RALEIGH, N.C. — Fairway Outdoor Advertising has donated an advertising package worth $13,250 to the Triangle Land Conservancy. The announcement was made today by Paul Hickman, general manager of Fairway.
The two rotary bulletins posted in January and will run for two months in the Triangle region.
The Triangle Land Conservancy began as a volunteer effort in 1983 and has since grown to a professionally staffed organization that has protected more than 9,000 acres of open space— stream corridors, forests, wildlife habitat, farmland and natural areas—in Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Orange and Wake counties.
“We’re pleased to get involved with this cause,” said Hickman. “As this region continues to explode in growth it’s important that we also protect and conserve the beauty that this area has to offer.”
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
Raleigh, NC – State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) and the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) are once again offering discount theme park tickets to members for the 2008 spring and summer seasons. Sales began March 20th and will continue through September 30th in all 217 SECU branch locations. Tickets for the following parks are available: Carowinds, Kings Dominion, Wet’n Wild Emerald Pointe, Myrtles Waves, Nascar Speedpark, The Pavilion Nostalgia Park and Ghost Town in the Sky.
Leigh Brady, Senior Vice-President of SECU’s Education Services department comments, “Together, SECU and SEANC have joined forces in offering theme park tickets for more than five years. Last year’s sales reached nearly $2 million, representing our member-owners’ strong interest in this service. We look forward to once again providing this popular program.”
Dana Cope, SEANC Executive Director states, “SEANC is once again pleased to offer discount theme park tickets to SECU and SEANC members through the Credit Union’s extensive branch network. This partnership has been extremely successful, and we are very glad to offer an opportunity for state employees to ‘play’ at a discount, since they work so hard all year long!”
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
CARY, N.C. – Eric Hobbs, president of Technology Associates, a full-service technology solutions and support firm that specializes in providing network design, implementation, management and support to small to medium-sized businesses in North Carolina, has announced that the firm has enrolled as a Microsoft Certified Partner for the ninth consecutive year. Microsoft Certified Partners are independent companies that provide the highest levels of technical expertise, strategic thinking and hands-on skills. Certified Partners encompass a broad range of expertise and vendor affiliations and their real-world perspective helps prioritize and effectively deliver technology solutions to clients.
“We have a very long history with Microsoft and continue to value our partnership,” said Hobbs. “As a Microsoft Certified Partner we have access to an abundance of resources that allow us to provide the best IT solutions to small businesses that meet their needs.”
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
APEX, N.C. – WiSpots has selected tyBit™ Unified Search, the search engine from tyBit (www.tybit.com), as the exclusive search engine for its WiPad devices that allow patients in medical office waiting rooms to connect to the Internet for free, even if they don’t have their own wireless device. Several physician practices already offer WiPads, and WiSpots will be rolling out this new interactive media/Internet access solution that uses the tyBit search engine throughout North Carolina and the United States over the next 18 months.
Revolutionizing Waiting Rooms
Most people spend a minimum of 30 minutes in a doctor’s waiting room before receiving medical services. With the WiSpots WiPad, they can connect to the Internet to read informative content regarding their visit to the doctor or check e-mail while away from their office.
“There were over 68,000 hotspots worldwide as of mid-2005,” stated WiSpots CEO Kevin Flannery. “At this time only a small percentage of the general public is able to utilize these hotspot locations because patrons must provide their own laptop computers or PDAs. That’s not an issue at our client locations since we provide the WiPads for their patients to use on site.”
The partnership between WiSpots and tyBit allows patients to search the Internet with tyBit Unified Search for online magazines, news and social networks such as tyVille. Patients can also use WiPads to join existing social network groups, such as cancer support groups, on tyVille and communicate with other people throughout the United States who share the same medical concerns.
Patients concerned about germs and the cleanliness of hard-copy magazines in waiting rooms will appreciate the WiPad, which uses technology that provides a virtual “page turning” experience for many publications. Magazines are read on the WiPad screen, and pages are turned with the touch of a button. Additionally, WiSpots has enabled each of their WiPads to be disinfected with antibacterial supplies provided on each WiSpots interaction center, ensuring a healthy environment for any doctor’s office.
Free WiFi Supported by Ads
WiFi access is provided for free to patients since the service is primarily supported by advertising. WiSpots provides value to doctor’s offices by boosting patient satisfaction and turning any waiting room into a potential source of revenue. As part of WiSpots’ revenue-sharing program, the practice can receive a percentage of the ad revenue under certain conditions.
For advertisers, WiSpots provide access to the most captive environment of consumers worldwide. Unobtrusive advertising space is available in three different formats. Companies searching to get their message out to the community can leverage WiSpots and tyBit to get “face time” with millions of consumers and an opportunity converse with them, not just at them.
