WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama announced new U.S. sanctions against Iran's energy, petrochemical and financial sectors on Tuesday that he said would further pressure the country for failing to meet international nuclear obligations.
In a statement, Obama said the United States remained committed to finding a diplomatic resolution to the standoff with Tehran but was committed "to hold the Iranian government accountable for its actions."
"If the Iranian government continues its defiance, there should be no doubt that the United States and our partners will continue to impose increasing consequences," he said. Obama has been criticized by Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney for failing to act strongly enough to stop Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.
(Reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Will Dunham)
NEW YORK (AP) ? An independent group backing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is out with a new TV ad featuring a trio of former Olympic athletes praising his stewardship of the 2002 Winter Games.
Restore Our Future is spending $7.2 million to run the ad in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The ad will also air in Michigan and Wisconsin.
In the ad, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, speed skater Derek Parra and skeleton racer Jimmy Shea offer testimonials to Romney.
The former Massachusetts governor is credited with turning around the financially troubled games in Salt Lake City and steering them to success and profit.
It's close to dinner time and I have food on the brain. This makes me wonder: for those of you who spend a lot of time in the kitchen (actually cooking food, that is), what is the most indispensable tool you own? Is it a simple utensil like a knife? Or is it something more gadgety, like a digital thermometer? Let's talk cooking gear. More »
WEST CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Members of First Baptist Church-West will celebrate the church's 145th anniversary during their 9 a.m. worship service. The service will feature guest minister and church son, Reverend Cedric Jones, Jr., senior pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia.
Special musical guests will also honor community educator and piano instructor Clara H. Jones, the mother of the Reverend Jones, Jr., for her rich musical legacy as a Charlotte school teacher. First Baptist Church-West is located at 1801 Oaklawn Avenue between Beatties Ford Road and Statesville Avenue.
If you're not big into the summer Olympics because track and field just doesn't get you going, infamous pranksters Improv Everywhere have a nice alternative for you. Their latest MP3 experiment takes on the Olympic games in a characteristically bewildering style. More »
The Qalandiyah checkpoint, March 30, 2012. Photo by Reuters
Israeli troops opened fire at a Palestinian car at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank early on Monday, killing one person and wounding two others, Palestinian officials said.
A spokesman for Israel's border police, which is stationed at checkpoints in the area, said that the border policeman stationed at the checkpoint called out for the vehicle to stop and were forced to fire when the car failed to comply.
One of the policemen was hospitalized after sustaining light wounds from shrapnel.
According to Palestinian medical workers, the man in his 40s who was shot dead and the two others were traveling to pray in Jerusalem.
Two additional Palestinians also traveling in the vehicle were taken to Palestinian hospitals to treat light wounds.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem, land the Palestinians want for a future state, during a 1967 Middle East War in a move that has not won international recognition.
A beautiful new site just launched, and it?s just for pet lovers! We got a chance to check it out and were delighted by what we saw. Gorgeous treat jars, fun toys, cute clothing, and more. We even got to check out a few items, an adorable platypus that can be played with in the water, and a super fun polo shirt. There is something for every stylish dog at inubar, and wonderful gifts for dog lovers as well.
If you love your pets, but find a lot of the pet products out there a bit bland, then you really must sign up for inubar! They are letting people in slowly, but I promise it is worth the wait. Everything you order ships with just $5 regardless of how much you order! A great deal, and the prices on the site are fair as well. I do believe we are going to develop a shopping addiction. Our items arrived quickly, and were in great condition.
Thank you to inubar for providing items for review and for allowing me a sneak peek at the site. As always, my opinion is my own.
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Finding an up-to-date list of non profit organizations is challenging. Since most people have become used to achieving things in an instant, manually compiling a list of non profit organizations is definitely the last option. It is a must for everyone to know that they can already have an email list of non profit organizations. Email lists are something that people should not ignore and regard as spam. An email list providing the names and contacts of different non profit organizations is an easy way of getting in touch with a non profit organization. It is less time consuming and economical on anyone who is interested in establishing an ongoing communication with a specific organization. Since there are many existing non profit organizations at the moment, having them in an email list is definitely a hassle free way of choosing the best organization that fits a person?s need. As long as an internet connection, a computer and an email address are available, business with non profit organizations is no longer a problem.
How to find a list of non profit organizations? It is not an easy question to answer. Although there are many free emails that a person receives in a day, not all of these emails are useful. Most of the emails that are flooding a person?s inbox and spam folder are junkies. For a person to be sure that he is not keeping a junk mail, it is wise to set two criteria on the emails that he will be using. The first criterion is that the email list of non profit organizations was acquired in a reasonable amount. Only a few good things come free in this life. It is not bad to spend some cash on something that can be useful for you in the future. Another criterion that the list should be able to meet is that it is provided by a reliable company. A source with a good reputation rarely gives you a junk product.
What do I have to do with an email list of non profit organizations? For now, you may not appreciate the importance of such list. But in the future, the list of non profit organizations at hand can help you turn some goals into a reality. If you are a writer or an advocate of a certain idea, funding is always on top of your needs. Convincing someone to believe in your capability and your idea can?t be done overnight. As long as you have a list of the non profit organizations that you can contact, you can update the organizations daily of the things that you were able to accomplish and the activities that you have in mind. At first, these organizations may think that you are just someone who is trying to gain something for yourself. In the coming days or months, your constant communication with them will let these organizations understand and believe your ideas. It may sound impossible but it is a method that most successful writers and advocates have been using. Give an updated email list a try to personally experience what the list can do to you and your goals.
