Home ? Business Networking, Events ? One Build 2012 ? Malaysia International Building, Architecture and Construction Exhibition
Date: 7 ? 10 November 2012 Time: 10am ? 6pm Venue: Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC)
Malaysia ? The Region?s Trade Hub
Located in South East Asia, Malaysia is bordered by Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia as well as Brunei and this has brought the country a very good competitive advantage to be a trade hub in the region.
Other than its strategic location, Malaysian government has recognized the importance of further development and sustainability. As a result, the Economy Transformation Program has been initiated to propel the economic growth of the country into a high income nation status. By establishing the Five Economic Growth Corridors, the government is committed to further promote free trade and business incentives. The emphasis shall be placed on building urban agglomerations, improving the infrastructure, utilities, as well as urban transport and hence it shall give an extra boost to construction and engineering industry in Malaysia.
ONEBUILD 2012
ONEBUILD 2012 is the inaugural trade show that provides local and international companies with a premier platform to present the latest technologies, products and services across varied segments of building, architecture and construction industry ? from building materials and structures, architectural and interior products, to construction machineries and technology. It is also aimed to spur growth of the local building and construction industry and to expand it more into regional market, as well as to enable overseas companies in exploring greater business opportunities in Malaysia market.
Why Visit
ONEBUILD 2012 is the inaugural trade exhibition that showcases the advances and innovations in the building, architecture and construction industry, presented by the leading local and international market players. This informative visit not only brings you the latest industry updates but also the prosperous business opportunities that you will not want to miss them out.
General Information
Registration is required for admission to the exhibition.
Admission is free of charge and open to persons 16 years old and above.
Visitors must be in proper business attire.
What To See
Extensive range of products and services, together with innovative technologies from various sectors across the building, architecture and construction industry are presented under one roof.
Werewolves took center stage in "The Wolfman," a movie released in 2010.
By Alan Boyle
Linda Godfrey is so sure about the existence of weird walking wolves that she's written a book titled "Real Wolfmen: True Encounters in Modern America." In more than 300 pages, she lays out dozens of stories about sightings of nasty-looking beasts running around on their hairy hind legs. Scientists are unconvinced ? but they do admit that humans are virtually hard-wired to watch out for wolves on the darkness.
"The werewolf idea is strictly a product of our imagination, but it comes along with a culture of thousands of years of fear of wolves," said Michigan Tech's Rolf Peterson, who has studied wolves for decades at Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. "It's just an outgrowth of that. But there's nothing out there that's anything like a werewolf. It's all in our heads."
Try telling that to Godfrey and the people whose dog-man reports are featured in her book.
"I've received hundreds of reports over the years ... and that's probably a small percentage of the actual sightings of these creatures," she told me. "So many people are in denial when they have these experiences, because it sort of rocks their world."
Quest for the beast Godfrey had her own world rocked in 1991 when, as a rookie reporter in Elkhorn, Wis., she wrote about a sightings of a creature that came to be known as the "Beast of Bray Road." The beast was said to be a 6-foot-tall, fur-covered wolflike animal that chased after witnesses on its hind legs.
Linda Godfrey
Linda Godfrey, author of "Real Wolfmen," created this sketch of an upright canid based on reports from witnesses.
"I can't find any scientific reason why feral canines should walk on their hind legs, in the absence of, say, a missing forelimb," Godfrey said. "I can't find any experts who can tell me why they should do this. But they do."
Sure, there have been hoaxes: The most famous case is the?Gable Film, a home-movie reel that appears to show a dark shape attacking the person holding the camera. The film was eventually traced to a couple of guys trying to hype a "Michigan Dog-Man" tale.
Godfrey acknowledges that some of the wolfman reports actually turn out to be misidentifications of four-legged wolves, or bears rearing up on their hind legs. Other "wolfmen" have turned out merely to be weird men lurking around the countryside. And there's actually a rare malady known as hypertrichosis that can make people look like the wolfmen in the movies.
But Godfrey insists that even after all those cases are eliminated, there are solid sightings that can't be explained away.
She emphasized that she's not making claims about magical beings that change from humans to wolves and back again, like Jacob and his fellow shape-shifters in the wildly popular "Twilight" saga.?"The thing about these creatures that people report to me is that they're not describing something that has human characteristics, only odd behavior that reminds them of humans," Godfrey said.
So if there are all these reports of "upright canids," why haven't scientists identified this, um, unusual species??"It has the ability to get around whichever way is most convenient," Godfrey explained. "If you saw one of these things on four legs, you would just say there's an extremely large, creepy-looking canine that's walking by on all fours."
In her book, Godfrey voices the hope that high-tech gear such as motion-sensitive trail cameras and night-vision imaging devices will eventually produce indisputable evidence to back up all the stories Godfrey has heard over the past 20 years. But so far, scientists aren't buying it. "I haven't had any that say, 'Yes, I know there are dog-men,'" Godfrey acknowledged.
Rabies and other reasons Michigan Tech's Peterson is one of the scientists Godfrey has contacted in the course of her wolfman quest ??and although he doesn't see any reason to believe the dog-man reports are real, he notes that there are plenty of reasons for werewolf tales to take root.
"The basis for people's fear of wolves is not totally without evidence," he told me. "The wolf is the species that has posed the most difficulty for us, aside from our own species."
For one thing, there's rabies, a disease that was common in Europe during the heyday of the werewolf saga, starting in the 16th century. It would have been unnerving to see someone who was bitten by a rabid dog or wolf sicken and go mad within a matter of days ? and that would have added credence to the idea that such people were being transformed into a kind of wild animal.
Another reason is that wolves truly are predators: In the old days, children who were pressed into service as shepherds made for tasty targets, Peterson noted. And we're not just talking about the old days. Peterson pointed to a grisly string of wolf attacks on children in India that took place in 1996-97, as well as more recent episodes.
There's another side of the coin, of course: Thousands of years ago, humans domesticated wolves to create man's best friend. "We've been around wolves for tens of thousands of years, and we developed dogs out of it, so we have a long association with that particular species," Peterson said. With that kind of complex love-hate relationship, it's not surprising that the world's cultures have produced such a rich store of wolf-man archetypes ? ranging from the skinwalkers of Native American lore to Jacob's hunky wolf pack. Our tendency to see wolves in the shadowy shapes of the night may well be a reflex that's been fine-tuned over countless millennia.
