Friday, September 30, 2011

Dietary Changes and GERD / Acid Reflux: The Latest Research

Dietary Changes and GERD / Acid Reflux: The Latest Research

In this recent Health Alert, Johns Hopkins reviews the latest research from The Archives of Internal Medicine on diet and GERD, which suggests that contrary to common advice, dietary changes alone will not improve symptoms of GERD, such as heartburn or acid reflux.

New York (PRWEB) May 8, 2008

If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, also known as acid reflux) you know these unpleasant feelings all too well -- heartburn, indigestion, nausea, and sometimes vomiting.

Acid from the stomach can even regurgitate into organs connected to the esophagus, such as the larynx, trachea, and lungs, causing pain and long-lasting damage.

One of the first things doctors tell people with GERD is to change their diet to reduce heartburn. This advice often means eliminating chocolate, spicy foods, mint, citrus fruits and juices, fatty foods, carbonated beverages, coffee and other caffeinated products, alcohol, and late-night meals.

Now a research review of over 100 studies of these dietary and other lifestyle measures has found that, while consuming these foods and beverages may make GERD symptoms worse, there is NO scientific evidence that banning them from your diet will improve heartburn, or fix the underlying problem of acid reflux.

[This research review was reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Volume 166, page 965).]

What WILL work for GERD, according to the research review, is sleeping with the head of your bed elevated, and losing weight if you're overweight.

These strategies reduce heartburn symptoms and lower acid levels in the esophagus.

Of course, if you experience heartburn after eating a certain food, common sense dictates that you avoid that food to see if your symptoms improve.

If the symptoms don't improve, see a doctor about taking medication for GERD, which will likely do more for your symptoms than dietary restrictions.

For those who dismiss their symptoms as 'just' heartburn, treating GERD is important. Untreated GERD can lead to serious complications, such as esophageal ulcers (nonhealing mucosal defects), esophageal strictures, Barrett's esophagus (a disorder of the cells lining the esophageal mucosa, which may lead to cancer), and esophageal cancer.

Therefore, it is important to not self-diagnose, and inform your doctor of any change in symptoms or severity of symptoms.

For more Digestive Disorders Health Alerts, please visit the Digestive Disorders Topic Page
Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Digestive Disorders Topic Page (http://www. johnshopkinshealthalerts. com/alerts_index/digestive_health/19-1.html)

For an annual review of the latest research on Digestive Disorders, please visit:
Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Digestive Disorders White Papers 2008 (http://www. johnshopkinshealthalerts. com/white_papers/digestive_health_wp/digital08_landing. html)

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CEB: Leading Edge of Best of the Breed Business Solutions Exhibiting in Gitex 2003

CEB: Leading Edge of Best of the Breed Business Solutions Exhibiting in Gitex 2003

CEB is a leading total solutions provider in Middle East and Gulf Area and a long lasted prominent figure in Software Industry. CEB provides the most comprehensive and scalable suite of product capabilities, functionality and experience required to help customers accomplish their stated business, technical and operational objectives. Since 1980, CEB has been providing the IT market in the region and the surrounding areas with comprehensive solutions covering most of the crucial demands of technology, business and automation. CEB is well known for its state-of-the-art software solutions currently implemented in a large number of prestigious banks, companies, governmental agencies as well as private organizations. CEB solutions include comprehensive Banking Solutions, Knowledge Management and Workflow, Insurance Management Systems, Business Process Optimization and Management and others. CEB works with worldwide recognized suppliers of IT tools and technologies. Part of CEBÂ’s prominent characteristics is its professional knowledge of the automation needs along with the special requirements of the IT needs of the Middle East and Gulf Area besides its awareness of the processes currently running there. The list of prestigious organizations currently employing CEB solutions in a variety of sectors and for a diversity of business requirements do reflect CEBÂ’s success in accomplishing the demands of each and everyone of them.

(PRWEB) October 4, 2003

CEB is pleased to announce its participation in Gitex 2003 in World Trade Center Dubai, UAE. CEB will be demonstrating a set of best of the breed business solutions including Document Management Solutions in addition to automated Workflow Solutions. CEB applications have been designed according to the latest trends in IT industry and technologies so as to accommodate the new trends in e-business in cooperation with well recognized IT solutions and tools providers worldwide. CEB provides the most comprehensive and scalable suite of product capabilities, functionality, and experience required to help customers accomplish their stated business, technical and operational objectives. CEB will be exhibiting the following products in Gitex 2003:

1) ImageLinks v.4.5, Document management solution that allows users to capture, index, organize, store, annotate, and easily retrieve different types of files.

With its powerful feature being Internet/ Intranet solution is meant for data retrieval for users who are mainly concerned with viewing documents, records and images and can perfectly work in multi-branches and far away sites.

2) DailyJackets, Bank Branches Automation Solution: a financial-Imaging solution for financial sector embodied in banking industry meant for automatically archiving the important documents of daily transactions carried between the bankÂ’s branches guaranteeing ease of data retrieval.

3) ImageFlow, a scalable workflow solution meant for providing a streamlined, easy and cost effective way to automate business processes and coordinate the flow of work and so improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency in the organization.

“The set of products we are exhibiting are pointing towards covering a variety of business, e-business and technical requirements for a diversity of sectors starting with Financial sector embodied in banking industry, then comes e-business organizations, alongside governmental agencies, health care centers, telecommunications, services providers in addition to insurance companies and many others.” said Ayman Arafeh, General Manager at CEB.

“CEB works with worldwide recognized suppliers of IT tools. Part of CEB’s prominent characteristics is its professional knowledge of the automation requirements along with the special necessities of the IT needs of the Middle East besides its awareness of the processes currently running there. The list of prestigious customers currently employing CEB solutions in a variety of sectors and for a diversity of business requirements; do reflect CEB’s success in accomplishing their demands.”

For more information visit CEB at GITEX 2003- Software Hall 5, Stand 500

Integrated IT solutions

Www. CEB. com. jo

P. O. Box 414 Amman 11953 Jordan Tel. (962-6) 5 62 99 99 Fax (962-2) 5 62 99 88

E-mail marketing@Ceb. com. jo

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Seven Tips to Simplifying Beauty

Seven Tips to Simplifying Beauty

Learn the most useful beauty tips a woman should know in a two day event with well known, make up to the stars, Terri Apanasewicz.

Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) September 10, 2006

It's not complicated. A woman simply wants to look her best, whether managing an office, sipping iced lattes with the girls or prepping for a date with a special someone.

Celebrity makeup artist Terri Apanasewicz, who has helped some of the world's most famous faces prepare for events from the boardroom to the red carpet, offers these tips for Simplifying Beauty:

1. For ease and natural glow use a mineral powder foundation such as Amazing Cosmetics Velvet. A few quick strokes of the brush apply even coverage that lasts all day.

2. Put concealer in the inside corner of the eyes and blend down to the recessed area under the eye. This alone will brighten and refresh one's overall look.

3. Achieve a healthy radiance by dusting the apples of cheeks, the forehead and the chin with a little blush or bronzer.

4.  Apply a tinted moisturizer, such as DuWop's Revolotion Face for a little coverage without a lot of work. The best way to apply a tinted moisturizer is to put a little on the fingers and blend over the face.

5. Use a soft toothbrush gently across the lips to remove dry skin and soften lips so that lip color will last longer.

6. Lip stains are the perfect compromise when balm isn't enough and lipstick is too much. Try one of Stainiac's many tints to give lips color and highlight their natural texture. Follow with a light gloss for extra moisture and shine.

7. Get luxuriously round and elongated lashes by putting the eyelash curler close to the base and squeezing lashes. Then move up to the middle of the lashes and give a second squeeze. Finish by giving a squeeze to the ends of the lashes. 

To learn how to put these and other professional makeup techniques into practice, attend Apanasewicz's two-day Simplifying Beauty workshop on Oct. 28-29 at the Hyatt West Hollywood, 8401 Sunset Blvd. Seminar attendees will receive a specially designed makeup tool kit valued at $350.

The seminar is 10 a. m.-6 p. m. Saturday, Oct. 28, and 10 a. m.-3 p. m. Sunday, Oct. 29. Investing in yourself for this two-day event is $599.

Registration deadline is Oct. 1. Call 310-694-9656, ext. 703, for more information.

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New Self Contained Growing Environment for Gardeners Provides Total Security

New Self Contained Growing Environment for Gardeners Provides Total Security

Homegrown Hydroponics has recently released a series of self contained growing machines geared towards the indoor or hobbyist gardener. Now indoor gardeners can grow with hydroponics year round, with an effortless turnkey system, right in their own homes. These growing cabinets provide total security, and a perfect environment to grow anything from herbs to tomatoes right at home; effortlessly! Provides an excellent alternative to expensive professionally grown hydroponic herbs.

Weston, FL (PRWEB) January 18, 2006

Homegrown Hydroponics (http://www. homegrown-hydroponics. com (http://www. homegrown-hydroponics. com)) of Ft. Lauderdale Florida is a start-up manufacturing company filling a much needed niche. On the heels of the current organic health food craze, Homegrown Hydroponics provides an alternative to expensive store bought organic foods. With the new release of their "Stealth Cab Series" anyone can grow their own fresh herbs on their countertop, all year round.

Howard Birnbaum, owner and operator of Homegrown Hydroponics had this to say "We make growing your favorite vegetables possible, without much effort using our grow cab series. Now housewives can grow fresh basil, or tomatoes right on their countertop. Imagine serving fresh vegetables, homegrown without any chemicals, without even having to even step outside! You can feed your family the most healthy of organically grown foods, knowing they are completely chemical free. And at the same time, the entire family can marvel at the amazing growth rate of hydroponics. Up to 10x faster than soil and without nasty fertilizers."

Mr. Birnbaum is referring to their new Stealth line of grow cabinets, which are futuristic, yet contemporary cabinets that can sit on your countertop or in any room of the house. Contained within the un-assuming black cabinet is a myriad of lights, timers, and electronics all run in-sync with each other to provide a perfect growing environment for any short, bushy plant. Cold air is brought in from below or behind the cabinets, while hot air is exhausted by a series of fans. Odor from stinky plants such as garlic is even reduced to the faintest of smells from a built in carbon scrubber, available on the higher end models.

