DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6fb7ns/trend_and_opportun) has announced the addition of the "Trend and Opportunities in the Italian Personal Accident and Health Insurance Industry to 2016: Market Profile" report to their offering.

In terms of gross written premium, the Italian insurance industry is the fourth-largest insurance industry in the European region behind the UK, France and Germany. From 2008 to 2010, the French, German and Italian insurance industries all expanded rapidly, as poor overall economic performance encouraged consumers to seek the financial security associated with insurance products.

The Italian government is planning to introduce discounts to consumers who are ready to submit their vehicles for inspection by insurance companies. The discount rate will be increased if the consumer opts to install a black box which will record the vehicle's activity and help to determine the cause of accidents. In addition, the government also introduced open competition into the category. Indeed, article 34 indicates that agents marketing car insurance must provide the customer with three different quotes from three different companies.

Scope

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the personal accident and health insurance market in Italy, including:

- It provides historical values for the Italian personal accident and health insurance market for the review period (2007-2011) and forecast period (2012-2016)

- It offers a detailed analysis of the key sub-segments in the Italian personal accident and health insurance market, along with market forecasts until 2016

- It covers an exhaustive list of parameters, including written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, frauds and crimes, total assets, total investment income and retentions in the Italian personal accident and health insurance market

- It analyses the various distribution channels for personal accident and health insurance products in Italy

More here:
Research and Markets: Trend and Opportunities in the Italian Personal Accident and Health Insurance Industry to 2016 ...

(CNN) Following weeks of questions over Mitt Romney's personal wealth, the presumptive GOP nominee said Thursday that criticism of the nation's wealthy, including his family, would lead to economic demise.

"There are people who are trying to attack success and are trying to attack our success; that's not going to be successful," Romney said in an interview to air Thursday on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight." "When you attack success you have less of it, and that's what we've seen in our economy over the last few years." Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

The 2012 presidential campaign has centered on debate over Romney's wealth this summer, with President Barack Obama's team raising concerns about the Republican's decision to hold offshore investments and calling on Romney to release tax documents to answer any lingering queries about his financial portfolio.

The White House hopeful has firmly stated he would not release anything further than the two years worth of tax documents that he has already released and annual financial disclosure forms separately required by federal election law.

Romney, whose wealth is worth up to $256 million, has also been railed against over his tenure at the private equity firm he co-founded, Bain Capital. Democrats argue he has been misleading about when exactly he left his position as CEO at the company, saying he stayed on three years longer than he's previously admitted-a time window, Democrats say, in which he would have overseen a period in which the company is now being criticized for encouraging the practice of outsourcing.

Along with defending his personal wealth, Romney and Republicans have strongly stood against Obama's recent proposal to raise taxes on households making more than $250,000 per year, arguing such a move would have a negative impact on the economy and discourage growth.

"Dividing America based on who has money and who hasn't who is successful and who is less successful That is not the American way," Romney said.

Obama, defending his tax proposal, has frequently said his policies are not aimed as an attack on the wealthy.

"This has nothing to do with me wanting to punish success. We love folks getting rich. I do want to make sure that everybody else gets that chance as well." Obama said at a campaign stop in Iowa earlier this month. "For us to give a trillion dollars worth of tax breaks to folks who don't need it and aren't even asking for it, that doesn't make sense."

Romney made his comments during a sit-down interview in London, with his wife Ann by his side. The former Massachusetts governor, who headed the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, is in town to attend Friday's opening ceremony for this year's Olympic Games. The stop in London marks the first leg of a three-country trip, which also takes him to Israel and Poland over the next week.

Read more from the original source:
Romney in Piers Morgan interview: Stop attacking success

38 Studios, the now-bankrupt company behind Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and in-development MMO Project Copernicus, spent more than $133 million before it collapsed according to newly released documents. WPRI.com detailed the company's various expenses, which were paid for largely by state loans from Rhode Island and the personal fortune of founder and former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.

