Reducing the Risk of Cancer by 50 Percent Appears Possible by Blocking Blue Light in the Evening

Reducing the Risk of Cancer by 50 Percent Appears Possible by Blocking Blue Light in the Evening

Blind people have half the incidence of cancer, most likely because they make melatonin 9 or 10 hours a night according to a recent study at Harvard University. The body can only make melatonin when in the dark. For most people this is 6 or 7 hours a night. It’s the blue component of light that causes melatonin suppression. Glasses that block blue light worn a few hours before bedtime allow melatonin to flow for 9 or 10 hours.

University Heights, OH (PRWEB) March 8, 2006

Blind people have about half the risk of cancer as people with normal vision according to a large study by the National Health Service. The most likely reason is that they produce melatonin and other secretions from the pineal gland for 9 or 10 hours a night while the rest of us only make them for 6 or 7 hours a night. Melatonin is a powerful cancer fighter, but the body only make it when in the dark. Exposing the eyes to light shuts down the pineal gland.

But there is good news. Not all colors of light cause melatonin suppression. It’s only the blue rays that cause the problem. This means that blocking the blue light from entering the eye the pineal gland can continue making melatonin. Glasses that block blue light are available at www. lowbluelights. com.

The fact that blind people only have half the rate of cancer was first discovered in the 90s and has been confirmed by more recent studies. A related study of women who consistently sleep unusually long found that the incidence of breast cancer for women who slept nine hours or more a night was only about one fourth that of women who slept 6 or 7 hours a night. A subsequent study found that women who slept unusually long made melatonin for a similarly unusually long time.

Concern about the use of light at night began when it was found that nurses who worked night shift from time to time had a higher incidence of breast cancer. Something about disrupting the circadian rhythm of the body was causing a higher risk of cancer. Studies in animals show that continuous exposure to light accelerates the rate of growth of cancerous tumors. The mechanism is thought to be the lack of melatonin.

Last fall the results of a milestone study were published. The response of human breast cancers to blood with and without pineal secretions was studied. Breast cancers grew rapidly when exposed to blood without melatonin but only very slowly when the blood contained melatonin. Dr. Blask who led the study said that "Melatonin puts the cancer to sleep at night". Unfortunately exposing the eyes to light at night wakes up the cancer and lets it grow rapidly.

Wearing glasses that block the blue light for a few hours before going to bed lets people regain the long hours of melatonin flow that is experienced by blind people. The glasses allow the yellow, orange and red light to pass through so one can read, watch television or work on a computer with no problem. Users of the glasses also report a marked improvement in sleep, which supports the idea that more melatonin is being produced. This minor change in life style could cut cancer risk in half.

Contact person:

Dr. Richard L. Hansler

216-397-1657

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Glimpses into the Data Center Crystal Ball: Top 10 Ways to Get More from Your Data Center in 2009

Glimpses into the Data Center Crystal Ball: Top 10 Ways to Get More from Your Data Center in 2009

Current economic conditions will impact the data center in 2009. Data center and IT managers will need to get more from their facility with less money available. Emerson Network Power suggests the top 10 ways to overcome this challenge.

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) November 10, 2008

Current economic conditions will impact the data center in 2009. Data center and IT managers will need to get more from their facility with less money available. Emerson Network Power suggests the top 10 ways to overcome this challenge.

Top 10 Tactics to Get More from Your Data Center (http://www. liebert. com/newsletters/docs/BC_Application_Guide_Lo_Res. pdf) with Less Money:

1. Cover Your Bases. It may be more difficult to recover from an outage during tough economic times than during prosperous one. A relatively small investment in precision air conditioning and backup power can actually save money. For example, precision air conditioning will adequately protect data center assets; building air conditioning alone will not. A double conversion backup power solution with adequate redundancy is essential to raising system availability and ensuring business continuity.

2. Look Inside Before Outside. Increasing density may be a more cost-effective approach to meet the need for more capacity than new facility development. For example, new cooling architectures can enable densities notably higher than average data center densities at a fraction of the cost of building a new facility.

