DRIVERS BEWARE! THE PERIL OF POTHOLES ARE UPON US
Brought to you by Car Care Council Hitting a pothole can damage tires, wheels, steering and suspension, wheel alignment and more. The Car Care Council recommends that motorists who experience any of the following warning signs after hitting a pothole should have a professional technician at their local repair shop inspect the vehicle. Loss of control, swaying when making routine turns, bottoming-out on city streets or bouncing excessively on rough roads. These are indicators that the steering and suspension may have been damaged. The steering and suspension are key safety-related systems. Together, they largely determine your car’s ride and handling. Key components are shocks and/or struts, the steering knuckle, ball joints, the steering rack/box, bearings, seals and hub units and tie rod ends. Pulling in one direction, instead of maintaining a straight path, and uneven tire wear. These symptoms mean there’s an alignment problem. Proper wheel alignment is important for the [Read More]published June 3, 2011 at 12:18am CDT
FOR $4.99 YOU CAN STOP YOUR TEEN FROM TEXTING AND DRIVING
Moms: How much is your child's safety worth to you? You probably can't put a number on it. Texting while driving is a serious problem - the statistics are mind-boggling. As of 2010, as many as a whopping 30% of accidents were caused by someone using a phone, and studies have shown that texting while you're behind the wheel at 35mph places you at even greater risk than driving drunk at the same speed. That blows my mind, I just can't wrap my brain around it. Our children have grown up immersed in new technology, and they are learning to drive with phones in their hands. The solution to this is two-fold - first and foremost, set a good example. Keep the phone out of your hand while you're driving. As of 2008 adults were just as guilty as our teens were, but those numbers are changing due to many national awareness campaigns. Second, invest in technology that puts you in control of your teen's safety. For a mere $4.99 per year you can download the Ask Patty Mobile [Read More]published May 26, 2011 at 5:31pm CDT
ASK PATTY GOES MOBILE WITH MOBILE TATTLETALE!
Ask Patty is always watchful for the hottest things that you, our readers, are going to be crazy about, and now we've partnered with our first mobile app. This smartphone app doesn't help you decide where to eat, or connect you to all your social media, nor does it have anything to do with birds, angry or otherwise. This app has only one purpose - to stop texting while driving. Intrigued? I thought you might be. Hit the jump for details. Okay, so here's how this works: This is an app for moms with teen drivers. Today's teens have learned how to drive a car with a phone in their hands, and distracted driving statistics nationwide are terrifying. Lives are being lost, and laws against cellphones while driving don't help the problem. Why? Because they don't deter drivers from using their phones, they just force them to hide them while driving, causing a more severe distraction than simply using the phone would be. This app, which retails for $4.99 per year, is ins [Read More]published April 18, 2011 at 4:45pm CDT
ME AND GOJI DELIVERS A HEALTHY BREAKFAST OPTION
Crunchy. Crispy. Chewy. Healthy? With nine base cereals offered and over fifty “enhancers” everyone is sure to find a tasty combination of Me and Goji custom artisanal cereal. My creation, the “Mighty Mango” and#40;don’t ask me why I picked that nameand#41; included healthy hoops, golden granola, corn flakes, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. Yum. The only thing I’d do differently on the next order would be to add more ingredients. Maybe some dried raspberries and strawberries? Mixed with mulberry and acai powder? I felt like I was already putting in too many ingredients, but in the case of cereal, I guess the more ingredients the merrier. If you aren’t feeling too creative, Me and Goji also provides a list of pre-designed organic cereals. One mixture that looked particularly appetizing was “Adam’s Apple.” This recipe includes amaranth and flax infused organic corn flakes, apples, cinnamon, cranberry, goji, golden raisons, and pumpkin. The pre-made r [Read More]published March 15, 2011 at 12:08pm CDT
BLACK HISTORY MONTH – HONORING FEMALE ATHLETES
Over the years, there have been many great black athletes. This month, to celebrate Black History Month, we’d like to honor some of the women who have contributed to the soul of sports. Pioneers Althea Gibson was a pioneer in both amateur tennis and professional golf. In 1942, Althea entered and won her first tennis tournament. In 1947, Althea won the first of ten straight ATA National Championships. In 1956, she won the French Championships and, in 1957, won the All-England Championships at Wimbledon and U.S. National Tennis Championships at Forest Hills. Althea retired from amateur tennis in 1958 after she had won Wimbledon. In 1964, Gibson launched her golf career, joining the LPGA. She retired in 1971. Another pioneer, Zina Garrison, became the first black woman to reach a Grand Slam Final and#40;1990and#41;. She began playing tennis at the age of ten and held 20 major doubles championships before the end of her career. Tennis Both Gibson and Garrison are sports legends who paved [Read More]published February 4, 2011 at 3:36pm CST
