Monday, May 28, 2012

Small Business Opportunities. Big Rewards. | SEO Complete Solution

Small Business Opportunities. Big Rewards.

Article by Candice Clem

Small Business Options. Huge Benefits. ? Enterprise

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A lot of individuals taking into consideration a new enterprise possibility may possibly equate little organizations to modest revenue. Effectively it could surprise you to locate out that, in accordance to the US Small Business Administration, ?modest companies develop two of every a few new work, produce 39% of the gross national item, and invent more than half the nation?s technological innovation.? With this kind of a higher illustration statistically, modest organizations engage in a large roll in present day economic climate. Whether or not you happen to be fascinated in commencing a home based mostly company, retail franchise or a single of the many web based mostly businesses, there are loads of positive aspects that extend far past mere income. So for anyone intrigued taking a break from climbing the corporate ladder and stepping up into the quickest growing area of the economic climate, the small business industry is the appropriate alternative.

Be your individual boss. This phase has manufactured it into our every day vocabulary and is typically placed alongside 2.4 children, picket fences, a chicken in each and every pot and every little thing else that tends to make up the American dream. What is it about becoming your very own boss that is so interesting to the operating American? It is the very same principal that our structure is framed around independence, and with a small business, flexibility is the identify of the game. In addition to getting your very own boss, a small business enables you to select your very own route for your company. This can be expressed in your organizations core values or mission statement, and tiny businesses are considerably far more conducive to carrying out private or even political views considering that your modest size will enable you to have your hand on the pulse of your consumers. In a small business you set your individual hrs, perform as much or as tiny as you want. You can lease retail or industrial room for your enterprise or, as with numerous home primarily based businesses and perform at residence franchises, you can choose to work from the ease and comfort of your personal residence, saving funds on operation charges and providing big tax breaks for your property workplace. Modest businesses are also provided much more freedom from the authorities with significantly less regulation than huge corporations, minimal-fascination government loans and a slough of national and state sponsored govt enterprise grants accessible.

Mentioned organization writer James H. Gilmore in his ebook, ?Authenticity? writes about shoppers, ?(they) choose to purchase or not acquire primarily based on how true they perceive an supplying to be. Business nowadays, consequently, is all about becoming actual. First. Real. Sincere. Genuine.? Gilmore has created many acclaimed business publications about the rise of the new knowledge-based economic system and how today?s customer is hunting for much more than just merchandise and providers, they crave genuine individuals supplying uniquely private, lasting experiences. The small business operator has the finest possibility to capitalize on this emerging economic climate. With big companies sending a lot more and far more operate abroad, and relying a lot more intensely on mass production, the small business operator can supply a truly customized experience to their buyers that just isn?t attainable for significant conglomerates. By supplying a lot more private attention to customers, the small business proprietor is able to cater to their every need, and find out what their specific customers want and need. This results in the ?real? and lasting experience that will preserve customers coming back in excess of and more than once more. Few this experiential gain with the potential to shift fluidly from a single notion, business model or demographic to the up coming, the small business has the overall flexibility and mobility hold up with the large need and ever-altering needs of present day client.

The large query on the minds of traders and business owners alike is profits. Certain, a small business is entertaining and exiting, but is it financially viable for the regular particular person? Common small companies can depend on their personalized interaction, larger normal of support and specialized niche-kind markets to afford them a higher revenue margin that even large organizations. By generating much more income per sale or support, a small business can generate massive profits. Additionally, a small business franchise can capitalize on all of the positive aspects of a small business, but can also preserve a great bargain of money on analysis and growth, marketing and branding and promoting. A small business or franchise could not be for absolutely everyone, but if you are searching for an interesting, private and rewarding option to the corporate planet, a small business or franchise is absolutely the greatest option.

About the Creator

Locate small corporations, residence dependent franchise possibilities and details for entrepreneurs at Franchise Gator.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Microsoft Bing (Spring 2012)


It's undeniable that Google does a great job at quickly providing useful Web links and more. Yet I'm often surprised at how unwilling people are to even experiment with another search site. Underdog Bing from software veteran Microsoft has been innovating and offering its own twist on this central Internet activity since 2009. It's gotten to the point where most people would probably not even notice if you switched search-engine results on them, and blind search tests and some other studies point to Bing delivering preferred results.

