Is it a sign from gods ... or iPhone glitch?

When Hector Siliezar visited the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza with his wife and kids in 2009, he snapped three iPhone photos of El Castillo, a pyramid that once served as a sacred temple to the Mayan god Kukulkan. A thunderstorm was brewing near the temple, and Siliezar was trying to capture lightning crackling dramatically over the ruins.

In the first two images, dark clouds loom above the pyramid, but nothing is amiss. However, in the third photo, a powerful beam of light appears to shoot up from the pyramid toward the heavens, and a thunderbolt flashes in the background.

Siliezar, who recently shared his photographs with occult investigators, told Earthfiles.com that he and his family didn't see the light beam in person; it appeared only on camera. "It was amazing!" he said. He showed the iPhone photo to his fellow tourists. "No one, not even the tour guide, had ever seen anything like it before."

The photo has surfaced on several Mayan doomsday discussion forums. But was the light beam a sign from the gods ? a warning about Dec. 21, 2012, the date that marks the end of the Mayan calendar cycle, and when some people fear the world will end? Or is it simply the result of an iPhone glitch?

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   4. Is it a sign from gods ... or iPhone glitch?

According to Jonathon Hill, a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University, which operates many of the cameras used during NASA's Mars missions, it is almost definitely the latter. Hill works with images of the Martian surface taken by rovers and satellites, as well as data from Earth-orbiting NASA instruments, and is fully versed in the wide range of potential image artifacts and equipment errors.

He says the "light beam" in the Mayan temple photo is a classic case of such an artifact ? a distortion in an image that arises from the way cameras bounce around incoming light.

It is no mere coincidence, Hill said, that "of the three images, the 'light beam' only occurs in the image with a lightning bolt in the background. The intensity of the lightning flash likely caused the camera's CCD sensor to behave in an unusual way, either causing an entire column of pixels to offset their values or causing an internal reflection (off the) camera lens that was recorded by the sensor." In either case, extra brightness would have been added to the pixels in that column in addition to the light hitting them directly from the scene.

Evidence in favor of this explanation is the fact that the beam, when isolated in Photoshop or other image analysis software, runs perfectly vertical in the image. "That's a little suspicious since it's very unlikely that the gentleman who took this picture would have his handheld iPhone camera positioned exactly parallel to the 'light beam' down to the pixel level," Hill told Life's Little Mysteries.

It's more likely that the "light beam" corresponds to a set of columns of pixels in the camera sensor that are electronically connected to each other, but not to other columns in the sensor, and that this set of connected pixels became oversaturated in the manner described above.

"That being said," Hill said, "it really is an awesome image!"

Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @ nattyover. Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @ llmysteries, then join us on Facebook.

? 2012 LifesLittleMysteries.com. All rights reserved. More from LifesLittleMysteries.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46560621/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Small Business Web Marketing: Learning The Ropes | Free Article ...

If you have been online any period of time you know how tough small business internet marketing could possibly be. The vast majority of business owners make it more challenging, as they employ their offline abilities online. Currently a few of the things in the off-line world will work online, but numerous will not. This is why learning how to market online as quickly as you possibly can will conserve you cash and get you in which you wish to be much more quickly. Here are some steps you can take to market your company on-line.

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Online forums are another fantastic small business internet marketing tool that has been neglected for several yrs. There are literally millions of forums on practically any subject you can imagine. By visiting forums related to your small business you can see what?s happening in your form of business as well as spread the word about your own business. Almost all forums will enable you add a signature below your name, which need to link back to your web site or product. This is free advertising which you will wish to take advantage of when possible. Using a forum is easy, as possibly you can start brand-new threads or respond to questions. Each and every time you post something or response a post your link below your name is providing you free advertising. Forums are an awesome option to get free advertising for your business.

Another area which you will wish to make the most of is free online ads. Most companies make use of offline classified ads with wonderful accomplishment, and which can transfer to online classified ads too. One of the biggest benefits of online classified ads is you will reach millions very fast. You?ve the capability to change your ad at will. By tracking your ads, you can see which ones are working and which ones you have to change. Online classified ads are an awesome small business internet marketing tool businesses require to use often.

Georgette Adanas has been writing articles on small business internet marketing since 2002.

Source: http://sarticles.in/small-business-web-marketing-learning-the-ropes/

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Gadget Lab Podcast: Google Glasses, Nike FuelBand, 50 Cent?s New Headphones

This week on the Gadget Lab podcast you'll meet new members of the Gadget Lab family as the gang talks about Google's rumored augmented-reality glasses, the Nike FuelBand and the latest rapper-endorsed audio gear.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC - | Get your own automotive ...

Sunday, February 26th, 2012 | Cars Review

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Redesigned reward midsize SUV hits all a right notes

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Feb 24, 2012

MERCEDES-BENZ

The revised 2012 ML350 BlueTEC looks and drives great, generally for a diesel-powered midsize SUV.

ADVERTISEMENTS

The new Mercedes-Benz ML350 looked distrinctly out of place in a Eco Center during a 2012 Portland International Auto Show hold in January. The vast upstairs room in a Oregon Convention Center was dedicated to immature vehciles. It was full of tiny variety and all-electric cars. But there was a many incomparable Mercedes-Benz SUV, simply twice a distance of usually about all around it.

But a ML350 wasn?t there by mistake. It was a BlueTEC version, definition that a fuel-efficient tuborcharged diesel engine was nestled underneath a hood. The 3.0-liter V6 is rated by a Environmental Protection Agency during 20 miles per gallon in a city and 27 miles per gallon on a highway. Although that competence not too good for a tiny car, a ML350 BlueTEC comes customary with all-wheel-drive, can lift 5 adults in comfort, and can draw adult to 7,200 pounds ? creation it ideal for a environmentally-minded boat, camper or equine owner. And, by injecting a resolution called AdBlue? into a exhaust, a BlueTEC record reduces smog-causing NOx to submissive nitrogen and H2O vapor.

Yes, there are opposite shades of immature in this world. That?s what a presenters of a automobile uncover ? a Portland Metro New Car Dealers Association ? accepted when they chose to offer a ML350 BlueTEC as an instance of one of a many fuel-efficent vehicles in a field.

And that field, reward midsize SUVs, is removing some-more swarming all a time. Although a ML350 was one of a few SUVs that could chair 5 adults in oppulance when it was initial introduced as partial of a M Line in 1997. But now it competes opposite such identical sized and versed offerings as a Acura MDX, a Audi Q5, a BMW X5, a Lexus RX and a Porsche Cayenne. To stay competitive, Mercedes-Benz redesigned a M Line for 2005 and again for 2012. As a result, currently a ML350 is entirely contemporary, charity appealing styling, high-grade interior materials, and present party and navigation systems.

And, of course, a discretionary diesel engine, that came in a exam vehicle. The bottom engine is a normally-aspirated 3.5-liter gasoline V6. It offers some-more horsepower than a diesel, 302 to 240. But a diesel offers distant some-more torque, an startling 455 foot-pounds compared to a 273 in a gasoline version. That?s what accounts for a BlueTEC conspicuous towing capacity.

But ? and here?s a genuine warn ? a BlueTEC chronicle drives like a gasoline-powered SUV. In a past, diesel engines have been loud and delayed off a line. But a BlueTEC V6 usually rumbles somewhat when cold, pulls smartly divided from a passed stop, and provides copiousness of accessible flitting energy on freeways.

We did not have a possibility to exam a gasoline V6-powered ML350, though think it would usually be marginally faster than a BlueTEC version, if that.

On a road, a ML350 felt secure and solid, aided no doubt by a 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system. But a altogether construction peculiarity was also impressive, with really tiny outward or breeze sound clear when a windows were up.

Our exam ML350 was also versed with choice reserve systems, including on that warned if vehicles are in a blind spots and another that vibrated a steering circle somewhat if we started flapping out of a lane. At least, that?s what Mercedes-Benz claims a complement was ostensible to do. we found it vibrated a circle on countless occasions, including when we were relocating by unconditional turns though still in a lane. Better protected than sorry, we guess.

Overall, however, a ML350 gathering like a midsize SUV from Mercedes-Benz should. What some-more could any green-thinking owners want?

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Related ads 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC: Clean diesel engine boosts immature cred

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Awesome Subjects located at Computer Colleges ? Movies Cooler

[unable to retrieve full-text content]That is the reason why companies of the sizes elect to acquire onsite Advice Tech services to relieve the incident of failures and present immediate solutions in case repairs to your system are expected. These lenders employ forensic ... There just isn't one industry it does not necessarily involve the application of some method of technology, so personal computer science graduates can purchase jobs on practically all industry choosing their stage. Although there isn't ...

Source: http://www.movies-cooler.com/awesome-subjects-located-at-computer-colleges/

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Snow sports: Temporary lodge keeps business going

Colonel Jay Reckard was impressed.

"This has military efficiency," this Army chemical officer said.

He was referring to the employees of Mystic Mountain, who recently outfitted guests with rental boots, skis, poles and snowboards, scheduled lessons, sold chairlift and snow tubing tickets and provided sturdy white vinyl bags to store their street clothes in secured spaces.

They did all that in a heated 4,000-square-foot tent that is serving as a temporary stand-in for the Sundial Lodge, the two-story wooden lodge that was destroyed Feb. 12 by a fire.

"I can appreciate the logistics involved in all of this," said Reckard, a native of Fairchance who lives in Stafford, Va. He and his daughter, Haley, 15, decided to visit the Fayette County resort during the Presidents Day weekend "to take advantage of what little winter is left."

"We were shocked to hear about the fire, but we decided to come anyway," he said. "We expected the worst but they've accomplished a lot in just a few days."

Four days, to be exact.

