Find Raptor 02 Homes For Sale and Raptor 02 Home Values. We also have information on mortgages, insurance, movers and other Treasure Coast Real Estate Services for anyone looking to sell or buy a home in beautiful St Lucie COUNTY Florida.
Paul Kitchen and Starfish Team provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Treasure Coast, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including Raptor 02, school districts and the Treasure Coast Real Estate market in this beautiful Florida town.
Paul Kitchen Broker-Owner Starfish Real Estate 8985 SE Bridge Road Hobe Sound, Florida 33455 (772) 539-8376 (800) 793-7304 toll free Treasure Coast Real Estate Treasure Coast Real Estate Blog
Question: Does anyone here invest in gold? And if so, from whom?
Goldsenze Answer:
You can try Kitco.com.Very good site for buying and selling gold,silver, rhodium, platinum and palladium.Plus you get current quotes and historical chart.I have bought American Eagles on eBay. Two years ago bought 5 ounces for $ 480 an ounce. Today gold is selling for about $ 648 an ounce.Not a bad return.Some experts predict gold to go to $ 1000 an ounce. I?ll believe it when I see it.By the way Kitco also buys gold and other precious metals.
posts you may find of interest:
Q: What is the cheapest way to buy new 1 oz. gold coins?
Is this a good time to invest in gold?
Q: Would you invest in gold?
Q: Can you still invest with a quarter or even a tenth of a gold bullion coin?
How can I keep track of the current value of Gold/Silver American Eagles?
Gold price forecast & Gold price trend chart 2011. Gold price forecast & gold price trend 2011 based on. 2010 1,500 2011 1,750 raised to 1,950. Is $1,600 gold too high for investment demand? It will be a new. PENANG ONLINE TRADING FOREX GOLD OIL Online. Discover The POWER Of CURRENCY + GOLD + OIL TRADING. but there are also many people lost money in investment!. Penang (Bay Avenue). naples fl and gold investment as sip Soros doubled gold ETF investment Miningmx.com Higher grade. Gold is the ultimate asset bubble Soros Potash Corp shares rise as Soros fund raises stake Oil prices will be amazing Jim Rogers, investment guru. about account and gold investment discussion The Investment Process Open an Account Buy Gold Coins Buying. Once your account has been funded, a U.S. Gold Bureau. City *. As with all investments there is risk and the past.. Get your Gold Investment Reviews and maybank gold investment malaysia . BSF_Rimjhim Varma_10PGHR43_Tanishq Jewellery. In May 2000, Tanishq unveiled plans to surpass its parent. aesthetic appeal and not as a form of investment. Tanishq. When you exchange any Tanishq gold coin with. sell and gold investment jersey Where to invest Investment World Gold Council. are the largest source of investment demand for physical gold. Malaysia Netherlands Portugal Saudi. you want to learn more about investing in our members? companies. Try to make Runescape Gold by Building Capabilities of your Character Acquirer Target Company Type of Deal Conversion ratio Spread / Potential profit analysis dollar and gold investment discussion Gold Price, Buy Gold, Gold Coins, Gold Mining Stocks, Free Gold. top spot for some time, China emerged as the world?s largest gold market for jewelry and investment. GoldSeek.com Radio Dr. Stephen Leeb, Dr. Ron Paul, The., gold investment pb and benefits of gold investment wycena. Denver Financial Advisor Boulder Financial Advisor Gold Medal. WELCOME TO GOLD MEDAL WATERS. Gold Medal Waters is a Boulder investment advisor and feeonly financial advisor that serves individuals, families, foundations and. as an 2008 and gold investment policies Gold as an investment Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. have noted for many years that the price of gold tends to fall artificially at the start of New. will buy personal gold in exchange for cash, or sell investments in gold. aachen and gold investment dbs Is Gold a Good Investment. The Trader?s U ELetter Issue 153 Thursday, September 22, 2005. Is Gold a Good Investment? A Favorable Longterm Forecast by D.R. Barton, Jr., Chairman, Trader?s U. are nuggets a good and gold investment from 401k
Gold Investment Reviews
gold market in 2012 in india? and best suggestion idbi bank long. gold market in 2012 in india? and best suggestion idbi bank long term investment? asked by sasi ganesha, india.Achichu's Official Blog offers message. gold investment gia Gold Investment Maybank Gold Savings Account Top Up. And today, it reached the point where my initial investment was at. Today's Maybank Gold Account rates were at 137.97/gm. Back when I first opened the account on 1st Nov. It started its journey as the New York Curb Exchange and its name is factual. They can be used in both long term buy and hold and for selling with a short-term st Genneva Singapore Gold Ajilbab.Com Portal. The genneva, bullion investment, malaysia, ponzi, scam, singapore I was approached by Genneva Gold Agent and ask me to join Genneva Gold Singapore due to the good. questions and coins bars
Gold Investing A Hedge Against Inflation. Gold Investment is an old age tactic of putting your money into something that you feel will increase in value over time. It is a liquid and tangible. gold investment bangkok Morgan Stanley Investment Management Raises Over $450 Million For. Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) announced today that the Morgan Stanley. The Gold Brief CEO Interviews Against the Grain They Just Don't Get It! 3. crash and gold investment is bond
Investing in Gold Certificates? Protection Against Fluctuations. Investing in Gold Certificates? Protection Against Fluctuations You Got to Know When and How to Sell and Invest in Gold. gold investment important New HYIPs HYIP.biz The Best High Yield Investment Programs. World Gold Investment is a high yield investment firm, dealing mainly in the gold market. GLORIA GOLD is proud of its united team of experienced and highly qualified experts. Add a recessionproof asset to your IRAGold Blanchard and. Gold IRA The Secret to a Secure Retirement Plan Add a RecessionProof Asset to Your IRA Gold. philadelphia and hong leong bank gold investment Public Bank Malaysia PBeBank.com Internet Banking, Credit. Public Bank now offers you a golden opportunity to open a Gold Investment Account which allows you to invest in the. Pay Online For AirAsia Seats Through PB ATMs.
