5 surprisng facts about your body bugs

By Tanya Lewis
LiveScience

As far back as we know, animals have been home to microbes. Scientists have known for some time that these tiny tenants have the ability to make humans powerfully sick, while others are vital to maintaining the body's normal flora and fauna.

Collectively, the microbes inside everyone make up the "microbiome" ? what microbiologist Martin Blaser of the NYU School of Medicine defines as "all the organisms that call us home, that live in us and that interact with each other and with ourselves."

These teensy creatures, from bacteria and fungi to protozoans (mostly single-celled animal-like organisms), have a surprisingly rich story to tell. Here are five fascinating facts about the critters that call your body home.

Your body has more microbes than human cells
The human body is teeming with microbes. A number that gets bandied about is that there are 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells inside you. While no one's bothered to count them, "the exact number doesn't matter as much as the idea that there are certainly more bacterial cells in our body than human cells," Blaser told LiveScience. As humans have evolved, these microbes have evolved with them. A whole lot of viruses call humans home, too.

And 2013 marks the end of the Human Microbiome Project, a five-year effort involving hundreds of scientists to catalogue the microbiome of human beings. [Image Gallery: Belly Button Bacteria]

You are born bacteria-free
With all these bacteria living inside, it seems natural that humans would just be born with them. Not so. According to Blaser, people are born without bacteria, and acquire them in the first few years of life. Babies get their first dose of microbes as they're passing through their mother's birth canal. (Of course, babies born by Caesarean section?don't acquire their microbes this way. In fact, studies show that C-section babies have a markedly different microbiota from vaginal birth babies, and may be at higher risk for certain types of allergies and obesity.)

A baby acquires most of its microbiome by the age of 3, Blaser said ? during a time when the baby's metabolic, immune, cognitive and reproductive systems are undergoing extensive development.

Bacteria can be good and bad for you
You're probably aware that while some germs can make you sick, others are important for keeping you healthy?and fending off infections. Sometimes, the same bacteria can do both.

Consider Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for causing stomach ulcers. The bacteria were once found in the majority of the population, but their prevalence has steadily been decreasing, and today only about half of the world's population has it. Most of them do not have symptoms, but a small number develop painful ulcers in an acidic part of the digestive tract (a finding that earned a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2005).

Helicobacter?infections are treatable with antibiotics, but there's a twist: Blaser and colleagues have found the absence of Helicobacterappears to be associated with diseases of the esophagus, such as reflux esophagitis and certain cancers of the esophagus. In other words, Helicobactermay be bad for our stomachs, but good for our throats. Though not all scientists agree, "There's a big body of evidence that Helicobacter has both biological costs and biological benefits," Blaser told LiveScience. [Tiny & Nasty: Images of Things That Make Us Sick]

Antibiotics can cause asthma and obesity
Penicillin was a major breakthrough when Alexander Fleming discovered it in 1928. Antibiotics have enjoyed widespread popularity ever since, but antibiotics overusehas given rise to deadly strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Now, there's some evidence that antibiotics also increase the risk for developing asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and obesity.

Of course, there are times when antibiotics are necessary. "I would never withhold antibiotics from a very sick child," Blaser told LiveScience. Nevertheless, he said, many common childhood ailments, from ear infections or throat infections, go away by themselves.

(Store-bought) probiotics are overrated
The recognition that bacteria can be good for you has spawned something of a craze in probiotic supplements, consisting of live microbes purported to bestow health benefits. Many people take them after a course of antibiotics. But do they actually work?

"The concept of a probiotic to help re-establish our baseline microbiota after an antibiotic is a good concept," Blaser told LiveScience. "But the idea that, of all thousand species in our bodies, taking a single species that comes from cow or cheese is na?ve." Current probiotics are very well marketed, Blaser said, but there's not much benefit. He does think medicine will one day develop probiotics that will be used to treat illness, but as of now, "it's a very young field," he said.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.?

