Dr. Michael Keet DPodM Launches Hand Reflexology Textbook

Dr. Michael Keet DPodM Launches Hand Reflexology Textbook

Dr Michael Keet DPodM, Principal Tutor of the Central London College of Reflexology (CLCR) suavely pens an easy-to-use Textbook on 'Hand Reflexology'.

(PRWEB) January 6, 2005

Hand Relexology by Michael Keet (et al) is a Comprehensive, Colourful, Easy-to-Follow Guide on Hand Reflexology with excellent illustrations and keys to different aspects of Therapeutic Reflexology Techniques and Sequences.

Many Common Ailments and Conditions are diligently covered by Michael (et al); with simple professional suggestions on how to gracefully alleviate Non-Acute Symptoms while bringing about a highly sustainable improvement in Health by stimulating the body's own Healing Mechanisms.

There are also fairly detailed sections on History, Anatomy and Physiology; the whole text being exceedingly suitable for most ages and abilities.

Hand Reflexology (ISBN 0 600 60816 6) is published by Hamlyn, a division of Octopus Publishing Group; and is distibuted in the USA by Sterling Publishing Inc.

About Central London College of Reflexology (CLCR):

Central London College of Reflexology (CLCR) is one of the longest established Reflexology Schools in the United Kingdom, with a Solid International Base.

CLCR was established in early 1989 to effectively train and mentor Independent Practitioners of Reflexology to the Highest Professional Standards.

Our Core Curriculum currently meets (and possibly exceeds) the Foundation Requirements set out by the House of Lords Report (2000) on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), and the Reflexology Forum.

This will ensure that all CLCR Graduates will be appropriately qualified to take full advantage of New Career Opportunities which are swiftly becoming available to Reflexologists all over the globe, as the World moves towards a more Integrated Approach to Healthcare Delivery.

We have consistently gained a highly unique reputation for providing one of the World's most Comprehensive, Ethical, Professional, Informative and Cost-Effective Reflexology Courses available.

Our 'Tailored' Government-Approved (ABC) Diploma Courses in Reflexology are held over nine months and on graduation CLCR Practitioners in Reflexology will be eligible to join the Association of Reflexologists (AoR), becoming entitled to use the letters MAR after their names.

Additionally, Central London College of Reflexology is currently the only Accredited Training Institution by the Faculty of Refloxology (FoR); an International Caucus of Seasoned Consultants in Advanced Reflexology.

In most European Countries and International States which reciprocally recognise British Qualifications, most CLCR graduates should not have difficulty integrating seamlessly into their own Local Healthcare Systems.

CLSR Graduates will also (subject to satisfactory conditions) be ethically listed on an International Referral Database, which is continuously updated and made freely available globally to the Medical Profession, Qualified Healthcare Practitioners and other members of the public who may wish to seek the services of Qualified Reflexologists.

CLCR has formidably and flawlessly laid the Selfless Foundations for many other Independent Reflexology Schools to freely model and emulate.

CLCR is fully committed to finding gainful employment for Successful Graduates in various organizations like Health Clubs, Hotels, Holiday Resorts, Health Farms, Spas, Hospitals, Hospices, Clinics, Elderly Care Homes, Day Centres, Private Health Establishments, Beauty Parlours and many other Institutions.

CLCR is conveniently situated in the heart of Covent Garden in LondonÂ’s West End and located close to Charing Cross, Leicester Square and Covent Garden Underground Tube Stations.

Understanding Reflexology:

The healing art of Reflexology has been practiced for many thousands of years.

One of the earliest recordings of this therapy is a painting within the tomb of the physician in ancient Egypt dated 2300BC and illustrated Reflexology treatments being performed on the feet and hands.

When Native Americans practiced a form of Reflexology they believed that energy is exchanged from the earth through the feet and considered how important it is that there are no blockages in the feet to stop this flow of energy.

Contact us at www. reflexologyschool. co. uk for a prospectus.

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Lundberg Family Farms® Announces “Rice To The Occasion” Sweepstakes With Zojirushi® And Eating Well Magazine

Lundberg Family Farms® Announces “Rice To The Occasion” Sweepstakes With Zojirushi® And Eating Well Magazine

Lundberg Family Farms®, the nation’s #1 producer of organic rice and rice products, announces the launch of the “Rice to the Occasion” Sweepstakes in conjunction with Eating Well Magazine.

Richvale, CA (Vocus) December 23, 2010

Lundberg Family Farms®, the nation’s #1 producer of organic rice and rice products, announces the launch of the “Rice to the Occasion” Sweepstakes in conjunction with Eating Well Magazine.

With the purchase of Lundberg Family Farms rice products, consumers can enter to win a Zojirushi® rice cooker, plus a deluxe gift basket full of Lundberg Family Farms rice products. Zojirushi is a leading manufacturer of high-end rice cookers and innovative cooking products.

The “Rice to the Occasion” Sweepstakes starts December 23 and will run through March 1, 2011. To enter the sweepstakes visit http://www. lundberg. com for your chance to win one of three prizes. First prize is a Zojirushi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer ($515 value). The second-prize winner will be awarded a Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer ($300 value), and the third-prize winner will receive a Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy® Rice Cooker & Warmer ($233 value). Each winner will also receive a deluxe gift basket full of Lundberg Family Farms rice products. No purchase is necessary to enter. For official rules and details, visit http://www. eatingwell. com/go/rice.

“We are excited about giving rice consumers the opportunity to cook our high-quality rice in a high-end Zojirushi rice cooker. The goal of this sweepstakes is to help raise the awareness of how easy it can be to add healthy rice to a healthy diet”, says Todd Kluger, Lundberg’s Vice-President of Marketing.

About Lundberg Family Farms
Since 1937, the Lundberg family has been farming rice and using eco-positive farming methods to produce rice products at their farms in the Sacramento Valley. Now led by the third generation, Lundberg Family Farms produces wholesome, healthful rice products while protecting and improving the environment for future generations. For more information and rice recipes visit http://www. lundberg. com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mysty Stewart
(707) 545 3280
Stewart(at)mackenzieagency(dot)com

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New H. Samuel Campaign to Raise Money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer

New H. Samuel Campaign to Raise Money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer

H. Samuel launches new campaign to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Borehamwood, Hertfordshire (PRWEB) September 20, 2008

H. Samuel, the UK's favourite High Street Jeweller, is launching a range of gifts and jewellery during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the UK's leading breast cancer charity.

The selection of hand picked gifts with an element of pink includes watches, collectibles and jewellery (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/jewellery. do (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/jewellery. do)) and each product will carry a 10% donation to Breakthrough. In addition, all proceeds from H. Samuel in-store collection boxes, pink ribbon pins and phone charms will go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, to help the charity continue its vital breast cancer research, campaigning and education work.

Breast cancer is the number one health concern for women in the UK. Over 1000 women die of breast cancer in the UK every month and 1 in 9 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. But the good news is that more women than ever in the UK are surviving breast cancer thanks to better awareness, better screening and better treatments and Breast Cancer Awareness Month represents a key time of year, when the focus on breast cancer is at its highest.

To help Breakthrough achieve its vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer, it needs to raise at least £25million each year to fund its vital research, campaigning and education work, including the work that takes place at its dedicated breast cancer research centre in London and at the three new research units it's opening in Edinburgh, London and Manchester.

Jeff Jones, H Samuel Brand Manager said: "H Samuel jewellery is about real people and their stories and Breakthrough is a natural charity for the brand to support. We hope our eye-catching items will help raise awareness of breast cancer as well as raise vital funds for this worthy cause that affects the lives of so many people in the UK"

The Pink Range at H. Samuel is a diverse collection, including the Swarovski crystal (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/browse/N/66+4294967125/ (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/browse/N/66+4294967125/)) With You Kris Bear, Pink Casio Digital Watch (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/browse/N/65+4294967131/ (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/browse/N/65+4294967131/)), Citizen Stone-Set Bracelet Watch and a 9ct White Gold Cubic Zirconia Ring.

About H. Samuel
H. Samuel has over 350 stores and a trading website at www. hsamuel. co. uk. with a wide range of branded watches (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/watches. do (http://www. hsamuel. co. uk/webstore/watches. do)), jewellery, collectibles and gifts for all occasions, offering something for every taste and style. H. Samuel is part of the Signet Group, the world's largest speciality retail jeweller.

About Breakthrough Breast Cancer:
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK's leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education.

H. Samuel PR Contact:
Tim Lundberg
Signet Trading Ltd.
Imperial Place
3 Maxwell Road
Borehamwood
WD6 1JN
0208 207 8312
Www. hsamuel. co. uk

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Borders Book Signing April 28, 12 Noon 'Forgiveness The Divine Connection' Author Cindy Goldenberg

Borders Book Signing April 28, 12 Noon 'Forgiveness The Divine Connection' Author Cindy Goldenberg

Like The Secret? Exciting new book makes law of attraction easy. Profound angelic encounters, clairvoyant intuition and simple metaphysical principles in a fascinating book that makes forgiveness practical. Cindy Goldenberg signs her book in person at Borders, Mission Viejo, CA 4/28/07.

Laguna Niguel, CA (PRWEB) April 5, 2007

Cindy Goldenberg signs copies of her new book, "Forgiveness-The Divine Connection," at Borders in Mission Viejo 12 Noon April 28 -- address: 25222 El Paseo Mission Viejo, CA 92691 Phone: 949-367-0005.

Just like "The Secret's" Law of Attraction -- "Forgiveness-The Divine Connection" shows how thoughts and intentions constantly magnetize and attract experiences. Attract joy, abundance, serenity and love. Manifest your desires, successes and riches -- create a great life through these amazing forgiveness principles. This new book with remarkable insights.