Advertising opportunities are available with tyBit and WiSpots. Please contact the tyBit team at advertise@tyBit.com or General Manager Kitti Jo Finch at kfinch@tyBit.com. Contact the WiSpots team at sales@wispots.com or by phone at (919) 387-6255.
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
The gas chronicles: readers write about the challenge of rising prices, all this week
The skyrocketing price of gasoline is now the joker in the family budgeting deck.
Before the latest escalation to record levels, Rebekah O’Connell, a credit counselor with Triangle Family Services, said her clients had an easier time estimating their monthly fuel costs. Now, “people are just taking wild guesses,” O’Connell said.
With projections saying gas prices in the Triangle will hit $3.50 a gallon around May, drivers are wrestling with similar issues — how to cut fuel consumption while making room for this ballooning part of our budget.
When The News & Observer asked a handful of Triangle residents to keep travel diaries for about a week, many, such as Wake Forest caterer Nan Holton, volunteered to log their trips and jot down their daily driving reflections. We wanted to see whether they would discover any surprises in how they drove and whether they had any strategies to share for conserving gas.
In an Elon University poll earlier this month, about 31 percent of North Carolinians surveyed said the price of gas is the No. 1 transportation issue facing the state today.
The latest increases in gasoline prices are related to the economy’s slowdown, according to AAA Carolinas. Instead of being fueled by demand for gasoline, the recent price jumps are driven by unprecedented levels of investment in crude oil markets as a hedge against the falling dollar and as a safe haven from sliding prices in real estate, said David E. Parsons, AAA Carolinas president.
And as oil refineries retool to switch to cleaner-burning summer-blend gasoline and driving increases in the approaching warmer months, Parsons expects prices to continue to spiral up.
On the road a lot
With little control over global forces that can send prices soaring — from hurricanes to turmoil in the Middle East — people are looking for smaller but concrete ways they can cope.
But it isn’t easy.
Holton, a divorced mother of two, has had trouble cutting her driving. She can easily put 50 to 70 miles a day on her 2007 Subaru Forester, between shuttling her daughter to school, soccer and piano lessons and driving herself to catering jobs at Trinity Baptist Church in the North Hills area and elsewhere. Typically, Holton hauls enough food each week to serve more than 300 people — dinners of meatloaf, spaghetti or chicken pot pie.
“The driving to work — I don’t have a choice,” she said. “Too bad your income doesn’t go up at the same rate.”
About once a month, Holton also drives to New Bern to visit her 86-year-old mother in a nursing home and to cook meals for her 87-year-old father, who lives alone. She’s not about to stop making those 250-mile round trips anytime soon, either.
But Holton has tried to rein in her son’s spending. In August, she gave the 16-year-old a credit card to use only for fueling up his Honda Accord.
When she got the bill in February, it was $128. Holton pulled the credit card and decided instead to give him a cash allowance of about $50.
“If you need more gas, this is a good incentive to get a job,” she told him.
Down to $25 a week
Rebecca Paden, 27, has also started cutting back. Paden moved to Raleigh in July to look for a job with state government.
Read More:News & Observer
Step Up and Support the Parkinson’s Unity Walk
(ARA) - In the time it takes you to boil pasta, make a pot of coffee, or write a quick e-mail, one more person has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — possibly someone you know. Every nine minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with this potentially devastating illness.Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition, impacting movement, which can be debilitating. It affects one million Americans with approximately 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The disease does not discriminate based on ethnic, economic, or geographic factors, and while the average age of a person diagnosed with the disease is 60, many are under 50-and some may even be diagnosed as early as 20 years old.
Although the disease generally progresses slowly, over time even the most basic daily routines, like socializing with friends and family members, earning a living, and taking care of a home, may be affected. As the disease progresses, activities of daily living, like brushing one’s teeth or buttoning a shirt, may gradually require more assistance. In addition, people with Parkinson’s disease may also experience loss of facial expression, impaired speech, loss of mobility, and difficulty swallowing.
Although there is no known cure for Parkinson’s disease, research continues aggressively with the help of grants and fundraisers, such as the Parkinson’s Unity Walk.
The Parkinson’s Unity Walk was created in 1994 to bring greater awareness and understanding of the disease. The event unites the strength and spirit of the entire Parkinson’s disease community.
Every April people living with Parkinson’s disease, along with their families and friends gather in New York City’s Central Park to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s disease research. At the first walk there were 200 participants. In 2007, more than 10,000 came from across the United States to fight to cure Parkinson’s disease and to connect with others whose lives are affected by the disease.
“Raising money for research on behalf of the Parkinson’s Unity Walk is just one way to bring us one step closer to finding a cure,” says Marlene Kahan, a Walk participant diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago. “The commitment and passion of the Parkinson’s community is truly inspirational.”
Since its inception, the Walk has made a significant impact, raising more than $7 million for research. With 100 percent of donations given to research, the Walk provides the public with a direct opportunity to help the Parkinson’s disease community and change the lives of the millions of people affected.
