Blu Homes (www.bluhomes.com), a leading designer and manufacturer of beautiful, green, precision-built homes, based in Boston and San Francisco, announced today the unfolding of two eco-friendly faculty homes at Portsmouth Abbey School, one of the nation’s leading Catholic boarding schools. The two-story Blu “Evolution” homes are Energy Star-rated and LEED certifiable, and will be located on the School’s 500-acre campus on the picturesque shores of Narragansett Bay in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The spacious and highly energy-efficient Blu Evolutions are two of a growing number of Blu homes embraced by Rhode Islanders. A Blu Element was erected in Charlestown last year while a Blu Breezehouse and another Element are currently being prepared for homeowners in Little Compton.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/40401-blu-homes-unfolds-green-faculty-homes-rhode-island-portsmouth-abbey-school
Six Flags Magic Mountain transforms from a “theme park” to a haunted “scream park” for its 19th season of Fright Fest, Southern California’s most thrilling Halloween experience. This season marks the biggest Fright Fest in the park’s history with four new scare zones, three new mazes, two new shows and extended park hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Six Flags Magic Mountain offers 10 more days of terrifying haunted mazes, roaming zombies and spooky shows and is adding a “twisted” element to some of its monster coasters by turning off the lights, leaving riders to face their fears literally in the dark. And, the Fright Fest exclusive that coaster fanatics wait for all year … the transformation of one of the largest, most celebrated coasters in the world … Colossus runs backwards! Running the remaining three frightfully fun weekends, Fright Fest at Magic Mountain leaves no tombstone unturned, bringing guests the ultimate sensory overload for every range of fear. For the little monsters, a Trick or Treat Trail, Kid Scaryoke and Halloween Crafts round out the activities.
To view Multimedia News Release, to go http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/sixflags/51974/
Adkins, a longtime NASCAR fan, is excited about the chance to join the RPM team and drive Petty\'s number 43 car. Little does Adkins know, Petty has something else in mind for Adkins to drive. Let\'s just say, no pit crew needed.
Carol Platt was caught in the middle of the economic downturn with no backup plan. Searching for a stable job in an unstable economy proved to be difficult without a college degree. Her work history and past successes were overlooked. It had always been a dream of hers to complete her degree; after a failed first attempt, she was unsure of her ability to follow through. She began researching online education options and felt that Kaplan University stood out; she decided to complete her college degree online. Carol enrolled in Kaplan University’s School of Business and Management and earned her bachelor’s degree online, focusing on business with an emphasis in human resources.
The adult continuing education program at Kaplan University is designed for working professionals who seek to further their career or, like Carol, want to earn their university degree online.* Students can complete assignments on a schedule that fits their lives. It’s this type of flexibility that helps prepare Kaplan University online students for success. Even if you already have an established career, it’s never too late to consider online business school to further your knowledge and update your skills. Increase your marketability with one of Kaplan University’s online bachelor degree programs without taking time off of work to attend class.
* Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job, eligible for job advancement opportunities, or employed at all. Additional training or certification may be required.
“I grew up in Graham, North Carolina. My parents both worked for the textile mills, both had fourth grade educations and my mom always wanted me to get an education. When I graduated from high school it was my dream to go to college. I failed the first class of my life which was my chemistry class. I was just overwhelmed so I left after about a year and half, got a job and kept trying to go back to school. For me it was personally devastating. It really bothered me. I felt like I was failing. I had one shot and I blew it.
When Jenna left for boarding school I couldn’t even open the door and go in the room and I was almost 52. All of that coincided with the downturn of the market. I had almost $6 million dollars in contracts waiting to close and they all fell through—every single one of them. I thought, ‘now what? I don’t have a degree, there are no jobs.’ It doesn’t matter what I had done or how much success I had, the requirements are to have a degree. Not only that, I had to walk back in the door competing with people half my age and many of them had MBAs.
It was just a matter of figuring out how to do it—so that’s when I started to check into what were the institutions, what was the cost, how were they respected. Kaplan [University] had a degree in business with a specialty in human resources. As I started narrowing the options down, it made it into about the final three. I took those three finalists to my traditional education friends and I said, ‘I want to know what the most respected online degree would be if someone was coming into your office looking for a job.’
