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June 5, 2009: What Does That Mean?
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|Andy and Frangry
|Shut Up, Weirdo
Listener comments!
Fri. 6/5/09 6:04pm
Danne D:
hola weirdos
Fri. 6/5/09 6:05pm
Danne D:
Cows coming home was the (only) highlight to the visits to my grandparents house in Sussex county growing up. Not a heckuva lot to do up there.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:05pm
Eric X:
How about "move over"? What the hell does that mean?
Fri. 6/5/09 6:07pm
I avoid cliches like the plague.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:09pm
John McCabe in LA:
This slang term originated in about 1970. At that time, i.e. pre the widespread use of the Internet, slang terms often circulated at street level for many years before being adopted by anyone who felt inclined to write them down. That's clearly not the case any longer of course and any word or phrase that is widely known is dateable quite precisely via website logs.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:09pm
My bad
My mistake - I'm to blame.
This slang term originated in about 1970. At that time, i.e. pre the widespread use of the Internet, slang terms often circulated at street level for many years before being adopted by anyone who felt inclined to write them down. That's clearly not the case any longer of course and any word or phrase that is widely known is dateable quite precisely via website logs.
The first citation in print is C. Wielgus and A. Wolff's, 'Back-in-your-face Guide to Pick-up Basketball', 1986:
"My bad, an expression of contrition uttered after making a bad pass or missing an opponent."
Shakespeare used the term with something like the current meaning, in his Sonnet 112:
Your love and pity doth the impression fill
Which vulgar scandal stamp'd upon my brow;
For what care I who calls me well or ill,
So you o'er-green my bad, my good allow?
That's clearly just coincidence, and it's hardly surprising that such a fragmentary phrase would appear in a large body of work like Shakespeare's. It's also a world away from pick-up basketball, which is an informal street sport where players frequently call out to each other (trash talking), and is a well-known source of street lang.
clueless'My bad' came into widespread popular use in the mid to late-1990s in the USA via the 1995 movie "Clueless". This starred Alicia Silverstone and contains what seems to have been the first use of the phrase in the mainstream media. The 1994 'Green revision pages' for the movie script has a scene with Alicia Silverstone's character learning to drive:
"Cher swerves - to avoid killing a person on a bicycle. Cher: Whoops, my bad."
Although a street term, it is virtually synonymous with the earlier Latin phrase, 'mea culpa'. It doubtless has as little of a direct descent from this as it does from Shakespeare's Sonnet 112.
'My bad' has gained that unequivocal accolade - imitation. In REM's 2004 song 'Leaving New York' there is this verse, which as you see includes 'my proud':
You might have laughed if I told you
You might have hidden a frown
You might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around
It's easier to leave than to be left behind
Leaving was never my proud
Leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out
The Doonesbury cartoon strip for 14th June 2006 included this:
"Okay, I'm bitter that I have to support myself! There I said it! My brave."
Fri. 6/5/09 6:10pm
John McCabe in LA:
that was for my bad
Fri. 6/5/09 6:11pm
John McCabe in LA:
see www.phrases.org.uk
Fri. 6/5/09 6:11pm
Danne D:
I like the version of the "my bad" story from allwords.com even if it's wrong:
"Seems to have originated from a phrase by Manute Bol, A player of Sudanese origin for Golden State Warriors in Bay area. Other players picked it up and started using it.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:12pm
"The man" comes from "the management"
Fri. 6/5/09 6:14pm
Danne D:
Some of these are so subtle. I mean that is so "corny"? What the heck does "corny" come from?!?
The answer (possibly is that folks are picking on the Cornish)...
Fri. 6/5/09 6:18pm
John McCabe in LA:
Shakespeare Wrote half of these Benjamin Franklin did the other half
Fri. 6/5/09 6:19pm
Colan Rodgers:
hey andy heres a weird russian one. Я съел собаку
Fri. 6/5/09 6:21pm
Colan R:
also face the music or woke up on the wrong side of the bed ?
Fri. 6/5/09 6:22pm
Danne D:
I always thought when I was a kid that the "Carter has liver pills" thing was about Jimmy Carter, even though you'd figure that it was Billy Carter that would be the one that needed them.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:25pm
Danne D:
One version of ____eating grin:
Fri. 6/5/09 6:26pm
listener colan:
frangry wheres the vodka?! you are hilarious with it. big fan guys
Fri. 6/5/09 6:28pm
Danne D:
Fri. 6/5/09 6:30pm
Danne D:
Keep your eyes peeled:
Fri. 6/5/09 6:31pm
"It is what it is" is on PeevePile with a lot of these annoying sayings: http://peevepile.com/peeves/1339
Fri. 6/5/09 6:35pm
Gray G.:
"Mind Your P's and Qs"
Fri. 6/5/09 6:35pm
Danne D:
Btw: looks like 34 minutes (plus internet) lag is the winner for the Frangry boredom pool.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:36pm
"as god made little green apples..."
Fri. 6/5/09 6:36pm
colan r:
urban dictionary says that blowing smoke up a butt means is most literally translating to "trying to get a reaction" out of somebody. Originated from a 16th century technique to determine death by literally blowing tobacco smoke into someone's butt (through a long pipe) - where a reaction indicated that the person was still alive.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:37pm
Danne D:
Shut Up Weirdo:
Where socialites meet social-lites.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:39pm
"dead as a doornail"
Fri. 6/5/09 6:40pm
Gray G.:
Let's get down to Brass Tacks
Fri. 6/5/09 6:41pm
Yakov Smirnoff:
In America, noodles hang ears on you.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:41pm
colan r:
Fri. 6/5/09 6:42pm
A likely story, for the love of crackers.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:42pm
Danne D:
It was Beer Ball Wednesday at the office Frangry? :)
Fri. 6/5/09 6:43pm
Gray G.:
where does Frangry work? gotta find a way to annoy here while she's actually getting paid to do something productive
Fri. 6/5/09 6:43pm
The Man:
I had her boss give her some needed buying-the-supervisor's-lie training after work. It's like detention for adults.
Fri. 6/5/09 6:48pm
Danne D:
saw that same explanation about magic with the smoke up the butt - supposedly "the butt" was added later. I think "Blow Sunshine Out Your Ass" might be the funnier variation though - I mean what the hell does THAT mean?
Fri. 6/5/09 6:49pm
Danne D:
Facebook group: "Do you blow sunshine out your ass all the time? Can you blow some my way?"
Fri. 6/5/09 6:52pm
sing for your supper
Fri. 6/5/09 6:53pm
John McCabe in LA:
hey everybody join "Weirdos for Frangry " on face book
Fri. 6/5/09 6:54pm
To flirt with someone you have to figure they actually like someone other than themselves...
Fri. 6/5/09 6:54pm
Danne D:
Sure, the next time I both to ever getting around to going on facebook again...i set up my facebook basically to have my friend stop bugging me to set up a facebook
Fri. 6/5/09 6:56pm
Dude, it's "flirt" not "bad bar chat"
Fri. 6/5/09 6:58pm
Premise Police:
stupid folk etymologies. try the American Dialect Society listserv for some actual expertise, and not wack made up stories...
Fri. 6/5/09 6:58pm
Danne D:
Expertise is overrated.
Fri. 6/5/09 7:00pm
not by those who have worked on a topic
Sat. 6/6/09 12:32am
my bad:
9 minutes into the show and I had to listen to Erik's annoying and condescending voice. UGH. Sorry it was such a dealbreaker for me. Couldn't listen to the whole show now. And Frangry, you're recommending Revolutionary Road, now that it was made into a film with DiCaprio and Winslet? What if the film wasn't made with those actors? Better yet, what if that book wasn't made into film at all? Girl, you're dumb (and just because you have a Master's doesn't make you smart). Your Bad.Better yet, your mom's bad. Hasta La Vista. I hope Ken finally wakes up to his senses and cancel this show.
Sun. 6/7/09 9:51pm
this show needs TWO hours!! so short one hour!
Mon. 6/8/09 1:18am
John McCabe in LA:
re "my bad" (or in other words too much of a coward to use your real name)
your obviously a serious dick head that can't come to terms with your own feelings about Frangry this frustrates you and causes you to lash out in inappropriate ways my advise is to eat shit and die.
In spite of all that,
have a good one
Tue. 6/9/09 3:30pm
listening from afghanistan:
Once again, great show. Maybe it's just the fact that I've been sitting here in the desert with a bunch of guys for the last year, but christ frangry, you are a darling of a morale boost. Thanks guys.
Tue. 6/9/09 3:34pm
listening from afghanistan:
btw, john mccabe is my fucking hero!
Mon. 7/4/11 11:45am
listener zero:
the first show that employed "have a good one"? by the way, frangry never co-hosted a seven second delay episode so far. she only called in once during the PMS radar… september 2010…
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After the initial bombshell that Disney had purchased LucasFilm, and subsequently the Star Wars license, movie fans began to speculate about what we might see in the newly announced return to that galaxy far, far away. Conflicting reports indicated that Disney would either use Star Wars episodes 7-9 to continue the established saga, fleshing out unused treatments (originally penned by George Lucas), and bring back fan-favorite characters like Luke and Leia - or relaunch the franchise with an entirely original storyline (likely set after the events of the original films but without many returning characters).
Considering that the proposed Episode 7 release date is still three years away, it may be awhile before we have any concrete answers but that hasn't stopped commenters and industry insiders from weighing in on the direction they'd like to see the series take.
Screen Rant editor (and SR Underground Podcast host), Ben Kendrick, had a chance to sit down with fellow entertainment writer Eric Eisenberg (Cinemablend) in a video panel hosted by AMC Theaters' John Campea to talk about our where we think the series will go - as well as whether or not we might see the return of some familiar franchise faces.
You can check out the video discussion at the top of the page.
At this point, moviegoers seem to be cautiously optimistic about the Disney/LucasFilm deal. However, when discussion shifts to where exactly the Mouse House should take the franchise, there isn't a clear consensus. While plenty of fans would love to see fan-favorite characters return, it's much more likely that Disney is going to draw a fine line in the sand - if for no other reason that to protect their investment. While characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO could provide a smart bridge between the original and upcoming installments, it's hard to imagine that, given the backlash around the prequel trilogy, Disney will want to risk further tarnishing the brand by continuing the stories of principle characters.
As the news of an "original story" would indicate, Disney will instead enjoy profiting off of previously established characters like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker at retail - while at the same time forging ahead in a new direction with fresh characters. Remember, as Transformers 4 teaches us - new characters mean higher merchandise sales.
Join the discussion by letting us know what direction you'd like to see Disney take with episodes 7-9 (as well as whether you agree or disagree with the various points raised in the video blog). Plus, if you're still reeling from the announcement, be sure to check out our fun lists of the Top 10 Pros and Cons of the Disney-LucasFilm Deal as well as 20 Disney 'Star Wars' Crossovers Coming Soon to Your Galaxy.
Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick for future updates on Star Wars Episode 7, as well as movie, TV, and gaming news.
Star Wars Episode 7 is set for release in 2015.

