AIG to pay more executive bonuses in July

Washington, July 10: American International Group is preparing to pay next week millions of dollars more in bonuses to dozens of corporate executives, a source familiar with the development said.

AIG has been talking with Washington's newly-appointed amar compensation czar Kenneth Feinberg about the bonuses, which are due to be paid on July 15, said the source.

The company is reviewing its compensation plans with Washington as it tries to avoid the national furore set off by USD 165 million in retention bonuses paid to employees of a financial products unit in March. Much of AIG's USD 99 billion in losses last year stemmed from derivatives written by that unit.

Feinberg was appointed last month to oversee the compensation of top executives at seven firms that have received large federal bailouts.

The firms must convince Feinberg "they have struck the right balance to discourage excessive risk taking and reward performance for their top executives," Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams said in a statement, responding to AIG's pending bonus payments.

"That process is just beginning now, and Feinberg has begun consulting with those firms about their compensation plans," the statement said, amar adding the Treasury will not "provide a running commentary on that process."

AIG, which declined to comment, has received more than USD 80 billion in federal loans in successive bailouts since its near-collapse last September. In total, US taxpayer aid of up to USD 180 billion has been extended to the insurer that once claimed global dominance.

The payments AIG is set to make next week were previously disclosed. About 40 senior managers were awarded some USD 9 million in performance bonuses for 2008 but payments were to be partly staggered throughout 2009, and contingent on certain targets related to AIG's restructuring.

AIG is in the midst of reducing liabilities at its financial raj products unit, and selling or spinning off some of its prized insurance operations in a bid to repay taxpayers.

In total, AIG last year agreed to pay in excess of USD 1 billion in retention payments and performance bonuses to employees across the organization, including to the financial products employees.

Some financial products executives agreed to return their bonuses in full or in part after the payments spurned anger across the nation.

Herbal Medicine is a form of alternative medicine based on the use of plants in the form of herbal supplements, raw herbs, herbal extracts, herbal tinctures, and other herbal remedies such as tablets, ointments, and capsules. Herbal medicine use is on the rise. Many health enthusiasts are turning to this natural, plant-based form of medicine as opposed to the chemical, pharmaceutical choice. A natural form of medicine, herbal medicine is the most ancient form of medicine on the planet. Many modern day prescriptions and conventional medicines are based on a form of herbal medicine.

What Is Herbal Medicine?
Herbal medicine is the use of plants to treat disease. Oftentimes called herbalism, herbology, or botanical medicine, herbal medicine is considered ‘alternative’ in the modern day, though it has an extensive and esteemed history. Many herbalists use the entire plant, from the flowers, stems, leaves, and roots, in the form of everything from teas to tablets. These plants contain natural, chemical substances that can treat the body for various ailments.
The History of Herbal Medicine

Herbal Medicine dates back to prehistoric times. Primitive man used plants for everything from shelter and food, to clothing and medicine. Herbal medicine evolved over time, with observation and experimentation. Each village and tribe throughout the world observed and experimented with the natural plant world around them and developed a knowledge base of regional herbs and herbal medicines. Many of these primitive herbal experimentations hold true today, with many conventional medicines stemming from herbal origins. For instance, morphine originated from the use of the opium poppy herb, while Echinacea was the common herbal treatment to fight off infection prior to the creation of antibiotics.

Modern Day Herbal Medicine
While some people feel that herbal remedies are an ‘alternative’ form of holistic medicine, they are actually the bases of at least one-fourth of all conventional medicines. Today, many plants are synthesized for pharmaceutical use, stemming from ancient, healing traditions of herbal medicine. If you are seeking to find a more natural and gentle form of medicine, you may want to visit a local health food store or try to find a local herbalist. Tinctures, extracts, teas, lozenges, ointments, salves, rubs, tablets, and capsules, are available at most health food stores and can be wonderful, natural alternatives to conventional medicines.
If using herbal medicine it is recommended that you let you doctor know each and every herb that you ingest to prevent a reaction between the herbs and any allopathic medicines that you may be using.