But what about the wolves? Peterson's specialty is the study of relationships between wolves and their prey, and he's noticed that the wolves of Isle Royale periodically change their perspective on people as well.
"Seven, eight years ago, after 45 years of being totally terrified of people, the wolves suddenly lost their fear of people," he told me. "Then, after about three years, they switched back to being afraid. I have absolutely no idea what caused either switch. They have their own cultural knowledge about us, and they transmit that from generation to generation, I suspect."
Did I just feel a chill going down my spine?
More Halloween stories to chew on:
Stay tuned for a Halloween reality check on vampire legends.
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Sue Perry and Karen Mahmud, the owners of two debarked dogs, Porter and Lola, are demanding the American Veterinary Medical Association condemn the practice regarded as either barbaric mutilation or as the last resort of pet owners desperate to stop incessant noise.
'},"otherParams":{"t_e":1,".intl":"US"},"events":{"fetch":{lv:2,"sp":"2146372232","ps":"LREC,MON","npv":true,"bg":"#FFFFFF","em":escape('{"site-attribute":"_id=\'335c9769-6420-38ba-8508-15331c708ff1\' rs=\'lmsid:a0770000002GZ5iAAG\' ctype=\'News\' ctopid=\'1720500;2299500;2523000;1985000;1638500;2069000\' can_suppress_ugc=\'1\' content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}'),"em_orig":escape('{"site-attribute":"_id=\'335c9769-6420-38ba-8508-15331c708ff1\' rs=\'lmsid:a0770000002GZ5iAAG\' ctype=\'News\' ctopid=\'1720500;2299500;2523000;1985000;1638500;2069000\' can_suppress_ugc=\'1\' content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}')}}};var _createNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);var nodeHTML;if(center && !node){nodeHTML=_conf.nodes[nId];center.insert(nodeHTML);};};};var _prepareNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-ad-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);if(center && node){center.set("innerHTML","");center.insert(node);node.setStyle("display","block");};};};var _darla;var _config=function(){if(YAHOO.ads.darla){_darla = YAHOO.ads.darla;_createNodes();};};var _fetch=function(spaceid,adssa,ps){ if (typeof(ps)!='undefined') _conf.events.fetch.ps = ps;if(typeof spaceid != "undefined") _conf.events.fetch.sp=spaceid;adssa = (typeof adssa != "undefined" && adssa != null) ? escape(adssa.replace(/\"/g, "'")) : "";_conf.events.fetch.em=_conf.events.fetch.em_orig.replace("ADSSA", adssa);if(_darla){_prepareNodes();_darla.setConfig(_conf);_darla.event("fetch");};};Y.on("domready", function(){_config();});;var that={"fetch":_fetch,"getNodes":_conf.nodes,"getConf":_conf};return that;}();/* Backwards compatibility - Assigning the latest instance to the main fetch function */YUI.PhotoAdsDarla.fetch=YUI.PhotoAdsDarla.photoslightboxdarla.fetch; }); Y.later(10, this, function() {YAHOO.namespace('Media.Social').Lightbox = {}; }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.Media.Article.init(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.AuthorBadge(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.Branding(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.on("load", function () { YUI.namespace("Media.SocialButtons"); var instances = YUI.Media.SocialButtons.instances || [], globalConf = YAHOO.Media.SocialButtons.conf || {}, vplContainers = []; Y.all(".ymsb").each(function (node) { var id = node.get("id"), conf = YAHOO.Media.SocialButtons.configs[id], instance; if (conf) { instance = new Y.SocialButtons({ srcNode: node, config: Y.merge(globalConf, conf.config || {}), contentMetadata: conf.content || {}, tracking: conf.tracking || {} }); vplContainers.push( { selector: "#" + id, callback: function(node) { instance.render(); instance = conf = id = null; } }); if (conf.config && conf.config.dynamic) { instances.push(instance); } } }); Y.Global.Media.ViewportLoader.addContainers(vplContainers); YUI.Media.SocialButtons.instances = instances; }); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if (!Y.Media) { return; } Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_targets = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_targets || {}; Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_configs = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_configs || {}; Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_dataset = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_dataset || {}; Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_whitelist = Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_whitelist || {}; Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_dataset['841b8d839b741a5ea3caa98fa7343ed4'] = []; Y.Media.boba_lightbox_module_configs['841b8d839b741a5ea3caa98fa7343ed4'] = {"spaceid":"2146372232","ult_pt":"story-lightbox","darla_id":"","images_total":0,"xhr_url":"\/_xhr\/related-article\/lightbox\/?id=335c9769-6420-38ba-8508-15331c708ff1","xhr_count":20,"autoplay_if_first_item_is_video":true}; }); Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.RelatedArticle({count:"2",start:"1", mod_total:"10", total:"0", content_id:"335c9769-6420-38ba-8508-15331c708ff1", spaceid:"2146372232", related_count:"-1" }); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(d){ d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d.createElement('script')).src='http://d.yimg.com/oq/js/csc_news-en-US-core.js'; })(document); }); Y.later(10, this, function() { if(!("Media" in YAHOO)){YAHOO.Media = {};} if(!("ugcrate" in YAHOO.Media)){YAHOO.Media.ugcrate = {};} if(!("Media" in Y)){Y.namespace("Media");} YAHOO.Media.ugcrate.ratings_12d5640ac211057d9a93b2989f17308e = new Y.Media.UgcRate({"context_id":"4b73f06a-bc4d-4ef4-826d-338a8c9551c6","sCrumb":"","containerId":"yom-sentimentrate-12d5640ac211057d9a93b2989f17308e","rateDimensions":"d1","appLang":"en-US","sUltSId":"2146372232","sUltProperty":"news-en-US","sUltCampaign":"","sUltPlatform":"ugcwidgets","sUltIntl":"US","sUltLang":"en-US","selfPageUrl":"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/elderly-middle-aged-see-higher-obesity-rates-poll-152503678.html?