the crew safely down to the surface, but ideas on how this is going to be accomplished vary widely. Plunging through the atmosphere at a fiery 30 times the speed of sound, the pilot will have only one chance to get it right.

"Search for Life"
Premiering Tuesday, December 4, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
After an odyssey spanning millions of miles, the quest for the Holy Grail of space exploration begins---the search for life on another planet. In this episode, viewers get exclusive access to leading-edge laboratories around the world where the prototypes for new spacesuits and rovers are under construction.

MARS RISING was produced by Galafilm Inc., for The Science Channel (http://science. discovery. com/). For The Science Channel, Julie Nadezna is executive producer. For Galafilm Inc., Arnie Gelbart and Phyllis Platt are executive producers.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Through TV and digital media, Discovery's 100-plus worldwide networks include Discovery Channel (http://dsc. discovery. com/), TLC, Animal Planet, The Science Channel, Discovery Health and Discovery HD Theater. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information please visit www. discoverycommunications. com.

For more information and photos please log on to www. press. discovery. com

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Planet Harmony Launches As Only Online Environmental Science/Justice Force Purposed To Broaden Participation Of People Of Color In Their Ecological Well-Being

Planet Harmony Launches As Only Online Environmental Science/Justice Force Purposed To Broaden Participation Of People Of Color In Their Ecological Well-Being

The New Green Authority Releases 2010 Top 10 List of African-American 'Green' Heroes of Past and Present

Somerville, MA (PRWEB) June 24, 2010

Planet Harmony (http://www. myplanetharmony. com/) Launches As Only Online Environmental Science/Justice Force Purposed To Broaden Participation Of People Of Color In The Ecological Well-Being Of Their Health And Community --
New Green Authority Releases 2010 Top 10 African-American Green Heroes of Past and Present (http://www. myplanetharmony. com/)- 

In observance of the ‘freedom holiday’ season leading up to the Fourth of July, Planet Harmony launches today to help African Americans and other people of color tap into the next generation of freedoms available through a more environmentally-aware and active community. A project of Living on Earth and the World Media Foundation and funded by the National Science Foundation, the new web-based community features breaking news, blogging, podcasts, video and other social networking capabilities. More than a news source, Planet Harmony is taking the lead on providing an audience that is most negatively impacted by environmental inequities and underrepresented in environmental science education, jobs and careers with a place to join in on the national dialogue and access the benefits of a fruitful Green society now and in the future. Anyone can join Planet Harmony today at www. MyPlanetHarmony. com. Planet Harmony is also an online affiliate of the nationally-syndicated radio program -- Living on Earth – which reaches approximately 300 Public Radio stations (http://www. loe. org/) nationwide through PRI (Public Radio International) and on XM Radio Channel 133, broadcasting on environmental news, features, interviews and commentary on a broad range of ecological issues.

Planet Harmony provides an opportunity for youth to construct a new identity as environmentally conscious citizens who are empowered with information to transform their own lives and communities through their engagement in the ecological well being of their health, community, and the world around them.

“In the next few decades, half of America’s youth will come from diverse populations and the environmental degradation of the planet will affect them the most,” said Steve Curwood, Founder and Executive Producer of Planet Harmony. “We believe that by getting youth more engaged now -- in relevant ways -- can better equip them as future power players on jobs in emerging Green industries, important health issues and preventions and an overall enhanced quality life,” added Curwood.

-- On Planet Harmony --
Most people have never heard of Will Allen, a Black farmer in Milwaukee, or a festival in urban areas of Chicago that celebrates and promotes the value of breast milk among mothers of color. And what about Diego Stocco a musician who composes music using sounds from a tree or a new Green job opportunity in your local community? If you haven’t visited MyPlanetHarmony. com yet, chances are you’re missing out on a new, unprecedented community where students, researchers, activists, policy makers, entertainers and other environmentally-vested members share ideas and explore solutions on pressing environmental issues and concerns neglected elsewhere:
 Student Influencers. Through its network of college student reporters, Planet Harmony creates a pipeline of young, progressive influencers that are vested in the environment today and sharing the news with their peers.  Planet Harmony Content. Planet Harmony covers a range of news from breaking national stories to little known news items that have major impact on our lives. Visitors can discovery everything from the hottest Green jobs and lifestyle tips to joining member posts and sharing personal experiences.   On-Campus Advocacy. Through its network of students, professors and researchers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Planet Harmony has been fused within classroom instruction, curriculum and other campus programs. This spring Planet Harmony collaborated with students at Howard University in their Cross-Cultural Psychology course on a project focused on the natural disaster in Haiti and mental health.  Broadening Participation in Environmental Justice. Planet Harmony provides one of the only opportunities people of color and those who live in poverty to become aware of the inequities in the environmental health of the communities in which they tend to live.

-- Planet Harmony’s Top 10 African-American Green Heroes for 2010 (http://www. myplanetharmony. com/) --
From respected entertainers such as Drake, who teamed with an urban green jobs group to host a five-market campus consciousness tour and Ludacris’ new high-school programs; to HBCUs around the country hosting environmental events to engage students and Presidential Advisor John Holdren’s aggressive plan on national science issues -- including reaching under-represented populations in the sciences -- enthusiasm and participation in the environmental movement is growing among young people across the country. Planet Harmony has compiled its list of its “2010 Top 10 African-American Green Heroes” to help educate people everywhere this year about key figures that have made significant contributions:

1. Will Allen is a genius. That’s according to the MacArthur Foundation who handed him $500,000 in 2008 as part of its genius grant program. What caught the eye of the folks at MacArthur is what folks in Will Allen’s ‘hood in Milwaukee can see every day: more than a dozen greenhouses right in the middle of the city near a housing project. Founder of an organization called Growing Power, Will Allen and his crew are bringing the growing of fresh produce right on the block. And with his work coupled with some other urban and rural sites, Will Allen is not only putting folks in touch with the land, he’s feeding them directly off it.

2. Majora Carter is also a genius, certified by the MacArthur folks in 2005, for her determination to bring a clean, livable and indeed enjoyable environment to her native ‘hood of Hunt’s Point in the South Bronx. She thought she’d become a filmmaker, but when the City of New York wanted to locate a major trash facility right on the waterfront of Hunt’s Point she fought back. Today Sustainable South Bronx, her creation, is the proud sponsor of a lovely waterfront park. Ms Carter herself has gone on to form a for-profit environmental consulting company, the Majora Carter Group, now noted for working to bring high intensity agri-business to inner city neighborhoods.

3. Robert Bullard is a Clark Atlanta University sociology professor who was among the first to document that people of color are disproportionately affected by such environment risks as the location of toxic dumps, with his groundbreaking book Dumping in Dixie, first published in 1990. Professor Bullard’s work was key in debunking the misconception that economics played the most important role in the location of toxic dumps. Over and over he found race to be a more important factor. Professor Bullard has also documented that racism in transportation didn’t go away after the era of Plessey v. Ferguson, but that racism is a key component of sprawl. Today Robert Bullard also directs the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University.

4. Anthony "Van" Jones is probably America’s funniest green black person, if his recent appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher is any guide. A lawyer and community activist who started looking to green jobs as one of the ways to help employ former prisoners, he has become one of the most articulate voices calling for a new green economy for the inner city—and the rest of America as well. An author of the bestselling The Green Collar Economy, Van Jones is a Fellow of the Center for American Progress, and a former green jobs advisor to the Obama White House.

5. Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is CEO of Green for All Green for All, an organization that was originally launched by Van Jones. Since she’s took over the helm of Green For All in 2009, she has become the poster person for involving people of color in fighting climate change. Interviewed in 2009 in Yes Magazine, Ellis - Lamkins, outlined how she has achieved success so far. “We’ve joined with the Hip Hop Caucus, the NAACP, and other organizations that have not always been traditional players in the environmental movement, and created Green the Block, which gets people involved in environmental projects in their own communities. That program’s successes have shown us, in a short period of time, that when you mobilize communities of color and low-income communities, they really can make change in the environmental movement and also address the issues that are most critical to saving the planet.”

6. Hazel Johnson was busy educating people about the effects of environmental hazards on low-income and minority communities as early as 1982 when she formed People for Community Recovery (PCR) in Altgeld Gardens, a gritty housing project on the South Side of Chicago that is within “spitting distance” of more and a dozen toxic dumps and industries. Young Barack Obama came and went as a volunteer in Altgeld gardens, but Hazel Johnson has stayed. Today Altgeld Gardens is cleaner, and some of the dirtiest nearby industrial sites have cleaned up their acts, but Hazel Johnson is still out on the job. “There is still so much to be done,” she recently told a group of visiting journalists from the Unity Convention.

7. Jerome C. Ringo grew up in the bayous of Louisiana and worked for petrochemical industry for years in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley until shortly after he noticed that people at his plant had to wear protective masks and clothing, but the residents along the fence line didn't. He started speaking out and back in 1991 joined Calcasieu League for Environmental Action Now (CLEAN), an affiliate of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. In time he would be elected chairman of the National Wildlife Federation. He’s now a director of the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of organized labor, environmentalist, business and civil rights leaders dedicated to clean, sustainable and secure energy.

8. Ludacris (Chris Bridges), the highly successful rapper and actor, uses his celebrity to speak out on environmental causes. This year he’s actively involved with Increase Your Green program to make your high schools across the nation more environmentally friendly. He also co-stars in Discovery Channel's environmentally themed reality show, Battleground Earth.

9. Drake headlined ‘Greening the block” with a Campus Consciousness Tour across 17 campuses in 16 states during 2010’s Earth Day season. The wildly popular performer joined with Green The Block, campus leaders and community organizations to raise environmental awareness during the tour. The tour itself led by example, riding in bio-diesel buses, working with the concert venues to recycle, and purchasing clean energy offsets.