Phone numbers and e-mail addresses database are the typical listings that can be used for effective marketing or advertising campaigns. That email list of non profit organizations can be the greatest key to achieve higher number of sales and gain a lot of exposure to your targeted audiences. Compared to cold calling on where you have to spend more money for each campaign, sending emails to your prospects is a more convenient and cost-effective way to hook up your their attentions. On cold calling you?ll have to spend a lot for your lead?s listing, while the e-mail addresses lead?s cost are relatively cheaper. Moreover, it is obvious that sending electronic mails save you from paying too much on your telephone bills. Majority of non-profit organizations today uses the Internet to interact with their fellows and co-organizations. Hence then, they typically have e-mail addresses that they?d check from time to time. Obtaining an email list of non-profit organizations could help you reach this wide audience. By sending electronic mails to these organizations, you are informing them about what your company can offer. Email ad or marketing campaigns are way cheaper compare to other platforms use to increase sales rating, and that is proven not just by small companies but also by corporate businesses. Having a list of non profit organizations in your database is the same as having fans for your specific product. Use your marketing skills in order to hook your prospects and watch your sales rate increases.
Whenever we decide to travel abroad, we always get the think of taking travel insurance. If you are an occasional traveler you'll probably buy your insurance from the travel agent. But if you travel more than twice a year, it is much more cost effective to have one insurance lasting all year round, than buying one every time you travel. If you are travelling for a long time then its better to take longstay travel insurance.
Before buying any longstay travel insurance, it is better to go through the whole policy. Health concerns which are rather severe as well as problems brought about by alcohol and drug uses are oftentimes excluded from the full coverage a client is entitled to. War and terrorism clauses can be excluded in most policies to protect both the company and the traveler with the latter being influenced not to plan a trip to such hazardous nations. Travel insurance is an agreement or a contract which can offer a traveler with an adequate amount of assistance that can be beneficial when traveling so it would be smart to compare a list of policies beforehand.
There are different forms of insurance which is hard to classified but considering the durations, travel insurance is further divided in three types:
* Single trip, * Multi-trip and * Annual / Long stay
"Long stay" insurance is the most important and attractive part of the travel insurance because for the large number of travelers who planned their vacations for more numbers of days / many months. It not helps you only in travelling plans but also a safeguard for cancellation charges, luggage and personal belongings, financial investments, your health and well being and most important to give you sense of peace. Companies are offering much best coverage to the customers who are buying long stay like international travel insurance, top up insurance etc. The main benefit of this insurance is the customization of coverage. A customer of long stay travel insurance can optimize their coverage as per their need; he should take help with their insurance adviser. Go for most appropriate coverage often their charges may be more than the standard one. The customers must be clear about their need and the ignorance.
Why Do Anti-Hunger And Anti-Obesity Initiatives Always Fall Short? July 27, 2012
New research shows how we can innovate our way out of a double crisis With widespread hunger continuing to haunt developing nations, and obesity fast becoming a global epidemic, any number of efforts on the parts of governments, scientists, non-profit organizations and the business world have taken aim at these twin nutrition-related crises... [?]
Obesity Theories Challenged By Hunter-Gatherer Study July 27, 2012
A new study comparing the lifestyle of Westerners with that of hunter-gatherers challenges the idea that the current obesity crisis is due to lack of physical activity. The researchers suggest the more likely explanation is over-consumption of calories, particularly due to the presence of energy-dense foods in the Western diet... [?]
Increased Risk Of Post-Surgical Infection After Orthopaedic Trauma, Total Joint Replacement In Patients With High Blood Sugar, Obesity July 27, 2012
Two recent studies in the July issues of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) looked at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia, the technical term for high blood glucose, or high blood sugar... [?]
Erectile Dysfunction Can Be A Warning Sign For Heart Disease In Younger And Middle-Aged Men And Men With Diabetes July 27, 2012
Although erectile dysfunction (ED) has been shown to be an early warning sign for heart disease, some physicians - and patients - still think of it as just as a natural part of "old age." But now an international team of researchers, led by physicians at The Miriam Hospital, say it's time to expand ED symptom screening to include younger and m [?]
Test Shows Subconscious 'Stop Signs' Can Help Control Overeating July 26, 2012
Once you pop the top of a tube of potato chips, it can be hard to stop munching its contents. But Cornell University researchers may have found a novel way to help: edible serving-size markers that act as subconscious stop signs... [?]
Inactive, Fat Rats Used In Lab To Understand Childhood Obesity July 26, 2012
Childhood obesity has nearly tripled in the past three decades, and by 2009, 17 percent of those 2-19 years of age were classified as obese... [?]
Study Suggests Obesity Is Due To Increased Food Consumption, Not Decreased Energy Expenditure July 26, 2012
Modern lifestyles are generally quite different from those of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, a fact that some claim as the cause of the current rise in global obesity, but new results published in the open access journal PLoS ONE find that there is no difference between the energy expenditure of modern hunter-gatherers and Westerners, casting doubt on this t [?]
Minimizing Exposure To Artificial Light At Night May Improve Depressive Symptoms July 26, 2012
Chronic exposure to dim light at night can lead to depressive symptoms in rodents -- but these negative effects can be reversed simply by returning to a standard light-dark cycle, a new study suggests... [?]
Childhood Obesity Linked To 50% Higher Risk Of Urothelial And Colorectal Cancers In Adulthood July 25, 2012
Parents are increasingly conscious of the dangers of childhood obesity. There is a growing recognition of health problems associated with extra pounds, including the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and joint and muscle pain. New research from Tel Aviv University has revealed another significant reason for children to maintain a healthy weight. Dr. Ari Shami [?]