_esi=0","artContentId":"335c9769-6420-38ba-8508-15331c708ff1","sUltQstnTxt":"Are Social Security and Medicare crucial to your retirement security?","artContentTitle":"U.S. elderly, middle-aged see higher obesity rates: poll","artContentDesc":"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Here\\'s one more reason to dread aging: older Americans are seeing a greater increase in obesity rates, according to a survey released on Wednesday. Data from nearly 600,000 U.S. adults showed that people aged 18 and older were more likely to be obese than they were in 2008, according to the Gallup survey. Researchers noted a significant jump among adults in their 40s, 70s and 80s. ...","sUltBucketId":"test1","sUltSection":"sentirating","sUltBeaconUrl":"","sUltRecordPageviews":"1","sUltBeaconEnable":"1","serviceUrl":"\/_xhr","publisherContextId":"","propertyId":"2fcd79b5-b3a3-333e-b98e-722536a6698f","configurationId":"435db9ee-c55e-3766-b20d-c8ad3ff889d1","graphId":"","labelLeft":"Not at all","labelRight":"Crucial","labelMiddle":"","itemimg":"http:\/\/l.yimg.com\/a\/i\/ww\/met\/yahoo_logo_us_061509.png","selfURI":"","aggregateRatingCount":"254948","aggregateReviewCount":"0","leftBlocksNum":"58345","rightBlocksNum":"196530","leftBlocksPerCent":"23","rightBlocksPerCent":"77","ugcrate_apihost":"api01-us.ugcl.yahoo.com:4080","publisher_id":"news-en-US","yca_cert":"yahoo.ugccloud.app.trusted_proxies","timeout_write":"5000","through_proxy":"false","optionStats":"{\"s1\":22351,\"s2\":7224,\"s3\":6940,\"s4\":10129,\"s5\":11701,\"s6\":196530,\"s7\":0,\"s8\":0,\"s9\":0,\"s10\":0}","l10N":"{\"FIRST_TO_READ\":\"You are first to read this. Share your feelings and start a conversation.\",\"SHARE_YOUR_FEELINGS\":\"You too can share your feelings and start a conversation!\",\"HOW_YOUR_FRIENDS_THINK\":\"Share your opinion with your friends.\",\"PRE_SHARE_MSG\":\"Your Facebook friends on Yahoo! can see how you responded to this question. To share your response on Facebook, click on the Facebook share option.\",\"START_THE_CONVERSATION\":\"Share\",\"THANKS_FOR_SHARING\":\"Thanks!\",\"POLL_HEADER\":\"SOCIAL SENTIMENT\",\"SERVER_ERROR\":\"Oops there seems to be some error, please try again later\",\"LOADING\":\"Loading...\",\"SHARE_AFTER_COMMENT\":\"Your response has been shared on Facebook.\",\"UNDO\":\"Undo\",\"UNIT_PEOPLE\":\"People\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_DISAGREE\":\"disagree with your opinion.\",\"READ_MORE_TEXT\":\"Read what they have to say.\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"WHAT DO YOU THINK?\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_VERB_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"DRAG\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_THANKS_VOTING\":\"Thanks for voting\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 254,948 people have answered this question\",\"ONE_PERSON_ANSWERED\":\" 1 person has answered this question\",\"TWO_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 2 people have answered this question\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s1\":22351,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s2\":7224,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s3\":6940,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s4\":10129,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s5\":11701,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s6\":196530,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s7\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s8\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s9\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s10\":0}","fbconfig":"{\"message\":\"undefined\",\"name\":\"undefined\",\"link\":\"\",\"source\":\"\",\"picture\":\"http:\\\/\\\/l.yimg.com\\\/os\\\/152\\\/2012\\\/07\\\/12\\\/slidermedi-jpg_181904.jpg\",\"description\":\"There are quite a few things to consider when thinking about retirement.\",\"captionLeft\":\"undefined\",\"captionRight\":\"undefined\",\"app_id\":\"196660913708276\",\"redirect_uri\":\"\\\/_xhr\\\/ugcratefbredirect\\\/\"}","template_id":"LONG_SLIDER_SOUTH","obj_id":"ratings_12d5640ac211057d9a93b2989f17308e","opt_count":"6","opt_color1":"","opt_color2":"","template_html":"
According to a report in the New York Daily News, Lindsay Lohan has a new boyfriend and he is from Lafayette, Louisiana. He?s Josh Chunn, a former UL Lafayette Ragin? Cajun Cheerleader, who is now living in Los Angeles, California. His fitness training website includes this bio:
As a native of Southern Louisiana, Joshua grew up playing a variety of sports & learning firsthand the importance of health and fitness to happiness and success.
Joshua recently graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he studied nursing & was a member of the Ragin? Cajun Cheerleaders where he acquired extensive knowledge in the field of health & fitness.
Apparently, the word got out when Lindsay Lohan?s father described him as ?his daughter?s new boyfriend,? and then Josh spoke with the Daily News.
The Harvest Festival? Original Art & Craft Show offers over 24,000 handmade American art & crafts in hundreds of booths, all day entertainment, and kids activity center.
San Francisco, CA (1888PressRelease) October 24, 2012 - This year, Black Friday shoppers have the chance to forgo the big box stores and support independent artists and craftspeople by visiting the San Jose Harvest Festival, happening November 23-25 at the San Jose Convention Center.
"Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year," said Nancy Glenn, Harvest Festival Show Manager. "Our goal, just as it was 40 years ago, is to give visibility to the small businessperson by providing a venue to showcase and sell their crafts."
2012 marks the 40th Anniversary tour of the Harvest Festivals, which began in San Francisco as a forum for independent artists to exhibit their wares. The show continues to hold to its time honored traditions of vetted, American made crafts in an environment offering down-home family fun.
Adding to the entertainment this year is crowd favorite Tom Rigney and Flambeau, a band that blends American Roots styles into a completely original sound, mixing infectious grooves with deep musicality and spectacular solos. Also appearing on the main stage is John Park, known for his "Funny Waiter" show where he melds comedy and intricate tricks like plate spinning. There will also be the lovable strolling performers like Mama Claus and Eddie the Elf who wander the aisles and serenade shoppers with holiday classics.
Nature of Art for Kids, an eco-friendly company offering non-toxic art supplies for children, will host the hands on KidZone where kids can participate in take and make arts and crafts. Located next to the KidZone will be a special Child ID feature, sponsored by New York Life. Parents can bring their child to be photographed, fingerprinted and get essential information stored on a CD to have if needed in an emergency.
The San Jose Glass Artist Alliance will also be hosting a stained glass workshop where Harvest Festival patrons can learn the intricacies of glass art and, for a small fee to cover materials, create their own ornament.
