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"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction." –Blaise Pascal.
It seems almost daily that I read another comment or another statement steeped in fear and hatred uttered from the lips of Rick Santorum, self-proclaimed Christian and American moralist. I do, thankfully, realize that Santorum does not represent all of Christianity and its followers, but he does represent a portion of them. Keep in mind, though he is currently at the bottom of the heap, he is still, as of this writing, a GOP presidential candidate in a playing field whittled down to four contenders. This means there is a large enough portion of Americans who share his views, his intolerances, his fears, misunderstandings and judgements of things that, well, any good Christian would normally leave up to God and not assume upon themselves.
Sadly, as Mr. Pascal once pointed out in the above quote, religion has spurned some of the most vile hatred and suffering known to man. And I think it's rather easy to assess by the goings-on in the world today, that some things have not changed. Unfortunately for any forward-thinking individuals, men like Rick Santorum represent a part of society terrified of change. And, one could easily come to such a conclusion, of themselves.
Part of me feels sorry for men and women such as these since their lives appear to be made up largely of running away and holding on to the past with such desperation as to exhaust themselves of all humanity. Ironic, given that they claim to represent the most compassionate and forgiving of all beings. But this is in words only. Actions tell a very different story. The pain and suffering brought on by men like Rick Santorum is immeasurable, and it is considerable. Make no mistake, lives will be lost while others trampled. All in the name of one who is no longer here to protect his good name and teachings.
The bright side to all of this is that at least Santorum's particular brand of bigotry is now out there for all to see. And those easily swayed toward his proclaimed "solutions" are no longer hidden from public view to boil and swell beneath the surface. They are out there where we can confront them, and ourselves, in the bright light of day. Good things will come from this in the bigger picture. It's a step forward. Like a detoxing of the American psyche. We may feel a bit ill while we're going through it, but hopefully we will come out the other side healthier and happier. If we choose to tackle it.
As for how we got where we are in the first place, well, history is full of men like Santorum. Perhaps the recent study published in the latest issue of Psychological Science explains part of it.
"Despite their important implications for interpersonal behaviors and relations, cognitive abilities have been largely ignored as explanations of prejudice. We proposed and tested mediation models in which lower cognitive ability predicts greater prejudice, an effect mediated through the endorsement of right-wing ideologies (social conservatism, right-wing authoritarianism) and low levels of contact with out-groups. In an analysis of two large-scale, nationally representative United Kingdom data sets (N = 15,874), we found that lower general intelligence (g) in childhood predicts greater racism in adulthood, and this effect was largely mediated via conservative ideology. A secondary analysis of a U.S. data set confirmed a predictive effect of poor abstract-reasoning skills on antihomosexual prejudice, a relation partially mediated by both authoritarianism and low levels of intergroup contact. All analyses controlled for education and socioeconomic status. Our results suggest that cognitive abilities play a critical, albeit underappreciated, role in prejudice. Consequently, we recommend a heightened focus on cognitive ability in research on prejudice and a better integration of cognitive ability into prejudice models."
As one who does not believe in God in a traditional sense (therefore a heathen and going to hell in the minds of many), I have always assumed that it took a level of non-thinking to allow oneself to so completely abandon reason and take the words and teachings of the bible and, not only accept them as literal, but to allow oneself to become swayed by the interpretations of such texts by those with ulterior motives. However, I do not believe all who believe in God to be less educated or less intelligent than those who do not. But there is a certain ilk that have always been ready to take to the streets to express their intolerance of others; those who would kill, maim and damage their fellow man in the name of their God. A God of love? A God of vengeance? Which is it, then?
What are we supposed to think when Rick Santorum tells you that contraception is "not okay. It's a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be."?
How things are supposed to be. If Mr. Santorum believes this, then he is free to refrain from the use of such tools and activities. But when he believes his beliefs should be law… This should be of great concern. Santorum warns of fascism and socialism and why you should be afraid… But nothing endangers freedom more than men and women who think like Rick Santorum. His beliefs suggest the ultimate form of fascism.
When Rick Santorum tells you what marriage is, he presents it as fact, as indisputable evidence.
"Marriage is what marriage is. Marriage was around before government said what it was. It's like going out and saying, 'That tree is a car.' Well, the tree's not a car. A tree's a tree. Marriage is marriage."
"It's like handing up this and saying this glass of water is a glass of beer. Well you can call it a glass of beer, it's not a glass of beer, it's a glass of water. And water is what water is. Marriage is what marriage is."
"I can call this napkin a paper towel, but it is a napkin. Why? Because it is, what it is."
But what Santorum is really saying is that this is what marriage is for Rick Santorum. And therefore it should be for all others. By law. Like it or not, there are those who do not share and were not raised with Mr. Santorum's limited definition. And we are Americans, no more or less so than he is. Just as Santorum's God is not everybody's God, Rick Satorum's definitions and interpretations are not everyone's. Nor should they be. That would be similar to asking a nation to publicly mourn the death of their beloved leader, Kim Jong Il, even if they did not, in fact, love him or mourn his loss. And then imprison those who did not either mourn publicly or mourn sincerely. Is that the America Santorum's followers envision? Because if it's not, then they best rethink their stance and support of such an individual. Or is that low IQ getting in the way of reasoned thought again?
"[Marriage] is an intrinsic good … we extend certain privileges to people who do that because we want to encourage that behavior. Two people who may like each other or may love each other who are same-sex, is that a special relationship? Yes it is, but it is not the same relationship that benefits society like a marriage between a man and a woman."
What he means is that such a relationship does not benefit Rick Santorum. I'll tell you right now that he does not speak for me. Same sex marriages have benefitted me in my life and my world, the kind of society I want to live in. And it damn well benefits same-sex couples who are (guess what?) members of this society. Again, what doesn't benefit Rick should not benefit anyone in Santorum's world view.
"Whether it's polygamy, whether it's adultery, whether it's sodomy, all of those things, are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family."
Once again, these may be things that Rick Santorum chooses not to engage in, but he is not in a position (no pun intended) –and it is the point of this write-up that he should not be– to tell others what sexual activities they should or should not be doing where two consenting adults are concerned. But Santorum's answer to that would be:
"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything."
The truth is that consensual sex in the home does NOT make polygamy or bigamy or incest legal. It DOES, however, allow one (or two or three or four…) to engage in certain sexual activities that some other folks may find startling, offensive and even a little off-putting. It seems, however, that even a healthy and imaginative sex life is off-putting to Mr. Santorum. When you allow a man like this to tell you what you can and can't do in bed… But Mr. Santorum disagrees:
"The idea is that the state doesn't have rights to limit individuals' wants and passions — I disagree with that. I think we absolutely have rights because there are consequences to letting people live out whatever wants or passions they desire. And we're seeing it in our society."
The world Rick Santorum envisions has more in common with the Crusades than it does with the teachings of Christ. And like many other religious zealots before him, Santorum will fight to ensure HIS way of life at the exclusion of all others:
"The battle we're engaged in right now on same-sex marriage, ultimately that is the very foundation of our country, the family, what the family structure is going to look like. I'll die on that hill fighting."
Rick Santorum is too mired in his own fears, fear of change, fear of reality, fear of difference, fear of things he wasn't taught, fear of things he doesn't understand, fear of the dark and the unknown. And it has turned him into a man mired in hatred and intolerance.
"You can say I'm a hater. But I would argue I'm a lover. I'm a lover of traditional families and of the right of children to have a mother and father. … Isn't that the ultimate homeland security, standing up and defending marriage?"
Marriage, he fails to point out, as Rick Santorum sees it. And Santorum's "logic" is no better than claiming the KKK doesn't hate blacks, they simply love white supremacy. No, even science, the ground beneath his own two feet, the air he breathes, and the very planet he lives on is not enough to convince Mr. Santorum that the world may not always be the way he wants it to be. The way he so clearly needs it to be.
"I've never supported even the hoax of global warming."
In Rick Santorum's world, there are no other valid points of view, no other opinions of note, no other interpretations than his own. Rick Santorum would fight to make his beliefs your beliefs. All the while pointing out the dangers of others. And if he gets his way, when the time comes and he has passed from this world, you will mourn his death. Whether you want to or not.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold its 13th annual EXCEL (Examining Conflicts in Employment Law) conference from July 12 to 15 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, Florida. EXCEL is the premier national federal sector law conference and the most comprehensive of its kind examining contemporary equal employment opportunity issues and other workplace topics. The multi-day interactive and educational program, themed "Passion for Equality", features eight plenary sessions and more than 50 workshops.
Participants -- ranging from EEO managers, supervisors and specialists, attorneys, human resource professionals and union officials -- will receive information on recent developments in employment law and changes in agency procedures.
EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien will deliver opening remarks on Monday, July 12, at 8:45 a.m. Other highlights include presentations by Christine Griffin, Deputy Director of the Office of Personnel Management; Carol Waller Pope, Chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and Susan T. Grundmann, Chair of the Merit Systems Protections Board.
EXCEL will offer several workshop tracks on mediation, hearings preparation, and analyzing barriers to full inclusion in the federal workforce. Additionally, Jocelyn Samuels, Senior Counsel, Office of the Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division; and Mark G. Pearce, Board Member, National Labor Relations Board, will speak.
Further details about the conference, including the agenda, pricing information and online registration, are available online at www.eeotraining.eeoc.gov. The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Additional information about the agency can be found on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

