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Is your credit union on the hunt for a new core processing system? If so, be aware that nobodys going to make it easy for you. In fact, sometimes theyll do quite the opposite. If vendors arent going to tell you what you want to know, who is? You are, but youll have to do a little digging. Dont accept proclamations at face value. Unearth some skeletons. And never lose sight of the way you want to serve your members, because thats why youre looking for a core processor in the first place.
By Lindsey Geisler The Governors Annual Easter Egg Hunt was anything but a sure bet this year. Storms that raged Friday night threatened to continue into Saturday. That would have forced the event to move to a downtown parking garage where candy would have been handed out.

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Buying A Second Home
Fiftyish parents are not the only ones anxious to see the children move out and get on with their lives. Realtors also look forward to the empty-nest stage so they can sell vacation homes to affluent couples with money to spend on themselves. But some parents dont wait for the nest to empty before they buy another one. Couples with children under age 18 at home have an average propensity to own vacation homes. But they are numerous, so they comprise 25 percent of the total market. Single parents, people who live alone, and other households are about half as likely as average to have second homes, but this diverse group is numerous enough that it also accounts for 27 percent of the market. Real estate accumulates with age. Few house-holders under age 35 own a second home. The two largest age markets are couples aged 35 to 54 with children under age 18 at home and couples aged 55 and older with no children. Each comprises about 20 percent of the total.
Construction of luxury vacation homes and second residences near lakes in Kootenai County has increased sharply and buyers from across the country are getting in on the action. Builders say the high-end second-home market started to take off about five years ago, and theres no end in sight to the trend. Prices for new high-end homes now range between roughly $1 million and $5 million, says Jim Edwards, owner of Edwards Construction Inc., a Coeur dAlene contractor that specializes in building high-end vacation homes.

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Had you been in the Clapham area of London this time last year you might have seen a slight, bearded man in sandals and spectacles stuffing post boxes with stacks of small brown envelopes. He dispatched several hundred every Christmas and for some reason was of the belief that the Post Office might not deliver them if they were all posted in one place. There will be no Christmas cards from Euan Uglow this year, no home-made jam signed: “Much love, EU.” He died on 31 August, aged 68, after a short illness that surprised and shocked him but never suppressed his spirit. Euan was, in the words of the art critic Bill Packer, “one of the best painters to have worked in England in the past 50 years”. Myles Murphy, a fellow painter and friend who visited his studio in Turnchapel Mews soon after he died, came away “elated”. Not because his presence is still all around - in the hundreds of paintbrushes, the plumb lines, the 24-hour clock he built to work backwards just to prove that he could - but “because the paintings are so good”. Even those that remain unfinished: the Halloween gourd, the luminous nudes, the still lives he began (and sometimes finished) on Boxing Day in one of his many rituals.
> ATHENS The leader of Greeces powerful Orthodox Church has urged worshippers not to buy Christmas cards bearing unchristian designs like Santa Claus and Christmas trees. All the cards have snow and deer. that is not the message of Christmas, Archbishop Christodoulos said. You must buy cards that show the birth of Christ. In 2000 he suggested that Valentines Day should be scrapped.
Online Christmas cards will save you the hassle of hunting for stamps, and you can send them on the day. While no-one would willingly exchange an empty mantelpiece for a full inbox, they can be the other only realistic option, especially for overseas cards sent late in the day. To send the card, simply fill in your e-mail and that of your recipient, add a personal message (which you can spell-check). You can even add a photo if you like.

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Before reading this chapter, please see “How to Get the Most Out of this Book” on page 1. It will clarify questions you may have concerning data collection procedures, forecasting methodology, sources and references, and the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. For other topics related to this chapter, see chapters 44 (Drugs), and 45 (Medical and Dental Instruments and Supplies).
Developing a “Culture of Safety” A year ago we wrote about the complex process involved in identifying, categorizing, and assessing medical error in health care in the United States (”Assessing Medical Error in Health Care,” Health Progress, November– December 2001, pp. 14-17). That article discussed the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on medical error, “To Err Is Human,” and the erosion of public trust in U.S. health care.

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PROVO — A free home-maintenance class for first-time homebuyers and other interested community members will be held Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Community Action Services, 815 S. Freedom Blvd. The class is part of a five-session course offered locally by Habitat for Humanity of Utah County and Community Action Services. The topics of this months class are interior wall repair and leaky roof repair. The course will be offered in its entirety every five months. No registration is required. Participants need only to come to the class. The course is sponsored by the Ashton Family Foundation.
PROVO — A free home maintenance class will be held Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Community Action Services, 815 S. Freedom Blvd. for first-time homebuyers and other interested community members. The class is part of a five-session course offered locally by Habitat for Humanity of Utah County and Community Action Services. The topic of this months class is basic landscaping. Brian Peterson from Built Right will be the instructor. The course is offered every five months. No registration is required. The course is sponsored by the Ashton Family Foundation.
Home Warranty Association of California Offers Guidelines VENTURA, Calif. — California home buyers, approximately nine out of 10 of whom apply for home warranty contracts at the time of a resale home purchase, can maximize the benefits of this product by adhering to proper maintenance guidelines suggested by the Home Warranty Association of California (HWAC). Lightfoot noted that air conditioning, furnaces, heat pump condensers, and water heaters comprise the major equipment items on which home owners should focus. These are the most costly items in a home and the ones likely to require proper maintenance, he said.

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Relationships with family and friends matter a great deal to children and are also important to long-term emotional and psychological development. The United Kingdom compares poorly in that area with other countries. Most distressingly, we have the lowest proportion reporting that their peers are kind and helpful - less than half say that is the case compared with more than 80 per cent in Switzerland.
BEST MILITARY-FAMILY DISCOUNT GO! CHOICE: Morale, Welfare and Recreation center, Fort Carson This service provides discounts on dining, recreational- equipment rentals, lift tickets, tickets to local events, mountain- bike trips, rock- and ice-climbing classes and other outdoor- recreational programs to active-duty military and their families. The service also organizes special events and provides youth services on Fort Carson year-round.
Young Hope is excited about her familys annual get-together at Aunt Poogees house. This years dinner will be extra special for Hope because she is bringing a surprise dessert-peppermint pickles! Readers will enjoy this poignant and delightful family tale grounded in the theme of acceptance. A sequel to her first childrens book, Hope, Monks Family is clearly another “must-have” title. Porters glorious illustrations delight. Ages 5-8. Reviewed by Eileen Shultz, Kutztown University of PA

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Executives from Endless Vacation Rentals by Wyndham
Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) and PhoCusWright presented landmark research on the
$24 billion vacation rental
industry, one of the untapped travel segments that is poised for
significant change and growth.

“The vacation rental marketplace is large, dynamic, long understudied and
poised for transformation. U.S. consumers are voracious travelers, hungry
for value, but accustomed to hotels,” said Douglas Quinby, senior director,
research at PhoCusWright. “Vacation rental companies that smartly target
that demand can not only tap this growing $24 billion opportunity, but the
larger leisure hotel market as well.”

