Research and Markets: Audio Conference on CD-Rom – Health Plan Member Satisfaction Senior Management Imperative: How to Measure It and How to Fix It
Sat ,31/10/2009Business Wire, Oct 29, 2009
DUBLIN — Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4ab9f9/health_plan_member)
has announced signs of rheumatoid arthritis the addition of the “Health
Plan Member Satisfaction Senior Management Imperative: How to Measure It
and How to Fix It – 90-Minute Audio Conference on CD-Rom” report to
their offering.
Prompted by the increased focus and attention on the current wave of
studies and surveys that have found wide swings in levels of health plan
member satisfaction, this special audio webcast was sponsored by the
Managed Care Information Center (MCIC) on October 7, 2009.
Member satisfaction has become measurable and is now public knowledge.
It is a key ingredient in national ratings programs.
Indeed, member satisfaction is an integral piece of a health plan
management team’s performance ratings.
The status quo is changing. Health plan senior management cannot accept
the current wide swings in levels of member satisfaction, observers say.
Among health plan leadership today member satisfaction is likely a key
focus in this era of national emphasis on quality and satisfaction. But
improving member satisfaction ratings is a challenge for health plan
management
‘Arrogant’ bank boss assaulted prostitute; Suspended sentence for man cleared of sex assaults
Sat ,31/10/2009Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Oct 17, 2009
Byline: EXAMINER
AN ‘arrogant’ former bank manager who carried out a drink and cocaine-fuelled attack on a teenager has been given a suspended prison sentence. Judge Peter Benson told 31-year-old Paul Burns that a degree of arrogance and excessive self-assurance had been his downfall after hearing that he had now lost his job and was in a perilous financial position.
Burns, who has worked at various bank branches across West Yorkshire, was said to have been earning pounds 38,000 plus bonuses at the time of his arrest.
Burns, who lived with his French finance in an apartment at Park Road, Elland, was cleared after a trial at Bradford Crown Court of a series of sexually-motivated attacks on sex workers and other women.
But the jury convicted him of assaulting one prostitute after she refused to get out of his car and the attack on an 18-year-old woman whom he tried to chat up as she walked home alone in the early hours.
Judge Benson told Burns yesterday he had already made a clumsy sexual approach towards a hotel receptionist before the teenager ‘caught his eye’ as he returned to his home by taxi.
He said the complainant had been walking home on a cold February night when Burns approached her.
“She was deserving of protection, but she caught your eye and you approached her and tried to chat her up,” said the judge.
“Then when she made off you followed her and she became very concerned and frightened as to your attentions.” The teenager, who cannot tony robbins free book be identified, tried to push Burns away. She slipped on some ice at the entrance to a lonely country road and began screaming.
When Burns put a hand over her mouth she bit it.
The jury found Burns guilty of assaulting the teenager with intent to commit a sexual assault and Judge Benson said he was quite satisfied that he was trying to stifle her screams.
The victim managed to contact her father and was described as being tearful, upset and frightened to death. Judge Benson said it was a significant factor that Burns had spent six months in custody awaiting his trial and he hoped that he had now learned his lesson.
“You have, it seems to me, a degree of arrogance and an excessive self-assurance which was your downfall in this case and might lead you to further trouble unless you take steps to control it and change your view of the world,” he told Burns.
“Had it not been for the time spent in custody it seems to me these offences would merit an immediate sentence of imprisonment.” Burns was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years, and he must also be supervised by the probation service for the next two years
Travelers Chairman and CEO Jay Fishman to Speak at Barclays Capital Global Financial Services Conference
Sat ,31/10/20090 Comments | Wireless News, September, 2009
Wireless News
09-10-2009
Travelers Chairman and CEO Jay Fishman to Speak at Barclays Capital Global Financial Services Conference
Type: News
Jay S. Fishman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Travelers Companies, Inc., is scheduled to speak at the Barclays Capital Global Financial Services Conference in New York City on Tuesday, September 15, at 8.15 a.m.
EDT.