subset: commoncrawl


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A California high school student has created a new type of "supercapacitor." The San Jose teen's invention could help pave the way for cell phones that can be charged in 30 seconds.
Russian researchers say they have discovered a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal.
An international team of scientists is working to connect human thought patterns to robotic actions. Controlled humanoids present a new world of mobility for some and a disaster clean-up tool for others.
Find more apps that you can use in the new technology column starting Thursday in the Los Alamos Monitor.
Thousands of high school students from around the world have put their engineering skills to the test at an international robotics contest. "FIRST" is compared to a "Superbowl of the Mind" mixing math, science and technology with competition.
A spaceship bankrolled by British tycoon Sir Richard Branson made its first engine-powered flight Monday. The test flight moves Virgin Galactic toward its goal of flying into space later this year.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Scott Jasechko used his road trip from Canada to Albuquerque, where he was about to start a graduate program at UNM, to gather water samples.
Less than two years later, his study of those water samples has landed him in Nature, the prestigious science journal. Jasechko is the lead author of "Terrestrial Water Fluxes Dominated by Transpiration," a study that found plants use a vast amount of fresh water in their life cycles, which can help predict future climate change effects on water resources.
That Jasechko, a doctoral candidate in Earth and Planetary Sciences, was published in Nature is "absolutely huge" and "quite remarkable," study co-author Peter Fawcett said. Fawcett, a UNM associate professor, helped supervise Jasechko, along with second co-author Zach Sharp, also a UNM professor. They worked with three scientists from Alberta Innovates, a Canadian research institution.
Fawcett said he can't recall any other graduate student in his 16 years or so at UNM who was lead author on a study in Nature.
The study is "really significant because it tells us that if we actually change vegetation in a significant way, we can really alter the flux of water from the surface to the atmosphere," Fawcett said.
ULSAN, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's weapons program is not the only nuclear headache for South Korea. The country's radioactive waste storage is filling up as its nuclear power industry burgeons, but what South Korea sees as its best solution — reprocessing the spent fuel so it can be used again — faces stiff opposition from its U.S. ally.
South Korea fired up its first reactor in 1978 and since then the resource poor nation's reliance on atomic energy has steadily grown. It is now the world's fifth-largest nuclear energy producer, operating 23 reactors. But unlike the rapid growth of its nuclear industry, its nuclear waste management plan has been moving at a snail's pace.
A commission will be launched before this summer to start public discussion on the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel rods, which must be locked away for tens of thousands of years. Temporary storage for used rods in spent fuel pools at nuclear power plants is more than 70 percent full.
Undeterred by Japan's Fukushima disaster or recent local safety failings, South Korea plans to boost nuclear to 40 percent of its energy needs with the addition of 11 new reactors by 2024.
PARIS (AP) — A new examination of what is essentially the universe's birth certificate allows astronomers to tweak the age, girth and speed of the cosmos, more secure in their knowledge of how it evolved, what it's made of and its ultimate fate.
Sure, the universe suddenly seems to be showing its age, now calculated at 13.8 billion years — 80 million years older than scientists had thought. It's got about 3 percent more girth — technically it's more matter than mysterious dark energy — and it is expanding about 3 percent more slowly.
But with all that comes the wisdom for humanity. Scientists seem to have gotten a good handle on the Big Bang and what happened just afterward, and may actually understand a bit more about the cosmic question of how we are where we are.
All from a baby picture of fossilized light and sound.
The snapshot from a European satellite had scientists from Paris to Washington celebrating a cosmic victory of knowledge Thursday — basic precepts that go back all the way to Einstein and relativity.
Copyright © 2019
The Los Alamos Monitor is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Los Alamos County and Los Alamos, NM, and the surrounding area.


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The common aim that drives societies of ignorance is to maximize the pleasures of this earthly life. No matter where you go in this world, you will find that each member of the societies of ignorance—rich or poor, villager or city-dweller, young or old—does not waver in the pursuit of this goal. Because they are of the corrupt opinion that life is limited by death, they seek to derive maximum enjoyment of this brief and fleeting existence.
This notion, of course, is completely false. The life of this world has been created to test us. Allah has created this world to be particularly appealing to human beings by endowing it with many blessings. Few realize that these blessings are from Allah, and that they are fleeting. They give thanks for them, because their aim in this life is to do the good that will earn Allah's favor, and, ultimately, eternal life. Others forget that these blessings derive from Allah; deceived by these illusory adornments, they put any thought of the Afterlife out of their minds.
Therefore, a society of ignorance is composed of individuals that choose the second alternative, placing all their hopes in this life alone. The life of this world to come does not figure in any of their future plans. Allah revealed the reason for their choice in the Qur'an:
That is because they prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter and because Allah does not guide disbelieving people. (Surat an-Nahl, 107)
As related in this verse, the life of this world deceives them by appearing more pleasant than it actually is. All that Allah has created as a blessing and a test for human beings deceive the ignorant who forget their responsibilities to Him, and lose themselves in this life.
That which lures the ignorant into heedlessness, as they indulge their various passions, is obvious. They want to live a "good life," possessing wealth, respect, status, a good marriage and successful children, and numerous similar things the ignorant prefer to eternal life.
Of course, all such blessings are desirable and legitimate things that one can possess in this world. But, in this regard, the ignorant fall into great error. They forget that all such blessings belong only to Allah, and that Allah has granted them for the purpose of showing gratitude towards Him; they also forget that what is at stake is the Afterlife.
The fact that the ignorant fail to recognize this reality causes that ultimately their lives are dull and ordinary. Many people in the world are in pursuit of these several main ideals. They may often compromise basic moral principles in order to rise above others, earn more money or take greater advantage of what the world has to offer. But, these things are not the "good life" they think it is; on the contrary, it causes them anxiety. No matter how much they are blessed with, those who have corrupted themselves by placing excessive value on this life can never experience the pleasure they had hoped to gain. The further pursuit of more and more, prevents them from enjoying what they have come to possess. Becoming overly selfish about that which they possess, they are never satisfied with what they have.
From their excessive ambition to reap greater and greater profits, they begin to show signs of ill health and early aging. Finally, they confront death and encounter the next world, where, contrary to the life of this world, wealth, status and renown are of no value, and where rewards are tabulated according to one's efforts to earn Allah's favor. The great sorrow of those who had neglected Allah during their time in this world, when they are confronted with this reality, is related in the Qur'an:
It may be that those who are disbelievers will wish that they had been Muslims. Leave them to eat and enjoy themselves. Let false hope divert them. They will soon know. (Surat al-Hijr, 2-3)2012-01-21 14:33:26


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Sony to fling $642m at scandal-hit Olympus
Electronics firm to bag a stake as camera-maker's execs go on trial for fraud
Sony is reportedly about to invest ¥50bn ($642m) in beleaguered digital camera-maker Olympus, giving it a 10 per cent stake in the firm.
The Japanese electronics giant will set up a joint business with Olympus to develop new medical equipment and get a seat on the board next year, three sources whispered to Reuters.
Olympus has been struggling since revelations last year of an accounting coverup hiding huge investment losses, leaving its share price foundering and a massive hole in its revised finances.
Three of the company's former executives went on trial today and pleaded guilty to the $1.7bn cover-up exposed by former chief executive Michael Woodford.
"The full responsibility lies with me and I feel deeply sorry for causing trouble to our business partners, shareholders and the wider public," ex-chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa told the Tokyo district court.
"I take full responsibility for what happened."
The executives, also including former executive VP Hisashi Mori and former auditor Hideo Yamada, have been charged with inflating the company's net worth in five years' of financial statements up to March 2011. The executives were trying to hide losses the firm made from risky investments in the late 1980s. The firm has admitted to using "improper accounting" in the cover-up.
After revising its statements and with the scandal hitting its share price, Olympus is in need of a cash injection to sort itself out and pundits have speculated whether the firm will need to go as far as a merger or takeover.
At the end of May, rumours suggested that Panasonic or Sony could be in line for a stake as Olympus started restructuring plans including axing 2,700 staff and closing or merging some of its 30 factories.
Sony had not returned a request for comment at the time of publication. ®


