Ford Motor Co.'s pension deficit widened in 2012 by 21 percent and the Dearborn automaker vowed Tuesday to boost contributions to its underfunded pensions by $5 billion in 2013.
Despite the fact that Ford pumped $3.4 billion into its worldwide pension plans in 2012 ? over the $1.1 billion it infused in 2011 ? the underfunding of the automaker's pension plans widened.
Ford said its pensions are now underfunded by $18.7 billion worldwide, up from $15.4 billion. The automaker's U.S. pensions are underfunded by $9.7 billion, up from $9.4 billion.
Low interest rates mean that companies must recalculate the "discount rate" in determining pension funding.
"It's a real liability as of this minute but it's not something they have to worry about or pay now," said Van Conway, CEO of Birmingham-based advisory firm Conway MacKenzie in a telephone interview.
Ford dropped its discount rate 0.8 percent, accounting for the pension plan underfunding boost.
"Anyone that has a defined benefit plan is suffering from these record-low discount rates," Ford CFO Bob Shanks said in a teleconference with analysts and reporters Tuesday morning. "We do expect discount rates to start to increase as we move forward."
Ford said its pension plans earned 14.2 percent in 2012, up from 7.7 percent in 2011. Ford's pension plans beat the S&P 500 index, which was up 13 percent last year.
The automaker said in reviewing its 2012 performance that it "began actions to de-risk our funded pension obligations."
Ford offered pension buyouts to 98,000 qualifying white-collar retirees and former workers. Those buyouts will continue through the end of the year.
Ford did not disclose Tuesday how many have accepted the buyout, but said it spent $1.2 billion of its $3.4 billion in 2012 pension contributions on its lump-sum payout program.
U.S. automakers are putting billions into their pension plans to offload some of the risks, offering pension buyouts ? and in the case of General Motors Co., selling pension liabilities to an outside insurer.
But the United Auto Workers has shown no interest in agreeing to pension buyouts.
UAW Vice President Joe Ashton, who oversees the GM bargaining unit, said this month the union reviewed the pension buyout deal made to salaried workers.
But he said deciding on a similar offer for union retirees "would be a long-term process that we would have to look at." No such offer is on the table.
"God knows ? maybe by the next (contract) agreement (in 2015), it would be something that we would be ready to look at," Ashton said. "We'd be very concerned that an individual or many individuals would take the cash ? after working your whole life ? 30, 40 years ? and us negotiating those benefits, it would be tough for us to worry about our retirees."
UAW President Bob King said the union hasn't been interested because "the pension program we have does give a lot of security."
Last year, about 30 percent of GM's eligible U.S. salaried retirees opted for lump sum payments instead of regular monthly pension payments.
The automaker offered pension buyouts to 42,000 salaried retirees who left the automaker between Oct. 1, 1997, and Dec. 1, 2011.
That deal was part of a broader plan with Prudential that GM had estimated would cut its pension liability by $26 billion, and eliminate a significant drag on its bottom line.
GM moved about $29 billion in pension liabilities off its balance sheet through the buyout.
Obese girls are at greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis or MS-like illness, according to a new study published Wednesday in the online journal Neurology.
Researchers looked at body mass index (BMI)?data from more than 900,000 children from the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Children's health study. Seventy-five of those children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 18 were diagnosed with pediatric MS. More than 50% of them were overweight or obese, and the majority were girls.
According to the study, the MS risk was more than one and a half times higher for overweight girls, almost two times higher in moderately obese girls and almost four times higher in extremely obese girls.
"Over the last 30 years, childhood obesity has tripled," said study author Dr. Annette Langer-Gould, a neurologist and regional MS expert for Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. "In our study, the risk of pediatric MS was highest among moderately and extremely obese teenage girls, suggesting that the rate of pediatric MS cases is likely to increase as the childhood obesity epidemic continues."
MS is a chronic, debilitating disease that attacks the central nervous system. "Some patients do very well and have minimal to no disability even 20 years later," Langer-Gould said, "While other patients do poorly and can be wheelchair bound in 5 years. It's a huge spectrum."
Dr. Tanuja?Chitnis is a neurologist and pediatric MS specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children with 50 MS publications to her credit. She says 10 years ago MS was not recognized as a disease that occurred in children, but today evidence is mounting that obesity is a risk factor for MS in kids, particularly adolescent girls.
"This is one more piece of evidence, but really in order to make a definitive link, you need at least five or six studies showing the same thing," she says. ?"You need to have an underlying biological reason, which still has not been worked out and you need to show that blocking or interfering with the biological mechanism can prevent the disease."
"The overall message is that there are an increasing number of diseases associated with obesity and particularly early obesity and that it's an important risk factor to try to mitigate. It is something you can do something about," Chitnis says.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the last 30 years childhood obesity?has?doubled in children and tripled in teenagers. In 2010, more than a third of all children and teens were overweight or obese.
At Children's Hospital of Alabama, pediatric neurologist Dr. Jayne Ness has seen more than 100 pediatric MS patients, predominantly girls, whose average age at onset is 13. Ness told CNN she has noticed a rise in obesity in their MS patients, kids who at the time of diagnosis are obese.
"Does this mean that obesity is a risk factor for MS? We don't know yet," Ness said. "It's one more piece that helps us potentially better understand some of the underlying triggers of pediatric MS and may help us understand MS in general."
Langer-Gould says that while pediatric MS is very rare - only 1.6 per 100,000 children - there are red flags parents should look out for. "Constant numbness or tingling from the waist down or numbness, pins and needles sensations in the chest, abdomen or back that last for 24 hours."
Those children should be evaluated by a neurologist. Other symptoms to have checked out are collapsing weakness in the legs after modest exertion, and pain and loss of vision in one eye.
The National MS Society estimates about 10,000 children in the United States have the disease and another 10 to 15,000 have had at least one MS-like symptom. An estimated 5% of all MS cases worldwide are childhood or adolescent onset.
