After Attending Healthy Kids Camps-Camp Timber Creek, Annie Polashock Starts a Health Awareness Club at her High School

After Attending Healthy Kids Camps-Camp Timber Creek, Annie Polashock Starts a Health Awareness Club at her High School

Annie was an overweight 15 year old when she attended Camp Timber Creek. The knowledge she gained at camp enabled her to start a Health Awareness Club at her High School to help other overweight students.

Cary, N. C. (PRWEB) January 20, 2006

Annie was always an overweight kid. Food was the centerpiece of her life. Annie loved it, and would eat for every emotion possible. She never understood portions, never knew when she was hungry or satisfied, or recognized what exactly she should be eating.

Her love of food prevented Annie from being a healthy weight. As time went on, she became unhappy with herself she started liking boys, who didn’t like her because she was heavy. Other girls in her grade who were a healthy weight or slightly underweight commented on their appearance and their “flaws.” It just did not make her feel good. When that happened, she hid within herself with the food she ate. With time, Annie just got bigger and bigger and unhappier and unhappier.

"I started high school not knowing many people, which was quite scary. My brother was a senior, and he and all his friends would make fun of me. It made me turn to food, and I gained 30 pounds by the end of my freshman year.” Annie stated sadly.

The summer before her sophomore year, her mom decided she needed more help. She found a new camp opening in the mountains of North Carolina called Healthy Kids Camps’, Camp Timber Creek. The camp focused more on improving self-esteem and eating right than on weight-loss.

Annie soon realized that camp was great. She started loving the experience, the friends, the counselors, the support system, everything. She started looking inside herself and realizing that she was a beautiful girl. She did not need anyone’s approval except her own. She realized that if “I wanted to be happy with my appearance; I had to change it myself.” Her counselors and fellow campers at Camp Timber Creek supported her, and they encouraged Annie to do her best at every activity, to be all she can be, and they helped her plan on how to stay successful outside of camp.

Gaining self-esteem and self-worth really made her want to help others. "I thought, if I have been overweight all my life, and I have changed my life, then I can help others do the same! I decided that the best way to reach people was to target people my own age that I could relate to the best. I wrote out a proposal for a school club that would promote positive self-esteem, healthy eating, and overall wellness.” Annie said proudly.

She sent her proposal to the Foods and Nutrition teachers at her school, who immediately agreed to sponsor the club. The Health Awareness Club started this year at Green Hope High School in Cary, N. C. from her efforts and knowledge that Annie gained at Camp Timber Creek. The students get together to discuss their eating problems, talk about healthy eating habits and body image changes, and they even play games that get them moving. “It seems to have really inspired some people to better themselves, and that just makes me feel ten times better!', happily and proudly stated by Annie.

Next year, before college, Annie’s dreaming of become a camp counselor so that she can help other kids with similar problems. Ira Green, Healthy Kids Camps-Camp Timber Creek's director, hired Annie for the summer of 2006. “I am so proud of Annie not only for what she has accomplished for herself and her desires to help others, makes me so proud and my life’s work so rewarding.”

###

KIS Track Suite of Online Applications Officially Certified as "Hacker Safe"

KIS Track Suite of Online Applications Officially Certified as "Hacker Safe"

Kaulkin Information Systems is pleased to announce that its KIS Track(TM) suite of online applications has been certified "hacker safe" by Comodo Hacker Guardian. Rigorous testing assures system's safety from unauthorized access.

Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) July 15, 2006 -–

Kaulkin Information Systems is pleased to announce that its KIS Track(TM) suite of online applications has been certified "hacker safe" by Comodo Hacker Guardian.

The Comodo HackerShield logo can only appear on sites that have passed thorough testing. Every day, KIS Track's entire site, including users' systems and development systems, is analyzed for over 10,600 hacker vulnerabilities. The Hacker Guardian seal indicates the site is secure from the latest attacks, and that online transactions and data transmissions are also protected.

KIS Track provides document imaging and electronic business processing technologies over the Internet as an ASP/SaaS. The system has been customized for clients in numerous industries, including debt collection, insurance, securities, healthcare and accounting.

