Monthly Archives: September 2013

Liberty Media CEO Sees Benefits in A La Carte Proposal

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While most TV network owners have spoken out against a la carte pricing of pay TV channels, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei on Wednesday said some kind of industry solution to recent programming disputes was needed if sector players want to avoid government intervention.

The "benign" and "positive" relationship between networks and pay TV distributors that used to exist has been strained by rising programming costs and recurring disputes, he said.

"If you don't have some market-based sensitivity, I think you do risk having intervention" from the government, Maffei told the Goldman Sachs Communacopia investor conference in New York.

Asked about a proposed bill from Senator John McCain based on the a la carte model, Maffei said "there are many positive attributes to it," even though he said he couldn't predict if the bill would pass.

Maffei also discussed the consolidation strategy of cable operator Charter Communications, in which Liberty earlier this year acquired a 27.3 percent stake. It has since been seen as potentially driving U.S. cable consolidation as Liberty chairman John Malone has always touted the benefits of size.

"I'm not sure we have to lead the charge," Maffei said. But he said high programming and network costs in the cable business make scale matter. "There are a lot of opportunities for synergies." He was asked about Time Warner Cable and smaller cable firms as possible targets, but simply said they would have different impacts.

Maffei also once again reiterated that Liberty likes Charter's outlook, management and low broadband penetration. In addition, there is the "incremental value option from M&A," even though this potential is so far unrealized.

Maffei on Wednesday also once again pushed for more usage based broadband pricing in the cable business, which he called "logical and fair" and a "reasonable proposition." He argued that "getting consumers attuned to that sooner rather than later" is important.

Maffei also described Sirius XM Radio as a long-term investment for his company.

E-mail: Georg.Szalai@THR.com Twitter: @georgszalai

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Liberty Media CEO Sees Benefits in A La Carte Proposal

Liberty Mutual Coach Of The Year Returns For Eighth Season, Honoring College Football's Top Leaders On The Field And …

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BOSTON, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year college football fans around the country come out to support their teams with great passion, showing pride for their gridiron heroes and alma maters. Liberty Mutual Insurance gives fans a daily opportunity to express that fervor by opening voting for the 2013 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, the only college football award that supports both charity and scholarship through its winners by celebrating one coach at each college level who best exemplifies responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence both on and off the field.

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Each of the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year winners from four college football divisions FBS, FCS, Division II, and Division III receives $50,000 from Liberty Mutual Insurance to donate to the charity or charities of their choice. These funds have been used by winning coaches to benefit such organizations as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Lone Survivor Foundation, local Boys & Girls Clubs, Special Olympics and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In addition, winning coaches earn $20,000 for their school's alumni association to support scholarship. Since 2006, Liberty Mutual Insurance has awarded $1.8 million to more than 100 charities and colleges across the country through its Coach of the Year Award winners.

Now through December 3, fans can visit CoachoftheYear.com to cast their vote for their favorite coach in each of the four divisions. Additionally, fans can also vote for the first time on Facebook at Facebook.com/LMCoachoftheYear, where they also are encouraged to rally support for their coach through their social community. Winning coaches will be announced January 6, 2014, prior to the national championship game.

"The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award stands for something unique, as it is not just about coaches' on-field success, but also their strong character and commitment to their student-athletes and communities," said Archie Manning, Chairman of the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame. "I am very proud to recognize, with Liberty Mutual Insurance and the National Football Foundation, some of the best leaders in the game today and welcome fans to do the same by casting their votes at CoachoftheYear.com and on Facebook."

Created in partnership with The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, this year's campaign will also contain such new features as: voting on Facebook; exclusive video content featuring college football coaches; and original articles, photos and videos by a network of college student-correspondents.

Determining Finalists and Winners

Following the close of fan voting on December 3, the top 15 coaches with the most fan votes in each of the four college football divisions advance to an evaluation process to determine the finalists. This process utilizes an objective scoring model endorsed by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame to measure coaching excellence, sportsmanship, integrity, academic success and community commitment.