Key findings from “PhoCusWrights Vacation Rental Marketplace: Poised for
Change” include:

TinySurfer, a leader in the travel industry,
expects to add approximately 100 more California vacation rentals to their
free travel website. Interested travelers can find the perfect vacation
accommodations at TinySurfer without even leaving their homes or offices.
From California to Costa Rica, Tiny Surfer offers the freshest, most
exciting free vacation rental
listings available.

According to the California Travel and Tourism Commission, direct spending
for California travel totaled $93.8 billion in 2006. Over the past three
years, California travel spending increased at an annual average rate of
6.9 percent. CIC Research, Inc. revealed California enjoys about 14
million international visitors every year. TinySurfer is ready to meet
this increasing demand for California vacation
rentals by adding new options to their free travel website. With
approximately 100 new California rentals featured, there are lodging
choices ranging from budget to luxury to appeal to every traveler.

Free vacation rental listings are just a few clicks away at TinySurfer.
Without spending a penny, people can view potential accommodations or list
their own vacation rentals. Because it is free, the listings are
constantly updated so users do not find dead beat old listings that may not
even be available. New listings are added daily so travelers can find the
exact accommodations they want. From affordable lodging to waterfront
mansions, vacationers can find their ideal rental, make travel arrangements
and even secure a rental car.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — VacationRental.org (VRO) has announced the travel industrys first Green Certified Vacation Rental program. The certification identifies environmentally friendly vacation rentals that meet recycling, energy efficiency and energy conservation standards. Just as the hotel and lodging industry has chosen this direction, so must the vacation rental sector, said Shane Owenby, VRO manager. The hotel industry has moved aggressively to be more green in response to the demands of their guests. Vacation rentals must do likewise. Properties qualify for the designation if they meet three criteria:

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Exercise and Cancers: Research Opportunities for Health-Related Fitness ScientistsRepresentatives from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will challenge AAHPERD members to contribute to cancer prevention and control, describing the most promising research opportunities and resources to support investigation of the relationships between cancers and exercise. The presentation will be based on a synoptic article being developed by the ACS and the Office for Health Promotion of Northern Illinois University. Ruth Corcoran of ACS will describe a proposed collaborative research agenda, suggesting that two sets of consensually developed guidelines are needed to promote such research: one set to facilitate dissemination of what experts already know to the public and providers (including exercise specialists); and a second set to facilitate further collaborative research. Speakers from CDC and NCI will outline what is known about these topics, and how exercise scientists can contribute to further development (see accompanying abstracts). Presenters will recommend a process to develop research priorities, involving cancer experts, public health scientists, and relevant interest groups in AAHPERD. Members will be asked to contribute ideas for a research agenda.The Cancer-Exercise Agenda: Opportunities in Applications Research
School physicals To celebrate National Community Health Centers Week, Community Health is offering a special rate for school and sports physicals. Through Sept. 1, the physicals will cost $25 - or less for those who qualify for further cost reductions. The usual charge is $71. The physicals are offered from 10 a.m.- noon and 3-8 p.m. weekdays at Community Healths Immediate Care Clinic, 2858 International Circle. No appointments are necessary. For information, call 630-6440, Ext. 6363.
Source: Global Forum for Health Research

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HUNDREDS of pounds 100 cash bonuses are being paid to Foreign Office staff worldwide for speeding up visa applications from people desperate to reach Britain. The disclosure is another embarrassing blow for embattled Home Secretary David Blunkett as he fights to quell the storm over the Governments immigration policy. All 35 officials in Britains visa office in Moscow and their 12 UK-based colleagues received the special pounds 100 cash bonuses as they prepared to handle a record 66,000 applications this year. Details of the bonuses are revealed in the wake of the resignation of Immigration Minister Beverley Hughes last week after she admitted misleading the public over a visa scam in Eastern Europe. She confessed she had been warned by ex-Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth about bogus applications from Romania and Bulgaria to set up businesses in Britain.
The Home Secretary David Blunkett is facing fresh allegations that a second visa application was fast-tracked for his former lovers nanny. A report said the nanny, Leoncia Casalme, obtained a visa to visit her sister in Austria ( which would normally have taken four weeks to process ( in just days. A spokesman for Mr Blunkett confirmed that Mrs Quinn had spoken to him about Miss Casalmes visa application for Austria but denied that he had become involved in the case.

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A 10-acre industrial property in North Little Rock changed hands in a $775,000 transaction. KTJ Ltd. One Hundred Sixty-One, led by Joseph Ryan, acquired the site on Diamond Drive from William and Sharon Smith and Thomas Clemens. The property is backed with a pair of two-year loans of $4.37 million and $262,922 from BNC National Bank of Minneapolis. The property was bought for an undisclosed sum in July 1950 from Butane Wholesale Gas Co.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the event was the panel moderated by Daniel Richler of BookTelevision. On stage at the ROM theatre was the legendary Hollywood producer David Brown (Jaws, The Sting, The Player, Chocolat),screenwriter Robert Schenkkan (who co-wrote the remake of The Quiet American with Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser), director/screenwriter Patricia Rozema (Ive Heard the Mermaids Singing, Mansfield Park), producer Christina Jennings (Conquest, Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang) and author/screenwriter Edward Riche (Rare Birds, Made in Canada). Riche, who was in town for the Geminis–he won for his contribution to Made in Canada–said in a interview the following day, “It was a kind of loose, wide-ranging discussion about what the problems are with adaptations. To my mind, if you pick the right property there is not much of a problem. Very often I think failed books make for great movies.” Brown seemed to concur when he told the audience, “Sometimes movies are better than the book,” and Rozema observed that, in general, “shorter novels adapt better on the screen.” The next day, at a book fair held at the Sutton Place Hotel, Michael Hirsh, co-founder and outgoing CEO of Nelvana, and Valerie Hussey, CEO of Kids Can Press (which was sold to Nelvana in 1998), publisher of the hugely popular Franklin the Turtle books, held a QA over lunch. Gail Thompson, head of marketing and promotion at the OMDC, saw this as a perfect example of “increased opportunities in cross-sector collaboration” and a template for the future activities of the newly restructured OMDC (formerly the Ontario Film Development Corp.). Once only a funding agency for the film sector, it now embraces film and television, music, book and magazine publishing, and interactive digital media. The new direction for the OMDC began in 2000 and was formally implemented in February 2001. “They [the provincial-cultural bureaucrats] began to look at the cultural sector as a vital cluster,” says Frappier. “The entertainment and leisure industry is expanding fast, and Toronto and Ontario are well-positioned to grow in this sector. Were trying to encourage the various sectors not only to be integrated within themselves, but seek other partners. Our mandate is very simple–job investment and content production. Even though we are a cultural agency, we have an economic mandate, and a lot of our programs will be aimed at making our sectors more successful.” Frappier, whose background is in marketing, advertising and, at one time, was the senior vice-president of corporate development in North America for the Thomson newspaper chain, sees this as an advantage. “I bring a lot of private-business acumen to the job, and we have some terrific people here in programming, policy and marketing.”

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By Lindsey Geisler The Governors Annual Easter Egg Hunt was anything but a sure bet this year. Storms that raged Friday night threatened to continue into Saturday. That would have forced the event to move to a downtown parking garage where candy would have been handed out.
Is your credit union on the hunt for a new core processing system? If so, be aware that nobodys going to make it easy for you. In fact, sometimes theyll do quite the opposite. If vendors arent going to tell you what you want to know, who is? You are, but youll have to do a little digging. Dont accept proclamations at face value. Unearth some skeletons. And never lose sight of the way you want to serve your members, because thats why youre looking for a core processor in the first place.

