WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama's top political adviser is defending the administration's handling of the economy and blaming Congress for not pushing through more sweeping changes.
David Axelrod says Obama's strategy has been to do whatever he can to help the middle class, whereas Congress has been focused on "obstruction and delay." Axelrod suggests that Republicans are "willing to tear down the economy in order to tear down the president."
Obama has pitched a $447 billion jobs plan that would be paid for with an added tax on people who make at least $1 million a year. Senate Republicans have blocked action on the bill because they oppose much of the increased spending and the tax increase.
Dollar Cost Averaging is a simple, but powerful, investing technique.
Even people who aren?t into the stock market know that first rule of investing is ?buy low and sell high.?
Unfortunately, another common piece of investing advice is ?don?t try to time the market.?
Well if you don?t try to time the market, how in the world are you supposed to buy low and sell high?
Luckily there?s a tried and true way to help you with the ?buy low? part and you?re probably already doing it. It?s called Dollar Cost Averaging.
What is Dollar Cost Averaging?
?Dollar Cost Averaging? is a boring and complicated name for something that is really simple and exciting. ?(Well, at least I think it?s exciting, but either way it?s definitely simple.)
Consider this:
You have $500 to invest and you want to put it in a certain mutual fund. For simplicity?s sake, let?s say the mutual fund is selling for $100/share. If you dump your $500 investment in at one time, you get five shares.
Easy peasy.
But let?s say that instead of dumping your whole $500 in at one time, you decide to spread it out over five months and invest $100/month. Now obviously, the cost of the mutual fund will fluctuate over those five months and your $100 investment will buy you more or less in the way of shares, depending on the price.
For the sake of this example, let?s say your investments looked like this:
The first month the mutual fund is selling for $100/share so your $100 investment buys you one share.
The next month the price of the mutual fund rises to $115 and your $100 only buys you .87 of a share.
The third month the price rises again to $125/share and your $100 now only buys you .80 of a share.
Now assume that the next month the share price takes a tumble and your mutual fund is now selling at $90/share. Your $100 buys you 1.11 shares.
And in the final month the price goes back up to where you started at $100/share and your $100 again buys you one share.
If you look at the bolded numbers above you will see that when you invest a single amount at certain intervals ? in this case monthly ? you?automatically buy more shares when the price is low and fewer shares when the price is high.
That is what Dollar Cost Averaging is all about.
And the best part is that there?s no timing of the market required on your part (which is a good thing because that?s difficult/impossible for even the most educated among us.)
And that?s what I find exciting: that something so simple can be so effective!
Why You Are Probably Already Dollar Cost Averaging
Earlier I mentioned that you are probably already taking advantage of Dollar Cost Averaging and may not even be aware of it. That?s because for most of us, our income comes in monthly (or in other regular intervals) and so that is how we invest.
Consider that 401k contributions are usually tied to an employee?s pay periods and so Dollar Cost Averaging happens naturally.
But what if your investing isn?t tied to pay cycles?
In that case you need to understand dollar cost averaging and embrace what it can do for you.
Got a tax refund you want to invest? Don?t dump it in all at once, Dollar Cost Average it.
Did Grandma and Grandpa give your new little addition a contribution for the college fund? Don?t dump it in all at once, Dollar Cost Average it.
Did you get a bonus at work that you want to invest? Don?t dump it in all at once?I think you get the idea.
I missed a golden opportunity to dollar cost average when I did my first dividend investing a couple of months ago.
I was so excited about having made a decision about what to do with my old 401k money that I picked a day when the market was down and I dumped the $5000 all in at once.
I know, I know. I would have been so much better off to Dollar Cost Average the investment over a series of months.
Heck, the market was on such a plunge that day, that I would have been better off to dollar cost average it hour by hour even. (I kid.) (Kind of.)
So how about you? Have you had an opportunity to use Dollar Cost Averaging? Were you using it without realizing it? Wish I?d get back to blogging about coupons? Weigh in!
Note: I am not a financial professional. You should consult your own financial adviser for advice on your particular situation. But when you do, be sure to ask about Dollar Cost Averaging!
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Renting a car can be a trouble when you do not go about it right. Everyone has heard horror stories about it, and many individuals have stories of their own. While you rent an automotive, typically there are hidden costs added on without your knowledge. Even the tiniest of scratches, the smallest of lapses, or a number of additional miles can add as much as a lot of money for those who aren?t careful. That?s the reason it?s so important to find low cost automobile rentals. Nobody wants to be stuck with a huge invoice merely for using an automobile for a couple of days.