Under the direction of general manager Chris Plummer, what little was left of the lodge was scooped up and hauled away. Its scorched concrete pad was hosed down and surrounded by a wire fence. The only evidence of the fire is an occasional whiff of acrid smoke.

Plummer received offers of help from Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, Wisp and Blue Knob, and calls of support from snow sports resorts all over the country. He accepted Seven Springs' offer of more than 200 pairs of skis, boots and poles and dozens of snowboards and snowboard boots.

"If it wasn't for Seven Springs and our employees, we wouldn't have been able to do this," he said.

Terry Hager, who handles equipment rentals, welcomed guests as they entered the tent, checked their paperwork and directed them to employees who handed out the proper gear. They also helped some children get into their bulky -- and occasionally balky -- boots.

"They took good care of us," said Jason Lukasewicz of McMurray, referring to himself and his daughters, Emily, 5 and Julie, 4. "Us, too," said a smiling Bill Duchess, who had spent the day on the slopes with his daughters, Delaney, 5, and Masey, 4.

"We've all had a great day," added George Assimakopoulos of Washington, nodding toward his children, Lia, 11, and William, 8. "The kids took lessons while I skied. My wife, Michele, decided to relax in the condo while the kids and I went skiing."

Assimakopoulos said he was "astonished" when he and his family and two other families of friends arrived at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa Feb. 17 and saw no sign of the fire. "We were concerned about what we might find, but everything has gone smoothly -- no hiccups."

"That's great to hear," said Matt Grobe, director of recreation. "My rental team and everyone in here has done a fantastic job."

A white hospitality tent, a multi-stall portable restroom and UPMC's Simulation Medical and Resource Training Unit where the ski patrol can administer first-aid are a short walk away. The nearby CaddyShack restaurant is open for hot food.

The resort will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday when it will close its eight slopes and trails for the season. It has an 18-inch to 24-inch base and also is open for snow tubing.

The Good Guys Band will strike up music beginning at 8 p.m. today in The Tavern in the main hotel. There's no cover charge and the public is welcome.

Larry Walsh writes about recreational snow sports for the Post-Gazette.

First published on February 25, 2012 at 12:00 am

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12056/1212581-287.stm?cmpid=sports.xml

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Oscar Predictions: Who Will Win? (omg!)

Fun fact: No movie about movie-making has won Best Picture at the Oscars. Will The Artist break that tradition at the 84th Academy Awards? We'll have to wait until Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, ABC) to find out, but in the meantime, let's make some predictions. Check out the nominees here, print out your ballot, make your picks and compare them to ours below.

Hugo, The Artist lead Oscar nominations

Picture
Who will win: The Artist
Done deal. After sweeping almost every major precursor, the black-and-white valentine to the silent film era is poised to become the first silent film to win Best Picture since Wings triumphed at the first Academy Awards in 1929. Stylish, warm and a feel-good delight, it's executed so skillfully that you forget there is no dialogue. Plus, it has the best secret weapon of all: Uggie.
Watch out for: The Descendants
Alexander Payne's tale of human imperfection, which took home the Golden Globe for Best Picture on the drama side, picked up some last-minute steam with some industry trophies over the weekend, including the Writers Guild Award. But it's probably too little too late.
Did you know? The Artist, which has 10 nominations (Hugo leads with 11), would be the first entirely black-and-white film to win Best Picture since 1960's The Apartment. Schindler's List, which won 18 years ago, was not completely in black and white.

Director
Who will win: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
He's the only first-time nominee in the group, but the Frenchman, who's also nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing, ought to cruise to an easy victory here. Regardless of whether The Artist is your cup of tea, you can't deny that it's an enormous gamble that could've come off as a disingenuous gimmick. Hazanavicius pays homage to Hollywood's past while also imbuing the film with his own artistic vision. He's claimed nearly every big precursor so far, including the most reliable predictor, the Directors Guild Award, which has mismatched with the Oscars only six times since its inception in 1949.
Watch out for: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
One of Hazavanicius' few losses came at the hands of Scorsese at the Globes, which isn't that huge of a shock since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is big on the star factor. Had Scorsese, nominated for his own love letter to movie-making, not finally won his first Oscar five years ago for The Departed, he might stand at a better chance for an upset.
Did you know? In Oscars' 83-year history, there's been a Best Picture and Best Director split 21 times, most recently six years ago when Crash won the top prize, while Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) claimed the latter.

Oscar Surprises and Snubs: Gary Oldman gets his due, but Leo sits this one out

Actor
Who will win: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
For a while, this seemed to be a race between best buds George Clooney (The Descendants) and Brad Pitt (Moneyball) until Dujardin shifted into pole position with his mild Screen Actors Guild Award upset. (The SAGs are voted by actors, who represent the largest voting bloc in the academy.) Dujardin, who also snagged the comedy Globe and the BAFTA, is peaking at the right time, charming the pants off everyone with his talk show appearances and Funny or Die video, and you can make the argument that his role is the most difficult. With no dialogue, he carries The Artist and captivates as George Valentin, making the 1920s star a fully realized character with solely his facial expressions and body movement that put scenery-chewing performances to shame.
Watch out for: George Clooney, The Descendants
The academy loves Clooney ? nominating him, at least. He scored two nods this year (he's also up in Best Adapted Screenplay for The Ides of March) for a total of seven in six years, with one win (Best Supporting Actor for 2005's Syriana). His subtle, nuanced performance is worthy of a second statuette, but this narrative sounds a little familiar. Two years ago, Clooney seemed primed to win for Up in the Air early in the season, but he was eventually overtaken by someone with more momentum: an overdue Jeff Bridges. But at the rate he's racking up these nominations, a second win can't be that far off, right?
Did you know? Jane Wyman was the first person to win an Oscar for a silent performance in the sound era for 1948's Johnny Belinda.

Actress
Who will win: Viola Davis, The Help
Davis' poignant, sympathetic turn as a put-upon maid tugs at your heart long after the credits roll. Performance aside, if you saw the overwhelming crowd ? aka her peers ? reaction to her SAG victory last month, you can clearly see that they all want this for her. Even Meryl Streep wants it for her, espousing plaudits on her Doubt co-star and pal almost every chance she gets. Davis, who was nominated in the supporting category for 2008's Doubt, is a respected, longtime character actress who's getting her day in the sun. And with a film about racial inequality, there would be history tied to a Davis win: Only the second black actress to receive multiple Oscar nominations (Whoopi Goldberg being the other), she would also be only the second to win Best Actress ? 10 years after Halle Berry became the first.
Watch out for: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
The 17-time nominee and two-time champ is still seeking her third trophy, and this is her best chance to add to her collection in nearly 10 years. Streep's technically proficient transformation into Margaret Thatcher ? spanning decades ? is the stuff of which Oscars are made and reinforces the theory that there is nothing she can't do. She's already picked up the Globe and (predictably) the BAFTA, and with producer/awards shark Harvey Weinstein in her corner this year, her campaign has ratcheted up too.
Did you know? If Streep wins, her 29-year drought between victories would be the third longest, behind Helen Hayes (39 years) and Katharine Hepburn (34 years).

Look back at last year's Oscar fashion hits and misses

Supporting Actor
Who will win: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Heartbreakingly funny, sad and moving, Plummer gives a career-best performance as a late-blooming gay man. His name has been engraved on the trophy for months, and a win would also recognize Plummer's six-decade film career, which was overlooked by the Oscars until his first nomination two years ago for The Last Station. At 82, Plummer would be the oldest acting Oscar winner ever, dethroning Jessica Tandy, who was 80 when she struck gold for Driving Miss Daisy.
Watch out for: Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Von Sydow, who was previously nominated 23 years ago for Pelle the Conqueror, has been untested against Plummer on the bigger awards stages, but he should not be underestimated. Armed with a stirring, first-class mute performance, Von Sydow also has the benefit of being in a Best Picture-nominated film. Both his and the film's nods were somewhat surprising, which indicate strong support within the academy. Von Sydow is also 82 (he's eight months older than Plummer), so he would become the oldest acting winner as well.
Did you know? Plummer and Von Sydow are the oldest nominees on the male side, but they still trail the oldest performer ever to be nominated, Titanic's Gloria Stuart, who was 87.

Supporting Actress
Who will win: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Spencer has dominated all awards season and has shown no signs of vulnerability. Her feisty Minny has you reaching for the Kleenex and doubling over with laughter, and it is truly a breakthrough performance for the 41-year-old, whose long, hard-working years in the biz have earned her a lot of goodwill and admiration ? let alone pals. (Remember her date to the SAGs?)
Watch out for: Berenice Bejo, The Artist
If voters are really gaga for The Artist, Bejo ? and her radiant and peppy overnight sensation Peppy ? could ride the momentum to a win. Helping her cause: Bejo, who's married to Hazanavicius, is arguably a lead in the film, and extra screen time is never a bad thing.
Did you know? If Davis and Spencer win, it would be the first time in 13 years that one film has won both actress awards. The sweep has occurred 10 times: Jezebel, Gone with the Wind, Mrs. Miniver, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Miracle Worker, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Network, Moonstruck, The Piano and Shakespeare in Love.

Who do you think will win?

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Should You Put Low-Profile Tires on Your New Car?

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair/should-you-put-low-profile-tires-on-your-new-car?src=rss

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$8.5 million NIH grant may help decipher dyslexia

Public release date: 23-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Richard Wagner
rkwagner@psy.fsu.edu
850-933-8348
Florida State University

If you can read this sentence with ease, consider yourself fortunate: Millions of Americans with dyslexia cannot. In the hope of improving the lives of those struggling readers, a team of experts at Florida State University is working to better understand and diagnose dyslexia and other learning disabilities with a new, $8.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Today, a person with a learning disability is less likely to graduate from high school and more likely to be unemployed as an adult, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The stakes are getting higher as success in life becomes more and more dependent on one's ability to read.

