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Wal-Mart Signals Its Move Into the PBM Industry; Analysts Have Mixed Reactions to Its Impact
Phenomena Bermuda Triangle and Big Sting On MacIntyre Agenda
The Bermuda Triangle is a region that continues to confound experts with a history of unexplained disappearances dating back to the 18th century. In 1945, on a clear afternoon in December, five Navy Avenger torpedo bombers took off from Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station on a short routine flight. Less than two hours later, the flight leader alerted the control tower that they were lost and unable to tell in which direction they were flying. The bombers were never heard from again.
Over the years many theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain the strange phenomena. Magnetic vortices, space-time warps, extraterrestrial activity and an ancient energy source from the lost city of Atlantis, have all been suggested as potential causes.
Kompoz.com Launches "Open Music" Collaboration and Social Networking Site
Kompoz.com today announced the launch of its new website, ushering in a new era of open collaborative music creation, mixing, and publication. Using Kompoz.com's global venue, social networking tools, and core set of enabling technologies, musicians -- garage bands, independents, and professionals -- create, collaborate, and mix their music online.
"We've leveraged the Web as a platform for creating a worldwide virtual music studio," said Raf Fiol, founder of Kompoz.com. "It's a new approach to creating music, designed and engineered by and for a global community. Got an idea for a song? Record a track, upload it, then invite the community of musicians to add drums, bass, vocals or anything else. We provide the workspace and technologies to connect you with others, and to preview, mix, and publish your music."
Irell & Manella Completes 15th Reality Television Production with Mark Burnett
With the recent release of The Contender," Irell & Manella LLP has completed its 15th reality television production with Mark Burnett. The firm, internationally renowned for its expertise in intellectual property and entertainment, has worked closely with Emmy Award-winning television producer Burnett and provided groundbreaking legal work for his hit network series.
A pioneer in the field of reality television, Irell & Manellas Entertainment Practice Group tackled uncharted territory, handling a number of extremely complex contracts and issues for shows such as Survivor," The Apprentice," and The Contender," including many contestant issues, brand integration (widely considered the future of the advertising industry), format rights and other novel issues.
MothersClick.com To Host Virtual Book Tour for Parenting Journalist and Author Meredith O'Brien
Parenting journalist and popular mom blogger, Meredith O'Brien, shares her amusing perspectives on suburban motherhood and MothersClick.com (www.mothersclick.com) is proud to host the site's second online book tour giving interested readers and fans an opportunity to "meet" the author and engage in unedited and unscripted conversation.
"MothersClick is a vibrant community that's alive with the voices of real moms doing real parenting in the trenches," says Meredith O'Brien.
A Suburban Mom: Notes from the Asylum is is a collection of columns about the madness of modern parenting in the American suburbs, everything from trying (and failing) to keep up with overachieving parents, to trying to keep your toddler from eating out of the trash can. This collection of 76 essays is organized in five categories: Motherhood, etc.; Pregnancy, Birth & Other Bloody Things; Growing Pains; On the Home Front, and Random Ramblings.
ShootQ, ShootDotEdit Partner to Create a Single Hub for Photographers to Manage Studio and Post-Production
ShootQ, the web-based studio management solution of choice for event photographers, today announced a partnership with ShootDotEdit that will allow ShootQ users to select and track post-production editing services through the ShootQ platform. As the premier provider of photography editing services, ShootDotEdit and ShootQ will give event photographers the ability to manage all studio and post-production activities from a single, powerful hub.
Today's event photographers are challenged by the volume of studio management and post-production activities required to deliver quality images to clients. The partnership between ShootQ and ShootDotEdit will ensure photographers always have a real-time and accurate view of their business, from scheduling and marketing to post-production and editing. As a result, photographers can improve client service, increase referrals and reduce studio costs.
AbsoluteSKY Forms Winning Partnerships to Deliver Item-Level RFID Tracking
AbsoluteSKY's (OTO:ABSY) recently-announced strategic partnerships place the Company in a prime position to capture a significant share of the burgeoning retail Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) market. Global RFID spending is estimated to reach between $3 billion and $6 billion worldwide by 2010. AbsoluteSKY's (www.AbsoluteSKY.ca) September deal with IBM Global Financing, the lending division of IBM, will provide financing options to end users of AbsoluteSKY's proprietary intelliTRACKER(tm) product suite to enable more retailers to quickly implement item-level RFID tracking.
Click here to read more…Search Engine Optimization Firm Revives PC Gaming Business
Ahmoze LLC, which provides an online blind auction website, was on the brink of selling their website before taking one more look at a marketing technique known as search engine optimization.