Howard Birnbaum explains "These systems are truly turn-key driven. Anyone with a little patience and a small green thumb can easily grow vegetables and fruits like the professionals. These systems are completely automated, and self contained environments for plants. There really isn't much to it. Add seeds, a little bit of water, and sit back and watch as nature take it's course!"

"What's really special about these items is how they blend in perfectly with home decor." One model that is particularly sleek features stainless steel doors, and an electronic indoor outdoor thermometer to constantly observe temperature, and a programmable digital timer straight out of the Jetson's. When the doors are opened, a billowing bright light and flourishing sea of green leaves is revealed.

The Stealth series grow cabinets are available in black and silver finishes, and range in size from small to large. The small hydroponic system can house around 7 plants, while the largest in the series is 8 feet tall, and can comfortably fit up to 30 individual plants.

An employee of Homegrown Hydroponics had this to say "We are using Aeroponic technology. The most state of the art, and reliable hydroponic system currently available. Basically water containing plant nutrients is shot out of a series of micro-jet sprayers at such high pressure, the liquid turns to a fine mist. The mist is then effortlessly absorbed by the plants roots, maintaining a high ratio of oxygen to dissolved solids. Plants thrive in these type of environments, as they don't have to work for their food."

Similar technology has been used by commercial hydroponic gardeners, growing in the unsurpassable heat of the desert in Israel, to the freezing cold winter months of Alaska, with outstanding results. Hydroponically grown plants can now be grown anywhere, any time regardless of the conditions outside. Homegrown Hydroponics has brought the joy of growing home; in the digital age.

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Caffeine Awareness Month Brewing at Columbia University

Caffeine Awareness Month Brewing at Columbia University

Over-caffeinated students discover the truth about caffeine.

Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) November 30, 2005

A Columbia University professor and the Caffeine Awareness Alliance (CAA) have joined together to alert students about the dangers of caffeine dependency. Professor Netzer, an assistant professor of marketing, and several of his students are developing unique marketing strategies for the non-profit organization.

National Caffeine Awareness Month is an annual event that calls attention to the risk associated with caffeinism and caffeine withdrawal syndrome, a disorder recognized by the psychiatric community. Several states and cities across America celebrate this event in March.

Marina Kushner, founder of the CAA, remarked "I'm delighted the professor is helping our cause. The students appear highly motivated and are quite familiar with this ubiquitious drug."

Kushner is also the author of "The Truth About Caffeine: How Companies that Promote it Deceive Us and What We Can Do About it." The book explores caffeine’s darker side that scientist know but that the caffeine industry has tried to suppress.

"Many students abuse caffeine without realizing the damage it causes to their health. At 200 mg of caffeine, you can experience typical addictive symptoms such as irritability, restlessness, tension, insomnia, excitement, and gastrointestinal disturbance. If you boost that level to more than 1 gram (1000 mg), you can get irregular heartbeats, panic and anxiety disorders, muscle twitching, incoherent speech, excessive urination, flushed skin, and depression. And, believe it or not, when you take over 5 grams of caffeine, the results can be fatal." said Kushner.

Kushner has developed Soyfee, a popular coffee-substitute made from 100% organic soy beans. Soy has been shown to help lower cholesterol, fight heart disease, and promote strong bones. For further information about Soyfee and its varieties, please visit www. soycoffee. com. To learn more about the dangers of caffeine, visit www. CaffeineAwareness. org. or call 815-572-8007

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Flatirons Solutions Develops DITA-based Technical Publishing Solution

Flatirons Solutions Develops DITA-based Technical Publishing Solution

Quick-Start Solution for XML Publishing Seamlessly Integrates with EMC Documentum and Leading XML Authoring Tools

Boulder, Colo. (PRWEB) September 12, 2007

Flatirons Solutions, a leader in XML publishing and content management solutions, announced the launch of their Technical Publishing Solution for EMC Documentum®, an XML-based content management platform. Designed in conjunction with EMC Documentum the solution leverages the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and DocBook standards, and seamlessly integrates with the Documentum Content Management System and leading XML authoring tools. Based on Flatirons Solutions' SourceOnceTM methodology and best practices for leveraging XML and content reuse, the solution offering includes a standardized project plan, standardized Content Architecture/Design document, and pre-built Documentum configurations and workflows for state-of-the-art DITA-based technical publishing. Whether just starting with DITA, or looking to enhance an existing DITA application, organizations can be operational within six weeks and realize immediate ROI in production costs, resources, and publishing cycles.

"Flatirons Solutions' extensive experience with Documentum has enabled us to provide world-class solutions involving content management, XML, collaboration and Documentum expertise," said Eric Severson, Chief Technology Officer of Flatirons Solutions. "The Technical Publishing Solution fills a gap in the marketplace for a comprehensive XML-based solution for publishers of technical content. By developing this XML solution specifically for the Documentum platform, our customers are able to reduce publication, content maintenance and review costs, and eliminate the need to design a costly, non-standard solution from scratch."

"Flatirons has been a significant player in the implementation of XML authoring/translation/publishing solutions for EMC organizations," said Paul Masalsky, Information Architect and Program Manager at EMC. "In addition to providing high quality professional services, Flatirons has gone beyond EMC's requirements and base expectations. As a long-standing client and partner, EMC looks forward to introducing the Technical Publishing Solution to our commercial and enterprise accounts with Flatirons."

EMC is marketing the Technical Publishing Solution as part of their overall Technical Publications Management offering, which also includes products from EMC and our partners, including implementation services by Flatirons Solutions.

Flatirons Solutions is an EMC Select Services Team (SST) partner, and ranked 9th on the Select Services Team for 2006. As a leader in Documentum's XML capabilities, Flatirons Solutions has implemented and developed XML-based solutions, published numerous papers and code samples, and actively participated in the Documentum community.

About Flatirons Solutions
Flatirons Solutions, an Inc. 500 company, is a professional services firm that provides consulting, systems integration, and systems & software engineering services to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. A leading content management solutions provider specializing in XML-based publishing and business process automation, Flatirons has provided enterprise-wide solutions in industries such as aerospace, transportation, publishing, manufacturing, financial services, insurance, and health. Flatirons also engineers software-intensive, mission-critical systems for federal government and defense agencies. Established in 2001, Flatirons Solutions is a privately-held company headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with offices in Washington D. C. and Ft Worth, TX.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

AP DIGITAL PARTNERS WITH PA NEWS TO PROVIDE ONLINE U. K. CONTENT

AP DIGITAL PARTNERS WITH PA NEWS TO PROVIDE ONLINE U. K. CONTENT

(PRWEB) January 28, 2001

Associated Press and PA News Partner to Provide British and Irish News and Sports to Web and Wireless Markets Throughout the Americas

NEW YORK, 25 January 2001 - AP Digital has partnered with the PA News to produce U. K. Reports, a service offering 24-hour breaking news and sports from Britain and Ireland to Web and wireless markets across the Americas.

The new international news service, which is delivered via the Web in easy-to-use packages,

Complements AP Digital's existing lineup of other world news products, such as the Kyodo World Service Reports, AP Online en Espanol, AP Top 10 Global news, and five other titles.

"With PA News as a content partner, AP Digital extends its international product offerings," said Thomas E. Slaughter, vice president and director of AP Digital. "We are pleased to work with PA News to bring British and Irish news to the Americas, with the same high measure of immediacy and integrity that AP Digital customers already expect and demand."

AP Digital provides PA News content to Web sites and wireless services via the Internet in two packages: Main News and Sports News. Both consist of Top 10 headlines, which are continuously updated and link to either news briefs or in-depth, full-length reports.

Coverage includes British and Irish politics and parliaments, health news, technology stories, business reports, education, London, celebrity, royalty, and entertainment. Additionally, coverage of 30 different sports, including cricket, rugby, soccer/European football, golf, horse racing, gaming, motor sports and tennis, is provided.

"This partnership with AP Digital gives us a valuable reach into the American market," said Jason Lambert, PA News account manager. "PA News content is available to AP Digital's American customers, allowing them to access our British and Irish news from the same place they get other world news from The Associated Press."

About PA News: The national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Press Association deploys 500 reporters in 16 bureaus. PA News sets the British and Irish news agenda as the agency at the forefront of breaking national news. Visit PA News at www. pa. press. net.

About AP Digital: A division of The Associated Press, AP Digital offers news services with text, photos, audio, graphics and video on a wide variety of topics to the Web and wireless markets.

About The Associated Press: Founded in 1848, The Associated Press is the world's oldest and largest newsgathering organization, providing content to more than 15,000 news outlets with a daily reach of 1 billion people around the world. Its multimedia services are distributed by satellite and the Internet to more than 120 nations. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www. ap. org. For more information about AP Digital, call 800-AP-CALL-1 or visit www. apdigitalnews. com.

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CONTACTS:Fernando Ferre, Director of Marketing and Product Development, AP Digital

Tel.: (212) 621-7020 or email: fferre@ap. org

Spencer Samaroo, Communication Executive, PA News

Tel.: 44 (207) 963-7530 or email: spencer. samaroo@pa. press. net

Reed Group Releases Version 6.1 of MDGuidelines

Reed Group Releases Version 6.1 of MDGuidelines

New version of web-based platform offers most accurate Return-to-Work guidelines available today for managing disability and workers' compensation. MDGuidelines 6.1 includes updated content for new medical trends, a text-only version for use with mobile devices and by the visually impaired, and the addition of Colorado State Guidelines.

Westminster, CO (PRWEB) June 9, 2010

Reed Group, Ltd (http://www. reedgroup. com/index. htm). announced today that it has issued version 6.1 of MDGuidelines. com (http://www. mdguidelines. com/), its online platform of industry-leading return-to-work guidelines. The new release includes updated content based on changing medical trends, a text-only version for use with mobile devices and by the visually impaired, and the addition of Colorado State Guidelines.

MDGuidelines 6.1 has updated content in 179 monographs as well as updated RBRVS (Medicare fee data) and HCUP data (hospital length of stay and cost data). It also offers nine new topics and new tables to reflect treatment advances and responses to user requests.

For example, return-to-work durations have been shortened for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction to reflect current medical trends. James B. Talmage, M. D., chair of Reed Group’s Medical Advisory Board, explains why patients recover more quickly from this injury: “Over the past five years, open reconstruction has been basically abandoned, and essentially, all isolated ACL reconstructions are now done arthroscopically. Also, there is more use of motion control bracing which helps to protect the new ligament.”