Guide to Investing In Gold & Silver? Audio (3 of 3) Youtube. Written by Michael Maloney Video Rating 0 / 5. Check out my Silver Snowball website at www.silversnowball.com This is my first attempt at a YouTube video. Welcome to Axis Mutual Fund Lumpsum & SIP investments Equity. Axis mutual fund offers equity growth funds, debt funds, balanced funds, liquid. It also provides easycall facility and invest online facility to track the investment. abu dhabi
Is Gold A Good Investment Free Articles Directory Submit. As an investment gold has a number of. Kevin Cox About the Author Find out more facts about this topic at Is Gold A Good Investment,which is. gold investment ahmedabad KUALA LUMPUR LIST OF UNDERCONSTRUCTION General Thread [Archive. 134)The Gold Coast Apartments, Pluit (3 Towers) TOWER. Without revealing the proposed investment figures, she said. Bintang Fairlane Residences / 30 / Low Yat Group. China's gold investment demand jumps Chinadaily US Edition. The investment demand for gold in China increased by 70 percent yearonyear in 2010 due to domestic inflationary pressure and limited investment alternatives. gold investment citibank
ahmedabad, as sip, how to buy gold for investment, gold investment program and Gold Investment Reviews. dubai gold price news may june 2011, dubai investment Business. dubai gold price news may june 2011, dubai investment DGCX 2011 volumes cross one million contracts mark Dubai, May 12, 2011 The Dubai Gold and Commodities. gold investment 36 Stock Market Charts India Mutual Funds Investment Gold Chart. Investing in the stock market, playing sports, listening to jazz. Gold Chart Pattern is this a good time to buy? Stock Index Chart Patterns? S&P 500 and. Source: www.realtytrac.com This organization has actually been working for 20 years on solar electronic system. Gold Investment, Gold Investments Gold Investment Information. Gold investment, gold investments gold investment information, about gold bullion. Old U.S. Gold Coins. $20 Liberty Gold Coins $20 Saint Gaudens Gold Coins Double Eagle.
Gold Investment Reviews gold investment michigan
GOLD Compare Stocks Fidelity Investments. Use Fidelity expansive compare tool to compare Stocks by more than 100 criteria, including Key Statistics, Dividends, Valuation, Performance & Volatility, Growth. pbb price Benefits of Public Bank Gold Investment? Eldora Tips Gold. A public bank gold investment offers many benefits that are attractive. is all about investment in precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium. Is Gold A Good Investment? Gold Investment.Info. Conversely, if the main objective of a prospective gold investor were to capitalize on shortterm gains, then he or she would consider a bullion investment in either bars. gold investment rate public bank
gold investment letter Gold Investment Reviews, gold investment scheme in sbi and companies
Where to Buy Gold for Investment in Malaysia gold bars, gold. Gold investment in Malaysia is so confusing! Especially on the buying and. It is usually known as Public Gold (brand name). The gold trading company was set up with. first state in cambodia and gold investment articles 2010 Why Invest in Gold Is Gold a Good Investment Gold Stock Investing. Why Invest in Gold In these turbulent times, precious metals such as gold and silver have proven to be outstanding shortterm trading vehicle. Here are two best tips that would help you to avoid requotes in forex. Getting reviews from unbiased source is crucial, and that is not easy. compare companies and ausiris gold investment Where to Buy Gold Online Live Gold Prices Current Gold Prices. One of the most common questions I receive is about where to buy gold. There. Investing in Gold Coins (Investment U, 2/8/12). and Gold Investment Reviews
margin, online in india, ghana plus public bank hd gold investment
The Gold Price & Gold Investment Resource Investor. appreciation, investors need to understand another critical issue within gold investment. Read more of his writing and ask him questions on Facebook or Twitter. gold investment dulin Gold Investment in India GoldAvenue Encyclopaedia. In the rural areas 22 carat jewellery remains the basic investment. The Gold. The State Bank of India was the first to accept deposits. To date, the amount of. eBay gold investment. This page was last updated Feb20 23 33. FINDING_TREATMENT_15, FINDING_TREATMENT_57 Number of bids and bid amounts may be slightly out of date. gold investment malaysia bank gold investment cpf
Reviews for Gold Investment Group Other Investment Companies and. I would highly recommend Mr. Shawn Fookes and Gold Investment Group for anybody that would enjoy a journey of friendship and overall professional investment growth in the. gold investment south africa Precious Metals Investing Gold Trading Invest in Silver and Gold. Choose from the wide range of worldclass, investmentquality gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion and bullion coins available. How to Buy. Buy Gold Coins Silver Coins Gold IRA's Call 18779621133. Regal Assets is an online leader and trusted source for Gold Coins, Silver Coins, Gold IRA's, and Gold 401k. A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. dominican republic and gold investment buy
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) ? Maryland?s top lobbyists cashed in on the General Assembly?s casino debate this year, as the state?s nine highest-earning lobbyists all worked for companies with interests in a statewide gambling expansion.
Gambling organizations and groups tied to Maryland?s horse racing industry spent hundreds of thousands of dollars between Nov. 1, 2011 and April 30, in an effort to influence lawmakers to support their respective interests.
Penn National Gaming, the owner of Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, spent the most, with 877,432.84 reported, according to the Maryland State Ethics Commission?s twice-annual report.
The Pennsylvania casino group spent roughly $375,000 more than the next highest organization, the Maryland State Education Association.
Rosecroft?appeared the most likely destination for a Prince George?s casino before County Executive Rushern Baker threw his support behind a larger casino project at National Harbor. While the company tried to defend its interests in Maryland, it easily eclipsed spending by other gambling organizations in the state.
CBAC Gaming LLC, the group behind the bid for a Baltimore casino, spent $163,309.
The Cordish Cos., developer of the newly opened Maryland Live! Casino, spent $86,542.50 as it fights a proposed Prince George?s casino.
And the Peterson Cos., developer of the Prince George?s casino?s likely destination, National Harbor, spent $61,367.64.
Lawmakers are still locked over a proposal that would add a sixth state casino site in Prince George?s County and authorize table games such as blackjack and roulette.
Some lobbyists? six-month compensation nearly matched their earnings for the entire year prior to the latest report from the Ethics Commission, which ranks lobbyists who paid $50,000 or more.
Gerard Evans, the state?s highest-earning lobbyist, raked in $1.05 million over the last six months ? not far off the $1.23 million he earned from November 2010 to October 2011.
?It?s a debate that?s unfortunately captivated the General Assembly in some way,? Evans said, who lobbied on behalf of Penn National. ?And anytime you have issues that are so important, you are going to have costs associated with it.?
Evans? contract with Penn National ended in April, he said.
Other top-ranked lobbyists include Joel Rozner, who represents CBAC?Gaming LLC and the Maryland Jockey Club; Lisa Harris Jones, another lobbyist for Penn National; and Bruce Bereano, a lobbyist for the Cloverleaf?Standardbred?Owners? Association, the parent company of the former owner of Rosecroft Raceway.
Information from: The Washington Examiner, http://www.washingtonexaminer.com
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
When first jumping into the world of investing, it can be easy to forget that you will have to pay taxes on any investment income that you make. After all, you got into investments in order to grow your wealth?not pay taxes. But since taxes are one of the two things you can count on in life, it?s best to plan your investment strategy around Uncle Sam?s cut. Using such a strategy is called tax-efficient investing, and it can help you to hold on to more of your investment income.
What Is Tax-Efficient Investing?
According to Ameriprise Financial, tax-efficient investing ?means planning nearly every savings and investment decision around how, when and where to invest in order to achieve the lowest possible impact from income taxes now and in the future.?
