text:
When you finance anything, you finance everything.
Until you're completely debt free, everything you purchase is financed at the rate of your highest-interest debt.
What an awful (and important) thing to realize.
After Tuesday's post about the concept of "afford" being useless, Kate and I were discussing our desire for garage gym equipment. I asked her how she felt about the fact that paying cash for the equipment while we have debt at 10% interest is the same as swiping a 10% credit card and carrying the balance.
"That's not right," she said. "It's not the same thing. We'd never put it on a credit card."
"Right, but that's exactly what we're doing by buying it before our debt is paid off."
"Well, that's not true for essentials like groceries. It's not like we can go without food."
"Yes," I told her, "it is true for groceries. Whether the purchase is essential or not is irrelevant. When you spend a dollar on something other than reducing the debt, you've financed that dollar. Every penny we spend is financed at our highest interest rate."
"So, what now? You're saying we can't buy gym equipment until the debt is all paid off?"
"I'm just fully accepting the idea that we'd be incurring new debt by choosing not to pay down the old debt."
"Well, we have to live. Where's the balance?"
Where's the balance, indeed.
The "balance", it turns out, was wrecked when we decided to spend money we didn't have. How interesting that we and other debtors are so comfortable getting out of balance by swiping the card or signing for the new car, but feel entitled to a "balanced" approach in how we repay the debt. We humans are funny that way.
Where does this realization leave me? I now have to consider a new, interesting, uncomfortable question every time I go to buy something:
Would I make the purchase on a credit card and carry the balance?
(Reminds me of a conversation I overheard at the gym a few weeks back. Actually I only heard one sentence:
"Yeah, we've decided it's worth it to us to go ahead and put it on the credit card and pay it off over time."
Maybe he was talking about a kidney transplant, but I don't think so. I wanted to back-hand the guy, grip him by both shoulders and scream "Don't do it man! Debt wrecks everything!" Maybe, after wiping the bits of spittle off his face, he'd have come to his senses. Or maybe he'd have throat-punched me.)
Anyway, back to our new, interesting, uncomfortable question. I'll tell you what – it's a game changer.
Would I put groceries on a credit card and carry the balance? If I had to, yes. But I'd probably have to give up my pre-cooked bacon from Costco. (Now I'm really in a terrible mood.)
I guess I'm finally realizing why people like Dave Ramsey and Mr. Money Mustache – however much those two don't have in common – advise us to run from debt like a gazelle from a lion, and to treat it like a swarm of killer bees covering our entire bodies. It's because, while we have debt, it casts a shadow over every purchase we make – or wish we could make. Especially that most important of all purchases: saving for the future.
The scripture tells us not to run faster than we have strength. That seems like wise advice. It doesn't, however, tell us to avoid running. And it really doesn't tell us to go backwards.
55 Responses to "When you finance anything, you finance everything."
Sarah Campbell
Very depressing for me….considering I have a mortgage in student loans. Advice for that type of debt?!
Very good article! Gets you thinking….
Wow!!! It's true, but to read it from that perspective… Wow!!!
We are currently in Baby Step 4 (DR's plan) but have been saving up to replace a car (and to go on vacation). Now I hear that we are borrowing that money at 2.75% (Our mortgage rate)… Wonder if I can get my wife to understand/agree with this reasoning. After all, how long could it take to pay off 173k???
A mortgage rate at 2.75% is /not/ the same as financing on a credit card. It has a few things going for it that CCs do not: (1) It is not compounding interest (huge distinction); (2) You will make the same payment over the life of your loan; (3) 2.75%, adjusted for tax benefits, is far below the going rate of inflation (approximately 3.6% right now)–that means that effectively the bank has given you free money to put into your house.
Let's not treat all debt the same. That's dangerously oversimplified thinking, and as the comments are showing, entirely too depressing.
Also, you'll be leaving a whole lot of money at the table if you desperately claw away at a 2.75% debt instead of investing that money: http://www.johnnymoneyseed.com/mortgage/paying-off-your-mortgage-early-is-still-silly/
(pardon some of the language in the article; the real stunner is the table looking at 30-year growth on a monthly investment of $500 versus throwing that extra $500 at a 4.25% mortgage).
but still. the sad part is that no matter how "good" the deal is for paying off the mortgage in a longer run, you could still be kicked out of your home as long as you don't own it. And the bank really owns it until it's payed off. :(
Robert, I don't know who's trying to scare you, but you cannot be kicked out of your home unless or until you fail to comply with your obligations. If you make your mortgage payment every month, that house is yours.
Of course, if you over-leverage yourself and manage to get liens on your home or take out second, third, and fourth mortgages on it, you could lose your house if those creditors sue you for failure to live up to your obligations. But again, that's all on you.
But even assuming that the worst does happen, and one of those creditors can foreclose on your home, you are entitled to both the equity you put into it (after the foreclosure sale of course) and to pay off the creditor before the foreclosure is finalized.
If you want to own your house free and clear, that's fine, and I respect the desire to have that security, but just be aware that you're trading peace of mind for a much better investment if you're willing to be patient.
yeah i understand and respect your point of view as well. :)
we never know what the future will bring, that's why i feel it's better to pay it off as soon as possible since if times go really bad and a day comes when we can't pay the mortgage, they are entitled to get that money from us and the dream home will be gone.
MYWDY, I'm not sure you're really taking all things into account. If we were to follow your logic then it makes sense to take out mortgages on our homes for the purpose of investing the funds elsewhere.
The bank has not "given you free money". More accurately, the bank has let you borrow money against your future earnings and taken a chunk of it for themselves. That you have found a way to use that money more effectively does not change this fact, but it does doll it up a little bit.
I'm not saying your calculations are worthless – they're just not worth as much as you may think. By keeping your mortgage and investing it at a higher rate (or paying it back with inflated future funds) you may be gaining a small percentage of benefit, but you have traded some gain for more risk.
Consider what would happen if you lost your income, the market took a nose-dive, you retire, or any other number of scenarios. For many of us, we would rather give up the meager 1-2 % investment gain and not have to make the monthly mortgage payment.
Mark DeNio
I don't have a mortgage but I have student loans. I took the advice and wound up neither paying off the debt or investing. 14 years later I still have the loans. My other issue with the investment idea is taxes have to be included in figuring the return. Paying off the debt (up to 30% in my case) is earning 30% tax-free!
Also, whoever gave you bad advice to not pay off the debt (at 30%!) and not invest was smoking something.
It is truly free money in the long run. Inflation runs at about 3.5% each year now. If you have locked in your house at a rate lower than that, you will be ahead of inflation since it's locked in at simple interest.
I don't think my logic advocates taking out "mortgages" in order to invest. That's a silly extension of the sounder logic I'm employing. That is, rather than pay off your mortgage early, invest the extra. Even under a very conservative return, that investment will get you more benefit than simply throwing money at simple interest.
Pre-cooked bacon? That ruins the best part.
Yeah. My grandmother's house smelled like bacon all the time. Definitely a good smell! Why would you want to have it precooked and miss out on the yummy goodness of freshly cooked bacon?
Mmmm… BACON!
Couldn't link to Dave Ramsey?
Great article! Thanks for giving me food for thought on an important topic.
Can't imagine what it must be like to live a Mark's house. To scrutinizing every financial detail must be exhausting. On the other hand, it is for a good cause. (eliminating debt, and material for writing a blog)
Keep up the good work and thanks for presenting new perspectives.
I gotta say, you're a very gracious blogger in the way you respond to comments! I think I'd be much too defensive for this line of work. All of which is to say: great job and keep it up!
This is great!!!
This is a very harsh reality. But this is how to get the anger required to HATE your debt. I don't feel like we HATE our debt enough. It would/could be eliminated so much sooner.
Great story how your personal debt is a cloud and will make future purchases that much more difficult. I believe the choice to draw a line in the sand when it comes to adding new debt will be the deciding factor between those that succeed at attaining debt freedom.
I realized this truth a few months ago. I'm running from debt as far as I can, but I find that I don't have the resources to do quickily. Would you recommend cashing out a 10K IRA Roth to pay off 10K in credit card debt to be debt free? Or do you recommend paying 200 a moth for however long it takes to get rid of the 10K debt (at 8% interest)? I really want to be debt free.
Hey Alex, keeping any tax penalties in mind (Roths are a bit different from traditionals), would you borrow 10k on your credit card at 8% interest in order to invest in a Roth IRA? That's the basis of this thinking, and it tends to turn things on their head :)
Penaties aside, I would not recommend this, mainly because it enables you to accrue more debt if you haven't resolved the issues that caused you to run up the debt in the first place.
Keep your IRA Roth funded. It's too easy to fall prey to the mindset that you'll "just take a little out". Eventually you will have nothing there. Instead, treat it as untouchable, a one-way-valve for money, so when you retire, it will be there for you.
"Throat punch," hahaha – that's funny!
This is so awesome. I just talked about this with my wife the other day and here it comes as a blog post. :) Anyways… It really got me thinking again on what is the best way for us to go forward. Spend money to make money to pay off loans with, or just pay off loans. off course we have maintanence and such.. and that can become a big black hole even if you're on a tight budget ;)
we just moved kind of "off grid" a few months ago, to start a new lifestyle. the one we've dreamed about since we got married 5 years agi, we've got chickens, soon we'll have 2-3 sheep that will give us some nice lamb in the springso we're really anxious to use as much as possible to get this going, so we can be as self-sustaining as possible. But yeah we do have loans. our awesome little tiny farm with 2 acres of land was actually cheaper than our combined student loans and they're all att low interest over here in Sweden. the biggest interest is right around 3%.
So we've started to talk about how to maximize the effect of whatever we do. the farm is old so we need to take care of it, and our few animals (only for household needs, no business, yet..) ..and we also want to pay as much as possible on the student loans since those have no security. nut no loans on cars or anything.
But we have the 1 moth buffer and we don't have any credit cards, only debit cards. So we have a pretty good start. We just made a brand new budget this summer when we moved but after we've been at it for a few more months i think i'll send it to Mark to have a look at it. I know thigs don't work the same here in Seden which makes it hard to compare, but it would still be interesting to see.. :)
anyways. don't know where i'm going with this, but i really like this blog. my wife smiles when i'm looking at new emails, haha. She can tell when i'm reading these blog posts. :)
This reminds me of the conversation on this blog a few posts back about investing in your 401(k) up to the point of the match because that is 100% ROI. But, it's not really. It's like borrowing the money from your highest interest debt. So if your highest interest debt is 10%, putting $1 in your 401(k) is really going to "net" you $1.90 invested and not $2.00… and that's a great thing & the best ROI you can get. I still think, however, it's important to consider that you aren't doubling your money when you invest to get the employer match – you are doubling it LESS the highest interest rate debt you carry.
My husband and I view debt with the same regard as the plague! We do have a tiny amount of debt (interest free and to be paid off within 4 months). We weigh our options very carefully and do everything we can to avoid debt. That's not to say we haven't had debt. Over the years we have financed several vehicles (pre-YNAB), all of which were paid off as soon as possible. My FIL was gracious enough to let us live with them while we worked to save money for a house and put it on the family farm. This was rent free living as long as we helped out on the farm. We were able to put up a sectional home on family farmland without taking a mortgage. We realize how rare this is. We were given opportunities and we also worked very hard to get where we are. It is a frame of mind to chose not to be in debt.
Consider someone with 20,000 of credit card debt at 15%. That $150 grocery trip gets stacked at the top, and may take 10 to 15 years, at minimum payments, to work it's way down to the bottom to be paid off. So every year you are paying $22.50 in non tax deductible interest on those 3 bags of groceries!
(Pvt. Hudson from the movie Aliens):
Well that's great, that's just f"in great, man. Now what the bleep are we supposed to do? We're in some real pretty bleep now man!
That makes a lot of sense. If you still have debt, that means every purchase you make you are deciding is more important than debt payment so you are continuing to finance. Granted for a lot of things it makes sense like food, bills, etc. Luckily, the only debt I have is student loan debt and I'm working on getting it paid off.
Wow. This puts a whole new perspective on our debt – a perspective that I'm not happy with, but it's so true.
Great article especially since I am literally "starting over". I'm very recently divorced, have no debt (car paid off, I rent and my one credit card paid off) and I want from this point forward to be as smart as I can with the future decisions I make regarding my finances. One thing I want to do is improve my credit score so I can some day be able to buy a house for my daughter & I. Or maybe I'm better off renting? I just want to know the best way to better my credit score (It's not the best due to many different things). Is it to almost max out my credit card ($750 limit) each month and then pay it off each month? I just do not know. All I know is that I want to be as smart as I can with every financial decision I make. One of the smartest things I've done so far is having purchased YNAB. :)
On the quest for a ZERO FICO score.
Hi Dawn,
The best way to build your credit score is to not build your credit score. If you have no open accounts, in 6 – 12 months your credit score will be a thing of the past. You are bankable for a mortgage if you a) have a great credit score -which suggests that you love debt, or b) have no credit score. Those who find themselves in the middle are the ones who have difficulty.
To get a loan with no credit score, you simply need the lender to do manual underwriting. It is definitely doable.
L Lessa
@Dawn – Almost maxing out your card likely won't make a difference in your credit. Coming close to your credit limit may actually ding your score by 5-10 points until you pay it off when it's due, then it goes back up. I've seen this with my own score.
It's paying your cards off in full and on time each month that ups your credit.
After a few months of paying it off in full, I'd call the credit card company and ask them to increase my credit line (Note – I'd only do this if I was not carrying any balances on any of my cards). Then, just keep spending low. Low spending + large available credit = lower credit utilization rate, which is better for your credit score.
Keeping an account in good standing for many years is also helpful.
Paying your bills (all bills, not just credit cards) on time is the single biggest thing can do to establish good credit. Keeping your usage of credit to 30% or less of the total available is advisable. (Definitely don't max them out!) Here's a link that explains how FICO scores are calculated. http://www.myFICO.com/CreditEducation/WhatsInYourScore.aspx
On the road to zero
We'll try this again (as my last reply apparently did not meet moderator approval. The best way to build your credit score is to NOT build your credit score. There are 2 ways you can be bankable for a mortgage: 1) have excellent credit (FICO score) and 2) have NO credit.
If you have an excellent FICO score, it just means that you love debt. You have revolving accounts and other lines of credit that you are timely to pay on (don't miss payments, aren't late). It also means that you have (what they determine) to be an acceptable ratio of available credit. If you want to get ahead, having no credit is the way to do it. Your income is your greatest wealth building tool. If you have no payments, you have more of it to build wealth with.
If you have no credit score, then the company that writes your mortgage will have to do manual underwriting. (This is when they actually look at you, your longevity on the job and your ratios to determine if you are bankable for a mortgage. In the not too distant past, this is how mortgage underwriters did their job.
It is the middle ground (average or poor credit) where your will find your greatest challenges. Usually, someone with average or poor credit is plagued with slow and no pays, charge-offs and bad debt. It is here that banks believe you are a higher risk.
Interesting reading, especially as my husband and I have just decided that we have to finance more debt, even if we have to put it on the credit card and finance it over time.
I thought I'd give our perspective so you can see another situation where this does actually make sense (at least somewhat).
As much as we hate to do it (our long-term plan would have us debt-free including auto and student loans and mortgage in 6 years), we HAVE to waterproof our (unfinished) basement. Several reasons:
(1) The basement floods every time there is a heavy rain, up to 6″ deep.
(2) There is no sump pump or drainage system in the basement, which currently has to be drained by means of utility pumps placed on the basement floor, and those pumps must manually turned on and garden hoses must be run out a basement window to drain further out on the yard.
(3) All the mechanicals (water heater, water softener, furnace, and fuel oil tanks) are located in the basement and need to be protected from rust.
(4) Mold is beginning to grow due to the dampness (health concern, though none of the mold is currently more dangerous than what grows on bread).
(5) Having water come into the basement is likely to weaken the foundation and destroy the house structure over time.
(6) There is a possibility that we may have a job-related move within the next year, leaving us with needing to sell our house, or at least leave the house uninhabited for a short period of time (several months). A wet basement will drive the home value (and likelihood of a sale) WAY down, and if the house is uninhabited, there is a decent chance of major damage without someone being on site to start the water being pumped out immediately.
Conclusion: The basement NEEDS to be waterproofed (including adding a battery-backup sump pump in case the power goes out when no one is home) before spring and the big rains come. Unfortunately, this is an EXPENSIVE job, and not one that our emergency fund will cover.
We looked at financing, and found that getting a home improvement loan was possible, but cost-prohibitive (large closing costs, which are then rolled into the loan, would add more over the life of the loan than just putting it on a credit card and making the same size payment to the card).
We are lucky enough to have lower-rate credit cards (ranging from 8.9%-15%). Even if we consider that we are financing at the highest rate, as described in the article, doing the math shows that it would be cheaper (less interest paid over the life of the loan) to put it on the card (assuming we DO follow our plan to make the same payment that we would have to a conventional loan) than to get the loan.
We have investigated all options available in our area, and with our current situation and credit rating (good), that is our cheapest option, unless a possibility for getting a home equity loan works out.
Of course, if we just put it on the card and only made minimum payments, we'd be in deep trouble, that's another can of worms.
But just thought I'd show the reasoning behind why someone *might* choose to use a credit card to finance debt. Not that this is what the person you overheard was talking about, of course. They might've been financing a boat, for all I know. :)
Just say no...
There will always be ways to justify getting into debt or keeping debt. I submit that you are simply not ready to be out of debt. If you were, you would simply say no. It's what we (my wife and I, and many others) have done. If you have a water-proofing issue in your basement, you have a couple (non-debt) options:
1) go into storm-cloud mode. In storm cloud mode, the following things need to happen. First, if you are accelerating any debt payments (paying extra) that needs to be paused (temporarily). While you are back to making minimums on outstanding debt, all extra money goes to waterproofing the basement (which you haven't given a figure on -alot of money means different things to different people). While on the subject, sell anything and everything you can. Sell so much stuff (and really it is all only stuff) that your kids think they are next (Dave Ramsey'ism). Work as much as you can. Get OT at work, get a 2nd and 3rd job. Reduce your lifestyle down to nothing (no eating out, now splurge purchases, minimal gift-giving). Now, I am not suggesting that you do this forever, you are just sacrificing short-term, for the long-term win.
2) Do the work yourself. The internet is a wonderful place. You can teach yourself how to do anything, and there are great resources out there. I simply googled (though you can use whatever search engine you please) "How to waterproof a basement" and I got about 2.1 million results. It may not be the best option for you, but it is a viable option…
3) Sell the house now. If you have any equity, you can discount the house to get it to sell fast. Now, I am in NO way suggesting that you should hide the fact that the basement floods. In fact, quite the opposite. Disclose it. Someone will buy the house even with the issue (because they maybe aren't as concerned about the waterproofing issue). Or, quite possibly, it is a task they are willing to take on.
it is possible, in those suggestions, to combine (sell a bunch of stuff, work extra jobs and do some/all of the work yourself) some or all of the steps/parts of the steps.
I will close with this: It is easy to justify having debt, but hard to draw the line in the sand and say no more. It is scary attempt to make drastic changes in paradigm. The results, however, are worth the effort and more. Coming to the point where you say, absolutely, under no circumstances, am I ever going to be in debt again, is LIFE CHANGING. It causes you to make different decisions and will, ultimately, cause you to win with money.
Anonymous Credit Card User
Thanks for your comments. A limitation of the internet is that it doesn't allow for complete understanding of each others' financial situations, and it is hard to judge what is going on.
Much of the existing debt (other than the mortgage) is due to medical items, not likely to be repeated, and is being paid off as quickly as possible under our circumstances. Unfortunately, the reality of life is that not everyone is in a situation where they can reduce expenses, as we already live a frugal lifestyle.
We investigated doing the basement work ourselves before choosing a contractor, and due to the types of issues in the foundation, and local building codes (bah!), it is not possible to do it ourselves. Not going to expound on this further, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Unfortunately, after having a realtor and an appraiser out to see the property, if we do not take care of the basement issues, the house value drops to a point that we would take a loss if trying to sell it as-is. Putting the money in to take care of the basement increases the value of the home to the point that we would make a profit, even after paying off the waterproofing.
Anyway, while you may judge me for taking on more debt, the reality (and my point in the previous post) is that there ARE some situations that end up requiring a temporary debt, unless you are independently wealthy. When those situations occur, you just have to do the best you can and then work to get out from under the debt as soon as possible.
just say no...
Thank you for taking the time to be candid (and somewhat vulnerable). After re-reading my post, I can see how it comes across a bit judgmental. I realize that we don't know each other. The intent of my post was really to spur you on in the direction of no debt. Even with the information you have now added, I maintain that it would be possible to do what is necessary, without debt. Maybe not all of the options are ideal, and some may not even be feasible (in your circumstances) but I still maintain that it is possible.
Sometimes, the most difficult things are the most rewarding. While I don't know the finer details of your situation, I do know that in the same situation, with the details you have provided, I believe my choice would be different.
To your last point, I am not independently wealthy, but someday (with the decisions that I am making now) I hope to be. Worthy of note, if a large emergency comes (such as the basement repairs you are now facing) we are ready. We are not ready because we are wealthy (though we have been blessed with sufficient means), we are ready because we drew the line in the sand. We are ready because we have planned for the unexpected. We are ready because we are choosing to "live like no one else, so that later we can live like no one else". I don't say these things out of piety or arrogance. I say them with a desire to give hope to people in tough situations (though perhaps I could work on my delivery a bit more?). I know the challenging is possible because I have done it. I am thankful for the freedom that I know have (having made difficult choices) and my only desire is to help others to win as well.
Anonymous Credit Card User
Thanks for the reply. Yes, you always have to be at least twice as careful when writing things on the internet because of how they come across. :)
Just believe me when I say that there are a LOT of factors going on that mean that this is our best option at the moment.
The only reason that we are not currently further in debt is that we DID have the emergency funds in place when we needed them…. the medical costs were just more than anyone would have reasonably expected. (I'm including payment plans to the hospitals in our debt, even though those are 0% interest.)
We'll get back to being debt-free as soon as possible, without sacrificing our health (and therefore running up more medical bills).
just say no...
wishing you the best!
i don't feel mortgage debt should be viewed thru this filter. when you take out a 30 year mortgage, you are literally taking out a death engagement (mort = death). you don't really own your home, you are just responsible for upkeep and making the payments. there's really not much difference between owning and renting, except you don't have to check with your landlord if you want to do some painting or remodeling. So I wouldn't necessarily feel badly about going out to dinner or buying your crossfit equipment if all the debt you have remaining is an under 80% LTV mortgage. You could view it as I just have to live somewhere and my home is where I have chosen to live and my payments are my monthly rent and I have fully budgeted to pay them.
Now if I had any 10 or 15 percent debt, I would feel like my hair is on fire and I'd try to throw every extra dollar that way.
Look up the definition for "fungible" – it describes this exactly:
adjective: fungible
(of goods contracted for without an individual specimen being specified) able to replace or be replaced by another identical item; mutually interchangeable.
"money is fungible—money that is raised for one purpose can easily be used for another"
I'm really liking this blog. And this is why: You are real. You're not an expert, you're just normal like the rest of us. This is the same conversation we've had many times in our home. We are also in debt up to our eyeballs, and our kids' eyeballs. Med school. I wish we could go back and do things differently, but all we can do now is move forward and be more mindful. It also helps that our shovel is a decent size, thankfully.
Love the title of this post – definitely stealing it!
Not sure if this is planned for a future version of YNAB (hoping!), but it would be great if there was a "What If" module that could help quickly do the math needed to help answer the questions in Mark's post Tuesday about "affording it."
Here are some thoughts on what "What If" could do:
1. A large currency field where the user would enter the amount of the purchase under consideration. Perhaps a secondary field to optionally enter a name for the purchase (e.g. "garage gym equipment").
2. Once an amount is entered the module would instantly display what impact that money would have if it was instead put toward other uses:
a. Debt: If the user has included any debt in YNAB*, the reduction of interest and amount of pay-off time saved display. (*might need to add an account setting with the interest rate).
b. Savings: the amount compounded by a market rate (e.g. 7%, but maybe this is configurable) is displayed after being invested for 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 30 years.
3. A list of goal/wants *not already included in the budget* (and their corresponding amounts) could be stored/displayed in this module. If the amount of the purchase being considered equalled or exceeded any goal it could become highlighted in some way to indicate this previous goal/want could potentially be accomplished. Sometimes, in the face of (amazingly) effective marketing campaigns, we just need a reminder of our priorities. It sounds like many of us maintain such a list outside YNAB in a spreadsheet or something similar.
4. If a name for the purchase is entered in the form described in #1 above it could optionally be saved to the goal/want list (#3) for future consideration. It would also be great if you could convert these goals into actual YNAB budget lines right from here.
Keep up the great work on the blog and the software!
I still don't fully understand what you're saying…i'll have to read it a few more times for it to sink in. But having read the comments, i'm sure i will love this post when I fully understand. Being in debt past your eyeballs is ridiculously uncomfortable. I wish i knew then(2000) what i know now. I've done pretty well in the last 6 months only had to use my credit card once and i used the one with the smallest balance but still struggling to get to that point where there is never a reason to finance anything. Thanks for all the writing you do!
I think you are missing a couple of things about a mortgage versus savings/investing. ALL financial transactions are governed by the basic principle of the Time Value of Money.
The difference between a mortgage and your savings is that with the mortgage your are starting out borrowing what would essentially be the same as the future value of your savings.
Mortgages therefore DO compound interest…however since you start with a negative present value and work back to a zero balance future value, your interest compounds in reverse. That is why when you look at an amortization schedule for your mortgage, the early years of a thirty year loan are almost all interest with very little principle and the ending years are almost all principle with almost no interest.
Conversely, with savings you start at a zero present value and work towards your savings goal future value. Over thirty years, the early years will be nearly all contributions with little interest and the ending years will be almost all interest with a comparatively very small contribution.
The problem with the scenario of carrying the low rate mortgage and contributing the balance of what would have been your higher rate mortgage payment to savings is that you MUST make that contribution consistently (at least, for the most part) on a monthly basis for 30 years for this to benefit you.
Most people do not have that discipline and will find things that they want during that time period which they will instead spend their savings/investment dollars for – because they think they can "afford" it.
However if we look at even a relatively small mortgage of $150,000 at 2.5% for 30 years, while your payments would be a very affordable $563.05 (P+I), you would pay a total of $43,113 in interest over this period.
So you would have to at least beat that amount of return on your investments in order to come out financially ahead.
Also, there is no dollar amount that can be put on the peace of mind that comes from knowing your home is paid for free and clear.
While $43,000 may not seem that hard to beat over 30 years, remember that I calculated this using almost unrealistically low numbers. 2.5% is probably not going to be an EASY rate to find for a buyer…and many are going to have a much larger mortgage than $150,000. This combination leads to higher monthly payments which in turn leaves you with less disposable income to save…which in turn leaves you with it becoming harder and harder to beat the total amount of interest you pay over 30 years with your investments.
Most of you probably own Microsoft Excel. Go to the Office Online site and download an Excel template called "Loan Calculator with Extra Payments" and you can work up your own analysis using your own actual mortgage numbers.
Long story short…for the overwhelming majority of us, paying off your mortgage quickly is still the better way to go!
One additional comment with regards to credit cards or other revolving debt:
As has been pointed out, a 30-year fixed rate mortgage has the advantage of having a consistent monthly payment over the life of the loan, however as I pointed out in my previous comment, that should not be confused to believe that a mortgage does not have compounding interest.
You can likewise have a fixed payment on any other debt object as well…including credit cards. You simply choose the amount in excess of the minimum payment that you want to continue paying and then pay that same amount in each successive month without accruing any more expenses on that particular debt.
You can then use a Time Value of Money calculator to determine how many months it will take you to pay off your balance using the credit card's interest rate and the payment you choose.
The reason most people don't get this idea is that they are focusing on the minimum monthly payment due each month which is constantly changing as purchases are charged or payments are made.
If you commit to a fixed payment with no additional purchases, you will know exactly when than debt will be paid off. Of course, adding additional money to your fixed payment is always a good idea and will accelerate your payoff.
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Josh Trank's FANTASTIC FOUR Will Feature 'Found Footage' Style
Josh Trank's surprise hit, Chronicle, has many elements that made it so popular. It was a unique take on the "special powers' concept that stepped outside the typical comic book movie, as well as adding the real world element of "what if?" that caused people to essentially choose a side. One bit that really made it stand out was the fact that Trank opted for a completely found footage style. Many have tried this technique and most have failed. Those that have succeeded, such as The Blair Witch Project and the original Paranormal Activity, have one thing in common: they are horror films. The style tends to create a sense of urgency and panic, but when dropped in a more dramatic film, such as Chronicle, it offers up a whole new perspective.
When it was announced that Trank would be taking on the first family of Marvel comics, many wondered if that style would be used. It was a safe bet to say yes, that Trank would incorporate the hand-held camera into the film, and it looks as though that will be the case. Fox Studios President of Production, Emma Watts, sat down with THR to discuss the studio's current and future film slate and the Fantastic Four reboot was eventually discussed. When asked whether Trank would use the found footage style, Watts confirmed that he would, as that's his signature.
It's Josh, so it can't not have that feel. That's his talent, that's what he does, and that's what excites him about it. It is a really interesting young cast [Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell], and he is the magnet that's brought them all together.
Now, I wouldn't expect to see the whole movie filmed on a GoPro or an Android, but what I think will happen could be compared to the popular Bourne films that Paul Greengrass made popular. Essentially, expect to see a lot of the hand-held cameras being used. Or, as some folks call it, shaky cam. This is the quickest and easiest way to ground a film, which is one of the things that many people attached to the project have promised: a much more grounded and gritty film than we've seen in the past. That doesn't mean, however, that Trank won't use videos captured on an iPhone though.
Fantastic Four will star Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Tim Blake Nelson and Toby Kebbell and will fly into theaters June 2015. Fox go-to scribe Simon Kinberg penned the script for the movie, which is currently filming.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Times the Charm
B.A. Nilsson
Van Dyck
Union St., Schenectady, 348-7999. Serving 11:30-10 Mon-Thu,
11:30-11 Fri, 5-11 Sat. AE, D, MC, V.
easygoing American
price range: $7 (mozzarella panini) to $17 (steak frites)
upscale pub
it a ghost story. The restaurant rose from the dead. It was
a murder victim, in fact, strangled by gothically bad management,
a fate made all the more bitter by the Van Dycks legendary
heritage. This was a place where Thelonious Monk performed.
As a down-the-street neighbor in the 80s, I saw Earl Hines
here, as well as Tal Farlow and Red Norvo, but the place lost
its founder, Marvin Friedman, and soon went dark.
It reopened on its own 50th anniversary in 1997, with a compelling
reworking of the interior that moved the jazz room upstairs,
but the aforementioned bad management made it a revolving
door for chefs and managers. The second incarnation lasted
barely a decade.
Once again, the place is openas of late June, in fact. Again,
the interior has been reworked, this time losing its intrusive
center-hall staircase to a more sensible location. Dining
areas have been enlarged. Were even promised that the brewery
will reopen soon, providing the restaurant once again with
handcrafted beer.
Its new owners are putting together a bit of a dining empire
for themselves. Cousins Jeff, Bill and Mike McDonald are part
of a family of longtime Schenectady residents who now own
and run Pinhead Susans and, just down Union Street from the
Van Dyck, the Stockade Inn. Although Id like to think of
the Van Dyck as a fine-dining destination, I think the McDonalds
got it right. The menu mixes pub fare with a few evening-only
entrées, and allows you to enjoy a reasonably priced meal
in very comfortable surroundings. Its perfect if you have
a nearby event to get to, and thats precisely the strategy
my family employed on a recent visit.
A prompt greeting means everything in a spacious place like
this. Schenectadys Stockade area wears its autumn colors
well, and this was the kind of day when its pleasant to linger
on the sidewalks. We were given the option of continuing to
enjoy the outdoors with seats at a table in the backyard patio,
but decided not to challenge a hatchet-faced grande dame
seated out there with what seemed like a handful of cigarettes
We were happy enough at an indoor table, especially when I
noticed that the old, scarred tables by the fireplace had
been replaced with nicer models. We ordered drinks. We considered
the brief menu: a well-chosen array put together by the owners
in collaboration with Van Dyck chef Scott Carlton and Stockade
Inn chef Doug DeMarco. Our server couldnt have been more
cheery and helpful. More on that in a moment.
Appetizers are such in name only; you could easily make a
meal of one of them. Well, the $4 soup is only a cup, but
if its along the lines of the unexpectedly delicious cream
of mushroom we sampled, itll stay with you. Otherwise, the
apps run $7 to $12, including a trio of dips with chips, Buffalo
wings, beef satay, mozzarella sticks and homemade pigs in
a blanket. One of the $12 items is a big portobello mushroom
cap over a mound of good crabmeat, finished with melted cheese
and, just to drive it all home, a butter sauce.
Salads also range from the simple to complex, the latter end
including a $9 cobb, $11 teriyaki beef array, and a Caesar
($7) available with grilled chicken ($9) or grilled shrimp
I regret that we didnt sample the pizza. We saw a couple
of the personal-sized pies go by, to be perched on fancy high-rise
holders so as not to dominate table space. They range from
a simple tomato topping ($8) to a $15 lobster-and-tomato array,
with most (sausage and pepperoni, Buffalo chicken, four cheeses
and prosciutto, goat cheese among them) in the $10 range.
The (mostly) $9 panini list includes fillings of chicken,
roast beef or smoked turkey, as well as mortadella and fontina
or prosciutto and peppers.
On the sandwich end are some of the same, along with one featuring
tilapia ($9) or a crab cake ($12). The grilled chicken ($9)
also includes ham and gruyere, stacked with the right proportion
of veggies and honey- mustard to keep it flavorful and moist.
And the Signature Burger ($9) sports a large patty of charcoal-grilled
beef, topped with mozzarella and pancetta, and excellently
finished with caramelized onions. The accompanying fries were
After 5 PM, a half-dozen more complicated entrées are offered,
including veal scallopine, steak frites, grilled salmon, and
beef short ribs (all $16 to $17). We sampled the barbecued
pork tenderloin, which was good of its kind, given a nice
accompaniment of a chipotle-enhanced sauce and sweet potato
As I noshed away, enjoying myself, I understood that part
of my pleasure was in the realization that my sex appeal had
kicked in. Oh, sure, you easily could see me as the middle-aged
fat guy of cliché, and its true I had to be at least 30 years
older than our waitress. But the way that she made eye contact
with me and smiled let me know that my inner Casanova was
shining through.
Didnt she place a gentle hand on my shoulder to emphasize
a point? Didnt she lean in so our eyes were at a level as
she recited the dessert list? Of course, and thats when my
inner reality mechanism took over with the reminder that this
was, in fact, right out of classic server trainingproven
techniques to garner generous tips.
I passed on dessert, but I tipped more than 20 percent.
here for a list of recently reviewed restaurants.
is just the prelude to All Saints Day and All
Souls Day, celebrated in Mexico as El Dia
de los Muertos, or the Day of the Deadan
upbeat holiday in which departed loved ones are
expected to visit their still-quick relatives,
who honor the dead with an altar and special offerings.
El Loco Mexican Café (465 Madison Ave.,
Albany) holds its fourth annual observance of
the Day of the Dead with a traditional celebration
from 4:40 to 9:30 PM on Sunday (Nov. 1). The altar
will be decorated with sugar skulls, flowers,
candles, and pictures and other mementos of the
departed. Guests are invited to bring photos or
other objects meant to honor their deceased loved
ones (pets included); also honored will be those
in the public eye who passed away in the last
year. And theres a culinary incentive: All who
bring something to share at the altar will receive
a complimentary piece of pumpkin-pecan cheesecake.
More info: 436-1855. Web site: ellocomexicancafe.com.
. . . Remember to pass your scraps to Metroland.


