news sites: 2012

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Before Having Dealings With Commercial Real Estate ... - Maynas Eric

With the right approach, investing in commercial real estate has the power to make you a wealthy person. On the other hand, it?s not for all individuals, since the risks and necessary investments are both great.

Try to make sure you have a good attorney when you go through with financing your real estate properties. If something is amiss with your endeavors, you need a great person to clear your name of threats.

Before you attempt to become active in the market, you must first establish an online presence. Make a website for yourself and make a LinkedIn profile. You should also utilize search engine optimization techniques to boost the search rank of your website. Ideally, people will be able to easily find your site or profile by keying your name into a search engine.

TIP! Find out how the firm that you are thinking of working with measure results. They have ways of determining how much square footage you require, conducting negotiations and selecting properties, and knowing how they do all these gives you a better idea of how they will serve you.

As you comb through possible brokers, search for those who have extensive experience in commercial markets. Look for brokers who specialize in commercial real estate. Entering into an exclusive contract with that particular broker is a good idea.

There are many factors to consider as you view available properties. For example, you should take note of statistics regarding local employers, workforce availability and the accessibility of skilled labor. A home that is in a great area, like next to good schools and parks, and has jobs available, will have a higher value than surrounding properties.

Make sure you always remain cool, calm, and collected when you begin to look for commercial real estate. Never rush into an investment. The property you buy in a hurry might not deliver what you need to reach your goals, leaving you to regret the purchase afterward. Be patient, as it could take as long as a year for just the right investment property to turn up.

TIP! When purchasing property, look at the amount of units available. Having more units in the same property gives you more profit potential without much more work.

If you are renting out your property, be sure that they are always occupied. Vacancies cost you money, because you have to pay for maintenance and upkeep without drawing income from them. Figure out why you have spaces that are consistently open. In some cases, you might need to do some problem-solving so that tenants will want to rent these spaces.

One counterintuitive fact about the apartment market is that many experts recommend avoiding properties with fewer than ten units, as they are actually more of a pain to deal with than large complexes. Each situation is different; however, the research about a particular property will govern your decision.

A fluctuating interest rate is a real threat for investors. The economy makes it likely that a good loan today could be gone tomorrow, so it?s likely that an investor who waits too long to close a loan could end up having to pay much higher rates. Keep this in mind when you begin the process of looking at properties, and match them with your long-term goals.

TIP! Determine your business goals before you start your hunt for commercial property. Think of any property features that are high priorities for you and list them down, like the number of restrooms and office, conference room availability and overall square footage.

Net Operating Income, the commercial metric for real estate, needs to be understood. In order to be successful, you will have to make sure that you never dip into the negative.

Think big when you think about commercial real estate investments. If you were thinking of buying a building with five units, realize that it is no harder managing 50 units than five. Even a building with five units needs to be commercially financed the same way as a larger building. However, the more units a building has, the less money you?ll pay per unit.

Develop an eagle eye for excellent deals. Veterans in the commercial real estate market can spot a lucrative deal very quickly. One of their tools to success is always having an exit strategy. This allows them to opt out of a deal if it doesn?t meet their criteria. In addition, they can quickly spot areas that need repair, and they can estimate financial risk to ensure they will not lose money on the deal.

TIP! Look into feng shui concepts to organize and design your commercial properties. Two of the basic principles of feng shui, openness and a lack of clutter, are both features that are appealing to buyers, tenants, and customers.

Consider online references that contain information written for both real estate novices and veterans. You can?t be too informed about the subject, so try to always be seeking out new sources of knowledge.

Take a tour of properties you are considering. You can even take a contractor with you to provide expert advice. Once you have all the details, start drafting proposals and enter negotiations with the seller. Before you decide whether you want to accept an offer or not, be sure to carefully evaluate all counteroffers.

Commercial real estate involves more complex and longer transactions than buying a home. Understand, however, that the intensity and duration of the process is necessary to achieve the higher return on your investment.

TIP! Properties are subject to a life-cycle similar to ours, where they will eventually parish if not ordered and maintained. If a property is well past its prime, you could end up putting a fortune into maintenance and renovations.

Real estate deals must include inspections, so check the credentials of the inspector. This is especially true of people who work with insect or pest removal, as there are many non-accredited people working in these fields. This helps avoid major post-sale problems.

