Archive for August, 2009
Journal, The – State's dental health grade on rise
by admin on Aug.31, 2009, under Uncategorized
Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jan 15, 2009 by Mike Hall
By Mike Hall
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
Dental care programs in Kansas have earned the state a letter grade B, a dramatic improvement from the D-plus it received in 2003.
But pleased as the officers of Oral Health Kansas are with the improvement, “A ‘B’ grade means there is still room for improvement,” said Dawn McGlasson, a board member of OHK.
The organization believes state government can do more to improve the access to and quality of dental care for all Kansans. But in light of the state’s financial difficulties this legislative session, the best the group can hope for this year is to “keep what we have.”
One populous part of Kansas that is dragging down the state’s grade somewhat is Wichita, which still declines to add fluoridation to its drinking water.
In a breakdown of the components of the overall B grade, Kansas received a D in the category of “state policies.” McGlasson said if Wichita were to fluoridate its water, that component likely would rise to at least a B, if not higher.
Denise Maseman, president of the OHK board, said brushing with a toothpaste containing fluoride helps, but it doesn’t give the protection against tooth decay that fluoridated drinking water does. The fluoride in drinking water gives systemic protection. The benefit provided by toothpaste doesn’t penetrate as deeply into the tooth surface, she said.
The issue is being tackled by OHK and by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which hired a state dental director in 2006.
Among the recommendations:
– Expand adult Medicaid to provide dental coverage, increase the network of dentists who accept Medicaid patients and increase Medicaid dental reimbursements.
– Invest more in programs to provide dental care to underserved areas of the state.
– Educate pregnant women, parents of young children and caregivers about the importance of dental health.
– Promote healthy childhood nutrition, especially preschool and school nutrition programs.
OHK is a coalition of civic institutions and the health care sector.
OHK conducted the research under contract to Oral Health in America, the organization that did the ratings.
Mike Hall can be reached at (785) 295-1209 or mike.hall@cjonline.com.
The story behind that anklet
by admin on Aug.31, 2009, under Uncategorized
USA TODAY, July, 2007 by Cindy Clark
After Lindsay Lohan left rehab, much was made of the fact that she was wearing an alcohol-monitoring anklet to assist her in maintaining sobriety.
At the time, Lohan’s publicist, Leslie Sloane Zelnik, said in a statement: “In part she is wearing the bracelet so there are no questions about her sobriety if she chooses to go dancing or dining in a place where alcohol is served.”
The anklet Lohan was wearing — the Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor, or SCRAM — continuously tests a person’s alcohol level through the skin, and the results are sent to relevant parties.
Lohan’s attorney Blair Berk said in a statement Tuesday that she has received daily test results. “Unfortunately, late yesterday I was informed that Lindsay had relapsed,” Berk…
Ease Your Wedding Budget With VistaPrint
by admin on Aug.31, 2009, under Uncategorized
Market Wire, June, 2009
VistaPrint Limited (NASDAQ: VPRT), the
small business marketing company, has now made it easier for engaged
couples to affordably design custom wedding materials. The company’s
wedding product line includes fully matching invitations, save-the-date
cards, magnets and thank you cards and is offered at a great value. For
example, 100 invitations start at $52 and can be conveniently designed and
ordered online and delivered to the couple in as little as three business
days.
“When I was pricing out invitations, my jaw dropped at the prices I was
seeing,” said Amy Garganta, a
bride-to-be and VistaPrint customer. “I had used VistaPrint in the past,
trusted their quality and knew that the price could not be beat. When
looking at the designs, it was very convenient that there was a link below
the thumbnail showing what other products my design matched to. This
feature made it easy to design our save the date and thank you cards as
well.”
Couples looking to create unique custom high-quality, low-cost invitations and other products for their wedding have a
variety of options and designs to choose from. Similar to other products
offered, VistaPrint’s
wedding-themed options are simple to create and order with customers simply
selecting a design and customizing the text. All of the designs may be
personalized in a number of ways, including uploading and adding a photo to
the invitations. As always, designs can also be uploaded from scratch for
an even more personalized design choice. Customers looking to order
invitations, save-the-dates, thank you cards and other wedding themed
products should simply log onto www.vistaprint.com/weddings .
“Traditionally custom printed products, including invitations and thank you
cards, can take up a significant chunk of the overall wedding budget. In
these economic times we know that customers are looking for the most value
for their hard-earned dollars,” said Melissa Crowe, vice president of
marketing services at VistaPrint. “Over the years our customers have turned
to us for elegant, high-quality products that allow them to make a positive
first impression for their big day. The money that they save in the process
can be put toward other costs and expenses.”