From that model, 10 FBS finalists and five each in FCS, Division II and Division III will be announced December 10 at a press conference held in conjunction with the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Class of 2013 induction in New York City. A finalist round of voting will then reopen for fans, while at the same time ballots will be cast by members of the College Football Hall of Fame and a select group of the national college football media to determine this year's winners. The 2013 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners will be announced in Newport Beach, Calif., on Monday, January 6, 2014, in advance of the national championship game.

This year's recipients will join a fraternity of college coaches who have supported their players to achieve excellence both on and off the field. Most recently, the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners were Brian Kelly, Notre Dame (FBS); Willie Fritz, Sam Houston State (FCS); Peter Rossomando, University of New Haven (Division II); and Glenn Caruso, University of St. Thomas (Division III).

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Liberty Mutual Coach Of The Year Returns For Eighth Season, Honoring College Football's Top Leaders On The Field And ...

Health Care Symposium Highlights Next Steps for Population Health

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --The transition to population health management will require health care leaders to provide four kinds of leadership, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle told nearly 300 health care executives and health policy experts on September 16 at The Advisory Board Company's 2013 National Population Health Symposium.

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Leaders must show resiliency, innovation, engagement, and collaboration, breaking down silos that prevent us from making our market more efficient, Senator Daschle said. "What we need now is leadership," he summarized.

Senator Daschle also believes that there is bipartisan agreement that the millions of uninsured citizens and skyrocketing spending must be addressed. "Those who advocate that we do nothing but the status quo are not likely to survive the next several years," he said.

The audience included more than 40 CEOs and more than 100 other C-suite executives from the nation's leading health organizations. The event brought together executives from across the continuum of care, including speakers from hospitals and health systems, physician organizations, post-acute care providers, policymakers, employers, and insurers.

Real-World Guidance on Population Health Management Speakers included Jonathan Blum, Deputy Administrator and Director for the Center of Medicare at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Farzad Mostashari, MD, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Other insights they shared:

More Critical Insights on Population Health More than two dozen other speakers at the inaugural event discussed what works in population health management. Industry leaders and health policy experts shared answers to that question in practical, nuts-and-bolts terms, including:

The Symposium's diversity of speakers and attendees, particularly in including post-acute care providers, is unusual for industry events.

"Bringing together health care industry leaders with health care policy leaders, the Symposium was propelled by the firsthand perspectives and insights of organizations who have enacted different approaches to navigating the transition to population health management," said Chas Roades, Chief Research Officer at The Advisory Board Company, a global research, consulting, and technology firm that works with 4,100 organizations across health care and higher education.

Roades also shared The Advisory Board Company's top insights on population health management at the event, including:

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Health Care Symposium Highlights Next Steps for Population Health

How mobile tech can transform health care

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By Ron Gutman

FORTUNE -- Our country is facing a health care crisis. States are divided on Obamacare and Medicaid, and new legislation is not making any clear progress in increasing access to affordable health care. According to findings by the Urban Institute, nearly two out of every three uninsured low-income individuals some 9.7 million people who would have qualified for subsidized coverage under Obamacare might not receive it next year because their states have not expanded Medicaid. Also, according to a study by The Association of American Medical Colleges, we'll be facing a shortage of more than 90,000 doctors in the next five years.

While there have been a lot of gloom and doom articles about these significant health care challenges we're grappling with, there has been surprisingly little talk about the incredible technology solutions that are being developed specifically to combat these issues. Legislation is slow, but technology is fast. And there are many ways that we can begin to increase access to affordable care with technology.

A doctor's time is increasingly scarce and expensive. The only scalable, near-term solution is to enable physicians to be more efficient and manage more patients, while empowering them to improve the quality of care they can provide.

What if doctors used powerful mobile applications to remotely track their patients' treatment compliance and progress? What if they could provide patients with remote access to their expertise, or to other medical knowledge they trust? What if they kept in- person office visits to the time they're really required for longer, in-depth consultations?