Lots of people suppose that one of the simplest ways to get an affordable automotive rental is to search for final minute automotive rentals, but in actual fact this is rarely the case. As a matter of reality, the most cost effective automotive rentals you may get are whenever you plan ahead of time. You see, automobile rental businesses are huge businesses. They have an inclination to have workplaces everywhere in the country. They are going to give out low-cost automotive leases to people who will reserve a car forward of time, because the more individuals who do this, the better it is for them to estimate how many vehicles they need in each location. By renting automobiles on-line days forward of time, you help them out. In change for that, they assist you to out.
One other wonderful means to save money on low cost automobile rentals is to hire the minimum to suit your needs. This might sound obvious, but usually there are extra things that you can do to save money. For instance, if you?re keen to restrict your mileage to a really low degree, you?ll find some actually cheap automotive rentals. In case you are visiting a metropolis with good public transit, you should utilize the rental automobile just for trips out of town. For the whole lot else, you?ll be able to just take public transit to get there.
One in every of my favourite ways to get low-cost automobile rentals is to go through a bundle trip deals. Typically, automotive rental locations have deals with the airlines, accommodations, and other journey business businesses. In case you?re willing to do all the things collectively as a bundle, you can save fairly a bit of money on it. It?s important to be flexible, of course, and you won?t be capable to stay in just the place you?d expected to, but it may be price it for lots of of dollars of financial savings!
If you would like more info with respect to car rental deals stop by Nikki Luiryg?s web page immediately.
(Reuters) ? Indian authorities seized computer equipment from a data center in Mumbai as part of an investigation into the Duqu malicious software that some security experts warned could be the next big cyber threat.
Two workers at a web-hosting company called Web Werks told Reuters that officials from India's Department of Information Technology last week took several hard drives and other components from a server that security firm Symantec Corp told them was communicating with computers infected with Duqu.
News of Duqu first surfaced last week when Symantec said it had found a mysterious computer virus that contained code similar to Stuxnet, a piece of malware believed to have wreaked havoc on Iran's nuclear program.
Government and private investigators around the world are racing to unlock the secret of Duqu, with early analysis suggesting that it was developed by sophisticated hackers to help lay the groundwork for attacks on critical infrastructure such as power plants, oil refineries and pipelines.
The equipment seized from Web Werks, a privately held company in Mumbai with about 200 employees, might hold valuable data to help investigators determine who built Duqu and how it can be used. But putting the pieces together is a long and difficult process, experts said.
"This one is challenging," said Marty Edwards, director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team. "It's a very complex piece of software."
He declined to comment on the investigation by authorities in India, but said that his agency was working with counterparts in other countries to learn more about Duqu.
Two employees at Web Werks said officials from India's Department of Information Technology came to their office last week to take hard drives and other parts from a server.
They said they did not know how the malware got on to Web Werks' server. "We couldn't track down this customer," said one of the two employees, who did not want to be identified for fear of losing their jobs.
An official in India's Department of Information Technology who investigates cyber attacks also declined to discuss the matter. "I am not able to comment on any investigations," said Gulshan Rai, director of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-In.
UNLOCKING THE SECRET
Stuxnet is malicious software designed to target widely used industrial control systems built by Germany's Siemens. It is believed to have crippled centrifuges that Iran uses to enrich uranium for what the United States and some European nations have charged is a covert nuclear weapons program.
Duqu appears to be more narrowly targeted than Stuxnet as researchers estimate the new trojan virus has infected at most dozens of machines so far. By comparison, Stuxnet spread much more quickly, popping up on thousands of computer systems.
Security firms including Dell Inc's SecureWorks, Intel Corp's McAfee, Kaspersky Lab and Symantec say they found Duqu victims in Europe, Iran, Sudan and the United States. They declined to provide their identities.
Duqu -- so named because it creates files with "DQ" in the prefix -- was designed to steal secrets from the computers it infects, researchers said, such as design documents from makers of highly sophisticated valves, motors, pipes and switches.
Experts suspect that information is being gathered for use in developing future cyber weapons that would target the control systems of critical infrastructure.
The hackers behind Duqu are unknown, but their sophistication suggests they are backed by a government, researchers say.
