Word: firming
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...That's according to a new study by the data and analytics firm Acxiom. By collecting data on consumer characteristics and spending habits, Acxiom devised a system for categorizing people into groups that are more likely to spend their disposable income and those that aren...
...Prudential spokesperson acknowledged that this figure is "reasonably accurate." But other insurers named in the study strongly dispute its claims. The NEJM letter states that, for instance, Canadian firm Sun Life Financial, which offers life, health and disability insurance, holds just over $1 billion in tobacco investments. In an e-mail to TIME, however, Sun Life spokesman Michel Leduc called this number "categorically incorrect." Although he would not disclose specific holdings, Leduc said that of the company's $100 billion investment portfolio, less than 0.005% was exposure to tobacco stocks. "Sun Life's investments in renewable-energy projects are over...
...MassMutual, the gap is even bigger. The study claims the firm's tobacco holdings to be $585 million. That is "absolutely incorrect," says Mark Cybulski, a MassMutual spokesman. "Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company has virtually no equity holdings in companies whose offerings include tobacco-related products. As of December 31, 2008, MassMutual's holdings of tobacco-related equities are approximately $548,000, representing less than 0.001% of consolidated statutory cash and invested assets of $86.2 billion...
...each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." That is what I will try to do - to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart...
...move that has sparked outrage from Human Rights Watch (HRW), the officer in charge, Lieut. General Vladimir Shamanov - who is named in the ECHR's findings - has been chosen to head Russia's paratrooper unit. "A commander in this position should have a firm commitment to upholding international humanitarian law," said Holly Cartner, the HRW director for Europe and Central Asia, in a report released on May 28. "It's hard to understand how an officer with oversight for operations that have resulted in numerous violations of humanitarian law has been considered qualified to assume this role...