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I have been with HSA for 4 years now. They have previous replaced my stove and garbage disposal, and although it was a slight pain to get those replaced, they are nothing in comparison to this latest issue. It is winter in Pittsburgh, it is cold. My furnace is broken. I've been fighting with HSA for over a week to get a replacement. The technician that came out has red tagged it and it is not able to be fixed, it needs replaced. I'm now on hold for the 8th time in over a week... for over 40 minutes (I am not kidding).
HSA is claiming there's $1,800 in work they will not cover, and they are claiming they may NOT even be able to replace the unit since it's "so old" and no longer made. I should be provided with a unit that is currently legal (even at the lowest grade possible). Some of the $1,800 in work they are claiming they do not cover is clearly stated as covered in the contract, such as duct work, electrical work related to fuses, switches, and power to major electrical units. They also are claiming I need to purchase a permit. A quick call to my borough has proved that wrong.
Since I have no heat, and therefore no water since the pipes would freeze, my dog and I are homeless. I've been fortunate enough to be able to afford a hotel for now, but I feel that I should not HAVE to do that when I have paid a home warranty company for a peace of mind in case of this very thing. I do not mind having to find a place to stay for a few days, but when they will not even give me a STRAIGHT answer on what they plan to do or a timeline on when I will be able to move forward with getting it replaced, I am left in the dark...
They have absolutely no care for the fact that I'm homeless and will not provide me a timeline on when they think they will know if they are going to be able to assist me in having this issue taken care of. This company is a complete scam, do NOT purchase anything from them. I will be contacting the BBB and attorney general, as well as a lawyer if they refuse to replace the unit/settle a cash sum (which at this point, I would prefer).
ZIONSVILLE, INDIANA -- We have been dealing with a hot water heater issue for 6 months now. Yes, 6 months. We have a triangle tube and let's just say that everyone that they have set us up with do not service triangle tube water heaters. So, here we sit 6 months later and now have gotten outside authorization and they have our plumber sit on the phone for over 30 minutes trying to get authorization, take down only 1/4 of the information that they asked for and asked for him to call back once he knows the total price to fix it since he had to price out the part.
Needless to say, we called back today as he is here to fix the issue and has the price, and they lost almost all of the info they took down in the 30 minute phone call and after waiting on hold today for several minutes, then told us they needed to transfer us to a HVAC certified person. Are you kidding me? Why did we not start there to begin with?
Now we are waiting for a HVAC person to call us back and he has been here at my home for over 1.5 hours and is not supposed to start any work until getting authorization. Do not use this company if you don't have patience or time or want your items repaired in this lifetime!!! Worst money we have ever spent. (HSA is now called something else, but as of last year it was still called HSA warranty.)
The sample contracts online for HSA state that the seller is covered as long as your home is "on the market". There is no mention in the sample about having to be listed with a realtor. The sample contract does not include the word "realtor" or "listed". In many opinions, "on the market" could be for sale by owner. After the seller agrees and signs for the coverage, they receive a welcoming letter whereby on page two the "coverage period" is shown as a Coverage Start Date with a Coverage Expiration 12 months later. Again no mention of a listing contract a realtor nothing.
On the acceptance form for HSA it states that the seller agrees to pay the fee shown on the date legal title transfers to the buyer. So at this point the seller has agreed that when the home is sold they will pay the fee. So what is the problem? I'll tell you. HSA has an exception to the contract period within the actual contract itself. Again, it's not in the cover letter, it's not on the application, it's not on the sample contract the seller reads none of these. It isn't until after they get through the cover letter do they have to determine that the contract has an exception to the coverage period. Poor management and deceptive.
The customer is led to believe that they are covered for a year. The seller already agreed to pay upon close. Why are they hiding this part within their contract contradicting themselves on page two of their own cover letter? In our situation, when the home expired, we had to leave it off the market temporarily to move our family member out without realtors calling. We did do for sale by owner to keep it on the market. We verified this was okay with the HSA representative.
When we called with after being covered for 6 months without one call, they asked if we were listed with a realtor, we said no and were cut off and told we no longer had coverage and within minutes they cancelled our policy. If I had lied and yes "yes it is listed with a realtor", would that have done it? Answer probably so… but I just answered the question.
Bottom line these warranties that are done through "realtors" is a contract between the realtor and the warranty company. They should make that clear in their cover letter. They should state we would like to welcome you for accepting your realtor's referral in considering our company as your warranty company while your home is "listed for sale with a realtor".
When I called to go higher, I was met with a very intense and aggressive individual who does not listen and tries to intimidate. When I called back and left a message for the CEO's email address, again this very aggressive intimidating individual to my opinion called me again but now I was being insulted and basically called a liar. When I called back and spoke to a call representative who was very nice promised me she would call me back and to not worry that she would get me an email to the CEO got back on the phone 5 minutes later and said "I have so and so" on the line.
So it didn't take long in this not so large company for one person to get so much attention, little me and she never called me back. Obviously she was told she could not or else. What else could it be for someone to literally promise to call you back and not do so for days now? It's so sad. What kind of company is this? I'd like to know. It's a bad situation and it is not a company I will ever recommend to anyone again. Know what the problem is today, there is an expectation from some groups and individuals for a one-way loyalty. It's a shame.
It's weird that HSA even sells policies in my area, because they had one company under contract to look at my roof. It turned out he didn't have insurance, so he called me right before my appointment (when I had already come home just for that) to tell me he couldn't come. When I called HSA, they said just get anyone in the area to come and have him call while at my house. When I called after the guy had checked out my roof, the "lady" was somewhat angry that I had done this, because HSA had assigned me to another company…so apparently communication is not one of their best skills.
We had the home inspected before we bought it, and the inspector said it was nicely done. Now it is leaking, but HSA says that the fact that it started leaking 9 months after we bought the house is a pre-existing condition, because the guy wants to redo it to fix the problem… awesome. Too bad for HSA they don't realize that we are military and will be buying lots of houses over our lifetime as we move around. This means they have lost quite a bit of money from us because we will never buy another policy.
This also means they have lost quite a bit of money from our friends, because they are also military and move a lot and we will advise them not to get tangled up in this shady business. The insurance game is not to pay to fix anything. The guy who came out to look at our roof said warranty companies will call him 6 or 7 times per claims that they deem to be covered, just to make sure he really thinks the fix is necessary. Bottom line- HSA is shady ops.
WISCONSIN -- Recently bought a house and decided to get the warranty from HSA. Had the furnace tuned up from a local company, I figured it probably needed to be done. They replaced the ignitor while they were here. Two weeks go by and I have no heat. HSA says "you have to call them first!!" They send out this joke of a company the guy arrives here and says, "Well that'll be $95. Call your local company and tell them they need to replace your ignitor." GRRR!!! Then like ** my garage door opener goes out. I file a claim online because the hold times were approaching 10+ minutes.
Overhead Door Company comes out looks at opener says it's so old they can't get parts for it. Call HSA, "it doesn't have the sensors at the bottom of the door we aren't covering it." "OK thanks," and as if it weren't bad enough not even a week goes by and the furnace stops again. I call HSA and tell them "the heat is out I don't want your Crap company you sent out here the last time I am going with nice local company." They say OK, tech shows up on a Saturday, replaces inducer motor $303, Pressure switch $69.54 Sat fee $52.50 1 hr labor $120.00 Total w/tax $572.84 OK I paid for this out of my pocket because I went with my own company.
I get a call on Monday broad says "hi sir we are only approving approx $220 because we never authorized tech out on a Saturday and we could get the part from Carrier for $220." OK, So it's 7+ outside and you wanted me to wait till you ordered the part in from the manufacturer?" "Well yes sir." Actually we need you to fax your receipt so we can issue you a check. Yeah stay away from HSA they don't cover anything!!! They asked the HVAC guy if it was due to normal wear and tear. Ummmm what isn't its mechanical the stuff goes, I won't recommend this company ever!!
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY -- I received an HSA home warranty as part of a investment real estate deal (seller paid for the HSA warranty). It is impossible to deal with their ridiculous customer service. I was on hold today for one hour. When the phone was answered the person didn't listen long enough for me to explain why I was calling, and I was transferred to a different department, put on for another hour and a half, only to be disconnected. The estimated wait time was "less than 5 minutes." I called back and was put on perpetual hold again so I just hung up.
It's simply not worth my time to deal with these unprofessional jerks. I would never purchase a policy from them, I'd rather pay out of pocket with a local company I know because I know I'll get service when needed and I'll be treated with respect.
WISCONSIN, WISCONSIN -- Scam alert!!! This "company" is the worst rip-off ever. Please do not give these horrible, rude, nasty people your money!!! They will take it and run!!! I paid $1,000 for a 1-year warranty. It was very easy to reach someone to buy the policy. In fact, when I didn't purchase it right away they called me! They sent me a letter! Because they wanted the sale. After I gave them $1,000 it became nearly impossible to reach anyone to make a claim. You have to hold close to an hour to get a live person some of the time, and even then they will often transfer you to someone else and you start holding all over again.
I have now paid more than $1500 out of my pocket for a repair that has still not been completed because THEIR "repair person" claims it is one thing, but the 4 other professionals (all unrelated and from different local companies) said it is something else upon which they all agree. Four neutral opinions agree, the HSA repair person does not. 4 against 1 against HSA but HSA won't budge, they won't answer the phone, and you have no other way to reach them than the main number. PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS SCAM.
Do not buy a house with a HSA home warranty, they will not cover anything and have horrible customer service. I have no air conditioning and my wife is 8 months pregnant and they will not cover the air conditioning, which they stated they covered in the contract, because it was not normal wear and tear. It is in the same shape when I bought the house. I am a young first-time home buyer and it was hard enough to save for the down payment on a house but felt good thinking the appliances were covered so we would not have any large appliance financial burdens.
They won't tell you what they will or will not cover until a tech comes out, not professional, doesn't tell you anything and if they do it is a lie, takes your 50 dollar deductible and the warranty company then does not cover it. We not only have had to replace the shower due to leaking behind the walls, which they said we caused, yeah I go digging behind my shower walls. And now 3000 dollars for a new air conditioner. And 100 dollars for the two deductibles.
I thought buying a house with a warranty I would be free of large financial problems but less than a year in the house and 4000 dollars later the home warranty still won't cover items they say they cover. HSA home warranty sucks and is the worst company I have ever dealt within my life. I will call every real estate agent I can find and tell them what happened.
We purchased an HSA Home Warranty with our home. 6 months in the dishwasher started backing up. They send a plumber to check out the problem. He determined it was a problem with the dishwasher motor so they send an appliance guy out. After the appliance guy looked over the dishwasher and called HSA, they told me it wasn't covered and that they wouldn't do anything because they "believe" the problem started before the coverage started. They have no proof the problem started before our coverage started. They will let you down and not cover anything. IT'S A SHAM. AVOID HSA Home Warranty.
MADISON, WISCONSIN -- My AC unit didn't work and called HSA to repair and repairman put in 2lbs of freon. A month later had the same problem and the repairman never showed up. So they sent another repairman out to the house. He also put in freon and left, but not before putting duct tape on top of AC unit. Well I have no heat and called a reliable man from the neighborhood and he says the unit needs replacing and would cost $5800 dollars fully installed.
HSA called and said they need to get a second opinion and sent the same person back that said nothing is wrong with the unit it can be repaired for $380. So what I'm saying is don't get HSA warranty, they don't care about their customers and I end up with $380 out of a $5800 unit.