The Florida Center for Reading Research is the nation's premier research literacy organization. The center recently received an $8.5 million dollar grant from the National Institute of Health to continue its dyslexia research.

"Back when I was in school, children in my hometown of Akron, Ohio, who struggled with reading would drop out and get a job in manufacturing and make a really good living doing that," said Richard Wagner, Florida State's Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology and a principal investigator on the project. "Now it is difficult to even work at a fast food restaurant if you struggle with reading."

"The formal name for this is the Multidisciplinary Learning Disabilities Center," said Wagner, an associate director of the center. "We have educators, we have psychologists, we have people from other disciplines who rub elbows every day. Because of that, we already work collaboratively, and that was critical for being able to get the NIH award."

With its wide range of experts from various disciplines, the FCRR is well positioned to tackle the complex problem of dyslexia. The fact that Florida State researchers have won this competitive award for the second consecutive time reflects the high regard held by the National Institutes of Health for the research done at the center, said Francis Eppes Professor of Education and FCRR Director Barbara Foorman.

"This research team, led by Dr. Wagner, is poised to make even greater progress in advancing our understanding of a set of disabilities affecting some 15 to 20 percent of the population," Foorman said.

Previous research at the learning disabilities center has pointed the current studies in some new directions.

For instance, when researchers wrote the original proposal, finding a specific "candidate gene" for dyslexia a kind of smoking gun that would account for the genetic aspect of the disability seemed very promising. However, Wagner acknowledges that initial work shows the problem to be much more complex.

"Now it's looking like the genetic susceptibility for dyslexia probably won't be localized into one or even a handful of genes," said Wagner, "but is, in fact, represented more by the complex interactions among a large number of genes and areas of the genome that do not appear to contain genes."

The environment also plays a role in dyslexia, Wagner said, making it all the more important to identify the disability early. Today, risk for future reading problems in children can be identified as young as age 3.

"It is really important to be able to identify children as early as possible and try to provide them with prevention programs that are designed to strengthen weak areas," said Wagner, "so that when they do get to the point of learning to read, they will have a better outcome than they would otherwise."

###

Other researchers serving as principal investigators on the grant include Florida State University faculty members Carol Connor (FCRR and Department of Psychology), Christopher Lonigan (FCRR and Psychology), Yaacov Petscher (FCRR), Christopher Schatschneider (FCRR and Psychology) and Jeanette Taylor (Psychology). Joining them is Elena Grigorenko of Yale University's Child Study Center.

Co-investigators on the project include Florida State faculty members Barbara Foorman (FCRR and School of Teacher Education), Sara Hart (FCRR and Department of Psychology), Mike Kaschak (Psychology), Young-Suk Kim (FCRR, School of Teacher Education), Beth Phillips (FCRR and Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems) and Jeanne Wanzek (FCRR and School of Teacher Education).

About the FCRR :

The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) is the nation's premier research organization devoted to literacy. The center's faculty boasts the broadest and deepest collection of reading experts in the world. Established in 2002 by the Florida Legislature, the FCRR is jointly administered at Florida State by the Learning Systems Institute and the College of Arts and Sciences.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 23-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Richard Wagner
rkwagner@psy.fsu.edu
850-933-8348
Florida State University

If you can read this sentence with ease, consider yourself fortunate: Millions of Americans with dyslexia cannot. In the hope of improving the lives of those struggling readers, a team of experts at Florida State University is working to better understand and diagnose dyslexia and other learning disabilities with a new, $8.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Today, a person with a learning disability is less likely to graduate from high school and more likely to be unemployed as an adult, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The stakes are getting higher as success in life becomes more and more dependent on one's ability to read.

The Florida Center for Reading Research is the nation's premier research literacy organization. The center recently received an $8.5 million dollar grant from the National Institute of Health to continue its dyslexia research.

"Back when I was in school, children in my hometown of Akron, Ohio, who struggled with reading would drop out and get a job in manufacturing and make a really good living doing that," said Richard Wagner, Florida State's Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology and a principal investigator on the project. "Now it is difficult to even work at a fast food restaurant if you struggle with reading."

"The formal name for this is the Multidisciplinary Learning Disabilities Center," said Wagner, an associate director of the center. "We have educators, we have psychologists, we have people from other disciplines who rub elbows every day. Because of that, we already work collaboratively, and that was critical for being able to get the NIH award."

With its wide range of experts from various disciplines, the FCRR is well positioned to tackle the complex problem of dyslexia. The fact that Florida State researchers have won this competitive award for the second consecutive time reflects the high regard held by the National Institutes of Health for the research done at the center, said Francis Eppes Professor of Education and FCRR Director Barbara Foorman.

"This research team, led by Dr. Wagner, is poised to make even greater progress in advancing our understanding of a set of disabilities affecting some 15 to 20 percent of the population," Foorman said.

Previous research at the learning disabilities center has pointed the current studies in some new directions.

For instance, when researchers wrote the original proposal, finding a specific "candidate gene" for dyslexia a kind of smoking gun that would account for the genetic aspect of the disability seemed very promising. However, Wagner acknowledges that initial work shows the problem to be much more complex.

"Now it's looking like the genetic susceptibility for dyslexia probably won't be localized into one or even a handful of genes," said Wagner, "but is, in fact, represented more by the complex interactions among a large number of genes and areas of the genome that do not appear to contain genes."

The environment also plays a role in dyslexia, Wagner said, making it all the more important to identify the disability early. Today, risk for future reading problems in children can be identified as young as age 3.

"It is really important to be able to identify children as early as possible and try to provide them with prevention programs that are designed to strengthen weak areas," said Wagner, "so that when they do get to the point of learning to read, they will have a better outcome than they would otherwise."

###

Other researchers serving as principal investigators on the grant include Florida State University faculty members Carol Connor (FCRR and Department of Psychology), Christopher Lonigan (FCRR and Psychology), Yaacov Petscher (FCRR), Christopher Schatschneider (FCRR and Psychology) and Jeanette Taylor (Psychology). Joining them is Elena Grigorenko of Yale University's Child Study Center.

Co-investigators on the project include Florida State faculty members Barbara Foorman (FCRR and School of Teacher Education), Sara Hart (FCRR and Department of Psychology), Mike Kaschak (Psychology), Young-Suk Kim (FCRR, School of Teacher Education), Beth Phillips (FCRR and Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems) and Jeanne Wanzek (FCRR and School of Teacher Education).

About the FCRR :

The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) is the nation's premier research organization devoted to literacy. The center's faculty boasts the broadest and deepest collection of reading experts in the world. Established in 2002 by the Florida Legislature, the FCRR is jointly administered at Florida State by the Learning Systems Institute and the College of Arts and Sciences.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/fsu-mn022312.php

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Mundelein boy fights leukemia, smiles, gives back | Cancer Kick

After a month of back pain that had gotten so bad her son could barely move or walk, doctors called Vickie Czapla and her husband and told them to pack a bag and get to Children?s Memorial Hospital.

At that point they knew the news would be horrible. A day before Thanksgiving in 2009, the Czapla?s 4-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

?It really is a parent?s worst nightmare. It?s just unimaginable,? said Vickie, of Mundelein.

Since then, Jack has had 26 months of chemotherapy, 20 spinal taps, six bone marrow aspirations and an allergic reaction so bad he nearly died. He still has more than a year of treatment left.

Through it all, 6-year-old Jack, now a first-grader at Washington School in Mundelein, has stayed positive and is more concerned about helping others than his own illness.

?He?s the most spirited kid you?ll ever meet,? Vickie said of her son.

But the boy who is sometimes known as Band-Aid Jack for his charitable donations to Children?s Memorial, or Super Jack for his courageous cancer fight, has a new title.

He?s been named the 2012 Boy of the Year by the Illinois Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and will serve as a role model and inspiration for others fighting cancer.

The Band-Aid nickname comes from one day when a nurse tried to give Jack a plain Band-Aid.

?Mom, we have a problem,? Jack said on the way home from the hospital. He was upset there weren?t more colorful, fun bandages for other sick kids like him.

So, Jack set up a lemonade stand at the local Jewel and collected more than 6,000 boxes of bandages and more than $2,000 to buy more.

?You don?t have a lot of kids who are sick who are out there doing a lemonade stand raising money for other kids who are sick,? said Pam Swenk, executive director of the Illinois Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. ?It just speaks of such tremendous bravery for a child dealing with this illness to want to give back. To have that kind of courage at such a young age is so inspirational.?

As Boy of the Year, Jack?s face will be on posters, magazine ads and taxicabs across the state promoting the group?s annual Man and Woman of the year campaign. Last year, it raised more than $600,000 in 10 weeks.

Aside from bringing bandages and candy for others at the hospital when he returns for his own treatments, Jack has become something of a local celebrity. He?s appeared on Stand Up for Cancer?s national broadcast in 2010 and on the Eric and Kathy radio show.

A few years later, people still send bandages to the Czaplas. Vickie said she probably has 800 boxes in her garage to bring to the hospital.

?The kids were always so sad,? Jack said of why he wanted to bring fun bandages to cheer them up.

Vickie said she thinks making other people happy keeps Jack positive through his health struggles.

?He does not let cancer get him down,? she said.

Besides his parents, Jack always has another ally: his twin sister Mackenzie.

?She stands up for her brother; she is always by his side. She goes to the hospital with him, brings a bucket when he?s throwing up,? Vickie said. ?She?s a pretty amazing kid.?

Jack has gotten his school involved in the fight, with Washington School participating in the Pennies for Patients fundraiser.