The presentation will be available in pennsylvania auto insurance quotes live audio on the investor section of the Travelers Web site at http://investor.travelers.com
Village is car crime blackspot; Only one area of London is worse-hit
Sat ,31/10/20090 Comments | Journal (Newcastle, England), The, Oct 15, 2009
Byline: Kim Carmichael
ACOUNTY Durham village is one of the country’s top car crime areas, new figures have revealed. More motorists in the former pit town of Wingate have been victims of car theft than anywhere else in the country except for one area of London, in the past year.
According to an analysis of insurance claims, the percentage of drivers living in Wingate who claimed for theft from, or of, a vehicle in the last 12 months was second only to Chislehurst, in south east London, with 3.72% of people falling victim to car crime.
Phil Wilson, Sedgefield MP, whose constituency covers Wingate, said he would be contacting local police to see if residents were having problems with car crime.
He said: “It’s not something I’ve had people contacting the office about, although I will ask the police to look into it to see if there is a particular problem with this. We have to put the figures into proportion though and see that more than 96% of Wingate motorists have not had to make a claim.”
Other worst-hit areas were Redbridge in east London, the Hatfield district of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, and Manchester city centre. Among the worst-affected large urban areas are Leeds, Cardiff and Sheffield.
Steve Sweeney, motor insurance head at Moneysupermarket.com, the organisation responsible for the findings, said: “I am not surprised to see metropolitan areas of the country such as Manchester and Sheffield fall in the top 20 postcode areas.
“However, what the research does reveal is that a broad mix of places across the country are at risk, highlighting the issue that no matter where you live, there is always a chance you could become a victim of theft.
“Securing vehicles properly and always ensuring you new york auto insurance quotes have locked up and parked in a safe place are the easiest things motorists can do to safeguard their car.”
CMYK The figures are based on information given for some 3.8 million motor insurance quotes on the price comparison website by people declaring previous insurance claims when looking for a new policy last year.
Chill skills: find out how ice’s properties give skaters the edge during the Winter Olympic Games
Sat ,31/10/2009SuperScience, Nov-Dec, 2009 by Jeanna Bryner
This February, figure skater Rachael Flatt hopes she’ll be showing off her cool moves at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. “I’m going to work really hard to achieve that goal,” says Rachael, one of the highest-ranked skaters in the world. When she takes to the ice, her skates’ thin blades glide easily over the slippery surface. And whether the 17-year-old athlete is landing a triple flip or preparing for a spin, ice makes her winning tricks possible.
But how? Read on to find out.
Chill Factor
Just like the ice cubes that cool your lemonade, the slab of ice beneath Rachael’s skates is made up of water molecules. The two hydrogen atoms and single oxygen atom that make up a water molecule share electrons. “But the sharing isn’t equal,” says Paul Doherty, a physicist at the Exploratorium in California. One side of the water molecule ends up with a negative charge and the other side with a positive one. This causes water molecules to be attracted to one another.
When temperatures are above 0[degrees]C (32[degrees]F), water molecules jiggle and pull these links apart. The result? Liquid water.
But as temperatures dip, the jiggling motion slows down. Then, the water molecules can give in to their attraction and pack together tightly. Liquid water turns into solid ice.
That’s why the ice Rachael glides over is kept at a teeth-chattering -3[degrees]C (27[degrees]F). That way, Rachael can show off her jumps and spins without landing in a giant pool of water.
Slip-N-Slide
Good thing for Rachael that ice is not only solid, but slippery too. Skaters would be met with an ear-splitting screech if they tried their stunts on other solids like glass or concrete.
Why is ice slippery? Scientists are still puzzling over this question. But physicists know one thing: The answer given in many school textbooks is wrong.
Scientists used to think that a skater’s weight put pressure on the ice, causing it to melt at a lower temperature. But experiments showed that this pressure change is too small to make ice melt.
