CHERYL JACKSON/ SISTERS OF SAVINGS

www.SistersofSavings.com

www.KRLD.com

Select from any of the 118 restaurants and enjoy a fabulous three-course dinner for just $35 per person, excluding beverage, tax and gratuity. For each prix fixe dinner purchased, participating restaurants will make a $7 donation to the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas and Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth to benefit families in need.  

Visit Central Market between July 14 and August 17 (while supplies last) to pick up a complimentary Fourth Course Certificate with any purchase of $25 or more. Take the certificate to select restaurants during KRLD Restaurant Week to receive your Fourth Course.  For more details and a list of the participating restaurants log onto www.KRLD.com

LAURA HIGH/ CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER

www.fa.smithbarney.com/high_high

FLYBALL

www.Flyball.com/4dogflight

Flyball got its start in the late 1960's and early 1970's, when a group of dog trainers in Southern California created scent discrimination hurdle racing, then put a guy at the end to throw tennis balls to the dogs when they finished the jump line. It didn't take long for the group to decide to build some sort of tennis ball-launching apparatus, and the first flyball box was born. Herbert Wagner is credited with developing the first flyball box, and apparently he did a flyball demo on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson that got a lot of peoples attention. Subsequently, the new dog sport for dog enthusiasts was introduced in the Toronto-Detroit area by several dog training clubs. After a few small tournaments were held in conjunction with dog shows, the first ever flyball tournament was held in 1983.

 In November, 1984, twelve teams from the Toronto-Detroit area formed the North American Flyball Association (NAFA). Mike Randall wrote the first NAFA rulebook in 1985, and was also the first NAFA Executive Director. The first head judge was Dave Samuels.

Flyball races match two teams of four dogs each, racing side-by-side over a 51 foot long course. Each dog must run in relay fashion down the jumps, trigger a flyball box, releasing the ball, retrieve the ball, and return over the jumps. The next dog is released to run the course but can't cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned over all 4 jumps and reached the start/finish line. The first team to have all 4 dogs finish the course without error wins the heat.

 Jump height is determined by the smallest dog on the team – this dog, called the "height dog", is measured at the withers, then that number is rounded down to the nearest inch and another 4" is subtracted to get the jump height (with the minimum jump height being 7"). So a 13 1/4" dog would round down to 13", minus 4", would jump 9". Maximum jump height is 14".

In the early days of flyball, there were no start lights and no passing lights. All of the starts and passes were called by the line judges, who also used hand-held stopwatches to time the races. The race was started by the head judge; the judge would do a basic "ready, set, go" and blow the whistle on the "go". Minimum jump heights were 10", and were determined by measuring the smallest dog on the team at the withers and rounding up or down to the nearest inch (so a 13 1/2" dog would jump 13", while a 13 3/4" dog would jump 14").

 With the onset of the Electronic Judging System (EJS), which uses lights and infrared timing sensors, competitors were suddenly able to track their starts, passes, finishes, and individual dogs' times to the thousandth of a second. It's hard to imagine racing without an EJS in this day and age. Many teams run all 4 dogs through the course in less than 20 seconds. The NAFA World Record is now under 16.0 seconds (and closing in on 15.0).

NAFA tournaments are divided into divisions so that teams compete against other teams of equal abilities. All dogs including mixed breeds are eligible to compete and earn titles in NAFA sanctioned tournaments. Titles are earned via a point system based on the time it takes a dog's team to complete each heat race.

NAFA currently has over 700 registered clubs with more than 16,000 registered dogs.

SHARON MOORE/ CITY CREDIT UNION

www.CityCu.org

Financial education is a key foundation of what credit unions were built on…Maureen Johns from City Credit Union, talks about a free upcoming financial expo open to our viewers. The free expo is May 31^st at the Womens’ Museum in Fair Park. It’s from 10am to 2pm. City CU associates will be on hand to answer both general and personal financial questions our members and viewers have.

City Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, with branches in Dallas, Cooke and Ellis Counties, Texas. Owned by its Members and directed by a volunteer Board of Directors, City Credit Union operates on the principle of credit union philosophy, "People Helping People". City Credit Union's full-range of financial services, from free checking, competitive rates on consumer loans and deposit products, as well as cutting-edge convenience services, are designed to the benefit of people, not to profit.

For more details you can contact Sharon Moore at Website: www.citycu.org  or by E-mail: sharon@citycu.org

Phone: 214-515-0100

JOY WEAVER/ ETIQUETTE EXPERT

www.JustAskJoy.com

Joy Weaver, president of PROTOCOL Enterprises, Inc., specializes in corporate and social etiquette training. Ms. Weaver develops and teaches programs that lead to business and social success. She conducts classes for major corporations, non-profit and civic organizations, as well as individuals ranging from children to Fortune 500 executives.

