Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/videos/boy-given-pot-to-manage-autism
hedy lamarr kowloon walled city ronda rousey vs miesha tate lindsay lohan snl lindsay lohan on snl real housewives of disney awakenings
Orlando FL (PRWEB) February 27 2013 Bayer CropScience today honored Belzoni Miss. crop farmer and sustainability advocate Jeremy Jack 30 as its 2013 Young Sustainable Farmer. Bayer announced the award during its 8th Annual Ag Issues Forum which brings together agr
Orlando, FL (PRWEB) February 27, 2013
Bayer CropScience today honored Belzoni, Miss., crop farmer and sustainability advocate Jeremy Jack, 30, as its 2013 Young Sustainable Farmer. Bayer announced the award during its 8th Annual Ag Issues Forum, which brings together agribusiness, thought leaders and key media to foster conversation and share insight into issues impacting agriculture.
The Young Farmer Sustainability Award recognizes young agricultural producers who demonstrate excellence in business and environmental sustainability. Entrants are judged on entrepreneurial initiative and new approaches to farming, environmental and other on-farm sustainability efforts, as well as economic stability. The winner is picked by a panel of judges, which this year included Jeanne Bernick, Editor at Top Producer magazine; Tom Rufty, Professor of Crop Science, North Carolina State University; Blake Vander Vorst, Senior Agronomist, Ducks Unlimited; and Adrian Percy, Vice President, Development North America, Bayer CropScience.
Jack and his family business, Silent Shade Planting Co., farm 8,500 acres in the Mississippi Delta. Silent Shade produces corn, soybean, cotton, rice and wheat, collaborating with state environmental and water quality organizations to operate a demonstration farm designed to reclaim water and reduce runoff from irrigation and storm water. The system ultimately will reduce groundwater withdrawals and increase aquatic habitat, waterfowl areas and shorebird use.
?Jeremy Jack and Silent Shade Planting represent forward-thinking farming practices that will help assure a productive, profitable future for agriculture and an adequate food supply to feed a hungry planet,? said Adrian Percy, Vice President, Development North America, Bayer CropScience. ?We are proud to recognize Jeremy?s contributions to U.S. agric
'/>"/>
| Source: PRWeb Copyright?2012 Vocus, Inc. All rights reserved |
1. Bayer HealthCares Cotavance? Drug Eluting Balloon With Paccocath? Technology Reduced Five-Year Target Lesion Revascularization Rates by 59 Percent in PAD Patients Compared to Those Treated With Uncoated Balloon
2. Bayer Advanced(TM) Sets Sights on New Partnerships in 2013
3. QIAGEN and Bayer HealthCare Partner to Develop Companion Diagnostics to Guide Treatment Decisions for Targeted Cancer Therapies
4. Bayer CropScience Announces LibertyLink LinkUp Offer Increased for 2013 Season
5. Bayer Bee Care Center Helps Solve Bee Health?s Toughest Challenges
6. Growers Choose the Bayer CropScience LibertyLinkSystem for Yield and Performance
7. Bayer CropScience Provides a Glimpse of SeedGrowth? Innovation
8. Bayer CropScience Launches Third Annual Young Farmer Sustainability Award Program
9. Bayer CropScience Hosts Inaugural Vegetable Future Forum in Monheim
10. Bayer CropScience Announces Registration for use of Alion on Grapes in California
11. Bayer CropScience Purchases Land Adjacent to its Research Triangle Park Headquarters
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
Share ] Contact: Liz Garman
egarman@apic.org
202-454-2604
Elsevier Health Sciences
Washington, DC, February 27, 2013 -- Patients who tested positive for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) took an average of 387 days following hospital discharge to be clear of the organism, according to a new study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
The study was conducted in the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, a 700-bed university-affiliated general hospital in Jerusalem, Israel. The research team analyzed follow-up cultures from 97 CRE-positive patients who had been discharged from the medical center between January 2009 and December 2010.
The average time until cultures became negative was 387 days. At three months, 78 percent of patients remained culture positive; at six months, 65 percent remained positive; at nine months, 51 percent, and at one year 39 percent of patients remained positive, meaning they could potentially become re-infected or transmit the germ to others.
Risk factors for extended carriage included the number of hospitalization days, whether and how often the patient was re-hospitalized, and whether the patient had an active infection as opposed to colonization without signs of active disease.
This is one of the first studies to determine length of CRE duration after hospital discharge and provides vital insight into treating formerly CRE-positive patients upon readmission as to limit the spread of this virulent and often deadly pathogen.
The authors state, "Patients with multiple hospitalizations or those who were diagnosed with clinical CRE disease should be assumed to have a more extended duration of CRE coverage and should therefore be admitted under conditions of isolation and cohorting until proven to be CRE-negative. These measures will reduce the hospitalization of CRE-positive patients among the general patient population, potentially preventing the spread of CRE."
CRE are extremely difficult-to-treat, multidrug-resistant organisms that are emerging in the United States. A CRE strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae recently spread through the National Institutes of Health hospital outside Washington, DC, killing six people. Because of increased reports of these multidrug-resistant germs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently alerted clinicians about the need for additional prevention steps to prevent transmission.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 27-Feb-2013 Share ] Contact: Liz Garman
egarman@apic.org
202-454-2604
Elsevier Health Sciences
Washington, DC, February 27, 2013 -- Patients who tested positive for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) took an average of 387 days following hospital discharge to be clear of the organism, according to a new study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
The study was conducted in the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, a 700-bed university-affiliated general hospital in Jerusalem, Israel. The research team analyzed follow-up cultures from 97 CRE-positive patients who had been discharged from the medical center between January 2009 and December 2010.
The average time until cultures became negative was 387 days. At three months, 78 percent of patients remained culture positive; at six months, 65 percent remained positive; at nine months, 51 percent, and at one year 39 percent of patients remained positive, meaning they could potentially become re-infected or transmit the germ to others.
Risk factors for extended carriage included the number of hospitalization days, whether and how often the patient was re-hospitalized, and whether the patient had an active infection as opposed to colonization without signs of active disease.
This is one of the first studies to determine length of CRE duration after hospital discharge and provides vital insight into treating formerly CRE-positive patients upon readmission as to limit the spread of this virulent and often deadly pathogen.
The authors state, "Patients with multiple hospitalizations or those who were diagnosed with clinical CRE disease should be assumed to have a more extended duration of CRE coverage and should therefore be admitted under conditions of isolation and cohorting until proven to be CRE-negative. These measures will reduce the hospitalization of CRE-positive patients among the general patient population, potentially preventing the spread of CRE."