The official charity of the show is Humane Society Silicon Valley, a non-profit organization committed to animal welfare in every facet. Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) will receive half of the proceeds from shopping bag sales and all of the proceeds from the bag and parcel check.
Plus, anyone who brings a non-perishable food donation to support the Second Harvest Food Bank will receive a $2 off admission discount.
The Harvest Festivals are the largest indoor arts and crafts show on the West Coast, featuring over 24,000 handmade gifts. Attendees can interact with artisans, get purchases personalized and browse from such items as original art, photography, jewelry, clothing, specialty foods, pottery, home decor and more.
What: The San Jose Harvest Festival? Original Art and Craft Show
When: November 23-25, 2012 (San Jose Convention Center, 150 W. San Carlos St, San Jose CA 95113)
Hours: Friday: 9am - 6pm, Saturday: 10 am - 6pm, Sunday: 10 am - 5pm
Cost: Adults: $9, Seniors (62+): $7, Youth (13-17): $4, 12 & Under: Free
Info: For tickets and information, please call 1-800-346-1212 or visit www.harvestfestival.com
Press: Contact the Larose Group at 650-548-6700 or email Lrosinski ( @ ) prmagic dot com
ABOUT THE HARVEST FESTIVAL ORIGINAL ART AND CRAFT SHOW?:
The Harvest Festivals began 40 years ago in San Francisco as a destination for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade products. Today, the event has grown to encompass nine shows in the state of California, Nevada and Arizona and still continues its tradition by only featuring arts and crafts made in the United States. Each exhibitor is subject to a rigid jury process to be selected as an artisan, ensuring a rich diversity and high quality of all products sold. The Harvest Festivals are owned and managed by Western Exhibitors.
Penn Medicine researchers map strategy for 'choosing wisely' on low-value health care servicesPublic release date: 23-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Holly Auer holly.auer@uphs.upenn.edu 215-200-2313 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Team calls for redesign of insurance coverage, improved communication about risks/benefits of treatment, and changes to financial incentives to physicians
PHILADELPHIA Cutting the expenses associated with "low-value" medical tests and treatments such as unnecessary imaging tests and antibiotics for viral infections that won't benefit from them will require a multi-pronged plan targeting insurance companies, patients, and physicians, according to a JAMA Viewpoint article published this week by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. These efforts transcend economic impact, however, and may also be essential for improving health care quality and patient safety.
The piece follows last spring's launch of the "Choosing Wisely" initiative, a project of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Consumer Reports magazine. This public and physician education campaign identifies procedures and tests that add little value and may be unnecessary or even cause harm. The campaign encourages stakeholders to improve consideration and discussion of the proper uses of these services.
Several seemingly promising strategies have been proposed to encourage the use of high-value services and discourage low-value services, but they yielded mixed results. For example, a study aimed at improving medication adherence among heart attack patients by eliminating co-pays for medications such as statins appeared to make conceptual sense, but in the end failed to show a significant reduction in subsequent cardiac problems or health care spending. And other studies involving higher co-pays resulted in prescription-drug cost savings, but led to higher rates of emergency room visits and hospitalizations so no money was saved overall.
The Penn researchers suggest, however, that these "value-based" strategies could be designed more effectively in order to cut the use of low-value services or drugs. Bringing cost sharing strategies in line with evidence-based screening guidelines, for instance, might play a role in reducing expenditures. If prostate-specific antigen testing no longer supported by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force were no longer covered by insurance plans and physicians were instead required to discuss why the service may actually harm patients, they write, it would "send a powerful signal to patients, who may generally assume that all health care services provided are of high value."
"Incorporating insights from psychology and behavioral economics that help reveal how patients make these decisions is also important," says lead author Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, director of Penn's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and a professor of Medicine and Health Care Management at the Wharton School. "That process is quite nuanced, and while insurance benefits can be designed to help steer patients away from low-value care, in many cases patients will need help from their providers in determining which care falls into that category and why."
In addition, the authors recommend that the underlying financial incentives for clinicians to provide or prescribe certain tests and treatments should be connected to their value. This could disincentivize the use of low-value services that are aren't backed by evidence showing that they are worth using, or that the benefits they offer outweigh the potential risks associated with their use.
Currently, committees that create testing and treatment guidelines within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other organizations are barred from including assessments of cost and value in their work, though this practice has become customary in parts of Europe.
"The trouble with 'choosing wisely' is that it is not just hard for patients, it is also hard for physicians," says senior author David Asch, MD, MBA, executive director of the Penn Medicine Center for Innovation. "If 'choosing wisely' were easy, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in right now."
But, as the authors point out, eliminating the use of low-value services is ultimately what the health care system must do in order to keep supporting the use of high-value, often lifesaving, services.
###
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.
[ | 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.
Penn Medicine researchers map strategy for 'choosing wisely' on low-value health care servicesPublic release date: 23-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Holly Auer holly.auer@uphs.upenn.edu 215-200-2313 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Team calls for redesign of insurance coverage, improved communication about risks/benefits of treatment, and changes to financial incentives to physicians
PHILADELPHIA Cutting the expenses associated with "low-value" medical tests and treatments such as unnecessary imaging tests and antibiotics for viral infections that won't benefit from them will require a multi-pronged plan targeting insurance companies, patients, and physicians, according to a JAMA Viewpoint article published this week by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. These efforts transcend economic impact, however, and may also be essential for improving health care quality and patient safety.
The piece follows last spring's launch of the "Choosing Wisely" initiative, a project of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Consumer Reports magazine. This public and physician education campaign identifies procedures and tests that add little value and may be unnecessary or even cause harm. The campaign encourages stakeholders to improve consideration and discussion of the proper uses of these services.
Several seemingly promising strategies have been proposed to encourage the use of high-value services and discourage low-value services, but they yielded mixed results. For example, a study aimed at improving medication adherence among heart attack patients by eliminating co-pays for medications such as statins appeared to make conceptual sense, but in the end failed to show a significant reduction in subsequent cardiac problems or health care spending. And other studies involving higher co-pays resulted in prescription-drug cost savings, but led to higher rates of emergency room visits and hospitalizations so no money was saved overall.