Be certain the commercial property you are considering has good utilities access. You are going to need to sign up for utility services on your commercial property, along with the ones you have at your business.

TIP! Add a blog to your website to help you create an image as an expert in the field. Doing so can assist you in finding buyers and renters for your properties.

Ensure that you?re dealing with a customer-conscious company prior to making a purchase. Bad customer service can cost you a fortune when dealing with commercial property, so do your homework.

If you have the intention of offering your commercial real estate for rent, look for buildings that are simple and solid in construction. Tenants will be interested by buildings that look well-cared for. Buildings like these are also easier to maintain, for both owners and tenants, since repairs are going to be required less frequently.

There is a considerable amount of money to be made in commercial real estate. Not only do you have to come up with a large amount of money to use as a down payment, but you also have to put time and energy into researching each investment opportunity. The information and tips from the article above can help you get the edge to succeed in real estate.

TIP! If you are looking for a space to house your business on a permanent basis, remember that you will need room to grow. You want to invest into commercial property that has the potential to grow so that you don?t have to shop for you business again a few years down the line.

Source: http://www.maynaseric.com/before-having-dealings-with-commercial-real-estate-read-these-tips

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Woman charged with hate-crime murder in death of man pushed in ...

Joshua Lott / Reuters

New York City police officers escort 31-year-old Erika Menendez to a waiting car as she screams in Queens, New York City, on Saturday.

By NBC News staff and wire services

NEW YORK?? A 31-year-old Bronx woman who was seen muttering to herself before shoving a man onto subway tracks in front of a speeding train said she did so because, "I hate Hindus and Muslims," prosecutors said.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the woman as Erika Menendez, 31. She has been charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime, New York City authorities said. In a statement, Brown said that awaits arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.

Menendez admitted to investigators that she pushed Sunando Sen, a 46-year-old Queens resident, on Thursday because of her hatred of Hindus and Muslims, a feeling that stems from Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Sen was born in India and ran a printing shop. He died Thursday night after being knocked onto the tracks. Police released security camera video showing a woman running from the station.

Police said that Menendez was recognized on the street in Brooklyn by a passer-by who called 911. Patrol officers found and arrested her.

Brown's statement said that while in custody Menendez made incriminating statements, saying that she "pushed a Muslim" onto the tracks. Brown also said:

"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway?commuter's worst nightmare - being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train.?The victim was allegedly shoved from behind and had no chance to defend himself. Beyond that, the?hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant's actions can never?be tolerated by a civilized society."

The attack was the second time this month that someone was pushed to their death in a New York City subway station. A homeless man was arrested in early December and accused of shoving a man in front of a train in Times Square. He is awaiting trial, and claimed he acted in self-defense.

Further details on how police managed to identify the suspect in Sen's death were not immediately available.

A woman is reportedly in custody in connection with the death of a man who was struck by an oncoming NYC subway.

Investigators had been following up on tips from people who had seen the security video and were checking homeless shelters and psychiatric units in an attempt to identify the woman.

It was unclear whether Menendez had any connection to Sen. Witnesses told police the two hadn't interacted on the platform as they both waited for the train.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press and Reuters.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/29/16235799-woman-charged-with-hate-crime-murder-in-death-of-man-pushed-in-front-of-nyc-train

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Michael Medved: Liberals Stink, Government Sucks, Yay War (Little green footballs)

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| Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273795127?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Syria doomed to "hell" without political deal: envoy

MOSCOW/AZAZ, Syria (Reuters) - The international mediator touting a peace plan for Syria warned on Saturday of "hell" if the warring sides shun talks, and Moscow accused enemies of President Bashar al-Assad of blocking negotiations.

U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said in Moscow that responsible people inside and outside Syria should "help the Syrians stop their descent into more and more bloodshed, into more and more chaos and perhaps a failed state".

Efforts to find a negotiated solution to a 21-month-old war that has killed some 45,000 people have floundered, with the opposition, buoyed by rebel military advances, demanding that Assad be excluded from power before any talks can proceed.

In a sign that the war may not quickly be won, government forces - in retreat for much of the past few months - scored a victory in the strategically important central city of Homs, where they pushed rebels from a district after days of fighting.

