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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Did You Know?

CANNED BEER'S 75TH
Profile America -- Sunday, January 24th. One of the more American of inventions -- and a staple of television advertising -- is having its 75th anniversary this week. The first canned beer was put on sale in 1935 as a marketing test in Richmond, Virginia, by the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey. Experiments with putting beer in cans had taken place as early as 1909, but the technology of the time couldn't stop the beer from interacting with the metal of the can. Then, Prohibition delayed further development. Now, cans are the preferred container for beer in the U.S. American adults drink an average of nearly 22 gallons of beer a year, down about 2 gallons from 1980. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, now preparing for the 2010 Census on April 1st.

Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 2671
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 207



Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).

Sunday, January 17, 2010

USAID Haiti Earthquake Fact Sheet #5

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
KEY DEVELOPMENTS

-- As of 1700 hours local time on January 17, U.S. Urban Search and
Rescue (USAR) teams had rescued 30 individuals from collapsed
buildings, including one individual rescued at approximately 1615
hours local time and three individuals rescued overnight from the
Caribbean Market. To date, international USAR teams have rescued a
total of 62 individuals throughout Port-au-Prince.

-- On January 17, USAID/OFDA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD), facilitated the delivery to Port-au-Prince of 9,600
10-liter water containers to serve 19,200 people, 3,840 hygiene kits
to benefit 19,200 people for two weeks, and 200 rolls of plastic
sheeting to meet the shelter needs of 10,000 people.

-- To date, USAID/OFDA has provided nearly $63.3 million in humanitarian
assistance to Haiti, including a total of $22 million committed on
January 17 to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the
U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.N. World Food Program
(WFP) to support emergency relief supply distributions, emergency
health interventions, and humanitarian air service and logistics.

-- On January 17, a ship carrying 2,100 metric tons (MT) of P.L. Title II
emergency food assistance provided by USAID's Office of Food for Peace
(USAID/FFP) arrived in Port-au-Prince. USAID coordinated closely with
the U.S. military to ensure safe passage of the vessel through the
port and to provide security for the vessel and crew.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Indiana Blood Center Taps tw telecom for Data, Internet and IP Telephony Services

TW Telecom Services to Connect Indiana Blood Center's 11 Locations Throughout the State

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- tw telecom (NASDAQ:TWTC), a leading provider of managed voice, Internet and data networking solutions for businesses in Indianapolis and throughout the U.S., today announced that Indiana Blood Center has selected the company to provide advanced voice, data and Internet services to connect the organization's 11 locations located throughout Indiana. Indiana Blood Center will also utilize tw telecom's metro MPLS IP network for IP VPN telephony and intra-office communications.

"After reviewing our options, we were impressed that tw telecom had the flexibility to move as quickly as we do," said Tim Bryant, CIO, Indiana Blood Center. "Our business is dynamic and growing rapidly, and we needed a communications partner that can adapt quickly to our evolving needs. tw telecom showed us they are that partner."

Indiana Blood Center is a vital link in Indiana's health care infrastructure, supplying more than 550 units of blood to more than 60 Indiana hospitals every day. The nonprofit community service organization was founded in 1952 to provide a continuous, safe and adequate supply of blood products and testing services.

"Indiana Blood Center provides a critical service to Hoosiers, and we are pleased that tw telecom services will help the organization continue its remarkable level of service to the communities it serves," said Barbara Hansen, vice president and general manager for tw telecom in Indianapolis. "We're also gratified that when Indiana Blood Center evaluated us against our competitors using metrics such as flexibility, reliability, network infrastructure and customer service, we came out on top."

tw telecom connects more commercial buildings to its fiber network than any other competitive communications provider. In fact, it has the third highest market share of retail Ethernet ports in service. With its own metro fiber networks and one of the ten most interconnected IP backbones in the world, tw telecom has the national capability, robust product portfolio and national/local customer care teams to support mission critical enterprise applications and to deliver the industry's most sought after customer experience.