The site has not been without its successes: According to Experian and comScore, Bing has overtaken Yahoo as the number-two search engine. Of course, Bing's search technology now powers Yahoo, so you could add that sites numbers, putting Bing-powered US share at about 30 percent versus Google's 65 percent.

The highlight of Bing's latest attempt to win favor over Google is its new integration of social networking with search. But the service's designers are also working on the underlying technology to understand queries better and deliver results faster. Bing's Stefan Weitz told me that they were working on a "connecting the real world to the digital world," building an entity engine code-named Satori that attaches relevant terms and relationships to objects, and then tags relevant Web pages with the object ID. So far, they've added over 300 million objects ranging from wine bottles to PC monitors. It's an offshoot of the "semantic Web" concept, which tries to categorize things and ideas rather than simply scan text on Web pages for terms.

The point of all this new plumbing as well as the new social network integration is to make Bing's new slogan?Bing is for doing?a reality. The site is a lot more than straight Web search. Hitting the Explore link at top left gives you an idea of the sites multifarious roles: Entertainment, News, Maps, Social, Finance, Videos, Local, Shopping, Travel, Translator, and more. We'll dive into several of these as the review progresses. The new social tools will be rolled out to all users by this June, and users can head to www.bing.com/new to be notified of its availability.

Interface
Google Doodles get all the noise, but every single day you can see an often dazzling and always enlightening image on the Bing home search page. The image doesn't affect the page load time, as it loads after the search box. Occasionally it will even come to life as a short video, and mouseover links always lead to more photos, maps, and info on the photo subject. The home page has a menu along the top for vertical search like Images, Videos, Shopping, News, Maps, Travel, Entertainment. You can also check your search history (if you've logged in), Hotmail, and MSN from menu items here. On the left you'll see your login accounts, Bing Rewards point total (more later), and search settings, such as safe search.

Like any other self-respecting, up-to-date search engine, start typing in the search box and you'll see suggestions drop down. You don't get Google's Instant results, but frankly, that can often just be a distraction, and most people I've asked don't use it, instead simply typing their whole query in before looking at the results. Another behavior in Bing that I definitely prefer is that when you switch, say, from Web search to news search, Bing maintains your search term and applies it to the new function. With Google, if I search "sports car" and then click the News link at top, I get the day's general news and have to type "sports car" again to see news related to that term.

One of Bing's real contributions to Web search, which was copied by Google, was the consistent sidebar it placed along the left rail of the result page. With the latest revision, this is gone from Bing. Gone also are the site text previews you used to see when you hovered the mouse over a result entry. Google now shows a large thumbnail of each site when you do this, complete with images. This gives you a visual clue, in case seeing the design jogs your memory that, yes that's the site I wanted. The removal of these thumbnails is part of a cleanup at Bing, which also put the ax to the tab filters above results, and a trimming down of the Bing daily image border to a sliver at the top.

Bing intends to replace the quick information encapsulation that site preview used to provide with Snapshot. This feature isn't yet implemented though, so I couldn't test it myself. I did get a demo of it. A Snapshot arrow will show up when you search for a restaurant, hotel, movie or event, or person. You'll see ratings, business hours, maps, and even interior panoramas for the establishments, and social network info for people searches.

Results
As I mentioned at the outset, most users wouldn't notice a difference in the quality of search results between Bing and Google. Both are perfectly capable of turning up any fairly well-known site. Blind taste tests have even shown that more users actually find Bing's results more useful. You can try such a test for yourself with BlindSearch. I've occasionally not found the result I was looking for, and sometimes Google would get it for me. The fact that so many sites try to game Google for higher placement through SEO could actually be an advantage for a non-Google search engine. Other extended tests, too, like Conrad Saam's in Search Engine Land have shown the results too close to call a clear winner.

What differentiates today's Web search is how the results are enhanced. For example, I searched for "lobster bisque recipe" and at the top of Bing's results was a Bing Recipes choice. Google helpfully listed ingredients, cook time, and calories along the left rail, while clicking into Bing Recipes laid out this information attractively. When I switched gears and typed USS Indianapolis into the search bar, Google found nothing, since the search wasn't recipe-related, while Bing had no trouble switching gears to World War II battleships. (This relates to a usability issue with Google News I mention below?an inability to shift gears.)

