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Regulations Lead To Lobbying Surge By The For-Profit College Industry
This week the for-profit college industry hosts its annual Hill Day, where students and industry representatives come to Washington to talk to their representatives and lobby for industry priorities. The lobbying conference comes as the industry finds itself fighting on all fronts to block a proposed rule meant to rein in what many are calling bad practices by the industry. This fight has spurred the highest lobbying spending by the industry in its nascent history.
In 2010 the for-profit college industry spent $7.57 million on lobbying, almost three times as much as it spent in 2009. The industry also doled out over $1.3 million in campaign contributions over the 2010 election cycle, according to data obtained from TransparencyData.com.
The subject of the lobbying fight is a proposed rule by the Department of Education aimed at stemming a growing student debt and default problem in the industry.
The new rules aim to mitigate a growing default and debt problem among for-profit college students. For-profit schools account for approximately 12 percent of all higher education students and they receive 25 percent of all Federal Pell Grants, while accounting for 44 percent of all student loan defaults.
Investigations by the GAO, the Los Angeles Times, and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) uncovered practices in the industry that indicated an emphasis on acquiring new students while ignoring the progress of those who have already been accepted to the schools. (These practices were uncovered in a 60 Minutes investigation in 2005.) This policy led to huge rates student dropouts and loan defaults. Meanwhile, the schools reaped profits from the government loans each new student received.
The rules, as proposed so far, label an institution eligible for federal funding as having "at least 45% of their former students paying down the principal on their federal loans; or their graduates will have a debt-to-earnings ratio of less than 20% of discretionary income or 8% of total income." Programs that would lose funding "will have less than 35% of their former students paying down the principal on their federal loans; and their graduates will have a debt-to-earnings ratio above 30% of discretionary income and 12% of total income." The Department of Education is set to release the final rules soon.
The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), the industry's advocacy and lobbying arm, officially states, "The Department's proposal will deny access by shuttering programs and putting millions of students out of higher education. That's a bad deal for all concerned."
Two weeks ago the fight came to a vote in Congress when, in an amendment to the Continuing Resolution to fund the government, the House of Representatives voted to deny funds for the enforcement of the Department of Education's rules on for-profit colleges on gainful employment. The vote was 289-136.
Ninety-two of those voting received contributions from the industry. The sixty-one lawmakers who received contributions and voted yes received more than twice as much ($8,263), on average, as the forty who received contributions and voted no ($4,035).
Letters of Opposition
Before the House even brought this issue to a vote, a smaller group of congressmen protested the proposed rules by sending letters to the Department of Education to state their objections. Twenty-three of the thirty-five lawmakers signing these letters received contributions from the industry, which accounted for over a quarter of all contributions made by the industry in the 2010 cycle. On average these twenty-three lawmakers received $16,756 from the industry.
Last year ProPublica examined the contributions to members signing protest letters over the education rules. This report looked only at contributions made in 2010 (not the cycle) and found that contributions from the industry skyrocketed to these members after the first letter was sent on March 22, 2010 and were often clustered around dates when the letters were sent. More than ninety percent of industry contributions to letter signatories in 2010 came on or after the date, March 22, that the first letter was sent.
A further examination shows executives and employees of for-profits clustering their contributions along with industry political action committees (PAC).
Campaign finance records show thirty-five contributions totaling $40,500 to Reps. Buck McKeon and John Kline from executives, employees, and political action committees of Corinthian Colleges, Education Management Corp., and the Keiser University system reported on May 28, 2010. The two Republican congressmen each held the position of ranking member of the Education & Labor Committee in 2010; Kline is currently the chairman of the committee.
McKeon and Kline had already signed a letter in opposition to the rule on March 22. Kline had also signed another letter on April 30. The congressmen are the top two recipients of for-profit college money among those who signed letters oppose the new rules receiving $99,750 and $71,500 respectively.
Another letter signatory who received clustered contributions is Rep. Donald Payne. On July 19 Payne cosigned a letter to the Department of Education opposing the rules. This came after having signed onto two other letters on March 22 and April 30.
From the month preceding the July 19 letter, Payne received sixteen contributions totaling $18,500 from ten different for-profit college organizations. This spurt of contributions accounted for all but $3,000 of Payne's haul from the for-profit industry. Payne would sign a fourth letter on September 8, a date on which he also reports receiving a $1,000 contribution from Bridgepoint Education.
Rep. Alcee Hastings signed his name to more letters than any other congressman. Hastings received seven contributions totaling $7,400 over the course of one week in April. This occurred in between Hastings signing a letter on March 22 and a second letter on April 30. According to Hastings' publicly available schedule the congressman met with representatives from Education Management Corporation the week after receiving these contributions. (None of the contributions to Hastings came from Education Management.)
These letters were part of a larger grassroots lobbying campaign by the for-profit college industry that included swamping the Department of Education with comments opposing the proposed rules. The rules ultimately received over 90,000 comments, many of them coming in bulk submissions from both opponents and supporters of the rules.
Grassroots Lobbying
Every time that Congress revisits the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 the topic of grassroots lobbying disclosure emerges and is soundly defeated. In 1995 Sen. Carl Levin, leading the lobbying disclosure push, called for disclosure of efforts to stimulate the public to lobby the government and in 2007 Sens. Russ Feingold and Barack Obama did the same. The reason for these efforts to enhance disclosure around these activities relate not just to their effectiveness, but to the potential for fraudulent or deceptive practices.
Much of the for-profit college industry's grassroots efforts have revolved around a letter writing campaign by students and faculty to demand that the comment period for the rules remain open beyond the proposed closing date and that the proposal be rescinded. A massive deluge of letters succeeded in getting the Department of Education to extend the comment period.
A ThinkProgress* investigation revealed that some of the letters sent in opposition to the rules appeared to repeat numerous times, "[A]n Art Institute student "Alicia Laury" signed over 74 identical letters about her opposition to regulations on the for-profit college industry. Other names, with the same copy and paste letter opposing reform, appear dozens of times."
The industry also created a student organization, which is helping to organize this week's lobbying blitz, known as Students for Academic Choice, hired lobbyist Lanny Davis to create the lobbying and advocacy organization Coalition for Educational Success, and is now using a fish mascot to make their message go viral on the Internet.
The viral Internet marketing campaign proposes a mascot, the Fighting Salmon, for the for-profit industry. The Facebook fan page for this part of the campaign already has over 42,000 fans.
While the grassroots lobbying effort is in full force during this week's lobbying day, the inside Washington lobbying team assembled by the industry has been on the ground in increasing numbers over the past year.
Lobbying Team
The for-profit industry put together a large lobbying force over the year. Lobbying expenses ballooned from $1 million in the first quarter of 2010 to $3.25 million in the fourth quarter, based on a review of lobbying disclosure forms. Over the course of the year, the industry employed 158 lobbyists from thirty-seven firms and in-house operations.
Seventy-one percent of these lobbyists had previous government experience and twelve were former members of Congress. The former lawmakers included former congressmen Dick Gephardt, Bud Cramer, Al Wynn, Vic Fazio, Toby Moffett, Henry Bonilla, and former Sen. Tim Hutchison.
The lobbying firms include some of the most prestigious and well-connected in Washington including The Podesta Group, Akin Gump et al, Heather Podesta & Associates, Brownstein Hyatt et al, and Ogilvy Government Relations.
A number of these lobbyists were scheduled to speak at the Hill Day events this week including Moffett, Fazio, Hutchison, and Bonilla.
*ThinkProgress is a part of the Center for American Progress, which has run a campaign in support of the "gainful employment" rules.


