Economic News and Information

SystemC AMS Extensions Enrich ESL Design Methodologies for
Mixed-Signal Applications

DRESDEN, Germany — DATE CONFERENCE – The Open SystemC Initiative (OSCI), an independent
non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing SystemC™
as an industry-standard language for electronic system-level (ESL)
design, today released the SystemC Analog/Mixed-signal (AMS) extensions
language standard, AMS 1.0. The AMS 1.0 standard is the first modeling
language targeting system-level design and verification to describe
analog/mixed-signal behavior as natural extension to existing
SystemC-based design methodologies.

Designed for use with IEEE Std. 1666™-2005, the AMS language
standardizes new class libraries, layered on top of the SystemC
standard, featuring specialized AMS system-level design and modeling
methods. The AMS language reference manual (LRM) introduces new
execution semantics for efficient simulation of discrete- and
continuous-time behavior, and incorporates updates from the public
review conducted in early 2009.

“The AMS extensions demonstrate how SystemC further advances with the
collaborative effort of semiconductor industry, universities and
research institutes,” said Eric Lish, OSCI Chairman. “I am delighted
that OSCI is in the center of this standardization effort, driving these
innovative ESL design methodologies.”

Who:
Docea Power , the electronic system level (ESL) company that delivers software for early power and thermal analysis for electronic design applications, will demonstrate and preview ACEplorer 2.0 with its new power management feature and participate in a tutorial and panel session at the 2010 Design, Automation Test in Europe (DATE) in Dresden, Germany.

What:
Docea will preview ACEplorer 2.0, the newest version of the first ESL power analysis software for exploring power and thermal behavior at the architectural level. ACEplorer 2.0 includes a new project management feature that boosts design team productivity.

ACEplorer models and simulates power and thermal behavior of whole electronics systems. It integrates a consistent power data management methodology for capturing power behavior. The models can be used by all the members of a design team and during different stages of a design flow, from system level to silicon measurements.

ACEplorer 2.0 provides a consistent framework for creating libraries of any component — including Intellectual Property (IP)-based power description models. Within its collaborative framework users can easily instantiate, aggregate and share libraries with other team members.

Docea Powers software is used by system engineers, architects as well as software and hardware developers for high level implementation specification of chips, packages and boards for wireless, telecommunications, gaming, automotive, consumer, medical and military systems applications.

As we know – because theyre always telling us – rocks superstars are feeling the pinch. Faced with a global slump in album sales and the not-unconnected problem of illegal downloading, theyve embarked on an increasingly desperate search for the industrys new Holy Grail. a business model that can make money from music while accommodating the iPod generations unwillingness to pay for it. Its a circle that cant easily be squared, though there have been some imaginative attempts to date. A few months later, Radiohead leaked their new album In Rainbows onto the internet, asking fans to pay only what they thought it was worth. Over one million people coughed up something. The deluxe vinyl version, released two months later, went on to become the best-selling release of 2008. and that in a vinyl market in which sales rose 89% on the previous year. Next weekend, the Kingdom of Fife enters the story when King Creosote – also known as 43-year-old musician Kenny Anderson – performs at Anstruthers Homegame festival. Anderson isnt a rock superstar but, like Prince, hes giving away a free album and performing a series of connected live shows. The difference is that his audience will have to record this album for themselves. Now in its seventh year, Homegame is organised by Fence Records, the label Anderson founded in the mid-1990s and which he now runs with fellow musician Johnny Lynch. Together they are part of a wider community of musicians known as the Fence Collective.

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Shands HealthCare at the University of Florida nurse recognized for
commitment to improving patient care and workflow through the use of
technology

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Rubbermaid Medical Solutions (RMS), the leading provider of mobile carts
and mobile computing solutions for healthcare facilities, today
announced that Karen Silvernell, RN, is the winner of its inaugural Increasing
the Capacity of Care Nursing Award.

The award, which was offered to nurses at Shands HealthCare at the
University of Florida (Shands UF), enabled nurses to nominate colleagues
through an online application process. Silvernell’s nomination showed
that she is committed to the use of information technology to improve
workflow and patient safety. Her dedication to developing an electronic
Plan of Care that meets the needs of all ICU patient, willingness to be
a resource for the staff during the implementation of the technology and
efforts to have staff education completed on time were all factors that
led to her selection.

“Nurses are such an integral part of any health system – they are the
ones that interact with patients most often, and they need technology
that will help them to do their job efficiently,” said Jeff Chochinov,
senior product manager for RMS. “The dedication that the nurses at
Shands UF have to technology was clear when we received all of the
applications for this award. We applaud everyone at Shands UF who was
nominated – especially Karen Silvernell – for their desire to improve
all aspects of the health delivery system.”

“This award is especially exciting since the nomination comes from
another nurse who has benefited from the technology we created,” said
Silvernell. “I have been thrilled to see how the plan of care has joined
with new technology to improve health care delivery and patient safety
for the patients and families at Shands UF.”

Laura Skandera Trombley, President of Pitzer College and Author of the soon-to-be-released “Mark Twains Other Woman: The Hidden Story of His Final Years,” will discuss her book with TOWN HALL Los Angeles on the release date, Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at The Regency Club .

Knopf Publishers describes the book: “Sixteen years of sleuthing by Laura Skandera Trombley reveals the carefully hidden — and often deliberately ignored — truth about Twains final years. Isabel Lyon was Twains assistant and constant companion. She handled his schedule and finances, nursed him through illnesses, managed his daughters, ran his household and traveled with him. Yet, Twain fired her, blackmailed her, publicly denounced her and called her a traitor, a conspirator, a filthy-minded slut pining for seduction. Through Lyons secret journals and letters, the book reveals the destructive relationship between them and the dark secrets of Twains last years.”

Said Trombley, “My view of Twain has always been that he was an extraordinary human being. And through sheer genius he managed to overcome all of the obstacles in his life. In some ways weve never really done a very good job of accounting for that. I think in many ways the work that Ive done helps us understand a little bit what motivated him, what encouraged him and what he feared.”

Trombley became the fifth president of Pitzer College in 2002. During her tenure, Pitzer students and alumni have received more Fulbright Fellowships per 1000 students than any other college or university in the US. Trombley has authored dozens of scholarly articles on Twain. Trombleys other books on Twain include “Mark Twain in the Company of Women” and “Constructing Mark Twain: New Directions in Scholarship.”

WASHINGTON — According to new survey data released yesterday by the American
Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), enrollment in doctoral
nursing programs increased by more than 20% this year, signaling strong
interest among students in careers as nursing scientists, faculty,
primary care providers, and specialists. Final results from AACN’s 2009
annual survey confirm that enrollments in all types of baccalaureate and
higher degree programs continue to trend upward. Though nursing schools
have been able to expand student capacity, the latest data show that
more than 54,000 qualified applications to professional nursing programs
were turned away in 2009, including more than 9,500 applications to
master’s and doctoral degree programs.

“Expanding capacity in baccalaureate and graduate programs is critical
to sustaining a healthy nursing workforce and providing patients with
the best care possible,” said AACN President Fay Raines. “Even though
these across-the-board increases in enrollments are encouraging, we
simply must find ways to advance policy and programs that will enable
schools to accommodate all qualified applicants in professional nursing
programs. Bringing more nurses into graduate programs is urgent given
the calls for more expert nurses to deliver high quality, cost-effective
care in a healthcare system undergoing reform.”

This increase in baccalaureate student population is welcome news given
the calls by AACN, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the
American Nurses Association, and other authorities to concentrate the
education of new nurses in baccalaureate programs. In a recent report by
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Dr. Patricia
Benner and colleagues state that “profound changes in nursing practice
call for equally profound changes in the education of nurses.” The
authors found that many of today’s new nurses are “undereducated” to
meet practice demands across settings and strongly support baccalaureate
programs as the appropriate pathway for RNs entering the profession.

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The vibrant market for ethnic-specific health and beauty care products has experienced steady growth — even during the worst economic times — with retails sales increasing to $3 billion during the period 2005-2009, according to “Ethnic Hair, Beauty and Cosmetics Products in the U.S., 7th Edition” by market research publisher Packaged Facts.

Yet while some marketers are intimately acquainted with the infrastructure and the quirks of the more specific aspects of the ethnic health and beauty care market, which mainly comprising haircare, makeup, and skincare products for African Americans and Hispanics, other marketers deem it wise to compete on a larger scale and reach beyond any one ethnic demographic niche by positioning products multiculturally. This strategy exists between the ethnic-specific and general market ends of the spectrum, and yet blurs with them both a little.

Packaged Facts asserts that there is now less advantage for ethnic health and beauty care marketers — particularly for smaller and midrange players — to restrict themselves to niche-positioning, and more advantage in the multicultural approach.

“In 2010, there is a strong trend to position beauty products multiculturally. That is, not only to the three principal minorities consisting of Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians, but also to Arabs, Native Americans, South Asians, and others,” says Don Montuori, publisher of Packaged Facts. “A strength of using the term multicultural is that products carrying the label can be marketed to everybody, including Caucasians.”

The ability to market multicultural health and beauty care products to Caucasians, in addition to consumers of other ethnic backgrounds, is important to marketers based in the U.S. who increasingly seek lucrative international involvements. The term “ethnic” does not have the same meaning in most of the rest of the world, where billions of people have skin tones that befit the use of ethnic products popular in America and where Whites are the minority. Even in the U.S., which is home to more than 100 million persons of color, the term is expected to become antiquated in the coming decades, as the ethnic nation expands to become the majority sometime around 2042.

NEW YORK — Coach, Inc. (NYSE: COH), a leading marketer of modern classic American
accessories, and BeautyBank in a combined effort with Aramis Designer
Fragrances, divisions of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL)
today announced their expansion plans for Coach Beauty. The companies
plan to increase their existing fragrance and beauty line globally, with
immediate plans to enter North American department stores and specialty
retailers, followed by a launch in global markets. Previously, Coach
Beauty was available exclusively in Coach freestanding U.S. stores. The
North American rollout will begin in March 2010 with the global launch
to follow.

“We have been pleased with the customer reactions and industry reception
that our fragrance business has garnered in such a short time,” said
Kathy Nedorostek, President of U.S. Wholesale and Global Licensing for
Coach. “This initial success in our own stores serves to underscore the
potential for Coach Beauty with a more extensive distribution
network and with the support of BeautyBank and Aramis Designer
Fragrances in heightening awareness.”

“Coach is an iconic brand with an extremely loyal consumer base and has
proven time and again to be both relevant and innovative in today’s
marketplace,” stated Veronique Gabai-Pinsky, Global Brand President,
Aramis Designer Fragrances, BeautyBank and IdeaBank. “We have a great
opportunity to build upon the success we’ve seen with Coach Beauty by
expanding our distribution here in the U.S. and around the world.”

The global expansion will begin in March 2010 with the launch of the
Coach Signature Fragrance in Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Macy’s,
Dillard’s, Lord Taylor, Von Maur, Bon Ton, Belk and Sephora stores
nationwide. The launch will be supported by an integrated marketing and
communications campaign, including widespread national print and web,
among other media.

For nearly seventy years, Coach has been a classic part of the landscape
of American design. Coach began with twelve eloquently simple bag
designs with classic, well-balanced proportions. Over the years, they
have expanded with each collection representing a unique synthesis of
magic and logic that stands for quality, authenticity, value and a truly
aspirational, distinctive American style.

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Chartwell Seniors Housing Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: CSH.UN) announced today results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2009.

2009 HIGHLIGHTS:

Same property net operating income (”NOI”) decreased $0.3 million or 0.7% for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 compared to the same period last year. For the year ended December 31, 2009 same property NOI decreased $0.9 million or 0.5% compared to last year. The implementation of rent increases on renewal and turnover, increased ancillary revenues, and targeted cost reductions partially offset the negative impact of reduced occupancies, property and commodity tax increases, and a one-time increase in vacation and benefit cost estimates compared to the prior year. Same property occupancy was 91.8% in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous quarter of 2009 but down from 93.1% in last years fourth quarter. For the year ended December 31, 2009 same property occupancy was 91.6% compared to 93.3% in the prior year.

In the Canadian Retirement portfolio same property NOI decreased $1.0 million or 4.3% for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 compared to the same period last year. For the year ended December 31, 2009 same property NOI decreased $1.8 million or 1.8% compared to last year. The NOI declines are primarily attributable to lower occupancies, particularly in the British Columbia portfolio, as well as one-time increases in estimated liabilities for employee vacation and benefits recorded in the fourth quarter of 2009. Same property occupancies in Ontario were healthy at 93.1% in the fourth quarter of 2009, up from 92.1% in the third quarter of the year and lower than 94.1% in the fourth quarter of last year. Customer traffic and expected future arrivals maintained positive trends and management is optimistic that this improvement will translate into continued increases in occupancies in 2010. In addition, the spillover effect from significant waiting lists for long-term care beds in the province should continue supporting the increased demand for retirement suites. Performance in the Quebec portfolio continues to show steady growth with same property average occupancy improving to 88.6% in the fourth quarter of 2009, up from 87.8% in the third quarter of 2009 and from 85.5% in the fourth quarter of last year. In Western Canada, while Alberta occupancies remained strong, continued oversupply conditions in two British Columbia markets, combined with reduced occupancies at one long-term care community, resulted in same property occupancies declining to 90.3% in the fourth quarter of 2009 from 91.0% in the third quarter of 2009 and 95.0% in the fourth quarter of the prior year.

Enables Online Auto Insurance Company to Easily Deliver High-Quality
Video Content to Media Center

Esurance is dedicated to improving the way people shop for, buy, and
manage their auto insurance. Over the past 10 years, Esurance has sold
more than 1.6 million auto insurance policies, and insured more than 2.3
million drivers. In addition to hassle-free auto insurance, Esurance is
also known for its unique use of animation in its advertising, featuring
the iconic cartoon secret agent, Erin Esurance.

“We were looking to streamline the way customers view video on our
site,” said Lisa Ward, Director of Customer Experience at Esurance.
“Ooyalas platform enables us to provide customers with a robust
selection of their favorite Esurance commercials. We are pleased to be
working with Ooyala and look forward to growing the offerings of our
media center.”

“We are excited to work with Esurance to support their online video
initiatives,” said JR Becko, Director of Sales at Ooyala. “We look
forward to supporting the growth of Esurances media center with our
technology.”

CHICAGO — Wells Fargo Insurance Services announced today that Peter Daly and Tom
Whitenight, both senior vice presidents from the company’s Redwood City,
Calif. office, received Risk Insurances 2010 “Power
Broker” award in the pharmaceutical and technology categories,
respectively.

Nearly 2,500 nominees serving 24 industry categories were considered for
the award. In confidential interviews, risk managers were asked to cite
specific examples of what their broker accomplished during 2009 to
deserve the recognition. Risk managers provided specific descriptions of
how their brokers solved different claims, coverage, or pricing issues
for their customers.

“Peter and Tom’s success comes from anticipating the needs of their
customers and delivering the best outcomes,” said Rod Sockolov, managing
director for Wells Fargo Insurance Services. “I am so pleased that their
exceptional talents are recognized by their peers and customers.
Congratulations to Peter and Tom and the teams that supported them in
providing creative risk management solutions to customers.”

As part of Wells Fargo Insurance Services’ technology division, Daly
provides the direction for a team of risk management and insurance
specialists who deliver brokerage services to customers. He has
specialized throughout his career in biotech and medical
device businesses while developing experience for the special needs in
this market segment.

“While I am honored to receive this award, I want to make sure my team
also is recognized for providing great service for our customers,” said
Daly. “Our staff delivers the highest quality service to our customers
and it’s their daily contribution that makes our practice standout. We
also work with customers who recognize the high standard to which we
hold ourselves to and reward us by choosing to work with us for many
years.”

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Carlisle Management Company , a leading alternative investment and advisory firm and manager of the Luxembourg Long Term Growth Life Settlement Fund, today announced its support for additional industry transparency. Carlisle concluded a successful four-day, three country trade mission focused on bridging information between European investors and representatives from the United States Life Settlement community. The trade mission was led by the European Life Settlement Association (ELSA) and by The Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) and provided the first international effort to capitalize on interest within the secondary market.

The trade mission provided European investors, life settlement experts, and service providers a unique and collaborative forum to discuss acceptance of regulation, higher levels of disclosure and unifying of industry standards. “We are privileged to be a part of such an informative and ground breaking event and joining European life settlement community in promoting best-practices,” said Jose Garcia, Chief Executive Officer of Carlisle . “The significant participation and quality of attendees here highlights that the European investment community is focused and engaged in life settlements.” The ELSA governing body also provided a timetable and theme for establishing a code of practice early this year.

Carlisle presented on a number of topics including Best Practices, Fund Investment Environments and Mitigation of Risk and topics ranged from views on the financial crisis, impact of recent longevity revisions and the importance of regulated jurisdictions. Unlike investments in many asset classes, professionals attending the trade mission were drawn to the low correlation life settlements policies have in comparison to traditional investments.

Commenting on the recent trip, “The Luxembourg Life fund is well positioned with our transparent and regulated vehicle structure, mark to market pricing and tested performance,” said Tim Mol, Chief Operating Officer of Carlisle . “Combined with our fund servicing capabilities we continue to gain exposure within European markets.”

Enables Online Auto Insurance Company to Easily Deliver High-Quality
Video Content to Media Center

Esurance is dedicated to improving the way people shop for, buy, and
manage their auto insurance. Over the past 10 years, Esurance has sold
more than 1.6 million auto insurance policies, and insured more than 2.3
million drivers. In addition to hassle-free auto insurance, Esurance is
also known for its unique use of animation in its advertising, featuring
the iconic cartoon secret agent, Erin Esurance.

