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Training and Event Calendar
This event calendar is provided as a service to our members and the public. An event may be cancelled at any time. Please confirm the event with the sponsor prior to making travel plans. To submit an event, please contact us.
October – December 2013
Oct. 1st at noon Oasis will have a display on the steps of the courthouse
downtown and a small ceremony.
For more information, contact Oasis at (337)436-4552.
Allen Parish balloon release is Oct. 10th 10:00 am at the Allen Parish Council on Aging. We will also celebrate survivors of domestic violence with a small reception immediately following the Allen Parish balloon release.
For more information, contact Oasis at (337)436-4552.
Balloon Release and Survivor Celebration-
the balloon release in Cameron is scheduled for 10:00 am on Oct. 11th
at the Cameron Council on Aging.
For more information, contact Oasis at (337)436-4552
Oasis will host a run/walk from Vinton's Sheriff's Substation to Lake Charles Civic Center is on Oct. 12th the run will begin at 6:00 am and end approx. 4:30 pm.
For more information, contact Oasis at (337)436-4552.
This is the third of a three-part webinar series will share tips and best practices on how to talk about the issue, how to engage schools and communities and how to talk to teens and work with survivors.
To register: https://breakthecycle.ilinc.com/register/szwsjjw
For more information on this series: http://www.ncdsv.org/images/BTC_Building-to-success-webinar-series_Aug-Sep-Oct-2013.pdf
Dating violence in adolescence not only takes a physical and emotional toll on young women, it also leads to less education and lower earnings later in life. A young woman's educational performance may be hindered by her partner's actions, such as destroying books or homework or causing injuries that prevent her from going to school.
Researchers analyzed survey data of about 500 single mothers who were, on average, 32 years old and earned less than $7,000 per year. Participants who had been victimized by dating partners as adolescents obtained significantly less education. Each additional year of education was associated with an extra $855 in earnings.
For more information and to register: http://conferences.bwjp.org/webconferencedetail.aspx?confid=349
Oct. 29th at 5:30 pm at the Civic Center Seawall Oasis will recognize those who have lost their lives due to domestic violence, we will have a speaker, singing and a memorial.
For more information contact Oasis at (337)436-4552.
A goal of many OVW grantees is to change institutional practices that give rise to poor outcomes for survivors of violence against women. Praxis International offers methods and tools for activists and representatives from institutions that process "cases" to move toward approaches that reform the ongoing work routines that ultimately shape case outcomes. The tools avoid blaming individuals for failing to protect victims. A Community Assessment emphasizes understanding how work is organized in ways that impede attention to victim safety and well-being and to offender accountability. Practitioners and advocates work side by side to analyze policies, case files, and the steps in case processing in order to identify concrete points of change. This webinar will provide an overview of the tools available and how they might benefit your community's efforts to improve responses to violence against women.
For more information: http://www.praxisinternational.org/praxis_training.aspx
To register: https://bwjp.ilinc.com/perl/ilinc/lms/register.pl?activity_id=hykzxxs&user_id=
Presented by Teresa M. Garvey
The application of Crawford principles in the context of forensic evidence continues to plague the criminal justice system. The United States Supreme Court's decision in Williams v. Illinois did not provide the guidance prosecutors had hoped for with regard to satisfying Sixth Amendment confrontation requirements in cases involving forensic evidence, where multiple analysts may be involved or where examining experts are no longer available to testify. The Williams decision raises more questions than it answers about when and how an expert may testify to conclusions based upon the opinions or work of other (non-testifying) experts or technicians.
This webinar will provide a review of the relevant case law, and will explore how trial prosecutors can present a case involving forensic testing that involves a multitude of technicians and experts. It will also address Williams' impact on "cold cases," in which original experts who performed autopsies and other forensic examinations and testing are no longer available for trial. This webinar will provide practical suggestions to trial prosecutors who must balance limited resources against the need to secure convictions that will withstand confrontation challenges on appeal.
Allied justice system professionals including but not limited to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, lab personnel, medical professionals, and judges are encouraged to view the recording.
For more information and to register: http://www.aequitasresource.org/trainingDetail.cfm?id=103
Just Detention International, in collaboration with the National PREA Resource Center, presents Part II of a two-part webinar series on how to include victim service providers in a facility's sexual abuse prevention and response efforts. In this webinar, the PREA Coordinator for the Bexar County Jail and the Director of Crisis Intervention for the Rape Crisis Center of San Antonio will discuss their collaboration to provide services for jail inmates. They will review their memorandum of understanding and provide guidance on navigating difficult issues, including confidentiality and the different guidelines and responsibilities for corrections agencies and service providers. Other experts will discuss additional roles that community-based organizations can play in PREA implementation.
For more information and to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/652498932655440130


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Fashion designer Sue Wong is known for her vintage-influenced cocktail dresses and gorgeous evening gowns. We head to Hollywood to take a look inside her 1920s mansion she lovingly restored to its former... Watch »
We're in Beverly Hills at the home of fashion designer Lorena Sarbu. The Romanian native exquisitely combines gorgeous fabrics, unique textures and intricate embellishments to create stunning designs. She turned... Watch »
We're taking you inside some stylish homes of fashion's biggest names. Don't miss a Fashion Week special on an all-new Open House this weekend. Check local listings for air times in your area. Watch »
We're in Sands Point, New York in an area once known as Long Island's Gold Coast. This quaint waterfront village was the gilded age getaway for New York's moneyed elite, and is also said to be the inspiration... Watch »
Professional stager and designer Cheryl Eisen is here to help you solve some design dilemmas, revealing some secrets that could dramatically change the look of your home. This episode of Open House was... Watch »
Interior designer Guillaume Gentet turned a large industrial loft downtown into a more glamorous space, melding old materials with new finishes. Take a look inside. This episode of Open House was taped at 123... Watch »
This historic four-story gem on the Upper East Side was built as a regular brownstone in 1878, but was completely redone in the late fifties by legendary modernist architect Edward Durell Stone.... Watch »
We're in the Tribeca loft of designer Damon Liss. He wanted to create a space that was homey enough for his family, but also styled enough to impress. He started by embracing the floor plan. Take a look inside!... Watch »
Designer Sophie Harrison shares her tips on solving one of the biggest design challenges in any urban home, how to make a space feel brighter. See how she brought light into one client's home that sits on the... Watch »
We're in the town of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey to visit a regal home that makes you fell transported to a far away land despite being less than 40 minutes from midtown Manhattan. Join agent Ronnie Aiosa as... Watch »


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Thursday, March 8, 2012
International Women's Day
A 12-year-old female welder working for the Australian Air Force in 1943.
The Russian Night Witches, a bad ass female bomb squadron that fought in WWII and are worth reading about.
A female Shaman of a Native American people, specific tribe unstated or unknown. By Edward S. Curtis
Mother and child in Vietnam
Simone De Beauvoir
Goat herders, Dijibouti, Africa. From National Geographic
Georgia O'Keeffe
A soldier returning from her tour of duty.
Buddhist nun Pema Chodron
Frida Kahlo
Firefighters in a training activity during WWII.
A girl of the Dogon people in Mali.
Circus Performer, 1950. Image from retronaut.com
Camille Claudel
Amy Poehloer
Annie Oakley
From National Geographic: A woman is riding between the railway carriages of a local train heading north from Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital. Her luggage is tucked under the carriage in front of her. It is the month of Ramadan, a fast that culminates in Eid-ul-Fitr, a three-day celebration. Tens of thousands of people leave the city to go to their home village and celebrate with their families. Trains are packed and many who fail to get tickets before they sell out or can't afford buying them at the black market ride on the roof of the train or, like this woman, finds a quiet spot between the carriages.
Balinese Women. Image by Brandon Hoover.