In short, being a tax-efficient investor means that you will plan ahead for income taxes, and make your investment decisions accordingly. This means that you will organize your investment income to take advantage of tax-deferred and tax-free investments, as well as taxable investments that are taxed at different rates.
It?s important to remember that it is perfectly legal and above-board to make your tax burden as lean as you can. Allocating your funds with an eye to tax-efficiency is simply smart investing.
Tax-Advantaged Accounts
If you are saving for retirement, you are probably already practicing tax-efficient investing without even realizing it. According to Bogleheads.org, ?tax-advantaged accounts include tax-deferred accounts [which are taxed at a later time], such as 401(k) and 403b, and tax-free accounts such as Roth IRA.?
These types of accounts are already tax-efficient, and if all of your investments are in these types of accounts, then you will not see a difference in your returns by practicing more proactive tax-efficient investing. However, having these tax-advantaged accounts can be an important part of making sure you keep your tax burden low.
Asset Allocation
Some assets will have higher tax consequences than others, meaning you have to pay attention to where you place your assets in your portfolio. For example, taxable bonds, real estate investment trusts, and international bonds all generate income, meaning you will have to pay income tax. However, you can place these assets into your tax-advantaged accounts, thereby increasing the tax-efficiency of your investments.
On the other hand, more efficient investments, like tax-efficient mutual funds, can be placed wherever you feel they will give you the best return since you don?t have to worry about a huge tax burden.
The basic rule of thumb for tax-efficient asset allocation is to place less efficient investments into tax-advantaged or tax-deferred accounts, and to place more tax-efficient investments into taxable accounts.
Tax Loss Harvesting
The last piece of the tax-efficient investing puzzle is tax loss harvesting. This is technique you can use to improve your return by using a market loss to lower your tax bill. For example, let?s say you have invested $10,000 in a mutual fund in a taxable account. After a downturn, your fund is now only worth $6000. You can sell that fund, and show a $4000 capital loss, which will lower your capital gains tax. In addition, that capital loss also now entitles you to an ordinary income tax offset of up to $3000.
When selling your investment to harvest the tax loss, you cannot re-invest in it or a substantially identical investment for 30 days before or after your sale. However, on day 31, you can repurchase the same fund and basically be back where you were originally, although now with a decreased tax bill and a lower basis cost.
The Bottom Line
Tax-efficient investing is a complex strategy for maximizing your investments. Even when you know and understand the basics of this strategy, it pays to have a professional financial advisor to help you determine the best way to keep more of your money under your control.
Have you figured out that the greatest vitality reduction in a residence takes place in the particular entrances, roofs and also house windows? This will materialize as soon as these kinds of areas are not absolutely covered plus pockets make it possible for natural light, frost, rainfall as well as a blowing wind to go in easily inside your home. With the help of new double glazing house windows, you can give protection to the home out there purely natural essentials plus added benefits. How?s this specific probable?
New double glazing home?s windows deliver conservatories maximum basic safety seeing that a person window pane incorporates 2 wine glass panes with a vacuumed room bewteen barefoot and shoes. This particular pressure is definitely the really feature why these windows 7 sometimes make a name for the reason that Nineteen seventies if this was basically introduced. It was actually experienced this hard house windows insulate your property via wintry fresh air consequently continuing to keep the within vicinity warm together with wash through several trash along with infiltrations.
When this occurs, you may maintain Replacement doors stamina which enables it to keep away from great household utility bills which may include occurred via activating a unit for more hrs. Imagine the leisure you can receive out of not really standing during the night to change off or on the heaters when you are generally self-assured that house hold during safe. As well, upvc double glazing glass windows shield home from moisture that might destruction rooms and sheet metal fastens.
Save your valuable cash out of painting Double Glazing prices assignments and look at in alternative family home improvements that this family members likes. Mining harvests used in two times hard windows xp are also medicated in a way how they really do not corrode simply. They just don?t want a great deal routine maintenance and it?s proof by using warps, great ideas and even force thus resulting in the toughness of your own home.
In recent times, the latest models of for glazed microsoft windows were created in the market to accommodate costumers? must have. And so, go with wooden uncertainty that they could moreover develop the general attractiveness and topic you desire to generate. There are two times glazed sash microsoft windows, for a recovery reinvention of the vintage sash house windows. You can also get hurricane-safe casement windows in many different styles and sizes which are often designed into along side it or perhaps the top eye-port glasses. For your Victorian contact, you may as well opt for glazed bay microsoft windows. Along with the nation?s tasteful intentions, fresh home?s windows likewise provide extra lumination to go in within as well as the illusion to a roomy place.
Common which will new double glazing windows could withstand roughly Eight to be able to Twenty-five years! Picture what amount discounts, proper protection and sweetness you can have with all those quite a few years. The house should be closed down in the adjusting gardening seasons. Forget about aquiring a loan to have a home improvement. Organic meat not know various other crucial family unit questions surface that are wanting instantaneous notice. Pick the best items for your household. They?ll handle friends and family for many years.
This entry was posted in casque beats and tagged design, garden, Home, home care, home improvement, home improvment, home insurance, insurance, solar, solar panels, solar power. Bookmark the permalink.
But, despite the many people seemingly glued to their smartphones , the study showed that teens are having trouble with their internet connection, they're more likely to need good old fashioned computer and laptop repair, since they reportedly access the web via these heavier ? Comparatively, out of all of individuals between 13 and 17 who took the online survey on general internet usage, only 13.48 percent went online with a smartphone and just 5 percent did so on a tablet device.
Read more: Teens surf web on computers, not smartphones, says study | Geeks ?
A great horse vitamin is perfect for your horse especially to battle off undesired viruses as well as parasites. All mounts have internal parasites. Ninety percent of all the colic cases might be linked to circulatory damage brought on by the switching larvae of Strongylus vulgaris (blood worms). 50 percent of the deaths in mounts may be related to internal parasites. Internal parasites have modified themselves to the internal environment of their host animal and have come to be host-specific. Horse parasites can simply occur in horses and cattle parasites only in cattle. In case a cow takes the eggs or larvae of the horse parasite (or the other way around), the life cycle of the parasite is destroyed. This can be a component in creating parasite control applications.
Bots (gasterophilus) are the larvae of botflies. The yellow eggs are set about the hairs on the front part of the horse, within just reach of his tongue. The eggs hatch in 10-14 days and also the horse will lick them off his coat and transfer these to his mouth, where the larvae burrow into the mucous membranes of the lips as well as gums. There they continue to be for a short increasing period and they pass on to the intestine where they attach to the stomach wall. They stay there for pretty much a year just before passing out with the faeces to pupate inside the soil. Adult botflies then appear coming from the pupal cases in 3 to 9 weeks, based on the temperature.