“Trends such as these dramatically change the expectations that employees and employers should share, so that the employee can return more quickly to productivity,” says Reed Group President, Guidelines, Jon Seymour, M. D. “Without this kind of updated information, users would be attempting to navigate changed terrain with out-of-date maps. At MDGuidelines, we constantly strive to provide the most up-to-date, medically accurate information available.”

Another feature of MDGuidelines version 6.1 is EasyAccess, which provides the same information as the fully graphic MDGuidelines, but primarily in text for faster loading with mobile devices (e. g. iPhones, Blackberrys) and devices used by the visually challenged.

MDGuidelines version 6.1 also includes the State of Colorado Treatment Guidelines, which are well-established evidence-based guidelines utilized in workers’ compensation injuries. Content from the Colorado Guidelines has increasingly been considered for adoption by other states legislating the use of guidelines for reimbursement of treatments in workers’ compensation (http://www. mdguidelines. com/) cases.

About Reed Group
Reed Group is the world’s most trusted source of return-to-work information, helping companies improve employee absence outcomes. Reed Group’s data, tools, customized solutions, and case management services help reduce absence incidence and duration, and get employees back to normal, healthy lives and full productivity. Reed Group is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado. More information at www. reedgroup. com and www. mdguidelines. com.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Natural Health Author Teaches Readers How to Beat Bird Flu Virus, Even if Vaccines and Antiviral Drugs Run Out

Natural Health Author Teaches Readers How to Beat Bird Flu Virus, Even if Vaccines and Antiviral Drugs Run Out

Flu book supplies consumers with the flu protection strategies they will need to face a possible flu pandemic.

Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) November 8, 2005

Countries around the world are preparing for a bird flu pandemic, but the fact is there aren't enough antiviral drugs or vaccines to treat everyone. Even in wealthy countries such as the United States, supplies are vastly inadequate compared to the estimated number of people that may be infected (30% of the global population, according to World Health Organization estimates). To help people stay healthy and survive the pandemic, holistic author Mike Adams has compiled nutritional defenses against viral infections in his new guide "What You Need to Know About the Bird Flu."

The downloadable booklet is available free of charge at http://www. truthpublishing. com/survivinginfluenza. html (http://www. truthpublishing. com/survivinginfluenza. html)

"If vaccines run out, people can still protect themselves by using natural therapies like antiviral herbs, foods and supplements," said Adams. "In fact, the top recommended antiviral drug, Tamiflu, is manufactured from an ancient Chinese herb, star anise." The public, says Adams, is not being informed about the antiviral capabilities of herbs and foods because conventional medicine places too much emphasis on pharmaceuticals and vaccines while ignoring natural remedies.

Earlier this year, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, testified that the U. S. has stockpiled enough Tamiflu and Rimantadine tablets to treat approximately 6.5 million adults. With more than 290 million people in the U. S., that supply will treat less than five percent of population. Should a pandemic strike, antiviral foods and herbs may be the only option available to most Americans.

This is especially important because the bird flu virus could easily mutate into a Tamiflu-resistant strain. Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, recently voiced this concern by saying, "Quite honestly, nobody knows at this point whether Tamiflu will be effective at all when we face a pandemic. We may have wasted the money that we bought all this Tamiflu for."

In "What You Need to Know About the Bird Flu," readers will learn the following:

The top 12 antiviral herbs Where to find antiviral herbal tinctures Lifestyle changes that boost natural immunity How to stay informed about natural health solutions to the bird flu

About Truth Publishing

Truth Publishing is dedicated to a mission of public service through the creation and distribution of educational materials covering natural health, wellness, environmental responsibility, and other topics important to people everywhere. Articles and commentary are published at www. newstarget. com, and books and interviews are published at www. truthpublishing. com.

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Don’t Get Soaked When You Buy Your Hot Tub This Season

Don’t Get Soaked When You Buy Your Hot Tub This Season

If buying a hot tub is on the priority list this season, consider these tips from a Puget Sound expert so you don’t get soaked.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) April 27, 2006

If buying a hot tub is on the priority list this season, consider these tips so you don’t get soaked.

Alice Cunningham, a hot tub retailer with 28 years of experience and many industry and customer service awards to her credit (www. olympichottub. com), says that a smart and knowledgeable spa purchase can be the difference between experiencing endless relaxation and hassle-free enjoyment and owning a burdensome, resource-draining machine that ends up costing more to operate and maintain than ever anticipated. Take stock of her time tested tips before you construct your backyard getaway.

Don’t choose a spa made by an unknown manufacturer or without a proper warranty.

One size doesn’t always fit all. Choose a size that fits your lifestyle and your family.

Try it wet before you buy it.

Hear the silence. This is especially important if you plan to place it near sleeping areas, on a deck or rooftop.

Take a deep breath and smell the water. Look for a spa that’s sanitized with a corona-discharge ozonator with silver ion for boosting the cleanliness. Crystal clean water without effort or hassle should be your primary concern.

Keep it simple. A simple on/off control panel is best.

Keep it clean. Do not consider buying any spa without full, no “by-pass” filtration. That means that all of the water is passing though the filters when the jets are on.

Keep it safe. Select a spa with locking cover and locking control panel to keep small children safe.

Check under the hood. The quality of the construction and materials used will determine how long your spa will last, the actual long-term cost, and the maintenance involved in its upkeep.

Save money while saving energy. Avoid spas with “peanut” pellet insulation stuffed under the cabinet or those with no insulation at all. Beware of manufacturers who claim that no insulation allows easy access to fix plumbing leaks.

You get what you pay for. Reputable dealers will provide third-party laboratory testing results that document typical operating costs. Heating costs for a “bargain” spa can run three to four times more a month than for well-insulated models which may cost more initially.

Here today. Here tomorrow? Small, regional, or local manufacturers typically stay in business less than five years. Look for a manufacturer with at least 25 years of a strong track record and backed by a Fortune 500 company for the best protection for your investment.

Buy the dealer before you buy the spa. Do business only with a local dealer who will give you service as good after the sale as before your purchase.

Ask for references.

See the warranty, ask for a copy, and read it for understanding.

“Add-ons” add up. Beware of “add-ons” not included in the purchase price like an insulating cover, delivery to your prepared site, leveling, water care products, and on-site instruction and operation - all of which are vital and should not be incur additional charges.

Don’t buy a spa at a carnival or fair.

Want a hot tub with those frozen chicken wings? “Big box” retailers typically carry off brands or stripped down versions of brands by larger manufacturers. Choices are limited and the wait for service can be very long. The low price you think you’re paying initially will cost you far more down the road.

Most hot tub owners say that their spa purchase was one of the best investments they’ve made. Follow these tips and choose a credible, qualified, and expert hot tub retailer to ensure that you get the right hot tub the first time as you experience relaxation in the comfort of your own backyard.

More About Olympic Hot Tub:

At Olympic Hot Tub, "We make it easy to take it easy®" is more than a tag line. It is a statement that describes the heart and soul of the company and how it does business. Research shows that consumers hesitate to make hot tub purchases because they are uncomfortable with the purchasing process, need help figuring out where to install their hot tub, and have worries or concerns about hot tub maintenance. Through the years, Olympic Hot Tub has developed proven, credible, and caring approaches toward addressing these very real concerns and has earned among the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the nation in the process. Recently, the Olympic was awarded the Locksin Thompson Dealer of the Year Award for the second time since 1992 by Hot SpringTM Spas. Olympic was selected from among 850 Hot Spring dealers worldwide to receive this award symbolizing professionalism, product knowledge, and outstanding customer service.

Olympic Hot Tub is the oldest spa and hot tub company in the Northwest with five retail stores located in Seattle, Fife, Issaquah, Lacey and Everett and a sales and service center in Tukwila, Washington. Founded in 1977, the company employs 45 exceptional team members and has a customer base of over 14,000 in greater Puget Sound and SE Alaska. Currently celebrating its 28th year of business, Olympic Hot Tub Company is the #1 selling retailer for Hot SpringTM Spas worldwide and the exclusive Hot SpringTM Spas dealer in the Puget Sound. Hot SpringTM Spas are the largest selling brand of spas in the U. S. and the only hot tub manufacturer certified by the National Sanitation Foundation as meeting all health and safety requirements for the overall spa safety and performance. Olympic Hot Tub Company is credited by the Seattle Times with the introduction of hot tubs to the greater Puget Sound area. In addition, Olympic is the most award-winning spa retailer in the U. S. Learn more at www. olympichottub. com.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Free NetFlow Generator now available from Plixer International

Free NetFlow Generator now available from Plixer International

Adding to their line of NetFlow trending and analysis software, Plixer has released a new application for generating artificial NetFlow packets for testing software and hardware.

Sanford, ME (PRWEB) November 10, 2009

Plixer International, the makers of an industry leading NetFlow analysis tool called Scrutinizer, has announced the release of a new software application called Flowalyzer. Flowalyzer is a completely free application that runs on the Windows platform and creates artificial NetFlow data streams. These NetFlow data streams, which can be formatted as NetFlow version 5 or NetFlow version 9, can be used to determine the health and reliability of the NetFlow collector being used. Flowalyzer NetFlow Generator aids network administrators in configuring their NetFlow sending hardware, as well as the packet collector on the other end.

"Flowalyzer is a tool set for network engineers that makes it a simple process to determine whether your NetFlow collector is accepting flows or even dropping data," says Michael Patterson, Product Manager for Scrutinizer NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer.

"This is a tool that came out of our development team by necessity. Reliable and highly configurable NetFlow generators for precision software development did not exist. We needed a tool to verify that Scrutinizer was processing data with the highest degree of accuracy. Flowalyzer allowed us to configure exactly what to send so that we could forecast precisely what was expected. We then added the other tabs to make it useful for customers."

Flowalyzer eliminates the guess work. Simply comparing the traffic sent from Flowalyzer to the traffic received by the NetFlow collector can determine if data is being dropped and if so, how much. Especially, when utilizing more advanced NetFlow traffic analysis techniques, like Network Behavior Analysis, it is important that the NetFlow collector is providing the NetFlow analyzer with all of the data, not just some of it. Flowalyzer determines if all of the records are being delivered.