The singer/songwriter Amanda Palmer
Belarussian girls wearing homemade grass skirts dance in a river while celebrating Ivan Kupala Night, a traditional Slavic holiday, in Turov. Image from telegraph.co.uk.
All Images taken from Pinterest.
Posted by Vesuvius At Home at 11:25 AM
Labels: Girls Are Strong, Sophia
7 comments:
I loved this post, especially Frieda and Amy Poehler. I would love to add one of my own: Mother Theresa. She is such an inspiration to me of living a life of total selflessness, something I will never be able to do.ReplyDelete
Love this collection of photos. Such inspiring women!ReplyDelete
This made me cry a little. You are always making me cry a little.ReplyDelete
Colleen, I hear you. There are only about a billion other women I wish I could include.ReplyDelete
Maggie, I know! Hearing about other women's lives always inspires me.
Every day I wake up and think, How can I make Lou cry today? No joke.
Wow. This puts all kinds of things in perspective, doesn't it?ReplyDelete
Another great post to stop me in my tracks and make me think, ponder, reflect. Thank you!ReplyDelete
Fantastic. Just fantastic.ReplyDelete
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McDonald's unveils its highest-calorie item ever
The three-quarter pound serving of fries is called the 'Mega Potato' in Japan. It's also the type of gimmick competitors are using to crush the fast-food giant in the US.
Japan Today notes that McDonald's outlets there are offering customers the Mega Potato, a container of fries double the size of an order of large fries that goes for roughly $5. At 350 grams, it's more than three-quarters of a pound of fries poured into a Golden Arches-stamped cardboard trough that McDonald's has advertised as "perfect for sharing."
The food press has already begun clutching its pearls over the fat content and the potential health consequences of the boat-sized order of fries, which will be available May 24 through June. At an estimated 1,142 calories, it is the highest-calorie food served at McDonald's, reports Muripo.
However, RocketNews24 provides illustrated examples of how customers in Asian countries haven't been opposed to ordering fries by the tableful. Besides, scoffing at this sort of stunt here in the U.S. has started costing McDonald's a chunk of fast-food market share.
Foreign markets tend to bring out the creative side of fast-food giants like Burger King (BKW) and Pizza Hut parent company Yum Brands (YUM). But even stateside, the rise of higher-end fast-casual establishments like Panera Bread (PNRA), Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Five Guys have forced fast-food chains to abandon upmarket options and play to their strengths. Taco Bell is offering Waffle Tacos as part of a new breakfast menu and testing a new value menu packed with $1 items. Burger King, meanwhile, is basically cloning the McRib boneless rib sandwich while offering delivery service in major cities.
Even lower-tier chains like Del Taco are spicing up their menus with offerings including Chili Cheese Fry burritos.
After years of success emulating Starbucks (SBUX) coffee and Jamba Juice (JMBA) smoothies, however, McDonald's has been forced into a full retreat. McDonald's first-quarter same-store sales were off 1% worldwide. Its menu, which Businessweek says has grown 70% since 2007 to 145 items, is getting a much-needed trim. Angus burgers, Chicken Selects, fish bites, burritos and premium items that franchise owners say are slowing down their kitchens are being shown the door in favor of an enhanced dollar menu.
Yet the chain still hasn't quite backed off its all-things-to-all-people U.S. approach. In China, McDonald's customers get free Egg McMuffins if there's even a chance the press might say something unkind about the chain. In Japan, McDonald's serves canoes full of fries without a whole lot of backlash over the consequences. In the U.S., it hesitantly hints at all-day breakfast and trots out the McRib only when sales numbers are at their softest.
McDonald's fries are a staple and one of the primary reasons that customers who disdain other McDonald's items will still drop in on rare occasions. Providing customers with more of them -- and more of the rare breakfast items that are hurled off the production line at the stroke of 10:30 a.m. -- is only giving them more of what they're seeking. McDonald's critics will pound away at it regardless of how broad it tries to make its menu. Its core consumers, as the company is discovering in Japan, just want more of what they crave.
At some point, maybe McDonald's will stop placating its critics and start rewarding its loyalists. Yes, they want fries with that.
Super large orders of French fries have been around for years. If you have ever spent time at a beach in the United States you will note that many establishments ( like Boardwalk Fries ) serve giant size servings of fries on their own so why shouldn't McDonalds. Nobody is holding a gun to your head forcing you to purchase them to eat.
People order multiple items off the dollar menu and nobody talks about the total fat content of people order three mchicken at a buck a piece or three double cheeseburgers and and order of value frys. The real problem is it is cheaper to eat unhealthy items at a fast food place than lower fat grilled instead of fried food items. The price of order a grilled chicken sandwich is usually twice as much as a fried version. People who want a lot of frys will and do order more than one. The idea that just because the servings are smaller that people are consuming less is not true if they order more of higher fat items.
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[BRIEFING.COM] The stock market began the new week on a cautious note. The S&P 500 lost 0.3%, but managed to erase more than half of its opening decline. Thanks to the rebound, the benchmark index reclaimed its 50-day moving average (1976.78) after slipping below that level in the morning.
Equities slumped at the open amid a couple global developments that dampened the overall risk appetite. Continued student protests in Hong Kong and a potential response from China weighed on the ... More
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US markets were able to rally hard and largely trim the day's losses. Meanwhile, a bounce in crude oil could be in the offing.
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NORFOLK -- Norfolk is working to reduce the impact of flooding in the Fort Norfolk neighborhood and make travel easier in the downtown and Ghent areas.
There are two public meetings Wednesday about the Brambleton Avenue and Colley Avenue Improvement Project. The first is from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second is from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Both meetings will take place at the Red Cross located at 611 W. Brambleton Avenue.
The $2.4 million project should be completed by Spring 2014. It provides a dual left turn lane for westbound Brambleton Avenue onto southbound Colley Avenue with new signals and improved crosswalks. It also includes widening and raising a section of westbound Brambleton Avenue from Colley Avenue to the Brambleton Bridge with new sidewalks, curb and gutter, and pedestrian lighting on the north side, as well as storm water drainage improvements.
"To me it's a good thing because I live just six blocks from Brambleton, and when it floods it's like a river," said Norfolk resident Steve Synder.
The project is part of the overall Fort Norfolk improvement project that has included work at Second and Front Streets as well as infrastructure work to support the Fort Norfolk Plaza.
"It's not going to fix everything," said design engineer Chris Chambers. "But it will surely do a lot for the area."


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Deceptively cute, the lifesaver cactus is a member of the milkweed family that just happens to be a succulent from South Africa: Huernia reticulata. At a Saturday flea market in Winter Park, the little plant called out to us: sure enough, a ring in the center of the flower is the size and shape of a Life Saver, albeit maroon colored. The ring is called an anulus and is part of the corolla that surrounds the gynostegium buried inside. The what? A fusion of the stamens, style and stigmatic surfaces. The structure is common to the milkweed family. Look at milkweeds and hoyas as well as stapelias to find it.
Inside the bell-shaped tube formed by the corolla and anulus, there are hairs and a fly-attracting stink common to stapelias. (This plant once was called Stapelia reticulata.)
Growing in cactus mix, our Huernia reticulata gets morning sun and very small amounts of water. This group of plants grows among rocks, and overwatering is a danger.


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How to Invest Using Direct Stock Purchase Plans
Published on - June 18th, 2012 (by J.D. Roth)
For the next week (or two), we'll be sharing "audition" pieces from folks interested in being new staff writers at Get Rich Slowly. Your job is to let us know what you think of each of these writers. Pay attention, give feedback, and after a couple of weeks we'll ask which writers you prefer. This article is from Michael Robertson, a writer and avid personal investor. It was originally published at GRS in April 2009.
So you want to buy stocks? Great! But you only have a small amount of money each month to invest? You're worried about any potential returns being wiped out in the beginning by brokerage fees? You're wise to worry.