CRE are extremely difficult-to-treat, multidrug-resistant organisms that are emerging in the United States. A CRE strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae recently spread through the National Institutes of Health hospital outside Washington, DC, killing six people. Because of increased reports of these multidrug-resistant germs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently alerted clinicians about the need for additional prevention steps to prevent transmission.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/ehs-scm022713.php
gawker earthquake today earthquake today Romney Bosses Day 2012 Arlen Specter Winsor McCay
The historical marker, placed by the Alabama Historical Association, on the original Shelby County courthouse. (Tommy Daspit/YCN)
?Nobody likes to be stereotyped,? said Reggie Giles, a resident of Shelby County, Ala. Which is why stereotypical assumptions about Southerners, he noted?specifically, that they?re racists?is offensive.
?Racism is a stigma that the South can't seem to shake and that most of the rest of the country seems to want to perpetuate,? Giles, a software engineer, said.
Giles was one of several Shelby County residents who shared their thoughts with Yahoo News earlier this week as the Supreme Court prepares to hear Shelby County v. Holder on Wednesday. It?s a case that may determine the constitutionality of nearly five decades of voting rights legislation, specifically Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and a referendum of sorts on how far their county, and most of the South, has evolved on voting rights in the past 50 years.
Giles, who lives in Pelham, a Birmingham suburb, said protecting all voters? rights is a ?no-brainer.? But like many Shelby County residents, he finds some laws antiquated: Legislation conceived in 1965, he noted, doesn?t always apply in 2013.
At the heart of the debate reaching the court is local control of election laws against alleged racial discrimination in voting. Nine states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia) are covered under Section 5 of the act, which mandates that changes to local election laws?no matter how trivial those alterations are perceived?must receive clearance from the Justice Department or through a lawsuit at the D.C. district court. Also subject to Section 5 are 57 counties and 12 townships outside those nine states. (See a full list.)
Congress has renewed the law several times, the last time in 2006 when it extended the Voting Rights Act until 2032.
The petitioner in this case is Shelby County, home to nearly 200,000 residents. The county didn?t seek to amend its voting laws, but it nevertheless sued the Justice Department to strike down Section 5 in its entirety.
(SCOTUS Blog has more in-depth analysis and information for those interested in exploring the legislation?s more esoteric nooks and crannies, including the formula in Section 4 that determines which areas Section 5 covers.)
Legislative diversity helps battle racism in government
The racism label is hardly limited to the South. Former South Dakota state Sen. Thomas Shortbull, who also shared his thoughts with Yahoo News, says government oversight is needed in his state.
Two of the state?s counties?Shannon and Todd?already comply with the federal government. And for years, state politicians fought over the counties that hold part of the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations along the southern border with Nebraska.
In 1975, Shortbull recommended that Shannon and Todd counties sit in the same legislative district where 90 percent of the voters would be American Indian. Shortbull argued that the only way the group could gain a legislative voice was to merge the reservations into one district. Five years later, the state?reluctantly, Shortbull said?created one district that covered most of the reservations.
?[Section 5] is the only vehicle in some states to fight institutional racism in local and state governments,? Shortbull wrote in his first-person account. ?In the state of South Dakota, racism towards minorities is prevalent, and the only means of diminishing the racism is to elect more minorities to state and local governments.?
Local victories tough to win?and maintain
In Houston, Rogene Calvert has advocated for the city?s Asian-American communities for years. While there are 280,000 Asian-Americans in Houston, Calvert says, they rarely can elect a representative candidate because the state has dispersed those voters into separate districts.
They did score a victory in 2004, however, when Rep. Hubert Vo bounced a 22-year incumbent from House District 149 in southwestern Houston and became Texas? first Vietnamese-American representative.
Vo, who won that race by 16 votes after three recounts, has been re-elected four times. But, Calvert said, in 2011, the state eyed redistricting to eliminate Vo?s seat and break it up into three districts.
?We objected to this at every stage of the process,? she said, noting that she testified before the state?s House Redistricting Committee, urging it to reconsider its plan to split up Asian-American voters in southwest Harris County.
?The state legislature ignored us,? she added.
Under Section 5, however, the Justice Department refused to approve redistricting.
?Because of that, we still have a vibrant coalition in HD 149 and we still can elect the candidates of our choice,? Calvert said. ?Without the protection of the VRA, the influence of the Asian-American community would have been drastically reduced.?
?Punished for the sins of our fathers?
In Shelby County, things are less pragmatic and more philosophical. Residents who shared their thoughts about the Voting Rights Act focused less on political gerrymandering and more on how they believed it impugns local control and the spirit of sovereignty.
Jonathan Williams, a 32-year-old Montevallo resident, often gathers at the local coffee shop to listen to wisdom from men he calls the town?s elders.
?Occasionally, they let me sit in their august presence?one of my favorite ways to spend a Friday afternoon,? Williams wrote in his account. ?Between the eight of them, they have seen and done almost everything?fought for their country, traveled the world, raised families, lost and won fortunes. Black, white, blue-collar and white-collar, they all gather around a table each afternoon to solve the world's problems while shamelessly flirting with the servers.?
When Williams raised Shelby County v. Holder, the elders weren?t shy about sharing their opinions, he said.
One elder offered: "Are we second-class citizens in our own country?"
Another said: "I don't care if a man is black, white, Mexican or Chinese.?
The more important questions, to him: ?Is he Republican or Democrat? Where does he go to church?"
Williams said he?s seen too much progress to believe Section 5 should survive a court challenge. ?How long must we be punished for the sins of our fathers before the rest of the nation realizes things have changed? I'm sick of it," he said.
Elections are the only true shared experience
Unlike Williams, Tommy Daspit hasn?t live in Shelby County his whole life. He?s called it home for three years after living in diverse locales such as Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Washington state and Indiana.
He noted the subtle differences in dialect, food, music and ideologies. But elections, he said, are the same.
?The experience of voting in Shelby County, Ala., was the same as it was in Tippecanoe, Ind., Kittitas County, Wash., or Dallas County, Texas,? Daspit, a photographer, said. ?Sure, there are some differences in the way the ballots look from one place to the next, but the experience of voting is the same.?
Daspit said Section 5 is dispensable and excessive: ?It has aided in transforming the South into a place where my children can grow up friends with children of all colors. However, it is no more relevant to Shelby County today than it would be in the North or the West.?