Member of the Pussy Riot punk band Yekaterina Samutsevich waits before entering a court room, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. Samutsevich's efforts to repeal a decision banning the group's videos in Russia was rejected by the court. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Member of the Pussy Riot punk band Yekaterina Samutsevich waits before entering a court room, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. Samutsevich's efforts to repeal a decision banning the group's videos in Russia was rejected by the court. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Member of the Pussy Riot punk band Yekaterina Samutsevich speaks to press after a court hearing, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. Samutsevich's efforts to repeal a decision banning the group's videos in Russia was rejected by the court. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Member of the Pussy Riot punk band Yekaterina Samutsevich speaks prior a session at the Moscow City Court where she is appealing to overturn a court's decision to ban the video of the band's "punk prayer" in Moscow's main cathedral as "extremist", Russia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Samutsevich was one of the three band members sentenced to two years in jail in August after their performance last February at Moscow's Christ the Savior cathedral. She was later released on appeal. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
Member of the Pussy Riot punk band Yekaterina Samutsevich speaks to press after a court hearing, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. Samutsevich's efforts to repeal a decision banning the group's videos in Russia was rejected by the court. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Member of the Pussy Riot punk band Yekaterina Samutsevich smiles as she attends a session at the Moscow City Court where she is appealing to overturn a court's decision to ban the video of the band's "punk prayer" in Moscow's main cathedral as "extremist", Russia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Samutsevich was one of the three band members sentenced to two years in jail in August after their performance last February at Moscow's Christ the Savior cathedral. She was later released on appeal. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
MOSCOW (AP) ? Footage of feminist rockers Pussy Riot's irreverent protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main cathedral last year has been banned in Russia and must be removed from the country's Internet.
Moscow City Court on Wednesday rejected band member Yekaterina Samutsevich's appeal of a lower court's ruling in November, meaning that its ban of the video now takes effect.
Samutsevich said the decision amounted to censorship and vowed to fight on.
Pussy Riot shot to global fame last year after three band members, including Samutsevich, were convicted in August on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" for their "punk prayer" against Putin's return to the presidency in March's election and the outspoken support for his bid by the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. They were sentenced to two years in prison, but Samutsevich was later released on appeal.
The trial was widely seen as a political vendetta and attracted international attention to Russia's intolerance of dissent.
Internet providers face fines up to $3,000 if they fail to block the footage. The decision, taken on the request of a conservative lawmaker who said the videos offended religious believers, is largely symbolic, since Russians will be able to access the video on foreign servers not subject to the law.
Pussy Riot's videos were banned under Russia's vaguely defined "extremism" law, which is supposed to restrict neo-Nazi and terrorist groups but has been used to restrict Scientologists and the TV cartoon South Park. Critics accuse the Kremlin of exploiting the law to stifle opposition and free speech.
In September, Russian courts banned "The Innocence of Muslims," a low-budget film produced in the U.S. that mocks Muslims and the prophet Muhammad.
The Rawls Career Management Center (CMC) and its Student Business Group will host the first Rawls Networking Group event on February 12 at 6 p.m. in the Rawls Atrium to help students hone their networking skills.
Ryan Todd, associate director for student development, said having the ability to effectively network in a business environment is one of the most important skills the CMC can teach students.
?Success would be difficult for any new graduate who does not have the ability to cultivate relationships with business partners and attendees at business events,? said Todd.
The Rawls Networking Group will be held once a month each semester. These events will be conducted just as if they were real business networking situations.
For each event a guest speaker will present topics on networking or business etiquette. Business members from the community will be invited, and open networking time will be made available for students to practice their networking skills.
This month?s event will feature Dean Nail and members of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. For more information on the Rawls Networking Group, visit the CMC event website.
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Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan arrives at a halfway house in Chicago Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, after serving five-plus years in federal prison on corruption charges. The 78-year-old Ryan began serving his 6 1/2-year sentence in November 2007 in Oxford, Wis., and was released from another prison in Terra Haute, Ind., to enter the halfway house under a work-release program. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan arrives at a halfway house in Chicago Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, after serving five-plus years in federal prison on corruption charges. The 78-year-old Ryan began serving his 6 1/2-year sentence in November 2007 in Oxford, Wis., and was released from another prison in Terra Haute, Ind., to enter the halfway house under a work-release program. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan arrives at a halfway house in Chicago Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, after serving five-plus years in federal prison on corruption charges. The 78-year-old Ryan began serving his 6 1/2-year sentence in November 2007 in Oxford, Wis., and was released from another prison in Terra Haute, Ind., to enter the halfway house under a work-release program. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, center, arrives at a halfway house in Chicago Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, after serving five-plus years in federal prison on corruption charges. The 78-year-old Ryan began serving his 6 1/2-year sentence in November 2007 in Oxford, Wis., and was released from another prison in Terra Haute, Ind., to enter the halfway house under a work-release program. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, center, arrives at a halfway house in Chicago Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, after serving five-plus years in federal prison on corruption charges. The 78-year-old Ryan began serving his 6 1/2-year sentence in November 2007 in Oxford, Wis., and was released from another prison in Terra Haute, Ind., to enter the halfway house under a work-release program. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
CHICAGO (AP) ? Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan was released from federal prison and into a Chicago halfway house Wednesday after serving more than five years for corruption.
Ryan, 78, left the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., five months before his prison term officially ended, having qualified for early release to a halfway house.
Ryan did not stop to talk to reporters before entering the Salvation Army Freedom Center on the city's West Side before dawn. He was accompanied on the ride from the prison by his attorney, another former governor, Jim Thompson, who said Ryan talked during the journey about how good it felt to be out.
"Today is another step in a long journey for George Ryan," Thompson told the mass of reporters gathered outside the facility.
"He's in decent spirits. It is such a stark change from penitentiary life he has to become accustomed again to being on the outside," he said.