3. Assess Before Action (http://www. liebert. com/servicesupport_pages/services/service. aspx? x=AvailabilityAssessmentServices). Perhaps one of the smartest investments businesses can make in the coming year will be to asses their data center to identify and resolve vulnerabilities that threaten availability, increase data center efficiency, and improve planning and budget allocation.

4. Go From Room to Rack. Utilizing an integrated enclosure system (i. e. data center in a box or mini computer room (http://www. liebert. com/product_pages/SecondaryCategory. aspx? id=15&hz=60)) offers a cost-effective solution to protecting the equipment that may be in a small data center or room. Instead of conditioning whole room environment, just protect the rack.

5. Cap the Cold Aisle. Cold aisle containment allows cooling units to run at reduced capacity to achieve ideal cooling conditions and save energy costs. This tactic is more efficient and effective than hot aisle containment systems, and offers a better environment for data center personnel.

6. Check the Weather Forecast. In many locations, economizers can be used to allow outside cool air to complement data center cooling systems and provide "free cooling" during colder months. This approach lowers energy usage, lessens wear on some components in the cooling equipment, and decreases operational costs. All together, it can be a welcome reduction in the data center electricity bill.

7. Watch Often - If Not Always. The importance of monitoring what's going on inside the complex and dynamic data center is more important than ever. Keeping an eye on performance will help businesses steer clear of unnecessary maintenance and repair costs. Success in this endeavor will require IT and facilities to integrate disparate data into a centralized portal where actionable and meaningful information can be derived.

8. Improve Energy Utilization. Opportunities exist to improve energy use throughout data centers of all sizes. For example, adding variable frequency drives to cooling systems allows them to recognize reduced loads and operate more efficiently. Every Watt of savings achieved on the processor level will create a total of 2.84 Watts of savings for the facility (http://www. liebert. com/common/ViewDocument. aspx? id=880).

9. Avoid Cutting Corners. A preventive maintenance plan can extend equipment life and reduce maintenance costs. For example, employ a battery maintenance strategy so that your business isn't a victim of the number one cause of UPS failure: bad batteries.

10. Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow. It may be necessary to minimize capital expenditures but make sure you don't compromise future scalability. UPS scalability is emerging as a popular solution to reducing the risk associated with miscalculating future capacities. Statistical analysis of UPS system configurations in light of failure rates shows that system reliability begins to decrease sharply when more than four UPS modules are used in a single system.

Quotes attributable to Chuck Spears, president, Liebert products (North America), Emerson Network Power:
 "The coming year will undoubtedly require data center and IT managers to get maximum value from their facility without making significant enhancements."  "The good news is that numerous opportunities exist throughout the data center to do more with less. Businesses that have already invested in adaptive technologies are poised to easily grow as they're able. Those that will spend on data center support systems must demand flexible, efficient products at the lowest total cost of ownership."  "Sufficient UPS battery backup should meet existing needs as well as anticipated growth. Exactly how much power capacity and redundancy needed depends on an organization's sensitivity to downtime and budget. "  "Too many dense equipment racks comprised of new, powerful technologies are relying on building air conditioning systems for environmental control. While it may seem like a cost-saving decision today to not pay for a better cooling solution, it's going to come out as a bad decision tomorrow when the technology isn't working as expected."

Related Links:
Executives Discussing Key Data Center Topics (http://www. youtube. com/profile_videos? user=EmersonNetworkPower)
Small Business Survey Results (Summer 2008) (http://www. emerson. com/smallbusiness)
Data Center Users Group Survey Results (Spring 2008) (http://www. liebert. com/information_pages/NewsRelease. aspx? id=2700)
Aperture Research Institute Report (May 2008) (http://www. aperture. com/about/research_institute/ari_green_attitudes_part2_5_27_08.pdf)

About Emerson Network Power
Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson, is the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity™ from grid to chip for telecommunication networks, data centers, health care and industrial facilities. Emerson Network Power provides innovative solutions and expertise in areas including AC and DC power and precision cooling systems, embedded computing and power, integrated racks and enclosures, power switching and controls, monitoring, and connectivity. All solutions are supported globally by local Emerson Network Power service technicians. Liebert power, precision cooling and monitoring products and services from Emerson Network Power improve the utilization and management of data center and network technologies by increasing IT system availability, flexibility and efficiency. For more information, visit www. liebert. com or www. emersonnetworkpower. com.