“We were looking to streamline the way customers view video on our
site,” said Lisa Ward, Director of Customer Experience at Esurance.
“Ooyalas platform enables us to provide customers with a robust
selection of their favorite Esurance commercials. We are pleased to be
working with Ooyala and look forward to growing the offerings of our
media center.”

“We are excited to work with Esurance to support their online video
initiatives,” said JR Becko, Director of Sales at Ooyala. “We look
forward to supporting the growth of Esurances media center with our
technology.”

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UPrinting.com, the online printing company specializing in small business marketing, announced free shipping on all business card orders through March 31, 2010.

“Providing our clients with high-quality products at an affordable price has been UPrintings mission since day one,” said Samuel Nam, marketing manager at UPrinting.com. “Our promotions are always targeted at meeting the needs of our clients. When we saw an increase in business card orders, our natural reaction was to thank them with a money saving offer.”

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– Announces Regular Quarterly Dividend –

ATLANTA — PRIMEDIA Inc. (NYSE:
PRM), a leading provider of online, print and mobile platforms that
provide consumers with tools and information that they need to find a
place to live, today reported results for the fourth quarter and full
year ended December 31, 2009.

Fourth Quarter Highlights

New York Festivals International Advertising Awards , honoring the Worlds Best Advertising(c), announced today that iconic commercial director, Joe Sedelmaier, and legendary advertising creative, Neil French, will join the 2010 NYF GrandJury ®. Mr. Sedelmaier will judge Art Technique, and Mr. French has signed on to judge Print. Their celebrated reputations and contributions as jury members will generate prominence for the 2010 competition, which is accepting entries until March 15th. NYFs 2010 Advertising Awards ceremony will take place in Shanghai, China on June 10th, 11th and 12th at the Shanghai Theater Academy and Sino ADI.

Both Sedelmaier and French were awarded the NYF Lifetime Achievement Award at separate ceremonies during the 2009 NYF International Advertising Awards World Tour. Joe Sedelmaier, known for his quirky humor and offbeat casting, has created award winning commercials for clients such as Wendys, Fed Ex, and Alaska Air. His comedic point of view lambasted the workaholic corporate culture of the 70s and 80s, garnering this comic genius countless international advertising awards.

The British advertising executive Neil French, a former WPP Creative Director, is considered one of the true pioneers of advertising in Asia, and is recognized in advertising circles for bringing the creative revolution to Asia. His award winning ads featured his signature lengthy copy, peppered with the unmistakable Neil French dry wit.

Both Sedelmaier and French will participate in selecting the Worlds Best Advertising(c) as members of NYFs 2010 GrandJury®. The GrandJury® is comprised of over 250 Senior Creative Directors from 56 countries, and represents the largest and most diverse jury of any advertising competition in the world.

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BEIRUT — In the first success achieved by the legal efforts regarding the Cartoon
Drawings of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), which were
published by the Danish Newspapers, Politiken (one of the newspapers
that had published the Cartoon Drawing) declared its apology for the
offence it had caused against Islam, Muslims, and their Prophet Mohammed
(peace be upon him).

On Friday, 26 February 2010, corresponding to the 12th of Rabee’ Al-Awal
1431H, Politiken published its apology and the draft of the settlement
which has been reached between the newspaper and the Law Firm of Ahmed
Zaki Yamani (Lawyers and Legal Consultants) mandated by Corpc Unison
Kinsfolk Home Wolq (the International Organization of Ilaf
Al El-Bait) which exist in eight countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Qatar, Australia, and Palestine, and has more
than (95.000) ninety five thousand members who are the descendants of
the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him).

Mr.
Faisal Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the Executive Partner of the Law
Firm of Ahmed Zaki Yamani (Lawyers and Legal Consultants) and the
Lead Council of the Prophet Case said: “We thank God for our success in
reaching a settlement with the Danish Newspaper which has recognized its
mistake, apologized, and indicated not to reoffend Muslims and their
Prophet (peace be upon him). We wished that all the Danish Newspapers
which published the Drawings accepted to enter into a settlement as
Politiken did, and published an apology to avoid multiple jurisdictional
litigations and costly damages in favor of our clients.”

Mr. Faisal Yamani pointed out that on the authorization of Corpc
Unison Kinsfolk Home Wolq (the International
Organization of Ilaf Al El-Bait) to the Law Firm of Ahmed Zaki Yamani
(Lawyers and Legal Consultants) the Law Firm more than once sent letters
to the seventeen Danish Newspapers requesting them to apologize in order
to avoid multiple jurisdictional litigations against them.

Mr. Yamani stated: “We have succeeded in reaching a settlement with the
newspaper, however, we will continue as mandated by our clients (the
organizations) as they are the descendants of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and have been harmed as all Muslims around the world by the
publication of the Cartoon Drawings.”

Fortress Financial Group, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: FFGO) filed a Form 8-K and a Form D today confirming the partial conversion of an outstanding Loan Note by an amount of US$400,000.

The issue of shares of the Companys Common Stock to fund the partial conversion of this outstanding Loan Note will not in any way affect the pricing per share of US$0.003 in respect of our planned sale of the Companys Gold interests; as stated in our Press Release dated March 3, 2010.

It is extremely unlikely that any of other Loan Note Holders will accept shares of the Companys Common Stock in settlement of their Loan Notes as they have very clearly indicated that they are very happy to wait for full settlement from the proceeds of the sale of the Companys Gold interests.

Company Management truly appreciates the unwavering support and true commitment of our Loan Note Holders and we view their acceptance of the Companys shares of Common Stock to settle amounts owed to them as a tremendous sign of goodwill. The Company has now reduced its Long Term debt by an amount of US$900,000 in and during 2010.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually,” “projected” or “guidelines.” You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks identified in filings made by such company with the SEC.

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Dearborn National™ is pleased to announce the appointment of William Johnson to Regional Vice President of Sales. In his new role, Johnson will direct sales activities in the Northeast region, developing innovative strategies to acquire and retain business, while implementing various distribution models to help facilitate Dearborn Nationals growth in the area.

“Bills long history of sales success and dedication to cultivating valuable relationships with brokers will be two of the many assets he brings to our organization,” said Brian Griffin, Vice President of Sales at Dearborn National. “I am confident that his guidance will enhance our sales teams efforts as we strive to provide our customers with top quality products and services that fit their needs.”

“Dearborn National is the best kept secret in the industry,” said Johnson. “Im very pleased to be a part of such an exceptional management team that clearly understands what it takes to win in the marketplace, and I look forward to bringing in the most talented sales people in the Northeast to join me in this exciting journey.”

Johnson brings a wealth of experience in both sales and management from his 18-year career in the insurance industry. Most recently, he served as Regional Sales Director at MetLife, where he garnered several professional accolades, including being named Regional Sales Director of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Johnson holds a bachelors degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University.

Xiotech Corporation, a leader in intelligent application-oriented storage solutions, today announced that Nova Networks has joined its Xcel Channel Partner Program. Through this relationship, Nova will re-sell Xiotechs patented Intelligent Storage Element (ISE™) technology to various organizations.

Explosive data growth has outstripped the legacy storage infrastructure, requiring costly over-provisioning of resources to overcome a significant performance bottleneck. Offering a fresh approach to this well-entrenched business reality, ISE technology delivers the industrys highest-performing and most reliable application-oriented data storage — ideal for server and desktop virtualization. ISE units enable 100 percent usable storage capacity, while maintaining optimal performance as drives approach full utilization. Notably, due to efficiencies inherent in ISE technology, Xiotech allows organizations to scale their storage infrastructures with unprecedented flexibility and cost effectiveness.

“Nova Networks offers a proven, established team with the ability to deliver solutions that truly add value and solve problems to end users and their data centers,” said Xiotech Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development Brian Reagan. “We look forward to working with them to bring our ISE technology to new organizations and to providing those customers the best service and support in the industry.”

“I am very pleased to add the Xiotech brand to our portfolio of products and services,” commented Gus Isaac, President of Nova Networks. “We feel that Xiotechs unique technology coupled with its proven track record will be very attractive to our client base.”

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Sparta Commercial Services (OTCBB: SRCO) announced today that, as a result of the growing interest among local and state governmental agencies, the Company is intensifying its marketing efforts in support of its Municipal Lease Product. With the recent addition of more cities and towns to Spartas roster of municipalities under contract for the leasing of vehicles and other equipment, and the rapidly growing number of inquiries from other agencies around the country, the Company believes that refocusing additional resources to its marketing activity is essential.

Sparta has also established relationships with one of the four manufacturers of police motorcycles, which has recently given Sparta a presence at its corporate website as a recommended source for Municipal Lease Purchase Financing. Sparta considers this a major advancement for its Municipal Lease Financing Program, and is actively engaged with two additional OEMs in an effort to form similar strategic alliances.

In addition to the new business being generated in its Municipal Lease Purchase Financing Program, Sparta is also anticipating a number of lease purchase contract renewals coming up for Newark, NJ; Darke County, OH; Montville, NJ; Pascagoula, MS; and Miami County, OH.

According to the Company, their Municipal Lease Program is an ideal alternative to the traditional outright purchase of the police cars, police motorcycles and other essential equipment that these agencies require, especially during these difficult economic times. More than 17,000 state and local law enforcement agencies operating in the United States will purchase 65,000 police cars each year, creating over 1.6 billion dollars in annual sales. These agencies will also purchase over 60,000 police motorcycles during the next five years, creating an additional 1 billion dollars in sales over that time period. Spartas current goal is to capture a minimum of one percent of the estimated market for these vehicles, representing about 18 million dollars worth of annual municipal lease fundings. These figures do not take into account other essential equipment that Sparta includes in its Municipal Lease Purchase Financing Program, such as the on-board digital video and data equipment used on these vehicles. Sparta is currently working with major national suppliers of these assets to provide financing for these ancillary products as well.

Sparta Commercial Services expanded offerings permit it to capitalize on a growing market trend. Local and State agencies, with difficult economic challenges, do not have the necessary money in their budgets to keep up to date with all their equipment needs. Spartas Municipal Lease Product is the most attractive option for these agencies since it makes it possible for them to spread the cost of the equipment over time and still allows them to own the equipment outright at the end of the term of the lease.

HOLLADAY — A suicidal man who shot and killed himself during a confrontation with police Monday was the informant who helped federal officials in a case involving stolen Indian artifacts in the Four Corners region. A lover of Native American culture, the work Ted Dan Gardiner, 52, did for the FBI was work he did voluntarily, his son Dustin Gardiner said. He wanted to protect a history that was important to him. Last summer, federal officials wrapped up a 21/2-year investigation in the Four Corners area, with the indictment of 26 people, including several prominent community members from the southern Utah town of Blanding. The indictments accused them of violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. The government believes the defendants were selling or attempting to sell artifacts taken from federal land. Gardiner is the third person involved in the sting to take his own life since the case has unfolded. Two defendants, Blanding physician James Redd and Steven Shrader, of New Mexico, killed themselves following their arrests in June 2009.

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Innovative New Feature Offers Greater Security, Ease of Use

SAN ANTONIO — USAA,
a leading financial services provider for members of the military
community and their families, is giving its mobile users faster, more
secure mobile logon access to their banking, insurance and investment
accounts through its new quick logon and authentication security
software.

USAA has teamed up with Mountain View, Calif.-based VeriSign,
Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) to simplify account access for USAA
members while strengthening the logon security for its popular USAA
Mobile App.

Now, instead of a three-step process of username, password and PIN, USAA
members can access their accounts through a secure four-digit PIN,
making the mobile logon experience simpler and safer.

Qualified USAA members can download the updated application with quick
logon at the Apple® iTunes store or just update their current
USAA Mobile App. The quick logon service is expected to be available in
April for Android® phones. BlackBerry® users can
expect the enhanced USAA Mobile App soon thereafter.

RSA CONFERENCE — Interface Masters Technologies , an industry leader and innovator in networking solutions, today announced its family of 10Gb Switches. Niagara 2924 is the first member of the family, a 24 Port, 10 GbE fully managed switch that is designed to integrate with Datacenter, Blade servers, Carrier Ethernet and Metro Ethernet devices, HPC clusters, enterprise storage systems, IT Security Appliances and Central Office applications. The system is built for optimal flexibility enabling multi-mode or single mode fiber media configuration and connectivity to 10G or 1GE networks via SFP or SFP connectors. Based on 10 Gigabit Marvells Prestera packet processor , the Niagara 2924 possesses a powerful and full-featured software suite that can be managed remotely via the management or console port, enabling full control over line-rate switching, routing and filtering.

” The Niagara 2924 introduces the Datacenter and Enterprise market a scalable 10GE switching platform based on Marvells technology that utilizes highly dynamic and full-featured switching architecture,” states Ben Askarinam, founder and CEO of Interface Masters Technologies. “We are pleased to address the growing market demand for line-rate 10GE performance with a powerful fully managed solution that will address a multitude of applications.”

The Niagara 2924 enables 10GE throughput to be realized in any datacenter deployment by leveraging the Marvell 10GE switches extensive feature set to significantly improve server efficiency, packet processing, power utilization, and data transfer speeds. The Niagara 2924 provides features that are essential to enterprise, datacenter servers and appliances including:

MADISON, Wis. — Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: WOLF), North America’s leading family
of indoor waterpark resorts, today announced that the Company has filed
its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009. In
its Form 10-K for 2009, the Company reported a net loss for 2009 of
$(58.5) million, or $(1.90) per diluted share. In its press release on
February 24, 2010, the Company previously had reported a net loss for
2009 of $(53.2) million, or $(1.73) per diluted share. Also, in its Form
10-K for 2009, the Company reported a net loss of $(10.2) million, or
$(0.33) per diluted share, for the three months ended December 31, 2009,
as compared to a net loss of $(11.7) million, or $(0.38) per diluted
share, in its press release on February 24, 2010.

The Company’s final financial results presented in the Form 10-K filing
differ from the financial results presented in the Company’s press
release dated February 24, 2010 due solely to adjustments in the
computation of the valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets
recorded as of December 31, 2009. The change in the reported results for
2009 has no impact on the Company’s revenues, Adjusted EBITDA or
operating statistics (such as RevPAR, ADR or RevPOR) for any current or
previously reported fiscal period or on its liquidity or cash measures
for any fiscal period.

Non-GAAP Financial Measure

This press release mentions Adjusted EBITDA, which is a “non-GAAP
financial measure” (a measure of the Company’s historical or future
performance that is different from measures calculated and presented in
accordance with GAAP, within the meaning of applicable SEC rules) that
the Company believes is useful to investors. The Company defines
Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus (a) interest expense, net, (b)
income taxes, (c) depreciation and amortization, (d) non-cash employee
and director compensation, (e) costs associated with early
extinguishment of debt or postponement of capital markets offerings, (f)
opening costs of resorts under development, (g) equity in earnings
(loss) of unconsolidated related parties, (h) gain or loss on
disposition of property or investments, (i) separation payments to
senior executives, (j) environmental liability costs, (k) asset
impairment charges, (l) other unusual or non-recurring items, and (m)
non-controlling interests. Adjusted EBITDA as calculated by the Company
is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures by other
companies. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA (a) does not represent net
income or cash flows from operations as defined by GAAP, (b) is not
necessarily indicative of cash available to fund the Company’s cash flow
needs, and (c) should not be considered as an alternative to net income,
operating income, cash flows from operating activities or the Company’s
other financial information as determined under GAAP.

Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful to an investor in
evaluating the Company’s operating performance because a significant
portion of its assets consists of property and equipment that are
depreciated over their remaining useful lives in accordance with GAAP.
Because depreciation and amortization are non-cash items, management
believes that presentation of Adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure of the
Company’s operating performance. Also, management believes measures such
as Adjusted EBITDA are widely used in the hospitality and entertainment
industries to measure operating performance.

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Seven-hospital multistate system serves more than 2.5 million
patients a year

BOULDER, Colo. — Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products
and recognized innovator of mechanical ventilation and respiratory care
devices, today announced it has entered into a long-term, preferred
vendor partnership with the Order of Saint Francis (OSF) Healthcare
System, headquartered in Peoria, Ill. After using a mix of SPO2
technologies for more than eight years, the OSF Healthcare System
recently standardized to OxiMax™ technology for all its pulse oximetry
needs.

The Nellcor OxiMax pulse oximetry products from Covidien provide
efficient and safe monitoring of patient oxygen levels and are used at
medical facilities worldwide. The flagship product in the Nellcor line —
the OxiMax™ N-600x™ pulse oximeter platform — delivers accurate,
reliable readings of patient oxygen levels and features the latest
OxiMax technology and the SatSeconds™ alarm management system.

“The OxiMax product is a critical tool that enables healthcare
professionals to deliver the highest quality of care possible by helping
them to identify issues and take action before they become adverse
respiratory events,” said Douglas Hansell, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical
Officer and Vice President, Respiratory and Monitoring Solutions,
Covidien. “This adds another level of patient safety to the healthcare
environment.”

The Order of Saint Francis Healthcare system includes seven acute care
and two long-term care facilities in Illinois and Michigan, and serves
more than 2.5 million patients each year. Among the OSF network of
hospitals is the 710-bed Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. In
addition, the new OSF Children’s Hospital is scheduled to open in Peoria
in late 2010.