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17105010-5-surprisng-facts-about-your-body-bugs?lite

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The Bird's Eye View Workspace

We rarely have the opportunity to look at our workspaces from above, but hopefully a glance from the top still shows a nicely organized and designed office. Lori and Ken put this comfortable little room together that easily passes the bird's eye view test.

Like with most well-designed home offices, you see mostly black, white, gray, and splashes of color here and there. Lori and Ken used bold red, green, and yellow in both the furniture and the art to provide a consistently attractive look. To see their entire home, hit up Apartment Therapy Tech for the tour.

If you have a workspace of your own to show off, add it to the Lifehacker Workspace Showcase. Be sure to include some details about your setup and why it works for you, and you just might see it featured on the front page of Lifehacker.

A Home Office Overhead | Apartment Therapy Tech

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/m4j9OD0GUK4/the-birds-eye-view-workspace

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Wall Street ends down sharply after Fed minutes

TORONTO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Canada's Rebecca Marino, a rising star in women's tennis, stepped away from the sport in search of a normal life on Wednesday, weary of battling depression and cyber-bullies. Ranked number 38 in the world two years ago, the 22-year-old admitted she had long suffered from depression and was no longer willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach the top. "After thinking long and hard, I do not have the passion or enjoyment to drive myself to the level I would like to be at in professional tennis," Marino explained in a conference call. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-signal-more-gains-103747893--finance.html

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Moving Through Airport Security And Safety Quickly

The biggest complication of surviving protection is not you, it's the other individuals who did not come prepared for this procedure. If you receive stuck behind an individual that is totally baffled by exactly what is expected of them, it may take for life to obtain with the system. So the very first top priority is to strike flight terminal safety when the groups are low. The best means to complete this is to take the first air travel of the day out of that airline company. This will be the moment when there are less individuals in the flight terminal compared to anytime of the day.

Usually it is only business travelers who are at the airport at six a.m. so they will certainly be the ones that already know the best ways to manage safety and the lines will certainly move much a lot more rapidly. Like them, you have currently learned the most recent rules concerning just what will certainly penetrate protection and what will certainly acquire you quit. You will certainly require your motorist's permit and boarding pass numerous times as you move with the process. So have that out early on and prepared to show it commonly. Do not place that info away until you are on the opposite of security and all set to go to the gate. That one-step alone actions you along rapidly via the various checkpoints of airport safety.

Normally airport security administers a queuing system to manage the crowds. That implies that usually it is one lengthy line moving up to evictions and then that line divides in to several gates where several groups function the tourists with the scanning stations. As you are standing in line to go via the fences, watch on the different terminals. Some terminals will quit additional individuals or their tools is also sensitive so it is moving slower. You might notice that a brand-new group has arrived and is preparing to open a brand-new station. With a little bit of navigating in line, you may strike that new station as it opens up and relocate through quickly before the lines accumulate there.

This is likewise a place to do a little bit of profiling. While it is not ok for police to profile, you can examine the individuals ahead of you and profile those that will certainly either be apprehended for browsing or will certainly be a huge trouble when they are all set to place their stuff on the belts. Certain indigenous groups might acquire browsed more usually. It's saddening yet real. Most of us want racial equal rights however if you may prevent being behind that person, you might receive through security a lot faster. Likewise, stay away from "amateur visitors" that have great deals of kids, the senior, individuals in wheelchairs or anyone that looks like they are perplexed by this process. You may be a hero and aid an individual out if you have a lot of time. However as the lines broke off to go to the various terminals, you may simply avoid being behind people that will certainly slow up the procedure and visit the quick lines to obtain via even more effectively.

You may reduce down on how much you get browsed before you reach the flight terminal. Put on slip-on footwears that you can quit quickly and back on swiftly. Boots and connect shoes merely slow you down. Keep the amount of "stuff" you are carrying via security to a minimum. Put your purse, secrets and other pocket product in your brief-case or bag before you even obtain in line. In that means you are down to footwears which item to move with security and you can easily move a lot more rapidly.

