Sloane Business Management Consultants: WHO: Imminent global cancer 'disaster' reflects ag...

Sloane Business Management Consultants: WHO: Imminent global cancer 'disaster' reflects ag...: By Tim Hume and Jen Christensen, CNN February 5, 2014 -- Updated 0020 GMT (0820 HKT) WHO predicts 'imminent human disaster...

WHO: Imminent global cancer 'disaster' reflects aging, lifestyle factors

By Tim Hume and Jen Christensen, CNN

February 5, 2014 -- Updated 0020 GMT (0820 HKT)

WHO predicts 'imminent human disaster'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Cancer is preventable, if resources are dedicated to fighting it, experts say
• New cases of cancer are tipped to rise 57% worldwide in 20 years, says the WHO
• World Cancer Report says developing countries will be disproportionately hit
• Even rich countries will struggle to deal with the spiraling costs of treatment

(CNN) -- Cancer cases are expected to surge 57% worldwide in the next 20 years, an imminent "human disaster" that will require a renewed focus on prevention to combat, according to the World Health Organization.

The World Cancer Report, produced by the WHO's specialized cancer agency and released on World Cancer Day, predicts new cancer cases will rise from an estimated 14 million annually in 2012 to 22 million within two decades. Over the same period, cancer deaths are predicted to rise from 8.2 million a year to 13 million.

The rising incidence of cancer, brought about chiefly by growing, aging populations worldwide, will require a heavier focus on preventive public health policies, said Christopher Wild, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

"We cannot treat our way out of the cancer problem," he said. "More commitment to prevention and early detection is desperately needed in order to complement improved treatments and address the alarming rise in cancer burden globally."

The report notes that the rocketing cost of responding to the "cancer burden" -- in 2010, the economic cost of the disease worldwide was estimated at $1.16 trillion -- is hurting the economies of rich countries and beyond the means of poor ones.

Report editor: We can reduce cancer risk

The report said about half of all cancers were preventable and could have been avoided if current medical knowledge was acted upon. The disease could be tackled by addressing lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and exercise; adopting screening programs; or, in the case of infection-triggered cancers such as cervical and liver cancers, through vaccines.

"I know the report said we can't treat our way out of (the cancer problem) but there are major things we can do," said Dr. David Decker who works in oncology at Florida Hospital in Orlando. "Virtually 80 or 90 percent of lung cancers are caused by smoking. I know stopping smoking is not easy for people, but it does seem like a pretty simple way to reduce the numbers."

"The cancer rates are not going up for shocking reasons, but for reasons that are easier to understand, and if we improve overall health, there are things we can do to prevent this from happening," Decker said.

Cutting smoking rates would have a significant impact, as lung cancer remained the most commonly diagnosed cancer (1.8 million cases a year, or 13% of total cancer diagnoses) and the deadliest, accounting for about one-fifth (1.6 million) of all cancer deaths worldwide.

There is a silver lining to the report, some experts said: It may lend urgency to the fight against cancer. Countries such as the United States present examples of success stories stemming from legislation and financial resources devoted to cancer prevention.

"The good news is, in (the United States), cancer mortality is trending downward, and that would be more true if you make an age adjustment," said Dr. Walter Curran, chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University's School of Medicine in Atlanta.

"Since we have an aging population, the cancer rate increases, and if you adjust for the aging of America, the cancer rate is declining notably."

Curran said a typical 20-year-old American who doesn't smoke, "who has a good diet and a healthy lifestyle, someone with moderate alcohol consumption and who takes preventive health measures like regularly seeing a doctor and getting exercise -- their chance of cancer is significantly less than someone who for example lives in a developing country in Africa right now."

However, the United States is dealing with an obesity epidemic -- the rates of adults who are considered obese has doubled since the 1970s -- and drinking excessively is still the No.3 cause of lifestyle-related death.

Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. However, when the U.S. Surgeon General linked tobacco to lung cancer 50 years ago, more than 40% of the adult population smoked; now it's about 19%.

Public health initiatives have also made a difference in smoking rates. The report eventually spurred local governments to make it harder for a smoker to find a place to practice their habit. Many restaurants, bars, and even public parks ban smoking.

National leadership gave state governments license to raise taxes on cigarettes so much that people quit because they could no longer afford their habit.

