Abbreviations The guidelines for application of diagnostic imaging, and MRI in particular, to breast cancer patient evaluation and management continue to evolve, and some are articulated by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN; 1). Currently, the breast cancer patient populations who might benefit most from pre-operative MRI include genetically-defined high-risk patients, those with dense breasts as determined by mammography, those with a lobular invasive cancer, a multi-centric tumor or a previously-diagnosed bilateral tumor, those with significant distinctions in size between mammography and ultrasound (US) findings, or those for whom partial breast irradiation or other breast conserving therapy is being considered (2-5). Despite this extensive experience, considerable controversies exist as to the true benefits of the application of MRI to treatment management. A retrospective review of patients with newly diagnosed breast carcinoma who had MRIs prior to surgery noted 381 lesions in 361 patients with pathologic confirmation of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), invasive carcinoma, or mixed DCIS and invasive carcinoma (6). Of these lesions, 16.8% were DCIS, 26.5% were invasive carcinoma, and 56.7% were mixed. An MRI lesion correctly identified the histopathologically-defined cancer in 85.9% of DCIS cases, and to an even higher extent in invasive (97.0%) or mixed (98.1%) cases. DCIS often appears as non-mass clumped enhancement on MRI, with ductal or segmental distribution (7).
Abbreviations The guidelines for application of diagnostic imaging, and MRI in particular, to breast cancer patient evaluation and management continue to evolve, and some are articulated by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN; 1). Currently, the breast cancer patient populations who might benefit most from pre-operative MRI include genetically-defined high-risk patients, those with dense breasts as determined by mammography, those with a lobular invasive cancer, a multi-centric tumor or a previously-diagnosed bilateral tumor, those with significant distinctions in size between mammography and ultrasound (US) findings, or those for whom partial breast irradiation or other breast conserving therapy is being considered (2-5). Despite this extensive experience, considerable controversies exist as to the true benefits of the application of MRI to treatment management. A retrospective review of patients with newly diagnosed breast carcinoma who had MRIs prior to surgery noted 381 lesions in 361 patients with pathologic confirmation of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), invasive carcinoma, or mixed DCIS and invasive carcinoma (6). Of these lesions, 16.8% were DCIS, 26.5% were invasive carcinoma, and 56.7% were mixed. An MRI lesion correctly identified the histopathologically-defined cancer in 85.9% of DCIS cases, and to an even higher extent in invasive (97.0%) or mixed (98.1%) cases. DCIS often appears as non-mass clumped enhancement on MRI, with ductal or segmental distribution (7).
The main goal of the Training Program is to increase the number of Hispanic students knowledgeable and committed to careers in cancer research and cancer medicine. The specific objectives are to prepare Hispanic students to pursue careers in cancer research, cancer medicine, and population sciences and to establish a Career Development Program for clinical and basic scientist faculty at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Puerto Rico (UPRCCC). The Training Program includes a series of didactic and research experiences, and enrichment activities that include on-campus cancer research at the UPR campuses during the academic year, and summer research and year-round rotations to MDACC. These experiences are complemented and supported by a structured Mentoring Program for students and junior investigators. The mentors are well recognized senior Faculty, mostly from MDACC. Training Opportunities Various research programs are available in UPR and MDACC, all sponsored by the U54 Training Program. In the UPR there is Research Assistantships Stipends Program for Undergraduate and Graduate Students. Students have the opportunity of working in cancer research projects under the guidance of Faculty in mid to senior stages of their academic careers. Most of these scientists are re-gearing their careers to Cancer Research. The students are also required to attend Seminars and Workshops offered through the academic year, mostly offered by visiting world-renowned scientists.
This decrease in return counts also reflects the expected recessionary period in the U.S. economy and its implications for tax return volumes. Historically, recessionary periods are correlated with increases in unemployment and corresponding decreases in taxable income. This reduction in income can be expected to reduce overall individual tax return filings, as the projections indicate. After CY 2010, grand total return filings are projected to grow at a more common average annual rate of 1.1 percent and are expected to reach 253.6 million returns by 2016. The average rate of growth is derived mainly by projected trends for the major return categories that comprise grand total filings, including individual income tax returns and business tax returns like employment tax returns, corporation tax returns, partnership returns, and estate tax returns. In addition, projections for total electronic returns continue to show a steady increase over the forecast horizon. This growth of electronic filing furthers IRSs strategic goal to improve taxpayer service. For example, according to the most recent forecast, total individual electronic returns are estimated to be 66 percent of all individual income tax returns filed in 2009 and are projected to constitute 79 percent of all returns in 2016. Trend in Grand Total Returns
More than 100 HPV types have been identified with more than 30 being sexually transmitted (7). Anogenital HPV types have been classified into low-risk types (non-oncogenic), which are associated with anogenital warts (condyloma acuminata), oral and conjunctival papillomas, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (in infants and young children), and mild dysplasia (8). High-risk types (oncogenic) are associated with high-grade dysplasia and various cancers. Current estimates of the attributable fraction, the proportion of cancer cases preventable by the elimination of HPV, are very high (9): 100% for cervical, 90% for anal, 40% for vulvar and vaginal, 50% for cancer of the penis, and between 33 and 72% of oropharyngeal cancers (10). Although there has been increasing interest in understanding the burden of HPV infection and related comorbidities in men (11), studies in this group are still quite limited (12), particularly among Hispanics. Research and surveillance data have indicated that Hispanics have been disproportionately affected by HIV/ AIDS (13), Other STIs (14) and may engage disproportionately in high-risk sexual behaviors (15). In addition, a higher incidence of cervical cancer is observed in Puerto Rico and Hispanic women in the US compared with non-Hispanic whites (Figure 1). These factors could reflect a potential higher prevalence of HPV infection in these populations, as well as disparities in screening rates in these groups (16) suggesting that Hispanic and Puerto Rican men might also be at higher risk for HPV infection and related health outcomes. This high incidence might also lead to a significant economic burden. In Puerto Rico for example, it was estimated that the economic impact of HPV related cancers in 2004 was approximately 7.5% (close to 5 million dollars) of the total cancer costs (17). Even though HPV infection is highly prevalent in sexually active men, (18), most research studies have focused only in women. Studies in men are of particular relevance because, as with other STIs, men play a key role in the transmission dynamics to both male and female sexual partners. It is also clear that HPV infection in men is a serious clinical issue, given the association of HPV infection with a variety of cancers in men, including anal cancer and a subset of penile and oral cancers (19). With the world-wide introduction of two new prophylactic vaccines (bivalent vaccine protecting against HPV 16 and 18, and the quadrivalent vaccine protecting against HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11) against oncogenic HPVs causing cervical cancer in women (20), and the recent FDA approval of the quadrivalent vaccine to prevent genital warts also in men, there is an urgency to determine the burden of HPV in Hispanic populations before vaccination programs are implemented on a widespread basis. Knowledge of the burden of the disease and its related morbidities prior to implementation of these programs will allow a better assessment and understanding of the short-term and long-term effectiveness of this primary prevention strategy for cervical neoplasia and genital warts. In addition, it will permit exploring the prevalence of type-specific HPVs in these populations, not currently included in the HPV vaccines available in the market.
One important task when analyzing microarray data is that of determining which genes changed their expressions significantly from one state to another, for example, from tissues in a cancerous state to tissues in a healthy state. In general, the procedure in which such a task is undertaken is known as gene filtering and has been extensively explored due to its potential for recognizing a reduced number of genes, which recognition can offer a shortcut to illness diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment (4-5, 7-21). Gene filtering has been explored through a variety of techniques based on normal distribution, such as the 2 sample t-test (17), ANOVA (22), and the Welch t-test (19), among others. Some authors stress the fact that gene expression data do not follow a normal distribution (18, 21, 23), proposing the use of nonparametric statistical tests such as the Mann-Whitney (MW) test (18), also known as the Wilcoxon test. Genes selected through a filtering procedure can be used for many purposes. Of particular interest to this study was defining a classifier to determine whether a given tissue belongs to a particular category (i.e. cancer or healthy) through measuring the relative expressions of the selected genes. Thus, the interest was on developing a cancer diagnosis that is based on classification. As a precedent, our research group has previously proposed a strategy (based on the Wilcoxon test) to carry out gene filtering and tissue classification (24-25), aiming first for simplicity rather than performance. In this study, using this initial strategy as a baseline, classification performance was targeted through the development of two new methods. The first method employed the Wilcoxon test for gene filtering and classification; however, this revised method introduced a gene-set selection step right after filtering to enhance classification performance. The second method capitalized on this new structure, and used the Nemenyi-Damico-Wolfe (NDW) multiple comparison nonparametric test as a distinctive enhancement strategy. For brevity, the descriptions of the Wilcoxon and the NDW tests have been omitted here but can be readily perused in a textbook on nonparametric statistical methods, such as that of Hollander and Wolfe (26). The structure of this paper is as follows: In the next section, microarray databases are described in general, along with the details of the proposed methods. The computational setting is then discussed in the ensuing section, followed by an assessment of the classification performance of the proposed methods vs. that of the baseline approach. Finally, conclusions are drawn and future plans are described.
In August 2004, the Law #230, approved by the Government of Puerto Rico in a three party resolution, created the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UPRCCC), a public corporation affiliated to the University of Puerto Rico. This law established that this Center will be the organism responsible for executing the public policy related to the prevention, education, and research, as well as the clinical and treatment services related to cancer in Puerto Rico. The dual mission of the UPRCCC is: (1) To deliver the best research-driven cancer care through programs that integrate patient care, research, prevention, and education, and (2) To eradicate cancer in Puerto Rico using a multidisciplinary approach of basic, clinical, and population research. Thus, the UPRCCC is fundamental for the development of cancer control, research, and training efforts in Puerto Rico. More recently, in 2008, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Puerto Rico published its first official Cancer Control Plan, a structured guide with measurable outcomes aimed at reducing the cancer burden in our population. All of the previously mentioned initiatives will continue to be key to the progress in cancer control and research in Puerto Rico and thus, to the quality of the preventive and treatment services that we will offer to our patients. The increase in the cancer burden in Puerto Rico has been accompanied by a substantial increase in the volume of published research and federal funds to academic institutions in Puerto Rico for cancer research. Despite this advancement, areas that need our continued support and development in the years to come include: 1) continued surveillance of cancer occurrence in Puerto Rico through the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry, 2) development of transdisciplinary and translational cancer research that encompass all areas of the cancer control continuum (prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship), 3) outreach efforts that bring scientific knowledge to the development of targeted cancer control strategies for the community, 4) development of sound cancer-related public policy, and 5) continued training of the next generation of cancer researchers and health professionals. Our ability to collaborate in multidisciplinary local and international teams will be essential to our success. The forthcoming issue of the Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal provides an informative summary of various research studies that are currently being conducted in Puerto Rico. The 17 articles in this issue describe diverse research areas in the cancer field including disease burden, disease prevention, correlates of cancer occurrence, diagnostic technologies and clinical management. In addition, an overview of cancer training efforts in the island is discussed. Our future as a healthy nation will require a concerted effort between government, academia and industry that lead the research, training, and public policy efforts that will ultimately result in improved cancer prevention and control outcomes for the people of Puerto Rico. We hope you find in this edition of the journal a well-rounded overview of cancer research in Puerto Rico.
The main goal of the Training Program is to increase the number of Hispanic students knowledgeable and committed to careers in cancer research and cancer medicine. The specific objectives are to prepare Hispanic students to pursue careers in cancer research, cancer medicine, and population sciences and to establish a Career Development Program for clinical and basic scientist faculty at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Puerto Rico (UPRCCC). The Training Program includes a series of didactic and research experiences, and enrichment activities that include on-campus cancer research at the UPR campuses during the academic year, and summer research and year-round rotations to MDACC. These experiences are complemented and supported by a structured Mentoring Program for students and junior investigators. The mentors are well recognized senior Faculty, mostly from MDACC. Training Opportunities Various research programs are available in UPR and MDACC, all sponsored by the U54 Training Program. In the UPR there is Research Assistantships Stipends Program for Undergraduate and Graduate Students. Students have the opportunity of working in cancer research projects under the guidance of Faculty in mid to senior stages of their academic careers. Most of these scientists are re-gearing their careers to Cancer Research. The students are also required to attend Seminars and Workshops offered through the academic year, mostly offered by visiting world-renowned scientists.
Leo Ross Walker, Jr. DDS. 7/29/1923 ~ 8/26/2010
Leah Morrison Bodily 1916 ~ 2010
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Establishing the Family-Friendly Campus: Models for Effective Practice, Jaime Lester and Margaret Sallee, Eds. (Stylus Publishing, 2009, $79.95 hardback or $29.95 paperback) With this volume on family-friendly policy and practice, editor (and OCWW contributor) Jaime Lester and editor Margaret Sallee have created a much-needed kit for retooling work–life balance in academe. Identifying a need for inclusivity that has expanded with the growth of womens academic roles, Lester and Sallee have compiled an informative baedeker for multiple routes toward institutions that are more family-friendly for both women and men. Highlighting approaches that range from institutional supports for parents (stop-the-clock options, lactation rooms, flexible scheduling) to the grassroots activism that buttresses those options, the book illustrates how effective cultural change connects at all levels of the institution.
BROADCASTERS will be carefully studying ratings figures for Fridays Euro 2012 fixtures. And you can bet that if England v Bulgaria on ITV1 , for example, draws a lower than normal audience, pressure will mount on FIFA, who changed the calendar for double headers from the traditional Saturday-Wednesday slots to Friday-Tuesday. Many England fans living outside London are furious that the 8pm start will force them to take time off work and create travel problems. But the only opinion that will count in FIFAs corridors of powers are those of TV moguls with their big bucks. The size of their Friday audiences will decide whether the international assault on Saturday kick-offs continues. The omens are not good. TV bosses report that Friday night ratings for rugby union are encouraging.
The Very Last Of The Summer Wine (8.00pm) In which several old men build a rocketpropelled bathtub on wheels with hilarious consequences. Oh, that was last week. Its the end for, surely, the longest-running comedy series ever! CHOICE Mountain Gorilla (8pm) Fascinating look at the gorilla community, narrated by Patrick Stewart (now theres a voice made for documentaries) sees silverback leader Titus try to care for a vulnerable orphan. CHOICE Martin Clunes – Horsepower (8.00pm) Doc Martin star and animal lover Clunes examines the changing role of horses over the years. He also has a punt and looks at police horses in Old Trafford -home of Mane-chester United. CHOICE Alan Carr: Chatty Man (10.00pm) The hair, the teeth, the sexual innuendo – and thats just Alan Carrs guests this week, with Jedward, Whoopi Goldberg and Sex and the Citys Kim Cattrall on the sofa. McFly provide the music.
On March 2 of 2007, with the implementation of Law 66, Puerto Rico became a smoke-free island by completely banning indoor smoking in public places such as bars, pubs, casinos, hotels, work places with more than one employee, and cars with any passenger under the age of 13 . According to the literature, the immediate impact of smoke-free workplace policies has been to dramatically reduce the exposition to SHS for customers and workers (10-17). Many studies have used the level of respirable particulate matter ([PM.sub.2.5]) as the main indicator of exposure to SHS because it has been demonstrated that smoking is one of the main sources of indoor levels of [PM.sub.2.5] (10). For example, bars in the state of New York experienced an average reduction of 84% in their [PM.sub.2.5] levels after the Clean Indoor Air Act was implemented in July of 2003 (11). In the case of Austin, Texas, bars experienced a reduction from 71% to 99% in their [PM.sub.2.5] levels after a smoking ban was implemented (12). In another study (13), Irish-theme pubs around the globe located in countries or cities with smoke-free legislation were compared with similar pubs in places without smoke-free ordinances. In this case, the results showed an average 91% reduction in [PM.sub.2.5] levels. In March of 2006, a smoking ban was implemented in Scotland, which substantially covered enclosed places including pubs. Evidence shows that, as a result, Scottish pubs experienced an average of 86% reduction in [PM.sub.2.5] levels (14). In Italy, a year after the implementation of an all smoke-free workplace policy in January of 2005, there was an average of 68% reduction in [PM.sub.2.5] levels across bars, restaurants, game rooms, and pubs (15). The main claim of this study is that the smoke-free workplace policy implemented in March of 2007 was effective in reducing the exposure to SHS in restaurants, pubs, and discos in the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The specific research objectives of the study were three. First, to measure and compare the restaurants, pubs, and discos in the metropolitan area of San Juan at baseline (before the smoke-free workplace policy was implemented) in terms of the levels of respirable particulate matter (PM), the number of smokers, the number of customers, and establishment area. Second, to measure the change in levels of PM, the number of smokers, and the number of customers before and after March 2007. And third, to measure the effect of the smoke-free workplace policy on the level of PM controlling for the number of customers and establishment area.