These tricks of the trade can easily make the start of your company travel much less of a trouble and acquire you to eviction a lot more swiftlyFly to Cracow. The safety workers will appreciate that you know just what you are doing and you will certainly lessen your anxiety and move along to your business objectives with less stress and anxiety and a higher concentrate on your goals
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Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Moving-Through-Airport--Security-And-Safety-Quickly/4438645

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One Small Business Sustainability Jounrey

By Mihir Parikh

With consumer spending showing signs of continued recovery, now?s a smart time for small businesses to invest in sustainability measures with proven returns, but the vast majority of these businesses don?t have the time or resources to commit, because they?re too busy running day-to-day operations.

There?s tremendous potential to cut operational costs through the use of new energy-saving technologies for lighting, HVAC and appliances (to name a few), but small businesses generally lack the capital for significant upgrades.

Where city, state or utility programs do exist to aid businesses, they often are complex and not easily accessible to an owner who already fills the roles of CEO, CFO, Head of HR?and now Chief Sustainability Officer.

Even when funds and time are available, most small business owners or staff members don?t know where to begin evaluating their facilities, researching the available incentives and prioritizing upgrades.

It?s no help that technology manufacturers generally don?t market their products to small businesses. In large part, this is because there are few direct channels for approaching small businesses in a volume that can justify the marketing expense. This also means there are few networks through which small businesses can share best practices for addressing energy and sustainability issues.

As a result, sorting recyclables is likely to be the most significant sustainability task assigned to employees at the neighborhood pizza joint or laundry mat. However, despite all this, it is possible for small businesses to take big steps?with the right support.

Down Home Delivery & Catering, has been serving soul food?in Boston since 2008. After working on Wall Street for 30 years, Down Home?s business manager Gale Scott teamed up with her fianc?, Gary, and his three brothers to help establish the restaurant.

Gale understood the opportunity to cut energy costs and contribute to the environment, but she needed to protect their bottom line at the same time?which meant no large capital investments, and no dedicated sustainability staff. So in 2011, they joined the Challenge for Sustainability run by the Boston non-profit organization A Better City. The Challenge provides sustainability expertise, toolkit resources and a community of peers for small businesses involved in the City?s Main Streets Program and to large property owners representing a combined 30 million square feet of commercial space.

This four-minute micro-documentary tells the story with greater interest, but in short, Down Home received hands-on assistance with a free energy audit and prioritized recommendations for investments in energy-efficient lighting, motion sensors, and more efficient fan motors and HVAC equipment.?With incentives, Down Home expects to save close to $2,000 a year on energy costs and pay back their entire investment in just over a year.

The video even has a cameo by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino who made national headlines earlier this month for calling on the city to prepare for climate change. Menino created the Main Streets Program for small and medium-sized businesses under the City of Boston?s Department of Neighborhood Development in 1995, and the program linked up in 2010 with A Better City?s Challenge for Sustainability. This case study shows that small business can indeed see big rewards from investing in sustainability.

Mihir Parikh works with small businesses as a sustainability coordinator for A Better City (ABC), a Boston-based organization dedicated to improving the economic competitiveness of the region through improved infrastructure and sustainability. ABC?s Challenge for Sustainability provides leadership, technical support and recognition to businesses and buildings that are willing to dedicate a few hours a month to strengthening their organization?s bottom line and making Boston a more sustainable and economically competitive city. The Challenge is supported by The Barr Foundation?a private foundation backing initiatives to lower Boston?s Greenhouse Gas Emissions. ?

Scroll down to see comments.

Source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/02/small-business-sustainability/

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Kerry: Response to NKorea will send Iran a message

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The world must show its resolve in the face of North Korea's nuclear provocations or risk emboldening Iran, which is under scrutiny over its uranium enrichment program, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.

Kerry said nations must agree on a "swift, clear, strong and credible response" to Pyongyang's third nuclear test and the authoritarian regime's "continued flaunting of its obligations."

In defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, the latest issued last month, North Korea on Tuesday detonated a nuclear device at a remote underground site. It is seen as a key step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile capable of striking the United States.

Iran, like North Korea, is also under stiff sanctions, and negotiations with the West over its nuclear program have similarly stalled.