News reports coming out of the UK and Australia show evidence of prescription ingredients in many “natural” herb remedies sold on the Internet to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) . These popular online supplements, which claim to consist only of homeopathic ingredients, are often improperly labeled and may actually contain dangerous ingredients. Dr. J. Francois Eid, director and founder of Advanced Urological Care in New York City, is concerned about this practice, especially since, in his experience, men with erectile dysfunction choose to suffer in silence rather than seek medical help for their condition.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) , the governing body for medication sales in the United Kingdom, tested 138 unlicensed ED treatments and found random, uncontrolled quantities of prescription ingredients in almost two-thirds of them. “Erectile dysfunction is a condition that is easily treatable in a variety of safe ways under the careful watch of a physician,” said Dr. Eid, who has successfully treated ED patients over the last 22 years of practice. “However, since many men are embarrassed by ED, they look for help elsewhere and expose themselves to serious problems such as heart attack, stroke and severe hypertension.”

Even more troubling is the fact that many of these “natural” products falsely claimed to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In actuality, more than one-third of the supplements that claim to treat ED or enhance sexual performance contain sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, or vardenafil, the active ingredient in Levitra. Advertisements for Viagra, Levitra and other drugs for ED warn of the dangers of taking these drugs if you are also on prescription medications that contain nitrates. Nitrates are prescribed for conditions such as angina or coronary artery disease in patients that also may suffer from ED.

The combination of nitrates with the active ingredients in ED medications could potentially lower blood pressure to an unsafe level. Under a physicians care, blood pressure levels are carefully monitored. However, an online consumer of these supplements, not approved by a doctor, will be unaware of the Viagra- or Levitra-type of ingredients in these supplements, which could either present a serious problem or exacerbate a pre-existing condition.

Conversely, according to Bloomberg News, Pfizers Viagra patent was partially rejected after it was discovered that the active ingredient [sildenafil citrate] was too similar to a Chinese herb known as Horny Goat Weed. An appeals board upheld the decision that “an element, or claim, of the patent for a method of treating male erectile dysfunction didnt cover a new invention.” The patent claim was part of an infringement suit Pfizer filed in 2002 against Eli Lilly over its rival Cialis drug. The decision on that part of the patent will now go into appeals.

Ive been a fan of fitness for as long as I can remember. Ive always been motivated to care for my body in pursuit of achieving my personal best. When my brother brought home an issue of MF my senior year of high school, I took one look at Dexter Jacksons symmetry and knew thats what Id strive for. Ever since, Ive looked to you for insight on improving myself. Even though I wont be giving Dexter a run for his money anytime soon, MF has helped me reach heights that otherwise I may not have been able to push myself to.

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Epicor is a registered trademark of Epicor Software Corporation. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.

Catholic Healthcare West has awarded Hunt Construction Group the construction contract for the Sequoia Hospital Rebuilding Project in Redwood City, California. The project, sited on the existing hospital campus, will consist of a new four-story, 148,000 square foot, 104 bed pavilion, hosting medical and surgical services and an advanced cardiovascular center, a central utility plant and mechanical yard, seismic upgrades to the existing hospital and a dining/kitchen addition and remodel to the existing hospital.

Designed by Moon Mayoras Architects, the project is set to begin construction in April 2010 with an anticipated completion date of December 2012.

“Hunt is excited to partner with Catholic Healthcare West on building one of the most advanced healthcare facilities for residents of the Bay Area,” stated Ray Zunino, Vice President for Hunt.

“Were thrilled to begin the new pavilion and provide our community with state-of-the-art medical care delivered in larger, private rooms with clinically advanced equipment,” said Glenna Vaskelis, CEO and President of Sequoia Hospital.

The new Sequoia Hospital campus will be one of the most advanced health care facilities in the Bay Area. Features of the new 167 bed hospital campus include:

Catholic Healthcare West has awarded Hunt Construction Group the construction contract for the Sequoia Hospital Rebuilding Project in Redwood City, California. The project, sited on the existing hospital campus, will consist of a new four-story, 148,000 square foot, 104 bed pavilion, hosting medical and surgical services and an advanced cardiovascular center, a central utility plant and mechanical yard, seismic upgrades to the existing hospital and a dining/kitchen addition and remodel to the existing hospital.

Designed by Moon Mayoras Architects, the project is set to begin construction in April 2010 with an anticipated completion date of December 2012.

“Hunt is excited to partner with Catholic Healthcare West on building one of the most advanced healthcare facilities for residents of the Bay Area,” stated Ray Zunino, Vice President for Hunt.

“Were thrilled to begin the new pavilion and provide our community with state-of-the-art medical care delivered in larger, private rooms with clinically advanced equipment,” said Glenna Vaskelis, CEO and President of Sequoia Hospital.

The new Sequoia Hospital campus will be one of the most advanced health care facilities in the Bay Area. Features of the new 167 bed hospital campus include:

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GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Emergency Medical Services Corporation (NYSE: EMS) (EMSC or the Company)
today announced that it has initiated a process to obtain new senior
secured credit facilities. The Company intends to issue new senior
credit facilities consisting of a $425 million term loan and a $125
million revolving credit facility (the “Transaction”).

Proceeds from the new senior credit facilities and cash on hand would be
used to repay the current balance of approximately $200 million term
loan and call its 10% senior subordinated notes with an outstanding
balance of $250 million soon after the closing of the Transaction. The
new $125 million revolving credit facility will replace the existing
$100 million revolving credit facility.

While the Company did not disclose specific terms of the Transaction,
the Company expects to complete the Transaction during the first half of
2010.

About Emergency Medical Services Corporation

Resource Capital Corp. (NYSE: RSO)

Highlights for Fourth Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2009

Financial Results

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Regulatory News:

Cision (STO:CSN) has signed an agreement to sell its German legal
entities to Infopaq International, the leading company on the Nordic
market for Monitor and Analyze services. The transaction will be
completed on March 31, 2010. Prior to completion, Cision will separate
and thereby retain its current German CisionPoint customers as well as a
salesforce to continue to sell this solution in the German market.

The purchase price is EUR 2.85 million on a cash and debt free basis,
payable on September 30, 2012. Cision has also agreed to reimburse the
divested unit for restructuring costs of EUR 250,000 and to provide a
loan to the divested unit of EUR 2 million, where the loan should be
repaid in installments and be fully repaid by June 30, 2011.

Cision’s German business had revenues of about EUR 18 million in 2009,
with nearly all of its business focused on transactional Monitor and
Analyze services, and with about 240 employees as of December 31, 2009.
For 2009, Cision Germany reported an operating loss before restructuring
costs of about EUR 1.6 million, including certain cost allocations from
the Cision Group, and in addition restructuring costs of EUR 0.9
million. During 2009, Cision Germany started to market its CisionPoint
solution to new German customers, through a separate and dedicated
salesforce. As of January 2010, this part of Cision’s German business,
which will be retained by Cision following the divestment, has revenues
with an annual run rate of about EUR 0.5 million, employing 5 people.
Following the divestment, Cision Germany will continue to offer
customers a complete offering through the CisionPoint service platform,
where media monitoring will be provided through internet sources,
electronic feeds from news aggregators and through a reseller agreement
with Infopaq International.

“This divestment and transformation of our German business model is
another step towards executing on our strategy to leverage our
award-winning CisionPoint platform, while reducing fixed costs for
traditional Monitor content production. With our new business model, we
believe we are well positioned for profitable growth in Germany over the
next few years”, says Hans Gieskes, CEO of the Cision Group.

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GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Emergency Medical Services Corporation (NYSE: EMS) (EMSC or the Company)
today announced that it has initiated a process to obtain new senior
secured credit facilities. The Company intends to issue new senior
credit facilities consisting of a $425 million term loan and a $125
million revolving credit facility (the “Transaction”).

Proceeds from the new senior credit facilities and cash on hand would be
used to repay the current balance of approximately $200 million term
loan and call its 10% senior subordinated notes with an outstanding
balance of $250 million soon after the closing of the Transaction. The
new $125 million revolving credit facility will replace the existing
$100 million revolving credit facility.

While the Company did not disclose specific terms of the Transaction,
the Company expects to complete the Transaction during the first half of
2010.

About Emergency Medical Services Corporation

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Regulatory News:

Cision (STO:CSN) has signed an agreement to sell its German legal
entities to Infopaq International, the leading company on the Nordic
market for Monitor and Analyze services. The transaction will be
completed on March 31, 2010. Prior to completion, Cision will separate
and thereby retain its current German CisionPoint customers as well as a
salesforce to continue to sell this solution in the German market.

The purchase price is EUR 2.85 million on a cash and debt free basis,
payable on September 30, 2012. Cision has also agreed to reimburse the
divested unit for restructuring costs of EUR 250,000 and to provide a
loan to the divested unit of EUR 2 million, where the loan should be
repaid in installments and be fully repaid by June 30, 2011.

Cision’s German business had revenues of about EUR 18 million in 2009,
with nearly all of its business focused on transactional Monitor and
Analyze services, and with about 240 employees as of December 31, 2009.
For 2009, Cision Germany reported an operating loss before restructuring
costs of about EUR 1.6 million, including certain cost allocations from
the Cision Group, and in addition restructuring costs of EUR 0.9
million. During 2009, Cision Germany started to market its CisionPoint
solution to new German customers, through a separate and dedicated
salesforce. As of January 2010, this part of Cision’s German business,
which will be retained by Cision following the divestment, has revenues
with an annual run rate of about EUR 0.5 million, employing 5 people.
Following the divestment, Cision Germany will continue to offer
customers a complete offering through the CisionPoint service platform,
where media monitoring will be provided through internet sources,
electronic feeds from news aggregators and through a reseller agreement
with Infopaq International.

“This divestment and transformation of our German business model is
another step towards executing on our strategy to leverage our
award-winning CisionPoint platform, while reducing fixed costs for
traditional Monitor content production. With our new business model, we
believe we are well positioned for profitable growth in Germany over the
next few years”, says Hans Gieskes, CEO of the Cision Group.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Regulatory News:

Cision (STO:CSN) has signed an agreement to sell its German legal
entities to Infopaq International, the leading company on the Nordic
market for Monitor and Analyze services. The transaction will be
completed on March 31, 2010. Prior to completion, Cision will separate
and thereby retain its current German CisionPoint customers as well as a
salesforce to continue to sell this solution in the German market.

The purchase price is EUR 2.85 million on a cash and debt free basis,
payable on September 30, 2012. Cision has also agreed to reimburse the
divested unit for restructuring costs of EUR 250,000 and to provide a
loan to the divested unit of EUR 2 million, where the loan should be
repaid in installments and be fully repaid by June 30, 2011.

Cision’s German business had revenues of about EUR 18 million in 2009,
with nearly all of its business focused on transactional Monitor and
Analyze services, and with about 240 employees as of December 31, 2009.
For 2009, Cision Germany reported an operating loss before restructuring
costs of about EUR 1.6 million, including certain cost allocations from
the Cision Group, and in addition restructuring costs of EUR 0.9
million. During 2009, Cision Germany started to market its CisionPoint
solution to new German customers, through a separate and dedicated
salesforce. As of January 2010, this part of Cision’s German business,
which will be retained by Cision following the divestment, has revenues
with an annual run rate of about EUR 0.5 million, employing 5 people.
Following the divestment, Cision Germany will continue to offer
customers a complete offering through the CisionPoint service platform,
where media monitoring will be provided through internet sources,
electronic feeds from news aggregators and through a reseller agreement
with Infopaq International.

“This divestment and transformation of our German business model is
another step towards executing on our strategy to leverage our
award-winning CisionPoint platform, while reducing fixed costs for
traditional Monitor content production. With our new business model, we
believe we are well positioned for profitable growth in Germany over the
next few years”, says Hans Gieskes, CEO of the Cision Group.

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The Capital-Journal The Topeka Home Builders Associations Home Show 2010 will run Friday through Sunday at the Kansas Expocentre. The theme for this years show is “Home is Where the Art Is.” The artist collective Chords and Oil is partnering with THBA and the work of several members will be on display in the main entrance, including works in metal, glass, concrete, paint and photography. Show times are noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
liveBooks, Inc. , the leading provider of award-winning websites that allow creative professionals to promote and manage their businesses online, is proud to recognize liveBooks users who are leveraging their photography and social influence to make a difference in the world around them.

Social documentary photographer Phil Borges has documented indigenous and tribal cultures around the world for more than 25 years. His work in these countries has opened his eyes to the issue of gender inequality in developing countries, thus inspiring Borges to become a strong advocate for empowering women with the tools and support they need to make a difference in their communities.

His book, “Women Empowered,” which features a forward from Madeleine Albright, documents women from developing countries who have broken through barriers of tradition and oppression to become catalysts of change in their communities. Through the compelling photos and motivational stories of these women, Borges has catapulted the issue of global gender equality to a new tier of awareness. His latest project, “Stirring the Fire: A Global Movement to Empower Women and Girls,” launches on International Womens Day (March 8), and encompasses a website and exhibition tour which aims to bridge the gap between raising awareness and taking action.

“The website will be equipped with a searchable database of involvement opportunities that go beyond just donating money,” said Borges, who is gearing this project toward students and scheduling the exhibition at universities around the country. “Individuals can sign up for internships and study abroad programs, or tap into resources that support advocacy. Our intention is to provide each person with a tailor-made avenue to help empower women worldwide.”

Other photographers like Robbie and Robert Bailey are making a difference in the lives of Americans with their “Faces4Reform: Portraits of Americas Uninsured” project, which aims to put a human face on the politically polarizing issue of health care reform.

myPhotopipe.com, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MPPC), a web-based online provider of digital photo processing, photo finishing, photo-sharing, and related services, today announced the addition of John Budraitis, a former Kodak executive with 23 years of professional photography industry experience, to its management team as Director of Sales.

After years in various regional Kodak offices, including a seven-year stint in pro-product management at Kodaks corporate headquarters in Rochester, New York, Mr. Budraitis was most recently an executive in that companys Professional Imaging Systems business unit. A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Mr. Budraitis brings to myPhotopipe.com an impressive track record of technological and sales experience.

“We were looking for the right person to lead our entry into the billion-dollar-plus event photography market, which includes prints and packages for schools, sports teams, day care networks, and other markets with high-volume requirements,” stated myPhotopipe Chief Operating Officer Darren Schiff. “Our search led us to John Budraitis. He is the perfect person to lead our effort, has deep industry technological expertise, and has built upon his experience to develop innovative tools for the event photography market.”

“Since event photography has gone totally digital, it now requires tools that quickly move images from a camera to the processor and back for delivery to the client,” continued Schiff. “This involves technology that we have, and our tools are proprietary. Johns career experience will allow us to jump-start our initiatives in this specialized market segment.”

“Not only does John Budraitis bring us leadership in the school portrait and sports photography markets, but he will also be able to introduce us to a substantial group of new potential customers,” observed EVP of Sales Bill Jones, another Kodak veteran.

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China chemical pesticide manufacturing Industry, 2010 is valuable for
anyone who wants to invest in the chemical pesticide manufacturing
industry, to get Chinese investments; to import into China or export
from China, to build factories and take advantage of lower costs in
China, to partner with one of the key Chinese corporations, to get
market shares as China is boosting its domestic needs; to forecast the
future of the world economy as China is leading the way; or to compete
in the segment. The report provides in-depth analysis and detailed
insight into the chemical pesticide manufacturing industry, market
drivers, key enterprises and their strategies, as well as technologies
and investment status, risks and trends.

Data sources: Governmental statistics organizations, market research
(monitoring) centers, industry associations and institutions, import and
export statistics organizations, and others.

This report is divided into 9 parts 19 chapters as follow:

China chemical pesticide manufacturing Industry, 2010 is valuable for
anyone who wants to invest in the chemical pesticide manufacturing
industry, to get Chinese investments; to import into China or export
from China, to build factories and take advantage of lower costs in
China, to partner with one of the key Chinese corporations, to get
market shares as China is boosting its domestic needs; to forecast the
future of the world economy as China is leading the way; or to compete
in the segment. The report provides in-depth analysis and detailed
insight into the chemical pesticide manufacturing industry, market
drivers, key enterprises and their strategies, as well as technologies
and investment status, risks and trends.

Data sources: Governmental statistics organizations, market research
(monitoring) centers, industry associations and institutions, import and
export statistics organizations, and others.

This report is divided into 9 parts 19 chapters as follow:

Online Marketing

New board member, Thomas Simone, instrumental in formation of
Alliance Health’s new Healthcare Industry Advisory Board. Other
founding executive members include:

The initial two-day meeting of the Advisory Board, held last week in
Scottsdale, Arizona, covered a wide variety of topics, including
specific issues faced by health plans, pharmacy benefits managers, and
pharmaceutical companies, as well as broader subjects involving online
patient engagement, direct-to-consumer marketing opportunities and
challenges to traditional direct-to-physician marketing programs.

According to Alliance Health’s Chief Executive Officer, Stead Burwell,
its Healthcare Industry Advisory Board is designed to provide Alliance
Health executive management and its board of directors with industry
insights, feedback and strategic counsel in support of the company’s
continued efforts in building a universe of online social health
networks that bring together patients, caregivers, and industry
participants. The initial members of Alliance Health’s Healthcare
Industry Advisory Board are Gordon Barker, Richard Hawkins and Robert
Johnson.

PHILADELPHIA — Third-generation pharmacist Gary W. Kadlec, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Hospice Pharmacia and excelleRx, Inc, is the 2010
recipient of the American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA) Hugo H.
Schaefer Award.

Established in 1964 by the oldest pharmacy association in the nation,
APhA, to honor the organization’s treasurer, the Schaefer award
recognizes outstanding voluntary contributions to the organization, the
profession, and society. APhA’s award is one of the highest honors
achieved in the pharmacy industry.