subset: commoncrawl


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Deromanticising Brazil's relationship with the Selecao
The first thing I did after landing at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport for the 2013 Confederations Cup was nip into the gentleman's bathroom. I emerged positively giddy after discovering that in Brazil even the urinal cakes in public bathrooms had famous strikers' faces etched on them.
Here was immediate proof of the nation besotted with football I had always heard about, one in which, after searing national team losses, suicides are rumored, government inquisitions demanded and Brazilian flags flown at half-staff.
Yet as I soon discovered, things were not entirely as they seemed. After following the Brazilian national team's dashing, anthem-propelled journey to Confederations Cup glory, the relationship between the people and the team was far from the poetic romance I projected. Football fans and journalists alike discussed the team and the Brazilian Football Confederation with a sense of hard-nosed commercial reality.
In Salvador, a town known as "the African capital of Latin America," I watched the Selecao thump Italy in front of a virtually all-white crowd. The only black face in my section was a food vendor who told me with disgust, "The Brazilian national team is beloved only among casual fans who don't follow football week in, week out."
Is the relationship between the Brazilian people and their national team not as close as advertised?
"A lot of what we believe when we talk about Brazilian football is about a mythical reality that does not exist," said David Goldblatt, academic and author of "Futebol Nation: The Story of Brazil Through Soccer." "Everybody in Brazil would like the team to play the same symbolic role as the great squads of the 1950s and '60s and herald a return to the golden age that gave us the imagery and language we draw upon to describe and think about Brazilian football -- the mercurial Garrincha in 1962, of a nation dancing while a red municipal fire engine pulls the team from the airport to the presidential palace. But Brazil has changed so much since then, and so has Brazilian football."
Paulo Vinicius Coelho, the iconic Brazilian broadcaster on ESPN and columnist for Folha de S. Paulo, is able to pinpoint the main difference since the golden age of the '60s and '70s.
"The main players no longer play [domestically] in Brazil; they play abroad, so they do not develop the same emotional relationship because club fans cannot see their development week in, week out," he said. "Just look at David Luiz, who has never played in the top flight of the Brazilian league."
The distance and unimaginable wealth enjoyed by Brazil's players is compounded by the fact that the national team itself feels more foreign. "The CBF [Brazilian Football Confederation] sold the rights to their friendlies to a sports agency who keep them on the road playing lucrative games," Goldblatt told me.
"The federation have an agreement with European clubs so the players will only fly small distances, which means the team play games in London and Switzerland more than in Brazil, where the poor people can see them live," Coelho said. "It is an important factor in the relationship between the team and the fans."
Goldblatt noted that this change has occurred over decades. "In truth, that sense of the team as commercialized commodity kicked off in 1996 when the federation signed their first, massive deal with Nike, which has become the richest in football," he said. "They can charge more than any other team in the sport, and no one is blaming [them] for that, but no one knows exactly where the money is going. It is definitely not flowing down to the grassroots or the women's game."
The hyper-commercialisation swamping the team is, in a way, a symbol of the extent to which Brazil itself has changed over the past 60 years. "In 1950, Brazil was a world away from how we think about it today," Coelho said. "There were no big cities; even Sao Paulo was more rural. There was no industrialization, movies or restaurants. The only thing to do was to watch football."
This line of thinking allows the broadcaster to flip the argument on its head. While Brazilians might not love their soccer team the way we imagine, that might never have been the case. "To be truthful, I don't believe they loved the [national] team more back in the '50s and '60s," he said. "Yes, the feeling that the team made us feel more of a nation is truer than today, but there are so many romantic stories told about the loss in 1950 with very few documented realities. People always say there were suicides, but back then journalists were not really journalists; they were popular writers, so the myths that surround the past may not be true at all."
Goldblatt agrees. "In a way, 1950 has been slightly exaggerated by the Rio intellectual elite whose voices we hear tell the story more than any other," he said. "In Sao Paulo, it was far more back to work as usual after the game." And what of 2014?
"How Brazil hosts and organizes the tournament will be more important than the way its team performs," Goldblatt said. "If the team loses, it will not be a national trauma. If it wins, it will be a fantastic party, but it won't have the depth of meaning of the '50s or '60s.
"If Brazil fail to win, there will be a lot of anger at the CBF for spending so much money over the last seven years with nothing to show for it. I foresee a depression for the football industry in Brazil but not for Brazilian society or the economy."
I ask Coelho to imagine the impact of a Brazilian win, and he collects himself before answering. "The Confederations Cup surprised many of us who thought a special relationship with the team no longer exists," he said. "A big World Cup can change that relationship and make it intense once again."


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What are probiotics?
Are they the same as vitamins? Probiotics are not vitamins. They are real germs that have been freeze dried and can come to life when they are rehydrated.
The word probiotic was recently invented to describe a product that is the exact opposite of an antibiotic. Whereas antibiotics kill bacteria, probiotics are living bacteria that are given to the patient. Why would anyone want to give living bacteria to a patient?
The answer lies in the biological phenomenon known as "Normal Flora". Until birth, the unborn infant lives in a sterile environment in the womb. Immediately after birth, the infant is colonized by millions of bacteria. These germs take up residence on the skin, the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, in the stomach, and in the bowels. These germs are known as flora. The harmless ones are called "normal flora." Harmful germs that invade and cause disease are called "pathogenic flora." Until recently no one paid much attention to the normal flora. It is only in the last few years that medical science has noted that the harmless flora is actually needed for the proper function of the body. A strong healthy population of good bacteria helps defend against invasions by harmful ones. In the case of the digestive system, the bacteria living in the gut help to digest food, help deny access to pathogenic bacteria and even help protect from an overgrowth of harmful yeasts. We now know that antibiotics frequently kill off these good germs while attacking the bad ones. Probiotics are very good for replacing the normal flora during and after antibiotic usage.
Probiotics provide a supplemental source for acquiring good bacteria. Using these germs has shown benefits in preventing and treating diarrhea, preventing food allergies and intolerances, and preventing infections in the respiratory and the gastrointestinal tract. In Scandanavia studies have shown that there is a benefit to adding probiotics to infant formulas. In Europe, certain probiotics were proven to greatly reduce the severity of viral diarrhea and even reduce infectivity. The most commonly used probiotic bacteria is Lactobacillus acidophilus. This is the germ that is found in yogurt. It is responsible for the fermentation of the milk into yogurt. People have known for years that it is beneficial. Although many people still use yogurt as their main source of acidophilus, it is probably not a good idea. Most commercial yogurts lose their acidophilus during the processing. Some companies even add the germ back during packaging and label the product "live or active cultures". The colony counts that are achieved this way are mostly too low to be beneficial.
Unfortunately, Acidophilus is really one of the weakest probiotic bacteria. This is because most of the germs that are ingested are killed immediately by the acids in the stomach. Only a small percentage survive long enough to pass into the intestine where they do the most good. For this reason, it is recommended to take large amounts several times a day. There has been a lot of research done to improve the survival and effectiveness of acidophilus. One product, now available here in the US is Lactobacillus GG which is sold as Culturelle. This is an acid-resistant probiotic that only needs one dose a day and delivers huge amounts of effective germs where they can do their best work.
I usually recommend that anyone taking antibiotics should take Culturelle once a day until a few days after the drug is stopped. I always remind people to give the Culturelle at a different time of day than the antibiotic. If they are taken together, the antibiotic kills the probiotic germ in the stomach before it has a chance to help. If there is a severe milk allergy, labels should be checked to make sure the probiotic does not have traces of milk protein.
Other uses for probiotics include treating diarrheas, both infectious and nonspecific, and, occasionally, eczema that is caused by food allergy. Beneficial yeasts are also part of the "normal flora". In addition to Culturelle, it is sometimes useful to take a probiotic yeast which can help prevent Candida and other pathogenic yeasts from colonizing and can help treat diarrheas. The most commonly used one in children is Saccharomyces boulardii iyo which is sold as FlorAstor for Kids.
Now that studies have shown their benefits, probiotics are being recommended by mainstream medical authorities. This is a real example of how "old wives tales" turn out to be based on real science.
aBaby.com offers many products to meet your needs. To View - Click the following links.
Baby Gear >
Organic Baby Bedding >
Green Baby Furniture >
Green Childrens Furniture >


