NYT: As troops exit Afghanistan, businesses may follow

America may be struggling to come up with a viable exit plan for Afghanistan, but Abdul Wasay Manani is sure of his.

The broad-set Afghan butcher spent the past seven years trucking cattle in from the Pakistan border and building a thriving business for himself and his family, serving up some of the best hamburgers in Kabul for the embassies and expatriates and their barbeques.

But this month, Mr. Manani, 38, flew to India for 14 days to scout out a new business, and a new home, ready to leave Afghanistan and everything he sweated to build here, just in case things fall apart when most Americans and other foreign troops leave in 2014. ?If the Taliban come like last time, ordering people around with whips, I can?t stay here,? he said. ?I have to leave this country to keep my family safe.?

Many Afghans share his concern. Interviews with business owners, analysts and economists paint a picture of extreme anxiety in both the domestic and international business communities here as the Afghan-United States relationship deteriorates and as the Western drawdown begins.

In this environment, troubling indicators are not hard to find. More than 30,400 Afghans applied for asylum in industrialized nations in 2011, the highest level in 10 years and four times the number seeking asylum in 2005, according to provisional figures from the United Nations. Meanwhile, the number of displaced Afghans outside the country seeking to come the other way slowed to 68,000 last year, down from 110,000 in 2010 and a big decrease from the 1.8 million Afghans who repatriated in 2002, the year after the Taliban were driven out of power.

The only Western bank operating here said on Wednesday that it would be leaving. Piles of cash equaling about a quarter of Afghanistan?s annual economic output were physically carried out of Afghanistan last year. Fewer foreign companies are seeking to do business here, and those already here are downsizing and putting off new investments. And there are businessmen like Mr. Manani who already have a foot out the door, working actively toward a Plan B for life and business outside Afghanistan.

Senior Afghan officials are acutely aware of it, and are alternately worried and angry. ?Sometimes I hear that some businessmen are fleeing and moving their businesses to outside Afghanistan,? President Hamid Karzai said at a news conference this month. ?Curses be upon such businessmen that made tons of money here and now that the Americans are leaving they flee. They can leave right now. We don?t need them.?

Given the importance of trying to bolster economic independence in the overall plan for Afghanistan, the skittish responses and decreasing investment and hiring strike right at hopes that this impoverished nation, still barely on the cusp of modernity, can thrive on its own.

Large companies are expressing worries about the security situation. One of the most significant is Standard Chartered, the only big Western bank with a branch in the country, which said Wednesday that it was turning over its operations to a local Afghan bank and withdrawing because of deteriorating conditions, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, chief executive of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the head of one of the country?s four big cellphone companies had told him that he planned to take his investments out of the country after 2014.

?It is still two years to go but we are hearing from our businesses that everybody is raising this question,? Mr. Haqjo said.

Even those who are trying to stay have become very conservative, foreign companies in particular. According to the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency, capital spending by foreign companies newly registered in the past year, at $55 million, was the lowest rate in at least seven years, and about one-eighth the rate?s peak in 2006.

According to Masuda Sultan, an Afghan-American businesswoman who grew up in Queens, the caution is expressing itself in businesses downsizing workforces, for example, or holding off on new investments.

?Among the people I know, there is planning going on in terms of investment decisions,? she said. ?They are not packing up their bags just yet, but people are looking to diversify abroad or into other business sectors within Afghanistan,? she said.

Some are Some of the companies that are more heavily dependent on the military and the aid economy, like construction and logistics businesses, are trying to stay put by reconfiguring toward the few areas where analysts feel Afghanistan might have growth potential, like mining or trade.

But others are nervous that Afghanistan?s nebulous private sector will not be enough to fill the huge gap left by the United States? military and development spending. World Bank figures back up those fears: the bank estimates that outside aid is equivalent to more than 90 percent of the country?s total economic activity, and forecasts a slowdown in growth in the coming years to 5 or 6 percent from about 9 percent, or much lower if security worsens.

That is in part because, despite the billions in reconstruction and aid money poured into Afghanistan, there still is no major manufacturing or technology base that could be a driver of future prosperity. A new Pepsi bottling plant in the outskirts of Kabul is trumpeted as one of the few new investment triumphs.