Pricing and availability
Flowalyzer NetFlow Generator is a completely free NetFlow testing tool kit, which also includes a NetFlow Listener, a NetFlow Configurator and a network communicator. Flowalyzer is available for download now.

Plixer International, Inc. develops and markets network traffic monitoring and analysis tools to the global market. All of the tools are built from the ground up with valuable feature sets and ease of use in mind. Plixer tools have been used to analyze and troubleshoot irregular traffic patterns by IT professionals with some of the largest networks in the world, such as CNN, The Coca-Cola Company, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lockheed Martin, IBM, Regal Cinemas, Raytheon, and Eddie Bauer.

For product and sales information, contact Plixer International, Inc. at 1 Eagle Drive, Sanford, Maine, via telephone (207) 324-8805, fax (207) 324-8683.

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Sunday, September 25, 2011

FACES Announces New Community Partners

FACES Announces New Community Partners

The award winning Fibromyalgia Association Created for Education and Self-help welcomes new Community Partners.

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) April 18, 2006

The Fibromyalgia Association Created for Education and Self-help [FACES] an all volunteer, grass roots, IRS tax exempt, 501 [c] 3, nonprofit association located in Chicago, Illinois welcomes the following new members of our Community Partnership Program:

FACES has joined forces with three other Alumni of the National Fibromyalgia Association’s [NFA’s] 2005 and 2006 Leaders Against Pain Conferences. . .

The Mercy Fairfield Health and Wellness Center Fibromyalgia Support Group [the Ohio Support Group] located in Cincinnati, Ohio;

Helping Our Pain and Exhaustion [H. O. P. E.] a IRS tax exempt, 501 [c] 3, nonprofit organization located in Novi, Michigan, and;

P. A.N. D.O. R.A. [Patient Alliance for Neuroendocrineimmune Disorders Organizing for Research and Advocacy], an IRS tax exempt, 501 [c] 3, nonprofit alliance in Coral Gables, Florida.

The NFA is FACES first and longest Community Partner. Joining forces with H. O. P. E. and the Ohio Support Group allows FACES the opportunity to establish a Midwestern Community Partnership Program, while partnering with P. A.N. D.O. R.A. re-fortifies our National Community Partnership Program.

FACES announces the first project of our Midwestern Community Partnership Program with H. O. P. E., and The Ohio Fibromyalgia Support Group will be a Fibromyalgia Conference scheduled for May 17-20, 2007 to be held in Chicago, Illinois in observance of Chicago Fibromyalgia Awareness Month.

“We are moving full steam ahead on planning”, reports FACES award winning President/Founder Sabrina Johnson, “and are currently recruiting volunteers to assist with planning, fundraising and grant research and writing”.

For more information and to volunteer with the 2007 Midwestern Fibromyalgia Conference, visit http://www. fibrocop. org (http://www. fibrocop. org).

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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Launch of Continuing Professional Development Cognitive Behaviour Therapies & Hypnosis Certificate Courses

Launch of Continuing Professional Development Cognitive Behaviour Therapies & Hypnosis Certificate Courses

The Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Research Ltd has launched a Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapies and Hypnosis. This coincides with the NICE guidelines on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapies in dealing with PTSD and the reference to investment in behavioural therapies in the Labour Party manifesto.

(PRWEB) May 6, 2005

The Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Research Ltd has launched a range of continuing professional development programmes for health and caring professionals with a focus on cognitive behaviour therapies and hypnosis and cognitive hypnotherapy.

The launch of this course coincides with the announcement this year from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) into the effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. It also supports the reference made in the current Labour Party manifesto to invest in behavioural therapies to address mental health disorders.

Professor Stephen Palmer PhD, the Course Director of Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Research Ltd, says; “cognitive behaviour therapy can be a very effective way to help people with a wide range of conditions including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and even those who are suicidal”.

“Hypnosis used as an adjunct to cognitive behaviour therapy can increase the effectiveness of the therapy and the rate of attrition for clients experiencing many of the conditions listed above. We are very excited about the launch of the new Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapies and Hypnosis programme, and hope it will provide health and caring professionals with additional techniques to help their clients”.

For additional information on the Certificate courses in Cognitive Hypnotherapy, or cognitive behaviour therapy, contact Kate Thomas or visit www. studiesandresearch. com.

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Friday, September 23, 2011

PrintingForLess. com Goes Green with 100% Wind Power

PrintingForLess. com Goes Green with 100% Wind Power

America's Print Shop Commits to Wind for All Its Energy Needs

Livingston, MT (PRWEB) January 5, 2009

PrintingForLess. com (PFL), www. printingforless. com, America's environmentally-friendly print shop, announced today that PFL now purchases 100% of its electricity from renewable power sources. This means that every computer, printing press, folding machine, and light PFL uses is powered by a nearby wind farm. PFL is working with its local utility, Park Electric Cooperative, along with Basin Electric Power Cooperative's Prairie Winds-Energy in Motion Green Tag Program, to make this green initiative possible.

"Though wind-powered electricity costs a little more, we believe that as more businesses purchase energy from renewable sources, green power will gain momentum and go mainstream, eventually providing our country with the best of all worlds: energy that is clean, cost-effective and made in America," says Andrew Field, PFL President and CEO.

Why wind power? According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, http://www. nrel. gov/docs/fy05osti/37602.pdf (http://www. nrel. gov/docs/fy05osti/37602.pdf),:
"Wind energy is economically competitive; Wind energy is a valuable crop of the future for farmers and ranchers; Unlike most other electricity generation sources, wind turbines don't consume water; Wind energy is an indigenous, homegrown energy source that contributes to national security; Wind energy is inexhaustible and infinitely renewable; Wind energy is clean energy that produces no emissions; Because wind energy's 'fuel' is free, it reduces the risk associated with volatile fossil fuel prices; Wind energy has overwhelming public support."

"With our wind power, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for responsible forest management, and our other green activities, we are doing our part to help preserve the environment while providing high-quality marketing materials that our customers can be proud of," says Field. For more information on PFL's sustainable practices, visit http://www. printingforless. com/Green-Printing-Practices. html (http://www. printingforless. com/Green-Printing-Practices. html).

"We are pleased to welcome PrintingForLess. com to our Green Power Program," says Toni Cody, Park Electric Member Service/Marketing Director. "By purchasing 100% renewable energy, PFL is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote a cleaner and healthier local community." PFL is Park Electric's largest wind-powered customer.

To offer feedback, get more information on PFL's green initiatives, or boost your business with marketing materials that are easy on the environment, visit www. printingforless. com or call 800-930-6040.

About PrintingForLess. com
PrintingForLess. com is the first commercial online printing company in the United States. Located in southwest Montana, PrintingForLess. com provides unmatched technical and customer support and instant online pricing and ordering for its full color printing services. Go to www. PrintingForLess. com for affordable, full-color printing services including: business cards, magnets, postcards, brochures, newsletters, posters, calendars, presentation folders, greeting cards, letterhead, and more. For additional information, please visit our website or call 800-930-6040.

Media Contact: Melanie Rembrandt, Rembrandt Communications®, LLC, (406) 823-7023

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Allergy Relief, Chiropractic and Biofeedback Provided at New Absolute Health Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona

Allergy Relief, Chiropractic and Biofeedback Provided at New Absolute Health Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale residents who are searching for allergy relief, chiropractic and biofeedback should consider visiting the new Absolute Health office. The new office is located at 13402 N Scottsdale Rd, Building B, Suite 150,Scottsdale, AZ 85245.

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) March 17, 2010

Scottsdale residents who are searching for allergy relief (http://absolutehealthaz. com/allergy-elimination. html), chiropractic (http://absolutehealthaz. com/chiropractic. html) and biofeedback (http://absolutehealthaz. com/biofeedback. html) should consider visiting the new Absolute Health office. The new office is located at 13402 N Scottsdale Rd, Building B, Suite 150, Scottsdale, AZ 85245.

Absolute Health (http://absolutehealthaz. com) is a unique healthcare facility that focuses on natural healing and is dedicated to providing patients with the best healthcare possible. Absolute Health is dedicated to helping alleviate all of a patient's ailments, from chronic allergies to emotional distress.

Absolute Health provides clients with three basic services: allergy relief, biofeedback and chiropractic. They formulate a plan that is specific to each individual's needs and truly care about providing the proper services so that all of their patients achieve the best optimum health possible.

"At Absolute Health we are firm believers in natural healing and try to provide each client with a unique healthcare plan that is specific to their needs," said Dr. Sara Penton, Owner of Absolute Health. "We look at the whole person and truly care about our patients achieving optimum health."

Absolute Health specializes in allergy relief and uses Advanced Allergy Therapeutics (AAT) to not only address allergy symptoms but eliminate the reactions. AAT is a breakthrough technology that treats the problem at its source by retraining the body so that it no longer reacts inappropriately to a harmless substance. Once treated, patients can recommence contact with the substance that had previously caused the allergic reaction or sensitivity. AAT offers an effective alternative in the treatment of allergies and sensitivities.

Biofeedback is also one of the specialties of Absolute Health. Biofeedback has been described as a treatment technique that trains people to improve their health by using signals from their own bodies. Biofeedback has helped stroke victims regain movement in paralyzed muscles and has been proven to alleviate pain and stress. Biofeedback patients benefit by learning to relax and modify their behavior and this relaxation can be a key component of treating many disorders.

Absolute Health also specializes in chiropractic, which is the fastest growing health care profession in the world. Absolute Health is motivated to guide new patients on their journey to optimum health and is a firm believer in natural healing.

For more information about allergy relief, biofeedback and chiropractic care, contact Absolute Health.

About Absolute Health (http://absolutehealthaz. com/directions. html)
Absolute Health's mission is to provide their patients with the best healthcare possible. They are dedicated to helping alleviate all of their patients' ailments, from aching backs to chronic allergies to any emotional distress. They follow their ABC's to health, which includes allergy elimination, biofeedback and chiropractic, and they create a plan to address each individual's needs. Absolute Health looks at the WHOLE person and truly cares about getting their patients to the best optimum health possible. Their goal is to educate as many people as possible to live a happy, health lifestyle. Absolute Health provides Allergy Relief, Biofeedback and Chiropractic care.