text:
Florence King is the pinnacle southern writer with a sharp pen and an even sharper edge. She appeals to a diverse crowd and offends even more.
The reviewers quote from The New York Times Book Review across the top of The Florence King Reader states "Intolerant, insensitive – and very, very, funny."
Thus we begin our discussion of Florence King. Miss King is a Southerner first and foremost. Her sense of place is more than mere residence or geographic location – it defines all she is or ever hoped to be. She is quite proud to be a Southerner and makes no apologies about it……and I like her all the better for it. (Please note Miss King rejects the usage of "Ms." in reference to herself.)
She is a complicated woman and will not be easily put into categories. This lady is not the type of character you will find on the network morning shows participating in mindless chatter – that simply isn't Florence's (oooops…sorry, Miss King does not allow strangers to refer to her by her first name) bag. She once said the only thing she has in common with the people on the morning shows is a "sofa."
For those of you in the know, Miss King is a writer. And, let me tell you, she can write. George Will said of her – "If Mencken were alive, he would be her." Unfortunately, because of her dry humor, she is often compared to Dorothy Parker. Miss King does not like such comparisons, she believes Ms. Parker was nothing more than a hopeless romantic.
She has written such literary canons as Southern Ladies and Gentlemen; Wasp, Where is Thy Sting?; He: An Irreverent Look at the American Male; Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady (a classic); and A Fond Look at Misanthropy. She also had a bi-monthly column in the back of the National Review called The Misanthrope's Corner.
How would you define Florence King? Her editor puts it simply: "She's an unreconstructed Southerner, gun-toting right-wing feminist, high-church Episcopal atheist, post-menopausal misanthropic monarchist."
After receiving a very favorable book review in the New York Times Review of books, (something other writers would gladly die for) Miss King wrote to the editor to explain "You do not know how to write a review. I do. Here are your faults…."
Miss King is a bi-sexual. She was once invited by the Virginia Lesbian community to be a part of a weekend retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The flyer sent to her laid out the weekend's activities: Corn-worshipping festival, Logic-is-Dead Bonfire, Nude Dancing, Vegetarian Cafeteria, Non-Smokers and Writing Demonstrations.
She returned the flyer with a note across the top: "It's time you knew I'm a Republican."
Miss King, like tobacco, has deep roots in the great state of Virginia. Raised by her blue-blood grandmother (who spent her days trying to make Florence quit smoking and to be more "lady like"), she understands the rules of civility, but simply chooses to dispense justice and knowledge as she sees fits. She even removed the passenger seat from her car so no one would ask her for a ride.
She is a well-read, well bred, gun-toting, high-minded smoker, pushing freedom of expression to new heights. I like her because she is herself. I don't have to agree with her on everything, but I agree with her in the aggregate. If we are going to live in a free country, we need to start acting like free people. How do you begin? Stop worrying about everyone else's rules and perceptions and go be yourself. Most people do not know how to do that – Florence King does. And she does it so well.
She said her grandmother failed in making a lady out of her (Florence's) mother. Therefore, Florence was her grandmother's last hope. Her grandmother kept the anvil hot trying to mold Florence into something other than typical. Her collection of stories in, The Florence King Reader, is the sum total of her life and her grandmother's efforts. She begins at the beginning with this missive:
"This is the story of my years on her anvil. Whether she succeeded in making a lady out of me is for you to decide, but I will say one thing in my own favor before we begin. No matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street."
Welcome to Authspot, the spot for creative writing.
Read some stories and poems, and be sure to subscribe to our feed!