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THE Strathfieldsaye Storm are more than happy to take the underdog tag into tomorrow's first semi-final against Sandhurst at the QEO.
Written off as a genuine flag contender after a mid-season form slump, the Storm have rediscovered their mojo in recent weeks.
Last week's elimination final win over South Bendigo was impressive and Storm coach Darryl Wilson expects his side to lift a notch tomorrow.
"It's been a low-key week which is the way we want do it,'' he said.
"We didn't change our routine. We've had a light week on the track in the hope that the boys will be nice and fresh for Sunday.
"We're looking forward to having a crack at it. No-one really expects us to win, but that's okay.
"We've beaten Sandhurst once and they beat us the second time. It's a 50-50 game. We're confident enough that if we play to our ability that we will be right in the game."
It's the defensive end of the ground and the ruck where Wilson expects his side to hold the edge.
The last time these two sides met the Storm led by 41 points before losing by 33 points.
"Defensively is where we let ourselves down last time we played them,'' Wilson said.
"(Sandhurst's) Mitch Dole kicked six goals that game, including four in the third quarter… we can't allow that sort of thing to happen again.
"We've got our back six back together now and I thought they were great against South Bendigo last week.
"We have a lot of respect for Sandhurst's forwards. Ricky Symes has kicked 60-odd goals and Jake Ward takes a good mark.
"If we can hold up well down back it will go a long way to winning the game."
Matt Thornton is usually the third key forward for Sandhurst, but he will be the Dragons' number one ruckman tomorrow.
Thornton was the best big man on the ground in Sandhurst's loss to Golden Square last week.
Wilson is keen to see how Thornton handles the Storm's two-pronged ruck attack of Michael Pilcher and Kris Lea.
"We've got two good ruckmen and we'll be trying to work him (Thornton) over.
"I can't see how he'll get through a full game by himself, but we'll see how it works out.
The battle of the midfield groups will be crucial to the outcome of the game.
Wilson said Blair Holmes and Lee Coghlan shape as the game breakers for Sandhurst.
"We'll probably let our midfielders go early in the game and see what happens.
"A couple of our midfielders were down a bit last week, so hopefully they'll be better this week.
"Obviously Holmes and Coghlan get Sandhurst going, so we'll keep a close eye on them.
"Kellan Smith is the obvious choice to go to Holmes or Coghlan and we've got Jono Gawthrop to play a role as well if needed."
CONFIDENT: Strathfieldsaye coach Darryl Wilson.
This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on 苏州美甲学校.


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Branford Hall Career Institute
Residents of the northeast are discovering that Branford Hall has become one of the fastest and most effective ways to begin a high growth career in an entry level position.
Branford Hall has been a leader in professional education for four decades.
Branford Hall has campuses conveniently located in Branford and Southington, Connecticut; Jersey City and Parsippany, New Jersey; and Amityville, New York.
Students are instructed in real-world technologies that today's employers are seeking.


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He's previously made his mark with unique metaphors and undecipherable story lines. For his new album Owl City's Adam Young told CBS Local he took a different approach on his new album The Midsummer Station.
"It's a bit of a departure from the records that I'm known to make in the past," he said. "It's a little bit bigger, it's a little bit more polished, it's a little bit more pop and dance-y."
If the success of "Good Time" featuring Carly Rae Jepsen is any indication, Owl City fans have nothing to fear about his new technique.
"The sing along ability I think is a little bit stronger," Adam confessed. "I think it will be easier for a big group of people to sing any given song off the record together versus one fan listening to each song and thinking, 'Now what is he getting at here? What's going on in this guy's head because it's kind of weird?'"
"The new record is less subjective in a way that's harder to get behind. It's a little bit more grounded in reality. It's a little bit more accessible," he said.
Adam said he wanted listeners to get swept away by the music and not have to take too much time to figure out what he's saying.
"My instinct is always to go a little bit left of center lyrically and that's something I never want to lose," he said. "But my mind is always like, 'There's something weird about that but I like it.' That could be hit or miss, that could be good or bad. You can risk going over people's heads if you get too bizarre."
Adam's goal with The Midsummer Station was to make a record that was easy for people to get lost in.
"Hopefully it's easier for them to listen to any given song and feel swept away by the music because the concept is right there. It's in your face. It's concise and you don't have to be a scientist to figure out what I'm talking about at any given moment," he said. "The metaphors aren't so deep that you're spending all your time trying to piece together an answer versus just enjoy the song. Just enjoy the music and let it do what it was designed to do."
The Midsummer Station is out today.
-Annie Reuter, CBS Local
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The 2014 CFP Board Registered Program Conference featured a research poster session for graduate students (both master's and doctoral) to share their unpublished research and studies. Poster session proposals related to theses, dissertations, best practices, or position viewpoints exploring one or more areas related to the personal financial planning profession.
Submissions of proposals for graduate research posters were accepted through April 30, 2014, and information about selected proposals can be found below.
Life Insurance and Psychological Well-Being in Retirement
Yuanshan Cheng, Texas Tech University
Dr. Michael Finke, Texas Tech University
Life insurance is commonly used to protect human capital loss due to premature death during accumulating stage. However in retirement, when the human capital is assumed to be exhausted, there are no obvious reasons why some retirees might choose to be still covered by life insurance. Some studies offered explanations such as using life insurance as a certain bequest while a majority of studies find evidences that supports the use of life insurance for survivor protection. This study is the first one to examine this problem following classical economic theory that individuals behave rationally to maximize the utility. A psychological framework is used. In measuring utilities, other than using traditional power utility function that includes only consumption, we extend utilities into psychosocial well-being. This article uses Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to present empirical findings on life insurance coverage during retirement. We find that the main reason of holding life insurance during retirement is that the holder can gain extra psychological well-beings. This may come from the feeling of comfort and confidence by protecting the survivors. Meanwhile there are some evidence that wives as beneficiaries are also better off, but better measurement needs to be identified in further research. Meanwhile even though we did not find differences in psychological well-being for survivors in terms of life insurance proceeds, but given the fact that there are financial utilities from life insurance payout, the survivors will be better off when protected with life insurance. Our study supports the survivor protection hypothesis of holding life insurance in retirement.
Valerie Ballesteros, University of Incarnate Word
In light of market volatility, recent global and domestic economic events, and growing distrust of the financial services industry stemming from the 2008 US financial crisis, this study is an examination of what US investors value more, either a trusted relationship with their investment advisor(s) or bottom-line portfolio performance. Using attitudinal survey data gathered from a select group of investors who have, have had, or are currently seeking professional advice from financial advisors, this study will examine if the advisor/client relationship is of greater importance to investors than portfolio performance results. The study will also examine specific demographics (e.g. age, gender, life stage) to identify if particular segments of investors are more or less inclined to seek a trusted relationship over bottom-line portfolio performance. The results will be reported to include specific recommended changes to practice management behaviors based on quantitative data analysis of investor responses to help identify if current investor experience with advisors is results-oriented or client centric.
Nhat Ho, Texas Tech University
With the wave of retirees from the Baby Boomer Generation approaching, retirement related issues have become a major focus for both economic and psychological researchers. Economist mainly focus on the economic well-being of retirees, such as retirement income adequacy. Psychologists, alternatively, study the process of retirement, which includes decision making, adjustment and retirees' subjective well-being. Focusing only on the economic well-being may undermine the other retirement factors that can contribute to overall happiness, or life satisfaction, of retiree.
Built on findings from both economics and psychology, this study aims to identify the components of retirement commodities that contribute to retiree's happiness. We hypothesize that these following factors will have a major impact on retiree's life satisfaction: Income, Wealth, Health, Retirement Decision, and Quality of Social Life. Our sample data comes from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study Survey.
Using a linear regression model, we find that wealth, health and quality of social life have a significant influence on retirees' life satisfaction. The more wealth retirees have, the more satisfied they are with their life. Interestingly, retirees start to experience less satisfaction after reaching a certain wealth level. Health also have major contribution to people's happiness. Retirees with either good, fair or poor health condition feel less satisfied with their life compared with the ones who in excellent condition. Retirees are more satisfied with their life when they have close relationship with spouse and children. Furthermore, positive social support from spouse and children also increase retiree's level of life satisfaction.
Commitment and the Rational Sinner
Tao Guo, Texas Tech University
Dr. Michael Finke, Texas Tech University
Most individuals have to make decisions on saving and investing in their lifetimes. Since saving and investment products are difficult to choose compared to other kinds of goods, individuals may experience some difficulties with this process. Those who search for financial information find better saving and investing opportunities than those who do not. This paper observes the search for financial information as it relates to gender. Consistent with prior research, the results of this study also indicate that females tend to not actively engage in high level of search for financial information compared to males. Higher risk tolerance, higher education, higher wealth, and higher financial assets all positively influence both genders toward increased in search for financial information. Understanding search behavior of females and males can help financial advisors and educators counsel their female and male clients appropriately.
The Center is creating an academic home for the financial planning profession.
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Do you want to view all jobs in ICT / Telecommunication industry ?
View All Jobs in Nigeria Today
Related Companies
I got my present job through Myjobmag, prior to this I have gotten a lot of interview invite from reputable organisations in Nigeria through jobs I applied for on my Job mag.In the past before I knew myjobmag,I have spent fortunes on Tuesday and Thursday Accounts/Admin. Manager at Anonymous


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About this book
Content management, blogs, and online forums are among the most significant online trends today, and Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress are three of the most popular open source applications facilitating these trends.
Drupal is a full content management system that allows you to create any type of website you desire, from an e-commerce to a community-based site. phpBB enables you to set up a bulletin board or forum. And WordPress is the software of choice for the exploding blog community. All three technologies are based on PHP and MySQL.
Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB, and Wordpress is authored by a team of experts. Robert T. Douglass created the Drupal-powered blog site NowPublic.com. Mike Little is a founder and contributing developer of the WordPress project. And Jared W. Smith has been a longtime support team member of phpBBHacks.com and has been building sites with phpBB since the first beta releases.
Bibliographic information
- DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4302-0106-9
- Copyright Information Apress 2006
- Publisher Name Apress
- eBook Packages Professional and Applied Computing
- Print ISBN 978-1-59059-562-6
- Online ISBN 978-1-4302-0106-9
- Buy this book on publisher's site