It is often thought that tapeworms don?t cause a lot of injury to horses, but just lately they are becoming looked over more closely. Tapeworms adhere to the intestine at the junction between the little intestine and cecum. This can be already a possible section of impaction within the horse, which is considered by some that tapeworm pests compounds the problem. Regrettably tapeworm eggs do not show up on routine fecal exams, therefore if normal deworming isn?t resulting in thriftiness, think about providing pyrantel at 2-3 times the normal dose; this will eliminate any tapeworms.
Administration applications which disrupt the life cycle of the parasite just before invasion occurs would be the answer to prosperous control. Keeping stall areas thoroughly clean is vital. Manure must be removed and put into a compost pile or distributed on cropland or pastures not being grazed by mounts. The larvae in composted manure will be ruined if sufficient heat is built up. Distributing manure by hauling pastures will reduce likelihood of infective larvae if the local weather provides for drying of manure. Substitute grazing with ruminants and pasture rotation techniques will help with disrupting the parasite life cycle. Grazing ruminants in rotation with horses will reduce parasite infestation since most internal parasites are host specific. Pasture rotation may also help by reducing chance of overgrazing, thus minimizing ingestion of unwanted organisms.
An excellent horse vitamin is perfect for your horse?s health. Sensible horse owners worm their equine, seasonally (4 times a year) and on well handled pasture substantial worm burdens are not an issue. A choice of wormer is often produced on the basis of advertising or cost. No real follow up is taken up to decide if the wormer was successful, the owner trusts the merchandise was effective. Usually the wormer used, is one to which the worms have become resistant. Therefore, you will need to not only worm your horse but to adhere to deworming using a faecal egg worm count, in Spring as well as Winter.
Get info on how horse professionals take care of their precious equines. To know more about their various advice and expert views go here.
This entry was posted in Pet and tagged animals, family, hobbies, home, pet, pets, sports. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. or leave a trackback.
zombie boy harvard yale joe paterno lung cancer joe paterno lung cancer john tucker must die uk basketball iowa state
There are normally many pests in the environment and a number of them such as termites, ticks, fleas and many more could cause endless problems. Your choice of a pest control Los Angeles company should be guided by certain considerations. Here are some factors which you should look at.
Come up with a list of companies which have been licensed within your state. If you are not sure of this, it is important to ask government agencies and other licensing bureaus for a list. Ensure that the service provider has met all the requirements that are required from such firms.
Those who have had the chance to use the services offered by these companies can provide you with the information which you require. They can tell you of the firms that offer quality services. It is also crucial for you to hire a company which holds a comprehensive insurance coverage.This ensures that you remain on the safe side in case of damage or injuries.
Contacting your local chapter of BBB could enable you know if the firm has pending complain. It is also important for you to contact other reporting agencies and ask if there exist complains that have not been sorted out. Those who have issues should be left out.
You should avoid hiring a company that has many complains. You can check with the BBB and also with other reporting agencies which are available out there. It is also beneficial if you get some necessary references and talk with them. They will be able to provide you with the information that you require.
Make sure that you invite a representative of the Pest Control Los Angeles company to your home. Take note of time consciousness and their general levels of professionalism. After the session, you can know whether to hire the company or not.If you take these considerations seriously. You can be sure that you will be able to make a proper choice.
Find out more about Pest Control Los Angeles at our website
(Reuters) - The national education reform group StudentsFirst, which has set out to transform U.S. schools by introducing more free-market principles to public education, raised $7.6 million in its first nine months - and spent nearly a quarter of it on advertising - according to partial tax records released on Monday.
Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools, launched StudentsFirst in the fall of 2010 with the stated goal of raising $1 billion over five years. Among the reforms it advocates: abolishing teacher tenure; permitting more teachers without formal education training to take charge of classrooms; evaluating teachers in large measure by their students' growth on standardized tests; and expanding charter schools, which are publicly funded but typically run by private corporations, including for-profit management firms.
Rhee has pressed her agenda in states from Connecticut to Alabama to Michigan, spending millions on TV and radio ads, public rallies and lobbying as well as campaign donations for friendly candidates.
In each state, Rhee has drawn ferocious opposition from teachers unions, which say her policy prescriptions have not been shown to improve student learning.
Rhee, a political lightning rod since she closed scores of schools and laid off hundreds of teachers during her tenure in Washington, has refused to discuss her funding or her donors. The IRS forms released by her organization on Monday cover only the first several months of her work, through July 31, 2011. Updated filings are not expected until the end of the year, though Reuters has confirmed that recent donors include New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge fund managers David Tepper and Alan Fournier, who have pledged substantial resources to a StudentsFirst partner organization in New Jersey.
The Laura and John Arnold Foundation, funded by hedge fund manager John Arnold, has also pledged $20 million to Rhee's organization over five years, a donation that does not appear to be reflected in the IRS forms released on Monday.
The IRS forms do not detail Rhee's spending, except for a previously undisclosed donation of $100,000 to Partnership for Ohio's Future, a campaign run by the state's Chamber of Commerce to push for passage of Republican Governor John Kasich's 2011 budget. That budget, which passed and was implemented, included deep cuts to public education funding. Separately, Kasich pushed for restrictions on public-sector unions, including teachers unions; Rhee did not support that bill.
Rhee's critics, led by teachers unions, have criticized her for working closely with Republican governors who have slashed education funding, including Kasich, Michigan's Rick Snyder and Florida's Rick Scott. Rhee responds that schools don't necessarily need more resources; they need to spend what they have more wisely. Among her prescriptions: eliminating the union contract provisions that protect the most veteran - and often the highest-paid - teachers from layoffs. Instead, Rhee argues that pink slips should go first to the least effective teachers - as determined, in large measure, by students' scores on standardized tests.
WINING AND DINING
The tax forms show that Rhee was paid $62,500 for nine months of work as the chief executive officer of StudentsFirst, which is organized as a political advocacy organization, and the affiliated StudentsFirst Institute, which focuses on public education. She also travels the country giving lectures, some of which bring her as much as $35,000 in speaking fees.
Other expenses documented in the IRS forms include $1.7 million in advertising and promotion, more than $100,000 for public opinion research and $337,000 to develop lists of potential donors and members.
Rhee has recruited many of her more than 1 million members through online petitions, which call for widely popular policies such as putting an excellent teacher in every classroom. People who sign the petitions become members unless they opt out. Last week the liberal website Change.org, under pressure from union backers who consider Rhee's group anti-union, said it would wind down its relationship with StudentsFirst once their contract ends in several months.
While Rhee's more recent spending is not documented, Reuters has tracked about $3 million in advocacy expenditures since last fall, much of it funneled through StudentsFirst's network of political action committees. Among the line items: $790,000 on advertising and lobbying in Connecticut; $6,700 to wine and dine lawmakers in Missouri; and $120,000 in donations to candidates and political caucuses in Tennessee.
