May is Motorcycle Awareness Month!

Every year in May motorcycle season begins. 

Bikers who have had to put their babies away for the winter have them out now and it's time to ride.

Meanwhile, motorists may well have put motorcycles out of their minds as they drive, so it's time to alert them once again to look out as they make lane changes and such: Motorcycles are out there. Watch for them and save lives.

In keeping with this annual push, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) today launched its promotional effort to get the word out.


"Motorcyclists take to the highways in large numbers every spring, and it's the responsibility of all road users to acknowledge us safely and attentively," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. "This is why many states and local governments officially promote motorcycle awareness during the month of May. Unfortunately, many road users are not always mindful of those with whom they share the road, and an annual reminder is helpful for them to recognize the flow of motorcycles in traffic, and make an extra efforts to watch for motorcycles."

"One of the leading causes of motorcycle crashes is the fact that drivers don't see motorcycles," he said. "Simply put, drivers tell themselves to watch for cars, trucks, buses and pedestrians, but they don't tell always themselves to watch for motorcycles. We want to change that. If all drivers would make a conscious effort to look twice before turning left across the oncoming lane of traffic at an intersection, crashes could be prevented and lives would be saved."

In states across the nation, governors and transportation departments are issuing proclamations and press releases urging drivers to be aware. Drivers are advised to hang up their cell phones when driving, and turn their heads to look--don't just use your mirrors--before changing lanes. That one quick glance could save someone's life.

http://www.examiner.com/article/may-is-motorcycle-awareness-month-4

MGA's True Hope dolls ~ Available at Toy's R Us in June!

True Hope line of Bratz and Moxie dolls.

Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made, the Facebook Community announced today: Jane, co-founder, has two sets of the True Hope dolls available for the media to spread the word and bring awareness to these wonderful dolls. Jane is available for questions and information regarding the production of the True Hope line of Brantz and Moxie dolls by MGA. Jane's email address is JaneBingham@gmail.com.

Posted today on Facebook by Jane:

Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made

MGA gave me 2 sets of True Hope dolls. One in package and one out. If the media would like to see these dolls before they come out on shelves in June I would be happy to show them to you so you can spread the word about them. We want everyone to know they will be on shelves in June at ToysRUs! ~ Jane, Contact JaneBingham@gmail.com 

AVAILABLE starting in JUNE at ToysRUs in US and Cananda. We are hoping to get them to other countries in the future as well.

Please visit their Facebook page: 

http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie?ref=ts

Help bring awareness to the True Hope Dolls by MGA and tell your friends and family they will be available for purchase at Toy's R Us in the US and Canada beginning this June with $1.00 from each sale going to fund research for finding a cure of Children's Cancer at City of Hope.

The photo on the right is of the True Hope Doll "Cameron" the boy doll of the line. He is very handsome and an inspiration to all the children who suffer from hair loss for many reasons.

Below is a photo of "Sophia" she is a beautiful inspiration as well.

All of the True Hope Dolls by MGA are wonderful and will be a great comfort and esteem builder for so many children who are affected by hair loss due to several medical conditions including Cancer and Alopecia. Beautiful and Bald Barbie of Facebook and MGA hope these dolls to exactly that, help the self esteem of children while raising awareness to the need of research so that a cure can be found immediately. 

Anyone will be able to purchase these dolls beginning June 2012 at Toy's R Us in the US and Canada, $1.00 of each sale will go to funding research to find a cure at City of Hope.

To read the press release from MGA Entertainment see the link below:

http://www.mgae.com/downloads/pressreleases/True_Hope_Final.pdf

Michael J. Fox Opens Today's Parkinson's Unity Walk!

Today's Parkinson's Unity Walk was opened by Michael J. Fox!

The 18th Annual Parkinson's Unity Walk (PUW) was held today Saturday, April 28, 2012 in New York City's Central Park. The PUW is the largest grassroots awareness and fundraising event for Parkinson's disease (PD) research in the United States. The event, which has grown from 200 participants in its inaugural year, is expected to unite more than 10,000 participants from across the globe.

"The annual Parkinson's Unity Walk is a powerful way for families, friends, caregivers, research organizations and major Parkinson's foundations to come together," said Martin Tuchman, Chairman of The Parkinson Alliance. "For any individual or family affected by Parkinson's disease who wants to feel the support, strength and compassion of a community – this Walk is where you should be." Currently, more than 1 million individuals in the U.S. are living with PD and 60,000 are newly diagnosed annually. 

Funding for research, for the cause and cure, as well as therapies that will improve the quality of life for those with PD, is critical. The PUW donates one hundred percent of all donations directly to research. As the "unity" in its name implies, the funds raised are distributed evenly among the seven leading Parkinson's foundations in the country: American Parkinson Disease Association, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, National Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson's Action Network, The Parkinson Alliance, Parkinson's Disease Foundation, and The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center.

