Information and Advice on Freelance Careers. Building Business ...

Ever wonder why your competitors get featured in the local paper or magazines and you don't? It's not just luck that brings the reporters to their door - chances are it's a press release.

When you or your business is featured in a publication, unless the article's there to highlight something you've done wrong, it's a very good thing. That article is free advertising, and even the short one-paragraph blurbs can lead to a nice increase in business. Such articles help build credibility and educate the public about your philosophies, commitment, and the business itself.

Should you put out a press release?

Naturally, you'd like to benefit from such free advertising. But is this the right time to send a press release? Generally speaking, your release will be ignored if it's not newsworthy enough to interest the publication's readership. Grand openings, awards, major client contracts (really big ones!), seminars you're hosting, important policy changes, and other events that interest the business community or the public may qualify.

If you can't think of a reason to issue a release, consider doing something newsworthy just for that purpose. Hold a contest, launch a frequent buyer program, or host a seminar on a topic related to your business.

Goals of a press release

A press release has two main goals:

1. To be published as written, OR

2. To interest a staff writer in contacting you for further coverage.

The temptation to "just let them do it" is strong, especially if you're not a particularly strong writer. Even if your goal is to bring a reporter to your door, a professional writer can help you state things in a way that will hook the editor's interest and separate your release from the many - possibly hundreds - that hit his desk each day. A well-written press release also gives the reporter an easy structure to follow, copy points, and phrases he can use. This isn't plagiarism - it's teamwork.

There's an advantage to getting it published as written, though, and many publications will do just this if they're short on time or space...or if it's perfect as is. When you do this, you have control over the words. No need to worry about being misquoted, misunderstood, or having key elements omitted.

The key is having it perfect, as is, or as close to perfect as possible. A professional writer, with experience in writing press releases, can do this. It's not always easy to craft a piece that covers everything you need while still appearing objective. If the article is too much like an advertisement, the publication will reject it and instead suggest that you purchase ad space. But if the press release reads like "news", is in the publication's standard news article format and adheres to editorial policies, you've got a good chance of seeing it as submitted, or at least close.

Anatomy of a press release

A press release consists of five main parts: Contact information, Release Date, Title, Body, and Call to Action. Depending on the situation, a sixth part may also be included - the boilerplate.

Contact information states who the publication's editor - not the reader - should contact if additional information is needed. Release date is usually "for immediate release" but if a later date is specified, perhaps to tie in with a holiday or a specific event, the publication will honor it.

Title is important, because obviously it's the first thing the editor will read, but also because it may very well end up as the title of the published article - even if the reporter re-writes the body. The body itself delivers the information, and the call to action is the part that tells your reader what you want them to do after reading the article. Should the call you? Come in on a certain day? Don't leave that out.

A boilerplate is background information, and is crucial if you or your business isn't already well known in the community. This isn't part of the release and won't get printed; it just gives the editor and staff writers a bit more information about why your release is important.

What to do with a press release Your press release's destination depends on which segment of the population you wish to reach, and which publications are most likely to use such a release. Generally the larger the publication, the less likely it will use your release as written - it may use part, or may use the release as a launching point for something entirely different.

You can send your release directly to the publications via e-mail or regular mail, and as with any submission to an editor, it helps to know the correct person's name and title. A professional writer can help you there, too.

Also, services such as PR Newswire (http://www.prnewswire.com) or EWorldWire (http://www.eworldwire.com) can help, for a fee.

Many professionals also advocate purchasing advertising space in the publication for the issue that will run your press release, if it's possible to find that date out in advance.

When your press release has been distributed and published, the benefits don't stop there. You can often use the press release itself for other marketing purposes, such as assisting with copy for brochures, the wording for smaller print ads, sales letters, etc.

About the author: Pamela Kock is a freelance commerical copywriter. She can be reached at (513) 284-7124. Visit her website to find out more about her services: http://www.wayswriter.com.