But in the north, Syria's national airline had to cancel a flight from Cairo to Aleppo, according to Egyptian airline officials, due to insecurity at an airport that rebels have declared as a target and where explosions were heard overnight.

Brahimi spent five days in Damascus this week as part of a push to promote a months-old peace plan that calls for a transitional government, without specifying Assad's role.

"If the only alternative is really hell or a political process, then all of us must work ceaselessly for a political process," Brahimi said in Moscow. "It is difficult, it is very complicated, but there is no other choice."

Western and some Arab states that back the revolt are hoping that Russia, Assad's main international protector and arms supplier, will drop its support.

"WRONG, COUNTERPRODUCTIVE"

They have been searching for signs that Moscow, an ally of Syria since Assad's father seized power 42 years ago, is changing its stance - so far mostly in vain.

After meeting Brahimi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov firmly repeated Moscow's position that Assad's removal cannot be a precondition for negotiations, calling the Syrian opposition's refusal to talk to Damascus a "dead end".

"When the opposition says only Assad's exit will allow it to begin a dialogue about the future of its own country, we think this is wrong, we think this is rather counterproductive," he said. "The costs of this precondition are more and more lives of Syrian citizens."

Having seized much of northern and eastern Syria over the last six months, Assad's opponents seem even less likely to accept talks with the government now than when the Geneva agreement first flopped in June.

Rebels say they expect to win the war on the ground. But if both sides intend to fight to the bitter end, the longest and deadliest war to have emerged from last year's Arab revolts may have a long time left to run its course.

Despite its setbacks, the government still has the bigger arsenal and a potent air force. It controls most of the densely populated southwest of Syria, the Mediterranean coast, most of the main north-south highway and military bases countrywide.

In Azaz, a rebel-held town in the north, Abu Badri, 38, surveyed the damage of his home two hours after it was destroyed in an airstrike. He said four children and an elderly man were among the dead. Relatives trying to salvage what they could carried out drinking glasses, a fridge and an oven.

"We'll have to find a tent to stay in near the border with Turkey. What else can we do?" he said. At least six houses were destroyed by two bombs on the town, which was just beginning to recover from earlier bombardment by Assad's forces.

Eleven people were killed according to local activist Abu Zaid, who saw new graves dug in the cemetery nearby.

Blood was spattered on the bricks that littered the area. A child's teddy bear lay in the wreckage. A bulldozer cleared the heavy rubble while young boys dug through the debris with their hands, hoping to find people still alive.

In the central city of Homs, government forces pushed insurgents from the Deir Ba'alba district after several days of fierce fighting, opposition activists said.

Homs controls the strategically vital highway linking Damascus to the Alawite heartland on the coast. There were unconfirmed reports dozens of rebel fighters had been killed, said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the British-based, pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group.

WEST SEEKS RUSSIAN CHANGE OF HEART

The United States and its allies hope a change of heart in Moscow could prod Assad to yield power, much as Russia's withdrawal of support for Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic heralded his downfall a decade ago.

Lavrov noted that Assad has repeatedly said he would not go, adding that Russia "does not have the ability to change this".

Brahimi's peace plan has stalled on the demand by the opposition that Assad be excluded from any transitional government, a precondition also backed by the United States, European countries and most Arab states.

Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi, repeating the most populous Arab country's public support for the rebellion, said there was "no place for the current regime in the future of Syria".

"The revolution of the Syrian people, which we support, will go forward, God willing, to realize its goals of freedom."

Most Arab states are ruled by Sunni Muslims, who form the majority in Syria and are the foundation of the revolt against Assad, a member of the Shi'ite-linked Alawite minority sect.

Brahimi's plan was formally agreed in Geneva in June by world powers, but Washington and Moscow argued from the outset over the core question of whether the plan meant Assad must go.

In Damascus, Brahimi advocated a transitional government "with all the powers of the state", but his wording did not exclude a role for Assad.

The envoy's credibility with the rebels appears to have withered. In the rebel-held town of Kafranbel, demonstrators held up banners ridiculing Brahimi with English obscenities.

"We do not agree at all with Brahimi's initiative. We do not agree with anything Brahimi says," the rebel chief in Aleppo province, Colonel Abdel-Jabbar Oqaidi, said on Friday.