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Camila Alves Gossip
Camila Alves gossip, latest news, photos, and video.
Smutty Social Media, January 18, 2017
Is Brie Larson presenting an award to Casey Affleck becoming the Internet shorthand for side-eye? (And who is Gregg Sulkin you ask? He dated Bella Thorne. Not important.) pic.twitter.com/bi5QtIKCxT — Kevin O'Keeffe (@kevinpokeeffe) January 18, 2017 Full Story
10 Years of Matthew & Camila
Christopher Peterson/ Splash News
Matthew McConaughey's Free State Of Jones opened last week with not great reviews and not a great box office. Some have taken issue with the film's "faux-enlightenment". Others argue that there is some insight in how the film "exposes (what Jesse William's called) the invention of whiteness" at the BET Awards Full Story
Alright, Alright, Alright it's Halloween
Camila Alves has somewhat puzzlingly been anointed as a lifestyle expert, and this morning the exclusive story on PEOPLE (errr, exclusive?) is that she's launched a web series called Camila's Code. First off, the video is 20 minutes long, which is FOREVER in TV/web video. Full Story
Alright alright alright… that's enough
Derek Storm/ Splash News
Is it lifestyle season? Is there something about the end of summer/impending school year that drives everyone to suddenly become obsessed with coconut oil and mason jars? Yesterday, US Weekly posted an exclusive story on Camila Alves's favourite lunchtime recipes, dubbing her a "lifestyle expert. Full Story
D'accord d'accord d'accord
Gary Miller/ Getty Images
Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe will be in Cannes. Gus Van Sant's Sea Of Trees will be screened in competition at the festival. Gus Van Sant + McConaughey? I'm definitely intrigued. The Croisette is going to lose its mind with the return of McConaughey, now an Oscar winner, to the Palais. Full Story
Matthew McConaughey & Channing Tatum: Globes present and future
Frazer Harrison/ Jeff Vespa/ Steve Granitz/ Rich Polk/ Michael Kovac/ Getty Images
Matthew McConaughey is an Oscar winner. You would not have believed this 5 years ago. Maybe even 3 years ago. Back then he was synonymous with Kate Hudson. Back then he was good for taking his shirt off, thank you Matt Damon. If Matthew McConaughey can win an Oscar… why not, someday, Channing Tatum? After all, Channing Tatum, at this stage in his career, and at this age, is much more directed about his choices than McConaughey was at the same point. Full Story
Matthew McConaughey's 10 Moments and not the SMA
XactpiX/ Splash
On Monday I wrote about PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive for 2014. Click here for a refresher. In short, I thought it would probably be either Matthew McConaughey or Chris Pratt, given the year that both have had. PEOPLE just released its cover for this week. Full Story
Interstellar in London
Wenn, Jon Furniss/ Corbis/ Splash, LEON NEAL/ Getty
The premiere happened tonight. Let's talk about the outfit of the week – and the person wearing it isn't even in the movie, holy SH-T Camila Alves! It's a cape and it's white. You almost can't go wrong. But then it's also a pantsuit? Never mind the week, this might be one of the best looks of the year. Full Story
Jim Carrey's Matthew McConaughey
I thought it was a pretty strong Saturday Night Live this weekend hosted by Jim Carrey. The sketches were weird if they weren't funny, with a kind of random silliness that I found really…appealing. And his Matthew McConaughey accent is RIGHT ON. The fact that it was a 3 part series, with Jim getting increasingly ridiculous with his Just Keep Living rambling, made it even better. Full Story
More honours for Matthew McConaughey
Wenn, Splash, Kevin Winter/ Getty
Matthew McConaughey received the American Cinematheque Award last night in Hollywood and it was a strong turnout. The timing is great too. Not only because he's winning everything (but the Emmy), but also because Interstellar comes out soon, one of most highly anticipated films of the year. Of over a year. Full Story
Brange, Matthew, Sandy, New Orleans
Ray Tamarra /Getty Images, AKM-GSI/ Aliz / Deano /Splash News
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were in New Orleans this weekend for the Make It Right gala. I've attached shots of the Jolie arriving at the venue. Those might be the highest heels I've ever seen her wear. I've also attached a shot of her seated next to Brad and Chris Rock inside the event where Bruno Mars was one of the performers. Full Story


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Although some publishers and distributors were in the digital space long before Amazon introduced the Kindle in November 2007, the then-$399 device offering seamless downloads of relatively inexpensive digital books was definitely the game changer. In the intervening five years, not only have devices and formats morphed and multiplied—and with them challenges, not least of which is how many ISBNs a single e-book needs—but new retail players have continued to emerge. Zola Books, which is still in beta, will begin selling later this year; Kobo is about to relaunch in the U.S. with independent booksellers; and even Ingram is working on an e-book platform (no date has been set yet).
Despite the recession and churning in the marketplace, publishers and distributors continue to see huge opportunities for growing sales of e-books. Rick Joyce, chief marketing officer for the Perseus Books Group, which offers a suite of digital distribution and conversion services through its Constellation division, anticipates e-book sales doubling in the U.S. this year and increasing two-, three-, or even fourfold in the rest of the world, which is two years behind the U.S. in e-retailing and devices. The biggest e channel continues to be online retailers, according to Sabrina McCarthy, president of Perseus Distribution Client Services, Argo Navis, and Perseus Distribution, who is seeing sales of some titles be as much as 30% to 40% digital, while others, like serious nonfiction, average 10% to 15%.
"We've had a great 2012 in both print and e, although our e-book business is growing at a faster pace than print, with e-book sales having grown each and every month versus the prior month," says Larry Bennett, president of distribution at BookMasters. "Overall, we are aiming at generating close to 20% of our sales through e-books." Because of an international push earlier this year, BookMasters has seen a 10% increase in sales across the board and has had good pickup, particularly for its Christian and romance titles.
At National Book Network, which offers e-books and conversion through NBN Fusion, e-book sales have more than doubled in each of the past three years. "As a percentage of overall sales, e-books should exceed 10% in 2012," says Ron Powers, v-p of digital publishing. During the Frankfurt Book Fair, NBN is doing a full push to all 90 publishers represented in the U.K. and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) by its sister company, NBN International, so that they have access to the full suite of NBN Fusion services, including international e-book distribution.
Where once publishers dipped their toes into digital with one distributor and print with another, increasingly presses are seeing the value of looking at a title as a title—and having the same house represent both. "The same person who is selling Amazon is selling Kindle opportunities. The marketing is very, very similar. Then it's up to the consumer what format they want to read," says Publishers Group West president Susan Reich, who just signed Entrepreneur Press for physical distribution after working with it for a year and a half on digital. There's still plenty of room for digital-only specialists in a dynamic market. INscribe Digital represents a number of print publishers along with individual authors. It sold Bared to You in digital until author Sylvia Day signed with Penguin, and recently added Jackie Collins's backlist and some digital-only titles to its roster.
New markets continue to open up. "It's no secret that the big U.S.-based retail and consumer media companies are selling a lot of digital books," says Shawn Morin, COO of Ingram Content Group. "However, we continue to see an emerging trend in categories and verticals that may be best served by subject. We have also just started to see some retailers—such as Flipkart in India, Bilbary in the U.K., and Fishpond in New Zealand [and Australia]—start to service more international customers. We will continue to look for customers that have the capability to help us connect publishers with consumers."
At BookMasters, too, the lion's share of sales goes through the top four retail outlets—Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. "But what is most interesting," says Bennett, "are the numerous smaller e-book outlets that cater to specific niches, be they public library lending programs or genre-specific e-book stores. Our Christian titles very much benefit from the smaller Christian-specific outlets in the U.S. and around the world."
At Independent Publishers Group, in addition to the U.S., Canada is doing "nicely," says president Mark Suchomel. "We're not just continuing to keep up with the market. We're exploring where we can sell directly to libraries and consumers." In the past few months, IPG began experimenting with putting its shopping cart on its publishers' Web sites. When a customer clicks the Buy button at sites for Nomad Press or the Urban Land Institute, the order goes directly to IPG's back office. "We try to identify where publishers have problems and provide a solution for them," says Suchomel of the program. "It doesn't make sense for publishers to build it themselves. We have everything right here. Publishers only incur a cost when a book is sold, and that allows them to retain customer information."
The digital landscape is changing so fast that distributors recommend that any presses that have been either reluctant to get started or don't have the money to convert their entire backlist begin by making at least a few bestsellers available as e-books now. "Make a strategy rather than [anticipate] where the broad market is going," says Perseus's Joyce. Quoting Stephen Page, CEO of the U.K.'s Faber & Faber, a Perseus partner, responding to journalists' questions about when the market is going to be 50% e, he adds, "Stop trying to figure out what's going to happen in three years. Prognostication is procrastination."
The Road Ahead
Not that going digital isn't without its difficulties, especially as the Department of Justice lawsuit on e-book pricing continues to wend its way through the courts and throws a wrinkle in the agency pricing model. As NBN's Powers points out, "It can be challenging doing profitable business in a constantly changing landscape." Even so, the evolution of the agency model is just a small speed bump compared to providing e-book files in multiple formats, handling complex treatments like cookbooks, and managing metadata.
"We've spent a lot of the past six to eight months on what the future looks like, and we're focused on a greater move to digital, and we looked at how we ensure that our developers are streamlining what they do," says Anne Kubek, executive v-p, general manager, of INscribe Digital. "We really believe that is where the future of this industry is going." By having fewer human hands touch the metadata, she notes, it will be more accurate. "Incomplete or error-ridden metadata really slows everything down," she adds. And if it can be submitted more easily, her hope is that it will free publishers to spend more time creating more device-specific content, as Becker & Mayer! is doing, looking to launch a digital series in 3-D.
Another challenge is finding ways to counter showrooming at bricks-and-mortar bookstores. "Traditional retailers are an important part of the content distribution network, whether e or p," says Morin at Ingram, which will begin distributing Kobo devices for the American Booksellers Association when its partnership with Kobo rolls out at more than 400 independents in the U.S. "At a certain point, retailers need to be in a position to create a unique selling proposition for consumers."
Others are taking a more active stance. "We want to help retailers maintain their consumer base," says Bill Schanes, v-p of purchasing at Diamond Comic Distributors. Six weeks ago Diamond and digital comics vendor iVerse Media launched Diamond Digital to enable comics shop owners to do exactly that by selling digital downloads of comics. On any given Monday retailers can download a list of codes for digital comics that will be available in print two days later. They can then use the digital edition as an add-on sale in-store. For an additional 99¢, customers can have both the print and a "plus" digital copy. Or customers can buy just the digital edition for $1 less than the print price.
"It may not be the sexy way to do this," says Schanes. "We really feel like [retailers are] being left out in the cold." So far the program is available only for comics in North America, but Schanes says that graphic novels will be available soon and that digital comics will roll out internationally in the first or second quarter of 2013. Comics shops have been slow to adopt. Although Diamond services 2,000 direct comics shops, only a tenth, or just under 200, have signed up.
"Showrooming is going to exist. Rather than fight it, let's facilitate it and give everybody credit for it," says IPG's Suchomel, whose goal is for sales representatives to be able to talk about, and sell, all formats with all retailers. Currently, he's in conversations with Zola to compensate IPG's reps on consumer purchases through bookstores' presence on the Zola site. "It will give them good incentive to pay attention to our e-books," says Suchomel, who is open to a similar arrangement with Kobo. Both e-tailers offer booksellers commissions on e-book sales. To date Kobo hasn't reached out to credit reps for digital sales at indies.
"It's still such an early-stage industry," INscribe's Kubek points out. But with $35.3 billion in online sales overall in November and December 2011, according to comScore.com, an increase of 15% over 2010, and strong e-book sales in the following quarter, e-book distributors and their clients are poised to benefit this holiday season.