About Emerson
Emerson, based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2007 were $22 billion. For more information, visit www. emerson. com.

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Quitting Season is Here: Make a Plan to Quit Smoking on New Year's Day

Quitting Season is Here: Make a Plan to Quit Smoking on New Year's Day

Make 2011 the Year to Become an EX

Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 15, 2010

Nearly 47 million Americans smoke and most of them – 70 percent – want to quit. Each new year, many smokers make a resolution to quit, but lack the resources to make this their final and successful attempt to stop smoking. EX® is a national quit smoking program designed to help smokers “re-learn” life without cigarettes.

Quitting smoking is ultimately one of the single most important lifestyle changes people can make to improve and extend their lives. Tobacco-related disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States; smokers therefore need to be armed with all of the available information to make the best, most informed choices about the smoking cessation medications and resources available to them.

“The New Year is a time for reflection on the past and anticipation for the future,” said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of Legacy. “It is the ideal time for smokers to re-evaluate their daily routines, identify why they smoke and make changes that help them re-learn their routines and daily life without cigarettes. While quitting is very difficult, it is possible, and with a plan, advice from health care providers and support from family and friends, smokers can greatly increase the chances of this time being their final quit attempt.”

EX provides evidence-based tools to help smokers quit, including information that can help them prepare for a quit attempt by:
1) “Re-learning” their thinking on the behavioral aspects of smoking and how different smoking triggers can be overcome with practice and preparation;
2) “Re-learning” their knowledge of addiction and how medications can increase their chances for quitting success; and 3) “Re-learning” their ideas of how support from friends and family members can play a critical role in quitting.

Because social support is so important, EX uses a state-of-the-art website (http://www. BecomeAnEX. org) as a convening point for smokers who want to quit and collaborate on their successes and challenges in the difficult quit process. Since March 2008, when the program first debuted, over a million people have visited the site and more than 22,000 smokers have joined the online community, forming nearly 300 customized support groups. EX tools were designed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and with input from former and current smokers who have lived with this struggle, in order to provide smokers with a realistic approach based on evidence-based research.

Visit http://www. BecomeAnEX. org to download a free quit plan or quit on-the-go with the Become An EX App available from the App Store on iPhone or at: http://itunes. apple. com/us/app/the-ex-plan/id369931367?mt=8.

EX® is a collaborative public health campaign presented by the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, a partnership of the nation's leading public health organizations and states. The campaign helps smokers prepare to quit and guides them to useful resources that foster successful quit attempts including the EX plan, a free personalized quit plan available on the campaign’s website http://www. BecomeAnEX. org. EX is the culmination of several years of research and testing, combining an understanding of the power of nicotine addiction with messages that resonate with and motivate smokers toward behavior change. The EX approach is peer to peer and focuses on "re-learning life without cigarettes" by encouraging smokers to think differently about the process of quitting. The campaign, which began airing nationwide in March 2008, includes television, radio, online and out-of-home advertising. The EX website helps smokers create their own individual plan to quit and connects them to a virtual community of other smokers where they can share stories and strategies about quitting. Founding members of the NATC include numerous states and the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the National Cancer Institute, Legacy, C-Change, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and clinical partner, the Mayo Clinic.

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The Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA) Objects to Media Reports Tainting Autism Doctors and Misrepresenting Autism Treatments

The Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA) Objects to Media Reports Tainting Autism Doctors and Misrepresenting Autism Treatments

Media outlets, including ABC News, Chicago Tribune and Forbes. com are not accurately covering and reporting on biomedical treatments for autism. EBCALA strongly objects to the bias and inaccuracy reflected in the coverage by ABC News, the Chicago Tribune and Forbes. com,

New York, N. Y. (PRWEB) March 12, 2010

Media outlets, including ABC News, Chicago Tribune and Forbes. com, have covered a complaint that Mr. James Coman filed last week in Chicago, Illinois against Dr. Anju Usman, Dr. Daniel Rossignol and Doctor's Data, Inc, a laboratory. The complaint alleges medical negligence, battery, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress for treatments the doctors provided to Mr. Coman's son A. J. who is on the autism spectrum. Mr. Coman's lawsuit arises in the context of a bitter divorce. Much of the media coverage of the treatment methods in question, including chelation therapy, has been biased and misleading, EBCALA says.

