I chose this topic because I thought it would be fun to research. ?Being an island chain that survives primarily on tourism, I figured the restaurant industry in Hawaii would be a cool topic to research.
Since eating and leisurely activities are such an integral aspect to the lives of so many citizens, it is not shocking that many Americans choose to dine out frequently. The popularity of eating out becomes plain when one considers that the restaurant industry is a diverse and booming business. In Hawaii, the restaurant industry is an important and ultimately inalienable aspect of the state. Not to mention that Hawaiian Cuisine is unique and exciting.
As many residents of Hawaii know, the restaurant industry is a central component of the state's economy. In addition to generating sizable revenues from taxes, Hawaii's restaurant industry employs thousands of Hawaiians and helps them build careers in the field. In recognition of the great precedence that wellness has taken in the lives of many people, the Hawaiian restaurant industry offers its patrons healthy food options. Additionally, Hawaiian restaurants make positive contributions to their communities while also striving to prevent their work from negatively impacting the environment.
To gain a better understanding of the Hawaiian restaurant industry's intricacies, one should consider recent statistics about it. For example, records indicate that there were 3,168 drinking and eating establishments in Hawaii in 2011. These eating and drinking establishments employ 57,300 people, thus representing the vast majority of Hawaii's food-service and restaurant workforce, which employs 85,100 people total. These 85,100 jobs constitute 14% of Hawaii's employment, proving that the restaurant and food service industry is a viable source of gaining income and livelihood for many citizens.
While current statistics regarding Hawaii's restaurant industry prove its value, future projections also demonstrate its worth. Future projections indicate that by the year 2013, restaurants in Hawaii will generate $3.7 billion in sales. And, in 2023, Hawaiian restaurants are expected to employ 89,400 people, a figure which represents 5.1% in job growth.
As made plain by current statistics and future projections about the Hawaiian restaurant industry, it is an increasingly important aspect of the state's economy. By employing people and generating substantive revenue for the state, the restaurant industry is sure to remain an inalienable aspect of Hawaiian life and culture.
It's probably not much of a shocker that these eating and drinking establishments need point of sale systems. There aren't many POS vendors on the island. ?The leading POS vendor in the Hawaiian Islands is Computant Retail Point of Sale Solutions. ?They are a friend of ours here at the Wuppagus. ?They're owned by nice people, much like most Hawaiians - they're super friendly.
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) ? It seemed that each time wind-driven embers sparked new blazes or a wall of fire leaped a Southern California hillside and came charging toward hundreds of homes, an army of firefighters was right there to either douse or direct the flames away from humanity.
As a result, the fire that broke out Thursday quickly moved through the Camarillo Springs area without destroying a single home.
Firefighters were hoping for the same success on Friday, as the fire raged out of control miles away near the coast.
Fifteen structures in the area 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles sustained some damage, and other homes in a wooded area were being threatened Friday by the blaze that had roared across 43 square miles. Some 900 firefighters using engines, aircraft, bulldozers and other equipment had it just 20 percent contained. Since daybreak, the fire has nearly tripled in size.
"That's the way this fire has behaved, it has been a very fast-moving, feisty fire," said Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash.
To the north of the fire, parts of the Newbury Park community of Thousand Oaks are under mandatory and voluntary evacuations, Nash said.
Overnight, Nash said firefighters plan to stockpile resources along a road that lies between the fire and Malibu, protecting homes on the fire's eastern front.
Of the thousands of homes threatened by flames, 15 have been damaged.
The good fortune of the Camarillo Springs area wasn't the result of luck or clairvoyance by firefighters. It came after years of planning and knowing that sooner or later just such a conflagration was going to strike.
"When developers want to go into an area that is wild-land, it's going to present a unique fire problem," county fire spokesman Tom Kruschke said. "And you have to be prepared for that."
Camarillo Springs, which was nothing more than rugged backcountry when homes began to go up there 30 years ago, was well prepared.
Its homes were built with sprinkler systems and fireproof exteriors from the roofs to the foundations. Residents are required to clear brush and other combustible materials to within 100 feet of the dwellings, and developers had to make sure the cul-de-sacs that fill the area's canyons were built wide enough to accommodate the emergency vehicles seen on TV racing in to battle the flames.
"All of our rooftops are concrete tile and all of the exteriors are stucco," said Neal Blaney, a board member of The Springs Homeowners Association and a 15-year resident. "There's no wood, so there's almost no place for a flying ember to land and ignite something."
When the blaze broke out, Blaney said, volunteer emergency officers in the neighborhood gave the first alert to residents. As a result, when the flames got close, residents were ready to get out of the way of firefighters.
Residents in the area are also particularly vigilant about clearing brush from the hillsides next to their yards, Kruschke said. Normally, firefighters remind people in such areas to do that every June, but in Camarillo Springs people do it every few months. The work paid off this week.
The type of blaze that hit the area usually doesn't strike Southern California wild-land until September or October, after the summer has dried out hillside vegetation. But the state has seen a severe drought during the past year, with the water content of California's snowpack only 17 percent of normal.
