We spoke to Dr. Stuart Fischer, M.D. Who refers to himself as a Wellness Expert. He has had decades of experience in internal medicine at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y.. He was an attending physician in the emergency room at Cabrini Medical Center in Manhattan and he also is an expert in obesity.

Dr. Fischer's tips on getting your family healthy now by focusing on a positive, proactive lifestyle could be a key to avoiding Swine Flu, and the flu in the near future. Here are Dr. Fischer's top tips:

LOSE THE EXTRA POUNDS:
People who are overweight or obese (2/3 of the population) have other illnesses that compromise their immunity and lung function. Obesity has been linked to everything from asthma, sleep apnea, certain types of cancer and diabetes. For example, with sleep apnea you trap bacteria and viruses inside your lungs, further increasing the risk of infection.

What would you do if Channel 11 gave you $1,000 in cash?

For ONE thing even as you're reading this, it's not too late to get in on Lee National Denim Day. Jump up! Put those denim jeans on and pledge $5.

It goes to a very good cause..the cause of fighting breast cancer. Actress Christina Applegate is front and center on National Denim Day. The fight is personal for her. Just last year she was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

Breast cancer will take 40,000 more American lives this year. The search for a cure can't wait for a recession to end or a health care bill to pass. But there are ways all of us can help. Big corporations are offering to team up with us to do their part.

Oreck is selling a pink and black, Clean for the Cure bagged vacuum. Buy one of these; it's designed to rid your home of allergens and even the tiniest bits of bacteria and dust, and Oreck will pledge $25 to the Komen foundation to fight cancer.

Energizer Batteries is getting involved. Buy batteries and get a free "keep going" journal. The journals are full of inspirational quotes, it comes with a pink-ribbon bookmark and a calender. Get several and give it as a gift. It's the gift that keeps on giving. No pun intended. Oh yeah, they'll also send in another dollar for every new fan on the Energizer Bunny's FaceBook page.

One place donations are making a difference is on the mammography front.
There is new breast screening technology. A Techni-Scan is a long-awaited alternative to painful mammograms. It's still undergoing clinical trials but the hope is it will get FDA approval within the next few months.
Instead of radiation it uses harmless ultra sound. The powerful graphics processing unit or GPU originally created for high-end video games, provide more detailed images and faster processing.

Much to be hopeful for going forward.

For more information check out:
www.denimday.com
www.cleanforthecure.com
www.energizer.com/

" There is so much a man's dog can tell you about him," according to author Wendy Diamond.
Diamond had just broken up with a boyfriend. She didn't want to waste time finding another guy. She decided to do some research to help herself and help other women in her predicament.

Diamond interviewed four men per breed, 32 breeds, to come up with, what she says is a surefire way to know the man by knowing the dog.

"I found out what they're like to marry; if the men want children; what they like to do in their spare time; whether they're going be be good about picking up the kids from soccer; whether they're going to be a good husband; whether they like art, wine and culture."

Their dog can tell you about any man, Diamond says, including celebrities.

" Leonardo DiCaprio is a poodle man," said Diamond.

" And a man with a poodle is a pedigree with a pedicure.

" They love art," she said. "They love wine. They love culture. They are the type of men that get married late in life. They usually have one child.

" Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt is a mutt man. Mutt men don't care about pedigree. They are amazing fathers. They even love to take care of all the kids in the neighborhood. They will clean the dishes for you and they will be the most loving husband to you and your children.

" George Lopez is a chihuahua man. He is so nervous in new social situations but once you get him comfortable in his own skin he's the life of the party and will make everyone laugh. So with a chihuahua man, don't get scared about a little dog or that little man. They usually have the biggest personality in the world once they feel comfortable and they are absolutely great with children. You have to keep them on a short leash, though because they kind of like to dance all night."

So do your own research. It might save you some time, too.

" How to Understand Men Through Their Dogs" by Wendy Diamond
www.animalfair.com

When is a "refundable" warranty, NOT refundable?

