The Around the World volunteer team will be hosting a 45-minute ground school, aviation games, face painting and an opportunity for children to take flight with the Around the World pilots. All ages of children are welcome to attend and lunch will be provided by Chick-fil-A.
In addition, Around the World for Life will be raising money for its 2013 Around the World campaign. All funds raised from the event will go to Around the World for Life's mission to bring the joy of flight to children who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity. With 24,906 miles around the world, supporters can donate in $10 a mile increments on the organization's website to reach founder T.R. Wright's goal of flying around the Earth.
LifeProof, a corporate partner for the 2013 Around the World campaign, will be present at the event demonstrating its LifeProof nüüd case for iPad and its uses in the aviation industry. LifeProof designs, manufactures and markets an entirely new category of products designed to give people more freedom from environmental constraints. Based in San Diego, LifeProof offers elegant and protective cases for Smartphones and Tablet PCs that enable full functionality and interactivity under any condition encountered in daily life. The registered brand name 'LifeProof' is inspired by the protection and fully functional convenient operation of the device in water, mud, dirt, or snow. For more information, visit www.lifeproof.com.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Life Technologies Reschedules Issuance Of Third Quarter 2012 Performance Report And Associated Conference Call And Webcast to Thursday, November 1, 2012 Due To Expected Severe Weather Conditions
Life Technologies Corporation (LIFE) today announced it is postponing the issuance of its Third Quarter 2012 earnings release and webcast of a conference call with investment analysts, which was previously scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. PDT, due to the expected severe weather conditions associated with Hurricane Sandy.
The webcast of a conference call with investment analysts has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. PDT.
The webcast can be accessed through the investor relations page of the Life Technologies website at ir.lifetechnologies.com/events.cfm. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website through Thursday, November 22, 2012.
About Life Technologies
Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) is a global biotechnology company with customers in more than 160 countries using its innovative solutions to solve some of today's most difficult scientific challenges. Quality and innovation are accessible to every lab with its reliable and easy-to-use solutions spanning the biological spectrum with more than 50,000 products for agricultural biotechnology, translational research, molecular medicine and diagnostics, stem cell-based therapies, forensics, food safety and animal health.
Its systems, reagents and consumables represent some of the most cited brands in scientific research including: Ion Torrent™, Applied Biosystems®, Invitrogen™, GIBCO®, Ambion®, Molecular Probes®, Novex®, and TaqMan®. Life Technologies employs approximately 10,400 people and upholds its ongoing commitment to innovation with more than 4,000 patents and exclusive licenses. LIFE had sales of $3.7 billion in 2011.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Life in the shadow of Mount Etna
The Mediterranean island of Sicily used to be one of Italy's richest regions but now, as it prepares for regional elections, its credit rating is close to junk status. There are fears that Sicily could become "the Greece of Italy" and drag the rest of the country into default.
And then there's the mafia. Despite some successful efforts to break the hold of deeply entrenched mafia power, corruption is still a huge issue.
But amid the chaos one Sicilian town is thriving. Catania sits on the slopes of mount Etna. Some locals believe they are protected by Europe's biggest volcano. This is their story.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Life Spine Announces Six New Additions to Its CENTRIC MIS Technologies Portfolio
Life Spine, a medical device company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets products for the surgical treatment of spinal disorders, will be displaying six new minimally invasive products scheduled for launch in 2012 during the North American Spine Society (NASS) Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas.
“The significant growth in our CENTRIC MIS portfolio reflects Life Spine’s dedication and response to the market shift towards an increase in minimally invasive procedures,” said Michael Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our focus continues to be on simplifying all facets of MIS surgery from initial access to final implantation.”
The CENTRIC Expandable Retractor System and the LOGIC™ Delivery System, a unique pedicle screw based retractor system, will be on display along with the PLATEAU®-X Lateral Spacer System. The comprehensive MIS portfolio also includes new offerings to the AVATAR® MIS System and the AILERON® Spinous Process Fusion System.
Accenture Life Safety Solution Named New Product of the Year
The Accenture Life Safety Solution, a wireless-enabled multi-gas detection system that helps protect workers in potentially hazardous environments, developed by Accenture (ACN), Industrial Scientific, Cisco and AeroScout, has received the industrial hygiene product of the year award from Occupational Health & Safety magazine.