A CASH-STRAPPED council in Wales has sanctioned pounds 190,000 to be spent on “essential” building work. OK, so that must mean updating a care home, or building classrooms or maybe a new clinic? Where do you start? But, no. Environmental bosses at the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council have insisted nearly pounds 200,000 is blown on three wire walkways across a new bypass. Not for local kids, mind you, but for dormice.
A DIABETIC grandmother in hospital for a minor operation died because nurses forgot to give her insulin injections. Gillian Astbury, 66, received the appalling treatment at a hospital, where up to 1,200 patients have died in suspicious circumstances in four years. A police investigation into Gillians care left three nurses facing possible manslaughter charges, which were later dropped. Two have been sacked. The third has been suspended and faces being struck off.
HES managed in six countries, including two spells with Real Madrid. Hes felt the wrath of angry supporters as well as the golden glow of success. Yet John Toshack, after 32 years in more hot seats than hed care to remember, will still look back on his time with Wales as the hottest of them all. “Its different to a club job but, yes, its been tough,” said the man who begins his final campaign, Euro 2112, in Montenegro next Friday night. “I knew it would be, thats why I insisted on five years rather than three when I got the job.”
MAZDA has released some pictures of the updated Mazda2 ahead of its Paris Motorshow debut. The 2 will now come with an automatic option; upgraded interior, upgraded exterior styling and an updated suspension to improve ride comfort.
MERCEDES-BENZ has set tongues wagging and pulses racing as it unveiled the new CLS this week.
Women in Kenya remain disadvantaged, with opportunities for educational, social, and economic advancement inferior to those of men. Women are underrepresented in modern sector wage employment, political and judicial decision making, and all major public service appointments. Numerous social, economic, and cultural barriers limit womens participation in these areas. But womens underrepresentation in education is a primary factor. The benefits of womens education to women and to society in general are immense. In the workplace, education increases skills needed for job entry, improves chances of vertical mobility, and enhances overall labor market productivity. It also has positive consequences at home, including improved health, increased child survival rates, reduced fertility rates, lower infant mortality rates, and better protection against HIV and AIDS (Tembon and Fort 2008). Education of women and girls is therefore not only a moral and human rights issue, but also an economic and development issue. Given the significant benefits of womens education, equity in education is essential to improving circumstances for all Kenyans. As the leading provider of education, the government should acknowledge that compensatory mechanisms may be required to level the playing field for disadvantaged girls, and it should adopt an approach that uses these mechanisms. Making education equitable means adopting policies and initiatives that support equal provisions across genders. Female Education in Kenya Education in Kenya has four basic levels: preschool (ages 4-6), primary (ages 7-14), secondary (ages 15-18), and tertiary. Since attaining political independence from Great Britain in 1963, the Kenyan government has emphasized educations importance to economic development. It has also increased the number of schools at all levels, from about six thousand primary and 150 secondary schools in 1963 to almost twenty thousand primary and four thousand secondary schools in 2004. As a result, the student population has increased substantially, with over 700 percent growth at the primary level and almost 3,000 percent growth at the secondary level (Ministry of Education 2007). But this total expansion in education hides disparities by gender and region.
INTRODUCTION The essentiality of copper for poultry and livestock is well documented (Davis and Mertz, 1987). Cu is an essential mineral which serves as co-factor in many enzyme systems in the body. Cu-sulfate (CuS[O.sub.4]5[H.sub.2]O) is the most commonly used dietary Cu supplement. Copper in the form of Cu-sulfate improves growth rate and feed efficiency in broilers (Choi and Paik, 1989; Baker et al., 1991) and in pigs (Roof and Mahan, 1982; Edmonds et al., 1985; Cromwell et al., 1989) at supernormal level (125 to 250 mg/kg). Growth promoting effect of dietary Cu has been attributed to its antimicrobial action (Fuller at el., 1960; Bunch et al., 1961; Burnell et al., 1988). Improved availability of Cu from organic Cu complexes compared with the commonly used Cu salts recently has been suggested. Chelates, complexes or proteinates are the organic form of Cu and are usually considered for use in animal diet as alternatives to inorganic Cu source. More bioavailability of Cu is probably due to better absorption, which enhances its efficiency (Downs et al., 2000; Yu et al., 2000; Guo et al., 2001). Baker and Ammerman (1995) reported that relative bioavailability estimate of organic Cu sources ranged from 88% to 147% of the response to cupric sulfate in poultry, Swine, sheep and cattle. Improvements in the digestibility of proteins (Braude, 1965; Castell and Bowland, 1968) and retention of nitrogen (Braude, 1965) have been reported in young pigs fed diet containing added Cu. Studies by Dove and Haydon (1992) and Dove (1995) have indicated that addition of 250 mg Cu/kg improved digestibility and utilization of the fat of weaned pigs, but results have limited and inconclusive for chickens when Cu added to the feed fortified with oil. To increase the energy level in the finisher diet and to obtain higher weight of a broiler chicken, oil and fat are used because of its high energy content. Soybean oil which stimulates growth rate, when included in poultry diet (Nitsan et al., 1997) is most commonly used oil source in Indian condition. Unsaturated vegetable fats (like soybean oil) are more energetic than saturated animal fat. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of level of dietary inorganic and organic forms of Cu and energy level on performance and nutrient utilization of broiler chicken.
Epidemiological studies in the United States (US), Europe, Australia, and Africa have documented standardized incidence ratios (SIR) of AIDS related and non-AIDS related cancers using data from linked Cancer and AIDS registries (4-13). In a population-based registry linkage in New York State, Gallagher et al. (10) reported significant SIR for KS, NHL, invasive cervical cancer, and several non-AIDS related cancers affecting the tongue, mouth, rectum, anus, trachea, bronchus, and lung. In Italy, Dal Maso, Serraino and Franceschi (7) reported a SIR of 302 (95% CI, 253-357) for NHL in AIDS patients. In a linkage of AIDS and cancer registries from 11 US regions, Engels et al. (4) reported important declines in KS and NHL after the introduction of HAART in people with AIDS, no change in cervical cancer, and increased risk of non-AIDS related cancers, particularly Hodgkin lymphoma, anus, liver, and lung cancer. An AIDS-Cancer linkage was also conducted in Africa, where the incidence of all AIDS related cancers and some non-AIDS related cancers (Hodgkin lymphoma, conjunctiva, kidney, thyroid, and uterus) were found to be higher among people with AIDS (9). In a more recent prospective cohort study, Patel et al. (5) also reported a reduction in AIDS related malignancies except for cervical cancer, and a significant increase risk of non-AIDS related malignancies in a cohort of adults living with HIV compared to the general population in the US. The most important types of non-AIDS related malignancies were: anal, vaginal, Hodgkin lymphoma, liver, lung, melanoma, oropharyngeal, leukemia, colorectal and renal. These results suggest that the incidence of non-AIDS related cancers has increased more than the incidence of AIDS related cancers, and that the influence of HAART in the development and prognosis of various cancers is still not clear. Biological, environmental and behavioral risk factors must also be explored to better define the long-term cancer risk in people living with HIV/AIDS (14). Puerto Rico (PR) is one of the top ten US States and territories with the highest cumulative number of AIDS cases, and Puerto Ricans are the second largest group of Hispanics in the US with higher cancer mortality rates (15-16). However, little information is available regarding AIDS related and non-AIDS related malignancies among Hispanics with HIV/ AIDS in the US or PR. In one retrospective cohort study in Southern California, Levine et al. (17) reported that from 1982 to 1998 the prevalence of AIDS-related lymphoma decreased significantly in whites but increased in Hispanics. In another study, Fordyce et al. (18) conducted a population-based AIDS-Cancer linkage analysis of women from New York City diagnosed with AIDS between 1981 and 1994, and reported that 47% of all cancer cases were among African Americans, 36% among Hispanics, and 16% among non-Hispanic whites. Mayor et al. (19) conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 3,576 HIV/AIDS patients attending an outpatient clinic in PR from 1992 to 2005. Of these patients, 171 (4.8%) were diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives: 51.5% AIDS related and 48.5% non-AIDS related cancers. Because no population-based studies have been conducted in PR, the risk of AIDS related and non-AIDS related cancers in PR compared to the general population is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of AIDS related and non-AIDS related cancers among Hispanics with AIDS in PR using the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry and the Puerto Rico AIDS Surveillance Program Registry. Both are population-based registries that receive support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We hypothesized that the risk of all AIDS related cancers and the risk of many non-AIDS related cancers will be higher in the AIDS group compared with the general population in PR. The results of this study will provide the basis for future epidemiological studies to characterize the natural history of specific cancers in HIV infection and other important biological, environmental, and behavioral risk factors.
By Jan Biles A group of volunteers is helping to restore a historic farmstead in Wabaunsee County. The Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards recently put down gravel and made other improvements to the road leading to Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie, a 50-acre hilltop park about three miles south of Wamego, said Michael Stubbs, a founding member of the Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards. The volunteers also worked with Wabaunsee Township and local construction companies to replace culverts and build up the roadbed. The cost of the project was about $6,500, which will be raised by the volunteers.
SHOCKED pals of Michaela Davis huddled together in trembling groups yesterday as they struggled to come to terms with the pretty youngsters death. They stood at the entrance to her Village estate in Clonsilla which was exactly at the point where the Garda tape sealed off the scene. The young teens watched as Garda vehicles passed up and down the road and officers hurried around the corner to where the body was discovered in undergrowth. One sobbed: “I just cant believe it. I saw her walking by my house yesterday. Its so hard to believe she is gone, just like that.” Pals said the pretty 12-yearold was short for her age but was much more mature. She was looking forward to returning to starting secondary school tomorrow. Her friends also revealed how she had worn her new uniform for the first time last Friday at Luttrelstown Community College when she picked up her timetable for the coming year.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — International real estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson (NYSE:
KW) today announced the results of its 2010 annual shareholder
meeting held on Thursday, August 26, 2010.
Shareholders reelected Cathy Hendrickson to serve a three year term on
the Board of Directors and elected Stanley Zax to also serve a three
year term on the Board. Zax is chairman and CEO of Zenith National
Insurance Corporation, a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings
Limited.
Additionally, shareholders approved an amendment to the company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which increases the
number of shares of authorized common stock from 80,000,000 to
125,000,000 shares. The issuance of shares of common stock upon
conversion of Series A Preferred Stock in accordance with applicable New
York Stock Exchange Rules was approved. Shareholders also ratified the
appointment of KPMG as the companys independent registered public
accounting firm for 2010.
Asked to size up Powers Boulevards retail potential a decade ago, developer Fred Veitch put it this way: “It will be the next Academy Boulevard – better done,” said Veitch, of Colorado Springs real estate company Norwood Development Group, which has since built several shopping areas along Powers. Until the late 1990s, Academy was Colorado Springs dominant retail corridor – with popular shopping centers and restaurants up and down the north-south highway, which stretches from one end of town to the other. Academy remains a busy retail destination, especially north of Woodmen Road. But its been displaced by Powers, which has several newer and better designed shopping centers, easier access to retail areas and some stores not found on Academy. But has Powers popularity come at Academys expense?
Claude Elmo Middleton 1917 ~ 2010
Fraunhofer’s telepresence@home HD Video Conferencing Technology,
Developed within the EU Project “Together Anywhere Together Anytime”
Delivers a “Same-Room” Experience Despite the Distance between Users
BERLIN — Fraunhofer IIS, the world’s authoritative source of audio and multimedia
technologies, is presenting technologies for telepresence@home and HD
video conferencing systems, featuring low-delay, high-quality audio and
video for the first time at IFA 2010 in Berlin. Fraunhofer’s technology
allows users to experience completely natural conversation just as if
the participants were sitting in the same room.
The telepresence@home system demo is part of the European Union’s
“Together Anywhere Together Anytime” (TA2) project, which aims to enable
new media experiences to nurture relationships between families and
friends. Through its work as a research partner within TA2, Fraunhofer
contributed its Audio Communication Engine to provide the highest
quality audio, and now delivers a matching low-delay video solution.
This new video technology reduces delay to a level that allows for
natural communication experiences. In contrast to conventional video
conferencing systems, the Audio Communication Engine and low-delay video
technology deliver a complete telepresence@home system that provides the
highest audio and video quality along with imperceptible latency.
“Current low-delay video technologies require either a much higher
bit-rate or rely on very expensive dedicated hardware,” said Dr.
Nikolaus Faerber, low-delay video project manager at Fraunhofer IIS.
“However, Fraunhofer’s solution is based on PC hardware, which is widely
available at a very competitive price. The result is an HD video
conferencing system for the home that delivers the best possible
communication experience at a low cost.”
Fraunhofer’s low-delay video technology consists of low-delay,
high-quality video encoding and decoding based on H.264 in conjunction
with a custom designed low-delay frame grabber card. This combination
enables high-quality HD video at DSL compatible bit-rates well below 100
ms delay end-to-end.
Balqon Corporation (OTCBB: BLQN), a developer and manufacturer of zero emissions, heavy-duty electric vehicles and drive systems, has received a $490,000 order for electric drive systems under a new dealer agreement with DynaProTech, a leading composite automotive parts manufacturer in the Peoples Republic of China.
Under the terms of the dealer agreement, DynaProTech plans to integrate Balqons zero-emissions electric drive systems into electric buses, heavy-duty trucks, light commercial vehicles and automobiles for use throughout China. DynaProTech will also provide servicing and parts for Balqons products throughout China.
“Our relationship with DynaProTech is a continuation of our localization strategy to have our drive systems integrated into products manufactured by regional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in major world markets,” said Balwinder Samra, president and CEO of Balqon Corporation.
“We believe that DynaProTechs existing customer base in the automotive sector will expedite our ability to promote our technologies to a growing base of OEMs seeking zero-emissions technologies,” said Samra. “In addition, we believe that our relationship with DynaProTech will also allow us to showcase our flux vector motor controllers and battery management systems to manufacturers of electric buses, trucks and automobiles in China.”
The relationship with DynaProTech comes at a time where China is expected to increase spending in the alternative-energy vehicle industry. On August 4, 2010, the Shanghai Securities News reported (without citation) that China may invest more than 100 billion Yuan (approximately US$14.8 billion) in the alternative-energy vehicles industry during the next 10 years.
SINGAPORE — Personal navigation devices (PNDs) have been popular in recent years,
and remain so. According to ABI Research market data, approximately 42.3
million personal navigation devices will be shipped in 2010. New devices
offer more features attractive to customers. “New features such as
multimedia functions, voice commands, and digital camera and Bluetooth
connections are being added to both handheld and automotive-friendly
devices,” notes telematics and navigation practice director Dominique
Bonte.
Device manufacturers such as Navigon, Pioneer, and Garmin all launched
new PNDs in the first half of 2010. Among the new products launched this
year, Garmin nüvi 3700 series devices are less than 9mm thick, which is
ultra-thin compared to the other devices on the market. It also has a
dual-orientation capability which is very suitable for portable use. New
products from Garmin and Navigon come with Bluetooth connections.
Personal navigation devices come with screens sizes ranging from 3 to 5
inches. In-vehicle dashboard devices have larger screens, up to 7
inches. More than 80% of the portable and in-dash navigation devices
come with touch screens which give a more intuitive user experience.
Recently, PND manufacturers are facing increased competition from
GPS-equipped smartphones, and some manufacturers have found their sales
of PNDs declining. Free map access from Google and Nokia on mobile
phones has also caused a fall in sales and average selling prices.
However, “Stand-alone PNDs still have an advantage over smartphones,”
says research associate Khin Sandi Lynn. “Their larger screens provide
users with a clearer view that is also easier to use while driving.
Although volumes are dropping, for automotive use standalone PNDs will
remain the preferred choice for many users.”
SINGAPORE — Personal navigation devices (PNDs) have been popular in recent years,
and remain so. According to ABI Research market data, approximately 42.3
million personal navigation devices will be shipped in 2010. New devices
offer more features attractive to customers. “New features such as
multimedia functions, voice commands, and digital camera and Bluetooth
connections are being added to both handheld and automotive-friendly
devices,” notes telematics and navigation practice director Dominique
Bonte.
Device manufacturers such as Navigon, Pioneer, and Garmin all launched
new PNDs in the first half of 2010. Among the new products launched this
year, Garmin nüvi 3700 series devices are less than 9mm thick, which is
ultra-thin compared to the other devices on the market. It also has a
dual-orientation capability which is very suitable for portable use. New
products from Garmin and Navigon come with Bluetooth connections.
Personal navigation devices come with screens sizes ranging from 3 to 5
inches. In-vehicle dashboard devices have larger screens, up to 7
inches. More than 80% of the portable and in-dash navigation devices
come with touch screens which give a more intuitive user experience.
Recently, PND manufacturers are facing increased competition from
GPS-equipped smartphones, and some manufacturers have found their sales
of PNDs declining. Free map access from Google and Nokia on mobile
phones has also caused a fall in sales and average selling prices.
However, “Stand-alone PNDs still have an advantage over smartphones,”
says research associate Khin Sandi Lynn. “Their larger screens provide
users with a clearer view that is also easier to use while driving.