The Penn researchers suggest, however, that these "value-based" strategies could be designed more effectively in order to cut the use of low-value services or drugs. Bringing cost sharing strategies in line with evidence-based screening guidelines, for instance, might play a role in reducing expenditures. If prostate-specific antigen testing no longer supported by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force were no longer covered by insurance plans and physicians were instead required to discuss why the service may actually harm patients, they write, it would "send a powerful signal to patients, who may generally assume that all health care services provided are of high value."
"Incorporating insights from psychology and behavioral economics that help reveal how patients make these decisions is also important," says lead author Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, director of Penn's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and a professor of Medicine and Health Care Management at the Wharton School. "That process is quite nuanced, and while insurance benefits can be designed to help steer patients away from low-value care, in many cases patients will need help from their providers in determining which care falls into that category and why."
In addition, the authors recommend that the underlying financial incentives for clinicians to provide or prescribe certain tests and treatments should be connected to their value. This could disincentivize the use of low-value services that are aren't backed by evidence showing that they are worth using, or that the benefits they offer outweigh the potential risks associated with their use.
Currently, committees that create testing and treatment guidelines within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other organizations are barred from including assessments of cost and value in their work, though this practice has become customary in parts of Europe.
"The trouble with 'choosing wisely' is that it is not just hard for patients, it is also hard for physicians," says senior author David Asch, MD, MBA, executive director of the Penn Medicine Center for Innovation. "If 'choosing wisely' were easy, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in right now."
But, as the authors point out, eliminating the use of low-value services is ultimately what the health care system must do in order to keep supporting the use of high-value, often lifesaving, services.
###
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.
[ | 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.
Free? Yes, the Giants' AT&T Park is the only stadium in the country with a "knothole" ? four free viewing portholes under the right field stands. But there are rules: No chairs, dogs or drinking. And every three innings, stadium security rotates people in and out.
By Paul Elias,?Associated Press / October 24, 2012
Hundreds of fans are expected to turn out Wednesday night for a free field-level viewing of the World Series pitting the San Francisco Giants against the Detroit Tigers through the "knotholes" or portholes. And a few fans will watch from the top of their boat's mast in McCovey Cove.
(AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Enlarge
They're teens skipping school and adults driving through the night to line up before dawn in soggy San Francisco - all for a chance to watch a few innings of the World Series for free.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
The die-hard fans are known as the "knothole gang," a group prepared to endure all sorts of discomfort for their Giants, just as they did at AT&T Park in 2010 when the team battled the Texas Rangers, and again in September and through the playoffs.
Early Wednesday, the fans began lining up again, and the queue kept on growing as game time approached.
From the park's "knothole," the lucky ones share the same vantage point as Giants right fielder Hunter Pence, peering through a chain-link fence enclosing four viewing portals stretching about 100 feet under the right-field stands. They'll shake the fence and scream insults at the opposing right fielder, who stands just a few feet from them.
RECOMMENDED: Are you a real San Francisco Giants fan? Take the quiz
There is no other place like it in the Major Leagues. The Giants' ballpark is the only stadium in the country with the feature, but there are rules: No chairs, dogs or drinking. And every three innings, stadium security rotates people in and out. Security guards allow about 75 fans into the area for each shift.
But for those who lined up 12 hours or more before the first pitch, the price was right.
"I could afford maybe one ticket, but not a ticket for everyone," said Tony Bryson, 44, who traveled from Sacramento with his two sons and three of their friends to secure a guaranteed spot in the viewing area. They arrived around 7 a.m. and bundled up against the cold and rain of the early morning.
Bryson and his group also viewed the 2010 World Series from the "knothole" area and they and the other regulars wouldn't have it any other way.
"The energy of the crowd is fantastic," said Alex Busch, 27, of Reedley, Calif. who said he spends the other six innings outside the viewing area with hundreds of other fans gathered on the walkway between the right-field-wall and McCovey Cove, which attracts kayaks and boaters awaiting "splash hits."
Some brave sailors even attempted to view the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals from atop their boat's masts, the tallest of which peak over the right-field wall.
For most, though, lining up outside the "knothole" viewing area for a chance to watch three innings of free baseball is work enough.
"Thank God they included this when they erected this house that Barry Bonds built," said James Calhoun, 47, of Suisin City, who arrived at about 5:30 a.m. "Otherwise, I couldn't afford to watch this in person."
During the regular season, the competition for a viewing spot isn't as fierce and fans can watch entire regular season games for free. But the lines grow longer and tempers get shorter the closer the San Francisco Giants get to the post season.
Calhoun and the other regulars abide by a few hard and fast rules, the biggest of which is no saving a spot for others. Regulars like Calhoun police the line and keep track of who showed up when.
"Only those who wait are rewarded," Calhoun said.
The line continued to grow outside the part throughout Wednesday morning as the public address announcer practiced reading the San Francisco Giants lineup and the grounds crew scurried about the field with mowers, rakes and wheel barrows.
Calhoun said once his three-inning shift ends, he will join the rowdy crowd gathered on the Promenade who count on those inside the viewing area to shout out big plays while still catching snippets of the action by looking over the shoulders of those inside.
"This is much better than going to school," said Nick Bryson, 13, of Sacramento. "I feel sorry for my friends who are in school right now."
RECOMMENDED: Are you a real San Francisco Giants fan? Take the quiz
Three years ago I began visiting Catholic colleges and universities across the country doing contract writing work for The Cardinal Newman Society. By the time I was done, a year-and-a-half later,?I had the opportunity to visit 13 different institutions of higher education, interviewing administration, faculty and students, and writing profiles for each of the schools. It was a tremendous experience to see the fine work being done on so many campuses, to meet young faith-filled future leaders, and to discover the distinct charism of each school.
That work has finally come to fruition. Today, The Cardinal Newman Society has published the third edition of their Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. Along with a print edition that families can order, the www.TheNewmanGuide.com website features all 28 profiles of the schools recommended by The Cardinal Newman Society.
"It's not enough that our Catholic sons and daughters survive college with their faith intact," said Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society. "Catholic college graduates should be wise, pure, and ready to serve with distinction in any careeer and vocation. The colleges and universities in The Newman Guide provide this preparation for life.
Those familiar with the guide will note some changes to the third edition. The 2012-2013 edition is in full color, and it includes schools not found in earlier editions. In addition to profiles that cover academics, residential life, student activities, and spiritual life, each profile now includes a "Quick Facts" section that notes the number of undergraduate students, median SAT scores and high school GPAs of admitted students, the number of majors offered, the percentage of students who are Catholic, and the cost of the college. Each profile also includes a letter to parents and students from the college president, and information on financial aid opportunities.