10.  George Washington Carver is a genius who grew up in the Jim Crow era of the South, when many African Americans were disappointed about what they saw as the broken promise of the federal government to provide every freed slave family 40 acres and a mule. (The promise is attributed to Union General William Sherman). Carver set out to prove that even a single acre of land could provide great bounty, and he devoted his genius to agricultural research. He’s known for his work on the peanut (think of G. W.Carver when you have a peanut butter sandwich) but also developed hundreds of inventions and concepts, ranging from novel crop-rotation methods to hundreds of new uses for crops such as the peanut and soybean, which created new markets for farmers.

The Search Is On for Planet Harmony’s Unsung Green Heroes in Your Community - In addition to famous, national heroes, Planet Harmony supports and promotes everyday Americans making a difference in their communities across the country. Kicking off on June 19 with the Juneteenth milestone and extending through the Fourth of July holiday, Planet Harmony is calling for visitors to post their personal “Green Heroes” at www. MyPlanetHarmony. com (http://www. myplanetharmony. com/). Participants are encouraged to post anyone from family members and friends to local businesses and community organizations for their unsung Green deeds that may otherwise not be recognized. Select posts will be featured on MyPlanetHarmony. com’s homepage for a limited time.

“Ultimately, we’d love to establish a pipeline of amazing, unsung Green deeds from coast to coast on the web site,” said Curwood. “You just never know what sharing in this way can lead to. Could be as simple as a Green-efficient health tip that makes someone feel a little better or a testimonial that sparks creativity for the next, great advancement in handling deepwater oil spills,” concluded Curwood. For more information on Planet Harmony, go to MyPlanetHarmony. com (http://www. myplanetharmony. com/).

ABOUT PLANET HARMONY (http://www. myplanetharmony. com/) - Based in Somerville, MA, Planet Harmony is a community and major source of news and information about environmental change made possible in part by member contributions. A project of Living on Earth syndicated radio program reaching more than 300 public radio stations and World Media Foundation, Inc. and funded by the National Science Foundation, Planet Harmony was founded by Steve Curwood in 2009 and is comprised of a network of student reporters, researchers, activists, policy makers, entertainers and other environmentally-vested partners that share ideas and explore solutions on pressing environmental issues and concerns otherwise neglected in the African American community.

For more information, contact Planet Harmony at info(at)myplanetharmony(dot)com or visit us at MyPlanetHarmony. com.

For press inquiries, contact Nichole D. Taylor at taylor(at)taylorcommunicationsgroup(dot)com.

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Latino Leaders & Celebrities Come Together to Dedicate Monument on World AIDS Day

Latino Leaders & Celebrities Come Together to Dedicate Monument on World AIDS Day

In addition to Dionne Warwick, dedication ceremony will include leaders and celebrities such as State Senator Gil Cedillo, LA City Council Member Ed Reyes, actress Lupe Ontiveros of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”, CBS 2 News Anchor Laura Diaz, opera singer and ELA native Suzanna Guzman, Noticias 34 Sports Anchor Francisco Pinto, Apollonia and mariachi vocalist Melinda Salcido, among others.

(PRWEB) November 25, 2004

Latino leaders and celebrities will come together at the dedication of a Los Angeles-based AIDS monument to fight the silence, denial and shame that contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

LA-area news anchors Laura Diaz and Francisco Pinto will serve as emcees of a program that includes internationally acclaimed Dionne Warwick, Associate Artist of the Los Angeles Opera and East LA native Suzanna Guzman and actress Lupe Ontiveros,. Warwick, Ontiveros and Guzman have submitted the name of a friend who has died of AIDS to be etched on the monumentÂ’s memorial panels in time for the dedication.

The 10,000 square foot monument in Lincoln Park, just east of downtown LA, will be unveiled that evening. The monument uniquely blends art, architecture, landscape and public participation to create a unique public health message for Latinos and Southern California residents.

When: Wednesday, December 1, 2004

5 p. m. – Church service at Church of the Epiphany

7 p. m. – Dedication at Lincoln Park

Where: Lincoln Park, 3540 Mission Road (across the street from the DMV offices) and Church of the Epiphany, 2808 Altura Street, Lincoln Heights (90031)

The mission of The Wall-Las Memorias Project (www. thewalllasmemorias. org) is to educate the Latino community about HIV/AIDS, and the ways that shame, denial and fear contribute to the spread of HIV.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

AP9 PrivacyMatters Advises Consumers to Take Inventory of Their Wallets

AP9 PrivacyMatters Advises Consumers to Take Inventory of Their Wallets

AP9 PrivacyMatters, by Adaptive Marketing LLC, tells consumers that cleaning out their wallets might help prevent identity theft.

Stamford, CN (PRWEB) November 2, 2005

If your wallet has been labeled the “George Costanza Wallet” from the hit series Seinfeld, you may just be an identity thief’s ideal target. According to the Federal Trade Commission, of the estimated 3.2 million Americans victimized by identity theft each year, the majority of the victims’ personal information was stolen not via the World Wide Web, but by non-computer related crimes such as purse and/or wallet snatching.

AP9 Privacy Matters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/), a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC (http://www. adaptivemarketing. com/), assists consumers with staying on top of their personal information by providing instant access to their credit reports and scores as well as members-only access to weekly credit monitoring alerts.* And for those consumers who have not checked their credit report in over a year, many top governmental agencies highly suggest obtaining a copy of your credit report once a year if not more. Knowledge is key when dealing with ID theft criminals.

Since many Americans have a misconceived notion that ID theft crimes only happen over the Internet, AP9 PrivacyMatters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/) suggests that it is a good time to take inventory of what is in your wallet and to clean it out as much as possible -- the less personal information you carry, the less chance ID thieves will have to damage your good name. AP9 PrivacyMatters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/) offers a few helpful suggestions to get you started:

-- Social Security Card. If you find your Social Security card in your wallet or purse, remove it promptly. If stolen, ID thieves will be able to apply for credit cards and bank loans easily, which will result in nothing but months of stress trying to clean up the mess. Only take your Social Security card with you when you need it -- applying for a job, making financial transactions, or going to see your accountant during tax season.

-- Extra Credit Cards. Remove all of your credit cards except for 1 or 2. We also suggest making photo copies of all your credit cards -- front and back -- but don’t carry them with you. Leave the copies at home or somewhere they are safe and secure. In case your wallet or purse is stolen, you will have copies of your credit card numbers and the toll-free telephone numbers where you can call to report your cards stolen.

-- Receipts. It might be a good idea to clear out some of your receipts as they may contain your credit card number. If you need them for tax purposes, start a filing system at home. This way you won’t have to carry so much around with you.

In addition to receiving instant access to your credit report and score along with credit monitoring alerts, AP9 Privacy Matters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/) offers a lost key return service as well as discounts on paper shredders -- a nice thing to have during the upcoming tax season.

*AP9 PrivacyMatters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/) provides you with the tools you need to access and monitor your financial/credit information through the program’s credit reporting and monitoring benefits. AP9 Privacy Matters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/) and its benefit providers are not credit repair service providers and do not receive fees for such services, nor are they credit clinics, credit repair or credit services organizations or businesses, as defined by federal and state law.

About AP9 PrivacyMatters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/)

AP9 PrivacyMatters is a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC (http://www. adaptivemarketing. com/). Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., Adaptive Marketing LLC is a category leader in both membership and loyalty programs, bringing value direct to consumers through an array of benefits in healthcare, discounts, security, personal property and personals. Members may access their benefits at DealPass (http://www. dealpass. com/), an online portal for Adaptive Marketing LLC membership programs. With broad online and offline distribution capabilities, Adaptive Marketing LLC offers its corporate client partners effective tools to enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs, such as AP9 PrivacyMatters (http://www. privacymatters-program. com/).

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SUDBURY, MA, June 4, 2001—Jones and Bartlett Publishers (J&B) is pleased to announce the publication of a new womenfs health title: Coachfs Notebook: Games and Strategies for Lactation Educati

SUDBURY, MA, June 4, 2001—Jones and Bartlett Publishers (J&B) is pleased to announce the publication of a new womenfs health title: Coachfs Notebook: Games and Strategies for Lactation Educati

This fun guide contains a wide variety of games and activities for teaching breastfeeding and human lactation, each of which has been tried, tested, and refined by the author and other educators. For each game youfll find goals, ideal audiences, times to play, and specific instructions for making teaching and learning human lactation fun and informative.

(PRWEB) August 11, 2001

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC, is an internationally known author, teacher and lecturer, and proud grandmother. She is the author of Comprehensive Lactation Consultant Exam Review and the video A Healthier Baby by Breastfeeding. She is the founder of IBLCE, founder and past board member of ILCA, and currently sits on the United States Breastfeeding Committee representing the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS). She chairs the Science & Research Committee for CIMS.

 Linda and her husband, Dennis, own and operate the Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre, in Dayton, OH, whose mission is "Supporting the People who Support Breastfeeding" with lactation education programs, consulting services, and educational and promotional resources. For more information on the Centre, please visit http://www. bflrc. com (http://www. bflrc. com).

 Headquartered in Sudbury, Massachusetts, Jones and Bartlett Publishers is the ninth largest academic publisher in the United States, publishing text, professional, and reference books, and a variety of multimedia products. In addition to lactation, J&B publishes titles in the fields of emergency care and medicine, nursing, health science and nutrition, biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science.

Coachfs Notebook: Games and Strategies for Lactation Education

ISBN: 0-7637-1819-X œ 172 pages œ $35.95 (U. S. List)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

HEAR USA announces Care2Learn as Education Partner

HEAR USA announces Care2Learn as Education Partner

HEAR USA, a national provider of products and services for audiologists, announced that it has partnered with Care2Learn. com to offer online Continuing Education courses for its audiologist member users.

(PRWEB) August 9, 2001

HEAR USA, a national provider of products and services for audiologists, announced that it has partnered with Care2Learn. com to offer online Continuing Education courses for its audiologist member users.