Author: Pamela Kock

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Role of urban greenery in CO2 exchange demonstrated

ScienceDaily (June 27, 2012) ? In what might be the first study to report continuous measurements of net CO₂ exchange of urban vegetation and soils over a full year or more, scientists from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Minnesota conclude that not only is vegetation important in the uptake of the greenhouse gas, but also that different types of vegetation play different roles.

Their findings will be published July 4 in the current issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research -- Biogeosciences, a publication of the American Geophysical Union.

"There has been little research of this type in the urban landscape," said Joe McFadden, an associate professor in the UC Santa Barbara Department of Geography, and a co-author of the study. While continuous CO₂ measurements have been made in natural ecosystems all around the globe, only in the past few years have researchers attempted to use them in developed areas such as cities and suburbs, which often contain large amounts of green space.

"The net exchange of CO₂ between the land and the atmosphere is determined by the balance between things that release CO₂, such as burning fossil fuels and respiration of living organisms, and the uptake of CO₂ by plant photosynthesis," said first author Emily Peters, from the University of Minnesota.

Using a method of measuring CO₂ exchange that involves placing sensors high above the ground to record tiny changes in CO₂, temperature, water vapor and wind, McFadden and Peters set out to monitor the suburbs just outside of St. Paul, Minn., a place with distinct seasonal changes and enough rainfall for plants to grow without irrigation.

"The question was: Can we see what the green space is doing against the backdrop of human activities?" said McFadden.

The researchers found that typical suburban greenery, such as trees and lawns, played significant roles with respect to CO₂ uptake. For nine months out of the year, the suburban landscape was a source of CO₂ to the atmosphere; but during the summer, the carbon uptake by vegetation was large enough to balance out fossil fuel emissions of carbon within the neighborhood. Compared to the natural landscape outside the city, the peak daily uptake of CO₂ in the suburbs would have been at the low end uptake for a hardwood forest in the region.

However, the activity of the vegetation also differs by type, according to the study.

"Lawns' peak carbon uptake occurred in the spring and fall, because they are made up of cool-season grass species that are stressed by summer heat," said Peters, "while trees had higher CO₂ uptake throughout the summer." Evergreen trees maintained their CO₂ uptake for a longer period of time than deciduous trees because they keep their leaves year-round; deciduous trees lose their leaves in fall and winter.

The study was funded by NASA and is a "first step" toward quantifying the role of vegetation in extensive developed areas, like suburbs, which are the parts of urban areas growing most rapidly in the country. Potential uses for this type of research include urban planning -- where land use and vegetation choices are major decisions -- and policy decisions based on reducing greenhouse gases.

There are a couple of caveats to consider before deciding to lay out the turf or make any big changes in urban tree planting, McFadden noted. The amount of CO₂ taken up by vegetation in the suburban area was not enough to balance out, or "offset," the total amount of CO₂ released by burning fossil fuels over the course of the year. "Unfortunately, far from it," said McFadden, "We will still need to find ways to lower our carbon footprint."

Additionally, in more arid places like the western United States, where irrigation is a must for lawns and landscaping, the delivery of water comes with its own cost in carbon, as water is pumped from elsewhere. McFadden says further projects in California urban areas are underway.

"This study just gives us a lens into what the green spaces in developed areas are doing," he said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Barbara.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Emily B Peters, Joseph P. McFadden. Continuous measurements of net CO2 exchange by vegetation and soils in a suburban landscape. Journal of Geophysical Research, 2012; DOI: 10.1029/2011JG001933

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Hot Yankees breeze past Indians

By MIKE FITZPATRICK

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 10:43 p.m. ET June 25, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) - Robinson Cano and Hiroki Kuroda have both rebounded from slow starts, two big reasons the New York Yankees are on such a merry roll.

Cano homered and drove in three runs to extend his recent tear, Kuroda took a shutout into the eighth inning and New York beat the Cleveland Indians 7-1 on Monday night.

Nick Swisher and Dewayne Wise also went deep for the homer-happy Yankees, who opened a seven-game homestand against the top two teams in the AL Central with their third consecutive victory and 13th in 16 games. After winning an intense Subway Series across town against the Mets over the weekend, New York roughed up Josh Tomlin (3-5) early and breezed the rest of the way.