Getting engaged and choosing a diamond ring can be an exciting time. It's important to stay focused, however, when you're shopping for a diamond. There is a lot to keep in mind as you're making decisions.

We spoke to Udi Moritz, a diamond expert at J. Birnbach, on 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan.

"I think the most important thing is who do you buy the diamond from," said Moritz.

Udi Moritz speaks to first-time buyers in offering the following tips.

If you buy it from a store, it should be a jeweler who's been around for awhile who has a good reputation. Go by word of mouth. That to me is the most important thing.

The shape of the diamond is totally up to the individual, it really doesn't matter as long as the person is happy with the shape whether it's round, or pear shape or oval, any shape is fine as long as they like it. Really, people should buy what they like.

The brilliance of the diamond depends on how well the diamond is cut. You should really buy a diamond that's well cut.

Check if it's been certified. If you buy a diamond that's GIA certified, (the Gemological Institute of America) or the American Gem Society, ) AGS-certified, it will have a cut grade at least on the round diamond, and it will help you know if the diamond's at least a very good cut or an excellent cut.

Most New Yorkers love a deal. Lots of us are big on impulse buying as well. Combine the two and you've got " Groupon New York". The idea is this. You go onto their website and sign up to get their e-mails. Every day at 12:01am you'll get an alert telling you their deal of the day.
Groupon is pretty good at picking, as they say, "the most interesting stuff to do in New York."
They've worked it out ahead of time with different businesses, to offer you good, solid deals on whatever experience or product they're selling. Think half price deals on the theatre, at restaurants, for concerts, movies, lessons, classes, spa treatments, etc.

So, you get the alert about the deal of the day at 12:01a. You have 24 hours, until midnight the next day, to decide if you want it. If you click BUY, you're directed to give your credit card information.

THEN...If enough OTHER people have signed onto the deal, a predetermined minimum, then the deal will go through. Only then is your credit card charged.

The next day you'll get a confirmation e-mail and instructions about how to redeem your purchase.

It might be a coupon to print out, or a code or information about the will call window for tickets, etc.

Most people swear by it. The deals, and how it works.

Just Who Is Kevin "T-Weed" Watson, Really?

Some people have become very concerned about their granite countertops. E-mails have been circulating with warnings that they emit radon.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas concentrated in soil, water, and rock in various geographic areas. It can seep into the air we breath.

"Radon is a product of radioactivity and basically it all comes from uranium. Uranium decays and one of the products you get eventually is radon", said Professor Peter Orland, a physics professor at Baruch College in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan.

What would you do if Channel 11 gave you $1,000 in cash?

If you're still not paying your bills online it's costing you money.
Fear of the web may be stealing money from your wallet.

COSTS OF BANKING.
For instance you're paying higher fees at your bank.
Banks have been trying to shift transactions online for years.
It's no secret online banking makes it easier to service customers.
Banks still work hard to convince you to do business with them online.
And you can still get perks if you go with it.
The most convincing argument is the extra cost you get charged.
For instance customers are paying if they want hard copies of canceled checks mailed to them.
That service used to be free. Not anymore.

PAYING BILLS
Not paying your bills online costs you in some obvious ways.
The cost of a stamp to mail it is up to 44 cents.
You have to order more checks from your bank, sooner.
If you don't pay your bills online, you risk late fees.
Ever get so busy and disorganized you don't get your bill payment in the mail on time?
Then even if you swear by the mail and your mailman, sometimes
mail gets lost or delayed.

SHOPPING
Prices online are usually lower than prices in the stores.
If you avoid shopping online you miss out on some great deals.
Sometimes you don't have to pay sales tax.

For more information check out " Using the Internet Safely for Seniors for Dummies" by Linda Criddle a bill payment slips through the cracks and ends up delayed.

Out Of Service For Six Months Is Six Months too Many!

