Starbucks profit climbs as US cafes thrive

NEW YORK (AP) ? Americans still need their Starbucks fix even in the weak economy.

The Seattle-based coffee chain said Thursday its profit rose 13 percent in the latest quarter in line with Wall Street expectations. Results were boosted by a 6 percent increase in global sales at cafes open at least a year, a key metric of health.

The performance reflects the sharp turnaround Starbucks has made since its struggles during the recession. After bringing back founder Howard Schultz as CEO in 2008, the company embarked on a massive restructuring effort that included closing underperforming stores in the U.S. Going forward, Schultz has noted that the company has the flexibility to keep growing even through a turbulent economy because most people see Starbucks as an "affordable luxury."

In the flagship Americas region, Starbucks said sales at stores open at least a rose 7 percent as the Pumpkin Spice Latte once again proved to be a hit. Customers are also buying more food, which helps drive up the amount they spend per visit. About a third of purchases currently include food and Starbucks is betting that its new baked goods ? supplied from a San Francisco bakery it purchased last year ? will continue to drive up that figure.

Cliff Burrows, who heads the Americas region, said Starbucks will continue growing by improving the speed of service and relationships with customers. For example, baristas across the country should be wearing name tags by the end of this month. Sixty percent of new cafes in the U.S. will also have drive-thru service, which makes the stores more profitable.

The introduction of the Verismo single-serve coffee machine in stores this fall also added 0.5 percent to the sales increase for the region. Starbucks said it sold more than 150,000 of the machines, most of them through specialty retailers. Executives said the machine will continue to be a major revenue driver in the coming months and years.

Operating margin in the U.S. decreased slightly to 20.8 percent, however, as a result of costs related to Superstorm Sandy, litigation charges and the company's leadership conference this past October.

In the China and Asia Pacific region, which is set to surpass Canada as Starbucks second biggest market in the next two years, sales at cafes open at least a year rose 11 percent as traffic increased.

Europe continued to be a weak spot, with sales at cafes open a year falling 1 percent. Starbucks executives have said they're working to turnaround their performance in the region, in part by closing underperforming stores, licensing operations to local partners and improving customer service. Although traffic increased in Europe during the period, the amount people spent per visit declined.

Troy Alstead, the company's chief financial officer, said the decline reflected weakness in the broader economy.

"A lot of people were trading down it appears," said Troy Alstead, the company's chief financial officer, noting that fewer purchases included food.

Starbucks also has been embroiled in a controversy over its taxes in the United Kingdom. The company has been doing business in Britain for 15 years but hadn't paid any taxes because of a complex way it calculates profits. Following criticism by lawmakers and a campaign by a protest group, Starbucks said last month that it was working to settle the issue.

For October-to-December period, Starbucks Corp. earned $432.2 million, or 57 cents per share. That's compared with $382.1 million, or 50 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Total revenue rose 11 percent to $3.8 billion. Analysts expected a profit of 57 cents per share on revenue of $3.85 billion, according to FactSet.

Revenue for the consumer packaged goods segment, which includes Verismos sold in specialty stores, rose 16 percent to $459.8 million. Although Starbucks is working to diversify by building this segment, it still represents a small fraction of the company's overall revenue.

Starbucks affirmed its outlook for the year, with earnings expected to be between $2.096 and $2.15 per share, representing growth of 15 to 20 percent from the previous year.

Its stock was up 24 cents at $54.81. Starbucks has about 18,000 cafes around the world.

___

Follow Candice Choi at www.twitter.com/candicechoi

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/starbucks-profit-climbs-us-cafes-thrive-001325258--finance.html

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Nancy Huehnergarth: Parents, Don't Let Beyonc?, Let's Move ...

Sign the Petition Asking Beyonc? to Ditch Pepsi/Resign from Let's Move!

In a sickening development involving the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative to improve the nutrition, fitness and health of the nation's children, Beyonc?, a public endorser of Let's Move!, accepted a $50 million deal to sell Pepsi. She'll be hawking soda to kids on TV, at grocery stores, on Pepsi cans, during the Super Bowl halftime show and in other marketing formats for the foreseeable future.