“As a value-added service, online Continuing Education can’t be beat”, says Duke Rodriguez of HEAR USA.. ”Audiologists can join the ever growing HEAR USA network for products, marketing, business assistance and now continuing education, all provided from the convenience of their work or home computer. For today’s busy professional, it’s an efficient as well as effective tool.”

Care2Learn is a leading provider of online Continuing Education for healthcare professionals, with over 675 hours of online courses for 12 healthcare disciplines at www. Care2Learn. com

Monday, April 27, 2009

Bills. com CEO Suggests Ways to Make a Tax Refund Pay Off

Bills. com CEO Suggests Ways to Make a Tax Refund Pay Off

Strategic spending trumps splurges, Stroh says.

San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) April 4, 2007

Each spring, thousands of Americans receive income tax refunds from the U. S. government, with the IRS expecting an average amount this year of $2,548 -- and each refund is a ticket to better financial planning, says Brad Stroh, co-CEO of Bills. com (www. bills. com), a free online consumer portal.

"Many tax refund recipients dream of ways to spend that cash. But before getting carried away in a spending fantasy, think long term," Stroh advised. "A tax refund is not really a windfall, but a return of your own money to you. Tax refunds are a forced savings plan from the IRS … not a gift. That shift in your mind may make it less likely that you will squander the refund."

Once consumers understand the source of their tax refund, Stroh suggests the following ways to wisely spend an income tax refund:

1. Pay down credit card and other high-interest debts (including payday loans). The average household carries a total of 14.9 credit cards. The average interest rate on these cards is 14.24 percent, but there are no usury laws for credit card debt: One missed credit card payment can send interest rates skyrocketing to over 30 percent. About 20 percent of all credit cards are "maxed out" by their owners. Get a free, detailed Budget Guide from Bills. com at http://www. bills. com/guide/ (http://www. bills. com/guide/) or follow these basic steps to make a debt-payment plan:

A. List and pay secured debts first (mortgage, car). Mortgage payments should take absolute priority.
B. Then list unsecured debts (credit cards, loans) in order of highest interest rates.
C. Make minimum payments on all but the highest-rate card. Use every cent of available income to make large payments on the card with the highest rate.
D. When that card is paid off, apply the big payment plus the old minimum payment on the next-highest rate card until it is paid off. Continue until all debt is eliminated.

2. Fund an emergency fund. An emergency fund should include 6-9 months' living expenses. These amounts, explained Stroh, are not necessarily equal to salary. Instead, they should include only what the household would spend if it were in dire straits. House these savings in a money market fund or rolling CDs so that the money earns interest and cannot easily be spent -- but can be accessed in an emergency.

3. Obtain adequate insurance. "Everyone should have health, auto, and home or renters insurance," Stroh said. If dependents rely on breadwinners' income, look into life insurance. Consider an umbrella policy to protect from additional liability. And if the household could not survive without an income, purchase disability coverage. Learn more at http://www. bills. com/insurance/ (http://www. bills. com/insurance/).

4. Fund the future. Contribute to retirement savings, whether an individual or Roth IRA, 401(k) or other plan.

5. Invest in the home. Homeowners might consider using refunds to cover major or minor maintenance to make sure no bigger (and more expensive) problems arise down the road. In addition, these capital improvements can create additional equity in a home.

"Most importantly, make sure you use that money to pay off debt and build wealth -- not for flashy things that will end up in the trash in 12 months' time," Stroh advised."

Based in San Mateo, Calif., Bills. com is a free one-stop online portal where consumers can educate themselves about complex personal finance issues and save money by choosing the best-value products and services. Since 2002, Bills. com and its partner company, Freedom Financial Network, have served more than 10,000 customers nationwide while managing more than $350 million in consumer debt. The company's co-founders and CEOs, Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh, were named Northern California finalists in Ernst & Young's 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

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AHIÂ’s BENEFITS ALERT RELEASES NEW FREE REPORT: Benefits Brouhahas: Legal Liabilities Abound In ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, and FMLA

AHIÂ’s BENEFITS ALERT RELEASES NEW FREE REPORT: Benefits Brouhahas: Legal Liabilities Abound In ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, and FMLA

Ramsey NJ (June 26, 2002) – With new court decisions and regulatory changes being made and/or implemented constantly, employers have to remain updated before these changes throw their benefits strategies all out of kilter. The new free report posted on AHI’s Benefits Alert website located at www. benefitsalert. com can help.

(PRWEB) June 28, 2002

The free report - “Benefits Brouhahas: Legal Liabilities Abound In ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, and FMLA” - homes in on the changing regulations and important court decisions that will affect the way employers implement benefits strategies involving those critical laws. Features include:

ERISA Eruption Find out how denial of severance pay cost one company over $100,000.

HIPAA Hoopla Discover how the new HIPAA compliance rules can affect how employers shop for new health insurance, and learn how to make sure an employer is in compliance.

COBRA Conundrums Learn the right way to send out COBRA notifications to protect your company's legal defenses.

FMLA Fracas Find out how the FMLA's definition of "equivalent" could spell trouble for an employer in legal fees.

Employers can download this free report by going to: http://www. benefitsalert. com/bal010902.cgi (http://www. benefitsalert. com/bal010902.cgi) (Note: free registration is required.)

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About Alexander Hamilton Institute

Alexander Hamilton Institute has been helping executives manage their companies and their careers since 1909. Alexander Hamilton Institute currently publishes, produces, and maintains published newsletters, booklets, loose-leaf manuals, e-mail newsletters, and websites targeted to top management, Human Resources directors, Personnel managers, front-line managers, supervisors, and benefits administrators.

About BenefitsAlert. com

BenefitsAlert. com by AHI is a free resource for employee benefits news and information on topics ranging from 401(k) and group health plans to COBRA and FMLA. On BenefitsAlert. com, visitors will find useful employee benefits articles, tips, links, and reference resources that will help save time and money. As well as important information on employee benefits court cases, legislation, and regulations that will help ensure an organization's benefits administration stays on the right side of the legal line.

Company Contacts

Alexander Hamilton Institute

Gloria Ju

Senior Editor

201-825-3377 ext. 113

Gju@ahipubs. com

Alexander Hamilton Institute

George Nikanorov

Internet Marketing Coordinator

201-825-3377 ext. 121

Gnikanorov@ahipubs. com

Sunday, April 26, 2009

WinScribe Acquires WWL Network Services LLC

WinScribe Acquires WWL Network Services LLC

Combined company to provide extended support for digital dictation software solutions

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) December 8, 2006

WinScribe USA Inc., part of the Winscribe group, the world-leading provider of digital dictation software, today announced that it has acquired WWL Network Services LLC; a Kentucky based WinScribe Platinum Sales Partner. WinScribe will use WWL's technical competence and extensive sales experience to extend its service, support and sales capabilities to its US based Sales Partners and customers.

"We are experiencing rapid growth in many sectors of the US market so we needed to be sure we could meet customer expectations from pre-sales through to post sales support. With five years experience of selling and supporting our products, WWL was a logical choice," said Matthew Weavers, CEO of the WinScribe group. "WWL's status as a Microsoft Gold Partner further demonstrates their commitment to excellence across all areas of their business."

"We are very excited to have joined the WinScribe group. Becoming part of an international company gives us the opportunity to utilize our core competencies in a much wider range of organizations and markets," said Jeff Harlan, CEO of WWL. "After seeing the new products and technologies in development at WinScribe, I just knew we had to be a part of this company," Harlan added.

The two companies will now begin executing the planned integration of their operations, networks and customer care organizations to ensure a smooth transition and immediate value for customers and sales partners.

Management of the combined company includes executives from both organizations. Jeff Harlan assumes the role of WinScribe USA's Chief Executive Officer, Marco Ramirez remains US Sales Manager, and Randy Mitchell takes on the role of VP of Technical Services.

Terms of the acquisition were not announced, but did include a mixture of cash and shares.

About WinScribe

WinScribe is a world-leading provider of digital dictation software supporting business requirements for digital dictation, transcription, voice recognition, and workflow management. First developed in 1995, WinScribe has offices in the USA, UK, New Zealand and Switzerland, with more than 100 sales partners in over 25 countries supporting more than 300,000 users worldwide. The WinScribe solution is built on Microsoft architecture, to ensure easy integration and maintenance. WinScribe also supports a wide range of manufacturer-independent dictation devices and is scaleable from small, single office locations up to large multinational corporations. WinScribe is fully customizable to meet the needs of a number of significant vertical markets including Legal, Law Enforcement, Healthcare, Transcription, Insurance and Government sectors.

Www. winscribe. com

Public Relations Contact:

Lucy Farrington

WinScribe Inc Ltd

+1 (866) 946-7274 Ext 817

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AXA PPP healthcare Add New 'Ask us a Question' Feature to Site

AXA PPP healthcare Add New 'Ask us a Question' Feature to Site

AXA PPP healthcare, one of the UK's leading providers of private medical insurance, has added a new feature to their website which allows clients to ask a question about their international cover.

(PRWEB) October 21, 2007

AXA PPP healthcare, one of the UK's leading providers of private medical insurance, has added a new feature to their website called 'Ask Us a Question', which allows clients to submit questions via the internet about their international medical cover.

Through the new tool, anyone holding an international private healthcare (http://www. axappphealthcare. co. uk/index. html (http://www. axappphealthcare. co. uk/index. html)) policy with
AXA PPP healthcare (http://www. axappphealthcare. com/ (http://www. axappphealthcare. com/)) will be able to ask questions via the company's website relating to their individual policy. Once a policyholder submits a question, they will receive confirmation and then will be provided with a response via a secure email containing a link to the relevant answer.

