(BPT) – The summer travel season is upon us, offering an opportunity for families across the U.S. to reconnect. The goal is simple – to make memories that last a lifetime. For example, the Smith family is in vacation-planning mode. Mrs. Smith typically takes the lead with dreams and aspirations [...]]]>

Bedbug

(BPT) – The summer travel season is upon us, offering an opportunity for families across the U.S. to reconnect. The goal is simple – to make memories that last a lifetime. For example, the Smith family is in vacation-planning mode. Mrs. Smith typically takes the lead with dreams and aspirations of planning their family’s best vacation ever. She starts with a look at her hotel choices on Trip Advisor. According to their website, Trip Advisor is the world’s largest travel site, reaching 340 million unique monthly visitors with reviews of more than 6.5 million accommodations. Mrs. Smith does her research. Is the hotel family-friendly? Does it have a pool? Is it clean? Scanning the reviews of a hotel on her list she reads one traveler’s review that includes a descriptor that no one wants to hear: bedbugs! Mrs. Smith immediately hits the back button. Bedbugs are the very last souvenir she wants her family to bring home. Cross that hotel off the list.

Mrs. Smith is not alone. A recent study conducted by the University of Kentucky found that bedbug reporting on online review sites and social media have a “…big impact on purchasing decisions.” It’s no surprise that both leisure and business travelers would avoid a bedbug infested hotel. Victims of bedbug infestations exploit the internet’s vast readership to describe their bedbug experience resulting in physical distress, sleeplessness, nervousness, anxiety and an extreme disruption in their life. And while on a planned summer vacation with the kids and family… not if they can avoid it!

Meanwhile, across town in a well-appointed corner office, the general manager of a large, nationwide hotel chain, sits reviewing his financial statements. His occupancy rates are down in three of his largest hotels while those same hotel’s operating costs are up. How can that be he asks himself puzzled by the data. Digging deeper, he realizes bedbug infestations occurred in those same three hotels. Rooms were out of service while treatment to the affected room as well as surrounding rooms were being completed. Bedbug treatment costs and loss of rental income negatively hit his bottom line. With internet sites like Trip Advisor, Travelocity and Bed Bug Registry, he wonders how severely those bed bug events impacted traveler’s decisions to stay at those properties.

General managers across the country are feeling the financial bite from bedbugs. According to the same University of Kentucky study previously mentioned, a single online review that mentions bedbugs lowers hotel room value by $38 for business travelers and $23 for leisure travelers.

What exactly is the state of the current hotel-related bedbug problem? Recent studies found that about 74 percent of pest professionals reported problems with bedbugs in hotel rooms, a truly staggering figure. This rise in bedbugs is coupled with a changing public perception, with 43 percent of people now expressing the attitude that bedbugs are a concern. An occurrence of bedbugs can also massively impact a hotel’s brand reputation. Exposure to legal action continues to rise jeopardizing hotel shareholder equity. Just recently, a Virginia woman sought $5 million in a lawsuit over bedbugs. A federal judge ruled in her favor and a jury will hear her case.

So, how can a hotelier and a hotel guest both prevent becoming the latest Trip Advisor bedbug-related casualty? Well, there are a number of things that each can do to win this battle. Let’s take a closer look.

* Education is key. Research proves that two-thirds of travelers surveyed by the University of Kentucky last year couldn’t identify a bedbug. Hotel staff and individual travelers are encouraged to be able to recognize a bedbug in its different life stages as well as signs of bedbugs in and around beds.

* Forward thinking in bedbug prevention has savvy hoteliers and travelers investigating the root of the problem. Savvy hoteliers are designing hotel rooms to be more bedbug resistant.

* Hoteliers and homeowners are adopting preventative measures for their mattresses and/or box springs such as an active mattress liner that kill bedbugs. ActiveGuard(R) Mattress Liners go on like a fitted sheet and can save time, money and energy preventing bedbug infestations from establishing. Sophisticated travelers and hoteliers know that bedbugs are difficult to recognize, and are skilled hitchhikers easily gaining access to the bed. Having an active liner in place that starts working within 10 minutes of contact can assist in saving a room from developing a full-blown bedbug infestation.

