(NAPSA)—For parenting factsand tips, you can pick up “Baby-Center Pregnancy” and “BabyCen-ter Baby.” Both books are pub-lished by DK Publishing. For moreinformation, visit http://us.dk.com.

** ** **Experts say new tractor engine

technologies can keep emissionsin check while also delivering out-standing performance and fuelefficiency. One example is theAGCO SISU Power 8.4 L enginewith e3 selective catalytic reduc-tion (SCR) clean-air technology.To learn more, visit www.right tractor.com/challenger.

** ** **The Hershey Harrisburg area

is located within Pennsylvania’sDutch Country Roads Region, themost visited destination withinthe Commonwealth, offering threetruly original American experi-ences—the chocolate of Hershey,the Amish communities of Lan-caster, and the national Civil Warbattlefields of Gettysburg. VisitHersheyHarrisburg.org or call(877) 727-8573.

** ** **Products such as CertainTeed

CedarBoards Double 6-inch insu-lated siding boast a 60 percentrecycled content—the highestrecycled content in the industryfor this type of siding. For moreinformation or to find a contrac-tor, visit certainteed.com.

** ** **Just about everything from

customizable tableware andvibrant invitations to eye-catch-ing decorations and novelty partyfavors can be found at the morethan 600 company-owned andfranchise Party City storesthroughout the United States. Formore information and store loca-tions, visit www.PartyCity.com.

** ** **Hands-on learning in the class-

room often involves touching andsharing many classroom tools,such as a keyboard or book. Con-sider supplying your child’s class-room with Kleenex® tissues withSneeze Shield. For more tips, visitwww.Kleenex.com/BackToSchool.

** ** **If your child wears winter suede

boots, consider protecting thatinvestment to get them ready forthe upcoming cold weather. Prod-ucts such as Suede & Nubuck Pro-tector from KIWI create an invisi-ble shield designed to weather thestorm and protect against waterand stains. Visit www.kiwicare.comfor more information.

3

(NAPSA)—If you’re thinkingabout buying a home, now mightbe the right time. Mortgage ratesremain at historically low levels,and housing prices have yet torebound from their recent declines.As those conditions aren’t

expected to last, smart homebuy-ers need to consider their options,especially if they are making lowdown payments.There are two main options for

first-time buyers and othersputting less than 20 percentdown: loans insured by the Fed-eral Housing Administration(FHA) and loans insured by pri-vate mortgage insurance (PMI).Premiums are tax deductible, andthe insurance may be cancelablewhen equity in the home reaches20 percent. Both programs havechanged in the past year, andmore changes may be ahead.While FHA pricing has often

been more favorable compared toPMI, rates are going up. Earlier this year, the up-front

premium required on FHA loansjumped from 1.75 percent to 2.25percent of the base loan amount,adding $1,000 to a $200,000 mort-gage. Now the FHA wants to raiseits maximum mortgage insurancepremium, a change that could takethe monthly premium on a$200,000 mortgage from $92 to$125.PMI offers many premium plan

structures that now make pricingvery competitive. In general, PMIpricing is more affordable thanFHA’s for borrowers putting down10–15 percent and can matchFHA on loans with 5 percentdown.The minimum required FHA

down payment is 3.5 percent, butnew credit guidelines require acredit score of 580 to qualify for

the 3.5 percent program. Borrow-ers with less than a 580 creditscore must put at least 10 percentdown. PMI mortgages with 5 percent

down are available nationwide,with 3 percent down for someloans that meet Affordable Hous-ing Guidelines. PMI can also offer extra bene-

fits at no extra cost to the bor-rower. Genworth Financial, forexample, purchases job loss protec-tion that helps make a borrower’smortgage payment (principal,interest, taxes and insurance) inthe event of involuntary unemploy-ment up to $2,000 a month for upto six months during the benefitperiod, with a maximum of threemonthly payments per job lossoccurrence.Genworth also provides free

homeowner assistance to borrowersin financial difficulty as long asthey have mortgage insurance withthe company. In 2009, it completednearly 20,000 mortgage workouts,saving over $2.6 billion of mort-gages from foreclosure.More information is available

at www.SmarterMI.com/MI-vs-FHA.aspx.

Is It The Right Time To Buy A Home?

Understanding your mortgagefinancing options can save youmoney and could even save yourhome.

(NAPSA)—Shortly after the firstplane hit the North Tower of theWorld Trade Center on September11, 2001, police on the scene issuedan urgent radio call for evacuationof the entire complex.That order, given on a radio

frequency used by one group ofofficials, was never heard by manyother first responders on thescene. Just minutes later, the sec-ond plane hit the South Tower.As noted in “The 9/11 Commis-

sion Report,” the call to evacuatewas “given over WTC channel W,”a frequency used by only some ofthe scene’s first responders. As aresult, the lifesaving evacuationmessage went unheard by many—and for some, arrived too late.Americans learned many

lessons from the tragic events ofSeptember 11. One national prior-ity, highlighted by the 9/11 Com-mission, was the need for “inter-operable” communications—asingle radio that would enable onedepartment, agency or single firstresponder to communicate withofficials using any of the publicsafety frequency bands.In response, the Department of

Homeland Security (DHS) beganre search, development anddeployment of a new technologythat would ultimately solve theinteroperability problem. Stateand local government officialsaround the U.S. are now beingintroduced to new radio technolo-gies that are the direct result ofthe lessons learned in New YorkCity.