Moreover, the tool will also allow people with AXA PPP healthcare international private health insurance (http://www. axappphealthcare. co. uk/index. html (http://www. axappphealthcare. co. uk/index. html)) to authorise their treatment on the site through a secure contact method, by completing a form with the relevant details and submitting it to the company online. Once the treatment authorisation form has been sent through, a confirmation receipt will be sent, following which a link to the policyholder's pre-authorisation will be emailed via a secure server.

In addition, the 'Ask us a Question' feature also allows people who have made claims on their
AXA PPP healthcare international private health insurance policy to track the progress of their claim. As with the previous format, customers will be required to fill in the details of their claim online and will be sent a receipt after their submission has been received. After this, the status of the claim will be sent to the policyholder via a secure email.

Through these new developments, AXA PPP healthcare is aiming to expand its online services and make it simpler for its private medical insurance (http://www. axappphealthcare. co. uk/body/html/consumer/products/uk/pmi. jhtml (http://www. axappphealthcare. co. uk/body/html/consumer/products/uk/pmi. jhtml)) customers to carry out the basic operations of their cover through the convenience of the internet.

An AXA PPP healthcare spokesperson commented:

"AXA's new 'Ask us a Question' feature has been designed with the purpose of making it simpler for our international policyholders to find out information about their private medical cover from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need for phone calls when obtaining pre-authorisation of treatment and when checking how a claim is progressing.

"In today's world, people are increasingly turning to the internet to find out information. Our 'Ask us a Question' feature aims to fit into this growing trend, in order to expand the scope of our site and offer our health insurance policyholders greater convenience if they're trying to contact us from overseas, as well as a more secure interactive experience."

About AXA PPP healthcare:
Established in 1940 as PPP Healthcare. In 1999, the company was bought by Sun Life and Provincial Holdings (SLPH), the UK subsidiary of the Global AXA Group, and was renamed AXA PPP healthcare in 2002. Since 1958, its headquarters have been in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Currently, AXA PPP healthcare provides healthcare for individuals and companies based in Great Britain and overseas, covering nearly two million people. AXA PPP healthcare is regulated by the Financial Service Authority (FSA).

AXA PPP healthcare PR contact details
Amelia Ovenden
Union House
Eridge Road
Tunbridge Wells
Surrey
TN4 8HF
+44 (0) 1892 508624

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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Foot And Ankle Injuries Plague Dancing Celebrities

Foot And Ankle Injuries Plague Dancing Celebrities

Foot Healing Advice from the American Podiatric Medical Association

Bethesda, MD (Vocus) September 30, 2009

Now in its ninth season, ever popular TV show Dancing with the Stars has launched with its largest cast ever. Tom Delay, contestant and former Speaker of the House, recently started the competition as the latest victim of a foot injury. Delay has said the "pre-stress fracture" in his right foot will not stop him from performing, but he's one of many celebrities who have dealt with foot problems on the show. Early treatment and proper medical attention from a foot and ankle expert, a podiatrist, can keep the stars, or anyone, dancing all season long.

"Like all rigorous, physical activity dancing poses an injury risk to the foot and ankle, especially when it's done for an extended amount of time on a daily basis," said APMA President Ronald D. Jensen, DPM (http://www. apma. org/MainMenu/News/MediaRoom/ExpertProfiles/DrRonJensen. aspx). "There are simple steps that can be taken to prevent foot injuries from occurring and also treatments available to speed healing time and get one back on the dance floor."

The love of dance that's hit the country due to the show's popularity may have inspired some personal twirls and twists around the kitchen floor. Before trying anything too advanced, take heed of the following podiatrist approved advice so you're not seeing stars. Always progress slowly at any new activity or sport, wear shoes specifically for the activity, stop at the first sign of pain and immediately visit a podiatrist if sudden and severe pain is present.

Some of the most memorable Dancing with the Stars contestants, their foot ailments and proper treatment methods are:

Tom Delay: Foot Stress Fracture - Stress fractures usually occur from overuse. Repeated impact or stresses on the bone can lead to a small crack and continued activity on the injured foot can cause the small fracture to penetrate completely through the bone. Pain and swelling will often indicate a pre-stress fracture and appropriate treatment at this stage age may avoid a complete stress fracture. Treatment from a podiatrist is imperative to minimize healing time.

Misty-May Treanor: Ruptured Achilles Tendon - The Achilles tendon runs from the heel to the calf and while it's the thickest and strongest tendon in the body, explosive activities such as jumping can be to blame for the rupture of the Achilles. The tendon is "ruptured" when a complete tear has taken place right above the ankle. There may be warning signs prior to the rupture including pain and swelling - early treatment by a podiatrist may avoid a rupture.

Lance Bass: Broken Toe - Broken toes are not uncommon in the sports world, they can occur from trauma or repetitive movement. Swelling, stiffness, bruising and even a deformed shape may indicate a broken toe. A podiatrist will take x-rays to confirm the break and then prescribe appropriate treatment. In serious cases taping, casting or surgery may be necessary.

Kristi Yamaguchi: Ankle Injury - Ankle injuries, including sprains, most commonly occur when the ankle rolls outward, caused by activities done both during dancing and everyday life. There are varying degrees of an ankle sprain, and treatment from a podiatrist is always recommended. Implement the R. I.C. E. treatment for a sprain as soon as possible:
Rest - do not walk on the ankle. Ice - keeps the swelling down. Compression - bandages can immobilize the ankle preventing further damage. Elevation - place the ankle above the heart as much as possible within the first 48 hours of injury.

For more foot health information, visit www. apma. org.

Founded in 1912, the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is the nation's leading and recognized professional organization for doctors of podiatric medicine (DPMs). DPMs are podiatric physicians and surgeons, also known as podiatrists, qualified by their education, training and experience to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle and structures of the leg. The medical education and training of a DPM includes four years of undergraduate education, four years of graduate education at an accredited podiatric medical college and two or three years of hospital residency training. APMA has 53 state component locations across the United States and its territories, with a membership of close to 12,000 podiatrists. All practicing APMA members are licensed by the state in which they practice podiatric medicine. For more information, visit www. apma. org.

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AAA-1 Starts a Business in Major Industries, Upgrade Later for Full Infinity Expansion Compensation™

AAA-1 Starts a Business in Major Industries, Upgrade Later for Full Infinity Expansion Compensation™

“…the need to participate in multiple companies paying you through multiple types of compensation structures is now a thing of the past.”

(PRWEB) December 7, 2004

R & J Foundation an independent representative of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS) allow individuals to start their own home based business or enhance their business with products and services provided under the divisions. These divisions are actual businesses established in an industry, allowing you to set-up your business utilizing one or all of the divisions. For existing businesses the products and services are great! By using the products and services to enhance your business you can actually generate an income by referring them to others. As we know, to have a successful business you need promotion and incentives anyway, so why not generate some additional income in the process.

With R & J Foundation being an independent representative of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS) having several divisions under its umbrella, each division is poised to operate as if it were its own company. By combining these divisions together for you, MIS gives you the opportunity to work in several industries at the same time as well as the ability to work in as many or as few as you choose to establish your dream of Multiple Streams of Income through ONE Solid Company and ONE Revolutionary Compensation Structure.

Visit this area often, as additional divisions will become available in the future. Below are just a few of the MIS sites currently available: reference member I. D. rjforg for any icon if requested.

The MIS Gateway

Http://rjforg. org (http://rjforg. org) Click Starts A Business and sign up to join this explosive opportunity

This site includes an overview and direct links to each division of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS) currently available.

The Viva ToxicFree™ Division

(our Health & Wellness Division - replacement site for Wellness Netrix)

Http://rjforg. org (http://rjforg. org) Click Starts A Business and the Viva ToxicFree icon

This site promotes the opportunity for anyone to tap into the $500 Billion Dollar Health & Wellness Industry through the Viva ToxicFree™ Division of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS). Any registrations, business builder package purchases and/or product purchases from this site will instantly become a part of your organization.

In the book, "The Next Trillion", Paul Zane Pilzer states, "By the year 2010, an additional $1 Trillion of the U. S. economy will be devoted to the Wellness Industry", providing people with products that will make them feel better, younger and that can help prevent diseases from developing in the first place.

The B2BNetrix Division

Http://rjforg. org (http://rjforg. org) Click Starts A Business and the B2B icon

This site promotes the opportunity for anyone to tap into the $2.7 Trillion Dollar Business to Business (B2B) Industry through the B2B Division of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS). Any registrations, business builder package purchases and/or product purchases from this site will instantly become a part of your organization.

The TravelNetrix Division

Http://rjforg. org (http://rjforg. org) Click Starts A Business and the travel icon

This site promotes the opportunity for anyone to tap into the $5 Trillion Dollar Travel Industry through the Travel Division of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS). Any registrations, business builder package purchases and/or product purchases from this site will instantly become a part of your organization.

The Personal Development Netrix Division

Http://rjforg. org (http://rjforg. org) Click Starts A Business and the personal development icon

This site promotes the opportunity for anyone to tap into the Personal Development and Self Motivation Industry through the Personal Development Division of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS). Any registrations, business builder package purchases and/or product purchases from this site will instantly become a part of your organization.

The Fundraising Netrix Division

Http://rjforg. org (http://rjforg. org) Click Starts A Business and the fundraising icon

This site promotes the opportunity for anyone to tap into the $4 Billion Dollar Fundraising Industry through the Fundraising Division of Multiple Income Solutions™ (MIS). Any registrations, business builder package purchases and/or product purchases from this site will instantly become a part of your organization.

Do not delay and join now, we are looking for experienced network marketers who will benefit from a wide open territory and the benefits of the Viva ToxicFree Product being featured in our initial nationwide infomercials product launch. Linda Chae and the ToxicFree Foundation may be featured on Talk Shows this upcoming year. This is a great opportunity for anyone serious about making serious multiple streams of income with one company. Visit www. rjforg. org for more information and to sign up.

