08.31
PR Newswire, August 14, 2009
Gold-Oriented Fund Celebrates ‘Silver’ Anniversary Following Recognition for Top Performance
SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ — USAA, a Fortune 250 financial services company, will commemorate the USAA Precious Metals and Minerals Fund’s (USAGX) 25-year anniversary on August 15, on the heels of the fund’s recent award wins for positive long-term performance.
The fund recently earned the Lipper Fund Award(1) for the fifth consecutive time ranking No. 1 out of 29 funds in the gold-oriented category for the 10-year period ending June 30, 2009, and received multiple Performance Achievement Certificates(2) from Lipper for its top performance in the five-, 10- and 15-year time frames in the gold-oriented funds category.
The fund also was recognized by the American Association of Individual Investors earning the highest rating for the gold sector category in April 2009.(3) The ratings are based on five-year (2004 – 2008) compounded annual returns and measure funds relative to others in the same category. During the five-year period, the fund’s returns were 6.8 percent higher per year than the industry average.
Since its inception on August 15, 1984, the USAA Precious Metals and Minerals Fund has posted an average 6.34 percent annual return. For the past fifteen years, it has been managed by Mark Johnson, vice president of equity investments, who has guided the fund to a -3.18 percent average annual return in the one-year period, beating the Lipper Gold Oriented Funds Index return of -7.95 percent in the one-year period. Over the long term, the fund has achieved an 11.75 percent average annual return in the three-year period, 23.15 percent in the five-year period, and 23.44 percent over the ten-year period. The fund also is now co-managed by Dan Denbow, assistant vice president of equity investments. The one-, three-, five- and ten-year returns are as of July 31, 2009.
“The fund’s accomplishments over the past 25 years exemplify our focus on long-term performance in any market environment,” said Chris Claus, president of USAA Financial Services Group. “With the expertise of portfolio managers like Mark Johnson and Dan Denbow, we can continue to provide investors with the best combination of service and performance.”
USAA’s mutual funds are available to individual investors through usaa.com or by calling 1-800-531-0853.
The performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance data quoted. The return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. For standardized performance information including performance data current to the most recent month end and complete rankings and risk information, please visit usaa.com.
Consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the USAA mutual funds carefully before investing. Contact us at 800-531-8910 for a prospectus containing this and other information about the funds from USAA Investment Management Company, Distributor. Read it carefully before investing.
USAA, a diversified financial services group of companies, is among the leading providers of financial planning, insurance, investments, and banking products to members of the U.S. military and their families. For the past three years, BusinessWeek magazine ranked USAA among the top two “Customer Service Champs,” highlighting our legendary commitment of providing highly competitive financial products for 7.2 million members
08.31
USA TODAY, March, 2006 by Olivia Barker
Brides are giving tradition a kick in the pants.
The fitted white pantsuit in which celebrities have strutted along red carpets recently is now marching down the wedding aisle. Worn typically by older and second-time brides or in civil or destination ceremonies, it’s yet another example of how today’s weddings continue to veer from yesterday’s ballgown-clad conventions.
Whether a silvery blue sheath or lacy mini-dress, “people are getting married in just about anything these days,” says Pamella DeVos, whose Pamella Roland label has trotted out white pantsuits for the four years she has been in business
08.30
Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Aug 8, 2005 by DJC Staff
The Department of Environmental Quality has completed a cleanup plan for the Willamette Oaks Building site in southwest Portland, which is primarily contaminated with chlorinated volatile organics.
The 6720 S.W. Macadam Ave. site, adjacent to Willamette Park along the Willamette River, has been occupied by commercial and industrial businesses since at least 1919. Activities on the site have included dry cleaning, a laundry business and light manufacturing. Underground storage tanks that leaked on the site are believed to be the primary source of contamination afflicting the site’s soil and groundwater.
A majority of the site’s contaminated soil has already been removed; DEQ’s new cleanup plan primarily addresses groundwater.
A groundwater contamination plume is present on the site extending east beneath Willamette Park, but there is no evidence that contamination has reached the Willamette River, according to DEQ. Both the shallow and deeper basalt aquifers at and near the site have been impacted by chlorinated volatile organic compounds.
In 1997 an interim action, including pumping and treating groundwater contamination, was implemented
08.30
Business Wire, August 24, 2009
Portable Game Includes 150 New Puzzles to Solve
REDMOND, Wash. — The dog days of summer are a great time to relax with a gripping
mystery. Better yet, why not help solve one? Todayâs launch of Professor
Layton and the Diabolical Box⢠for the Nintendo DSâ¢
and Nintendo DSi⢠systems presents players with more than 150
new brain-teasing riddles and puzzles to solve as they help Professor
Layton and his apprentice, Luke, uncover the mystery surrounding the
Elysian Box, which is said to be deadly to all who open it.
