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Last month, TIME Magazine came out with an article titled Childfree Adults Are Not "Selfish," in which the writer talks about her decision of not having children. As she recalls, it's a decision that to this day remains highly scrutinized. "Over the course of our marriage, we've been peppered with the kid question — from distant uncles, hair dressers, bartenders, bosses, the postman and even the neighbor lady: Don't you have kids? When are you going to have kids? Saying "I don't want kids" simply set me up as a challenge to be surmounted."
The other day I was talking to my friend, who has decided not to have children. She's happily married, and it's a decision they both have agreed on. As she told me, she's never really had that maternal calling. In my opinion, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and it's sad that society puts so much pressure on women to have children.
I interviewed five women on their decision to not have children, and here's what they had to say.
Would you decide to not have children? Leave a comment below.
Would you Decide to Not Have Children? 1 of 6
Five women share their story for not having children ... scroll through to read their interview.
Photo: frankdekleine via Flickr
Barbara Palazuelos, 32: "I Don't Have the Maternal Instincts" 2 of 6
I don't have one main reason for not having kids, I have quite a few, well-thought and rational arguments on why I don't personally want kids. Firstly, I don't have the maternal instinct to have children and I feel part of that is because I don't want to become my mother. Without getting into specifics, she and I didn't get along while I was growing up, for a number of reasons. I have actually been pretty much living on my own since I was 13 and if it weren't for both sets of my grandparents, I wouldn't have made it to where I am today. How could I risk bringing a child into this world if there's the possibility that I could treat them like that, or even worse?
Another basic fear I have when it comes to having a child is the pregnancy and labor itself. I watched my sister go through three, long pregnancies that resulted in her being sick for 3-4 months, having to close a business that was just getting off the ground and leaving her unable to do much else besides try not to get sick on the couch. Her labors, fortunately, went smoothly and quickly and I love my nieces and nephew as though they're my own. On the other hand, I have friends who went through relatively easy pregnancies only to have their own personal nightmares in the delivery room. One friend, after 27 hours of labor, ended up having to get a C-Section because of the length of time it was taking. Another friend was so torn up 'down there' from her labor that she couldn't sit for a month. Other friends lament how their bodies have been ruined by having one or more children and while I know they love their kids more than anything else, their body-image has fallen to pieces. I've heard enough of these horror stories to realize that I don't want to put myself through anything like that. Selfish? Yes. Realistic? Yes.
A more practical reason for not wanting to start a family is that I am not, nor have I ever felt, financially stable enough to support more than one hungry mouth besides my own. Because finding a husband and getting married isn't high on my list of to-do's either, I don't have the money or support to try to care for another human being. I am a college graduate who is paying off my student loans myself as well as a car, all while paying down major credit card debt. By the time I've paid off my debt, it would biologically be too late for me to have a child. I would also end up racking up more debt to pay for food, clothing, diapers, school, medical, etc. just to keep a child alive and living the life that is expected of it. That would leave me without a savings plan and at the end of my life, what would I do? Yes, I've heard the argument that our children are supposed to take care of us in our Golden Years, but that isn't the culture we live in. In absolute reality, almost all of us are going to end up in a retirement home when we're old, but on whose dime? Our families will be having the same struggles with their household finances as the ones I fear of having myself.
My last reason for not wanting to have any children is that simply, there are enough people on the planet as it is. I am not a die-hard environmentalist but I know the signs when I see them and our world isn't the healthiest or safest at this point in time. I don't feel that bringing children into this world, right now, would benefit anything. Another human is another resource-user and I feel many of our resources are running thin.
I am 100% happy living my life as it is without children. I have dogs who get all of my attention, I'm able to travel much cheaper and easier than a family, I can go out on the weekends and socialize without the added expense of a sitter and can eat at a 5 star restaurant if I'd like. In other words, I can do whatever I want and I don't feel empty or as though I'm missing out on something. Let the mothers out there have the children. Let the loving, financially stable families bring another generation in. I'm perfectly fine with me, myself and I.
Marla Martenson, 51: "There's No Way I Could Have Properly Taken Care of a Child." 3 of 6
Even though I adore children and love spending time with them. I would say that not having children is the best thing that I never did.It's funny, I always wanted to get married and live happily ever after with my soul mate, but having kids never crossed my mind. I must have been missing that gene or hormone or something. Although I am incredibly nurturing, I always have a pet that is the light of my life and constant companion. My dog Macie is treated better than many children.
I remember as a teen, observing my older cousin. She was married, had two kids and then got divorced. She became a single mother working as a waitress to support those kids. It was very unappealing to me. I made a mental note, that life is NOT for me. I also always dreamed of living in Hollywood, becoming an actress, and traveling the world. I moved to Hollywood from my hometown of Seattle at the age of 20. I jumped into the artist life of working nights and going on auditions in the day, taking acting, singing, dance and language classes. I always had a husband or boyfriend in my life, and never in a million years thought that having a child with one of them would be a good idea. The last thing I needed was to be connected to an ex husband for the rest of my life. And I could not imagine having to hand my child over to an ex's girlfriend or new wife for the weekend. I could never have handled that. And, after all, I was a struggling artist just getting by paying my bills, there was no way I could have properly taken care of a child.
I always fancied myself a world traveler, leading glamorous life. I loved being able to sleep in as late as I liked. I remember a friend of mine that had kids telling me that she got up every morning at 5 am because she had to get the kids up and ready for school, and that she had not slept in past 6 am for years, I shuddered at the thought. I had no desire to get up at the crack of dawn, filling sippy cups, changing dirty diapers and trying to fit a stroller into the trunk of the car.
Now that I am 51, I see my friends with their grown kids and even grandchildren, enjoying family time, dinners and holidays, and all the joys. It would be nice to have a magic wand and create a family of grown up kids, but sadly, it is not to be.
Ellen Goodwin, 51: "It Makes Being an Adult Just That Much More Fun." 4 of 6
For me choosing to not to have children was an easy decision. My sisters loved kids. They loved to baby sit them. To be around other people's children. To play with them. I felt none of that instinct. And I knew it from a very young age and was perfectly fine with it. Surprisingly, I was a camp counselor for 7 years during high school and college and was around 12 year olds for full summers. While I had fun it didn't make me want to change my mind and become anyone's mother. It was easier then, and now, to be the fun person around kids. To look at children like library books -- you check them out, you enjoy their company and when you are done you send them back to the parents. You don't have to be the disciplinarian. You don't have to clothe and feed them. You don't have to deal with them being cranky.
Luckily when I met my future ex-husband, we were both on the same page about not having children. We actually talked about it on our first date. Neither of us saw ourselves having and raising children. And we made a point of being with friends that didn't have children. It made (and makes) being an adult just that much more fun. My sisters all had children so I made the decision to be a fantastic, fun aunt. The one that did cool things. That talked to them and treated my nieces and nephews like they were adults. And now that they are, I have great relationships with them. Not having children was a slam dunk idea in my world and one I have never regretted.
Amy Maria Blackstone, 41: "I Enjoy the Financial Flexibility." 5 of 6
I chose not to have kids for a number of reasons but I think the most important factor is that my life is fulfilling as it is. I haven't ever felt a void that I thought could only be filled by having children. The default assumption in our culture is that women will - even must - have kids. In many ways, I'm baffled that it's the choice not to have them that we put under the microscope. Isn't the choice to bring a child into the world the one that should require the most inquiry and depth of thought? I think that all children deserve parents who know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they want to be parents.
Of course I also enjoy the flexibility (financial, time, etc.) that not having children affords. Not having kids means that I have more time to nurture and enjoy my relationship with my husband, Lance. It means that I have the opportunity to participate in my profession in ways that would be more challenging if I had kids at home. It means that I have the flexibility to develop new hobbies at the ripe old age of 41 -- last year I joined my local roller derby league and now skate as Wined Up for Central Maine Derby. It means that Lance and I are able to spend a month or more each year on our favorite Caribbean island of Roatan.
None of these activities is limited to the childfree, of course, and many of my closest friends in derby and elsewhere are mothers. I support the choice they've made and am grateful that they support mine. It is possible, however, that not having kids may free me up more to engage in all of these activities and still reserve some time for solitude, reflection, and quiet. I am grateful to live in a time and a place where not having kids is a choice I am able to make. Whether one decides to become a parent or not, to me it is having the opportunity to make a thoughtful, conscious choice that matters most.
Tricia Bennett, 52: "I Had Used Up My Parenting Energy…On My Parents!" 6 of 6
There are several reasons that I never wanted children. The first is that I never really wanted to have babies. I've never had a biological clock ticking. Maybe I just don't have that much estrogen, but other things were always more important and interesting to me than having children. I remember making a conscious career decision in my late 20's to early 30's. I love children. I work with children. I knew if I had children myself, changing diapers would take away from my ability to work on behalf of and serve large numbers of children and families, which is what I do and what I have done for the past 30 years.
Last, but not least, I have a theory that everyone has a certain amount of parenting energy in them and when it's gone, it's gone. My parents were both chronic alcoholics. My mom died when I was 30 and my dad died when I was 40. By the time my father died I believe that I had used up any and all of my parenting energy .... on my PARENTS! I always relate to parents who say, "Thank God my kids are finally grown and out on their own." I think to myself, "So are mine!"
At age 52, I have no regrets about my choice. I am very happily married to a man who chose not to have children either. We both love and work with children (he is a soccer coach) and when we are not at work, we spend time with friends and family, travel around the world, and have tons of fun taking care of each other. Life is simple ... and good!
Read more of Carmen's writing on her fashion blog, Viva Fashion.
10 things every woman should do before having kids
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25 horrifying photos of stuff kids have ruined