On being recognized for his contributions to pharmacy, Gary said, “I am
honored to be recognized by the American Pharmacists Association. The
dedication of the APhA and its members to the appropriate use of
medications inspires me to bring the same commitment to the pharmacy
community through my personal involvement and professional work within
Hospice Pharmacia and excelleRx.”

Gary began his career as a pharmacist at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in
Michigan. From 1976 to 1995 he was owner and president of Specialized
Pharmacy Services, Inc. In 1995, Specialized Pharmacy Services was
acquired by Omnicare, Inc., where Gary served as Regional Vice President
and later Senior Regional Vice President. In 2004, Gary joined
excelleRx, where he currently is CEO and President. Under Gary’s
leadership, excelleRx continues to develop into a state-of-the-art
Medication Management Center that is providing cutting edge pharmacy
service.

Gary is involved with numerous organizations within the pharmacy
community, including the American Pharmacists Association, the American
Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the American Society of Health System
Pharmacists, the International Pharmaceutical Federation, the National
Community Pharmacists Association, and the Michigan Pharmacist
Association.

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ON NOVEMBER 30, 2009, North Koreans awoke to find that their savings had lost 99 percent of their official value. Kim Jong Ils dictatorship dropped two zeros from the North Korean won, making a 100-won note worth only one. Exchange of old currency for new is capped at 300,000 of the old won per family in bank savings and half that amount in cash. The limit is a de facto ceiling on savings, rendering worthless any currency held above the cutoff. The sudden revaluation may be an attempt to crack down on the black markets that have long existed in the comers of North Koreas centralized economic system. Defending the monetary change, which was imposed against a background of rampant inflation and widespread poverty, an official at the countrys central bank told a pro-Pyongyang paper in Japan that “in the future, a large share of economic activities will be subject not to the market, but the planned supply and distribution system.”
Rothbard vs. the Philosophers, by Murray Rothbard, edited by Roberta A. Modugno, Ludwig von Mises Institute, x68 pages, $14. IF MURRAY ROTHBARD–free-market economist, anarchist philosopher, American historian, and inveterate activist–had never lived, the modern libertarian movement would have nowhere near its current size and influence. He inspired and educated generations of influential intellectuals and activists, from Leonard Liggio to Roy Childs to Randy Barnett. He helped form and/or shape the mission of such institutions as the Institute for Humane Studies, the Cato Institute, the Libertarian Party, and the Ludwig yon Mises Institute (and wrote a regular column for reason for more than a decade). His initially unique combination of a Randian/ Aristotelian natural rights ethic, Austrian economics, anarcho-capitalism, fervent opposition to war, and a populist distrust of “power elites” both public and private have injected modern libertarianism with a distinct flavor distinguishing it from other brands of pro-market thought. It was a differentiation intensified by Rothbards bombthrowing polemical style. Put it this way: When the likes of F.A. Hayek and Milton Friedman died, the conservative flagship National Review could and did praise the Nobel Prize-winning economists unreservedly. But when Rothbard died in 1995, his old pal William Buckley pissed on his grave. Rothbard, Buckley wrote, spent his life “huffing and putting in the little cloister whose walls he labored so strenuously to contract, leaving him, in the end, not as the father of a swelling movement. but with about as many disciples as David Koresh had in his little redoubt in Waco. Yes, Murray Rothbard believed in freedom, and yes, David Koresh believed in God.” Things look a little different now when it comes to Rothbards influence, though its unlikely anyone at National Review will note it–except maybe in the context of yet another attack on Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas). The rise of Paul and his young and enthusiastic fan base, which Buckley could not have foreseen, contradicts the contention that Rothbards divisive radical intransigence doomed him to irrelevance. The Paul phenomena, the largest popular movement in the postwar period to be motivated by distinctly libertarian ideas about war, money, and the role of government, has been influenced far more heavily by Rothbard than by the beliefs or style of any other prominent libertarian intellectual. The Paul movement is the sort of mass anti-war, anti-state, anti-Fed agitation that Rothbard dreamed about his entire adult life.
FAST FOOD restaurants are reputed to be cut-rate, unhealthy outfits, while government-run schools are supposed to be public-spirited and socially responsible. But according to a USA Today investigation published in December, meat that would be rejected by McDonalds and Jack-in-the-Box is being served to American schoolchildren.

Internet Reputation Management

Lapolla Industries, Inc. (OTCBB: LPAD) (”Lapolla”) is a Houston based manufacturer and supplier of spray foam insulation, coatings, and equipment designed to reduce energy consumption in the residential and commercial markets, for both new construction and retrofit applications.

Mr. Lewis, an 18 year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department spent time visiting classrooms throughout the D.C. public school system to counsel students and to teach good citizenship, drug abstinence, and safety. After retiring from the police department in 1986, he converted a rental property that he had purchased in a drug infested northeast Washington, D.C. neighborhood into a family support center and called it “The Fishing School.” He spent the nearly the next two decades proving that if one man stands up, he can truly make a difference. The Fishing School programs have reached over 2,500 students and parents in under-served communities throughout the District of Columbia.

On Sunday, August 23, 2009 the design team from ABCs “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” demolished The Fishing School in order to build a bigger and better school for the youth of Washington, D.C. The design team and Burch Builders called on Lapolla to offer an energy-efficient insulation system for the new school. Lapolla donated the spray foam insulation material and local AirTight contractors; Select Builders, Virginia Foam Insulators, and AirTight of Western PA donated the labor.

Douglas J. Kramer, CEO and President of Lapolla, commented, “This was one of the largest Extreme Makeover: Home Edition projects. The building was approximately 6,200 sq. ft. When the AirTight Licensed Applicators arrived to insulate the project they found the project was still in the framing stage and behind schedule. Instead of returning to the hotel, the AirTight Licensed Applicators grabbed their tools, began framing, and worked all night long to bring the project back on schedule. Even though they were exhausted from working all night, they remained focused on the task at hand and completely insulated The Fishing School from top to bottom with AirTight closed-cell spray foam insulation and on time. “We couldnt be more proud of how this group of contractors represented the spray foam insulation industry by demonstrating their level of professionalism and doing what they had to do to get the job done.”

Spray foam insulation was selected by the design team to add sustainability, durability, energy efficiency, and improved occupant comfort to The Fishing School.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BY MOST MEASURES, Andrea Gaines, 42, had it all going on: good looks, a successful career, a happy family and a healthy lifestyle. Yet, something was nagging at her, disturbing her rest and preventing her from enjoying her downtime: clutter. “Im pretty neat, so it didnt really look like a huge problem,” says the life and wellness coach from Evanston, Ill. “But little piles were collecting in the corners. There was too much junk in the basement, too many bills and papers piling up all around me. The bookcases were overflowing. Id walk in my door and start to feel vaguely anxious.” Then she happened to come across a flier for “clutter buster” Brooks Palmer and booked an appointment, hoping that Palmer would work some magic and get her organized. As the two of them worked their way through Gaines house room by room, she began to realize just how much her clutter was weighing her down. And when they reached the master bedroom, Gaines had a breakthrough. “I had a huge collection of marriage self-help books in there, and Brooks was encouraging me to let them go,” she recalls. “I didnt want to, but then he asked me: Do you really want these books? Or do you want what the books represent?”
COVERING UP THE inconvenient facts of his resume, donning new identifies the way other men change suits, the hidden persuader at the center of AMCs Mad Men has a talent for duplicity that would seem to place him squarely in pop cultures rich canon of ad industry villains. But even with his fake name, appropriated past, perfect show family, and less than ethical approach to client management, Don Draper stands apart from the cynics, hoodwinks, hacks, and evil mesmerists who populate the pages of such anti-advertising tomes as The Hucksters, The Hidden Persuaders, and No Logo. At home in his dining room or at a fancy restaurant wooing clients, Draper may be a lying, boozing con man. But when hes in his office, dreaming up catch phrases to sell products, the specters of candor and authenticity possess him. “You are the product,” Draper tells a neophyte copywriter. “You, feeling something. Thats what sells” He doesnt just want to sell us the sizzle of girdles and popsicles; he wants to sell us their souls. Art Copy, a 2009 documentary about the advertising business, is built around interviews with eight of the industrys most celebrated practitioners. One of them, the legendary ad man George Lois, echoes Drapers passion. “I can get excited about selling a new kind of pin; growls Lois, a pugnacious blusterer whose campaigns for MTV and Tommy Hilfiger helped turn them into cultural mainstays. Contemplating a pins very pinness–identifying the precise qualities that make it useful to us and enhances our lives–is the path toward great advertising. The contrarian theme that advertising is at heart a medium for profound truth telling runs throughout Art Copy, which will be out on DVD this summer. The more common nonindustry view is of advertising as a fundamentally crooked enterprise that aims to brainwash us into buying products we dont really need to solve problems we dont actually have and attain ideals we dont genuinely aspire to. Art Copy departs from this stereotype in large part because its not a nonindustry depiction. While aimed at general audiences and directed by Doug Pray, whose past work includes documentaries on suffers, graffiti artists, turntablists, and the Seattle music scene, the movie was funded by The One Club, which describes itself as “the worlds foremost non-profit organization for the recognition and promotion of excellence in advertising”

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THE Bay overlooks one of Britains best surfing beaches at Fistral in Newquay, Cornwall. The spa has nine ESPA treatment rooms, gym, indoor pool and steam room. Food is locally sourced and there is a bar to enjoy glass of wine or two after your spa visit. THE DEAL: The two-night Revitalise break costs pounds 99pp BB including a 30-minute spa treatment and membership of Fistral Spa (three- night breaks cost pounds 134pp on the same basis). Go to sundaymirror.co.uk/travel/top10
Simulated Environment Concepts,
Inc. (PINKSHEETS: SMEV), makers of the high pressurized dry water
massage and relaxation station SpaCapsule, announced today, their
successful participation in a gala and fundraiser for The Book Bank
Foundation (BBF).

The event, held on Thursday, February 4th, was sponsored by AJENE WATSON,
LLC, the companys current private lender and financial business development
and management consultant. The charity event, organized by BBF founder Glenn
Toby, garnered the attendance of many NFL players and corporate executives
who descended on Miami for Sundays Super Bowl 2010.

“We are excited to lend a hand to a great cause,” said Dr. Ella Frenkel,
President and CEO of Simulated Environment Concepts, Inc. “The Book Bank
Foundation is an excellent charity dedicated to furtherance of education and
community outreach. Besides, it was a great opportunity for our SpaCapsule.
Many NFL athletes who attended the party got the aqua massage in the
SpaCapsule and complimented us on the sport-medicine benefits it produces.”

Mr. Glenn Toby, the Founder of the Book Bank Foundation, said, “We are
grateful to Simulated Environment Concepts, Inc. and the management of AJENE
WATSON, LLC for their participation in our event. Thanks to our sponsors, we
were able to raise awareness of our work and fundraise for future
scholarships and foundational support. As always, the SpaCapsule was the
main attraction of the evening; it was a hit with many NFL players.”

“We are eager to participate in an event dedicated to education,” said Dr.
Spivak, the Managing Partner at Simulated Environment Concepts, Inc. “Even
more so when we learned it was associated with one of the largest sporting
events in America — the Super Bowl.”

Who cares what the groundhog said?
WalkingOnACloud.com, one of the preeminent shoe retailers on the Internet,
announced today they have received the newest spring line of
Josef Seibel shoes and
Geox shoes , which are sure to put a spring in anyones step.

The new spring fashions from Geox shoes include fun and flirty sandals and
slingbacks, sporty sneakers and casual loafers, all of which include the
patented Geox breathes® system for ultimate wear-ability and functionality
without sacrificing style. New spring fashions from Josef Seibel shoes
include clogs, sandals and sneakers in deep browns and earthy reds that
feature Josef Seibels one-of-a-kind anatomical footbed and exclusive
integrated air massage system.

In addition to the new spring merchandise now available, WalkingOnACloud.com
will be offering free shipping on all purchases of their featured brands of
February:
Naot shoes and
Beautifeel shoes , two of the most reputable shoe brands manufactured in
Israel.

Beautifeel shoes were born out of a profound conviction that todays modern
woman deserves shoes which combine the basic features of comfort and beauty,
with quality materials and craftsmanship. Their stable, well-proportioned
heels, advanced sewing and construction technology, and quality materials
all work together to complete a harmony of comfortable and stylish footwear.

Naot (pronounced NAY-OAT) means oasis, and Naot shoes offer an oasis of
comfort to any wearer. Naot shoes are an expression of rugged durability,
superb styling and cushioned comfort, and thoroughly demonstrate their
response to the compelling need for healthful, comfortable and fashionable
footwear.

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KSBHA online renewals provide the following benefits:

The mission of the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts is to safeguard
the public through licensure, education and discipline of those who
practice the healing arts in Kansas.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Gorilla glue and Gatorade come in handy for a couple of Utah medical personnel who winged their way to Haiti to do some doctoring in the roughest areas in the days following the Jan. 12 earthquake. Clinton family practitioner Corey Ericksen and Kaysville physical therapist Nylin Johnson wandered through several tent cities treating everything from dehydrated babies to infected lacerations. They were armed with 5,000 antibiotic capsules, Pedialyte for infants, baby bottles and bandages. When they walked through Champs de Mars, one of the largest of about 600 makeshift communities in the Port-au-Prince area, this one in a park near the presidential palace. A crowd quickly gathered at the edge of a concrete bench under a large tree where several families had shelters of bed sheets and corrugated sheet metal. A pile of laundry dried on a bush and an older woman swept debris from her gravel floor. Women carrying babies ringed Ericksen and Johnson.
LOOKING good has never been so affordable with our fantastic health and beauty promotion, giving you 50 per cent off! The Sunday Mirror has teamed up with Embody to offer you half- price pampering on a complete range of therapies and treatments including reflexology, aromatherapy, a relaxing facial or body massage and many more.

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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Dole Food Company, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has
set the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders for May 6, 2010, at
11:00 a.m., Pacific Time, at the Company’s World Headquarters, One Dole
Drive, Westlake Village, California 91362, and has set March 25, 2010 as
the record date for those eligible to receive notice of and to vote at
such meeting.

Dole, with 2009 net revenues of $6.8 billion, is the world’s largest
producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables,
and is the leading producer of organic bananas. Dole markets a growing
line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in
nutrition education and research.

AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group
N.V.s (”AMG”), (EURONEXT AMSTERDAM: AMG) 42.5% owned affiliate, Timminco
Limited (”Timminco”) (TSX: TIM) announced that its senior secured lender
has agreed to eliminate the
requirement for an additional $5 million of minimum availability reserve
that
would have become effective as of March 1, 2010.

Under the Credit Agreement dated April 15, 2005, as amended, with Bank of
America, N.A. Agreement, Timminco is able to access funds up to the amount
of
the availability under the revolving credit facility. Availability is
equal to
(i) the lesser of the borrowing base and the revolving credit commitment
under
the revolving credit facility, minus (ii) the sum of the amounts borrowed
under
such facility, and the minimum availability reserve. In the fourth quarter
of
2009, the Credit Agreement was amended to increase the minimum availability
reserve from $2 million to $7 million, effective for the 45 day period from
February 1 to March 17, 2010. At the end of January, this period was
postponed
by one month. The current amendment eliminates this additional requirement
entirely, such that the minimum availability reserve will remain at its
current
level of $2 million.

About AMG

AMG, incorporated in the Netherlands, is a global leader in the production
of
highly engineered specialty metal products and advanced vacuum furnace
systems.
AMG serves growing industries worldwide with its unique combination of
metallurgical engineering expertise and production know-how. AMG is a
market
leader in many of its products and systems, which are critical to the
production
of key components for the aerospace, energy (including solar and nuclear),
infrastructure and specialty chemicals and metals industries. AMG has two
operating units — Advanced Materials and Engineering Systems, and owns
interests
in publicly-listed companies Graphit Kropfmuhl AG (Deutsche Borse: GKR.DE)
and
Timminco Limited (TSX: TIM).

The Advanced Materials Division develops and produces niche specialty
metals and
complex metals products, many of which are used in demanding,
safety-critical,
high-stress environments. AMG is one of a limited number of significant
producers globally of niche specialty metals, such as ferrovanadium,
ferronickel-molybdenum, aluminum master alloys and additives, chromium
metal and
ferrotitanium, used by steel, aluminum, chemical and superalloy producers
for
aerospace, automotive, energy, electronics, optics, chemicals, construction
and
other applications. Other key products produced by AMG include specialty
alloys
for titanium and superalloys, coating materials, tantalum and niobium
oxides,
vanadium chemicals and antimony trioxide.