38 Studios spent $118 million in the period between its founding in August 2006 and the end of 2011, before it began to take in any appreciable revenue from the release of Reckoning. When the role-playing game finally hit shelves it sold 1.3 million copies. For the company to make back its $28.7 million advance from Reckoning publisher Electronic Arts and begin to receive royalties, sales would have had to surpass 2 million.

"I don't think 2 million was an unreasonable estimate--I thought it would do 2 million to 3 million," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. "They may have been counting on an extra $30 million to $40 million of revenue from the game."

Less-than-anticipated revenue from Reckoning and drying investor interest left the company unable to cover massive expenses laid down for research and development on Project Copernicus--$104.5 million as of March. That figure did not surprise National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Michael Hickey, who said a typical high-end MMO will take "north of $100 million" to bring to market. The studio's six years of work and a development team of 400 (some of its hiring was encouraged by state loan job creation stipulations) raised the stakes for the project's success.

But EA MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic's colder-than-expected subscriber retention over the winter put a serious damper on the developer's efforts to attract investors to its own game. "I honestly think if 38 Studios had moved to get financing months earlier they would have been fine," Pachter said. "Had they been out in the market in December I think they would have been fine."

A Boston magazine feature on Schilling's role in 38 Studios' demise said the developer was courting Take-Two to publish a potential sequel to Reckoning in May, and in talks with Korean MMO publisher Nexon. Nexon declined comment, and a Take-Two representative told Boston he wasn't aware of any negotiations.

Saul Kaplan, who was executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation until 2008, said the new documents suggested at least another $60 million would have been needed to complete development on Copernicus. "I can't imagine a scenario where anyone was going to put that capital in," he said.

Read the rest here:
38 Studios spent $133 million before bankruptcy

ATLANTA, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --KMC On Demand, a leading provider of learning technologies and online education for the insurance claims industry, has developed and launched a customized online learning center to train members of the National Association of Catastrophe Adjusters (NACA).

"Ongoing education is a requirement for adjusters so they can perform to the best of their ability in the field," said Wanda Hogan, president of NACA. "This need has become more pronounced with the rapid deployment of technology and the many new adjusters entering the field. Our partnership with KMC On Demand allows us to serve NACA members with quality, accredited content at the best value."

The learning center provides access to more than 200 hours of training in adjusting topics that range from auto, property and casualty claims to workers compensation and fraud. It also offers access to the Property Technical Certification (PTC), which is a new, industry-specific certification program for property adjusters developed by KMC, a unit of Crawford & Company, in conjunction with an insurance industry advisory committee.

To promote continuing education to the NACA membership, KMC will offer its "Insurance Ethics" course for free to all members. This three-module course addresses ethical standards, examines insurance regulations and the applicability of state and federal insurance law to claims adjusting, and discusses the nature of the relationship between the insured and the insurer.

Courses in the center are approved by all states that require continuing education credits for adjusters, and KMC will apply for and track credits for those who use the learning center. Adjusters may purchase courses individually or access all courses for an annual fee.

In addition to the training courses, the site links to adjuster-relevant information such as social networks and blogs, state licensing requirements, career resources and job outlooks, and analytic reports on storms and earthquakes.

"The NACA learning center offers a one-stop shop that brings together relevant resources helpful to all CAT adjusters," said Douglas Dell, senior vice president of E-Learning Services for Crawford (NYSE: CRDA; CRDB), the world's largest independent provider of claims management solutions. "We will continue to work with the association to promote continuing education for adjusters that will enhance standards for the industry and professional service delivery to the insured."

About KMC On Demand KMC On Demand is a unique platform that marries cutting-edge knowledge management technology with vetted and customized insurance courses and performance support information that adjusters can easily reference. KMC On Demand is part of Crawford Educational Services, a unit of Crawford & Company that is a full-service provider of classroom, online and blended educational opportunities for claims professionals.

Here is the original post:
KMC On Demand(SM) Launches Custom Online Learning Center for NACA

Tom Fedor/The Gazette New Life Christians Joe Stopyra drives to the hoop during the title game of the Tuscarora Shootout on July 12. New Life rarely competes against public school teams in Frederick County.