"Our clients deal with highly sensitive information every day, so we built our system to ensure the integrity of their data," said KIS Chief Technology Officer Jan Levine. "Having our site tested daily by an online security specialist ensures that we’re safe from new hacker threats, and it provides an extra measure of security for us and for our clients."

About Comodo

Comodo is a leading Internet security specialist and provides next generation online security solutions: x.509 digital Certificate services, validation services, silicon security, crypto solutions, and software security applications. Comodo also operates the world's only web site identity assurance infrastructure.

About Kaulkin Information Systems

Kaulkin Information Systems delivers innovative technology to help companies of all sizes streamline their operations. The flagship product, KIS Track(TM), is a suite of web-based, user managed applications for controlling the flow of information in today's compliance-centric world. KIS Track has been customized for numerous industries, including securities, debt collection, insurance, healthcare, and accounting. For more information, please visit www. kistrack. com.

###

Negative Ions Possible Cure for the 'Winter Blues'

Negative Ions Possible Cure for the 'Winter Blues'

Negative ion therapy is mostly unknown in the U. S. but research suggests it is a cheap and effective remedy for not only the winter blues but a number of mental ailments as well.

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) November 26, 2005

There is a growing mountain of scientific evidence that suggests negative ion therapy can provide a cheap and effective cure for the “winter blues” There is no doubt that an overabundance of positive ions in the air in relation to negative ions produces very unpleasant reactions due to serotonin releases (Krueger, 1972) During the winter months, the lack of sun coupled with a constant bombardment from positive ion sources such as HVAC systems, computer monitors, and electronic devices creates a potpourri of positive air ions that simply put makes us feel languished and depressed. So what’s the solution? Mike Montano, Indoor Air Quality expert at Ionic Zone Inc told us “You can either hit the bottle for comfort or invest in a few of our $20 Ionizers if you want to beat the winter blues” He added that negative ion generators are very commonplace and accepted in most other countries with small healthcare budgets. But in the United States, “good luck finding a negative ion generator anywhere but the Internet.”

What are the effects of positive ions? According to research, positive ions cause a number of problems such as sleeplessness, irritability, tension, migraines, nausea, breathing difficulties, digestive problems, depression, fatigue, and sometimes can even lead to suicide. Positive ions slow down the delivery of oxygen, producing symptoms like anoxia or oxygen starvation. They alter the functional state of the central nervous system, peripheral organs and affect the secretion of the hormone serotonin.

What are the effects of negative ions? According to research, negative ions enhance our mood, stimulate our senses, improve appetite and sexual drive, provide relief from hay fever, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, allergies, migraines, even post operative pain and burns. (go to www. ioniczone. com/negative_ions. htm (http://www. ioniczone. com/negative_ions. htm) to read the research studies) Negative ions also stimulate the reticuloendothelial system which are a group of defense cells in our bodies that watch over our resistance to disease. Bottom line, we have better brain activity that results in greater awareness levels because our cells are better able to absorb oxygen and oxidize serotonin, and filter airborne contaminants.

Can a $20 Ionizer really make a difference? “Our customers claim they can sleep better, feel more alert and refreshed, get ill less often, and take less allergy medications after using our products” says Mike Montano from Ionic Zone who sells their ionizers wholesale to the general public. She adds “A large telemarketing firm called me recently to buy 20 more ionizers after noticing that by the end of the day, salespeople on the ionized section of the room were mostly standing, waiving their hands, and energized while the sales people on the non-ionized side of the room were mostly slumped over in from of their computers, rocking back in their chairs, and drained. Needless to say, the owner has become a believer”.

While the scientific and anecdotal evidence suggests negative ion therapy is worthy of our consideration, one can only wonder why such an inexpensive and natural remedy to the winter blues is not more popular in the U. S Are Americans not aware of the benefits of negatively ionized air? Or have we as a society become so conditioned to popping pills that we have rejected any natural therapies altogether? This is a real life “David vs. Goliath” story; large drug companies vs. small Internet companies selling negative ion generators without the resources to get the word out on negative ions.

