Hurricane warnings are posted for areas of coastal Texas. With Dolly approaching it is important to listen to instructions from local authorities and take preparation steps now. Allstate Insurance Company recommends five easy steps that if done now, can make hurricane recovery easier on you and your family.

Five Steps to Preparedness …

1. Many Coastal Texas homeowners have insurance for different structural perils, like wind and flood, covered by separate policies with different insurance carriers. Take note now of your insurance carriers
and policy numbers to make it easier for you to initiate a possible claim process after the storm.

2. If you don’t have an up-to-date home inventory, walk through your home with a video or still camera. At the same time, make a list of what items you may want to take, and have room to take, during a possible
evacuation.

3. Trim dead or weak branches from trees on your property.

4. Know your town’s preparedness plan and evacuation routes and if you leave, tell neighbors where you will be going and exchange contact information.
5. Respect law enforcement decisions on when you are allowed to return home and what areas are safe following the storm.
The Allstate Corporation is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate(R)” slogan, Allstate helps individuals in approximately 17 million households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow through approximately 14,800 exclusive agencies and financial professionals in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can access Allstate products and services such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through Allstate agencies, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate(R). Encompass(R) and Deerbrook(R) Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively through independent agents. The Allstate Financial Group provides life insurance, supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking and retirement products designed for individual, institutional and worksite customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers.

Source: Allstate Corporation

Development of the brand new Spa at Coral Reef Club is well under way, and guests can look forward to a two-story spa combining Caribbean modern design and four treatment rooms with private gardens. The Spa is expected to open during December 2008. www.coralreefbarbados.com

The newly opened and eco-friendly property, Casuarina Beach Resort, underwent a $30 million expansion and complete refurbishment of the existing property and combines 18 acres of tropical rainforest. www.almondresorts.com/Resorts/AlmondCasuarina/

Former Plantation House, Bayfield House is enjoying its first season of bookings having re-opened as a fully operating 10-room Bed & Breakfast. A quintessential hideaway for those seeking Barbadian hospitality and charm, Bayfield House has its own swimming pool, dining room & bar, and a ten-foot veranda. www.bayfieldbarbados.com

Additionally, this summer visitors to the new Nidhe Israel Synagogue Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados will be rewarded with the sight of a recently excavated 17th century Mikvah, an ancient spiritual bath used for purifying the body, discovered during an archeological dig beside the existing Synagogue.

Visitors to Barbados right now can take advantage of a great ‘Best of Barbados’ promotional rate, valid for bookings from now until August 15th for travel between September 1 - November 30, 2008. The package includes: a $200 air credit per person; first night free (minimum of seven nights based on a maximum of two people per room); free full breakfast daily; a $25.00 voucher for dinner for two at Oistins Fish Fry; one free car-rental day at participating car-rental companies when two or more days are purchased; buy one ticket, get the 2nd half-off at participating attractions; and high-value discounts at numerous retail stores in Bridgetown. Participating hotels and attractions include the new Almond Casuarina Beach, The Crane, Treasure Beach, as well as, the George Washington House, Arlington House Museum, plus the Island Safari Lunch Cruise. Further information on the 2008 Best of Barbados package and a list of participating hotels, restaurants and attractions can be found at www.visitbarbados.org or by calling the Barbados Tourism Authority at 1(800) 221-9831. For reservations, consumers should contact their preferred travel agent.

Source: Barbados Tourism Authority

The first episode, Escape, earned Emmy nods for Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming and Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.

“It’s nice to be nominated for an award people have actually heard of,” quips show host and executive producer Ira Glass. “In journalism, generally the big awards are the sorts of things that happen in hotel ballrooms and your parents have to take it on faith that they’re a big deal. They show the statuettes to their friends who pretend to be impressed. But an Emmy! Even my dog knows what that is. Sadly, he’s rooting for Deadliest Catch.”

In 2007, Glass and his producers translated the wildly popular radio show into a TV series on Showtime, produced by Killer Films and Left/Right Productions. In its first season, the show received Emmy nods for directing, writing and cinematography and an International Documentary Association Award. The show’s nomination for best nonfiction series is a first for Showtime. The cable network received 21 nominations, more than any other year.

In Season Two, viewers are taken on a journey, meeting people all along the way — from a group of men named John Smith to a young Iraqi who flees to America in search of answers about the war. The result is true stories that are dramatic, emotional, and often funny.

Produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, This American Life debuted in 1995 and is now heard by 1.7 million weekly listeners on more than 500 public radio stations nationwide. The radio show is one of the most popular podcasts in America, and has won many major broadcasting awards including the Peabody. For more information, visit thisamericanlife.org.

Nationally recognized as home to some of radio’s most innovative programming and personalities, Chicago Public Radio offers 500,000 weekly listeners programs that reflect the distinct and diverse community it serves. In addition to This American Life, the station brings its stories and talent to a national audience with Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, Sound Opinions, the Third Coast International Audio Festival and the Chicago Matters series.

Source: Chicago Public Radio

The yearly Prime Awards competition, organized by Prime Communications Limited is supported by Prime Magazine, a leading Chinese business journal distributed in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

The awards presentation ceremony held today was attended by the Management Committee Chairman of Prime Communications Limited Dr. Ambrose So, Macau Legislative Councilor Ms. Angela Leong, and several top local business leaders and entrepreneurs. The judging panel includes Hong Kong and Macau business leaders and academics as well as online voters.

Christina Siaw, Macau.com’s CEO says: “Receiving this award is an honor, because customer satisfaction has been our top priority right from the start, when Macau.com was launched one year ago.” She adds: “Not only does this Award show that we are on the right track, it also encourages us to set ourselves even higher standards which will exceed our customer’s expectations.”

Other winners of this year’s Macau Prime Awards for Service Excellence include SmarTone Macau, Ricacorp (Macau) Properties, Mocha Slot, Choi Heong Yuen Bakery, TurboJet and the Macau Jockey Club.

In addition to running the Macau Prime Awards for Service Excellence, Prime Communications also launched the Prime Awards for Eco-Business earlier this year, as well as the Macau Prime Awards for Brand Excellence and the Prime Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility last year.

ABOUT Macau.com

Macau.com is the premier web portal and online travel agency for hotel accommodation, packaged tour products for Macau and the Pearl Delta Region. With a secure and technologically advanced online booking engine, Macau.com’s services are targeted at Macau-bound travelers coming from Mainland China, Hong Kong and high growth-tourist areas including Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Australia and North Asian markets such as Japan and Korea.

Source: Macau.com

As gas and food prices continue to rise, more and more families are struggling just to make ends meet. To address these concerns, Uniroyal(R) Tire has partnered with consumer advocate and family-savings expert Kimberly Danger to help educate Americans on easy ways to keep more money in their wallets. Working together, the pair will offer a year-long series of advice, eBooks and instructional videos; all are available for free on Uniroyal.com.

A series of four eBooks and 14 videos featuring Danger will be offered to the public throughout 2008. Topics include: “Starting the Year Off Right,” comprehensive advice for organizing your home and finances; “Hit the Road for Less,” creative ideas for a fun and affordable family road trip; “Shopping and Cooking Efficiently,” quick and easy ways to keep your family fed for less; and “Holiday Savings,” holiday entertainment, crafts and gift-giving for less. Danger will also be conducting television, print and radio interviews nationwide to help spread the word on her cost-cutting tips.

“I’m excited about this campaign because Uniroyal and I share some very common goals,” said Danger. “We both want to help families save time and money so their lives will be a little bit easier. Together, our goal is to help people become smart consumers so they can focus their money and energy on the things they value most.”

Uniroyal created the “More Mileage for Your Money” campaign in 2006 with a focus on helping consumers combat rising gas costs and other automotive-related expenses. With the assistance of Danger, the public service campaign has now expanded to include advice on a variety of other key budgetary items, as well as time management issues.

“This campaign is a logical extension of Uniroyal’s mission to provide good quality, affordable tires to drivers everywhere,” said Kaz Holley, Uniroyal(R) brand director. “In partnering with Danger we want to help families get the most value out of their purchases in many areas, not just tires.”

Source: Uniroyal Tire

Milwaukee, WI and Rochester, NY are the Top Cities for Households That Clip Grocery Coupons

Internet coupons are of increasing interest to consumers, according to a recent analysis by consumer and media measurement firm Scarborough Research. Eleven percent of households currently obtain coupons via the Internet, and this has increased 83 percent since 2005.