In Michigan, StudentsFirst spent $955,000 last fall to lobby state lawmakers for an education package that included evaluating teachers primarily by student test scores and restricting union bargaining rights, so issues like the new evaluation system would not be subject to negotiation. (The reforms were passed by the legislature.) In California this spring the organization spent $770,000 to back two Democratic candidates in primary races for state Assembly seats; one won, the other fell just short.
Last week, Rhee joined more than a dozen other education and business advocates with similar agendas in asking the teachers unions to work with them, rather than fighting them, on school overhaul bills in several states. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, took to Twitter to repeatedly dismiss the pitch for cooperation as a public-relations stunt.
Nancy Zuckerbrod, a spokeswoman for StudentsFirst, said the organization could not match the resources of the teachers unions, which have spent $150 million on state politics and lobbying since 2008. "However, we have raised enough through our grassroots and fundraising efforts to be competitive and make a major difference in reforming our nation's education system," Zuckerbrod said.
(This story is corrected in paragraph 2 to "growth" instead of "scores"; paragraph 11 to remove "later" as one can opt out at signing, and to show Change.org did not pull Rhee?s online petitions but has said it will wind down the relationship once their contract ends)
[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]
In 2009, the last tax year that the IRS has available statistics, donor-advised funds (DAFs) represented a sharply growing share of a diminishing giving pie. While the amount of total giving went down by 8%, the amount of giving to donor-advised funds went up by 9%.
More recently, National Philanthropic Trust conducted a study (2011) and concluded that the nation?s 162,000 DAF accounts held $30 billion in assets, of which $6.2 billion (more than 20%) was distributed in annual giving. That study has set aside many of the criticisms initially made against DAFs. A 20% level of giving is 4 times higher than 5-year average required by the IRS of private foundations. It is a tremendous amount of giving.
Through a tempting set of tax benefits and social advantages, community foundations and large investment firms have incentivized their donor-advised funds. We need to understand the world of DAFs, what makes them so attractive to benefactors, and how a nonprofit organization can tap into those funds.
What is a DAF and how does it work?
In 1931, a New York community foundation created the first donor-advised funds (DAFs). Although the term was widely used for 75 years, the phrase ?donor advised fund? was not codified until 2006 when Congress passed pension and charity reform legislation.
Most donor-advised funds are held at two types of institutions:
Community foundations, where donor-advised funds are typically the large majority of assets held and grants made. The largest ?community? foundation in the U.S. is the National Christian Foundation (NCF).
Large financial institutions that handle stock-trading, mutual funds and other for-profit investments, such as Fidelity, Vanguard and Schwab.
The IRS describes the features of a donor-advised fund:
Donors contribute to an administering 501(c)(3) to establish ? fund ? a DAF. The charity keeps accounting track of each DAF separately.
Contributions to the DAF cannot be taken back by the donor. Contributions qualify for an income tax deduction at the time of the donation, governed by the usual deduction rules and rates.
The donor has the right to recommend grants from the DAF to qualified charitable recipients. The sponsoring organization may not be legally required to accept the recommendation (although implementing the donor?s recommendation is the basis of the business model).
Whether deposited with a community foundation or a for-profit firm, the administering organization typically provides the legal, administrative, investment management, and accounting work for DAFs. Compared to creating a private foundation, DAFs are often lower cost to administer for a donor. In addition, the ability to direct the DAF passes to the benefactor?s heirs or designee.
Why are donor-advised funds so appealing to donors?
Benefactors are increasingly unwinding their private foundations into donor-advised funds, which invest assets and make grants to charities from individual accounts based largely on donors? recommendations. Some have been spurred by tough economic times. DAFs can cost thousands of dollars less to maintain than foundations ? a factor that has taken on increased significance as many foundations? assets have plunged.
The funds, which operate as independent charities, have other advantages besides allowing donors to take an immediate tax deduction after making contributions. Donors advise the fund on where the grants should go, but the funds don?t have to make distributions as often as a foundation would. Donors can also give many types of assets ? including cash, securities and even art ? depending on the fund?s specific rules.
To summarize:
Taxpayers can deduct in the year of their choice without a working nonprofit actually receiving any money.
Unlike donating to a ?regular? nonprofit, DAF-fers get deductions for the full fair market value of real estate and illiquid assets (such as art work).
A higher percentage of total personal income can be given and deducted if it?s given to a DAF rather than a private foundation.
The freedom to transfer money, deductibly, to foreign charities.
More money to give. The money saved in administrative and other costs can go toward the causes they support. In some cases, such funds can cut donors? costs by as much as 50%.
No imposed payout requirement.
Donations may be made anonymously.
While the last benefit ? anonymity ? is not unique to the DAF product, it is an extra perq that is highly valued by some. All DAF donations from assets held by the administering organization are bundled into a comprehensive report, shielding the benefactor from being bothered by charities that might want to make petitions. Keep this in mind when approaching a family that supports ministries through a DAF.
Socially responsible investing and social recognition
There are two other benefits that have arisen in recent years. As the number of families establishing DAFs has greatly increased, competition among investment firms has increased. All of the for-profit firms offering DAFs now market socially-responsible funds in which the benefactor can place his/her funds. That is, while some of the funds are donated to charitable work, the assets that remain in the DAF are invested in the types of ventures approved of by the benefactor.
Community foundation officers have also become more aggressive in selling the concept of donor advised funds to wealthy families in their area. Increasingly, they highlight the social recognition that local donors gain by depositing funds and other assets with the local community foundation. Literally, it is sold as a way to join the cool people who get to do cool things together.
How does one tap into a DAF?
Administering organizations offer several ways ministries can reach the donors who have set aside money for charity. Among them:
Look carefully at donors? checks. Keep a record of all checks that are mailed to the organization from a donor-advised fund, whether it?s from a for-profit firm like Scwab, from NCF, or from a community foundation. This is the best way to identify people with money who care about a particular organization. Even if the amount of the check is small, the donor probably has more to give. This type of connection can serve a strategic purpose during capital campaigns or building projects.
Learn more about the families who are investing with NCF and its network of regional Christian foundations. Their stories are inspiring, and their giving habits are generous (www.nationalchristian.com/givers). Terry Parker founded NCF in 1982 and introduced the first Christian-focused donor-advised funds called the Giving Fund. Over the past three decades, NCF has helped found a network of affiliates across the country, encouraged an environment of philanthropic giving among major Christian donors, and assembled a team of over 200 experts in charitable giving. In 2010, donors supported more than 10,000 ministries with $395 million in giving through DAF accounts at NCF.
