Travel Insurance Helps Alleviate Family Holiday Illness Worries

Travel Insurance Helps Alleviate Family Holiday Illness Worries

Post Office Travel Insurance reveals true cost of kids' holiday illnesses

London, UK (PRWeb UK) November 8, 2009

More than 2.6 million UK families worry about their children's health ahead of a holiday according to research from Post Office Travel Insurance (http://www. postoffice. co. uk/portal/po/jump1?catId=63300708&mediaId=19300208).

Post Office Travel Insurance (http://www. postoffice. co. uk/portal/po/jump1?catId=63300708&mediaId=19300208) claims data relating to more than 1,000 children showed that the average claim on travel insurance for medical expenses related to children's injuries or accidents is £666.

With claims for gastroenteritis and injuries such as fractures and deep cuts potentially costing above £1,000, parents are advised to ensure they have comprehensive travel insurance in place for their family before going on holiday.

For children, the most common claims on Post Office Travel Insurance policies are ear infections, followed by flesh wounds and severe stomach complaints. A third of parents reported that as well as taking out travel insurance, they pack medicines from home in case a family member falls ill.

Rachel Croft, Post Office Head of Travel Insurance, said: "The most common claims on our travel insurance policies are really no more exotic than the illnesses that befall our children at home, but when your child is unwell on holiday and you aren't surrounded by home comforts, it can be particularly worrying, and difficult to know what to do.

"Having comprehensive travel insurance is important - during distressing times it's important to know that someone can help with arranging extra accommodation, transport, or repatriation if needed. Parents without travel insurance could also face considerable medical bills if their children fall ill on holiday."

The Post Office was the first travel insurance provider on the market to offer Kids Go Free with all travel insurance policies. An annual Post Office family travel insurance policy for two adults and up to six dependants starts from as little as £80.

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Lori Coleman & Heather Murphy from Life Care Centers of America join Care2LearnÂ’s Clinical Advisory Team

Lori Coleman & Heather Murphy from Life Care Centers of America join Care2LearnÂ’s Clinical Advisory Team

Bradenton, FL (PRWEB) March 25, 2004

Contact: Vikki Dibble

404.550.2979 

Vikki@care2learn. com

Lori Coleman & Heather Murphy from Life Care Centers of America join Care2LearnÂ’s Clinical Advisory Team

Bradenton, Florida: As a result of a growing and enhanced Learning Management System (LMS), Care2Learn has expanded the depth of its Advisory Board with new members who have a focus of enhancing clinical courses for rehabilitation therapists across the country.

 Lori Coleman, RPT offers over 14 years clinical and managerial experience within the long term care industry bringing the knowledge and skills of daily operations. Ms. Coleman has acquired extensive experience in the successful implementation of PPS in Skilled Nursing Facility settings. Her special areas of expertise include NDT certification (neurodevelopmental technique), restraint reduction, therapy for patients with dementia, stroke rehabilitation and wound care. “I am pleased to advise Care2Learn on clinical issues and interfacing with the team on continuing education courses via the Learning Management System,” says Coleman, Regional Rehabilitation Director for Life Care Centers of America.

Heather Murphy, SLP comes to Care2Learn with many years experience in the clinical setting. She has an eclectic professional background developing and implementing Pediatric and Adult programming in a variety of settings including long term care and acute care. She has spoken on the topics of pediatric and adult dysphasia, Alzheimer’s disease, Sensory Integration and Vital Stim on several television programs, in the university setting and for the Alzheimer’s Association. ” We very pleased to expand the scope of the advisory board to include Heather’s expertise. Presently Heather is the Speech-Language Pathology Supervisor of Life Care Center of Redbank in Chattanooga, TN managing daily the clinical needs of the long term care patient.”

Says Laura More, CEO, partner of Care2Learn.

About Care2Learn

Care2Learn. com is the website of Bradenton, FL-based OnlineHealthNow. Founded in 2000 by clinical managers from the long-term care rehabilitation industry, Care2Learn provides healthcare professionals with over 1400 coursework hours composed of engaging, affordable, easy-to-use online continuing education. It has accredited continuing education for 15 healthcare disciplines. Care2Learn serves healthcare professionals worldwide. For more information, visit www. care2learn. com.