"A cyber saboteur should understand the engineering specifications of every component that could be targeted for destruction in an operation," said John Bumgarner, chief technology officer for the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit.
That is exactly what the authors of Stuxnet did when they built that cyber weapon, said Bumgarner, who is writing a paper on the development of Stuxnet.
"They studied the technical details of gas centrifuges and figured out how they could be destroyed," he said.
Such cyber reconnaissance missions are examples of an increasingly common phenomenon known as "blended" attacks, where elite hackers infiltrate one target to facilitate access to another.
Hackers who infiltrated Nasdaq's computer systems last year installed malware that allowed them to spy on the directors of publicly held companies.
In March, hackers stole digital security keys from EMC Corp's RSA Security division that they later used to breach the networks of defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.
Researchers said they are still trying to figure out what the next phase of Duqu attacks might be.
"We are a little bit behind in the game," said Don Jackson, a director of the Dell SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit. "Knowing what these guys are doing, they are probably a step ahead."
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in New York, Jim Finkle in Boston; Additional reporting by Henry Foy in Mumbai; Editing by Tiffany Wu)
New findings contradict dominant theory in Alzheimer's diseasePublic release date: 28-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gunnar Gouras Gunnar.Gouras@med.lu.se 46-462-220-309 Lund University
For decades the amyloid hypothesis has dominated the research field in Alzheimer's disease. The theory describes how an increase in secreted beta-amyloid peptides leads to the formation of plaques, toxic clusters of damaged proteins between cells, which eventually result in neurodegeneration. Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, have now presented a study that turns this premise on its head.
The research group's data offers an opposite hypothesis, suggesting that it is in fact the neurons' inability to secrete beta-amyloid that is at the heart of pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease.
The study, published in the October issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, shows an increase in unwanted intracellular beta-amyloid occurring early on in Alzheimer's disease. The accumulation of beta-amyloid inside the neuron is here shown to be caused by the loss of normal function to secrete beta-amyloid.
Contrary to the dominant theory, where aggregated extracellular beta-amyloid is considered the main culprit, the study instead demonstrates that reduced secretion of beta-amyloid signals the beginning of the disease.
The damage to the neuron, created by the aggregated toxic beta-amyloid inside the cell, is believed to be a prior step to the formation of plaques, the long-time hallmark biomarker of the disease.
Professor Gunnar Gouras, the senior researcher of the study, hopes that the surprising new findings can help push the research field in a new direction.
"The many investigators and pharmaceutical companies screening for compounds that reduce secreted beta-amyloid have it the wrong way around. The problem is rather the opposite, that it is not getting secreted. To find the root of the disease, we now need to focus on this critical intracellular pool of beta-amyloid.
"We are showing here that the increase of intracellular beta-amyloid is one of the earliest events occurring in Alzheimer's disease, before the formation of plaques. Our experiments clearly show a decreased secretion of beta-amyloid in our primary neuron disease model. This is probably because the cell's metabolism and secretion pathways are disrupted in some way, leading beta-amyloid to be accumulated inside the cell instead of being secreted naturally", says Davide Tampellini, first author of the study.
The theory of early accumulation of beta-amyloid inside the cell offers an alternate explanation for the formation of plaques. When excess amounts of beta-amyloid start to build up inside the cell, it is also stored in synapses.
When the synapses can no longer hold the increasing amounts of the toxic peptide the membrane breaks, releasing the waste into the extracellular space. The toxins released now create the seed for other amyloids to gather and start forming the plaques.
###
Contact:
Gunnar Gouras, Professor, Lund University, Sweden
Tel: 46-46-222-0309, email: Gunnar.Gouras@med.lu.se
The publication: "Impaired ?-Amyloid Secretion in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis" http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/43/15384.full
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?
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.
New findings contradict dominant theory in Alzheimer's diseasePublic release date: 28-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gunnar Gouras Gunnar.Gouras@med.lu.se 46-462-220-309 Lund University
For decades the amyloid hypothesis has dominated the research field in Alzheimer's disease. The theory describes how an increase in secreted beta-amyloid peptides leads to the formation of plaques, toxic clusters of damaged proteins between cells, which eventually result in neurodegeneration. Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, have now presented a study that turns this premise on its head.
The research group's data offers an opposite hypothesis, suggesting that it is in fact the neurons' inability to secrete beta-amyloid that is at the heart of pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease.