Snacking And BMI Linked To Double Effect Of Brain Activity And Self-Control July 25, 2012
Snack consumption and BMI are linked to both brain activity and self-control, new research has found. The research, carried out by academics from the Universities of Exeter, Cardiff, Bristol, and Bangor, discovered that an individual's brain 'reward centre' response to pictures of food predicted how much they subsequently ate... [?]
How We Can Innovate Our Way Out Of A Double Crisis - Hunger And Obesity July 24, 2012
With widespread hunger continuing to haunt developing nations, and obesity fast becoming a global epidemic, any number of efforts on the parts of governments, scientists, non-profit organizations and the business world have taken aim at these twin nutrition-related crises... [?]
Overweight Kids Already Have Risk Factors For Heart Disease July 24, 2012
The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, now researchers say that 2 out of 3 severely obese children have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The study is published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The findings from the study are based on data supplied by pediatricians to the Dutch Pediatric Surveillance Unit.. [?]
Diesel Exhaust Exposure In The Womb A Possible Risk Factor For Obesity July 23, 2012
Pregnant mice exposed to high levels of air pollution gave birth to offspring with a significantly higher rate of obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood than those that were not exposed to air pollution. This effect seemed especially prevalent in male mice, which were heavier regardless of diet... [?]
How Fat Influences Flavour Perception July 23, 2012
A joint study carried out by The University of Nottingham and the multinational food company Unilever has found for the first time that fat in food can reduce activity in several areas of the brain which are responsible for processing taste, aroma and reward... [?]
Healthier Options Now Available At Chain Restaurants With Menu Labeling July 23, 2012
The recent Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has cleared the way for national requirements about posting nutritional information at chain restaurants. Listing calories, fat content, and sodium levels of menu items at the point of purchase has been promoted as a way to address the obesity epidemic... [?]
Qsymia For Weight Management Approved By FDA July 22, 2012
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Qsymia (phentermine and topiramate extended-release) as an addition to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise for chronic weight management... [?]
Asking Your Children What Their Superheroes Would Eat Primes Them To Make Healthier Fast Food Choices July 22, 2012
Popeye inspired a generation of growing Baby Boomers to eat its spinach. Today, role models such as Batman can prompt children to develop their own healthy eating habits, a recent Cornell University study finds. "Fast food patronage is a frequent reality for many children and their parents... [?]
Obesity Leads To More Doctor Visits Than Smoking, Canada July 21, 2012
Statistics show that today, almost one in four Canadians is obese. A deadly trend that has been on the rise for the last thirty years, obesity is associated with diabetes, heart disease and cancer... [?]
Non-Invasive Thermal Imaging Joins The Fight Against Obesity July 20, 2012
Scientists at The University of Nottingham believe they've found a way of fighting obesity - with a pioneering technique which uses thermal imaging. This heat-seeking technology is being used to trace our reserves of brown fat - the body's 'good fat' - which plays a key role in how quickly our body can burn calories as energy... [?]
New Measure For Obesity: A Body Shape Index Strongly Correlated To Premature Death July 20, 2012
Researchers have developed a new metric to measure obesity, called A Body Shape Index, or ABSI, that combines the existing metrics of Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference and shows a better correlation with death rate than do either of these individual measures... [?]
As we already know, AT&T will be updating the LG Nitro HD with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on July 31st but just in case you simply cannot wait, there is a new leak now out there claiming to be to be the official final build. You'll need to use the notably crappy LG Windows Suite to get it loaded up but it's there and available for download.
As with all things not officially official, we suggest some caution loading it but if you're one to tosses that suggestion to the wind, you'll find the link below. If you're on a different carrier, say Bell Mobility you're going to want to read through it all to ensure compatibility but that's where those cautionary measures come in once again.
Swaziland HIV incidence results announced at AIDS 2012Public release date: 27-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephanie Berger sb2247@columbia.edu 212-305-4372 Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Study indicates that the rate of new infection is beginning to level off in the nation with the world's highest prevalence of HIV
The results from a nationally representative HIV incidence study in Swaziland indicate that the national rate of new HIV infections is 2.38% among adults ages 18-49. This figure, comparable to the 2009 UNAIDS estimate of 2.66% for Swaziland adults ages 15-49, suggests that the HIV epidemic in Swaziland may have begun to stabilize in the past few years. The findings of the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS) were presented today at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington DC.
"The country continues to have very high HIV incidence rates. Since HIV services in Swaziland are more widely available now and we understand that ART treatment prevents the spread of new infections, the Ministry of Health will use these new results to plan HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs in Swaziland," said Rejoice Nkambule, deputy director of health services public health at the Ministry of Health. SHIMS was led by the Swaziland Ministry of Health and supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
SHIMS is a multi-phase study designed to evaluate the impact of HIV prevention and treatment services in the country. The first phase of the SHIMS survey included approximately 13,000 households in Swaziland, representing a cross-section of the national population and consisting of 18,154 men and women, ages 18-49. Findings from the first phase indicated that the national prevalence of HIV in Swaziland is the highest in the world, with 31% of adults infected.
HIV-negative adults from the survey who gave permission were retested six months later and the number of new HIV infections were assessed using state-of-the-art laboratory methods. Retention rates were high, with 94% of participants completing follow-up at six months. "This is the gold standard method for measuring HIV incidence and it hasn't been attempted before at a national level," said Jessica Justman, MD, ICAP's senior technical director, and Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. While overall HIV incidence is 2.4 %, HIV incidence among women in Swaziland peaks among those 20-24 and 35-39 years old, with rates of 4.2 % and 4.1 %. Among men, HIV incidence peaks among those 30-34 years old, at 3.0 %. Not knowing the HIV status of the current partner predicts new HIV infection for both men and women and suggests prevention and treatment programs need to target this specific problem.