Market Pulse is pleased to introduce our featured stock, EastBridge Investment Group Corporation (OTCBB: EBIG), to the investment community! EastBridge Investment Group is new to Market Pulse and is poised to become a significant player in the financial services industry! EastBridge Investment Group has had several excellent press releases out lately and one again before todays opening bell announcing the road show dates for its Asian growth company Wonder Education Group! Wonder Education Group, is arriving in New York City on March 5, 2010 and will meet with investment bankers from March 8 to March 10. The group, comprising seven executive members, is headed by Wonders chairman, Mr. Xie Chungui, and CEO, Frank Wei! This could be great news for investors! Other notable stocks that should be closely watched due to existing fundamental and technical factors affecting each company include:

SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) : Market Outperform

Amarok Resources Inc. (OTCBB: AMOK) : Attractive

GT Solar International Inc. (NASDAQ: SOLR) : Market Outperform

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Video gets patients more involved in hand hygiene Patients, physicians report more questions asked The video, called “Hand Hygiene Saves Lives,” was tested in common areas and patient rooms at 17 Catholic Health Partners hospitals; the research was coordinated by the Premier Healthcare alliance. The video encourages patients, family, and visitors to play a role in their own care by helping health care professionals remember to clean their hands before and after touching patients. After the video was shown, patients were twice as likely to report reminding nurses to wash their hands, and doctors were twice as likely to report being asked by patients to wash their hands. In addition, after watching the video, the majority of patients:
I am what you might call a pack mouse, not a pack rat. I dont have a huge clutter problem–just a little one, I think. But people have varying degrees of clutter tolerance, Ive discovered. A few years ago, a young woman came in for an interview, stood at the door of my office and gasped, literally, before stepping inside. (She didnt get the job, poor dear.) Then again, a friend of mine said the nicest thing when I apologized for the state of my house: “It doesnt look messy, it looks like a family lives here.” I admit, though, that Im always trying to improve in this area. Thats why I love this issues feature “Cluttered?” (pg. 72). Its full of simple solutions for painless organizing in every room of the house. But reading it didnt make me feel like a pathological hoarder. Instead, it was soothing to hear that many of us hang on to things because of the desires and memories attached to them–or because were just too busy to deal with all the stuff that comes into our lives. Clutter isnt necessarily bad, our experts say–its a problem only when it starts interfering with your ability to be happy. Spring is an excellent time to take a look at cleaning up your body, too. In “The Doable Detox,” on pg. 58, we break down the process of flushing out toxins into three phases that you can incorporate into your everyday life: the preparation, the actual detox and the transition back into your regular routine. Its a great primer for a beginner, as well as a motivating refresher course for the experienced detoxer. In with the new weve got some additions to Natural Health departments as well: On pg. 22 youll find the first Vital Love, which covers your most important relationships: family, friendships and romance. And on pg. 48, we debut The Bliss Factor, where well run essays about the emotional side of life. Also in this issue, Lisa Fayne Cohen joins Natural Health as a contributing book editor.
Founders of Breast Cancer Charity ‘Breast Friends Forever’
Recognized for Easing Financial Burdens of Families Touched by the
Disease

MIDDLETOWN, N.J. — Middletown, NJ high school seniors Erika Rech and Mike Ruane are the
latest Grand Prize winners in the Fueling
Good program created by CITGO
Petroleum Corporation. The cousins earned their prize of a year’s
supply of CITGO gasoline by supporting individuals and families affected
by breast cancer. Their charity, Breast
Friends Forever, raised more than $110,000 over the last three years
to help ease the financial burdens of local families touched by this
terrible disease.

“When my cousin and I were 15 years old, two of our family members were
diagnosed with breast cancer within six months of each other,” said
Erika Rech, co-founder of Breast
Friends Forever. “From the initial diagnosis and throughout the
treatment, we saw firsthand the devastating effect that cancer can have
on a family, particularly its financial resources. The more we learned
about breast cancer and its associated treatment costs, in addition to
the emotional toll it takes on the entire family, the more we wanted to
help.”

Fundraising activities began with selling t-shirts and candy, and have
expanded to include the annual Breast
Friends Forever Gala, which raised $37,000 in 2009. Funds generated
through these events and activities help local families touched by
breast cancer with utility bills, groceries, mortgage payments, wigs,
and prostheses.

“Through Breast Friends Forever, we have experienced a wonderful
outpouring of support from our community,” added Rech. “The year’s
supply of gasoline from CITGO
will help my cousin and me expand our reach and fundraising programs so
that we can make an even greater impact on those in need.”

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For the first time, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) bestowed its annual American Spirit Award to a member of Congress, recognizing Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) for her outstanding support for innovation in the United States. The award was given last evening by the NVCA Board of Directors at a gathering in Washington, D.C. Created in 1999, the American Spirit Award recognizes those who have shown leadership to make an outstanding contribution to society.

“Congresswoman Eshoo has been a tireless advocate for economic growth and job creation by supporting those policies that foster innovation and entrepreneurship in this country,” said Terry McGuire, co-founder and general partner of Polaris Venture Partners and chairman of the NVCA. “Her leadership in life sciences and clean energy policy as well as her unflappable support of the start-up community has without question moved our country forward in the most positive manner. We are thrilled to recognize her with this distinguished award.”

Recent issues where Congresswoman Eshoo has demonstrated critical leadership include:

“It has been a privilege to work with Representative Eshoo over the years as she understands the importance of innovation to our countrys ongoing economic leadership and global competitiveness,” said Mark Heesen, president of the NVCA. “Her commitment to ensure that small companies are represented has helped continue to bring cutting edge breakthroughs to markets so that all Americans can benefit from the pioneering spirit of the entrepreneurial community.”

FAST FOOD restaurants are reputed to be cut-rate, unhealthy outfits, while government-run schools are supposed to be public-spirited and socially responsible. But according to a USA Today investigation published in December, meat that would be rejected by McDonalds and Jack-in-the-Box is being served to American schoolchildren.
Whether its because people are checking in two to three hours before departure in order to get through all the new security measures or have more or longer layovers, the amount of time travellers are spending in airports nowadays seems to be increasing. So what is one to do with all the extra time? Why not kick back with a local beer in one of the airport bars and forget about the stresses of travelling for a short while? Cheapflights Canada has created a ” Canadian Beer Lovers Airport Guide “, mapping out some of the best airport pubs in Canada and several in the U.S.

St. Patricks Day, a widely celebrated beer drinking holiday, is less than a month away on March 17. To get into the spirit of the occasion, Cheapflights.ca decided to combine the beer drinking custom of the festivities with travel and came up with the Canadian Beer Lovers Airport Guide. Oonagh Shiel, Cheapflights editor said, “Thirsty travellers can relax in these havens of good cheer where they can enjoy a local beer from a nearby brewery made from natural, high-quality ingredients. And people shouldnt be surprised to see green beer on tap for the St. Paddys Day celebrations.”

The Canadian Beer Lovers Airport Guide highlights beers from local breweries available at airport pubs across Canada from Victoria, B.C., all the way to Gander, Newfoundland, as well as a number of U.S. airports that are popular with Canadians. Here is a taste of some of the airports and beers featured in the guide:

Victoria International Airport in Victoria, B.C .: At White Spot you will find two Granville Island beers (brewed exclusively for White Spot at Granville Island in Vancouver) — Nat Bailey Pale Ale and Nat Bailey Lager. The Airside Cafe serves Lighthouse Lager, Beacon India Pale Ale, Race Rocks Amber Ale and Keepers Stout, from the Lighthouse Brewing Company in Victoria. The Lighthouse Brewing Company has been in business since 1998, and its Amber Ale is considered by many to be its best. Light-bodied and creamy, refreshing and enjoyable.

Edmonton International Airport in Edmonton, Alberta : Roughneck Drillers Ale from the Roughneck Brewery in Calmar, Central Alberta, is available in the Mountain Lodge Bar Grill and Molsons Pub. The Drillers Ale takes its colour from the Prairies — golden naturally — and has a soft malt sweetness.

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The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute ( PBMI ) has awarded four 2010 Rx Benefit Innovation Awards to the 1199SEIU Benefit Funds, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Manatee County (Florida) Government Employee Health Benefits, and Unity Health Plans Insurance Corporation with the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative. The awards were announced today at PBMIs 15th anniversary Drug Benefit Conference in Phoenix.

The 1199SEIU Benefit Funds are being recognized for a cost containment program offering members the most clinically effective medications at no out-of-pocket cost, while achieving a -1% drug trend. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) is being recognized for a program that increased medication adherence in its chronic disease population by minimizing barriers to adherence. Manatee County Employee Health Benefits is being recognized for an integrated health management program resulting in a -3.8% drug trend and measurable improvements in employee health. Unity Health Plans Insurance Corporation and the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative are being recognized jointly for a novel provider-payer partnership that compensates community pharmacists for quality-based, value-added services.

“Our 2010 award recipients have demonstrated creative thinking in their solutions to ongoing cost and quality issues,” says Dana H. Felthouse, MBA, president of PBMI. “They have challenged industry norms to improve the value of the drug benefit. The importance of investing in effective plan design, health improvement and medication management is a common theme.”

Cost Savings Without Cost Shifting
In an era of increased cost shifting to participants, the 1199SEIU Benefit Funds provide 420,000 members with access to a range of generic and brand-name drugs at no cost, provided members follow the plan. The Funds aggressive management strategies include mandatory generics, mandatory mail-order for maintenance drugs, and a preferred list. If members make choices outside these parameters, they pay out-of-pocket. The approach has engaged members in using their benefits wisely and saved more than $200 million in drug costs since 2005.

Increased Medication Adherence
BCBSNC implemented member and provider strategies to increase medication adherence in a 100,000-member population with hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes or congestive heart failure. The plan offered free generics and reduced copayments for certain brand-name drugs. Members received refill reminders and physicians received ePrescribe™ messages about patient adherence. Pharmaceutical representatives delivered program information to physicians during office calls. In 19 months, medication possession ratio (MPR) for the target population increased from 70.7% to 74.14%.

TULSA, Okla., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — U.S. Attorney Thomas Scott Woodward announced today that Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services, LLC, a company engaged in providing hospital pharmacy management services, has agreed to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $1 million for failing to account for large amounts of missing prescription drugs. Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services, LLC, has agreed to pay the civil penalty to settle allegations by the government that two pharmacies that it operates in Tulsa, Hillcrest Medical Center Pharmacy (HMCP) and Oklahoma State University Medical Center Pharmacy (OSUMCP), violated several provisions of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The two pharmacies were unable to account for large quantities of potentially dangerous and addictive drugs that are often abused, including hydrocodone and alprazolam. Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services, LLC, self-reported the losses to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and local police. After receiving the report of the missing drugs, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents from the Drug Diversion Group in Tulsa conducted an investigation and audit which revealed that 399,500 dosage units of hydrocodone and 234,000 dosage units of alprazolam are unaccounted for at HCMP for the time period 10/5/05 through 6/24/07, along with sixty-four (64) controlled substance invoices. At OSUMCP, there were 6,800 dosage units of hydrocodone, 300 dosage units of phentermine and 23,700 dosage units of alprazolam unaccounted for during the time period from April 4, 2007 through July 16, 2008, in addition to 47 controlled substance invoices. “Prescription drugs are regulated because of their powerful and potentially harmful effects,” Woodward said. “Todays settlement will help to curb illegal access to these potentially dangerous drugs that are often abused. It demonstrates the important responsibilities that all pharmacies have to prevent controlled drugs from being diverted from their intended use. The Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration are determined to combat the troubling prescription drug abuse problem in order to protect the public health and keep our communities safe.” Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services, LLC, denied wrongdoing, attributing the violations to the actions of two rogue employees who stole controlled substances from HMCP and OSUMCP. Upon discovering the thefts, Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services, LLC, immediately terminated the two employees. Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services, LLC, has fully cooperated with the investigation conducted by the DEA. Additionally, Cardinal Health Pharmacy Services, LLC, has implemented revised record keeping and inventory control procedures in a good-faith effort to prevent future violations of the CSA.

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SEATTLE — HomeStreet, Inc., a unitary savings and loan holding company, announced
today that it has further extended the expiration date for tender offers
that it previously launched for all of the outstanding:

The tender offers, previously scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York
City time, on February 22, 2010, will now expire at 5:00 p.m., New York
City time, on Monday, March 22, 2010, unless further extended or
terminated. Except for the extension described above, all terms and
conditions of the tender offers are unchanged and remain in full force
and effect.

Pursuant to the tender offers, HomeStreet is offering to purchase all of
the outstanding trust preferred securities, for cash, for an amount
equal to $200 per $1,000 liquidation amount outstanding. No accrued and
unpaid distributions on the trust preferred securities will be paid.
Tendered trust preferred securities may not be withdrawn once they have
been tendered in the tender offers. As of December 18, 2009, the date
the tender offers were commenced, there was approximately $60 million
aggregate liquidation amount of trust preferred securities outstanding.
HomeStreet is simultaneously soliciting consents from the tendering
holders of trust preferred securities to amend or remove certain
provisions to the declarations of trust of the trusts that issued the
trust preferred securities, the guarantees related thereto and the
indentures for the junior subordinated notes issued by HomeStreet to
those trusts in connection with the issuance of the trust preferred
securities.

The tender offers are conditioned on 100% of the aggregate liquidation
amount outstanding of each series of trust preferred securities being
tendered and are subject to the other conditions described in the offer
to purchase, including the completion of a financing transaction by
HomeStreet sufficient both to purchase the trust preferred securities
that are validly tendered and to satisfy its other regulatory capital
requirements.

The borrower in personal lending is an important customer in the retail
finance arena. It would be beneficial for lenders to understand the
borrower as a result, but the scarce amount of research available in
consumer lending makes any meaningful understanding difficult. RFI
conducted four surveys with over 8,000 respondents in total. These
surveys, which included both current and future borrowers, gathered
responses relating to reasons behind taking out personal loans, the
characteristics of these loans, customer satisfaction and research
channels.

The analysis of this data provides valuable insight into the borrower in
personal lending, with findings indicating that the borrower is
difficult to view as a homogeneous group in any way, other than by the
fact that they would like to be rid of their personal loans as soon as
possible.

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IHI program building foundation for more quality-conscious providers Open School med students are initiating their own QI programs The goal of the school, she says, is “to advance health care improvement and safety competencies in the next generation. Its an attempt to address the fact that many academic organizations were teaching improvement and safety in a very limited capacity — some not at all — so we wanted to bring it directly to students.” The schools offerings, she explains, “vary from what feel like formal courses to case studies, video clips on YouTube, discussion boards, and journal articles.” Probably the development the IHI found most interesting, she continues, “is that while the program was initially targeted at students, weve also found a large number of faculty members showing interest. They view the content and integrate it with their course curriculum and share it with other faculty so the knowledge can be spread.”
AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s ‘Testing America’ Tour Partners with
Building Bridges to Provide Free HIV Testing During February 19th
Event at Hinds Community College

JACKSON, Miss. — AIDS Healthcare Foundation:

AHF’s
Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour, a six month, 48 state national
cross country HIV testing tour, will stop in Jackson, Mississippi on
Friday, February 19th and will offer free HIV testing event
on the campus of Hinds Community College from 8:00 AM until
12:00 Noon. The testing will take place on AIDS Healthcare
Foundation (AHF’s) new, state-of-the-art ‘Testing America’ mobile
HIV testing unit named in honor of and in partnership with basketball
legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jr. AHF is working in conjunction with Building
Bridges, a respected local non-profit HIV/AIDS organization.

SAN FRANCISCO — Global executive search and assessment firm Russell Reynolds Associates
today announced the 2010 fellows selected to attend the California
Health Leadership College (CHLC).

A partnership between Russell Reynolds Associates and the Center for
Creative Leadership (CCL), supported by the California Hospital
Association (CHA) and the California HealthCare Foundation, CHLC is
dedicated to the development of next generation CEOs. Fellows entering
the program will participate in the yearlong curriculum that combines
intensive and comprehensive leadership assessment, coaching, interactive
lectures, and action learning assignments to help executives develop the
interpersonal, and overall leadership skills needed for success in
today’s healthcare environment.

“Today’s rapidly-changing healthcare industry demands leadership with
the skills and depth necessary to develop new solutions for a better
future,” said Barbara Anderman, Consultant at Russell Reynolds
Associates. “This program is unique in the industry, and provides
talented executives with the tools they need to create new ideas and
move their organizations forward.”

Russell Reynolds Associates is also pleased to announce that six of the
fourteen fellows attending the CHLC in 2010 will receive scholarship
grants supported by the California HealthCare Foundation. The grant
funding will continue to enable safety net hospital executives and those
executives from rural healthcare organizations to participate in the
rich learning environment that CHLC offers and further support
leadership throughout the healthcare sector in California.

The California Health Leadership College Fellowship Class of 2010
includes:

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Ivor G. Davies Our loving father and grandfather returned home to his beloved sweetheart, of 51 years, on Valentines Day. He was born in Hill Station, PA on Aug. 16, 1928 to Thomas E. and Hattie Belle Davies. He married Mary Margarette Green on Dec. 16, 1950. They both joined the LDS Church in 1960 and two years later they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa LDS Temple. His Mary Margarette passed away in Aug. 2001. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II serving in the South Pacific. He retired from U.S. Steel as an accountant in 1985 after 25 years of service. He was currently working for Superior Care
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) announced today that it intends to reduce its
workforce on a net basis by approximately 1,400 positions, or five
percent, over the course of 2010, balancing 2,500 position reductions
with 1,100 additional jobs in areas of growth such as medical-cost
containment capabilities, pharmacy management, and specialty products.
The reduction will come primarily from attrition, process efficiencies,
outsourcing, and position eliminations.

“Todays announcement reaffirms our commitment to positioning Humana for
future growth,” said Michael B. McCallister, Humanas president and
chief executive officer. “This regrettable but necessary reduction in
our workforce is a direct result of Humanas need to align the size of
our company with that of our membership. We are committed to managing
this aspect of our realignment with the utmost care and sensitivity.”

All associates impacted by position eliminations will have a 60-day
transition period at Humana. Human Resources will work closely with
these associates to provide access to resources and information about
internal opportunities and outplacement assistance. Associates who are
unable to obtain another position with the company will be offered a
severance package with continuation of health and other benefits.

McCallister said the workforce reduction will not impair the companys
ability to serve its 10.3 million medical members and 7.2 million
specialty-benefit members. Rather, the reduction — part of an ongoing
administrative-cost-saving initiative at Humana — is intended to help
the company create a more efficient, agile infrastructure while also
providing the resources required to invest in new growth opportunities.

