Wipe Out MS

Buy A Orange Microfiber Cloth To Help Cure MS

Alan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0500

You can help wipe out MS (Multiple Sclerosis), while using an earth friendly cleaning solution, an Orange Microfiber Cloth.

All profits from the sale of these microfiber cloths is donated to the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Many items can be safely cleaned without chemicals by using the Wipe Out MS Orange Microfiber Cloth. Here is just a sample of some of the ideas that will also help the environment. Most cleaning can be done by either misting the cloth or getting it damp with water.

Auto – Clean interior surfaces with a damp microfiber cloth to remove dust from the dash and other surfaces. Use to dry the exterior eliminating water spots. Remove car wax and trap the left over dust from auto wax besides buffing your car to a high shine.

Bathroom – Use hot water to clean tubs, showers, sink and you can use your favorite bathroom cleaner for added cleaning power.

Furniture – Dusting can be done with a damp microfiber cloth or use your favorite polish to leave a protective shiny surface behind.

Glass – Mirrors, windows, windshields etc. can be cleaned with a damp cloth leaving a streak and lint free appearance. You can also use your favorite glass cleaner with this cloth. Don’t forget to clean the window frames and edges as well. Clean the rubber part of the windshield wipers to improve wiper performance.

Kitchen Surfaces – Again just use water to clean counter and polish sinks. Use with your favorite cleaner or vinegar for more cleaning power. Don’t forget to clean the interior of your microwave.

Liquid Spills – Use dry to suck up liquid spills from carpeting and hard surfaces. On carpeting simply place over the spill area and press down. Rotate and wring out the cloth as needed.

Always wash a microfiber cloth before using it for the first time.

Cleaning your cloth is easy just throw it in the washer with like non-lint items or hand wash with soap. Do Not Use Bleach or Softener on the microfiber cloth. Air dry or use the dryer on low to medium heat with like items. These towels can attract lint in your wash.

Stop Filling The Landfill with car load after car load of paper towels. By using an Orange Microfiber Cloth for cleaning you simply wash it and reuse it. These cloths are earth friendly and can be washed hundreds of times.

Saves You Money, since you're not buying more paper towels that eventually fill your trash can and drain your wallet.

Buy three (3)** Orange Microfiber Cloths from Wipe Out MS*, for $4.95 plus $4.95 shipping/handling and we'll donate the profits to the Oklahoma Chapter Of The National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Eating To Benefit MS – MS Dinner Nights 2010

Alan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:04:00 -0600

Starting this Monday,March 8, 2010 is MS Awareness Week and across Oklahoma several restaurants are having “MS Dinner Night” all will donate 10% of proceeds to the National MS Society.

You have to eat so why not take a break from the cooking and dishes while helping those that have multiple sclerosis. Below are the restaurants that are participating and the times of the events.

Make sure you let the restaurant know you are there to support the MS community for proper credit.

March 9, 2010 McAlester, Chili’s Restaurant; 617 S. George Nigh, Expressway; All day

Find It

March 9, 2010 Stillwater, Chili’s Restaurant; 310 East Hall of Fame Ave

Find It

March 10, 2010 Lawton, Fisherman’s Cove; 6 Wildwood; 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Find It

March 11, 2010 Tulsa, Mexicali Border Café; 14 West Brady; 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Find It

March 12, 2010 Oklahoma City, Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler; 2652 W. Britton; All Day

Find It

Saying Thank You To Our MS Sponsors

Alan — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:45:00 -0600

As we approach MS awareness week I’m getting emails about events that businesses are sponsoring to support those with multiple sclerosis. First I would like to say thank you to all businesses that are helping the MS community. Without these sponsors there very well wouldn’t be all the events we have. That would mean there would be fewer funds available for research and to support those with multiple sclerosis.

Looking in the news everyday you can see that business is tough for corporate America. Many layoffs and closings are taking place. This could affect us as well with fewer sponsors and reduced financial help for MS events.

The MS community as a whole can and should come to the aid of those that have helped move our cause forward in finding a cure. As I see it there is couple of things we as a community can do. Naturally when given the opportunity we should patronize these businesses. When you decide to purchase a product or service from them make it appoint to say “Thank You, I chose your company because you support the MS community”.

While the above will help there is something else that you can do and it won’t cost you a dime; only a few minutes in time and you could win some cash. Yet it can have a big impact for our business friends besides bringing a little more awareness to the multiple sclerosis movement. Here’s how you can help out. This goes whether you purchase from them or not.

Currently there are a number of online phone directories, along with social sites like Merchant Circle, and Yelp, not to forget Google Maps or Yahoo Local. Almost all have a place for ratings or comments. Visitors that are looking for a service or product from our business friends have many choices to choose from, your rating or comment can make a difference as to who gets a sale.