"Everything's just real chill right now," Swisher said. "Everything's just real mellow. We're having a good time."

Cano hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning Sunday night at Citi Field and picked up right where he left off in this one. He smacked a two-run double in the first inning and a solo homer in the third to the short porch in right.

"It feels good. Everything is connecting," said Cano, who raised his batting average with runners in scoring position to .164.

After slumping early this season, Cano has hit six of his 17 homers in the last eight games while increasing his overall average to .302. Earlier in the day, the three-time All-Star moved ahead of Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler in fan balloting for the American League squad.

"You can hold him down for a while, but he's going to get hot," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

It was a painful night for catcher Carlos Santana and the Indians, who dropped their third in a row following a four-game winning streak. Despite wearing a protective guard, he drilled two foul balls off his right foot during a three-pitch span in the fourth, leaving him on the ground in anguish.

Later, he took a foul ball off his glove hand.

"It was a bad day, but I'll be all right," Santana said.

The scuffling Indians were held to one run for the third straight game, getting outscored 22-3 during that span, after managing a 2-0 victory Friday in Houston.

"Josh didn't have it and Kuroda did," Cleveland manager Manny Acta said. "From the get-go, you could tell Josh didn't have command of his pitches. ... Everything was up and this is the wrong place to pitch behind in the count, up in the zone. Wrong place, wrong team."

Wise added an RBI triple in a rare start and Cano made one of several fine defensive plays to back Kuroda (7-7), who improved to 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA in his last six starts.

The 37-year-old right-hander was rarely in trouble besides the fourth, when he walked the first two batters and still escaped unscathed. He easily handled a lineup loaded with nine left-handed bats, giving up five hits while walking two and striking out seven.

Kuroda was lifted after allowing a single and double to start the eighth, walking off to a warm ovation from the crowd of 42,290.

"It's a great feeling and I'm glad I was able to pitch as I did," Kuroda said through a translator. "The fans expect that."

Jason Kipnis hit a sacrifice fly off Clay Rapada. The effervescent Swisher jogged off the field with a big smile after all five balls in the inning were hit to him in right field, sending him sprinting to both his right and left as the roar from the crowd increased with each play.

"You can always debate whether winning causes fun or fun causes winning," Swisher said. "I feel like we have both of that right now, and when we come to the ballpark we feel we're going to be successful every single day. And it's just a great feeling to have right now."

Swisher followed Cano's homer with one of his own, an opposite-field drive that tucked into the left-field corner. Swisher also connected Sunday night, a three-run shot off a knuckleball from previously untouchable R.A. Dickey.

Wise, making his eighth start of the year, hit a long two-run shot in the second for his first homer with the Yankees. He played center field, where Curtis Granderson had started the first 71 games this season.

Granderson was the designated hitter, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez was given the night off.

"I was just happy to walk in today and see my name in the starting lineup. To be honest, I think the team was more happy than I was," Wise said. "I know my role. These guys in front of me have to play every day. I just need to stay ready."

NOTES: The Bleacher Creatures chanted ex-Yankee Johnny Damon's name when he took his position in left field for Cleveland. Damon (2,750 hits) went 1 for 4 with a double. He said he'd like to reach 3,000 hits but isn't sure he'd try to hang on just to do it. He said bouncing from one team to another every year is getting difficult. ... Yankees SS Derek Jeter turns 38 on Tuesday. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch on his right hand but remained in the game and said he's fine. ... The Yankees began their annual Hope Week by celebrating Flying Manes, a therapeutic horse-riding program for special-needs children. The team's weeklong charity and community initiative is in its fourth year and includes the organization's minor league affiliates for the first time this season.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Twins spoil Youkilis' debut with White Sox

Francisco Liriano spoiled Kevin Youkilis' first game with Chicago, throwing a season-high seven innings to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 4-1 victory over the White Sox on Monday night.

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From cuisine to circuses, summer camps target bored kids

HIGHGATE, Vermont (Reuters) - Ten-year-old Max Oreck had been planning to spend much of his summer vacation playing computer games and watching television.