?There is a sense that they have to change from a war economy to a postwar economy, and people definitely expect it to contract,? said Thomas Rosenstock, a lawyer, originally from New York, who helps foreign companies entering the Afghan market. ?It?s uncertain how dramatic the contraction would be.?

Then there are those who are voting with their cash.

Each week tens of millions of dollars ? some thought to be diverted American aid or drug money ? are packed into suitcases or boxes and loaded onto planes leaving Kabul International Airport for destinations like Dubai, capital flight that is increasing steadily ahead of the 2014 deadline, officials say.

Noorullah Delawari, the central bank governor, recently imposed new restrictions limiting the amount a passenger can take out of the country to $20,000 a trip.

But the mountain of departing cash that is officially declared ? about $4.6 billion last year, the same size as the Afghan government?s annual budget ? may be matched by money fleeing through other airports and over borders, or seeping out through the black market, an Afghan official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. ?We really don?t know how much is being moved,? the official said.

Even at the Kabul airport, there are holes in the ability of the authorities to keep track of cash moving out of the country. Security officials there are still struggling to ensure that people passing through the V.I.P. area of the airport put their bags through X-ray machines installed a few years ago in part to keep people from sneaking cash out, the official said.

For Mr. Manani, the butcher, and others like him who do not have huge amounts of capital as a safety blanket, the hopes that they can stay at home and still expand their businesses are being tempered by the need to ensure their families? safety.

His plan is rooted in an effort to start a second business in New Delhi with his local Sikh business partner there, he says. That would enable him to get a long-term visa, and so a way out for his wife and five children, as well as his parents, brothers and a sister and their children, all of whom depend on him and would have to move with him, he says.

?Every businessman is just thinking about how to move from here, about how to be safe,? Mr. Manani said as he stood in front of a big cooler where sides of beef and lamb were hanging. Through the doorway into another room, four workers were busily cutting and packing.

He grew up in the north of Afghanistan and fought in the bitter civil war of the 1990s. There is no way he wants to relive that experience, he said.

?I don?t have the energy to take the gun again and start fighting,? he said. ?That?s why I am looking for a way out.?

This story, "In Afghanistan, Businesses Plan Their Own Exits," first appeared in The New York Times.

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National institute launched to help businesses grow with Asian consumers

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 30-Mar-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Feisal Abdul Rahman
feisalar@ntu.edu.sg
65-679-06687
Nanyang Technological University

Launched officially today, the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI) announced its strategy and plans for becoming the world's go-to centre for companies seeking to grow their business in Asia.

Top on the list is an Asia Consumer Summit, organised with the Financial Times. Modelled in format after the World Economic Forum in Davos, this event, to be attended by global business leaders, will be a platform to examine Asian consumers. The rest of this year's calendar is filled with conferences headlined by big names in the region, like Acer's Stan Shih, and uniquely Asian events including a seminar on "Ghosts, Spirits, Lucky Numbers and Other Superstitions" and the consumer.

The Institute, funded jointly by the Singapore Economic Development Board and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is a world-class, first-of-its-kind institute focused on Asian consumers. Through research, education programmes and industry collaborations, ACI will help companies develop strategies for Asian markets. Hosted at NTU and funded up to $77 million over five years, the Institute will help businesses innovate brands, products and services, based on insight about pan-Asian consumer needs, wants, and preferences.

The Institute was officially launched at an inauguration ceremony at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel Singapore. Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, S. Iswaran, presided over the event.

In his speech, Mr. Iswaran noted that the launch of the institute is in tandem with the shift in economic focus to Asia. He added that Singapore's ideal location and integrative research capabilities in biomedical sciences and engineering will benefit consumer goods companies looking to access and capture market opportunities in the region and beyond.

"Singapore's physical connectivity and cultural proximity to the region, coupled with our multi-cultural talent base, makes us an ideal outward looking pan-Asian hub for many research agencies and consultancies to acquire a nuanced understanding of similarities and differences among Asian consumers," said Mr. Iswaran.

