Author: Wellons team

Coleman to appear at Ripley’s museum on January 7 for book signing while researching forthcoming book on the famous 19^th century Florida Monster

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Dec. 28, 2010)  – Loren Coleman has spent more than five decades looking for creatures many people think don’t exist.  As the world’s leading living cryptozoologist, Coleman has been involved in researching, writing about, and traveling the world searching for Bigfoot, Yeti, and The Loch Ness Monster since 1960.  Perhaps the only creature as elusive as those cryptids is Coleman himself.  Coleman’s public appearances are rare, and book signings even more so.  But he plans to arrive in St. Augustine Friday January 7 for just such an event at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum.

The author of 35 books and a popular blogger at Cryptomundo, Coleman will be signing his two books published in 2010, True Giants: Is Gigantopithecus Still Alive Today? and Monsters of New Jersey from 6 to 8 p.m.   Additionally, he will have copies of The Field Guide to Bigfoot and his biography of the Yeti hunter, Tom Slick.

Coleman, who is the founder and director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, also intends to research material for two new books while in St. Augustine.  Over a century ago, the Nation’s Oldest City made headlines for the so-called Florida Monster that washed up at St. Augustine Beach, the mysterious event of 1896 which still has modern day scientists baffled.  Believed at the time to be the carcass of a giant octopus, the 25 foot long body of the unknown sea creature has never been positively identified.  While in St. Augustine, Coleman also plans to profile the Ripley’s collection for an additional forthcoming book.

For additional information, please contact Ralf Ingwersen at (904) 824-1606 or ingwersen@ripleys.com.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Dental Hygiene Program kicks off

“12 Months of Smiles”

Nashville, Tenn. – (December 21, 2010) – Remington College-Nashville Campus is offering people a way to get 2011 off to a healthy start.

The campus Dental Hygiene Program is offering 50% off teeth cleanings during the month of January. That means adults can get their teeth cleaned for $5; for children under 14 the cost is just $2.50. This will be the first of the monthly deals and events at the Dental Hygiene Program, called “12 Months of Smiles.”

“We want to reach out to families who don’t have dental insurance and encourage them to get a healthy start to 2011,” said Larry Collins, Remington College-Nashville Campus President. “One of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent tooth problems is to get regular cleanings, especially for children.”

Under the supervision of instructors, students pursuing associate’s degrees in dental hygiene perform low-cost procedures for the public, including:

• Oral prophylaxis (cleaning) and topical fluoride treatments
• X-rays
• Scaling and root planing
• ToothPrint child identification impressions
• Oral cancer screenings
• Dental Sealants

Initial patient registration is required, and costs just $1. Payments can be made by cash or credit card.

The Remington College Dental Hygiene Program is a 24-month, accredited program designed to prepare students for careers as dental hygienists.[i] Instructors have real world experience in the dental hygiene field and course offerings include Preclinical Dental Hygiene Practice, Oral and Dental Anatomy, Nutrition and Biochemistry and Oral Radiology.

People seeking treatments at the Remington College dental hygiene school can make appointments by calling 615-493-9398.

The clinic hours are:

Mondays: 10:30 am-1:30 pm and 2:00 pm-5:00 pm

Tuesdays: 9:30 am – 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm-5:00 pm

Wednesdays: 8:00 am-12:00 pm and 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Thursday: 9:00 am- 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm- 5:00 pm

The school is on the Remington College-Nashville Campus, located at 441 Donelson Pike, Suite 150 in Nashville.

For more information, call 615-493-9398.

About Remington College: Remington College is a common name used by all 20 campuses of a group of affiliated companies of privately-owned, post-secondary educational institutions based in Heathrow, Florida. Through its campuses, Remington College offers diplomas, bachelor’s and associate’s degrees in a variety of fields, including: cosmetology; nursing; healthcare; criminal justice; business; electronics; information technology; and more.  Course offerings vary by campus. Remington College and its predecessor companies have been part of the higher education community since 1985. For more information, please visit http://www.remingtoncollege.edu/. For the latest news about Remington College, visit http://today.remingtoncollege.edu/.

Media contact:

Frank Wolff

Wellons Communications

407-339-0879 office

407-637-6000 cell

Frank@wellonscommunications.com

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[i] Employment after graduation not guaranteed.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

ORLANDO, Fla. (December 8, 2010) – NCG Medical Systems, Inc., a global leader in electronic medical health records, has been named a participating vendor by the Ponce School of Medicine Regional Extension Center.