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Mixed Grill
It's Memorial Day, and as every red-blooded American knows, there is only one nationally accepted way to demonstrate your sense of patriotic pride in the men and women who have sacrificed for this country. One which involves fire, hunks of raw meat, and at least one guy in a "kiss the chef" apron cursing out the blippity bleepin' starter switch on the filth flarnin' grill.
That's right: It's barbecue time, baby.
Is this creative? Sure. Appetizing? Not so much. It looks like a giant half-cooked hamburger with steak and shish kabab'ed Elmo fingers on it. [shudder] Great, now I gave myself the willies.
Speaking of shish kababs, here's the "cheater-cheater-plastic-eater" version:
[shaking head] Til the end of time, Wreckerators will be trying - and failing - to make circles out of cupcakes. What's the definition of insanity again?
And here's one with the oh-so-authentic chalky briquette look:
Ah, there's nothing like leprous-looking cupcakes to get the ol' saliva glands going!
Some bakeries are breaking down the two main components of the grilling experience. See, while this next one may look like a penned-in bunch of baboon butts, you can tell by the "GRILLIN'" sticker that it's actually a grill:
Huh. Thank goodness for stickers, is all I can say.
Oh, and here's the raw, malformed lump that goes on it! Yum!
Now there's some bloody good fun, eh, guv'na? Jolly good, pip pip, and all that. (Hey, I've read Wodehouse, Ok? I'm practically an expert on British terminology. Really.)
Shannon S., Amy J., Joanna C., & Nichole H., I'm suddenly inspired to find a doll on a grill, just so I can write the caption "Barbie on the barbie". Unless one of you knows a girl named Barbie? You could even turn the grill off, if you like.
UPDATE: Ask, and ye shall receive:


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During the height of the Iraq war, the U.S. media paid close attention to troop deaths and fatalities, often making casualties among American soldiers leading stories in newspapers and on the airwaves. As ThinkProgress previously noted, the American press has essentially withdrawn from covering the war in Afghanistan, with the Pew Center finding that the media only devoted four percent of its coverage to the war during 2010.
Yet America remains a nation at war, and it's important for Americans to understand the cost of its longest war in history, in Afghanistan. As ThinkProgress previously reported, the FY2011 cost of the Afghan war is $113 billion, approximately 40,000 times the cost of NPR's federal grant money that Republicans have sought to defund and enough money to fund the employment of 1.9 million firefighters for a year.
Yet it is the toll among human beings that is the most incalculable. As troops deaths fail to be reported in the major media, icasualties.org continues to track the deaths among American and coalition forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. According to its well-sourced data, 592 American soldiers have fallen in battle in Afghanistan since President Obama announced the surge of American troops in that country on December 1, 2009.
As the media has withdrawn from covering the war, the stories of these soldiers remain largely untold. One group in the media that has been reporting about war deaths has been local media, focusing on casualties among soldiers in the surrounding communities. A local Rhode Island news station covered the death of Dennis Poulin, who died Thursday in a German hospital from injuries he sustained in Afghanistan. Poulin was scheduled for a visit with his family within just a couple of weeks, and he leaves behind a wife and a five year old son. Watch it:
mgnetwork.net2016 Copyright. All Rights Reserved. The Sponsored Listings displayed above are served automatically by a third party…vp.mgnetwork.netThese deaths do not account for the casualties among Afghan civilians and combatants, which are of course far greater but are difficult to estimate. While the best way to ensure the safety of our troops would be to bring them home, a number of veterans and support organizations exist where Americans can donate time and money to support our men and women risking their lives. The USO and IAVA both welcome your support and goodwill.


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Ginipic - 1 views
shared by Rhondda Powling on 08 Feb 09 - Cached
Rhondda Powling on 08 Feb 09"Ginipic takes image search to a whole new level. Now you can search image search engines, photo sharing websites or your own local picture collections simultaneously. Find what you're looking for and use it instantly in your own creation - document, presentation, art work"


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Whether the Jacksonville Jaguars' reported interest in Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews is real or a smokescreen, the club reportedly brought the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews in for a visit last Thursday, just two weeks before they'll have to decide what to do with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft.
2014 NFL Draft Winds
College Football 24/7 takes a look at the rumors connecting draft prospects with NFL teams leading up to the 2014 NFL Draft.
» AFC East | North | South | West
» NFC East | North | South | West
» Tracking teams' interest in top prospects
The Florida Times-Union's Ryan O'Halloran reported via Twitter more than two weeks ago that an offensive tackle pairing of Matthews and his former Aggies teammate, Luke Joeckel, was a consideration for the club. Joeckel was the Jaguars' first-round pick, No. 2 overall, last year.
According to espn.com, that interest manifested itself in the form of a visit last week.
While the Houston Texans aren't expected to choose an offensive tackle with the No. 1 overall pick, the possibility of the St. Louis Rams beating the Jaguars to Matthews with the No. 2 pick is a real one. All four NFL Media analysts who have submitted mock drafts project the Rams to choose an offensive tackle with the No. 2 pick, two expecting Matthews to be the choice, two others seeing Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson as the Rams' pick.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher knows the Matthews family especially well, having been Bruce Matthews' college teammate and having coached him in the NFL. The elder Matthews, now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, played 19 NFL seasons.
While drafting back-to-back offensive tackles with top-three picks would certainly be unorthodox, keep in mind that the Jaguars worked Joeckel at right tackle last year before he endured a season-ending injury at left tackle. If the plan for Matthews was to play the left side, Joeckel would already have the benefit of some experience on the right.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.


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NEW ORLEANS — As hard as leaving New Orleans was for some, a year later, many find the idea of returning here equally troubling.
"I don't want to put my kids through evacuating again and losing everything again," says Ginny Kissinger.
Fleeing New Orleans, Kissinger and her family found a temporary home in Dallas, Texas. But they decided to stay.
"You go back to New Orleans — we've been back four times — they're not even doing anything to fix anything," she says.
Kissinger was able to open her own dog grooming business in Dallas. And her family is not alone.
At least a third of those who left Louisiana have yet to come back. After Katrina, New Orleans chef R.J. Honore figured Dallas would be a better place to open a new business.
"There was a chance up here, with more people involved to open a restaurant up this way," he says.
In Louisiana, canvassers are now going door to door in affected neighborhoods to try to learn how many displaced residents have returned. But they also hope to find out many have left for good. And whether more may still follow.
"I think in the next year or two we are going to see a second wave of migration out of the city as people discover the return to normalcy just isn't meeting their needs," says John Logan, a sociologist at Brown University.
It's a sensitive subject to people like David Patin, a pastor who evacuated to Dallas along with many of his parishioners and now claims both cities as home.
"The New Orleans we left will never be the same, and most of our people know that," Patin says.
So while the decision to leave New Orleans was emotional for some — "It's not really fair to tell somebody they should feel guilty for not stepping into harm's way again," Kissinger says — they are determined to rebuild. Wherever they are.
© 2013 NBC News. Reprints


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Published on : October 6, 2017
The NIGHT VIGIL is a time to gather, reflect, pray, and worship. It is a night of miracles. It is a time to experience God healing us physically, mentally, and spiritually. Held every First Friday of the month, the evening features Holy Rosary, Praise and Worship, an Inspirational Talk, Eucharistic Adoration, and culminates in the celebration of Holy Mass.
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The Office of the Managed Care Ombudsman was established in 1999 under
§38.2-5904 of the Code of Virginia. The Office helps Virginia consumers whose health insurance
is provided by a Managed Care Health Insurance Plan (MCHIP), such as a Health Maintenance
Organization or a Preferred Provider Organization. The principal responsibilities
include the following:
Protecting the interests of consumers whose health insurance is provided by a MCHIP
Contact Information for the Managed Care Ombudsman:
If you are a consumer, health care provider or other individual with a general question
or have an inquiry regarding MCHIPs, managed care, health insurance or related subjects,
you can contact the Office via the following:
Help from the Office of the Managed Care Ombudsman:
If you are a consumer and would like assistance in appealing an adverse decision
rendered by an MCHIP, you can initiate contact with the Office as described above.
In order for the Office to formally help you file an appeal, you will need to complete
a Life and Health Insurance Complaint/Appeal
Form which documents your written authorization. We suggest you call the
Office prior to completing the form. If your problem is outside the scope of the
Office, the staff will refer you to another section or agency for assistance.
Life and Health Insurance Complaint/Appeal
General Questions
How to Appeal a Denial
If Your Coverage is Self-Insured
Office of Independent External Review


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Rancho Bernardo, an older cousin to Poway, is the northernmost residential community within the City of San Diego. Rancho Bernardo encompasses about 6,500 acres and was originally designed as a retirement community back in the 1960s and 1970s. The community is centered on Interstate 15 just south of Lake Hodges and the San Pasqual Valley. Rancho Bernardo is a master planned community that includes private parks and clubs for each neighborhood in the community. It's also golfers paradise with beautiful public and private courses for golfers of every level.
Residential, MLS# 190012185
Listing provided by Pacific Sotheby's Int'l Realty
Residential, MLS# 190001406
Listing provided by Willis Allen Real Estate
Residential, MLS# 190003706
Listing provided by Windermere Homes & Estates
Residential, MLS# 190003194
Listing provided by Windermere Homes & Estates
Residential, MLS# 190011610
Listing provided by Windermere Homes & Estates
Residential, MLS# 190011973
Listing provided by Mark Schultz Broker
Residential, MLS# 190009263
Listing provided by Mercer Properties
This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. You should rely on this information only to decide whether or not to further investigate a particular property. BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER DECISION, YOU SHOULD PERSONALLY INVESTIGATE THE FACTS (e.g. square footage and lot size) with the assistance of an appropriate professional. You may use this information only to identify properties you may be interested in investigating further. All uses except for personal, non-commercial use in accordance with the foregoing purpose are prohibited. Redistribution or copying of this information, any photographs or video tours is strictly prohibited. This information is derived from the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) service provided by Sandicor®. Displayed property listings may be held by a brokerage firm other than the broker and/or agent responsible for this display. The information and any photographs and video tours and the compilation from which they are derived is protected by copyright. Compilation © 2019 Sandicor®, Inc.