Ryan's release means Illinois no longer has the dubious distinction of having two former governors behind bars simultaneously. Ryan's successor, Rod Blagojevich, is now Illinois' lone imprisoned governor. The Democrat is serving a 14-year term for corruption at a federal prison in Colorado.
A jury convicted Ryan in 2006 of racketeering, conspiracy, tax fraud and making false statements to the FBI. Jurors found that Ryan had steered state business to insiders as secretary of state and then as governor for vacations and gifts. He also was accused of stopping an investigation into secretary of state employees accepting bribes for truck driver's licenses.
Ryan, a Republican, drew national attention as governor when he deemed Illinois' capital punishment laws flawed and emptied death row in 2003. That reignited a nationwide debate and led the state to abolish its death penalty in 2011.
While Ryan was in prison, his wife of 55 years died in 2011. Officials allowed Ryan to leave prison to visit her when she was sick with cancer, but he wasn't allowed to attend her funeral. Ryan has suffered from his own health problems, including kidney disease.
For decades, the Salvation Army has run a community program where inmates live for a short time, take classes to learn basic skills and receive counseling, among other things.
Ryan doesn't yet have a job lined up as required by his release. Thompson said they will worry about that once he is through processing at the halfway house.
Former Ryan aide Scott Fawell, also convicted in the corruption investigation, spent time at the West Loop halfway house, which is just a couple of blocks from the United Center, where the Chicago Bulls play. Last week, he described it as being "like a really bad dorm room." But he said "life is a little better" there than in prison.
Inmates at a halfway house get to wear their own clothes, work a job and can be eligible to be in their own homes within weeks, though they still have to keep close contact with prison officials.
Ryan owns a home in Kankakee, about 60 miles south of Chicago.
The bounty case essentially is over, but bits and pieces of evidence continue to surface.
More than a few bits and pieces have come from the disclosure of a significant portion of the appeal hearing testimony from former Saints interim head coach and current linebackers coach Joe Vitt.
Among many other things, Vitt?s testimony before former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue sheds light on some of the contentious aspects of the relationship between the league office and the organization.? Vitt says that, at one point, Saints owner Tom Benson told NFL V.P. of security Jeff Miller to leave the premises.
?Jeff Miller took a plane ride from New York down to New Orleans, and the way he talked to our owner, what he said to our owner made me want to throw up, to the point where Mr. Benson kicked him off the property and didn?t let him back on the property,? Vitt said, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
?This almost killed our owner.? Our owner has done nothing but be a great owner in the National Football League the whole time he?s been in the league. . . .? And now this guy takes a plane ride down and throws some documents in front of our owner?s face, and our owner has got to kick him out of the building?? That?s what we?re dealing with.? That?s fine.?
Vitt also explained that, even though notes generated by former Saints assistant Mike Cerullo indicated that Vitt had offered $5,000 to the alleged bounty on former Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, Miller didn?t believe it happened.
?The investigators, Jeff Miller in particular, acknowledged that I did not give any money to a bounty because he said to me, you know, we heard that your wife is so cheap that you have a hard time getting lunch money every day,? Vitt said.? ?That was his comment to me.? And I said, well, your wife must have a pretty good sense of humor, too, with the clothes you?re wearing right now.?
Vitt also had some strong comments for Cerullo.
?Mike Cerullo is a liar,? Vitt said. ?We?ll get some notes here from Mr. Cerullo. I?ll say this to you, Commissioner, and anybody that?s interested. I?m taking Mike Cerullo to court.? I?m going to sue his ass for the things he said about me, the things he said about this football team.? He?s going to be held accountable for everything he said. I make this offer again.? If we want me to take a lie detector test this afternoon, I will do so.? Or if you want me to do it tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon, I will do so. Mike Cerullo is a liar.? A liar.?
Vitt also talked at length regarding coach Sean Payton?s decision after the 2011 season to part ways with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.? Payton began to sour on Williams after the head coach caught Williams texting draft picks to the media during the 2011 selection process.
?I would say the final straw was the last two weeks of the season,? Vitt said.? ?Gregg kept coming to Sean every day and wanted his contract extension and wanted his extension done.? And Sean said, well, we?ll talk about it at the end of the season, well knowing what direction Sean was going in.? And the last week of the season, it?s all in the papers, you know, Gregg has gone to St. Louis, it?s his best friend Jeff Fisher, you know, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, trying to squeeze Sean, trying to squeeze Mickey to get his contract.? And the day after the playoff game that we lost against San Francisco, he went into Sean?s office and says I need to know right now, I need my contract, I?ve got to let Jeff know what I?m doing.? And Sean said, you?re not going to get a contract here.? I think it?s best go to St. Louis with your friend Jeff. And that was it. . . .? It didn?t end pretty. It didn?t end nice.?
There isn?t much nice or pretty about Vitt?s testimony, but it?s compelling and interesting and he has the kind of passion that typically is exhibited by a guy who has been accused of things he didn?t do.
Perampanel for epilepsy: No proof of added benefitPublic release date: 30-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Anna-Sabine Ernst presse@iqwig.de 49-221-356-85153 Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care
Manufacturer's dossier contains no suitable data for comparison with lamotrigine or topiramate
The drug perampanel (trade name Fycompa) has been approved since July 2012 as adjunctive ("add-on") therapy for adults and children aged 12 years and older with epileptic fits (seizures). In an early benefit assessment according to the German Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether perampanel offers an added benefit over the previous standard therapy. However, no such added benefit can be derived from the dossier, because the manufacturer failed to present any relevant data in it for the comparison with the drugs lamotrigine or topiramate.
Lamotrigine and topiramate as appropriate comparator therapy
Fits that affect only a small part of the brain are called "focal" or "partial seizures". In this type of fit, the muscle twitches and spasms remain limited to isolated parts of the body. They may, however, spread over the entire body and this process is then called a "secondary generalization". Perampanel is approved as add-on therapy for the treatment of partial seizures with or without secondary generalization in people aged 12 years and older.