Moscow has invited the main opposition leader, Moaz Alkhatib, to visit for talks, but Alkhatib rejected the invitation outright on Friday, instead demanding Lavrov apologize for Russia's support of Assad. He did, however, say he could meet Russian officials in a third country.

Brahimi said a political solution had to be based on the Geneva agreement negotiated by his predecessor, Kofi Annan, shortly before Annan quit in frustration at the divisions among veto-wielding powers on the U.N. Security Council.

"There may be one or two little adjustments to make here and there, but it is a reasonable basis for a political process that will help the Syrian people," Brahimi said of the Geneva plan.

Brahimi is to meet senior U.S. and Russian diplomats together in the coming weeks. Two such meetings this month produced no signs of a breakthrough.

(Additional reporting by Peter Graff and Dominic Evans in Beirut, Steve Gutterman in Moscow and Tom Perry in Cairo; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-doomed-hell-without-political-deal-envoy-160122101.html

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Broadway dims lights for Klugman, Durning

By David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Getty Images file

Jack Klugman and Charles Durning.

Broadway dimmed its lights at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday and will dim them again on Friday evening, respectively, for beloved industry figures Charles Durning and Jack Klugman, both of whom died Monday.

Durning won a Tony Award for best featured actor in a play for his role as the irascible Mississippi Delta plantation owner Big Daddy Pollitt in a 1990 revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," which starred Kathleen Turner.

The actor's extensive Broadway credits stretch back to 1964, and also include the long-running 1972 premiere of Jason Miller's Pulitzer- and Tony-winning ensemble drama, "That Championship Season," about the sour 20th-anniversary victory reunion of a high school basketball team.?He appeared in David Rabe's "In the?Boom Boom Room" in 1973, and opposite Julie Harris in Hugh Leonard's two-hander "The Au Pair Man" that same year.

PHOTOS: David Rooney's Top New York theater picks for 2012

Durning starred with George C. Scott in a 1996 revival of "Inherit the Wind," and re-teamed with Harris in 1997 in a production of "The Gin Game," directed by Charles Nelson Reilly. His final Broadway appearance was in the 2000 revival of Gore Vidal's political satire "The Best Man," with Spalding Gray and Chris Noth.

"It made no difference if he was an ensemble player or leading man, his talent enabled him to show the truth and reveal the story of any role," commented Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League. "He will be greatly missed.?

Starting in the early '60s, Off Broadway was also a frequent home to Durning, most recently in the late Wendy Wasserstein's final play, "Third," ?in 2005. He gave an affecting performance as the elderly father of a New England liberal arts academic, slipping sorrowfully into dementia.

Getty, Reuters, Getty

Klugman will forever be associated with the role of slobby Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple," which he played for five years in the popular ABC comedy series based on the hit Neil Simon play. He originally stepped into that part as a replacement for Walter Matthau during the comedy's two-year Broadway run.

PHOTOS: Broadway musicals that have sung their way to the big screen

The actor's history on the Great White Way dates back even further than Durning's, beginning with a 1952 revival of Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy," alongside John Garfield and Lee J. Cobb.

Klugman received a Tony nomination in 1960 for best featured actor in a musical for his role in the original production of "Gypsy" as Herbie, the long-suffering companion to Ethel Merman's iron-willed stage mother, Rose. His other Broadway appearances included "I'm Not Rappaport" in 1985 and "Three Men on a Horse" in 1993.

"In his many stage performances, as well as on film and TV, we all felt like we knew him personally," said St. Martin of Klugman. "He had that kind of approachability. As with all fine actors, he made the work look effortless."

For his final Broadway appearance, Klugman was reunited with playwright Simon in a 1997 revival of "The Sunshine Boys," co-starring with his longtime "Odd Couple" sparring partner?Tony Randall?as a pair of ill-tempered old vaudevillians.

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UW-L communications alum receives top volunteer award in ...

UW-La Crosse?s Brad Quarberg, ?85, is the 2012 CASE V Distinguished Service Award Recipient.

A UW-La Crosse mass communications and political science alum received the top honor awarded annually among educational advancement professionals in the Midwest region.

Brad Quarberg, ?85, 24-year CASE V volunteer and director of News & Marketing at UW-La Crosse, received the 2012 CASE V Distinguished Service Award, given annually to the district?s top volunteer. CASE is education?s leading resource for knowledge, standards, advocacy and training in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, marketing and related activities. Quarberg received the award during the CASE V & V1 Better Together Conference on Tuesday, Dec. 11, in Chicago.