subset: commoncrawl


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On The Ball: Playoffs on tap
It seems like yesterday we were stifling in that 90-plus degree September heat wave, not bundling up and clutching cups of cocoa at football games.
But it's true: Playoffs in high school boys' and girls' soccer and field hockey begin next week. The Vermont Principals' Association will release playoff pairings sometime in the early afternoon on Monday for the eight Middlebury, Mount Abraham, Otter Valley and Vergennes soccer teams, all of whom compete in Division II; and the D-I MUHS field hockey and D-II OV and Mount Abe teams.
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Den Gedanken auf der Spur bleiben. Zeichnungen 1950–1990
Keeping Track of Thoughts: Drawings 1950–1990
Museen Haus Lange and Haus Esters, Krefeld, Germany
08 September 1996 – 03 November 1996
Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld, Germany
This artwork was shown in the following exhibitions:
This artwork is included in the following publications:
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This catalogue was published on the occasion of the exhibition Richter en France at the Musée de Grenoble in 2009. Both the exhibition and catalogue are dedicated to works by Gerhard Richter that belong to public collections and museums in France...
|Richter en France
|Tosatto, Guy / Criqui, Jean-Pierre / Storsve, Jonas
More Details
This catalogue raisonné of Gerhard Richter's drawings encompasses works in pencil, India ink, ballpoint pen, and other drawing media, on both paper and canvas since 1964...
|Gerhard Richter. Drawings 1964-1999. Catalogue Raisonné
|Schwarz, Dieter / Pelzer, Birgit
This artwork is shown or mentioned in the following videos:


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SCHOOLCRAFT, MI – A team from Schoolcraft High School was all business in winning the eighth annual Junior Achievement of Southwest Michigan "Titan of Industry" competition.
The Eagles team of Matt Abel, Sam Ebersberger, Luke Johnston and Evan Pratt were among 31 teams from eight area high schools -- Battle Creek Central, Climax Scotts, Comstock, Galesburg-Augusta, Gull Lake, Portage Central and Schoolcraft – to take part in the JA Titan Challenge at Davenport University in Kalamazoo.
"We are proud of our team," said Lori Pelton, Schoolcraft High business instructor.
The Schoolcraft foursome beat 15 other teams in two rounds and in doing so will each receive a $250 college scholarship and other prizes. Their competition mission was to make strategic decisions about their product's price, production levels, marketing expense, research and development expense, capital improvement expenses and charitable giving amount in the virtual marketplace.
Other winners from the student event included the second-place winners in the Gold Medal round "CC Pride" from Comstock High School and third place in the Gold Medal round went to "Dynasty" from Comstock. The Silver Medal went to the "Ivy League" from Comstock and the Bronze Medal winners were the "Last Ones In" from Schoolcraft High School.
Previous competitions' top winners have been teams from Mattawan, Portage, Comstock and Schoolcraft.
The event was sponsored by Davenport University, Pfizer CentreSource, the Wiser Financial Group, Chemical Bank, CTS Telecom, and Treat Street. Additionally, several local companies sponsored individual student teams for the event including BDO, Climax Rotary Club, Cole Gavlas, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, Keystone Community Bank, Marshall Community Credit Union, OMNI Community Credit Union and Seelye Wright Automotive Group.
The JA Titan is a Junior Achievement educational program for high school students designed to teach them about running a successful business and the decisions that are important to maintain that success in the face of stiff competition. Players serve as the "CEO" of a virtual company and make six key decisions including setting the product's price, production levels, marketing expenses, research and development expenses, capital improvement expenses, and charitable giving amount. The product is fictional and the simulation is set in the year 2030.
The six decisions made per quarter during the simulation result in the success or failure of each virtual company.
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a volunteer network, JA provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12.
It also offers educational programs that focus on three key content areas: entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy.
JA of Southwest Michigan involves thousands of students in Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties each year.
For more information, visit swmichigan.ja.org.


text: Posted 24 Nov 2012 Another thread with much concern about the use of words and grammar was on the board a few days back. I got to thinking about my distaste of the term "dizzy" used for a distributor and realized it wasn't any different than others problems with other terms used here on the board. I thought the thread did cover the topic very well in that "build" and "kit" were words/ terms used frequently here on the board, making them, pretty much colloquial ( characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.) Looking back through the years Hot Rod magazine writers have continually tried ( sometimes successful, sometimes not ) to introduce new words to the hobby. For what it's worth, you wont find the term Hot Rod once in any issue of the magazine Throttle ( predecessor to Hot Rod by several years). You will also be hard pressed to find the term "Gow Job" in any Hot Rod magazine before the 2000's. My point is our language as our hobby is forever changing. Like it or not. Boy this makes me dizzy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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King Holiday Hoopfest: Federal Way runs by Decatur, 71-63
Despite traveling 20 miles north on Interstate 5, Monday afternoon's Federal Way-Decatur boys basketball match-up still had that backyard feel.
And just like they did the last time the two powerhouse programs met, the Federal Way Eagles came out on top. This time the Eagles ran by the Gators in the fourth quarter during Monday's game at the 11th annual King Holiday Hoopfest inside the Bank of America Arena at the University of Washington, 71-63. It was the first time the two rivals played since last year's Class 4A state semifinal inside the Tacoma Dome.
"That was a whole lot better than playing at Decatur, I'll tell you that," longtime Federal Way head coach Jerome Collins said with a smile. "But it's always a big game. We just stepped up and made some shots."
The game was the only regular-season meeting between the two schools after Federal Way moved into the South Puget Sound League North Division during the summer.
"It was a great game wherever it was played," Federal Way senior guard Michael Hale said. "Basketball is basketball. We just need to play hard, especially in a rivalry game."
The game between the third- and fourth-ranked teams in Class 4A lived up to all the hype during the first three quarters Monday afternoon. But the ultra-quick and athletic Eagles proved too much for the Gators down the stretch.
The win moved third-ranked Federal Way to 12-2 on the season and the loss dropped Decatur to 11-2.
After a Jordan McCloud lay-up at the third quarter buzzer tied the game at 52-52 entering the final eight minutes, the Eagles opened the fourth quarter with a 10-4 run to take a commanding 62-56 lead. A 3-pointer by Decatur's Jerron Smith with 46 seconds to play cut the lead to 66-63, but that was as close at it would get.
"It was a high-energy game," said Federal Way junior Cole Dickerson, who finished with 17 points. "We just needed to have a chip on our shoulders and go out and play."
The game featured several subplots, but none were more evident than Federal Way's Hale playing against his old teammates. Hale transferred to Federal Way last year after playing his first three seasons for the Gators.
Things started off a little shaky for the 5-foot-9 Hale. The Eagles' leading scorer didn't tally his first points until early in the second quarter. But the senior shook off the slow start, and some taunting from the Decatur crowd, to finish with a team-high 20 points, including 10 of Federal Way's first 13 points in the second half.
"Some of it was anxiety," Collins said. "We told him we were going to run some stuff for him. He was the difference early in the second half. He was just kind of out of rhythm early."
The Eagles also got solid contributions and senior guards Andre Barrington (13 points) and Jeffrey Forbes (10 points), especially on the defensive side of the ball. Forbes spent most of the day guarding Decatur's two-time, All-SPSL guard Marcus Tibbs, holding him to just 12 points.
"We really wanted to limit his touches," Collins said of Tibbs. "You can't really stop ballplayers like him. Jeffrey did a great job on him."
Decatur hung right with the Eagles in the first half, despite some sloppy play trying to break Federal Way's full-court press. The Gators trailed by just one point after the first quarter, 15-14, and at halftime, 34-33.
Decatur ended the game shooting 58.1 percent from the field but were hampered by 25 turnovers, compared to only 12 by the Eagles.
McCloud, a 6-foot-5 forward, finished with 20 points and, along with Smith, proved to be match-up problems for the Eagles. Smith finished with a game-high 22 points, including five 3-pointers, and his dunk late in the first half gave Decatur their biggest lead of the game, 30-25. He was 10 for 13 from the field.
McCloud ended the game 10 for 10 from the field and also grabbed 13 rebounds.
The win over the Gators came just two days after the Eagles lost their second South Puget Sound League North Division game of the season Saturday night to the second-ranked Kentwood Conquerors, 52-50. The loss dropped the Eagles (8-2 in league) into a second-place tie in the division with Auburn and Kentridge, one game behind Kentwood.
"We have got to get over (the loss to Kentwood)," Hale said. "We can't dwell on the old stuff."
Despite the loss to Federal Way, the Gators still sit in a first-place tie in the SPSL South Division with the Puyallup Vikings and play two huge league games next week. Decatur will host Puyallup Friday night and the third-place Curtis Vikings (8-2) Tuesday.
"It was fun," Tibbs said of the game. "We know we can beat them. We just need to get a little better."
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By CLIFFORD HAGAN, ELTINGVILLE
The following was sent to Gov. Paterson.
It would be unconscionable to allow natural gas drilling in the form of hydraulic fracturing in our state's watershed areas. This destructive drilling technique would unleash an inimitable swill of toxins that will surely poison our water, our woodlands and our children.
Gas companies have proposed injecting millions of gallons of water and chemicals into wells to fracture rock and release the natural gas deposited in the shale below. This must not be allowed to occur.
You have the authority and opportunity to stop this travesty. You must support Bill (A1322), sponsored by Staten Island Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer, which prohibits drilling within 5 miles of the New York City watershed.
Please end hydraulic fracturing in our watershed now.