What was she thinking? Back in 2011, Beyonc? and the First Lady teamed up for Let's Move's! campaign against childhood obesity with this kid's workout video. But now, Beyonc? is playing for the opposing team as well, promoting a drink that dozens of studies have identified as a main driver of America's current childhood obesity epidemic.

Never mind that:

- For each additional 12 ounce soda children consumed each day, the odds of becoming obese increased by 60%.

- Pepsi, Coca-Cola and other soft drink manufacturers specifically target children, teens, African-American youth and Hispanic youth through their marketing.

- Soda consumption has also been linked to increased rates of heart disease, diabetes and dental decay.

None of those depressing statistics seemed to phase Beyonc?, mother to a 1-year-old daughter. And she certainly didn't pause to question whether she would be sending a dangerous mixed message to America's youth, when many view her as a dazzling role model.

But Beyonc?'s massive insensitivity and cognitive dissonance could actually be a watershed moment in the debate about food marketing to children -- if only America's parents stand up and protest her ill-advised deal to market soda to their kids. Celebrity endorsements are a fact of life in the food marketing world and a noisy grassroots uprising against Beyonc? could get other celebrities to back off from endorsing soda, sugary drinks, chips, candy and other non-nutritious foods to impressionable kids. Remember, once upon a time, celebrities regularly hawked tobacco products. Now, they wouldn't be caught dead having any association with cigarettes.

If enough parents signed this petition, both Beyonc? and the White House would take notice. While Beyonc? may not be able to extricate herself from her Pepsi contract, the least she could do is resign from Let's Move! and donate her fee to childhood obesity prevention efforts. And the First Lady, who has done so much to promote healthy eating, physical activity and awareness about childhood obesity, needs to ensure that her partners/celebrity spokespersons walk the talk.

The White House knows that Beyonc?'s Pepsi deal is an embarrassment to Let's Move! and Michelle Obama, but has remained mum on the topic. Just last week, the White House actually removed a petition from its "We the People" website, posted by environmental activist Laurie David, asking that Beyonc? be ousted from the inauguration lineup because of her damaging deal with Pepsi. I can't help but find it telling that the White House posted a detailed response to a "We the People" petition asking the administration to construct a Death Star, but censored the Beyonc? petition.

Well, the White House can't censor this petition:

Sign the Petition Asking Beyonc? to Ditch Pepsi/Resign from Let's Move!

Please sign and share this petition link with your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. If we don't stand up to Big Soda and Beyonc? pushing soda on our kids, no one will.

?

Follow Nancy Huehnergarth on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nyshepa

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-huehnergarth/beyonce_b_2534205.html

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700 alleged militants held in limbo in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Pakistan is holding 700 suspected militants without charges under a controversial law that has been criticized by human rights organizations, the country's attorney general said Thursday.

The admission, made during a Supreme Court hearing, will likely fuel concerns about Pakistan's conduct over the past several years as it has battled a domestic Taliban insurgency in the country's northwest.

The 700 suspected militants are being held in internment centers in the country's semiautonomous tribal region along the Afghan border, the main Taliban sanctuary in the country, said Attorney General Irfan Qadir.

They will be held until the military concludes operations against the Taliban, and then authorities will determine whether they can be tried in court, said Qadir. He justified the detention under a law passed in 2011 known as the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulations.

"It's a war-like situation there," said Qadir. "While the operation is on, their status will remain the same."

Amnesty International criticized the law in a December report, saying both it and colonial-era regulations in the tribal region "provide a framework for widespread human rights violations to occur with impunity."

The London-based rights group said the Pakistani military regularly holds people without charges and tortures or mistreats them in custody. It said some detainees do not survive and their bodies are returned to their families, or dumped in remote areas.

The Pakistani military called the report "a pack of lies."

The attorney general's comments came during a Supreme Court hearing into seven suspected militants who have been held without charges since May 2010.