Although volumes are dropping, for automotive use standalone PNDs will
remain the preferred choice for many users.”
WERE going on holiday by Eurostar and since our train leaves London at 8am we need to stay the night before in a hotel near St Pancras. Can you suggest somewhere that is not too expensive? – R Hindle, North Yorkshire.
AN Argyll hotel business in which reality TV tycoon Gerry Robinson refused to invest, on the grounds that it “didnt need the money”, has gone into administration, with the loss of 58 jobs. McColls of Argyll, based in Dunoon, featured on Channel 4s Gerrys Big Decision last year. Former Granada boss Robinson, has made a second career out of television turnarounds and he advised on a restructuring in a way that appeared to end a long-standing father- and-son battle for managerial control. But Robinson also surprised the Wilkinsons by declining to invest the requested pound(s)150,000 in the business, claiming that it would “distract” from the agreed business plan. Robinson said at the time: “Without a doubt this is a business that can work. You have gone right to the edge of the cliff and you probably think you have gone over it without this cash. I dont think you have.” He added that he would be prepared to talk to banker Clydesdale on the managements behalf and said it would be “monumentally stupid” if it withdrew its support. Barely a year after the show was broadcast, Clydesdale did withdraw support, calling in administrator BDO Stoy Hayward.
Teens, Athletic Footwear, and the Retail Channels in Which They
Meet
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — With the back-to-school retail season underway, The NPD Group,
Inc., a leading market
research company, released an analysis of where and why teens
purchase athletic footwear from its Retail and Brand Landscape Report
Series. While the shopping destinations of choice are discount
stores and mass merchants, department stores are gaining some traction
with this demographic.
According to NPD’s Consumer Tracking Service, teens ages 13 to 17
accounted for almost 20 percent of athletic footwear sales during the
back- to- school selling season (July, August, and September) during the
past 3 seasons. An examination of this age group in the Retail
and Brand Landscape Report Series shows that discount stores and
mass merchants rank number one in converting teen shoppers from
considering them as a place to shop and to get them to make a purchase.
The 2010 results represent an increase for these types of stores among
male teens (from fifth last year to first this year), while for female
teens they stayed in the number one position from last year to this.
Percent of Consumers Willing to Consider the Retailer and Make a
Purchase
Listen in The Internet news talk show “Jim Cates @ CJOnline can be heard live from 8 to 10 a.m. Mondays and Fridays. To access the show, go to CJOnline.com and click “Listen!
Rose Malnar Johnson 1923 ~ 2010
Jessie Mae Sagers Johnson A Love Story
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Establishing the Family-Friendly Campus: Models for Effective Practice, Jaime Lester and Margaret Sallee, Eds. (Stylus Publishing, 2009, $79.95 hardback or $29.95 paperback) With this volume on family-friendly policy and practice, editor (and OCWW contributor) Jaime Lester and editor Margaret Sallee have created a much-needed kit for retooling work–life balance in academe. Identifying a need for inclusivity that has expanded with the growth of womens academic roles, Lester and Sallee have compiled an informative baedeker for multiple routes toward institutions that are more family-friendly for both women and men. Highlighting approaches that range from institutional supports for parents (stop-the-clock options, lactation rooms, flexible scheduling) to the grassroots activism that buttresses those options, the book illustrates how effective cultural change connects at all levels of the institution.
Foster parents are a special ilk. They nurture other peoples children who have been removed from homes amid allegations of neglect and/or abuse. With proper supports and efforts on the part of birth parents, many children are reunited with their birth families. There are also occasions when foster families adopt the children who have been in their care. Presently, there are 2,800 foster children in state care. Many have intense needs, and they are spending longer periods in foster care. At the same time, amid overall budget cuts, the state has reduced foster care stipends to $14 a day for children who do not have special needs. These cuts took effect July 1. It costs roughly $11 more — $25 a day — to kennel a dog along the Wasatch Front. How on earth are foster parents supposed to provide the basic needs of these children — food, clothing and other necessities — on stipends that have been rolled back to 2007 rates? Its a disgrace. State lawmakers need to find a way to restore this funding to previous levels. While those rates were far from what experts say would be sufficient, cutting these stipends while foster parents are pinched by the economic downturn places tremendous stress on their household budgets. Some foster parents may not be able to continue to provide this much needed care under this funding arrangement. That means state child welfare workers will have fewer options to place children or they will be pressing foster families to accept more placements.
Foster parents are a special ilk. They nurture other peoples children who have been removed from homes amid allegations of neglect and/or abuse. With proper supports and efforts on the part of birth parents, many children are reunited with their birth families. There are also occasions when foster families adopt the children who have been in their care. Presently, there are 2,800 foster children in state care. Many have intense needs, and they are spending longer periods in foster care. At the same time, amid overall budget cuts, the state has reduced foster care stipends to $14 a day for children who do not have special needs. These cuts took effect July 1. It costs roughly $11 more — $25 a day — to kennel a dog along the Wasatch Front. How on earth are foster parents supposed to provide the basic needs of these children — food, clothing and other necessities — on stipends that have been rolled back to 2007 rates? Its a disgrace. State lawmakers need to find a way to restore this funding to previous levels. While those rates were far from what experts say would be sufficient, cutting these stipends while foster parents are pinched by the economic downturn places tremendous stress on their household budgets. Some foster parents may not be able to continue to provide this much needed care under this funding arrangement. That means state child welfare workers will have fewer options to place children or they will be pressing foster families to accept more placements.
Cinema possesses a rich history of collaboration between artists of sound, narrative, and image. However, traditional tendencies to perceive music as a strictly supportive background or accompaniment have been subjected to in-depth critique only recently. Abigail Childs interactions with musicians in Is This What You Were Born For? (1981-89) and Bill Morrisons partnership with composer Michael Gordon in Decasia (2001) exemplify (but by no means exhaust the possibilities of) the broader range of collaborative textures that cinema has always suggested. Not coincidentally, these works represent the influence on cinema of two popular music practices: the ubiquitous re-mixing that has emerged from hip-hop culture and the group composition typical of many rock bands. Abigail Child (also a poet, critic, and scholar) has had an influential career as an experimental filmmaker since the mid-1970s when she turned from professional documentary work to the creation of independent films focusing on gender, sexuality, class, and the critical possibilities of montage. Recycling found footage from a wide variety of sources, such as porn, industrial films, and home movies, and progressing cinematic techniques often associated primarily with the historical avant-garde of the early twentieth century, Child has created an oeuvre of incredible beauty and continuing social relevance. Her films are shown at major art museums and in experimental cinema venues and can be obtained through a variety of distribution channels. Is This What You Were Born For?, the series of short films Child created in the 1980s, underscores her exploration of interdisciplinary collaboration and these endeavors have had on her work. Michael Gordons award-winning career as a composer has resulted in a variety of notable intermedia collaborations, including for example operas with diegetic film components progressing beyond the more familiar application of projection as scenery and non-narrative music performances incorporating video. Gordon is a founding member of the highly regarded new music organization Bang on a Can, a group dedicated to facilitating the composition and performance of new music, often with an interdisciplinary dimension and independently of conservative academic contexts. Decasia, Gordons internationally celebrated collaboration with filmmaker Bill Morrison, is a symphony for full orchestra paired with a montage of archival nitrate footage in various states of intriguing and evocative decomposition. The final version of the film, edited to fit the live recording of the symphony performance, was featured in the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. Decasia synaesthetically elucidates subtleties inherent to myriad generative tensions: progress/tradition, memory/time, darkness/illumination, and mini-malism/totalism.
Interest, dividends, and other passive types of income comprise the vast majority of U.S.-source income paid to foreign persons that is subject to Form 1042-S reporting. In 2007, foreign persons received $376.6 billion in U.S.-source interest payments, which represent 58.3 percent of total gross income paid. Dividend payments to foreign recipients totaled $134.0 billion (20.7 percent), while notional principal contract income was $68.9 billion (10.7 percent). Finally, payments of rents and royalties, personal services income, and Social Security and railroad retirement benefits combined for $33.0 billion. It is not uncommon for U.S.-source income payments to foreign persons to be entirely exempt from withholding tax. The most frequent reasons for this are that the income is exempt due to a tax treaty between the U.S. and the recipients country of residence, or the specific type of income (typically portfolio interest) is exempt under an Internal Revenue Code section. In 2007, just 10.8 percent ($70 billion) of U.S.-source income paid to foreign persons was subject to withholding tax. Almost $10.2 billion in withholding taxes were collected on the residual income subject to withholding, with an average effective tax rate of 14.5 percent (see Figure A). The average effective rate is substantially less than the 30-percent statutory withholding rate because reduced withholding rates are permitted under many tax treaties. In addition to receiving the most U.S.-source income, corporate recipients were among the biggest beneficiaries of reduced withholding rates, with an average effective tax rate of 12.3 percent. This is due in large part to the fact that corporations received large amounts of dividends and royalties that receive preferential withholding rates under treaty agreements. Conversely, foreign individuals received much of their incomes in the form of Social Security and railroad retirement payments and personal services income, two categories which tend to have withholding rates closer to the statutory level. This resulted in foreign individuals having the highest effective tax rates among the major recipient categories (22.2 percent). Figure B shows six countries whose residents received the largest amounts of U.S.-source gross income during the 3-year period from 2005 to 2007. In 2005 and 2006, residents of the United Kingdom (U.K.) received the most U.S.-source income. However, in 2007, income paid to the U.K. fell to $77.1 billion and was surpassed by the Cayman Islands. Figure B, Part 1 illustrates the steady growth of payments to the Cayman Islands over this period, beginning with $40.1 billion in 2005 (trailing both the U.K. and Japan) and reaching $84.7 billion in 2007. Part 2 of Figure B shows Cayman Islands recipients paid the most tax throughout the 3-year period, and the amount of tax withheld rose at a rate proportionate to the growth in income received over the same period.
Motor vehicle versus pedestrian crashes are a leading cause of injury and death among children. Because attending school is a major focal point of a childs daily activity, many pedestrian-related injuries among children occur on the way to or from school. Research on this topic has shown a number of factors to be related to motor vehicle versus pedestrian crashes, some of which include: school travel times, season, neighborhood characteristics and the number of schools in the area. School zones have been created in many areas, aimed to reduce the risk of pedestrian-related injuries to children and are meant to be safe places for children to walk during school travel times. However, the question remains as to how effective these zones are and if more should be done to protect our youth. Our study used pedestrian collision data from the City of Torontos Traffic Data Centre and Safety Bureau. The study included all police-reported motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians with a recorded age less than 18 years that occurred in Toronto, Canada between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2005. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) provided a list of all 1,050 schools registered in Metropolitan Toronto. School zones, established by the Toronto Transport Operations, are defined as a 150-meter radius around a school. For the purpose of this study, additional zones were designated around schools at increasing distances of 150, 150-300, 300-450 and 450 meters. Frequency of vehicle-pedestrian collisions around schools in each zone was determined. We found that there were a total of 2,717 collisions in Toronto between 2000 and 2005 that involved children under the age of 18. The largest proportion of collisions was in the 10-14 year age group (37%). Almost 50% of collisions occurred during the hours defined as school travel times (7-9 am, 12-1 pm, and 3-5pm). When considering the rate per hour, there was 3.3 times greater rate of injury during school travel time. Furthermore, higher numbers of child pedestrian collisions occurred during the school year (from September to June), with a drop in the summer (July and August). School zones were found to be less than 10% of the surface area of the city, but had a much higher risk of child pedestrian collisions than other areas. The absolute density of injuries (collisions divided by units of area [m2]) and fatalities (fatalities dived by units of area [m2]) were 5.7 and 9.4 times higher in the school zones as compared to the largest zone (450m or more away from the school).
INTRODUCTION Pork is a popular meat consumed by non-muslim Singaporeans with about 87,000 tonnes being consumed per year (Kanagalingam, 2005). Currently, Singapore imports its pork from several countries, but Australian and Indonesian pork is consumed most widely due to its ready availability at supermarkets and wet markets. Fresh pork is obtained from pigs raised in Indonesia but slaughtered at Singapore abattoirs, while chilled pork is mainly imported from Australia and is widely known as “Air Pork”. Singaporean consumers are aware of the origin of pork from packaging labels. Results of a recent survey showed that Singapore consumers associate non-Indonesian pork with the presence of an unpleasant mutton-like off-flavour (Leong et al., 2008). One possible cause of off-flavours in pork is by the oxidation of lipids, leading to the formation of aldehydes and short-chain fatty acids (Reindl and Stan, 1982; Devol, et al., 1988). The rate and extent of lipid oxidation depends on a number of factors, the most important being the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in muscle (Allen and Foegeding, 1981). Pork contains high levels of unsaturated fatty acids relative to ruminant meat (Enser et al., 1996) and is more susceptible to oxidative deterioration of lipids and myoglobin. Feeding of PUFAs to pigs can improve the nutritional quality of pork, but may also increase the susceptibility to oxidation (Sheard et al., 2000; Kouba et al., 2003; Morel et al., 2006). There have been many reports of PUFA-rich feeds leading to increased lipid oxidation and thus off-flavour in pork (Houben and Krol, 1980; Warnants et al., 1998; Roman et al., 1995; Overland et al., 1996; Leskanich et al., 1997; Wood et al., 2003). There have also been examples of off-flavours in pork arising from the direct transfer of aroma components from feed to meat, including several reports on how feeding of fish oil and high fat fish meal to finisher pigs has caused “fishy” and other off-flavours in pork products (Kjos et al., 1999; Lauridsen et al., 1999; Maw et al., 2001; Jaturasitha et al., 2002). The current paper compares sensory assessments of the flavour of pork from the legs of pigs finished in New Zealand on three diets (Morel et al., 2008) using Singaporean panelists. The objective was to determine the extent to which dietary feed treatments received by the New Zealand pigs influenced the sensory properties of pork using trained and untrained Singaporean panels. Results of sensory analyses of pork from the loins of the same New Zealand pigs using New Zealand panelists were reported by Janz et al. (2008).
The Malaysia Food and Drink Report provides industry professionals and
strategists, corporate analysts, food and drink associations, government
departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and
competitive intelligence on Malaysias food and drink industry.
BMI View: Malaysias food and drink industry continues to recover from
the slowdown experienced in 2009 with many of the countrys leading
industry players posting robust growth in interim financials. Even
allowing for this recovery, however, Malaysia continues to linger within
the bottom half of our Asia Pacific Food Drink Risk/Reward Ratings,
with neither existing consumption levels nor growth prospects exciting
enough to mark the country out among many of its higher growth regional
emerging market peers.
Headline Industry Data
BRIAN ODriscoll has revealed it took just 15 days before his new bride turned into a rugby widow. The Ireland superstar got hitched in the summer after a gruelling tour to New Zealand and Australia and was looking forward to a four week break from anything to do with rugby. He travelled to the quiet east African state of Tanzania on honeymoon with new wife Amy, but just after two weeks had passed, the Leinster star got itchy feet and I do became I must. “I was saying after the summer tour that I needed a holiday and a break,” said ODriscoll. “At the time I thought how will four weeks be enough?, but after just over two weeks into it, I started missing exercise and was kind of looking forward to it again!
I HOPE people learn from newlyweds Carrie-Anne and Michael Dudbridges mistake in failing to take out holiday medical insurance. They are probably not the first to think the European Health Insurance Card covers everything.
UP to 100 pit-bull terriers and their owners will gather today in Dublin in a bid to reassure the public they arent dangerous dogs. The Irish Pit Bull Terrier Association will hand out leaflets to educate people about the breed which has often linked to vicious attacks on children. IPTA chair Lillian Colgan said: “Pit-bulls have received bad very press in the past but Ive had them since I was a child and I have never been bitten. “But it is often the case they are owned by people for the wrong reasons.”
Janet Summerill Johnson 1948 ~ 2010
Janet Summerill Johnson 1948 ~ 2010
(PINK SHEETS: DTSL) – Delivery Technology Solutions, Inc.
(PINK SHEETS: EEGI) – Eline Entertainment Group, Inc.
TEST cricket never fails to amaze me. When England collapsed to 102-7 just 40 overs into the game it would have taken a brave man to suggest that England would go on to win at Lords. Yet here we are this morning with England on the brink of a quite remarkable victory. Whoever says Test cricket is dull needs to take another look. We have been royally entertained with some outstanding batting and bowling which has been a wonderful advertisement for the game. The world-recordbreaking eighth-wicket partnership of 332 between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad was not only of the highest class but has enabled England to secure the series win. Pakistan thoroughly deserved their success at the Brit Oval last week and arrived at the home of cricket full of confidence.
TEST cricket never fails to amaze me. When England collapsed to 102-7 just 40 overs into the game it would have taken a brave man to suggest that England would go on to win at Lords. Yet here we are this morning with England on the brink of a quite remarkable victory. Whoever says Test cricket is dull needs to take another look. We have been royally entertained with some outstanding batting and bowling which has been a wonderful advertisement for the game. The world-recordbreaking eighth-wicket partnership of 332 between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad was not only of the highest class but has enabled England to secure the series win. Pakistan thoroughly deserved their success at the Brit Oval last week and arrived at the home of cricket full of confidence.