While recent reports may show that bedbugs are winning, the war is not over. Embracing technology, educating oneself and taking a preventative approach to this blood-sucking pest can lead to victory for both hoteliers and travelers.

Mark your calendar! Due to an overlap of tax deadlines and Federal/State holidays, the IRS has announced some new due dates for the upcoming 2016 tax season.

Most 2015 individual income tax returns will actually be due on Monday, April 18, 2016 (rather than Friday, April 15, 2016). Here’s why:

(BPT) – The dress, the tux, the guests, the honeymoon — there are so many details that go into your wedding day. All eyes are on you from the moment you walk down the aisle until the last dance of the night. Understandably so, brides and grooms often feel a lot of pressure [...]]]>

(BPT) – The dress, the tux, the guests, the honeymoon — there are so many details that go into your wedding day. All eyes are on you from the moment you walk down the aisle until the last dance of the night. Understandably so, brides and grooms often feel a lot of pressure to look their best on this important day — there’s nothing like a wedding to motivate you to get serious about your health and fitness goals.

But crash diets or extreme exercise programs are never the answer. “It’s usually best to start thinking about your specific goals three months before your wedding day to allow plenty of time to establish your routine and adjust to a healthier lifestyle,” says Steve Bronston, certified personal trainer with Life Time, a healthy way of life company that operates more than 115 health and wellness centers nationwide. “This creates a great opportunity for the bride and groom to support each other and get in shape together.”

Bronston and Life Time offer a three-month countdown plan to get you ready for the big day:

Weeks 1-4

Focus on changing your unhealthy habits. Nutrition is key when trying to lose weight, decrease body fat and increase your overall health. Work with a professional to lay out a detailed nutrition plan that consists of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats at each meal. Then, begin with a fitness program that incorporates weight training and cardio intervals. Arm exercises like overhead press, tricep push-ups and bicep curls, and back exercises like rows and rear flys help brides looking to tone up for a strapless or low-back dress. Bronston suggests starting with two or three days of weight training, two or three days of cardio and one day of Pilates or yoga.

Weeks 5-8

Now it’s time to switch up your exercise routines. It’s a good idea to work with a personal trainer or join a group fitness class once or twice a week to shake up your routine and stay motivated. Your workouts should include one to two weight training exercises per body part throughout the week. If you can, try to shift the amount of weight you use and number of repetitions you do to help stimulate change within your body. Continue a cardio routine of two to three days per week and add in another day or Pilates or yoga.

Weeks 9-12

It is important to keep up with your developing healthy habits as the weeks progress, but as your wedding day approaches, you’re sure to feel the stress of planning. “A new focus on rest and relaxation during this time period is key,” Bronston says. You can eat well and exercise perfectly, but without sleep, stretching, rest and recovery, your body is at risk of not functioning properly.

Planning a wedding can be stressful and tiresome, but if you commit to a healthy diet and fitness plan, you’ll walk down the aisle feeling confident and ready for your new life ahead.

Free. 256-764-2225

1.Easter falls on a different day every year. It is on the first Sunday after the full moon on or just after March 21st.

2. It is similar to the Jewish Holiday of Passover and in some languages they even use the same word for the holiday.

3. [...]]]>

Sunrise Easter Service in Maine

1.Easter falls on a different day every year. It is on the first Sunday after the full moon on or just after March 21st.

2. It is similar to the Jewish Holiday of Passover and in some languages they even use the same word for the holiday.

3. It was originally a pagan holiday dedicated to the worship of Ishtar, which is pronounced the same as Easter in ancient languages.

4.One interpretation from the Gospel of John is that Jesus represents the passover lamb that was sacrificed at the same time in the temple.

5. The Puritans did not celebrate Easter because they considered it a pagan or “Popish” holiday and tainted by the Catholic church. Other Christian groups that don’t celebrate Easter are the Anabaptists, the Quakers and Jehovah’s Witnesses.