Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 31

JL Thursday, June 3, 1999 COURIER-POST Inside 'Cinderella' goes to the prom with help from the The Beat Page 7 Section mm Dear Abby 2 Movies 5 Television 4 The Beat 7 into 1 go Single parents need to strike a balance Mj0- Vr 1 0 I "'it -t f4iMl.Mlii Vilm BRIAN PORCOCourier-Post Dr. Laura Rutkiewicz listens to the heartbeat of patient Rowland Harris during an office visit in Burlington Township. Harris, who has diabetes, often writes down what the doctor tells him. Think about this The publisher of the "For Dummies" series of how-to books says it's smart to meditate. In an era in which people are juggling more tasks than ever, meditation is an ideal way to find focus, ac-cording to Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodi-; an (IDG Books Worldwide, The book contains practical advice on breath-' ing, posture and the many forms of meditation intended to increase mental and physical awareness.

Other books in the se- ries have tackled such subjects as wine, golf and veg- etable gardens. Oldest coaster The world's oldest roller coaster went back in operation Monday after a 14-year hiatus. A nonprofit preservation group spent $1 million restoring Leap-the-Dips, a 97-year-old wooden ride at Park in Altoona, that was originally built for $12,000. Designed when Teddy Roosevelt was president, the National Landmark is a far cry from modern coasters in terms of speed and thrills: It averages 10 mph and its drop is just 9 feet. For the outdoors Avon has introduced a combination sunblockinsect repellent.

Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus IR3535 Insect Repellent SPF 30 Moisturizing Sunblock Lotion can be reapplied throughout the day and does not have to be washed off when returning from the outdoors, like DEET-based insect repellent products do, Avon says. IR3535 has a long history of use in consumer products in Europe. Best bet Animal expert Jack Hanna will visit Sesame Place in Langhorne, with a menagerie of unusual creatures Friday The director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio will perform shows and give guests a chance to see the animals up close at 11:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. at Big Bird Theater.

An albino Burmese python, baby cougar, baby clouded leopard, wolverine, snake toad roach, hyacinth macaw, penguin, sloth and armadillo will be with him. The show is included in the admission price of $29.95. Senior citizens receive a 10 percent discount Children younger than age 2 are admitted free. For more information, call 215-752-7070 or visit www. sesameplace.com.

Features Editor 486-2434 Tomorrow in Home Garden: Find out which plants thrive in the shade. -for health Advice for patients Guilt-ridden single parents often sacrifice themselves oni the altar of their children's -needs. Psychiatric nurse Randy Brooks Larcinese of (i Kennedy Behavioral Health Services says that is not a A wise choice. "Single parents need to be in tune with themselves," says Larcinese, who will con- duct a seminar on issues fac- ing parents without partners -tonight at 7:30 at Barnes Noble Booksellers in Moores-town. "If you're not taking care of yourself, it's likely to have an i impact on your relationship with your children," she says.

Jt "Do something good for yourself. Get out and socialize a little. It's important to have a healthy balance." f- Larcinese is nurse manag-' er of the child-adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit at Kennedy Hospital in Cherrv Hill. She urges fc learning ail you can about stages of child development The fears Single File alkumcke and expecta- of single parents are sometimes unrealistic, she says. "It's not unusual to wor- ry about behavior that is actu-9'; ally perfectly normal," adds.

5 Larcinese has been a single parent since divorcing 10 years ago. "I have a very good rela-tionship with my ex-husband, but we didn't start out that way," she says. "It took two to three years and a lot of hard work to make it happen. 9 "When I left my marriage, I blamed my husband for our problems," she says. "It was-" n't till I took a look at myself that I saw I contributed as much as he did to the down-1'-fall of our marriage.

"Many, many people remain'' stuck in blaming," Larcinese 3" says. "You need to work out your differences because it's in the best interest of your child. "What is your goal?" she asks. "If it's to raise a healthy child, you want two parents j-v involved." She makes an ex- 1 ception only in cases where'" there was physical, sexual or emotional abuse. "There is no cookbook with nrnupn IwinaQ frr cinrrln no.

J-J- oiling yax enting, she says. "If vour heart is in what's best for'5' your child, you won't go. wrong. Tonight's interactive pro-1 gram is free. Call 608-1622.

T'' 5 Family fun The Garden State Discovery Museum on Springdale Road -in Cherry Hill will host popular Single and Together'' program Friday from 7 to 9 9 p.m. Single parents get while their children enjoy tot-size exhibits or-watch a theater performance of Curly the Caterpillar. Admission is $10 for a parent and child and $5 for each additional child. Call 424-1233. Can you canoe? The Outdoor Club will hnst a kayak-canoe excursion on the Wading River east ofi Hammonton on Sunday at 9:15 a.m.