Top executives of global consumer goods and market research companies also attended the event. They included Unilever, ADK, Kraft Foods, Research in Motion, and Nielsen, which have committed to collaborating with ACI on various initiatives. Also present were Professor Amitava Chattopadhyay from INSEAD, Professor Shi Zhang from the UCLA, Ms Leung Cheong Tai, President (Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa) from Nielsen, and Mr BV Pradeep, Vice President (Consumer & Market Insight) from Unilever, who participated in panel discussions on consumer insights, and strategy and growth.

"Unilever is delighted to support ACI. We need thought leadership and insights about Asian consumers that we can use for marketing and product innovations." said Mr Pradeep.

Ms Leung said, "As consumer needs evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, insights into how and why they make purchasing decisions become even more critical for companies to win, and also identify emerging demand for growth. We welcome the ACI's initiatives to accelerate the development of talents in the region, which will foster an even stronger community of professionals to help companies win."

At the event, NTU President, Bertil Andersson highlighted ACI's relevance to NTU's strategy of becoming a New Silk Road of knowledge that combined the best of the East and West. "The study of Asian consumer insight is one that relies on expertise across many disciplines. Say, you are looking to make inroads into the Asian retail markets. You may start by looking to history, culture, psychology, to figure out what goes on in the mind of the consumers. This requires a multi-disciplinary approach. At NTU, ACI will have access to some of the world's best brains in fields like marketing, culture intelligence, accounting, engineering, and very soon, neuro-science when NTU's new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up in partnership with Imperial College London, enrols its first 50 students in August next year," he said.

The Institute is led by Executive Director Bernd Schmitt, who is currently at NTU as a Nanyang Visiting Professor. A professor of international business at Columbia Business School, New York, and Director at the Centre on Global Brand Leadership, Professor Schmitt has taught and conducted research on Asian consumers for almost 20 years, at universities such as CEIBS in China, Yonsei University in South Korea, and Hong Kong University. He has also consulted for a variety of organizations Sony in Japan, Samsung, Lotte, and Amore Pacific and Hanjin in South Korea, Wheelock in Hong Kong and Tata Industries in India.

"The Asian consumers are set to become the number one priority for companies around the world. Vibrant economies and youthful demographics are creating the world's fastest growing middle class. Firms that are seeking that next phase of growth cannot ignore this region and I'm most excited for this opportunity to lead this pioneering work at the frontier of the global consumer franchise," said Professor Schmitt.

Conferences, Seminars and Executive Programmes

ACI's flagship event is the Asia Consumer Summit, which will be the global platform to examine issues of growth and strategy, exploring Asia's latest consumer trends and how to capitalise on business opportunities that arise from them. Organised in partnership with the Financial Times, it is fashioned after the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, and will bring together the world's most influential and iconic leaders from business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, research firms, creative agencies and academia. The inaugural conference is scheduled for October 11, 2012.

Prior to that, ACI will be organizing its first seminar on Friday, 13th April, at 1808hrs. Titled "Ghosts, Spirits, Lucky Numbers and Other Superstitions and How They Influence Consumer Behaviour", this seminar will help retailers, hoteliers, property developers and other companies unravel the mysteries of how superstitions affect consumer perceptions, decisions and ultimately business. For more tailored insights on market-specific trends and issues, ACI will be conducting several Country Series seminars this year. The first of the Country Series takes place in July, with the spotlight on South Korea. This will be followed by a seminar on India in August, and one on Indonesia in December. The Institute will also offer executive education courses for working professionals. It will also develop customised courses for companies that want their employees to be trained to meet their specific needs.

Research

ACI, through its research fellows, conducts academic research in areas such as consumer decision-making, consumer psychology and consumer culture. ACI fellows are a multi-disciplinary faculty from universities in the region, including NTU, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, INSEAD, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. ACI has already invited professors from leading US business schools, such as University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, and Columbia University, to present their research. It has established a partnership with the Centre on Customer Insight at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland.

Master of Science Programme

ACI, together with the Nanyang Business School, will launch a Master of Science in Marketing programme in October 2012 to help nurture talent that understands Asian consumers, and possesses the know-how to reach out to them. This one-year, part-time programme will focus on developing quantitative and qualitative research skills to analyse, evaluate and appreciate the unique needs of Asian consumers. Students will learn well-established research methods like survey design as well as cutting-edge methods such as ethnography, text mining and Bayesian analysis. More than just theory, participants will learn how to implement and apply these methods in practically relevant contexts, such as design, branding and product innovation.