However, the Sunday newspaper remains the number one place for acquiring household coupons. Fifty-three percent of households get their coupons from the Sunday newspaper. Other leading places for acquiring coupons include the mail (35 percent of households usually obtain coupons via the mail), in-store coupons (33 percent), preferred customer/loyalty cards (22 percent), in-store circulars (22 percent), weekday newspapers (17 percent), product packages (17 percent) and magazines (15 percent). All of the coupon acquisition categories have experienced growth since 2005, however none at the level of Internet coupons (see table at end of release for details).

“With prices for consumer goods rising, we can only expect that a ‘good deal’ is of increasing importance to shoppers. Coupons are one of several economically-focused promotional tools that stores and product brands can use to get shoppers in the door and spending despite these uncertain economic times. And, the Internet provides an easy to use vehicle to search for coupons,” said Alisa Joseph, vice president, advertiser marketing services, Scarborough Research.

Scarborough also examined Grocery Coupon Clipping Households*, or those households that use grocery coupons (specifically) once a week or more. The analysis found Milwaukee, WI and Rochester, NY are the leading U.S. market areas for these households. Forty percent of Milwaukee households and 38 percent of Rochester households use grocery coupons once a week or more. Nationally, 27 percent of households use grocery coupons with this same frequency.

People hailing from leading grocery coupon clipping cities have higher than average Sunday newspaper readership rates. Nationally, Sunday newspaper readers are 15 percent more likely than all adults to use grocery coupons in their household. Not surprisingly, adults in leading coupon clipping market Milwaukee are 24 percent more likely to read the Sunday newspaper, and those in Rochester are 32 percent more likely to be readers of the Sunday paper. Sunday newspapers are known for being stuffed with coupons and advertising circulars.

Where are these consumers shopping? Grocery Coupon Clipping Households shop across categories, including mass grocers such as SuperTarget, traditional grocers such as Kroger’s, and warehouse clubs such as Sam’s Club. However, they are average for shopping at Wal-Mart Supercenter, the grocery store with the highest percentage of grocery shoppers nationally.

The Scarborough analysis also showed that Grocery Coupon Clipping Households tend to spend slightly more money on groceries weekly, $114, versus the national average of $110. They are more likely than the average household to purchase a variety of grocery products across categories — from pantry staples like coffee and ready-to-eat cereal to health items such as yogurt and energy/nutrition bars.

The demographic profile of Grocery Coupon Clipping Households illustrates that the appeal of coupons is wide-ranging. They are average for having children at home. People across all income brackets clip grocery coupons — however those with higher household incomes tend to be slightly more likely to clip grocery coupons.

Albuquerque, NM, El Paso, TX, and Fresno, CA are the markets least likely to have Grocery Coupon Clipping Households. Fourteen percent of Albuquerque households use grocery coupons once a week or more. Fifteen percent of those in El Paso and Fresno use grocery coupons with this same frequency.

Local Market Ranking: Top Cities for Grocery Coupon Clipping Households (%)

  DMA (R)                                          % hhlds
  Milwaukee, WI                                         40
  Rochester, NY                                         38
  Pittsburgh, PA                                        36
  Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA                             36
  Buffalo, NY                                           36
  Hartford/New Haven, CT                                36
  Columbus, OH                                          36
  Toledo, OH                                            36
  Syracuse, NY                                          35
  Green Bay/Appleton, WI                                35
  Cincinnati, OH                                        35
  Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY                           34
  Providence/New Bedford, RI                            34
  Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN                              34
  New York, NY                                          33
  Baltimore                                             33
  Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York, PA                 33
  Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, FL                   33
  Philadelphia, PA                                      32
  Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL                              32
  Indianapolis, IN                                      32
  Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI               31
  Boston, MA                                            31
  Knoxville, TN                                         31
  Dayton, OH                                            30
  Charlotte, NC                                         30
  Louisville, KY                                        30
  Richmond/Petersburg, VA                               30
  Chicago, IL                                           30
  Cleveland/Akron, OH                                   30
  Detroit, MI                                           30
  Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, NC               28
  Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA                                 28
  San Antonio, TX                                       28
  Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, VA                   28
  Jacksonville, FL                                      28
  Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL                              28
  Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI                            27