Money from the federal tobacco lawsuit settlement went into smoking cessation programs and gave farmers incentives to grow crops other than tobacco. The FCC banned persuasive cigarette ads that may have encouraged young people to smoke.

Smoking rates remain high in Asia and Africa. China -- where one-third of the world's cigarettes are smoked, according to the World Health Organization -- only recently moved to ban indoor public smoking.

The report's authors suggested governments take similar legislative approaches to those they had taken against tobacco in attempting to reduce consumption of alcohol and sugary drinks, and in limiting exposure to occupational and environmental carcinogens, including air pollution.

According to the report, the next two most common diagnoses were for breast (1.7 million, 11.9%) and large bowel cancer (1.4 million, 9.7%). Liver (800,000 or 9.1%) and stomach cancer (700,000 or 8.8%) were responsible for the most deaths after lung cancer.

"The rise of cancer worldwide is a major obstacle to human development and well-being," said Wild, the International Agency for Research on Cancer director. "These new figures and projections send a strong signal that immediate action is needed to confront this human disaster, which touches every community worldwide."

The report said the growing cancer burden would disproportionately hit developing countries -- which had the least resources to deal with the problem -- due to their populations growing, living longer and becoming increasingly susceptible to cancers associated with industrialized lifestyles.

More than 60% of the world's cases and about 70% of the world's cancer deaths occurred in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

"In the developing world, we are really at the beginning of understanding how serious the cancer problem is in these countries," said Emory School of Medicine's Curran.

Cancers related to the HIV epidemic in developing countries and the spread of Hepatitis C are also on the rise, but so too is the general age of the population in developing counties. When you now have the potential to live long enough to see your grandchildren -- something that was not true even a decade ago in many developing countries -- your risk of having cancer is going to go up.

"When life expectancy get better, cancer rates will go up and so will cancer fatalities," Curran said.

Governments needed to appreciate that screening and early detection programs were "an investment rather than a cost," said Bernard Stewart, co-editor of the report -- and low-tech approaches had proven successful in some developing countries.

The World Cancer Report, which is published about once every five years, involved a collaboration of around 250 scientists from more than 40 countries. Tuesday is World Cancer Day.

READ: Samuel L. Jackson in new childhood cancer PSA

READ: Is lung cancer screening right for you?

READ: Surgeon general links colon cancer, diabetes to smoking

Nonprofit helps fight poverty in Mexico with microloans

Global Exchange, Rafael Romo

A nonprofit organization in Mexico called Envia is helping women in poverty by providing micro loans. Envia founder Carlos Topete told CNN that he was inspired to start the organization by 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who pioneered the idea of micro loans, small loans for poor borrowers with a zero rate of interest.
The program was launched in 2008 with 12 women and operating with Topete's own money. In three years, it has grown to serve 260 women in five different communities in the valley of Oaxaca. CNN's Rafael Romo reports.

How to bust through barriers to business growth

Most businesses fail to scale up. Here are three obstacles you need to blast through if you want your business to grow.

By Verne Harnish

FORTUNE -- Most businesses fail to grow -- with a vast majority remaining tiny, one- or two-person shops. I'd like to see more reach their potential. Even if a business isn't destined to be the next Google, Amazon, or Facebook, it can still become a thriving, mid-market company. Here are three barriers to growth you need to blast through if you want your business to scale up.
1. The inability of the CEO to let go. This is the primary reason that a paltry 5% of businesses break the $1 million revenue mark and only about one in eight of those reach $10 million, according to recent data. Either the owner thinks he's the only person capable of getting things done or tried to delegate once but got burned by a bad hire and can't trust anyone again.
MORE: Who had the worst year in Asia? Obama.
The only way to get through this is to find people who can do things better than you and who don't need to be managed. Will the folks you hire mess up sometimes? Yes, but you've got to push past that.  If you suffer the short-term challenges of bringing someone up to speed, your life will get a lot easier and your company will be able to tackle bigger projects and contracts.
2. Being a cheapskate. In the startup phase, when you're not making much money, you've got to be a bit of skinflint, but there comes a point where you have to invest in your business or it won't grow. I'm not suggesting that you spend yourself silly, but if you want to grow, you're going to have to upgrade some of your systems, whether that means your accounting software, phones, or IT infrastructure. You'll need better office space than your garage.
Probably the most important step you can take is to find a great accountant or CFO. Most entrepreneurs think they should spend money on making or selling stuff, like they did in the startup phase. However, as your business grows, you need detailed data about where you're making money -- or not -- to make the right decisions. The figures on your balance sheet can hide a multitude of problems. A good accountant will help you figure out how much money you're bringing in by customer, by sales person, and by location. That way, if your company is a wreck, you'll know where to fix things -- so you don't build an even bigger mess. Hiring a great accountant or CFO will cost you, but it will help you make money in the long run.
3. Not adjusting to unforgiving market dynamics. If you're doing things right and your business starts to grow, you're going to find yourself with more competition. Copycats will come out of the woodwork. The big guys will realize you're on to something, get angry when you ruin their quarter, and try to knock you down so you don't steal any more market share. Meanwhile, as your customers do more business with you, they're going to want price concessions.
MORE: The dumbest deals of 2013 
It's easy at this stage to get sucked into day-to-day operations, but this is precisely when you need to start paying more attention to market-facing activities and delegate internal matters to a strong team. Your job as CEO is coming up with the right strategy to keep growing and to adapt it to changing market conditions. It's only when you are willing to adjust your mindset that your company will be able to grow.