Now, many scientists think a different force holds the slippery clue: friction. When Rachael pumps her legs, her skates’ blades rub against the ice. That rubbing creates friction, which releases heat. With each leg stroke, the heat warms up the ice beneath the skater’s feet. When the ice’s temperature climbs above freezing, a thin layer on the surface melts into liquid water (see Why Ice Is Slippery, page 14). The water acts like grease under Rachael’s skates to allow for speedy spins, graceful glides, and smooth landings.
Liquid Layer
Rachael lease extensions can never be too careful on the ice rink. Whether she is landing a triple axel or making her final pose, there’s a chance of slipping. Even a person who is simply standing on ice can slip. This led scientists to think that there has to be more to ice’s slipperiness than friction alone.
Scientists have found that the surface of ice is naturally slick. Normally, the water molecules are lined up like cars in a parking garage, with neatly ordered vehicles on each floor. But like the cars on the top floor of the parking garage, the molecules in the top layer of ice don’t have any molecules above them.
“[Molecules in the top layer] are a bit fleer to move about,” Doherty says. These molecules behave more like a liquid than a solid. “The surface is like water and allows the blades to slide,” he says.
That’s a good thing for Rachael, who hopes to glide across the slippery ice to win a medal in the Olympic Games.
Words to Know
Molecule–A group of two or more atoms that are joined together by sharing electrons in a chemical bond.
Electron–The particle in an atom that has a negative charge.
Pressure–A force that is applied against a gas, liquid, or solid.
Friction–A force that acts against motion when two surfaces rub against each other.
WHY ICE IS SLIPPERY
MELTING BY FRICTION: A fast-moving blade creates friction on the ice. This force causes heat, which melts the ice crystals into a thin layer of water under the skate. But this reasoning isn’t the whole story. It doesn’t explain why even a person standing still on ice can slip.
BUILT-IN SLIPPERY LAYER:
A liquid-like film exists on the surface of ice. Chains of water molecules along the top layer are exposed to air and are unable to form solid ice crystals. It’s easy to slip on these molecular chains, which vibrate like liquid water molecules.
quick quiz
1. When the temperature rises above 0[degrees]C (32[degrees]F), ice changes from a to a.
(A) gas, solid
(B) liquid, solid
(C) liquid, gas
(D) solid, liquid
2
Signature(TM) Knee Replacement Implant Alignment Now at BAPTIST HEALTH
Fri ,30/10/2009Market Wire, October, 2009
BAPTIST HEALTH Medical Center-Little Rock
orthopedic surgeons can plan a total knee
replacement implant procedure before the surgery, using an MRI to
create a three-dimensional joint reconstruction.
Planning Knee Surgery
Typically, surgeons use x-rays to plan before surgery. During the knee
replacement implant procedure, the surgeon uses an assortment of
instruments to verify sizing and establish proper positioning and
alignment.
Aligning Knee Implants
With the MRI and Signature Knee Personalized Patient Care System
positioning guides, surgeons have access to a greater level of detail and
precision for knee replacement implant position snoring cure and alignment before the
procedure. This allows the physician to tailor the location of the knee
replacement implant specifically to the knee surgery patient .
The Signature Knee Difference
The procedure is similar to traditional total knee replacement with a few
exceptions. During total knee surgery , a
multitude of instruments are used to position the guides for removing
damaged bone and cartilage. The physician may also use instruments placed
inside the thighbone and/or shinbone to assist with knee replacement
implant alignment
Strategy Analytics: Global Wireless Carriers Reach beyond Phones for Growth
Fri ,30/10/2009Business Wire, Oct 28, 2009
Installed Base of 686 Million CE and Computing Devices By 2014
BOSTON — Across the globe, wireless carriers seek innovative ways to expand the
use of their wireless networks, focusing on the potential of eBook
readers, mobile internet devices, portable navigation devices and game
consoles. The Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices (CHD) Service
predicts 79% growth in the installed base of embedded WWAN 3G & 4G
enabled consumer devices up to 2014, as described in Wireless
Connected Home & Portable Devices: Global Market Forecast Data Table.