The Accenture Life Safety Solution integrates Wi-Fi and location-based technologies with multi-gas (hydrogen sulphide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and oxygen) detectors. It helps companies to remotely monitor incidents and to locate workers in hazardous locations. The solution is designed for environments such as oil and gas refineries, chemical and manufacturing plants, utilities, mines and other locations where dense steel infrastructure can make wireless safety solutions difficult to implement.
“Worker safety is a key priority for a range of industries with operations in challenging working locations,” said Massimo Pagella, senior executive in Accenture Plant and Automation Solutions. “This solution can help mitigate risks by continuously monitoring the environment in the plant and automatically providing feedback on abnormalities to the control centers and to management. Accenture continues to invest in R&D to broaden the range of services and capabilities the solution offers.”
The Accenture Life Safety Solution uses multiple Wi-Fi access points to determine the location of workers. The solution, which is designed, installed and deployed specific to a location, uses a lapel-based wireless four-gas detector, as well as a panic button and a motion sensor to detect when a worker stops moving for a period of time. The solution is based on Accenture’s patent-pending design and integrates Industrial Scientific’s Ventis™ LS multi-gas detector and Gas Detection as a Service solution iNet®; Cisco’s Unified Wireless Network and Mobility Services Engine; and AeroScout’s Wi-Fi Tags and MobileView location management and user front-end technology.
Raghu Arunachalam, director of emerging technologies at Industrial Scientific, said, “The Accenture Life Safety Solution has brought to market a revolutionary approach to gas monitoring that is capable of overseeing the safety of thousands of employees working across a large plant in real time and from a central location. We are honored to have this unique, life-saving solution recognized as a New Product of the Year by Occupational Health & Safety magazine.”
The Occupational Health & Safety award program honors the outstanding product development achievements of companies that create products which are considered particularly noteworthy in their ability to improve workplace safety.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
SCB Life boosts premium target to Bt37 billion
"New business was Bt11.82 billion, rising by 36 per cent, higher than the 24 per cent of the life insurance industry. Renewal premiums were Bt16.94 billion or increasing by 17 per cent. The growth of total premiums in the first nine months was more than the market, which grew by 17 per cent on average," managing director Vipon Vorasowharid said last week.
SCB Life's total premiums rose by 28 per cent to Bt28.34 billion from the same period last year.
The nine-month results were better than expected and the fourth quarter is the high season for life insurance because of the tax deduction.
The company's strong distribution channels are the key driver of premiums, especially bancassurance, which contributed first-year premiums of Bt10.53 billion, up 49 per cent on year and 17 per cent higher than expected.
First-year premiums from special marketing and agency channels were Bt660 million and Bt630 million.
Tesco Lotus' outlets have become a popular channel with 12,000 policies written within one year. Premiums from this nationwide retail channel are expected to increase to Bt300 million this year from Bt200 million last year.
The company is still focusing on policy renewals, which is an important business in the remaining months of this year.
The life insurance market this quarter is expected to continue to grow because it faced several severe challenges last year. This year customers have grown more conscious about security and risk diversification after experiencing the unexpected flood calamity last year.
"We plan to launch new attractive policies in the fourth quarter to stimulate the market and respond to customers' requirement for a tax exemption. Customers are also giving importance to savings and investment through insurance products," he added.
According to the Thai Life Assurance Association, as of August, SCB Life ranked third in the life insurance industry with market shares of 12.9 per cent in first-year premiums and 10.20 per cent in gross premiums.
SCB Life's total premiums rose by 28 per cent to Bt28.34 billion from the same period last year.
The nine-month results were better than expected and the fourth quarter is the high season for life insurance because of the tax deduction.
The company's strong distribution channels are the key driver of premiums, especially bancassurance, which contributed first-year premiums of Bt10.53 billion, up 49 per cent on year and 17 per cent higher than expected.
First-year premiums from special marketing and agency channels were Bt660 million and Bt630 million.
Tesco Lotus' outlets have become a popular channel with 12,000 policies written within one year. Premiums from this nationwide retail channel are expected to increase to Bt300 million this year from Bt200 million last year.
The company is still focusing on policy renewals, which is an important business in the remaining months of this year.
The life insurance market this quarter is expected to continue to grow because it faced several severe challenges last year. This year customers have grown more conscious about security and risk diversification after experiencing the unexpected flood calamity last year.
"We plan to launch new attractive policies in the fourth quarter to stimulate the market and respond to customers' requirement for a tax exemption. Customers are also giving importance to savings and investment through insurance products," he added.
