With summer approaching more youngsters will be out every day riding their bicycles and it is imperative that they wear safety helmets to protect their heads in the event of a serious fall. Each year 1200 bicyclists are fatally injured and over ½ million bicycle-related injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms. Of those involved in accidents males are five times more likely to be killed than females and more than half of all bicyclist deaths occur to school age children between the ages of 5 and 17.

While most bicyclist deaths occur because of bicycle-motor vehicle collisions one must note that injuries can happen in parks, on bike paths, or your own driveway and often do not involve a motor vehicle.

Of all the types of injuries that bicyclists incur, head injuries are the most serious, often leaving the injured party with permanent brain damage or dead as a result of brain trauma. However, studies have proven that bicycle helmet use can significantly reduce these types of head injuries.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’s Injury Prevention Program, bicycle helmets cab save many children and their parents from suffering the effects brain trauma injuries due to a young cyclist hitting their heads on the pavement when falling off of their bikes. However, for the helmet to be effective they need to meet the bicycle safety standards of the American National Standards Institute or the Snell Memorial Foundation. Since not all helmets meet these standards you can also check a helmet to see if it appears to have a soft, squishy padding, if it does it won’t provide good crash protection. It is additionally important that the helmet provider realize that not all helmets provide the same type of protection since they are not designed to protect from the same type of dangers. For example, bike helmets are designed to offer protection from bike crashes or falls and are very protective in headfirst falls at high speeds.

You can buy helmets meeting ANSA or Snell safety standards at bicycle shops and at some discount, department, and toy stores in adult, toddler, and children’s sizes and styles. When purchasing the helmet look for one that provides impact protection with a thick layer of firm polystyrene, plastic foam, that crushes on impact, absorbing the force of the blow. If choosing a hard-shell helmet you will also have a hard outer shell of plastic or fiberglass that provides a shield against penetration by sharp objects and holds the polystyrene together if it cracks in a fall or crash. While soft-shell helmets have no hard outer shell they are made of an extra-thick layer of polystyrene covered with a cloth cover or surface coating but the user must use the cloth cover to hold the helmet together if the polystyrene cracks on impact. While there is no consensus on the relative safety of the two types, the soft-shell helmets may be less durable.

In general, a helmet that has been through a serious fall or crash should be retired with gratitude. It has served its purpose and may not provide adequate protection in another crash. If you are uncertain whether the helmet is still usable, return it to a bike shop or the manufacturer for examination.

Tags: bicycles, bicyclist, helmets, bicycle helmets, american national standards institutes, snell memorial foundation, bicycle deaths, brain trauma

The recent decision by the Pentagon to extend army combat time in Afghanistan and Iraq is an example of how our combat troops are being continually put under increasing stress. According to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, this extended time is necessary to allow troops already stateside to have the needed time to recuperate and retrain otherwise the army would have been forced to deploy troops before they had finished a full year stateside. This would make it appear, to this reviewer at least, that the Bush Administration should have pushed for a permanent troop increase long ago rather than subject our military troops to three months of extended duty. It must be noted, however, that the current Administration did ask Congress earlier this year to increase the number of active duty personnel by 92,000 but even if this request is granted, it will take a minimum of five years to achieve this goal.

As a citizen who supports our troops, if not the war, I can’t help but feel concern regarding the hardships that military families, whose members are already deployed, will be forced to face due to the extended deployment time. Combine this with growing equipment shortages that the stateside units have had to endure, forcing them to request needed supplies from stockpiles in Afghanistan and
Iraq, and it would seem that the severe strain on an overstretched military could not do anything but add more stress to an already intolerable situation.

Given this, I believe that the Congress must move rapidly to expand permanent troops and supply the needed equipment in order to ease the strain on our troops but with the federal debt growing at an astronomical level it would seem that the Administration should consider ending this no-win war or find another means to pay for the needed expansion. Of course, I still go back to my thoughts of months ago that since this is Bush’s personal vendetta he should be the one paying for it not the American citizenry who are seeing no benefit from it but rather are seeing their children’s futures jeopardized by his out of control spending.