  DMA (R)                                          % hhlds
  West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL                       27
  Portland, OR                                          27
  Des Moines/Ames, IA                                   27
  Fort Myers/Naples, FL                                 27
  Tucson, AZ                                            27
  Washington, D.C.                                      27
  Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/Anderson, SC         26
  Kansas City, MO                                       26
  Memphis, TN                                           26
  Nashville, TN                                         26
  Raleigh/Durham, NC                                    26
  Phoenix, AZ                                           26
  Los Angeles, CA                                       25
  St. Louis, MO                                         25
  Dallas/Fort Worth, TX                                 25
  Las Vegas, NV                                         25
  Houston, TX                                           25
  Charleston/Huntington, WV                             24
  San Diego, CA                                         23
  Seattle/Tacoma, WA                                    23
  Lexington, KY                                         23
  Denver, CO                                            23
  Wichita/Hutchinson, KS                                23
  Atlanta, GA                                           22
  Birmingham, AL                                        21
  Honolulu, HI                                          21
  Austin, TX                                            20
  Colorado Springs/Pueblo, CO                           20
  Spokane, WA                                           20
  Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AR                            20
  Oklahoma City, OK                                     19
  Chattanooga, TN                                       19
  Tulsa, OK                                             19
  Mobile, AL/Pensacola, FL                              18
  Salt Lake City, UT                                    17
  Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA                       17
  Bakersfield, CA                                       16
  San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA                    16
  Fresno/Visalia, CA                                    15
  El Paso, TX                                           15
  Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM                              14

   Coupon Trend: Places Household Usually Obtains Cents-Off Coupons (%)

  Coupon Source              2005         2006         2007     % Increase
                           (%hhlds)     (%hhlds)     (%hhlds)    2005-2007
  Sunday newspaper            49           49           53            8
  Mail                        29           31           35           20
  In-store coupons            27           27           33           22
  Preferred customer
   card/loyalty card          21           20           22            5
  In-store circulars          18           18           22           22
  Weekday newspaper           14           15           17           21
  Product packages            14           13           17           21
  Magazines                   12           12           15           25
  Internet                     6            8           11           83

SOURCE: Scarborough Research: Scarborough USA+, Release 2 2005, 2006 and 2007. All local market is based on DMA, or Designated Market Area, which is a trademark of Nielsen Media Research.

Source: Scarborough Research

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the 21 MLDA has reduced traffic fatalities involving drivers 18 to 20 years old by 13 percent and has saved an estimated 25,509 lives since 1975. In 2006, an estimated 890 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws.

“While 21 started out helping to combat drunk driving, we now have extensive research on the impact of this law on underage drinking prevention as well,” said Laura Dean-Mooney, MADD’s newly appointed national president. “MADD is continuing to support this law by advocating for more enforcement and limiting social and retail access to alcohol by those under 21. Additionally, we need to reach youth well before peer pressure begins, as early as 4th grade.”

Research shows the earlier youth drink the more likely they are to become alcohol dependent and to drive drunk. Youth who start drinking before age 15, compared to those who wait until age 21, were 12 times more likely to be unintentionally injured while under the influence of alcohol, 7 times more likely to be in a motor vehicle crash after drinking, and 10 times more likely to have been in a physical fight after drinking. (NAS, 2003) To support the 21 drinking age, please sign the pledge of support at www.madd.org.

“The anniversary of the federal minimum drinking age law reminds us of the important life-saving and life-preserving benefits this legislation has brought our country,” said Ronald M. Davis, AMA Immediate Past President. “A 21 drinking age was established based on sound scientific evidence that demonstrates the dangers of early alcohol use for children and adolescents. The adolescent brain is a work in progress, marked by significant development in areas of the brain responsible for learning, memory, complex thinking, planning, inhibition and emotional regulation.”

MADD’s mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and to prevent underage drinking. MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving includes increased high-visibility enforcement such as sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols that also involve enforcing zero tolerance laws for those under 21; and mandating alcohol ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers. To learn more, please visit www.madd.org, www.why21.org, or call 1-800-GET-MADD.

Source: Mothers Against Drunk Driving

The second season of the series “Ice Road Truckers,” currently airing on History(TM), once again has Sony’s XDCAM(R) HD system proving it’s up to the challenge of handling extreme cold.

In Season One, the show documented two months in the lives of truckers hauling supplies over frozen lakes in the Northwest Territories and explored the history of the region. In Season Two, the challenge is getting equipment and supplies to natural gas exploration sites and remote villages in and around the Arctic Circle.

But one thing hasn’t changed, according to Gavin Brennan, the series’ director of photography — the ability of the Sony optical system to consistently perform well in extreme environments.