When the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) specified the appropriate comparator therapy, it distinguished between two treatment situations: if the first-line (basic) anti-epileptic treatment does not contain lamotrigine, perampanel as add-on therapy should be compared with lamotrigine as add-on therapy. If, on the other hand, lamotrigine is already part of the basic treatment, then perampanel as add-on therapy should be compared with topiramate as add-on therapy.
Topiramate not considered in the dossier
However, in its dossier, the pharmaceutical company deviated from this specification of the G-BA and considered only lamotrigine. In those cases where lamotrigine was already contained in the basic treatment, the manufacturer stated that a comparison with topiramate was "not productive". But IQWiG does not accept this explanation from the manufacturer.
Comparisons with lamotrigine not adequate
In order to demonstrate the added benefit over lamotrigine, the manufacturer provided data on a direct and an indirect comparison. However, ultimately the former comparison was with a dummy drug (a placebo). Although in this case a placebo comparison can prove a benefit, it cannot prove an added benefit.
For various reasons, the indirect comparison is also inadequate. Amongst other things, perampanel was not tested here against lamotrigine (in each case as add-on therapy), but instead a combination of perampanel and lamotrigine against lamotrigine, in each case in addition to basic treatment, was tested.
Since neither the indirect nor the direct comparisons are suitable for answering the research question, no relevant study results are available for the benefit assessment. Hence there is also no proof of an added benefit.
G-BA decides on the extent of added benefit
The dossier assessment is part of the overall procedure for early benefit assessments supervised by the G-BA. After publication of the manufacturer's dossier and IQWiG's assessment, the G-BA conducts a commenting procedure, which may provide further information and result in a change to the benefit assessment. The G-BA then decides on the extent of the added benefit, thus completing the early benefit assessment.
###
In addition, the website gesundheitsinformation.de, published by IQWiG, provides easily understandable and brief German-language information on perampanel.
The G-BA website contains both general English-language information on benefit assessments pursuant to 35a Social Code Book V and specific German-language information on the assessment of perampanel.
[ | 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.
Perampanel for epilepsy: No proof of added benefitPublic release date: 30-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Anna-Sabine Ernst presse@iqwig.de 49-221-356-85153 Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care
Manufacturer's dossier contains no suitable data for comparison with lamotrigine or topiramate
The drug perampanel (trade name Fycompa) has been approved since July 2012 as adjunctive ("add-on") therapy for adults and children aged 12 years and older with epileptic fits (seizures). In an early benefit assessment according to the German Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether perampanel offers an added benefit over the previous standard therapy. However, no such added benefit can be derived from the dossier, because the manufacturer failed to present any relevant data in it for the comparison with the drugs lamotrigine or topiramate.
Lamotrigine and topiramate as appropriate comparator therapy
Fits that affect only a small part of the brain are called "focal" or "partial seizures". In this type of fit, the muscle twitches and spasms remain limited to isolated parts of the body. They may, however, spread over the entire body and this process is then called a "secondary generalization". Perampanel is approved as add-on therapy for the treatment of partial seizures with or without secondary generalization in people aged 12 years and older.
When the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) specified the appropriate comparator therapy, it distinguished between two treatment situations: if the first-line (basic) anti-epileptic treatment does not contain lamotrigine, perampanel as add-on therapy should be compared with lamotrigine as add-on therapy. If, on the other hand, lamotrigine is already part of the basic treatment, then perampanel as add-on therapy should be compared with topiramate as add-on therapy.
Topiramate not considered in the dossier
However, in its dossier, the pharmaceutical company deviated from this specification of the G-BA and considered only lamotrigine. In those cases where lamotrigine was already contained in the basic treatment, the manufacturer stated that a comparison with topiramate was "not productive". But IQWiG does not accept this explanation from the manufacturer.
Comparisons with lamotrigine not adequate
In order to demonstrate the added benefit over lamotrigine, the manufacturer provided data on a direct and an indirect comparison. However, ultimately the former comparison was with a dummy drug (a placebo). Although in this case a placebo comparison can prove a benefit, it cannot prove an added benefit.
For various reasons, the indirect comparison is also inadequate. Amongst other things, perampanel was not tested here against lamotrigine (in each case as add-on therapy), but instead a combination of perampanel and lamotrigine against lamotrigine, in each case in addition to basic treatment, was tested.
Since neither the indirect nor the direct comparisons are suitable for answering the research question, no relevant study results are available for the benefit assessment. Hence there is also no proof of an added benefit.
G-BA decides on the extent of added benefit
The dossier assessment is part of the overall procedure for early benefit assessments supervised by the G-BA. After publication of the manufacturer's dossier and IQWiG's assessment, the G-BA conducts a commenting procedure, which may provide further information and result in a change to the benefit assessment. The G-BA then decides on the extent of the added benefit, thus completing the early benefit assessment.
###
In addition, the website gesundheitsinformation.de, published by IQWiG, provides easily understandable and brief German-language information on perampanel.
The G-BA website contains both general English-language information on benefit assessments pursuant to 35a Social Code Book V and specific German-language information on the assessment of perampanel.
[ | 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.
Emergency and security personnel are seen through a heavy fog about 100 meters (328 feet) from the site of a plane crash near Almaty on Tuesday.
By Dmitry Solovyov and Mariya Gordeyeva, Reuters
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- A passenger plane crashed near Kazakhstan's commercial capital of Almaty on Tuesday, news agencies quoted SCAT airline as saying.
Twenty-two people were killed in the crash, Yuri Ilyin, deputy head of the emergencies department in Almaty, told Reuters from the scene of the crash near the village of Kyzyl Tu.
The plane had been en route from the city of Kokshetau in northern Kazakhstan to Almaty in the southeast of the country when it crashed near the village of Kyzyl Tu, Interfax news agency said.
Almaty and the surrounding area were veiled in thick fog on Tuesday.
SCAT is based in Kazakhstan and operates extensive domestic services and some international flights.
It was the second plane crash in the Central Asian country and former Soviet republic in just a over a month.