The seven men were among 11 suspected militants captured in connection with a 2007 suicide bombing against ISI personnel and a rocket attack a year later against an air force base. An anti-terrorism court ordered them to be freed in May 2010, but they were picked up again near the capital, Islamabad. Four died in custody under mysterious circumstances.

The ISI produced the seven surviving men in court last February in response to a judicial order prompted by their relatives, who were looking for them. Two of the men were too weak to walk. Another wore a urine bag, suggesting a kidney ailment. In a meeting with their families on the court premises, they complained of harsh treatment during their detention.

A lawyer for Pakistan's most powerful intelligence agency said Monday that his client held the suspects for over a year and a half without sufficient evidence to try them and then handed them over to the internment centers in the tribal region. He said officials were convinced they were "dangerous people and involved in terrorism."

Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry told the attorney general that the men should be tried in a court of law or released if there isn't sufficient evidence. His remarks seemed to challenge the constitutionality of the new law.

"We don't want them to be released if they are criminals or militants," said Chaudhry. "They should be tried under law, and you cannot keep them in custody illegally."

The court ordered officials from the tribal region to produce a detailed report about the evidence against each suspect when the hearing resumes on Jan. 28.

The Supreme Court has also been pressing the government on a case involving corruption allegations against Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, which he has denied. The chief justice ordered the government's anti-corruption chief, Fasih Bokhari, to arrest Ashraf last week, but he refused, citing lack of evidence.

The case took a strange turn at the end of last week when one of the anti-corruption officials working on the case, which involves alleged kickbacks for the construction of private power stations, was found dead, hanging from a ceiling fan in a government lodge in Islamabad.

The police are treating Kamran Faisal's death as a suicide, but his family has raised doubts, claiming there were marks on his wrists indicating they had been bound.

The chief justice ordered a judicial probe into Faisal's death on Wednesday, citing the family's concern that the government would not conduct an impartial investigation because of the high-level politicians involved.

On Thursday, the two-judge panel ordered officials to provide video footage from the security cameras at the government lodge where Faisal was found. They also ordered Pakistan's telecommunications authority to provide a record of Faisal's calls and summoned relevant officials to appear before the court on Jan. 28.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/700-alleged-militants-held-limbo-pakistan-090635267.html

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Getting a copy of your IME report in Illinois work comp

An Independent Medical Exam, or IME, is an exam performed by a doctor who is not your regular doctor. An injured worker can request an IME, but more often the employer or insurance company requests it when there is a dispute about your condition or the amount of benefits you are receiving, or in preparation for trial or settlement.

In Illinois, injured workers are allowed to choose their treating physician. However, the insurance company can use these independent exams to get a second opinion, particularly one that they hope will support their position. The IME doctor will not be treating you. They are just providing an expert opinion. The insurance company pays for the IME, including travel and expenses, and it should be scheduled at a time and place that is reasonable for you.

Regardless of who requests the IME, the independent doctor will produce a report with his or her findings, and you are entitled to a copy of that report. It might include their opinion on how you were injured and whether it is work related, how serious your injury is, whether it is permanent and whether you can return to work. The report is very important to your case. If you don?t get a copy from the insurance company, request one. If they delay or refuse, your attorney can subpoena a copy. For Illinois workers? compensation attorneys, using a subpoena is routine. It only costs us about $20 to do this for clients.

If the insurance company is holding back on the IME report, chances are it?s because it?s in your favor. If you discover that?s true it will greatly help your case. In other words, it?s important to get a copy. The doctor doesn?t work for you so they don?t have to give you one, but they can?t ignore a subpoena from a lawyer.

Under Illinois law, if you file a claim for workers? compensation, then you are required to attend an IME if one is requested. If you refuse, you could lose your benefits. However, don?t go into an IME unprepared. You should be given a reasonable amount of notice, and you should talk to your attorney about what to expect at your IME. As for the report, you can and should get a copy, so don?t give up. It?s a simple task for an experienced work injury attorney, and the bottom line is that a favorable IME report can put your case in a great position.

