Untangling lights was the biggest hassle for 56 percent of respondents. Second place was a tie, with 39 percent feeling that hanging lights on the house was a top time drain and another 39 percent saying that stringing lights on the tree is a pain, according to the survey.

Nearly a quarter said they plan to decorate using energy-saving LED holiday lights and over half plan to use an artificial tree, making energy-saving decor a possible trend this holiday season. People living in the west will be most likely to decorate with LED lights and people living in the northeast will be less likely to use an artificial tree than are people living in other regions of the United States.

Regardless of the region of the country consumers live in, holiday decorators will be interested in a line of pre-lit trees with low-voltage, cool-burning GE Energy Smart LED holiday lights. Consumers can choose from a variety of realistic needle styles and a wide selection of sizes, bulb styles, bulb colors and price ranges.

These LED lights continue to operate even if one is loose or burned out. The company offers replaceable lamps that allow for easy light maintenance. These lights can reduce the use of energy for holiday lighting by 80 percent or more. These trees feature bright, low-voltage lighting with cool-burning lamps.

These pre-lit LED trees feature a 5-year limited warranty on the lights and tree. The LED lights are rated for a long-lasting 20,000 hour life – that’s quite a few holiday seasons.

And what color lights do consumers want? More than two-thirds of the survey respondents prefer to decorate with multi-color lights. Decorating with all white lights was the second favorite.

A few more facts the survey “illuminated” include: Females prefer to decorate with white lights whereas males prefer decorating with multi-colored lights. People living in the northeast are significantly more likely to decorate with white lights than people in the Midwest and west.

For more information on GE pre-lit LED holiday trees, go to www.gelighting.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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The 35th Annual Mount Dora Arts Festival is evidence that our community welcomes’, supports and values the arts and the gifted artists that participate, which is due to the consistent quality of artwork exhibited for sale at the Mount Dora Arts Festival. Our Arts Festival is ranked in the top 100 of Arts Festivals in the Nation, and this years’ event will be even more special. Mount Dora is celebrating its 100th Birthday, January 1, 2010 along with our 35th Arts Festival year we will be celebrating in style. Please don’t miss out on a wonderful opportunity to display and sell your Fine Art.
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MIAMI – Governor Charlie Crist today visited Toussaint L’ouverture Elementary School in Miami to encourage students to continue to remain informed about hurricane preparedness as the historic peak of Atlantic Hurricane Season has begun. Governor Crist also applauded Florida’s Emergency Management Program for receiving a full re-accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP), while joined by Florida Emergency Management Interim Director Ruben D. Almaguer, Education Commissioner Dr. Eric Smith and Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho.

“When we educate young Floridians on how to be prepared during a disaster, they can help safety efforts,” said Governor Crist. “As tropical activity is likely to increase during this peak month of hurricane season, there is no better time to review and update disaster plans. We must remind Floridians that storms do not have to be hurricanes to be deadly or destructive.”

Last month, Governor Crist invited students to visit www.KidsGetAPlan.com to learn how to be prepared like their parents and teachers. The Web site includes free downloads of stories, coloring books and important disaster preparedness tips for kids. During today’s visit, the Governor, Interim Director Almaguer, Commissioner Smith and Superintendent Carvalho joined students as they participated in an online activity that allowed them to assemble virtual supply kits. The Web site’s kid friendly format educates children on how to stay safe during a thunderstorm, how to prepare their home for severe weather and how to protect themselves from hazards like tornados. Governor Crist noted that fostering a culture of preparedness, through initiatives like interactive online activities, will keep Florida safe for generations to come.

“As a result of developing this fun and educational Web site, we are educating and preparing a generation of prepared Floridians, who will one day teach their children what they learned while they were in grade school,” Interim Director Almaguer said. “Just like teaching our children to dial 9-11 during an emergency, we should be teaching them what to do in the case of a natural or man-made disaster.”

Commissioner Smith added, “It’s important that our young people understand the benefit of being prepared for a disaster and that we provide them with innovative ways to learn and absorb that information. I am confident that Florida’s culture of preparedness will only grow as more students take this critical knowledge home to their families.”

In September 2003, Florida became the first state to receive full accreditation through EMAP. Earlier this year, Florida and Arizona achieved full re-accreditation status, joining 19 other states and four jurisdictions (including Jacksonville/Duval County and most recently Orange County, Florida) that are currently accredited by the EMAP program. The EMAP accreditation process evaluated and found the Florida emergency management program compliant in all 63 national standards. The EMAP accreditation process is voluntary for local and state emergency management programs. Programs are accredited for five year terms and are required to annually prove ongoing compliance with national standards.

Earlier this month, Governor Crist declared September 2009 ‘Florida Preparedness Month.’ The Florida Division of Emergency Management will be partnering with more than 3,260 organizations across the U.S. to help educate the public about the importance of emergency preparedness throughout the month. In addition to participating in Florida’s Preparedness Month, the Division is participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Ad Council’s sixth annual National Preparedness Ready Campaign, which will focus on changing perceptions about emergency preparedness and helping Americans understand what it truly means to be “Ready.”