Meet at Bel-Haven Canoes on Route 542. Bring picnic food to share. Call 697- 3870 to reserve. I Veggie bikers Vegetarian Society Singles will enjoy a bike ride and veggie picnic Sunday at 2 p.m. in Lebanon State Forest Bring your bicycle, a helmet and a vegan entree.

The cost is $2 Call 877-WWW-VSSJ. Feature writer Klimcte can be reached, at 486-2446 or by fax at 653-2831. id-. Ma -iJ A physician recommends how to get the most out of a visit to the doctor's office. Asking questions is the best way to ensure you receive safe and appropriate medical care, says Michael L.

Millenson, author of Demanding Medical Excellence (University of Chicago Press, Millenson suggests including these these topics when talking with your doc-ton When diagnostic tests are recommended, find out how the results of the test will change your recommended treatment. Ask what you will learn from this. Sometimes, you can say no to tests without repercussions. If you need a specific procedure, such as open-heart surgery for clogged arteries, ask how many procedures the doctor has done and how many the hospital does yearly For open-heart surgery, the hospitals should be doing 250 a year and your doctor should be doing 50. Ask about new, updated procedures.

Some newer procedures are less invasive; others are fads. If you don't need the procedure immediately, ask the doctor's office to put you in touch with other patients who have had this procedure or are following this treatment plan. Some health organizations sponsor dedicated chat rooms and Web sites to get information and interact with others. Consider options with your values and personal beliefs in mind. JUDITH W.

WINNE ride of your life By JUDITH W. WINNE Courier-Post Staff If you're headed to your doctor for an exami- nation, you should know there is a prescription for a 1 hale and hearty visit Your physical and, indeed, your health, could depend on what you do before, dur- -ing and after the exam. Dr. Laura Rutkie- wicz, a family physi- cian in Burlington Township, says pa- 4 tients must take care to tell a doctor, particularly if it's a first-time visit with a physician, all the medications they are taking. Either write it down or bring the medicine bottles with you.

"It saves a lot of time and playing the guessing game, if you know what they're on," says Rutkiewicz. Consider your time with the physician a medical window-of-opportunity, ex-WT perts suggest. You have a few, face-to-' face minutes to get your complaints heard, your questions answered, your problem solved. Rutkiewicz says one of the first priorities is to make sure the time allotted for your visit is sufficient. You don't want to feel rushed.

But that can happen if you don't make clear why you need to see the doctor. Perhaps you call the receptionist and say you have a cold. "I expect that's going to be a five-minute visit," says Rutkiewicz, who notes, "we'll frequently double-book colds." But maybe you just said you have a cold. Actually you're a female patient who is too embarrassed to say you think you may have a yeast infection. So, you concoct another ailment What you can do instead, says the doctor, is tell the receptionist "I think I need a GYN (gynecologic) exam or a pelvic exam." Similarly, it's a good idea to avoid what Rutkiewicz calls the oh-by-the-way query, in- See DOCTOR, Page 2C tion motor, or LIM, coaster in 1996.

The technology was originally developed in the 1940s for launching rockets, but Seay (pronounced SHAY) and his engineers were the first to successfully apply it to roller coasters. Instead of towing cars up an incline and relying on gravity to build speed and momentum, linear induction motors create a "magnetic river" that propels the coaster, allowing it to quickly speed up or slow down throughout the ride That allows Premier's engi-See SEAY, Page 2C Jim Seay coaster Roller coaster designer takes you on the -A By MELISSA EARNS Associated Press Jim Seay likes to make people scream. As the president of Premier Rides one of the preeminent roller coaster designers and manufacturers in the world, he does a good job. Using rocket science, his company developed roller coasters that use magnets and electricity to propel passengers through gravity -defying loops and rolls. The award-winning technology has sent the 5-year-old company to the top of the industry faster than its 70-mph coasters plunge and twist along their graceful tracks.

Premier Rides, based in Mitchellville, has designed and built coasters for Six Flags and Paramount amusement parks, and recently extended its reach overseas through an alliance with TOGO, a Japanese amusement park supplier. The great thing about this industry is that people's concept of what a great experience is is constantly changing," Seay said. Premier's engineers introduced the first linear induc- ROBERTO BOREAAssociated Press used the latest technology to design a roller for Six Flags America in Largo, Md..