(NewsUSA) - After a year like no other, we are beginning to see glimpses of a return to our pre-pandemic lives. Public health guidance and scientific advances mean we are trickling back into our favorite restaurants, joining together to share meals, and toasting to a year of missing family and friends.

But these celebrations come with their fair share of greasy foods and bubbly beverages. And unfortunately, our favorite indulgences often bring an all-too-familiar side effect: heartburn.

Also known as acid reflux, heartburn can be a miserable experience: the burning sensation in your chest or throat may start after finishing a meal and last for hours afterwards. Other symptoms can include a hot, sour, or acidic fluid feeling in the back of your throat, as well as a lingering cough, sore throat, or hoarse voice. May is Digestive Disease Awareness Month so it's a great time to learn about self-care for heartburn.

If you experience heartburn, you're not alone: more than one in four adults have occasional heartburn with symptoms occurring at least once a week. And for some people, frequent heartburn is a struggle, with symptoms re-occurring even more often.

"Stress and unhealthy eating are two major causes of digestive symptoms including heartburn, and right now, my patients are experiencing both" says Dr. Michael Kreines of the Ohio Gastroenterology & Liver Institute. "With so many treatment options available for different types of heartburn, it can be tricky to know which option is best for you."

The first step to managing your heartburn is to take a look at your lifestyle choices. "It can be tempting to overindulge since we've gone so long without a reason to celebrate. But if you are prone to experiencing heartburn, it's important to avoid common triggers such as fatty and greasy foods and alcohol," says Kreines.

In addition to smart food choices, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can be a safe and effective way to help alleviate heartburn symptoms. For occasional heartburn symptoms, Dr. Kreines recommends OTC antacids (such as Gaviscon, Mylanta, or TUMS) or H2 blockers (such as PEPCID or Tagamet).

"If you suffer from heartburn two or more days per week, you may benefit from OTC proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs," says Kreines. "PPIs -- which include brand names Nexium 24HR, Prevacid 24HR, Prilosec OTC or Zegrid OTC -- are specifically indicated to treat symptoms of frequent heartburn."

The right treatment depends on the frequency and cause of your heartburn symptoms. Always talk to your healthcare provider if you have questions, or if you are struggling with more chronic or severe cases of heartburn. They can properly diagnose heartburn and other conditions.

"Whatever you do, don't ignore your heartburn symptoms," says Dr. Kreines. "In addition to causing significant pain, if left untreated, the stomach acid that causes heartburn can damage the esophagus -- known as GERD."

Your return to normal doesn't have to mean a return to heartburn symptoms. Be aware of your treatment options to keep heartburn at bay. To learn more, visit www.KnowYourOTCs.org. Created by the CHPA Educational Foundation, the site serves as a resource to help you navigate the OTC aisle when treating heartburn or other symptoms.

(NewsUSA) - Parenting has been described as "the toughest job you'll ever love," and figuring out how to keep your baby safe can be one of the most difficult elements of parenting. Child safety in the home is especially important as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic keeps more young children at home for longer periods of time.

"The best way to conduct a home safety check is to get down on all fours and look up at the world from the point of view of a crawling child," says Carolyn Ziegler, co-founder and product development director for Dreambaby.®

"It's amazing the hidden dangers you will identify," she adds.

The right child safety products are designed to make life easier for parents while keeping children safer at home and on the go.

Dreambaby® is a family-owned company with more than 20 years of experience in developing affordable, easy-to-use safety products.

With more young children at home (and more parents still working from home), safety products such as the Lever Door Lock from Dreambaby® provides peace of mind for parents by preventing curious children from exploring potentially dangerous areas of the house, such as laundry rooms, basements, or garages. The lock fits most lever-door handles, and can easily be engaged and disengaged by adults without the need for a key.

The arrival and increased distribution of coronavirus vaccines means that more people are venturing out of the house, and taking their babies with them. But child safety doesn't stop at the front door.

The Dreambaby® Non-Contact Rapid Response Infrared Forehead Thermometer provides a reliable reading within seconds of holding the device approximately one inch from the skin, so parents and caregivers can determine immediately whether fever is present.

