Children

Children are remarkably imaginative and resilient — but also heartbreakingly fragile and vulnerable. Mercy Corps works with communities to shelter and nurture children through innovative education, health and nutrition programs. Teaching the next generation and keeping them healthy are essential to tomorrow's strong, vibrant societies.

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Women's Empowerment

Women are the foundation of every society. Yet for many women in the world's poorest regions, life is extraordinarily difficult. Through innovative health, agricultural, business and education programs, Mercy Corps builds on the courage and resourcefulness of women to help them realize their potential and improve their families and communities.

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Health

Our work to build healthy communities, families and individuals is at the heart of Mercy Corps' vision for social change. By partnering with a range of partners, from village health committees to government agencies, we help build the means to improve maternal, newborn and child health, ensure proper nutrition and combat infectious diseases.

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Medical Controversy - When Does Life Begin?

One of the most contested questions in history is a seemingly simple one: When does life begin? Different cultures and societies have battled to answer this question, and to date no consensus has been reached. Of course, the answer to this question has profound ethical, legal, moral, and philosophical implications. As the United States debates the merits and pitfalls of topics like embryonic stem cell research and abortion, the arguments for the beginnings of life have found themselves renewed. Along the timeline from preconception through birth and beyond, there are several stops where one group or another has drawn a line in the sand and proclaimed that life has officially begun. In the interest of providing some clarity on this issue, let us examine the rationale behind why these groups picked their points. As a reference, a textbook on developmental biology will provide some framework.

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Medicate or Educate? - Just Pop a Polypill

At this moment, a trial is underway in India. This trial, named the TIPS trial, involves a new medication — a so-called “polypill” — which contains three antihypertensive drugs, a statin, and aspirin. Its researchers enthuse that it may cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by half in healthy people. So far, the study has shown that the side effects of this medication are minimal, or at least not any worse than those of any of the individual components alone. It’s also demonstrated small but significant reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol. The bigger question is: why do we think we really need this medication in the first place? Read more →

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Wash Your Hands, Save a Life

Health care-associated infections (HAI) occur in a variety of settings and are caused by a variety of pathogens. They occur in ambulatory, institutional, hospital, and home-based settings. Four primary categories of HAIs exist, most of which are seen in acute care settings: surgical site infections, central line-associated blood stream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and catheter-related urinary tract infections. (Together, these 4 categories of infections account for 75% of HAIs each year.) HAIs are among the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 100,000 deaths annually. Overall, there are nearly 2 million HAIs reported each year.

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Death and Dying in Tough Economic Times

Cash-strapped states and private health care providers are looking for ways to cut costs and save money in these economic times. While across-the-board cuts in spending are intuitively appealing and a seemingly straightforward method for saving money, it turns out that some health care expenditures actually lead to cost savings. Spend money to save money — at least when patients are dying.
One of the newest areas of specialization in health care is hospice and palliative care. (The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just began recognizing hospice and palliative care early in 2009.) This new specialty focuses on treating not just physical symptoms, but psychological, social, and spiritual suffering that accompanies a terminal illness. Read more →

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Samaa TV Talks about our Tele-healthcare Project

Recently, Samaa TV covered our healthcare project in their program named, “Innovation”. The accompanying video is a short highlight of the documentary that they made during their visit to NUST and our UM Healthcare facility in Mardan. With permission from Samaa TV, we are now sharing the video clip of the program online with our well wishers.
This innovative healthcare project that uses the power of mobile phones, and implemented with the support of Lady Health Workers (LHW) is now moving from pilot phase into full deployment. In the first phase, the project has treated over treated over 12,500 patients in rural Mardan since August 2008. We have also held numerous specialized medical camps including one focusing on “Eye Care” this past weekend.The project is a joint effort of NUST (SEECS), UM Healthcare Trust and APPNA. It is funded through generous donations by people like you and partially supported by USAID, HEC and ISIF Foundation

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Forex News

The following is a list of some of the popular and freely available forex news, analysis and commentary services.