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Out With The Old
This story appears in the April 2001 issue of Entrepreneurs Start-Ups magazine. Subscribe »
Old PCs don't die, and they don't fade away, either. The average PC will run almost forever, and the harmful chemicals inside it will survive in your local landfill for even longer.
How many long-lived-but-obsolete computers is your company moving around among staffers? There's definitely a point of diminishing returns in holding on to PCs past their prime, as well as hidden costs in just about any disposal method you choose. In fact, in some cases, it may cost you more to move PCs down the corporate ladder than it would to just purchase cheap new machines every few years. But either way, sooner or later, you'll have to get rid of old PCs. So how do you do it?
Don't think you can just toss them in the dumpster-remember those dangerous chemicals. And sure, selling them to employees or a PC broker or giving them to charity are all viable options, but they all have costs attached-many of which may surprise you. It's a good idea to have an exit strategy for your old hardware-and it should be in place long before the intrinsic value of your PCs hits zero.
Complete depreciation is often here before you know it, but there's good news in that respect: After years of decline, PC life expectancies are in an upturn, says IDC analyst Alan Promisel. The average middle-of-the-road PC now has a useful life of about three years; a high-end desktop, about four years. What's changed is that Microsoft has slowed down the spin on the Windows upgrade wheel, and the whole software industry has followed suit, cutting back the rate at which incompatibilities occur.
Longer software lifecycles mean you don't need to buy new hardware as often. In fact, you can probably squeeze an additional six months or so out of your company's desktops. But be careful: Nurse an old PC along for too long, and productivity suffers-for low-level staffers as well as managers. Worker efficiency declines along with equipment efficiency, so when software takes longer to load, screens take longer to redraw and incompatibilities start to occur, memory upgrades need to be deployed.
Costs Plus
Market analysts tell us we're about to reach the point where one PC is retired for every new one purchased. Where do old PCs go?
Unfortunately, only about 6 percent of them were being recycled in 1998, according to the nonprofit Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC). And that's too bad, because 90 percent of computer contents can be reused.
A widely quoted Carnegie Mellon University study projects that we're on our way to retiring 325 million PCs between 1985 and 2005. An increasing number are being recycled, and even more are sitting in company supply rooms, but Carnegie Mellon estimates 55 million are headed for landfills-enough to cover 1 acre 4,000 feet deep.
Some think that's what landfills are for, but old PCs have chlorinated and brominated substances, Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), heavy metals, gases, acids and plastic additives-and that's just for starters. (For a complete list, see the SVTC Web site) All those chemicals have incredibly long half-lives.
You want your new house sitting on top of this stuff? Not to mention, the EPA will be all over you if you're discovered throwing PCs in the trash. And according to IDC's analysis of a tracking survey, that disposal method costs roughly $217 per PC anyway.
In general, a lot of PC disposal costs are realized in soft dollars, and a certain amount of those are fixed. IDC says it will cost companies at least $150 for every PC taken out of service. First, there's the labor involved in physically removing a system and its network components, disconnecting peripherals and scrubbing the hard drive of software, passwords and sensitive company files. Then there's the downtime for employees during the move. After that, your costs will vary depending on how you choose to dispose of the old PC and may include payment for things like testing and repair or, in many cases, contractual or other legal costs.
The traditional method of PC disposal, especially for smaller organizations, is to pass hardware down the corporate ladder. But that's your most expensive option, according to IDC. It costs $397 to de-install and re-install a PC. And you haven't even solved the problem of declining capital equipment efficiency; you've only moved it to a different part of your organization and temporarily postponed the day when you have to incur disposal costs.
Another popular option is to sell old company PCs to staff. IDC says your net out-of-pocket per PC is $272 if you can sell it to an employee for $100, and $119 if you sell it to a third-party broker for $200. (Remember, costs vary among disposal options.) The good news is, the PC is gone. But in both cases, you have to sell the PC before its value reaches zero. And those three years for a mid-range PC and four years for a high-end box go by quickly.
Of course, brands vary. You can look up the residual value of your PC in the Orion Computer Blue Book. You can purchase the latest version of the Blue Book with the most recent prices from the Orion Research Web site or by calling (800) 844-0759. You also can look up prices for individual PCs online at $3.99 per shot.
Some brand-name PC-makers have trade-in programs-IBM, Gateway and Dell, for example. Don't expect them to give you much for your hardware tool, though. Third-party brokers won't pad your pockets that much either, says Bill Dorsey, owner of Used Computer Mall in San Diego. "Two-hundred dollars is probably a high estimate," he says. But expeditious disposal allows you to avoid storage costs, IT repair, upgrade work and declining worker productivity.
The only thing required of you is to wipe each machine clean of files for your own security, although a list of your PC's configurations would help. And a machine's cosmetic condition is really important, says Dorsey. He also doesn't like to bid on less than 10 to 15 PCs, and though some brokers aren't as picky, he thinks selling to employees and donating are the best ways to get rid of fewer than 10 PCs.
Most old PCs have years of utility left in them-just not for you. There are tons of schools, community groups, senior homes and other needy institutions (as well as scam artists posing as needy institutions) that would be happy to take them off your hands.
Unfortunately, donation is another of the more costly disposal options. By the time you get done with moving, temporarily storing, shipping, tax record-keeping, making contractual arrangements with the beneficiary, possible testing and repair, and, of course, facing the ever-present legal exposure, IDC figures it will cost you $344 for each PC donated.
And the legal exposure is real. You could get sued for donating a defective or virus-infected computer, or you may be asked to defend the tax deduction. Share the Technology outlines some of the pitfalls for givers and receivers on its site. On the upside, the infrastructure for charitable donations is well-advanced, making this option less time-consuming.
Whether you give it away, sell it to a broker, trade it in on a new one or sell it for scrap, don't expect to get much for your used PC. It's a rapidly depreciating asset that, hopefully, you squeezed productivity and tax benefits out of and moved through your organization expeditiously.
No single solution fits all companies. How well the list of disposal costs applies to you can vary by your number of PCs, your geographical location, your time constraints, technology needs, free cash-any number of factors, says IDC. In some cases, you may be able to salvage some PCs with hardware upgrades or deployment for low-demand applications like communication or print servers. You might want to get out of the PC ownership business entirely by leasing. Weigh your options in the context of your company's unique situation.
One thing about PC ownership is clear, though: The time to start thinking about how you'll get rid of a new PC is the day you buy it.
Pass The Chips
Computer recycling resources:
PEP (Parents, Educators, Publishers) listing of recycling organizations worldwide (click on "Computer Recycling")
Used Computer Mall list of national nonprofit groups
Share the Technology national donation database
Carnegie Mellon University Recycling List
National Safety Council Electronic Equipment Recyclers Contact List
Look up "Recycling Services" in the Yellow Pages.
The Poor PC No One Wanted?
No, no, it's not that bad. Here are some companies that take
used PCs:
Compaq Computer (800-345-1518)
Gateway Computer Technology Refresh (800-846-4208, 800-846-5211)
IBM ($29.99 per PC)
For a list of used PC vendor phone numbers, try www.usedcomputer.com/phone.html.
Contact Source
- IDC, www.leasing.idc.com