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

Youthing Essentials Launches Website, Guide to Business Women’s Health and Wellness Essentials

Youthing Essentials Launches Website, Guide to Business Women’s Health and Wellness Essentials

“Business women go to extraordinary lengths to do it all, and need a simple program for maintaining wellness,” says founder Harriet Diamond, a long time Silicon Valley executive who herself struggled to stay healthy and stay productive while juggling leadership roles at work, at home, and in the community. “We are helping businesswomen invest more in their health so they can stay at the top of their game and drive their businesses forward.”

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) May 10, 2010

California-based Youthing Essentials has launched a website and released a guide aimed at helping business women invest in their health (http://www. youthingessentials. com/business-women-health-and-wellness-guide) so they can accelerate their careers and businesses.

Youthing Essentials was founded in late 2009 by Harriet Diamond, a nutritionist and former Silicon Valley executive. Rick Maltin, who has guided numerous Silicon Valley technology start-ups, is the chief executive officer. Youthingessentials. com offers specific solutions for clear thinking, multi-tasking, energy, better sleep and better digestion -- all essential ingredients to business success (http://www. youthingessentials. com/Youthing-Essentials-Solutions/Start-Today-Collection/index. php).

“Good health is a business tool essential to high performance in the professional world,” says Diamond. “I founded Youthing Essentials on the idea that improving wellness improves performance (http://www. youthingessentials. com/aboutyouthingessentialswellnessbusiness/index. php). Business women go to extraordinary lengths to do it all, and need a simple program for maintaining balance,” says Diamond, who herself struggled to stay healthy and stay productive while juggling leadership roles at work, at home, and in the community.

“Unlike ‘anti-aging’ the term ‘youthing’ connotes enthusiasm: embracing our whole selves -- enjoying the moment we are in and looking forward to the future,” says Diamond. “Youthing Essentials is here as a trusted resource for guidance and products that really work for professionals under constant pressure.”

Diamond’s new guide, “Invest in Your Health to Accelerate Your Career and Business: A Youthing Essentials Guide for Business Women,” available at http://www. youthingessentials. com/business-women-health-and-wellness-guide (http://www. youthingessentials. com/business-women-health-and-wellness-guide), is aimed at “helping businesswomen work smarter, not harder” when it comes to their health.

“This guide helps women professionals take charge of their whole health,” Diamond explains. “It tells how a combination of mental, fitness, nutrition and skin health routines can improve clarity, focus, performance and well-being. For example, you’ll get tips on what to consider when evaluating nutritional supplements and see how you can benefit from an innovative brain fitness program that will keep your brain performing at optimal levels for years to come.”

About Youthing Essentials

It’s tough to drive your business forward if you don't feel your best. Youthing Essentials provides a unique collection of products that women executives need (http://www. youthingessentials. com/Youthing-Essentials-Solutions/View-all-products/index. php) to take good care of their health so they can stay at the top of their game despite stress, travel, and a packed schedule. When you tap into Youthing Essentials, it takes only minutes a day to keep your nutrition, brain, fitness and skin in top shape -- so you can drive your business forward. Learn more at youthingessentials. com or call 888.802.1980.

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

New Web Site Makes Individual Health Insurance Easy to Understand and Helps Consumers Make Smart Decisions : Simplecoverage. org provides guidance on finding insurance and selecting the right plan; also offers downloadable booklet, "Health Coverage Made Simple"

New Web Site Makes Individual Health Insurance Easy to Understand and Helps Consumers Make Smart Decisions : Simplecoverage. org provides guidance on finding insurance and selecting the right plan; also offers downloadable booklet, "Health Coverage Made Simple"

Consumers who have been confused or intimidated by the complexity of health insurance now have an easy way to take the first step towards getting the individual medical coverage they need. A new Web site, simplecoverage. org, provides information and guidance to help consumers quickly understand the basics of health insurance and how to find and select a health plan that’s right for them.

GREENWOOD, Ind. (PRWEB) October 1, 2008

The site was developed by Consumers for Competitive Choice (C4CC) Education Fund Inc., a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide consumers with information and tools to make informed choices in the marketplace. More than 44 million Americans do not have health insurance and another 25 million have less health insurance than they need.

"We want these millions of people to realize that buying health insurance doesn't have to be overly complicated," said Robert Johnson, president for C4CC. "Our site demystifies the options and gives consumers the tools to make smart decisions."

Simplecoverge. org explains in easy to understand language, the different types of coverage available and how to find insurance, evaluate plans and what to expect during the application process. For example, the Web site gives consumers suggested questions to ask when choosing individual medical coverage, such as:

Will this plan cover routine check-ups and health care services, or do I have to pay these expenses? Can I use my own doctors and medical facilities? How much will I have to pay for premiums, deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance? What health services are covered? How much will the policy pay for those services? If I pay more for deductibles and co-pays, will this save me money on premiums? Does the insurance offer discounts for using certain doctors? In addition to the online information, simplecoverage. org offers consumers a downloadable brochure, "Health Coverage Made Simple." The site was developed and is maintained with a grant from Assurant Health Foundation.

Consumers for Competitive Choice Education Fund is a non-profit membership based organization that works to provide consumers with information and tools to make informed choices in the marketplace.

Sports-O-Zone Self-Service Kiosks Are New Non Franchise Business Opportunity for Locker Rooms, Gyms, Health Clubs, Workout Centers and Sports Facilities

Sports-O-Zone Self-Service Kiosks Are New Non Franchise Business Opportunity for Locker Rooms, Gyms, Health Clubs, Workout Centers and Sports Facilities

System helps prevent spread of MRSA and staph infection by ozone-sanitizing sports equipment and athletic equipment.

West Chester, PA (PRWEB) December 12, 2005

A new self-service kiosk is available that that ozone-sanitizes sports equipment to help prevent the spread of MRSA and staph infection. Sports-O-Zone's (www. sportsozone. com) patented Equipment Deodorizing and Sanitizing Self-Service System – integrated with the new MEI Combo Acceptor that accepts cash-and-credit card payments – are installed at sports facilities nationwide to help prevent infections that could sideline professional and amateur athletes.

Already installed in over 30 sports facilities including in the NFL St. Louis Rams’ locker room, the new ozone-sanitizing system enables athletes to completely clean and sanitize their clothing and sports equipment in just five minutes for $10. The system was developed to inhibit the spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and other bacterial infections and viruses through athletic equipment at gyms, health clubs, workout centers and sports facilities.

In the case of MRSA, the New England Journal of Medicine (http://content. nejm. org/ (http://content. nejm. org/)) reports that about 2 million people develop a dangerous infection each year in the U. S – many of whom are athletes. In addition, both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Federation of High School Associations have issued alerts on skin infections, and NFL medical staff have received Centers for Disease Control (CDC) documentation on MRSA infections. As the CDC explains, the infection is spread via contact with infected persons or by contact with shared equipment that carry the bacteria, and can affect the skin, heart, and central nervous system. [More information available at http://signonsandiego. printthis. clickability. com/pt/cpt? action=cpt&title=Battling+a+superbug (http://signonsandiego. printthis. clickability. com/pt/cpt? action=cpt&title=Battling+a+superbug)]

Sports-O-Zone self-service kiosks use ozone gas to kill 99.99% of microorganisms without any residue or odor. Unlike other locker room sanitizing systems, the Sports-O-Zone system efficiently dispenses ozone gas to effectively permeate all the crevices in the equipment, including those not easily reached with sprays or other types of disinfectants.

The Sports-O-Zone ozone sanitizing system is a 4 feet tall by 5 feet wide front-loading machine that is installed in a locker room, arena, or other sports facility. Users open the door, insert the load of equipment and clothing, close the door, and either insert a $10 bill or swipe their credit card. This new business opportunity requires no “consumables” like detergent or other disinfectants, as it converts regular air to ozone gas. Facilities that install the system enjoy virtually indefinite, maintenance-free operation. It is capable of “cleaning” over two hundred loads per day, generating over $2,500 in revenue.

According to Sports-O-Zone president Pat McKenna, “The Sports-O-Zone ozone sanitizing system in the Burnsville Ice Arena (Burnsville, MN) has been operating for over two years without maintenance. Not only does it improve the safety and cleanliness of the users of the facility and equipment, it’s really a cash cow for the operator of the facility.”

MEI’s Combo Acceptor payment system was integrated in May 2005 and marks the first major implementation of the product line in the field. Sports-O-Zone evaluated various cash acceptor products before selecting MEI for its self-service kiosk. A history of reliable performance, customer payment flexibility, and a PC-based wireless credit card acceptor were the key reasons they selected the MEI Combo Acceptor for this new business opportunity. “About 40% of customers choose to pay with cash so the decision to offer both cash and credit is really paying off,” concluded McKenna.

About MEI’s Combo Acceptor

The MEI Series 2000 Combo Acceptor features a Series 2000 bill acceptor and a debris-resistant, swipe-style credit card reader. Credit card transactions are integrated through the kiosk for delivery to the vendor’s backend system. MEI’s Series 2000 bill acceptors use advanced optical scanning technology to identify and validate legitimate bills in virtually any condition. They exceed industry standards for the acceptance of wet, damaged, and crinkled bills; accept coupons; and meet the MEI Gold Standard for water resistance with full fluid protection and jam resistance, preventing shorted boards.

About MEI

MEI systems are relied upon for more than 1 billion transactions per week in 90 countries. The company developed the first electronic coin mechanism in the 1960s, followed by the first electronic non-contact bill acceptor, and more recently its vending management system. Today MEI has the largest worldwide installed base of unattended payment mechanisms. In 2004, MEI reached a milestone of selling more than 3.5 million bill acceptors, 4.5 million coin mechanisms and 1 million control boards worldwide. Its products are in widespread use in the vending, soft drink, gaming, amusement, transportation, retail, and kiosk markets. For more information on MEI and its products, visit www. meiglobal. comwww. meiglobal. com/kiosks (http://www. meiglobal. comwww. meiglobal. com/kiosks) or call 1-800-345-8215.