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Industry OverviewThe industrial and commercial machinery industry includes establishments engaged in manufacturing machinery and equipment for commercial and industrial use. This diverse industry includes the manufacturing of a wide range of machines including computer equipment, engines, turbines, elevators, conveyors, cranes, monorails, refrigeration equipment, tractors, metalworking machines, power-driven hand tools, and office equipment.The industrys fortunes may be looking up. The machinery sector saw earnings growth in the first half of 2003. Factory orders for machinery increased in June and July, but slipped slightly in August, falling below Julys number but still remaining ahead of June. If the economy improves steadily, as some economist predict it will, the machinery industry should see improvement in sales and earnings as other industry sectors pick up the pace of production. Management predictions for the remainder of the year remain cautious, however.
PS, which has 20 per cent of the Canadian rental market, supplies cameras, lights, grips and more in Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina and Vancouver. It also has operations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and South Africa. With this new international business, along with the ever-growing domestic industry, PS is busier than ever. Every year our business expands by three-fold, boasts PS marketing director Khanh Nguyen, surrounded by the hectic atmosphere of the PS Toronto warehouse. Its the height of busy season, which runs from April to December. As one truck is unloaded, a second is loaded up for another shoot. Inside the warehouse, which is packed with a multitude of gels, tripods, ladders, dollies, clamps, cables and high-powered generators, people are busy prepping or repairing equipment. During the peak season, PS operates around the clock. It wasnt quite so hectic when PS president and founder Doug Dales started his business in 1972. A friends father approached Dales to buy the assets of an equipment rental company. Using his personal savings and loans from close relatives, he took the plunge. It looked like a great opportunity and I saw a future in it. With three cameras and dozens of lights, Dales and his small team began renting equipment for commercial shoots. Since the NFB and CBC had in-house equipment, PS worked with the growing independent production community. As Canadian independent producers began to grow, that was our market, explains Dales. PS has expanded along with firms such as Playing with Time (now Epitome) and Alliance. We have a lot of long-time relationships. For instance, weve worked on all of Atom Egoyans films. I must admit, I do feel we share in their success as well. One of those small independents was Atlantis. When PS required more space in the early 1980s, it approached Atlantis. The two joined forced and created Cinevillage in Toronto. This 97,000-square-foot facility is home to PS, Atlantis, four other firms, as well as two large sound stages that house The Life Channel and the Atlantis series Traders.

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After seeing the picture on page 75 of the October 2005 issue, I beg the question, What on Earth were you thinking?! publishing such a spectacle for the world to see. The photo of target practice to end the life of a defenseless and otherwise benign beast sends all the wrong messages about guns and those who own and use them. I was particularly dismayed because it gives gun owners and users the reputation as senseless takers of life for no other reason but for target practice. Shame on the ones using their weapons this way!
William Jay Smiths The Girl in Glass: Love Poems is forthcoming from Brooks Co.
You must be able to give your PIN number, your list of players - and dont forget to give your name, address and a daytime telephone number.

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Getting publicity can often make the difference between success and failure for businesses. Designing and executing an effective publicity campaign is no longer strictly the domain of PR professionals either. Getting Publicity, now in its third edition, shows you how to do it right. The authors show how to make the best of every opportunity for free coverage in print, broadcast and Internet media.
Whoever you become romantically involved with, wherever you go with them, make absolutely sure of one thing. that youre not a Smug Couple. You know the kind. If you find yourself in a public place, a bar or at a bus stop, giving your partner a shoulder rub, youre already in the zone. Just relinquish the shoulders and take two steps back with your hands in the air.

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A review of the marketing literature in both the traditional (offline) and new era (online) environments was undertaken to compare and contrast marketings role in both types of organisation. Insights derived from this review formed the basis for a series of in-depth interviews with leading marketing professionals in Ireland. The paper draws conclusions regarding the overall effect of the Internet on marketing. In particular it notes that, while marketing has evolved into an all-encompassing role in the organisation, the marketer remains the focal actor. The paper looks to a future with two distinct kinds of marketer and highlights the importance of retaining the traditional commitments of marketing practice. The Internet is a significant global medium for communications, content and commerce. It is a powerful tool for building relationships with all of a companys communication targets. It is cheap, immediate and repeatable. With appropriate technology it can be personalised and is measurable. Building one-to-one relationships with customers online provides marketers with the ability to cut through the clutter that is characteristic of traditional marketing activities such as TV/radio and newspaper advertising, PR and outdoor, ambient media.
Internet Consultant

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HMOs: An Alternative THE ACCUMULATED COST OF health care in New Mexico — as in virtually all other areas of the nation — is enough at times to cause severe indigestion, if not outright cardiac arrest. Its likely why 80 percent of New Mexicans with some form of health insurance are under what is called a type of “managed care,” including Medicare and Medicaid. And a lot of that “managed care” is the choice by many companies to opt for Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) to contain costs while providing adequate benefits to employees.
Alternative health practices for livestock.
NEW YORK — The demographic trend that is driving sales of prescription drugs, namely the aging of baby boomers, is also having a positive effect on demand for homeopathic remedies. Consumers who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s, when suspicion of mainstream practices–health-related and otherwise–was widespread, are more open to alternative medicine and accepting of homeopathy than earlier generations were. Today many of those consumers are turning to homeopathic remedies to treat themselves and their families.

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VitalRx.com also plans to offer free services that allow consumers to create personal medical records and access health information.
Julio F. Gallo, M.D., FACS, co-founder, The MIAMI Institute for Age Management Intervention, says, We are heartened by the outpouring of interest in our new medical spa. Beautiful Forevers research and business development counseling was pivotal to our launch, and no doubt to the huge success we are already experiencing after just opening our doors last month. Adds Dr. Gallo, Cheryl has an amazing ability to combine business knowledge, marketing expertise and operational know-how with other aspects of medical and aesthetic treatments. She seems to know what will be hot before it is. She has been an invaluable asset in setting up the aesthetic treatments and office structure of our new comprehensive medical spa and cosmetic surgery center. Cheryl Whitman, CEO, Beautiful Forever, says, The medical spa business is an exciting trend, quickly gaining traction across the country. Consumers want more than they can get at the traditional day spa. They want a one-stop beauty destination where they can receive pampering as well as some on trend cosmetic and aesthetic procedures.
The 2007 U.S. Drugs and Health and Beauty Aids Product Lines report features 2007 current and 2008 forecast estimates on the sales of drugs and health/beauty aids product lines for the 15 retail industries. The report also includes industry definition, 5-year historical trends on product lines sales. Product lines include prescription medications, non-prescription medications, vitamin supplements, health aids, cosmetics, hygiene needs and hearing aids. These industry reports (and U.S. Industry Market Outlook) provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the largest industries in United States. These estimates are produced by a proprietary economic model that is based on a number of sources and factors: 1. The size and characteristics of the largest U.S. industries (based on the U.S. Bureau of the Census publications, such as the U.S. Census 2000, U.S. Statistical Abstract, and County Business Patterns).