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Compiled by Rob Weisberg / Illustrations by Cecile Cloutier.
You have at your fingertips "Fun World Music Facts", produced by the braintrust of Transpacific Sound Paradise, WFMU's weekly world pop music radio extravaganza currently heard Sundays 8-10 pm (New York City), 90.1fm (upstate New York), and on the web.
For playlists and audio archives of Transpacific Sound Paradise shows and links to other TSP pages, go to http://www.wfmu.org/Playlists/Robw.
E-mail your comments and suggestions to Rob's Mail Page
I hope that beyond enjoying these items for their intrinsic entertainment value, you may also be inspired to look further into the musical cultures behind them. I encourage you to check out some of the print sources I've listed below. Many of these sources as well as related recordings are in the collections of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center (212) 870-1630. [The library's collections have been temporarily relocated to 521 W43 St (research) and 5th Ave at 40th St (circulating)]. Most bookstores can order the books I've consulted. A few of my favorite independent bookshops in New York are St. Marks Books on 3rd Avenue north of St. Marks Place (212) 260-7853, Coliseum Books at Columbus Circle (212) 757-8381, and See Hear Music Magazines and Books at 59 E7 St (212) 505-9781. You may also wish to refer to the reading list and shop listings in the Wasted Vinyl Shopping Guide, a document which can also be found here at the WFMU website.
Indian brass bands, often hired to entertain at weddings and festivals, generally please the crowds by playing renditions of popular film songs along with the occassional folk song. But there's one decidedly un-Indian song that's absolutely mandatory in any Indian band's repertoire: "Tequila." (From Booth, Gregory: "Brass Bands" in the journal Ethnomusicology, vol.34#2 spring/summer 1990. See also the CD "Disco Bhangra", Discunion label, Japan.)
Kenyan musicians are sometimes forced to play gigs while locked inside metal cages! Why? Nairobi nightclub musicians often don't have enough money to buy their instruments - the equipment is instead provided by clubowners. Some owners literally imprison the musicians on stage to make sure they don't steal or damage the equipment. (From Malm, Krister and Wallis, Roger: Big Sounds from Small Peoples, Constable, London, 1984.)
In the 30s and 40s, the highest compliment a black South African jazz player could receive was a favorable comparison with one of his American peers. Some folks really took these comparisons to heart - Sullivan Mphahlele's keyboard style was so reminiscent of Fats Waller's that not only was he often called "Fats Waller", but he also died on the same day as Fats! (From Ballantine, Christopher Marabi Nights, Ravan, Johannesburg, 1993.)
When rural Pakistani folksinger Zarsanga sings in public, fans routinely mark the choruses of her most popular Peshto-language songs with mass shotgun-firing. (From Sweeney, Phillip: The Virgin Directory of World Music, Henry Holt, 1991.)
In India, a recent film song became so popular that the police declared it a public nuisance! The song "Tirchi Topiwale" from the film "Tridev" starts off with the cry "Oye, oye!" People soon began to mimic the cry - it was heard constantly, on streetcorners, in schools, in taxicabs, everywhere. The authorities became so exasperated that the police were supposedly ordered to start fining people 50 rupees (around $3.00) per shout! (From World Music: The Rough Guide, Rough Guides/Penguin, London, 1994; also see Manuel, Peter: Cassette Culture: Popular Music and Technology in North India, University of Chicago 1993.)
At weddings in parts of North India, groups of women sings obscenity-laden "abuse" songs directed at the family of the groom! (From Manuel, Cassette Culture.)
Rock and roll bands in the People's Republic of China receive a special gift from the authorities if their behavior is found to be especially satisfactory: a banner emblazoned with the words "Good Ethics Band". Bands that play "yellow music" - music with sexual overtones - need not apply. (From Riggs, Peter "Country Report: China" in the journal Popular Music vol. 16 #4 Winter 1992.)
Orthodox Jewish musician Michael Joseph Gusikov became so popular in Europe in the 1830's that his traditional hairstyle spurred a trend. "His peyes - the ritual sidecurls of Orthodox Jewish men - generated a women's fashion fad in Paris called coiffure a la Gusikov." (From Sapoznik, Henry: Klezmer!, Schirmer, 1999.)
Legend has it that the scarf customarily held by the legendary Arabic singer Uum Kalthoum during her performances was coated with opium! (From World Music: The Rough Guide.)
For years Bulgarian traditional instruments were made by the musicians and tuned to their tastes with no common rules for tuning. This was okay, because the instruments were usually played individually. But during the 1935 Christmas season a group of solo instrumentalists who were playing with choral groups in Plovidiv were asked by a member of Plovidiv's Western-style orchestra why they didn't play together. The answer: They hadn't thought of it. They were aware of ensemble performance - there were brass bands and cafe orchestras in their home town of Bistrica. But it wasn't really in their vocabulary to conceive of an ensemble of traditional music somebody from outside the tradition had to suggest it. So they went back and built new instruments that worked in tune together, and thus formed Bistrica Foursome, the first Bulgarian folk orchestra - or so the story goes. Bistrica did a little dancing too, and once hit the floorboards so hard on a finale that all four members fell through the stage, leaving just their heads visible to the audience's delight. - from The Origin of the Folk Orchestra in Bulgaria by Tim Rice in Traditions, published by the Balkan Arts Center, Spring 1974.
A popular style of merengue originating from rural parts of the Dominican Republic is known as "perico ripiao". While it also is suggestive of a hard-living sort of lifestyle, the name literally translates as "ripped parrot." (From The Virgin Directory of World Music.)
Lubay (probably spelled incorrectly, I apologize), the supernostalgic cossack-loving leaders among Russia's neoczarist mobster-sponsored "mob rock" bands, sings a song calling for Russia to re-annex Alaska! (From a National Public Radio report by Brooke Gladstone, January 31, 1994.)
In 1930s Minnesota and other midwestern states there was a huge craze for Scandinavian country and western music, with bands like "Skarning and his Norwegian Hillbillies" led by Thorstein I. Skarning, "the hillbilly Hurok of mid-continent" performing such alltime favorites as "I Been a Swede from Nort' Dakota". (From Greene, Victor: A Passion for Polka: Old-Time Ethnic Music in America, University of California, 1992.)
Perhaps the most popular and oft-requested song in the repertoire of Mali's most distinguished singer, Salif Keita, is "Mandjou", a song that lavishes praise upon disgraced former Malian dictator and mass murderer Sekou Traore. While most other singers quickly excised praise songs for Traore and his associates from their repertoire after he was deposed, Keita stubbornly refused to alter his set. Countless Amnesty International supporters and other well-meaning lefties (myself included) have boogied down to this Malian rock classic at world music festivals worldwide, blissfully ignorant of its lyrical content. Perhaps because Keita is so beloved, Malians too seem to have no problem with the song, even if friends or family suffered at the hands of the despot. (From Eyre, Banning, In Griot Time, Temple University Press, 2000.)
Mexican-born rock star Carlos Santana recently announced that he had spoken to the country's most revered religious figure -- the Virgin of Guadalupe -- while praying. Santana, who rose to fame with hits like 'Black Magic Woman' and recently headed the U.S. album charts with his band's album 'Supernatural,' also declared that marijuana was not a drug. (Source: Reuters news service)
The Czech communist government at its doctrinaire peak was so zealous in its censorship that it once censured bubblegum singer Karel Gott for using this lyric: "I may as well flip a coin when I ask if you're sincere when you say you love me." Why? Because they said it was an insult to the value of the Czech currency! (From Ramet, editor: Rocking the State, Westview Press.)
When the new favorite dance of Parisian High Culture, the polka, was introduced in the US in 1844, it gave rise to numerous jokes about US Presidential candidate J.K. Polk. And polka soon became so big in Britain that a pudding was named after it. (From the New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, volume 15, Macmillan 1980.)
During World War II, anti-German sentiment was so rampant that Pat Wilfahrt of "Whoopie John" Wilfahrt's Germanic polka band was accused of revealing military secrets to Nazi agents by playing morse code messages on his drumkit. (From A Passion for Polka.)
After Desperados Steelband leader Rudolph Charles died, his body was paraded through the Streets of Trinidad< /A> in a coffin made from two giant steeldrums! (From Malm, Krister and Wallis, Roger Media Policy and Music Activity, Routledge, New York 1992.)
One method of insuring good jobs for families of Communist officials in pre-glasnost Soviet Union was through a deal that was worked out with certain officially-sanctioned rock bands: In exchange for being provided with state-of-the-art equipment, the bands were required to "hire" a few of these generally non-musical Party family-members to "play" with the bands. But when the bands played live gigs, the instruments sported by these "mandatory members" were not plugged in. (From Rocking the State.)
When "disco fever" hit mainland China, Beijing-ites boogied down to disco versions of Mao's 8 Revolutionary Operas! The Russian answer to post-Maoist disco is today's "Sov-retro" movement - bands doing satirical versions of old Soviet government decrees and poems by Marx. And Latvian rock band Cement specializes in self-consciously corny new-wave and heavy metal versions of the 50s Soviet government's propagandistic "social realist" songs. (From Manuel, Peter: Popular Musics of the Non-Western World, Oxford, New York 1988 and Ramet, Rocking the State.)
The Columbia Greek Orchestra, a band that recorded popular Greek tunes in the 1920s, was actually a Jewish klezmer group playing under assumed names! Such crosscultural impersonation was not uncommon during the first world music boom - for example, Brooklyn-born polka clarinetist and bandleader Bernie Witkowski, creator of the conga polka, became "Bernardo Blanco" whenever he took his music "south of the border". And seminal Tex-Mex accordionist Narciso Martinez had many of his polkas listed in Victor records' Polish Catalogue with the band credited as "Polish Kwartet" (From the liner notes to Folklyric LP 9034, "Klezmer Music: Early Yiddish Instrumental Music", and A Passion for Polka.)
Slovenian-American polka king Frankie Yankovic's musical mentor was his dentist, part-time polka composer and bandleader William Lausche. (From A Passion for Polka.)
Indian snakecharmers no longer use old-fashioned traditional tunes to charm their snakes - instead, they play popular melodies from current Indian films! (From Charlton, Hannah and Marre, Jeremy Beats of the Heart, Pluto, London 1985, and Marre's documentary film about Indian music, "There'll Always be Stars in the Sky." For more on the widespread appropriation of film songs in Indian folk music, see the article "Recycling Indian Film-Songs: Popular music as a source of melodies for North Indian folk musicians" by Scott Marcus in the journal Asian Music volume 24 #1 Fall/Winter 1992-3, and also Manuel's Cassette Culture.)
Until the last century, Gambian praise-singers ("griots") were employed by the royal court to sing praise songs about the king. A lyric from the praise-song repertoire honoring Mussa Mollo, the last great Gambian king, refers to Mollo as "The Great Bar of Soap". That's because he's said to have been as valuable to the people as a bar of soap is to a person washing clothes. (From "Manding/Fula Relations" by Roderic Knight in the Journal African Music volume 6 #2, 1982.)
In classical Vietnamese music-theatre (Tuong), there is a 100-act play ("Von Buu Trinh Tuong") in which all of the characters are personified medications! The stronger the medication, the stronger the character, and vice-versa. Another fun fact about Tuong: At performances, a drum was placed in front of the stage, which audience members played in order to criticize the performers. The number of beats played and the pitch of the drumbeats indicated whether the audience felt the play was good or bad, or if perhaps they wished to discuss the performance with the manager. One beat on the drum, for instance, told the performers to wind up whatever they were singing and get on to the next part! (From Pham Duy, Musics of Vietnam, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1975.)
The Ainu people, originally from islands north of Japan, traditionally entertained themselves by singing into each other's mouths! (From Malm, Willian, Japanese Music and Musical Instruments, Tuttle, Vermont 1990 edition.)
It is not uncommon for vocalists singing duets on Algerian rai albums to record their separate parts as much as five years apart! (I seem to have lost track of my precise source for this one, but for further reading on rai try the Philip Sweeney's chapter on Rai in Francis Hanly and Tim May [editors], Rhythms of the World, BBC Books, London 1990, or World Music: The Rough Guide.)
Congolese musician Fidele Babindamana, like many of his peers, played under a stage nickname, in his case "Fidele Zizi." This was all well and good until one day in the 80s he introduced himself by this nickname to a receptionist at the French music performing rights society (SACEM) office. At which point the entire secretarial staff burst out in laughter. Turns out his nickname in French means literally "faithful wee-wee." Apparently it doesn't have quite the same meaning in Kinshasa! From Gary Stewart, Rumba on the River, Verso, London and New York, 2000.
Sixties Czech rock band the Primitives was known for its in-concert audience participation "celebrations" of the four elements. Especially attention-getting was their celebration of water, known as fishfest, in which they hurled buckets of water into the audience and then threw live fish over them (From Rocking the State.)
Transpacific Sound Paradise Playlists and Archives: http://www.wfmu.org/Playlists/Robw
WFMU Main Page: http://www.wfmu.org
Send e-mail to Rob Weisberg at Rob's Mail Page.

