Website Brings You Unique, Local Boutique

Too many of our towns have been overrun by the sameness of "big box" stores -- one store sells all of the identical imported wares as the next. These chain stores have pushed aside too many of the cute, small shops that used to be.

Fortunately, a few towns -- and a few local stores -- have seemed to missed this sad trend. Often these towns and stores are small, quaint, often tourist-friendly places. If you walk the sidewalks, you'll still encounter many of the locally owned family shops you have if you had been strolling by years, or even decades, earlier.

Such is the case with Lou Lou's Corner -- a shop in downtown Hickory, NC.

Lou Lou's has beaten globalization at its own game. Not only does the store stil exist on that street corner, today it uses the power of the Internet to enable folks worldwide to shop the designer baby clothes, jellycat items and barefoot dreams selection just as you would if you visited the shop.

Try visiting Lou Lou's Corner today -- either online, or in person.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Is There Such A Thing As 'Luxury Camping'?

In a recession like this one, camping many seem like an economical way to save a planned summer vacation that otherwise could be too unaffordable.

But camping, even with an RV, can sound a bit too "roughing it" for a family to really be able to relax and have a good time.

Is there really such a thing as "resort" camping? If you check out this rv park north Carolina, you might be convinced there is.

Sycamore Lodge is an rv park nc that boasts a lot of resort-style amenities, such as a pool and Jacuzzi, boating, nature trails -- even free wireless Internet service at the lodge.

One of the nc rv parks, Sycamore Lodge is located 70 miles from Raleigh and 90 miles from Charlotte and is near the famous and professionally played Pinehurst Golf Courses.

And getting back to economy, right now Sycamore Lodge is offering three days and two nights of free camping.

You might not have considered camping -- or even North Carolina -- as an ideal family vacation, but that sounds just like what it could be.

This was a sponsored post.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

North Carolina's Biotechnology Investment Tops Billion-Dollar Mark; Battelle Study Quantifies Economic Dividends and Jobs

North Carolina has invested more than $1 billion in its expanding biotechnology enterprise during the past 10 years, and the annual economic impact exceeds $45 billion, according to data released today at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Norris Tolson, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Center, and leaders from the government, education and academic institutions that made those investments spoke at a news conference Thursday about the significance of the investment in building a foundation for future growth.

"Smart, steady investment in biotechnology has created a major economic engine in North Carolina," says Tolson. "This technology will help us meet the major global needs of the future -- health care, energy and food. But it also brings tangible benefits to North Carolinians in the form of jobs, and the potential is there for many more."

The success of the biotechnology industry and the statewide partnerships that support it were verified by the findings of an economic-impact study from the Battelle Memorial Institute's Technology Partnership Practice.

Battelle's Simon Tripp, who led the study, discussed quantitative and qualitative data on the benefits derived from North Carolina's unique 24-year history in bioscience investment. The 133-page report included research data as well as survey information from biotech stakeholders and CEOs of affiliated companies around the state.

"In the 21st century, which many have termed the Biocentury, biotechnology is expected to be a key engine of economic growth in the United States," says the executive summary of the study, Evidence and Opportunity -- Biotechnology Impacts in North Carolina. "Battelle's analysis finds that North Carolina is extremely well-positioned to experience substantial further growth and development from biotechnology."

Concurrent with the Battelle report, Biotechnology Center personnel and colleagues at partner institutions and organizations established that in just the past decade, North Carolina has committed more than $1.2 billion to bioscience funding via:

• $857 million in research and facilities;
• $135 million toward workforce training;
• $115 million to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center; and
• $102 million in direct company incentives.

These investments support an industry that, as measured by the Battelle study, directly contributes $28.7 billion annually to the state's economy and creates 53,200 jobs. The total impact climbs to $45.8 billion and 180,007 jobs when all spending by those companies and their employees, termed indirect and induced impacts, are counted.

The Battelle analysis lauded the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, saying it "has clearly generated a comprehensive and well thought-out series of programs and initiatives that support every link in this development chain."

Tripp says the Battelle study found that companies that receive financial assistance from the Biotechnology Center return $26.8 million a year in state taxes alone. These companies have attracted $99 in additional external funding for every dollar loaned to them by the Center.

Faculty recruitment grants from the Biotechnology Center have drawn 52 high-profile bioscience faculty to the state's universities. Those researchers have brought in $363 million in external funds from sources such as the National Institutes of Health -- a 37-to-one leverage.

Watch more breaking news now on our video feed:



Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Survey of Hurricane Preparedness Finds One-Third On High Risk Coast Will Refuse Evacuation

According to a new survey of people in high-risk hurricane areas conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security, one-third (31%) of residents say if government officials said they had to evacuate due to a major hurricane this season, they would not leave. This is an increase from 2006 when 23% said they would not evacuate.

The survey was conducted in eight states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas—and only included residents of counties within 20 miles of the coast. The poll included a special sample of the New Orleans metropolitan area.

The top reasons people give for not evacuating involve issues of safety and security. Three-quarters (75%) say their home is well-built and they would be safe there. Over half (56%) feel that roads would be too crowded, and slightly more than one in three (36%) feels that evacuating would be dangerous. One-third (33%) worry that their possessions would be stolen or damaged while one in four (27%) say they would not evacuate because they do not want to leave their pets.

“Public officials need to be concerned that the further we get from the severe hurricanes of 2005, the less willing people are to evacuate,” says Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Officials need to remind people that many homes are vulnerable to major storms. They also need to ensure safe evacuation routes are available and the public is aware of them.”

These findings are based on interviews conducted June 18 - July 10, with 5,046 adults in high hurricane risk counties in eight states.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.

Davidson College Eliminates Student Loans

Davidson College, a small liberal arts college in North Carolina, says it will begin meeting students' financial aid needs without student loans so that they may graduate debt free.

As aresult, all Davidson students will have their demonstrated financial need funded entirely through grants and student employment.

"We believe this new policy is the necessary response to the financial situation facing many applicants and their families, and know it isconsistent with a core value of the college," says Davidson College President Robert Vagt. "A Davidson education should be affordable for all students, regardless of means. This is an historic change for Davidson and for liberal arts institutions across the nation. With the support ofthe entire college family, from students to faculty, trustees to alumni, we are confident this bold reform will prove to make a significant difference for our students, our institution, and our community."

Taking effect in August, this new policy makes Davidson the first national liberal arts college in the country to adopt such a policy, eliminating student debt for its graduates. Davidson will meet 100 percentof the demonstrated need with grants and student employment, but families retain the option to take out education loans as part of personal financing, the college says.

Davidson says will maintain its commitment to practicing need-blind admissions, meaning the family's ability to pay for a Davidson education has no bearing on whether or not the student is admitted.

Currently, 33 percent of Davidson students receive need-based financial aid, with packages inclusive of grant, loan and campus employment. Nationally, college students borrow $53.8 billion per year to cover college costs.

Davidson says it is the first national liberal arts college, and only one of a couple of institutions of higher education, in the country to completely eliminate loans from student aid packages.

"The trustees are deeply committed to this new policy that will befunded entirely with new monies," says John McCartney, chair of Davidson's board of trustees. In order to allow students to graduate from Davidson debt-free, the trustees say they have identified and committed the immediate funding needed to initiate this policy, while formally committing to a strategy for raising new monies to endow the program, says McCartney.

Bookmark http://universeeverything.blogspot.com/ and drop back in sometime.