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Q: Over the last few years, many of my trees have toppled due to storms, etc. in the wooded area at the back of my property. I want to fill it back in with new trees.
The area is semi-open but mostly shaded by taller trees. Most of those are ugly locust trees that grow like weeds. Any suggestions about trees that would thrive in that setting and add some variety?
A: Those black locusts are tough competitors. Getting new plants to grow where a stand of black locusts have a head start is a tough challenge, but not impossible.
I think it's more of the dense, suckering root system of the locusts that make filling in underneath more of a problem than the shade. Besides the vigorous roots, there's some evidence that black locusts have allelopathic properties, meaning they put out a natural chemical that repels many other species from growing nearby.
Whatever you plant, try to select pockets that are as free as possible of existing locust roots. If that's not possible, clear out clusters of small feeder roots so anything new will have a fighting chance for the first year or two at least. To the extent possible, I'd suggest a competition-free zone of at least five times the width of the new plant's root ball.
Then I'd go with plants that do reasonably well in part shade as well as tolerate root competition.
Five small trees at the top of my list for this situation are:
* Redbud, a native small with heart-shaped leaves and pinkish-lavender flowers in early spring before the leaves emerge.
* Cornelian cherry dogwood. Unlike the better known American dogwood that blooms pink or white, this compact, densely branched tree blooms yellow in very early spring and gets red pea-sized fruits in fall.
* Witch hazel, a multi-stemmed tall shrub or a small, single-stemmed tree, depending on whether it's pruned (and how). Witch hazels bloom at winter's end with spidery-looking flowers and turn an attractive gold in fall.
* American fringetree, another small native tree that'll grow as a multi-stemmed tall shrub is not pruned. It gets white flowers with slender petals in spring that look like hanging confetti.
* Serviceberry, a native that flowers white in spring, then gets edible blue berries in June and reddish-gold fall foliage.
Keep them well watered the first couple of seasons to help the roots establish.
You could also consider a few other tall shrubs in the 6- to 8-foot range that would help to fill in underneath.
Three of my favorites in that setting are oakleaf hydrangea, witch alder (Fothergilla) and arrowwood viburnum, especially the varieties 'Chicago Lustre' and 'Blue Muffin.'
And if you want something evergreen to add to the mix, try eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) in the sunniest spots and blue hollies where it's shadier.
I've done several garden columns in the past about replacement trees (including lists of "muscle" trees, patio trees, street trees and more).
If you need more details about any of the plants above, most of them are profiled in the Plant Profiles/Trees section of my web site.


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The three hours or so it took Syracuse to absorb a 56-0 loss at Georgia Tech on Saturday were unsightly.
The numbers to come out of the Orange's most lopsided loss since a 59-0 drilling at the hands of Miami in 2001 are every bit as ugly.
Penalties for Syracuse, a season-high. The Orange were flagged for 91 yards worth of infractions, which is also the most this season.
It should be noted the Orange have committed at least seven penalties in every game this season. Coming into the week, only 30 of the 123 programs in the NCAA rankings even averaged seven penalties per contest.
Completion percentage for Syracuse in three ACC games. Terrel Hunt and Drew Allen combined for complete 13 of 29 passes in Saturday's loss, mustering 133 yards and two interceptions.
Overall, Hunt, Allen and Ashton Broyld (who has two pass attempts in conference play) have combined to complete 35 of 79 passes for 281 yards and eight interceptions over the last three weeks. That comes out to a passer efficiency rating of 53.93.
Combined score after the first quarter of each of Syracuse's five games against power conference competition this season. The Orange's only first-quarter points so far this season came against Wagner and Tulane.
The Orange found themselves down 14-0 after one quarter on Saturday, and things never did get better. Georgia Tech led 28-0 at the half and 49-0 after three quarters.
Margin of victory in a shutout of an ACC team for Georgia Tech, its largest since beginning conference play in 1983. The previous high was a 38-0 rout of Maryland in 1993.
It was also the Yellow Jackets' largest margin of victory against a major-college opponent since pummeling Navy 70-7 in 2001.
Rushing yards for Georgia Tech, the eighth-most allowed in Syracuse history. The worst rushing defense day in school history was Oct. 14, 2006, when the Orange surrendered 457 yards at West Virginia.
This was not as poor a performance against the run, but it was still quite unsightly. The Yellow Jackets averaged 5.9 yards a carry, and Georgia Tech scored seven of its eight touchdowns on the ground.


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- Ages: 9 and older
- Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Pages: 162
- Illustrations: 16 in black-and-white
- Dimensions: 5 3/4'' x 8 1/2''
- Format: Hardcover with jacket
- Author: E.L. Konigsburg
- Award: 1968 Newbery Medal
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When Claudia decided to run away, she knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away. That's why she decided to run not from somewhere but to somewhere and she would be gone just long enough for her family to finally get a lesson in Claudia appreciation. Along with her second youngest brother Jamie (he could be counted on to be quiet plus he was rich), Claudia ends up living in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. But once the fun of settling in is over, the pair run into a few unexpected problems, one of them involving the mystery of a beautiful statue.
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Presumably, your tax dollars are now in Uncle Sam's hands and you're free from filling out tax forms for another year. So where does all that money go?
The Wall Street Journal has a nice breakdown of where $100 of taxes goes, broken down by government functions. You really could characterize the government as an insurance company with an army: $69.33 per $100 of tax receipts goes to defense, Social Security and health care, according to The Committee for a Responsible Budget. Education? $1.32. Foreign aid? $0.97. And what if we just eliminated salaries for Congress? That would save just $0.004 cents.
Long-suffering holders of Japanese ETFs got a bit of cheer last night: The Nikkei stock index rose 3%, thanks to tech stocks and SoftBank, which owns 37% of Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce company, which reported hot fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday. JPY. iShares MSCI Japan, the largest Japanese ETF, has fallen 6.7% this year, according to Morningstar.
Mortgage applications picked up in the latest Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey, which is a glimmer of hope in the so-far disappointing spring housing market. The MBA reports a 4.3% increase the week of April 11 from a week earlier. The refinance index gained 7%, and the purchase index, seasonally adjusted, gained 1%, says Calculated Risk.
Bank of America blames a slowing mortgage market for its earnings miss today. Oh, and a $6 billion legal charge.
Some ETFs are trying a low-volatility approach to emerging markets. While the approach makes you wonder – emerging markets seem synonymous with volatility – Morningstar says these ETFs, such as iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility (ticker: EEMV), might have some merit.
Have trouble seeing the road in the dark? The Dutch are experimenting with glow-in-the-dark roads, which they say will save money on street lighting.