One option I definitely prefer in Google is the abilty to specify a date range to search for. Bing has done away with its sidebar, and thereforeany search refinements like those offered by Google's search tools. Yahoo, too, will let you restrict a search by past day, week, or month, but Google is the clear winner here.

A search for the Mets' ailing shortstop Ruben Tejada had Bing displaying his stats and performance in the most recent three games, while in Google I had to click through to one of the Web results to get this info. The first Google result was Wikipedia, rather than a sports-specific site. In fact, though it's amazing for both search engines how many results come from Wikipedia. You might as well just start with that online encyclopedia for many of your searches.

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Despite legal challenge, Tyrannosaur sells for $1 million

A nearly complete tyrannosaur skeleton has sold for just over $1 million, in spite of a call to halt its auction because the fossils may have been taken illegally from Mongolia.

During an auction Sunday afternoon, Heritage Auctions sold the Tyrannosaurus bataar specimen to an anonymous bidder on the condition that the sale receive court approval.

Opponents did not want the sale to go forward under any condition. A temporary restraining order filed in the name of the Mongolian president Elbegdorj Tsakhia sought to prevent the sale of the skeleton. The court documents contend that the specimen originated in Mongolia, and that the export of fossils excavated in Mongolia is a criminal offense under the country's law.

Under the terms of the sale, the specimen will not be delivered to the buyer until the sale receives court approval, according to Gregory Rohan, president of Heritage Auctions.

[ Up For Auction: A Natural History Gallery ]

Attorney Robert Painter, who represents the Mongolian president, attempted to stop the sale when the tyrannosaur's turn came toward the end of today's natural history auction. Painter said he would continue pursuing the case and attempt to hold Heritage Auctions in contempt of court for going forward in spite of the temporary restraining order.

During the auction, a handful of Mongolians protested from the sidewalk nearby, holding photos of the specimen and a banner reading "It's a national treasure of Mongolia return our stolen treasure."

"We want this dinosaur to go back to Mongolia where it belongs, that is the sole purpose of this," said Bolorsetseg Minjin, a Mongolian paleontologist and director of the Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs, who was among those on the sidewalk.

In response to concerns about the provenance of specimen, a species that is an Asian relative to the North American Tyrannosaurus rex , Heritage Auctions released a statement on Friday saying the specimen entered the United States legally, and that "the consignors warranted in writing to Heritage that they hold clear title to the fossils."

Heritage Auctions has not identified the seller or the buyer, citing a need to protect confidentiality.

"Somebody doesn't put something like this in a major auction that is broadcast and promoted worldwide if they have got something to hide. If there is a title problem, you go and sell it secretly to someone in a backroom for a suit case full of cash," Rohan said. "That is something we have nothing to do with."

Paleontologist Mark Norell from the American Museum of Natural History has supported the Mongolian case, saying that looting of fossils is an increasing problem for the country.

The 8-feet (2.4-meters) tall and 24-feet (7.3-meters) long specimen sold for $1,052,500. It was one of many items up for auction.

You can follow LiveSciencesenior writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

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Computers & Graphics incorporates Collage Authoring Environment

Computers & Graphics incorporates Collage Authoring Environment [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jason Awerdick
j.awerdick@elsevier.com
212-633-3103
Elsevier

Special issue Computers & Graphics incorporates Executable Paper Grand Challenge Winner: Collage Authoring Environment

New York, May 21, 2012 Elsevier's Computers & Graphics announces the upcoming publication of a special issue on 3D Object Retrieval which will incorporate the Collage Authoring Environment, a workflow and publication platform developed by the first place winner of the 2011 Executable Paper Grand Challenge. The call for submissions for the special issue was announced at Eurographics 2012 on May 13, during the 3DOR Workshop.

Collage Authoring Environment allows authors the ability to embed chunks of executable code and data into their papers, and readers may execute that code within the framework of the research article. It combines the narrative of the computational experiment with embedded artifacts that run code and datasets, producing verified results. Eryk Ciepiela, researcher and programmer at ACC Cyfronet AGH, Krakw, Poland and member of the Collage development team demonstrating the system at Eurographics 2012.