It doesn’t and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to do this either. Naturally make sure you give them a 5 star rating. Short and sweet on the comments; it’s best if you limit your comments to 3 or 4 sentences max. Examples of what you can say include:

To the restaurant: I was there the other night because I saw where you held a multiple sclerosis fundraiser. I found the food was excellent, I had the chicken and would recommend it to friends. Mary was our waitress and she did a super job.

To a business helping with a bike ride or walk: I was at the Walk MS here in (My City) it was nice to see your company help out by supporting those with multiple sclerosis. Your employees did a great job. I recommend that people try your company when they need (Your Services).

If you were looking for a business and found one that had comments like the above would you not at least call them first? By helping companies that help us we can form a bond that will benefit both groups while minimizing the affect of a bad economy.

Another thing we can do is write a tweet on Twitter to show our support and even link our comments to that tweet.

So where can you post comments and ratings? I’ve listed some of the websites with a few comments about them. My advice would be to visit each and choose one or two for commenting.

MerchantCircle.com – One of the newer sites and growing. I’ve seen reports that they now rank fifth in size. Merchant Circle has helped me with the Wipe Out MS page on their website, they are a friend to the MS community by also providing a free listing to all nonprofit organizations including local MS chapters. Besides a five star rating and the ability to comment you can also give complements in which icons will be posted on the business’s page at the top.

YellowPages.com – The AT&T directory on line, depending on the source they rank either one or two in size. They are also tied to a number of other listings online.

SuperPages.com – Again ranked either one or two in size and also tied to a number of listings online.

YellowBook.com – The online version of Yellow Book and generally ranked number three. They have a contest at this time for those that give a rating, winners get $500. If you win would you give a part of it to help cure MS?

CitySearch.com – One of the first online directories and generally ranked around fourth in size and use.

InsiderPages.com – A smaller directory although popular in some areas.

Yelp.com – I think they were the first directory that I consider a social phone book. I have seen them being ranked as high as number two in use. Some that use Yelp swear by it.

There are also several other sites that come to mind such as Angie’s List and Back Fence.

Let’s not forget Google Maps and Yahoo local both of which are tied to their respective search engines which you can comment on.

In closing by taking a few minutes to help those businesses that not only are good community citizens but support the MS community, we can help insure support for MS research and those with multiple sclerosis. By forming a bond with our corporate friends our quest to find a cure for multiple sclerosis will move forward.

Mommy Or Daddy’s Story

Alan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:13:00 -0600

There are number of organizations and groups that support the MS community. Of course the big one is the National MS Society and I must say they do a fantastic job here in Oklahoma. Another organization is the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), they also support research besides helping the MS community in other ways.

Recently I visited their website to find they have created 2 excellent online story books, “Mommy’s Story” and “Daddy’s Story”. These are short stories that can be shared with young children that have a parent with multiple sclerosis. For young kids having a parent with MS or for that matter any disease can be scary. I know about this first hand as my birth mother died when I was 8 from colon cancer. I can attest to children not understanding what is going on when a parent is sick.

The MSAA is helping with this problem by putting these 2 stories online at no charge. The books are in PDF so they can be easily down loaded or emailed, shared online or printed. They are a great way to help young sons or daughters to learn why a parent is not feeling well, taking injections or needs a cane, walker or wheel chair.

Since MS is a leading cause of disability in young adults, a time in which many are starting a family but sadly find they have multiple sclerosis these books can be a big help. I myself have talked with a couple of young adults that have young children with a mother fighting MS. With my own experiences I know some of the problems they face. I will place links to both of these books below so anyone can share this with a parent that has multiple sclerosis.

Mommy’s Story

Daddy’s Story

Thank you MSAA for these great books. If you would like to donate to the MSAA to help with projects like this please click on this link. You Helped Me

Valentine’s Day and Multiple Sclerosis

Alan — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:22:00 -0600

Are you ready for Valentine’s Day? If not here’s a couple of ideas that that will help support those with multiple sclerosis (MS). First if you need flowers use this link to ProFlowers http://is.gd/7MysU$10 dollars will be donated to help find a cure for MS. Other gifts can be found at Red Envelope and if you use this link http://is.gd/7MyGm $10 will also be to donated to help find a cure.

With both links the money donated will go to the Nancy Davis Foundation; that since it was founded in 1993 has raised over 30 million dollars to fund research. After being diagnosed with MS in 1993 Nancy Davis formed this organization with the idea of funding the best researchers working to find a cure. The result is her Center Without Walls Program. As part of this program the nationwide group of researchers can’t duplicate research and they must communicate results among the group.

Tommy Hilfiger who has been a major sponsor since 1997 and who has a sister living with MS.