Industry Collaborations

ACI invites companies to engage in joint projects and create "next practices" for areas such as understanding young Asian females, "the bottom of the pyramid" and emotional consumption. Corporations can sponsor company-specific research projects and case studies, which will provide them with key strategic insights into how they can grow their businesses in Asia.

###

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ramona Zuzarte
Senior Assistant Director
Institute on Asian Consumer Insight
Nanyang Business School
Nanyang Technological University
Tel: 6592-7915
Email: ramona@ntu.edu.sg

Feisal Abdul Rahman
Senior Assistant Director, Media Relations
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University
Tel: 6790-6687
Email: feisalar@ntu.edu.sg

About the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI)

ACI is a world-class, first-of-its-kind institute focused on Asian consumers. A national institute in Singapore, ACI started as an initiative of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) in 2011 and is hosted by Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

ACI has launched various research projects focused on Asian markets and consumers, a Master of Science program, conferences and events, executive programs and company projects. ACI helps companies to develop customer-focused strategies based on insights about Asian consumers. The Institute create value in the areas of innovation, branding, new-market development and new media.

Led by its Executive Director, Professor Bernd Schmitt, ACI has more than 20 researchers and post-docs conducting research on Asian consumers. On a regular basis, ACI also invites faculty from US and European institutions as visitors and research collaborators to Singapore.

For more information, visit http://www.aci-institute.com

About Nanyang Technological University

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. In 2013, NTU will enrol the first batch of students at its new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, which is set up jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to four world-class autonomous institutes the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.

Besides the main Yunnan Garden campus, NTU also has a satellite campus in Singapore's science and tech hub, one-north, and is setting up a third campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.

For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg



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?


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.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 30-Mar-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Feisal Abdul Rahman
feisalar@ntu.edu.sg
65-679-06687
Nanyang Technological University

Launched officially today, the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI) announced its strategy and plans for becoming the world's go-to centre for companies seeking to grow their business in Asia.

Top on the list is an Asia Consumer Summit, organised with the Financial Times. Modelled in format after the World Economic Forum in Davos, this event, to be attended by global business leaders, will be a platform to examine Asian consumers. The rest of this year's calendar is filled with conferences headlined by big names in the region, like Acer's Stan Shih, and uniquely Asian events including a seminar on "Ghosts, Spirits, Lucky Numbers and Other Superstitions" and the consumer.

The Institute, funded jointly by the Singapore Economic Development Board and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is a world-class, first-of-its-kind institute focused on Asian consumers. Through research, education programmes and industry collaborations, ACI will help companies develop strategies for Asian markets. Hosted at NTU and funded up to $77 million over five years, the Institute will help businesses innovate brands, products and services, based on insight about pan-Asian consumer needs, wants, and preferences.

The Institute was officially launched at an inauguration ceremony at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel Singapore. Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, S. Iswaran, presided over the event.

In his speech, Mr. Iswaran noted that the launch of the institute is in tandem with the shift in economic focus to Asia. He added that Singapore's ideal location and integrative research capabilities in biomedical sciences and engineering will benefit consumer goods companies looking to access and capture market opportunities in the region and beyond.

"Singapore's physical connectivity and cultural proximity to the region, coupled with our multi-cultural talent base, makes us an ideal outward looking pan-Asian hub for many research agencies and consultancies to acquire a nuanced understanding of similarities and differences among Asian consumers," said Mr. Iswaran.

Top executives of global consumer goods and market research companies also attended the event. They included Unilever, ADK, Kraft Foods, Research in Motion, and Nielsen, which have committed to collaborating with ACI on various initiatives. Also present were Professor Amitava Chattopadhyay from INSEAD, Professor Shi Zhang from the UCLA, Ms Leung Cheong Tai, President (Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa) from Nielsen, and Mr BV Pradeep, Vice President (Consumer & Market Insight) from Unilever, who participated in panel discussions on consumer insights, and strategy and growth.