That created late-summer conditions by May, and when hot Santa Ana winds and high temperatures arrived this week, the spring flames that firefighters routinely knock down once or twice a year quickly roared up a hillside ? out of control.
"It's just the beginning of May and we already have a 10,000-plus acre fire that's burning intensely," Kruschke said. "That doesn't bode well for the rest of the season."
On Friday, the huge wildfire stormed back through canyons toward inland neighborhoods when winds reversed direction. A new evacuation was ordered in a Thousand Oaks neighborhood along a two-mile stretch of road overlooking smoke-filled coastal canyons.
However, cooler, calmer ocean air was beginning to move ashore, raising humidity and even bringing a chance of rain by Sunday night, which should aid firefighters.
California State University, Channel Islands, remained closed, however.
After jumping Pacific Coast Highway 20 miles north of Malibu, the fire burned for a time on a beach shooting range at the Point Mugu Naval Air Station.
The blaze is one of more than 680 wildfires in the state so far this year ? about 200 more than average.
On Friday, some 3,000 firefighters were battling a handful of blazes scattered around the state.
In Riverside County, a 4 1/2-square-mile fire that destroyed a home burned for a third day in mountains north of Banning. It was 65 percent contained.
Fifty-five miles away from Camarillo, in the hills above Glendale, a blaze broke out Friday afternoon, prompting the closure of several roads as it quickly charred 75 acres.
In Tehama County in Northern California, the size of a wildfire north of Butte Meadows was revised down from more than 15 square miles to 10 square miles, state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.
The fire, which was 10 percent contained, was burning in a remote area and wasn't posing an imminent threat to any structures.
A fire in Butte County that covered 55 acres was expected to be contained this weekend.
___
Associated Press writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed about 1 percent higher on Thursday, led by tech shares, after weekly jobless claims figures pointed to improving labor market conditions a day before the closely watched monthly payroll report.
The European Central Bank also lifted sentiment, putting the S&P 500 at another all-time closing high, as the ECB cut interest rates for the first time in 10 months and held out the possibility of further action if necessary to boost the euro zone economy.
The move follows Wednesday's Federal Reserve statement in which the Fed said it will continue its bond buying scheme to keep interest rates low and spur growth, and would step up purchases if needed.
"This shows that central banks are very determined to ensure that the system is stable and that the global economy continues to be propped up if needed," said Weyman Gong, chief investment strategist at Signature in Norfolk, Virginia. "This makes us very comfortable with U.S. markets for the rest of the year."
Jobless claims fell sharply in the latest week, dropping to their lowest since the early days of the 2007-09 recession.
The data follows a string of underwhelming reports, including a slow rate of growth in factory activity in the U.S. and China, which added to concerns about the pace of growth going into the April jobs report. Analysts are looking for 145,000 jobs to have been added in the month, up from the 88,000 added in March.
"U.S. markets are very focused on jobs, and the claims report suggests the positive trend of hiring could be continuing," said Gong, who helps oversee $2.5 billion.
The Nasdaq advanced on strength large-cap tech shares like Apple Inc , which rose 1.4 percent to $445.52, and Amazon.com Inc , up 1.7 percent to $252.55. The PHLX semiconductor index <.sox> rose 1.4 percent after earlier hitting its highest level in two years.
Facebook Inc jumped 5.6 percent to $28.97 after posting strong mobile advertising revenue growth in the first quarter.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 130.63 points, or 0.89 percent, at 14,831.58. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was up 14.87 points, or 0.94 percent, at 1,597.57. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was up 41.49 points, or 1.26 percent, at 3,340.62.
The S&P ended at a record level and hit a record high intraday level of 1,598.58 earlier in the session. About 74 percent of stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange closed higher while 73 percent of Nasdaq-listed shares closed up.
Visa rose 5.6 percent to $175.40 a day after reporting strong quarterly results and growth in the key U.S. market. The stock earlier advanced to an all-time high.
General Motors rose 3.2 percent to $31.16 after reporting a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit as its North American business improved and its loss in Europe was smaller than Wall Street estimated.
With 76 percent of the S&P 500 having reported, 68.5 percent have topped profit expectations, more than the 67 percent average over the past four quarters. However, only 45.6 percent have topped revenue expectations, below the 52 percent beat rate over the past year.
After the market closed, American International Group Inc rose 2.6 percent to $43.22 after reporting its first-quarter results, while LinkedIn Corp slumped 11 percent after its results.
Gilead Sciences shares jumped 4.1 percent to $52.18 after its combination hepatitis C pill proved effective in a small trial.
Volume was light, with about 6.02 billion shares changing hands on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and NYSE MKT, below the daily average so far this year of about 6.36 billion shares.
Federal safety net health care coverage for kids with diabetes varies significantly by statePublic release date: 30-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mary F. Masson mfmasson@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System
New study from University of Michigan found patchwork coverage for children with diabetes
Ann Arbor, Mich. Federal funding for health care coverage of children with diabetes varies significantly from state to state across the United States, according to new research from the University of Michigan.
The new research, published earlier this year in the Journal of Pediatrics, examines a public program for children with chronic diseases called the Children with Special Health Care Needs program, which is funded through Title V of the Social Security Act of 1935, and provides federal support and serves as a safety net for children with chronic diseases.