?The way in which we communicate to our colleagues and market our programs and conference has changed significantly over the last 20 years, we are grateful that Brad has always put the district ahead of current trends and produced outstanding marketing materials through a variety of mediums,? explained Carmela Kranz, a member of the CASE V board of directors.

Quarberg began working in the University Communications Office three months after earning a bachelor?s degree at UW-L. He joined CASE V in 1988 and was invited to join the CASE V Board of Directors to become editor of the district?s quarterly newsletter in 1997. He eventually became responsible for all district marketing efforts, which he continued through 2012. Quarberg is one of only three people who have chaired the district conference more than once ? in both 2003 and 2004.

Quarberg has received CASE Circle of Excellence gold and bronze awards for conference promotions. He has also received Pride of CASE V awards. And he has served on the CASE V?s Financial Review Committee.

During the award reception, Quarberg thanked his ?three families,? including his immediate family, his co-workers and his ?family? within CASE.

?Little did I know back in 1997 that I was not just volunteering, but gaining an outstanding group of wonderful professionals ? many who would eventually become close friends and family,? Quarberg explained. ?You challenged me. You gave me responsibilities that stretched my comfort zone. And, you gave me confidence.?

The Quarberg file:

Along with coordinating UW-L?s news and marketing efforts, Brad Quarberg is the editor of the university?s alumni magazine and two of its colleges? alumni newsletters. He is the university?s public information officer liaison to the UW System and coordinates the university?s crisis communications, along with leading the recent branding initiative.

Quarberg is deeply involved in servant leadership in the greater La Crosse area. Among his service: La Crosse Festivals-Oktoberfest, Rotary International, Great Rivers United Way, Coulee Region Junior Achievement, La Crosse Area Day with the Milwaukee Brewers, Habitat for Humanity, Boy Scouts of America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Western Wisconsin Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He is a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.

See past CASE V Distinguished Service Award winners.

Source: http://lantern.uwlax.edu/uw-l-communications-alum-receives-top-volunteer-award-in-advancement/

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$ 6 Billion for US to bring back its military equipments ... - Ariana News

Sat Dec 29, 12:38 pm

A new financial estimation for US military equipments existed in Afghanistan shows $6billion is needed to bring the equipments home said US accounting administration office.

According to Washington post newspaper report, within past decade the military costs in Afghanistan from US Government is about $600 billion.

In the report came? US Government needs about $600 billion to bring its equipments from Afghanistan.

Based on the Washington Post newspaper report, Afghanistan war would be costly comparing with Iraq War by the time US Government pull-out its military equipments.

?Though negotiation in process in between the US President Obama and Congress of US Government to decrease the Costs of ?shipping military equipments from Afghanistan still no way for US Government not pull-out its military equipments from Afghanistan?.

A new report released from US accounting administration, the US defense ministry has estimated about 7 and half million pieces of US military equipments currently exited in Afghanistan which its values is about $36 billion.

Based on other report the US Government during has brought in 2011 about 265000 military items to Afghanistan territory through Europe and Asian soils.

Source: http://ariananews.af/regional/6-billion-for-us-to-bring-back-its-military-equipments-home/

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Friday, December 28, 2012

Slate?s 2012 Longreads

??The Wedding: Will and Erwynn met at church and fell in love. But they had a big problem??don?t ask, don?t tell.? The unlikely story of the first gay military union,? by Katherine Goldstein.

Photo by Jeff Sheng.

We?ve gathered the best of Slate?s 2012 longreads below, on everything from the crisis in American walking to the rise and fall of Prog rock. Perfect for long flights and traffic-clogged car rides!

?Where?s _why? What happened when one of the world?s most unusual, and beloved, computer programmers disappeared,? by Annie Lowrey. As Lowrey challenges herself to learn computer programming, she stumbles onto the case of a ?Ruby on Rails,? a coding whiz who mysteriously vanished in 2009.

?The Chickens and the Bulls: The rise and incredible fall of a vicious extortion ring that preyed on prominent gay men in the 1960s,? by William McGowan. When the FBI and the NYPD uncovered a network of blackmailers shaking down gay targets in 1965, they did something unexpected. Rather than shrugging, or arresting the victims, they worked their way into the ring and broke it open, using, for the first time, the resources of law enforcement to defend the rights of persecuted gay men.