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LowCarb Living Magazine Announces Formation of Editorial Advisory Board World-class Authorities Join Editorial Ranks of AmericaÂ’s Leading Low-Carb Lifestyle Magazine

LowCarb Living Magazine Announces Formation of Editorial Advisory Board World-class Authorities Join Editorial Ranks of AmericaÂ’s Leading Low-Carb Lifestyle Magazine

The leading magazine for the low-carb lifestyle, LowCarb Living, has formed an Editorial Advisory Board of prestigious experts providing their knowledge and support to the publication. Contributors to the magazine, they are available for interviews.

(PRWEB) May 22, 2004

The “Who’s Who” of the low-carb industry are providing their knowledge, names and support as members of the Editorial Advisory Board of LowCarb Living, the leading consumer magazine in the low-carb arena.

“We are proud to have six of the most knowledgeable and respected professionals associated with the low-carb industry join our Editorial Advisory Board,” said editor Catherine LaCroix. “Each has contributed to one or more of the first three issues. Their ongoing involvement will help ensure that LowCarb Living continues to provide up-to-date and accurate information on the most important issues facing the 35 million Americans following low-carb regimens.”

The members of LowCarb LivingÂ’s Editorial Advisory Board are:

•Mary Dan Eades, M. D. and Michael Eades, M. D. - Dr. Michael R. Eades and Dr. Mary Dan Eades have been recognized throughout the world for their pioneering efforts in the field of metabolic medicine. During the course of their 15-year-plus joint careers, the Eades have personally treated thousands of overweight and unhealthy patients. The success of their private practice led to their co-authoring the breakthrough bestseller Protein Power in 1995. Since then, the couple has published four other successful books, including The Protein Power Lifeplan and The 30-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution.

•Fred Pescatore, M. D. - A traditionally trained physician practicing nutritional medicine, Dr. Pescatore spent five years as associate medical director of the Atkins Center. His newest book, The Hamptons’ Diet, arrives in bookstores this month. Among his other books are Thin For Good and the number-one best-selling children’s low carb health book, Feed Your Kids Well. Dr. Pescatore is actively involved in clinical research and is the author of numerous papers and magazine articles. He is president of the AHCC Research Association and president-elect of the International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists.

•Jonny Bowden, MA, CNS – A board certified nutrition specialist, Jonny Bowden is a nationally known weight loss coach and expert on low-carb dieting. He is the author of the best-selling Living the Low-Carb Life: Choosing the Diet That’s Right for You from Atkins to Zone (Sterling 2004).

•Linda Gassenheimer - Since writing her bestseller Low-Carb Meals in Minutes in 2000, Linda Gassenheimer has produced two more books: More Low-Carb Meals in Minutes (January, 2003) and Mix N’ Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes (March, 2003). Her cooking credentials include an advanced Cordon Bleu degree; training with a two-star chef in France for three years; cooking training with Simone Beck in the South of France and with Marcella Hazan at her cooking school in Bologna, Italy. She is the producer and host of the weekly segment, “Food News and Views,” on WLRN 91.3 FM National Public Radio for South Florida.

•Robert Capparell M. D. One of the country’s foremost experts in infectious disease, Dr. Capparell is an epidemiologist at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Because his specialty involves diseases with the potential to affect large numbers of people, Dr. Capparell has long been aware of the current American health crisis engendered by alarmingly high rates of obesity in both adults and children. He has taken a special interest in low-carb nutritional solutions to the problem. The brother of Low-Carb Living president/publisher Jim Capparell, Dr. Robert Capparell served as the magazine’s first medical advisor.

Since its launch in January 2004, LowCarb Living has increased its distribution dramatically as a result of unprecedented reader demand. It is currently up 241 per cent, with 290,000 copies of the May/June issue on newsstands May 10 coast-to-coast. Among new advertisers in this issue are KelloggÂ’s, Kraft, Bacardi and Geni-Soy.

LowCarb Living magazine is published in Berkeley, CA, by CappMedia, Inc. For marketing information, contact vice president/associate publisher Susan Ford at 510-528-2234 or visit www. LCLmag. com. 

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Darlene Aiken, President/CEO of Inner Beauty Solutions Releases her First Self-Help Book for Girls

Darlene Aiken, President/CEO of Inner Beauty Solutions Releases her First Self-Help Book for Girls

Ms. Aiken has provided an outlet for girls to receive great self-improvement information. How to be a Young Lady has received rave reviews and it just became available this week.

Central Islip, New York (PRWEB) September 30, 2006

The award winning Inner Beauty Solutions'President/CEO, Darlene Aiken, has released her first self-help book for girls "How to be a Young Lady: Your Total Guide for Being the Best Possible You!".

"With the growing popularity of girls who lack self-esteem, I recognized that I had to create a book that would assist girls for years to come." This comprehensive book is a great tool for girls to use with the building self-love and confidence in themselves from the inside out. I have already received incredible interest from girls, parents, educators, law enforcement, and others who realize that our girls need to be provided with the basics.

Founded in 2001, Inner Beauty Solutions has provided programs and workshops to girls and young ladies all over Suffolk and Nassau Counties as well as NYC, Queens and Brooklyn. Her message is so powerful and "real" that her program ideas have been sought after and facilitated in other states. Ms. Aiken is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition for the work that she has done. In 2004, she received recognition from both, the Suffolk County and Nassau County Executives as well as recognition from the Hon. Dorothy Goosby. This past May she received recognition as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women on Long Island and this past August was honored by Long Island Press Newspaper as one of Long Island's Women of Achievement.

Ms. Aiken's involvement includes membership at Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, the Eastern Shore Chapter of the Links, Inc. where she serves as an Arts Facet Committeeperson and overseas the hospitality department, she is the Chair of the Suffolk County Community College LAC-VTEA Board, She spearheaded the formation of the Central Islip/Islandia and Greater Wyandanch Rotary Clubs and served as the Charter President of the Central Islip/Islandia Rotary Club. She is a Charter Executive Board Member for the Long Island Affiliate of the Girls, Inc. Board, heavily involved with the Urban League of Long Island and its programming, as well as began a partnership with the Suffolk County Health Commissioner's office to educate youth about HIV/AIDS. In 2004, she spearheaded a massive youth voter registration drive at the Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum during a major Hip Hop Concert, and serves as a board member for S. M.I. L.E.(Suffolk Minorities In Law Enforcement), among numerous community service activities within her community and other communities.

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Want To Make Your Workplace Meetings More Enjoyable In 2005? Then Make Them More SLURPY, Says This California Meetings Guru

Want To Make Your Workplace Meetings More Enjoyable In 2005? Then Make Them More SLURPY, Says This California Meetings Guru

Can the dreaded workplace meeting actually be a pleasant experience? Yes, says Interactive Meeting Solutions President Chuck McPherson – if you make it scripted, lusty, unegotistical, results-directed – and include a healthy dose of self-praise!

Santa Rosa, CA (PRWEB) January 7, 2005

In his leisure time, meetings guru Chuck McPherson likes to do flips, slaloms and flying leaps while barefoot waterskiing on one of California's 20 private ski lakes.

But in his role as one of the country's leading interactive meeting and strategy consultants, McPherson wondered whether he could potentially make workplace meetings an equally exhilarating experience.

"The answer I came up with?" says McPherson, who skims along at speeds of over 40 m. p.h. on his Size 12 feet while pursing his unusual hobby. "Yes. Definitely yes. Well, maybe yes, maybe no, depends on the meeting."

In conclusion: It's definitely worth trying. But it won't happen by accident, says McPherson, who believes that half of the meetings that take place in the American workplace each day should probably be canceled as abusive and non-productive.

McPherson is president and CEO of Interactive Meeting Solutions of Santa Rosa, which works with companies such as Merrill Lynch, Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, Medtronic, Sonoma National Bank and La Tortilla Factory to make their workplace strategy and meetings more lively and effective.

"HIGH TECH, HIGH TALK"

Using networked laptops and software originally developed for the military to use in battlefield situations, McPherson turns bad meetings into exciting ones. "It's a high tech, high talk system that requires complete participation," says McPherson.

A laptop is placed in front of each meeting participant sitting at the conference table. At certain times during the meeting, the facilitator will say, "Lids up," meaning it's time to use the computer to type anonymous comments -- flashed up on a big screen in the front of the room for all to see -- about what has transpired so far during the meeting. When the facilitator says, "Lids down," lively discussion takes place. A log of the meeting is provided to participants so that all ideas discussed during the meeting become the firm's intellectual property. For geographically scattered participants, this process can take a similar form via the Internet, reducing costs of travel and time for participants so when they do come together the meeting is meaningful.

"Everyone contributes, nobody can just be an observer under this system," says McPherson. "Whereas in a typical non-interactive meeting, at least two thirds of meeting participants are likely to remain silent, just waiting for time to pass."

WANT TO TURN A DULL MEETING INTO A PLEASURABLE ONE? MAKE IT MORE SLURPY!

For meeting facilitators – both interactive and regular – who want to make their meetings more fun, McPherson recommends they make their meetings more "SLURPY."

"It may sound stupid, but it's what we came up with," says McPherson. "It's an acronym. And in real life, something that is slurpy is something that goes down fast and is delicious -- which would be the definition of a fun and pleasurable meeting."

According to McPherson, a pleasurable and exhilarating meeting should have these attributes:

-SCRIPTED: "If you want to have a meeting be exhilarating, you can't go in there and just wing it," says McPherson. "And having a brief agenda simply does not cut it anymore. You need to game out your meeting in advance, break down what questions need to be asked and answered, and outline in advance what the possible answers might be. In many cases, you should spend as much time scripting the meeting as you spend in the actual meeting."

-LUSTY: "Think of the Visigoths sacking Rome in 410 A. D.," says McPherson. "Management consultants today would say those troops had ‘tremendous buy-in' to the task at hand. They knew what the rewards would be if they succeeded, they knew the rewards were immediate and substantial, and this type of ‘informed buy in' created a high-energy atmosphere for the challenge they faced," says McPherson. "In a modern-day meetings context, a lusty meeting is one in a high-energy meeting in which the goals are communicated in advance of the meeting, everyone knows exactly what's at stake and what the rewards are for having a successful meeting, and the tools are given meeting participants in advance so they can be successful attendees. (Which is to say, it's often best to provide questions to meeting attendees in advance, so that the meeting leader does not have to depend on instant inspirations from above to motivate the tongues and brains of meeting participants.)"