"Elsevier is excited to be collaborating with the scientific community for this important pilot following the Executable Papers Grand Challenge" stated Ann Gabriel, Publishing Director for Elsevier's Computer Science journals. "The authoring of executable code in the Collage environment is an important step forward in addressing issues of reproducibility and validation of research in Computer Science and related disciplines."

Professor Joaquim Jorge of Instituto Superior Tcnico/Universidade Tcnica in Lisboa, Portugal and Editor-in-Chief of Computers & Graphics commented, "Currently, few computer science technical publications are amenable to double-checking by experts. Submitting experimental code alongside scholarly manuscripts brings the promise of improved peer-review and faster knowledge dissemination, a critical factor in fast-moving fields such as Computer Graphics."

###

Guest editors of the special issue are Michela Spagnuolo, Senior Researcher at Istituto di Matematica Applicata e Tecnologie Informatiche in Genova, Italy and Professor Remco Veltkamp of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. The deadline for submitting proposals is June 18, 2012. To submit a proposal and for more details, visit: www.elsevier.com/executablepaper

About Computers & Graphics

Computers & Graphics is dedicated to disseminate information on research and applications of computer graphics (CG) techniques. It provides a medium to communicate information concerning interactive CG and CG applications. The journal focuses on interactive computer graphics, visualization and novel input modalities including virtual environments, and, within this scope, on graphical models, data structures, languages, picture manipulation algorithms and related software.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact

Jason Awerdick
Elsevier
+1 212 633 3103
j.awerdick@elsevier.com



[ 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.


Computers & Graphics incorporates Collage Authoring Environment [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Jason Awerdick
j.awerdick@elsevier.com
212-633-3103
Elsevier

Special issue Computers & Graphics incorporates Executable Paper Grand Challenge Winner: Collage Authoring Environment

New York, May 21, 2012 Elsevier's Computers & Graphics announces the upcoming publication of a special issue on 3D Object Retrieval which will incorporate the Collage Authoring Environment, a workflow and publication platform developed by the first place winner of the 2011 Executable Paper Grand Challenge. The call for submissions for the special issue was announced at Eurographics 2012 on May 13, during the 3DOR Workshop.

Collage Authoring Environment allows authors the ability to embed chunks of executable code and data into their papers, and readers may execute that code within the framework of the research article. It combines the narrative of the computational experiment with embedded artifacts that run code and datasets, producing verified results. Eryk Ciepiela, researcher and programmer at ACC Cyfronet AGH, Krakw, Poland and member of the Collage development team demonstrating the system at Eurographics 2012.

"Elsevier is excited to be collaborating with the scientific community for this important pilot following the Executable Papers Grand Challenge" stated Ann Gabriel, Publishing Director for Elsevier's Computer Science journals. "The authoring of executable code in the Collage environment is an important step forward in addressing issues of reproducibility and validation of research in Computer Science and related disciplines."

Professor Joaquim Jorge of Instituto Superior Tcnico/Universidade Tcnica in Lisboa, Portugal and Editor-in-Chief of Computers & Graphics commented, "Currently, few computer science technical publications are amenable to double-checking by experts. Submitting experimental code alongside scholarly manuscripts brings the promise of improved peer-review and faster knowledge dissemination, a critical factor in fast-moving fields such as Computer Graphics."

###

Guest editors of the special issue are Michela Spagnuolo, Senior Researcher at Istituto di Matematica Applicata e Tecnologie Informatiche in Genova, Italy and Professor Remco Veltkamp of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. The deadline for submitting proposals is June 18, 2012. To submit a proposal and for more details, visit: www.elsevier.com/executablepaper

About Computers & Graphics

Computers & Graphics is dedicated to disseminate information on research and applications of computer graphics (CG) techniques. It provides a medium to communicate information concerning interactive CG and CG applications. The journal focuses on interactive computer graphics, visualization and novel input modalities including virtual environments, and, within this scope, on graphical models, data structures, languages, picture manipulation algorithms and related software.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact

Jason Awerdick
Elsevier
+1 212 633 3103
j.awerdick@elsevier.com



[ 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.


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Children's Health & Fitness ? Why Our Nation's Obesity Epidemic ...