The 2009 Hurricane Season began on June 1, 2009, and ends on November 30, 2009. Please visit www.FloridaDisaster.org for other Web-based tools to assist in natural disaster planning, more information on preparedness and how you can GET A PLAN! To learn more about the Emergency Management Accreditation Program go to: www.emaponline.org.

The 35th Annual Mount Dora Arts Festival is evidence that our community welcomes’, supports and values the arts and the gifted artists that participate, which is due to the consistent quality of artwork exhibited for sale at the Mount Dora Arts Festival. Our Arts Festival is ranked in the top 100 of Arts Festivals in the Nation, and this years’ event will be even more special. Mount Dora is celebrating its 100th Birthday, January 1, 2010 along with our 35th Arts Festival year we will be celebrating in style. Please don’t miss out on a wonderful opportunity to display and sell your Fine Art.
Apply Online Today!
log on to
www.zapplication.org

The overall readership of print newspapers is down but the total number of visitors to the online newspapers category is up. Clearly, the decline in the number of print readers is far greater than the increase in the number of online newspaper readers. At the same time, the number of readers of news content online has increased. This indicates that some print newspaper readers are indeed switching to reading newspapers online.

Beyond looking for approaches that will attract consumers to their own sites, the newspapers must explore alternative ways – including using social media or distributed content as potential distribution models – to reach this audience as the Internet becomes the preferred medium for news consumption.

. People on the go use their cell phones, net books and computers to get their news information. The trend is unmistakable.Are you reaching the audience that reads the news online? In this economy can you afford to ignore this important demographic?

1. Purchase Health Insurance Properly
It is not the responsibility of insurance agents to teach their clients how to buy health insurance properly. It is not the responsibility of accountants to advise their employers. This is a task for the business owner and the business owner alone. Invest the time to consider all options.

2. Think Individual Health Plans

For small business owners, group insurance will always end up being far more expensive than individual health insurance will ever be. Avoid group insurance and purchase a rate-regulated individual medically underwritten policy. Consider buying individual health insurance yourself, and if applicable, give your employees money toward the purchase of their individual policies. If you buy medically underwritten policies for your employees, you cannot deduct the premiums as a business expense and will have to include it in the employee’s income. You could, however, set up a health reimbursement plan.

3. Avoid First Dollar Plans & Co-Pays
The original purpose of health insurance is to pay for the more catastrophic (and expensive) care that most consumers can’t afford. Why focus on physician co-pays? Insurance purchasers think they are getting a good deal with $10 or $15 co-pays, yet consider that the insurer may overcharge on the insurance premium to pay all of those small claims based on the low co-pays. If you avoid co-pays and take care of your smaller healthcare bills yourself, your health insurance plan can be structured to pay for the major medical issues when you really need them.

4. Beware of the Lowest Cost Plan

You get what you pay for. Some plans, called “out-of-state” or “association” plans are able to sidestep Florida state regulations, charge a low price to attract you, do very little underwriting up front, and then at the time of claim, underwrite with an eye toward denying the policy and/or raising premium rates through the roof in the future when their low rates can’t hold up.

5. Judge the Insurer Carefully

Beware of illegitimate programs targeted to small businesses that offer low premiums and easy enrollment that are marketed through a professional organization or association that does not have to answer to state regulations. Be sure the company is recognized by the State of Florida. You can verify an insurer’s license by calling (800) 342-2762.

6. Know the Difference between a Policy & Certificate

Take a look at the document you receive when you have been approved for coverage. A Policy is a unilateral contract between you and the insurance company. It outlines the binding promises that the insurance company makes to you as the policy owner. A Certificate is nothing more than a description of a master policy that exists between a third party and the insurance company, and is not a contract.

7. Consider a Consumer Driven Health Plan

The program consists of a qualifying high deductible health insurance policy with a minimum $1,150 deductible for an individual ($2,300 for a family) and a maximum out-of-pocket spending cap of $5,800 for an individual and $11,600 for a family, as well as a separate health savings account limited to maximum contributions of the lesser of the policy deductible above or $3,000 for an individual and $5,900 for a family.

8. Choose your Deductible Wisely

Self insure from the routine, non-threatening expenditures, and save the insurance for major medical issues. Determine what deductible is right for you:

· Estimate how much you spent last year in all categories of care including prescriptions, dental and vision.

· Subtract that from the savings in premium for a high deductible health policy.

· See how much you overpaid for your low deductible health insurance. Is this money better in your pocket or the carrier’s?

9. Understand Each Insurer’s Practices

Be careful to understand in network vs. out of network terms. Does “out of network coverage” mean a percentage of what the physician charges or of what the insurer says the service is worth? Also, compare PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations) discounts. It is not the higher discount that is as important as what is eventually paid on your behalf when you have a claim.

10. Don’t Buy Health Insurance on the Internet

You will almost always buy absolutely the wrong coverage. Health insurance rates are regulated. The rate is the same wherever you buy it. Educate yourself and purchase it from a live person.

