During National School Choice Week, schools of every type - traditional public, charter, magnet, online, and private - will join homeschool groups to celebrate the things that make their education environments unique and effective.

As a nonpartisan awareness effort, National School Choice Week provides an opportunity to bring conversations about education out from the political sphere and to the kitchen tables and living rooms of parents in communities across America.

This is important because, even though education is a matter of public policy, it is also deeply personal.

At its core, school choice affirms the special bond between parents and children. School choice empowers parents to turn the love and concern they have for their children into action. It encourages them to talk to their children and make decisions together about what schooling environments fit the talents, interests, and challenges that are unique to every student. And it recognizes that while one school might be a good fit for some students, it isn't necessarily a good fit for every child.

By exercising school choice options, parents who want their children to learn Mandarin can send them to a school where they will learn Mandarin; parents who believe their kids need a lot of time outdoors or who want to affirm their faith tradition can follow that path; parents who didn't go to college but want their kids to have that opportunity can find a college prep choice.

Parents choose schools for a variety of reasons. For example, a survey of Indiana parents found that parents considered factors such as academics, morality, social skills, diversity, college preparation, an appreciation for nature, patriotism, the ability to enter the job force without a college degree, and an opportunity to learn another language.

These choices reflect the diversity and individualism of our great country, and they should be respected and celebrated. After all, no matter where we fall on the political spectrum, we all share the same goal: to unlock the potential for success and happiness in every child through a great education tailored to who they are and who they want to be.

Enter the AngelPay Foundation, a nonprofit payment processing company. The AngelPay team originally invented the first secure, scalable, and reliable Internet payment processing platform called Authorize.Net back in 1996.

Today, they provide the same tools and service, but they believe operating as a nonprofit helps to restore trust and integrity to the industry. It also gives the team an opportunity to give back to the merchant community that has been good to them over the years.

"Over the past couple decades, we've seen a lot of companies resort to shady tactics to satisfy shareholder demands. If you're operating as an aggressive for-profit company in this industry, there are just too many temptations to exploit your customers," says Ferris Eanfar, AngelPay's CEO.

"The credit card payment processing industry has not always treated merchants fairly, and we realized we could do something about that," says Jeff Knowles, AngelPay's CTO.

Payment processing can be a challenge for businesses large and small, nonprofits, and artists who need to accept credit cards. AngelPay recognizes that many merchants feel exploited by their existing payment processors, but they don't know where to go.

To this end, AngelPay believes that merchants can benefit from its payment processing program for the following reasons:

A Solution for Merchant Pain. AngelPay developed their "Pay-What-You-Can" pricing structure and "Emergency Contract Triage" program. "The Triage program started out as a way to add a little levity to the lives of our merchants, but we've been surprised at how many merchants have taken it seriously," says Eanfar. The programs help merchants manage their costs more effectively, in addition to revealing how they're being exploited by other payment processors.

Simplicity. One of the things that differentiates AngelPay from other payment processors is the simplicity of its fees and nonprofit cost structure. Anybody who has ever implemented credit card processing for their company knows that the complex fees of most processors can be frustrating.

Proven Experience. AngelPay was launched several years ago after the team sold Authorize.Net, but AngelPay has grown quickly and its mission - "Return wealth and power to the creators of value" - seems to be resonating with the merchant community. Given the cost advantages, it makes sense that merchants would choose a veteran team operating as a nonprofit provider over more aggressive financial companies that may not have their customers' best interests at heart.

To learn more about AngelPay, visit: https://AngelPayHQ.org

The weightlessness of a water environment allows individuals with a range of injuries or disabilities to exercise, relax, have fun, and gain confidence. Children and adults with challenges including traumatic brain injuries, amputation, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, and blindness can enjoy the physical and psychological benefits of scuba diving.

Diveheart, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001, trains thousands of volunteers and works with injured and disabled individuals across the world, in areas including the United States, Mexico,UK, Malaysia, Israel, Philippines and the Caribbean.

As Darrell Young, a Vietnam veteran who is paraplegic as the result of a spinal cord injury, explains in a testimonial on the Diveheart website, "Diving gives me a high expectancy of myself. It gives me a goal to accomplish knowing that when it comes to the finish line it doesn't matter how I finish my dive, but the feeling of strength I gain from diving," he says.