WHEN Andy and Bonnie Cowley saw an advertisement for a 100ft Dutch barge for sale in Ireland, they jumped at it. They sold their hotel on the Isle of Wight and, in 2005, picked up the African Queen, sailed her across the Irish Sea and up to a base on the River Thames. There followed a few months of extensive restoration and the former Dutch barge was ready for action. She now offers tranquil cruises past some of the most attractive spots on the River Thames. I joined the African Queen at Mapledurham, near Reading, where Andy and Bonnie greeted us with a cream tea. The boat can take 12 passengers in en-suite cabins. Upstairs theres a lounge area with plenty of room to sit and chat, plus a flatscreen TV, fully-stocked bar and dining area. Theres also a sundeck where you can while away the hours.
Instant expert A FINE Leeds Pottery horse dating back to around 1825 is up for auction next month. It is one of just a handful produced as advertising wares for shop windows and is a museum piece of some note. ANYTHING to do with horses is always highly collectable. The Leeds horse (pictured below) is 43cm tall and was originally made for veterinary surgeons, saddlers and druggists. It was used as a sign that the business traded in products for horses.
Come on, Hollywood. A $10 million opening weekend is nothing to celebrate. You certainly wouldnt know that, though, if you read all the glowing press releases about last weekends new horror-comedy, “Piranha,” better known as “Piranha 3-D.” (Despite the misleading advertising, the film is playing in either 2-D or 3-D, depending on the location.) Anyway, officials from Dimension Film crowed about the $10 million haul and the No. 6 slot where the movie finished in the weekend Top 10. In fact, they already announced that a sequel is in the works. Dont believe the hype, though. This is simply more movie business “spin,” as its known. Other studios were putting similar spins on the performances of a glut of new movie releases. Almost all of them bombed at the box office last weekend.
WHEN your hair starts to grow back after alopecia it can have a couple of undesired effects. Just ask Gail Porter. The star told me over coffee at the GMTV studios this week: “My hair grew back and then my eyelashes. But Id completely forgotten about the rest of my body until I took my daughter Honey swimming and realised I had Julia Roberts armpits and God knows what else going on.” The star is currently planning her 40th birthday celebrations for early next year.
Variety Opens Call for Submissions for Special Pitch Session of New
Marketing Products and Services
LOS ANGELES — Variety today announces it is seeking applications from companies
with innovative media products and technologies to participate in its
inaugural Film Marketing Summit, to be held October 5-6 at the Universal
Hilton in Los Angeles.
The two-day event will bring together the top theatrical marketers from
the major and independent studios to explore the dynamic world of
feature film promotion. A special session on October 6th
will focus on marketing innovation and give selected companies the
opportunity to present their offering during a live-pitch session: Media
Innovation that can Change the Game for Marketers. The session will
be moderated by Gordon Paddison, of global marketing firm Stradella
Road, who is serving as program director for the conference.
Selection criteria will focus on the applicant’s ability to offer
innovative approaches to film marketing and deliver measurable positive
impact in the coming year. Participants will be selected across a range
of technology and media arenas, including television, mobile, Internet,
and convergent platforms. Products and services presented must be live
in the marketplace before the end of this year to be eligible.
The session format will offer participants five minutes to pitch their
solutions before a panel of studio media executives, who will follow up
with rapid-fire questions to establish credibility and relevance to
real-world entertainment marketing challenges.
VRX Worldwide Inc. (TSX VENTURE: VRW) announced today that that its wholly owned subsidiary, VRX Studios Inc . (”VRX Studios”) has been provided with a $300,000 Revolving Demand Credit from TD Bank Financial Group (”TD Bank”).
“Receiving a credit facility from one of Canadas chartered banks is a significant milestone for VRX,” says Kevin Leong, Chief Financial Officer of VRX Studios. “This new facility will help us weather seasonal fluctuations and provide us some financial flexibility in the future.”
The borrowings under the credit facility are subject to a borrowing base calculation. All sums advanced through this facility shall bear interest at the Bank Prime Rate plus one and one half percent (1.5%) per year from the date each advance is made until paid back in full. The Agreement is secured by a first charge on the Companys present and after acquired property. The revolving credit facility requires maintenance of minimum tangible net worth and other certain customary covenants such as limitations on, among other things, additional debt, liens, investments, acquisitions and capital expenditures, future dividends and asset sales.
Come on, Hollywood. A $10 million opening weekend is nothing to celebrate. You certainly wouldnt know that, though, if you read all the glowing press releases about last weekends new horror-comedy, “Piranha,” better known as “Piranha 3-D.” (Despite the misleading advertising, the film is playing in either 2-D or 3-D, depending on the location.) Anyway, officials from Dimension Film crowed about the $10 million haul and the No. 6 slot where the movie finished in the weekend Top 10. In fact, they already announced that a sequel is in the works. Dont believe the hype, though. This is simply more movie business “spin,” as its known. Other studios were putting similar spins on the performances of a glut of new movie releases. Almost all of them bombed at the box office last weekend.
While one of Pontiacs largest manufacturing facilities is undergoing a transformation into an extensive film and teaching studio complex, the Auburn Hills Marriott is working diligently to stay abreast of the areas lodging and event needs by providing first-class hotel accommodations.
Located within the Centerpoint Business Campus, the Marriott hotel in Auburn Hills, MI joins in the excitement this transformation brings to Pontiac and is prepared to meet the needs of those working to bring the Raleigh Michigan Studios to life and will continue to be a strong supporter of this new and exciting venture as it steps forward to make a major economic impact for this area.
While staying at this distinctive hotel, Auburn Hills business travelers will find well appointed guest rooms that include high-speed Internet access and large desks, refrigerator, WebTV with cable and lavish bedding ensembles with plush, down comforters and fluffy pillows for a restful nights sleep. For the convenience of guests, the hotel is home to the award-winning Parkway Grille Lounge, where the menu includes exquisite American entrees and a fine list of wines. In addition to traditional restaurant dining, private dining is available and when the weather permits, guests can have their meal served outdoors.
As a full service Detroit conference hotel in Auburn Hills , the Marriott offers a complete line of event and business services including 10,500 square feet of flexible event space, a full-service business center, AV equipment, skilled technicians and the service of a certified Marriott Auburn Hills event planner . A full line of exceptional event menus are also offered making the hotel a perfect choice for business conferences, meetings and exhibitions. When scheduling Detroit area meetings, businesses will find the hotel provides exceptional facilities and unsurpassed services to meet the needs of successful event planning. Auburn Hills provides a great setting for business and the Marriotts location near the new Raleigh Michigan Studios allows easy access for business needs.
About the Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint Hotel
The Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint Hotel provides guests with a prime location within the Centerpoint Business Campus and easy access to Detroit and many of the areas Fortune 500 companies. The hotel features both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a whirlpool and on-site state-of-the-art fitness center with 24/7 access for the convenience of hotel guests. Several fine area golf courses are also located nearby.
America’s Most Trusted Family Networks Will Be Dropped By ATT
U-verse If Carriage Agreement Is Not Reached
Bill Abbott, President and CEO, Hallmark Channels, said, “Hallmark
Channels has been a good partner and supporter of ATT U-verse since
they launched their service, and we have been negotiating in good faith
with them. We hope ATT will recognize the extraordinary value of our
channels and renew the carriage agreement. At the present time, however,
talks are not progressing and it is looking more likely that Hallmark
Channels will be dropped from ATT. This would be a tremendous loss to
viewers who look to Hallmark Channels, America’s most trusted family
networks, for programming that connects people emotionally.”
Joan Gundlach, Executive Vice President, Distribution, added, “ATT
U-verse TV recently went through a notable carriage renewal and is
implementing the scare tactics it used to negotiate with another
programmer against Hallmark Channels, one of the nation’s last surviving
independent cable networks. It is disappointing that ATT U-verse does
not see the value we bring to their customers and that they would wield
their power to strong-arm our channels.”
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Its pretty amazing that Topeka Zoo staff members didnt know they had a pregnant hippo on their hands until the day before the animal gave birth. Youd think they would have caught on when the mother, Mara, started sending the dad out for cool ranch corn chips and Hersheys syrup to dip them in. OK, so zoo officials say its not particularly easy to tell whether a hippo is expecting, and Im inclined to believe them. It especially rings true when you consider that Mara was on a contraceptive and underwent a pregnancy test that came back negative. But now that the baby has been born, things have gotten complicated.
Asian Longhorned Beetle Now in Neighboring States, Could Threaten Hardwoods Industry HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Pennsylvanians are urged to be on the lookout for the Asian Longhorned Beetle, an invasive wood-boring pest that could severely harm Pennsylvanias $25 billion hardwoods industry, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding said today. “The Asian Longhorned Beetle has not yet been found in Pennsylvania, but it could pose a major threat to the timber, maple syrup and tourism industries if it ever enters our state,” said Redding. “By learning to identify this pest, we can all help to protect our precious resources that are a vital part of our economy.” August is “Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month” by proclamation of Governor Edward G. Rendell. Redding will present the Governors proclamation at Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs, Centre County, at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 17, during an event with the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Council to celebrate the one-millionth visitor to its educational Woodmobile. The adult Asian Longhorned Beetle is three-quarters to one-and-a-quarter inch long, has a jet-black glossy body with 20 white or yellow spots on each wing, and long blue or black and white antennae.
IM looking for an unusual, fun hotel in Manchester for my 25th birthday. What would you suggest? – Rebecca Taylor, by email.
AN Argyll hotel business in which reality TV tycoon Gerry Robinson refused to invest, on the grounds that it “didnt need the money”, has gone into administration, with the loss of 58 jobs. McColls of Argyll, based in Dunoon, featured on Channel 4s Gerrys Big Decision last year. Former Granada boss Robinson, has made a second career out of television turnarounds and he advised on a restructuring in a way that appeared to end a long-standing father- and-son battle for managerial control. But Robinson also surprised the Wilkinsons by declining to invest the requested pound(s)150,000 in the business, claiming that it would “distract” from the agreed business plan. Robinson said at the time: “Without a doubt this is a business that can work. You have gone right to the edge of the cliff and you probably think you have gone over it without this cash. I dont think you have.” He added that he would be prepared to talk to banker Clydesdale on the managements behalf and said it would be “monumentally stupid” if it withdrew its support. Barely a year after the show was broadcast, Clydesdale did withdraw support, calling in administrator BDO Stoy Hayward.
Women in Kenya remain disadvantaged, with opportunities for educational, social, and economic advancement inferior to those of men. Women are underrepresented in modern sector wage employment, political and judicial decision making, and all major public service appointments. Numerous social, economic, and cultural barriers limit womens participation in these areas. But womens underrepresentation in education is a primary factor. The benefits of womens education to women and to society in general are immense. In the workplace, education increases skills needed for job entry, improves chances of vertical mobility, and enhances overall labor market productivity. It also has positive consequences at home, including improved health, increased child survival rates, reduced fertility rates, lower infant mortality rates, and better protection against HIV and AIDS (Tembon and Fort 2008). Education of women and girls is therefore not only a moral and human rights issue, but also an economic and development issue. Given the significant benefits of womens education, equity in education is essential to improving circumstances for all Kenyans. As the leading provider of education, the government should acknowledge that compensatory mechanisms may be required to level the playing field for disadvantaged girls, and it should adopt an approach that uses these mechanisms. Making education equitable means adopting policies and initiatives that support equal provisions across genders. Female Education in Kenya Education in Kenya has four basic levels: preschool (ages 4-6), primary (ages 7-14), secondary (ages 15-18), and tertiary. Since attaining political independence from Great Britain in 1963, the Kenyan government has emphasized educations importance to economic development. It has also increased the number of schools at all levels, from about six thousand primary and 150 secondary schools in 1963 to almost twenty thousand primary and four thousand secondary schools in 2004. As a result, the student population has increased substantially, with over 700 percent growth at the primary level and almost 3,000 percent growth at the secondary level (Ministry of Education 2007). But this total expansion in education hides disparities by gender and region.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. announced today that it has completed a
private offering of convertible preferred stock. The proceeds will be
used, in part, to expand the company’s research and commercialization
activities in the advanced biofuels and biomass-to-power markets.
Over the past three years the company has launched its energy grass seed
business in the United States and expanded its research and
commercialization activities into the biopower, bio-based chemical and
sugar-to-biofuel markets, including joint projects with electric
utilities and next-generation biorefineries. The company also grew its
international presence, and is deploying its seeds and technology in
Brazil. Ceres President and CEO Richard Hamilton says that Ceres plans
to build a leadership position in each of these markets.
“The common denominator among these diverse renewable energy markets is
having a scalable and economic source of feedstock,” said Hamilton. “We
believe that dedicated energy grasses are uniquely capable of supplying
the raw materials that will be needed for long-term growth.”
“In addition to the operational benefits, this new funding will allow us
to maintain our independence to collaborate with participants across the
energy and agricultural industries – a freedom that has proven highly
valuable as we help assemble value chains among growers, bioenergy
companies and technology providers,” said Hamilton. “These joint
projects are proving critical to validating our technology and products
with the nascent bioenergy industry.”
Ceres currently markets improved seed varieties of switchgrass and
high-biomass sorghum under its Blade Energy Crops brand, and has
additional research programs in sweet sorghum and miscanthus. The
California-based company’s biotech pipeline includes traits that can
improve the economics of bioenergy production, make greater use of
marginal land and enhance the environmental benefits of energy grasses.
In 2009, Ceres received a prestigious ARPA-E award from the U.S.
Department of Energy to evaluate a trait that increases yield and
reduces fertilizer requirements.
BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials say at least five people have been killed by bombs targeting pilgrims taking part in the final day of a Shiite religious holiday. Police and hospital officials say the five were believed to be pilgrims on their way home from visiting a mosque in northern Baghdad to mark the anniversary of the death of a revered Shiite figure. Four died in eastern Baghdad when a roadside bomb exploded, while a car bomb in southern Baghdad killed the fifth person. Hundreds of thousands of devout Shiites from across the country walk to Baghdad to take part in the occasion. But the crowds make prime targets for Sunni insurgents.
SAN ANTONIO — Tootie
Pie Company, Inc. (OTCBB:TOOT) announced that it has entered into a
partnership with Kraft Foods for the upcoming holiday season. The two
companies will co-market Tootie Pie with Kraft’s Cool Whip.
“There is probably no more recognizable, high-quality food brand than
Kraft Foods,” said Don Merrill, President CEO. “We are proud and
excited that Kraft recognizes the value of having its Cool Whip product
featured alongside Tootie Pie.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed as of this date; however, the deal
was made possible through a mutual agreement in partnership with HEB
Grocery Stores, according to Tootie Pie Company.
“Experience tells us that more in-store pie tastings result in
significantly more Tootie Pie sales. Once customers taste Tootie Pie,
they are hooked,” explained Merrill. “HEB wants to grow Tootie Pie sales
dramatically and brought Kraft to the table in a three-way partnership
that will drive consumers to the frozen food section during peak times
of the year!”
INTRODUCTION Pork is a popular meat consumed by non-muslim Singaporeans with about 87,000 tonnes being consumed per year (Kanagalingam, 2005). Currently, Singapore imports its pork from several countries, but Australian and Indonesian pork is consumed most widely due to its ready availability at supermarkets and wet markets. Fresh pork is obtained from pigs raised in Indonesia but slaughtered at Singapore abattoirs, while chilled pork is mainly imported from Australia and is widely known as “Air Pork”. Singaporean consumers are aware of the origin of pork from packaging labels. Results of a recent survey showed that Singapore consumers associate non-Indonesian pork with the presence of an unpleasant mutton-like off-flavour (Leong et al., 2008). One possible cause of off-flavours in pork is by the oxidation of lipids, leading to the formation of aldehydes and short-chain fatty acids (Reindl and Stan, 1982; Devol, et al., 1988). The rate and extent of lipid oxidation depends on a number of factors, the most important being the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in muscle (Allen and Foegeding, 1981). Pork contains high levels of unsaturated fatty acids relative to ruminant meat (Enser et al., 1996) and is more susceptible to oxidative deterioration of lipids and myoglobin. Feeding of PUFAs to pigs can improve the nutritional quality of pork, but may also increase the susceptibility to oxidation (Sheard et al., 2000; Kouba et al., 2003; Morel et al., 2006). There have been many reports of PUFA-rich feeds leading to increased lipid oxidation and thus off-flavour in pork (Houben and Krol, 1980; Warnants et al., 1998; Roman et al., 1995; Overland et al., 1996; Leskanich et al., 1997; Wood et al., 2003). There have also been examples of off-flavours in pork arising from the direct transfer of aroma components from feed to meat, including several reports on how feeding of fish oil and high fat fish meal to finisher pigs has caused “fishy” and other off-flavours in pork products (Kjos et al., 1999; Lauridsen et al., 1999; Maw et al., 2001; Jaturasitha et al., 2002). The current paper compares sensory assessments of the flavour of pork from the legs of pigs finished in New Zealand on three diets (Morel et al., 2008) using Singaporean panelists. The objective was to determine the extent to which dietary feed treatments received by the New Zealand pigs influenced the sensory properties of pork using trained and untrained Singaporean panels. Results of sensory analyses of pork from the loins of the same New Zealand pigs using New Zealand panelists were reported by Janz et al. (2008).