Bigots are not the prevailing entities
Daspit?s wife, Kelly, said she sees postracial evolution in Shelby County?s youngest residents. She writes:
Last week, my 8-year-old son was making Valentines for his 21 classmates at the elementary school he attends in Shelby County. He spent extra time decorating five of them, writing on those, in his approximated spelling, the word "FRANDS."
Two of those "FRANDS" are African-American boys. They play together and sometimes argue together, but they are friends. When my son celebrates his birthday, those two boys will be among the others invited to his party. There wouldn't be a question in the children's or in their parents' minds that it should be otherwise.
Born in 1975, Kelly Daspit said she understands life wasn?t always that way. Even after legal integration, unofficial social segregation?black and white students sitting at separate tables in school cafeterias?continued in her youth. But through the years, she said, it?s improved:
I have taught in five schools, and little by little, year by year, I have watched the change. No longer is it taboo for black and white children to have relationships. There are no longer "white" and "black" tables, and today's children could hardly imagine otherwise. Why? Because their parents did not teach them otherwise. Because, as we grew up in integrated schools, working in integrated workplaces, we learned each other. We learned there was nothing to fear from another's skin or another's culture. We learned that we really do all have the same worth. And racism, little by little, year by year, has perished. Yes, there are still some bigots; there always will be. You can find those in any town, in any state. But they are not the majority. They are not the prevailing entity.
How can I be sure? Because a public school is a reflection of its society. And if you wish to know about the prevailing society in Shelby County, Ala., just consider my 8-year-old son and consider who his "FRANDS" are.
Giles, the Pelham resident, offered his own evidence of progress: ?For the record, my votes were split in the past two presidential elections. In 2008, I voted for one of the two major party's candidate, and in 2012 I voted for the other.?
Nobody likes to be stereotyped.
The original Shelby County courthouse, 1854-1908, in Columbiana, Ala. (Tommy Daspit/YCN)
Cyber Monday Deals 2012 Sasha McHale Boy Meets World elizabeth taylor cam newton danielle fishel FedEx
At a time when the U.S. government is contemplating changes to federal guidelines governing research with humans, serious questions are being raised about the role of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in overseeing such research. Particularly, vocal critics have cited lost time, money and even lives under a system that they claim consumes scarce resources and stifles academic freedom. In response, defenders of the IRB system point to the need to protect research participants from abuse.
Carnegie Mellon University's Alex John London, an internationally renowned expert in research ethics, calls for a system that works for all stakeholders. In a paper published in the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, London argues that both sides of this debate are in danger of undermining aspects of the current system that are critical to its success.
"I present a non-paternalistic justification for the practice of submitting research protocols to prospective review by arguing that, contrary to critics, it plays a central role in ensuring that the institutions of scientific advance in the U.S. are justifiable on basic liberal, political grounds," writes London, professor of philosophy in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the university's Center for Ethics and Policy. "In particular, it helps to provide a 'credible social assurance' to the American people that social institutions, funded by their tax dollars and empowered to advance their health and well-being, work to: respect and affirm the moral equality of all community members; prevent the arbitrary exercise of social authority; and help create a 'market' in which the diverse stakeholders, often working to advance diverse ends, collaborate in a way that advances the common good."
Currently, for every study, researchers are required to write and submit a protocol to an IRB for approval before they can recruit participants. If the IRB does not approve the study, the researchers are unable to proceed, which is seen by critics as stifling research. The most common justification for the system is that it is necessary to protect participants and prevent abuses such as what happened with the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. The infamous study that lasted from 1932-1972 followed the progression of syphilis in rural African-Americans who thought they were receiving free health care from the government. It was controversial because researchers failed to treat participants with penicillin after it was discovered to be an effective cure for the disease. The fallout led to the establishment of the Office for Human Research Protection, which manages IRBs.
"Both sides think that the basic justification for the current system is paternalism: protecting people who can't protect themselves," said London, who is a member of the Working Group on the Revision of the CIOMS 2002 International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects. "My work shows that oversight is needed for reasons that are not paternalistic. It is needed because it creates a system in which the incentives of the diverse players are aligned in socially and individually beneficial ways. By showing how research oversight helps to do this, I'm trying to highlight features of the current system that need to be preserved so that we don't throw out the baby with the bathwater."
In the paper, London argues that IRBs and regulations have been crucial to creating a functional "market," or a system in which different parties ? funding agencies, researchers, participants and corporations ? interact and try to advance their individual interests while still producing something of social value. He encourages regulators to preserve the features of the current system that have worked in order to create a research system that respects the rights and interests of all stakeholders.
"Reforming research oversight, reducing unnecessary delay and busywork, are critical to the preservation of a viable research environment," London wrote. "But preserving and enhancing the capacity of research to generate socially valuable information and better meet the diverse health needs of our diverse population may also require rethinking the foundations of research ethics."
###
Carnegie Mellon University: http://www.cmu.edu
Thanks to Carnegie Mellon University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
This press release has been viewed 15 time(s).
Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126987/Reforming_US_research_ethics__System_that_works_for_all_stakeholders
CHICAGO ? Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons.
The results are potentially worrisome because young women's tumors tend to be more aggressive than older women's, and they're much less likely to get routine screening for the disease.
Still, that doesn't explain why there'd be an increase in advanced cases and the researchers and other experts say more work is needed to find answers.
It's likely that the increase has more than one cause, said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, the study's lead author and medical director of a teen and young adult cancer program at Seattle Children's Hospital.
"The change might be due to some sort of modifiable risk factor, like a lifestyle change" or exposure to some sort of cancer-linked substance, she said.
Johnson said the results translate to about 250 advanced cases diagnosed in women younger than 40 in the mid-1970s versus more than 800 in 2009. During those years, the number of women nationwide in that age range went from about 22 million to closer to 30 million - an increase that explains part of the study trend "but definitely not all of it," Johnson said.
Other experts said women delaying pregnancy might be a factor, partly because getting pregnant at an older age might cause an already growing tumor to spread more quickly in response to pregnancy hormones.
Obesity and having at least a drink or two daily have both been linked with breast cancer but research is inconclusive on other possible risk factors, including tobacco and chemicals in the environment. Whether any of these explains the slight increase in advanced disease in young women is unknown.
There was no increase in cancer at other stages in young women. There also was no increase in advanced disease among women older than 40.
Overall U.S. breast cancer rates have mostly fallen in more recent years, although there are signs they may have plateaued.
