New Review Finds California Commercial Health Plans' Profit Margins Rank among the Lowest in the Health Care Sector

Posted on by

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A new review of public data finds the average net profit margin for California's commercial managed care health plans was 3.6 percent in 2011, far less than the national averages for a host of medical-related industries, Patrick Johnston, president and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans (CAHP), announced today.

Other sectors of health care benefitted from net profit margins of up to 16.7 percent, according to Yahoo Finance data. In comparison, a new review of data filed with the state by California's commercial managed care health plans found they spent 89 cents out of every $1 in revenue on medical care for their members in 2011, the latest year for which figures are available.

"Some people and organizations have misled the public about insurers' profits, so we compiled accurate information that shows the lion's share of premiums goes to medical care rather than profits," said Johnston. "The truth is California's health plans have a very small average net profit margin, especially when compared to profits of up to 16.7 percent for others in the health care industry."

The Affordable Care Act and state legislation also place tight limits on profits by requiring health plans to spend 85 cents out of every premium dollar on health care. This is called the "medical loss ratio." If health plans don't meet these requirements, they must provide rebates to policyholders.

To determine net profit margins, CAHP reviewed the latest and most comprehensive public filings at the California Department of Managed Health Care for the state's commercial managed care health plans. It found these plans, on average, surpassed the medical loss ratio requirements by spending 89 percent of revenues on medical care in 2011 and that they had a 3.6 percent average net profit margin.

"Even if we put together all the net profits earned by the nation's 10 largest health plans over the course of an entire year, we would only be able to cover the costs of three days of national medical expenditures," said Johnston. "Health care costs will continue to climb as we move forward with the Affordable Care Act. Health plans remain steadfast in their commitment to effectively expand coverage and implement the Affordable Care Act. But we recognize that new insurance taxes, more benefit requirements, limits on geography-based pricing and age rating restrictions will ultimately add to the cost of health care coverage."

In comparison to health plans, Yahoo Finance's accounting of net profit margins (accessed on Jan. 18) reported much larger margins for other health care sectors, including a 16.7 percent net profit margin for major drug manufacturers; 14.1 percent for other drug manufacturers; 13.7 percent for medical appliances and equipment; 13.6 percent for medical instruments and supplies, and 11.9 percent for biotechnology.

Yahoo Finance reported that other sectors, including generic drugs and home health care, had net profit margins ranging from 9.4 percent to 5.7 percent. Nationally, health plans' average net profit margin was just 4.5 percent, according to Yahoo Finance.

The only health care sectors with lower profit margins than California's commercial managed care health plans were drug delivery, diagnostic substances, long-term care facilities and medical laboratories and research.

"The net profit margin is the most accurate way to measure health plans' profits, especially when state and federal law require them to spend 85 percent of their premiums on medical care," said Johnston. "Some health plan critics have tried to confuse the public by citing health plans' return on equity figures, rather than measuring net profit. The two numbers cannot be used interchangeably."

Originally posted here:

New Review Finds California Commercial Health Plans' Profit Margins Rank among the Lowest in the Health Care Sector

The Tax Institute at H&R Block Announces Event Series Examining Real-World Implications of Health Care Reform

Posted on by

KANSAS CITY, MO--(Marketwire - Feb 15, 2013) - H&R Block ( NYSE : HRB ) -- The Affordable Care Act (ACA) not only includes the most significant health care reform in decades, but also some of the largest changes to the tax code, creating many unique and unprecedented issues for taxpayers and the uninsured.

To help identify what policymakers, state administrators, small business owners and taxpayers should understand about how the new health care law affects them, The Tax Institute at H&R Block is embarking on a multi-city tour with Bloomberg Government. The tour will bring together thought-leaders from the government, private sector, not-for-profit groups and academia to talk about challenges and opportunities facing taxpayers who will navigate the new system. Kicking off in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15, the tour will also travel to Florida, California and Illinois.

