2009
10.31
Research and Markets: Health IT in Care Management to Improve Health and Effect Behavior Change

Business Wire, Oct 30, 2009

DUBLIN — Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/562eed/health_it_in_care)
has announced the addition of the “Health
IT in Care Management to Improve Health and Effect Behavior Change”
report to their offering.

The most sophisticated technology in the world will not engage patients
and members in health improvement if they are not convinced of the value
of the program to their health, the commitment of their providers to the
process and the credibility of the entire care team.

Those are some of the findings detailed in Health
IT in Care Management to Improve Health and Effect Behavior Change,
which describes the enrollment and engagement of patients in
telemedicine programs in a variety of care settings.

In this 35-page report, Dr. Randall Williams, chief executive officer,
Pharos Innovations, snoring cure describes the prerequisites for using technologies
to engage patients in chronic disease improvement programs, setting the
scene for care management and behavior change.

Sharing how technology has enhanced patient engagement and
self-management in their specific populations are Katherine Scher, R.N.,
C.C.M., program manager for the Center for Clinical Care Design at Henry
Ford Health System, and Dr. Thomas Kline, medical director, Iowa
Medicaid Enterprise. In chronicling the Henry Ford experience, Scher
describes how the health system case managers were able to successfully
engage a subset of chronically ill patients with the use of telemedicine
once its physicians helped to identify the appropriate population and
enroll these patients.

In detailing the Iowa Medicaid experience, Dr

2009
10.31
State Farm Partners With Teach For America to Expand Educational Opportunity

PR Newswire, Sept 14, 2009

Nation’s largest auto-insurer joins national teacher corps in its efforts to improve educational outcome in urban and rural public schools

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ — State Farm and Teach For America today announce their partnership in support of educational equity and excellence in our nation’s schools. Through the partnership, State Farm will contribute $1 million to Teach For America, the nonprofit organization that recruits, trains, and supports top college graduates who commit to teach for two years in low-income communities and become lifelong advocates of educational equity.

State Farm’s donation signifies its longstanding commitment to education. The funds will support Teach For America’s national operations and the impact of its teachers and alumni in Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, and the Rio Grande Valley. In each of these regions, State Farm is among Teach For America’s largest corporate donors.

For nearly two decades, Teach For America has been working to end educational inequity. This fall, Teach For America is placing its largest-ever corps, 7,300 teachers, in 35 urban and rural regions. Beyond their corps experience, nearly two-thirds of Teach For America’s 17,000 alumni remain in the field of education, starting schools, becoming principals and district administrators, and winning accolades as teachers.

“We’re so grateful for the support of State Farm, which has a deep commitment to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to learn at the highest level,” said Wendy Kopp, CEO and founder of Teach For America. “Their engagement in our work will help us grow in scale massachusetts auto insurance quotes and impact, so that we can enlist still more of our nation’s future leaders in working towards educational opportunity for all.”

“Improving our educational system is a social and economic issue for our nation,” said Kathy Payne, State Farm’s director of education leadership. “State Farm focuses on improving student achievement for all students so they are prepared for a successful life, can contribute to society, and are prepared for our future workforce. We look forward to working with Teach For America and playing a leading role in helping improve the education of students.”

About Teach For America

Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity

2009
10.30
Naive Statistics: or was the Obama team’s case for the stimulus cynical instead?

National Review, Nov 2, 2009 by Samuel R. Staley

JUST nine months into his presidency, Barack Obama’s call for Americans to cast aside their disillusionment and frustration with Washington politics rings increasingly hollow. Many have seen his administration use brass-knuckle Chicago politics, and embrace the cynicism that the candidate once criticized, to push a partisan agenda.

For economists, this cynicism may have been most evident in the way the sacramento homes White House strong-armed the so-called stimulus package through Congress, using dubious economic forecasting by staff economists. The candidate who promised public policy based on evidence and fiscal responsibility has built a deceptive statistical facade to support his agenda.

That the nation was in a recession when Obama took office was beyond doubt. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Business Cycle Dating Committee, the widely recognized professional arbiter of when business cycles peak and trough, pronounced the recession one year old on Dec. 1, 2008. The controversy was over what, if anything, the federal government should or could do to right the ship.

As the recession took hold in 2008, most economists were scrambling to understand its causes. Caught flat-footed, they recognized that their policy recommendations were based as much on gut, personal experience, and political philosophy as on the empirical models that had proven incapable of forecasting the worst recession in 25 years.

Macroeconomic forecasting is at least as much art as science. Most professional economists recognize the hazards of predicting an economic peak or trough. Recent NBER pronouncements indicate that this task is getting even more difficult. It took the Business Cycle Dating Committee nine months finally to declare the economy in recession during the 1990-91 downturn, and 21 months to proclaim it officially over. The committee took eight months to declare the economy in recession in 2001, but over a year to declare it over. The committee reviewed data for a year before declaring the start of this recession.

This is why the White House’s use of forecasting to aggressively promote its political agenda is so troubling.