Following in the footprints of the previous title in the series, Professor
Layton and the Curious Villageâ¢, Professor Layton and
the Diabolical Box includes even more exciting puzzles, voice acting
and animated scenes for players to enjoy as they make their way through
a maze of clues and intrigue.
âProfessor Layton and the Diabolical Box draws players in with
its compelling storyline and animation, but thatâs just the beginning,â
said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of Americaâs executive vice president of
Sales & Marketing. âThe captivating and challenging riddles keep players
saying âI need to try just one more puzzle.â â
Players who connect their Nintendo DS systems to a broadband Internet
connection will also have access to free bonus puzzles following todayâs
launch
08.22
Pediatrics for Parents, Feb, 2008
Using baby shampoos and lotion may expose your child to phthalates, a potentially harmful man-made chemical that is used to soften plastic and stabilize fragrances in cosmetics. Babies exposed to these products have up to five times higher levels of three different phthalate metabolites than babies without such an exposure. However, the urine of babies with no exposure still had measurable levels of at least one phthalate metabolite.
According to Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, MPH, of the University of Washington, the long-term health effects of phthalate exposure are not know. However, she emphasizes that no one needs to use products that contain this ingredient
08.22
Sunday Mirror, Sep 14, 2008 by LISA YOUNG
GO to a safari destination featured on TV and meet Facebook’s biggest face – a celebrity elephant with his own page on the social network site.
During a holiday at South Africa’s Shamwari Game Reserve you’ll also be able to tick off the other four animals on Africa’s “Big Five” list – lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalo.
If the park’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen it on TV or read about its celebrity links.
The BBC show Safari School was filmed in the park, Tiger Woods got engaged here and it’s a favourite hideaway for A-listers such as Nicolas Cage, John Travolta and Brad Pitt.
Now Shamwari Game Reserve is starring in a new series, Animal Planet’s A Wild Life.
The park is along South Africa’s famous Garden Route, 45 minutes from Port Elizabeth along the Eastern Cape.
A film unit has been set up there and rangers have been trained to use high-definition cameras and follow the animals and their antics, introducing viewers to daily life on the 45,000- acre property.
Lyndal Davies, an Australian born naturalist and Animal Planet presenter, lives right in the middle of the reserve – but is often late for work as a large herd of African elephants frequently blocks her driveway.
She says: “At night I go to sleep to the sound of jackals calling and hippos grunting outside our fence. In the morning I wake to a chorus of birds chirping and lions roaring.
“While I am making breakfast, I can look out of my kitchen window and will often see giraffes or even warthogs digging for bulbs.”
Visitors at Shamwari can also experience close encounters with wildlife. Lyndal’s husband Joe, manager of the reserve, recalls: “Once a pack of wild dogs chased a kudu antelope right through the reception of one of the lodges and into the pool. That was certainly an added bonus for the guests – once they’d recovered from the shock.”
Game viewing there is exceptional – especially if you’re a fan of elephants, which gather in large herds.
Part of Shamwari’s appeal is that, unlike other South African reserves it is malaria-free.
You can kick back and relax, confident you won’t catch the life- threatening disease
08.22
Household & Personal Products Industry, June, 2008
Patent No. US 7,368,419 B2 A patent for a dishwashing detergent containing glycerol hydroxyalkyl ethers has been awarded to Cognis IP Management GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany.
08.20
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08.20
Material Handling Product News, February, 2005
Based on the design of the PROLINE Modular Enclosure, Hoffman now offers the PROLINE Gold Series Computer Workstation Enclosure. The pre-assembled enclosure is designed to protect computer systems in industrial environments. Available in seven sizes, each configuration comes standard with a top window door, two vented shelves and the patented PROLINE latching system. A single part number orders a fully assembled enclosure for fast and easy service. Each enclosure features 16-gauge steel doors and a 14-gauge steel body. Hoffman. 917634212240 National Plant Engineering Show, Booth 1211
08.19
Sunday Mirror, Jan 11, 2009
A SUPERMARKET is to launch a creditcrunch busting workwear range this week.
Asda, which began selling a pounds 20 City suit last week, will offer steel toe-capped “rigger” boots for pounds 15, a padded lumberjack shirt for pounds 8 and jeans for pounds 3.
The George outfit will cost pounds 26 in total.