subset: commoncrawl


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The manufacturer well known for its acquisitions of other manufacturers now wants to be known for its new technology. To prove it, AGCO recently rolled out enough new high-tech equipment to justify renting a hall in the St. Paul, MN, convention center to show it off to the media.
AGCO's Senior Vice President Garry Ball spoke about the company's growth strategy that switched from acquisitions to technology development in 2004. The switch occurred after AGCO purchased Valtra, a Finland tractor manufacturer. Ball says Valtra was the last major company AGCO could buy and still receive antitrust clearance from the U.S. Justice Department.
During its acquisitions phase, AGCO spent its financial resources on the consolidation of products, Ball says. Now the company is focused on technology. This year, AGCO will spend $240 million on product development compared to $100 million in 2004.
"Before 2004, it was rare for AGCO to file for a patent," Ball says. "Now we have over 100 applications filed a year and that number is growing by 25% each year."
Some of the best AGCO technology now available, according to Ball, includes the continuously variable transmission (CVT) from Fendt, the e3 engine technology for Interim Tier 4, and the new Gleaner combine technology.
Here are some of the new products and technologies introduced by AGCO at its recent launch in St. Paul.
Gleaner S7 series combines
AGCO engineers have redesigned parts of the Gleaner combine the past three years. The finale arrives now as the S7 series transverse rotor combine. This new series boasts a high grain throughput and the ability to handle tough stalks and heavy plant materials.
"We've 'super sized' the harvest capacity, capability and efficiency of our R6 series machines to deliver all the performance without all the physical size, weight and complexity," reports Kevin Bien, combine product marketing manager. "The result is the Gleaner S7 series at just 31,000 lbs., the lightest Class 6 and 7 rotary combines on the market."
The new series also features a Sisu Power 8.4 CWA-4V liquid-cooled, turbocharged engine that is Interim Tier 4 compliant. AGCO calls its Tier 4 engine technology with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) "e3." The new Gleaner combines require a separate tank for a urea (diesel exhaust fluid) solution to treat the emissions. The engine is mounted in the rear for better weight distribution, less noise and easy service access.
Bien says the 330-bu. grain bin on the S77 model is the largest standard bin in the industry. Owners may upgrade to a 390-bu. bin.
The new Gleaner features a 30-in. transverse rotor that is positioned transversely instead of axially. As a result, crop material flows naturally through the combine for improved performance and productivity. It also features a two-stage cleaning process.
AGCO designed the combine with the least number of belts, chains, augers and gear drives possible to reduce potential for parts to wear or break.
The Fieldstar II yield-monitoring system is standard in the new Gleaner models. Owners may add other satellite-assisted steering systems in their new Gleaners.
Suggested list prices of the Gleaner S7 series range from $319,000 to $365,165. For more information, visit www.
agcoiron.com or www.freeproductinfo.net/fin, or circle 102.
High-clearance RoGators
Five new high-clearance RoGators from AGCO Application Equipment are available for 2011. The new models range in size from 250 hp with a 900-gal. tank to 311 hp with a 1,300-gal. tank.
The main feature of the new RoGators is an all-new drive system with two-piece construction. The system includes a hydraulic motor and a separate gear reduction hub. As a result, AGCO says, the sprayers can deliver more power efficiently and with less wear on hydrostatic components.
Another benefit of the new drive system is that the sprayers can run at lower engine speeds in transport, resulting in lower fuel consumption and a quieter ride. The five new models all have seven speed ranges. Top road speed is 33 and 36 mph. Four boom options are available, from 80 to 120 ft. wide with tip and full boom breakaway.
Base price of a 994 sprayer (900 gal.) starts at $220,000. For more information, visit www.applylikeapro.com or www.freeproductinfo.net/fin, or circle 103.
Five-section disc harrow
The AGCO seed and tillage division introduces a new Sunflower 1550 series five-section disc harrow. According to AGCO's Rick Dugan, this disk is the widest and heaviest in the industry. It is designed for the professional producer who needs to cover a lot of acres, especially acres of tough cornstalks.
The 50-ft.-wide disk weighs 33,300 lbs., which translates to 230 lbs./24-in. blade cutting through the soil. The heavy implement is equipped with walking triple tandems to handle the extra weight.
The new Sunflower disc harrow also features duplex wing hinges that provide two pivot points on the wings. This feature helps the disc gangs work together while allowing some flex to account for contours in the field.
The disk folds down to 18 ft. 2 in. wide and 13 ft. 11 in. in height. Suggested retail price is $110,000. For more information, visit www.sunflowermfg.com or www.freeproductinfo.net/fin, or circle 104.
Vehicle-tracking system
AGCO also introduces AgCommand, the latest vehicle-tracking system for agricultural tractors. AgCommand helps a farm operator monitor machine locations, operation and efficiency in real time (see "Telematics 2.0," page 32). To learn more, visit http://www.agcocorp.com/technology.


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Item Description
Letter, John Halderman to Messrs [Josiah] Miller and [Robert G.] Elliot
Author: Halderman, John Adams
Date: April 6, 1855
John Halderman, Governor Reeder's private secretary, wrote from Shawnee Mission to Josiah Miller, editor of the Kansas Free State newspaper, and to his business partner, Robert G Elliott, requesting that they print Reeder's proclamations from the recent convention of the territorial legislature.
Location of Original: KU Call Number: RH MS 4:I.1
Item Number: 101637 Number of images: 1
Keywords: Elections; Elliott, Robert G.; Halderman, John Adams; Herald of Freedom; Kansas Territory. Legislature; Miller, Josiah; Newspapers; Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864; Shawnee Mission
pg. 1


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Fenwick pleased with spring-ending event.
On a rain-soaked field, playing in cool, misting conditions, new S&T football head coach Tyler Fenwick wasn't sure what to expect when his Miners took to Allgood-Bailey Stadium Saturday afternoon for the annual S&T Spring Game.
But the new coach was pleasantly surprised that the event more resembled a legitimate game than the controlled scrimmage it was.
"I thought the structure of it was good," said Fenwick, who was hired to replace David Brown as Miner head coach in March. "It was good in getting plays and substitutes in and out. There were no signal mess-ups or delay of game penalties.
"Obviously things have got to get better; we'll watch film and find the mistakes. But overall it was good."
It was a situational scrimmage much of the time and no scoring was kept. Instead it was basically the Miner young offense taking on the more experienced S&T defensive unit in what Fenwick called a "glorified practice."
As expected, the S&T defense had plenty of highlights, including allowing just one net rushing yard on 35 attempts and making four interceptions, the most impressive coming from 6-4, 240-pound junior lineman Dan Mauszycki, who picked off a shovel pass and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.
Although there were quick whistles when QBs were about to take big hits, the defense was credited for six sacks for 43 yards.
However the Miner offense certainly had its moments as well despite the fact that the four quarterbacks (three freshmen, one sophomore) who alternated in on Saturday had never taken a snap in a game for S&T.
Freshman signal-caller Peter Simpson passed for 101 yards Saturday, freshman Logan Fitch 90 yards, freshman Jake Fortin 74 yards and sophomore transfer (from Missouri Valley College) Kyle Livengood 52 yards.
Junior wideout Nick Taylor had a big game, with six receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman receiver Jaren Underwood had six catches for 82 yards and a TD.
S&T had little success rushing, as freshman back Tyler Dawidowski led the way with just 23 yards on six attempts.
"We don't have a lot of depth at certain positions," Fenwick said. "But a couple of our receivers made nice catches. And I was really pleased with the defense; they play fast and with a high motor."
The scrimmage ended the S&T spring football drills. The squad takes the field again in August for the start of the 2013 preseason practice.
The Miners, 10-1 in 2012, are scheduled to open the 2013 campaign by hosting Chadron State College at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 5.
Here are statistics provided by the S&T Sports Information Department:
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Tyler Dawidowski 6 for 23, Zenel Hudson 7 for 12, Scott Hendricks 3 for 12, Anthony Moore 4 for 0, David Hughes 4 for 4, Logan Fitch 1 for minus 2, Peter Simpson 1 for minus 7, Jake Fortin 4 for minus 17, Kyle Livengood 5 for minus 24.
Passing: Peter Simpson 5-9-0-101, Logan Fitch 12-18-2-90, Jake Fortin 7-11-2-74, Kyle Livengood 6-7-0-52.
Receiving: Nick Taylor 6-135 (2 TD), Jaren Underwood 6-82 (1 TD), Marc-Alan Tucker 5-27, Justin Lineback 2-19, Tyler Dawidowski 2-14, Ben Matthews 2-7, Anthony Moore 2-0, Zenel Hudson 1-19, Cody Burgess 1-8, Dustin Schindler 1-4, Chris Kennard 1-2.
Interceptions: Dan Mauszycki 1-68, Chris Horn 1-6, Khalan King 1-0, Dawan Ferguson 1-0.
Team Statistics:
Rushes-Net Yards: 35-1
Passing: 30-45-4-317
Plays-Total Yards: 80-318
First Downs: 19 (5 rushing, 12 passing, 2 penalty)
Fumbles-Lost: 5-3
Penalties: Offense 1-5, Defense 2-26
Quarterback Sacks: 6-43


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Crowned by the iconic Hollywood sign, glittering views and classic glamour make the Hollywood Hills a desirable place to live. The views from the Hollywood Hills are almost as famous as the celebrity residents.
Real Estate: Hollywood Hills real estate includes many luxury homes up twisting roadways. Neighborhoods include Beachwood Canyon, CahuengaPass, Hollywood Heights, Franklin Village, and Hollywoodland. The Hollywood Hills has seen development since the 1920s so architectural styles vary with anything from castle-like Normandy-style and Tudor homes to Mediterraneans and angular moderns with glass walls for taking in the cityscape. The area also features multifamily homes as well as apartment buildings and larger structures with condos for sale.
Community Life: People often move to the Hollywood Hills to be abit removed from the hustle and bustle of city life. Plenty of green space means that hiking or horseback riding are popular activities. The Franklin Village area offers retail shops and restaurants in a compact area. In the summer Yamashiro Restaurant, famed for its hillside location, runs a farmers market that provides a chance to shop with a view.
Education: Hollywood Hills is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Public schools inside Hollywood Hills include Wonderland Avenue School and Valley View Elementary School. Local private schools include The Oaks and Immaculate Heart High School and Middle School.
Transportation: The 101 freeway passes through Hollywood Hills. There are several bus routes through the area including the DASH Beachwood Canyon route however most people do have cars.
Local Attractions: The Hollywood Sign is a major local attraction as is the Hollywood Bowl, which is famous for its summer evening concerts. Sunset Ranch offers equestrian tours through the hills. Yamashiro Restaurant and the Magic Castle offer a touch of iconic Hollywood glamour, both institutions have been around for decades.
7,000 Sq Ft
6 beds, 7 baths
12,800 Sq Ft
7 beds, 12 baths
9,204 Sq Ft
12,530 Sq Ft
5 beds, 10 baths
8,707 Sq Ft
4 beds, 6 baths
9,997 Sq Ft
5 beds, 10 baths