In addition to learning which families have deposited funds with NCF and its family of regional Christian foundations, ministries should also take a look at the donor-advised funds at community foundations. At most community foundations, the bulk of incoming dollars arrive via DAFs and go out from DAFs. For instance, the Orange County Community Foundation (in California) made $26 million in grants in 2010, but $24.5 million of this was distributed from donor-advised funds. In other words, only $1.5 million was granted as discretionary funding through an application process.
Read the annual reports of community foundations. Many such organizations list the names of their donors, or of donor-advised funds that are often named for the donors, in their reports.
Make sure your local community foundation is aware of you. Most community foundations tell donors about the charities the foundation supports, and many holders of donor-advised funds then decide to make grants to those charities. Get to know the program officers. ?We?re trying to serve less as a gatekeeper and more as a connector,? says Chris Andersen, executive director of the Lutheran Community Foundation, in Minneapolis. ?Rather than trying to protect donors, we?re trying to offer them more opportunities.?
Charities also should make sure they are listed in databases for donors, such as the one created by Excellence in Giving in Colorado. Other databases include the ones monitored by UrbanMinistry.org, NonProfitList.org, Guidestar, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and Charity Guide. Some community foundations have similar projects, including the Kansas City Community Foundation (600 nonprofits listed) and the Greater Houston Community Foundation (400 nonprofits listed).
Tell the charity?s story well online. Commercial funds refer their donors to web sites like GuideStar or Charity Navigator for information on charities, so it?s important for groups to burnish their image on these sites as well as on your own website.
Although many nonprofits bemoan donor-advised funds as foundations that are tantalizingly just beyond reach, the funding world?s overall view of DAFs is accepting, even enthusiastic about this increasingly important mechanism for giving. There are a growing number of channels to connect with DAFs; don?t miss out.
Are you wanting to make enhancements on your home but you feel bewildered? Do not feel bad. It is not unusual for an average person to not know where to start. That is where the article down below will come into play??" you will be given tips that may help you begin the process.
It is important to modify your air filters. Not only is it fitter for the air that you breathe inside your home, but it is better for your heating and air-conditioning unit. Plenty of the service calls that these repair engineers face are due to build that has gotten into the machine from dirty filters.
A brilliant home-improvement and way to economize is to install a whole-house fan. These are glorious power sources savings because they often use 1/10 the electricity of an air conditioner. If you live in a zone where air-con isn't necessary year round, this is a great alternative option to central air.
Never install non-operable windows during a home improvement effort. Except for picture windows or sizeable, exotic glazing, every standard-sized window should be capable of opening. Without reference to climate, for each home there'll be times of the year and times of the day when cracking the window open is the best sort of aircon.
Make sure you keep the filter for your air-conditioning unit clean. If the filter gets clogged up, the air con unit must work tougher to cool your house, using up more energy. It can also result in the unit running longer than it should be required. You must change your filter at least once a month to prevent buildup.
When considering home enhancements, think green! It's a smart way to add worth as well as to be ecologically friendly. Putting in an energy-efficient furnace or air conditioning will not only make your living space more comfortable, but also save you cash and keep the earth cleaner longer.
Think about your standard of life before visible aesthetics when starting home improvements. A pond in your front garden could be nice, but having your youngster fall in and drown would be shocking. You might want to install a desk, but the money may be be used more sensibly on installing air-conditioning in a Florida home.
So as to get the most from your air-conditioning and heating system, clean or replace your air filters. Mucky air filters can reduce air flow in your vents, causing your system to work tougher to cool or heat your home, thus using more energy and costing you more cash. You can find replacement filters at your local hardware store or even infrequently at your local superstore.
As was mentioned at the start of this article, it is normal and common to feel in the dark about home improvements. The goal of this article was to educate you about the significant factors of home enhancements. Apply the information that was given to you to start making your repairs and improvements.
The former Miss Universe had helped train the young beauty queen
Sushmita Sen is proud of Himangini Singh Yadu, who was crowned Miss Asia Pacific in Busan, Korea, and said that she has got the best gift for everyone. Himangini won the title June 16 and when she returned Thursday, Sushmita was at the airport to receive her. ?It?s a proud moment for Indi., Himangini Singh has made us all very proud by winning this title because we have been waiting for a win on the international stage for a long time now,? the 36-year-old told reporters at the airport.
Indore girl Himangini is a product of Sushmita?s organisation I Am She ? Miss Universe India and is the first Indian girl to win an international beauty pageant in 12 years. ?She has given us the biggest gift. Her life starts now because today once again an Indian beauty has been recognised and given a place on the world map and that is one of the greatest achievements,? Sushmita added.
When Himangini was quizzed about her plans to enter Bollywood, she said, ?I am committed with the organisation for a year and I?ll think about it when I get good projects.?
Research: Many programs to help diabetics manage their health do workPublic release date: 22-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Such interventions work best for diabetics in poorer health
TORONTO, June 22, 2012 A new study has found that programs aimed at helping people prevent or manage diabetes are most successful if they are directed at the patient or the health care system. Programs aimed at physicians were only successful for patients with poorer diabetes control.
Such interventions also work best for diabetics in poorer health than those who are managing their illness well, the study found.
The study--a comprehensive review of 142 clinical trials involving more than 123,000 patients by Dr. Andrea Tricco, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, appears in The Lancet.
Dr. Tricco said that despite evidence showing improved clinical outcomes for diabetics who received various preventive and therapeutic interventions, many patients do not receive them.
"The gap between ideal and actual care is not surprising in view of the complex nature of diabetes management, often needing coordinated services of primary care physicians, allied health practitioners and subspecialists," she said. "Moreover, it is a challenge to change patient behavior and encourage healthy lifestyles."
She said that with the increasing prevalence of diabetes and the burgeoning cost of managing patients with this disease, improving the efficiency of diabetes care is an important goal.
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, more than nine million Canadians have diabetes or prediabetes. By 2020, it's estimated that diabetes will cost the Canadian healthcare system $16.9 billion a year.
"Although clinicians, managers and policy makers expend significant time and resources attempting to optimize care for patients with diabetes, the optimum approach to improving diabetes care and outcomes remains uncertain," Dr. Tricco said.
Her review of clinical trials found:
For patients with high levels of HbA1c the average blood sugar level over three months strategies that target the health care system are quite effective, especially team changes and case management. High levels of HbA1c indicate patients are in poorer health than those with low levels. Team changes programs are those that add another health care worker to a patient's team, such as an endocrinologist or nutritionist. Case management programs require someone other than the primary physician, such as a nurse, to coordinate care in a clinic. The review found these strategies had a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors such as LDL cholesterol and blood pressure after 12 months
Strategies that target patients are effective regardless of their HbA1c levels
Strategies aimed at physicians are not as effective, especially not for people who are already controlling their diabetes well
Dr. Tricco said the findings of the study could help physicians decide which patients would benefit from which programs. Those who are not controlling their diabetes well, for example, might benefit from some of the more costly programs, such as team changes and case management. Yet that might not be a good use of resources for patients who are managing their illness well.