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We're going to spend the next minute or so reviewing some numbers.
Seven hundred twenty-six - that's the number of points the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped yesterday. That's about 2%.
KELLY: Five point four - that was the inflation rate in June.
CHANG: One hundred sixty-one million - the number of Americans who are fully vaccinated. That's just under 50% of the population.
KELLY: And 70 - seven zero - that is the percentage increase of new COVID cases in the U.S. in just one week, an increase largely driven by the delta variant.
CHANG: Jared Bernstein is someone who pays very close attention to these kinds of numbers. He's a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors and joins us now.
JARED BERNSTEIN: Oh, thanks for inviting me.
CHANG: Thanks for being with us. OK. Let's start with that tumble in the stock market yesterday. And I get how the stock market is not the economy, but, I mean, that drop does reflect concerns from investors about how a resurgence in COVID-19 could affect economic recovery. So I'm wondering, do you share those concerns about the delta variant?
BERNSTEIN: Well, I think if you're talking about yesterday's tumble, then you also have to talk about today's recovery, where the stock market made up most of that ground. So at some level, this is the kind of noise that goes on in the background. I think what's most important to reflect on - particularly today, which happens to be six months since this president took office - is the recognition that our country and our economy are in a far stronger place than we were when he took office six months ago. At that point, of course, we were at a gigantic jobs hole. And with his leadership, with the vaccination campaign, with shots in arms and checks in pockets, more than 3 million Americans are back at work. Unemployment claims are down by more than 55%. Those are some other numbers for your list. And over...
CHANG: That said...
BERNSTEIN: ...Two-thirds of adults are vaccinated. So I think we need to also...
CHANG: That said...
BERNSTEIN: Yeah, sure.
CHANG: The White House today just reported an unnamed fully vaccinated official tested positive for COVID. Here in LA County, they're reimposing mask mandates. Meanwhile, the delta variant, I mean, it is surging internationally, which could hurt the global economy. Why do you think the U.S. economy, which is coming out of a steep decline, can weather all of this?
BERNSTEIN: I think a lot of that has to do with the Rescue Plan because this plan, which was passed back in March, is so long-lasting with a set of time release features that probably aren't as well appreciated as they will be in coming weeks and months. It was a plan that was designed to ensure that we had the foundation to deal with whatever kinds of flare-ups would hit us. So cities and states now have lasting support from the government to maintain and to expand their vital services. Those include emergency rental assistance, to keep schools and child care centers safely open. Families are now getting tax cut breaks each month, families with kids, through the child tax credit. So I think one reason why we are just, you know, very confident that we're not going back to the kind of economic situation that greeted this administration six months ago is because of the measures that we've put in place.
CHANG: Well, let's talk about inflation because there was a jump in inflation in June. Prices were up 5.4% compared to a year ago. Now, White House officials have said that this price spike is only temporary. Are you still confident that this inflation we're seeing is just a temporary blip?
BERNSTEIN: I think the way to - we see it is that it's important to recognize that Americans are facing and feeling higher prices. Those higher prices are on food, on gas, on cars, housing. And that's something that - there's a common thread between all those factors. All of them are pandemic-related areas. That is, if you look at, say, cars, which, by the way, you see this is a global problem coming from a shortage of semiconductors. It now takes about a hundred of those semis to build a car. This is clearly related to the pandemic. So if you believe, as we do - and virtually every other forecaster, including the Federal Reserve and the Congressional Budget Office - that these supply chain constraints will ease and in fact are already beginning to ease in some cases - we've seen the used car index tick down a bit, certainly lumber prices are down 60% from their peak - then, yes, we expect that these supply chains will come back kind of...
CHANG: There are...
BERNSTEIN: ...Back to life.
CHANG: There are people out there, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who worried that aggressive federal spending this spring on short-term relief programs could lead to inflation. Do you think this inflation is proof that Summers had a point?
BERNSTEIN: I think the important thing to do there is to tie together the two parts of our conversation. I just told you that we have in place - because of the American Rescue Plan - a plan that, you know, some critics, including Larry, said, you know, was too big. We now have in place the measures to deal with the kinds of challenges we're facing now from the new variant or, frankly, from just digging America out of the economic and health crisis hole that met this administration six months ago. States and localities have the resources to distribute this safe and accessible vaccine. Now we have to do more...
CHANG: Right.
BERNSTEIN: ...Work to make sure we keep getting shots in arms, but those plans...
CHANG: All right.
BERNSTEIN: ...Are effectively in place. And I don't think you can separate one from the other.
CHANG: That is Jared Bernstein, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors.
Thank you very much.
BERNSTEIN: Sure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

subset: commoncrawl


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Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 3, 2013
SALISBURY — At first, the Out to Lunch Bunch limited its membership to eight women because that's how many could fit into Barbara Eggert's new van.
It really was a seven-passenger van, but Dot Gandy squeezed in by sitting on a stool.
One of the classic Out To Lunch Bunch stories involves the women traveling back from Goldsboro. At the height of 5 p.m. commuter traffic near Greensboro on Interstate 85, the van had a flat tire.
Eggert swung the vehicle onto a shoulder and reached for her CB radio to ask for assistance. Because the van was new, she wasn't familiar with where its jack and spare tire were located.
And nobody seemed to be paying attention to her SOS on the CB.
Frustrated, she finally shouted into her microphone, "Isn't anybody out there going to help us?"
It seemed as though they came out of nowhere. "There was a giant cloud of smoke and dust," Eggert recalls.
Tractor-trailers had stopped on both sides of the interstate, and drivers jumped out of their cabs like an army of Good Samaritans.
The women received the help they needed. As the tire was changed, they found a chair for one gal in their group, Jan Versen, and set her down in the median so she could prop up her broken ankle (broken previously).
In all, it was quite a scene — eight women crowding around their heroic truck drivers — and quite the story to tell later.
For three decades now, the Out to Lunch Bunch has been having this kind of fun. "We've stuck together all these years," Gandy says. "We're faithful to each other."
The group grew out of Newcomers Club meetings at the Salisbury Civic Center in 1983. All the women were recent transplants — many because of their husbands' jobs. They came from places such as Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.
But there was something missing at those Newcomers meetings.
"We wanted to go to lunch," Gandy says.
"We were dressed up with no place to go," Eggert adds.
And so it started. The eight charter members began meeting once a month for lunch, which also led to several of them gathering an additional time to play bridge.
The bridge group still meets monthly, too.
The women often tried to eat out of town, so they could become familiar with other places in North Carolina. Their first lunch together incorporated a visit to the Christmas Show in Charlotte.
Other destinations have included places such as Raleigh, Asheville, Boone, Blowing Rock, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Holden Beach and out-of-state locations such as Charleston, W.Va., Cherry Grove, S.C., Cheraw, S.C., and Sugarland, Texas.
They still talk about sleeping on the floor at Dixie Nickell's place at Holden Beach. Dixie's dog slept with them.
And they kid Lois Paradowski about the time the elevator was out at her Cherry Grove beach condominium, forcing the girls to walk eight flights of stairs.
Versen has moved back to Texas, so a group of the girls went to see her.
"We had a blast down there," Eggert says, remembering how they celebrated her and Paradowski's birthdays. "We always create …"
"A scene," Gandy says, finishing Eggert's sentence. "We are noted for that."
The lunches are seldom short and often turn into shopping, tours or visits to museums. When the Out to Lunch Bunch gets together around a table — as they did at Gandy's house Tuesday — it can become raucous.
"We have been asked to leave one time," Gandy recalls of a Charlotte restaurant. "We were too loud."
After 30 years, the group has been through a lot. Weddings. Funerals. Illnesses. Operations. Children. Grandchildren. Now, even great-grandchildren.
Whenever someone in the group faces a crisis, the others are there for support. Gandy just recently had a bout with cancer, for example. Several of the women have lost their spouses, and some of the past Out to Lunch Bunch members have died, too.
"If we need anything, it doesn't matter what — all you have to do is call," Gandy says.
Other group members have moved, yet still make a point to meet once a month, on either the fourth or fifth Wednesday. Though they remain active with the group, Eggert now lives in Rock Hill, S.C.; Nickell, in Charlotte.
These days, Gandy often is the van driver for the out-of-town excursions. She says the group tries to keep an active list of 12 members, who still keep in contact with eight others on the "inactive" list.
The active 12 include Gandy, Eggert, Nickell, Paradowski, Rosemary Sokolowski, Scout Lomax, Billie Simmons, Glenda Christie, Joy Hamilton, Ruby Jones, Kerry Morgan and Linda Presutti.
Seven of the women who had lunch at Gandy's house posed for a picture Tuesday.
"This one removes all wrinkles, doesn't it?" one of the women asked the photographer.
They had a lunch of chicken salad, sauerkraut salad and Korea salad, with deviled eggs on the side. Gandy started the meal off with her "Jelly Bean Prayer," coming complete with a plastic packet of jelly beans.
On a side table, Gandy also had fashioned a jewelry tree, the ornaments for which were pictures of each Out To Lunch Bunch member.
Lomax says Dot is known for her sweaters. She seems to have 15 for every holiday — Christmas, Easter, July Fourth, St. Patrick's Day and others.
"No, I don't!" Gandy protests.
If you haven't figured it out, spouses are not a part of this group, though Nickell says they've always been supportive.
Six of the women are planning a cruise to Bermuda together later this month. They used to take more regular trips to the beach every year, "when we could get in our bathing suits," Gandy says.
They always celebrate Christmas at their December lunches, bringing one gift each, and they've had great November Thanksgiving dinners in the past at Nickell's house.
All kinds of small-world connections have emerged for the women after 30 years. An example: The granddaughters of Lomax and Sokolowski are good friends and roommates together at N.C. State University.
The group says they have high standards for membership in the Out to Lunch Bunch. Simmons eased into the group because she could also play bridge, and she realized these ladies were for her.
"How did I get in?" Lomax asks, laughing. It helped that Lomax is Gandy's neighbor.
Overall, the Out to Lunch Bunch is classy, sophisticated and exclusive, Eggert says.
"If you believe that," Simmons adds, "I'll tell you another one."
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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In addition, agricultural runoff can impact water quality, carrying potential pollutants into the Nation's streams, lakes, ground water supplies, and estuaries. States and Tribes have identified sediment and nutrients as the most extensive agricultural contaminants affecting surface water quality, while nutrients and agrichemicals are the major concerns for groundwater.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are the primary nutrients that contribute to agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways can cause algal blooms which can lead to the development of hypoxic conditions, or low dissolved oxygen concentrations, unable to sustain aquatic life.
Excessive sedimentation can also overwhelm aquatic ecosystems, smothering freshwater breeding substrates and, in extreme conditions, degrade coastal and marine ecosystems including coral reef ecosystems. Pathogens and pharmaceuticals from livestock and poultry operations are also emerging water quality issues. With continuing concentration trends in animal agriculture, concerns about the potential for impairment of water resources have increased.
As the leading Federal agency for assisting in restoring watershed health on private land, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to producers who implement conservation practices and management strategies, including the restoration and protection of wetlands, that benefit water quality and improve water management. The science behind the implementation of these conservation practices and management strategies is developed and supported by the NRCS Science and Technology Divisions, National Technical Support Centers, the Water and Climate Center, and the Wetlands Team, who are continually developing new tools to, among other things, improve snowmelt prediction capabilities, improve current conservation practice technology, improve models to track nutrients, and improve irrigation efficiency so that agricultural producers can more efficiently use water, increase water storage, and protect water quality by minimizing the potential loss of sediment and nutrients from their operations by applying science based conservation practices.


