Saturday, March 31, 2012

Harris Corporation Receives $51 Million Order from Government of ...

Harris Corporation has received a $51 million order from the Government of Iraq to provide high-performance tactical communication solutions for a range of security missions. Iraq is acquiring radios and accessories from both the Harris Falcon II and Falcon III families for its security forces. As part of the order, Harris will provide Falcon III? RF-7800S wideband Secure Personal Radios, Falcon II? RF-5800M multiband handheld radios and RF-5800H high-frequency manpack radios, along with accessories and training services.

?The Falcon family of Harris radios will provide Iraqi security forces with field-proven, secure communications for a broad range of challenging missions,? said Brendan O?Connell, president, International Business, Harris RF Communications. ?Harris offers the most complete portfolio of combat-proven tactical radios and related mission-critical products that address current and emerging needs of forces operating in harsh environments.?

The Falcon III RF-7800S is a lightweight body-worn tactical radio that provides full-duplex voice and data communications over 2 kilometers. The RF-5800M-HH is an advanced, multiband, multi-mission handheld radio that provides voice and data in the 30 MHz to 512 MHz frequency range. The RF-5800H is a high-frequency manpack radio for secure, reliable beyond-line-of-site terrestrial communications.

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Foxconn workers not happy about overtime hours being cut

The Fair Labor Association's report about working conditions at Foxconn, Apple's primary manufacturing partner, vouched that workers would see fewer overtime hours without a change in pay, but employees aren't convinced that they'll be able to keep the same level of income.


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Celebrities on Holiday: Abbey Crouch and Sophia in Dubai ...

HOLIDAY IN DUBAI, UAE

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?With her husband busy as a full-time footballer, Abbey Crouch (Abbey Clancy)?doesn?t get much of an opportunity for a family holiday. So the Liverpudlian model has left Peter at home in England as she whisked their one-year-old daughter Sophia away to Dubai for a pre-Easter break. And on arrival in the Middle East, the 25-year-old WAG couldn?t wait to hit the beach.?

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On the beach Abbey wore a ?178 Vix Betsey monochrome bikini. Her daughter looked adorable in a flora, frilly bikini and headscarf, she wore to protect her little head from the hot sun.

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?With husband Peter, 31, back in England due to his footballing commitments with Stoke City, Abbey has been staying at the luxury five-star Grosvenor House Hotel. The trip marks her second visit to the hotel after she brought her mother Karen over for the opening last November. No doubt Mrs Crouch will be staying in a luxury suite at the hotel, where rooms range in price from ?200 to ?400 a night.

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This latest trip marks Abbey?s fifth holiday since becoming a mother to little Sophia on March 14 last year. Last September, they enjoyed a family holiday to the Italian island of Capri and a honeymoon in Ibiza. The family also had a pre-wedding break in Sardinia ? where they visit every year ? just days before their lavish wedding in Leicestershire.??dailymail

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Apple pledge could lead to China wage hikes

FILE - In this May 26, 2010 file photo, staff members work on the production line at the Foxconn complex in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, southern China. A pledge reported Thursday, March 29, 2012 by the manufacturer of Apple's iPhones and iPads to limit work hours at its factories in China could force other global corporations to hike pay for Chinese workers who produce the world's consumer electronics, toys and other goods. Foxconn Technology's promise comes as Beijing is pushing foreign companies to share more of their revenues with Chinese employees. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - In this May 26, 2010 file photo, staff members work on the production line at the Foxconn complex in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, southern China. A pledge reported Thursday, March 29, 2012 by the manufacturer of Apple's iPhones and iPads to limit work hours at its factories in China could force other global corporations to hike pay for Chinese workers who produce the world's consumer electronics, toys and other goods. Foxconn Technology's promise comes as Beijing is pushing foreign companies to share more of their revenues with Chinese employees. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

In this May 27, 2010 file photo, workers cling to the logo at the entrance of the Foxconn complex in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. A pledge reported Thursday, March 29, 2012 by the manufacturer of Apple's iPhones and iPads to limit work hours at its factories in China could force other global corporations to hike pay for Chinese workers who produce the world's consumer electronics, toys and other goods. Foxconn Technology's promise comes as Beijing is pushing foreign companies to share more of their revenues with Chinese employees. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

(AP) ? A pledge by the manufacturer of Apple's iPhones and iPads to limit work hours at its factories in China could force other global corporations to hike pay for Chinese workers who produce the world's consumer electronics, toys and other goods.

Foxconn Technology's promise comes as Beijing is pushing foreign companies to share more of their revenues with Chinese employees. It follows a report by a labor auditor hired by Apple Inc. that found Foxconn was regularly violating legal limits on overtime, with factory employees working more than 60 hours per week.

"I think whatever Foxconn did will have an impact, certainly, on all Chinese workers in all trades," said Willy Lin, managing director of Hong Kong-based Milo's Knitwear, which makes clothing in three factories in China for European clients.

Foxconn, owned by Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., promised to limit hours while keeping total pay the same, effectively paying more per hour. Foxconn is one of China's biggest employers, with 1.2 million workers who also assemble products for Microsoft Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co.