SAN ANTONIO — Tootie
Pie Company, Inc. (OTCBB:TOOT) announced that it has entered into a
partnership with Kraft Foods for the upcoming holiday season. The two
companies will co-market Tootie Pie with Kraft’s Cool Whip.
“There is probably no more recognizable, high-quality food brand than
Kraft Foods,” said Don Merrill, President CEO. “We are proud and
excited that Kraft recognizes the value of having its Cool Whip product
featured alongside Tootie Pie.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed as of this date; however, the deal
was made possible through a mutual agreement in partnership with HEB
Grocery Stores, according to Tootie Pie Company.
“Experience tells us that more in-store pie tastings result in
significantly more Tootie Pie sales. Once customers taste Tootie Pie,
they are hooked,” explained Merrill. “HEB wants to grow Tootie Pie sales
dramatically and brought Kraft to the table in a three-way partnership
that will drive consumers to the frozen food section during peak times
of the year!”
Quepasa Corporation (OTCBB: QPSA), owner of Quepasa.com, an online social network targeting the Latino community, today announced the launch of a new DSM Campaign promoting Ultimate Fighting Championship, the worlds leading mixed martial arts sports association. The UFC campaign is Quepasas first DSM in the entertainment vertical, and builds upon the success of the Quepasa UFC community, launched in March of this year.
Quepasa DSM, or Distributed Social Media, is a social media advertising solution designed to help brands reach and engage with Latinos across the social web. In this latest campaign, “Why I Watch,” participants are invited to create and share UFC video highlight reels for the chance to win UFC memorabilia along with other UFC merchandise not readily found in Latin America. The viral nature of the campaign will extend Quepasa members enthusiasm for UFC wherever they go online, giving UFC a unique opportunity to let its most passionate supporters distribute content and build brand awareness.
“The UFC is a natural fit for Quepasa and its community on the site has seen impressive growth since launch. This DSM campaign gives fans the opportunity to win great prizes and build brand awareness on behalf of the UFC while doing it,” says Steve Kaplan VP of Product for Quepasa.
Quepasa CEO, John Abbott, adds: “The UFC has been very supportive of our efforts to build its fan base and brand in the Latin American market, and we are very excited to expand our relationship with them through a DSM campaign. DSM is a vehicle for content brands like UFC to socialize and virally distribute their marketing messages, and we look forward to their continued success on our platform.”
WSOP Academy is the only live and online poker school licensed and endorsed by the #1 name in poker, the World Series of Poker. With no setup fees and only $14.95/month during the beta period (July 1 – September 1, 2010), WSOPAcademy.com makes the best poker training affordable to every player.
“The WSOP Academy Online is unlike any other training site. It gives players a clear training roadmap, with a tested protocol that improves confidence and ensures your game is getting better each time you train,” said 11-time WSOP Champion Phil Hellmuth. “We teach players with real hands from real tournaments with exclusive WSOP content, giving them our first-hand view of every flop, turn and river. This is the place where the next generation will learn to become champions.”
Designed for the novice player, the WSOP Academy Online provides an A-Z curriculum of highly interactive and engaging poker training from the games biggest champions. Instructors include Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Greg Raymer, Mark Seif, Mark Gregorich and Gavin Griffin. Exclusive to the WSOP Academy, 25-year FBI veteran Joe Navarro translates his people-reading skills to spotting bluffs and tells at the poker table. The schools groundbreaking curriculum includes:
Training Roadmap: Players need a curriculum that builds a base of knowledge about the game and then expands on each skill learned. WSOPAcademy.com is the only site that provides a comprehensive training roadmap, divided into 12 chapters with real-time testing and live feedback before and after each lesson. This helps students retain the strategies they learn and have confidence the next time they sit at the table.
Certification Course : The WSOP Academys live certification class has been molding champion players since 2007. Now the in-depth training and certification from the worlds foremost poker champions is affordable to everyone online. First semester graduates are eligible to win a seat at a live WSOP Academy event and second semester players have a shot to win a spot in Hellmuths Home Game. Training content is delivered three courses at a time, allowing students to master each winning strategy at their own pace.
Bracelet Winners Corner: The Bracelet Winners Corner is a 30-minute coaching module in which students learn directly from the champs. For the first time and in their own words, the champs describe the strategies, missteps and moves they employed to win their WSOP bracelets. The Corner launches with the first of several episodes featuring exclusive, unseen WSOP footage from Phil Hellmuths epic 11 th WSOP Bracelet win.
Hellmuths Home Game: WSOPAcademy.com students sit down with Hellmuth in the first weekly online TV show dedicated to poker strategy. Hosted by Ali Nejad, Phil and friends play a series of cash games sit-and-gos, providing uncensored insights and play-by-play commentary.
Navarros Poker Tells Center: Joe Navarro spent twenty-five years with the FBI interrogating spies. Now exclusively at WSOPAcademy.com, Joe teaches how to hide and find body and face tells, while honing key observation skills that central to the championship mindset.
Medicare Beneficiaries Whose High Prescription Drug Costs Have Put
Them in the Medicare Part D Donut Hole to Receive $250 Rebate Checks as
a Result of the Affordable Care Act
WASHINGTON — The next round of more than 300,000 eligible seniors who have entered
the Medicare Part D “donut hole” this year have been mailed their
tax-free, one time rebate check for $250, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today .
These one-time rebate checks are the first step in closing
the prescription drug coverage gap under the Affordable Care Act. The
first round of checks were distributed in the middle of June. As
qualifying Medicare recipients “fall into the donut hole,” they will be
sent a rebate check by Medicare.
“Seniors and other Medicare recipients in the Medicare donut hole are
struggling to afford the medications they need and their basic living
expenses. Seventy percent of our first round of these $250 rebate checks
were cashed within a week of eligible Medicare recipients receiving
them; so, we know that folks really need some help,” said Secretary
Sebelius. “The Affordable Care Act starts to close the donut hole this
year, giving much-needed relief to millions of seniors. In 2011, the
Affordable Care Act takes an additional step for Medicare beneficiaries
in the donut hole by providing them with a 50 percent discount on their
brand name medications. Every year from 2012 until 2020, the Affordable
Care Act will take progressive steps to close the donut hole.”
On Thursday, July 8, at 2:00 p.m., HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will
join local officials in Manchester, N.H., for a forum with senior
citizens to discuss the rebate checks and other benefits of the
Affordable Care Act as well as efforts to fight Medicare fraud.
EAST LANSING, Mich. NAPA, Calif. — American Physicians Capital Inc. (APCapital) (NASDAQ:ACAP), a major
provider of health care liability insurance, and The Doctors Company,
the largest national insurer of physician and surgeon medical liability,
today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement
pursuant to which The Doctors Company will acquire APCapital for $41.50
per share in cash, or an aggregate purchase price of approximately $386
million. The $41.50 per share in cash purchase price represents a
premium of approximately 31 percent over the $31.76 per share closing
price of ACAP on July 7, 2010, the last trading day prior to today’s
announcement.
R. Kevin Clinton, President and CEO of APCapital said, “This transaction
delivers significant value to our shareholders. Additionally, our
insureds will benefit as they become members of one of the largest and
most respected professional liability companies in the nation. I would
like to recognize our employees, agents, and medical society partners
for their dedication and commitment to APCapital. They are the driving
force behind the success of our company.”
“We are extremely pleased to announce this partnership between two
physician-founded companies and we look forward to delivering enhanced
value to our member insureds through the financial strength of a
combined organization with a relentless commitment to protecting,
defending, and rewarding the practice of good medicine,” said Richard E.
Anderson, MD, FACP, chairman and CEO of The Doctors Company. “Members
will benefit from our partnership and will continue to receive
aggressive claims defense, unmatched legislative and patient safety
advocacy, outstanding service, and industry leading member benefits.”
With this merger, The Doctors Company further expands its position as
the largest national insurer of physician and surgeon medical liability
to nearly 55,000 member insureds.
The Board of Directors of APCapital has approved the proposed
transaction and has resolved to recommend that its shareholders approve
the merger. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter
of 2010 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including the
receipt of regulatory approvals, and approval by a majority of
APCapital’s shareholders.
Positions Merck to Capitalize on Opportunities for Global Growth
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), known outside the U.S. and Canada as MSD,
today provided further detail on integration plans for the companys
research and development, manufacturing and other business operations as
part of a global restructuring program announced following the November
2009 merger of Merck and Schering-Plough. The consolidation plans
support Mercks strategic direction as a customer focused, innovative
and diversified global health care company, and position the company to
invest in key areas for future growth, including emerging markets,
biologics, vaccines and consumer care.
Merck today announced plans to phase out operations at eight research
sites and eight manufacturing sites, as well as to continue to
consolidate office facilities worldwide, as part of the global merger
restructuring program that began last December. The goal of the
restructuring is to create a flexible RD organization that cultivates
scientific innovation, facilitates external collaboration and drives
pipeline progress and a reliable, more fully utilized and cost efficient
worldwide manufacturing supply chain to support Mercks broader product
portfolio.
Merck continues to expect its total workforce to be reduced by
approximately 15 percent across all areas of the combined company
worldwide as part of the initial phases of its merger restructuring
program. The company said it will continue to hire new employees in
strategic growth areas of the business as necessary.
“Today’s announcement is another important step as we successfully
integrate our global operations on schedule and move forward with
Mercks strategic priorities,” said Richard T. Clark, chairman and chief
executive officer of Merck. “These changes are crucial to drive future
growth and realize the promise of being a global health care leader for
the long term. While we believe these actions are necessary to support
Mercks competitive advantage, they required difficult decisions that
will impact some of our colleagues, their families and local
communities. We will implement our restructuring plans with the utmost
care and respect for the hard-working and talented employees of Merck,”
he said.
TXU Energy iThermostat Mobile Website is Compatible with Most
Handhelds
DALLAS — Texans can now use their smart phone to manage their home’s temperature,
no matter where they are.
TXU Energy’s latest innovation allows users of its popular TXU Energy
iThermostat to manage their homes heating and air conditioning through
a new mobile website that lets them view real-time temperature settings
and even adjust the temperature setting, all from a handheld.
The new TXU Energy iThermostat mobile website (txu.com/control)
is compatible with the latest models of Apple® iPhone®, Apple® iPod
touch®, Apple® iPad™, BlackBerry® Tour™ and Android™ smart phones (all
brands).
“Our new mobile website allows our customers to use their smart phone to
control their home’s temperatures from virtually anywhere in the world,”
said Jennifer Pulliam, director of innovation for TXU Energy. “Customers
want more control and information about how they’re using their energy,
and our mobile website is one way they can do that.”
Panasonic, the leading manufacturer of cordless home telephones worldwide,* today announced that all of its 2010 cordless home telephone systems, available at retailers nationwide, feature proprietary DECT 6.0 PLUS performance for optimal sound quality and extended range. Additionally, the phones offer extended battery life and a variety of time-saving and convenience features designed for the way todays multi-tasking families use their cordless phones.
Panasonics 2010 cordless phones are designed with feedback from extensive consumer research and raise the bar on performance in three key ways:
Improved Voice Quality
In response to consumer demand, Panasonics proprietary DECT 6.0 PLUS technology provides better quality reception by increasing the error-correction rate by 80 times compared with Panasonics prior DECT 6.0 models.
Extended Battery Life
2010 Panasonic cordless phones feature Intelligent Eco Mode, which automatically lowers the handsets power consumption when used near the base station. The result is up to 13 hours of continuous talk time on average, compared to 11 hours of continuous talk time when not using Intelligent Eco Mode.
Double the Transmission Distance with Range Extender Module
The new Range Extender module, included with the KX-TG4053B and sold separately as an accessory for all other 2010 models (SRP $29.95), doubles the effective transmission distance between the base unit and handsets when compared with previous models.
When 40,000 Boy Scouts celebrate 100 years of scouting at this year’s
Jamboree, pre-funded Smart Bracelets from FreedomPay mean Scouts and
their parents will leave the cash at home
RADNOR, Pa. — When 70,000 attendees comprised of 40,000 Boy Scouts and 30,000 visitors
and volunteers convene this July in rural Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia for
the 2010
National Scout Jamboree, they will be sporting a high tech bracelet
that allows them to purchase snacks and souvenirs with the simple swipe
of their wrists, all thanks to Radnor, Pennsylvania based FreedomPay,
and the company’s highly flexible transaction gateway, FreeWayTM.
As planning began for this year’s Jamboree, which will celebrate 100
years of Scouting, The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) identified the need
for a safe, secure and convenient payment solution in its discussions
with Scouts and parents. The challenge was to find a solution that could
be deployed in a rural, remote location that lacks the infrastructure
needed for most payment and transaction providers.
The BSA enlisted the help of FreedomPay to provide a BSA branded Smart
Bracelet. The Smart Bracelet provides a virtual wallet that can be
funded by parents on-line prior to and during the Jamboree. To enable
wireless transactions in the woods of Virginia, FreedomPay worked in
concert with a leading mobile infrastructure provider to develop a 3G
wireless network that ensures that the Smart Bracelet works, even in the
remote environs of rural Virginia.
The result is a customized, easily deployed payment and transaction
processing solution that allows Scouts full access to concessions,
activities, and memorabilia without the hassle of cash or credit cards.
What’s more, the bracelet can also be used as a credit or debit card by
BSA staff, Scout leaders and other onsite adults, allowing them the same
freedom to securely and conveniently buy concessions at the Jamboree’s
Trading Posts.
Most employees listen when the boss has something to say. But employees at American Fork-based One on One Marketing dont just listen to their CEO and founder, Nick Greer. They wear bracelets emblazoned with his words and adorn their offices with signs bearing what they call “Nick-isms.” Its all part of a company culture that Greer and the rest of his workers believe will lead to long-term success for One on One, a lead-generating firm that works for major companies with a concentration on the education market. The operator of the website ClassesandCareers.com, One on One is one of the largest lead generators in the U.S. for for-profit and post-secondary schools. The company also operates websites to generate leads in personal injury, insurance, home security, educational resources, social relationships and more. One on One differentiates itself from its competition in several ways. First, the company only charges clients when they see results from its services. And second, unlike many Web-based firms, One on Ones culture values building a business that is sustainable over time.
Photos and video for this release will be available on Marketwires website.
“This is an exciting evolution in our partnership with 1-888-TAXIGUY and an exciting next step for our consumers,” said Amir Remtulla, Senior Director Public Affairs. “Were proud to give people tools that make it easier to make responsible choices and get home safely.”
The app works by connecting to the TAXIGUY network of 17,500 cabs in hundreds of cities and towns across Canada and is available for iphone, Blackberry and Android phones.
“This is a natural addition to 1-888-TAXIGUY, the toll-free number that has helped to facilitate 3 million safe rides homes since 1998,” said Justin Raymond, President CEO, TAXIGUY.
Hugh McLauchlan, 45, Dundee, printer: “I dont think anything is wrong with Scottish men. We say what we mean, do as we please, which at times gets to some women. We havent really changed much. just public perceptions and expectations that have changed.” Matthew McKay, 62, Bonniebridge, taxi owner: “We tend to be a bit insular, and only seem to open up when we have a drink in us. We are slightly more open to being more stylish but we still have a lot to learn about the world.” Scott Curry, 17, Airdrie, call centre worker: “Scottish guys are not the same as they used to be. Were a lot more laid-back. I think were a lot more considerate towards women now.” Margaret Adams, 45, Renfrew, department manager: “I think men can tend to be quite boring these days. I would say women are outdoing the men now, the roles are reversing and men dont like it.” Myra McKay, 59, Bonniebridge, administrator: “Men havent changed at all, they have just pretended to change. I work with men of all ages and deep down they are all the same. Its women that have changed. men dont like it and they never will.”
MASS killer Derrick Birds ashes will be mixed with those of his twin brother – and first victim – before they are buried together in a family plot. Taxi gunman Birds devastated mother Mary has asked that his ashes are interred with twin Davids in a “final act of reconciliation”. Rev Jim Marshall – who has been at Marys side advising her since the tragedy – said: “She is adamant she wants her sons ashes mixed together before the interment, then buried in the family plot with their father Joe. She wants to be buried with them when her time comes.” Bird, 52, shot David dead in his bed at the start of his rampage on June 2, when he killed 12 people and injured 11 in a trail of terror across west Cumbria. It finally ended when he turned the gun on himself. Last Monday, Derricks sons Graeme, 28, and Jamie, 16, attended Davids funeral at Distington Crematorium, near Whitehaven, as a show of unity.