SUPPORT THE BIRTH CONTROL MATTERS CAMPAIGN FOR CONTRACEPTION WITH NO CO-PAYS
Birth Control Matters is an effort to make birth control available with no copays so that all women can use the method that works best for them and to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. Affordable prescription birth control is an essential part of health care for millions of women. The average woman spends 30 years of her life trying to avoid getting pregnant. More than one-third of women voters in America have struggled with the cost of prescription birth control at some point in their lives, and, as a result, have used birth control inconsistently. No copays for birth control is the single most important step we can take to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. The new health care reform law represents the single biggest opportunity to advance women’s health in 45 years. To make this opportunity a reality, the law must require health plans to provide prescription birth control to women with no copays, as part of the prevention provision. This would be a h [Read More]published December 17, 2010 at 7:49pm CST
TIPS FROM 21ST CENTURY INSURANCE: HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON!
The holiday season is full of family, fun, and goodwill, but it has a darker side. The number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities skyrockets faster than eight tiny reindeer. Spirited Statistics: On average from 2001 to 2005 and#40;the last year that complete data is availableand#41;, about 40 percent of all traffic fatalities during the Christmas and New Year holiday period have occurred in automobile crashes where at least one of the involved drivers was under the influence of alcohol. That is compared to about 28 percent of all fatalities during the rest of December. During the December - January holiday period, young drivers and#40;ages 16 to 20and#41; and adult male drivers and#40;ages 21 to 34and#41; are involved in a high number of alcohol-related accidents. On average, the number of fatalities per day for New Year’s Day is much higher and#40;almost twiceand#41; than that for Christmas Day and for the rest of December.* Protect yourself, your children, and your vehicle by insurin [Read More]published December 9, 2010 at 5:55pm CST
NYC HIGH SCHOOL SPRINTING STAR IN DESPERATE NEED OF BONE MARROW DONOR
I started my running "career" as a sprinter, way back in the day. and#40;Actually, my first running was from the batter's box to first base, but that's a story for another day.and#41;Today, when I write feature articles about runners, one of the questions I often ask is what their favorite "discipline" is within the sport: cross county, roads, track or trail. My very unscientific study has found that often the first discipline introduced is the favorite. For example, I have many friends who love cross country. When I ask why that is, they'll often recount how it was the first sport they tried out for in high school.For me that sport was track and it's what I always answer as my first love and#40;followed closely by road racing.and#41; And within track, although I went on to run middle distance in college and dabbled in distance racing post-collegiate, I always think first of my sprinting days.My decades-long interest in sprinting and#40;and sprintersand#41; is why this NYDailyNews.com story about [Read More]published December 7, 2010 at 8:15pm CST
BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING NHTSA TWITTER PARTY 12/9 -- PLEDGE TO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!
Last year, more than 250 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods. Whether at a holiday party, a New Year’s Eve bash at a bar or reveling with friends, many of us will be on the road this holiday season. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council are reminding everyone that the best way to stay safe is to plan ahead and designate a sober driver before you head out for your festivities. Here are some ways to help spread the word that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. Join a Twitter QandA on Thursday, December 9th at 2 PM ET. Follow the hashtag #buzzeddriving to get safety tips and prevention advice from NHTSA experts. You can follow the chat here: http://tweetchat.com/room/buzzeddrivingDesignated Driver Drink List — One of the most important things you can do before going out is designate a sober driver. If you’re throwing a party, make sure to offer non-alcoholic drinks for the sobe [Read More]published December 7, 2010 at 7:25pm CST
published December 1, 2010 at 3:10pm CST