Meet Cindy Goldenberg, the author, a clairvoyant medium who stumbled into the ethereal world of auras, angels and the afterlife after pioneering her son's recovery from vaccine-induced developmental delays and implementing lessons of forgiveness. An alternative health rights advocate and pioneer, now a spiritual empowerment motivational speaker, Cindy shares her story of despair and triumph, insight and intuition.

Full of significant perception, the book relates fascinating experiences, with clairvoyant explanations of earthbound spirits, ethereal energy, the afterlife, angelic messages and more. Inspirational and divine, the book describes voices from heaven as natural occurrences.

"Through forgiveness, all things are not only possible, but inevitable."
Create a higher awareness and realize your God-given Divine Connection. Learn to let go, and receive your deserved worth and heart's desire. You are hard-wired to be happy, healthy and prosperous now.

Forgiveness-The Divine Connection is available in paperback, eBook and as a special eBook with bonus articles, at www. CindyGoldenberg. com.

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Beware of Credit Tricks and Traps

Beware of Credit Tricks and Traps

A new site for consumers who want to find out more about the financial options open to them in today's crowded market.

(PRWEB) December 1, 2004

Credit cards have become a way of life, but for many consumers they become a serious financial drain, rather than the convenient source of funds they should be. With such a mindboggling array of credit card products and offers on the market, itÂ’s easy to be overwhelmed when trying to choose, particularly when deceptive marketing can sometimes make a product seem a lot more attractive on the surface than careful consideration and reading the fine print would reveal. Visitors to http://www. lbf. org (http://www. lbf. org), a new site set up to provide financial information for consumers, will be able to access consumer information to make the choices less difficult.

The key for consumers is to always consider how a particular credit card will affect their long term financial health, rather than grabbing an offer which will ease financial pressure in the short term. Recently there has been a growing number of short term discount offers by credit card lenders. Consumers are seduced by bargain basement rates for a short period of around six months. This type of deal is particularly tempting for people who have already built up a debt on their credit card, and are looking for an opportunity to ease the repayment strain by transferring the debt to a lower interest card. However, once the honeymoon period is over, a very high rate comes into force, often with high fees on top of it. This type of deal can be very advantageous to anyone who has a credit card debt, but is in a position to pay it off fully over the short term period at the lower interest rate. Anyone considering making the credit switch should be very honest with themselves about the likelihood that they will be able to repay the debt fully over this period, otherwise they risk falling into an even more difficult debt position.

The other potential trap for consumers is to place too much emphasis on the benefits of rewards plans, gifts, perks and other goodies. Consumers are well advised to do the math. If a rewards point system means a customer receives a gift valued at $100 about once a year, but pays high fees and a high interest rate for the privilege, the $100 value will soon be more than eaten up. Frequent flyer miles plans often come with short expiration periods and other conditions attached which effectively render them valueless to some consumers.

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Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre Integrate Their Information Systems Durban Hospital is Orion Health's First Site in South Africa

Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre Integrate Their Information Systems Durban Hospital is Orion Health's First Site in South Africa

Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre (EHHC) in Durban, South Africa, is implementing Rhapsody Integration Engine to build and manage interfaces between their clinical information systems. It is the first major hospital user of Rhapsody Integration Engine in South Africa. The Rhapsody Integration Engine manages and streamlines message exchange between EHHC's hospital applications, databases and external systems for simplified and more economic integration.

London (PRWEB) May 6, 2008

Orion Health Limited (http://www. orionhealth. com), a leading provider of integration and clinical workflow technology to the health sector, announced today that Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre (EHHC) in Durban, South Africa, is implementing Rhapsody Integration Engine to build and manage interfaces between their clinical information systems.

EHHC is a brand new state-of-the-art facility due to open mid 2008. The hospital has 7 operating theatres, 250 beds and an entire floor dedicated to a cardiac centre of excellence. It is the first major hospital user of the Rhapsody Integration Engine in South Africa.

The Rhapsody Integration Engine manages and streamlines message exchange between EHHC's hospital applications, databases and external systems for simplified and more economic integration.

"We chose Rhapsody because it was already proven as an integration tool for GE Healthcare applications, and offered us the flexibility to add new interfaces as we need them," said Adhikar
Nagessur, I. T. Project Manager at EHHC.

The integration programme is a joint project by EHHC, Orion Health and Pretoria-based Waymark InfoTech. The project includes integration between the SAP-based Hospital Information System and clinical systems provided by GE Healthcare, including Critical Care, Anaesthesia, Carddas Cardiology, RIS/PACS for Radiology, as well as CKS Pharmacy, Lancet Laboratory and Digital Operating Rooms by both Storz (Endocrinology) and Smith&Nephew (Orthopaedics).

Most messaging between systems is being accomplished using internationally developed Health Level Seven (HL7) 2.1 and 2.5 protocols.

Waymark Infotech, Orion Health's local partner in South Africa is managing the systems integration component of the project. As this is the first installation of its sort in the country, Waymark in conjunction with Orion Health are involved in the actual implementation. The full integration framework was developed in under two weeks; emphasising the comprehensiveness and ease of use of Rhapsody.

"From the moment the client was shown Rhapsody, they immediately realised the power of a health integration engine. The product literally sold itself," said Ricardo Kettledas, Business Development Manager: Health for Waymark Infotech.

"As South Africa continues to invest in better healthcare provision, information technology will play an increasingly important role for clinicians and patients," said Ed Percy, Chief Technology Officer EMEA for Orion Health. "These I. T. projects will require easy-to-use integration tools such as Rhapsody, and Orion Health is excited to be part of this evolution alongside Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre and Waymark."

About Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre
Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre is a new, 250 bed private hospital with an entire floor dedicated to a cardiac centre of excellence. The hospital will also feature maternity and paediatric wards as well as general wards, 30 consulting rooms for specialists and seven operating theatres. Currently under construction, at the River Horse Valley Business Estate between Durban and Umhlanga, Ethekwini Hospital & Heart Centre is due to open its doors to patients in 2008.

The R340 million project is co-funded by the Industrial Development Corporation and has been built to take advantage of state of the art technology which will allow for a high standard of patient care and increased operational efficiencies.

Everything about the hospital from the ward design to the sophisticated software and medical technology works towards the twin goals of superior health care and maximum efficiency.

About Waymark Infotech (Pty) Ltd
Waymark's approach integrates consulting and design, development and integration as well as implementation and support skills to realise comprehensive results oriented solutions to customer business challenges. We offer tailor-made information technology solutions, from contract staff, through fixed price turnkey solution delivery to managed services and business process outsourcing.

At Waymark we understand that success in a competitive market requires the optimisation of effective and efficient information utilisation.

To this end, our integrated e-business management solutions successfully share unified information across all areas of an enterprise, giving required information in real time and leading to increased productivity. These solutions maximise inter business electronic interchange to enable effective procurement and customer relationship management.

Today, government and business have to comply with legislation, such as the Promotion of Access to Information, Records Management, as well as the FIC and FAIS Acts, aimed at entrenching good governance, service quality and protection of rights. To assist organisations in achieving full compliance, our enterprise content management solutions deliver industry standard security, accessibility and non-reputability systems, allowing our clients to leverage enterprise knowledge assets, grow revenues, enhance customer service and protect business value. Waymark also supplies underlying imaging, secure electronic form, intelligent character recognition, as well as large-scale storage and archival systems. As a certified Oracle Business Partner, the Oracle technology and e-business solutions offering includes integrated enterprise business solutions in customer relationship, health, financial, human resource / payroll, procurement/supply chain management.

Healthcare involves the balancing of a number of critical issues related to costs versus quality of healthcare delivery, the maintenance and monitoring of clinical standards as well as the sharing and management of patient and administrative information across a sprawling network of professionals, institutions and stakeholders. With these challenges in mind, Waymark is offering a health record management solution to keep the relevant information confidential and secure, while expanding user access. More information can be found at htp://www. waymarkit. com.

About Orion Health
Orion Health's easy-to-use solutions and applications improve patient care and clinical decision making by providing integrated health data in a single, unified view. By enhancing existing healthcare information systems, Orion Health's Rhapsody integration engine, Concerto clinical portal, and workflow solutions provide healthcare workers with easy access to patient data and trends, and reduce errors and omissions by streamlining information transfer.

Worldwide, Orion Health is implementing health information communities involving over 35 million patients with tens of thousands of active users. Orion Health's partners include leading health system integrators and IT vendors such as Accenture, IBM, Oracle Corporation and others. Orion Health has more than 1,000 clients around the world, including University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, the Ministry Of Health And Consumer Protection of the Balearic Islands (IB-Salut), the Ministry of Health of Valencia, and the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More information can be found at http://www. orionhealth. com (http://www. orionhealth. com), http://www. orionhealth. com/rhapsody/ (http://www. orionhealth. com/rhapsody/)

Media Contact - EHHC:
Linda Algie
Wordshop
Tel: +27 (0)31 202 9003

Media Contact - Orion Health:
Richard Cotman
Orion Health Limited
Tel +44 7890 637 024

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Virgin HealthMiles Selects IntelliResponse to Deliver 'One Right Answer' for Employee Health Programs

Virgin HealthMiles Selects IntelliResponse to Deliver 'One Right Answer' for Employee Health Programs

IntelliResponse Answer Suite Selected by Virgin HealthMiles for Multi-Channel Self-Service in Employee Health and Productivity Programs

Toronto (PRWEB) February 17, 2010

IntelliResponse Systems Inc. (http://www. intelliresponse. com/), provider of the patented IntelliResponse Answer Suite that delivers “One Right Answer” across a variety of customer interaction channels, announced today that Virgin HealthMiles, Inc. (http://www. virginhealthmiles. com/), a leading provider of employee health and productivity programs that reward individuals for getting healthy, has selected IntelliResponse self-service technology for use across their customer service channels, including corporate web site, phone, email and chat agents. The company is a member of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.

