BEAVERTON, Ore., March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Continua Health Alliance, the international industry organization dedicated to advancing personal connected health by promoting end-to-end, plug-and-play connectivity of personal health devices and establishing industry standards for interoperability, today announced two new certifications for mobile health technologies. Vignet, Inc., a Continua member company, was certified by Continua for its iPhone Mobile Manager, the first solution for Apple mobile devices that meets Continua standards for interoperability. It is also the first solution to incorporate Continua's WAN (wide area network) guidelines for mobile applications. Vignet demonstrated its Continua-certified solutions last week at Continua's Spring Summit in Austin, TX.

The Vignet iPhone Mobile Manager is a Continua certified software manager that can be easily customized and adapted by various mobile applications and service providers. Implemented using Continua WAN guidelines, the Vignet Mobile Manager enables developers to build custom applications, and connects with other certified personal health devices such as weight scales, blood pressure cuffs or pedometers. It also facilitates integration with various interoperable servers to securely deliver personal connected health data and information.

"We are delighted to recognize Vignet as the first company to have a Continua certified product for Apple iOS mobile devices based on our WAN guidelines. It is another important step in creating an ecosystem of compatible devices and technology to help individuals and their healthcare providers better manage their health and wellness, any time, anywhere," said Chuck Parker, executive director, Continua Health Alliance.

Continua Health Alliance offers a testing and certification program with a recognizable logo that signifies interoperability according to industry standards. Continua certification enables more efficient, standardized development and new market opportunities for interoperable products such as smartphones, dedicated wireless hubs, the Internet and personal health devices that can be used to collect and relay vital health information and education.

"With Continua certification, device manufacturers and solutions providers know that our Mobile Manager is going to link up," added Praduman Jain (PJ), CEO, Vignet. "Now Continua connected health solutions can be rapidly adapted to work on a variety of servers and devices, saving developers significant development time. We are pleased to support the use of mobile phones in providing readily available and convenient personal connected health solutions to improve patient self-management and wellness."

For healthcare delivery, a WAN is a telecommunication network used to transmit collected data securely to medical records storage locations, and between different LANs (local area network) and other types of networks, so that computers or devices in one location can communicate with services or storage in other locations, such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or Personal Health Records (PHRs).

About Vignet, Inc.Vignet is a pioneer in the person-centric mobile healthcare (mHealth) solutions that connect multiple devices belonging to any person with multiple healthcare data sources, networks and caregivers. Vignet's mHealth applications enable a system that is Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, and Participatory. As a contributing member of Continua Health Alliance, Vignet has been a leader of mobile health innovation. Headquartered in Washington, DC, Vignet has an established track record of providing valuable solutions to many parts of the healthcare industry. For more information visit: http://www.vignetcorp.com.

About Continua Health AllianceContinua Health Alliance is an international not-for-profit industry organization enabling end-to-end, plug-and-play connectivity of personal health devices and services. These services will empower information-driven health self-management and facilitate the incorporation of health and wellness into the day-to-day lives of consumers. Continua is a pioneer in establishing industry standards and security for connected health technologies such as smartphones, gateways and remote monitoring devices. Its activities include a certification and brand support program, events and collaborations to support technology and clinical innovation, and outreach to employers, payers, governments and care providers. With nearly 250 member companies reaching across the globe, Continua is comprised of technology, medical device and healthcare industry leaders and service providers dedicated to making personal connected health a reality. For more information visit: http://www.continuaalliance.org.

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Continua Health Alliance Announces Certification of First Mobile Solution Suitable for Apple Mobile Devices and Wide ...

The National Financial Educators Council produces a personal financial literacy program for the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 12, 2012

The personal financial literacy program designed for LA Country Parks and Recreation was a full-day event that integrated lecture style instruction from the NFECs Core 12 financial literacy lesson plans, with games and activities. The NFEC also showed videos from their Money XLive celebrity financial literacy event production to keep the youth participants entertained and engaged.

The event was opened and closed by Vince Shorb, CMO of the NFEC, to inspire and encourage participants to learn practical personal finance topics. Diane Larsen, 2008 Jump$tart Outstanding Educator of the Year and NFEC Certified Financial Education Instructor, lead the class through personal financial literacy lessons.

The Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department program, R.E.A.C.H, is a five-month program that trains and provides work experience for students age 16 to 24 years old. These young adults take part in a variety of activities, including the supervision and development of community programs. Other roles that participants take part in include the planning and coordination of a variety of activities.

Pre- and post-testing and surveys were conducted to quantify the impact of the personal financial literacy program. The results of the financial literacy quiz and testing were positive. It demonstrated the participants improved their knowledge of money management matters and most felt the lessons learned will impact them positively in the future.

The National Financial Educators Council designs comprehensive personal financial literacy programs to assist individuals and organizations produce a measureable improvement in the overall financial capability of participants. The NFEC provides training and resources designed to empower all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds with practical financial literacy knowledge.

Cecile Abad National Financial Educators Council 714.960.4665 7000 Email Information

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The NFEC Produces a Personal Financial Literacy Program for the LA County Parks and Recreation Department

Personal growth, skills development and personal accomplishment are just a few of the rewards you will receive if you volunteer your time for the Goldfields Childrens Charity Ball.

While many people in Kalgoorlie-Boulder will be donning their ballgowns and getting ready for the event on Saturday, March 24, organisers are in desperate need of at least 20 volunteers to help out on the night.

Volunteers coordinator Kylie Lampros said it took a lot of work to make sure the ball rolled along smoothly.

Its been really quiet this year on the volunteer side of things and we desperately need people to greet the guests, direct people to the auction, act as cashiers at the auction, help display the auction items and we need two experienced floor managers, Ms Lampros said.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder Volunteer Centre coordinator Janet Campbell said all volunteers would need a police check.

We need volunteers for many different places but the Childrens Charity Ball is approaching very quickly and people can register with the volunteer centre right up until the day before, she said.

Darren McBride, who has been volunteering with the ball for six years, said he enjoyed helping the community.

The Childrens Charity Ball is a very worthwhile cause and I get a big buzz seeing 900 people enjoying themselves, Mr McBride said.

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Helpers needed for ball

Fitness Revolution, the fastest growing personal training franchise in the world, is now offering International Licensing.

Elizabethtown, KY (PRWEB) March 10, 2012

Founded in December of 2010, Fitness Revolution began offering its first territories in January of 2011. By the end of the year, it had expanded to over 100 different franchises and had been registered in over 40 different states; including Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The personal training franchise chain is now expanding beyond opportunities within the United States. Quality personal training is something which knows no borders, said Fitness Revolution co-owner Pat Rigsby. Fitness Revolution is really becoming an international brand.

Fitness Revolution has positioned itself as a new model for personal training businesses that stands opposed to the traditionally inefficient health club and one on one training models prevalent in the United States.

Instead, Fitness Revolution provides clients with an international network of like-minded fitness entrepreneurs, Award winning coaching and support, an internal and external marketing program, and an operational system that supports organizational freedom.

The purpose of the international licensing currently underway by Fitness Revolution, said Nick Berry, Rigsbys partner and co-owner of Fitness Revolution, is to provide entrepreneurial personal trainers with a sustainable business system, without infringing upon their current brand.

Indeed, the new international licensing program gives licensees the option of maintaining their current brands while still receiving support, training, and marketing systems from Fitness Revolution.

Moreover, Fitness Revolution is ensuring new licensees exclusive rights to their specific territories. This means that no other Fitness Revolution franchises will be able to compete within the same market.

There is no doubt that obesity and lack of physical fitness are problems currently faced across the world, said Rigsby. Fitness Revolution wants to give enthusiastic fitness professionals the tools to make a difference in their communities, wherever they may be.

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Personal Training Franchise Chain Fitness Revolution Now Offering International Licensing

TUESDAY

American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at University College, Texas Tech, 605 Indiana Ave. Program: True Colors - Keys to Personal Success presented by Anna Herring of TTUHSC. Key benefits of this interactive process include better understanding of self and others, reduced conflict, and more productive relationships. The cost for this extended session, which includes lunch, is $25 for ASTD members and $35 for non-members. Registration deadline is Friday. Go to http://www.westtexasastd.memberlodge.org/ to register online.

MARCH 20

Small Business Development Center: Starting Your Own Business, part 1 of 4 6-9 p.m., SBDC, 2579 S. Loop 289, Suite 114. Cost $60 First in a four-part series for business startups. The following subjects will be discussed throughout the series: organizational structure, the business plan, financing and marketing. The deadline for registration and fee payment was March 15. No refunds after the deadline. Call Elaine at 745-1637 for information.