Turn Your Passion For Cooking into a Career as a Chef

Most ladies and even men say their passion is cooking. Unfortunately only a few have considered it as a career. Good news!  you can have a lucrative career as a chef in the world of today.

If you’re thinking about a career as a chef, but aren’t quite sure how to go about it, look no further. We’ve broken down what you need to do into three basic steps that; with the right training, you’ll be able to climb.

Chefs get jobs internationally at the world’s exotic locations and at private residencies of the world’s richest/government leaders. And oh, chefs make a lot of money than you think. Between the world’s top 10 earning chefs is a combined worth of around $280 million dollars. And the average salary for a pastry chef (lowest level) with an international culinary school training is $34,000 – $52,000 annually. That’s top dollar for doing what you would’ve done in your house for free!

How to Start a Chef Career

Step #1: Get a Culinary Degree

It takes a lot to be a chef. Chefs have to know how to sear a piece of tuna, fresh asparagus, and reduce a sauce down to perfection – sometimes all at once. In addition, they must know how to oversee an entire kitchen staff, handle knives without losing any fingers, and keep the refrigerator at the right temperature so the meat doesn’t spoil and the dessert don’t freeze.

To learn all of this (and a few other tricks that come in handy), most chefs start their career by going to culinary school. There, you’ll get the hands-on experience you need to make your way around the kitchen.

The ICCA in Dubai is one of the best culinary training schools in the world. An ICCA Diploma costs on an average $12,000 and that covers tuition, visa, accommodation and a salaried internship. Learn more

Ready to start a Culinary Career?
Request information on a culinary chef diploma program in Dubai by clicking here.

Step #2: Get Some Experience Under Your Belt

Once you graduate from culinary school, next thing to do is to get an internship for some experience (ICCA assures this). First, you have to prove that you can hold your own in front of a hotel guest roll on a busy Friday night.

When you graduate culinary school, use the connections you made there to find a position as a chef de partie, also known as a station chef or line cook. Yes, it will be grueling and consists of long hours, but it’s a great way to get the experience you need. Many restaurants rotate their line employees through different stations, which allow you to perfect your skills and handle any complicated order that comes your way.

Culinary schools like the ICCA in Dubai, UAE actually help you get immediate internships at the world’s best hotels such as Burj Al Arab, The Atlantis and the Grand Hyatt, to mention a few.

Step #3: Work Your Way Up

Once you feel confident in your culinary skills, what’s next? There’s a variety of positions underneath the executive chef that will allow you to climb the culinary ladder.

Expediters work to coordinate all the different entrees and ensure that they come out on time. (They’re sort of like an orchestra conductor, but of the kitchen.) Head cooks oversee and supervise the other workers on the line. And Sous chefs are second-in-command to the executive chef, ordering inventory, helping with menu creation, and running the kitchen in the chef’s absence.

Any of these positions will give you the leadership and management experience you need to eventually become an executive chef yourself.

Ready to start a Chef Career?
Request information on a culinary chef diploma program in Dubai by clicking here.

Turn your cooking passion into a career
Request information on a culinary chef diploma program in Dubai by clicking here.