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The University of Notre Dame has been selected to lead one of six new university microelectronics research centers that will share $194 million in funding from the Semiconductor Research Corp. (SRC) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support the continued growth and leadership of the U.S. semiconductor industry.
Notre Dame's center is titled the Center for Low Energy Systems Technology (LEAST).
SRC, the world's leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, and DARPA as part of the Department of Defense, will administer the new Semiconductor Technology Advanced Research Network (STARnet) program. Over the next five years, $40 million will be dedicated annually to the program, with each center receiving about $6 million.
The STARnet program also will include centers led by the Universities of Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois Urbana-Champaign, UCLA and University of California Berkeley.
"STARnet is a collaborative network of stellar university research centers whose goal is to enable the continued pace of growth of the microelectronics industry, unconstrained by the daunting list of fundamental physical limits that threaten," said Gilroy Vandentop, the new program director.
Alan C. Seabaugh, professor of electrical engineering, Frank M. Freimann Director of the Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery (MIND) and associate director of the Center for Nano Science and Technology, will lead the LEAST center.
"One of the greatest challenges facing our technological world today is the amount of energy consumed by electronics of all types, and the new Low Energy Systems Technology Center led by Alan will lead to new devices, circuits and architectures that consume considerably less energy," said Peter Kilpatrick, McCloskey Dean of Notre Dame's College of Engineering. "Alan and his team are making an enormous contribution to the world of the 21st century."
LEAST will explore new concepts for dramatically lowering the power requirements for electronics.
"Today's integrated circuits are limited by power dissipation," Seabaugh says. "Anyone with a laptop feels the power dissipation as heat. In our data centers, this heat requires an extensive and costly cooling system which drains power from the grid. Heat now prevents us from packing more transistors onto a computer chip. The mission of LEAST is to discover devices which will run cooler and pack tighter. This will change the rules currently limiting how many transistors we can put on a chip and how fast we can operate them."
The LEAST research team will consist of 26 researchers from Notre Dame and nine other universities: Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Penn State, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, University of Texas at Austin and UT Dallas.
LEAST will build on research developed by the Notre Dame-led MIND (Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery), a consortium designed to discover and develop the next nanoscale logic device, the basic building block of future computer technology. MIND was established in 2008 and was one of four centers supported by the SRC's Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI).
"One clear way to dissipate less energy in a transistor is to lower the voltage," Seabaugh says. "This has been a research focus of MIND. MIND researchers have led the development of field-effect tunneling transistors, low-voltage devices which have now entered industrial research and development labs worldwide. This is a significant success story for the NRI. The tunnel transistor now enters a competitive development phase which will be fought out in the semiconductor industry."
LEAST will now look to new material systems and new switching phenomena that can offer even lower voltage operation.
"Universities are now asked to look beyond the tunnel transistor," Seabaugh says. "Are there ways to construct transistors at even smaller sizes and still lower voltages? The answer is clearly yes. It will require synthesis of new materials and development of new device fabrication processes. It will require more intimate understanding of electron transport in complex materials and devices."
Seabaugh is optimistic that LEAST will continue MIND's impressive record of achievement.
"We are excited to launch this new center which has an extraordinary team, some of the best and brightest researchers in the field," he says. "We have a center-wide research focus that has everyone working together. We have experts in the semiconductor industry and the Department of Defense in collaboration. We have local partners, Innovation Park, Ignition Park, the city of South Bend and the state of Indiana to guide new technologies into new businesses. Expect great things."
Source: University of Notre Dame


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First off, what does a Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney do?
A Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney provides the people of Brooklyn with legal guidance on issues that affects them as they age. When you as an aging person contact a Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney, he or she will put focus on your legal issues and offer insight to meet your needs. They help the people of Brooklyn to navigate through the tempests of life that may arise due to age. Providing legal counsel on selecting a good retirement plan, choosing a good nursing home for long-term care, protecting landed properties and hard-earned assets to ensure these assets are not depleted while seeking long-term care; these amongst other worrying issues are what the Elder Law Attorney specializes in.
In What Specific Areas Can the Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney offer legal assistance?
Medicare –
The government provides every senior citizen with the privilege of having medical care in any health facility. Sometimes, this Medicare may become confusing as it entails several distinct parts.
- Medicare Part A covers your stay at any hospital or health facility.
- Medicare Part B which is your medical insurance, covers your medical supplies, specific services from the doctor as well as your outpatient care.
- Part C, known as the Medicare Advantage Plan, is another insurance plan which you can buy from any company affiliated or in business with Medicare. This plan covers all benefits which you'll receive from Part A and B.
- While Medicare Part D covers your drug prescription plan.
Often times, problems may arise with any of these services which will prompt you to take legal action. Here, you as a citizen of Brooklyn, are advised to seek the professional services of a Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney, ensuring you reap all the benefits you're entitled to. Contact a Brooklyn Elder law attorney today.
Medicaid –
This is another privilege or program instituted by the government from which elderly people, low-income earning adults, pregnant women and children as well as citizens with disabilities can benefit from. Medicaid is quite different from Medicare in that Medicaid is based on one's income.
You must prepare and submit a Medicaid application in your state and this application has to first be granted in order for you to be entitled to the benefits. For this, you need to contact a Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney, as the application may not be such an easy process.
Medicaid takes care of your medical expenses while ensuring you have enough of your own income to cater for your family. A Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney will help you plan and apply for these Medicaid benefits.
Estate Planning –
Having just a small house, small-scale business, some assets and a modest bank account to your name, doesn't make estate planning any much easier. It is quite a complicated but expedient matter, putting all your affairs in order as you grow old. This is because sooner or later – although depressing to think about – we will all someday kick the bucket and our assets will be placed in the hands of some other party.
Estate planning gives you the opportunity to determine what happens to your estates and assets at the event of death or when you become incapacitated. It is more than just creating a will, and this is another crucial moment when you should consider seeking the legal guidance of an Elder Law Attorney in Brooklyn. Most Brooklyn Elder Law Attorneys specialize in estate planning and will be ready to offer you professional advice and guidance on this matter.
Employment Discrimination –
Due to the Age Discrimination Act, it is an offence for an employer to treat you unfairly because of your age. You should seek the help of the Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney if you're experiencing discrimination in this respect.
Elder Abuse or Fraud –
Albeit inhuman, it is common experience to see old people being maltreated by those responsible for caring for them. Also, nursing homes personnel may defraud the elderly people of the money they're entitled to. If you're going through this, do not hesitate to contact a Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney.
To find solutions to all these challenges, why not contact a Brooklyn Elder Law Attorney today!
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So there I was innocently reading about the untimely demise of Michael Jackson, when my eye strayed down to the brightly-coloured advert at the bottom.
Cute cartoon characters, but no clue as to what the product actually was - I was intrigued.
As I turned the pages of thelondonpaper, there were more cartoon ads which spelt out the following message:
"We've added something new to muesli".
Anyway, it turns out Kellogg's have launched a new muesli called "Nature's Pleasure".
That's right, folks - "Nature's Pleasure".
The name itself has unfortunate connotations, but ladies and gents, that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Take a closer look. Please.
Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm.
Nothing says "muesli" like a moustachioed man in string vest and pants.
And look - are those bloodstains?
Cowboy boots, necktie and no kecks is how every man should dress for breakfast.
Yes sirree.
As for this one ... WHAT. THE. FRACK?
Why is the wonk-eyed woman to the left not wearing any pants???
It's somehow much, much more obscene than the stark naked guy next to her.
I've saved the best for last though - prepare yourselves:
Please could someone provide a rational explanation (other than the obvious) for what the lady above is doing?
Is she perhaps searching for some delicious bits of muesli that nestle inside a strangely positioned pocket?
No, seriously - OH. MY. GOD.
At any rate, I no longer feel like trying the free samples I got at Taste of London.
Lord alone knows what the "something new" is that they've added to their muesli.
Lord alone knows what the "something new" is that they've added to their muesli.
Which flavour will I try next, Kellogg's?
None of them, you bunch of perverts.
I'm guessing you won't be adding me to your blog reviews page.
None of them, you bunch of perverts.
I'm guessing you won't be adding me to your blog reviews page.
UPDATE - Kellogg's responds!