MARCH 22

Small Business Development Center: Starting Your Own Business, part 2 of 4 6-9 p.m., SBDC, 2579 S. Loop 289, Suite 114. Cost $60 Second in a four-part series for business startups. The following subjects will be discussed throughout the series: organizational structure, the business plan, financing and marketing. The deadline for registration and fee payment was March 15. No refunds after the deadline. Call Elaine at 745-1637 for information.

MARCH 27

Small Business Development Center: Starting Your Own Business, part 3 of 4 6-9 p.m., SBDC, 2579 S. Loop 289, Suite 114. Cost $60 Third in a four-part series for business startups. The following subjects will be discussed throughout the series: organizational structure, the business plan, financing and marketing. The deadline for registration and fee payment was March 15. No refunds after the deadline. Call Elaine at 745-1637 for information.

MARCH 28

SBA Opportunities workshop 6-8 p.m., Small Business Development Center, 2579 S. Loop 289. Cost: No charge. This class will teach you all the requirements for obtaining a SBA loan. No fee. Call Elaine at 745-1637 to reserve a seat.

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Business Calendar

For me, the tragedies that Ondoy and now Sendong have inflicted upon us are not only personal but also political. It is not difficult to grasp the magnitude of what has befallen us because without a doubt, it will happen again. I am inclined to think that ours is indeed a tragedy of political proportions because it brings to focus the shape of things to come. And we know that it is a vicious onethe flash floods will come, the casualties will mount, the people will mourn, the homeless will huddle, the relief goods and services will trickle down, the President will visit, the water will subside, the homeless will rebuild, the settlers will not wise up, the flash floods will come again, and the cycle repeats itself. As things now stand, I cannot imagine an optimistic note. In fact, it leads me to believe that the predicament of our island-nation is a Sisyphean one. Like the myth of Sisyphus, the king who was punished by Zeus to an eternity of rolling a huge rock up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, we are currently consigned to an unending effort of dealing with disaster after disaster, tragedy after tragedy, be they natural or man-made. Can we make sense of our situation? Can we sustain the development of our island-nation without these tragic occurrences? Can we achieve our economic dream by redirecting our scarce capital and development efforts to the seasonal ritual of putting out fires here and there, so to speak? No, we cant, unless we have a cadre of visionary, ethical, no-nonsense, and undistracted leaders who will implement the long-term and drastic solutions to combat the main cause of our tragedythe denudation of our forests. It is a daunting task but a necessary one to undertake because according to Dr. Ben S. Malayang lll, a distinguished Filipino environmentalist, the impact of deforestation is not only compounded by impairments of flooding mitigation events included in the Universal Water Balance Equation i.e., indiscriminate urbanization, unchecked population growth, and poor land use, but also, is exacerbated by the dysfunction of our ecosystemthe biotic and abiotic foundations of our very existence. Is there a historical lesson that we can learn from? Is there a precedent solution that we can emulate? Prof. Jared Diamond, a notable scientist and Pulitzer Prize winner from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), thinks there is. He is convinced that it is the keystone that will determine whether a society collapses or not. A case in point is his query on how the Mayan people failed and the 17th-century Tokugawa shoguns in Japan succeeded. According to Diamond, having exploited their territory, the Mayans and their civilization collapsed because their ruling caste decisively failed to act as they insulated themselves from the effects of deforestation while indiscriminately extracting riches from the forests and brutally exacting servitude from the commoners. On the other hand, the shoguns of 17th-century Tokugawa, Japan, cognizant of the hazardous effects of deforestation to future generations, uncompromisingly pursued drastic measures, such as imposing heavy regulations on farmers, managing the harvest of trees and pushing new, lighter and more efficient construction techniques. Today, Japan is a First World country that is both densely populated and densely forested. Its forest cover stands at 68.5 percent, representing more than two thirds of its total land area. No wonder it is called the eminent forest country in the world. Politically, the outcomes of those past actions speak volumes of what kind of people the Japanese are. What about us? What is the prospect of First World status for the majority of our people? Is it an achievable dream? Or is it just a pipe dream? Well, I am sorry to burst our bubble. But our prospect of achieving First World status is pathetic. Besides, it is unrealistic to expect having such a standard of living for our people without the tall order of sustainable resources, a cadre of leaders with above-mentioned qualities, and the drastic implementation of land use policies to sustain it. With an estimated forest cover hovering at 16 to 25 percent compared to Bruneis 72 percent, Laos 69.9 percent, Malaysias 62.3 percent, Cambodias 57.2 percent, Indonesias 52.1 percent, East Timors 49.9 percent, Myanmars 48.3 percent, Vietnams 44.5 percent, Thailands 37.1 percent, and excluding the tiny First World city-state of Singapore, our Third World island-nation has the thinnest forest cover in Southeast Asia (according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). However, with a deforestation rate of 2 percent annually, our forest cover may completely vanish within the first half of this century. Having denuded our forests, we have slowly but surely undermined the very base of long-term sustainable development of our island-nation. According to the World Commission on Environment and Development (also known as The Bruntland Commission), for development to be sustainable, it must "meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In the absence of such an uncompromising and single-minded development priority, we are now in a battle for our very survival. Whether we collapse or not as a nation or civilization, it really all depends on having the political will to fight or mitigate the forces that destroy us. What is our possibility of winning? Do we even have a fighting chance? __________________________ The author is a professor of Sociology and director of the Urban Studies Program at California State University, East Bay and an urban and regional planning consultant. Email:efren.padilla@csueastbay.edu