Tags: combat readiness, combat stress, equipment shortages, military shortages, bush administration, federal debt, combat deployment, military families, longer deployment, military hardship

Karen Rose’s Have You Seen Her? offers heart-racing thrills, both in the bedroom and the forensics lab, making this second romantic intrigue from Rose a showcase for her growing talent. In this work of fiction Rose has created complex and realistic characters in high school teacher Jenna Marshall and Special Agent Steven Thatcher but using the entire cast of characters she manages to present a great story that includes the woes of Steven’s sons Brad and Nicky, as well as, many others.

Set in High Point, North Carolina, Thatcher finds himself floundering in the midst of his investigation of a serial killer who is kidnapping and then murdering young cheerleaders in a heinous manner, while he attempts to deal with his home life that seems to be spiraling out of control.

One of Steven’s home issues deals with his seventeen-year-old son, Brad, whose difficulties extend into the classroom where Dr. Jenna Marshall, worries about his falling chemistry grades and sets up an appointment with Steven to discuss them. At their meeting Jenna and Steven find themselves mutually attracted to one another but the romance doesn’t heat up until strange accidents and vandalism begin to befall Jenna, after she flunks one of the football team’s major players. Only then, fearing for Jenna’s safety, does Steve admit his feeling for her and take it upon himself to protect her. However, one problem I had with this part of the story was why Steve, after declaring that Jenna needed around the clock protection, would leave her sitting alone for hours at the school instead of sending someone else to get her? Oh well, just one of those unanswered questions but I suppose not important in the long scheme of things. 

Otherwise, Have You Seen Her? is romantic suspense action at it’s best, with a dark overtone and while it’s loosely connected to Karen’s other books, every one is a complete story by itself containing enough twists and turns to keep you guessing who the killer is until the end of the book. Therefore, if you like romantic thrillers be sure to keep your eyes open for Rose’s next book, Count To Ten, that is due out soon.  

Tags: have you seen her?, karen rose, romantic thriller, action, suspense, murder, cheerleaders, football, kidnapping, fiction

Arbor Day is the brainchild of pioneer J. Sterling Morton who, with his wife, moved into the Nebraska Territory in 1854 from Detroit, MI. Since the 1800s saw a shortage of trees in Nebraska Morton, a journalist and editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper used this forum to share his love for trees, shrubs and flowers with an enthusiastic audience of fellow northeasterners who missed their trees. However, more importantly the cold Nebraska climate needed trees to act as windbreaks against the numbing cold, for fuel, for housing material and for shade from the summer heat.

As Morton’s fame increased, he became secretary of the Nebraska Territory and used his influence to encourage not only individuals but also civic organizations and groups to join his campaign on planting trees. It was during this time that Morton, on January 4, 1872 first proposed a tree-planting holiday – “Arbor Day” at a meeting of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. Because of his proposal, Arbor Day was first celebrated on April 10, 1872, with prizes being awarded to counties and individuals for correctly planting the largest number of trees on that day. For enjoyment, reports indicate that a huge parade preceded Morton delivering speech honoring the Territory’s schools for having every classroom plant at least one tree. It is estimated that in excess of one million trees were planted on that first Arbor Day but it wasn’t until 1885 that Nebraska Governor, Robert Furnas, made Arbor Day a legal holiday to be observed on April 22 every year, in remembrance of Morton’s birthday.

After the 1872 celebration, other states began to pass legislation to observe Arbor Day and by 1882, it had become a school tradition nationwide. Today the most common date for the observance is the last Friday in April but some states adjust the date to coincide with the best tree planting time in their areas of the country.

Tags: j. sterling morton, arbor day, tree planting, nebraska history, legal holiday observation,   history

Thanks to a deal with ISAN International, Microsoft’s colorful barcode technology — that was shelved two years ago — will begin appearing on DVD and video game cases later this year. ISAN, a Geneva-based company, assigns codes to movies, keeping a database of not only the movie but also of the director, cast members, and release date. The new barcode with its red, green, yellow, and black triangles is expected to simplify its procedures.