Daily Commentary & Analysis

Daily News Sources

* Reuters
* Bloomberg
* CBS MarketWatch
* Financial Times
* Yahoo
* NewsNow
* Morgan Stanley
* Bank of New York Mellon
* CIBC World Markets
* HSBC Private Bank
* BNP Paribas
* RTT News
* BMO Nesbitt Burns
* Wachovia FX Market Pulse
* Daily Pfennig
* Daily FX
* ATNABTU
* UBS FX Strategy & Research
* Commerzbank
* Investica
* GFT Forex
* Moreover News
* The Bullion Desk

FX Research & Analysis

* The Bank of New York Mellon
* CIBC World Markets
* Mizuho Corporate Bank
* Scotia FX
* Daily FX
* BHF Bank
* Jyske Bank
* BMO Capital Markets
* Rabobank Research
* TRL
* FXMatters

Economic Calendars

* Forex Economic Calendars
* Global Economic Calendar - by Daily FX
* Weekly Economic Calendar - by GFT Forex
* Weekly Economic Calendar - by Forex Factory
* U.S. Economic Calendar - Briefing.com

Forex Tools

* Online Money Management Calculator
* Position Size Calculator
* Forex Bollinger Bands
* FX Market Hours Tool
* Historical FX & Interest Rate Trend Graphs
* Free Commitments of Traders Charts
* Daily Pivot Points
* Currency Correlations

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Forex Basics

The following is an introduction to some basic terms, definitions and concepts used in forex trading. It is designed to be read in chronological order, starting with the most simplest terms and moving through to some more advanced terms used in the forex market, or you can click on any individual term if you want an explanation of a specific term.

Basics

Automatic Execution
Base Currency
Bid
Buy Quote
Counter Currency
Counterparty
Currency Pair
Currency Pair Terminology
Dealing Desk
Drawdown
ECN
Exchange Rate
FCM
Foreign Exchange
Foreign Exchange Market
ISO Currency Codes
Leverage
Lot
Manual Execution
Market Maker
Margin
Micro Account
Mini Account
NDD
Offer
Pip
Pip Value
Resistance
Rollover
Sell Quote
Slippage
Spot Market
Spread
Standard Account
Support
Terms Currency

Basic Order Types
GTC Order
Limit-Entry Order
Limit Order
Market Order
OCO Order
Stop-Entry Order
Stop-Loss Order
Basic Trade Types
Long Position
Short Position
Basic Trading Styles
Automated Trading
Carry Trading
Day Trading
Discretionary Trading
Fundamental Trading
News Trading
Position Trading
Range Trading
Scalping
Swing Trading
Technical Trading
Trend Trading

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Forex Broker Guide

Introduction

The following is a list of questions you may like to consider before opening an account. You can use this checklist to narrow down your selection of companies that fit your requirements. You may also wish to refer to the forex broker ratings page on this site to read about traders unique experiences with particular brokers.

The following links will also give you some background information on U.S. FCM's (Futures Commission Merchants).

* Selected Financial Data for FCM's
* NFA Background Affiliation Status

1. Word of Mouth

* What do other traders say about the broker?
* What is their customer service like?

2. Customer Protection

* Is the broker regulated?
* What regulatory organisation are they registered with and what protections does it afford you?
* Are client funds insured against fraud?
* Are client funds insured against bankruptcy?

3. Execution

* What business model do they operate? i.e. Are they a Market Maker[?], ECN[?] or no-dealing desk broker[?]?
* How fast is their order execution?
* Are orders manually or automatically executed? [?]
* What is the maximum trade size before you have to request a quote?
* Are all clients trades offset?

4. Spread [?]

* How tight is the spread?
* Is it fixed or variable?

5. Slippage [?]

* How much slippage can be expected in normal and fast moving markets?

6. Margin [?]

* What is the margin requirement? e.g. 0.25% margin = max 400:1 leverage [?]), 0.5% margin = max 200:1 leverage, 1% margin = max 100:1 leverage, 2% margin = max 50:1 leverage, etc.
* Does the margin requirement change for different currency pairs or days of the week?
* At what point will the broker issue a margin call?
* Is it the same for standard and mini accounts? [?]

7. Commissions

* Do they charge commissions? (Most market makers' commissions are built into the spread)

8. Rollover Policy [?]

* Is there a minimum margin requirement in order to earn rollover interest?
* What are the swap rates like for going long or short in a particular currency pair?
* Are there any other conditions for earning rollover interest?

9. Trading Platform

* How intuitive and functional is it to use?
* Are there many disconnections during trading hours?
* How reliable is it during fast moving markets and news announcements?
* How many different currency pairs can you trade?
* Do they offer an Application Programming Interface (API) to allow you to automate your trading system?
* Does it offer any other special features? (e.g. One click dealing, trading from the chart, trailing stops, mobile trading etc.)

