There Isn’t a Ceiling on Possibility

By Marlise Karlin

For years, women have been held back by the infamous ‘glass ceiling’  and have also felt stifled or riddled with restrictive thoughts running through their minds daily when it comes to both their personal and professional goals:

‘Why even try?  It’s too hard.  It will never happen.’

When resignation and anxiety weave through our minds like a sticky web of confusion – it’s time to play “The Possibility of Five.”

We all have to deal with the practical of life where the path we take appears blocked.  But, when we realize it might be happening to enlighten us of ‘adjustments’ we need to make – the door to possibility opens.  It’s then we can choose new ways to approach where our mind has been spinning in misery and misconception.

The Possibility of Five:

Look for what challenges you most. Find the five possibilities that create a solution – ones that will make you love life again – allowing you to know the world isn’t black & white – but many shades of exquisite gray.

1) Slow your mind and connect to your source of inspiration by tapping into Stillness, whether it’s in a few deep breaths or a longer session.

2) Review the question in your mind that has you asking for new answers. Let it stroll through the Stillness until ideas arise.

3) List at least five possibilities in a journal that lead will lead to positive outcome.

4) Feel the weight being lifted from your shoulders as you see there is always more than one-way it-has-to-be.

5) Empower yourself to take inspired action on the possibilities that now lie ahead of you.

No matter whom the individuals are that surround you, no matter what cynicism grips them – are a generous, empowering, inspiring source of energy that can shift concepts in a moment and bring the power of possibility alive.

When we are connected to that core of strength, love and potential that exists within every human being – doors open to more possibility than we ever dreamed.  Why not try it now with your child, yourself, and your mate. 

Marlise Karlin

www.marlisekarlin.com

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Smile Squad^TM Teaches Dental Health Lessons Through Fun Activities

Activities available at www.smilesquadhq.com

Oak Brook, Ill. (October 13, 2009) –Delta Dental Plans Association, the nation’s leading dental benefits provider, today launched the Smile Squad^TM, a group of young heroes created to educate children about the importance of good oral health through fun and educational activities at www.smilesquadhq.com.

Each of the four Smile Squad heroes – Sparkle, Glint, Pearl and Chomp – represents an important aspect of maintaining good oral health. The heroes utilize good habits and smart actions to combat Captain Cavity and the efforts of his malevolent Mouth Marauders to wreak havoc on children’s oral health.   

“In line with our mission to promote good oral health, we developed the Smile Squad to provide a fun way for children and parents to learn how to take care of and improve their oral health,” said Kim Volk, president and CEO of Delta Dental Plans Association.

The Web site features illustrations and bios of all heroes and villains, serves as the headquarters for the Smile Squad heroes and offers a variety of activities for children and parents to enjoy while immersing themselves in positive dental health information.

A few of the activities include:

· Smile Squad Card Game – A downloadable version of the Smile Squad card game teaches kids important oral health tips and techniques. By matching hero and villain cards with oral health action cards, players score points toward the goal of 32 points – the number of permanent teeth in a healthy smile.

· Join the Smile Squad – An invitation to join the Smile Squad allows kids to create personal characters and playing cards. To join, kids must download and print out a pledge card, declaring their commitment to practice good oral health habits as an honorary member of the Smile Squad.

· Adventures – A series of comic-book style adventures quizzes children throughout and then rewards them for making good oral health choices by advancing the story.

· Color Me Happy – Parents can print downloadable coloring pages for their kids as a reward for demonstrating good oral health habits. 

· Online Games – A variety of games from simple shooters to card-matching time trials convey critical oral health information.

Parents and children can also sign up to receive e-mail alerts when new adventure episodes and other exciting features become available.

The not-for-profit Delta Dental Plans Association (www.deltadental.com) based in Oak Brook, Ill., is the leading national network of 39 independent dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs to more than 54 million Americans in more than 89,000 employee groups throughout the country. In 2007, Delta Dental formed a partnership with the National Head Start Association to help improve the oral health of the nation’s children at a critical time in their development.

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“Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives,” documents what moms from primarily low-income urban areas are doing to provide healthy foods for their children and to keep them moving. More information on the book, which is narrated by Susan Dell, can be found at  www.BeWellBook.org where you also can meet the moms and learn what they are doing to beat the odds by giving their kids a healthy head start.

The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation has also released a trailer video explaining the campaign. In the coming weeks, there will be more videos featuring different moms who will be sharing their stories on  healthy living.