"SHIMS provides a remarkable epidemiologic look into the most severe national HIV epidemic in the world. Clearly, the strategic scale-up of effective HIV interventions in combination is warranted. SHIMS has established an unequivocal baseline incidence rate against which to judge the effectiveness of such strategies for an entire national population. This may not be feasible anywhere else," said Dr. Jason Reed of the CDC.
While SHIMS is primarily assessing new HIV infections, the study has several other goals such as enhancing laboratory infrastructure and strengthening research capacity in Swaziland.
###
Along with Ms. Nkambule, the principal investigators on SHIMS include Dr. Jessica Justman, ICAP senior technical director; Dr. George Bicego, CDCcountry director in Swaziland; and Dr. Jason
Reed, CDC Atlanta, medical epidemiologist in the Center for Global Health, Division of GlobalHIV/AIDS. Additional support for SHIMS has been provided by Swaziland's National Reference
Laboratory and Central Statistical Office, Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research & Prevention(SCHARP) at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in the United States, and Maromi Health
Research and EpiCentre in South Africa.
About the Swaziland Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health seeks to improve the health status of the people of Swaziland by providing preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services that are of high quality, relevant, accessible, affordable, equitable and socially acceptable.
About ICAP
ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health is a global leader in public health, with a broad portfolio of research, training, health system strengthening, and service delivery programs in the United States and around the world. Founded in 2004, ICAP is committed to addressing critical health issues and to bettering lives by improving access to high-quality, equitable, and affordable health services. Working hand-in-hand with in-country partners, ICAP has supported more than 1,200 health facilities across 21 countries. More than one million people have received HIV services through ICAP-supported programs. For more information about ICAP, visit http://www.columbia-icap.org.
About PEPFAR
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003 to combat global HIV/AIDS, and is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history. Working in partnership with host nations, over ten years PEPFAR plans to support treatment for at least 3 million people, prevention of 12 million new infections, and care for 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children. For more information, please visit http://www.PEPFAR.gov.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Swaziland HIV incidence results announced at AIDS 2012Public release date: 27-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephanie Berger sb2247@columbia.edu 212-305-4372 Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Study indicates that the rate of new infection is beginning to level off in the nation with the world's highest prevalence of HIV
The results from a nationally representative HIV incidence study in Swaziland indicate that the national rate of new HIV infections is 2.38% among adults ages 18-49. This figure, comparable to the 2009 UNAIDS estimate of 2.66% for Swaziland adults ages 15-49, suggests that the HIV epidemic in Swaziland may have begun to stabilize in the past few years. The findings of the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS) were presented today at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington DC.
"The country continues to have very high HIV incidence rates. Since HIV services in Swaziland are more widely available now and we understand that ART treatment prevents the spread of new infections, the Ministry of Health will use these new results to plan HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs in Swaziland," said Rejoice Nkambule, deputy director of health services public health at the Ministry of Health. SHIMS was led by the Swaziland Ministry of Health and supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
SHIMS is a multi-phase study designed to evaluate the impact of HIV prevention and treatment services in the country. The first phase of the SHIMS survey included approximately 13,000 households in Swaziland, representing a cross-section of the national population and consisting of 18,154 men and women, ages 18-49. Findings from the first phase indicated that the national prevalence of HIV in Swaziland is the highest in the world, with 31% of adults infected.
HIV-negative adults from the survey who gave permission were retested six months later and the number of new HIV infections were assessed using state-of-the-art laboratory methods. Retention rates were high, with 94% of participants completing follow-up at six months. "This is the gold standard method for measuring HIV incidence and it hasn't been attempted before at a national level," said Jessica Justman, MD, ICAP's senior technical director, and Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. While overall HIV incidence is 2.4 %, HIV incidence among women in Swaziland peaks among those 20-24 and 35-39 years old, with rates of 4.2 % and 4.1 %. Among men, HIV incidence peaks among those 30-34 years old, at 3.0 %. Not knowing the HIV status of the current partner predicts new HIV infection for both men and women and suggests prevention and treatment programs need to target this specific problem.
"SHIMS provides a remarkable epidemiologic look into the most severe national HIV epidemic in the world. Clearly, the strategic scale-up of effective HIV interventions in combination is warranted. SHIMS has established an unequivocal baseline incidence rate against which to judge the effectiveness of such strategies for an entire national population. This may not be feasible anywhere else," said Dr. Jason Reed of the CDC.
While SHIMS is primarily assessing new HIV infections, the study has several other goals such as enhancing laboratory infrastructure and strengthening research capacity in Swaziland.
###
Along with Ms. Nkambule, the principal investigators on SHIMS include Dr. Jessica Justman, ICAP senior technical director; Dr. George Bicego, CDCcountry director in Swaziland; and Dr. Jason
Reed, CDC Atlanta, medical epidemiologist in the Center for Global Health, Division of GlobalHIV/AIDS. Additional support for SHIMS has been provided by Swaziland's National Reference
Laboratory and Central Statistical Office, Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research & Prevention(SCHARP) at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in the United States, and Maromi Health
Research and EpiCentre in South Africa.
About the Swaziland Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health seeks to improve the health status of the people of Swaziland by providing preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services that are of high quality, relevant, accessible, affordable, equitable and socially acceptable.