###

New Diagnostic Testing Company, Blue Ocean Biomedical, Specializes In Automated, Load & Go Cell Analysis Systems For Immune Monitoring

New Diagnostic Testing Company, Blue Ocean Biomedical, Specializes In Automated, Load & Go Cell Analysis Systems For Immune Monitoring

Blue Ocean Biomedical will bring to market the world’s first fully automated, “patient-sample-to-result” systems for many specialized cell analysis tests that are in greatest demand worldwide.

Pembroke Pines, FL (PRWEB) May 7, 2010

Blue Ocean Biomedical (http://www. blueoceanbio. com), LLC, will bring to market the world’s first fully automated, “patient-sample-to-result” systems for many specialized cell analysis tests that are in greatest demand worldwide.

Blue Ocean Biomedical is a privately-held company headquartered in Pembroke Pines, FL. "Blue Ocean will lower the cost of healthcare by providing fully automated, 'load & go'(TM) diagnostic systems that greatly simplify patient testing in clinical and research laboratories around the world," said president Ernie Thomas. The Blue Ocean systems automate a number of expensive, specialized tests, such as HIV monitoring and extended WBC differential analysis tests. These kinds of tests are currently performed on complex flow cytometry systems that are designed for general use and require many time-consuming, manual steps which require a highly trained and experienced operator.

Blue Ocean changes all that with an innovative, automated, load & go approach. Blue Ocean systems are optimized to address needs for specific moderate-to-high-demand applications where test results are desired in less time, with greater efficiency and at substantially lower costs. This is accomplished via smart system design, proprietary technology, fewer required reagents and a low cost of delivering the product and support to end users. The new systems will, for the first time, combine automated sample preparation and analysis in one instrument that communicates with the laboratory’s computer system (LIS). Because it is standardized to run specific tests, instrument and test setup is minimized. As a result, Blue Ocean systems require minimal operator steps, greatly reduce the opportunities for user error, and provide fast and efficient specimen processing.

Blue Ocean will be displaying their new CR Series Immune Monitoring Systems for the first time at the ISAC CYTO 2010 show, the XXV Congress of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (http://cytoconference. org/pages/aboutISAC2010.aspx (http://cytoconference. org/pages/aboutISAC2010.aspx)).

Experienced, Proven Management Team

Blue Ocean Biomedical has brought together a team of professionals from the diagnostic systems industry. The team has strong credentials and expertise in all the key disciplines: software and systems development, mechanical and electrical engineering, reagents, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, marketing and laboratory management. Having worked together for years to provide contract development of a number of innovative and successful cell analysis systems for industry leading companies, this Blue Ocean team has developed a cohesive, team approach, capitalizing on the strengths of each member. They are focused and driven to achieve their goal: to bring load & go capabilities to a targeted range clinical and research testing applications.

The Blue Ocean team is led by CEO Mike Brochu, Sr., MBA, a 30-year biomedical industry veteran with executive experience in business development, strategic alliances, service and marketing (Coulter Corp.) Brochu is well paired with President Ernie Thomas, MBA, who applies a sharp entrepreneurial drive with a solid knowledge of the diagnostic industry market, players and technologies.

New Blue Ocean Website

Blue Ocean has introduced a new Website: www. blueoceanbio. com. The Website provides further information about the company, management team, products, reagents, consumables, applications, assay development partners and more.

###

The Fledgling Monkey Day Holiday Celebrates its Fifth Year on December 14th

The Fledgling Monkey Day Holiday Celebrates its Fifth Year on December 14th

Monkey Day is an annual holiday celebrated on December 14th that offers people a reprise from the traditional religious holidays permeating the month of December. Monkey Day is a fun way to celebrate all things simian, an excuse to hang out with friends and family dressed as monkeys and grunt at one another, and at the same time promoting knowledge and awareness of monkeys and their simian kin in a healthy manner.

Lansing, MI (PRWEB) December 4, 2005

Monkey Day is an annual holiday celebrated on December 14th that offers people a reprise from the traditional religious holidays permeating the month of December. Monkey Day is a fun way to celebrate all things simian, an excuse to hang out with friends and family dressed as monkeys and grunt at one another, and at the same time promoting knowledge and awareness of monkeys and their simian kin in a healthy manner.