10. Trading Account

* What is the minimum balance required to open an account?
* What is the minimum trade size?
* Can you adjust the standard lot size traded? [?]
* Can you earn interest on the unused margin balance in your account?

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Forex Brokers

Forex markets are the most liquid and accessible markets in the world. Forex trades do not involve commissions, but they do have what are known as spreads, which is the difference between the price a currency can be purchased and the price for which it can be sold at a given point in time. The webs's most complete Forex Broker listing, managed Forex accounts, institutional Forex accounts and much more - Forex News Search for a Broker by Product Offering, Name, Title using the search box below:. Make sure to check the spread of the forex broker as thats where they earn their money, read their terms of service carefully and check the services offered. FOREX brokers have many different trading platforms for their clients, just like brokers in other markets. Forex (FX) trades executed through Most Forex Broker are commission free. Foreign currency trading with us is simple, safe and open to every forex trader and investor.

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Award-winning forex trading platform

We pioneered our signature "one-click" dealing in 2000 and have been nominated as Best Forex Brokerage by the readers of Technical Analysis of Stocks and Commodities for the past two years.

Our proprietary trading platform, FOREXTrader, successfully combines ease-of-use with remarkable flexibility. FOREXTrader offers a highly intuitive user interface, advanced customization features, and a full suite of professional charting and order management tools.

Take a closer look at FOREXTrader

Advanced tools & research

As a FOREX.com client, you'll have access to a variety of resources and unique trading tools that can help you make more informed trading decisions.

• Full suite of daily and weekly forex research. Whether you're interested in fundamental analysis or technical trading methods, you'll have access to a wide variety of institutional-grade Forex market analysis as a FOREX.com client. And, tune in to our Weekly Market Call for timely trading ideas and analysis from Brian Dolan, our Chief Currency Strategist.
• ForexInsider streaming market commentary: Our exclusive FOREXInsider delivers actionable analysis of news, events and technical levels that impact currency prices, in real-time, to your trading platform. Updates are published as often as 20 times an hour, so that you can act instantly on new market intelligence.
• FOREXCharts by eSignal: Access eSignal's professional level charting package with over 30 analytical tools and indicators, a complete selection of drawing tools, and choice of real-time data feed. Preview FOREXCharts by eSignal.


Guaranteed fills on stop loss and limit orders

During FOREX.com's trading hours, all stop and limit orders up to $2 million are guaranteed to be filled at your price.

We understand that stop loss and limit orders are an important part of every trader's risk management strategy, and so we take this policy very seriously. This policy does not apply during major fundamental announcements, or outside FOREX.com's normal trading hours.
Negative account balance protection

At FOREX.com, your risk is only limited to funds on deposit.

Our margin policy eliminates concerns about debit balances by guaranteeing that you will never owe more than you have in your account.

Support for automated (API) trade executions

For clients utilizing an algorithmic trading system or their own black box strategy, FOREXTrader supports fully automated trade execution via a standard FIX protocol or web-services API.

The API provides users with the ability to receive a real-time rate feed, submit trade requests, set and modify stop-loss and take-profit orders, and receive automated confirmations of trade activity. Developers can request access to a testing environment in order to test their systems in real time before using the API in a production environment.

Find out more about API trading.

Wireless trading and account access

As a FOREX.com client or registered practice account user, you can access the currency markets via virtually any Internet-enabled wireless device. Keep on top of the market from anywhere – you can view real-time forex quotes, news and commentary, and charts and set rate alerts. You can also monitor your open positions, leave orders, even buy and sell at the market.

There are no extra fees, and no special sign up. All you need is an Internet-enabled wireless device.

Learn more about FOREXTrader.wireless.
Trader education, mentoring services, and more

FOREX.com delivers hands-on forex training through a variety of educational programs and events. For traders just getting started in the Forex market, we offer one-on-one platform walkthroughs, online training courses, as well as live, introductory web-based seminars ("webinars").

Exclusive client-only events cover more in-depth trading techniques and strategies and include an interactive Q&A with our senior analysts and currency strategists.

As a FOREX.com client, you can also take advantage of our professional mentoring services. During your one-on-one consultations with a senior forex specialist, you can discuss the latest market research report, ask for a second opinion about your trading plan, or just bounce ideas around.

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