?The Crisis in American Walking: How we got off the pedestrian path,? by Tom Vanderbilt. What strolls on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? Not man, anymore, says Vanderbilt, digging into the strange and unsettling decline of on-foot ambulation in the United States. His four-part series explores reasons for the drop-off, pedestrian walking habits, urban ?walkability? scores, and strategies for getting America back to bipedalism.

?The Wedding: Will and Erwynn met at church and fell in love. But they had a big problem??don?t ask, don?t tell.? The unlikely story of the first gay military union,? by Katherine Goldstein. Goldstein follows two men in the armed forces down the winding road to marriage, just nine months after the repeal of the ban on openly gay soldiers.

?Georgia?s Hunger Games: Fewer than 4,000 adults in the southern state receive welfare, even as poverty is soaring. How Georgia declared war on its poorest citizens?leaving them to fight for themselves,? by Neil deMause. Rising poverty rates, plunging welfare rolls, and a state government that sees financial aid as a gladiatorial contest: The dystopian reality in Georgia could have risen from the pages of a Suzanne Collins novel. Combining grim statistics and face-to-face conversations with poor Americans, deMause argues for a policy overhaul. ?

?The Conversion: How, when, and why Mitt Romney changed his mind on abortion,? by William Saletan. Saletan follows the candidate?s fluctuating attitude on abortion from pro-choice to pro-life?and explains the significance of the shift.

?Prog Spring: The brief rise and inevitable fall of the world?s most hated pop music,? by David Weigel. Weigel explores the overstuffed, visionary madness of progressive (?prog?) rock.

?How To Measure for a President,? by John Dickerson. What does it take to be an effective commander (and everything else)-in-chief? Dickerson proposes a checklist of traits?note the absence of leadership?we should look for whenever we evaluate candidates for the highest office in the land.

?The Case of the Mormon Historian: What happened when Michael Quinn challenged the history of the church he loved,? by David Haglund. Faith and intellectual inquiry don?t always go hand-in-hand, especially when that (Mormon) hand wants to chronicle the ?problem areas? of the LDS past. In his study of historian Michael Quinn, Haglund paints a moving portrait of a man torn between loyalty to his church and hunger for the truth. ??

?Free To Be: Forty years ago this fall, a bunch of feminists released an album. They wanted to change ? everything,? by Dan Kois. In 1972, one record revolutionized the way a generation of kids?and their parents?thought about gender. Interlacing the history of Free To Be You and Me with anecdotes from his own life as a father, Kois explains why the oddball hippie album still matters in 2012.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=bdbc397155b7e1317b6fe4409d2580c1
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Top 4 NYSE Stocks In The Farm & Construction Machinery Industry ...

Below are the top farm & construction machinery stocks on the NYSE in terms of PEG ratio.

AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) has a PEG ratio of 0.85. AGCO's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $9.78 billion.

Lindsay (NYSE: LNN) has a PEG ratio of 0.88. Lindsay's trailing-twelve-month ROE is 14.76%.

CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH) has a PEG ratio of 1.02. CNH Global's trailing-twelve-month operating margin is 11.79%.

Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) has a PEG ratio of 1.03. Deere's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is 8.48%.

(c) 2012 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Racial disparities in pediatric appendicitis treatment tied to hospital type

Dec. 28, 2012 ? When researchers from UCLA Medical Center investigated the link between racial disparities and appendicitis outcomes in children, they found that the type of hospital in which black, Hispanic and other minority patients receive care -- community, children's or county -- affects their odds of developing a perforated appendix. The study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons is a first-of-its-kind look at the role hospital type plays in race-based treatment variances among this patient subset.

Appendicitis -- a painful, inflamed appendix -- is the most common reason for emergency abdominal surgery in children. Approximately 80,000 pediatric cases are diagnosed in the U.S. annually.* Since the inflamed appendix can sometimes become perforated if the condition is not treated in a timely fashion (usually one to two days from the time symptoms first appear), researchers have used appendix perforation as a marker for inadequate access to health care. While existing research shows that a number of factors (such as age, socioeconomic status, the distance a family lives from a hospital) increase the risk for developing a perforated appendix in minorities, these factors don't tell the whole story.