Once you are out and about, the Dreambaby® Oxford Baby Carrier keeps your baby more secure, comfortable, and close to you. The carrier is designed to be worn three ways, with baby in front facing inward, in front facing outward, or riding backpack style with the carrier strapped on the parent or caregiver's back. Special features include an ergonomic design, easily adjustable and removable headrest, padded shoulder straps, lumbar support, and breathable mesh lining.

Visit dream-baby.com for more information about ways to keep your children safer, healthier, and happier.

(NewsUSA) - Celebrations of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month often prompt consideration of the United States' diversity and the many contributions made by people of different races and ethnicities. These occasions also provide opportunities for communities, organizations and businesses to reflect on their efforts to support and promote diversity.

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) recently marked several milestones in its effort to increase the diversity of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM professionals. From 2019 to 2020, the number of Black and Latino CFP® professionals increased by 12.6 percent - nearly five times the growth rate of all CFP® professionals. The number of female CFP® professionals also increased in 2020 and now totals 20,633, reflecting a growth rate of 3.1 percent over 2019.

The total number of CFP® professionals continued to rise as well, reaching an all-time high of more than 88,700. The strong and consistent growth underscores the attractiveness of financial planning careers and how CFP® certification has become the must-have designation for professionals providing financial advice.

One way in which the financial planning profession has increased the diversity of its ranks is through scholarship programs that support aspiring advisors from different backgrounds. The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning, for example, offers six scholarship programs that help to cover the costs of the coursework required to become a CFP® professional. Five of those programs were created specifically to assist individuals from underrepresented populations within the financial planning profession in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, disability or sexual preference.

The Center announced 48 new scholarship awards at the end of 2020, bringing the total number of scholarships granted through its programs to 100, with a value of roughly $500,000. Of the nearly 50 awards granted in 2020, 32 were given to female students, 32 to Black students, 2 to Latino students, and 4 to members of other underrepresented populations in terms of disability or sexual orientation. These scholarships play a critical role in building the profession's talent pipeline and advancing workforce diversity. To date, 11 scholarship recipients have become CFP® professionals, while 37 others are in the final stages of their CFP® certification process.

To learn more about the Center scholarship programs and other resources for diverse candidates for CFP® certification, visit CFP.net/get-certified/tools-and-resources.

(NewsUSA) -Cryptocurrency continues to make waves through the financial world, and more everyday Americans are getting in on the action, too.

Companies such as Coinme are making cryptocurrency accessible to everyone. The company has announced an expanded partnership with Coinstar, the global leader in self-service coin counting, to launch more than 350 bitcoin-enabled Coinstar® kiosks in North Carolina and Connecticut. With this expansion, the companies are bringing bitcoin to retail locations, including Food Lion and Harris Teeter in North Carolina and Big Y World Class Markets in Connecticut. This launch increases the U.S. footprint of bitcoin-enabled Coinstar kiosks to more than 6,000 across 47 states.

"We're excited to launch hundreds of new bitcoin-enabled Coinstar kiosks in Connecticut and North Carolina," says Neil Bergquist, CEO of Coinme.

"Simple, trusted and accessible cash-to-bitcoin onramps help hard-working Americans, including the 24% that are unbanked, gain access to bitcoin, which has proven to be an increasingly beneficial store of value."

More consumers are embracing cryptocurrency for a variety of purposes.

A recent Coinstar survey found that of those who use cryptocurrency, 53% of users focus on investment, while 37% say they use it to protect their money.

Cryptocurrency is an especially helpful option for people who don't have access to traditional banks or other assets. These individuals can purchase a portion of a bitcoin, known as a Satoshi, and improve their financial independence through the digital currency revolution.

"More Americans are coming to see the value of bitcoin, and we see this reflected in the continued popularity of Coinme's bitcoin offering on our kiosks," says Jim Gaherity, CEO of Coinstar.

"Through our partnership, we offer an easy-to-use avenue to purchase bitcoin on select Coinstar kiosks via Coinme."

To get started, users only need a valid mobile phone number, a driver's license or state I.D and cash in U.S. dollars.