The study, published in the October issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, shows an increase in unwanted intracellular beta-amyloid occurring early on in Alzheimer's disease. The accumulation of beta-amyloid inside the neuron is here shown to be caused by the loss of normal function to secrete beta-amyloid.
Contrary to the dominant theory, where aggregated extracellular beta-amyloid is considered the main culprit, the study instead demonstrates that reduced secretion of beta-amyloid signals the beginning of the disease.
The damage to the neuron, created by the aggregated toxic beta-amyloid inside the cell, is believed to be a prior step to the formation of plaques, the long-time hallmark biomarker of the disease.
Professor Gunnar Gouras, the senior researcher of the study, hopes that the surprising new findings can help push the research field in a new direction.
"The many investigators and pharmaceutical companies screening for compounds that reduce secreted beta-amyloid have it the wrong way around. The problem is rather the opposite, that it is not getting secreted. To find the root of the disease, we now need to focus on this critical intracellular pool of beta-amyloid.
"We are showing here that the increase of intracellular beta-amyloid is one of the earliest events occurring in Alzheimer's disease, before the formation of plaques. Our experiments clearly show a decreased secretion of beta-amyloid in our primary neuron disease model. This is probably because the cell's metabolism and secretion pathways are disrupted in some way, leading beta-amyloid to be accumulated inside the cell instead of being secreted naturally", says Davide Tampellini, first author of the study.
The theory of early accumulation of beta-amyloid inside the cell offers an alternate explanation for the formation of plaques. When excess amounts of beta-amyloid start to build up inside the cell, it is also stored in synapses.
When the synapses can no longer hold the increasing amounts of the toxic peptide the membrane breaks, releasing the waste into the extracellular space. The toxins released now create the seed for other amyloids to gather and start forming the plaques.
###
Contact:
Gunnar Gouras, Professor, Lund University, Sweden
Tel: 46-46-222-0309, email: Gunnar.Gouras@med.lu.se
The publication: "Impaired ?-Amyloid Secretion in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis" http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/43/15384.full
[ | 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.
Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of the late rock icon Kurt Cobain, is reportedly engaged to her rocker boyfriend Isaiah Silva (who bears a resemblance [...]
MANHATTAN, Kan. ? Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles put Oklahoma's season back on track.
Now, Kansas State will see if it can bounce back from its own loss.
Jones threw for a school-record 505 yards and five touchdowns Saturday, his All-American wide receiver caught 14 passes for 171 yards and a score, and the 11th-ranked Sooners took out some pent up frustration with a 58-17 thumping of the No. 10 Wildcats.
Their national championship hopes dashed by Texas Tech last week ? along with their 39-game home winning streak ? the Sooners (7-1, 4-1) spoiled the same hopes harbored by Kansas State.
Jones shattered the previous school record for yards passing of 468, which he had shared with Sam Bradford, and moved into first place on the Oklahoma career list with 90 touchdown passes.
"We just came out with a focus," he said with a shrug. "Kept playing ball."
Just about the only downer on an otherwise splendid Saturday afternoon was a season-ending injury to leading rusher Dominique Whaley, who fracture his left ankle on the first play of the game.
Whaley will have surgery Sunday to have a pin inserted.
"Really sad for Dom," coach Bob Stoops said. "What a great young man. We'll miss him."
Perhaps so, but the offense looked just fine without him.
Broyles moved into first place on the Big 12's career list with 4,499 yards receiving, Kenny Stills added four catches for 101 yards, and Roy Finch finished with 73 yards rushing and another 69 through the air for the Sooners' potent, fast-paced attack.
They wound up with a season-high 690 yards of offense against the Big 12's top defense.
"Oklahoma's a lot better than some people would want to think, probably, and I did a really miserable job of getting our football team ready to play," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said.
Relying on a smoke-and-mirrors offense that had been consistently out-gained all season, Kansas State (7-1, 4-1) still managed to piece together its best start since 1999.
It all came undone against Oklahoma.
Collin Klein was sacked seven times, the Wildcats were penalized an uncharacteristic five times, normally reliable kicker Anthony Cantele missed a chip-shot field goal and a defense that had been assignment sound all year crumbled against the Sooners' relentless onslaught.
"It's really painful," cornerback David Garrett said, "but they're a good team, a lot of great athletes. We've just got to come together Monday and bounce back."
Kansas State actually led 17-14 midway through the second quarter, but the Sooners scored late in the half, and John Hubert's fumble with 19 seconds left allowed Michael Hunnicutt to kick a career-long 53-yard field goal on the final play for a 23-17 halftime advantage.