We are workers' compensation attorneys who help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys.?Contact us?and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.

1/23/13

Source: http://www.illinoisworkerscomplaw.com/2013/01/articles/tips-if-injured/getting-a-copy-of-your-ime-report-in-illinois-work-comp/

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Childhood diagnosis of ADHD increased dramatically over 9-year period

Jan. 21, 2013 ? The rate of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder rose dramatically between 2001 and 2010, with non-Hispanic white children having the highest diagnosis rates, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics (formerly Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine). The study also showed there was a 90 percent increase in the diagnosis of ADHD among non-Hispanic black girls during the same nine-year period.

The study examined the electronic health records of nearly 850,000 ethnically diverse children, aged 5 to 11 years, who received care at Kaiser Permanente Southern California between 2001 and 2010. It found that among these children, 4.9 percent, or 39,200, had a diagnosis of ADHD, with white and black children more likely to be diagnosed with the neurobehavioral disorder than Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islander children. For instance, in 2010, 5.6 percent of white children in the study had an ADHD diagnosis; 4.1 percent of blacks; 2.5 percent of Hispanics; and 1.2 percent of Asian/Pacific Islanders.

The study also examined increases in the rates of first-time ADHD diagnosis. Researchers found that the incidence of newly diagnosed ADHD cases rose from 2.5 percent in 2001 to 3.1 percent in 2010 -- a relative increase of 24 percent. Black children showed the greatest increase in ADHD incidence, from 2.6 percent of all black children 5 to 11 years of age in 2001 to 4.1 percent in 2010, a 70 percent relative increase. Rates among Hispanic children showed a 60 percent relative increase, from 1.7 percent in 2001 to 2.5 percent in 2010. White children showed a 30 percent relative increase, from 4.7 percent in 2001 to 5.6 percent in 2010, while rates for Asian/Pacific Islander children and other racial groups remained unchanged over time.

"Our study findings suggest that there may be a large number of factors that affect ADHD diagnosis rates, including cultural factors that may influence the treatment-seeking behavior of some groups," said study lead author Darios Getahun, MD, PhD, from Kaiser Permanente Southern California's Department of Research & Evaluation. "These findings are particularly solid given that our study relied on clinical diagnoses of ADHD based on the criteria specified within the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and that it represents a large and ethnically diverse population that can be generalized to other populations."

In addition, the study found that boys were three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. Higher family incomes also were associated with the likelihood of ADHD diagnosis; children from families with a household income of more than $30,000 a year were nearly 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children from families making less $30,000.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. The CDC estimates that between 4 percent and 12 percent of school-aged children have the disorder, which generates health care costs of between $36 billion and $52 billion per year. Children with ADHD are more likely to experience learning problems, miss school, become injured and experience troublesome relationships with family members and peers, according to the researchers.

"While the reasons for increasing ADHD rates are not well understood, contributing factors may include heightened awareness of ADHD among parents and physicians, which could have led to increased screening and treatment," said Dr. Getahun. "This variability may indicate the need for different allocation of resources for ADHD prevention programs, and may point to new risk factors or inequalities in care."

This study is part of Kaiser Permanente's broader efforts to deliver transformational health research regarding the impacts of ADHD. One recent Kaiser Permanente study found an association between conditions in which the prenatal brain is deprived of oxygen and the risk of ADHD in children and adults.

And last December, a Kaiser Permanente study found little evidence of increased risk of heart attack, sudden cardiac death or stroke associated with use of medications used primarily to treat ADHD. The population-based study included more than 150,000 adults aged 25 to 64 years who used ADHD medications.

These studies are made possible in part by Kaiser Permanente's extensive electronic health record system, one of the largest private systems in the world. The organization's integrated model and electronic health record system securely connects 9 million people, 611 medical offices, and 37 hospitals, linking patients with their health care teams, their personal health information and the latest medical knowledge. The system coordinates patient care between the physician's office, the hospital, radiology, the laboratory and the pharmacy, and helps eliminate the pitfalls of incomplete, missing, or unreadable charts. It also connects Kaiser Permanente's researchers to one of the most extensive collections of longitudinal and de-identified medical data available, facilitating studies and important medical discoveries that shape the future of health and care delivery for patients and the medical community.