Natanya Walker, Vice President of Ahmoze LLC, turned to On Top Results Inc., a firm located in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Top Results created a marketing strategy based upon their budget that would allow them to increase their natural search engine rankings without the costly expenses of pay per click advertising.
Lilly's Craft Mall Announces Success of its Beta Free Store Program
LillysCraftMall.com also known as www.lillysplace.net has been in the online crafting business since 2004. The Craft Mall recently announced the launch of it's Free Craft Store Program. Free stores were given out to any artist residing in the U.S. or Canada who needed an online store to sell their arts and crafts.
Since its beta test over 200 arts and crafts vendors in the U.S. and Canada have taken advantage and signed up for the program. The new stores offer a wide variety of crafts including: home décor, quilts, handmade jewelry, baby gifts, candles, ceramics, handbags and more high quality crafts at affordable prices.
Full Service Consulting Firm offers Small Businesses a Fighting Chance
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that only 44 percent of all small businesses make it to the four year mark. Now, small businesses struggling to compete with the big corporations will have a higher chance of succeeding, thanks to a new comprehensive small business consulting firm called After The Launch.
After The Launch is leveraging the power of outsourcing to provide small businesses the same services that big companies enjoy on a daily basis. In addition to consulting and coaching, After The Launch offers small businesses these professional services: web design and development, business blog design and development, copywriting, graphic designing, internet marketing, search engine optimization and virtual assistance services. These services were once simply reserved for bigger corporations with big budgets. After The Launch is the first consulting firm to offer a one-stop resource for smaller companies that fits their budget.
Invest An IRA in Real Estate - Come to Austin, Texas to Learn About This Growing Trend
Increasingly, investors are learning about this self-directed IRA option (not normally offered by financial planners, which benefit from commissions from stocks and bonds) and are using their IRAs to capitalize on the real estate market and diversify their retirement portfolios. Asset Exchange invites real estate investors who want to learn how to utilize retirement funds for real estate investments. Talk with IRA Expert Dan Cordoba and his clients about this growing trend.
WHAT: IRA Leverage Seminar - Partnering With Your IRA to Buy Real Estate: A FREE Real Estate Seminar presented by Asset Exchange Strategies, LLC and Mortgages Direct
ExpertPlan Earns CEFEX Certificate of Fiduciary Excellence
As formal recognition for reaching the highest standards of recordkeeping excellence, ExpertPlan has been awarded a Certificate of Registration by the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, or CEFEX.
SId Garai, ExpertPlan Chief Administrative Officer
CEFEX registration is independent recognition of a recordkeeper's conformity to all recordkeeper practices and associated criteria established by the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, or ASPPA. Certification indicates that a recordkeeper demonstrates adherence to the recordkeeping industry's best practices and is positioned to earn its clients trust.
Expert Warns Health Plans to Eliminate PBMs' "MAC" Mousetraps - or Hemorrhage Generic Drug Savings
PBMs are manipulating generic pricing terms in their contracts with virtually all health plans and robbing plans of a large portion of their generic savings, warns a leading national prescription coverage expert.
The expert, Attorney Linda Cahn, details in this month's Managed Care magazine precisely how PBMs use the acronym "MAC" to steal health plans' generic drug savings.
According to Cahn, PBMs begin the process by defining the term "MAC" (Maximum Allowable Cost) so PBMs can thereafter manipulate the term. In virtually all contracts, PBMs' MAC definition enables PBMs to generate whatever price they want for a generic drug, and to change their price whenever they want. Moreover, PBMs' MAC definition allows PBMs not to generate a MAC price for as many generic drugs as they want, which in turn enables PBMs to charge brand drug prices for generic drugs.
Visit a Theme Park For Free On the Courtyard Milpitas Silicon Valley
Guests of the Courtyard Milpitas Silicon Valley can now visit the Great American Theme Park in San Jose for free. Bring the family and have Great American Theme Park fun while enjoying Courtyard accommodations and amenities.
The Courtyard Milpitas Silicon Valley is now offering guests a new Escape Great America Theme Park in San Jose hotel package. This hotel package includes two Great America Theme Park in San Jose tickets, one night stay with new luxury bedding package, and a delicious complimentary breakfast each morning.
Montowese Marketing Announces Official Launch of Wild Bird Supply Superstore
TheBirdWarehouse.com plans to meet seasonal customer demand for quality wild bird related supplies by offering hundreds of products such birdhouses, bird feeders, and bird baths.