Some 17 years ago, Johnson was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at age 27, and that influenced her career choice to focus on the disease in younger women.
"Young women and their doctors need to understand that it can happen in young women," and get checked if symptoms appear, said Johnson, now 44. "People shouldn't just watch and wait."
The authors reviewed a U.S. government database of cancer cases from 1976 to 2009. They found that among women aged 25 to 39, breast cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body - advanced disease - increased from between 1 and 2 cases per 100,000 women to about 3 cases per 100,000 during that time span.
The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
About one in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, but only 1 in 173 will develop it by age 40. Risks increase with age and certain gene variations can raise the odds.
Routine screening with mammograms is recommended for older women but not those younger than 40.
Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the American Cancer Society's deputy chief medical officer, said the results support anecdotal reports but that there's no reason to start screening all younger women since breast cancer is still so uncommon for them.
He said the study "is solid and interesting and certainly does raise questions as to why this is being observed." One of the most likely reasons is probably related to changes in childbearing practices, he said, adding that the trend "is clearly something to be followed."
Dr. Ann Partridge, chair of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on breast cancer in young women, agreed but said it's also possible that doctors look harder for advanced disease in younger women than in older patients. More research is needed to make sure the phenomenon is real, said Partridge, director of a program for young women with breast cancer at the Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The study shouldn't cause alarm, she said. Still, Partridge said young women should be familiar with their breasts and see the doctor if they notice any lumps or other changes.
Software engineer Stephanie Carson discovered a large breast tumor that had already spread to her lungs; that diagnosis in 2003 was a huge shock.
"I was so clueless," she said. "I was just 29 and that was the last thing on my mind."
Carson, who lives near St. Louis, had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments and she frequently has to try new drugs to keep the cancer at bay.
Because most breast cancer is diagnosed in early stages, there's a misconception that women are treated, and then get on with their lives, Carson said. She and her husband had to abandon hopes of having children, and she's on medical leave from her job.
"It changed the complete course of my life," she said. "But it's still a good life."
----
Online:
JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/index.htm
Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/02/26/4649441/advanced-breast-cancer-edges-up.html
quinton coples a.j. jenkins riley reiff david decastro aj jenkins shea mcclellin nfl draft 2012
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The rand held near a one-week high and above a key resistance point in early Tuesday trade and looked likely to break that level if economic growth data overshot market expectations.
South Africa releases fourth quarter GDP data at 0930 GMT, the final piece of the economic growth jigsaw for 2012.
Economists expect growth to have picked up to 1.6 percent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, from 1.2 percent in the third quarter.
The statistics agency will also give the preliminary overall growth rate for 2012, a figure that is likely to influence the Treasury's growth and budget deficit calculations ahead of the 2013 budget speech on Wednesday.
By 0651 GMT, the rand was at 8.8590 to the dollar, not far off its close in New York on Monday.
"Any move in the rand is reflected in the euro. The Italian elections are causing real chaos in the forex markets. Expect volatility in the major currencies, reflected on the rand through our crosses," said Jim Bryson of Rand Merchant Bank, referring to Italy's apparent election gridlock.
However, the rand is unlikely to shift out of its 8.80-9.0 range unless GDP data is so far from expectations that investors start to factor in a local interest rate move next month.
"If it's that bad that we can start factoring in an interest rate cut, then that GDP data will move things," Bryson said.
The R186/R157 bond yield spread rose to a week high of 197 basis points. Dealers see the curve staying at elevated levels because of expectations of increased issuance from government, normally at the longer end of the yield curve.
"The view of subdued growth and in turn widening pressure on the budget deficit implies the risk that a higher borrowing requirement will be priced in in coming weeks," Tradition Analytics said in a note.
The yield on the 2026 issue dropped 4 basis points to 5.21 percent, while that on the 2015 issue gave up 2.5 basis points to 7.19 percent.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rand-holds-near-1-week-high-vs-dollar-070711559--finance.html
megamillions winners university of louisville louisville ky final four lotto winners mega ball winning numbers baltimore county
Search engines determine their rankings based on two things:
1) Is your site relevant? (Optimized for certain keywords)
2) Is your site important? (Many links back to your site from other sites)
Only when you address both of these considerations are you guaranteed of making an impact. Your degree of success depends on how hard you try and how many other people you?re competing against (and how hard they?re trying).
Optimizing your site for keywords is the easy part. (See http://www.divinewrite.com/seocopy.htm for more information on SEO copy.) Generating links back to your site is much more challenging ? and time consuming (especially considering Google?s dampening link filter ? see http://www.divinewrite.com/googlelinkfilter.htm). But it can be done; and you don?t need a huge budget.
The key to topping Google on a budget is writing articles.
Here?s how it works?
STEP 1) You?re an expert in your field so you possess knowledge that other people want.
STEP 2) You write a helpful article ? sharing your hard-earned knowledge and expertise.
STEP 3) You submit your article to recognized ?Article Submit? sites on the Internet.
STEP 4) Publishers of online newsletters, ezines, etc. gather content from these sites for free.
STEP 5) Helpful, well written articles are snapped up by thousands of publishers from all around the world.
STEP 6) The only condition is that they must publish the article with a functioning link to your site.
STEP 7) 300 people publish your article ? you get 300 links back to your site.
Below are some FAQs about article writing that will help you write your articles and manage your campaign.
Q) What should I write about?
A) Write about what you know. Make sure it?s related to your business (so you can use the keywords you want to rank with) and helpful (so it gets published). For example, if you?re a manufacturer of industrial plastics, you might write an article ? or series of articles ? on how best to handle teflon tubing prior to installation. Once you get thinking about it, you?ll probably find there are hundreds of articles you could write that are helpful. You may even have some of them partly written already in your instruction manuals or installation guides, etc. Another good idea is to think of all the questions you get asked by customers and potential customers. These questions show you what people are interested in. If you write an article answering every one of these questions, you?ll get published, and you?ll also show yourself to be a credible expert. (You may even cut down phone support time!)
Q) How long should my article be?
A) The best articles are only as long as they need to be. Keep it short and sweet ? there?s nothing wrong with a 400 word article. By the same token, if you need 1500 words to say all you need to say, that?s fine as well.
Q) What kind of writing should I use?
A) Simply write in a style that your audience will be comfortable with. If they?re from the old school, don?t write like I am. Don?t use contractions, don?t end sentences with prepositions, and don?t start sentences with ?and? or ?but?. But if they?re not old school, just use conversational English. In fact, the more of yourself you include in the article, the more engaging it will be. The key is to make it readable.