Monkey Day began five years ago as a practical joke left scribbled on a friend's calender, when the anointed date of December 14th came around a Monkey themed party gathered at the local bar and Monkey Day was born. Each year since, Monkey Day has grown in popularity, especially among the college crowd, falling dangerously close to the end of semester final exam week. Popular ways of celebrating Monkey Day include throwing a monkey themed party and dressing up as your favorite simian, grunting like a chimp all day long, and throwing feces on passers-by (for legal purposes, monkeyday. com in no way supports the latter form of celebration).

Monkey Day is more than an excuse to throw a drunken frat party though, it also is a great way to bring awareness to social and ethical issues regarding monkeys and primates. Monkeyday. com actively promotes websites relating to monkey welfare, laboratory welfare, and preservation organizations. An online petition to make Monkey Day a Nationally recognized holiday that would extol the virtues of monkeys and primates has been started online. MonkeyDay. com also runs a blog news wire (monkeydaynews. blogspot. com) that keeps tabs on all news regarding monkeys and primates that ranges from the strange to the scientific to animal rights.

Monkeyday. com has become a hub of monkey related activities resulting from December 14th's annual Monkey Day. Besides featuring the monkey news blog and the national Monkey Day petition, Monkeyday. com provides other monkey related entertainment for visitors such as a third annual monkey themed Web Comic marathon, monkey themed drink and food ideas, and a catalog of pictures from monkey day parties past. New features to the website this year include a new monkey day party finder that allows bars and event planners from anywhere in the world to list their monkey themed party on December 14th, and make it much easier to find the nearest monkey party near you.

This year's official Monkey Day party will be held at Mac's Bar, 2700 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI. Events include band performances by The Moogulators, Kingshit, and Hundreds. There will of course be drink specials and exclusive 2005 Monkey Day T-shirts given to the first 10 monkey costumes through the door.

For further information about the Monkey Day campaign, please visit the Monkey Day website at www. monkeyday. com or to reach the Monkey Day organizers call (517)-367-0777.

Contact:

Casey Sorrow

Monkey Day Foundation

(517)367-0777

Www. monkeyday. com

# # #

Small Business Puts Healthcare Reform First

Small Business Puts Healthcare Reform First

Small Business Majority founder John Arensmeyer comments on new research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that finds that small business owners put healthcare reform first when it comes to what the Obama Administration needs to focus on. As the 'engine' of the economy, small business can't afford rising and unpredictable healthcare costs, and the U. S. can't afford to neglect small business any longer.

Sausalito, California (PRWEB) December 3, 2008

A staggering financial crisis can't dissuade President-elect Barack Obama from making healthcare reform a top priority, because small business - widely regarded as the 'engine' of our economy - can't prosper amid rising and unpredictable costs. Dispelling a popular myth that small business doesn't want healthcare reform is the first step in giving entrepreneurs the boost they need to help jump-start the economy.

That's the opinion of John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority, a national small business healthcare advocate, speaking about research released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Public Opinion Strategies and Lake Research Partners (See a summary of the research findings at Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (http://www. rwjf. org)). Surveyed were 400 small business owners and executives of firms that have fewer than 50 employees and pay for some portion of their employees' health benefits.

According to the new research, more than one in three small business owners (36 percent) say that rising costs are likely to cause them to cut some portion of health insurance benefits for their employees. They look to Congress and the new president to help address their concerns, with nearly half of small business owners (42 percent) saying 'making health care more affordable' is the idea Washington should address first.

"Despite the enormous contributions of small business to the growth of the 21st century American economy, the stability of our communities, and our global competitiveness, entrepreneurial values are largely absent from our political debate, and small businesses have been woefully ill-represented politically," said Arensmeyer. "Small business owners are looking to the new administration to tackle a problem that has long been spiraling out of control."

"More so than erratic energy costs or taxes, small business owners views healthcare as key to their competitiveness and the economic health of the country."

Arensmeyer went on to say that entrepreneurs are pragmatists who are focused on the bottom line, and that healthcare reform shouldn't be a partisan issue.

"Small business owners are already under a strain, and when coupled with rising and unpredictable healthcare costs, the challenge can be almost insurmountable,"said Arensmeyer. "And all they are really asking for is a level playing field - a solution that puts them on par with their big business counterparts when it comes to being able to offer quality coverage for their employees."