The online version of the guide also includes promotional videos from each college, links to campus photo tours, social media links, and a contact form for the admissions office of each recommended college. In addition, each recommended college completed a comprehensive questionnaire on academics, student life, and institutional governance. Their answers are published online. The additional content available online is equivalent to more than 400 pages of additional material.
Finally, The Cardinal Newman Society is also making available a companion "My Future, My Faith" full-color magazine with more than a dozen articles to help students and parents with their college search. The magazine features articles such as, "Why Choose a Catholic College" by Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, "A Checklis for Growing Your Faith" by Green Bay Bishop David Ricken, "Fidelity Matters: Catholic Colleges Are Not All the Same" by Father C. John McCloskey, and others.
For students, and their parents, wondering what college to pursue, the guide is a valuable resource in helping them to decide where they can prepare for their future career,?while also preserving their faith.
????????????????????????????????????? Photo by Kynslie Otte
Junior English major Taylor Scholle?s tattoos are inspired by her love of literature. Currently, Scholle has 12 tattoos. She was 17 when she got her first two tattoos, which include a treble clef on her right wrist and a bass clef on her left wrist.
?I was a proud band nerd,? Scholle said.
Scholle?s tattoos are significant for different reasons, but her Shel Silverstein tattoo is significant to her childhood. It illustrates the image of the child on the cover of Silverstein?s book ?Falling Up? on her right forearm.
?I?ve always loved reading, and I fondly remember reading lots of Shel Silverstein?s poetry with my mom and brothers,? Scholle said. ?A majority of my tattoos are literary-themed, and I?ll probably be covered in words and images from books by the time I?m old.?
Scholle also has the illustration of the protagonist from Norton Juster?s ?The Phantom Tollbooth? on the inside of her right bicep.
?I think reading that book was the moment I knew I would always love books,? she said. ?I also attribute my love affair with puns to that novel.?
One of Scholle?s tattoos was inspired by friendship and her belief in equality.
?I got a tattoo of an equal sign on my ring finger with a friend after he experienced some pretty awful, hateful words from some close-minded chumps and felt pretty shaken up,? she said. ?That was a pretty neat, healing experience for everyone involved.?
Most of Scholle?s tattoos were done at ?Sink or Swim Tattoo? by artist Thomas Hendrix. According to Scholle, he has some of the best prices in the city, and none of her tattoos has exceeded $100.
?Thomas always makes the experience comfortable and fun, so it?s always a pleasure going in to get another one,? she said.
Scholle?s family reacted positively to her tattoos. Her mother allowed her to get her first tattoos when she was underage, and the two have gotten tattoos together.
Scholle?s friends have responded similarly.
?Friends who don?t have tattoos are always amazed and awed and talk about how ?brave? I am,? she said. ?Friends with just as many or more tattoos than me will admire a new one for a moment, show me their new and bigger one, and then we?ll talk about plans for future ones.?
Scholle plans to get more tattoos in the future, and said, ?My only fear is that I?ll run out of space.?
Scholle is confident she will not grow to regret her tattoos.
?I can see my interests changing as I age, but that?s part of what I like about tattoos,? she said. ?If at one or any point in my life something was important enough to permanently put on my body, I feel that?s something I should always remember about that period in my life.?
If you or someone you know has a tattoo of significance and would like to be featured in the ?Tattoo of the Week? column, please contact\kotte@unews.com.
A Sunni Muslim gunman with a weapon rides a motorcycle through the streets of Kaskas in Beirut, Monday, after a night of tension.
By NBC News staff and wire reports
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged to help Lebanon investigate Friday's deadly car bombing in Beirut, as parts of the city were engulfed in violence that some observers say heralds the spread of civil war from neighboring Syria.?
She spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati?on Sunday to reiterate U.S. condemnation of the attack - which?killed intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan - calling it "heinous",?State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.
"The secretary emphasized the United States' firm commitment to Lebanon's stability, independence, sovereignty and security," Nuland said in a statement.
PhotoBlog: Tension on Beirut streets as political crisis deepens
"She noted the importance of political leaders working together at this sensitive time to ensure that calm prevails and that those responsible for the attack are brought to justice,? the statement said.
Protesters rushed the prime minister's office Sunday in Lebanon, ripping up barbed wire and hurling rocks. The situation, which started as a peaceful protest, has become a standoff between protesters and the military. It has also triggered concern that Syria's civil war is spreading. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
Nuland said Clinton and Mikati agreed that the United States "would provide assistance in the investigation of the bombing."
Syria blamed by Lebanese opposition Opposition leaders and their supporters accuse Syria of being behind Friday's attack, and say Mikati is too close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which is part of Mikati's government.
Thousands turned out Sunday in downtown Beirut's Martyrs' Square for Hassan's funeral, which also served as a political rally. Violence erupted after an opposition leader demanded that Mikati step down to pave the way for talks on the crisis.
"The Syrian regime started a war against us and we will fight this battle until the end," said Anthony Labaki, a 24-year-old physiotherapist.
Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP - Getty Images
Huge blast explodes in a central Beirut street injures dozens, kills at least eight.
Sunday's clashes fed into a growing political crisis in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.?Israeli news site Haaretz reported that the clashes "raised the specter of the nation once again becoming torn apart by civil war."
A group marched to the prime minister's office, then overturned barriers, pulled apart barbed wire coils and threw steel rods, stones and bottle at soldiers and police.
Security forces responded by shooting into air and firing teargas, forcing the protesters to scatter.
"Lebanon is in the eye of the storm," said Fawaz A. Gerges, head of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. "The fact that the protesters came close to storming the parliament shows how deep the crisis of the state is and how weak the leadership has become."
Fire exchanged in southern Beirut On Sunday night, gunmen armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades exchanged fire in southern districts of Beirut, security sources told Reuters, and residents could hear the sound of ambulance sirens.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the clashes in the capital, but in the northern city of Tripoli a 9-year-old girl was killed by a sniper and several people were wounded in clashes.
PhotoBlog: Violence erupts in Beirut after slain official's funeral
Gunmen have been patrolling the streets in Tripoli, scene of previous clashes between Sunnis and Alawites sympathetic to different sides in the Syria war.