Report Confirms Liquitabs Poison Risk Alert

Report Confirms Liquitabs Poison Risk Alert

The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) and Macfarlan Smith, manufacturer of bittering agent Bitrex, welcome the publication of the National Poisons Information Service’s (NPIS) Annual Report, which this year highlights the dangers of fabric cleaning liquitabs.

(PRWeb UK) November 18, 2010

The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) and Macfarlan Smith, manufacturer of bittering agent Bitrex, welcome the publication of the National Poisons Information Service’s (NPIS) Annual Report, which this year highlights the dangers of fabric cleaning liquitabs.

Packaging for these products, also known as liquid laundry capsules, is rarely child-resistant and the plastic sachets can easily be punctured by curious children attracted by their bright colour and strange ‘squishy’ texture. However liquid detergent poses a real danger if swallowed, with symptoms that can include severe vomiting and abdominal pain, drowsiness and in some reported cases the depression of the central nervous system.

The NPIS received over 600 calls from health professionals about concentrated laundry capsules in 2009-10, with most cases involving children under 5, and 80% relating to children swallowing some of the contents. In its Annual Report, published last week, the NPIS called for greater awareness of the dangers liquid laundry capsules can present.

Katrina Phillips, Chief Executive, Child Accident Prevention Trust, said:

“Accidents often happen when parents are taken by surprise. This report is helpful because it warns parents that a seemingly harmless household product can pose a risk to children. And it’s easy to see how attractive the colour and texture of a liquitab can be to a young child. Our advice is: it takes just a few seconds to move those squidgy detergent capsules lurking under your sink to a higher cupboard, away from curious little fingers and mouths.”

The addition of a bittering agent, such as Bitrex, can make household products more difficult for children to swallow. Bitrex has been added to many household products, as well as to other potential poisons such as anti-freeze and garden chemicals. However, very few liquitabs contain bittering agents like Bitrex.

Cameron Smith of Macfarlan Smith, added:

‘We would urge parents to look out for products carrying the Bitrex logo, any product displaying the logo has been thoroughly tested to ensure that it is almost impossible for children to swallow. We are working closely with the nation’s retailers to help protect as many children as possible from potentially dangerous household products.”

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Intercede Interim Results for the 6 Months Ended 30 September 2010

Intercede Interim Results for the 6 Months Ended 30 September 2010

25% increase in sales to £3,506,000 (2009: £2,811,000); Operating profit before exceptional items of £1,204,000 (2009: £674,000); Profit for the period of £1,225,000 (2009: £85,000)

London, United Kingdom (PRWEB) November 29, 2010

Intercede announces Interim Results for the 6 Months Ended 30 September 2010

Intercede (London Stock Exchange AIM:IGP) is a leading producer of Identity and Credential Management software, called MyID, which manages the secure registration, issuance and life cycle of digital identities for a wide range of uses.

SUMMARY
25% increase in sales to £3,506,000 (2009: £2,811,000).

Operating profit before exceptional items of £1,204,000 (2009: £674,000).

Profit for the period of £1,225,000 (2009: £85,000).

Basic and fully diluted earnings per share of 2.5p (2009: 0.2p).

Cash generated from operations before exceptional items of £630,000 (2009: £762,000).

Cash balances of £4,470,000 at 30 September 2010 (30 September 2009: £3,913,000).

No external borrowings.

Increased investment in international sales and technical capabilities to support growing demand for and use of Intercede's proprietary MyID Identity and Credential Management System.

Continued expansion of Intercede's customer base in the US.

Winning new contracts to supply MyID to government ministries, banks and business corporations around the world.

Richard Parris, Chairman & Chief Executive of Intercede, said today:
"We have made excellent progress this year, both commercially and financially. Intercede MyID is being used by an increasing base of new and existing customers and the pipeline of future orders is stronger than it has ever been. The Company is increasingly profitable, cash generative and financially strong. This year represents a tipping point in the evolution of Intercede's business and is indicative of the strong commercial progress we continue to make. We look forward to a favourable outcome for the current financial year and to achieving further growth thereafter."