NCG Medical will provide Ponce School of Medicine REC, with its Perfect Care EHR software system in order to support doctors and healthcare offices throughout Puerto Rico. The goal is to assist doctors, clinics and other healthcare providers with the conversion to electronic medical health records – part of an effort to improve access to essential health information.

“We look forward to working with the Ponce School of Medicine. We understand that doctors are very busy and are looking for the right solutions when it comes to electronic health records,’’ said Antonio Arias, senior Vice President of business development.  “We provide a comprehensive technology that can target to medical professionals’ needs.”

Based out of Orlando, Fla., NCG Medical offers practice management software, Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems technology, as well as billing software to healthcare providers. NCG Medical currently has 2,000 medical clients across 24 U.S. states and ranks among the top three providers in the industry. The company will have a staff of about 15, and will work extensively with the school to educate doctors on the transition to EHR.

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is an electronic record of patient health information, including a patient’s demographics, medical history, medications, allergies, progress notes, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports. The EHR automates and streamlines the clinician’s workflow, and has the ability to generate a complete patient record.

National certification of EHRs is part of a national initiative. The federal government is offering incentive payment programs to help doctors and other health providers as they transition from paper-based medical records to EHRs.  Individual physicians and other eligible professionals can receive up to $44,000 through Medicare and almost $64,000 through Medicaid.

To learn more about the Ponce School of Medicine Regional Extension Center, visit http://rec.psm.edu/, and to learn more about NCG Medical go to http://www.ncgmedical.com.

About NCG Medical Systems, Inc. (http://www.ncgmedical.com)

NCG Medical is a global leader in integrated IT solutions for healthcare facilities and regional extension centers. Based out of Orlando, Fla., NCG Medical is a pioneer and leading provider of electronic health records. Institutions worldwide choose NCG Medical for solutions in practice management, electronic medical records, and medical billing. To learn more, visit NCG Medical at www.ncgmedical.com.

Media Contact

Will Wellons

Office: 407.339.0879

Cell: 407.462.2718

will@wellonscommunications.com

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Community invited to take part in any of the three sessions, inspired by Kim John Payne’s important book, on Jan. 13, Jan. 19 and Jan. 27

CHESTNUT RIDGE, NY – (Dec. 16, 2011) – If you’re a parent, tired of busy schedules; if your children are stressed and exhausted; if your family life is not fulfilling, and your family values get lost in the daily shuffle, come to a Simplicity Parenting evening presented by Green Meadow Waldorf School and learn how to take back your life and your time.

These talks are based on the popular book Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. Sessions will be lead by Green Meadow Waldorf School faculty member and certified Simplicity Parenting coach, Deborah Renna. She will offer a simple and effective pathway for simplifying home life that reduces stress and allows room for connection, creativity and relaxation. Sessions will be held at libraries in Tarrytown, N.Y., Saddle River, N.J. and Ridgewood, N.J.

“I believe, especially in these busy times, that parents and caregivers have a hunger for deepening family relationships,” said session leader and Green Meadow Waldorf School faculty member, Deborah Renna. “In these group presentations, I will teach parents how to come up with an at-home plan to simplify family life.”

WHAT: Deborah Renna will discuss and explore Simplicity Parenting concepts

FIRST EVENING: Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7:15 p.m. at the Warner Library, 121 North Broadway, Tarrytown, NY.

SECOND EVENING: Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Saddle River Library, 245 Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

THIRD EVENING: Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ridgewood Library, 125 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ.

These evenings preview a group-based, 7-week parenting workshop, beginning in February on the Green Meadow Waldorf School campus in Chestnut Ridge, NY.

Nearly 350 students from 13 counties and almost 90 towns attend the independent Green Meadow Waldorf School. Located about 20 miles north of New York City, Green Meadow serves students from nursery school through grade 12.

Waldorf education is the fastest-growing independent school movement worldwide, with 300 schools in the U.S. and nearly 1,000 around the world. The curriculum is based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, who founded the first Waldorf School in Germany in 1919. Green Meadow offers developmentally based, challenging academic coursework infused with the arts.  Students are exposed to diverse disciplines and can choose traditional classes such as modern languages and sciences while also learning practical arts, such as knitting, blacksmithing, and woodworking. The school also limits the use of technology and media for younger students, which is now understood by researchers as essential to the developing brain.

For more information and to schedule interviews: Contact Vicki Larson at 845-356-2514 ext. 311 or vlarson@gmws.org.