A single step can change the life of a person with Parkinson’s disease. Together, the Unity Walk and Boehringer Ingelheim, the proud partner and premier sponsor for the eighth year, continue to work to achieve greater awareness of Parkinson’s disease.
Join the battle and help support the fight. This year the Parkinson’s Unity Walk will take place on Saturday, April 26. To join the Walk or donate, please visit www.unitywalk.org or call (866) PUW-WALK (789-9255).
Courtesy of ARAcontent
(ARA) – As the weather warms and families come out to play, moms and dads often wonder how they can keep their toddler busy outdoors while spending quality time together. There’s no need to stock up on hundreds of dollars worth of toys or fancy games. Just a few strategic playthings powered by children and their imaginations are all parents need to get outdoors with their toddler.“Unstructured play and simple games are really great ways to engage young children” says Robert Pasin, father of three and Chief Wagon Officer at Radio Flyer — makers of wagons and ride-on toys for children. “Parents seeking quality ways for them to be active should know you don’t have to break the bank to have fun with your kids.”
The play experts at Radio Flyer offer their top tips for parents to get outdoors with their toddler.
Blow Bubbles
Bubbles are a simple and timeless outdoor activity for children. Encourage kids to count the bubbles they pop as a fun way to work on counting skills. For a change of pace that will delight the little ones, let them blow the bubbles while mom and dad chase and pop them.
Cruise the Block
A favorite activity of the Pasin family is to take a nature “drive” around the neighborhood. The Sport Coupe from Radio Flyer lets kids have a stylish, retro car of their own. Toddlers can use their feet to move the car, or use the stow-away footrest and telescoping handle to let mom or dad push. Point out foliage and wildlife along the way and encourage toddlers to honk the horn and wave to the neighbors.
Flutterby
Organize a butterfly chase in the yard or at a nearby park. Take the opportunity to explain how butterflies were once caterpillars, show kids how to watch the delicate critters quietly, and try to get them to land on their outstretched fingers. Make sure to take the time to enjoy the flowers, trees and sunshine.
Three Wheels and Four Legs
“Many families, mine included, have an older child as well as a toddler,” says Pasin. “Younger siblings don’t like to be left behind, so it’s important for families to find ‘me too’ activities.”
A traditional older sibling activity is taking the family dog for a walk. Help toddlers keep up with their very own set of wheels, like My First Scooter from Radio Flyer. The three-wheeled scooter looks just like a big kids’ ride but has an extra wide base with two wheels in front for stability. Fido will be happy he doesn’t have to slow down for the kids and the little ones will be delighted to speed ahead.
Sprinkler Sprint
Set up the sprinkler in the yard, put on the swimsuits and run, run, run! Kids (and adults) of all ages love to cool off by running through sprinklers.
Go for a Ride
The perennially popular activity of riding bikes often excludes toddlers too little to ride along. The Grow and Go Bike by Radio Flyer has sturdy non-removable training wheels and looks just as cool as a big kid’s bike. This bike grows with the child, eliminating the need to purchase an expensive new bike every year to keep up with growing bodies.
When it comes to getting outdoors with toddlers, the only limit is your imagination. Now get out there and play!
You can find Radio Flyer ride-on toys at your local toy retailer or Amazon.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
(ARA) – Sleep helps our body recover from stressful daytime activities. It is also the healthy habit we most often neglect. Better sleep should be a priority along with healthy evening practices to set the tone for a good day to come.It is usually easy for people to establish and maintain morning routines: bathing; packing a briefcase, purse or gym bag; and preparing snacks or a meal for the workday. However, evenings can be a time when we seek a release from scheduled duties. But it is vital to create thoughtful nighttime routines, starting with rituals that promote healthy sleep. To turn crucial evening hours into healthful days, consider the following tips:
“Recent studies link sleep deprivation to increased levels of a chemical that stimulates appetite,” says medical reporter and national health magazine contributing editor, Lisa Drayer, M.A., R.D. “People who sleep too little probably lack energy for exercise and this, combined with an overactive appetite, can be problematic for your health.” Thus, a regular snooze schedule - even on weekends - along with moderate daily exercise can help promote a healthy body weight.
Additionally, Drayer advises against dinners with a high fat content, as heavy meals can cause the digestive system to continue “working” hard when the rest of the body prepares for sleep. Although she recommends avoiding caffeine and large meals at least two hours before turning out the lights, Drayer permits the following sleep- and figure-friendly snacks: an apple, a small serving of pretzels or hot oatmeal, 1/2 cup frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream, as well as berries with fat-free whipped topping.