Particularly revealing in the RWJF research was the idea that one solution doesn't dominate in the minds of small business owners. "A majority of small businesses are willing to pay into a system of shared responsibility that works and ensures small business access to affordable quality healthcare," said Arensmeyer. "It's not a question of 'if' we should pursue reform, it's 'how.' And more importantly, 'when.'"

About Small Business Majority (Small Business Majority (http://www. smallbusinessmajority. org))

Small Business Majority is a national nonprofit organization of business entrepreneurs working to ensure prosperity in the 21st century economy by building a politically aware and active community of small business leaders.

###

Govind Nihalani's Award Winning Films "Drishti" (Vision) and "Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa" (Mother of 1084) Now on DVD

Govind Nihalani's Award Winning Films "Drishti" (Vision) and "Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa" (Mother of 1084) Now on DVD

Rudraa Home Video has released two rare films from Govind Nihalani on VCD and DVD. The films are ‘Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa’ based on the novel by Mahasweta Devi and ‘Drishti’ on a story by Shashi Deshpande.

(PRWEB) November 25, 2005

Rudraa Home Video has released two rare films from Govind Nihalani on VCD and DVD. The films are ‘Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa’ based on the novel by Mahasweta Devi and ‘Drishti’ on a story by Shashi Deshpande.

“Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa” (Mother of 1084) brings Mahasweta Devi’s novel to life. The film marks Jaya Bachchan’s return to the screen as Sujata Chatterjee who awakens one early morning to the shattering news that her youngest and favourite son, Brati, is lying dead in the police morgue, reduced to a mere numerical: Corpse No. 1084. Propelled on a journey of discovery, she begins to recognize her own alienation as a woman and wife from the complacent, hypocritical bourgeois society her son had rebelled against.

With a searing performance by Jaya Bachchan, the film won the National Award for Best Hindi film. The film has been showcased at various festivals including the London Intl. Film Festival; Intl. Film Festival, Mumbai; Intl. Film Festival of India; Human Rights Film Festival, Brussels; and festivals at Bradford, Philadelphia, Palm Springs, Tehran and Rome.

The “Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa” DVD has a bonus feature – “The Making of Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa” containing reminiscences and interviews with Govind Nihalani, Jaya Bachchan and Joy Sengupta interspersed with on-location footage.

In “Drishti”, Nihkhil (Shekhar Kapoor) and Sandhya (Dimple Kapadia) are a happily married, urban, professional couple. On their eighth wedding anniversary one of their friends brings along his nephew Rahul (Irfan Khan) who is a classical singer. Sandhya develops an attraction and has an affair with him. She confides in her friend, but does not tell Nikhil about it. After a couple of months, the affair ends. After about a year, Nikhil falls in love with his assistant in the lab. He tells Sandhya about it and leaves her. Sandhya is shattered. They part. Four years after the divorce they meet again, and Sandhya mentions to Nikhil about her affair with Rahul.

“Drishti,” a remarkable product with inputs from leading luminaries, has story and screenplay by Shashi Deshpande, lyrics by Vasant Dev and music by Kishori Amonkar. This contemporary tale with awesome performances from the lead cast won the National Award for Best Hindi film and was also showcased in the Indian Panorama.

A unique feature of this release is the inclusion of Anti-smoking messages produced by the CPAA (Cancer Patients Aid Association). Directed by Shaad Ali, this is part of an award winning campaign that features Vivek Oberoi, Urmila Matondkar and Shashi Kapoor.

Dr. Kailashnath Koppikar, Director, Rudraa Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. says, “This nothing to do with the Ministry of Health’s directive on smoking in films. We have included these messages voluntarily. The CPAA has been doing exemplary work for cancer patients and we felt that this was the least we could do to support them and help in spreading awareness. To this end, we have also included some details of the CPAA on the inlays.”

Adds Mr. Subhash Chheda, Director, “As part of our social commitment, we look forward to showcasing public service messages and supporting other worthy NGOs with our other titles in future. We are sure that our costumers will appreciate our gesture and support our initiative.”

VCDs (@Rs.149/-) and DVDs (@Rs.299/-) available at all leading outlets in India.

###