Japan's Toshiba Group, which employs 32,000 workers in China to make goods such as refrigerators and TVs, said it too is taking measures to reduce overtime work and create safe working conditions at its factories.

China has long been a low-cost manufacturing center for goods sold under foreign brand names. But wages already were rising quickly as companies compete for workers and communist leaders try to push the country up the technology ladder to make more profitable products.

After a lull following the 2008 global crisis when Beijing froze the minimum wage to help exporters compete, Chinese workers have received big pay hikes over the past two years, though salaries still are low by Western standards.

Foxconn responded to a spate of suicides by employees at one of its mainland factory campuses in 2010 by more than doubling its basic monthly salary to 1,800 yuan ($290). The same year, Toyota Motor Corp. and other Japanese automakers granted pay hikes following a wave of strikes that had tacit government support.

Communist leaders have promised to double the country's minimum wage from 2010 levels by 2015.

The minimum wage in Shanghai, one of the world's most expensive cities, is about 1,200 yuan ($200) a month after an increase of more than 10 percent last year. The northern city of Tianjin raised its minimum wage to 1,070 yuan ($175).

Beijing has tightened enforcement of wage and hour rules "because there has been a general lack of compliance ? greater than in other countries," said K. Lesli Ligorner, head of the China employment group for law firm Simmons & Simmons.

"China is trying to make sure that at least at the lowest level of unskilled workers there are greater protections in place for them," she said.

Export-driven manufacturers along China's booming east coast also have to pay more to get and keep workers as rising living standards in the countryside mean fewer people migrate to cities for factory jobs.

U.S. and European clients might push Chinese suppliers to pay more so they look better in front of consumers, Ligorner said.

Higher wages at Foxconn "will have a ripple effect," she said.

Pay and working and environmental conditions are a sensitive issue for U.S. and European companies, some of which have been criticized by activist groups. Companies such as Nike Inc. and The Walt Disney Co. set specific standards in contracts with producers of toys, athletic shoes and other goods sold under their brands and send auditors to enforce them.

"We mind our corporate social responsibility and demand that our contract manufacturers strictly follow local as well as international rules on labor and environmental protection," said Henry Wang, public relations director for Taiwan's Acer Inc., the world's fourth-largest personal manufacturer.

Acer's laptop computers are produced by contractors in Kunshan, west of Shanghai, and in Chongqing in the southwest.

Wang said he didn't know whether the report on Foxconn by the Fair Labor Association, an American industry group, would lead to changes at Acer. He said suppliers already are required to "strictly follow" rules on wages and working conditions.

Higher wages will be easier for manufacturers to absorb if labor is a small portion of their total costs.

Research firm IHS iSuppli estimates that Apple pays $8 for the assembly of a 16-gigabyte iPhone 4S and $188 for its components. iSuppli's figures suggest that if Apple were to absorb a Foxconn wage increase to keep pay level and cut the work week from 60 hours to 49, it would pay less than $2 extra to have an iPhone made.

Other companies earn smaller profits and might find higher wages harder to pass on.

Higher costs in China already have prompted some companies in labor-intensive industries such as shoes and textiles to migrate to Vietnam and other lower-wage economies.

Lin, the garment manufacturer, said his company employs about 1,500 people in Guangdong province near Hong Kong. He said entry level pay has more than doubled over the past five years from 600 to 700 yuan ($95-$110) a month to about 1,500 yuan ($240).

"Anything lower than that, you wouldn't find the workers willing to do it," he said.

___

AP Business Writers Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo and Associated Press writers Annie Huang in Taipei, Taiwan and Foster Klug in Seoul, South Korea contributed.

Associated Press

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Video: Sound Off: Looking Beyond Q1

CNBC guests offer their views on the markets and economy after a positive Q1.

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New CEO at IBM revives Augusta membership debate

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2006 file photo, Virginia Rometty, at the time an IBM senior vice president, speaks in New York. The appointment of Rometty this year as chief executive at IBM has revived the debate over Augusta National's all-male membership just one week before the Masters. The last four CEOs of IBM have been members of Augusta, but the club has never had a female member since it was founded in 1933. Martha Burk led an unsuccessful campaign 10 years ago for Augusta to admit a female member. (AP Photo/Dima Gavrysh, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2006 file photo, Virginia Rometty, at the time an IBM senior vice president, speaks in New York. The appointment of Rometty this year as chief executive at IBM has revived the debate over Augusta National's all-male membership just one week before the Masters. The last four CEOs of IBM have been members of Augusta, but the club has never had a female member since it was founded in 1933. Martha Burk led an unsuccessful campaign 10 years ago for Augusta to admit a female member. (AP Photo/Dima Gavrysh, File)

FILE - In this April 10, 2003, file photo, Martha Burk, center, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, speaks to media in Atlanta while flanked by Martin Luther King III, right, and Kim Gandy, left, president of the National Organization of Women, as Burk discussed her next move in protesting the male-only membership policy of the Augusta National Golf Club. The appointment of a new chief executive at IBM has revived the debate over Augusta National's all-male membership just one week before the Masters. IBM hired Virginia Rometty as its CEO this year. The last four CEOs of IBM have been members of Augusta, but the club has never had a female member since it was founded in 1933. Burk says Augusta National and IBM now are in a bind. She says IBM could end up undermining its new CEO if it doesn't fight for her admittance. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith, File)

(AP) ? The appointment of a new chief executive at IBM has revived the debate over Augusta National's all-male membership just one week before the Masters.