-UN-EGOTISTICAL: "Too often, the meeting leader becomes a mini-Mussolini, monopolizing the conversation in a very self-focused way to meet his or her personal goals or psychological needs," says McPherson. "Meetings are vastly more pleasurable when everyone is working as a team." At one company, this problem was so dramatic that meeting participants bought a knife to pass between themselves as a mock "prize" after each meeting with a particularly egotistical senior VP. "It was awarded to the person who had been knifed in the back most viciously in that week's meeting," says McPherson.. "Obviously, a meeting at this company was far from a pleasurable event."

-RESULTS-DIRECTED: "In order for a workplace meeting to be pleasurable, it must achieve a result. Otherwise, people will feel you have wasted their time and not buy into your future meetings," says McPherson. "Any meeting that achieves a concrete result will afford at least some measure of pleasure to its participants."

-PRAISE YOURSELVES: "It's always pleasurable to have someone say something nice about you," says McPherson. "If a meeting leader wants to have participants go away from a meeting feeling warm and fuzzy, it's a good idea to take time to individually praise as many participants as possible for specific, recent contributions to the company." The importance of praise is commonly overlooked in meeting planning circles, says McPherson, with many meetings instead focusing entirely on perceived failings..

"No one expects a workplace meeting to be a laugh riot," concludes McPherson. "After all, it's work. But it can be fun, it can be challenging – and it can definitely be a pleasurable experience."

MEETING PROBLEMS ARE EPIDEMIC IN U. S., SAYS IMS SURVEY

According to a recent survey of 1216 American workers conducted by Opinion Research Corp. that was commissioned by Interactive Meeting Solutions:

20% of workers say they tend to be "wallflowers" at work-related meetings

55% of workers say that one or more "meeting bullies" tend to dominate the meetings that they attend;

36% of workers say that at many of the meetings they attend, no important decisions are mad;

34% of workers say that many of the meetings they attend for work are "a complete waste of time."

29% of Americans say they usually attend three or more work related meetings each week

36% of workers say that most of the meetings they attend are not "well-run"

38% of workers say that most of the meetings they attend are not "effective in achieving what they set out to accomplish"

59% of workers say that their work-related meetings could benefit from more honesty

30% of workers say that if people said what they really thought at their work-related meetings they would probably get fired

31% say that most of the meetings they attend for work are "pretty boring"

37% of workers say that they have attended at least one work-related meeting where a participant fell asleep. Most likely to fall asleep – meeting-goers in the Midwest, where 42% of meeting goers have seen someone doze off. Least likely to have sleeping meeting participants are companies in the West, where only 34% of workers have attended a meeting where a coworker sawed some wood.

East Coast workers are almost one-third (30%) more likely to be required to attend frequent meetings as part of their jobs, compared to their counterparts on the West Coast. The survey found that 33% of East Coast workers attend three or more work related meetings each week, compared with just 25% of West Coast workers who do so.

But West Coasters say their meetings are slightly more effective: 68% of West Coast workers believe that most of the meetings they attend are "pretty effective in achieving what they set out to do," compared with just 63% of East Coast workers who agree with that statement.

ABOUT INTERACTIVE MEETING SOLUTIONS:

Interactive Meeting Solutions LLC was founded in January 2003 by industry veterans from companies such as Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies and St. Joseph's Health Care. IMS meeting methodologies enable companies to harvest the intellectual property so often lost within companies because of lack of participation and direction during meetings, and to turn the intellectual property into action and create structured breakthrough results in half the time. Using proprietary software originally used by the U. S. military to aid quick decision-making under battlefield conditions, and sophisticated methodologies developed by IMS consultants, the Santa Rosa-based company pairs state of the art technology with professional hands-on meeting design and facilitation expertise. Free advice on that topic can be found at the company's "how-to" web site, www. imstrackmeet. com

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Connecture, Inc. Launches New Technology Package to Increase Health Insurance Carriers’ Success in the Online Individual Market

Connecture, Inc. Launches New Technology Package to Increase Health Insurance Carriers’ Success in the Online Individual Market

The ConsumerEdge package offers a variety of products and services designed to better position health insurance carriers to succeed in a post-health care reform environment.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) December 11, 2009

Connecture, Inc., the leading provider of web-based sales, service, and process automation solutions to the health insurance industry, has launched a new package of products and services designed to bring health insurance carriers and consumers together online.

The a la carte package, called ConsumerEdge, is made up of multiple products and consultative services that address online marketing requirements as health insurance carriers meet the need of the growing individual market segment.

“Technology is imperative as the health insurance market changes,” commented Dan Maynard, President and CEO of Connecture. “The products and services offered in ConsumerEdge not only help carriers succeed in today’s individual market, but they also perfectly position carriers to succeed in a post-reform environment.”

ConsumerEdge products include reporting and analytics tools as well as Plan Advisor, an interactive, dynamic plan selection tool that educates consumers about different health insurance plan options and makes plan suggestions based on the consumers’ needs and preferences. Other products include a mobile broker application, which allows brokers to quote plans from their mobile devices, and electronic signature pad technology, which brings the point of purchase to the consumer and delivers legally binding eSignatures with electronic applications.

“These products, compared with our consultative design and strategy services, will allow carriers to meet consumers on their terms; whether through public and private exchanges, on a carrier’s own website, or through brokers,” said Maynard. “By bringing this technology to health plans, Connecture is enabling our clients to address the need for an eCommerce business model that is still tied into their back-end systems. This creates a fast and smooth process, from that first click to the delivery of the membership card, and beyond.”

About Connecture
Connecture is solely focused on delivering integrated Web-based sales, service and process automation solutions to the health insurance industry. Connecture has automated elements of the insurance sales and service process for over 80 health plans and insurers, and its InsureConnect suite of solutions currently supports the sales and servicing of 11 of the 20 largest health plans and insurers in the country. Its industry-proven solutions encompass the entire spectrum of multi-channel insurance sales and services for small group, large group and individual markets. Connecture offers an end-to-end business process transaction platform consisting of focused modular applications that fully integrate with existing systems. Connecture’s solutions have proven to deliver increased sales, enhanced broker loyalty, improved back-office efficiencies, lower customer acquisition costs, and decrease overall operating expenses. For more information, call Meg Riddle at 262.408.3865 or visit the Connecture Web site at www. connecture. com. Connecture has offices at 101 Marietta Street, Suite 1600, Atlanta, GA, and at One Riverwood Place, N17W24222 Riverwood Drive, Suite 330, Waukesha, WI.

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YouTube Videos Embedded into Thousands of Physician Web Sites Your Doctor Starring on a Screen Near You

YouTube Videos Embedded into Thousands of Physician Web Sites Your Doctor Starring on a Screen Near You

A dynamic new online health service was announced today that allows physicians to embed YouTube-hosted video into their iHealth practice Web sites. Videos are being used by physicians to educate patients, explain treatment plans or procedures and introduce their practices to new patients. The powerful new integrated service connects consumers to their doctors in new and more interactive ways. Over 70,000 U. S. physicians have iHealth practice Web sites.

San Francisco, CA (Vocus) October 10, 2007

A dynamic new online health service was announced today that allows physicians to embed YouTube-hosted video into their iHealth practice Web sites. Videos are being used by physicians to educate patients, explain treatment plans or procedures and introduce their practices to new patients. The powerful new integrated service connects consumers to their doctors in new and more interactive ways. Over 70,000 U. S. physicians have iHealth practice Web sites.

J. Allen Meadows, MD, an Allergist in Montgomery, Alabama, provides the iHealth Video service to his patients through his iHealth web site, http://www. eallergy. yourmd. com (http://www. eallergy. yourmd. com). “While treatments, procedures and medications grow more complex every year, my iHealth Video allows me to provide my patients with explanations in my own words and in my own voice that they can review and replay, and share with other family members or care providers."

Katherine Gregory, MD, a San Francisco physician, now delivers an introduction to her Gynecology practice through her iHealth web site, http://www. sfgyn. medem. com (http://www. sfgyn. medem. com), and plans to add more patient education videos soon. "As a contemporary practice, it is important to meet my patients where they are, and the vast majority of them are online," said Dr. Gregory. "iHealth Video allows me to directly communicate with current and prospective patients, and it gives them a chance to learn about me and what is special about my practice. It’s one more way to have an online presence and is a great complement to our iHealth secure messaging and personal health record service.”

For nearly a decade, national and state medical societies, many of which are founders or partners of the Medem network that hosts the iHealth services, have been supportive of online physician-patient communication services to improve healthcare.

"The importance of supporting patient-physician communication cannot be overstated," said Ron Davis, MD, President of the American Medical Association. "Providing doctors with technology like the video-enabled iHealth Web services can help improve patient care and encourage patients to take a more active role in their health care."

Offering strong support for a video-enabled physician Web sites, a recent Harris Interactive poll found that 80 percent of US adults are now online and nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of adults have used the Internet to research health information, while another Harris poll found that YouTube videos are utilized by 42 percent of Americans.

"By incorporating video into practice Web sites, we have created a dynamic new way for physicians to connect with their patients, strengthen the physician-patient relationship and grow their practices," said Edward Fotsch, M. D., CEO of Medem Inc., which provides the iHealth service. “Given the power of this technology to engage consumers we anticipate seeing video used for a wide range of patient education, disease management and wellness programs delivered to patients by physicians, health plans and other organizations to better connect with patients."

Online video capability is the newest service from iHealth, a suite of integrated, online patient connectivity and PHR services for medical practices, hospitals, employers and health plans. The iHealth Web site services are provided by Medem, the leading online patient-physician secure communication network founded by the AMA and other leading medical societies. The new iHealth Video service is being delivered to participating physician practices at no increase to the current cost of roughly a dollar per day for each doctor.

Additional physician video examples include:
Dr. Lynne Carr Columbus (http://www. gulfcoastpain. yourmd. com/), Florida
Dr. Randy Fink (http://www. drrandyfink. yourmd. com/), Florida
Dr. Grace Keenan (http://www. gracekeenan. yourmd. com/), Virginia
Dr. William Rogers (http://www. wrogersmd. yourmd. com/), Texas

For more information, including additional examples of physician site video integrations, visit http://www. medem. com/ (http://www. medem. com/).