Each class has a collection box for spare change for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A life-size cutout of Jack in the school reminds students and teachers that the cause is for one of their own.

?He puts things in perspective,? said school nurse Jackie Brenton. ?You realize what he?s going through and that your bad day isn?t so bad after all.?

Brenton said the Czapla family has been an inspiration and she?s hoping Washington can raise at least $1,000 to donate in his name.

?The school has been wonderful to us,? Vickie said. ?I didn?t realize how much you need your community until you go through something like this.?

As Jack continues to fight, he happily shows off his beads of courage, a program through Children?s Memorial Hospital that gives him beads for each step in his battle against cancer ? white for each chemotherapy treatment, yellow for each overnight trip to the hospital, black for each prick from a needle, and so on.

With hundreds of beads, the necklaces may weigh him down, but Jack proudly shows them off to classmates and friends.

Now in the maintenance phase of his treatment, Jack takes a chemotherapy pill daily, goes in for IV-fed chemotherapy once a month, and still has steroid treatments and spinal taps every few months. Additionally, he recently got over a five-week bout of pneumonia and battles other health issues brought on from the potent drugs used to rid his small body of cancer.

With treatment ongoing, even once Jack is healthy, the Czapla?s mission to raise awareness will continue.

?I?m not sure people give childhood cancer the amount of attention it needs,? she said. ?I hope one day I can make a difference because a lot more kids are affected than people realize.?

Every 10 minutes someone in the U.S. dies of a blood cancer, or 148 people every day, Swenk said. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children under 20, she said.

Vickie journals about Jack?s experiences through his Caring Bridge site. Once his cancer battle is over, she?ll have it made into a book for him.

Cancer doesn?t define the Czapla family, though it has played a pretty big role for the past few years. Like any other family, they enjoy watching movies, coloring with the kids and gathering around the fireplace. The family motto ? live for today.

?Nobody knows what tomorrow is going to bring, so we need to be happy and live for today,? Vickie said. ?You could drive yourself crazy thinking about all the stuff that could go wrong, and you just can?t go there.?

Article source: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120221/news/702219957

Source: http://cancerkick.com/2012/02/21/mundelein-boy-fights-leukemia-smiles-gives-back/

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Avnet Technology Solutions Introduces Oracle ... - AZ Venture Capital

?Avnet Technology Solutions, the global IT solutions distribution leader and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), announced today that it is now authorized to distribute Oracle?s Health Sciences solutions in the U.S. and Canada, including Oracle?s Healthcare Information Exchange and Oracle Enterprise Healthcare Analytics solutions.

Based on Avnet?s proven ability to develop and foster an ecosystem of highly-skilled healthcare IT solution provider partners through its SolutionsPath^? methodology and HealthPath^? practice, Oracle?s Health Sciences has authorized Avnet to distribute these specialized solutions. Under this agreement, Avnet will support a uniquely qualified team of healthcare IT solution providers and enable them to solve the business challenges facing small and midsize hospitals related to accountable care, electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchanges (HIEs).

?Interoperability and business intelligence are top IT priorities facing the healthcare industry in 2012 and for the foreseeable future,? said Chris Swahn, vice president and general manager for Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas? Oracle Solutions group. ?Federal mandates and patient demands all point toward an increasing need for hospitals and healthcare providers to share data electronically while still ensuring patient privacy and data security. Avnet is working with Oracle to foster a core team of knowledgeable solution providers that can help small and midsize hospitals prepare for the changing IT landscape. Our partners have the in-depth healthcare expertise and deep data center experience needed to create complete technology solutions that address the business intelligence needs associated with accountable care, EHRs and HIEs.?

Avnet partners providing Oracle Healthcare Information Exchange and Oracle Enterprise Healthcare Analytics solutions to hospitals have honed their industry insight through Avnet?s SolutionsPath practices. These practices include an end-to-end engagement process with strategic planning consultation on high-growth vertical markets and data center technology areas. They also offer access to industry experts, business analytics and other supportive resources, including specific training related to vertical markets. For example, Avnet?s healthcare practice includes HealthPath University, which has been educating partners on the specialized healthcare industry since 2006. Additionally, Avnet offers a week-long HealthPath University Internship held on-site at Scottsdale Healthcare hospitals. This unique program takes participants into a hospital to provide a true "on-the-job" educational experience. The curriculum is structured to enable participants to view the realities of the healthcare world through the eyes of patients and healthcare professionals and to provide a better understanding of the challenges healthcare providers face every day.

?The ability to effectively and seamlessly manage, exchange and analyze health data is fundamental to healthcare transformation. IT environment complexity, security concerns and regulatory requirements, however, often present formidable challenges,? said Neil de Crescenzo, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Health Sciences. ?Oracle Healthcare Information Exchange and Oracle Enterprise Healthcare Analytics solutions help hospitals overcome these challenges by unlocking the operational and medical value of electronic information. Avnet and its solution provider community are well qualified to bring these solutions to small and midsize hospitals.?

Participating partners will also be able to leverage Avnet?s Data Center Lifecycle Services to provide hospitals with complete IT solutions. These services span the entire IT lifecycle, including planning, acquisition, integration, deployment, management and disposal of IT assets.

Avnet is a Platinum level member in Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) and helps its partners quickly obtain Oracle Health Sciences specialization through its exclusive Under Our Wing program. Avnet will also provide training and certification assistance to participating partners related to Oracle HIE and Analytics Solutions. Additionally, Avnet?s Under Our Wing program will enable partners to demonstrate to hospitals the benefits of incorporating the Oracle Exadata Database Machine into their data center and IT environments, both in-person and virtually.

Supporting Partner Quotes

?In today?s healthcare industry, a robust integrated data warehouse that enables actionable analytics is a must,? said Lisa Davis, CEO, Analytics Partners. ?It is no longer okay just to capture the information. Now, healthcare organizations must also integrate and produce actionable analytics that enable the business and medical units to make the right decisions at the right time. We see Avnet and Oracle?s collaboration within the healthcare industry as a great advantage not only for us as a partner, but for our customers as well. Avnet and Oracle are providing the capabilities and industry expertise that enable all of us to innovate the way healthcare providers utilize their IT environments.?

?BizTech was selected to be a partner in this initiative because of our deep expertise in implementing advanced analytic solutions based on Oracle technology,? said Tom Connolly, president and CEO, BizTech. ?The Avnet and Oracle?s health sciences initiative addresses a critical need for healthcare providers, particularly around Health Sciences Analytics, and offers a tremendous opportunity to combine Oracle?product leadership with BizTech domain expertise.?BizTech?s mission has been to provide business value through the use of technology. Being part of the health sciences initiative with Avnet and Oracle gives us the opportunity to expand that mission to provide solutions that can have a tangible impact on health outcomes for patients.?

"There is a lot of excitement at Enkitec around Avnet's new healthcare initiatives,? said Wade Nicolas, president, Enkitec, LP. ?Regulatory and other pressures are driving up demand for solutions that protect and manage healthcare data. Avnet is leading the pack by including truly innovative programs with great support for services companies that round out their offerings with products from Oracle."

?Our business partnership with Avnet has allowed us to grow our business exponentially,? said Wayne Owens, CEO, Health IT2. ?Avnet has the comprehensive end-to-end healthcare initiatives, unparalleled services and support offerings for its partner network that enable us to successfully target this highly specialized market. Avnet?s new health sciences initiative with Oracle will help us take our business to the next level and meet the dynamic challenges the healthcare industry will face over the next 20 years.?

?LCN has specific expertise in?all levels of?meaningful?use?in the highly-specialized healthcare market,? said Phil Stiles, managing partner, LCN Services, LLC. ?Our long-term relationships with both Avnet and?Oracle position LCN perfectly with the capabilities to provide complete integration and?security solutions for clinical and financial healthcare?applications?that help our customers meet the ever-changing?requirements?in healthcare.?

?With technology constantly evolving, the healthcare industry is very exciting! Maplesoft is committed to growing our healthcare industry expertise,? said Jack Gulas, chief technology officer, Maplesoft Group. ?We fundamentally believe that the improvements in electronic health records will improve overall Canadian patient care while protecting patients? sensitive medical data. By participating in this unique health science initiative with Avnet and Oracle, Maplesoft can fast track our time to market by leveraging Avnet's SolutionsPath^? industry best practices and Oracle's proven technology to create customized solutions for Canadian healthcare providers.?

At HIMSS 2012, visit Avnet Technology Solutions at booth #1463.

Follow Avnet Technology Solutions, North America, on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AvnetAdvantage

About Avnet Technology Solutions

As a global IT solutions distributor, Avnet Technology Solutions collaborates with its customers and suppliers to create and deliver services, software and hardware solutions that address the business needs of their end-user customers locally and around the world. For fiscal year 2011, the group served customers in more than 70 countries and generated US $11.5 billion in annual revenue. Avnet Technology Solutions (www.ats.avnet.com) is an operating group of Avnet, Inc.

About Avnet

Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of more than 100,000 customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended July 2, 2011, Avnet generated revenue of $26.5 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Source: http://azventurecapital.com/arizona-technology/avnet-technology-solutions-introduces-oracle-healthcare-information-exchange-analytics-solutions-channel-u-s-canada/

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Create Some Collective Personal Auto Insurance - Car News

Personal auto insurance is a big and important part of the car insurance. When we decided to put and take some personal auto insurance to our car, of course it would be a very great way to protect our car for any damaged. Of course, this is a big impact that we would get by using this kind of insurance. But, when we are such a busy person, there are so many things needed to be prepared.

The most important thing about personal auto insurance is that it has a regular and periodic time to pay the policy. When we are busy, and do not have so many times to think about our car insurance, usually we would forget to pay the car insurance, so that we usually got some punishment from the car insurance company.