IBM hired Virginia Rometty as its CEO this year, which could mean a break in recent tradition if Augusta sticks to its history of never having a woman as one of its roughly 300 members.

The last four CEOs of IBM all belonged to the club. However, a woman has never worn an Augusta green jacket since it opened in 1933.

"I think they're both in a bind," Martha Burk said Thursday evening from Washington.

It was Burk who led an unsuccessful campaign 10 years ago for Augusta to admit a female member, demanding that four companies drop their television sponsorship because of the discrimination. Hootie Johnson, club chairman at the time, said Augusta would not be pressured to take a female member "at the point of a bayonet."

"IBM is in a bigger bind than the club," Burk said. "The club trashed their image years ago. IBM is a corporation. They ought to care about the brand, and they ought to care about what people think. And if they're not careful, they might undermine their new CEO."

Augusta National declined comment, keeping with its policy of not discussing membership.

Billy Payne, who ran the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, took over as club chairman in 2006. He said that day the home of the Masters "has no specific timetable" for admitting women. The question was raised at the 2007 and 2010 Masters, and both times, he said membership issues were private.

Rometty succeeds Sam Palmissano at IBM, which runs the Masters' website from the bottom floor of the media center. According to a list published by USA Today in 2002, the previous three CEOs also were members ? Louis Gertsner, John Akers and John Open.

Johnson wound up doing away with television sponsorship for two years to keep the Masters' corporate partners out of the fray.

Burk doesn't believe it should be that simple this time.

"What IBM needs to do is draw a line in the sand ? 'We're either going to pull our sponsorship and membership and any ancillary activities we support with the tournament, or the club is going to have to honor our CEO the way they have in the past,'" Burk said. "There's no papering over it. They just need to step up and do the right thing.

"They need to not pull that argument that they support the tournament and not the club," she said. "That does not fool anybody, and they could undermine their new CEO."

Burk said she would not be surprised if IBM pressured Rometty to say she doesn't want to be a member.

IBM has not commented.

"Really, I don't think it's her responsibility," Burk said. "It's the board of directors. They need to take action here. They don't need to put that on her. They need to say, 'This is wrong. We thought the club was on the verge of making changes several years ago, and we regretfully end our sponsorship to maintain her credibility and the company brand.' "

The debate returns just in time for one of the most anticipated Masters in years. Tiger Woods finally returned to winning last week at Bay Hill and is considered one of the favorites, along with U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy. Eight of the top 20 players in the world ranking have won heading into the first major of the year, a list that includes world No. 1 Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson.

Now comes a sensitive issue that dogged the tournament a decade ago, and might not go away easily.

Augusta National does not ban women. They can play the golf course, but no woman has worn an Augusta green jacket, a status symbol in business and golf.

Rometty is said to play golf sparingly. Her greater passion is scuba diving.

The new CEO has been named to Fortune magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" for the last seven years, and was at No. 7 a year ago. She started with IBM in 1981.

"We have a face, we have a resume, we have a title and we have a credible reason to do it that doesn't involve Martha Burk," she said.

Burk said she is no longer chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations. She had planned to step down until the first flap with the Masters began in the summer of 2002. Now, she said she runs the Corporate Accountability Project for the council, a project born from her battle with Augusta.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-03-29-Augusta-Women/id-b60f488116c541d5b3662d83826da30f

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Mega Millions Jackpot: $540M Up For Grabs Tonight!


A historic $540 million Mega Millions jackpot is up for grabs Friday as the lottery is living up to its name. Will you claim the biggest lotto prize in history tonight?!

Almost certainly not, but we know it's fun to dream.

Maybe we should be a little more optimistic. What will you do with the money when (not if) you strike it rich? With great wealth comes great responsibility.

Here, some experts weigh in with financial advice:

The drawing will be held Friday at 11 p.m. ET, and it can take hours for officials to figure out if there is a winner and in what state the ticket was purchased.

If no one wins ... roll that money into the next pot and play again!

The jackpot, which officials are calling "the largest lottery in world history," has captivated the nation, caused long lines at convenience stores and has many dreaming of ways to quit their jobs if they were to get the lucky numbers.

Gary Grief, director of the Texas Lottery and director for the Mega Millions group, said:

"Friday night's Mega Millions drawing will truly be a spectacular event in lottery history and provides an unprecedented opportunity for players to take a chance on a half-billion dollar dream for just the $1 price of a ticket."

Winners of the 40-state lotto can choose to receive annual payments or get a lump sum of $389 million if they pick the cash option. Decisions, decisions ...