About ICAP
ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health is a global leader in public health, with a broad portfolio of research, training, health system strengthening, and service delivery programs in the United States and around the world. Founded in 2004, ICAP is committed to addressing critical health issues and to bettering lives by improving access to high-quality, equitable, and affordable health services. Working hand-in-hand with in-country partners, ICAP has supported more than 1,200 health facilities across 21 countries. More than one million people have received HIV services through ICAP-supported programs. For more information about ICAP, visit http://www.columbia-icap.org.
About PEPFAR
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003 to combat global HIV/AIDS, and is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history. Working in partnership with host nations, over ten years PEPFAR plans to support treatment for at least 3 million people, prevention of 12 million new infections, and care for 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children. For more information, please visit http://www.PEPFAR.gov.
[ | 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.
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 1, 2012, file photo, worker Maria Contrero, of Boston, removes an elite running shoe from a sole press during the assembly process at the New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. factory in Boston. A U.S. economy that plodded along in the first three months of the year likely grew even less in the April-June quarter. And most economists no longer think growth will strengthen much in the second half of 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 1, 2012, file photo, worker Maria Contrero, of Boston, removes an elite running shoe from a sole press during the assembly process at the New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. factory in Boston. A U.S. economy that plodded along in the first three months of the year likely grew even less in the April-June quarter. And most economists no longer think growth will strengthen much in the second half of 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? High unemployment isn't going away ? not as long as the economy grows as slowly as it did in the April-June quarter.
Weak consumer spending held growth to an annual rate of just 1.5 percent, even less than the 2 percent rate in the first quarter. And few expect the economy to accelerate in the second half of the year as Europe's financial woes and a U.S. budget crisis restrain businesses and consumers.
The growth estimate Friday from the Commerce Department suggested that the U.S. economy could be at risk of stalling three years after the recession ended. Economists generally say even 2 percent annual growth would add only about 90,000 jobs a month. That's too few to drive down the unemployment rate, which is stuck at 8.2 percent.
"The main takeaway from today's report, the specifics aside, is that the U.S. economy is barely growing," said Dan Greenhaus, chief economic strategist at BTIG LLC. "It's no wonder the unemployment rate cannot move lower."
Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, expects the unemployment rate to end this year ? and next year ? at 8.3 percent. He said he foresees no decline in unemployment because of how tepid he thinks economic growth will remain: 2.2 percent for all of 2012 and 2 percent for 2013.
Some economic data improved over the course of the April-June quarter, while others worsened. Hiring, for example, rose slightly from April to May to June. But home sales weakened.
Stocks rose as investors shrugged off the sluggish U.S growth and focused instead on pledges from European leaders to preserve the union of the 17 countries that use the euro. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 200 points in late-afternoon trading. Broader indexes also gained.
The lackluster economy is raising pressure on President Barack Obama in his re-election fight with Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. But few think the Fed, the White House or Congress can or will do anything soon that might rejuvenate the economy quickly. Many lawmakers, for example, refuse to increase federal spending in light of historically large budget deficits.
No president since Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the depths of the Great Depression, has been re-elected when the unemployment rate exceeded 8 percent. Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush were ousted when unemployment was well below 8 percent.
Polls show that management of the economy is the only issue on which those surveyed express more confidence in Romney, with his business background, than Obama.
Glenn Hubbard, economic adviser for Romney, said Friday's report largely matched economists' expectations.
"But those expectations themselves and the report itself were actually quite disappointing," Hubbard said. "At that pattern, the economy simply will never return to full employment."
Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, noted that the report showed the economy grew for the 12th straight quarter. Still, Congress could strengthen growth and job creation by adopting Obama's plan to extend expiring tax cuts for all except the wealthiest Americans, Krueger said.
Republicans want the tax cuts extended for all Americans.
The 1.5 percent growth rate in the second quarter was the weakest since the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, grew at a 1.3 percent rate in the July-September quarter last year. GDP measures the country's total output of goods and services, from the purchase of a cup of coffee to the sale of fighter jets.
The government makes three estimates of the GDP for each quarter. Each revision is based on more complete economic data.
The sluggish growth rate could make the Federal Reserve more likely to announce some new step after it meets next week. But Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, doubts the Fed will act at the July 31-Aug. 1 meeting.
Many economists instead think the Fed will launch another round of bond buying at its September policy meeting. The aim would be to drive long-term interest rates lower and encourage more borrowing and spending.
In the second quarter, GDP in current dollars rose at an annual rate of $117.6 billion to $15.6 trillion.
Growth was weaker mostly because consumer spending slowed to a growth rate of just 1.5 percent. That was down from 2.4 percent in the first quarter.
Americans bought fewer autos, computers and other long-lasting manufactured goods. But money spent on services, which represents about two-thirds of spending, rose in the April-June quarter.
As they spent less, Americans also saved more. The savings rate reached 4 percent, up from 3.6 percent in the first quarter.
The savings rate reached a low of 1.5 percent in 2005, a year when soaring home prices made consumers feel less need to save. The rate climbed to 5.4 percent in 2008 as the financial crisis and recession squeezed Americans.
Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight, said consumer spending will likely remain subdued in the second half of the year. He thinks it will grow at or below a 2 percent annual rate.
Gas prices have stopped falling and have even started to rise in recent weeks. And this summer's severe drought is expected to push food prices up toward the end of the year.
"There is really no reason to see us pulling out of this malaise any time soon," Gault said. "I am not calling for a recession, but I am calling for weak growth."
The U.S. economy has never been so sluggish this long into a recovery. The Great Recession officially ended in June 2009.
Until a few weeks ago, many economists had been predicting that growth would accelerate in the final six months of the year. They pointed to gains in manufacturing, home and auto sales and lower gas prices.