Turning cash to bitcoin at a Coinme-enabled Coinstar kiosk involves just four simple steps:

• First, create an account.
• Second, find a convenient kiosk near you.
• Third, insert your cash into the kiosk (bills only).
• Fourth, redeem for bitcoin on the spot.

Coinme bitcoin-enabled Coinstar kiosks have several advantages over bitcoin ATMs, including safety backed by the latest regulatory compliance, and the ability to access bitcoin instantly in the Coinme Wallet, without the need to input separate wallet information.

Visit coinme.com for more information and to find a Coinme-enabled Coinstar kiosk near you.

(NewsUSA) - La pandemia de coronavirus en curso continúa haciendo que muchos niños no asistan al preescolar a nivel nacional, debido a los cierres o a la preocupación de los padres con respecto a enviar a sus niños a clases de manera presencial.

Estos niños, que no están asistiendo al preescolar, ingresarán al jardín de niños el próximo año sin los beneficios de haber conocido la educación formal y sin las habilidades que contribuyen al logro académico. En Texas, por ejemplo, los datos indican que la matrícula en el jardín de niños se redujo de 8 a 12 por ciento, según un artículo del 5 de octubre de 2020 en el Dallas Morning News. Es una tendencia en muchos distritos escolares alrededor del país. Una encuesta del Education Week Research Center a casi 500 líderes y directores de distrito determinó que la mitad han notado una reducción en la matrícula del jardín de niños.

El cambiante escenario escolar ha llevado a revaluar la manera de proporcionar la educación infantil temprana y esencial.

Learning Without Tears, una empresa de tecnología enfocada en la educación que ofrece materiales de escritura y educativos para el nivel preescolar desde hace más de 30 años, ha desarrollado "Get Set for School" (GSS), un galardonado plan de estudios integral para preescolar, con el fin de satisfacer las necesidades de los niños de preescolar en entornos de aprendizaje en casa, híbridos y en la escuela.

El programa de dos idiomas inglés-español está diseñado para ayudar a que los niños en edad preescolar alcancen hitos de aprendizaje temprano importantes, sin dejar de lado la participación y la diversión al mismo tiempo. El programa combina juegos con propósitos, actividades multimodales-multisensoriales y aplicaciones digitales y herramientas de enseñanza.

"El preescolar debería ser divertido y entretenido y estar repleto de aprendizaje a la vez, para que los niños se sientan seguros de sí mismos y de sus habilidades," dice la Dra. Elizabeth DeWitt, experta en infancia temprana del centro GSS.

Get Set for School se diferencia de otros programas de preescolar porque, en parte, es realmente adecuado para la edad, dice la Dra. DeWitt. "GSS es exclusivo, porque vamos más allá de donde llegan otros planes de estudios de preescolar con nuestro enfoque investigativo sobre el desarrollo de la motricidad fina de los niños pequeños," explica.

"Los niños construyen y forman las letras a partir del desarrollo de los trazos de la escritura y usan cada día un medio diferente mientras aprenden cada letra, pasando de la construcción a la escritura antes de lo previsto o antes de que se les pida escribir en papel." Readiness & Writing (preparación y escritura) es un componente de GSS que aborda las debilidades relativas a la escritura de las letras y los números, el aprendizaje del alfabeto y la relación entre los números escritos y las cantidades.

Además, con la aplicación interactiva del programa, Sound Around Letters, los niños pueden identificar, relacionar y nombrar las letras mayúsculas y minúsculas, además de recibir información al instante para estimular el progreso y reforzar la confianza. Los recursos multimodales permiten que los niños con diferentes estilos de aprendizaje usen e interactúen con la pantalla táctil animada para aprender la formación de los números y las letras.

"Estamos comprometidos más que nunca a asegurar que los niños aprendan, sea que estén en el aula o en casa," enfatiza la Dra. DeWitt. "Para equipar y apoyar a los padres y los profesores, hemos agregado más videos y recursos de aprendizaje a distancia que asisten con el uso de nuestros materiales únicos y exclusivos, en cualquier entorno.

Pueden visitar LWTears.com para obtener más información sobre Get Set for School y Readiness & Writing.