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Tim Holtz Distress Mini Ink Pad - Chipped Sapphire
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On Tuesday, August 20, 2013, Dr. Michael Baganizi, superintendent of Kisoro District Hospital and on-site program director for the Einstein-Doctors for Global Health Program, made his first visit to New York – which included a stop at the College of Medicine. Dr. Baganizi talked about the special program established in 2006, among his institution and Einstein, and its University Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center.
Three dozen Einstein medical students filled a conference room to overflowing as they listened to Dr. Baganizi describe the experiences available for first-year students in the summer before second year, and for fourth-year students during their elective time.
Each year, through global health fellowships, several Einstein medical students, and residents from Montefiore, travel to Uganda to take part in the program. The residents round on the wards and assist with care at the hospital with Dr. Jerry Paccione, professor of clinical medicine at Einstein and director of the global health medicine residency program at Montefiore; medical students assist with special projects identified by community members, Dr. Baganizi and his team of community workers.
Through the years, more than a dozen such projects have been undertaken; they have included establishing a nutrition education program, providing training for community health workers, and educating women about and providing screenings for cervical cancer.
"The students work on helping to address health needs that we feel can be fulfilled," noted Dr. Baganizi. "We want to be sure that we provide helpful information and resources without setting up unrealistic expectations. The students' contributions have been instrumental to their success."
"The projects truly make an impact," agreed Dr. Paccione. "In 2010, two former Einstein students – Eleanor Chung and Chava Kahn – received Lancet's most prestigious global award in community health for their efforts in establishing the first Women's Clinic and Cervical Cancer Screening Program in rural Uganda, work they performed as Einstein global health fellows."
For additional information on the Einstein-Doctors for Global Health Program, in Kisoro, or other global health opportunities, visit the Global Health Center website; or contact Jill Raufman, director of medical student global health programs and program manager of Einstein's Global Health Center.
Posted on: Wednesday, August 28, 2013
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Permanent Full-time Position
Like us, you are passionate about cars. We also share a strong desire to satisfy customers and respond promptly to their questions and needs. You are organized, have strong communication skills, and are tactful and diplomatic, even when the workload is heavy and customers have many requests.
As part of the SPINELLI GROUP, you will be responsible for welcoming customers and visitors, as well as the switchboard. In your duties, you will apply SPINELLI telephone etiquette, for which you will be trained. As the first point of contact with clients, you will show a high level of people skills, courtesy and friendliness. In addition to conveying a professional image, you will be able to adapt your communication depending on the customer.
You are prompt and efficient, and will perform administrative tasks and provide administrative support to service, sales and accounting departments, and will excel in the art of setting priorities.
We offer:
- Compensation commensurate with your skills.
- A benefits package with a pension plan.
- A pleasant working environment within a stimulating team.
We require:
- A secondary school diploma and excellent interpersonal skills.
- Perfect bilingualism (French and English)
- At least 1 year of experience in a similar position.
- Excellent knowledge of standard office software (Windows Suite).
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- Knowledge of the automotive sector is an asset.
Does this challenge interest you? Please send your resumé without delay to the Human Resources Service at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Spinelli Group is committed to the principles of pay equity and equal opportunity employment. Please note that only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.


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The New England Patriots capped a thrilling, unpredictable weekend of football with a very familiar result Sunday night.
Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are headed to their seventh AFC title game after the Patriots throttled the Houston Texans 41-28. Houston put up a better fight than it did a month ago, but New England's offense had too many weapons for the Texans.
The Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens next week in the first rematch of an AFC Championship Game since the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns squared off against one another in 1986 and 1987.
It's almost like the Football Gods want the Patriots to play in New Orleans again. The Patriots were slated to be the No. 3 seed in the AFC until the Texans gagged in Week 17 against the Indianapolis Colts. With the Denver Broncos out of the picture, the Patriots will play host to the AFC Championship Game.
The Ravens are playing at a very high level and always give the Patriots trouble, so it's hardly an easy slate. But it sure beats having to win on the road twice to try to make the Super Bowl.
Brady now has won more playoff games than anyone in history, and Sunday's win had so many familiar aspects to recent Patriots triumphs:
» They won the turnover battle 1-0. Rob Ninkovich's interception of a Matt Schaub pass in the third quarter, followed by a Brady bomb to running back Shane Vereen, essentially ended the game.
» Their hurry-up approach gave their opponent fits. The Patriots got off a number of snaps before the Texans were ready, which led to big plays. Houston's tempo on both sides of the ball simply was slower.
» Their defense was not outstanding, giving up a lot of yardage. But it made enough big plays at key moments to let Brady do the rest.
» No team overcomes injuries like the Patriots. They lost tight end Rob Gronkowski (arm), running back Danny Woodhead (wrist) and defensive end Chandler Jones (ankle) during the game. Gronkowski will miss the rest of the playoffs. And yet it really didn't seem to slow down this team. Brady threw for 344 yards and three touchdowns.
These are the moments Brady lives for. The consistency of the Patriots' post-2004 teams gets taken for granted because it has been a while since their last Super Bowl title. But the Patriots always are contenders, and Brady always is putting the team back in position to get another title.
At this point, it's more surprising when the Patriots aren't in the AFC title game.Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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2013 and Earlier - Toyota Prius Prices Paid and Buying Experiences
That price seems high given that people in CA getting offers for Prius III @23.5K (w/o nav).
Have you checked truecar.com for your zip code? From my experience truecar.com gives the closest/lowest prices people able to get. You may have to negotiate aggressively with 3-4 different dealers to get that price.
Good luck.0
Thank you for your reponse. I also saw an ad this weeeknd another dealer advertising $23500 for a prius III w/ NAV. I think they were selling two at that price. Would it be realistic to think I can get the dealer to match that price wit Nav or lower the original quote? I am supposed to be going to the dealer today to test drive and possibly sign the paper. Please advise!0
That's a reasonable price if the NAV package is included. Did you purchase it? Which dealership? Would you mind sharing the out-the-door price and the breakdown of the costs? Thanks!0
Is it reasonable to try and negotiate Prius-II for $22000 (plus TTL). I am not sure if any dealer in Maryland will agree for that, but if they do, my OTD will be $23,720. Is that reasonable? Is that too high?0
Hey torr310, Can you tell me where you got 25150 for Prius III out the door? I'm in southern california too and i would jump on the chance for a price like that.0
Sales figures September 2011. Toyota production is now at "normal" levels but yet sales have dropped. Translation: Look for bigger incentives on Toyo vehicles in the next few months! I had noticed a build up of Prii on dealer lots in September, this article explains it nicely. Dealers will start dealing more aggressively now to get rid of excess inventory.0
avichi Posts: 22Planning to purchase a Toyota Prius used (2009-2010) models, appreciate which model should be i looking at , I have a offer for a 2009 Prius with 29000 miles from a Honda dealer for about 20,500 out of the door.
Appreciate your feedback
The price I was quote did not include nav. I have not purchased the vehicle yet. The price was from Truecars.com dealers.0
I did not research for Prius II so I can't comment on it.
I see that truecar.com quote is very close to what Toyota dealer in my area is willing to deal.
>>>Is it reasonable to try and negotiate Prius-II for $22000 (plus TTL).
Why not? Try with 3-4 different dealers in your area to see if they would go for it. At the very least you know where the bottom is.
If you are not in a hurry I think Toyota is not doing too well last quarter, and given the uncertainty in the stock market & economy, they will be more willing to deal, or Toyota is going to offer some incentives to move car.
Good luck.0
I bought a Prius III (with Nav) for $24,750 is MD. Tax, tags and dealer processing fee ($200) are extra.
Was this a decent price?0
The incentives have started. In Southern CA, Toyota is offering 0% APR for 36 months on various vehicles (Prius is one of them). Offer ends 10/31 but it wouldn't surprise me if they extended it till the end of the year. 2012 Prius will be in dealer lots in early January, so expect Toyota to ramp up incentives from now till end of December.0
I think thats a good price, I just got a prius 3 in southern cali for $1000 less than that. usually they charge $2000 more navigation.0
Just got an offer in Maryland for 2011 Prius III white with Navi for $25100 with 0% for 36 months. Is this a good deal? Thanks!0
If that is an out the door price, it is a very reasonable quote.0
Quite good compared to what I got in MD itself.
For Prius 3 (with Nav) I got $24,750 + (Tax, Tags and dealer processing fee of $200) and my interest rate is 2.74%0
It's not OTD. Which dealership did you get yours?0
Koons Westminister
However, since you are getting 0% financing, you numbers look good even if it does not include tax and tags (I am assuming yours include freight).
As I said my $24,750 included freight, but not tax, tags and dealer processing fee of $2000
Yes, it includes freight. I'm in Montgomery County. How do you like your Prius so far? It's amazing that it gets 50+MPG.0
Have had it for all of 4 days now and love it! I live in Howard County and was a hike to to pick up the Prius, but was worth it as I got the best deal there.
Your deal looks better than mine though. All the best,0
qtp Posts: 1I'm planning to buy a Prius III now. Can you give me the name of the dealer that you got your car from in Montgomery County? So far all the offers that I got for Prius ||| is almost $25000 without any options? Thanks.0
intubator4 Posts: 6Hi. I'm thinking about leasing a 2011 Pkg 5, and am wondering about RV and Money factor's on a 3 yr./ 12K per year lease. Also, any idea about upfront costs and how they break down? Thanks!0
I live in Howard county and work in Montgomery county. However I picked the Prius from Koons Westminister. It was a bit of hike, but I got better deal there than in Howard or Montgomery county.0
Try Fitzgerald in Gaithersburg. Good luck!0
Pass by a dealer today asking about new Camry hybrid, the dealer offer this price for a base Prius II plus TTL. Kind of enticing to get it. Any comments?0
Looks decent - if I had that offer last week when I was shopping, I would have bought it0
Did he give you an out-the-door price? Any other add-ons (mats, etc)? Sometimes they low ball you and add additional fees at the end. One dealer gave us a super low quote (20K+fees) and then tried to add lots of additional fees, including a $600 processing fee. Total ballooned to over $25K when all was said and done, which was not very competitive. Needless to say, we walked. Always ask for the breakdown of the costs and the total price.0
byronpaul Posts: 1Just wanted to confirm if an OTD price of $30,950 for 2011 Prius 4 w/ nav is a good deal. I wish the 0% financing was available in our region. Any comments??0
thanks. I did not ask for the exact OTD price. He told me TTL is about 10%, including 7.75% sales tax here.
Lots of Prius on lot. I see local ads for $22000 for Prius II. , with "10 available", so it does not look like a low ball offer. May wait some time to see what Prius V look like,0
I'm in Southern CA also. Lots of Prii inventory at most dealers in LA County. Mostly in Silver, Gray or Black though. Beach and Claremont have had loss leaders in their ads in LA Times. Which dealer had the ad with 20 available?
See one of my previous posts on exact cost breakdown for a 2007 Camry we bought in '07. I have been using it as a guide to roughly figure out costs on top of the price the dealers have given us. In general, 10% for all other costs sounds about right.0
I live in Orange county, the Toyota of Orange posted on the local newspaper (Orange County register) of $22000 on Prius II with "10 available. The neighborhood dealer whom I talked to yesterday had black and silver at the $21450 price.0