Diveheart relies on volunteers and donations to help provide adaptive diving and scuba therapy experiences at no cost to the participants. Most of the initial training and first diving experiences occur in school or community pools. Participants don't even need to know how to swim to benefit from therapeutic scuba diving, and the learning curve is almost immediate, according to Diveheart's website details.

Diveheart works to spread the word that diving is a real option with many benefits for the individuals affected with injuries and for the volunteers who get involved as "dive buddies." The basic experience of being in the water with the support of a trained "dive buddy" can relieve pain, improve focus, and bring joy, according to Diveheart participants.

Diveheart also provides adaptive dive training for those who want to take the next step and become adaptive divers or dive buddies to help others.

Most Diveheart participants are eager for destination scuba-diving adventures once individuals are trained and comfortable with the scuba experience. Diveheart offers opportunities for fundraising and also works to find grants for those who struggle with the cost of a dive getaway.

In addition, Diveheart works with the science and medical communities to provide data and research opportunities on the benefits of therapeutic scuba diving for a range of medical conditions.

For more information on participating, volunteering, or donating, visit diveheart.org.

National School Choice Week 2018 begins on January 21, shining a positive spotlight on traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies, and homeschooling.

The goal is simple: to let parents know that they have choices when it comes to their children's education, and to celebrate the many different and effective education options available for students.

For almost every parent in America, there are ways to get involved in this positive, inspirational week.

If you are looking to find a new school for your child and want to know how to start the process, use the Week as a time to research your options. Download a free school choice guide for your state at  schoolchoiceweek.com/mystate.

If you want to learn more about the different schools and education environments in your area, consider using the week to attend a special event. More than 32,000 are being planned during National School Choice Week - everything from information sessions, school fairs, and open houses, to rallies. Find an event in your community by visiting  schoolchoiceweek.com/map.

If you are happy with the choices you have made for your child's education, take time during National School Choice Week to thank a teacher or school leader, or to brag about your child's school in a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. You can also share your story with us at schoolchoiceweek.com/share.

If you think that your community or state needs more educational choices for children, use National School Choice Week to speak up and make your opinion known.

Making a difference is easier than it sounds. All it takes is starting one conversation.

You can start that conversation on social media (using #schoolchoice in your posts), or by talking with a friend, coworker, or member of your family.

"Did you know that this is National School Choice Week?" is a good question to get the discussion going.

When more Americans talk about opportunity in education, more parents will discover the options available for their children's education. That means that more children will have the chance of being matched with schools that meet their unique talents, challenges, needs, and interests.

This National School Choice Week, all that it takes is one conversation to brighten the future of a family. Will you start one?

To help reduce the risk of death and injury from grain bin accidents and to educate first responders about rescue procedures, Nationwide, the number one farm insurer in the United States, is sponsoring its fifth annual Nominate Your Fire Department Contest in conjunction with Grain Bin Safety Week.

The goal of the campaign is to educate farm workers and first responders about safe bin-entry procedures, including maintaining quality grain, testing bin atmosphere for toxic gases, and wearing proper safety equipment.

Since 2014, Nationwide has awarded grain bin rescue tubes and training sessions to 48 fire departments in 18 states.

"It felt like an eternity," Glenville Fire Chief Matt Webb, of Glenville, Minnesota, a recipient of Nationwide's grain bin rescue training, said in an interview.

Webb put his skills to the test when he saved a man who had fallen into a bin of rotting corn.

"The grain rescue training came back quickly, and it was a relief we had our own equipment. The program that's out there for these tubes and training is such a life-saving resource in our county," he says.

Grain Bin Safety Week 2018 takes place February 18-24. Grain Bin Safety Week and the Nominate Your Fire Department Contest are hosted by Nationwide and made possible by the donations of industry sponsors.

"Grain Bin Safety Week would not happen without the generous support of our sponsors," Liggett adds. "We would like to thank every sponsor for making this week and contest a reality."

Grain Bin Safety Week has been officially recognized by governors of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Each year, the NECAS director visits training locations with a grain entrapment simulator and rescue tube to conduct training sessions in rescue and safety procedures.

"Nationwide created this program and joined forces with partners across the country to make it happen for a single purpose - to save lives," says Brad Liggett, president of Nationwide Agribusiness.

Applications for the Nominate Your Fire Department Contest are open until April 30, 2018. Winning fire departments will receive grants for grain bin rescue tubes and training for grain bin rescue procedures.