"The National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) is proud to participate in and support the 2012 Parkinson's Unity Walk," said Joyce Oberdorf, NPF President and CEO. "This event truly unifies the whole Parkinson's community behind a common mission—supporting the best, cutting-edge research. It is like no other."

In addition to being able to walk with thousands of members of the Parkinson's community, participants are able to take full advantage of a myriad of available resources at the event, including information about clinical trials, educational material from leading Parkinson's organizations and information on how to become an advocate for the Parkinson's community. This day of community and education also provides individuals who might otherwise have limited access to experts in the field, a chance to speak directly with movement disorder specialists, neurosurgeons, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists.

Most importantly, whether PUW participants are individuals diagnosed with PD seeking encouragement, family and friends showing support, caregivers desiring to know more, or researchers working toward new therapies, the PUW serves as a source from which to draw strength and build a greater community of support.

"It is by motivating, collaborating, educating and raising awareness of Parkinson's disease that we take important steps toward our goal of improving the quality of life of Parkinson's patients while we continue to work toward a cure," said Tuchman.

Attendees are also invited to visit the Abbott booth on Margot Zobel Way to leave their photo and inspirational message on the Messages of Hope™ Wall. For each message, Abbott, a leading global health care and medical research company, will donate $15, up to $15,000, to the PUW in support of research. Additionally, Abbott will invite walk participants to receive ongoing information about treatment and research through an opt-in text message campaign. For each individual who registers, Abbott will contribute an additional $1, up to $10,000, to the PUW.

Video Source: Published on Apr 28, 2012 by Jessicafrank510

April Is Autism Awareness Month!

Autism is worldwide, this is one Mother's story from Australia.

This story tells how your life can change overnight when your child is diagnosed with Autism, told by Karen, a blogger from Australia, see her profile here KAZ  . To read more about Autism and for beautiful awareness graphics please visit her blog at AUTISM TAGS .

April is Autism Awareness month in America. I'm in Australia. We don't have the month long awareness but the 1st of April is World Autism Awareness day. I don't usually post much about my son but today i will share some info.

My son is 19 and was diagnosed with 'classic autism' when he was 2 and a half. He was developing normally up until around the age of two. 

He laughed, played, even said two word sentences and then suddenly he didn't speak, didn't laugh, played in a corner or behind our couch. He lost eye contact and started twisting his hands in front of his face and rocking (this is called stimming and many autistics have some form of it.) He didn't respond when you called him or spoke to him. At first they thought he was deaf, but i knew he wasn't. He did have ear problems and ended up having 3 sets of grommets, but this didn't change how he was. It just stopped his ear infections.

We ended up with Early Intervention for him. He had this for 3 years. The third year he was still hiding under the table when the therapist came. But hey... she just got under there with him. lol.

We used Macaton sign language with him until he was around 6. We had pictures of everything and signs of words on everything. My son, as many autistics, only learns visually. He gets lost on verbal prompts alone. He still does and you have to repeat things over and over sometimes.

He went to a normal school with an aide. He really didn't cope well in that situation, but because his IQ was 72 (70 and under here is an intellectual disability) he was not allowed to go to a special needs school... all because of a stupid 2 points! The first few years were ok, but he just got more and more behind because he just didn't understand what they wanted from him. Plus as the school years go on the teachers use more verbal prompts that visual. This was a huge problem for him. He ended up being very violent. I had so much trouble getting him to school. It ended up he had me in a headlock on the ground (he was bigger than me by then). Sometimes i couldn't breathe and was scared it was the end. He was refusing to go and i couldn't put up with this violence any longer. No one would help me from the school - even though i told them what was happening. So i decided to home school him. The best decision i have ever made! Though it's not for everyone.

I home schooled my son until he was nearly 15. The work was getting way beyond him by then. He was good at maths but only at a primary level. He had a huge problem with English as he responds to the here and now. He has no imagination. He never speaks about the past. But the good thing was that he was starting to smile, he was starting to speak in sentences. Factual, but at least he was speaking.

I had him retested at 15 and they found he does have an intellectual disability with the autism. He now has a Yorallah (a company that help disabled people cope with world) worker.He is very happy now. He is not violent at all... well not unless someone really upsets him. I know what to avoid and now have no problems. Well other than not leaving the house much. He has a phobia of the outdoors. If i'm in the back yard he won't come out. He will bang on the back door to get my attention before he would come out and get me. This is why i got into making graphics. My son is home 24/7 and I have to be here. At least making graphics takes my mind off the boredom of being home looking at the walls. Plus i fell from a window and hurt my back (i have severe nerve damage), so can't do much even if i wanted to, or had the freedom to.

But moving on... My son is now 19, as i said. He has a worker and he's happy. He is on a disability pension as he is far from being able to cope in the work force. He will live with us the rest of his life.. well our life. And i'm happy with that. He is a lovely young man now and i wouldn't change him for the world.

I have some April Awareness tags on my Autism Graphic site. Here is a sample. Just click this link to go to the page.  More Tags Here