To solve this problem, we need to create collective personal auto insurance. It would help us to remind us that there are collective policies that need to be paid in some periodic time. A collective insurance also allows us to get a great number of insurance policies that is also very helpful for us too.

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Source: http://fittodrive.info/1442/create-some-collective-personal-auto-insurance/

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PFT: CB Routt expected to pick his new team soon

Getty Images

As the NFL continues to grow, it?s presence in Green Bay becomes more unique.? The small-market, publicly-owned team has thrived on the field for much of the last two decades, even as the sport has exploded to new levels of revenue and sophistication.

But the balance between a community feel and a corporate attitude can be difficult to strike, as Pete Dougherty and Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette write in an new article that explores the manner in which recent changes to the organization could affect its long-standing ties to the city and the people who live there.

?[I]n the arms race for revenue, the Packers must remain rooted in the small community that spawned the team and has kept it alive through sometimes dire financial times for the last 93 years,? Dougherty and Demovsky write.

An eventual disconnect between the team and the community could have dire consequences.? One unnamed source tells Dougherty and Demovsky that, if a local stadium referendum had failed in 2000, the Packers would have moved by now.? ?If you don?t have the right players on the board and in management, there aren?t going to be an awful lot of people that will work to save [the team],? the source said.

That seems like a bit of a stretch.? With a season-ticket waiting list that extends for decades, the public in Green Bay will vote in favor of whatever needs to be done to help the team survive, and thrive, in the only hometown its ever known.

As to the tension between the community and the front office, which given the recent resignation of Jason Weid doesn?t have a Wisconsin native in one of the top two jobs with the organization, Dougherty and Demovsky point to the relationship between the team and its Hall of Fame, an independent body run by local cirizens.? When the team recently suggested taking over the Hall of Fame, its executive committee and board of directors were reportedly ?outraged.?

?The franchise has to be careful it doesn?t get too big and think, ?We don?t need people,?? an NFL source with ties to the Packers said.? ?If they lose sight of that and think everything?s hunky-dory here and [think] ?We don?t have to worry about that,? that?s an enormous mistake.? [There?s been] a connection with this team and community literally from Day 1 in 1919, and there?s not another community-team relationship like this in any sport.? Not just the National Football League, in any sport.? That?s to be treasured and is part of the unique tradition, and has to be honored.?

But the reality is that folks in Green Bay ultimately want to see the team win.? Though there may be grumbling (especially when the team isn?t winning, which doesn?t happen all that often anymore), the fans ultimately will defer to the folks who run the team.? At some point there could be a grassroots effort to hire new management, but the fans never will turn their back on the franchise.

And for that reason the franchise will continue to compete, even as the dollars get bigger and the business concepts become more convoluted.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/19/stanford-routt-will-be-picking-his-next-team-soon/related/

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Joe's Health Calendar 2/20/12

Taking Control of Congestive Heart Failure

Feb. 21 (Tuesday) 10 a.m. to noon: ?Taking Control of Congestive Heart Failure? will be held in St. Joseph?s Medical Center Classroom 1, 1800 N. California St., Stockton. This free class will help those who have been diagnosed with Heart Failure (CHF) ? giving information about the symptoms, the causes, the risks, plus how to control them with diet, rest and activity, and medications. To preregister for this free class, please call (209) 461-5061.

The Immune System ~ To Boost or Not To Boost?

Feb. 21 (Tuesday) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: The immune system is the most powerful defense we have against infection and disease. From the common cold to parasites or cancer, learn how your immune system is designed to protect you from illness. You will discover natural strategies to enhance immune system function now and in the many years to come. Pamela Colby, N.D., is a licensed naturopathic doctor in the state of California and maintains family practices in Lodi and Berkeley. She views symptoms and disease as signs of a deeper energetic imbalance. She teaches her patients how to create healthy lifestyle routines while identifying and treating the underlying cause of disease. St. Joseph?s Medical Center Mind, Body and Spirit Wellness Series, Auditorium, 1800 N. California St., Stockton. The cost for the entire four-week series is $20 per person. Space is limited and preregistration is required. Information: (209) 461-6889 or SJCancerInfo@chw.edu.

CareVan Provides Daily Free Health Clinic

St. Joseph?s Medical Center CareVan presents a free, walk-in health clinic for low-income and no-insurance individuals or families, 16 years old and older. The hospital?s mobile health-care services will be available to handle most minor urgent health care needs. Diabetes screening and blood pressure screening are offered on special days as noted. If you have questions, contact (209) 461-3471. Clinic schedule is subject to change without notice.

• Feb. 21 (Tuesday) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: St. George?s Church, 120 W. Fifth St., Stockton.
• Feb. 22 (Wednesday) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: West Lane Bowl, 3900 West Lane, Stockton. Sponsored by St. Joseph?s Spirit Club members.
• Feb. 23 (Thursday) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, 1658 S. Airport Way, Stockton.
• Feb. 24 (Friday) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Health clinic includes diabetes and blood pressure screening clinics; Rite Aid, 1050 N. Wilson Way, Stockton.
• Feb. 28 (Tuesday) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Wagner Holt School, 8778 Brattle Place, Stockton.
• Feb. 29 (Wednesday) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Rite Aid, 1050 N. Wilson Way, Stockton.
• March 1 (Thursday) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, 1658 S. Airport Way, Stockton.
  

Central Valley Recovery, Awareness, Preventing Strokes Program

Feb. 22 (Wednesday) noon to 2 p.m.: Have lunch and learn about stroke, sponsored by Healings in Motion at San Joaquin Stockton WorkNet Building, 56 S. Lincoln St., Stockton. Guest speaker will be Breanna Garrison, stroke coordinator/neuro clinical specialist at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, the Valley?s first and only certified stroke center. Topics included will be: The Target Stroke Program,? Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) program, Quality initiatives, Treatment Timeline Goals,? Risk Factors, Prevention Education and time for questions and answers. We will also have drawings for prizes and other goodies. Cost: $10. Reservations and information: (877) 672-4480 or (209) 234-2802; or register online at http://cv-raps2012.eventbrite.com.

Mobile Medical Clinic for Military Veterans

Feb. 23 (Thursday) 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: American Legion Karl Ross Post 16, 2020 Plymouth Road, Stockton, will host the VA Rural Health Mobile Medical Outreach Clinic Team. No appointment necessary. There will also be veterans service officers, enrollment specialists, medical and mental health teams on site. The Rural Health Mobile Medical Clinic Team will provide free examinations and consultations, referrals and, prescription renewals for veterans currently enrolled in the VA Health Care System. If you are uncertain about your eligibility for medical or psychological services, members of the team can provide you with information about and assistance with eligibility and enrolment for VA care. VA health care may complement your current insurance coverage. Eligibility requirements have changed, therefore, if you have been denied in the past, please come speak with a team member. Benefits are available for Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan veterans. If you are not currently in the VA system, bring a copy of your DD214 to attach to your enrollment form. If you do not have a copy of your DD214, one can be obtained for you. In addition, volunteer veteran service officers will be available to review your benefits, assist with enrollment forms and provide assistance with filing claims. Information: Valerie Gabriel, LCSW, at (209) 588-2604.

Total-joint Replacement Class for Hips, Knees

Feb. 23 (Thursday) 1 to 3 p.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital?s Outpatient-Rehabilitation Services offers a free educational class for those planning to have total joint-replacement surgery of the hip or knee at Lodi Memorial Hospital West, 800 S. Lower Sacramento Road, Lodi.? Knee class is at 1 p.m.; hip class is at 2 p.m. Learn about preparations and exercises to do before surgery; the day of surgery and what to expect during the hospital stay; rehabilitation following surgery; techniques to decrease pain and swelling; and ways to promote maximum healing and return to normal function. Call (209) 333-3136 for more information or to sign up for the class.? Family and friends are welcome and encouraged to attend.? For information on other classes available at Lodi Memorial, visit its website at www.lodihealth.org.

Asthmanology

Feb. 25 (Saturday) 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The seriously fun Asthmanology event at the World of Wonders Science Museum, 2 N. Sacramento St., Lodi, is aimed to bring asthma awareness and education to the community. Joined by Respiratory Works, the museum will be filled with activities aimed to increase awareness of asthma. Experienced staff from Respiratory Works will be on site to advocate and bring asthma education and awareness to kids and families. If you have asthma, know someone with asthma or want to learn more about asthma, this event is for you. You?ll learn what causes wheezing and what triggers are. Regular museum admission applies. Information: ?www.wowsciencemuseum.org.

Cancer Care Symposium for Health Care Professionals

Feb. 25 (Saturday) 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.: This one day symposium ? Cancer Kaleidoscope: The View Keeps Chaning ? will address issues that past participants have requested to better understand and care for those experiencing cancer. Experts from across the region will share their expertise about hormone receptor considerations for treatment of breast cancer, new treatments for prostate cancer, acupuncture for pain control, ethics and the myths regarding cancer and cancer care. This symposium will be a truly eclectic combination of cancer related items to expand your knowledge of cancer care. Who should attend? Physicians, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, laboratory personnel, and anyone involved in cancer care will benefit. This symposium is sponsored by St. Joseph?s Regional Cancer Center in cooperation with the American Cancer Society. Information on fees and registration: (209) 467-6331. Symposium will be held at O?Connor Woods Main Clubhouse, 3400 Wagner Heights Road, Stockton.

Free Eye Clinic at Chinese New Year Festival

Feb. 26 (Sunday) 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Vision Service Plan Mobile Eyes is a deluxe clinic on wheels. It?s outfitted with state-of-the-art exam rooms and dispensaries, plus a finishing lab. Midtown Optometry optometrist Derron Lee has arranged for the lab along with optometry students from the University of California, Berkeley College of Optometry to assist in providing free eye exams and eyeglasses for the needy. The clinic will be outside the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium, 525 N. Center St., Stockton, during the Stockton Chinese New Year Festival.