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Andean Region
On the great-grandfather clock of time, 500 years is about a second. And in that second, European mestizos have managed to plunder this region of nearly all its mineral wealth, subjugate the Indian populations, and force on them Western laws and the Catholic Church. But if the recent coup in Bolivia, the 2002 elections in Peru, and the 1999 coup in Ecuador demonstrated anything, it was this: That one second of history is coming to an end. The Indians have teamed up with disgruntled coca growers and traditionally strong mining unions. Together they are putting their feet down -- and the collective stomp is shaking the mountaintops. Not surprisingly, natural resources remain central: gas in Bolivia and Peru, oil in Ecuador. The FTAA may look good to the ones who are shipping out the goods but not to those manning the pipelines. What's more, a realistic assessment of the value of the coca industry in these countries is critical, but the trade reps in Miami will treat the crop like the plague. Further complicating matters: The Andean nations' individual wants as countries will override their need to band together as a trading bloc.
Civil Strife Index ***
An increasingly volatile place to do business as Indians and coca growers join with traditional union powers to do the unthinkable: topple white-run governments.
Life Expectancy 68 years
Reefer Quality Index **
Literacy Rate 88%
Foreign Debt Index $58 billion
It roughly breaks down this way: Peru $42 billion, Bolivia $3 billion, Ecuador $13 billion. Those figures can mislead, however. Bolivia was allowed to cancel substantial debt three years ago; Peru eliminated ten percent of U.S. debt by agreeing to stronger environmental regulations; and Ecuador recently managed a slick restructuring plan that eased some of the pressure.
Trade Power Index *
Poverty Rate 57%
Corruption Index ****
Business cartels must push product (one guess -- it's not coffee) through the Andean region; lots of cash helps them get past government and law enforcement, and closer to the finish line: the American border.
With 38 million people ready to run out any president who doesn't pay enough attention to domestic tranquility, the Argentine government must tread lightly when it comes to foreign investment, privatization, and international trade. After a financial free-for-all in the Nineties under former president Carlos Menem, the banking system collapsed in 2001. Angry citizens banging pots and pans brought down a succession of national leaders in December of that year. Current president Nestor Kirchner is very careful about what concessions he makes to the international community, whether it's grappling with the biggest loan default of all time ($155 billion) or further opening the country for trade. Not surprisingly, then, Argentina is Brazil's best buddy in the Mercosur common market (including neighbors Paraguay and Uruguay) that will try to wring trade concessions from the United States.
Civil Strife Index **
What may have warranted one AK-47 three years ago gets two because of the continuing economic problems, labor unrest, and skyrocketing crime rate.
Life Expectancy 73 years
Reefer Quality Index *1/2
Literacy Rate 97%
Foreign Debt Index $255 billion
After being blackballed by all major financial institutions following last year's unprecedented default on International Monetary Fund loans, the worst may be over. Under president Nestor Kirchner, a payback plan is in the works.
Trade Power Index **
Poverty Rate 30%
Corruption Index ****1/2
Argentina, long known as a place where a handful of cash gets you to the front of the line, has seen corruption worsen as an increase in political crime mirrors an increase in overall crime.
Big bad Brazil. With a population of more than 175 million and an economy that outranks Canada, Brazil is by far the largest country in South America. It's also the United States' most powerful rival for control of the FTAA. Brazil has rallied the other nations to the South American common market known as Mercosur in order to negotiate as a bloc. Now the success of the FTAA talks may hinge on steel and oranges, Brazil's biggest exports. The X factor is Brazilian president and former steelworker Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the left-leaning Workers Party. Many feared he would plunge the country into a populist quagmire when elected a year ago. Instead he's won over the Brazilian business community and the IMF, spurring economic growth while promoting social reform. With Mercosur muscle behind him, Lula might well force into play a version of the FTAA that is more than just a rubber stamp of U.S. interests.
Civil Strife Index ***
This country's crime rate continues to cause problems; drug gangs, in particular, control large portions of major cities and threaten to tie up police for years to come; the one positive thing for business is that labor unrest should be at a minimum these days with Lula, the former sindicalista, in power.
Life Expectancy 68 years
Reefer Quality Index **
Literacy Rate 85%
Foreign Debt Index $430 billion
It looks like a long, hard financial journey for Lula's administration. Still the IMF continues to feed Brazil's economy by loosening restrictions on its payback plan and even kicking in more loans this year.
Trade Power Index *****
Poverty Rate 37%
Corruption Index ***1/2
Police are at war -- manning-the-barricades, fighting-in-the-streets war -- with large drug gangs in major Brazilian cities, while political and white-collar corruption increases.
Cautiously, cautiously (this is Canada, after all), the second-richest nation in the proposed FTAA is pushing for its passage. Although far smaller than the U.S. economy, Canada's is similar in structure -- diversified, service-oriented, technologically advanced. Meaning that better protection for intellectual property rights and the opening of service markets to allow telecommunications, information, financial, and other such industries easier access to the 33 other FTAA markets is good for Canada. But this is Canada, so it has also taken the lead in promoting openness in the negotiations, encouraging debate, holding nationwide forums, and helping create the Civil Society Committee. All of which is no surprise coming from a country that boasts one of the lowest poverty rates in the world. Our northern neighbor is in no great rush to lose too many jobs or see its social-service net collapse, hence the Canuck rallying cry: "Moderation!"
Civil Strife Index
Oh, Canada ... glorious and free -- of crime, terrorism, unrest.
Life Expectancy 79 years
Reefer Quality Index ***
Literacy Rate 97%
Foreign Debt Index
Canada is quite truly debt-free -- regardless of what the Québecois think they're entitled to.
Trade Power Index *****
Poverty Rate 18%
Corruption Index *
Safe cities, majestic mountains, good skiing, and little corruption -- what's not to like?
Twelve Caribbean countries have been involved in FTAA negotiations: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago. They've been trying hard to make their voices heard, particularly on matters of agricultural tariffs and incentives for small, developing economies. The problem: When reps from the Bahamas or Trinidad and Tobago sit down at the negotiating table with the U.S., Canada, and large South American economies like Brazil and Argentina, "it's like ants and fleas sitting down with elephants," as the Caribbean Tourism Organization's secretary general put it recently. Adoption of the FTAA would radically change the economic structure of a country like the Bahamas, for instance, where customs duties on imports -- which would be eliminated under the current FTAA draft -- account for 70 percent of the nation's revenue and where no formal laws regarding foreign trade exist at present. Trade ministers from the Caribbean have cited the European Union's inclusion of regional development funds for Spain, Portugal, and Ireland as an example of the kind of help they'll need to keep the FTAA from sinking their tiny economies. No such provisions exist in the current FTAA draft, and it remains to be seen whether the Caribbean countries have the negotiating power to make it happen.
Civil Strife Index *
Aside from Jamaica having a scary crime rate and a bloodthirsty police force, the rest of the region takes pains to keep visitors and banks safe, which is all that counts for our FTAA people.
Reefer Quality Index *****
Irie, mon.
Foreign Debt Index $9 billion
The Caribbean islands are small-time players, even pawns in international politics -- as the discontinuation of preferential trade agreements with the EU proves. The FTAA will only increase their monkey-in-the-middle status as their ability to repay debts relies on their ability to trade.
Trade Power Index *
Corruption Index ****
Bribery at the lower levels of government plagues the Caribbean, but even more damaging is the uncontrolled misappropriation of public funds in a part of the world where services are rare and greatly needed.
Central America
Yankee capitalists hope traditionally cash-starved Central American countries Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador will help them establish a blueprint for the FTAA. Earlier this year the four nations agreed to negotiate -- along with Costa Rica, their prosperous and peaceful neighbor to the south -- a free-trade pact with the U.S. known as CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, with NAFTA serving as the template. Negotiations are expected to conclude this coming January. (Panama, long a U.S. whipping boy, has been excluded from CAFTA. So has tiny Belize, presumably because U.S. trade officials can't find it on a map.) Certainly the Central American countries are no strangers to the advantages and disadvantages of trade with the United States, for years having provided cheap manufacturing labor -- mainly in textiles -- to U.S. companies. Despite decades of rampant poverty, institutionalized government corruption, and bloody internal conflicts, the region's 36 million people account for nearly $20 billion in annual trade with the United States.
Civil Strife Index ***
High crime rates and increasing instability owing to drug trafficking portend an ominous future.
Life Expectancy 67 years
Reefer Quality Index ***
Literacy Rate 72%
Foreign Debt Index $12 billion
Still struggling from the destruction of Hurricane Mitch, these countries are dumping nearly half of their budgets into servicing debt, which appears to be an endless cyclone itself.
Trade Power Index *
Poverty Rate 64%
Corruption Index ****
Inefficient bureaucracies make a back-door approach necessary in countries where bribery is a way of life.
Why can't every country be like Chile? United States trade reps have designated this nation of 15 million as a "model" economy. Augusto Pinochet's brutal dictatorship permanently shut down radical labor and silenced indigenous malcontents. The transition to democracy in the early Nineties ushered in meteoric economic growth of more than 25 percent per year. By now the growth has slowed to a more modest three or four percent, but this small and well-managed economy -- running mostly on copper, grapes, and wood pulp -- remains free-trade friendly. Local and foreign companies are taxed at the same rate, and very relaxed investment laws allow foreigners to take their earnings back to their home countries without much hassle. There were a few tense moments early this year when Chile refused to back the U.S. war in Iraq, but the old friends kissed and made up with a bilateral trade agreement this past June (signed here at Miami's own Vizcaya) that the United States hopes will serve as a building block for the FTAA. That agreement has Brazilians crying foul. Chile is a member of the South American common market known as Mercosur, which is pushing its own FTAA agenda to counter U.S. influence. That leaves Chile in the very delicate position of trying to please two powerful trading partners.
Civil Strife Index *
Nearly twenty years of Pinochet left the country with little punch and even less organization.
Life Expectancy 75 years
Reefer Quality Index 1/2
Literacy Rate 96%
Foreign Debt Index $98 billion
Chile currently stands alone among its Southern Cone neighbors as a solvent and reliable economy. The long-term outlook is good, foreign debt being the turtle in the race against the hare.
Trade Power Index ****
Poverty Rate 20%
Corruption Index **
Two decades of brutal dictatorship gets you a mess of war crimes and a fairly efficient government bureaucracy.
In Colombia they have a saying: "Es complicado pero no es complejo." Loosely translated: I have no idea what's going on here. This country probably has the world's strangest mix of war, politics, and economics. During some of the worst years of political violence, Colombia's GDP was higher than European stepchildren Chile and Argentina. Only recently has the war-equals-economic-growth model faltered. After years of export controls, coffee prices have bottomed out, largely owing to an increase in Vietnamese coffee exports. Free trade may only exacerbate the situation. And the promise of an oil boom is about as likely as peace. There's much less black gold than previously thought, and the rebels and paramilitary groups have taken their battles to the country's largest cities. What's left is an economy propped up on the wheels of its strongest crop, coca, and its most lucrative industry, kidnapping -- two subjects Colombian officials will be avoiding at the FTAA meeting even while they tout the benefits of free trade for the country so their fresh-flower and coal markets can continue to flourish.
Civil Strife Index *****
One of the most popular men in the country, Carlos Castaño, has slaughtered hundreds of unarmed people. What more need be said?
Life Expectancy 71 years
Reefer Quality Index ****
Literacy Rate 92%
Foreign Debt Index $58 billion
Outsiders tend to forget about the endless civil war when concentrating on coffee and cocaine, but the government certainly hasn't. Three years ago Colombia's foreign debt was 40 percent of its GDP, second only to Argentina. Today it's even worse.
Trade Power Index **
Poverty Rate 55%
Corruption Index ****1/2
Civil war and powerful drug cartels have undermined and corrupted most aspects of Colombia's legitimate government.
Costa Rica
People unfamiliar with Costa Rica, roughly the size of West Virginia, often mistakenly lump it together with its poverty-stricken, strife-torn Central American neighbors. Nothing could be further from the truth, which is why it must be considered on its own. Costa Rica is an oasis of stability and peace in the region. The country has not fielded armed forces since 1949, when the army was abolished. Its system of national parks and biological preserves, which protect a vast array of exotic flora and fauna, has spawned an ecotourism industry that has become so popular (and profitable) that some fear it may soon overwhelm the fragile landscape. Costa Rica is the U.S.'s 38th largest export market, with $2.4 billion in goods entering the country annually. American trade negotiators are hoping their good business relationship with Costa Rica will provide credibility to the FTAA.
Civil Strife Index *
Anybody up for a hike through the rain forest?
Life Expectancy 76 years
Reefer Quality Index **
Literacy Rate 96%
Foreign Debt Index $3 billion
Thanks to tourism, the economy here has remained on track, though overall GDP has dipped in recent years.
Trade Power Index *
Poverty Rate 22%
Corruption Index ***
Costa Rica has less everyday corruption than its neighbors, but scandals over misused campaign funds have plagued the upper tiers of government in recent years. Wide-open immigration policies have allowed in some bad actors who will pay to play.
Were it not for domestic political considerations (read: el exilio), U.S. business interests would prevail in allowing Cuba to participate in the FTAA. Doing so, of course, would mean ending the embargo, which the Bush administration won't consider -- at least not until after next year's presidential election. If itchy U.S. capitalists are patient, that may well occur, in which case a sizable market for U.S. goods and services will open wide. And in turn, Cuba's biomedical-research industry might have a chance to flourish, providing much-needed competition for rapacious U.S. pharmaceutical companies.
Civil Strife Index *
A safe place to do business, but conflict looms when el barbudo croaks.
Reefer Quality Index
Transshipment only.
Literacy Rate 100% (if you believe Fidel)
Foreign Debt Index $100 billion
Though major international lending institutions (and of course the U.S.) have kept their distance from Castro, that hasn't stopped the EU, other Latin American nations, and Russia from opening their pocketbooks, despite a very bad payback history.
Trade Power Index **
Poverty Rate 0% (if you believe Fidel)
Corruption Index **1/2
It's difficult to monitor corruption in Castro's Cuba, but most accounts say he runs a tighter ship than many of his Caribbean neighbors.
As the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has nothing to lose and everything to gain from a free-trade pact. At its peak in the mid-Eighties, Haiti's assembly sector employed about 80,000 people and counted the U.S. as its biggest customer by far. Among other notable products, Haitian workers wrapped and stitched millions of baseballs, including those used by the major leagues. But as infrastructure devolved into roving packs of gunmen, foreign investment fled the island along with boatloads of natives. Even with the FTAA, companies are unlikely to reinvest until some measure of political stability returns -- and what will foster that is anyone's guess.
Civil Strife Index ****
When will Aristide's corrupt government fall? It's only a matter of time. The real question is, who or what will take its place?
Life Expectancy 51 years (est.)
Reefer Quality Index
Transshipment only.
Literacy Rate 49% (est.)
Foreign Debt Index $1 billion
Kiss it goodbye.
Trade Power Index **
Poverty Rate 73% (est.)
Corruption Index ******
Corruption is a different animal in Haiti, where there is almost no governmental infrastructure left to manipulate. Humanitarian aid -- from other governments, the World Bank, or nongovernmental organizations -- generally winds up in the coffers of whoever has the guns and manpower to keep it. Businessmen and travelers wishing to remain safe are wise to pay up.
In 1994 Mexico, Canada, and the United States created the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which now serves as a model for the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. So far it appears NAFTA has bolstered the profit margins of large U.S. companies while doing virtually nothing beneficial for the average Mexican. Since the implementation of NAFTA, American corporations have opened nearly 3000 factories (maquiladoras) where more than 1.3 million Mexicans, mostly young women, earn wages that average 50 cents per hour and provide no benefits. Meanwhile the cost of living in Mexico has steadily risen, along with environmental degradation. In addition, independent farmers and small companies have lost ground trying to compete with NAFTA-induced corporate consolidations. By some estimates, 1.4 million Mexican jobs have been lost in the past nine years as a result of NAFTA. Yet Mexico's president, Vicente Fox, a former Coca-Cola executive, is championing the FTAA.
Civil Strife Index ***
Mexico is beginning to experience levels of drug violence and corruption comparable to Colombia in the late Eighties.
Life Expectancy 72 years
Reefer Quality Index *****
Literacy Rate 91%
Foreign Debt Index $341 billion
Our southern neighbor feels the ups and downs of our own economic cycles, meaning that within Latin America it's relatively steady and strong. Once the U.S. economy picks up, president Vicente Fox will be in a better position to attend to the debt.
Trade Power Index **
Poverty Rate 42%
Corruption Index ***1/2
Narcotraficantes control huge amounts of money in a country where dinero is scarce. It's no wonder police and politicians are on the take from Tijuana to Tapachula.
If you want to understand the Free Trade Area of the Americas circa 2003, you might look back exactly 100 years, when Teddy Roosevelt effectively annexed this area (roughly the size of South Carolina) so the U.S. could control shipping throughout the hemisphere. (Oh, yes, and Panama "won" its independence from Colombia.) Over the ensuing century, Panama has been little more than a U.S. guard dog, banking center, and zona franca. Even after the U.S. handed over administrative control of the canal at the end of 1999, this country (with a population of three million, just a little larger than Miami-Dade County) plays but a minor role in regional affairs, despite hosting several FTAA meetings. With Manuel "Pineapple Face" Noriega in a Miami federal lockup, Panamanians need few reminders of what will happen if they get out of line.
Civil Strife Index **
A volatile place under very close watch. (See "Pineapple Face.")
Life Expectancy 74 years
Reefer Quality Index ****
Literacy Rate 92%
Foreign Debt Index $6 billion
A debt-restructuring agreement with the IMF, signed in 1996, suggested that Panama was determined to reduce its debt, but seven years later there's been no decrease whatsoever in the numbers.
Trade Power Index **
Poverty Rate 31%
Corruption Index ****
Graft and general corruption among political and business elites threaten democracy in a country that already has one of the most unequal distributions of income in the hemisphere. Panama's large banking sector has been cited for numerous instances of industrial-strength money-laundering by drug cartels and other criminal enterprises.
United States
Poor United States -- so far from God, so close to Brazilian citrus groves. While comparing the U.S. economy with any other in the hemisphere is like comparing oranges with space stations (its GDP of about $10 trillion is more than all the other countries combined), the 800-pound gorilla is nervous about agriculture. So nervous, in fact, that talks over removing our own agricultural subsidies, as Brazil is demanding, could sink the whole proverbial trading ship, which we're supposedly piloting. With a highly skilled labor force of about 142 million, a whopping per capita GDP of $37,000 (Brazil's is $7600), the largest and most technically advanced economy in the world, and complete dominance of the stock market, to name just a few advantages, the U.S. has overwhelming negotiating power. In the past it has used this might in trade talks to press for openness, openness, and more openness. Most of the provisions in the FTAA will help this country's huge multinational companies, which utterly dominate the hemispheric marketplace. Beefing up legal systems and intellectual property rights, loosening barriers to privatization, and boosting transparency will be a win-win for those corporations. But most likely U.S. agriculture will lose. Only about two percent of the U.S. economy belongs to agriculture, yet certain key farm states, plus Big Sugar and Big Citrus, are part of that percentage. And yes, the last two sit in our own, politically critical state. Who knew a pound of oranges could be so heavy?
Civil Strife Index *
Why? Because any terrorist attack on U.S. soil will send the world's economy tumbling again.
Life Expectancy 77 years
Reefer Quality Index *****
Literacy Rate 97%
Foreign Debt Index
Officially the United States is in the clear when it comes to formal external debt, but huge trade deficits in some areas (China, Japan) and skyrocketing budget deficits at home (the likes of which the World Bank and IMF would never tolerate in client countries) are major causes for concern.
Trade Power Index *******
Poverty Rate 13%
Corruption Index *1/2
The trains run on time (usually), public officials on the take wind up in jail (sometimes), and you don't have to slip the guy at the post office a $20 bill to get your package before next month.
Embattled president Hugo Chavez has called the FTAA "a perverse mechanism that would be a death order for the future of the region." Chavez was the only signatory to the original FTAA draft agreement who put an asterisk next to his name. His opposition to the FTAA is conditional (Chavez believes South American nations should form trade blocs to wield greater negotiating power at FTAA talks), but important given Venezuela's status as a founding member of OPEC -- whose edicts could be trumped by FTAA rules -- and the fourth-leading supplier of oil to the U.S. He knows the U.S. needs his oil as much as his country needs our trade. The U.S. is Venezuela's leading trade partner, and in a show of the left-leaning president's tendency to act the gadfly, Venezuela has become Cuba's leading trade partner under Chavez's rule. The resource-rich country (fifth-largest oil exporter in the world) does about half its petroleum business outside the Western Hemisphere but needs more private investment in the telecommunications and power-generation sectors to weather the ebb and flow of the oil market. If Chavez survives his ongoing struggle with the Venezuelan upper classes, and continues to believe that the FTAA is too biased toward U.S. corporations, this country could be a powerful opponent to the FTAA.
Civil Strife Index ***
Despite the unrest and talk of guns and so on, there's something about Venezuelans that keeps them from seriously duking it out -- for now, at least.
Life Expectancy 73%
Reefer Quality Index ***
Literacy Rate 92%
Foreign Debt Index $89 billion
Is Chavez serious about tackling this debt? Some observers see signs that he is, but all signs from Caracas are subject to change at any moment.
Trade Power Index **
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Poverty Rate 49%
Corruption Index ****1/2
Hugo Chavez may have been elected to the Venezuelan presidency (after two failed coup attempts) but he's had to resort to strong-arm tactics to stay there. The kind of stranglehold on government that Chavez needs to remain in office isn't exactly conducive to transparent governing, nor is his increasing reliance on mobs of angry, poor Venezuelans.
Sources: Bank for International Settlement; International Monetary Fund; Latin American Network Information Center/University of Texas, Austin; Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development; Transparency International; United Nations Development Program; United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America; World Bank