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A combination of an oral drug, called sorafenib, and a method for injecting microbeads of chemotherapy directly into tumors has been proven safe for liver cancer patients and may improve outcomes for those who have these fast-growing, deadly tumors whose numbers are on the rise in the U.S.
Reporting in the Sept. 12 online version of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Johns Hopkins investigators tested the combination in 35 patients with advanced, inoperable liver cancer. Both sorafenib and the chemotherapy drug used in this study, doxorubicin, have independently – but not in combination — been approved to treat liver cancer.
Combining the right therapies at the right time is an intense focus of study among cancer experts, and Johns Hopkins interventional radiologist Jean-Francois Geschwind, M.D., saw promise in the two therapies tested in the current study.
"Both therapies have increased survival rates in advanced liver cancer, and combining them may push those survival rates further," says Geschwind, professor of radiology, surgery and oncology at Johns Hopkins.
For the study, Geschwind employed a method called chemoembolization that uses catheters the size of a single hair to deliver microbeads filled with high concentrations of the chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin, directly to the tumor. The chemotherapy seeps out of the microbead for at least three weeks.
Sorafenib, approved for its ability to block a key pathway, depriving tumors of blood vessels, was given twice daily to patients one week before their chemoembolization procedure. "The idea is to block blood vessel formation in these cancers, which typically peaks 24 to 36 hours after chemoembolization. This may help prolong the chemotherapy's impact." says Geschwind.
Patients treated with the combination had no more side effects than reported for sorafenib or chemoembolization alone, according to Geschwind. Common side effects included fatigue, skin reactions in hands and feet, and body rash.
Patients in the study were admitted to the hospital overnight for their chemoembolization treatment. The patients continued oral sorafenib twice daily until their disease progressed. For the study, Geschwind says that patients received up to four chemoembolization treatments within a six-month period.
Primary liver cancer incidence is rising in the U.S., says Geschwind, because of increasing rates of hepatitis C infections, which cause liver inflammation and are major risk factors for liver cancer.
Liver cancer tends to grow rapidly and without specific symptoms. Measures of a liver cancer marker called alpha-fetoprotein are elevated in only half of patients, adds Geschwind, making it difficult to find the disease early.
When the cancer is confined to the liver, doctors can transplant or remove the liver, but three-quarters of patients are not eligible for surgery. Without treatment, median survival of these inoperable patients is typically less than nine months. Chemoembolization procedures add 10 to 15 months of survival.
A phase III trial comparing chemoembolization with or without sorafenib is under way at Johns Hopkins and 100 other sites in the U.S. "We're on the path to improving the standard of care for liver cancer," says Geschwind.
The study was funded by Bayer Health-Care and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of sorafenib, and Biocompatibles, makers of the microbeads.
Researchers involved in the study include Timothy Pawlik, Diane Reyes, David Cosgrove, and Ihab Kamel, Nikhil Bhagat of Johns Hopkins.
Pawlik and Geschwind are consultants to Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, and Geschwind is a consultant to Biocompatibles. The terms of these arrangements are being managed by the Johns Hopkins University in accordance to its conflict-of-interest policies.


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Should I Move or Refinance?
The level of equity homeowners have is at an all-time high. According to the U.S. Census, over 38% of owner-occupied homes are owned free and clear, meaning they don't have a mortgage. Those with a mortgage are seeing their equity skyrocket too. Every time real estate values increase, homeowners get a dollar-for-dollar gain in their home equity.
According to the first-quarter 2021 U.S. Home Equity Report from ATTOM Data Solutions:
"17.8 million residential properties in the United States were considered equity-rich, meaning that the combined estimated amount of loans secured by those properties was 50 percent or less of their estimated market value.
The count of equity-rich properties in the first quarter of 2021 represented 31.9 percent, or about one in three, of the 55.8 million mortgaged homes in the United States. That was up from 30.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, 28.3 percent in the third quarter and 26.5 percent in the first quarter of 2020."
This surge in home equity has given most homeowners the opportunity to use that equity in one of two ways:
- Refinance to cash out some of the equity or lower their current payment
- Move to a home that better fits their current needs
Let's break down the possibilities.
1. Refinance
An abundance of equity and record-low mortgage rates can make refinancing a home very easy. Some homeowners choose to refinance so they can lower their payments. Others convert a portion of the equity to cash while keeping their monthly payment the same.
There are many homeowners who could take advantage of lower rates and higher levels of equity, but they haven't yet. According to an Economic & Housing Research Note from earlier this month, there were over five million homeowners with a loan funded by Freddie Mac who would benefit by refinancing their loan. As of January 2021, there were:
- 452,122 loans with an average mortgage rate of 6.17%
- 1,027,834 loans with an average mortgage rate of 4.39%
- 3,687,780 loans with an average mortgage rate of 4.21%
With mortgage rates currently hovering around 3%, any of these homeowners would benefit from refinancing. They could lower their payments by hundreds of dollars per month or cash out large sums of equity while keeping their monthly payment the same.
If a homeowner has a $200,000 fixed-rate mortgage with a 6% interest rate and refinances that loan to a 3% interest rate, their monthly mortgage payment (principal and interest) will go from $1,199 per month to $843 per month – a savings of $356 a month, or $4,272 each year.
On the other hand, if they keep their mortgage payment the same, they could cash out a significant amount of their equity.
2. Move into your dream home
The past year prompted many households to redefine what a dream home really means, and it's something different to everyone. Those who have a high mortgage rate could use their equity as a down payment and perhaps buy their next home without significantly raising their mortgage payment.
Suppose a person bought a house for $216,000 at the height of the market in 2006. (The median home price in May of 2006). If they put 10% down and took out a mortgage of $194,400 at 6.41% (the average rate in 2006), the monthly mortgage payment (principal and interest) would have been $1,217.
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), a typical single-family home has grown in value by approximately $150,000 over the last fifteen years. That means the $216,000 house would be worth about $366,000 today.
After deducting selling expenses, they would be left with about $130,000 ($150,000 minus approximately $20,000 in selling expenses).
A seller could take that equity and use it as a down payment on a new house. Let's assume they purchased a home for $450,000 (roughly $80,000 more than the value of their current home). If they put the $130,000 down, they could take out a mortgage of $320,000 with a 3% interest rate. The monthly mortgage payment (principal and interest) would be $1,349. Therefore, they could buy a home worth $80,000 more than the one they have today and only spend an extra $132 per month.
Bottom Line
Whether you're refinancing your house or moving to a new home, your current mortgage rate and your level of equity are crucial in your decision-making process. Look at your mortgage documentation to find out your interest rate, and then let's connect to determine the potential equity in your home. You may be surprised by the opportunities you have.