About Green Meadow School and the Waldorf education: Founded in Germany in 1919 by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf Education now includes schools on every continent. Green Meadow Waldorf School is an accredited full member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), an association that strengthens and supports Waldorf schools and informs the public of the benefits of Waldorf education.  Green Meadow is also an accredited member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), a voluntary association of more than 140 independent schools in the state of New York.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Electronic Registrar Online offers professional development management – entirely online – to the district’s 4,600 teachers

Howard County, MD. (Dec. 15, 2010) – Howard County public schools have selected Orlando-based eSchool Solutions® to assist the area’s 4,600 educators in managing professional learning activities—and it’s done entirely online.

Beginning in January 2011, Howard County public schools will implement eSchool Solutions’ Electronic Registrar Online (ERO) software and services. ERO is a customized web application that schools and teachers can use to track required ongoing learning – as well as create professional learning plans.

The reporting tool in Electronic Registrar Online also makes it simple for districts to extract staff development data to meet local, state and federal reporting requirements. In addition, ERO can also highlight the coaching features that allow mentors to review their teacher’s plans and offer feedback through the system.

With ERO, busy teachers can log in anywhere to register for learning activities, review and update their professional growth plans, and access their transcripts.

“Electronic Registrar Online is a timesaver. From the district with its many reporting needs, to the teachers and their professional mentors – everyone can work quicker and smarter,” said Lisa Welton, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for eSchool Solutions. “This program makes it efficient for the teachers and cost-effective for the Howard County school district.”

To learn more about the company, visit http://www.eschoolsolutions.com/ or call 800-776-8774.

About eSchool Solutions®

eSchool Solutions® is the leading provider of integrated technology solutions for the preK-12 education market. In 1987, the Orlando-based company revolutionized substitute management for school systems, completely changing the way districts managed substitutes and employee absences. Now, as a total solutions provider, eSchool Solutions provides a full suite of products and services designed to improve administrative efficiency and help school districts work smarter. The company serves more than 500 school systems, encompassing 29,000 schools in North America.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Believe it! This top dog is the star of Ripley’s Big Bash!
Set for Saturday, December 18

ORLANDO, Fla. – (Dec. 13, 2010) – It’s a fairy-tale ending for a story that had a flea (and cockroach) infested beginning.

Ripley the dog will be the star of the show at Ripley’s Big Bash!, a send-off party and pet adoption event set for Saturday, December 18, at the Petco in Houma, Louisiana. The event starts at 4 pm.

Workers at St. John Parish animal shelter in LaPlace found the beleaguered animal in a ditch; his hair was so matted that he could no longer walk, his fur was full of cockroaches and he was close to being no longer able to eat. The shelter took him to a local vet, who shaved more than two pounds of hair off the dog. The homeless dog was named Ripley because “Believe It or Not!” there was a dog under all that fur!

After several weeks of TLC and socializing provided by My Heart’s Desire animal shelter, Ripley is a healthy, well-mannered dog who will go home with his new family, Houma residents Joy and Mike Tingle.

“We feel like we won the lottery,” said Mike Tingle, noting that more than 50 people were in line for the poodle and hundreds more had shown interest in his adoption. “We visited him a couple times and then filled out the paperwork and waited. It was a wonderful morning when we received the phone call.”  Tingle called Ripley a “sharp little dog with a laid-back personality.” Ripley will be the Tingle household’s only pet.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is giving the Tingles a Petco certificate for six spa and grooming sessions for little Ripley, and has made a donation to My Heart’s Desire as a thank you for helping save the homeless ragamuffin. The company is also supplying a limo so Ripley and the Tingles can go home in style from the Big Bash! Natural Balance is donating 15 bags, a year’s worth, of dog food, to Ripley and his new family.

Local animal rescue groups will be on hand at Ripley’s Big Bash! to provide information on other animals that need permanent homes.  Brent Neil, assistant store manager for the Petco store in Houma, is planning the big event for the 18^th.  “This is a great opportunity to showcase how important pet adoption is,” Neil said. “Little Ripley was in dire needs and was saved. He deserves a good home and he has found one. These are the kind of stories we all like to hear.”

Ripley’s unbelievable story, which received international interest, will be featured in the 2012 annual from Ripley Publishing that will be published in August 2011. The book is a collection of amazing, unusual and unbelievable stories from around the world.

“We are happy to have been able to help out little Ripley,” said Tim O’Brien, VP of Communications for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! “His story is one of survival and overcoming incredible odds, and really represents what Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is all about.”