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Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers BELLEVUE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 7, 2003 CMS, an international health club consulting firm and Bellevue-based iWellness, today announced a partnership to develop weight loss and health promotions for more than 650 health clubs worldwide.
Numerous social and networking activities, including a clothing exchange, fashion show featuring post-op patients and a dinner dance, will be offered during the event. In addition to the exciting guest speakers and fashion events, the summit will offer a vendor area with multiple products for the weight loss surgery patient.
* Medications That Promote Weight Loss

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Contributions to The Network may be mailed to: Detroiter, One Woodward Ave., P.O. Box 33840, Detroit MI 48232-0840; taxed to (313) 964-0531; or e-mailed to cmead@detroitchamber.com.
Cosmic Slam is the first of four comic books featuring baseball players as superheros and will retail for $3.95.
We generally understand entertainment as a pleasant, restful, stimulating, and exciting reception phenomenon–as a pleasant experience of the physical system (sensory activities), of the psychological system (ego-motions), the social system of individuals (socio-motions), the cognitive system (wit, intellectual arousal), and the spiritual system. * public participation, i.e., personal involvement with songs, ola-waves, games, and gambling; * show elements with links to arts, like skating or dancing;

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Exercise equipment has worn out its welcome at mass merchandisers. Trading up didnt work. Cutting assortments wasnt effective. More bells and whistles didnt produce much noise. The basic problem remained the same–no profits. An oversaturated marketplace, combined with chilled consumer interest and overall, soft consumer spending has turned the once-muscular category into complete flab.
Yet the same survey found that the equipment goes unused in over a third of these households. The availability of trainers and classes at exercise facilities has given many individuals the knowledge needed to pursue personal fitness regimens at home-26 percent of home exercisers cite their previous use of equipment (e.g., in gyms and health clubs) as the determining factor in their decision to purchase equipment for their homes. Apparently, though, the same factors that prevent people from exercising in public (e.g., low motivation, lack of time) are affecting the home workout as well.
The StayMobile II[TM] resistive exercise system is designed to meet the demand for bariatric exercise equipment. An important feature is ease of transfer, which often eliminates a transfer to a mat table. The potential for back strain for staff is reduced, and resident safety is improved. Designed for individuals weighing more than 190 lbs, the unit is made of 12-gauge steel and features a 32-wide molded seat. CIRCLE 111 ON READER SERVICE CARD

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Buying A Second Home
Construction of luxury vacation homes and second residences near lakes in Kootenai County has increased sharply and buyers from across the country are getting in on the action. Builders say the high-end second-home market started to take off about five years ago, and theres no end in sight to the trend. Prices for new high-end homes now range between roughly $1 million and $5 million, says Jim Edwards, owner of Edwards Construction Inc., a Coeur dAlene contractor that specializes in building high-end vacation homes.

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Children at a local primary school have got into the festive spirit by designing Christmas cards. Year five students at Rowley Lane Junior and Infant School were asked by Abode Construction, of Lepton, to design a range of Christmas cards for their customers. Alex Moscovitch (front right) , of Abode Construction is pictured presenting present prizes to the children (from left) Aleena Sattar, who won first prize with her design (above), Charlotte Poor who was in second place and Joe Hodgson who was third.
The custom of exchanging Christmas cards with faraway friends and relatives was boosted during World War II. While cards produced during the Depression of the 1930s demonstrated the hard times of that era, with Santa appearing with holes in his boots and pack, World War II brought patriotic messages to the fore. Cards showed Santa Claus and Uncle Sam carrying flags. Messages like “Missing You” and “Across the Miles” were created especially for servicemen fighting overseas.
Had you been in the Clapham area of London this time last year you might have seen a slight, bearded man in sandals and spectacles stuffing post boxes with stacks of small brown envelopes. He dispatched several hundred every Christmas and for some reason was of the belief that the Post Office might not deliver them if they were all posted in one place. There will be no Christmas cards from Euan Uglow this year, no home-made jam signed: “Much love, EU.” He died on 31 August, aged 68, after a short illness that surprised and shocked him but never suppressed his spirit. Euan was, in the words of the art critic Bill Packer, “one of the best painters to have worked in England in the past 50 years”. Myles Murphy, a fellow painter and friend who visited his studio in Turnchapel Mews soon after he died, came away “elated”. Not because his presence is still all around - in the hundreds of paintbrushes, the plumb lines, the 24-hour clock he built to work backwards just to prove that he could - but “because the paintings are so good”. Even those that remain unfinished: the Halloween gourd, the luminous nudes, the still lives he began (and sometimes finished) on Boxing Day in one of his many rituals.

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Editors note: This article is adapted from Menke and Bobbins Integrative Chiropractic, scheduled for release in 2007 by Elsevier Health Sciences. “The medicalization of early diagnosis not only hampers and discourages preventative health care, but it also trains the patient-to-be to function in the meantime as an acolyte to his doctor. He learns to depend on the physician in sickness and in health. He turns into a lifelong patient.” “Medicalizing” is forcing conditions into familiar diagnostic categories for medical management.1 Every complaint has an antidote, whether it needs one or not. ; Treating natural consequences of living as diseases that must be vanquished, leads to too much treatment and too much dependence on the authoritative “professional.” We tend to grant most, if not all of our decision-making authority to an expert in highly complex technologies. In the case of medicine, this often complicates the commonplace condition and prolongs selflimiting ones. Today, diseases and drugs are way oversold.
Part II, explanatory economics, represents the bulk of the book. The economics of demand, price elasticity, risk aversion, and the effect of insurance on the demand for medical services are explained clearly and well. Behavior of suppliers in the medical care market is reviewed, with attention given to differences in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. A solid explanation of competitive markets allows discussion of timely issues such as the limits of applicability of the competitive model to the medical care market, price and nonprice competition, and market power of providers, purchasers, and patients. Outside readings on current managed competition proposals would augment the textbook discussion well.A short section on the economic effects of information asymmetries in the medical care and health insurance market introduces the concepts of supplier induced demand and adverse selection. Both discussions are short, but the portion on adverse selection especially needs expansion. More rigor, explanatory graphs, and a more extensive bibliography would make the adverse selection concept more useful. This topic is critical to a sound understanding of the functioning of medical expense insurance.The final section deals with value judgments and evaluative economics. The nontechnical explanation of efficiency versus fairness criteria for evaluating medical care policy is somewhat cursory. More technical material is needed to improve the precision of this discussion. However, even without any additions, the text provides a general background on issues of access to medical care, affordability, and quality of care. The difficulty of making allocation decisions given scarce resources is clearly laid out and opens the way for a discussion of policy alternatives.
Health Alliance Medical Plans last month announced its coverage of two over-the-counter drugs formerly available by prescription only: Wyeths Alavert and Procter Gambles Prilosec OTC. Health Alliance will require members who have prescription drug benefits to obtain a written prescription from their physicians for the new over-the-counter drugs in order to receive coverage. The news at Health Alliance follows Medco Health Solutions expansion of its Generics First program in June to include Wyeths analgesic Advil and allergy remedy Alavert.