Invest $100 bucks per month with a discount broker and you're lucky if you pay commissions equal to seven percent of your investment. Seven percent! That's a decent annual return, and you're giving that up at the start. Yikes!
Of course, you could save that hundred dollars, month after month, until you have a pile of money to invest, but then you're forced to determine exactly when to buy, forced to time the market. You know this isn't a good strategy. You want to dollar-cost average your investments over time, investing a fixed amount each month, on a schedule, so that you acquire more shares when the share price is low, and fewer shares when the share price is high.
I want to share a secret with you. There's a better way. Hundreds of companies that trade on the major stock exchanges allow you to buy shares directly from their transfer agents for very little or no money.
Buying without the middleman
Years ago, I began buying shares of Kellogg Company (K). In the beginning, I had only $50 per month to invest. Over time, I increased my monthly investment in Kellogg to $150 per month. That money is debited from my checking account by Kellogg's transfer agent, Wells Fargo, and used to buy Kellogg stock through their Direct Purchase Plan. According to my 2008 year-end statement, I own 142.212 shares of Kellogg.
Over all of these years, for all of these transactions, I have paid no fees to accumulate these shares. Not a dime. All plan administration costs and share purchase costs are paid by Kellogg. Plus, every quarter, when Kellogg pays a dividend to shareholders, my dividend money is automatically used to buy more shares — at no cost to me. On December 16, 2008, a $46.79 dividend payment was applied to my account and used to buy 1.065 additional shares of Kellogg, at no charge to me!
I also buy shares of Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) every month through their transfer agent, Computershare. Pfizer's plan also costs me nothing. I've slowly acquired almost 160 shares of the company, a little bit every month, without paying a dime in commissions or fees. Zip, nada. Like Kellogg, I get a statement in the mail every month, and I can track and manage my account online.
Of course, not all plans are completely free.
I invest $150 per month in General Electric's plan through their transfer agent, BNY Mellon Shareowner Services, and they charge $1 per purchase. So, only $149 of my $150 is used to buy GE shares. Of course, that's a lower cost than any discount broker. And my quarterly GE dividends are reinvested (used to purchase additional shares) at no cost.
Microsoft (MSFT) switched transfer agents in the middle of last year, from BNY Mellon to American Stock Transfer & Trust Co (AST). Unfortunately, in this case, the cost of my $100 monthly investment in Microsoft went from $2 to just under $3. Of all the plans I've looked into, the flat $5 fee I pay to invest $200 each month in Toyota (TM), is the highest I have seen. Toyota's transfer agent is BNY Mellon, and I suspect the cost is higher because it is a foreign company, though traded on the NYSE.
To get a good sense of what companies offer direct purchase plans, visit Computershare's website. This transfer agent administers an astounding number of company plans, and their site is the most user-friendly of the ones I've visited. You can search company plans by name, and according to plan attributes, such as "No Purchase Fees."
But remember, any search on this site will return only companies for which Computershare is the transfer agent. If the company you search doesn't come up, go first to that company's website to determine who their transfer agent is, and whether they offer a direct purchase plan.
How to begin a direct stock purchase plan
So how difficult is it to begin a direct stock purchase plan? It's not difficult at all. It's every bit as easy as opening a brokerage account, and the process can be defined in eight simple steps:
- Determine what stock you want to buy.
- On the "investors" page of that company's website, look for an FAQ link.
- In the list of FAQs, find one that regards either buying stock directly from the company or a dividend reinvestment plan.
- The corresponding answer will contain either a link to the company's stock transfer agent, or a statement indicating that they do not offer such a plan.
- Assuming they offer a direct stock purchase plan, and there is a link to the company's stock transfer agent, use it.
- On the transfer company's website, you will find information specific to the direct stock purchase plan for the company in which you are interested. This information will include costs associated with participating in the plan, a minimum amount required to open a plan account, and the minimum monthly investment amount.
- If you are still interested, follow the transfer company's instructions for opening an account. This will include entering your name, address, SSN, bank account information, monthly withdrawal amount, and whether you want dividends paid or reinvested (when applicable).
- You will soon be a shareholder.
Final words
So, why doesn't everyone do this and why aren't discount brokers out of business? There are a couple of reasons.
First, when you buy a company's stock through a transfer agent, you don't have to participate in a monthly purchase plan; you can make a single, one-time purchase of a fixed number of shares. But, regardless of whether you make a one-time purchase or sign up to invest monthly, you have no control over the respective trade date.
Not many people would feel comfortable committing to invest a chunk of money, say $10,000, in a company at an unknown share price. When you use a transfer company to buy shares directly, the transaction may not happen for a couple weeks, and the purchase goes through at whatever the price happens to be at that time. Of course, if your aim is to dollar-cost average your share purchases over a long period of time, this is not a factor.
Second, companies that offer these plans don't spend money to advertise them. Contrast this with the inescapable pop-up ads for brokers like E*Trade and Sharebuilder on finance-related websites. Is it any wonder people think brokers are the only means for buying equity shares?
For the small investor who is ready to buy individual shares of a particular company, a direct stock purchase plan may be the smartest and most thrifty way to do so.
Invest wisely.
J.D.'s note: Before you invest in the stock of individual companies, be sure you understand the concepts of diversification and asset allocation. Buying individual stocks is great for some investors, but others are better served with low-cost index funds.
This article is about Investing
I feel like most people don't know about this so I think it is great you wrote an article on it. My boss at work does the same thing with Exxon and Chevron stock which he is using to pay for his kids' college costs. The low fees really help out considering he wanted to dollar cost average and reinvest dividends.
Exxon stock paid for a good part of my college costs too.
For investors with small amounts, I'd suggest using commission-free ETFs instead. It's also low cost, with a low minimum, and you get far better diversification.
TD Ameritrade for example offers a long list of ETFs on a commission-free basis, and I don't believe there's any minimum initial amount to open an account.
I would like to go for ETF route as well. Assessing performance and portfolio value is not easy going by direct route. I did read about this post from GRS archive before. Explored the opportunity. If an investment is not showing up on my Mint or Yodlee tool, I am not going to put my money there.
Never knew about this. Going to ask my husband what he thinks of this. So much to learn about how to invest one's money for the future.
I find investing very boring.
I freaking had no idea about this. Popup ads and TV ads DO make it same like you can only go through a middle man company and can't buy directly!
I knew this option existed, but I had no idea how to go about doing it. Once I get out of debt, except for my mortgage, I will be investing on a regular basis (following Dave Ramsey, so no investing until I am out of debt). I expect that after I have contributed to my 403b (maximizing company contribution) and Roth IRAs for me and my wife, I will have a little left over for additional investments, and this looks like a great way to be able to invest smaller amounts in quality companies without paying exorbitant broker fees. Of course I will also adhere to Dave's advice of using no more than 10% of my investment dollars for individual stocks.
I had no idea this was possible. I am definitely going to look into this.
Okay, I get it now. "Amy" and "Lisa" are made-up names. Question is: what's the point? I smell a rat.
Obvious trolls are obvious. [I mean Amy and Lisa... obviously.]
Don't feed them [i.e., ignore them] and they'll go away.
Please do be careful when using this method of investing and read the Plan Fees carefully. For example (in the case of McDonalds):
Initial Setup Fee $5.00
Cash Purchase Fee $6.00
Ongoing Automatic Investment Fee $1.50
Purchase Processing Fee (per share)$0.00
Dividend Reinvestment Fee $0.00
Batch Sale Fee $15.00
Batch Sale Processing Fee (per share)$0.15
Batch Maximum Sales Fee $50.00
Market Order Sale Fee $25.00
Market Order Processing Fee (per share) $0.15
Market Order Maximum Sales Fee $60.00
Therefore, if you end up selling these McDonalds shares, you are looking at $50 + $60 in fees right there.
Buyers Beware!