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02 Nov, 2010
ONSTAR MyLink Mobile App for 2010 Camaro Coming!
Posted by: admin In: Main ()
Great news for all 2010 Camaro owners! ONSTAR has now indicated that the OnStar MyLink mobile app will be made available on most 2010 GM vehicles sometime in 2011.
See HERE for the correspondence sent to a forum member confirming this.
Read more on this story at the following LINK


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When in DC, I always visit my friend Warren Brown who owns CakeLove and LoveCafe in DC and who also happens to be a very cool entrepreneur & human being. :) (He also has a sugary show on the Food Network called Sugar Rush).
Our first stop included a visit to his lovely Love Cafe where you can see Lea, one of my great summer interns, and me lazing around with Warren. It has a cool laidback atmosphere and is a perfect spot for meeting friends.
This time around Warren was also having a house warming party and had some amazing treats there -- I LOVE chocolate covered strawberries, so you can imagine my excitement when he pulled out the strawberries with special toppings -- everything from Cookies and Cream to Pina Colada.
Warren, are you sure you don't want to sell these in your stores? :) I had a sugar rush!


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Lafayette's Josue Diaz and Buchholz's John Schratt helped their teams make playoff runs this season.
Named Buchholz's most valuable player as a senior, Schratt sacrificed overall statistics for wins this year with the Bobcats. After scoring 13 goals as a junior, Schratt saw his chances at the net depreciate in his final season to four goals and five assists when he took on a facilitator's role within Buchholz's midfield. The moved paid off almost immediately for his teammates, as the 18-2-4 Bobcats jumped out to a 13-game unbeaten streak to open the year and finished as the first state semifinalists in school history. Buchholz rose as high as the No. 2 national ranking by MaxPreps before being knocked out of the Class 5A state playoffs by Winter Garden West Orange. Following the season, Schratt, along with teammate Eric West and BHS coach Andy Aulick, were selected to participate in the All-Star Boys Soccer Classic at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Schratt, a Sun All-Area first team selection last year, and 13 other Bobcats seniors end their careers after leading Buchholz to the playoffs for three straight years and becoming the school's first district champions since 2001.
"Honestly, these are all my best friends," Schratt said. "We've been playing together since seventh grade, and we've all played on the same team since I don't know how long. ... We all knew how to play with each other."
Personal notes
After graduating high school, Schratt plans to attend the University of Central Florida and major in either film studies or take a pre-med route. Though he has received attention from other college soccer coaches from around the state, Schratt said he would like to attempt to walk on to the Knights next season.
"I know my junior year I had a lot more goals; I played the same position and had a lot more assists. But this year we were just lacking that guy who could get us the ball back and distribute instead of trying to go for glory. … Somebody had to do the job, and I'm actually happy I got to do it." — John Schratt
Diaz finished the season as the area's leading scorer by pouring in 41 goals for the 16-6 Hornets. A speedy midfielder, Diaz also dished 19 assists to help Lafayette reach the regional finals for the second straight season. Diaz has already won four playoff games in just two seasons with the Hornets. Before the 5-foot-7 sophomore's arrival on the varsity squad last year, Lafayette was 0-3 in prior postseason appearances. Perhaps Diaz's most impressive performance this season came in the Hornets' 5-2 win over Tallahassee Maclay in the District 2-1A championship, when he scored two goals and an assist to lead Lafayette back from a 2-0 deficit. A Sun All-Area second team selection last season with 19 goals, Diaz more than doubled his goal total this year before losing at Orangewood Christian in the Class 1A regional finals.
"It's been going little by little," Diaz said. "People have started noticing (Lafayette), especially now, making it far in soccer. Nobody actually thought we could actually make it, but here we are."
Personal notes
While Diaz enjoyed a prolific season kicking the soccer ball, he also excelled as a punter for the Hornets' football team. Diaz was named to the Sun's All-Area first team and to The Associated Press' All-State second team after averaging 46.2 yards on 28 punts last season.
"Coach told me to just not give up every time I get down. Just get back up and chase after the ball. He knew I had speed and so he said, 'Just use it against them,' and I did. That's basically what got me to scoring that many goals." — Josue Diaz


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Disclaimer: The content of this post reflects the views of the author, and not necessarily those of MBGA News.
HELP!! We can't do this alone! Britain needs you.
We know you want us to keep up our hard work. Almost 30,000 people have subscribed to our YouTube channel. Some of our videos have been watched by half a million people!
YouTube demonetise almost all our content for being "controversial". We actually make a loss on this. If you want us to keep making these reports, a beer is all it takes. Yes, just a fiver to MBGA News a month can ensure we challenge the British media which is state-owned/funded and lefty.


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United States Department of Defense
|United States Department of Defense
26 July 1947
Arlington, Virginia
|United States Government
|$664 billion (2010)
|Active-duty military
|Civilian employees
|Civilian Leadership
|Commander in Chief
|President Barack Obama
|Secretary of Defense
|Robert Gates
|Deputy Secretary of Defense
|William J. Lynn III
|Secretary of the Army
|John M. McHugh
|Secretary of the Navy
|Ray Mabus
|Secretary of the Air Force
|Michael B. Donley
|Military Leadership
Joint Chiefs of Staff
|ADM Michael Mullen
|Chief of Staff
|GEN George W. Casey, Jr.
|Chief of Naval Operations
|ADM Gary Roughead
|Chief of Staff
Air Force
|GEN Norton A. Schwartz
|Commandant of the
Marine Corps
|GEN James T. Conway
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is the government department in charge of managing matters involving military operations and national security. It was formerly known as the War Department. The current Secretary of Defense is Robert Gates.
The DoD has developed significant technology that has been re-purposed for civilian use, such as the modern digital computer, the Internet, and the Global Positioning System. Artillery trajectories were calculated by "computers", that is, actual human beings who did the math by hand, until military necessity accelerated development of "electronic brains" such as the ENIAC (see also UNIVAC. The Internet was created and promoted by the Pentagon, largely because of the need to have redundant lines of communication to survive enemy attack on phone and telegraph systems. The GPS satellites originally broadcast encrypted signals to support logistics, but a less precise signal is now also broadcast for hikers, taxi cab drivers and commuters.


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Michigan Arts Gallery/Higher Arts Gallery Exhibition: "Art in the Peaceable Kingdon"
- This event has passed.
We are happy to announce our collaborative spring show as we join forces with Higher Art Gallery to present:
ART IN THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM, Two Galleries, 70+ Artists Interpreting Edward Hicks' Peaceable Kingdom.
OPENING: Friday, May 4th, 5-9PM, Downtown Traverse City Art Walk
Our exhibit will run from May through June. We are very excited to see the 2D and 3D mixed media interpretations of this piece with its timely message. Everyone will be invited to vote during these two months for their favorite piece from the exhibit.


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Published By
Funded By
- Copyright 2004 Chicago Jobs Council. All rights reserved.
Document Type
This web page is marked up with Schema.org microdata. Much of the necessary microdata is embedded within the HTML that creates the display you see above. The data that shows below is formatted for machine-reading and rounds out the complete descriptive set for this resource. Want more info about all of this? Go here. You can also view the complete dataset for this resource the way a machine sees it here .Title: Ready? Set. Grow! A Starter's Guide for Becoming Culturally Competent
Publication date 2004-09-01
Publication Year 2004
Copyright holder(s) Chicago Jobs Council
Keywords CJC , diversity training , diversity , workforce development , job seekers
Document type Text
Language English
URL: http://immigration.issuelab.org/resource/ready-set-grow-a-starter-s-guide-for-becoming-culturally-competent.html
Resource provided by IssueLab


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The team at Eastbank Street based Natterjack Running, are gearing up to host their annual seaside race.
The Natterjack Seaside 10km run is set to return at the end of the month, with people being encouraged to raise sponsor money for a local charity that helps people living with sight loss.
The popular fun-run saw more than 1000 runners take to Princes Park last September, with almost £1,000 raised for Galloways Society for the Blind.
Galloways provides advice, support, specialist equipment, activities and trips to more than 7000 blind and visually impaired people living across Sefton and Lancashire.
Galloways Southport centre offers vital practical and emotional support to those facing the everyday challenges of living with sight loss. In addition to this they also offer a wide range of arts and crafts classes, exercise classes, outdoor pursuits such as climbing, croquet, shooting, driving days and archery, as well as day trips and holidays, both in the UK and abroad.
The organisation could not operate without donations and legacies, and its voluntary workers.
Darrell Soden, owner of Natterjack Running in Southport and race organiser, said: "We're really pushing for more people to sign up for what will be an amazing day, raising money for a fantastic cause."
Entries for the 10k close on the 19th September. On the day we can accept late entrants for the 2k race.
To find out more about the Seaside 10k or to sign up to this event please visit www.natterjackseaside10k.com To run and raise funds for Galloways please check the charity runner box when you register or contact the Galloways Fundraising Team at email@example.com