Download the full results here (PDF)

Further Information on Intercede MyID

Intercede MyID is the only IDCMS software product that enables organisations to easily and securely manage the identities of people and their associated identity credentials within a single, integrated, workflow driven platform. This includes enabling and managing: secure registration, biometric capture, application vetting and approval through to smart card personalisation, issuance and management.

MyID was the first electronic personalisation product to achieve compliance with the FIPS-201 standard and is widely deployed by Federal Agencies, government contractors and other commercial entities. In particular, it supports the latest standards applicable for all PIV, PIV-Interoperable and PIV-Compatible deployments.

It can issue and manage a wide variety of ID's and credentials, providing customers with a platform that can meet their needs now and in the future. It is a fully supported commercial off-the-shelf product that can be quickly deployed for thousands or millions of users.

About Intercede

Intercede is the producer of the MyID Identity and Credential Management System (IDCMS).

Intercede MyID technology is being used around the world by large corporations, governments and banks to manage millions of identities for employees, citizens and customers. Notable deployments in the US include 14 Federal Agencies, 1.7m smart cards in support of the US Transportation Worker Identity Credential program, two major US financial institutions and 310,000 smart corporate identity badges for Lockheed Martin and another defense contractor. In Europe and the Middle East, Intercede MyID is being deployed in support of government identity, health and corporate employee ID security projects.

For more information visit http://www. intercede. com

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One Year After the Signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Namasté Solar CEO Blake Jones Again Visits White House

One Year After the Signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Namasté Solar CEO Blake Jones Again Visits White House

Namasté Solar CEO Blake Jones was invited once again to visit the White House one year after the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The economic stimulus package led to initiatives and job creation in green industries.

Boulder, CO (PRWEB) February 18, 2010

Namasté Solar Co-Founder and CEO Blake Jones was invited by White House staff to join President Barack Obama in Washington, DC, on February 17, 2010 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). In February 2009, Jones was invited to introduce the President at the signing of the Recovery Act at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the entire Namasté Solar staff was featured on stage at the event.

One year later, President Obama again welcomed Jones to the White House to celebrate the progress made since the bill’s signing. According to the first Annual Report to the President on Progress, the Recovery Act is responsible for more than 2 million jobs in 2009, and for “building a new foundation” that includes investment in a smarter electric grid, green industries, and renewable energy. Jones was on stage during the president’s address on 17 February 2010, and Obama referred to Namasté Solar in his speech.

President Obama closed his remarks with:

"And Blake at Namasté Solar – it’s based in Boulder, Colorado. One year ago, Blake gave us a tour of one of his company's solar installations, on top of a museum in Denver, right before I signed the Recovery Act into law. And at the time, Blake was pretty sure that the recession would force him to lay off about half of his staff. One year later, because of the clean energy investments in the Recovery Act, he has instead added about a dozen new workers, and expects to hire about a dozen more by year's end. His company continues to install solar panels all over Colorado, from the Governor's Mansion to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. …"

"…for those skeptics who refuse to believe the Recovery Act has done any good, who continue to insist that the bill didn’t work, I’d ask you to take that up with Blake and his employees. (source: www. whitehouse. gov)"

Instead of financial hardship, Namasté Solar has experienced both business success and community recognition. In 2009 alone, the company received 14 awards including placing 56th on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies, being named by Entrepreneur Magazine in a list of “100 Brilliant Companies,” and winning the Best Places to Work award by the Denver Business Journal.

“The Recovery Act has had a positive impact on small businesses like ours in the United States,” said Jones, “The focus on jobs in clean energy is crucial because it will undoubtedly be one of the most important and fastest growing industries in the global market of the 21st century. Not only will they take us one step closer to being an energy-independent nation, they will help create a healthier natural environment.”

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) estimated that as a direct result of the stimulus bill, U. S. solar companies are likely to create nearly 140,000 new green jobs in the first two years. Namasté Solar plans to continue its growth, with the goal of increasing its workforce by up to 40% over the same two-year period.