About tw telecom

tw telecom holdings inc., a unit of tw telecom inc., headquartered in Littleton, Colo., provides managed network services, specializing in Ethernet and transport data networking, Internet access, local and long distance voice, VoIP, VPN and security, to enterprise organizations and communications services companies throughout the U.S., and globally. As a leading provider of integrated and converged network solutions, tw telecom delivers customers overall economic value, quality, service, and improved business productivity. Please visit www.twtelecom.com for more information.

About Indiana Blood Center

Indiana Blood Center lives a daily mission to supply blood and blood components to Hoosier patients in need at more than 60 Indiana hospitals. We are a non-profit community service organization licensed by the FDA and the Indiana State Department of Health, and accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). For more information, visit www.indianablood.org

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Agilysys Announces 'Cash for Computer Clunkers' Assessment Program

Assists customers cost-effectively updating to newer IBM server and storage technology

CLEVELAND, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Agilysys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AGYS), a leading provider of innovative IT solutions, announces a Cash for Computer Clunkers assessment program which is aimed at assisting customers with assessing equipment eligible for trade-in incentives on existing technology when updating their enterprise with new IBM server and storage technology.

"Realizing the constraints being placed on organizations as a result of the current economic climate, Agilysys is working with our customers to ensure they have the best systems in place now to assist with future growth," said Lou Sciacchetano, vice president of sales, Agilysys IBM Technology Solutions. "While many company's may be delaying IT purchases due to their financial situations, the Agilysys Cash for Computer Clunkers assessment program is a great way to assist companies with installing more reliable technology platforms today while at the same time receiving trade-in credit on their older, more inefficient systems."

The Cash for Computer Clunkers assessment program complements Agilysys' previously announced certification in IBM's Dynamic Infrastructure Specialty Program, which is focused on helping customers build a new, more dynamic infrastructure designed to bring more intelligence, automation, integration and efficiencies to their organization. By assisting customers with identifying equipment eligible for trade-in incentives through various vendor offered programs, Agilysys is well-positioned to more accurately respond to its customer's multi-faceted IT challenges and help with the creation of dynamic infrastructures.

The Agilysys Cash for Computer Clunkers assessment program runs through December 31, 2009. Further information on the assessment program may be found on the Agilysys website at www.agilysys.com/ibmsolutions.

About Agilysys, Inc.
Agilysys is a leading provider of innovative IT solutions to corporate and public-sector customers, with special expertise in select markets, including retail and hospitality. The company uses technology -- including hardware, software and services -- to help customers resolve their most complicated IT needs. The company possesses expertise in enterprise architecture and high availability, infrastructure optimization, storage and resource management, identity management and business continuity; and provides industry-specific software, services and expertise to the retail and hospitality markets. Headquartered in Cleveland, Agilysys operates extensively throughout North America, with additional sales and support offices in the United Kingdom and China. For more information, visit www.agilysys.com.

Monday, November 2, 2009

FDA release guidelines for H1N1 diagnosis

SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today published a guidance document that should help manufacturers develop diagnostic tests for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

Although there are not any FDA-approved or cleared tests that diagnose this specific infection, during this pandemic manufacturers can submit a request to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

If granted, the EUA will allow the test to be used during the national public health emergency declared by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in April. This guidance document outlines what information the FDA recommends that manufacturers include in these EUA requests.

The EUA authority allows the FDA to authorize use of unapproved or uncleared medical products or unapproved or uncleared uses of approved or cleared medical products following a declaration of emergency, when certain criteria are met. The authorization ends when the declaration of emergency is terminated or the authorization is revoked by the FDA.

The EUA authority is part of Project BioShield, which became law in July 2004.

While the FDA encourages manufacturers to submit appropriate premarket applications for these tests, the agency also recognizes that it may not be possible to generate complete clinical validation data that would normally be included in an application. However, this guidance outlines information the FDA recommends be included, and the FDA gives these requests thorough and careful review to protect the public health.

During this declared public health emergency, manufacturers of 2009 H1N1 influenza virus tests that are unable to submit a complete premarket notification may use the guidance to submit a request for an EUA.

The guidance document is part of the FDA's ongoing efforts to provide public health authorities managing the pandemic with reliable and accessible diagnostic tests. The guidance is available online and will remain in effect throughout the public health emergency.
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Telegraph Barack Obama

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