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In the article Preparing to Buy A Home in the March 2006 issue, I noticed that it talked about preparing a budget, but didnt give details. As someone with a 15-year mortgage who is about to make my Sinai payment, I think you need to advise new homeowners to build plenty of flexibility into their budget for maintenance and upkeep. Building wealth is important, but not taking care of the biggest asset most Americans have is a waste of money. Please encourage our people to consider home upkeep when configuring their budget, so our homes appreciate, especially in neighborhoods primarily occupied by minorities. Buying homes to build wealth but not maintaining them is living beyond our means and is just as bad as losing ground in any other area of our finances.
A home maintenance and repair conference for homeowners is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Oct. 23 at American Express Centurion Bank, 4315 S. 2700 West, West Valley City. “Protecting Your No. 1 Investment — Your Home” is being presented by Salt Lake Countys Utah State University Extension Office, Salt Lake Community Action, West Valley City Housing Authority, Community Development Corp. and American Express Centurion Bank.

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THE Haines family, pictured, from Jarrow in South Tyneside, have two children under five: Tyler, who is two, and Jayden, who is just three months. The family said they were delighted with the news earlier in the week that the change in tax meant they would probably be better off. Mum Wendy, 31, said: Anything that means we are given more help with the children and what they need is good news for us. Bringing up two children is an expensive business as there is always a lot to buy for them.

In some cases, a stepparent will legally adopt his or her spouses children from a previous marriage. The biological father or mother must either be absent with no legal claim to custody, or must grant permission for the stepparent to adopt.

In situations where a single parent lives with someone outside of marriage, that person may be referred to as a co-parent. Co-parent is also the name given to the partner in a homosexual relationship who shares the household and parenting responsibilities with a childs legal adoptive or biological parent.

The home which was owned by the family prior to a divorce or separation is referred to as the family home in many state laws. In court settlements of divorce and child custody issues, the sale of the family home may be prohibited as long as the minor children are still living there with the custodial parent. The sale of the home may be permitted (or required to pay the noncustodial parent his or her share of its value) if the custodial parent moves or remarries, or when the children leave home to establish their own residences.

The term extended family traditionally meant the biological relatives of a nuclear family; i.e., the parents, sisters, and brothers of both members of a married couple. It was sometimes used to refer to the people living in the household beyond the parents and children. As family relationships and configurations have become more complex due to divorce and remarriage, extended family has come to refer to all the biological, adoptive, step-, and half-relatives.

Government agencies and other statistics-gathering organizations use the term head of household to refer to the person who contributes more than half of the necessary support of the family members (other than the spouse); in common usage, the head of household is the person who provides primary financial support for the family.

Further Reading

For Your Information

• Bernardes, Jon. Family Studies: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 1997.
  
• Elkind, David. Ties That Stress: The New Family Imbalance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994.
  
• Eshleman, J. Ross. The Family: An Introduction. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994.
  
• Kephart, William M. and Davor Jedlicka. The Family, Society, and the Individual. 7th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
  
• Ohio Cooperative Extension Service. Changing Families, Challenges and Opportunities. Columbus, OH: Ohio Cooperative Extension Service: The Ohio State University, 1988. (Four sound cassettes, covering the subjects of latchkey families, single-parent families, strengthening step-families, and two-income families.)
  
• Strong, Bryan and Christine DeVault. The Marriage and Family Experience. 4th ed. St. Paul: West Publishing Co., 1989.
  
• White, James M. Dynamics of Family Development: A Theoretical Perspective. New York: Guilford Press, 1991.
  

  Further Information

  
  
• Family Service Association of America (FSA), formerly the Family Welfare Association of America), 11600 West Lake Park Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53244; Phone:(414) 359-1040; Phone:(800) 221-3726
  
• Step Family Foundation (SFF), 333 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10023; Toll-free:(212) 877-3244; (Disseminates information on step families, provides counseling and training service, and publishes informational materials.)

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Travel tips and information for popular option in Atlantic and Gulf coasts SAN DIEGO, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ — Tropical Storm Fay is a reminder for vacationers to plan ahead when traveling during hurricane season. To ensure that travelers get the most from their vacation rental, CSA Travel Protection (CSA) offers tips and information to ensure a safe and fun trip. A recent poll of visitors to CSAs web site found that 82 percent of travelers planned to take a trip to the East Coast or Gulf of Mexico between June and October (hurricane season) of this year. According to a May 2008 survey of property management companies by rental property website Zonder.com, vacation rentals are just as popular with travelers today as they have been in the past. The lagging economy and airline fare hikes mean more people are driving to their destination this year, and many stops are located in the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. CSA reminds travelers to be aware of, and plan for, the following BEFORE embarking on vacation:
Executives from Endless Vacation Rentals by Wyndham
Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) and PhoCusWright presented landmark research on the
$24 billion vacation rental
industry, one of the untapped travel segments that is poised for
significant change and growth.

“The vacation rental marketplace is large, dynamic, long understudied and
poised for transformation. U.S. consumers are voracious travelers, hungry
for value, but accustomed to hotels,” said Douglas Quinby, senior director,
research at PhoCusWright. “Vacation rental companies that smartly target
that demand can not only tap this growing $24 billion opportunity, but the
larger leisure hotel market as well.”

Key findings from “PhoCusWrights Vacation Rental Marketplace: Poised for
Change” include:

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The Public Health programme 2003-2008 is a key strategic tool for the development of health policy within the EU. The programme provides the means to support actions in areas where the EU can make a difference, the ultimate goal being to contribute to a high level of physical and mental health and well-being throughout the EU. The programme is open to institutions, associations, organisations and bodies in the health field.
The things some people will do for a white Christmas.

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HUNDREDS of pounds 100 cash bonuses are being paid to Foreign Office staff worldwide for speeding up visa applications from people desperate to reach Britain. The disclosure is another embarrassing blow for embattled Home Secretary David Blunkett as he fights to quell the storm over the Governments immigration policy. All 35 officials in Britains visa office in Moscow and their 12 UK-based colleagues received the special pounds 100 cash bonuses as they prepared to handle a record 66,000 applications this year. Details of the bonuses are revealed in the wake of the resignation of Immigration Minister Beverley Hughes last week after she admitted misleading the public over a visa scam in Eastern Europe. She confessed she had been warned by ex-Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth about bogus applications from Romania and Bulgaria to set up businesses in Britain.
The Home Secretary David Blunkett is facing fresh allegations that a second visa application was fast-tracked for his former lovers nanny. A report said the nanny, Leoncia Casalme, obtained a visa to visit her sister in Austria ( which would normally have taken four weeks to process ( in just days. A spokesman for Mr Blunkett confirmed that Mrs Quinn had spoken to him about Miss Casalmes visa application for Austria but denied that he had become involved in the case.
This year, however, Congress did not extend the increase and the cap has reverted back to its original number, Bentley says

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The industrial and commercial machinery industry includes establishments engaged in manufacturing machinery and equipment for commercial and industrial use. This diverse industry includes the manufacturing of a wide range of machines including computer equipment, engines, turbines, elevators, conveyors, cranes, monorails, refrigeration equipment, tractors, metalworking machines, power-driven hand tools, and office equipment. The machinery industry serves, and relies on new equipment orders from, a wide range of other industry sectors. Unfortunately, the recent economic downturn has decreased spending in a number of the sectors that support the machinery industry. On-road freight transportation, for example, is on the decline, which limits demand for diesel engines and for machinery used in automotive assembly. Demand for engine and drive systems used in agricultural equipment is also down. The pronounced downturn in the domestic housing market has sharply impacted the demand for construction equipment. The rate of commercial building has also declined due to tougher economic conditions, limiting the construction machinery market even further.
Sir David dementis report proposing radical changes to the provision of legal services has ruffled some feathers. He proposes lifting the current ban on partnerships between solicitors and barristers and, more controversially, suggests that non-lawyers should be allowed to invest in, or even own, legal firms. Guy Mansfield QC, the new Chairman of the Bar Council, told The Times that these proposals cause great concern. He notes that Clementi refers to “the legal services industry,” when it is in fact a profession. While we may well want our legal advisers to take, a commercial view, just how far should that go? Are we to get to the stage when competition creates the equivalent of buy one get one free - a free will with every divorce?