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Alcon, Inc. (ACL) is one of the world's leading suppliers of eye care products. The global pharmaceutical company organizes its business into three divisions: pharmaceutical, surgical and consumer eye care. The pharmaceutical unit develops glaucoma products (such as Travatan) ocular anti-infectives, combination ocular anti-infective/anti-inflammatory products, ocular allergy products, ocular generics and otic (ear) products. The surgical unit caters to the cataract surgery market with Alcon's Legacy system and AcrySof intraocular lenses. Alcon also began offering laser refractive surgical products after it acquired Summit Autonomous, Inc. in 2000. The consumer eye care unit offers contact lens care products, artificial tears and ocular vitamins. The company is also developing optic and nasal care products. While we continue to believe Alcon's fundamentals remain very strong we've been disappointed by recent pipeline setbacks including Arxxant and Retaane and the delays with Patanese. Although we remain impressed by the performance of the core businesses of Alcon and view the recent Wavelight acquisition as a positive step towards accelerating revenue and earnings growth, we don't believe there's currently enough firepower at Alcon to support the stock's steep valuation.
Alcon's pharmaceutical division continues to put up solid sales numbers with glaucoma and allergy products turning in another quarter of double-digit sales growth and infection/inflammation sales up 8% in the third quarter. Continued global growth of Vigamox (an anti-infective solution to treat ocular infection) and Nevanac, an ophthalmic solution for pain and inflammation associated with cataract surgery, help drive infection/inflammation sales. Another ACL offering, Patanol, is a twice-daily ocular allergy product with a dual-action active ingredient that works as both an antihistamine and a mast-cell stabilizer. Patanol has the potential to gain additional sales from its introduction in Germany and France. Sales should also benefit from the launch of Pataday, a once-daily formulation of Patanol, which hit the U.S. market in January 2007 and is already grabbing sizable share. The pharmaceutical division's allergy sales benefited significantly in the third quarter from strong international sales of Patanol and domestic market share gains from Pataday.
Glaucoma products are also posting strong growth year-over-year and turned in a very strong third quarter with sales up 19%. Travatan Z, launched in October 2006 is a BAC (benzalkonium chloride) free version of Travatan. It helped drive the Travatan product group sales up 31% through the third quarter and contributed to the overall glaucoma related products sales increase of 19% year-over-year to $209 million, beating our forecast by $9 million. Otic product sales disappointed in the third quarter which was attributed to U.S. macro otic sales falling 9.4% during the summer months coupled with increased rebates related to a shift in sales to Medicare Part D.
Despite Alcon's overall otic sales dropping 11% in the quarter year-over-year, Ciprodex which was introduced in 2003, continued to grab market share. Ciprodex is indicated for the treatment of otitis media (infection of the middle ear) in the presence of tympanostomy tubes (AOMT) and otitis externa (infection of the ear canal). The product is higher margin than the older Cipro products. Although we would expect macro sales to rebound, the Medicare Part D rebates will likely continue to bite into revenue. On the third quarter call management hinted that the shift to Medicare Part D reimbursement is expected to continue until it reaches critical mass and that they will look for international growth of pharmaceutical products to mitigate some of this impact. To this end, Alcon launched several new products in Japan which should contribute to international growth. Travatan Z, which was just recently approved for use in Japan and will launch this month, will join Patanol and Vigamox (known as Vegamox in Japan) which were both launched during the second half of 2006. Patanol has been performing very well in the Japanese allergy market, however Vegamox will have an uphill battle gaining market share in Japan due to the already intense competition from other anti-infective products already on the market. Overall Vigamox has performed well internationally and we look forward this trend continuing in other markets, including Germany where it received approval during the second quarter of 2007 and other EU countries where it is seeking approval via the mutual recognition procedure. On the second quarter call, Alcon reported that Vigamox is now the most prescribed fluoroquinolone in the ophthalmology market.
Total pharmaceutical sales were $547 million in the third quarter 2007, up 10.2% year-over-year. For the full-year 2007 we see sales of $2,267 million, up 13%.
Surgical sales increased 10.8% year-over-year to $586 million in the third quarter of 2007. Alcon gained approval for its AcrySof ReSTOR intraocular lens for post-cataract surgery in early 2005 and started shipping the product in May 2005. Approval in Japan came recently. Sales of intraocular lenses increased 12% in the quarter with sales of premium lenses up 35%. Sales benefited from increased international penetration as well as sales of AcrySof ReSTOR Aspheric lenses which launched in July 2007 and began full distribution in the third quarter. AcrySof Toric lenses continued strong single-digit penetration levels. We look for additional growth to come from the aspheric and Toric lenses and hope to see increased U.S. sales of all ReSTOR lenses as more physicians communicate and market the product to their patients. The product should also benefit from a DTC campaign, which should increase patient awareness of the product. Alcon also has a 25-person specialized refractive IOL sales force in place, which is currently targeting large practices and helping them to integrate premium lenses at higher rates. ReSTOR should help improve operating margins at Alcon. The product will be both high growth and high gross margin. Moreover, the approval of dual aspect reimbursement for astigmatism-correcting intraocular lenses by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should work out in Alcon's favor. The CMS recently confirmed that Alcon's AcrySof Toric IOL conforms to this ruling. This should increase the product's availability to Medicare patients. Management noted on the third quarter call that they have seen a penetration rate of about 7%-8% with both the ReStor and Toric lenses and expect this rate to continue. They feel as more physicians see the benefit of the lenses that uptake will continue ton progress.
Meanwhile, Alcon is working on strengthening its refractive surgery franchise and in the third quarter acquired WaveLight AG, a manufacturer of innovative refractive laser and diagnostic systems. Alcon received all required regulatory approvals earlier in the year and in early November announced it was commencing with closing the transaction. WaveLight's key product is the Allegretto laser system for refractive eye surgery, which has a global installed base of 800 units and offers the fastest ablation speed. We believe this acquisition will allow Alcon to regain momentum in the refractive laser market. In our opinion, this acquisition is a step in the right direction for Alcon - the combination of WaveLight's technology with Alcon's global commercial infrastructure should help drive growth in the refractive surgery market.
Consumer eye care sales increased 13.5% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2007 to $202.5 million. The consumer eye care segment continued to benefit from the recall of two competitive contact lens disinfectants during 2006 and 2007. Contact lens disinfectant sales increased 17% with both Opti-Free RepleniSH and Opti-Free Express disinfecting solutions benefiting from the withdrawal of Bausch & Lomb's product. Another company, Advanced Medical Optics, recently withdrew its multi-purpose contact lens solution from the market as the product was linked to an infection. We believe that Alcon will continue to benefit from this withdrawal and have increased our estimates accordingly. Meanwhile, artificial tears products grew 12% year-over-year, on the continuing success of Systane lubricant eye drops, especially in international markets. We would expect to see continued international sales growth in the Consumer Eye segment.