About Sports-O-Zone

Sports-O-Zone is a privately held company based in Elkhart, Indiana. For more information, visit www. sportsozone. com.

Editors’ Note: A high-resolution photo is available for download at www. schubert. com/media (http://www. schubert. com/media). Simply use the drop-down menu to choose MEI, then follow instructions to download appropriate photo.

Contacts:

Chris Henneghan

Senior PR Account Executive, MEI

610-269-2100 x230

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Jane Pauley, Terence McPhaul and Mark Wahlberg Use Celebrity to Champion Mental Health

Jane Pauley, Terence McPhaul and Mark Wahlberg Use Celebrity to Champion Mental Health

Celebrities labor to diminish mental health stigma

(PRWEB) June 22, 2005

Author and Personal Advisor to the stars Terence McPhaul, and journalist Jane Pauley, were recently on hand at the National Mental Health Association Conference in Washington, D. C. taking time out of their busy schedules to accept awards.

McPhaul, a former Hazardous Materials Chemist, wrote the bestselling treatise The Celebrity Psyche, which provided a treasure map into the psyche of numerous celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Bill Gates, Jennifer Lopez and Martha Stewart. McPhaul’s latest release, The Psychology of Hip Hop, has received global attention because of its candid assessment of hip hop music, and hip hop’s impact on human behavior. McPhaul accepted the Betty Humphrey Award for Cultural Competency on behalf of Rainbow Brigade, a non-profit group that works to improve mental health care for gays and lesbians.

Jane Pauley, an award-winning journalist who experienced a stellar tenure with NBCÂ’s The Today Show, Dateline NBC and The Jane Pauley Show, accepted the William Styron Award, named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning author who suffered with depression. Pauley was honored for speaking publicly about her own battles with bi-polar disorder in her biography, Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue.

Also honored during the event was film star Mark Wahlberg for his work on the documentary, Juvies.

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48-Year-Old Teacher-Coach Dies 6 Times and Lives to Guide and Help Others

48-Year-Old Teacher-Coach Dies 6 Times and Lives to Guide and Help Others

Patrick Fox suffered a massive heart attack commonly called "The Widow Maker" in 2008. (Tim Russert of NBC News' Washington Chief died on June 13, 2008 of this same heart condition.) 90% of everyone who has severe blockage of the left coronary artery dies. Being a survivor, he has written a book to help other victims "The Widow Maker Heart Attack at Age 48". http://www. widowmakerheartattack. com

Rock City, IL (PRWEB) July 31, 2009

Patrick Fox suffered a massive heart attack commonly called "The Widow Maker" in 2008. (Tim Russert of NBC News' Washington Chief died on June 13, 2008 of this same heart condition.) 90% of everyone who has severe blockage of the left coronary artery dies. Being a survivor, he has written a book to help other victims "The Widow Maker Heart Attack at Age 48".

In writing this book, Fox's goal is to help other families and loved ones facing the same devastating unfamiliar territory as his family faced on March 31, 2008. It provides much needed support for loved ones of heart attack victims so that they might be able to understand what the patient is going through and what they might do to help better deal with the traumatic experience. It offers insight to the life of the post heart attack victim.

Patrick's first year of life after suffering his heart attack is chronicled in the book, combined with his evolving physical and psychological progress. "I am a living miracle survivor of a massive heart attack, both physically and emotionally", states Fox. The book "The Widow-Maker Heart Attack At Age 48" has a great deal to relay about heart disease, surviving heart attacks, the depression and physical recovery from heart attacks.

The vast majority of books have been written by someone in the medical field. "Widow-Maker Heart Attack At Age 48" was written to assist heart attack victims and their loved ones to deal with the emotional and physical effect realized when an attack takes place. http://www. aolhealth. com/health/feature/_a/heart-attack-survivor-story/20090618181609990001 (http://www. aolhealth. com/health/feature/_a/heart-attack-survivor-story/20090618181609990001)

Mr. Fox explains, "I feel that the event in 2008 was a life defining moment. If there was only one special circumstance that enabled by survival I would not have felt that way. In my instance there were no less than ten circumstances that had to work in concert with each other to ensure my survival. I was given the chance to live for a reason; that reason being to educate others to the dangers of heart disease."

Many reviews of the book may be found at http://www. amazon. com (http://www. amazon. com) and http://www. bn. com (http://www. bn. com). The readers find it a compelling story format. He shares his experience as a heart attack survivor, the experiences of his wife of 27 years and two adult children providing important information that will be helpful to others. Definitely a compelling read: a hard one to put down.

For additional information please contact Patrick Fox at 815-275-1070 visit http://www. widowmakerheartattack. com (http://www. widowmakerheartattack. com).

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Sunday, April 19, 2009

US Corporate Learning Services Market to Reach $9.8 Billion by 2012

US Corporate Learning Services Market to Reach $9.8 Billion by 2012

Demand in vertical industries creates new revenue opportunities for suppliers.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) May 30, 2007

Ambient Insight today announced a new revenue forecast report on the 2007-2012 US Corporate Learning Services market. According to the report, the American corporate demand for education and training outsourcing is growing by 35.1% over the five-year forecast period.

The report is the most extensive analysis of learning business process outsourcing (BPO) ever released. The demand-side analysis includes revenue breakouts by ten vertical industry sectors and by company size. The supply-side analysis includes revenue forecasts by ten training subject matter areas and by eight learning technology types.

A free executive overview of the report is available at: http://www. ambientinsight. com/Reports/Outsourcing. aspx (http://www. ambientinsight. com/Reports/Outsourcing. aspx)

"There are lucrative revenue opportunities in the market, but tapping into these revenue streams is getting more challenging. The supply chain is getting very complex," commented Sam Adkins, Chief Research Officer.

The research data indicates early signs of a shake out. There is a pronounced level of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity and signs of disintermediation, but new suppliers continue to enter the market. Domestic grey market suppliers are tapping into revenue streams that used to flow to offshore suppliers.

The strongest demand is now coming from small and medium-sized (SMB) businesses in specific vertical industries. According to Adkins, "the current market is in a period of transition with nimble suppliers entering the market to meet the needs of these new buyers."

"Global services firms will earn healthy revenues in the enterprise for generic self-paced elearning services throughout the forecast period, but the smaller suppliers that offer open source content services, custom simulations, and mobile workforce and location-based services to SMB buyers will have higher profit margins," adds Adkins.

About Ambient Insight LLC
Ambient Insight is an integrity-based R&D firm that uses predictive analytics to identify revenue opportunities for suppliers. We are the only research firm that has developed a learning product taxonomy based on pedagogy and information architecture principles. Suppliers need precise product definitions and forecasts to compete in today's training and education industry. Visit us at: http://www. ambientinsight. com (http://www. ambientinsight. com)

For more information on this research, please contact:

Sam S. Adkins, Chief Research Officer
Ambient Insight LLC
360-805-4298

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GoAhead Software Moves to Open Source Business Model

GoAhead Software Moves to Open Source Business Model

Acquisition of the Avantellis® Product Line from Emerson Network Power Embedded Computing Reinforces Major Strategy Change by Industry Leader

Bellevue, Wash. (PRWEB) March 19, 2010

GoAhead® Software today announces that it is shifting its business model and technology strategy from its proprietary SAFfire product to an open source software model. Simultaneous with the move to open source, GoAhead is announcing the acquisition of Avantellis from Emerson Network Power. These two significant moves combine to create a new overall strategic direction for GoAhead.

As the market share leader in commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) high availability software, GoAhead believes that this strategic direction will further accelerate COTS adoption in telecommunications, media, aerospace and defense, and other markets. The decision to move to open source is being made now due to a number of market developments that indicate a significant overall shift towards adoption of OpenSAF, the open source community focused on high availability middleware:
The maturity and stability of the OpenSAF software distribution, especially the upcoming 4.0 release The continued support of the OpenSAF Foundation by key industry players such as Ericsson, Emerson, HP, Wind River and Huawei The inclusion of OpenSAF in commercial deployments by industry leaders such as Ericsson

“The adoption of open source by industry leaders combined with the rapid maturing of OpenSAF technology makes the timing of this decision ideal for our company,” said Asif Naseem, President and COO of GoAhead Software. “We look forward to contributing our breadth of experience in high availability software to this vibrant community. GoAhead’s acquisition of Emerson Network Power’s Avantellis team, representing many of the original developers of OpenSAF, creates an un-matched level of capability at GoAhead and enables us to continue our tradition of world-class expertise in delivering standards-based software solutions.”

In conjunction with the move to open source, GoAhead is formally announcing that it is joining the OpenSAF foundation. GoAhead will be contributing key components of its SAFfire middleware to OpenSAF and company President Asif Naseem will be joining the OpenSAF foundation as a board member.

“Emerson Network Power has created a successful and high quality product line based on a commercial distribution of OpenSAF,” said Scott Ziffra, Vice President and General Manager of Software and Services for the Embedded Computing business of Emerson Network Power. “GoAhead’s market leadership uniquely positions them to drive the next steps in the rapid development of these OpenSAF-based products. Emerson and GoAhead have formed a Platinum Partnership through which Emerson will continue offering industry-leading high-availability solutions built on state-of-the-art ATCA systems and OpenSAF technology.”

GoAhead’s distribution of OpenSAF will be enhanced with a series of complementary value-added products and services. Just last month, the company announced the acquisition of embeddedMIND, an innovative management infrastructure solution that includes configuration management and provisioning. Other key new products and services will include a workbench-like development toolkit featuring an IDE (Integrated Development Environment), and a set of diagnostics tools for rapid resolution of issues found in production deployment scenarios. In addition, GoAhead will continue to support and enhance SelfReliant, its proprietary high availability solution.