For more information about the contest or the nomination process, visit grainbinsafetyweek.com.

For more information about Nationwide, visit nationwide.com.

Or perhaps you were camping or at a tailgate party and all they served was beer and wine.

The dream of on-the-go cocktails is now a reality and you no longer have to buy and carry multiple ingredients, or have a bartender handy, to be able to create your favorite cocktail at a moment's notice.

Minute Mixology, a Venice, Calif.-based company, believes in making cocktails conveniently, using high-quality, low-sugar non-GMO, and gluten-free ingredients.

In this way, the company says it has found a way to bridge the gap in the single-serve cocktail mixer industry and made it possible to bring the bar to you - wherever you are.

"It's a convenient, high quality, stick-pack cocktail mixer, a perfect item for the cocktail connoisseur in your life to use anytime, anyplace," says BJ, McCaslin, a co-founder of Minute Mixology.

"This product provides you with great-tasting craft cocktails made simple."

In a time, when you see the spirit of entrepreneurship flailing, two friends decided there was a need for such a creation.

McCaslin and Drew Whited already had tried their hand in other businesses in the space and were successful.

For instance, McCaslin created a coconut water coffee that was acquired by Vita Coco out of New York and Whited found success in the online marketing business.

Couple McCaslin and Whited's success with the company's other partner, Jason Trawick, a former WME Talent agent who worked with clients such as Taylor Swift and Britney Spears, and this trio is looking to revolutionize the cocktail industry.

"It's not just about becoming the best cocktail mixer in this space, it's about innovation," says Whited, co founder of the company.

"We are already selling out and planning to expand our brand and [are] designing new products."

The team of Minute Mixology has been in the liquor space for the last two years while launching the cocktail mix in September of last year.

Currently, the product is available online, and in stores in the Midwest and the South.

The Spring 2018 Minute Mixology will be available in Target, Meijer, Raley's and World Market.

Flavors include: Margarita, Moscow Mule, Spiced Old Fashion, Spicy Margarita, Coconut Mojito, and Michelada.

For more information, visit https://minutemixology.com/

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The cancer is called upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). It affects the lining of the kidney and the ureter, the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder.

UTUC can be classified as high-grade or low-grade. People diagnosed with the high-grade disease usually must have their kidney, or both their kidney and ureter, removed. Those with low-grade UTUC can sometimes be treated by tumor removal using a special scope.

Unfortunately, the procedure to remove the tumor is associated with a high rate of recurrence, and repeated procedures are often required. Around 20 percent of patients with low-grade UTUC eventually require kidney and ureter removal due to disease recurrence or progression.

There are about 7,500 new cases of UTUC diagnosed in the United States annually. To date, no drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of UTUC.

The challenge of treating UTUC is rooted in the way the body functions. Urothelial cell cancers in the bladder are treated by surgical removal followed by chemotherapy instilled in the bladder and applied directly to the cancer cells. This approach is extremely challenging in the kidney and ureter because the flow of urine rapidly washes the medication away before it has time to work.

"It is exciting to have a clinical trial underway to study an investigational drug that may allow chemotherapy drugs to remain in the upper tract for a prolonged time," notes Diane Zipursky Quale, Co-Founder of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network.

Well-designed clinical trials are the best way to determine whether an investigational drug is safe and effective and offers an acceptable balance of risks and benefits.

"The OLYMPUS study may shift how low-grade UTUC is treated in the future," says Karim Chamie, MD, MSHS, Associate Professor of Urology at UCLA. "As a urologist, I am excited about the possibility of providing an alternative to surgery for my patients diagnosed with low-grade UTUC."

If you are interested in learning more about clinical trials for investigational treatments of low-grade UTUC, such as the OLYMPUS trial, speak to your doctor about the possibility of participating in a clinical trial.

You can also visit www.bcan.org or go to www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02793128) to find a clinical trial site in your area.

Many people are confused about what is appropriate and how much to spend. According to Laura Jennings, the CEO of bespoke gifting company knackshops.com, $50 is the average price point for a gift and it's important to treat everyone equally.

"Salaries, titles, bonuses and office locations already build hierarchies," she says. "Gifts are the perfect opportunity to say thank you to everyone."