Overall, the use of quality improvement strategiesclinical reminders, clinical education. patient behavior, patient education-- resulted in a 0.37 per cent reduction of HbA1c after an average follow-up of one year. The meta-analysis did not find a statistically significant improvement in the use of statins (drugs that reduce cholesterol), hypertension reduction or smoking cessation. The interventions did play an important role in increasing the use of aspirin and antihypertensive medication over a median follow-up of 13 months. They also were associated with an increase in retinopathy (inflammation of the eye), screening, screening for renal disease and foot screening over a median follow-up of 12 months.
Dr. Tricco said wide implementation of such strategies could have important benefits, as research has shown that a 1 per cent reduction in mean HbA1c results in 21 per cent fewer deaths, 14 per cent fewer myocardial infarctions and a 37 per cent decrease in microvascular complications.
"Further research is needed to identify which interventions and combinations of QI strategies will optimally improve important outcomes in patients with diabetes at an acceptable cost to aid health-system planning."
###
About St. Michael's Hospital
St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, and care of the homeless are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Center, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For more information or to interview Dr. Tricco, please contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy
Phone: 416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
St. Michael's Hospital
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
www.stmichaelshospital.com
ollow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stmikeshospital
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Research: Many programs to help diabetics manage their health do workPublic release date: 22-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Such interventions work best for diabetics in poorer health
TORONTO, June 22, 2012 A new study has found that programs aimed at helping people prevent or manage diabetes are most successful if they are directed at the patient or the health care system. Programs aimed at physicians were only successful for patients with poorer diabetes control.
Such interventions also work best for diabetics in poorer health than those who are managing their illness well, the study found.
The study--a comprehensive review of 142 clinical trials involving more than 123,000 patients by Dr. Andrea Tricco, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, appears in The Lancet.
Dr. Tricco said that despite evidence showing improved clinical outcomes for diabetics who received various preventive and therapeutic interventions, many patients do not receive them.
"The gap between ideal and actual care is not surprising in view of the complex nature of diabetes management, often needing coordinated services of primary care physicians, allied health practitioners and subspecialists," she said. "Moreover, it is a challenge to change patient behavior and encourage healthy lifestyles."
She said that with the increasing prevalence of diabetes and the burgeoning cost of managing patients with this disease, improving the efficiency of diabetes care is an important goal.
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, more than nine million Canadians have diabetes or prediabetes. By 2020, it's estimated that diabetes will cost the Canadian healthcare system $16.9 billion a year.
"Although clinicians, managers and policy makers expend significant time and resources attempting to optimize care for patients with diabetes, the optimum approach to improving diabetes care and outcomes remains uncertain," Dr. Tricco said.
Her review of clinical trials found:
For patients with high levels of HbA1c the average blood sugar level over three months strategies that target the health care system are quite effective, especially team changes and case management. High levels of HbA1c indicate patients are in poorer health than those with low levels. Team changes programs are those that add another health care worker to a patient's team, such as an endocrinologist or nutritionist. Case management programs require someone other than the primary physician, such as a nurse, to coordinate care in a clinic. The review found these strategies had a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors such as LDL cholesterol and blood pressure after 12 months
Strategies that target patients are effective regardless of their HbA1c levels
Strategies aimed at physicians are not as effective, especially not for people who are already controlling their diabetes well
Dr. Tricco said the findings of the study could help physicians decide which patients would benefit from which programs. Those who are not controlling their diabetes well, for example, might benefit from some of the more costly programs, such as team changes and case management. Yet that might not be a good use of resources for patients who are managing their illness well.
Overall, the use of quality improvement strategiesclinical reminders, clinical education. patient behavior, patient education-- resulted in a 0.37 per cent reduction of HbA1c after an average follow-up of one year. The meta-analysis did not find a statistically significant improvement in the use of statins (drugs that reduce cholesterol), hypertension reduction or smoking cessation. The interventions did play an important role in increasing the use of aspirin and antihypertensive medication over a median follow-up of 13 months. They also were associated with an increase in retinopathy (inflammation of the eye), screening, screening for renal disease and foot screening over a median follow-up of 12 months.
Dr. Tricco said wide implementation of such strategies could have important benefits, as research has shown that a 1 per cent reduction in mean HbA1c results in 21 per cent fewer deaths, 14 per cent fewer myocardial infarctions and a 37 per cent decrease in microvascular complications.
"Further research is needed to identify which interventions and combinations of QI strategies will optimally improve important outcomes in patients with diabetes at an acceptable cost to aid health-system planning."
###
About St. Michael's Hospital
St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, and care of the homeless are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Center, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For more information or to interview Dr. Tricco, please contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy
Phone: 416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
St. Michael's Hospital
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
www.stmichaelshospital.com
ollow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stmikeshospital
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Residential care homes are perfect for residents who need a similar degree of support supplied by assisted living or nursing facilities, but who wish to reside in a significantly smaller community. Because this type of care home includes a more intimate setting, residents can receive specialized attention for needs for example mental care, diabetes care, specialized diet-plan care, and take care of residents who speak a principal language apart from English, etc. In case your parent or family member can't manage their very own home a care home might be their finest choice.
The aim of the residential care house is to supply their residents having a home-like setting comparable to their own family's home but which provides similar choose to an assisted living facility. Based on where you reside in the united states a residential care home might be called different names, like a Retirement homes Essex, Board Care Homes, Personal Care Homes, or perhaps a Group Home. Most residential care homes offer transportation services so that your family members can visit and in the bank, the doctor's office, shopping, the pharmacy, etc.
Homes typically serve 20 or fewer residents and therefore are now a possible option for seniors rather than an assisted living or elderly care facility. Nearly all these homes are remodeled homes in a neighborhood setting and often match another homes in the region, but there's also custom made homes only for senior housing. Most residential care homes are privately operated and operated in which the owners may survive or from the property.
You will find day to day activities for example games, games, baking, movies, music, preparing evening meals, and crafts and arts. Residents reside in a home-like setting, that is just like a household where each resident includes a room much like a bedroom. Due to the home-like setting, most of the owners focus on a particular type of care, for instance Dementia care or Diabetes care.
Each home should be licensed within the state it are operating in. Payment per month for any residential homes Essex includes the price of housing and also the price of care provided. The amount of care provided inside a ranges from the low-level of care much like an Assisted Living facility, to high amounts of care much like an elderly care facility. The higher the degree of care that is required the larger the care cost.
Residential care homes are today becoming an important part of our society. Elderly citizens have specific requirements that are to be addressed very seriously. They on the other hand have some serious medical requirements that need an attendant all the time with them.
In all these cases care homes Essex have been an option that has allowed individuals to seek better care for the senior citizens. While you are choosing a care home you are to make sure that the care home is good enough to meet all the requirements of the elderly citizens.
