You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. NORTH AMERICAN PRECIS SYNDICATE, INC. 350 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10118-0110 PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID North American Address Service Requested Precis Syndicate, Inc. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2410 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Converged Voice And Data: The Next Investment In High Tech Childhood Fractures: Rising Rates, Compound Factors (NAPSA)—Research suggests that children and adolescents today are more likely to break a bone than their parents were. Experts see low dairy intake, overweight and inactivity as compound risk factors for future fractures, and urge parents to make adequate calcium and physical activity a priority in children’s lives. “We know children who avoid dairy products tend to have lower bone mass and more risk of fracture but we’re seeing other factors like weight come into play,” said Laura K. Bachrach, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford Medical Center. “If we don’t focus our efforts on improving bone health and maintaining a healthy weight from an early age, our children are likely to miss out on a chance to build the strongest bones they can.” Today, only 12 percent of girls and 32 percent of boys get enough calcium to build bone mass during critical teenage years, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, putting them at risk for fractures now and later in life. “The good news is that we can suggest ways to build stronger bones. The window for building strong bones lasts until early adulthood, but it’s never too late to make bone health a priority,” said Bachrach. Bachrach recommends parents provide adequate calcium and vitamin D through nutrient-rich foods whenever possible, rather than turn to supplements. Milk and dairy products provide 70 percent of the calcium in the American diet, as well as other important nutrients such as vitamin D, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and protein. Dairy Council of California offers simple steps to building a lifetime of strong bones: •Get active. Play soccer, go for Simple lifestyle changes may help reduce fractures and future osteoporosis risk. a walk or jump rope. Weight-bearing exercise helps build strong bones. Exercise is also important for maintaining a healthy weight. •Encourage milk as the beverage choice at lunch. Many schools offer low-fat or fat-free flavored milks that children love. •Offer cheese and yogurt as bone-building meal components and snack foods. •Include other calcium-rich foods in your diet such as beans, nuts, corn tortillas and dark-green leafy vegetables. •Set a good example. Serve milk with at least two meals a day and include milk and dairy products in your own daily choices. •Find out if nutrition education is part of your child’s curriculum. Ideally, nutrition education programs promote healthy foods from all of the food groups as well as daily physical activity. •Go to mealsmatter.org to find recipes that include dairy and other nutrient-rich foods. It’s a free, interactive, meal-planning and nutrition website sponsored by the Dairy Council of California, staffed by registered dietitians and dedicated to promoting healthy food choices for families. (NAPSA)—When it comes to doing business, there’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting. But when distance is a factor, what do you do? Pick up a landline telephone? Grab your cell phone? Page someone? Send an e-mail or fax? You can do all that—and more—using a single provider of combined voice and data. Converged voice and data involves bundling services into a single solution to meet business communications needs. Companies can save big with bundled services. More companies moving toward single-solution providers means opportunities for firms such as Brookside Technology Holdings (OTCBB:BKSD), a publicly traded company that consolidates turnkey converged voice and data solutions providers. The company recently acquired one of NEC’s fastest-growing business partners, U.S. Voice & Data, a leading provider of telecommunications services for converged voice and data systems. The acquisition is expected to be the first of many mergers and asset purchases in the next few months. For stock investors and early shareholders looking for highgrowth opportunities, converged voice and data companies that help businesses improve their bottom line, overall performance, customer service and call quality may be an answer. Converged voice and data solutions are helping businesses domestically and internationally. Wine, Water And Food 101 (NAPSA)—While many people know to look for the right wine and food pairings, a dinner party can be made especially memorable by adding another factor into the mix: water. Try these simple, fun tips for your next soiree: • Serve a platter of cheese as an appetizer, along with champagne or a Riesling and silky, lowmineral spring water. • With red sauces and meat such as beef or lamb, serve Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, or for light red meat such as veal, a Pinot Noir. Serve with sparkling natural mineral water to continually cleanse the palate. The subtle bubbles and minerals stand up to the robust flavors, bringing out the subtleties in the wine and the food. • Serve white wine such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc with natural spring water with fish, chicken or pasta. The smooth texture and low-mineral taste of a natural spring water such as Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water will not overpower the lighter fare, but will cleanse the palate. • Serve petits fours with fruit for dessert with Port wine and a sparkling mineral water such as S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. The Port wine will enhance the sweet flavors of the dessert while the water will stand up to the acidic, full-bodied Port. Try this gourmet recipe next time you have guests to impress: Baked Risotto Primavera Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium onions, chopped (about 11⁄2 cups) 1 cup short- or mediumgrain brown rice 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 ⁄2 cup dry white wine 2 141⁄2-ounce cans reducedsodium chicken broth or The right wine, water and food mix can make a meal memorable. 31⁄2 cups vegetable broth 8 ounces asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups) 1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup diced red bell pepper (1 medium) 11⁄2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (31⁄2 ounces) 1 ⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 ⁄4 cup chopped fresh chives 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, preferably organic Freshly ground pepper to taste Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or ovenproof deep saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in brown rice and garlic. Cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in wine and simmer until it has mostly evaporated. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake until the rice is just tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Shortly before the risotto is done, steam asparagus, peas and bell pepper until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Fold the steamed vegetables, Parmesan, parsley, chives, lemon zest and pepper into the risotto. Makes 6 servings.