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/03/mega-millions-jackpot-540m-up-for-grabs-tonight/

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti on Auto Racing & Being Married to Ashley Judd

In the iVillage Interview, Dario Franchitti opens up about the dangers of IndyCar racing and what it?s like being married to Hollywood celebrity Ashley Judd.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/indycar-champion-dario-franchitti-auto-racing-being-married-ashley-judd/1-h-439521?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aindycar-champion-dario-franchitti-auto-racing-being-married-ashley-judd-439521

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Saturna Green Systems Enters Partnership With evolve Motorcycles ...

Saturna Green Systems Inc. ("Saturna"), an automotive wireless technology developer and GPS location-based services ("LBS") provider, today announced an agreement with New York-based evolve motorcycles ("evolve") to incorporate Saturna's wireless ?
See all stories on this topic ?

This entry was written by MarketWatch (press release), posted on March 28, 2012 at 2:00 pm, filed under The Machines and tagged bobber motorcycles, custom motorcycle photography, harley bobber, Harley Davidson, indian bobber, Michigan, Michigan motorcycle events 2012, motorcycle parts and service, motorcycle photography, motorcycle videos, Muskegon, Muskegon Bike Time, photography. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Trackbacks are closed, but you can .

Source: http://www.barhopperchallenge.com/2012/03/saturna-green-systems-enters-partnership-with-evolve-motorcycles-to-equip/

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Wisconsin shooting recalls Trayvon Martin death

The decision by authorities not to charge a homeowner who shot dead an unarmed black man in a small Wisconsin town three weeks ago has resulted in comparisons to the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida and drawn scrutiny to the state's new "castle doctrine" law, a derivative of the "stand your ground" laws.

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Authorities ruled that Adam Kind, a homeowner from Slinger, Wisc. was justified in shooting Bo Morrison, 20, a black man. This is possibly the first such case under the expanded doctrine which was enacted late last year, prosecutors said.

The law allows homeowners facing imminent danger to their lives to protect themselves using deadly force if necessary.

About 150 people protested Sunday at the courthouse in nearby West Bend, Wisconsin. A rally also was planned for Tuesday in Madison for Morrison and Martin, 17, who was shot dead by a self-proclaimed neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida. The volunteer has claimed self-defense and has not been charged in that case.

"Under a reasonable view of the evidence the homeowner acted reasonably in his use of force based on the facts and circumstances," county District Attorney Mark Bensen said.

According to Bensen's report, Morrison attended a party in a garage adjacent to Kind's house with about 20 young adults the night of the shooting.

Kind, 35, called police at about 1 a.m. on March 3 complaining of loud music coming from a car parked in his neighbor's driveway.

Police contacted the parents of the girls who were hosting the party and they told everyone to leave, the report said.

Morrison, who had previous run-ins with the police and had a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin, left the party.

Kind, who said his concern was elevated because his wife, two children and a child guest were in the house, retrieved a handgun after he heard noises on his porch, the report said.

Kind loaded the handgun, went to the porch and confronted Morrison, who was wearing dark clothing, the report said. Kind fired one shot as Morrison walked toward him, then yelled for his wife to call 911, the report said.

An attorney representing Kind said the shooting of Morrison in the enclosed porch would have been considered justifiable under Wisconsin's prior law as well.

"All the factors to prove self-defense under the old law were present," lawyer Craig Mastantuono said.

Morrison's mother, Lauri Morrison, said he was trying to hide because he had previous tickets for underage drinking.

"He executed my son," Morrison said. "This cannot happen to another kid."

Morrison's sister, Kayla Morrison, said the former high school athlete had gotten in with the wrong crowd for a while, "But he was not a criminal. He was not a violent person."

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46863258/ns/us_news/

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Graphite Investing News: A New Investment Opportunity

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA?(Marketwire ? March 27, 2012) - Dig Media Inc. (?Dig?) is pleased to announce the launch of Graphite Investing News (http://graphiteinvestingnews.com) with partner Energizer Resources Inc. (TSX:EGZ) (?Energizer?).

Graphite Investing News is the latest addition to Dig Media?s Resource Investing News Network of commodity-focused sites. Dig Media?s sites educate and inform investors about what is influencing the markets while providing branding and connecting opportunities for exploration and mining companies.

?Having worked with Dig on Vanadium Investing News (http://vanadiuminvestingnews.com), we know the value of independent news and education to attract smart investors and build an informed audience that realizes the investment potential of a specific resource,? commented Brent Nykoliation, Vice President of Business Development of Energizer Resources. ?With vanadium and now graphite, our Green Giant Project is positioned to have two critical minerals at one source. With our emerging graphite camp in southern Madagascar, we look forward to helping grow an interested and educated audience base with which to share information as we move our graphite project to mine development.?

Graphite Investing News (http://graphiteinvestingnews.com) will educate investors on the macroeconomics influencing the graphite market as well as offer specific insights into public companies exploring and producing graphite to enable investors to make informed decisions on this growing market.