text:
Former Pa. House aide sues over corruption arrest
HARRISBURG — A former Pennsylvania House Republican legislative aide sued Gov. Tom Corbett and six others on Thursday for what he claims was malicious prosecution during an investigation into misuse of government resources for political campaigns.
John R. Zimmerman says he was unfairly portrayed as a criminal when charges were filed against him in 2009. They were dropped two years later.
Zimmerman alleges he was charged to prevent him from being a witness to help other defendants, to retaliate against him for supporting former House Speaker John Perzel and to balance the number of Republicans and Democrats being prosecuted.
"His name was dragged through the mud," his lawyer, Devon Jacob, said. "The reality is he was forced to do a perp walk in front of the cameras."
Corbett was attorney general when the legislative corruption probe began in January 2007, after news broke that lawmakers quietly handed out millions in bonuses to their aides.
Other defendants in Zimmerman's suit are Linda Kelly, whom Corbett nominated to take over as attorney general when he was elected governor, as well as three prosecutors and two investigators who worked on the Zimmerman case.
A spokesman for Corbett declined to comment, as did the investigators. Kelly and prosecutors did not return phone messages. Joe Peters, press secretary for the current attorney general, Kathleen Kane, declined to comment, saying the office may have to defend Corbett.
Zimmerman, who now lives in Hummelstown, was charged in an investigation that focused on how House Republicans used state-paid computer resources to gain an advantage in campaigns.
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text:
This week on PsDisasters, we had a "Honey, I Blew Up The Baby" moment, we debated about whether digitally adding a skull-crushing sombrero to Gwen Stefani was a conceptual disaster or a psd, we took the world's weirdest trolley ride, and Gucci gave us the best Christmas gift ever: A flamingo disguised as a handbag model. It was a pretty good week! Now, let's cap it all off with some fun links from around the web.
- Last weekend we issued a Quiz asking our readers if this Longchamp image was a disaster or not. 51% of our fans thought it was a psd… until model Coco Rocha herself responded with a behind-the-scenes image! Verdict: Not a disaster. [Styleite]
- Male celebs Photoshopped to look like women. Why? Because boobs, that's why. [The Chive]
- The Worst Photoshop Fails of 2012… almost all of which you saw here on PsDisasters first. [Business Insider]
- 25 eerie compilations that mix World War II images with modern-day scenes. Chilling. [List25]
- A Tumblr artist decided to "clean up" Frida Kahlo's iconic facial hair. Fans were not amused. [BuzzFeed]
- Nicolas Cage "As Every Character in The Hobbit" is every bit as creepy and funny as you'd imagine. [BuzzFeed]
- Clients From Hell released a free guide to freelancing in 2013 – Highly recommended.
- 24 Hilarious Obama Photoshops – [Smosh]
That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, and we'll see you back here on Monday with more disasters. Don't forget to join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for daily entertainment.