Ready to end the deliberating, Connor Browns parents walked around their 6-acre Damascus property and discussed their sons future. The question at hand: Would he attend Broadfording Christian Academy or New Life Christian School?

Connor had long planned to attend Broadfording in Hagerstown, where he could play basketball with an older cousin. For years, they'd discussed playing together on the same high school team and then college and NBA teams. New Life Christian in Frederick was, well, closer to home.

As his parents walked, Brown nervously shot on his outdoor basketball hoop. Eventually, they returned with plans for Browns sophomore year after spending two years at Bullis.

So, which one is it? Brown said.

Its the Rams, they said, referring to New Life's mascot.

Initially, Brown was a bit upset not to play with his cousin, but now a rising senior, he and his brother Austin, a rising junior, have helped lift New Lifes basketball profile.

Were just working hard every day trying to build this program up, make it something that around Frederick County that kids want to, Oh yeah, I want to go to New Life, Brown said.

New Life was 21-9 last year, winning the Mason Dixon Christian Conference regular-season title and reaching the Division 1 Maryland Christian School Tournament for the first time. With the Browns and Seth Myers a rising senior who transferred from Oakdale before last season returning, New Lifes ambitions are higher than ever.

We never want to be a Montrose or anything like that, Bryant said. We just want to be a competitive team within the county.

Read the rest here:
Gazette.Net: New Life Christian basketball elevates profile

> SOUTHERN INDIANA I am a basketball coach.

Thanks to John Bradley back in 1992, I was able to figure my purpose in life. Coach Bradley was the Henryville boys coach at the time and he asked me one day if I would be interested in coaching the freshmen that year. I told him I had to think about that. At age 23, that was going to be a huge decision.

Did he actually want me to be in charge of a group of young men? Wow ... I just didnt know.

I thought about it and decided I would give it a try. (Before I go any further, I want to apologize to those guys because I was a complete and total idiot that first year, and well ... for a few years.)

Even though I had figured out what my purpose was, I still didnt know how to really do that purpose, if that makes sense. For anyone who thought I was intense or ridiculous the last few years, they probably would have called the police those first one to 10 years of my coaching career.

I knew what I wanted to do, but I didnt know how to do it. Many of those players from those years have thanked me for all I did, and I usually apologize because I could have done better and I am not talking about just on the court.

That gets me to the last two years. As I started to understand my purpose even more, I was starting to understand that purpose had to lead to more than just coaching basketball. I wanted to reach more and different people through my faith. Last fall, I applied to Athletes in Action and a couple of other organizations and was accepted.

That acceptance and the process helped me to decide to resign as boys basketball coach at Henryville.

I knew there was something that I should be doing greater than what I was doing. So thankfully to some, I resigned.

I am not putting down being a varsity basketball coach. So many men and women are doing a job that is under the microscope by many who wouldnt even consider coaching an elementary team. Asked by friend Matt Denison the other night if I was finished being a head coach, I told him I just didnt know. I will be coaching in the near future, but at what position and where is still unknown to me.

Read this article:
HUNTER: What’s your purpose?

Jeff Fisher took a year off from coaching, and traveled around the country, and saw the world. He had fun during his break from the daily grind and pressure of the coaching life. His No. 1 highlight was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

When Fisher returned to coaching, he signed on to make a more imposing and hazardous climb. Fisher took over the Rams, a woebegone franchise that from 2007-2011 lost more games (65) over a five-season stretch than any team in NFL history.

It is a franchise in flux, with owner Stan Kroenke making fans restless and fearful of a move to Los Angeles. You could say there are more attractive situations in the NFL. On the field, the Rams have averaged three wins over the last five seasons. Away from the field, fans are being beaten down by LA rumors.

Welcome to St. Louis, Coach.

The assignment isn't for the faint of heart. Mike Martz reached the Super Bowl, lost in an epic upset, then slowly cracked. The last two full-time head coaches to give it a go were buried under a rock-slide of losses. Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo came to Earth City with smiles and optimism. Their combined record as head coach: 21-63.