Then his mom told the Asheville, North Carolina fifth-grader he was going to summer camp.

Now Max is learning to wield a melon-baller, carve an orange into a basket-shaped dessert garnish and make flowers out of frosting at the Kids Culinary Camp of Vermont, one of dozens of summer camps that offer alternatives to traditional fare.

"I came for two reasons: I like to cook a lot, and my mom made me," says Oreck, dressed in a chef's hat and smock during a break from preparing grilled bacon and cheese sandwiches in the camp's commercial kitchen.

From high-wire walking to plankton propagation to posture lessons, summer camps are offering an increasingly diverse range of activities compared to the traditional canoe trips, swim lessons and marshmallow-roasting.

The popularity of alternatives is helping fuel growth among the estimated 12,000 summer camps in the United States.

Despite the stagnant economy, revenues at day camps grew by 23 percent between 2008 and last year and by 7 percent at sleep-away camps, according to the American Camp Association, which says the 2,400 organized camps it accredits have combined annual revenues of $2.8 billion.

"We see more specialty camps cropping up every year because there seems to be more of a demand for it," Peg Smith, chief executive of the American Camp Association, said in an email.

That includes demand for activities like pie-throwing lessons, which is how 10-year-old Elsie Harrison, an aspiring clown, concluded her recent stay at a day camp run by Vermont-based Circus Smirkus. Other activities included trapeze, juggling and spinning plates.

Her mother, Laurie Harrison, of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, said the five-hour drive each way for the one-day camp was worth it, despite having to "jump through hoops" to gain admission. Registration for the camp closed within hours after opening last November.

FUTURE OCCUPATIONS?

Some camps may help kids figure out what they want to do when they grow up, something their parents often didn't address until after high school.

Ocean chemistry, plankton biology and tidal studies are among the activities offered at Whale Camp on Grand Manaan Island, just across the Canadian border from Maine. For $1,395 campers get a week of activities like puffin photography, sea-kayaking and whale-watching in the Bay of Fundy.

"It's the closest kids can get to actually being a marine scientist before college," says Dennis Bowen, president of the camp. "Once they get immersed in this it really helps them become committed to preservation and conservation."

Meanwhile, kids as young as 7 or 8 years old who are interested in money, business and economics may attend one-week financial literacy day camps offered by the Young Americans Center for Financial Education in suburban Denver.

Activities include lessons on foreign currencies, banking and budgeting, and those 12 and older can also apply for a VISA credit card with a $100 limit issued by the center's bank.

"These are kids who really like to take ownership of their finances," says Katie Payer, a spokeswoman for the camp. "They have an entrepreneurial spirit."

Aspiring fashion designers in the San Francisco Bay area can attend a fashion day camp offered by the sewnow! studio, where activities include textile design, precision pattern cutting and an end-of-camp fashion show.

Tight budgets, family vacations and a desire to give children different, specialized experiences are driving a trend towards more varied offerings, says the ACA's Smith.

"Camps are responding to what they see as demand from families for more kinds of options and shorter sessions," she said.

TRADITIONAL VARIATIONS

Even more traditional cabins-and-campfires camps are broadening their offerings. Camp Lohikan in Pennsylvania offers a week-long Spy Camp for sleep-away campers, with a roster of activities including evasive driving lessons on all-terrain vehicles, surveillance techniques and code-breaking.

There seems to be a specialty camp for every niche, no matter how rough or refined. Outdoor Texas Camp offer kids as young as 9 years old hunting camps that typically last a week, with lessons on antler scoring, trailing wounded deer and duck and goose calling.

Alternatively the Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette in South Carolina offers five-day "Civil Savvy" camps that include tea parties, thank you note etiquette and ballroom dancing for $1,295. The camp has two girls for every boy.

"We do dress, we do skin care, we do nail care - even for boys," says Cindy Grosso, the founder of the program. "Then every day we have a dining lesson."