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Thirty-five percent increase rangewide means more nesting birds; production outlook hopeful
Each spring, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) conducts a survey of pheasants throughout their statewide range. As the mating season approaches, roosters increase crowing, and KDWP staff drive routes, stop at established stations, and listen for birds. Data from this survey, combined with the summer brood count survey in August, helps determine the outlook for the fall pheasant crop. A windy spring made surveying difficult this year, but last year's production combined with good winter carry-over appears to reveal an increased number of breeding pheasants over last year.
This year's spring survey period was April 25 through May 20, five days later than normal due to windy conditions that made hearing calls difficult. All 63 established routes were assigned for 2008, and 59 were successfully run. Forty-eight of the routes were completed in both 2007 and 2008 by the same observers.
Rangewide, the 2008 Pheasant Crowing Survey (PCS) index was 18.4 crows per station, up 35 percent from 2007. Overall, 40 of the 47 comparable routes increased in counts this year.
In the northwest, all 12 routes were run, 10 by the same observers as in 2007, and the crowing birds counted increased 36 percent from 2007. Nine of the 10 routes run by the same observer in both years increased. The Sherman County route sharply decreased but was not used to calculate regional change because this decrease was likely due to substantial irrigation-engine noise this year compared to no such noise in 2007.
In northcentral Kansas, all 12 routes were run, eleven by last year's observers. Ten routes increased, one decreased, and the average count increased 40 percent over last year.
In the northeast, eight of the 10 routes were run and seven were completed by 2007 observers. Four of the seven comparable survey routes increased; two decreased; and one was unchanged.
In southwest Kansas, 16 of 18 routes were completed, and 13 of those were run by the same observer as last year. Eleven of the13 comparable routes increased, and two decreased, yielding an average increase of 37 percent over 2007.
In southcentral Kansas, all of nine survey routes were successfully run, and seven of those had the same observers as in 2007. This yielded an increase of 32 percent over last year. Five of the seven comparable routes increased, and two decreased.
"This spring's increases in the PCS index appears to reflect the good production that occurred in 2007," says Randy Rodgers, KDWP upland game bird research biologist. "Much of the state's 2007 wheat crop was set back about two weeks by a late hard freeze. This provided a longer time-frame for nests to hatch and chicks to grow large enough to evade harvest machinery. Although heavy late-May rains appeared to have hurt 2007 pheasant nesting in central Kansas, increases in the PCS index this spring, even in these areas, suggests the heavy cover that resulted from those rains provided good re-nesting opportunities last summer.
"And last winter did not appear to put unusual stress on pheasants," Rodgers adds. "Some areas of western Kansas currently have excellent breeding populations, but highly-variable moisture this spring will probably dictate 2008 production success. Parts of southwest Kansas are currently experiencing severe drought, and some areas in northwest and northcentral Kansas have had exceptionally heavy rains with large hail that has probably hurt pheasant production locally. Outside these extremes, most of the 2008 wheat crop has had good moisture and temperature conditions and has developed relatively slowly, all of which are beneficial to pheasant reproduction. Wheat harvest will also occur late in most areas, further increasing the potential for good pheasant production."