"Unilever is delighted to support ACI. We need thought leadership and insights about Asian consumers that we can use for marketing and product innovations." said Mr Pradeep.

Ms Leung said, "As consumer needs evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, insights into how and why they make purchasing decisions become even more critical for companies to win, and also identify emerging demand for growth. We welcome the ACI's initiatives to accelerate the development of talents in the region, which will foster an even stronger community of professionals to help companies win."

At the event, NTU President, Bertil Andersson highlighted ACI's relevance to NTU's strategy of becoming a New Silk Road of knowledge that combined the best of the East and West. "The study of Asian consumer insight is one that relies on expertise across many disciplines. Say, you are looking to make inroads into the Asian retail markets. You may start by looking to history, culture, psychology, to figure out what goes on in the mind of the consumers. This requires a multi-disciplinary approach. At NTU, ACI will have access to some of the world's best brains in fields like marketing, culture intelligence, accounting, engineering, and very soon, neuro-science when NTU's new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up in partnership with Imperial College London, enrols its first 50 students in August next year," he said.

The Institute is led by Executive Director Bernd Schmitt, who is currently at NTU as a Nanyang Visiting Professor. A professor of international business at Columbia Business School, New York, and Director at the Centre on Global Brand Leadership, Professor Schmitt has taught and conducted research on Asian consumers for almost 20 years, at universities such as CEIBS in China, Yonsei University in South Korea, and Hong Kong University. He has also consulted for a variety of organizations Sony in Japan, Samsung, Lotte, and Amore Pacific and Hanjin in South Korea, Wheelock in Hong Kong and Tata Industries in India.

"The Asian consumers are set to become the number one priority for companies around the world. Vibrant economies and youthful demographics are creating the world's fastest growing middle class. Firms that are seeking that next phase of growth cannot ignore this region and I'm most excited for this opportunity to lead this pioneering work at the frontier of the global consumer franchise," said Professor Schmitt.

Conferences, Seminars and Executive Programmes

ACI's flagship event is the Asia Consumer Summit, which will be the global platform to examine issues of growth and strategy, exploring Asia's latest consumer trends and how to capitalise on business opportunities that arise from them. Organised in partnership with the Financial Times, it is fashioned after the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, and will bring together the world's most influential and iconic leaders from business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, research firms, creative agencies and academia. The inaugural conference is scheduled for October 11, 2012.

Prior to that, ACI will be organizing its first seminar on Friday, 13th April, at 1808hrs. Titled "Ghosts, Spirits, Lucky Numbers and Other Superstitions and How They Influence Consumer Behaviour", this seminar will help retailers, hoteliers, property developers and other companies unravel the mysteries of how superstitions affect consumer perceptions, decisions and ultimately business. For more tailored insights on market-specific trends and issues, ACI will be conducting several Country Series seminars this year. The first of the Country Series takes place in July, with the spotlight on South Korea. This will be followed by a seminar on India in August, and one on Indonesia in December. The Institute will also offer executive education courses for working professionals. It will also develop customised courses for companies that want their employees to be trained to meet their specific needs.

Research

ACI, through its research fellows, conducts academic research in areas such as consumer decision-making, consumer psychology and consumer culture. ACI fellows are a multi-disciplinary faculty from universities in the region, including NTU, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, INSEAD, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. ACI has already invited professors from leading US business schools, such as University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, and Columbia University, to present their research. It has established a partnership with the Centre on Customer Insight at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland.

Master of Science Programme

ACI, together with the Nanyang Business School, will launch a Master of Science in Marketing programme in October 2012 to help nurture talent that understands Asian consumers, and possesses the know-how to reach out to them. This one-year, part-time programme will focus on developing quantitative and qualitative research skills to analyse, evaluate and appreciate the unique needs of Asian consumers. Students will learn well-established research methods like survey design as well as cutting-edge methods such as ethnography, text mining and Bayesian analysis. More than just theory, participants will learn how to implement and apply these methods in practically relevant contexts, such as design, branding and product innovation.