The company moved much of its research and development (R&D) funding back into the U.S. upon favorable new tax laws created by the IRS hoping to increase U.S.-based innovation. The net influence of this move is roughly a 350 basis-point reduction in the overall tax rate. Alcon's tax rate in 2004 was nearly 28%. That number declined to 21.6% in 2005, and could be as low as 18% by 2008. This is another strong driver of the bottom-line at Alcon.
Meanwhile, Alcon is also working on building its pipeline and entered into an agreement with Amgen (AMGN) for the joint research, development, and commercialization of new products in the field of ophthalmology. The companies aim to develop novel treatments for diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular edema, glaucoma, allergy, and dry eye. Amgen will provide Alcon with existing and future molecules which may have potential utility in eye disease. We view this alliance as a positive development for the company. Alcon signed another collaborative agreement, this time with NovaCal Pharmaceuticals, for the development of novel anti-infective agents for the treatment of eye, ear, and sinus infections.
Besides this, Alcon entered into an agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) for the co-promotion of LLY's Arxxant (ruboxistaurin) in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. LLY is seeking approval for the treatment of moderate to severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. While Alcon will be responsible for promoting the drug to eye specialists, including retinal specialists and general ophthalmologists, Lilly will promote the drug to endocrinologists and primary care physicians. Once the product receives final approval, Alcon will make milestone and marketing payments to LLY. In return, Alcon will be compensated on the basis of product sales. This agreement makes good strategic sense as it will allow Alcon to expand its product portfolio to include new pharmaceutical treatments for retinal diseases. It should also help the company bolster its leadership position in ophthalmology. However, we do not see any contribution from this product in the near future given the "approvable" letter issued by the FDA in August 2006. The FDA has requested Lilly to submit additional data to support the clinical evidence provided in the NDA. The FDA is looking for additional efficacy data. Lilly currently has two phase III trials ongoing one in Japan (expected to end in 2007) and another in the E.U. (expected to end in 2008). Nevertheless, the FDA has requested the company to conduct an additional, three-year phase III trial in the U.S., in which case the NDA filing could get delayed by five years. Lilly is currently evaluating its options for this product.
Alcon has had its share of pipeline setbacks over the past few years. In late May 2005, the company received an "approvable" letter from the FDA for Retaane (anecortave acetate). This was expected. Retaane, the company's candidate for the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD, a loss of central vision) failed to meet the pre-determined primary end-point of non-inferiority to Visudyne (QLT, Inc./Novartis) in a phase III clinical trial. The data demonstrated that Retaane maintained the ability to help 45% of patients see clearly after six months. This was just shy of the 49% posted by Visudyne. In addition to Visudyne, there are several other products dominating the wet AMD market. We believe that Lucentis (Genentech) will be the superior product on the market for AMD, and should take sizable market share from Visudyne. Lucentis is better positioned to capture market share than Retaane. Alcon presented encouraging 24-month safety data on Retaane in October 2005. The company met with the FDA in December 2005 to discuss the filing strategy on Retaane. The FDA advised the company to conduct at least one additional efficacy study in order to gain final approval. In March 2007, Alcon submitted an amended filing to the FDA with clinical data from recently completed clinical studies in Europe and Latin America.
In September 2007 Alcon announced that it had received an approvable letter from the FDA for Retaane 15mg for the treatment of wet AMD and that approval will require an additional study, which the company stated it has no immediate plans to conduct. Although Alcon continues to believe that Retaane could play a role in the treatment of wet AMD, the company cited the difficulty in recruiting patients for such a study due to other treatments currently available as their reason for not immediately pursuing the required study. As a sign of faith in the drug, however, Alcon continues to support the Anecortave Acetate Risk-Reduction Trial that is studying the ability of Retaane suspension to reduce the risk for the progression of the dry form to the wet form of AMD. This trial is fully enrolled and is expected to be completed within 3 years. Retaane suspension remains commercially available in several countries outside of the U.S.
The company also provided an update on the development of anecortave acetate for glaucoma. In July 2007, Alcon presented three-month interim results from a phase II study (n=85) showing that anecortave acetate demonstrated potential for prolonged reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in a significant percentage of patients after a single administration of the drug. The most frequently reported adverse events included eye pain, foreign body sensation and blurred vision. Findings from this study will be used to determine the protocol for a phase III study, which the company mentioned during the third quarter call is in the works. In the meantime, two additional phase II studies are ongoing. The company plans to file an NDA for this candidate in late 2008 / early 2009. However, we see only limited potential for this product given Macugen, Lucentis and even off-label use with oncology drug Avastin. Meanwhile, Alcon withdrew its marketing application for Retaane from Europe where the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has also requested the company to submit additional data.
In October 2005, the company was advised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it would have to reformulate Patanase nasal spray to gain approval of the product. In January 2006, the company met with the FDA to review plans for testing the new formula. A second meeting with the FDA was conducted to determine the clinical trials required for gaining approval. Alcon announced that it had developed a new formulation for the product and on October 10, 2007 submitted an amended application to its new drug application for Patanase to the FDA, per their request, which included interim six-month data from a previously agreed upon trial. Although it's unfortunate that approval of Patanese has been delayed for so long, it's encouraging to hear that the process is moving in the right direction and we are looking for approval in early 2008.
Going forward, generic competition, rising operating expenses, a weak refractive surgery business and sluggish otic sales are expected to depress earnings growth. International growth of Alcon's pharmaceutical and consumer eye products are picking up but maybe not fast enough to counter the lost sales from patent expirations on four of the company's products over the next three years. The earliest patent expiration is for Ciloxan. The patents for Ciloxan have expired in virtually all of the countries where it is marketed (the U.S. patent expired in June 2004). Alcon is trying to complete the process of converting its clients to the recently launched Vigamox before a generic drug is introduced. Meanwhile, Alcon received a notice from Apotex, Inc. which is seeking FDA approval for its generic version of Patanol and more recently received notice that Barr Laboratories is challenging the patent as well. Barr is not only challenging the patent owned by Alcon which expires in 2015 but is also challenging the patent that covers olopatadine (expiring in 2010), the active ingredient in Patanol, owned by Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Alcon's supplier. Alcon announced that it is confident about its patent position for Patanol and intends to defend the same vigorously. Alcon has subsequently filed a patent infringement suit against Barr. Another product, TobraDex, is scheduled to lose patent protection in the U.S. in December 2008. The company is currently working on bringing a follow-on product to the market before the entry of generics. The NDA for TobraDex ST ophthalmic suspension was filed in June. A response from the FDA should be out in mid-2008. As a result of the upcoming patent expirations, Alcon expects generic competition to increase, which would hurt its future results.