The range of options has helped happy campers like Michael Watson, 12, from Dallas get a head start on his journey toward becoming a Renaissance Man. He has attended a traditional archery and swimming camp affiliated with a church in Texas, but prefers his days in the kitchen at Kids Culinary Camp.

"I love being outdoors and all," said Watson, who just finished sixth grade and enjoys making fettuccini by hand. "But this is what I want to do."

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Eric Walsh and Jim Loney)

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FDA probes safety issues with metal hip implants

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Metal hip replacements implanted in a half-million Americans may be failing earlier than expected, but it could be years before U.S. health regulators have a clear picture of the problem.

The Food and Drug Administration holds a two-day meeting starting Wednesday to scrutinize the safety of metal-on-metal hip implants, following years of patient reports of pain and swelling that sometimes requires removal of the devices. It is a challenging, but familiar, predicament for the FDA: reviewing the safety of a device that was expected to be superior, but which may actually be more dangerous than what came before.

For decades nearly all orthopedic implants were made from plastic or ceramic. But in the last 10 years some surgeons began to favor implants made with metal stems and sockets. Laboratory tests suggested the devices would be more resistant to wear and reduce the chances of dislocation.

But recent data gathered by surgeons in the U.K. appears to show just the opposite.

In March, British experts at the world's largest artificial joint registry told doctors to stop using metal-on-metal hip replacements, citing an analysis showing they have to be replaced more often than other implants. Hip replacements are supposed to last between 10 to 15 years, but more than 6 percent of patients with metal hips needed them replaced after less than five years. That compared with just 2 percent of people who had ceramic or plastic joints. Both types of devices are prescribed for people suffering hip pain and limited movement due to arthritis or injury.

British regulators now recommend that people who have the implants get yearly blood tests to make sure no dangerous metals are seeping into their bodies as the components rub against each other.

The FDA has not made any recommendations of its own for the estimated 500,000 American patients with the devices.

FDA scientists say they want to consider all available information before making their recommendations ? not just the data from the U.K.

"Why look at a single registry when there's data from around the world?" said Dr. William Maisel, FDA's chief scientist for medical devices, in an interview with the Associated Press. "This is an opportunity for us to look at all the available information so that we can have a thoughtful conversation about what clinical recommendations can be made."

Maisel said the FDA is working to combine data from foreign countries and the U.S. to determine which groups of patients and implants are most problematic. On Wednesday and Thursday the FDA will ask a panel of experts to recommend the best practices for monitoring patients with the devices. Panelists will consider blood tests, medical imaging and laboratory tests.

But some U.S. orthopedic specialists say they have already reached their own conclusions about metal hips.

"In my personal opinion there is very little room, if any, for metal-on-metal implants because the alternatives we have on the market are likely safer and as effective," said Dr. Art Sedrakyan, professor of public health at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.

The FDA's deliberative approach to tackling the hip implant issue is in some ways a necessity. Unlike other countries, the U.S. has no national registry to track the performance of implants over time.

The FDA received 16,800 negative event reports involving metal hips between 2000 and 2011, but regulators stress that number is not very useful. Many doctors do not report problems to the FDA, and the volume of reports is influenced by news reports on safety issues.

A registry set up by Minnesota's HealthEast Care System recorded four times as many replacement surgeries for patients with metal-on-metal hips as those with other implant types. However, a similar registry set up by health care provider Kaiser Permanente found no difference between the two groups.

With little definitive data on U.S. hip implants, the agency has asked manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer Holdings Inc. and Biomet Inc. to conduct long-term, follow-up studies of more than 100 metal-on-metal hips on the U.S. market.

FDA scientists say the studies will help "fill in the blanks" on a number of scientific questions, including the effects of metal particles that often seep into the bloodstream as the implants wear down.

But Sedrakyan and others say it could be a decade or more before that information is available. In a commentary published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, Sedrakyan and two co-authors pointed out those studies must run at least eight years to return the information FDA is seeking. Based on the authors' analysis of FDA records, the FDA has reached agreements on the design of less than 25 percent of the studies, and it's unclear whether any of the studies have actually begun. The FDA notified the companies last May.