New York is cracking down on companies that sell limited benefit health insurance plans in ways that mislead people into believing they have full health insurance coverage. As a result, the New York State Insurance Department has moved to protect New Yorkers by stopping one company from selling the product in New York and from advertising nationally and is examining the marketing practices of all companies selling this product.

What would you do if Channel 11 gave you $1,000 in cash?

October is the sixth annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Security experts urge all computer users, not just industry and government, to take responsibility and practice good "cyber hygiene" to protect themselves and their families at home, at work and at school.

We spoke with cyber security expert Melih Abdulhayoglu, the CEO and chief security expert for Comodo. His company Comodo, offers FREE internet security for consumers' Pc's.

We spoke to financial expert Jean Chatzky, a contributing editor for MORE magazine about the saving habits of Americans. Now, more than ever, she says, is a good time to save. So how do you do it?

" Tip number one", says Chatzky, "the most important thing you can do to get control is to track your spending. People have no idea where their money goes. Figure out what you spend a week or a month, if you can stand it. Go through and track every dollar you spend. This will make you realize just how much is going to dry cleaning, just how much is going to taxis. Having that information allows you make changes and spend less.

" If you haven't gone thru the process of trying to lower your monthly bills, if you haven't called the cable company or the phone company or the cellphone company in a while to ask for a reduction, pick up the phone. It'll take you 15 minutes. You just might get the reductions that could save you hundreds of dollars.

" Have goals. Having goals actually helps people get where they're going. If you don't have goals, then you're driving on a street without a map without a destination. It really doesn't work.

" Not only should you have goals, you should break them down into manageable, bite-size pieces.

" We know that one of the reasons middle-income people don't save money is that they set the bar too high. They set goals that are so lofty they feel they can't attain them. Then if they fall off the wagon they don't start again. People who aim to save less, actually save more in actual dollars than people who start higher.

" If we could get everybody to save 10% of what they're earning, we would be doing an amazing thing. But a lot of people look at those numbers and say no way. I would urge them to then aim for 3% and if you can do 3%, then boost it to 4%, or 5%. I don't really care where you start, I care that you start somewhere and that you make your goal and then go beyond that."

Helpful websites:

Learn how to be frugal and live a full life www.ideasthatspark.com

Improve your financial future www.richdadworld.com

Use online tools www.bankrate.com

or www.mint.com

When Is A Year Old Bill Considered Overdue?

One year ago York College placed an order for food with the Golden Krust restaurant on White Plains Road in The Bronx. York College is a division of CUNY, the City University of New York.
The owners of Golden Krust delivered over $1300. worth of food to them. York College also ordered food from two smaller establishments. They asked Golden Krust to pay these two smaller restaurants for them; then they'd reimburse Golden Krust for the whole thing..once they settled up.
Initially everyone was happy. The food was great! But the good feelings disappeared when it was time for CUNY tp pay the bill.
One year later Golden Krust was still waiting. And they couldn't get anyone on the phone. Golden Krust franchise owner Marcia Hawthorne said, "When you do call them up mostly you get answering machines. When you do get someone they say they just don't have the money!"
That's when they called Howard.
The name on the invoice is Phyllis Proctor, associate director of International Student Services. Her office is on West 30th Street.
Howard very politely got past security then went on up to see Phyllis.
She was a little surprised.
"Are you Phyllis?"
"Oh my gosh," said Phyllis, "I have to go get my boss..."
All of a sudden office doors started closing and Howard was standing in the hallway by himself. Then a Dr. McManus showed up and said he'd run it up the food chain. Out comes the assistant dean of Student Affairs.
Here's how that went.
"Are you the dean? How do you, dean ?
Dean Chris Rosa could not have been more sympathetic. He promised the situation would be resolved.
Howard is going to give them a little bit of time to make good on it. We'll check back to make sure they do.

One pediatrician is calling for a delicious revolution. " It's time," says Dr. Alan Greene, "to feed kids from the start, in a green healthy and organic way."