May 20th, 2012 by Len Saunders

From Culture Map?..

ast week in a desperate attempt to stem the rise of obesity levels, the prestigious independent body of scientists and physicians that advises the feds on health policy, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), recommended requiring at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day in schools and considering excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.

It also urged food companies to improve nutritional standards for foods marketed to people under 18 years old, recommending that mandatory standards be considered at all levels of government if the companies don?t adopt their own.

Pretty radical stuff, huh? Well, our obesity problem is growing (no pun intended), and for the first time, our children may not live as long as us. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and the number of people who are morbidly obese (weighing in at twice the ideal body weight) is seriously rising. Unbelievably, 6.9 percent of middle school children are morbidly obese (defined as those having a BMI in the 99th percentile).

If these trends continue, 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030.

To read the full story?..Click here

Entry Filed under: Health / Fitness Articles

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Final advice: Panel against routine prostate test

(AP) ? Healthy men shouldn't get routine prostate cancer screenings, says updated advice from a government panel that found the PSA blood tests do more harm than good.

Despite strenuous protests from urologists, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is sticking by a contentious proposal it made last fall. A final guideline published Monday says there's little if any evidence that PSA testing saves lives ? while too many men suffer impotence, incontinence, heart attacks, occasionally even death from treatment of tiny tumors that never would have killed them.

The guideline isn't a mandate. The task force stresses that men who want a PSA test still can get one, but only after the doctor explains the uncertainties. That's in part because the panel found PSA testing hasn't been studied adequately in black men and those with prostate cancer in the family, who are at highest risk of the disease.

The Obama administration said Monday that Medicare will continue to pay for PSA screenings, a simple blood test. Other insurers tend to follow Medicare's lead.

"This is important information for the public and men to have, and they should talk with their doctors about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening and make the decision that's best for them," said Mark Weber, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

The task force advice goes a step further than major health groups including the American Cancer Society, which has long urged that men decide the issue for themselves after being told of PSA's pros and cons. But it's not likely to end an annual ritual for many men 50 and older. After all, the same task force has long urged men over 75 to skip PSA screening, and research suggests almost half of them still get tested.

The controversy will end only with development of better tests ? to finally tell which men's tumors really will threaten their lives, and who will die with prostate cancer rather than from it, said Dr. Virginia Moyer of the Baylor College of Medicine, who heads the task force.

"We have been told for decades to be terrified of cancer and that the only hope is early detection and treatment," she said. The reality: "You don't need to detect all cancers."

"We don't want this to be the answer," Moyer added. "We want to screen for the ones that are going to be aggressive, manage those early ? and leave everyone else alone."

In an editorial published with the guideline in Annals of Internal Medicine, some urologists argue the panel underestimated PSA's value and overestimated its harms.

"What PSA screening offers the men is a substantial opportunity to avoid dying a particularly unpleasant death from prostate cancer," said editorial co-author Dr. William Catalona of Northwestern University, who pioneered the testing.

He spoke Monday from a meeting of the American Urological Association, where doctors debated the guideline's impact. The urology association advises that men be informed of the potential risks and benefits before screening.

But Dr. Otis Brawley, the American Cancer Society's chief medical officer, welcomed the task force's recommendation. He hoped it would help deter mass screenings, where men are given free PSAs at shopping malls and sports arenas without being told of the controversy, screenings that Brawley calls big business when health centers profit from the follow-up care.

"The question is, are we actually curing anybody who needs to be cured right now?" Brawley asked.

Too much PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, in the blood only sometimes signals prostate cancer is brewing. It also can mean a benign enlarged prostate or an infection. Only a biopsy can tell. Most men will get prostate cancer if they live long enough. Some 240,000 U.S. men a year are diagnosed with it, most with slow-growing tumors that carry a very low risk of morphing into the kind that can kill.

To evaluate whether routine screening saves lives, the task force analyzed previous research, focusing in particular on two huge studies in the U.S. and Europe. The panel's conclusion:

?Without screening, about 5 in every 1,000 men die of prostate cancer over 10 years. The European study found PSA testing might prevent one of those deaths, while the U.S. study found no difference.

?Of every 1,000 men screened, two will have a heart attack or stroke from resulting cancer treatment, and 30 to 40 will experience treatment-caused impotence or incontinence.