IntelliResponse’s patented question and answer technology delivers “One Right Answer” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across a wide array of assisted and self-service customer interaction channels that include corporate and institutional web sites, mobile devices, customer service desktops and social media platforms.

“IntelliResponse was the clear leader among the technologies we evaluated,” said Tom Abshire, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Member Engagement for Virgin HealthMiles. “Virgin HealthMiles is growing at a rapid pace and we need to ensure we consistently deliver an exceptional customer experience to our members. IntelliResponse’s Answer Suite technology will allow our members to get rapid, accurate answers to their questions as they plan, focus and get involved in the programs.”

Virgin HealthMiles provides employee health programs that pay people to get active. The company’s innovative Pay-for-Prevention™ model creates a culture of prevention that rewards healthy behaviors and aligns an organization’s interests with those of its employees to drive down lifestyle-related healthcare and productivity costs. Engagement levels among Virgin HealthMiles clients average 40 percent, well above the industry average.

In the rapidly evolving market of employee health and productivity, being able to capture customer feedback and ideas is critical to enhancing the products and services to meet emerging needs. “IntelliResponse will also help us capture and analyze voice-of-the-customer data in real time from all our customer service channels,” added Abshire at Virgin HealthMiles.

“We are delighted to welcome Virgin HealthMiles to our growing list of Enterprise clients,” said David Lloyd, President of IntelliResponse. “Their commitment to customer service makes Virgin HealthMiles an ideal organization to benefit from the power of the IntelliResponse Answer Suite technology.”
About IntelliResponse Systems Inc.
IntelliResponse enhances the multi-channel customer service capabilities of hundreds of enterprise businesses and educational institutions. The company’s Answer Suite technology is an industry leading On Demand software platform that allows consumers on web sites and agents at contact centers to ask questions in natural language, and get one right answer - regardless of the hundreds of ways the question may be asked. With more than 200 live customer-facing implementations answering 75 million+ questions annually with One Right Answer, IntelliResponse is the gold standard in first line customer experience management.

Some of the world’s most recognized corporate brands and higher education institutions trust their customer experience management needs to IntelliResponse - including ING Direct, TD Canada Trust, Charter Communications, Computer Associates, Penn State University, The Ohio State University and Harvard University Extension School. For more information, visit www. intelliresponse. com.

About Virgin HealthMiles
Virgin HealthMiles provides employee health programs that pay people to get active. The company's Pay-for-Prevention™ approach, based on physical activity and healthy lifestyle change, attracts an average of 40% of employees who participate, which helps organizations reduce medical costs and improve employee productivity and satisfaction. Over 120 industry leaders representing more than 500,000 employees across the U. S., including American Diabetes Association, Commonwealth of Kentucky, Hospital Corporation of America-Shared Services, Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, and SunGard, have selected Virgin HealthMiles' award-winning program for their employees. For more information, visit www. virginhealthmiles. com.

Contacts:

IntelliResponse Contact:
Mike Hennessy
VP Marketing
416-214-9337 Ext. 224

Virgin HealthMiles Contact: 
Marian Hughes
Tier One Partners
708-246-0083

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Mount Sinai Leads Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology with $16.5 Million Grant

Mount Sinai Leads Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology with $16.5 Million Grant

Mount Sinai School of Medicine received a contract for almost $16.5 million from The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLBI) through the Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN).

New York (Vocus) September 29, 2010

Mount Sinai School of Medicine received a contract for almost $16.5 million from The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLBI) through the Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN). The contract is one of four issued nationally to develop multidisciplinary research Centers with the goal of developing nanotechnology tools for diagnosing and treating heart, lung and blood diseases. As co-principal investigator, Zahi A. Fayad, PhD, Professor of Radiology and Medicine and the Director of the Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine leads a team of world-renowned experts in the fields of cardiology, imaging, and bioengineering. He is joined by the center’s other co-principal investigator Robert S. Langer, ScD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for this highly collaborative program aimed at utilizing nanotechnology to better prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.

As a leading authority in cardiovascular medicine and imaging, Mount Sinai plans to organize a Center that will develop state-of-the-art translational nanoparticle technologies to help treat and prevent atherosclerosis, heart attack, and heart failure. During the term of the five-year contract, the investigators at Mount Sinai and the other participating institutions are pursuing a three-pronged approach to the problem of cardiac disease. Investigators will explore minimally invasive nanotechnology-based advances to regenerate tissue damaged after heart attack. They will develop nanotherapies to repair defective inflammation resulting from atherosclerosis with a focus on “theranostics,” or the use of nanotechnology to allow diagnostic therapy in atherosclerosis.

“There is enormous potential in the use of nanotechnology to treat cardiovascular disease, but it has remained largely unexplored,” said Dr. Fayad. “Through this research, we hope to show that nanotherapies may have unprecedented benefits in preventing the progression of heart disease and improve the safety and efficacy of existing treatments.”

In addition to the pioneering research aims of the PEN Center at Mount Sinai, the Center will institute a unique training program focused on developing translational nanomedical tools for diagnostic imaging and minimally invasive treatment of cardiovascular disease. Furthering Mount Sinai’s ongoing commitment to translational research, the program will stress the importance of bringing the discoveries made as a result of the contract to the patient care setting.

“We are honored to have been selected as one of the primary investigation sites for the PEN program,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. “The goals for this program embody Mount Sinai’s unwavering commitment to translational research, and will open doors for our world-renowned physician-scientists to make significant advances in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.”

In addition to Dr. Fayad, the Mount Sinai project leaders are Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart, the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute and the Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health; Roger Hajjar, MD, Research Director of the Wiener Family Cardiovascular Research Laboratories and the Arthur & Janet Ross Professor of Cardiology, Medicine, and Gene and Cell Medicine; and Martin Schwartz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology and Medicine. Other Mount Sinai investigators participating in the program are Willem Mulder, PhD, David Cormode, PhD, Kevin Costa, PhD, and Hina Chaudhry, MD. The other institutions involved in this grant are New York University, Columbia University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Cardiovascular disease impacts millions of people, and costs billions of dollars each year in the United States alone,” said Dr. Fuster. “Mount Sinai Heart has made important discoveries over the years to help reduce this impact, but much more can be done. This program will allow us to pave the way for new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches using nanotechnology to help end the burden of cardiovascular disease.”

“We are thrilled about this wonderful and important opportunity and the potential that it brings to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, and commend the NHLBI for supporting this translational program,” said Dr. Fayad.

About The Mount Sinai Medical Center

The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Established in 1968, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is one of few medical schools embedded in a hospital in the United States. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 15 institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institute of Health funding and by U. S. News & World Report. The school received the 2009 Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Service from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary - and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2009, U. S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital among the nation’s top 20 hospitals based on reputation, patient safety, and other patient-care factors. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 530,000 outpatient visits took place.

For more information, visit http://www. mountsinai. org. Follow us on Twitter @mountsinainyc.

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The 525 Club – For Those Wall Street Executives Who Must Make The Impossible Happen

The 525 Club – For Those Wall Street Executives Who Must Make The Impossible Happen

Former New England Patriots, Super Bowl XX Team Captain, Brian Holloway, to head up The 525 Club, an exclusive 200 acre training camp for wealthy Wall Street power players who want to get the winning edge.

Stephentown, NY (PRWEB) January 31, 2008

Former New England Patriots, Super Bowl XX Team Captain, Brian Holloway, to head up The 525 Club, www. The525Club. com], an exclusive 200 acre training camp for wealthy Wall Street power players who want to get the winning edge.

When asked about the new appointment, Holloway was direct, “We are in the middle of one of the great shifts in market history, this is going to test us all. Everyone is under extreme pressure to perform. The new solutions will require new thinking, new alliances and well thought out strategies. The 525 Club offers members the opportunity to get away for a weekend, to unwind, refocus with a trusted committed group of teammates."

"As the Coach, my job is to meld these power players into a master mind alliance, just like a championship team. When this much talent is in the room, you have a knowledge-rich, experience-rich and success-rich super culture where quantum creation begin. Energy fills the room, ideas soar. Paradigms shift."

President George Bush describes, “Brian Holloway is a man of character.” Secretary of State Colin Powell adds, “Brian was raised as a leader among his peers.”

Holloway remarks, “The 525 Club is not for everybody, it’s hard, the cost is significant.”

The members are required to become part of this exclusive community by purchasing one of the 24 estate lots. This insures that everyone has skin in the game. In addition they will be asked to help their teammates win for life. That’s playing all out. That’s called connectivity.

The 525 Club Faculty and Dream Team will keep them fit with monthly meetings led by experts in wealth protection, marketing, branding, customer service and competitive excellence. In addition The 525 Club will focus on the whole self and will bring in top authorities on health, fitness, nutrition and relationships. The 525 Club is located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountain, in Stephentown, NY, conveniently located 2 ½ hours from New York City and Boston. The Berkshires has long been the favorite retreat playground of the aristocrats. Canyon Ranch, Williams College, and Tanglewood are also located in the Berkshires. Jiminy Peak Ski Resorts is located 5 miles from The 525 Club estates.

Holloway is not a new comer to success or Wall Street; he was an All-American at Stanford University before being selected as the New England Patriots 1st round draft pick in 1981. As a 5 time NFL All-Pro, he help lead the Patriots to their very first Super Bowl appearance in 1985. Following his NFL career, Holloway spent the last 15 years inside 258 Fortune 500 companies as an executive consultant and team building expert. www. brianholloway. com

When describing these prominent Wall Street executives, Holloway confirms, “These high performers are unique. They are wired differently. They don’t observe, observing is for bird watchers. They take action. They make decisions. They win the game. When they walk in a room the room changes. My job is to stir them up, provoke, inspire and awaken the untapped potential that lies within them – then rush them back on the field with business solutions and life solutions ready to play the biggest game of all.” For some it’s a wakeup call. One Wall Street VP verifies, “…So much for the dumb jock theory, Brian has extensive and comprehensive business experience and knowledge, the value was immeasurable, his impact will be felt for decades.”