Q) Should I focus on keywords?
A) Yes! Yes! Yes! Any SEO website copywriter will tell you that just as you need to optimize your website for specific keywords, so too should you optimize your articles. If possible, turn keywords into links back to your site. And always try to include keywords in the headline and byline of your article. And don?t worry about being seen as Spam; if your article provides good quality information and guidance, it won?t be seen as spam by the search engines even when it?s very keyword rich.
Q) Where should I submit my article?
A) There are hundreds, if not thousands, of submit sites on the Internet. Too many to include here. Do a search for ?article submit? and just find the ones that are most applicable to your industry and offer the most subscribers. Alternatively, you can purchase a list.
Q) Who will publish my article?
A) Generally people publish pre-written articles because they want ?eyes on paper?. In other words, they want to generate traffic to their site. Helpful articles are one way of doing that. It also sets them up as credible authorities on a particular subject. And it develops customer loyalty. There are hundreds of thousands of companies (maybe even millions) publishing online newsletters, ezines, and article pages. No matter what your industry, you?re bound to find quite a few who are interested in what you have to say. In fact, once a few publishers recognise you as a good source of content, they keep coming back looking for more (and even email you asking if you can send them directly).
Q) How will I know when my article has been published?
A) As one of the conditions of publications, you can request that the publisher notifies you when they use your article. Of course, most don?t bother to do this, so it?s a good idea to set up a Google Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts) which notifies you when your URL has been published on a web page. Google doesn?t pick them all up, but it picks up a lot. Whenever you receive an alert, you make sure the article in unchanged and the link back to your site is functioning.
Q) Will the publisher change my article?
A) No, generally not. Changing articles is just extra work. In fact, that?s why publishers like good articles and consistent content providers ? because that means they don?t have to do any extra work. I?ve had many articles published, and don?t recall a single instance of an article being changed without my permission. If you?re worried about it, you can include an instruction not to change the article in your conditions of publication.
Q) Can I get an SEO copywriter to write and submit my articles?
A) Yes. Any SEO copywriter should be able to write keyword rich articles and submit them to a number of high traffic article submit sites.
Q) What kind of information would I need to supply an SEO copywriter to write my article?
A) You?d need to tell your SEO copywriter something like, ?We want to write an article which helps people install teflon tubing. The kinds of people who?d be doing it are? They?d be doing it because? The benefits of our tubing are? The difficulties they?d face are? Here are the key steps to successful installation?? Using this information, your SEO copywriter should be able to put together a very readable article which would be bound to get published.
Q) Will my reputation suffer if my article appears on a dodgy site?
A) It shouldn?t. Most dodgy sites will be either unrelated or have very low traffic. If the site is unrelated, the publisher won?t go to the effort of publishing your article. If it?s related but has very low traffic, very few people will see your article there anyway. And besides, even if your article appears on a dodgy site, it probably won?t be changed because ? dodgy or not ? publishers don?t create extra work for themselves. So your original presentation, content, and intent will be unaffected. Write? good articles, and it always reflects well on you, no matter where?they are?published.
nba playoffs rosario dawson young jeezy world wildlife fund gsa keith olbermann andrew bynum
Three Connecticut lawmakers on Monday urged Facebook to remove fraudulent and abusive tribute pages related to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
In the months since 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 26 students and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, the world's No. 1 social network has been host to an outpouring of genuine online tributes ? as well as a hotbed of fraud. In December, a New York City woman was arrested for allegedly posing as the relative of a shooting victim on Facebook and swindling donors.
U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, as well as Rep. Elizabeth Esty, wrote to Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in a joint letter, pressed the company to stamp out pages that "violate the privacy of families as they grieve, or seek financial gain through soliciting donations under false pretenses, or generating Facebook 'likes' for marketing purposes."
Facebook, in a statement, said it had devised a new process with dedicated staff to respond to user complaints related to Sandy Hook, in the wake of the December shooting.
"For the past few months, our rapid response team has acted swiftly to remove inappropriate materials flagged by the foundation and the families," Facebook said. "We will continue to be vigilant."
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.
brandi glanville Xbox 720 HTC One NICOLAUS COPERNICUS kurt cobain Las Vegas shooting Jerry Buss
?
Samsung bir s?redir merakla beklenen yeni tablet bilgisayar? Galaxy Note 8.0'?, Mobil D?nya Kongresi'nin hemen ?ncesinde yapt??? tan?t?m ile tan?tt?. Apple iPad Mini'nin rakibi olarak konumland?r?lan yeni tablet s?rpriz ya?atmad? ve daha ?nce s?zd?r?lan g?r?nt?lerde oldu?u gibi Samsung'un Galaxy S III ile ba?layan yeni tasar?m anlay???n? devam ettirdi.?
?
Ad?ndan da anla??labilece?i ?zere 8.0-in? b?y?kl???nde ve 1280 x 800 piksel z?n?rl???nde ekrana sahip olan Galaxy Note 8.0, do?rudan rakibi olan iPad Mini'ye k?yasla 189ppi ile daha y?ksek piksel yo?unlu?u sunuyor. Ayn? Galaxy Note II'de oldu?u gibi 1.6GHz h?z?nda ?al??an d?rt ?ekirdekli Exynos 4 Quad i?lemcisinden g?? alan tablete 2GB bellek e?lik ediyor. Depolama se?ene?i olarak 16GB ve 32GB'l?k iki farkl? kapasitenin e?lik etti?i cihaza, 5MP ?n ve 1.3MP arka olmak ?zere iki adet kameraya yer verildi?ini g?rmekteyiz.?
?
?htiya? duydu?u g?c? 4600mAh kapasiteli pilden alan tablet, yaz?l?m taraf?nda Android 4.2.1 i?letim sistemi ile geliyor. Samsung'a ?zel TouchWiz UX aray?z? ve ?ok say?da ?zelle?tirmeyi beraberinde getiren tablet, ayn? zamanda S-Pen kalem teknolojisine de sahip. ?stelik bu teknoloji, Galaxy Note II ile k?yasland???nda ?ok daha geli?mi? olarak kar??m?za ??k?yor. Samsung'un yapt??? g?ncellemeler kapsam?nda art?k S-Pen ile home ve geri gibi fiziksel butonlar? da fiziksel olarak dokunmadan kontrol edebilmek m?mk?n. ?
?