text:
News Archive for 05/11/10
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
AAPL Stock: 117.34 ( -0.96 )
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
In brief: The Iconfactory today announced a new Stock Icon Add-on category targeting the banking, finance and online commerce markets representing concepts such as billing, checkout, deposit, transaction, shipping, and more.... appleLoops.com launched today, offering royalty-free sample loops for Logic, GarageBand, Soundtrack Pro, and other audio applications with featured producers Steve Stoll, Chris Guy, Rennie Foster, and more.... Belkin today announced four new cases for the fifth-generation iPod: The Kickstand case ($30), the Classic case ($20), the Holster Case ($20), and the Flip case ($30).... David Bowie has teamed up with Canadian band Arcade Fire, by releasing their live duet as a limited edition download from iTunes--for one week--starting November 15th with all the proceeds going to Hurricane Katrina relief charities.... Belkin has announced that its TuneCast Auto is compatible with the iPod nano and video iPod. [updated]
Apple today released Xcode 2.2, an update to its set of developer tools for Mac OS X. Available to registered members of the Apple Developer Connection, version 2.2 provides overall stability and performance enhancements to the Xcode IDE, as well as improvements to debugging, workflow, and the Xcode build system. It requires Mac OS X 10.4.x.. Apple also released WebObjects 5.3.1 for Mac OS X Server 10.4, which updates the Application Server components in Mac OS X Server 10.4 to WebObjects 5.3.1.
The National Consumer Council (NCC) is adding its name to a major European campaign advocating consumer rights in the digital age, reports Macworld UK. Many Europeans are concerned over the criminalization of sharing copyrighted files online, as well as the lack of interoperability between between existing services and devices. The latter includes the way songs are protected using Apple's FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) system and Microsoft's DRM. The campaign includes a declaration of what consumer bodies feel should be consumers' digital rights. These include: the right to choice, knowledge and cultural diversity; the right to the principle of technical neutrality; consumer rights in the digital environment; the right to benefit from technological innovations without abusive restrictions; the right to interoperability of content and devices; the right to the protection of privacy; the right not to be criminalised.
Sir Robin Saxby Chairman of the UK-based microprocessor comany ARM, says that the iPod photo is his favorite gadget, because "it allows me to take 'my world' on my travels. This includes recordings of my son's band, as well as my early vinyl records and photos going back years." When asked what Sir Robin Saxby would change about the device, he cited the difficulty connecting to other devices, such as big-screen TVs, according to a report from Forbes.com. "I don't want to carry iPod docking stations and chargers with me, so I would like to see connectivity become standard and ensure that all the consumer devices I use have the same interface."
Belkin today announced four new cases for the fifth-generation iPod, designed to reinforce the device while maintaining functionality. The Kickstand case ($30) integrates a stand display to ease the process of watching videos, and provides a detachable carabineer clip to secure the device to clothing. A protective plastic screen cover offers full access to the screen and clickwheel. The Kickstand case is constructed from fine-grain leather, and will be available in black as well as white.
MacSoft, a division of Destineer, today announced that the Mac version of Microsoft's top-selling Zoo Tycoon 2 has gone "gold." As an added extra, the Mac version includes a bonus DVD featuring film segments and trivia from the National Geographic Totally Wild series. Zoo Tycoon 2 is described as "a wildly fun game in which you build and operate your very own zoo. Zoo Tycoon 2 cranks up the excitement with 3D first-person views that get you up close to the highly detailed giraffes, tigers, crocodiles, elephants, and more than 25 other types of animals in your zoo." Zoo Tycoon 2 is scheduled for release in November 2005 for $40.
M-Audio today announced its new Podcast Factory professional podcasting solution. The Podcast Factory bundle includes all the hardware and software required to create broadcast-quality podcasts: the bundle includes the Podcast Factory audio interface with microphone preamp, a 2 x 2 mobile audio interface delivers professional audio fidelity up to 24-bit/48kHz. The first of two audio channels is a dedicated XLR input for the included dynamic microphone, complete with gain control and signal LEDs. The 3/4-inch input on the second channel toggles between instrument and line levels to accommodate a wide variety of signal sources. It will ship in November for $180.
Belkin today announced that its TuneCast Auto supports the iPod nano and 5G iPod as well as with iPod 3G, 4G, and photo. The device allows you to listen to the music from your iPod through your car's FM radio. "Unlike other FM transmitters, the TuneCast Auto powers and charges through your car's cigarette lighter--eliminating the need to drain power from the iPod itself. Its new design and ample features make for an easy, convenient solution to listen to your iPod on the road." The TuneCast Auto features two programmable memory slots, which allow users to toggle between two channels. A blue, backlit LCD provides for easy viewing day or night, and a VELCRO tie reduces cable clutter. The TuneCast Auto will ship in North America in late November 2005 for $60.
Sol Robots today released The Road Trip Effect 1.5, a significant update to its application designed to generate transitions for travel videos. The application supports high definition output, and provides control over how movies are compressed. Both 720p and 1080p in a 16-to-9 wide screen aspect ratio allow transitions to have more clarity on High Definition systems. The update offers full access to Quicktime's built-in compressors, allowing movies to be scaled to a more manageable size. The Road Trip Effect 1.5 is available for $9, and requires Mac OS X 10.1 or later.
An analyst today raised her price target for shares of Apple over 16.5 percent to $70 from $60, and maintained an "overweight" rating on Apple Computer, anticipating a strong holiday season and continued portfolio expansion with the possible introduction of Mactels next year. Rebecca Runkle of Morgan Stanley said "Apple is evolving into a growth-driven portfolio franchise," and expects calendar fourth-quarter 2005 results to be "impressive," driven by an expanded iPod installed base, new iPods, extended digital content, and CPU refreshes, according to a report from Forbes.com. "As the portfolio strategy expands, margins have the potential to increase similar to other secular growth stories. As a result, upside exists to current expectations and Apple shares continue to look attractive over the next 12 to 18 months," Runkle said.
Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen said a strong Apple is a "good thing," in a recent interview with Silicon.com. Chizen said Apple is has a "very stable, loyal customer base," and he said despite some competition from the Mac maker, he still considers Apple to be a "friend." On the topic of Apple's transition to Intel processors, he said: "In the long term it's great because it allows production of faster, more powerful computers that can be more affordable than today. Plus, in theory, because we work closely with Intel we should be able to take advantage of the optimisation that we do around Intel at the native level, especially for graphics and video applications. The challenging part will be the switch. It will take coding and compiling time - and that's work."
In brief: The MacNN team has reviewed the iPod Flip Cases from Pacific Design (shown at right), designed to provide protection in sharp, contrasting color designs without sacrificing use and accessibility.... ProjectWizards has released Merlin 1.3.6 to commemorate the application's one-year anniversary, and is offering 25 percent off Merlin licenses from November 9-20th.... Difusi has been chosen to be part of the celebrity gift bag for the 33rd annual American Music Awards, which will offer stars both an iPod nano and a leather case to protect the device.... Central Park Media has made the entire first episodes of "Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight," "Descendants of Darkness," and twenty minutes "Black Jack" available for free via download.... The Portland Mac Filmmakers' User Group December meeting is set to look at professional photography solutions using Apple's Aperture software.... Digital-Tutors released its Introduction to Macromedia Flash 8 training kit ($46), a training tool for emerging digital artists.
Softpress recently released Freeway 4 Express, its Macintosh Web design software made for anyone who wants to create websites without having to learn to write HTML code. Features include a reworked interface, Unicode support for multi-lingual sites, automatic .Mac uploading, Spotlight support, new text and graphic effects, improved transparency options, nested layouts, in-flow HTML items, support for Type-one fonts, and more. Freeway 4 Express offers a range of actions, including built-in FAST packs as well as a selection of third-party actions. Freeway 4 Express is priced at $90, and requires Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later.
MacSpeech yesterday released a new ScriptPak for BBEdit from Bare Bones Software that installs over 450 commands into iListen, allowing users to do virtually anything in BBEdit they could normally do using keyboard shortcuts or menus. ScriptPak for BBEdit can instruct the application to format documents, check syntax, navigate between and within documents, comment and uncomment text, and more. ScriptPaks work with iListen allowing dictation anywhere one would normally type, and ScriptPaks enhance iListen's command and control capabilities by teaching it about the individual keyboard and menu commands in a specific program. ScriptPak for BBEdit requires iListen 1.6.5 or later and BBEdit 8.x, and is available for $20.
Bell Microproducts is now Apple's third product distributor in the United States. The company said Tuesday it would distribute Apple's Xserve rack-mount servers and RAID solutions. Clearwater, Fla.-based Tech Data has been carrying Apple's entire line since the companies signed a distribution deal in early 2000. And Ingram Micro, which signed with Apple in 1992, is currently the Cupertino, Calif., computer maker's largest distributor, accounting for about 70 percent of Apple's products sold through distribution, said a spokesperson for the Santa Ana, Calif.-based distributor.
Apple's iMac G5 is TIME magazine's Gadget of the Week. While saying that the machine does "everything well," the column notes several shortcomings of Front Row, Apple's bundled application that offers an easy-to-use, remote-control triggered interface to Apple's digital media applications: "It's easy to use and for the most part enjoyable. I was dismayed that the software didn't bookmark TV shows, so that I could go back to the spot where I had previously left off. I was surprised that the music program listed bands starting with 'The' under 'T', since iTunes is (famously) smart enough to list them under the proper letter--that is, The Rolling Stones should appear under 'R' and so on.... While Front Row does turn your valuable collection of iTunes into a more easily accessed jukebox, it's a little weak on the video side."
Sonic Impact has introduced i-Fusion, its new rechargeable and portable speaker case system with docking station for the iPod and iPod mini. i-Fusion is described as a mini boom box built within a rugged storage case for all variations of the iPod, including the iPod nano. In addition to the speaker system and docking station, the compact 2.75-inch high case features a pop open door for storing any size iPod and a second compartment with a lithium ion battery and room for storing earbuds. The system also features a built-in iPod Docking Station Connector for playing, downloading and recharging. Sonic say the i-Fusion can play music up to 15 hours on the built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery and also features an AC adaptor. i-Fusion, which carries Apple's "Made for iPod" moniker, is available for $150.
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Designing Problem-Solving Lessons That Include "Sample Pupil Work"
Evans, Sheila, Mathematics Teaching
Sheila Evans with Malcolm Swan document the progress of a project designing problem-solving lessons
This article describes how the design of a problem-solving lesson that incorporates a range of sample pupil work evolved over the course of a project. The content of the sample pupil work is shaped by genuine pupil work, but is written by a designer. The article will highlight the advantages of using sample pupil work and how issues that arose through their use have been addressed. This may be of particular interest to teachers who use, or plan to use, real or 'manufactured pupil work in their mathematics lessons.
Over the last two years, a team of mathematics educators at the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education at the University of Nottingham have designed mathematics formative assessment lessons to support US schools implementing a new curriculum. The team is led by Malcolm Swan and comprises a number of designers, including Sheila Evans. The activities, and the teacher guide, are carefully designed to maximise opportunities for pupils to make visible to themselves, and the teacher, their current understanding and reasoning. In so doing teachers are able to be particularly adaptive and responsive to pupil learning needs over the course of a lesson, as well as facilitate their planning of future lessons (Black and Wiliam, 1998; Swan, 2006). These secondary school mathematics lessons are freely available on the web: go to http://map.mathshell.org.uk/materials/index.php
About a third of these lessons involve nonroutine, problem-solving tasks. They are designed to assess and develop pupils' capacity to apply mathematics flexibly to rich, unstructured problems, both from pure mathematics and from the real world. During these lessons pupils have to make sense of a problem, to decide on the mathematics to apply to the problem, to do the mathematics, and finally have to interpret and communicate the solution to their peers and their teacher.
Problem solving lessons present teachers with an important pedagogical dilemma. As the whole purpose of the lesson is for pupils to develop the ability to select, apply, and compare appropriate mathematical methods, the teacher cannot be sure which methods pupils will choose. We have found that pupils are unlikely to choose methods that they have only just acquired, and usually prefer concrete numerical or graphical approaches to algebraic approaches. This presents the teacher with a dilemma, how does one reveal the power of an algebraic approach without 'forcing" pupils to use it, in which case the lesson is no longer a true problem-solving lesson, but a mere exercise in algebra? One possible solution is to follow pupils' own attempts to solve a problem with a critiquing activity in which we offer pupils pre-prepared 'sample pupil work' that show alternative attempts to solve the problem, all of which are imperfect, and which invite pupils to try and improve, and complete. As different approaches are contrasted and compared, ideas are combined and refined into collaborative solutions.
The structure of these lessons has changed over the duration of the project. To begin with, we gave pupils a problem at the start of the lesson, but found that it was difficult for teachers to understand and follow pupils' reasoning and then to follow this up immediately. Now pupils are given a problem to tackle on their own, before the lesson. The teacher then reviews their work, but instead of grading it, which promotes competition between pupils (Black and Wiliam, 1998) and distracts attention away from the mathematics, the teacher formulates questions for pupils to answer in order to improve their solutions. The lesson starts with pupils using these questions to review their own work. Then in small groups, pupils evaluate fellow pupils' solutions, with the aim of producing a joint approach that is better than their individual efforts. After discussing, as a class, the range of strategies used by different groups, pupils then assess the sample pupil work. …