About GoAhead Software

GoAhead Software is the worldwide leader in commercial off-the-shelf solutions for equipment manufacturers who recognize that scarce development resources should be allocated to building applications and not infrastructure. Our software platform includes high availability middleware to ensure 99.999% availability of applications as well as a management infrastructure for networked devices that require multiple management interfaces. GoAhead's leadership and commitment to Service Availability Forum standards prevent vendor lock-in and ensures application portability across different hardware and software platforms. Proven in over 60,000 deployments, GoAhead is helping industry leaders such as Motorola, Alcatel-Lucent, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman reduce development costs and accelerate time to delivery. For more information, visit www. goahead. com.

About Emerson Network Power
Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson, is the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity™ from grid to chip for telecommunication networks, data centers, health care and industrial facilities. Emerson Network Power provides innovative solutions and expertise in areas including AC and DC power and precision cooling systems, embedded computing and power, integrated racks and enclosures, power switching and controls, infrastructure management, and connectivity. All solutions are supported globally by local Emerson Network Power service technicians. For more information on Emerson Network Power’s embedded computing products and services, including ATCA®, MicroTCATM, CompactPCI, VMEbus for original equipment manufacturers and systems integrators in the telecommunications, industrial automation, aerospace/defense and medical markets, visit www. EmersonNetworkPower. com/EmbeddedComputing (http://www. EmersonNetworkPower. com/EmbeddedComputing). Learn more about Emerson Network Power products and services at www. EmersonNetworkPower. com.

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

ValueOptions Earns NCQA Accreditation

ValueOptions Earns NCQA Accreditation

Great Lakes Service Center recognized for excellence in continuous quality improvement.

Norfolk, VA (PRWEB) November 8, 2006

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently announced a three-year, full accreditation to ValueOptions’ Great Lakes Service Center. It is the third consecutive full accreditation earned by the Center.

The NCQA evaluates how a managed behavioral health organization (MBHO) delivers the highest quality of care to its members. It looks at the MBHO’s accessibility of services, preventive behavioral health care initiatives, provider credentialing and quality improvement. The NCQA granted the accreditation to the Great Lakes Service Center for excellence in continuous quality improvement.

“ValueOptions prides itself on superior clinical care and customer service,” said Dr. Hal Levine, Chief Medical Officer for ValueOptions. “We are pleased that the NCQA accredited the Great Lakes Service Center a three-year full endorsement. We are certain that moving forward, this accreditation will only help us to continue to maintain our high standards for those we serve.”

“ValueOptions’ MBHO Accreditation is proof that it’s an organization which works hard to coordinate care, ensure access and provide good customer support for members,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA President. “It’s a sign that ValueOptions is focused on improving the behavioral health of its members.”

ValueOptions’ Great Lakes Service Center is located in Southfield, Mich. and opened in 1985. The Center’s NCQA accreditation runs from October 3, 2006 through October 3, 2009.

About NCQA

NCQA is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assessing and reporting on the quality of managed care plans, managed behavioral health care organizations (MBHOs), preferred provider organizations, new health plans, physician organizations, credentials verification organizations, disease management programs and other health related programs.

NCQA reviews include rigorous on-site and off-site evaluations conducted by a team of physicians and managed care experts. A national oversight committee of physicians and behavioral health providers analyzes the team’s findings and assigns an accreditation level based on the MBHO’s performance compared to NCQA standards.

NCQA Accreditation standards are intended to help organizations achieve the highest level of performance possible, reduce patient risk for untoward outcomes, and create an environment of continuous improvement.

About ValueOptions

ValueOptions covers over 23 million lives through a variety of direct contracts with health plans, employers, and state and county agencies. A national managed care company, it specializes in disease management for all mental health and chemical dependency diagnoses. ValueOptions supports the unique needs of client organizations with traditional managed care products and integrated behavioral health care services, as well as wellness and prevention initiatives and Work/Life programs. Leveraging a national behavioral health provider network of over 70,000 practitioner locations, ValueOptions puts the clinical well being of our members as our first and foremost priority. Visit www. valueoptions. com for more information.

For more information, please contact: 

Tom Warburton

Vice President, Marketing & Communications

ValueOptions

(757) 459-5215

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www. HRmarketer. com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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New Site Offers a Free Trial for an Energy and Weight Loss Solution. Provides a Means to an Excellent Business Opportunity

New Site Offers a Free Trial for an Energy and Weight Loss Solution. Provides a Means to an Excellent Business Opportunity

Over-weight, Stressed-out, or people with a low-energy balance now have a new site that offers world renowned products to help overcome these problems. And for those who can enjoy the products and want to help others, the site offers a business opportunity that has a history of making people successful

Cumberland, WI (PRWEB) December 31, 2004 -

E&A Productions has joined up with Herbalife International and Swamp Dog Creations to open the site for Herbalife International Healthcare Products. The site takes about 15 minutes to go through and allows you to select a product to try on a "free trial" basis without any obligations. The products include the AMS-5000, a weight loss product. The Prime One, an anti-aging – energy product, and ToppFast a cool and energy boosting shake among other products. The site also offers the ability to get involved on the business side of the AMS product line. They offer training and affordable business plans that any one can take advantage of.

At the http://00225764n. amsonline. com/ (http://00225764n. amsonline. com/) site of E&A Productions, people can order an array of nutritional products that made AMS a 15-year company, who is listed on the American Stock Exchange, successful. They have helped countless numbers of people feel and look better than they ever have before. E&A Productions knows that the biggest problem facing most Americans, and most other countries as well, is obesity, and they wanted to set up the site to offer the benefits of the AMS products to others.

E&A Productions realized that some people might be interested in finding out about the business opportunity. Rob Taylor, owner of Swamp Dog Creations says “This Is the Quickest & Easiest Way I Know to Start a Home Business, Give Away free Products, And Get Paid - Within 48 Hours!” The secret is that a person can get make $20 every time they give a product away, and up to $200 for every person who signs up to join the business. The AMS and E&A team provide training and support.

AMS has been in business for over 15 years and is listed on the American Stock Exchange (Investors can go to their website or the E&A site). E&A Productions has provided health care products for over 3 years. Swamp Dog Creations (www. swampdogcreations. com) is a leading provider of eStore and e-Commerce solutions, web hosting and info-based products.

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Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Adds Children to the Mix with ''Fun and Fit as a Family'': First of Its Kind Initiative Addressing Childhood Obesity

Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Adds Children to the Mix with ''Fun and Fit as a Family'': First of Its Kind Initiative Addressing Childhood Obesity

The 2008 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine Magazine announces the launch of the new interactive community-based initiative - Fun and Fit as a Family presented by South Beach Diet and Travel + Leisure Family - to address the real danger of the obesity epidemic currently plaguing school-aged children.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (PRWEB) December 18, 2007

 Taking place February 23rd - 24th, at Jungle Island, Miami's premiere theme park, the Fun and Fit as a Family "mini-festival" within the main festival will bring together some of the world's greatest celebrity chefs and personalities, health professionals and fitness experts to educate children and their parents about how to adopt healthier, more active lifestyles.

In partnership with The Parent Academy of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline, Fun and Fit as a Family will welcome families with school-aged children to two days of interactive educational activities that showcase fun ways to exercise and make healthier food choices. This grassroots campaign will also serve to contribute to a school-based healthy lifestyle initiative and after-school program to improve overall academic performance and reduce rates of childhood obesity.

Fun and Fit as a Family Weekend program highlights include:

-- Healthy cooking demonstrations led by Food Network's Rachael Ray, Jamie Oliver, Tyler Florence, Ellie Krieger and Robin Miller as well as well known chefs Art Smith and Allen Susser.

-- The Children's Sustainable Food Garden presented by Agatston Research Foundation and the 2008 South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Fun and Fit as a Family will give children the opportunity to explore, touch, smell and taste fruits, vegetables and herbs from the garden while learning from garden guides.

-- Team sports, life-long fitness skill building activities like Pilates and fitness challenges.

-- Food Labs where families don aprons and get their hands messy with local chefs as they experience an extra-sensory understanding of the five major food groups.

-- Parents and children can also walk from food station to food station, trying nutritious snacks and drinks prepared by health-conscious exhibitors, and learn about new products and projects aimed at a healthy lifestyle.

-- Interactive exhibits including heart rate and calorie burning monitoring.

Fun and Fit as a Family promises to be a family-oriented weekend where education is thoroughly mixed with entertainment, whisked by exercise and topped by a new understanding about nutritious eating and healthy living. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www. funandfitasfamily. com or call 877-762-3933.

The festival will kick off Friday, February 22nd, at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach with "Culinary Stars Rachael Ray, Jamie Oliver and Alice Waters Join Forces with Scientists for Change: A Fresh Start for Our Children" featuring health experts and celebrity chefs who are actively involved in their communities presenting evidence-based approaches to childhood obesity prevention. The group includes Alice Waters on behalf of Edible Schoolyard Program; Rachael Ray's Yum-O initiative, Jamie Oliver's School Dinners Project and Dr. Arthur Agatston's Healthier Options for Public School Children (HOPS) Study. Also on hand to participate will be, among others, Dr. David Ludwig of Harvard University and author of Ending the Food Fight: Guide Your Child to a Healthy Weight in a Fast Food/Fake Food World and Dr. Gary Foster of Temple University and Principal Investigator of HEALTHY funded by the NIH.

For more information on "The Childhood Obesity Initiative: Scientists join forces with culinary stars for change. A fresh start for the next generation" and to purchase tickets, visit www. sobewineandfoodfest. com or call 1-877-762-3933.

Fun and Fit as a Family presented by South Beach Diet and Travel + Leisure Family is brought to you by the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine magazine. Fun and Fit as a Family is also made possible through the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, The Children's Trust and Health Foundation of South Florida. The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about Florida International University visit www. fiu. edu, for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management visit www. hospitality. fiu. edu and for more information about Southern Wine & Spirits visit www. southernwine. com.