Beginning with a report written by Christina Romer, the current chairwoman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and Jared Bernstein, now Vice President Biden’s chief economist, the White House trotted out numbers based on statistically naive and simplistic methods in order to drum up support for the stimulus package.

Romer and Bernstein’s initial report, released prior to the president’s inauguration in January 2009, estimated that a hypothetical $775 billion stimulus plan that included government spending and tax cuts would generate jobs in a “reasonable range” of 3.3 to 4.1 million by the end of 2010. Perhaps in an effort to preserve some academic credibility, Romer and Bernstein were somewhat circumspect in their analysis: “Our estimates of economic relationships and rules of thumb are derived from historical experience and so will not apply exactly to any given episode

2009
10.30
China MediaExpress Holdings, Inc. Updates Market Regarding Listing Status

Business Wire, Oct 30, 2009

FUJIAN, China — China MediaExpress Holdings, Inc. (NYSE Amex: TMI; TMI/U; TMI/WS)
(CME or Company), Chinas largest television advertising operator on
inter-city express buses, today announced that it has received further
communications from NYSE Amex LLC (AMEX) indicating that AMEX is
considering the matters raised in a delisting determination letter
previously issued to the Company and is likely to be rescinding that
determination based on more recent stockholder information that CME has
provided to the AMEX.

As previously described, on October 23, 2009 AMEX had determined that
CME did not meet the standards for initial listing upon the closing low cost merchant account of
its business combination earlier this month. Based on the growth in
CMEs stockholder base, the Company now meets those standards. CME
believes it should be able to resolve this matter to the satisfication
of AMEX and is working closely with AMEX to achieve prompt resolution of
the matter

2009
10.30
Young Gunners make it a bad night for bookies; Blues favourites after thrashing Wanderers

0 Comments | Racing Post (London, England), The, Oct 29, 2009

Byline: Dan Williams

ARSENAL, Chelsea and Manchester City made it another horrible night for bookmakers yesterday after the Premier League powerhouses all recorded home victories to reach the Carling Cup quarter-finals.

Punters had piled on Arsenal in anticipation of another night of glory for Arsene Wenger’s young Gunners – the 6-5 widelyavailable yesterday morning quickly disappeared, with Boylesports the only firm still offering best odds of 11-10 in the run-up to kick-off.

And they were on the money, with a severely-weakened Liverpool outfit beaten 2-1 at the Emirates.

19-year-old Spanish midfielder Fran Merida opened the scoring for Arsenal after 19 minutes, and despite a superb equaliser from Liverpool’s Emiliano Insua the Gunners made certain of the victory with Nicklas Bendtner’s second-half winner.

Chelsea remain favourites for the Carling Cup at 11-4 with Betfred after Carlo Ancelotti sent out a strong team to thrash Bolton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.

And with Manchester City also putting on an exhibition with a 5-1 rout of Scunthorpe at Eastlands, it was a case of back to the drawing board for the battered layers.

“We won’t be raising a glass to the Carling Cup after another bad night,” said Betfred spokesman Mark Pearson.

“Arsenal were the best backed team by a long way and plenty of punters added Chelsea and Manchester City for the treble.”

The demise of Scunthorpe means it is now an all-Premier League affair for the Carling Cup.

Liverpool – thanks to their fifth defeat in six games – are the only team in the Premier League’s top seven who have not reached the quarter-finals.

Manchester United are second favourites in Betfred’s betting at 7-2, with City 4-1 and survey scout Arsenal 11-2. Those who backed Milan at odds as big as 7-4 to win away in Napoli where left stunned by an incredible injury-time comeback from the home side last night. Milan were 2-0 up in the Serie A clash after just six minutes, but Ignazio Abate’s 86th-minute red-card instigated an unbelievable collapse as Napoli snatched two last-gasp goals. Chris Hughton has been given the job of Newcastle manager on a permanent basis, but bookmakers don’t believe the former caretaker should get too comfortable in his role on Tyneside. Ladbrokes rate Hughton at 6-5 to start next term as the Magpies manager, while Bet365 are 11-8 that the Tottenham legend is able to see out the 18-month contract he signed on Tuesday. Owner Mike Ashley has also decided to take the club off the market and intends to sell the rights to the stadium. Stan James make Adidas the 5-2 favourites to buy the naming rights to St James’s Park, while Hills rate Ashley’s Sports Direct a whopping 25-1.

It’s 4-7 with Hills that there is no sponso r in place by the start of next season. Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes he has a gem in the ranks in Danny Welbeck, who scored the opener as the champions beat Barnsley 2-0 in the Carling Cup on Tuesday

2009
10.29
Water firm unveils video nasty of drains blocked by fat

0 Comments | Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland), The, Oct 28, 2009

Byline: JOHN ROSS

IT’S NOT for the squeamish, but a “video nasty” has been released as part of clean-up campaign.

In gory detail, the internet water filter clip shows how miles of sewers in the Highlands have become clogged with congealed fat dumped down drains and plugholes.

The shock tactic is the latest weapon in Scottish Water’s fight to prevent people illegally dumping cooking greases, which can cause blockages and harm the environment.