For more information: info@the525club. com

Press calls (518) 330-7366

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Distinc Design hired by the Los Angeles Conservancy

Distinc Design hired by the Los Angeles Conservancy

Distinc Design, an award-winning design studio in Hollywood, was commissioned by the Los Angeles Conservancy to design the identity for their annual Preservation Awards. Distinc will also develop and design future collateral materials for the LA Conservancy.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 7, 2004 -

– The Los Angeles Conservancy, the largest membership-based local historic preservation organization in the country, is dedicated to the recognition, preservation, and revitalization of the architectural and cultural heritage of greater Los Angeles.

Distinc DesignÂ’s clients are a diverse mix of corporate accounts, emerging companies and local non-profit organizations including The Aveda Corporation, The American Cinematheque, The Autry National Center Heritage, Balcony Press, The California League of Conservation Voters, Chronicle Books, Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Centers, The Fine Arts Dealers Association (partial client list).

Distinc is a design studio dedicated to bringing enhanced visual solutions into a wide variety of projects. Distinc translates ideas into graphic language with a conceptual ap-proach and a thoughtful aesthetic. DistincÂ’s philosophy is simple and honest: designing graphic solutions by asking questions, letting only the answers shape the work.

Roche Announces Shipments of New Supplies of Children's Tamiflu® in the U. S

Roche Announces Shipments of New Supplies of Children's Tamiflu® in the U. S.

Tamiflu Oral Suspension (Liquid) & Low Dose Capsules Begin Arriving at Pharmacies

San Francisco (PRWEB) December 7, 2009

Roche (http://www. rocheusa. com/portal/usa) (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that it has begun shipping additional quantities of Tamiflu® (http://www. tamiflu. com/) (oseltamivir phosphate) oral suspension (liquid). The added supplies of Tamiflu will begin arriving in pharmacies nationwide and will continue to roll out to wholesale and retail pharmacies during the next several weeks. These shipments add to the millions of treatment courses of the adult-sized capsules already available nationwide and significant quantities of smaller, lower dose capsules shipped in November. Together, the formulations provide various dispensing options for treating children with influenza.

Tamiflu is available in 75 mg capsules for adults, 30 mg and 45 mg capsules for children or oral suspension (liquid) for children or people who have difficulty swallowing capsules. Roche continues to make all forms of Tamiflu, and increasing quantities of Tamiflu oral suspension will become available over the next several weeks through the beginning of next year. The small, low-dose capsules may be easier for children to swallow (http://www. cdc. gov/H1N1flu/antivirals/mixing_tamiflu_qa. htm) or may be opened and mixed with sweetened liquids (http://www. cdc. gov/CDCTV/MixingTamiflu/index. html), such as regular or sugar-free chocolate syrup, by parents or caregivers. Also, pharmacies can convert the adult (75 mg) size capsules into a liquid for children if neither the liquid nor small capsule forms of Tamiflu are in stock.

"As influenza continues to be widespread throughout the U. S. and the winter flu season nears, we remain committed to making sure there is enough Tamiflu to meet the needs of both adults and children," said Alexander Hardy, vice president, Anti-Infectives, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. "We are hopeful that news of these shipments will provide added reassurance to parents that there are Tamiflu options available for their children when they need it."

Tamiflu attacks the flu virus (http://www. cdc. gov/flu/) at its source, preventing it from replicating in the body. Recommendations from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on use of antivirals, such as Tamiflu, in management of seasonal and pandemic H1N1 influenza are available at http://www. cdc. gov/H1N1flu/recommendations. htm (http://www. cdc. gov/H1N1flu/recommendations. htm).

Tamiflu Manufacturing Capacity

Roche has invested significantly to increase its global manufacturing capacity to meet Tamiflu demand during pandemic preparedness and response. The expanded global manufacturing network, which includes 19 partners in 10 countries on three continents, has enabled Roche to boost Tamiflu production 15-fold since 2004. As a result, Roche has the ability to produce 400 million treatment courses annually, roughly 33 million courses per month if required. At the request of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (http://www. hhs. gov/) (HHS), Roche established the capacity to produce 80 million treatment courses from start to finish in the U. S. each year. Roche continues to work with the U. S. government to provide for the Strategic National Stockpile of antivirals for pandemic preparedness and response.

Worldwide Tamiflu Access

To facilitate availability of Tamiflu on every major continent, Roche has granted four sub-licenses to generic manufacturers for production in China, India and Africa. Roche has donated a total of 10.75 million Tamiflu treatment courses to the World Health Organization (http://www. who. int/en/) (WHO) and offered substantially discounted pandemic pricing to all governments.

About Tamiflu

Tamiflu, co-developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc (http://www. gilead. com/)., based in Foster City, CA, is indicated for the treatment of uncomplicated influenza caused by viruses types A and B in patients one year and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than two days. Tamiflu is also indicated for the prevention of influenza in patients one year and older. Tamiflu is not a substitute for annual early vaccination as recommended by the CDC (http://www. cdc. gov/flu/protect/preventing. htm). Prescribers should consider available information on influenza drug susceptibility patterns and treatment effects when deciding whether to use Tamiflu.

Tamiflu Safety Information

There is no evidence for efficacy against any illness caused by agents other than influenza types A and B.

Treatment efficacy in subjects with chronic cardiac and/or respiratory disease has not been established. No difference in the incidence of complications was observed between the treatment and placebo groups in this population.

No information is available regarding treatment of influenza in patients at imminent risk of requiring hospitalization.
Efficacy of Tamiflu has not been established in immunocompromised patients.

Safety and efficacy of repeated treatment or prophylaxis courses have not been studied.

Influenza can be associated with a variety of neurologic and behavioral symptoms, which can include events such as hallucinations, delirium and abnormal behavior, in some cases resulting in fatal outcomes. These events may occur in the setting of encephalitis or encephalopathy but can occur without obvious severe disease. There have been postmarketing reports (mostly from Japan) of delirium and abnormal behavior leading to injury, and in some cases resulting in fatal outcomes, in patients with influenza who were receiving Tamiflu. Because these events were reported voluntarily during clinical practice, estimates of frequency cannot be made, but they appear to be uncommon based on Tamiflu usage data. These events were reported primarily among pediatric patients and often had an abrupt onset and rapid resolution. The contribution of Tamiflu to these events has not been established. Patients with influenza should be closely monitored for signs of abnormal behavior. If neuropsychiatric symptoms occur, the risks and benefits of continuing treatment should be evaluated for each patient.

In postmarketing experience, rare cases of anaphylaxis and serious skin reactions, including toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and erythema multiforme, have been reported with Tamiflu.
The most common adverse events reported in >1% of patients treated with Tamiflu and more commonly than in patients treated with placebo are:
Treatment of adult and pediatric patients: nausea, vomiting Prophylaxis of adult and pediatric patients: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain Vaccination is considered the first line of defense against influenza.
Tamiflu is available for the treatment of influenza in more than 80 countries worldwide. Prescribing information for Tamiflu is available at www. gene. com.

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel (http://www. roche. com/), Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche's personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2008, Roche had over 80,000 employees worldwide and invested almost nine billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 45.6 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: www. roche. com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

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More free personalized fitness advice from MikesFitness. com!

More free personalized fitness advice from MikesFitness. com!

More free personalized fitness advice from MikesFitness. com!

(PRWEB) September 6, 2005

QUESTION: Dear Mike, I want to know the best way to get rid of muscle on my arms and legs. I look like a have a mans body. Can you tell me also what to eat that would also help. I heard turkey helps. Please help

ANSWER: Since you're a woman it's very very unlikely that what you have is excessive amount of muscle. Instead you almost certainly have significant amounts of fat on upper legs and arms covering the muscle. You can test for your self -- flex the muscle and see how much soft tissue that you can pinch is on top of it. All that's soft and pinchable is fat, not muscle.

So your objective should be to lose all that fat. Your two biggest allies in losing that fat are a good diet and the muscles themselves!

A good diet means more than just eating one healthy food. Even if turkey was the greatest fat-burner known to man, by itself it would do nothing if the rest of your diet was junk. So you need to start thinking in terms of your whole diet, not any one food. Check out the 'How to Lose Fat' section of my Fitness Tips or, for a complete daily diet suggestion, fill out the Fitness Guide specifying 'Lose Fat' as your goal.

Besides having a good diet, the best thing you can do to help your body lose fat is engage in heavy whole-body weight training. Don't get scared that it'll make your muscles even bigger! As I said your problem is not in your muscles, but in the fat around them. And heavy weight training by itself will not make your muscles bigger AS LONG AS YOU'RE LOSING WEIGHT! That good diet I described before should ensure that you're losing weight, around 1-2 pounds/week. Do that along with weight training and you'll see the extra fat disappear and instead of having a big man's body you'll have a very feminine body with slight muscle tone. It's not going to happen overnight, of course, but in a few months the progress will be obvious and in a year or perhaps two you will have achieved the kind of physique you truly want.

So once again, change your whole diet, not just one food, and strongly consider starting weight training. The Fitness Guide will suggest a gym-based weight-training program and you can choose from it or from two programs you can do at home with minimal equipment that you can find on www. mikesfitness. com. Those home programs won't give you quite the results of a gym program, but they're certainly much better than not exercising at all. Good luck!

See more at www. mikesfitness. com.

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Trada Secures Funding From Google Ventures To Expand Its Paid Search Marketplace

Trada Secures Funding From Google Ventures To Expand Its Paid Search Marketplace

Trada announced today it has closed a $5.75 million Series C financing, led by Google Ventures, with participation from founding investor Foundry Group. The funding will be used to accelerate the expansion of Trada’s marketplace to serve international markets, grow its agency model and diversify beyond paid search into other types of online advertising, such as display.