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Are we witnessing the future collapse of our island-nation?

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire -03/09/12)- MMRGlobal, Inc. (OTC.BB: MMRF.OB - News) ("MMR"), a leading provider of Personal Health Records (PHRs) and electronic document management and imaging systems for healthcare professionals, today announced that it will attend two major trade shows over the next week. The first is the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, March 10-13, the world's premier exposition of products for the home, where the Company has arranged to hold sales meetings with manufacturer reps and selected key account buyers for its Prepaid Personal Health Record card originally launched at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. Each card is redeemable for a MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record account for up to 10 family members including pets. The housewares industry accounted for $301.8 billion at retail worldwide in 2010 and this year's show is a sell-out.

MMR will also give a salute to the importance of health IT at the Military Electronic Health Records Conference in Washington, D.C., March 15-16, where it will showcase its patented health IT products and services to officials from the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. The Company will demonstrate how it can connect its patented PHR and MMRPro document imaging and scanning system to the DoD/VA through a http://www.mybluebutton.com portal.

"By placing PHRs on retail shelves, MMR is creating an eHealth services consumer category at retail," said Robert H. Lorsch, Chairman and CEO of MMRGlobal. "A Personal Health Record is a natural frequent buyer affinity premium at pharmacies. PHRs also are a logical incentive to the sale of electronic monitoring devices connected to Telemedicine systems, such as blood pressure monitors, diabetes monitors or scales, which already communicate with our MyMedicalRecords PHR. Offering a PHR at retail should expose our service to millions of consumers monthly as they pass by retail shelves displaying our products. As the inventor of prepaid swipe activation according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office and co-founder of one of the largest prepaid calling card providers in the world, management has the experience in selling prepaid services to retailers and believes this business model will work."

"Further, exposing PHRs to consumers at retail should contribute to reducing healthcare costs and saving lives, garnering support of major payers. This is one of the reasons management believes the Company represents a unique opportunity for consumers and investors at this early time in the product life cycle, with eHealth projected to represent a $162.2 billion market in 2015," Lorsch added.

Participation in the two major market opportunities demonstrates MMR's continued effort to bring Personal Health Records to the broadest market of consumers possible. The Company has already participated in two leading industry shows this year, the Consumer Electronics Show in January and the Health Information and Management Systems Society Conference in February, to familiarize and educate different consumer groups and healthcare professionals.

Separately, the Company announced that it appeared for the second time in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday where the judge continued MMR's request for a Writ of Attachment for $5 million under its Settlement and Patent License Agreement signed with Surgery Center Management (SCM). "We are optimistic about the balanced way that the court has heard this matter," said Lorsch. "So far, there have been two court appearances with substantial argument on both sides. We believe that ultimately the Company should prevail in its underlying case for $30 million against SCM."

About MMRGlobal, Inc.