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Right here in Portland, the nonprofit Oregon Chapter of the Scleroderma Foundation has been hosting free and regular support group meetings for years at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, along with providing annual free education seminars and other outreach events throughout the metro region.
The word "scleroderma" is composed of the Greek words "sclero" for hard and "derma" for skin. But the reality is this rare autoimmune disease usually involves many more conditions, and affects everyone differently. That's part of the reason the medical community has generally done a poor job of properly and quickly diagnosing the disease, often taking years to get it right in individual cases.
Prior to the Oregon chapter's affiliation with the national foundation, the local support group existed for decades, going back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, as an independent body of concerned patients with practically no one to turn to but themselves.
Maria Rivelli of Happy Valley was officially diagnosed with scleroderma in 1992. Prior to her diagnosis she experienced puffiness and swelling of the fingers and hands while working for a garage door manufacturer in Portland. Working right out of high school and a dedicated worker for 28 years, her demanding tasks included handling of various machinery, air tools, cutting torches and hammering devices. Maria originally thought years in this industry had finally caught up to her, taking a serious toll.
Scleroderma impacts each individual differently and manifestations vary greatly. In Maria's case the disease has detrimentally damaged her hands. Since 1996 she has had fifteen hand surgeries due to Raynaud's phenomenon, a condition of extreme sensitivity to cold temperatures causing blood vessel spasms in her fingers, and build-up of scar tissue in both hands. Severe chronic pain and digital ulcers have been very problematic for Maria. Seven of her fingers have either been partially or fully amputated impacting significant loss of dexterity and hand coordination.
Erion Moore of Tigard was officially diagnosed with scleroderma in 2009. Prior to his diagnosis, he experienced range of motion difficulties, swelling of the hands, shortness of breath and muscle tightness while working at a juvenile probation camp and playing in several basketball leagues. His symptoms progressed to dramatic weight loss, vitiligo and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Although Erion feels scleroderma has significantly decreased his activities, he remains positive. True to character he continuously reaches for new heights. Those who know him well feel he has a great sense of humor, is easy going, compassionate, loyal, ambitious and intelligent. He earned his associate degree in Ethnic Studies from Foothill College in California and his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Southern Oregon University.
Richard Bates of Hillsboro was officially diagnosed with scleroderma in 2003. During that time, he worked as a computer field engineer. At the onset of symptoms, he knew something was terribly wrong when his fingers started to become numb, turned blue and one day he had difficulty breathing while mowing the lawn. As hand dexterity and coordination were rapidly changing and Raynaud's phenomenon was becoming worse, productivity at work and home activities became extremely challenging. Personal care such as hygiene, taking showers and grooming within normal time constraints became problematic as well.
As anyone in the community understands, scleroderma varies greatly between cases; manifestations and severity are as unique as one's thumb print. For Richard, the disease attacked aggressively in the first few years. Shortly after diagnosis in 2003, his breathing capacity and lungs rapidly declined. In 2004, GERD and acid reflux quickly set in. Due to the seriousness of his health transitions, Richard could no longer work and he left his job in October of 2004.
Richard's greatest challenge was ahead. His health declined to the point in 2005 that a life-saving double-lung transplant was performed at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine.
Natasha Dawson of Portland was officially diagnosed with scleroderma in 1994 during the end of her senior year in college. A mind-boggling encounter (yet a blessing in disguise) just prior to her diagnosis involved a stranger on campus who asked if she had scleroderma. Her transitions have included Raynaud's phenomenon, pulmonary hypertension, GERD, anemia, plus esophagus, kidney and lung complications.
Other major ailments that have significantly impacted Natasha include lupus (diagnosed at age 9) and polymyositis which significantly impacts tightness of skin and loss of limb mobility. At the time of her lupus onset Natasha's mother was a nurse and doctors told her not to expect Natasha to reach her teenage years. Natasha's aunt and niece also have lupus.
Despite Natasha's ongoing challenges she remains extremely positive, uplifting and active. For more than 20 years, she has served the community as a child care provider and teacher, starting in high school and college. She has also held several other positions ranging from food services, hospital volunteer work, telemarketing, retail, office, and more. After graduating college in daycare and preschool studies, she worked at a Christian school teaching kindergarten. Natasha presently provides full-time at-home care.
Please join us for the 9th Annual Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma Walk on Saturday, July 12 in Happy Valley!
Register and get all the information now at www.scleroderma.org/oregon.
This is a great opportunity to connect with old friends, meet new friends and walk in honor or memory of loved ones affected by scleroderma.
This event is an excellent opportunity to raise money for research to find the cause and cure of scleroderma. It helps our chapter provide the necessary support resources and free educational forums for patients and families.
Join us and help support the cause! Create your own fundraising page and encourage your family, friends and coworkers to support your goal. We make it easy to share your fundraising page online through email and social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Be a part of the foundation's largest fundraising events. Because of generous donors, volunteers and participants — just like you — we are able to get one step closer to finding a cure for scleroderma.


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Great Balls Of Ice Introduces Two New Product Features For Their Ice Mold
Silicone Ice Mold Now To Be Sold With A Funnel and Free Recipe Book Offer
(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 30, 2014 ) Austin, Texas -- The highest ranking ice mold on Amazon, Great Balls Of Ice introduces two new features to their product. The silicone ice ball mold will now be sold with a funnel and an insert in the packaging offering a free recipe book. Customers can expect the additions to happen at the beginning July 2014.
Ice Mold Instructions
Ice Mold Instructions
The funnel being introduced will offer consumers a more convenient way to fill the ice mold. "Great Balls Of Ice made the decision to add the funnel because of customer feedback. We listen closely to what our customers say and improve our products accordingly." stated Alex Longmire, spokesperson for Great Balls Of Ice.
The insert to be included in the packaging is a thank you to valued customers with the option to receive a free recipe book. "Included in the insert is our customer service email and instructions on how to receive the free recipe book. We wanted to be certain our customers have a convenient way to contact us and thank them for purchasing our ice mold." stated Lisa Hayslett, Marketing Director for Great Balls Of Ice.
Great Balls of Ice has been sold on Amazon since mid 2013 and has exceeded sales forecast since the initial launch. The success of Great Balls Of Ice silicone ice mold is attributed to great customer service along with a superior quality manufacturing of Great Balls Of Ice.
The silicone ice mold is made from FDA approved, BPA free durable silicone. It has a leak proof seal with a fill line for ease of use. The ice molds will soon be sold with a funnel and an insert added to the packaging with contact information and a free recipe book.
Great Balls Of Ice is available for purchase on Amazon and is sold with a 100% money back guarantee.
About Premiere Traders
Premiere Traders, a new company formed in early 2013, will offer products for enhanced daily living. Premium quality with a unique and fun twist will be added to each new product. Their first offer, Great Balls of Ice, has already been well received as evidenced from customer reviews.
Contact Information:
Premiere Traders
Alexa Longmire
Tel: 5127744234
Email us
This is a press release. Press release distribution and press release services by EmailWire.Com: http://www.emailwire.com/us-press-release-distribution.php.
Premiere Traders
Alexa Longmire
Tel: 5127744234
Email us
This is a press release. Press release distribution and press release services by EmailWire.Com: http://www.emailwire.com/us-press-release-distribution.php.