Boulder, Colo. (PRWEB) July 21, 2010

Trada (http://trada. com) announced today it has closed a $5.75 million Series C financing, led by Google Ventures, with participation from founding investor Foundry Group. The funding will be used to accelerate the expansion of Trada’s marketplace to serve international markets, grow its agency model and diversify beyond paid search into other types of online advertising, such as display.

Built for businesses and agencies spending between $5,000 and $50,000 per month in paid search, Trada is the first and only crowdsourced paid search marketplace, allowing businesses and advertising agencies to run search marketing campaigns on Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

By leveraging the skills of hundreds of the world’s best paid search experts (http://www. trada. com/ppc_experts. html), Trada enables time-strapped business owners and marketers to eliminate the hassle and cost of managing a paid search campaign in-house. In turn, Trada’s paid search experts work collaboratively and competitively on behalf of the business owners. Compensation is earned on a performance basis by generating profitable clicks and conversions for less than the businesses’ stated budgets.

“I’m thrilled that Google Ventures sees the value of Trada’s marketplace as a model to allow businesses and agencies to successfully run paid search campaigns,” said Niel Robertson, founder and CEO of Trada. “When we made the decision to raise additional capital to expand Trada’s marketplace, build functionality to support the display network and grow internationally, we couldn’t think of a better partner to help us than the Google Ventures team.”

“Businesses today face numerous challenges when attempting to build and manage effective, cross-platform online ad campaigns,” said Rich Miner, Partner, Google Ventures. "Trada's unique model brings search marketing expertise to a wide range of businesses that lack the resources and expertise to effectively run large-scale campaigns themselves. The company's results to date have been impressive, and we are excited to work closely with such a talented team."

“I’m incredibly impressed with Trada’s success thus far,” said Seth Levine, Managing Director of Foundry Group. “When we made the decision to seek additional funding to support Trada’s rapid growth, Google Ventures was an obvious first choice for an investment partner. Their experience in search marketing is second to none.”

Miner will join Trada’s Board of Directors, which includes Robertson and Levine.

“The Trada model scales into new ad networks and other forms of online advertising very well,” said Robertson. “One of the biggest challenges for businesses and agencies is trying out new types of advertising such as Facebook, display or mobile without having to build in-house expertise to run the campaigns. The Trada platform allows them do so with the click of a button. The experts working in the Trada marketplace do the hard work of optimizing campaigns to be profitable for businesses.”

Trada’s innovative approach to paid search is successful due to the expertise of its more than 500 certified paid search experts, who bring a wide breadth of sophisticated marketing strategies and scale to campaigns in the Trada marketplace. An average campaign running in Trada contains more than 6,500 keywords and 110 ads, achieving a level of success that’s beyond the reach of many businesses.

Since publicly launching in March, Trada has increased the number of businesses running campaigns in its marketplace nearly 300 percent, to more than 200. The number of paid search experts in the marketplace has doubled to more than 500.

About Trada
Based in Boulder, Colo., Trada is revolutionizing the way agencies, businesses and paid search experts build and manage search marketing campaigns. Trada has developed the first paid search marketplace that allows agencies and in - house advertisers to leverage the skills of hundreds of the best paid search experts in the world, who in turn earn money risk free by generating low-cost clicks and conversions for businesses. For more information, visit www. trada. com.

About Google Ventures
Google Ventures seeks to discover and help develop great companies – we believe in the power of entrepreneurs to do amazing things. Our investments range from seed to late stage, across a broad range of industries, including consumer Internet, software, hardware, clean tech, biotechnology and health care. We embrace the challenge of helping young companies grow from the proverbial garage to global relevance. The Google Ventures team includes entrepreneurs, investors and innovators, along with some 20,000+ exceptional Googlers whose breadth of knowledge, experience and creativity constitute perhaps our most valuable resource. For more information, visit www. google. com/ventures (http://www. google. com/ventures/).

About Foundry Group
Foundry Group is a venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage information technology, Internet and software startups. In addition to providing the necessary venture capital to get a company up and running, Foundry Group is committed to leveraging their experience in starting and growing companies, expertise in the technology industry, and network of relationships to help great entrepreneurs turn great ideas into great companies. Foundry Group is based in Boulder, Colorado, and invests in companies located across the United States. For more information, visit www. foundrygroup. com (http://www. foundrygroup. com/).

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Scala Showcases New Scala Release 5.1 Digital Signage Software Supporting Windows® 7 at Integrated Systems Europe 2010

Scala Showcases New Scala Release 5.1 Digital Signage Software Supporting Windows® 7 at Integrated Systems Europe 2010

Scala Designer, Content Manager, Player, Broadcast Server, Bridge Server and Ad Manager are now compatible with Windows 7.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (PRWEB) January 25, 2010

Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end software solutions for digital signage (http://www. scala. com) and advertising management, will exhibit its new Scala Release 5.1 software that supports Windows 7 at the Integrated Systems Europe (http://www. iseurope. org/kcms/home. php)2010 show, February 2-4 at the RAI International Exhibition and Congress Center in Amsterdam (Booth 12D89).

Building on Scala Release 5, which supports the new range of low-cost media appliances, Scala Release 5.1 expands the capability to take advantage of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows® 7. Scala Designer, Content Manager, Player, Broadcast Server, Bridge Server and Ad Manager are now compatible with Windows 7.

Scala Release 5.1 includes close to 100 new transition effects and a new user interface for choosing them. It also provides a list of the most recently selected transitions. The new “Transition Visualizer” shows the user a real-time preview of the effects as they are selected. With so many high-quality, built-in 3-D effects, choosing the right transition is simple.

A new scheme for “player pairing” has been implemented in the new release Bridge Server for IAdea Media Appliances. A simple four-digit code is all that is needed to connect a low-cost media appliance to a Scala network. This is supported on IAdea High Definition Players, IAdea Standard Definition Players and IAdea Wireless Photo Frames.

Scala also has improved its built-in template support to allow users to select an audio file in a templated message. Release 5.1 also features improved web services for real-time data integration of playlogs with third-party systems and JPEG thumbnails of any media item or message in any resolution. Player Disk Space Management has also been added to support the new class of low-cost solid-state players such as those built into many of the newest Samsung LCD monitors. Release 5.1 is expected to ship before the end of Q1.

Several of Scala’s technology partners will be on hand to showcase hardware solutions that are compatible with Scala, including:
 IAdea Corp.: Maker of low-cost media appliances and photo frames that connect to Scala.  MediaVue Systems: Offers a compact fanless digital signage Player optimized for Scala  Blue Chip Technology: Creators of Vario L3 slim-line PC based Players  iBase: Manufacturer of small form factor PC Players

The following companies are also providing technology used in Scala’s booth at ISE 2010:

 Advantech: European distributor of IAdea based players and PC based players  AOpen: Providing PCs that are used in the Scala booth at ISE  Kalkmann Audio: Developer of speakers designed for digital signage networks  Tovis: Maker of high-tech LCD monitors for digital signage applications  Utouch: Developer of touch-sensitive display screens and overlays

Additionally, Scala will provide visitors presentations about its digital signage applications in retail, banking, health care and education markets throughout the show.

About Scala:
Driving more than 300,000 screens worldwide, Scala is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. Scala is the world’s first connected signage company, offering the leading platform for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks and the first unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. The company's digital signage customers include Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, Warner Brothers, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, Repsol, NorgesGruppen, Audi, ECE Flatmedia, Kaufhof (Metro Group) and thousands more. Advertising management customers include CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor and Magic Media, among others. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, USA, and has subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway, Germany and Japan, as well as more than 450 partners in more than 60 countries. More information is available at www. scala. com.

©2010 Scala, Inc. 350 Eagleview Blvd. Exton, PA 19341. Scala and the Exclamation Point Logo are registered trademarks of Scala.

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'Fashion & Politics' on View at The Museum at FIT in New York July 7 - November 7, 2009

'Fashion & Politics' on View at The Museum at FIT in New York July 7 - November 7, 2009

The Museum at FIT presents Fashion & Politics, a new exhibition in its Fashion and Textile History Gallery. Fashion & Politics is an exploration of more than 200 years of politics as expressed through fashion.

Ferndale, WA (Vocus) June 5, 2009

The Museum at FIT (http://www. fitnyc. edu/museum) presents Fashion & Politics, a new exhibition in its Fashion and Textile History Gallery. Fashion & Politics is an exploration of more than 200 years of politics as expressed through fashion. In this setting, the term "politics" not only refers to the maneuverings of government, but also encompasses cultural change, sexual codes, and social progress. Fashion & Politics displays how, throughout history, fashion has been a medium for conveying political ideologies and related social values by addressing such important themes as nationalism, feminism, and ethnic identity, as well as significant events and subcultural movements. Featuring more than 100 costumes, textiles, and accessories displayed in chronological order, Fashion & Politics reveals the rich history of politics in fashion.

The exhibition's introductory gallery explores the theme of American nationalism. Featured are a woman's costume, circa 1889, printed with an American flag motif, as well as Catherine Malandrino's iconic Flag Dress, worn by numerous celebrities and socialites to express patriotism after 9/11, and again in response to the historic 2008 presidential campaign. Also featured is an ''IKE'' dress from the 1956 Eisenhower campaign, a ''NIXON'' paper dress, and memorabilia from the 2008 presidential campaigns.

Following the introduction, the exhibition presents an overview of fashion and related textiles and accessories that illustrates the interrelationship of fashion and politics from the nineteenth century to the present day. This begins with a look at the role of fashion in nineteenth century cultural and class politics. For example, a neoclassically inspired gown, circa 1805, conveys democratic ideals through the medium of fashion. Also on view are examples of late nineteenth century women's sportswear, including a tailored bicycling ensemble and gym suit, which were inspired by earlier styles of reform dress such as the divided skirt and the bloomer.