"Based on a survey we conducted last fall with ORC International, we discovered 3 out of 4 taxpayers don't know what it takes to become eligible for health insurance under the new law, including that it can start with the tax return they will file this year," said Kathy Pickering, executive director of The Tax Institute at H&R Block. "We want to foster a conversation that sheds light on what can be done to help taxpayers, and the uninsured, better understand what they'll face during open enrollment this fall and how to educate them on their health care obligations and choices."

The Tax Institute survey also found that 44 percent of respondents age 18-34 were not aware of a possible tax penalty if they do not have health insurance.

"Understanding your eligibility for health care benefits is important when making decisions on whether to enroll in a health care marketplace exchange," Pickering said. "Educating consumers about the tax implications of their health care choices is important to ensure they get the maximum they're entitled to receive."

Beyond the immediate tax implications for consumers, the tour will bring together the decision makers responsible for helping the millions of uninsured consumers gain access to health insurance information and enrollment assistance. They will examine questions of how government agencies can partner with the private sector to educate consumers and small businesses, an important step in understanding what consumers will face during the first year of health care reform implementation.

Tax and Health Care Review first step in consumer education

"In addition to feedback our millions of clients provide during their personalized, free Tax and Health Care Review this tax season, this tour will provide great insight into how this law affects taxpayers in the real world," said Meg Sutton, senior advisor for tax and health care services at H&R Block.

The personalized review provides the taxpayer with information showing if they qualify for a subsidy and how much they can expect to pay out-of-pocket for the monthly premium. In addition, it will detail the possible penalty they would pay if they do not obtain health insurance.

Just who may qualify for a subsidy could surprise some taxpayers. For example:

Link:

The Tax Institute at H&R Block Announces Event Series Examining Real-World Implications of Health Care Reform

Everyday African-Americans on the Extraordinary Road to Freedom

Posted on by

Former slave H. J. Williams described his life afteremancipation: Chopping cotton. Plowing the mule. You know, sharecroppingIt wasnt complete slavery, but it wasnt much different at that time.

The iconic images and sounds associated with Americas Civil Rights movement are well known. But what happened before the heroes and protests; court orders and sit-ins? Weve come a long way, but how did we get here? As we observe Black History Month this February, we have an opportunity to reflect on how and why the quest for freedom was a movement made up not just of charismatic leaders, but also of everyday people who made extraordinary decisions to fight for change.

Stories From the Road to Freedom, which includes many first-person testimonies by people like Williams, is a new two-hour documentary premiering on HISTORY on Saturday, February 16,at 10 p.m. EST. Narrated byDeon Cole, the film gives a fresh perspective on the roughly 100 years between the end of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The special uses firsthand accounts, rare audio recordings, never-before-seen archival footage, and home movies to chronicle African-American life as lived by regular people, in their own words. These were the everyday people who carved out a life despite segregation, and then lit the spark that would become a massive mobilization for Civil Rights. This film preserves these stories and images for a new generation of young people who may just now be learning about the iconic leaders of the Civil Rights era.

Despite their efforts to maintain vibrant lives filled with dignity and freedom, African-Americans continued to be faced with discrimination and violence in American society. And they continued to press the issue of integration so that the United States would one day become the fully multi-racial society it is today.

The 13ththrough 15thAmendments paved the way for equality in official terms. But during the decades after the Civil War, many of these advances were peeled back by new segregation laws. Rather than recede into despair under the realities of Jim Crow,African-Americans developed new communities based on values of education, excellence and faith. After the 1896 Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson spelled out the separate but equal doctrine, African-Americans created their own schools, towns, gathering places, and traditions.

For example, Langston City, Oklahoma, was just one of thousands of all-black towns that werefounded after the Civil War. As one citizen, E. P. McCabe, said, We have a good society, church privileges, school privileges and last but not least, the enjoyment of every right every other man enjoys under the Constitution.