?Of every 3,000 men screened, one will die from complications of surgery.

Both the U.S. and European studies have flaws, and task force critics argue over which are most believable. And while U.S. death rates from prostate cancer have dropped over 20 years, the cancer society's Brawley says the drop began before PSA testing became widespread. Moreover, the risk of death is the same in Europe and the U.S. even though many more American men are screened, diagnosed and treated, he said.

"We need to do a better job of using PSA wisely," said Dr. Scott Eggener, a University of Chicago prostate cancer specialist who was disappointed the task force went so far. "Most people would agree that a well-informed, young, healthy patient should have the opportunity to talk about it with their physician."

But he's studying a way beyond the screen-or-not controversy: Having men with small, low-risk tumors postpone treatment in favor of "active surveillance," keeping close watch on their tumors and treating only if they grow. More than 100,000 men a year are candidates, concluded a recent meeting at the National Institutes of Health.

That approach could "maximize the benefits of screening," Eggener said.

___

Online:

Task force information: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/recommendations.htm

Journal's patient summary: http://bit.ly/LbhSxH

Associated Press

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Monday, May 21, 2012

Spotlight BoE forecasting, crisis-fighting record

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England is to be scrutinised over how well it acted at the height of the financial crisis and over how good its sometimes off-target growth and inflation forecasting is.

Its supervisory body said on Monday it was launching a review of both aspects of the Bank's activities, to be published in October. It follows criticism by lawmakers of Governor Mervyn King's reluctance to have the BoE's crisis record scrutinised in the same way as those of Britain's finance ministry and financial regulator.

The central bank has also faced criticism of its forecasting record since the financial crisis, after it had to cut its growth forecasts repeatedly while underestimating inflation.

"I welcome this set of reviews. Major changes to the operations of the Bank have already been made in the light of the financial crisis. These detailed, independent reviews will help to ensure that all the important lessons for the future have been learned," King said in a statement.

The reviews will be conducted by former BoE official Ian Plenderleith, former U.S. Federal Reserve official David Stockton and former J.P. Morgan banker Bill Winters, who also conducted a government review of Britain's banking sector.

The reviews will cover the provision of Emergency Liquidity Assistance in 2008/2009, the framework for providing liquidity to the banking system as a whole, and the forecasting capabilities of the rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee.

"The Court of the Bank of England believes it is important for the Bank to learn practical lessons from past experience in order to improve the way it operates in the future," said David Lees, chairman of the BoE's Court, which oversees the Bank's business conduct but has no say its policy decisions.

TOO OPTIMISTIC

The influential chairman of parliament's Treasury Committee, Andrew Tyrie, has repeatedly called for a review of the steps the BoE took during the crisis as the central bank will become the country's main financial regulator next year.

Tyrie said the reviews fell short of what was needed, criticising the timing and the scope of the review.

"The conclusions of a comprehensive review ... could, and should, have been available to inform the legislation currently before parliament to reform financial regulation," he said, reiterating his call for the Court to be given more powers.

Britain had to bail out two of its largest banks with tens of billions of taxpayers money in 2008, and had to nationalise lender Northern Rock after a run on the bank in the early stages of the financial crisis.

The first review would focus on the actions at the height of the financial crisis around the collapse of Lehman Brothers, when the Bank provided Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) to Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, the BoE's Court said.

This review, which Plenderleith will lead, will examine the decisions to provide emergency liquidity assistance, the governance agreements within the BoE for these decisions and its capability to plan and implement them.

"Overall, the review will examine how the Bank discharged its responsibilities as lender of last resort in a crisis and make recommendations for the conduct of any such operations in the future," the Court said.

A second review will focus on the framework for providing liquidity to the banking system, looking into its effectiveness in implementing monetary policy decisions, its flexibility with regards to the range of collateral and the price of liquidity.

Finally, a third review, led by former Fed official Stockton, will examining the forecasting performance, the analysis presented to the MPC in the production of the projections and the processes followed by the MPC to produce the projections.

Last week, the central bank had to admit once again in its quarterly Inflation Report that its previous growth and inflation outlook had been too optimistic.

(For the full statement click: www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/news/2012/049.aspx)

(additional reporting by Fiona Shaikh,; editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

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