With China currently dominating 75% of the world?s graphite production, experts predict that in order to meet growing global demand for graphite, alternative sources of production will need to come online. Demand for graphite has been increasing as advancements are being made in the electric vehicle, consumer electronics, and green technology industries. Graphite is also in high demand for its use in pebble-bed nuclear reactors.

?Graphite has the potential to create significant wealth for investors as exploration companies develop their assets towards production to meet the growing demand,? said Chris Smith, Publisher. ?The Canadian junior exploration market will play a large role in easing the supply risk. Graphite Investing News is excited to be partnered with Energizer Resources to provide our investor audience with the insight they need to make educated investment decisions.?

About Energizer Resources Inc.

Energizer Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration and development company based in Toronto, Canada, which is developing its Green Giant Project located in Madagascar. The Green Giant hosts one of the largest known vanadium deposits and potentially one of the largest known graphite deposits.

The identification of 17 graphite trends, with a cumulative strike length in excess of 320 km, on the 100% owned Green Giant property and 75% owned Joint Venture (with Malagasy Minerals Limited (ASX:MGY)) properties, have validated the Company?s belief that the Green Giant Project has the potential to host a potential graphite camp. Metallurgical results to date confirm jumbo flake (+50 mesh) with +90% purity.

As graphite and vanadium are considered to be critical minerals, the Company will position itself to both strategic partners, and the financial markets, a dual offering of critical minerals from a single source for energy and storage, as well as steel and other innovations worthy of development.

In addition to the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:EGZ), the Company?s common shares trade on the U.S. Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board under the symbol, ENZR, and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol, YE5.

For more information, please visit: www.energizerresources.com.

About Dig Media Inc.

Dig Media publishes the Resource Investing News Network (http://resourceinvestingnews.com). The Network includes 33 commodity-focused websites that provide unbiased, independent news and content to educate investors on the opportunities and risks associated with the resource industry.

Our online-interconnected network educates investors about what is influencing the markets and provides news on publicly traded exploration and producing companies through exclusive independent commentaries and other aggregated news and editorial from respected sources.

For more information, please visit: www.digmediasolutions.com.

Source: http://www.contraryinvestorscafe.com/graphite-investing-news-a-new-investment-opportunity/

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Monday, March 26, 2012

Semenya wins first 800 race of Olympic year

[ [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['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', ] ]

[ [ [['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' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/semenya-wins-first-800-race-olympic-185536997--olympics.html

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

California wine shipments in 2011 rise 5.6 percent to new record

Sales of California wine within the U.S. in 2011 grew to a record 211.9 million cases, up 5.6 percent in volume compared to the previous year, according to preliminary figures released today by industry analysts.

The estimated retail value of these shipments was $19.9 billion, according to wine industry consultant Jon Fredrikson of Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates in Woodside. Global 2011 California wine sales to all markets in the U.S. and worldwide also increased 5.6 percent to 256.6 million cases.

?California?s vintners grew the wine market with creative, innovative offerings at all price points,? said Wine Institute President and CEO Robert P. Koch. ?Our wineries are in sync with consumer tastes and California wines have increasingly become a preferred lifestyle choice.??

Wineries worldwide competed for consumer attention in the U.S. with thousands of brands ? 120,000 new wine labels were approved by the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau last year. Wine sales expanded as Americans were treated to a diverse array of classic and new wine choices including Moscato, sweet reds and other easy-drinking wines with unpretentious packaging. Restaurant business recovered somewhat and value-oriented wines were still key for on-premise offerings. Many marketers focused on new opportunities in the direct-to-consumer channel as the number of states that now accept these shipments has expanded to 39, and apps and other technologies have made it easier for consumers to use these online options, according to Fredrikson.

Varietal trends in U.S. off-premise food, drug, convenience, retail chains

Wine sales in U.S. off-premise measured channels from all domestic and foreign production sources grew 2 percent on volume and almost 4 percent on value, according to Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. Most of the growth was with wines from California and other U.S. states, up 4 percent in volume, while imports shrunk 1 percent in volume. Within table wine, Chardonnay remained the most popular with 21 percent of the volume, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, 12 percent volume share; Merlot, 10 percent volume share, Pinot Grigio/Gris, 8 percent market share, and White Zinfandel, 7 percent market share. The most impressive percentage gains were Muscat/Moscato now up close to 4 percent market share, and growing by 73 percent in volume, and sweet red wines, close to a 1 percent share, with growth over 200 percent. Also of note among varietals with double digit gains were Malbec, holding a 1 percent share, up 33 percent in volume and Pinot Noir, a 4 percent share and growing 12 percent in volume. Blended Red wines also grew at double digit levels and moved up close to a 5 percent market share.

?Wine consumers are adventuresome by nature so Muscat/Moscato became a popular new flavor to try, experiencing the largest varietal volume gain of the year,? commented Danny Brager, vice president of client services for beverage alcohol at The Nielsen Company. The ?millennial? consumer, aged 21-34 who make up 26 percent of legal drinking age Americans, continue to be a wine sales growth driver, while Baby Boomers continue to be the largest generations contributor to overall wine sales. Even with the volatile economy, consumers are finding high quality and value in the wine category, and continue to experiment with sweet reds, unoaked wines, wine blends, and other diverse offerings, he explained.