"Appendicitis is a time-dependent disease process that leads to more a complicated medical outcome, and that outcome, perforated appendicitis, has increased hospital costs and increased burden to both the patient and society," according to study author Stephen Shew, MD, FACS, associate professor of surgery, UCLA Medical Center, and a pediatric surgeon at Mattel Children's hospital, both in Los Angeles.

To determine whether there is a link between hospital type and racial disparities, as measured by appendiceal perforation (AP), Dr. Shew and colleagues looked at data from the California Patient Discharge Dataset. Their analysis involved 107,727 children between the ages of two and 18 years old who were treated for appendicitis at 386 California hospitals between 1999 and 2007. Of these children, 53 percent were Hispanic, 36 percent were white, 3 percent were black, 5 percent were Asian, and 8 percent were of an unknown race. The children were sorted by hospital type, which included community, children's and county hospitals.

After accounting for age, income level and other known factors that increase risk for a perforated appendix, researchers found that at community hospitals, Hispanic children were 23 percent more likely to experience appendix perforation than white children, and Asian children were 34 percent more likely than white children to experience appendix perforation. Further, Hispanic patients treated at children's hospitals were 18 percent more likely to develop this complication than white patients. Odds of appendix perforation did not differ by race within county hospitals. Researchers also found that black patients treated at children's and county hospitals had a higher risk of appendix perforation compared with black patients treated at community hospitals.

Beyond what the researchers already know about appendicitis outcomes in children, these findings indicate that hospital type does play an independent role in risk for perforated appendicitis, and that these disparities in appendicitis outcomes exist at different types of hospitals based upon race, Dr. Shew said. "The goal is to figure out why these racial disparities exist and what interventions could be put in place to help eliminate them," he added.

Dr. Shew stressed that further research is still needed on a variety of issues, including whether there is a link between language barriers and understanding symptoms of appendicitis and access to care. "We don't know what explains these findings; however we suspect that there are some other barriers in play," Dr. Shew said. This discovery shows that a critical piece of the puzzle -- what is happening with the child and the parents from the time they first discover the symptoms of appendicitis to the time they seek care -- is still missing.

"As investigators it behooves us to look further into prehospital factors that may contribute to this racial disparity and ultimately find what interventions can be implemented to provide much quicker access to care, so children can get treated more effectively," Dr. Shew said. "But we don't know for sure what would be most beneficial until we really know where the problem lies."

* Addiss DG, Shaffer N, Fowler BS, Tauxe RV. The epidemiology of appendicitis and appendectomy in the United States. Am J Epidemiol 1990;132:910-925.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American College of Surgeons, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Lorraine I. Kelley-Quon, Chi-Hong Tseng, Howard C. Jen, Steven L. Lee, Stephen B. Shew. Hospital Type as a Metric for Racial Disparities in Pediatric Appendicitis. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2013; 216 (1): 74 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2012.09.018

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/oEjkJSO94WI/121228133736.htm
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For many designers, the word 'trend' has a negative connotation, tarred with images of blind imitation of whatever's hot at any given time, rather than genuine innovation and independent creative thought.

So rather than serving you up seasonal, flash-in-the-pan trends that you'd frankly be a fool to follow, here we've provided an essential overview of 20 longer-lasting styles and movements that have genuine impact on creative professionals.

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Notable in 2012 is the trend for pared-back minimalism, which cuts through the noise with considered use of white space, clean type, bold, simple shapes and limited colour palettes, rather than ladling on special treatments and effects ? and we've covered several applications of this here. Likewise, the current consumer desire for authentic, unique products that give a sense of heritage rather than bland mass-production manifests itself in several smaller ways too. You'll find a few wildcards in there, too ? so read on for your snapshot overview of the design trends from 2012.

Back to basics

Graphic Design Trends: Moby Album Anatomy by Duane Dalton

Reacting against a modern-day existence in which we?re overloaded with information, data and constant updates about the world around us, this trend for refined, ultra-simplified design boils communication down to its bare bones, stripping out unnecessary fuss and complications to leave graphic artwork in its purest form. It takes confidence and skill to design in this pared-back way ? there?s nothing to hide behind ? and the few elements need to work extra hard.