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I was wanting to gauge interest in a ride around the Gettysburg Military Park, surrounding roads, and the Cashtown Inn: http://www.cashtowninn.com/ for lunch.
If anyone wants to plan something for this October when the leaves are changing and the air is crisp, let me know so we can plan a route, etc. I am in Southern York County PA.
Any and all input input welcome.


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beer soaked fries….really!/
A few months back, I received an offer from Foodbuzz + New Belgium Brewery, to make a beer-infused meal or create a meal that pairs well with NB beers. And here I am, finally getting around to creating a recipe!
Participants received a stipend, which was enough to cover the New Belgium Folly Pack + my dinner plans. I wish someone would sponsor all of my meals!
I racked my brain, trying to think of a recipe to infuse with beer. For some unknown reason, even though my body doesn't get along with gluten, I've had no negative side effects from beer. I'm hoping it stays that way!
Since making french fries, at my birthday party, I haven't been able to get them out of my head. Beer + potatoes? Seems like a good combo. I googled "beer fries" only to find recipes for beer battered, deep fried, fries. While that sounds delicious, I didn't want to batter + deep fry these fries.
What about soaking them in beer, then baking them?
I invited Kelsey + Eric over to be my test subjects. They complied.
I headed to the local food co-op, to pick up a few last minute dinner items, including a few russet potatoes. Cutting taters into fries is fairly easy!
- Cut the potato in half, lengthwise.
- Turn one half on it's side.
- Depending on how thick you want the fries, make 2-3 lengthwise cuts. [as pictured above – that photo was after cutting both halves]
- Turn the half flat side down, so the cut pieces are stacked parallel with your cutting board.
- Cut 3-4 lengthwise cuts, perpendicular to the previous cuts. [as pictured below]
- Repeat with the other half.
And then you get a big bowl of fries!
And then you soak the fries in beer! I used New Belgium's Somersault Ale, which is a delicious summery ale. A little hoppy, a little fruity, goes down nice + smooth.
Soak those taters! I used a whole bottle for 3 russet potatoes, and I would say they soaked up about 1/2 of the beer.
Garlic Salted, Beer Baked French Fries [serves 4]
- 1 bottle New Belgium Somersault beer [or beer of choice]
- 3 russet potatoes [~1 3/4lbs]
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3T olive oil
- 1-1 1/2t salt
- 1/4-1/2t black pepper
- Preheat oven to 425*
- Scrub potatoes, and cut per instructions above. leave the skins on.
- In a large bowl, soak the cut fries, in 1 bottle of beer.
- Let soak for 15min, tossing 1-2x.
- Drain beer and toss with olive oil, garlic, salt + pepper, until well coated.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment [optional, but nice for quick clean up!] and spread the fries, in a single layer on the pan. Use two pans, if needed. You don't want them stacked.
- Bake for 40min – 1hr, depending on how crispy you like them, tossing 3-4 times. [Mine were in for about an hour. I'm assuming they took longer to cook because of the beer they soaked up]
- Add more salt + pepper to your liking.
*edited to add* One reader tried these with gluten-free beer and said it worked really well! Check the comment section for tips on types of beer people have used with these.
These were hands down, the best fries I've ever made. I'm not sure if it was from the beer, or just the combination of everything, but they were crispy, bursting with flavor + quite addicting. When I tasted one out of the oven at about 40min, they were still a bit soft, and you could definitely taste the beer. As they cooked longer, and became crispier, the beer was less noticeable. If you're not a beer lover, you would still love these fries!
French fries + beer, make for a very happy husband.
Details on the rest of this meal, tomorrow!
Off to catch some zzz's…just got home from a marathon of a day!


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** Runner up for Most Innovative Game Design on the Indie Showcase at Casual Connect USA 2013! ** Nominated for a Unity Award 2013 for Best 2D Visual Experience! A truly unique puzzle experience that embraces simplicity, elegance, and challenge. Strata paints a simple yet engaging puzzle game onto a sophisticated canvas of color and sound. Test the limits of your brain by completing complex weaves of color to solve a puzzle. The point of the game is to strategically layer colored ribbons to match a pattern. Using forethought and strategy you must sequence your moves correctly. Over time patterns emerge and your tactics may evolve, but Strata will keep you on your toes with increasingly difficult puzzles.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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DIY Media 2010: Video Blogging (Part One)/
This is the sixth in an ongoing series of curated selections of DIY Video prepared in relation to the screening of DIY Video 2010 at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and organized by Mimi Ito, Steve Anderson, and the good folks at the Institute for Multimedia Literacy. The following is a curatorial statement by Ryanne Hodson, author of The Secrets of Videoblogging. Videoblogging emerged as the bandwidth hogging stepchild of podcasting or 'audio blogging' in early 2004, a little over a year before YouTube. We can put media files in a blog and have it delivered right to people's computers as we update? This is it! This is what we as artists, filmmakers, cable access producers, frustrated television editors and moms and dads with camcorders have been looking for for so long. The big D, Distribution. We have all these ideas floating in our heads, now we can get them out and share them with no gatekeepers or higher ups telling us it's not 'broadcast quality' or 'green light worthy'. We're "making stuff up and...putting it on the internet, and you can't do shit about that " (Michael Verdi, Vlog Anarchy).
Technical note: In the beginning, videos were uploaded in the Quicktime format and not easily embeddable/sharable on other blogs like Flash (and soon the HTML5 video tag) is now, so I'm linking to the original blog posts for viewing. My second round of videos will be embedded for your viewing ease.
First Mantra- Kicked To The Head- Daniel Liss- 11/25/2005
there are so many kinds of videos to choose from made by videobloggers since 2004. For the first 24/7 DIY Video Summit in 2008 I chose a selection based on personal connections.
Excited- RyanEdit- Ryanne Hodson- 12/01/2004
Many of these people have become my close friends and collaborators over the past 5 years.
Vlog Anarchy- Michael Verdi- 2/20/2005
I've slept on their couches, I've played with their kids, I'm about to get married to one of them.
Became A Nurse- Miss B Havens- 3/10/2006
Videoblogging can be anything the creator wants it to be. Some say it's just simply video on a blog, or even broader, just video online.
This Cheese Sandwich- The Faux Press- Jan McLaughlin-7/17/2006
Most of us were video makers before we were bloggers.
Private Screening- Scratch Video- Charlene Rule- 2005
Blogging was just a way to distribute our creations free and wide- whether it was a conversation, a documentary, a political statement, a home movie or just a tiny moment that was recorded.
Mad As Hell- Twittervlog- Rupert Howe- 7/13/2007
These are people whose work from 2004-2007 inspired and changed me. All of them are still active videobloggers. Some, including myself, have morphed their methods to include more instant videoblogging through iPhones, flickr, Facebook and Twitter- our ideas scattered throughout the web.
Hand Carved Tusk- Hopper Video- Rob Parrish- 6/10/2006
For the most recent 24/7 DIY Video event, I explored these creators' evolution into more experimental endeavors. I will be sharing these in my next installment. Enjoy!
The End- Twittervlog- Rupert Howe- 6/11/2007
Ryanne Hodson (RyanEdit.com, RyanIsHungry.com) co-author of the first published vlogging book, The Secrets of Videoblogging, started her career as a video editor at WGBH PBS Boston and in Boston public access television. From Bangkok to Delhi, Amsterdam to San Francisco, Ryanne has taught diverse audiences the hows and whys of videoblogging. With partner Jay Dedman, she produces RyanIsHungry.com featuring stories of individuals hacking everyday life and exchanging notes on survival.