MORE:Health apps don't save people, people do

Health care providers should be making use of new mobile technologies that will empower physicians to become "coaches of care," and facilitate significantly higher quality of care in every patient interaction. Instead of people waiting for weeks or months to get a rushed appointment where they receive second rate care, health care facilities can support the wide adoption of technologies that will enable doctors to remotely connect, monitor, and interact with hundreds, even thousands of patients.

And the technology behind this is not just conceptualit's here. Forget flat screen televisions and laptop computers without a doubt, our mobile smartphones and wireless tablets are the most powerful devices we own. With Google (GOOG) reporting an astonishing 1.5 million new Android devices activated every day, the future of health care truly is in the palm of our hands.

There are already some incredible startups developing mobile products that facilitate more efficient (and more economical) delivery of care. While these products, some of which are still in the early stages of development, won't replace or automate a doctor's job, they are great precursors for fostering a more transparent doctor-patient relationship.

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How mobile tech can transform health care

New Bouldering Instruction Video to be Released by Futurist Climbing Consultants and Veracity Insurance

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Pleasant Grove, UT (PRWEB) September 25, 2013

The new video will be an educational resource distributed to over 200 commercial climbing facilities nationwide within the Veracity network with the intention of assisting facilities with indoor bouldering risk management issues. Through proposed modernized bouldering-specific Best Practices, this resource will serve staff, coaches and customers through promotion and demonstration of standardized methods of staff training, instruction and customer orientation of proper falling and landing techniques.

This initiative is taken in response to the growing popularity of gymnastic indoor bouldering, which is quickly becoming the dominant discipline within the sport of climbing amongst active users, youth teams and competitions.

The Art Of Falling video will be provided exclusively to commercial climbing facilities within the Veracity Insurance network in Fall 2013.

Futurist Climbing Consultants, Inc. is committed to providing leadership to enable the healthy growth of the sport of climbing by offering expertise in the area of sport-specific bouldering practices. Futurist provides consulting services and custom flooring products to the climbing industry.

Veracity Insurance Solutions, LLC is an insurance brokerage firm specializing in Product Liability, the placement of programs, and General Liability. With over 30 years of combined experience in the insurance industry, specifically including the climbing industry, Veracity has in-house underwriting authority and access to several key wholesale brokerage markets.

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New Bouldering Instruction Video to be Released by Futurist Climbing Consultants and Veracity Insurance

Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity – Cash Store Financial Freedom Run to Take Place in Cornwall

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CORNWALL, ON , Sept. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - This Saturday hundreds of runners (and walkers) will participate in the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run for Diabetes Research in Cornwall . The race is one of 27 community runs across the country in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association and will help raise funds and awareness for diabetes.

QUICK FACTS:

QUOTES:

"Money raised from the Freedom Runs for Diabetes Research will help support the Canadian Diabetes Association's cutting-edge diabetes research. We thank Cash Store Financial for making the Freedom Runs for Diabetes Research possible and helping to make a difference for Canadians living with diabetes."

- Fred DeFina , Director of Community Giving for the Canadian Diabetes Association

"Cash Store Financial is dedicated to supporting the CDA in raising funds and awareness for diabetes - a disease that is now a global pandemic. Through the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run, we are proud to join the hundreds of walkers and runners, from coast-to-coast, in the fight against diabetes. Each year, the Freedom Run will bring us closer to our goal of raising $7.5 million in support of diabetes research."

- Gordon Reykdal , CEO of Cash Store Financial

To learn more about how you can volunteer or participate in the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run for Diabetes Research, visit http://www.thefreedomrun.ca.

About Cash Store Financial Cash Store Financial is the only lender and broker of shortterm advances and provider of other financial services in Canada that is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CSF.TO). Cash Store Financial also trades on the New York Stock Exchange (CSFS). Cash Store Financial operates 510 branches across Canada under the banners "Cash Store Financial" and "Instaloans". Cash Store Financial also operates 27 branches in the United Kingdom .