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Type | Public Limited Multinational |
Founded | 1905 |
Headquarters | Vevey, Switzerland |
Key people | Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (Chairman), Paul Bulcke (CEO) |
Industry | Food processing and packaged foods |
Products | Coffee, dairy products, cereals, bottled water, ice cream, pet foods, baby food |
Website | www.nestle.com |
Nestlé is a public limited multinational with head quarters in Vaud, Switzerland. The company manufactures and markets processed food and has diversified holdings in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, medical equipment and weight loss industries. Nestlé was founded in 1905 from a merger between Anglo-Swiss Milk Company and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé Company. It specializes in the production of baby foods, bottled water, dairy products, breakfast cereals, ice cream, nutrition, beverages, chocolate and confectionery as well as a diverse array of prepared foods and miscellaneous pet care products. [1] Nestle is the world's largest food company and the world's largest producer of dairy products. [2], [3]
Nestlé global brands include Nescafé coffee, Perrier bottled water, Ralston Purina pet food, Buitoni, Friskies, Maggi, Nestea, and Nestlé. U.S. brands include Baby Ruth candy bars, Taster's Choice coffee, Good Start and Nan infant formulas, Libby's juice, Carnation milk, Alpo pet food, Stouffer's frozen foods, PowerBar , Poland Spring bottled water as well as Dreyer's and Häagen-Dazs ice cream. The company ranks number one in terms of food sales. Nestlé is the world leader in coffee (Nescafé) and one of the leading makers of bottled water (Perrier). It is also a top pet food maker (Purina). The company also owns Gerber Products and Jenny Craig. In addition to its own products, Nestlé owns about 52% of Alcon Inc. (ophthalmic drugs, contact-lens solutions, and equipment for ocular surgery) and some 30% of cosmetics giant L'Oréal.[4]
In the fiscal year ending in December of 2009, the company reported sales of approximately $103.68 billion dollars and had 278,000 employees.[5]
Access Nestlé's corporate rap sheet compiled and written by Good Jobs First here.
- 1 Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
- 2 Company history
- 3 Business scope
- 4 Animal testing
- 5 Labor issues
- 6 Human rights issues
- 7 Product safety issues
- 8 Anti-trust & tax practices
- 9 Corporate accountability
- 10 Social responsibility initiatives
- 11 Political contributions
- 12 Lobbying
- 13 Personnel & board
- 14 Contact
- 15 Articles & sources
Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
Nestle has been a corporate funder of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). [6]
A list of ALEC Corporations can be found here.
About ALEC |
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve "model" bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our PRWatch.org site.
Company history
- 1866 Foundation of Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co.
- 1867 Henry Nestlé's Infant cereal developed
- 1905 Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co.(new name after merger)
- 1929 Merger with Peter, Cailler, Kohler Chocolats Suisses S.A.
- 1934 Launch of Milo
- 1938 Launch of Nescafé
- 1947 Nestlé Alimentana S.A., (new name after merger with Maggi)
- 1948 Launch of Nestea and Nesquik
- 1969 Vittel (initially equity interest only)
- 1971 Merger with Ursina-Franck
- 1973 Stouffer (with Lean Cuisine)
- 1974 L'Oréal (associate)
- 1977 Nestlé S.A. (new Company name)
- 1981 Galderma (joint venture with L'Oréal)
- 1985 Carnation (with Coffee-mate and Friskies)
- 1986 Creation of Nestlé Nespresso S.A.
- 1988 Buitoni-Perugina, Rowntree (with Kit Kat)
- 1990 Cereal Partners Worldwide (joint venture with General Mills)
- 1991 Beverage Partners Worldwide (joint venture with Coca-Cola)
- 1992 Perrier (with Poland Spring)
- 1993 Creation of Nestlé Sources Internationales (2002: Nestlé Waters)
- 1997 Creation of Nutrition Strategic Business Division (2006: Nestlé Nutrition)
- 1998 Sanpellegrino and Spillers Petfoods; Launch of Nestlé Pure Life
- 2000 PowerBar
- 2001 Ralston Purina
- 2002 Schöller and Chef America; Dairy Partners Americas (joint venture with Fonterra); Laboratoires Innéov (joint venture with L'Oréal)
- 2003 Mövenpick and Dreyer's
- 2005 Wagner, Protéika and Musashi
- 2006 Creation of FoodServices Strategic Business Division; Lactalis Nestlé Produits Frais (associate); Jenny Craig, Uncle Tobys and Delta Ice Cream
- 2007 Novartis Medical Nutrition, Gerber, Henniez [8]
Business scope
Nestlé's product lines can be subdivided into the following categories[9]:
- Coffee - Nescafé, Nespresso,Taster's Choice, Ricoré, Ricoffy, Bonka, Zoégas, Loumidis.
- Water - Poland Spring, Nestlé Pure Life, Arrowhead, Vittel, Deer Park, Levissima, Perrier, S.Pellegrino, Ozarka, Contrex, Ice Mountain,Zephyrhills, Nestlé Aquarel, Hépar, Acqua Panna
- Other beverages - Nestea, Nesquik, Nescau, Milo, Carnation, Libby's, Caro, Nestomalt, Nestlé
- Dairy - Shelf stable: Nestlé, Nido, Nespray, Ninho, Carnation, Milkmaid, La Lechera, Moça, Klim, Gloria, Svelty, Molico, Nestlé Omega Plus, Bear Brand, Coffee-Mate
- Dairy - Chilled: Nestlé, Sveltesse, La Laitière, La Lechera, Ski, Yoco, Svelty, Molico, LC1, Chiquitin
- Ice cream - Nestlé, Antica Gelateria del Corso, Dreyer's/Edy's, Drumstick/Extrême, Maxibon/Tandem, Mega, Mövenpick, Sin Parar/Sem Parar/Non Stop, Delta
- Infant nutrition - Nestlé, Nan, Lactogen, Beba, Nestogen, Cerelac, Nestum, Neslac, Guigoz, Good Start
- Performance nutrition - PowerBar, Pria, Musashi
- HealthCare nutrition - Nutren, Clinutren, Peptamen, Modulen,
- Bouillons, soups, seasonings, pasta, sauces - Maggi, Buitoni, Thomy, Winiary,Torchin, Osem, Totole, Haoji
- Frozen foods (prepared dishes, pizzas, small meals) - Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, Buitoni, Maggi, Wagner, La Cocinera
- Refrigerated products (cold meat products, dough, pasta, pizzas, sauces, snacks) - Nestlé, Buitoni, Herta, Toll House, Sabra
- Chocolate, confectionery and biscuits - Nestlé, Crunch, Cailler, Galak/Milkybar, Kit Kat, Smarties, Butterfinger, Aero, Polo
- Nestlé Professional - Chef, Davigel, Minor's
- Petcare - Purina, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Alpo, Gourmet, Mon Petit, Felix, Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Beneful, Tidy Cats
Major holdings
In addition to the brands listed above, Nestle is a major shareholder in other companies, such as L'Oreal, which bought The Body Shop for 652million L.[10]
Animal testing
Nestle does animal testing.
Facility information, progress & USDA-APHIS reports
For copies of this facility's U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal Plant Health Inspection (APHIS) reports, other information and links, see also Facility Reports & Information: Nestle Purina Global Resources, Inc., St Louis, MO. [11]
USDA AWA reports
As of May 26, 2009, the USDA began posting all inspection reports for animal breeders, dealers, exhibitors, handlers, research facilities and animal carriers by state. See also USDA Animal Welfare Inspection Reports.
Labor issues
African cocoa plantations accused of child labour and trafficking implicate Nestlé: 2001
Nestlé was once again at the center of controversy for buying cocoa which may have been produced using child slaves from the Ivory Coast and Ghana, .[12]. A report by the BBC showed that hundreds of thousands of children in various african countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Togo were being purchased from their families and sent to Ivory Coast, to be sold as slaves to cocoa farms.
- "These children, ranging in age from 12 to 14 years (and sometimes younger) were being forced to do hard manual labor 80 to 100 hours a week, paid nothing, barely fed and beaten regularly. In the widespread uproar caused by the reports, Nestlé expressed its 'concerns' over the use of child labour but could not confirm that none of its chocolate was derived from slave-labour sources"[13] [14]
Working against unions: 2002
Many allegations and accusations have been made as to Nestlé's involment in oppressive and hostile measures taken towards worker unions. In late 2001 management at a Nestlé subsidiary named Comestibles La Rosa threatened workers that in order to keep their jobs they were obliged to renounce union membership.
- "Even now, Nestlé has refused to acknowledge publicly the work of the unions and to disassociate itself from any threat and use of force against their members. In October 2002 and March 2003, SINALTRAINAL tried, with the support of various Swiss trade unions and social movements, to make contact with the central management of Nestlé with a view to solving the problems in Colombia. Nestlé has twice refused such discussions."[15]
Human rights issues
The Ethiopia scandal
Oxfam, a group of "thirteen non-governmental organizations from three continents working worldwide to fight poverty and injustice", revealed that Nestlé was demanding millions of dollars in compensation from the Ethiopian government. The $6 million demand was issued for shares in the agricultural firm ELIDCO (Ethiopian Livestock Development Company), which was nationalised following the military coup d'etat of 1975. The money demanded by Nestlé "could provide clean water to more than 4 million people in Ethiopia and fund the construction of 6,500 wells".[16]
Human rights violations in Colombia: 2008
The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT), led by Nobel peace prize winner, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, accused 43 companies present in Colombia of various human rights violations. The Tribunal, consisting of various international notables, made such accusations after almost three years of investigating allegations of human rights violations in Colombia.
Among the companies accused of human rights violations are Coca Cola, Nestlé, British Petroleum (BP) and Telefonica. The PPT also said the Colombian Government is equally responsible for the violation of human rights, "favoring capital over people's lives". [17]
Luciano Enrique Romero was a trade unionist and a fired Nestlé factory worker whose body was found in a paramilitary-controlled area of Colombia in 2006. The body had been tied up and showed evidence of torture. He had been been stabbed 40 times. Romero's widow, Colombian labor union SINALTRAINAL and the Washington-based International Labor Rights Fund filed a lawsuit in Miami charging Nestlé USA and Nestlé of Colombia with complicity in his death. According to the suit, "Nestlé operated in complicity with the paramilitary", so much so that there was even evidence that "Nestlé plant managers met openly with them inside the factory in Valledupar, in northern Colombia"[18], [19]
Product safety issues
Artificial baby milk controversy: 2006
As the world's largest artificial baby milk producer, Nestlé has been pinpointed as a leading cause of the increasing worldwide infant mortality rates. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.5 million infants die each year because of inappropriate feeding, given the fact that children vulnerable to disease are being fed with artificial breastmilk substitutes rather than naturally breastfed.[20]
- "A World Health Organization (WHO) International Code governing the marketing of artificial baby milk, drawn up in 1981 and agreed by 118 countries, says breastfeeding should be promoted above all other products and that leaflets and labels relating to breast milk substitutes should do nothing to undermine this. But Nestlé and other companies have been accused of flouting the rules with advertising, free samples, promotions and sponsorships. The latest monitoring report from the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) uncovered about 2,000 violations of the code in 69 countries, with Nestlé responsible for more violations than any other of the big 16 baby food companies studied"[21] [22]
Fraudulent Labeling: 2002
In November 2002, police ordered Nestlé Colombia to withdraw from the market nearly 200 tons of imported powdered milk. The milk had come from Uruguay under the brand name Conaprole, but the packages had been relabeled as coming from a nearby Nestlé factory, as well as being stamped with false production dates that differed almost an entire year from the ACTUAL production dates. A month later another 120 tons with similarly false country of origin and production dates were discovered, indicating the presence of systematic fraud.[23]
Anti-trust & tax practices
Spy hired to infiltrate NGO: 2008
The Swiss chapter of anti-globalizaion NGO Attac asked local authorities to investigate Nestlé for allegedly hiring a spy to infiltrate the group. The legal complaint was filed after learning that an employee of the Securitas AG security company took part in its private meetings between late 2003 and June 2004. "The meetings were part of a research project that culminated in the publication of a book titled "Attac against the Nestle Empire," which criticized the company's position on genetically modified organisms, water privatization and trade unions."[24]
Corporate accountability
Over the past 50 years, Nestlé has been at the center of documented controversy concerning its methods of marketing processed milk or baby formula as a substitute for breastfeeding. The company's activities attracted worldwide attention during the Nestlé boycott of 1977, [25] which led the company to make various attempts to improve its public image, launching some Fairtrade products in the meantime[26] All the controversy surrounding the swiss conglomerate has contributed to making it one of the world's most boycotted brands[27]
In spite of numerous and controversial accusations, Nestlé's Business Code of Conduct asserts that:
- "Since its founding, Nestlé's business practices have been governed by integrity, honesty, fair dealing and full compliance with all applicable laws. Nestlé employees worldwide have upheld and lived this commitment in their every day responsibilities ever since, and Nestlé's reputation remains one of the Company's most important assets today."[28]
Social responsibility initiatives
Perhaps in order to turn attention aware from its negative product safety and human rights publicity, Nestle has begun to greenwash itself, releasing reports regarding its reduced carbon emissions and water withdrawal over the last decade.[29], [30]
Political contributions
Joe M. Weller, then Chair & CEO of Nestlé USA, was a Bush Pioneer having raised at least $100,000 for Bush in the 2004 presidential election. [31]
Nestlé USA gave $15,900 to federal candidates in the 2008 election cycle through its political action committees - 56% to Democrats, 44% to Republicans.[32],
Nestle SA spent $2,815,660 for lobbying in 2010. $670,000 went to seven outside lobbying firms and the remainder was spent on in-house lobbyists. Firms used included Policy Directions Inc., the Nickles Group and the Podesta Group.[33]
Personnel & board
Key executives: Nestlé S.A. Swiss headquarters
- Peter Brabeck-Letmathe - Chairman
- Andreas Koopmann - First Vice Chairman
- Rolf Hänggi - Second Vice Chairman
- Francisco Castaner, Executive VP, Pharmaceutical & Cosmetic Products [34]
Board & executive board members
See also Nestle Management. [35]
- Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Paul Bulcke, Andreas Koopmann, Beat Hess, Daniel Borel, Steven George Hoch, Naïna Lal Kidwai, Jean-Pierre Roth, Ann M. Veneman, Henri de Castries, Eva Cheng, Ruth Khasaya Oniang'o, Patrick Aebischer, Renato Fassbind
Swiss Headquarters
Avenue Nestlé 55
CH-1800 Vevey
Vaud, Switzerland
Phone: +41-21-924-2596
Fax: +41-21-922-6334
Web address: http://www.nestle.com
USA Office:
800 North Brand Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91203
Phone: 818-549-6000
Fax: 818-549-6952
Web address: http://www.nestleusa.com
Articles & sources
SourceWatch articles
- Animal testing
- Human rights
- Meat & Dairy industry
- Novartis
- Policy Directions Inc.
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Processed food industry
- ↑ "Nestlé at a Glance: Key Facts", Nestlé, accessed December 2008.
- ↑ Ian Johnston Nestlé: the world's biggest food company and one of the 'most boycotted, Telegraph, September 2009
- ↑ Nestlé SA, Company analytics, 2009
- ↑ Nestlé S.A. Profile, Hoovers, accessed February 2010
- ↑ Key Nestlé S.A. Financials, Hoovers, accessed January 2011
- ↑ Clearinghouse on Environmental Advocacy and Research, project of the Environmental Working Group, Information on American Legislative Exchange Council, archived organizational profile, archived by Wayback Machine December 2, 2000, accessed August 19, 2011
- ↑ Nestlé,"Nestlé Quick Facts: Historical Timeline" Nestlé Website, Accesed December 2008
- ↑ Elaborate overview of Nestle's history, Nestle, accessed February 2010
- ↑ Nestlé,"Nestlé's product lines and major brands", Nestlé website, Accesed December 2008
- ↑ Jonathan Brown. "UK: Roddick Targets Nestlé after Corporate 'Sell-Out'" May 11th, 2006. Accessed March 2009.
- ↑ Facility Reports & Information: Nestle R&D Center, Inc, St. Joseph, MO, Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!, accessed January 2011
- ↑ "Nestlé implicated in child slave labour in Ivory Coast", JS Online, Media Release, Accessed December 2008
- ↑ "Nestlé Corporate Crimes: child slaves in Ivory Coast", Corporate Watch, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "AFRICA: The Dark Side of Chocolate", Corporate Watch, , Media Release, October 2005
- ↑ "Another Nestlé Scandal in Colombia: more than 200 tons of powdered milk decommissioned", Colombia Solidarity, Media Release, November 2002
- ↑ "Nestlé u-turn on Ethiopia debt", The Guardian, January 2003
- ↑ "July, 2008: The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT) accused Nestlé of human rights violations in Colombia", Business and Human Rights Resource Center, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "Murder in Colombia Prompts Group to Sue Nestlé Units in Miami", International Labor Rights Forum, Media Release, accessed December 2008
- ↑ Jane Bussey Murder in Colombia Prompts Group to Sue Nestle Units in Miami, Miami Herald, October 28, 2008
- ↑ "Nestlé at the center of artificial breastmilk and increasing infant mortality rates" Baby Milk Action Organization, accessed December 2008
- ↑ Corporate Watch "Nesté Corporate Crimes: Artificial Baby Milk Controversy" Corporate Watch website, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "Nestlé at the center of violations of the International Code governing the marketing of artificial baby milk", Baby Milk Organization, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "Another Nestlé Scandal in Colombia: more than 200 tons of powdered milk decommissioned", Colombia Solidarity website, Media Release, November 2002, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "Swiss campaign group says food giant Nestle hired spy against it", International Herald Tribune, Media Release, June 2008, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "The 1977 Nestlé Boycott", Breastfeeding.com, accessed December2008
- ↑ "NESCAFÉ Partners' Blend: Nestlé's new Fairtrade coffee", Nestlé UK, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "The world's most well-known and boycotted brands on the planet", Business Insight Blog, accessed December 2008
- ↑ "Nestlé Business Code of Conduct", Nestlé, accessed December 2008
- ↑ Nestle Releases CSR Report", Environmental Leader, March 4, 2008.
- ↑ Nestle Profile, CSR Wire, accessed February 2010
- ↑ Bush Pioneer Joe M. Weller, Texans for Public Justice, accessed August 2007
- ↑ Nestle USA 2008 PAC, Open Secrets, accessed January 2011
- ↑ 2010 Nestlé lobbying expenses, Open Secrets, accessed January 2010
- ↑ Nestlé S.A. Key People, Hoovers, accessed January 2011
- ↑ Management, Nestle, accessed July 2015
External resources
- Nestle SA, Corporate Watch, 2003
- Nestle, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, accessed February 2010
External articles
- Tina Arceo-Dumlao, "Nestlé in RP brews up coffee planting plan: Buying stations put in place to help farmers," Philippine Daily Inquirer (The Philippines), March 21, 2009.][[Category:Human rights abuses]