While the full promises of American freedom and equality were stalled, African-Americans forged thriving communities. Juneteeth celebrations, which marked the end of slavery inTexas, became commonplace for African-Americans, though no official Emancipation Day has made it onto the American calendar.

In many ways, life after emancipation for former slaves was too similar to life before emancipation. (Photo: NBC Universal Archives)

Despite their efforts to maintain vibrant lives filled with dignity and freedom, African-Americans continued to be faced with discrimination and violence in American society. And they continued to press the issue of integration so that the United States would one day become the fully multiracial society it is today.

Follow this link:

Everyday African-Americans on the Extraordinary Road to Freedom

Freedom to Conduct Harlem Shake, Fans Needed for Filming

Posted on by

February 15, 2013 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom Florence, KY - To celebrate Presidents Day in the land of the free, the Florence Freedom are organizing minor league baseball's version of the Harlem Shake, and since schools and some workplaces will be closed, fans are invited to be in the making of the video.

The free style dance that has lit up YouTube will be conducted at University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium at noon on Monday, February 18.

All fans that participate in the making of the video will receive a complimentary ticket voucher to catch the Freedom in action on May 8, at 6:35pm when the team takes on the Frontier Greys.

Fans are encouraged to bring their own costumes, in addition to casual and typical baseball wear to assist in this video.

"We're hoping to put together minor league baseball's largest Harlem Shake," Freedom General Manager Josh Anderson said. "We're going to combine umpires, Freedom players and fans breaking out in our dance, and the more community support we can get for this free event, the better the video will be."

Local residents will populate the stands in the making of this video, however business are welcome to bring their mascots out to dance on field with Freedom mascot Belle.

The Freedom and UCMC Stadium are located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY.

Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Link:

Freedom to Conduct Harlem Shake, Fans Needed for Filming

Freedom of expression gagged

Posted on by

The Vishwaroopam episode is a case of hecklers veto, or use of law to muzzle free expression.

The use of law to bully people into silence, called hecklers veto, is not unique to India.

Freedom of expression in India is under threat. This year we have the Tamil Nadu governments ban on Vishwaroopam, the Ashis Nandy FIR, the smothering of Kashmirs first all girls rock bands music, and the removal of semi-nude paintings of Hindu deities from an art gallery upon the polices suggestion. Another Rushdie-banning controversy is upon us, and yet another Facebook users arrest has made the news.

Clearly, our right to freedom of expression is under an ongoing siege. The onslaught comes in varied forms: bullying by members of society, informal government action with the overhanging threat of the law, and direct use of the law (and of a variety of legislations within it). Each form is encouraged, exacerbated even, by our problematic interpretation of freedom of expression principles. Our law allows a group of intolerant people to silence a speaker by creating a threat to public order or by threatening the speaker directly, and our state is proving utterly ineffectual in protecting speech from intolerance.

Indias first Kashmiri all-girls band is tragic proof of horizontal attacks on speech their music was silenced by the grandmuftis declaring it un-Islamic, and the attendant social pressure that tends to follow. They were not protected from this horizontal attack. The Palghar incident also had echoes of horizontal pressure, which was used to directly bully Shaheen Dhada, via friends advising her to apologise and strangers slapping her, before the instrument of the law was used to bully her further.

The instrument of the law can be used in invisible, informal ways, as Bangalores Chitrakala Parishath incident illustrates. Here, the pressure of police suggestion, carrying the implied threat of the force of the law, was used to ensure that semi-nude paintings of Hindu deities were removed from an exhibition. It appears that this police suggestion was motivated by the fear that those paintings could trigger law and order problems.

Vishwaroopam was banned using the law, specifically section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which empowers the government to issue orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger. However, orders issued under section 144 would still need to observe the boundaries drawn for it in Article 19(2) of the Constitution.

