63 Tahun Negeriku

Oil Prices Drive Stocks to Bear Market

U.S. stocks fell last week, giving the Dow Jones industrial average a 20 percent bear-market drop from October's all-time high as record oil prices threatened global economic growth.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost 1.3 percent to 1262.90 for a fifth-straight weekly retreat. The index dropped to 1261.52 on July 2, down 19.4 percent from Oct. 9 to its lowest since July 2006. The Dow slipped 0.5 percent to 11,288.54. The MSCI World Index of 23 developed markets has fallen 18.4 percent from its October peak.

"The biggest losers are names with international exposure," said Mark Freeman, a Dallas-based money manager at Westwood Holdings Group.

Monsanto and Nucor led raw-material producers in the S&P 500 to their steepest drop since January. General Motors tumbled to its lowest level since 1954 after Merrill Lynch said the largest U.S. automaker might face bankruptcy. Lehman Brothers slumped to an eight-year low on speculation that credit losses would force it to merge with a bigger securities firm.

This is the Dow's 12th bear market since 1962 and first since 2002, according to research firm Birinyi Associates. Prior declines averaged 29 percent and lasted 322 days, Birinyi data show. The biggest decline was a 45 percent drop over 694 days starting in January 1973.

Caterpillar contributed most to the Dow's weekly drop, followed by Boeing and Alcoa. Before U.S. stocks started falling on May 19, Alcoa had the top gain in the Dow for 2008. Caterpillar was fourth.

Alcoa is scheduled to report second-quarter results Tuesday, becoming the first Dow company to do so. General Electric, also in the Dow, reports Friday.

Crude oil, which doubled in the past year, increased to a record $145.85 a barrel in New York on Wednesday. Its ascent complicates the Federal Reserve's efforts to keep the economy out of recession during bank losses stemming from the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, RBC Capital Markets strategist Myles Zyblock said in a report last week.

Yields on Treasurys fell as traders pared bets that the Fed will raise interest rates after lowering them seven times since September. The two-year note's yield declined to 2.53 percent from 2.63 percent on June 27.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C: The healing power of the pineapple

For a natural and tasty way to improve your health and boost your healing capacity, add fresh pineapple and pineapple juice to your diet. Pineapples are nutritionally packed members of the bromeliad family. This delightful tropical fruit is high in the enzyme bromelain and the antioxidant vitamin C, both of which plays a major role in the body's healing process.

Bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory with analgesic properties, encourages healing, promotes well-being and has many other health benefits. Bromelain is very effective in treating bruises, sprains and strains by reducing swelling, tenderness and pain. This powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect can also help relieve osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and reduce postoperative swelling. Additionally, bromelain can relieve indigestion. The enzyme contained in fresh pineapple helps break down the amino acid bonds in proteins, which promotes good digestion.

Pineapples also provide an ample supply of vitamin C, a commonly known antioxidant that protects the body from free radical damage and boosts the immune system. Vitamin C helps build and repair bodily tissue and promotes wound healing. The body uses vitamin C to help metabolize fats and cholesterol, absorb iron, and synthesize amino acids and collagen. Collagen is one of the primary building blocks of skin, cartilage and bones. Vitamin C also decreases the severity of colds and infections.

Furthermore, due to its high vitamin C content, pineapples are good for your oral health as well. Recent studies have found that vitamin C can reduce your risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease. Besides increasing the ability of connective tissue to repair itself, vitamin C also increases the body's ability to fight invading bacteria and other toxins that contribute to gum disease. Periodontal disease, which destroys gum tissue and underlying jaw bones, has been linked to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

So if you are searching for a natural way to enhance your body's healing mechanisms, promote overall good health and tantalize your taste buds, pineapples are the way to go. Choose the fresh fruit because it has the most healing properties. Unfortunately, most of the bromelain in canned pineapple is destroyed due to the heat used in the canning process.