$50,000 in Scholarships for Students Pursuing Health Studies

Feb. 26 (Sunday) deadline: Health Plan of San Joaquin is offering $50,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties for the 2012 academic school year. Health Plan of San Joaquin?s Health Careers High School Scholarship Program provides the opportunity for high school seniors to apply for a $2,500 scholarship based on their desire to pursue a career in the health care industry at an accredited college or university. The scholarship application will be accessible online through www.ScholarshipExperts.com, an online portal for scholarships. Applications may be submitted through Feb. 26. To learn more about the Health Careers High School Scholarship Program, contact Shani Richards at (209) 461-2284 or at srichards@hpsj.com. ?We?re hopeful that students will take advantage of this funding opportunity,? said Richards, HPSJ?s scholarship program coordinator. ?Student financial need remains high, parental support is challenged in the wake of the economy, and the area continues to experience a shortage of new health care graduates. These scholarships really can make a difference for students, and, in the longer term, our community.? The objective of the program is to support education and community health by investing in students who seek to become health care professionals and return to practice in San Joaquin or Stanislaus county. ?The significant deficit of health professionals available in the region is expected to continue into the future, so encouraging students from our local communities to consider health care careers is critical. The HPSJ Scholarship program does just that by offering the potential of sustained financial support for students who may be challenged by educational expenses,? said Dr. Dale Bishop, medical director at Health Plan of San Joaquin.

A Place to Begin

Feb. 28 (Tuesday) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Need a tool to help you stay in the moment? Discover the gift of the present as you design your own personal prayer strand using the Sacred Wheel of Peace, a piece of string, and a pile of beads. In this hands-on experiential workshop you will be guided through a process to create your own prayer beads to use as your personal centering tool. Eleanor Wiley is a bead artist conducting interfaith, health and peace workshops nationally and internationally. She is the author of A String and a Prayer, There Are No Mistakes and Changing Bead By Bead. Eleanor created the Sacred Wheel of Peace that honors all faith traditions and cultures. Visit www.prayerbdzs.com. St. Joseph?s Medical Center Mind, Body and Spirit Wellness Series, Auditorium, 1800 N. California St., Stockton. The cost for the entire four-week series is $20 per person. Space is limited and preregistration is required. Information: (209) 461-6889 or SJCancerInfo@chw.edu.

Advance Directives Forum

Feb. 29 (Wednesday) 10 a.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital, 975 S. Fairmont Ave., Lodi, offers a community forum on advanced directives. Lodi Memorial social workers will be on hand to talk about the importance of advance directives, answer questions and provide assistance with filling out advance directives. Sample advance directive forms will be provided. This is a complimentary service open to all. Notary services are available. Those interested in learning more about advance directives can visit the hospital?s website, www.lodihealth.org, and click on ?Advance Directive? for a sample form, instructions and other helpful information.

Growing GREENS/Eating LEAN

March 1 (Thursday) 11 a.m. to noon (or March 15, 29; April 12, 26; May 10, 24; June 7, 21): This free program at the Nutrition Education Center at Emergency Food Bank, 7 W. Scotts Ave., Stockton, is a combination of vegetable/fruit gardening workshops and nutrition/cooking demonstrations incorporating fruits and vegetables. Information: (209) 464-7369 or www.stocktonfoodbank.org.

Breastfeeding: Getting Off to a Great Start

March 1 (Thursday) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital, 975 S. Fairmont Ave., Lodi, offers ?Breastfeeding: Getting off to a Great Start,? a one-session class covering the advantages of breastfeeding, basic anatomy, the breastfeeding process, common problems and solutions. An additional breastfeeding class for working moms is held Tuesdays, March 13 and May 15, 6:30 to 8 p.m., and is available only to participants who have already attended ?Breastfeeding: Getting off to a Great Start.?? Call (209) 339-7520 to register. For information on other classes available at Lodi Memorial, visit its website at www.lodihealth.org.

Childbirth Preparation

March 3 (Saturday) 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital, 975 S. Fairmont Ave., Lodi, offers an all-day childbirth-preparation class. Cost is $45 per couple. For more information or to register, call (209) 339-7520.? For information on other classes available at Lodi Memorial, visit its website at www.lodihealth.org.

VN CARES Pacific Family Health Fair

March 4 (Sunday) 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: University of the Pacific pharmacy students and Vietnamese Cancer Awareness and Research Education (VN CARES) are hosting the fifth annual Pacific Family Health Fair at St. Luke?s Catholic Church Gymnasium, 3847 N. Sutter St, Stockton. Families will be able to participate in free health screenings, scavenger hunts, health education and more. Health screenings include blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, osteoporosis and more. Many local businesses and organizations will also be offering free services and information. There will be activities for children of all ages about mindful eating, staying active, healthy lifestyle tips, and all sorts of fun and games. There will be many door prizes. Information: (209) 946-2561.

Asthma Summit for Health Professionals and Public

March 10 (Saturday) 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. for physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, health educators and pharmacists; 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for general public; registration deadline March 5: San Joaquin County Public Health?s Obesity & Chronic Disease Prevention Taskforce will be presenting a two-part summit ? Connecting Community to Combat Asthma ? at the San Joaquin County Office of Education Wentworth Education Center, 2707 Transworld Drive, Stockton. The two components to the event: 1) a session at the beginning of the day will be targeted to health care professionals. CME?s will be offered for physicians and BRN credits for nurses and other professionals; 2) the general public is invited to a community summit that will include an expert speakers panel with time to ask questions, and interactive breakout sessions including an inhaler clinic and coaches clinic on asthma and athletes.?There is no cost for either event. View the fliers for more information, Healthcare Professionals or General Public. Free continental breakfast provided with morning registration. Free lunch provided with public registration. To register, send your name, organization if any, mailing address, phone and email address by fax to (209) 468-4960 or mail to San Joaquin County Office of Education, P.O. Box 213030, Stockton, CA 95213-9030. Information: Mikey Kamienski, executive director, Charterhouse Center for Families, at (209) 476-1106.

11th Annual Autism Collaborative Forum

March 17 (Saturday) 7 to 8 a.m. registration; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. forum: 11th annual Autism Collaborative Forum brings Dr. Peter Gerhardt, expert on adults with autism and Asperger?s syndrome, to the San Joaquin County Office of Education Wentworth Education Center, 2707 Transworld Drive, Stockton. Costs varies from $20 to $50. Registration deadline: March 5. Information: Gail Brodigan-Dalton at (209) 468-4907 or gbrodigandalton@sjcoe.net or www.sjcoe.org/calendar/calendarDetails.aspx?ID=2283 to print registration flier. The drastic increase of autism and related disorders is now one case per 110 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Given this information, there are a steadily growing number of adolescents and young adults affected. Gerhardt will present on how to identify and plan for the future of these individuals, including transition from adolescence to adulthood, employment goals, community integration, social competence, sexuality and quality of life concerns.

Stork Tours for Parents-To-Be

March 21 (Wednesday) 6 to 7:30 p.m.: Parents-to-be are invited to attend a free stork tour at Lodi Memorial Hospital, 975 S. Fairmont Ave., Lodi. Prospective parents may view the labor, delivery, recovery and nursery areas of the hospital and ask questions of the nursing staff. Call (209) 339-7520 to register.?For more information on other classes available at Lodi Memorial, visit its website at www.lodihealth.org.

Big-Brother/Big-Sister Class for Kids 3-8

March 21 or May 16 (Wednesday) 3 to 4:30 p.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital, 975 S. Fairmont Ave., Lodi, offers a big-brother/big-sister preparation class. This class, for children ages 3 to 8, will help youngsters adjust to the arrival of the new baby. The cost is $10 for the first child and $3 for each additional child. Call (209) 339-7520 to register.?For more information, visit the LMH website at www.lodihealth.org.

Eye Safety in the Workplace

Some 100 million American workers are affected by computer eyestrain, a symptom of Computer Vision Syndrome, according to Stockton therapeutic optometrist Derron Lee. ? March is Eye Safety in the Workplace Month, and as our nation has moved from a manufacturing society to an information society, Computer Vision Syndrome has become a workplace concern,? Lee said. ?While prolonged computer use will not damage vision, it can make you uncomfortable and decrease productivity.? Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is caused by the eyes constantly focusing and refocusing on the characters on a computer screen. These characters don?t have the contrast or well-defined edges like printed words and the eyes? focus cannot remain fixed. ?Symptoms of CVS include headaches, loss of focus, burning or tired eyes, blurred vision and neck or shoulder pain,? Lee said. CVS can be partially alleviated by changes in the ergonomics of the work area. ?Proper lighting and monitor placement can go a long way toward reducing CVS, as can giving your eyes frequent breaks from the computer. But the underlying cause of CVS ? the ability of the eyes to focus on the computer screen ? may only be remedied by specialized computer glasses,? he said. Lee said a comprehensive eye exam, including questions about a person?s computer use habits, is the first step. ?If we determine that vision correction for computer use is required, we can prescribe computer lenses that are designed to improve your vision in the 18-inch-28-inch range, the optimal distance between your eyes and the computer monitor,? Lee said. Click here for more information.

New Quality Indicator Tools Help Hospital Consumers

Providing consumers with more options to make informed health care decisions, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development? recently released four new Web tools allowing users quick and easy access in comparing hospitalization and utilization rates for various conditions statewide and by county in five year trend increments.