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A gray, 2000 Cadillac STS, worth $2,000 was reported stolen Monday from Ash Street. It was last seen at 4:30 p.m., and the theft was reported to police at 11:30 p.m. There were no signs of broken glass in the street, and the owner said the keys were not in the car.
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312 Greenfield Cir.
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Begins: Tuesday, January 27
Ends: Tuesday, March 24
Curriculum: The All-Time Best-Seller Book Club
About the All-Time Best-Seller Book Club: The All-Time Best-Seller Book Club is an exciting, nine-week opportunity for our entire congregation to read through the New Testament in context and discuss it in community. C-Group participants will be provided with a FREE Books of the Bible New Testament. This innovative Bible removes chapter and verse numbers, reorders the books in a more chronological and thematic order, and presents the text in one column instead of two. The result is a New Testament that reads as a story and brings the reader as close to the original context as possible. By reading only 12 pages per day, 5 days a week, 30 minutes per day, you will have read through the entire New Testament in only 8 weeks!
About Michele: Michele has been married almost 30 years to Ken and they have four children, all currently enrolled in college. She works full-time and serves as the Deep Waters Book Group leader.
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How Nanotechnology Can Be Applied to the Production of Smaller Polymer Fibers and How They Might Be Used in Medicine
Current Research into Methods for Producing Polymer Nanofibers
Polymer fibers are ubiquitous in many spheres of human life. Clothing, apparels, cosmetics, cigarette filters, air conditioning filters, fishing nets, composites, surgical masks, extracorporeal devices, vascular grafts, heart valves, are to name a few examples. Fibers used in these applications are typically in 5 to 50 micrometer diameter range, and made from a variety of polymers of both synthetic and natural origin. According to one estimate, the world fiber consumption is reaching 60 million tons per annum.
Imagine a human society without polymer fibers. Now imagine the possibilities if it is feasible to produce polymer fibers with a thousand times smaller diameter. Both, the surface area to weight ratio and surface area to volume ratio of fibers increase significantly. Increased surface area means a feasibility to enhance the functionality of fibers. This would lead to a highly sensitive filter made of polymer nanofibers that is able to selectively capture viruses or bacteria and able to neutralize or kill them. This certainly would improve the quality of human life, as we live in a world faced by terrorism, man-made and natural disasters.
Researchers around the world are searching for ways to produce polymer nanofibers. There are more than 70 research groups worldwide investigating polymer nanofibers produced by electrospinning method. Year 2003 alone saw publication of over 200 articles in this emerging field. Figure 1 (see below) illustrates the broad domains of polymer nanofibers that are being actively researched on. About 50% of the papers are focused on the electrospinning process development and characterization of fibers. Others are focused on innovative use of polymer nanofibers for a variety of applications in medicine, biotechnology, and engineering.
Figure 1. Potential applications of polymer nanofibers. Polymer nanofibers are candidates for a number of applications in medicine, biotechnology, and engineering, because of their large surface area to volume ratio and unique nanometer scale architecture.
Source: NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI), National University of Singapore (NUS).
For more information on this source please visit the NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative.
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I really enjoyed Mr Natty's shipwreck soap. It really felt like it did a great job of getting me all nice and clean, and it rinsed off easily. This is definitely a mans scent that reminds me of how id smell if i was living in the wilderness hunting grizzly bears all while trying to build a log cabin. The reason i gave it 4 stars is because i think it is just too expensive for what it is. If you don't mind speeding almost 20$ for a bar of soap then i recommend this product.4