WASHINGTON — HHS will host a press conference to announce significant modifications
to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
Privacy, Security and Enforcement rules, as well as resources and
activities to strengthen the privacy of health information and to help
Americans understand their rights and resources available to safeguard
their personal health information. The press briefing will be held on Thursday,
July 8, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. ET.�Remarks will be followed by a brief
question and answer segment.
iGO e-App with e-Sign and e-Submit Offers Technology Innovation to
NWL Global Producers
EXTON, Pa. — iPipeline®, a leader in on-demand software that supports marketing,
selling, and processing solutions for the nation’s top insurance
carriers, distributors, financial institutions, and producers, today
announced that National Western Life Insurance went live with a
worldwide launch of iGO e-App for its life and annuity products. iGO
e-App, an intelligent fillable form, simplifies and accelerates the
marketing, selling and processing of insurance applications. By
submitting 100% in Good Order applications and using e-Signature and
e-Submission, global producers contribute to substantial reductions in
cycle time and drive placement ratio lift. iGO e-App is built on the
Microsoft .Net Framework in a cloud computing environment.
“National Western Life’s global go-live event marks a critical milestone
in iPipeline’s evolution as a company. The ability to make their life
and annuity products rapidly and easily accessible to producers in North
America, Central and South America, the Caribbean and soon after the
Pacific Rim speaks to the ubiquity and power of our on-demand Velocity
Platform,” said Tim Wallace, CEO, iPipeline. “National Western Life
selected iPipeline based on our industry leadership, technology
innovation, and ability to internationalize solutions for global use.
Their confidence in iPipeline and collaboration as a partner continues
to drive the success of this global rollout. National Western Life’s
initiative to ‘fast track’ iGO e-Apps over paper submissions will speed
worldwide adoption.”
“National Western Life chose iPipeline because of their strong position
in the industry, excellent products that fit our markets nearly
perfectly but, more than anything, the company has a great team that
executes well and delivers what they say they will – they do an
excellent job supporting our needs,” said Mike Hydanus, SVP/CAO,
National Western Life. “iPipeline provides the ease-of-use and
accelerated processing power our global producers require to do their
jobs. Despite the continuing pressures of the economy, we see the value
in making strategic investments to better connect producers with their
distributors and us. This go live will positively transform the way
National Western Life accepts applications and issues policies.”
iGO e-App with e-Sign and e-Submit Offers Technology Innovation to
NWL Global Producers
EXTON, Pa. — iPipeline®, a leader in on-demand software that supports marketing,
selling, and processing solutions for the nation’s top insurance
carriers, distributors, financial institutions, and producers, today
announced that National Western Life Insurance went live with a
worldwide launch of iGO e-App for its life and annuity products. iGO
e-App, an intelligent fillable form, simplifies and accelerates the
marketing, selling and processing of insurance applications. By
submitting 100% in Good Order applications and using e-Signature and
e-Submission, global producers contribute to substantial reductions in
cycle time and drive placement ratio lift. iGO e-App is built on the
Microsoft .Net Framework in a cloud computing environment.
“National Western Life’s global go-live event marks a critical milestone
in iPipeline’s evolution as a company. The ability to make their life
and annuity products rapidly and easily accessible to producers in North
America, Central and South America, the Caribbean and soon after the
Pacific Rim speaks to the ubiquity and power of our on-demand Velocity
Platform,” said Tim Wallace, CEO, iPipeline. “National Western Life
selected iPipeline based on our industry leadership, technology
innovation, and ability to internationalize solutions for global use.
Their confidence in iPipeline and collaboration as a partner continues
to drive the success of this global rollout. National Western Life’s
initiative to ‘fast track’ iGO e-Apps over paper submissions will speed
worldwide adoption.”
“National Western Life chose iPipeline because of their strong position
in the industry, excellent products that fit our markets nearly
perfectly but, more than anything, the company has a great team that
executes well and delivers what they say they will – they do an
excellent job supporting our needs,” said Mike Hydanus, SVP/CAO,
National Western Life. “iPipeline provides the ease-of-use and
accelerated processing power our global producers require to do their
jobs. Despite the continuing pressures of the economy, we see the value
in making strategic investments to better connect producers with their
distributors and us. This go live will positively transform the way
National Western Life accepts applications and issues policies.”
INTRODUCTION The species composition of the herbage available to and consumed by grazing animals is an important variable in studies of their nutritional status. Our understanding of the foraging behaviour of free-ranging herbivores is often constrained by our inability to make meaningful measurements of herbage diet composition. Herbage composition of feed ingested by grazing animals is difficult to assess. Direct observation of animals, use of oesophageally fistulated animals or fecal cuticle analysis have commonly been used, but all of these methods are very tedious, time consuming and/or do not allow differentiation to the level of plant species or plant parts (Dove and Mayes, 1991). Oesophageally fistulated animals have the disadvantage of requiring surgery and might be of restricted use only. The use of n-alkanes as fecal markers for estimating the diet composition of grazing animals has provided a significant advance in such studies and has been used successfully to estimate the proportions of plant species in the diet of free-ranging herbivores (Dove and Mayes, 1991, 1996; Bugalho et al., 1999). Because the different pasture species differ in their alkane patterns, and alkanes are largely indigestible during their passage through the herbivores alimentary tract, the composition of a mixed herbage diet can be determined from the patterns of n-alkanes found in herbage and faeces (Dove and Mayes, 1996). The n-alkane technique has been successfully applied to estimate diet composition, intake and digestibility in sheep, red deer and steer (Dove and Mayes, 1991; Duncan and Mayes, 1999; Bugalho and Myes, 2002; Ru et al., 2002; Valiente and Delgado, 2003; Walter Kelman and Miguel Bugalho, 2003; Premaratne et al., 2005). The experimental site used in the present study lies in an alpine area, and the species composition is complex. The yaks graze in different areas of natural grassland in the different seasons. The aim of the present study was to use the n-alkane method to estimate the diet composition selected by yak when grazing alpine pastures and to explore whether the method can provide accurate assessments of dietary selection by yak under these conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cinema possesses a rich history of collaboration between artists of sound, narrative, and image. However, traditional tendencies to perceive music as a strictly supportive background or accompaniment have been subjected to in-depth critique only recently. Abigail Childs interactions with musicians in Is This What You Were Born For? (1981-89) and Bill Morrisons partnership with composer Michael Gordon in Decasia (2001) exemplify (but by no means exhaust the possibilities of) the broader range of collaborative textures that cinema has always suggested. Not coincidentally, these works represent the influence on cinema of two popular music practices: the ubiquitous re-mixing that has emerged from hip-hop culture and the group composition typical of many rock bands. Abigail Child (also a poet, critic, and scholar) has had an influential career as an experimental filmmaker since the mid-1970s when she turned from professional documentary work to the creation of independent films focusing on gender, sexuality, class, and the critical possibilities of montage. Recycling found footage from a wide variety of sources, such as porn, industrial films, and home movies, and progressing cinematic techniques often associated primarily with the historical avant-garde of the early twentieth century, Child has created an oeuvre of incredible beauty and continuing social relevance. Her films are shown at major art museums and in experimental cinema venues and can be obtained through a variety of distribution channels. Is This What You Were Born For?, the series of short films Child created in the 1980s, underscores her exploration of interdisciplinary collaboration and these endeavors have had on her work. Michael Gordons award-winning career as a composer has resulted in a variety of notable intermedia collaborations, including for example operas with diegetic film components progressing beyond the more familiar application of projection as scenery and non-narrative music performances incorporating video. Gordon is a founding member of the highly regarded new music organization Bang on a Can, a group dedicated to facilitating the composition and performance of new music, often with an interdisciplinary dimension and independently of conservative academic contexts. Decasia, Gordons internationally celebrated collaboration with filmmaker Bill Morrison, is a symphony for full orchestra paired with a montage of archival nitrate footage in various states of intriguing and evocative decomposition. The final version of the film, edited to fit the live recording of the symphony performance, was featured in the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. Decasia synaesthetically elucidates subtleties inherent to myriad generative tensions: progress/tradition, memory/time, darkness/illumination, and mini-malism/totalism.
M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS The eight strong shortlist for the EUR100,000 annual International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which is run by Dublins public libraries, has been chosen from an initial longlist of 156 novels which were nominated by 163 libraries from around the world. The recipient of the IMPAC prize, which is managed by Dublin City Libraries on behalf of Dublin City Council and is sponsored by international management productivity company IMPAC, will be decided by a judging panel of five members, chaired by Hon. Eugene R Sullivan.
EAST LANSING, Mich. NAPA, Calif. — American Physicians Capital Inc. (APCapital) (NASDAQ:ACAP), a major
provider of health care liability insurance, and The Doctors Company,
the largest national insurer of physician and surgeon medical liability,
today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement
pursuant to which The Doctors Company will acquire APCapital for $41.50
per share in cash, or an aggregate purchase price of approximately $386
million. The $41.50 per share in cash purchase price represents a
premium of approximately 31 percent over the $31.76 per share closing
price of ACAP on July 7, 2010, the last trading day prior to today’s
announcement.
R. Kevin Clinton, President and CEO of APCapital said, “This transaction
delivers significant value to our shareholders. Additionally, our
insureds will benefit as they become members of one of the largest and
most respected professional liability companies in the nation. I would
like to recognize our employees, agents, and medical society partners
for their dedication and commitment to APCapital. They are the driving
force behind the success of our company.”
“We are extremely pleased to announce this partnership between two
physician-founded companies and we look forward to delivering enhanced
value to our member insureds through the financial strength of a
combined organization with a relentless commitment to protecting,
defending, and rewarding the practice of good medicine,” said Richard E.
Anderson, MD, FACP, chairman and CEO of The Doctors Company. “Members
will benefit from our partnership and will continue to receive
aggressive claims defense, unmatched legislative and patient safety
advocacy, outstanding service, and industry leading member benefits.”
With this merger, The Doctors Company further expands its position as
the largest national insurer of physician and surgeon medical liability
to nearly 55,000 member insureds.
The Board of Directors of APCapital has approved the proposed
transaction and has resolved to recommend that its shareholders approve
the merger. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter
of 2010 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including the
receipt of regulatory approvals, and approval by a majority of
APCapital’s shareholders.
Toll of Stress Impacting Health Care Costs, Absenteeism and Workplace
Safety
NEW YORK — Employers understand the detrimental effects stress is having on their
organizations, and are responding with multiple strategies to help
workers cope, a recent survey by Buck
Consultants, A Xerox Company, indicates.
The survey, ‘Stress in the Workplace,’ identifies the areas most
affected by stress and the strategies employed by organizations to
reduce stress for their workers. The research was conducted at the
WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference in May 2010. The study analyzes
responses from more than 250 conference attendees, representing more
than 200 organizations of various sizes and industries.
“Most employers realize that a stressed-out workforce drives up health
care costs,” said Barry Hall, principal at Buck Consultants. “Employers
are responding by introducing numerous methods to combat the impact of
work-related stress.”
Hall noted that workplace issues highly affected by stress are:
Toll of Stress Impacting Health Care Costs, Absenteeism and Workplace
Safety
NEW YORK — Employers understand the detrimental effects stress is having on their
organizations, and are responding with multiple strategies to help
workers cope, a recent survey by Buck
Consultants, A Xerox Company, indicates.
The survey, ‘Stress in the Workplace,’ identifies the areas most
affected by stress and the strategies employed by organizations to
reduce stress for their workers. The research was conducted at the
WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference in May 2010. The study analyzes
responses from more than 250 conference attendees, representing more
than 200 organizations of various sizes and industries.
“Most employers realize that a stressed-out workforce drives up health
care costs,” said Barry Hall, principal at Buck Consultants. “Employers
are responding by introducing numerous methods to combat the impact of
work-related stress.”
Hall noted that workplace issues highly affected by stress are:
Partnership with Gerson Lehrman Group provides Bloomberg clients
with new service
NEW YORK — BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® Service and Gerson Lehrman Group
executives today announced that Bloomberg clients will get access to
more than 50,000 leading business experts globally through an exclusive
partnership with Gerson Lehrman Group.
The agreement offers clients of the Bloomberg Professional Service
access to members of the Gerson Lehrman Group Councils — networks of
consultants, physicians, scientists, engineers, attorneys, market
researchers and other professionals from around the world, who are
referred to as GLG Council Members.
Through this new partnership, Bloomberg clients will be able to view
profiles of select GLG Council Members; request consultations directly
with those Council Members; and access news commentary, video, webcasts
and teleconferences led by GLG Council Members globally. In addition,
Bloomberg and Gerson Lehrman Group will jointly produce seminars and
surveys that will be available exclusively to Bloomberg Professional
Service users.
This partnership also provides trial access to Gerson Lehrman Group for
Bloomberg clients who are not yet Gerson Lehrman Group clients. All
clients who engage Gerson Lehrman Group’s services through Bloomberg
will be supported by more than 300 industry-specific research
professionals, who help users identify the experts who best meet their
research needs.
SAN ANTONIO — Tootie
Pie Company, Inc. (OTCBB:TOOT) announced that it has entered into a
partnership with Kraft Foods for the upcoming holiday season. The two
companies will co-market Tootie Pie with Kraft’s Cool Whip.
“There is probably no more recognizable, high-quality food brand than
Kraft Foods,” said Don Merrill, President CEO. “We are proud and
excited that Kraft recognizes the value of having its Cool Whip product
featured alongside Tootie Pie.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed as of this date; however, the deal
was made possible through a mutual agreement in partnership with HEB
Grocery Stores, according to Tootie Pie Company.
“Experience tells us that more in-store pie tastings result in
significantly more Tootie Pie sales. Once customers taste Tootie Pie,
they are hooked,” explained Merrill. “HEB wants to grow Tootie Pie sales
dramatically and brought Kraft to the table in a three-way partnership
that will drive consumers to the frozen food section during peak times
of the year!”
SAN ANTONIO — Tootie
Pie Company, Inc. (OTCBB:TOOT) announced that it has entered into a
partnership with Kraft Foods for the upcoming holiday season. The two
companies will co-market Tootie Pie with Kraft’s Cool Whip.
“There is probably no more recognizable, high-quality food brand than
Kraft Foods,” said Don Merrill, President CEO. “We are proud and
excited that Kraft recognizes the value of having its Cool Whip product
featured alongside Tootie Pie.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed as of this date; however, the deal
was made possible through a mutual agreement in partnership with HEB
Grocery Stores, according to Tootie Pie Company.
“Experience tells us that more in-store pie tastings result in
significantly more Tootie Pie sales. Once customers taste Tootie Pie,
they are hooked,” explained Merrill. “HEB wants to grow Tootie Pie sales
dramatically and brought Kraft to the table in a three-way partnership
that will drive consumers to the frozen food section during peak times
of the year!”
Cloud-Based Web Font Service Features High-Quality Fonts from Partner
Foundries
“Leveraging deep knowledge of fonts, font management, and the graphic
design customer, developing a web font service was a logical step for
Extensis,” said Celartem CEO, Osamu Ikeda.
For years, web designers have been very limited in their choice of
typography on the web. Typography was limited to the few standard fonts
installed on a reader’s machine, or required rendering static images or
JavaScript tricks to render custom typography – none of which is optimal
for text display. WebINK changes all of that, making
professional-quality typography available to modern browsers – without
JavaScript or other programming hacks.
The final Flight Safety Investigation Report dealing with the October 9, 2008, CT-114 Tutor crash in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, is now available on the Air Force Directorate of Flight Safety website.
Killed in this accident were Capt Bryan Mitchell, the pilot, and Sgt Charles Senecal, an Air Reservist serving as photographer. The aircraft was on a photo-chase mission to take photographs of 15 Wing aircraft in the Moose Jaw area.
The Flight Safety report concludes that the photo-chase pilot did not realize that his aircraft had descended dangerously low, likely due to his attention being fixated on aircraft in the formation, resulting in a controlled flight into terrain. The report also concludes that the pilot was not experienced with, or trained for, this particular type of mission, and that there was no formal direction available to guide the briefing and conduct of photo-chase missions, which are rarely performed in the Canadian Forces.
The Air Force is examining what preventive measures can be implemented to help prevent such tragic accidents in the future. Additions to Division orders have already been made to aid personnel to better consider and minimize risks associated with low-level photo-chase flights, regardless of the aircraft being flown.
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — In response to increasing global demand, Kronos®
Incorporated has extended its reach into Spain and Portugal through
a reseller agreement with Group Seidor, a leading international
technology solutions provider.
News Facts
Session Will Discuss How Health Plans Can Begin Planning for Mandated
Changes in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Care Regulations
WAYNE, Pa. — MEDecision,
Inc., a leading provider of collaborative
healthcare management solutions, will present a complimentary
webinar discussing member-centric behavioral health utilization
management and what health plans need to begin considering today to
prepare for the changes coming tomorrow, including related workflow
requirements. The session will be held on Wednesday, July 14 at 12:30
p.m. Eastern time (9:30 a.m. Pacific time).
