The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: AT&T, MetroPCS Communications

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL ? November 29, 2011 ? Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include AT&T Inc. (T - Analyst Report), MetroPCS Communications Inc. (PCS - Analyst Report), Leap Wireless International Inc. (LEAP - Analyst Report), Sprint Nextel Corp. (S - Analyst Report) and Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ - Analyst Report).

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Here are highlights from Monday?s Analyst Blog:

Is AT&T/T-Mobile Deal Turning Sour?

The proposed $39 billion merger of AT&T Inc. (T - Analyst Report) and T-Mobile USA seems unlikely. AT&T plans to take a $4 billion charge in the fourth quarter against its takeover, showing increased chances of failure rather than success.

Previously, upon the announcement of the merger deal in March, AT&T agreed to pay T-Mobile $3 billion in cash and $1 billion for spectrum access, should the deal fail.

The proposed transaction is also regulatory attack. First the Department of Justice (DoJ) and more recently the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) blocked the proposed takeover citing concerns of unfair competition, layoffs, higher prices, lower innovation and investments in the industry.

Nevertheless, AT&T was keen to bring T-Mobile under its fold in a deal that would to be the largest in the wireless industry since 2004. The second largest mobile phone company would continue to pursue antitrust approval from the DoJ but withdrew its application from the FCC. Notably, the FCC approval would be absurd should DoJ block the transaction.

The company is seeking to shed some assets or spectrums to rival companies in order to salvage its ambitious $39 billion purchase. AT&T would now divest a significantly large portion of assets than previously expected. Though the exact amount of disposal is not determined, it could be as much as 40% of T-Mobile assets, according to Bloomberg. AT&T could bring its asset sale proposal in the DoJ hearing on November 30.

AT&T affirmed that the sale of assets would minimize the merger concerns, helping it to gain necessary approvals. Divesture talks with several U.S. wireless carriers such as MetroPCS Communications Inc. (PCS - Analyst Report), Leap Wireless International Inc. (LEAP - Analyst Report) and Sprint Nextel Corp. (S - Analyst Report) are in preliminary stages. Even if AT&T disposes assets to its rivals, it may still not be able to win the DoJ nod.

Ironically, the collapse of the deal might weigh on the smaller U.S. wireless rivals as they run the risk of losing opportunities to buy T-Mobile assets. The failure of the deal might turn T-Mobile into a more hostile competitor for urban prepaid users. T-Mobile, which is the fourth largest wireless carrier, is struggling to compete against Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ - Analyst Report), AT&T and Sprint. The company is badly in need for additional spectrum to build the fourth-generation (4G) network, the demand for which is currently rapidly increasing.

While we await the final decision on this much-hyped merger, we prefer to maintain our long-term Neutral recommendation on AT&T. The company retains the Zacks # 3 (Hold) Rank for the short term (1-3 months).

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Market?Summary

Nov 29, 2011 21:12 pm ET

Source: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/65389/The+Zacks+Analyst+Blog+Highlights%3A+AT&T,+MetroPCS+Communications,+Leap+Wireless+International,+Sprint+Nextel+and+Verizon+Communications

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Toyota?s new Fun-Vii concept car is a rolling work of art (Yahoo! News)

Customize your ride with just the push of a button

Concept cars usually fall into one of two categories: cars that eventually make it to production with just a few minor tweaks to their design, and vehicles that are so?mind-blowingly wild that we never actually expect to see them on a city street. The Toyota Fun-Vii falls into the latter category, but we can't help buy hope its insane design elements end up on a real-life roadster somewhere down the line.

Looking more like a touchscreen smartphone than a car, the Fun-Vii is sheathed in an active material that can change its color or graphics instantly. The company touts it as the ultimate in customization, allowing a driver to put any number of messages or gorgeous layouts on the side of their ride. Toyota envisions the Fun-Vii concept being used not only by regular drivers, but also businesses who want eye-catching advertising that can be switched on the fly.