Dr. Greene has written a book, " Feeding Baby Green" and shared his research with us.
" We've learned that babies early exposure to foods have a lasting influence.

"They imprint on food, the food exposures they get early in life they come to think of as normal and they'll chase after those for the rest of their lives.

"Unfortunately what we've done over the last couple of generations is allowed kids to get tricked and imprint on the wrong stuff. I'm talking about the processed flavors and the white flours and the high sugars and of course they go chasing after that.

"It turns out it's easy to expose them to the right things so they get imprinted on that.
"They love fruits and vegetables and whole grains and fresh wonderful foods that build strong bodies.

"And it's OK to start their exposure to them very early on.

"For a long time there was this misconception that you should only do one new food at a time, you should wait 3-5 days in between, and you need to wait at least a year for milk, 2 years for eggs and three years for fish. But it turns out the latest research says we were mistaken about that.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008 came out with a new policy statement. It says there is no evidence we should withhold ANY FOOD beyond six months for the purpose of preventing allergies. And, getting an early exposure sometimes decreases allergies, instead of increasing them.

Dr. Harsimran Singh is an immigrant from India who came to America with $8. And is now a millionaire. He did it by teaching himself to buy foreclosed properties. He has written a book, "A to Z of Foreclosures-Real Estate Worth Millions Acquired with $101". We asked him to sit down with us and give us an overview of his strategies.

" There are three stages of foreclosure," said Dr. Singh. "One is a pre-foreclosure whereby the person who owns the house still has a mortgage, but is late making the payments. Most people outside of investors don't come to know about it because there is no public record, or a lein on the house. It's very difficult to find a property, and buy a property, on pre-foreclosure stage.

" The second stage is the auction or default stage, that stage is the bank has already put the lein on the property now everybody knows about it because it becomes a matter of public record. There is a bit more competition at this stage but it's possible to buy a property at this stage. The auction stage is mostly a waste of time.

" Most people tend to think they're going to buy a house at auction. But follow the advice in my book and you'll find it's much easier to find a property, and at much cheaper prices, than trying to buy in auction.

" The third stage is the bank already owns the property, so at this stage there's a bit more competition but it's possible to buy it. Often the house is vacant and it's easier to do it.

" Aside from these stages, the best time to buy a house these days is a short sale. In a short sale everyone is is a win, win, win situation. The homeowner is in a win win situation because he has a mortgage on the house which is more than the appraised value of the house. The bank doesn't want to own the property, the bank would like to get rid of it so the bank is in a win win situation. The investor is in a win win situation because he can buy the property at a discounted rate by negotiating with the bank.

New Yorkers are great about getting involved. Now there is a website that bills itself as the official master calendar of non-profit events, galas and benefits. It also has links to every charity mentioned so you can figure out what might be a good fit for you. Do you want to be a volunteer or a board member? Do the research through this website: www.CharityHappenings.org.

We recently sat down with the founder of CharityHappenings, Justin Baer.

" CharityHappenings is the official master calendar, online destination and social hub of non-profit events, volunteer opportunities, party pictures, galas, the whole works, especially in New York.

"We have 30,000 subscribers. Our e-mail newsletter tells them what events to go to, what events are hot; we post party pictures, engagements, and we feature engaged couples,
"We also have a get-involved newsletter. We update our audience on the best charity event or organization or board they can get involved in.

So how should someone choose a charity to become active in?

"Choose something that really peaks your interest. I personally volunteer at Project Sunshine. It's like totally fun, and hands on with children that are usually in hospitals for a long stay.

"You literally go in there and play games with them. I hadn't done arts & crafts since middle school. You usually do fun things with them and they love it.

A local musician posted his work on YouTube, hoping to make it big. So when his employer claimed his company owned the rights, he called "Help Me Howard."

What would you do if Channel 11 gave you $1,000 in cash?