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Seven that focus on American history and culture designated as We the People projects
Recent grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) are bringing teachers at all levels together with scholars and primary source materials for intensive workshops designed to deepen participants' understanding of significant humanities topics. With the first grants awarded in a new NEH program, 16 local and regional "Faculty Humanities Workshops" will be offered during the current academic year and this summer to provide professional development for K-12 teachers and faculty at post-secondary institutions. Seven of these have been named We the People projects, a special recognition by the NEH for model projects that advance the study, teaching, and understanding of American history and culture.
"Teachers who participate in these workshops will deepen their knowledge of the humanities through the collaborative study of significant topics, texts, and issues," said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. "With their experiences at these workshops, teachers will return to their classrooms with greater command of their subjects and new tools and techniques for engaging their students."
New workshops designated as We the People projects include one developed by the University of Maryland, College Park, that will enable 15 middle and high school Latin teachers from the Washington, D.C., area to study the impact of the classical tradition in the United States. In a workshop designed by the Community College Humanities Association of Newark, N.J., 12 community college faculty will conduct a research program at the Library of Congress to study the development of American cities and the American urban experience. In another workshop developed by the Chicago Metro History Education Center, 16 Chicago-area elementary and secondary teachers will explore significant debates in American immigration history over the past 200 years. A complete list of the new Faculty Humanities Workshops is available in the above box.
In considering 84 proposals submitted for Faculty Humanities Workshops, NEH looked for projects that would:
- extend and deepen knowledge of the humanities by fostering collaborative study of significant topics, texts, and issues;
- provide faculty with the opportunity to engage in rigorous intellectual inquiry, including reading, reflection, and discussion;
- involve scholars from outside the institution(s) who are experts in the topic of the workshop;
- use creative formats and programs to engage faculty members; and
- advance the study and teaching of the humanities at the participating institution(s).
NEH grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Throughout the year, humanities experts outside of the Endowment and members of the National Council on the Humanities consider all applications and advise NEH on the quality and significance of each proposed project.


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Queer Dreams & Nonprofit Blues: Dilemmas of the Nonprofit Tradition in LGBT Politics
Over the last four decades, a formal, nonprofit institutional structure has come to dominate socialjustice work in the U.S., replacing prior traditions of volunteer- and membership-based organizing, and other less hierarchal, more participatory mechanisms of civic engagement. Today, such institutional nonprofits constitute the bulk of the work of advocacy, research, litigation, service delivery, and organizing on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. As part of the Engaging Tradition Project at the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School, this conference explores the ways in which the nonprofit model has affected the aspirations, organization, mobilization, and vision of the U.S. LGBT movement. How are activists responding? What methods are we using both within and outside nonprofits to evaluate the impact of their work? Activists and scholars discuss their experiments and offer a range of perspectives at this two-day event.
For more information, visit bcrw.barnard.edu or call 212.854.2067.


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How does it work?
It's simple! Customers give Piedmont permission to round up their monthly natural gas bill to the nearest dollar. The difference goes directly to provide financial assistance to our neighbors in need. The most it can cost you is $12 each YEAR.
NOTE: You must be a Piedmont Natural Gas customer to enroll in Share the Warmth!
To enroll in Share the Warmth, complete the form below and hit "Submit"!
Thank you from Piedmont Natural Gas
Learn more about Share the Warmth


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Oct. 15, 2005
Lipscomb's Bisons soccer team went after a second-straight Atlantic Sun victory Saturday night but fell 3-1 to visiting Campbell University.
The Bisons scored the first goal of the game at 18:58 of the first half when midfielder Josh Cline fired a shot that was deflected off of a Campbell player and into the net.
The advantage was short-lived. Campbell forward Willy Guadarrama took a shot that was blocked by Lipscomb goalkeeper J.D. Murphy and the followed up on his own rebound for a goal from about 10 feet away at 23:30 of the first half.
"The hardest thing to stomach is that we were up 1-0 ," said Lipscomb Coach Charles Morrow. "On a team like that, if you go up by a goal and they are just going to sit in then we needed to play keep away from them. We didn't do a very good job of that at all."
Midfielder Sonny Guadarrama scored the go-ahead goal from 15 yards out at 42:34.
Campbell added an insurance goal in the second half. Willy Guadarrama split a pair of Lipscomb defenders to find open ground on a breakaway. He took a shot from approximately 12 yards out that went into the right side of the net for his second goal of the game.
Campbell posted 11 shots in each half with nine shots on goal for the game. Sonny Guadarrama and Willy Guadarrama each had five shots and each made three shots on goal.
"We knew about those two players coming into the game," said Morrow. "And we weren't tight enough against them. They are good players. "
The Bisons made 18 shots, six of them shots on goal. Forward Ben Page made six shots, but had only one shot on goal. Forward Ryan Walker was credited with three shots on goal for the Bisons.
`Their line of confrontation is midfield," said Morrow. "They are only going to defend in their half which makes it hard to get behind them. We didn't do a good job of being patient with our possession of the ball and trying to spread them to look for opportunities."
In the second half the Bisons made 10 shots despite Campbell putting more pressure on the ball.
"Campbell tightened things up in the second half," said Morrow. "They tightened their markings up but they still weren't coming out very far."
Murphy made six saves for the Bisons. Campbell goalkeeper Aaron Johnson was credited with five saves.
Campbell is 8-3-1 overall, 4-1 in the A-Sun. The Bisons are 3-7-1, 1-4 in the conference. The Bisons home record is 2-1-1.
"We're a solid team, and we have good players, but we don't have a difference maker," said Morrow. "Xander Vooys is a difference maker in the back. We don't have someone who can take over. That's the difference between us and the teams that are getting results against us."


text: Infrastructure is changing. It's nearly impossible to design a product or application without carefully planning how it'll deploy on specific infrastructure. I should know because in running a business that automates application deployments, I deal with infrastructure every day. So here's my take on how I view infrastructure and its evolving changes. Read More


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Tire World is a tire dealer, custom wheel shop, and auto repair center in Tampa, FL. We have over 40 brands of tires and 60 brands of custom wheels in stock and are proud to help drivers throughout our community and areas like Brandon, FL and St. Petersburg, FL. We have a low tire price guarantee and have highly competitive prices on new rims and auto repair services. We're also big on customer service. If you have a question, don't hesitate to contact the Tire World staff for answers. We're happy to help with everything from shopping for new tires to installing custom wheels to repairing your vehicle. Use our website to shop for new tires online, schedule an automotive repair service, or see what our aftermarket wheels will look like on your ride via our wheel visualizer.


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Because the world always needs more Sexy Mario, the big man in the overalls is back, this time with some super hawt Tennis shots.
I'm not sure this quite outdoes the "mouthing of the tiny question mark cube," but the one with the balls and racquet is… erm, appealing. I guess.


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In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garam masala; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add broth; bring to a boil. In batches, fill skillet with spinach; cook until wilted, adding more spinach as room becomes available, 2 to 3 minutes; season generously with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer spinach until soft and liquid is mostly evaporated, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in tofu and yogurt; serve over rice.