I didn't know you could purchase stocks this way, either. I like the idea but dread having more paperwork to file. Do you know if there is a site that would capture all the individual stocks you own? Does MINT do that?
I already have an old 401(k) with Fidelity, a pension account held by Fidelity, and a Charles Schwab 401(k) with my current company. I don't want any more paperwork but I would like to invest in individual stocks outside of my retirement accounts.
Good read. Well written and informative.
I would be interested in hearing the author's rationale for utilizing individual stock purchase plans as opposed to index funds or how these purchases fit in with his larger financial strategy. For example, does the author do a lot of independent research on the companies with which he is investing?
I agree that investing in individual companies like this is not something the average investor, let alone a beginner investor should be doing. Picking stocks is hard (and mostly luck). People should be concentrating on diversification via index funds or ETFs and not loading up on any single company stock.
I agree. I do have a different perspective on stock and am willing to take on more risk than most on GRS or those that index but DRIPs have their place. Too slow of a process for me and the inability to track results at will on MINT would drive me nuts. Mint drives me nuts at times but I see that they are hooking in to Treasury Direct soon so that small and safe investors will soon be able to track their savings and I Bonds.
But, take a stock like Coke or another reliable brand for example. Have a kid research, follow, and invest in a DRIP from a young age and what you have as a result is an excellent learning tool at little cost and, for the most part, little risk. I have my nephew on Sharebuilder with very small purchases. We counter the fees by investing quarterly with his 3 month buildup to lessen the blow of the fee. That works too.
How much does this approach complicate tax returns or, should I say, the records needed to prepare the tax returns? For example, would one would be facing a very complex calculation to determine the capital gains on years of monthly purchases?
I made some DRIP investments back in the 80s (maybe 70s)and it was a nightmare when I went to sell because I hadn't kept great records and pc spreadsheets didn't exist. 1.24 share @ $13.73, .76 shares @ $17.93, etc. Try that with a calculator figuring basis and capital gains. Aggrah!
Would be easier today with spreadsheets and if you kept better records.
Yes, a hassle! And what's worse is when individual stocks get bought out or split into different companies etc. I have one share of AOL that I will never sell because of the whole Time Warner thing. It just isn't worth the ~$20. Of course, you can decide you're never going to sell because of the tax hassle and then companies force you to figure out cost-basis when they go out of business.
More excellent reasons to invest in index and ETF. (Unless you get your kicks out of bookkeeping and accounting.)
Love it. Want more of this type content.
I like this idea because it reminds me of the ONLY other time we talked about the stock market in school: fifth grade. We picked stocks and tracked them, and saw how much "money" we made over the course of the school year. I'm happy I can actually do that in real life, too. JD this is my favorite audition so far.
I never heard of this option before. I'm not a place where I'm ready to invest in individual stocks; I want to be able to max out my Roth first. I'll definitely keep this in the back of mind. Thanks for the article
Wow, I'm always surprised when people find investing boring, or when people are convinced they don't have time to learn about it.
There are very few ways to significantly build and maintain a high net worth without knowing how to invest your money.
Decent article, but I don't like that the author condones automatically reinvesting dividends at market price.
This article reminded me of when another author (Robert Brokamp maybe??) talked about the advantages of buying stocks that pay dividends. Since capital gains are taxed at 15%, it was taxed at a much lower rate and (if I'm remembering correctly) was a nice retirement vehicle. Definitely riskier, even if you can avoid too many feeds, but interesting article. I liked it. A nice balance of facts and story.
This is great. I had no idea you could do this. I wish I would have known about this before..
Thank you!
This article taught me something which I never knew and would have liked to know. I vote for this staff writer.
For 15 years, I've been acquiring stocks through DRIP plans. I get started with The Money Paper. They kept running "specials" for people who weren't members. I paid a $15-$20 processing fee plus the cost of one share of stock. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, aside from my firm's 401(k).
I focused on stocks of companies I knew – McDonalds, Pepsi, and companies I thought sounded interesting – Ottertail Power. Without exception, all have done well for me.
At the same time, my banks went public and made stock offerings to me. I've done really well with them, too.
But with all this experience, I did not know that I could pick up stocks through a company's transfer agent.
I, too, vote for this writer. Finally an article where I learned something new and useful!
Great article. I am planning to take this route but have few questions if someone here can answer. In the plan summary of any share there is a electronic purchase service of $7.50 a share for GE. Similarly initial setup fee of $10 & automatic reinvestment fee of $5. My question is does that mean if I plan to invest say $100/month, I will be charge with these fees in every months transaction? The author mentions that he hasn't paid a dime in any of the fees by going this route. I am not getting that part of it as I can see the fees on the most of the shares that I searched.
One of the best pieces of investing advice that I wasn't aware of!
Does that mean, this is for everyone? Of course not. It is for those want to do more after the usual 401(k), Roth IRA, investing in ETF and mutual funds. But if you don't have the information, you don't even know that such an opportunity exists. Precisely why information is the key. Any and all kind. http://gadgetopia.com/post/6819
This is why I keep coming back to GRS!
I like this author style for the following reasons:
- Lays out the premise of the post at the very beginning. Looking at the title I wasn't sure what this was all about (as I said, I had no clue such an avenue existed). The first paragraph got me hooked.
- Gave 5 examples from his own life. Made it personal and anecdotal, while making a point about the benefits and costs of each. This gives the readers a well rounded view of what such an investment entails.
- Gives the step-by-step guideline how to open a DSPP
- The tip about the Computershare website was a clearly highlighted (but I'm not sure if this is done by the author or JD)
- Never says that this is the only way to go. More like "You have this option; use your faculties and invest wisely"
Thank you! I appreciate not just this knowledge, but that you're sharing your personal practices. A balanced and informative piece that helps me as I gather knowledge that will help me dip my toe in the investment waters.
GRS: More pieces like this!!
And to think, I've been using an online discount brokerage! Though I wonder if purchasing stocks this way would disrupt the whole "timing" thing of technical analysis like this:
Though I wouldn't mind not paying the $9.99 brokerage fees!
Hi JD,
I know this is a old post but need some info on dsps.
I have been following ur blog for almost a year now and your articles are my daily vitamin supplements. I understand the drop but I just wan to know the tax consequences while selling. So if we buy a stock say for 3 years and then decide o sell it we have to mail the individual price of purchase or can we do cost bais like we do for mutual fund. I would appreciate if you can shed some light on the points to note while selling a dsp investment. Thank you
I just added this site to my bookmarks. I love reading your posts. It was quite helpful and helped me tons


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- Science
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The Earth is thought to have been formed about 4.6 billion years ago by collisions in the giant disc-shaped cloud of material that also formed the Sun. Gravity slowly gathered this gas and dust together into clumps that became asteroids and small early planets called planetesimals. These objects collided repeatedly and gradually got bigger, building up the planets in the Solar System, including the Earth.
The details of how the Earth formed are still being worked out. Scientists study meteorites and the oldest rocks on Earth to understand what happened in these earliest times in the Solar System. They also observe other solar systems in our galaxy, the Milky Way.
Image: Artwork showing the early Earth (credit: Walter Myers/SPL)
Volcanoes and comets bring water to the Earth.
Dr Iain Stewart explains the theory that steam from volcanoes and water from comets filled the Earth's oceans.
Our planet develops its inner heat.
Dr Iain Stewart explains how the Earth developed its inner heat during a time known as the Hadean eon, about 4.5 billion years ago.
How did Lord Kelvin estimate the age of the Earth?
Lord Kelvin, the eminent 19th and early 20th century scientist, was determined to work out the age of the Earth. A simple experiment with molten rock gave him figures for his calculations. (This experiment should only be carried out under controlled conditions and with professional supervision.)
The History of the Earth concerns the development of the planet Earth from its formation to the present day. Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to the understanding of the main events of the Earth's past. The age of Earth is approximately one-third of the age of the universe. An immense amount of biological and geological change has occurred in that time span.