In addition to wedding products, VistaPrint offers consumers a number of
other affordable printed products such as business cards , postcards, address
labels , note cards, and the ability to order checks ;
promotional apparel including hats and T-shirts; and marketing services
such as copywriting, Websites, design and postcard mailing. Customers
looking for deals can also follow and interact with VistaPrint on social
networking sites like VistaPrint
Facebook and VistaPrint
Twitter .
About VistaPrint
VistaPrint Limited (NASDAQ: VPRT) is the small business marketing company
having served over 19 million customers worldwide. VistaPrint offers small
businesses everything they need to market their business with brand
identity and promotional products, marketing services and electronic
marketing solutions. A global company, VistaPrint employs more than 1,600
people and operates 19 localized Websites serving over 120 countries
around the world
Toothpaste
by admin on Aug.30, 2009, under Uncategorized
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Henry Ford Hospice-Residence Oakland
by admin on Aug.25, 2009, under Uncategorized
Detroiter, Sept, 2008
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held June 18 at the first full service Hospice Residence in Oakland County. Henry Ford Hospice-Residence Oakland, located in the Lake Land Center in Southfield, is an innovative resource designed to provide a home-like environment with care provided round-the-clock for individuals with a life-expectancy of six months or less. Pictured at the ceremony from left are: John Polanski, chief executive officer, Henry Ford Community Care Services; Lori Crow, vice president, Henry Ford Hospice, Robert G. Riney, senior vice president/chief operating officer, Henry Ford Health System; Mary Dixon–Women’s Committee for Hospice Care, Julie Beals Women’s Committee for Hospice Care; Irving Shapiro, Owner, Lakeland Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Care Facility and Marty Williams–Representative from the City of Southfield Mayor Brenda L.Lawrence’s Office.
Healthy Home Pest Control opens
by admin on Aug.25, 2009, under Uncategorized
Bellingham Business Journal, March, 2009
Longtime Whatcom County resident Dale Wilson recently launched Healthy Home Pest Control, which uses applications that are effective, yet still safe for humans and the environment.
Healthy Home Pest Control focuses on interior and exterior structural pest control for homes and commercial buildings in Whatcom and Skagit counties, including restaurants, nursing homes and daycare facilities. Wilson said some pests, such as wasps and yellow jackets, are primarily nuisances, but carpenter ants can cause significant damage and cockroaches and bed bugs present health concerns. Spiders and fleas are among other pests found locally.
“I use organic materials whenever possible because they’re not toxic to humans and the environment but are very effective against pests,” Wilson said in a press release. “Also, organic materials are less likely to cause allergic reactions, especially among people with chemical sensitivities.”
In addition to property owners, Healthy Home Pest Control also serves realestate agents and property-management firms
Osteoporosis; an atlas of investigation and management
by admin on Aug.22, 2009, under Uncategorized
SciTech Book News, Dec, 2008
Osteoporosis; an atlas of investigation and management.
Woolf, Anthony D. and Kristina Akesson.
Clinical Publishing
2008
160 pages
$99.95
Hardcover
RC931
Published in an oversized format (9.75×12.25″), and useful to both graduate students and practitioners, this atlas provides a wealth of clinical and diagnostic images in conjunction with a concise descriptive text of the disease, its epidemiology, risk, and management, with a special focus on fractures. A concluding chapter discusses osteoporosis in clinical care, and includes a number of case studies as examples of the complexities of multiple clinical conditions. Attention is given to statistics documenting occurrence worldwide and historically
Breaking Point: There are more options for homeowners insurance in
by admin on Aug.22, 2009, under Uncategorized
New Orleans CityBusiness, Jun 22, 2009 by Deon Roberts
Tessa Jackson is giving serious thought to fleeing New Orleans.
Since Hurricane Katrina, the Broadmoor resident’s homeowners insurance company has raised her premium every year. Before the storm, she paid about $1,500 a year. This year, she’s paying $6,072, a 300 percent increase.
Each month, homeowners insurance costs her about $500.
The 40-year-old developer and real estate investment trust program manager says escalating homeowners insurance rates are a major factor in why it has become too expensive for her to stay in New Orleans.
“I need a new car. I can’t afford one. I can’t make enough money to cover my expenses. My expenses in D.C. were cheaper than this when I lived there post-Katrina,” Jackson said. “I’m at my breaking point with this.”
She’s not alone.
Nearly four years after Katrina, complaints persist about high homeowners insurance rates in the New Orleans area.
Greg LaCost, assistant vice president for Des Plaines, Ill.- based Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, an advocacy organization for the insurance industry, said Louisiana is the third- most expensive state for homeowners insurance behind Texas and Florida.
State Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said rates have stabilized since Katrina partly because new insurers are creating competition among the companies.
In 2006, the statewide average homeowners insurance rate rose 12.5 percent, he said. Last year, the increase was 3 percent. For the first half of 2009, the increase was about 5 percent.