On December 25, a military transport airplane crashed in bad weather near the southern Kazakh city of Shymkent, killing all 27 people on board.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) ? The Big East conference is looking to add another school, and may sign a TV package that includes multiple networks, commissioner Mike Aresco said Monday.
Aresco spoke at a local chamber of commerce breakfast, and talked to reporters afterward.
He said the Big East wants to keep its name as it rebrands, and no longer has any plans to expand further west than Texas.
"We probably at some point will add a 12th team," Aresco said. "We are going to have 11 when Navy comes in '15. We'll have 10 this year. There's no urgency, but we think we'll probably think about adding a 12th team."
Aresco believes the conference realignment picture may be settling down, following the departure of the so-called Catholic seven basketball schools from the Big East and the decisions of Boise State and San Diego State to return to the Mountain West.
He said the remaining Big East schools all are large research schools, with similar goals, and have good working relationships.
"I do think as conferences consolidate, as they get bigger, I think they rethink what they are doing, and I think there will be a period of calm," he said. "It doesn't mean it's over."
Aresco said the conference is getting close on a TV package that he said will add stability to the picture, but could not say when it might be finalized.
"We think we could end up doing a deal with multiple networks, we just don't know yet," he said.
Aresco lamented the role of money in ending some traditional rivalries in college sports, and cautioned executives that a balance must be maintained between doing what is best financially and doing what is best for college athletics and the college athlete.
He said TV games will lose much of their luster if they are played in half-empty arenas or stadiums.
He also said he doesn't believe the departure of the Catholic schools from the Big East necessarily means an end to some of the old Big East rivalries. He said because the separation has been amicable, he believes many of those schools will continue playing each other.
"We want our schools to play really good nonconference games," he said, "whether its football or basketball, because that's how you rebuild your brand ? prove it on the field."
Aresco dismissed talk that the Big East might reconsider its postseason ban for Connecticut's men's basketball team, allowing the Huskies play in this year's Big East tournament.
UConn was barred from the postseason by the NCAA due to previous low Academic Progress Rate scores, and the Big East followed suit. School officials have been lobbying against the ban, noting the team has improved those scores and no current players were involved in the previous problems.
"They've got a terrific APR now, they're doing much better," Aresco said. "This is just one of those things. It happened, and it's something they're going to have to get through."
LONDON (Reuters) - Anglo American Plc will take a $4 billion writedown on its Minas Rio iron ore operation in Brazil after delays and cost overruns forced the mining group to increase expenditure on the project.
The company also said on Tuesday that it expects capital expenditure for the project to increase to $8.8 billion.
"We are clearly disappointed that the diversity of challenges that our Minas Rio project has faced has contributed to a significant increase in capital expenditure," outgoing Chief Executive Cynthia Carroll said.
"Despite the difficulties, we continue to be confident of the medium and long-term attractiveness and strategic positioning of Minas Rio and we remain committed to the project."
Minas Rio, a leading iron ore project in Brazil, is Anglo's most significant failure of recent years and was largely responsible for Carroll's fall from grace.
Anglo bought its first stake in Minas Rio in 2007, taking control in 2008 with a $5.5 billion deal with Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista's MMX - right at its peak.
The project was intended to help to diversify a company that was still dependent on South Africa for the bulk of its revenue, but has instead been a bruising top-of-the-market deal.
'CONSTANT DISAPPOINTMENT'
Anglo spent $4.8 billion buying Minas Rio - excluding the value of the Amapa mine, bought as part of the original deal but which Anglo has agreed to sell. It has spent $5 billion on developing it so far and said last year that total development costs could exceed $8 billion - more than three times original estimates.
"This asset has been a constant disappointment in terms of project delivery and I think it was largely expected that we would get this sort of writedown," Nomura International analyst Sam Catalano said.
"The challenge that remains for Anglo is to deliver it on the revised timeline and price that they've given us."
The company said it is still targeting first ore on ship by the end of 2014 despite the challenges facing Minas Rio.
Anglo's announcement comes after Rio Tinto ousted its chief executive, Tom Albanese, on January 17 and took $14 billion in impairments tied to its underperforming Mozambican coal and Canadian aluminum operations.
Other mining companies, such as BHP Billiton are also likely to write down underperforming assets as low prices and rising costs eat into valuations.
Minas Rio is one of the biggest challenges facing Anglo's incoming chief executive Mark Cutifani, a former coal miner who will join the company from Johannesburg-based AngloGold Ashanti in March.
Development costs in Brazil have been driven higher by forthcoming major events such as the Olympics in 2016 and next year's soccer World Cup tournament, which have increased demand for labor.
Shares in Anglo American were down 0.6 percent at 1862 pence at 0802 GMT, valuing the company at $41.2 billion.
Elsewhere in the sector, Anglo American Platinum , the world's largest platinum producer, said on Tuesday that it had conducted "constructive" consultations with the South African government about a company restructuring that could lead to 14,000 job cuts.
FILE - In this May 14, 2012 file photo, actress Liberty Ross with director Rupert Sanders pose for the media at the World Premiere of the film, "Snow White and the Huntsman," at a cinema in central London. Ross filed for divorce on Friday, Jan. 28, 2013 in Los Angeles, roughly five months after it was revealed that Sanders had engaged in a brief affair with actress Kristen Stewart. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - In this May 14, 2012 file photo, actress Liberty Ross with director Rupert Sanders pose for the media at the World Premiere of the film, "Snow White and the Huntsman," at a cinema in central London. Ross filed for divorce on Friday, Jan. 28, 2013 in Los Angeles, roughly five months after it was revealed that Sanders had engaged in a brief affair with actress Kristen Stewart. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - In this May 14, 2012 file photo, actress Liberty Ross with director Rupert Sanders pose for the media at the World Premiere of the film, "Snow White and the Huntsman," at a cinema in central London. Ross filed for divorce on Friday, Jan. 28, 2013 in Los Angeles, roughly five months after it was revealed that Sanders had engaged in a brief affair with actress Kristen Stewart. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Rupert Sanders' wife has filed for divorce five months after it was revealed the director had a brief affair with actress Kristen Stewart.