Engineers captured the stomach-churning images using a remotely-operated camera and a clip of the footage has been uploaded to Scottish Water’s website – www.scottishwater.co.uk – and YouTube.

Sheila Campbell-Lloyd of Scottish Water said: “We hope our video nasty shocks people into action. Plumbing within homes and businesses is at risk of being blocked, never mind the public sewers.”

2009
10.29

How I did it

How I did it

Flex, Nov, 2009 by Laura Bailey

I was a former collegiate athlete and coach. I maintained an adequate level of fitness, but not to the same degree as an athlete. After joining a gym in May ’04 and getting a membership that included five training sessions, I remember thinking, I don’t need a trainer. But after seeing the physiques produced by trainer – Jolene Carter, I agreed to sign up to train and compete in my first figure competition.

The training regimen and work ethic were not new–but the diet was. I began my transformation at 148 pounds and 21% bodyfat. I ate six clean meals daily, incorporating one hour of weight training five days per week and one hour of cardio six days per week. I included a lot of plyometrics and track workouts. The changes in my training nutrition diet physique were immediate and amazingly gratifying. I felt good, looked awesome and the diet was great. The key is to find foods you enjoy, and then learn to prepare them healthfully.

During my competition diet, I eat chicken and shrimp fried rice, Southern-style potatoes, steak fries, crab cakes, chicken fajitas and twice-baked potatoes–but I know how to prepare them the right way.

Sixteen weeks after my journey began, I was 128 pounds, 6% bodyfat, and the winner of my class in my first figure competition: the 2004 NPC John Sherman Classic. I have been competing ever since, including several national-level NPC contests.

I have since learned how to successfully maintain, adjust and manipulate my body type through proper diet and exercise. The secret? There is none. There is no magic pill. There is no quick fix

2009
10.28
Mannatech Schedules Third Quarter 2009 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Business Wire, Oct 26, 2009

COPPELL, Texas — Mannatech, Incorporated (NASDAQ:MTEX), a global pioneer in the
development of high-quality health, weight and fitness, and skin care
solutions based on nutritional science, announced today that its
financial results for the third quarter of 2009 will be released on
Tuesday, November 3, 2009, after the NASDAQ market closes. Mannatech
will host a conference call to discuss the quarters results with
investors on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 9 a.m. CST, 10 a.m. EST.

The live call will be webcast and can be accessed on Mannatechs website
at www.mannatech.com.

For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be
available shortly after the call. The toll-free replay number is
800-642-1687 (International: 706-645-9291); the Conference ID to access
the call is 35099698.

About Mannatech

Mannatech, Incorporated develops high-quality health, weight and
fitness, and skin care products that are based on the solid foundation
of nutritional science and development standards. These proprietary
products are available through independent sales Associates around the
globe including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New
Zealand, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, the
United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and the Republic of Korea.

For more information please visit https://new.mannatech.com.

Please Note: This release contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements generally can be identified by use of phrases
or terminology such as intend or other similar words or the negative
of such terminology. Similarly, descriptions of Mannatechs objectives,
strategies, plans, goals or targets contained herein are also considered
forward-looking statements. Mannatech believes this release should be
read in conjunction with all of its filings with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission and cautions its readers that these
anti aging products forward-looking statements are subject to certain events, risks,
uncertainties, and other factors. Some of these factors include, among
others, Mannatechs inability to attract and retain associates and
members, increases in competition, litigation, regulatory changes, and
its planned growth into new international markets

2009
10.28
H.E.A.T. Honors Contributions To Auto Theft Prevention

U.S. Newswire, October, 2009

To: BUSINESS EDITORS

Contact: minnesota auto insurance quotes Kim Tassie, 1-248-362-4200 x243, ktassie@baileypr.com,
for H.E.A.T. (Help Eliminate Auto Thefts)

LIVONIA, Mich., Oct

2009
10.28
Lamar Online Master’s Students Pass Principals’ Exams at Rate Higher Than State Average

Market Wire, October, 2009

Online Master’s of Education students at Lamar
University in Beaumont, Texas who took the state principals’ exam in the
spring and summer of 2009 averaged 16 points higher than students statewide
and also scored higher than most campus-based students who have taken the
same exam. The Lamar online students averaged a score of 261, while the
average score across Texas is 245. A student must earn a score online university degree of at least
240 to pass the principals’ exam.

The passing margin has increased for all Lamar students since the online
Master’s of Education degree through Lamar University’s Academic
Partnership with Dallas-based Higher Ed Holdings became an option two years
ago. Ninety-six percent of Lamar’s 484 online master’s degree students
passed the principals’ exam, results that correlate well with the findings
of a June 2009 U.S. Department of Education study, entitled “Evaluation of
Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning”
( www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf ).
The study found that students who participate in part or all of their
instruction online perform as well as, or in some cases outperform,
students enrolled in the same on-campus classes.

The principals’ exam, more formally known as the Texas Examination of
Educator Standards (TExES) for Principals, is the required state
certification exam for principals