But threats to the U.S. economy have left consumers too anxious to spend freely. Jobs are tight. Pay isn't keeping up with inflation. Retail sales fell in June for a third straight month. Manufacturing has weakened in most areas of the country.
Fear is also growing that the economy will fall off a "fiscal cliff" at year's end. That's when tax increases and deep spending cuts will take effect unless Congress reaches a budget agreement.
All that is making companies reluctant to expand and hire much.
The Commerce Department also revised its growth estimates for the past three years. Those revisions showed that the economy contracted 3.1 percent in 2009, slightly less than the 3.5 percent previously reported. Growth in 2010 was put at 2.4 percent, down from 3 percent, with growth in 2011 at 1.8 percent instead of 1.7 percent.
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Associated Press Staff Writers Christopher S. Rugaber, Paul Wiseman and Tom Raum contributed to this report.
As an indication the housing market may take longer to recover than hoped, CNNMoney reports new home sales fell 8.4% in June to a seasonally annual-adjusted rate (SAAR) of 350,000, following sales in May that hit a two year high, according to the Census Bureau. Housing market analysts expected sales of 373,000, far from the annual rate in 2005 of 1.4 million. David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), says one new home construction creates about three jobs: half are in the construction trades, the rest consist of material suppliers, truck drivers, and furniture and appliance producers. As MHProNews has learned, the June rate was still 16 percent higher than June 2011. Median sales price for a new home hit $232,600 in June.
(Photo credit: FotoSearch)
Categories: Business, Economy, home buyers, News Item, TrendsTags: bad news good news, Census Bureau, chief economist, David Crowe, furniture, Housing Market, jobs, market analyst, median sales price, NAHB, National Association of Home Builders, new home construction, new home sales, producers, s material suppliers, SAAR, truck drivers
A new iPhone app lets users share links and files wirelessly ? but instead of Wi-Fi, NFC or Bluetooth, it uses soundwaves. The phone will "chirp" a short sound clip, quite like a birdsong, in which is encoded the location of a picture or website.
Now that school is out and summer vacation is in full swing, this may mean family vacations for some or summer camp programs for others. For children of divorce, however, their summer vacation may also include spending time with the non-custodial parent to comply with the visitation requirements within the divorce decree of their parents. For these children, this time may cause a wide variety of emotions.? Such emotions can range from elation to fear to total disappointment because the child may feel that the required visits impose upon their time. Recognizing that the child may be having mixed emotions about the visit will go a long way in helping to alleviate the stress and make the visits enjoyable for everyone.?
With many children separated from non-custodial parents by geographical distance throughout the school year, children of divorce become, to some extent, unattached to that same non-custodial parent. ?As a result, when visiting a non-custodial parent during the summer months, it may take several days or weeks for the parent and child to re-connect and feel comfortable with the summer visitation experience.
Non-custodial parents who intend to spend time with their children for extended periods in the summer, should prepare well in advance.? It is important to make arrangements at their place of employment to ensure that the parent has quality time with the child.? While it may not be possible for the parent having summer vacation to take the whole vacation visitation off of work, it may be necessary to provide for appropriate summer activities and supervision for the child while the non-custodial parent is at work.? Oftentimes, this requires the use of summer child care or short-term summer camp or the use of extended family caregivers.? The non-custodial parent can help their child adjust to this arrangement by discussing this with the child in advance, and also familiarizing the child with the plan or schedule.? Having the custodial parent as an ally in this process is invaluable.? The non-custodial parent may need to work through feelings of anger and hurt, but summer vacation visitation provides an opportunity for uninterrupted blocks of time where quality parenting can take place.? The non-custodial parent should take advantage of this time and look at it as a blessing.? The non-custodial parent should never express negative feelings or comments to the child, with regard to the custodial parent, as this will tend to alienate the child from the other parent, or could backfire, leaving the child alienated from the commenting parent.? There is no substitute for common sense when it comes to determining what to say to a child, but getting the advice of trained professionals can always help.? The child?s therapists or doctors can provide some guidance, as can the custodial parent.? If there are concerns that are legal in nature, a consultation with a family law attorney could be helpful.
As with any child visitation or child custody arrangements, continual involvement in a child?s life will help smooth the path and provide for the most optimal outcome when summer visitation arrives.
Successful Full Time Rental Sales Associates at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport have the opportunity to earn a Competitive Base Pay + Commission!
IT?S EXCITING being on the fast track to career success.
If you're looking for a career with a company that is as high energy as you are, join the Avis Budget Group (Nasdaq: CAR) team. We operate two of the leading global brands in the vehicle rental industry through Avis and Budget. Along with our subsidiaries and licensees, we provide a complete range of vehicle rental services through 10,000 rental locations in three operating regions: North America; Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA); and Latin America/Asia-Pacific. That means we're serving customers in approximately 175 countries around the world. We're headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. and own and operate most Avis and Budget car rental offices in North America, Europe and Australia, and operate primarily through licensees in other parts of the world. As a Customer Led, Service Driven organization, our approximately 28,000 employees are empowered to make decisions and move things forward.
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If you are motivated by money and have a passion for sales and customer service then consider a sales career at Avis Budget Group!? Our Rental Sales Associates are well trained to attain their sales goals by using our proven sales techniques.? Rental Sales Associates enjoy working in a fast-paced environment.? They have a direct impact on the bottom line of our organization?s success while enhancing our customers? rental experience.
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In order to be considered for this outstanding sales opportunity you must be sales driven, self-motivated, personable, dependable, and willing to work shifts that may include evenings, weekends, and holidays.