Some may argue that controversial or offensive speech can legitimately be restricted since public order is one of the grounds for which our Constitution permits the restriction of the freedom of expression. However the original text of the Constitution did not include public order among its permissible grounds for restriction. This was inserted in the First Amendment of the Constitution, but was fortunately accompanied by the word reasonable before restriction, thus ensuring that the freedom of expression can only be reasonably restricted under the exceptional circumstances listed in the Constitution.

This insertion of public order came after the Supreme Courts invalidation of government pre-censorship of speech on public order grounds in Romesh Thapar v. State of Madras (1950), declaring that the Constitution required that nothing less than endangering the foundations of the State or threatening its overthrow could justify curtailment of the rights to freedom of speech and expression. Therefore, Parliament amended the Constitution to expand the grounds on which the state could restrict speech, and included public order among the expanded grounds. The trouble with this is that the intolerant are now able to create a public order problem to silence speakers.

The Supreme Court of India, in Babulal Parate vs State Of Maharashtra (1961) found that public order must be maintained in advance in order to ensure it, and ruled that restriction of Article 19 freedoms of expression and assembly in the interests of public order is permissible. However, all such restrictions must continue to satisfy the reasonability test laid down in the Constitution, providing our judiciary with the opportunity to ensure that intolerance does not continue to oppress speech.

Read more:

Freedom of expression gagged

Freedom to send sofa-making offshore

Posted on by

Furniture retailer Freedom is shutting down its factory in western Sydney as sofa production is shifted overseas.

The company announced on Friday that it had decided to move its upholstery supply to offshore vendors and stop manufacturing products at its Kings Park facility from April.

"This decision is not a reflection on the production, processes, quality or staff at the Sydney operation - it is due to a change in the upholstery supply strategy which Freedom has chosen to take," Freedom said in a statement on Friday.

"This change will achieve production cost benefits which will then be passed on to customers."

The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) said the decision would directly affect around 30 workers at the factory, who were notified by a letter from the company's managing director.

The CFMEU claims that, as a result, Freedom will no longer stock locally-produced items in their stores across Australia.

"It is outrageous that Freedom, a retailer that has a long history of trading on the quality workmanship of their expert team of Australian upholsterers, has told those very same staff that in just two months their jobs will be sent overseas," the union's Craig Smith said in a statement.

"This announcement is a stark reminder of the urgent need for action to support the manufacturing sector, which has become one of the innocent victims of the mining boom."

Mr Smith urged Freedom and its parent company, global firm Steinhoff, to reconsider its decision and recognise that Australian consumers have a strong preference for quality, locally-made products.

Freedom said customers should expect the same quality across its range.

Read this article:

Freedom to send sofa-making offshore

Deja vu all over again? Cultural understanding vs. horrors of eugenics

Posted on by

Public release date: 15-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Gerry Everding gerry_everding@wustl.edu 314-935-6375 Washington University in St. Louis

Why is the world so full of "morons" and "degenerates" and what, if anything, can be done to fix them?

These are questions that Robert W. Sussman, PhD, a professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, will explore Feb. 15 as he addresses the 2013 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, Mass. one of the world's largest gatherings of scientific researchers.

Sussman will deliver a talk on "The Importance of the Concept of Culture to Science and Society" (http://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2013/webprogram/Paper8433.html )during a session titled The Whole of Culture: Anthropology Back on Track.

Sussman, author of Man the Hunted: Primates, Predators and Human Evolution, says that science has struggled to understand the mysteries of "less-than-human" beings since the late 1400s when the Spanish Inquisition first formalized state persecution of Jews and Muslims.

And while the horrors of Nazi Germany exposed fatal flaws in science's quest to build the master race, the ethical dilemmas posed by the science of eugenics are far from behind us.

As Sussman presents his lecture on the evolution of scientific and cultural explanations for criminality, homosexuality, drunkenness and other variances in human behavior, scientists elsewhere at the AAAS meeting will be unveiling amazing new techniques for the genetic engineering of humans tools more powerful than a Nazi's wildest dreams.