Hosted by MEDecision’s Vice President of Product Marketing Brian Nagle,
Director of Clinical Programs Suzanne Kunze and Clinical Product Manager
Dawn Kramer, the webinar will examine the societal, economic and
regulatory factors that are driving insurers to increase access, improve
outcomes, and control costs for mental health and substance abuse care.
Its primary topics will include:
Toll of Stress Impacting Health Care Costs, Absenteeism and Workplace
Safety
NEW YORK — Employers understand the detrimental effects stress is having on their
organizations, and are responding with multiple strategies to help
workers cope, a recent survey by Buck
Consultants, A Xerox Company, indicates.
The survey, ‘Stress in the Workplace,’ identifies the areas most
affected by stress and the strategies employed by organizations to
reduce stress for their workers. The research was conducted at the
WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference in May 2010. The study analyzes
responses from more than 250 conference attendees, representing more
than 200 organizations of various sizes and industries.
“Most employers realize that a stressed-out workforce drives up health
care costs,” said Barry Hall, principal at Buck Consultants. “Employers
are responding by introducing numerous methods to combat the impact of
work-related stress.”
Hall noted that workplace issues highly affected by stress are:
Pacific Sands, Inc. (OTCBB: PFSD), a manufacturer of a broad range of environmentally friendly cleaning products, announced the development of the Critter Cleaner product for cleaning domestic and wildlife animals that have been contaminated with gooey oil such as generated by the recent Gulf Oil Spill or future transportation related oil spills that could occur on the nearby Great Lakes.
Pacific Sands president Michael Wynhoff commented, “Critter Cleaner was specifically developed by PFSD research chemist Dr. Jack Hagarty for use on pets and for contaminated wildlife. We are excited to provide pet owners and victims of the Gulf Oil Spill with environmentally friendly products like Critter Cleaner and our Natural Choices product line.”
RUSSIAS deep-cover spies are coming in from the cold in central Europe. The countrys covert intelligence gathering is informed by the practices of an earlier age. According to the Czech Security Information Service BIS, in the past year the SVR, Russias foreign intelligence, and other spy agencies tried to recruit Czech scientists, politicians and the cultural and artistic elite of the Czech Republic, amid signs the country was the target of a hostile espionage campaign. BIS, in a report last year, outlined the Russian spook offensive. The Russian intelligence assault, it said, “went against the interests of the Czech Republic and showed a hostile attitude to it. following the intentions of their Soviet [KGB] predecessors”. Their activities were “diffuse and spread right across the economy, science, energy industry and nuclear field” said the report. These were hostile in their intent to the Czech state, but BIS uncovered them and thwarted the groups operations, the report said. More worryingly, deep-cover Russian agents in various businesses and other interest groups, BIS indicated, “attempted to subvert the state administration, especially with moves influencing the filling of top posts and key decision-making” in state-owned enterprises, the judiciary and law enforcement. These too were foiled.
Free Event to Include Career Tip Seminars, Resume Review and Local
Employers Recruiting On-Site
SEATTLE — The University of Phoenix Western Washington Campus invites job seekers
to attend a free Career Expo at its Tukwila location on July 9th and
10th. The two-day event will offer a series of job hunting and career
strategies seminars, individual advisement and resume review, as well as
several local companies recruiting on site.
“Even with the economy showing signs of recovery, the unemployment rate
continues to hover around nine percent and many Washingtonians are
seeking the tools and resources to land a job,” said Alexis Lim, campus
direct of University of Phoenix Western Washington campus. “This event
is designed to educate job-seekers on how to market themselves
effectively and take their career search to the next level. The campus
is thrilled to have the participation of career expert Tony Vianna – and
with a number of hiring companies in attendance, it promises to be a
successful and engaging event.”
LiveWorld’s Facebook Ask Answer 2.0 Helps Brands Increase Customer
Satisfaction Lower Support Costs
SAN JOSE, Calif. — LiveWorld’s (OTC Pink Sheets: LVWD.PK) Facebook
Ask Answer 2.0 lets customers quickly find answers to
questions about a brand’s products right on the page they’re already on
– the brand’s Facebook Fan page. The application, available today, is
specifically designed to leverage customers’ growing use of Facebook to
increase customer satisfaction and lower support costs for the brand.
Based on LiveWorlds 27 years of developing and managing online
community support solutions for Fortune 500 brands, Ask Answer has
features, language and taxonomy specially optimized for customer care.
It offers Ask A Question, Get An Answer language and search
structure, which encourages customers to answer each others questions
and participate in the brand’s community. It showcases user content by
featuring customers’ top questions and answers, and recognizes the top
contributors. Widgets include a unique dynamic featured question widget
and featured users, and more. Ask Answer can be localized into dozens
of languages.
“It’s no secret that customer support via online community has
tremendous, almost immediate ROI,” said Peter Friedman, LiveWorld’s
Chairman and CEO (@peterfriedman).
“Not only is it 5x-10x more cost effective than phone support, but it
increases customer satisfaction and lays the foundation for more loyal
customer relationships.”
New Facebook Application Allows Consumers to Send Real Treats to
Friends Family
ATLANTA SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — First
Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment
processing, and Cold
Stone Creamery, an innovative super-premium ice cream brand, have
teamed up to offer a new gifting application through Facebook. Starting
today, loyal Cold Stone fans can now quickly and easily send a tangible
“item-level” gift (e.g. ice cream Creations, shakes) to a friend or
loved one’s Facebook account or e-mail address.
Cold Stone Creamery, with more than 1,300 U.S. locations, is the first
merchant to launch a
gifting program using the First
DataSM eGift SocialSM solution. Unlike other
solutions in the marketplace, Cold Stone customers benefit from the
convenience of being able to gift multiple small items to one or more
recipients with a single transaction.
”We’re making it easier for people to share a Cold Stone moment, even if
time or distance prevents them from being together. Now you don’t have
to wait for special occasions to share ice cream; you can send Cold
Stone gifts instantly, any day, just because,” said Daniel Beem,
president of Cold Stone Creamery. “We’re delighted to know that we’ll be
part of more of life’s little moments, from ‘get well soon’ notes and
rewards for a job well done to ‘I miss you’ wall posts.”
Inside Facebook has estimated that consumers spent $10 million on
virtual goods through applications on the Facebook platform in 2009. The
eGift Social solution takes this trend to the next level by moving
purchased virtual gifts into the physical world.
Women in Kenya remain disadvantaged, with opportunities for educational, social, and economic advancement inferior to those of men. Women are underrepresented in modern sector wage employment, political and judicial decision making, and all major public service appointments. Numerous social, economic, and cultural barriers limit womens participation in these areas. But womens underrepresentation in education is a primary factor. The benefits of womens education to women and to society in general are immense. In the workplace, education increases skills needed for job entry, improves chances of vertical mobility, and enhances overall labor market productivity. It also has positive consequences at home, including improved health, increased child survival rates, reduced fertility rates, lower infant mortality rates, and better protection against HIV and AIDS (Tembon and Fort 2008). Education of women and girls is therefore not only a moral and human rights issue, but also an economic and development issue. Given the significant benefits of womens education, equity in education is essential to improving circumstances for all Kenyans. As the leading provider of education, the government should acknowledge that compensatory mechanisms may be required to level the playing field for disadvantaged girls, and it should adopt an approach that uses these mechanisms. Making education equitable means adopting policies and initiatives that support equal provisions across genders. Female Education in Kenya Education in Kenya has four basic levels: preschool (ages 4-6), primary (ages 7-14), secondary (ages 15-18), and tertiary. Since attaining political independence from Great Britain in 1963, the Kenyan government has emphasized educations importance to economic development. It has also increased the number of schools at all levels, from about six thousand primary and 150 secondary schools in 1963 to almost twenty thousand primary and four thousand secondary schools in 2004. As a result, the student population has increased substantially, with over 700 percent growth at the primary level and almost 3,000 percent growth at the secondary level (Ministry of Education 2007). But this total expansion in education hides disparities by gender and region.
HOUSTON — Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK), the nation’s
leading chain of upscale gentlemen’s clubs, had revenues of $6.36
million at its nightclubs in June.
The June revenues brought total nightclub sales for the company’s third
quarter ending June 30 to $19.58 million.
Eric Langan, President and CEO of the company, said: “Generally
our revenues are holding up, although we are working on improving sales
at several clubs that have been impacted by market-specific economic
weakness.”
Companywide revenues were up 4.2 percent compared with the $6.1 million
reported in 2009. Same club-same month revenues compared with 2009 were
off 5.4 percent, primarily because of lower revenues at the Las Vegas
Rick’s Cabaret and at the Club Onyx locations in Philadelphia and
Charlotte.
HOUSTON — Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK), the nation’s
leading chain of upscale gentlemen’s clubs, had revenues of $6.36
million at its nightclubs in June.
The June revenues brought total nightclub sales for the company’s third
quarter ending June 30 to $19.58 million.
Eric Langan, President and CEO of the company, said: “Generally
our revenues are holding up, although we are working on improving sales
at several clubs that have been impacted by market-specific economic
weakness.”
Companywide revenues were up 4.2 percent compared with the $6.1 million
reported in 2009. Same club-same month revenues compared with 2009 were
off 5.4 percent, primarily because of lower revenues at the Las Vegas
Rick’s Cabaret and at the Club Onyx locations in Philadelphia and
Charlotte.
INTRODUCTION Pork is a popular meat consumed by non-muslim Singaporeans with about 87,000 tonnes being consumed per year (Kanagalingam, 2005). Currently, Singapore imports its pork from several countries, but Australian and Indonesian pork is consumed most widely due to its ready availability at supermarkets and wet markets. Fresh pork is obtained from pigs raised in Indonesia but slaughtered at Singapore abattoirs, while chilled pork is mainly imported from Australia and is widely known as “Air Pork”. Singaporean consumers are aware of the origin of pork from packaging labels. Results of a recent survey showed that Singapore consumers associate non-Indonesian pork with the presence of an unpleasant mutton-like off-flavour (Leong et al., 2008). One possible cause of off-flavours in pork is by the oxidation of lipids, leading to the formation of aldehydes and short-chain fatty acids (Reindl and Stan, 1982; Devol, et al., 1988). The rate and extent of lipid oxidation depends on a number of factors, the most important being the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in muscle (Allen and Foegeding, 1981). Pork contains high levels of unsaturated fatty acids relative to ruminant meat (Enser et al., 1996) and is more susceptible to oxidative deterioration of lipids and myoglobin. Feeding of PUFAs to pigs can improve the nutritional quality of pork, but may also increase the susceptibility to oxidation (Sheard et al., 2000; Kouba et al., 2003; Morel et al., 2006). There have been many reports of PUFA-rich feeds leading to increased lipid oxidation and thus off-flavour in pork (Houben and Krol, 1980; Warnants et al., 1998; Roman et al., 1995; Overland et al., 1996; Leskanich et al., 1997; Wood et al., 2003). There have also been examples of off-flavours in pork arising from the direct transfer of aroma components from feed to meat, including several reports on how feeding of fish oil and high fat fish meal to finisher pigs has caused “fishy” and other off-flavours in pork products (Kjos et al., 1999; Lauridsen et al., 1999; Maw et al., 2001; Jaturasitha et al., 2002). The current paper compares sensory assessments of the flavour of pork from the legs of pigs finished in New Zealand on three diets (Morel et al., 2008) using Singaporean panelists. The objective was to determine the extent to which dietary feed treatments received by the New Zealand pigs influenced the sensory properties of pork using trained and untrained Singaporean panels. Results of sensory analyses of pork from the loins of the same New Zealand pigs using New Zealand panelists were reported by Janz et al. (2008).
INTRODUCTION Fat deposition of pigs is of economic importance because of market incentives for lean pork production and decreased feeding costs. It is crucial to investigate and characterize new candidate genes and QTL relevant to pig fat deposit traits. To date, several quantitative trait loci (QTL) significantly affecting 10th-rib, average backfat thickness and other production traits have been mapped on SSC7 (Wang et al., 1998; Nagamine et al., 2003). Peroxisomal [[DELTA].sup.3],[[DELTA].sup.2]-enoyl-CoA isomerase (PECI) was located near the boundary of the quantitative trait loci (QTL) region. [[DELTA].sup.3],[[DELTA].sup.2]-enoyl-CoA isomerase (Ecilp) is unique because its activity is necessary for [beta]-oxidation of all unsaturated fatty acids (Geisbrecht et al., 1999). The series of enzyme-catalyzed reactions required for degradation of fatty acids are evolutionarily conserved and accomplished primarily through the p-oxidation pathway. In peroxisomes, ECI was predicted to be a dominant enzyme for 3-cis 3[right arrow]2-trans and 3-trans 3[right arrow]2-trans isomerizations of long-chain intermediates (Zhang et al., 2002). Fatty acid [beta]-oxidation in mammals is considerably more complicated, primarily due to the existence of overlapping but distinct fatty acid poxidation pathways. Mammalian peroxisomes contain at least three fatty acyl-CoA oxidases, both L-specific and D-specific 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase multifunctional proteins, and at least two thiolases, all of which are encoded by different genes (Palosaari et al., 1990a, 1991; Geisbrecht et al., 1998; Gurvitz et al., 1998; Geisbrecht et al., 1999; Partanen et al., 2004). When the ECI was completely excised in the mouse, it extensively perturbed the metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids, especially for short interval starvation and the fatty acid pattern of complex phospholipids was strongly altered (Palosaari et al., 1990b; Janssen et al., 2002). The PECI gene can be encoded by ECI1 and it is required for growth of saccharomyces cerevisiae on unsaturated fatty acids (Gurvitz et al., 1998). It can be concluded that the PECI gene may play an important role during the metabolic processing of unsaturated fatty acids. Deposition of fat by animals in their bodies is associated with the metabolism of fatty acids, and more research would contribute to understanding of porcine fat deposition. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood of mature Tongcheng pigs (Hubei province, China) by phenol/chloroform extraction. RNA was extracted from muscle tissue of adult Tongcheng pigs and adult Swedish Landrace with TRIzol reagent kit (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NE, USA). RACE (the rapid amplification of cDNA ends) was performed according to the instructions of the SMARTTM RACE cDNA Amplification Kit (Clontech Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USA). The PCR products of RACE were purified with the Wizard PCR Preps DNA Purification System (Promega, Madison, WI, USA). ORF were found by the program SeqMan (DNA star, Madison, WI, USA) and the amino acid sequences were deduced with Primer5.0 (Primer Premier5.0, Premier, Canada). Using the pGEM T-easy vector, DNase I (RNase-free) and M-MLV reverse transcriptase from TaKaRa Dalian (Dalian, China), primers were synthesized (Table 1) and PCR products were sequenced by AuGCT Biotechnology (Bejing, China).
Funds Earmarked to “.Encourage Cutting Edge and Innovative
Biomedical Exploration”
RUTHERFORD, Calif. — The International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO) today
announced a collaboration with the Johnson Johnson Corporate Office of
Science and Technology (COSAT). Under the terms of this collaboration,
COSAT will provide a $250,000 grant towards the funding of IMHROs
Rising Star Awards. COSATs grant will be matched by IMHRO to establish
the COSAT-IMHRO Rising Star Awards Program, which, in 2010, will fund
two Rising Star Awards.
The objective of the COSAT-IMHRO Rising Star Awards Program is to
advance the understanding of underlying disease mechanisms in bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia and major depression with the great potential to
benefit patients and the healthcare system. The IMHRO Rising Star Awards
support cutting edge research programs throughout the world on the study
of psychiatric brain disorders, and are distributed annually at the
Staglin Family Music Festival For Mental Health, held this year in
September in Rutherford, Napa Valley, California.
“Our approach at IMHRO is to fund the best science as determined by our
independent scientific advisory board,” stated Garen Staglin, co-founder
of IMHRO, and proprietor of Staglin Family Vineyard. “This collaboration
will fund research of key scientists and will bring us closer than ever
to helping find the causes and cures for mental illness.”
The COSAT-IMHRO Rising Star Awards Program is intended to advance the
translation of discoveries from basic science research into therapies
for major psychiatric diseases. Understanding the mechanism of action
and the role in the brain of genes that are altered in psychiatric
disease supplies the first clue as to how these disorders arise. This
grant program fosters the next steps toward discovering therapies
through research into approaches that re-normalize or compensate for the
alterations that have already been discovered.
New SVP COO Strengthens Outcomes’ Executive Leadership Team
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Outcomes Health Information Solutions, LLC, a leading healthcare data
abstraction and analytics company, today named Hassan Rifaat, M.D., as
the new Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “We are
excited to have Dr. Rifaat join our organization. As a physician with
over 20 years of senior level experience with leading national
healthcare organizations, Dr. Rifaat will bring additional experience,
ideas and knowledge to our operations and clinical team,” says Outcomes’
CEO, Gary Velasquez. “Having a physician as our SVP COO demonstrates
Outcomes’ commitment to superior clinical abstraction quality and
business operations, strengthening our platform for continued growth.”