President and owner of TheBirdWarehouse.com Karen Kershaw says, "We plan to focus on customer service and quality, and deliver satisfaction. Our prices are really good but our quality and service is unmatched in your local store because wild bird supplies are our life, our passion."
The grand opening will feature special discounts on many birdhouses, bird feeders, and bird baths along with free shipping on certain orders.
Teaching Techniques are Changing with the Times: CliffsNotes® Helps Teachers Take Teaching Outside of the Box
Are today's students bored by the Bard? Do they turn their noses up at the practice tests for the SATs? Fret no more! From the trusted brand CliffsNotes come new and exciting options for teaching the classics and preparing for those ominous standardized tests. Rather than sticking to regular textbooks and conventional lesson plans, CliffsNotes is offering teachers numerous ways to make learning fun and exciting. Visit www.cliffsnotes.com for purchasing information.
Check out these new titles sure to make learning the classics and studying fun and refreshing for both teachers and students:
POKO Partners Selects DensArmor Plus™ Drywall by Georgia-Pacific for Two Major Building Projects
Port Chester, NY (PRWEB) August 18, 2006 -– Real estate development and management company, POKO Partners, is the first company to build an affordable housing project in both New York City and Connecticut with DensArmor Plus™ by Georgia-Pacific. POKO Partners selected this paperless drywall based on its resistance to moisture and mold growth behind walls and ceilings.
“POKO chose Georgia-Pacific’s DensArmor Plus to help prevent mold and moisture related problems. While it’s an additional investment, the product is good for our tenants because it’s smart business,” stated Kenneth Olson, President of POKO Partners. “No one wants mold in a building. There is also a potential health and operating savings related to the use of a product that manages moisture so well.”
South Coast Surety, a National Surety Agency, has Added RLI Surety to its Providers
South Coast Surety is well established as an agency that provides surety bonds on a national basis. The agency services both direct applicants and insurance brokers throughout the United States through its website at www.southcoastsurety.com. South Coast Surety has developed relationships with national surety companies in order to support its continued growth in the commercial bond sector. Their commercial surety bonds include license bonds, broker bonds, court bonds, tax bonds and most other miscellaneous surety bonds. In order to be the most responsive to its surety customers, South Coast Surety has entered into authority agreements with a number of its surety firms.
Click here to read more…Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce Brings Five Food Companies to Winter Fancy Food Show Introducing 'The Taste of Tunisia'
The Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce (TACC) with the financial support and marketing expertise from FAMEX (Fund for the Access to Export Markets) and the Tunisian Export Ministry, announces "The Taste of Tunisia" program introducing regional taste treats of five Tunisian agribusiness companies to the US at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.
'The Taste of Tunisia' is an introduction of the exceptional cuisine of Tunisia to US buyers -- many for the first time. The five participating companies cover a wide spectrum of products with a Tunisian/Southern Mediterranean flair like tuna & sardines, regional condiments (harissa, mechouia and sun dried tomatoes), couscous, dates, canned fruits, and pure Tunisian olive oil. The delegation is exhibiting at Booth #3230 in the International Pavilion at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, January 18 to 20, 2009.
Darien Connecticut Resident Henry Strauss Joins the Board of Directors of the Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles
Darien Connecticut resident, Henry Strauss, recently joined the Cos Cob based Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles as a member of its Board of Directors. The Foundation was created by nationally renowned Greenwich Orthopaedic surgeon, Kevin Plancher, M.D., as a not-for-profit organization whose primary function is to effectively promote, support, develop and encourage research and education concerning minimally invasive orthopaedic surgery and advancements in musculoskeletal diseases. “The Foundation is committed to initiatives that educate individuals of all ages who are passionate about a healthy lifestyle and engage in self directed practices to maintain that lifestyle,” said Kevin Plancher, M.D. “We are very pleased to have Mr. Strauss as an active member of our Board.”
Click here to read more…Wal-Mart Signals Its Move Into the PBM Industry; Analysts Have Mixed Reactions to Its Impact
AIS's Drug Benefit News - Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.'s plan to start offering pharmacy benefit services to employers has provoked mixed reactions from PBM industry stakeholders. While some observers contend that any move by the retail behemoth has the potential to be an industry "game changer," two of the largest PBMs appeared unfazed by the prospect of a giant new competitor. An industry consultant tells Drug Benefit News that Wal-Mart could challenge PBMs' deep discounts at mail order, but that any impact would likely be focused on employers located outside of large metropolitan areas.
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