About iHealth and Medem, Inc.
Medem's iHealth service offers physicians and the healthcare industry a suite of integrated Web-based services that are proven to effectively engage patients in better managing their health. iHealth includes the leading online standards-based, secure Personal Health Record (PHR) that is owned and controlled by the patient, can share data with EHR, health plan and other systems and is a secure vehicle for communicating online with healthcare providers. Additional services include the ability to deliver patient-specific education and care management programs, an integrated Health Risk Assessment, and automated FDA warnings specific to the patient's medications. Founded by the American Medical Association and several national medical specialty societies, Medem is supported by a broad constituent of industry partners, 45 leading medical societies, patient advocacy groups and government agencies. To learn more about Medem, visit www. medem. com.

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Oxonica Awarded ICIS Publications Innovation Award for the Innovation with the Best Environmental Benefit

Oxonica Awarded ICIS Publications Innovation Award for the Innovation with the Best Environmental Benefit

Oxonica, a leading UK nanotechnology company has been awarded the ICIS Publications Innovation Award for the Innovation with the Best Environmental Benefit.

(PRWEB) November 1, 2005

Oxonica, a leading UK nanotechnology company (LSE OXN. L), has been awarded the ICIS Publications Innovation Award for the Innovation with the Best Environmental Benefit. The prestigious ICIS Awards are organised by ICIS Publications, part of the ICIS Group, which is the chemical publishing arm of Reed Business International, itself a part of global publishing group Reed-Elsevier. They were sponsored by Dow Corning, which has a strong focus on innovation and R&D as part of its growth strategy.

The awards were run globally this year and involved ICIS's three weekly chemical titles: European Chemical News, Asian Chemical News and Chemical Market Reporter.

Innovation is an essential part of the chemical industry's growth strategy and the interest in these global innovation awards highlights this. The ICIS awards receive entries from around the world, from chemical majors and SMEs, and have been mentioned by previous winnners in their presentations to analysts to reflect their emphasis on R&D.

The company entered its diesel fuel additive Envirox™, a fuel borne nanocatalyst for diesel engines which reduces fuel consumption with savings of 5-10% and reduces particulate emissions by up to 15%.

John Baker, ICIS Innovations said:

“With oil prices sky high and air pollution a continuing worry, a product that not only improves fuel efficiency in diesel engines but also reduces emissions has to be a winner.”

Envirox™ has already been adopted by Stagecoach Group in the UK and in New Zealand, following a successful 12 month commercial evaluation.

The additive is cerium oxide, a well known oxidation catalyst, and one that had been shown to improve diesel combustion. Oxonica brought its nanotechnology expertise to bear to develop a very fine particulate form of the ceramic oxide and then coat this with a specific surfactant to ensure that the additive remains suspended in the diesel fuel during use.

Kevin Matthews, Oxonica’s CEO explains:

“Envirox™ modifies the combustion process of the fuel so that it burns more efficiently and productively, so less fuel is required per kilometre travelled. The additive also improves emission levels by reducing hydrocarbon and particulates in the exhaust. All this is achieved with no engine modifications whatsoever.”

Andrew Elphick, Business Director Oxonica Energy* said:

“If all HGV fleet operators in the UK were to convert to using Envirox™ in their engines, Oxonica estimates a reduction in diesel consumption in excess of 2.6 million barrels per annum. This equates to savings of in excess of 1 million tonnes per annum of carbon dioxide equivalent.”**

Oxonica is also in discussion with major oil companies and international fleet operators to extend and accelerate the adoption of Envirox, Oxonica’s award winning environmental product.

*Oxonica Energy Ltd is a subsidiary of Oxonica plc, responsible for marketing Envirox™ Fuel Bourne Catalyst

**based on 2002 data from UK Government report: ‘Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transport’, assumes 5% fuel saving from Envirox™.

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Oxonica plc - www. oxonica. com

Oxonica is one of the leading European nanomaterials groups with products already launched into international markets. It was spun-out from Oxford University in 1999 and currently employs 37 professional staff.

Oxonica’s mission is to develop innovative commercial solutions for international markets using its expertise in the design and application of nanomaterials.

The company has three operating divisions: Oxonica Energy, Oxonica Healthcare and Oxonica Materials.

Commercialised products are:

Envirox™ Fuel Borne Catalyst – a fuel borne nanocatalyst for diesel engines which reduces fuel consumption with savings of 5-10% and reduces particulate emissions by up to 15%. The product has already been adopted by Stagecoach Group in the UK and in New Zealand and is distributed by DMX Technology Corporation to petroleum companies in the Philippines for use in a premium diesel.

Optisol™ UV Absorber – a photostable UV absorber that provides enhanced and longer lasting protection against UVA in sun-care and anti-ageing products. Optisol™ also reduces the formation of free radicals produced from exposure to the sun and which are implicated in premature skin ageing. Boots Group plc is the first to incorporate Optisol™ in their new Soltan Facial Sun Defense Cream for 2005.

In addition, Oxonica is working to generate a range of future product applications. These include additional fuel saving additives, marker technology for the clinical and life science diagnostics markets, further UV protection applications, including tailoring the Optisol™ product in the cosmetics markets, and new products for plastics and coatings, transparent conducting films and security markers.

Optisol™ and Envirox™ are trademarks of Oxonica.

For further information please contact:

Internal PR Contact

Sonia Bouzid, PR & Marketing Communications Manager

+44 1865 856 728

External PR Contact

Nigel Robson, Vortex PR

+44 1481 233 080

ICIS Awards Contact

John Baker

+44 20 8652 3153

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Lombardi Announces Results of BPM Business in 2007

Lombardi Announces Results of BPM Business in 2007

Leading BPM suite vendor grows customer base, delivers innovative products, continues global expansion.

Austin, TX (PRWEB) January 28, 2008

Lombardi® (www. lombardi. com), a leader in business process management (BPM) software, today released highlights of its business performance for 2007. Fueled by its award-winning BPM product portfolio, the company had year-over-year revenue growth of 60 percent.

During 2007, Lombardi experienced growth in every aspect of its business. Some of the largest companies in the world turned to Lombardi for enterprise BPM, with Lombardi now having three of the Fortune 10 as direct customers. The company saw the breadth of its enterprise-class BPM (http://www. lombardisoftware. com/bpm-resource-center. php) customers expand across a wide variety of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, domestic and international government agencies, automotive, logistics, retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), energy, technology, and hospitality and leisure. 2007 was also a record year for expansion by existing customers, as successful projects led to additional license and services transactions for the company.

"I'm pleased with Lombardi's results in 2007," said Rod Favaron, chief executive officer at Lombardi. "We are executing on our strategy to build a global company that helps customers succeed with their process improvement (http://www. lombardisoftware. com/bpm-technology-solutions. php) initiatives. With a win-rate of nearly 80 percent for competitive deals throughout the year, we are clearly taking share in this market. And our reach continues to grow - we now have customers in more than 70 countries around the world, encompassing hundreds of thousands of users of our software."

Representative customer wins include Allianz Belgium, Banco Popular North America, Barclays Global Investors, Canadian Direct Insurance, Capital One, Chiquita Brands, Euler Hermes, European Metal Recycling, Ford Motor Company, Morley Fund Management, NACCO Materials Handling, National Institute of Health, Naval Sea Logistics Center, StubHub, and Travelocity.

Leading Product Innovation
During 2007, the company shipped two major product innovations. The first, Lombardi Blueprint™ (www. lombardi. com/bpm-blueprint-product. php (http://www. lombardi. com/bpm-blueprint-product. php)), is an 'on-demand' process-documentation tool that is used to collaboratively map an organization's business processes, identify problems, and prioritize improvement opportunities. Delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS), Blueprint is the first BPM Web 2.0 application that allows customers to immediately begin mapping their processes without having to download or install any software. More than 1,850 companies became Blueprint customers in 2007, encompassing thousands of users worldwide.

The company also shipped a major new version of Teamworks®, Lombardi's BPM suite (www. lombardi. com/enterprise-bpm-software. php (http://www. lombardi. com/enterprise-bpm-software. php)).
Teamworks 6 delivers the industry's first built-in Key Performance Indicator and Service Level Agreement instrumentation and monitoring system, allowing business users to take control of the specification and design of these important aspects of managing business processes. Along with upgrading its Teamworks for Microsoft Office product, Lombardi also introduced two new complementary products for the Teamworks family that further extend the reach of process management (http://www. lombardisoftware. com/bpm-software-solutions. php) into the business to promote collaboration - Teamworks for Organization Management™, and Teamworks for SharePoint 2007™. Both of these products are industry firsts, and enable customers to extend the reach of BPM while maintaining control and security over their processes.

Because of its strengths in product innovation, Lombardi received numerous awards and accolades, including Teamworks 6 Enterprise Edition being named the "Best Business Process Management" product and recipient of a 2008 Technology of the Year Award by IDG's InfoWorld. The award may be viewed at http://www. infoworld. com/archives/t. jsp? N=s&V=94327 (http://www. infoworld. com/archives/t. jsp? N=s&V=94327).

"At Lombardi we are relentlessly focused on delivering innovative solutions to today's seemingly intractable business problems," said Phil Gilbert, president of Lombardi. "Our goal is, quite simply, to make the complex easy. We aim to help organizations double the productivity of their people. And we enable this for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to the largest companies in the world."

Clear BPM Market Leadership
In December 2007, Lombardi was positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the "Leaders" quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for Business Process Management Suites, 2007 report. Gartner positions vendors in the magic quadrant based on their completeness of vision and ability to execute. The company was also cited as a BPM suites leader by Forrester Research in its August 2007 published report, "The Forrester Wave™: Human-Centric BPM For Java Platforms, Q3 2007." In that report, Forrester wrote that Lombardi is a "truly visionary human-centric BPMS vendor" and is "a true Leader for its innovation around process design, optimization, and collaboration." Forrester also concluded during their evaluation that "It's impossible to find a single dissatisfied customer." Additionally, in November, IDC published a customer needs and strategies report entitled "Comprehensive Offering and Domain Expertise in BPM Lead Customers to Lombardi" in which Lombardi's comprehensive BPM offering, domain expertise and customer deployment successes were profiled.