Earth formed around 4.54 billion (4.54×109) years ago by accretion from the solar nebula. Volcanic outgassing probably created the primordial atmosphere, but it contained almost no oxygen and would have been toxic to humans and most modern life. Much of the Earth was molten because of extreme volcanism and frequent collisions with other bodies. One very large collision is thought to have been responsible for tilting the Earth at an angle and forming the Moon. Over time, the planet cooled and formed a solid crust, allowing liquid water to exist on the surface.
The first life forms appeared between 3.8 and 3.5 billion years ago. The earliest evidences for life on Earth are graphite found to be biogenic in 3.7 billion-year-old metasedimentary rocks discovered in Western Greenland and microbial mat fossils found in 3.48 billion-year-old sandstone discovered in Western Australia. Photosynthetic life appeared around 2 billion years ago, enriching the atmosphere with oxygen. Life remained mostly small and microscopic until about 580 million years ago, when complex multicellular life arose. During the Cambrian period it experienced a rapid diversification into most major phyla.
Geological change has been constantly occurring on our planet since the time of its formation and biological change since the first appearance of life. Species continuously evolve, taking on new forms, splitting into daughter species, or going extinct in response to an ever-changing planet. The process of plate tectonics has played a major role in the shaping of Earth's oceans and continents, as well as the life they harbor. The biosphere, in turn, has had a significant effect on the atmosphere and other abiotic conditions on the planet, such as the formation of the ozone layer, the proliferation of oxygen, and the creation of soil.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. If you find the content in the 'About' section factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.
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Colorado Fashion Week Preview FundraiserPosted on July 28, 2014 | No CommentsColorado Fashion Week Preview Market and Fundraiser Showcase It's almost that time again! Almost. Colorado Fashion Week 2014 is giving us a taste of cool fashion to combat the heat […]
Matthew Morris Salon Annual Anniversary Runway ShowPosted on June 2, 2014 | No CommentsMatthew Morris Salon and Skincare presents EYE CANDY "Nothing about Matthew Morris, his south Broadway salon, or the parties he throws are without epic attention to some very boss details." […]
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Mission Wear Fashion Show Winner and PicturesPosted on May 27, 2014 | 1 CommentWere you there at Mission Wear? Okay, mostly I just wanted to say that because it rhymed. Seriously, say it out loud and tell me it wasn't fantastic. For all […]
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Darci is a two-time winner of the national Edward R. Murrow Award and winner of a Gracie Award. She was most recently honored for the documentary, "The War That Never Ends," which highlighted brain injuries endured at war and post traumatic stress disorder, which has a lasting impact on service men and women and their entire families, even communities. Her previous series, "Beyond the Purple Heart" also featured our military heroes who struggle to return to normal lives after debilitating wounds of war.
Darci is also quite proud of her in-depth series, "The Loneliest Disease," which explored mental illness, the troubled mental health system and suicide which claims 80 percent more lives than homicides do in this country.
When Darci isn't taking on such hard-hitting topics, she's delving into every aspect of the housing market. Darci produces a feature, Home Value Highwire.
Darci is proudest of her daughter, Rachel, who is the apple of her eye. Her husband, Wayne is retired from the U.S. Airforce and is employed with the US Government.
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Best garage finds ever
Rare and expensive vehicles and the stories behind their discovery.
Aug 24, 2013 3:43AM
Wow! The GTB/4 brings almost as much as the MB W196 GP Car that sold earlier this summer. I guess the market for exceptional cars is back with with a bang.
BTW when is MSN going to learn that Bing is the worst search engine and is terribly annoying. Asking silly questions and making you click for answers that should have been included in the description. I refuse to use it and would disable it if I could. It will soon cause me to abandon MSN altogether.
BTW when is MSN going to learn that Bing is the worst search engine and is terribly annoying. Asking silly questions and making you click for answers that should have been included in the description. I refuse to use it and would disable it if I could. It will soon cause me to abandon MSN altogether.
Aug 30, 2013 2:43AM
Amazing! MSN can't even talk about cars without playing politics or showing how biased they are. It is just so typical of liberals. They have to hate someone who has something they don't. Hate is the pure basis of their religion, and they believe "nobody" deserves to own anything that "everyone" can't afford. What a bunch of losers; whining, crying, moaning losers. To them, life just isn't fair, so they hate all the time. It is almost enough to make you pity them; almost.
Aug 30, 2013 2:40PM
Aug 30, 2013 11:52AM
Beautiful cars. A veritable candy store for the wealthy. My question is why use the term one percenters? Are you still trying to say that the 99% were doing a good thing by protesting the free market system? Now we have a group of people wanting $15/hour at fast food establishments. Where is the disconnect? Everyone wants to start at the top. Doesn't anybody want to work their way up anymore? You can't pay $15/hour to untrained/unskilled labor. Can anybody afford a $10 Big Mac? That's what will happen. When you raise the minimum wage the proprietors of every store affected will have to raise their prices to keep their profit margin allowing them to stay in business and continue providing jobs. Effectively mitigating any increase in pay. 35% is usually the margin needed to stay in business. We are already seeing what Obamacare is doing to the full-time labor force. Wake up people! Stop listening to the media telling you to hate the people who have taken a chance and become successful and also provided jobs for the rest of us along the way. Since when is it a bad thing to live the American dream!!??
Aug 31, 2013 6:37PM
Aug 24, 2013 7:48AM
For any FERRARI experts out there:: In 1970, I bought a new Chevelle for $3500....Drove it to Hollywood, stopped at Hollywood sports cars with a friend....They had a red 67' Ferrari for sale...Don't remember the model, but it had 12 cyl. & a grill that reminded me of jaguar XK-E....similar to this one here. that sold for 27M.......Was there another r 67 Ferrari that resembled this one???? BTW, asking price was $11K...(Eleven thousand dollars, & he was gonna give me $2K for my Chevelle).....Should I be crying??
Aug 24, 2013 3:41AM
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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel went to Afghanistan late last week for his first visit as Pentagon chief. He said there are many challenges ahead as NATO continues to hand over the country's security to the Afghans. "We are still at war," Hagel said, warning the U.S. and its allies to remain focused on the mission while noting that the U.S. never intended to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely.


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Like his father, grandfather and great grandfather, Robert Mills fought for his country in both "hot" and "cold" wars. Mills joined the Army in 1973 at the age of nineteen. He served in Vietnam and Thailand during the Vietnam War. But it was during the "cold war" on the East German border that his life was in even more peril. Mills received the equivelent of the German Medal Of Honor for helping East German families accross the border, but the death of a child from a land mine was something he couldn't forget.
At the age of seventeen, Mills' son, Robert Lee Mills the third continued the family military tradition by joining the Navy. He served two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf.
On December 23rd, 2001, while on leave for the Christmas holidays, he was killed in an auto accident just two blocks from home. More than eighty sailors and pilots from his ship, the USS Constellation attended his funeral.
Robert Mills continues to serve his country as Commander of the East Texas Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans. He is determined to grow the chapter and to help veterans get their full benefits. For more information call him at 903-520;1313.
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The Leadership Factor Score (LFS) of Kevin Millar
Recently in the Shout Box, Keith wondered why Al Yellon seems to have a man crush on Kevin Millar. Were you to mosey on over to Bleed Cubbie Blue, you would read the following sentence: "I would still like to see the Cubs sign Kevin Millar to back up LF, RF and 1B... and to be that clubhouse presence that was missing, somehow, during the disastrous 2008 postseason."
Now, I'm not Al Yellon - obviously, because I permit links to and discussions about other Cubs blogs, even though to do so apparently threatens to eat into my readership and ad revenue somehow - but his desire for Millar is obviously based on more than a clinical review of the numbers. It's about a call into question regarding the intangibles of baseball.