Prior to joining Outcomes, Dr. Rifaat served as Senior Vice President at
Coventry Health Care where he managed seven health plans with over 1,500
employees in 11 states. Coventry Health Care is a national managed
healthcare company based in Bethesda, Maryland operating health plans,
insurance companies, network rental/managed care and workers
compensation services companies. In addition, Dr. Rifaat has held
several senior executive positions at Humana, Inc.; a $12 billion
managed care company, where he served as Regional CEO over Illinois
the Southeast, Market President for Louisiana, and Director, Clinical
Innovation. He also was Vice President of Marketing and Sales for
HealthMarket and held executive level positions at Alignis, Oxford
Health Plans, and Texas Health Innovators.
Dr. Rifaat graduated Cum Laude from Harvard University with an AB in
Biochemistry and obtained his Medical Doctor degree from the University
of Virginia School of Medicine.
As Outcomes’ SVP COO, Dr. Rifaat will manage the day-to-day
operational and clinical activities on a company-wide basis. He will
administer, direct, and coordinate all operational activities of the
company including planning, design and process improvement.
Positions Merck to Capitalize on Opportunities for Global Growth
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), known outside the U.S. and Canada as MSD,
today provided further detail on integration plans for the companys
research and development, manufacturing and other business operations as
part of a global restructuring program announced following the November
2009 merger of Merck and Schering-Plough. The consolidation plans
support Mercks strategic direction as a customer focused, innovative
and diversified global health care company, and position the company to
invest in key areas for future growth, including emerging markets,
biologics, vaccines and consumer care.
Merck today announced plans to phase out operations at eight research
sites and eight manufacturing sites, as well as to continue to
consolidate office facilities worldwide, as part of the global merger
restructuring program that began last December. The goal of the
restructuring is to create a flexible RD organization that cultivates
scientific innovation, facilitates external collaboration and drives
pipeline progress and a reliable, more fully utilized and cost efficient
worldwide manufacturing supply chain to support Mercks broader product
portfolio.
Merck continues to expect its total workforce to be reduced by
approximately 15 percent across all areas of the combined company
worldwide as part of the initial phases of its merger restructuring
program. The company said it will continue to hire new employees in
strategic growth areas of the business as necessary.
“Today’s announcement is another important step as we successfully
integrate our global operations on schedule and move forward with
Mercks strategic priorities,” said Richard T. Clark, chairman and chief
executive officer of Merck. “These changes are crucial to drive future
growth and realize the promise of being a global health care leader for
the long term. While we believe these actions are necessary to support
Mercks competitive advantage, they required difficult decisions that
will impact some of our colleagues, their families and local
communities. We will implement our restructuring plans with the utmost
care and respect for the hard-working and talented employees of Merck,”
he said.
Despite Rising Airfares, Travelers Can Still Keep Budgets in Check by
Looking to Hotel Bargains Like Free-Night Stays and Pricing Discounts
“Coming to terms with the fact that the cheap summer airfares of last
year are a thing of the past, we want to show travelers it’s absolutely
still possible to keep travel costs within reason,” said Lesley Harris,
vice president of hotels and vacation packaging for Travelocity. “Hotels
and vacation packages are without a doubt where the biggest savings can
be found, and with the launch of the ‘Free Summer Nights’ sale, this
season’s dream travel experiences are back within reach.”
With similar value-adding hotel promotions, and the addition of new
money-saving tools like Top
Secret Hotels, where customers can shop hotels and find unpublished
rates that are up to 45 percent off three- and four-star hotels,
Travelocity is giving price-conscious consumers an extra boost of
confidence to take a well-deserved vacation. Travelocity customers who
book a hotel or vacation package during the “Free Summer Nights” sale,
between June 18 and August 31, 2010, for stays through September 30,
2010, will receive the 2nd, 3rd or 4th
night stay for free at popular participating hotels in many of this
summer’s top destinations, from San Diego to Vancouver to Cabo San
Lucas, including:
Viator.com , the leading resource for researching and booking more than 5,500 trip activities and experiences at the best prices, is featuring an oft overlooked region of Europe, Scandinavia. In the summer, Denmark, Norway and Sweden experience a natural phenomenon due to their location north of the Arctic Circle, the midnight sun. But beyond the extended daylight, each destination features distinctive cultural, historical and natural elements for travellers to experience and explore.
From ancient castles to Lego, Denmark, the smallest of the Scandinavian countries features a unique blend of history and modernity. The Copenhagen Grand Tour takes in the citys major sights like Tivoli Gardens, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and Gefion Fountain and the Little Mermaid, inspired by Hans Christian Andersens fairytale. To explore by land and sea, the Copenhagen City and Harbor Tour offers two unique perspectives and for travellers who like their own pace, the Copenhagen Card provides free entry to 60 museums and attractions. Known for its many fairy tale castles and its fairy tales, the North Zealand Castles Day Trip from Copenhagen explores Kronborg Castle (a UNESCO World Heritage site), Fredensborg Palace and Frederiksborg Castle. Just a quick ferry ride away, travellers can explore nearby Sweden during the Sweden Day Trip from Copenhagen.
Norway
Ruggedly beautiful with mountains, fjords and glaciers, travellers to Norway enjoy low-key cities and fishing villages set against the rich history generated by the Viking Age and the Norwegian farm culture. Travellers sail to the fjords during the Full Day Grand Tour of Oslo and visit the Fram Museum, the Kon-Tiki Raft, Viking ships and the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The Oslo Fjord Sightseeing Cruise focuses on the fjord regions passing through narrow sounds, idyllic bays and a maze of islands. The Visit Oslo Pass and the Oslo City Hop-on Hop-off Tour provide travellers with an overview of the destination along with value and flexibility.
WOMENS VOLLEYBALL: The Westminster womens volleyball team released the schedule for 2010 on Wednesday afternoon. The team will participate in two tournaments including playing host to the season opening Tournament of Champions head coach Kim Norman said. The Griffins will face Daemen College, College of Idaho and Azusa Pacific during the two-day event to begin the 2010 season. The Tournament of Champions will feature four pool play matches in the Behnken Field House on Aug. 27 and conclude with two pool play matches and the three bracket matches on Aug. 28. Westminster will travel to Irvine, Calif. for the Asics/Crowne Plaza Labor Day Tournament hosted by Concordia (Calif.) over Labor Day weekend. The tournament schedule hasnt been announced at this time, but the team will play two matches on both Sept. 3 and Sept. 4. The Frontier Conference opener is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Billings, Mont. against Rocky Mountain College. That game is followed by the annual trip to Helena, Montana to face Carroll College on Sept. 11. Montana Western visits the Behnken Field House for the Frontier home opener on Sept. 16. Montana Tech comes to Salt Lake City on Sept. 18 with the trip to Great Falls and Havre, Montana coming the following weekend for games at Great Falls and Montana State- Northern.
Partnership with Gerson Lehrman Group provides Bloomberg clients
with new service
NEW YORK — BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® Service and Gerson Lehrman Group
executives today announced that Bloomberg clients will get access to
more than 50,000 leading business experts globally through an exclusive
partnership with Gerson Lehrman Group.
The agreement offers clients of the Bloomberg Professional Service
access to members of the Gerson Lehrman Group Councils — networks of
consultants, physicians, scientists, engineers, attorneys, market
researchers and other professionals from around the world, who are
referred to as GLG Council Members.
Through this new partnership, Bloomberg clients will be able to view
profiles of select GLG Council Members; request consultations directly
with those Council Members; and access news commentary, video, webcasts
and teleconferences led by GLG Council Members globally. In addition,
Bloomberg and Gerson Lehrman Group will jointly produce seminars and
surveys that will be available exclusively to Bloomberg Professional
Service users.
This partnership also provides trial access to Gerson Lehrman Group for
Bloomberg clients who are not yet Gerson Lehrman Group clients. All
clients who engage Gerson Lehrman Group’s services through Bloomberg
will be supported by more than 300 industry-specific research
professionals, who help users identify the experts who best meet their
research needs.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. announced today that it has completed a
private offering of convertible preferred stock. The proceeds will be
used, in part, to expand the company’s research and commercialization
activities in the advanced biofuels and biomass-to-power markets.
Over the past three years the company has launched its energy grass seed
business in the United States and expanded its research and
commercialization activities into the biopower, bio-based chemical and
sugar-to-biofuel markets, including joint projects with electric
utilities and next-generation biorefineries. The company also grew its
international presence, and is deploying its seeds and technology in
Brazil. Ceres President and CEO Richard Hamilton says that Ceres plans
to build a leadership position in each of these markets.
“The common denominator among these diverse renewable energy markets is
having a scalable and economic source of feedstock,” said Hamilton. “We
believe that dedicated energy grasses are uniquely capable of supplying
the raw materials that will be needed for long-term growth.”
“In addition to the operational benefits, this new funding will allow us
to maintain our independence to collaborate with participants across the
energy and agricultural industries – a freedom that has proven highly
valuable as we help assemble value chains among growers, bioenergy
companies and technology providers,” said Hamilton. “These joint
projects are proving critical to validating our technology and products
with the nascent bioenergy industry.”
Ceres currently markets improved seed varieties of switchgrass and
high-biomass sorghum under its Blade Energy Crops brand, and has
additional research programs in sweet sorghum and miscanthus. The
California-based company’s biotech pipeline includes traits that can
improve the economics of bioenergy production, make greater use of
marginal land and enhance the environmental benefits of energy grasses.
In 2009, Ceres received a prestigious ARPA-E award from the U.S.
Department of Energy to evaluate a trait that increases yield and
reduces fertilizer requirements.
SAN ANTONIO — Tootie
Pie Company, Inc. (OTCBB:TOOT) announced that it has entered into a
partnership with Kraft Foods for the upcoming holiday season. The two
companies will co-market Tootie Pie with Kraft’s Cool Whip.
“There is probably no more recognizable, high-quality food brand than
Kraft Foods,” said Don Merrill, President CEO. “We are proud and
excited that Kraft recognizes the value of having its Cool Whip product
featured alongside Tootie Pie.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed as of this date; however, the deal
was made possible through a mutual agreement in partnership with HEB
Grocery Stores, according to Tootie Pie Company.
“Experience tells us that more in-store pie tastings result in
significantly more Tootie Pie sales. Once customers taste Tootie Pie,
they are hooked,” explained Merrill. “HEB wants to grow Tootie Pie sales
dramatically and brought Kraft to the table in a three-way partnership
that will drive consumers to the frozen food section during peak times
of the year!”
A HAIRDRESSERS has marked 30 years of business. John and Surtees of Mosely Street, Newcastle, has been open since 1980 and still has many of the same loyal clients, even boasting customers from several generations of the same families. John Kelly, 57 from Prudhoe, Northumberland, and Surtees Walker, 57 from Ryton, Gateshead have known each other for even longer, being firm friends ever since 1968 when they were apprentices together at Donalde of Mayfair in Hexham. They moved to Browns in Newcastle in 1973 and went it alone in 1980. Both have trained under the legendary Vidal Sassoon. John said: “Weve seen clients children and their childrens children, we remember when some of our clients were born.” Surtees said: “We like to treat it like were cutting a friends hair. It means weve always enjoyed working here, its how we maintain such customer loyalty.” The pair have seen fashion and hairstyles change a lot over the years. “The early 70s were the worst. People came to have their hair styled, curlers and sets were popular, perms were really popular too.
THEYRE hair today, but gone tomorrow, according to the boss of a Tyneside barbers shop. Struggling employer Michelle Hilling claims she has been forced to sell her business in Gosforth, Newcastle, because she cant find a traditional mens barber to work for her. The 39-year-old, who owns U hairdressing salon and The Little Barbers, both on Gosforth High Street, has sold her third shop, U Barbers, this week, because she cant staff it. Despite advertising for a barber for the past month, Michelle, of Ponteland, said she has been unable to fill the vacancy. The mum-of-two, who has been a hairdresser for 22 years, said: “Its unbelievable, especially with the way things are at the moment.
HAIRDRESSERS and several local businesses raised over pounds 1,000 for charity in a special fashion show. The fundraiser at, 21, a Clayton West restaurant, was organised by Posh Hairdressing. There was valuable help from businesses The Pied Piper, Cherry Bomb Boutique, Amelies Boutique and Sitting Pretty Fashion. The event, which raised pounds 1,083 for Breast Cancer Research, included an auction and fair.
Lorenzo Lee Pett Lorenzo Lee Pett was born on March 29, 1922 in Brigham City, Utah to Alice Berg and James W. Pett. The family moved to the Las Vegas area of Bard in 1929. In 1942 he moved to Culver City, California where he met his future wife, Patricia Reid and they were married in the Salt Lake City Temple on August 23, 1945, after starring in an Inglewood Stake musical. They sang on many programs together. He had seven children. Carol (deceased), Sally Barr (deceased), Ronald (Orem), Alis (Gary) House (St. George), Gloria (Roger) Stewart (Highland), April (Doug) Winkleman (Orem), John (Sarah) (Logan). Preceded in death by his siblings Fern W., Virginia Robertson, Lawrence, Marilyn Mcgowen, Willis and Shirley Barrett.
This acquisition developed naturally out of the strategic alliance that
MPR and HUCKDESIGN, LLC formed in 2008 to offer their clients a
comprehensive and streamlined product development process.
Together, MPR and HUCKdesignSM offer an integrated product
development process that concurrently combines first-of-a-kind
engineering with human factors-focused industrial design. Through
concurrent engineering and industrial design, MPR is able to provide
turnkey product development solutions to our clients allowing for rapid
prototyping of new innovative products and technologies. This process
has provided their clients with more than 100 new products and
technologies.
“We are excited about the joining of our companies because our combined
strengths will result in delivering dynamic solutions to customers. This
union cements a working relationship that is vibrant and effective, and
we are looking forward to the opportunities it will unleash,” said Paul
Damerell, Principal Officer of MPR.
MPR, with HUCKdesignSM, now combines technology, engineering,
and conceptualization with design, packaging, and model building to
propel new products and solutions from concept to prototype to reality.
Florida State House Candidate David Chalela, “Champion for the American worker,” received an endorsement this week from the Florida AFL-CIO. Also known as The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the National AFL-CIO union movement represents 11.5 million members, including 3 million members in “Working America,” its community affiliate. The members are teachers and miners, firefighters and farm workers, bakers and engineers, pilots and public employees, doctors and nurses, painters and plumbers and others.
“This so exciting for Davids campaign and the people of Florida because the hardworking people of the Florida AFL-CIO have made this organization to improve the working conditions and quality of life for hardworking Floridians, and these are the same ideals David will fight for in Tallahassee,” said Campaign Manager Ted Hisey. “Davids focus is on job creation for the community, working to keep homeowners in their homes, and promoting quality education. David and the Florida AFL-CIO share the common goal of preserving the American Dream and we will work very hard together to bring jobs to Florida,” said Hisey.
According to Chalela, a former military prosecutor and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, “I am humbled and honored by the endorsement. The wonderful men and women of the Florida AFL-CIO represent the everyday hardworking American people who make this country so great. This campaign is all about turning this community into a jobs powerhouse.”
Chalela faces three opponents in Floridas State House District 56.
“The product enhancement will allow Local Splash to dramatically improve our offerings for businesses without websites, and those with websites that want their search results boosted,” said David Rodecker, Founder and CTO of Relevant Ads. “Its an important next step in our continued product leadership in the local, organic search field,” added Rodecker.
Because the product/service offering and geographic area are included in the domain name, CWA listings will see significant improvements in their search engine rankings, including the all-important Google Ranking. “Many search engines, including Google, like to see a URL or domain name that exactly matches certain terms in the search query. Thats the main idea behind the Custom Web Address,” Rodecker says. “And the domain name will also be a good marketing tool.”
Each CWA includes a 4-page website filled with unique, keyword-dense content and professional graphics. Critical information such as company description, product and service information, and a contact page are included, along with integration into sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Yelp, and Merchant Circle.
By combining a traditional website with newer, Web 2.0 platforms, the CWA provides businesses with a sure-fire method to improve their search engine ranking and their visibility on the Internet. The CWA is included free in all Local Splash products, which start at $159 per month.
We all add the building materials, tangible and intangible, that make our community great. You helped construct this Model City. Now make the most of it. The 16th Annual Best of the Springs magazine will lead you to the best rock band, balloon artist, veggie dish, plumber, hiking trail, cocktail, radio station, accountant and more. On one level, the Best of the Springs is a guide that will help you find the leaders in a particular field. But its also a kind of Peoples Choice Award, bestowing honors on tremendous achievements of the past year. About 4,000 readers, a major increase from previous years, voted in more than 200 categories. Our staff experts also put in their two cents in some sections, and, as we did last year, we sought outside experts to give tips in three important areas. Carmichael Training Systems tells us the best places to train, a local artist with Celiac disease suggests where we can find the best gluten-free baked goods and a dad from a family of 13 points us to the best restaurants for big families.