It was the start of 44 straight points scored by the Sooners.
Broyles hauled in a 29-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter, tightrope walking down the sideline the final 10 yards. Moments later, Jones hit Jaz Reynolds for the second of his two touchdown catches to give Oklahoma a 37-17 lead.
Finch added a 31-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter and the rout was on.
"It was a fun night," Jones said. "The offense was executing and we were doing our job."
By the time Trey Millard slipped through the porous Kansas State defensive front and outran the secondary to the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes left, a crowd of 51,004 that had been in such a festive mood early in the afternoon was heading for the doors.
Klein finished with 92 yards and two TDs rushing for Kansas State, but he was just 8 of 16 for 58 yards through the air. Hubert added 71 yards rushing, while Nigel Malone had two interceptions.
That was about it for the positives.
Oklahoma scored on six straight possessions at one point, and the 58 points allowed by Kansas State's defense were the most by a Snyder-coached team at home since Nov. 18, 1989, when Colorado piled up 59. The Wildcats' offense couldn't keep up, managing only 32 yards after halftime.
"We knew what kind of team they were coming in," Klein said. "It wasn't a surprise, but it was frustrating, not being able to execute like we were. We were struggling."
The Sooners have won five straight in the series, their last loss coming in the 2003 conference championship game. They haven't lost in Manhattan since 1996.
More importantly, they're still alive in the Big 12 race.
The Sooners and Wildcats are both chasing undefeated Oklahoma State, with Kansas State getting the first shot against the nation's third-ranked team next weekend. Oklahoma gets its chance against its in-state rival in the annual Bedlam game on Dec. 3.
"We bounced back the way we should," Reynolds said with a sly smile. "There were some plays that we left out there, but we were pretty good."
Dr. Jennifer L. Howse elected to Institute of MedicinePublic release date: 27-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Elizabeth Lynch elynch@marchofdimes.com 914-997-4286 March of Dimes Foundation
March of Dimes president elected to nation's premier advisory group on improving health
WHITE PLAINS, NY, OCTOBER, 2011 -- Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes Foundation, has been elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine, the nation's premier advisory group on improving health.
"Being named to the Institute of Medicine is a great honor, and it acknowledges the achievements of Dr. Howse's career, as well as the important contributions of the March of Dimes to improving maternal, infant and child health," said Richard B. Johnston, Jr., M.D., Associate Dean for Research Development and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and a member of the IOM.
The Institute of Medicine is a unique not-for-profit, non-governmental organization established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1970 to provide independent, unbiased, evidence-based information and advice on issues in the medical sciences, health care, and public health. Its members are scientists and other experts who work together under a rigorous, formal peer-review system. The New York Times recently said of the IOM, "Its reports can transform medical thinking around the world."
"I am deeply honored to be selected to join the IOM, which includes many of the most transformational thinkers in science and medicine," said Dr. Howse. "I hope that my experience in leading nationwide public health campaigns in the areas of newborn screening, folic acid awareness, and preventing premature birth can contribute in a meaningful way to the dialogue."
Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. New members are elected by current active members through a highly selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. A diversity of talent among IOM's membership is assured by the Institute's charter, which stipulates that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from such fields as the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; law; engineering; and the humanities.
Dr. Howse became president of the March of Dimes in 1990. She joined the March of Dimes as executive director of the Greater New York Chapter. Prior to that, she held several top public service leadership positions including state commissioner for Mental Retardation in Pennsylvania, associate commissioner for Mental Retardation in New York State, and executive director of the Federal Court-appointed Willowbrook Review Panel in New York City.
Dr. Howse holds a doctorate from Florida State University. She serves on the Board of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, and the National Health Council. She has served on national advisory committees for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including the Advisory Committee on Heritable Diseases in Newborns and Children. Dr. Howse is an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She received the 2002 Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the 2005 Stanley Graven Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Perinatal Association, the 2010 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and the 2010 National Association for Female Executives Woman of Achievement award.
###
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.
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?
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.
Dr. Jennifer L. Howse elected to Institute of MedicinePublic release date: 27-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Elizabeth Lynch elynch@marchofdimes.com 914-997-4286 March of Dimes Foundation
March of Dimes president elected to nation's premier advisory group on improving health
WHITE PLAINS, NY, OCTOBER, 2011 -- Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes Foundation, has been elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine, the nation's premier advisory group on improving health.