Liberty Ross, Sanders' wife of more than nine years, filed for divorce Friday in Los Angeles citing irreconcilable differences.
Ross' filing cites irreconcilable differences for the couple's breakup. They have two children, an 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.
The model-actress is seeking joint custody of the children and spousal support from her estranged husband, who directed Stewart in "Snow White and the Huntsman."
TMZ, which first reported the filing, stated that Sanders also filed divorce paperwork but it was not available on Monday.
Stewart, who has been dating "Twilight" co-star Robert Pattinson, apologized for her fling with Sanders in July after it was revealed by US Weekly.
Internet marketing for online business has emerged to be a top priority for businesses across the world today. Although, businesses continue to seek the services of print advertising; this number seems to have dwindled with the advent of internet marketing and its numerous benefits. The best internet marketing company is what most businesses are in the search for simply because it can render the visibility and reach a business demands in the virtual world. Mango Media is one such proficient internet marketing Services Company that has been in the business of creating sustaining and profitable web presence for several businesses across the world. There are distinct reasons between internet marketing and print advertising and this article intends to explore the differences.
(1)?? International Scope: Businesses of today acquire the services of the best internet marketing company simply because they do not want to be enclosed within a specific geography. The presence of internet has enabled them to reach out to customers across different parts of the world. This directly signifies increased sales and higher profits. Print advertising does not offer scope for facilitating domestic business in the international segments. But one simple website and efficient internet marketing can widen prospects and give your business the global impetus. This is an important advantage your proficient internet marketing Services Company can offer you.
(2)?? Business Anytime, Anywhere: Internet marketing for online business has also become popular because your average customer is not stationed at one spot. People today are increasingly mobile and with mobility arises the need to offer in-demand services everywhere at any time. Print media suffers from this limitation but the availability of businesses through internet makes them highly mobile and hence accessible from any corner of the world. The modern world is a network of laptops, notebooks, smartphones and i-pads, all of which facilitate businesses to complete their services effectively.
(3)?? Target Audience: Every business has its own set of target audience. Connecting to this segment instead of approaching the world at large was a mistake that traditional businesses did especially through print media. Men?s products may not necessarily be of use to a woman and hence she most certainly does not belong to your primary user group. Internet marketing is focused and largely targets those who specifically seek a business? services. The best internet marketing company such as Mango Media can help your business effectively position ads in the virtual world in order to maximize focused visibility and thereby influence the bottom line.
(4)?? Tangible Results: The web is a beautiful medium that does not just facilitate your business to inundate international boundaries effectively but also helps you measure your efforts. Search engine optimization is an important and inevitable tool that makes your website visible and accessible by people across the world. Your website?s performance in the SEO arena can be measured and reviewed through traffic, backlinks, indexing and rankings. There is a lot your internet marketing services company can do to create and modify your website?s SEO initiatives time and again to generate further traffic.
It?s 30 degrees outside and instead of getting a cup of hot chocolate, I?m on my way to the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center to go on my first winter run.
Inside the Ray, the sound of students talking hums in the background as I nervously stand and wait for the other runners to appear. Dressed in leggings, a black long-sleeve Under Armour, grey sweater and worn-out sneakers, I?m beginning to wonder if someone will think that I?m an imposter.
Just as I?m about to do some stretches to blend in, DePaul junior Christina Verrilli, 20, appears.
?I?m so excited,? she said. ?It?s been a long day and I?ve been looking forward to going on a run.?
I laugh and reply, ?That?s funny. I?ve been dreading this moment all day.?
Not long after, we see Katie Marquard, a DePaul alumni and the creator of Run with the Ray. We walk up to her and after she greets us she asks me what my pace is. I think for a moment and then reply, ?Not that fast ? more on the slow side.?
Next we are joined by two more runners: DePaul sophomore Anna Slotterback and Sarah Zweber, a local runner and Marquard?s friend.
?All right, it looks like no one else is coming,? said Marquard. ?We can get going.?
I pull on my hat and gloves, and take a deep breath as I follow the others through the door. As soon as I step outside, the icy wind hits my face and a shiver runs down my spine. I?m afraid that I won?t be able to move, but somehow I find myself running alongside Slotterback.
As we run down Webster, 19-year-old Slotterback talks to me about what it?s like making costumes at the theatre school, and before long we are turning on Lakewood and from there onto Dickens. We stop in front of Running Away Multi Sport, which is located at 2219 N. Clybourn Ave., and go inside to drink water. Marquard tells us that we are doing great and attaches a clip with flashing lights to each of us so that we will be more visible to drivers.
At this point I?m sure that we?ve run at least almost half of our run, but Marquard tells me that was only a little over half a mile and the full route is about four miles.
We leave the store and slowly split up: Verrilli, Slotterback and Zweber run ahead, and Marquard stays in the back with me. I am no longer cold, but burning hot. The challenge now is my aching legs and shortness of breath. Marquard asks me if I need to slow down and I say yes. I can still see the other girls in the distance, their flashing lights getting dimmer and dimmer in the dark shadows of the surrounding buildings.
Instead of going the full route, Marquard decides that she and I will run down Dickens to Oz Park, and from there up Webster back to the Ray. I am relieved and start to feel calmer.
As we run, an old man walking on the sidewalk moves out of way for us to pass, but I still run around him because I?m afraid of hitting him.
?Hey! Why didn?t you let me be a gentleman?? he says with a smile. I begin to laugh and I can?t believe that I?m actually enjoying running outside in the cold.
When the run is over, Marquard tells me that I ran 2.5 miles and gives me a high five. I feel like I cheated because the other runners ran more, but at the same time that?s the furthest I?ve ever run outside so I?m proud.