Many clinicians consider chelation therapy an important intervention for individuals on the autism spectrum who have the suspected comorbid condition of heavy metal toxicity. James B. Adams, Ph. D., professor at Arizona State University, among others, has published several peer-reviewed articles on the efficacy of chelation therapy for children with autism affected by heavy metal toxicity. The Food and Drug Administration approves chelation to treat heavy metal toxicity, and the National Institute of Mental Health considered a clinical trial for chelation in children on the autism spectrum.

Families coping with autism have few proven options to choose from for effective treatment. Over the course of the past decade, however, scientists have identified a number of pathological processes in children with autism, including intestinal dysbiosis, autoimmune dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities. Treating these comorbid conditions often results in significant improvements, and some children lose the autism diagnosis altogether. According to the Autism Research Institute's survey of treatment effectiveness by parents, 74% of parents believe their children improved with chelation; 23% reported no change; and 3% got worse.

While EBCALA respects Mr. Coman's right to participate in medical decision making within his family, the media should not exploit his personal dispute in ways that might intimidate practitioners and deprive other families of needed treatment options.

Children on the autism spectrum and their families face enormous medical, legal, educational and financial hurdles. Media attacks on the doctors who treat autistic children or the scientists who study their condition are in effect attacks against these children themselves. EBCALA parent advocate Kim Mack Rosenberg said, "Attacking autistic kids' doctors is just another variation on blame the victim. The press should know better."

EBCALA calls on all media covering stories about autism treatments to cover them in a fair, unbiased and balanced manner, giving accused doctors and family members who choose them the opportunity to speak on the record. EBCALA parent advocate Jennifer Keefe said, "we're only asking the press to do its job - provide fair and balanced coverage."

For more information on the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy, visit http://www. autismone. org/content/EBCALA-Legal-Advocacy-Training (http://www. autismone. org/content/EBCALA-Legal-Advocacy-Training)

Contact: Mary Holland, Esq. (917) 743-3868 

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Reed Group® MDGuidelines Adds Colorado and Washington State Treatment Guidelines

Reed Group® MDGuidelines Adds Colorado and Washington State Treatment Guidelines

Access and Ease of Use Helps States Improve Workers’ Compensation Outcomes

Broomfield, CO (PRWEB) September 16, 2010

Reed Group announced today that its MDGuidelines reference tool set for improving return-to-work outcomes is now even more powerful with the addition of workers’ compensation treatment guidelines for Colorado and Washington states.

While the nationally-recognized ACOEM disability treatment guidelines are already available on MDGuidelines (www. mdguidelines. com), states often develop their own specific guidelines to address the most costly and/or common workplace injuries for the prevalent industries in that state. State treatment guidelines typically outline what will and won’t be reimbursed for medical providers handling workers’ compensation injuries with the intention of expediting treatment and lowering costs by limiting unnecessary or unproven treatments.

The Washington State Treatment Guidelines are arranged by medical topic (each of which encompasses multiple medical codes). The Colorado Guidelines are arranged by 10 regions of the body (such as “lower extremity”), each covering numerous medical topics.

While both sets of state guidelines are available as downloadable PDF documents from their respective state websites, MDGuidelines greatly improves functionality, access and usage with the ability to easily search and navigate the content. Icons signify whether a procedure is recommended, not recommended, or should be approached with caution (meaning that there may be a list of objective data requiring documentation for the procedure to be approved). Hyperlinks help users quickly and easily jump to related sections or relevant outside content.

“Ease of use is the critical factor for successful widespread and rapid adoption of state treatment guidelines,” says Jon Seymour, M. D., Reed Group’s president, guidelines. “Our MDGuidelines platform makes it simple and easy for all stakeholders to access, understand and use the state guidelines, facilitating use and improving outcomes for everybody in the workers’ compensation system.”

In addition to the Colorado and Washington treatment guidelines, the MDGuidelines reference tool set offers Reed Group’s Medical Disability Advisor (MDA) return-to-work duration guidelines with predictive modeling (enables general guidelines to be tailored to individual patients or employees) as well as APG-i treatment guidelines from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Health (ACOEM), both widely considered to be the gold standard in occupational health.