"Being named to the Institute of Medicine is a great honor, and it acknowledges the achievements of Dr. Howse's career, as well as the important contributions of the March of Dimes to improving maternal, infant and child health," said Richard B. Johnston, Jr., M.D., Associate Dean for Research Development and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and a member of the IOM.
The Institute of Medicine is a unique not-for-profit, non-governmental organization established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1970 to provide independent, unbiased, evidence-based information and advice on issues in the medical sciences, health care, and public health. Its members are scientists and other experts who work together under a rigorous, formal peer-review system. The New York Times recently said of the IOM, "Its reports can transform medical thinking around the world."
"I am deeply honored to be selected to join the IOM, which includes many of the most transformational thinkers in science and medicine," said Dr. Howse. "I hope that my experience in leading nationwide public health campaigns in the areas of newborn screening, folic acid awareness, and preventing premature birth can contribute in a meaningful way to the dialogue."
Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. New members are elected by current active members through a highly selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. A diversity of talent among IOM's membership is assured by the Institute's charter, which stipulates that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from such fields as the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; law; engineering; and the humanities.
Dr. Howse became president of the March of Dimes in 1990. She joined the March of Dimes as executive director of the Greater New York Chapter. Prior to that, she held several top public service leadership positions including state commissioner for Mental Retardation in Pennsylvania, associate commissioner for Mental Retardation in New York State, and executive director of the Federal Court-appointed Willowbrook Review Panel in New York City.
Dr. Howse holds a doctorate from Florida State University. She serves on the Board of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, and the National Health Council. She has served on national advisory committees for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including the Advisory Committee on Heritable Diseases in Newborns and Children. Dr. Howse is an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She received the 2002 Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the 2005 Stanley Graven Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Perinatal Association, the 2010 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and the 2010 National Association for Female Executives Woman of Achievement award.
###
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.
[ | 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.
The car you see in these pictures is the CCG Automotive customGT which is available in various configurations. Clients are able to choose from one of the two engines borrowed from General Motors: a V8 6.0-liter unit that churns 444 hp (450 PS / 331 kW) and 413 lb.-ft (560 Nm) of torque; and a more powerful V8 7.0-liter that develops 542 hp (550 PS / 405 kW) and 446 lb.-ft (605 Nm) of torque.
CCG Automotive customGT
That 7.0-liter power unit can be ordered with a turbocharger that increases the output to 730 hp (740 PS / 544 kW). All of these engines can be mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a sequential transmission. They also offer a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) version of the customGT.
CCG Automotive customGT
To make the car they used a powder-coated tubular space-frame with the outer skin body panels made from carbon-fiber-reinforced composites and fiberglass. As a result, the car weighs only 2228 lbs (1,040 kg) which allows it to sprint to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds, en route to a maximum speed of 199 mph (320 km/h).
CCG Automotive customGT
The starting price for the CCG Automotive customGT is 113,500 Euros.
Source: CCG Automotive via WCF
Post tags: Tags: ccg automotive, CCG Automotive customGT, customgt, Other Carmakers, supercar
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Flailing through mounds of debris and sludge, rescue workers hunted for survivors in Tuscany and Liguria on Wednesday after mudslides and flooding left at least six people dead and hundreds homeless.
TORONTO (Reuters) ? Research In Motion won't upgrade the software for its much-maligned PlayBook tablet computer until February, months behind schedule, and the new version still won't feature the popular BlackBerry Messenger application.
Shares of RIM dropped more than 6 percent on Wednesday as investors digested the latest in a string of disappointments as RIM struggles to compete with Apple Inc's category-defining iPad tablet.
The Canadian company that makes the BlackBerry introduced the PlayBook last April. But technology writers, financial analysts and consumers alike scorned the tablet because it could not handle the in-built email, calendar and contact applications that made BlackBerry a household name.
At the time of the launch, RIM said it would add email and other features within 60 days. It later pushed that deadline back to the summer months and then to October.
The latest delay was announced on RIM's official blog late Tuesday.
"As much as we'd love to have it in your hands today, we've made the difficult decision to wait to launch BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 until we are confident we have fully met the expectations of our developers, enterprise customers and end-users," wrote David Smith, a senior vice-president for the PlayBook.
BBM DELAYED
Insiders and close watchers of the company say RIM may have hit roadblocks getting the PlayBook's operating system to link with RIM's secure servers and data centers, which push email and other data to users via carrier networks.