Ripley’s Big Bash! will take place at Petco in Houma, located at 1651 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Downloadable images from Ripley’s Big Bash! will be available on Monday, Dec. 20 in the Ripley’s Newsroom.

Contact:

Tim O’Brien

VP Communications

Office – 615-646-7465

Cell – 615-496-5949

Obrien@ripleys.com

Brent Neil

Assistant Store Manager, Petco

985-851-3148

Bj_neil2003@yahoo.com

About Ripley Entertainment

Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 85 attractions in 11 countries.  In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Author Anna Maria Prezio explains that by decorating your home according to various Feng Shui methods, you will be able to keep ghosts away; UK author and educator Lionel Fanthorpe recalls the most significant mysteries he has ever researched, including the myth of the brigantine Mary Celeste that was found floating in the middle of the ocean with no one aboard; and Robert Damon Schneck reports how  aliens are using Bigfoot creatures on earth to mine for gold that will be used to power weapons in their fight in a major inner-galactic battle that is taking place. Schneck also talks about his research on the cannibal pygmies of Wyoming.

Ripley Radio – an On-Demand Oddcast

Ripley Radio is a journey through the weird, wacky, whimsical, wild, and totally unbelievable world of the odd, strange and unusual. Each show provides listeners with amazing and absolutely true tales of today as well as unbelievable facts culled from the extensive archives of the company that has been freaking out families for more than 90 years!

The broadcast is an unpredictable and fun-filled show that proves beyond all dimensions that Ripley’s is indeed, the global authority on the weird, strange, bizarre and the UNBELIEVABLE!

You can enjoy Ripley Radio – An On-Demand Oddcast at the dedicated Ripley Radio website and in the Podcast section of iTunes.

Meet Ripley Radio’s Ensemble:

• Tim O’Brien, executive producer
  Vice President, Communications, Ripley Entertainment Inc.
• “Ralf with an F” (Ralf Ingwersen)
  Director of Ghost Tours
  Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, St. Augustine, Fla.
• Edward Meyer
  Vice President, Exhibits and Archives, Ripley Entertainment Inc.
• Marci Pikel
  Manager of Marketing & Production Services, Ripley Entertainment Inc.

For detailed information on each host, please visit the Ripley Radio website.

About Ripley Radio
Ripley Radio is owned by Ripley Entertainment Inc., keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand and is a global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 13 million guests visit its 80-plus world-wide attractions annually. The Orlando-based company also has divisions that oversee publishing, licensing and broadcast operations.  Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Contact:
Tim O’Brien
Ripley Radio Executive Producer
VP Communications
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
obrien@ripleys.com
Office – 615-646-7465
Cell – 615-496-5949

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Community invited to attend Dec. 14 event

Nashville, Tenn. – (December 13, 2010) – Remington College-Nashville Campus will hold an Open House to introduce prospective students to what the college has to offer.

Open House will be held on Tuesday, December 14 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the Remington College-Nashville Campus.

The public is invited to enjoy the activities and learn more about the educational programs offered by the campus. The Nashville campus is an accredited college, and programs include Associate’s Degrees in Criminal Justice and Dental Hygiene, as well as Diploma Programs in Medical Assisting, Dental Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding and Cosmetology.

Based in Heathrow, Florida, Remington College offers diploma and degree programs at 20 campuses throughout the United States, including a new online campus. Its mission is to provide career-focused education through a variety of programs.

Remington College-Nashville Campus is located at 441 Donelson Pike, Suite 150.

For more information, call 615-889-5520.

About Remington College: Remington College is a common name used by all 20 campuses of a group of affiliated companies of privately-owned, post-secondary educational institutions based in Heathrow, Florida. Through its campuses, Remington College offers diplomas, bachelor’s and associate’s degrees in a variety of fields, including: cosmetology; nursing; healthcare; criminal justice; business; electronics; information technology; and more.  Course offerings vary by campus. Remington College and its predecessor companies have been part of the higher education community since 1985. For more information, please visit http://www.remingtoncollege.edu/. For the latest news about Remington College, visit http://today.remingtoncollege.edu/.

Media contact:

Frank Wolff

Wellons Communications

407-339-0879 office

407-637-6000 cell

Frank@wellonscommunications.com

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Creators say others should say “I do” to iPhones for weddings

Orlando, Fla. – (December 9, 2010) – iPhones are trusty tools for taking photos and videos of vacations, holiday celebrations and other special moments, but no bride-to-be has ever trusted her wedding day to an iPhone – until now.