ABOUT REED GROUP
Reed Group® is the world’s most trusted source of return-to-work information, helping companies improve employee absence outcomes. Reed Group’s data, tools, customized solutions, and case management services help reduce absence incidence and duration, and get employees back to normal, healthy lives and full productivity. Reed Group is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado. More information at www. reedgroup. com and www. mdguidelines. com

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Retail Pharmacy Search Portal zipcodemeds. com Launches; Customers Will Have Free Instant Connection to Local Pharmacies For Enhanced Service and Pricing Options

Retail Pharmacy Search Portal zipcodemeds. com Launches; Customers Will Have Free Instant Connection to Local Pharmacies For Enhanced Service and Pricing Options

Zipcodemeds™ is designed for pharmacy customers frustrated with the inefficiencies of retail pharmacies, concerned about the safety risk of unregulated Internet drugstores and dissatisfied with the slower turnaround time of mail-order. Advanced but user-friendly technology enables the most prevalent pharmacy service and pricing problems to be bypassed online but maintains the professional oversight of a licensed pharmacist by requiring that the final step of all transactions be completed inside an actual pharmacy.

Wilmington, DE (PRWEB) September 29, 2010

BinghamShore Corp. a healthcare services company and owner of the zipcodemeds™ trademark is pleased to announce the launch of www. zipcodemeds. com. This website provides millions of pharmacy customers with one point from where they can instantly reserve and guarantee availability of their medications or lock in a discount price on potentially any medication at a neighborhood pharmacy. Customers will also be able to submit instant requests to pharmacies and initiate a competitive bid situation where the pharmacies send fast electronic responses from which the customer makes an informed decision. All orders are initiated on the Internet but delivered at an actual pharmacy and a legal prescription or refill order is required. The proprietary technology behind zipcodemedsTM enables the most positive elements of the major pharmacy delivery channels---retail, Internet and mail-order---to be combined while at the same time discarding the elements that most customers find undesirable. The safety and real-time benefits of retail pharmacies, the broad inventory availability of internet pharmacies and the lower prices of mail-order pharmacies are maintained while the frustrations and chaos, the risk of foreign pharmacies and the slow turnaround of each of the respective channels are discarded. The result is a pharmacy experience that could well become as efficient and predictable as reserving, pricing and picking up a car rental. Initial launch is in five cities: Dallas, Houston, New York, Jersey City, and Los Angeles with additional cities expected to be added rapidly.

Retail pharmacies fill billions of prescriptions each year and service often suffers. A common problem is pharmacies not having sufficient medication on hand to meet demand. Customers are forced to receive a three-day supply or sometimes nothing at all on their initial visit then need to make a second or even a third trip to the pharmacy to completely fill their prescription. BinghamShore’s Senior Vice President of Product Development noted “our zip-Find connected system that provides the customer with not just the ability to quickly see which local pharmacies have the medication in stock, but that also provides the capability to reserve the medication and guarantee availability is extremely valuable. In serious conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, it could even be lifesaving by ensuring that treatment is not delayed.” In addition, customers can take advantage of an innovative pricing system that allows pharmacies to offer special deals on any drug at any time. “Some big pharmacies currently offer $4 generics but there are a lot of other medications that millions of cash-strapped Americans use that are not on this or any other discount list” said BinghamShore’s CEO. “Our zip-Price system allows any pharmacy to offer deep discounts on any medication that’s legal in the United States, guarantee the pricing to the penny and even allow payment online for in-store pick up. This is unlike the numerous drug discount cards out there that are only really useful for specific drugs and even then will only give the customer a pricing estimate not a guaranteed final price. zip-Price greatly expands the potential that customers who are self-paying, have a high deductible insurance or are using a health savings account will find a great discount on practically any drug they may be taking. It is important to note that zip-Price is not a drug discount card program but rather an electronic and more efficient version of what a self-pay customer might achieve if she tried to negotiate directly with a pharmacy. A pharmacy might decide for example to sell insulin vials at a discount during their slowest periods of the day in order to drive business. Everyone wins. Small pharmacies are small businesses and the pharmacist could well be hurting from the weak economic climate just like everyone else. We make it possible for customers looking for deals to connect with pharmacies offering them.”