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The Civil War came with such a headlong rush, that no one was prepared for it: not the North and its small military; not the South, with its new government just forming, and certainly not the new President, unschooled in war and lacking any executive experience. Lincoln managed to hold a divided North together, find the generals to win the war, and begin the process of emancipation. Assassinated just six days after the end of the Civil War, his legacy was forever cemented in history.
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ALA Notable Children's Book
Horn Book Fanfare
Parents' Choice Gold Award
IRA/CBC Children's Choice
Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio)
Charlie May Simon Book Award (Arkansas)
Newbery Honor Book
Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey)
About the Book
In this Newbery Honor Book from beloved author Beverly Cleary, eight-year-old Ramona Quimby's zest for life is infectious as ever. Whether speaking her mind to her third-grade teacher, or befriending her schoolyard bully, Ramona can't be kept down!
Then one day an embarrassing incident in the classroom leaves Ramona completely humiliated. Can she bounce back from this one?
Supports the Common Core State Standards
Everything depends on Ramona.
Ramona's job is to be nice to fussy Mrs. Kemp, who watches her while her mother works. If Mrs. Quimby didn't work, Mr. Quimby couldn't return to college. On top of all that, third grade isn't turning out as Ramona expected. Danny the Yard Ape teases her and, on one horrible day, she throws up—at school. Being eight isn't easy, but it's never dull!
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Product Details
- Imprint: HarperCollins
- On Sale: 03/19/2013
- Trimsize: 5.125 in (w) x 7.625 in (h) x 0.416 in (d)
- Pages: 208
- List Price: 6.99 USD
- Ages: 8 to 12
- BISAC1: JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Siblings
- BISAC2: JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Adolescence
- BISAC3: JUVENILE FICTION / Humorous Stories
- BISAC4: JUVENILE FICTION / Family / General
- Lexile® Measure: 860L