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Ford F-1 Sheet Metal Bed Repair - Bed Time
Sorting Out The Bed Sheet Metal On An F-1
One of the largest and most prominent aspects of a classic truck is that protuberance that is flanked by the rear fenders and is what makes a truck a truck. Of course we're talking about the business end of a truck, the bed. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most abused portions of any truck. Finding a classic truck with a decent bed is seemingly impossible these days, but fortunately there are numerous companies out there that offer many choices when it comes to fixing problematic areas. From complete bed kits to individual pieces, it's easier than ever to make that hammered bed as good as new.
When we originally tore into the bed on our F-1 project, it seemed to be pretty decent save for a couple areas around the stake pockets. But as we really got into it, it became apparent that there was more damage than a little hammer-and-dolly work was going to fix. For starters, the rear stake pockets had a handful of extra holes for who knows what, and the rear sill panel had two sections that had been torched out to clear a custom bumper. Fixing these problems alone called for a number of patch panels to be fabricated and installed, not to mention the metalwork that was just not possible due to the inability to reach certain areas. Additionally, the front header panel had been drilled out and bolted back together in a rather archaic manner.
The solution to our problem was to contact National Parts Depot (NPD) and order up a new pair of rear stake pockets, rear sill panel, and front header panel to replace the damaged parts. This allowed us to completely removed the damaged sections and replace them with brand-new pieces.
While this seems like an easy fix, it's actually pretty laborious. The stake pockets and rear sill panel are spot-welded to the bed sides from the factory, which requires them to be drilled out before any repairs can be made. This task is eased by a tool sold by NPD called a Spotweld Cutter. Mounted in a drill, the Spotweld Cutter broaches a 3/8-inch hole in the panel, effectively cutting out the spot weld. Once all the welds are cut out, the stake pockets and rear sill panel can be removed from the bedsides. The 3/8-inch holes are used to effectively spot-weld the new stake pockets to the bedsides, resulting in a factory appearing repair. After the welding is completed, a die grinder knocks the weld down flush with the bed side.
Although the removal and installation of the stake pockets is fairly labor intensive, the new parts yield a much cleaner appearance than what could have been achieved by repairing the original pieces. It also allows the bed to be squared up relative with the tail gate so the final fit and finish of the back side of our truck will be much better than the original. This will also make installing the new bed wood kit next month much easier, so stay tuned!