Looking for care homes in Essex you can find it at: http://www.frintondene.com
This article has been viewed 8 time(s).
It is a violation of our terms and conditions for writers to submit material which they did not write and claim it as their own.
If this article infringes on your copyrights, you MUST either call us at 706-866-2295 or send proof of infringement
along with the offending article's title, URL, and writer name to
IdeaMarketers.com
Attn: Marnie Pehrson - Copyright Concern
514 Old Hickory Ln
Ringgold GA 30736 USA
If you email us or use our problem submission form, we CANNOT guarantee we'll receive your notice!
Ten ferrets, some bird flu and swabs. That is all, according to a presentation last summer, one needs to concoct a virulent strain of influenza that could start a deadly pandemic among humans.
These initial findings were presented last September in Malta at the European Scientific Working group on Influenza meeting to an auditorium packed with fellow scientists and policy makers. Ron Fouchier, a virologist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, himself a bit sniffly at the time, calmly explained that he and his team had discovered that without the help of another virus, the deadly avian flu (H5N1) could easily mutate in mammals to become transmissible through the air, like a true pandemic strain, through a sneeze or a cough. And it might need as few as five mutations to make that leap.
The findings took time to gain attention wider public attention, but when research manuscripts describing the specific mutations that the virus underwent were submitted to scientific journals, many scientists and commentators protested, suggesting such information could be used by bioterrorists to manufacture a pandemic flu strain. But after extensive review by researchers, journal editors and even the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, a decision was finally made to take the papers public.
Today in Science, the full paper on the ferret experiment is being published and made freely available online in its entirety. This publication follows the May release of a similar H5N1 study in Nature.?(Scientific American?is part of Nature Publishing Group.)?A second Science study, also published online June 21, assesses the likelihood that these mutations will occur in nature and spur a pandemic in humans. Today's paper is published alongside eight essays explaining some of the risks and benefits of this sort of research.
The upshot is further evidence that this deadly bird flu spreading to humans "is absolutely in the realm of possibility," Derek Smith, of the University of Cambridge, who co-authored the separate, second Science paper said at a Wednesday press briefing. "We see no fundamental hurdle to that happening."
H5N1 has already been found in some 20 mammalian species, including dogs, cats, humans and the dreaded virus reservoir, pigs, Fouchier noted at the briefing. About 600 human deaths have been confirmed in the past 15 years as being caused by this infection, acquired directly from birds. (The mortality rate among humans has been reported at a scary 60 percent, but this is likely an overestimate because non-lethal cases are probably not reported as often, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, noted in an essay in the same issue of Science)
"Whether this virus may acquire the ability to be transmitted via aerosols or respiratory droplets among mammals, including humans, to trigger a future pandemic is a key question for pandemic preparedness," Fouchier and his colleagues wrote in their paper.
The researchers started with a strain called influenza virus A/Indonesia/5/2005, which has infected and killed a number of humans. They first changed three proteins to make it more compatible with mammals' tissues and body temperatures. And then they introduced it into the nose of a ferret.
Ferrets are the best model we have for studying influenza?they are similarly susceptible to it and can spread it by sneezing?and have been used to study the infection since the 1930s. But that does not mean that they are a perfect flu foil for humans. "An H5N1 virus strictly adapted for ferret transmissibility may not be entirely relevant to humans," Fauci and Collins wrote in their essay.
The experimental ferrets Fouchier used did not pass the disease directly to one another, as would occur among humans in a real-world outbreak. Instead, during the first six of the 10 transmissions, researchers dropped the strain into the ferret's nose and then later swabbed the nasal area to collect the virus?with any new mutations?to be given to the next ferret. In the final few transmissions, instead of swabbing the nose, researchers made each animal sneeze, then collected the contents and placed them directly in the nose of the next ferret. Follow-up experiments showed that when an uninfected ferret was placed near one of these infected subjects?sharing air but not able to make physical contact?the uninfected ferret often caught the illness (looking tired and not eating much) but did not die from it.
As Fouchier and his co-authors noted, none of the ferrets that received the newly transmissible virus died from the infection. (And only one in eight of the animals given an earlier form of the virus, via the nose inoculation, died from the illness.) This shift in virulence mirrors the pattern that has often played out in human pandemics: as a virus becomes more easily transmissible, it becomes less deadly. In the experiments, the viruses were also treatable with common antiviral drugs.
What were the mutations that made the virus able to infect other ferrets just by breathing the same air? Four of the five mutations changed the virus's surface protein (hemagglutinin), which plays a role in allowing H5N1 to gain entry into host cells. And the fifth mutation boosted its ability to reproduce its genetic information.
Two of the mutations identified by Fouchier are already quite common in wild strains of H5N1 in birds and occasionally show up in the same strain, according to Smith's study of some 4,000 strains. As Smith and his colleagues pointed out in their paper, that means that some strains might need only three more mutations to become easily contagious among mammals. These three other mutations are rare in H5 strains (although two of them were present in the H2 and H3 pandemics of 1957 and 1968, respectively), so they are likely harmful to the virus while it resides in its bird host. Smith and his team created mathematical models to try to figure out how likely it was that these three mutations could occur in a human host. But without further research, they could only speculate that it was possible, they noted.
Trying to assess the likelihood of an outbreak of this virus in humans is about as easy as "predict[ing] an earthquake of tsunami," Smith said at the press briefing. "We now know that we're living on a fault line," thanks to Fouchier's research. "And it's an active fault line."
That prediction problem, however, suggests that much more research needs to be done on just how these viruses mutate within hosts. They also suggest increasing surveillance to do deeper genetic sequencing of circulating strains to look for less common mutations that might increase the odds the virus will jump to a new species host.
With a genetic profile of these likely mutations, efforts to monitor for the virus in the wild could be boosted. Such a profile could also help governments and vaccine manufactures get a head start developing a preventive shot before a pandemic has a chance to gain speed.
As Fauci pointed out in the press briefing, this sort of research should be closely watched and, indeed, debated. "The risk-benefit calculation is not always obvious," he said. But despite the risks?that bioterrorist groups could try to replicate the strain or that it could accidentally escape the laboratory?he sees the research as necessary so that we may better understand how the virus might evolve to infect humans. The ferret research was conducted at a biosafety level 3 (one step down from the facilities where researchers study Ebola and smallpox).
After controversy over these papers erupted late last year, a voluntary, ongoing moratorium went into effect on all the experiments that increased the transmissibility and/or pathogenesis of H5N1, Fauci noted, adding: "I think the benefit that will come out of the Fouchier paper in stimulating thoughts and ways to better understand transmissibility and adaptability and pathogenesis, in my mind, far outweigh the risk of nefarious use of this information."?
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news. ? 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 22-Jun-2012
Share ]