text: August 2, 2008 at 8pm – Shades Of Hoboken Luiz Santos-drums ,Jim Donica-bass and Eric Wollman-guitar will be playing their brand of jazz and jazz fusion. Originals will be performed as well as a few choice standards. This is improvisation… Organized by Luiz Santos Music | Type: Jazz, Fusion, Latin


text: It's good to know that chems last longer than what the manufacturer says. On B&W side, I've noticed fixer lasts and lasts although manufacture typically says 2 months. Still good to know it's actually much better than that. I'm THIS close (holding fingers about 1/2" apart) to pulling a trigger and trying this myself.


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Antique Hakeme Korai Natsu Chawan Choson Period
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Directory: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Korean: Ceramics: Pre 1800: Item # 1114265
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Since the late 16th century, Korean tea bowls have been an essential part of Japanese aesthetics (especially in tea ceremony). Oda Nobunaga, the first samurai leader of Japan, was known to prefer items from China and Korea and was famous in giving the Hongwanji, the Ichimonji chawan which is now a national treasure.
The founder of Japanese tea ceremony Sen no Rikyu also favored Korai wares and Rikyu was known for his use of Korean ware bowls such as Ido jawan or the totoya chawan which were originally daily bowls used by commoners to drink water from or to eat rice (ido is translated as well and may have been placed near a jar of water or next to a well and totoya referred to a fisherman's home). Later many tea masters would import various bowls from Korea and would use them in tea ceremony. By the 1590-1600 period during the time when Toyotomi Hideyoshi was ruling Japan, he sent his vassals to Korea to conquer the peninsula, the campaign had resulted in bringing home the craftsmen that were producing the famous Korai chawan tea bowls back to Japan and these craftsmen in turn established kilns throughout Western Japan (such as Karatsu, Satsuma, Hagi).
The bowl presented is a Korai chawan done in the style known as Hakeme. Hakeme can be translated as brushed style, where a large brush is used to create a distinct pattern throughout the bowl. With the Korai Chawan bowls, the glaze or pigments used is not done using a slightly dry brush but the reverse.
Some dealers and a few collectors have taken note the difference in the name used in Japan versus in Korea. Tea bowls such as the bowl being presented is known as "hakeme" in Japan while in Korea sometimes the name " muan konahiki" is used in reference to the bowls that were commonly made near the southern tip of Korea known as Jeonam. The bowl presented is very similar to those bowls although the bowls that were produced in Jeonam do not have the small black pepper-like spots.
Korai tea bowls are known for 3 distinct attributes that are found in most bowls. The first attribute is the unglazed spots found inside the tea bowl. This is created when the bowls are placed on top of each other inside the kiln so that the potter can fire as much bowls as possible. After the bowls are fired sometimes pieces from the adjacent bowl that was place on top of another may melt and stick to another creating a unique pattern.
The second attribute, which is similar to the first, the foot of the bowl will also have the similar unglazed spots.
The final attribute, is found on the bottom part of the bowl. The combination of the natural way the glaze collects in that section of the bowl and the way the clay is done produces a wrinkled like effect known as, shibo. This feature is more common in Ido jawan and totoya chawan style bowls.
The tea bowl has at least one of the features which is the unglazed spots found on the bottom of the bowl, and it can be assumed that the bowl was placed last on a stack of bowls thus there are no unglazed spots inside the bowl. A similar example is found at Nikko in Tochigi in the Kinji-in collection where the bowl was named shiro tenmoku or white tenmoku (also was known as Seto tenmoku); however, the hakeme style or konahiki glaze used on the bowl, the spiral formation on the inside of the bowl, the rim like shape for the bottom of the bowl, and the structure are consistent with Korean examples and these features are very similar to the bowl presented ( the bowl is considered as a daimeibutsu piece).
The general age for these tea bowls varies and many results tend to come out, but one can assume that this tea bowl was produced during the 18th century to the 19th century.
The tea bowl comes with a silk shifuku, or silk cover and is usually used with high grade tea bowls or bowls that contain some significant value. The shifuku is using chirimen silk (a style of silk where there are fine wrinkles throughout the fabric) with a brown silk string.
CONDITION: The tea bowl has been used many times during its life and has aged to a beige like hue. Overall there seems to be no chipped areas, cracks, or obvious repairs done to the tea bowl and has been kept in very good condition in relation to its age.
Size: The bowl being in an uneven shape : Diameter: 5.9" x 5.8" or 14.98 cm x 14.73 cm Height: 2.2" or 5.6cm.
Ref: Oda Eiichi, Korai Chawan: Chaodgu no Sekai. Tankosha. Kyoto, Japan. 1999. Takahashi, Yoshio. Taisho Meikikan.Hounsha. Tokyo. 1921.