The IT Dean, the Computer Science Dean, felt like Kaplan [University] had the best online delivery program that was out there. The Academic Dean’s advice was that this is a respected degree that you’re not going to have people questioning whether you were competent when you came out. Everything that you take there will be accepted if you go on to a master’s [program] anywhere so that was a very good recommendation. When I sat down at graduation, 31 years later, and I’m looking up at the podium and it says, ‘Kaplan University: a Different School of Thought’ that was probably more me because I do think a little differently. I’m willing to work on things that innovate and I think that’s more of an opportunity for me and many students like me.~N
A degree in nursing from Kaplan University addresses the challenges and scenarios real nurses work through on a daily basis. Kaplan University’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN program) is based on relevant material to help ensure our students are prepared for their careers. Our online nursing degrees are based on flexible coursework; students enrolled in the Kaplan University School of Nursing program are already nurses and there is no easier way to cater to the ever-changing schedule of a nurse than attending university online.
We offer our students the courses to help develop their career through program offerings such as an RN-to-MSN option and nurse practitioner certificates.* Nurses don’t just work in hospitals. At Kaplan University, we understand the different capacities in which nurses work and have developed our nursing school online to accommodate all capacities of nursing.
We see our nurses follow through with their training in programs that help students progress from their RN to an MSN program online. After years of hard work, our nurses look back at their time spent with Kaplan University and know it was a key element in getting them where they wanted to be.
* At this time, the nurse practitioner certificates are available only in the following states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Vermont.
“It’s important to Kaplan [University] to make sure that the students have the skill set and the abilities to function well in the world of nursing. We want our graduates to be considered the employees of choice so if they’re in a position or applying for a position, when the employer looks, ‘Oh you graduated from Kaplan [University].’ They know there is a certain currency and a certain relevance to the information and the knowledge they’ve gained. All of our online students are already nurses so they’re out there working in a variety of fields all over the country. We ask our nurses, we ask our students that are in our bachelor’s and our master’s program, what do they think? What’s important to them?
We try to think outside the box. Not all nurses work in the hospital. Nurses in the community, nurses in informatics, nurses in education—because when you find something that you’re passionate about, that’s when you’ve learned.
Their method of teaching was phenomenal. It was so phenomenal that when I went to take the boards I knew I passed the board. Why? Kaplan [University] taught me how.
What makes the Kaplan [University] School of Nursing so unique is the ability to offer the beginning nurse Vocational Nursing diplomas, Practical Nursing diplomas, and then to be able to be with them all throughout their career as they advance and progress with additional diplomas, certificate and degree programs to meet every need.
We give them opportunities to build their own professional portfolio throughout the nursing program we encourage the students to hold on to the things that they did well and to refine their skills. All of that are things that are absolutely embedded in the curriculum because we’re all about students’ success. Our students are challenged; they are working adults, they have families, and they have responsibilities, perhaps for children or older relatives. The personal touch is when the students know that the faculty care about them, that the advisors care about them and that people follow up.
I initially went with Kaplan [University] because I had a lot of returned calls from them and a lot of encouragement. Being that it was an online school I was nervous about, “What if I need help?” “What if I have a question?” All of the instructors that I had said call me if you have a question, email me if you have a question; I really needed that extra little push to get me started.
Our students feel like they really develop a personal relationship with the faculty. We see that when they graduate they’re always interested, if they
Doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston are just another step closer to securing a cure for sickle cell disease thanks to a little help from some superstar friends. More than $1 million was raised in support of their research efforts on Sunday, January 15 during the “Play Without Pain: Children’s Sickle Cell Benefit,” a partnership with international megastar Celine Dion, Caesars Entertainment, AEG Live and Children’s Hospital Boston. Held at Caesars Palace, the evening included a performance of Celine Dion’s glamorous show directed by Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich, including a touching tribute to sickle cell victims during her rendition of Billy Joel’s “Lullabye.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54153-celine-dion-play-without-pain-children-s-sickle-cell-benefit
New York City looks a little greener these days thanks in part to biodiesel. This renewable, soy-based fuel powers Big Apple vehicles, furnaces and generators year-round and can be found throughout the city from Central Park to John F. Kennedy Airport.
The New York Parks Department uses a B20 blend of biodiesel when fueling diesel vehicles and generators, as well as replacing the oil heat for warming their buildings. The department has used strictly B20 in these applications for nearly two and a half years.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53949-united-soybean-board-soy-oil-bioheat-biodiesel-fuel-power-in-nyc
Sandy's Trauma and Beginning of Grief
Every One of us go Through Grief
OK, so I was on this journey – you can imagine. I loved the journey. And then, the next thing that happened was that tragedy in my life whereby my 3 daughters and their friend were murdered. I want to tell you about my journey of grief during this time. There may be some things there that can help. There are certainly some positive aspects that come out of it, so I’ll tell you about my journey of grief … and you know what? Every one of us here are going to have to go through grief.