Build your own type

Graphic Design Trends: Modono by Christine Gertsch

DIY type systems? basically enable you to compile your own letterforms using so-called ?modular construction kits?, and then test and play around with the resulting alphabet for interesting results. Many such kits come in hybrid forms, combining multiple elements in various ways for true versatility. Christine Gertsch?s Modono project, for instance, provides a series of horizontal, vertical, diagonal and corner components that can be used to make monospaced characters of different weights and colours.

Timeless heritage

Graphic Design Trends: Bricos by Anagrama

In order for a new brand identity to stand out in an already densely populated marketplace, it needs to be timeless, clean and communicate clearly. Many consumers are embracing global brands that demonstrate a truly international aesthetic ? designers are often achieving this by looking to how great brands of the past for inspired use of bold colour stripes and simple fonts, similar to examples of now-iconic airline branding that has really stood the test of time.

Handwritten type

Graphic Design Trends: Royal Mail Stamps by Marion Deuchars

With polished digital perfection everywhere, the raw, flawed product of the human hand is becoming increasingly appealing, especially in contrast to overly slick digital design that?s too clean and crisp to have a soul of its own. Starting in reaction to the homogenisation of type in emails, texts and tweets ? where the personality of handwriting is stripped away ? hand-written type adds a real sense of authenticity to a piece of design, as well as a whimsical edge.

Type from objects

Graphic Design Trends: F*ck Experimental Type by Jonas Buntenbruch

Pushing the idea of DIY type systems a little further, some designers are manipulating everyday objects into playful, spontaneous typographic designs. Compiled from any number of gathered, scavenged and collected objects, these alphabets are truly unique and individual. One example is Jonas Buntenbruch?s provocatively titled ?Fuck Experimental Type? piece, which utilises ?found? objects from his workspace to create the phrase ? including pens, coins, scissors and a banana.

The incomplete look

Some typographic branding work has been pared back beyond its core elements, stripping out parts of letterforms for a more subtle, sophisticated approach that communicates using the least information possible. When the right balance is struck, missing elements in logos leave the viewer to fill in the blanks as the brain automatically solves the puzzle. Anagrama?s work for architectural firm MTLL, for instance, strips out the lines from the ?M? to help convey its dedication to finding simple solutions.

Back to Bauhaus

Graphic Design Trends: Promax Beyond by Proud Creative

This particular trend is characterised by simple, strong, graphic patterns that chime with the Bauhaus aesthetic: it?s all about straight edges, angular shapes and bold colours. Triangles, circles and hexagons replace more ornate patterns for a real sense of clarity, purity and authority ? enhanced by widespread use of saturated primary colours. In some cases, shapes are also layered into abstract typography in a style that blends classic Bauhaus Modernism with 1980s graphic design.

Old school calligraphy

Graphic Design Trends: Penny Sparkle Album Artwork by Triboro Design

Pushing against the ubiquity of particular typefaces, this trend develops the trend for rough, hand-drawn lettering even further. Rather than settle for the unnatural smoothness of standard off-the-shelf script fonts, designers are developing their own type using calligraphic techniques, imitating the authenticity of hand-inked lettering. This kind of unique craftsmanship is particularly in vogue, and the visual style of a hand-written personal letter suggests that time, effort and skill have been invested in a piece of graphic design.

Moir? patterns

Graphic Design Trends: Barbershop by Here Design

Comprising two or more grid-like patterns that are overlapped to create a simple optical illusion, moir? techniques are being used extensively in branding work in particular ? providing an engaging, eye-catching way to attract consumers? attention. From simple black-and-white effects to bold uses of stripes and bright primary colours, such as Here Design?s branding work for music and sound design company Barbershop, moir? designs make simple shapes and colours work doubly hard.

Artisan authenticity

Graphic Design Trends: Another Shirt Please branding by Planet Creative

With giant multinational brands dominating the high street and efficient mass-production stripping any sense of variation out of the products they sell, consumers are consciously seeking out an independent, artisan aesthetic for a refreshing change. For designers, it pays to make the effort to communicate the heritage of a brand ? as well as reveal the ?craft story? behind a product ? to tap into this widespread desire for a genuine connection with the process by which things are made.

Source: http://www.creativebloq.com/top-20-graphic-design-trends-2012-1212327

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