Once the new technology is activated, studios and producers will be able to link their personal Web sites to this database. In the future, consumers using digital cameras may even be able to scan the barcodes from DVD cases, advertisements, or billboards to a Web page to watch trailers or buy products.

In the initial trial stages, only Webcams and digital cameras will be able to take advantage of this technology, as cell phone imagery isn’t clear enough for the technology to read accurately. Another obstacle for this technology to hurdle is censoring what producers or TV networks don’t want the public to be able to view while allowing access to other portions of the material. According to Gavin Jancke, Microsoft researcher who invented the new barcode, the United States will eventually catch up with Japan where people are often seen taking photos of a billboard’s giant barcode. He also adds that while previous attempts to introduce similar technology has failed the rise in cell phone camera use and the current familiarity with the Internet may prove that this technology’s time has come.

Tags: microsoft, barcode technology, gavin jancke, colored barcodes, isan, web cams, digital cameras, new technology released

Karen Rose author of I’m Watching You delivers a phenomenal romantic story and crime drama plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat until late into the night.

However, don’t expect to be hooked by Rose’s trademark tentacles of fear since they never fully extend but sit back and enjoy the developing romance between Kristen and handsome detective Abe Reagan, who’s still reeling from seeing his now deceased, pregnant wife shot by a gunman that had his mind set on extracting revenge on Abe.

It is important to Chicago assistant state’s attorney Kristen Mayhew, the plot’s protagonist, to treat every case that comes across her desk seriously, since she herself is hiding the fact, from her colleagues, that she was at one time a victim of rape. However, she can’t always win every case no matter how heinous the crime and suddenly a vigilante serial killer calling himself “Your Humble Servant” leaves three boxes in the trunk of Kristin’s car each containing a victim’s clothing, their photograph, and a sinister note to Kristin informing her that “justice had been carried out on her behalf. With this development, Detective Abe Reagan enters the case and when he and Kristen team up they find themselves drawn emotionally together but are forced to face their pasts, and the danger that surrounds them, before they can have a life together.  

You will find, however, intentional breaks in the tension that are meant to allow the reader to appreciate the author’s sensitive portrayal of Kristen’s hesitancy in trusting Abe as he struggles to uncoil the vibrant woman hiding within her. A great group of supporting characters, including Abe’s family and colleagues will give Ms. Rose a host of people to choose from for any sequels that she has in the works.  

Author Karen Rose does an incredible job of pulling you and I found I’m Watching You, to be a superbly penned suspense that kept me wondering until the end exactly who “Your Humble Servant” was as I found myself almost rooting for the killer since the scum he was killing was so bad. This was a great page-turning read in which the romance between Abe and Kristin showed extreme sensitivity that gave way to steamy howbeit-sweet romantic involvement. The author also manages to balance the romance with the murder plot thus offering enough twists and turns to avoid being redundant or overblown guaranteeing a well-rounded read. If you have not yet read Ms. Rose’s previous works you have missed a very talented author and you’ll miss a great read if you don’t look at I’m Watching You.

Tags: i’m watching you, karen rose, fiction, police, murder, mystery, romance, vigilante, serial killer, criminal justice

Before submitting The Secret for publication, Rhonda Byrne had brought together this supposedly life-changing information for her movie, The Secret, which has proven to be a phenomenon in its own right. However, I found nothing new in the secret since the central idea expressed in The Secret is reminiscent of the belief in The Power of Positive Thinking that was written by Norman Vincent Peale years ago. The Secret like Peale’s book centers on the concept of the “self-fulfilling prophecy, where people can bring things on to themselves by believing either positive or negative things and then stating them. Given that I cannot accept that negative thoughts was responsible for the deaths of all the people killed in the Holocaust as Ms. Byrne implies. One of the other problems I had with the book, however, is that the author took it a bit further than Peale did in that she expressed the thought that one can simply wish for something to be so and then expect it to happen which from my perspective is a little beyond reality. That is not to say that I don’t believe that you can achieve specific goals by beginning with a wish and then tailoring your actions and efforts towards making that wish a reality. Ms Byrne’s book is a perfect example of what I am saying, as she didn’t just wish for the book to appear she researched it, put her concepts into writing, and then found a publisher to fulfill her dream of publishing a successful book.