About Namasté Solar
Namasté Solar propagates the responsible use of solar energy, pioneers conscientious business practices, and creates holistic wealth for the company and the community. As the leading solar company in Colorado with more in-state installations than any other company, Namasté Solar has installed more than 950 PV systems totaling over 6 MW since 2005. Its unique values-based business model includes employee ownership, democratic decision-making, community collaboration, an innovative solar grant program, zero-waste initiatives, educational programming, and holistic profit measurement.

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Microsoft MVP Award given to Martin Blackstone of Superior Access

Microsoft MVP Award given to Martin Blackstone of Superior Access

Martin Blackstone, Director of Information Technologies for Superior Access Internet Software and Superior Access Insurance Services, was awarded the prestigious award of Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) on Tuesday October 1st, 2002.

(PRWEB) October 31, 2002

Microsoft MVP Award given to Martin Blackstone of Superior Access

Irvine, CA, October 28, 2002 - Martin Blackstone, Director of Information Technologies for Superior Access Internet Software and Superior Access Insurance Services, was awarded the prestigious award of Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) on Tuesday October 1st, 2002.

Mr. Blackstone earned his award by participating in newsgroups, which provide answers to questions on the Microsoft Exchange Server Product. These newsgroups are subject to the Internet and are available 24 hours a day.

"It’s an honor to receive this award as less then 50 people hold the MVP – Exchange Server designation world-wide,” stated Mr. Blackstone. “It is a tremendous privilege to receive this recognition from Microsoft, fellow MVP’s, and thousands of Microsoft Exchange Server administrators. Also, this is great tribute to Microsoft and their continuance to produce quality products."

Each year, Microsoft awards the most outstanding members of its online community. The MVP Award is given in recognition of a recipient's technical expertise, spirit of community leadership and willingness to help their peers and customers. MVPs consistently provide reliable and accurate answers to technical questions about Microsoft products and technology. The MVP Program has continued to grow as Microsoft expands its product line. The entire program covering all Microsoft products has more than 1200 members in more than 54 countries.

"Martin's work in the Exchange Community came with strong recommendations from previous MVP Award recipients”, commented John Eddy, Microsoft’s Exchange and Outlook Community Program Manager. “I'm very happy to be able to recognize him for his hard work in sharing knowledge with his peers."

"It is my belief that Martin is more than qualified to be part of the MVP program," adds Tim Rush, Chief Operating Officer for Superior Access Internet Software. "As a highly regarded technical expert at Superior Access, Martin has been a valuable asset to this company and I am pleased that others have been able to benefit from his expertise."

About SAIS: Superior Access Internet Software, Inc., (SAIS), is a privately held, business-to-business (B2B) professional services and internet software development company, based in Irvine, California. SAIS has gained extensive real-world experience relating to systems integration, data translation, and e-Business application development, by developing and implementing over 100 unique commercial and personal lines applications that transact business in all 50 US states.

SAIS can be found on the Internet at www. sais. com.

About Superior Access Insurance Services, Inc.: Superior Access is the largest and fastest growing online wholesaler of insurance products and services providing real-time, underwritten quotes (over $50 million each month) to its network of over 9,000 retail insurance agencies. On-line quotes are available for commercial lines, personal lines, and life & health insurance to varying degrees in 48 states.

Superior Access Insurance Services can be found on the Internet at: www. superioraccess. com

For More Information, Contact:

Tim Rush

Chief Operating Officer

800-272-7550 ex 263

Trush@superioraccess. net

Data Mining Group Releases Version 4.0 of the Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML)

Data Mining Group Releases Version 4.0 of the Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML)

The Data Mining Group, a vendor-led consortium of companies and organizations developing standards for statistical and data mining models, announced the general availability of Version 4.0 of the Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML). PMML Version 4.0 may be obtained from the Data Mining Group's web site: www. dmg. org.

Chicago (PRWEB) September 2, 2009

The Data Mining Group, a vendor-led consortium of companies and organizations developing standards for statistical and data mining models, announced the general availability of Version 4.0 of the Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML).

PMML Version 4.0 may be obtained from the Data Mining Group's web site: www. dmg. org.

PMML is the leading standard for statistical and data mining models and supported by over 20 vendors and organizations. With PMML, it is straightforward to develop a model on one system using one application and deploy the model on another system using another application.