Meanwhile, legislation currently being considered in Virginia, North Carolina and other states would provide monetary compensation for the survivors of high-minded efforts to improve the gene pool by forcibly sterilizing some 65,000 mostly poor, minority or disabled Americans. Some of these state-sponsored sterilization programs, which first became common in the 1920s, were still in place as recently as the 1970s.

As recent news reports have detailed, at least nine U.S. states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin, still have versions of chemical castration laws on their books, usually as a penalty or "fix" for habitual child sexual predators.

Go here to see the original:

Deja vu all over again? Cultural understanding vs. horrors of eugenics

Ben 10 vs Teen titans: Kevin vs Cyborg – Video

Posted on by


Ben 10 vs Teen titans: Kevin vs Cyborg
Give some Ideas for who should battle starfire and raven (from ben 10) Credits to sb13cv and gc222sa (for sticks and background) Sorry if it was short, I had less time. I have a week of break from school, and besides the ben 10 vs beastboy, this was all I could make. So enjoy!!! 😀

By: koolvids5

Originally posted here:

Ben 10 vs Teen titans: Kevin vs Cyborg - Video

MY LAST 2 WINS SCARED THE FUCK OUT OF YOU GIANT PRO BOXERS STOP DUCKING THE CYBORG I WANNA BE 33-0 – Video

Posted on by


MY LAST 2 WINS SCARED THE FUCK OUT OF YOU GIANT PRO BOXERS STOP DUCKING THE CYBORG I WANNA BE 33-0
I BROKE THE JAW OF A 300LB POUNDER FOR MY 31ST WIN THEN WIN #32 PANDEMIC KNOCKOUT LEFT HOOK YEAH NOW YOU GIANT PRO BOXERS CHANGED YOUR MINDS I BET ABOUT BOXING ME IN THE RING FUCKING COWARDS IM THE GREATEST IM #1 P4P CHARLIE ZELENOFF WHEN I PROVED THAT IM THE BEST NOW YOU MUTHAFUCKERS DONT...

By: CHARLIE ZELENOFF

See the original post here:

MY LAST 2 WINS SCARED THE FUCK OUT OF YOU GIANT PRO BOXERS STOP DUCKING THE CYBORG I WANNA BE 33-0 - Video

Metal Gear Solid VR mission Cyborg Ninja Gameplay – Video

Posted on by


Metal Gear Solid VR mission Cyborg Ninja Gameplay
Metal Gear Solid VR missions Cyborg Ninja Gameplay Metal Gear Solid is my favorite game and I love this vr mission disc especial I can play with Frank Yeager awesome and there are really awesome levels Catch up with me on Twitter twitter.com blog feetcelebrityblog.blogspot.com digitalstudio7.blogspot.com

By: Avtoandlevan

See the original post:

Metal Gear Solid VR mission Cyborg Ninja Gameplay - Video

New York MMA, Dana White Says ‘Cris Cyborg is Irrelevant’ on MMA Newsmakers – Video

Posted on by


New York MMA, Dana White Says #39;Cris Cyborg is Irrelevant #39; on MMA Newsmakers
fightnetwork.com - Fight Network #39;s John Pollock gives us the latest headlines in mixed martial arts on MMA Newsmakers. For additional coverage of MMA, boxing and pro-wrestling check out fightnetwork.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com or find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com

By: TheFightNetwork

See the original post:

New York MMA, Dana White Says 'Cris Cyborg is Irrelevant' on MMA Newsmakers - Video

Long-delayed sand replenishment sought for Darien beaches

Posted on by

It's been almost seven years since the sand at Pear Tree Point Beach has been replenished, leaving residents to walk across the course and naturally rocky New England beaches.

Historically, the town has replenished the sand on a staggered schedule every few years, according to Susan Swiatek, parks and recreation director.

"This method hasn't been approved in that fashion in a number of years with the economy," Swiatek said.

That regular schedule of adding sand to the beaches came to a halt during the financial crisis of 2008, according to Town Administrator Karl Kilduff.