In addition to her regular segments on ABC's Good Morning Texas and the CBS/11 Early Show, Ms. Weaver is nationally published and appears regularly to discuss etiquette issues on numerous television and radio shows. Ms Weaver has also been featured nationally on ABC's “The View,” and The Early Show, in the Associated Press, and USA Today.

Ms. Weaver is also the author of the book, “ Just Ask Joy . . . How to be Socially Savvy in All Situations.” Her book, which is highly endorsed by Zig Ziglar, provides easy to read lists of “Power Tips and Faux Pas to Avoid” for a wide variety of common social and business situations. If you have an etiquette question, “Just Ask Joy. . . The Etiquette Expert.”

Ms. Weaver is a corporate etiquette and international protocol consultant certified by the Protocol School of Washington DC. Her training also includes years of research and study as well as certification from Leticia Baldrige's Business Etiquette Program.

Protocol Enterprises Inc. is based in Dallas, Texas. The company has been serving clients across the country since 1999.

We have 86 days until we elect the next President of the United States of America and between now and then, “politics” will be a ubiquitous topic of conversation in business gatherings and dinner parties.

Refrain from asking who someone is going to vote for in the election and do not offer the name of your candidate of choice.

Do not go into the conversation with the intent of converting someone to your way of thinking. Be reasonable and remember the conversation should be a stimulating one - not a debate!

Avoid hearsay and personal opinions. Talk about what has been established so far as facts about the candidate. Talk about basic stances, latest media information or ad campaigns.

Recognize if the other person is getting heated-up over the conversation and immediately take a quick detour in your conversation.

Avoid starting a political conversation with those you just became acquainted – you do not yet know their personality and temperament.

Remember everyone has the right to their own opinion and just because they disagree with you does not mean they are wrong. Listen to the other side, you may learn something.

It is our responsibility to be well informed in order to make the best decision in the voting booth.

After studying the issues and the candidates make your decision and back it up with your vote. The right to vote is a precious freedom that we should never take for granted and should exercise every time we have the opportunity.

GYMBOREE

www.Gymboree.com

Gymboree brands include Gymboree Play & Music, Gymboree retail stores, Gymboree Outlet stores, Crazy 8 stores and Janie and Jack^® shops. The Gymboree Corporation is an international family of specialty retail brands that provide unique, high-quality products. All of our brands have an important thing in common: a concentrated focus on pleasing every customer.

The Gymboree Corporation's history begins with the founding of Gymboree Play & Music in 1976, making it one of the oldest companies in its field. The appeal of the Gymboree brand was so broad that in 1986 Gymboree entered the apparel business, designing, manufacturing and retailing unique, high quality merchandise for children ages newborn to seven. The Company's enthusiastic approach to customer service propelled its growth in the 1980s and 1990s.

The newest addition to The Gymboree Corporation's family of brands, Crazy 8 offers cool, wholesome clothes for kids’ crazy lives with sizes ranging from 0-14. Gymboree opened its first Crazy 8 store in August 2007 and currently operates 16 Crazy 8 stores. There is also an online store at www.Crazy8.com

Our tagline, precious little baby things, says it all. Janie and Jack shops offer distinctive, finely crafted clothing and accessories for the little ones in your life sizes Preemie to 8 online and Preemie through 6 in shops. Because we take little things very seriously, we never compromise quality, overlook a detail or settle for less than the finest craftsmanship. Special details such as hand-embroidery, hand-smocking and vintage prints lend their way to classic, sophisticated and timeless looks destined to be cherished heirlooms. Janie and Jack has an online shop at www.JanieandJack.com and approximately 95 shops throughout the United States.

Gymboree Play & Music creates developmental play, music and arts classes for parents and children ages newborn to five. Based on a blend of early childhood development theories complemented by more than 26 years of hands-on experience, Gymboree Play & Music classes are available through more than 588 franchised and company-operated centers in the United States Canada and 29 other countries.

The Gymboree Corporation also has a huge celebrity following. Angie Harmon, Garcelle Beauvais Nilon, Minnie Driver, Jessica Alba and Katie Holmes are just some of the celebrities that dress their kids in Janie and Jack, Gymboree, and Crazy 8.

HEALTHSOUTH

www.HealthSouth.com

HealthSouth is the nation’s largest provider of rehabilitation services and our therapists, medical staff and physicians have dedicated their lives to one goal – returning patients to the community at their optimal level of independence as quickly as possible by using every available technology.