You, by using the above links can help find a cure as they are coded so that a donation will be made to fund MS research. So make your gift count this Valentine’s Day to help cure Multiple Sclerosis.

Merchant Circle - Another Avenue for MS Awareness

Alan — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:30:00 -0600

It’s good to see many either with MS or those working to find a cure using Twitter and Facebook to bring the MS community together. While I know there are other social websites out there that can be used to bring more into joining our cause I would like to urge everyone to check out MerchantCircle.com.

Compared to other sites it is small with about a million members, but I think it offers a golden opportunity to further our cause. Merchant Circle has been described as a combination of an online yellowpages and Facebook. Merchant Circle is a site for business, but offers many opportunities for the MS community.

First if you have a business and a phone number you most likely have a free listing. To start all you need to do is claim it. It’s easy to claim and the basic features cost nothing. If you can’t find a listing for your company creating a listing is just as easy.

I have found in many cities a listing for the National MS Society, yet many are unclaimed and doing nothing. Here in Oklahoma City the listing has been claimed but it appears sadly little has been done. Like most things on the internet if you work with them good things happen. The more you blog about something the more the search engines will rank your page higher. More page views means more multiple sclerosis awareness and the more that could join us in working to find a cure.

Merchant Circle is a cross link champion; once you start using it the search engines will move your listing towards the top. With this website you can link with other businesses, further it tracks others as they surf the site and places links automatically between pages they have visited. It features a means much like Twitter to post a text message that is posted to others in your community. How does that benefit us? Well if you’re having an MS fundraising event you can post it. Add to this Merchant Circle has a blog platform that things dealing with MS can be posted. Last fall on my windshield repair listing I wrote an article that was picked up by Glassbytes a publication for the auto glass industry that has reported getting over a million views per month. Think about how the support for those with MS would be if a million page views were added each month.

You can create a free coupon or advertisement that also is placed on other pages and all directed back to your listing.

Okay so why is Merchant Circle important for the MS community, beyond what I’ve said, particularly if you don’t own a business? For a number of reasons, to begin with if you have ever been to a fundraiser for an organization that supports funding MS research or those with multiple sclerosis you know they have sponsors. Without sponsors events like Walk or Bike MS would be scaled back or just wouldn’t happen. This would clearly reduce the amount of money available for support and research. Merchant Circle gives everyone a chance to post comments and ratings on a company’s page. For those including friends and family that are affected by MS wouldn’t you be more inclined to use a business that supports a MS event? By us giving support to businesses that support our cause we both win.

For groups like the National MS Society this gives them a chance to be seen by businesses and maybe get additional sponsors. The online message service gives a chance to communicate with others much like Twitter. And provide another source to get the word out about events. I’ve talked to a number of people that have told me that they knew nothing about an event that they would like to have been involved with simply due to lack of communicating. Merchant Circle offers another means to drive customers into say the restaurant or other type business that is giving an MS benefit.

If you would like to see more about Merchant Circle, check out my page on Merchant Circle click on this link. Wipe Out MS on Merchant Circle

While you're looking at my Merchant Circle page look at the counter in the left column you'll see I have gotten 177 page views and that's in about 2 weeks. That could very well be another 177 that are now aware of what MS is and will possibly join us in working to find a cure.

Vote For The Wendy Booker Story – 10K For Multiple Sclerosis

Alan — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:28:00 -0600

I came across a link on Twitter from the Southern California MS Society about a contest with the winner being able to choose what charity will get $10,000. The advertisers for the movie “Extraordinary Measures” are having a contest that you can submit and or vote for a video. The person submitting the winning video can choose where the money is donated.

A little background on Wendy; in spite of having MS Wendy has competed in several marathons including the Boston Marathon. Further she has climbed to the top of the tallest mountains on 6 of the 7 continents. Falling short due to weather last year on her first attempt at Mount Everest; the highest point in the world.

To vote, click on this link, http://extraordinarymeasuresthemovie.com/#/quilt . Once you’re there below the quilt on the right is a search box, search for “Wendy Booker”. Look on the quilt for her image, click on her image to view the video and or vote. You can vote once a day. Please vote and help Wendy win for those with MS.

Exercise Your Brain

Alan — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:40:00 -0600

It seems anymore you hear how Americans need to exercise more, whether it’s an ad on television or news programs, etc. Even my doctor has told me to exercise; yes, I am a little over weight. He also has told me to exercise my mind by working puzzles. In terms of brain exercise, reading is a good thing; the doctor has said that crossword puzzles (not one of my favorites), Sudoku, match games, word search, and jigsaw puzzles, to name just a few, are excellent ways to exercise the brain. I can also see card games like solitaire, and games like chess.