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If you are selected to join our team as a Rental Sales Associate we will provide you with the following in exchange for your sales talents:
Highly Competitive Compensation ? hourly base pay + extremely lucrative commission/incentive/bonus plan!? You will receive GUARANTEED commission on your first six paychecks while undergoing our extensive training program as well as a BONUS following the completion of your first year of service!
On-Going Career Development - extensive training to ensure your success and earning potential
Job Requirements
RENTAL SALES ASSOCIATE REQUIREMENTS:
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???At least 6 months of experience in a role where sales and/or customer service were key ? ? ?elements of your duties
???Ability to handle high-pressure sales and service situations in a calm and collected manner
???Willing to work various shifts including nights, weekends, and holidays
???Basic computer skills in order to enter information into our database
???Willing to complete pre-employment testing, drug screen, and background check
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Avis Budget Group is an EEO/AA Employer
The information listed above is intended to describe the general nature and level of this position.? Essential functions and responsibilities may change as business needs require.? Your response to this advertisement may result in your consideration for employment with an affiliated company of Avis Budget Group, the publicly traded parent company of Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC and its subsidiaries.? Offers of employment will be made by Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC or any of its employing companies or brands, including Avis, Budget, Budget Truck or AB Car Rental Services.??Candidates must?meet all basic qualifications and submit a complete application to be considered for this position.? This posting serves as an advertisement of an existing open position only and does not qualify as the job description.
Careers.org gives you access to over a million jobs and career opportunities across the US including in Santa Barbara. Find your perfect job and apply directly through a simply online application process
Carla Waller believes in promises. She was married for 37 years, held one job for 35 and never adopted a pet she didn't keep for life. Until now.
Waller and her husband Dennis moved to Las Vegas in 2006 and put $100,000 down on a $330,000 home. They adopted Jake, a 3-year-old, lean, shy Cocker spaniel. They both sold furniture on commission and thought they were set for retirement and beyond.
Dennis was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2008 and died in 2009. Carla stayed home to care for him, but returned to work to make ends meet. She adopted Marilyn Monroe, a schnauzer-collie, to keep Jake company. A friend added Jewels the cat to the mix.
The recession stripped her home of a third of its value. Then health problems left her unable to work.
Foreclosure is just around the corner, said Waller, 67. "I know I'm a couple of months out. I can't do it anymore. I don't have the income," she said. "I'm done. There is nothing I can do now."
The hardest call she had to make was to Foreclosed Upon Pets, Inc., to arrange for homes for Jake, Marilyn and Jewels so she can move in with relatives.
"I am very depressed about it and very concerned about where they go because I took them for life and life is not what it should be," she said.
Waller's story is all too familiar to Everett Croxson, who founded Las Vegas-based FUPI (rhymes with puppy) in 2008.
Croxson, 59, a retired business consultant, was guided by hometown headlines.
? Nevada had the worst foreclosure rate nationally for 62 months until March.
? Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 11.6 percent.
? The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas runs the highest volume single-facility shelter in the country. It takes in close to 50,000 animals a year. Nearly two-thirds have to be euthanized.
In 2009, Croxson bought a five-bedroom home to use as a transition house for the pets. FUPI placed 348 pets that year.
In 2010, it was nearly 500; in 2011, 570; and this year it will be more than 600, Croxson said.
FUPI also works with the unemployed and those too ill or old to handle their pets, but about 30 percent of their pets are foreclosures, Croxson said.
"Real estate agents or cleaning crews call all the time. Maybe they have found a couple of cats in a closet of a foreclosed home," he said.
In Arizona, which bumped Nevada from the top of the foreclosure rankings in March, the Lost Our Home Pet Foundation in Phoenix does similar work. Founded in 2008, it also relies primarily on fosters although it did open a small shelter in April.
There are about 40 animals in the shelter and 220 in foster care. More than 2,000 have been placed in four years, said founder-executive director Jodi Polanski.
As a mortgage loan officer, Polanski heard story after story, so she started the rescue in her spare time. There was too much work, so she became full-time director and now she and two employees work with 120 volunteers and fosters.
Lost Our Home runs a food bank and a temporary care program for dogs belonging to homeless entering shelters. The dogs are kept for 90 days so owners can get back on their feet.
In Arizona's Maricopa County, foreclosed homeowners have turned into renters. "Landlords can be pickier and not allow pets or they can require large pet deposits," Polanski said, forcing people to give up some or all of their animals. The problem will exist until people can qualify for home loans again, she said.
"The economy is looking better in a lot of places, but it's not better for the animals right now," Polanski added.
There is no charge to a person relinquishing an animal, but adopters pay $150 per animal at FUPI, $75 for cats and $195 for dogs at Lost Our Home. A vet's exam, sterilization, shots and a microchip are included.
Polanski said the worst part of her job is turning pets away. "We do have limitations. We have a waiting list. It breaks our hearts every day when there are pets we can't help," she said.
A few weeks ago, FUPI rescued two Shih Tzus from an elderly woman who was being transferred to a home for dementia patients. Their fur was so matted with feces, dirt and food, they had to be shaved.
"She loved her dogs, she just didn't know the state they were in," Croxson said.
In addition to its own placements, FUPI sends between eight and 14 Animal Foundation dogs to Canada each week, where a pet store chain houses and places them.
"It's absolutely helpful to our organization to have rescues like FUPI," said Carly Scholten, Animal Foundation's director of operations.
In addition to a website and weekly adoption events, Croxson is taking part in county meetings designed to find ways to place more animals, and he does a weekly radio show to recruit volunteers and talk about pets.