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Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons & Donuts is the successor to the celebrated RPG-parody Grotesque Tactics. Experience an ironic story-driven RPG with humorous dialogue-puzzles in the style of Monkey Island as well as a strategic combat system, where your party members are controlled simultaneously.
Our story starts as the citizens of the Kingdom of Glory celebrate their victory over the Dark Church. While in the catacombs of their former enemies, their revelry is disturbed by a sudden all-encompassing fog. The citizens wrapped by the fog disappear screaming into nothing. Those that remain alive after the strange attack, barricade themselves in the depths of the catacombs. As time passes, food becomes scarce and the people of the Kingdom of Glory begin to realize that they might all meet their demise. The 'heroic' Knights of Glory, shady mercenaries and the arrogant high elves band together into guilds in order to survive and escape the dank catacombs. Unfortunately, the guilds are far too concerned with their distaste for each other and are oblivious to the awakening of dark forces in the dungeons below…
PCOperating System: Windows XP/Vista/7


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Tag: water damage
After the fire: Peter Waters helps save water-damaged records
Today's post comes from Sara Holmes, supervisory preservation specialist at the National Archives in St. Louis.
Just before 9 a.m. on the morning of July 16, 1973, the fire that had raged over five days was declared out. The firemen's command post was taken down; engines cleared the scene; and 9700 Page Avenue—home of the Military Personal Records Center (MPR)—was returned to Federal control. Recovery work began, and consultants from the private and public sectors were called to St. Louis under the oversight of the General Services Administration.
Many problems were obvious from the start: there was no electricity; broken water lines continued to flood the building; staff had been placed on leave and needed a place to return to work; records requests still needed to be answered; the sixth floor appeared to be little more than rubble and ashes; and the millions of records in the lower floors of the building were still at risk for damage. It would take an additional week for staff to return to work in makeshift quarters and a contract to be awarded to demolish the sixth floor.
Posted by Hilary on July 16, 2013, under Uncategorized.
Tags: air force, archives, army, Coast Guard., conservation, fire, mold, MPR, nprc, Peter Waters, preservation, St. Louis, water damage
Comments: 1
One fire, 5 days, and 381 men
Today's post comes from Sara Holmes, supervisory preservation specialist at the National Archives in St. Louis. (The images below are from the National Archives at St. Louis, with a special thank you to Capt. Dave Dubowski of the Spanish Lake Fire Department and the late Chief Bob Palmer of Mehlville Fire Department.)
What happened after midnight on July 12, 1973, changed everything for the National Archives in St. Louis.
The fire was first sighted outside of 9700 Page Avenue. Minutes later, the first team arrived at the sixth floor of the building, only to be forced to retreat as their masks began to melt on their faces.
The Military Personal Records Center (MPR)—now known as the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC)—was a huge building. Hailed as an architectural wonder when it was built in 1956, the building was 1,596,332 square feet, second only to the Pentagon in size at the time. Two NFL regulation football fields would fit comfortably within each of its six floors with room to spare. It had no sprinklers in the records storage areas and few firewalls … [ Read all ]
Posted by Hilary on July 12, 2013, under National Archives Near You, News and Events, Unusual documents.
Tags: archives, deluge gun, fire, firemen, nprc, preservation, records, snorkel, St. Louis, water damage
Comments: 10


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Keith paves the way for more big acts to visit Townsville
- From: Townsville Bulletin
- June 17, 2014
MORE popular international acts are tipped to be heading to Townsville after the huge turnout to the Keith Urban concert showed the city was capable of hosting big names.
Townsville City Council and Townsville Enterprise Limited said they would capitalise on the success to lure more big names to the city.
The event has also renewed calls for a superstadium to be built in the city to ensure it has the infrastructure to host major acts.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said the concert would be used to further promote Townsville as an event destination.
"The feedback was very positive and it's part of a strategy to get these sort of events to the city," she said.
"Event tourism has been a success for Melbourne and it can be successful for Townsville on a smaller scale.
"It's one aspect of the need to rebuild the stadium and building it closer to the CBD because the current stadium doesn't have all the bells and whistles for these sort of events. We need investment from the Government."
More than 13,000 people turned out to watch Urban despite the threat of rain lingering. A spokesman for the Keith Urban tour said they were thrilled with the "packed crowd".
Townsville Enterprise Limited tourism and events general manager Patricia O'Callaghan said the concert helped show Townsville's event potential.
"It's improving the brand of Townsville and North Queensland as a key entertainment destination," she said.
"Keith is another achievement and coup for the region and from a TEL perspective we are working towards more big events in 2014 and 2015."
Urban himself also spruiked Townsville while speaking in a social media video he filmed from his Townsville hotel room after the show.
"It's Keith here, sitting in a hotel in Townsville," he said.
"We just finished playing Townsville and it was incredible. Thank you so much for an incredible night."
Cr Hill said the concert also brought visitors to the region and provided a boost for retailers and tourist operators.
"Most of the shopping precincts were busy and you couldn't get a motel room in the city," she said.
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Warren BUTTERWORTH of TOWNSVILLE Posted at 7:08 AM June 18, 2014
13,000 in a stadium capable of holding twenty odd thousand may be good, but not great. I have to agree with "Kerryn of Idilia", why do we need a Super Stadium if we can only attract 13,000 to a concert.
Abner White Posted at 11:09 PM June 17, 2014
20,000 ppl went to cairns to see ACDC i was one of them..... as the movie quote goes " if you build it , they will come"...... North Queensland can and will support big international acts because they provide true entertainment..am sure anyone who went to cairns will agree....
Catherine Posted at 2:34 PM June 17, 2014
Kerryn, it's just lucky that the rain stayed away.


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There are few guarantees in life, but one thing is certain: When it's Thanksgiving, there will be leftovers. Not to mention a thousand and one ways in which to eat them, from turkey soup, to sandwiches, pot pies and casseroles.
But as tasty as Thanksgiving reruns may be - oftentimes just as delicious as the first day - there's a risk of using what's leftover longer than what's deemed safe, particularly because on the last Thursday in November, the food that's cooked spends a lot of time unrefrigerated.
The following tips should help families ensure that what they're serving the days following the great feast is just as safe it was when it first hit the dinner table.
A good rule of thumb to follow, according to health experts, is the two-hour rule. This means that if food is unrefrigerated for longer than two hours, it's best to throw it away rather than take the risk of eating it in the days after Thanksgiving. Any food that reaches more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit is considered in the "danger" zone, meaning that it's at the ideal temperature for harmful bacteria to grow on it.
Another way to keep Thanksgiving leftovers fresher longer is by storing them in shallow containers rather than those that are deep. Filling Thanksgiving dinner into Tupperware containers that have a shallow bottom allow the food to cool down quicker once it's refrigerated, making it safer to eat in the days immediately following Turkey Day.
Separate leftovers, especially stuffing
Speaking of storing, something else that's frequently done with leftovers is not separating the stuffing from the turkey. Many families will put the stuffing inside the turkey for efficiency purposes when cooking. However, health experts largely agree that once that first meal has been served, it's time to remove any leftover stuffing from the bird and to store it separately. Otherwise, there's the chance that salmonella could form on the stuffing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food-borne illnesses in the U.S. are fairly common. Based on 2011 estimates, there are approximately 9.4 million illnesses per year, nearly 56,000 of which require hospitalizations that may result in general liability insurance claims if medical costs are substantial.
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Not bad, but could use some workPosted on 09 / 06 / 2009
I tried this place tonight. I had the lemon grass tofu since that was my favorite at another Vietnamese place I used to go. The lemon grass tofu was pretty good. I think it would've been better with a little bit more spice, but otherwise not bad. The spring rolls and fried wontons, however, left a whole lot to be desired. The spring rolls were rather bland, and the wontons had a filling that just seemed to be some paste. I'd probably go again, just would skip the appetizers simply because it's the closest Vietnamese place to me.


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Richard Nelson is executive director of the Commonwealth Policy Center, a Herndon, Ky.-based non-profit public policy group. He lives in Cadiz, Ky.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting that touched us so deeply, it's daunting to comment since the wounds are still tender.
Parents with tear-stained faces deserve our comfort and compassion. The Newtown community needs our support as they try to heal. These things we can agree on. But what do we say when words can never be enough in the midst of such sorrow? Sometimes nothing. ...


text: In honor of today being National Cheesecake Day (it's a thing! Look it up!) and us very much enjoying hurting ourselves via food, we asked one our local correspondents to hit up The Cheesecake Factory and try ever single cheesecake they make. Almost $400 later, he had tasting notes on all 34 flavors (including a s'mores one that comes out today!) and a definitive ranking you can feast your eyes on below:


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Armor of God Word Art
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This Armor of God Word Art uses Ephesians 6:10-18 as its foundation. This image illustrates how Christians are to become soldiers and prepare themselves for spiritual warfare.
You can also read an article on the Armor of God in our Spread the Word Guide: Spiritual Warfare - What is the The Full Armor of God?
by Rachel Barrett
See Related Articles
- Am I a Soldier of the Cross?, the Song and the Story
- Spiritual Warfare - The Armor of God and Breastplate of Righteousness
- Joshuah and Victory in Battle
- Joshua Trusts God and Wins the Battle
- Spiritual Warfare as a Christian Reality
- What is the Armor of God?
- Spiritual Warfare - What is the The Full Armor of God?
- Abijam, King of Judah
- Who Was Pontius Pilate?
- King David Old Testament Warrior


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On meeting her great love Jason Sudeikis:
"I felt like fresh meat at the market. ... I thought, I'm not beautiful enough or his type.
RELATED: Best Celebrity Haircuts of All Time
"I couldn't wait to sit down and hear him talk. On our first date, in New York City, we closed the restaurant down at 2 a.m.! He didn't kiss me, and I was madly in love. I was overwhelmed."
© 2015 Whalerock Industries


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U.S. refuses entry to 20 Iran officials (BUT there will be 140) ahead of UN meet in New York
But not the one they should NOT give a platform to: Ahmadinejad' Sept. 26
Iranian semi-official news agency says another 140 were given U.S. visas; ministers, top aides among those denied entry.
The United States has denied visas to about 20 Iranian government officials hoping to attend next week's UN General Assembly, including two ministers, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Saturday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a regular at the assembly since he took office in 2005, will give his final speech there on Wednesday and will address a meeting on the "rule of law" on Monday.
But of the 160-or-so visas requested by the Iranian delegation two months ago, about 20 were turned down, Fars said.
It gave no reason, but many Iranian officials are subject to travel bans under sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program.
In Washington, the U.S. State Department had no immediate comment on the matter.