Let's take a close look at Kevin Millar. The first thing we might notice is that the dude will be 37 next year. After that, we might encounter that he batted .234 with a .323 OBP and a .394 slugging percentage, although he did hit 20 homeruns and walk 71 times last year.
Going beyond that, we also find that, while Yellon wants Millar to serve as a backup to 1B, LF, and RF, the guy has played a grand whopping total of 3 games in the outfield in the past 3 years.
In other words, Millar's not going to win you games with his bat or with his glove. I guess that he must have a high leadership score or something, I don't know. Similar to Kyle's Scrappy White Player Factor, maybe there would be a way to clinically determine a player's Leadership Factor Score.
Some things that could go into calculating the score ...
Number of times player has had sex with a teammate's wife/girlfriend/sister/mother/daughter. A promiscuous player is perhaps well respected by certain elements of any clubhouse (like Mickey Mantle, who was a legendary skirt chaser), but if he risks crossing a line, it could negatively effect how he is seen by his teammates. If Lee Dershipman, our hypothetical example, caves in at a moment of weakness and nails every piece of tail in a teammate's immediate family, then he's going to lose Leadership Cred.
Points are assigned based on a scale of 1-10. If Lee has nailed a teammate's wife, daughter (if she is under 18, multiply this loss x5 for every year she is underage), mother, or girlfriend, he loses 10 points. He loses 5 points for a teammate's sister - which can be regained x2 if he winds up marrying her and 3 points for a cousin (1 point if the cousin is distant). If Lee sleeps with a teammate's mother but then goes on to marry her, it's still creepy and upsetting and he loses an additional 10 points. All losses are cumulative, so if Lee bangs the teammate's wife on Monday, girlfriend on Tuesday, sister on Wednesday, mother on Thursday, daughter on Friday, and a cousin on Saturday, he loses 53 points over the span of the week. If he has them all in one epic love-making session, multiply the losses x10.
Times a player has injured himself making a game saving play. There's nothing a teammate respects more than when a player will throw his body into a brick wall to make a game-changing catch. 10 points for each catch that result in a minor injury, 5 points if it just looks painful, and 20 points if the player has to go on the DL. Additional points get tallied if:
- Lee Dershipman has never been caught watching his own highlights by a teammate. Nobody likes a narcissist. -10 points if he gets caught, +10 points if he doesn't get caught.
- Lee makes the bone-crushing catch during a contract year. Points are doubled if the injury occurs before July, because he has basically sacrificed his season - and shaved millions off his potential contract offers - in the name of winning. Up to +40 points for this one.
- Lee brags constantly about his catch to the media and others. -10, unless said bragging lands him some trim, at which point it becomes +5
Times a player has delivered a game-winning hit. +2 points for every successful game-winning hit, but -1 point for each time he fails. There is also an additional cumulative effect to this calculation. If Lee wins 2 games in 2 tries, he gets his score of +4, but winning them consecutively adds a multiplier of x2. If he goes 4 for 4 in game-winning situations, Lee Dershipman scores +8 points x4, for a total of 32 points. Similarly, if Lee goes down swinging multiple times in a row, those failures culminate as well. So, if he goes 0 for 5 in a row in clutch situations, he doesn't lose 5 points, he loses 5 points x5, or 25 total.
Gives a rousing speech to his teammates. This is a tricky category because it can be used too often, but probably has to be done occasionally in order to deliver enough leadership points to make a real difference. If Lee gives a rousing speech to his teammates while they are suffering through a losing streak and they are inspired to win, he gains +10 points. However, if Lee gives these little speeches too often, they begin to lose their potency, even if the team keeps winning - 7 points for the second one, 5 for the third, 3 for the fourth, -1 for the fifth, -3 for the sixth, and so-on.
If Lee gives a rousing speech but the team loses, there is no negative effect to his score. However, if they get blown out, he receives a -5, and if they lose because he makes an error or fails to deliver a clutch hit, he receives a -10.
If Lee is more of a quiet leader type, and only gives one of these speeches per season, he gains +25 points should his team win. Also, all points are doubled if he wins the game for his team with either his glove or bat.
There are other minor factors that would go into the Leadership Factor Score. I'll outline some of them via bullet point:
- Is the first one out in a bench clearing brawl +5
- Is the last one out in a bench clearing brawl -5
- Takes a rookie under his wing +5, cumulative
- Maintains a kangaroo court in the clubhouse +5
- Yells at the manager in front of his team if the skipper is stepping over the lines +5
- Yells at the skipper in private if he is stepping over the line +10
- Never stands up for his teammates - 10 per situation
- Has won a World Championship, +0 (sorry, any idiot can win a World Series)
- Doesn't talk about his salary in the clubhouse or during a game +10
- Talks excessively about his salary -10
- Talks to the media, but only to take the blame for losses or to humbly discuss his successes +5 per time
- Talks to the media excessively -10 per time
I'm sure there are others we can include as well, but what is certain is this - no fan of baseball can accurately calculate these numbers. It would take an impartial player in the clubhouse to observe and log all of the relevant factors toward the LFS.
But is this Kevin Millar? Does he have such a high LFS that it makes up for his poor production, his lack of defensive skill, and his age? I dunno, are we having this conversation because he was the one who coined the term "idiots" and said "cowboy up" to the Red Sox during their '04 drive?
Regardless of what Millar's LFS is, I would have to argue that it's just a smidgen overrated. I mean, yes, I'm the same guy who wrote recently about the Cubs not having that guy on their team, which spurned a debate at Another Cubs Blog, but I've never suggested - nor would I - that that guy should be an over-the-hill hack like Kevin Millar. If the Cubs even need that guy, then he should be somebody who can actually hit the ball and play regularly.
Besides, for some reason I think I've heard stories about what an unmitigated douchebag Millar is.
So, Keith, to answer your question, Al Yellon is caving in to the worst kind of overthinking fan mentality. He's subscribing to the magic bullet - or, in this case, magic baseball bat - theory that one player of a certain type can make all the difference in a season. I don't know if Yellon took this point of view 10 years ago, but it's the same sort of thing as proclaiming that 1998 19-game winner Kevin Tapani "knows how to win" because he did it so often that year, despite posting a 4.85 ERA. I guess Tapani must've immediately forgotten "how to win," though, because he went on to lose 15 more games than he won over the next 3 years (his record was 6-12, 8-12, and 9-14 each of those years).
If Kevin Millar "knows how to win," if he has that intangible, leadership quality the Cubs so desperately lacked these past two years, if he swings a hefty, magic baseball bat, then how did the Orioles lose damn close to 100 games?
So much for leadership.
The answer to why Millar didn't impact the Orioles.
He was only one man. Plus, the Orioles played in the AL East. Granted, I don't think bringing Millar is a great idea. We already have a back up 1st baseman who happens to be a lefty.
To be honest, if we want to bring in Kevin Millar, we might as well exume the body of Nelson de la Rosa (or Pedro's midget.) Afterall, he brought the Red Sox good "luck" during the 2004 playoff run.


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Amylinomimetics for Diabetes
Amylinomimetics may be used for type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Pramlintide is given as an injection at mealtimes. Pramlintide is always used with insulin, but the injections are given separately.
How It Works
Amylinomimetics work with insulin to control blood sugars after meals. This medicine slows down food moving through your stomach and slows down sugars moving into your blood. Pramlintide also lowers your appetite and can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Amylinomimetics are synthetic drugs that act like a naturally occurring hormone called amylin. People with type 1 diabetes do not make amylin themselves. People with type 2 diabetes who need insulin do not make enough amylin.
Why It Is Used
Amylinomimetics may be used by adults who fulfill all of the following:
Amylinomimetics do not replace insulin. This medicine works with insulin to help you control your blood sugar.
How Well It Works
Amylinomimetics used with insulin can improve blood sugar control for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In some studies, pramlintide was linked with weight loss.1
Side Effects
Nausea is the most common side effect for amylinomimetics.