With the idea of exercising your brain, and the fact that I’ve read a number of articles about cognitive issues with Multiple Sclerosis, in the left column is a useful section titled “Puzzle & Games”. There’s a number of links to sites for those with MS, a word search link which has a new puzzle each day and I’m trying to put up a new jigsaw puzzle each day that I create at JigZone.com. Here’s a link to one of my favorite puzzles “Kyoto Autumn”. Click on it to try it out.

I’ve set it to be a 48 piece puzzle, but feel free to change the cut to fewer pieces (easier) or more to make it a challenge. In the Puzzle & Game section is a button to my Puzzle Album so you can try other puzzles that I’ve made including some photos I took. Parents, these puzzles are okay for the kids. There is no adult only material; so if you’re looking for something for the kids to do, why not let them work puzzles. While you’re at it, check out JigZone.com if you like to work puzzles.

Send a puzzle as part of an email. During the holidays I sent a number of people a greeting with a puzzle. Another idea is, if you know someone who is home sick, you could send them a puzzle with your own personal get well thoughts.

Here’s hoping you enjoy the puzzles. You can follow me @ Twitter.com/WipeOutMS to see what else I’m doing to Wipe Out MS.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Alan — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:17:00 -0600

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all my readers, Twitter followers and those that helped me with this project.

Special thanks to Paula, Brandi, Lucy, Cristy and Blaine at the Oklahoma Chapter of the National MS Society, as well as John at the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.

Here’s a You Tube Christmas video that should have a special meaning for those with multiple sclerosis, I hope you enjoy it.

I recently went the other night to the Chesapeake Energy campus here in Oklahoma City to see a light display that the local news reported was made up of 2.6 million lights.

I made a photo album so you can see a little bit of what I saw the other night, just click on the link. Christmas 2009 Photo Album

Here’s hoping for more advances in treating MS or even better 2010 being the year a cure is found and best wishes to all.

Gift Shopping To Wipe Out MS

Alan — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:10:00 -0600

Well it’s that time of year, packed parking lots, crowded stores and long lines in a quest to find the perfect gift for that special person. If you’re like me it means internet shopping and going out late at night to avoid the crowds.

By shopping online you can eliminate the above issues, but can also choose items that will help those with multiple sclerosis. I’ve made it easier by putting a section called “Deals” in the left column that feature businesses, that when certain items are purchased proceeds from the sale go to groups that support those with MS. Below is a list highlighting some of the gifts you can give that will help in the fight against multiple sclerosis.

Art To Shirt – Now MS Tshirts features both tee shirts and mugs with artwork designed by artists with MS. A $4 donation to the MS Society is made with each item purchased. My favorite tee shirt image is by Karolina Wojdak and yes it’s on my Christmas list.

Grapesurfer – When I have a big meal like Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, I like to have a glass of wine with it. With Grapesurfer if you purchase some wine from them a donation is made to one of four local chapters of the National MS Society. The chapters include two from Virginia, one from Nebraska and the Gateway chapter from St. Louis.

Heart To Heart – Do you know someone that likes chocolate or nuts? This is your chance to make a difference. When you buy some goodies a donation is made to help those with MS.

MS Friends – For someone that is into rock and roll; you can help Rock MS. Among a few items they have is a limited edition sterling silver guitar pick inscribed with the authenticated signature of Jimi Hendrix authorized by the Jimi Hendrix Estate in partnership with MS Friends. MS Friends is offering the first 24/7 telephone helpline staffed with people who have MS.

Nancy Davis Foundation For Multiple Sclerosis – All funds raised are used to support the Center Without Walls program. This is a Collaboration of doctors and scientists that are on the cutting edge of MS research. The foundation’s website features all kinds of designer items including designs by Tommy Hilfiger who has a sister with multiple sclerosis.>ProFlowers – Give the gift of flowers and $10 of your order will support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Pacific South Coast Chapter. This appears to be more for those in California but if you’re interested give them a call and see if you can work something out.

ProFlowers – Give the gift of flowers and $10 of your order will support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Pacific South Coast Chapter. This appears to be more for those in California but if you’re interested give them a call and see if you can work something out.

The Tack Stop – How about a teddy bear or rather a MS Bear Cowgirl or Cowboy for that child on your list. At just $5 and all the proceeds going to the Maine Chapter of the National MS Society, that’s a great deal.

Zazzle – Simply put all kinds of items MS branded including postage stamps. According to their website 25% of the sale goes to the Long Island Chapter of the National MS Society.

Okay that’s the current list of businesses that offer a portion of their proceeds to support those with MS. You can also do a search online yourself and maybe find more businesses that will help in the quest to find a cure. If you find a company not listed contact me so I can add them. Likewise business owners if you decide to join in the fight against MS let me know, I’ll be happy to list your company and offer at no charge.