MMRGlobal, Inc., through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. ("MMR"), provides secure and easy-to-use online Personal Health Records ("PHRs") and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions, serving consumers, healthcare professionals, employers, insurance companies, financial institutions, and professional organizations and affinity groups. The MyMedicalRecords PHR enables individuals and families to access their medical records and other important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance policies and wills, anytime from anywhere using the Internet. MyMedicalRecords is built on proprietary, patented technologies to allow documents, images and voicemail messages to be transmitted and stored in the system using a variety of methods, including fax, phone, or file upload without relying on any specific electronic medical record platform to populate a user's account. The Company's professional offering, MMRPro, is designed to give physicians' offices an easy and cost-effective solution to digitizing paper-based medical records and sharing them with patients in real time through an integrated patient portal. MMR is an Independent Software Vendor Partner with Kodak to deliver an integrated turnkey EMR solution for healthcare professionals. Through its merger with Favrille, Inc. in January 2009, the Company acquired intellectual property biotech assets that include anti-CD20 antibodies and data and samples from its FavId/Specifid vaccine clinical trials for the treatment of B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. To learn more about MMRGlobal, Inc. visit http://www.mmrglobal.com. View demos and video tutorials of the Company's products and services at http://www.mmrtheater.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature, whether or not such statement relates directly to the Company's future performance, management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, estimates or projections, constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some can be identified by the use of words (and their derivations) such as "need," "possibility," "offer," "development," "if," "negotiate," "when," "begun," "believe," "achieve," "will," "estimate," "expect," "maintain," "plan," and "continue," or the negative of these words. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the risk the Company's products are not adopted or viewed favorably by the healthcare community and consumer retail market; rollout and sales of the prepaid personal health record cards; business prospects, results of operations or financial condition; risks related to the current uncertainty and instability in financial and lending markets, including global economic uncertainties; litigation with Surgery Center Management; timing and volume of sales and installations; length of sales cycles and the installation process; market acceptance of new product introductions; ability to establish and maintain strategic relationships; relationships with licensees; competitive product offerings and promotions; changes in government laws and regulations and future changes in tax legislation and initiatives in the healthcare industry; undetected errors in our products; possibility of interruption at our data centers; risks related to third party vendors; risks related to obtaining and integrating third-party licensed technology; risks related to a security breach by third parties; risks associated with recruitment and retention of key personnel; maintaining, developing and defending our intellectual property rights; marketing and exploitation of our patent portfolio; uncertainties associated with doing business internationally across borders and territories; and additional risks discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is providing this information as of the date of this release and, except as required by law, does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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MMRGlobal Salutes the Military and Presents Prepaid Personal Health Record Cards at the Home + Housewares Show Next Week

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your personal development will be enhanced by a fixed routine. Consider making a weekly appointment with someone. The once-a-week structure could make big things happen quickly.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Unfortunately, youre not going to magically end up with your big reward in hand. So youll have to make specific plans regarding how you will achieve your aim. Fortunately, youll enjoy this process.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Go back to a project you abandoned. You now have a terrific sense of perspective. Youll find that you enjoy shaping and honing whats already there much more than coming up with something new.

CANCER (June 22-July 22): Maybe its something you consume, a show you watch or a person you rely on, but theres some favorite of yours that you might be using a little too often. Youll have the willpower to tone it down.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Bad memories will have a way of lingering today. Past slights will seem fresh. You may be on the defensive, and it will be far too easy to lash out for reasons that have nothing to do with the current circumstance.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Though it may be tedious for you, theres a certain pleasure in getting things right. So youll go over your work again and again until youre absolutely sure that there are no mistakes in it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Be realistic about your feelings. Think of what -- or who -- really interests you. Youre not going to have the stamina to go forward with an endeavor about which you feel merely lukewarm.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Part of you will be feeling stubborn; the other part will be feeling responsible. So the responsible you will have to coax the stubborn you along the path you know to be right.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Losing your enthusiasm is worse than losing your way. If either gets lost in the confusion of this day, dont hesitate to gather a search-and-rescue effort together and go find them.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Persistence pays off. You might astound yourself now, doing something you never thought you would do. Know that youre capable of this and much more.

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Horoscopes: Enjoy fixing details, Virgo

The Innovations In Luxury Series Is Sponsored By Mercedes-Benz

Quintessentially, a luxury personal concierge service, was launched in London in December 2000.