You have a higher risk of having severe low blood sugar with this medicine. Do not use amylinomimetics if you cannot tell when your blood sugar is low (hypoglycemia unawareness).
Less common side effects include:
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
Do not use amylinomimetics if you fulfill any of the following:
Amylinomimetics also slow down how fast your body absorbs oral medicines. Talk with your doctor about all other medicines that you take. If you are taking oral medicines that need to be rapidly absorbed, you may take them either one hour before or two hours after an injection of an amylinomimetic.
Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. Experts do not know if amylinomimetics can harm a fetus or if this drug can pass through breast milk.
If you miss a dose, wait until your next meal and take your usual dose at that meal.
Do not use pramlintide if the liquid in the vial looks cloudy. Pramlintide should be clear.
Do not stop taking amylinomimetics without talking with your doctor first.
Pramlintide has not been studied in children.
Complete the new medication information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
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Discover Author
Kevin D. Williamson covers the intersection of economics, politics, and culture for National Review and National Review Online. His highly regarded Exchequer column relies on his trademark "English-major math" to chronicle the daily growth of the national debt and the ugly symbiotic relationship between Washington and Wall Street. He is a regular on Kudlow & Company, Lou Dobbs Tonight, and National Public Radio, and has appeared on dozens of other television news and talk-radio shows. He has served as a professor at The King's College and as director of the journalism program at the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. He lives in New York City.
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Services are 10 a.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, East Moline. Burial is at Rock Island National Cemetery, where the Moline American Legion Post No. 246 will present military honors. Visitation is 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Genesis Hospice.
Raymond Dale Pierce was born Dec. 20, 1933, in Moline, the son of Pauline Maude Kennedy and Wesley Roy Pierce. He married Norma Newland on July 28, 1955, in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Ray served 20 years in the United States Air Force, serving in the Vietnam and Korean Wars. He retired from Roadway Express after 20 years.
Ray is survived by his wife of 57 years, Norma; sons, Raymond (Tammy) Pierce, Orem, Utah, Wayne (Tamara) Pierce, Savannah, Ga., and Wesley (Jean) Pierce, West Jordan, Utah; grandchildren, Raette Welch and Michael, Jason, Ashley, Sariah and Lucas Pierce; great-grandchildren, Shayla and Alexander Welch; his father, Wesley Pierce, Fairfield, Ill.; siblings, Donna McTush, Clearfield, Ky., Gary (Betty Ann) Pierce, East Moline, Myrtle Carr, West Salem, Ill., and Lori Pierce, Bone Gap, Ill.; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by a son, William Scott Pierce; his mother; and a brother, Wesley L. Pierce.
Share a story about Ray and light a candle in his memory at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.
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Jerry Bader 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Email him: email@example.com
Information on pet adoption, pet care, and related legislation.
Officers Landretti and Foster (K9) and Deputy Gladden (Viking outfit) during a Marathon County K9 - Paws Enforcing Laws demo at Gra...Read More »
Is your pet overweight? I've had dogs that were a little chunky and my vet said to mix in some vegetables with their food in order ...Read More »
Tessa's 2. She's full of it, but also enjoys her naps. She's a petite little sweetie that can't wait to play with you... then curl ...Read More »
Either this person has giant monster hands, or this is the smallest bird I've ever seen! All together now, "Awwwwwwwwwww."Read More »
Country star Miranda Lambert is a sucker for shelter animals. She loves to find the doggies homes. And that's what six-year-o...Read More »
Earlier today I referenced this video, and the person I was talking to had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. So just in ...Read More »
Most dog owners know that you should never give a dog chocolate. There are other foods that can hurt your pet and you should know w...Read More »
Is the dog singing along, or howling in misery? By ArtFavor (Open Clip Art Library image'...Read More »


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Posts tagged with 'scandal'
The Caped Gladiator
I recently read a Cosmo interview with "Scandal" Costume Designer Lyn Paolo in which she offered hints about what my shero Olivia Pope will be wearing in Season 3:
"I'm madly in love with Dior right now. They're bringing back capes and I'm mad about capes. There are going to be a lot of cape and glove moments."
I read that and I was like, "Shut. Up." Because guess who got this cape for her birthday last year?
I saw it at The Limited and fell in love. I have a soft spot for military details, especially on outerwear.
But it gets better.
I was so inspired by the opera-length gloves Liv wore last season
that I bought a pair for myself. And apparently I wasn't the only one under the influence of gloves. Lyn told Cosmo:
"At the CFDAs, a bunch of designers told us they're incorporating gloves this year because they just loved how the gloves looked on the show."
Wow, what a compliment to Lyn! I'm very interested to see exactly which designers were bitten by the glove bug. (Yes, that makes two plays on the word "glove." Yes, I'm done.)
How do you feel about capes and gloves? Yay or nay?
Congrats, Kerry and Dan!
"Scandal" stars Kerry Washington and Dan Bucatinsky have been nominated for Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series categories, respectively.
And because I have the ability to make literally everything about me, I've copied and pasted an old post detailing a Twitter exchange I had with those two back in November.
Kerry Washington and I were separated at birth. I have receipts, y'all.
Last night while watching "Scandal" I tweeted this:
my long-lost sister Kerry tweeted this:
Similar random comments. AT THE SAME DAMN TIME.
*Cue Future*
And the kicker? This:
Not only did Dan Bucatinsky (aka James) retweet me, he retweeted me and Kerry AT THE SAME DAMN TIME.
Sorry, I couldn't help going there.
Between this and this… I'm in "Scandal" fangurl heaven. And totally Twitterfamous.
Ah, that was a nice trip down Memory Lane. Now the important question: What will they wear to the Emmys?!
Both Kerry and Dan are very stylish, so I'm sure they'll kick ass on that red carpet.
Clothes Call
Olivia Pope is one of the most stylish characters on television, hands down. But don't take my word for it.
Vulture writer Margaret Lyons has actually taken the time to create a slideshow of every outfit Liv wore during Season 2. Lyons's commentary is pretty funny. Below are a couple pics from the slideshow, her quips, and my responses.
Olivia's pajama wardrobe is better than Quinn's everything wardrobe.
This is by far the frilliest thing in Olivia's wardrobe. She wears it out with Edison, so read into that what you will. (How about that she's not her real self with him. Just a guess.)
I like this guess!
Hi, it's me, Kerry Washington, the world's most beautiful human, somehow making high-waisted wide-legged trousers look amazing.
I see no lies here.
Thunk. We are dead. We died from perfection overload, on account of this being the most perfect dress ever.
Tell it. My mom still talks about that dress. And the episode originally aired in November.
To see the entire slideshow, click here.
Twitter Twinsies
You guys. This is what my timeline looked like during last night's "Scandal" live tweet sesh.
But let me break it down for you some more.
See those timestamps?!
If that's not proof that we're psychically connected, I don't know what is.
Oh, and there's this.
Even though…
it's happened three times now, getting retweeted by a member of the "Scandal" cast still makes me giddy.
On Saturday, the lovely and talented Darby Stanchfield replied to my tweet about her and my bestie, Ker, in Glamour mag. (Don't make that face. She's totally my bestie.)
Wasn't that sweet of Darby?
The "Scandal" cast is the best ever. So generous with their time.


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voting time???
wow, that's like billions of colours!I can print 32bit color
voting time???
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone," it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's all."
-Lewis Carrol: Through the Looking Glass
Yep, I will get this up when I get home if no one else has had a chance to post it. If I do end up posting the poll, I will be trying something different where the poll text will link directly to the submission post(or perhaps the last WIP post in the thread) for that entry in addition to having Rebrobes link to the latest post thumbnail image in the body.
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Just had a look through the thumbnails, and I am stuck!!!
I have 5, yes 5, maps that I am looking to vote on.
decisions, decisions, decisions.......