U.S. again world?s largest wine market

Total wine sales in the U.S. from all production sources ? California, other U.S. states and foreign countries ? climbed to a new record of 347.0 million cases, a 5.3 percent jump from 2010, with an estimated retail value of $32.5 billion, according to Fredrikson. Of the total, California?s 211.9 million cases held a 61 percent share of the U.S. market. This is the 18th consecutive year of volume growth in the U.S.

Sparkling wine, Champagne

Shipments of sparkling wine and Champagne were the highest in the last 25 years, reaching 17.2 million cases, up 13 percent over the previous year. Strong sales came from a variety of different producers and regions worldwide. Prosecco and sparkling Moscato were among the winners, but Champagnes, other sparkling wines and California methode champenoise wines also experienced gains.

Exports also reach new record

U.S. wine exports, 90 percent from California, reached a new record of $1.39 billion in winery revenues in 2011, an increase of 21.7 percent compared to 2010. Volume shipments were up 5.8 percent to 455.7 million liters or 50.6 million nine-liter cases. Thirty-four percent of U.S. wine exports by value were shipped to the 27-member countries of the European Union, accounting for $478 million of the revenues, up 10 percent from 2010. Other top markets were: Canada, $379 million, up 23 percent; Hong Kong, $163 million, up 39 percent; Japan, $105 million, up 39 percent; and China, $62 million, up 42 percent.

California wine shipments 1

(In millions of 9-liter cases)

?

Year

to U.S. and abroad

to U.S.

Est. retail value to U.S.2

2011

256.6

211.9

$19.9 billion

2010

242.9

200.7

$18.5 billion

2009

237.1

196.7

$17.9 billion

2008

239.8

196.3

$18.5 billion

2007

233.5

192.3

$18.9 billion

2006

227.1

188.4

$17.8 billion

2005

224.1

185.6

$16.5 billion

2004

219.4

180.1

$15.0 billion

2003

207.6

175.4

$14.3 billion

2002

195.2

168.7

$13.8 billion

2001

188.9

162.8

$13.4 billion

2000

187.5

164.9

$13.0 billion

1999

186.4

167.0

$13.0 billion

1998

181.9

161.9

$12.0 billion

1 Includes table, champagne/sparkling, dessert, vermouth, other special natural, sake and others. 2?Estimated retail value includes markups by wholesalers, retailers and restaurateurs.
Excludes foreign bulk shipped by California wineries. Source: Gomberg-Fredrikson & Associates and Wine Institute. Preliminary figures. History revised. To convert cases to gallons, multiply cases by 2.3775

Shipments from California, other states, foreign producers
entering U.S. distribution

(in millions of 9-liter cases)

Year

Table1

Dessert2

Sparkling/ Champagne

?Total

Retail value3

2011

299.3

30.6

17.2

347.0

$32.5 billion

2010

285.1

29.3

15.2

329.7

$30.0 billion

2009

280.2

27.2

13.8

321.1

$28.7 billion

2008

272.9

27.5

13.4

313.8

$30.0 billion

2007

272.0

26.3

13.8

312.1

$30.4 billion

2006

264.0

24.1

13.6

301.6

$27.8 billion

2005

256.2

21.9

13.0

291.1

$25.8 billion

2004

247.7

18.9

13.0

279.7

$24.0 billion

2003

239.7

16.8

12.1

268.8

$22.3 billion

2002

232.2

15.6

11.8

259.5

$21.8 billion

2001

215.4

14.3

11.4

241.4

$20.3 billion

2000

213.2

13.9

11.8

238.9

$19.2 billion

1999

199.8

13.0

15.6

228.4

$18.1 billion

1998

196.0

13.0

12.2

221.2

$17.0 billion

1997

193.9

12.2

12.2

218.3

$16.1 billion

1996

184.6

13.0

12.2

210.3

$14.3 billion

1995

169.9

12.6

12.6

195.2

$12.2 billion

1994

165.7

13.9

13.0

192.6

$11.5 billion

1993

160.2

14.7

13.9

188.9

$11.0 billion

1992

170.3

15.6

13.9

200.2

$11.4 billion

1991

165.7

16.4

13.9

196.0

$10.9 billion

Sources: Wine Institute (volume), Department of Commerce, estimates by Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates. Preliminary. History revised.
Totals may not add up exactly due to rounding. Excludes exports. To convert cases to gallons, multiply cases by 2.3775
1 Includes all still wines not over 14 percent alcohol; excludes Canadian malt coolers.
2 Includes all still wines over 14 percent alcohol and sake. History revised based on TTB reports.
3 Estimated retail value includes markups by wholesalers, retailers and restaurateurs.

Copyright ? 1988?2012 North Bay Business Journal
View the policy for linking to website content.