Customers looking to purchase prescription drugs should ensure that they have a prescription before heading to the pharmacy. A refill order at any pharmacy in the United States is also valid as zipcodemeds™ provider pharmacies will transfer the order to be filled. Customer searches on the portal are initiated by clicking either the zip-Find (availability guarantee) or zip-Price (real-time discounts) tabs. It is free to open an account and the system will even maintain secure transaction records for customers who might need to pull a medication history report. If a transaction cannot be instantly completed in the customer’s ZIP code search area the system will default to the zip-Bid pathway. The customer can quickly send in a request that pharmacies will competitively respond to. Customers pick their choice of the responses right within the system and complete the zip-Find or zip-Price transaction as normal. “During the introductory phase of the service we expect that zip-Bid transactions will be an important way for customers to get great service on zip-Price and zip-Find transactions” says BinghamShore’s Senior VP of Product development. “As pharmacies gain traction in preloading offers, customers will be able to choose from pre-listed choices directly while still having the option to use zip-Bid for uncommon medications or unusual quantities of common medications.”

About BinghamShore Corporation
BinghamShore Corporation, a Delaware company incorporated in 2008 creates solutions for the US healthcare market. The company is particularly interested in large scale grassroots retail healthcare concepts where its ideas have significant potential to positively impact both the end user and small to medium sized businesses. BinghamShore is structured across three business divisions - grassroots retail solutions, healthcare information and healthcare concierge services - designed to create an integrated suite of businesses to serve hundreds of millions of US healthcare consumers. Its senior management team has decades of combined professional experience in the healthcare, management consulting, and investment banking professions as well as management degrees from some of the most prestigious business schools in the United States. The company maintains staff in multiple US cities

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``Celebrity Apprentice'' Star Nely Galan Inspires Women Entrepreneurs at Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM) Event in Hollywood: 10 High-Potential Woman Business Owners Receive Resources to Grow Million-Dollar Companies

``Celebrity Apprentice'' Star Nely Galan Inspires Women Entrepreneurs at Make Mine a Million $ Business(TM) Event in Hollywood: 10 High-Potential Woman Business Owners Receive Resources to Grow Million-Dollar Companies

The Make Mine a Million $ Business program launched an ambitious 2008 with a red carpet event at The Globe Theatre in Universal Studios Hollywood on January 23. More than 1,200 women from across the country applied to compete in Los Angeles of whom 20 were chosen as finalists. After delivering electrifying "elevator pitches" to a panel of judges and a packed audience, 10 received awards based on their poise, business acumen, and growth potential.

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) February 13, 2008

 Miracle Wanzo, president of Hipundies. com, wowed the audience by convincing them that there isn't anything in the world that a woman wears that makes her feel as good as fabulous lingerie. Lee Gilbert, founder and CEO of CycleAware, Inc., talked about how her patented products make bike riding safe and fun for the whole family. Lynette Jee, owner of Pacific Place, Inc. proved to have the prefect blend of business savvy as Hawaii's best purveyor of fine teas. A full list of awardees is included below.

"The Make Mine a Million $ Business program inspires women to believe in themselves and realize their dreams," said Nell Merlino, founder and president of Count Me In. "The entrepreneurs in our community are the can-do game changers who don't take no for an answer and are determined to build companies that drive innovation, build their communities, and support their families."

The 10 Los Angeles awardees join a prestigious group of Make Mine a Million $ Business winners, now totaling 112. Launched in 2005 by Count Me In, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources and business education for women entrepreneurs, and founding partner OPEN from American Express(R), Make Mine a Million $ Business is the leading national program to raise awareness of the growth challenges facing post-start-up, women-owned businesses, and provides entrepreneurs across the country with growth tools that make a direct impact in helping them build thriving businesses.

The movement is inspiring one million women entrepreneurs by the year 2010 to declare their intent to reach revenues of $1 million. Each Make Mine a Million $ Business awards package provides a combination of money, mentoring, marketing and technology tools that women entrepreneurs need to help grow their businesses.