Wide Gap Between Care Patients Want and Receive at End of Life

When it comes to how they want to spend their final days, most Californians would prefer to die a natural death at home without being a burden, financially or emotionally, on their families. Yet according to a new poll released Feb. 14 by the California Health Care Foundation, a disparity exists between what people say they want at the end of life and what actually occurs. Among the results:

• Nearly 8 in 10 say that if seriously ill, they would want to speak with their doctor about end-of-life care. But fewer than 1 in 10 report having had such a conversation, including just 13% of those over 64.
• While 82% say that it is important to put their wishes in writing, less than one quarter have done so.
• Only 44% of Californians who have lost a loved one in the last 12 months say their loved one?s end-of-life preferences were completely followed and honored by providers. These numbers drop to 26% for those who experienced a language barrier and 25% for those uninsured at the time of death.
• Seventy percent say their home is their preferred place of death, but only 32% passed away in their homes.
• The poll finds broad support, regardless of political affiliation, for reimbursing doctors to talk about end-of-life options: 84% of Democrats, 72% of Republicans, and 80% of Independents say it would be a good idea to pay for the conversation.

CHCF is releasing an accompanying report that profiles the state of palliative care in California?s acute care hospitals. Among the findings:

• Palliative care consultation services have experienced a great deal of growth in recent years: Between 2007 and 2011, pediatric services increased by 128%, while adult services increased by 24%.
• Most palliative care services have modest budgets, with 60% operating on less than $300,000 annually.
• Every major metropolitan area in California except Los Angeles increased the number of hospital-based palliative care programs between 2007 and 2011. The percentage of Los Angeles hospitals with such programs actually decreased.

Read the complete press release now. For further details and additional resources, including a consumer guide for developing an advance directive from the American Bar Association and videos of individuals and family members reflecting on their experiences with these issues, visit www.chcf.org/endoflifecare.

Heart Medications Help Only If You Take Them

People take their prescribed medications for chronic conditions such as heart disease only about half the time. This high rate of ?nonadherence? leads to an estimated 125,000 preventable deaths in the United States each year and costs the health care system between $100 and $300 billion annually. The February 2012 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter looks at this huge problem and offers practical tips on how to ensure that people take the medications they need, when they should be taking them. Cost is one barrier, of course, but so are complicated dosing regimens, hassles in getting prescriptions filled, and side effects. The February Heart Letter offers some hurdle-clearing ideas:

• Cost ? When you get a new prescription, check with your health plan to make sure it?s the lowest-cost option available. If not, talk with your doctor. Also, take advantage of free medication programs sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and the discount plans at large retailers and pharmacies.
• Complexity ? If you take several medications with different dosing schedules, talk with your doctor about how to streamline your medication regimen. Also, recent studies have shown that using mail-order pharmacies can improve medication adherence, presumably through convenience and cost advantages.
• Side effects ? Heart medications come with non-life-threatening but bothersome side effects, including fatigue, nausea, coughing, and muscle pain. Both doctors and pharmacists can offer effective strategies to ease side effects, but only if you talk with them about it.

The February Heart Letter feature on medication adherence also includes useful tips for establishing personalized memory aids for tracking which medications to take and when. Read the full-length article: ?Medications help the heart ? if you take them?

Kaiser Study Examines Implications of Medi-Cal Role for Diabetics

A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows how Medicaid coverage provides access to care for adults with diabetes and how Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California) expansions under the Affordable Care Act could improve access for currently uninsured adults with diabetes. In the paper, published Jan. 10 in the journal Health Affairs, Foundation researchers Rachel Garfield and Anthony Damico report that adult Medicaid beneficiaries with diabetes have higher spending and service use than adult beneficiaries without the disease, but comparable access. At the same time, uninsured low-income adults with diabetes have higher out-of-pocket spending, are less likely to use services, and are more likely to report access barriers than those already covered by Medicaid. As they become eligible for Medicaid under health reform they are likely to enter the program with unmet health needs, and covering them is likely to result in both improved access and increased use of health care by this population, the study found. The full study, ?Medicaid Expansion Under Health Reform May Increase Service Use and Improve Access For Low-Income Adults With Diabetes,? can be accessed online at http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu11012oth.cfm.

Creating Safer Sleep Environments for Kids

January through March: First 5 San Joaquin is pleased to present the Quarterly Health Messaging E-Toolkit on ?Safer Sleep Environments.? This quarter?s health messaging toolkit focuses on increasing the awareness about the risk of fatal sleeping accidents and injuries among young children due to unsafe sleep environments. View more information and resources.

Physical Fitness Trumps Body Weight in Reducing Death Risks

If you maintain or improve your fitness level ? even if your body weight has not changed or increased ? you can reduce your risk of death, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. In a study of 14,345 adult men, mostly white and middle or upper class, researchers found that:

• Maintaining or improving fitness was associated with a lower death risk even after controlling for Body Mass Index (BMI) change.
• Every unit of increased fitness (measured as MET, metabolic equivalent of task) over six years was associated with a 19 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke-related deaths and a 15 percent lower risk of death from any cause.
• Becoming less fit was linked to higher death risk, regardless of BMI changes.
• BMI change was not associated with death risks.

BMI is a measurement based on weight and height (kg/m2). MET measures the intensity of aerobic exercise ? specifically, the ratio of metabolic rate during a specific physical activity to a reference rate of metabolic rate at rest. ?This is good news for people who are physically active but can?t seem to lose weight,? said Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D., the study?s lead researcher and physical activity epidemiologist in the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina?s Arnold School of Public Health in Columbia. ?You can worry less about your weight as long as you continue to maintain or increase your fitness levels.? Results of the study underscore the importance of physical inactivity as a risk factor for death from heart disease and stroke, said researchers. Researchers also found no association between changes in body fat percentage or body weight and death risk. Participants, who were an average 44 years old, were part of the long-term, large-scale Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. They underwent at least two comprehensive medical exams. Researchers used maximal treadmill tests to estimate physical fitness (maximal METs), and height and weight measurements to calculate BMI. They recorded changes in BMI and physical fitness over six years.

Questions About Health Reform Law?

• How are small businesses affected by health reform?
• Will everyone have to buy health insurance?
• How will the new provision allowing young adults to remain on a parent?s insurance work?

The FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) section of the Kaiser Family Foundation?s new Health Reform Source provides concise answers to common questions about the health reform law. You can search for your question or submit a new question if yours is not addressed. http://healthreform.kff.org/faq.aspx. Additional questions addressing the affordability of health insurance, how programs like Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) will be financed under health reform and others are addressed in a series of Video Explainer clips featuring foundation experts answering specific questions about the law on a variety of health policy topics. http://healthreform.kff.org/video-explainers.aspx. Kaiser?s Health Reform Source, http://healthreform.kff.org, an online gateway providing easy access to new and comprehensive resources on the health reform law, provides these and other new features and tools including an interactive timeline showing when health-reform provisions take effect, all the latest polling data, links to other information resources, and the latest health-reform headlines from Kaiser Health News.

Respiratory Support Group for Better Breathing

First Tuesday of month 10 to 11 a.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital and the American Lung Association of California Valley Lode offer a free ?Better Breathers?? respiratory-support group for people and their family members with breathing problems including asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Participants will learn how to cope with chronic lung disease, understand lungs and how they work and use medications and oxygen properly. Pre-registration is recommended by calling (209) 478-1888 or (209) 339-7821. For information on other classes available at Lodi Memorial, visit its website at www.lodihealth.org.

Planned Childbirth Services

Tuesdays 6 to 8 p.m.: Dameron Hospital, 525 W. Acacia St., Stockton, hosts a four-class series which answers questions and prepares mom and her partner for labor and birth. Bring two pillows and a comfortable blanket or exercise mat to each class. These classes are requested during expecting mother?s third trimester. Information/registration: Carolyn Sanders, RN (209) 461-3136 or www.Dameronhospital.org.

Say Yes to Breastfeeding

Tuesdays 6 to 8 p.m.: Dameron Hospital, 525 W. Acacia St., Stockton, offers a class that outlines the information and basic benefits and risk management of breastfeeding. Topics include latching, early skin-to-skin on cue, expressing milk and helpful hints on early infant feeding. In addition, the hospital offers a monthly Mommy and Me-Breastfeeding support group where mothers, babies and hospital clerical staff meet the second Monday of each month. Information/registration: Carolyn Sanders, RN (209) 461-3136 or www.Dameronhospital.org.

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous

Are you having trouble controlling the way you eat? Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) is a free Twelve Step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, undereating or bulimia. For more information or a list of additional meetings throughout the U.S. and the world, call (781) 932-6300 or visit www.foodaddicts.org.

• Tuesdays 7 p.m.: Modesto Unity Church, 2547 Veneman Ave., Modesto.
• Wednesdays 9 a.m.: The Episcopal Church of Saint Anne, 1020 W. Lincoln Road, Stockton.
• Saturdays 9 a.m.: Tracy Community Church, 1790 Sequoia Blvd. at Corral Hollow, Tracy.

Adult Children With Aging Relatives

Second Wednesday of month 4:30 p.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital offers an Adult Children with Aging Relatives support group at the Hutchins Street Square Senior Center. For information, call (209) 369-4443 or (209) 369-6921.

Individual Stork Tours At Dameron

Wednesdays 5 to 7 p.m.: Dameron Hospital, 525 W. Acacia St., Stockton, offers 30 minute guided tours that provide expecting parents with a tour of Labor/Delivery, the Mother-Baby Unit and an overview of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. New mothers are provided information on delivery services, where to go and what to do once delivery has arrived, and each mother can create an individual birthing plan. Information/registration: Carolyn Sanders, RN (209) 461-3136 or www.Dameronhospital.org.