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The 2009 MONOPOLY Game at McDonald’s is back at participating McDonald’s restaurants nationwide, today through November 2. New this year, McDonald’s and NBC Universal have teamed up to bring more chances to win big with the new “$1 Million Dollar Dice Roll.” Visit www.playatmcd.com to enter your game piece code for a chance to participate in the Dice Roll Game and win either $10,000 or $1 million. Every day throughout the promotion, NBC’s talent on NBC Sports’ primetime programming and “The Jay Leno Show” will roll the dice on behalf of game contestants. If double six is rolled, they win a $1 million prize! All other dice-roll combinations will result in a $10,000 prize.

This is a game that’s fun for the whole family and since busy schedules leave us constantly on the run, McDonald’s makes it easy to swing by your local restaurant and collect game pieces with the purchase of delicious menu items like Hash Browns, French Fries or Large Fountain Drinks. It’s easy to turn meal-time into game time with the opportunity to win big!

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Barnes & Noble Introduces nook^™, its Wireless eBook Reader with

E Ink^® Display & First Color Touch Screen for Navigation

New York, New York – October 20, 2009 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, announced today the launch of nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook reader, which marries innovative technology and sleek minimalist design with access to the company’s digital store of over one million eBooks, newspapers and magazines.

nook features many industry firsts as it is the first Android^™-based eBook reader and the first to offer a color touch screen for navigation along with a best-in-class E Ink display for an immersive, enjoyable e-reading experience. For fast connectivity, nook is the first eBook reader to provide, at no additional costs to customers, both 3G wireless access on AT&T’s mobile broadband network and access to Wi-Fi for Barnes & Noble in-store browsing and enjoyment.  And to help friends share their joy of reading, nook is the first eBook reader to offer digital lending for a wide selection of eBooks. 

“We asked our customers what they wanted in an eBook reader, and specifically designed nook to be the most full-featured, fun, stylish and easy-to-use eBook reader on the market,” said William J. Lynch, President of Barnes & Noble.com. “With our nationwide footprint, Barnes & Noble customers can see, touch and hold nook. Our 40,000 booksellers are ready to help customers discover how easy it is to download and read eBooks on nook, and what a pleasure it is to have access to their favorite eBooks, magazines and newspapers any time and anywhere.” 

nook:  The Device

The centerpiece of Barnes & Noble’s strategy to deliver any book, any time, anywhere, nook was created expressly with the reader in mind, with features and functionality to create an immersive, seamless and fun experience:

· A Gripping Read, by Design

nook’s sleek, minimalist design puts the focus on the content, not the technology, and the combination of color and touch make navigation intuitive and simple. nook feels great in hand and features a contoured, easy-to-hold back. About the size and weight of a paperback book, nook is thin, small and portable. Its best-in-class E Ink Vizplex^™ display is easy on the eyes with text as clear and crisp as a printed book.  And with no glare or backlight and adjustable text size, you can read comfortably for hours without straining your eyes.

• Color Touch for Easy Navigation

The beautiful lower color touch screen offers an immersive experience, inviting you to virtually browse through brilliant cover art, flip through an expansive library, or search using a virtual keyboard. nook presents the controls, navigation and keyboard you need, only when you need them.

• Download eBooks Wirelessly

With fast 3G wireless and Wi-Fi access, nook is the most-connected eBook reader. Browse and instantly download eBooks, magazines and newspapers simply and seamlessly on AT&T’s 3G wireless network, the nation’s fastest, with no set-up required or additional wireless costs. Connect to the complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network, in Barnes & Noble stores and download at broadband fast speeds.

• Lend eBooks to Friends

With nook’s breakthrough LendMe^™ technology, lend a wide selection of eBooks to friends free of charge, for up to 14 days at a time.  Just choose the book you want to share and send it to your friend’s nook or iPhone, iPod touch, select BlackBerry^® and Motorola smartphones, PC or Mac^® with Barnes & Noble eReader software.

• A Continuous Reading Experience

With “Reading Now,” your virtual bookmark, nook brings you back to the last book you’ve read, right where you left off.  And it works across a range of devices.  If you forgot your nook at home, Barnes & Noble’s free eReader software on your iPhone, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones or laptop lets you pick up where you left off, including annotations. And when you’re reunited with your nook again, the Reading Now page will be updated and ready to go.

• A Wealth of Content, in the Palm of Your Hand

nook can hold up to 1,500 eBooks and other printed content, and the sky’s the limit for your digital library when you use nook’s expandable memory slot. A 16GB MicroSD card holds up to 17,500 eBooks.

• Portability and Personalization

You can also easily transfer PDF-format documents from your computer to access and read business documents, legal contracts and travel information on your nook. And transfer your photos to create custom screensavers.