In addition to lead author Dr. Getahun, study authors included Steven J. Jacobsen, MD, PhD, and Wansu Chen of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation; Michael J. Fassett, MD, of the Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, West Los Angeles Medical Center; and Kitaw Demissie, MD, PhD, and George G. Rhoads, MD, MPH, of the Department of Epidemiology, University of Medicine and Denistry, New Jersey-School of Public Health.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Kaiser Permanente.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Darios Getahun, Steven J. Jacobsen, Michael J. Fassett, Wansu Chen,Kitaw Demissie, MD, George G. Rhoads. Recent Trends in Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. JAMA Pediatr, 2013;():1-7 DOI: 10.1001/2013.jamapediatrics.401

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/OLydlkqSIgc/130121161923.htm

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Exodus of inaugural watchers jams D.C. subway stops

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Crowded subway stations and a disabled train caused major headaches Monday for thousands of rail riders trying to get home from President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

Despite handing fewer passengers than in 2009, the District of Columbia's mass transit system decided to temporarily close four stations near the National Mall because of crowding. The problem was exacerbated by a disabled train in northern Virginia that caused extensive delays for passengers trying to get out of city.

Lines around stations snaked for blocks in some cases, as stranded and frustrated passengers congregated outside entrances.

"People were trying to enter the station faster than trains were taking them out," Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.

The four stations ? Federal Center SW, Metro Center, Foggy Bottom and L'Enfant Plaza ? closed and reopened during the course of Monday afternoon. But transit officials were still dealing with residual delays caused from the train that broke down, and frustrated passengers lamented how longer-than-expected waits put them at risk of missing their connections out of town.

Barbara Means and Shekita Lee were among a group of people, some of them elderly, who rode a bus from Atlanta to the inauguration. The inbound trip went smoothly, Means said. But after the ceremony, they were forced to wait for more than an hour outside the L'Enfant Plaza station, making them late for their bus's scheduled departure.

At the entrance where Means waited, police officers would occasionally open the doors and allow a few people inside. A crowd of several hundred thinned to dozens shortly before 3 p.m. as people sought different options. Some of those who remained weren't sure where else to go.

"The biggest travesty is we don't have anyone out here providing information and directions," Means said. "We live in Atlanta. This would never happen there. ... This is inexcusable. We don't know what to do, and our bus leaves at 3 o'clock."

Lee said the group was staying in the line because there seemed to be no better option.

"The disappointment is there's no alternative. Nobody seems to know what's going on. We're from out of town," she said.

The problems occurred even though Metro was handling far fewer passengers than during Obama's first swearing-in in January 2009. As of 4 p.m., 538,000 people had entered the subway system ? two-thirds of 2009 levels.

Stessel said transit officials occasionally close stations to cope with crowding, as they did in August 2011, when a rare earthquake caused a sudden mass exodus from downtown Washington.

"It's something that we're prepared to do, based on crowd conditions, on any day," Stessel said.

Even stations that remained open grappled with major crowding. At Farragut West, crowds lined up to buy fare cards, clogging the entry to the platforms.

The lines at the Federal Triangle stop were long and moving slowly. Rhonda O'Bryan of Altha, Fla., hoped to be on board a train in an hour. "I'm really trying to be good about this," she said.

Earlier Monday, there were long lines to get out of Federal Center SW, a small station with a single point of entry. More than 100,000 tickets to the ceremony listed that station as the closest one. That went against Metro's advice for passengers to be flexible about which stops to use. Some trains didn't stop there because there wasn't enough room on the platform for more passengers to disembark.

The experience was frustrating to Thia Golson of Alexandria, Va., who had to double back after her train bypassed the station without warning.

"There was no announcement on the train," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko, Richard Lardner and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exodus-inaugural-watchers-jams-dc-subway-stops-193448236--politics.html

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