(NewsUSA) - Snibble, a next-generation social video platform that targets today's young adults, is partnering with NewsUSA TV to expand and cross-promote content and linear streaming in the U.S. and Canada.

Snibble offers YAs what they want -- snackable videos and the ability to discover, share, and comment on them with friends in real time. Surveys suggest that approximately 70 percent of Gen Z prefer engaging with many short videos versus committing to a longer video.

"We are a fusion between the best of a video platform and a social media platform," says Blair Currie, CEO of Snibble.

Generation Z (youth ages 16 to 24 years) have never known life without mobile internet. At this age, especially in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, young adults are seeking ways to connect with friends remotely, and short videos have become the social currency of this generation, Currie explains.

Snibble allows viewers to see, comment, recommend and share personalized content, and presents a reasonable amount of hyper-targeted advertising in a fair trade for their attention.

Snibble attracts top advertisers to a place that lets brands play when young viewers hang out, which improves returns on advertising investment.

To expand and showcase the Snibble platform and content, the company has partnered with NewsUSA TV, a division of the NewsUSA branded content agency. NewsUSA offers video content on Roku through a range of channels, including The Junior Network by NewsUSA TV. The Junior Network partnership with Snibble benefits both parties by expanding audience reach and access to content.

Snibble's content comes only from top providers, including Daily Fix, Omnia News (BBC), Brut, Cheddar, Huffpo, USAToday, Glamour, GQ, and People are Awesome.

The Junior Network by NewsUSA TV helps leverage this content to Gen Z not only online but also through Roku and Amazon Fire, as well as iphone and mobile apps. The content also is available in completed Linear HLS Stream format for syndication.

In addition, NewsUSA TV offers content in Business Briefs, Health News, Entertainment News, and Travel News on its Roku channel.

Visit snibblecorp.com for more details about Snibble and NewsUSA.com/media-widget for details about NewsUSA TV.

Here's a TERRIBLE MAT!  You probably HATE IT!

(NewsUSA)

We are living in an era where predatory monopolies are intensified, governments are over-expanded, and personal agency is weakened. Global social turmoil is at an all-time high. From the Occupy Movement, Black Lives Matter and the "Great Resignation" in the United States to the "Laying Flat" mentality in China, we have found that in this global, technocratic, money-worshipping, and ultra-pragmatic system, more and more people are losing faith in their value as an individual.

Politicians and corporations around the world have hijacked the public forum and turned public media into a tool to enhance their interests. How can people see the machinations in this enormous, complex international system and realize their value as individuals and members of communities? How can they regain their autonomy?

Daofeng He's illuminating new book, THE HUMAN CALLING: Three Thousand Years of Eastern and Western Political Philosophy (Morgan James Faith; April 26, 2022), is a journey into the past to help us navigate into the future.

He believes that we must understand the origins and development of the competing philosophies, beliefs, and ideologies between the East and the West to truly understand the roots of conflicts and turbulence in the world today. This will allow us to reconstruct the sacred origin of the modern universal value system and help people rediscover the dignity and public grace of individual life.

A survivor of the violence and famine of Mao Zedong's totalitarian Cultural Revolution, the dream-crushing violence at Tiananmen Square, and the rise of China's market economy, He grew up in an atheist society devoid of spirituality. After years as an economist, entrepreneur and NGO director, He retired to Maryland in 2015 with some heavy questions on his mind: "What kind of life is really worth living? Is there any other option for human life aside from the modern grind of forced busyness, manipulation by online advertisements, and hatred and violence generated and directed by those who form public opinion? Can we find a way to make human life return to its former graceful and dignified pace, make it encourage inquiring, independent thinking, peaceful communication, mutual respect and philosophical exchange, and connection to the divine source of 'the human calling'?"

To find the answers, He traced the growing dysfunction of humankind's alienation by examining the rise and fall of the world's great civilizations and their religious, philosophical, economic and political histories. His intellectual journey led him to a startling conclusion-the calling of Christianity. "My new faith shattered my unreasonable expectation to find absolute truth in the Eastern sages who preached that morality was relative. It also cut off the path to the materialistic gods of the new, moneyed East."

THE HUMAN CALLING is the book we need right now to illuminate our shared human history and provide answers as to how we can start creating a better world for everyone.