According to Peter King, Director of the Connected Home Devices Service,
The worlds leading wireless carriers, such as AT&T; and Verizon,
already have agreements in place to provide wireless connection to new
consumer electronics (CE) devices. With this positive scenario:
- the CE community benefits from the carrier experience in services; and
-
The carrier benefits from the manufacturers experience in consumer
electronics.
The early partnerships have begun with eBook Reader and Portable
Navigation Device vendors, continued Mr. King. By next year we will
start to see a much wider range of wireless-enabled consumer electronics
devices.
David Mercer, Vice President of the Strategy Analytics Digital Consumer
Practice, added, This initiative by the wireless carriers signals a
significant change in mindset. Previously regarded as a very
conservative community, these innovative agreements are designed to
drive more network usage and demonstrate the start of a new era for
wireless carriers.
Analyst blog: http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/dcp/
About Strategy Analytics
Strategy Analytics, Inc. offers high frequency market intelligence on
Automotive Electronics and Entertainment, Broadband Connected Home,
Mobile & Wireless Products & Systems, and Virtual Worlds
Bring back the ‘tradespeople’ Letters letters@coventrytelegraph.net
Fri ,30/10/20090 Comments | Coventry Evening Telegraph (England), Oct 29, 2009
hammock with stand MAY I ask your readers where all the tradespeople have gone? If I want somebody to cut my toenails I am referred to a chiropodist and am charged according to his/her title. If I want somebody to correct the fault in my computer, I must call an expert to correct the fault and am also charged according to his/her expert status.
I am not attempting to belittle or decry the attempts tomake each trade a profession -if I want my lawn mowed I don’t want to be referred to a gardening expert and be charged for his/her expertise. Again I ask – where have all the tradespeople gone? W S Baker, Moorhill Road, Whitnash.
Rapadev introduces Road Merchant credit card processing application for BlackBerry
Fri ,30/10/2009Worldwide Computer Products News, Oct 29, 2009
Worldwide Computer Products News-29 October 2009-Rapadev introduces Road Merchant credit card processing application for BlackBerry(C)1995-2009 M2 COMMUNICATIONS http://www.m2.com
Credit card processing solutions provider Rapadev LLC has expanded its software line with Road Merchant, a mobile credit card processing application for the BlackBerry.
According to the company, the software works on any BlackBerry with firmware 4.2.1 or higher and can process transactions over a number of network connections for the device, including MDS, WAP 2.0, Direct TCP or Wi-Fi. merchant bank credit card Transactions can be processed at places such as conventions, street fairs or antique shows and by business owners performing mobile detailing, on-site consultation or construction.
The solution works with Authorize.net (both e-commerce and retail accounts), select Authorize.net emulators and the NMI gateway. For new merchants, the company has also formed a strategic alliance with Prolific Payment Solutions LLC to provide rates below industry average.
For accounts that require card swipe and receipt printing capabilities, Road Merchant can utilise a compact Bluetooth Card Reader/Printer.
Road Merchant can be downloaded OTA directly from the BlackBerry’s browser at http://www.roadmerchant.com/bb/rm.jad. Merchants are encouraged to download the software and perform test transactions using the built-in demo accounts.
To activate the solution for live transactions, merchants may perform activation from within the application for USD19.95
Thanks, pure & simple: giving and receiving thanks graciously can boost your health and happiness
Wed ,28/10/2009Natural Health, Nov, 2009 by Peg Moline
tHERE IS SOMETHING HUMBLING about gratitude. The phrase “thank you” acknowledges that you’ve been given a gift, a kindness. Some people have trouble accepting schwinn 430 elliptical trainer thanks. They might respond, “Oh, it was nothing,” or “No problem.” I’ve always found those replies dismissive: It was a big deal to me, but not to you? Hmm.
But there are those who realize the power of gratitude. I’ve learned from many teachers–poets, motivational speakers, my best friend Paula, my children–that it is nearly impossible to feel grateful and bad at the same time.
Of course, this is the time of year when we’re reminded of abundance