About the Canadian Diabetes Association The Canadian Diabetes Association is a registered charitable organization, leading the fight against diabetes by helping people with diabetes live healthy lives while we work to find a cure. Our professional staff and more than 20,000 volunteers provide education and services to help people in their daily fight against the disease, advocate on behalf of people with diabetes for the opportunity to achieve their highest quality of life, and break ground towards a cure. Please visit diabetes.ca, join us on facebook.com/CanadianDiabetesAssociation, follow us on Twitter @DiabetesAssoc, or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).

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Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity - Cash Store Financial Freedom Run to Take Place in Cornwall

Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity – Cash Store Financial Freedom Run to Take Place in Hamilton

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HAMILTON, ON , Sept. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - This Saturday hundreds of runners (and walkers) will participate in the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run for Diabetes Research in Hamilton . The race is one of 27 community runs across the country in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association and will help raise funds and awareness for diabetes.

QUICK FACTS:

QUOTES:

"Money raised from the Freedom Runs for Diabetes Research will help support the Canadian Diabetes Association's cutting-edge diabetes research. We thank Cash Store Financial for making the Freedom Runs for Diabetes Research possible and helping to make a difference for Canadians living with diabetes."

- Fred DeFina , Director of Community Giving for the Canadian Diabetes Association

"Cash Store Financial is dedicated to supporting the CDA in raising funds and awareness for diabetes - a disease that is now a global pandemic. Through the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run, we are proud to join the hundreds of walkers and runners, from coast-to-coast, in the fight against diabetes. Each year, the Freedom Run will bring us closer to our goal of raising $7.5 million in support of diabetes research."

- Gordon Reykdal , CEO of Cash Store Financial

To learn more about how you can volunteer or participate in the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run for Diabetes Research, visit http://www.thefreedomrun.ca.

About Cash Store Financial Cash Store Financial is the only lender and broker of shortterm advances and provider of other financial services in Canada that is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CSF.TO). Cash Store Financial also trades on the New York Stock Exchange (CSFS). Cash Store Financial operates 510 branches across Canada under the banners "Cash Store Financial" and "Instaloans". Cash Store Financial also operates 27 branches in the United Kingdom .

About the Canadian Diabetes Association The Canadian Diabetes Association is a registered charitable organization, leading the fight against diabetes by helping people with diabetes live healthy lives while we work to find a cure. Our professional staff and more than 20,000 volunteers provide education and services to help people in their daily fight against the disease, advocate on behalf of people with diabetes for the opportunity to achieve their highest quality of life, and break ground towards a cure. Please visit diabetes.ca, join us on facebook.com/CanadianDiabetesAssociation, follow us on Twitter @DiabetesAssoc, or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).

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Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity - Cash Store Financial Freedom Run to Take Place in Hamilton

Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity – Cash Store Financial Freedom Run to Take Place in Waterloo

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WATERLOO, ON , Sept. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - This Sunday hundreds of runners (and walkers) will participate in the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run for Diabetes Research in Waterloo . The race is one of 27 community runs across the country in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association and will help raise funds and awareness for diabetes.

QUICK FACTS:

QUOTES:

"Money raised from the Freedom Runs for Diabetes Research will help support the Canadian Diabetes Association's cutting-edge diabetes research. We thank Cash Store Financial for making the Freedom Runs for Diabetes Research possible and helping to make a difference for Canadians living with diabetes."

- Fred DeFina , Director of Community Giving for the Canadian Diabetes Association

"Cash Store Financial is dedicated to supporting the CDA in raising funds and awareness for diabetes - a disease that is now a global pandemic. Through the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run, we are proud to join the hundreds of walkers and runners, from coast-to-coast, in the fight against diabetes. Each year, the Freedom Run will bring us closer to our goal of raising $7.5 million in support of diabetes research."

- Gordon Reykdal , CEO of Cash Store Financial

To learn more about how you can volunteer or participate in the Cash Store Financial Freedom Run for Diabetes Research, visit http://www.thefreedomrun.ca.