The company also reaffirmed its guidance for 2010 diluted earnings per
common share of $5.15 to $5.35, noting that the changes described in
this news release are not anticipated to result in any adjustments to
its prior earnings guidance.

Ivor G. Davies Our loving father and grandfather returned home to his beloved sweetheart, of 51 years, on Valentines Day. He was born in Hill Station, PA on Aug. 16, 1928 to Thomas E. and Hattie Belle Davies. He married Mary Margarette Green on Dec. 16, 1950. They both joined the LDS Church in 1960 and two years later they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa LDS Temple. His Mary Margarette passed away in Aug. 2001. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II serving in the South Pacific. He retired from U.S. Steel as an accountant in 1985 after 25 years of service. He was currently working for Superior Care

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A PRISONER stole a car INSIDE jail and took it for a crazy joyride.
A PRISONER stole a car INSIDE jail and took it for a crazy joyride.
THIS year, I want to wean the kids off electronic toys during their summer so that they can run wild, and learn that there is more to life than Super Mario. Any ideas? – S Baxter, Manchester I THINK you should head to Bardsey Island in North Wales. Reached by boat from Port Meudwy, the island is two miles long and one mile wide and none of the houses have electricity although there are gas cookers, fridges and lamps to make your stay more comfortable.

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MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — Kevin Hale, Executive Vice President of Mutual of Omaha Bank, will be
available to the news media on Monday, Feb. 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30
a.m. at the Mutual of Omaha Bank (formerly Marco Community Bank) at 1770
San Marco Road in Marco Island.

Mutual of Omaha Bank opened in Marco Island taking over the deposits and
loans of the failed Marco Community Bank.

Mutual of Omaha Bank assumed substantially all the deposits and loans of
the failed bank, including those that exceeded the FDIC insurance limit,
after federal regulators closed the banks on Friday. Depositors of the
failed bank automatically became depositors of Mutual of Omaha Bank and
no depositor lost money as a result of the failure.

With more than $4 billion in assets, Mutual of Omaha Bank operates a
network of full-service community banks in Florida, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, Nevada and Texas, and has loan production
offices in Iowa and Kansas. It recently opened its first full-service
Florida bank in Naples, and a Tampa location is slated to open this
spring.

For more information or to make other coverage arrangements, please
contact Jim Nolan at (402) 616-6455.

PETER STORRIE has lifted the lid on the financial chaos engulfing Portsmouth and the reasons why the club are drowning in debt. Chief executive Storrie decided to speak out after growing increasingly agitated by speculation over the clubs fate. He said: “Naturally there are lessons to be learned from what has gone on at Portsmouth but fundamentally the club was rrun no differently than Chelsea, whereby we had owners supporting substantial debt. “But when Sacha Gaydamak took control we were hit with screaming headlines of pounds 100million to spend on players.

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Quality Check measures added by Joint Commission Quality Check displays data on National Quality Improvement Goals for hospitals on selected performance measures in six treatment areas: childrens asthma care, heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, pregnancy, surgical care, and pregnancy. The EDs performance in all of these areas becomes part of the hospitals data submission to Quality Check. That information then can be accessed by consumers as part of their search for hospital care. Bruce S. Auerbach, MD, FACEP, vice president and chief, emergency and ambulatory services at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, MA, says, “Once a person has been admitted to the hospital, the ED really has no further involvement in what goes on while in theyre in the hospital or upon discharge.” However, he notes, “Some EDs have instituted programs that process or provide more care in the ED or through which patients are overseen in adjacent areas — like observation or clinical decision units — as a means to manage those individuals they think they can take care of within a 24-hour-period and not admit them.” These patients, he continues, will be discharged from the ED or the other units, in which case the ED staff that oversee that unit will provide discharge instructions, he says. In addition, he notes, some institutions will put case managers in the ED. “Because they have so much to do with discharge planning, they will use them in the ED even for patients who are being admitted since they can start work early on discharge planning so that when theyre discharged there are no obstacles in the way of going home,” Auerbach explains.
THERES nothing like a good spy thriller and particularly when its for real. The Dubai hit squad story is utterly compelling. On one level it showed the Israeli secret service at its uncompromising best, as no denial is surely tantamount to an admission. The assassination of the Hamas commander breached all sorts of international laws but was professional, audacious and successful.

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NICKY Richards veteran Monets Garden (11-2) showed his rivals a clean pair of heels to win the Betfair Ascot Chase for a second time. The 12-year-old was winning for the 16th time in all and also finished second to Kauto Star in the 2008 renewal. The bold-jumping grey made every yard of the running under Barry Geraghty, who has now won on the popular chaser on the two times he has ridden him. Richards moved his stable star to Newmarket from his Cumbria base during the cold spell and it has obviously done the trick.
A KEY Taliban commander has been killed in heavy fighting around an insurgent stronghold in Afghanistan. Mullah Amanullah was killed as US, British and Afghan forces swapped sniper fire and grenades with Taliban fighters in Marjah in the countrys lawless Helmand Province. Provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi said: “The joint forces killed commander Mullah Amanullah during a clean-up mission.” US Marines claim more than 120 Taliban have been killed during Operation Moshtarak – a push by NATO troops to flush out Taliban fighters in Helmand.
ABOUT nine years ago, we bought a beautiful three-and two-seater leather suite in terracotta for pounds 2,000. Its in perfect condition except for two dirty patches. I am desperate to clean them but I am wary of doing it myself. – Mrs Marion Millington, Great Clacton, Essex ZENA SAYS: When in doubt about dirt, there is nothing else to do but call in the clean queens Kim Woodburn and Aggie Mackenzie. “If this doesnt work, test colour fastness in a hidden area, then gently rub the mark with a pencil eraser. Alternatively, cover the stain with a rubber solution glue. Smooth a little over the surface and allow to dry. Leave fSor 24 hours and rub away.”

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THERES nothing like a good spy thriller and particularly when its for real. The Dubai hit squad story is utterly compelling. On one level it showed the Israeli secret service at its uncompromising best, as no denial is surely tantamount to an admission. The assassination of the Hamas commander breached all sorts of international laws but was professional, audacious and successful.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

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IHI program building foundation for more quality-conscious providers Open School med students are initiating their own QI programs The goal of the school, she says, is “to advance health care improvement and safety competencies in the next generation. Its an attempt to address the fact that many academic organizations were teaching improvement and safety in a very limited capacity — some not at all — so we wanted to bring it directly to students.” The schools offerings, she explains, “vary from what feel like formal courses to case studies, video clips on YouTube, discussion boards, and journal articles.” Probably the development the IHI found most interesting, she continues, “is that while the program was initially targeted at students, weve also found a large number of faculty members showing interest. They view the content and integrate it with their course curriculum and share it with other faculty so the knowledge can be spread.”
ExpertSource:

According to a recent article in Modern Healthcare, the latest trend in
medical record-keeping is a growing class of workers called scribes.

Staffing companies are supplying scribes to hospitals seeking to not
only improve physician productivity but to ease the transition into
electronic health records (EHRs.)

“The word is biblical,” said Linda Pierog, practice manager for ER
staffing company Emergency Medicine Services of Orange County, or EMSOC,
and its ScribeMD service. Emergency rooms have given scribes a toehold
in modern healthcare record-keeping operations because, unlike in some
other medical specialties, ER records are created concurrent with
patient care, said Pierog. Notes the article, “scribes do more than
transcriptionists by assisting physicians in fully documenting a patient
encounter, [and] most recently, entering encounter data in an EHR.”

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SEATTLE — Blend Images, the world’s leading multiethnic stock photography agency,
announced today the launch of a new Royalty-Free value collection, Boost.

With nearly 7,000 images in the collection, Boost offers another high
quality image option with a budget friendly price. Images in the
collection range in size from a 500KB file for $9 to a 48MB file for $99.

“We created this collection with one primary aim in mind: providing
clients worldwide with a high-quality option as they continue to face
tightening budgets,” said Robert Henson, Director of Channel Relations
and Sales. “Adding Boost gives us the ability to offer a comprehensive
selection of premium imagery at a range of price points, meeting the
needs of any budget.”

Boost is available at blendimages.com as well as through their worldwide
distribution network of agents.

Byline: KATIE DAVIES THEIR smiles portray a picture of happiness on their wedding day. But the lost photo album of these two sweethearts was found under inches of dust in a Tyneside shop. Now Carla Myers, who found the album, is asking readers to help trace the couple and help make their Valentines Day a one to remember. The owner of Ye Old Sweet Shop, in Station Road, Wallsend, found the professional photographs when she was clearing out the stockroom ready for the opening day.
Photographers can enter their images online until April 5, 2010

“Being a part of this very special wedding photography contest and
promoting it to not only our WPPI members and convention and trade show
attendees but wedding photographers across the United States is
something we are happy to do,” said George Varanakis, WPPI’s Group
Publisher and Executive Vice President. “And this being the 30th
anniversary of our annual convention and trade show, it’s the perfect
time to support such an exciting wedding photography contest.”

Winners will be selected by a panel of distinguished professional
wedding photographers and magazine editors and will be published in the
July/August 2010 issues of American Photo and Destination
Weddings Honeymoons. Contest categories include Getting Ready,
Ceremony, Couples Portrait, Reception, Send-Off, Details, Best Use of
Locale, Best Use of Local Color, Day After and Trash the Dress.

Ten winners will be chosen from the submissions, one winner per contest
category. From among these 10, two grand prize winners for a trip for
two to The Cancun Palace Resort in Mexico will be selected. In addition
to the trip, one of the Grand Prize winners will also receive a Lensbaby
Composer lens with Fisheye and Soft Focus optics, a Kubota Super Studio
Pak from Kubota Image Tools and a BODA V3 Lens Bag.

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By Joy Moser If you have ever looked at beautiful glowing, perfectly shaped, valentine-red tomatoes, leaned forward to press your nose close to this ruby of the dirt and breathed in the full essence of a vine- ripened beauty, then the Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners have a seminar for you. If you have been envious of the green leafy vegetables that seem to just pop up in your neighbors garden — those vistas of lettuce, spinach and green beans, row upon row — you, too, can be the envy of the neighborhood. Perhaps you would just like to give your family good-tasting food, free of chemicals and residue.
This year, the Rookwood Pottery Company will debut a
number of “firsts” at the Annual Grove Park Inn Arts Crafts
Conference in Asheville, NC, February 19-21, 2010. The Rookwood exhibit
will feature original, one-of-a-kind signed vases, one-of-a-kind heritage
tiles recast from original molds, and hand-crafted fireplaces with Rookwood
surround options. Rookwoods craftsmanship and designs date back to 1880.

“New this year, we are offering beautiful one-of-a-kind artist signed vases
that I know collectors will love,” Rookwood Pottery CEO Christopher Rose
said.

Another first this year, Rose will lead a small group discussion. His
session “Ideas To Revitalize Your
Arts Crafts Business” will focus on the importance of being a student
of the period and the importance of continually renewing your focus on your
core mission. “Stop wasting time trying to manage the chaos of the economy;
instead invest your energy in your brand and your products,” Rose said.

CEO Roses session will be held on Saturday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the
Grove Park Inn.

Additionally, well-known
Antiques Road Show Appraiser Riley Humler, who has partnered with
Rookwood, will be on site accepting consignments of art pottery and art
glass. Humler is gallery director of “The Auctions at Rookwood” and a
25-year Rookwood explorer. In the past 15 years, he has orchestrated the
important Rookwood auctions held by Cincinnati Art Galleries and is
considered to be one of the foremost authorities on Rookwood Pottery in the
world.

The exclusive Spring Creek Ranch in Colorado is available this Spring for one family to enjoy a dream cattle ranch vacation , complete with the rare experience of a real, live cattle drive. Guests can choose to participate in everything from branding to driving more than 400 head of cattle for 20 miles on horseback, before returning to luxurious accommodations and a professionally prepared delicious dinner back at the ranch.

With trees and flowers in full bloom and newborn calves and chicks running around the grounds, this is an opportunity to experience the western ranch at its most beautiful and most active time of the year. Spring Creek Ranch, a private residence, offers up a rich experience with the amenities you would expect from a luxury hotel as well as the activities of a working cattle ranch.

Just a little over an hour away from Aspen, the 1,200-acre guest ranch is nestled in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and boasts sweeping views of undeveloped national forest. Once featured on the cover of House and Garden Magazine, the 4,800 square-foot ranch house has a total of five beautifully-appointed bedrooms, and is tastefully decorated in a blend of Ralph Lauren designer furnishings and western antiques. The Ranchs rustic charm is further highlighted by the wrap-around porch and handcrafted wood work.

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NEW YORK — The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX), announced today that it will host
its fourth quarter and 2009 year end investor conference call Thursday,
February 25, 2010 at 11:00 am ET. Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer; Tony James, President and Chief Operating Officer;
Laurence Tosi, Chief Financial Officer; and Joan Solotar, Senior
Managing Director – Public Markets, will review The Blackstone Group
L.P.’s fourth quarter year end earnings. The conference call can be
accessed by dialing (888) 713-4213 (U.S. domestic) or 1 (617) 213.4865
(international) pass code 59443416.

NEW YORK — The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX), announced today that it will host
its fourth quarter and 2009 year end investor conference call Thursday,
February 25, 2010 at 11:00 am ET. Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer; Tony James, President and Chief Operating Officer;
Laurence Tosi, Chief Financial Officer; and Joan Solotar, Senior
Managing Director – Public Markets, will review The Blackstone Group
L.P.’s fourth quarter year end earnings. The conference call can be
accessed by dialing (888) 713-4213 (U.S. domestic) or 1 (617) 213.4865
(international) pass code 59443416.

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NEW YORK MINNEAPOLIS — Dominique Conseil, Global Brand President Aveda, Salon and Pharmacy
Channels announced today the appointment of Christopher J. Werle to Vice
President, Global Communications Aveda, effective March 1, 2010. Mr.
Werle will report to Mr. Conseil and Marianne Diorio, Senior Vice
President Global Brand Communications, The Estée Lauder Companies.

Mr. Werle was most recently the Executive Vice President, Consumer
Practice for Weber Shandwick. Mr. Werle provided strategic counsel,
brand marketing and communications expertise to a group of trusted and
valuable brands such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, TiVo, Sprint and Best Buy.
Prior to Weber Shandwick, Mr. Werle was Group Marketing Manager, Games
Division/ Home Retail Division at Microsoft Corporation leading
marketing and communications in online, offline and retail environments.
He created targeted, brand-building, consumer-oriented campaigns,
including the award winning Intellimouse Optical launch and Xbox Video
Game Console announcement.

Mr. Werle served on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity and
Catholic Charities and is a mentor with Bolder Options.

“Aveda is thrilled to have Chris Werle on our team,” said Dominique
Conseil. “Chris is a masterful communications executive with the winning
combination of strategic thinking, extensive high level professional
experience and a heartfelt commitment to corporate social
responsibility.”

Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the
products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda,
we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and
responsibility, not just in the world of beauty but around the world.

Six investigators and four forensic investigators from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are probing the circumstances surrounding a motor vehicle collision in Scarborough that occurred just after midnight.

The SIU was notfied that at approximately 12:10 a.m. on February 15, 2010, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) responded to a break and enter call at a Midland Avenue business. A short time later, police began following a vehicle south on Midland Avenue, and then westbound on Lawrence Avenue. Near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Pharmacy, the vehicle being followed collided with another vehicle. Five people from the civillian vehicle, and one person from the car being followed were taken to hospital.

Investigators are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact the Unit at 416-622-1988.

The SIU is a civilian agency that investigates cases of serious injuries (including allegations of sexual assault) and deaths involving the police. Pursuant to section 113 of the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU is mandated to consider whether a criminal offence has been committed by an officer(s) in connection with the incident under investigation and, where warranted by the evidence, to cause a criminal charge or charges to be laid against the officer(s). The Director reports the results of investigations to the Attorney General.

RESIDENTS on part of Tyneside are urged to get a 20-minute health check which could add years to their lives. NHS South of Tyne and Wear is now offering free NHS Health Checks to 40 to 74-year-olds at five Gateshead pharmacies. The check assesses peoples risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease or diabetes. These conditions are the number one cause of premature death in the North East and people are often unaware that they have developed a problem until its too late. Alyson Learmonth, director of public health for Gateshead at NHS South of Tyne and Wear, which covers Gateshead Primary Care Trust, said: “Its a simple test which could add years to your life.”

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In response to the recent earthquake in Haiti,
WakePharmaUS, in conjunction with The Relief Foundation and The Red Cross,
have sent a volunteer group comprised of 100 translators, religious
leaders, surgeons, nurses, construction teams, and trained psychologists to
assist with continuing relief efforts. WakePharmaUS has also provided a
massive in-kind donation of its revolutionary new product, Wound-Be-Gone,
to help treat both acute and chronic wounds. This “Wound-Be-Gone-Entourage”
is the first of its kind to be dispatched with relief efforts focused
strictly on wound care and management. As an international company with
strong global family ties, WakePharmaUS has made an impact with its
breakthrough product Wound-Be-Gone by focusing on the promotion of wellness
rather than the treatment of disease. The current situation in Haiti is no
different.

Dr. Macy Hall, Jr., Board Member, Reconstructive Surgeon, and Wound Care
Specialist from Washington, DC explains:

“The WakePharmaUS family is saddened by the recent catastrophe in Haiti.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims. With some reports
estimating over 100,000 deaths and 250,000 injuries, there must be an
immediate plan of action. A catastrophe in a nation where over 85% of the
population lives in poverty is exponentially devastating due to the lack of
healthcare education and access to proper lifesaving techniques. We need
to treat the injured as quickly and efficiently as possible, in order to
have the most impact, prevent disease, and conserve resources.”