S-Pen kalem teknolojisi i?in S Note ve Air View gibi yaz?l?mlarla donat?lan Galaxy Note 8.0, Pop Up Play, Smart Stay ve Page Buddy gibi yaz?l?m ?zelliklerine de sahip. Yerle?ik olarak gelen e-reader ?zelli?i ile LCD ekran?n ayarlar?n? ideal ko?ullara getirerek kullan?c?lar?n rahat?a elektronik kitap okumanalar?n? sa?layan tablet ayn? zamanda IR al?c?s? ile Smart Remote uygulamas? ?zerinden televizyonlar i?in yay?n rehberi g?r?nt?leyip, uzaktan kumanda olarak kullan?labiliyor.?
?
Hem 3G hem de LTE uyumlu versiyonlar? haz?rlanan Galaxy Note 8.0, y?l?n ikinci ?eyre?inde Avrupa ve Asya pazarlar?na giri? yapm?? olacak. Kendi ekran boyutundaki en geli?mi? ve g??l? Android tablet olan Galaxy Note 8.0 ayn? zamanda iPad Mini ile k?yasland???nda donan?m ve ?zellik baz?nda kullan?c?lar?na daha fazlas?n? sunuyor. Ancak di?er taraftan Android ekosisteminde tabletlere y?nelik yaz?l?m havuzunun s?n?rl? olmas?, iPad'e kar?? Android tabletlerin en b?y?k zay?fl??? olarak devam ediyor. T?rkiye pazar?na da giri? yapmas? beklenen Galaxy Note 8.0, ?lkemizde hangi fiyat seviyesinden ??kaca?? ise hen?z bilinmiyor.
?
?
trisomy leon panetta luck sag awards 2012 nominees pro bowl 2012 roster yamaguchi road house
MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) ? Four people missing after reporting their sailboat was sinking south of San Francisco are a husband, wife, their 4-year-old son and his cousin, also a child.
Coast Guard Lt. Heather Lampert says the agency was able to gather that information from broken distress calls the family began making around 4:20 p.m. Sunday.
The boaters said their 29-foot sailboat was taking on water and the electronics were failing. Lampert says investigators using the boat's radio signal and radar now believe the call came in from an area about 60 miles west of Monterey, farther south than earlier reported.
The boat and air search focused there Monday morning. Lampert says the sailboat did not have a working GPS system.
She says the Coast Guard has not received any missing persons' reports.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-adults-2-kids-missing-off-n-calif-153423848.html
cell phone jammer g8 summit netanyahu aipac vanessa minnillo super tuesday epidemiology
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has given U.S. special forces two weeks to leave a key battleground province after accusations that Afghans working for them tortured and killed innocent people, the president's spokesman said on Sunday.
The decision by Karzai could further complicate negotiations between the United States and Afghanistan over the presence of Americans troops in the country once most NATO forces leave by the end of 2014.
Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faizi said villagers in Wardak province had lodged a series of complaints about operations conducted by U.S. special forces and a group of Afghans working with them.
The decision was reached at a Sunday meeting of the Afghan National Security Council, chaired by Karzai, Faizi said.
"The Ministry of Defense was assigned to make sure all U.S. special forces are out of the province within two weeks," he said.
A statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said: "US Forces Afghanistan is aware of the reporting of Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi's comments today. We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the facts surrounding them.
"But until we have had a chance to speak with senior Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials about this issue, we are not in a position to comment further."
Sunday's announcement came days after Karzai issued a decree banning all Afghan security forces from using NATO air strikes in residential areas, in a bid to curb civilian casualties.
That was in response to an operation in Kunar targeting four Taliban members which resulted in the deaths of ten civilians, including five children, during an air strike.
Karzai has long warned his Western backers that the killing of civilians could sap support for the foreign troops in the country and fuel the insurgency.
(The story changes first paragraph, removes spokesman's quote from paragraph 6 to make clear accusations were made against Afghans working for U.S. special forces, not against members of U.S. special forces)
(Reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Washington bureau; Writing by Dylan Welch; Editing by Stephen Powell and Paul Tait)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-president-expel-u-special-forces-key-province-001404856.html
Pacifica F. Achieng Ogola from Kenya became the first African to obtain a PhD degree from the University of Iceland last week and the first student to graduate from university?s Environment and Natural Resources Studies doctoral program.
Ogola, who was born 1970, first came to Iceland in 2004 to study for six months at the United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme. She returned in 2009 to pursue a PhD, visir.is reports.
Her study sought to assess the social, economic and environmental impacts of harnessing geothermal energy through the UNFCCC climate change management strategies (mitigation and adaptation) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in two areas in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.
Her research indicated possible social benefits from harnessing geothermal energy in Baringo and can thus be used for planning for both investors and companies intending to carry out geothermal projects in the area.
ESA
Source: http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=398072
kentucky wildcats oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys katie couric barista university of kentucky ncaa
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought confirmation of Pantech's next phone for Verizon, legal battles over the airwaves in India and a new smartphone to Virgin Mobile. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 18th, 2013.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/hdL14V2eO4M/
will ferrell double fine adventure turbo tax katharine mcphee cold mountain valentines day ideas the villages florida
A magistrate granted bail Friday to Oscar Pistorius, citing a number of problems with the police investigation into the death of the Olympic sprinter's girlfriend.
"I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail," sai...
Read More ?j lo sacha baron cohen ryan seacrest octavia spencer meryl streep oscars school shooting ohio billy crystal oscar winners 2012
7:52am Saturday 23rd February 2013 in Your Town
A NURSE who worked at the Royal Bolton Hospital after calling in sick at The Christie has been suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Annabel Rodulfa was working back-to-back shifts at both hospitals without telling her employers.
One day she worked a full 24 hours without any break.
Mrs Rodulfa was found out after she asked to change a shift at The Christie on New Year?s Eve in 2010.
She claimed it was for childcare reasons but it was because she was working at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Her boss refused to let her change the shift at short notice, which meant she worked between 1pm and 9pm at the Christie, before travelling to Bolton, where she worked until 7.45am, before returning to The Christie and working until 1.30pm the next day.
Mrs Rodulfa was sacked by The Christie after they discovered she was also working 17.5 hours per week at the Royal Bolton Hospital in addition to the 30 hours per week she spent at The Christie.
She left the Royal Bolton Hospital shortly after the discovery of her two jobs.