According to the Thai Life Assurance Association, as of August, SCB Life ranked third in the life insurance industry with market shares of 12.9 per cent in first-year premiums and 10.20 per cent in gross premiums.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Standard Life Mutual Funds announces changes to its offering
Standard Life Mutual Funds Ltd. ("SLMF") today announced changes to its fund offering. The changes relate to charge structure, trailing commission, new funds and risk rating and will be part of the updated simplified prospectus filed with Canadian securities regulators.
"Given the current context where the number of funds and options keep increasing in the market, we want to ensure Standard Life mutual funds continue being attractive investment solutions for our customers while ensuring a balanced and sustainable set of funds for SLMF," said Patrick Loranger , Manager, Retail Investment Products at Standard Life. "Our Legend Series is particularly well positioned and it's essential that it remains competitive."
Lower management fees (MF)
On or about October 31, 2012 , SLMF will reduce the management fees by 0.20% of the F-Series of the Standard Life Monthly Income Fund, the Standard Life Canadian Dividend Growth Fund, the Standard Life Global Dividend Growth Fund and the Standard Life Canadian Small Cap Fund. Consequently, the management expense ratio (MER) of these funds will decrease, all other things being equal.
SLMF will also reduce the management fees by 0.20% of the A-Series and E-Series of the Standard Life Money Market Fund, the Standard Life Canadian Bond Fund and the Standard Life International Bond Fund, as well as the A-Series, E-Series and F-Series of the Standard Life Corporate Bond Fund. The reduction will counterbalance higher operating expenses (OE) charged to these funds, and will therefore not impact the MER, all other things being equal.
From low sales charge (LSC) to front-end sales charge
A new automatic feature will be offered to dealers for funds sold on or after November 1, 2012 . As of Year 4 from the original purchase date for a low sales charge option, SLMF will automatically start paying trailing commission as if the fund had been bought under a front-end sales charge option. The new feature doesn't impact the management fees and charges paid by the investors.
New charge structure for the Legend Series
Effective on or about February 1, 2013 , SLMF will no longer pay the operating expenses of its entire suite of Legend Series funds. The change will result in an increase in the MER for 27 of the 31 funds in the Legend Series. A decrease of the management fees by 0.20% of the remaining 4 funds - Standard Life Money Market Fund, Standard Life Canadian Bond Fund, Standard Life Corporate Bond Fund and Standard Life International Bond Fund - will offset the operating expenses, leaving the MER intact, all other things being equal.
"Given the current context where the number of funds and options keep increasing in the market, we want to ensure Standard Life mutual funds continue being attractive investment solutions for our customers while ensuring a balanced and sustainable set of funds for SLMF," said Patrick Loranger , Manager, Retail Investment Products at Standard Life. "Our Legend Series is particularly well positioned and it's essential that it remains competitive."
Lower management fees (MF)
On or about October 31, 2012 , SLMF will reduce the management fees by 0.20% of the F-Series of the Standard Life Monthly Income Fund, the Standard Life Canadian Dividend Growth Fund, the Standard Life Global Dividend Growth Fund and the Standard Life Canadian Small Cap Fund. Consequently, the management expense ratio (MER) of these funds will decrease, all other things being equal.
SLMF will also reduce the management fees by 0.20% of the A-Series and E-Series of the Standard Life Money Market Fund, the Standard Life Canadian Bond Fund and the Standard Life International Bond Fund, as well as the A-Series, E-Series and F-Series of the Standard Life Corporate Bond Fund. The reduction will counterbalance higher operating expenses (OE) charged to these funds, and will therefore not impact the MER, all other things being equal.
From low sales charge (LSC) to front-end sales charge
A new automatic feature will be offered to dealers for funds sold on or after November 1, 2012 . As of Year 4 from the original purchase date for a low sales charge option, SLMF will automatically start paying trailing commission as if the fund had been bought under a front-end sales charge option. The new feature doesn't impact the management fees and charges paid by the investors.
New charge structure for the Legend Series
Effective on or about February 1, 2013 , SLMF will no longer pay the operating expenses of its entire suite of Legend Series funds. The change will result in an increase in the MER for 27 of the 31 funds in the Legend Series. A decrease of the management fees by 0.20% of the remaining 4 funds - Standard Life Money Market Fund, Standard Life Canadian Bond Fund, Standard Life Corporate Bond Fund and Standard Life International Bond Fund - will offset the operating expenses, leaving the MER intact, all other things being equal.
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