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I had no idea whether I was going to get into the squad. I'd had a lot of injuries that season, and in April I was selected for an England B http://www.officialauthenticravensstore.com/Nike-Mark-Andrews-Jersey.html game and Glenn Hoddle said: "I want to take you but you've not played enough games." I didn't think I was going. Then he announced a 30-man squad with me in it, and we went to a training camp at La Manga. Every session you're trying to decipher what it means for your place in the squad.
Eventually, those of us who made the 22 were told at the hotel, all at the same time. It quickly came out that Paul Gascoigne had been pretty unhappy at missing Derrick Shelby Youth jersey out, and that's what people remember. We'd been together for a while and all of a sudden you're losing some of your colleagues, and as pleased as you are that you're not one of them, watching those guys head http://www.officialbuffalosabres.com/Adidas-Josh-Gorges-Jersey out the door, seeing their sadness, that wasn't good for the group.
I think what Gareth has done is much better. There's people on standby but everybody knows where they stand. And I like his squad: I think England have always picked players for tournaments because of their reputation. This is the first time I've seen a squad genuinely picked on merit.
In France we were in a hotel in the countryside. The facilities were fantastic and we had some things to do – a pool table, table tennis – but there's only so much of that you can play. There are going to be periods of boredom. When you've got nothing to do you pick up a newspaper, and that's when the media scrutiny hits you, and if there's negative press the squad picks up on it pretty quickly. Gareth has been to tournaments, he'll know that and he'll put something in place to stop the boredom kicking in. I would have liked to go out on some trips, to get the players in a group together, away from the hotel. But then if results are bad everyone would have complained that the players were off doing that rather than concentrating on football.
We had a strong team in Japan, built on a strong defence. The key was that we had played together for a long time. I knew Pharoh Cooper Youth jersey Sol Campbell's game, Sol knew Ashley Cole's game, I knew Gary Neville's game, or Danny Mills's game [Neville missed the tournament through injury]. When you've got those relationships, it allows you to perform with confidence, and I think that's what this England team is missing.
There were a lot of injuries in the buildup – David Beckham was coming back from a metatarsal, Kieron Dyer and Steven Gerrard were both affected by injury and replacements were flying in and out. I think if a player's carrying an injury going into a tournament, they're never going to get fit enough to come into the team and make a difference. Especially if it's your star man, the attention it creates, especially if that player doesn't play to his best, it has a negative impact on the squad. You want to get rid of all that razzmatazz – a player needs to have played at least a couple of games at the end of the season, and the manager needs to be strong enough to make that call.
He doesn't have to only pick players who are in form, though. You need people with international experience, who the manager trusts, but if you've got a few players on the fringes of the squad who were in form at the end of the season, they can make a difference.
I have good memories of that World Cup. I think it was the most well-organised tournament I went to. There were some big distances to travel but the facilities were fantastic, the pitches were first class and I think every detail was taken care of perfectly. My family came out, and nobody had a murmur of complaint. Plus we beat Argentina. We were a long way from home but at a World Cup that doesn't make a difference. You're in your bubble. You could be on the moon and it wouldn't make a difference. cheap jerseys wholesale nfl jerseys cheap nfl jerseys cheap nfl jerseys


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Something is going on. What it is exactly remains a mystery.
Something is going on with South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Sure, various maladies have affected him this season. A bone spur in his foot. A stomach virus. A strained rib cage muscle is the latest. But that doesn't seem like the full story.
For whatever reason or reasons, Clowney has barely been a factor this season for the No. 12 Gamecocks (4-1), which is incomprehensible given the conversation that surrounded him this past summer. Just six weeks ago, it seemed a given Clowney would be the No. 1 pick in next spring's NFL draft and at least on the fringe of the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Instead, Clowney has been a mystery man: Good, at times, but ineffective at others and overly frustrated that teams have game planned around him, running a large percentage of plays to the opposite side of the field. Clowney was so aggravated, in fact, that he suggested South Carolina's coaches were misusing him after a loss to Georgia in September.
Clowney sat out Saturday's 35-28 victory against Kentucky, telling coach Steve Spurrier during pregame warm-ups that he wouldn't be able to play. Spurrier acknowledged Clowney didn't practice Thursday but told reporters he was under the assumption Clowney would play until right before kickoff. Spurrier's follow-up comment, however, intimated there might be other issues involved.
"If he wants to play, we'll welcome him to come play for the team if he wants to," Spurrier said. "If he doesn't want to play, he doesn't have to."
On a teleconference Sunday, Spurrier said it was "not a big story" and that he was just surprised by the timing of Clowney taking himself out of the lineup. But when asked if he thought Clowney was totally committed to and focused on the team, as opposed to perhaps his professional future, Spurrier went vague again.
FOOTBALL FOUR: Rating and debating college football
"You'll have to ask him about that," Spurrier said. "I can't speak for Jadeveon."
Though Clowney is still a massive talent, this season has been a bust so far. But he's not alone among players who have not performed to the level of attention they received in August.
Three players who were overhyped coming into the season and three who were underhyped, based on the first six weeks:
Who did we overhype?
Alabama WR Amari Cooper: As a freshman last year, Cooper led the Crimson Tide with 1,000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns and looked very much like a superstar in the making. But similar to Clemson's Sammy Watkins, who slumped as a sophomore after a dazzling freshman year at receiver, Cooper hasn't found his stride this season. There seem to be a number of factors playing into Cooper's regression. Not only is he attracting more attention from defenses, but he's also been bothered recently by a sore toe that kept him out of one game and has limited him in practice. Regardless, he's all but out of the All-America conversation prior to the season's midway point sitting at just nine catches and 100 yards without a touchdown.
Michigan QB Devin Gardner: There was a ton of talk in the preseason about how Michigan's offense would be significantly better with Gardner running the show full-time. That may ultimately prove to be correct, but the Wolverines are very fortunate to be 5-0 as Gardner has been very turnover-prone early in the season. Though Gardner played error-free against Minnesota this past weekend, he's thrown eight interceptions and also lost fumbles at key times against Akron and UConn, games Michigan had to come back and win. Gardner is the engine for Michigan's offense and has some significant skills, but that's just too many turnovers to be considered among the elite players in college football.
Notre Dame DE Stephon Tuitt: He was the breakthrough star of the Fighting Irish's defense last season with 12 sacks, 47 tackles and three forced fumbles as a sophomore, putting him in the conversation to be a first team All-American and first-round NFL draft pick in 2013. But the impact of Tuitt's offseason surgery to correct a sports hernia was severely underrated heading into the season. Tuitt gained weight and got out of shape in the offseason because he was limited in exercise and has seemingly been behind ever since. "The surgery that he had has affected his back; it's affected his hip flexors," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "Some people dismiss it and say, 'Well, you know, you just had minor surgery.' Well, it's affected a lot of things."
Who did we underhype?
Baylor QB Bryce Petty: Even though he barely played his first two years on campus, quarterback was way down the list of question marks about Baylor coming into the season. This is Art Briles, after all, and quarterbacks are kind of his thing. Still, Petty's efficiency running this offense is insane, especially for a guy we didn't know much about six weeks ago. Though Baylor's competition has been soft, Petty's numbers are impressive: 67-for-92 for 1,348 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has just one interception and is averaging 14.7 yards an attempt. As Baylor rises in the polls, the spotlight on Petty will only get brighter. So far, not enough people have taken notice.
Oregon State QB Sean Mannion: For a variety of reasons, it's hard to get noticed at Oregon State. If Mannion were putting up these numbers at a more glamorous program, he would probably be the runaway Heisman leader at the moment. Instead, the Beavers will need to keep winning for the rest of the country to catch on to his incredible statistical run of 2,018 passing yards and 21 touchdowns with just two interceptions. That's 403.6 yards and 4.2 touchdowns per game. Mannion, a junior, needs just 428 yards to surpass what he did in nine games last season (he missed four with injuries) and already has thrown for six more touchdowns.
Wisconsin WR Jared Abbrederis: Though he was not a secret by any means, Abbrederis was overlooked in nearly every preseason discussion about the nation's best wideouts. But the former walk-on, who played quarterback, wrestled and ran track in high school, is now likely on his way to an NFL career and possible All-America honors if he keeps up his current level of production. Abbrederis is averaging 114.4 yards per game, which ranks 12th in the country and is even more impressive when considering he's accounted for more than half of the team's total receiving yards.


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SAN JOSE -– San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski has been named to the United States roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The team will begin gathering July 1 in San Diego, and will host Guatemala on July 5 in the only tune-up match prior to the start of the tournament. Kickoff at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego is set for 8 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network and UniMas.
Wondolowski has 11 career caps for his country, the last coming on Jan. 29, 2013 against Canada. He was a part of the U.S. team for the 2011 Gold Cup, appearing in three matches as the U.S. team reached the final of that tournament.
[REWIND: Wondolowski out for Quakes with foot contusion]
The U.S. Men's National Team was drawn into Group C of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup along with Belize, Cuba and Costa Rica. The U.S. will open group play against Belize on July 9 at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore., before traveling to Sandy, Utah, to face Cuba at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 13 in their second group match. The United States finishes the group in East Hartford, Conn., against Costa Rica on July 16 at Rentschler Field.
This season Wondolowski leads the Earthquakes with five goals and three assists. Last season, he was named Volkswagen MLS MVP after tying the all-time league record for goals scored with 27. He led San Jose to the Supporters' Shield with 66 points and a 19-6-9 record. He is now the Earthquakes all-time leading scorer with 69 goals.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8): Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Oguchi Onyewu (Malaga), Michael Orozco Fiscal (Puebla), Michael Parkhurst (FC Augsburg)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Helsinborg), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Joshua Gatt (Molde FK), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jose Torres (Tigres)
FORWARDS (5): Will Bruin (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Club Tijuana), Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
San Jose Earthquakes media services


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By ,
Published September 12, 2015
The Los Angeles Kings have pushed another playoff opponent to the limit, and the Anaheim Ducks have one last chance to push back.
After two weeks of tight games, dramatic momentum swings and improbable heroes, the first postseason Freeway Faceoff will be decided in Game 7 at Honda Center on Friday night.
The Ducks have more at stake than extending beloved forward Teemu Selanne's career into the Western Conference finals against Chicago.
Coach Bruce Boudreau and the top-seeded Ducks had the best regular season in franchise history, but will have little to show for it without a win.
Los Angeles' postseason poise is undeniable. With a workmanlike victory in Game 6, the Kings improved to 6-1 in elimination games over the last two years since their 2012 Stanley Cup run.