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Sustainable Investing
The 'E' in ESG: one of the three key factors to watch in Sustainable Investing, together with social and governance considerations.
Institutional investors are increasingly working to better understand the potential financial impact of environmental issues on companies in their portfolios. They are calling for greater company attention in areas such as climate change, energy and energy extraction-related risks (such as coal combustion and hydraulic fracturing), energy efficiency, recycling and environmental hazards in the air, water and soil. Investors play an important role in environmental topics by drawing attention to the relevant issue and influencing disclosure.
The potential negative effects for companies that do not manage environmental risks are increasing costs (e.g. the need to clean up spills or restore the landscape on exploration sites), reputational damage in the event of headline-grabbing polluting incidents, or litigation costs. Integrating environmental considerations into a corporate strategy can also present opportunities. Using resources efficiently will decrease costs, while companies offering innovative solutions, such as printer suppliers helping their customers to get by with fewer and more energy-efficient printers, can gain a competitive edge.


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20 Effective Health and Fitness Tips
Keeping a health kick on track is tricky. These tips should help
There is no shortcut to a healthy state, no magic fruit that lets you hit your five-a-day target and no single exercise that gives you a shredded physique in minutes. It takes time and effort to get in shape and stay in shape. But if you follow these tips you'll be able to reap the benefits (for they are legion) with a little less struggle.
1. Prep For Success
The fast track to a better diet is found by using your weekends wisely. Use the extra time you have on Saturday and Sunday to meal prep, making large batches of healthy meals that you can portion up to cover at least a couple of midweek lunches and dinners, avoiding the dietary perils of takeaways and meal deals.
2. Mix Up Your Exercise
Variety is – cliché alert! – the spice of life, and many sports and activities support each other in ways you won't realise until you try it. For example, strength training for your legs and core will make you a better runner, while those addicted to dumbbells will find Pilates works muscles they'd never even considered.
3. Adjust Targets On Trackers
If you invest in a fitness tracker, don't just sit back and assume that following the preset targets will lead you to glory. Adjust the steps, active minutes and calorie targets regularly to build on your progress, or make them more realistic if you never get close and have started to ignore them. If you don't engage with your fitness tech, you'll quickly discard it.
4. Add In Short Bursts Of Activity
It's the oldest quick fitness fix in the book: take the stairs not the escalator, or get off the bus a stop early and walk. Any activity is good activity, and will only encourage you to do more. And if you really want to up the ante, try sprinting up the stairs (safely now) each time you take them – a recent study found that short bursts of high-intensity stair-climbing can make a significant difference to your cardiorespiratory fitness.
5. Keep Tabs On Your Visceral Fat
You can be skinny on the outside (at least your arms and legs), but fat on the inside. Visceral fat is the type that builds up around your organs and often results in a pot belly. It's linked with heart disease, several cancers and type 2 diabetes. Check your waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) to see if you're at risk. Grab a piece of string and use it to measure your height, then halve it. If it doesn't fit around your waist, get exercising – visceral fat is the first type to go when you start working out.
6. Value Your Rest Days
When you start on a fitness kick, it's tempting to exercise every day while motivation is high. This is a bad move, and one that will see your enthusiasm burn out within weeks, because you're always knackered and won't see the massive improvements you expect for your Herculean efforts. Why? You're not giving your muscles the time they need to recover and grow.
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7. Up The Intensity If You're Short On Time
Official NHS guidelines still promote the 150 minutes of moderate activity a week minimum, but now offer an alternative option of 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week. That's running or singles tennis, for example, rather than cycling or walking, which count as moderate. You can also mix the two, so 60 minutes of vigorous cardio plus 30 of moderate will see you home. Bear in mind the guidelines also demand strength exercises on two or more days a week alongside your aerobic activity.
8. Take Your Niggles Seriously
Nothing derails a health kick as quickly as injury, and many serious knocks will start out as mild niggles you think it's OK to push through. Easing back for a few days is better than being laid up for a few months. If you have an urgent desire to hit the gym, target a different part of the body from the one that's bothering you.
9. Mix Up Your Fruit And Veg
Eating at least five portions of fruit and veg a day should be at the cornerstone of your healthy diet plan. What's not wise is getting in a rut and eating the same five every day, because different types of fruit and veg contain different vitamins and minerals. A good way to vary your five-a-day is to eat different colours, as the hue is a decent indication of the nutrients they contain.
10. Don't Undervalue Your Sleep
There is tendency for people who sleep very little to brag about it, as if it's an indication of their commitment to life. However, getting the full seven to eight hours is vital to a healthy lifestyle, as it provides the energy for your exercise and even influences dietary choices – a 2016 study found that in the day following a night of limited sleep, people ate an extra 385 calories on average. You don't snooze, you lose.
11. Make It Social
However you're planning on getting fitter, whether it's taking up a new sport, hitting the gym or making your diet healthier, try to enlist a friend to do it with you. You'll push each other to stay on track and have someone who'll sympathise when the going gets tough. If no-one springs to mind, then join a local club or online community and you'll make a whole bunch of new friends that share your interest.
12. Sign Up For An Event
Nothing focuses the mind as effectively as the prospect of a big event. It gives a clear target to your workouts and if it's a running, cycling or swimming event, there will be lots of free training plans available online for you to follow. One top tip, however, is to not go straight to a marathon or a 100-mile cycle straight off the bat. There are lots of highly rewarding shorter events to try first, and there's a good chance you'll hate it if you bite off more than you can chew first time round.
See related
- 10K Training: Plans, Tips, Advice And More
- Half Marathon Training: Plans, Tips, Advice And More
- Marathon Training: Plans, Gear, Nutrition Advice And More
13. Vary Your Intensity
Whatever type of exercise you do, make sure you're not going hell for leather every time you do it. There are lots of physical and mental benefits to doing easy exercise, and you'll probably find that you enjoy a sport like running or cycling much more if most of your workouts are at a low intensity. However, don't stick entirely to easy training, because HIIT and other high-intensity sessions will help you get fitter and trigger satisfying endorphin rushes that remind you why you love exercise.
14. Don't Neglect Mobility Work
Whether you fully embrace yoga or Pilates or just make time for some short stretching sessions every few days, mobility work is a vital part of maintaining your long-term health. It will help you perform better and avoid injuries in your main activity, as well as combating the posture issues that can arise from long days spent sitting at a desk.
15. Consider The Mental Benefits Of Exercise
The physical benefits of being active are obvious, but it's only once you start exercising regularly that it also becomes clear how much of a boost it can provide to your mental health. Try to disconnect from the stresses you might have in your work and home life, and pay attention to your workout rather than let your mind flit to the past or future. If you're not sure how to get started with this, Headspace have partnered with the Nike+ Run Club app to offer free guided running and mindfulness sessions, which are certainly worth a try.
16. Increase Your Cadence On Your Runs
If you are consistently picking up injuries when running, one change it's definitely worth trying is to up your rate of strides per minute (your cadence). If you overstrike, thus taking fewer steps, you put extra pressure on your knee and hip joints. Try and take more steps, which means your feet will land more beneath your body, reducing the impact on your joints.
17. Try Sports Three Times Before Abandoning Them
The first time you try an exercise it's very hard, but at least quite novel. The second time the novelty is gone, and it's still hard, leading to the temptation to quit. Try it at least once more, as the third time is often the charm – when a sport or workout starts to become as enjoyable as it is tough.
18. Count Reps Backwards
This is a simple mental trick that might make resistance workouts – weights or bodyweight – a little easier. Counting down the reps means by the time it's really hurting you're at the 3,2,1 stage, which feels closer to the end than 8,9,10 or whatever target you're going for. It won't work for everyone, but it's worth a try.
19. Make Full Use Of Your Street Furniture
Exercising outdoors is a great way to ensure you get your hit of vitamin D (if it's sunny) as well as a good workout, and it doesn't have to be all cardio. As well as the exercise machines that litter many parks, you can nearly always finds a bar or ledge for pull-ups, or a bench or wall to do dips on. Rarer treats can even include chains to use as ersatz TRX ropes.
20. Record Your Stats
Nothing builds motivation as efficiently as seeing signs of improvement, so make sure you keep some kind of record of your activity. It can be as simple as noting your record five-rep max or fastest 5K time, using either one of the many excellent fitness apps available or old-fashioned pen and paper.
Nick Harris-Fry is a journalist who has been covering health and fitness since 2015. Nick is an avid runner, covering 70-110km a week, which gives him ample opportunity to test a wide range of running shoes and running gear. He is also the chief tester for fitness trackers and running watches, treadmills and exercise bikes, and workout headphones.