Opposition leader Saad al-Hariri urged supporters to refrain from any more violence.
"We want peace, the government should fall but we want that in a peaceful way. I call on all those who are in the streets to pull back," Hariri said on the Future Television channel.
Sectarian tensions Sunday's events highlighted how the 19-month-old uprising against Assad has sharpened deep-seated sectarian tensions in Lebanon, which is still scarred from its 1975-90 civil war.
Sunni-led rebels are fighting to overthrow Assad, who is from the Alawite minority, which has its roots in Shiite Islam. Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those that support Assad and those that back the rebels.
Hassan, 47, was a senior intelligence official who had helped uncover a bomb plot that led to the arrest and indictment in August of a pro-Assad former Lebanese minister.
A Sunni Muslim, he also led an investigation that implicated Syria and the Shiite Hezbollah in the 2005 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon.
Damascus and Hezbollah have condemned Hassan's killing.
NBC's Paul Nassar describes the scene after a bomb killed 8 people in Lebanon Friday.
But mourners at Martyrs' Square on Sunday accused Syria of involvement and called for Mikati to quit. One banner read "Go, go Najib" echoing the slogans of the Arab Spring.
"We came for Lebanon's future," said mourner Rama Fakhouri, an interior designer. "And to show that we will not be scared."
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More world stories from NBC News:
Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Sony HDR-AS10 Wearable Action Camera Pack 1 Includes a Sony HDR-AS10 1080p High Definition Wearable Helmet Action Camcorder with Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens + 8GB MEMORY + FLOATY BUNDLE by Sony Date first available at Amazon.com: September 6, 2012 Buy new: $229.84 $198.00 (Visit the Hot New Releases in Camcorders list for authoritative information on this product?s current rank.)
Best Price! On: #10: Sony HDR-AS10 Wearable Action Camera Pack 1 Includes a Sony HDR-AS10 1080p High Definition Wearable Helmet Action Camcorder with Carl Zeiss?
We've seen the speeds, we know the handsets and now we know how much it'll cost you to be among the first to try 4G in the UK. EE has outlined its contract and handset pricing from October 30th, with all of the bundles including unlimited calls and texts. Yep, the new carrier is breaking it down by data, with its entry-level 500MB bundle starting at £36 for 24 months. You'll have to make an initial payment for most handsets, although the Ascend P1 will be free from the 1GB bundle upwards. Data allowances go up to 8GB for £56 per month, although users can add even more, with an extra 50MB costing £3, or up to 4GB for £20.
Now, if you're looking to get Apple's latest on 4G, it'll set you back at least £20 on the highest data plan. Already got your LTE-ready iPhone 5? Then you'll have to wait until 9th November, when the network will start offering SIM-only 12-month plans priced from £21. The 4G network will also offer its phones on 12 month contracts for an additional £10 on top of the prices shown above. EE will let users who bought comparable non-4G versions in the last six months (like the One X or Galaxy S III) to exchange their devices for a one-off payment of £100. Alongside the all these pricing details, the Orange/ T-Mobile team-up also spilled the beans on some service features for its new customers -- and we've got it all covered after the break, including a quick hands-on with its Film store service.
Celebrate Health Literacy Month in October. Three out of four Americans don?t take their medication as prescribed, and non-adherence costs the country more than $290 billion a year. Photo courtesy stock.xchng.com
Health can be confusing. Listening to medical jargon while battling an illness might make that headache feel a lot worse.
However, it?s important that you learn about your health care to live a healthier life.
October marks Health Literacy Month. Three out of four Americans don?t take their medication as prescribed, and non-adherence costs the country more than $290 billion a year, according to the National Consumers League.
Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) ? South Central PA encourages you to celebrate by taking a proactive approach to your care, building an understanding of medications and strengthening communication with their providers.
Robin Rohrbaugh, executive director of the Healthy York County Coalition, said patients often try to take their medications as prescribed by physicians, but a slight misunderstanding about timing or frequency of intake can have major effects on health.
?By teaching patients better health literacy skills and equipping them with the tools to understand their care, we can positively impact individual patients and the overall health care system,? she said.
AF4Q provided these tips to improve health literacy and help you take charge of your care.
1. Prepare for doctors? appointments in the same way that you would for other major purchases. Identify your needs and, if possible, research your condition and care options. Consider if the prescribed medications seem to be working or if improvements aren?t being realized.
2. Take all medications to the appointment including over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements. This allows your physician to diagnose drug interactions and ensure you are taking the prescribed amounts at the correct times.
3. Bring someone else with you to the appointment who can help listen and clarify any instructions. If you must go alone, take notes to ensure you?re capturing all of the physician?s directions.
4. Ask questions and repeat back doctors? instructions to ensure understanding. Beyond taking notes, be sure to ask for clarification about any confusing diagnoses or treatment plans. Physicians often recommend the teach back method, which encourages patients to repeat back in their own words what their doctors say to ensure understanding.
5. Use one pharmacist instead of many as he/she will be able to track all prescribed medications and check for potential complications. Pharmacists can also be a great resource for additional questions.
I'm a general assignment features reporter for the York Daily Record/Sunday News, staff writer for FlipSide magazine and healthy living blogger for Smart magazine. Contact me with story ideas at lzaleski@ydr.com, 717-771-2101 or @leighzaleski on Twitter.
Benefits : No fax , No credit check , Really fast ... and more !
Depending on your problem of residence, work standing and earnings, it is possible to be entitled to credit up to $1500, and some creditors may give a maximum of $500. You'll have a possiblity to observe how much you be entitled to prior to agreeing to any kind of mortgage loan agreement.
There is certainly an essential legitimate difference between a gift along with a loan. A really nice relative or perhaps friend may offer you $5000 with regard to auto repairs, for example. If there isn't any expectation of payment, the cash may very well be a present. The actual giver could not file suit with regard to repayment later on within a city suit. When the borrowed funds provider designates the cash like a bank loan and also the consumer pays back even a dollar, the bucks may very well be a real bank loan as well as the loan company could demand payment anytime. Small statements courts invest a lot of period determining regardless of whether the transaction including money would be a gift or bank loan. For this reason documents is very important when creating private financial loans in order to buddies or family members.
The needs for getting that loan are pretty straight forward. If you are employed, having a monthly earnings involving $800 or higher, and also have a banking account, you satisfy the basic requirements. A number of creditors within our network might have extra needs.