While experts point out that victims are most likely to survive if rescued
within 48 hours, the ongoing treatment and care required to keep those
survivors healthy is intensive. Often, highly experienced rescue and
relief teams have difficulty remaining useful. The Wound-Be-Gone-Entourage
was designed with that issue in mind. By deploying the Entourage after the
initial emergency relief efforts, their purpose remains focused on the
promotion of wellness through treating and educating survivors in order to
promote self-sufficiency.

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Editors Note: There are three photos and a video associated with this Press Release.

Tweens, teens and thirty-something gamers beware – Grandma and Grandpa are the newest force to be reckoned with in the family Wii showdown.

The Wii™ video game system has increasingly found a home at seniors living residences and community centres across the country – creating new opportunities for residents to interact with each other, and allowing seniors to take on a younger generation at what was traditionally considered their domain.

Members of Edmonds Community Centre for 55 in Burnaby, British Columbia, were treated to some fun in the virtual sun as representatives from Nintendo and Nurse Next Door , Canadas fastest growing in-home senior care provider, encouraged seniors to try their skills with the Wii Sports Resort game. While playing together with each other and kids from a local youth centre, Edmonds members also had the opportunity to learn about and experience the Wii system.

Denise Kelly, Captain of Relationships Community Care from Nurse Next Doors Burnaby, BC franchise, has been incorporating Nintendo games as a regular past time amongst the senior population it services, and has found that seniors genuinely enjoy playing interactive games on Wii and reap far greater benefits.

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Full Expansion to Fair Trade Ingredients to be Completed by 2013

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Ben Jerry’s announces its commitment to go fully Fair Trade across its
entire global flavor portfolio. From Americone Dream to Chocolate Fudge
Brownie, all of the flavors in all of the countries where Ben Jerry’s
is sold will be converted to Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients by the
end of 2013.

Ben Jerry’s was the first ice cream company in the world to use Fair
Trade Certified™ ingredients starting in 2005, and today it’s racing
ahead as the first ice cream company to make such a significant
commitment to Fair Trade across its global portfolio.

Company co-founder Jerry Greenfield said, ”Fair Trade is about making
sure people get their fair share of the pie. The whole concept of Fair
Trade goes to the heart of our values and sense of right and wrong.
Nobody wants to buy something that was made by exploiting somebody else.”

Ben Jerry’s Fair Trade commitment means that every ingredient that can
be sourced Fair Trade Certified™, now or in the future, is Fair Trade
Certified™. Globally, this involves converting up to 121 different
chunks and swirls, working across eleven different ingredients such as
cocoa, banana, vanilla and other flavorings, fruits, and nuts. It also
means working with Fair Trade cooperatives that total a combined
membership of over 27,000 farmers.

NEW YORK — Invitel Holdings A/S (NYSE AMEX:IHO) announced today that following the
close of trading today on the NYSE Amex stock exchange, the NYSE Amex
will remove Invitel’s American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”, which
represent ordinary shares of Invitel Holdings A/S) from trading on the
NYSE Amex stock exchange. The removal by the NYSE Amex is based on the
expected February 18, 2010 effectiveness of Invitel Holdings’ filing on
Form 25, which Invitel Holdings filed on February 8, 2010 with both the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the NYSE Amex to delist its
ADSs from the NYSE Amex stock exchange.

Following the delisting of its ADSs from the NYSE Amex, Invitel Holdings
will take the necessary steps to deregister from the SEC and to cease
reporting under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, by
filing a Form 15 with the SEC. Upon the filing of the Form 15, the
obligation of Invitel Holdings to file periodic reports with the SEC
under the Exchange Act will be suspended immediately. The deregistration
will be effective 90 days after the filing, unless the Form 15 is
earlier withdrawn by Invitel Holdings or denied by the SEC. Invitel
Holdings reserves the right to delay or withdraw the filing of the Form
15 for any reason prior to its effectiveness.

INITIATION OF COMPULSORY ACQUISITION PROCEDURE BY MID EUROPA

The decision by Invitel Holdings to delist its ADSs from the NYSE Amex
and to deregister from the SEC follows the completion by Mid Europa
Partners of its tender offer to purchase any and all of the outstanding
ordinary shares of Invitel Holdings and any and all of the ADSs
representing such ordinary shares. Following the completion of the
tender offer, Mid Europa now owns approximately 91.8% of the outstanding
ordinary shares of Invitel Holdings. Mid Europa has begun the process to
acquire the remaining Invitel Holdings ordinary shares in a compulsory
acquisition procedure under Danish law (the “Compulsory Acquisition”).
The Compulsory Acquisition is expected to be completed by July 8, 2010,
at which point Mid Europa is expected to own all of the outstanding
ordinary shares of Invitel Holdings. As a result of the initiation of
the Compulsory Acquisition, Invitel Holdings has commenced the process
of terminating the Deposit Agreement dated February 27, 2009 with
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, which governs the ADSs. The
termination is expected to be effective following the completion of the
Compulsory Acquisition.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — S.Y. Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYBT), parent company of Stock Yards Bank
Trust Company, with offices in the Louisville metropolitan area,
Indianapolis and Cincinnati, today announced that its Board of Directors
has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per common share. The
dividend will be paid on April 1, 2010, to stockholders of record as of
March 15, 2010.

Louisville, Kentucky-based S.Y. Bancorp, Inc., with $1.8 billion in
assets, was incorporated in 1988 as a bank holding company. It is the
parent company of Stock Yards Bank Trust Company, which was
established in 1904. The Companys common shares trade on the NASDAQ
Global Select Market under the symbol SYBT.

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The Government funded scrappage scheme has brought huge success to Britains beleaguered motor industry since its launch in May 2009, but as Motor Trade Insurance Specialist Flint Insurance warns, with money fast running out the trade looks set to face a tough year ahead.

On February 4th, the Government announced that the scheme had been extended by a month to help both car manufacturers and dealers prepare for the final stages. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), published figures show a 30% year on year increase in car sales in January 2009, but the monthly total was shockingly decreased by 17,000 vehicles compared to sales in January 2008.

The UK recession was officially announced as “over” at the start of 2010, but many car dealerships and manufacturers will take months and even years to recover. Last year the job cuts at Jaguar Land Rover in Merseyside and Nissans Sunderland plant only highlighted the difficulty that the industry was facing.

A spokesman from Flint Insurance commented, “The Governments scrappage scheme has been a huge success for what seems to have been an industry desperately keeping afloat. The motor industry has had a short boost from the scheme, but with the funding due to come to an end most will feel a sharp decrease in sales as people tighten the belts on their spending.”

The Government funded scrappage scheme has brought huge success to Britains beleaguered motor industry since its launch in May 2009, but as Motor Trade Insurance Specialist Flint Insurance warns, with money fast running out the trade looks set to face a tough year ahead.

On February 4th, the Government announced that the scheme had been extended by a month to help both car manufacturers and dealers prepare for the final stages. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), published figures show a 30% year on year increase in car sales in January 2009, but the monthly total was shockingly decreased by 17,000 vehicles compared to sales in January 2008.

The UK recession was officially announced as “over” at the start of 2010, but many car dealerships and manufacturers will take months and even years to recover. Last year the job cuts at Jaguar Land Rover in Merseyside and Nissans Sunderland plant only highlighted the difficulty that the industry was facing.

A spokesman from Flint Insurance commented, “The Governments scrappage scheme has been a huge success for what seems to have been an industry desperately keeping afloat. The motor industry has had a short boost from the scheme, but with the funding due to come to an end most will feel a sharp decrease in sales as people tighten the belts on their spending.”

Demonstration Will Highlight Transcede Baseband Processor’s
Flexibility for Developing 3G/4G/LTE Basestation Platforms

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:MSPD), a leading supplier of
semiconductor solutions for network infrastructure applications, today
announced it is demonstrating the company’s recently introduced Transcede™
application-specific system-on-chip (SoC) baseband processing device for
3G/4G/long-term evolution (LTE) basestations at the Mobile World
Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, this week.

The Transcede T4000 SoC’s integrated physical layer (PHY) device will be
shown running an eNodeB software stack implemented on the Mindspeed®
Transcede evaluation module. The demonstration will include signal
analysis software displaying the LTE digital modulation output of the
Transcede 4000.

“Mindspeed is very pleased to be able to provide an LTE application
demonstration for our recently announced Transcede family,” said Alan
Taylor, marketing director for Mindspeed’s multiservice access business
unit. “This demonstration of the LTE eNodeB application is a testament
to the programmability of the Transcede architecture, which can be
easily scaled across an unprecedented range of platforms, from picocells
to macrocells, serving anywhere from a handful to thousands of
subscribers, in support of all 3G/4G/LTE air-interface standards.”

The Transcede family of SoCs integrates an unprecedented 26 programmable
processors into a single device; including two ARM® Cortex A9®
multi-core symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) reduced instruction set
computer (RISC) processors, 10 CEVA® DSPs, and 10 DSP accelerators. The
solution fully supports the complete processing needs of single- and
multi-sector basestations using the wideband code-division multiple
access (W-CDMA), LTE, LTE time-division duplex (TD-LTE, in China), time
division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA, in China),
and/or WiMAX air-interface standards. The Transcede family of SoCs can
deliver three sectors of LTE processing in a single device, while still
providing substantial processing headroom, allowing manufactures to
deploy their own value-added features as part of an overall
Transcede-based solution.

Fap Turbo Video – Automated Forex Trading On Autopilot Review

SALT LAKE CITY — BSD Medical Corporation (NASDAQ:BSDM) reports initiation of a
randomized, multicenter Phase III clinical study using the BSD-2000
Hyperthermia System in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment
of pancreatic cancer patients after R0/R1 surgical resection of their
tumor (complete removal or only microscopic tumor remaining). The
coordinating investigator is Rolf D. Issels, MD PhD, Department of
Medical Oncology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Munich University Medical
School, Munich, Germany. The Phase III study, which is being sponsored
by the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO), will compare
hyperthermia with chemotherapy (gemcitabine) to chemotherapy
(gemcitabine) alone.

The Phase III study was initiated following completion of a Phase II
study that utilized chemotherapy and hyperthermia to treat 21 inoperable
pancreatic patients who were resistant to or had failed previous
chemotherapy gemcitabine treatments, a patient population with a dire
prognosis. There was one complete response (complete disappearance of
the tumor), 3 partial responses (more than 50% tumor reduction), and 7
patients with stable disease (no tumor growth). The study results
demonstrated a low toxicity rate and an overall survival of 16.9 months.
By comparison, the median survival for inoperable pancreatic cancer
patients after gemcitabine treatment is only 6 months. The Phase III
study, which is being sponsored by the European Society for Hyperthermic
Oncology (ESHO), will compare hyperthermia with chemotherapy
(gemcitabine) to chemotherapy (gemcitabine) alone.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest and hardest to treat cancers
and is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. There were an
estimated 42,470 Americans and 60,000 Europeans diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer during 2009 and approximately 80% are inoperable. The
median survival period from the time of diagnosis until death is 3.5 to
6 months, depending on treatment, and less than 5 percent survive to
five years. Advanced pancreatic cancer patients currently have few
treatment options.

The study is scheduled to open for patient enrollment in March 2010. The
following clinical sites will participate in the clinical study:
Klinikum Grosshadern of Ludwigs-Maximilans-Universit�t M�nchen, HELIOS
Schlossbergklinik Oberstaufen, Rotkreuzkrankenhaus M�nchen,
Universit�tsklinikum D�sseldorf, Klinikum Mannheim of Heidelberg
University Medical School, Universit�tsklinikum Erlangen,
Universit�tsklinikum Freiburg, Universit�tsklinikum T�bingen, and
Charit� University Medical School Berlin (all Germany); Kantonsspital
Aarau AG (Switzerland); and Ospedale Borgo Trento Verona (Italy).

About the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology

LEXINGTON, Mass. — GI Dynamics, a leader in non-surgical, endoscopic treatments for type 2
diabetes and obesity, today announced that its EndoBarrier™
Gastrointestinal Liner and EndoBarrier Flow Restrictor will be
highlighted by Alex Escalona, M.D., Department of Digestive Surgery,
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile at the
Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Ninth Annual Surgery of the Foregut Symposium
and Endoscopic Natural Orifice Surgery (NOTES) Day taking place February
14-17, 2010 at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida.

“I look forward to presenting clinical study information for the
EndoBarrier, a compelling, emerging endoscopic technology, to my
colleagues in the endoscopy and bariatric surgery fields during NOTES
Day at the Surgery of the Foregut Symposium,” commented Dr. Escalona.
“This symposium provides an excellent opportunity to share my own
clinical experience with the EndoBarrier, as well as additional safety
and efficacy data from clinical trials conducted to date, as a promising
non-surgical treatment option for patients suffering from type 2
diabetes and obesity.”

Dr. Escalona will highlight EndoBarrier weight loss data in a
presentation, entitled “Endoscopic duodenal-jejunal bypass: principles
and results in obesity,” at 11:10 a.m. EST and additional EndoBarrier
type 2 diabetes data in a presentation, entitled “Endoscopic
duodenal-jejunal bypass: results in type 2 diabetes,” at 11:30 a.m. EST
on Sunday, February 14, 2010.

“The incidence of type 2 diabetes and obesity continue to rise at
alarming rates across the globe and innovative solutions are clearly
needed,” stated Stuart A. Randle, chief executive officer of GI
Dynamics. “With experience in more than 280 patients to-date, a growing
body of clinical evidence demonstrates that the EndoBarrier provides a
novel, non-surgical approach to treating these diseases – simultaneously
improving diabetic factors in patients with type 2 diabetes and
facilitating significant weight loss in obese patients. We appreciate
the continued support of Dr. Escalona, and the rest of our clinical
investigators and their patients, as we continue our development effort
and prepare to bring the EndoBarrier to market.”

Addressing Unmet Need for Treating Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity

DALLAS — United Surgical Partners International, Inc. today announced that it
will provide an online Web simulcast of its fourth quarter and year-end
2009 earnings conference call on Friday, February 26, 2010. The
Company’s results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31,
2009, will be released after the closing of the market on Thursday,
February 25, 2010.

United Surgical Partners International, headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
currently has ownership interests in or operates 169 surgical
facilities. Of the Company’s 165 domestic facilities, 109 are jointly
owned with not-for-profit healthcare systems. The Company also operates
four facilities in London, England.

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Dell’s OpenManage Integration Suite for Microsoft System Center helps
customers get IT assets up and running quickly by streamlining the most
time consuming administrative tasks such as bare metal deployments,
server provisioning, and BIOS driver and firmware updates. In addition,
these tools give businesses added flexibility in scheduling
non-disruptive IT maintenance tasks and help IT staff allocate resources
to projects that support business objectives.

“IT professionals continue to look for solutions that help them more
easily manage their PCs using standardized tools,” said Bob O’Donnell,
vice president for IDC. “Delivering an open, end-to-end solution makes
it easier for customers to integrate, deploy, and manage their IT
assets. An approach like this is very pragmatic and helps minimize
software migration issues while making adoption of Microsoft computing
architectures more accessible.”

The News

Dell is making available to its customers, at no charge, a comprehensive
set of software tools that deliver hardware management functionality
integrated with Microsoft System Center applications. With Dell’s
approach, IT administrators can select and download the management tools
they need, helping optimize resource utilization for their business.
Additionally, Dell has increased the storage capacity of its PowerEdge
R510 server to offer an ideal platform for Microsoft Exchange Server
2010 and other data-intensive applications.

Tele Atlas Maps Enable Navigation for Millions of Users

BARCELONA, Spain — Tele Atlas the world leader in high quality digital maps and dynamic
content, and TeleNav, Inc., one of the largest wireless navigation
service providers in North America, have announced a renewed multi-year
license agreement whereby TeleNav uses Tele Atlas maps and dynamic
content to power a range of wireless navigation applications and its
connected personal navigation device. The agreement marks an extension
of the companies’ current partnership, which began in 2006.

Through the agreement, Tele Atlas maps are featured in TeleNav-powered
navigation services, internet applications and applications designed for
the automotive industry. TeleNav mobile navigation powered by Tele Atlas
is available for end users with multiple wireless carriers in the U.S.
and via major handset manufacturers. Also, as announced last month, all
Ford vehicles sold in North America equipped with the new premium
navigation option for MyFord Touch driver connect technology feature SD
card navigation, which is supplied by TeleNav with Tele Atlas maps and
location content. The same Tele Atlas maps of North America that power
these applications and products were recently rated highest for quality
and reliability in certified tests.

“We are committed to providing our customers with a reliable and
stress-free experience,” said HP Jin, president, CEO and co-founder of
TeleNav. “There is nothing worse than getting the wrong directions from
a navigation service that uses unproven and untested map data. We have
worked with Tele Atlas over the years because of the company’s ongoing
focus and commitment to excellence and its ability to enhance maps with
community input and innovative location-based content.”

“We are very pleased to extend our longstanding relationship with
TeleNav, a key player in LBS and mobile resource management,” said Peter
van der Fluit, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Tele Atlas.
“TeleNav is focused on delivering a mobile experience that enables
consumers to be efficient in their personal lives and businesses to
improve the productivity of their mobile staff. Tele Atlas is uniquely
positioned to support TeleNav’s commitment to this experience and
further expand its offerings into new markets.”