Iran maintains the program is peaceful, for generating energy and for medical research, not for weapons. It said Wednesday that it has begun installing a new generation of centrifuges that will allow it to vastly increase its pace of uranium enrichment in defiance of U.N. calls to halt such activities.

There has been speculation that North Korea and Iran could be cooperating on missile and nuclear development. Kerry did not draw such a connection but did say the cases were linked because they both concerned nonproliferation.

"It's important for the world to have credibility with respect to our nonproliferation efforts," Kerry told reporters after meeting Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh at the State Department.

"Just as it's impermissible for North Korea to pursue this kind of reckless effort, so we have said it's impermissible with respect to Iran. What our response is with respect to this will have an impact on all other nonproliferation efforts."

The U.N. Security Council has issued three separate resolutions on North Korea, in response to its nuclear and missile tests since 2006. The latest resolution, which tightened sanctions, followed a December satellite launch that the U.S. says could serve to develop the North's ballistic missile capability.

The resolution warned of "significant action" if Pyongyang conducted another rocket launch or a nuclear test.

"If you are going to say things, they have to mean something. And to mean something you have to be prepared to follow up, and that's exactly what we are prepared to do," Kerry said.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, speaking Wednesday at the Security Council, called North Korea's nuclear test "a further blatant challenge to the global non-proliferation regime."

She said it was vital for the international community to stand united and demonstrate "that there are consequences of continued violations."

In Washington, President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe consulted on a response and pledged to work together to seek action by the U.N. Security Council, the White House said.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said North Korea's actions represent a clear threat to the United States and undermines regional security. He vowed that the U.S. will take whatever steps necessary to meet its commitment to South Korea, including continued military exercises and increases in missile defense in the region.

Panetta said U.S. technical experts are still assessing available data to learn more about the underground explosion. That difficult task could determine whether the device was made with plutonium, of which North Korea has only limited supplies, or uranium, which can be enriched to weapons-grade in more easily concealed facilities.

"It should be of great concern to the international community that they are continuing to develop their capabilities to threaten the security, not only of South Korea, but of the rest of the world," Panetta told a Pentagon news conference. "And for that reason, I think that we have to take steps to make very clear to them that that kind of behavior is unacceptable."

The U.S. is fully prepared to deal with any contingency involving North Korea, Panetta said, and will continue to deploy forces to that region.

In an emergency session Tuesday, the Security Council unanimously said the nuclear test poses "a clear threat to international peace and security" and pledged further action. It remains to be seen, however, whether China, the North's ally, will sign on to any new, binding global sanctions.

____

Associated Press writers Bradley Klapper and Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-response-nkorea-send-iran-message-181159349--politics.html

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Scientists discover protein that allows safe recycling of iron from old red blood cells

Scientists discover protein that allows safe recycling of iron from old red blood cells

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Humans survive by constantly recycling iron, a metal that is an essential component of red blood cells, but which is toxic outside of those cells. More than 90 percent of the iron in an adult human's 25 trillion life-sustaining red blood cells is recycled from worn-out cells.

Almost 50 years ago scientists first began hypothesizing that our bodies must have a special protein 'container' to safely transport heme -- the form of iron found in living things ? during the breakdown and recycling of old red blood cells and other types of heme metabolism. Now a team of scientists from the University of Maryland, Harvard Medical School, the National Institutes of Health and the University of Utah School of Medicine have identified this long-sought heme-iron transporter and shown that it is the same HRG1 protein that a common microscopic worm, C. elegans, uses to transport heme. In humans, the iron in heme is the component that allows hemoglobin in red blood cells to carry the oxygen needed for life.

The team's findings are based on studies in human, mouse, zebrafish and yeast systems and are published in the Feb. 5, issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

"Our current work reveals that the long-sought heme transporter that permits humans to recycle over 5 million red blood cells per second in our spleen and liver, is the same HRG1 transporter protein that my students and I discovered in worms in 2008, and which we showed at that time is used by C. elegansto safely carry heme-iron that it obtains from dirt into its intestine," says team leader and corresponding author Iqbal Hamza., a University of Maryland associate professor in the Department of Animal & Avian Sciences.