Visit THE HUMAN CALLING website at https://www.thehumancalling.com or purchase the book https://amzn.to/3k21au9.

BookBites is presented by BookTrib.com.

(TVA) - If your mental image of a robot in the home is limited to Rosie from the Jetsons, it's time to change your perspective.

Small, efficient robots from the innovative home robot company Trifo offer a new take on home help, with an artificial intelligence twist.

"Our vision is to create a family of home robots that takes care of the home so people can live better and focus on what's important," according to the company. The Trifo robots are designed to focus on the indoor home environment. Each is equipped with an artificial intelligence system that has sensing, perception and decision-making capabilities. Trifo robots are able to continuously adapt to their environments using advanced AI technology.

Lucy Ultra Edition, the flagship product of the Trifo line, is a compact, round robot that comes packed with features to make your life easier. Some of Lucy's standout features include:

- Dual vision. Not quite x-ray vision, but Lucy's 1080P HDR color camera combines with a Time-of-Flight depth camera that creates a colorful 3-D map of your home in Lucy's brain; this helps navigate even in low-light conditions.

- Obstacle avoidance. Lucy easily avoids the annoyance of getting stuck or trapped by household objects; unique visual and depth perception keep her clear of objects as short as one inch.

- Home protection day and night. Lucy provides full-time home protection with day and night vision. Privacy concerns? Data from your home is stored and processed in the robot herself, not in the cloud or on servers.

- Smart work. Lucy's adaptive technology allows her to learn her surroundings, following routes that adapt to the environment while avoiding off-limits zones, and alert you to unusual motions in the house when you aren't at home. Lucy is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can integrate her with other smart home features. Lucy's intelligence evolves over time, so she makes your life even easier the more you use her.

- Deluxe cleaning. Lucy vacuums, but she mops, too, with a dustbin/water tank combination that sends an alert when the water level gets low.

- Pet sitting. If you have a furry friend at home, Lucy takes the angst out of cleaning up pet hair and larger dirt from muddy paws. A built-in air freshener is a bonus that helps keep pet odors at bay. Also, check out the interactive laser toy to keep your pet entertained.

Visit trifolucy.com for more information about the potential of advanced AI robots for home use.

(NewsUSA) - The heroic efforts of frontline health care workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic merit ongoing recognition and gratitude. Nurse educators also continue to play a key role by supporting and promoting the work of nurses, who deliver everything from lifesaving emergency services to end-of-life care.

To recognize and celebrate the essential role of nursing education during the pandemic and beyond, the National League for Nursing has declared 2022 as the Year of the Nurse Educator.

Throughout the year, the League will spotlight nurse educators teaching in academic and clinical settings and showcase their contributions to innovative primary and preventive care models in underserved communities.

For example, the #BeyondANurseEducator social media campaign promotes the vital role of nursing education in advancing the nursing profession and patient care. This campaign runs through September and will include monthly recognition of nurse educators based on nominations from students and academic leadership.

The pandemic highlighted the shortage of nurses, but the key to reversing this shortage is to increase the numbers of nurse educators -- those who teach nursing students how to become nurses.

Encouraging more nurses to consider career shifts into nursing education is the best way to ensure a consistent flow of qualified nurses into the health care system. As a result of the pandemic, many nursing education programs moved to online platforms, which expanded the options for nurses who want to pursue careers as nurse educators.

Nurses are now able to earn their master's in nursing or education online, which helps prevent loss of income from taking time off to take classes, and also reduces the need for student loans or moving to attend classes at a distant campus. Nurses can then become Certified Nurse Educators, the badge of expertise in this advanced specialty area of practice.

The demand for nurses, and therefore for nurse educators, is likely to remain high. Nurse educators are in a unique position to make an impact by inspiring nurses in training and by promoting public health through work in schools, businesses, hospitals and community agencies.

Other reasons to become a nurse educator include the intellectual stimulation of knowing the latest research in the field, greater autonomy and flexible schedules, including options for remote teaching, and the sense of purpose that comes with advancing the next generation of nurses and making a difference in the future of nursing.

For more information, visit NLN.org.