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Bytemobile, Inc., the global leader in mobile internet solutions, today
announced new capabilities of its WebGate™ Service, a mobile internet
gateway designed to reduce the cost and increase the monetization of
wireless data for network operators. The new capabilities help operators
to increase uptake of existing data plans, intelligently roll out new
data plans and streamline the delivery of third-party content, while
enforcing fair-use policies more efficiently. WebGate Service is
available with the latest release of Bytemobile’s Unison™ Mobile
Internet Platform, which delivers throughput at a 10-gigabits-per-second
(Gbps) line processing rate in a single 12U chassis.

In its February 2010 Global Telecommunications Industry Overview, Bank
of America Merrill Lynch cites several recent studies arguing that
exponential growth in mobile data will outstrip the ability of carriers
to monetize it, and concludes that usage-based pricing and traffic
prioritization will become critical in managing future growth.

“Looking at a cross-section of operators that service smartphones, our
own research indicates that 5% of mobile data users generate
approximately 75% of data traffic,” said Joel Brand, vice president of
Product Management at Bytemobile. “The predicted surge in traffic – plus
the fact that a handful of users consume the majority of bandwidth –
will not only strain the network, but also strain profit margins due to
escalating infrastructure costs. WebGate Service offers operators new
ways to alleviate the margin pressure by enabling tiered pricing plans,
stricter policy enforcement, and value-added services leveraging
partnerships with premium content providers.”

Increase Data Subscriptions

Network operators have been successful in selling unlimited data plans
to high-end smartphone users. However, data subscriptions remain low
among the mass-market device segment due to user concerns about
exceeding the limits of a ‘per-kilobyte rate plan’ and – because of
newness to mobile browsing – reluctance to sign up for long-term,
recurring plans. WebGate Service enables operators to increase data
uptake among this segment of new users by offering daily – or even
hourly – internet access with predictable rate plans that do not require
long-term commitments. Such plans will help operators increase revenues
from this segment and also facilitate the conversion of users to monthly
unlimited data plans.

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I remember sitting at a networking lunch for professionals working in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) 3 years ago. It was a large NICU conference in Las Vegas, and occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, nurses, physicians, and other professionals from around the country were in attendance. There were eight occupational therapists at my table and two additional tables of occupational, physical, and speech therapists next to us. Everyone was talking about their work in the NICU. Some occupational therapists did feeding and positioning, others assisted with developmental care and environmental modification, some completed range of motion (ROM) and light sensory stimulation, and one said she did “play therapy.” Everyone was very nice, obviously intelligent, and genuinely interested in each others work, but I walked away feeling not enlightened but perplexed. Occupational therapy in the NICU has few specific standards of practice (with the exception of AOTAs Knowledge and Skills Paper1) or universal treatment techniques. In fact, there are many variances in occupational therapy intervention from one NICU to another. Over 13 years, I have slowly developed a consistent program of care for occupational therapists in the NICU. I want to share the treatment techniques and ideas that have made occupational therapy in our Level 3 NICU hugely successful and valued by other members of the NICU team. One of the reasons for sharing this information is that there is a lack of large, well controlled randomized studies in NICU care by occupational therapy. The research on developmental interventions in the NICU is interdisciplinary and multimodal in nature, which limits the ability to identify the effectiveness of any single health care profession.2 However, there is substantial agreement and research about the benefits of developmental intervention in general.2 Studies conducted on the effects of sensory stimulation on premature infants differ on type, quantity, and total duration, as well as on how effects were measured, but general conclusions are generally positive.3 Although the intent of this article is to provide a basic structure for delivering occupational therapy in the NICU, all occupational therapists have the important responsibility of educating themselves on working in this environment, the medical and developmental risks preterm infants face, and the literature and research on developmental care.
A union survey of more than 100 Contra Costa County mental health department employees found low morale and broad dissatisfaction with their managers. The report, delivered behind the scenes to county leaders, cites “an increasing staff dissatisfaction with the direction of the division, its lack of concern and communication, its demonstrated hostility and negativity, and its poor and inadequate planning to face the challenges of dwindling resources.” Nearly 83 percent of surveyed employees, or 132 out of 159 people, completed the questionnaire, according to the report. Local One business agent Rollie Katz attempted to have the survey dealt with privately. But after Bay Area News Group obtained a copy, Katz confirmed that union leaders have been meeting with managers to discuss the issues raised.
— Berkeley Repertory Theatre — “Coming Home,” a new script from a South African dramatist, 2 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., through Feb. 28, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Teen One-Acts Festival, a panel of students picks two original plays written by teens, through April 10, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison Street, 510-647-2949, berkeleyrep.org.

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ALBANY, N.Y. — SEMATECH, a global consortium of chipmakers, and Dow Electronic
Materials announced today that Dow has joined SEMATECH’s Resist
Materials and Development Center (RMDC) at the College of Nanoscale
Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany.

To advance the development of next-generation patterning technologies,
Dow Electronic Materials will collaborate with SEMATECH researchers at
CNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex to develop and demonstrate extreme
ultra-violet lithography (EUVL) materials and resists for use at the 22
nm node and beyond.

“We are excited to partner with the most advanced technologists in the
effort to develop and commercialize EUVL technology for the
manufacturing of future nanoelectronics devices,” said George Barclay,
microelectronics RD director of Semiconductor Technologies at Dow
Electronic Materials. “This new partnership combines Dow’s experience in
photoresist materials, developers, and bottom anti reflective coatings,
with SEMATECH’s strengths in the development of fundamental resist
processes that are critical for EUV infrastructure.”

“This collaborative effort reinforces SEMATECH’s commitment to develop
cutting-edge resist and materials and accelerate EUV process
introduction into pilot line manufacturing,” said John Warlaumont, vice
president of advanced technologies at SEMATECH. “We are pleased to
welcome Dow as a member, and appreciate their participation in
SEMATECH’s ongoing effort to build broader and deeper collaborations for
advanced materials development.”

“The addition of Dow Electronic Materials will accelerate the
leading-edge research in EUVL technology at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech
Complex,” said Richard Brilla, CNSE vice president for strategy,
alliances and consortia. “This collaboration further enhances the
world-class capabilities and roster of leading global companies at the
UAlbany NanoCollege, and underscores the success of the SEMATECH-CNSE
partnership in enabling advanced technology solutions that are critical
to industry.”

Industry Leaders Share Insights and Case Studies

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — IEEE, the worlds leading professional association for the advancement
of technology, today announced it will be hosting a Global Standards
at IEEE seminar in Bangalore, India, on 9 March 2010 at the Royal
Palace Ballroom, Leela Palace Hotel.

As part of its program to reach out to global technologists, the IEEE
Standards Association (IEEE-SA) is offering this seminar as part of a
full outreach program in India. Bringing together leaders from industry,
the seminar will focus on global standards development at the IEEE and
collaborative efforts among organizations and industry. It will cover an
overview of the IEEE standards development process, including discussion
of the IEEE-SA Corporate Program and the IEEE standards intellectual
property rights policy. Global Standards at IEEE will feature
several IEEE standards and their respective applications in industry.

Case study presentations will cover: Deploying software product and
process standards, IEEE debug standards, progress of IEEE P1901™ Draft
Standard for Broadband over Power Line Networks: Medium Access Control
and Physical Layer Specifications, Smart Grid, IEEE 802.20™ mobile
broadband wireless access systems supporting vehicular mobility, IEEE
Design Automation standards and their impact on industry, IEEE 802.16™
for the mobile internet and IEEE 802.Qbf and traffic engineering and
infrastructure.

The initial list of seminar participants includes:

certified surgical technician

If that shortness of breath you feel comes only in response to a Valentines Day interlude, chock it up to romance. But if its a regular occurrence, a visit to the doctor may be in order. Symptoms of heart failure are different from those that precede a heart attack, Neider said. “Difficulty breathing or being short of breath are two symptoms of heart failure, along with chest pain or discomfort, swelling in the legs and/or feet and being light-headed or dizzy.” A heart attack can lead to heart failure, which results from a structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the hearts ability to fill with or pump a sufficient volume of blood and precipitates the symptoms listed above. More than 5 million Americans have some form of heart failure, and 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The disorder is associated with more than 1 million hospitalizations annually and is the leading cause of hospitalizations for people over 65.
WALES International Craig Bellamy has been left battered and bruised after being floored by a Manchester United fan. The fiery Man City star, 30, suffered a black eye and grazed face during the attack after Citys 2-1 defeat at Hull last Saturday. The thug struck Bellamy outside the Panacea bar in Alderly Edge, Cheshire, where the soccer ace had been drinking with pals including team-mate Wayne Bridge. “Wayne had left earlier and was not with him at that point.” As our picture shows, Bellamy was still nursing a black eye and grazed face six days after the attack.

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PROVO — An Orem man under indictment for his involvement with Internet pharmacies targeted in a federal probe has pleaded guilty to fraud charges in an unrelated case. Noah Sifuentes, 57, pleaded guilty to three counts of securities fraud, a second-degree felony, Wednesday in 4th District Court. Sifuentes approached a man in 2004 to solicit an investment in a cement plant in Mexico that would purportedly be used to build houses for poor people, said prosecutor Tim Taylor. The man invested $50,000 and got nothing back. Then in 2005, Sifuentes convinced a couple to invest $320,000 in a venture to sell medical products to Mexican hospitals. Part of that money went into his personal bank account, while the “large majority” of it disappeared, Taylor said. No medical products were ever purchased.
NEW YORK MINNEAPOLIS — Dominique Conseil, Global Brand President Aveda, Salon and Pharmacy
Channels announced today the appointment of Christopher J. Werle to Vice
President, Global Communications Aveda, effective March 1, 2010. Mr.
Werle will report to Mr. Conseil and Marianne Diorio, Senior Vice
President Global Brand Communications, The Estée Lauder Companies.

Mr. Werle was most recently the Executive Vice President, Consumer
Practice for Weber Shandwick. Mr. Werle provided strategic counsel,
brand marketing and communications expertise to a group of trusted and
valuable brands such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, TiVo, Sprint and Best Buy.
Prior to Weber Shandwick, Mr. Werle was Group Marketing Manager, Games
Division/ Home Retail Division at Microsoft Corporation leading
marketing and communications in online, offline and retail environments.
He created targeted, brand-building, consumer-oriented campaigns,
including the award winning Intellimouse Optical launch and Xbox Video
Game Console announcement.

Mr. Werle served on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity and
Catholic Charities and is a mentor with Bolder Options.

“Aveda is thrilled to have Chris Werle on our team,” said Dominique
Conseil. “Chris is a masterful communications executive with the winning
combination of strategic thinking, extensive high level professional
experience and a heartfelt commitment to corporate social
responsibility.”

Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the
products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda,
we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and
responsibility, not just in the world of beauty but around the world.

NEW YORK — Sun Knowledge, Ltd., a leading Healthcare Insurance provider of
Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) services, will attend the Pharmacy
Benefit Management Institute’s Annual Drug Benefit Conference in
Phoenix, Az., from February 17-19. The company will be found at booth
#12 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort.

Sun Knowledge employs top experts in the fields of pharmacy, medicine,
IT and security. They have developed multiple in-house solutions that
provide customized end-to-end services while concentrating on data
security, automation, scalability and interconnectivity. With a proven
track record, Sun Knowledge provides these quality services at 50-60
percent less than current SGA rates for Medicare, Medicaid, PBM, and
Commercial Insurance operations. All of their programs meet and exceed
all federal, state, and regulatory requirements.

Within the PBM industry, Sun Knowledge enables their clients to expand
their product offerings to their PBM’s Medicare and Commercial clients,
lower their operational cost, maintain better controls on rebates, and
significantly enhance their reporting and data management capabilities.

Among Sun Knowledge’s services for PBMs include:

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Diagnostic Imaging International Corp. (OTCBB: DIIG) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Canadian Teleradiology Services (”CTS”), has entered into a new agreement to provide Teleradiology services to a hospital in south-western Ontario.

CTS signed a new contract to provide teleradiology services to a large hospital. CTS hardware has already been installed on site, and the Company is now completing the IT set-up with Company radiologists and hospital staff. Service is expected to commence within the next 30 days. The contract engages CTS for Teleradiology services weekdays from 5 p.m.-8 a.m., and 24 hours on weekends and holidays. The client hospital runs many types of studies using modalities that include MRs, CTs, Ultra Sounds and X-rays, all of which will be a part of the reading services that CTS will provide.

The new client contract should increase current company revenues by up to 25%. With this contract CTS will increase its cash flow and should become profitable.

CTS is continuing to grow its business by aggressively adding new client contracts and increasing radiologist reading revenue.

“The addition of this new contract demonstrates the success of Teleradiology, CTS and how the e-health market place is the wave of the future for the medical industry,” said Richard Jagodnik, CEO. “The development of CTS since its acquisition by DIIG is proving to be very beneficial to Diagnostic Imaging, improving the bottom line and creating shareholder wealth”

ONRAD, Inc., a full service radiology
provider, announced the acquisition of Meridian Regional Imaging Premier
Imaging Associates (Meridian) of Vernon Hills, IL. With the addition of
Meridian physicians, ONRAD now has 49 radiologists with subspecialty
expertise in musculoskeletal radiology, neurological MRI, abdominal MRI,
womens imaging, trauma and emergency radiology, and body imaging.

“Meridian is an excellent complement to the services already offered by
ONRAD,” said Brian Phelan, President of ONRAD, “as we are now able to
provide services to multi-specialty groups, free standing imaging centers,
and community hospitals. We have expanded the companys service offering
to provide our current customer base a more complete solution that includes
on-site radiology staffing, subspecialty radiology reports, and traditional
night teleradiology coverage. In an economy which places increased pressure
on physicians to offer 24/7 specialized services at a competitive price, it
is the goal at ONRAD to offer our customers a complete support solution as
they continue to grow their practices.”

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Discretix Multi-Scheme DRM Client Will Secure Subscription-Based
Music and Video Services on Sony Ericsson Android and Windows Mobiles
Phones

BARCELONA, Spain — FIRA de BARCELONA, SUITE 4.7HS22 — Discretix, the leading global
provider of embedded Windows
Mobile and Android security DRM, today announced that Sony Ericsson
has chosen Discretix’ Multi-Scheme DRM Client to protect distribution
and consumption of multimedia content on select mobile phones and for
its PlayNow services.

Discretix’ Multi-Scheme DRM Client has been deployed on select Sony
Ericsson mobile phones based on the Windows Mobile and Android operating
systems. The embedded technology enables a wide variety of business
models including subscription-based music and video services for the
consumer market.

Discretix’ Multi-Scheme DRM Client provides an outstanding level of
flexibility, security and performance, and ensures quick and simple
integration of all the major DRM schemes in use today including OMA DRM
V1.0/2.1, Microsoft WM-DRM 10, and i-Mode DRM including CPRMSD-Bind and
SD-Video. It can also be easily expanded to support emerging schemes
such as Microsoft® PlayReady™.

A NEW music documentary featuring the last ever American TV interview with folk legend Liam Clancy before he died will be screened by Public Service Broadcasting in America next week. The Music of Ireland – Welcome Home, also features interviews with and performances from U2, veteran American folk singer Pete Seeger, Sinead OConnor, Bob Geldof and many more. And Irish tourism bosses are backing it as they hope it will draw visitors. It will be screened on Wednesday on New York station WLIW then rolled out on PBS affiliates throughout March.
A NEW music documentary featuring the last ever American TV interview with folk legend Liam Clancy before he died will be screened by Public Service Broadcasting in America next week. The Music of Ireland – Welcome Home, also features interviews with and performances from U2, veteran American folk singer Pete Seeger, Sinead OConnor, Bob Geldof and many more. And Irish tourism bosses are backing it as they hope it will draw visitors. It will be screened on Wednesday on New York station WLIW then rolled out on PBS affiliates throughout March.

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SOUTHAMPTON 1 Owusu-Abeyie 66, Dindane 75, Belhadj 82, OHara 85 AS VICTORIES go, Portsmouth fans will be celebrating way beyond the end of the season and long after the lights finally go out on their Premier League dream.
Compliance rates low on egress, fire safety For the first time in several years, The Joint Commission standards and goals with the lowest compliance rates are not directly related to the delivery of health care. In its annual listing of the standards or goals with the highest rates of noncompliance for the first six months of 2009, The Joint Commission listed the following: Life Safety (LS) 02.01.20: The hospital maintains the integrity of the means of egress, 45% noncompliant; Record of Care, Treatment, and Services (RC) 02.03.07: Qualified staff receive and record verbal orders, 40% noncompliant;
Data hold the key to low readmit rates As a first step toward decreasing readmission rates, examine your data, says Margaret VanAmringe, MPH, vice president of public policy and government relations in the Washington, DC, office of The Joint Commission. “Look at readmissions and discern whether there are opportunities to reduce the number,” she advises. “That will, of course, depend on disease category, population, age, and many different factors.” It will behoove you “to really analyze readmissions, assess these data, use a random sample of charts, and look to see if there is a certain group of patients in these three areas where you feel there could be the potential to prevent readmissions,” VanAmringe says. Michael C. Choo, MD, MBA, FACEP, FAAEM, ACHE, president and CEO of Clinton Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, OH, says, “Its always been very important to evaluate the data on a monthly basis and find solutions.” Choo, who served for 10 years as the ED medical director at Dayton Heart Hospital, is bringing what he learned there to his new position. “Congestive heart failure is the most difficult of the three because its especially problematic in [the Medicare] population,” he says. “Initiatives weve used include trying to identify at the time of discharge those patients who need extra support at home or additional education.” For those patients who are identified as high-risk, arrangements are made for intense home health care followed by outpatient therapy sessions, he says. His current health system has congestive heart failure clinics, where patients status is monitored to make sure they stay stable and dont return to the ED or the hospital, he says.

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