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Why Plug Power (PLUG) Is Popping
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Plug Power
By market open, shares had added 18.2% to $3.66. A mere five weeks into the year, the stock has exploded 137.4%.
The alternative fuel cell developer said it had received a "significant GenKey contract from a leading retailer to roll out its turnkey hydrogen fuel cell system solutions."
Over a two-year period, the company will install its equipment in six North American distribution centers, the first of which will be operational in the second quarter of 2014.
The Latham, NY-based business said the partnership cements its position as the top global proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system provider. This type of fuel cell uses the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to convert to electrical energy. Plug Power said the deal also proved this fuel source is becoming mainstream.
"We've, without a doubt, clearly demonstrated our leadership position as the premier provider of industrial fuel cell solutions. In the coming year, we plan to grow not only in the material handling industry, but also expand into other fleet vehicle applications such as transport refrigeration units, ground support equipment and range extenders," said CEO Andy Marsh in a statement.
Currently, Plug Power has deployed more than 4,500 GenDrive units to clients such as Wal-Mart
Plug Power's rally is pulling others in the industry higher in morning trading. Ballard Power Systems
Must Read: Plug Power Receives Multi-Site GenKey Order


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fine and good…but, what's the problem spending a couple of minutes with the Apostle's Creed, the 3 Ave Maria's (faith, hope , and charity…what next..the Glory Be's, PAX Vobiscum
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Students in the program have named the student cosmetology clinic Vogue Techniques. Nominal fees are charged to cover the cost of materials for the various beauty care products that are utilized as part of the learning experience and service provided.
Vogue Techniques is opened on Thursdays and Fridays starting at 11:30 a.m. Patrons are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Permanent waves and chemical services will not be accepted after 11:30 a.m. If chemical services are required, patrons should plan to arrive by 11:30 a.m. Patrons will not be accepted after 1:30 p.m.
Vogue Techniques is located at the Salem County Career and Technical High School's main building (Career Center) in room A27.
The building is located on Route 45 in Mannington with parking available in lot "C." Patrons are asked to not park in front of the building and must have available a driver's license or another form of ID.
For more information about Vogue Techniques, call the Cosmetology Clinic at 856-769-0101 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.


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University Productions held "Talent Lehigh," Lehigh's first-ever talent show open to all students, professors and staff, in Lamberton Hall Jan. 31.
UP, a student-run organization, wanted a way to showcase the Lehigh community's talent and therefore decided to hold an event similar to that of popular TV shows such as "America's Got Talent" and "American Idol."
With the show's top three acts eligible to win prizes (the first-place act took home $150), there were many contestants eager to showcase their talents.
The event was interactive and involved audience participation in order to determine the event's winners. There were also raffle prizes each hour, which added another bonus for several of the event's attendees. The hall was packed with students excited to see what the event had to offer.
Free food and drink were also available for students to enjoy while watching the performance.
Many different talents were showcased onstage, due to the fact that there were no restrictions on what contestants could choose to do.
"What surprised me the most was how diverse the talents were," said Munad Mahinoor,'16, one of the organizers of the event. "You had musical talents, a girl with a hula-hoop, and even a guy with some sick Dance Dance Revolution skills. Just goes to show you how wide-reaching our passions can be."
Jimmy Miller, '14, and Simon Voorhees, '14, performed "Don't Trust Myself" by John Mayer, with Miller playing the electric guitar and Voorhees singing. Students cheered them on throughout their entire performance.
The pair ended up being voted the winners of Talent Lehigh.
"I just had fun with it," Miller said after the show. "I don't get to perform in front of people very often, so it was a great time. I don't think we deserved to win because there were a lot of great acts, but we were both very happy to win it. I would like to thank everyone who voted for us!"
"I think this was the perfect event," said Tae Hong Min, '15, the director of the event, said. "I got enough food for the perfect amount of people. All the chairs were filled.
"Not too many nor too little amount of people attended the show, so overall, I think we hit the target audience perfectly."
"The room was well decorated with tons of balloons, which I enjoyed," said Kate Oliver, '14. "They also had tons of food and did a raffle, which was great, because who doesn't love free food and prizes? I was impressed by the turnout and really enjoyed the acts that I saw."
University Productions' next big event will be its Valentine's Day festival in Lamberton Hall on Feb. 15.Story by Brown and White news writer Ko Yazaki, '14.


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Cory Schneider made his third straight start in goal for the Devils as they faced the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night at Prudential Center.
Roberto Luongo started for Vancouver.
Patrik Elias returned to the lineup after missing two games with food poisoning. Captain Bryce Salvador (death in his family) did not play. Elias, Travis Zajac and Andy Greene each wore an 'A.'
Mattias Tedenby, Jacob Josefson and Peter Harrold were healthy scratches.
Devils lines:
Patrik Elias-Andrei Loktionov-Jaromir Jagr
Dainius Zubrus-Adam Henrique-Michael Ryder
Rostislav Olesz-Travis Zajac-Damien Brunner
Ryan Carter-Stephen Giointa-Steve Bernier
Defense pairings:
Andy Greene-Mark Fayne
Anton Volchenkov-Marek Zidlicky
Eric Gelinas-Adam Larsson
Mike Santorelli scores for Canucks
Zajac Misses net
Daniel Sedin stopped by pad save
Henrique hits outside of left post
Alexander Edler missed on backhander
Elias stopped
Schneider stopped a Tanev shot from the right circle at 1:19.
Jagr was denied at 2:37 after a rush up the ice by Larsson set up the scoring chance.
Zidlicky was called for high-sticking with 12.7 seconds left.
The Devils outshot the Canucks. 30-21.
End of OT: Devils 2, Canucks 2
Jason Garrison cross-checked Henrique in the neck at 2:42.
Attendance was 13,203.
Luongo made back-to-back pads saves on Gelinas shots at 10:47.
Schneider made a big left pad save on a Garrison shot from the left point at 13:18.
A backhander from Elias with 5:25 left was stopped by Luongo. A minute later, he stopped a Bernier shot.
The Devils were outshooting the Canucks, 29-17.
End of period: Devils 2, Canucks 2
Zidlicky has eight assists in 10 games. The Devils' record is 60 by Scott Stevens in 1993-94.
Schneider made a pad save on Zack Kassian's shot at 4:49.
Luongo made a stick save on Greene's shot from the left point at 6:18.
Gionta drew a tripping penalty at 7:56 from Daniel Sedin.
Schneider gave up a soft goal at 12:37 as the Canucks evened the score, 2-2. Henrik Sedin fired the puck off the boards in the left corner and Daniel Sedin skated in for a slapper from the left circle that went under Schneider's right pad.
The Devils came close to regaining the lead at 15:48. Gelinas fed Jagr, whose shot was stopped. When the rebound popped out in front, Gelinas skated in but couldn't get his stick on the puck. Loktionov had the best chance to score as the puck came to him below the right circle but the center's shot went over the net.
A backhander from Zubrus with 1:42 left was turned aside by Luongo.
The Devils were outshooting the Canucks, 12-10.
End of period: Devils 2, Canucks 2
Jagr made something out of nothing at 2:12 but fired wide of the net.
Elias made his presence felt immediately as he scored his third goal of the season at 5:05. Jagr's cross-ice pass found Loktionov, who quickly sent a cross-slot feed to Elias at the bottom of the right circle. With the open right side of the net, Elias did not miss.
The lead lasted 62 seconds. Dan Hamhuis sent the puck in deep, where Schneider controlled it with a pad block. Schneider tried to leave the puck for Greene, but it wasn't close enough to the defenseman and Henrik Sedin took it for an easy pass to Ryan Kesler alone at the right side of the crease.
Kesler's fifth goal came at 6:07.
Jeremy Welsh was sent off for high-sticking Gionta at 8:21.
Gelinas, playing in his second NHL game, scored on the power play at 9:41. Taking a pass on a play started by Zidlicky, Gelinas wristed a shot from above the left circle that deflected off Canucks defenseman Christopher Tanev past Luongo's glove side. It was his first NHL goal.
The Devils have scored power play goals in four straight games.
Chris Higgins hit the left post with a shot at 15:14. Thirty seconds later, Zidlicky took a tripping penalty.
The Devils outshot the Canucks, 5-3.
End of period: Devils 2, Canucks 1


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Each week for the past month, we have been dealing with the same weather pattern; a cold front moving through that temporarily sets fishing back with its strong north winds and colder temperatures.
Monday, yet another of those setbacks is forecast to hit our area. In recent cases, the effects did not linger as long as they did a month or so ago.


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BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Wide receiver Kirk Merritt (Destrehan, La./Destrehan) leads the list of 10 finalists in the Nike SPARQ championship.
The finals begin at 8 p.m. EDT on ESPNU.
Merritt had a score of 147.6 in the prelims Tuesday morning.
Others in the top 10 include linebacker Malik Jefferson (145.65), linebacker Chad Smith (140.7), safety Tyler Phillips (140.34), defensive end Josh Sweat (140.01), wide receiver C.J. Sanders (139.26), running back Taj Griffin (136.56), wide receiver K.J. Hill (133.95), athlete Porter Gustin (130.44) and cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick (130.41).