The best way to make your team members feel appreciated is to take the time to really think about the message you want your gift to convey. Jennings has three tips to help harness Administrative Professionals Day effectively:

1. Give items that stress the "professional" in Administrative Professional.

The workplace has thankfully evolved from the gender stereotyped world in which the original National Secretary's Day was launched in 1952. It's important to recognize all levels of professionalism in the office with appropriate gifts that express professional integrity. Leather journals, fine pens, and professional organization memberships are appropriate examples.

2. Think about giving gifts that add luxury, convenience or fun to a workday.

Your administrative professional may know almost everything about you; this is your opportunity to pay them the same compliment, while keeping it completely professional. Items such as desk accessories, water bottles, travel mugs, and other tools that add luxury, convenience or fun to anyone's work day are a good place to start. But stay away from flowers: nothing ranked lower than flowers in terms of employees' most requested employer gifts in the 2018 Business Gifting Satisfaction Report. You may want to consider gifts such as the The Sweet Life to beauty up their desk, Thanks-Olate Gift Set to say thanks, or Black Tie as a token of your appreciation, all available at knackshops.com.

3. Remember that food and wine are always appreciated.

Gifts of food (and wine, if you know they are fond of the grape) are universally acceptable in the business-gifting world and are something that employees tend to use and love.

"Make it memorable, by adding something useful like a tea towel, cheese knife, serving bowl, corkscrew or cheeseboard to your food gifts," Jennings advises. Knackshops.com's Carnivore's Delight, Caffe Autentico and The Cheese Course are examples of decadent gifts that they'll remember long after the food has been consumed.

Gift cards are appreciated by employees of all ages and genders, although particularly so for women over 40. The only downside is that research shows they may be quickly forgotten - less than 40 percent of employees say that gift cards are "very memorable."

Lastly, data shows that a personally-addressed message is actually the most important element of your gift.

"It's really about the story. A personally-addressed gift message can increase the memorability of a gift and turn it into a special moment," Jennings says. "There is also nothing easier to do - and quicker - than dropping in a meaningful note."

Involuntary and excessive clenching and grinding of the teeth (known in medical terms as bruxism) is a common condition, so prevalent that it affects 1 in 5 adults in the U.S

And this number continues to increase.

It's probably no surprise to learn that bruxism can result in significant tooth wear and enamel erosion, leading to tooth surface sensitivity, chipped and fractured teeth, as well as a host of other dental issues that may require expensive treatment. But, what you may not realize is that over 90 percent of bruxism sufferers also experience headache pain caused by their teeth grinding.

If you think about it, the link between teeth and jaw clenching, and headaches caused by teeth grinding, make a lot of sense. Because the jaw is capable of exerting more than 250 pounds of force when clenching, this amount of force can crack a walnut.

This extreme tooth-on-tooth force helps explain tooth wear caused by teeth grinding and may also lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and potential TMJ issues from teeth grinding.

The temporomandibular joints are flexible joints found on each side of your head in front of the ear. Responsible for all jaw movements including eating and talking, they are the most active joints in your body and thus endure a lot of wear and tear. They connect the lower jaw to the temporal bone of the skull. Excessive teeth clenching and grinding, which generally occurs during sleep, puts pressure on these joints and as a result can cause far-reaching pain in your temples, behind the eyes, in the back of your neck and through your cheeks and ears.

The exact cause of bruxism is not known, but it is widely believed that stress is a primary trigger and once the stressful event has passed, the clenching and grinding usually subsides. However, the amount of damage and tooth wear caused by teeth grinding that can be done within a brief period can be significant.

That is why it so important that you seek treatment once you realize you are a teeth grinder, not only to stop your nagging headache pain, but also to prevent any further damage to your teeth.

While there is no medication currently available to treat bruxism, dental experts recommend wearing a dental grind guard to protect the teeth from further damage and potentially help alleviate TMJ pain.

To this end, Ora-GUARD is a dental grind guard unlike any other. Ora-GUARD's revolutionary, patented design combines a soft, medical-grade material for fitting and cushioning the teeth during clenching, combined with a hard surface design that allows your teeth and jaws to slide naturally forward, protecting your teeth from the damaging effects of grinding and at the same time releasing tension in the TMJ muscle.

For those looking for headache and pain relief from teeth grinding and TMJ, Ora-GUARD could be the answer.

Visit www.Ora-GUARD.com for more information.