The company's founders, Aaron Simpson, Paul Drummond, and Ben Elliot (fun fact: he's the nephew of the Duchess of Cornwall), have since expanded into 63 cities with a network of 1,500 employees worldwide.

In addition, Quintessentially boasts a portfolio of 33 sister businesses, including an art advisory service and a bespoke luxury experience company, to cater to clients' needs.

But what exactly is a personal concierge service? And why would people want to use one? We spoke with Stacey Gordon, director of business development and communications at Quintessentially, about the company and its deep network of global connections.

Below is our conversation, edited for clarity:

What is Quintessentially?

Quintessentially is a personal concierge service which basically takes care of the needs of individual private members. Those private members purchase annual memberships which are divided into three different levels: the general level, which is a reactive service where you write in to a team of lifestyle experts and place a request and they fulfill that request. The next level up is the dedicated level, which is more of a personalized proactive service where not only are we filling your requests on a reactive level, we are also reaching out to you proactively based on your profile and your preferences.

The next level up is elite, where you have up to four account managers around the world. These are our most experienced account managers that have been with Quintessentially the longest. And they really are working with our members' personal and executive assistants to run their second homes, to plan their family trips, to do personal shopping, to buy gifts for their staff, et cetera. It's a hands-on level of service where the answer is really never no.

And the personal concierge is basically taking care of anything from restaurant reservations to hotel bookings to travel itineraries to fitness; anything that would fall under a lifestyle request.

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A Personal Concierge Service That Will Do Your Errands—And Book You A Yacht On The French Riviera

david finch, paul varellaANDdavid deephouse From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published Thursday, Mar. 08, 2012 2:00AM EST Last updated Thursday, Mar. 08, 2012 7:33AM EST

Ontario versus Alberta? East versus West? Last weeks oil sands comments by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty harkened back to the national energy debate in the 1980s, when Calgary mayor Ralph Klein said: Let the eastern bastards freeze in the dark.

Do Canadians in Alberta and Ontario differ dramatically on this issue? We polled 400 people in Edmonton and Toronto. We wanted to know how much ones attitude toward the oil sands is influenced by regional proximity to the oil sands. The answer: Surprisingly little.

Both Edmontonians and Torontonians are concerned about the environmental impact of oil sands development. Yet, more than 80 per cent of both populations believe its possible to develop this resource in a way that balances economic development and environmental protection. Surprisingly, neither those in Toronto nor Edmonton view the oil sands from a regional lens: Both view it as important to all of Canada.

Our goal was to explore how personal interest influences attitudes. In other words, how strongly do our own perceived interests influence our opinions? The answer: a lot.

Regardless of where they live, people who perceive oil sands development to be linked to their personal prosperity are likely to show positive attitudes toward the industry. Transforming the oil sands discussion into a national debate is thus important to oil sands supporters. If industry can connect the dots between the oil sands and personal economic well-being, Canadians, regardless of geography, will support policies that encourage balanced development. Our research shows that Canadians have started to connect these dots.

The research also suggests that personal relevance affects opinions about environmental issues around oil sands development. The data, for example, indicate that, whether living in Leduc or Mississauga, 90 per cent of Canadians recognize climate change as one of our most important issues. Thus, geography plays no role in predicting whether individual Canadians think climate change is important.

But important is different than personally relevant. Unemployment is personal, but carbon dioxide is abstract. So when we asked whether people would be prepared to pay an extra $500 a year to fight climate change, most in Edmonton and Toronto said no. Its important but not personal.

This lack of personal relevance may explain why environmental groups have changed their tactics. A message that the oil sands will increase the planets temperature by a few degrees in 100 years is being replaced by one telling local farmers, local councils and first nations that the oil sands and their pipelines will risk the resource we hold most dear: water. Water is real, not abstract. Using this approach, environmental groups prompted the Obama administration to deny the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route in Nebraska. The conversation was now about water contamination; it was personal.

The rules of engagement of this oil sands battle are now driven by personal relevance, not historic provincial boundaries. Industry wins if Canadians connect the dots between oil sands development and personal economic prosperity. Environmental groups win if they can demonstrate personal negative environmental impact.

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Making the oil sands personal