Industry Collaborations

ACI invites companies to engage in joint projects and create "next practices" for areas such as understanding young Asian females, "the bottom of the pyramid" and emotional consumption. Corporations can sponsor company-specific research projects and case studies, which will provide them with key strategic insights into how they can grow their businesses in Asia.

###

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ramona Zuzarte
Senior Assistant Director
Institute on Asian Consumer Insight
Nanyang Business School
Nanyang Technological University
Tel: 6592-7915
Email: ramona@ntu.edu.sg

Feisal Abdul Rahman
Senior Assistant Director, Media Relations
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University
Tel: 6790-6687
Email: feisalar@ntu.edu.sg

About the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI)

ACI is a world-class, first-of-its-kind institute focused on Asian consumers. A national institute in Singapore, ACI started as an initiative of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) in 2011 and is hosted by Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

ACI has launched various research projects focused on Asian markets and consumers, a Master of Science program, conferences and events, executive programs and company projects. ACI helps companies to develop customer-focused strategies based on insights about Asian consumers. The Institute create value in the areas of innovation, branding, new-market development and new media.

Led by its Executive Director, Professor Bernd Schmitt, ACI has more than 20 researchers and post-docs conducting research on Asian consumers. On a regular basis, ACI also invites faculty from US and European institutions as visitors and research collaborators to Singapore.

For more information, visit http://www.aci-institute.com

About Nanyang Technological University

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the colleges of Engineering, Business, Science, and Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. In 2013, NTU will enrol the first batch of students at its new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, which is set up jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to four world-class autonomous institutes the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

A fast-growing university with an international outlook, NTU is putting its global stamp on Five Peaks of Excellence: Sustainable Earth, Future Healthcare, New Media, New Silk Road, and Innovation Asia.

Besides the main Yunnan Garden campus, NTU also has a satellite campus in Singapore's science and tech hub, one-north, and is setting up a third campus in Novena, Singapore's medical district.

For more information, visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg



[ 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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FDA decides not to ban BPA in food packaging

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that it would not ban the use of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, in food packaging but said it would continue research on the health effects of the widely used chemical.

Although it rejected a petition by an environmental group to outlaw the compound in food and beverage containers, the agency did not close the door on future regulation. "This is not a final safety determination on BPA," FDA spokesman Douglas Karas said. "There is a commitment to doing a thorough evaluation of the risk of BPA."

Scientists are still working to determine what effects BPA, which mimics estrogen in the body, has on human health once ingested.

They know that it is metabolized quickly and that it has been shown to have negative effects in mice, including developmental and reproductive abnormalities, precancerous changes in the prostate and breasts, and other health problems. In epidemiological studies, researchers have reported correlations between BPA levels in people and higher risk of ailments including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver problems.

The FDA said the scientific evidence presented in the Natural Resources Defense Council's 2008 petition "was not sufficient to persuade" the agency to prohibit BPA in food packaging. Dosing methods in some research studies, for example, did not reflect how a person would ingest the chemical, the agency said. It also took issue with sample sizes, which it said were not large enough to provide confidence in results.

"FDA is performing, monitoring and reviewing new studies and data as they become available, and depending on the results, any of these studies or data could influence FDA's assessment and future regulatory decisions about BPA," wrote David Dorsey, the agency's acting associate commissioner for policy and planning.

Dr. Sarah Janssen, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, "We always support more research but we also wonder, when is enough enough?.... What the FDA is saying is: We're going to keep studying it and in the meantime you're going to still eat it and then maybe later we'll tell you it's not safe."

Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council, a trade group that represents manufacturers, said in a statement that the FDA decision "again confirms that BPA is safe for use in food-contact materials, as it has been approved and used safely for four decades."

First made more than a century ago, BPA is used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic for shatter-resistant food containers, sports safety equipment, eyewear and other products. It is used in epoxy resin as a protective coating for food and beverage packaging to prevent it from reacting with the contents. And it is present on many types of sales receipts, from which it rubs onto people's hands.

Residual BPA can migrate from containers into food, and the FDA agreed with the defense council "that most infants, children and adults are exposed to low levels of BPA through the diet."

Manufacturers have stopped using BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups sold in the U.S. because of customer concerns and bans in some states. The chemistry council has petitioned the FDA to prohibit use of the chemical in those products to create a national standard, Hentges said.