• Protect Your nook in Style

nook comes with a removable back cover you can personalize from a selection of four additional great colors. You can also choose from a range of accessories by renowned designers kate spade new york, Jack Spade, Jonathan Adler, Tahari and others. From classic and colorful portfolios to an innovative book light, Barnes & Noble will offer stylish and elegant accessories designed exclusively for nook both in stores and online.

Over One Million eBooks, Newspapers and Magazines

As part of nook’s introduction, Barnes & Noble has further expanded its wide selection of content to satisfy every reader.

• Expanded eBookstore

From fiction to horror and romance to thrillers, with the launch of nook, Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore now offers the most eBook titles – over one million – with most bestsellers and new releases for just $9.99.

• Your Daily Newspapers on nook

Read your “morning paper” any time, anywhere you go. Barnes & Noble now offers subscriptions to more than 20 newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Barnes & Noble expects to offer, in digital form, subscriptions to every major U.S. daily.

• Read Your Favorite Magazines

As the nation’s second largest retailer of magazines, Barnes & Noble is now pleased to offer its customers digital subscriptions.  Enjoy reading publications including Forbes, Newsweek and The Nation on your nook, at home or on the go. 

Experience nook at Your Local Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble’s nationwide network of stores enables its customers to see nook and get hands-on demonstrations from its booksellers.  Furthermore, nook owners get added benefits.

• Stunning Retail Displays

Barnes & Noble has created stunning storefront displays for nook that begin rolling out tomorrow in its highest-volume stores including 17 College bookstores such as DePaul University, Harvard University, Southern Methodist University, University of Pennsylvania and Washington State University. nook will be on display at its fully staffed customer service centers in every store.

• Dedicated Booksellers

Barnes & Noble’s 40,000 booksellers are ready to help customers get the most of their nook e-reading experience, demonstrate the eReader applications on other devices, and assist and support purchases, browsing and downloads in-store.

• Free Complete eBook Browsing

Customers will also be able to browse complete eBooks for free on nook at any Barnes & Noble store, whether or not the actual book is in stock, beginning later this year. Plus settle into the café and get exclusive in-store-only content, free eBooks, special offers and much more using Barnes & Noble’s complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network.

Availability

nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook reader, will begin shipping at the end of November with a price of $259.00. Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders now at www.nook.com and in stores starting tomorrow. In celebration of nook’s launch, Barnes & Noble will also offer a free eBook of Malcolm Gladwell’s widely acclaimed best-seller, “The Tipping Point,” for the first 10,000 customers to pre-order nook.

To learn more and experience nook, visit www.nook.com. Follow our eBooks and other updates on www.bn.com/twitter. To learn more about the free Barnes & Noble eReader software and Barnes & Noble eBookstore apps, visit www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), a Fortune 500 company, is the world’s largest bookseller and the nation’s highest rated bookselling brand.  The company’s operations comprise of retail bookselling, college bookstore management, online retailing and book publishing.  As of October 2009 the company operates 774 retail bookstores in regional shopping malls, major strip centers and freestanding locations in 50 states and 624 college bookstores serving nearly 4 million students and over 250,000 faculty on college & university campuses in 50 states.  Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through its web site Barnes & Noble.com, which offers direct home delivery of millions of books, music cd’s and DVD’s.  The company sells eBooks and digital content from its web site and from a wide range of platforms, including the iPhone, iPod touch and select BlackBerry^® and Motorola smartphones.  Through its Sterling Publishing subsidiary, the company publishes over 500 titles annually, under a variety of imprints including Sterling, Sterling Children’s Books and Barnes & Noble Classics.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

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SAFE HARBOR

This press release contains “forward-looking statements.”  Barnes & Noble is including this statement for the express purpose of availing itself of the protections of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to all such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and represent the beliefs of the management of the company.  These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially.  These risks include, but are not limited to, general economic and market conditions, decreased consumer demand for the company’s products, possible disruptions in the company’s computer or telephone systems, possible risks associated with data privacy and information security, possible work stoppages or increases in labor costs, possible increases in shipping rates or interruptions in shipping service, effects of competition, possible disruptions or delays in the opening of new stores or the inability to obtain suitable sites for new stores, higher than anticipated store closing or relocation costs, higher interest rates, the performance of the company’s online and other initiatives, the performance and successful integration of acquired businesses, the success of the company’s strategic investments, unanticipated increases in merchandise or occupancy costs, unanticipated adverse litigation results or effects, the results or effects of any governmental review of the company’s stock option practices, product shortages, and other factors which may be outside of the company’s control.   Please refer to the company’s annual, quarterly and periodic reports on file with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of these and other risks that could cause results to differ materially.