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Advocates focus lobbying efforts on strengthening cruelty penalties, puppy mill legislation
WHAT: Citizens participating in New York Voices for Animals Day will meet with lawmakers to advocate for several bills to improve the welfare of animals in the state. Participants will lobby on behalf of bills to combat puppy mills, strengthen cruelty penalties, stop breed-specific insurance policy discrimination, and promote dog control officer training programs.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will also present the 2013 Humane Leadership Awards to recognize legislators for their work on behalf of animals.
New York Voices for Animals Day is sponsored by the ASPCA, the New York State Animal Protection Federation, and the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
WHEN:10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, May 6
WHERE: Legislative Office Building (in the Well), 198 State St., Albany
About the ASPCA
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA is the first animal welfare organization in North America, and serves as the nation's leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the U.S. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. For more information, visitwww.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook,Twitter, and Pinterest.
About New York State Animal Protection Federation
The New York State Animal Protection Federation represents the varied interests of member organizations and advances the well-being of all animals. The federation serves as an educational resource and, through a united voice, promotes favorable legislative initiatives.


text:
Moves to No. 1 Spot
Demise of Cape Teams
season long, the defending champion Harwich Mariners dominated the
Cape Cod League's Eastern Division. Meanwhile, a prolific
second-half surge propelled the Cotuit Kettleers, the Cape's 2011
champs, to the league's best overall record and a runaway title in
the Western Division.
both the Mariners and Kettleers, who have occupied the No. 1 spot in
Perfect Game's weekly ranking of the nation's top 30
summer-league teams for all but one week this summer, unexpectedly
bit the dust in the opening round of the Cape League playoffs.
Harwich was bounced in two straight by Orleans, while Cotuit fell in
three games to Bourne.
demise of the two Cape powers opened the door for a new No. 1 team in
the current rankings and the New England Collegiate League's
Newport Gulls surged into the top spot. The Gulls, the only other
team to rank No. 1 this summer, recaptured the top spot by sweeping
impressively to the NECBL title, their fifth in 12 years.
Gulls (37-11 overall) dominated regular-season play in the NECBL,
winning the Eastern Division in easy fashion, and closed out the
campaign in style by going 6-1 in beating Sanford, New Bedford and
Danbury in the league's eight-team playoffs.
chances of finishing the 2012 season in the top spot are considered
strong as only a handful of the nation's top summer leagues are
still engaged in playoffs. Additionally, both No. 2-ranked Amsterdam,
winners of the Perfect Game Collegiate League championship, and No.
3-ranked Santa Barbara Foresters, winners of their second straight
National Baseball Congress World Series title, have also completed
their seasons.
those teams still legitimately in the chase for No. 1 are the No.
4-ranked La Crosse Loggers, which opens the Northwoods League
playoffs today with the most wins (49) in summer baseball, and the
No. 5-ranked Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, second-place finishers to
Harwich in the Cape Cod League's Eastern Division and winners of a
first-round playoff series against Chatham.
Cotuit (30-14 in the regular season) continued its hot pace in
post-season play and won its second Cape League title in three years,
it might have been difficult for any other summer club to overtake
the Kettleers in the chase for No. 1. But it has been five years
since the last Cape team with the best regular-season record went on
and captured the league playoffs, and the Kettleers became the latest
Cape team to see a potential No. 1 national ranking slip from its
grasp by falling short of expectations in the playoffs.
in Perfect Game's Top 30 are ranked on the following criteria:
won-loss record, league dominance, depth and quality of
professional-level talent and the overall strength of the league. To
receive consideration, teams must have at least a .500 record
final ranking of the top 30 teams will be unveiled next Monday, once
every summer league has completed its 2012 season.