Linda S. Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, said that the agency was funding experiments to address lingering doubts about BPA.

"Our grantees have published nearly 100 papers since January 2010. Nothing has been published that says there isn't any problem here," she said. "On the other hand, there are still a lot of outstanding questions."

For instance, she said, "We want to have some surety that if BPA is removed from products, that what is put in its place is not a problem as well."

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

eryn.brown@latimes.com

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Investing In Gold and Silver Shares and Mutual Money

Introduction

When it arrives to the preference of treasured metals stocks, you?re investing in a mining company?s power to provide or execute.

Valuable metals shares can be even more unstable than the exchange-traded money and are not for the faint of heart. It should really be noted that there are numerous resources to give some thought to pertaining to mining corporations. Be excess thorough when considering mining stocks as an expenditure as there are a multitude of variables to measure up front.

The Gold Commerce In Common

When you get shares of any agency, you are indirectly getting a stake in their reserves and their long-term small business program. Mining shares reflect the income of the small business. If it fees the organization $450 an ounce to dig up gold, fork out staff members, gasoline and the like, and the yellow metallic is advertising at $750, the company?s income is $three hundred for each ounce. If the expense of gold then rises to $850 the business earnings margin will increase appropriately. But it will work the other way in reverse, much too. A decrease in the cost of gold could place the firm in the red. So, the inventory amount is in general more unstable.

Completely different Variations of Gold and Silver Businesses

In normal, mining shares drop into 3 wide categories. These stocks are detailed in descending purchase of probability with exploration suppliers currently being the most risky and producers currently being a smaller amount dangerous.

1) Exploration

two) Advancement

three) Producers

How To Get Gold and Silver Stocks

Like any other stocks, these trade on the key U.S. and Canadian inventory exchanges. I would highly recommend steering clear of all pink-sheet or unlisted stocks as the reporting specifications are fairly minimum. As soon as again, the only advice I would recommend is allocating only a modest percentage of your general portfolio to mining shares and to conduct thorough because of diligence right before buying.

Gold and Silver Mutual Funds

A different way to actually buy precious metals stocks is to make investments in actively managed open up conclude mutual money, shut finish funds and trade traded money (ETFs). Stock mutual cash are not generally direct performs, but they can allow lessen the volatility and agency risk associated with paying for a simple company. Most open up close mutual money sometimes commit in fifty-125 personal holdings and comprise an inner price ratio which is netted thru the returns. There are also mutual money that embody a ton of varied commodities including fuel and oil to allow for additionally diversification.

How To Pay for Gold and Silver Mutual Funds

Treasured metals mutual money can be ordered throughout most brokerage businesses, for example well identified online brokerages. As with any expense be confident to choose your time and fully understand why you are investing. Like any expense, be positive to perform your because of diligence prior to when obtaining.

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Trucker who killed hitchhikers gets life sentences

AP

This image provided by the Illinois Department of Corrections shows Robert B. Rhoades, a trucker who kept a torture dungeon in the cab of his long-haul rig.

By msnbc.com staff

A serial killer who set up a torture chamber in his truck and kidnapped mostly female hitchhikers across the United States has admitted murdering a newlywed couple in Texas, according to reports.

Robert Ben Rhoades --?already serving a life sentence for the death of a 14-year-old girl in Illinois --?this week pleaded guilty in?West Texas to killing Patricia Candace Walsh and her husband Scott Zyskowski, both in their 20s, the Deseret News reported.


Prosecutors had agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for the pleas and Rhoades,?65,?was given two life sentences, the News said.

The paper said?Rhoades, a long-haul truck driver,?was the subject of the book "Roadside Prey" by Alva Busch.

In his?cab was "a type of dungeon with handcuffs on the ceiling,"?the News reported. In 1996, the Tucson Weekly, citing officials,?said it?was believed that Rhoades?had been killing an average of three women a month by the early 1990s.

The Associated Press reported the couple, from Seattle,?were hitchhiking to Georgia to preach the Christian gospel, when they took a ride from Rhoades near El Paso, Texas in early 1990.

FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap said investigations concerning Rhoades were continuing.