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William Jay Smiths The Girl in Glass: Love Poems is forthcoming from Brooks Co.
By Lindsey Geisler The Governors Annual Easter Egg Hunt was anything but a sure bet this year. Storms that raged Friday night threatened to continue into Saturday. That would have forced the event to move to a downtown parking garage where candy would have been handed out.
It is difficult to write objectively and dispassionately of something about which one feels strongly, for or against. Tell me a mans a foxhunter and I loves him at once said Mr Jorrocks. Today he is more likely to be an object of censure, Mr Jorrocks too. The future of hunting hangs in the balance, a prospect unthinkable to Will Ogilvie who wrote in the twenties:

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Before reading this chapter, please see “How to Get the Most Out of this Book” on page 1. It will clarify questions you may have concerning data collection procedures, forecasting methodology, sources and references, and the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. For other topics related to this chapter, see chapters 44 (Drugs), and 45 (Medical and Dental Instruments and Supplies).
The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2002;187(3), Part 2, focuses on how and why womens health and gender-based competencies should be woven into the fabric of undergraduate medical education. It discusses appropriate components of the health and medical curriculum, and combining health care competencies with educational objectives and models for teaching reproductive health.

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Home Warranty Association of California Offers Guidelines VENTURA, Calif. — California home buyers, approximately nine out of 10 of whom apply for home warranty contracts at the time of a resale home purchase, can maximize the benefits of this product by adhering to proper maintenance guidelines suggested by the Home Warranty Association of California (HWAC). Lightfoot noted that air conditioning, furnaces, heat pump condensers, and water heaters comprise the major equipment items on which home owners should focus. These are the most costly items in a home and the ones likely to require proper maintenance, he said.
PROVO — A free home maintenance class will be held Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Community Action Services, 815 S. Freedom Blvd., for first-time homebuyers and other interested community members. The class is part of a five-session course offered locally by Habitat for Humanity of Utah County and Community Action Services. The topic of this months class is weatherization and home decorating. Brian Peterson from Built Right Construction and Julie McHood from Brigham Young University will be the guest instructors. The course will be offered in its entirety every five months. The next round of classes begins in September. No registration is required.< Participants need only to come to the class. The course is sponsored by the Ashton Family Foundation.

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RUGBY stars dressed up to promote their clubs new family ticket. Fans will be able to buy a family ticket, for two adults and two children, for pounds 50. Tickets can be booked by calling 0871 226 6060.
The Real Florida: Myakka River Park Family Trip. March 28-April 2. Bring the family on spring break to the land of sunshine, swamps, and surf. From our base camp near the river well explore by canoe, bicycle, and foot. Well search for fossilized shark teeth and visit a bird sanctuary and a marine lab with manatees. Canoe, bike rental, and admission fees not included. Suitable for children six and older. Leaden Marty Joyce. Price: adult $450, child $325; Dep: $50. [99441A] Donner Pass Discovery, Clair Tappaan Lodge, Tahoe Forest, California. April 4-10, The historic Donner Pass, located near the California-Nevada border, provides families with abundant opportunities to explore trails, lakes, and cultural features. We will be staying at the Clubs rustic mountain lodge which offers hot meals, hot showers, and a hot tub. Activities will be suitable for children five and older. Leaders: Jennifer Taddei and Pam Mason. Price: adult $525, child $425; Dep: adult $100, child $50. [99442A] Canyon Country Family Raft Adventure, San Juan River, Glen Canyon Recreation Area, Utah. June 17-20. See the Raft section on page 88 for more details. Five and older. Leader: Margie Tomenko. Price: adult $775, child $665; Dep: $100. [99271A]
Relationships with family and friends matter a great deal to children and are also important to long-term emotional and psychological development. The United Kingdom compares poorly in that area with other countries. Most distressingly, we have the lowest proportion reporting that their peers are kind and helpful - less than half say that is the case compared with more than 80 per cent in Switzerland.

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AUSTIN, Texas — HomeAway, Inc. today announced that U.S.-based VacationRentals.com is the newest addition to its portfolio of leading vacation rental sites that include: HomeAway.com, VRBO.com, CyberRentals.com, GreatRentals.com, A1Vacations.com, TripHomes.com, Holiday-Rentals.co.uk, HolidayRentals.fr, FeWo-direkt.de, HomeAway.es and Abritel.fr. HomeAway sites provide vacation rental property owners and managers the most efficient way to market their properties to the millions of travelers who prefer vacation rentals over hotels. HomeAway plans to run VacationRentals.com as an independent brand, with the newly-acquired business continuing to operate as it has in the past.
TinySurfer, a leader in the travel industry,
expects to add approximately 100 more California vacation rentals to their
free travel website. Interested travelers can find the perfect vacation
accommodations at TinySurfer without even leaving their homes or offices.
From California to Costa Rica, Tiny Surfer offers the freshest, most
exciting free vacation rental
listings available.

According to the California Travel and Tourism Commission, direct spending
for California travel totaled $93.8 billion in 2006. Over the past three
years, California travel spending increased at an annual average rate of
6.9 percent. CIC Research, Inc. revealed California enjoys about 14
million international visitors every year. TinySurfer is ready to meet
this increasing demand for California vacation
rentals by adding new options to their free travel website. With
approximately 100 new California rentals featured, there are lodging
choices ranging from budget to luxury to appeal to every traveler.

Free vacation rental listings are just a few clicks away at TinySurfer.
Without spending a penny, people can view potential accommodations or list
their own vacation rentals. Because it is free, the listings are
constantly updated so users do not find dead beat old listings that may not
even be available. New listings are added daily so travelers can find the
exact accommodations they want. From affordable lodging to waterfront
mansions, vacationers can find their ideal rental, make travel arrangements
and even secure a rental car.

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Source: Global Forum for Health Research
School physicals To celebrate National Community Health Centers Week, Community Health is offering a special rate for school and sports physicals. Through Sept. 1, the physicals will cost $25 - or less for those who qualify for further cost reductions. The usual charge is $71. The physicals are offered from 10 a.m.- noon and 3-8 p.m. weekdays at Community Healths Immediate Care Clinic, 2858 International Circle. No appointments are necessary. For information, call 630-6440, Ext. 6363.
Health is a measure of quality of life that is difficult to define and measure. In the 1940s, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. At the first International Conference on Health Promotion in Ottawa, Canada (1986), the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion built on the WHOs concept and further defined health as a resource for everyday life. a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capabilities. Good health enables one to function independently within a changing environment.