Version 4.0 of PMML adds the following new features:
 support for time series models;

 support for multiple models, which includes support for both segmented models and ensembles of models;

 improved support for preprocessing data, which will help simplify deployment of models;

 new models, such as survival models;

 support for additional information about models called model explanation, which includes information for visualization, model quality, gains and lift charts, confusion matrix, and related information.

"PMML turns the deployment and practical application of predictive models within any existing IT infrastructure into reality, unleashing the power of those models. Without PMML, it would take months for models to be integrated and deployed via custom code or proprietary processes, and at very high additional cost," says Cris Payne, Senior Analytics Scientist for XO Communications, Inc.

This new version of PMML is a major update of PMML Version 3.2, which was released about two years ago in May, 2007.

"PMML simplifies the deployment of analytic models," says Robert Grossman, Chair of the Data Mining Group. "With PMML, deploying a new model is as easy as reading an XML file."

About DMG. The Data Mining Group (DMG) is an independent, vendor led group that develops data mining standards, such as the Predictive Model Markup Language (PMML). For more information, see www. dmg. org.

About IBM. IBM Corp. is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM software offers the widest range of applications, middleware and operating systems for all types of computing platforms, allowing customers to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. Infopshere Warehouse brings IBM's core data-mining technology to a broader range of users, helping them uncover intelligence from large amounts of enterprise data, including information from transaction and e-commerce applications. For more information, see www. ibm. com.

About MicroStrategy, Inc. Founded in 1989, MicroStrategy is a global leader in business intelligence (BI) technology. MicroStrategy provides integrated reporting, analysis, and monitoring software that helps leading organizations worldwide make better business decisions every day. Companies choose MicroStrategy for its advanced technical capabilities, sophisticated analytics, and superior data and user scalability. More information about MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) is available at www. microstrategy. com.

About the National Center for Data Mining (NCDM). NCDM is a national resource for research, knowledge transfer and standards development in data mining and data intensive computing. It was founded in 1998 and is located at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For more information please see www. ncdm. uic. edu.

About Open Data Group. Open Data provides management consulting, outsourced analytic services, and analytic staffing so that companies and organizations can analyze data and build analytic models that increase revenues, decrease costs, reduce risk, and improve business operations. For more information please visit www. opendatagroup. com.

About Salford Systems. Founded in 1983, Salford Systems specializes in providing new-generation data-mining and choice-modeling software and consultation services. Applications in both software and consulting span market research segmentation, direct marketing, fraud detection, credit scoring, risk management, bio-medical research and manufacturing quality control. Industries using Salford Systems products and consultation services include telecommunications, transportation, banking, financial services, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and catalog sales, and education. Salford Systems software is installed at more than 3,500 sites worldwide, including 300 major Universities. For more information, see www. salford-systems. com.

About SAS. SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. SAS helps customers at more than 45,000 business, government and academic sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. SAS Analytics provides an integrated environment for predictive and descriptive modeling, data mining, text analytics, forecasting, optimization, simulation, experimental design and more. From predictive analytics to model deployment and process optimization, SAS provides a range of techniques and processes for the collection, classification, analysis and interpretation of data to reveal patterns, anomalies, key variables and relationships, ultimately leading to new insights and confident answers. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®. For more information, see www. sas. com.

About SPSS. SPSS has become a leader in predictive analytics technologies through a combination of commitment to innovation and dedication to customers. Throughout our history, we have produced predictive analytics software that enables our customers - corporations, academic institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies - to better focus their operations. SPSS customers combine predictive analysis with their own organizational business knowledge to gain critical insights into customer acquisition and retention, up-selling and cross-selling, fraud detection, and patient outcome improvement. For more information, see www. spss. com.

About Zementis. Zementis, Inc. is a San Diego/Hong Kong based software company focused on predictive analytics and advanced Enterprise Decision Management (EDM) technology. Its transformative solution ADAPA(r), a fully hosted Software-as-a Service (SaaS) solution on the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), is a fast real-time deployment environment for Predictive Analytics Models. With ADAPA(r), which consumes PMML models, deployment is less costly, less complex, with much less time-to-production. For more information please visit www. zementis. com.

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