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Admiral Di Paola discusses NATO's new challenges at ISPI Institute
Milan (Italy), 4 Nov 2011 - Admiral Di Paola, Chairman of NATO Military Committee, met today with a large audience of professors and master students at the Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI), to discuss the current agenda and main activities of the Alliance.
"After the conclusion of the mission in Libya, NATO works on lessons identified to proceed in his continuous effort to meet at best today's challenges to the security scenario, in support of the International Community," said the Chairman, "keeping in mind the unpredictability and uncertainty of new arising threats."
During the debate following the speech, one of the main focus topic for the audience was the process, currently done by the NATO members, to join their efforts in addressing the security challenges in a multinational way, a sharing process called "Smart Defence" .
Founded in 1934, ISPI is one of the oldest and most prestigious international relations institutes in Italy, with its headquarters in Palazzo Clerici, Milan. In particular, ISPI has become the institute that makes the biggest contribution in Italy to forming tomorrow's diplomats as well as young people wishing to work in international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.


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Interfaith Thanksgiving service to be held
An interfaith Thanksgiving service will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. Nov. 21 at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 485 Florida Road, across from Chapman Hill.
Five clergy will preside over the service, representing Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian faiths.
A free-will offering will be taken on behalf of Manna Soup Kitchen. A pie buffet fellowship will follow the service.
Methodist church to host bazaar
First United Methodist Church of Durango will host its 39th annual Holiday Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 17 at 2917 Aspen Drive.
There will be refreshments throughout the day, including coffee, pastries and slices of homemade pie for breakfast. The traditional sloppy joe luncheon begins at 11 a.m.
In addition to local vendors with a variety of holiday items, the church will have two craft rooms, a plant parlor, homemade baked goods tables and a Trash & Treasures room. All proceeds go to missions.
For more information, call 247-4213.
First Baptist Church to offer Bible lesson
First Baptist Church will offer a family Bible lesson from the gospel of Luke called Jesus and the Hurting, Lonely, Dying, Ugly, Smelly Guy at 10:45 a.m. Sunday in the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist Church, 332 E. 11th St.
The event will feature a family Bible lesson, prayer, singing and light brunch. All ages are welcome.
Herald Staff


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Project WOW on the Google App Engine Blog
A really quick note: one of my colleagues Ed Hartwell-Goose has written a post for the Google App Engine blog on Project WOW – a site for weather enthusiasts to send their readings to and be collated by the Met Office. It's well worth the read to see what we've been up to and some of the hugely high-performance stuff you can write for App Engine.
You see the site in action over at wow.metoffice.gov.uk


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I took the call on a Thursday evening, and browbeat the nurse into telling me which test was abnormal. HIV was the furthest answer from my mind, but there it was. "You'll be dead in a week," I thought to myself. My wife came home, I told her and within five minutes we decided to divorce. I didn't want my kid to see me waste away to nothing, and the marriage was a shadow of its former self, so it was not a hard decision. Painful, but not difficult. Straight men can't get HIV, right?
I left the house and just drove. Don't know how it happened, but I ended up near the local university hospital and just walked into the ER. It was very late, and there was no one there, so I approached the desk and told the attendant that I was thinking about hurting myself. She made a call and shortly this young woman came down to fetch me. She was from the psych ward.
It was just like you see on TV. She took my belt and shoelaces and I went in a little room by myself for a short while. Soon she came back and we sat down to talk. We talked until the sun came up. About suicide, depression, HIV/AIDS, etc. First thing Friday morning, this young grad student got on the phone and started making some calls. By 9:30, I had a case worker and saw her by 11:00. That's when my real education began.
The case worker got me into a support group and I was to attend my first meeting the following Monday. The weekend was very hard. Lots of tears and angry words with my wife. She and my little girl had to go through testing and, thankfully, they were negative. Not that I deserved any, but there was little sympathy shown. She couldn't possibly have hated me as much as I hated myself that weekend.
The support group was great. I was the only straight man there, but the rest of the guys totally accepted me and were a great source of knowledge in that most were very long-term survivors. A couple had over 20 years with the disease at that point. Just knowing that these men had gutted it out through all the terrible early medications and were still kicking was an inspiration. They talked me through the stages: denial, rage, sadness and finally acceptance. Once you accept your situation, the only person that you can rely on from that point on is yourself. Yes, the support helps, but you yourself have to take charge.
That first week, I got my blood drawn and was on the borderline to start meds. Luckily, the university was just beginning the drug study to see if multiple meds could be combined into one. This eventually led to the first single pill antiretroviral, Atripla [efavirenz/tenofovir/FTC]. It has been 12 years and I am still on the exact same regimen and my numbers are typically exceptionally good. My doctor says it is unusual to be able to stay on one treatment so long, but she's confident that things will remain the same for a long time.
So, I manage the illness ok. I'm healthy, and still working, but I have self-isolated, which isn't always the best thing to do. My advice to the newly diagnosed is to get yourself educated. There are reputable sites like TheBody.com and AIDSmeds.com, but there is also a lot of misinformation out there, too. Do your research and make your own decisions, plus be a partner in your treatment plan. Most importantly, don't let HIV/AIDS run your life. It is traumatic to be diagnosed and coping can be hard, but it does get better and can be a totally manageable condition.
Lastly, reach out to people you trust. Don't try to go it alone, but be a little careful whom you tell. Most positive people have had mixed reactions when disclosing. Try to find a support group and definitely find a case worker. They have the resources to help you fast-track finding the support programs that will aid you going forward with your long and healthy life.
Want to share your own "Day One With HIV" story of finding out your diagnosis? Write out your story (1,000 words or fewer, please!), or film a YouTube video, and email it to email@example.com. In the coming months, we'll be posting readers' "Day One" stories here in our HIV/AIDS Resource Center for the Newly Diagnosed. Read other stories in this series.


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rodblum needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 107 designs submitted by 41 freelance designers.
We require a logo for a new quirky food shop in a shopping centre complex. All food (sandwiches,baguettes,fruit juices)will have a different flavour or blend with every product sold. Very much unlike the basic Ham and cheese or hamburger and a coke normally in shopping centres.
unique blends
in the mood for food
Desired Color Scheme:
pink green blue ( bright colours)
Desired Style:
Sign for shop front
Accepted File Formats:
Products sold will be mainly healthy including a range of 20 different water varieties,unique blends of juices,yoghurt with a twist and so on. UNIQUE BLENDS logo needs to have a food direction but a bit quirky.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.