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This year, however, Congress did not extend the increase and the cap has reverted back to its original number, Bentley says
International scholarly collaboration has long been an important part of U.S. higher education. The response to September 11, 2001, dramatically affected this collaboration, increasing difficulties for Americans studying abroad. More serious, however, has been the enactment of major new barriers prohibiting many students and scholars from coming to this country.The Association spoke on this issue in the November 2003 Report on Academic Freedom and National security in a Time of Crisis, calling for “fair procedures for noncitizens who seek visas or other approvals to study, teach, or collaborate with researchers in the United States,” and advising the academic community to “pursue special efforts to make such visitors welcome on U.S. college and university campuses.” The Associations Committee on Government Relations recognized the importance of these issues when it adopted international education and scholarship as one of its major federal legislative priorities for the year.Last year saw the first absolute decline in foreign student enrollments since the early 1970s. Total international student enrollment for 2003-04 declined by 2.5 percent compared with the previous academic year for an overall total of 572,509 students. Graduate enrollments increased, but they were offset by a 5 percent drop in undergraduate enrollments. Those overall figures hide variations among different institutions and fields of study. The numbers come from Open Doors 2004, a report on international students, published by the Institute of International Education, with support from the U.S. State Departments Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The Home Secretary David Blunkett is facing fresh allegations that a second visa application was fast-tracked for his former lovers nanny. A report said the nanny, Leoncia Casalme, obtained a visa to visit her sister in Austria ( which would normally have taken four weeks to process ( in just days. A spokesman for Mr Blunkett confirmed that Mrs Quinn had spoken to him about Miss Casalmes visa application for Austria but denied that he had become involved in the case.

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A 10-acre industrial property in North Little Rock changed hands in a $775,000 transaction. KTJ Ltd. One Hundred Sixty-One, led by Joseph Ryan, acquired the site on Diamond Drive from William and Sharon Smith and Thomas Clemens. The property is backed with a pair of two-year loans of $4.37 million and $262,922 from BNC National Bank of Minneapolis. The property was bought for an undisclosed sum in July 1950 from Butane Wholesale Gas Co.
Initially, transactions revolve around a select group of approximately 70 high-activity chemicals (acetic acid to vinyl chloride monomer) and plastics [acrylonitrile butadiene-styrene (ABS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)] that are typically bought and sold in large quantities. The company says that its Chemicals Exchange offers i2i members such benefits as: increased liquidity, verified applicants, ERP integration, bidding integrity, flexibility / ease of use, and follow-through partners.
PS, which has 20 per cent of the Canadian rental market, supplies cameras, lights, grips and more in Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina and Vancouver. It also has operations in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and South Africa. With this new international business, along with the ever-growing domestic industry, PS is busier than ever. Every year our business expands by three-fold, boasts PS marketing director Khanh Nguyen, surrounded by the hectic atmosphere of the PS Toronto warehouse. Its the height of busy season, which runs from April to December. As one truck is unloaded, a second is loaded up for another shoot. Inside the warehouse, which is packed with a multitude of gels, tripods, ladders, dollies, clamps, cables and high-powered generators, people are busy prepping or repairing equipment. During the peak season, PS operates around the clock. It wasnt quite so hectic when PS president and founder Doug Dales started his business in 1972. A friends father approached Dales to buy the assets of an equipment rental company. Using his personal savings and loans from close relatives, he took the plunge. It looked like a great opportunity and I saw a future in it. With three cameras and dozens of lights, Dales and his small team began renting equipment for commercial shoots. Since the NFB and CBC had in-house equipment, PS worked with the growing independent production community. As Canadian independent producers began to grow, that was our market, explains Dales. PS has expanded along with firms such as Playing with Time (now Epitome) and Alliance. We have a lot of long-time relationships. For instance, weve worked on all of Atom Egoyans films. I must admit, I do feel we share in their success as well. One of those small independents was Atlantis. When PS required more space in the early 1980s, it approached Atlantis. The two joined forced and created Cinevillage in Toronto. This 97,000-square-foot facility is home to PS, Atlantis, four other firms, as well as two large sound stages that house The Life Channel and the Atlantis series Traders.

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Is your credit union on the hunt for a new core processing system? If so, be aware that nobodys going to make it easy for you. In fact, sometimes theyll do quite the opposite. If vendors arent going to tell you what you want to know, who is? You are, but youll have to do a little digging. Dont accept proclamations at face value. Unearth some skeletons. And never lose sight of the way you want to serve your members, because thats why youre looking for a core processor in the first place.
William Jay Smiths The Girl in Glass: Love Poems is forthcoming from Brooks Co.

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Construction of luxury vacation homes and second residences near lakes in Kootenai County has increased sharply and buyers from across the country are getting in on the action. Builders say the high-end second-home market started to take off about five years ago, and theres no end in sight to the trend. Prices for new high-end homes now range between roughly $1 million and $5 million, says Jim Edwards, owner of Edwards Construction Inc., a Coeur dAlene contractor that specializes in building high-end vacation homes.
Sir: Im pleased that someone has at last taken note of the alarming rise in second and holiday homes (” Supertax proposed on second homes”, 20 May). Im often left to wonder what will happen when we have a situation where an entire village is temporarily occupied upon a sub-let basis, full of chocolate-box cottages and people searching for “the real Lake District”. The 50 per cent council tax rebate for second-home owners is an absolute scandal. This is a highly emotive and contentious issue with many people and causes no end of bad feeling. There should at least be some considerations allowed to these more sensitive areas. It is something that must be quickly reviewed for change. F ATKINSON Ambleside, Cumbria

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Sir: If the Prime Minister and Mrs Blair wish to keep private the names of those who receive Christmas cards from them (Pandora, 8 March) the solution is very simple. They should pay for these cards and the postage on them out of their own taxed income, as other people do, and not charge the cost to the taxpayer. If the taxpayer pays, then the Freedom of Information Act must apply. Reading
CHRISTMAS shoppers will welcome the news that Barclaycard has teamed up this week with 17 retailers to offer discounts of 10 per cent or more to cardholders who use their Barclaycard for Christmas shopping. The retailers hope to persuade shoppers to spend money before Christmas rather than waiting for the sales. The offer should also help boost Barclaycard, whose share of the credit card market has been dropping steadily. This is not the first time credit cards have offered cashbacks and discounts instead of points and air-miles. Goldfish, the credit card run by British Gas and HFC Bank, offers users discounts on gas and electricity bills from British Gas Trading, or the chance to set savings against BT bills and the TV licence. It offers points for each pound spent, which can be swapped for vouchers at Asda, MS and Boots. Alliance Leicester broke new ground last March with their Moneyback credit card, offering a rebate of 0.5 per cent on spending up to pounds 3,000 a year, rising to 1 per cent on anything over that. In January, 400,000 cardholders will get average rebates of pounds 25. On top of that, eight retailers, including BP, MFI and Currys, give cardholders instant discounts equal to the rebates from the Alliance. The incentive seems to work: cardholders use their card 12 times a month, four times the industry average. The Birmingham Midshires discount card launched this year offers tiered cashbacks ranging from 0.33 per cent up to pounds 3,000 a year, to 0.75 per cent and then 1 per cent on spending over pounds 7,000. In May the Amex Blue card launched, offering 1 per cent cashback off the value of all purchases made with the card, which will rise to 5 per cent next month only. The annual pounds 12 fee takes a little icing off the cake. Barclaycards campaign ends on Christmas Eve. If it wins extra business for the retailers and Barclaycard it may lead to something more permanent. The other cashback cards may also decide to improve and extend their offers. If a recession really is on the way, there might just be a little silver lining for card-users. Barclaycard: 0151-473 (Trade Mark)6; Birmingham Midshires: 0800 0684466; Alliance Leicester: 0500 838383; American Express: 0800 700111.
> ATHENS The leader of Greeces powerful Orthodox Church has urged worshippers not to buy Christmas cards bearing unchristian designs like Santa Claus and Christmas trees. All the cards have snow and deer. that is not the message of Christmas, Archbishop Christodoulos said. You must buy cards that show the birth of Christ. In 2000 he suggested that Valentines Day should be scrapped.