When Linehan and Spagnuolo were fired, it seemed like the merciful thing to do. The unrelenting punishment of the job turned two good men into paranoid, uptight wrecks.

This description does not match a rested and ready Fisher.

"I love this game," Fisher said. "I have great respect for our owner, and I made a commitment to him to get him a trophy. And I'm going to start working towards that."

That would be the Vince Lombardi Trophy, handed to the yearly Super Bowl champion. Lombardi? Most fans would be happy with 8-8 for now. But as his first Rams' training camp gets under way, Fisher has no desire to lower expectations. You won't hear him talking about reconstruction zones and five-year plans.

"Every training camp I've started as a head coach or assistant, it felt like my first," Fisher said. "This one feels like it's my first [ever] training camp. You go into it with a willingness to learn, with energy. With willingness to put a team together that has high expectations. That goes out expecting to win every game."

Go here to see the original:
Bernie: Fisher takes steep climb in stride

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szVrmw5VBwU

25-07-2012 14:01 Take a look at ALL the amazing equipment, facilities, and atmosphere provided at Trinity Health and Fitness! Listen to what people are saying about how Trinity has changed their lives!

Original post:
Trinity Health and Fitness Tour - Video

The Gillard government recently announced that boys will be included in the nations free vaccination program to eliminate cervical cancer. Its the first time any nation has done so and the media made an effort to promote our world-first status.

Whats less well-known is that well be the first country to start protecting future generations of gay men.

The reason this good news story fell by the wayside is that weve fallen victim to the oversimplification of the issues around cervical cancer, the Gardasil vaccine, and one hell of a nasty sexually transmitted infection.

So let me start by taking a few questions:

Q: They gave that stuff to girls to stop them getting the cancer all up their lady bits. Why would they give it to guys too?

Thats right anonymous figure of my own creation, the Gardasil vaccine has been given free to girls and young women for a few years now. Back when it was starting there was a whole bunch of publicity about it being the cervical cancer vaccine. Hell, we even made the guy who invented it Australian of the Year and made him honourary hero of cervixes.

Thats kind of wrong. The vaccine doesnt immunise you against cancer, it immunises you against a virus that causes the cancer. But cervical cancer is only the main billing of what this virus does. It also causes genital warts, followed by cancers on your throat, tonsils, genitals of whatever flavour, and finally, cancer of the ass.

One virus can cause all these shitty-ass cancers. The vaccine stops that virus.

Q: Ohhh, thats nasty. What the hell is this thing?

Probably heard of it: the Humanpapilloma virus, HPV in brief. It is particularly nasty for a few reasons.

Read the original:
Sex / Health / Fitness: Why Gardasil is good for gay men

Construction on a 74-bed personal care home should begin in a month after developers received the necessary approval from Scranton's planning commission.

At a special meeting Wednesday, the commission unanimously approved the land development plan submitted by Senior Health Care Solution principal partners, Michael P. Kelly and Susan Keefer, and their architect/engineer Mike Probst with Keystone Consulting.

Construction on the $6 million project is slated to be complete in August 2013, according to Mr. Kelly.

The new personal care home will be located at 2471 Boulevard Ave., next to Senior Health Care Solution's skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, and will be focused on providing comfortable living for the independent elderly when it opens, Mr. Kelly said,

"It's for the elderly who don't really need skilled nursing," Mr. Kelly said after the meeting.

He said residents of the home will pay between $1,400 and $2,200 a month. The personal care home will offer meals, maid services and will have nurses on staff to help administer medication, among other duties, he added.

At Wednesday's meeting, Mr. Probst told planning commission members that all zoning, ordinance, land development conditions and recommendations have been met by the group.

Commission member John Kennedy moved to approve the project and member Betsey Moylan seconded.

Contact the writer: eginader@timesshamrock.com

Read the original here:
Scranton Planning Commission approves construction of personal care home