Presumably RIM expects to have solved any email issues before the February launch of the upgrade.
The new version may also quell complaints that too few apps were available to run on the original PlayBook. RIM said the update would allow developers working with Google's Android software to move their games and other content onto the new PlayBook platform.
But the upgrade won't incorporate BlackBerry Messenger, an instant messaging service known as BBM. The free service has made the BlackBerry popular with young users, particularly those in emerging markets.
"We are committed to developing a seamless BBM solution ... and we're still working on it," Smith said.
RIM provided no reason for the BBM delay but pointed out that BlackBerry smartphone users could still use a bridge function to run BBM and other features on the larger PlayBook screen.
Shares of RIM dropped 6 percent to $20.94 on the Nasdaq by late morning. Its stock has tumbled some 60 percent this year after a series of profit warnings, product missteps and a sharp drop in market share.
LATEST SETBACK
The PlayBook highlights RIM's recent struggle to field products that match the technical specifications and consumer appeal of Apple's iPhone and iPad, as well as devices powered by Android.
The latest setback comes just two weeks after a global outage that knocked out service for tens of millions of BlackBerry users across five continents. The disruption was a blow to RIM's reputation for reliability at time when many its core business customers are beginning to follow the consumer side of the market into the Apple camp.
"Following prior product and software delays and the recent outage, this represents another execution stumble," RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky wrote in a note to clients, referring to the PlayBook upgrade delay.
A week after the outage, RIM announced plans to introduce BBX, which merges its separate smartphone and tablet operating systems, but it has not said when either smartphones or tablets running the software would go on sale.
The PlayBook upgrade that RIM now expects by February would serve as a stop-gap ahead of tablets incorporating BBX. The move is the tablet equivalent of a batch of touchscreen BlackBerrys launched in August.
The announcement late on Tuesday could mean the launch of BBX-equipped devices in both categories might face further delays, a potential setback to RIM's hopes to reverse its market share losses. As of now, RIM has no firm deadline, only saying BBX is due out sometime next year.
(Reporting by Alastair Sharp in Toronto and Maneesha Tiwari in Bangalore; editing by Frank McGurty)
Just when we think that she's getting her shit together, we remember that it's Tara Reid!
And when you're Tara Reid, lucidity never lasts for long!
The actress reportedly married Zack Kehoyov after a nonexistent engagement and surprise wedding in the Greek Isles back in August, but according to her when she landed at LAX this morning all sorts of wasted tired and out of it, the marriage was a SHAM - and the pair never made the union legal in the states!
Yeesh! So we guess the honeymoon period - and possibly the entire union - is over then?
Sad.
Well - at least she was with it long enough to film American Reunion!
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) ? Maersk Drilling, a unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), has struck a four-year $780 million deal with BP (BP.L) for a deepwater rig, and aims to increase its fleet by 6-8 rigs within five years.
London-based BP would pay about $500,000 per day for the ultra deepwater semi-submersible "Maersk Discoverer," a price that indicates good demand in the market, Maersk Drilling's chief executive Claus Hemmingsen told Reuters.
"We are close to $500,000 per day and we are pleased about that since this is a long-term contract," Hemmingsen said.
"The deepwater market has actually been at a stable level since the crisis started in 2008. Rates have not fallen below $400,000 per day. When rates exceed $450,000 per day, it is a signal that there is good activity and good demand," Hemmingsen said.
The contract with BP for the "Maersk Discoverer" was for work initially offshore Egypt, and the maximum contract value was about $780 million, including mobilization fees, the company said in a statement.
"We have ordered another six rigs ... and the expectation is that we will order six to eight more during the next five years, in addition to the ones already ordered," Hemmingsen said.
The six rigs already ordered will be delivered in 2013 and 2014, while the six to eight rigs to be ordered would be delivered in 2015 and 2016, he said.
The four-year contract includes an option for a further year, and is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2012, it said.
Shares in A.P. Moller-Maersk initially traded down but had turned positive to trade up 0.9 percent at 37,180 crowns by 0854 GMT (4:54 a.m. EDT), outperforming a 0.5 percent rise in the Copenhagen stock exchange's benchmark index (.OMXC20).
(Reporting by Mette Fraende and Ole Mikkelsen; Editing by Will Waterman)
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Public release date: 28-Oct-2011
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