In the study, researchers found geographic disparities in access to coverage for medical services and medications, says lead author Joyce M. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of pediatrics at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Detailed state-by-state descriptions are available in this interactive map: http://diabetessafety.net/
"States administer Title V programs individually, defining their own medical and financial criteria for eligibility," Lee says. "This has resulted in a patchwork safety net for children with chronic disease, which could have an impact on future health outcomes.
"We performed this study because we wanted to better understand the safety net that exists for kids with diabetes. This is increasingly important, because the overall burden of diabetes in children is rising in the U.S., and diabetes imposes a large financial burden on families who must manage the disease."
Lee and her co-authors found that children with diabetes were eligible for Title V programs in just 32 states, which at a minimum would provide assistance with coordination of care for these children.
However, only twenty-six states (51%) provided medical coverage to pay for visits with health care professionals and medications like insulin. Only 24 states also covered diabetes supplies (for example, glucometer strips, syringes).
"If children do not have access to a private health plan, and they do not qualify for income-based programs like Medicaid, unfortunately children in many states will not have access to the basic elements of care, simply based on geography," Lee says.
Title V programs are unique because they designate eligibility based on diagnosis of a chronic disease. Although Title V programs have financial eligibility requirements, in at least 10 states, these income limits were more generous compared with the federal limits for Medicaid or State Children's Health Insurance Program.
Title V programs may serve as the insurer of last resort or provide secondary coverage for children with private or public insurance, particularly in children who are underinsured.
"We hope this research will further highlight the need for uniformity of health benefits for children across states. Kids who live in different states should not have differential access to the care they need," Lee says.
###
Additional authors: Sarah J. Clark, M.P.H., Peter Wolfgram, M.D., Jaimie Sarrault, B.S.
Disclosures: None
Citation: doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.12.009
About the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital:
Since 1903, the University of Michigan has led the way in providing comprehensive, specialized health care for children. From leading-edge heart surgery that's performed in the womb to complete emergency care that's there when you need it, families from all over come to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital for our pediatric expertise. In 2013, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital was ranked eighth in the nation in Parents Magazine's 10 Best Children's Hospitals ranking. To learn more, go to http://www.mottchildren.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Federal safety net health care coverage for kids with diabetes varies significantly by statePublic release date: 30-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mary F. Masson mfmasson@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System
New study from University of Michigan found patchwork coverage for children with diabetes
Ann Arbor, Mich. Federal funding for health care coverage of children with diabetes varies significantly from state to state across the United States, according to new research from the University of Michigan.
The new research, published earlier this year in the Journal of Pediatrics, examines a public program for children with chronic diseases called the Children with Special Health Care Needs program, which is funded through Title V of the Social Security Act of 1935, and provides federal support and serves as a safety net for children with chronic diseases.
In the study, researchers found geographic disparities in access to coverage for medical services and medications, says lead author Joyce M. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of pediatrics at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Detailed state-by-state descriptions are available in this interactive map: http://diabetessafety.net/
"States administer Title V programs individually, defining their own medical and financial criteria for eligibility," Lee says. "This has resulted in a patchwork safety net for children with chronic disease, which could have an impact on future health outcomes.
"We performed this study because we wanted to better understand the safety net that exists for kids with diabetes. This is increasingly important, because the overall burden of diabetes in children is rising in the U.S., and diabetes imposes a large financial burden on families who must manage the disease."
Lee and her co-authors found that children with diabetes were eligible for Title V programs in just 32 states, which at a minimum would provide assistance with coordination of care for these children.
However, only twenty-six states (51%) provided medical coverage to pay for visits with health care professionals and medications like insulin. Only 24 states also covered diabetes supplies (for example, glucometer strips, syringes).
"If children do not have access to a private health plan, and they do not qualify for income-based programs like Medicaid, unfortunately children in many states will not have access to the basic elements of care, simply based on geography," Lee says.
Title V programs are unique because they designate eligibility based on diagnosis of a chronic disease. Although Title V programs have financial eligibility requirements, in at least 10 states, these income limits were more generous compared with the federal limits for Medicaid or State Children's Health Insurance Program.
Title V programs may serve as the insurer of last resort or provide secondary coverage for children with private or public insurance, particularly in children who are underinsured.
"We hope this research will further highlight the need for uniformity of health benefits for children across states. Kids who live in different states should not have differential access to the care they need," Lee says.
###
Additional authors: Sarah J. Clark, M.P.H., Peter Wolfgram, M.D., Jaimie Sarrault, B.S.
Disclosures: None
Citation: doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.12.009
About the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital:
Since 1903, the University of Michigan has led the way in providing comprehensive, specialized health care for children. From leading-edge heart surgery that's performed in the womb to complete emergency care that's there when you need it, families from all over come to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital for our pediatric expertise. In 2013, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital was ranked eighth in the nation in Parents Magazine's 10 Best Children's Hospitals ranking. To learn more, go to http://www.mottchildren.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 30-Apr-2013
Share ]