If you are well informed, health insurance can often be remarkably affordable.

W. Adam Clatsoff is president and owner of Adcahb Medical Coverages in Coral Springs, Florida and author of HEALTH INSURANCE 50% LESS.

The additional public assistance grant will fund repairs to damages that were not accounted for during initial damage assessments, bringing FEMA’s overall funding to date for repairs to the Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family to $11.46 million.

“The wrath of Hurricane Katrina spared nothing in her path – including nursing homes,” said FEMA’s Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office Acting Director Tony Russell. “Just as her destruction was absolute in its tenacity, so is FEMA’s commitment to fully restoring public facilities in New Orleans by providing all eligible funding. This additional grant for the Lafon Nursing Facility provides necessary financial support, ensuring the rebuilding and reopening of this crucial facility for the elderly.”

By providing home and on-site medical care, nursing homes play a critical role in contributing to the overall quality of life of the elderly in the community. In New Orleans, the Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family provided these important services to more than 100 elderly residents before Katrina greatly damaged and closed the facility.

“Although Hurricane Katrina caused massive destruction to south Louisiana’s infrastructure, property and economy without regard to individual circumstances, the reality is that our poor, sick and elderly citizens were disproportionately impacted,” said Louisiana Recovery Authority Executive Director Paul Rainwater. “The use of disaster recovery funding to rebuild the Lafon Nursing Facility is vital to restoring critical services to this vulnerable population.”

During Katrina, the Lafon Nursing home incurred three to five feet of standing floodwaters for several days, causing substantial mold growth and water damages throughout its 77,000 square foot, 155-bed facility.

Additional repairs funded by FEMA’s recent grant include such work as asbestos abatement throughout the facility, environmental remediation of an underground storage tank, straightening of window frames and reconstruction of the activity center in the physical therapy room.

FEMA also previously provided $408,500 in Section 406 Mitigation funding to the Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family. These funds, which are in addition to FEMA funding provided for repairs, will be used to elevate the facility’s mechanical and electrical equipment above the Advisory Base Flood Elevation, thus reducing the risk of flood damages to this essential equipment during any future storms.

Repairs at the Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family are continuing and work is 95 percent complete.

When FEMA approves projects through its supplemental Public Assistance grant, the funds are transferred to a federal Smartlink account. Once the funds have reached this account, the applicant can request reimbursement from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) for eligible work completed. Obligated funds may change over time as the project worksheet is a living grant that is often adjusted as bids come in and scope of work is aligned.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations’ buildings, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.

Created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005, the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the coordinating and planning body leading the most extensive rebuilding effort in American history. The central point for hurricane recovery in Louisiana, the LRA works closely with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and partners with state and federal agencies to oversee more than $20 billion worth of programs, speed the pace of rebuilding, remove hurdles and red tape and ensure that Louisiana recovers safer and stronger than before.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Over a two-week period in March 2008, federal and state investigators detected the Risa Lynn setting fishing gear in the Footprint Marine Reserve, south of Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands. The reserve is one of several federally designated no-take fishing zones for commercial or recreational fishermen.

“This was a well coordinated enforcement effort between the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, California State Department of Fish and Game, and U.S. Coast Guard,” said William J. Douros, west coast regional director for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “This operation clearly demonstrates our collaborative approach in protecting California’s vital marine resources.”

“This case is a primary example of what can be achieved through cooperative law enforcement efforts to protect our nation’s natural marine resources,” said Don Masters, special agent in charge of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement southwest division. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is the primary agency responsible for marine enforcement within national marine sanctuaries.

The fishermen fined in the case are Shane and Jason Robinson of Santa Barbara and Joseph Campopiano of Morro Bay, Calif.

“The Channel Islands marine reserves are designated a protected area to benefit everyone,” said Chris Mobley, superintendent of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. “All of us must play by the rules so that we can continue to protect our marine heritage for future generations.”

The Footprint Marine Reserve is part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries Marine Protected Areas Network and also part of the Essential Fish Habitat Closed Area under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The fish habitat program protects more than 130,000 square miles of marine waters off the West Coast from long term damage to seafloor habitat by banning the use of certain types of fishing gear. The goal of the program is to protect essential habitat areas for groundfish stocks, and was developed with support and advice from both environmental and fishing industry groups.

Managed by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1980 to protect marine resources surrounding San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands. The sanctuary spans approximately 1,470 square miles, extending from island shorelines to six miles offshore, and encompasses a rich diversity of marine life, habitats and historical and cultural resources.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

When: Wednesday, August 19

Time: Interviews at 9 a.m., Noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m.

Where: Liberty National Life Insurance Company, Atrium, 8695 College Parkway, Suite 1188, Ft. Myers, FL 33919

Location phone number: 239-334-2491

Why: Liberty National is seeking to appoint 50+ Sales Agents and Sales Management positions initially, with the possibility of additional growth in the future. The Company provides complete training and the opportunity for rapid advancement at every level.

More information: www.lnlcareers.com or call 239-334-2491