And it's not just the outside of the Fun-Vii that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, the interior is just as?futuristic. Making generous use of augmented reality technology, the Fun-Vii will plot a virtual path for you right on your windshield, and even offer a virtual guide to help you on your way. Of course, many of these touches still reside firmly in the realm of fantasy, but the fact that a major car company is looking so far ahead gives us hope for a very tech-friendly future.

Toyota Fun-Vii interior

[via Inhabitat]

This article originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20111129/tc_yblog_technews/toyotas-new-fun-vii-concept-car-is-a-rolling-work-of-art

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Banned players settle with gay softball group

SEATTLE (AP) ? A gay softball organization has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to three players who were disqualified from its 2008 Gay Softball World Series because of their perceived heterosexuality.

And as part of the settlement announced Monday, their team will be awarded the second-place trophy it was denied at the time.

The men ? Stephen Apilado, Laron Charles and John Russ ? filed the federal lawsuit against the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance last year, claiming they had been discriminated against because they were bisexual, not gay.

They had played for years on a San Francisco-based team called D2. Rumors had persisted that the team was stacked with straight ringers, and when they made it all the way to the finals of the 2008 tournament in the Seattle area, others filed a protest, accusing D2 of exceeding the limit of two heterosexual players per team.

Tournament officials convened a protest committee and brought in five D2 members for questioning. In a conference room filled with about 25 people, many of them strangers, the players were asked questions about their sexuality and private lives. The protest committee then voted on whether the men were gay.

Two were determined to be gay, but the committee found Apilado, Charles and Russ to be straight. The organization said that at the time, the men never identified themselves as bisexual, were evasive or refused to answer questions about their sexuality. Minutes of the hearing say that Charles claimed to be gay but acknowledged being married to a woman, and Apilado initially said he was both gay and straight but then acknowledged being more attracted to women.

The men said they weren't given the option of stating outright that they were bisexual, even though the organization considered bisexual players to be gay for roster purposes. They and their team were disqualified. One observer at the hearing commented, "This is not a bisexual World Series. This is a gay World Series."

NAGAA said the settlement came after the organization won a series of motions limiting what claims the players could present at trial.

The players initially asked the court to throw out the roster limit on straight players as discriminatory. But U.S. District Judge John Coughenour ruled that the organization had a constitutional right to limit the number of straight players as a means of promoting their message that openly gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals can thrive in competitive sports.

The judge said the case could proceed to trial because questions remained about the way the softball association applied its rule, including whether the questions asked at the hearing were unnecessarily intrusive. The trial was set for next month.

"We have been vindicated by the judge's First Amendment rulings," said Roy Melani, NAGAAA's commissioner. "This lawsuit threatened not only the purpose of our organization, but also its future. We fought hard to protect ourselves and our core identity and I am relieved this issue is finally behind us."

Since the lawsuit was filed, NAGAAA has added language to its rules clarifying that bisexual and transgender players are fully welcomed participants in its events. As part of the settlement, the organization said disqualifying D2 was not consistent with its goal of welcoming bisexual players.

"NAGAAA regrets the impacts the 2008 protest hearing had on plaintiffs and their team," the settlement reads.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights, which represented the men, welcomed the changes but said they should go even further. The group still wants NAGAAA to delete its roster limits on straight players, on the grounds that it encompasses gay players who are in the closet or who choose not to put a label on their sexuality.

Charles said he's looking forward to playing more softball.

"It means a lot to me that NAGAAA is going to recognize our second place finish in 2008," Charles said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to play ball with my friends, teammates and community in NAGAAA's tournaments."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-28-Gay%20Softball/id-e6e33bbef5dc4b1fb310aea349dad6c9

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AIDS at 30: First-Person Experiences from HIV/AIDS Caregivers (ContributorNetwork)

Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. Writers from Yahoo! Contributor Network who have cared for HIV/AIDS patients shared their thoughts about the disease, its victims and the continuing struggles against the pandemic. Below are some excerpts from their submissions.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen

grew up with her friend Susie while Susie grew up with AIDS:

"In my time in health care, I met quite a few HIV and AIDS patients. I met them at their sickest and did what I could for them. They would all leave and go home and I never saw most of them again. I sometimes think about them and wonder how they are doing. I don't really think about them more around World AIDS Day -- or other notable anniversaries. Sometimes I will see or hear something and it just makes me think of them. But I think about Susie every day. It's been nearly seven years, but we were friends for 20 years. She was a year older than me and was like the big sister I never had."

Read Kitchen's story here: Susie's Story: Battling HIV/AIDS as a Child and Young Adult

Susan Abe remembers "Mr. B," an elderly AIDS patient in her care:

"Mr. B -- himself a courtly, old-fashioned and kindly person -- had a wonderful family situation to be discharged to: a stay-at-home retired nursing assistant daughter supplemented by a granddaughter and a grandson in nursing school. Family dynamics appeared warm and stable. The oddity that set Mr. B apart from other patients on our cardiac step-down unit was his age, 93.

"Oh, and he was HIV-positive."

Read Abe's story here: Recalling the Courtly 'Mr. B'

Emery English's own health struggles led her to a job caring for AIDS patients, most notably a couple guys named Joe and Gene:

"[Joe and Gene] came to personify AIDS patients for me. The hoopla over contagion and religious values aside, I saw two men for whom the struggle to beat this lethal disease dominated their lives. And yet at the same time, they did not collapse under the weight of their burden nor did they give up on the everyday joy of life."

Read English's story here: Caring for HIV and AIDS Patients a True Privilege

Julie Wimmer writes that whenever she thinks of AIDS, she thinks of "Jan," a patient she cared for:

"I had never met a woman who had AIDS. I knew that anyone could get AIDS: a baby, a mom, a sports player, but most of the time when I heard, 'So and so has AIDS,' 90 percent of the time, they were talking about a man. So when I met 'Jan,' I was almost weirdly fascinated by her condition."

Read Wimmer's story here: Whenever I Hear About AIDS, I Think of Jan

Angela Epps tells the story of her estranged uncle, who, upon rejoining the family, had important lessons to share:

"We need to remind my uncle to take his drug 'cocktail' every day. He was emotionally damaged. It took months of love and constant assurance that he was a worthwhile part of our family and the world to get him to stop shaking and saying 'sorry' after every little thing."

Read Epps' story here: AIDS a Disease that Can Kill Love

Sherri Hunter recalls James, an AIDS patient she bonded with during his medical treatments:

"James was a real diamond in the rough, and I might have overlooked him in another set of circumstances. As his strength waned, our visits (as I came to see them) became less chatty. I had an opportunity to do little things for him to help him be more comfortable. Sometimes I just sat with him. Eventually, the day came he didn't come in for his appointment. We found the obituary in the paper. Many tears were shed that day."

Read Hunter's story here: AIDS Patient Teaches Life's Lessons

Lyn Vaccaro writes that caring for an AIDS patient helped her appreciate the attitude regarding the disease today:

"I was affected in such a profound way by Ed's illness, mostly by the unconditional love his mother and family gave him as he slowly died. This occurred in the 1980s when HIV wasn't as accepted as it now is. That was difficult for me."

Read Vaccaro's story here: Remembering Ed as AIDS Turns 30

Also see: Timeline of AIDS/HIV in America and AIDS and HIV by the Numbers

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/aids/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111128/us_ac/7312200_aids_at_30_firstperson_experiences_from_hivaids_caregivers

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Gingrich Gave Push to Clients, Not Just Ideas

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Newt Gingrich is adamant that he is not a lobbyist, but in the eight years since he started his health care consultancy, he has made millions of dollars while helping companies promote their services.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=a7bc0b7c308bc7fb775ce85573e9c86f

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Galveston County redistricting plan blocked by federal judge (Offthekuff)

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Egypt's military under pressure from protests, US

Protesters remain on Tahrir Square though the military tries to help people return to normal life in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday morning, Feb. 13, 2011. Protesters were debating whether to lift their 24-hour-a-day demonstration camp in Tahrir. (AP Photo/Manoocher Deghati)

slideshow

By HAMZA HENDAWI and SARAH EL DEEB

Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) -- The U.S. increased pressure Friday on Egypt's military rulers to hand over power to civilian leaders, and the generals turned to a Mubarak-era politician to head a new government in a move that failed to satisfy the more than 100,000 protesters who jammed Tahrir Square in the biggest rally yet this week.

The demonstrators rejected the appointment of Kamal el-Ganzouri as prime minister, breaking into chants of "Illegitimate! Illegitimate!" and setting up a showdown between the two sides only three days before key parliamentary elections.

The size of the rally and the resilience of protesters in the face of the violence used by security forces in this week's deadly street battles have won back for the movement much of the strength it projected during the 18-day uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Showing the sort of resolve from the earliest days of the Arab Spring, the protesters say they will not leave the iconic square until the military rulers led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi step down and a civilian presidential council is formed to run the country until a new leader is elected.

"They stole our January revolution because we did not agree on who should represent us," said activist Sedeeqah Abu Seadah. "We shouted 'erhal' (leave) but did not shout the name of the person we want."

The military's appointment of el-Ganzouri, its apology for the death of protesters and a series of partial concessions in the past two days suggest that the generals are struggling to overcome the most serious challenge to their nine-month rule, with fewer options now available to them.

Significantly adding to their predicament, the Obama administration brought its position on the crisis in Egypt closer to the protesters' demands, urging the military to fully empower the next interim civilian government.

"We believe that Egypt's transition to democracy must continue, with elections proceeding expeditiously, and all necessary measures taken to ensure security and prevent intimidation," the White House said in a statement.

"Most importantly, we believe that the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible," it said.

The adjustment in the Obama administration's approach is significant because the Egyptian military, the nation's most powerful institution, has in the past 30 years forged close relations with successive U.S. administrations, receiving $1.3 billion annually in aid. It followed the public U.S. endorsement of the military's original timetable for the transfer of power by late 2012 or early 2013.

The military inadvertently sparked the ongoing unrest by pushing plans for a political "guardianship" role for itself and immunity from civilian oversight even after a new parliament is seated and a new president is elected.

The last straw came when the military ordered the use of force against a small protest in Tahrir Square last weekend and then launched a failed, joint army-police raid to evacuate a larger crowd. Nearly 40 protesters have died in the past week.

The latest crisis has overshadowed Monday's start of Egypt's first parliamentary elections since Mubarak was replaced by Tantawi. The vote, which the generals say will be held on schedule despite the unrest, is now seen by many activists and protesters to be serving the military's efforts to project an image of itself as the nation's saviors and true democrats.

The next parliament is expected to be dominated by Islamists, whose political groups have decided to boycott the ongoing protests to keep from doing anything that could derail the election. However, the outcome of the vote is likely to be seen as flawed given the growing unrest and the suspension by many candidates of their campaigns in solidarity with the protesters.

The Social Democrats, a political party born out of the January-February uprising, said Friday that it would boycott the election, arguing that the vote would not be fair given the tension caused by the unrest, which it blamed on the military.

In rejecting el-Ganzouri's government, 24 protest groups, including two political parties, announced the formation of their own "national salvation" government that they say represents the protesters. The group will be headed by Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and four deputies.

While it is unclear how many people the statement announcing the move represents, it is an attempt by the protest movement to unify its demands and leadership.

Supporters of the military staged a rival demonstration Friday across town from Tahrir, but only several thousand people turned out. They waved identical, brand new Egyptian flags that prompted activists to post on social network sites their suspicion that the demonstration may have been staged by the military.

State television, whose coverage of the crisis shows a clear, pro-military bias, gave prominence to the supporters of the generals and hosted commentators discrediting the Tahrir protesters as irresponsible youths and violent football hooligans.

"El-Ganzouri is over and done with. We want young people to take charge of the country," said Hamdi Arban, a 50-year-old lawyer who was in Tahrir Square. "We will stay here and we won't get our rights except from here," he said.

Basma el-Husseini, who directs a cultural center and was also in Tahrir, dismissed the 78-year-old el-Ganzouri as a man with little energy to keep up with the multitude of challenges facing Egypt. "They (the generals) don't get the power of the people. All they are doing now is play for time to make people fed up."

El-Ganzouri served as prime minister between 1996 and 1999 and was deputy prime minister and planning minister before that. Tantawi himself served under el-Ganzouri for three of the 20 years he spent as Mubarak's defense minister.

Addressing a televised news conference, el-Ganzouri said the military has given him greater powers than his predecessor and that he wouldn't have accepted the job if he believed Tantawi had any intention of staying in power.

"The powers given to me exceed any similar mandates," he said. "I will take full authority so I'm able to serve my country."

But el-Ganzouri appeared uncomfortable, grasping for words and repeatedly pausing as he spoke, giving rambling answers when pressed whether he could form a government that will satisfy the public when many prominent figures have shunned joining the new administration.

The choice of el-Ganzouri deepened the anger of the protesters, already seething over the military's perceived reluctance to dismantle the legacy of Mubarak's 29-year rule.

El-Ganzouri replaces Essam Sharaf, who resigned this week after nearly nine months in office. Sharaf was criticized for being weak and beholden to the generals.

Friday's protest in Tahrir was dubbed by organizers as "The Last Chance Million-Man Protest." Swelling crowds chanted, "Leave! Leave!" and "The people want to bring down the field marshal!"

ElBaradei was mobbed by hundreds of supporters as he arrived in the square and took part in Friday prayers, leaving shortly afterward. Some factions in the protest have cited ElBaradei as a possible member of a civilian presidential council they want to replace the generals.

"He is here to support the revolutionaries," said protester Ahmed Awad, 35. "He came to see for himself the tragedy caused by the military."

Fireworks lit the sky in the evening and a large banner was strung over a side street called Mohammed Mahmoud, where most of the fighting occurred, declaring that it would be renamed "Eyes of the Revolution Street," in honor of the hundreds of protesters who suffered eye injuries as a result of tear gas used by police.

About 500 protesters camped out in front of the Cabinet office, vowing to remain to prevent el-Ganzouri's government from entering the building.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters also rallied in other cities, including at least 10,000 in Alexandria and smaller crowds in Luxor and Assiut in southern Egypt.

The military has rejected calls to immediately step down, saying its claim to power is supported by the warm welcome given to troops who took over the streets from the discredited police early in the anti-Mubarak uprising as well as an overwhelming endorsement for constitutional amendments they proposed in a March referendum.

Tantawi has offered another referendum on whether his military council should step down immediately.

Such a vote, activists say, would be divisive and likely open the door for a deal between the military and political groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt's largest and best organized group, the Brotherhood is notorious for its opportunism and thirst for power. It was empowered after the fall of Mubarak, regaining legitimacy after spending nearly 60 years as an outlawed group.

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Source: http://calhountimes.com/bookmark/16561809

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Who Won The Sing-Off? (omg!)

[Warning: This story reveals the winner of Season 3 of The Sing-Off. Read at your own risk.]

After 16 groups and 11 weeks of competition, it came down to the final three groups on the Season 3 finale of The Sing-Off Monday.

Urban Method, from Denver, CO, was the first group eliminated after they sang Gym Class Heroes' "Stereo Hearts" and performed with judge Sara Bareilles on her new single "Gonna Get Over You."

Watch full episodes of The Sing-Off

Dartmouth Aires, the 16-person club from Dartmouth College, was named runner-up. They chose "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" by Meat Loaf as their final performance and collaborated with judge Ben Folds on his classic chart-topper "Not the Same." The Aires would have been the first college group to win the singing competition.

Finally, host Nick Lachey named Pentatonix the winning group of The Sing-Off's third season. The five-person ensemble from Arlington, Texas walks away with a Sony recording contract and $200,000.

Check out photos from The Sing-Off

Before their victory lap, the group sang a rendition of David Guetta's "Without You" and took on 98 Degrees' "Give Me Just One Night" with former 98 Degrees lead singer Lachey.

"I don't even know what to say, I can't believe it," member Scott Hoying said. "I'm just so humbled to share the stage with my best friends. They're my family. These were 16 amazing groups ? I can't believe this has happened."

Do you think the right act won The Sing-Off?

Related Articles on TVGuide.com

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Understanding the occupy movement (hamptonroads)

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On Thanksgiving, space station astronauts don't have to watch their weight

The Thanksgiving menu for astronauts aboard the International Space Station includes turkey, yams, and cherry-blueberry cobbler, all served up ? or is it down? ? in a microgravity environment.?

A light Thanksgiving dinner doesn't necessarily mean skimping on the turkey or stuffing, not even aboard the International Space Station. The three crew members, who arrived just in time to spend a weightless holiday in orbit, will enjoy a feast of irradiated smoked turkey and heat-treated yams while floating 220 miles (354 kilometers) above Earth tomorrow (Nov. 24).

Skip to next paragraph

The?weightless feast?will include traditional favorites with a space-y twist, such as NASA's own cornbread dressing, home-style potatoes, cranberries, and for dessert ? drum roll! ? cherry-blueberry cobbler, served in a space pouch.

Around the table will be NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin. The trio arrived at the space station Tuesday (Nov. 22), and they are scheduled to live and work aboard the outpost until March. Their time will be spent conducting experiments and preparing for the arrival of new commercial cargo-carrying spacecraft.

Burbank recently described the crew's Thanksgiving plans in a NASA holiday video message, with Burbank catching floating food packages as he gave Earthlings a rundown of the Thursday menu. [A Gallery of Space Food]

The one important missing ingredient? Family.

"We're going to be missing the family and friends back home; we're going to hopefully get a chance to talk to them," Burbank said.

Even so, the astronaut has a lot on his gratitude list.

"We're going to enjoy some great food, we're going to enjoy?a view of planet Earth from here, we're going to be real thankful for the opportunity that we have to fly aboard this magnificent space station, and we're going to be thankful for the love and support of all the folks that we have back home," Burbank said.

Even though the crew members won't be able to bow their heads in thanks with their families and friends, the feast will provide a reminder of home. "The food we eat in space tastes very much like the food we enjoy on Earth," a former space station occupant, NASA astronaut Clay Anderson, said from the ground.

The trickiest part of preparing a space Thanksgiving meal has to do with shelf life: Without any food refrigerators or freezers on the space station, food must last in room temperature for long periods of time, said NASA food scientist Vickie Kloeris, manager of the space station's food system. That's why they freeze-dry and thermostabilize the foods. Thermostabilizing involves pre-heating the food to kill bacteria.

Outdoing a meal with family and friends may be difficult, but the space station has something Grandma's house doesn't, and that's microgravity.

"It's totally legal to play with your food in outer space," Anderson told SPACE.com, adding that astronauts can spin the floating food on their spoon, which is "great fun." And Anderson would know. He spent 152 days living aboard the station in 2007, returning to the outpost in 2010 as a member of space shuttle mission STS-131.

During his stays, he said, he ate all of the foods being served at Thanksgiving, though he wasn't on the station for turkey day or?Christmas in space.

The astronauts may wind up in the same?turkey coma?as people on Earth. Anderson said that even in microgravity it's tempting to stuff yourself. "I ate like a pig when I was there," he said, "and I still lost weight."

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter?@Spacedotcomand on?Facebook.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/hm-Q7z3ccvc/On-Thanksgiving-space-station-astronauts-don-t-have-to-watch-their-weight

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Timbuktu Chronicles: Investing in Health - Avenue Healthcare ...

Investing in Health - Avenue Healthcare (Kenya) receives a $2.5m investment

In African Capital Markets News:

Aureos Africa Health Fund invested $2.5 million in a Kenyan hospital and health insurance company, the Avenue Group , which offers affordable healthcare cover, integrated with quality healthcare provision. It has a 70-bed full-purpose hospital in Nairobi, 7 clinics through Kenya as well as in-house clinics for corporate clients, a home-based care service for elderly, terminally ill or otherwise dependent patients, rental and sale of wheelchairs and other rehabilitation equipment for home use, and First Aid training schemes. It combines healthcare cover with quality, affordable outpatient and inpatient medical services. The group?s corporate medical schemes are designed to be accessible to businesses with as few as 10 employees and around 70% of the staff covered are in non-managerial roles. With Aureos investment, Avenue Group will expand into other regions in Kenya, building 2 more clinics in smaller towns and expanding existing in-patient facilities in Kisumu and Mombasa. The funding will ensure the group can continue non-profit activities, such as free medical camps across Kenya and public health screening days at Avenue clinics...[continue reading]

Source: http://timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/11/investing-in-health-avenue-healthcare.html

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October home sales rise 1.3 percent but prices fall (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Sales of new homes rose in October and the supply of homes on the market fell to its lowest level since April of last year, showing some healing in the battered housing sector.

The Commerce Department on Monday said sales of new single-family homes edged up 1.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted 307,000-unit annual rate, which was the fastest pace in five months yet still below analysts' expectations.

The supply of new homes on the market would last 6.3 months at October's sales pace, down from 6.4 months in September.

The data fueled hopes the housing market could at least be bottoming out.

"This looks like a bottom. The market is stabilizing," said Gregory Miller, an economist at Suntrust Bank in Atlanta.

Financial markets largely dismissed the data, with investors focused on efforts in Europe to quell the region's debt crisis. Prices for U.S. stocks rose sharply on hopes fresh proposals could be emerging.

With euro zone policymakers staring into the abyss as bond investors question their ability bail out weaker members, Germany and France stepped up a drive for a fiscal union.

Europe's troubles are casting a pall over the economic outlook for the United States and the world.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based research center for governments of industrial economies, slashed its global growth forecast and warned that the euro zone could break up.

It also warned that the impact on the economy could be more grave than widely believed.

HOLIDAY CHEER

So far, the U.S. recovery, which has made strides since the summer thanks to strong factory output and improved consumer spending, seems to be holding its own.

Retail sales soared over the Thanksgiving weekend as shoppers scooped up discounted merchandise.

A survey conducted by the National Retail Federation found sales hit a record $52.4 billion, a 16.4 percent jump over the prior year, raising hopes consumer spending would be strong over the holiday season.

But falling home prices and tighter credit continue to be the bane of the recovery, which has progressed with fits and starts since the 2007-2009 recession.

The Commerce Department's report showed the median sales price dropped 0.5 percent in October to $212,300, the lowest in a year.

Falling prices could hamper the housing market by making buyers see homes as a bad investment. Still, compared to October last year, the median price was up 4.0 percent.

The housing market has been hurt by a glut of unsold properties and an unemployment rate that has been stuck around 9 percent.

"A proper, sustained recovery in (new home) sales is unlikely to emerge before payroll gains have accelerated substantially further," said Ian Shepherdson, an economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York.

The U.S. Federal Reserve has held short-term interest rates at nearly zero since 2008 and has expanded its balance sheet in a bid to get credit to businesses and households.

That has helped bring 30-year mortgage rates to record lows. The problem is that even with low rates, many would-be borrowers still cannot get a loan.

A report from the New York Federal Reserve Bank showed U.S. consumers continued to dig out from record debt loads taken on during the housing boom, with total consumer credit dropping 0.6 percent in the third quarter.

(Additional reporting by Richard Leong in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111128/bs_nm/us_usa_economy

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Deal of the Day ? Planar PX2710MW 27-in 1080p 2ms LCD Monitor

Today?s LogicBUY Deal is the 27? Planar PX2710MW LCD monitor for $209.99.? Features: ?1080p, 2ms response time, 1200:1 contrast ratio, think black bezel, HDMI, built-in stereo speakers. $469.99 ??$260 off ??= ?$209.99 with free shipping. ? This deal expires November 29, 2011 or sooner. Check the above link for more details on this deal, and [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/28/81932/

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