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A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to install and repair fixtures, sheets, windows, and skylights made of glass, plexiglass, and other transparent materials. Includes instruction in site measurement, job analysis and estimation, material cutting and trimming, window and door installation, site safety, equipment operation and maintenance, specification interpretation, and applicable codes and standards.
Install glass in windows, skylights, store fronts, and display cases, or on surfaces, such as building fronts, interior walls, ceilings, and tabletops.


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The ongoing World Governments Summit 2024 (WGS) witnessed a pivotal plenary session headlined by Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), shedding light on the trajectory of global interest rates. Amidst the distinguished attendees were notable figures including Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, among others, underlining the gravity of the discourse.
Moderated by CNN's Richard Quest, Georgieva lauded the UAE's pioneering stance in embracing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, emphasizing the nation's strategic foresight in establishing an AI ministry in 2017. Georgieva emphasized the profound impact of AI, likening its significance to that of the Industrial Revolution, while calling for a responsible and inclusive approach to its adoption. Georgieva outlined four key criteria to assess AI readiness, emphasizing digital infrastructure, skill development, innovation investment, and regulatory frameworks.
Expressing optimism tempered with caution, Georgieva underscored the imperative of staying adaptable and vigilant in a rapidly evolving global landscape. Georgieva expressed confidence in a forthcoming decline in global interest rates by mid-2024, citing robust economic fundamentals, particularly in the United States.
Attributing the US economy's resilience to its dynamic nature and strategic advantages, Georgieva underscored its pivotal role in global economic stability.
Under the theme 'Shaping Future Governments', the World Governments Summit 2024 continues to convene global leaders and experts in Dubai, offering a platform for vital dialogues on future governance. With a diverse array of attendees and over 110 sessions, WGS 2024 emerges as a nexus for shaping the trajectory of global governance and policy-making.


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This section features all of the Social Sciences free audio & video learning resources we've featured in our "Free Resource of the Day Emails" over the past many years with reviews of all of our favorite free resources.
In addition to our bi-weekly E-Magazine, LearnOutLoud.com also sends out our "Free Resource of the Day Email" which features one free audio or video learning title that we've added to our site. You can receive our "Free Resource of the Day Email" by entering your Email address into the box on the right, clicking Subscribe, and then checking the "Free Resource of the Day E-mail" check box in the pop up. This email is sent out Monday through Friday and is a great way to discover new audio & video educational content. You'll be informed of audio books, lectures, speeches, sermons, interviews, and much more all which you can listen to or watch for FREE! Below is a sampling of some of the free resources we have offered in the past through our Free Resource of the Day Email.


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WE Cinemas is a returning cinema operator with one cinema located in Singapore. Opening its first cinema in 1975, WE Cinemas (formerly Eng Wah Cinemas) embarked on a two-year hiatus in 2013, before finally returning with a new brand name in 2015. WE Cinemas' premium class hall, dubbed First Class, has plusher seats, personal tables for clients and food service.
Find now showing and upcoming movies at all WE Singapore cinemas online, check movie showtimes and book your Shaw movie tickets online now with Popcorn!
WE Cinema
WE Cinema is located in 321 Clementi at 321 Clementi Ave 3. WE Cinema has a total of 10 movie screens, featuring Digital 2D, 3D, First Class and Dolby Atmos options. WE Cinema is a single multiplex with more than 700 seats in Singapore.


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Cartagena, only a two-hour flight from Miami, is a city rich with the history of a former bastion of the legendary "Spanish Main" shipping routes while, at the same time, boasting many modern facilities and activities, as well. Founded in 1533, it is one of the oldest cities in the western hemisphere and has a current population of about 400,000.A must see on your visit will be the "Old Walled City." Recently restored as a huge historical relic of past centuries, it was ordered built in the fifteenth century by the King of Spain to protect Spanish fortunes from pirates and enemies when gold and emeralds were discovered in the interior of Colombia. More than eight other forts and fortresses pepper the inner harbor of Cartagena bearing the scars of enemy attacks on Imperial Spain. A shortage of sights, activities and entertainment will never be a problem during your visit. Dining is rewarding if you are not in a hurry. There are a variety of cuisine's available with a Spanish twist (of course). Waiters will traditionally pamper you and insist that you slowly enjoy your meal as Colombians do, savoring each course while enjoying a good conversation. Other available activities include deep sea fishing, reef diving, guided bus tours and boat trips, unique shopping, art museums, horse drawn carriage rides, beaches, casinos, intimate bars, cafes with live entertainment and lively discotheques.If you are there in November, you can party in the streets until the wee hours of the morning as the Colombians celebrate the city's independence from Spain with a huge fiesta.The Colombian National beauty pageant is also held in Cartagena at this time. Colombia is located in northwest South America on the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea and boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.The average temperature is 86 degrees with cool breezes normally from December to March. Not only is Cartagena an exciting, romantic vacation destination, you will have the privilege of meeting and courting literally hundreds of the most beautiful, marriage-minded women in the city who are eagerly awaiting your arrival! It WILL be the most exciting experience of your lifetime!
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