While what The Secret suggests has been found in literature, as well as, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries this is the first time, all the pieces of this philosophy have been brought together in book form with the intention of explaining to the reader how they can apply it to every interaction in their lives. However, I found it somewhat selfishly motivated with its primary focus seeming to be on acquiring wealth not on some new methodology to achieve a state of nirvana or a way to bring positive things into one’s life. For example an excerpt from page 6 states, “People who have drawn wealth into their lives used The Secret. Their predominant thoughts are of wealth. They only know wealth, and nothing else exists in their minds.” Then, a bit further, down that same page the author continues the thought with, “You may know of people who acquired massive wealth, lost it all, and within a short time acquired massive wealth again. …their dominant thoughts were on wealth…then they allowed fearful thoughts of losing the wealth to enter their minds, until those fearful thoughts of loss became their dominant thoughts.”

Another problem that I personally had with the book was that the author obscured the identity of God with the universe as to make them one-in-the-same. I do not know of other religious perspectives on God but I am fairly certain that none of them teach that God is the universe rather than an omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent spiritual being.  Additionally, since the book is a compilation of opinions from a group of professionals in several fields, it would be more accurate for Ms. Byrne to present herself as the editor, rather than the author of the book.

Saying all that, I found the concepts expounded in the book beautiful examples of what we could achieve if we explored our potential, but felt that overall the book was somewhat dangerous for some readers as it failed to convey that simply wishing something, without doing something to make it a reality can only lead to disappointment. However, the success of this book shows how hungry we as a consumer based society are for someone to tell us that change happens magically without having to confront our demons and without taking responsibility for the life we created. Most of all though I think the book is objectively wrong in trying to spiritualize greed to the world’s largest consumer economy and implying that when bad things happen to people, it is their fault for thinking negatively. I further believe that anyone who buys this book in search of becoming successful is doing the exact opposite of what successful people do because successful people do not waste wealth on something that can deliver no rate of return. Instead, they invest their time, energy and yes money into something that will appreciate in value, therefore my advice - forget The Secret and check out The Circle by Laura Day where you will be shown how to write down your goals and make them happen.

Tags: the secret, rhonda byrne, philosophy, positive thinking, norman vincent peale, self-help book, self-fulfilling prophecy

While some biotechnology companies are busy developing tomorrow’s blockbuster medications biotech stocks can be volatile. The Fidelity Select Biotechnology mutual fund, for example, lost 41 percent in 2002 and then gained 33 percent in 2003. It gained only 4 percent in 2006, vs. nearly 16 percent for the S&P 500. Therefore, while the promise of a new seemingly magical drug is exciting, one must realize that it can take 10 years or longer to get from development to market. 

Before it can even hope to get market, it must jump Food and Drug Administration hurdles that require a three-phase trial on humans. That can take five years or longer and an additional year to apply and receive FDA approval for the drug’s release to the public.  

Don’t despair, though because you can still invest in pharmaceutical giants such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly and although the idea for a new drug might start with a scientist working for a small company, the new drug is most likely going to end up being marketed and sold by one of these companies.   

Remember though the old logic that says that you should invest in what you understand so if  you’re not a scientist, think twice before investing and pinning your hopes in a small firm that thinks that it may have discovered a miracle drug. So my advice to those of you who are new to the market is to invest in the tried and proven pharmaceutical giants with broad and deep product pipelines.

Tags: stocks, investment opportunities, pharmaceuticals, fidelity select biotechnology mutual fund, pfizer, johnson & johnson, biotech stocks, eli lilly

As Microsoft is preparing to release its own line of designer tools for use on the Web, it may find that it won’t be that easy to cash in on this portion of the market since many of the Web’s coolest sites use Flash and other design programs created by Adobe Systems, Incorporated. Additionally, with the line between Internet and desktop programs blurring Microsoft may find it more difficult than it anticipates competing against Adobe on its home turf, the desktop.