The mother-of-three was employed as a band five staff nurse on an oncology ward at The Christie and as a nurse on ward D2 at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
At the hearing, she told the panel she had three children aged between three and 13 and was the sole provider for her family as her husband was unemployed.
She added that she had to pay the mortgage and to send money to her parents in the Philippines.
Mrs Rodulfa was given a sixmonth suspension order after the panel concluded her actions amounted to misconduct and her fitness to practice was impaired.
Heather Edwards, head of communications at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said Mrs Rodulfa had resigned from the Royal Bolton Hospital in the first part of 2011 and any disciplinary matters had been dealt with by The Christie.
A spokesman at The Christie said: ?We can confirm Annabel Rodulfa was dismissed on March 24, 2011, as a result of an investigation which found she was working at the Royal Bolton Hospital whilst on sick leave from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
?We reported the matter to the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Ms Rodulfa did not declare her employment with Bolton NHS Foundation Trust at the time she was recruited to The Christie.?
Source: http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/districtnews/10248147.Two_jobs_nurse_is_suspended/?ref=rss
ufc Ashley Morrison bonnaroo Christmas Abbott clive davis nba trade thomas robinson
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For the first time, women stood on the scales to weigh in for a UFC bout. Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Liz Carmouche both made weight in an uneventful weigh-in on Friday afternoon at the Honda Center.
Michael Chiesa came in slightly over weight but the athletic commission let the small overage slide. Nah-Shon Burrell was significantly overweight and will forfeit 20 percent of his purse to his opponent. Here are complete weigh-in results, thanks to MMA Junkie.
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
? Champ Ronda Rousey (134.6) vs. Liz Carmouche (133.6) - for women's bantamweight title
? Dan Henderson (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (202)
? Urijah Faber (136) vs. Ivan Menjivar (135.6)
? Court McGee (170) vs. Josh Neer (171)
? Josh Koscheck (171) vs. Robbie Lawler (171)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
? Lavar Johnson (255) vs. Brendan Schaub (243)
? Mike Chiesa (156.2) vs. Anton Kuivanen (156)
? Dennis Bermudez (145) vs. Matt Grice (145)
? Caros Fodor (155) vs. Sam Stout (155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 6:30 p.m. ET)
? Brock Jardine (170) vs. Kenny Robertson (170)
? Neil Magny (171) vs. Jon Manley (171)
? Nah-Shon Burrell (175.8) vs. Yuri Villefort (170)
charles taylor bruins boston bruins carl crawford mad cow disease rampart jimmy fallon
In a letter Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress there were no 'viable alternatives' to putting civilian defense employees on furlough should scheduled budget cuts take effect on March 1. President Obama spoke in favor of avoiding the cuts on local television around the country, Wednesday.?
Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks during a Feb. 13, 2013 news conference. Panetta warned Congress Wednesday that if planned spending cuts take effect on March 1, civilian defense employees will be put on furlough.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
EnlargeDefense Secretary Leon?Panetta formally notified?Congress?on Wednesday that the?Pentagon?plans to put civilian defense employees on unpaid leave this year if $46 billion in across-the-board?U.S. government?spending cuts take effect on March 1.
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
The announcement of congressional notification begins a 45-day process that could ultimately lead to 22 days of unpaid leave for most of the department's 800,000 civilian employees around the globe.
In a letter released by?House of Representatives?Speaker?John Boehner, Panetta?said the furloughs would be "disruptive and damaging" to the?Pentagon's defense mission, but there were no "viable alternatives" to reduce spending if the budget cuts occur.
President?Barack Obama?has been sounding the alarm about the impact of the $85 billion in automatic across-the-board government spending cuts due to take effect starting next month. The president turned to local television stations across the country on Wednesday to increase public pressure on congressional Republicans to avert the cuts.
In addition, Secretary of State?John Kerry?defended U.S. foreign affairs spending against the backdrop of looming cuts, saying it protects U.S. security and creates jobs.
"Foreign assistance is not a giveaway. It's not charity. It is an investment in a strong?America?and in a free world," Kerry said at the?University of Virginia.
An administration official, who asked not to be named, said that even?White House?operations will be not spared under the cuts.
Pentagon?Comptroller?Robert Hale?said there would be "very limited exceptions" to the furloughs, including civilians in combat zones, foreign civilians at overseas bases, some police and healthcare workers and political appointees exempted by law.
Hale declined to estimate what percentage of the civilian workers were likely to be furloughed but said it would be more than half. Another defense official said, "we expect more than 80 percent to be furloughed."
The unpaid leave, which will essentially cut the pay of civilian employees by 20 percent, is expected to save up to $5 billion, one of many cuts required as the?Pentagon?tries to slash $46 billion in spending by the end of the year.
The across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, are due to take effect on March 1 unless?Congress?decides to delay them. They were mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 because lawmakers and the?White House?failed to reach a compromise on alternative spending reductions.
The?Defense Department, which had warned for weeks about the furlough plan, has imposed a hiring freeze on civilian personnel and ordered the termination of many of its 46,000 temporary and contract workers. Officials said about 6,000 had already been laid off, with more likely to come.
lottery numbers mega millions lottery jackpot winning numbers mega millions megamillions drawing olbermann mega millions march 30
Published: 8:14AM Saturday February 23, 2013 Source: Reuters
AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla produced knocks in the 90s after South Africa had been in early trouble on the first day of the third Test against Pakistan today.
De Villiers was on 98 not out and Vernon Philander unbeaten on 45 as South Africa reached 334 for six at the close of play at Centurion.
Choosing to bat first, openers Graeme Smith (five) and Alviro Petersen (10) struggled as Pakistan's bowlers used the seamer-friendly conditions to their advantage inside the first hour to leave the hosts on 38-2.
Petersen's miserable series continued when he was trapped plum lbw by Rahat Ali, who returned to the side after missing the second test in Cape Town.
Smith battled for 47 minutes before he became debutant Ehsan Adil's first wicket in test cricket with just the third ball of the seamer's spell when a touch of away movement found his edge and looped towards Younus Khan at second slip.
Faf du Plessis (29) came in at number four in place of the injured Jacques Kallis (calf strain) and after a slow start crashed three boundaries off one Adil over to get his innings up and running.
Adil got his revenge after lunch though, inducing an edge to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed after the batsman advanced down the track to the medium pacer.
It ended a partnership of 69 between Amla and Du Plessis that helped put the hosts back on track.
Elegant innings
De Villiers put on 79 with Amla before the latter fell just eight short of what would have been a deserving century.