About Cash Store Financial Cash Store Financial is the only lender and broker of shortterm advances and provider of other financial services in Canada that is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CSF.TO). Cash Store Financial also trades on the New York Stock Exchange (CSFS). Cash Store Financial operates 510 branches across Canada under the banners "Cash Store Financial" and "Instaloans". Cash Store Financial also operates 27 branches in the United Kingdom .

About the Canadian Diabetes Association The Canadian Diabetes Association is a registered charitable organization, leading the fight against diabetes by helping people with diabetes live healthy lives while we work to find a cure. Our professional staff and more than 20,000 volunteers provide education and services to help people in their daily fight against the disease, advocate on behalf of people with diabetes for the opportunity to achieve their highest quality of life, and break ground towards a cure. Please visit diabetes.ca, join us on facebook.com/CanadianDiabetesAssociation, follow us on Twitter @DiabetesAssoc, or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).

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Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity - Cash Store Financial Freedom Run to Take Place in Waterloo

Visiting reporter speaks on eugenics and history

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By Topher Webb on September 25, 2013. Contact Topher Webb at t.webb@chronicle.utah.edu.

Edwin Black speaks Tuesday morning in the Public Health Building about Eugenics. Cole Tan

The American eugenics movement caused the forced sterilization of 1,000 people per year and influenced the Nazi party, said visiting scholar Edwin Black.

Black, an investigative reporter, spoke at the School of Medicines grand rounds in public health on Tuesday.

Eugenics began as a response to social upheaval in the U.S. at the end of the 19th century, Black said. Populations had started to move from rural to urban locations and the ethnic demographic of the country was changing as Jewish, Mexican and Chinese immigrants made the United States their home.

Black said some intellectuals wanted to change the country back to the way it was. People promoting eugenics were often prominent and respected members of society, such as university presidents and judges. He said other examples include Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, President Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison.

What they wanted was a white, blonde, blue-eyed, Nordic supreme race, Black said.

Eugenics was not based on simple racism but the idea that all bad things in society come from peoples genes. Black said it did not matter how educated a person was or how much good he or she had done in society, because his or her offspring could potentially harm society.

You werent born into poverty. Poverty was born into you, Black said. It was not about eliminating individuals, but about eliminating your bloodline.

The goal was to remove Jews, Mexicans, blacks, southern Italians and Caucasians with dark hair, as well as the mentally inferior from society. This was to be done by removing one-tenth of the population at a time until only the supreme race, meaning people who looked like those promoting eugenics, remained.

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Scouring the California beaches

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What do Mr. Potato Heads mustache, a baby stroller with a demons head attached, a meat thermometer and a live octopus inside a stereo speaker all have in common?

They were all items collected Saturday in the California Coastal Cleanup Day.

The event, which featured cleanup efforts in 53 of the states 58 counties and focused on picking up trash from the coastal beaches and waterways all the way to Lake Tahoe collected more than 501,748 pounds 251 tons of trash and recyclables. And thats with only 70 percent of the cleanup sites reporting their work.

Coastal Cleanup Day is always an incredible celebration of our coastal and aquatic environments, said Eben Schwartz, Marine Debris Program Manager for the California Coastal Commission, which along with the Ocean Conservancy has presented the event for the past 29 years.

This years celebration included more than 51,000 volunteers with local participants sweeping beaches in drizzly, blustery conditions.

In Santa Barbara County, 952 volunteers netted 2,545 pounds of debris on local beaches and creeks.

Included in the haul this year were Mr. Potato Heads mustache found at Butterfly Beach and an electric popcorn popper discovered at Goleta Beach.

Why would anyone want these things at the beach? Sam Dickinson, Santa Barbara County cleanup coordinator asked incredulously.

Several odd items were found on San Luis Obispo County beaches, as well. More than 1,100 volunteers at 28 sites cleared more than 54 miles of coastline.

Their discoveries included a meat thermometer, the hood of a red pickup, a mattress, a couple pairs of underwear, a machete, several strands of Christmas lights and a message in a bottle. Michael Heater, program coordinator for EcoSLO which organizes the effort, said he hadnt yet heard what was in the note.

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Scouring the California beaches