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Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/30/10934355-truck-driver-who-killed-hitchhikers-gets-life-sentences-in-plea-deal

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Submitted 2012-03-29 21:03:58

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Lincoln Mitchell: Hoodies, Racism and Newt Gingrich

Geraldo Rivera is one of those public figures who, to those of us who do not pay too much attention to aging former celebrities, seems to pop back up every few years to say something offensive or dumb. Last week's comments were both. Rivera is, of course, a minor media personality, with no real relevance to much of anything anymore, so his comments should not, on their own, be taken too seriously. Unfortunately, his remark that Trayvon Martin's "hoodie (was) as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as much as George Zimmerman was," while an extraordinary overstatement, bears some truth.

Martin's killing is further evidence that for many Americans, innocence is no longer the default presumption and that something as organic as the color of one's skin, or as silly as one's choice of outer wear can be a basis on which they are judged, and in the case of Martin, according to Rivera, killed. The hooded sweatshirt has become a popular garment in recent years presumably due to passing styles as well as its usefulness and warmth. It is not, however, exclusively, or even largely, a garment worn by dangerous street thugs.

Although it is true that hoodies are occasionally worn by people who have done great damage to our country's social fabric, there are also many innocent people, of all background, ages and genders who wear hoodies. I live in a very diverse neighborhood where young men and adolescents who are African American, Latino and white, as well as the occasional middle aged academic walking his dog, wear hoodies. Most of these young men, regardless of their background have been friendly and good neighbors during the years I have lived there. Rivera's suggestion that "parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly not... let their children go out wearing hoodies," would resegregate my neighborhood, and many others, based on clothing, and represent a triumph of racial profiling and bigoted stereotyping over equality and community.

Rivera's comments on hoodies can be construed as a clumsy attempt to offer helpful advice to parents while still recognizing the problems of racism which confront our society. There is, however, no way to interpret Newt Gingrich's comment "What the president said, in a sense, is disgraceful...Trying to turn it into a racial issue is fundamentally wrong. I really find it appalling," in response to President Obama's statement that "If I had a son he would look like Trayvon Martin," as anything other than racial insensitivity and campaign posturing of the worst kind.

Gingrich is a fringe political figure enjoying a national retirement tour, so his opinions should not be weighed too heavily. Nonetheless, the sentiment he expressed speaks to one of the key, if often unmentioned, pillars of today's Republican Party, that racism is something from the past. This belief allows the Republican Party to ignore any attempts to strengthen racial equality in America and to dismiss any accusation of racism as playing the race card.

In Newt Gingrich's America, if a young African American male is killed for nothing more than being in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time, it is somehow a problem if the President suggests, barely, that there might have been a racial dynamic to the events. If Obama's comments were inappropriate, as Gingrich seemed to feel, then race is something that simply cannot be discussed in America, and racism should be ignored altogether.

Race is obviously at the center of this tragic incident; and that cannot be changed by the comments of a self-important has-been winding down his political career. Moreover, and more significantly, race is never too far from the center of American politics more broadly. Having an African American president, while a tremendous stride forward for racial equality by any measure, does not, unfortunately, make racism go away. It just changes the nature of racism, and the way it is understood and discussed.

The tragic killing of Trayvon Martin is a reminder of this. It is also a reminder that regardless of who sits in the White House, ordinary African Americans can still get killed for walking through a neighborhood, and ordinary right wing politicians will still try to excuse away the racial component of this.

It is axiomatic that the racism-is-over trope makes it easier to ignore racism, even when it is plain as day, but in the context of today's extremely partisan political environment, the extent to which people will go to avoid making the obvious conclusion that racism, as evidenced by the killing of Trayvon Martin, is alive and still too powerful in America is extraordinary. President Obama's cautious, but powerful, words regarding this killing indicate the delicate nature of any discussion of racism in even in its most obvious incarnation. Gingrich's and Rivera's comments, however, demonstrate their discomfort with the role of racism in this killing and demonstrate what some will do to avoid confronting the enduring role of racism in America.

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Follow Lincoln Mitchell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LincolnMitchell

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lincoln-mitchell/hoodies-racism-and-newt-g_b_1382497.html

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