The Agatston Research Foundation, founded by Arthur S. Agatston, MD, is a non-profit research foundation dedicated to improving the heart health and wellness of the nation through research, education, and prevention. The largest study conducted by the Foundation is the Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren (HOPS) Study, led by Danielle Hollar, PhD. This study seeks to prevent chronic diseases associated with obesity by tackling obesity in early life through elementary school-based prevention strategies that thematically integrate healthy dietary offerings, nutrition and healthy lifestyle educational curricula, increased levels of physical activity, and other school-based projects, such as school gardens in a replicable manner.

Friday, April 17, 2009

NeTLIMS Launches Integrated Mobile Phlebotomy Solution

NeTLIMS Launches Integrated Mobile Phlebotomy Solution

NeTLIMS NJ, LLC, a provider of advanced Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), today announced the launch of AutoMobile, the latest addition to the company's fully integrated AutoLims product suite.

Jersey City, NJ (PRWEB) March 25, 2008

NeTLIMS NJ, LLC, a provider of advanced Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), today announced the launch of AutoMobile, the latest addition to the company's fully integrated AutoLims product suite.

AutoMobile expands support of on-the-road and in-hospital phlebotomy. The solution provides phlebotomists with remote access, allowing them to be notified of requisitions to be drawn and provide feedback and pickup notifications, all in real-time. Based on standard PDA hardware, AutoMobile uses computerized instructions, positive patient identification and sample label generation or reading of pre-tagged tubes to eliminate drawing errors. In addition, through the use of cell phone connectivity or wireless networks, AutoMobile logs all bi-directional updates into the AutoLims system, giving lab managers a new level of control and providing laboratory clients with a new, innovative level of service.

"This solution allows healthcare organizations to efficiently manage their phlebotomy teams in the field in real time," explained Gonen Ziv, COO of NeTLIMS. "AutoMobile shows how NeTLIMS once again provides cutting edge technology and unparalled customizability for any size laboratory."

NeTLIMS' AutoLims product suite maximizes clinical laboratory productivity, efficiency and profitability through technological superiority, accuracy, ease of use and careful attention to customer needs. AutoLims' advanced architecture and design includes multi-tier technology, multiple platforms support (all variants of Windows clients, UNIX/Windows Servers), multiple database support (Oracle, MSSQL, Informix, Cache), multiple order entry method support (screen, barcode, OMR, ASCII files), multi-user technology, browser access to lab results and flexible color XML/XSL reporting.

About NeTLIMS NJ, LLC
NeTLIMS develops, markets and supports the AutoLims product suite. Since 1996, AutoLims has been powering hundreds of medium to large clinical laboratories in hospitals and commercial laboratories worldwide. NeTLIMS customers include the top New York City hospitals, HMOs including Clalit - the world's second largest HMO, and commercial labs such as Quest Diagnostics. Simply Powerful - AutoLims is lightning fast and extremely intuitive. AutoLims supports the complete needs of all types of clinical labs, from an individual lab to a network of laboratories. A perfect combination of cutting edge technology and unparalleled customizability and extendibility allows AutoLims to provide state of the art solutions to all disciplines inside the lab and for all stages of the testing process. For additional information please see: http://www. netlims. com (http://www. netlims. com).

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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Addiction Interventionist Comments on Whitney Houston's interview with Oprah

Addiction Interventionist Comments on Whitney Houston's interview with Oprah

Professional Atlanta Addiction Interventionist cites proven advances in care for addiction and mental health problems as leading to positive long term outcomes. Celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Keith Urban, Melanie Griffith and more represent how expert guidance, such as employing a professional interventionist, can help families, friends and employers get their loved one healthy again.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) September 16, 2009

Familiar faces in the news, such as Whitney Houston on Oprah this week, speak candidly about the addiction interventions that saved their lives. Most Americans do not realize that substance abuse and mental health problems are chronic illnesses similar in many ways to diabetes, cancer, etc. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Addiction, NIDA, reports that when alcoholism and drug abuse are treated as long term, chronic illnesses, success rates are comparable to those realized with other chronic health problems. Like all chronic illnesses, long term continuity of care that is overseen by an expert in that specific illness is vital.

The earliest intervention of any chronic illness is always best. The longer an illness progresses the harder it is to reverse and heal. Unfortunately, many families believe the old stereotype that addicts have to "hit bottom" to get better. Yet according to NIDA research, treatment for addiction and mental health does not need to begin voluntarily to be effective. In fact, "The lower the bottom the harder it becomes to ever return to the surface" says Susan Rosovsky, Atlanta addiction interventionist. Anyone caught in the confusion of alcohol, drugs, prescriptions, and / or mental health problems are by definition incapable of making consistently healthy choices and require professional expertise to help get their minds healthy again. Working with a specialist will offer significant advantages that save families time, money, and emotional pain in the long run.

Celebrities are not the only ones with access the best in addiction and mental health treatment. Many families have spent enormous amounts of time and energy straightening out consequences and reacting to crisis after crisis resulting from their loved ones substance abuse, mental health and behavioral problems. What they don't know is why and how to find an expert that provides long term continuous guidance for the entire family. Yet no where is this more important than with substance abuse and mental health problems. Traditional psychiatry and counseling are most often not the answer. Research shows intervention to be successful 85% to 95% of the time. Truly successful outcomes for any serious illness require a variety of "interventions"- based on the latest research to include medicine, nutrition, education, relational support, etc. A professional interventionist will provide oversight and continuity to permanently raise the bottom of the entire family of those suffering from addiction and mental illness.

Susan Rosovsky LPC, CCADC, BRI, founder of ProActive Interventions, is one the countries rare, professionally licensed and trained interventionists, offering nationwide assistance for families in crisis. Her credentials represent extensive training, experience, and licensed governed ethics that are critical to helping navigate the maze of mental health and substance abuse treatment. More information is available by calling 678.662.1892 or online at www. ProActiveInterventions. com.

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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Over 135 Inches Lost at AVIE! MedSpa & Laser Center in Northern Virginia with ZERONA™ the non-Surgical, Non-Invasive Fat Reduction Procedure

Over 135 Inches Lost at AVIE! MedSpa & Laser Center in Northern Virginia with ZERONA™ the non-Surgical, Non-Invasive Fat Reduction Procedure

Kim Marinetto, RN, Master Aesthetician and Medspa Visionary announced today that over 135 total inches have been lost at AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center in Leesburg, Virginia using ZERONA™, the safe, effective and painless way to remove fat and contour the body.

Leesburg, VA (Vocus) March 29, 2010

AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center (http://www. aviemedspa. com/home) is proud to announce that total client inch loss using the ZERONA™ body sculpting laser is over 135 inches. Up until now, losing weight was a combination of a restrictive diet and rigorous exercise, or resorting to invasive liposuction to tone and shape the body. The ZERONA™ laser zaps fat with laser light and shrinks fat cells without surgery.

The ZERONA™ (http://www. aviemedspa. com/zerona) Erchonia LipoLaser is safe, effective and FDA market cleared for laser assisted liposuction. The painless procedure involves an average of 6 treatments over the course of two weeks. Patients lie on a table while the low-level laser affects fat cells, causing stored fat to be released from the body during its normal course of detoxification. The result: patients report losing inches from their waists, hips and thighs.

“It is exciting that at AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center we have helped so many people lose inches and feel better about themselves. With ZERONA™ we are seeing fast, visible results in body sculpting and toning and when used in combination with our Medically Supervised Weight Loss program, our patients are completely motivated to maintain a healthier and slimmer lifestyle," says Kim Marinetto, RN.

AVIE! MedSpa and Laser Center will be hosting an Educational Event on Thursday, April 22 at 6:30 p. m. Join Kim Marinetto and Medical Director Dr. Betsy Vasquez and their team as they present the body sculpting and skin rejuvenation alternatives available at AVIE! MedSpa and Laser Center. Learn how you can quickly shed pounds under the supervision of medical professionals and how AVIE! customizes their programs to meet the needs of the individual. Space is limited to 25 people – RSVP by calling: 703-737-0197.

About Kim Marinetto (http://www. aviemedspa. com/about/kim_marinetto)
Kim Marinetto has over 20 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and in the past 5 years has focused her practice on cosmetic medicine, adding to her credentials, a Medical Aesthetician Certification in 2006, along with additional certifications in Botox® Cosmetic, Facial Fillers, Sclerotherapy and various advanced laser systems. Kim is a certified Master Aesthetician and is licensed with the state of Virginia. Additionally, Kim has done extensive training on laser technology and her coursework is recognized by the AMA.

About Betsy Vasquez MD (http://www. aviemedspa. com/about/betsy_vasquez)
Dr. Vasquez graduated cum laude from Princeton University in New Jersey and received her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York in 1986. She completed her residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Georgetown University in Washington, DC in 1992.

About AVIE! Medspa & Laser Center (http://www. aviemedspa. com)
AVIE! Medspa & Laser Center offers the latest in cosmetic medical spa treatments in a relaxing spa environment in Leesburg, VA. Spa Director and Owner, Kim Marinetto, RN and Master Aesthetician, in conjunction with Medical Director and Co-owner, Betsy Vasquez, MD and their highly skilled team provide specialized medspa programs so each of their client's needs are addressed on an individual basis with personalized follow-ups. Their treatments have minimal to no downtime. Services include: ZERONA™ Botox®, Juvederm, Microdermabrasion, Chemical Peels, Micro Laser Peels, Photo Facials, Skin Tightening, Pro Fractional Skin Resurfacing, Laser Hair Removal, Clinical Facials with Professional Skin Analysis and Medically Supervised Weight Loss. AVIE! also carries physician level skin care and make-up, as well as offering gift certificates for special occasions. Consultations are complimentary and financing is available. For more information please call 703-737-0197 or visit http://www. aviemedspa. com (http://www. aviemedspa. com)].

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