Run with the Ray is a club at DePaul that started this year and meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Marquard, an Ironman Triathlon finisher and employee of Running Away Multi Sport, said that she started Run with the Ray because she used to work at the Ray and wanted to get involved with the running community at DePaul.
Marquard said that runners don?t have to stop running outside in the winter, but there are some important tips that they should follow if they decide to: always wear reflective clothing; wear a light; if their run is longer than three miles, they should have hydration with them; if their run is two miles, they should stop somewhere in between to get water; wear hats and gloves; and they don?t need to necessarily wear a lot of layers, unless it?s windy.
?I enjoy running in the winter,? said Marquard. ?I?ve ran in 10 degrees and below. You actually burn more calories running in the cold.?
Slotterback and Verrilli, who both ran cross-country in high school, gave their reactions to the winter run.
?Running outside in the winter is tough,? said Verrilli. ?But I still like to keep my cardio and fitness up. I thoroughly enjoy running with others, so Run with the Ray was a perfect match.?
However, Verrilli said that she wouldn?t run below in snowy, below 20 degree conditions.
?It was my first time running in the winter,? said Slotterback. ?I am from San Francisco and it is always around 55 to 60 degrees, so it was quite the experience. But not as bad as I thought. I am a little scared to run in 15 degrees.?
Even though the turnout for the run was only five people, both Verrilli and Slotterback said that they plan to continue to come to Run with the Ray. As for me, I may have to think about it.
Japan's government is slated to launch the world's first 4K TV broadcast in July 2014, approximately two years ahead of schedule, to help drive demand for the ultra high-definition TVs.
The Asahi Times said the service will begin from communications satellites, followed by satellite broadcasting and ground digital broadcasting.
The 4K TVs, which boast four times the resolution of current high-definition TVs, are now on sale by Japanese makers including Sony, Panasonic and Sharp. Other manufacturers include South Korea's LG Electronics.
Communications ministry officials hope to revive Japan's domestic electronics appliance industry by launching 4K early. Consumer demand for TVs has dropped sharply since the conversion from analogue to digital finished in March 2012.
For the last 15 years or so I have been providing companies with online marketing services to help them improve their sales. I have worked for multi-million dollar companies with big budgets, but have also worked with companies with very limited funds.
When I first started, I worked exclusively for small businesses and I didn't charge much. But, I made sure that every client got more than their money's worth by using guerrilla marketing tactics that produced real results. This gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I just never got really from working with the big guys. Yeah, the larger companies paid me a more money, but it was a much more stressful atmosphere, and there was always so much red tape that it was often not much fun to handle some of those campaigns.
Recently I have gone back to my original focus--back to helping small businesses. I've decided that I would rather help small businesses than big companies that might pay me more money. I'm very aware this means more work in the long run, but I feel that the satisfaction of helping companies grow within the online space will more than make up for it by a kind of ?personal ownership? of the projects I create for them. With that said, from now on I plan on writing articles that help new and small business owners to increase their revenue streams by using the same guerrilla style marketing techniques that I know produce great results.
In this article I would like to discuss social media and give you a few tips on how you, as a small business, can effectively use this powerful marketing channel. I will give you a simple plan that you can follow to increase your Website traffic using social media networks.
1 ? Your Website.
I am assuming you already have one, right? In my opinion, a company without an online presence has a long way to go before making it to the big leagues. But it's also essential that your Website is professionally developed. Try to avoid those services with instant-Website-offers that provide you with cookie-cutter Websites that you can ?create yourself? in minutes.
Your Website is your office or storefront on the Web; you want to portray your company the same way the Fortune 500's do. Those guys spend thousands on their Websites because they know the importance it has in today's more tech-savvy marketplace. Luckily, a professional Website is not as expensive as in the past and you now can find developers to build an inexpensive business Website that shows your company's true professionalism.
In this article I'm assuming you already have a Website (shame on you if you don't), so we'll start with some online basics.
2 ? Understand your audience and have a content plan in place
It's one thing to understand who a potential customer might be, but it's quite another to figure out their search patterns and on-line behavior. How are they finding the products or services they need on the Web? What kind of content will they look for, and will yours attract them to your Website? A good content plan will go a long way, but you really have to study this with a little bit of market research.
If you don't write well (or simply don't have the time), hire professional writers on the Web for as little as $30-$40 per article. I personally try to make sure that the Website I am working on offers at least 10 articles written for that particular marketplace. However, you don't need to offer all 10 articles at one time. In fact, I want you to spread 5 of those articles over a set period of time so that we can distribute them alongside your newsletter and via social media networks.
3 ? Creating a ?Sales Funnel? article series
The idea for this series is to guide your readers into a funnel that eventually turns them into a customer. We start by developing a story that your target audience can relate to and appreciate. For example, let's say you sell a weight loss product. We could write a story about a woman who is struggling with her weight.
NOTE: This example is weight loss, but the principle is the same regardless what product or service you offer. Of course, as regards any health related topic, please check your state laws or guidelines for your industry before writing your articles. Also remember that in the interests of verisimilitude, (in any industry) there are plenty of real-life stories to be inspired by.
Using this example, in the first article, write about what this woman goes through on a daily basis, describing feelings and thoughts, and try to get the reader to relate to her. Important ? DO NOT SELL ANYTHING. Put your own needs aside for the moment. Simply set forth the dilemma of a person who has not yet found a solution to a painful problem. Instead, write a story, not an advertisement. There should be no sales pitches or call-to-action in this article. This article simply introduces the series and leads into the next article.
The second article simply updates the story. Perhaps the woman has finally decided to change her own fate by getting back in shape. We don't want to get into great detail here about how she planned to do it, but we of course do give real information on what some of her options are--which leads into our third article where we can begin showing what healthy options she chooses to solve her problem.
In the third article, explain the options she picked (one of them can be your product, of course). You can introduce your product or service to the reader now, offering actionable advice that the reader can use, including bits about your product. You still don't want the article to resemble a sales pitch; it is first and foremost a story.