The prospect of safety findings arriving in eight or 10 years is little comfort to patients like Mary Weaver, 48, who had both hips replaced with a metal implant from Johnson & Johnson in 2007 and 2008. J&J recalled the ASR hip replacement in 2010, after reports that it was failing in some patients after only a few years of implantation.

Due to increasing pain and elevated metal levels in her blood, Weaver had both implants removed in 2011. She was let go from her job due to the time needed to undergo both surgeries, and is currently unemployed.

"I hope that no one has to go through this ? it's frustrating, it's emotionally draining," said Weaver, who lives in Mount Jackson, Va. "It's not just hard on you, it's hard on your whole family because your quality of life is not what it used to be."

Like 90 percent of medical devices sold in the U.S., most metal-on-metal hips were approved via the FDA's fast track program for medical devices. Under the so-called 510k system, the agency waives clinical testing requirements for devices which appear similar to others already in use. Since plastic and ceramic hip replacements had been on the market since the 1950s, most metal hip replacements were approved without new clinical testing.

"I am so furious they would use my wife as a lab rat, along with the other 500,000 people who don't have a clue what is happening," said Dwight Schrag, 69, of Bellevue, Wash. Schrag's wife Mary received J&J's ASR hip in 2006 and had it removed due to pain and other side effects in 2010. Schrag is one of a number of speakers who have signed up to speak during a public comment session at the FDA meeting.

It's not the first time the FDA's fast-track program for clearing devices has come under fire.

Last summer the Institute of Medicine said in a report that the FDA should abandon the 35-year-old system because it provides little assurance that the implants are actually safe. The Institute is composed of medical experts who advise the federal government.

Although the FDA itself requested the report from the Institute, agency officials rejected the group's conclusions, saying the 510k system works well for the vast majority of devices.

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Summer weekends at home ? Tri Fatherhood

It can all be pretty exhausting.

Dear Izzy, Max, and Kate,

We had a great weekend. It was one of those rare times when there was no where we had to be: no birthday parties, no trips out of town, and no events. As a busy family I wish we had more of those kinds of weekends. Truth is, I wish our life was more like this past weekend. I think that?s what we?re striving for. More simple pleasures like sunrises, sunsets, popsicles,? and backyard adventures. Fewer distractions, less technology, less stuff that owns us, and fewer things we ?have? to do.

We had a garage sale on Saturday morning (ugh) and then we stuck pretty close to the house, with the exception of taking you kids to see Madagascar 3 on Sunday. It was your first movie, Max and Kate! I loved watching you three kids laugh during the movie and sharing the candy I snuck in in Mommy?s purse and the giant $18 refillable bucket of popcorn. I only had to take you out of the theater once, Max, after you decided that hopping up and down the steps was more interesting than actually watching the movie.

I managed to get a couple of bike rides in this weekend since I?m still nursing my injured calf and am not running. Here are some pictures I took during my rides. I went 25 miles in the mid day heat on Saturday and 40 miles starting at 5:30am on Sunday.

This is a picture I took of the sun coming up over the hills near Leipers Fork. I always stop on this ridge to look out over this valley. It?s peaceful there.

I took this picture on the other side of High Meadow Alpaca Farm in Leipers Fork. I?m lucky to live in such a great place for riding and running.

Old meets new. My Kestrel Talon beside the actual Beverly Hillbilly?s truck outside of Pucket?s market.

The lawn chair theater in Leiper?s Fork.

Who needs Boulder Creek?! This is how I recover from a hot 40 mile ride. Clark Griwald?s got nothing on me! ?I?m putting in a pool!?

Here?s to more family weekends at home! I know you kids will remember our trips and the special things that we do, but somehow I think we?ll all remember weekends like the one we just had the most.

I love you,

- Daddy

Last week?s Training:

Mon: REST

Tues: Swam 1800

Wed: REST

Thurs: Swam 2600 / Biked 1:25 hard effort group ride

Friday: Swam 2000

Sat: Biked 25 miles

Sun: Biked 40 miles

?

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