When choosing a fresh pineapple, do not judge ripeness solely based upon color. There are several varieties on the market that range from green to golden yellow. The most important factor in determining ripeness is smell, let your nose help you decide. Ripe pineapples give off a sweet, fresh tropical smell. Avoid pineapples that give off an unpleasant odor or have any soft spots or areas of dark discoloration. Once home, let the pineapple sit on your counter at room temperature until ready to use. This will preserve its sweet and tangy flavor.

To prepare pineapple, you need to peel it, remove the eyes (the thorny protrusions within the puffy squares of the skin) and the fibrous center. One way to do this is to remove the top of the pineapple with a sharp knife. Then cut the pineapple lengthwise into 4 wedges (quarter it) and place each pineapple wedge horizontally on a cutting board. Carefully cut the fruit from the outer skin, and cut out the eyes and fibrous center core.

Another way is to cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, place the pineapple vertically (upright) on a cutting board and carefully slice off the outer skin. With a sharp paring knife or the end if a vegetable peeler, remove the eyes. Don't cut too deep, just enough to lift out the section that contains the eye. Then, slice the pineapple crosswise and remove the fibrous core individually with a cookie cutter.

Once the fruit is prepared, it can be diced and eaten fresh, added to salads and entrees for an exotic flavor, or made into tasty tropical drinks and smoothies.

To get you started, try this delicious recipes. It's high in bromelain, vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium, thiamin (vitamin B-1), riboflavin (vitamin B-2), iron, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and soy isoflavones.


Pina-Banana Orange Smoothie
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1 frozen banana
1 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup soymilk
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
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Place all of the above ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.

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Conference on Research for Health adopts Algiers Declaration

Brazzaville, 1 July 2008 -- The African Ministerial Conference on Research for Health has ended with the adoption of the Algiers Declaration which commits countries in the Region to work together to strengthen national health research, information and knowledge systems through the optimization of investments, better co-ordination and enhanced management in order to improve the health of the people of Africa.

WHO to assist in reducing knowledge gap for Africa’s health

Algiers, 23 June 2008 -- The ministerial conference on research for health in the African Region got under way Monday in Algiers, Algeria, with a pledge by the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist Member States in the Region to reduce the knowledge gap – the gulf that exists between what we know and what we do in practice, between scientific potential and health outcomes. “WHO is determined to make a significant contribution to the efforts made by governments and other stakeholders to reduce the knowledge gap to improve Africa’s health”, the Organization’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, told a meeting of regional experts and health ministers about to examine and adopt the Algiers Declaration. read more

16 June 2008: The Day of the African Child

Brazzaville, 16 June 2008 -- The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity. This day honours the memory of the children who, in 1976, were brutally shot down while marching in the streets of Soweto, South Africa to protest the inferior quality of their education. This year the African Union’s theme for this special day is “Right to Participation: Let Children be Seen and Heard”. On this special occasion, the WHO Regional Office for Africa wants to draw attention to the issue of the unfinished agenda of child survival in the African Region.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

WBDC Florida Plans First Conference

The Women’s Business Development Center, the Florida affiliate of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), will be hosting its first trade show, the 2008 WBDC Conference & Business Expo, September 25-26, 2008, in Delray Beach, Florida. Themed "Building a Better Network," the conference will provide WBE members and corporate sponsors with networking and contracting opportunities. Specifically, the conference will feature a matchmaking event, an exhibition, and several workshops geared to both corporations and women business owners.

On Thursday, September 25, platinum sponsor Office Depot will be hosting its own New Vendor Open House, which will provide WBEs with the opportunity to present the products they would like to have sold at Office Depot (in stores, online, and/or in catalogs) to Office Depot decision makers. To learn more about either event, visit

Casino-on-Net-Online

A term that describes a virtual casino. This kind of a casino does not exist in reality, but as a site on the net on the world wide web (www) the Internet. Casino-on-Net-Online sites are very common since the end of the last century. More explanations can be found at

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