The man steering Fidelity Magellan back on course

With over $14 billion in assets, Fidelity Magellan is a fairly large, widely owned portfolio. But in its heyday, Magellan was quite simply Wall Street's best brand -- a living advertisement for the notion that a gifted fund manager can consistently beat the market.

Peter Lynch, who ran the fund until 1990, earned an annualized return of 29% over his 13-year tenure. Subsequent managers failed to repeat his success, and under the last one, Harry Lange, performance was sometimes dismal.

Can new manager Jeffrey Feingold turn this ship around?
How the giant fell
The history of Magellan (FMAGX) offers a lesson: A fund's past successes can be a burden on current owners.
Lynch's legacy kept the fund popular through the 1990s, and it ultimately hit a then-record $100 billion. Once a fund is that big, however, it can get trapped in a box.
The key to Lynch's success, says mutual fund consultant Geoff Bobroff, was that he could bet big on just about anything. A giant fund, by contrast, can have a hard time finding enough winners on which to spread its billions.
Related: Invest your way to $1 million
One Magellan manager, Robert Stansky, made the fund more like the S&P 500. Lange made big strategic shifts, such as a badly timed bet on financial and foreign stocks coming into 2008. By 2011, as investors left, size wasn't such a problem.
So far, so good
Fund manager Feingold beat the majority of funds in Magellan's large-growth category in 2012, his first full year on the job, and he's so far on track to win again this year. This builds on Feingold's solid record running Fidelity Trend (FTRNX), another fund that focuses on blue chips with high earnings growth rates and comparatively steep valuations.

 

How to make a million dollars

  Feingold says he finds growth in three "buckets." Fast growth, like recent top holding Google (GOOG, Fortune 500); pretty good growth with a strong financial position, such as Coca-Cola (KO, Fortune 500) (KO); and cheap stocks that are improving.
That last category has led Feingold to hold more than his rivals in financial stocks. "They've gone from bad to less bad," he says. In this case, the timing worked: Financials are up over 38% in the past year.
Looking for small edges
Magellan's smaller size gives it more flexibility now -- the portfolio even has 5% in small stock. Still, under Feingold, "It's a fund that isn't so different from its benchmark," says fund researcher Russel Kinnel of Morningstar.
Think of Magellan as a core stock fund with a growth tilt. Feingold has held less in tech and more in financials than the typical growth fund. So Magellan may not outperfom as much when the market favors classic growth stocks.
Related: Want $1 million? Protect your portfolio
That raises the question: Should you pay the added expenses for a portfolio not wildly different from an index fund? It helps that Magellan's expenses are just 0.46% a year. But if the fund really comes back, it's allowed to charge a performance bonus that could add a bit to its cost. 

 

 Nnamdi Armstrong
C.E.O 

Sloane International Investments Ltd

+23408162319833

China set to pass U.S. as top oil importer

The rapid redrawing of the world's energy map is about to hit another milestone, with China overtaking the U.S. as the biggest importer of oil.

The Energy Information Agency expects China's monthly net oil imports to exceed those of the U.S. by October, and by next year on an annual basis.

"The imminent emergence of China as the world's largest net oil importer has been driven by steady growth in Chinese demand, increased oil production in the United States, and a flat level of demand for oil in the U.S. market," the EIA said in its latest outlook.
A boom in U.S. oil production is being driven by new technologies, such as hydraulic fracturing -- or fracking -- which are opening up huge reserves for development.
The Paris-based International Energy Agency has forecast that the U.S. could become energy independent by 2030, and the world's biggest producer seven years from now.
Related: U.S. oil boom causing energy upheaval
The U.S. oil boom is boosting the nation's level of reserves, reshaping global oil trade flows and driving up demand and salaries for experienced engineers.
And while China's breathtaking pace of economic expansion has slowed, its demand for oil to fuel a massive manufacturing sector is set to continue growing at a much faster pace than it can ramp up its own production.
Related: China, OPEC and the future of energy
China demand for liquid fuels will have grown by 13% between 2011 and 2014 to more than 11 million barrels per day, while its production will increase by just 6%, according to the U.S. EIA.

 

Fracking fight hits England

Over the same period, U.S. total annual oil production will have risen by 28% to nearly 13 million barrels per day, as demand hovers around 18.7 million, well below the 2005 peak of 20.8 million, the EIA said.

Nnamdi Armstrong
C.E.O 

Sloane International Investments Ltd

+23408162319833