For Croxson, the worst part of helping is the loss, guilt and remorse he sees when owners say goodbye to their pets.
He works hard to find homes he believes would please them.
Waller told him Jake needs someone by his side, day and night. "He's an old person's dog, though he's great with kids. His favorite thing to do is lie at your side."
No matter what, she said, "I hope my puppies are loved as much as I love them."
Famous Spanish human rights investigator Baltasar Garzon will lead the legal team representing WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, the whistleblower website announced on Tuesday.
Assange is currently at the Ecuadoran embassy in London, seeking political asylum in the Latin American country, after losing his legal battle to avoid extradition to face questions over rape and sexual assault claims in Sweden.
Garzon, best known for issuing an international arrest warrant against former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, recently met with Assange at the embassy to discuss a new legal strategy, according to a statement approved by both men.
According to the release, the aim is to "defend both WikiLeaks and Julian Assange from the existing abuse of process and expose the arbitrary, extrajudicial actions by the international financial system" against the former hacker and his website.
Garzon will also strive to "show how the secret US processes against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have compromised and contaminated other legal processes, including the extradition process against Mr Assange," it added.
The judge has previously voiced concern over the alleged lack of safeguards and transparency involved in actions against Assange.
WikiLeaks and Assange enraged the United States by publishing a flood of secret information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The website founder fears that if extradited to Sweden, he will be subsequently re-extradited to the United States to stand trial for espionage, on account of the 250,000 US diplomatic cables that were published on the Wikileaks website.
Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa, who has often been at odds with Washington and offered Assange asylum in 2010, has said that the South American country will take its time considering the application.
Garzon was in February disbarred from his role as an investigating magistrate in Spain after he was found to have wiretapped conversations between defence lawyers and their clients.
He has said he will appeal to the Constitutional Court of Spain against his expulsion.
In 2008, the former jurist formally declared Spain's Franco regime to have committed crimes against humanity and ordered the exhumation of 19 unmarked graves.
There are people that get this sudden inspiration for losing weight. They wake up one fine morning and decide that it?s enough ? being obese and fat. They stop eating and hit the gym. Some of them are sensible enough to change their diet and focus on systematic weight loss. Others are senseless enough to try and lose weight all of a sudden. The former are definitely better off because they not only enjoy life more but also have a healthier body thanks to dietary supplements. Money can be saved on these supplements when you buy discount supplements.
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Weight loss is a difficult task. You just have to eat pizzas and fries for a week and you will see that the needle on the weighing machine has happily tilted towards the heavier side. But when you try to lose weight you come to find that losing even a pound seems like an impossible chore. And why not? To reduce a pound of your weight you need to shed 3,500 calories more than what you shed normally in a day. This is not easy and you will really need to invest time in heavy duty cardio and weight exercises.
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But you should never go crazy about weight loss. If you do you will only harm yourself. When you spend time in cardio and weight exercises your body sheds a lot of nutrients. If you don?t replenish your body you are in for serious trouble. When you hit the gym your primary objective should be fitness and health. But if your body cannot take the punishment you will have no fitness and your health will deteriorate. So how will you work out? If you don?t work out how will you lose weight? As you can see, it is all interconnected. Don?t focus on one and the others get affected too.
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Having dietary supplements is the best you can do for fitness and health. The only issue with supplements is that some of them can be quite expensive. But there is a way you can counter this issue. You can buy discount supplements online from some of the bestselling online stores. Discount supplements are available as various brands and you will just need to find out about the best brands.
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There is one thing about discount supplements or any supplement for that matter that you need to know about. They don?t cause weight loss all the time. But what they do is help you lose fat and build muscles. So, even when you gain weight it will be positive weight, i.e. your muscle weight will increase but your fat weight will go down. Do you think this is bad for you? You should, on the contrary, be happy about it.
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So you know what you need to do. You need to worry less about weight loss and instead focus on fitness and health by consuming dietary supplements. There are many brands of discount supplements available online that you can buy easily and for less.
More than weight loss you should focus on fitness. Discount supplements will help you stay fit and also help you save money.
If you love your pets, but find a lot of the pet products out there a bit bland, then you really must sign up for inubar! They are letting people in slowly, but I promise it is worth the wait. Everything you order ships with just $5 regardless of how much you order! A great deal, and the prices on the site are fair as well. I do believe we are going to develop a shopping addiction. Our items arrived quickly, and were in great condition.
How to find a list of non profit organizations? It is not an easy question to answer. Although there are many free emails that a person receives in a day, not all of these emails are useful. Most of the emails that are flooding a person?s inbox and spam folder are junkies. For a person to be sure that he is not keeping a junk mail, it is wise to set two criteria on the emails that he will be using. The first criterion is that the email list of non profit organizations was acquired in a reasonable amount. Only a few good things come free in this life. It is not bad to spend some cash on something that can be useful for you in the future. Another criterion that the list should be able to meet is that it is provided by a reliable company. A source with a good reputation rarely gives you a junk product.
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Public release date: 27-Jul-2012
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As an indication the housing market may take longer to recover than hoped, CNNMoney reports new home sales fell 8.4% in June to a seasonally annual-adjusted rate (SAAR) of 350,000, following sales in May that hit a two year high, according to the Census Bureau. Housing market analysts expected sales of 373,000, far from the annual rate in 2005 of 1.4 million. David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), says one new home construction creates about three jobs: half are in the construction trades, the rest consist of material suppliers, truck drivers, and furniture and appliance producers. As MHProNews has learned, the June rate was still 16 percent higher than June 2011. Median sales price for a new home hit $232,600 in June.