With new, interoperable, hand-held radios, federal, state, local anddefense agencies can communicateusing a single radio that operatesacross all public safety bands, includ-ing the VHF band used in manyrural areas and the critical marineand mutual aid channels used dur-ing large-scale incidents and insearch and rescue operations.One company, Maryland-based

Thales Communications, wasamong the first to respond to theDHS requirement. Putting towork the company’s experience inthe development of software-defined interoperable radios forthe U.S. military, Thales engi-neered the software that makesinteroperability possible. Theresult is known as the LibertyMultiband Land Mobile Radio.

“With 2.2 million first respond -ers in the U.S. operating on a widerange of frequency bands with dif-ferent modulation schemes, achiev-ing our goal meant we needed tosimplify a highly complex prob-lem,” said Steve Nichols, a publicsafety industry expert with ThalesCommunications. “The answer issoftware inside a handheld radiothat links, in real time, every fre-quency used by first responders.” Unlike military multiband radios,

Liberty is designed to meet strin-gent public safety specifications butis just as rugged, with a metal caseand the ability to survive an under-water submersion of up to twometers. The radio was tested suc-cessfully by DHS at the presiden-tial inauguration and has been usedduring other high-security eventsincluding the Super Bowl, WorldCup and Academy Awards.Now, when the county official

managing a local emergencyneeds to communicate the sameurgent message to multiple police,fire and rescue departments onthe scene, interoperable radiosmake the task a one-step process. Skeptics of this new solution have

argued that U.S. counties, townsand cities do not have the budgetsor people to buy and manage newcommunications networks or sys-tems. But according to Nichols,achieving interoperability doesn’thave to be expensive or complicated.“The day you get a Liberty

radio, you can talk to someone onall channels,” said Nichols. “Itworks right out of the box.”

First Responders Better Prepared With New Radio Technology

Rescue workers have a new, bet-ter way to communicate thatcould save many lives.

Courtesy of DHS Science and Technology Directorate

(NAPSA)—A new understand-ing of the way hair is physicallyand chemically constructed ischanging our approach to haircare and has been shown to be akey factor in product performance. Every person has special hair

needs, depending on his or herhair structure. The structure ofyour hair is determined by theshape of your hair follicle and thephysical and chemical propertiesof the hair. All of these factorsinfluence how ingredients per-form. Each hair structure createsa different interfiber relationship,which ultimately requires a differ-ent approach to achieving the bestresults. Those with fine hair have up to

50 percent less protein than thickhair and may need special rein-forcements to keep strands fromfalling flat and avoiding breakage. Fine hair has the least amount

of fiber-to-fiber interactions andtends to be less durable and moreflexible than thick hair and proneto breakage. Conditioning is veryimportant for fine hair, as it canhelp protect against damage. Medium-thick hair can contain

up to two times more cells thanfine hair, making it more rigidand capable of absorbing moremoisture than fine hair—this canlead to frizz, which is a commonproblem with this hair structure. The twists and turns of curly

hair cause cuticles to lift andweaken, which ultimately leaveshair rough and difficult to control.

Curly hair has the highestnumber of fiber-to-fiber interac-tions and needs help minimizingthe friction between fibers to pre-vent damage. Those who color their hair

chemically alter their structureduring the coloring process, mak-ing it rough and dull. Because thehair structure has been altered, itmay need extra moisturizing andconditioning ingredients to pre-vent damage. Companies such as Pantene

now offer collections of shampoos,conditioners, styling products andtreatments that are speciallydesigned to work with the hair’sstructure and provide the desiredend benefit. New Pantene includes an

updated ingredient list, tailoredsystems, new packaging and newfragrance. The collections areavailable in Fine, Medium-Thick,Curly and Color-Treated HairSolutions, making it possible forwomen to choose the collectiondesigned for their hair structureand to achieve their desired endlook.

Not All Hair Care Is Created Equal—And That’s A Good Thing***

He that wrestles with usstrengthens our nerves andsharpens our skill. Our antag-onist is our helper.

—Edmund Burke***

***In spite of the cost of living, it’sstill popular.

—Laurence J. Peter***

***Nothing is worth more than thisday.

—Johann Wolfgang vonGoethe

***

***He hits from both sides of theplate. He’s amphibious.

—Yogi Berra ***

***Do not anticipate trouble orworry about what may neverhappen. Keep in the sunlight.

—Benjamin Franklin***