"Moreover, we show in this current study that mutations in the gene for HRG1 can be a causative agent for genetic disorders of iron metabolism in humans," he says.

First author Carine White, a UMD post-doctoral researcher and three other students from his lab joined Hamza in the research, along with researchers from Harvard, NIH and Utah.

This study's findings are the third major piece that Hamza and his Maryland lab have added to the puzzle of understanding how humans and other organisms safely move heme around in the body. In addition to their two studies showing the role of the HRG1, that Hamza showed in a 2011 Cell paper that in C. elegansthere is a different, but related, protein called HRG3 that transports heme from the mother worm's intestine to her developing embryos.

According to Hamza, the HRG3-mediated pathway that worms use for transporting heme to developing oocytes also appears to be an excellent target for stopping the reproduction of hookworms and other parasites that feed on host red blood cell hemoglobin. Together these three findings could lead to new methods for treating two age-old scourges - parasitic worm infections, which affect more than a quarter of the world's population, and problems of iron metabolism and iron deficiency. The latter is the world's number one nutritional disorder. With the help of UMD's Office of Technology Commercialization and the university's Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, Hamza has started a company, Rakta Therapeutics, Inc. that focuses on developing anti-parasitic drugs that specifically target the parasite's variation of HRG1 and HRG3 transporters.

Heme, Humans and Bloodless worms

In living organisms -- ranging from humans to baker's yeast -- iron enclosed in a heme cage is a critical molecule for health because it binds to oxygen and other gases needed for survival. However, because heme is toxic, scientists long ago started searching for the existence of proteins that could safely transport heme between cells and throughout the body.

However, identifying such proteins has been a very difficult task because organisms generate heme in a complicated eight-step process that is hard to control for in studies of heme transport pathways.

Hamza first started trying to uncover the secrets of heme transport in 2003. After briefly and unsuccessfully studying the question of heme carrying proteins in traditional bacteria and mice models, Hamza switched to a non-intuitive study subject, one that doesn't make heme, but needs it to survive, that doesn't even have blood, but shares a number of genes with humans - the C. elegans roundworm. C. elegans gets heme by eating bacteria in the soil where it lives. "C. elegans consumes heme and transports it into the intestine.

According to Hamza, C. eleganshas had several other benefits for studying heme transport. Hamza's team had control of the amount of heme the worms were eating. With only one valve controlling the heme transport, the scientists knew exactly where heme was entering the worm's intestine, where, as in humans, it is absorbed.

Moreover, C. elegans is transparent, so that under the microscope researchers could see the movement of the heme ingested by a live animal.

###

"HRG1 Is Essential for Heme Transport from the Phagolysosome of Macrophages during Erythrophagocytosis," Cell Metabolism, Feb. 5, 2013.

University of Maryland: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/

Thanks to University of Maryland for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126657/Scientists_discover_protein_that_allows_safe_recycling_of_iron_from_old_red_blood_cells

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New Survey Findings Report on How Educational Technology is ...

The complete report and infographic are embedded below.

From PBS Learning Media:

PBS Learning Media today released findings from a national survey of pre-K-12 teachers that provides a current snapshot of how teachers are utilizing technology in America?s classrooms, the types of technology teachers have access to and their attitudes toward technology. Three-quarters of teachers surveyed link educational technology to a growing list of benefits, saying technology enables them to reinforce and expand on content (74%), to motivate students to learn (74%), and to respond to a variety of learning styles (73%). Seven in 10 teachers (69%) surveyed said educational technology allows them to ?do much more than ever before? for their students.

On Digital Learning Day this February 6, educators nationwide will celebrate how digital learning is positively changing education. More than two-thirds (68%) of teachers expressed a desire for more classroom technology and this number is even greater in low-income schools (75%).