Late nineteenth and early twentieth century ''Aesthetic'' dress--a form of early countercultural style--rejected the rigid silhouette of Victorian fashions in favor of looser-fitting garments. Examples of this are shown in designs by Liberty of London and Mariano Fortuny that emphasize health, comfort, and a graceful appearance.

Also featured is a series of textiles that chronicle the social and political developments of the first half of the twentieth century. These include a Communist propaganda textile from 1920s Russia, an anti-Prohibition scarf repeating the words ''Repeal the 18th Amendment,'' and a depression-era textile entitled Harvest (from one of FDR's New Deal programs).

The chronology continues with visual representations of patriotism during World War II, which are represented by objects that range from a pair of red, white, and blue leather heels adorned with metal stars to a triumphant ''Victory" scarf. A denim "Rosie the Riveter" factory jumpsuit is on view as an example of the functional work wear women adopted while contributing to the war effort. In contrast, women who enlisted in the
W. A.V. E.S. division of the U. S. Navy were outfitted in uniforms by American couturier Mainbocher, a designer of the highest caliber.

The post-World War II baby-boom generation came of age in the 1960s--a decade of youth, technology, space exploration, and burgeoning sexual revolution. Capturing the mood of the era were designers such as Pierre Cardin, Andre Courrèges, and Rudi Gernreich, all of whom have garments on display. Gernreich once stated that his designs were both fashion and social commentary--none more so than his famous topless bathing suit, the "Monokini," which is featured in the exhibition.

As it moves into the second half of the twentieth century, the exhibition shows that the use of political and social imagery was becoming increasingly explicit in fashion. On display are examples from Vivienne Tam's controversial 1995 "Mao" Collection, which used a highly charged propagandist image--the face of Communist leader Mao Zedong--to comment on Chinese political history. Set against a camouflage background, Stephen Sprouse's subversive homage to the Declaration of Independence alludes to the complex relationship between government and the military.

Present-day fashions reflect a renewed interest in politics, sparked in large part by the election of Barack Obama, the United States' first African-American president. Just as Obama's campaign centered on such socially charged words as "progress" and "change," many contemporary designers are currently using fashion as a medium for raising political and social awareness and promoting environmentalism. The Danish fashion brand NOIR works with sustainable materials and fair-trade practices to blend luxury and sophistication with social responsibility. On another note, dresses from Alexandre Herchcovitch's spring 2009 collection entitled "Army of Love" were inspired by "politically troubled, foreign-ruled, war-torn countries." These examples are among the many ways that fashion continues to powerfully articulate our concerns about social issues such as war, global warming, and economic uncertainty.

Fashion and Politics is organized by Melissa Marra and Jennifer Farley, along with Colleen Hill, Harumi Hotta, and Lynn Weidner. The exhibition will be on view from July 7, 2009 through November 7, 2009 in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery at The Museum at FIT.

The Fashion and Textile History Gallery presents biannual exhibitions examining aspects of the past 250 years of fashion. Exhibitions are curated exclusively from The Museum at FIT's extensive collection. Support for this exhibition has been provided by the Couture Council.

A FASHION MUSEUM

The Museum at FIT is the only museum in New York City dedicated solely to the art of fashion. Best known for its innovative and award-winning exhibitions, which have been described by Roberta Smith in The New York Times as "ravishing," the museum has a collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the eighteenth century to the present. Like other fashion museums, such as the Musée de la Mode, the Mode Museum and the Museo de la Moda, The Museum at FIT collects, conserves, documents, exhibits, and interprets fashion. The museum's mission is to advance knowledge of fashion through exhibitions, publications, and public programs. Visit www. fitnyc. edu/museum (http://www. fitnyc. edu/museum).

The museum is part of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a college of art and design, business and technology educating more than 10,000 students annually. FIT, a college of the State University of New York (SUNY), offers 44 majors leading to the AAS, BFA, BS, MA, and MPS degrees. Visit www. fitnyc. edu.

The Couture Council is a membership group of fashion enthusiasts that helps support the exhibitions and programs of The Museum at FIT. The Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion is given to a selected designer at a benefit luncheon every September. For information on the Couture Council, call 212 217.4532 or e-mail couturecouncil (at) fitnyc (dot) edu.

MUSEUM HOURS

Tuesday-Friday-noon-8:00 pm
Saturday-10:00 am-5:00 pm
Closed Sunday, Monday, and legal holidays

Admission is free.

PHOTO CREDIT
Please credit all photographs: Photo by Irving Solero, courtesy of The Museum at FIT, New York

Contact:
Cheri Fein
Executive Director of Public and Media Relations
212 217.4700

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Glam Up with a Jersey Shore Guidette Look in Minutes Using an iPhone

Glam Up with a Jersey Shore Guidette Look in Minutes Using an iPhone

A new Guidette mode has been added to the popular Jersify iPhone App. Now any girl can look like "Jersey Shore's" Snooki, J-Woww or Sammi without the bother and expense of shopping, tanning, dieting, exercising or hair poofing.

Jersey Shore, NJ (PRWEB) April 28, 2010

In an effort to Jersify the nation, the founders of the popular, hilarious, and highly-reviewed Jersify (formerly known as Guidofy) App for the iPhone or iTouch, has updated their app to include a new Guidette mode so every girl can look like "Jersey Shore's" Snooki, J-Woww or Sammi without the bother and expense of shopping, tanning, dieting, exercising or hair poofing.

In minutes, wannabe Guidettes can take a photo of themselves and using a wide variety of tools can create their perfect Guidette look.

Being a Jerseylicious Guidette takes time and money but with the new addition of the Guidette tools to the affordably-priced Jersify App, anyone can turn their likeness from ho-hum to hot in minutes.

Any Guidette hopeful can use the Jersify App and amp up her image by choosing a trendy Ed Hardy cap, pointy pink nails, the latest Louis V purse, sizzling animal print dress, glittering jewelry, perfect pouf hairstyle and so much more to turn her picture into a sexy Guidette so seductive that any Guido would want to perform a robbery.

Tanning booths? Fugghedaboutit! With President Obama's proposed tax on tanning booths as part of the new health care bill, who needs to spend the money or time in a Guido coffin or getting a sticky spray tan when with a few clicks anyone can turn their skin shade from white to sun kissed.

And what's a great tan without a superstar smile? With the new teeth whitening tool, there is no need to sit in a dentist's chair - The app's coloring feature will get any smile gleaming bright.

"Our end goal is to get all Americans Jersified, and we can't do it with just the guys," says Jersify founder Vinnie "The Jersify App Whiz" Fettucini. "The Guidette update brings us closer to our end goal of achieving a ninety-plus percent Jersified Guido and Guidette image adoption for the entire country."

The makers of the app have also created a "Guido Guide" on www. jersify. com, so anyone can take steps to perfect their Guido or Guidette image IRL (in real life) and show it off whether they're on the Jersey Shore, in New York, or in Topeka.

To learn more and see before and after Jersified photo samples, visit www. jersify. com or search "Jersify" on the iTunes App Store.

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Better Than Liposuction

Better Than Liposuction

Mesotherapy, the latest fat-melting fad, promises to target your fat spots with little hassle, little pain, and big results. Some people swear by the practice. Here is the truthÂ

(PRWEB) August 12, 2004

Beverly Hills-August 12, 2004 -- What if you could get liposuction results without surgery? In a doctor's office, over several short visits, with only a smidgen of pain? What if, like singer Roberta Flack, you could say, "I lost 2 1/2 inches almost immediately"? Call it "hope in a needle.” Can injecting substances into your skin make it smoother and melt away fat? It involves injecting small amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs into the middle layer of skin, or mesoderm. "It's more than just hope," says Simon Ourian MD, president of the American Society of Mesotherapy Treatments (800-828-6466), injecting his clients with a cocktail of plant extracts, vitamins and medications (such as a drug for treating asthma). The concoction is supposed to stimulate fat cells to shed fat.

Extraordinary injections that dissolve fat and take off inches—was administered by only a handful of American doctors a year ago. But now, the treatment is available in clinics across the United States. Dr. Simon Ourian, of the world-renowned Epione Medical Corporation in Beverly Hills, has had tremendous success with his own patients and now trains other doctors in the revolutionary therapy. “We are very excited to be able to offer a kinder, gentler alternative to invasive liposuction,” Dr. Ourian says.

From shrinking love handles, flattening tummies and smoothing under-arm bulges to eliminating under-eye fat pads, double chins and orange peel thighs, Mesotherapy continues to receive rave reviews as a preferable alternative to liposuction.

Mesotherapies are injection cocktails containing various vitamins and homeopathic medicines. Since the general term Mesotherapy simply refers to injecting therapeutic solutions into the mesoderm layer beneath the skin, what is accomplished within that layer is determined by the specific solutions contained in each 4mm syringe. The formula Dr. Ourian uses to remove fat contains, amongst others, a natural enzyme protein, which liquefies fat on contact and gradually eliminates it throughout the body. Patients typically lose one-half pound of fat with each shot. The recipe also includes toning minerals, an asthma medicine normally taken orally, an anesthetic, and a beta-blocker to inhibit fat-building receptors of cells. “We remove the fat in three to five treatments in order to avoid stressing the body’s elimination system,” Dr. Ourian says. This gradual approach, with shots scheduled one month apart, allows for a virtually side-effect-free treatment with very satisfied patients.

“My pants fit looser after just one shot, and now, one month later, my waist is a full inch smaller,” reports Jennifer Anderson as she prepares for her second session. Doctors have reported some minor bruising and swelling at the injection sites as the fat breaks down, but even these mild inconveniences can usually be alleviated with the use of Arnica, a homeopathic bruise deterrent.