The fourth article should be a story of success. Describe how her chosen method worked for her and improved her life. This is where you get to explain exactly what your product or service did for this person. Now you can begin to send people to your offer by linking specific words within the article to your sales page. Mostly though, you want to create your ?hotlist?. Ask the reader if they would like more information about the product via email, directing them to an opt-in form.
The fifth article is actually a promo. Now that the reader is familiar with your product it is time to write your promo and send it to your hot list and your other marketing channels. Writing a good promo involves a combination of creative writing and direct marketing skills, so it might be worth outsourcing this part to a professional copywriter. Writers have varying talents; writing copy for sales is not the same as writing a story, so make sure the writer you hire (if you decide to go that route) is a copywriter and not just a content writer.
I will cover writing Promos in a future article. Just make sure you keep testing different variations of your promo until you get the absolute highest conversion rates.
To sum up, you must slowly guide readers from a variety of different marketing channels (social media, SEO, newsletters etc.) into your sales funnel, so that they come out the other end as a client. Remember, this formula can be used for just about ANY industry. The articles themselves may be different, but you can always use the same methods.
4 ? Distributing your content
On a quick note, I want to point out that you must add the articles to your Website first. Posting your articles to 3rd party Websites before posting to your site can result in you losing authorship of the article, as far as Google's algorithms are concerned. Google likes unique content, so the author (meaning the first to publish the page) gets credit for authorship, and will also get more SEO value for this page than any other sites that may publish your writing afterward.
Distribute your articles to the top social media outlets on a weekly (or daily, if you have plenty of articles) schedule. Start with the 5 articles you created for your sales funnel series. Post the first article from your series to your Website, and post the link for this new page to your LinkedIn status and groups. Tweet it and post it on your Facebook account. Add the link and title (and description when possible) to any social media site you visit often (I like to personally limit my posts to 5 or 6 networks).
You also want to take those articles and turn them into an auto-responder series using an online service such as Aweber or Get Response. Auto-responders send out your series of emails on a set schedule and any new people who subscribe to your newsletter will begin getting your Sales Funnel series of articles as a newsletter (set to a similar schedule as your original posts). After the series ends they will get your regular articles (the next 5 articles and any new ones you create) in their newsletter.
If your series generates leads and/or sales, RINSE AND REPEAT. Keep using this formula to increase your traffic every week. And, make sure you try out different versions of your articles (especially the sales funnel), in order to test conversion rates. See what layouts, copy or images work, and fine tune your pages and newsletter until you have the absolute highest conversion rates possible.
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Gilda Radner's name will remain in the title of a Gilda's Club Madison, the Wisconsin branch of the worldwide Cancer Support Community announced on Wednesday.
"We are happy and humbled to announce that our name will continue to be Gilda's Club," the organization's executive director, Lannia Stenz, said in a statement. "Gilda Radner's iconic image will continue to help us welcome and support people affected by cancer."
Although the cancer support group never intended to remove the "Saturday Night Live" alum's likeness from their walls or spirit from their mission, board members voted last November to rename Gilda's Club Madison to Cancer Support Community Southwest Wisconsin. However, many of the organization's members, Radner's fans and her husband, Gene Wilder, weren't too happy about the decision.
"As her husband I could have told that ?I think it would hurt Gilda's feelings terribly if she were watching what you're doing and that there's no reason to hurt her or those who love her," Wilder told Web2Carz after being informed of the news last December. "There are millions of people who still love her."
According to Stenz, "many passionate voices" agreed.
"We heard a wide variety of feedback from members, community and folks outside our community," Stenz told TheWrap. "And the feedback was overwhelmingly asking us to keep the name."
"We heard from our members that the Gilda's Club name offered a great deal of warmth and welcomeness. That has made a difference to our members," she continued. "Gilda's story and her legacy is something that resonates with people living with cancer that walk through our door."
Radner was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1986 before dying from the disease in 1989. Through her experience at a Wellness Community in California, the comedian and actress understood the importance of emotional support during treatment.
"Gilda knew, and research has shown, that when people living with a cancer diagnosis receive the emotional support they need, they tend to have better treatment outcomes and an improved quality of life," Stenz explained.
It was for that reason that Wilder teamed up with Joanna Bull, Radner's psychotherapist, to launch Gilda's Club in 1995, which later merged with the Wellness Community in 2009 to create a global support network known as the Cancer Support Community.
The organization's name was derived from one of Radner's most famous quotes: "Having cancer gave me membership in an elite club I'd rather not belong to."
Thanks to the 53 Cancer Support Community branches around the world - 23 of which are known as Gilda's Club - over one million cancer patients who would rather not belong to the elite club have had access to an estimated $40 million a year in free care.
A clink of the glass to @discovercrc and @PronghornClub for proving that the great state of Oregon has some serious real estate chops. They're our crowned champions of this week's #housepornthurs contest, submitting this astounding contemporary gem in Bend, Ore. (We'd also like to give a shout-out to runner-up @PartnersTrust for giving it a good shot with this beautiful Bel Air estate. Better luck next time!)
The wonderful Oregon home -- "an architectural marvel," as the listing calls it -- is completely custom-made. Its exposed timber frame makes it look like a grand lodge regally rising above the mountainside treetops. Sprawling across 5,280 square feet, the home has three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a three-car garage.
Our favorite part of the home is the gorgeous stone fireplace, a centerpiece of the home. Grab your family or a group of friends and cozy up. This is the sweetest home, sweet home. Pronghorn Residential has the listing.
Find other homes for sale in Bend, Ore., or search listings in your area.
The#housepornthurs contest is a weekly Twitter conversation hosted by @aolrealestate. Tweet listings every Thursday to AOL Real Estate with the hashtag #housepornthurs for a chance to have one of your submissions featured as a House of the Day the following week.
More on AOL Real Estate: Find out how to calculate mortgage payments. Find homes for sale in your area. Find foreclosures in your area. See celebrity real estate.
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Public release date: 30-Jan-2013
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