[Clip]

Teachers are integrating digital learning into their classrooms more than ever. Nearly half (48%) of teachers surveyed reported using technology for online lesson plans, and just under half use technology to give students access to web-based educational games or activities (45%). Additionally, teachers use online video, images and articles (43%). Sixty-five percent of teachers reported that technology allows them to demonstrate something they cannot show in any other way.

Interestingly, a growing number of educators have access to and are adopting new technologies and platforms to support instruction. Ninety percent of teachers surveyed have access to at least one PC or laptop for their classrooms, and six in 10 teachers (59%) have access to an interactive whiteboard. Tablets and e-readers saw the biggest increase among technology platforms available for classroom instruction. More than one-third (35%) of teachers said they have access to a tablet or e-reader in their classroom, up from 20% a year ago. Among teachers with access to tablets, 71% cite the use of educational applications as the most beneficial for teaching, followed by educational websites (64%) and educational e-books/textbooks (60%).

Teacher Technology Usage (2013) by

Teacher Technology Usage (2013) by

Source: http://www.infodocket.com/2013/02/04/survey-looks-at-technology-usage-by-teachers-in-the-classroom/

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Genades Discovered in Back Yard of South L.A. Home | KTLA 5

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KTLA) ? Police evacuated more than a dozen homes Sunday after two grenades were found in the back yard of a house on 70th Street.

A family living in the house was planning a Super Bowl party when they discovered the explosives in a fire pit.

The bomb squad was called in to safely detonate the grenades.

No word of any injuries.

Chip Yost reports.

Source: http://ktla.com/2013/02/03/genades-discovered-in-back-yard-of-south-l-a-home/

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BFL CANADA appoints a new National Practice Leader for ...

(1888PressRelease) January 31, 2013 - Vancouver, BC, Canada - BFL CANADA is pleased to announce that Michael Yip has joined BFL as National Practice Leader - Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), a new national practice group recently formed to offer ERM services and solutions to our clients. Michael brings over 20 years of strategic management consulting experience to BFL and is skilled in the development and implementation of strategic risk management processes and in advancing effective risk based mitigation solutions. He previously held senior management positions with major global management consulting firms in Canada and the U.S., as well as managing principal roles with a private merchant banking firm.

"BFL has been offering ERM services for a number of years, however, the creation of a National Practice and the recruitment of an outstanding leader such as Michael will both deepen our specialist resources and enhance client experience" said John Wright, Executive Vice-President, BFL CANADA Western Region.

Michael specializes in incorporating the ERM methodologies in his approach to strategic consulting and is also experienced in the development and management of alternative risk financing options, including captives, reciprocals and risk sharing arrangements. Michael holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm.) degree from the Haskayne School of Business, specializing in Risk Management and New Venture Finance and the Canadian Risk Management (CRM) professional designation.

A frequent speaker and thought leader in ERM, risk technology and business process improvement, Michael has been engaged in domestic and international assignments to establish and implement corporate governance and compliance initiatives such as corporate-wide risk identification, risk assessment, strategic risk mapping and total cost of risk analysis. He also provides strategic consulting in the design and development of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) technology strategies, including leading engagements in business process improvement and enterprise risk management systems implementations.

"I am very excited about joining BFL CANADA to lead their new National Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) consulting practice" said Mr. Yip. "I am delighted to be a part of an organization with such a proven path of success. Having the opportunity to join BFL further motivates me to build a very relevant platform for ERM - one that aligns with their dynamic business model and will help support their continued and ongoing success."

Barry Lorenzetti, founder, President and CEO of BFL noted "Michael's addition to the team, coupled with our Lockton Global network, strengthens our ability to provide consultancy advice to clients looking to improve their risk management strategy."

BFL CANADA is the largest employee-owned and operated commercial insurance brokerage and consulting services firm in Canada. BFL CANADA provides a complete range of insurance products, risk management and employee benefits services to all industry sectors across Canada and, through an ownership position in Lockton Global LLP, in the U.S. as well as in over 100 countries around the world.

http://www.bflcanada.ca

###

Source: http://www.1888pressrelease.com/bfl-canada-appoints-a-new-national-practice-leader-for-enter-pr-452378.html

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