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Developing a “Culture of Safety” A year ago we wrote about the complex process involved in identifying, categorizing, and assessing medical error in health care in the United States (”Assessing Medical Error in Health Care,” Health Progress, November– December 2001, pp. 14-17). That article discussed the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on medical error, “To Err Is Human,” and the erosion of public trust in U.S. health care. The IOM report has inspired many proposed solutions to the medical error problem. Some of these solutions present difficult challenges for health care providers whose resources have already been stretched by other problems, including nursing shortages and bioterrorism fears. Even so, Catholic health care providers, with their commitment to moral and ethical values, should be in the forefront in the development of a new culture of patient safety.
Editors note: This article is adapted from Menke and Bobbins Integrative Chiropractic, scheduled for release in 2007 by Elsevier Health Sciences. “The medicalization of early diagnosis not only hampers and discourages preventative health care, but it also trains the patient-to-be to function in the meantime as an acolyte to his doctor. He learns to depend on the physician in sickness and in health. He turns into a lifelong patient.” “Medicalizing” is forcing conditions into familiar diagnostic categories for medical management.1 Every complaint has an antidote, whether it needs one or not. ; Treating natural consequences of living as diseases that must be vanquished, leads to too much treatment and too much dependence on the authoritative “professional.” We tend to grant most, if not all of our decision-making authority to an expert in highly complex technologies. In the case of medicine, this often complicates the commonplace condition and prolongs selflimiting ones. Today, diseases and drugs are way oversold.
“There are [more than] 30 million Americans who have no health insurance and another 20 million who have inadequate health insurance,” says Rep. Louis Stokes (D0Ohio), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain Trust. “It is mandatory that we begin to try and give Americans–particularly minorities–adequate health care as a right.” The Bush plan would give people not covered by Medicaid tax credits, and families making less than $80,000 a year tax deductions to pay for medical costs. He would also pass laws to ensure that even chronically ill patients could receive health insurance. The plan has received a cool reception on Capitol Hill, and alternate proposals, including a full-scale, government-paid national health insurance plan, are under development. But what does America really want for its health care system? The views are many.

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PROVO — A free home maintenance class will be held Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Habitat ReStore, 626 N. Freedom Blvd., for first-time homebuyers and other interested community members. The class is part of a five-session course offered locally by Habitat for Humanity of Utah County and Community Action Services. The course will be offered in its entirety every five months. No registration is required. Participants need only to come to the class. The course is sponsored by the Ashton Family Foundation. Contact Kena Mathews at 801-344-8527 for information.
Home Warranty Association of California Offers Guidelines VENTURA, Calif. — California home buyers, approximately nine out of 10 of whom apply for home warranty contracts at the time of a resale home purchase, can maximize the benefits of this product by adhering to proper maintenance guidelines suggested by the Home Warranty Association of California (HWAC). Lightfoot noted that air conditioning, furnaces, heat pump condensers, and water heaters comprise the major equipment items on which home owners should focus. These are the most costly items in a home and the ones likely to require proper maintenance, he said.

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BEST MILITARY-FAMILY DISCOUNT GO! CHOICE: Morale, Welfare and Recreation center, Fort Carson This service provides discounts on dining, recreational- equipment rentals, lift tickets, tickets to local events, mountain- bike trips, rock- and ice-climbing classes and other outdoor- recreational programs to active-duty military and their families. The service also organizes special events and provides youth services on Fort Carson year-round.
Relationships with family and friends matter a great deal to children and are also important to long-term emotional and psychological development. The United Kingdom compares poorly in that area with other countries. Most distressingly, we have the lowest proportion reporting that their peers are kind and helpful - less than half say that is the case compared with more than 80 per cent in Switzerland.
RUGBY stars dressed up to promote their clubs new family ticket. Fans will be able to buy a family ticket, for two adults and two children, for pounds 50. Tickets can be booked by calling 0871 226 6060.

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TinySurfer, a leader in the travel industry,
expects to add approximately 100 more California vacation rentals to their
free travel website. Interested travelers can find the perfect vacation
accommodations at TinySurfer without even leaving their homes or offices.
From California to Costa Rica, Tiny Surfer offers the freshest, most
exciting free vacation rental
listings available.

According to the California Travel and Tourism Commission, direct spending
for California travel totaled $93.8 billion in 2006. Over the past three
years, California travel spending increased at an annual average rate of
6.9 percent. CIC Research, Inc. revealed California enjoys about 14
million international visitors every year. TinySurfer is ready to meet
this increasing demand for California vacation
rentals by adding new options to their free travel website. With
approximately 100 new California rentals featured, there are lodging
choices ranging from budget to luxury to appeal to every traveler.

Free vacation rental listings are just a few clicks away at TinySurfer.
Without spending a penny, people can view potential accommodations or list
their own vacation rentals. Because it is free, the listings are
constantly updated so users do not find dead beat old listings that may not
even be available. New listings are added daily so travelers can find the
exact accommodations they want. From affordable lodging to waterfront
mansions, vacationers can find their ideal rental, make travel arrangements
and even secure a rental car.

For many travelers, renting a house, cottage, condo or apartment by a beach, ski slope, resort or a major city can be an affordable, roomy alternative to spending a week or two in a hotel. Good rentals offer amenities, privacy, comforts, homey ambiance and personality that can be hard to match in a hotel. They generally cost less on a per-night, per-person basis and also provide other economies, such as free parking and use of a kitchen.
Despite an objection from the California Coastal Commission, the Encinitas City Council still wants to ban new short-term vacation rentals of 30 days or fewer. The reason for the proposal, according to officials, is that occupants of short-term rentals often abuse the citys noise, littering, public intoxication and illegal parking rules. But the Coastal Commission, acting in response to the citys first application for a review of the matter, advised against the proposed ban in February. The ban would apply only to new leases; old ones would be grandfathered in. A second application for review of the proposed ban was sent to the Coastal Commission in late July.

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The Public Health programme 2003-2008 is a key strategic tool for the development of health policy within the EU. The programme provides the means to su