Art Critic = Someone with the Eye of an Artist, Words of a Bard, and the Talent of a Rock.
Please take my critiques as someone who Wishes he had the Talent
I've made my choices but I'll take a look at the entries again when the voting is up.
I'm all set for the next challenge. This is one of the most rewarding competitions I've ever entered.
I really like the nice welcoming feeling of this board. My compliments to all you guys!
Yeah its just great round here - a diamond place. I last a few posts on EnWorld and WotC and so on before giving up. Cant seem to get away from here tho. Well late here off to bed. Good luck and see you at the voting.
ViewingDale Map maker and VTT . Recent CG posts . Keyword Index . Intros Index . Member Locations . CWBP Place Index
Are those of us that submitted maps allowed to vote?
It's been answered, but yes everyone can vote. You can vote for yourself but the votes are public...
Remember - depending on the number of entries you will most likely have multiple votes. Right now I'd say 3 or 4 depending on what the actual ratio is.
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Ghoraja Juun, my largely stagnated campaign setting.
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.


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Jennifer Niskala Apps, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Research for the Child and Adolescent Division in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Dr. Apps attended Texas Christian University for her undergraduate training. She received her doctorate from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Her post-graduate training was at the Children's Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Apps' academic interests include: Pediatrics sports-related concussions, psychiatric co-morbidities with neuropsychological functioning, and infant and preschool development.
Publications include:
1. Scheffer RE, Apps JAN. (May, 2005). Differentiating Pediatric Bipolar Disorder from ADHD. Current Psychiatry, 4(5).
2. Apps JAN. (2006) Abstract Thinking. Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health. Springer Publishers.
Dr. Apps sees patients at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin where she does neuropsychological evaluations of children from birth through 18 years of age.
Her contact information is as follows: (414) 266-3339.


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MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU-LEARFIELD) The Milwaukee Bucks will reportedly interview two candidates this week for their vacant head coaching job. The Journal Sentinel says Houston assistant head coach Kelvin Sampson has an interview set for Thursday, and former Seattle and Portland coach Nate McMillan will speak with the Bucks this week.
Milwaukee is looking to replace Jim Boylan, who was fired six days ago.
Sampson spent three years as a Bucks' assistant under Scott Skiles, before moving to Houston two seasons ago. He has college head coaching experience at Washington State, Oklahoma, and Indiana. Sampson left the Hoosiers in the wake of a recruiting scandal, but both San Antonio and Milwaukee gave him new life in the N-B-A. Charlotte and Philadelphia are also said to be interested in Sampson.
McMillan recently interviewed for the vacant coaching job at Detroit. He's been an N-B-A head coach for 12 seasons, with a total record of 478-and-452. Portland let him go in March of 2012, after his Trail Blazers failed to get past the first round of the playoffs in the previous three seasons.


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Got something to say? Seletti seems to think so. The Italian design brand has created an illuminated language with a series of neon font lights. Modeled after the American Typewriter typeface, these tubular characters are bright yet understated. Connect multiple letters, numbers, and punctuation marks using the transformer, and bask in the glow of your own words.
230V. Transformer is required for installation of one or multiple letters. Mounting hardware not included. For indoor use only.
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Exactly what you need to keep your Nook safe! It came promptly and in good shape.
Since this was for my granddaughter and I only found out about the screen save that was missing I was not able to do anything about it. It would be really nice if we could get the screen saver that was supposed to come with this product.
It is an excellent case. Looks great and very functional. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to protect their nook.
did not fit my nook. Its for a nook color. Return was easy.
New to readers, I wanted areliable safe protective cover. I also puchased a screen protector . Iike the pocket as well .
The items must arrive at our warehouse within 30 days of purchase. You must return items in their original condition to qualify for a full refund. We will issue a partial refund of up to 70 percent if returned items have been opened, used, or returned late. More details
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What If Your Outfit Matched Your Social Media Choice?
Final Frame
B for Bel had some fun and put together a series of fashionable outfits inspired by six of the most popular social media sites. I'm personally feeling Twitter and Pinterest...
1 Comment
I'd totally be Tumblr. Maybe I should check that out. Why wasn't Google+ listed?


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By: Stephanie Santostasi, FOX 2 Intern
DEARBORN, Mich. (WJBK) - Expect a weekend full of fireworks, food and fun at this year's Dearborn Homecoming Festival.
The 34th annual affair heads to Ford Field Park August 2-4, with over 100,000 people from across the state expected to gather to enjoy the music, carnival rides, a classic car show and much more.
Don't miss out on this year's headlining act, the contemporary rock band, Blues Traveler.
Fireworks skyrocket Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 p.m.
Free parking and a free shuttle service from Dearborn High School is also available. Parking at Ford Field Park during the festival is $10.
Enjoy lunch or dinner at a variety of food booths -- including the Polish and Italian tents. All food and beverage profits help fund scholarships, cultural programs and other local worthwhile causes.
Last year the three-day event drew in more than $70,000 for the city.
This year's sponsors include the Dearborn Community Fund and the City of Dearborn.
For more information, visit the event's Facebook page at Dearborn Homecoming Festival. You can also go to www.CityofDearborn.org.
25 FOX DriveDedham, MA 02026
Phone (781) 467-2525


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Drains 101: Skip the plumber and tackle these tasks yourself
Whether your bathroom sink is clogged, your garbage disposal smells, turkey grease is backing up the kitchen sink or your sump pump dies, there is a DIY solution. Here are some simple solutions to your drainage problems.
Article begins below video
Home maintenance isn't restricted to repairs. In fact, certain tasks, when performed regularly, may actually prevent things from breaking in the first place. But when things do go wrong — and it's inevitable that they do — try these backup plans before you grab the phone to call a pro. Appliances and plumbing are the most frequent offenders, but they also can be the simplest to care for.
Read: How to talk to your plumber
Kitchen sinks: Poison perfume
Garbage disposal and drain odors are making your kitchen an unpleasant place.
The quick fix:
Garbage disposals can retain food bacteria in the blades, making for an olfactory nightmare. Clean out the unit by pouring a cup of white vinegar followed by a flush of very hot water. For a drain, pour in a cup of white vinegar; let it stand for 30 minutes, then rinse with hot water.
Slime time
You're right in the middle of preparing that big Thanksgiving feast when your kitchen sink chokes on all the grease that you've been allowing to go down the drain.
The quick fix:
Use a heating pad wrapped around the drain trap (or a hair dryer if you're willing to hold it there) until the metal becomes hot. This will melt the grease and allow you to flush it away with a running stream of hot water.
Disaster prevention
Stopping clogs is a battle fought on two fronts. First, you should be careful about what goes down the drain. Second, you need to take regular action to clear small deposits that inevitably form in any drain.
- Use drain screens to keep hair, soap scum and other solids from making their way into the drain.
- Never pour grease down the drain, and clean greasy pots and pans as thoroughly as possible with a paper towel before cleaning in hot water in the sink.
- Never dump chemicals such as paint or paint thinners down a drain — even a shower drain or utility sink.
- Clean all your sink stoppers regularly.
- Once a week (make it a regular part of your weekly cleaning schedule), pour boiling hot water down your drains.
more on PopularMechanics.com
- How to patch and repair drywall holes
- Guide to sump-pump problems
- How to repair a damaged trellis
- Troubleshoot your toilet without a plumber
- The mythbusters' guide to Gonzo engineering
Bathrooms: Slow motion
Your bathroom sink is draining little but your patience.
The quick fix:
The handy plunger is one of the best tools for a slow-moving drain. Fill the sink with a few inches of water to provide a good seal around the plunger. Next, stuff a wet rag into the overflow opening of the sink. Try to completely fill the opening so that you get a good seal. By blocking the opening, no air can reach the drain, which greatly increases the effectiveness of the plunger. Finally, plunge away.