"The Make Mine a Million $ Business community added a new crop of diverse businesses in Los Angeles, everything from a stylish lingerie retailer to a design firm with celebrity clientele," said Michelle Thompson-Dolberry, Director of Advocacy Marketing, OPEN from American Express. "The commonalities between all of our awardees - from the first class in 2005 until today - are the love of their craft, their ability to lead, and their willingness to take calculated risks."

The Hollywood event was headlined by keynote presentations from Nely Galan, Latina media mogul and celebrity contestant in the hit NBC series "The Celebrity Apprentice" and Stephanie Schaffer, winner of "The Apprentice" in 2007. Galan, former President of Entertainment at Telemundo and creator of the hit reality series "The Swan," competed to win $250,000 for the Make Mine a Million $ Business program as one of the contestants on the television series "The Celebrity Apprentice."

The program launched an educational platform at the event to provide the 50,000-strong Make Mine a Million $ Business community with advice on business issues like cash flow, credit and managing money.

Corporate sponsors that are spearheading the movement include OPEN from American Express, AIG, FedEx, Cisco, Dell, Marriott and Jet Blue.

Los Angeles Awardees

The following 10 women were selected as new members of the Make Mine a Million $ Business program based on their ability to build significant and sustainable companies with the growth potential to achieve $1 million or more in annual revenues.

-- Miracle Wanzo, of Vallejo, CA-based Hipundies. com (www. hipundies. com), an online retailer of contemporary designer lingerie, loungewear, and sleepwear

-- Lee Gilbert, of Aptos, CA-based CycleAware Inc. (www. cycleaware. com), a company that designs, manufactures and sells safety products for cyclists, and inline skaters

-- Kelly Moore, of Irvine, CA-based Moore Benefits, Inc., (www. moorebenefitsinc. com), an insurance broker of employee benefits for group health plans in the small and mid-sized market

-- Kishani Perera, of Beverly Hills, CA-based Fuse i. d. (www. fuse-id. com), an interior design firm that focuses on high end and celebrity clients

-- Rebecca Reichardt, of Woodland, CA-based Tazzina Bistro (www. tazzinabistro. com), an upscale neighborhood American restaurant

-- Molly Haefele, of Denver, CO-based Gasher-Brum Energy Partners Corporation (www. gasherbrum. com), an executive search and consulting firm

-- Lynette Jee, of Honolulu, HI-based Pacific Place, Inc. (www. pacific-place. com), a gourmet tea company

-- Doris Ng, of Appleton, WI-based GingeRootz Asian Grille, a full service Asian restaurant

-- Shannon McLinden, of Frisco, TX-based Summer Soles (www. summersoles. com), manufacturer and retailer of bath, body, and foot care items

-- Jennifer Bonora, of Hauppauge, NY-based Family First Home Companions (www. familyfirsthomecompanions. com), provider of non-medical in-home support services to the elderly and disabled adult populations

Awardees receive:

-- Inspiration, coaching and mentoring from Count Me In(TM)

-- Up to $50,000 in financing from OPEN from American Express(R), financial consultation and promotion in marketing and media campaigns

-- Cisco Smart Business Communications network from Cisco Systems(R) valued at up to $20,000 for one awardee

-- Discounts from FedEx(R) select shipping and office and print services

-- A $500 gift certificate for hotel stays at any Marriott(R) in the U. S

-- Dell Vostro Notebook(TM), built exclusively for small business valued up to $1000, from Dell(R)

-- A round-trip flight certificate to any of 54 domestic cities from Jet Blue

The next Make Mine a Million $ Business event will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on March 4, 2008. Applications for the Arizona program close on February 15, 2008. To apply for the event or join the Make Mine a Million $ Business community, please visit www. makemineamillion. org.

About Count Me In

Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence is the leading national not-for-profit provider of on-line business loans and resources for women to grow their micro businesses into $million enterprises. Find us at www. countmein. org or call 212-245-1245.

About OPEN from American Express

OPEN from American Express is dedicated exclusively to the success of small business owners and their companies. OPEN supports business owners with exceptional service. With tailored products and services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business. Specifically, business owner customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN(SM), visit OPEN. com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.

American Express Company (www. americanexpress. com) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.