Amla's elegant 92 came from 128 balls, but his innings was ended as he attempted to cut a wide delivery from Rahat and got a faint edge through to Sarfraz.
Shortly afterwards Dean Elgar (seven) was trapped lbw by Rahat and Robin Peterson, who had looked untroubled as he breezed to 28, was run out by a direct hit from Mohammad Irfan.
"The wicket is a good contest between bat and ball, when Graeme (Smith) decided to bat first we knew it would be tough. But we made it our day," Amla told reporters.
"There is a bit of nip off the wicket and variable bounce, one end has more bounce than the other.
"We feel 334 is a really good first day total, we hope the wicket will act up even more as the match goes on. We were able to capitalise on some loose balls here and there and put runs on the board."
Rahat, in his second test match, was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers as he collected three for 95.
Pakistan lost Adil late in the day with a leg injury after he had bowled the first ball of a new spell.
South Africa lead the three-match series 2-0 having won the first test in Johannesburg by 211 runs, before completing the series win with a four-wicket victory in Cape Town.
Copyright ? 2013, Television New Zealand Limited. Breaking and Daily News, Sport & Weather | TV ONE, TV2 | Ondemand
Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/cricket-news/villiers-and-amla-steady-south-africa-5349971?ref=rss
pbs ron paul Cnn Electoral Map roseanne barr guy fawkes gary johnson gary johnson
CHICAGO/BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc 18 percent dividend increase and comments that U.S. sales patterns were more normal late last week after a slow start to the year helped boost shares of the world's largest retailer 2.6 percent on Thursday.
The retailer also reported a bigger-than-expected profit increase, which was helped by a lower-than-anticipated tax rate.
Still, the company's results solidified a picture of a U.S. consumer worried about the impact of higher payroll taxes and gasoline prices, along with slow tax refunds that put some spending on hold.
Walmart U.S., Wal-Mart's largest unit by far, had a slow start to February, which Walmart U.S. Chief Executive Bill Simon attributed largely to the tax refund delay. The company expects sales at Walmart U.S. stores open at least a year, or same-store sales, to be about flat during the current first quarter. A year earlier, such sales rose 2.6 percent.
But the company has also been focusing hard on its strategy of offering low prices and the economic pressure could help it in the long run, some analysts said.
"I think Wal-Mart is quite well positioned actually," Stewart Samuel, a senior analyst with food and grocery researcher IGD, said. "If there is any sort of trading down, Wal-Mart will benefit from that."
The forecast was likely not as bad as the market feared after a Bloomberg report, citing an internal Wal-Mart memo on the weak sales that sent the stock down on Friday, Janney Capital Markets analyst David Strasser said in a note to clients.
Meanwhile, the company raised its dividend to $1.88 a share for fiscal 2014. Based on Wednesday's close, that gives the Dow Jones Industrial Average component a yield of 2.7 percent, compared with a yield of 2.6 percent for the broader index and 1.97 percent for the benchmark 10-year U.S. treasury bond.
Efforts such as extending its layaway program and matching competitors' prices initially attracted shoppers during the competitive holiday season, but Walmart U.S. same-store sales rose just 1 percent in the fourth quarter. The company had forecast an increase of 1 percent to 3 percent, and analysts, on average, had anticipated a 1.5 percent gain.
A year earlier, Walmart U.S. same-store sales rose 1.5 percent.
Wal-Mart said the U.S. division, its biggest unit, gained market share in major categories of food, consumables, health and wellness and over-the-counter medications, as well as in entertainment and toys, which are big sellers during the holiday period. It cited data from Nielsen and the NPD Group.
The company is also changing some package sizes and other offerings in its stores to accommodate shoppers hurt by the payroll tax increase, although Simon said the company has not seen customers trading down yet.
"We are confident that our low prices will continue to resonate, as families adjust to a reduced paycheck and increased gas prices," Simon said in a statement.
CONSUMERS TAXED
The results from Wal-Mart are the latest sign of pressure on U.S. consumers due to the January 1 expiration of a 2 percentage point cut in payroll taxes, a delay in income tax refund payments and a 30 cent increase in gasoline prices this year through last week.
Consumer sentiment for lower-income individuals fell for a third straight month in January to its lowest level since November 2011, according to University of Michigan data.
"Wal-Mart is a proxy for the broader U.S. consumer. We have been hearing that February is off to a slow start and this adds to that view," Joseph Feldman, a senior retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, said.
Wal-Mart has cashed some $1.7 billion in tax return checks at its U.S. stores so far this year, Simon said. At this point last year, that amount was about $3 billion.
That not only delays spending, but may also affect what people buy. For example, Simon said that when consumers cash a tax check in the week before the Super Bowl, they tend to buy a television. The retailer does not know how the later refund checks will be spent.
"The delay in income tax refunds has really affected their business and they have been seeing lower volumes driven by the increase in payroll tax," said Kim Forrest, a senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh. "And those are things we can't escape from because more money is going to the government and less money came from the government."
FORECASTS PROFIT GROWTH
Wal-Mart earned $5.61 billion, or $1.67 per share, from continuing operations in the fiscal fourth quarter, up from $5.19 billion, or $1.51 per share a year earlier.
Wal-Mart had forecast a profit of $1.53 to $1.58 per share from continuing operations, and analysts expected it to earn $1.57 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue rose 3.9 percent to $127.92 billion.
The company forecast first-quarter earnings per share of $1.11 to $1.16, up from $1.09 a year earlier.
It also forecast fiscal-year earnings per share of $5.20 to $5.40, including about 9 cents in increased costs for its e-commerce operations. It earned $5.02 per share in fiscal 2013.
Wal-Mart spent $157 million last year on its own probe of alleged bribery allegations in Mexico, Brazil, China and India, and on improvements to its compliance programs. A New York Times article in April 2012 unveiled alleged bribery at the major Mexican unit.
The company said its forecast includes about $40 million to $45 million in first-quarter costs related to foreign corrupt practices act and compliance matters.
Wal-Mart saw traffic weaken in a majority of international markets in the fourth quarter. Consumers in China were shifting to weekly stock-up trips from daily shopping, while convenience shoppers in Brazil, Canada and Mexico shopped less and bought fewer items. Sales growth also slowed at its British Asda unit.
(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Boca Raton, Florida; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak in New York; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wal-mart-profit-key-holiday-quarter-120758348--sector.html
ufc 144 james jones james jones aladdin black forest ufc 144 fight card ufc 144 results