More information, as well as complimentary copies of each report may be found at:
Http://www. lombardi. com/gartner-magic-quadrant-07.php (http://www. lombardi. com/gartner-magic-quadrant-07.php), http://www. lombardi. com/forrester-wave-07-sp. php (http://www. lombardi. com/forrester-wave-07-sp. php) and http://idcdocserv. com/209274 (http://idcdocserv. com/209274).
.
Global Expansion
During 2007, Lombardi added customers in over 60 countries. To help meet the rapidly growing demand for its process management platform in Europe, the company added 10 additional partners and resellers, located across seven countries. It also opened two new subsidiaries: Lombardi Software SARL based in Paris, and Lombardi Software GmbH based in Frankfurt. The company pointed to strong sales growth in Europe as a significant revenue contributor in 2007, providing nearly 30 percent of revenues.

A summary of Lombardi's results from 2007 includes the following:
 Year-over-year revenue grew 60 percent during 2007, with dozens of strategic customer wins and existing client deployment expansions, including three companies in the Fortune 10.  Introduced Lombardi Blueprint™, the first on-demand collaborative process planning tool that enables companies to map processes, identify problems and prioritize improvement opportunities.  Shipped Teamworks® 6, the next generation of Lombardi's award-winning BPM Suite, and introduced two new complementary products - Teamworks for Organization Management™, and Teamworks for SharePoint 2007™. It also upgraded Teamworks for Microsoft Office.  Expanded global sales and support ecosystem, opening direct European operations as well as adding 10 additional partners and resellers located across seven countries.  Announced major OEM and go-to-market partnerships with Capco, Enkata Technology and Progress Software.  Continued to drive BPM industry thought-leadership by co-authoring the Object Management Group's (www. omg. org) Business Process Definition Metamodel (BPDM) standard specification to deliver BPM portability and interoperability, as well as OMG's Business Process Maturity Model (BPMM) standard specification.

Lombardi Teamworks (www. lombardi. com/enterprise-bpm-software. php (http://www. lombardi. com/enterprise-bpm-software. php)) is the leading BPM software for designing, executing, and improving business processes. Teamworks for Office™ makes it easy for anyone to participate in business process management using the familiar Microsoft® Office System products. Teamworks for SharePoint extends structured processes into the collaborative world of SharePoint portals, forums and discussion threads. Teamworks for Organization Management provides advanced organization modeling for process relationships. Lombardi Blueprint™ (www. lombardi. com/bpm-blueprint-product. php (http://www. lombardi. com/bpm-blueprint-product. php)) is the only on-demand, collaborative process documenting tool that enables companies to map processes, identify problems and prioritize improvement opportunities.

About Lombardi
Lombardi is a leader in business process management (BPM) software for companies, systems integrators and government agencies. We offer award-winning BPM technology, know-how and services to help our customers succeed with their process improvement initiatives.

Lombardi is behind some of the largest, most successful BPM implementations in the world. Our customers include Allianz Group, Aflac, Banco Espirito Santo, Barclays Global Investors, Dell, El Paso Energy, FETAC, Financial Services Authority, Ford Motor Company, Hasbro, ING Direct, Intel, Maritz Travel, National Bank of Canada, National Institute of Health, Safety-Kleen, T-Mobile, UCLH, Xbridge and numerous governmental agencies. For more information, visit www. lombardi. com.

Lombardi, Teamworks are registered trademarks and Teamworks Process Optimizer, Teamworks Portal, Teamworks for Office, Teamworks for SharePoint, Teamworks for Organization Management and Lombardi Blueprint are trademarks of Lombardi Software, Inc. All other company/product names and service marks may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Weblog Network Weblog Empire Launches Its 6th blog: Donklephant

Weblog Network Weblog Empire Launches Its 6th blog: Donklephant

Growing weblog network Weblog Empire has announced the launch of its 6th blog: Donklephant (www. donklephant. com), a multi-author political blog that seeks to cater to the forgotten generation of Americans who have an interest in politics but donÂ’t agree with either side on everything.

(PRWEB) July 15, 2005

Growing Weblog network Weblog Empire (www. weblogempire. com), run by Blog Herald founder and editor Duncan Riley, has announced the launch of its 6th blog: Donklephant (www. donklephant. com), a multi-author political blog that caters to the forgotten generation of Americans who have an interest in politics but donÂ’t agree with either side on everything and are turned off by the unquestioning partisan nature of many leading blogs today.

The blog is edited by Justin Gardner, previously the author of liberal leaning political newsletter “StayInformed”, who as well as creating the Donklephant concept, has brought together a diverse range of writers to provide a broad cross section of middle of the range political views for the site.

"Donklephant is a place in the blogosphere where people don't need to

Follow the party line” said Gardner. "Healthy debate is fine, but right now the most popular political blogs are becoming places that mimic the back and forth partisan bickering of the main stream media. Somebody needs to bring the conversation back towards the sensible middle and that's what Donklephant intends to do."

Said contributor Cicero, of Windsofchange. net and betweenhopeandfear. blogspot. com, “The last two elections in the United States revealed an electorate that was nearly one half Republican and one half Democrat. It is mystifying as to why a nearly even split between liberals and conservatives is reported as proof of a huge divide in America. What it really proves is that there is a broad middle ground in this country. Some call it purple America. Glance at a colorized electoral map of the United States, and there's some red and some blue. But mostly, it's solid purple”.

Cicero continued, “It is critical that we do not allow terrorism to turn us into radicals. We must be careful to be vigilant for terrorists, but also for excuses to untie from our enlightened moorings. The idea of Donklephant broadening the middle ground is not only great, but it's essential to overcoming fear, terror and injustice. The middle is the hardest place to be, because you have to listen and accommodate. I was asked to be a part of that process. I couldn't say no”

Contributor Callimachus, of vernondent. blogspot. com, added "For a long time I've been looking for a place in blogland where I could post alongside rational, thoughtful people who disagreed with me on the main issues of the day. Not to jettison every principle in the name of 'common ground.' Nor to back each other into increasingly radical, marginal positions. But to test my own arguments and discover insights, and learn what other paths honorable people may have taken through the jungle of current affairs. That's why I'm posting here."

Another contributor Montag shared these thoughts:

“The Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, beautiful landscape, and good-natured, kind-hearted people. See, there's a good solid patch of "common ground" right there. Let's stand on it together and discuss the other stuff civilly; and with a sense of humor!”

Weblog Empire CEO Duncan Riley said that he was excited to break new ground in terms of political blogs becoming part of a consumer blog network.

“I’ve always tended to shy away from political blogging because of the blindness of many in the blogosphere for one side or the other, and it didn’t sit well with me personally” said Riley. “Donklephant better reflects my own views, whilst at the same time not reflecting them at all, because at the end of the day I have my own thoughts on politics, and so do most people. For the average person politics is not black and white, its 200 million shades of grey”.

Riley also said heÂ’d hope that the site would also appeal to advertisers, NGOs and candidates seeking to reach a broader audience than provided by most existing political blogs.

“Donklephant gives advertisers the chance to actually sell to a politically aware and interested audience, as opposed to preaching to the converted as is the case with most political blog advertising,” said Riley.

About Weblog Empire (www. weblogempire. com): The Weblog Empire blog network was launched in June 2005 and includes the leading blog news site The Blog Herald (www. blogherald. com) as well as growing Gadget Blog “The Gadget Blog” (www. thegadgetblog. com).

Contact: Editor Justin Gardner can be contacted on 816.616.7524 or via email available at www. donklephant. com. Duncan Riley can be contacted on 347.427.9299 or cell phone: +61 412844237 or on Skype/ Gizmoproject: duncanriley

Contributors:

Michael Totten: http://www. michaeltotten. com (http://www. michaeltotten. com)
Cicero: http://betweenhopeandfear. blogspot. com (http://betweenhopeandfear. blogspot. com)
Callimachus: http://vernondent. blogspot. com (http://vernondent. blogspot. com)
J. Thomas Duffy: http://puregarlic. blogspot. com (http://puregarlic. blogspot. com)
Montag: http://stumplane. us (http://stumplane. us)

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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

"Connected Workers" Means Sensitive Information Is Traveling Everywhere - Locate It, Track It, Lock It Down; Indorse Technologies Launches New Solution

"Connected Workers" Means Sensitive Information Is Traveling Everywhere - Locate It, Track It, Lock It Down; Indorse Technologies Launches New Solution

InDorse Technologies delivers innovation to classic rights management for electronic and paper documents.

New York, NY (PRWEB) July 2, 2008

InDorse Technologies delivers innovation to classic rights management for electronic and paper documents.

So much information is going to PDAs, cell phones, wirelessly connected remote PCs, thumb drives and dozens more - how can the person signing on the Sarbannes Oxley report be certain they know what is out there and where it is? Or, where it's going? Customer data, patient records, personal information - Find Out Where It Is - Lock It Down - Track Where It Goes.

"Many document security solutions are only partially effective because they rely on getting workers to understand the technical nuances and security processes. InDorse has more intuitively adapted to this reality than many competitive plays," said Scott Crawford of Enterprise Management Associates (EMA).

"Contour Data Solutions hasn't found any product other than InDorse that has given us the ability to enable our customers to track AND protect all of their sensitive documents and work product," said Jeff Hutchings of Contour Data Solutions Group, a leading system integrator.

"While not every piece of information in an organization's IT system would be considered "sensitive" or mission critical, there are classes of work product that would be categorized as "not for everyone" and "protect this with your…job". Volumes of regulatory rules have been published from the medical community to define and defend certain kinds of information from being publicly consumed (HIPAA, JAHCO, ACCA). Sarbannes-Oxley has established rules and tests to ensure that financial information is protected from being intentionally modified and the source go unchecked. Financial Services (PCI), Government (eGov), Legal and HealthCare are InDorse technologies' primary focus." InDorse Technologies CEO, Rob Marano continues to say, "InDorse Technologies recognizes that most organizations don't know what they're storing, where it is and who is accessing it. We show them where to find it, classify what it is, lock down who can access it, modify it, print it and send it. We also provide ongoing protection and audit reporting capability, visibility that most organizations have never had before."

The InDorse Technologies Solution Set delivers three capabilities through web services and in an open environment that works seamlessly with Microsoft, Adobe and other popular document management tools.

Contact: Joe Orlando
Phone: (646) 495-6128
Web Address: www. indorse-tech. com

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