text:
Unified Medical Language System® (UMLS®)
2010AA Minimum Data Set, 2.0 Source Information
The Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan produces the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The MDS included in the Metathesaurus is extracted from LOINC® and may not be a complete representation of the original source.
MDS is a standardized assessment used in the United States to evaluate nursing home residents' functional capability and clinical status with the goal of focusing treatment plans. MDS is required to be completed for residents in certified Medicare and Medicaid facilities.
MDS is a standardized, comprehensive instrument that includes an extensive list of assessments such as demographics, fractures, falls, behavior/depression, cognitive status, medications, incontinence, infections, nutrition, dehydration, and activities of nursing home residents.
Metathesaurus Scope
The Metathesaurus representation of MDS is extracted from LOINC and includes terminology representing the 'questions' aspect of the source.
As of 2010AA, the content of MDS is divided between two new Metathesaurus sources: Minimum Data Set, 2.0 (LNC_MDS20) and Minimum Data Set, 3.0 (LNC_MDS30). The former source LNC_MDS has been deleted from the Metathesaurus.
MDS is used by health care professionals and clinical managers.
Metathesaurus Update Frequency
Minimum Data Set, 2.0 (LNC_MDS20) is a new source in the 2010AA Metathesaurus release and will be included in each Metathesaurus release as part of LOINC.
Sites Consulted
- Fries, Brant E. New Opportunities for Research in Cognitive Aging: The National Nursing Home Resident Assessment Instrument [Internet]. Gainesville (FL): American Psychological Association, Division 20; [August 2008]. Available from: http://apadiv20.phhp.ufl.edu/fries.htm
- Minimum Data Sets 2.0 [Internet]. Baltimore (MD): Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. MDS Applicability; [modified 2008 Sep 15; cited 2008 Oct 09]. Available from: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MinimumDataSets20/045_MDSApplicability.asp#TopOfPage
- Tuttle MS, Weida T, White T, Harvell J. Washington (DC): Department of Health and Human Services (US); [2007 April 23]. Standardizing the MDS with LOINC® and Vocabulary Matches; [cited 2008 Oct 09]. Available from: http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/2007/MDS-LOINC.htm


text:
In 1947 the United States Air Force became an independent service, carved from the Army and placed under the control of the newly created National Military Establishment. The new service faced daunting challenges. There was the threat from a new adversary, the Soviet Union. But there were challenges at home as well: from the Navy, which viewed those in the new uniforms as rivals for diminishing defense funds; and from within, as the Air Force struggled to introduce jet-powered aircraft into operational service.
In the spring of 1949, the country got a new secretary of defense: Louis Johnson, a wealthy lawyer, aspiring politician, and former official with the Convair Corporation, which was a longtime supplier of U.S. military aircraft. That last connection, which today would seem a scandal worthy of a special prosecutor, was common at the time. Who knew more about weapons than the men who built them?
When President Harry Truman ordered Johnson to economize, he obliged in April by canceling the 65,000-ton super-carrier United States, the keel of which had been laid only a week before. But the carrier was the linchpin of the Navy's plan to equip itself for the strategic nuclear mission. Carrying aircraft able to deliver atomic bombs to a target 1,000 miles away, the United States would have projected naval air power across the world's oceans, just the mission the Air Force wanted for its land-based bombers. Johnson's order, though only two sentences long, set off an interservice squabble the likes of which the nation had rarely seen.
Relations between the Army and Navy had first soured in the 1920s over which service should defend the U.S. coast, and World War II had only sharpened their rivalry. Now the Navy viewed the postwar creation of the Air Force and the Department of Defense as twin political threats to its primacy as the defender of U.S. shores. The spat that followed cancellation of the United States became known as "the revolt of the admirals," and it pitted the Navy's aircraft carrier against the Air Force's strategic bombing force--more specifically, Convair's monster six-engine bomber, the B-36, which had entered service in the summer of 1948.
Now it was a year later, and matters were coming to a head. The first shot in the battle was fired by Cedric Worth, a civilian assistant to Navy Undersecretary Dan Kimball for "special study and research," as he later described his duties under oath. It came in the form of a nine-page memo for the Navy's internal use (though he admitted giving copies to three members of Congress and to aircraft manufacturer Glenn Martin). The document condemned the B-36 as "an obsolete and unsuccessful aircraft" and charged that the Air Force had acquired it only after Convair had contributed $6.5 million to various Democratic politicians.
The theme was picked up by the Navy League, which spent $500,000 trashing the mega-bomber. (That amount, at least, was the estimate of the rival Air Force Association. If these sums don't seem exciting, consider that in 1949, the minimum wage in the aircraft industry was 50 cents an hour.) The B-36 was described as a "lumbering cow" and a "billion-dollar blunder," and the Navy claimed it had at least three jet fighters that could leave the monster behind at 40,000 feet. The admirals wanted a matchup, but they would never get one.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff told Johnson the test was a bad idea. And the Air Force said it had already demonstrated that fighters couldn't maneuver at that altitude. Simulated B-36 attacks on bases in Florida and California were met by three front-line fighters: a North American F-86A Sabre, a Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star, and a Republic F-84 Thunderjet. Radar picked up the intruder 30 minutes out; the fighters took 26 minutes to climb to 40,000 feet and another two minutes to find the B-36. The fighters were faster than the big bomber, but their wing loading (the ratio of aircraft weight to area of the wings) was so high that they couldn't turn with the bomber without stalling in the thin air. Even if a B-36 were detected and Soviet fighters caught it, the pilot could evade them by making S-turns, said the Air Force.
Of course, the Russians wouldn't have been flying USAF jets, as British engineer Harold Saxon argued in an edition of Aviation Week that appeared in mid-summer. While the Americans valued speed and therefore reduced the span and area of their jets' wings, the British built fighters that could maneuver at stratospheric heights, beginning with the de Havilland Vampire, which had been designed for the first British turbojet engine, and which by 1949 had done "a lot of development flying since 1947 between 50,000 and 60,000 feet," according to Saxon.
By early June, the battle had moved into the halls of Congress when James Van Zandt, a Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania and captain in the Navy reserve, took up the charges leaked by Worth's memo. On the House floor, Van Zandt demanded an investigation of the "ugly, disturbing reports" that the bomber project would have been canceled a year ago if not for wheeling and dealing by Louis Johnson, other Convair officials, and Stuart Symington, the civilian head of the Air Force.
Symington, in a speech at Brookline, Massachusetts, had summed up the final judgment on the B-36: The bomber could "take off from bases on this continent, penetrate enemy defenses, destroy any major urban industrial area in the world, and return non-stop to the point of take-off." Symington's claim was preposterous, but it was widely believed. So Congress did what it does best: It scheduled hearings. But they were delayed until August, infuriating Van Zandt, and also broadened into a debate about the strategic roles of the Air Force and Navy. During the dramatic proceedings, a browbeaten Cedric Worth was unmasked as the author of the memo that had incited the ruckus and forced to recant everything. "I think I was wrong," he told the committee.


text:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A nuclear-powered U.S. attack submarine struck a suspected fishing vessel shortly after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf on Thursday, damaging one of the submarine's periscopes but injuring no one, a Navy official said on the condition of anonymity.
The Navy's Fifth Fleet said in a statement the vessel appeared unaware of the incident, adding it "continued on a consistent course and speed offering no indication of distress or acknowledgment of a collision."
The USS Jacksonville, a Los Angeles-class, nuclear-powered submarine, did not appear to suffer further damage, the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said.
"The reactor remains in a safe condition. There was no damage to the propulsion plant systems and there is no concern regarding watertight integrity," it said.
The incident, which took place at 5 a.m. local time and is under investigation, follows an August collision between a U.S. guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker.
Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if its dispute with the United States over its nuclear program escalates. Washington says it maintains naval forces in the Gulf to ensure security in the region.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)


text:
After more than five years, we want to let our readers know that we will be retiring GuardianWitness on 30 September 2018.
You can still continue to contribute to the Guardian via our callouts, which you can find in the Community section of the
website. Readers may download their contributed content using the download tool in the profile section.
Taken from the swollen banks of the river Severn in Worcester as the sun sets behind the Malvern hills illuminating the sky and the flood waters.
In 2003-4, over two million people experienced artist Olafur Eliasson's now iconic installation at Tate Modern, The Weather Project. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Eliasson invites you to share your local sunrises and sunsets and take part in his project, Share Your Sun.
To be part of this project, simply capture a video or take a photograph of the sun – rising, setting, or at any time of day - and send it to us.
All the photos and films will be hosted on www.shareyoursun.com. Taken together, the films and images will show not only the movement of the sun but our shared revolution around it.
The project runs until 16 March 2014. Your videos and photos will appearing on GuardianWitness and on Eliasson's site and we'll feature our favourites on the Guardian art and design site.
Don't forget to read the terms and conditions, first!
'The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall'. Photograph: Dan Chung.