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Portland's boil water alert requires residents to take special care when cooking and preparing food.
This is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises:
- Discard any ready-to-eat food prepared with water prior to the discovery of the water contamination.
- Prepare/cook ready-to-eat food using commercially bottled water or tap water that has been boiled for at least a minute and/or restrict the menu to items that do not require water.
For cooking and food preparation equipment/utensils/tableware:
- Use single service/use articles.
- Clean and sanitize equipment/utensils/tableware using the clean water method listed above. Follow the established procedures to wash, rinse, and sanitize.
- Harmful bacteria on equipment/utensils/tableware may be disinfected using dishwashing machines that have a dry cycle or a final rinse that exceeds 113 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or 122 degrees for five minutes or 162 degrees for one minute.
- Discontinue operations when inventories of clean equipment/utensils/tableware are exhausted.
For handwashing:
For handwashing, wet hands with tap water that has been boiled for a minute and use liquid, bar or powder soap.
- Rub hands together vigorously for 20 seconds, making sure to lather and scrub all surfaces, including backs of hands, wrists, between fingers, and under fingernails.
- Rinse hands well with running water.
- Dry hands with paper towels or an air dryer.
- Use the paper towels to turn off the faucet, if applicable.
-- Lynne Terry


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JoAnne Nabors grew up in a "real estate family" with both of her parents being brokers in Alaska, Texas and California. She worked for 5 years at a The Parkwood Company, an award-winning builder in Anchorage, Alaska before moving to Austin in 1984.
JoAnne was an award-winning sales agent in Austin her first year, and has earned her GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute), ABR® (Accredited Buyer's Representative), ePro® and CRS (Council Residential Sepcialists) designations. In 2004 she obtained her Broker's license in the state of Texas. In looking for a company with high standards, where she could continue learning in a team environment, while interacting with other top-producers, she & her team created Violet Crown Realty.
JoAnne & her team work 100% by referral and is a ClubNet member with Buffini & Company, the largest business coaching network in the country. She is a six time Peak Performer, a Buffini Certified Mentor, on the national Buffini advisory committee, and the coordinator for the Central Texas ClubNet Regional meetings.
Mission Statement:
To Positively Impact & Improve peoples' lives!