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As America's financial crisis attempts to resolve itself, one can only wonder what comes next. So many unnerving events have happened during such a short time span. But don't let any of this keep you from a good night's sleep. Even when we thought we knew what was coming, most of us didn't. Most of the financial media along with Wall Street's forecasters have proven themselves to be consistently wrong too. Still, one thing we can say with 100 percent certainty as 2008 comes to its conclusion is that the herd mentality rules.
In case you've forgotten, here's a brief recap of what the herd has been doing over the past 10 years:
In 1999 the herd was buying Internet stocks. Then, after getting massacred, they lost interest in stocks and around 2003 they started buying real estate. Eventually that got old. And today, now that they've lost their homes and almost everything else they own, guess what the herd is doing? They're selling stocks.
This year's lousy performance of key stock benchmarks is merely a reflection of the panic selling that has engulfed the masses. TrimTabs Investment Research estimates that investors yanked around $43 billion from their equity mutual funds.
Even though history has been screaming at them, the herd still hasn't learned from it because they've been too busy to notice that it's in the process of repeating itself all over again. Did they forgot about what happened after the Great Depression, the crisis during the 1970s and the crash of 1987? As a result of their own ignorance, the herd's cycle of losing continues.
What's their problem? Maybe the better question is what isn't their problem.
Risk? What's That? During a bull market many investors shove aside the financial risks of investing. The tendency is to underestimate risk. But things change quickly once they see their investment accounts fall in value. "All too many investors were led to the mistaken conclusion that big losses wouldn't bother them," says Jason Zweig, author of Your Money and Your Brain (Simon & Schuster) "These people paid a terrible price for their poor self-knowledge."
If there's anything that can be said which is good about a bear market, it's that it teaches people they probably took more risk than they previously realized.
Helping your clients to recalibrate their portfolio's risk with their own level of risk tolerance is the obvious solution. If their personalities can't handle the volatility of stocks, dialing down exposure can put them back on track. Likewise if they overdosed on individual stocks, help them to diversify into broader stock index funds like Vanguard's Total Market ETF (VTI), the iShares Russell 3000 (IWV) or the SPDR DJ Wilshire 5000 (TMW). They can keep their exposure to stocks but reduce the risk and impact of single-stock blow-ups.
Bad Behavior Academia has invented a relatively new field of research going by the names "behavioral finance" and "neuroeconomics." The point of behavioral finance is to attempt to explain the financial decisions investors make. It tells us why investors have the tendency to act a certain way when they are given a set of choices or specific circumstances.
Consider some of the behavioral problems that afflict investors: beginner's luck; confirmation bias; illusion of control; illusion of knowledge; false consensus; failure to save; fear of loss; gambling; greed; herding; magical thinking; money illusion; overconfidence; overreacting; procrastination; regret; self-deception; selective thinking; status quo bias; winner's curse.
Before people can make prudent or informed investment decisions, they first need to eliminate the behavioral problems that are preventing them from succeeding. That's where you come in. Working with a financial advisor (you) can help people to avoid self-destructing because of fear, regret or some other emotional problem. Help your clients to get out of the way of themselves.
Not SavingWe live in a society with a spend-now, pay-later mentality. For that reason, America's consumerism is killing people financially. Want proof?
The personal savings rate among all U.S. consumers during 2006 was negative 1 percent, according to the Commerce Department. This was the worst showing since the two-year period of 1932-33 during the Great Depression. Interestingly, that negative 1 percent savings rate was recorded when the stock market and housing market were performing decently well. Think about it. If the typical American couldn't save money when times were good, what can be expected of them now?
After decades of hard work, one would expect older workers to be in good shape financially, right? Wrong. In fact, older Americans haven't accumulated enough money to generate sufficient retirement income. According to a 2007 Retirement Confidence Survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), three-fourths (74 percent) of workers age 55 and older report that their savings are less than $249,999.
No matter what the stock market or U.S. economy does, people that save and invest always do better than those who don't. Not only do the numbers prove this fact true, but so does history. Please drill this message into the brains of all your clients, especially those who are tempted to cash in their retirement plans or to put 100 percent of their long-term savings into money market or cash equivalents.
Investing the Wrong WayMany people have the erroneous belief that they know how to invest. A closer look, however, shows that they resemble the Three Stooges acting out one of their crazy stunts.
Here are a few common mistakes that millions of people make every single day:
o 401(k) participants invest too conservatively. Many workers miss the growth potential of stocks by overweighting bonds and money market funds within their retirement plans. While bonds may provide them with a sense of short-term security, that's where the benefits end.
o Older workers are taking too much risk with their money by not being diversified. A recent EBRI survey showed 25 percent of people above age 60 held more than half their retirement plan in company stock.
o Investors are impatient. From 1985 to 2005, the average redemption rate for stock mutual funds was 2.78 years, according to the Investment Company Institute. Does that sound like enough time to let your investments reach their full potential?
o Missed opportunities. Investors have forfeited more than 75 percent of their potential gains because of performance chasing and other destructive behavior, according to research by Dalbar.
o Investors favor the statistical chances of losing. The statistical chance of investing in an actively managed fund that outperforms major stock indexes over the long-run is slim at less than 3 percent. Yet, 86 percent of investors' money remains committed to active strategies, notes the Financial Research Corporation.
I have a dumb question for you. Can you help your clients to avoid investing the wrong way? If you can't, then you should find a new line of work.
Serious Money vs. Play MoneyNumerous academic studies illustrate the folly of chasing hot performance.
One study, discussed by Professor Leonard Mlodinow in his book The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, analyzed 800 mutual fund managers over a five-year period from 1991-1995. Were the best performing fund managers during this period also the top performers over the next five-year period? The answer is no. Investors that made the decision to choose the top performing funds from 1991-1995 would've been disappointed with the results from 1996-2000. Other time periods studied show similar results.
Basing your investment decisions on the historical performance of mutual funds or stocks is a losing investment strategy. Every year millions of investors get burned by chasing hot performers only to see them flop.
During these turbulent times, help your clients to focus on getting the right asset allocation for their serious money. If they want to chase hot performance, trade individual stocks or tinker with other foolish strategies, let them do it with money they can afford to lose.
Diversifying the Right WayBy owning 5 large-cap mutual funds, typical investors have deluded themselves into believing they're adequately diversified. Conversely, it's the investors that own too many of the same types of investments that have killed their portfolios by overdiversifying.
True diversification means balanced market exposure to the major asset classes like bonds, commodities, cash, foreign stocks, real estate, TIPS and U.S. stocks.
Help your clients to understand that they only need a handful of low-cost index funds to build a diversified portfolio.
Here's a short list of ETF ticker symbols in key asset classes to start with:o Bonds (AGG, BND or LAG)o International Bonds (BWX or PCY)o Commodities (DBC or GSG)o U.S. Real Estate (RWR or VNQ)o International Real Estate (RWX)o Total U.S. Stock Market (IWV, TMW or VTI)o International & Emerging Markets Stocks (CWI or VEU)o TIPS (IPE or TIP)
Vital Policy StatementIt's been said that people who fail to plan should plan to fail. Why should it be any different with investment and retirement planning?
Research shows that many pre-retirees have no financial game plan. Only 42 percent of workers have calculated how much they need to save for retirement, according to a 2006 study aptly titled "Will More of Us Be Working Forever?" In other research, the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that one-third of baby boomers between ages 51 to 61 don't have enough accumulated savings to fund a comfortable retirement. What are all of these people thinking?
Advisors can help their clients and prospects by drafting a simple investment policy statement that gives them realistic financial goals. The IPS should describe the person's time horizon, risk tolerance, target asset allocation, re-balancing schedule, prescribed savings schedule, a distribution strategy and what financial products will be used to execute the plan.
Accepting Financial Responsibility Understanding that we are responsible for our own future financial outcome is a fundamental truth. One of the reasons financial irresponsibility is so widespread today is that we live in a society of finger pointers, excuse makers and blame shifters. When things don't go as planned for whatever reason, instead of accepting the consequences, irresponsible people look for scapegoats. How many millions are going to blame their lack of success on a bad stock market or a U.S. economy in recession?
Financial responsibility doesn't look for excuses and financially responsible people accept the consequences of their decisions. Why? Because they have an adult or a mature view of money and investing.
Help your clients to appreciate this, plus one more point: If they fail to reach their financial goals, they have themselves to blame. On the other hand, if they succeed, guess who they can blame? Themselves! Also, they can probably blame you, their financial advisor, for the fact that you rendered them good financial advice. Either way, clients are always 100 percent at fault for anything that happens to them.
ConclusionBear markets have a way of bringing out the worst in investors and magnifying their mistakes. In this regard, the rough year we've experienced in the financial markets here in 2008 won't be different from other difficult periods.
People still need help with knowing what type of portfolio risk they can handle. They need to act responsibly and to avoid the perils of financial puberty. They need to treat their serious money with care and to have a realistically written investment plan. They need to start listening to reliable sources of financial information. And if they aren't able to do any of these things, how will they avoid self-destructing?
More importantly, who will rescue them from this frightening possibility? I hope it's you.
Ron DeLegge is the San Diego-based editor of www.etfguide.com.