Personal care at night also impacts the quality of our days. Plaque germs increase while the mouth is at rest, so it’s important to practice good oral care before you slip into slumber. In addition to brushing and flossing, consider adding a toothpaste and oral rinse like Crest Pro-Health Night to your evening routine. Crest Pro-Health Night toothpaste protects all these areas dentists check most even while you sleep: cavities, gingivitis, plaque, sensitivity, tartar, whitening and it freshens breath. And Crest Pro-Health Night oral rinse kills 99 percent of germs without the burn of alcohol for a healthier mouth that’s cleaner in the morning.
Finally, creating an environment that is conducive to healthy sleep is essential. Many researchers suggest wearing loose-fitting clothing, keeping the room temperature cool and turning off all potentially distracting items, like the television or radio, which may cause you to have difficulty falling and staying asleep.
Choices that promote healthier sleep equate to healthful days, which is something we all need.
To learn more about Crest Pro-Health Night and for other dental health information, visit www.crestprohealth.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
For the 22nd year, more than a hundred people gathered in downtown Raleigh on Good Friday to re-enact Jesus’ last steps, marching with crosses and calling attention to social justice issues. This year’s Pilgrimage for Justice and Peace focused on immigration, but as in past years, marchers also called for an end to torture, the death penalty and the war in Iraq. Several Franciscan friars and retired Roman Catholic Bishop F. Joseph Gossman were among the marchers.It was Good Friday, the day Christians believe Jesus died on the cross. In keeping with tradition, the marchers re-enacted the 14 Stations of The Cross, the 14 stops Jesus made as he carried his cross to the site where he was crucified by the Romans. At each stop between the Capitol and the U.S. post office on Fayetteville Street, marchers recited a litany of prayers in English and Spanish. As they walked, those in the crowd sang, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” and “We are marching in the light of God.”
Read More:News & Observer
Hearing Checked
(ARA) - A Greek philosopher once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Unfortunately, for one out of 10 of us, two ears are not always enough to hear what others are saying.Whether due to the normal aging process, excessive noise, genetic defect, or some other reason, one in 10 Americans today has a hearing loss. And studies find that when people cannot hear one another, every part of their life, from job performance to sexual intimacy, may be affected. Over time, untreated hearing loss silently erodes a person’s overall quality of life — often undermining family relationships, interfering with short-term memory, and causing loneliness and tension.
Former Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs, now studying to be a pediatrician, knows firsthand what it’s like to live with a hearing loss. As a child she compensated for her hearing loss but felt isolated. “It wasn’t until I started medical school that I realized I couldn’t deny it any longer. It was very hard to follow lectures in large auditoriums, interact with patients and professors (especially if they wore surgical masks). I realized that I finally needed to face my hearing problem and find a solution that would help me to be the best doctor I can be.”
Her solution was hearing devices that fit behind her ears, are nearly invisible, and utilized the latest digital technology. “Wearing hearing aids again gave me the ability to better participate in life, school, family, and friends,” says Downs. “My friends, family, and classmates no longer have to constantly repeat themselves. I don’t have to use closed captioning on TV anymore and I rarely miss pieces of conversations — even in noisy restaurants. It’s been an unbelievable life change for me, my family, and my friends.”
Deidre Downs is on a mission to encourage the millions of Americans with untreated hearing loss to take the first step and get their hearing checked. She’s joined with the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) as a national spokesperson to promote healthy hearing.
To see if you have a hearing loss, the BHI has developed a simple, Internet-based screening check that individuals, couples, and families can use in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. By visiting www.hearingcheck.org, Americans can take a quick, easy test to see for themselves if they have a hearing loss.
“Anyone who thinks that wearing hearing devices will interfere with their looks, just needs to take one look at Deidre Downs,” says BHI Executive Director Sergei Kochkin, PhD, who thinks that Miss America’s involvement will send a loud and positive message to people who might have qualms about wearing hearing devices.
Downs offers seven reasons everyone should get their hearing checked:
1. Hearing loss can strike at any time and at any age. Of the 31.5 million Americans with hearing loss, 65 percent are below retirement age.
2. Hearing loss affects more than one in four American families and one in 10 Americans.
3. The signs of hearing loss usually emerge slowly and are often first noticed by others. Many of today’s baby boomers suffer hearing loss from listening to loud music or living in noisy environments.
4. Studies show that unaddressed hearing loss can cause irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, social withdrawal, rejection, memory loss and loneliness.
5. Untreated hearing loss negatively affects household income, on average, up to $23,000 per year depending on the degree of hearing loss. But the use of hearing instruments mitigates the effects of hearing loss on income by about 50 percent.
6. A Brandeis University study of twins, published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, shows that genes play a significant role in hearing loss experienced by baby boomers and their parents.
7. Ninety to 95 percent of people with hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids — and their quality of life significantly improved. Modern hearing aids are sleek and usually cannot even be easily seen.
The good news is that with today’s sophisticated hearing devices, you can hear great and look great too. Visit www.BetterHearing.org for more information.