The veteran team of wedding photographer Brian Adams and wedding videographer Rainer Flor believe they are the first ones to shoot an entire wedding on the iPhone 4 – both photos and video.

The two professionals have collaborated on wedding shoots all over the world. What started as a “What if…” turned into a “Wow!” when they were finished.

“At first we just wanted to see if it could be done,” said Adams. “But when we were finished, we realized what we had done was bridge the gap between photo and video and create a professional-looking product that people can easily access and share.”

Flor volunteered his November wedding for the experiment. Adams used two iPhone 4s to shoot pictures. Flor’s associate videographer also used an iPhone 4. Housings were used for the phones that allowed them to change lenses, as well as provided handles and mounts for a light, microphone and tripod. An assistant helped with lighting.

“The phones are so small, it made it easy for us to be unobtrusive,” said Adams. “People were very comfortable around the small cameras. We were not an intrusion into their wedding.”

Common software was used for editing the images and video.

The end result?

“I was amazed at the quality of the photos coming from the iPhone 4, and completely blown away by them after they were edited,” said Adams, who also printed a handful of the photos.

“When you look at the prints, we don’t think you can tell the difference between the SLR photos and the iPhone photos,” Flor said.

Adams and Flor say there are several things that people can take away from their successful iPhone experiment.

“We proved that the iPhone technology is advanced enough to handle an event like a wedding, and simple enough that it doesn’t take a lot of experience or extra equipment to shoot high-quality video and pictures,” said Adams. “The user still has to have some creativity and a good eye, but this gives them a great tool.”

“We want to show the millions of people running around with iPhones in their pocket that the photo and video possibilities are endless,” said Flor.

The two just launched iphoneshooters.com to share the iPhone wedding material, as well as serve as an online community for iPhone users to share images, video and ideas. They may offer iPhone wedding photography as an option for their customers, and see it as a growing trend in wedding photography.

“A wedding shot on an iPhone extends the experience and allows it to be easily shared with others through Facebook and other social media platforms,” said Adams.  “Soon we’ll see people sharing photos and video right from their wedding.”

Downloadable images and embeddable video of the iPhone wedding are available at iphoneshooters.com

Media contact:

Frank Wolff

Wellons Communications

407-339-0879 office

407-637-6000 cell

frank@wellonscommunications.com

iphoneshooters@gmail.com

twitter: @iphoneshooters

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.

Magnificent miniatures, world’s smallest production car, T-Rex foot, animal anomalies among the new unbelievable exhibits

ORLANDO, Fla. – (Dec. 7, 2010) – What do an 8-foot long fish, a 7-legged sheep and a mural made from 8,500 playing cards have in common?

They’re all new exhibits in a revamped Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium!

Visitors will find dozens of amazing new exhibits, including:

• A Peel Trident car (the smallest production car in the world)
• A portrait of singer Beyonce made entirely from candy
• A “Wall-E” robot replica made from car parts
• A 25-foot high mural of Jimi Hendrix made from more than 8,500 playing cards
• A very rare fossil of a T-Rex foot and lower leg
• Multiple miniatures that visitors can view through a magnifying glass
• A stuffed Alligator Gar that measures more than 8 feet long
• A balloon-powered chair that flew over the Rocky Mountains
• A dog sculpture made entirely of clothes pins
• New optical illusions, word puzzles and brain teasers
• Several new wax figures that visitors can take photos with
• A new shooting gallery for visitors to take aim and fire at different odd targets

In addition to all the new exhibits, there are new flat-panel TVs that broadcast video oddities and behind-the-scenes stories, and new display cards for all the exhibits. New lighting, paint and carpet give the Orlando attraction a whole new feel.

“Our guests will find exciting, new oddities and displays at every turn, as well as our long-time, favorite exhibits, like the rotating tunnel and pool table where balls roll uphill,” said Joe Kasinski, Director of Sales and Marketing for Ripley’s Orlando.

Renovations will continue with additional oddities added in the coming weeks.

For high-res images of the new-look Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium, please visit

http://www.ripleysnewsroom.com/.

For more on Ripley’s Orlando, including hours and pricing, please visit http://orlando.ripleys.com/.

Contacts:

Joe Kasinski

Director of Sales & Marketing

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando

407-345-0501

kasinski@ripleys.com

Tim O’Brien

VP Communications

Ripley Entertainment Inc.

Office – 615-646-7465

Cell – 615-496-5949

obrien@ripleys.com

About Ripley Entertainment

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment.  More than 13 million people visit its 85 attractions in 11 countries each year.  In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.