"The town was prioritizing money for fiscal improvement and adding sand to the beaches was not a top priority," Kilduff said.

At the last Board of Selectmen meeting, members of the RTM Park and Recreation committee asked that the board consider replenishing the sand at the beaches.

Requesting money for sand in the future will be a "function of what the local economy will look like and where the community wants to go with is," according to Kilduf.

In the past, sand has been dredged from Long Island Sound and trucked up to Darien, but due to transport costs, the process can be quite expensive. The cost to replenish 2 to 3 inches of beach cover at Pear Tree Point Beach and Weed Beach is $40,000 per beach.

During storms, the sand appears to be washed up the beach and gets dumped into the parking lots, according to Swiatek. From there, maintenance crews have to push the sand back on the beach and rake the sand.

Unlike other coastal towns in Connecticut, the two beaches don't appear to be losing any sand during storms, Kilduff said.

Continue reading here:

Long-delayed sand replenishment sought for Darien beaches

Meteorite Sparks Discussion in Astronomy Classes

Posted on by

The meteorite that exploded over Russia, traveling at a speed of 33,000 miles per hour, injured hundreds, blew out windows and sparked a discussion in Dr. John Feldmeier's astronomy class at Youngstown State University.

"I thought it was normal Russia, that's crazy," said Brandon Smith, a YSU sophomore.

"What's unusual about this meteorite today is it came very close to a pretty decent size city in Russia," said Dr. John Feldmeier, Youngstown State University professor of physics and astronomy.

Feldmeier told students that most of the time, rocks like this land in the ocean. Friday's meteorite actually blew up in the sky, thousands of feet above the Earth's surface.

"As it blew up and as it entered the earth's atmosphere, this huge shock wave blew out from all directions and anybody within that region felt that shock wave," said Feldmeier.

"We are bombarded by little particles of space dust every day, it happens all the time," said Dr. Patrick Durrell, assistant professor in the department of physics and astronomy. "People just have to remember there's a lot more small pieces than big pieces."

While the meteorite that hit Russia was large in force, Durrell said it was probably a small rock, making it hard to track.

"This one was probably the size of a small car," said Durrell.

Ironically, on the same day as the Russian meteorite, a much bigger rock, an asteroid about half the size of a football field passed by Earth. NASA was able to track this one when it was discovered about a year ago.

"It's not going to hit us, but it is just a reminder that there are lots of these little asteroids around and occassionally we're going to get close passes and yes, even occassionally get hit."

The rest is here:

Meteorite Sparks Discussion in Astronomy Classes

Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) Announces Flexible Hones And Abrasive Brushes For Aircraft And Aerospace Industry

Posted on by

Aerospace manufacturers are turning to flexible hones and abrasive brushes to improve surface condition of components made of stainless steel, Hasteloy, Monel, and Inconel, along with titanium and aluminum alloys.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB)

Aerospace manufacturers are turning to Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) forflexible honesthat improve the surface condition of aircraft and aerospace components made of metals such as aerospace stainless steels; Hasteloy, Monel, and Inconel, and titanium and aluminum alloys.

Jet engine builders and aviation MROs also use Brush Research Manufacturings unique Flex-Hone tool for applications such as through-hole edge rounding, chamfer blending, automated cutting, deburring, edge breaking, and rust removal. Brush Research also provides industrial abrasive brushes for aircraft parts deburring and surface conditioning after machining or grinding.

The Flex-Hone for Aerospace Metals and Space Age Alloys The aerospace industry uses the flexible hone from Brush Research Manufacturing to cut and surface aerospace materials and space age alloys, lightweight metals used in aircraft components such as rotating engine parts, landing gear equipment, helicopter rotor drive shafts, and hydraulic control mechanisms. These alloys are often hard-to-machine, and require a cutting and finishing tool with a consistent geometry and long life. For high-quality surface finishing at precise tolerances, the aircraft industry chooses theflexible hone.