“We are seeing a flattening of rates but not a decrease,” Donelon said. “They are not below pre-Katrina levels, and we’ll never be, to be honest.”
Donelon points to the state’s property insurance provider of last resort, Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp., for proof that rates have fallen in some areas. By state law, Citizens must charge more than insurances companies so it does not take away their policies.
Citizens’ rates increased throughout the state this year, but some places, such as Orleans Parish, saw rate decreases because of competition among insurance companies, he said.
Dean Basse, general manager for Dan Burghardt Insurance Agency in Metairie, said some insurance companies don’t want to insure parts of the New Orleans area, so they are overcharging in hopes of scaring off potential customers.
New Orleans-area homeowners insurance rates are between 100 percent and 400 percent more than before Katrina, he said.
“For certain areas, they’re way out of whack,” Basse said.
Some insurers are pricing their rates just below Citizens’ rates, he said, but Citizens CEO John Wortman said those insurers are not price gouging. They are offering sound rates, which state insurance regulators must approve, he said.
“The (state’s) insurance department charges that they can’t be excessive,” Wortman said. “It’s a fairly rigorous check by the regulators in terms of rate filings. They can’t just charge what they want to charge. If they were hosing the public, they wouldn’t approve them.”
LaCost said some homeowners might not want to hear it, but property insurance rates were artificially low before Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
“It is an expensive place to write in Louisiana,” he said.
Basse agrees. Rates in many areas “were totally unrealistic before the storm,” he said.
Donelon said Louisiana poses less risk to insurance companies today than before Katrina and Rita because levees have been upgraded and houses have been made sturdier.
“And that’s a selling point that I trumpet wherever I go,” he said. “We are indeed a much, much better risk today for a company wanting to do business in Louisiana than we were four years ago.”
Donelon said he is disappointed more “name brand” insurance companies aren’t writing policies in Louisiana.
LaCost praised steps Louisiana has taken since the 2005 hurricanes, such as the adoption of building codes that require homes to be more hurricane-proof. But some post-Katrina improvements, such as levee enhancements, have less impact on homeowners insurance policies, which cover wind damage but not flooding, he said.
But as long as homeowners insurance rates are high, real estate experts say they will negatively impact the housing market.
“The increased cost of insurance is affecting homeowners’ ability to buy and how much they can buy,” said Rick Haase, general manager of Metairie-based Prudential Gardner Realtors.
Haase said one homeowner whose insurance premium was $1,200 before Katrina had to pay $3,800 last year. The $2,600 difference equates to about $216 more per month in insurance payments, he said
Spread betting boom as Britons gamble on turbulent markets
by admin on Aug.19, 2009, under Uncategorized
AFP, October, 2008
LONDON, (AFP) â The credit crunch has sparked a surge in spread betting in Britain, as people speculate tax-free on the financial markets rather than sink their capital into turbulent stocks.
With no taxes to pay and no commission charges, spread betting has increased in popularity as nervous investors worry about expanding their portfolios of company shares.
Rather than regular betting on a precise outcome, spread betting allows punters to gamble on a range of outcomes, with the accuracy of the wager determining how much is won — or lost.
“We have seen a significant increase in betting numbers and trades in alignment with the volatility in the market,” Peter O’Donovan, head of financial spread betting at PaddyPowertrader.com, told AFP
Assessing the risks of memory sticks
by admin on Aug.19, 2009, under Uncategorized
Information Age (London, UK), Sept 10, 2005
The IT profession is turning a blind eye to the threats imposed by removable media, according to research from mobile security company Pointsec. By ignoring the very real danger of removable devices, such as media players and USB flash memory drives, companies risk jeopardising their security expenditure.
Two thirds of IT professionals who use USB flash drives themselves admitted that they did not protect them with encryption despite the fact they were aware of the associated hazards. And as removable media devices plummet in price, and memory capacity soars, the phenomena becomes more widespread in the workplace. While 64MB flash memory sticks are commonplace, high-end drives are now appearing that can store 4 gigabytes of data, equivalent to around 160,000 documents. And music players, such as the iPod, can capture up to 60GB of data.
Removable media devices are now used in 84% of companies, with a third of employees utilising them in the office. The proliferation of high capacity media devices on the market exposes organisations to infection from viruses, worms and other types of malware, and in the event of devices being lost or stolen, increases the risk of digital identity fraud, extortion and damage to reputation, integrity and brand.
They are also a relatively easy means of employees or contract workers stealing proprietary information.
“Storing information on [removable media] is not a new problem – not so long ago it would have been information stored onto a 1.44MB floppy disk. However, now the problem is a much greater storage [capability] and, therefore, it needs to be dealt with in the security policy,” says Martin Allen, managing director of Pointsec UK
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