Mesotherapy patients can lose between 1-2 pounds following each treatment. The continuous stream of fat being carried off through the bloodstream or the absence of hungry fat cells demanding fuel may contribute to this weight loss. Years ago, liposuction was one of the only cosmetic solutions for removing excess weight. The painful surgery and weeks of recovery sometimes delivered unsatisfactory results. Mesotherapy doctors are especially impressed with the smooth effects, as opposed to the unevenness or lumpiness sometimes associated with traditional, surgical liposuction.

Tina,* an athletic 29-year old, reports having had liposuction on her abdomen three times in an effort to spot reduce the stubborn area that did not respond to diet and exercise. “The doctor called the last two times touch-ups, but even after all I went through, he was unable to give me the perfectly even, flat tummy I wanted,” she confides. Upon finding Dr. Ourian and beginning Mesotherapy treatments, Tina simply pointed out the small spots that were pudgier from the liposuction incident and Dr. Ourian mapped out the injections accordingly, using more of the solution on the fuller spots. “The results are unbelievable!” Tina reports. “Not only is my whole tummy trimmer, but the slight bulge on the right side is completely gone. It looks so smooth and natural—no more lumps.”

“To ensure that fat loss is evenly distributed, I normally administer multiple injections, each about one inch apart,” Dr. Ourian explains. “In Tina’s case, I used half-inch doses in the areas that needed to be evened out. I am happy with the precision and smoothness I can achieve with this treatment.”

FDA Approval

Mesotherapy originated in Europe, where it has been recognized as a medical specialty by the French Academy of Medicine since 1987. “It’s not exactly new,” Dr. Ourian says. “Various forms of Mesotherapy have been safely practiced in Europe for more than 50 years and have been overseen by the International Society of Mesotherapy in France for 15 years.” Before patients in the United States were lining up for the fat-melting brew, mesotherapy was being used successfully to shrink benign fat tumors encapsulated by connective tissue, a condition physiologically similar to cellulite. Now that doctors in the United States have embraced Mesotherapy for cosmetic purposes, patients are clamoring to get it for cellulite reduction alone. Even in Europe, where innovative cosmetic treatments abound, Mesotherapy is known as the best treatment to eliminate cellulite. “The results we’ve seen with cellulite correction have been dramatic and lasting,” Dr. Ourian says.

It is possible to put inches back on if you substantially gain weight, but the new fat typically shows up in other areas that were untreated. Some of Dr. Ourian’s patients even noticed that their breasts became slightly fuller as their body weight was redistributed after problem areas were treated. “This is a side effect they don’t seem to mind,” Dr. Ourian jokes. Mesotherapy provides best results when accompanied by a healthy diet and exercise. With all the benefits of liposuction and none of the associated risks, Mesotherapy is clearly the ultimate modern weapon in the battle against the bulge.

Before and after photos are available upon request.

Dr. Ourian’s Epione, located in Beverly Hills’ “Golden Triangle,” is among the world’s most comprehensive and state-of-the-art laser and aesthetic surgery centers. Epione provides the most current technology available for skin, hair and body contouring. Dr. Ourian has been a pioneer for laser technology and noninvasive aesthetic procedures for acne, skin discoloration, wrinkles, and Mesotherapy. For further information, please contact 800-828-6466 or visit www. epione. com.

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Dynamic Imaging Showcases International Success at ECR 2007 -- Assuta Medical Centers is the Latest to Embrace IntegradWeb PACS

Dynamic Imaging Showcases International Success at ECR 2007 -- Assuta Medical Centers is the Latest to Embrace IntegradWeb PACS

Dynamic Imaging (www. dynamic-imaging. com), an established leader in Web-based image and information management, has begun to implement its acclaimed IntegradWeb® PACS throughout the Assuta Medical Centers (“Assuta”) system in Israel, replacing a legacy PACS installation. Assuta’s adoption of IntegradWeb PACS illustrates Dynamic Imaging’s rapid expansion into international markets. Dynamic Imaging shall be demonstrating its family of IntegradWeb PACS products at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), Austria Center (Vienna, Austria) from March 9–13, 2007, at Expo A, Booth #22.

Allendale, NJ (PRWEB) March 12, 2007

Dynamic Imaging (www. dynamic-imaging. com), an established leader in Web-based image and information management, has begun to implement its acclaimed IntegradWeb® PACS throughout the Assuta Medical Centers (“Assuta”) system in Israel, replacing a legacy PACS installation. Assuta’s adoption of IntegradWeb PACS illustrates Dynamic Imaging’s rapid expansion into international markets. Dynamic Imaging shall be demonstrating its family of IntegradWeb PACS products at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), Austria Center (Vienna, Austria) from March 9–13, 2007, at Expo A, Booth #22.

Owned by Maccabi Healthcare Services, the second-largest healthcare group in Israel, Assuta operates five hospitals and four outpatient imaging centers. In addition to its flagship Assuta Medical Center in Tel-Aviv (IsraelÂ’s largest private hospital), IntegradWeb PACS will be installed at Assuta Hospital in Petah-Tikva and additional facilities in Beer Sheva, Rishon Le Zion, and Haifa. The system also will serve Hashalom Imaging Center in Ampa Tel-Aviv and other imaging and outpatient centers in Ashdod, Ramat-Gan, and Ashkelon. Hundreds of thousands of imaging studies are annually processed through AssutaÂ’s acute care and ambulatory centers.

“We are excited about implementing IntegradWeb PACS across Assuta, our largest international customer to date,” said Yossi Avniel, Dynamic Imaging’s general manager for Continental Europe and Eastern Mediterranean. “Our Web-based architecture gives our international customers secure anywhere, anytime access to diagnostic images and results. In addition to support from our international distributors and field service engineers, our Global Support Center in New Jersey monitors, diagnoses, troubleshoots, and repairs software issues over the Web, so customers experience the same excellent service anywhere in the world.”

Once complete, Assuta shall implement the following applications across their expansive healthcare enterprise, tightly integrated to Dynamic ImagingÂ’s Web-based IntegradWeb PACS:

 IntegradWeb MAMMO, Dynamic ImagingÂ’s digital mammography solution, whose implementation of the new IHE Mammography Profile was recently validated at the January 2007 IHE Connect-a-thon;  Barco Voxar 3DTM for advanced visualization;  MedView MedImageTM for advanced nuclear medicine applications, including University of Michigan 4D cardiac analysis functionality;  Dynamic ImagingÂ’s OrthoTools, powered by OrthocratÂ’s TraumaCadTM orthopedic templating and surgical planning software; and  Comprehensive data migration from AssutaÂ’s existing Philips Sectra Easy Access PACS.

Dynamic Imaging’s international expansion is aided by highly effective relationships with IntegradWeb PACS distribution partners such as DICOM Digital Image in Spain; EMR Healthcare Informatics Ltd. in Winnipeg, Canada; UAB SpektraMed in Lithuania; Medimax-RSI in Puerto Rico; TG-Consulting (“Med All”) in Germany; and Medsigns in Latin America.

Numerous prominent international facilities have selected Dynamic Imaging within the past year:

 Grupo Hospitales de Madrid in Spain uses IntegradWeb PACS in four Madrid hospitals. Also in Spain, CRC Barcelona uses IntegradWeb PACS across their three hospitals: Hospital Sagrat Cor, Hospital dela Esperanza and Hospital Del Mar.  MRI Centrum, the NetherlandsÂ’ largest MRI provider, uses IntegradWeb PACS at locations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Den Bosch.  Dynamic ImagingÂ’s first replacement PACS installation in Israel serves JerusalemÂ’s esteemed Shaare Zedek Medical Center, an academic urban medical campus that is the cityÂ’s second-largest hospital.  Venezuelan installations of IntegradWeb PACS include IDACA Centro Medico de Caracas, a 350-bed acute care facility, as well as at Hospital Cardiologico Infantil, a pediatric cardiology facility.

For more information about Dynamic Imaging’s international image and information management solutions, please experience IntegradWeb PACS at ECR, Austria Center (Vienna, Austria) from March 9–13, 2007, at Expo A, Booth #22 or visit us online at http://www. dynamic-imaging. com/top-menu/myfclty/international. html (http://www. dynamic-imaging. com/top-menu/myfclty/international. html).

Dynamic Imaging has received CE Mark certification for IntegradWeb PACS and is steadfast in the support, development and implementation of international standards such as HL7, DICOM and IHE.

About Dynamic Imaging

Dynamic Imaging is on the forefront of image and information management, bringing affordable filmless and paperless radiology to all members of the imaging community. Dynamic Imaging continues to set new standards through our innovative Web-based PACS, Web-based unified RIS/PACS solution for ambulatory practices (RIS, PACS, billing, document management, and digital dictation), intelligent applications, and state-of-the-art workflow tools for all care settings.

Used in more than 500 sites world-wide, customers include academic and community-based acute care health care institutions, integrated delivery networks, and imaging centers and radiology group practices of all sizes. For more information about Dynamic Imaging and its products and services, call 1-888-303-PACS or visit

Http://www. dynamic-imaging. com (http://www. dynamic-imaging. com).

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Brad Levin

Dynamic Imaging

201.312.0369

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CFE Develops 'Bringing the Data to Life through the Art of Storytelling' Course for Health Care Professionals

CFE Develops 'Bringing the Data to Life through the Art of Storytelling' Course for Health Care Professionals

Training firm offers new class focusing on how to present research data

Research Triangle Park, NC (PRWEB) February 3, 2006

Communicating for Excellence (CFE), a Research Triangle Park-based health care communications training firm, has announced the addition of “Bringing the Data to Life through the Art of Storytelling” to its curriculum. This course was developed specifically for researchers and other health care professionals who are searching for a more dynamic and engaging approach to present scientific information—including study results and other findings—to peers, colleagues, and laypersons.

“Those heavily involved with the scientific endeavors of the health care industry are very comfortable when discussing raw data amongst themselves,” said Deborah St James, consultant for CFE. “However, more and more often, these individuals are being required to present such information to those who don’t have an extensive scientific background— such as venture capitalists, sales representatives, marketing managers, and others. This requires an ability to present the data in a way that is meaningful to these non-scientific audiences. But, because most science majors typically don’t get the training or practice necessary to become effective communicators, problems can arise.