Source: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/51321/california-wine-shipments-in-2011-rise-5-6-percent-to-new-record/

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US says Mali coup puts aid at risk, but moves carefully

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[ [ [['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' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-says-mali-coup-puts-aid-risk-moves-082830812.html

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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Fighting for Facebook: A WAFF 48 News Special Report

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF)- Facebook has?over 800 million users. It's the largest social website in the world. But you may not have heard of Koobface.

Huntsville computer whiz Brian Tanner knows the drill all too well. You would receive a message from a Facebook friend telling you to click on the video link. Then?it would take you to a bogus site that looked like YouTube.

"Before you can watch it, it takes you to install flash play to view the video. So you download it and now you're infected with Koobface," said Tanner.?

Koobface is a malware that a group of hackers used to target Facebook users, starting in 2008.

Since it supposedly was sent to you by a friend, it seemed harmless. But Tanners says if?your friend was infected with Koobface, it would start sending the link to all of his friends. Once you clicked, a message with your name would be sent to other friends.

The hackers would make money by selling fake anti-virus software, and by creating those annoying pop-up ads for businesses.

As a graduate student at UAB, Tanner was intrigued by this particular virus.

Tanner?and Gary Warner, the director of UAB's Forensics Research, embarked on a project to defeat it.

They joined a handful of other people in that battle.

"They would come out with some new version. The good guys would figure it out. Ok, what does it do? What's different about it?" said Tanner.

Tanner would send his findings on to Facebook, who would take that data and use it as ammunition.

It would prove to be a two-year battle, and a victory for Tanner and the good guys. In early 2011, the group of hackers driving Koobface were driven off the Facebook website.

Nine?months later, Facebook issued this statement to it's users, explaining what had happened.

Tanner?doesn't do it for the fame or fortune, although his job saves companies, like Facebook, a fortune.

In fact, this group of?five Koobface hackers made off with between?$2 and?$3?million.

"It's a good feeling to be recognized for it. A lot of stuff we weren't able to talk about before. For Facebook to make that public is great," said Tanner.?

Having those credentials as a college student made for some good job offers for Tanner,?including the one he took in Huntsville at Sentar.

They have contracts with the Department of Defense and?NASA that make internet security crucial.

The?five hackers involved with Koobface were traced to Russia. They have not been arrested yet.

Copyright 2012 WAFF. All rights reserved.

Source: http://colbertcounty.waff.com/news/news/70652-fighting-facebook-waff-48-news-special-report

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Cell therapy using patient's own bone marrow may present option for heart disease

Cell therapy using patient's own bone marrow may present option for heart disease [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Mar-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Kristin Wincek
kwincek@mhif.org
612-863-0249
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

CHICAGO Cell therapy may present an option for patients with ischemic heart disease to use their own bone marrow cells to repair the damaged areas of their hearts, and may pave the way for future treatment options, according to the FOCUS trial, which will be presented as a late-breaking clinical trial March 24 at the 61st annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session.

This is the largest study to date to look at stem cell therapy, using a patient's own stem cells, to repair damaged areas of the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Researchers found that left ventricular ejection fraction (the percentage of blood leaving the heart's main pumping chamber) increased by a small but significant amount (2.7 percent) in patients who received stem cell therapy. The study also revealed that the improvement in ejection fraction correlated with the number of progenitor cells (CD34+ and CD133+) in the bone marrow; and this information will help in evaluating and designing future therapies and trials.

"FOCUS is an incredibly important trial, as it has informed the cell therapy community how to better treat this high-risk patient population, and allows us to enter into an exciting, next generation of stem cell therapy armed with more data," said study investigator Timothy D. Henry, MD, an interventional cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute (MHI) at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and director of research with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

This multicenter study was conducted by the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN), which is supported through a research grant from the National Institutes of Health's National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with the goal to evaluate novel stem cell-based treatment strategies for individuals with cardiovascular disease.

FOCUS will be presented at ACC.12 by its lead investigator Emerson C. Perin, MD, PhD, director of clinical research for cardiovascular medicine at the Texas Heart Institute, one of the five sites in the CCTRN. The Minneapolis Heart Institute is another site of the five in the network, and a large number of CCTRN patients were enrolled in Minnesota.

For this study, which took place between April 2009 and April 2011, the five sites randomly selected 92 patients to receive stem cell treatment or placebo. The symptomatic patients, with an average age 63, all had chronic ischemic heart disease and an ejection fraction of less than 45 percent (baseline 34 percent) along with heart failure and/or angina and were no longer candidates for revascularization. "These patients had no other options, as medical management failed to improve their symptoms," explained the study's co-investigator Jay Traverse, MD, an interventionalist cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and physician researcher with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

Bone marrow was aspirated from the patients and processed to obtain just the mononuclear fraction of the marrow. In patients randomly selected to receive stem cell therapy, physicians inserted a catheter into the heart's left ventricle to inject 100 million stem cells in more than 15 sites that showed damage on the electromechanical mapping image of the heart.

"Studies such as these are able to be completed much faster because of the team approach of the network" said Sonia I. Skarlatos, PhD, NHBLI's deputy director of the division of cardiovascular sciences and program director of CCTRN.