Money financial loans tend to be unsecured financial products eliminated upon the following wage. Because they're short-term lending products, they could be small; various from $100 to $1500 as well as payment arrives in your next pay day. They may be very useful for overcoming a quick financial crisis, yet shouldn't be regarded as the long-term fiscal solution.
fast payday loans no credit check
Many loan programs tend to be addressed by finance institutions or other professional loan providers. They could make use of a various criteria to determine if your potential customer is actually skilled for a financial loan. Past credit score is nearly usually regarded, along with existing earnings and assets. The aim of the credit can be a great issue-a set up expense possibility might have a lot more appeal when compared with a good misdirected concept for just about any new cafe. 1 essential point may be the revenue in order to debt ratio through the client. Can the customer have the ability to pay for the loan back again with interest? Skilled loan companies generally 'sell' cash, consequently consumers must be aware simply how much financing truly 'costs' with regards to real cash.
Related topics:
Gambling Loans Apply online for your payday loan now! Choose Your zip e.g. 90072 CA
Payday Loan Fees Id Online Cash Advance. Your zip select e.g. 42502 KY
Payday Loan Leads Xml Getting up to 1500 dollars same day. Low fees. Choose Your zip e.g. 75301 TX
ROME (Reuters) - Thousands of Italian trade unionists rallied in central Rome on Saturday to protest against public spending cuts, job losses and factory closures, urging Mario Monti's government to do more to help workers hit by recession.
"We're here to support all the workers who are in dispute with their companies during this economic crisis," said protester Michele Giuliva as he joined the rally organized by the left-leaning CGIL union, Italy's biggest.
"The government is thinking only of bond spreads."
Italians are grappling with a prolonged economic slump, unemployment has risen to its highest since monthly records began in 2004 and unions are locked in growing disputes with companies over plant closures and layoffs.
Austerity measures passed by Monti to cut debt and reassure bond markets after he replaced former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi last year have further fuelled discontent, as tax hikes, pension reform and spending cuts eat into incomes.
Workers from all sectors of industry gathered in the square outside St John's Basilica, a traditional rallying point for left-wing protests, holding red balloons and banners with slogans such as "Go away Monti".
CGIL secretary Susanna Camusso slammed the government in a fiery speech, saying austerity had failed and lawmakers should focus on ways to encourage investment and boost employment.
"Your policies have hit consumption, while failing to care about industry and failing to care about workers, and are the reason why the country is in an extraordinary, deep recession," Camusso said.
Saturday's rally was the latest in a string of protests against the Italian government, and comes as demonstrations and strikes are mounting again across debt-laden southern Europe from Greece to Spain.
Threatened closures at factories such as Alcoa's aluminium plant in Sardinia and the Ilva steel plant in southern Italy have led to angry rallies and strikes by workers fearing for their jobs.
On Friday, a court ordered car maker Fiat to rehire 145 workers it had dismissed earlier this year over a union dispute. The workers are members of CGIL's metal industry arm which refused to sign up to new working conditions imposed by Fiat.
Anti-austerity protesters were also marching in London on Saturday against British public spending cuts.
(Additional reporting by Carmelo Camilli; editing by Andrew Roche)
Pierce County Parks and Recreation, in cooperation with Sumner's Roach Gymnastics will offer classes for children ages 2-10 on Wednesday afternoons at Meridian Habitat Center, 14422 Meridian E in South Hill.
This fun gymnastics skills program will work on age group appropriate skills.
Roach Gymnastics is owned and operated by Olympian Melanie Roach.
The next 4 week session runs Nov 7 to 28 for a fee of $40.
For more information or to register call 253-841-6812 or www.piercecountywa.org/parks
DALLAS (AP) ? Big Tex, the metal cowboy whose slow drawl of "Howdy, folks!" made him an icon of the State Fair of Texas for 60 years, was destroyed Friday when flames engulfed his 52-foot-tall frame.
Some material that made up Big Tex's hands and sleeves could still be seen as firefighters gathered around the scorched area. This year's fair, which closes Sunday and had been celebrating the towering structure's birthday, went on despite the fire ? just as Big Tex would want it.
"Big Tex is a symbol of everything the state fair stands for," fair spokeswoman Sue Gooding said. "Big Tex is where my parents told me, 'If you get lost, meet at Big Tex.'"
The cowboy always was easy to spot, with his 75-gallon hat and 50-pound belt buckle.
Gooding said she didn't know what caused the fire, but noted that electrical controls move Big Tex's mouth and head. A Dallas fire spokesman didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Bill Bragg, the voice of Big Tex who read scripts from a nearby trailer while the giant cowboy's mouth moved, said someone came in and told him the structure was on fire. He stepped outside the trailer and watched Big Tex burn.
"It was a quick end," said Bragg, who is a radio engineer outside the three weeks a year that he works at the fair.
Several Big Tex backers say he will return next year, including Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who tweeted that the icon would be rebuilt "bigger and better for the 21st Century."
"My job is safe and secure," said Bragg, who has been the man behind Big Tex for 11 years. "They're telling me, 'Take the rest of the day off and we'll see you next year.'"
Big Tex's hands, boots and face were made of Fiberglas, Gooding said. Most of his clothing was provided by a Fort Worth retailer. Gooding said the steel structure that held all the material will be evaluated, and a new one will be built if necessary.
The structure was removed later Friday in essentially the same way workers put it up every year ? with a crane that slowly lowers it. Only this time, the steel skeleton was covered with a tarp and taken away in almost a funeral-like procession.
Stanley Hill, who supervises a food stand that has been located near the structure for 18 years, said he noticed smoke coming from Big Tex's neck area and then watched for about 15 minutes as the giant cowboy burned.
"I couldn't believe it," Hill said.
No one was injured in the fire, Gooding said.
Big Tex was actually built in 1949 as a giant Santa Claus for a Christmas celebration in Kerens, 60 miles south of Dallas. Intrigued by the idea of a towering cowboy, the State Fair paid $750 for the structure, which debuted as Big Tex in 1952.
Big Tex is inextricably linked to the State Fair. The State Fair website is www.bigtex.com and visitors to the site see their cursor turn into an image of Big Tex's head, clad in a cowboy hat. The fair's Twitter account features the cowboy's image as well.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 23-Oct-2012
Share ] 