Available in a variety of abrasive types and grit sizes, the Flex-Hone tool uses a low-temperature, low-pressure abrading process to produce a plateau surface finish thats metallurgically free of cut, torn, and folded metal.

Brush Research Manufacturings Diamond Flex-Hone is specially designed for deburring, edge blending, and surface finishing hard materials such as carbides, ceramics, and aerospace steel alloys. Available in different mesh sizes, the Diamond Flex-Hone features resin bond diamond crystals with high-friability for self-sharpening edges. To aid heat dissipation and improve bond retention, diamond honing tools from Brush Research are made with coated nickel abrasive.

NamPower Aircraft and Aerospace Brushes For surface conditioning and part deburring after machining or grinding, the aerospace industry uses NamPowerabrasive brushes. This high-performance brush tools provide consistent surface finishing of metallic, super alloy, advanced composite, and ceramic parts. NamPower brush tools are also used for blending surface imperfections and inconsistencies, deburring and edge radiusing, and parts cleaning.

SOURCE: PRWeb

View original release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10364021.htm

Original post:

Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) Announces Flexible Hones And Abrasive Brushes For Aircraft And Aerospace Industry

A Global Security and Aerospace Giant Pumping Out Over 5%

Posted on by

By Ryan Guenette - February 15, 2013 | Tickers: GD, LMT, NOC, RTN, BA | 0 Comments

Ryan is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

A SWOT analysis is a look at a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and is a tremendous way to gain a detailed and thorough perspective on a company and its future. As 2013 begins, I would like to focus on a global security and aerospace giant: Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT).

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Opportunities:

Threats:

Competition:

Major publicly traded competitors of Lockheed Martin include The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD), and Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN). All of these companies operate in the aerospace and defense industries and compete directly with Lockheed Martin. Boeing is valued at $57.85 billion, pays out a dividend yielding 2.53%, and carries a price earnings ratio of 14.98. Northrop Grumman is valued at $15.81 billion, pays out a dividend yielding 3.33%, and carries a price earnings ratio of 8.46. General Dynamics is valued at $23.63 billion, pays out a dividend yielding 3.05%, and carries a negative price to earnings ratio. Raytheon is valued at $17.87 billion, pays out a dividend yielding 3.69%, and carries a price earnings ratio of 9.58.

See more here:

A Global Security and Aerospace Giant Pumping Out Over 5%

Ball Aerospace Assumes Lead Role on NGA Prime Contract

Posted on by

CHANTILLY, Va., Feb. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has completed a transaction with OGSystems, LLC and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to transfer responsibility for the TASER prime contract to Ball Aerospace. The TASER (Total Application Services Enterprise Requirements) program provides high-end mission analysis, systems and software engineering, integration and IT services, for the NGA. The contract provides quick-turn analysis and adoption of innovative geospatial intelligence solutions designed to meet emerging requirements.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130108/LA39163LOGO)

Ball Aerospace provides extensive support to the NGA mission as prime contractor for the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Technical Exploitation Program, as well as executing subcontracted work on the agency's Innovision, NextView and EnhancedView contracts. The company's broad existing capabilities in the areas of data exploitation, test validation and systems engineering will be directly applied to the TASER contract.

"Ball Aerospace is focused on strategic growth opportunities that expand the geographic and customer footprint of our intelligence and information services business," said Rob Strain, chief operating officer for Ball Aerospace.

The contract will be implemented by Ball Aerospace's Systems Engineering Solutions (SES) business unit, led by vice president and general manager, Dan Gibson. SES holds multiple prime and sub-contracts, serving numerous defense and civil customers with advanced systems engineering and technology application services.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more information visit http://www.ballaerospace.com.

Ball Corporation (BLL) is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 15,000 people worldwide and reported 2012 sales of more than $8.7 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at http://www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

Read the original:

Ball Aerospace Assumes Lead Role on NGA Prime Contract