The FOCUS trial was designed to determine whether left ventricular end systolic volume and myocardial oxygen consumption improved in patients who received stem cell treatment. Researchers also wanted to see if nuclear scans of the heart showed a reversible change in perfusion defects in patients who had received the treatment.

While the study did not achieve its primary endpoint, the researchers found that those patients with more progenitor cell types had much better improvement with ejection fraction, explained Henry, and demonstrated a linear relationship between the number of CD34+ cells and the improvement in ejection fraction.

"As a result, these findings are revealing the importance of certain cell types that are delivered and that modifying the cells may create more robust cells capable of achieving better results in future studies," concluded Traverse.

###

The study will be simultaneously published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation is dedicated to creating a world without heart disease through groundbreaking clinical research and innovative education programs. MHIF's mission is to promote and improve cardiovascular health, quality of life and longevity for all.

Minneapolis Heart Institute

The Minneapolis Heart Institute is recognized internationally as one of the world's leading providers of heart and vascular care. This state-of-the-art facility combines the finest in personalized patient care with sophisticated technology in a unique, family-oriented environment. The Institute's programs, a number of which are conducted in conjunction with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, address the full range of heart and vascular health needs: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Cell therapy using patient's own bone marrow may present option for heart disease [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Mar-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Kristin Wincek
kwincek@mhif.org
612-863-0249
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

CHICAGO Cell therapy may present an option for patients with ischemic heart disease to use their own bone marrow cells to repair the damaged areas of their hearts, and may pave the way for future treatment options, according to the FOCUS trial, which will be presented as a late-breaking clinical trial March 24 at the 61st annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific session.

This is the largest study to date to look at stem cell therapy, using a patient's own stem cells, to repair damaged areas of the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Researchers found that left ventricular ejection fraction (the percentage of blood leaving the heart's main pumping chamber) increased by a small but significant amount (2.7 percent) in patients who received stem cell therapy. The study also revealed that the improvement in ejection fraction correlated with the number of progenitor cells (CD34+ and CD133+) in the bone marrow; and this information will help in evaluating and designing future therapies and trials.

"FOCUS is an incredibly important trial, as it has informed the cell therapy community how to better treat this high-risk patient population, and allows us to enter into an exciting, next generation of stem cell therapy armed with more data," said study investigator Timothy D. Henry, MD, an interventional cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute (MHI) at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and director of research with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

This multicenter study was conducted by the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN), which is supported through a research grant from the National Institutes of Health's National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with the goal to evaluate novel stem cell-based treatment strategies for individuals with cardiovascular disease.

FOCUS will be presented at ACC.12 by its lead investigator Emerson C. Perin, MD, PhD, director of clinical research for cardiovascular medicine at the Texas Heart Institute, one of the five sites in the CCTRN. The Minneapolis Heart Institute is another site of the five in the network, and a large number of CCTRN patients were enrolled in Minnesota.

For this study, which took place between April 2009 and April 2011, the five sites randomly selected 92 patients to receive stem cell treatment or placebo. The symptomatic patients, with an average age 63, all had chronic ischemic heart disease and an ejection fraction of less than 45 percent (baseline 34 percent) along with heart failure and/or angina and were no longer candidates for revascularization. "These patients had no other options, as medical management failed to improve their symptoms," explained the study's co-investigator Jay Traverse, MD, an interventionalist cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and physician researcher with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

Bone marrow was aspirated from the patients and processed to obtain just the mononuclear fraction of the marrow. In patients randomly selected to receive stem cell therapy, physicians inserted a catheter into the heart's left ventricle to inject 100 million stem cells in more than 15 sites that showed damage on the electromechanical mapping image of the heart.

"Studies such as these are able to be completed much faster because of the team approach of the network" said Sonia I. Skarlatos, PhD, NHBLI's deputy director of the division of cardiovascular sciences and program director of CCTRN.

The FOCUS trial was designed to determine whether left ventricular end systolic volume and myocardial oxygen consumption improved in patients who received stem cell treatment. Researchers also wanted to see if nuclear scans of the heart showed a reversible change in perfusion defects in patients who had received the treatment.

While the study did not achieve its primary endpoint, the researchers found that those patients with more progenitor cell types had much better improvement with ejection fraction, explained Henry, and demonstrated a linear relationship between the number of CD34+ cells and the improvement in ejection fraction.

"As a result, these findings are revealing the importance of certain cell types that are delivered and that modifying the cells may create more robust cells capable of achieving better results in future studies," concluded Traverse.

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The study will be simultaneously published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation is dedicated to creating a world without heart disease through groundbreaking clinical research and innovative education programs. MHIF's mission is to promote and improve cardiovascular health, quality of life and longevity for all.

Minneapolis Heart Institute

The Minneapolis Heart Institute is recognized internationally as one of the world's leading providers of heart and vascular care. This state-of-the-art facility combines the finest in personalized patient care with sophisticated technology in a unique, family-oriented environment. The Institute's programs, a number of which are conducted in conjunction with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, address the full range of heart and vascular health needs: prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.


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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/mhif-ctu032312.php

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