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Well hooray! Ten US banks have been given permission to repay their TARP loans from the federal government – $68 billion worth. This governmental Seal of Approval may mean these banks are healthy and safe and ready to do business, but what it certainly means is that the executives running these banks want to escape any government control over how much they pay themselves.
What's in it for us the taxpayers? Not much. The government still needs to borrow trillions and trillions of dollars, which means interest rates aren't going down. No fundamental reforms have been imposed on the banking industry "" just some tweaking around credit card rules "" so you still will have a very hard time getting credit. You'll also earn about 0% interest on your bank deposits, but pay 30% or more for credit depending on your financial condition. This is certainly not going to get the consumer spending or the economy moving, so what is it going to take to enact real change to our financial system?
Our own Zuma has come across a potent set of proposals for real reform from the author William Greider. You'll want to check out both Zuma's report on the Diaries page, as well as Greider's article on Alternet (printed originally in The Nation). The gist of these reforms is radical in today's political climate "" it is nothing less than a legal cap on interest rates. No bank or finance company would be able to charge you more than this cap "" to do otherwise would be considered usury. What would our economy look like if we had laws against usury?
Why Interest Rate Caps Were Abolished
That's actually not too hard to answer. The US did have usury laws for a long time up until 1980 when they were completely abolished "" by Democrats. The problem was the usury caps were becoming outmoded in the face of sky-high interest rates imposed to fight double-digit inflation. It was not just that the banking industry wanted to get rid of the usury laws; when the Fed was setting the base rate at 11%, and mortgage rates were at 18%, a usury cap of 15% made no sense.
Very quickly, though, some financial instruments began to carry unusually high interest rates, like credit cards, which throughout the 1980s had a peak rate of around 22%. The public was "œoutraged" at a rate that used to be associated with loan sharks, but the banks pointed out that losses on credit cards in the 1980 "" 1982 recession were unexpectedly high and justified such high charges for poor credit risks. Once Ronald Reagan came to power, there was no going back. Free market orthodoxy now ruled the day and the market was allowed to charged whatever it wanted.
Not surprisingly, borrowing rates inched up as the years went by. The credit card industry discovered it could get away with charging 30% – 35%, as long as it stratified card users into risk categories so that middle class and wealthy customers would be charged a more tolerable 15%. These lucky customers, however, rarely borrowed on their credit cards. It was the lower middle class credit user who needed to run a monthly balance, so the preponderance of Americans with such balances were poor credit risks paying 30% or higher.
Growth of the Debt Trap
As we entered the 1990s, something else began to happen to the consumer. Their wages were stagnating, eaten up by rising medical and other costs, so consumers had to borrow to maintain the basics of life such as food and shelter. The credit-worthiness of consumers gradually deteriorated under these conditions, and by the time George Bush wrested the presidency out of Al Gore's hands, people were borrowing more and paying much more for the privilege.
William Greider writes about the implications of borrowing at excessive interest rates.
Usury is the ancient sin of charging inflated interest rates sure to ruin the borrowers. It is considered immoral by Judaism, Christianity and Islam because usury involves the powerful using their wealth to ensnare weak and defenseless borrowers. The classic usurer offers an impossible choice that debtors cannot easily refuse. If they reject the terms of the loan, they will not be able to pay the rent or buy necessities. If they accept the usurious interest rates, their debts will accumulate until they are bankrupted (at which point the creditors claim their property). No civilized society can endure in such conditions.
The impossible choice referred to here occurs when a consumer needs to borrow for necessities, but the interest rate is high enough that interest on the debt keeps mounting, making it impossible to repay the debt in full. This is known as a debt trap. Exactly what that rate of interest might be depends on the economic condition of the consumer (particularly whether they have any savings to use as collateral), the minimum repayment required monthly by the bank on its loans, and the general level of interest rates in the economy. This makes it hard to say what interest rate might constitute usury at any particular time, though we can say even wealthy people would have trouble retiring a debt where the interest rate is in excess of 30%.
Another way to gauge whether interest rates are usurious is to keep track of how many consumers are in a debt trap. Are they borrowing on their credit cards to pay for basic necessities? Are they borrowing from one source to make minimum payments to another creditor? Is their cumulative debt rising rather than being paid down? There is no doubt that millions of Americans were in this situation by 2000. They were already debt slaves, and usurious rates were clearly at work in the market.
The poorest of the poor couldn't even borrow at 30%. They were forced to rely on payday loans, using their paycheck at a currency exchange to take down a loan that had equivalent annual interest rates of 400% or higher. If the loan couldn't be paid in full when due in two weeks, the next paycheck was used to roll it over, and suddenly the consumer was snared in a debt trap of ferocious persistence given the interest rates charged.
At Last, a Proposal to Abolish the Debt Trap
Greider mentions several community activists and community groups who are pushing for usury caps. The caps range from as low as 9% to as high as 30%. These caps would make it much more difficult for consumers to fall into debt traps, which means the consumer would have a reasonable chance to pay down their debts over time. This would also set the banking industry back to the profitability levels of the 1970s when such caps last existed. There is simply no way the banking industry is going to readily accept such a drastic reduction in its income, and such a major change in its business practices.
It is this latter point that is critically important to understanding the debt trap. Banks in the past 30 years have abandoned their traditional fear of lending to consumers, in part because they can charge unlimited interest rates to cover whatever they perceive to be the risk involved. Banking behavior has therefore changed from avoiding certain consumer loans, to encouraging almost all types of consumer loans.
Offers for credit cards have flooded consumer mailboxes almost daily, at least until the this credit crisis hit, and even today consumers who make their monthly credit card payments are sent blank checks in the mail, urging them to borrow sometimes tens of thousands of dollars. It used to be that the debt habit, rather like the smoking habit, started in college when students were offered their first free credit card; now grade school children are being enticed into the borrowing habit. The universal FICO score used to assess a consumer's creditworthiness actually penalizes people who do not borrow at least some amount of money.
These days, a "œdeadbeat" is someone who pays all of their bills on time, never borrows, and therefore deprives the banking industry of interest income. To get even with these people, and to disguise the usurious interest rates being charged, banks have invented a host of "œfees" that penalize consumers for the slightest failure to meet the tiny print rules associated with their credit card, auto, mortgage, or home equity loans. These rules no longer allow a three or four week period to pay your monthly bill; now the bill is due in two weeks or less. Often it is due on a Saturday or Sunday, causing a late payment fee of $30 or higher.
The large banks derive over half of their net income these days from fees, not from interest revenue. The business of generating fees "" and it is a business "" has gotten nearly diabolical. It used to be that your checking account would record your debits and credits in the order in which they were received, and checks drawn on other banks could take two or three days to be processed through the clearing house. Since most checking accounts now have debit or ATM cards attached, big banks have deliberately changed these rules. Now all of your debits are processed instantly, the largest going first. Your credits "" even if you transfer money from an account within the same bank "" are delayed at least a day.
The diabolical aspect of these changes is that the process almost assures a consumer will have a negative balance at some point. But rather than reject the next debit at the retail outlet or gas pump, the banks allow it to go through, creating a deliberate overdraft. Conveniently "" for the banks "" the checking account has had attached to it an overdraft borrowing account that was never asked for by the consumer, and cannot be opted out. It just shows up one day buried in the fine print updates that banks send out frequently and which are impossible to read or understand.
Millions of Americans have discovered that their debit card has gone overdrawn for $5, and a $35 overdraft fee has been applied. They are now $40 in the hole, and this amount starts compounding every day it is not rectified, with additional $35 charges. It is not uncommon for the card holder to rack up hundreds of dollars in fees and overdraft charges each year on an account that rarely has more than $100 processed each month. The inherent interest rate in these fees and charges is beyond usurious "" it comes to 1,000% or more, and it has become a serious cash drain on poor people, worse than their payday loans.
It is not enough, therefore, to impose usury caps on interest rates "" the whole definition of what constitutes usury needs to change to incorporate the dozens of fees and charges that plague checking and savings accounts. In other words, the reform has to come to the very way banks do business, because the fees and charges for overdrafts and NSF checks are a business. We should make no mistake about that. There are executives responsible for devising these processes, they have revenue targets to meet, and they have to do all this at the balancing point where the average consumer is irritated but not so annoyed that they will complain to Congress.
No More Loan Sales or Securitizations Either
So far, the reform efforts that Greider is describing only concentrate on simple fixes like a cap on interest rates, though community groups are well aware of the gouging and sub tabula usury rates that are being charged in the overdraft business. It is felt, though, that it will be hard enough to get Congress to look even at simple usury caps. The Democratic leadership in Congress has refused to let such bills come before the House or the Senate, though Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders did recently force a vote on a proposed usury cap at 15% that was defeated 60-33.
The Democrats who lined up to vote against this bill tend to sit on the finance committees in Congress, and derive considerable campaign donations from the banking industry. They are much more prone to listen to banking executives than they are to consumer advocates. Nor is there any pressure for change coming from the White House. The Obama administration seems every bit as beholden to and, you might say smitten by, the views of the bankers.
What the bankers are saying is that usury caps won't work. Too many people with poor credit will be deprived of credit altogether if usury caps are imposed. This argument is correct. If the banks suddenly had to look at the true repaying capacity of the consumers receiving credit, they would cut off millions from the credit spigot. In fact, that is happening throughout this credit crisis, as credit cards are being withdrawn and home equity lines of credit canceled. The banks have discovered that putting consumers into a debt trap might have worked in the past, but in a recessionary environment it just hastens the day when the consumer collapses and defaults altogether.
This does not mean that the banks have given up on the debt trap business. They are merely recalibrating the pressure points of the trap itself, so that in bad times the consumer will still be able to service the debt even if their income declines. What the reform groups want is entirely different; they want banks to get out of this business completely. They want to return to the 1970s, to a time before the Reagan revolution that brought us into mindless worship of the markets as all-wise and all-powerful. They are even proposing that banks be denied the ability to sell a consumer loan or securitize it to investors. Once a bank makes a loan, it will be required to hold on to it until maturity, thereby taking full responsibility for any losses on its own books rather than passing such risks off to other banks or investors.
The reform groups see, correctly, that the sale or securitization of a loan destroys the need for credit checks and analysis, so that no one in the process really cares whether the consumer could pay back their debt. Most observers, even the banks, agree that the securitization process was flawed precisely for this reason, but the only proposal out there to fix this problem comes from the reform groups that want to outlaw loan sales and securitizations entirely. The banks have not come up with any other ideas because, for the moment, the securitization process is dead. Even though the federal government has stepped in to guarantee securitizations, the market has not revived, which tells us that there may be no way to solve the lack of credit analysis when a loan is securitized or sold.
As of now, the amount of credit flowing through the US economy is near the levels last seen in the early 1990s. In some markets and instruments, credit simply doesn't exist, so we are back to the early 1980s before the Reagan boom began. If Congress did pass usury caps and outlawed loan sales and securitizations, it would ensure that the US would operate on a flow of credit that was much reduced from the peak years of 2005-2007, and that was more suitable for an economy twenty or more years ago. It is no wonder even the Democrats balk at such a decision.
The Social Cost of Eliminating the Debt Trap
There is another factor to consider here as well. Suppose a usury cap is put in place and millions of poor people are now denied payday loans or their equivalent through ATM debit cards. How will they feed their family or pay the rent? This is a very serious question that is now starting to affect middle class consumers as well. Too many people are completely dependent on credit for the basics of life, and the debt trap is the only avenue they have to maintain even a parlous existence.
It used to be such people had government programs like welfare and food stamps to rely on in tough times, along with unemployment insurance and union payments to laid off workers. The social safety net was virtually dismantled in the 1990s under Bill Clinton, and of course union membership is a small fraction of what it was in the 1970s. In eliminating the social safety net, the theory was that the market would take care of such problems. If people were responsible for their own well-being in times of stress, they would take greater care to save money. Unfortunately, it has proven almost impossible for most middle or lower class people to save money. What has been proven true, though, is that the market did deal with the problem, in a perverse way. The banking industry has become the country's social safety net, by providing credit even to the poorest of the poor.
The policy conundrum we face, therefore, is how to dismantle the debt trap and the egregious practices of the banks, yet provide for the millions of Americans who use debt for survival. Proposals to bring back usury caps and eliminate loan sales and securitizations are well and good, but they will do more harm than expected if the social safety net isn't restored first. There is little incentive for Congress or President Obama to pursue true banking industry reform, mostly because the banks own the Congress and were the biggest contributors to Obama's campaign. And there is even less talk about restoring welfare, improving unemployment benefits, or expanding the food stamp program, beyond superficial changes.
In the meantime, the banking industry is holding on to its usurious lending practices. It has to because the amount of income derived from these practices is too large to forego. But these practices are already under stress, as banks have had to narrow the field of prospective customers in this recession. And now they are under attack from outside through the community reform efforts.
You therefore have two forces, one internal and one external, pushing the banking industry towards fundamental reform, ultimately leading to an abandonment of the debt trap business completely. This would be a very, very good thing for the American consumer, if only the government had some way to provide life's essentials for the millions of Americans who depend on the debt trap for their survival.
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|"Tower" <firstname.lastname@example.com>
|[TowerTalk] rebar for anchors
|"Dick Green WC1M" <email@example.com>
|Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:53:06 -0400
I'm putting in 4d anchors for my 110' Rohn 55 tower. I'm confused by Rohn's rebar specification for anchor footings. From the drawing in the catalog, it looks like they only require rebar for the top of the block and the side of the block facing the tower (it says, "Reinforcing bars each way both faces".) Minimum spacing is 12". It sounds like they're calling for an L-shaped cage, but I can't quite picture how that would work. Would there be three long pieces running the length of the block (6 feet), tied together with 6 L-shaped pieces? Would I use square pieces at the ends to support the cage? Also, the drawing shows the rebar right at the surface of the block, but specs for the foundation indicate a minimum distance of 3" from the surface. Should I follow that spec fort the anchors? Would appreciate some guidance from anyone who has done it (pictures would be great). Thanks & 73, Dick WC1M _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ TowerTalk mailing list email@example.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
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Byron Williams' new office seems small for such a big man. To him, it seems quiet.
"There's a lot to get used to," he says. "There's no bells ringing, no kids yelling. I was always in the halls with the students between classes."
After nearly 30 years as a teacher, coach and principal in St. Tammany Parish schools, Williams, 51, has moved to the district's central office in Covington to become a supervisor of administration. He'll work with students who have been suspended from school and are in danger of being expelled.
"My whole objective is not to expel a student, but if I have to, I will," he says. "I'll be fair, but tough."
His new position is the only one that could have taken him from Salmen High School in Slidell, where he was principal for seven years.
"When the storm hit and tore the school down, I knew I couldn't leave it," he says. "I wouldn't have been able to look at myself in the mirror."
But now that a new school is being built, he wants to put his energy into helping at-risk students turn their lives around.
"I know what I'm good at and what I love to do," he says.
As we sat in his new office, I remembered the day I interviewed him in 1996. He had left his position as assistant principal at Covington High to be principal at St. Tammany Junior High in Slidell. I thought he might spend the rest of his career there. He told me then, "I'm home."
Williams attended the segregated school as a small boy, when it was called St. Tammany High School. His parents' house was next door. He learned to play baseball on the playground outside his office window.
Integration came when he was in seventh grade, and the school became a junior high. He and his classmates didn't understand why adults lined the walkways carrying signs and shouting, "Hell, no, we won't go!"
"That's what I love about kids," he says. "Unless you tell them, they're not going to notice someone else's skin is a different color. When our class got to be seniors at Salmen High, we were all friends."
After seven years as principal at St. Tammany Junior High, Williams applied for the principal's job at Salmen. Some of his junior high students prompted the move.
"As they got older, I saw the ones in danger of dropping out," he says. "I had an urge to go to the high school to see how many I could redirect."
Three years later, the storm surge from Hurricane Katrina filled Salmen with 7 feet of water, and all his students needed redirection.
It was months before the official decision to demolish the building came, but Williams knew it was gone when he saw it two days after the storm. A foot of mud covered classroom floors. Walls were washed away, and bricks had turned to rubble.
Superintendent Gayle Sloan never suggested that Salmen wouldn't be rebuilt, though.
"I had no tolerance for people who didn't think we could do it," Williams said. "I stood up and told my faculty, 'I need everyone on board. I need you to forget about your houses when you're here and just get this school going again.'¤"
And they did.
"My fondest memories after the storm are about the way they stepped up to the plate and gave everything they had," he says. "I regret not letting the teachers know how much that meant to me."
Everyone worked together: Northshore High Principal Mike Peterson offered Williams' students his school. During the fall, Northshore students went to class from early morning until 12:30 p.m. Salmen students attended from 1 to 7 p.m.
"We had kids gutting their houses in the morning and coming to school in the afternoon," Williams says.
The next semester his students moved into St. Tammany Junior High, and when school started in August 2006, they were on their own school grounds in temporary buildings.
"Getting back to our own campus was huge," Williams says. "They had their own football stadium and gym and library, and they brought business back to south Slidell."
Now, a $49.6 million school is being built on the campus and is scheduled to be finished in 2011.
"People ask me how I can leave before the new school is done," Williams says. "But the spirit is back. The kids are back. Salmen has survived."
And it seemed like the right time to move on: This year's seniors were ninth graders when Katrina hit. They were the last group of students he had at both schools. Salmen's basketball team won the 4A state championship in March. The graduates won a slew of scholarships.
"It was a great year," he says. "But a school can't grow if a principal stays too long. It needs new blood and fresh ideas."
Williams is excited about working with the district's most troubled students, and he is sure to get their attention. He is 6-7, and his gruff exterior hides a heart full of compassion.
"I guess I can be intimidating, but most kids don't need to be intimidated," he says. "They need a second chance. They need someone to believe in them."
He plans to work closely with parents, too, because he knows how important they are to their children's success.
As he takes on his latest challenge, Williams recalls a pivotal moment in his life, and the advice his father gave him.
His first job after he graduated from Xavier University was as a teacher and assistant basketball coach at Mandeville High. Two years later, when the head coach resigned, he took it for granted he'd move up. But Johnny Vitrano got the job.
Hoping for sympathy, Williams went to see his dad. He told him the principal had picked a white coach instead of him, and he had decided to take a $5,000 pay cut to become the head coach at Franklinton High School in Washington Parish.
When his dad asked him about Vitrano, Williams said he'd been coaching at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans for 12 years and had taken a couple of teams to the state championship.
"Dad told me, 'Well, hell, if I was the principal, I'd hire him, too,'¤" Williams says, smiling at the memory.
Wilbert Williams reminded his son he had a family to provide for. He told him to swallow his pride, stay where he was and learn everything he could from the seasoned coach.
"My dad quit school in the sixth grade, but he was the wisest man I've ever known," Williams says.
He learned at lot about coaching from Vitrano, and they became great friends.
"I think now how my life would have been different if I had just quit," he says. "I think about that all the time."
Columnist Sheila Stroup can be reached at email@example.com or 985.898.4831.