Trying to fit any level of exercise into a woman's life, especially after age of 40, is almost mission impossible for so many women.

We caught up with nutrition and fitness expert Dr. Pamela Peeke.

Here are her tips for busy women trying to stay fit to keep up with their lives.

"The best thing to do is just be as creative as possible, a little here a little there. That means ramp up your simple activities of daily living. Do not live in a gym, do not go there, this is not what the goal is supposed to be.

"It's all about trying to use your ambient surroundings, where you live, where you work.

"Just find ways of trying to stay vertical, quit doing the horizontal.

Do a little here, a little there. It accrues by the end of the day.

"Then, as far as weight training every day, use your own body weight.

Nowadays there are many kids that have different kinds of allergies, gluten being one of them.
Kids hate being different. There are ways parents can make sure they feel they're a part of special occasions and holidays like Halloween.

We spoke with a natural food expert, Andrea Donsky about how you do it.

Halloween is challenging.

This is how she makes it work for her young children.

" Personally," said Donsky, "what I do is when we are trick or treating, I do allow my kids to have some of the regular candy when they're with their friends. This way they can feel like everyone else when they're with their friends.

" But what I do when they come home is I'll switch the treats for something else. I'll pre-buy certain organic treats that don't have all the food coloring in it and i will switch it when we get home. Any excess, I'll give to my husband and he'll take it to work."

The Milbank Broken Elevator Saga Continues....

New York's mandatory menu-labeling initiative has had little effect on New Yorker's calorie intake. One New York doctor thinks it's a good beginning, however. Dr. Eric Braverman, MD thinks it will begin to make a difference, but only after many more supports are in place.

" Calorie counting and labeling nutritionally is not working yet because people have their mind made up how they're going to eat. They've already decided how their going to eat," said Braverman.

" Labels and calorie counting are not working for teens yet. You almost need like a skull and crossbones like they did for cigarettes, warning this can kill you. It's fat, there's sugar, there's junk food, it doesn't work because people have already made up their minds, their habits of how they're going to eat.

" And they're not ready to think about eating healthy when they're at restaurants and other locations. But it may work over time; like water dripping on a stone, it eventually breaks through.

You can get allergic reactions from your favorite fabrics.

Kim Derby knows that, "sometimes around my neck, if I wear it around my neck, I will break out in a rash."

She's talking about wool. What allergists call a winter culprit.

" The fibers on wool are a bit rough." said Dr. Donald Brandon, "so as you're moving around and the fibers are rubbing on your skin surface. It's just like someone rubbing sand paper on you. It's going to cause a rash."

Another thing that can cause quite a rash, animal products often found in winter clothing.
" Animal hair," says Dr. Brandon, "can be highly allergenic. You can inhale proteins the animal hair gives off in addition to having some kind of reaction on the skin from the animal."
That reaction can get pretty serious.

Dr. Brandon cites breathing issues, swelling of the throat in addition to the rash.
A couple things that might help? Wash your clothes when you buy them. See a doctor if you get a rash. And when all else fails, buy cotton.

For more information on allergies to clothing:

www.everydayhealth.com
www.allergy.eyeonallergy.com
www.righthealth.com
www.lopup.com
www.shopzilla.com
www.cafepress.com
www.calibex.com

What do you do when you have no insurance, but you have a serious pain In your breast?

Teens are actively engaged in "sexting", exchanging text messages with sexually-explicit content, with no idea of the consequences. All across the country boys and girls are using the built in cameras on their cell phones to take nude and semi-nude shots of themselves and sending them to boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, or classmates. One in five teens in the Northeast admits to doing it.

Attorney Gloria Allred, explains the legal ramifications and offers tips for parents.

"While teens may just consider it to be high tech flirting," says Allred, "many have no idea that the practice is actually considered to be pornography and has very serious consequences.

"Taking photo images of themselves naked, or semi-naked then sending it via cellphones has serious legal implications that neither the teen or their parents, is aware.