Brennan said the XDCAM system is the perfect choice for shooting in the diverse conditions the production crew encounters.

“Tape-based systems would not be practical for us at all,” he said. “Tape can get too brittle in the extreme cold and clog up the heads. The more moving parts you have, the more problems you can run into. The XDCAM system gives us no problems related to the weather or the conditions.”

During the production, the XDCAM HD camcorders are encased in protective rubberized tape and still continue to perform flawlessly, shot to shot, he said.

He is also impressed with the ability to review footage on-the-fly as thumbnails on the camcorder’s LCD screen, enabling the crew to make decisions about the footage immediately without having to carry around a separate playback monitor, and then be ready to record instantly as soon as live action was ready to be captured.

The entire production crew from “Ice Road Truckers” also regularly makes full use of many of the system’s in-camera features, such as time lapse to produce effective mood-setting scenes. That, combined with the camcorders’ HD resolution and overall image quality, convinced him that for production environments as demanding as the Arctic wilderness, the XDCAM HD system is one cool customer.

Source: Sony Electronics

Verizon Wireless is breaking new ground in the U.S. wireless retail experience today with the introduction of its evolutionary store design in Boston, Massachusetts. The 6,600 square foot store, located at 340 Washington Street in Downtown Crossing, offers consumers a high-tech and hands-on experience with wireless voice, data, music and video services.

The store design - incorporated in new Verizon Wireless stores around the country in 2008 - features a bright new design and integrates a number of innovative systems and operational enhancements designed to streamline the sales process and enhance the customer experience, including:

• Notebook computers demonstrating BroadbandAccess, the company’s high- speed wireless Internet service geared toward mobile professionals, business customers, and on-the-go college students. Verizon Wireless cell sites in Massachusetts and across New England offer wireless broadband connectivity.
• More than 55 working models of handsets, PC cards and other devices for customers to try.
• A greeter kiosk that allows customers to check in once they enter the store and list their wireless needs, so representatives can quickly assist them.
• A Bill Payment Kiosk that allows customers to make account payments quickly and easily using checks, cash or credit/debit cards.
• Customer Service and Technical Support departments, making it easy for customers to get account information, customer service and address technical issues from trained in-store staff.

“The new Downtown Crossing location provides increased customer service and shopping convenience to our Boston customers,” said Verizon Wireless District Manager April Esposito. “Increasing demand for Verizon Wireless products such as wireless broadband Internet, is driving our network and store expansions across New England.”

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $45 billion since it was formed to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network. Regionally the company has invested nearly $2.2 billion into its New England network, including over $292 million in 2007 alone.

The new Verizon Wireless Communications Store is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and can be reached at (617) 946-0500.

The new design has been introduced in more than 100 new locations around the country, including Mansfield and Wareham, Massachusetts and North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The new design will be introduced in additional locations — either new or existing — throughout the rest of 2008.

Source: Verizon Wireless

More than 140 countries worldwide will observe World Population Day on 11 July by emphasizing the importance of family planning for the well-being of families, communities and nations, and by underlining the need to further integrate such services into national development plans.

The theme of World Population Day 2008, “Family Planning: It’s a Right; Let’s Make it Real,” provides a chance to raise awareness of the many benefits of family planning, including its vital role in enhancing maternal health, gender equality and poverty reduction.

World leaders have proclaimed that individuals have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children, yet modern contraception remains out of reach for hundreds of millions of women and men. World Population Day activities will vary in scope and nature, ranging from rallies, performances and exhibitions, to sports competitions, seminars and cultural events. They will all have one thing in common, which is to reaffirm the right of people to plan their family size, thereby helping to make this right real.

In his World Population Day message, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “Studies show that family planning has immediate benefits for the lives and health of mothers and their infants.” He added, “On World Population Day, let us focus on the critical importance of family planning if we are to successfully achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

“Let us take action to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015,” said Mr. Ban. “Let us devote greater attention and resources to the work to improve the health and quality of life for all people.”

In a separate message, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said that family planning “is essential to women’s empowerment and gender equality. When a woman can plan her family, she can plan the rest of her life.”

“Family planning is also an effective means in the fight against poverty,” said Ms. Obaid. “Parents can plan ahead and devote more of their resources to the education and health of each child.”

Family Planning: So that Every Pregnancy is Wanted: http://www.unfpa.org/rh/planning.htm

Source: UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund