Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Lucas Silva, Arturo Vidal and More

Luiz Rocha, the agent of talented Cruzeiro midfielder Lucas Silva, has confirmed Manchester United have made contact over a potential transfer. Red Devils chief executive Ed Woodward recently suggested there is a "low probability" the club will sign reinforcements in January, as reported by Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, but comments from Rocha suggest interest in Silva could take United's fancy. "There aren't many details," said Rocha, per Jamie Sanderson of the Metro. "I confirm I was contacted by people linked to Manchester United. There are no official bids. We are waiting." Meanwhile, Alvaro de la Rosa of AS believes "contact has been established" with Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have allegedly been told €15 million would secure Silva's services. This roughly equates to the £12 million offer Sanderson suggests United could make, with Chelsea reportedly quoted the same "shockingly low" price, per Jamie Anderson of the Daily Express. Former Corinthians manager Tite recently revealed that Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti has spoken to him about Silva. "Ancelotti told me he could sign him and asked if he could play alongside (Luka) Modric or (Toni) Kroos because he said, 'My president will not sign defenders,'" Tite told SportTV Brazil (h/t Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express). Ancelotti is said to have previously asked old associate Serginho about Silva's talents. Carlos Carpio of Marca reports that the Italian boss called AC Milan's head of South American scouting to "pick his brain" about the 21-year-old, whose qualities are highlighted below: Silva is a midfield busybody and keeps possession moving with accurate passes. He has completed 88 percent of his passes across 25 Brasileirao appearances this season, according to WhoScored.com, making 2.1 tackles and 1.2 interceptions on average per match. Silva isn't the physical presence United crave just yet, but his calmness in possession and technical ability could significantly improve the side's centre. Chris Atkins of ESPN FC highlights how Silva is "normally positioned alongside a more destructive midfield presence," suggesting Louis van Gaal could also target another signing to supplement his potential arrival. United continue to be linked with a move for Juventus' Arturo Vidal, as reported by David Wright of the Express, but the Chilean midfielder is yet to consistently impress after his recent knee injury. Beppe Marotta, executive director in Turin, recently admitted as much. "Vidal? He still isn't in great form, but he's better," he told Sky Sport (h/t Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Italia). "His knee is a bit inflamed, but we are monitoring him daily." This will likely halt Van Gaal's interest, as former Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli told El Mercurio it did during the summer (h/t the London Evening Standard). Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho could offer an alternative source of midfield physicality, according to Anderson, who believes United will engineer a cash-plus-Nani deal for the Portuguese behemoth. Carvalho is a natural powerhouse and exactly the type of battler who can complement the play of individuals such as Silva. Nani's valuation has only increased since he returned to Sporting on loan this season. Should Manchester United offer Nani-plus-cash for William Carvalho? Should Manchester United offer Nani-plus-cash for William Carvalho? He has scored six goals and provided two assists across 14 matches across Liga Sagres and the Champions League, per WhoScored. As a result, United could significantly cut Carvalho's reported value of £24 million, per Anderson. It is unlikely Nani will make it back into Van Gaal's plans at this stage, so such a deal would be extremely clever from the Premier League side. United are currently fourth and aiming to hold down their Champions League spot as the busy Christmas schedule arrives. Van Gaal's squad needs plenty of resculpting before the club is regularly going to compete for silverware, but fans will certainly be excited to see potential links to players such as Silva and Carvalho. These transfers appear viable—unlike the constant no-go of Vidal—and are likely to test United's reported unwillingness to spend in January. Manchester United linked with £12m transfer for 'new Kaka' The January transfer window must be close if the amount of transfer rumours involving Manchester United are anything to go by. Today the Red Devils are being linked with a swoop for Raphael Varane, while rumours persist of a move for both Fabio Coentrao and Pepe. Wesley Sneijder looks likely to be on the move next year and of course the Red Devils are being mentioned in connection to the Dutchman again.

PG&E6CPREF : FERC Issues Order Granting Extension of Time Re Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Pit 3, 4, and 5 Hydroelectric Project Under P-233

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 -- The U.S. Department of Energy'sFederal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the text of the following delegated order: Pacific Gas & Electric Company Project No. 233-197 ORDER GRANTING EXTENSION OF TIME (Issued November 24, 2014) 1. On October 31, 2014, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), licensee for the Pit 3, 4, and 5 Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 233), filed a request for an extension of time to file as-built site plan drawings for the Dusty Campground. 2. The recreation resources management plan (RRMP), developed per license article 408, requires PG&E to file as-built site plan drawings on an annual basis for recreation improvements completed the previous calendar year. While the improvements in the Dusty Campground were completed in 2014, PG&E staff is requesting additional time to file the as-built drawings in order to complete an assessment of the project boundary for the Pit 3, 4, and 5 Project to ensure that all project recreation amenities and facilities are incorporated into the project boundary. Upon completion of the assessment, as-built drawings will be developed using the Commission's project recreation facilities tables and as-built site plan guidance (http://www.ferc.gov/industries/hydropower/gen-info/guidelines/as-built-site-plan.pdf ). 3. PG&E filed its extension request prior to the deadline and provided a detailed explanation of the reasons for the delay. The extension of time request to clarify the project boundary and create recreation facility and amenity tables is reasonable and justifies granting the extension. The Director orders: (A) The deadline for Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), to file as-built site plan drawings for the Dusty Campground at the Pit 3, 4, and 5 Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 233), is extended to July 31, 2015. (B) This order constitutes final agency action. Any party may file a request for rehearing of this order within 30 days from the date of its issuance, as provided in section 313(a) of the FPA, 16 U.S.C. section 825l (2012), and the Commission's regulations at 18 C.F.R. section 385.713 (2014). The filing of a request for rehearing does not operate as a stay of the effective date of this order, or of any other date specified in this order. The licensee's failure to file a request for rehearing shall constitute acceptance of this order. Mark I. Ivy Outdoor Recreation Planner Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance TNS 30TacordaCheng-141125-4946740 30TacordaCheng (c) 2014 Targeted News Service 2008 Laredo by Keysyone RVs Other For Sale in Louisiana - $14,000.00 A 2008 travel trailer ultra-lite Laredo by Keystone. 1 living room slide, roof A.C.,Furnace, gas/elect.water heater.Queen size bed,storage on both sides.Bath with tub and shower.Large awning Excellent shape.Stored under cover.Can e-mail more pictures. Seen by appointment only. Call-985-727-9097 Mob.-504-628-2515 Avoid scams, deal with people locally. Beware of people who want to wire money, use cashiers checks, money orders, or want to drop ship products. Learn more here. Classified ads are posted by individuals as is, with no guarantees by this site. We will not provide user contact information. Louisiana Sportsman is not involved in any transaction and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer any protections or certifications.

DPS to offer parenting classes

The Detroit Public Schools is partnering with Wayne State University, the city's public library and Black Family Development to offer parenting courses for mothers, fathers and guardians in the district. The Parent University courses begin Monday and are part of a district community engagement program geared toward increasing parental involvement in their children's education. The free classes are being offered through Jan. 23. Some are designed to help parents identify their child's learning style, help manage teen stress and improve basic computer skills. They are two hours long. Emergency manager Jack Martin says in a release that "having actively engaged parents is a critical component to ensuring" student academic success. To register: parent.engagement@detroitk12.org Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/1rrx5Gc

Sanskrit to be 3rd language in Classes 6-8 in KVs: Centre tells SC

The Centre on Thursday submitted before the Supreme Court that Sanskrit will be the third language in classes 6 to 8 in Kendriya Vidyalayas. Appearing before the bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi sought its permission to file an affidavit on the controversy arising out of Centre’s decision to drop German as an alternative to Sanskrit as third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas. The bench allowed him to file an affidavit and posted the matter for Friday. Earlier, on November 21, the apex court had agreed to give an urgent hearing on the petitions filed by a group of parents of Kendriya Vidyalaya students on the issue. The bench had posted the matter for Thursday and had asked the Centre to file its response on the PIL. Counsel for the petitioners have contended that the decision regarding selecting language should be left to the students and parents, and government should not impose its decision on them, especially in the middle of the ongoing academic session. The Board of Governors (BoG) of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), headed by HRD Minister Smriti Irani, had in its meeting on October 27 decided that “teaching of German language as an option to Sanskrit will be discontinued herewith”. German has been kept as an additional subject for students. The decision is expected to affect over 70,000 students across 500 KVs from classes 6 to 8 who will be asked to switch from German to Sanskrit. Challenging the decision, the petitioners had said, “The KVS has failed to take into account the pertinent fact that such a decision cannot be taken mid-session as it would amount to throwing into complete disarray the overall academic preparation of the affected students.” They had said, “the government should not take such an arbitrary and hasty decision at this belated stage and without any consultation with the affected students and parents. “The decision of replacement of German language with Sanskrit in all KVSs across the country has been taken by the Respondents in a hurried manner without application of mind and without considering the catastrophic consequences on the interest and welfare of students studying in such KVSs,” the petition had contended. Sanskrit to be 3rd language in Classes 6-8 in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Centre tells SC NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday submitted before the Supreme Court that Sanskrit will be the third language in Classes 6 to 8 in Kendriya Vidyalayas. Appearing before the bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, attorney general Mukul Rohatgi sought its permission to file an affidavit on the controversy arising out of Centre's decision to drop German as an alternative to Sanskrit as third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas. The bench allowed him to file an affidavit and posted the matter for on Friday. Earlier, on November 21, the apex court had agreed to give an urgent hearing on the petitions filed by a group of parents of Kendriya Vidyalaya students on the issue. The bench had posted the matter for Thursday and had asked the Centre to file its response on the PIL. READ ALSO: Kendriya Vidyalaya board dumps German for Sanskrit Now, saffron outfit wants CBSE schools to drop foreign languages Counsel for the petitioners have contended that the decision regarding selecting language should be left to the students and parents, and government should not impose its decision on them, especially in the middle of the ongoing academic session. The board of governors (BoG) of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), headed by HRD minister Smriti Irani, had in its meeting on October 27 decided that "teaching of German language as an option to Sanskrit will be discontinued herewith". German has been kept as an additional subject for students. The decision is expected to affect over 70,000 students across 500 KVs from Classes 6 to 8 who will be asked to switch from German to Sanskrit. Challenging the decision, the petitioners had said, "The KVS has failed to take into account the pertinent fact that such a decision cannot be taken mid-session as it would amount to throwing into complete disarray the overall academic preparation of the affected students." They had said, "the government should not take such an arbitrary and hasty decision at this belated stage and without any consultation with the affected students and parents. "The decision of replacement of German language with Sanskrit in all KVSs across the country has been taken by the respondents in a hurried manner without application of mind and without considering the catastrophic consequences on the interest and welfare of students studying in such KVSs," the petition had contended. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Kendriya Vidyalayas,german,sanskrit Stay updated on the go with The Times of India’s mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

Chiz to DBM: Account for P137-B Yolanda rehab fund before asking for P23B more

MANILA, Philippines – Instead of pushing for P23 billion in supplemental funding for various initiatives, Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero said on Thursday that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should first account for P137 billion in existing monies allocated for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Yolanda-stricken areas. At the Kapihan sa Senado, Escudero, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said that, based on news accounts, the DBM will be asking Congress for a P23-B supplemental budget, which includes additional funds for the Yolanda-devastated areas. Under the P23 billion supplemental budget, the DBM is supposed to have earmarked about P9.2 billion additional monies for the administration's Yolanda reconstruction and rehabilitation program. Among other expense items, another P1.44 billion is to be used to support preparations for the APEC Summit that the Philippines will be hosting next year. "Part of this is allegedly for Yolanda, if the newspaper reports are accurate. But I have to ask: Has all the P137 billion been used up? Have they spent that much already in the Yolanda-affected areas?," Escudero asked. "Quite frankly, I don't see it ... I don't feel it and, certainly, the people in Region 8, don't see it and don't feel it either," he added. Acknowledging that he hasn't seen a copy of the supplemental budget being requested, Escudero said he is wondering why DBM did not just include that proposal in the 2015 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that was recently approved by the Senate. "That also one thing I do not understand." Meanwhile, Senate President Franklin Drilon said that he will immediately send the copy of the supplemental budget to the Committee on Finance once the document has passed the House of Representatives, adding that he himself hasn't seen the document, and reiterating that it should originate in the Lower House as mandated by the Constitution. The need for cancer rehab TORONTO Dr. Eugene Chang lost 50 pounds he couldn't afford to shed but found a calling when he underwent cancer treatment at age 25. The challenges Chang faced battling his way back to physical health after his bout with his disease inspired the rehabilitation medicine specialist to rethink his career path. He decided to pursue a subspecialty for which there is a growing need, becoming Canada's first trained cancer physiatrist. A physiatrist is a doctor who specializes in rehabilitation medicine. It's a field for which the need is growing, says Dr. Gaetan Tardif, medical program director for rehabilitation and physiatrist-in-chief at Toronto Rehab, where Chang now works. Society isn't doing enough to help people with cancer minimize the physical toll the disease and its treatments take and recover from that impact, Tardif says. While the notion of cardiac rehab after a heart attack or rehab for people who have had strokes or spinal cord injuries is well established and even expected, the need to address the impact of cancer hasn't kept pace. Nick Marks knows from personal experience that it can be a real struggle. Marks, who is 70, is a semi-retired benefits consultant living in Toronto. In July 2013, he learned he had multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that attacks white blood cells called plasma cells. The disease, which can be managed but not cured, impedes a person's ability to mount an immune response to invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses. In the process of his treatment, Marks contracted C. difficile diarrhea, landing in hospital for two months. A slender man — and one who professes to hate exercise — Marks could not walk by the time his C. difficile was cured. He has been working with Chang to regain his mobility. "You really have to relearn to walk, and I'm still doing that," he says. The two work on strengthening the older man's legs. Motivated to get rid of the cane he still uses, Marks is walking, climbing stairs and doing exercises that target his thighs. Chang too learned of the importance of this rehabilitation medicine firsthand. In the autumn term of 2005, he started a residency in physiatry at the University of British Columbia. "I thought I was going to do sports (rehab) or something like that. I had no clue of my journey at the beginning of my residency," he admits. An active guy who cycled to work and played hockey in his free time, Chang suddenly found normal exertion was making him breathless and fatigued. A blood test, followed by a bone marrow test, produced an unexpected result — he had myelodysplastic syndrome, a cancer affecting the bone marrow. Chang's medical career took a two-year hiatus as he underwent chemotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant. The transplant was a success, and nine years later he remains cancer free. But the treatments left him weak and in need of rehab medicine himself. Chang found he had to push to get the care he knew he needed. "That was a real eye-opener," he admits. "This was not a good thing and maybe this was a problem in cancer generally." When Chang went to resume his rehabilitation medicine training in the fall of 2007, the experiences of his time as a cancer patient had changed his thinking about what his focus should be. Sports rehab was out. The cancer rehab was in. Some of the effects of cancer care are specific to the type of the disease. For example, the problem of stiff shoulder can sometimes follow a mastectomy for breast cancer patients. Others are general — things like fatigue, muscle wasting and sometimes neuropathy, the loss of nerve cells in feet and hands that can affect things like a person's gait. Tardif says too often with cancer, people see the disease as a reason to give up on exercise and physical conditioning. Everyone pays the price for it, he says. "Are we quitting a little too early on the full community reintegration? Are we focusing too much on just fixing the medical problem? But then what? And the better we get in medicine at fixing problems, the more important the 'Then what?' is," he says. "Frankly, I want somebody to save my life. But if I'm going to be miserable for the next 10 years at home, I'm going to have second thoughts about how good that deal was."

om Hanks' son goes to rehab

(BANG) -Tom Hanks' son has undergone treatment for cocaine addiction. The 'Philadelphia' star and wife Rita Wilson's eldest child, 24-year-old Chester - who is also known as rapper Chet Haze - recently went to rehab to seek help for his drug problem and has now been sober for 50 days after ''struggling'' since he was 16. Speaking in a video message on his Instagram page, he said: ''I've been struggling with substance abuse since I was 16 years old. ''Finally at the age of 24 I decided to get some help. With 50 days of sobriety under my belt, I can honestly say I'm the happiest I've ever been.'' The 'Do It Better' rapper went on to thank his family - including brother Truman and half-brother Colin - for their support and said he feels ''blessed'' to be able to overcome his problems. He wrote in a caption accompanying the video: ''I'm thankful for my family and everybody that cares about me, including my fans. I've been blessed with the programs of AA and NA which allow me to rise above this disease. I'm learning to accept my faults and be ok with being human. If anybody that sees this struggles with addiction, feel free to reach out. Thank you all for the love and support! God is real. (sic)'' Chet decided to go public about his addiction after a US magazine planned to expose his battle. He said: ''I have an announcement: A tabloid is about to run a piece on me being in rehab for a cocaine addiction. It's true. I'm currently 50 days clean and sober from everything, including alcohol... ''I don't give a f**k what people think. F**k the media.''

Stage Premiere Of SHOCK TREATMENT At King's Head, 2015, Plus TRAINSPOTTING!

King's Head Theatre Artistic Director Adam Spreadbury-Maher announces the theatre's work for the first 6 months of 2015, including a new play directed by Mike Bradwell, and the 21st anniversary production of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, with a 9-actor Edinburgh cast, plus, the long awaited stage premiere of Richard O'Brien's Shock Treatment, the equal/sequel to his cult hit The Rocky Horror Show. Irvine Welsh, author of Transpotting, said of the Scottish revival, set to transfer to the King's Head: "I'm not big on reading or watching my old stuff, but I was blown away by this new production of Trainspotting at the Festival." Richard O'Brien, creator of Shock Treatment, commented: "Shock Treatment has been waiting patiently in the wings for a stage premiere since the film was released in 1981. Just as Rocky began life upstairs at the Royal Court, it seems a perfect fit for Shock Treatment to start its stage life in the effervescent atmosphere of the astounding King's Head Theatre next April." Celebrating their 45th birthday in 2015 since opening in 1970 as London's first pub theatre since Shakespeare's time, The King's Head season will also include Lucy Skilbeck's production of Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London,marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day, and a new adaptation of the classic Victorian satire The Diary of a Nobody, directed by Mary Franklin. A new play, The American Venus, inspired by the story of Louise Brooks from Canadian-based playwright Leslie Mildiner, together with the internationally celebrated Between, by South African Oskar Brown, which returns to the King's Head following sell-out seasons in Dublin, Edinburgh, Brighton and Cape Town, will feature alongside the first major London revival and 20th anniversary of Simon Block's debut play Not A Game For Boys. Spreadbury-Maher commented: "I can't think of a better way to say happy 45th birthday than to announce a range of fantastic work which continues to redefine the theatre's identity; with writers as varied as Irvine Welsh to Gilbert & Sullivan, helmed by directors from Mary Franklin at the exciting start of her career, to theatrical legend Mike Bradwell. I'm pleased to announce that accessible high quality classical music will still have a home at the King's Head with Ruddigore, a rarely seen gem by Gilbert & Sullivan. The King's Head is a unique and special place, as our loyal audiences always tell us - so if you've not visited before, this is the year to do it.". Ticket prices start from £10 for everyone, with under-26 £10 tickets available, plus we're introducing a Pay What You Can night for every season. Tickets are now available from www.kingsheadtheatre.com or 0207 478 0160. The King's Head Theatre Pub has also had a makeover - with excellent food available pre and post theatre, great beers on tap and a serious wine list. Season details: The Diary of a Nobody 20 January - 14 February PRESS NIGHT Friday 23 January 7pm transferring from White Bear after a sell-out acclaimed run. Directed by King's Head Trainee Director Scheme graduate Mary Franklin Between by Oskar Brown 24 January - 14 March PRESS NIGHT Tuesday 27 January 9.15pm returning following a sell-out summer season. Directed by Award Winning South African Geoffrey Hyland Ruddigore by Gilbert & Sullivan 18 February - 14 March PRESS NIGHT Friday 20 February 7pm maintaining our commitment to accessible classical music, with a hammer horror twist. Directed by John Savournin Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh March 17 - April 11 PRESS NIGHT Friday 20 March 7pm the first major revival transfers from the Edinburgh Festival. Directed by Greg Esplin Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London by Alison Skilbeck 14 April - May 9 PRESS NIGHT Wednesday 15 April 7pm a new play marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. Directed by Australian Lucy Skilbeck Shock Treatment by Richard O'Brien 17 April - 9 May PRESS NIGHT Tuesday 21 April 9pm the anticipated stage premiere of the equal/sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Directed by Benji Sperring The Flannelettes by Richard Cameron May 12 - June 6 PRESS NIGHT Friday 15 May 7pm a new play set in a woman's refuge of a Yorkshire mining town. Directed by veteran director Mike Bradwell Not A Game For Boys by Simon Block 10 June - 4 July PRESS NIGHT Friday 12 June 7pm the first major revival of his 1995 Royal Court Theatre breakthrough play. Directed by Jason Lawson _ The American Venus by Leslie Mildiner 8 July - 1 Aug PRESS NIGHT Friday 10 July 7pm a new play based on a true account of the latter life of actress Louise Brooks. Directed by Sarah Berger

Tennessee fails to up ante for drug treatment

A few months after Gov. Bill Haslam and his top deputies announced the “Prescription for Success” to address Tennessee’s pill popping problem, a budget is on his desk without any more money for addiction treatment and less funds for support services. The proposed budget from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services cuts $8.1 million to comply with the governor’s directive that every agency reduce spending by 7 percent. That’s the biggest reduction Haslam has asked agencies to budget since his time in office. One of the primary action points in the “Prescription for Success” is to “increase access and quality of early intervention, treatment and recovery services.” But the proposed budget eliminates funding for adolescent outpatient substance abuse services and adolescent day and evening treatment services — cuts totaling $1.4 million. “This is a huge hit and a tough one to hear,” said Rodger Dinwiddie, executive director of the youth-service organization STARS Nashville, which would lose funding. “Programs such as ours are making a huge difference in impacting the individuals that participate in these services, as well as the community at large.” Doug Varney, commissioner of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, said his staff had prioritized programs from the most essential to the least essential, rather than doing an across-the-board reductions. Funding for hospitalizations would be cut as a last resort, he said. The cuts were for support programs, not medical treatment, officials stressed. “In the department’s current budget proposal, there are no direct cuts to services for Tennesseans to obtain treatment for an addiction to prescription drugs,” said Mike Machak, a spokesman for the agency. “The department’s proposed budget cuts would impact some select services across the state offering help and support. Individuals with a serious addiction to prescription drugs will continue to have access to direct substance abuse treatment in Tennessee.” But addiction experts say Tennessee cannot accommodate the people in need of treatment now, and their number is likely to rise as new state laws curtail the amount of narcotics that doctors can prescribe. Under the new guidelines, doctors can write prescriptions for daily doses up to 120 milligrams of morphine equivalents, which is the same as four 30 milligram dosages of hydrocodone a day. About 90,000 Tennesseans get pain meds that exceed this daily dosage. Mary-Linden Salter, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug & Addiction Services, said there is already a substantial waiting list. More than 250,000 Tennesseans have some kind of a substance abuse problem, she said. “Adult services treats just over 13,000 people a year,” Salter said. “It is a drop in the bucket.” The budget also proposes ending $4.5 million for mental health peer support centers statewide. Centerstone runs the programs in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. “Over the last decade, Tennessee has built one of the most successful Peer Support Programs in the nation,” said Ben Middleton with Centerstone. “This program serves as a critical lifeline to thousands of Tennesseans living with mental health disorders and intellectual disabilities. Without it these individuals will lose a vital — if not their only — source of community support, connection and education, turning vulnerable situations into dire ones.” Reach Tom Wilemon at 615-726-5961 and on Twitter @TomWilemon. Read or Share this story: http://tnne.ws/1xLdq0q

China Cord Blood Corporation Reports Financial Results for the Second Quarter and First Half of Fiscal 2015

HONG KONG, Nov. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- China Cord Blood Corporation (CO) ("CCBC" or the "Company"), China's leading provider of cord blood collection, laboratory testing, hematopoietic stem cell processing, and stem cell storage services, today announced its preliminary unaudited financial results for the second quarter and first half of fiscal year 2015 ended September 30, 2014. Second Quarter of Fiscal 2015 Highlights Revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 increased by 7.4% to RMB152.1 million ($24.8 million) from RMB141.6 million in the prior year period. New subscriber sign-ups and accumulated subscriber base were 15,584 and 407,755, respectively. Gross profit increased by 6.6% to RMB121.8 million ($19.8 million) from RMB114.3 million in the prior year period. Gross margin was 80.1%, compared to 80.7% in the prior year period. Operating income increased to RMB57.5 million ($9.4 million) from RMB56.3 million in the prior year period, despite higher depreciation expenses as a result of the completion of the new Guangdong and Zhejiang facilities. Operating income before depreciation and amortization expenses of RMB13.3 million ($2.2 million) amounted to RMB70.8 million ($11.5 million), up 8.9% year-over-year.[1] Interest expense amounted to RMB25.2 million ($4.1 million), compared to RMB16.5 million in the prior year period due to the absence of interest expense capitalization. As higher interest expense was offset by lower income tax expense, net income attributable to the Company's shareholders increased to RMB27.2 million ($4.4 million) from RMB24.9 million in the prior year period. Operating cash flow for the quarter increased by 41.4% to RMB171.0 million ($27.9 million) from RMB121.0 million in the prior year period. First Half of Fiscal 2015 Highlights Revenues for the first half of fiscal 2015 increased by 13.0% to RMB305.5 million ($49.8 million) from RMB270.4 million in the prior year period. New subscriber sign-up reached 31,132 and accumulated subscriber base expanded to 407,755. Gross profit increased by 12.3% to RMB245.3 million ($40.0 million) from RMB218.5 million in the prior year period. Operating income increased by 15.1% to RMB117.6 million ($19.2 million) from RMB102.2 million in the prior year period. Operating income before depreciation and amortization expenses of RMB24.7 million ($4.0 million) amounted to RMB142.3 million ($23.2 million), up 19.1% year-over-year.[1] Interest expense amounted to RMB50.1 million ($8.2 million), compared to RMB31.2 million in the prior year period due to the absence of interest expense capitalization. Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders amounted to RMB57.0 million ($9.3 million), compared to RMB57.8 million in the prior year period. Operating cash flow for the first half of fiscal 2015 increased by 28.8% to RMB295.7 million ($48.2 million) from RMB229.6 million in the prior year period. "In the second quarter, we continued to execute our sales strategy that emphasizes the one-time upfront payment option, resulting in strong operating cash flow," stated Ms. Ting Zheng, Chief Executive Officer of China Cord Blood Corporation. "As of the end of the second quarter, our accumulated subscriber base increased 4% since last quarter and now has over four hundred thousand units, further solidifying our position as one of the largest cord blood banks on a global scale." Ms. Zheng further commented, "During the second quarter, we began a series of internal reorganization and marketing activities designed to strengthen the company's industry leadership position and long-term competitive advantage. For instance, we are increasing our recruitment efforts and adjusting our remuneration policies, redeploying our sales staff for improved coverage and initiating new advertising campaigns, all of which are aimed at enhancing our overall sales operations. For the second half of fiscal 2015, our primary focus will be reinforcing these new measures that drive customer enrollment." Summary – Second Quarter and First Half Ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, 2013 2014 2013 2014 (in thousands) RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$ Revenues 141,635 152,122 24,784 270,356 305,453 49,764 Gross Profit 114,275 121,774 19,840 218,504 245,329 39,969 Operating Income 56,290 57,463 9,362 102,170 117,630 19,164 Depreciation and Amortization Expenses 8,715 13,301 2,167 17,308 24,708 4,025 Interest Expense 16,461 25,209 4,107 31,219 50,104 8,163 Net Income Attributable to the Company's Shareholders 24,904 27,249 4,439 57,810 56,985 9,283 Earnings per Ordinary Share – Basic[2] and Diluted (RMB/US$) 0.33 0.35 0.06 0.73 0.72 0.12 Revenue Breakdown (%) Processing Fees 71.6% 67.4% 70.6% 68.3% Storage Fees 28.4% 32.6% 29.4% 31.7% New Subscribers (persons) 15,928 15,584 31,188 31,132 Total Accumulated Subscribers (persons) 343,170 407,755 343,170 407,755 Summary – Selected Cash Flow Statement Items Three Months Ended September 30, Six Months Ended September 30, 2013 2014 2013 2014 (in thousands) RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$ Net cash provided by operating activities 120,969 171,048 27,867 229,623 295,691 48,174 Net cash used in investing activities (17,531) (3,998) (651) (56,891) (22,395) (3,649) Net cash provided by financing activities 5,578 - - 2,336 - - Second Quarter of Fiscal 2015 Financial Results REVENUES. Revenues increased by 7.4% to RMB152.1 million ($24.8 million) in the second quarter of fiscal 2015 from RMB141.6 million in the prior year period, driven mainly by the increase of recurring storage revenues derived from the Company's enlarged total subscriber base. As the Company's accumulated subscriber base expanded to 407,755 by the end of September 2014, revenues generated from storage fees increased to RMB49.6 million ($8.1 million), up 23.4% from RMB40.2 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of total revenues, storage fees accounted for 32.6%, compared to 28.4% in the prior year period. Revenues generated from processing fees in the second quarter were RMB102.5 million ($16.7 million), up modestly from RMB101.4 million in the prior year period due mainly to the year-over-year difference in processing fees for the contracts signed between the two quarters. 15,584 new subscriber sign-ups were recorded during the second quarter of fiscal 2015, representing a slight decrease from 15,928 in the prior year period but slight improvement from the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Revenues generated from processing fees accounted for 67.4% of total revenues, compared to 71.6% in the prior year period. GROSS PROFIT. Gross profit for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 increased by 6.6% to RMB121.8 million ($19.8 million) from RMB114.3 million in the prior year period, mainly due to increased revenues and well-controlled direct costs. Despite the increase in depreciation expenses, the Company continued to report a solid gross margin of 80.1%, compared to 80.7% in the prior year period. OPERATING INCOME. Operating income for the second quarter increased at a slower pace to RMB57.5 million ($9.4 million) from RMB56.3 million in the prior year period, as a result of higher depreciation expenses. Operating margin in this quarter was 37.8%, compared to 39.7% in the prior year period. Depreciation and amortization expenses for the second quarter were RMB13.3 million ($2.2 million), compared to RMB8.7 million in the prior year period. Operating income before depreciation and amortization expenses totaled RMB70.8 million ($11.5 million), up 8.9% compared to the prior year period.[3] Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses, which have been stable in the last few quarters, were RMB2.3 million ($0.4 million). Sales and Marketing Expenses. Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter amounted to RMB31.0 million ($5.0 million), compared to RMB27.6 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of revenue, sales and marketing expenses were 20.3%, up from 19.5% in the prior year period but down from 20.7% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Sales and marketing expenses continued to be correlated with the Company's revenue performance. Looking ahead, the CCBC management team intends to further expand its sales force and marketing and promotion activities to continue to increase public awareness of cord blood banking. General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses for the second quarter were RMB31.0 million ($5.1 million), compared to RMB28.0 million in the prior year period. Increased depreciation expenses and repair and maintenance fees contributed to the increase in general and administrative expenses. As a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expenses were 20.4%, compared to 19.8% in the prior year period. OTHER INCOME AND EXPENSES. Interest Expense. Interest expense is mainly related to the Company's outstanding convertible notes. In the current quarter, the Company incurred interest expense of RMB25.2 million ($4.1 million), without any capitalization. For the prior year period, interest expense was RMB16.5 million as RMB6.8 million of interest expense was capitalized for the construction of the Company's new facilities in Zhejiang and Guangdong. NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE COMPANY'S SHAREHOLDERS. Due to higher interest expense, income before tax for the second quarter decreased year-over-year to RMB37.5 million ($6.1 million) from RMB44.7 million. However, net income attributable to the Company's shareholders for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 increased to RMB27.2 million ($4.4 million) from RMB24.9 million in the prior year period mainly due to lower income tax expense. Net margin for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 was 17.9%. EARNINGS PER SHARE. The terms of the convertible notes issued to KKR and Golden Meditech provide each party with the ability to participate in any Excess Cash Dividend[4]. Therefore, the calculation of basic and diluted EPS has taken into consideration the effect of such participating rights, which was RMB0.02 ($0.003) per share. Basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 were RMB0.35 ($0.06). LIQUIDITY. As of September 30, 2014, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB2,156.5 million ($351.3 million) compared to RMB1,882.9 million as of March 31, 2014. The Company had total debt of RMB857.2 million ($139.7 million) as of September 30, 2014. Operating cash flow for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 increased by 41.4% to RMB171.0 million ($27.9 million) from RMB121.0 million in the prior year period. First Half of Fiscal 2015 Financial Results For the first half of fiscal 2015, total revenues increased by 13.0% to RMB305.5 million ($49.8 million) from RMB270.4 million in the prior year period. The increase was largely attributable to the increase of the Company's storage revenue from the Company's expanded subscriber base, which reached 407,755 units by the end of September 2014. Revenues from processing fees and storage fees grew by 9.3% and 21.8%, respectively. Gross profit increased by 12.3% to RMB245.3 million ($40.0 million) from RMB218.5 million in the prior year period. Operating income increased by 15.1% to RMB117.6 million ($19.2 million) from RMB102.2 million in the prior year period. Operating income before depreciation and amortization expenses totaled RMB142.3 million ($23.2 million), up 19.1% compared to the prior year period.[5] Net income attributable to the Company's shareholders amounted to RMB57.0 million ($9.3 million). Basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to ordinary shares were RMB0.72 ($0.12). Net cash provided by operating activities in the first half of fiscal 2015 was RMB295.7 million ($48.2 million). Conference Call The Company will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 26, 2014 to discuss its financial performance and give a brief overview of the Company's recent developments, followed by a question and answer session. Interested parties can access the audio webcast through the Company's IR website at http://ir.chinacordbloodcorp.com. A replay of the webcast will be accessible two hours after the conference call and available for three weeks at the same URL link above. Listeners can also access the call by dialing 1-631-514-2526 or 1-855-298-3404 for US callers, or +852-5808-3202 for Hong Kong callers, access code: 7331700. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures GAAP results for the three months and six months ended September 30, 2014 include non-cash item related to depreciation and amortization expenses. To supplement the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented on a U.S. GAAP basis, the Company has provided adjusted financial information excluding the impact of these items in this press release. The non-GAAP financial measure represents non-GAAP operating income. Such adjustment is a departure from U.S. GAAP; however, the Company's management believes that these adjusted measures provide investors with a better understanding of how the results relate to the Company's historical performance. Also, management uses non-GAAP operating income as a measurement tool for evaluating our actual operating performance compared to budget and prior periods. These adjusted measures should not be considered an alternative to operating income, or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity, presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These measures are not necessarily comparable to a similarly titled measure of another company. A reconciliation of the adjustments to U.S. GAAP results appears in exhibit 3 of this press release. This additional adjusted information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for U.S. GAAP financials. About China Cord Blood Corporation China Cord Blood Corporation is the first and largest umbilical cord blood banking operator in China in terms of geographical coverage and the only cord blood banking operator with multiple licenses. Under current PRC government regulations, only one licensed cord blood banking operator is permitted to operate in each licensed region and only seven licenses have been authorized as of today. China Cord Blood Corporation provides cord blood collection, laboratory testing, hematopoietic stem cell processing and stem cell storage services. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.chinacordbloodcorp.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future financial performance. The Company has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including "anticipates", "believes", "expects", "can", "continue", "could", "estimates", "intends", "may", "plans", "potential", "predict", "should" or "will" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions, uncertainties and other factors may cause the Company's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The information in this press release is not intended to project future performance of the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company does not guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company expectations are as of the date this press release is issued, and the Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date this press release is issued to conform these statements to actual results, unless required by law. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company's businesses and business environments. These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance. Actual results of the Company's operations may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors some of which include, among other things: continued compliance with government regulations regarding cord blood banking in the People's Republic of China, or PRC and any other jurisdiction in which the Company conducts its operations; changing legislation or regulatory environments (including revisions to China's One Child Policy) in the PRC and any other jurisdiction in which the Company conducts its operations; the acceptance by subscribers of the Company's different pricing and payment options and reaction to the introduction of the Company's premium-quality pricing strategy; demographic trends in the regions of the PRC in which the Company is the exclusive licensed cord blood banking operator; labor and personnel relations; the existence of a significant shareholder able to influence and direct the corporate policies of the Company; credit risks affecting the Company's revenue and profitability; changes in the healthcare industry, including those which may result in the use of stem cell therapies becoming redundant or obsolete; the Company's ability to effectively manage its growth, including implementing effective controls and procedures and attracting and retaining key management and personnel; changing interpretations of generally accepted accounting principles; the availability of capital resources, including in the form of capital markets financing opportunities, in light of industry developments affecting issuers that have pursued a "reverse merger" with an operating company based in China, as well as general economic conditions; compliance with restrictive debt covenants under our senior convertible notes; and other relevant risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States. This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars as of and for the periods ending September 30, 2014 were made at the noon buying rate of RMB6.1380 to $1.00 on September 30, 2014 in the City of New York for cable transfers in Renminbi per U.S. dollar as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. China Cord Blood Corporation makes no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this press release could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, at any particular rate or at all. For more information, please contact: China Cord Blood Corporation Investor Relations Department Tel: (+852) 3605-8180 Email: ir@chinacordbloodcorp.com ICR, Inc. Mr. William Zima Tel: (+86) 10-6583-7511 U.S. Tel: (646) 405-5185 Email: William.zima@icrinc.com EXHIBIT 1 CHINA CORD BLOOD CORPORATION UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS As of March 31 and September 30, 2014 March 31, September 30, 2014 2014 RMB RMB US$ (in thousands except share data) ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 1,882,901 2,156,527 351,340 Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts (March 31, 2014: RMB20,322; September 30, 2014: RMB23,691) 95,273 110,412 17,988 Inventories 31,583 25,611 4,172 Prepaid expenses and other receivables 37,010 16,712 2,723 Debt issuance costs 3,616 3,608 588 Deferred tax assets 7,664 8,578 1,398 Total current assets 2,058,047 2,321,448 378,209 Property, plant and equipment, net 626,632 616,545 100,446 Non-current prepayments 208,894 208,429 33,957 Non-current accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts (March 31, 2014: RMB42,703; September 30, 2014: RMB48,300) 225,496 211,805 34,507 Inventories 48,385 54,062 8,808 Intangible assets, net 120,549 118,239 19,263 Available-for-sale equity securities 144,247 139,637 22,750 Other investment 189,129 189,129 30,813 Debt issuance costs 7,854 6,028 982 Deferred tax assets 1,789 2,648 431 Total assets 3,631,022 3,867,970 630,166 LIABILITIES Current liabilities Bank loan 60,000 60,000 9,775 Accounts payable 10,422 15,624 2,545 Accrued expenses and other payables 102,559 77,625 12,647 Deferred revenue 196,432 208,151 33,912 Amounts due to related parties 21,453 22,245 3,624 Income tax payable 2,571 7,202 1,173 Deferred tax liabilities 3,900 6,500 1,059 Total current liabilities 397,337 397,347 64,735 Convertible notes 777,753 797,227 129,884 Non-current deferred revenue 823,921 962,574 156,822 Other non-current liabilities 164,077 189,529 30,878 Deferred tax liabilities 27,938 27,331 4,453 Total liabilities 2,191,026 2,374,008 386,772 EQUITY Shareholders' equity of China Cord Blood Corporation Ordinary shares - US$0.0001 par value, 250,000,000 shares authorized, 50 50 8 73,140,147 shares issued, and 73,003,248 shares outstanding as of March 31 and September 30, 2014, respectively Additional paid-in capital 798,221 798,221 130,046 Treasury stock, at cost (2,815) (2,815) (459) (March 31 and September 30, 2014: 136,899 shares, respectively) Accumulated other comprehensive income 84,263 81,393 13,260 Retained earnings 555,323 612,308 99,756 Total equity attributable to China Cord Blood Corporation 1,435,042 1,489,157 242,611 Non-controlling interests 4,954 4,805 783 Total equity 1,439,996 1,493,962 243,394 Total liabilities and equity 3,631,022 3,867,970 630,166 EXHIBIT 2 CHINA CORD BLOOD CORPORATION UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME For the Three Months and Six Months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 Three months ended Six months ended September 30, September 30, 2013 2014 2013 2014 RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$ (in thousands except per share data) Revenues 141,635 152,122 24,784 270,356 305,453 49,764 Direct costs (27,360) (30,348) (4,944) (51,852) (60,124) (9,795) Gross profit 114,275 121,774 19,840 218,504 245,329 39,969 Operating expenses Research and development (2,310) (2,330) (380) (4,833) (4,829) (787) Sales and marketing (27,633) (30,953) (5,043) (56,057) (62,696) (10,214) General and administrative (28,042) (31,028) (5,055) (55,444) (60,174) (9,804) Total operating expenses (57,985) (64,311) (10,478) (116,334) (127,699) (20,805) Operating income 56,290 57,463 9,362 102,170 117,630 19,164 Other expense, net Interest income 4,312 4,704 766 8,494 8,970 1,461 Interest expense (16,461) (25,209) (4,107) (31,219) (50,104) (8,163) Exchange gain/(loss) 69 (182) (30) (55) (2) - Dividend income - - - 8,722 1,196 195 Others 514 680 111 1,044 1,297 211 Total other expense, net (11,566) (20,007) (3,260) (13,014) (38,643) (6,296) Income before income tax 44,724 37,456 6,102 89,156 78,987 12,868 Income tax expense (19,706) (10,214) (1,664) (31,079) (22,151) (3,609) Net income 25,018 27,242 4,438 58,077 56,836 9,259 Net Income attributable to non-controlling interests (114) 7 1 (267) 149 24 Net income attributable to China Cord Blood Corporation's shareholders 24,904 27,249 4,439 57,810 56,985 9,283 Net income per share: Attributable to ordinary shares - Basic 0.33 0.35 0.06 0.73 0.72 0.12 - Diluted 0.33 0.35 0.06 0.73 0.72 0.12 Other comprehensive income - Net effect of foreign currency translation, net of nil tax 2,789 913 149 9,594 1,442 235 - Net unrealized gain/(loss) in available-for-sale equity securities, net of nil tax 59,220 (8,818) (1,437) 83,558 (4,312) (703) Comprehensive income 87,027 19,337 3,150 151,229 53,966 8,791 Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests (114) 7 1 (267) 149 24 Comprehensive income attributable to China Cord Blood Corporation's shareholders 86,913 19,344 3,151 150,962 54,115 8,815 EXHIBIT 3 CHINA CORD BLOOD CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP OPERATING INCOME For the Three Months and Six Months ended September 30, 2013 and 2014 Three months ended Six months ended September 30, September 30, 2013 2014 2013 2014 RMB RMB US$ RMB RMB US$ (in thousands) GAAP amount of operating income 56,290 57,463 9,362 102,170 117,630 19,164 Depreciation and Amortization[6] 8,715 13,301 2,167 17,308 24,708 4,025 Non-GAAP operating income 65,005 70,764 11,529 119,478 142,338 23,189 [1] See exhibit 3 of this press release for a reconciliation of operating income to exclude the non-cash item related to the depreciation and amortization expenses to the comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP"). [2] The terms of the convertible notes issued to KKR China Healthcare Investment Limited ("KKR") and Golden Meditech Holdings Limited ("Golden Meditech") provide each party with the ability to participate in any excess cash dividend. Therefore, the calculation of basic EPS has taken into consideration the effect of such participating rights of RMB0.02 ($0.003) and RMB0.06 ($0.01) per share for the three months and six months ended September 30, 2014, respectively. [3] See exhibit 3 of this press release for a reconciliation of operating income to exclude the non-cash item related to the depreciation and amortization expenses to the comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. [4] "Excess Cash Dividend" means any cash dividend to holders of shares that, together with all other cash dividends previously paid to holders of shares in the same financial year, exceeds, on a per share basis, an amount equal to the interest that has accrued and shall accrue at 7% in such financial year divided by the number of shares into which the note is convertible at the conversion price then in effect on the relevant record date. [5] See exhibit 3 of this press release for a reconciliation of operating income to exclude the non-cash item related to the depreciation and amortization expenses to the comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. [6] Depreciation and amortization expenses relate to our property, plant and equipment and intangible assets respectively. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-cord-blood-corporation-reports-financial-results-for-the-second-quarter-and-first-half-of-fiscal-2015-300000931.html Investment & Company Information Finance Operating income China Cord Blood Corp Sees Large Volume Increase on Analyst Upgrade (CO) China Cord Blood Corp logoChina Cord Blood Corp (NYSE:CO) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday after Roth Capital raised their price target on the stock from $6.25 to $6.50, Stock Ratings News reports. Roth Capital currently has a buy rating on the stock. 106,602 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 60% from the previous session’s volume of 66,747 shares.The stock last traded at $4.95 and had previously closed at $4.85. In other China Cord Blood Corp news, Insider Kent C. Mccarthy purchased 26,754 shares of China Cord Blood Corp stock on the open market in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.70 per share, for a total transaction of $125,743.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $4.94 and a 200-day moving average of $4.83. The company has a market cap of $361.4 million and a P/E ratio of 19.02. China Cord Blood Corp (NYSE:CO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the analysts’ consensus estimate of $0.06. On average, analysts predict that China Cord Blood Corp will post $0.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. China Cord Blood Corporation (NYSE:CO) is a provider of cord blood storage services in China. Receive News & Ratings for China Cord Blood Corp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Cord Blood Corp and related companies with Analyst Ratings Network's FREE daily email newsletter. China Cord Blood Corp (CO) Releases Quarterly Earnings, Meets Expectations Tweet Share on StockTwits China Cord Blood Corp logoChina Cord Blood Corp (NYSE:CO) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the analysts’ consensus estimate of $0.06, AnalystRatings.Net reports. In other China Cord Blood Corp news, Insider Kent C. Mccarthy purchased 26,754 shares of the company’s stock on the open market in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.70 per share, with a total value of $125,743.80. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Shares of China Cord Blood Corp (NYSE:CO) opened at 4.85 on Wednesday. China Cord Blood Corp has a 52-week low of $3.70 and a 52-week high of $5.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $4.94 and a 200-day moving average of $4.83. The company has a market cap of $354.1 million and a P/E ratio of 18.44. China Cord Blood Corporation (NYSE:CO) is a provider of cord blood storage services in China. Receive News & Ratings for China Cord Blood Corp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Cord Blood Corp and related companies with Analyst Ratings Network's FREE daily email newsletter.

'Ayurveda is medicine with intelligence, modern medicine is like a bullet'

Ayurvedic medicines‘As such classical Ayurveda is shrinking. Not because people don’t want it but because it is not properly placed in the public mind.’ ‘Health is more and more becoming a commodity to be purchased. Whereas in Ayurveda, it is held that health is a way of life.’ ‘Ayurveda is not only evolving, it is also changing. It is also growing. At the same time there are lot of challenges being faced within Ayurveda.’ Ayurvedic expert Dr G G Gangadharan on how the ancient Indian medical practice needs to be propagated in the country of its origin. In India, scholars who work with boundless passion devoting their life to field have the grievance that New Delhi rarely takes a correct view of them or their issues. Dr G G Gangadharan, (below left) 54, is a joint director of the Institute Ayurveda and Integrative Medicines. He and Darshan Shankar, one of the co-founders of Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions are brilliant scholars, are not heard in New Delhi as much as they should be. Just recently there was a huge hue and cry when former health minister Harsh Vardhan commented that Ayurveda treatment should be used more at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences. A few doctors in New Delhi complained, out of ignorance, that the Ayurveda prescriptions have to be first tested in a proper scientific format. The fact is neither Vardhan, nor the Prime Minister’s Office, or the health ministry, or most of the doctors practising allopathy are aware of or ready to acknowledge the huge work that is being done at FRLHT and at few other Ayurvedic institutions outside the national capital for the last two decades. The New Delhi elite’s ignorance in recognising Ayurveda as a viable option for the common man’s health issues is not surprising in view of the powerful lobbyists of national and multinational pharmaceuticals companies. The anti-Ayurvedic lobby all over India is so strong that it simply doesn’t allow a public debate on Ayurveda to be elevated to the next level where the common man could find the system scientifically trustworthy. In interviews to rediff.com’s Sheela Bhatt, Bangalore-based Darshan Shankar and Dr Gangadharan speak strongly in support of Ayurveda. The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that rides on the nationalist plank has a bigger responsibility to take up issues like Ayurveda. The ancient science of life needs a push to become as international as yoga. Dr Gangadharan is known to have expertise in Panchkarma, Lepanam and infertility treatment and on authentic Ayurvedic methods of diagnosis -- specially pulse diagnosis and treatment. Dr Gangadharan is a soft-spoken Malayali who has studied in Tamil Nadu and now works in Karnataka. He and Shankar's life mission is to take local health traditions to the grassroots level in rural and urban India. After getting a degree in Ayurveda, Dr Gangadharan worked in Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Coimbatore. He has done extensive work in making traditional Ayurvedic formulations -- classical and proprietary. Dr Gangadharan has also co-authored many books on medicinal plants and has more than dozen research papers to his credit. He has been an Ashoka Fellow too. He has done his PhD in rheumatoid arthritis from the Tilak Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, Pune. In this detailed interview Dr Gangadharan says why India needs a national movement to ensure that Ayurveda reaches every home in the country. From American President Barack Obama to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a national health policy remains an unresolved challenge. Tell us where the Ayurveda industry stands in the Indian landscape today. Ayurveda is the science of healing and rejuvenation. Its scope is beyond the physical existence of life. So, from the perspective of industry, it is a small, minute part of Ayurveda. In 2013-14, the income of the Ayurveda industry was only Rs 9,000 crore -- that is, people bought Rs 9,000 crore worth of Ayurveda products. But if you add extracts, drugs, cosmetics and health-related herbal products, it may go up further. But as such classical Ayurveda is shrinking. Not because people don’t want it but because it is not properly placed in the public mind. Also because there are few carriers for this system who are able to carry this heavy science in a contemporary mode. Anyone who is working in the area of Ayurveda knows it is a science of the 21st century and beyond, is not at all an ancient system because the science is universal, and it has got a great outlook which comprises all time to come. It is written in such a way that it is applicable to any given time and any given geography. What’s the challenge then? All the principles of Ayuerveda are based on universal principles like heat and cold, five sense organs, pancham elements, these are all universal, will never change. Fire, air, sky, light etc were there 5,000 years back, they are there today. Only the form is changing, not the principle. So the challenge of our physicians today is how do you change the form of Ayurveda without distorting its principles. Health is becoming more and more a commodity to be purchased. Whereas in Ayurveda it is held that health is a way of life, it has to be inculcated, it is a culture. This means strengthening the person and you are making the person self-reliant more and more. You are not taking away anything from him. Now people think that for everything they have to consult a doctor. From a small toothache, headache, pimple, stomach upset, constipation, scratch on the skin, indigestion, for every little thing people are depending on doctors. This was not the case at all in India. It is not needed also. It is not advisable and it is not healthy. There is a way to live a healthy life. To do so one should gain some knowledge, this will keep your primary healthcare needs within the house. This was the culture of this country. We have been doing this since the last generation, it’s not a very old thing. Now we have a Western ethos-centric worldview. Now we think that health can be purchased. It’s untrue. It can’t be. Longevity cannot be purchased, it has to be inculcated. It is a culture, it is a way of life. For that Ayurveda gives suggestions on how to live healthy. Not only physical health, it talks about emotional health, spiritual health, it talks about the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm, the man and the biosphere. All this is part of Ayurveda. In India, Ayurveda has been practised as a home remedy for centuries. There is a big transaction happening within the family, within the village, community, which does not reflect in the turnover of Ayuerveda industry so don’t confuse Ayurveda with the industry's income alone. Ayurveda is the oil I apply on my head, the way I eat my food, the way my food habits are. This is all Ayurveda, this is what keeps me healthy. This will not come to the industry’s net. What I mean to say is that the industry has also got a role. I don’t deny the role of industry, the role of hospital, the role of the practitioner, but there is more of a role for individual themselves in keeping the health. That is the science of Ayurveda. When I was studying Ayurveda for seven years, I studied Sanskrit and Indian philosophy for two years. Then, we went to the jungles to understood nature. I got into spreading Ayurveda in Indian villages. We formed a group called the Lok Swasthya Parampara Samvardhan Samiti and I spent 25 years with them. That is my nurturing period. Then between that I became an Ashoka Fellow. They wanted to take Ayurveda to the village to give a model of primary healthcare based on Ayurveda. It can be done. In 2003, I came to Bangalore to start this hospital. I don’t have a goal. I have a vision to spread Ayurveda globally. I also did a management course in McGill University, Canada. The Foundation for the Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions is engaged fully in spreading awareness of Ayuerveda. Dr G G GangadharanIndian insurance companies don’t acknowledge Ayurveda as a science. What are the attempts made by your institution and why has it not been done yet? Last year, fortunately, insurance companies recognised Ayurveda and there are at least four-five companies who are ready to accept it. We are already getting reimbursed. Now we are trying for cashless transactions as allowed in modern science. The only thing is that the insurance regulation authority does not have clarity among its many agencies. In a village, where they are giving a treatment for Rs 5, a hospital in Delhi will be charging Rs 5,000 for the same treatment. What is to be charged is not clarified because it is not in the mainstream. It will take four-five years to understand. Once insurance companies start reimbursing, a lot of other players will come out. There will be many quacks who will raise a bill for Panchkarma without actually applying it. Insurance companies want to bring in some kind of restriction so that the cover is not misutilised by people. It is a shame that Ayurveda is getting insurance cover so late, after 63 years of independence. Last year a notification was issued, it’s in the government’s system. It says Ayurveda should be covered by insurance companies but it is limited to government Ayurveda hospitals and the National Rural Heath Mission accredited hospitals, and they have put one more line in the notification saying ‘other reputed hospitals’. It is very vague, so anyone can claim. Now, everyone will have to struggle to get into that ‘reputed’ bracket. The more shameful thing is that employees of the department of defence, railways and banks cannot get Ayurvedic treatment. Former defence minister A K Antony is a follower of Ayurveda. I know his personal physician Dr Namboodri who has been treating him for years. He himself went to Antony in Delhi and pleaded, 'Sir, I came only for this purpose to meet you, otherwise you come to meet me but I came to meet you to request, please take Ayurveda as one of the systems for the defence personnel because they are asking for it.' As defence minister he didn’t do anything. Such a person who is devoted to Ayurveda didn’t do anything. Why is there such a mindset for Ayurveda? Why? Why? The reason is that they have to make some effort. When you take Ayurveda you have to make so many parallel systems. Dr M S Swaminathan, who helped bring the green revolution to India, is a devotee of Ayurveda. He doesn’t miss the one-month treatment at the Kottakkal Ayurvedashalya every year for the last so many years. I was with him recently in Delhi in a meeting for the South East-Asian nutrition summit. He is 89 years old, and brimming with energy. His eyelids have become whitish but his face is shining and robust. I asked him what is the secret and he smiled and told me credit goes to Kottakkal. In a country like India, we should have a model of integrative medicine based on Ayurveda. Ayurveda should be at the centre, you mean? Yes. Other things should be peripheral. We take appropriate things from modern medicine where we need it. This is the model a country like India and China should have. They can have a Chinese medicine-based integrative mode. India should have an Ayurveda based integrative model. The US should have an allopathy based integrative model, no harm. But we don’t take leadership in health issues. Even if you do lot about Ayurveda, the problem is that people who are committed for the cause are not in the realm of power. The department of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy is there in New Delhi (Note: After this interview was conducted, the government upgraded it to a ministry). Every three years the secretary of Ayush changes. He is a bureaucrat who doesn’t have any idea. By the time he learns something about Ayurveda, it will be time for him to leave the department. And many a time people are so arrogant they have no value for the Indian system. They do not propagate Ayurveda. Last year, can you believe that just one or two per cent of the total health budget was given to Ayush! The last secretary of Ayush has returned crores of rupees from his budget without putting it to good use. Not even a single person stands up in New Delhi and tells him this is not done. There is lethargy, there is no responsibility. The Ayurveda community is sleeping. S Jalaja, secretary, Ayush, had recently shown a devotion for Ayurveda. She spent all the money and asked for more. She went to the field and took a genuine interest. Is the Ayurveda industry growing? Ayurveda is not only evolving, it is also changing. It is also growing. At the same time there are lot of challenges being faced within Ayurveda. One of the big challenges faced by Ayurveda is education. The education of Ayurveda is a big catastrophe. Reason is that the model we have selected as in any other development sector is the Western model. The MBBS course is for five and a half years. Ayurveda is also five and a half years. They changed it to three semesters and we changed it to three semesters. They made one-year internship, we made one year, too. They made six-month internship, we made six-month internship. They have nine departments, we have nine. They have got 65 staff, we have got 65. What shameless copying! Have you ever thought that Ayurveda has got its own pedigree? At least have one experimental model. Ayurveda has to be taught in an entirely different perspective. You cannot break Ayurveda into different departments. Ayurveda is a holistic tradition and it is written in a way that every chapter is inter-connected. Every shloka is connected. The whole book is to be read in its holistic perspective to understand Ayurveda. You mutilate, one part is learnt in the first year, other part in the third year, students who come out of the Ayurveda course are the biggest enemies of Ayurveda because they don’t know Ayurveda. They want to practise allopathy actually. They want to get to allopathy through the backdoor. There are good people who want to practise Ayurveda but they are a minority, they are the ones who are spreading the awareness. Ayurveda is growing in villages. Ayurveda is growing through good old Ayurveda practitioners in isolated places. All good vaidyas have a good practice. People are coming to them. The sad thing is that this is not being recorded or documented. If you document, they will become world winners. Everyone is going with a begging bowl to America that, please accept Ayurveda as a science, please consider us too. Stop it. You do a good job in your country, establish a centre of excellence, document the cases, publish in some good journals, all the people will come to you. Everyone wants Ayurveda. How will you do that? Where do you go? The government is insensitive. People will force the government one day. In the US herbal medicines were accepted by the government because the people forced them. You can import medicinal herbal products provided you don’t declare them as medicines. If you can have scientific record of it as a food supplement you can import in the US. It opened a big market for it. This is the first time Ayurvedic herbs went from India. You have to work like that. We are documenting the cases being treated by vaidyas in a proper format which is universally accepted. If I get a case of hepatitis B virus infected liver we do tests, do the treatment, take all the documents, treat it, get it signed by the patient and by the doctor who treated it and publish it. People will come to you. Ayurveda takes the man as a whole. Treat the man as a whole, take the herb as a whole. That is what Ayurveda says. Take the man as a whole, not only physical man, but the entire man. Soul and body. In tune with the external universe. And take the herb as a whole. No as a bio molecule. When you take a molecule, the synergy is lost. When synergy is lost, it will have side effects. Ayurvedic medicines do not have side effects because it is acting and it is correcting and balancing. So if you take triphala today, I can guarantee you 95 per cent, get a good motion tomorrow morning, no doubt. Five per cent people may not get, there is a reason I can explain. I will change the dose. And while doing it, it will not harm your system. If you take any purgative of modern science, it will make your system die. You will get stomach upset, stomach cramps. So we say Ayurveda is medicine with intelligence. Modern medicine is like a bullet. Just go forth and kill. Whatever is on the path. It is a beautiful concept. But this is not an easy thing. Every Tom, Dick and Harry cannot become a practitioner. Unless he goes through the stream of education which Ayurveda is propounding. Don’t you think Ayurveda tourism has a big role to play in earning foreign exchange? It is already happening. There are two kinds of Ayurveda tourism happening. My colleagues has done a study. Rs 23,000 crore is the income of one simple state like Kerala last year from tourism. In that 40 per cent according to him is due to Ayurveda. Some of them are going to good established wellness centres. Most of them are going to some good curative centres like Kottakkal or the Coimbatore Ayurvedic Pharmacy and other small places. Do you have hope that the new government will act? We have big hopes because Modi is supposed to be more nationalistic, more patriotic, more traditional etc. I would say the new government should look into Ayurveda education. We can’t change overnight because there will be resistance. I would say let us have one or two Indian Institute of Technology-level institutions for Ayurveda. That will be a good investment. Give them seven-year course. Assure them of good outcome after that. Brilliant students should be taken with a good scholarship. Those people should become the ambassadors of Ayurveda. They will become good clinicians, good researchers, good teachers. This is what we need. Once it is done, that seed will grow. Start with one IIT-level institution for Ayurveda. Do we have good Ayurvedic products? Yes, we have. These are classical preparations. Since 2000 years we are making them in the same way. Only changes we are making is that we are concentrating it a little more so that it can reach people, and we are adding some kind of preservatives. That much distortion is there. But it is okay, it is understandable. Some of our products are good. It has to be very closely examined. Most of the Ayurvedic shampoos have 97 per cent chemicals, only three per cent herbs. People use it thinking it is Ayurvedic shampoo. So you should categorise when you use the name Ayurveda as to what is the criteria you should use. In Kerala not only Brahmins even Ezhavas helped Ayurveda grow. In Kerala everybody has contributed to Ayurveda science. It’s one of the richest places in India in terms of biodiversity. One of the earliest documentation of flora in 17th century was done here. Some 750 plants were documented which are still available. This came in 12 volumes of books. The first documentation of Kerala’s heritage in terms of Ayurvedic practice was done by the Portuguese. In Bangalore, we have documented 8,000 plants. We have recorded all the secondary sources available in the country. We have the richest and most comprehensive database with all information on the 8,000 plants. It’s all digitised. All the 8,000 names are botanical variation names. And we have correlated all that information from public practice to the textual references. Give us some dos and dont’s for urban people to lead a healthy life. That is very difficult to say. Brahma muhurta is for people seeking better health and longevity. They should get up early in the morning. Brahma muhurtam can be described as between 4 and 4.30 or 5 and 5.30 am. That is the best time. All the ozone layer is clear, the atmosphere is clear and we can get very good oxygen. All the surrounding area is calm. Your mind can expand. You can concentrate. And it says that not only getting up early is important; make sure that the previously eaten food is digested well. Don’t be dogmatic. You should have an early dinner so digestion will be proper. At night one should not take heavy food. What’s your suggestion for those who are addicted to mobiles, internet and computers? There are two-three things for them. Eat food of all tastes, don’t restrict to one. So select such food which has all the six tastes but according to the changing weather. If it is summer take more sweet, in winter a little sour is okay. Sweet is necessary too. Sweet is not sugar, it is ghee. Sweet is rice, wheat, starch. Starch with fibre is the most stable food one should have in larger quantity for more nourishment. So, the first thing is take all the six tastes -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy and stringent. These are six tastes, you should have all these in your food. Variety is recommended. Second thing is ardhashaktya, that you take only half the food that your system, stomach wants. Take half food, one-fourth fill with water and leave one-fourth for gaseous exchange. Never keep a full stomach. Third, exercise is a must. Every day you should walk. Walking is the best vyayam. Walking and swimming everyday helps. Fourth, have balance. Not going to the extremes is helpful. Don’t take extreme views of anything. Don’t be mauni, neither be talkative, don’t be angry, don’t go cold. Have a middle path so that everything is balanced, including your health. Balance is the essence of Ayurveda. Inside the body, metal, nature... everything has to be in equilibrium. Ayurveda greatly recommends body massage everyday. If you can do with your own hand, it is considered best. And take a bath after massage so blood circulation is well maintained, everyday. Blood circulation is the starting point for healthy longevity. Two things Ayurveda says to be done everyday: vyayayam, exercise, and abhyangam, oil massage. These two things with six varieties of food will make you healthy. Sleep on time, getting up on time is good, always. This is all physical health. But it gives more importance to mental and spiritual health. What it says through a shloka is that being empathetic about things happening around you is good for your own. If someone is in difficulty, feel for him and try to help. Don’t be greedy, just leave it for others. Control your body, the desires of your body. Control your weight, control your mind. This is the starting point of all illness. One should only control, not stop. Control means not putting it down, not abandoning, just directing it. Have a selfish motive in others' prosperity. You take a selfish interest in others' things. If you follow these, your mind will be in a state of great peace. If you can get this state of mind, all other positive energy will come to you. This is told in health science. Not in psychology. The first chapter of the first part of Ashtanga Hrudayam, the comprehensive book on Ayurvedic system composed by Vagbhata, is about peace of mind. These are two things we have to have. It doesn’t say that you go and sit under tree and do prayer to God. It says you help your community, your fellow beings. Be one with them. Then you’ll reach God.

Boys & Girls Clubs get boost from Comcast

The roof leaked. Purple paint colored the walls. Toilets sat open in the bathroom, with no stall doors. This was the condition of the Wayne Boys & Girls Club in Nicetown until a $520,000 renovation - completed in the last week - remade it into a spiffy hangout and brought the 100-year-old, two-story brick facility into the modern age with WiFi, technology labs, and 40 laptops, desktops, and tablets. Comcast Corp.'s David Cohen and others will announce the renovation project Thursday as part of the cable TV giant's five-year philanthropic commitment to the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America to expand digital literacy - knowledge of the Internet and computers - among low-income families. Comcast has not put a specific dollar value on its commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs for sponsorship of its My.Future (pronounced "my dot future"). But the company says it amounts to tens of millions of dollars in cash and services, including cable TV advertisements. News conferences pledging Comcast's support to My.Future at Boys & Girls Clubs also will be held in Chicago and Washington on Thursday. Participating in the Philadelphia event will be Jim Clark, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which has 4,100 facilities and helps about four million young people a year. The youth-guidance organization aims to build character so boys and girls can become productive citizens. Libby Lescalleet, executive program officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, was walking around the Nicetown club on the 4200 block of Wayne Avenue late last week as contractors were polishing the floors and assembling furniture in time for the news conference. The Philadelphia Boys & Girls organization has 15 clubs with 7,000 boys and girls who are paid members. Overall, it helps 13,000 youths through its after-school and sports programs. Comcast's relationship with the Boys & Girls Clubs began in 2001, and now 39 Comcast managers or executives nationally serve on Boys & Girls Clubs boards or advisory committees. One of those is Tom Firmani, vice president of operations for Comcast's Philadelphia region and a member of the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia. At the Nicetown club, Comcast donated $120,000 in computers, furniture, and other equipment. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia leveraged the Comcast donation for an additional $400,000 to renovate the roof, stairs, bathrooms, and other parts of the building, said Lisabeth Marziello, who runs the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia with her husband, Joseph. Lescalleet gave a tour of the upgraded facility. The second-floor library has been converted into a digital literacy center, and the former TV lounge will now be a digital art and music studio. She said she hoped the renovation and new technology would allow children who participate in its program "to dream a little bigger." BY THE NUMBERS The Philadelphia organization has: 15 Boys & Girls Clubs. 7,000 Boys and girls who are paid members. 13,000 Boys and girls it helps through after-school and sports programs. Comcast's participation: 2001 Year the company began its relationship with the Boys & Girls Clubs. 39 Managers or executives nationally serve on Boys & Girls Clubs of America boards or advisory committees. bfernandez@phillynews.com 215-854-5897 @bobfernandez1

Census: Arizona lags in homes with computers, high-speed Internet access

Working without a 'net A Census Bureau report said Arizona homes fell below the national average for both the number of households with a computer and the number with access to high-speed Internet service. Where Arizona stood, compared to top and bottom states: Computer ownership 1 . Utah: 94.9 percent 2. New Hampshire: 93.2 percent 3. Alaska: 92.9 percent 4. Wyoming: 92.4 percent 5. Colorado: 92.4 percent U.S. average: 88.4 percent 39. Arizona: 86.8 percent 46. Louisiana: 83.1 percent 47. West Virginia: 82.7 percent 48. Alabama: 82.6 percent 49. New Mexico: 80.9 percent 50. Mississippi: 80 percent With high-speed Internet 1. New Hampshire: 85.7 percent 2. Massachusetts: 85.3 percent 3. New Jersey: 84.5 percent 4. Connecticut: 83.9 percent 5. Utah: 83.8 percent U.S. average: 78.1 percent 35. Arizona: 76.2 percent 46. Louisiana: 70.3 percent 47. Alabama: 68.7 percent 48. New Mexico: 68.1 percent 49. Arkansas: 65.7 percent 50. Mississippi: 62.3 percent WASHINGTON – Arizona homes trailed the nation in both their access to high-speed Internet and their computer ownership, according to a recent report from the Census Bureau. The report, released this month, said 86.8 percent of Arizona homes had a computer and 76.2 percent had high-speed Internet connections in 2013, both about 2 percentage points below the national averages for the same categories. Experts in the state were not surprised by the numbers, pointing to the state’s largely rural make-up which they said leads to fewer providers, harder access and higher Internet costs. “Our problem over quite a while, is just the fact that bandwidth just hasn’t been available locally,” said Shirley Pulsipher,ÿa technician for Apache County Schools Business Consortium. “We don’t have the option of multiple providers like you do in the Valley,” said Pulsipher, noting that for the past year the local phone company has been the only provider available to Apache County schools. The Census Bureau report said Arizona was one of 20 states that fell below the national average for computer ownership and high-speed Internet. Utah topped the list for computer ownership, at 94.9 percent of households, and New Hampshire had the most households with high-speed access, at 85.7 percent. Mississippi was last in both categories, with 80 percent of homes having a computer and 62.3 having broadband. Patrick Sherrill, president and CEO of Zona Communications, said the biggest difference between Internet access in Arizona’s rural and urban areas is price. His Phoenix-based company provides telephone and broadband service to rural areas of the state. “Rural areas are much less populated, which means the cost of building the networks there are more expensive,” Sherrill said. That’s true in Apache County, where Pulsipher said schools pay $40 to $50 per megabit, compared to the $5 to $10 they might pay in the city for the same level of service. Pulsipher, who works in Sanders – population 630, according to the latest Census numbers – said the cost for putting in infrastructure is “just too high.” Mike Murphy, superintendent of Sanders Unified School District in Apache County, said his district was able to increase its bandwidth because of E-rate, a federally funded program that provides discounted telecommunications services for eligible schools. “We have boosted our bandwidth prior to the start of the school year, and the connection seems to be pretty solid,” Murphy said. But for the general rural population, Pulsipher said, getting access to high-speed internet and computers can be tough. That’s particularly true in areas like Apache County, where a sizeable number of homes might not have power or running water, he said. “The provider can’t really sell something to people that don’t have the infrastructure for that type of thing,” Pulsipher said. Sherrill said his company is seeing population growth in some rural areas of the state, where he said demand for broadband is “pretty solid.” “We are constantly trying to figure out how to get them a faster speed,” Sherrill said. But that takes money to construct the needed network facilities. Sherrill said the demand for Internet in rural areas is just as strong as those in more populated areas. And just as important: Having a computer gives people the ability to get access to healthcare and education, and to prosper economically, he said. “A network is more valuable for everybody when everybody’s connected to it,” Sherrill said.

Digital Marketing Is A Great Equalizer For Startups

Most technical entrepreneurs cringe when they finally realize that marketing is still king, despite the power of technology, and they are up against competitors who have a hundred times their spending power. Luckily, the digital revolution has been a great equalizer in the marketing world, if used effectively to target the audience, engage the customer, and measure results. Digital marketing is simply the move to the digital tools and technologies that most people depend on every day, including smartphones, search engines, tablets, video on demand, and the social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. The cost of entry to market on these is low, and marketing leverage has very little to do with the size of your budget. The best strategy and tactics to accomplish this digital marketing leverage are detailed in a new book, “Taking Down Goliath,” by Kevin M. Ryan and Rob “Spider” Graham. These industry veterans have been teaching smaller companies how to compete with digital marketing for many years, and have a wealth of case studies to show it really works. The first step is to create the perfect online marketing message. This message is defined as the knowledge or information that will be retained by customers after they are exposed to your company. The authors reiterate what I often say to business to business (B2B) entrepreneurs, it’s all about selling solutions (not technology) to real customers who have real needs and problems they want solved: How does this solution solve an existing problem? Every business faces challenges that affect their sales efforts, manufacturing efforts, human resources, and other things that keep them viable and profitable. Not only must the solution benefit the company as a whole, but there can be emotional benefits as well for employees who feel the pain. How does this solution provide a competitive advantage? Solutions that can turn a threat into an opportunity are especially enticing. In a world where the common scenario is “eat or be eaten,” being able to help companies to be better predators and less likely to be prey will be compelling. How does this solution make the customer a visionary/market leader? Part of the competitive advantage in the marketplace is being perceived by that market as a leader in some way. Every company is striving to find an identity that highlights its unique selling proposition, to stand out from the crowd as a visionary. How does this solution enable a significant value exchange? Smart companies are always looking for a return on investment. If they spend time, money, or other resources on a potential solution, then that solution should pay for itself. That’s a value exchange, as are solutions that empower employees to make better use of existing resources. How does this solution represent an exclusive opportunity? In the business world, exclusivity isn’t just a social ego boost. Companies that have access to, or can sell products and services not available to their competitors, can position themselves better in the marketplace. Like people, businesses need to be known for what sets them apart. How does this solution increase performance and productivity? Companies that are more efficient in the use of all their resources will be more profitable. Solutions that increase performance include automation tools, equipment upgrades, and new approaches to manufacturing and distribution. For business to consumer (B2C) audiences, effective marketing messages are also about triggering strong emotional triggers that consumers rely on to make decisions about the value and benefits of the offers they receive. These include a sense of well-being, convenience, security, significance, exclusivity, positive social standing, and others. In both business and consumer environments, with digital marketing technology, the playing field between big companies, mid-size businesses, and even startups has been leveled tremendously. The new success factor is not the size of your budget, but your skill in crafting the right message, sending it out through the right channels, and tuning the system for maximum results. Only in this age of digital marketing could a small non-profit, with a very limited budget, reach an audience of millions per month worldwide, with their “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” marketing message, and achieve results exceeding $100 million. Don’t let big-budget Goliaths trample you merely by the size of their footprint. Startups Integrating Marketing and Design Co-written by Cade Witnish 2014-11-26-marketingdesign.jpg Building a startup on a shoestring budget is possible up to the point when the first innovator and early adopter users have signed on and been identified. Then, the nascent firm needs to quickly scale up it's offering while creating a niche market and acquiring early majority customers. This is also the step in the process when serious risk capital is needed because it requires concurrent engineering development, manufacturing and marketing of the product. Might upfront imaginative coordination of design and marketing ease this critical transition? Good design has been shown in studies at Stanford University and Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea, to increase investors' interest and valuation of new business opportunities. At the same time, superior design has been shown in Stanford University studies to create trends by fostering online buzz, as measured by the number of Web Citations commanded. So, if design can entice investors and customers alike -- how might marketing be used to systematically make this happen? The first question to ask is, does the startup's personality shine through its design? People still do business with other people and despite the advances in technology, the most successful startups are those that can create and maintain a human connection with their target customers. The first interaction a potential customer has with a new business establishes how they perceive the startup's persona. Consistent design is a critical component for ensuring that the persona initially established is portrayed throughout the life cycle of the startup. Below are the four key stages to a customer life cycle and the focused steps a startup must take when considering design. Acquisition Acquisition focuses on all tasks and activities related to acquiring potential customers prior to them becoming a customer, whether this is through paid advertising, social media or search engine optimization. Applying a company persona to these elements helps to differentiate their acquisition materials from those of competitors. It helps to communicate not only value proposition and price but also the personality of the business and product, which, on a human level, is how people ultimately relate. Activation and Engagement Potential customers have arrived on the new website and the offerings there have piqued their interest. Now, they need to quickly understand what action to take. Through design, the user is guided through not only the product offering, but through the product activation process. When visitors reach the startup's website, ensure that the same emotions are invoked as during the acquisition stage. By having consistency in communicating the startup's persona at all stages, chances are greatly increased for retaining the engagement of these visitors -- as they will be connected emotionally to the brand throughout the journey. Retention When activating -- communicate the value proposition message to customers and get them to take action. In the retention stage, encourage them to repeat their initial action (e.g. a purchase) or take different, further actions to re-engage. Therefore, the design of the materials you use to re-engage must not be overlooked. To keep people coming back, continue to portray the same persona that attracted them in the first place. Ensure that consistent messaging and personality shines through the startup's design and while no business retains every customer, a consistent persona will attract many more repeat visitors. What next? Get personal. Step back and take a look at your new startup -- whether it's still an idea or is a bit more established -- and ask, -- if your business were a person, what type of person would it be? Are you happy with that persona? And is that persona -- along with your values -- reflected in every stage of messaging that is displayed to your potential and current customers? If not, you may be missing out on many potentially lucrative business opportunities. Special thanks to Cade Witnish for researching and co-writing this article.