Microsoft is preparing to release its suite of design software known as Expression Studio that is expected to go head on head with Adobe’s established Photoshop and Illustrator software. To counter the anticipated reluctance of users to change over Microsoft will offer its suite at a mere $599, a steal when compared to the $1,000 Adobe charges for its Web Developer software. Microsoft has already released Expression Web to compete with Adobe’s Dreamweaver and by the end of the month; Microsoft expects to release its Beta version of Silverlight, a Flash-like browser plug-in. As a major bonus to consumers, Microsoft’s Expression Web and Silverlight will enable multimedia presentations that will work regardless of the viewer’s Web browser or operating system.

However, this is just the latest clash between the two as Microsoft’s dominance over the operating system and desktop software markets is basically unchallenged, while Adobe’s greatest asset is its Web-Savvy designers. In addition, the two software giants are also battling over standards for the paperless office and tools for displaying content on and building applications for mobile phones and handheld computers. Adobe, if it can hold onto its loyalty base, has the ability to maintain its share of the market but Microsoft has, with Silverlight, addressed the biggest problem that Web professionals have been complaining about, since the mid-1990s, that the code it was generating didn’t work well with non-Microsoft Web browsers. When one thinks about it though it will come down to the consumer’s desire to spend the extra cash required to change systems and retrain its personnel if it elects to install Microsoft’s new software which could be to Adobe’s advantage.

Tags: microsoft, adobe, silverlight, expression web, web browser, web design tools, dreamweaver, illustrator, photoshop, flash, computer software

Maid of Honor/Personal Attendant:   

• Purchases and completes fittings of gowns
• Performs tasks as assigned by bride
• Attends rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

Best Man: 

• Assists groom with all details of the wedding day.
• Pays for own attire
• Attends rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• Attends bachelor dinner if there is one
• Transports groom to the church.
• Supervises the grooms men, regarding their dress and duties at ceremony
• Takes care of bride’s ring until ceremony.
• Presents the clergyperson with fee.
• Signs and witnesses the marriage certificate
• Offers the first toast to the bride and groom.
• Dances with the bride after the groom and both fathers have danced with her
• Prepares the honeymoon car, packs suitcases in car.
• Holds for safe-keeping, any tickets, keys, etc. for the groom.
• Returns groom’s tuxedo to rental shop.

Groomsmen: 

• Pays for their own wedding attire
• Attends rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• Attends bachelor dinner if there is one
• Escorts bridesmaids during the ceremony

Ushers:  

• Pay for own wedding attire
• Attends rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• Attends bachelor dinner if there is one
• Make sure principles have flowers before being seated.
• Distribute wedding programs.
• Seat guests on appropriate side of church.
• Assist elderly guests to seats.
• After all guests are seated, unroll aisle carpet.
• Check church or synagogue for any items left behind.

Trainbearer  

• They attend the rehearsal and may attend the rehearsal dinner with their families.
• The trainbearers follow the bride in the processional and recessional.
• During the ceremony, the trainbearer may stand near the ushers or sit with their families.
• They are in the formal Photographs of the bridal party.

Ringbearer  

• The ring bearer carries a pillow with a ring or rings sewn to it.
• The ring bearer walks either directly in front of or besides the flower girl 
• If real rings are tied to the pillow the ring bearer takes the pillow directly to the maid of honor and the best man who will remove the rings.
• During the ceremony, the ringbearer may stand near the ushers or sit with their families.
• They are in the formal Photographs of the bridal party.

At the Reception  

• Ring and Trainbearers do not usually stand in the reception line.
• Ring and Trainbearers usually sit at a table of honor with their families.

Expenses

• Families of ring and Trainbearers are expected to pay for attire.
• If travel expenses are involved, the children’s families pick up these costs.
• Ring and Trainbearers are not expected to bring gifts to any pre-wedding parties they may attend. If their parents attend gifts expectations would be the same as any other guest. If they attend more than one party, only one shower gift is expected.

Tags: wedding etiquette, bridesmaids, matron of honor, responsibilities, maid of honor, groomsmen, ushers, ring bearers, trainbearers, wedding attendent expenses, best man