“There was a time when sales and marketing were the primary drivers in the success of a pharmaceutical or biotech company. Not anymore,” explained St James. “Today, the primary engine driving growth in these industries is research and development. And the scientists in these areas have the information needed to move audiences to action. Unfortunately, these same scientists often have limited skills to effectively communicate valuable information. The Communicating for Excellence seminars can help individuals overcome these obstacles.”

“Bringing the Data to Life through the Art of Storytelling” is a 90-minute interactive program presented on-site at the facilities and campuses of CFE clients. Each seminar is tailored to the needs of individual groups and storytelling techniques are taught through the use of case studies and hypotheticals. Additionally, CFE instructors offer one-on-one evaluation of participants’ presentation skills.

“Many who entered the scientific profession assumed that they would spend their careers in the lab and not have to interact with those outside of their peer groups,” explained St James. “However, that’s just not the case any longer. Instead, the inability to clearly and effectively express themselves to a wide range of audiences prevents those in this category from advancing in their careers. As a result, they are often relegated to staying at the ‘bench.’

“Those in medical affairs, clinical communications, regulatory affairs and other science-focused positions would be a much more valuable resource to the company if they had the communication skills that allowed them to comfortably step outside the lab and share their valuable information. That’s exactly what this new course has been designed to address,” said St James.

For more information about “Bringing the Data to Life through the Art of Storytelling,” as well as other CFE courses, call Michele Lashley at 919.673.3912, e-mail inquiries to www. cfexcellence. com.

About Communicating for Excellence (CFE)

Communicating for Excellence (CFE) designs and presents communication skill programs customized specifically for the needs of physicians, pharmacists, scientists, pharmaceutical representatives, managers, directors and others in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. Offered in small-group settings, each course uses adult learning principles that make the educational experience not only effective—but also fun and engaging.

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Florida Health Insurance Web Advises Insurance Consultant for Individual Health Policies

Florida Health Insurance Web Advises Insurance Consultant for Individual Health Policies

Prices of health insurance are at record high levels while actual benefits are getting smaller. Florida Health Insurance web advices use of professional insurance consultants to avoid over-inflated rates on individual health insurance policies.

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) March 13, 2007

Internet insurance portal, Florida Health Insurance Web, reports nearly three million Floridians without individual health insurance coverage. That's 18% of the state's population. Health related bankruptcy is on the rise - the leading cause of bankruptcy today. Every Floridian without health insurance coverage is just one illness away from financial ruin. Florida Health Insurance Web, www. FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb. com, advises consulting an online source such as its service, before choosing any health insurance policy.

In the past, applying for health insurance had been an eye opening experience for many. The difficulty obtaining affordable health insurance rates in the sunshine state has always been hard, but now it has reached epic proportions. Florida residents may experience any number of insurance-related problems, including claim denials, sky-high premiums, cancellations, or refusals to grant or renew their policies. Florida's Governor Crist vows to fix the problem and bring affordable insurance to all Florida's residents. Democrats are pushing a health-care-reform legislation during the current legislative session. They are sponsoring a bill that would ask voters in 2008 to insert a guarantee in the constitution that all children in Florida would have access to health insurance by July, 2010.

At a recent insurance conference in Orlando, one Florida health insurance agent, Margaret Margolas explained the process, "Before issuing a health insurance policy in Florida, insurance companies offering individual health insurance policies evaluate certain information about you to determine how likely you are to have a claim." This is called "underwriting."

She spoke to hundreds of business owners about health care for the uninsured and individual company's role in delivering that health care. Margolas said, "Individuals looking for health insurance usually cannot find policies to cover past health problems." How does someone with a pre-existing condition get coverage? Hiring a health insurance professional "consultant" may help. These consultants usually work at no cost to consumers; their fees are paid by the health care provider.

For any health policy, a company might consider age, occupation, current health status and medical history. They can also look at lifestyle, and habits to see what type of health risks a person may have. If individual risk factors indicate that a claim is likely, the company may charge more for the policy or even worse, refuse coverage. Before applying for an individual health insurance policy, lorida Health Insurance Web advises talking to a qualified health insurance consultant for advice on which policy to choose.

Most individual health insurance companies in Florida have certain clauses regarding risk factors and pre-existing conditions. Limits on risk and "pre-existing conditions" are a standard part of most health plans. These limits ensure that benefits are paid only for conditions that occur naturally and only after your health coverage becomes effective. Paying only for approved services and covered conditions helps control healthcare costs and prevent possible insurance abuse.

The legal aspect of all this is "failure to disclose pre-existing conditions could jeopardize future claims" or invalidate the policy. Individual health insurance companies may completely exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions by attaching an "exclusion rider" to the policy.

If an applicant lists their pre-existing conditions on the application and the company issues coverage without attaching an exclusion rider, the company must begin covering the pre-existing conditions when the policy's pre-existing waiting period expires. Pre-existing condition waiting periods can be a maximum of two years on individual policies. Exclusion riders can be in-force indefinitely.

In Florida, and in other states like Texas, if a person moves from a group, government, or church health plan to an individual health insurance policy, they will not be subject to a new pre-existing condition waiting periods if they had 18 months of prior coverage, with no more than 63 days lapse in coverage.

What else can someone do to get individual health plans? Corporations are able to purchase health insurance that cover pre-existing conditions for their employees so many CPA's recommend using S-corporations status instead of individual. Simply create an S-Corp online from a state like Nevada or Delaware, ($350) and then apply for insurance under the corporation.

Buying insurance without an S-Corp means more limitations to your policy; chances are the end result will be some sort of "Cash for Services" Plan, a PPO, or HMO plan. These plans are the most typical.

Margolas says, "One word of advice when it comes to applying for an individual health insurance policy: applicants should be forthcoming and honestly answer all questions about medical conditions. Withholding information about an illness or medication is bad, the health insurance company may deny subsequent claims."

Ask questions, especially if the wording of the policy is difficult. Be sure about specifics of the health insurance coverage. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification about policy details. For more help, have a Florida health insurance consultant give you an explanation. Try to get answers in writing.

If a person loses health insurance coverage from their job, they may opt to continue coverage with insurance called COBRA. COBRA stands for (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). COBRA is a law that makes it mandatory for an employer to provide the option of retaining membership in their health insurance plan. However applicants will have to pay the entire monthly premium part which was paid by the company earlier. Most people are surprised at the high cost of the COBRA premium; which may run up to 500$ a month.

If none of the above ways to reduce insurance costs work, then the only way is to go for standard individual health insurance policy. As mentioned earlier they are usually costly, but online websites can help Floridian's weed through the mounds of policies and select the best price and coverage available.

About Florida Health Insurance Web

Florida Health Insurance Web is an online source of health insurance agents and insurance carriers covering individuals in the state of Florida. Individuals can get insurance quotes, search rates online by city, read current insurance news and events. For a directory and archive of Florida Health Insurance Consultants, a listing of the best rates and free quotes, please visit www. FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb. com.

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Coombs Family Farms Announces New Maple Recipes For Entrées and Entertaining

Coombs Family Farms Announces New Maple Recipes For Entrées and Entertaining

100% Pure and Organic Maple Is Key Ingredient to Dishes Savory and Sweet

Brattleboro, VT (PRWEB) November 5, 2008

Coombs Family Farms, a seventh generation maple producer and champion of small family farming, today unveiled its new maple recipes and serving suggestions for 2009. The delicious and easy recipes include both sweet and savory dishes under the categories of Entrées and Entertaining.

"Pure, organic maple is the key ingredient to dishes both sweet and savory," said Arnold Coombs, Seventh Generation Maple Farmer and General Manager of Coombs Family Farms. "We all tend to think of pancakes and waffles when we think of maple, but it enhances any dish--breakfast, lunch and dinner--all year round."

The Entrée recipes include Maple Glazed Salmon, Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa, Crispy Duck with Maple and Sour Cherries, Pumpkin Maple Risotto and Roast Pork Loin with Quince Maple Compote.

The Entertaining recipes include Maple Bacon Sea Scallops, Maple Mojitos, Pulled Pork Quesadillas, Baked Camembert with Maple and Cranberries, Maple Teriyaki Chicken Wings, and Prosciutto with Marscapone and Maple.

The recipe booklets will be available later this year at retail displays where Coombs Family Farms pure and organic maple is sold. Coombs Family Farms maple is available at natural product and health food stores and select supermarkets across the country. The recipes may also be found at www. coombsfamilyfarms. com.

Coombs Family Farms has produced 100% pure maple since 1840. Since 1988, Coombs Family Farms has also produced certified organic maple syrup. Today, Coombs Family Farms is both a producer and packer of delicious pure maple products, and a champion of other small family farms. Coombs Family Farms never uses pesticides or artificial ingredients and employs sustainable forestry and sugaring practices and was one of the early adopters and proponents of health spouts.

Coombs Family Farms products include certified organic maple syrup, 100% pure maple syrups in various grades and sizes, pure maple sugar, and pancake mixes.

All Coombs Family Farms maple syrups are available in Grade A light amber, Grade A medium amber, Grade A dark amber, Grade B, and Commercial Grade maple syrup for restaurants and food companies.

About Coombs Family Farms
Pure maple has been a way of life at Coombs Family Farms for seven generations. Coombs Family Farms has produced 100% pure maple since 1840. Since 1988, Coombs Family Farms has produced certified organic maple syrup. A champion of small family farming, Coombs Family Farms also sources 100% pure organic certified maple from other small, independent farmers who share the Coombs commitment to quality, environmental stewardship, and sustainable forestry management. To learn more about Coombs Family Farms maple, please visit www. coombsfamilyfarms. com.

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