"The teen who takes this naked or semi-naked photo of himself or herself and sends it could in fact be facing criminal prosecution for distributing child pornography. Not to mention the images could end up all over the world.

"Even the innocent recipient of this semi-nude photo or nude photo, if they have encouraged the other person to take that photo and to send it, they could also face prosecution for
distributing child pornography.

"Also both the sender and the receiver, if convicted, could be sent to prison or face probation and even have to register as a sex offender. That of course can follow them for the rest of their life.

What would you do if Channel 11 gave you $1,000 in cash?

How do you teach kids to be financially responsible with money?

One man created www.ThreeJars.com. It's a modern allowance system that lets kids earn, track and use their own money. He also adds a giving-back component to the whole thing.

Anton Simunovic is a father of six. He started with his own kids, then kind of grew it from there.

" We make it very easy," said Simunovic (SIM-ooh-NAH-vic). " It starts with the parent. We have a 90-second sign up online. Upload your child's picture to your own personal site and get going. Parents decide how much allowance to pay their child and what percentage of that allowance should be allocated. He urges parents to keep it balanced between three 'jars'.

" Allot a portion of every dollar your child earns to three 'jars': one for saving, the other two for spending and sharing. 50% to the SAVE jar, 40% to the SPEND jar and 10% to the SHARE jar is a good rule of thumb. This establishes healthy money patterns."

Be consistent. Pay the right amount on time. "Consistency is a super important thing," says Simunovic, "It's one of the most difficult things for parents generally. It's doubly so with respect to allowance. Parents might think a few dollars is kind of trite and cute for the kids and 'Oh, I'm so tired this Friday night, don't bother me for my allowance,' It's your child's only source of income! If you're looking for kids to be responsible with money, give allowance the due credit it deserves."

Also, he says, when kids spend their own money and not ours, they get thoughtful-and fast!

How much? " Consider the age of your child, your expectations of what
the allowance will be used for, and what your family budget can afford. Before high school, kids are often paid their age or half their age in dollars per week," says Simunovic.

Should allowance be tied to chores? Of the 13 million families in America that pay allowance, half believe allowance should be tied to chores. Consider telling kids that everybody in the family has to help out. If they don't, losing TV, internet or cell phone privileges is much more
effective. " Of course kids need to do chores at home, everybody who lives in the house has to contribute to the home. Everyone must chip in," he says, "but when it comes to allowance, it's the best tool a parent has to teach kids about money. So use allowance effectively in your family. Before they leave the family nest, don't gum it up with things like did you make your bed today, money is too important an issue for that."

Why a share jar?

" We have a share jar," according to Simunovic, "because what we have found is, when kids think about sharing it, it tends to take away some of the energy about spending their money. We've received comments from around the country, from kids that have shared some of the money and seen the impact of those dollars. They have felt very powerful and good about sharing some of that money and that fundamentally leads to better self esteem.

Even if kids don't share money, the ThreeJars.com corporate entity, shares. So kids still end up sharing, albeit indirectly. The corporation donates monthly.

Almost all kids want to just spend their money. The important thing to point out is they automatically learn to save on a site like ThreeJars.com.

The key thing if you want your child to be responsible with money is to empower them.

It's really important that they're empowered. "To be empowered means to make decisions," said Simunovic. "When you make decisions you understand the consequence of your actions. By tracking those consequences, kids develop healthier habits in the short term today with small amounts of money, than making much larger mistakes later with larger amounts of money.

"Learning these tools can act as a financial compass for your child, for life, if it's done effectively.

"If you want your child to be responsible with money when they leave the family nest you need to give them an opportunity to practice using money today, when they're still open to those financial concepts. Studies show that kids are more open to those financial concepts before high school, before peer pressures kicked in, before negative habits kicked in. Start em early, they get these healthy habits, they carry them forward for life."

www.ThreeJars.com