Brain Builders Weekly Program

Thursdays 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Lodi Memorial Hospital and the Hutchins Street Square Senior Center offer ?Brain Builders,? a weekly program for people in the early stages of memory loss. There is a weekly fee of $25. Registration is required. Information or to register, call (209) 369-4443 or (209) 369-6921.

Infant CPR and Safety

Second Thursday of month 5 to 7 p.m.: Dameron Hospital, 525 W. Acacia St., Stockton, offers a class to family members to safely take care of their newborn.? Family members are taught infant CPR and relief of choking, safe sleep and car seat safety.? Regarding infant safety, the hospital offers on the fourth Thursday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m. a NICU/SCN family support group. This group is facilitated by a Master Prepared Clinical Social Worker and the Dameron NICU staff with visits from the hospital?s neonatologist. Information/registration: Carolyn Sanders, RN (209) 461-3136 or www.Dameronhospital.org.

Group Meetings for Alzheimer?s Patients, Caregivers

Thursdays 10 to 11:30 a.m.: The Alzheimer?s Aid Society of Northern California in conjunction with Villa Marche residential care facility conducts a simultaneous Caregiver?s Support Group and Patient?s Support Group at Villa Marche, 1119 Rosemarie Lane, Stockton. Caregivers, support people or family members of anyone with dementia are welcome to attend the caregiver?s group, led by Rita Vasquez. It?s a place to listen, learn and share. At the same time, Alzheimer?s and dementia patients can attend the patient?s group led by Sheryl Ashby. Participants will learn more about dementia and how to keep and enjoy the skills that each individual possesses. There will be brain exercises and reminiscence. The meeting is appropriate for anyone who enjoys socialization and is able to attend with moderate supervision. Information: (209) 477-4858.

Clase Gratuita de Diabetes en Espa?ol

Cada segundo Viernes del mes: Participantes aprender?n los fundamentos sobre la?observaci?n de az?car de sangre, comida saludable, tama?os de porci?n y medicaciones. Un educador con certificado del control de diabetes dar? instruccion sobre la autodirecci?n durante de esta clase. Para mas informaci?n y registraci?n: (209) 461-3251. Aprenda m?s de los programas de diabetes en el sitio electronico de St. Joseph?s: www.StJosephsCares.org/Diabetes

Nutrition on the Move Class

Fridays 11 a.m. to noon: Nutrition Education Center at Emergency Food Bank, 7 W. Scotts Ave., Stockton.? Free classes are general nutrition classes where you?ll learn about the new My Plate standards, food label reading, nutrition and exercise, eating more fruits and vegetables, and other tips. Information: (209) 464-7369 or www.stocktonfoodbank.org.

Free Diabetes Class in Spanish

Second Friday of every month: Participants will learn the basics about blood sugar monitoring, healthy foods, portion sizes, medications and self-management skills from a certified diabetic educator during this free class. St. Joseph?s Medical Center, 1800 N. California St., Stockton. Information and registration: (209) 461-3251. Learn more on St. Joseph?s diabetes programs at www.StJosephsCares.org/Diabetes.

All Day Prepared Childbirth Class

Third Saturday of month 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Dameron Hospital, 525 W. Acacia St., Stockton, offers community service educational class of prebirth education and mentoring. Information/registration: Carolyn Sanders, RN (209) 461-3136 or www.Dameronhospital.org.

Big Brother/Big Sister

Second Sunday of month: Dameron Hospital, 525 W. Acacia St., Stockton, has a one-hour class meeting designed specifically for newborn?s siblings. Topics include family role, a labor/delivery tour and a video presentation which explains hand washing/germ control and other household hygiene activities. This community service class ends with a Certification of Completion certificate. Information/registration: Carolyn Sanders, RN (209) 461-3136 or www.Dameronhospital.org.

Outpatient Program Aimed at Teens

Two programs: Adolescents face a number of challenging issues while trying to master their developmental milestones. Mental health issues (including depression), substance abuse and family issues can hinder them from mastering the developmental milestones that guide them into adulthood. The Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) offered by St. Joseph?s Behavioral Health Center, 2510 N. California St., Stockton, is designed for those individuals who need comprehensive treatment for their mental, emotional or chemical dependency problems. This program uses Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to present skills for effective living. Patients learn how to identify and change distorted thinking, communicate effectively in relationships and regain control of their lives. The therapists work collaboratively with parents, doctors and schools. They also put together a discharge plan so the patient continues to get the help they need to thrive into adulthood.

• Psychiatric Adolescent IOP meets Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
• Chemical Recovery Adolescent IOP meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m.

For more information about this and other groups, (209) 461-2000 and ask to speak with a behavioral evaluator or visit www.StJosephsCanHelp.org.

Click here for Community Medical Centers (Channel Medical Clinic, San Joaquin Valley Dental Group, etc.) website.

Click here for Dameron Hospital?s?Event Calendar.

Click here for Doctors Hospital of Manteca?Events finder.

Click here for Hill Physicians website.

Click here for Kaiser Central Valley News and Events

Click here for Lodi Memorial Hospital?Event Calendar.

Click here for Mark Twain St. Joseph?s Hospital Classes and Events.

Click here for San Joaquin General Hospital website.

Click here for St. Joseph?s Medical Center?s?Classes and Events.

Click here for Sutter Gould news.?Click here for Sutter Gould calendar of events.

Click here for Sutter Tracy Community Hospital?events, classes and support groups.

San Joaquin County Public Health Services General Information

Ongoing resources for vaccinations and clinic information are:

1. Public Health Services Influenza website,?www.sjcphs.org
2. Recorded message line at?(209) 469-8200, extension 2# for English and 3# for Spanish.
3. For further information, individuals may call the following numbers at Public Health Services:

• For general vaccine and clinic questions, call?(209) 468-3862;
• For medical questions, call?(209) 468-3822.

Health officials continue to recommend these precautionary measures to help protect against acquiring influenza viruses:

1. Wash your hands often with soap and water or use alcohol based sanitizers.
2. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve, when you cough or sneeze.
3. Stay home if you are sick until you are free of a fever for 24 hours.
4. Get vaccinated.

Public Health Services Clinic Schedules (Adults and Children)

Immunization clinic hours are subject to chance depending on volume of patients or staffing. Check the Public Health Services website for additional evening clinics or special clinics at?www.sjcphs.org. Clinics with an asterisk (*) require patients to call for an appointment.

Stockton Health Center: 1601 E. Hazelton Ave.; (209) 468-3830.

• Immunizations: Monday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Tuesday 1-4 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Thursday 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.; Friday 8-11 a.m.
• Travel clinic*: Thursday 8-11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.
• Health exams*: Tuesday 1-4 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Friday 8-11 a.m.
• Sexually transmitted disease clinic: Wednesday 3-6 p.m. and Friday 1-4 p.m., walk-in and by appointment.
• Tuberculosis clinic*: Tuesday; second and fourth Wednesday of the month.
• HIV testing: Tuesday 1-4 p.m.; Thursday 1-4 p.m.

Manteca Health Center: 124 Sycamore Ave.; (209) 823-7104 or (800) 839-4949.

• Immunizations: Monday 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-6 p.m.
• Tuberculosis clinic*: first and third Wednesday 3-6 p.m.
• HIV testing: first Wednesday 1:30-4 p.m.

Lodi Health Center: 300 W. Oak St.; (209) 331-7303 or (800) 839-4949.

• Immunizations: Monday 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.; Friday 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.
• Tuberculosis clinic*: Friday 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.
• HIV testing: second and fourth Friday 1:30-4 p.m.

Protect Your Preteen from Serious Diseases

The Calaveras County Public Health Department reminds families of preteens about recommended and required immunizations for 11-and 12-year olds. Dr. Dean Kelaita, county health officer, encouraged families of preteens to schedule a doctor visit and get vaccines they need to stay healthy and meet the Tdap school entry requirement for incoming seventh-graders. During 2010, California experienced a whooping cough (also known as pertussis) epidemic that resulted in 10 infant deaths. Incoming seventh-graders for the 2012-13 school year must provide proof of having immunization against whooping cough (Tdap) before starting school. Students who have not met the requirement will not be allowed to start school. Immunity from childhood vaccines wears off over time, exposing a child to serious diseases that can lead to missed weeks of school or serious illness. Besides the Tdap shot, there are other immunizations that are now recommended for this age group, including the meningococcal vaccine, a second chickenpox shot (if they never had chickenpox disease), and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series. Also, everyone older than 6 months is recommended to receive flu vaccine. The Calaveras County Public Health Department offers no- or low-cost vaccines to children without health insurance or whose insurance does not cover immunizations. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Information: (209) 754-6460 or www.calaveraspublichealth.com.

Calaveras County Public Health Community Immunization Clinics

• San Andreas: weekly at Public Health Department, 700 Mountain Ranch Road, Suite C-2. Mondays 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays 8 a.m. to noon.
• Valley Springs: monthly at United Methodist Church, 135 Laurel St. Third Tuesday 3 to 5:30 p.m.

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Have a health-oriented event the public in San Joaquin County should know about? Let me know at?jgoldeen@recordnet.com and I?ll get it into my Health Calendar. I?m not interested in promoting commercial enterprises here, but I am interested in helping out nonprofit and/or community groups, hospitals, clinics, physicians and other health-care providers. Look for five categories: Community Events, News, Ongoing, Hospitals & Medical Groups, and Public Health.

TO THE PUBLIC: I won?t list an item here from a source that I don?t know or trust. So I believe you can count on what you read here. If there is a problem, please don?t hesitate to let me know at (209) 546-8278 or jgoldeen@recordnet.com.?Thanks, Joe

Source: http://blogs.esanjoaquin.com/stockton-health-care/2012/02/20/joes-health-calendar-22012/

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