text:
FLINT, Michigan -- A busy racing week begins Thursday with the Swartz Creek 5K Challenge. The 6:30 p.m. race starts and finishes at Swartz Creek High School.
On Saturday, the Genesee Start Heart Walk and Crim 5K starts at 8 a.m. in downtown Flint. This marks the first year of adding a 5K event to coincide with a popular heart walk held by the American Heart Association.
Meantime, some area runners like to travel south to Ann Arbor for the annual Dexter-Ann Arbor Run. The event features a signature half-marathon, as well as 10K and 5K races. All three runs are point-to-point, in which organizers offer bus service for participants from downtown Ann Arbor to the starting areas (Get there early).
Ready for a run? A running group Wednesdays at the Downtown Flint YMCA, 411 E. Third St., meets at 5:30 p.m. There's a dedicated group of walkers, too, who leave a little earlier. Most are members of the local running club, The Riverbend Striders. Many like to grab a meal afterward. So, if you're looking for some running company, this is a good place to start. Worried no one might be there, give Bauman's Running and Walking Shop a call at (810) 238-5981.
About The Weekly Jog: Started Feb. 28, 2008, this is an offshoot of "Mac's Blog on the Run" that's typically posted Thursdays at noon. Its focus is to detail news and notes about the Flint area running community.
Age: 34
Occupation: Flint Journal interim opinion editor and copy editor
Running background: One year of cross country at Livonia Churchill High School in the fall of 1991 (had a crush on a girl, found out I loved running instead). Got hurt in 1992 and quit running while adding "The Freshman 15" every year in college at Michigan State University (Go Spartans!). I rediscovered running after joining the Flint YMCA and meeting area runners who helped me to achieve all that's below.
Personal records: 16:46 (5K in 2003), 35:25 (10K in 2004), 58:42 (10M in 2004 at the Crim), 1:16:09 (half marathon in 2004), 2:49:03 (marathon in 2003) -- looks like my better days could be behind me (hope not).
Running highlights: Losing about 90 pounds after not really running for about eight years/winning 14 road races in Michigan (all small field events)/completing 16 marathons (including one during an Ironman triathlon in 2004 -- yeah, it was tough, but it was worth it).
How I did in my last race(s):On March 17, I ran a 26:44 (6:41 per mile) in the Pot O' Gold 4-mile run on St. Patrick's Day.
Next big race: Nothing planned yet. Any suggestions? What's your next big goal? Please share in the comments area below or e-mail me.


text:
Today, the public relations industry is making news headlines, and not in a good way. The biggest names- Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, bloggers and the Twittersphere- are all talking. Not for our hard work and dedication to our profession in securing clients the coverage they deserve, but in another way. The news in the latest Google vs. Facebook saga involves our profession and our reputation as an industry. The Daily Beast and USA Today, broke the news that unmasked Facebook for hiring a global public relations company to launch an anti-Google smear attack. The plan was exposed and all players involved are now in the headlines.
As an industry, we've come a long way in demonstrating the value of our work to our clients and the media. Our worth is not found in creating smear campaigns against competition but rather in helping establish our clients as thought-leaders in their spaces and challenging them with creative campaigns to do so. By attempting to manipulate journalistic coverage, this news reflects a broken key tenant of our industry: we work with the press to secure coverage for our clients. This was truly unethical, and absolutely is not a practice that the vast majority of public relations firms engage in. But based on today's coverage, you wouldn't necessarily know that. One PR professional's actions unfortunately reflect on us all as professionals.
We operate in a professional services industry. At the end of the day, all we have to stand on is the work we've done and our reputations. And if you don't have a reputation in this business, you don't have anything.


text:
Brecon Gas began trading in 2009, and since that time has developed a customer base in and around Brecon and the Brecon Beacons.
When we started, our primary focus was on the sale of gas appliances, supplies and materials but due to our attitude, attention to detail and level of customer service combined with out outstanding after sales support we organically grew into a company that provides a complete service from start to finish.
During the previous 8 years, our experience within the construction industry allowed us to gain a great deal of experience in all aspects of construction. This included new builds, renovations, extensions and home improvements and allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of all the factors to take into consideration when dealing with plumbing, gas appliances and heating.
Now that the business has grown over the last several years and developed the reputation of a professional, punctual and customer focused business we see the majority of our customers come from referrals and recommendations which lays testament to the quality of service we have, and will continue to, provide to our valuable customers.


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