Learning Through Adversity
Maybe many of us have already been through grief, and there’s going to be more. We’re all going to go through some adversity at some time. The key thing out of adversity and out of trauma is learning. What is there that you can learn from this event, because you know, those learning experiences are experiences for our soul and it’s the soul that needs the experience.
I’m so Glad I Spoke to my Girls That Night
So, Jenny and Kirsty, they were twins at 19 and Lexie, she was 16 – the next day. And the date was 23rd January 1987. They were living with their mum in the northern Sydney suburb of Pymble and a friend of theirs, Lisa was there as well, so there were 4 of them in the house. I was living about 5 kilometres away in Lindfield, married to Sandra and at that time we had a little 5 year old girl, Lara and a little 3 year old boy, Ian. At about 7 o’clock that Friday night I rang and spoke to Lexie and also spoke to Jenny and Kirsty and I tell you, the mirth and joy in that household was fantastic. They were all preparing to go camping for the Australia Day long weekend. And we taught them about camping, so I was really pleased about that. They were going to be joined by a group of friends to go camping. In retrospect I am so glad I was able to speak to the girls at that time, because at 10 past 9 that night Richard Madrell arrived at the door and professed his love for Jenny who of course had not had anything to do with him for 12 months and all of them wanted to keep him away with their mother even trying unsuccessful to take out an AVO on him. But he arrived at the door and shot her. He then shot Kirsty, then Lisa and then shot Lexie. All over in ten minutes.
My First Reaction
The police hammered on my door at about 2 o’clock in the morning and told me what had happened. My first reaction was that this was impossible … I mean I had only spoken to them several hours earlier. For me it was complete disbelief and I questioned about being shot with a shotgun as I knew something about guns from the army. I questioned the fact that it must have been impossible because with a shotgun you have to load it, fire and then re-load it, re-load it again …. Surely one or two of them are going to be able to get away. Surely not all 4 of them, not all 3 of my girls.
I Still Couldn’t Believe it.
On the way to their home in the police car I was still arguing with the police and I was asking if they had seen their bodies. “Oh, so you haven’t seen their bodies … you haven’t actually been there …. You’ve only been told about this over the radio … so you don’t really know this for sure.” Always thinking and hoping that it’s not true.
My Denial Phase
And then a little bit of doubt would come in and it would be like this: “God, how could you let this happen. No, no no, you haven’t let it happen. But …. If you have … what have the girls done? What have they done to deserve this for goodness sake? There is no God.” And so that’s where my denial phase started.
By Sandy MacGregor – http://www.selfimprovementdeals.com
See it on Video – 09 of 16 Sandy's Trauma and Beginning of Grief
Next Video – 10 Hatred Anger and Revenge Can Become Habits During Grief
Ever wonder why your meticulously crafted, measured and rolled cookies are just slightly off – whether it’s the way the texture feels in your mouth or the buttery taste that is yearning for a little something more. It could be that your desserts are rebelling against the ordinary ingredients you are using.
To help bakers save their desserts from protest, Spice Islands® partnered with Caroline Lubbers of Whipped and Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking? to break down the myth that baking ingredients are all the same, and to share indulgent baking recipes that rely on high-quality ingredients for superior, unparalleled treats.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54458-spice-islands-bloggers-recipes-high-quality-dessert-ingredients
Best childrens books http://buttonthemouse.com/Books Button Goes to School. Once upon a time, two little mice, Button and his mama, lived in a little house under the haystack on a small farm in the country. Button was young but almost old enough to go to school. Soon this day would come. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDXvFPxzvUA
Virgin America, the airline that is reinventing domestic travel, announces it will bring its low-fare, award-winning service to Portland International Airport (PDX) as of June 5, 2012, with tickets on sale today for two daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and one daily nonstop flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Known for outstanding guest service, custom-designed cabins with three classes of service, and touch-screen in-flight entertainment at every seat, Virgin America has swept the major reader-based travel awards since the airline launched in 2007. At a time when most U.S. carriers have been cutting capacity, Virgin America is expanding to its 18th destination and bringing much-needed nonstop competition from California’s largest airports to PDX. When entering new markets that offer little low-fare competition, the airline has frequently seen fares drop by up to 30 percent.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55168-virgin-america-flights-to-from-portland-international-airport-pdx-oregon
